Twins Minor League Report (8/9): Chris Vallimont Flirts With No-No, Pensacola Goes On Homer Binge

TRANSACTIONS

Twins recalled RHP Cody Stashak from Rochester.

LHP Charlie Barnes promoted to Rochester.

RHP Bailey Ober promoted to Pensacola.

RED WINGS REPORT

Louisville 3, Rochester 1

Box Score

Adam Bray: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 59.7% strikes (40 of 67 pitches)

HR: Tomas Telis (8)

Multi-hit games: None

A great pitching performance from the Red Wings staff was squandered by a quiet night from the bats and a slip up from Fernando Romero.

Adam Bray pitched four shutout innings before Jake Reed followed with a pair of clean frames of his own. Romero gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits over 1 2/3 innings. The only Rochester run came on a homer from catcher Tomas Telis.

BLUE WAHOO BITES

Pensacola 8, Mobile 5

Box Score

Edwar Colina: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 K, 56.7% strikes (51 of 90 pitches)

HR: Alex Kirilloff (7), Trevor Larnach (4), Ryan Costello (5), Mark Contreras (8), Royce Lewis (1)

Multi-hit games: Kirilloff (2-for-4, HR, HBP), Larnach (2-for-4, HR, BB), Travis Blankenhorn (2-for-5, 3B), Jordan Gore (2-for-4)

What a first inning for Pensacola. Alex Kirilloff led things off with a home run, Travis Blankehorn added a one-out triple and Trevor Larnach brought him around on a two-run homer. The Blue Wahoos continued to serve up tater trot hotdish, as Ryan Costello, Mark Contreras and Royce Lewis would all also homer. It was Lewis’ first Double-A home run.

Edwar Colina lasted just 3 1/3 innings, but the Pensacola pen stepped up. Jovani Moran (five outs), Jorge Alcala (six outs), Andrew Vasquez (two outs) and Jonathan Cheshire (four outs) combined to cover the final 5 2/3 innings. That quartet gave up just three hits and Vasquez was the only one of them to surrender a run.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Jupiter 9, Fort Myers 1

Box Score

Chris Vallimont: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 67.9% strikes (55 of 81 pitches)

HR: Ernie De La Trinidad (3)

Multi-hit games: None

Life comes at you fast. Chris Vallimont carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning and the Miracle ended up getting blown out. Baseball can be cruel sometimes.

Vallimont, who came over from Miami along with Sergio Romo in the Lewin Diaz trade, didn’t make the best first impression with his new org, giving up six runs over 2 2/3 innings in his first start. Tonight, he was brilliant.

Entering the eighth inning, the only baserunner Vallimont allowed reached on a walk. Unfortunately, his first pitch of the eighth inning was hit into left field for a single. The next batter hit a double and that was it for Vallimont.

Joe Record, who was recently named Twins Daily’s Reliever of the Month for July, couldn’t stop the skid, and the Hammerheads ended up scoring eight runs that inning. Ouch.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Kane County 10, Cedar Rapids 9

Box Score

Matt Canterino: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 62.3% strikes (38 of 61 pitches)

HR: Gabe Snyder (14)

Multi-hit games: Tyler Webb (4-for-5), Snyder (2-for-5, HR)

Cedar Rapids entered the top of the ninth inning trailing 6-4. Spencer Steer hit a two-run double to tie the game and Gabe Snyder added a sacrifice fly to put the Kernels up. The Cougars managed to answer and these two teams continued to go blow-for-blow in extras.

Both teams scored in the 10th inning, Cedar Rapids added another run in the 11th, but Kane County answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to win on a walk-off.

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Johnson City 8, Elizabethton 7

Box Score

Ryley Widell: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K

HR: Willie Joe Garry Jr. (4)

Multi-hit games: Matt Wallner (3-for-5, 2B), Janingson Villalobos (2-for-4), Charles Mack (2-for-5)

This was a back-and-forth affair. E-Town fell behind 4-1, stormed back to take the lead in the fourth inning, gave it up and fell behind 7-5 in the sixth, tied the game in the bottom of that inning thanks to a Willie Joe Garry Jr. two-run homer, but then relinquished the lead for good in the top of the seventh.

Frandy Torres did his best to keep the E-Twins in it, closing things out with four strikeouts over three no-hit innings.

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 5, GCL Red Sox 2 (8 innings)

Box Score

Donny Breek: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

HR: None

Multi-hit games: Malique Ziegler (2-for-4), Francisco Martinez (2-for-4, 2B)

Scheduled to be Game 1 of a doubleheader, this game was only supposed to go seven innings. The Red Sox managed to knot things up at 2-2 in the bottom of that inning, forcing this one into extras. Though it was only the eighth inning. Minor league doubleheaders get weird.

Anyway, Victor Heredia, Malique Ziegler and Franscico Martinez all recorded hits to open the top of the eighth and the Twins managed to tally three runs that inning. Donny Breek gave up one unearned run over his 5 1/3 innings, dropping his ERA to 0.59. Bradley Hanner gave up one run over the final 2 2/3 innings.

To make things all the more weird, game 2, which was the makeup of a game originally scheduled for last Sunday, was suspended in the bottom of the first inning and will be completed tomorrow. Third time’s the charm?

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Chris Vallimont, Fort Myers

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Alvor Larnilloff, Pensacola (I couldn't pick one, you decide between Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach)

TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY

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

1. Royce Lewis (PNS): 1-for-4, HR, BB, R, 3 RBI, 2 K

2. Alex Kirilloff (PNS): 2-for-4, HR, HBP, 2 R, RBI, K

4. Trevor Larnach (PNS): 2-for-4, HR, BB, R, 2 RBI

5. Wander Javier (CR): 1-for-4, 2 BB, 2 R, E (throw)

7: Keoni Cavaco (GCL): 0-for-4, R, K

15. Matt Wallner (ELZ): 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, K

16. Ben Rortvedt (PNS): 0-for-4, BB, 2 K

18. Jorge Alcala (PNS): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 59.0% strikes (23 of 39 pitches)

20. Travis Blankenhorn (PNS): 2-for-5, 3B, R

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester vs. Louisville, 6:05 pm CT (Charlie Barnes)

Pensacola at Mobile, 7:05 pm CT (TBD)

Fort Myers vs. Jupiter, 5:00 pm CT (Blayne Enlow)

Cedar Rapids vs. Beloit, 6:35 pm CT (Tyler Palm)

Elizabethton vs. Johnson City, 5:30 pm CT (Tyler Benninghoff)

GCL Twins vs. GCL Red Sox, 9:00 am CT (TBD)

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games.