Twins Minor League Report (8/4): Big Night For Big Performances

All that and more in the coming paragraphs of today’s Twins Minor League Report.

TRANSACTIONS

With Tyler Duffey promoted to the Twins, Jason Wheeler was promoted from the Lookouts to the Red Wings.

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 2, Gwinnett 5

Box Score

Michael Bowden made his second Red Wings start. In this one, he gave up two runs on seven hits over 5.2 innings. He walked two and struck out one. Aaron Thompson came on and got the final out of the sixth. He got one out in the seventh as well before leaving with two men on base. Michael Tonkin came on having not allowed a run in over 16 innings. However, he gave up a three run homer that provided the final 5-2 score.

The Red Wings had eight hits. James Beresford and Jose Martinez each had two hits. Reynaldo Rodriguez and Danny Ortiz each hit their 28^th doubles. Chris Herrmann went 1-2 with a walk and stole his third base. Danny Santana went 0-4 and is now 1-12 since his return from the Twins.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 10, Jackson 3

Box Score

Down 3-2 going into the seventh inning, Chattanooga scored five times in the seventh and three times in the eighth to get a commanding win. Catcher Jairo Rodriguez was the only Lookouts hitter without a hit. Kennys Vargas was moved to the ninth spot in the lineup. He went 2-5 with a triple (yes, really) and his fifth home run. Max Kepler went 2-3 with two walks. He also stole his 14^th and 15^th bases. Stephen Wickens went 2-4 with a walk and his tenth double. Dalton Hicks and Heiker Meneses each went 2-5. Jorge Polanco hit a single and walked twice. Adam Brett Walker doubled for the 24^th time this season and drove in his 85^th and 86^th runs of the season.

With Jason Wheeler moving back up to AAA, the Lookouts needed to go with a bullpen game. Tim Shibuya started and gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits in three innings. Adrian Salcedo gave up one run on two hits and a walk in two innings. DJ Johnson gave up a hit and a walk, but no runs, in two innings. Alex Wimmers struck out three over two perfect innings.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 4, St. Lucie 7

Box Score

Mat Batts had a great July, but this August started out poorly. He gave up three runs in the first inning and another in the fourth. In all, he went five innings and gave up four runs (3 earned) on nine hits and a walk. He struck out three. He falls to 5-3 with a 2.04 ERA. Brian Gilbert gave up three runs on five hits in his inning. Zack Jones came on and struck out four over two perfect innings. Corey Williams struck out one in his scoreless inning.

Marcus Knecht went 2-4 with a walk and his 18^th Miracle double. Engelb Vielma was 2-4 with a walk. He stole his 25^th and 26^th bases. Aderlin Mejia went 2-5 with his sixth double. Zach Granite hit his third triple.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 8, Dayton 1

Box Score

The Kernels got strong pitching in this one, but the story in this game was the offense. The Kernels knocked out 15 hits to go with five walks. The top of the lineup definitely set the table. Leadoff man Tanner English led the way. He went 5-5 with three doubles (19 for the season) and three RBIs. He also stole his organization-leading 34^th base. Nick Gordon hit second and went 3-4 with a walk. Brian Navarreto went 2-3 with a walk. Tyler Kuresa went 1-3 with two walks.

On the mound, Keaton Steele got the job done and evened his season record at 3-3. He gave up one run on five hits over seven innings. He struck out three without walking a batter. Luke Bard gave up one hit over two scoreless innings.

E-TOWN E-NOTES

Elizabethton 2, Johnson City 5

Box Score

One tough inning was the difference in this game. Jermaine Palacios has been great with the bat, but his fifth inning error led to four unearned runs. Andro Cutura was charged with five runs, though just one was earned, in five innings. He gave up seven hits, walked one and hit one while striking out four. Tyler Stirewalt gave up just one hit and hit a batter over three shutout innings.

Manuel Guzman led the offense. He went 3-4 with his second double. Jermaine Palacios went 2-5 with his fourth double in four games with the E-Twins. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-4.

GCL TWINS TAKES

Game 1 – GCL Twins 7, GCL Orioles 0

Box Score

The Twins had a tremendous effort with the bats and the arms in Game 1 on Tuesday. Lachlan Wells made the start. The Austalian righty gave his team five innings of shutout ball. He gave up just two hits, walked one and struck out two. He is now 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA on the season. Brandon Poulson came on and worked two perfect innings. He struck out two.

When Jermaine Palacios was promoted to Elizabethton, Ariel Montesino was sent back to the GCL. In this game, he went 2-3 with a walk, a double and a home run. Luis Martinez went 2-3 with two RBI. Lewin Diaz went 1-2 with two walks. Christian Cavaness made his first start and went 1-2 with a walk. A rehabbing Blake Schmit went 1-3 with a walk.

Game 2 – GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 5 (8 innings)

Box Score

The second game needed an extra inning. Eduardo del Rosario made the start and he continued to pitch very well. He gave up just one hit over five shutout innings. He walked two and struck out five. Then Max Cordy came on for the sixth inning. He gave up two runs on one hit and a walk in just 2/3 of an inning. Johan Quezada came on and got the final out of the sixth and then worked the seventh. He gave up an unearned run on two hits. He struck out two. Hector Lujan came on and got two outs in the eighth. However, he gave up two runs on three hits to take the loss.

Lean Marrero, the Twins 16^th-round pick in June out of Puerto Rico, went 2-4 in the game with his first professional home run. Lewin Diaz went 2-3 with a walk. Roberto Molina went 2-4 with two RBI. Luis Arraez went 1-3 with two walks. Blake Schmit went 1-4 and stole a base.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Keaton Steele, Cedar Rapids Kernels

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tanner English, Cedar Rapids Kernels

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester @ Gwinnett (6:35 CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers (8-8, 3.65 ERA)

Chattanooga @ Jackson (7:05 CST) – RH Greg Peavey (6-3, 4.41 ERA)

St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves (5-1, 2.11 ERA)

Dayton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Felix Jorge (5-4, 2.49 ERA)

Elizabethton – No Game Scheduled

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

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