Search the Community

Brusdar Graterol was on the bump for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos this morning. A dominant outing was cut short after he left with an injury, but it looks like something severe may have been avoided. Low scoring action was the name of the game in matinees, and the night games featured some comeback action with plenty of offense.TRANSACTIONS Rochester Red Wings LHP Andrew Vasquez placed on IL with left shoulder impingement RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Toledo 1 Box Score Zack Littell toed the rubber in this contest, and despite twirling a gem, the bats put him at ease when he exited after six strong innings of work. Littell didn't allow an earned run, and he fanned seven while allowing just three hits and three walks. Trailing 1-0 entering the home half of the fourth inning, Rochester jumped out in front for good. Zander Wiel continues to hit, and his single drove in Brent Rooker for the Red Wings first run. John Andreoli then notched his third dinger of the season and the crooked number was a three. The rest of the scoring was done in the next inning. Rooker came across on a wild pitch, Jordany Valdespin singled in Wiel, and the hot-hitting Nick Gordon ripped a two RBI double to give us the eventual final score of 7-1. Gordon posted another multi-hit evening, and is now batting .417 on the season, being completely on fire since his activation off of the Injured List. Some of the middle of the order bats are really settling in for Rochester, and guys like Wiel and Rooker could make compelling cases for the Twins in 2019 should they continue with this momentum. Also, it's a good thing that the Red Wings didn't let this fan pitch tonight. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Pensacola 1, Mississippi 0 Box Score Star prospect Brusdar Graterol was on the bump for the Blue Wahoos in this one, and he looked dominant once again. Working with a fastball that sat around 98 mph most of the day, he gave up just two hits while striking out three and walking one in 5 1/3 innings of work. Graterol did leave the game early, and was just at 69 pitches, but according to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson it doesn’t sound too serious. Luis Arraez singled in the game's only run, driving in Taylor Grzelakowski in the fourth inning. Getting shutdown work from the recently promoted Tom Hackimer, as well as Sam Clay and Ryan Mason, Pensacola was able to close out a tight contest. Picking up his sixth save, Mason has now pushed his scoreless innings streak to 15 in 2019. Since converting to a reliever in 2017, he’s been lights out. It’s worth noting that Miguel Sano did not play in this game. He wasn’t in the lineup, but was reportedly still in Pensacola. The plan could be for him to be promoted up to Rochester prior to Thursday’s action, with a light knock on the Twins door beginning to be heard. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Charlotte 3 Box Score Started by Jhoan Duran, the outing was an abbreviated one with mother nature wreaking havoc in the 4th inning. One out into the frame, a rain delay forced the tarp onto the field. Duran finished with five strikeouts and three walks allowing two runs on four hits. Trailing by two, and now without their starting pitcher, the Miracle needed to come up with answers. On the mound, that was Melvi Acosta. Working four and one-third innings of relief, he allowed just one run while fanning four. Because of his lockdown performance, the bats were able to chip away. Jose Miranda drove in Trevor Larnach to get Fort Myers on the board, and then Lewin Diaz followed with his 6th double of the season tying things at 2. Trailing again after the lone run crossed against Acosta, the Miracle responded. In the 6th, it was a Diaz single driving in Larnach, and the 7th featured the go ahead tally on a Michael Helman single to left field. The bats seem to have come alive in recent days for the Miracle, and the hope is that they'll continue to pace what should remain a very impressive lineup. KERNELS NUGGETS South Bend 2, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score Andrew Cabezas came just one out shy of completing seven innings in this one and allowing just one run on six hits during his day of work. He put the Kernels in a great spot to win. The bats were cold as Cedar Rapids generated just four hits, and the one run wasn’t enough to come out on top. Trailing 1-0 after the first, Cedar Rapids was able to knot things up when Gabriel Maciel scampered home on a wild pitch in the sixth. Looking to force extras, the Kernels found themselves on the wrong side of a walkoff with a throwing error spelling their eventual demise. Cedar Rapids heads to West Michigan to begin a new series with the Whitecaps tomorrow. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) – 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Zander Wiel (Rochester) - 3-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) – 0-5, 3 K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) – 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, 2 R, BB #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - No Game #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 2-4, 2 R, 2B, K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - 3.1 IP 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) – Did Not Play #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 2-5, 2 RBI, K #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured list #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 0-3 K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 0-2, R, K #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, BB, K #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 0-3, BB #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) – Did Not Pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 2-4, R, RBI THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – RHP Chase De Jong (0-3, 16.20 ERA) Pensacola @ Mississippi (6:35PM CST) – RHP Randy Dobnak (0-0, 4.50 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (5:30PM CST) – LHP Tyler Watson (1-3, 5.06 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ West Michigan (6:05PM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Click here to view the article

