Detroit Tigers Minor League Report for July 18

While the big league ball club got the job done on Sunday afternoon with a 7-0 win over the Minnesota Twins, the  Detroit Tigers’ minor league clubs had a lot of action with only two wins going their way.

Triple-A Toledo:

The highest branch of the Detroit Tigers’ farm system is Triple-A Toledo, and they pleased their fans and spectators all around with a dazzling 3-0 victory over a feisty Iowa Cubs roster. Mark Leiter Jr was on the mound for Toledo, and he has been nothing shy of spectacular since his call-up to the Triple-A club. Leiter Jr pitched a complete 5.0 innings, allowed just two hits, and struck out six batters while only allowing one free pass via a walk. Leiter Jr earned the win and he now sits at a perfect 3-0 on the season with Toledo.

Willi Castro and Jacoby Jones, both of which are MLB send downs this season, was the focal point of the Mud Hen’s offense on Sunday. Castro started the game as Toledo’s first batter, and it didn’t take him long to launch his first Triple-A home run of the season. Castro logged two hits on the day. Jacoby Jones did his fair share on Sunday as well as logging in a pair of hits as well.

Toledo now sits at 36-28 on the season, which is currently good for second place in the Triple-A Northeast-Midwest Division. They are currently just 4.0 games behind the first-place Omaha.

Double-A Erie:

The Double-A Erie SeaWolves treated their fans to a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon, and they wound up splitting the two games against the very good Bowie Baysox. In game one, Erie was down from the jump as Joey Wentz and Grayson Rodriguez faced off. Wentz was very much outdueled by Orioles’ prospect Grayson Rodriguez, and it was evident in Erie’s 6-2 loss. Dillon Dingler had an excellent game behind the plate as he threw out two baserunners. Dingler also launched his second Double-A home run of the season. Erie only mustered up three hits in game one against Grayson Rodriguez, and those hits came from Dillon Dingler, Andre Lipcius, and Riley Greene (who also scored one of Erie’s runs).

Game two went much better for Erie, as they pulled off a 7-4 win and snapped a three-game losing skid. Chance Kirby was on the bump for Erie, and he gave the SeaWolves the spark they desperately needed. Kirby went 5.0 innings strong and pitched well until the top of the fifth inning where he gave up 3 of his four runs. Nonetheless, Kirby wound up with the win and struck out four batters along the way. The Erie bats finally came alive in game two as well, as Erie launched a pair of long balls and saw multiple players log multiple knocks. Ryan Kreidler went 2/4 with 2 RBI, 2 Runs, and a Home Run (#9 on the season for him). Kerry Carpenter joined in on the fun with a pair of hits himself, one of which drove in a run. Andre Lipcius had a field day on Sunday as he went 1/2 with 2 runs scored and a pair of walks in game two. Drew Ward launched a home run that traveled well over 400 feet and that gave Erie a huge boost in game two.

The Erie pitching staff was unstoppable in the last two innings, as they allowed just a lone hit in the last two innings of the game securing the win. Yaya Chentouf logged his second Double-A save with a lights-out seventh inning. Erie is now 37-29 on the season, good for third place in the Double-A Northeast-Southwest Division.

High-A West Michigan:

West Michigan didn’t see the same success that the upper levels of the Detroit farm system did, as they suffered a 9-2 loss to Fort Wayne. Brendan White was on the bump for the West Michigan Whitecaps, and he struggled all throughout his 4.2 innings of work. White has been a solid rotation guy for West Michigan this season, but he suffered in Sunday’s outing. White pitched 4.2 innings and gave up 6 hits, 6 runs, and only struck out 3 batters in that frame.

Jimmy Kerr had a nice double for the White Caps as he drove in two runs in his lone hit of the afternoon. Cooper Johnson logged a solid 1/2 game where he also walked and scored a run. Wenceel Perez was one of the two runs that Kerr drove in, and Perez also managed to swipe a base in the game as well. West Michigan is now a mere 30-35 on the season.

Low-A Lakeland:

The Lakeland Flying Tigers suffered a loss as well in Sunday’s minor league action, but it wasn’t all that discouraging. Nick Davila took the mound for Lakeland, and he tossed an absolute gem as he pitched a full 5 innings, allowed 5 hits, gave up just one earned run, and struck out four batters with no walks. Davila ended the game with a no-decision. Lakeland’s bats were alive as well as multiple players had multiple hits.

Nick Quintana notched a pair of hits while driving in three runs and going yard for the team as well. Colt Keith went just 1/3, but he scored a pair of runs and walked as well as stole a base as well. Alvaro Gonzalez found his way on base three times in the Lakeland loss, two of those on base appearances were by way of base hits. Gonzalez, like Keith, swiped a base as well. Lakeland has had a rough season this year, and they are now just 23-41 on the season.