Twins Minor League Report (8/20): Extra(s), Extra(s), Read All About It!

Keep reading to find out how all those extra innings played out and how all your favorite prospects performed on Tuesday!

TRANSACTIONS

There were the following player movements in the Twins system on Tuesday:

• In Triple-A, 3B Brian Schales was assigned to Fort Myers and RHP Griffin Jax to Pensacola, while RHP Trevor Hildenberger was activated from the injured list.
  
• With Jax returning to the Blue Wahoos, RHP Cole Sands was placed on theseven-day injured list in the Southern League.
  
• The Twins assigned their latest free agent acquisitions to the GCL Twins in the form of their latest independent league signing, C Eric Jones, and IF Adrian Guzman.
  

RED WINGS REPORT

Buffalo 1, Rochester 4

Box Score

The Red Wings were able to get a big inning late to pull out a victory on Tuesday night against the Bisons at Frontier Field.

Devin Smeltzer made the start and was effective for the first six innings, picking up a quality start. He allowed just one earned run on five hits and a walk, striking out three. The run came on solo homer in the second inning. In his first appearance since being promoted to AAA, Jorge Alcala worked two scoreless frames of relief. He walked one and struck out two to pick up his first Triple-A win. Off his rehab assignment in the GCL, Trevor Hildenberger closed out the ninth for his second save with Rochester on the season while allowing only a walk.

Down 1-0 heading into the bottom of the eighth, the Red Wings offense finally broke through against the Bisons’ bullpen after top prospect and fireballer Nate Pearson’s day was finished. It wasn’t their bats however, but their patience as four hitters drew a walk before a Wilin Rosario two-RBI single gave them a 4-2 lead.

Each team had just five hits on the game and all of the Red Wings knocks were singles. The teams combined to go just 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base for the game.

BLUE WAHOOS BITES

Pensacola 4, Mississippi 2 (10 innings)

Box Score

Pensacola utilized the opener in this one, with Marcos Diplan handling the first two innings before “primary” (and scheduled starting) pitcher Edwar Colina entered the game. Diplan allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out four. Colina went the next three innings and was just as stingy by allowing only one hit and a walk while striking out three. Jonathan Cheshire got the next two frames and continued to hold the Braves scoreless by scattering three hits and striking out two.

Mississippi was finally able to break the deadlock on the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth against Alex Phillips thanks to a two-out triple that was followed by a single, a stolen base, and another single for the 2-0 lead heading into the ninth.

The Blue Wahoos answer was a leadoff walk from Caleb Hamilton, an RBI triple from Mark Contreras, and sac fly from Jimmy Kerrigan to tie the game at two. Phillips delivered a one-two-three bottom of the inning to send it to extras.

Royce Lewis started the inning on second base but got himself thrown out at third on a grounder to first from Alex Kirilloff, but it would not matter as Ryan Jeffers followed with his fourth home run with the Blue Wahoos to put them out front 4-2.

Andrew Vasquez closed out the victory with a scoreless inning to earn his second save on the year with Pensacola, allowing only a walk.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 4, Charlotte 2 (13 innings)

Box Score

Just like their higher-level cousins, runs were hard to come by in the Florida State League for the Miracle and Stone Crabs on Tuesday, and they also required extra innings to declare a victor.

Dakota Chalmers made the start for Fort Myers and was fantastic for his second turn in a row. He made it through 5 1/3 innings in this one, allowing just one run on three hits and three walks while striking out seven. In his past two outings he’s allowed just the one run on six hits and four walks in 11 1/3 innings while striking out 16.

Calvin Faucher and Moises Gomez combined to hold Charlotte scoreless over the next 4 2/3 innings. Gomez allowed the only hit between them and struck out three, with Faucher punching out the first five of the six hitters he faced. Gomez also struck out himself…I think?!

https://twitter.com/MiracleBaseball/status/1163989734609362944

Joe Record came on for the 11th frame and would finish the game for the Miracle to pick up his fourth win. In three innings he allowed only an unearned run on one hit and two walks while punching out four.

The Miracle got their first run of the game in the fourth inning to tie it at one when Trey Cabbage singled to score Jacob Pearson. In the top of the thirteenth a single from Yeltsin Encarnacion brought in Cabbage and Andrew Bechtold before a wild pitch allowed a third run to scamper home for a 4-1 lead that would hold.

Despite playing four extra innings, the teams combined for just ten hits on the game while striking out 36 times. They were 5-for-32 with runners in scoring position and left 20 men on base between them. Pearson picked up two hits, including a double, and stole a base to lead the way.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 9

Box Score

The Kernels fell into an early hole against the River Bandits, and then dug themselves deeper and were unable to climb out against a team they’ve been battling in the Midwest League Western Division all season.

