A second consecutive sweep for Twins affiliates! Josmil Pinto and Taylor Rogers lift Rochester. Adam Brett Walker II hits his first homer for Chattanooga. Marcus Knecht ties it and Alex Swim wins it for Fort Myers. Steven Gonsalves carries Cedar Rapids.
ROCHESTER 2, BUFFALO 0 IN ROCHESTER
Batting star: Josmil Pinto was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer. Those were the only two Rochester hits.
Pitching stars: Taylor Rogers pitched seven shutout innings, giving up six hits and two walks. Ryan Pressly retired all five men he faced, striking out two.
Opposition stars: Ryan Goins was 2-for-4. Scott Copeland pitched seven shutout innings, allowing one hit and one walk with three strikeouts.
The game: It was scoreless through eight. There were no hits until the fifth, when the Bisons led off with three consecutive singles, but had a man thrown out at the plate trying to score from second. Buffalo also had a pair of two-out singles in the sixth. The Red Wings did not get a hit until the seventh and did not get a man past first in the first eight innings. With two out in the ninth, Eddie Rosario walked and Pinto delivered a walkoff two-run homer.
Of note: Aaron Hicks was 0-for-4. Rosario was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run.
CHATTANOOGA 4, MONTGOMERY 3 IN MONTGOMERY
Batting stars: Travis Harrison was 3-for-4 with a double and a run. Adam Brett Walker II was 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk. Mike Gonzales was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Pitching stars: Greg Peavey struck out six in 6.1 innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk. Jake Reed struck out three in a scoreless inning, giving up two hits.
Opposition stars: Richie Shaffer was 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. Cameron Seitzer was 2-for-4 with a double and a run. Jared Mortensen struck out nine in six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk.
The game: Gonzales hit a two-run double-plus-error in the fourth to tie the score at two. Walker II and Byron Buxton each homered in the seventh to make it 4-2 Lookouts. It stayed there until the ninth, when a pair of two-out walks and a single by Shaffer made it 4-3 with the go-ahead run on base. Nick Burdi came back to strike out Patrick Leonard and end the game.
Of note: Buxton was 1-for-5 with a home run. Jorge Polanco was 1-for-5. Miguel Sano was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run. Dalton Hicks was 0-for-4.
FORT MYERS 4, CHARLOTTE 3 IN FORT MYERS (11 INNINGS)
Batting stars: Marcus Knecht was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a walk, scoring twice. Chad Christensen was 1-for-3 with a double and two walks, scoring once. Engelb Vielma was 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Pitching stars: Chih-Wei Hu struck out six in five innings, giving up two runs on three hits and no walks. Brandon Peterson struck out five in two shutout innings, giving up one hit. Madison Boer pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.
Opposition stars: Andrew Velazquez was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run. Alex Colome pitched three shutout innings, allowing three hits and no walks with one strikeout. Chris Kirsch pitched 4.2 innings of relief, allowing one run on two hits and three walks.
The game: Charlotte led 3-1 through eight. Knecht connected for a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie it at three and send it to extra innings. A pair of one-out singles and a walk loaded the bases in the eleventh and Alex Swim delivered an infield single to end the game.
Of note: Swim was 2-for-6 with an RBI. Mitch Garver was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. Max Kepler was 0-for-2 and was removed after five innings--no word on why.
CEDAR RAPIDS 5, KANE COUNTY 3 IN KANE COUNTY
Batting stars: Zach Granite was 2-for-3 with a double and two walks, scoring twice. Jorge Fernandez was 2-for-4 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in one.
Pitching stars: Stephen Gonsalves struck out nine in six innings, giving up one run on five hits and no walks. Randy LeBlanc struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.
Opposition stars: Marty Herum was 3-for-5 with a home run. Bud Jeter pitched two shutout innings, allowing one hit while striking out one.
The game: The Kernels scored in each of the first four innings to take a 5-1 lead. It stayed there until the ninth, when a double, back-to-back errors, and a single made it 5-3 and put Cougars on first and second with two out. Trevor Hildenberger struck out Herum to end the game.
Of note: Nick Gordon was 0-for-4 with two RBIs. Zack Larson was 1-for-5 with an RBI. Trey Vavra was 1-for-3 with a double and a run. Max Murphy was 0-for-4.
TODAY'S TILTS
12:00 Fort Myers (Ethan Mildren) at Charlotte (Jacob Faria)
12:35 Buffalo (Randy Wolf) at Rochester (Jason Wheeler)
2:05 Chattanooga (D. J. Baxendale) at Montgomery (Reinaldo Lopez)
4:05 Beloit (Junior Mendez) at Cedar Rapids (Michael Cederoth)
Obviously it's ridiculously early, but the Twins have had some really good pitching performances in the minors so far. There's hope!
I'm guessing Hu's pitch count was high was why he came out after just five innings. Box doesn't say. He's a guy that could move up really quickly. He has a career 2.32 ERA, 109-23 K-BB ratio in 112 2/3 innings and 0.90 WHIP. Yet, I rarely hear about him on prospect lists. That could soon change if he keeps pitching like he is.
I agree, it was most likely a pitch count issue. A lot of times the minor league guys aren't stretched out very well early in the season, plus teams tend to be extra cautious with them. And they want to make sure the bullpen guys get plenty of work, too.