Twins Minor League Report (4/13): Red Wings With Another Win In Extras

TRANSACTIONS

Minnesota Twins OF Ryan LaMarre optioned to Rochester

Rochester Red Wings OF James Ramsey to Elizabethton

Chattanooga Lookouts LHP Tyler Jay to DL with a left groin strain

Chattanooga Lookouts LHP Anthony McIver activated from DL

Fort Myers Miracle RHP Brady Anderson promoted to Rochester

Cedar Rapids Kernels RHP Ryan Mason promoted to Fort Myers

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 6, Gwinnett 4 (11 innings)

Box Score

On back-to-back nights, the Rochester Red Wings and Gwinnett Braves played in to extras. Following a 14-inning affair on Thursday, the two clubs needed 11 innings to settle the score on Friday. Thankfully for Rochester, the result was a similar one. With Brock Stassi starting as the runner on second base, Nick Buss singled to start off the top of the 11th. A Bobby Wilson double play could've spelled disaster, but Stassi scooted home to put Rochester up 5-4. After a Gregorio Petit single, and then steal of second and free pass to third on a wild pitch, Taylor Featherston was able to provide more damage. Zack Granite was intentionally walked to get to the Red Wings second basemen, and he delivered a single to drive in Petit. A Kennys Vargas groundout would later end the inning, but Rochester headed to the bottom half leading 6-4.

Working his second inning of relief and looking to make up for the blown save in the 10th, Mason Melotakis went to work. Former Twins utility man Danny Santana struck out to start the inning, and despite a Ronald Acuna single leading to a first and third situation, Melotakis got the ground ball double play to end it.

Rochester was scheduled to start Adalberto Mejia for this game, but went with a bullpen approach, leading with D.J. Baxendale. It would seem to suggest that Mejia was on tap to start for the Minnesota Twins had their game not being postponed for the evening. Jermaine Curtis led the way with three hits on offense, and the group consisting of Featherston, Vargas, Stassi and Petit each picked up two of their own. The Red Wings got their second win of the season, and will be looking for more of the same while hoping to give their relief corps some rest tomorrow night.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 3, Pensacola 2

Box Score

Getting on the board early, the Lookouts were able to jump out to a 3-1 lead and hold on late for the victory. Randy LeBlanc earned the win with five solid innings on the bump, ceding just one run on three hits. Ryan Eades earned a three inning hold, and Williams Ramirez picked up the save in relief. The save was Williams' first of 2018, fifth of his career, and the first since being used briefly as a closer for Cedar Rapids in 2016.

On offense, the damage was done at the top. Nick Gordon, Zander Wiel and Chris Paul each had a two-hit night for the Lookouts. Gordon scooted to his second triple of the season, and added his fourth RBI. Wiel picked up his second RBI of the year, and Ryan Walker was responsible for the third. Brent Rooker returned to the Chattanooga lineup tonight as the DH and went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Seven of the nine Lookout hitters tallied a base hit and the club went 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Inching closer to .500, Chattanooga will aim for their fourth win tomorrow evening.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Tampa 4, Fort Myers 0

Box Score

Hits were at a premium for the Miracle on Friday night as Tarpon pitchers allowed just four to the Fort Myers lineup. Mitchell Kranson tallied the lone extra-base hit for the Miracle, his third double of the season. Charlie Barnes got the start and went 4.1 innings allowing just one run on four base hits. He also walked two while striking out five. Asked to follow up Barnes' effort, Hector Lujan was in the strike zone a ton, getting strikes on 30 of his 40 pitches thrown. Unfortunately the results yielded three more runs on seven hits, although he did strike out three. Andrew Vasquez was the final reliever out of the Miracle pen on the evening, and he turned in two scoreless innings while notching a strikeout.

Opportunities were simply hard to come by as Fort Myers only went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position, and only three runners were left on base all evening. They'll look to even the series tomorrow evening at Hammond Stadium. Phil Hughes will be making his second rehab start in that contest.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Clinton 2, Cedar Rapids 0

Box Score

Bound to happen eventually, tonight was the night that Toby Gardenhire's squad took their first loss of the season. Despite giving up just two runs, the Kernels could muster only two hits and that wouldn't be enough to get the job done. Top prospect Royce Lewis tallied one of the two, with left-fielder Shane Carrier notching the other. The Kernels left only one runner on base all evening as they mustered just one walk while striking out 12 times.

On the mound, Bryan Sammons twirled 5.1 innings of good baseball. He allowed just four hits while giving up an earned run and posting the same number of strikeouts and walks with three. Jovani Moran and Derek Molina came on in relief, both pitching well and keeping Cedar Rapids in the ballgame. Molina was hit with an unearned run in the top of the eighth inning to tally the final score. The Kernels will look to exact revenge on Saturday evening from Perfect Game Field.

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Taylor Featherston, Rochester Red Wings

Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga Lookouts

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

#1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3

#3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 2-5, R, RBI, 3B (2)

#5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, 3 K

#7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-3, R

#10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K

#13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 1-3

#16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, K

#17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, 2 K

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester @ Gwinnett (5:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers

Chattanooga @ Pensacola (6:05 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe

Tampa @ Ft. Myers (5:00 CST) - RHP Phil Hughes

Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina