Twins Minor League Report (6/14+6/13): Bats Come Alive Everywhere

[Matt Braun]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Walker Jenkins)

 

Seth ran into trouble finishing up the minor league report for 6/13, so this will be a hybrid post including what he had written with minor amendments from me, and the report for 6/14.

TRANSACTIONS
6/13:
RHP Andrew Bash activated from development list (AAA)
OF Hendry Mendez placed on 7-day IL with left shoulder impingement
OF Walker Jenkins sent to A Fort Myers on rehab
RHP Ruddy Gomez sent to FCL Twins on rehab
RHP Jason Doktoczyk moved from 7-day IL to 60-day IL
RHP Hendry Chivilli promoted to A Fort Myers

6/14:
SS Harry Genth promoted to AAA St. Paul
RHP Reed Moring placed on 7-day IL with right biceps tendinitis (A Fort Myers)
OF Graham Brown promoted to AAA St. Paul

Saints Sentinel
6/13: St. Paul 6, Toledo 1
Box Score
Aaron Rozek: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
HR: Matt Wallner (8)
Multi-hit games: David Bañuelos (2-for-3, 2B, 2 R, BB)

(Seth): The only innings that there were runs scored in this game were the third and fourth innings. The Saints scored three runs in the top of the third. The Mudhens scored one run in the bottom of the third inning. The Saints added three more runs in the top of the fourth inning. Besides those frames, nothing but zeroes. 

In the third inning, Matt Wallner hit his eighth Saints home run, a three-run blast. 

The top of the fourth inning began with walks to 7-8-9 hitters, Noah Cardenas, Henry Kusiak, and David Banuelos. Cardenas scored when Kaelen Culpepper reached on an error. Kusiak scored on a wild pitch. Banuelos scored on a Matt Wallner fielder's choice. 

Aaron Rozek did his part, putting together a Quality Start. The lefty from Burnsville tossed six innings of one-run ball. He gave up four hits, walked two and had five strikeouts. 

Marco Raya came on and threw two scoreless innings. Raul Brito pitched a scoreless ninth inning. 

Wallner went 1-for-5 but he hit his eighth home run and drove in four runs. David Banuelos was 2-for-3 with a walk and his second double. Noah Cardenas walked twice, and Kyler Fedko walked three times. 

(Matt): A call-up for Kaelen Culpepper? Not so. The shortstop was removed from the game early—prompting speculation and excitement—but it was because of glute tightness. Always watch out for your butts, kids. 

6/14: St. Paul 14, Toledo 10
Box Score
Ryan Gallagher: 3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
HR: Graham Brown (1), Noah Cardenas (3)
Multi-hit games: Ben Ross (2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB), Tanner Schobel (2-for-5, 2B, 2 R, BB), Noah Cardenas (3-for-5, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI), Henry Kusiak (3-for-5, 2B, 3 R, RBI), Graham Brown (3-for-3, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB)

The Saints won in an offensive explosion on Sunday.

The sixth. That was the only inning that didn’t see a run. What, did the Las Vegas series bleed out into all the other baseball played in the country?

It was an “everyone get in here” kind of showing from the lineup: every batter in the lineup reached base at least once, and five players did so at least thrice; Graham Brown one-upped everybody by safely touching first all four times he stepped up to the plate. Did we mention this was his AAA debut? Or that he had never taken an at-bat above A-ball?

 

 

Unfortunately, Ryan Gallagher struggled mightily in his start. Sunday was his second-straight start allowing seven earned runs, pushing his AAA ERA to a ghastly 8.00 mark across 36 innings. He’ll need to adjust somehow. The tricks that got him to the level are not cutting it. 

Matt Wallner has thoroughly enjoyed the month of June. He’s slashing .326/.367/.848 in the month with 10 of his 15 hits going for extra-bases. A sign that he found again what once made him an elite MLB hitter? The Royce Lewis secret sauce? Who knows. At least his confidence must be overflowing.

