Tag Archives: Brewers

21 Jun

big league chew

Matt Wallner’s sixth home run of the season, a rather modest 370-footer, came in the seventh inning Friday night with his team down 8-0. But it was a significant hit for the Minnesota slugger out of Southern Miss. Milwaukee rookie and former Biloxi Shuckers ace Jacob Misiorowski had a no-hitter going at the time. In fact, the 6-foot-7 right-hander had entered the seventh with a perfect game, following up the five no-hit innings he threw in his big league debut last week. A walk to Byron Buxton ended the perfecto and Wallner then took a hanging slider out of the park to end Misiorowski’s night. The Brewers won the game 17-6. … Former state prep stars Austin Riley and Colt Keith also went deep Friday in losing causes, Riley hitting his 12th for Atlanta, Keith his sixth for Detroit. … Spencer Turnbull, the ex-Madison Central standout, made his first start for Toronto — and first since last season with Philadelphia — and it did not go well: The Chicago White Sox touched him up for five runs (four earned) in two innings. Turnbull now has a 7.11 ERA in three games for the Blue Jays, who lost 7-1 Friday. Ex-USM star Nick Sandlin came off the injured list and tossed a scoreless inning in relief for the Jays in his first MLB game in two months. … Former Jackson Generals standout Ray Montgomery is serving as the Los Angeles Angels’ acting manager with Ron Washington sidelined by health concerns. It’s the second time in the four years Montgomery, the team’s bench coach, has stepped in as acting skipper. The Angels lost to Houston 3-2 on Friday. … Will Clark, the former Mississippi State star now a special assistant with San Francisco, is helping Rafael Devers learn the ropes at first base, per reports. Devers, recently acquired from Boston, has never played the position. Clark was a five-time All-Star at first base with the Giants. “He’s very eager to help,” Giants manager Bob Melvin told The Mercury News of San Jose.

13 Jun

aw shuckers

Fans of the Biloxi Shuckers enjoyed some vicarious thrills on Thursday. The big league debut of Jacob Misiorowski was the main attraction, and Milwaukee’s top pitching prospect did not disappoint at American Family Field. “The walk in from the bullpen was like, ‘Holy cow, this is it, we’re actually doing this.’ … It’s cool. It’s really cool,” he said postgame. The 6-foot-7 right-hander threw five hitless innings at the St. Louis Cardinals, touching 102 mph on the gun while striking out five batters and walking four. Misiorowski, who pitched for the Double-A Shuckers in 2023 and ’24, left the game in the sixth inning after experiencing leg cramps. He threw 14 pitches at 100-plus. Former Shuckers stars Jackson Chourio (12th home run), Sal Frelick (3-for-4, two RBIs) and Brice Turang (2-for-4 with an RBI) also contributed in the Brewers’ 6-0 win, which moved the team ahead of St. Louis into second place in the National League Central. At Houston, ex-Shuckers ace Josh Hader notched his 18th save — 217th career — for the first-place Astros, who put down the Chicago White Sox 4-3. At Kansas City, Shuckers alum Devin Williams, now back in the closer role, nailed down his ninth save with a clean ninth for the New York Yankees in a 1-0 win. He has four saves and a 1.93 ERA this month after some early season struggles. At Colorado, the Rockies got a walk-off hit from Orlando Arcia — a star on the original Shuckers team in 2015 — in an 8-7 victory against San Francisco. Arcia is batting .200 with a homer and four RBIs in nine games for the Rockies since Atlanta cut him loose. And in Chattanooga, the current Shuckers beat the Lookouts 6-5 in 10 innings, with former Magnolia Heights standout Cooper Pratt scoring the game-deciding run. The Shuckers, at 36-24, have the best record in the Southern League.

