Twins Minor League Report (9/15): Saints Close Out the Season Clinging to Playoff Hopes

The minor-league season has come to a close for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, Cedar Rapids Kernels, and Wichita Wind Surge. The St. Paul Saints finish off their season this week on the road, still technically alive in playoff contention, but they need a lot of help. The “magic” number is two Saints losses or three wins from Washington's Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, for them to be eliminated with six games to go (the Saints hold the tiebreaker over Rochester but also trail the Indianapolis Indians in the overall standings for the 2nd half playoff spot). Rochester faces the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays to close their season, the Buffalo Bisons.

TRANSACTIONS
There were no transactions in the Minnesota Twins organization on Tuesday in advance of the St. Paul Saints final series of the season against the Columbus Clippers. 

In other prospect news, the Arizona Fall League rosters have been announced, including eight representatives from the Twins, headlined by Yasser Mercedes. Stay tuned here at Twins Daily for coverage of all things AFL for the Twins Prospects and the Salt River Rafters when their season starts on October 3rd!

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 0, Columbus 1
Box Score
German Marquez made the start for the Saints against the Clippers and put together perhaps his best start since signing with the Twins organization. He scattered three hits and three walks over his five innings, allowing just a lone earned run. That came in the bottom of the second after a leadoff double, a walk, and a one-out RBI single. He retired six in a row after that before allowing his last hit of the game in the fourth and faced the minimum in the fifth after inducing a double-play ball to complete his outing. He threw 42 of his 71 pitches for strikes (59%) and struck out three.

The score was just 1-0 Columbus at that point as the St. Paul lineup struggled to string anything together either. Cody Morissette singled in the second and stole second base but was left stranded. Tanner Schobel and David Banuelos hit back-to-back singles to start the third and two-out walk from Matt Wallner loaded the bases, but Gabriel Gonzalez flew out to center field to end the threat.

The Cleveland Guardian’s rehabber Shawn Armstrong pitched the top of the sixth inning and struck out two in a one-two-three frame. In the top of the seventh Morissette again contributed a single and advanced to scoring position on a passed ball, but Ben Ross and Schobel went down swinging to keep the visiting team off the scoreboard.

Jack Anderson took over for Marquez to start the bottom of the sixth inning and worked around a pair of singles with a double-play grounder and a strikeout to keep it within one. In the bottom of the seventh he retired the Clippers in order, including a second strikeout.

Down to their last two at-bats, Banuelos again got the Saints started the right way with a leadoff single in the eighth, but a pair of smart defensive plays by the Clippers third baseman kept him at first base and turned a 5-3 double-play himself on a bit of a shift where he was positioned as a traditional shortstop. Unfortunate, as Aaron Sabato followed with a single that could have been a chance at a hit with a runner in scoring position to tie the game. Matt Wallner sent a ball to the warning track the opposite way but was caught at the base of the wall to end the inning.

Anderson was back out for the bottom of the eighth and kept it rolling. He again retired the Clippers one-two-three, giving the Saints lineup their final chance to overcome a one-run deficit.

Again, they got the leadoff man on base, as Gabriel Gonzalez led off with a single. Kala’i Rosario was up next and hit one 106.6 MPH, but into the ground and turned into a double-play ball to bring them to their last out. Morissette worked another good at-bad, but his ground ball toward second on the seventh pitch was an easy throw to first to end the game at 1-0.

The Saints outhit the Clippers 7-5, but the only extra-base hit of the game was a big one, giving the Clippers a leadoff man in scoring position, and they were able to get a hit in that situation, finishing 1-for-7. St. Paul went 0-for-7 and left six men on base.

Morissette (2-for-4, K, SB) and Banuelos (2-for-3, K) both finished with a pair of singles, but as a team they drew just one walk and struck out 11 times.

In slightly positive news, the Rochester Red Wings lost to Buffalo, but the Saints could be eliminated from playoff contention tomorrow.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Jack Anderson, St. Paul Saints (3 IP, 2 H, 3 K)
Hitter of the Day – Cody Morissette, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, K, SB)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today.

#1 - OF Walker Jenkins (Minnesota): did not play
#3 - SS Kaelen Culpepper (Minnesota): 0-for-3, K
#6 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (Minnesota): 2-for-3, 2B(1), RBI
#9 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 1-for-4, K

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Syracuse @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (3-6, 4.50 ERA)

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

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