Article: Twins Minor League Report (7/9): Duran and Jax Deal

[Steve Lein]

Due to scheduling quirks, an All-Star break and rain, only two games were played in the Minnesota Twins minor league system on Tuesday night, but there were still some notable performances. The starting pitchers both delivered solid performances, a top prospect fresh off a Futures Game appearance clubbed a home run, and it took extra innings to decide one of the games.Keep reading to find out how it all went down in those games for your favorite prospects!

 

TRANSACTIONS

• In Double-A, Pensacola placed RHP Andro Cutura on the 7-day injured list.
• Fresh off his Futures Game appearance, RHP Jordan Balazovic was activated from the temporarily inactive list for Fort Myers.
• The Cedar Rapids Kernels released RHP Tanner Howell, assigned LHP Petru Balan to the GCL Twins, and were assigned RHP Rickey Ramirez from Fort Myers.
• In the Appalachian League, Elizabethton was assigned RHP Seth Pinkerton and placed RHP Owen Griffith on the 7-day injured list.
• The GCL Twins were assigned the recently inked SS Alec Craig, but in unfortunate news transferred RHP Landon Leach from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day IL.

RED WINGS REPORT

Triple-A All-Star Game Break

 

The Red Wings continue to be off for the Triple-A All-Star break. The game will be played Wednesday night with Tomas Telis and Brent Rooker representing the Twins organization for the International League squad.

 

BLUE WAHOOS BITES

Pensacola 4, Birmingham 2 (10 innings)

Box Score

 

It was a Southern League pitcher’s duel for the Blue Wahoos and Barons on Tuesday as the teams combined for just three runs and six hits through the game’s first eight innings.

 

Griffin Jax made the start for Pensacola and was fantastic over six innings. He allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks to notch a quality start. He struck out six and 55 of his 90 pitches went for strikes (61%), including fourteen swinging. Adam Bray came on for the seventh and went two scoreless innings in relief to get them through the eighth. He gave up one hit and walked one along with a strikeout.

 

To that point the score was 2-1 in favor of the Barons, with the Blue Wahoos lone run coming from a Jordan Gore home run in the third inning. In the top of the ninth Pensacola was able to tie the game thanks to a two-out RBI double from Southern League All-Star Caleb Hamilton. He drove in Mark Contreras who had led off the inning with a walk.

 

In the bottom of the ninth Sam Clay delivered a one-two-three inning including a strikeout to extend the game to extra innings.

 

In the top of the tenth, despite the runner starting on second base getting cut down on a fielder’s choice play, the Blue Wahoos were able to mount a rally with consecutive singles from Travis Blankenhorn and Alex Kirilloff that scored one. After a strikeout, Contreras stepped to the plate and clubbed a double to make it 4-2.

 

Clay was back out for the bottom half and recorded two quick outs before giving up a single to put runners on the corners. He buckled down on the next hitter, getting him to fly out to end the game. He finished with two scoreless innings and two strikeouts to pick up his third win of the season.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Daytona 2, Fort Myers 1

Box Score

 

Fort Myers starter Jhoan Duran put forth another strong outing, finishing six innings to record his fourth quality start of the year, and fourth in his last seven outings. He has yet to allow more than three runs in any start so far on the season. Against the Tortugas on this day, he allowed two runs in the fifth inning thanks to a home run, but that was it as he scattered six other hits along with no walks while punching out eight.

 

Unfortunately for him, he was bettered by Daytona’s pitchers as they held the Miracle offense in check for the first seven innings. Royce Lewis finally got the Miracle on the board in the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run, his seventh of the year.

 

Joe Record came on to begin the seventh and would finish the next 2 1/3 innings. He worked around a single in the seventh and single and walk in the eighth before running into some trouble in the ninth. An error by Lewis led off the inning, and a one-out walk later brought in Johan Quezada. He loaded the bases with a walk of his own, but then got a double-play ball to end the threat and give his team a chance in the bottom half.

 

They weren’t able to muster even a threat however, as they went down in order to fall to Daytona 2-1.

 

Lewis (2-for-4) and Ryan Costello (2-for-4, 2B) each collected multiple hits to lead the lineup that was 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left only six men on base all game.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Scheduled Day Off

 

Cedar Rapids got Tuesday off to travel the short distance back home after a three-game series with the Quad Cities River Bandits. They begin a six-game homestand against the Great Lakes Loons and Lansing Lugnuts starting Wednesday with right-hander Tyler Palm scheduled to take the mound.

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Scheduled Day Off

 

Like their Midwest League friends, Elizabethton had the day off to travel after a home-and-home two-game series against their rivals Johnson City. They begin a seven-game homestand against the Burlington Royals tomorrow night.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins -, GCL Pirates - Postponed

 

Multiple games in the Gulf Coast League were affected by rain on Tuesday, including the Twins facing off against the Pirates. They’ll get back to action for two against the Orioles tomorrow morning.

