Twins Minor League Report (8/12): Relief Efforts Cover for Lack of Offense

TRANSACTIONS

There was only one transaction in the system on Sunday, but it was a fun one for the former #4 overall draft pick:

• Kohl Stewart was officially called up from Rochester and made his MLB debut on Sunday afternoon. Congratulations Kohl!!!
  

https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/1028710760736645121

https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/1028743173911207937

RED WINGS REPORT

Charlotte 2, Rochester 3

Box Score

A Jeremy Hazelbaker two-run home run in the fifth inning to make it 2-1 Red Wings was the big hit in this one, but it was a close game throughout.

Zack Littell went the first six innings and was in line for the win when he came out for his final frame, but a solo home run tied the game at two before he finished it. In all Littell went six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out seven.

Rochester took the lead back in the bottom of the sixth as Nick Gordon led off the inning with a double and later scored on a single from Jon Kemmer. The Red Wings had just five hits in the victory. LaMonte Wade drew two walks and made a nice diving grab:

https://twitter.com/RocRedWings/status/1028734004462202880

The bullpen held it down from there with Jake Reed delivering two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and struck out two. Alan Busenitz came on in the ninth and set the Knights down in order, striking out the final two hitters he faced for his seventh save of the year.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Jackson 6, Chattanooga 1

Box Score

The Generals were able to jump on Lookouts starter Jorge Alcala in the first inning, thanks in part to an error, and would never look back.

Alcala gave up four runs in that first inning including a three-run home run, but two of those were of the unearned variety. He also walked one and hit a batter in the frame. Over his next three innings however, he retired all the hitters he faced and ten in a row, before being replaced for the fifth. He struck out five and allowed just three hits and a walk, all in that first inning.

The Lookouts offense was unable to take advantage of the seven walks they drew, as they managed just four hits and were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Luke Raley was 2-for-3 with a walk. Brent Rooker finished 1-for-4 with a K. Tanner English singled and scored their lone run. Luis Arreaz drew two walks.

Anthony Marzi came on in relief of Alcala and continued the one-two-three trend for two more innings. He struck out one. Sam Clay came on for the seventh and another error led to a two-run home run that made the score 6-1. That was the only hit Clay allowed in addition to walking two and striking out one in two innings. Andrew Vasquez finished the game with a scoreless ninth. He hit one batter and allowed a single but buckled down with two strikeouts as well.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 3, Florida 2

Box Score

The Miracle got a solid start from Charlie Barnes and lights out bullpen work from a pair of relievers that allowed them to come from behind in this one.

Barnes went the first five innings, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out six. He allowed single runs in the third and fifth innings but escaped further damage with a bulldog mentality in each, striking out two hitters after allowing the run in each of those two frames.

Down 2-1 in the seventh, Royce Lewis got a two-out rally started with his second triple with Miracle. He was driven in with a Taylor Grzelakowski double, and Jose Miranda followed with an RBI single to put them out front.

Adam Bray was the first reliever after Barnes, and he delivered two scoreless frames. He allowed two hits, but also limited the damage as he struck out five and was credited with his second win. Hector Lujan finished the game with two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and struck out three to pick up his third save.

The offense was led by Grzelakowski who finished 3-for-4. Miranda also picked up two hits and drew two walks to reach base in all his plate appearances. Alex Kirilloff got the Miracle on the board in the third inning with an RBI double, his 18th two-bagger in the Florida State League and 38^th overall. That hit also extended his current hitting streak to 10 games.

There’s also this fun interview with shortstop Royce Lewis on how his play at shortstop has been going if you’d like to listen.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 0, Quad Cities 5

Box Score

Jhoan Duran took the mound for his third start with his new team, but due to the long ball this one wasn’t quite as good. He allowed a solo home run in the second inning for the first run of the game, then a two-run shot in the fifth that made it 4-0. In all Duran went those five innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out five.

Moises Gomez went the next three innings to finish the game and gave up only an unearned run on one hit while striking out four.

On offense the Kernels were unable to get anything going all game. They managed just three hits and one walk to go along with fifteen strikeouts. They left all four of those men on base and were only 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position so any opportunities were scarce. Ben Rodgriguez and Michael Davis each had a double.

E-TWINS E-TALK

Elizabethton 5, Greeneville 9

Box Score

The E-Twins were leading this one 2-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but that’s when things went off the rails for two pitchers.

Josh Winder made the start and went the first five strong innings. He allowed only two hits and struck out four, retiring thirteen in a row at one point.

J.T. Perez came on in the sixth and delivered a scoreless frame before getting two quick outs to start the seventh when all hell broke loose. Two walks and two singles made the game 2-1 and Zack Neff was summoned. Three more singles, an error, and a walk before a three-run homer meant the Reds scored nine runs with two outs to take control of the game. Jacob Blank finished the game for the Twins with a one-two-three eighth inning, but it was far too much for the offense to come back from.

The Twins got a three-run homer from Colton Burns that made the final of 9-5 in the top of the ninth, but that would be it. Chris Williams (2-for-3, 2 R, 3B, BB) and Alex Robles (2-for-4, R, 2 2B, RBI) had multiple hits to lead the lineup. Burns’ home run was his fifth in Elizabethton.

GCL TWINS TAKES

Scheduled Day Off

The GCL Twins squad had the day off on Sunday. They’ll begin a four-game set with the GCL Orioles on Monday.

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Josh Winder, Elizabethton Twins (5 IP, 2 H, 4 K)

Honorable Mention: Bullpens of Rochester, Chattanooga, Fort Myers, and Cedar Rapids (Combined 15 IP, 0 ER, 10 H, 2 BB, 20 K)

Twins Daily Hitter(s) of the Day – Taylor Grzelakowski, Fort Myers Miracle (3-for-4, R, 2B (21), RBI)

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

#1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-5, R, 3B (2)

#2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-4, 2B (18), RBI

#3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) – Did not pitch.

#4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 1-for-4, 2B (12), 2 K

#5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – Did not pitch.

#6 - Trevor Larnach (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-4, K

#7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 1-for-4, K

#8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-4, 3 K

#9 -Wander Javier – Out for the season.

#10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) – W, 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 7 K

#11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch.

#12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 0-for-1, 2 BB

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

#14 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch.

#15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-3, K

#16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) – 0-for-3, R, BB

#17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) – Out for the season.

#18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) – Did not play.

#19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-3, 2 K

#20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) – 0-for-2, 2 BB

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester @ Columbus (6:05PM CST) – TBD

Charlotte @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – TBD

Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Edwar Colina (6-3, 2.66 ERA)

Elizabethton @ Greeneville (6:00PM CST) – RHP Andrew Cabezas (1-3, 3.21 ERA)

GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00AM CST) – TBD

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