Twins Minor League Report (7/2): Morris Deals (Again), Lee Homers (Again)

TRANSACTIONS

• Down in Florida, the Mighty Mussels sent RHP Kyle Bloor to the FCL Twins on a rehab assignment. He made the start on Tuesday morning with them.
• Preseason waiver claim, RHP Zack Weiss, came off the 60-day injured list last week and began a rehab assignment. Today, this assignment was transferred from the FCL Twins to Fort Myers.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Gwinnett 2, St. Paul 5
Box Score
Veteran Randy Dobnak took the bump for the Saints on Tuesday and was very effective, if a bit inefficient. His only run allowed came after he was hit in the calf by a 105 MPH liner in the top of the third inning. He shook it off and finished five innings to pick up his seventh win of the season. He allowed just one run on five hits and a walk, while striking out two. His pitch count did get high at 92 in those innings, with 56 going for strikes (61%).

The Saints went marching in the second inning, with Patrick Winkel and Brooks Lee wanting all their numbers for the game. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Diego Castillo led off the inning with consecutive walks, before Winkel drove them both in with a double. Alex Isola then drew a walk to put two men on before a pair of strikeouts brought Lee to the plate. He did as he has been doing, and launched his seventh home run of the season making it 5-0.

The offense went quiet from there, as they were outhit 9-6 as a team, but the damage had been done as the color guard of relievers locked it down after Dobnak’s exit. Ronny Henriquez gave up one run on two hits in two innings, but struck out five. Jeff Brigham worked around a pair of walks in a scoreless eighth. Nick Wittgren then picked up his second save with a scoreless ninth, allowing two hits and striking out one.

Matt Wallner led the way with two hits, including a double, in four at-bats. Lee did not collect another hit in three other trips, but did plenty of damage. Edouard Julien was 1-for-4. Keirsey Jr. stole his 19th base of the season.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Tulsa 2, Wichita 6
Box Score
The Wind Surge took an early lead in this one and never looked back, scoring runs in four of the first five innings. 

They scored first in the second after Tanner Schobel led off the frame with a walk. A wild pitch moved him to third and he was able to cross the plate on a groundout. In the third inning four walks combined to lead to a pair of runs and 3-0 lead. They extended that to five in the fourth thanks to doubles from Jorel Ortega and Jeferson Morales, as well as an RBI single from Jake Rucker. In the sixth a Noah Cardenas single brought in their final run of the game.

The game was never in much doubt thanks to a fantastic effort from starting pitcher Andrew Morris. He picked up his fourth win with Wichita by pitching into the seventh inning. He allowed just three hits (all singles) and no runs in his 6 1/3 innings pitched. He did walk three, but combined that with nine strikeouts to keep the Drillers from striking any oil. He threw 95 pitches, with 67 going for strikes (71%), including a double-A leading 20 swings and misses on the day.

Since giving up five runs in a start for the Kernels on April 17th, Miller has made 11 starts split between Cedar Rapids and Wichita, totaling 62 1/3 innings. He’s allowed just eight earned runs, walked twelve, and struck out 63 in that time. Good for a 1.16 ERA and .470 OPS against.

Jared Solomon pitched into the eighth, and was charged with both of Tulsa’s runs in the game. In one inning pitched he gave up those two runs on two hits and two walks. He struck out one. Taylor Floyd then got them to the ninth, but an error and hit-by-pitch prompted Ramon Borega to go back to the bullpen before it got out of hand. Floyd allowed one hit and struck out one. Cody Laweryson got the final two outs to ensure the victory.

The Wind Surge had only seven hits on the game, but paired those with seven walks. Morales (2-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB, K) and Cardenas (2-for-2, RBI) each had two hits. Luke Keaschall finished 1-for-4 with a double and two strikeouts. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities, Postponed - Rain (Makeup on July 3rd)
The rain just won’t stop battering the Midwest, and the Kernels and River Bandits tilt fell victim to it on Tuesday. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow, with the first game beginning at 4:30 PM. Both games will be shortened to seven-inning contests.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 4
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels lineup and bullpen combined to outlast the Marauders on Tuesday, getting a victory on the road to improve to three games above .500 on the season. It also put them at 8-2 in the second half, which is the best record in the Florida State League.

