Twins Minor League Report (4/15): Zebby Matthews and Travis Adams Blow Away the Iowa Cubs

[Steve Lein]

While one major league pitcher began his rehab assignment down in the lowest level of the minors on Tuesday, another one continued to make his case that he and his blazing fastball no longer belong at any level of the minors with the Saints.

Image courtesy of Eric Canha - Imagn Images (photo of Zebby Matthews)

TRANSACTIONS

• Veteran RHP Tyler Beede was signed to a minor league contract by the Twins and placed on the Saints roster. UT Dalton Shuffield was moved up from Wichita. LHP Brady Feigl was sent on a rehab assignment to Fort Myers. The recently-demoted IF Jose Miranda, was also placed on the 7-day injured list with a hand strain before playing a game.
• Down in Wichita, 1B Aaron Sabato was activated from the 7-day injured list and served as the DH for the Wind Surge in his first game of the season.
• Fort Myers got some big-league reinforcement in the form of RHP Brock Stewart to begin his rehab assignment. SS Yohander Martinez was also assigned to the Mighty Mussels from the FCL Twins roster.

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 2, Iowa 1
Box Score
Before we get into anything on this game, I’d like to send out a huge congrats to the St. Paul Saints own Sean Aronson, on his 2,000th game with the team! I can say without a doubt, it’s been a pleasure listening to him call these games since the team became an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, and well before then, too! Class act all around!

Zebby Matthews again took the ball for the Saints in a series opener and, tell me if you’ve read this from me before, was absolutely dominant. In fact, he seemed to get better as the game went on if you look at it through a certain lens…

He retired the first six Cubs of the game, including three strikeouts. A leadoff double in the third turned into the Cubs lone run against him, but he induced a double-play ball to limit the damage and did the same thing to stymie a minor threat in the fourth. In the fifth he appeared to take great offense that the first two hitters of the inning again reached base, one of them on an error, as he punched out three in a row to end his outing, and did it by throwing absolute rocket fuel. He threw 14 four-seamers in his final frame, with the lowest registering at 96.8 MPH on the (BaseballSavant) radar gun, and topping out at 99.5. 12 of those 14 fastballs registered as 98 or above on the broadcast.

Matthews ended his outing with one earned run on four hits, one walk, and he struck out seven. Of his 71 pitches, 49 went for strikes (69%), including 10 swings and misses. So far on the season Zebby has thrown 15 innings, allowed just three earned runs (1.80 ERA) on nine hits, two walks (0.73 WHIP), and has struck out 20 (12.0K/9IP). 

The Saints took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning after Jair Camargo reached base on a one-out single. Armando Alvarez followed with a double to put them both in scoring position, before Carson McCusker burned the Cubs center fielder with a 111.8 MPH laser off the wall for a two-run double.

Travis Adams once again entered the game in piggy-back fashion and would finish the game. He kept the Drillers off the bases for three innings and the Saints had nobody warming up in the bottom of the ninth. It was ride or die time for him in the ninth. A leadoff single gave the Drillers some life, but Adams shut that down with a strikeout and a groundout before a liner was sent toward the gap that could have spelled disaster. Instead, Jeferson Morales made his second run-saving catch at full sprint of the game, ending it in favor of the visiting team.

The Saints improved to one game below .500 in the early going, at 6-7. Luke Keaschall (2-for-5, K, 2 SB) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (2-for-5, K) each had two hits from the top of the lineup. Ryan Fitzgerald added a triple to the effort.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 0, Tulsa 3
Box Score
On the mound for the Wind Surge to start their series with the Los Angeles Dodgers Double-A affiliate, was right-hander Ricky Castro. He worked the first 3 2/3 scoreless innings, working up a high pitch count but allowing just two hits and two walks, while striking out four.

John Klein came on in relief and took Wichita through the seventh. In his 3 1/3 he was charged with three runs (one earned) on four hits and struck out three. Michael Martinez worked a scoreless eighth to finish the game for the Wind Surge.

There was not much offense for the good guys in this one, even though they were able to coax six walks out of Drillers pitchers. Combined with their five hits as a team, they had just four at-bats with runners in scoring position as they weren’t able to string anything together, and grounded into two double plays. They left nine men on base for the game.

Aaron Sabato, in his first Wind Surge appearance of the season, picked up two hits and a walk in four plate appearances, including a double to lead the way. Ricardo Olivar also picked up two hits in four at-bats. Tanner Schobel drew two walks out of the leadoff spot.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 6
Box Score
The Kernels wasted no time jumping out to an early lead on the road against the Chiefs. After Kyle DeBarge and Brandon Winokur each struck out to start the game, five straight hitters reached base. Billy Amick, Gabriel Gonzalez, and Khadim Diaw each singled to load the bases, before a walk to Danny De Andrade and a wild pitch allowed two runs to score.

