Article: Twins Minor League Report (7/25): Miracle Win in Extras Behind Stellar Pitching

[Steve Lein]

Minnesota Twins affiliates went 4-1 on Tuesday on a pretty good day throughout the system. Chattanooga kept on trucking with a top prospect on the mound, the rookie league teams scored a lot of runs, and Fort Myers needed extra innings in a game dominated by pitching on both sides. A major leaguer also made a rehab appearance with Rochester.To find out who did what in the minors on Tuesday, read on!

 

 

TRANSACTIONS

 

There were a few of transactions before the games on Tuesday. Minnesota sent Hector Santiago on a rehab assignment to Rochester and he started their game. The option of Kyle Gibson was also made official.

 

In the Gulf Coast League Derek Molina was activated from the disabled list and made his pro debut with the start.

 

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 1, Indianapolis 5

Box Score

 

The Red Wings had trouble solving Indians starter and top prospect Tyler Glasnow, who improved to 6-0 with a 1.46 ERA in Triple-A after struggling in his first taste of the majors with Pittsburgh. He held Rochester to just one run on four hits and three walks.

 

Hector Santiago made the rehab start for the Red Wings and labored through just 1+ innings. He surrendered four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks. Drew Rucinski came in to the game for him after the first three hitters reached base in the second inning. If not for an Engelb Vielma error on a double-play ball, Rucinski may have gotten them out of the inning with little damage. He was literally unhittable. In four innings he struck out four, retiring twelve of the other hitters he faced and ten in a row after that error.

 

In case you were wondering, over the months of June and July back with Rochester, Rucinski has pitched 25.0 innings, allowing just one run on fourteen hits and one walk, while striking out seventeen. (That’s pretty good…)

 

Matt Hague finally got the Wings on the board versus Glasnow in the sixth, as he led off the frame with his eighth home run. They added one in the ninth on an RBI single from John Ryan Murphy that was basically seceded by defensive indifference. The offense as a team was just 1-4 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.

 

Mason Melotakis pitched 1.1 innings of relief after Rucinski, allowing one run on two hits and a walk before Michael Tonkin finished the final 1.1 innings. He allowed one hit and struck out three (and continues his dominance of AAA).

 

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Birmingham 4, Chattanooga 9

Box Score

 

Chattanooga is a train that just keeps on rolling as they improved to a remarkable 24-7 in the second half of the season. If you take into account the first half when they won the Southern League North Division, they have an 11 game lead on the second place team in the standings.

 

One of the main reasons why they have been so good is their starting rotation and on Tuesday it was Stephen Gonsalves' turn. Even though he wasn’t necessarily at his best, he picked up his seventh win of the season by going 5.2 innings. He allowed two runs on three hits and three walks as 51 of his 98 pitches went for strikes. He struck out six.

 

Andy Wilkins gave the Lookouts the early 1-0 lead when he led off the second inning with his eighth home run of year. In the fourth they took back the lead 3-1 on a bases-loaded walk to Max Murphy and sacrifice fly from Ryan Walker.

 

Randy Rosario came on with runners on first and second in the sixth and promptly gave up a double, but the throw from LaMonte Wade and relay from Gordon got the tying runner at home to end the inning and keep Gonsalves in line for the win. Rosario went 2.1 innings, allowing 2 runs on four hits. He walked none and struck out none.

 

The Lookouts offense then exploded for a six-run bottom of the sixth. Even more impressive, all the runs scored after a double-play to notch the first two outs. Murphy, Walker and Travis Harrison all drew walks to load the bases after that before Carlos Paulino scored two with a single. Nick Gordon then delivered an RBI single, Wade a 2-RBI double, and Wilkins capped the inning with an RBI single and 9-2 lead.

 

Nick Anderson came out for the ninth and if not for an error was perfect. He struck out two.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 1 (13 innings)

Box Score

 

If you like pitching and defense, this was your type of game as both teams combined for just thirteen hits and two runs through the first nine innings. They then went four more before any more runs were scored.

 

Cody Stashak made the start for the Miracle, but unfortunately only went two innings before being removed from the game for an apparent injury. He allowed only a single before his exit.