There wasn't a ton of damage done on the offensive side of things for the Twins farm system tonight, but that doesn't stop the big highlight from coming out of the batter's box. A walkoff victory, and some notable pitching performances make Wednesday's action worth checking out.TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins Recall RHP Kohl Stewart from Triple-A Rochester Recall RHP Fernando Romero from Triple-A Rochester Option RHP Tyler Duffey to Triple-A Rochester Option OF Jake Cave to Triple-A Rochester Reinstate LHP Gabriel Moya from MLB rehab and option to Triple-A Rochester Rochester Red Wings Received LHP Daniel Camarena from Double-A Pensacola injured list Transfer INF Drew Maggi to Double-A Pensacola Transfer INF Joe Cronin to Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids Kernels Place RHP Andrew Cabezas on injured list with an ankle sprain Place INF Michael Davis on injured list with an ankle sprain Received RHP Jacob Blank from Elizabethton RED WINGS REPORT Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 5, Rochester 0 Box Score This one certainly had the feel of a piecemeal game for the Twins Triple-A affiliate. With two relievers getting early action, there wasn’t a starter getting into the grove. Recently optioned Gabriel Moya began the game, with rehabbing Matt Magill recording a single out in the second. Daniel Camarena made his organizational debut in this one, and he shouldered the largest workload, going 4 1/3 innings. The Red Wings allowed single runs in the second and third before a two-spot was tacked on in the sixth. Scranton added another run in the eighth which was enough to create a five-run deficit. On a night in which the home team tallied just three total hits, the 5-0 deficit was going to be plenty insurmountable. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Pensacola 1, Mobile 0 Box Score Flip-flopping the tally of last night’s action, the Blue Wahoos pushed across one run and came out on top. Griffin Jax continued his string of dominant work to start tonight, and went one out into the sixth inning allowing just two hits, striking out four, and issuing no free passes. A ninth inning RBI single from Taylor Grzelakowski scored Caleb Hamilton to give Pensacola a walk-off win in this one. They were kept in the game through the late innings by more strong work from sleeper relief prospect Jovani Moran. Taking over for Jax in the sixth, he worked through the seventh and eighth innings as well. Moran’s only base runners came on two walks, and he fanned five. He’s now got a 1.80 ERA across ten innings in 2019. MIRACLE MATTERS Bradenton 3, Fort Myers 1 Box Score Jhoan Duran started this one for the Miracle and went five innings. Allowing just two runs on four hits and a walk, he had Fort Myers in a good spot. Despite taking his third loss of the season, Duran owns a quality 3.63 ERA to begin 2019. A two-run blast for the Marauders got the scoring started in the bottom half of the second, but Fort Myers halved the gap when Ryan Jeffers scored on a Mark Contreras sac fly in the top of the third. Tallying only five hits on the night, the Miracle never drew even, and Bradenton pushed across an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. For a lineup that has plenty of thump, this wasn’t the night for multiple contributors. Jose Miranda notched three of the team's five hits on his own, with Lewin Diaz and Ryan Costello accounting for the other two. The Miracle return home for a new series tomorrow night. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 3 Box Score Luis Rijo was on the bump for his third start of 2019 in this one, but the pitch count got elevated and he lasted one out shy of completing five full innings. His night saw just two runs on two hits, but four walks were issued between the five strikeouts. Cedar Rapids staked Rijo to a two run lead early. Gabe Snyder opened the scoring on a triple in the first to drive in Gabriel Maciel. A dropped third strike on a wild pitch was enough for Trey Cabbage to scamper down to first with Snyder crossing the dish. From there, Cedar Rapids would create all distance before giving anything back. In the top half of the third it was Cabbage driving in Hunter Lee on a fielder’s choice. Lee then later swatted a solo shot, his second long ball of the year, to put the good guys up 4-0. Two Timber Rattlers came in against Rijo before he left in the fifth, and a third scored in the seventh. Wisconsin never did get the game-tying run and Derek Molina was able to lock up his first save of the season with a perfect ninth inning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Jovani Moran (Pensacola) 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K Twins Daily Hitter(s) of the Day – Taylor Grzelakowski (Pensacola) 2-3, game winning RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Injured List #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, K #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - No Game #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) – 0-3, BB, 3 K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) – 5.0 Ip, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) – Did Not Pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, K #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) – 0-2, R, BB, K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) – Did Not Play #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) – 1-4, K #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 1-4 #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) – 3-4, 2B THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ Rochester (10:05AM CST) – RHP Zack Littell (1-2, 5.40 ERA) Pensacola @ Jackson (6:05PM CST) – TBD Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (5:30PM CST) – LHP Tyler Watson (0-2, 3.78 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30PM CST) – RHP Blayne Enlow (2-1, 5.54 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Click here to view the article

Okay it is mid season and we are getting a reshuffle of prospects and their ratings. Which makes me wonder - what if the ratings include the players already in the major leagues? For example - if all the starting pitchers were put in one pot and we said who has the most potential for the next five years - I would certainly keep Berrios at number 1, but who is number 2? I take Romero. Then I think I would go back to the minors and then Brusdar Graterol. Is it time for someone on the MLB team? I think I would lean to Gibson and then Gonsalves. That is my top five. Who should you invest in? For the Bullpen - I am thinking of five years so we have to drop Rodney - I would drop Belisle if it was five days. So who are the top ranked prospects? Hildenberger has solidified his position. Who is next? Give me Tyler Jay, John Curtiss, Nick Anderson, Andrew Vasquez, and Busenitz. The vets are low on the list. Positions C Rortvedt Garver very poor list 1B/DH Sano Rooker 2B Nick Gordon Wander Javier SS Royce Lewis Jorge Polanco 3B Eduardo Escobar Travis Blankenship OF Byron Buxton Eddie Rosario Alex Kiriloff Akil Baddoo LaMonte Wade Jack Cave List them anyway you want - but by position, this is my Twins of the near future top prospects.