Monthly Archives: August 2016

2016 Twins Game Logs

2016 Game 124: Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals

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First pitch 1:15 p.m. CDT

Ervin Santana (6-9, 3.43 ERA, 99 K, 1.212 WHIP)
Danny Duffy (10-1, 2.73 ERA, 143 K, 0.985 WHIP)

We could be in for a low-scoring pitchers' duel today as Santana and Danny Duffy square off on the circular mound. At the moment, Duffy is the only pitcher in the American League with a WHIP under 1.00 (and sporting an ERA+ of 162), while Santana checks in at 16th with a 1.21 WHIP. As long as he stays the course, Duffy has a legit shot at the AL Cy Young award this year. I'd like to see this game be a latter day hiccup in that eventuality, but on the advice of my physician and bookmaker I'm not holding my breath.

Play ball!

Cup of Coffee

August 21, 2016: Parenting 2.0

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We entered the post-graduation phase of parenting in earnest a couple of weeks ago when the Boy relocated to Tinseltown to seek fame and fortune. No job yet, but he is getting an edumacation in apartment hunting. After pushing me to hurry up and fill out an application as a co-signer (complete with $45 per applicant fee), he learned that his roommate (not yet in town) was not on board with the unit because of cost. Took me five minutes to identify decent options for about $900/month less. Oy.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–August 21

Frank Isbell (1875)
Murray Dickson (1916)
Gerry Staley (1920)
Jim Beauchamp (1939)
Felix Millan (1943)
John Ellis (1948)
John Stearns (1951)
Frank Pastore (1957)
John Wetteland (1966)
Mike Misuraca (1968)
Craig Counsell (1970)
Ismael Valdez (1973)
Akili Smith (1975)
Jason Marquis (1978)
Melvin Upton (1984)

Akili Smith, better known as an NFL quarterback, played for three seasons in the Pittsburgh organization, reaching AA.

Right-hander Frank Enrico Pastore pitched for the Twins in 1986.  He was born in Alhambra, California, went to high school in La Verne, California, and was drafted in the second round by Cincinnati in 1975, Pastore pitched well at every stop along the way in the minors, and made the Reds at the beginning of 1979. He pitched mostly out of the bullpen that year, but became a solid member of the rotation in 1980. That was his best year: he went 13-7 with an ERA of 3.27 in 27 starts. He pitched well in 1981 and 1982, but started to slip after that, and also apparently started to have injury problems. He was primarily a reliever in 1985, became a free agent, and signed with the Twins in April of 1986. The Twins ran through a lot of relief pitchers that year, and Pastore was actually one of the better ones they had: in 33 games, he was 3-1 with a 4.01 ERA and 2 saves, but walked 24 in 49.1 innings and had a WHIP of 1.58. He again became a free agent after the season, and signed with the Texas Rangers, but pitched poorly for AAA Oklahoma City and his career was over. After baseball, Frank Pastore went back to school and obtained degrees in business administration, philosophy of religion and ethics, political philosophy, and American government. He became the host of a radio program, The Frank Pastore Show, which was described by wikipedia as the largest Christian talk show in the United States.  Sadly, Frank Pastore passed away December 17, 2012 as a result of injuries following a motorcycle accident.

Right-hander Michael William Misuraca did not play for the Twins, but he was in their farm system for over seven years.  He was born in Long Beach, California and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1988.  A starter for most of his career, he pitched fairly well in the low minors, but never well enough to attract anyone’s attention.  He reached Class A in 1989, but did not advance past there until 1993, when he finally got to AA Nashville.  He reached AAA in 1994, but did not pitch well in Salt Lake, posting ERAs over five each season there.  He was sent to Milwaukee in a conditional deal in June of 1996 and sent to AAA New Orleans.  He did not pitch any better in AAA for the Brewers, but was brought up to the majors for about three weeks in 1997.  It did not go well:  in five appearances (10.1 innings), he put up an ERA of 11.32 and a WHIP of 2.13, allowing five home runs.  His playing career came to an end after that season.  He may not have been in the big leagues for long, but as an undrafted free agent, he beat the odds to get there at all.  He has stayed in baseball, and at last report was the supervisor of scouting in the greater Los Angeles area for the Cincinnati Reds.

