Article: Twins Minor League Report (4/23): Extra, Extra... Extra

[Seth Stohs]

What a day i twas in the Twins minor leagues! A starter scheduled to pitch on Saturday instead got the call to the big leagues. A couple more pitchers continued consecutive scoreless innings streaks. One team played an extra innings game. Another team played two games, and one of them went 18 innings.Continue on to read about the pitchers and the hitter highlights from Saturday’s games.

 

 

TRANSACTIONS

On Saturday afternoon, not terribly long before the Red Wings and Twins afternoon starts, we learned that due to a sore back, Ervin Santana will not make his scheduled Sunday start. Instead, Tyler Duffey, who was supposed to start Saturday in Rochester, will come up and start on Sunday in our nation’s capital. Following the Twins game, the move became official. The corresponding move was Jorge Polanco returning to the Red Wings.

 

Also on Saturday, the Detroit Tigers announced that they had claimed catcher John Hicks from the Twins. This would certainly explain the Twins decision a couple of days ago to promote Carlos Paulino to the Red Wings. The Twins 40-man roster is now at 39.

 

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 2, Buffalo 10

Box Score

With the Duffey news coming so abruptly this morning, the Red Wings had to scramble. They decided to have RHP Loek Van Mil make the start. The right-hander from The Netherlands went the first two innings and gave up five runs on three hits and three walks. He struck out two. Taylor Rogers then gave up four runs on five hits over the next two innings. He walked one and struck out two. Buddy Boshers calmed things down a bit. The left-hander worked three scoreless innings, striking out four. Dan Runzler gave up two hits and hit another batter, but he gave up just one unearned run (on his own error) over two innings.

 

Offensively, there wasn’t much positive either. The team had just five hits. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 1-3 with a walk and a double. Carlos Paulino made his first Red Wings start of the year and went 1-3 with a double.

 

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 0, Birmingham 6

Box Score

 

Through six innings, this was quite the pitcher's duel between DJ Baxendale and White Sox first-round pick from 2015, Carson Fulmer. The two right-handers had matching lines. They both worked six shutout innings and gave up four hits. Neither walked a batter and they each struck out six.

 

With a scoreless game going into the seventh, Alex Wimmers came into the game. He gave up two runs on four hits in the 7th inning which proved to be enough to take the loss. Nick Burdi made his 2016 debut with a perfect inning. He needed just 12 pitches, nine of them strikes, to get three ground balls. Jake Reed came on for the ninth inning and got the first two batters out. He then issued a walk and it was followed by a double. After that, there were a couple of Engelb Vielma errors and a triple, so Reed was charged with four runs but just one was earned.

 

Offensively the Lookouts had seven hits but were unable to bunch many together. No one had more than one hit, and Dalton Hicks had the only extra base hit, his second double.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 1, Charlotte 0 (11 innings)

Box Score

 

Through 10 innings, the Miracle had just one hit, a 5th inning single by Nick Gordon. With one out in the 11th, Brian Navarreto singled. He advanced to second on a balk, and Austin Diemer came in to replace him. One batter later, Edgar Corcino singled him in with the winning run.

 

Just three hits in the game, but a win is a win. The credit goes to the pitchers.

 

Felix Jorge was terrific again. He came in to the game with a consecutive scoreless inning streak of 8.2 innings. With seven shutout innings tonight, his streak will continue in his next start at 15.2 innings. He gave up just four hits, walked one and struck out four. Unfortunately, he left without any run support.

 

Trevor Hildenberger came in. He gave up two hits but no runs over the next two innings. Yorman Landa pitched the 10th and 11th innings and was perfect to get the win.

 

Danny Santana played right field in this game. He led off and got three at-bats. He was 0-3 which means through two rehab games with the Miracle, he is 0-6. He is expected to play third base on Sunday.

 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Game 1 - Cedar Rapids 1, Clinton 2 (18 innings)

Box Score

 

As a manager or pitching coach preparing for a doubleheader, even knowing the games are seven innings, the worst possible thing is extra innings. It’s not good at all for the pitching staff. In game one, there was little offense and there were double-digit innings. In fact, the two teams were scheduled to play 14 innings combined in the two games, so when Game 1 went into the 14th inning, I would imagine neither manager was real happy about it.

 

Lefty Sam Clay got the starting nod in Game 1. He had thrown six innings and five innings of shutout ball in his first two starts. However, in this game, he gave up a sacrifice fly to the third batter of the game to end that scoreless streak. However, he put in another terrific start. Clay went six innings and gave up just the one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out six.

 

The Kernels managed to tie the game at one in the top of the seventh when Jermaine Palacios singled to score Manuel Guzman. That was it for scoring for a while. The bullpens took over.

 

Kernels closer Nick Anderson struck out four over the next two innings. Logan Lombana came in for the next four innings. He gave up just one hit and struck out six. Kuo Hua Lo got the next four innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out two. Zack Tillery pitched a scoreless 17th inning. He got the first two outs of the 18th as well, but a double was followed by a single and the game was over.

