Article: Twins Minor League Report (6/23): Albanese, Kendrick Lead E-Twins To Walkoff Win

[Seth Stohs]

How many hits for Zack Granite on Friday? Lefties Stephen Gonsalves and Lewis Thorpe made starts. How did they do? Elizabethton finally started their 2017 season with a doubleheader, which included a walkoff winner! And lots of players made their debuts with new teams. Please continue reading for much, much more from a busy night in the Twins system.

 

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the Twins. There was the draft, and trying to get as many of them signed as quickly as possible. There was getting players to Ft. Myers. There was figuring out the short-season rosters. There was figuring out which players were getting promotions to or from full-season squads, and there were a few releases. And the big league club needed more arms too. So, things have been pretty hectic.

 

But Friday was the first day with five affiliates playing, and next Monday, the GCL Twins will make it six. Of course, the Dominican Summer League Twins have been playing for a couple of weeks already too.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Friday, starting with the transactions of the day.

 

TRANSACTIONS

 

Fair to say that it’s been a busy 24 hours for the Twins minor league department. Along with the transactions at the big leagues, which trickled down, there were also the second-half promotions from the lower levels. Some of these were mentioned yesterday, but we’ll repeat several of them here just in case you missed any of them.

• Nik Turley was optioned to Rochester. Ehire Adrianza was placed on the disabled list.
• Alex Wimmers and Mason Melotakis were DFAd.
• Trevor Hildenberger and Dillon Gee were promoted to the Twins.
• John Curtiss and Matt Tracy moved up to Rochester from Chattanooga.
• Jose Gonzalez was placed on Chattanooga’s disabled list.
• Rafael Valera, Trey Vavra and Daniel Kihle were released by the Twins from the Miracle roster.
• Dereck Rodriguez, Alex Perez and Brian Navarreto were promoted to Chattanooga from Ft. Myers.
• Keaton Steele was promoted to Ft. Myers from extended spring training.
• Jermaine Palacios, Jaylin Davis, Mitchell Kranson and Brandon Lopez were promoted to Ft. Myers from Cedar Rapids.
• Amaurys Minier, Jorge Munoz, Joe Cronin and Lean Marrero were promoted to Cedar Rapids from extended spring training.
• On Wednesday, the Elizabethton Twins Opening Day roster was announced. On Thursday, four more players were added, and on Friday, 11 more players were added. Click here to see the full Elizabethton Twins roster.

A few more injury-related notes on players who have been in extended spring training..

• Callan Pearce tells me that he’s remaining in Ft. Myers rehabbing a shoulder injury.
• Johan Quezada had a surgery to clean up his shoulder and will likely miss much of the short-season rehabbing.
• Catcher Brian Olson has a broken bone in his foot.
• Right-hander Miguel DeJesus has a UCL sprain.

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 3, Lehigh Valley 4

Box Score

 

We have to start with Zack Granite, right? The outfielder went 3-5 in this game and is now hitting .359. Tommy Field was 2-4 with his 18th double. He also stole his fourth base.

 

Matt Tracy got the start for the Red Wings. He gave up four runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. He walked two and struck out seven. John Curtiss came in for his AAA debut. He got the final out in the fifth inning, and then he worked two perfect innings. Seven batters faced. Seven outs, three on strikeouts. Jake Reed came on and got all six batters he faced out as well.

 

By the way, here is a glimpse of why so many are intrigued by the defense of Engelb Vielma.

 

 

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 6, Pensacola 1

Box Score

 

The Lookouts were supposed to begin the second half of their season on Thursday, but rain pushed the game to Friday. Stephen Gonsalves was on the mound for the Lookouts and was terrific. The left-hander gave up just one run on three hits over seven innings. He walked just one and struck out nine in his 101 pitches thrown. He improved to 3-3 and dropped his ERA to 2.85.

 

Following the game, Gonsalves got specific when asked what worked for him in the game. “Tonight was little bit of everything. We had fastballs a majority of time getting ahead, had two 0-0 sliders, two 0-0 curveballs that worked nicely to keep them guessing because this was an ambush team, so kept them from swinging at first pitch. Anytime I fell behind tonight (1-0, 2-1), I threw my change up which was either swing and miss or soft ground ball. Struck out seven of nine with the curveball tonight, so it's been very good in 0-2, 1-2. Other than that, my slider has been turning into a backdoor pitch to righties to get back into counts. But tonight was all about getting ahead and staying aggressive in with fastball and soft away.”

