Twins Fan From Afar

To think, just 5 months ago, I questioned whether Aaron Hicks had earned his promotion to AA. Of course, at that time, I was basing my concern on Hicks' less-than-impressive High-A slash line of .242/.354/.368 in 2011. Importantly, Hicks was repeating High-A that season, so I had reason to be suspicious. Boy, was I wrong. Hicks unquestionably had a breakout season in 2012 that, at least for me, firmly places him in the top 5 of Twins prospects going into 2013. Let's look at his numbers from this past season: .286/.384/.460; 21 2B; 11 3B; 13 HR; 61 RBIs (he served as leadoff hitter the last half of the season); 79 BB; 116 K; 32 SB; 11 CS. He accumulated 472 at-bats and scored in even 100 runs. Hicks led the Rock Cats in several offensive categories. Instead of focusing on that, however, I want to examine Hicks compared to Eastern League batting leaders. After all, he profiles as a future major league regular, so we should be comparing him to the best players in his division, not just on his team. His .286 average is good for 15th in the league. The 11 triples are tied for first in the league, and the 100 runs are solidly in first place in the entire league. Hicks tied for first in walks, was third in stolen bases, and eighth in on-base percentage. All of these numbers boil down to this: an incredibly solid season. I was a little disappointed that Hicks did not receive a September call-up. Yes, I understand that the outfield is relatively full with Ben Revere, Josh Willingham, Chris Parmelee and Darin Mastroianni. I get it -- Hicks would not have received regular playing time, and it would cost the Twins money to have him sitting on the bench making major league minimum salary. But September call-ups can serve another function aside from helping to ensure that a team has enough healthy bodies at the end of the season: they can be a reward. And Hicks certainly was deserving of a reward. For the record, I also believe that at least one of Chris Colabello (fantastic story and hit the cover off of the ball), Oswaldo Arcia (professional hitter), or Chris Herrmann (catching depth) could have been selected for an extended look at Target Field this final month of the season. But Hicks, above all others, looked like he had earned a call-up in 2012. One other thing about Hicks -- he is one of the most polite and well-spoken professional athletes that I have ever met. I spoke to him just a couple nights ago, and am not sure that I recall meeting an athlete as humble. I'm certain, of course, that I have seen the last of Hicks in New Britain. I suspect he'll open 2013 in Rochester as their every day center fielder, and will be in position for a call-up next season at this time, if not a little sooner (especially if either Denard Span or Revere is traded). Congratulations, Aaron, on a fantastic season, and good luck in the future.

To think, just 5 months ago, I questioned whether Aaron Hicks had earned his promotion to AA. Of course, at that time, I was basing my concern on Hicks' less-than-impressive High-A slash line of .242/.354/.368 in 2011. Importantly, Hicks was repeating High-A that season, so I had reason to be suspicious. Boy, was I wrong. Hicks unquestionably had a breakout season in 2012 that, at least for me, firmly places him in the top 5 of Twins prospects going into 2013. Let's look at his numbers from this past season: .286/.384/.460; 21 2B; 11 3B; 13 HR; 61 RBIs (he served as leadoff hitter the last half of the season); 79 BB; 116 K; 32 SB; 11 CS. He accumulated 472 at-bats and scored in even 100 runs. Hicks led the Rock Cats in several offensive categories. Instead of focusing on that, however, I want to examine Hicks compared to Eastern League batting leaders. After all, he profiles as a future major league regular, so we should be comparing him to the best players in his division, not just on his team. His .286 average is good for 15th in the league. The 11 triples are tied for first in the league, and the 100 runs are solidly in first place in the entire league. Hicks tied for first in walks, was third in stolen bases, and eighth in on-base percentage. All of these numbers boil down to this: an incredibly solid season. I was a little disappointed that Hicks did not receive a September call-up. Yes, I understand that the outfield is relatively full with Ben Revere, Josh Willingham, Chris Parmelee and Darin Mastroianni. I get it -- Hicks would not have received regular playing time, and it would cost the Twins money to have him sitting on the bench making major league minimum salary. But September call-ups can serve another function aside from helping to ensure that a team has enough healthy bodies at the end of the season: they can be a reward. And Hicks certainly was deserving of a reward. For the record, I also believe that at least one of Chris Colabello (fantastic story and hit the cover off of the ball), Oswaldo Arcia (professional hitter), or Chris Herrmann (catching depth) could have been selected for an extended look at Target Field this final month of the season. But Hicks, above all others, looked like he had earned a call-up in 2012. One other thing about Hicks -- he is one of the most polite and well-spoken professional athletes that I have ever met. I spoke to him just a couple nights ago, and am not sure that I recall meeting an athlete as humble. I'm certain, of course, that I have seen the last of Hicks in New Britain. I suspect he'll open 2013 in Rochester as their every day center fielder, and will be in position for a call-up next season at this time, if not a little sooner (especially if either Denard Span or Revere is traded). Congratulations, Aaron, on a fantastic season, and good luck in the future.

