Farm Report: Stephen Gonsalves has strong Triple-A debut

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 6, Rochester Red Wings 4

Yesterday was SP Stephen Gonsalves big Triple-A debut, and he did great! The top prospect pitched 7.0 innings, giving up only two runs on four hits and ZERO walks. He also struck out seven.

Unfortunately, the Red Wings—er, I mean Plates, since this was the game they wore their special Plates jerseys (Rochester is famous for something called a “Garbage Plate”, apparently)—bullpen couldn’t hold this game together. RP John Curtiss gave up the tying run in the top of the 9th inning, and RP Drew Rucinski gave up the two go-ahead runs in the top of the 12th.

Every Plates batter in the game got two hits except for 2B Niko Goodrum, who went 1-for-6, and SS Tommy Field, who went 0-for-4.

[Box Score]

Double-A: Birmingham Barons 7, Chattanooga Lookouts 4

Not a good day for Lookouts SP Kohl Stewart. Though Stewart lasted 5.0 innings, he also gave up five earned runs, including a two-run bomb to SS Danny Mendick. Later on, RP D.J. Baxendale gave up another two runs, one of them unearned thanks to a throwing error by 1B Jonathan Rodriguez.

RP Glen Perkins did get in a scoreless inning of rehab work! He gave up only one hit.

RF Max Murphy hit a triple and had an outfield assist, but otherwise it was an uneventful day at the plate for the Lookouts batters.

[Box Score]

High-A: Dunedin Blue Jays at Ft. Myers Miracle (POSTPONED)

Rained too much yesterday.

[No Box Score]

Low-A: Quad Cities River Bandits 7, Cedar Rapids Kernels 6

Another big debut! SP Tyler Watson—aka the guy the Twins got from the Nationals for Brandon Kintzler—took the mound for the Kernels for the first time yesterday. He did... eh. Lasted 5.0 innings, gave up five runs (including two dingers), and only struck out one guy. Some sloppy defense by 3B Trey Cabbage and 2B Caleb Hamilton didn’t help either.

It’s a bummer too because the Kernels bats almost pulled off a comeback in this one. LF Jimmy Kerrigan was particularly impressive, going 3-for-4 with a home run and a triple. CF Christian Cavaness also hit a late 8th-inning dinger.

[Box Score]

Rookie League: Greeneville Astros 5, Elizabethton Twins 2

This was an interesting one. The baby Astros opened the game by scoring four runs in the top of the 1st inning, but then the baby Twins answered right back, with 2B Carson Crites hitting a two-run dong. It was like the opposite of a pitching duel.

The Astros scored one more run in the 5th inning, but otherwise everything happened in the 1st.

Rookie ball is fun.

[Box Score]

Do you have a picture or pictures you took of tractors, farm animals, land, or other equipment you’d like to see us use for a future farm report? We would love your submissions and happily give you and/or your farm full credit and a shout-out.

Please e-mail myjah at Maija.Varda@gmail.com if you are interested, and include the name of who took the photo (and their permission) so we may give the proper photo credits. If Fillmore uses the photo, though, he’ll just steal it and give you nothing, that’s the kind of guy he is.

Photos must be large! We need at least 1800px width. If you’re not sure if it’s big enough, send the picture and I will tell you (TWSS).