Gone Fishin’ 5/1/19: Miami Marlins Minor League Report

Caleb Smith surprised absolutely nobody with another outstanding start last night against the Cleveland Indians.

There were activities afoot as well in the Miami Marlins minor league feeder system. Five games were on tap through the Marlins top four levels of their affiliate system.

Triple-A Pacific Coast League

New Orleans Baby Cakes 1, Memphis Redbirds 5

With 2,336 in the house at the Shrine on Airline, the Redbirds (14-12) topped the red-hot Baby Cakes (15-11) by four runs.

Elieser Hernandez struck out nine baby Cardinals in six innings, walking nobody and giving up two runs on six hits. Kyle Keller struck out three in two no-hit innings of relief.

Offensively, Deven Marrero led the way with a single, a double, and the only RBI in the contest for New Orleans. Memphis struck first with a pair of runs in the sixth off Hernandez. In the seventh Marrero drove home Gabriel Guerrero with a double, but it was all the Cakes could do against Redbirds pitching last night.

Memphis brought three more home off Jose Quijada in the ninth to set the final score.

Double-A Southern League

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 0, Mississippi Braves 2

Mississippi (11-13) struck early against the Shrimp (10-16), bringing a run home in the first that was all the offense needed to dispatch Jacksonville with 1,423 in the house at Trustman Park.

Josh Roeder made his first start of the season for the Shrimp in his double-A debut, striking out seven and giving up one run on four hits in five innings of work. Corey Bird led the offense with a pair of singles, two of seven hits in the game for Jacksonville. John Silviano added a double, while Magneuris Sierra, Justin Twine, Joe Dunand, and Bryson Brigman pitched in with a single each in the loss.

Advanced-A Florida State League

Jupiter Hammerheads 1, Bradenton Marauders 0

The Sharks (8-17) got a sparkling start out of Edward Cabrera in topping Bradenton (17-9) in a pitchers duel with 1,108 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

Cabrera (2-1, 1.64) struck out 13 in 6 2/3 innings, allowing no runs, no walks, and only a pair of hits. He got 62-of-88 pitches over the plate. Alejandro Mateo struck out five in 2 1/3 innings for a seven out save. He walked one and didn’t give up a hit.

Jupiter’s offense mustered a total of five hits, led by Jose Devers with a pair of singles, including the game-winner in the fifth inning, when he drove home Conner Grant. Victor Victor Mesa, Grant, and James Nelson also hit safely in the game.

Single-A Midwest League

Clinton LumberKings 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 9

In the first game of a scheduled seven-inning twin bill, the LumberKings (12-11) came up short to the Whitecaps (11-12) after a nine-run first inning with 1,385 on hand at Ashford University Field.

The Whitecaps scored all nine runs off LumberKings starter George Soriano (0-2, 5.50). He walked one, allowed six hits including a pair of homers, threw a wild pitch, and was also victimized by a defensive error in his 1/3 inning of work. The effort ended with a Game Score of minus-11.

But the Kings didn’t fade quietly away either. Held scoreless until the fourth, Demetrius Sims got them on the board with a double to score Connor Scott, and scored himself a moment later on Sean Reynolds third homer of the season. Marcos Rivera added a sacrifice fly RBI to score Samuel Castro later in the inning. Sims scored again in the fifth on an error, and Jerar Encarnacion drove a pair home with a single in the sixth to bring the deficit to two runs.

Sean Guenther relieved Soriano and whiffed six in 3 2/3 no-hit, no-run, no-walk innings of relief. C.J. Carter struck out three and allowed one hit in three shutout innings.

Clinton LumberKings 13, West Michigan Whitecaps 2

In the “night cap,” Clinton unloaded 13 runs on West Michigan pitching in the shortened seven-inning affair for the Miami Marlins single-A farm club.

Sean Reynolds opened the scoring in the first with a three-run shot. After starter Alex Vesia gave up a pair of runs in the second, Jerar Encarnacion added a two-run single and J.D. Osborne added another for an early five-run second inning lead.

But Clinton wasn’t finished. In the fourth, Encarnacion scored on an error, Thomas Jones drove two home with a single, Marcos Rivera drove Jones home with a double, and Ricardo Cespedes knocked Rivera home with a single for a 12-2 lead. Reynolds scored Connor Scott on a ground out in the fifth to round the scoring out.

Vesia struck out five in three innings, Nathan Alexander (1-0, 0.00) struck out three in two while allowing just one hit. Zach Wolf struck out two over the last two innings in an extremely non-save situation.

More from Marlins Prospects

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• Miami Marlins: How top 2022 MLB Draft picks performed this season
• What’s wrong with Kahlil Watson?
• Miami Marlins: Farm System rankings part 2
• Miami Marlins: Farm System rankings part 1

Today’s Games

6:30PM – The Hammerheads and the Marauders play the rubber match in the three-game set.

7:30PM – Clinton goes for the series-winner in their three-game series against West Michigan.

7:35PM – McKenzie Mills (1-3, 5.21) will take the hill for the Jumbo Shrimp against the Mississippi Braves in the second game of a five-game series.

8:00PM – Dustin Beggs (1-0, 3.46) gets the start for New Orleans in the four-game series finale. The Cakes lead it two-to-one.

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