Article: Twins Minor League Report (6/6): Turley Blows RailRiders Away

[Steve Lein]

In the minors on Tuesday there were a few shortstop prospects who collected hits in bunches, including a near-cycle, but they couldn’t quite match the effort of a starter called up to AAA earlier in the day. He did something not many pitchers could say they’ve done over the first three innings, along with setting a career high for K’s on the game. Bad weather in Florida also wreaked havoc on the Miracle’s attempt at a mid-week series.To find out who made the headlines on 2-1 night in the system on Tuesday, read on.

 

TRANSACTIONS

 

Nik Turley was assigned again to Rochester on Tuesday, made the start for the Red Wings and made more than a statement to stay in AAA for good this time, and maybe even a call-up to the Twins. To make roomon the roster, right-handed pitcher Ryan Eades was swapped back to AA.

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Scranton Wilkes-Barre 1, Rochester 8

Box Score

 

The Red Wings offense exploded for multiple runs in each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings in this one to put the RailRiders away. But the story wasn’t that late offensive explosion to secure the victory.

 

The story was starter Nik Turley whose name has appeared quite frequently in these reports this season, but even he hadn’t done something like this.

 

What you ask? How about recording his first ten outs of the game via the strikeout.

 

He did punch out fourteen in a seven inning start for Chattanooga on April 25th, but would eclipse that number in six innings in this one, with fifteen K’s total. He did allow four hits (including two doubles) and two walks on the game, but whenever any trouble materialized he simply shrugged it off and overpowered the next hitter(s).

 

Mitch Garver started that scoring for Rochester with his fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot in the sixth. Zack Granite added an RBI single in the three-run seventh inning that also included three errors, and John Ryan Murphy added an RBI double in the two-run eighth to account for most of that late offense. Granite finished 3-5 with two runs scored.

 

Out of the bullpen, Drew Rucinski pitched two perfect innings including one strikeout, while Michael Tonkin allowed a run on two hits and a walk in the ninth to close out the game. He also struck out one.

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Jackson 4, Chattanooga 2 (14 innings)

Box Score

 

The Lookouts were taken into extra innings in this one, as the pitching staffs of both teams limited the chances throughout.

 

Matt Tracy made the start for Chattanooga and went the first six innings. He gave up a two-run home run in the fourth that made the score 2-1 in favor of the Generals, but that was it. He allowed five hits and two walks along with five strikeouts on the game.

 

Chattanooga scored single runs in the third and fifth innings thanks to the bat of Nick Gordon, who brought in the run with a single in both frames. The Lookouts left the bases loaded in that fifth inning, and with the game tied the bullpens took over.

 

Todd Van Steensel, Luke Bard and Mason Melotakis all pitched two scoreless frames for the home team, extending into the extra frames. Van Steensel was perfect in the seventh and eighth. Bard allowed two hits but struck out three in the ninth and tenth. Melotakis walked one and struck out three in the next two innings.

 

Jackson’s bullpen pitched nine scoreless innings, combining to allow just five hits and four walks, while striking out fourteen to keep Chattanooga from walking this one off.

 

Nick Anderson came on in the thirteenth frame and kept the game tied, but ran into trouble that spelled doom for the Lookouts in the fourteenth. Three singles, a walk, and a sac fly plated two runs for 4-2 Jackson lead.

 

Ryan Walker led off the bottom of the inning with a walk and Gordon reached base as the tying run with an infield single before an out was recorded, but a double-play ball and ground out shut the door on the extended game.

 

Gordon (4-6, 2 RBI, BB), Edgar Corcino (3-7), and Walker (2-5, R, 2B, BB) accounted for nine of the Lookouts eleven hits on the game. The rest of the team was 2-33 with twelve of their sixteen total strikeouts. They were just 2-14 with runners in scoring position and left thirteen men on base.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Cancelled – Rain.

 

After their game was postponed due to rain yesterday, the weather persisted in Palm Beach and both games today were cancelled. Per a press release from the Miracle, the games will not be made up.