Join me. Andrew Walter

New Britain: They are 1 game away from being eliminated from the playoffs by the Reading Phillies. Both teams play today, but not against one another. So, if the Rockcats win, and the Phillies lose, the teams will be tied for the final playoff spot, and will (I believe) play a play-in game tomorrow. If both the Rockcats and Phillies win today, or lose today, New Britain is done for the season.

Thanks for the report! I'm looking forward to catching at least one game there over the long weekend.

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The minor league season is about to wrap up. A couple teams -- E-Town and Beloit -- are headed to the playoffs, which is great for fans of the minor league system. Let's take a look at the action down on the farm. ROCHESTER -- OFF NEW BRITAIN 3, TRENTON 1 It still has been a solid season for the Rock Cats, but their performance in August has been dreadful. Unfortunately, they're fighting a very uphill battle for the final playoff spot. They did, however, turn in a good performance tonight. Logan Darnell had a quality start, going 6 innings and yielding 0 runs. He struck out 3 and walked 2. David Bromberg allowed 1 run 2 hits in an inning of work, striking out 2 and walking 2. Bruce Pugh tossed 2 scoreless frames, fanning 3. Deibinson Romero was 3-for-4 tonight with 2 doubles and an RBI, demonstrating why he was a season-ending All-Star in the Eastern League. MN's own Nathan Hanson was 2-for-4 with a double. Oswaldo Arcia had a triple in 4 at-bats, and is hitting .321. Aaron Hicks also tripled, his only hit in 5 at-bats. He's hitting a solid .285. Rene Tosoni had a double, and Chris Colabello and Daniel Rohlfing each singled. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 9, BRADENTON 8 There was no shortage of offense at this nearly 3 hour game. Tom Stuifbergen started, and went 5 innings. He gave up 7 runs on 10 hits and a walk, striking out 1. He allowed 2 home runs. The bullpen was better, though. Miguel Munoz allowed 1 run on 2 hits in an inning of work, striking out 1. Ryan O'Rourke tossed 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and allowing only 1 hit. Michael Tonkin tossed a scoreless 9th, fanning 3 and allowing 1 hit. There were 12 hits for the Miracle this evening. 3 players each had 3 hits. Levi Michael was 3-for-5 -- all doubles -- and had 3 RBIs. Nice to see some power from Michael. Daniel Ortiz was 3-for-5 with a double and a home run, and also had 3 RBIs. Angel Morales was 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and 2 walks. Steven Liddle, Jonathan Goncalves and Aderlin Mejia all singled. Morales also had 2 stolen bases tonight. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 6, WISCONSIN 5 (12 innings) David Hurlbut got the start for the Snappers, and went 7 innings. He gave up 4 runs (only 2 earned), allowed 6 hits and struck out 2. Corey Williams threw 1 and 2/3 scorleless out of the bullpen, surrendering 3 hits and striking out 1. Zachary Jones tossed 1 and 1/3 innings, allowed an unearned run, struck out 2, walked 1, and gave up one hit. Steven Gruver earned the win for the Snappers tonight, throwing the final 2 scoreless innings, striking out 1 batter. JaDamion Williams was 2-for-4 with a walk, Weng-Wei Lin was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a walk, and TwinsDaily's own Adam Pettersen was the hero of the night, delivering what turned out to be the game-winning single in the top of the 12th. Pettersen was 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs and a run scored. Kennys Vargas and Nate Roberts were 1-for-6 with doubles, and Steven Wickens had singled and walked in 4 trips to the plate. There were 7 combined errors tonight -- 4 from the Snappers (Wickens, Hurlbut, Roberts, and Eddie Rosario). Miguel Sano watchers: he did not play tonight. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON 4, DANVILLE 0 The 2012 Appalachian League Playoffs, Series 1 (the semi-finals), pits familiar post-season foes the Twins and the Braves. The E-Town Twins got the first victory in this best-of-3 series, so they hold a major advantage now. E-Town won on the road, so they will play tomorrow night at home, hoping to wrap up this series with consecutive wins. Here's the rundown of tonight's action: This game was all about E-Town's pitching. 2012 draft pick, and sure-fire top Twins pitching prospect Jose Berrios turned in a great start, going 6 innings, allowing only 1 hit, striking out 7 and walking 1. Tyler Duffey threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 4, and J.T. Chargois tossed a scoreless 9th, allowing 1 hit and fanning 1 batter. With pitching performances like that, you don't need too much offense! Luckily, E-Town was able to string together more than enough offense to make the pitchers comfortable. Right fielder Adam Walker had a big game. He was 3-for-4 with a double, home run and single, and had 2 RBIs. His 2-run homer came in the second inning, thus giving Berrios some breathing room. Shortstop Niko Goodrum was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Jorge Polanco had 2 hits in 4 at-bats. Byron Buxton was 1-for-3 with an RBI, and D.J. Hicks and Candido Pimentel were each 1-for-4, Hicks' hit being a double. Buxton and Walker each stole a base, as well. Here's the link to the box score. ---------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 29 Pitcher of the Day: Jose Berrios http://www.sportsgrid.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/berrios.jpg Hitter of the Day: Levi Michael http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cfMooX0G0nU/T-p4OnmHUiI/AAAAAAAACa4/hioU-yzjRo8/s1600/LeviMichael.jpg ----------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, August 30 Rochester vs. Buffalo --- RHP P.J. Walters New Britain @ Trenton --- RHP B.J. Hermsen Ft. Myers vs. Charlotte --- ??? Beloit @ Wisconsin --- RHP Cole Johnson Elizabethton vs. Danville (Playoff Game 2) --- LHP Brett Lee ----------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments here, and thanks for reading.

