Minor League Report (9/10): Wichita Wins on a Walk-Off

TRANSACTIONS
INF Seth Gray was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Wichita.
INF Daniel Ozoria was sent to Cedar Rapids from Ft. Myers.
C Andrew Cossetti was sent to Cedar Rapids from the Florida Complex.
1B Aaron Sabato placed on IL. He was hit by a 98 mph fastball in the hand and has a broken bone.

Saints Sentinel 
St. Paul 9, Toledo 10 (10 Innings)
Box Score
Dereck Rodriguez: 5 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
HR: Matt Wallner (6)
Multi-hit games: Matt Wallner (2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB), Cole Sturgeon (2-for-5, R, BB), Chris Williams (3-for-5, 2 2B, R, RBI), John Andreoli (2-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI)

St. Paul lost an extra-inning heartbreaker on Saturday.

It was a true barn-burner during all phases; there were just three innings where neither team plated a run and six instances where a team scored multiple times in a single frame. Pitchers found no quarter.

Chris Williams and Matt Wallner, the typical culprits, led the offensive charge for St. Paul, dropping four extra-base hits and an equal total of RBIs. The Saints nabbed eight extra-base hits in total on Saturday. 

Mario Sanchez was the lone Saints pitcher to walk away without a run attached to his name; the righty acquired four outs and left before chaos could brew.

The Mud Hens were led by Daz Cameron, the son of Mike Cameron. While no longer a prospect, Cameron is a highly-talented 25-year-old whom the Tigers acquired in the Justin Verlander trade. According to MLB.com, the highest-rated prospect playing for Toledo is Andre Lipcius, a third-baseman who walked twice on Saturday.

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 3, NW Arkansas 2
Box Score
Daniel Gossett: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB), Leobaldo Cabrera (2-for-4, R)

The Wind Surge won on a walk-off on Saturday.

Daniel Gossett established the tone early, allowing a sole earned run over five quality innings with five strikeouts. Gossett has bounced around the system, always needed somewhere else, and has pitched remarkably well, no matter the context.

Wichita’s offense remained in neutral for the majority of the game, only breaking free in the 9th inning thanks to a bevy of walks and a Yunior Severino two-run, walk-off single. The team ended with seven walks on top of eight hits.

Blayne Enlow collected three strikeouts over two scoreless innings.

Tyler Gentry led the Naturals; the 9th-ranked prospect struck out three times in Saturday’s game.

Kernels Nuggets 

The rain ended this game before it could start. Because the game is unnecessary for playoff standings, the Kernels will play just one game on Sunday.

Mussel Matters
Game 1: Fort Myers 2, St. Lucie 5 (7 Innings)
Box Score
Jordan Carr: 3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: None

The Mighty Mussels experienced an offensive malaise on Saturday.

Game 1 was sub-optimal; the team netted just three hits—all singles—with six walks and plenty of strikeouts to go around. Kala’i Rosario was probably the batter of the game, as he walked twice and scored a run. No Mighty Mussel batter knocked in a run with a hit.

Jordan Carr’s start was tough; the lefty allowed five runs over three innings as the Mets BABIP’d him to death. 

Zebby Matthews stood out on the mound, striking out four over two clean frames to help bring the game to its silent conclusion. 

Kevin Parada—the 3rd ranked prospect in the Mets system and the 11th overall pick in the July draft— leads St. Lucie; the catcher singled and walked on Saturday. 

Game 2: Fort Myers 1, St. Lucie 3
Box Score
Tomas Cleto: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Tanner Schobel (2-for-3, RBI)

The Mighty Mussels continued their crisis of confidence in Game 2 on Saturday.

Tanner Schobel ensured that someone could claim a multi-hit game; he singled twice. Fort Myers hitters walked more than they struck out (six to four) but failed to bring those free baserunners home beyond one run scored in the 5th inning.

Tomas Cleto pitched well, punching out a trio of hitters with a single earned run over his four innings of work.

Luis Baez swiped his 20th bag of the season.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tomas Cleto, Ft. Myers
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Matt Wallner, St. Paul 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-3, 2 BB, K
#7 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-2, 2 BB
#9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 K
#14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-4, R, BB
#15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
#17 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - 3 ⅓ IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 1 K
#18 - Tanner Schobel (Ft. Myers) - 2-6, RBI, BB, K
#20 - Kala’i Rosario (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, R, 3 BB, K

SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Toledo (1:05 PM) - RHP Bailey Ober (rehab) 
NW Arkansas @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Cody Laweryson
South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 PM) - TBD
St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (12:00 PM) - TBD