One pitcher who avoided the run quagmire that bogged down other hurlers was C.J. Culpepper, who tossed his finest outing as a Saint, whiffing four across two shutout innings. He allowed no baserunners. With the big league squad desperate for bullpen help, the blonde California Baptist product could find himself in the majors soon, if he continues to pitch like this. 

Mud Hen Max Clark ranks as the seventh-best prospect in baseball, and he lived up to the billing, scattering three hits in four at-bats with a walk. 

Wind Surge Wisdom
6/13: Wichita 7, Tulsa 8
Box Score
Preston Johnson: 4 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
HR: Billy Amick (16), Kala’i Rosario (10)
Multi-hit games: Billy Amick (3-for-5, HR, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI)

(Seth): This game was going quite well for the Wind Surge and their fans. They held a 6-1 lead and things were looking good. However, the Dodgers Double-A affiliate crossed home plate six times in the bottom of the sixth to take the 7-6 lead. That’s how the score remained until the ninth inning.  

Preston Johnson started and gave up one run on three hits. In 4 2/3 innings, he walked two and had seven strikeouts. Yehizon Sanchez came on to get the final out of the fifth inning. He quickly got the bases loaded and nobody out. Bengard got three outs, but not before all three inherited runners scored and one more run over his two ok (Matt): frames. 

That sixth inning proved a deadly endeavor: Wichita had plated six between the third and fourth innings thanks to a Garrett Spain double, and a fourth-frame skirmish capped by a Billy Amick three-run shot. 

 

 

And what a homer that was, huh? Amick barely budged, raising his left foot slightly as an 0-2 defense mechanism, then he reached down, nearly scraping the plate with his swing in an effort to catch the slider, and the whole ordeal resulted in a bomb. That’s just good hitting. 

The Drillers are, of course, a member of the famous Dodgers farm system. Though the names and faces change, the talent remains, always replenished, always impressive. This year they possess two top-20 prospects in Jose De Paula and Zyhir Hope. De Paula earned three hits while Hope singled once in four at-bats. 

6/14: Wichita 10, Tulsa 21
Box Score
Jose Olivares: ⅔ IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
HR: Poncho Ruiz (2), Caleb Roberts (3), Andrew Cossetti (6)
Multi-hit games: Andrew Cossetti (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI), Garrett Spain (2-for-5, 2B), Poncho Ruiz (3-for-4, HR, 2B, 3 R, RBI, BB)

The Wind Surge were clubbed on Sunday.

A terrible day to be a man on the mound. Pitches went for nothing and the hits were free. No matter who walked out of the Wind Surge bullpen, one future stared at them with ferocity: pain. An ERA bump that would hurt. All six hurlers surrendered at least one run, and four of them suffered multi-run outings, and it’s best to leave what happened to Jose Olivares and William Fleming unspoken.

Poncho Ruiz found the day inviting, at least, as he ripped three hits and walked in a game so potent it raised his season OPS by over .100 points. 

 

 

Perhaps some attention should go to Kala’i Rosario, who entered the series in Tulsa slugging a relatively meager .386, and who left the city with a more robust .459 mark. His second go-around at AA hadn’t yet evolved beyond the tepid; might this series propel him forward, potentially into St. Paul?

The Two Towers prospects De Paula and Hope were once again effective, combining for five hits, four runs, and three RBIs. De Paula was especially excellent: the strapping 6’3” combines a powerful left-handed hack with unreal plate discipline, resulting in a .563 slugging percentage with more walks than strikeouts this year. He reached base five times on Sunday. 

Kernels Nuggets
6/13: Cedar Rapids 23, Lansing 15
Box Score
Garrett Horn: 2 ⅔ IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
HR: Eduardo Tait (11), Khadim Diaw (5), Danny De Andrade 2 (5, 6), Yasser Mercedes (4), Miguel Briceno (4)
Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (5-for-6, 2B, 4 R, RBI), Eduardo Tait (2-for-7, HR, R, 2 RBI), Khadim Diaw (3-for-7, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI), Jay Thomason (6-for-6, 3 R, RBI), Yasser Mercedes (4-for-6, HR, 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI), Miguel Briceno (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB), Danny De Andrade (4-for-6, 2 HR, 2 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI), Luis Hernandez (4-for-6, 3 R, RBI)

(Seth): What a crazy game in Michigan on Saturday night. The Kernels scored in each of the first six innings. Lansing scored in six straight innings between the third and eighth innings. Fortunately, the Kernels scored 23 runs in their six-inning run while the Lugnuts “only” scored 15 runs in their six-inning run. The Kernels had innings in which they scored three runs twice, four once, and six twice. The Kernels had 30 hits in the game. 