 

David Fischer went the next three scoreless innings, walking three and striking out two. Williams Ramirez pitched a scoreless sixth before getting himself ejected in the seventh. He pitched 1.1 innings and was on the hook for the bases being loaded. Alex Muren came on in relief of him and a sac fly gave Lakeland a 1-0 lead, but escaping that jam without any further damage proved to be the pivotal point in the game. Muren finished 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing no runs on two hits and walk. He struck out two.

 

Sam Clay took over in the extra frames, and brought them into the thirteenth with 3.0 scoreless innings of his own. He gave up one hit, one walk and struck out four. Due to his offense's rally in the top of thirteenth, he improved to 8-0 on the season with a 1.36 ERA. He hasn’t given up a run in his last seventeen appearances dating back to May 31^st and spanning 27.0 innings pitched.

 

In the top of the thirteenth the Miracle offense finally woke up, as singles from Brandon Lopez and Sean Miller put a runner in scoring position before a wild pitch and intentional walk loaded the bases for Nelson Molina. His double brought in two for 3-1 Miracle lead, and a passed ball later in the frame made it 4-1.

 

Tom Hackimer came on to close the door, and did so for his third save with the Miracle and ninth of the season. He allowed a single and struck out one.

 

Jermaine Palacios (2-7, R, 3B), Lopez (2-5, R) and Brian Navaretto (2-5) each had two hits to lead the offense. Zander Wiel was 1-3, drew three walks and scored a run.

 

The teams combined to go just 2-21 with runners in scoring position on the game, and left 21 men on base.

 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Scheduled Day Off

 

The Kernels had the day off on Tuesday as they travel to Peoria for a three-game series on the road. They went 3-3 on their six game homestand against Great Lakes and Lansing and have some work to do in the second half of the season as they are just 14-17 and six games back of the Western Division-leading Quad Cities River Bandits.

 

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 9, Pulaski 3

Box Score

 

Elizabethton got multiple hit efforts from five hitters in their lineup Tuesday night as they handed Pulaski just their fourth loss of the season at home.

 

Robert Molina (2-4, R, 2B, RBI) was one of those hitters and his RBI double in the second inning got the scoring started for the Twins. Mark Contreras (2-3, R, RBI) and Matt Albanese added sacrifice flies to make it 3-0 after two.

 

Melvi Acosta made the start for Elizabethton and went the first 5.2 innings. He allowed two runs on three hits but control was a problem as he walked five. He also struck out five. With two outs in the sixth his final walk ended his day at 92 pitches (50 for strikes).

 

The Twins added four runs in the top of the fifth after Akil Baddoo (2-5, R, 3B, 2 RBI) led off the inning with his first triple. Jose Miranda brought him in with a sac fly before Shane Carrier (2-5, 2 R’s, HR, 2 RBI) and Kolton Kendrick (2-5, 2 R’s, HR, RBI) hit back-to-back jacks to make the score 7-2 in favor of E-Town. They added two more insurance runs in the eighth on a two-RBI single from Baddoo.

 

In relief of Acosta Juan Gamez went 1.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out two. Ricky Ramirez finished the game with 1.2 innings of scoreless ball. He allowed one hit and struck out one.

 

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 8, GCL Orioles 5

Box Score

 

The Twins jumped out to an 8-0 lead after four innings and it was more than enough to hold off a sixth inning rally from the Orioles.

 

The offense put up crooked numbers in each of the first, second and fourth innings.

 

In the first Royce Lewis led off the game with a walk, advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw, stole third base after Jean Carlos Arias was hit by a pitch, and then scored on steal attempt of second base that led to a throwing error from the catcher. Ricky De La Torre drove in Arias with a single for the 2-0 lead after one. The Twins attempted four steals in the first inning alone, with only De La Torre getting thrown out.

 

A three-run two-out rally came in the second inning as a double from Jared Akins was followed by an RBI single from Lewis, and a two-RBI triple from Arias. Three more runs scored in the fourth thanks to Arias (RBI single), an error to score Akins, and a wild pitch that allowed Arias to scamper home from third.

