Article: Twins Minor League Report (5/29): Down Early, Kernels' Wiel Pops Late In Comeback Victory

[John Bonnes]

In the majors on Sunday the Twins were completing a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners behind the bats of Joe Mauer and Miguel Sano, who combined for six home runs in the series. In the minors, there was another powerful swing of the bat that contributed to a huge come-from-behind victory. All four affiliates were in action, and to find out how all of them fared on Sunday, keep reading!RED WINGS REPORT

Charlotte 3, Rochester 5

Box Score

 

Rochester got on the board for an early lead in the bottom of the first inning, as Byron Buxton led off the game with a walk, James Beresford followed with a single that moved him to third, and he scored the first run of the game on a Jorge Polanco sacrifice fly. With two outs and Beresford on second base, Eddie Rosario delivered a single to center to make it 2-0 in favor of the home team.

 

The score remained that way until the top of the fourth, as Red Wings starter Andrew Albers was able to scatter four hits and two walks for the first three innings and was assisted by a bases-loaded double play to end the second. Three consecutive hits started the fourth to make the score 2-1, but could have been worse if Albers hadn’t picked off the first of those hitters at first base. It was a double followed by a single that then scored the run, but Albers escaped by striking out the next two.

 

Charlotte tied the game at two in the fifth on a solo home run, but Albers finished the inning and his day with just the two runs allowed on eight hits and two walks. He struck out five.

 

While Albers may have been able to go one more inning, there was no need to risk it as the Red Wings lineup took back the lead in the bottom of the inning with a two-out rally. John Ryan Murphy and Buxton were retired quickly, but Beresford, Polanco, and Vargas all singled to follow, with a wild pitch and Polanco’s first stolen base mixed in to make the score 4-2.

 

Rochester extended their lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth when Tommy Field led off with a double, was moved to third on a Wilfredo Tovar fly ball, and scored on a Buxton ground out.

 

Charlotte cut the lead to 5-3 in the seventh, but got no closer. Marcus Walden was the first reliever up and finished two innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk. J.T. Chargois pitched a scoreless eighth, walking one and striking out one. Alex Wimmers picked up his second save with the Red Wings with a scoreless ninth, giving up a leadoff single but never letting a runner advance further. He also punctuated Rochester’s twenty-eighth win of the season with a strikeout.

 

The middle of the Red Wings lineup was stellar on this day, as Beresford (3-4, 2 R’s), Polanco (2-3, R, RBI), Vargas (2-4, RBI), and Rosario (3-4, RBI) all collected multiple hits. Field also picked up two hits, including a double. Rosario is now on a five-game hitting streak, and in that time has gone 12-21 with four doubles and five RBI, raising his average from .095 to .333.

 

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Tennessee 5, Chattanooga 1

Box Score

 

Chattanooga’s offense was unable to get anything going for most of the night, as they managed just four hits on the game. They did also drew six walks, but left ten men on base while going just 1-5 with runners in scoring position in the process.

 

Zach Granite drew three walks out of the leadoff spot. Ryan Walker collected the only RBI with a single in the bottom of the fifth. Joe Maloney scored the run after a single of his own.

 

Omar Bencomo made the start for the Lookouts and delivered a quality start. He allowed single runs in the first, fifth, and sixth innings while scattering eight hits and a walk before his day was done.

 

Mike Strong pitched the eighth inning and walked one in a scoreless frame. Luke Bard came on for the eighth and allowed two singles, but a double-play ball in between got him out unscathed. He wasn’t as lucky in the ninth.

 

After a walk to load the bases with two outs, Bard gave up another single to drive in two insurance runs for the Smokies. Bard finished the frame but allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out none, and marks his third straight appearance with 2.0 IP and 2 earned runs allowed.

 

Chattanooga put two runners on base in each of the eighth and ninth innings, but were unable to capitalize and fall to 22-28 on the season.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 1, Charlotte 5

Box Score

 

Although they collected just as many hits as their (Port) Charlotte opponent on the day, Fort Myers was unable to get much going against Stone Crabs starter Yonny Chirinos for the first seven innings. His only run allowed came in his final inning that Charlotte conceded on a ground ball with a 5-0 lead. Through the first six innings, Fort Myers had managed just two hits, both doubles in each of the first two innings, but went down fifteen hitters in a row after that.

 

Kohl Stewart made the start for the Miracle, and made it through six innings that could have been better if not for his defense. He allowed five runs (three earned) on eight hits while striking out three. Two of the Miracle’s three errors on the day led to the two unearned runs in his line, but the other error also contributed to another run on the scoreboard. A solo home run in the sixth made it 5-0 but Stewart completed the inning.

 

Brandon Peterson and Raul Fernandez both pitched a perfect inning in relief, each collecting a strikeout along the way.

 

The offense was led by Tanner Witt who was 2-4 with a double, Logan Wade picked up the RBI and had a double, and Alex Real scored the only run. The Miracle went just 1-8 with runners in scoring position (the hit did not score a run) and left eight men on base.

 

The Miracle were swept in the three game series and fall a half game behind the Stone Crabs in the Florida State League South division standings by a half game as a result. They also drop below .500 on the season at 25-26, but are still just one game out of second place and one game away from last in the competitive division thus far.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Wisconsin 8, Cedar Rapids 9

Box Score

 

Twins Daily’s Seth Stohs was again in attendance in Cedar Rapids and got to see quite a comeback at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

 

Right-hander Cody Stashak took the mound for the Kernels and was solid through the first four innings, allowing just one run on three hits and two walks, but ran into trouble in the fifth.