The minor league season is about to wrap up. A couple teams -- E-Town and Beloit -- are headed to the playoffs, which is great for fans of the minor league system. Let's take a look at the action down on the farm. ROCHESTER -- OFF NEW BRITAIN 3, TRENTON 1 It still has been a solid season for the Rock Cats, but their performance in August has been dreadful. Unfortunately, they're fighting a very uphill battle for the final playoff spot. They did, however, turn in a good performance tonight. Logan Darnell had a quality start, going 6 innings and yielding 0 runs. He struck out 3 and walked 2. David Bromberg allowed 1 run 2 hits in an inning of work, striking out 2 and walking 2. Bruce Pugh tossed 2 scoreless frames, fanning 3. Deibinson Romero was 3-for-4 tonight with 2 doubles and an RBI, demonstrating why he was a season-ending All-Star in the Eastern League. MN's own Nathan Hanson was 2-for-4 with a double. Oswaldo Arcia had a triple in 4 at-bats, and is hitting .321. Aaron Hicks also tripled, his only hit in 5 at-bats. He's hitting a solid .285. Rene Tosoni had a double, and Chris Colabello and Daniel Rohlfing each singled. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 9, BRADENTON 8 There was no shortage of offense at this nearly 3 hour game. Tom Stuifbergen started, and went 5 innings. He gave up 7 runs on 10 hits and a walk, striking out 1. He allowed 2 home runs. The bullpen was better, though. Miguel Munoz allowed 1 run on 2 hits in an inning of work, striking out 1. Ryan O'Rourke tossed 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and allowing only 1 hit. Michael Tonkin tossed a scoreless 9th, fanning 3 and allowing 1 hit. There were 12 hits for the Miracle this evening. 3 players each had 3 hits. Levi Michael was 3-for-5 -- all doubles -- and had 3 RBIs. Nice to see some power from Michael. Daniel Ortiz was 3-for-5 with a double and a home run, and also had 3 RBIs. Angel Morales was 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and 2 walks. Steven Liddle, Jonathan Goncalves and Aderlin Mejia all singled. Morales also had 2 stolen bases tonight. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 6, WISCONSIN 5 (12 innings) David Hurlbut got the start for the Snappers, and went 7 innings. He gave up 4 runs (only 2 earned), allowed 6 hits and struck out 2. Corey Williams threw 1 and 2/3 scorleless out of the bullpen, surrendering 3 hits and striking out 1. Zachary Jones tossed 1 and 1/3 innings, allowed an unearned run, struck out 2, walked 1, and gave up one hit. Steven Gruver earned the win for the Snappers tonight, throwing the final 2 scoreless innings, striking out 1 batter. JaDamion Williams was 2-for-4 with a walk, Weng-Wei Lin was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a walk, and TwinsDaily's own Adam Pettersen was the hero of the night, delivering what turned out to be the game-winning single in the top of the 12th. Pettersen was 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs and a run scored. Kennys Vargas and Nate Roberts were 1-for-6 with doubles, and Steven Wickens had singled and walked in 4 trips to the plate. There were 7 combined errors tonight -- 4 from the Snappers (Wickens, Hurlbut, Roberts, and Eddie Rosario). Miguel Sano watchers: he did not play tonight. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON 4, DANVILLE 0 The 2012 Appalachian League Playoffs, Series 1 (the semi-finals), pits familiar post-season foes the Twins and the Braves. The E-Town Twins got the first victory in this best-of-3 series, so they hold a major advantage now. E-Town won on the road, so they will play tomorrow night at home, hoping to wrap up this series with consecutive wins. Here's the rundown of tonight's action: This game was all about E-Town's pitching. 2012 draft pick, and sure-fire top Twins pitching prospect Jose Berrios turned in a great start, going 6 innings, allowing only 1 hit, striking out 7 and walking 1. Tyler Duffey threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 4, and J.T. Chargois tossed a scoreless 9th, allowing 1 hit and fanning 1 batter. With pitching performances like that, you don't need too much offense! Luckily, E-Town was able to string together more than enough offense to make the pitchers comfortable. Right fielder Adam Walker had a big game. He was 3-for-4 with a double, home run and single, and had 2 RBIs. His 2-run homer came in the second inning, thus giving Berrios some breathing room. Shortstop Niko Goodrum was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Jorge Polanco had 2 hits in 4 at-bats. Byron Buxton was 1-for-3 with an RBI, and D.J. Hicks and Candido Pimentel were each 1-for-4, Hicks' hit being a double. Buxton and Walker each stole a base, as well. Here's the link to the box score. ---------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 29 Pitcher of the Day: Jose Berrios http://www.sportsgrid.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/berrios.jpg Hitter of the Day: Levi Michael http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cfMooX0G0nU/T-p4OnmHUiI/AAAAAAAACa4/hioU-yzjRo8/s1600/LeviMichael.jpg ----------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, August 30 Rochester vs. Buffalo --- RHP P.J. Walters New Britain @ Trenton --- RHP B.J. Hermsen Ft. Myers vs. Charlotte --- ??? Beloit @ Wisconsin --- RHP Cole Johnson Elizabethton vs. Danville (Playoff Game 2) --- LHP Brett Lee ----------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments here, and thanks for reading.