 

2017 14^th-round draft pick Derek Molina made his professional debut on the mound and went the first three innings. The right-hander out of Merced College in California gave up just two hits and struck five. Pedro Garcia added two scoreless innings before running into trouble in the sixth. He was replaced by Matz Schutte with two outs and ended up allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in 2.2 innings. Two of those runs came because Schutte gave up a grand slam after walking his first batter but got out of the inning with the score 8-5. Vadim Balan pitched the final three innings and picked up his fourth save in the process. He allowed just one hit and walked one while striking out two.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Pitcher of the Day – Fort Myers Miracle Staff (13 IP, 13 H’s, 5 BB, 9 K’s, 1 run allowed. W-Sam Clay, S-Tom Hackimer)

Hitter of the Day – Andy Wilkins, Chattanooga Lookouts (3-4, 2 R’s, HR, 2 RBI, BB)

 

 

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester @ Indianapolis (12:35PM CST) – RHP Dillon Gee (2-1, 2.14 ERA)

Birmingham @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (4-4, 3.63 ERA)

Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30PM CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (2-1, 2.11 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:00PM CST) – RHP Tyler Beardsley (3-4, 5.98 ERA)

Elizabethton @ Pulaski (6:00PM CST) – TBD

GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00AM CST) – TBD

 

 

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

 

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[Jham]

51 of 98 for strikes against minor leaguers, and posters are claiming Gonsalves is already better than Gibby, Hector, Colon, and Mejia. You won't make it through 3 big league innings doing that.

[carlito_b]

I assumed once clay got moved back to the pen they'd be aggressive with him given his age but I guess not.. Seems to be a reoccurring theme with college relief pitchers dominating their level but not gettin promoted.. (curtis, hildenberger)

[Seth Stohs]

 

I assumed once clay got moved back to the pen they'd be aggressive with him given his age but I guess not.. Seems to be a reoccurring theme with college relief pitchers dominating their level but not gettin promoted.. (curtis, hildenberger)

 

Curtiss moved up three levels in about 15 months... Not sure that's exactly slow. 

[mikelink45]

Glad to see Santiago continuing his brilliance in AAA, let's leave him there.   Rucinski is a player that I really do not know much about but he looks brilliant in AAA, but was terrible in MLB.  What is his back story.  Does he have a future?  I know AAA is usually not as rich in true prospects as AA, is that true this year too? 

 

 

[Dman]

That Elizabethton lineup is crazy good.  Lots of 20 year olds there doing really well with the bats.  If that group moves to Cedar Rapids next year they are going to have an All Star lineup.  The Only problem might be pitching.  Not sure if they can find enough really good arms.  At any rate I am pretty excited about that group moving through the system.

[blindeke]

Really want the Twins to get rid of the olds and call up the kids. Bartolo is funny but c'mon

[Dman]

Wondering if Gore is going to get Moved to A ball as he is or was hitting 400.  He is older so would be nice to see him move faster.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Glad to see Santiago continuing his brilliance in AAA, let's leave him there.   Rucinski is a player that I really do not know much about but he looks brilliant in AAA, but was terrible in MLB.  What is his back story.  Does he have a future?  I know AAA is usually not as rich in true prospects as AA, is that true this year too? 

 

Rucinski is 28. Spent some time with the Angels in 2014 and 2015. Was in AAA for the Cubs in 2016. Got a little time with the Twins this year. Obviuosly he's a solid AAA pitcher who could be OK in the big leagues in the right role and given some time/patience. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Wondering if Gore is going to get Moved to A ball as he is or was hitting 400.  He is older so would be nice to see him move faster.

 

He's a 19th round pick from Coastal Carolina... so sure, they could move him up to Cedar Rapids and he'd probably be alright. 

[PDX Twin]

"Chattanooga is a train that just keeps on rolling as they improved to a remarkable 24-7 in the second half of the season."  

 

That, presumably, is the proverbial Chattanooga Choo-Choo?

[clutterheart]

 

That Elizabethton lineup is crazy good.  Lots of 20 year olds there doing really well with the bats.  If that group moves to Cedar Rapids next year they are going to have an All Star lineup.  The Only problem might be pitching.  Not sure if they can find enough really good arms.  At any rate I am pretty excited about that group moving through the system.

 

Agree, and right behind them are guys who also could be at CR sometime next year, guys like Jean Carlos Arias,  Lewis, & De La Torre with Marte behind them.  The development staff is going to have to make positional switches in the future, but for now that group has some fun bats to watch.  

Edited July 26, 2017 by clutterheart

[Yoke]

 

Rucinski is 28. Spent some time with the Angels in 2014 and 2015. Was in AAA for the Cubs in 2016. Got a little time with the Twins this year. Obviuosly he's a solid AAA pitcher who could be OK in the big leagues in the right role and given some time/patience. 

