Brewers Minors: Affiliates Back in the Win Column in Week 8

Well that’s more like it! A week after three Brewers affiliates lost their series, only one of them did so last week with two getting back on the horse and picking up series wins and another earning a 3-3 series split.

Last week happened to be the first time since week 3 that no Brewers affiliate had a player win a league’s player of the week award. It was quite the streak, but it didn’t stop the organization from putting plenty of notches in the win column last week.

Who got the wins and how did the top prospects perform? Find out in our week 8 recap of the Brewers minor league affiliates.

Nashville Sounds (30-16, 2nd in Southeast Division)

The Sounds got back to their winning ways last week, taking four of six in their series against the Charlotte Knights. Nashville scored five runs or more in five of the six games in the series and climbed back to within a half game of the division lead.

Leading the hit parade was Cooper Hummel, who went 9 for 21 with three doubles, a triple, and a pair of home runs. He raised his batting average to .324 and his OPS to 1.182 in his first Triple-A season with the Brewers organization.

Weston Wilson (2 2B, 2 HR) and Tim Lopes (2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR), followed with eight hits in the series while Jamie Westbrook (1 2B, 1 HR) had seven. MLB Pipeline’s No. 24 Brewers prospect Corey Ray also returned from the IL, slugging a two-run double in his first game back on Friday and finishing 4 for 12 in the series.

On the mound, Thomas Jankins became a name the Knights probably wanted to forget after the series was over. He started twice against Charlotte, picking up a win and giving up two runs on six hits and five walks while striking out a dozen over 10 2/3 combined innings.

No. 4 prospect Ethan Small also made his Triple-A debut on Thursday. Like his 2021 Double-A debut, he was roughed up a bit (though we all know what happened after that first setback). Small gave up two runs on three hits and five walks over 2 2/3 innings, striking out one for the Sounds.

Biloxi Shuckers (15-32, 4th in North Division)

It was five games, five losses for the Shuckers against the Montgomery Biscuits last week as they ran their losing streak up to seven games. It was close to being a different story, though, as three of the five losses were by just one run.

No. 2 Brewers prospect Brice Turang kept his hot month of June rolling along nicely. He went 7 for 20 during the series with two doubles, three walks, five runs scored, and a steal. Turang is now hitting .283 on the season.

Chad Spanberger was right behind Turang with six hits, including a double and a homer, in the series. Luis Castro, who won the player of the week award in the previous series, had five hits and matched Spanberger with a double and a homer.

Leo Crawford, who was acquired in the Corey Knebel deal last winter, had one of his best starts for the Shuckers so far in 2021. In 5 1/3 innings last Thursday, he gave up just an earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out a pair.

Meanwhile, in the bullpen, Robbie Hitt and Peter Strzelecki each threw three scoreless innings of relief, combining to allow three hits and two walks on seven strikeouts. Strzelecki lowered his season ERA to 2.89 in the process.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (22-25, 4th in West Division)

After being swept in their previous series, the Timber Rattlers turned things right back around last week. Wisconsin took four of six against the Peoria Chiefs, including a doubleheader sweep to wrap things up on Sunday.

No. 1 Brewers prospect Garrett Mitchell and No. 22 prospect Thomas Dillard matched each other in the power department with two doubles and two homers apiece. Dillard’s two bombs both came in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader sweep.

Mitchell and Dillard had six and seven hits, respectively, in the series. Ahead of them was No. 14 prospect Carlos Rodriguez, who had eight hits (2 2B, 1 3B) on the week.

Justin Bullock was money for the Timber Rattlers on the mound, picking up wins in both of his starts in the series. He gave up three runs on eight hits over 13 combined innings, striking out eight while not walking a single batter.

Carolina Mudcats (28-18, 1st in Central Division)

The Mudcats started off hot, winning three of the first four games in their series against the Down East Wood Ducks, but two weekend losses turned the week into a split for the two teams. Still, Carolina maintained their division lead after the week was done.

Two 2020 draft picks were on fire during the series. 3rd round pick and No. 11 Brewers prospect Zavier Warren went 6 for 18 with six walks, a triple, and two homers. His OPS is up to .977 on the 2021 season.

Meanwhile, 4th round pick Joey Wiemer went 8 for 23 in the series, leading the team in hits, and also adding a double, two homers of his own, and five stolen bases in six attempts. He also continued to be a force, defensively, in the outfield.

Jhoan Cruz picked up a win in a solid start on Thursday, giving up a run on five hits over six innings with six punchouts. And in the bullpen, Cam Robinson coverted both of his save opportunities, giving up just a hit over two scoreless innings with a strikeout, lowering his season ERA to 1.56.

The calendar is about to flip to July, which means All-Star roster announcements are quickly approaching. Check back next week to see who might be getting close to representing their team in their league’s midsummer classic.