They put three runs on the scoreboard in the second inning. Wilfri Castro got it started with a one-out double. Ryan McCarthy followed him with a double to put two runners in scoring position. Angel Del Rosario brought their first run of the game in with a single and moved to second on a throw home. Walker Jenkins then followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0.

Starting pitcher Ricky Castro gave all three of those runs back in the bottom of the inning, but went on to finish five innings. In total, he allowed four earned runs on four hits and five walks, while striking out seven. He picked up his third win of the season.

The Mussels pushed across a single run in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to reach their total of six. In the fourth it was four walks to Jenkins, Isaac Pena, Daniel Pena, and Yohander Martinez. In the fifth McCarthy led off with a walk, stole second base, and was moved to third with sac bunt before he was able to score on an Isaac Pena groundout. Jenkins also drew another walk and stole a base in the frame. In the sixth Carlos Aguiar doubled and was brought in by a single from McCarthy to cap their scoring.

After Castro’s exit, the bullpen trio of Wilker Reyes (IP, H, 2 K), the rehabbing Zack Weiss (IP, H), and Nolan Santos (2 IP, 3 K) kept the Marauders from breaching any gates with four scoreless innings combined.

McCarthy (2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, SB) and Del Rosario (2-for-4, R, RBI) each had two hits from the bottom of the lineup to lead the way. Jenkins finished 1-for-3 with a run scored, two RBI, three walks, and stole his first two bases of the season with the Mighty Mussels.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Pirates 3, FCL Twins 4
Box Score
Making the start for the Twins FCL squad on Tuesday morning was right-hander Kyle Bloor, on a rehab assignment from the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. As he is listed as a relief pitcher, he only threw one inning. A walk and a double led to a run for the Pirates, but that would be all and he picked up a strikeout.

Joel Garcia then was given the “piggy-backer” role and went the next five innings. He was charged with two earned runs on three hits and struck out four.

The Twins scored their first run of the game in the third to tie it at one. Dameury Pena led off with a single. He advanced to second on a ground out from Bryan Acuna. Two batters later, he scored on a single from Jayson Bass.

They tacked on their other three runs in the sixth. Bass started the rally with a one-out walk. Javier Roman put multiple ducks on the pond with a single. With two outs, Ariel Castro cashed them and himself in with an inside-the-park home run to put them ahead 4-3.

Cleiber Maldonado shut the door in the final inning, ending the game with a strikeout.

Pena (2-for-3, R) and Castro (2-for-3, R, HR, 3 RBI, K) had multiple hits in the win.

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Rangers Red @ DSL Twins, Postponed - Rain (Makeup on July 10th)
The DSL Twins were also rained out on Tuesday and will be back in action on the Fourth of July against the DSL Rockies on the road.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day - Andrew Morris, Wichita Wind Surge (6 1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 9 K)
Hitter of the Day - Walker Jenkins, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SB)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
#1 – Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers) – 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SB
#2 – Brooks Lee (St. Paul) – 1-for-4, HR (7), 3 RBI, K
#8 – Austin Martin (Minnesota) – Pinch ran in the 8th inning.
#9 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 1-for-4, 2B, 2 K
#13 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 0-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, K

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Gwinnett @ St. Paul (6:07 PM CDT) - RHP Caleb Boushley (8-2, 3.48 ERA)
Tulsa @ Wichita (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Zebby Matthews (2-1, 1.75 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:00 PM CDT) - RHP Jeremy Lee (1-3, 4.76 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM CDT) - LHP Ross Dunn (1-1, 4.84 ERA)

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s 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!