Twins Minor League Report (7/21): Albers the Ace and E-Town E-Ruptions

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 6, Syracuse 1

Box Score

The Twins could have used Andrew Albers in Boston tonight. Going the distance, Albers allowed only one run on six hits. He struck out five and improves to 9-3 on the season. Albers could very easily fill a rotation spot with the Twins during August and September.

Daniel Palka got three hits… but no home runs! He did double and is now batting .319.

Adam Brett Walker did hit a home run, his 19th, a 423-foot blast. Byung Ho Park had his 3rd AAA ParkBang as well. Thursday’s was a 3-run shot.

John Ryan Murphy got a hit and drove in a run. But he’s only batting .203 and is hitting in the 9-hole.

The Red Wings are 58-42 and a game and a half back in the wild card standings.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 0, Jackson 6

Box Score

Not a lot to say about the Lookouts game.

David Hurlbut allowed six runs on nine hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out one. Hurlbut was relieved by Brandon Peterson, who struck out two in a perfect frame. Ryan Eades finished the game with a strikeout in a perfect inning of his own.

D.J. Hicks singled twice. The first baseman accounted for all of the team’s hits.

The Lookouts are 52-45. If you’re in the Chattanooga area, they’ll be giving away a Byron Buxton lunch box next Friday and a Buxton bobblehead on Saturday.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 2, Clearwater 3

Box Score

Another affiliate with only two hits, but these were more productive. The newly-reinstated Reynaldo Rodriguez provided a solo home run in the seventh to break up the no-hitter. Chris Paul added the second hit, a single that scored Alex Perez, who had walked. The hit almost tied the game as pinch-runner Daniel Kihle, who was running for A.J. Murray, who also had walked, was thrown out at home.

Randy LeBlanc struck out six over six innings, allowing six hits and three walks. Three runs scored and LeBlanc lost his fourth game as a member of the Miracle rotation. Todd Van Steensel relieved LeBlanc and pitched two shutout innings. He struck out one.

The Miracle are 15-13 in the second half, a game and a half being the FSL South-leading St. Lucie Mets.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 1, Bowling Green 3

Box Score

Dereck Rodriguez lost his perfect game in the fifth. He lost his no-hitter in the sixth. He gave up his second run - enough to get hung with the loss - in the seventh. He handed the ball over in the eighth. Despite a good start, Rodriguez dropped to 2-11 on the season, allowing three runs in 7.1 innings.

Kuo Hua Lo gave up a hit and struck out a batter in 1.2 innings.

Chris Ibarra got two hits. Nelson Molina tripled and singled. Zander Wiel, featured earlier in the day on milb.com, hit his 21st double and walked.

The Kernels dropped to 15-12 in the second half of the season.

E-TOWN E-NOTES

Elizabethton 17, Kingsport 3

Box Score

There was a lot of offense for the home team in Elizabethton on Thursday night. Of the nine players in the lineup, all scored and got a hit. The first eight batters all scored twice. Seven of the nine batters had multi-hit games. Four batters drove in multiple runs.

Shane Carrier led the charge. An eighth-rounder from Fullerton, Carrier doubled twice and hit a home run. He drove in four runs and scored twice. Alex Kirilloff singled three times to raise his batting average to .346. Andre Jernigan got three hits, including a double. Lewin Diaz also doubled among his two hits while driving in four. Brandon Lopez, Caleb Hamilton and Robert Molina each singled twice.

Tyler Wells made the start and pitched five innings. He struck out six while allowing eight hits and a walk. Three runs scored, but Wells picked up his first professional win.

Ryan Mason came in and finished the last four innings, picking up the ultra-rare save in a 14-run game. He allowed three hits, pitching a shutout.

Elizabethton is 11-16.

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 4 (12 innings)

Box Score

One day after winning a 15-inning affair, the GCL affiliate dropped a one-run game in 12 innings.

Despite getting outhit 10 to 4, the Twins were able to push the game to extra innings. Tyree Davis led the offense with two walks and a double. Jean Carlos Arias, Zach Featherstone and Juan Gamez provided the rest of the hits. Featherstone and Gamez drove in runs. Joe Cronin stole his fifth base of the year.

Huascar Ynoa struck out three in four innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk. Zack Strecker pitched four shutout innings, striking out five. Tyler Fox gave up a run and struck out two in one inning. Garrett Kelly picked up the loss, but struck out five in 2.1innings. He allowed the runner that scored the winning run. Callan Pearce came into the game with the bases loaded but walked a batter before ending the inning with a double play.

The GCL Twins are 11-11

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Albers, Rochester

Hitter of the Day – Shane Carrier, Elizabethton

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester vs Syracuse (6:05 CST) - RHP Jose Berrios (9-4, 2.42 ERA)

Chattanooga at Jackson (7:05 CST) - RHP Omar Bencomo (2-5, 4.50 ERA)

Fort Myers at Clearwater (5:15 CST) - TBD

Bowling Green at Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - LHP Sam Gibbons (3-3, 6.09 ERA)

Elizabethton vs Johnson City (6:00 CST) - TBD

GCL Twins at GCL Red Sox (11:00AM CST) - TBD

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