Twins Minor League Report (5/5): Littell Impresses in Triple A Debut

TRANSACTIONS

With Jason Castro placed on the DL, catcher Bobby Wilson was called up from Rochester. The Red Wings activated Brock Stassi from the temporary inactive list.

The Kernels activated Blayne Enlow from the DL and assigned Rickey Ramirez to he E-Town roster. Enlow was recovering from a lower back strain.

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 8, Lehigh Valley 0

Box Score

W: Zack Littell (6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K)

HR: Taylor Featherston (2)

Multi-hit games: Jake Cave, James Ramsey, Jermaine Curtis, Featherston.

Zack Littell impressed in his Triple A debut, shutting out the IronPigs for six innings. He walked four batters, which is very uncharacteristic for the 22-year-old, but he also racked up six strikeouts. Altogether, Littell now has 38 strikeouts and 11 walks over 29 innings this year.

The Wings’ bats provided Littell with a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, thanks to RBI singles from Sean Miller and Jermaine Curtis. Then they really took the pressure off with a five-run fourth inning that was highlighted by a two-run single from Leonardo Reginatto and a Jake Cave double that also plated a pair of runs.

The Rochester lineup has gotten off to a sluggish start, posting a league-worst .620 OPS as a team, so the offensive outburst is an encouraging sign. Cave and James Ramsay both had three hits while Curtis and Taylor Featherston each collected two hits, with Featherston socking his second homer of the season.

Alan Busenitz threw two scoreless innings and struck out four batters and John Curtiss also delivered a scoreless frame.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 11, Mobile 5

Box Score

W: Randy LeBlanc (5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)

HR: LaMonte Wade (4)

Multi-hit games: Edgar Corcino, Nick Gordon, Chris Paul, T.J. White, Alex Perez, Tanner English.

Oh what a night for the Lookouts’ lineup. They combined to score 11 runs on 14 hits and drew nine walks. The biggest blow came from LaMonte Wade, who blasted a three-run homer with two outs in the fifth inning.

Chris Paul hit a pair of doubles, Edgar Corcino drove in three runs and Tanner English scored three times. Nick Gordon was 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and is now hitting .337 for Chattanooga.

Randy LeBlanc held the BayBears scoreless over the first four innings, but then ran into a bit of trouble in the fifth. He gave up three runs over five innings and had five strikeouts. He earned his fourth victory of the year. Williams Ramirez gave up two runs in his two innings of relief. Todd Van Steensel was perfect over the final two innings and had three strikeouts.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Jupiter 2, Fort Myers 1

Box Score

SP: Brady Anderson (6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K)

HR: None

Multi-hit games: Taylor Grzelakowski

Brady Anderson turned in a quality start but the Miracle offense struggled. The only run Fort Myers scored was on a wild pitch. Anderson was going right after hitters, needing just 71 pitches to complete six innings. He has a 5.59 ERA on the year, but has walked just two batters in 25 1/3 innings pitched.

Ryan Mason, who was the runner up for Twins Daily’s Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month award for April, turned in two shutout innings, striking out three batters in the process. Andrew Vasquez pitched a scoreless ninth to finish up a strong performance from the pitching staff.

The Miracle had some scoring chances, but they were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Catcher Taylor Grzelakowski had a great night, going 2-for-2 with a double and a pair of walks.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 7, West Michigan 6

Box Score

W: Randy Dobnak (5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K)

SP: Blayne Enlow (2.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)

HR: Trey Cabbage (2), Ben Rortvedt (1)

Multi-hit games: Trey Cabbage, Royce Lewis, Ben Rortvedt.

Blayne Enlow was on a short leash, this being his first start off the DL, but he showed some good signs. He struck out three batters and threw 73.2 percent of his pitches for strikes (30 of 41). On the down side, he also gave up a run on four hits and a walk over his two innings.

It was a big night for the Cedar Rapids offense, led by Trey Cabbage, who was 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI. Ben Rortvedt also hit a homer, drove in two runs and scored three times. Royce Lewis was 2-for-5 and stole his ninth base. Akil Baddoo was 1-for-3 with two walks and a couple of stolen bases.

Randy Dobnak did a great job shouldering the load after Enlow’s exit, holding the Whitecaps to two runs over five innings while striking out five batters.

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Zack Littell (6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K)

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Trey Cabbage (3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, R)

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed:

#1 Royce Lewis: 2-for-5, SB

#3 Nick Gordon: 2-for-3, 2B, 2 BB,

#5 Alex Kirilloff: 1-for-3, 2B, BB, R

#8 Blayne Enlow: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

#10 Akil Baddoo: 1-for-3, 2 BB, R, 2 SB

#11 Zack Littell: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K

#13 Lewin Diaz: 1-for-4

#14 LaMonte Wade: 1-for-5, HR, BB, 3 RBI, 2 R

#16 Ben Rortvedt: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

#17 Travis Blankenhorn: 1-for-4

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley, 12:05 pm CT: Stephen Gonsalves (0.00 ERA, 0.26 WHIP)

Chattanooga at Mobile, 2:05 pm CT: TBD

Fort Myers vs. Jupiter, 3:00 pm CT: Clark Beeker (2.76 ERA, 1.35 WHIP)

Cedar Rapids va. West Michigan, 2:05 pm CT: Bryan Sammons (3.06 ERA, 1.36 WHIP)

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games.

Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!