Starter Kody Funderburk was roughed up for six earned runs in the outing. He allowed seven hits, walked four, and struck out three in his 4 1/3 innings. J.T. Perez didn’t fare much better in the next 1 2/3, giving up three runs on four hits and a walk, striking out two. Jose Martinez finished the final two innings for Cedar Rapids, and they finally were of the scoreless variety. He allowed two hits and struck out four.

The Kernels were finally able to put a run on the scoreboard in the top of the eighth thanks to an RBI ground out from Spencer Steer after a throwing error on a pickoff attempt put a runner on third base. In the ninth they got two more courtesy of Jared Akins 11^th home run of the season to account for the final tally. Tyler Webb and Daniel Ozoria contributed two hits each to the effort.

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 7, Princeton 6 (11 innings)

Box Score

Starter Cody Laweryson worked around some baserunners for the first three innings, but Princeton finally broke through with a run in the bottom of the fourth to take a 1-0 lead.

Elizabethton answered with two runs in the top of the fifth thanks to a Matt Wallner home run, his sixth of the season, but Laweryson gave them right back with a home run allowed in the bottom half. Laweryson finished five innings, allowing the three runs on five hits and a walk along with striking out eight.

The Twins tied it back up at three in the sixth when Seth Gray launched his ninth home run of the year, then the teams traded solo home runs in the eighth with Will Holland clubbing his seventh on the season to head into the ninth tied at four.

After Laweryson’s exit, Owen Griffith contributed two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. Tyler Beck allowed one run on three hits and a walk in his inning, striking out one. Benjamin Dum came on for the ninth and got them into extra innings, finishing two total innings. He allowed an unearned run on one hit while striking out two. Both teams were able to bring in the runner starting on second base in the tenth.

In the top of the eleventh, Elizabethton got a leadoff double from Janigson Villalobos that put runners on second and third, then a throwing error allowed both of them to score for a 7-5 lead.

For the bottom half the Twins summoned pitcher Denny Bentley and though he allowed the runner starting the extra frame on second to score on a sac fly, retired all three hitters he faced to close out a victory.

The Twins got multiple hits from six hitters in their lineuptheir and were able to pull out the win despite going just 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position. Luckily for them, the Rays were also an inept 3-for-20.

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Pirates 10, GCL Twins 2

Box Score

Righthander Regi Grace made the start for the GCL Twins squad and after a leadoff walk led to a run scoring in the first inning, he held the Pirates scoreless for his next two frames. In the fourth a two-out rally added two runs for a 3-0 deficit and an end to his outing. In four innings he allowed three earned runs on six hits and a walk while picking up seven strikeouts.

The Pirates then poured it on against the bullpen, with Niall Windeler and Matthew Swain allowing a combined seven runs (three earned) from their two innings apiece. Jose Guevara pitched a scoreless ninth to finish the game for the Twins, walking one and striking out two.

The Twins lineup wasn’t able to muster much offense with six hits and five walks on the game and finishing 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. One of their runs scored on a throwing error, while the other came on a sac fly, both in the fifth inning. Third baseman Jake Hirabayashi picked up two hits in three at-bats, drew a walk, and scored a run to lead the way. Francisco Martinez contributed the sac fly, a walk, and the Twins only extra-base hit, a double, in the loss.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day – Calvin Faucher, Fort Myers Miracle (2.0 IP, 5 K)

Hitter of the Day – Ryan Jeffers, Pensacola Blue Wahoos (2-for-5, go-ahead HR in 10^th inning)

PROSPECT SUMMARY

Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:

#1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) - 1-for-4, BB, K

#2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 1-for-5, R

#3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did not pitch

#4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - 0-for-4, BB, 3 K

#5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - Did not play

#6 - Jordan Balazovic (Fort Myers) - Did not pitch

#7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL) - Did not play (quad)

#8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured List (groin)

#9 - Jhoan Duran (Pensacola) - Did not pitch

#10 - Blayne Enlow (Fort Myers) - Injured List (hamstring)

#11 - Lewis Thorpe (Minnesota) - Did not pitch

#12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (leg contusion)

#13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - 2-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBI, 3 K

#14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - 1-for-4, R

#15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 2-for-6, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K

#16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Did not play

#17 - Akil Baddoo (Fort Myers) - Injured List (Tommy John surgery)

#18 - Jorge Alcala (Rochester) - (W, 2.0IP, BB, 2 K)

#19 - Misael Urbina (DSL) - 1-for-2, K

#20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 0-for-5, 3 K

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Buffalo @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes (1-0, 5.79 ERA)

Pensacola @ Mississippi (1:05PM CST) - RHP Bailey Ober (1-0, 1.29 ERA)

Charlotte @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (1-5, 3.74 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30PM CST) - RHP Luis Rijo (5-7, 2.63 ERA)

Elizabethton @ Johnson City (5:30PM CST) - TBD

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

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