 

Nick Anderson gave up two hits, but he struck out two batters in a scoreless eighth frame. Alex Muren gave up a hit, but no runs to close it out in the ninth.

 

Levi Michael may have struck out three times in this game, but the one time he didn’t, he launched a three-run homer. It was the big hit for the Lookouts on this night. Jonathan Rodriguez went 2-4 with his 11th double. Edgar Corcino was 2-4 with his 13th double.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 2, Florida 1

Box Score

 

The Miracle trotted out a much-altered lineup on Friday night, but it was able to do enough to secure a win. It was a Miracle veteran who led the offense. Max Murphy went 3-4. Jaylin Davis went 1-4 with three strikeouts, but his one hit was a big, RBI double. He batted cleanup and played left field. Jermaine Palacios batted second and went 0-3. Mitchell Kranson was 0-4 batting in the three-spot. Brandon Lopez played third base - a position he had played for just the first time a night earlier for Cedar Rapids.

 

Lewis Thorpe has pitched well since his return, but on Friday night, he earned his first win of the season. He finished five innings and gave up just one run on three hits. He walked two and struck out two. He needed just 60 pitches. Tom Hackimer and Sam Clay each threw two scoreless innings and struck out two. For Clay, it marked his fourth save of the season.

 

After the game, Thorpe said, "I think the best thing for me tonight was command of all four pitches. The Fire Frogs were a very aggressive team which kept my pitch count down. Innings limit is what's stopping me from going deeper into games."

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 7

Box Score

 

The Kernels put together a big rally in the ninth inning but fell just short and lost for the first time in the second half (1-1).

 

Sean Poppen started. The All-Star gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits over six innings. He struck out five and walked none. Logan Lombana struck out one in a perfect innings. Evan Sanders came on for the eighth and gave up one run on one hit, one walk, and one hit batter. He struck out two.

 

The Kernels also had most of their new hitters in the lineup, but it was the guys who have been there who provided most of the offense. Aaron Whitefield went 3-5 with his 10th double. Hank Morrison went 2-4. Travis Blankenhorn walked three times. Caleb Hamilton hit his sixth homer, a three-run shot in the ninth inning. Amaurys Minier DHd and batted sixth. He went 0-3 with a walk. Lean Marrero batted eighth and played right field. He went 0-3 with a walk. Joe Cronin batted ninth and played second base. He went 1-4.

 

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

The Elizabethton Twins were scheduled to begin their season on Thursday. But tropical storms caused that game to be postponed. Instead, the teams started their season with two games on Friday night.

 

It was a big night for many of the players, but particularly for Matt Albanese. Drafted in the eighth round of the 2016 draft, he missed the season after having a couple of wrist surgeries. He was hurt again in spring training, so a year after being drafted, he finally made his debut.

 

Albanese said, “It was awesome to get in a real competitive atmosphere and play with a good group of guys and get a win. After missing a little over a year I was anxious and ready to go.”

 

Game 1 - Elizabethton 7, Danville 6

Box Score

It’s not how you start. It’s how you finish. Or at least that’s likely what E-Twins long-time manager (and former Twins catcher) Ray Smith told his team in between games. Down 5-0 after just two innings, things looked bleak, but the Twins kept coming back and scored two runs in the bottom of the 7th for a walk-off win.

 

Edwar Colina made his States-side debut. He gave up six runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out four. He was replaced by lefty Taylor Clemensia who was fantastic. He faced eight batters, and got each one of them out to earn the win out of the bullpen.

 

Jose Miranda and Matt Albanese provided some base runners. Miranda was 1-1 but walked twice and was hit twice. Albanese singled three times in his professional debut. But it was Kolton Kendrick who provided the power. In the fourth inning, he hit a two-run double to get the team on the scoreboard. Two innings later, he again came up to the plate with two runners on base, and this time he launched a three-run homer.

