Article: Twins Minor League Report (6/24): Wings, Looks, E-Twins All Win on Walk Offs

[Tom Froemming]

Saturday night we had a walk-off single, a walk-off double and a walk-off hit batsman. Wait, what? Brent Rooker also hit his first professional home run in what was a big day for the bats in Elizabethton.

 

Find out what else happened around the Twins' minor leagues on Saturday.RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 4

Box Score

 

Leonardo Reginatto delivered a walk-off single that scored Tommy Field to put a positive end on a long night. This game started about an hour late due to rain and lasted nearly three and a half hours. Maybe Pat Venditte was up past his bedtime.

 

The IronPigs’ ambidextrous pitcher gave up a single to Matt Hague, walked Field, walked Niko Goodrum and walked in the tying run with a free pass to John Ryan Murphy. Lehigh Valley brought in a fifth infielder, but Reginatto sent a line drive to center to end it.

 

Zack Granite did not have a multi-hit game. You know you're rolling when that’s newsworthy. He did, however, go 1-for-4 and drew a walk. Reginatto had three hits and drove in two runs. Matt Hague was 2-for-3 and drew a pair of walks. Mitch Garver was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. Field and Goodrum also had two hits. Rochester could’ve made this easier on themselves, but they left 15 men on base. All’s well that ends well, I suppose.

 

Chris Heston got the start and struggled, giving up four runs on nine hits and three walks over 4.1 innings. The bullpen trio of D.J. Baxendale (1.2 IP), Phil Hughes (1 IP) and Ryan Pressly (2 IP) combined for 4.2 shutout innings. Pressly had three strikeouts.

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 3, Pensacola 2

Box Score

 

There are a lot of ways you can win a baseball game, but a walk-off hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded has to be one of the weirder ones. Chattanooga was held in check all game, entering the ninth trailing 2-0, but a big rally capped off by a Levi Michael HBP gave them the W.

 

Edgar Corcino led off the ninth with a walk, followed by singles from LaMonte Wade, Jonathan Rodriguez and Andy Wilkins. T.J. White was intentionally walked and Michael took one for the team to win it.

 

Felix Jorge went 7.2 innings and struck out seven batters while walking zero. He gave up a season-high 11 hits, but just the two runs. Randy Rosario threw 1.1 scoreless innings.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Florida 4, Fort Myers 3

Box Score

 

The Miracle pulled within a run of the Fire Frogs on three separate occasions, but their comeback attempt was stymied by a bullpen that combined to throw four shutout innings of two-hit ball, striking out six batters with no walks.

 

Brady Anderson gave up four runs over 5.2 innings. He walked four and gave up six hits, three of them home runs. Michael Theofanopoulos pitched the final 2.1 innings, holding the Fire Frogs scoreless white tallying four strikeouts.

 

The Miracle had only four hits, with Jermaine Palacios going 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored. Max Murphy and Kevin Garcia had the only other hits, and all four were singles.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Quad Cities 3, Cedar Rapids 2

Box Score

 

The Kernels got out to a 2-0 lead thanks to Amaurys Minier. Playing in just his second game with Cedar Rapids, the Dominican hit a solo homer in the second inning and an RBI double in the fourth.

 

Domenick Carlini got off to a good start, but gave up a two-run homer in the fourth inning and a solo shot in the fifth. That was all the offense the River Bandits needed. Carlini gave up three runs on five hits over five innings and he had five strikeouts. Ryan Mason struck out three batters over two scoreless innings and Alex Robinson had two K's in his inning of work.

 

Lewin Diaz, who was DHing with Minier playing first, hit his 22nd double of the season.

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 8, Danville 7

Box Score

 

What a day Matt Albanese had. Hitting a two-run double to give his team the walk-off win is impressive enough, but the Twins’ seventh-round pick from 2016 was 3-for-3 with two walks and swiped home on a double steal in the eighth inning.

 

Perhaps you heard during the draft coverage that Brent Rooker can hit a little. Well, the Twins’ 35th overall pick, Rooker was 4-for-5 with his first professional home run, a double, a couple RBI and a walk. He played left field. Trey Cabbage hit a homer and scored three runs.

