Tigers Minor League Recap – 5/14

Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A)

Final: Omaha 7 – Toledo 6

Top Performer(s):

Jace Jung, 3B — 3-for-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB
Eduardo Valencia, C — 3-for-6, 2 R
Corey Julks, RF — 2-for-5, R, RBI

Tanner Rainey — 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. 55% Whiff% was by far the best and his 6 whiffs matched Sawyer Gipson-Long’s total as the most on the Mud Hens. He had a drop in average IVB by 2”, but his velocity was up 1.3 MPH on his fastball and he also added 1.9 MPH on his slider.

Game notes:

This was a bit of a back and forth game. It didn’t seem that it would be as Omaha started out strong. They had a 5-2 lead after 3 and would shutdown the Mud Hen’s offense once more in the 4th. They’d score 1 more in the 5th when they’d get a hit by pitch to load the bases and then a second one to score a run. Refusing the let the Mud Hens come back as they please, Josh Rojas would hit a solo shot in the 6th inning to increase the lead by 3 runs again making it 6-3. The Mud Hens would battle back. They would score 2 runs in the 7th with Tyler Gentry and Luke Ritter singles and tie the game up on a Corey Julks single in the 8th. Kameron Misner would put an end to it all when he hits a walk off home run as at the first batter in the bottom of the 9th.

Jace Jung goes opposite field to tie the game for the Mud Hens at 1 pic.twitter.com/QZxyQzfL2L

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 14, 2026

Sawyer Gipson-Long got the start going just 2.0 IP and gave up 3 ER, 5 hits, and walked 1. His ERA has risen to 6.14 in Toledo on the year. Konnor Pilkington would come in next and he wouldn’t have a much better outing in his 3.0 IP. Tyler Mattison would cover the 6th giving up just the solo shot, Tanner Rainey the 7th looking fairly good allowing 2 base runners, but collecting 2 Ks and giving up no runs, and lastly Jack Little would take the 8th, where he looked alright until he gave up that game winning home run.

Tomorrow’s projected starters:

Troy Watson (0-0, 4.91 ERA) vs Mitch Spence (1-2, 4.95 ERA)

Erie SeaWolves (Double-A)

Final: Richmond 7 – Erie 14

Top Performer(s):

Thayron Liranzo, C — 1-for-1, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, 3 BB
Izaac Pacheco, 3B — 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Brett Callahan, CF — 1-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB

Eric Silva — 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Silva’s had some rough outings this season, but this was not one of them. The first reliever to come in for the starter, Joe Miller, he had the best outing of the bunch. On top of being the only one to not give up a run, he was also the one who allowed the fewest base runners despite having the 2nd more IP of the Erie staff.

Game Notes:

Erie went off today. They scored 2+ runs in 5 of their 8 innings they scored in today. The 2nd inning saw 5 runs scored thanks to a single, wild pitch, and walk all with the bases loaded. There was also a wild double play that Andrew Jenkins hit into that scored to more. Then again in the 4th, a bases loaded single by Izaac Pacheco scored 2 more runs, a John Peck single and Thayon Liranzo sac fly score 2 in the 5th, a 3-run HR from Thayron Liranzo scored 3 more, a bases loaded groundout by Brett Callahan and balk score 2 more in the 8th. It’s not like the Seawolves overpowered Richmond, they let the Richmond pitchers hurt themselves with the 11 walks and 12 hits.

Thayron Liranzo crushes his second home run of the season. pic.twitter.com/sXdngGTqBr

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 15, 2026

Joe Miller got the start. He went 5 IP and allowed just 2 runs (1 earned) to score while striking out 2, giving up 1 BB and 1 HR. Eric Silva came in and did very well for his 2 IP. The John Stankiewicz and Tyler Owens would combine to go 2 IP, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) on 2 walks, 6 hits. Luckily by then, the lead was so large that it hurt a little bit less.