As much as I would love to see Colabello get a call-up, apparently Terry Ryan indicated to a few people at New Britain Stadium last week that he didn't think Colabello was "ready." Though he did acknowledge that Colabello had had a fantastic season. Just hearsay, of course.

Sorry -- didn't mean to imply that Hendricks' ceiling is an AAAA pitcher (certainly I think he will be a decent starter, hopefully soon); only that he has been at that level most of this season it feels like.

I think that's the precise definition of a AAAA pitcher.

I heard the same last night -- Aaron Hicks is basically fine, but it made sense to give him a night of rest. For what it's worth, Arcia was fine in center field.

Right now, the Rock Cats are tied with the Reading Phillies for the second, and final, playoff spot in their division. The Trenton Thunder have a 5 game lead over both New Britain and Reading, but have been having a rough go lately, too. In fact, all 3 teams at the top of the division have been scuffling. New Britain has 4 games coming up this weekend with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, who are in last place in the division, so that's a good chance for NB to make up some ground. Thereafter, though, they play a 4 game series on the road against Trenton, which will be tough. Bottom line: I think their chances are still good. It helps that these top 3 teams are all having a rough time. If Trenton continues to scuffle, it's basically going to be a 3 team race for 2 playoff spots, and I like those odds.

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I was at the Rock Cats game this evening. It wasn't a great game for New Britain -- not nearly enough offense, and our pitchers had some trouble keeping the ball down. Terry Ryan was in attendance. I spoke to him for a few minutes, and it sounds like he plans to follow the team through its upcoming weekend series in New Hampshire, as we get closer to the date when a few players on this team might get a call-up to Minnesota (or, if the Rock Cats make the playoffs, after their playoff stint ends). Ryan was scoring the game and taking furious notes, but he was very nice in person and willing to chat between innings. Here's a rundown of tonight's minor league action: ROCHESTER 0, LEHIGH VALLEY 1 Nick Blackburn (hey, remember him?) started for Rochester tonight, and went 7 innings. He gave up 1 run on 7 hits, striking out 2 and walking 2. Anthony Slama had a solid performance, going 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and walking 1. The Red Wings mustered only 4 hits all night. Evan Bigley had 2 singles in 3 at-bats, and Chris Parmelee and Wilkin Ramirez also singled. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 2, PORTLAND 7 I went to tonight's game. The Rock Cats didn't look very good. Lucas French started, and gave up 4 runs on 9 hits in 6 innings. He struck out 2 and walked 1. He didn't miss many bats tonight. Blake Martin tossed 1 inning, and gave up 3 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 1 and walked 1. Aaron Thompson was effective, tossing 2 scoreless innings and allowing 3 hits. In addition to the shaky starting pitching, New Britain didn't get nearly enough offense. I liked what I saw from Josmil Pinto -- he hit a no-doubt homer to left field in the 4th inning, after walking in his first AA plate appearance. Oswaldo Arcia had a nice line drive double down the right field line, and also struck out and walked. Chris Colabello, Deibinson Romero and Rene Tosoni also singled. