Twins Minor League Report (8/26): Turner Lifts Miracle

Four pitchers are expected to make the trip. Right-handed pitcher Jason Adam and left-handed pitchers Taylor Rogers and Mason Melotakis are listed. Nick Burdi's name was on the AFL website for a brief time but it has since been removed. A different arm will replace him in the coming days.

RED WINGS REPORT

The Rochester Red Wings enjoyed their last official off day of the regular season. They will start again tomorrow very much in the playoff race. The team has six games remaining and they are 1.5 games out of a wild card spot. There are two games remaining with each of the teams ahead of them in the standings. This means the Red Wings fate is in their own hands over the next week.

ROCK CATS REVIEW

New Britain 5, Binghamton 1 (Game 1: 7 Innings)

Box Score

Jose Berrios was back to his strong pitching ways. He earned his third Double-A victory by throwing six innings of one-run ball. He struck out four and walked two while allowing four hits. Ryan O'Rourke finished the game, allowing one hit in an inning's worth of work.

Tony Thomas provided all the offense New Britain needed. He smashed a three-run bomb in the second inning and the Rock Cats never looked back. For Thomas, it was his ninth long ball of the season. It was the only extra-base hit of the game. Nate Hanson and Reynaldo Rodriguez each drove in a run.

New Britain 2, Binghamton 3 (Game 2: 7 Innings)

Box Score

The Rock Cats held two different leads but the team couldn't hold either. Adrian Salcedo made his fifth start of the season and he took his ninth loss of the year. He allowed two earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. A catcher interference call on Matt Koch led to the unearned run scored against Salcedo. Daniel Turpen walked two and struck out two in his inning of work.

Nate Hanson was the only bright spot for the Rock Cats offense. He went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. He's up to 22 doubles for the season. Tony Thomas reached base twice in three trips to the plate. Levi Michael and Jorge Polanco scored one run each, though Michael was taken out of the game in the bottom of the third. Polanco also started two different double plays.

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 7. Charlotte 4

Box Score

It took 17 hits and three runs in the final two innings but the Miracle were able to pound out a win. Stuart Turner must have been upset about not making the AFL roster as he went 4-for-4 with THREE DOUBLES and four RBI. Adam Brett Walker continues to add to his RBI total as he drove in one as part of a two-hit night.

Steven Gruver started the game but he didn't factor into the decision. He allowed two earned runs on five hits over five innings. Nick Burdi collected his first professional win and he has still not allowed a run at High-A. Zack Jones made things interesting in the ninth as two batters reached base but he got out of the jam for his third save.

It was announced earlier in the day that Walker and Berrios were both part of the 2014 FSL Postseason All-Star team. Miracle manager Doug Mientkiewicz was also named a coach for the team. The club is one win away from 80 for the season.

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 1

Box Score

Five runs in the first three innings paced the Kernels to an early lead. Three singles and a throwing error by the pitcher resulted in a three-run first inning. Mitch Garver got credit for two RBIs as his diamond cutter capped the first inning's scoring. Chad Christensen instigated the scoring in the third as he singled and then stole his 29th base.

Lewis Thorpe saw his pitch count rise quickly in this one. He struck out eight batters in four innings but he also walked four. The only run that scored while he was on the mound was unearned. Chris Mazza kept things in check with two shutout innings. He had one strikeout and a walk.

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 5, Bristol 6

Box Score

One big inning was all it took for the E-Twins to end up on the losing end of this one. Sam Gibbons couldn't get out of the fifth frame as he gave up six earned runs in that inning. Samuel Clay and Keaton Steel shut out the Pirates the rest of the way but it wasn't enough.

Brian Navarreto went 2-for-4 with a double and a run batted in. Austin Diemer collected two hits after being hitless in his last three games. Pat Kelly reached base twice and knocked his seventh double. Trey Vavra added an RBI to his total as he tries to catch Tyler Kuresa for the team lead.

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 4, GCL Rays 3

Box Score

Some strong work by the Twins bullpen helped the team to their 23rd victory of the season. Eduardo Del Rosario earned his fourth win after pitching three shutout innings of relief. Trevor Hildenberger earned his tenth save by striking out two in the final frame.

The team's four-five-six hitters (Joel Polanco, Jarrad Poteete, and Gabriel Ojeda) all had multi-hit games. Not to be outdone, Ariel Montesino added two hits including a double. Amaurys Minier went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and his 11th double. In his last 12 games, he is hitting over .400 with seven extra-base hits.

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jose Berrios, New Britain Rock Cats

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Stuart Turner, Fort Myers Miracle

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester @ Syracuse (6:00 CST) – Kris Johnson (Listen)

New Britain @ Binghamton (5:35 CST) – TBA (Listen)

Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – Matt Tomshaw (Listen)

Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - Ryan Eades (Listen)

Kingsport @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST)- TBA

GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD

Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!