 

The first two hitters of the inning singled, and then executed a double steal to put both of them in scoring position. It ended up being unnecessary, as a three-run home run from David Denson put the Timber Rattlers up 4-0. Stashak got a strikeout to end the inning, but his day was done. In his five innings, he allowed the four runs on six hits and two walks, while picking up six strikeouts.

 

Anthony McIver came on for the sixth inning, and allowed two runs (none earned) on three hits. Throwing errors from Jermaine Palacios and catcher Kevin Garcia led to both runs.

 

Now down 6-0, Cedar Rapids finally broke through against Wisconsin starter Drake Owenby in the bottom of the inning. They sent ten hitters to the plate and cut the lead to 6-4 behind singles from LaMonte Wade, Daniel Kihle, Brad Hartong, and Garcia, walks from J.J. Fernandez and Palacios, and a fielding error off the bat of Luis Arreaz. Wade had led off the inning, but also grounded out with the bases loaded to end it.

 

They added another run in the seventh inning after a double from Fernandez, a single from Kihle that moved him to third, and a sacrifice fly from Hartong.

 

Koa Hua Lo came in to pitch after McIver, and pitched a one-two-three seventh inning. In the eighth, he hit two batters around a walk to load the bases for Wisconsin, but escaped a big inning with a run-scoring double play ball and a strikeout to keep the Kernels within two.

 

The Kernels lineup responded by taking their first lead of the game in the bottom of the eighth behind the powerful bat of Zander Wiel. Sean Miller and Arreaz led off the frame with singles, and moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt from Palacios. With two outs, Wiel stepped to the plate and delivered a three-run blast with some impressive Statcast data, to put them up 8-7. It was his first hit of the day after missing the last two and starting this one 0-4, but also extended his hitting streak in the Midwest League to fifteen games. Over that streak, Wiel has gone 23-65 (.353) with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and seventeen RBI.

 

The lead was short-lived however, as the Timber Rattlers tied it at eight the next inning with Michael Theofanopoulos on the mound. He came in after Lo got the first out of the frame, but a walk followed by a double knotted the score.

 

In the ninth, it was the bottom half of the lineup due up for the Kernels, and their rally got started by a one-out single from Hartong. Nelson Molina was brought in to pinch hit for Garcia, and two wild-pitches later the winning run was on third and Molina had drawn a walk to bring up Sean Miller. He sent a ground ball toward short that may have been destined for a double play, but was booted for Wisconsin’s third error of the day and allowed Hartong to scamper home with the winning run, completing a crazy comeback for the home team.

 

The offense got multiple hits from Arreaz (3-4, R, 2B, BB), Kihle (2-5, R), Hartong (2-4, 2 R’s, 2 RBI), and Garcia (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI). Wiel added the big go-ahead-three-run home run, and Fernandez reached base three times with a double and two walks, and two runs scored.

 

Wade’s single to lead off the sixth inning also extended his on-base streak to twenty-nine games with the Kernels. On the year, he’s drawn thirty-three walks compared to just twenty-one strikeouts in forty-two games, and his .909 OPS ranks second in the Midwest League.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Albers, Rochester Red Wings (W, 5.0 IP, 8 H’s, 2 ER’s, 2 BB, 5 K’s)

Hitter of the Day – Zander Wiel, Cedar Rapids Kernels (1-5, R, Go-ahead-3-run-HR, 3-RBI)

 

 

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester @ Indianapolis (5:05 CST) – TBD

Chattanooga – Scheduled day off.

Fort Myers –scheduled day off.

Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (2:05PM CST) – RHP Randy LeBlanc (6-2, 0.85 ERA)

 

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

 

Click here to view the article

[Arak30s]

How does an error and hit occur on a Polanco ? hit in the 5th inning?

[Steve Lein]

Polanco probably would have beat out the play for a hit anyway, then the error allowed Beresford to score.

[sftwinsfan]

Sad to see Kohl Stewart regressing as the season goes on.  Those early season strikeouts seem to have disappeared.  

[Arak30s]

 

The error was made ...Polanco would never had made first... he had a walk only at that point. That's why prospects falter at MLB as they are used to being given everything not earning it.

[ashbury]

The error was made ...Polanco would never had made first... he had a walk only at that point. That's why prospects falter at MLB as they are used to being given everything not earning it.

So that's why we can expect a pitching prospect to significantly outperform his minor league record, larded as it is with undeserved hits and earned runs, when he reaches the majors?

 

Minor league official scorers operate under the same guidelines as their major league counterparts. So it would be very unlikely that batting average inflation in the minors comes from things handed to the players by the occasional close decision at first base.

[Mr. Brooks]

Tough day for the affiliates when the pitcher of the day award goes to a guy who gave up a whopping 10 baserunners in only 5 innings.

Yikes.

[jokin]

 

Sad to see Kohl Stewart regressing as the season goes on.  Those early season strikeouts seem to have disappeared.  

 

Regressing up?

[Steve Lein]

 

Tough day for the affiliates when the pitcher of the day award goes to a guy who gave up a whopping 10 baserunners in only 5 innings.
Yikes.

 

Yeah, there weren't any good choices. Went with Albers as he was the only starter who got a "W." Pitching wins are a terrible statistic, but it really was the only thing separating anyone on Sunday.