Twins Minor League Report (6/18): Lee's Grand Slam Powers Saints

TRANSACTIONS

• The St. Paul Saints activated C Chris Williams ahead of their series opener against the Toledo Mudhens.
• Down in the Florida State League, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels activated RHP Julio Bonilla from the 7-day injured list.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Toledo 4, St. Paul 5 (6 innings)
Box Score
The same rain that delayed the Twins game in Minneapolis, eventually got to the Saints and CHS Field in St. Paul, cutting this one short in the top of the sixth.

Starting pitcher Adam Plutko pitched all 5 1/3 innings for the Saints, getting through five with three earned runs on six hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. He gave up a solo homer immediately before the tarp came out, accounting for his fourth run allowed and seventh hit on his ledger, so the interruption came at a convenient time.

The Saints fell behind 3-0 after the top of the second, but got a two-out rally started in the bottom half. After two quick outs to start the frame, Diego Castillo put them on the board with a solo home run, his fourth of the season. Patrick Winkel (walk), Will Holland (single) and Edouard Julien (walk) then all reached base to load the bases. Brooks Lee then cleared them with a grand slam the opposite way, his second home run of the year, to put them out front 5-3.

Lee (2-for-4, R, GS, 4 RBI) and Castillo (2-for-2, R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB) each had two hits. Matt Wallner and Yunior Severino each drew a walk and struck out twice in three trips to the plate.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 2, Arkansas 3
Box Score
Wichita scored first in this one after Jake Rucker drew a one-out walk in the opening frame, and was driven in by a double from Jeferson Morales. Kyler Fedko followed with a single but Morales had to be held up at third base, and from there the Wind Surge had just one more hit in the game.

The Travelers answered that opening salvo with two runs of their own in the bottom half against starter Cory Lewis. He walked the first batter he faced, and served up a home run to the next one, putting them down 2-1. Lewis was good from there though, working around three more hits allowed and one more walk to finish three innings. In all he surrendered those two earned runs on four hits and a pair of walks, while striking out four. He threw 61 pitches, with 36 going for strikes (59%) so his pitch did get run up a bit.

Aaron Rozek came on to start the fourth inning and would go on to finish the game. In his five innings he scattered six hits, good for just one earned run, while striking out six.

The Wind Surge were able to pull within one in the top of the eighth when Jorel Ortega drew a walk to lead off the inning. A pair of wild pitches later had him on third base, and Rucker brought him in with a sac fly. Unfortunately as alluded to, they weren’t able to find that needed hit after the first inning. They finished 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base for the game.

Luke Keaschall (1-for-4) picked up their third and final hit in the third inning. Rucker scored a run, drove in one, and drew a walk.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Peoria 2, Cedar Rapids 5
Box Score
The Kernels got started quickly in this one, scoring three runs over the first two innings for an early lead. A Rayne Doncon RBI single got them on the scoreboard in the first, and a Nate Baez two-run shot, his eighth of the season, made it 3-0 heading into the third inning.

It stayed that way for the next four innings, as Cedar Rapids got a monumental effort from starter Christian MacLeod. He retired the first 10 Chiefs of the game before allowing a double and a walk to consecutive batters in the top of the fourth inning. He shrugged that off and proceeded to then retire the next seven to end his day. In six shutout frames, MacLeod allowed just those two baserunners, and racked up 10 total strikeouts to set a career high. He needed just 76 pitches to make it through his six innings, with 51 going for strikes (67%), including an impressive 16 swinging.

Peoria certainly was happy he was lifted at that pitch count, as they finally got on the scoreboard immediately after his exit. Kyle Bischoff came on to start the seventh, and promptly gave up a single that was later followed by a two-run homer to make it 3-2 and putting MacLeod’s effort in jeopardy. He settled in though, and finished the inning with no further damage and added a scoreless eighth to keep them out front.

The lineup then added some insurance in the bottom half of the eighth when Baez drew a walk and Payton Eeles was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch moved them each up a base before Kyle Hess sent a sacrifice fly into right field to score one, and a wild throw allowed Eeles to score as well and make it the final of 5-2.

Gabriel Yanez pitched a one-two-three ninth, picking up his third save and striking out two.