Right-hander Jason Scott Marquis made seven starts for the Twins at the beginning of 2012.  He was born in Manhasset, New York, went to high school in Staten Island, and was drafted by Atlanta in the first round in 1996.  He advanced slowly, mostly because he really didn’t pitch all that well.  he had a good year in AA in 2000, though, and ended up spending nearly half the season in the majors.  2001 was his first full year in the majors and was one of his best years there.  He started in the bullpen, but made the rotation by mid-June and ended up posting a 3.48 ERA.  He came nowhere near those numbers in 2002 and was back in the minors for about half of 2003.  That off-season he was traded to St. Louis.  He had a fine year for the Cardinals in 2004, going 15-7, 3.71, though with a WHIP of 1.42.  He was still pretty good in 2005 but had a terrible 2006, leading the league in earned runs allowed and home runs allowed.  He was a free agent after the season and signed with the Cubs.  He was adequate for the Cubs for two seasons, then was traded to Colorado before the 2009 season.  Given that he was pitching in Coors Field, he actually had a pretty good year for the Rockies, but became a free agent again and signed with Washington.  He was on the disabled list much of 2010 and was pretty awful when he did pitch, but he bounced back in 2011 and was having a decent season when he was traded to Arizona at the deadline.  He again was injured and was awful in the three starts he did make for the Diamondbacks.  A free agent again, he signed with Minnesota for 2012.  It was hoped he would bring a veteran presence to the rotation, but his time with the Twins was a disaster:  2-4, 8.47, 1.94 WHIP in 34 innings.  He was released in late May and signed with San Diego the next day.  He was actually fairly good with the Padres the rest of the season and was adequate in 2013 as well, although he issued a lot of walks.  A free agent after that season, he did not sign for 2014 until early June, when he signed with Philadelphia and made nine minor league starts.  Once again a free agent, he signed with Cincinnati and made the team, but was pretty bad in nine starts and was released in June, ending his playing career.  No information about what Jason Marquis has been doing since then was readily available.

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of August 18-19

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GAMES OF AUGUST 18

ROCHESTER 6, BUFFALO 3 IN ROCHESTER

Reynaldo Rodriguez hit a three-run homer in the third to give the Red Wings a 4-3 lead.  They added two in the sixth to secure the victory. Jason Wheeler gave up three in the second but pitched well otherwise.  He struck out six in six innings, giving up three runs on five hits and no walks.  Mitch Garver was 2-for-4 and is batting .333.  The home run was Rodriguez’ fourth.

MONTGOMERY 6, CHATTANOOGA 2 IN CHATTANOOGA

Kean Wong’s two-run double in the fourth put the Biscuits up 4-1 and they controlled the game from there.  Aaron Slegers pitched 5.1 innings but allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits and four walks with three strikeouts.  Tanner Witt was 1-for-3 in his AA debut.  The Lookouts had six hits, all singles.

FORT MYERS 1, ST. LUCIE 0 IN ST. LUCIE

Fernando Romero and two relievers blanked the Mets.  Romerostruck out eight in 6.1 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and two walks.  The game’s lone run came in the fifth on a single, a walk, a hit batsman, and another walk.  Daniel Kihle and Christian Ibarrawere each 2-for-3 with a walk.

PEORIA 3, CEDAR RAPIDS 2 IN PEORIA

The Kernels led 2-1 going to the bottom of the ninth, but two walks followed by two singles gave the win to the Chiefs.  Sean Poppenstruck out five in five innings, giving up one run on four hits and three walks in his Class A debut.  Casey Scoggins was 2-for-3 with a walk. Nelson Molina was 2-for-4 and is batting .305.  Luis Arraez was 1-for-4 and is batting .346.

ELIZABETHTON 6, BURLINGTON 3 IN BURLINGTON

Amaurys Minier hit a three-run homer in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie. Alex Schick struck out seven in 5.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits and two walks.  Patrick McGuff pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 0.96.  Alex Kirilloff was 2-for-4 and is batting .337. Lewin Diaz was 2-for-4 and is batting .306.  Minier’s home run was his ninth.  Ariel Montesino was 0-for-4 with a walk and is batting .311.

GCL TWINS 6, GCL RAYS 3 AT TWINS (GAME 1—7 INNINGS)

The Rays took a 3-0 lead in the second, but the Twins got two in the fourth and four in the sixth.  Three of the four runs in the sixth scored on a three-base error with the bases loaded.  Tyler Fox struck out four in four innings, giving up three runs on five hits and no walks.  Moises Gomez followed with three shutout innings, striking out three, to lower his ERA to 0.76.  The Twins had only four hits, all singles.  Dominic Blanco was 1-for-3 and is batting .353.

GCL RAYS 2, GCL TWINS 0 AT TWINS

Both Rays runs scored in the fourth inning.  Bo Hellquist pitched 4.2 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and two strikeouts, making his ERA 1.94.  Justin Hazard was 1-for-3 and is batting .321.  Aaron Whitefield was 1-for-3 and is batting .310.  The Twins again had only four hits, and again they were all singles.

DSL ROJOS 5, DSL TWINS 2 AT ROJOS

It was scoreless until the sixth, when the Rojos plated four runs.  The Twins did not score until the ninth.  Juan Mojica struck out seven in five shutout innings, giving up three hits and two walks.  Darling Cuesto was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Juan Martinez was 2-for-3.  Edgar Herrera was 1-for-4 and is batting .322.