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 1, BRADENTON 2 Tom Stuifbergen took a tough, tough loss tonight. He tossed a complete game, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, striking out 3. As with the Rock Cats, there wasn't enough Mircale offense to get the job done tonight. Daniel Ortiz was 2-for-3 with a double, Daniel Santana had 2 singles, and Daniel Rams and Kyle Knudson each singled. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 6, PEORIA 9 This game went 12 innings, until Peoria scored 3 runs in the top half to take what proved to be the final lead of the game. Tyler Jones went 5 innings in his start, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks, but he did strike out 8. Corey Kimes tossed 2 and 1/3 innings, and also gave up 3 runs on 3 hits. Kimes walked 3 and struck out 1. Taylor Rogers was very effective in relief, going 2 and 2/3 innings and allowing 2 hits, striking out 2. Tim Atherton worked 1 and 2/3 innings out of the pen, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. Corey Williams worked a scoreless 1/3 of an inning, walking 1 and striking out 1. Snappers pitchers walked 10 hitters this evening. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-for-7, JaDamion Williams was 2-for-5 with a walk and 3 Ks, Eddie Rosario had a single and 3 Ks in 6 at-bats, Kennys Vargas was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a K, and Drew Leachman, Matthew Koch, and TwinsDaily's own Adam Pettersen all singled. Rosario, Pettersen, and Stephen Wickens all stole bases tonight, as well. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON 3, GREENEVILLE 4 Angel Mata went 4 and 1/3 innings in his start today, giving up 4 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 3, walked 5, and allowed 2 home runs. Joshua Burris went 2 and 2/3 innings, and allowed only 1 hit while striking out 5. Great performance from him. Tyler Herr tossed 2 scoreless frames, striking out 3 and walking 1. Byron Buxton had a great day, going 3-for-5 with a triple and a stolen base. Candido Pimentel and Max Kepler each doubled (Kepler with an RBI), and DJ Hicks, Romy Jimenez and Travis Harrison all singled. Here's the link to the box score. GCL TWINS 2, GCL ORIOLES 0 Andre Martin got the start, and went 4 innings. He allowed only 3 hits, struck out 5 and walked 1. Sam Gibbons also tossed 4 innings, giving up only 1 hit, striking out 1 and walking 1. Felix Jorge tossed the final frame, striking out 1, as well. Joel Licon had the big hit today, a 2-run homer that accounted for all of the Twins' runs. John Murphy doubled, and Aderlin Mejia and Bryan Harr both singled. Here's the link to the box score. -------------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 22 Pitcher of the Day: Tom Stuifbergen Hitter of the Day: Byron Buxton http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSqYG2UKWMp9m-wuG_IguzqfpNmZL7BxPBG-l4Ui9BeDivsH0di --------------------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, August 23 Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley --- RHP Shairon Martis New Britain @ New Hampshire --- RHP Steven Hirschfeld Ft. Myers vs. Bradenton --- LHP Pat Dean Beliot vs. Peoria --- ??? Elizabethton @ Pulaski --- RHP Jose Berrios GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles --- ??? --------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading, and please leave any questions or comments.

