Twins Minor League Report (8/16): Sam Armstrong, Mick Abel Post Strong Starts

[Seth Stohs]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Mick Abel)

 

Eduardo Tait and Enrique Jimenez are showing why the Twins were excited to receive them at the trade deadline. Wichita's starter showed a strong arm, and the Saints starter proved able on Saturday. Brandon Winokur continues to rake and check out what the DSL Twins did on Saturday. They all hit! 

TRANSACTIONS
The Twins placed Alan Roden on the 15-Day Injured List. Taking his spot on the big-league roster is another trade deadline acquisition, James Outman.  (On Sunday morning, Roden was placed on the 60-Day IL, ending his season. LHP Genesis Cabrera was added to the 40-man roster and called up. RHP Travis Adams was optioned to St. Paul.)

The Saints announced that Twins Daily readers knew a couple of days ago, that Connor Prielipp has been promoted from Wichita. 

 

The Wind Surge placed infielder Jorel Ortega on the 7-Day injured list. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 3, Omaha 4
Box Score
Abel Strikes Out 11, but Saints Walked Off in Omaha. 

Mick Abel made his third Saints start and was really good. It appears that a lot of his success will depend on his ability to throw strikes. Yes, that is true for all pitchers. Walks will haunt, but Abel has such good ‘stuff’ that if he doesn’t hurt himself with wals, he can be tough to hit. On Saturday, Abel tossed six innings .He gave up two runs on two hits. Most important, he walked none and had a Saints franchise high 11 strikeouts. 

The Saints offense got on the board first. In the top of the third, Anthony Prato reached on an error and then scored on a Payton Eeles single. 

In the top of the fifth frame, Kyler Fedko hit a solo homer, his fourth with the Saints after hitting 20 for Wichita previously this season.  

In the bottom of the fifth, Abel gave up a leadoff double to Jac Caglianone. It was followed by a Carter Jensen two-run homer which tied the game Abel was able to respond by striking out the next three batters. 

The Saints responded in the top of the sixth frame. With two outs, Jonah Bride doubled and scored on a single by Noah Cardenas. 

Cory Lewis came in and put zeroes on the board in the seventh and eighth innings. However, in the ninth frame, Mark Canha led off with a walk. Caglianone also walked. Jensen popped a single to load the bases. After an infield pop up, Bobby Dalbeck singled to center to drive in the first two runners and end the game.  

Lewis gave up two runs on three hits and four walks over his 2 1/3 innings. He had two strikeouts. Just 26 of his 58 pitches were strikes.  

Fedko went 2-for-5 with a home run. Eeles was 2-for-4 with a walk. Jonah Bride went 2-for-4 with his fifth double. Cardenas went 2-for-4. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 6, Springfield 0
Box Score
Sam Armstrong’s Arm was Very Strong 

Sam Armstrong put together his best start of the season, maybe even of his career, on Saturday night. He tossed seven scoreless innings. He gave up seven hits but didn’t hurt himself with any walks. He had just one strikeout, but he was very efficient, needing just 83 pitches to complete seven innings. 

Darren Bowen worked the final two innings. He gave up one hit and struck out one batter in completing the shutout. 

There was no score in the game until the top of the fifth inning when Rubel Cespedes knocked his ninth home run of the season. 

Jose Salas singled and stole second. With two outs, Kaelen Culpepper singled to center to drive in Salas and make it 2-0. 

In the sixth frame, Andrew Cossetti hit his 13th double. He went to third on a single by Nate Baez. After a pitching change, Ben Ross walked to load the bases. With two outs, Salas doubled to clear the bases and make it 5-0. 

Harry Genth led off the ninth inning with a walk. He stole second and went to third on defensive indifference. He scored on a Hendry Mendez single to conclude the game’s scoring. 

Salas went 2-for-4 with his sixth double and three huge RBI. Mendez was 2-for-5

KERNELS NUGGETS
Doubles help Kernels Double Their Pleasure with Doubleheader Sweep
Game 1: Cedar Rapids 9, Quad Cities 6
Box Score 

The Kernels jumped out to a lead with a four-run first inning. However, a four-run third inning by Quad Cities put the River Bandits on top 5-4. The Kernels offense responded well. They tied it with a run in the bottom of the third. They then scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth and added one more in the fifth for insurance. 

