Article: Twins Minor League Report (4/27): All Affiliates Win

[Eric R Pleiss]

The Twins had Thursday off to recover from a blasting delivered by the Rangers in the series finale, and the minor league squads took center stage. Rochester and Cedar Rapids won games in their last at-bats, and three of the four games were one-run squeakers.Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Thursday.

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Gwinnett 4 @ Rochester 5

Box Score

 

Jason Wheeler cruised through six innings, and the Red Wings were in a scoreless tie headed to the seventh. Wheeler gave up a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, but the Wings scored two more in the bottom half of the inning. Wheeler came back out for the eighth, but gave up hits to the first two batters he faced and was replaced before getting an out. He was replaced by Alan Busenitz. Busnetiz got a line-out from the first batter he faced, but let both base runners score, one by wild pitch and the other on a single to right field. It was a bumpy inning for Busenitz in the eighth, but he came back out in the ninth and shut the Braves down.

 

In the bottom of the ninth, the Wings pushed three runs across for a come from behind win with six consecutive singles to open the frame.

 

The Red Wings ended up with 12 hits (six of them in the ninth inning alone!), and were led by Matt Hague, 2-4 with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored. John Ryan Murphy continues to turn things around with a 2-4 night that included an RBI. In his last four games, Murphy has improved his average from .067 to .233 with six hits in 15 at-bats. Ehire Adrianza continues his hot play, was 2-3 and is hitting .500 after six games. Interestingly he started the game in left field, perhaps signaling the Twins desire to find a replacement for Danny Santana, their ultra-utility man who brings poor play to almost every position on the diamond, and doesn’t hit well enough to make up for any of that.

 

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 5 @ Jackson 4

Box Score

 

Starter Paul Clemens ran into trouble in the fifth inning and was lifted after 4.2 innings, giving up just a pair of hits, but walking four to go along with four strike- outs. He was replaced by Todd Van Steensel who didn’t have a great night, giving up two runs in just 0.2 innings, on three hits and three walks. He struck out one. Van Steensel was replaced by Luke Bard who frickin’ mowed some dudes down, 2.2 innings pitched, one hit, no walks, five strikeouts. John Curtiss came in for the ninth and earned his third save of the year with a scoreless ninth.

 

Despite falling behind in the fifth inning, the Lookouts rallied in the top of the sixth, putting three runs across, which gave them just enough offense to hang on for a 5-4 win. No Lookouts player had multiple hits, and they combined for just six hits but added eight walks. Engelb Vielma, Edgar Corcino and Travis Harrison all had doubles, and Ryan Walker was 0-2 but contributed three walks.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Bradenton 1 @ Miracle 2

Box Score

 

In a pitchers’ duel in Fort Myers, the Miracle earned a 2-1 come-from-behind victory. Starter David Fischer pitched into the fifth, but put the first man aboard and was lifted for Sam Clay. Fishcher gave up four hits, one run, three walks and struck out five over four-plus innings. Clay came in and earned the win with 3.0 scoreless innings. Clay gave up just a single hit and struck out three, and has pitched 10 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts since giving up 6 earned runs over 0.2 innings in his first appearance of the year. Anthony McIver pitched a couple of scoreless innings to earn the save for the Miracle. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out two.

 

Max Murphy had a nice night with three singles, and Brian Navarreto was 3-3 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the way for the Miracle. The Miracle had plenty of opportunities to score more runs on Thursday night, but were just 2-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 5 @ Peoria 3

Box Score

 

With the score tied 3-3 in the top of the 12^th inning, the Kernels got a lift from the number nine hitter, Aaron Whitefield, who launched a two-run home run to cap an exciting road victory. Whitefield finished the night 2-5. Four other Kernels had multi- hit nights, including Mitchell Kranson 2-5, Jaylin Davis 3-5, Caleb Hamilton 2-5 (including a solo home run), and Ariel Montesino 2-5.

 

The Kernels needed six pitchers to get through 12 innings, thanks to a couple of blown saves. Starter Sean Poppen went 6.1 solid innings, gave up 1 run on five hits, two walks, and struck out six before being lifted for Andrew Vasquez who let an inherited runner score and surrendered the Kernels’ narrow lead giving up a pair of hits, a pair of walks, and a run of his own on a bases loaded walk, in just a third of an inning. Hector Lujan, the third pitcher of the evening, came in and quickly got a ground out to end the bases loaded threat. Lujan pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, but gave up a leadoff single in the ninth (a run that would come around to score) and was lifted for Tom Hackimer. Hackimer got two quick outs, but a two-out liner to center brought home the tying run, and after a ground out, the game went to extra innings.

 

Alex Robinson replaced Hackimer to start the 10^th and gave the Kernels two scoreless innings, giving up a hit, a walk, and he struck out a pair to earn the win when the Kernels pushed across two in the top of the 12^th. Quin Grogan earned the save to end the 3 hour and 42 minute game.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Sam Clay, Fort Myers Miracle

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Aaron Whitefield, Cedar Rapids Kernels

 

 

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Louisville @ Rochester (5:35pm) – Adalberto Mejia (0-0, -.--)

Chattanooga @ Jackson (6:05pm) - Randy LeBlanc (0-0, -.--)

Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (5:35pm) – Keaton Steele (1-2, 6.19)

Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:30pm) - TBD

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday's games.

 

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[Dman]

I really like those young hitters for the Kernals.  Imagine what that team would have been like AK on it?  That would have been one tough lineup.  Here's hoping some of those guys become MLB players.

[bluechipper]

Good day for the minors, besides most of the good performances coming from non-prospect type guys.

[MVPMAKER]

The difference between a prospect and non-prospect early in a players career is an opinion and report by a scout and the front office's investment made in the player.  Over time, today's prospect may be tomorrow's washed out guy, who under achieved or the inverse related to the non-prospect who over performed.

 

The good news is... success and results on the mound, field, plate etc. drives attention and expectation.  Those factors are what ultimately propel a player through a system.

[Eric R Pleiss]

Not a ton of great pitching, but a lot of nice team performances, and bottom of the order contributions on Thursday.  And exciting games for the fans.

[Kernels Fan]

Nice to see LeBlanc moved up to the Lookouts again.  He's proven himself at low/high A clubs.

 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Jermaine Palacios is getting a lot of deserved publicity lately, but looking back at the Cedar Rapids game log from this night, this game looks to be something other than his finest moment.

 

I only post this because it might be of curiosity, not as a knock against the player: 

 

• Brian O'Keefe singles on a pop up to shortstop Jermaine Palacios.
• With Mitchell Kranson batting, Jermaine Palacios picked off and caught stealing 2nd base, pitcher Ian Oxnevad to first baseman Stefan Trosclair.
• J. R. Davis singles on a ground ball to shortstop Jermaine Palacios. Davis advances to 2nd, on a throwing error by shortstop Jermaine Palacios.
• Stefan Trosclair singles on a line drive to left fielder Ariel Montesino. Stefan Trosclair advances to 2nd, on a throwing error by shortstop Jermaine Palacios

 

And for a good hitter, perhaps the most embarrassing indignity of all:

 

• Jermaine Palacios grounds out, pitcher Ian Oxnevad to first baseman Stefan Trosclair.

 

Even good prospects have bad days. Carry on, everyone.

 

Palacios followed it up the next night by playing error-free shortstop and going 3-5.