Twins Minor League Report (4/8): Friday Night Lights

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RED WINGS REPORT

Game 1 - Rochester 3, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 0 (Completion of Suspended Game)

Box Score

The teams got through four innings on Thursday’s opening night, but that was it. On Friday afternoon, Brandon Kintzler replaced Tyler Duffey who had thrown four shutout innings. Kintzler threw two scoreless innings, striking out four and giving up just one hit. Taylor Rogers went the next two innings. He gave up a walk and a hit, but no runs and struck out one. JR Graham pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out one, for his first save.

Jorge Polanco led the way going 3-4 with two triples. He scored twice thanks to Max Kepler. First, Kepler grounded out to score Polanco with the team’s first run of the season. Later, Kepler knocked a sacrifice fly to score Polanco with the second run. Kepler was 1-3 with two RBI. His hit was a single to left. Adam Brett Walker provided the power for the third run with his first AAA home run. He was 1-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Kennys Vargas went 2-3.

Game 2 - Rochester 2, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 7 (Regularly-Scheduled Game)

Box Score

Pat Dean was terrific through five innings. He started the sixth inning and gave up a single and a double before being replaced by Loek Van Mil. Van Mil allowed both runners to score, then gave up four more hits and they all scored (3 earned). He also walked one. Dan Runzler came on and threw a wild pitch to score one more before getting the final out of the bottom of the 6th inning. The six-run inning was too much to overcome.

Through five innings, Dean had given up just an unearned run on two hits and a walk. He struck out six. However, because of the 6th inning, his final line is three runs (2 earned) on four hits and a walk in five innings. Five errors by the Red Wings certainly didn’t help the cause in this game. Jorge Polanco, playing second base again, had two of the errors.

Juan Centeno gave the Red Wings a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a single. He was 1-2 with a walk and a stolen base. Buck Britton went 2-3 with a double.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 2, Biloxi 6

Box Score

Biloxi knocked three home runs in this game to even the series at one game a piece. Two of the homers came later to give them some breathing room.

However, the first homer came in the first. DJ Baxendale was on the mound. He got the first batter out but then gave up back-to-back doubles before prospect Jacob Nottingham hit a home run to give them a 3-0 lead. After that, Baxendale was terrific. Following the home run, he faced 17 more batters. He gave up just three singles and two of them were erased with double plays by the next batter. So Baxendale ended with a quality start. He completed six innings and was charged with three runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out five.

He was replaced by lefty Mason Melotakis who threw his first game in about 20 months after Tommy John surgery. He gave up a solo home run in the 7th to make it 4-2. Jake Reed got the eighth inning. He got the first two batters out quickly, one on a strikeout. He then gave up a single and a long home run to make the score 6-2. He ended the inning with a second strikeout.

The Miracle offense wasn’t able to do much. In fact, through five innings against former Twins draft pick Javi Salas (38th round, 2013, went back to Miami for senior season) the only base runner was Stuart Turner who was hit by a pitch. In the 6th, Turner got the team’s first hit, a double (his second in as many games). He moved to third on a bunt and scored on a Zach Granite ground out. An inning later, Mitch Garver cut the deficit to 3-2 with his first home run of the season.

Turner and Garver have each started one game at DH and one game behind the plate. Turner is hitting .500 (2-4 with a walk and a HBP) so far with two doubles. Garver is 2-7 with the home run. Daniel Palka was again not in the starting lineup. He did pinch hit for Turner in the 7th inning and popped out. The Lookouts 3-5 hitters went 0-12 in this game with eight strikeouts. It was a theme as the Lookouts struck out 13 times in the game without drawing a walk. That doesn’t work often when recording just four hits.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 3, Bradenton 2

Box Score

The story of this game was definitely the performance of Kohl Stewart. The former #1 pick made his first start of the year. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out seven. He gave up a two-run homer in the fifth inning. According to Miracle play-by-play man Brice Zimmerman, Stewart’s fastball was sitting 94-96 mph and hit 97 at times.

Stewart was replaced in the 7th inning by lefty Luke Westphal who struck out two (and walked one) in the inning. Because the Miracle took the lead after his inning, he gets credit for the win. Yorman Landa came on for the 8th frame. He gave up no runs on one hit. He struck out one to help get out of the inning despite his own error.

Down 2-0 going into the sixth, the Miracle got on the board in the 6th. Ryan Walker led off with a walk. With one out, Nick Gordon singled. An error on the center fielder allowed Walker to score.

In the 7th inning, Trey Vavra was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He went to third on a single by Logan Wade. A single by Alex Real scored Vavra. Chad Christensen bunted the runners to second and third. Following a pitching change, Ryan Walker came through with an RBI single to put the Miracle up 4-3.

Trevor Hildenberger, our choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2015, came on to protect a one-run lead. The first batter hit a slow roller to third but the runner was safe at first. Hildenberger struck out the next two batters before another slow hopper to the right side resulted in another infield hit. With two on and two outs, Hildenberger got the final out on a fly ball to Tanner English in center.

Ryan Walker went 2-2 with a walk and that game-winning RBI. Alex Real went 2-3. Nick Gordon went 1-4, and Trey Vavra was 1-3 with a hit by pitch.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 2

Box Score

It was cold in Cedar Rapids on Friday night. Late in the game, the temp dropped to 32 degrees. Earlier in the game, there were snow flurries flying. They got the game in and the Kernels found a way to get their second win in as many chances.

Andro Cutura got things going right. He struck out three in the first inning. Through four shutout innings, he had seven strikeouts. He gave up two runs in the fifth, but ended the inning with his eighth strikeout and five complete innings. CK Irby struck out two over two scoreless innings. Brainerd native (and Mayville State grad) Nick Anderson struck out two over two scoreless innings to end it.

In the 2nd inning, Max Murphy led off with a single and advanced to third on a Zander Wiel double. JJ Fernandez hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Murphy. It was deep enough to allow Wiel to advance to third base. He then scored on a wild pitch. An inning later, Rafael Valera led off with a triple. A couple of batters later, Max Murphy tripled him in. Murphy then scored on a Wiel sacrifice fly. The Kernels scored two more late in the game thanks to four wild pitches to make it 6-2.

Murphy went 2-4 with the triple. Wiel was 1-2 with a walk, a double and the sacrifice fly. LaMonte Wade was 1-3 with a walk. Chris Paul walked twice.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kohl Stewart, Ft. Myers Miracle

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ryan Walker, Ft. Myers Miracle

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

The Rochester Red Wings announced on Friday that Saturday’s home opener has been postponed and will be played at a later date. The Red Wings new home opener will be played on Sunday with Jose Berrios on the mound.

Chattanooga @ Biloxi (7:10 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut

Bradenton @ Ft. Myers (5:30 CST) – LHP Tyler Jay

Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:15 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games.