Article: Twins Minor League Report (8/3): Close Games And More Transactions

[Seth Stohs]

The Minnesota Twins’ bats continued to rake in Cleveland with a third straight win, and a third straight double-digit output. The team is now 32-30 in their last 62 games. Mauer. Dozier. Kepler, Rosario. Pretty much everyone is producing right now. While the Twins have played three straight high-scoring blowout wins, the Twins affiliates all played some very close contests on Wednesday.

 

There were a couple of transactions of note on Wednesday as well:

• Niko Goodrum came off of the disabled list for the Lookouts.
• While we noted that Tyler Jay was placed on the Lookouts disabled list with a “neck strain,” Rob Antony indicated to reporters before Wednesday’s game that there is some concern about Jay’s shoulder.
• RHP Brian Gilbert was released by the Twins and from the Miracle roster.
• LHP Cam Booser was promoted from the Kernels to the Miracle.
• RHP Brady Anderson, a non-drafted free agent from Florida Gulf Coast, was promoted from the GCL and started on Wednesday for the Kernels.
• Following Wednesday night’s game, Jeff Johnson (The Gazette in Cedar Rapids) reported that RHPs Cody Stashak and Dereck Rodriguez were also headed to Ft. Myers. He also noted the RHP Kuo Hua Lo had been released.

Thursday is an exciting day for a couple of new Twins. Hector Santiago will make his Twins debut in Cleveland on Thursday morning. In Rochester, Adalberto Mejia will make his first start.With that, let’s get to the Minor League Report for Wednesday.

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 3, Pawtucket 2

Box Score

 

This was a bit of an intense game. In fact, the game finished under protest by Pawtucket. At that time, Mike Quade, the Red Wings manager, was ejected. Pawtucket questioned which pitcher Quade signaled in from the bullpen. So, the International League will need to make a decision. If they decide to agree with the PawSox, the teams would start the game where it was in the 8th inning.

 

Pat Dean started and gave up two runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings. He walked two and struck out six. Neil Ramirez gave up one hit but got the final out of the seventh inning. He gave up a single to lead off the eighth. Then came the controversy. Ryan O’Rourke came into the game and gave up a hit to the one batter he faced. It was a bunt single on which Reynaldo Rodriguez tried a swipe tag. The runner was ruled safe. Quade disagreed and was ejected.

 

Pat Light then was summoned for his Twins organization debut against guys he was teammates with a couple of days ago. He gave up a hit which loaded the bases, but he was able to get out of the inning without the tying run being allowed to score. He even hit 100 mph on the radar gun a few times. Alex Wimmers came on for the ninth. He also kept it interesting. He gave up two hits and walked one but struck out two and didn’t allow the tying run to score. It was Wimmers’ ninth save with the Red Wings.

 

Trevor Plouffe played seven innings at third base and came to the plate four times before being replaced to start the eighth inning. He was 0-3 with a walk. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-3. Daniel Palka was 1-3 with a walk. Darin Mastroianni went 1-2 with a walk and his eighth stolen base. Wilfredo Tovar went 1-3 with a walk and stole his 24th base and hit his first homer of the year.

 

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Game 1 - Chattanooga 3, Mobile 4

Box Score

 

David Hurlbut gave up three home runs in the first two innings to let the team get down 4-3. The Lookouts scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning to cut the lead to 4-3 but fell one run shy and lost game 1. Hurlbut recovered well, however, completing all six innings. He gave up the four runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out six.

 

Niko Goodrum hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning. It was his second Lookouts homer. Ryan Walker went 2-3 with a walk. Engelb Vielma went 2-2 with a walk and is now hitting .299. Travis Harrison walked twice.

 

Game 2 - Chattanooga 4, Mobile 5 (11 innings)

Box Score

 

The game was tied at three going into the 11th inning. In the top half of the inning, Levi Michael scored on a wild pitch to give the Lookouts a 4-3 lead. Unfortunately, the Lookouts had their second blown save of the game and fell 5-4 after giving up two runs in the bottom of the inning.

 

Felix Jorge started and went the first 5.2 innings. He gave up two runs on seven hits. He struck out four without a walk. Jake Reed went the next 1.1 innings and gave up one run on two hits, earning a blown save. He struck out two. Zack Jones worked the next two innings. He gave up one hit but no runs. He struck out five batters. Raul Fernandez pitched a scoreless tenth inning but he gave up the two runs in the 11th inning.