I was at the Rock Cats game this evening. It wasn't a great game for New Britain -- not nearly enough offense, and our pitchers had some trouble keeping the ball down. Terry Ryan was in attendance. I spoke to him for a few minutes, and it sounds like he plans to follow the team through its upcoming weekend series in New Hampshire, as we get closer to the date when a few players on this team might get a call-up to Minnesota (or, if the Rock Cats make the playoffs, after their playoff stint ends). Ryan was scoring the game and taking furious notes, but he was very nice in person and willing to chat between innings. Here's a rundown of tonight's minor league action: ROCHESTER 0, LEHIGH VALLEY 1 Nick Blackburn (hey, remember him?) started for Rochester tonight, and went 7 innings. He gave up 1 run on 7 hits, striking out 2 and walking 2. Anthony Slama had a solid performance, going 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and walking 1. The Red Wings mustered only 4 hits all night. Evan Bigley had 2 singles in 3 at-bats, and Chris Parmelee and Wilkin Ramirez also singled. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 2, PORTLAND 7 I went to tonight's game. The Rock Cats didn't look very good. Lucas French started, and gave up 4 runs on 9 hits in 6 innings. He struck out 2 and walked 1. He didn't miss many bats tonight. Blake Martin tossed 1 inning, and gave up 3 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 1 and walked 1. Aaron Thompson was effective, tossing 2 scoreless innings and allowing 3 hits. In addition to the shaky starting pitching, New Britain didn't get nearly enough offense. I liked what I saw from Josmil Pinto -- he hit a no-doubt homer to left field in the 4th inning, after walking in his first AA plate appearance. Oswaldo Arcia had a nice line drive double down the right field line, and also struck out and walked. Chris Colabello, Deibinson Romero and Rene Tosoni also singled. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 1, BRADENTON 2 Tom Stuifbergen took a tough, tough loss tonight. He tossed a complete game, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, striking out 3. As with the Rock Cats, there wasn't enough Mircale offense to get the job done tonight. Daniel Ortiz was 2-for-3 with a double, Daniel Santana had 2 singles, and Daniel Rams and Kyle Knudson each singled. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 6, PEORIA 9 This game went 12 innings, until Peoria scored 3 runs in the top half to take what proved to be the final lead of the game. Tyler Jones went 5 innings in his start, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks, but he did strike out 8. Corey Kimes tossed 2 and 1/3 innings, and also gave up 3 runs on 3 hits. Kimes walked 3 and struck out 1. Taylor Rogers was very effective in relief, going 2 and 2/3 innings and allowing 2 hits, striking out 2. Tim Atherton worked 1 and 2/3 innings out of the pen, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. Corey Williams worked a scoreless 1/3 of an inning, walking 1 and striking out 1. Snappers pitchers walked 10 hitters this evening. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-for-7, JaDamion Williams was 2-for-5 with a walk and 3 Ks, Eddie Rosario had a single and 3 Ks in 6 at-bats, Kennys Vargas was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a K, and Drew Leachman, Matthew Koch, and TwinsDaily's own Adam Pettersen all singled. Rosario, Pettersen, and Stephen Wickens all stole bases tonight, as well. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON 3, GREENEVILLE 4 Angel Mata went 4 and 1/3 innings in his start today, giving up 4 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 3, walked 5, and allowed 2 home runs. Joshua Burris went 2 and 2/3 innings, and allowed only 1 hit while striking out 5. Great performance from him. Tyler Herr tossed 2 scoreless frames, striking out 3 and walking 1. Byron Buxton had a great day, going 3-for-5 with a triple and a stolen base. Candido Pimentel and Max Kepler each doubled (Kepler with an RBI), and DJ Hicks, Romy Jimenez and Travis Harrison all singled. Here's the link to the box score. GCL TWINS 2, GCL ORIOLES 0 Andre Martin got the start, and went 4 innings. He allowed only 3 hits, struck out 5 and walked 1. Sam Gibbons also tossed 4 innings, giving up only 1 hit, striking out 1 and walking 1. Felix Jorge tossed the final frame, striking out 1, as well. Joel Licon had the big hit today, a 2-run homer that accounted for all of the Twins' runs. John Murphy doubled, and Aderlin Mejia and Bryan Harr both singled. Here's the link to the box score. -------------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 22 Pitcher of the Day: Tom Stuifbergen Hitter of the Day: Byron Buxton http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSqYG2UKWMp9m-wuG_IguzqfpNmZL7BxPBG-l4Ui9BeDivsH0di --------------------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, August 23 Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley --- RHP Shairon Martis New Britain @ New Hampshire --- RHP Steven Hirschfeld Ft. Myers vs. Bradenton --- LHP Pat Dean Beliot vs. Peoria --- ??? Elizabethton @ Pulaski --- RHP Jose Berrios GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles --- ??? --------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading, and please leave any questions or comments.

I'll find out more tonight at the game, but I heard that Hicks had some sort of collission -- like with the fence -- after he made a catch, and was on the ground for a few minutes.

The Rock Cats lost. Oswaldo Arcia had the day off. Coincidence? I'll let you be the judge . . .

