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.

West Michigan Whitecaps (7-9) – T3rd in Midwest League East

The West Michigan Whitecaps own the most exciting roster in the Detroit Tigers system, even after the promotion of Parker Meadows, and they had some outstanding individual performances last week. But they ran into a bit of a buzzsaw and went just 1-5 to tumble out of first place. The Whitecaps boast a trio of exciting young arms, all of whom performed well last week, beginning with Wilmer Flores (3IP, 2H, 0BB, 7K) who nearly duplicated his electric Whitecaps debut.

Unfortunately, Dayton Dragons starter Joe Boyle was somehow even better (4IP, 0H, BB, 10K) and West Michigan managed just one hit all game. They almost pulled out the victory in the 9th thanks to some sloppy Dayton relief, but ended up falling 3-2. The Caps’ bats woke up on Wednesday, but Carlos Guzman (3IP, 6H, 5ER, BB, 2K) had a rough outing and West Michigan fell 7-3.

Dylan Smith (4IP, 2H, ER, 0BB, 7K) was outstanding on Thursday but took a tough-luck loss because the West Michigan bats produced just four hits on the game. Ty Madden (5IP, 2H, ER, 0BB, 5K) did get plenty of run support on Friday though, thanks in part to a four-hit, four-RBI performance from Colt Keith, and as a result Madden picked up his first win as a pro.

Saturday’s contest was a barn-burner, with Wenceel Perez blasting two home runs in the first three innings, Bryant Packard finishing a single short of the cycle, and Keith hitting a monster home run in the 9th to put West Michigan up 9-7. But Dayton scored three times in the bottom of the inning to pull out a stunning 10-9 victory.

Sunday saw another outstanding performance from Flores (4IP, 2H, ER, BB, 6K), but the Whitecaps were already down 7-1 when he entered the game, and yet again he was overshadowed by a spectacular outing from a Dayton pitcher. And it wasn’t rehabbing Luis Castillo, who started the game, but Andrew Abbott (6IP, 3H, ER, 2BB, 11K). The only run Abbott allowed came on an inside-the-park homer from Wenceel Perez that required a pair of defensive miscues.

The Whitecaps return home this week to take on the Great Lakes Loons for the second time in the young season.

Lakeland Flying Tigers (7-8) – T3rd in Florida State League West

The Lakeland Flying Tigers received excellent production from a group of infielders on the way to a strong 5-1 week that brought them back to within shouting distance of first place. Garrett Burhenn (5IP, 6H, 2ER, 3BB, 5K) gave Lakeland a solid start, Justice Bigbie hit his first Low-A home run, and the Flying Tigers scratched out a 3-2 win on Tuesday despite managing just three hits. Wednesday’s outing saw the bats come alive in a 9-0 win keyed by a terrific start from Nick Davila (5IP, 5H, 0ER, BB, 3K) and a three-run triple off the bat of Chris Meyers:

They Flygers made it two shutouts in a row with a 3-0 victory on Thursday, in a game that saw another strong performance from Meyers (2-for-2, 2B, 2BB, 2 RBIs), an inning of work from Andrew Chafin, and then dominant performances from Alex Faedo (4IP, H, 2BB, 5) and Carlos Pena (4IP, 0H, 7K). Lakeland used 12 hits, 8 walks, and 7 RBIs from young hitters Carlos Mendoza, Manuel Sequera, and Roberto Campos on Friday to make it four in a row with a 9-2 victory.

The Flying Tigers’ only loss of the week came in a 7-3 affair on Saturday, though it certainly wasn’t the fault of starter Jackson Jobe (2IP, H, 4K) or his friend Izaac Pacheco (2-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBIs). Pacheco had a terrific week overall, going 6-for-18 with three doubles, a home run, six walks, and even a steal of home.

https://twitter.com/Tiger_Lifer/status/1516573970853728262?s=20&t=oOncUhNiiBciXWJMr7TeeQ

Lakeland finished the week back in the win column by getting a home run from young outfielder Lazaro Benitez and holding off a late Cardinals rally to best Palm Beach 7-6.

The Flying Tigers take the trip down I-4 this week for a six-game set with the last place Tampa Tarpons.