 

The Kernels had ten hits and seven walks in the 18 innings but just couldn’t get a second run to cross home plate. Jermaine Palacios had three hits and a walk. AJ Murray hit his first three doubles and a walk. Rafael Valera went 2-8 with his fifth double.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Game 2 - Cedar Rapids 0, Clinton 1

Box Score

 

After a five-hour Game 1, the second game started at about 10:45. Dereck Rodriguez started for the Kernels. He went the first five innings and gave up three runs on three hits. He walked three and struck out seven. John Curtiss came in for the sixth. He struck out the side and now has 16 strikeouts in seven innings this year.

 

Offensively, the Kernels had just four hits. JJ Fernandez went 3-3 with his first home run of the year.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Ft. Myers Miracle

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – AJ Murray, Cedar Rapids Kernels

 

 

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Buffalo @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - LHP Pat Dean

Birmingham @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut

Charlotte @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – LHP Randy Rosario

Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (2:00 CST) – RHP Cody Stashak

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games.

 

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[bluechipper]

Wow these offenses are really struggling. I don't think I've read one of these articles where at least 2 of the affiliates are scoring 1 or 2 runs, but I guess that's what happens when most of the top prospects are either playing or sitting on the bench for the Twins.

 

Good pitching for the most part though, especially Felix Jorge, and the rest of that Miracle staff.

[Han Joelo]

Talk me through the Hicks DFA. Needed a spot--why? Murphy? Or (hopefully) Berrios?

He was most expendable? Hopefully speaks to Turner/Garver's progress, but is a leap from the days of three catchers on the 25 man roster.

Jorge is looking legit, and good to see Burdi jump right back in on a strong note.

[tobi0040]

Pretty surprised we left Hicks unprotected.

 

Nice to see Burdi back and pitching well. We need him and chargois

[nater79a]

Wonder if the Kernels will call up anyone from EST to bolster their relief staff. Maybe they can absorb the workload, but that's a lot of innings.

[Darius]

Any word on Burdi's velocity? Is he up around 100 or does he have some ramping up to do?

 

Nice to see him back, and that it didn't turn into anything serious (yet).

 

I'd like to see both Burdi and Chagrois with big club at some point this year. That bullpen needs all the help it can get.

 

If the Twins would come to their senses and get Berrios in the rotation, and the two mentioned flame-throwers setting up the back-end, pitching could all of the sudden be a strength instead of a weakness.

[Mr. Brooks]

Danny Santana played RF?

Is this the Twins giving themselves RF options so they can move Sano back to third base?

Or is my tin foil hat a little too tight?

[Old Twins Cap]

Super-subs can and should play everywhere.  Super-sized clean up hitters should play defense at only one position: First Base.

 

Twins are really acting like dummies on this one.  You know something bad is going to happen.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Talk me through the Hicks DFA. Needed a spot--why? Murphy? Or (hopefully) Berrios?
He was most expendable? Hopefully speaks to Turner/Garver's progress, but is a leap from the days of three catchers on the 25 man roster.
Jorge is looking legit, and good to see Burdi jump right back in on a strong note.

 

Hicks DFA... I think they thought they could pass him through. I assume there are plans in the work for Murphy and possibly Berrios. Murphy's opt-out is in a week. 

 

I think it's alright. Maybe unfortunate, but not a loss. Hicks is what he is. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Wonder if the Kernels will call up anyone from EST to bolster their relief staff. Maybe they can absorb the workload, but that's a lot of innings.

 

They called up Miles Nordgren from EST today and sent down Kuo Hua Lo. Nordgren had been sent down just a few days ago. Makes me wonder if he had actually gone back to Ft. Myers, or if he was a guy they kept around CR for this type of situation.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Danny Santana played RF?
Is this the Twins giving themselves RF options so they can move Sano back to third base?
Or is my tin foil hat a little too tight?

 

It's getting him a game each at the three posiitions he is most likely to play, CF, RF and today he'll start at 3B. 

[Mike Sixel]

Weird, the Sox 2015 pick is in AA......is that allowed?

[Seth Stohs]

 

Weird, the Sox 2015 pick is in AA......is that allowed?

 

He's not transitioning from starter to reliever... fairly significant difference. 

 

(That said, I'd been on record and even conversed with a Twins front-office type that I would have taken Fulmer over Jay, not that what I think matters even a little bit... and not like I saw Fulmer pitch, even on TV, more than once.)

[jokin]

 

Weird, the Sox 2015 pick is in AA......is that allowed?

 

HA!

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Chih-Wei Hu made his AAA debut on the 23rd.

[ShouldaCouldaWoulda]

 

Chih-Wei Hu made his AAA debut on the 23rd.

Not true. He pitched a game in Rochester last year.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

Not true. He pitched a game in Rochester last year.

Or, I should have said he was promoted to AAA on the 23rd. Thanks.

 

As for last year, the Twins might have left him in Rochester after that start, to see what happened -- just an opinion. 

Edited April 25, 2016 by Hosken Bombo Disco

[jokin]

 

Not true. He pitched a game in Rochester last year.

 

That was a one-off.