Article: Twins Minor League Report (9/3): Playoff Atmosphere, Lewis Injured

[Cody Christie]

Labor Day Weekend is here and with it comes what many consider the last weekend of summer. For baseball fans, this means the playoffs are right around the corner. Luckily for fans of the Twins organization almost every affiliate will be competing in postseason play. Only the Red Wings have yet to clinch a playoff birth.

 

The GCL and Elizabethton Twins started their playoff journeys on Sunday. Rochester entered Sunday with a two-game lead in the wild card race. What kind of drama would unfold? Read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 2, Pawtucket 7

Box Score

Entering play on Sunday, Rochester held their playoff fate in their own hands. The club was leading the wild card standings with two games to play. Lehigh Valley was the only other club still in the race and they had a doubleheader on Sunday where they could make up some ground.

 

Both Robbie Grossman and Hector Santiago were scheduled to start for Rochester as part of their rehab assignment. Santiago struggled on the mound by allowing five earned runs on eight hits including two home runs. He struck out four and walked two. Chris Heston allowed one solo home run in three innings of work. Drew Rucinski finished off the game with two shutout innings.

 

Matt Hauge was the lone bright spot at the plate. He went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles as he reached 30 doubles on the season. Daniel Palka picked up both RBI in the game as part of a 1-for-4 effort.

 

Lehigh Valley won their first game on Sunday to cut the Red Wings wild card lead to 0.5 game. In their second game of the day, they would win again which means the two clubs will enter play on Monday tied in the wild card standings.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 5, Montgomery 1

Box Score

It took five innings for the Lookouts bats to wake up but they continued to roll against Montgomery. Chattanooga has won 14 of their last 15 games against Montgomery including wins in the last six games. Randy LeBlanc had a lot to do with tonight's win as he tossed eight innings of one-run ball. He struck out seven and didn't issue a free pass. Todd Van Steensel closed out the ninth with two strikeouts.

 

Edgar Corcino has been destroying Biscuits pitching in this series. In all four games, he's recorded multiple hits. His biggest hit in this game was a three-run home run. For the series, Corcino is 9-for-19 with two doubles, a home run, and seven RBI. LaMonte Wade, Ryan Strausborger, and Alex Perez all had multi-hit games. Brian Olson was the only starter that failed to reach base.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 2, Jupiter 7

Box Score

In the regular season finale, the Miracle didn't have much on the line. Monday will be an off-day for the club before Game 1 of the 2017 FSL South Division Championship series against the Palm Beach Cardinals on Tuesday at Hammond Stadium.

 

Brent Rooker and Jermaine Palacios both went 2-for-4 with Palacios collecting a double and a triple. Zander Wiel collected his 30th double of the season. Kevin Garcia went 1-for-4. The team went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base.

 

Brady Anderson pitched four innings and allowed two runs on five hits while striking out five. Eduardo Del Rosario was hit around for five earned runs while walking three. Alex Robinson, Williams Ramirez, and Michael Theofanopoulos combined for four shutout innings to end the game. Ramirez struck out three over two innings.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 2, Beloit 3

Box Score

Royce Lewis started the game by reaching base on a fielding error but he was removed from the game. He left the field under his own power and was replaced by Trey Cabbage. Tommy Watkins had this to say after the game:

Cabbage came around to score on a Caleb Hamilton single and the Kernels had an early 1-0 lead.

 

Randy Dobnak tossed seven strong innings, allowing two runs over seven frames. He struck out one and walked one on the way to a no-decision. Jordan Gore and Travis Blankenhorn both doubled in the eighth to help the Kernels tie the game.

 

Ryan Mason took over for Dobnak and had to deal with a bunch of bunts by Beloit. The first batter of the inning bunted and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a sacrifice bunt and a walk, Jesus Lopez used a squeeze bunt to push across the winning run.

 

The Kernels host the Kane County Cougars in Game 1 of the MWL Western Division Quarterfinals on Wednesday, September 6th.

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 2, Greeneville 3 (Appalachian League Playoffs- Game 1)

Box Score- Best-of-3 Series

J.J. Robinson staked the E-Twins to an early lead with a lead-off home run in the top of the second inning. Bailey Ober got the Game 1 start and quickly gave back a run in the bottom of the second. Overall, he allowed two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and no walks. It was his second start out of his last three where he pitched six innings and allowed two runs or fewer.