 

Lewis Thorpe had started the game yesterday and his team was down 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth due to a couple of unearned runs when it was postponed. No stats from that game will count.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 7, Clinton 2

Box Score

 

Cedar Rapids notched runs in four of the first five innings in this one, jumping out to a 5-0 lead that would be more than enough offense for their pitching staff.

 

Lewin Diaz put them up 1-0 with an RBI double in the first inning, keeping his name at the top of the leaderboard for extra-base hits on the season with twenty-eight (21 2B, 3B, 7 HR). They scored two in the third thanks to an RBI triple from Jermaine Palacios and an RBI single from Jaylin Davis. In the fourth, after his first double of the season and advancing to third on a fielder's choice, Hank Morrison raced home on a wild pitch before Palacios clubbed his eighth home run to make it 5-0.

 

The LumberKings were held scoreless through the sixth inning thanks to the effort of Kernels starter Tyler Wells. In the high quality start, he allowed just two singles to the opposing offense while striking out seven. Of his 83 pitches, 56 went for strikes including eight swing-and-misses. He struck out the side in the fifth inning. He lowered his ERA to 2.05 on the season along with picking up his third win.

 

The Kernels tacked on two more runs in the eighth thanks to a Caleb Hamilton double, and he scored on a wild pitch.

 

In relief of Wells, Max Cordy allowed a run on a walk that was followed by an RBI double in the seventh, but struck out two in his inning. Colton Davis pitched a scoreless eight, striking out one. Patrick McGuff came on to finish the game, and gave up a run on a walk and a hit for the final score of 7-2.

 

Palacios finished a double short of the cycle with a 3-5 night and scored three runs in addition to his two RBI. Davis was the only other player with multiple hits and also drove in two.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Pitcher of the Day – Nik Turley, Rochester Red Wings (W, 6 IP, 4 H’s, 2 BB’s, 15 K’s)

Hitter of the Day – Jermaine Palacios, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, 3 R’s, 3B, HR, 2 RBI)

 

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Scranton Wilkes-Barre @ Rochester (11:35AM CST) – LHP David Hurlbut (3-3, 3.35 ERA)

Jackson @ Chattanooga (10:15AM CST) – RHP Felix Jorge (5-1, 3.39 ERA)

Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:05PM CST) – RHP Brady Anderson (2-1, 4.01 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30PM CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (4-1, 2.12 ERA)

 

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

 

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[drock2190]

Turley only has two good pitches, right? Fastball and curveball? Any chance he gets to the majors this year?

[Tommygun921]

I had been wonder why Turley's name hasn't been mentioned for a bullpen arm considering his strikeout rate. Seems he could help out quite a bit. I'm sure he'd have been considered if he were on the 40 man.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Turley only has two good pitches, right? Fastball and curveball? Any chance he gets to the majors this year?

 

I would think that he's suddenly strongly in the picture. I would keep expectations down. But he's a lefty, throws 91-94. The breaking ball is good. The stuff can be good. He can be pretty wild, and sometimes that is effectively wild. His 'stuff' is better than Buddy Boshers, but his control/command are not as good. I don't know that he can be real successful in MLB, but with these types of numbers, and the struggles of the back of the bullpen, it's worth consideration. 

[Steve Lein]

 

I had been wonder why Turley's name hasn't been mentioned for a bullpen arm considering his strikeout rate. Seems he could help out quite a bit. I'm sure he'd have been considered if he were on the 40 man.

 

He's probably a guy the Twins don't really know what they have with yet. I mean, his AA numbers are otherworldly, but he hadn't had the same type of success at AAA until last night.

 

But this type of thing gets you noticed, no matter who you are. And look at this damn breaking ball:

 

[Kernels Fan]

Watching all of those strikeouts combined really shows the frustration of these batters.  Hard for Tyler Wells to compete for Pitcher of the Day when he has Turley pitching that crazy stuff!

 

[John Kelsey]

After watching that video, I wonder if Turley could be a poor man's Rich Hill.

