Article: Twins Minor League Report (8/14): Plenty Of Hits In AA and A+

[Steve Lein]

In the minors on Sunday, the offenses of the Chattanooga Lookouts and Fort Myers Miracle combined for nineteen runs and twenty six hits on the day. One team pulled away late, and the other was forced to make a comeback. Would they be able to complete it?There was also some roster shuffling in AAA and AA due to Rochester’s postponement from Saturday. Andrew Albers was optioned back to AAA in addition to David Hurlbut’s promotion yesterday, and Luke Bard was promoted to Chattanooga so they’d each have some pitching options.

 

Check out all the action from Minnesota Twins affiliates from Sunday by reading on.

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Game 1: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 4, Rochester 0

Box Score

 

In their regularly scheduled game, the Rochester bats were unable to get much going. As a team they collected just six hits and three walks, and went 0-6 with runners in scoring position. All the hits were singles, with Reynaldo Rodriguez going 2-3 on the day to lead the team.

 

David Hurlbut made the spot start, and went the first six innings of the seven inning game. He allowed four earned runs on nine hits and one walk. He struck out two.

 

Jake Reed pitched a scoreless seventh inning to finish the game, despite allowing one hit and walking two batters. He struck out one.

 

Game 2: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 3, Rochester 4 (makeup of 8/13 game)

Box Score

 

In the makeup game from yesterday’s rain out, things went much better even though the Red Wings only had as many hits as in the first game.

 

Daniel Palka was the biggest reason why they got four runs instead of zero. He was 2-3 with a double, home run and two RBIs to lead the way. John Ryan Murphy was 2-2 with a run scored and an RBI.

 

Byron Buxton had a hit in each game and stole his seventh base.

 

Omar Bencomo made the start, and in 5.2 innings allowed two earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out four. Alex Wimmers recorded the final out of the sixth, but allowed one run on two hits, a walk, and a couple of wild pitches in the seventh before Sean Burnett was summoned with the tying run on third. He induced a ground out to end the game and record his third save.

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 8, Birmingham 3

Box Score

 

The Lookouts pulled away in this one with a four run eighth inning thanks to a Heiker Meneses RBI double, a two-RBI single from Ryan Walker, and an error on a ball off the bat of Niko Goodrum that allowed Shannon Wilkerson to scamper home.

 

Meneses (3-5, R, 2B, 2 RBIs) and T.J. White (3-5, 3 R’s, SB) each collected three hits. Walker (2-5, 2 RBI) and Wilkerson (2-4, R, RBI) each had two hits. Goodrum added a double. As a team they racked up thirteen hits and were 6-17 with runners in scoring position.

 

Ryan Eades made the start for Chattanooga, as they were a little shorthanded. It was his first start since July 5^th. He went the first 3.2 innings, scattering four hits and a walk and allowing only an unearned run in the first. He struck out seven.

 

Brandon Peterson finished the fourth and fifth innings. He allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out three in picking up the win. Zack Jones went two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and one walk while striking out three. Luke Bard pitched the final two frames. He allowed two earned runs on two walks and some defensive indifference.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 11, Bradenton 9

Box score

 

It was all about offense in this one, as the teams combined for twenty runs on twenty five hits, with Fort Myers edging Bradenton on the scoreboard in each category to move to .500 on the season.

 

But it took a late surge for Fort Myers to take the lead for good. They were down 8-6 going into the top of the eighth but scored three runs to take back the lead. Bradenton tied it in the bottom of the eighth, but a two-RBI single from Chris Ibarra in the ninth sealed the victory.

 

The Miracle got multi-hit efforts from Tanner English (2-5, 3 R’s, HR, 2 RBIs, BB), Nick Gordon (3-5, R, 2B, RBI, BB), Joe Maloney (3-5, R, 3 RBIs), and Tanner Witt (3-6, 2B). Ibarra drove in three runs on the game, including the game-winner.

 

Lefthander Sam Clay was on the mound for Fort Myers, and pitched into the fifth. Three straight hits to lead off that inning ended his night. In all, he went four plus innings and allowed six runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three.

 

John Curtiss came on and finished the fifth, and added a scoreless sixth. He did allow an inherited runner to score, but allowed one hit and two walks in his two innings. He struck out two. Michael Theofanopoulos allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in seventh. Cam Booser blew the save in the eighth and got just two outs. Todd Van Steensel shut the door on the rally then, and pitched a one-two-three ninth to pick up the win. He retired all four men he faced to preserve the victory.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 1, Kane County 5

Box Score

 

Cedar Rapids struggled their way to six hits, including just one double, off the bat of Jaylin Davis, and pushed their only run of the game across the plate in the fifth inning thanks to an error that followed that double.

 

Luis Arreaz continues to collect hits in bunches. He was 2-4 as the DH in this one and hit out of the cleanup spot. He leads the Midwest League in batting average with a mark of .344.

 

On the mound for the Kernels was 2016’s sixteenth round pick, right-hander Tyler Beardsley. He went the first five innings and allowed just two earned runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out five but was tagged with his second loss.

 

Michael Cederoth allowed three runs on four hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out four. Andrew Vasquez pitched a scoreless eighth, going one-two-three in the process.