 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Pitcher of the Day – Jhoan Duran, Fort Myers Miracle (6 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 8 K)

Hitter of the Day – Royce Lewis, Fort Myers Miracle (2-for-4, HR, RBI)

 

PROSPECT SUMMARY

 

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

 

#1 - Royce Lewis (Fort Myers) - 2-for-4, HR (7), RBI

#2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 1-for-5, RBI, K

#3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder)

#4 - Trevor Larnach (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, K

#5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - No game

#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Fort Myers) - Did not pitch

#7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL) - Game postponed

#8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - All-Star Break

#9 - Jhoan Duran (Fort Myers) - L (1-8), 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 8 K

#10 - Blayne Enlow (Fort Myers) - Did not pitch

#11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - All-Star Break

#12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - All-Star Break

#13 - Ryan Jeffers (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, BB, K

#14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - All-Star Break

#15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - No game

#16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 0-for-3, 2 K

#17 - Akil Baddoo (Fort Myers) - Injured List (Tommy John surgery)

#18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did not pitch

#19 - Misael Urbina (DSL) - 1-for-1, RBI (defensive substitution in 8^th inning)

#20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 1-for-5, R, K

 

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester - Triple-A All-Star Game

Pensacola - Scheduled day off

Daytona @ Fort Myers (11AM CST) - TBD

Great Lakes @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Tyler Palm (1-4, 4.35 ERA)

Burlington @ Elizabethton (5:30PM 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]

If we haven't used Jake Reed, we'll never use him. Free Duran.

[Danchat]

Gotta love how well Duran has pitched, yet he has a 1-8 record. Good thing we're past the age of looking at wins and losses to determine how good a pitcher is!

[etwinsfan]

I truly hope you are being sarcastic about Etown having the day off to "travel?"

[Seth Stohs]

More on Alec Craig...

 

 

[FormerMinnasotan]

It looks like Landon Leach is a complete bust at this point. He barely pitched the last 2 seasons and this year apparently won’t pitch at all as he’s been moved to the 60 day DL. What happened to him?

[Seth Stohs]

 

I truly hope you are being sarcastic about Etown having the day off to "travel?"

 

Yeah, I like that most minor leagues give the day off for the All Star game. Southern League and Florida State League still played. I knew the Southern League played but I thought the FSL usually didn't. 

[Steve Lein]

 

I truly hope you are being sarcastic about Etown having the day off to "travel?"

 

Yes. In the same way I was not so sarcastic in saying Cedar Rapids travelled from Davenport.

[rdehring]

Have a question about that, Steve.  Does Cedar Rapids stay at a hotel in the Quad Cities when playing there?  Or do they take the hour plus bus ride every day?

 

Always good seeing Kirilloff and Lewis mentioned in these reports.  Was checking the Top 20 performance list and didn't see Jax.  Expect he is pitching his way onto some Top 20's come the end of the year.  That's assuming he is still part of the organization at that time.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Have a question about that, Steve.  Does Cedar Rapids stay at a hotel in the Quad Cities when playing there?  Or do they take the hour plus bus ride every day?

 

Always good seeing Kirilloff and Lewis mentioned in these reports.  Was checking the Top 20 performance list and didn't see Jax.  Expect he is pitching his way onto some Top 20's come the end of the year.  That's assuming he is still part of the organization at that time.

 

It's a commuter trip to Davenport. 

 

[Steve Lein]

 

It looks like Landon Leach is a complete bust at this point. He barely pitched the last 2 seasons and this year apparently won’t pitch at all as he’s been moved to the 60 day DL. What happened to him?

 

I've been trying to find any even tiny morsel of information on what is going on with Leach. Transfer to 60-day DL at this point, to me, says he's out for the season with some injury, but nobody has confirmed or discussed this that I can find anywhere.

 

Seth is probably your best bet to be able to find out, but in my experience nobody in the system is forthcoming with such information until the organization has already come out and said something about it.

[Twinsoholic]

Twins sign Auburn's Julien -- I could not find the Draft Thread to post this. Here is the AL.com link:

 

https://www.al.com/auburn/2019/07/auburn-baseballs-edouard-julien-signs-with-twins-after-getting-huge-second-offer.html

[PDX Twin]

I guess it's redemption for Blankenhorn and Kirilloff in the 10th. They came up with the bases loaded and no outs in the eighth and couldn't get a run home. They'll fit right in with the Twins.

[Dakota15]

I honestly forgot about Landon Leach as a prospect altogether.  I feel like I've barely even seen his name, either positively or negatively since we drafted him in the 2nd round (and 37th overall).  Almost as if he never even joined the system since we hear so little about him....

[Seth Stohs]

 

Twins sign Auburn's Julien -- I could not find the Draft Thread to post this. Here is the AL.com link:

 

https://www.al.com/auburn/2019/07/auburn-baseballs-edouard-julien-signs-with-twins-after-getting-huge-second-offer.html

 

I moved the Draft Signings thread back to the front page. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

It looks like Landon Leach is a complete bust at this point. He barely pitched the last 2 seasons and this year apparently won’t pitch at all as he’s been moved to the 60 day DL. What happened to him?

 

Chatted with Leach a bit this morning. Didn't go into a lot of detail, but he has had a couple of setbacks in the rehab of his arm. He's disappointed and just wants to pitch, but he has to be frustrated. Like I've pointed out, he's such a big, strong kid and he can throw hard. Just have to keep being patient... us and him.