 

Hill eventually realized that no one could hit his curveball and eventually just started throwing it all the time which really turned around his career. 

 

Hill still struggles with command sometimes, which I'm sure Turley will too, but that might not be a bad model to follow. 

[nicksaviking]

Turley's been toiling away for a decade and figures something out now? It looks like Boston's AA club moved him to the pen just before releasing him last year, predictably his strikeouts jumped but his always poor walk rate did not improve. Then he goes to Indy ball and has since gotten a handle on the walks. Now 24 months later his relief inflated strikeout numbers and Indy league walk numbers carry over?

 

Is it just a case of small sample size? Or did he figure something out?

[beckmt]

I think the Twins should call Turley up later this week and send Rosario down to Rochester.  Rosario seems a little overmatched at this time and he will be back.  Meanwhile Twins are going to need relievers who can pitch multiple innings so why not give Turley a shot.  Maybe have him meet us in SF.

[bluechipper]

Jermaine Palacios continues to impress. He's hitting .327 with 8 HRs as a SS at 20 years old. 

 

His trajectory is a little similar to Felix Jorge on the pitching side. Both really struggled their first time in Low-A, but came back strong their second time around.

[108Stitches]

Turley needs a shot.

Btw how the hell are Tyler Wells and Jaylin Davis NOT MWL Allstars??

[108Stitches]

@beckmt is absolutely correct.

[Ben Noble]

 

Turley's been toiling away for a decade and figures something out now? It looks like Boston's AA club moved him to the pen just before releasing him last year, predictably his strikeouts jumped but his always poor walk rate did not improve. Then he goes to Indy ball and has since gotten a handle on the walks. Now 24 months later his relief inflated strikeout numbers and Indy league walk numbers carry over?

 

Is it just a case of small sample size? Or did he figure something out?

 

Turley, Trevor May and Alex Meyer are all 27 years old. Different players of course, but rhetorical question: would we be more or less likely to believe that Meyer had turned a corner and figured something out now?

[Steve Lein]

Of note in the video above, is there are two distinct different breaking balls being thrown. Turley confirms as much in this article on the start:

 

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/minnesota-twins-nik-turley-erupts-for-career-high-15-strikeouts/c-234789166/t-185364810

[gman]

Nice to see Diaz and Palacios continue their strong starts. Seems that they should be moved up a level in a few weeks.

[Steve Lein]

 

Nice to see Diaz and Palacios continue their strong starts. Seems that they should be moved up a level in a few weeks.

 

Once the All-Star games are played, I think we'll start to see such things.

[gil4]

 

Turley, Trevor May and Alex Meyer are all 27 years old. Different players of course, but rhetorical question: would we be more or less likely to believe that Meyer had turned a corner and figured something out now?

I'd say more, but that's because I always thought I saw the corner coming just down the road.

[gil4]

 

Is it just a case of small sample size? Or did he figure something out?

It's usually just SSS, but figuring something out sometimes happens, more often with pitchers than hitters.  It's an open question until he gets a shot or reverts to what he was. I think I could find room to give him a shot.  If he's better than Gibson or Santiago, then we haven't lost anything trying.

[yarnivek1972]

Scranton appears to be a team that likes to strike out as well. David Hurlbut recorded 11 K in 6 2/3 IP today and he's averaging about 6 or 7 per 9. Of course, any way you slice it, 15 K out of 18 outs is dealing. I'd say he's absolutely earned a shot. Give him 3-4 starts, if things go well, 3-4 more. If things don't work out as a starter, try him in the pen for 2-3 weeks. If what he is doing now truly doesn't play at the MLB level, at least he can say "I gave it a shot" and move on with his life.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Turley is by definition org filler, now that said, he's making a case for a 40 man add.  Not sure I'd do it just yet, but he might be a worthwhile gamble as a starting pitcher or reliever given the organizational weakness.  I wouldn't have high hopes for him at 27, but if something clicked, you have to give kudos to the org for seeing a potential diamond in the rough.  As bad as the pitching is on this team, I have to think he should get a shot at some point.