Front Page: Twins Minor League Report (8/28): Balazvoic Befuddles, Astudillo Annihilates, Seasons Conclude

[Ted Schwerzler]

A couple of minor league seasons drew to a close today on the Minnesota Twins' farm, but there was plenty of action to tune into. Stud prospect Jordan Balazovic continued his strong season, and recently promoted Jorge Alcala shined for Rochester. Rehabbing Willians Astudillo looks primed to help the big league club and walkoff action happened for the Kernels. Check it all out below.TRANSACTIONS

Rochester

LHP Lewis Thorpe optioned by Minnesota (August 26)

INF Ivan De Jesus Jr released

RHP Sean Poppen begins rehab assignment. Was scheduled to throw today with GCL. Game was cancelled, as well as the rest of their season.

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 10, Buffalo 2

Box Score

 

Rochester isn’t making the postseason, but with just five games left after tonight they’re all about finishing strong. Going with a committee tonight, they did just that. Five pitchers combined to throw nine innings of two-run baseball while striking out 13 and walking just three. Jorge Alcala is the stud prospect eyeing a September call up, and he turned in two scoreless with four strikeouts.

 

La Tortuga himself started things off with his fourth Triple-A dinger in the top of the first. Rochester added another in the second before a five-run fourth innings really got things going. Two singles and a sac fly did the damage and the Red Wings posted a crooked number.

 

Insurance runs came across in both the sixth and ninth to give the away team nine runs of breathing room. A nine-inning tally by Buffalo was inconsequential in this one and Rochester was able to slam the door.

 

BLUE WAHOOS BITES

No Game Scheduled

 

Pensacola had a scheduled off day today. However, both Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff were confirmed as going to the Arizona Fall League to play for Salt River on behalf of the Twins.

 

Tomorrow the Wahoos are schedule to start a series against the Montgomery Biscuits. Rays prospect Blake Bivens lost his wife and one year old son in a tragic and senseless act of violence a couple of days ago. A memorial has been set up in their honor. You can see that here.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Dunedin 2, Fort Myers 1 (Game 1, 7 innings)

Box Score

 

Jordan Balazovic took the ball for the Miracle in this one and he was nothing short of exceptional. Turning in five innings of two-hit ball, he allowed no runs and just one free pass while striking out nine. The effort lowered his Single-A ERA to 2.84 in 2019.

 

Although both clubs generated the same number of hits (five), it was the Blue Jays that got the extra run. A Trey Cabbage single accounted for Fort Myers' only tally in the top of the 6th, but two Dunedin runs in the bottom half were enough for the victory.

 

Dunedin 4, Fort Myers 3 (Game 2, 9 innings)

Box Score

 

Another tightly contested game that wound up being a one-run loss saw the Miracle turn the game over to the bullpen. Four Miracle pitchers combined to throw nine innings in the regularly scheduled seven-inning affair. Recently named to the Arizona Fall League roster for the Twins, Moises Gomez gave up an unearned run with one out in the final frame that allowed the Blue Jays to walk it off.

 

A Yeltsin Encarnacion double plated Brian Schaled and Jose Mirande in the fourth to open the scoring. After giving one back, Fort Myers and Dunedin traded runs in the fifth after Trey Cabbage homered for the ninth time this season. The Blue Jays evened the score in the bottom of the seventh before their eventual walkoff.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 0

Box Score

 

Matt Canterino was making his fifth start for the Kernels in this one and he was excellent. Going five strong while allowing just one hit, no free passes, and striking out seven, Minnesota continues to be impressed with their 2019 draft pick.

 

These two clubs combined for just six hits on the evening, but it was the final one that mattered most. Jared Akins came up in the bottom of the ninth and delivered an RBI single to score Spencer Steer and walk this one off for the Kernels.

 

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Greenville 7, Elizabethton 3

Box Score

 

The E-Twins turned to Ryley Widell in this one and he gave them six innings of four- run ball. Widell allowed seven hits but just one walk while striking out seven. Even though Elizabethton won in the hit column (10 to 9) they couldn’t generate the necessary run production.

 

Greenville took an early three-run lead in the second and the E-Twins answered with just one. It was 4-1 before Charles Mack hit his eighth homer of the year, a two-run shot in the fifth. Down by one into the eighth, that’s where Greenville pulled away and Elizabethton couldn’t mount a rally.

