Article: Twins Minor League Report (8/16): Vasquez Tosses No-Hitter

[Seth Stohs]

Virgil Vasquez has had a long career. He’s had big league time with the Tigers and the Pirates. He’s spent a lot of time in the minor leagues. He’s played in Australia. In Game Two tonight in New Britain, Vasquez threw a no-hitter. In fact, he was a Jorge Polanco error from throwing a perfect game. The 32-year-old had just returned from making a spot start with the Rochester Red Wings.Teammates talk a lot about the type of person that Vasquez is. He is selfless and happy to serve as a mentor for players. The organization knows that he could be pitching at AAA, or even the big leagues if needed. For him to have this moment is a great thing!

 

Vasquez told a reporter following the game that he, "wanted to do this for (my teammates) as much as myself."

 

He said that it was the first time he had pitched to Matt Koch this season, so he credited him a lot. He also gave a lot of credit to his defense which he used quite a bit, recording just two strikeouts.

 

 

Reynaldo Rodriguez of the Rock Cats had a huge day in the doubleheader, but he now is overshadowed by his fellow AA veteran. Check out the Rock Cats highlights and everything that happened throughout the Twins farm system on Saturday night.

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester, Syracuse

Box Score

 

The Red Wings game was postponed by rain.

 

ROCK CATS REVIEW

Game 1 – New Britain 5, Harrisburg 1

Box Score

 

JO Berrios is back and pitched very well in Game One. He threw five scoreless innings before giving up a run in the sixth. In all, he went 5.1 innings and gave up one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out five. Edgar Ibarra came on for the final five outs and had five strikeouts for his first save.

 

Reynaldo Rodriguez supplied the offense in this game. He went 3-3 with his 34^th double, and his 17^th and 18^th home runs. He drove in four runs. Levi Michael and Michael Gonzales both went 2-3.

 

Game 2 – New Britain 9, Harrisburg 0

Box Score

 

Rodriguez was big in Game 2 of the day too, but the story in this game was the performance of Virgil Vasquez. The veteran right-hander threw a seven-inning complete game NO-HITTER, the first ever by a New Britain pitcher at New Britain Stadium. He needed just 69 pitches to throw the no-hitter. He retired the last 18 batters he faced.

 

Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-2 with two walks and his 19^th home run. Jorge Polanco went 3-4 with his fourth and fifth AA doubles and his sixth stolen base. Mike Gonzales went 1-2 with two walks and his third double.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Game 1 – Ft. Myers 2, Palm Beach 4

Box Score

 

The Miracle bats just were unable to provide much run support. They had just four hits. Adam Walker went 1-1 with two walks. He hit his 17^th double and drove in his 90^th run of the year. Max Kepler hit his 15^th double. Travis Harrison went 1-3 with a walk.

 

Aaron Slegers made the start in this one and lost for the first time since joining the Miracle. He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out two. Nick Burdi had an interesting outing. He gave up a hit, walked a batter and hit a batter, but did not allow a run in his inning. He struck out two.

 

Game 2 – Ft. Myers 4, Palm Beach 0

Box Score

 

Matt Tomshaw pitched really well and won for the tenth time this season. The lefty went all seven innings and did not allow a run. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out five.

 

Dalton Hicks drove in three runs. He hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and his 22^nd double drove in two more in the third inning. Aderlin Mejia went 1-2 with a walk. He stole his 17^th and 18^th bases as well. Niko Goodrum walked twice and stole his 31^st base.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 2

Box Score

 

Jonatan Hinojosa has only been back with the Kernels a short while, but he has had some big moments already. In this game, he went 2-4 and drove in three of the Kernels’ runs. Engelb Vielma went 1-3 with a walk and drove in the other run. He also stole his ninth base. Ryan Walker went 2-3. Mitch Garver was 1-2 with two walks.

 

Lewis Thorpe made the start and went the first 5.1 innings. He gave up two runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out five. Chris Mazza got the next five outs, three on strikeouts. Jake Reed then came on and threw two shutout innings. In the ninth, he struck out the side and ended with four strikeouts. He has now thrown 17.2 scoreless innings for the Kernels.

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 5, Johnson City 9 (11 innings)

Box Score

 

These teams needed extra frames to decide this one. Felix Jorge started and gave up three runs on seven hits over five innings. He walked none and struck out four. Kuo Hua Lo gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in his inning. Sam Clay then gave up three hits, but no runs, in 1.2 innings, with two strikeouts. CK Irby came in with runners on but got a strikeout to end the eighth inning in a tie game. Irby pitched scoreless innings in the ninth and tenth as well. Unfortunately, he gave up four runs (2 earned) in the 11^th inning. Keaton Steele got the final two outs of the 11^th.

 

The Elizabethton team had just six hits in the game. The big one came off the bat of Jorge Fernandez who hit his first home run of the season and drove in three runs. Trey Vavra added his 16^th double of the short season. Tanner English went 1-3 with a walk.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

Game 1 – GCL Twins 11, GCL Red Sox 10

Box Score

 

Last week, this game began and went just two innings before it was suspended by rain. The Twins were already down 10-3 after Alexis Tapia gave up four runs in the first inning and Mike Theofanopoulos was charged with six unearned runs in the second innings. When they returned to action on Saturday morning, Miles Nordgren took over on the mound. He threw five no-hit, no-run innings. He walked one and struck out two. Reyson Zoquiel and Seth Wagner each pitched a scoreless inning as well.

 

The Twins offense also responded with four runs in the fourth and four runs in the eighth inning. Nelson Molina led the way. He went 3-5. Jarrard Poteete was 1-3 with a walk, and his one hit was a big one. He hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning. Ariel Montesino went 1-2 with a walk and a triple. TJ White went 1-3 with two walks.