Caden Kendle led off the Kernels first inning with a single to center. Kyle DeBarge walked. After a pop up, the runners advanced on a wild pitch. Brandon Winokur doubled to drive in both runs. Danny De Andrade switched spots with him with a double of his own. He went to third on a single by Misael Urbina. After a fly out, Maddux Houghton singled toward second base. De Andrade scored on a throwing error, but Urbia was thrown out at home, but the team had their 4-0 lead. 

Down 5-4 in the third, Winokur led off with a single. He scored on De Andrade’s 24th double of the season. 

In the bottom of the fourth, Kyle DeBarge walked with two outs, and Eduardo Tait hit his third home run since joining the Kernels. 

Bradon Winokur followed with his 16th home run of the season to make it 8-5.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Urbina led off with a double. Two batters later, he scored on a Maddux Houghton single. 

Winokur went 3-for-3 with his 20th double and 16th home run and drove in three runs. De Andrade went 2-for-3 with his 23rd and 24th doubles, and two RBI. Urbina went 2-for-3 with his 13th double. Houghton was 2-for-3 and drove in two runs. Tait drove in two runs with his homer. Kyle DeBarge went 1-for-2 with two walks. 

Dasan Hill made his much-anticipated Kernels debut. In 2 2/3 innings, he gave up four runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out three batters. Jacob Kisting came on and gave up an inherited run but also two runs on four hits of his own over 3 1/3 innings. Brennan Oxford recorded his first save with a scoreless seventh.  

Game 2: Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 1
Box Score
Garrett Horn was solid in his second Kernels start. The southpaw gave up only an unearned run on two hits and two walks in four innings. He had five strikeouts. Nick Trabacchi gave up two hits over two scoreless innings. Ruddy Gomez recorded the save with a perfect seventh inning. 

Down 1-0, Misael Urbina led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a single. Kyle Hess followed with another single. Poncho Ruiz followed with a bunt single to load the bases. Jaime Ferrer grounded out but Urbina scored the first run. Maddux Houghton drove in two runs with a single of his own. 

The Kernels added another run in the sixth when Kyle Hess drove in Danny De Andrade to make it 4-1. 

Hess went 2-for-3. Houghton was 2-for-2. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 4, Daytona 9
Box Score
Mussels Rally Late, Jimenez Stays Hot, but Daytona Holds On

The Mussels fell behind early, and a five-run fifth inning by Daytona put the game out of reach. The Mussels put up a four-run eighth inning but it was far too little too late. 

Eli Jones started and gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks in four innings. Jones left the game with two runners on. Dylan Questad allowed both inherited runners to score. He was also charged with five more runs on four hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings. Jones and Questad each hit a batter too. Tyler Stasiowski got the final four outs, two of them on strikeouts. 

Through seven innings, the Mussels had just three hits and walked twice. With one out in the eighth inning, Marek Houston, Dameury Pena, and JP Smith singled to load the bases. Enrique Jimenez followed with a grand slam, his third home run since joining the Mussels after the trade deadline. Also, his third straight game with a home run. He had spent the season playing for the Tigers FCL affiliate that lost to the FCL Twins in the semi-finals. 

Houston went 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. Dameury Pena went 2-for-4. 

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 23, DSL Nationals 1
Box Score
Almanzar Drives in 7 Runs as Twins Erupt for 23 Runs in DSL Blowout 

Well… this was a pitchers duel for the first three innings. No runs to that point. However, the Twins scored in each of their final six innings. They were especially helped by a couple of snowmen. They posted an eight-run seventh inning and added eight more runs in the eighth innings to put the game completely out of reach. All nine starters had at least one hit. The top five batters had at least two hits. All nine batters had at least one walk. 23 runs on 16 hits and 14 walks. 

Third baseman Darwin Almanzar went 3-for-5 with a walk. He scored four runs. In the seventh inning, he hit a three-run homer. Then in the eighth inning, he came up with the bases loaded and hit a grand slam. That gives him six home runs on the season, and his seven RBI puts him at 41 for the season. He was the fifth hitter.

