Twins Minor League Report (4/23): Thorpe Derails Scranton/WB

To find out everything that happened in the minor leagues for Twins affiliates on Tuesday, keep reading!

TRANSACTIONS

• Pensacola Blue Wahoos place CF Jimmy Kerrigan on 7-day IL and assigned C Kidany Salva from GCL Twins
  

RED WINGS REPORT

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 1, Rochester 8

Box Score

Left-hander Lewis Thorpe toed the rubber for the Red Wings and after giving up a solo home run in the top of the first, derailed Scranton/Wilkes-Barre the rest of the way. After that blip, he retired eighteen men in a row, including a stretch of five straight strikeouts on his way to totaling 12 K’s on the game. He picked up his first win of the year by going eight innings, allowing just the lone run on three hits and zero walks. He was a strike throwing machine on the game, with 71 of his 95 pitches going for strikes, including an #Elite 21 swings and misses. After having some trouble by allowing 15 earned runs in his first two starts of the year, Thorpe has dialed it in in his last two, allowing just three runs in 13 2/3 innings while striking out 24 against just one walk.

Rochester’s offense got on the board in the third inning to tie the game at one thanks to a LaMonte Wade single that drove in Ronald Torreyes, who had doubled earlier. They took control of the game in the fourth in part thanks to Brent Rooker’s fourth home run of the year:

https://twitter.com/RocRedWings/status/1120855586839646210

After that smash doubles from Tomas Telis and Torreyes around an Adam Rosales walk made the score 4-1 in favor of the home team. Another Telis double and RBI single from Wade in the sixth made it 5-1, before they tacked on three more in the eighth thanks to a Wade double and Randy Cesar 2-RBI single.

Reliever Preston Guilmet came in for Thorpe in the ninth, delivering a one-two-three ninth and punctuating the victory with a strikeout.

BLUE WAHOOS BITES

Mobile 1, Pensacola 0

Box Score

The only things that can stop Pensacola’s starter Devin Smeltzer so far on the year, are apparently when a line drive back at him takes him out of the game (his last start) or his offense abandons him (this one). Luckily after that scary sequence in his last start, he checked out fine and didn’t miss a beat on Tuesday. The lefthander went seven innings in this one, allowing just one run on six hits while picking up nine more strikeouts that puts him in the Southern League lead in that category. Mobile scored in the third inning thanks to some small ball, as a single, stolen base, and another single with two outs accounted for the game’s only run.

The Blue Wahoos collected just three hits on the game and were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Luis Arraez, Jaylin Davis, and Brian Navarreto each singled, while Ernie De La Trinidad drew two walks.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 2, Bradenton 1

Box Score

The middle of the Miracle lineup got the game started off on the right foot as number three hitter Trevor Larnach and cleanup man Jose Miranda swapped places at second base with consecutive doubles in the top of the first for a 1-0 lead.

Bradenton knotted the game at one in the second, as they managed to score the first run of the year on Fort Myers starter Bryan Sammons thanks to a two-out double and RBI single. That’s all they’d manage, and Sammons ended the game with a 0.42 ERA on the season after finishing 5 1/3 innings. He allowed just three hits and walked three while striking out four to pick up his third win of the year.

The Miracle took the lead back in the sixth when leadoff man Akil Baddoo launched his third home run of the season.

After Sammons' exit Calvin Faucher went the next 2 1/3, walking one and striking out two. Tom Hackimer recorded the final out of the eighth with a strikeout, then finished the ninth by striking out three in a row after a leadoff walk to pick up his first save.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Game 1: Cedar Rapids 0, Wisconsin 9

Box Score

In the first game of their doubleheader, the Kernels were in danger of being no-hit going into the top of the sixth inning, as the Timber Rattlers and their starter Aaron Ashby had built a 5-0 lead. Luckily, Michael Davis ended that effort with a leadoff double after Ashby’s day was done but that would be their only hit on the game. Gabriel Maciel drew two walks and Trey Cabbage one to account for the only baserunners on the day.

Andrew Cabezas got the start for Cedar Rapids and went the first four innings. He allowed four earned runs on six hits and a walk but did strike out five. Carlos Suniaga went the next 1 2/3 and was unable to make it through the sixth. He surrendered five runs on four hits and two walks. Derek Molina inherited a runner who would score the final tally for Wisconsin when he gave up a single but got the final out with a strikeout to end the bleeding. The Kernels went down in order in the seventh and prepped for game two.

Game 2: Cedar Rapids 7, Wisconsin 6

Box Score

Cedar Rapids turned to their bullpen in game two, and while each of their first three pitchers surrendered at least one run, the offense was there in this one to pick them up.

Brian Rapp got the start and pitched into the third inning when a walk and a single ended his day. In total he was charged with three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four. Austin Schulfer did his best to keep his team in the game, tallying three innings and allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out seven. He would be credited with his third win on the year when it was all said and done. Zach Neff came on for the sixth with a 7-4 lead for the Kernels but allowed two runs on two walks and a double before Joe Record was brought in to close out the game. Record retired all four hitters he faced, including two strikeouts in the seventh, to pick up his first save.

Cedar Rapids did most of their damage in a four-run fourth inning started by a home run from Hunter Lee, his first hit of the season. That was followed by three straight singles from Gabriel Maciel, Gabe Snyder, and Trey Cabbage before a two-out single from Gilberto Celestino put the Kernels up 7-3. Cabbage added his sixth home run of the young season in the third inning and ended the day tied for the Midwest League lead in bombs. Catcher Ben Rodriguez followed Cabbage’s shot with a back-to-back blast of his own for his first home run of the year. Andrew Bechtold (2-for-4, 2B), Cabbage (3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI), and Maciel (2-for-3, BB) had multiple hits.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Lewis Thorpe, Rochester Red Wings (W, 8 IP, ER, 3 H, 12 K)

Twins Daily Hitter(s) of the Day – Trey Cabbage, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-6, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, K)

PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

#1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4

#2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Injured List

#3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did not pitch

#4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-3, R, 2B, SB, K

#5 - Wander Javier (EST) - No Game

#6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 2-for-5, R, HR, 3 K

#7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch

#8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - W, 8 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 12 K

#9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch

#10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, HR, K

#11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List

#12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List

#13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - Did not play

#14 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-3, BB, K

#15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List

#16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, RBI, K

#17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch

#18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 3-for-4, R, 2B, 3 RBI, BB

#19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch

#20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, K

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ Rochester (5:05PM CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (1-2, 6.00 ERA)

Mobile @ Pensacola (6:35PM CST) - RHP Griffin Jax (1-0, 0.54 ERA)

Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30PM CST) – RHP Jhoan Duran (0-2, 3.65 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:35PM CST) – RHP Luis Rijo (0-2, 4.35 ERA)

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!