Twins Minor League Report (5/6): Gonsalves Fans Nine

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 6, Lehigh Valley 1

Box Score

Rochester pounced quickly on Lehigh Valley and Stephen Gonsalves was able to cruise to his second straight victory since being promoted to Triple A. The Red Wings got things started in the first with two outs. Jake Cave got a single. Kennys Vargas singled to center to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch brought in Cave from third. Willians Astudillo singled to load the bases.

The biggest hit of the frame came from Taylor Featherston who doubled to plate three runs. He finished the day 1-for-3 with three RBI, a walk and a run scored. Cave was the lone Red Wings hitter to collect multiple hits, both singles. Leonardo Reginatto was the only batter not to reach base but he added two RBI.

Gonsalves faced the minimum through the first 14 batters. After surrendering a solo home run and a double in the fifth, he settled in to pitch into the top of the seventh. After walking the lead-off batter in that inning, he got Trevor Plouffe to fly out and he struck out the next batter. Mitch Walding, the same batter who homered earlier, singled to put a runner in scoring position. This was the end of Gonsalves’ day. He struck out nine, walked one, and allowed three hits over 6 2/3 innings.

Nick Anderson pitched the final 2 1/3 innings for the Red Wings. He allowed only one base runner and he struck out two. Over his last five appearances, Anderson hasn’t allowed an earned run and has pitched multiple innings in four of those outings.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 1, Mobile 2

Box Score

The hits were few and far between for the Lookouts on Sunday afternoon. Nick Gordon and Alex Robles each went 1-for-3 and those were the only hits for the club. Overall, the team had two opportunities to bat with runners in scoring position and one of them was successful.

Chattanooga seemed to be getting a rally going in the ninth. Alex Perez led off the inning with a walk before moving to second on a wild pitch. Robles followed with a single to put runners on the corners with no outs. The next batter was LaMonte Wade and he was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brent Rooker got ahead in the count 2-1 before fouling off a pitch. He struck out on the next pitch for the first out of the inning and that’s when things got a little strange.

Nick Gordon stepped in with a chance to play the hero. He cracked a long fly ball to left field that was deep enough to be a sacrifice fly. However, Robles got caught trying to advance and became the final out of the game.

Anthony Marzi had a strong start in his Double A debut. Over six innings, he scattered four hits and allowed one earned run, a home run. He struck out eight and walked one. Ryan Eades finished off the final two frames by allowing one run on one hit with two strikeouts.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 5, Jupiter 4

Box Score

Clark Beeker worked his best start of the season and the Miracle were able to hold off the Hammerheads in this one. Beeker pitched six innings, allowing one run on six hits. He struck out three and walked one. Calvin Faucher picked up from Beeker and allowed only one base runner over the next two frames.

For the Miracle, every starter in the line-up reached base. Mark Contreras, Joe Cronin, and Taylor Grzelakowski all had multi-hit efforts. Grzelakowski has five multiple-hit efforts in his last ten games. Contreras scored a pair of runs and Arraez led the team with two RBI.

Things got a little dicey at the end as Logan Lombana allowed Jupiter back into the game. In the top of the ninth, he allowed a single and a home run to start the inning. After allowing the next batter to reach on a walk, he coaxed a ground out before being replaced by Kevin Marnon. He got one out before back-to-back singles made it a one-run game. Marnon loaded the bases with a walk before a sharp groundout to Carson Crites ended the mayhem.

It is the first time Jupiter has lost a series this season.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 1, West Michigan 4

Box Score

Cedar Rapids jumped out to an early lead thanks to a little luck. With one out in the second, Andrew Bechtold walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. He was stranded at second until a two-out double from David Banuelos made the score 1-0. Unfortunately, that’s where the scoring ended for the Kernels.

Bryan Sammons lost for the third time in his last four starts. However, he has only allowed more than two earned runs in one of those appearances. He finished 6 1/3 innings, a career best, by allowing two earned runs on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Derek Molina allowed two earned runs over the final 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two and didn’t allow a free pass.

Cedar Rapids went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. Alex Kirilloff collected his tenth double of the season.

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Taylor Grzelakowski (2-for-4, RBI, 2B)

Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Stephen Gonsalves, Rochester (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 9 K)

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

#3 – Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) – 1-3, RBI, K

#4 – Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 9 K

#5 – Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 1-4, 2B, K

#7 – Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 0-3, BB, 2 K

#14 – LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) – 0-3, K

#17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) – 0-3, BB, K

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester @ Buffalo (5:05 CST) - TBD

Chattanooga @ Jackson (6:15 CST) – LHP Lewis Thorpe (0-3, 4.37 ERA)

Fort Myers vs. Charlotte (6:00 CST) – TBD

Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:00 CST) – RHP Edwar Colina (2-0, 6.00 ERA)

Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have.