Twins Minor League Report (8/2): Rochester, Chattanooga and Elizabethton Roll

To catch up on everything that happened, keep reading!

RED WINGS REPORT

Syracuse 0, Rochester 6

Box Score

Five runs in the third inning were more than enough to carry the Red Wings on Sunday, as lefty Pat Dean was in control throughout.

He retired the first nine hitters, before issuing a walk to start the fourth. It may have been because he was in the dugout for too long, as the Rochester lineup brought eight men to the plate in the bottom of the third.

Doug Bernier led off with a single, Danny Santana reached on an error, and James Beresford singled to load the bases. Two outs later, a Danny Ortiz walk scored the inning's first run, and it was followed with a grand slam from Xavier Avery, his first as a Red Wing, to put them up 5-0

Dean scattered just four hits and another walk the rest of the way, and finished the complete game shutout with a one-two-three ninth inning that included two strikeouts to hit double digits in K’s for the first time this season. He also lowered his ERA under three for the season. In his last four starts Dean has completed at least seven innings, going 2-2 in those games with just five earned runs allowed on twenty-eight hits and 7 BB’s in 32 total innings. His 10 strikeouts on the day exceeded his total of nine in the prior three games.

Rochester added their sixth run in the sixth inning, when Beresford drove in Eric Farris with a single.

Beresford was 2-4 on the day with an RBI and Reynaldo Rodriguez had two hits including a double to support the Avery slam. Oswaldo Arcia was 0-3 on the day with a strikeout and a hit-by-pitch.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 8, Jackson 2

Box Score

On the mound for the Lookouts on Sunday was left-hander Brett Lee looking for his second win of the year in the Southern League. He tossed the first six innings with- out allowing a run, scattering five hits and a walk with four strikeouts to end up with the win.

Chattanooga took a 1-0 lead in the top of third when Jairo Rodriguez led off with a double and moved to third on a Shannon Wilkerson single. An errant pick-off throw allowed Rodriguez to score. They added multiple runs in each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to go up 8-0.

The two in the sixth came courtesy of two walks, two wild pitches, and a sac fly. The three in the seventh by way of two singles, two errors and a sac fly. Then two more runs in the eighth brought in by two walks, two singles and two wild pitches. The eight runs on the scoreboard were more than Chattanooga’s six hits, due largely to the ten walks drawn, three Jackson errors and six(!) wild pitches.

Wilkerson and Rodriguez had multi-hit and multi-run games. Stephen Wickens scored two runs and Jorge Polanco added two RBI.s Adam Brett Walker II drew three walks, giving him nine free passes in his last ten games.

Alex Muren came on to pitch the seventh and eighth innings, and allowed one run on three hits that included a solo home run. He struck out one. Tim Shibuya came on for the ninth and also gave up a solo home run, but finished the 8-2 victory.

Chattanooga improved to 13-20 overall in the second half of the Southern League season, and have won five of their last eight.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Game 1: Fort Myers 0, Daytona 3

Box Score

In game one of their Sunday double-header, the Fort Myers offense was nowhere to be found outside of anyone not named Aderlin Mejia. He had both of their two hits, both doubles. They did manage three walks, but were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.

Starter Aaron Slegers was knocked around for three runs in the first inning, but settled down to shut the Tortugas out the rest of the way. For the final five innings he allowed just one more hit and one walk, which started the second inning. He then retired the final fifteen men he faced in a row.

In six total innings Slegers allowed four hits and one walk, while striking out five but the lack of run support saddled him with the loss and a now 8-6 record on the year with the Miracle.

Game 2: Fort Myers 0, Daytona 1

Box Score

The second seven inning game of the day was also a pitcher’s duel, with both teams remaining scoreless into the final inning.

Aderlin Mejia didn’t have all of the Miracle’s hits in this game, but the one he did was another double. If not for a runner being picked off first base beforehand, it might have driven in a run in the third inning.

The rest of the lineup managed just three hits, all singles, and were unable to string anything together. They again left six men on base and had only three at-bats with runners in scoring position in this one.