10 Jun

alumni meeting

Though the Mississippi-Biloxi rivalry no longer exists in the Southern League, alumni of the Double-A clubs can still clash in the National League. The first meeting of 2025 between Atlanta and Milwaukee happened on Monday night at American Family Field — and the former M-Braves won the day and the game, 7-1, snapping a dreadful seven-game losing streak. Five M-Braves alums combined for seven hits, four walks and five runs. Notably, Ronald Acuna homered for the fifth time in his 16 games; Austin Riley went 3-for-5 to raise his average to .285; and Ozzie Albies registered career hit No. 1,000. He is the all-time hits leader among Atlanta second basemen. Three ex-Shuckers were a combined 1-for-9 with a pair of walks. (Former M-Braves catcher William Contreras, now Milwaukee’s backstop, was 1-for-4 with an RBI knock.) It was a huge win — psychologically, at least — for the Braves, now 28-37 but still mired in fourth place in the NL East. The Brewers are 35-32, third in the NL Central. Game 2 of the three-game set is tonight. … The M-Braves, who played at Trustmark Park in Pearl from 2005-24, have produced more than 180 big league players. The Shuckers, based in Biloxi since 2015, have sent more than 80 players into MLB. P.S. Mississippi State alum Jake Mangum had a four-hit, two-RBI game Monday as Tampa Bay spoiled the debut of No. 1 overall prospect Roman Anthony by beating Boston 10-8 in 11 innings at Fenway Park. … Arizona has placed ex-MSU star Kendall Graveman back on the injured list with a hip problem. He had made nine appearances, all but his last effective ones. … Chris Stratton, another ex-Bulldogs standout, declared free agency Monday. Since being designated for assignment and then released by Kansas City on May 25, the 10-year MLB vet has: signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, been DFA’d, been outrighted to Triple-A, declared free agency, re-signed with the Dodgers, been DFA’d again, been outrighted again and declared free agency again. He made three appearances with the Dodgers during that time. … On June 10, 2019, Arizona and Philadelphia set a major league by combining for 13 homers in a game at Citizens Bank Park. The fun started when McComb native Jarrod Dyson led off with a bomb, the first of three straight by the Diamondbacks to start the game. Dyson hit only 21 homers in his 12-year career, but he’s in the home run record book.

09 Jun

in local news

At Pearl, the Mississippi Mud Monsters wrapped up a 4-1 homestand with a twinbill split Sunday against Florence (Ky.) at Trustmark Park. In the 11-2 win in Game 2, Kyle Booker homered and drove in three runs to back the strong start of Rodney Theopile. Nick Hassan went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run for the independent Mud Monsters. Booker, a former DeSoto Central High star who spent three years at Tennessee, is batting .327 with three homers and 18 RBIs on the year. He had two of the Mud-sters’ three hits in a 4-0 loss in Sunday’s opener. Mississippi is 13-14 in its inaugural Frontier League season. After a 12-game road trip, the next homestand starts June 24.
At Biloxi, the Double-A Shuckers whipped Montgomery 6-4 at Keesler Federal Park to win the Southern League series 5 games to 1. The first-place Shuckers are 35-22. Brock Wilken, a highly rated Milwaukee prospect, hit a grand slam, and former Magnolia Heights standout Cooper Pratt, another top prospect, went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a run and two steals. Wilken leads the SL with 15 homers and 35 RBIs. The Shuckers are celebrating their 10th anniversary season as an SL club.
At New Albany, the college boys of the Cotton States League played a pair of doubleheaders in BNA Bank Park with league-leader Tallahatchie going 1-0-1 vs. Tippah County and North Delta taking two from Hill Country. Houston Green, an Itawamba Community College alum, drove in two runs for Tallahatchie to back the three-hit pitching of Jake Thomas and Sam Brumbaugh in their 5-1 win. The Rascals are 4-0-1. Green is 6-for-12 on the young season, and Thomas is 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA. For North Delta, Eli Akins, a Delta State alum, threw a one-hitter in a 2-0 win against Hill Country after Connor Edge (ICC) tossed a three-hitter and Hayden Short knocked in three runs in the Dealers’ 10-1 victory in the opener.
P.S. Madison Central High product Spencer Turnbull has been added to Toronto’s active roster. The veteran right-hander, a recent free agent signee, had a 2.65 ERA in 17 games for Philadelphia before a lat injury in June ended his 2024 season. He has a 4.26 career ERA over 78 games. … Braden Montgomery, another Madison Central alum, had a four-hit game Sunday for High-Class A Winston-Salem and boosted his average there to .263. Montgomery is a highly rated prospect in the Chicago White Sox’s chain.