 

Kendrick told Twins Daily, "Felt unreal. Feels so great to finally play under the lights again and love the adrenaline. And to be up here with this team is even better. Definitely missed this feeling. Great having a crowd again and hearing them and the atmosphere is awesome with the background of the field."

 

Still, the Twins were down 6-5 heading into the bottom of the 7th inning. With one out, Trey Cabbage singled and Brent Rooker followed with his first professional hit. Shane Carrier hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and Matt Albanese ended it with a single.

 

Albanese told Twins Daily, “I just wanted to have a good at bat and get a pitch I could hit hard. It felt great to get the job done for my team and win the home opener.”

 

Albanese went 3-4 with the game-winner. Kendrick was 2-2 with a walk, a double, a homer and five RBI.

 

Game 2 - Elizabethton 0. Danville 2

Box Score

 

Huascar Ynoa started the second game for the Twins. He gave up two runs in the first inning before settling in. He gave up just those two runs on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out seven. Bryan Sammons came on for the sixth inning, but after recording two outs, one on a strikeout, the game was called due to rain. It was far enough along to call a complete game.

 

Not much offense for the Twins in game 2. They went with the same lineup, except Rainis Silva caught game 2 with Robert Molina getting game 1. Matt Albanese added his first double. The only other hit was from Silva.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Chattanooga Lookouts

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kolton Kendrick, Elizabethton Twins

 

 

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Chris Heston

Pensacola @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge

Ft. Myers @ Florida (6:05) - RHP Brady Anderson

Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:35 CST) - LHP Domenick Carlini

Danville @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - RHP Moises Gomez

 

 

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

 

Click here to view the article

[108Stitches]

How does Tyler Wells NOT get the call but they bring a guy from EST up? And I would have thought Blankenhorn and Diaz too. Congrats to baby pudge! Well deserved!

[Seth Stohs]

 

How does Tyler Wells NOT get the call but they bring a guy from EST up? And I would have thought Blankenhorn and Diaz too. Congrats to baby pudge! Well deserved!

 

Four position players from Cedar Rapids moved up. Four position players from Extended Spring got moved up to Cedar Rapids. The Kernels rotation/pitching staff is full. Wells has only made 2-3 starts since returning from missing three weeks. If he's good another 2-3 starts, he could move up too. By then, a Charlie Barnes or someone could move up from E-Town. 

 

Blankenhorn's done well walking, and he had a good June, but he is hitting like .230... I have no problem with him staying there for awhile, even the rest of the season. He's got plenty to work on. So does Diaz. He's got to get a quicker bat, and he's got a lot to work on defensively. Those aren't negatives. He's very, very young, so keeping him there is a wise thing. 

[h2oface]

Garver sure is playing a lot of left field. Hard to get better behind the plate from left field. 

 

Levi Michael is now playing center field and still in AA. It is amazing he has never been released. Talk about career a minor leaguer. I wonder what the long term plan is..........

[Minnesotatwins005]

Blackenhorn is actually hitting .258 on the year. Still not ideal, but a tad better then .230.

[Tommygun921]

Seth...were you able to confirm or deny whether the Twins could just place Melotakis back on the 40 man after 7 days? Basically giving him a DL stint and buying them time to get the MLB staff figured out.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Kolton Kendrick has an OPS of 2.100 and a four figure ISO... I think we need to expect that out of him every day...

[Han Joelo]

To quote the Red Wings announcer, 'Wow."  Great day.  Good to see Hildenberger with a clean debut, and Curtiss and Reed pick up where he left off.  

 

Fun to hear Gonsalves strategery, but maybe he should keep that stuff on the down-low!  Trade secrets.  Turley has kind of tainted the way I look at gaudy SO numbers, but it was actually really cool to hear how Stephen goes about his craft.  Sounds like he has a plan.

 

Thorpe and Ynoa as well.  This farm system has a few nice looking SP prospects.

 

I love it when the E-town season starts.  Their lineup looks to me like an all-star game lineup.  And I didn't even know who Albanese was. 

[terrydactyls]

Love the video of Vielma. Not only great range but a cannon for an arm. I hope he can hit enough to join the Twins. With him at short and Buxton in center, the pitchers should feel free to let hitters try their luck up the middle.

