Minor League Report (6/17): Cedar Rapids Throws A Shutout, Wichita *is* Shutout

[Matt Braun]

The Kernels pitched a shutout on Friday, while the Wind Surge were shutout, and the Saints blasted four homers. Read all about that and more in this edition of the minor league report.

TRANSACTIONS
C Kyle Schmidt transferred to AA Wichita
C Frank Nigro transferred to A+ Cedar Rapids
OF Alex Kirilloff recalled by Twins
INF Elliot Soto outrighted to AAA St. Paul
C David Bañuelos placed on 7-day IL (Dislocated right finger)
C Roy Morales reinstated from 7-day IL (Back spasms)
RHP Daniel Gossett transferred to AA Wichita

Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 6, Columbus 5
Box Score
Ariel Jurado: 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K
HR: John Andreoli (4), Mark Contreras (7), Curtis Terry (6), Michael Helman (2)
Multi-hit games: Michael Helman (3-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI), Curtis Terry (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI)

St. Paul won a stressful game on Friday.

The Saints took a democratic approach to hitting; every batter reached base at least once, and their four homers all came from a different source. John Andreoli hit the first bomb, while Mark Contreras followed suit with a two-run shot. Both home runs came in the 3rd inning.

The Clippers did respond, though. The double Wills of Brenson and Brennan (sounds like a law firm) brought home enough runs to tie the game at three; Curtis Terry broke that tie with a solo home run in the 4th.

The game entered a pure Cold War stalemate for a handful of innings before Michael Helman Tore Down That Wall with a crucial two-run homer in the top of the 9th inning. Columbus punched through Dereck Rodriguez’s Star Wars defense in the bottom of the inning, but the Saints held strong and walked away victorious. 

Rodriguez netted the final 15 outs in the game, allowing just two runs in support of Jurado and Hunter Wood. 

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 0, Tulsa 5
Box Score
Blayne Enlow: 3 2/3 IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: None

Wichita was shut out on Friday.

The famous Dodgers minor league system quieted the Wind Surge bats, striking out 15 with an assortment of arms that would make any team jealous. Tulsa pitchers have given the Wind Surge fits since their inception, and this series has been no different. Bobby Miller did it the other day; Clayton Beeter did it on Friday.

Austin Martin was not in the lineup, and perhaps Wichita lost important vibes because of it. 

Blayne Enlow continued his attempt at finding his footing again after losing crucial development time to injury. He was admirable, working 3 2/3 innings with two earned runs and four strikeouts for good measure. It’s clear that his command isn’t crisp like he would hope, but this is one step in a marathon for him.

Alex Scherff was the only pitcher to walk away with an unharmed ERA on Friday, as he allowed no runs in his one inning of work.

Matt Wallner hit lead-off, which reminded this author of the time Logan Morrison did the same; what a time that was, huh? 

Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 3, Dayton 0
Box Score
Aaron Rozek: 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: None

The Kernels won a shutout on Friday.

Aaron Rozek was the man of the hour. The lefty held the Dragons to five baserunners over 5 2/3 IP with four strikeouts and, of course, no earned runs. The Dragons are no push-over, as they came into the game with a 38-21 record on the year.

Cody Laweryson and Bradley Hanner slammed the door shut, netting the final 10 outs with a single hit allowed and six strikeouts. All three pitchers deserved a nice night out to celebrate their success on Friday; shutouts don't happen every day, after all.

The Kernels’ bats did their job as well. They only needed one run, but they plated three off of a fielding error, a ground-rule double, and a wild pitch. In a form so ironic that Alanis Morissette would appreciate it, neither team allowed an earned run on Friday. This author cannot recall the last time they saw that occur in a baseball game. 

Despite the lack of runs, Cedar Rapids hitters took seven walks on top of their six hits; luck was their enemy in this game. 

Mussel Matters
Fort Myers 8, Bradenton 3
Box Score
Pierson Ohl: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 5 K
HR: Rubel Cespedes (1), Carlos Aguiar (2)
Multi-hit games: Mikey Perez (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI), Kala’i Rosario (3-for-4, R), Luis Baez (2-for-4, RBI)

Fort Myers cruised on Friday.

