Article: Twins Minor League Report (5/3): Turley Debuts, Chattanooga Trio of Bats Abuse

[Jeremy Nygaard]

It was a full slate of baseball on Thursday as the Twins hosted Oakland and all of the affiliates were in action (including one playing a doubleheader).

 

While there were no moves in the minor leagues, the Twins optioned Buddy Boshers after Tuesday's slugfest and activated Hector Santiago from the bereavement list on Wednesday.RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 5, Buffalo 3 (Game 1)

Box Score

 

David Hurlbut gave the Red Wings a solid effort in the front end of a doubleheader. Hurlbut was touched up for eight hits over five innings, but he allowed only three runs (two earned) while striking out two and walking one. He allowed a two-out, two-run home run to let Buffalo back into the game in the third inning. Hurlbut did coax nine outs by way of the groundball, which is impressive.

 

Alan Busenitz and Alex Wimmers each threw scoreless frames to finish the game. Busenitz struck out one in a perfect sixth inning. Wimmer walked two in the seventh inning.

 

Rochester did damage with their bats in the top half of the second inning. Matt Hague singled to start off the frame and was advanced to third on a Daniel “Power” Palka double. John Ryan Murphy drove them both in with a one-out single. After a Quintin Berry single moved Murphy to second, both were driven in on a Bengie Gonzalez triple.

 

Murphy added an insurance run in the seventh inning with his second home run of the season.

 

Rochester 1, Buffalo 4 (Game 2)

Box Score

 

Nik Turley made his Rochester debut and it certainly wasn’t memorable from a production standpoint. After giving up a single in the first and a walk and single in the second, but escaping without damage, Turley hoped to calm down in the third and started the inning by getting a called strike three. Then the trouble started.

 

Turley allowed two straight singles and both players advanced on a wild pitch. A walk eventually loaded the bases. After another wild pitch allowed the game’s first run to score, Turley got the second out by pop up and looked to be getting out of the inning without further damage. But Bengie Gonzalez committed an error allowing an unearned run score. Two other runs followed in the inning. Turley didn’t come back for the fourth. He finished with three innings, four runs (three earned), five strikeouts, two walks and a loss.

 

Despite his costly air, Gonzalez did have a decent night at the plate. He was the only player with a multi-hit game and scored the team’s lone run. Ben Paulsen had his third double.

 

Rochester is currently 13-10.

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 7, Pensacola 4

Box Score

 

Paul Clemens spotted Pensacola four runs in the first four innings, but held on to make it through six innings. Clemens allowed eight hits and a walk which resulted in four runs. He struck out seven.

 

The bats got going in the bottom of the fourth and didn’t stop. The surge was led by Edgar Corcino, who hit his fifth home run of the season in the fifth inning. Corcino had three hits and a walk, drove in three runs and scored once. LaMonte Wade hit his third home run of the season, a solo shot, in the seventh inning. He also had three hits. Nick Gordon also hit a home run, his second, in his two-hit game.

 

Todd Van Steensel threw two shutout innings and struck out two to pick up the win. John Curtiss earned his fourth save of the season, weathering a walk and double in a rough ninth inning to close it out.

 

The win got the Lookouts back to .500 at 13-13.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 2, Daytona 5

Box Score

 

David Fischer took the loss, allowing five first-inning runs. It turned out to be all the runs Fischer would allow in his four innings of work. All told, three hits, three walks and two hit batsmen did Fischer in.

 

Brady Anderson gave up one hit in three solid innings of work. Anthony McIver allowed a hit in two innings.

 

Not a lot of offensive firepower on Wednesday for the Miracle. Zander Wiel hit his ninth double of the year and scored on Shane Kennedy’s first double. Kennedy then stole third base and was driven in by Brian Navarreto. The Miracle lineup struck out 12 times.

 

Fort Myers dropped to 13-14 on the season.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 6, Lake County 3

Box Score

 

Cedar Rapids used a balanced offensive attack and solid performances from their staff to win Wednesday’s tilt.

 

Tyler Beardsley struck out seven in seven strong innings. He allowed three runs on a walk and five hits (two solo home runs). He picked up his third win of the season. Alex Robinson struck out two and earned a hold. He allowed two hits. Max Cordy picked up his second save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He struck out one.

 

Despite giving up an early run, the Kernels answered back quickly. Jermaine Palacios extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a leadoff hit. He would come around to score on a Jaylin Davis groundout. Palacios is hitting a cool .391 on the young season.

 

After getting behind in the third inning, the Kernels strung together some keys hits to regain the lead. Christian Cavaness hit a leadoff double and scored on a Mitch Kranson single. Both Kranson and Jaylin Davis, who walked, scored when Ben Rortvedt doubled.

 

Cedar Rapids added two more in the bottom of the sixth. Aaron Whitefield singled, Brandon Lopez walked and Shane Carrier drove them both in with a double.

