Article: Twins Minor League Report (5/23): Wiel Walk-Off!

[Jeremy Nygaard]

For the second straight week a member of the Red Wings was rewarded for his previous week. Last week, it was Andrew Albers. This week it’s Adam Brett Walker winning the International League Player of the Week award. Walker hit five home runs over the last six games, including a three-home run game on Saturday and batted .350. He currently leads the International League with nine home runs.

 

Fernando Romero was also named Midwest League pitcher of the week. His teammate, A.J. Murray took the hitter award last week. Romero made his return from Tommy John surgery last week and and pitched five no-hit innings.

 

There were a few transactions that took place as well. Daniel Bard was promoted from Fort Myers to Chattanooga and Hector Lujan was added from extended spring training to take his place. Eduardo Escobar was returned to the Twins. To make room, Jorge Polanco was optioned to Rochester.

 

Also in today’s news, Darren Wolfson reported that the Twins signed lefty Sean Burnett to a minor-league deal. Burnett has a June 15 opt-out according to Chris Cotillo and will make $1 million if he reaches the majors with an additional $1 million in incentive bonuses.

 

Three teams were in action on the farm on Monday. Let’s see how they did.RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester - OFF DAY

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 0, Jackson 7

Box Score

 

Ryan Eades was Monday’s scheduled starter but for unknown reasons didn’t make the start. And it was that kind of day for the Lookouts.

 

Omar Bencomo made the spot start and was OK. He made it through four innings, striking out six. On four hits and a walk, two runs scored. Corey Williams didn’t fare as well - or well at all really. He retired the three men he faced in the fifth. In the sixth he also faced three men (walk, homer, walk) and these three all scored.

 

Luke Bard made his AA debut and it was forgettable: five hits, two earned runs, two strikeouts. Luke Westphal finished the game with a scoreless inning.

 

The offense was a no-show. Zach Granite had two singles. D.J. Hicks, Leo Reginatto, Stuart Turner and Levi Michael also singled. The Lookouts were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.

 

The Mientkiewicz-led Lookouts drop to 19-26.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 5, Tampa 6 (10 innings)

Box Score

 

The Miracle dropped their second consecutive extra inning game on Monday.

 

But it didn’t look like that would happen the way the game started. The Miracle jumped to a five-run lead in the first inning. Max Murphy walked to start the game and advanced to second on Edgar Corcino’s single. Nick Gordon drove in Murphy with a single of his own. Corcino scored on a wild pitch. A second wild pitch - on ball four to Chris Paul - advanced Gordon to third base. Ian Clarkin, the pitcher, then committed a throwing error on a pickoff throw and Gordon scored and Paul advanced to second. Still nobody out, Alex Real singled before Trey Vavra doubled, scoring Paul. Clarkin then retired the next three batters, which included a Kevin Garcia sacrifice fly that scored Real. Those five hits and four runs would be the Miracle offense for the day, save two more singles, a double and a walk.

 

Kohl Stewart threw two perfect innings but ran into trouble in the third and couldn’t get through six. In total, Stewart allowed four runs on four hits and six walks (!). He struck out four. Stewart threw 89 pitches, only 48 for strikes.

 

The Miracle still had the lead though and it was up to the bullpen to save it. John Curtiss struck out one and allowed two runners in two innings. Brian Gilbert “blew” the save, allowing an unearned run - a runner who reached base thanks to Nick Gordon’s 13th error of the season.

 

Hector Lujan made his full-season debut on Monday with the Miracle in the 10th inning. The first batter he faced hit a home run. Lujan did retire the next three batters he faced, but the damage was done.

 

Fort Myers went 1-2-3 with three ground-outs in the bottom half of the inning to end the game.

 

The loss drops the Miracle to 25-21. They’ll stay home and welcome Palm Beach for a three-game series that starts Tuesday.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 4

Box Score

 

The Kernels won in dramatic fashion on Monday afternoon.

 

It probably shouldn’t have gotten to that point. The game started off all Kernels. A Zander Wiel double was followed by a Luis Arraez single to put the Kernels on the board in the bottom of the second. LaMonte Wade added to the lead with a solo home run, his third on the season. Wade now has a 24-game streak of reaching base safely and has done so in 36 of 37 games this season. The Kernels added two more runs in the fourth on a handful of singles and the game was 4-0 and Cody Stashak was cruising through four scoreless.