 

All the offense was needed, as Moises Gomez was shelled. He gave up six runs (five earned) over 1.2 innings. Out of the bullpen, Carlos Suniaga (3.1 shutout innings, four K's) Blair Lasko (one run over three innings) and Calvin Faucher (struck out the side in the ninth) were able to keep the Twins in position to come back.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Felix Jorge, ‘Nooga (7.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 K)

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Matt Albanese, E-Town (walk-off hit, 3-for-3, 2 doubles, 2 BB, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB)

 

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley, 12:35 pm CT (Tim Melville, 2.79 ERA)

Chattanooga vs. Pensacola, 3:15 pm CT (Dereck Rodriguez, 18.00 ERA)

Chattanooga vs. Pesnacola, Game 2 (Fernando Romero, 3.27 ERA)

Fort Myers at Florida, 4:05 pm CT (Anthony McIver, 2.27 ERA)

Cedar Rapids at Quad Cities, 5:15 pm CT (Clark Beeker, 2.99 ERA)

Elizabethton vs. Pulaski, 5:00 pm CT (Melvi Acosta)

 

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

 

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[Pitz]

Albanese didn't steal just any base either. He stole home in the 8th to cut the lead to one, setting the stage for his further heroics in the 9th.

Edited June 25, 2017 by Pitz

[Tommygun921]

Is Dillon Gee our 5th starter now? Curious who Hughes and Pressly will replace in the bullpen. Guessing Hildenberger gets sent back. Not sure who else they'd send out unless its Busenitz or hopefully Brenslow. Don't see them getting rid of Belisle.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Albanese didn't steal just any base either. He stole home in the 8th to cut the lead to one, setting the stage for his further heroics in the 9th.

 

He had the wrist injury that cost him his junior season and last year in ET. He was the 8th round pick, but was known as a tremendous athlete who could do a lot. Just 3 games, but so far, so good!!

[Seth Stohs]

 

Is Dillon Gee our 5th starter now? Curious who Hughes and Pressly will replace in the bullpen. Guessing Hildenberger gets sent back. Not sure who else they'd send out unless its Busenitz or hopefully Brenslow. Don't see them getting rid of Belisle.

 

Gee is the long reliever for now... 

 

Hildenberger and Busenitz are the new guys, so there's some chance.... then again, new regime could make a move with Breslow or Belisle.

[Kevin]

 

Albanese didn't steal just any base either. He stole home in the 8th to cut the lead to one, setting the stage for his further heroics in the 9th.

Thanks.  This has now been added to the report.--Editor

[Dman]

I know small sample size and all but they should move Albanese to Cedar Rapids and move Whitefield up to High A. Then both players could be better challenged.

[MangLitch]

Didn't Gonsalves pitch 2 days ago?

[Tom Froemming]

 

Didn't Gonsalves pitch 2 days ago?

Yep, sorry I just took what was off MiLB.com. Checked a recent release from the team and it looks like it'll be Dereck Rodriguez in Game 1 and Fernando Romero in Game 2. Thanks for catching that.

[Tom Froemming]

 

Albanese didn't steal just any base either. He stole home in the 8th to cut the lead to one, setting the stage for his further heroics in the 9th.

That is correct, thank you. I've been scrounging around for additional details on how that went down. Looks like it was a double steal (T.J. Dixon took second) with two outs and Wander Javier at the plate. Pretty daring move, they must've caught the Braves napping.

[Cap'n Piranha]

Gee is the long reliever for now...

 

Hildenberger and Busenitz are the new guys, so there's some chance.... then again, new regime could make a move with Breslow or Belisle.

Breslow and Belisle were both signed by the new regime, so if either of them gets sent out, it's not due to a new regime, it's the regime in question admitting they made a mistake.

[DocBauer]

Seriously, isn't it about time for Jorge to be up at Rochester?

[AZTwin]

Albanese hitting .818 on the year lol