Minor League Report (7/1): Amarillo by Morning, Fun is Good

TRANSACTIONS

• C David Banuelos assigned to St. Paul Saints from Wichita Wind Surge.
• Minnesota Twins sent RHP Michael Pineda on a rehab assignment to St. Paul Saints.
• Minnesota Twins selected the contract of RHP Derek Law from St. Paul Saints.
• Wichita Wind Surge activated LF Leobaldo Cabrera from the 7-day injured list.
• C Kyle Schmidt assigned to Cedar Rapids Kernels from St. Paul Saints.
• C Allante Hall assigned to FCL Twins from Cedar Rapids Kernels.
• RHP Erik Manoah Jr. assigned to Cedar Rapids Kernels from Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.

SAINTS SENTINEL 

Omaha 6, St. Paul 1

Box Score

Beer, Baseball, and The Bachelorette. Despite a silent night at the plate for the Saints, CHS field couldn’t have been filled with more energy on Thursday night. The Saints lost 6-1, Michael Pineda struggled in his rehab assignment, and the team was 0-11 with RISP. 

Yet Thursday night embodied a true Saint Paul Saints baseball experience. The ballpark was graced with fans wearing togas, some more fashionable than others. St. Louis Park native and The Bachelorette finalist Michelle Young was in attendance and had a laugh-out-loud interview in the press box with play-by-play figure Sean Aronson (fruit absolutely belongs on ice cream).

Oh, and the beer. The beer.

Various craft breweries throughout the Twin Cities teamed up for a promotion with the effort of breaking a world record for the World’s longest Beer Snake. The world record was not broken but the North American one was. 102 feet of happily consumed beverages linked together.

It’s been a tough year. People have been sick, relationships have been strained, and the overall morale has been low. Nights like tonight remind us that baseball can indeed be a common denominator in these difficult times, and there’s no better organization to facilitate that than the St. Paul Saints.

The Saints’ lone run came from a Drew Maggi solo shot in the sixth inning. It was his third of the year. 

And while runs were aplenty early on for Omaha, that was shut down quickly by the St. Paul bullpen. Juan Minaya and Ian Gibaut combined for five innings of one-run ball, striking out eight batters. 

The result wasn’t great, but good golly, it was a great night for the baseball community at CHS Field. 

 

WIND SURGE WISDOM

Wichita 8, Amarillo 6

Box Score

Amarillo by Morning, Wind Surge at night. On an evening that lacked offense across the Twins’ farm, Wichita 3B Spencer Steer changed the narrative. 

In just his second game at the Double-A level Steer knocked three hits, a run, and two RBI to propel the Saints to a 4-3 win in the Lone Star State. 

Steer’s night included a homer and a game-tying RBI single. Yet it wouldn’t be right to call him the only hero of the night. 

Trailing 3-1 going into the 9th the Surge showed up at the plate when it mattered most. Wilbis Santiago kicked off the inning with a single to left field that was followed by a Chris Williams walk. The Surge followed suit with a move that paid off big. Pinch-hitter Jermaine Palacios punched a 1-2 pitch to left field scoring Santiago to bring Wichita within one run. Steer continued the momentum in the next at-bat with a game-tying single that scored Williams from third. 

With one out, Aaron Whitefield turned the tables with an RBI single that would end up being the game-winner. Whitefield’s hit was certainly one of his biggest of the year, but it wasn’t unexpected. The Aussie is slashing .304/.371/.785 on the year and was an honorable mention candidate for the Twins Daily Hitter of the Month. 

Even though Amarillo jumped to an early lead the Wichita bullpen was lights out all night. Twins Daily May Reliever of the Month Jovani Moran pitched a perfect 2.1 innings, striking out five. Winning pitcher Ryan Mason (3-2) followed suit with 1.2 innings of scoreless ball. And despite giving up a hit in the ninth, Zach Neff recorded his second save of the year to seal the deal for the Wind Surge. 