The Cedar Rapids offense was led by Doncon (2-for-4, RBI, K) and Baez (2-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB) who each collected two hits, and Eeles (1-for-2, 2 R, 3B), who was making his Midwest League debut and has been nothing short of amazing since joining the Twins organization out of the Atlantic League in early May.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 1, St. Lucie 6
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels weren’t able to put together much offense on Tuesday, ending the game with just two hits on their ledger on the road in St. Lucie.

One of those hits was a single from Walker Jenkins, with the other coming off the bat of Carlos Aguiar. Fort Myers did score a run in the top of the sixth, thanks to three walks and a hit by pitch that credited Yohander Martinez with an RBI. Isaac Pena drew three walks by himself, but as a team they were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base for the game.

Left-hander Ross Dunn made the start and finished the first four innings. He gave up three runs in the first but settled down pretty well with three scoreless frames after that. In total he was charged with three runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out one. Jack Noble (2 IP, ER, BB, K) and Xander Hamilton (2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, BB, K) each allowed a run or more in their two innings.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 7, FCL Orioles 3
Box Score
The FCL Twins utilized a big second inning to take down the Orioles Tuesday afternoon.

Yasser Mercedes got the barrage started with a single and stole his 17th base of the season. Ariel Castro then followed with a single of his own. A Gregory Duran ground out scored the first run of the game, then a walk to Hendry Chivilli preceded a two-run double from Jayson Bass for a 3-0 lead. The inning continued with a run-scoring error and a walk, before an RBI single from Daniel Pena added another tally. Castro then punctuated the inning by straight stealing home for the early 6-0 lead.

Joel Garcia made the start and went the first three, scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and struck out two. Eider Machuca gave up a pair of runs in his inning on one hit and a walk. He struck out one. Matt Helwig was credited with the win after his two innings. He was charged with one unearned run on one hit while striking out one. Eduardo Soriano finished the game with a scoreless frame, walking one.

The Twins scored their final run in the top of the sixth after Chivilli led off the inning with a walk. He moved to second on a wild pitch, and then third on a balk before Ricardo Pena brought him in with an RBI single.

Bass paced the offense with a double and single in three at bats, scoring a run and driving in two.

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Twins 6, DSL Mets Orange 9
Box Score
The Twins struck early in this one, taking a 3-0 after the top of the first. Their first five hitters all punched ground ball singles through the infield, with the final one from Ramiro Dominguez driving in two. They would tack on two more in the third to take a 5-0 lead, thanks to a Daiber De Los Santos RBI groundout, and RBI single from Merphy Hernandez.

The pitching staff got three scoreless innings from Aaron Carranza (IP, H, 2 K) and Yoel Roque (2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) as they built that 5-0 lead, but Roque didn’t record an out in the fifth and the Mets pulled within one.

The lineup added an insurance run in the top of the sixth on a sac fly from Dominguez, but it wouldn’t be enough to hold off the Orange squad.

Sebastian Pulido (2 IP, 3 K) got them to the sixth inning, but Manuel Compres (2/3 IP, 0 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K) and Daniel Manzueta (1/3 IP, 0 H, 2 ER, 2 BB) couldn’t find the strike zone, combining for four hit-by-pitches in addition to four walks, and this one got away.

Hernandez (2-for-4, R, RBI), Eduardo Beltre (2-for-3, 2 R, BB), and Victor Leal (2-for-4, K) led the way with two hits apiece in the loss.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day - Christian MacLeod, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 6 IP, H, BB, 10 K)
Hitter of the Day - Brooks Lee, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, R, GS HR (2), 4 RBI)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
#1 – Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4
#2 – Brooks Lee (St. Paul) – 2-for-4, R, GS HR (2), 4 RBI
#8 – Austin Martin (Minnesota) – 2-for-3, R, BB, K, SB (5)
#9 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 1-for-4
#13 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 0-for-4, 3 K
#15 – Cory Lewis (Wichita) – L, 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
#18 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 0-for-2, BB, 2 K
#20 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, R, BB

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Toledo @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - RHP Ronny Henriquez (1-2, 3.75 ERA) 
Wichita @ Arkansas (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Pierson Ohl (3-4, 5.03 ERA)
Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - TBD
Fort Myers @ St. Lucie (12:10 PM CDT) - RHP Ricky Castro (2-0, 0.00 ERA

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday's games!

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