The Mighty Mussels jumped out early in the 2nd inning thanks to the “ez” brothers—Mikey Perez doubled home a run, and Luis Baez singled home another. Those two represented an effective back-end of the lineup for Fort Myers on Friday; three of the bottom four hitters netted multiple hits. 

Bradenton ambushed Pierson Ohl in the 3rd, plating three runs off some piranha-like magic, including an RBI groundout and a two-run single. The 3rd inning proved to be the only one Ohl was not dominant in, and he settled in outside of that inning to not allow a run the rest of the way.

While Ohl did his job, Malik Barrington and Juan Mendez ensured that the Marauders had no shot to return in the game. The two relievers combined for four effective innings with one hit allowed and an impressive eight strikeouts. Fort Myers pitchers struck out 13 hitters in total.

The Mighty Mussels embodied the Earl Weaver approach to baseball and blasted a pair of three-run homers to bury Bradenton. Rubel Cespedes hit the first one, while Carlos Aguiar blasted one in the 8th inning for good measure. 

Complex Chronicles
FCL Twins 2, FCL Red Sox 4
Box Score
Brayan Medina: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Alexander Pena (2-for-4, 2 RBI)

The FCL Twins took a loss six days in the making.

The FCL Twins and FCL Red Sox were supposed to play on June 11th, but rain washed away any hope of playing that game beyond the 1st inning.

Rehabbing starter and forgotten piece from the Lance Lynn trade, Luis Rijo, picked up where Bryana Medina left off, tossing two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. Former big-leaguer Daniel Robertson was also on a rehab assignment; he picked up a pair of walks.

Alexander Pena provided all the runs for the FCL Twins, with his 1st inning single bringing home two baserunners.

The two teams were supposed to play a second game, but it was canceled due to COVID.

Dominican Dailies
DSL Twins 2, DSL Giants Black 6
Box Score
Oscar Paredes: ⅔ IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, K
HR: Jose Rodriguez (2)
Multi-hit games: None

Jose Rodriguez provided all the offense for the DSL Twins with a 4th inning solo homer and an RBI groundout in the 6th. Cristian Jimenez struck out five over three innings of work.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Rozek, Cedar Rapids Kernels
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Michael Helman, St. Paul Saints

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#3 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - In Progress.
#7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 1-5, K
#9 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, R, 2 BB
#14 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 3 ⅔ IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
#15 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 1-2, BB, K
#16 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-3, BB, 2 K
#18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 1-2, 2 BB, K

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Columbus (4:05 PM) - RHP Jake Faria
Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05 PM) - RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long
Dayton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM) - LHP Cade Povich
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM) - RHP Marco Raya

 

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[FlyingFinn]

Austin Martin sitting for the third time in four games. Must be a nagging injury?

What do we know about Cespedas? His bat has started off hot.

[operation mindcrime]

Noah Miller's bat has really cooled off lately!

[PNW twins]

45 minutes ago, operation mindcrime said:

Noah Miller's bat has really cooled off lately!

It really has,  but probably not that surprising.  It will be interesting to see how he handles the ups and downs of a full season.  We're rooting for you kid!

[ashbury]

25 minutes ago, PNW twins said:

It really has,  but probably not that surprising.  It will be interesting to see how he handles the ups and downs of a full season.  We're rooting for you kid!

Yeah, a high-school draftee usually needs a lot of patience.  Under other circumstances the freshman coach might be offering him guidance on off-campus housing for the coming year.   I notice Miller involved in the discussion of system depth when the talk is about whether to trade Correa, Lewis, etc, and we are perhaps the better part of half a decade away from truly factoring him into that kind of planning, if all goes well with him.

[bean5302]

Keoni Cavaco owns a slash line of .289/.337/.470 OPS .807 for the past month... I would have never, ever expected him to show .200 ISO level power. If it wasn't for the 34% K rate over that period, I'd be raising my eyebrows.