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It feels like almost every Wednesday night when I write this, the Twins have lost, or are in the process of losing. I didn't watch or follow today's game. It looked from the highlights like Max Scherzer had a pretty good day. Oh well. Let's take a look at tonight's minor league action. ROCHESTER 6, INDIANAPOLIS 2 Esmerling Vasquez had a great game tonight, going 7 innings, allowing only 4 hits, striking out 10 and walking 2. Deolis Guerra pitched the remaining 2 innings, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. Guerra struck out 4 and allowed a home run. Evan Bigley had the big hit of the night (see what I did there??), with a 3-run homer in the 7th inning. It was his third AAA home run. Clete Thomas was 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs, Wilkin Ramirez was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, "new" Red Wing shortstop Brian Dozier had a double in 4 at-bats (and 2 strikeouts), and Nishi and Rene Rivera each singled. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 4, RICHMOND 3 Starter B.J. Hermsen was very effective tonight until the 5th inning, when he gave up 4 hits and 1 run. He struck out 4 and issued no walks tonight. Blake Martin tossed a scoreless inning in relief, allowing 1 walk and striking out 1. Aaron Thompson also threw 1 scoreless frame, giving up 1 hit and striking out 1 batter. Dakota Watts had a tough night, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits in 1 inning of work, striking out 1 and walking 1. Jose Gonzalez also threw a scoreless inning, striking out 1. There was virtually no New Britain offense tonight until there were 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th. After Chris Colabello and Joe Benson singles, Deibinson Romero homered to tie up the game, his 18th of the season. A pretty exciting finish followed for those that stayed. After holding Richmond scoreless in the top of the 10th, the Rockcats walked off in the bottom half. Minnesota's own Nathan Hanson led off the inning with a single, and was replaced by Estarlin De Los Santos as a pinch runner. After James Beresford grounded out to advance De Los Santos to second, Aaron Hicks singled, and De Los Santos moved to third. Chris Herrmann walked, and it was up to . . . Oswaldo Arcia, who had been 2-for-4 on the night. He delivered with a walk-off single to score De Los Santos, and the Rock Cats won. Arcia finished the evening 3-for-5 with an RBI, and is batting .337 for New Britain. Joe Benson did have 2 outfield assists tonight, so that was a positive for him. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 2, JUPITER 16 A tough night all around for the Miracle. Matthew Summers started, and lasted 4 innings, giving up 1 unearned run on 3 hits, striking out 2 and walking 4. Ryan O'Rourke lasted only 1/3 of an inning, and gave up 6 runs on 5 hits, walking 1. Miguel Munoz finished that inning, not before giving up 5 runs on 4 hits and a walk. Munoz allowed 2 home runs. A.J. Achter and Ricky Bowen settled things down a little; each tossed a scoreless inning, striking out 1 and 2, respectively. Michael Tonkin also threw 1 inning in relief, and gave up 4 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits, striking out 2 and walking 1. Right fielder Lance Ray was 2-for-4 with a double, Jonathan Goncalves had a double and an RBI, and Daniel Santana, Levi Michael and Josmil Pinto all singled. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 13, WISCONSIN 10 Cole Johnson started and went 2 and 2/3 innings. He gave up 3 runs on 3 hits, striking out 6 and walking 1. Tim Atherton went 2 and 1/3 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, striking out 3 and walking 1. Corey Kimes gave up 3 runs on 3 hits in 2 innings. Kimes issued 2 walks and struck out 1. Corey Williams tossed 1 inning and allowed 2 runs, striking out 3. Zachary Jones allowed 1 run in his inning of work on 2 hits. Snappers pitchers gave up 4 home runs tonight. Luckily, the Beloit offense was better than its pitching. JaDamion Williams and Eddie Rosario both homered. It was Williams' 5th and Rosario's 8th. Rosario also doubled. Matthew Koch was 1-for-3 with a homer of his own, as well. Miguel Sano, Kennys Vargas, Drew Leachman and Stephen Wickens all had 2 hits apiece, and Nate Roberts had a single, as well. Nate Roberts stole his 22nd base of the season. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON vs. BLUEFIELD --- POSTPONED GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 3 Felix Jorge started for the Twins today, and went 4 innings. He gave up 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out 4 and issuing no free passes. Josue Montanez threw 2 and 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and striking out 4. Hung Yi Chen completed the game, going 2 and 1/3 innings, giving up 1 run on 1 hit, and striking out 1. Second baseman Logan Wade was 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and a walk. Great game for him. Aderlin Mejia, Bryan Haar and Will Hurt all singled. That was it for the offense! Here's the link to the box score. ------------------------------------------ Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 15 Pitcher of the Day: Esmerling Vasquez Hitter of the Day: Deibinson Romero (bottom of the 9th, 2 out clutch HR gets the nod tonight) ------------------------------------------ Schedule for Thursday, August 16 Rochester vs. Indianapolis --- LHP Pedro Hernandez New Britain vs. Richmond --- LHP Andrew Albers Ft. Myers @ Jupiter --- LHP Cole Nelson Beloit vs. Wisconsin --- LHP Jason Wheeler Elizabethton @ Bluefield (Game 1) --- RHP Hudson Boyd Elizabethton @ Bluefield (Game 2) --- ??? GCL Twins @ GCL Rays --- ??? ------------------------------------------ Please leave any questions or comments! Thanks for reading.