04 Jun

on the move

Blaze Jordan, the precocious slugger from DeSoto Central High, made his Triple-A debut on Tuesday night and went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk and a pair of runs for Boston’s Worcester club. He played third base and hit cleanup. The Red Sox promoted Jordan, 22 but in his fifth pro season, from Double-A Portland, where he hit .390 in May. For the year at Portland, Jordan was batting .320 with six homers — all in May — 37 RBIs, 30 runs, 22 walks and just 19 strikeouts in 44 games. He hasn’t quite hit with the power that was expected when he was drafted in 2020 — 49 career homers — and he has dropped off the Red Sox’s Top 30 prospect list. But this recent surge obviously has grabbed some attention. Jordan’s move up was one of a slew of transactions on Tuesday involving Mississippians in the minors. Ex-Mississippi State standout Brandon Woodruff made another rehab start — his ninth all told — for Milwaukee’s Triple-A Nashville team but was struck on the right elbow by a line drive and left the game in the second inning. X-rays were negative; more tests are planned. … Southern Miss product Nick Sandlin, on the injured list in Toronto, got a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League and worked a scoreless frame. He has a 2.35 ERA in 10 MLB appearances. … MSU alum Justin Foscue was activated from the IL at Triple-A Round Rock in the Texas system. … Chuckie Robinson, former USM star, was DFA’d by the Los Angeles Dodgers just days after being claimed off waivers from the Angels. He had not yet gotten an at-bat at Triple-A Oklahoma City. … Ex-USM standout Tyler Stuart, on the IL at Triple-A Rochester in Washington’s chain, was activated and bumped to Double-A Harrisburg. … MSU product Preston Johnson was moved down to Double-A Chesapeake from Triple-A Norfolk, where he made one appearance, in the Baltimore system. … Tyler Samaniego, a Northeast Mississippi Community College alum on Pittsburgh’s Double-A Altoona roster, was sent on an injury rehab assignment to High-A Greensboro. … Brooks Auger, a 2024 draftee out of State, was activated from the development list at High-A Great Lakes in the Dodgers organization. He threw three scoreless innings on Tuesday.

03 Jun

something to celebrate

There is no joy in Hattiesburg or Oxford today, but, hey, there should be a festive mood in Biloxi at Keesler Federal Park. The Double-A Shuckers, celebrating their 10th anniversary season, are in first place with the best record in the Southern League as they open a six-game homestand against Montgomery. The 10th anniversary of the franchise’s first home game is Friday. The Shuckers are 30-21, 2 games ahead of Montgomery in the SL South, and lead the league in scoring. Four of Milwaukee’s Top 30 prospects (per MLB Pipeline) are on the Biloxi roster, led by Cooper Pratt, the former Gatorade player of the year from Magnolia Heights. In his first Double-A season, shortstop Pratt is batting .229 with four homers, 27 RBIs and 28 runs. Ex-Mississippi State standout K.C. Hunt, the system’s No. 24 prospect, is in the Shuckers’ rotation and is 3-4 with a 4.61 ERA. No. 8 prospect Luke Adams leads the team with 34 runs, and No. 12 Brock Wilken has 12 homers and 27 RBIs. Zavier Warren has seven homers, 29 RBIs and 25 runs. On the mound, Nate Peterson is 5-4, 3.06; Tate Kuehner 4-4, 2.77; and Justin Yeager has eight saves. The Shuckers — formerly the Huntsville Stars — played their inaugural home game at what was then called MGM Park on June 6, 2015, winning 4-3 against Mobile. That Shuckers team, featuring Orlando Arcia and Tyrone Taylor among others, won a first-half championship despite playing the bulk of its games on the road. They actually clinched the title in mid-June vs. the Mississippi Braves at Trustmark Park in Pearl. … Montgomery, a Tampa Bay affiliate, comes to Biloxi with a crew of Mississippi products in tow: Ex-MSU stars Colton Ledbetter, Kamren James and Hunter Stovall and Southern Miss alum Matthew Etzel. Ledbetter and Etzel are ranked prospects for the Rays. P.S. In MLB moves, the (Sacramento) A’s have placed Gunnar Hoglund, the rookie righty out of Ole Miss, on the injured list (hip injury), and the Los Angeles Dodgers have DFA’d former MSU star Chris Stratton, who made two appearances for them.

