Twins Minor League Report (5/18): Great Pitching, Not Much Hitting

The Minnesota Twins may not have received a very good start from Scott Diamond, but all four Twins minor league starters pitched very well on Saturday night. Each of them pitched into the 7^th inning and gave up two or fewer runs. Unfortunately, the hitters from only one of the four affiliates scored enough runs to win their game. By the time the Twins' game got to the 6^th inning all four minor league games were done.

See what else happened on Saturday in the Twins minor league parks:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

Rochester Red Wings 2, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 3

Box Score

Caleb Thielbar came in for the 8^th inning of a 2-2 game. He was charged with an unearned run in the inning and took the loss. The Red Wings had two errors in the game. PJ Walters started and was terrific yet again for the Red Wings. He gave up two runs on seven hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out seven. Like Andrew Albers, Walters’ name is not being mentioned as a potential Twins call up as much as it probably should be.

In other news, Michael O’Connor was released. Aaron Thompson was promoted from New Britain. Cole De Vries was activated by the Twins from the disabled list and optioned to Rochester.

New Britain Rock Cats 0, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 5

Box Score

Logan Darnell was terrific on the mound again, but the Rock Cats were not able to do anything against the Fisher Cats pitching. Darnell gave up one run on three hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out six. He exited the game and Bruce Pugh came on for the eighth inning. Pugh gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in the inning, though he did strike out two. Blake Martin gave up a run on three hits in the ninth.

The Rock Cats managed just five hits, all singles. Danny Ortiz was 2-4. AJ Pettersen went 1-2 and was hit by a pitch for the fifth time in his stint with the Rock Cats. Pettersen can also now add centerfield to his list of positions played. He started in left field and then moved to center for the final inning.

Ft. Myers Miracle 9, Charlotte Stone Crabs 2

Box Score

Jason Wheeler again gave his team a chance to win; the Miracle bats provided sufficient offense. Wheeler worked the first seven innings. He gave up two runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out three. Wheeler is now 5-0 despite an ERA of 4.25. Adrian Salcedo pitched the final two innings without allowing a run. He gave up two hits and struck out two.

Angel Morales gave the Miracle an early lead with a two run double. Miguel Sano went 2-5 with his tenth double and his second triple. Kennys Vargas and Matt Koch were each 2-4.

Cedar Rapids Kernels 0, Kane County Cougars 4

Box Score

This game was a pitcher’s duel through the first six innings. JO Berrios and Cougars’ starter Pierce Johnson both threw six shutout innings. Berrios started the seventh, gave up two runs (1 earned) and got the first two outs. His final line was still solid. He went 6.2 innings and gave up just those two runs on seven hits. He walked none and struck out five. Berrios was replaced by lefty Josue Montanez who got the next four outs. He also gave up a solo home run before yielding to Josh Burris who gave up a solo homer in the ninth inning to produce the final 4-0 score.

The Kernels had some base runners but they were shut out for the first time this year. They were 1-13 with runners in scoring position. Travis Harrison went 2-4, the only player with more than one hit. Niko Goodrum and Jhonatan Arias each had a double. Byron Buxton is now hitting .257 in May after a 1-5 game on this night. He stole his 17^th base.

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