Leadoff man Yovanny Duran went 3-for-6 with a walk and two doubles. Jhomnardo Reyes batted second. He went 2-for-4 with three walks and his ninth triple. Santiago Leon went 2-for-6 with a walk, his eighth double, and his first professional home run. Joyner Perez went 2-for-6 with a walk and his fifth double. Cristian Bonifacio went 1-for-3 with three walks. Jamesson Val was 1-for-3 with two walks. He was also hit by a pitch. 

Val added four stolen bases in the game, giving him 20 on the season. Duran had two steals on Saturday to give him 30 this season. Jose Barrios stole his 10th base, and Almanzar stole home for his fifth steal of the year. 

Jeromy Villoria, who turned 17 on Thursday, went the first three innings. He gave up no runs and just one hit. He walked two and struck out one. Jensi Infante gave up one hit his a scoreless fourth inning. Nestor Cafe struck out two batters in a scoreless fifth inning. Rainer Marin gave up one run on four hits and a walk in two innings. Yordi Jose struck out five batters over two scoreless innings. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Darwin Almanzar (FCL Twins): 3-for-5, BB, 2-HR(6), SB(10), 4 R, 7 RBI, K

Pitcher of the Day 
Sam Armstrong (Wichita): 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 95 pitches, 64 strikes (67.4%)
Mick Abel (St. Paul): 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, 87 pitches, 57 strikes (65.5%) 

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

#2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 2-for-3, BB, 2 R  (played 2B)
#3 - Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 1-for-5, RBI, 2 K (played SS)
#5 - Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - Game 1: 1-for-4, HR(3), R, 2 RBI, K (caught), 0-for-3 (DHd)
#7 - Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 63 pitches, 35 strikes (55.6%)
#8 - Mick Abel (St. Paul) - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, 87 pitches, 57 strikes (65.5%)
#11 - Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, K (played LF)
#13 - Marek Houston (Fort Myers) - 2-for-3, BB, R, SB(4) (played SS)
#14 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - Game 1: 3-for-3, 2B(20), HR(16), 3 R, 3 RBI (played 3B). Game 2: 0-for-3, K.
#17 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - Game 1: 1-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R (played SS); Game 2: 0-for-3, K (played 2B)
#20 - Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 2-for-5, RBI

Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related!

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[AceWrigley]

Who the heck is Harry Genth?

[FlyingFinn]

Armstrong and Abel - those were a couple really fine starts from the new guys.

[bunsen82]

36 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

Armstrong and Abel - those were a couple really fine starts from the new guys.

Horn was solid as well. The only interesting pitching prospect that struggled a bit was Hill. All in all a very solid day. For the most part the traded for prospects are doing very well. 

[Linus]

SSS but we have gotten some good performances from our new guys on the farm. 
Seth: really appreciate that you list the positions played and strike percentages. 

[SaberNerd]

Think there is a good chance Abel's next start is in the majors, especially with Adams getting sent down.  Looking back at Joe Ryan, he made 2 starts with us in the minors before getting the call.

[Dman]

1 hour ago, AceWrigley said:

Who the heck is Harry Genth?

I said the same thing, lol.  Here is a link I found online. It looks like he is this year Eeles like Gamble.

[DocBauer]

Abel just had a great game? Or is that part of the tweaks the Twins are making at St Paul?

Fedko hits another HR! 

Probably less than a month left in the A seasons. Houston and Smith II off to good starts. Do they get a couple weeks at CR to Jumpstart 2026?

[Dman]

Lot's to like about last night in the system. I think my favorite was Tait and Winokur going back to back.  Nice to see the young guys getting it done. 

Jimenez another day another Home run this time a grand slam.  He leads his team in OPS at least for the moment.

Like @DocBauer gotta believe Houston and Smith are Cedar Rapids bound, but we'll see.  They both have hit well and it seems like a good idea to get them acclimated for the Playoffs.

 

[jmlease1]

How is Hendry Mendez's defense looking? He's listed as playing all three OF spots, but hasn't logged an inning in CF this season, so I assume he's just a corner OF guy at this point. The bat's been showing nice improvement this season and he's done quite well since joining Wichita. Be great if he's also a quality defender in LF?