As high-powered of an offensive team that the Wind Surge is, it’s great to see the bullpen come up big when needed. 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Quad Cities 12, Cedar Rapids 3

Box Score

Michael Helman’s multi-hit night wasn’t enough to propel the Kernels to a win against in-state foe Quad Cities. The River Bandits put up three runs in the second inning and two more in the third, creating a lead that would hold for the rest of the game. 

The Kernels were able to chip away at the lead thanks to a pair of doubles from Helman but ultimately the early lead was too much. 

Helman’s first double came in the fourth inning with Seth Gray on first. Helman laced a 2-2 pitch to right field that would score Gray all the way from first. Helman’s second double came on a carbon copy scenario as his first. Wander Javier reached in the eighth inning with a six-pitch walk. Two batters later Helman laced another double to right field, scoring Javier from first. Deja vu! 

High-A newcomer Edouard Julien also recorded a hit on the night. On just the third pitch of the game, the leadoff hitter knocked an 0-2 single to left field. Julien made the Top Five list for the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month voting. Check it out here

It was a tough night for the Kernels on the bump. Reliever Ryan Shreeve provided a bright spot for the pitching staff, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out one. 

 

MUSSEL MATTERS

Bradenton 1, Fort Myers 0

Box Score

The Fort Myers pitching staff was as steady as ever on Thursday evening, holding the Marauders to one run. Unfortunately for the Mussels, the Bradenton staff was near perfect, shutting out the Fort Myers’ bats in a 1-0 win at Hammond Stadium.

The Mussels were only able to muster together two hits all night against Bradenton starter Santiago Florez and company. Those hits came courtesy of an Aaron Sabato single in the fourth and a Justin Washington single in the eighth. 

Mussels starting pitcher Brent Headrick was efficient on the evening, surrounding four hits in four innings while striking out four. His only stumble came in the second inning when he allowed a pair of walks and a single that plated the eventual game-winning run for the Marauders. 

Despite the loss, the Mussels bullpen was absolutely spectacular. Steven Cruz, Osiris German, and Denny Bentley pitched five innings of scoreless relief to keep Fort Myers in the game until the final out. Cruz pitched a nearly-perfect fifth and sixth innings, striking out three and only allowing one baserunner on a walk. German followed suit with a dominant two innings, striking out two with one hit and a walk. Bentley capped off the bullpen masterpiece with a perfect ninth inning, recording two strikeouts.

Games like this are tough to lose but it’s promising to see such a solid outing on all ends of the pitching staff. The hitting will come.  

COMPLEX CHRONICLES

FCL Pirates Black 4, FCL Twins 0 (Middle of 5, suspended)

The Florida Coast League Twins were in the middle of their Thursday game against the FCL Pirates when the game was suspended due to weather. The game will be completed on July 5. 

 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day- Jovani Moran (Wichita)- 2.1 IP, 0 H,  0 R, 0 BB, 5 K

Hitter of the Day- Spencer Steer (Wichita)- 3-for-5,  R, 2 RBI, HR

PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 2-for-4, 2B, R, K

#2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL)

#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 1-for-5, 2B, R, 4 K

#4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, K

#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 7-day IL (elbow strain)

#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch

#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – Did not play

#8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-3, BB, K

#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch

#10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – IL (Tommy John surgery)

#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 1-for-2, R, BB

#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-for-4, K

#13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – IL (wrist sprain)

#14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, K

#15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch

#16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow)

#17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play

#18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A

#19 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 1-for-5, K

#20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Omaha @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (3-2 3.94 ERA)

Wichita @ Amarillo (7:05PM CST) – RHP Chris Vallimont (2-3, 3.73 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) – RHP Tyler Beck (1-0, 2.25 ERA)

Bradenton @ Fort Myers- Game 1 (3:30PM CST) – RHP Zarion Sharpe (2-1, 6.75 ERA)

                           Game 2 (following Game 1) RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (4-2, 5.55 ERA)