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 5, Bluefield 1 (suspended, top of the fourth inning)

Box Score

 

The E-Twins game with the Blue Jays was suspended in the top of the fourth inning after Luis Martinez and Manuel Guzman had reached base with singles.

 

To this point Elizabethton has home runs off the bats of Shane Carrier (his sixth) and Lewin Diaz (his seventh) to jump out to the 5-1 lead.

 

Starter Miguel De Jesus had allowed one run on two hits in three innings while picking up one strikeout.

 

The game will be completed tomorrow as part of a makeshift double-header.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

 

The GCL Twins, like most of the rest of the Gulf Coast League, enjoyed the afternoon off on Sunday. They get back to action tomorrow morning in a double-header against the GCL Rays.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Pitcher of the Day – Ryan Eades, Chattanooga Lookouts (3.2IP, 0 ER, 4 H’s, BB, 7 K’s)

Hitter of the Day – Tanner English, Fort Myers Miracle (2-5, 3 R’s, HR, 2 RBI, BB)

 

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester @ Buffalo (6:05PM CST) – TBD

Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05PM CST) – RHP Felix Jorge (0-3, 5.06 ERA)

Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30PM CST) – RHP Randy LeBlanc (4-6, 4.27 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:00PM PM CST) – TBD

Elizabethton @ Bluefield (6:05PM CST) – RHP Tyler Wells (2-2, 5.28 ERA)

Elizabethton @ Bluefield (makeup of today’s game)

GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (9:00AM CST) – TBD (Game 1)

GCL Twins @ GCL Rays – TBD (Game 2)

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

 

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[Vanimal46]

Do you think Nick Gordon gets a cup of coffee at AA before it's all said and done? Or will he start at AA beginning in 2017?

[Bob Sacamento]

Well Ryan Eades' weird play yesterday has made it's way around the internet:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4tR_1Zvskw

[Vanimal46]

 

Well Ryan Eades' weird play yesterday has made it's way around the internet:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4tR_1Zvskw

My instant reaction watching that is "What the hell??" 

That's a very lazy play. Very lazy. 

[Jham]

 

My instant reaction watching that is "What the hell??" 

That's a very lazy play. Very lazy. 

I dunno.  I think Eades made the right play.  The tag is a much safer player than a throw which would score a run with an error.  Runner was going to 3rd either way.  Batter had given himself up.  Sort of a freak incident in my eyes. 

[Bob Sacamento]

 

My instant reaction watching that is "What the hell??" 

That's a very lazy play. Very lazy. 

I personally thought the ump was going to call Hawkins out, even though Eades lost the ball during the tag Courtney was walking out of the baseline and headed towards his dugout.  Still just would have been easier to throw to first, don't think Eades has Lester issues.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Do you think Nick Gordon gets a cup of coffee at AA before it's all said and done? Or will he start at AA beginning in 2017?

 

No, I don't think he moves up this year. He'll start at AA to begin 2017 regardless.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I dunno.  I think Eades made the right play.  The tag is a much safer player than a throw which would score a run with an error.  Runner was going to 3rd either way.  Batter had given himself up.  Sort of a freak incident in my eyes. 

 

Agreed... don't want to make too much out of it. Obviously learn from it and secure the ball a little better, but weird stuff happens in this game.

[Seth Stohs]

Maybe it would have been easier if Hawkins had just done this:

 

[ashbury]

I dunno.  I think Eades made the right play.  The tag is a much safer player than a throw which would score a run with an error.  Runner was going to 3rd either way.  Batter had given himself up.  Sort of a freak incident in my eyes. 

I agree. The key is that the only baserunner is now arriving at 3rd. Although the throw to first is easy, and the throw back to the plate is not a big deal if that runner decides to gamble, I personally want the ball as close to the plate as possible. The mistake Eades made was paying too much attention to the runner; he's got all the time in the world to get the ball to the catcher if he needs to.

[bluechipper]

Well Courtney Hawkins is hitting .211 with a .620 OPS in his second year at AA. He deserves to have something go right for him.

[Steve Lein]

Nice. I didn't catch anything about that play looking up the game!

 

My opinion: Runner should be out. He conceded his advancement on the only base he could go to.

 

 

[Bob Sacamento]

 

Maybe it would have been easier if Hawkins had just done this:

 

I wonder how much of a talking to he got from the ChiSox management after pulling that.  Last thing you want is for your first round pick to get injured minutes after taking him.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I wonder how much of a talking to he got from the ChiSox management after pulling that.  Last thing you want is for your first round pick to get injured minutes after taking him.

 

He definitely got a talking to after that.

[Darius]

I dunno. I think Eades made the right play. The tag is a much safer player than a throw which would score a run with an error. Runner was going to 3rd either way. Batter had given himself up. Sort of a freak incident in my eyes.

He made the right decision, granted, but the effort wasn't really there, which is embarrassing.

 

I do think the batter should've been called out. If he strays from the line that far trying to avoid the tag, it's an out. If a batter strikes out, the catcher drops the ball, and te batter has given himself up, it's an out without a throw. Why it's different because Eades dropped the ball, and because the batter turned his back and gave himself up as opposed to avoiding the tag, I don't know. I'm sure the manager had a few words.

Edited August 16, 2016 by Darius