Detroit Tigers minor league report: Colt Keith cruising

All the action in the Detroit Tigers minors last week.

The second full week of games in the Detroit Tigers minor-league system once again featured plenty of outstanding individual performances. We also saw some late inning heroics, strong defense, and big player promotions. Let’s get to it.

Toledo Mud Hens (7-10) – 8th in International League East

The Mud Hens had a solid 4-2 week at home against the St. Paul Saints, but the biggest news coming out of Toledo might involve player movement. First came the unexpected promotion of Beau Brieske to the Detroit Tigers, and then at the end of the week the Mud Hens saw a rehab appearance from Andrew Chafin, and the announced promotion of former first-rounder Alex Faedo.

The on-the-field action began in fine fashion, with the Hens blasting the Saints 11-0 on Tuesday behind a strong start from Elvin Rodriguez (3IP, 2H, BB, 5K) and a balanced offensive attack that included 13 hits and 6 walks. Tuesday’s game also gave us one of the defensive highlights of the season so far:

St. Paul scored four times in the 3rd inning on Wednesday and held on for a 4-3 victory, but the Mud Hens managed to pitch around seven walks on Thursday to eke out a 2-1 victory. Toledo held a 4-3 lead late on Friday night, but a disastrous 8th inning (three singles, four walks, an error, and a hit batter) led to six St. Paul runs and a 9-4 loss.

Toledo took the series over the weekend, though, getting a home run from Ryan Kreidler and a nice start from Nivaldo Rodriguez (6IP, 5H, 2ER, BB, K) in a 5-2 victory on Saturday, and then another quality outing from Elvin Rodriguez (4IP, 3H, ER, BB, 5K) in an 8-3 triumph. Kody Clemens was the offensive star of the week, going 8-for-22 with three doubles, some strong defense, and a monster home run to center field on Sunday.

The Mud Hens head to Omaha this week for six games against the Storm Chasers, beginning with a matinee on Tuesday.