Minor League Report 6/19 Runs Galore

TRANSACTIONS

None

Saints Sentinel

St. Paul 8, Iowa 1

Box Score

Charlie Barnes: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 7 K

HR: Drew Maggi (2), Brent Rooker (10)

Multi-hit games: Sherman Johnson (2-for-3, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB), Tomás Telis (3-for-5, 2 R, RBI), Brent Rooker (2-for-4, HR, 2B, R, 4 RBI), Damek Tomscha (2-for-4, RBI), Drew Maggi (3-for-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB)

Let us kick off the offensive explosions with the game in St. Paul.

Before we get to that, though, we should discuss the start made by Charlie Barnes. There has been some chatter regarding calling up Barnes to replace a certain ineffective starter in the Twins rotation. Barnes did his part to aid the conversation by tossing five shutout innings on Saturday. The four walks are ugly but Barnes possesses the ability to get both righties and lefties out thanks to his ability to command both an effective changeup and a slider. He will likely be in the majors at some point in 2021. 

Alright, now we can talk about the bats. The Saints wasted no time as Brent Rooker doubled home a run in the first before Damek Tomscha singled home a second run to give Barnes a quick lead to work with. Drew Maggi tacked on another run in the 2nd with his second homer of the season.

Things got out of hand pretty quickly in the 4th inning. Sherman Johnson singled, Tomás Telis singled, and Rooker hit a three-run bomb to give St. Paul an immense 8-0 lead.

The Saints would end their scoring for the night there but that would not matter. Juan Minaya, Ian Hamilton, and Yennier Cano were able to hold the Cubs in check the rest of the way and the Saints walked away victorious. 

Wind Surge Wisdom

Wichita 7, Springfield 4

Box Score

Jason García: 3 ⅓ IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

HR: None

Multi-hit games: Ernie De La Trinidad (2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI), B.J. Boyd (2-for-4, 2 R), Aaron Whitefield (3-for-3, 2B, 3 R, RBI, BB)

The Wichita Wind Surge won a come-from-behind game on Saturday.

Springfield sprung first in the run scoring department. A Luken Baker double in the 3rd broke the ice before an Aaron Antonini homer in the following inning doubled the lead to two. Springfield then nearly scored again in the 6th but Yeltsin Encarnacion had other plans:

But this is the Wind Surge offense we are talking about here. Two runs is nothing. Ernie De La Trinidad made sure that the Cardinals lead was to be short lived as he plated two runs with a single in the 5th inning. Encarnacion would end the stalemate with a 7th inning double before De La Trinidad doubled him home.

Oh, did you think that was all? Nope, that is not how Wichita does things (I have never been to Wichita so I cannot confirm this statement). Aaron Whitefield and Encarnacion knocked in two more runners in the following inning and those seven Wind Surge runs would prove to be more than enough.

While Jason García was unable to go deep into the game, the triumvirate of Calvin Faucher, Zach Neff, and Jovani Moran combined to fulfill the deed. In a shocking turn of events, Moran actually gave up a pair of runs which pushed his season ERA all the way to… 1.37? 1.37?!?! That is ridiculous. 

Kernels Nuggets

Cedar Rapids 10, South Bend 2 

Box Score

Cody Laweryson: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

HR: Jair Camargo 2 (6, 7), Spencer Steer (10)

Multi-hit games: Seth Gray (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB), Jair Camargo (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI), Gabriel Maciel (2-for-4, 3B, R, 2 RBI)

I do not advertise myself as a baseball expert but I can say with a good deal of certainty that hitting three home runs will take you a good way towards winning a baseball game. Hot take, I know.

Cedar Rapids took the first lead thanks to a Jair Camargo homer. This is what screenwriters would call “foreshadowing”. The Cubs would actually momentarily take the lead after some runs in the 3rd and the 4th but this would not be nearly enough to stop the Kernels’ leviathan offense. 

The next six instances of a run being scored in this game would occur thanks to a Cedar Rapids player instigating the fact. This gets pretty fun.

Seth Gray and Wander Javier singled home some runners in the 6th but Camargo once again brought the lumber and blasted his second homer of the game.

Spencer Steer homered for the 10th time of the season, Gabriel Maciel singled home another run, and a Gray groundout followed by some fielding shenanigans plated the final handful of runs for the Kernels. Were they needed? Of course not. Was it fun to do? Absolutely. 

Mussel Matters

Fort Myers 10, Lakeland 4

Box Score

Bobby Milacki: 4 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

HR: Will Holland (2)

Multi-hit games: Jefferson Morales (2-for-5, 2 2B, R, BB), Edouard Julien (2-for-3, 3 R, BB), Charles Mack (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB), Will Holland (2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 5 RBI), Willie Joe Garry Jr. (2-for-5, RBI)

Last week I apparently wrote that the Mighty Mussels were involved in an offensive struggle. Such a statement would not accurately apply to the game played this Saturday. 

Fort Myers actually only ended up scoring in three separate innings but they made sure that those innings were absolute backbreakers. A 1-2-3 punch of Yunior Severino, Will Holland, and Willie Joe Garry Jr. plated four runs in the 3rd. This would just be a warning shot, however.

Lakeland would add another run but to no avail. Misael Urbina and Charles Mack both knocked in runs in the bottom of the 4th to make sure that it would be a “1 step forward 2 steps back” situation for Lakeland.

Then, the kicker. With the bases loaded in the 6th inning, Holland stepped up to the plate and bashed a monstrous grand slam to put the game away. Holland would end the game with an impressive five runs batted in.

The underrated Edouard Julien proved to be the main catalyst for the offense. He did not knock in any runs but he set the table for the guys behind him and he personally crossed home plate three times. His season OBP was already nearing .500 before the game and his effort tonight will only serve to push that ridiculous number even higher. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Charlie Barnes

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jair Camargo

PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – Did not play

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

#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-3, BB, K

#4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 0-4, K

#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch

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

#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – IL (concussion)

#8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-2, R, 3 BB, K

#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – IL (right elbow strain)

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

#11 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) – Did not play

#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 2-4, HR, 2B, R, 4 RBI

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

#14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 1-2, R, RBI, 2 BB

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

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

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

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

#19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 1-5, K

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

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Lakeland @ Fort Myers (10:00 AM) - RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long

Springfield @ Wichita (12:05 PM) - RHP Jordan Balazovic

South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) - RHP Tyler Beck

Iowa @ St. Paul (1:05 PM) - RHP Griffin Jax