Twins Minor League Report (5/13): Tornado Warning of Bats in Wichita

TRANSACTIONS

• Minnesota Twins sign IF Daniel Delscalso to a minor league contract (will report to St. Paul)
• Minnesota Twins signed 2B Sherman Johnson and RHP Rob Whalen to a minor league contract (will report to Wichita)

SAINTS SENTINEL

Iowa 7, Saint Paul 3

Box Score

A night after their first ever win as the Twins AAA affiliate, the Saints were exorcised by the I-Cubs thanks to solid pitching and explosive offense from the Chicago affiliate. 

Fresh off his time with the parent club, Nick Gordon did not disappoint for the Saints. ‘Flash G’ kicked off the game with a triple off the wall on a 1-0 pitch. Gordon also singled in CF Jimmy Kerrigan in the fifth with a single. 

First basemen Damek Tomscha proved to be the other offensive threat for the Saints at the plate. Tomscha smacked a double to kick off the fifth and was later driven in thanks to a Kerrigan double. Tomscha’s leadoff success continued in the seventh, when he nailed an 0-1 pitch over the left field fence for his first homer of the year.

Starting pitcher Bailey Ober was excellent, touting a scoreless four-inning outing. Ober struck out five, walked one, and gave up two hits on his second start of the year. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM

Wichita 9, Amarillo 8

Box Score

Coming off their first ever win at Riverfront Stadium in beautiful Wichita, the Wind Surge brought their bats to the park on Thursday night. So did the Sod Poodles (yes, you read that correctly).

Yet even an early inning deficit couldn’t dethrone the moment of the Wind Surge as they posted a nail-biting 9-8 win over Amarillo in the Jayhawk State. 

After giving up a three-run first inning, Wichita surged ahead thanks to four-run third inning and three-run eighth. 

The Wind Surge saw seven players record hits on the night. Yet it was Jermaine Palacios’ third inning three-run shot that made the most noise. Palacios’ bomb was the first homer in Wind Surge history. The SS has now hit safely in every single game so far this year. Get that man an ice cold Surge soda pop!

Even after the milestone moonshot, the Wind Surge were still trailing. That changed in the eighth, when Caleb Hamilton drew a five pitch bases-loaded walk to bring in the go-ahead run to make it 8-7. Jose Miranda followed suit with another five pitch bases-juiced walk to grab some insurance for Wichita, scoring Palacios. Palacios’ run would prove to be enough, as Wichita reliever Josh Mitchell (1-0) punched his way through the final two innings to give the Wind Surge their second straight win. 

Outside the chalk lines at Riverfront Stadium, exciting news was in full force. Just before first pitch, Wind Surge OF and former Twin Aaron Whitefield was named AA Central Hitter of the Week. 

While many Twins mans know the Aussie for his important work in patching a Buxton-less outfield last season, Whitefield has made a name for himself at the plate this year. In the past week Whitefield went 12 for 27 with two HR and 7 RBI at the dish. Whitefield is slashing .343/.410/.629 on the year. Well done, mate

Yet perhaps the finest accolade of recent Wind Surge history came from the life of catcher David Bañuelos. David and wife wife Jessica welcomed their son Ezekiel to the world on Tuesday. We’ll see if he follows in his father’s footsteps. Welcome to the Twins family, Ezekiel!

KERNELS NUGGETS

Quad Cities 5, Cedar Rapids 4

Box Score

Cedar Rapids looked to gain revenge against one of the hottest teams in baseball with an in-state showdown on Thursday night in Davenport, Iowa. And while the Kernels put together a wealth of threats at the plate, the River Bandits were able to squeak out their sixth consecutive win. 

In a matchup that featured ample strikeouts from pitchers in both dugouts, the River Bandits were able to prevail in a game that so no runs after the third inning. 

Despite the loss, the Kernels saw niblets of brilliance in the first three innings. The Kernels kicked off the party with a pair of second inning doubles from Trey Cabbage and Alex Isola to give the Kernels an early lead. 

After Quad Cities responded with two runs in the bottom of the second, the Kernels racked up three runs in the third thanks to singles by Spencer Steer, Matt Wallner, Jair Camargo and a walk from Seth Gray. 

Unfortunately for Cedar Rapids, the River Bandits matched ever offensive punch from the Kernels with just as many runs and a stellar seven strikeout outing from reliever Zach Haake. 

RF Trey Cabbage posted the most impressive night at plate for the Kernels, knocking two hits, one run, and one RBI.

MUSSEL MATTERS

Fort Meyers 5, Clearwater 3

Box Score

Coming off a gritty one-run win on Wednesday, the Mighty Mussels entered Thursday evening looking to surpass the .500 mark against Philly Low-A affiliate Clearwater. 

Highly-touted prospect Aaron Sabato kicked off the night with a laser to right field, scoring Jefferson Morales to put the Mussels up 1-0. Despite a tough start, Sabato has began to hit his stride, knocking in a run and two hits on Wednesday night in addition to two hits on Thursday.

Following Sabato’s kickstart to the game, Clearwater punched in two runs to take a 3-1 lead after seven innings. 

Those runs didn’t discredit a stellar performance on the bump from Mussel starting pitcher Miguel Rodriguez. The Venezuelan pitched four shutout innings, striking out four and only giving up one hit, while walking two. 

When it mattered most, the Mighty Mussels showed up. Down by two in the eighth, Misael Urbina knocked a single up the middle to score Kyle Schmidt and Edouard Julien. Later in the inning, Keoni Cavaco punched an infield hit to score the go-ahead run along with an insurance run thanks to a throwing error.

Cavaco’s go-ahead hit adds to his already impressive 2021 campaign. The Twins Daily #7 prospect is slashing .333/.415 (.887) on the year and has no signs of stopping. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day- Bailey Ober (Saint Paul)- 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K

Hitter of the Day- Jermaine Palacios (Wichita)- 2-for-4, 2 R, 3 H, 3 RBI

PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

#1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – Injured List (wrist)

#2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL)

#3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, 2B, R, BB, 2 K

#4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, 4 K

#5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch

#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back)

#7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-5, RBI, K

#8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, K

#9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch

#10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch

#11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – 0-for-1, HBP (left game, arm)

#12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-3, BB, K

#13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-5, R, RBI, 3 K

#14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB

#15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch

#16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow)

#17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play

#18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A

#19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 0-0, RBI, BB

#20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – 4.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, BB, 5 K

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Iowa @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – RHP Andrew Albers (0-1, 10.13 ERA)

Amarillo @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Josh Winder (0-0, 1.86 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) – LHP Kody Funderburk (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Bradley Hanner (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Chime in with your thoughts!