Article: Twins Minor League Report (8/9):

[Seth Stohs]

It was a tough night for the Twins top two pitching prospects. Trevor May’s much-anticipated major eague debut didn’t go as well as planned, and in Rochester, Alex Meyer didn’t fare much better. On a more positive note, JO Berrios will return to the mound on Sunday afternoon for the New Britain Rock Cats. Also, Taylor Rogers returned tonight for the Rock Cats after missing nearly three months. Another of the Twins top pitching prospects put together his best start of the season.

 

Check out all of that and much more in tonight’s Minor League Report:RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 5, Indianapolis 14

Box Score

 

Trevor May was on the mound for the Twins, and Alex Meyer was on the mound for the Red Wings. At the end of the day, neither had the type of performance he would have wanted. Meyer needed 64 pitches to get through just two innings. He was charged with four runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out four. A 40-pitch second inning meant that he would not get a third inning. AJ Achter came on and threw two scoreless innings. However, in the fifth, he recorded just one out and was charged with two runs after two walks. Deolis Guerra got the final two outs of the fifth but not before both of Achter’s runners and four more runs scored. He pitched one more inning. Then Aaron Thompson gave up four runs on five hits and a walk in his inning. Catcher/Outfielder Dan Rohlfing pitched for the second time in a week, and for the second time, he did not allow a run.

 

Pedro Florimon went 3-4 with his 11^th double. Josmil Pinto hit his 11^th and 12^th doubles. Wilkin Ramirez went 2-4 with his 22^nd double.

 

ROCK CATS REVIEW

New Britain 8, Erie 3

Box Score

 

Taylor Rogers had been on the disabled list for since July 19 with a biceps injury. He returned to the mound on Saturday night and worked four scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out one. Dan Turpen came in for the fifth inning and gave up three runs on three hits and two walks. Edgar Ibarra came on and gave up only one hit over two scoreless innings. Ryan O’Rourke finished the game with three strikeouts in two scoreless innings.

 

Tony Thomas went 3-5 and hit his eighth home run of the year. Mike Kvasnicka went 3-4 with his 21^st and 22^nd doubles. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 16^th home run.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 4, Palm Beach 0

Box Score

 

The Miracle had been really struggling of late, so they have got to be happy with the pitching the last two nights. On Friday night, lefty Brett Lee threw a complete game shutout for the Miracle. On Saturday, another lefty got the ball. Steven Gruver gave up just one hit and two walks in five scoreless innings. He struck out three. Then BJ Hermsen and Brandon Peterson each threw two scoreless innings and struck out two batters.

 

Adam Walker hit a two-run homer in the game and now has 24 home runs and 85 RBI on the season. Aderlin Mejia went 3-4 with his 11^th double. Travis Harrison hit his 29^th and 30^th doubles. Byron Buxton went 2-4.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 3, Kane County 2

Box Score

 

Lewis Thorpe posted his best start of the season. The Australian left-hander gave up only an unearned run over six innings. He allowed three hits, walked two and struck out seven. Dallas Gallant gave up one run on one hit over two innings. He walked one and struck out three. Nick Burdi came on and recorded his fourth save of the season. He gave up a hit and struck out one.

 

Joe Mauer went 2-4, though his manager and brother, Jake, didn’t see either of the hits as he was ejected before Mauer got his first hit. Logan Wade was also 2-4 and hit a solo homer, his first of the year. Alex Swim was also 2-4. Max Murphy had the biggest hit though. He hit a two-run homer, his second since joining the Kernels, in the 5^th inning.

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 1, Danville 11

Box Score

 

Sam Gibbons made the start for the E-Twins and gave up four runs on eight hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out five. Keaton Steele came on and gave up one run on three hits over two innings. Randy LeBlanc got an inning and was charged with five runs, though just one was earned, on three hits. Kuo Hua Lo gave up one run on two hits in his inning.

 

Trey Vavra hit his 10^th and 11^th doubles. Austin Diemer was 2-4 and stole his seventh base. Blake Schmidt hit his first professional double, and Nick Gordon doubled for the fifth time.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins, GCL Red Sox

Box Score

 

This game was suspended due to rain after three innings. The score was already 10-3 at that point, not in the Twins favor.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Steve Gruver, Ft. Myers Miracle

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tony Thomas, New Britain Rock Cats

 

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester @ Indianapolis (12:35 CST) – Kris Johnson

New Britain @ Erie (12:35 CST) – JO Berrios

Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (12:05 CST) – Aaron Slegers

Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – Ricky Nolasco

Danville @ Elizabethton (5:0 CST) – TBD

GCL Twins – No Games Scheduled on Sundays

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games.