Ryan Eades started for the Miracle, and went the first five. He allowed four hits and two walks, while striking out three. Corey Williams pitched a scoreless sixth, walking one.

It was then Todd Van Steensel’s turn in the bottom of the seventh. He was greeted with a double to put the winning run in scoring position. Daytona bunted him to third, then an intentional walk set up the potential for a double-play ball. Instead, a single to right field brought home the walk-off winner for the Tortugas.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 4, Kane County 5

Box Score

Cedar Rapids jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning as Tyler Kuresa and Brian Navarreto collected RBI singles and Rafael Valera added an RBI fielder’s choice.

Luke Westphal made the start for the Kernels and pitched the first three scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and one walk, and struck out three. Randy LeBlanc then came in for the next three and two-thirds innings, and it was the final two-thirds that were troublesome.

In the seventh a double with one out put a runner in scoring position, and a single to center brought him home. LeBlanc got the second out with a groundout, but an RBI single and RBI double put Kane County out front 4-3 and brought in Cameron Booser from the bullpen. Another single made it 5-3 before Booser got a strikeout to end the inning.

The Kernels got one of the runs back in the eighth as Edgar Corcino slugged his third home run of the season to right field. They then got the tying run in scoring position in the ninth when Navarreto doubled with one out, but an Austin Diemer strikeout and Valera ground out ended the game.

Navarreto (2-3, 2B, RBI, BB) and Brett Doe (2-4, R) each had two hits in the loss for the Kernels.

E-TOWN E-NOTES

Burlington 6, Elizabethton 13

Box Score

Burlington scored early, getting four runs in the top of the first, but Elizabethton was quick to respond with a two-run home run from Chris Paul to answer in the bottom half.

The Twins took the lead back for good in the bottom of the second. Amaury Minier led off with a single, Brian Olson drew a walk, and Nelson Molina singled to load the bases with one out. Jermaine Palacios then brought in a run with a sac fly, and the bases stayed loaded when it was dropped for an error. An Alex Perez walk tied the game at four, then a LaMonte Wade (University of Maryland draftee) walk gave them the lead 5-4. A potential double-play ball to end the inning then went awry for Burlington, allowing two more to score.

The Twins added a single run in the fourth on a single from Wade to score Perez who had doubled, and two runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings courtesy of home runs from Palacios and Olson. Their 13th and final run came in the eighth on an RBI double from Wade, again scoring Perez.

After his 26 game stay at the GCL Twins and posting a 1.06 OPS there, Palacios in his three games for the Elizabethton Twins has posted an OPS of 1.47 (SSS warning).

After the four-run first inning, starter Onesimo Hernandez recovered to go three scoreless. In his four innings on the day he allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits while striking out three. Logan Lombana was the first in relief and picked up the win with one run allowed on two hits and a walk in 3.1 innings. He struck out two. Jose Abreu finish the final 1.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits.

Wade (3-3, R, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Paul (2-5, R, HR, 3 RBI), and Molina (2-4, 2 R’s) each had multiple hits on the day. Palacios also added three RBI. Travis Blankenhorn was the only hitter on the day to not reach base or score a run for the home team.

The win moved Elizabethton a game in front of Burlington in the standings, and one win shy of a .500 record at 19-20.

GCL TWINS TAKES

The Gulf Coast League Twins, like the rest of the GCL, had the day off on Sunday. They travel to play the GCL Orioles on Monday.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings (CG-SO, W, 9 IP, 4 H’s, 0 R’s, 1 BB, 10 K’s)

Hitter of the Day – LaMonte Wade, Elizabethton Twins (3-3, R, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB’s)

TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester @ Gwinnett (5:35 PM CST) – TBD

Chattanooga @ Jackson (7:05M CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (4-2, 4.10 ERA)

Fort Myers – Scheduled day off.

Cedar Rapids – Scheduled day off.

Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Miles Nordgren (0-2, 1.07 ERA)

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

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