 

Akil Baddoo, the Twins Minor League Player of the Week, walked to start the top of the eighth. With two outs in the frame, Jose Miranda doubled to right field and Baddoo came around to tie the game. Jared Finkel saw the lead evaporate in the bottom half of eighth. With one out, Wilson Amador singled and this was followed by Juan Pineda triple that became the game-winning hit.

 

The E-Twins have to win each of the next two games to advance in the Appy League Playoffs.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 0, GCL Nationals 4 (GCL Semifinals)

Box Score

The GCL Twins couldn't get their offense firing on all cylinders in this one as only three batters in the line-up managed to record a hit. Benjamin Rodriguez and Taylor Grzelakowski both went 2-for-4 with a double but neither batter was able to come around and score. Kerby Camacho was the only other Twins hitter to record a hit as he went 1-for-2. Overall, the team went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.

 

Third-round pick Blayne Enlow started for the GCL and made it through five innings. He allowed three earned runs (four total runs) on five hits with six strikeouts and one walk. Kevin Marnon and Derek Molina combined for three shutout innings in relief with Molina recording strikeouts for three of the five outs he collected.

 

The GCL Twins saw their season come to a heartbreaking end but there were plenty of strong performances throughout the season.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga Lookouts (8.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 K, 0 BB)

Hitter of the Day – Edgar Corcino, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R)

 

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester vs. Pawtucket (12:35 CST) - LHP Adalberto Mejia (0-1, 3.04 ERA)

Chattanooga vs.Mississippi (1:15 CST) - RHP Ryan Eades (3-3, 3.87 ERA)

Fort Myers- Scheduled Off-Day

Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (2:00 CST) - TBD

Elizabethton vs. Greeneville (6:00 CST) - TBD

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

 

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[jokin]

 

 Brian Olson was the only starter that failed to reach base.

 

Olson did reach on a HBP.

[h2oface]

Levi Michael is listed in the box for both Chattanooga and Rochester! How does this happen? If it is so..... isn't this a story?

 

Edit....... ah..... the Chattanooga link goes to the August 20 box.

 

1-5 on the day for the farm. Ouch.

[ScooterDance]

 

Lewis Injured

 pooped myself

 

skipper Tommy Watkins, SS Royce Lewis "should be fine."

felt silly whilst cleaning up the poopsies

[stringer bell]

What happens to the rehabbing major leaguers? If Rochester doesn't make the playoffs, can Santiago and/or Meíja start playoff games for the Lookouts? What if Rochester does make the playoffs--can Grossman and the two pitchers play in playoff games?

[bluechipper]

It's nice to see LaMonte Wade have a strong finish to the season. The Twins have more than their fair share of left handed hitting outfielders in the high minors and in the MLB.

[nowheresville]

Lewis's injury looked like the kind of utmost caution you take with a $7 million investment. Seems like he slightly tweeked something running down the line, but nothing at all serious. He stayed in the dugout the whole game and seemed perfectly fine walking back to the clubhouse after the game. I strongly suspect that if this was a major league game with playoff implications, instead of an irrelevant end of the year Low-A game, he would have kept playing. Similarly, while I wouldn't be surprised if he played today, I also wouldn't be shocked at all if he sits for one more day, and returns to the lineup on Wednesday.

[nowheresville]

 

What happens to the rehabbing major leaguers? If Rochester doesn't make the playoffs, can Santiago and/or Meíja start playoff games for the Lookouts? What if Rochester does make the playoffs--can Grossman and the two pitchers play in playoff games?

 

Rehabbing MLB players can be assigned to any minor league team that is still playing, just like the regular season. There are no additional restrictions on where or when they can play during the minor league playoffs.

 

[Tommygun921]

Seems the more Santiago pitches the more he hurts his contract for 2018. He needs to fake an injury or something to get out of the 2017 season.

[Bob Sacamento]

Brent Rooker ABs on 9/3/17

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2noJH1GeVg

 

 

Jermaine Palacios ABs on 9/3/17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aecndxxjhxM