Front Page: Twins Minor League Report (8/22): Rochester Rakes and Elizabethton Electrifies, Big Numbers Light up the Board

[Ted Schwerzler]

Tonight on the farm there were a pair of affiliates that scored runs in bunches. The Red Wings put on a hitting clinic and the E-Twins saw every batter record a base hit. Jordan Balazovic had a shortened but strong outing, and a pair of outfielders showed progress in their rehab assignments. Read all about it below.TRANSACTIONS

Rochester

OF Luke Raley begins rehab assignment with GCL

Pensacola

OF LaMonte Wade Jr. rehab transferred from Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids

LHP J.T. Perez placed on IL with lower back strain

RHP Alex Schick activated from IL

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 20, Buffalo 3

Box Score

 

After losing by three last night it didn’t matter who was on the mound as the Red Wings pounded out 20 runs on 19 hits. Kohl Stewart went five innings allowing just two hits and no runs while fanning two. This one was a laugher en route to his eighth win of the season.

 

The scoring started early for Rochester with a four-run first being followed by a five- run second. The third inning came up, short generating just two runs, but after the first third of the game the good guys were ahead 11-0. Buffalo tried to make a game of it answering with a trio in the sixth, but Rochester responded with a nine-spot in the bottom half.

 

Five of the Red Wings batters recorded three or more hits on the evening, with Tomas Telis going a perfect 4-for-4. Turtle man himself went 3-5 out of the two-hole, scoring three times. Brandon Barnes launched his 28th dinger of the season, a grand slam, and Ronald Torreyes grabbed his 11th.

 

 

This one wasn’t competitive from the get go and the Red Wings pulverized the Bison, holding the opposition to just three hits.

 

Zack Littell worked 2 1/3 scoreless while not allowing a hit and Jake Reed struck out the side to close out the contest.

 

BLUE WAHOOS BITES

Mississippi 3, Pensacola 1

Box Score

 

Adam Bray was back in Florida for this one and he turned in four strong for the Wahoos. Keeping the Braves scoreless, he worked around three hits and three walks while striking out three. No one had pushed a run across when he had left the game, and it would be on Pensacola to try to strike first.

 

The game’s first runs came in the sixth inning when Mississippi put up a crooked number. Tallying a three spot, Pensacola found themselves in a late hole. The only answer they could muster came on Jimmy Kerrigan’s ninth homer of the season in the eighth. It was his second in two days and as a solo shot, represented the lone offense for the visitors.

 

Pensacola generated just four hits on the night, and two of them came from leadoff hitter Alex Kirilloff. LaMonte Wade joined Royce Lewis, Trevor Larnach, and Ryan Jeffers in the 0-fer department.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 5, Charlotte 2

Box Score

 

Stud prospect Jordan Balazovic was on the bump for this one, and though he came up an out shy of completing five innings, he turned in a strong outing. The Canadian allowed just two runs on three hits while issuing a single free pass and posting seven strikeouts.

 

The Miracle provide Balazovic some early breathing room by scoring five in the first three innings. Trey Cabbage drove in two in the first before Andrew Bechtold followed with another. Gilberto Celestino then scored in the second before Yelstin Encarnacion doubled home another in the third.

 

Charlotte answered with two of their own in the fifth, but that was all the damage they did. Phenom Wander Franco was held to a 1-for-5 evening and fanned twice.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Clinton 6, Cedar Rapids 0

Box Score

 

Unfortunately it was another ugly night for the Kernels. Aftering going down 9-0 last night, they made it 15-0 in the two day stretch. Matt Canterino was on the bump and gave up four runs (two earned) on two hits in five innings. He struck out five and walked two but it was a dropped third strike that cost him dearly.

 

Clinton scored four times in the first, and tallied two on an ugly dropped third strike and then a follow-up throwing error from Canterino. They added single runs in both the sixth and eighth to widen the margin.

 

Cedar Rapids generated just four hits in the game, and catcher Trevor Casanova was responsible for two of them out of the eight-hole. Alex Schick returned to the bump from the injured list and gave up a run on one hit in one inning of work.

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 14, Johnson City 4

Box Score

 

Following up a close loss last night, it didn’t take long for the Twins to exact their revenge. Ryley Widell turned in a quality start going six innings allowing just three runs on three hits while fanning seven and walking two. It was his second win of the season, and among his better starts of 2019.

