Twins Minor League Report (6/28): Rooker Rocks, Hamilton Heroic

ROSTER MOVES

• INF Jorge Polanco had MLB rehab assignment transferred from Ft. Myers to Rochester.
  
• C Juan Graterol signed by Minnesota to a minor league contract and assigned to Rochester
  
• RHP Kohl Stewart transferred from Chattanooga to Rochester
  
• C Jordan Pacheco placed on the disabled list at Rochester with a right knee contusion, retroactive to June 26.
  
• LHP Dietrich Enns transferred to Chattanooga from Rochester.
  
• RHP Brusdar Graterol transferred to Fort Myers from Cedar Rapids.
  
• LHP Tyler Watson transferred to Cedar Rapids from Fort Myers.
  
• OF Jared Akins transferred to Cedar Rapids from Elizabethton
  
• C Robert Molina placed on the disabled list at Cedar Rapids with a left hand contusion.
  

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 2, Syracuse 1 (Game 1- 7 Innings)

Box Score

Fernando Romero got the start on the mound and pitched six innings. He allowed one run on six hits while striking out one and walking two. In a tight game, he did enough to keep the Red Wings on top. John Curtiss earned his eighth save after pitching a perfect seventh. He struck out one and saw his season ERA dip to 2.12.

Leonardo Reginatto helped to get the scoring started in the third. He lead-off the inning with a walk and moved to third on a Byron Buxton single. In a rare sight, Buxton got thrown out trying to steal second base. His steal streak is still active at the big league level. Nick Gordon eventually drove in Reginatto and Rochester took a 1-0 lead.

In the fourth, Zack Granite singled with two outs and moved into scoring position after an error by the right fielder. Reginatto singled and Grante scored to push the lead to 2-0. Jorge Polanco and Buxton both finished 2-for-3 as they get closer to returning to the big league roster.

Rochester 7, Syracuse 5 (Game 2- 7 Innings)

Box Score

Rochester used a huge four-run seventh inning to sweep the double header. LaMonte Wade doubled to start the inning and moved to third on a wild pitch. Gregorio Petit and Juan Graterol connected on back-to-back singles before Nick Gordon cracked his first Triple-A home run to put the Red Wings on top for good.

Wade finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored. Graterol joined the hit parade with a 2-for-3 night including two RBI. Jorge Polanco went 2-for-4 and Byron Buxton went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

D.J. Baxendale went 2 1/3 innings while allowing two earned runs on three hits. He struck out two and walked one. Luke Bard couldn’t make it through two innings as he surrendered three runs in 1 2/3 innings. Nick Anderson picked up the win and improve to 4-1 after he pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Gabriel Moya earned his third save with a clean seventh inning.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 5, Tennessee 7

Box Score

The Lookouts cranked four home runs included two from Brent Rooker but it still wasn’t enough to come out victorious in this one. Rooker finished the day 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBI, and added his 17 double. Andy Wilkins and Brian Navarreto chipped in with their own home runs. The Lookouts only had one at-bat with a runner in scoring position and only four runners were left on base.

Omar Bencomo allowed three home runs in six innings of work. He struck out six and allowed five earned runs on four hits. Cody Stashak was actually charged with the loss as he allowed two runs on two hits in the final two innings. He struck out two and walked one.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 13, Tampa 0

Box Score

Fort Myers scored at least one run in the final six frames to blowout Tampa. Charlie Barnes and Hector Lujan combined for the shutout on the mound. Barnes pitched six shutout frames by scattering three hits, all singles. He struck out two and walked two. Barnes hasn’t allowed a run in his last 16.2 innings. Lujan earned his first save by pitching three innings and striking out three.

Luis Arraez reached base five times include a three hit night. He added his 14^th double and scored a pair of runs. Caleb Hamilton also exploded at the plate as he went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, and five RBI. He’s homered in back-to-back games. Mark Contreras, Shane Carrier, and Lewin Diaz also had multi-hit efforts. Overall, the club at 14 hits and still missed some opportunities as they went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids --, Burlington – (Postponed-Rain)

Wind blew the tarp off the field in Burlington and the Kernels and Bees found themselves without a chance to play baseball. A similar situation happened earlier this year at the same field. The Kernels will play a doubleheader on Friday, which is scheduled to start at 5:00 pm.

E-TWINS E-TALK

Elizabethton 2, Danville 11

Box Score

Yunior Severino chalked up four hits but it wasn’t enough for the E-Twins. Ricky De La Torre had the team’s lone extra-base hit, a double, as he finished 2-for-4. Chris Williams reached base twice with walks but was held hitless.

Tyler Palm took the loss as he allowed seven earned runs on eight hits in two innings. Things didn’t go much better for Seth Pinkerton as he allowed four runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked three. Johan Quezada and Rickey Ramirez combined for 3 1/3 shutout innings to end the game. Quezada struck out two and walked one.

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 11, GCL Rays 12 (11 innings)

Box Score

The GCL Twins held multiple leads in this game but allowed six runs in the final four innings resulted in the loss. Prelander Berroa started and gave up five runs (four earned) in four innings. He struck out three and walked two. Michael Montero and Tanner Howell each pitched two innings and allowed one run apiece. Denny Bentley was charged with his first blown save as he allowed three runs on three hits in two innings. Petru Balan got charged with the loss but the only run scored against him was the runner that started on second base in the final frame due to MiLB’s extra-inning rules.

Janigson Villalobos, Yeison Perez, and Gabe Snyder all finished with three hit. Perez and Snyder each had a long-ball. Villalobos had a double and a triple. Multiple fielding errors and passed balls hurt the team. Tyler Webb didn’t start the game and he was still able to collect a pair of outfield assists after entering as a defensive replacement.

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Caleb Hamilton, Fort Myers (3-for-4, 2 HR, 2B, 5 RBI, 3 R)

Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Charlie Barnes, Fort Myers (6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 K, 2 BB)

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

#2 – Fernando Romero (Rochester) – 6 IP, 1 ER, 1 K, 2 BB

#3 – Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 2-7, HR, 4 RBI, R, K

#5 – Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 1-4, 3 RBI, K

#7 – Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 3-4, 2 HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, K

#13 – Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 2-5, 2 R, RBI

#14 – LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 2-3, 2 2B, 2 R, K

#17 – Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 0-4, RBI, K

#18 – Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) – 4-5, RBI, K

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester vs Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves (5-3, 4.56 ERA)

Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:00 CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (1-4, 5.61 ERA)

Fort Myers vs Lakeland (6:00 CST) – RHP Tyler Wells (6-3, 2.68 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) – RHP Bailey Ober (3-1, 5.16 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (Game 2) – RHP Blayne Enlow (0-2, 4.43 ERA)

Elizabethton @ Danville (6:00 CST) - TBD

GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (11:00 AM CST) – TBD

Please feel free to ask any questions about Thursday’s games, or ask any questions you may have.

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!