It feels like almost every Wednesday night when I write this, the Twins have lost, or are in the process of losing. I didn't watch or follow today's game. It looked from the highlights like Max Scherzer had a pretty good day. Oh well. Let's take a look at tonight's minor league action. ROCHESTER 6, INDIANAPOLIS 2 Esmerling Vasquez had a great game tonight, going 7 innings, allowing only 4 hits, striking out 10 and walking 2. Deolis Guerra pitched the remaining 2 innings, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. Guerra struck out 4 and allowed a home run. Evan Bigley had the big hit of the night (see what I did there??), with a 3-run homer in the 7th inning. It was his third AAA home run. Clete Thomas was 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs, Wilkin Ramirez was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, "new" Red Wing shortstop Brian Dozier had a double in 4 at-bats (and 2 strikeouts), and Nishi and Rene Rivera each singled. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 4, RICHMOND 3 Starter B.J. Hermsen was very effective tonight until the 5th inning, when he gave up 4 hits and 1 run. He struck out 4 and issued no walks tonight. Blake Martin tossed a scoreless inning in relief, allowing 1 walk and striking out 1. Aaron Thompson also threw 1 scoreless frame, giving up 1 hit and striking out 1 batter. Dakota Watts had a tough night, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits in 1 inning of work, striking out 1 and walking 1. Jose Gonzalez also threw a scoreless inning, striking out 1. There was virtually no New Britain offense tonight until there were 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th. After Chris Colabello and Joe Benson singles, Deibinson Romero homered to tie up the game, his 18th of the season. A pretty exciting finish followed for those that stayed. After holding Richmond scoreless in the top of the 10th, the Rockcats walked off in the bottom half. Minnesota's own Nathan Hanson led off the inning with a single, and was replaced by Estarlin De Los Santos as a pinch runner. After James Beresford grounded out to advance De Los Santos to second, Aaron Hicks singled, and De Los Santos moved to third. Chris Herrmann walked, and it was up to . . . Oswaldo Arcia, who had been 2-for-4 on the night. He delivered with a walk-off single to score De Los Santos, and the Rock Cats won. Arcia finished the evening 3-for-5 with an RBI, and is batting .337 for New Britain. Joe Benson did have 2 outfield assists tonight, so that was a positive for him. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 2, JUPITER 16 A tough night all around for the Miracle. Matthew Summers started, and lasted 4 innings, giving up 1 unearned run on 3 hits, striking out 2 and walking 4. Ryan O'Rourke lasted only 1/3 of an inning, and gave up 6 runs on 5 hits, walking 1. Miguel Munoz finished that inning, not before giving up 5 runs on 4 hits and a walk. Munoz allowed 2 home runs. A.J. Achter and Ricky Bowen settled things down a little; each tossed a scoreless inning, striking out 1 and 2, respectively. Michael Tonkin also threw 1 inning in relief, and gave up 4 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits, striking out 2 and walking 1. Right fielder Lance Ray was 2-for-4 with a double, Jonathan Goncalves had a double and an RBI, and Daniel Santana, Levi Michael and Josmil Pinto all singled. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 13, WISCONSIN 10 Cole Johnson started and went 2 and 2/3 innings. He gave up 3 runs on 3 hits, striking out 6 and walking 1. Tim Atherton went 2 and 1/3 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, striking out 3 and walking 1. Corey Kimes gave up 3 runs on 3 hits in 2 innings. Kimes issued 2 walks and struck out 1. Corey Williams tossed 1 inning and allowed 2 runs, striking out 3. Zachary Jones allowed 1 run in his inning of work on 2 hits. Snappers pitchers gave up 4 home runs tonight. Luckily, the Beloit offense was better than its pitching. JaDamion Williams and Eddie Rosario both homered. It was Williams' 5th and Rosario's 8th. Rosario also doubled. Matthew Koch was 1-for-3 with a homer of his own, as well. Miguel Sano, Kennys Vargas, Drew Leachman and Stephen Wickens all had 2 hits apiece, and Nate Roberts had a single, as well. Nate Roberts stole his 22nd base of the season. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON vs. BLUEFIELD --- POSTPONED GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 3 Felix Jorge started for the Twins today, and went 4 innings. He gave up 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out 4 and issuing no free passes. Josue Montanez threw 2 and 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and striking out 4. Hung Yi Chen completed the game, going 2 and 1/3 innings, giving up 1 run on 1 hit, and striking out 1. Second baseman Logan Wade was 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and a walk. Great game for him. Aderlin Mejia, Bryan Haar and Will Hurt all singled. That was it for the offense! Here's the link to the box score. ------------------------------------------ Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 15 Pitcher of the Day: Esmerling Vasquez Hitter of the Day: Deibinson Romero (bottom of the 9th, 2 out clutch HR gets the nod tonight) ------------------------------------------ Schedule for Thursday, August 16 Rochester vs. Indianapolis --- LHP Pedro Hernandez New Britain vs. Richmond --- LHP Andrew Albers Ft. Myers @ Jupiter --- LHP Cole Nelson Beloit vs. Wisconsin --- LHP Jason Wheeler Elizabethton @ Bluefield (Game 1) --- RHP Hudson Boyd Elizabethton @ Bluefield (Game 2) --- ??? GCL Twins @ GCL Rays --- ??? ------------------------------------------ Please leave any questions or comments! Thanks for reading.

Thanks for the comments, guys. Yea, hindsight is the big thing. I was pumped for Target Field, and the 2010 lineup was pretty great compared to most other Twins teams. It's tough to think about erasing some of those memories.