Article: Twins Minor League Report (9/7): Dobnak Pitches Cedar Rapids Forward, Miranda Powers Miracle Ahead

[Tom Froemming]

Randy Dobnak and the Cedar Rapids Kernels bounced Beloit from the postseason after Dobnak delivered seven shutout innings. The Fort Myers Miracle won Game 1 of the FSL Championship Series thanks to some impressive pitching of their own and a powerful performance from Jose Miranda. Check out what else happened in the minor league playoffs Friday night.MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 3, Daytona 1

Box Score

 

W: Charlie Barnes (6.2 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K)

SV: Jovani Moran (2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K)

HR: Jose Miranda

Multi-hit games: Travis Blankenhorn (3-for-3), Jose Miranda (2-for-4, 2B, HR)

 

Game 1 of the Florida State League Championship Series opened up as a pitcher’s duel. Charlie Barnes of Fort Myers and Packy Naughton of Daytona each wiggled out of early jams, Barnes being the beneficiary of some great defense.

 

Daytona opened the third inning with consecutive singles and loaded the bases with one out. A potential sacrifice fly was hit out to Aaron Whitefield in center, but he turned it into an inning-ending double play instead, throwing out the runner trying to score.

 

This game was tied at 0-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth. Naughton retired the first two hitters he faced, but Alex Kirilloff hit a single to extend the inning and Jose Miranda delivered a huge two-run homer.

 

The Miracle added an insurance run in the seventh, as Caleb Hamilton hit a leadoff single, stole second base with two outs and came around to score on a Travis Blankenhorn single.

 

Things got way too interesting in the top half of the eighth inning. With Jovani Moran pitching, the Tortugas’ leadoff batter reached safely on a strike three passed ball. Moran hit the next batter, then gave up an RBI single. The Miracle finally got the first out of the inning on a pop out, but then Moran walked the bases loaded. Luckily, he got things straightened out and struck out the next two batters swinging.

 

Heading into the ninth up 3-1, Ryan Costello committed an error to put the leadoff man on, but Moran buckled down again and struck out the next three batters, all swinging.

 

Game 2 of this series takes place tomorrow evening. Griffin Jax will start for the Miracle.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 0 (7 innings)

Box Score

 

W: Randy Dobnak (7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K)

Multi-hit games: Akil Baddoo (3-for-4, 2B)

 

There’s nothing better than a dominant outing by a starting pitcher in postseason play. Randy Dobnak surely had the Snappers feeling helpless, as he shut them out for the full seven innings of this game.

 

Dobnak gave up just six hits and a walk and struck out eight. He was effectively aggressive, throwing 72 of his 92 pitches for strikes (78.3 percent).

 

Akil Baddoo was rock solid for Cedar Rapids at the plate. He hit a leadoff double in the first, but was eventually stranded there. In the second, he got the Kernels on the board with a two-out RBI single. He added another single in the middle of what was a two-run fourth inning for Cedar Rapids.

 

This game was only scheduled for seven innings because if the Kernels would have lost, a third and deciding game would have been played later in the evening on Friday.

 

With a victory in Game 2 of their series against Beloit, the Kernels advance to the Midwest League Western Division Championship, and will host Peoria tomorrow night. Bryan Sammons will be on the mound for Cedar Rapids.

 

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Randy Dobnak, Cedar Rapids

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Jose Miranda, Fort Myers

 

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed

 

1. Royce Lewis (FM): 1-for-4

2. Alex Kirilloff (FM): 1-for-4, R

6. Trevor Larnach (CR): 1-for-2, BB, RBI, K

8. Akil Baddoo (CR): 3-for-4, 2B, RBI, R, K

13. Travis Blankenhorn (FM): 3-for-3, RBI

18. Ryan Jeffers (CR): 0-for-3

 

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Fort Myers vs. Daytona, 6:00 pm CT: Griffin Jax (Game 2 of series, Miracle up 1-0)

Cedar Rapids vs. Peoria, 6:35 pm CT: Bryan Sammons (Game 1 of series)

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games.

 

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[Han Joelo]

"Effectively aggressive" is...an effective description.

 

Winning is the cake; top prospects performing well is the icing. (Not that all of the performers were prospects)

[Guest]

Interestingly this was the third time Beloit has had a look at Dobnak in the past 3 weeks (though one of those appearances was only 2 innings).

