Twins Minor League Report (8/6): Walker Jenkins Homers Twice in Saints Win

[Seth Stohs]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Walker Jenkins)

TRANSACTIONS   
The Twins released RHP Grant Hartwig from the Saints roster. 

The Twins also released DSL RHP Juan Germosen. It’s always a little surprising when a 17-year-old gets released, so it’s worth looking at. In seven games and just 5 1/3 innings, he had a 23.63 ERA (14 ER) on seven hits. He had a BB:K ratio of 16:3, which isn’t too good. The 4.31 WHIP isn’t encouraging. He made five appearances in June. He pitched just once in mid-July and recorded just one out. On Tuesday, he made his first appearance in three weeks. He faced four batters. He walked three and hit another. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 5, Louisville 4  
Box Score
The Saints won the first inning by a score of 4-2. They added on in the fourth frame and then held on at the end.

C.J. Culpepper made a spot start for the Saints. He went three innings. He gave up two runs, both in the top of the first, on three hits and a walk. He had two strikeouts. 

Fairmont, Minnesota, native Brandon Williamson made a rehab start against the Saints. The Reds lefty gave up four runs on two walks and two hits, and he only recorded two outs.  

With one out in the bottom of the first, Walker Jenkins took a 1-0 cutter and hit it over the wall in left field to give his team a 1-0 lead.   

With two outs, Williamson walked Matt Wallner and Hendry Mendez. Ben Ross singled to drive in Wallner and push Mendez to third base. Mendez scored the go-ahead run on a balk. After a mid-AB pitching change, Kala’i Rosario singled to drive in Ross and make it 4-2. 

That’s where the score remained until the bottom of the fourth inning. Walker Jenkins came up and crushed a 1-0 changeup and hit it 108.2 mph at a 30-degree launch angle. It traveled well beyond the wall in right field and left CHS Field, landing 400 feet from home plate.   

The Saints had a 5-2 lead through four innings and needed the bullpen to hang on. Matt Bowman came in and tossed three scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit, hit one batter, and issued one walk. He also had zero strikeouts. Taylor Rashi pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Garret Acton gave up one run on two hits in the eighth but left with the Saints leading 5-3 and three more outs to go. Eric Orze got the ninth inning. He gave up one run on two hits but earned his third Saints save. 

The Saints scored their five runs on nine hits and 10 walks. Jenkins went 2-for-5 with his fifth and sixth homers. Rosario went 2-for-4 with his first Triple-A triple. Wallner went 1-for-2 with three walks. Mendez and Noah Cardenas each walked twice. Aaron Sabato had a walk and his 26th double. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 5, NW Arkansas 1 
Box Score
When teams think about piggybacking starters, this is the vision. It rarely plays out this well. Ty Langenberg started for the Wind Surge and was very good, very efficient. He tossed five scoreless innings and gave up just two hits. He had just two strikeouts, but he didn’t hurt himself with any walks. Sixty-eight percent of his 63 pitches were strikes.   

Cory Lewis came in and threw three scoreless innings before giving up a run in the bottom of the ninth frame. He gave up just two hits and one walk. He had five strikeouts.

The Wichita bats came through with five runs on 10 hits, but they also came through in clutch situations and used their legs to force the action a bit. The Surge stole eight bases in the game without being caught.  

The Wind Surge took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Jorel Ortega singled to drive in Caden Kendle. 

That is how the score stayed until the Surge pushed four runs across in the top of the seventh inning. Kyle DeBarge singled to lead off the inning. He stole second and then stole third base. On that play, he scored on an errant throw by the catcher. 

With one out, Graham Brown singled, stole second. He went to third on a Marek Houston single who proceeded to steal second. Khadim drove in Brown with a single. Houston scored on a single by Brandon Winokur. Diaw scored on a single by Andrew Cossetti. Winokur was thrown out at third, but the team had a much more comfortable 5-0 lead. 

Brown batted ninth, but he went 2-for-3 with a walk. He hit his first Double-A double, the team’s lone extra base hit. Brown also stole two bases. Winokur was also 2-for-5 with his seventh stolen base. Diaw went 1-for-3 with two walks and his 10th Surge steal. DeBarge now has 25 stolen bases, and Houston stole his 20th base. 

KERNELS CHRONICLES
Cedar Rapids 1, South Bend 4 (Completion of Suspended Game)
Box Score
The two teams began this game on Wednesday, but rains came and caused it to be suspended in the bottom of the third inning. The score was tied 1-1 at the time. Lefty Michael Carpenter made his first Kernels start. He gave up one run on one hit in the two, pre-rain innings on Wednesday. He had three strikeouts. The Kernels had a run. In the top of the second, newcomer JP Smith started where he left Fort Myers, absolutely mashing. He drilled his first Midwest League home run.   

