Twins Minor League Report (7/15): Back...back...back...back

I hope you enjoyed watching the HR Derby. And by that I really mean, “I hope you enjoyed imaging what next year’s Home Run Derby is going to be like”. The best part about it being at Target Field next year is that you, well, won't have to hear anyone saying "back...back...back...back".

[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

The Twins are obviously off for the All-Star Break.

ROCHESTER RED WINGS – off for AAA All-Star Break. Chris Colabello participated in the AAA HR derby on Monday night. He went homerless in the first round.

NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 2, HARRISBURG SENATORS 3 (10 INNINGS)

Box Score

Miguel Sano returned from the Futures Game and promptly went 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts and a walk. He’s batting .196 in the midst of this “humbling experience”.

Eddie Rosario continues to show he belongs, going 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. He also had a hand in the game’s only double-play.

Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 12^th home run of the year (and - for now - has delayed Kennys Vargas’ promotion).

Trevor May started tonight and had mixed results. The positive: seven innings pitched, three hits allowed, six strikeouts. The not-so-positive: 105 pitches/65 strikes, four walks. While the pitch-count is not a big deal, he’d be able to reduce his pitches if he could cut back on his walks. In this system, he will spend much more time in the minors if he continues to issue free passes.

Cole Johnson struck out two in two innings before Matt Hauser allowed a walk-off home run in the 10^th.

The benches cleared at some point in the game. Details aren’t fully known and no one was ejected; it appears a pitcher and batter were chirping at each other which likely resulted in players coming out of their dugouts and milling about.

Congratulations to Virgil Vasquez, who was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.

FOR T MYERS MIRACLE 9, LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS 10

Box Score

I think you could classify tonight’s loss as a “heartbreaker”.

The Miracle jumped out to a quick – and big – lead after scoring twice in the 2^nd and six times in the 5^th. Unfortunately, giving up enough runs in the last five innings, including five in the 9^th, can really bite you in the behind. The Miracle plated one in the bottom of the 9^th but Kennys Vargas struck out with the tying run on 2^nd base.

Kyle Davies started and lasted 6.2 innings. He allowed four runs on eight hits. He walked three and struck out two. Adrian Salcedo recorded four outs and gave up a home run.

Corey Williams came in to the get the save. Instead, he got only two men out and before he left had given up five runs. Chad Rogers relieved him and struck out two for the final outs.

Byron Buxton was 2-for-6 with a strikeout.

Mike Kvasnicka (two RBI) and Andy Leer (four RBI) also had two-hit games.

The star of the show offensively was Evan Bigley who is looking like he’s ready to return to AAA. Tonight he was 4-for-5 with a double.

Levi Michael was hitless but drove in two and had a stolen base.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 5, BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS 6

Box Score

A couple things helped (though not enough to win the game) the Kernels’ today. First, Rays Top 100 pitching prospect Taylor Guerrieri exited the game after only two innings with an apparent arm injury. The Kernels also set a season high for home runs with four.

Jose Berrios struggled. In five-plus innings of work, he allowed five runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out four, but also had a wild pitch and allowed a home run. He took the loss. If you’re looking for something positive, Berrios induced five groundball outs and only one fly-ball out.

Caleb Brewer allowed two of Berrios’ runners to score. Hudson Boyd replaced Brewer and allowed one of his runners to score, too. Madison Boer pitched a hitless 9^th inning.

Let’s talk about the bats instead. Dalton Hicks hit his 31^st double of the season. Travis Harrison went deep (again) for #15 (but really number 16). Max Kepler hit his fourth home run since joining the team about a month ago.

The offensive story, though, was Adam Walker. This year, Walker came out of the gate on fire before cooling down in June and early July. Something clicked (or re-clicked) on July 11^th. Since that game he is 9-for-17 with five home runs (including the two he hit today). He also has 12 RBI in that span giving him 79 on the year. Yes, he did strike out twice and there likely will always be a lot of swing-and-miss in his game. But if Walker can progress through the system and keep his strike out rate at no more than 25%, his right-handed power will still be a valuable addition to the Twins lineup.

ELIZABETHTON TWINS 1, GREENEVILLE ASTROS 3

Box Score

Scanning the box score, the only thing of note you will find is that 2^nd round pick Ryan Eades pitched the final inning of the game and had a 1-2-3 inning (with no strikeouts).

Offensively, E-town managed only four hits including a double by Mitch Garver and Bryan Haar's fifth triple.

On the mound, the four pitchers who threw before Eades combined to walk 10. Tanner Mendonca started and had trouble keeping guys off base (two hits, four walks) and once they got on, keeping them at that base (two for three in stolen base attempts, in only 1.2 innings).

GCL TWINS 0, GCL ORIOLES 3

Box Score

The GCL Twins gave up 12 hits, but only 3 unearned first-inning runs to take the loss today.

Leonel Zazueta got the start and was charged with the loss despite not being on the hook for any earned runs (though he did give up six hits, including a home run, in his three innings of work).

Fernando Romero struck out three in his three innings of work. Daniel Sattler, working back from Tommy John surgery, struck out one in a two-hit inning.

The rehabbing Mike Gonzales got two of the five hits today. He also walked once. Engelb Vielma, Jason Kanzler and Zach Larson each had a hit.

It appears that tomorrow will be Kohl Stewart’s turn in the rotation.