 

Unfortunately the loss also ended the season and Elizabethton finished at 33-34 in 2019.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

Doubleheader today was cancelled and the remainder of the season followed suit due to the incoming hurricane.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Willians Astudillo (Rochester) 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR(4)

 

PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

 

#1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) - No Game

#2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - No Game

#3 - Brusdar Graterol (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch

#4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - No Game

#5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, 2 K

#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

#7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - Season Complete

#8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Did Not Play

#9 - Jhoan Duran (Pensacola) - No Game

#10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch

#11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch

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

#13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - No Game

#14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) -

#15 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K

#16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Injured List

#17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John)

#18 - Jorge Alcala (Rochester) - 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

#19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - Season Complete

#20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - No Game

 

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester @ Buffalo (6:05PM CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (5-4, 4.63 ERA)

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

Ft. Myers @ Dunedin (5:30PM CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (4-3, 3.20 ERA)

Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Tyler Palm (3-9, 4.02 ERA)

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games or any other minor league topics you would like.

 

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[MNT1996]

Twins really got some exciting pitching prospects. The next couple years are going to be fun.

[Monkeypaws]

I really am a Balazovic believer. Size, arm, work ethic, still just 20. Very interesting prospect indeed.

[D.C Twins]

Love the auditions for relief pitching going on in Rochester...and like the results from tonight there even more....

[D.C Twins]

Bala-mazing!

[Aerodeliria]

Lots of missed bats!

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Moises Gomez is a name to watch. I met him last year at Elizabethton. A friendly young man. Before the game he was swinging a plastic bat and hitting plastic balls into a booth designed for the fans to smack some plastic balls into he booth.  I asked if he was a SS? I thought he was someone else. He smiled and said, "No, I pitch today." Now he is in high A and has been selected by the Twins to go to the Arizona Fall League. Good luck Moises. 

[rdehring]

With all the injuries the Twins are battling, expect that Astudillo will be in Detroit on Sunday, rather than wait for the Wings season to end.  Considering Alcala needs to be added to the 40-man this fall, seems logical he will get on the same flight to Boston with Thorpe, Smeltzer, Littell and others Monday evening.

 

Great game from Balazovic, but I would have given the daily award to Canterino who allowed only one base runner compared with three for Balazovic.  Granted, Balazovic had two more strikeouts, but Canterino's 7 K's in 5.0 innings is also a lot of trips back to the bench.

 

Its a shame the GCL Twins won't have the chance to make the playoffs on the field.  Were the playoffs also cancelled?  

[Einstein1]

Matt Canterino is adjusting well to pro ball.  His funky delivery reminds me of a right handed Clayton Kershaw.    

[clutterheart]

I really am a Balazovic believer. Size, arm, work ethic, still just 20. Very interesting prospect indeed.

Work ethic?

[Trov]

 

Twins really got some exciting pitching prospects. The next couple years are going to be fun.

I agree.  There was a lot of talk about Falvey being part of the Cleveland pitching prospect train, finding diamons in the rough and molding them to good if not great pitchers, I was skeptical that an assistant GM, or what ever his title was in Cleveland, would have all that much impact.  However, look at what in just a few years has happened here, so many possible top pitching prospects that seem legit are starting to emerge.  Will be interesting to see what happens next couple years with prospect log jam.

[FlauerPauer]

 

I really am a Balazovic believer. Size, arm, work ethic, still just 20. Very interesting prospect indeed.

 

I'm really high on this guy as well. He just needs to start amassing more innings. Good frame. Strikes guys out. Limits walks. Wonder if he was a guy that other teams insisted on receiving in a big trade.

[luckylager]

 

Work ethic?

 

Is there a question about his work ethic? I just read an article on MiLB.com that said:

 

Like he did last year, he plans to spend the offseason working out in Fort Myers, trying to put on weight and build up strength.

 

"I'm gonna be working on that changeup and my breaking stuff to be able to throw it whenever I want in counts and be more consistent with it," Balazovic said.

 

Sounds like good work ethic to me!

[Monkeypaws]

 

Is there a question about his work ethic? I just read an article on MiLB.com that said:

 

Like he did last year, he plans to spend the offseason working out in Fort Myers, trying to put on weight and build up strength.

 

"I'm gonna be working on that changeup and my breaking stuff to be able to throw it whenever I want in counts and be more consistent with it," Balazovic said.

 

Sounds like good work ethic to me!

I meant it as an asset - the Athletic had an article that also mentioned the amount of work he puts in during the off season.

[luckylager]

 

I meant it as an asset - the Athletic had an article that also mentioned the amount of work he puts in during the off season.

I definitely wasn't questioning your post. I was questioning the poster who appeared to be questioning your comment on Balazovic's good work ethic. 

[mlhouse]

I live in Ft Myers and Balzovic was the best pitcher I have seen pitch for the Miracle.  

 

I also have to say Chris Vallimont was not that far behind in the outing I say him in (no hitter through 7).

 

I wish I could make it to more games.  The weather and timing sometimes is not always the most agreeable.  I really wanted to see Enlow pitch this year but missed him.  MIssed a few pitchers down the road.  

 

But I have seen Stewart and Thorpe, and many others.