Tomorrow’s projected starters:

TBD vs Cesar Perdomo (2-0, 3.81 ERA)

West Michigan Whitecaps (High-A)

Final/10: Great Lakes 4  – West Michigan 3

Top Performer(s):

Bryce Rainer, DH — 1-for-4, RBI, SB
Andrew Sojka, PH-LF — 0-for-0, RBI
Samuel Gil, SS — 1-for-4, R

Lucas Elissalt — 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. Despite the 4 walks, he was able to mostly stay out of trouble. In the 2nd, he gave up back-to-back 2 out walks. And even his ER was charged after he came out of the game.

Game Notes:

20 guys reached base in this game tonight between the 2 teams. Not a single one of them came as an XBH. Instead it was 10 walks and 10 singles.

The Whitecaps saved their scoring for the later innings. Down 1-0 in the top of the 9th, Bryce Rainer hit an opposite field single that would score Samuel Gil from 3rd base to tie the game late. Then Ethan Sloan come in to keep it a tie game and did just that despite giving up a single and a walk to the first 2 batters.

Bryce Rainer ties the game in the 9th with a 108-MPH single through the drawn-in infield. pic.twitter.com/OU7UgebUYz

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 15, 2026

In extras, Juan Hernandez would ground out and send Cristian Santana, who was the runner on 2nd for extra innings, to 3rd. He’d score on the next PA when Andrew Sojka would get a pinch hit sac fly.

Then it would be Great Lake’s chance to win. A single, flyout, steal, walk later the bases would be loaded with 1 out. Ethan Sloan would walk the next batter on 6 pitches so Great Lakes could tie the game again and a wild pitch to give Great Lakes the walk off win.

Tomorrow’s projected starters:

Carlos Marcano (0-1, 3.06 ERA) vs Jakob Wright (1-1, 6.16 ERA)

Lakeland Flying Tigers (Single-A)

Final: Clearwater 0  – Lakeland 8

Top Performer(s):

Edian Espinal, C — 4-for-4, HR, R, RBI, BB
Newremberg Rondon, 1B — 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
Jude Warwick, SS — 1-for-5, HR, R, RBI

Jan Caraballo — 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. Jan had it going tonight in relief. He threw just 22 pitches to get through his outing. He generated 14 swings on those 22 pitches and got 5 whiffs (35.7% Whiff%) on those swings. He went 7 for 7 on first pitch strikes and had a 50% Chase%

Game Notes:

Offense took a little bit, but they got rolling late in the game. Jude Warwick scored the 1st run of the game when he hit his solo shot in the 3rd inning. And there would be no more scoring until Newremberg Rondon hit his 2-run HR in the 7th. 6 Flying Tigers in a row would get on base, starting with Edian Espinal’s solo HR, to drive in 5 more runs in the 8th. Espinal has collected his 5th straight multi-hit game with his 4 hit game today. Before his streak, he was hitting .200/.310/.260 before this streak to now hitting .310/.395/.423 on the season. And despite going 0-for-4 tonight, Zach MacDonald tied Espinal with 3 hard hit balls.

Edian Espinal is 3-for-3 as he cracks another home run for the Flying Tigers pic.twitter.com/59j9TFewPa

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 15, 2026

First Single-A home run for Newremberg Rondon as Lakeland goes up 3-0 pic.twitter.com/k83z14DI1F

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 15, 2026

The pitching staff was equally as impressive. Fresh off his 22 whiff game, Malachi Witherspoon pitched 5 more innings, giving up no runs and allowing just 2 base runners. He got “only” 3 Ks this game, but threw just 50 pitches. He was followed by Jan Caraballo, who had his outing described above, and 1.0 IP a piece for Eliseo Mota and Pedro Garcia, who allowed just 1 walk.

Tomorrow’s projected starters: Kelvis Salcedo (0-0, 1.80 ERA) vs Gage Wood (0-2, 3.63 ERA)

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