Gulf Coast Game Time

The GCL Twins are 5-3, first in the GCL South by percentage points, zero games ahead of the Orioles (6-4).

Sunday

The Twins broke open a 2-2 game with ten runs in the last two innings to defeat the Rays 12-3. The Twins took a 2-0 lead in the third on singles by Hyun-Wook Choi, Daniel Santana, and Hyeong-Rok Choi and an RBI ground out by Oswaldo Arcia. There was no more scoring until the seventh, when the Rays tied it with a walk, a double, and single. That seemed to wake up the Twins. In the eighth, Hyeong-Rok Choi doubled and Arcia and Kennys Vargas walked to load the bases. Nicholas Tindall then hit a bases-clearing double to put the Twins ahead 5-2. The Twins really took over in the ninth, as they sent eleven to the plate and scored seven times. Hyun-wook Choi led off the inning with a single and advanced to third on two wild pitches. With one out, Hyeong-rok Choi walked, and Arcia doubled to score one. Wang-wei Lin walked to load the bases, and Kennys Vargas hit a grand slam to put the Twins ahead 10-2. The Twins weren't done, however, as Rory Rhodes singled and Frederic Hanvi and Hyun-wook Choi doubled to make the score 12-2. The Rays scored one in the bottom of the ninth, but never threatened to get back in the game. Vargas and Hyun-wook Choi each had three hits, with Vargas driving in four runs. Santana and Hyeong-rok Choi had two hits apiece. Jhon Garcia pitched five shutout innings, giving up only two hits. Leonardo Parra got the win despite having the worst pitching line on the team, giving up two runs in two innings. Jean Mijares pitched a scoreless inning.

Monday

This one was suspended in the ninth inning, and completed July 4, so we will give you the final result on that day.  On this day, the Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the first when two singles sandwiched an error.  They went ahead 2-0 in the sixth on two singles, two stolen bases, and a wild pitch.  The Twins tied it in the eighth when Daniel Santana singled, Hyeong-rok Choi reached on an error, a wild pitch advanced the runners, and Wang-wei Lin hit a ground-rule double.  The Orioles were retired in the top of the ninth, which is when the game was suspended due to rain.

Tuesday

Reds pitchers scattered seven hits and defeated the Twins 4-1.  The Twins got two hits in the first inning, but a double play kept them from advancing a runner past first.  The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the second, aided by a walk, a hit batsman, and two wild pitches, and made it 2-0 in the fifth with the help of two errors.  The Twins' lone run came in the eighth on singles by Kennys Vargas, Matej Hejma, and Nick Lockwood, but the Reds scored two in the ninth on three singles and an error.  Lockwood and Oswaldo Arcia each had two hits.  Shooter Hunt took the loss and continued to battle the strike zone, giving up one run on two hits and six walks in four innings.  Adrian Salcedo pitched the final five innings in relief.

Wednesday

Rained out

Thursday

Off Day

Friday

The middle innings were key as the Twins beat the Rays 5-2.  The Twins had a chance in the second, getting runners to first and third with one out, but a double play kept the game scoreless until the fourth.  In the fourth, an error, a walk to Wang-Wei Lin, and a double by Kennys Vargas produced two runs to put the Twins up 2-0.  Singles by Hyun-wook Choi and Trayvone Johnson were followed by an error in the fifth, making the lead 3-0.  The Rays got a double, two singles, a wild pitch, and an error in the sixth to cut the lead to 3-2, but the Twins got both runs back in the bottom of the sixth when Lin walked and Vargas homered.  The Rays never had more than one runner on base after that.  Vargas had three hits, falling a triple short of the cycle, and drove in four runs.  B. J. Hermsen got the win, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits in 5.1 innings.  Jose Gonzales pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, and Dakota Watts pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three, to get the save.

Saturday

Game 1

In the completion of Monday's game, the Orioles scored three in the tenth to win 5-2.  A walk, two singles, and a double produced the three tenth-inning runs.  Hyeong-Rok Choi and Wang-Wei Lin each had two hits for the Twins.  Blayne Weller pitched five innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits, striking out five.  Eliecer Cardenas took the loss, pitching three innings of relief.

Game 2

A four-run fourth led the Orioles to a 5-3 victory over the Twins in a seven-inning game.  The Twins scored in the first on singles by Estarlin De Los Santos and Luke Hughes and a ground out.  They left runners on second and third in the second, but scored two in the third when Brian Dozier singled, Wang-Wei Lin doubled, and Kennys Vargas singled.  In the fourth, however, the Orioles batted around, getting three singles, two walks, an error, and a sacrifice fly to score four times.  The Twins loaded the bases with two out and Luke Hughes up in the sixth, but Hughes grounded out to end the inning.  The Orioles added an insurance run in the sixth on a triple and a passed ball.  De Los Santos, Hughes, and Frederic Hanvi each had two hits.  Michael Tonkin took the loss, giving up four runs (two earned) on five hits in 3.2 innings.  Andrei Lobanov pitched 1.1 scoreless innings of relief.

Statistical notes:  The Twins are tied for seventh in runs, first in doubles, tied for fifth in triples, and fifth in home runs.  They are eleventh in walks and tied for seventh in stolen bases.  They are eighth in OBP, third in SLG, first in AVG, and third in OPS.

Twins pitchers are second in ERA, second in fewest hits allowed, tied for first in fewest home runs allowed (0), and third in fewest walks allowed.  They are twelfth in strikeouts and first in WHIP.

Wang-Wei Lin is tied for third in hits (12), fourth in total bases (18), and tied for third in AVG (.400).  Kennys Vargas is tied for third in home runs (2), tied for third in RBIs (9), second in SLG (.800), tied for third in AVG (.400), and third in OPS (1.255).  B. J. Hermsen is tied for fourth in wins (2) and third in WHIP (0.44). 

Notes:  Ft. Myers shortstop Estarlin De Los Santos has been assigned to the GCL Twins on a rehab assignment...Rochester third baseman Luke Hughes has been assigned to the GCL Twins on a rehab assignment.