29 May

just stuff

Brandon Woodruff, the ex-Mississippi State star, reportedly is on schedule to rejoin the Milwaukee pitching staff on the Brewers’ next homestand, which starts June 6. Making his eighth rehab appearance as he comes back from shoulder surgery, Woodruff went seven innings for High-Class A Wisconsin on Wednesday and yielded a lone unearned run. “It went pretty good,” Woodruff told reporters. He has a 1.94 ERA over 36 2/3 innings split between High-A and Triple-A. A two-time All-Star, Woodruff missed all of the 2024 season after the surgery. … Jake Mangum is batting .389 in 18 at-bats on his rehab assignment for Tampa Bay; the former MSU standout, on the injured list since April 24, is 6-for-15 at Triple-A Durham. … Former East Central Community College star Tim Anderson and Southern Miss alum Chuckie Robinson have been designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels. Former All-Star Anderson, a curious off-season addition, was batting .205 with no homers and one steal in 83 at-bats. Robinson, on the 40-man roster but playing at Triple-A Salt Lake all season, was batting .272 with a homer and 18 RBIs in 28 games. … Biloxi Shuckers alum Orlando Arcia, released by the Atlanta Braves, signed with Colorado and went 2-for-3 as the DH in Wednesday’s game, a loss to the Chicago Cubs. … Let’s do it again: Pablo Roque went 3-for-4 with six RBIs to lead East Central CC to a 13-4 win Wednesday against Southeastern Iowa, setting up another game against Pearl River CC. The MACCC rivals will meet tonight at Enid, Okla., for the seventh time this season and second time in the NJCAA Division II World Series. ECCC will have to beat second-seeded PRCC, unbeaten in Enid, twice to reach the World Series finals. … A couple of Mississippians have helped fuel NAIA No. 1 LSU-Shreveport’s run to a record 57-0. That’s 57-0. Hinds CC alum Vantrel Reed is hitting .397 with five homers and 61 RBIs and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC product D.J. Walker is batting .387 for the Pilots, who beat Southeastern (Fla.) 10-0 Wednesday in the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. LSU-S plays Hope International (Calif.) today for a berth in the finals. A third Mississippian, Pearl River CC product Byrion Robinson, is also on the LSU-S roster but has not pitched this season. … There will be three Golden Spikes Award semifinalists on display in the Hattiesburg Regional: Southern Miss’ J.B. Middleton, Alabama’s Justin Lebron and Miami’s Daniel Cuvet. There will be two in the Oxford Regional, both playing for Georgia Tech: Drew Burress and Kyle Lodise. The NCAA Division I Tournament starts Friday at all 16 regionals.