 

The E-Twins motto in this one was early and often. They popped up with three first inning runs, took a break for just one in the second, and then added an eight-spot in the third. For good measure another pair crossed the plate in the eighth and this one was a ten-run-rule worthy affair by the time all was said and done.

 

Elizabethton notched 15 hits in the contest but only Max Smith had more than a pair, as he went 3-for-5. Each E-Twins batter recorded a hit on the night, and five of the nine had multi-hit efforts. It was a singles barrage though as Smith accounted for the only double and homer (a grand slam) throughout the nine inning affair.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Orioles 13, GCL Twins 3

Box Score

 

Two straight wins for the GCL Orioles were achieved by knocking off the GCL Twins in each of the past two days. Anthony Escobar gave up six earned runs before getting out of the first inning in this one, and it became a larger uphill battle than the visitors could overcome.

 

The GCL Twins generated just four hits in the contest, and three runs came across in three separate innings. Rochester Red Wings outfielder Luke Raley made his rehab debut and went 1-for-4 on the day.

 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Pitcher of the Day – Jordan Balazovic (Fort Myers) - 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

Hitter of the Day – Tomas Telis (Rochester) 4-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 6 RBI, 2 BB

 

PROSPECT SUMMARY

 

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

 

#1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) - 0-4, K

#2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 2-3, BB

#3 - Brusdar Graterol (Rochester) - Did not pitch

#4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - 0-4, 2 K

#5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K

#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Fort Myers) - 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

#7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL) - Did not play

#8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured List (groin)

#9 - Jhoan Duran (Pensacola) - Did not pitch

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

#11 - Lewis Thorpe (Minnesota) - Did not pitch

#12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (leg contusion)

#13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - 0-4, K

#14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - 0-3, K

#15 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, K

#16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Did not play

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

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

#19 - Misael Urbina (DSL) - Did not play

#20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 1-3, K

 

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Rochester @ Syracuse (6:05PM CST) - TBD

Jackson @ Pensacola (6:35PM CST) - TBD

Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30PM CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (3-3, 3.34 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30PM CST) - RHP Tyler Palm (3-8, 3.84 ERA)

Danville @ Elizabethton (5:30PM CST) - TBD

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

 

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

 

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[rdehring]

Great seeing Raley back on the field, Ted.  Don't know what his future holds for the Twins, but he certainly looked like a player who belongs in the big leagues earlier this year.  Disappointing start for Escobar, really his first real clunker as a pro.

 

See that Kirilloff has gotten hits in 9 of his last 10 games with multi-hit games in five of them.  With a .400 average over that span, certainly seems to be back to the player he was a year ago.  No question that his lower numbers for the year were the result of the injury that didn't want to go away for much of the season.  Biggest question is when does he arrive in Minnesota and in what role?  Something for the guys making the big bucks to ponder over the winter.

 

Celestino certainly seems like a very good player.  May take awhile but the Twins could end up with a reasonable return from Houston for Pressley, especially if Alcala develops into a solid reliever.

 

 

 

 

[PDX Twin]

 

 Something for the guys making the big bucks to ponder over the winter.

 

Um, does anyone in the front office make more than the MLB minimum player salary? Or are you suggesting that, maybe, Max Kepler will spend the winter pondering?

[Mr. Brooks]

Um, does anyone in the front office make more than the MLB minimum player salary? Or are you suggesting that, maybe, Max Kepler will spend the winter pondering?

I couldn't find a specific salary for Falvey and Levine.

But a few sources claim that most GM's make between 500k and 2 million per year.

 

500k per year puts you in the top half of the top 1%. So yeah, defintely the big bucks.

[PDX Twin]

 

I couldn't find a specific salary for Falvey and Levine.
But a few sources claim that most GM's make between 500k and 2 million per year.

500k per year puts you in the top half of the top 1%. So yeah, defintely the big bucks.

 

So if you put together the 5-10 highest salaries in the front office, you might match Nelson Cruz?

[Mr. Brooks]

So if you put together the 5-10 highest salaries in the front office, you might match Nelson Cruz?

Correct.

But still definitively the big bucks.

[gman]

I would like to see Balazovic as the up and coming young starter working his way into the Twins rotation in 2021. Possibly a couple innings at the end of next year, but probably not much.

[rdehring]

 

Um, does anyone in the front office make more than the MLB minimum player salary? Or are you suggesting that, maybe, Max Kepler will spend the winter pondering?

No.  And I don't know what they make, PDX.  But would hope that the top two make more than the MLB minimum, which would be considered big bucks to most of us.