 

The Lookouts had nine hits in the 11 innings. Zach Granite had two hits. Niko Goodrum had a two-run single, one of his two hits.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 5, Bradenton 9

Box Score

 

The game was tied at five going into the bottom of the eighth, but Todd Van Steensel wasn’t able to keep the lead. Randy LeBlanc started and went just three innings. He gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk without a strikeout. Randy Rosario came out of the bullpen and threw two shutout innings. He gave up a hit and walked one but struck out four. Cam Booser made his first Miracle appearance. He walked one and struck one out in his inning. Van Steensel gave up four runs on four hits and a walk in the eighth inning and he also pitched the ninth.

 

LaMonte Wade led the offense. He went 2-3, was hit by a pitch and added his seventh double. TJ White went 2-4 with his 12th double. Joe Maloney was also 2-4.

 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 4, Clinton 3

Box Score

 

Brady Anderson was pitching great in the GCL, but the Kernels needed a starter and Anderson got the call. He arrived and was placed right on the mound for his Midwest League debut. The right-hander went the first five innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out two. He left the game with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth inning. Williams Ramirez came on and got the next three batters out to avoid any further damage. Ramirez went two innings and gave up just one hit. Max Cordy worked the final two innings. He gave up just one hit and was credited with his first win.

 

Sean Miller led the way. He got the offense going with his fourth home run of the year. Zander Wiel went 2-3 with a walk and his sixth triple. Chris Ibarra went 2-4. Kevin Garcia went 2-4. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Miller got things going with this 17th double. It was backed up by Garcia’s sixth double which proved to be the game-winning RBI.

 

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Box Score

 

No Game Scheduled. In off-the-field news, Alex Kirilloff got engaged… in case you were wondering.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 2

Box Score

 

Jordan Balazovic made his first start. He gave up one run on four hits and two walks in three innings. Clark Beeker came on and gave up one run on three hits over 3.2 innings. He walked three and struck out three. Callan Pearce struck out two over 2.1 scoreless innings to end the game. He walked two and gave up one hit.

 

The Twins had eight hits in the game, and six of them came in the final two innings. The team was down 2-0 going into the eighth inning. Dominic Blanco singled. Then Heiker Meneses singled. Then Aaron Whitefield had an RBI single. That was followed by an RBI single from Jean Carlos Arias to tie the game.

 

Then in the bottom of the ninth inning, Jorge Munoz got things going with a single. He advanced to third base on a Jhon Alvarez double. Heiker Meneses was walked but on the final pitch, there was a passed ball and Munoz scored the winning run.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Sean Miller, Cedar Rapids Kernels

 

 

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Pawtucket @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - LHP Adalberto Mejia

Chattanooga @ Mobile (6:35 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves

Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) - LHP Sam Clay

Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Eduardo Del Rosario

Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00 CST) - RHP Ryan Mason

GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 am CST) - TBD

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games.

 

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[gunnarthor]

Well, the Jay thing scares the **** out of me. 

[Guest]

That Gonsalves guy must be really good! He’s not scheduled to pitch until Thursday, but he got the Wednesday Pitcher of the Day award anyway!

[Kevin]

 

That Gonsalves guy must be really good! He’s not scheduled to pitch until Thursday, but he got the Wednesday Pitcher of the Day award anyway!

Fixed.

[dbminn]

Gonsalves must've had an incredible day charting pitches

[TRex]

Is Williams Ramirez just a reliever now? He is doing well, but he showed promise last year as a starter. It is kinda hard to get behind any prospect who has been designated a reliever already by low-A ball.

[twinssouth]

Busenitz is on the Lookouts roster. Of all the players we got from the trades, this kid is going to be the best, a future All Star closer. That's right, you heard it here first. And, do you know why? He's from Georgia. That's Right. Go DAWGS

[DJL44]

#THWG

[Mike Sixel]

Well, that Jay news is less than exciting......hoping for the best.

[ashbury]

Kuo Hua Lo and Brian Gilbert being released is a little surprising to me. Any reason to think they asked for their release? There are a couple of guys at Ft Myers with worse results and higher age than Gilbert. And Lo has a very strange stat line at Cedar Rapids this year, giving up 24 runs of which only 13 are earned - so a 23-year-old pitcher with a 2.60 ERA got his release. Maybe they think the way those unearned runs came in reflect badly on him anyway.

 

Neither guy looks like a strong prospect, but still...