 

Davis and Whitefield also both stole bases, their third and fourth respectively.

 

The only batter in the lineup who has not yet been mentioned is Tuesday’s hero, Lewin Diaz, who went 1-4.

 

Cedar Rapids has ridden this hot streak to a 15-10 record. Seth will be in Cedar Rapids til Sunday, so there will be lots of Kernel talk popping off.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Beardsley, Cedar Rapids

Hitter of the Day – Edgar Corcino, Chattanooga

 

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester at Buffalo (12:05 CST) - RHP LHP Adalberto Mejia (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Chattanooga vs Pensacola (6:15 CST) - RHP Randy LeBlanc (0-1, 36.00 ERA)

Fort Myers vs Daytona (5:35 CST) - RHP Keaton Steele (1-3, 8.10 ERA)

Cedar Rapids vs Lake County (6:35 CST) - RHP Tyler Wells (2-0, 1.88 ERA)

 

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

 

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[glunn]

Nice writeup!

[nytwinsfan]

Nick Gordon is finally becoming the prospect we hoped he would be, and Lamonte Wade is also becoming a legit prospect. Really glad the new FO is being aggressive with these two and also with Fernando Romero.

[Vanimal46]

Big fan of Wade... Love the fact he's continuing to draw more walks than strikeouts. 

Also, nice to read that JRM's bat is finally coming around a bit in Rochester. 

[Yoke]

It's interesting with Wiel, because it seems like he's always doing well at the plate, but then I go look at his numbers and he has a .308 OBP. If you had asked me, and not given me a chance to look at the numbers, I would have said his average was about 40 points higher than it really is.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

If you read the Draftbook (not many of you did!) after Wade was drafted, there was a lot of mention of his last year at Maryland. He was hurt, missed a lot of the season. His signing scout told me that he'd be really good and that the scouting community missed on him. He comped Billy Burns when was playing well for Oakland. He was playing out of position at Maryland and the games he truly showed his potential - I believe a tournament in Alabama that postponed games due to rain so he was playing really late - were not scouted heavily.

 

Wade was a great find!

[nytwinsfan]

 

If you read the Draftbook (not many of you did!) after Wade was drafted, there was a lot of mention of his last year at Maryland. He was hurt, missed a lot of the season. His signing scout told me that he'd be really good and that the scouting community missed on him. He comped Billy Burns when was playing well for Oakland. He was playing out of position at Maryland and the games he truly showed his potential - I believe a tournament in Alabama that postponed games due to rain so he was playing really late - were not scouted heavily.

 

Wade was a great find!

 

Indeed, really nice job by Twins scouts on him. Sounds like he is a plus hitter, plus makeup, and adequate if not more than adequate defense and speed for a corner outfielder.  Only question as to whether he is a fourth outfielder or third outfielder is probably whether he can improve his power a bit more.  Who knows, in the modern baseball world, maybe a .340-.360 OBP guy with solid D can get be valuable with only 10-15 HRs in the corner outfield. Wade could potentially be that guy.

[Mike Sixel]

 

If you read the Draftbook (not many of you did!) after Wade was drafted, there was a lot of mention of his last year at Maryland. He was hurt, missed a lot of the season. His signing scout told me that he'd be really good and that the scouting community missed on him. He comped Billy Burns when was playing well for Oakland. He was playing out of position at Maryland and the games he truly showed his potential - I believe a tournament in Alabama that postponed games due to rain so he was playing really late - were not scouted heavily.

 

Wade was a great find!

 

Agreed, not matter how good he becomes, it was clearly good scouting.

[yarnivek1972]

The boxscore said only one of Turley's runs was earned.

 

Here is a good example of why I am skeptical of "fielding independent pitching era". An error made behind Turley should have resulted in the third out with the Red Wings in the dugout. Instead, the inning continued. Turley allowed another hit and two more unearned runs. But hits count against FIP. Is it really accurate to assume that Turley would have given up that hit in the next inning anyway?

[Mike Sixel]

The boxscore said only one of Turley's runs was earned.

 

Here is a good example of why I am skeptical of "fielding independent pitching era". An error made behind Turley should have resulted in the third out with the Red Wings in the dugout. Instead, the inning continued. Turley allowed another hit and two more unearned runs. But hits count against FIP. Is it really accurate to assume that Turley would have given up that hit in the next inning anyway?

He did give it up. He did not get the third out. Earned runs is also a defective stat, imo.

[yarnivek1972]

He did give it up. He did not get the third out. Earned runs is also a defective stat, imo.

You seem to be missing the point. He DID "get" the third out. That's what an error usually means. An out should have been recorded. That out would have ended the inning. Turley would have faced the next hitter under completely different circumstances.

 

I'm not trying to prop up Turley. He definitely pitched poorly. Perhaps so poorly that his defenders were on their heals. Just a general skepticism.