Detroit Tigers Minor League Report Week 9: Red-Hot Mud Hens

The Detroit Tigers Minor League  Recap for week nine

Across the Detroit Tigers Minor League affiliates in week nine the common theme among them was power as the SeaWolves hit four home runs on the Fourth of July, Bryant Packard for West Michigan has now homered in three straight games and Aderlin Rodriguez had three home runs in the series against Columbus.

Plus, which minor league affiliate was no-hit this week, and which recent draft pick homered twice in one game? Answers to that question and more on the latest Detroit Tigers Minor League Report Weekly recap for week eight.

Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens (30-23) 4GB Triple-A East-Midwest Division

Team stats:  Run differential +47

Team batting average: .263 (ranked 2nd)

Team ERA:  4.36 (ranked 8th)

Call ups to Detroit: Erasmo Ramirez

Sent down to Toledo: Derek Hill, Miguel Del Pozo

The Mud Hens took five out of six against Columbus, evening the season series at 1. On Tuesday, Toledo started with a 7-3 victory. Jacob Robson, Aderlin Rodriguez, and Isaac Paredes all went deep for Toledo.

Pedro Payano pitched 5.1 innings allowing three runs on seven hits and struck out five. The bullpen did a nice job, pitching 3.2 innings of one-hit ball with seven strikeouts, led by Ramirez, who struck out five in two innings of work.

On Wednesday, Toledo fans were treated to a rare inside the park home run by Christin Stewart.

Yariel Gonzalez drove in two and Mark Leiter Jr pitched five innings, allowing one run on one hit and striking out seven.  On July 1st, the Mud Hens won 4 to 2. Ricardo Pinto pitched seven innings, allowing just three hits and striking out seven.

The weekend started with the Clippers getting their first win and only win of the series, winning 7 to 1. On Saturday, the Mud Hens won 4 to 2 as Niko Goodrum, on a rehab assignment, started as the DH. Rodriguez would hit his 13th home run of the season in the 3rd inning off the newest Indians pickup, Zack Godley.  Ian Krol, who has not allowed a run since May 18th, picked up his fourth save of the season.

The Mud Hens celebrated the 4th right as Rodriguez’s 14th home run broke a 2-2 tie in the second.

Columbus would pull back ahead in the 5th with a pair of runs on a Trenton Brooks double that would drive in Nolan Jones and Gabriel Arias.  Then JaCoby Jones, who saw time at second base during the series, would end the game with some pre-game fireworks of his own.

Toledo on the homestand, finished 9-3. Krol for the month of June, threw 10.1 innings, allowing just seven hits, five walks, and struck out 15 and so far in his two innings of works in July, has allowed just a pair of hits.

Toledo travels to Omaha to take on the first place Stormchasers, who are the KC Royals Triple-A affiliate.

Double-A Erie SeaWolves (32-22) Tied for first Double-A Northeast-Southwest Division

Team stats:  Run differential +44

Team batting average: .257

Team ERA:  3.91

Newest face(s) in Erie: Dylan Rosa

The SeaWolves offense inconsistencies continued in this series against Reading as they dropped the series however, Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson were both added to the AL Futures Game, which will be taking place right before the All-Star Game on July 11 at 3 pm. Greene in the opener went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and drove in one in the 9-3 loss. Dillon Dingler had a triple with a pair of RBI.

On Wednesday, Torkelson hit his fourth home run of the season and finished on the day going 3-for-4 and Elvin Rodriguez pitched in and out of trouble, allowing a pair of runs, eight hits over 5.2 innings, and struck out five.

I and Chris Brown went out to Erie on July 1 for a live look as we were treated to Daniel Brito, who had a good series against Erie, putting up a slash line of .455/.478/.955 (10-for-22) with two doubles, three triples, and a home run.

Josh Lester hit a three-run homer before the rains came and Erie took a 4-0 lead.

Greene saw two pitches and had two hits in his first two appearances at the plate.

Ryan Kreidler made a big play in the 5th that kept Erie’s 5 to 3 lead as they would hang on to win 5 to 4.

On Saturday night, four Reading pitchers combined for a no-hitter to win 3 to 0.

So far in the month of July, Greene is off to a good start, hitting .313 (5-for-16), including a lead-off homer on Sunday.

The SeaWolves travel to Somerset, New Jersey for a series that kicks off tonight.

High-A West Michigan Whitecaps (25-27) High-A Central Division 4.5 GB

Team stats:  Run differential +6

Team batting average: .231

Team ERA: 3.95

Newest face(s) in West Michigan:  Gage Workman, Michael Bienlien (both from Lakeland)

Before we recap the week down in Peoria, per unofficial reports, Zeke Jennings reported that 2020 4th round draft pick Gage Workman was called up to West Michigan yesterday.

The Whitecaps split the week 3-3 with some impressive performances. Tuesday’s game was postponed to Thursday as part of a doubleheader so the series kicked off on Wednesday with a 9-4 victory. Rey Rivera went 2-for-4 with four RBI and both Daniel Cabrera and Andrew Navigato had a pair of hits.

On Thursday, West Michigan swept the doubleheader, winning 4 to 2 and 3 to 2 on the strength of strong pitching performances from Brendan White and Adam Wolf.  In the first game, White pitched six innings, allowing seven hits and a pair of runs, and struck out four. Navigato hit his first High-A home run in the first.

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Bryant Packard’s 2-run homer, his 4th of the season, gave West Michigan the 3-0 lead.

Adam Wolf had a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Zack Hess came on to get the save. Packard on the weekend finished with home runs on Friday and Sunday and Navigato, who can play anywhere in the infield, had a good first week after his call up to West Michigan, going 7-for-24 (.318)

West Michigan heads to Dayton for a six-game series that kicks off tonight.