Twins Minor League Report (8/12): Carson Tinney Calls Game

TRANSACTIONS
OF Kyler Fedko moved to full-season IL (St. Paul)
C Irvin Nunez promoted to A+ Cedar Rapids 
C Luis Hernandez promoted to AA Wichita
RHP Joel Garcia transferred from 7-day IL to 60-day IL (A Fort Myers)
C Hideki Prather promoted to A Fort Myers
LHP Jake Murray placed on 7-day IL (A Fort Myers)
LHP Matthew Becker promoted to A Fort Myers

Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 6, Iowa 7
Box Score
Ryan Gallagher: 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
HR: Noah Cardenas (10)
Multi-hit games: Walker Jenkins (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB), Emmanuel Rodriguez (2-for-5, R), Noah Cardenas (2-for-2, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB)

A Saints rally fell short on Wednesday.

Has Ryan Gallagher figured it out? The righty followed up a modestly positive 4.13 ERA in July with two marvelous August outings, allowing two earned runs across 11 2/3 innings with 16 strikeouts, six hits, and two walks. His Saints season ERA remains impossibly high at 5.67, yet his tepid improvements may have morphed into a full-blown evolution as a pitcher. Hopefully, he can keep the momentum going in the right direction. 

St. Paul faced off against Braxton Garrett, one of the shiny new toys acquired by the Cubs at the trade deadline. He appeared more mildew-covered and dilapidated than the other arms, as he walked six in an outing where his relationship with the strike zone was cool and distant. 

Those free passes gave the Saints a first inning run, and they added on with two in the fourth on a slicing Walker Jenkins double to left.

The 3-0 good times were soiled with a nightmare outing by Woo-Suk Go, as the righty surrendered a two-run shot in the sixth, then returned for a five-run clubbing in the seventh. 

Still, the Saints nearly made the comeback. Down 7-3, Noah Cardenas homered to trim the deficit. With the bases full in the ninth, Tristan Gray singled to score two, drawing the game to an agonizing one-run difference. Cody Morissette had a chance. Men were on the corners. He could only ground out to conclude what nearly became an impressive game-winning rally.

Iowa catcher Owen Ayers ranks as the second-best prospect in the Cubs system. He walked once in four plate appearances. According to North Side Baseball, Ayers ranks as the Cubs #4 prospect. 

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 9, Corpus Christi 3
Box Score
Ty Langenberg: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
HR: Garrett Spain 2 (19, 20), Brandon Winokur (5)
Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI), Brandon Winokur (2-for-5, HR, R, 3 RBI), Caden Kendle (2-for-5), Garrett Spain (3-for-3, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB)

The Wind Surge bludgeoned their way to victory on Wednesday. 

Garrett Spain set a season-high in long balls some time ago; he’s now just padding his stats, imparting pain with a left-handed stroke capable of more thump than his 5’9” body would imply. His first souvenir of the night was dug out of the ground and launched out to right, and his second was thunderously launched into the atmosphere as every player, fan, and usher understood the ball was gone the second Spain hit it. 

Brandon Winokur was in the mood for leaving the yard, too, though he displayed a relative restraint, as he cleared the fence just once. And he sure made it count. 

Every batter in the Wind Surge lineup reached base at least once. 

Ty Langenberg hasn’t allowed a run across 13 innings in August.

Houston’s third-ranked prospect Jason Schiavone played first and went 0-4, with a pair of strikeouts on Wednesday.

Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 5 (13 Innings)
Box Score
Reed Moring: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Eduardo Tait (2-for-5, 2B, R, RBI, BB), JP Smith II (2-for-5), Jose Salas (2-for-6, 2B, RBI)

The Kernels reached deep into extra innings to win on Wednesday.

The match began with a two-hour rain delay, pushing what was already the longest Kernels game since 2016 to likely be the longest (time-wise) game anyone could remember. 

Reed Moring spearheaded pitching matters with his finest start as a Kernel. For the second game in a row, he totaled six innings; this time, he held the opposing team scoreless, a feat he hadn’t accomplished since July 11th. The UC-Santa Barbara product struck out five. He walked two. Perhaps he, Cory Lewis, and Ryan Gallagher will grab a celebratory drink and wax poetic about how awesome Barry Zito and Michael Young were.