Very nice outing by Abel. Wouldn't mind seeing him at Target Field, and would vastly prefer seeing him vs these bullpen games. 11 K's in 6 is nothing to sneeze at. Abel has made 6 starts back in AAA after getting demoted and has a Game Score over 70 in 4 of them (the other 2 were 35 and 52 respectively). That's pretty darn good. But it is clear that limiting walks is the most important things for him, so if he can keep doing that he can be in a rotation.. He's fairly efficient too, which is nice to see in a less experienced player.

 

[AceWrigley]

1 hour ago, Dman said:

I said the same thing, lol.  Here is a link I found online. It looks like he is this year Eeles like Gamble.

Thanks.

[Seth Stohs]

2 hours ago, AceWrigley said:

Who the heck is Harry Genth?

Non-drafted free agent who put up monster numbers at Division III Haverford. 

 

[AceWrigley]

3 minutes ago, Seth Stohs said:

Non-drafted free agent who put up monster numbers at Division III Haverford. 

 

Good ole Haverford.

[DocBauer]

Seth posted Genth's information above. He was 1 of 4 UDFA the Twins signed following the draft.

small school and low level or not, he put up amazing numbers. Really surprised he didn't transfer up to a higher level for this past season.

 

[mikelink45]

Time for Abel to be in Minneapolis.  No use using pitchers we do not believe in for the future.

[darwin22]

1 hour ago, mikelink45 said:

Time for Abel to be in Minneapolis.  No use using pitchers we do not believe in for the future.

Wholeheartedly agree!  Can't say I have much to any faith in our front office decision making after the ATOMIC fire sale at the trade deadline so I'm hoping that Abel's promotion will come this week.  He's lined up (4 days rest) to pitch the home finale TH afternoon at home against Oakland.

Should this not happen is this a case or service time manipulation?(ie saving $$ for the cheapskate Pohlads).  

[SF Twins Fan]

At what point does Eeles get a shot in the Majors?  He was great last season and has been playing very. well the past 45 games or so.

[Mike Sixel]

56 minutes ago, SF Twins Fan said:

At what point does Eeles get a shot in the Majors?  He was great last season and has been playing very. well the past 45 games or so.

At what position? 

[Doctor Wu]

16 hours ago, Dman said:

I said the same thing, lol.  Here is a link I found online. It looks like he is this year Eeles like Gamble.

As did I. Not a name I knew either. But after checking his stats, he appears to be a player who .... strikes out a lot. Sure, he hasn't played many games yet, but doesn't look like a prospect. 

[Dman]

1 hour ago, Doctor Wu said:

As did I. Not a name I knew either. But after checking his stats, he appears to be a player who .... strikes out a lot. Sure, he hasn't played many games yet, but doesn't look like a prospect. 

Yeah I noticed that too.  It's quite a jump from DIII to pro ball though. Also they bumped him to AA recently as well.  He's gonna have to figure out the breaking stuff.  Will be interesting to see how he does next year.  Ben Ross was DIII too I think and he's had trouble getting his bat going so he might not translate.  Still a good gamble IMO.

[SF Twins Fan]

11 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

At what position? 

DH and left field are probably the two that make the most sense especially with Roden injured for the rest of the season.

[Mike Sixel]

29 minutes ago, SF Twins Fan said:

DH and left field are probably the two that make the most sense especially with Roden injured for the rest of the season.

I can see that, but I think outman is getting his chance. 

[SF Twins Fan]

6 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

I can see that, but I think outman is getting his chance. 

I understand he's going to get his chance since they traded for him, but I just don't see Outman working out.  His high strikeout rate will never play at the MLB level and pitchers have figured out how to pitch to him.

The Twins probably also want to see if Larnach can have a good end of the season, so his value increases.

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, SF Twins Fan said:

I understand he's going to get his chance since they traded for him, but I just don't see Outman working out.  His high strikeout rate will never play at the MLB level and pitchers have figured out how to pitch to him.

The Twins probably also want to see if Larnach can have a good end of the season, so his value increases.

Agreed. I don't think Larnach can increase his value. He is who he is.