Twins Minor League Report (6/15): Yasser Yacks, MacLeod Makes a Move

TRANSACTIONS

• OF Trevor Larnach optioned from Minnesota to St. Paul
• RHP Ronny Henriquez placed on 7-day IL for St. Paul with an oblique strain
• OF Ryan LaMarre placed on development list by St. Paul
• RHP Alex Scherff promoted from Wichita to St. Paul
• LHP Denny Bentley placed on development list by Wichita
• RHP Alex Phillips added by Wichita from FCL Twins
• RHP Taylor Floyd added by Wichita from Milwaukee Brewers organization

SAINTS SENTINEL 
Louisville 6, St. Paul 3
Box Score
As they have been doing for some time now, the St. Paul Saints had Jordan Balazovic working in a piggy back role behind Cody Laweryson. The latter turned in three innings of two-run ball on a pair of solo homers. He struck out two and walked one. Balazovic then came in and worked just a single inning while allowing two runs on three hits and a walk. He gave up a dinger while striking out just one.

Kyle Garlick got the Saints on the board first with a sacrifice fly that scored Andrew Stevenson, but that was St. Paul’s only lead of the night. A rehabbing Joey Votto blasted a solo shot in the bottom of the first inning, and from there it was the Jason Vosler show for Louisville.

Stevenson did hit a solo shot in the seventh inning to make it a 5-2 score, and Chris Williams continued to destroy baseballs with his 13th dinger in the eighth inning and sixth in his past three games. Down 5-3 though, that was as close as the Saints would get.

Stevenson and Anthony Prato were the lone Saints to record a pair of hits. Former Twins prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Midland 8, Wichita 7
Box Score
It was Pierson Ohl’s turn for the Wind Surge, and he went six inning while allowing just two runs on four hits. Both runs scored on solo shots, and his six strikeouts came without walking a single batter. (Editor's Question: Did he walk any married players?)

Wichita got on the board first when Aaron Sabato doubled in Brooks Lee during the first inning. That was quickly wiped away in the bottom half as Midland evened things up, but then there was a lull until the fifth inning.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. ripped his second triple of the season, scoring Will Holland to take the lead, and Lee singled in Keirsey Jr. to make it a 5-3 game. Pat Winkel then blasted his sixth double of the season to score Lee, and Sabato doubled for the second time on the evening to drive home Winkel. A four run inning was achieved and the score was 5-1 after the fifth.

Adding in the sixth inning, Lee grabbed his 22nd double of the year to plate Keirsey Jr., and Wichita now led 6-1. Midland grabbed a run back in the bottom half before Holland drove in Sabato during the top of the seventh inning. Things went haywire for the Wind Surge in the eighth inning when they allowed three Midland runs to score and the lead was now wiped out.

Not able to add in the top half of the ninth inning, Wichita needed to blank Midland in the bottom half. Instead the RockHounds grabbed a run on a throwing error by Lee and that was enough for the walk-off win.

Both Keirsey Jr. and Lee had three hits. Winkel and Sabato each added a pair of their own.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 6, South Bend 5 (F/12)
Box Score

The Kernels went with Christian MacLeod tonight and he worked four innings allowing just a single run. Giving up five hits, MacLeod kept the bases clear by issuing no walks and striking out six on the evening.

Both sides failed to reach the scoreboard until the fourth inning. After South Bend put up a run, Kala’i Rosario continued his strong season by blasting home run number eleven. The two-run tank brought home Emmanuel Rodriguez as well and put Cedar Rapids on top.

After allowing South Bend to take the lead in the fifth inning, Tanner Schobel put the Kernels back even in the bottom half. His seventh double of the season scored Jose Salas and made it a 3-3 game.

Working through nine innings neither side could find an advantage, and it wasn’t until the 10th inning that runs again came across. First South Bend scored their fourth run of the game and then Andrew Cossetti used a sacrifice fly to drive in Noah Miller to tie it again. Needing the 11th inning, it was South Bend driving in a run during the top half to take the 5-4 lead, but the Kernels answered when Kyler Fedko scored on a throwing error.

