Twins Minor League Report (8/23): Jhoan Duran Flirts With No-No, Strikes Out 11

TRANSACTIONS

RHP Blayne Enlow was activated off the IL and started for Fort Myers.

IF Jake Hirabayashi was assigned to Cedar Rapids while the Kernels placed 2B Yunior Severino on the IL with a thigh strain.

Elizabethton transferred RHP Casey Legumina on the 60-day IL retroactive 8/22.

The GCL Twins transferred OF Bryson Gandy to the 60-day IL.

RED WINGS REPORT

Syracuse 5, Rochester 1

Box Score

Randy Dobnak: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 57.6% strikes (49 of 85 pitches)

HR: Ramon Flores (3)

Multi-hit games: None

Willians Astudillo started this game at third base and finished it in right field. He was also 1-for-4 with a strikeout. It was a quiet night for the Red Wings lineup, as Ramon Flores’ home run was their only extra-base hit.

Randy Dobnak pitched well enough to give Rochester a chance, holding the Mets to two runs over five innings. Fernando Romero had a tough night in relief, walking three batters and giving up three runs in his inning of work.

BLUE WAHOO BITES

Pensacola 3, Jackson 2

Box Score

Jhoan Duran: 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K

HR: None

Multi-hit games: Royce Lewis (3-for-4, 3 2Bs), Travis Blankenhorn (2-for-4, 2B)

Jhoan Duran entered this game with a 7.13 ERA over his first 24 innings with Pensacola. He did a 180, got pointed in the right direction and was an absolute beast tonight for the Blue Wahoos.

Duran carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, completed eight shutout innings and struck out 11 batters in what was an eye-opening performance. We’re getting very late in the minor league season, so it would be great to see him finish strong. Tonight was certainly a giant leap toward that direction.

For most of Duran’s outing, he was protecting a one-run lead. Travis Blankenhorn hit an RBI double in the second inning and that was it through six frames. In the seventh, the rehabbing LaMonte Wade hit an RBI double and scored on a Royce Lewis double, one of three two-baggers for Royce on the evening.

Those insurance runs proved to be massive, as Jackson rallied back to score two runs in the top of the ninth.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 8, Palm Beach 3

Box Score

Blayne Enlow: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 65.9% strikes (56 of 85 pitches)

HR: None

Multi-hit games: Jose Miranda (2-for-4, 2 2Bs, BB), Yelstin Encarnacion (2-for-4, BB)

Fort Myers jumped all over Palm Beach, scoring three runs in the first inning and five more in the second. That created a low-stress return to the mound for Blayne Enlow, who was making his first start since Aug. 10.

Enlow picked up the victory after throwing 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Four different Miracle hitters reached safely three times in this game. Jose Miranda had a pair of doubles and a walk. Yelstin Encarnacion also had two hits and a walk. Gabriel Maciel had a double and drew a pair of walks while Andrew Bechtold also had a hit and walked twice.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Clinton 6, Cedar Rapids 3

Box Score

Tyler Palm: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 60.3% strikes (47 of 78 pitches)

HR: Matt Wallner (1)

Multi-hit games: Wallner (2-for-4, 2B, HR, HBP), Wander Javier (2-for-4, BB)

Matt Wallner hit his first home run with the Kernels, his seventh on the season overall. Wander Javier reached base safely three times, but the rest of the Cedar Rapids lineup struggled to get much going.

This was a tight game through most of the middle innings, thanks to a couple of clean frames from Austin Schulfer, but Clinton tallied two runs in the eighth and the Kernels could not answer.

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 6, Danville 5

Box Score

Owen Griffith: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K

HR: Seth Gray (10), Charles Mack (7)

Multi-hit games: Gray (3-for-5, 2B, HR), Kidany Salva (2-for-4)

E-Town entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 5-4, but Willie Jo Garry Jr. sparked a rally with a one-out single. He advanced to second base on a wild pitch before Ruben Santana walked. Seth Gray stepped to the plate with the Twins down to their final out. He delivered a walk-off two-run double.

https://twitter.com/ETwinsBaseball/status/1165078543585427456

Gray, the Twins fourth-round pick in this year’s draft, also hit his 10th home run, becoming just the fourth Appy League hitter to reach double digits in dingers this season.

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Red Sox 1, GCL Twins 0 (8 innings)

Box Score

Jesus Toledo: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K

HR: None

Multi-hit games: None

The GCL Twins got just two hits in this game, both singles. The rehabbing Luke Raley accounted for one of them. He also had an outfield assist. Jesus Toledo struggled with his control, walking three batters, but he managed to pitch three scoreless innings.

Junior Navas followed suit with three shutout innings of his own before Niall Windeler pitched a scoreless seventh. The only run of this game was scored on a solo homer by the Red Sox in the bottom of the eighth inning. This game actually ended on a single to the next batter, as it was called early due to weather.

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Jhoan Duran, Pensacola

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Seth Gray, Elizabethton

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

1. Royce Lewis (PNS): 3-for-4, 3 2Bs, RBI

2. Alex Kirilloff (PNS): 1-for-4, E (fielding)

4. Trevor Larnach (PNS): 1-for-3, BB, K

5. Wander Javier (CR): 2-for-4, BB, R

7: Keoni Cavaco (GCL): 0-for-4, 2 K

9. Jhoan Duran (PNS): 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K

10. Blayne Enlow (FM): 5.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 65.9% strikes (56 of 85 pitches)

13. Ryan Jeffers (PNS): 1-for-4, 2B, R, K

15. Matt Wallner (CR): 2-for-4, HR, 2B, HBP, R, 3 RBIs

18. Jorge Alcala (ROC): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 40% strikes (2 of 5)

20. Travis Blankenhorn (PNS): 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, K

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester at Syracuse, 6:05 pm CT (TBD)

Pensacola vs. Jackson, 6:05 pm CT (Bryan Sammons)

Fort Myers at Palm Beach, 4:30 pm CT (Chris Vallimont)

Cedar Rapids vs. Peoria, 6:35 pm CT (Andrew Cabezas)

Elizabethton vs. Danville, 5:30 pm CT (TBD)

GCL Twins vs. GCL Red Sox, 9:00 am CT (TBD)

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!