Twins Minor League Report (4/13): Berríos Dazzles in Buffalo

Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Thursday.

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 2, Buffalo 1

Box Score

Jose Berríos was the story of the day, pitching eight innings on just 84 pitches, throwing 64 for strikes. He struck out six and never went to a three ball-count all night. Berrios had a 1-0 lead headed into the fifth inning after a Matt Hague home run, but the Bisons tied the ballgame on a sac fly after a pair of singles and a defensive miscue put a runner at third.

Berríos pitched three more shutout innings afterwards, but the Wings could not put more runs on the board and he left the game without a decision. Alex Wimmers entered the game and pitched a scoreless ninth to push the game to extra innings.

In the top of the 10^th, the Red Wings took the lead on a bases-loaded walk to Bengie Gonzalez. Wimmers went to work and set Buffalo down 1-2-3 to pick up the win.

The Wings scored two runs on just four hits, Hague’s home run was the only extra base hit, and Leonardo Reginatto collected two of the other three hits, on a 2-4 night. Bash brothers Kennys Vargas and Daniel Palka were a combined 0-7 with four strikeouts and a walk. Catcher John Ryan Murphy has yet to collect his first base hit, 0-3 with a walk.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 3, Jacksonville 5

Box Score

On the road for the first time this year, Lookouts starter Matt Tracy gave up five runs (two earned) in the bottom of the first to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (formerly the Jacksonville Suns, and a significant branding upgrade, if you ask me). Leadoff batter Yefri Perez reached on an Engelb Vielma throwing error, and then Tracy gave up back-to-back home runs. The next two runs scored on a pair of two-out singles. After the first, Tracy settled down and pitched three scoreless innings, but the damage was done. Ryan Eades came out of the pen and pitched two perfect innings, and John Curtiss pitched two more scoreless innings to finish the game.

The Lookouts scored a run in the fifth when Tanner English scampered home on a passed ball, and back-to-back homers by Jonathan Rodriguez and Dan Rohlfing to start the ninth inning put Chattanooga within striking distance, but it was not enough.

Other than the ninth inning home runs, the Lookouts had just three hits on the day, singles from Ryan Walker (1-4, BB), Edgar Corcino (1-4, K), and a two-bagger from Tanner English (1-3, BB, K).

Of note – old friend Matt Tomshaw started and earned the win for the Jumbo Shrimp. Tomshaw pitched in the Twins org four seasons before getting poached by Miami following the 2014 season in the Triple-A portion of the Rule Five draft.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 1, Dayton 2

Box Score

Starter Cody Stashak put the Miracle behind, giving up a run in the bottom of the first inning, and another in the third and the Miracle trailed the rest of the game. Stashak turned in a quality start, six innings, two runs (one earned), struck out three, walked no one, and gave up just four hits, but the Miracle gave him just one run of support and he was tagged with the loss to fall to 0-2 despite a 3.00 ERA. Jonny Drozd came on in relief, pitched two scoreless innings and struck out three.

Sean Miller was 2-4 with a triple and a run scored, and Brian Navarreto drove in the only run as part of a 2-4 night. The other seven Miracle hitters combined for just three other hits, all singles.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Wisconsin 1, Cedar Rapids 2

Box Score

Before Thursday’s game, the first in a three game series against the Timber Rattlers, the Kernels announced that 2016 21^st rounder LHP Domenick Carlini joined the Kernels from extended spring training and that RHP Brady Anderson was bumped up to Fort Myers.

Starting pitcher Tyler Wells gave up a couple of first inning hits, but then went to work and held Wisconsin scoreless over six innings. He struck out eight while walking just two and gave up five hits. The Kernels put a pair of runs on the board in the fifth to give Wells a lead. Caleb Hamilton hit a leadoff home run to start the fifth and Travis Blankenhorn gave the Kernels another run with an RBI triple to score Jermaine Palacios. That was all the runs the Kernels would need.

Tom Hackimer came in for Wells in the seventh and pitched two innings, giving up a run in the top of the eighth. Hackimer gave up two hits, and struck out two. Max Cordy was called upon to pitch the ninth and picked up his first save of the year, sending the Timber Rattlers down in order and recording the final out on a swinging strike.

The Kernels did not do a ton with the sticks outside of Hamilton’s dinger and Blankenhorn’s RBI triple. Aaron Whitefield picked up a double, the only other extra base hit of the night. As a team, the Kernels struck out seven times and walked just once.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jose Berríos, Rochester Red Wings

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Matt Hague, Rochester Red Wings

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Syracuse @ Rochester (12:35pm) – Nick Tepesch (1-0, 3.60)

Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (6:05pm) – Fernando Romero (0-1, 8.10)

Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05pm) – David Fischer (0-0. 0.00)

Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:05pm) – Sean Poppen (0-0, 2.57)

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday's games.