Twins Minor League Report (5/3): Fireworks In Chattanooga

Read on to hear all about the slugfest in Chattanooga, and everything else that happened in Sunday’s action!

RED WINGS REPORT

Norfolk 3, Rochester 7

Box Score

Rochester started the game off with a bang, scoring four runs in the first inning to chase Norfolk starter Zach Davies from the game after recording just two outs.

Eddie Rosario started the early rally with a walk, and an error put Reynaldo Rodriguez and Rosario on first and second. Josmil Pinto singled and Rosario raced home, but was thrown out at home for the second out. An Eric Fryer single brought Rodriguez home from third for the game’s first run, then Danny Ortiz brought home two more with a triple to center field. He scored on a single from James Beresford to make it 4-0 after the first inning, and Davies was gone from the game.

Rochester struck for two more runs in the fifth inning on singles from Jose Martinez and Beresford, and Aaron Hicks led off the sixth with a home run to left center to put them up 7-1.

Alex Meyer made the start for the Red Wings, and delivered a quality start. It was not without it’s warts as he allowed three runs on six hits and four walks, but limited the damage by scattering them and tallying six strikeouts. He pitched into the eighth inning, but walked the first two batters and was replaced by Caleb Thielbar. Sixty-three of his 104 pitches went for strikes on the afternoon.

Thielbar allowed the two inherited runners to score in the eighth while recording one out before being lifted for A.J. Achter. He finished the game for his first save of the year, striking out one in 1.2 innings.

Hicks (2-5, R, 2B, HR, RBI), Fryer (3-5, 2 R’s, RBI), Ortiz (2-4, 2 R’s, 3B, 2 RBI), and Beresford (2-4, 2 RBI) had multiple hits on the day for the offense.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Jacksonville 13, Chattanooga 14

Box Score

It was all fireworks all the time in Chattanooga, as the teams combined for thirty hits and twenty-seven runs on the game.

Jacksonville jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, before the Lookouts struck for six runs in the bottom of the third.

The inning got started with a leadoff triple from Max Kepler, his second on the season, and he scored on an error by the first baseman that came off the bat of Stuart Turner. A Heiker Meneses single moved put runners on first and second, and they both raced home when Byron Buxton tripled to left. Buxton scored on a Dalton Hicks single, then Miguel Sano punctuated the inning with a two-run home run to left. The triple and home run were both Buxton's and Sano’s fifth of the year, respectively.

Lookouts starter Greg Peavey gave the lead back immediately in the fourth inning as a hit batter, two singles, and a double tied the score at 6-6 and brought Dallas Gallant into the game. Another double plated two more runs to give Jacksonville the lead 8-6.

Chattanooga tied the game at eight in the bottom half when a Levi Michael double brought home Matt Juengel, and a Hicks sac fly brought home Meneses from third base.

The score remained tied until the bottom of the seventh, when Adam Brett Walker II hits his sixth home run of the year, a solo shot, to make it 9-8. The lead again would not hold as Jake Reed ran into trouble in the top of the eighth, allowing three consecutive singles to score two, and a triple that brought in two more to make the game 12-9 in favor of the Suns.

The Lookouts were not about to back down however, and again tied the game in the home team’s half of the inning when Buxton and Meneses scored on a Levi Michael triple after singling themselves, and Sano brought home Michael with a sac fly to make it 12-12.

Nick Burdi came in to pitch the ninth inning, and after recording an out, gave up a triple to Kenny Wilson to put the go-ahead run on third. A sac fly gave the Suns the lead before Burdi finished the inning with a strikeout.

You just knew the Lookouts lineup was going to not give up in this one, and Walker led off the bottom of the inning with a double to left. A Kepler single and stolen base put the game winning run on second, and a walk to Turner loaded the bases. The tying run scored when Meneses drew a second consecutive walk, and Byron Buxton stepped into the box with the game winning run on third.

He popped out in foul territory (wink), but the 2012 first rounder got picked up by 2011’s first-round pick, Levi Michael. His single to left on an 0-1 count brought Kepler racing home to start the walk-off celebration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3oAnVpk-ls&feature=youtu.be

video by Erika Sperl, aka eLee612

The Lookouts offense pounded out thirteen hits and was 6-14 with runners scoring position. Buxton (2-6, 2 R’s, 3B, 2 RBI), Michael (3-6, R, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI), Walker (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, RBI), Kepler (2-4, 2 R’s, 3B, BB, SB), and Meneses (2-4, 3 R’s, RBI, BB) filled up the stat sheet for Chattanooga.

All four pitchers for Chattanooga gave up an earned run, but the offense would not let them down. Burdi picked up the win to make him 2-3 on the season.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Charlotte 5, Fort Myers 2

Box Score

This one was a pitcher’s duel until Fort Myers starter Brett Lee left the game after six innings. He allowed just one run on five hits and four walks, while striking out two.

Brian Gilbert pitched a scoreless seventh but two walks and a single to start the eighth put the go-ahead run on the scoreboard, and runners on the corners for J.T. Chargois. A groundout and single brought in the inherited runners for a 4-1 Stone Crabs lead before Chargois recorded a strikeout to escape the inning.

Fort Myers got one back in the bottom of the eighth, when a Marcus Knecht sac fly brought in Niko Goodrum, but that’s all the Miracle were able to scratch out.

Charlotte added an insurance run in the ninth off Brandon Peterson, and reliever Brad Schreiber struck out Tanner Vavra, Engelb Vielma and Zach Granite to end the game.

Goodrum was 2-3 on the day with a run scored, a walk, and his fourth stolen base, Knecht and Vielma each recorded an RBI, and Tanner Vavra added a double to lead the offense. As a team they were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Clinton 5, Cedar Rapids 2

Box Score

Clinton jumped out to an early lead against Cedar Rapids starter Felix Jorge in the second inning, when consecutive singles put runners on base for first baseman Kristian Brito. His first home run of the year made the score 3-0, and provided all the offense Lumberjack starter Pat Peterson would need.

Jorge finished with a quality start, going six innings and allowing the three runs on nine hits and one walk. He struck out five.

Sam Clay allowed two runs on two hits and three walks in two innings, giving Clinton some insurance, and Michael Theofanopoulos finished the game with a scoreless ninth.

Although they had ten hits as a team, including multi-hit efforts from Max Murphy (3-4), Pat Kelly (2-5, R, 3B), and Trey Vavra (2-4, R, 2B), they managed just one RBI (Jorge Fernandez) and left ten men on base.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day – Alex Meyer, Rochester Red Wings (W, 7.0IP, 3 ER’s, 6 H’s, 4 BB, 6 K’s)

Hitter of the Day – Levi Michael, Chattanooga Lookouts (3-6, R, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, Game-winning single)

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester – Scheduled Day Off

Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (6:15 PM CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (2-0, 1.07 ERA)

Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Luke Westphal (0-1,6.57 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin – RHP Jared Wilson (2-0, 1.65 ERA)

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