Twins Minor League Report (8/23): Astudillo Leads Wings, Wilkins Powers Lookouts

Transactions – Andrew Vasquez promoted from Chattanooga to Rochester, Casey Crosby activated from the DL in Chattanooga.

RED WINGS REPORT

Pawtucket 1 @ Rochester 5

Box Score

Some early run support and a strong pitching performance from the whole of the Red Wings staff kept the game well in hand all night. “Starter” Nick Anderson pitched the first inning, scoreless, giving up a hit, a walk, and striking out a pair, before being replaced by Zack Littell. Littell went 5 2/3 innings, struck out six, walked none, gave up six hits and also kept Pawtucket off the board. Andrew Vasquez gave up a run over 1 1/3, but the Red Wings were ahead 5-1 when Ryan Eades came in to pitch the ninth. Eades gave up a hit and struck out a batter in his full inning of work.

Willians Astudillo was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, two runs scored and an RBI.

https://twitter.com/LaVelleNeal/status/1032827410360750081

Kennys Vargas stayed hot, 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a run scored and a pair of strikeouts. Jon Kemmer added a pair of hits as well, 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and a strikeout. Nick Gordon was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Gordon is hitting just .208/.251/.281 in 88 games for Rochester.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 4 @ Montgomery 2 (10 innings)

Box Score

The Lookouts were down 0-2 heading to the top of the ninth inning before putting a couple runs on the board to extend the game to extra innings, and then scored another pair of runs in the top of the 10th to win the game on a Andy Wilkins two-run home run. The inning before, Luis Arraez picked up the other two RBIs. The rest of the roster had just four hits and while Brent Rooker has crushed the Southern League and heading into Thursday game he was in the top three in RBIs (1st, 77), doubles (T-1st, 31), home runs (2nd, 22), hits (2nd, 122), extra-base hits (2nd, 57), total bases (2nd, 227) and slugging percentage (3rd, .490), he struggled on Thursday. Rooker was 0-for-3 with a walk.

On the bump, Sean Poppen went five innings and gave up just a run on three hits and three walks and struck out six. Cody Stashak saw his scoreless inning streak end at 18 giving up a run in the first of his two innings of work. Austin Adams earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief and Williams Ramirez earned his seventh save of the year with a nice clean 10th inning.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 1 @ Palm Beach 6

Box Score

Thursday night was the rubber match in the three game set between Palm Beach and Fort Myers and the last game of year between the two. Fort Myers lost the previous three series this year and are now 4-11 against them. If the Miracle make playoffs they will face Palm Beach.

Going into Thursday’s game Alex Kirilloff leads all of MiLB in hits (164) and XBH (67) but went 0-for-4 and only added to his strikeout total with two more on Thursday night. Ryan Costello was 2-for-4 with a solo home run, and Jose Miranda had a pair of hits as well, 2-for-4.

On the bump, Bryan Sammons went 4 2/3 innings and gave up five runs on eight hits, and two walks. Colton Davis held off Palm Beach for 1 1/3 innings before Alex Robinson gave up a home run to the only batter he faced. Kevin Marnon finished the game with two scoreless innings.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 4 @ Beloit 5

Box Score

Cedar Rapids had a 4-3 lead after six and a half innings but Beloit put up two in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead for good. Trey Cabbage had a pair of hits as part of his 2-for-3 night that include a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Andrew Bechtold had a pair of hits and RBIs, going 2-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts as well.

Starter Melvi Acosta gave up three runs over 4 1/3 innings on seven hits but he did manage five strikeouts. Jose Martinez was tagged with the loss giving up those two late runs. He pitched 2 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out a pair. Moises Gomez pitched the eighth and gave up a pair of hits but no runs.

ELIZABETHTON TWINS TALK

Greenville 7 @ Elizabethton 1

Box Score

In Elizabethton the hometown Twins committed three errors and gave up six runs in the last two innings to spoil what had been a very tight ballgame. Jean Carlos Arias was 2-for-4 with a strikeout and Ricky De La Torre was 2-for-3 and only one other batter had a hit, Yunior Severino who was 1-for-4 with a solo home run. As a team the Twins had just five hits and one walk against 10 strikeouts.

Andrew Cabezas pitched well over 5 1/3 innings giving up just a single run, a single hit, two walks and he struck out seven. Tanner Howell went 2 2/3 innings and gave up four runs on three hits and two walks. Juan Gamez was tagged with a couple of unearned runs in the ninth inning.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Cabezas, Elizabethton

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Andy Wilkins, Chattanooga

TOP 20 PROSPECT PERFORMANCE

1. Royce Lewis (FM): 0-4, 1 K

2. Alex Kirilloff (FM): 0-4, 2 K

3. Brusdar Graterol (FM): Did not play

4. Nick Gordon (ROC): 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K

5. Stephen Gonsalves (MN): Did not play

6. Trevor Larnach (FM): Did not play

7. Brent Rooker (CHAT): 0-3, 1 BB

8. Akil Baddoo (CR): 1-3, 1 R, 2 BB

9. Wander Javier: Out of for the season

10. Zack Littell (ROC): 5.2 IP, 6 H, 0 R/ER, 6 K, 0 BB

11. Blayne Enlow (CR): Did not play

12. LaMonte Wade (ROC): 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K

13. Travis Blankenhorn (FM): Did not play

14. Lewis Thorpe (CHAT): Did not play

15. Ben Rortvedt (FM): 1-4, 1 K

16. Yunior Severino (ET): 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

17. Lewin Diaz (FM): Did not play

18. Ryan Jeffers (ET): 0-2

19. Jacob Pearson (CR): 0-4, 2 K

20. Luis Arraez (CHAT): 2-5, 2 RBI

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester (6:05pm) – TBD

Chattanooga (6:15pm) – TBD

Fort Myers (5:30pm) – Charlie Barnes

Cedar Rapids (6:35pm) –Jhoan Duran

Elizabethton (6:05pm) - TBD

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday's games.