Twins Minor League Report (6/15): Duran, Balazovic Deliver Contrasting Performances

To find out all about those pitching performances and how the rest of your favorite Twins prospects fared in their games on Tuesday night, keep reading!

TRANSACTIONS

• RHP Yennier Cano was promoted to the St. Paul Saints along with RHP Shaun Anderson being sent on a rehab assignment
• IF Will Holland was activated from the injured list for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Iowa 3, St. Paul 1
Box Score

Those in attendance in St. Paul on Tuesday night were surely excited to watch top Twins pitching prospect Jhoan Duran take the mound. But they did not get to see much of him. That is because Duran was not able to find his control and was lifted from the game before escaping even the first inning. He threw 35 pitches in the inning, with just 15 of them going for strikes. In 2/3 of an inning, Duran was charged with two runs on two hits and three walks.

Left-hander Bryan Sammons came on as sort of a piggy-backer, and flipped it around a bit for the Saints for the next 5 1/3, allowing just one run on a solo-homer while working around four walks. He struck out two. Shaun Anderson and Robinson Leyer combined to keep the Cubs off the board over the final three innings.

The Saints offense was not able to muster much offense until the eighth inning, when they were able to string together two of their four hits and two of their three walks on the game to score one. The Saints actually outhit the cubs 4-3 on the game but weren’t able to overcome the initial struggles of Duran in the first inning.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Springfield 4, Wichita 13
Box Score

The Wind Surge used an endless barrage of hits, both the big and small variety, to pummel the Cardinals on Tuesday. Six hitters in their lineup had multiple hits on the day, four collected multiple RBI, and they got home runs from Jose Miranda, Caleb Hamilton, Andrew Bechtold, and Ernie De La Trinidad on the game. They put up crooked numbers in each of the first, third, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings on their way to the 13-4 win. Miranda's home run led off the game for home team, then Hamilton and Bechtold followed with theirs for the first three runs of the game, and omen for how the rest of it would unfold.

In addition to the bats bludgeoning Springfield pitchers, Wichita starter Jordan Balazovic did the same to their lineup. As it was just his third start so far on the season, Balazovic is still very much on a pitch count, but did complete 4 1/3 innings, his longest outing so far.  He struck out two in the first, the side in the third, two more in the fourth, and the lone batter he faced in the fifth to account for his 8 K's on the night. Of his 74 pitches, 47 went for strikes (64%) with nine of the swing and miss variety. He held the Cardinals to just two hits and a walk in the outing.

Calvin Faucher was the first reliever summoned and he went the next 1 1/3 innings. He completed the snapper mow-em-down inning with two K's of his own in the fifth, but then ran into some trouble in the sixth. In all he allowed three runs on three hits (including two home runs) and a walk, while striking out three. Jhonleider Salinas came one with two outs in the sixth and walked a pair of batters to load the bases, but got a fly out to end any further threat. Hector Lujan then went the next two innings, allowing a solo home run, but struck out three. Alex Phillips finished the game for the Wind Surge with a scoreless ninth, allowing one hit and striking out two.

KERNELS NUGGETS
South Bend 9, Cedar Rapids 4
Box Score

Kernel’s starter Kody Funderburk retired the first six hitters he faced in this one, including three via strikeout, but it went a much different way in the third inning. When it was all said and done Funderburk would be charged with eight earned runs in 2 1/3 innings pitched. He allowed those runs six hits and two walks and Cedar Rapids would be unable to recover.

The offense did manage to score single runs in four different innings, but never got a big hit or inning together to close the gap. Seth Gray was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Max Smith hit a solo blast and finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Gabriel Maciel was 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Reliever Melvi Acosta picked up the pieces in the third and finished 1 2/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out two. Zach Featherstone and Tyler Watson combined for four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk between them, while striking out seven. Shortstop Daniel Ozoria then got in on the action to finish the game for the Kernels, striking out one in a one-two-three ninth.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Lakeland 2, Fort Myers 1
Box Score

It was a good old fashioned pitcher’s duel at Hammond Stadium Tuesday night with both starters and bullpens trading zeroes for the first nine innings.

For the Mighty Mussels it was Louie Varland on the bump to start and he was once again great, lowering his ERA on the season to 1.99. He went the first 5 2/3 innings, scattering three hits and two walks along with striking out seven. Matthew Swain got the home team through the eighth inning with 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out three. Osiris German pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out two, and was back out for the tenth with a runner starting on second base. A sac bunt put the go-ahead run 90 feet away, but German buckled down and struck out the next two hitters to give his home team a chance in the bottom half.

After a sacrifice bunt and two intentional walks to load the bases, Aaron Sabato stepped into the batter’s box, and swung at the first pitch he saw, grounding into an inning-ending double play.

Juan Pichardo was summoned for the 11th inning but had some trouble locating the strike zone. After a fielder’s choice got the runner out at third, a hit batter and two consecutive walks scored the first run of the game. The Flying Tigers added a sac fly and headed to the bottom of the inning up 2-0. Fort Myers was able to score one a Misael Urbina RBI single, but that would be all.

The teams combined to go just 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position and left 17 men on base for the game. Yunior Severino (2-for-5) and Urbina (3-for-5, RBI, K) had the bulk of Fort Myers’ seven hits on the game, Will Holland added a double. Edouard Julien drew three walks out of the leadoff spot (one intentional in the 10th) and his on-base percentage for the season is still near .500.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day – Jordan Balazovic, Wichita Wind Surge (4 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 8 K)
Hitter of the Day – Jose Miranda, Wichita Wind Surge (3-for-6, R, HR, 3 RBI, K)

PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 2-for-3
#2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL)
#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-for-3, 2 K
#4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – Did not play
#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 BB
#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 4 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 8 K
#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – Injured List (concussion)
#8 - Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, R, BB, 3 K
#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch
#10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery)
#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – Did not play
#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K
#13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (wrist sprain)
#14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 3-for-5, RBI, K
#15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch
#16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow)
#17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 0-for-3, K
#18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A
#19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 3-for-6, R, HR, 3 RBI, K
#20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Iowa @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – RHP Chandler Shepherd (1-2, 8.10 ERA)
Springfield @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Austin Schulfer (1-3, 5.28 ERA)
South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Jon Olsen (0-3, 4.91 ERA)
Lakeland @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Sean Mooney (0-1, 0.57 ERA)

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