 

He told me after the game that, knowing he needed to do something different against them, he threw far fewer change-ups and more curveballs than he had been previously.

 

Just a really smart guy and one heck of a competitor. Never wants to come out of a game. 

[Squirrel]

A note or two on the Miracle game.

 

Miranda’s HR was high and deep, landed behind the berm in left field, a no-doubter off the bat. Miranda also made a really nice play at third. And the Whitefield throw was great. That fly out he caught wasn’t deep but it wasn’t short, either. Considering the play before he double/triple bounced a throw to the cut off man, I thought the runner on 3rd was going to score easily. But Whitehead’s throw was a spot on delivery - Rosario couldn’t have done it better. It was a very close play, too.

 

In the 8th, it just seemed to be one miscue after another ... the passed ball on the strike out was the first. And that was the only runner to score. Then the HBP on the first pitch of the next batter. The first out came with runners on first and third when the batter hit a high pop up between home and 3rd. Miranda comes in, he’s under it, and the ball drops right behind him. He quickly picked it up and threw the runner out at 2nd. No harm really, as there were still runners at the corners as before but now with one out; I was starting to get the feeling this might not end well. Then Moran walks the next one to load the bases. Then Moran just seemed to hit a groove and struck out the next two.

 

In the top of the 9th, a high pop up was hit to the 1st baseman. I don’t think he had to move more than a step. He’s under it ... and the ball lands right in front of him. It had the home crowd ‘oh no-ing’ and ‘what the heck-ing’. Then Moran just delivers it. It was petty exciting. But either the Tortuga batters were just over anxious or Moran is a very deceptive pitcher, because there was a lot of swinging at high and in the dirt balls over the 5 strikeouts he got. It also felt like he needed to strike out everyone because the defense didn’t help in a few spots, and neither did Moran himself before he struck out the final two in the 8th.

 

But it was a very good game to be at, and it didn’t rain despite lots of dark clouds all around.

[RaymondLuxuryYacht]

Good relief appearance by Moran after a nice one by Quezada yesterday.

[rdehring]

Great games for Baddoo and Miranda.  Don't know about his D, but Miranda's bat just may play on the big stage.  Sure has been good in the playoffs.

 

Am I correct and the Miracle have both Graterol and Cutura available for 2 of the remaining 4 games?  I know Jax hasn't been as sharp the last couple times out.  Expect the innings have begun getting to him.  See that he was pitching on 5 days rest, will have 7 days rest today so maybe he will be closer to what he was earlier in the season.  Would be nice to travel over to Daytona with a 2-0 lead!

 

 

[slash129]

Randy Dobnak has got to be one the better under the radar stories in the system. Going from undrafted to being the Kernels workhorse in a very successful season for that team, despite the moving parts, is fun to see. Gardenhire knows he can ask him to go seven, open or come in when someone else has a short outing.

 

Baddoo has had a good season too, but Dobnak is probably their MVP.

[Guest]

Nice highlight video from the Kernels of Friday night's game.

 

https://youtu.be/jPJpR8ux2S4

 

 

[Monkeypaws]

So, are we excited about Jovani Moran? 

 

Don't know what he throws, but he kicked A ball's butt this year being 1-2 years younger that his competition.

 

All told, 76IP, only 45 hits allowed, 107 Ks. 2.25 ERA. There are the 35 walks in 76 innings, but...impressive.

[Weave]

 

[Weave]

Interestingly this was the third time Beloit has had a look at Dobnak in the past 3 weeks (though one of those appearances was only 2 innings).

 

He told me after the game that, knowing he needed to do something different against them, he threw far fewer change-ups and more curveballs than he had been previously.

 

Just a really smart guy and one heck of a competitor. Never wants to come out of a game.

 

 

Thank you Steve for your Compliments toward Randy. I hope we get to watch some more Baseball in Cedar Rapids this year.

[Weave]

 

Randy Dobnak has got to be one the better under the radar stories in the system. Going from undrafted to being the Kernels workhorse in a very successful season for that team, despite the moving parts, is fun to see. Gardenhire knows he can ask him to go seven, open or come in when someone else has a short outing.

 

Baddoo has had a good season too, but Dobnak is probably their MVP.

 

 

 

 

Slash Thank you for the kind words.

[Weave]

I jokingly tell people all the time that he (Randy) is the Kernels pitcher that no one knows. LOL  Thank you for your comments about him.