GAMES OF AUGUST 19

ROCHESTER 4, BUFFALO 2 IN ROCHESTER (10 INNINGS)

Mitch Garver singled in the tying run in the ninth and Daniel Palkahit a walkoff two-run homer in the tenth.  David Hurlbut pitched seven innings, giving up one run on seven hits and no walks with three strikeouts in his second AAA start.  Jake Reed pitched a scoreless inning and remains unscored upon in 3.1 AAA innings.  Adam Brett Walker II was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Palka’s home run was his eleventh.  Heiker Meneses was 0-for-3 with a walk and is batting .085 (4-for-47).

CHATTANOOGA 2, MONTGOMERY 1 IN CHATTANOOGA

Travis Harrison’s two-out two-run single in the eighth turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead and eventual win.  Kohl Stewart pitched eight innings, giving up one run on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts.  Zach Granite was 3-for-4.

JUPITER 4, FORT MYERS 3 IN FORT MYERS

The Miracle led 3-0 after three, but it was 3-3 after five and Jeremias Pineda’s RBI single in the eight put the Hammerheads on top to stay.  Jupiter out-hit Fort Myers 14-5.  Dereck Rodriguez pitched six innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on ten hits and no walks with one strikeout.  In three high-A starts, his ERA is 1.83 and his WHIP is 0.86.  Tanner English was 2-for-3.  Sean Miller was 2-for-4 with a double.

CEDAR RAPIDS 3, BURLINGTON 0 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Nelson Molina’s two-run single in the third gave the Kernels the lead and the pitching took it from there.  Lachlan Wells struck out five in 5.2 scoreless innings, giving up five hits and one walk.  Molina was 4-for-4 with a double and is batting .315.  Luis Arraez was 2-for-3 with a walk and is batting .349.  Travis Blankenhorn was 2-for-4.

ELIZABETHTON 5, BURLINGTON 4 IN BURLINGTON

The Royals led 4-2 after three, but Mitchell Kranson homered in the fifth to tie it and Shane Carrier singled home the go-ahead run in the ninth.  Jose Martinez pitched four innings, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  Alex Robinson struck out four in three shutout innings.  Patrick McGuff pitched a scoreless inning, dropping his ERA to 0.92.  He has 28 strikeouts in 19.2 innings. Kranson was 3-for-5 with a home run, his third.  Carrier was 3-for-5 with a double.  Ariel Montesino was 3-for-5 and is batting .321. Lewin Diaz was 1-for-4 with a walk and is batting .305.

GCL RED SOX 5, GCL TWINS 4 AT RED SOX

The Twins led 4-3 going to the bottom of the ninth, but the Red Sox scored two to take the win, with the winning run scoring on a wild pitch.  Huascar Ynoa pitched six innings, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  Jose Miranda was 2-for-3 with a triple and two walks.  Lean Marrero was 2-for-4 with a double. Jhon Alvarez was 2-for-4.  Aaron Whitefield was 1-for-5 and is batting .306.

DSL TWINS 4, DSL CUBS2 1 AT CUBS2

The Twins scored two in the fourth to go up 3-0 and were in control the rest of the way.  Carlos Suniaga pitched six shutout innings, giving up just one hit and no walks with five strikeouts.  Jorge Parra was 2-for-4.  Agustin Marte was 2-for-5.  Victor Tademo was 1-for-4 and is batting .321.

TODAY’S TILTS

9:00  GCL Red Sox at GCL Twins

9:30  DSL Cubs2 at DSL Twins

5:05  Jupiter (Jordan Cavanerio, 7-10, 4.32) at Fort Myers (Sam Clay, 1-1, 5.23)

6:00  Elizabethton (Miguel De Jesus, 0-1, 2.00) at Burlington (David McKay, 2-2, 3.06)
6:05  Rochester (Adalberto Mejia, 1-2, 4.66) at Gwinnett (TBA)

6:15  Montgomery (Chris Kirsch, 6-6, 3.49) at Chattanooga (Ryan Eades, 5-5, 4.67)

 

6:35  Burlington (Jamie Barria, 6-5, 3.91) at Cedar Rapids (Tyler Beardsley, 0-2, 3.60)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–August 19

Bobby Richardson (1935)
Fred Lasher (1941)
Mike Phillips (1950)
Luis Gomez (1951)
Tim Blackwell (1952)
Ned Yost (1955)
Ron Roenicke (1956)
David Palmer (1957)
Gary Gaetti (1958)
Ron Darling (1960)
Woody Williams (1966)
Rob Augustine (1970)
Chris Capuano (1978)
J. J. Hardy (1982)

Rob Augustine played for a couple of years in the Cleveland organization, never rising above Class A.  He was (and maybe still is) an assistant baseball coach at Dakota Valley High School in my former home of North Sioux City.  Happy birthday, Rob.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to strategery.

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