Minor League Report (8/6): Offense Galore

TRANSACTIONS
OF Mark Contreras optioned to St. Paul 

Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 5, Omaha 0
Box Score
Ariel Jurado: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
HR: John Andreoli (9), Jermaine Palacios 2 (11, 12), Braden Bishop (1)
Multi-hit games: Michael Helman (2-for-5, 2B, R), Jermaine Palacios (2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI)

St. Paul smothered their opponent on Saturday.

Ariel Jurado earned the nod for the start on Saturday and was effective, if not sporadic. No Storm Chaser crossed home plate under his watch, but the righty only coaxed a single strikeout from his opponents, instead relying on his defense to make plays behind him. 

St. Paul’s bats were cleared for take-off; the team launched four home runs in their effort, with Jermaine Palacios’ second bomb acting as the lone non-solo shot. John Andreoli and Braden Bishop, perhaps united in their effort as former fringe Mariners, also homered. Bishop’s was his first of the season.

Evan Sisk was the big-winner for Saints’ relievers; the lefty-handed return in the J.A. Happ trade pitched two shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts. Sisk will likely be in the majors sooner than later.

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 5, San Antonio 1
Box Score
Blayne Enlow: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
HR: Jair Camargo (4)
Multi-hit games: Chris Williams (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB), Ernie Yake (2-for-4, 2B, R), Leobaldo Cabrera (3-for-4, 2B, RBI)

Wichita easily handled their opponent on Saturday.

Blayne Enlow established order; the righty allowed one earned run over four frames, striking out an equal number of batters for good measure. It’s been an up-and-down season for Enlow, and this start was certainly one of the bright spots.

Wichita’s offense ensured Enlow’s start would not go for naught; Chris Williams and Andrew Bechtold both doubled in the 1st inning, scoring three total runs. Leobaldo Cabrera returned with an RBI double in the third frame; Jair Camargo, just to be mean, blasted a solo shot in the 7th.

Cody Laweryson worked three scoreless innings, striking out four batters with two hits allowed. Laweryson dropped his AA ERA to 1.03. Yes, that’s the correct number.

Some guy named Fernando Tatís Jr. started for San Antonio and walked twice.

Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 1, Beloit 2
Box Score
David Festa: 3 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Wander Javier (2-for-4), Jeferson Morales (2-for-4, RBI)

The Kernels lost a low-scoring affair on Saturday.

David Festa, newly anointed as the 13th best prospect according to this site, started for the first time since July 24th, allowing a pair of runs with, yes, a picked-off runner. Get used to reading that.

Cedar Rapids struggled against Beloit’s pitchers. Perhaps they were baffled by the “Sky Carps” moniker—as the team changed their name for the night—or maybe they were offended that a pitcher named “Puckett” earned the save for the opposing team; in any case, the team did not hit. Will Holland earned the sole extra-base hit of the night, his 11th double of the season. 

Kernels’ relievers worked as their positional name implies, shutting out Beloit with 5 2/3 effective innings. Jon Olsen struck out four batters; Tyler Palm did not allow a baserunner.

Mussel Matters
Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 9
Box Score
Mike Paredes: 4 1/3 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
HR: Carlos Aguiar (9)
Multi-hit games: Misael Urbina (3-for-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI), Kala’i Rosario (2-for-5, RBI), Dillon Tatum (2-for-2, 2B, 2 R, 2 BB), Carlos Aguiar (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI)

The Mighty Mussels could not steal command of the game on Saturday.

Mike Paredes, fresh off winning the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month award, served up a clunker; the righty rushed through regression with whiplash intensity, allowing nearly as many hits (10) as outs (13). 

Fort Myers’ bats enjoyed the game far more; Carlos Aguiar and Misael Urbina clocked multiple extra-base hits while Noah Miller tripled for, appropriately, the third time. It was a tremendous effort, but the early deficit proved insurmountable.

Jackson Hicks and Samuel Perez found better luck than Paredes—although Hicks walked four batters—but the Marauders still walked away with nine total runs; a total the Mighty Mussels fell short in chasing.

Complex Chronicles
FCL Twins 10, FCL Red Sox 11 
Box Score
Tomas Cleto: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
HR: Gregory Duran (2), Alex Isola (1), Ricardo Olivar (5)
Multi-hit games: Tanner Schobel (2-for-5, 2 R), Danny De Andrade (2-for-5, R, RBI), Ricardo Olivar (3-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI), Gregory Duran (2-for-5, HR, R, RBI)

The FCL Twins lost a high-scoring affair. 

Recent 1st round pick Brooks Lee manned shortstop to start and netted a single out of three tries at the plate. Tanner Schobel—another 2022 draft pick—dropped in two singles while working as the designated hitter. Jorel Ortega debuted for the first time and promptly struck out in three at-bats. It’ll be on to the next one for him. 

Alex Isola started a rehab assignment, blasting a health-proving three-run homer while also walking.  

Dominican Dailies
DSL Twins 4, DSL Rockies 10
Box Score
Cesar Lares: 2 2/3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
HR: Yasser Mercedes (4)
Multi-hit games: Yasser Mercedes (2-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI), Denyerbe Gervis (2-for-4, R), Juan Zapata (2-for-3, 2B, R)

The DSL Twins were smoked on Saturday.

Yasser Mercedes continued his head-turning start to the season; the athletic outfielder homered for the fourth time and swiped his 21st bag of the season. If you haven’t heard, I’m here to let you know—Mercedes is the real deal.

Juan Zapata and Isaac Pena were the only other hitters with an extra-base knock on Saturday. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Blayne Enlow
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jermaine Palacios

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#2 - Brooks Lee (FCL Twins) - 1-3, R
#7 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 3B, K
#9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-3, 2 BB
#13 - David Festa (Cedar Rapids) - 3 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
#14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-5, 2 K
#15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
#18 - Tanner Schobel (FCL Twins) - 2-5, 2 R, K
#20 - Kala’i Rosario (Ft. Myers) - 2-5, RBI

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Omaha (5:05 PM) - LHP Devin Smeltzer 
NW Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05 PM) - RHP Casey Legumina
Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 PM) - TBD
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (12:00 PM) - RHP Regi Grace