Detroit Tigers Weekly Minor League Recap: Putting in Workman

It was a great week for Detroit Tigers minor-league affiliates, as all four full-season squads had a winning record. Even the Tigers got in on the act, going 4-2 and completing their 8th no-hitter in franchise history.

The story last week seemed to be offense, with the teams collectively averaging 6.7 runs per game. If you want a little more information, then be sure to check out our daily updates from last week: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Otherwise check below for all you need to know about the week of Detroit Tigers minor-league baseball.

Detroit Tigers Minor League Recap – Week 3

Toledo Mud Hens, 7-10, 5th (4.0 GB) in Triple-A East, Midwest Division

The Mud Hens had a solid 4-2 week against Columbus, shaking off an ugly 6-1 loss on Tuesday to dominate for most of the rest of the week. Renato Núñez homered early in game one, but the Clippers silenced the rest of the lineup and beat up on Ian Krol (1.2IP, 4H, 4ER, BB) to pull out an easy victory. The Hens bounced back well, winning 8-2 on Wednesday behind  a huge game from Yariel Gonzalez (2-for-5, 2B, HR, 5 RBI), and then taking Thursday’s tilt 9-5 thanks to five RBIs from Aderlin Rodríguez.

Toledo made it three in a row in a much tighter affair on Friday night, taking a 2-1 lead in the 7th on another Gonzalez homer, and then winning 3-2 in the 9th on a Brady Policelli blooper. Columbus got to the Mud Hens’ bullpen on Saturday in a 5-3 victory, and it looked as though they’d earn a series split on Sunday when they took a 5-1 lead to the bottom of the 7th. But Toledo went bonkers in the bottom of the inning, scoring nine times thanks to a pair of walks, a hit batter, and two home runs, including a grand slam from Rodríguez. Isaac Paredes added a 2-run shot in the 8th to cap off a 12-5 Hens victory.

• Gonzalez has an interesting story. He was undrafted out of college, but he signed on with the Cardinals and he’s been a very productive minor-league hitter, with a career .291 batting average. He currently leads all Detroit Tigers minor leaguers with 6 homers and 19 RBIs.
• Victor Reyes (9-for-20, 2B, 5BB) was the hottest hitter on the team last week, but Derek Hill wasn’t too far behind. Hill went 7-for-17 with a double, a triple, and two steals.
• Toledo’s rotation was excellent last week. Starters Rony Garcia, Drew Hutchison, Matt Manning, Wily Peralta, and Logan Shore combined for a 2.01 ERA over 31.1 innings, with 34 strikeouts and 8 walks.

Detroit Tigers Minor League Recap – Week 3

West Michigan Whitecaps, 8-9, 4th (2.5 GB) in High-A Central, East Division

The Whitecaps hit the road to Wisconsin and had a successful 4-2 week on both sides of the ball. Garrett Hill (5IP, 3H, 8K) kicked things off with an excellent start on Tuesday, and Rey Rivera (3-for-5, HR) led an 11-hit attack in West Michigan’s 8-4 victory. Rivera and Bryant Packard homered on Wednesday, and the Caps used six pitchers to tough out a 6-4 win. Beau Brieske (6IP, H, R, 9K) was outstanding on Thursday and West Michigan hitters drew 11 walks in a 4-1 triumph.

Friday’s game was rained out, leading to a doubleheader on Saturday. The Timber Rattlers won both ends of the twin bill, though the Whitecaps made things very interesting. Game one saw Spencer Torkelson hit his first professional home run, and West Michigan scored twice in the 7th, but Rivera grounded out with the bases loaded to finish the 9-8 loss. The Caps tied game two in the 7th on back-to-back homers from Daniel Cabrera and Andre Lipcius, but Wisconsin won 8-7 when Zack Hess surrendered a walk-off homer to Thomas Dillard. The Whitecaps shook off that disappointment and took the series on Sunday, getting another big game from Rivera (2-for-4, 2B, HR) in a 4-0 victory.

• Torkelson left Sunday’s game with hamstring tightness, but it doesn’t sound too serious. Detroit’s top pick last year was finally starting to show signs of life, going 7-for-18 with a double, a homer, and four walks to just one strikeout.
• Brieske had a brutal season debut, giving up five earned runs in less than an inning, but in his last two starts he has been terrific. The 23-year-old righty has allowed just four hits and one run in his last 11 innings, while striking out 16 and not allowing a single walk. He was named pitcher of the week, and his teammate…
• Rey Rivera was named hitter of the week. Rivera has struggled mightily in pro ball, but he showed flashes of his talent last week. The big slugger went 9-for-18 with three doubles and four home runs, and he now leads the club with a .922 OPS.

Detroit Tigers Minor League Recap – Week 3

Lakeland Flying Tigers, 9-9, t2nd (4.0 GB) in Low-A Southeast, West Division

Bradenton is the only city in the Low-A Southeast with streaming video, and the Flying Tigers treated fans to an offensive outburst last week, going 4-2 and finishing with an absurd flourish. Lakeland began the week in style, scoring four times in the first inning against the Marauders and getting a great start from Carlos Guzman (5IP, 2H, BB, 8K) on their way to an easy 7-0 win. It was Ted Stuka (5IP, H, 2BB, 9K) with the strong start on Wednesday, while Nick Quintana (2-for-3, 2B, 3 RBI) led the offense to another 7-0 victory. Bradenton beat up on Flygers pitching on Thursday in a 12-6 win, spoiling home runs from Cooper Johnson and Jimmy Kerr.

On Friday Lakeland got a solid start from Adam Wolf (5IP, 5H, 2ER, 5K) and a balanced offensive performance that included home runs from Eric De La Rosa and Gage Workman in a 9-2 victory. The Marauders scored five early runs on Saturday and held on for a tight 7-6 victory to put a damper of Andrew Navigato‘s first career homer, but the Flying Tigers took the series with a wild victory on Sunday. Bradenton led 6-0 after five innings, but Lakeland scored once in the 6th, twice in the 7th, and five times in the 8th to take an 8-7 lead. Then they went crazy in the 9th, scoring 12 runs to win 20-7.

• Gage Workman had one of the best weeks of any player in the minors, capped off by a cycle on Sunday in which he recorded both his single and double in the 9th. Last year’s 4th-round pick went 10-for-26 on the week, with three doubles, a triple, two home runs, two stolen bases, and seven walks.
• Isrrael De La Cruz is a converted infielder who generally shows pedestrian stuff on the mound, but he was untouchable in Friday’s game. The 24-year-old pitched three near-perfect innings and struck out 7 of the 10 batters he faced. At one point he struck out six batters in a row.
• Here’s how Sunday’s 12-run 9th inning unfolded for Lakeland: HBP, single, single, BB, single, K, single, BB, BB, HBP, BB, single, single, BB, pop out, double, ground out. Kingston Liniak made two of the three outs in the inning.