Article: Twins Minor League Report (8/17): Relievers Starting, Royce Rolling, And An Incredible Comeback For The Lookouts

[Eric R Pleiss]

The Twins dropped a truly frustrating game in the first half of a doubleheader, and then rode a great debut from Aaron Slegers over 6.1 innings, to win the nightcap. And Glen Perkins pitched for the first time in 10,000 days, or close to that.

 

Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Thursday, including three different relievers starting games!Transactions: The Twins recalled Aaron Slegers from Rochester, and Rochester grabbed Yohan Pino from Chattanooga to take Slegers’ spot. As we reported yesterday, Kohl Stewart will be called up to the Red Wings on Friday and make his first AAA start. The Twins recalled Nik Turley from Rochester, optioning Buddy Boshers to Rochester to make room. Cedar Rapids added Amaurys Minier to the seven-day DL, and activated Travis Blankenhorn from the DL.

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 1 @ Columbus 4

Box Score

 

The Red Wings could not figure out Columbus Clippers starter Adam Plutko, who gave up just six hits and struck out six over 7.0 innings. The Clippers bullpen kept the Wings off the board for the rest of the game. With just six hits, and a single run scored, not a great day at the plate for the Red Wings, but Kennys Vargas had a nice day, going 2-4 with a double, and Engelb Vielma was 2-3.

 

Reliever Drew Rucinski started his first game of the year for Rochester and only lasted 2.1 innings, giving up a pair of runs, on a pair of hits. He also walked one and struck out one. Yohan Pino came in and gave the Red Wings 3.1 innings of relief, but he also gave up a pair of runs while giving up three hits, walking no one and striking out three. Mason Melotakis kept the Clippers off the board for five outs, and Luke Bard finished the game, striking out the only two hitters he faced.

 

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga @ Tennessee

Box Score

 

With a 6-4 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Lookouts gave up seven runs in the bottom half of the inning when the wheels fell off for Randy Rosario. Rosario pitched a scoreless seventh, and then recorded only one out in the eighth. He was charged with six runs on six hits and two walks. Sam Clay came in and gave up a run of his own, and walked three in just 0.2 innings. Just like that, the game was seemingly out of reach.

 

Chattanooga turned things around in the top of the ninth inning, and thanks in part to SIX walks, took 12-11 lead, pushing their sixth and winning run across on a LaMonte Wade single with just one out in the ninth. Nick Anderson came on for the save, gave up a couple of singles, and struck three guys out to preserve the come- from-behind win for Sam Clay and the Lookouts.

 

LaMonte Wade led the way for the Lookouts on Thursday night, going 3-6 with that game-winning RBI. Edgar Corcino hit his third homer of the season, a grand slam, on a 1-4 night with a walk, a run scored and 5 RBI. Nick Gordon was 1-4 with three RBI and a walk.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Lakeland @ Fort Myers

Cancelled – Wet Grounds

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 11 @ Burlington 1

Box Score

 

The Kernels dropped a beat-down on the Burlington Bees on Thursday night, defeating the Bees at home, 8-0. Seemingly unable to do any wrong, Royce Lewis had another multi-hit game, going 2-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Aaron Whitefield was 3-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Lewin Diaz added three hits as well, going 3-5 with a double and a run scored.

 

Patrick McGuff, another reliever starting for the Twins MiLB teams on Thursday, went 4.0 innings, gave up no hits, walked two, struck out one, and kept the Bees off the board. Evan Sanders came up with 3.0 scoreless innings of his own, with two hits, one walk and two strikeouts. Colton Davis finished things off, holding the Bees hitless for 2.0 innings, walking no one and striking out two.

 

E-Twins E-Notes

Elizabethton 11 @ Bristol 1

Box Score

 

Boom! What a butt kicking by the Elizabethton Twins! The Twins dropped five in the second, two more in the third, and three more in the fourth to go up 10-0 before Bristol knew what hit them. The Twins used 18 hits to batter the Bristol Pirates, including 9-23 with runners in scoring position. J.J. Robinson was 3-5 with a home run. Wander Javier was 2-5 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs scored and Mark Contreras was 4-5 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored. What a game!

 

The Twins pitching staff had a great night as well, with starter Randy Dobnak picking up his first win of the year, going 6.0 innings, yielding six hits, one run scored, three walks and striking out eight. Blair Lakso gave up a hit over 2.0 innings, and Jose Martinez shut down the Pirates in the ninth, retiring all three batters he faced.

 

GCL Twins Takes

GCL Twins 5 @ GCL Rays 4

Box Score

 

The GCL Twins put up four runs in the top of the first inning, including a pair of runs before getting a hit after leadoff batter Emmanuel advanced to first base after striking out on a throwing error, and then two walks, a passed ball and a pair of ground outs. The other two runs came courtesy of a Jared Akins home run to right field. Akins, a 2017 13th-round draftee hit his second home run in the past week and has multiple hits in three of his last five games. Akins finished the game 2-3, adding a single and a walk.

 

Reliever Austin Bizzle, a 40th-round 2017 draftee, started for the Twins and gave up a run, a hit, a walk, and struck out one in 1.0 inning of work. He was replaced quickly by Landon Leach who went 4.0 innings, who gave up a pair of runs and hits. Carlos Suniaga finished things up for the Twins, pitching 4.0 innings, giving up just one hit, an unearned run (two fielding errors in the 9th from Roni Tapia), and he struck out three.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy Dobnak, Elizabethton Twins

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Mark Contreras, Elizabethton Twins

 

 

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester @ Louisville (6:05pm) – Kohl Stewart (AAA debut)

Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:00pm) – Felix Jorge (9-3, 3.52)

Fort Myers @ Tampa (6:00pm) - Clark Beeker (0-0, -.--)

Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35pm) – Anthony Marzi (4-2, 2.11)

Elizabethton @ Bristol (5:00pm) – Bailey Ober (1-1, 2.12)

GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (11:00am) - TBD

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

 

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[Dman]

I can't believe the Lookouts came back and won.  After the Rosario debacle I totally had them losing that game.  It has been a magical season for that group this year.  They just need to win the championship to finish this off right.