Brewers' minor-league report

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Brett Phillips, OF, Colorado Springs: Phillips hit just .222 over seven games but still maximized the times he did get on base. His 19 total bases led the organization last week as he doubled twice, tripled and homered three times while driving in six runs and walking five times to post an OPS of 1.047. It’s been a bounce-back season for Phillips, as he’s hitting .291 with a team-best nine homers and .982 OPS. He also ranks second on the team with 33 runs batted and is getting on base at a .384 clip.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Corbin Burnes, RHP, Carolina: Burnes, a fourth-round pick out of St. Mary’s (Calif.) last June, has been lights out for the Mudcats. He posted a 0.64 earned-run average and WHIP of 0.86 in two starts last week (14 innings), winning once and striking out 15. On the year, Burnes is 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA and WHIP of 0.93, has 50 strikeouts in 54 innings and is holding opposing batters to a .189 average. Burnes’ ERA is far and away tops in the Carolina League, and he also leads in WHIP.

BOX SCORE: Blue Jays 4, Brewers 3

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JOURNAL SENTINEL’S TOP FIVE PROSPECTS

1. Lewis Brinson, OF, Colorado Springs: Brinson had just 11 at-bats last week after being hit in the left hand/wrist by a pitch and suffering a contusion. He’s expected to return to full-time duty this week. For the season, Brinson is hitting .311 with four homers and 15 RBI to go with an OPS of .899.

2. Josh Hader, LHP, Colorado Springs: Hader made one start last week and took the loss at Albuquerque, allowing seven hits, four runs and two walks while striking out five over 4 1/3 innings. It was just the second start of the season that Hader eclipsed the 90-pitch mark (92). He’s 3-3 with a 4.60 ERA and WHIP of 1.21 with 41 strikeouts in nine starts (45 innings).

3. Isan Diaz, INF, Carolina: Diaz hit .208 with two doubles and four RBI over seven games, leaving him at .269 with an .814 OPS. His seven homers are tied with Jake Gatewood for the Mudcats lead, and his 28 RBI were one ahead of Gatewood for tops on Carolina.

4. Corey Ray, OF, Carolina: Ray had the biggest week at the plate of any Brewers minor-leaguer, hitting .458 with a 1.227 OPS with a double, triple, homer and six RBI in six games. That pushed Ray’s average to .271, and his on-base percentage is up to .345.

5. Lucas Erceg, 3B, Carolina: Erceg homered twice and drove in seven runs but hit just .179 over seven games and is at .205/5/21 overall. “He had such a good spring training and got so many at-bats in the spring that this might be a little bit of a lull,” farm director Tom Flanagan said recently. “I think as the season gets going here a little bit further we’ll start seeing him bring those numbers back up. That team’s been playing some pretty good defense and he’s been the leader over at third.”

AFFILIATES UPDATE

Class AAA Colorado Springs: The Sky Sox capped a 4-3 week with an 11-2 matinee drubbing of Albuquerque on Monday and remain atop the Pacific Coast League’s American Northern Division with a 25-15 record. Nate Orf had a big week, hitting .448 with three RBI over seven games. Garrett Cooper returned from the disabled list and collected six hits over his first two games, including a five-hit game Monday that upped his average to .353.

Class AA Biloxi: The Shuckers had a week, going 6-1 to improve their record to 25-20, which is tied with Pensacola for tops in the Southern League’s South Division. Mauricio Dubon, Javier Betancourt and Blake Allemand all had good offensive showings, while right-hander Aaron Wilkerson was the pitching star with 15 strikeouts in 14 innings of work over two starts. He went 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA and WHIP of 0.57.

Advanced Class A Carolina: The Mudcats matched the Shuckers with a 6-1 record and improved to 24-20, good for second in the Carolina League’s Southern Division. Right-hander Freddy Peralta is off to a great start. Despite a 0-1 record, he has posted a 3.09 ERA and an impressive 56 strikeouts in just 35 innings (eight appearances, four starts). “Velocity is probably a click above average,” said Flanagan. “He gets a lot of swings and misses because his delivery’s a little bit deceptive. He pitches up in the zone a lot. Another guy that doesn’t mess around. He’ll challenge guys and get a lot of swings and misses off his fastball.”

Class A Wisconsin: The Timber Rattlers went 3-4 last week and sit at 20-21 heading into the remainder of their four-game series against the Beloit Snappers, who are just ahead of them in the Midwest League’s Western Division at 21-22. Demi Orimoloye, Monte Harrison and Tucker Neuhaus are tied for the team lead with seven homers, while right-hander Trey Supak leads the Midwest League with a 0.75 WHIP after seven appearances (six starts).