Cedar Rapids started their scoring with two runs in the third, turning an Andy Lugo walk and stolen base into a run on a Jacob McCombs single. Eduardo Tait doubled home a second run.

Wisconsin took the lead, yet—once again—Tait drove in McCombs, this time with an eighth inning single.

The teams explored what lay beyond the ninth inning. Free runners abounded—a temptation and tantalizing state-allowed opportunity that resulted in zilch for two full frames. Evidently, you can bring a batter to a run-scoring situation, but you cannot make him come through in the clutch. 

Runs exchanged in the 12th, which necessitated a 13th, which started in the Timber Rattlers’ favor, as they immediately cashed in their free runner, then hit into a double play, effectively neutering their rally. Who cares? The lead was theirs once more. Cedar Rapids started their half of the frame with a lineout and a single, with the latter knotting the game for the umpteenth time of the day. Then, a breakthrough. A lunge too little. Jose Salas stroked a flyball to right field that fell just beyond the outfielder’s grasp. Quinn McDaniel saw the whole thing with perfect clarity. He lurched towards second and bolted the second he saw the ball fall safely, starting a race around the bases that ended in him easily, safely reaching home plate.

Wisconsin DH Luis Peña is the 18th-best prospect in MLB, according to Pipeline. He collected two hits and walked once in six plate appearances. According to Brewer Fanatic, Pena ranks #2 in an absolutely loaded Brewers farm system. 

Mussel Matters
Fort Myers 6, Clearwater 5
Box Score
Eric Hammond: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
HR: Carson Tinney 2 (2, 3)
Multi-hit games: Carson Tinney (2-for-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI), Ramiro Dominguez (2-for-4, R), Bryce Fowler (2-for-4, RBI), Merphy Hernandez (2-for-4)

The Mighty Mussels won on a walk off on Wednesday.

It started with a Carson Tinney blast; and so, it eventually would end. The first homer gave Fort Myers two runs in the third. It sailed with a majesty common amongst right-handed shots, though the sight will never grow old.

Three Clearwater runs in the second meant the home run didn’t give Fort Myers a lead; a fifth inning Bryce Fowler single would knot things, however. 

Starter Eric Hammond’s early sins gave way to a six-inning shutout streak, with Hammond, Melvin Rodriguez, and Nick McAuliffe combining to keep the Threshers at bay. McAuliffe was the best of the bunch with two empty frames and three strikeouts.

Eventually, the pitching performance was rewarded with an offensive breakthrough, as Bryan Acuña gave the Mighty Mussels a short lead on an RBI infield single in eighth. Michael Hilker was summoned for the save. He was unaware of what was waiting for him. A walk and a flurry of singles flipped the script, scoring two in a reversal of fates as the Threshers now commanded a ninth inning advantage.

A Yovanny Duran flyout started the rally on a sour note, and a Vahn Lackey triple quickly sweetened the deal. Tinney stepped up to the plate with a simple way to at least tie the game in any way he chose. Presented with this Gordian knot, he decided to cut through the situation, sending a ball soaring through the Fort Myers night for a walk-off.

Philadelphia’s 23rd-ranked prospect Matthew Ferrara was the best youngster on the field for Clearwater; he singled and walked in four trips to the plate. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Reed Moring
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Carson Tinney or Garrett Spain, whichever one you think is cooler

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
#2 – Vahn Lackey (Fort Myers) - 1-4, 3B, 2 R, BB, K
#4 – Marek Houston (Wichita) - 2-5, 2 R, RBI, K
#6 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 2-5, R, K
#7 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-3, RBI, 2 BB
#8 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 2-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB, K
#9 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-4, K
#11 – Carson Tinney (Fort Myers) - 2-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, 
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI, K
#15 – Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
#18 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 1-4, 2B, 3 K
#19 – Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 0-1

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Iowa (6:38 PM) - RHP Ricky Castro
Corpus Christi @ Wichita (6:35 PM) - RHP Riley Quick
Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM) - RHP Adrian Bohorquez
Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM) - RHP Matt Barr
DSL Twins @ DSL Phillies (10:00 AM) - TBD

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!