Is that pretty much the same evaluation for Tonkin? Maybe the only difference is Tonkin was given more time at the big league level?

[Seth Stohs]

 

Is that pretty much the same evaluation for Tonkin? Maybe the only difference is Tonkin was given more time at the big league level?

 

Tonkin has a bigger fastball, and a better slider. He "looks" more like a prospect. 

[John Kelsey]

What's Nick Anderson's story? What is he throwing to be so dominant?

[puckstopper1]

 

51 of 98 for strikes against minor leaguers, and posters are claiming Gonsalves is already better than Gibby, Hector, Colon, and Mejia. You won't make it through 3 big league innings doing that.

JHam - Yes, Gonsalves was a bit wild yesterday, and the 3 walks helped to inflate his WHIP to a whopping 1.00 for the season.  

 

We know what we have in Gibby, Hector, and Colon, and they should have no part of a contenting team.  We don't fully know what we have in Gonsalves, but he is most likely part of the future.  That is why people are anxious to see what he can do in AAA or the Bigs.

[Pitz]

That Elizabethton lineup is crazy good. Lots of 20 year olds there doing really well with the bats. If that group moves to Cedar Rapids next year they are going to have an All Star lineup. The Only problem might be pitching. Not sure if they can find enough really good arms. At any rate I am pretty excited about that group moving through the system.

They could have some decent pitching as well. I would think Barnes and Widell will be there. Guys like Stewart and Gonsalves were there the year after they were drafted so Enlow and perhaps Leach could be there and pootentially Graterol. The Kernels should have a very exciting squad next year.

Edited July 26, 2017 by Pitz

[Dman]

 

They could have some decent pitching as well. I would think Barnes and Widell will be there. Guys like Stewart and Gonsalves were there the year after they were drafted so Enlow and perhaps Leach could be there and pootentially Graterol. The Kernels should have a very exciting squad next year.

Barnes and Widell have looked good early at Elizabethton as well.  I really like both of them and agree they along with maybe Colina will be moved to Cedar Rapids.  I am not sure if they will move Enlow and Leach there or not.  If they do I agree that would be a pretty exciting rotation as well.  I was hoping Balazovic was going to be a fast riser but it looks like he might take a bit longer to get to Cedar.  If the Pitching holds for Cedar Rapids that is going to be a monster team next year at least for the first half.

Edited July 26, 2017 by Dman

[Seth Stohs]

 

What's Nick Anderson's story? What is he throwing to be so dominant?

 

From Brainerd, went to St. Cloud State for three years, then Mayville State. Was drafted by the Brewers, but never offered a deal. Went indy leagues. Twins signed him and he's dominated three levels now. He throws mid-90s. That's the main thing. But he's got a slider too. 

[Seth Stohs]

With Eduardo Del Rosario promoted to Ft. Myers today (likely taking the spot of Cody Stashak)... I'd guess Charlie Barnes would be the one to move up to Cedar Rapids. 

[Pitz]

With Eduardo Del Rosario promoted to Ft. Myers today (likely taking the spot of Cody Stashak)... I'd guess Charlie Barnes would be the one to move up to Cedar Rapids.

If thats the case Etown will have lost 2 SPs from their rotation. I guess Widell did just start pitching for them, but I wonder how they will fill those spots.

Edited July 26, 2017 by Pitz

[Seth Stohs]

 

If thats the case Etown will have lost 2 SPs from their rotation. I guess Widell did just start pitching for them, but I wonder how they will fill those spots.

 

I mean, a lot of the college pitchers drafted were starters in college and can be stretched out. They have 35-man rosters, so they'll be fine.

[Jham]

JHam - Yes, Gonsalves was a bit wild yesterday, and the 3 walks helped to inflate his WHIP to a whopping 1.00 for the season.

 

We know what we have in Gibby, Hector, and Colon, and they should have no part of a contenting team. We don't fully know what we have in Gonsalves, but he is most likely part of the future. That is why people are anxious to see what he can do in AAA or the Bigs.

I don't disagree for the most part. I'd have moved him to AAA a month ago. My post was specifically rebuttal to posts I've seen assuming to already know what we have. I hope the FO knows, but then again, they have him in AA.