Twins Video
TRANSACTIONS
- RHP Shaun Anderson promoted from St. Paul to Minnesota
- RHP Hunter McMahon to the 7-day IL with an elbow strain (Ft. Myers)
SAINTS SENTINEL
Louisville 6, St. Paul 3
Tomas Telis hit a 3-run home run, but the Saints’ bats were largely quiet during their loss to the Bats Thursday night. They were only able to gather two hits as a team, the other being a double off the bat of Mark Contreras.
Additionally, Jhoan Duran - Twins Daily’s No. 5 prospect in the Twins system - looked like a mere mortal. He struggled with control all game, which resulted in him dishing out five walks and three hits in four innings of work. The good news was that the Saints stretched him out to 82 pitches, meaning he’s on pace for 95-100 in a week or so. The bad news was that he threw only 38 strikes; that’s a pretty putrid 46.3% strike rate.
Outings like what he displayed Thursday night is the biggest factor preventing Duran from appearing in the upper-half of the league’s top 100 prospects. He’ll have nights where he’s unhittable, but he’ll also have nights where he can’t located the zone at all.
That said, he was still pumping 101 mph and his ERA now registers at 3.27, so there is plenty to still be very excited about.
WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 7, Arkansas 6
The Wind Surge won a wild one against the Travelers Thursday night in Wichita. The team led 5-1 heading into the seventh inning when the Wichita bullpen was touched for five runs across the final two frames. However, Jermaine Palacios played the hero, walking it off with a single to score Jose Miranda.
All nine of the Wind Surge’s hits were singles with Andrew Bechtold and Aaron Whitefield contributing the only multi-hit games. Whitefield and teammate BJ Boyd each drove in two runs.
Josh Winder took the mound for Wichita and, much like Duran, didn’t have his best showing. That said, he was still able to power through 6 ⅓ innings, even though it took him 83 pitches to do so. He struck out four and allowed a season-high three runs, elevating his ERA to 2.05. Yeah, he’s still doing just fine. Jovani Moran struck out two in his one inning of work out of the pen, lowering his ERA to 1.00 and giving him 27 strikeouts in 17 ⅔ innings. Could we see him in a Twins uniform before the end of the season?
KERNELS NUGGETS
Fort Wayne 8, Cedar Rapids 6
The Kernels scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to make this game appear as though it were closer than it actually was. Michael Helman led Cedar Rapids at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double as well as his fifth home run of the year, which earned him Minor League Hitter of the Day recognition. Seth Gray (4) and Leobaldo Cabrera (2) also contributed homers - Cabrera brought all four runs home in the ninth with a grand slam - but the remainder of the Kernels’ hits failed to produce any runs.
Cedar Rapids went with an all bullpen game on the mound, with four pitchers - Owen Griffith, Tyler Palm, Melvi Acosta, and Tyler Watson - combining to strike out five and walk six. Palm was saddled with the loss after he allowed six runs over his two innings, though only two were earned. Watson was arguably the most successful of the group, tossing three innings, striking out two, allowing one hit, and not surrendering any runs.
MUSSEL MATTERS
Ft. Myers 7, St. Lucie 0
Louie Varland and the rest of the Ft. Myers’ squad lived up to their mascot’s namesake en route to shutting out the Mets. Varland earned Pitcher of the Day honors for his effort, as he struck out six and did not give up any runs over the span of six innings. (The game was called after eight innings due to rain.) You won’t find Varland’s name on the list of top Twins’ prospects, but thus far this season he’s accumulated 34 strikeouts in only 20 innings and owns a 3.15 ERA. He’s one to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Keoni Cavaco had a promising day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with his first career triple. Yunior Severino also contributed a multi-hit game to improve his batting average to .211 and OPS to .637. While those numbers won’t jump off the page, he is trending in the right direction having registered at least one hit in six of his last 10 contests. Catcher Kyle Schmidt went 2-for-4 on the night including his first professional home run.
TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day- Louie Varland: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 78 pitches (57 strikes)
Hitter of the Day- Michael Helman: 3-for-4, 2B, HR(5), RBI, 2 runs
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 0-for-1, K
#2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL)
#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-for-4, 2 K
#4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 2-for-3
#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, 82 pitches
#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back)
#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 2-for-4, 3B, RBI
#8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-4, BB
#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch
#10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (elbow)
#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 0-for-3, K
#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, 3 K
#13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (wrist)
#14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-3, 2 RBI
#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 (Wichita) – 1-for-3
#20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch
FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Louisville (4:35PM CST) – RHP Rob Whalen (0-1, 1.69 ERA)/G2 TBD
Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Cole Sands (0-0, 2.45 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Fort Wayne (6:05PM CST) – RHP Jon Olsen (0-3, 4.61 ERA)
St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Sean Mooney (0-1, 1.17 ERA)
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