Unfortunately, they wouldn’t have another inning with more than one baserunner until the ninth, when Kevin Maitan led off with a single and Caden Kendle drew a walk.

Starting pitcher Jeremy Lee was only able to pitch into the third inning, as Peoria took control of the game with a four-run frame. Lee was saddled with the loss after his 2 2/3 innings, where he allowed four earned runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out two.

The Kernels bullpen kept things in relative check from then on. Wilker Reyes (2 1/3 IP, H, ER, BB, 2 K), Logan Whitaker (IP, 2 H), and Jacob Wosinski (2 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 K) combined for just one run allowed over the final five innings.

Amick led the way with two hits, a run scored, and a walk in five trips to the plate. De Andrade (0-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, SB) and Kendle (0-for-2, 2 BB, K) each drew multiple free passes. The offense as a whole finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Bradenton 4, Fort Myers 9
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels struck first in the bottom of the first inning, though they probably should have put up more than one run. Byron Chourio and Yasser Mercedes each drew a walk before Poncho Ruiz singled to load the bases. A one-out error allowed Chourio to score, but Mercedes was thrown out at home on the play and that would be all they’d get.

Getting the start in this one was lefty Michael Carpenter, who the Twins drafted out of the junior college ranks of Madison, Wisconsin, in the 11th round of last year's draft. He pitched into the third, but after a pair of walks to start the inning was lifted for Liam Rocha. In his two-plus innings, Carpenter allowed one earned run on two hits, walked three, and struck out three. Rocha got the Mighty Mussels through the third, walking one and striking out one.

In the bottom of the third the Fort Myers offense broke the game open. Mercedes led off with a single, Ruiz drew a walk, and Jose Rodriguez brought them both in with a triple. Two walks later, an RBI single from Miguel Briceno, and a wild pitch would make it 5-1 Mighty Mussels before it was over.

In the top of the fourth, the powerful right arm of Brock Stewart was called upon for his first rehab appearance. He struck out the first two batters he faced, topping out at 96.7 mph with his fastball, before an error kept him from completing a full inning. Stewart threw 17 pitches, with 10 going for strikes, including four swinging.

Kade Bragg came on to finish the fourth, and also pitched the fifth. He gave up a solo home run in the fifth but otherwise struck out three of the five hitters he faced. 

Fort Myers tacked on single runs in the fourth and fifth innings thanks to a wild pitch and RBI single from Byron Chourio. They added two more insurance runs in eight on a triple from Peyton Carr, and single from Daniel Pena.

Joining Stewart with a rehab appearance was Brady Feigl. He walked one and struck out one in a scoreless sixth inning. Jacob Kisting then finished the game with a three-inning save, allowing two runs (zero earned) on three hits and a walk. He struck out two.

Every batter in the Mighty Mussels lineup reached base in the game. The only one not recording a hit was nine-hitter Angel Del Rosario. Rodriguez (2-for-3, R, 3B, 2 RBI) and Carr (2-for-4, 2 R, 3B, 2 RBI, BB) each drove in two, while Ruiz (2-for-4, R, BB, 2 K) joined them with two hits. Jay Thomason added a double and a walk to the winning effort.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Zebby Matthews, St. Paul Saints (W, 5 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 7 K)
Hitter of the Day – Peyton Carr, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (2-for-4, 2 R, 3B, 2 RBI, BB)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Tuesday.

#2 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 2-for-5, K
#3 – Luke Keaschall (St. Paul): 2-for-5, K, 2 SB (4)
#8 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-5, K
#13 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-5, 2 K
#15 – Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers): 1-for-4, R, BB, K, SB (5)
#17 – Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, R, BB
#18 – Kala’i Rosario (Wichita): 0-for-4, 2 K
#19 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, R
#20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 2-for-4

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Iowa (12:08 PM CDT) - RHP Andrew Morris (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Wichita @ Tulsa (11:00 AM CDT) - RHP Chase Chaney (0-0, 7.71 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Ty Langenberg (0-1, 7.71 ERA)
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CDT) LHP Christian MacLeod (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

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[FlyingFinn]

Matthews and Adams in their piggyback couldn't be fun for the opposition. Surprised Emma Rodriguez wasn't pulled from the game when Wallner hurt his hammy. Normally that happens to the player being called up. 