 

Game 2 – GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 1

Box Score

 

In the regularly-scheduled game, DJ Baxendale was on the mound to make another rehab start. He went four innings and yielded only an unearned run. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out five. Mike Theofanopoulos came on and threw the final three innings without giving up a run. He gave up two hits, a walk and struck out two.

 

The Twins didn’t have much offense in this game. In fact, they had just two hits. Rafael Valera went 1-2 with a walk. He also stole his eighth and ninth bases of the season. Nelson Molina and Zach Larson drove in the two runs.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Virgil Vasquez, New Britain Rock Cats

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Reynaldo Rodriguez, New Britain Rock Cats

 

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Syracuse @ Rochester (DH @ 4:05 CST) – Logan Darnell, Sean Gilmartin

Harrisburg @ New Britain (12:35 CST) – Jason Wheeler

Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (3:05 CST) – TBD

Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – Ryan Eades

Princeton @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) – Derrick Penilla

GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (DH @ 9:00am CST) – No Game Scheduled

 

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

 

A quick reminder:

Thanks to the Twins win against the first-place Kansas City Royals on Saturday, it means that on Sunday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com.

 

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[lightfoot789]

Awesome job on the No No by Vasquez.  Never easy.

 

AB Walker knocks in his 91st RBI today.  Who is the last Twins player to hit 25 HRs and 100 RBI in consecutive seasons (in the minor leagues)?  Can he do it with 14 games left?

 

Nobody hotter than Dalton Hicks over the last month and a half - 8 HRs and 35 RBI

 

Matt Tomshaw would have been the pitcher of the day if not for Vasquez.  He pitched a complete game shutout and has to take a justified back seat tonight.

[h2oface]

Why are minor league professional teams playing 7 inning games.  High A is not little league.  I can maybe understand it for double headers, but not ever for single games.  And to be completely honest, I can't even see the point in double headers.  This is professional baseball.  Baseball is a 9 inning game.

[AlwaysinModeration]

Didn't Ft Myers have a double header?

[lightfoot789]

Didn't Ft Myers have a double header?

Yes they did have a doubleheader.  They have them because it's about getting the young guys as many innings played without overworking them.  In Florida - if they didn't have double headers they may only play 80 games during the season. Too many rainouts need to be made up.

[Halsey Hall]

Good for Virgil Vasquez!  If you ever get the chance to talk to him, do so.  He'll talk all day.  He's a good guy, and funny too. 

[JB_Iowa]

Congrats to Vasquez.

 

And it is great to see that Berrrios' sore shoulder was just that - sore.  It's a long season.  Nice recovery by J.O.

[Seth Stohs]

They do only plat 7-inning games when there is a doubleheader. Fun night to write the Minor League Report, with three doubleheaders!

 

Dalton Hicks has been crushing the ball. No doubt!! So has Mike Gonzales.

 

And yes, Matt Tomshaw deserved pitcher of the day. I had to change it once Vasquez went to the 7th.

[Willihammer]

Is there any chance the Twins add Reynaldo to the 40 man and call him up in September?

[Steven Buhr]

An inning of video for each, Lewis Thorpe's 3rd inning (I think) and then Jake Reed's 9th with the 3 Ks.

 

 

[maxisagod]

An inning of video for each, Lewis Thorpe's 3rd inning (I think) and then Jake Reed's 9th with the 3 Ks.

 

The 2014 Draft is doing very well so far. Seeing guys like Reed, Burdi, Curtiss, Murphy, English, and Batts dominate, and Gordon, Cederoth, Steele, LeBlanc, put up good numbers, makes me feel like they got a lot of talent in this draft. I know the Appy league seems to be a younger league on average than the college guys the Twins send there, but the ones moving up to Kernels are still producing!  

[jokin]

Is there any chance the Twins add Reynaldo to the 40 man and call him up in September?

 

I'd say he's more than earned his cup of coffee.

[jokin]

An inning of video for each, Lewis Thorpe's 3rd inning (I think) and then Jake Reed's 9th with the 3 Ks.

 

 

 

Thanks so much for all of these vids, JC.  I really like Reed's swagger.

 

Here's a video that won't embed, but is definitely worth a viewing click, Rosario's No-hitter-saving catch last night against the CF wall:

 

http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=35429195&sid=milb

[Seth Stohs]

Is there any chance the Twins add Reynaldo to the 40 man and call him up in September?

 

I think it would be awesome. I don't know that it's "likely" but I'd have no problem with it. Jeremy and I talked about this on the Twins Hangouts last week.

[Seth Stohs]

Thanks so much for all of these vids, JC.  I really like Reed's swagger.

 

Here's a video that won't embed, but is definitely worth a viewing click, Rosario's No-hitter-saving catch last night against the CF wall:

 

http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=35429195&sid=milb

 

I believe that's the video that's up in the story/article, right?

[maxisagod]

Is there any chance the Twins add Reynaldo to the 40 man and call him up in September?

 

Can you add him and take him off a month later? Nice store, but is he worth keeping over all the other rule 5/ minor league free agents this off season? 

[jokin]

I believe that's the video that's up in the story/article, right?

 

The only video I saw in the story was of the Rodriguez HR.

[ashbury]

Can you add him and take him off a month later? Nice store, but is he worth keeping over all the other rule 5/ minor league free agents this off season? 

Exactly how they'd do it, I imagine.  It's the kind of thing that makes it easier to sign quality minor leaguers and give your farm teams competitive seasons, and if it costs the team next to nothing then why not do it?

[Seth Stohs]

Yes, they could add him to the 40 man one day and take him off the next. I like the idea of giving him 3-4 weeks of big league time.