Twins Minor League Report (8/28): Balazvoic Befuddles, Astudillo Annihilates, Seasons Conclude

TRANSACTIONS

Rochester

LHP Lewis Thorpe optioned by Minnesota (August 26)

INF Ivan De Jesus Jr released

RHP Sean Poppen begins rehab assignment. Was scheduled to throw today with GCL. Game was cancelled, as well as the rest of their season.

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 10, Buffalo 2

Box Score

Rochester isn’t making the postseason, but with just five games left after tonight they’re all about finishing strong. Going with a committee tonight, they did just that. Five pitchers combined to throw nine innings of two-run baseball while striking out 13 and walking just three. Jorge Alcala is the stud prospect eyeing a September call up, and he turned in two scoreless with four strikeouts.

La Tortuga himself started things off with his fourth Triple-A dinger in the top of the first. Rochester added another in the second before a five-run fourth innings really got things going. Two singles and a sac fly did the damage and the Red Wings posted a crooked number.

Insurance runs came across in both the sixth and ninth to give the away team nine runs of breathing room. A nine-inning tally by Buffalo was inconsequential in this one and Rochester was able to slam the door.

BLUE WAHOOS BITES

No Game Scheduled

Pensacola had a scheduled off day today. However, both Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff were confirmed as going to the Arizona Fall League to play for Salt River on behalf of the Twins.

Tomorrow the Wahoos are schedule to start a series against the Montgomery Biscuits. Rays prospect Blake Bivens lost his wife and one year old son in a tragic and senseless act of violence a couple of days ago. A memorial has been set up in their honor. You can see that here.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Dunedin 2, Fort Myers 1 (Game 1, 7 innings)

Box Score

Jordan Balazovic took the ball for the Miracle in this one and he was nothing short of exceptional. Turning in five innings of two-hit ball, he allowed no runs and just one free pass while striking out nine. The effort lowered his Single-A ERA to 2.84 in 2019.

Although both clubs generated the same number of hits (five), it was the Blue Jays that got the extra run. A Trey Cabbage single accounted for Fort Myers' only tally in the top of the 6th, but two Dunedin runs in the bottom half were enough for the victory.

Dunedin 4, Fort Myers 3 (Game 2, 9 innings)

Box Score

Another tightly contested game that wound up being a one-run loss saw the Miracle turn the game over to the bullpen. Four Miracle pitchers combined to throw nine innings in the regularly scheduled seven-inning affair. Recently named to the Arizona Fall League roster for the Twins, Moises Gomez gave up an unearned run with one out in the final frame that allowed the Blue Jays to walk it off.

A Yeltsin Encarnacion double plated Brian Schaled and Jose Mirande in the fourth to open the scoring. After giving one back, Fort Myers and Dunedin traded runs in the fifth after Trey Cabbage homered for the ninth time this season. The Blue Jays evened the score in the bottom of the seventh before their eventual walkoff.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 0

Box Score

Matt Canterino was making his fifth start for the Kernels in this one and he was excellent. Going five strong while allowing just one hit, no free passes, and striking out seven, Minnesota continues to be impressed with their 2019 draft pick.

These two clubs combined for just six hits on the evening, but it was the final one that mattered most. Jared Akins came up in the bottom of the ninth and delivered an RBI single to score Spencer Steer and walk this one off for the Kernels.

https://twitter.com/JimCrikket/status/1166897282832379906

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Greenville 7, Elizabethton 3

Box Score

The E-Twins turned to Ryley Widell in this one and he gave them six innings of four- run ball. Widell allowed seven hits but just one walk while striking out seven. Even though Elizabethton won in the hit column (10 to 9) they couldn’t generate the necessary run production.

Greenville took an early three-run lead in the second and the E-Twins answered with just one. It was 4-1 before Charles Mack hit his eighth homer of the year, a two-run shot in the fifth. Down by one into the eighth, that’s where Greenville pulled away and Elizabethton couldn’t mount a rally.

Unfortunately the loss also ended the season and Elizabethton finished at 33-34 in 2019.

GCL TWINS TAKES

Doubleheader today was cancelled and the remainder of the season followed suit due to the incoming hurricane.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Willians Astudillo (Rochester) 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR(4)

PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

#1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) - No Game

#2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - No Game

#3 - Brusdar Graterol (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch

#4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - No Game

#5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, 2 K

#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

#7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - Season Complete

#8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Did Not Play

#9 - Jhoan Duran (Pensacola) - No Game

#10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch

#11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch

#12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (lower leg contusion)

#13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - No Game

#14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) -

#15 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K

#16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Injured List

#17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John)

#18 - Jorge Alcala (Rochester) - 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

#19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - Season Complete

#20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - No Game

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester @ Buffalo (6:05PM CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (5-4, 4.63 ERA)

Pensacola @ Montgomery (6:35PM CST) - TBD

Ft. Myers @ Dunedin (5:30PM CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (4-3, 3.20 ERA)

Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Tyler Palm (3-9, 4.02 ERA)

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games or any other minor league topics you would like.

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!