When the game resumed on Thursday afternoon, Adrian Bohorquez took over on the mound. It’s been a rough season for the young right-hander, but his last couple of outings have been encouraging. And on Thursday, it was his best outing of the season. He struck out six batters over five shutout innings. He gave up two hits and walked two batters. 

Yehizon Sanchez came in for the bottom of the eighth inning. He gave up three runs on five hits in the inning to take the loss. 

The Kernels had just three hits in the game. Smith was 1-for-3 with a walk and a homer. Andy Lugo and Byron Chourio each had a single and a walk. Chourio was also hit by a pitch. 

Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 2 (Regularly scheduled game)
Box Score
The regularly scheduled game also started out very quietly offensively, but this time, the Kernels were the team that put together a crooked number late in the game to take the win. 

With no score through three innings, JP Smith led off the top of the fourth with another long home run to give the Kernels the game’s first lead, 1-0.   

Reed Moring made the start for the Kernels. He was charged with two runs on two hits and a walk over six innings. He had six strikeouts to earn his first win. As impressive, he needed just 70 pitches to complete his six innings. He threw 70% strikes. 

With one out in the top of the sixth, Jayson Bass and Jose Salas were hit by pitches. Quinn McDaniel singled to drive in Bass. Then the pitcher attempted to pick off Salas, but he threw the ball away which allowed him to score the third run. With two outs, Miguel Briceno drove in McDaniel to make it 4-1.   

Cole Peschl struck out three batters in a scoreless, one-hit inning to record his second save. 

Briceno led the offense. He went 2-for-2 with a walk. 

MIGHTY MATTERS
Fort Myers, Bradenton (postponed)
Box Score
The rains came to Bradenton and made the field unplayable. The teams will attempt to play two games on Friday. 

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
DSL Twins 8, DSL Nationals 6
Box Score
The Twins had three crooked-number innings in the first five innings and then held on at the end for the win.

Yosmal Garcia started and gave up just one run on two hits over the first four innings. He had three strikeouts and no walks. Enmanuel Mena came on and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk over the next 1 2/3 innings. He struck out three. Arthur De La Cruz got the final four outs. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on one hit and three walks. He had two strikeouts.

Jendy Martinez went 3-for-3 with a walk and scored twice. He also stole his 16th and 17th bases. Jhon Gonzalez went 2-for-3 with his eighth double and three RBI. He stole his eighth and ninth bases. Anibal Beltre went 2-for-3. Enmanuel Merlo was 2-for-3 with a walk and his second triple. Jeferson Abreu hit his fifth double.

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PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter(s) of the Day  
Walker Jenkins (St. Paul): 2-for-5, 2-HR(6), 2 R, 2 RBI, K. 

Pitcher(s) of the Day 
Ty Langenberg (Wichita): 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 63 pitches, 43 pitches (68.3%)
Adrian Bohorquez (Cedar Rapids): 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 68 pitches, 43 strikes (63.2%)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. Help us update the Top 20 prospects list now that the trade deadline is passed.

#1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 2 HR (6), 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 K (batted second, played CF)
#3 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1-for-5 (batted first, played SS) 
#4 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Rehab in Cedar Rapids: 0-for-3, BB, K (batted second, DH)
#5 - SS Marek Houston (Wichita) - 1-for-5, R, 2 K, SB(20) (batted first, played SS)
#7 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - Game 2: 0-for-3, K (batted second, catcher)
#10 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, 2 BB, R, K (Batted fifth, played DH)
#11 - 1B/OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, K (batted third, played 1B)
#14 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, R, RBI, SB(10) (batted second, Catcher)
#15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 2-for-5, RBI, 2 K, SB(6) (batted third, played 3B) 

UPCOMING PROBABLES
Friday, August 7
Louisville @ St. Paul (7:07 pm CT) - RHP Ricky Castro (2-1, 3.82 ERA) 
Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 pm CT) - RHP Riley Quick (0-1, 9.64 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 pm CT) - RHP Merit Jones (first MWL start)  
Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (DH @ 4:00 pm CT) - TBD, TBD 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 57-59
St. Paul Saints: 64-46
Wichita Wind Surge: 40-63
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 39-64
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 55-47
FCL Twins: 33-26
DSL Twins: 13-31 

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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