Twins Minor League Report (5/22): Good Pitching and Extras

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 3, Durham 2

Box Score

Rochester got an excellent start from Tommy Milone (8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 8 K) and timely hitting in the ninth inning to steal a win from Durham on Sunday.

The Red Wings took the lead in the fourth. After Max Kepler and Kennys Vargas singled to start the inning, Eddie Rosario grounded into a double play. Though Rosario wasn’t credited with an RBI, Kepler scored on the play. (And you could argue that Rosario could have tried harder to beat the relay throw to first, though he probably still would have been out.)

Milone struggled a bit in the fifth inning, Durham started the inning with a double down the right field line. The ball was definitely catchable - and most outfielders would have caught it - but Kepler had left the game with stomach issues and he was replaced by Tommy Field, who had been playing shortstop. Three singles later, the Red Wings were down 2-1.

It took until the ninth inning for Rochester to mount a comeback. Wilfredo Tovar opened the inning with a single and moved to second on a Vargas walk. Vargas, the potential go-ahead run, was replaced by Stephen Wickens. Eddie Rosario failed to drive a run in, but was productive enough to move both runners over. Buck Britton drove in the tying run with another ground out. Durham elected to intentionally walk Adam Walker to face Tommy Field. Field promptly singled up the middle to score Wickens.

J.T. Chargois was asked to close the game out. He got the first two batters to look at strike three and coaxed a roller to Tovar to end the game. Chargois has now pitched five times for Rochester spanning 6 2/3 innings. He’s struck out 15, holding his opponents to a .091 batting average. He has a WHIP of 0.60. Chargois is ready to help the Twins bullpen.

At 25-19, the Red Wings are a half-game out of first in the IL North Division lead and a half game ahead of Lehigh Valley in the wild card race. Not bad for a team that’s swapping players on a semi-regular basis with the Twins.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 3, Jackson 4 (11 innings)

Box Score

The Lookouts got off to a hot start, but the run-producing at-bats turned cold and Chattanooga couldn’t hold a three-run lead, falling in extras.

Eight batters stepped to the plate in the top of the first. Zach Granite reached an error and moved to third on a Leo Reginatto single. D.J. Hicks drove them both in with a double. After a Travis Harrison strike out, both Daniel Palka and Joe Maloney singled, driving in Hicks. After Ryan Walker flew out, with Jairo Rodriguez batting, Palka was picked off and caught stealing third, ending the threat.

Jackson got one run back off of Slegers in the bottom of the inning and he pitched well until he ran into trouble in the sixth, a frame in which he walked two batters, who both scored to tie the game. Slegers allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks. He struck out eight. Jake Reed struck out five in three scoreless innings. Mike Strong took the loss, allowing a double and then a run-scoring single that produced the winning run in the 11th inning.

D.J Hicks added another double, his ninth on the year, in the sixth. Palka, Maloney and Walker all had two-hit games.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 2, Tampa 4 (11 innings)

Box Score

Kyle Gibson made his first rehab start on Sunday and threw 56 pitches (41 strikes). Gibson appeared close to his normal self, throwing in the low-90s with a low-to-mid-80s slider and a change-up. He pitched 4 1/3 innings. He allowed three hits and a walk. He struck out two and picked a runner off of first base.

Eduardo Escobar continued to rehab and went 0-for-3 with a walk before being subbed out when the game went to extra innings.

Edgar Corcino provided three of the team’s eight hits including a home run in the eighth to tie the game. It was Corcino’s third on the season. He scored the Miracle’s only other run in the second inning after a leadoff single and going to station-to-station, eventually scored on a throwing error when Chad Christensen stole second base. Corcino stole his fifth base of the year.

Nick Gordon pinch hit in the 10th inning and got a hit. Gordon will return to manning shortstop full-time when Escobar goes back to Minnesota (soon). Chris Paul stole two bases.

Brian Gilbert relieved Gibson and pitched 1 2/3 innings, striking out one. Tampa got on the board with a two-run home run in the eighth inning of Todd Van Steensel, who pitched two innings. Raul Fernandez pitched three innings, but took the loss, allowing two runs in the 11th inning.

Fort Myers batted 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, including leaving the bases loaded in the 10th inning.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 8, Quad Cities 1

Box Score

The Kernels' day started out a lot like the Twins' day, only with hits that were less loud. After a double, single and stolen base, the Kernels and Miles Nordgren were facing two runners in scoring position with nobody out.

But then Nordgren settled down and settled in. He coaxed three straight ground outs (one of which drove in a run). He worked around two singles in the second and three singles in the fifth, but didn’t allow any more runners to cross the plate. All told, Nordgren pitched seven innings, allowing eight hits and a walk. He struck out four. The seven innings were both a season-high (by three innings) and a career high (by four outs). Nordgren did, however, use fewer pitches (85) than he did in his five-inning appearance last Sunday (88).

The Kernels scored in five different innings and got multi-hit games from seven different players. Alex Perez doubled and tripled, driving in two runs. Nelson Molina drove in a run on three hits. Zander Wiel hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning. Wiel also added a double as did A.J. Murray, Luis Arraez and J.J. Fernandez. LaMonte Wade went 0-for-4, but drew a walk and has now reached base safely in 23 consecutive games.

Michael Theofanopoulos finished the game with two perfect innings. He has 10 straight scoreless appearances and a scoreless streak of 18 2/3 innings.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day – Miles Nordgren, Cedar Rapids (Yeah, Tommy Milone had a better game, but we know what Tommy Milone is. He dominates AAA and shouldn’t be there. But he hasn’t demonstrated that he’s good enough to be in a big-league rotation either. Anyway, I want to recognize a guy who hasn’t been recognized before.)

Hitter of the Day – Edgar Corcino, Fort Myers

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Chattanooga @ Jackson (7:05PM CST) – RHP Ryan Eades (2-2, 4.93 ERA)

Tampa @ Fort Myers (9:35PM CST) – Kohl Stewart (3-1, 1.77 ERA)

Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 CST) – Cody Stashak (2-3, 2.41 ERA)

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’’s games.