[twinssouth]

Gonsalves needs to go to Rochester. He's too good for AA

[dbminn]

 

Garver sure is playing a lot of left field. Hard to get better behind the plate from left field. 

 

 

If Garver is going to replace Gimenez, he should have at least four relief appearances instead of four starts in LF. 

[Tibs]

Holy cow Vielma's right arm is actually a cannon.

 

I really hope Kolton Kendrick can get it going this year. His BP film from his senior year of high school was very fun to watch.

[Tibs]

Has anyone claimed Kolton Kendrick for Adopt a Prospect?

[Seth Stohs]

I was wrong yesterday. I verified that Melotakis can only be traded or placed on waivers.

[Celebrity Weddings!]

I wonder if, when Lewis Thorpe dreamed about a professional baseball career, he imagined himself saying things like "the Fire Frogs were a very aggressive team."

[PDX Twin]

 

If Garver is going to replace Gimenez, he should have at least four relief appearances instead of four starts in LF. 

 

And, of course, as soon as you write this Giminez starts in LF!

[jimbo92107]

 

Garver sure is playing a lot of left field. Hard to get better behind the plate from left field. 

 

Levi Michael is now playing center field and still in AA. It is amazing he has never been released. Talk about career a minor leaguer. I wonder what the long term plan is..........

I think the long term plan for Levi Michael is to hire him as a minor league coach.

[jimbo92107]

Stephen Gonsalves talks about his latest start almost exactly the way you'd want a major league pitcher to do. Strategy, tactics, what pitches are working. This guy's got the mind of a good mlb starter. 

[sftwinsfan]

Agreed that Gonsalves could go up to Rochester after another solid start or two. Even though not optimal for the 40-man roster I'd like to see him start a few games at the end of this season to get him a taste of MLB to give him an opportunity to see what he's in for and give him the opportunity to see what he needs to work on in the offseason.

[jokin]

Agreed that Gonsalves could go up to Rochester after another solid start or two. Even though not optimal for the 40-man roster I'd like to see him start a few games at the end of this season to get him a taste of MLB to give him an opportunity to see what he's in for and give him the opportunity to see what he needs to work on in the offseason.

September? Perhaps sooner, much sooner.

[jokin]

I was wrong yesterday. I verified that Melotakis can only be traded or placed on waivers.

Soo... The Twins have a plan for Melotakis, right? Or what am I missing?

 

A left handed strikeout pitcher who appears fully past TJ surgery on a team whose pitching depth has more holes than Swiss Cheese is suddenly out of their long term AND short term strategies?

 

If they don't have a trade in mind, are they thinking that Melo won't be claimed, or that they have given up on him having ML chops?

[jimbo92107]

 

September? Perhaps sooner, much sooner.

I would have two cups of coffee waiting for minor league starters, one for Gonsalves just after the All Star break, and one for Felix Jorge shortly after that. Both guys need to see what the show looks like, and both guys could be stashed in the pen, depending how they handle the extra pressure of big crowds, and hitters that don't bite on minor league junk balls. 

[jokin]

I would have two cups of coffee waiting for minor league starters, one for Gonsalves just after the All Star break, and one for Felix Jorge shortly after that. Both guys need to see what the show looks like, and both guys could be stashed in the pen, depending how they handle the extra pressure of big crowds, and hitters that don't bite on minor league junk balls.

 

Good thinking. Those are also my #1 and #2 picks for accelerated promotion, although Jorge makes it relatively simple to get first cup of coffee being already on the roster.

 

Regardless, it's past time to end the parade of AAAA arms coming up like lambs to the slaughter. (At least Pino and Heston have been awful enough in AAA to preclude the brain trust from going down those roads).

[diehardtwinsfan]

I know the ERA looks nice, but I find it really tough to get excited about Jorge. He's striking out 6.4/9IP in AA, and while he's young, we aren't talking as young as Gonsalves or Romero. I do think that Jorge and Gonsalves (in particular) should be headed to Rochester in the next week or two, but other than 40 man adds at the end of the year, I don't see either in MN other than that September cup of coffee.

[yarnivek1972]

I notice that Gonsalves has given up 5 long balls this year in 40 or so IP. He gave up just 1 in 70 odd innings at AA last year.

 

Something to monitor if he, as many expect, gets bumped to AAA soon.