[mikelink45]

I feel like McCusker has now gotten the Eeles position in my enjoyment of a minor league player.  If Keaschall is not called up for DH, I would give Carson a chance.  I do miss Eeles, when does he come back?

[Linus]

Zebby is getting hard to ignore. Given the state of our bullpen Paddack may need to go there and let Zebby have his chance. 

[LambchoP]

Zebby sure looks like he's hungry for MLB innings. Gonna be tough to keep him in AAA if Paddack continues to struggle. Twins need a shake up. I'd call up Zebby and stick Paddack in the pen. Send Larnach to AAA for a reset and give Mccusker a cup of coffee. If Correa goes to the IL give Keaschal his debut and alternate him between 2b and DH. Upgrade the rotation and maybe give a jolt of life to the lineup.

[AceWrigley]

24 minutes ago, Linus said:

Zebby is getting hard to ignore. Given the state of our bullpen Paddack may need to go there and let Zebby have his chance. 

100%.

[LambchoP]

1 hour ago, mikelink45 said:

I feel like McCusker has now gotten the Eeles position in my enjoyment of a minor league player.  If Keaschall is not called up for DH, I would give Carson a chance.  I do miss Eeles, when does he come back?

I've been wondering about Eeles myself. Seems like there hasn't been any news or updates on him at all...

[hitterscount]

Another organizational flaw. There is zero  legit reason to keep Matthews in the minors, it seems like they prioritize team control over  winning and rewarding players that are performing in the minors. Much like Ober outperforming Meada a couple of years ago Matthews is clearly more deserving than Paddock and could help the team now.... Might even help with the attendance issue. Same goes with some of the OF prospects, bring them up when they are putting up consistently good numbers, this team needs a boost in energy and there's no better way to promote that then moving on from nonproductive vets and replace them with young promising prospects. 

[Steve Lein]

2 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I feel like McCusker has now gotten the Eeles position in my enjoyment of a minor league player.  If Keaschall is not called up for DH, I would give Carson a chance.  I do miss Eeles, when does he come back?

McCusker's double last night was absolutely smoked. The 112 MPH says a lot about that, but it also had a pretty low launch angle. Absolute missile. I think the center fielder fielded the bounce off the wall at least 30 feet from the wall.

[Steve Lein]

36 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Zebby sure looks like he's hungry for MLB innings. Gonna be tough to keep him in AAA if Paddack continues to struggle. Twins need a shake up. I'd call up Zebby and stick Paddack in the pen. Send Larnach to AAA for a reset and give Mccusker a cup of coffee. If Correa goes to the IL give Keaschal his debut and alternate him between 2b and DH. Upgrade the rotation and maybe give a jolt of life to the lineup.

Zebby should absolutely go to the rotation in the majors right now, IMO.

As for Keaschall, I love a debut more than anybody, but I'll note that you can tell Keaschall's arm isn't up to snuff yet. I'd be very wary playing him in the field on a major league roster for that reason at this point.

[Steve Lein]

39 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

I've been wondering about Eeles myself. Seems like there hasn't been any news or updates on him at all...

I don't think I've even seen the surgery he had specifically called out. Tough to guess on a timeline without that information. I'm hoping he's back in June until I hear otherwise.

[SF Twins Fan]

Are they ever going to let Zebby pitch more than 5 innings?  Only 71 pitches and strikes out the final three batters faced.

[terrydactyls]

Maybe Eeles is being overlooked?

Sorry.  I couldn't resist a short joke.  😇

[DJL44]

Time to start letting Zebby pitch the 6th inning.

[D.C Twins]

I'm Ready for Zebby to cook in the MLB

[jmlease1]

Great to see Zebby cooking and showing top end velocity. Sure looks like he's added to the fastball again, and it'll be interesting to see if he can maintain that all season. i think it's complicated to yank Paddack this early in the season, though I would have preferred to let the kids cook and have Paddack reinforce the bullpen from the jump. we're literally talking about 3 starts, and Paddack was good in his last turn out (Game Score of 60, not his fault the offense took the day off). Zebby has been great and looks to have a bright future, but he's still only started 7 games and thrown 34 innings in AAA. It's not a sin to give Paddack another start and let Zebby build confidence.

Amick is making a case for early promotion to AA. It's still early and 10 games is a small sample, but boy he's been good. If he keeps scorching it like this for another month, send him to Wichita.

keaschall & Rodriguez haven't shown a lot of power yet, but I'm not too worried about either of them. I'd like them both to get more time, so hopefully Correa & Wallner were pulled more for precautionary reasons rather than needing to dip down now.

[Mike Sixel]

I'd like DeAndrade in AA.....