Onto the 12th inning, Cedar Rapids held South Bend in the top half and then walked it off in the bottom half. Ernie Yake singled home Miller and that was enough to grab the victory. Racking up only five hits, no Kernels batters had multi-hit games. Despite striking out 11 times as a team, they did draw eight walks.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 7, Bradenton 4
Box Score
Andrew Morris made the start tonight for Fort Myers and he went six innings allowing only three runs on four hits and two walks. The Texas Tech product struck out six batters on the evening.

The Mighty Mussels jumped out to an early lead when Rubel Cespedes blasted a solo shot for his sixth homer of the year. After giving up the lead in the second and seeing Bradenton add in the fourth inning, Fort Myers clawed back.

Gregory Duran hit his first home run of the season to make it a 3-2 score in the fifth inning, and then Ricardo Olivar lifted a two-run shot, scoring Danny De Andrade to take a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning. After the Marauders evened things in the seventh inning, Rafael Cruz crushed his third home run of the year, and his three-run shot scored both Olivar and Cespedes to make it a 7-4 game. That’s where things ended, and Fort Myers grabbed the victory.

With just six hits in the contest, no Mussels batters recorded more than a single hit in the contest. Zach Veen grabbed the win in relief.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 6, FCL Braves 2
Box Score
Jack Noble got the start today for the FCL team and was sharp across five innings. He scattered six hits allowing just two runs and struck out seven while walking none.

Daniel Pena started the scoring for the Twins with a two-run blast that scored Bryan Acuna in the bottom of the second inning. Isaac Pena then followed a Jose Rodriguez third inning double with one of his own to make it a 3-0 game. He later came around to score on a throwing error.

Star prospect Yasser Mercedes clubbed his first home run of the year, a two-run blast scoring Giovanny Rivero, making it 6-0 through four innings. He also had a double. 

The Braves got two back in the fifth inning, but that’s where the shutdown happened. Andres Centeno wiped one out with a double scoring Mercedes, after a double of his own, in the bottom of the sixth and that 7-2 score held.

Mercedes and Rodriguez both had a pair of hits on the day with Acuna joining them.

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Phillies Red 15, DSL Twins 10
Box Score
Things haven’t started great for the DSL Twins and that didn’t change today. With a 1-6 record coming into the game, they gave up an 11 spot to the DSL Phillies in the third inning. Cristian Hernandez was charged with nine runs across just 2 2/3 innings of work.

Ariel Castro, the top international free agent signing for Minnesota, hit his first professional home run in this game. Fellow top signing, catcher Carlos Silva, was lifted for a pinch runner after being hit by a pitch.

Jayson Bass and Moises Lopez both recorded hits for the Twins club in the sixth inning to put up a four spot. Down 15-7 at that point though, it was too little, too late. The Twins tried to extend their rally in the eighth inning with a wild pitch scoring Denyerbe Gervis and Javier Roman doubling in two, but 10 runs wasn’t going to get it done today.

Both Moises Lopez and and Ricardo Pena grabbed three hits on the day while Gervis had a pair of his own.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Christian MacLeod (Cedar Rapids) - 4.0 IP, 5 H 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Hitter of the Day – Yasser Mercedes (FCL) - 2-5, 2 R 2 RBI, 2B(2), HR(1), 2 K

PROSPECT SUMMARY
We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed:

#1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, K
#2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-4, R, 2 K
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, BB, 2 K
#9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-3, BB, K
#10 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL) - 2-5, 2 R 2 RBI, 2B(2), HR(1), 2 K
#12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, R, BB, K
#13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 R, BB
#14 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, K
#18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 2-5, R, 2B(3)
#19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-5, 4 K

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Louisville (6:15PM CST) - RHP Kenta Maeda
Wichita @ Midland (7:00PM CST) - RHP David Festa
South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya
Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30PM CST) - RHP Jose Olivares

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