13 May

smooth move

The Chicago Cubs’ trade for Drew Pomeranz late last month is beginning to look like a very shrewd deal. The veteran left-hander out of Ole Miss has yet to allow a run in eight appearances out of the bullpen for the first-place Cubs, and on Monday night, the 6-foot-5 “Big Smooth” recorded his first MLB save in five years. The 36-year-old Pomeranz worked the ninth in a 5-2 win against Miami at Wrigley Field, allowing one hit and fanning two. “(S)ince we got Drew, he’s just been pounding the zone,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell told mlb.com. “That’s probably what you like best is, it’s just a lot of strikes.” Pomeranz has struck out eight and walked just two in 7 2/3 innings. More closing opportunities may be in his future. The Cubs traded with San Diego to acquire Pomeranz, who was pitching in the minors, and he debuted on April 25, his first MLB game since 2021. A former first-round pick (in 2010) who has been a World Series champ and an All-Star, he had been battling injury issues since that time. “I’m just happy to be here. Literally, it feels like the first time all over again,” Pomeranz said when he joined the Cubs. A starter early in his pro career, he has now appeared in 297 games with a 48-58 record, 10 saves and a 3.88 ERA. P.S. Mississippi State alum Kendall Graveman has been activated from the IL by Arizona; the veteran pitcher missed all of 2024 after arm surgery. … Ex-Mississippi College star Blaine Crim was returned to Triple-A Round Rock by Texas; he went 0-for-11 during his brief call-up. … Brandon Woodruff, former MSU standout from Wheeler, has been shut down on his rehab assignment because of an ankle injury. The erstwhile Milwaukee ace has been out since mid-2023 following an arm injury and surgery. … Four Mississippi products appear in MLB Pipeline’s refreshed Top 100 minor league prospects list: Konnor Griffin (Pittsburgh system) at No. 37, Braden Montgomery (White Sox) No. 38, Cooper Pratt (Milwaukee) No. 50 and Jurrangelo Cijntje (Seattle) No. 92.

11 May

a special day

Not much beats belting a home run for your first major league hit. Unless it’s doing it on Mother’s Day, with your mom in the stadium. Against a former Cy Young Award winner. To win the game. The legend of Tim Elko grew a little larger Sunday when the ex-Ole Miss star, in his second game with the Chicago White Sox, hit a three-run homer off Miami’s Sandy Alcantara. The sixth-inning shot, a 381-footer with the traditional pink bat, put the White Sox ahead and they held on for a 4-2 win at Rate Field. Homers are kind of a thing for Elko, who hit 46 at Ole Miss –including some huge ones during the Rebels’ 2022 run to the national title — and another 61 in the minors before his Saturday call-up. Power is something the lowly ChiSox have been sorely lacking. … Former Mississippi State star Nathaniel Lowe also homered with the pink bat Sunday, his seventh of the season accounting for Washington’s only run in a 6-1 loss to St. Louis. … Mississippi natives Fred Lewis and Bill Hall hit two of MLB’s most famous Mother’s Day homers. Lewis, a Stone County High and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College alum, hit for the cycle on Mother’s Day 2007. He was making just his fourth career start when he went 5-for-6 for San Francisco that day; the homer was the first of his career. Nettleton’s Hall became a Brewers legend on May 14, 2006, when he hit a walk-off homer in the 10th inning to beat the New York Mets at Milwaukee’s Miller Park. With his mother in the stands, Hall swung the special pink bat in the first year that those were used in MLB. Hall’s blast came against Chad Bradford, the former Hinds Community College and Southern Miss standout who allowed only that one homer all season.

06 May

prime nine

A host of former Mississippi Braves — remember the M-Braves? — showed out in The Show on Monday. For Atlanta, topping this list, A.J. Smith-Shawver threw seven no-hit innings — and eight one-hit innings, all told — to lead the Braves to a 4-0 win over Cincinnati. Hot-hitting Austin Riley contributed an RBI knock, giving him 25 on the year, and scored a run. … Freddie Freeman, now with the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers, hit career homer No. 350 — his seventh of the season — to spark a 7-4 win against Miami. Evan Phillips — 0.00 ERA in seven games — threw a scoreless inning in relief for L.A. … For the sizzling Chicago Cubs, Dansby Swanson went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs in a 9-2 win over San Francisco. … For the rising (Sacramento) A’s, Shea Langeliers — a 2021 Double-A champ — belted his seventh homer and drove in two runs in a big 7-6 win against Seattle. … Drew Waters — Southern League player of the year in 2019 — went 1-for-3 with an RBI for Kansas City in a 3-0 victory vs. the White Sox. … For Milwaukee, catcher William Contreras went 1-for-4 with an RBI in a 5-1 win over Houston. … In Pittsburgh’s 6-3 loss to St. Louis, Joey Wentz threw two scoreless innings in relief for the Pirates.