Brandon Winokur has been playing really well the past 5-6 weeks, and I have to say that because he took an 0-for-7 in this game. He was the only Kernels hitter with less than two hits. 

First Baseman Jay Thomason went 6-for-6 with three runs scored. 

Shortstop Marek Houston went 5-for-6 with his 12th double, his 20th stolen base, and four runs scored. He is now hitting .326 with an .854 OPS. 

Second Baseman Danny De Andrade went 4-for-6 with his fourth and fifth doubles, his fifth and sixth home runs, three runs scored and four RBI. 

Right Fielder Yasser Mercedes went 4-for-6 with his seventh double, fourth home run, three runs scored and four RBI. 

Catcher Luis Hernandez went 4-for-6 with three runs scored. 

Center Fielder Khadim Diaw went 3-for-7 with his fifth home run, three runs and three RBI. He ended the day hitting .300 on the dot with an .859 OPS. 

Left Fielder Miguel Briceno went 2-for-5 with a walk and his fourth home run, and four RBI. 

Eduardo Tait DH’d and was 2-for-7 with his 11th home run.

Garrett Horn started for the Kernels. He was charged with one run on four hits and three walks. In 2 2/3 innings, he had four strikeouts. MItch Mueller came on for his first Kernels outing. He gave up two runs on two hits in 1 1/3 innings. Brian Zeldin completed two innings and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. He also had two strikeouts. Eston Stull gave up one run in the seventh inning. He started the eighth inning, faced seven batters, and all of them reached base. He left the game with the bases loaded and four runs already on the board. Xavier Kolhosser came in and allowed all three inherited runners to score and two more runs in the nine-run eighth frame. Stull was charged with eight runs in one inning. Kolhosser pitched a scoreless ninth, so his line showed him giving up two runs on four hits in two innings. He had five strikeouts. 

(Matt): Sometimes you just have to stare in awe of a box score like this. I think my favorite stat is that the Kernels only walked once. This was an onslaught of hitters doing just that—hitting. 

6/14:

Rain cleared any chance of a sequel to Saturday’s bizarre adventure. The game was canceled and will not be made up at a later date. 

Mussel Matters
6/13: Fort Myers 5, Dunedin 15
Box Score
Ramiro Villanueva: 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
HR: Ryan Sprock (3), Walker Jenkins (1)
Multi-hit games: Walker Jenkins (4-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI), Luis Fragoza (2-for-5, 2B, R)

The Mighty Mussels were thoroughly bested on Saturday.

Let’s skip to the shining good news beacon from this game: Walker Jenkins played baseball. Mighty good baseball, at that. The rehabbing 21-year-old cracked four hits including a double and an aesthetically gorgeous home run that streaked through the Fort Myers night like Halley’s Comet. 

Dunedin is an affiliate of the Blue Jays, and they are spearheaded by MLB’s 29th-ranked prospect, shortstop JoJo Parker. He collected four hits in six at-bats including a triple. 

6/14:

Unplayable field conditions ended matters on Sunday before they could begin. The game was canceled and will not be made up at a later date. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – C.J. Culpepper
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Poncho Ruiz

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed on Sunday:
#10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-3, 2 RBI
#12 – Andrew Morris (Twins) - 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
#16 – Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - 3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
#17 – C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
#20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-4, 2B, R, BB

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (9:00 AM) - TBD
FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (Game Two) - TBD
DSL NYY Bombers @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM) - TBD

 

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[DataNerd]

Houston singled in each of the first 5 innings, then grounded out in the 6th.  Wonder what is the most consecutive innings a player got a hit

[jaimedude]

Houston seems like he has earned a promotion to AA Whichita.