 

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[AlwaysinModeration]

Max Murphy--that kid just keeps doing well.

[stringer bell]

"Joe Mauer went 2-4, though his manager and brother, Jake, didn’t see either of the hits as he was ejected before Mauer got his first hit."

 

Jake Mauer got thrown out two days in a row? I know he was tossed on Friday, but I didn't hear that it happened again the next night.

[lightfoot789]

24 HRs and 85 RBI with 23 games left. 

Adam Brett Walker is having an amazing month of August thus far:

.393 BA / .452 OBP / .750 SLG% / 1.202 OPS / 5 Ks / 3 BB

[diehardtwinsfan]

24 HRs and 85 RBI with 23 games left. 

Adam Brett Walker is having an amazing month of August thus far:

.393 BA / .452 OBP / .750 SLG% / 1.202 OPS / 5 Ks / 3 BB

Hopefully this is b/c he's figured something out and not just SSS.

[lightfoot789]

When do you truly know if someone has figured "it" out? 

 

My theory is:

 Buxton actually played better in the Appy league than he did in the GCL when he first arrived after the draft.  Sometimes you just have to take a chance and let them figure "it" out  at the next level.    Still he got the promotion.

 

Walker - I hope he figures "it" out too (truly). 

Couldn't hurt [better zone discipline]

His team has a losing record during this personal hot stretch BTW.   I think it was the 3 HRs and 10 RBI this week, that  actually helped in those wins more so than his OBP.    His gift will always be in his Run production - not his OBP (IMO).  If we can get both -awesome.  Let him figure it out at the higher MiLB levels though - not A Ball.

[Halsey Hall]

Buxton hasn't got 'it' figured out yet.  I leave Walker right where he's at for this year. 

 

Jake tossed two nights in a row?  Why?

 

The Miracle must be close, or are playing now at Jet Blue. 

[Seth Stohs]

I was wrong last night when I wrote about Jake getting ejected. That was the night before. Saturday was a long (but good) day.

[jokin]

Buxton hasn't got 'it' figured out yet.  I leave Walker right where he's at for this year. 

 

Jake tossed two nights in a row?  Why?

 

The Miracle must be close, or are playing now at Jet Blue. 

 

I'd qualify that "it", a bit, Halsey.  He had "it" figured out a year ago, he was already on his way in AA.  And for all intents and purposes, he had "it" figured out again before the most recent HBP to his good wrist...from his return after two months off from the first wrist injury he slashed...  .367/.472/.633/1.106...and then, really cranking it up from 7-13 to 7-18 (that was the night he was hit in the right wrist, when he went 4-6 with a HR and reached base 7 times)- Buxton was fully back to "it", his true old self, slashing .500/.593/.864/1.456.

 

It's just a shame what a lost season this has been for Buck, had he been fully healthy all season, there seems little doubt that he would already be ensconced in CF with the Twins, with Santana starting at SS.  Hopefully he can make up for it in fall and winter league play, setting himself up for an early call-up in 2015.

[Otto von Ballpark]

It's just a shame what a lost season this has been for Buck, had he been fully healthy all season, there seems little doubt that he would already be ensconced in CF with the Twins, with Santana starting at SS.  Hopefully he can make up for it in fall and winter league play, setting himself up for an early call-up in 2015.

No doubt it's been a lost season for Buxton, but there is plenty of doubt that he'd "already be ensconced in CF with the Twins" by this point.  I generally don't think the Twins are slow to promote prospects, but Buxton ended last season in high-A.  He would have needed an immediate continuation of his 2013 A-ball performance in AA then AAA, plus a lack of any kind of injury, even minor ones which could have delayed his promotion at all.

 

And even then, I am guessing his AAA promotion would have been midseason, and his MLB promotion would have been Sep. 1st (or perhaps now, to get a jump on Sep. 1).  

 

Although I also tend to think the Twins are less likely to promote elite prospects at the end of a season if they aren't on the 40-man roster yet (i.e. Mauer 2003), barring immediate MLB need (i.e. Kubel 2004).  Doing so needlessly risks wasting service time in case of injury, like Kubel 2005.  With Sano on the shelf too, I think Buxton would have needed a historic performance in 2014 to see MLB action.