 

Stashak ran into trouble in the fifth, giving up two runs. His night was over at 79 pitches (57 strikes). He gave up seven hits and two runs, striking out seven and picking a runner off of first in five innings.

 

Michael Cederoth gave up two more runs in his two innings of work and the game was tied.

 

Cedar Rapids and Quad Cities exchanged zeroes for the next couple of innings. Nick Anderson pitched two perfect innings and the Kernels came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth.

 

With two out, Zander Wiel delivered a walk-off home run, his third home run on the season and second in as many days.

 

Wiel led the offense with three hits and two runs. Nelson Molina was 2-for-3, improving his batting average to .340.

 

The Kernels improved to 25-18 and head to Burlington to start a three-game series on Tuesday.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Pitcher of the Day – Nick Anderson, Cedar Rapids

Hitter of the Day – Zander Wiel, Cedar Rapids

 

TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester vs Indianapolis (6:05PM CST) – TBD (Could it be Alex Meyer?)

Fort Myers vs Palm Beach (6:05 CST) – LHP Tyler Jay (3-3, 2.79 ERA)

Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (7:30PM CST) – RHP Randy LeBlanc (5-2, 0.78 ERA)

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games.

 

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[Old Twins Cap]

Another baseball season comes to this:  looking at MiLB box scores late, hoping for a small ray of hope that this torment of ineptitude will find a tourniquet.

 

And, not finding it.

[Platoon]

So unless Burnett pulls a Murphy and retires, he will be in Mpls around 6/13?

[Seth Stohs]

 

So unless Burnett pulls a Murphy and retires, he will be in Mpls around 6/13?

 

I would think that would be true, depending upon how he does and if he's able to get back to his pre-surgery form, as well as how Taylor Rogers does. If Rogers pitches like he did last night, he shouldn't go back down.

[David HK]

Sick of it.  Just sick of it.  

 

So, in Burnett, we sign another over-30 guy who's been dumped by a couple of teams, but who maybe, just maybe will be able to help out.  That's what you do when you need an extra arm to get you through the dog days of a pennant-race grind.

 

That's not what you do when your season is already lost, and you've got a bunch of hot young arms to audition.  Give 'em a taste, see what you've got, give the fans a glimpse of something to maybe hope for.  If we're going to go out and get our brains beat in every damn day, how about we do it with players who may well be around in a year or two, not guys we're going to cut by August.  

 

I've suffered through a hell of a lot of lean years, for those few productive ones.  '65, I was 5 years old, and that was my baseball intro.  

 

Late 60's-- awesome.  

 

70s- mid80s-- one long suck-fest, especially 82, but hey, you could see good things coming.  

87, 91, great, then the wilderness again. 

 

Then the  Gardy years of one-round-of-playoffs, and bending over for the Yankees.  Pfft.

 

And now, this.  

Mr. Pohlad, and the rest of you---  you owe it to us long-suffering fans, to not be b-slapped like this again.  If we're going to suck beyond belief, let's suck beyond belief with the future in the major league dugout.

[jokin]

 

I would think that would be true, depending upon how he does and if he's able to get back to his pre-surgery form, as well as how Taylor Rogers does. If Rogers pitches like he did last night, he shouldn't go back down.

 

Since when is that a legitimate criteria for a veteran call-up?

[jokin]

 

LaMonte Wade added to the lead with a solo home run, his third on the season. Wade now has a 24-game streak of reaching base safely and has done so in 36 of 37 games this season. T

 

Not too late to mention another positive note- 3 more walks drawn by LaMonte Wade last night- he now leads the Midwest League with an incredible BB/K ratio of nearly 1.50. Why is he still in Cedar Rapids- it sure seems like the opposition has no interest in throwing him strikes?

[Monkeypaws]

AB Walker just leads leagues in home runs. It's what he does.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Not too late to mention another positive note- 3 more walks drawn by LaMonte Wade last night- he now leads the Midwest League with an incredible BB/K ratio of nearly 1.50. Why is he still in Cedar Rapids- it sure seems like the opposition has no interest in throwing him strikes?

 

Probably because I'll be down there for games Friday, Saturday and Sunday... so they're being nice and letting him be there when I'm there... Probably.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Probably because I'll be down there for games Friday, Saturday and Sunday... so they're being nice and letting him be there when I'm there... Probably.

 

Got it.... so he's being promoted on Thursday