Twins Minor League Report (5/2): Starters Toss Zeroes

Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Wednesday. And as always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions.

TRANSACTIONS

• On Wednesday, the Twins officially announced that John Curtiss was optioned to Rochester and RHP Fernando Romero was promoted to the Twins. Romero had a pretty strong MLB debut!
  
• OF Jimmy Kerrigan was promoted from Ft. Myers to Rochester.
  
• 1B Robbie Rinn was promoted from extended spring training to Ft. Myers. He was acquired in a minor league trade during spring training.
  

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 6, Pawtucket 7

Box Score

Down 1-0 in the top of the fifth inning, Jermaine Curtis stepped up with a couple of runners on and hit his first home run of the season to give the Red Wings a 3-1 lead.

Miles Jaye started for the Wings and gave up just one run through the first four innings. However, given the lead, Jaye gave up a four-spot in the bottom of the fifth frame. In total, he gave up five runs on eight hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three. Ryne Harper came on and gave up two runs on three hits over 1 2/3 innings. Ryne Harper came on and gave up two runs on three hits over 1 2/3 innings. He got five outs, all of them on strikeouts. Casey Crosby got the final five outs for the Red Wings without any further damage.

Curtiss added another RBI later in the game. He was 2-for-5 with four RBI. James Ramsey was 2-for-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. Willians Astudillo added his second home run of the year.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 7, Mobile 6 (10 innings)

Box Score

Lewis Thorpe made the start for the Lookouts. The southpaw from Australia threw four scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits, but he walked five and struck out six. That led to a high pitch count. He was done after four innings having already thrown 89 pitches.

Ryan Eades went the next two innings and gave up three runs on two hits and three walks. He struck out two. Cody Stashak worked the next two innings. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out three. Fellow Australian, Todd Van Steensel, came on to protect a one-run lead in the ninth. He gave up one run and the game went to overtime, or extra innings, if you prefer.

In the top of the tenth, LaMonte Wade started the inning on second. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Brent Rooker sacrifice fly. Van Steensel was back on the mound for the bottom of the 10th. The first batter reached on an error, putting runners at first and third. But Van Steensel got a strikeout and then coaxed a double play to end the game.

Edgar Corcino led the offense by going 2-4 with his third and fourth doubles. He drove in two runs. Zander Wiel went 2-5. Alex Perez was 1-2 with three walks. Nick Gordon drove in a run with his fifth double.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 5, Tampa 0

Box Score

If you’re looking for a Twins minor league starting pitcher who could move up prospect rankings throughout this season, look no further than Tyler Wells. The 6-8 right-hander got himself in very good shape in the offseason and has taken his performance to a new level. On this night, Wells threw six shutout innings. He gave up just two hits, walked one and struck out four. He improved to 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA.

After Wells left, the Westmont Duo took over and combined for the final three innings. Andrew Vasquez worked two innings and was charged with an unearned run. Hector Lujan threw a perfect ninth inning.

Joe Cronin continued his hot stretch to start the season. The infielder went 2-for-4 with a walk and his first triple. He drove in three runs and stole a base. Robbie Rinn made his Twins and Florida State League debuts on Wednesday night. He went 1-2 with a walk and a double. Nelson Molina went 1-3 with a walk and his first stolen base of the year.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 5, South Bend 0 (6 innings, rain)

Box Score

There was a threat of some serious weather, but the game was able to get through the necessary five innings to be complete. Tyler Watson did his part to keep the game rolling. The left-hander threw all 5 1/3 innings without allowing a run. He gave up just three hits and walked none. He struck out six.

Jean Carlos Arias led the offense. He went 3-for-3 with two RBI. Alex Kirilloff scored twice and drove in one with his seventh double. Andrew Bechtold added his third double.

For South Bend, their second pitcher of the game was Rollie Lacy. He was a Cubs draft pick last year out of Creighton. He played his high school baseball at Holy Family High School in Victoria, Minnesota. In 18.1 innings this season, he has a 1.93 ERA.

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Jermaine Curtis, Rochester Wings (2-5, HR(1), 4 RBI)

Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Tyler Wells, Ft. Myers Miracle (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K)

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

#2 - Fernando Romero (Minnesota) - 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K (MLB Debut)

#3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 1-5, 2B(5), R, RBI, BB, K

#5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, 2B(7), 2 R, 1 RBI

#7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 0-4, BB, SF, RBI, 4 K

#10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, R, 1 BB, 1 K

#12 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 6 K

#14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) - 0-5, 2 R, BB, 2 K

#16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, K

#17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, 2K

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers (2-0, 1.50 ERA)

Chattanooga @ Mobile (6:35 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (2-1, 5.82 ERA)

Ft. Myers @ Tampa (5:30 CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes (0-2, 4.24 ERA)

South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Bailey Ober (0-1, 81.00 ERA)

Please feel free to ask any questions about Wednesday’s full schedule of games, or ask any questions you may have.