Eric R Pleiss

The Twins fell behind the Rangers early and could not catch the Rangers down the stretch, despite Josh Willingham's best game of the year. The Twins open a three-game series in New York on Friday night, and then begin a four-game home and home series with the Brewers beginning Monday night in Milwaukee. Download attachment: wheeler.jpg Red Wings Report Rochester 1, Syracuse 5 Box Logan Darnell pitched just two innings, gave up one run (three earned), stuck out four and walked one. He yielded seven hits and threw just 66 pitches before being lifted for Deolis Guerra to start the third inning. Guerra pitched two perfect innnings, striking out three; then A.J. Achter entered the game in the fifth inning and did the same. Edgar Ibarra struggled through a couple innings but managed to give up just one run and struck out two. Michael Tonkin finished the ninth and struck out two but also gave up a run. All told, the bullpen pitched seven innings, struck out ten and walked no one, not a bad day when the starter can't pitch into the third inning. Taylor Hill, the starting pitcher for the Syracuse Chiefs, pitched eight innings to pick up his International League leading seventh win of the year. He only struck out two Red Wings, but limited them to just three hits. Eric Farris and James Beresford were both 1-4 at the top of the order and Chris Rahl, the number seven hitter, was 1-3 with the Red Wing's only other hit. Deibinson Romero was credited with the only RBI of the night with a sac fly. Chris Herrmann, playing right field, was lifted in the third with a sore wrist. Doug Bernier finished the game in his place. Rock Cats Review New Britain 1, Portland 2 Box This loss drops the Rock Cats to 22-27, the worst record in the Twins system. The Portland Sea Dogs scored their two runs in the first inning off Tyler Duffey. Duffey pitched six innings, turning in a quality start. He struck out five, walked just one and gave up only those two runs in the first inning. Jim Fuller and Adrian Salcedo took it the rest of the way, each with a scoreless inning of relief. The Rock Cats scored their lone run in the top of the ninth to put some heat on the Sea Dog's closer Noe Ramirez, but could not complete the comeback. Daniel Ortiz was the only Rock Cats hitter with multiple hits. He was 2-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored. The rest of the Rock Cats managed just four more hits and one more walk. The Rock Cats were 1 of 8 with runners in scoring position, with plenty of missed opportunities. Miracle Matters Fort Myers 3, Clearwater 0 Box Jason Wheeler pitched eight innings of two-hit baseball to lead the Miracle over the Clearwater Threshers. Wheeler struck out seven and walked one, picking up his fourth win of the year. Madison Boer got the save for the Miracle with a perfect inning in the ninth. After Wheeler allowed the Threshers' Chris Swauger to reach in the fourth inning, the Threshers did not put another man on base. The Miracle managed only four hits on the night, but they picked up eleven walks and every Miracle hitter reached base at least once. Mike Gonzales, playing as the designated hitter and batting eighth, was 2-4 with a double and two RBI to lead the Miracle. Dalton Hicks also had a good night, reaching base three times with a 1-2 night at the plate with two walks and a run scored. Eddie Rosario returned to action following his 50-game suspension. He played centerfield and batted third for the Miracle. He went 0-3 and walked twice. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 5, Wisconsin 8 Box Ryan Eades pitched five innings and gave up three runs but only one of those was earned. He struck out four, walked two and his ERA now sits at 5.66. Eades has come a long way since being drafted in the second round of last year's draft, but has not dominated the Low-A level the way many had expected. After Eades' exit, Chris Mazza came in and was tagged with the loss when things blew up on him. He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in 1.1 inning. Jared Wilson came in to pitch with one out in the seventh and pitched 1.2 innings, giving up one run and striking out three. Felix Jorge pitched a scoreless ninth. The Kernels looked better with the bats than they did on the mound, but not by much. They did not draw a single walk on the day and had six strikeouts. Michael Quesada, the Kernels catcher, had a third of their hits with a 3-4 night, including a double, two RBIs and a run scored. No other Cedar Rapids player had multiple hits, but Mitch Garver was 1-4 with an RBI with the other Kernels extra base hit, another double. Twins Daily Players of the Day Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Michael Quesada, Cedar Rapids Kernels Friday's Probable Starters (all times central) Gwinnett @ Rochester (6:05 pm) - Kris Johnson - (Listen) Binghamton @ New Britain (5:35 pm) - Sean Gilmartin - (Listen) Fort Myers @ Clearwater (5:30 pm) - Brett Lee - (Listen) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm) - Ethan Mildren - (Listen) (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Tampa Yankees) Click here to view the article

Download attachment: NickGordon.jpg Thirty-year old Yohan Pino made his Major League debut on Thursday night, after nearly ten full years pitching in the Minor Leagues. Pino pitched well, yielding just two runs over seven innings to go along with seven strike outs. Like Andrew Albers before him, Pino will have to prove he has staying power after a strong initial outing. He received a no-decision. In the 8th, the Twins scored two runs and Glen Perkins recorded the save Transactions A day after the Ft. Myers Miracle clinched their playoff berth with a first-half title, there were several transactions in the organization. Jairo Rodriguez went from New Britain to Ft. Myers. Jason Wheeler and Stephen Wickens were both promoted from the Miracle to the Rock Cats. The Miracle also added Max Kepler and Nate Roberts off of their disabled list. Alex Swim went from Ft. Myers to Cedar Rapids. Dallas Gallant was sent to the Kernels. Michael Quesada was placed on the Kernels DL while Josue Montanez was sent back to Elizabethton. Red Wings Report Rochester 8, Pawtucket 6 Box The Red Wings were down 6-0 headed to the bottom of the seventh inning before they exploded for eight runs in the next two frames to steal a victory from the Pawtucket Red Sox. Clay Buchholz was making a rehab start for the Red Sox, and pitched six scoreless innings of two hit baseball, but once he turned the game over to his bullpen the Red Wings went to work. In the bottom of the seventh Chris Colabello singled, Daniel Ortiz and pinch hitter Brad Nelson both worked walks, and then, with two outs, James Beresford hits a bases clearing double, his twelfth of the year. Still down 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth, the Red Wings loaded to bases again, following a Chris Herrmann double and Josmil Pinto and Chris Colabello walks. Daniel Ortiz stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam to right field to give the Red Wings a 7-6 lead. Doug Bernier followed that up with another double, and he later scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of James Beresford. Daniel Ortiz led the way with that grand slam, finishing the night 2-3 with a walk. On the bump it was a tough night for Logan Darnell (who was a candidate to start for the Twins on Thursday), he gave up five earned runs by the end of the third inning, but then hung on to pitch into the sixth without any more damage. He struck out one, walked four, and surendered eight hits to go along with those five earned runs in 5.1 innings. Deolis Guerra gave up a run on a solo home run, but gave up no other hits. He struck out three of the six batters he faced. Michael Tonkin picked up the win with a scoreless top of the eighth, and Aaron Thompson earned the save. Rock Cats Review New Britain 13, Harrisburg 5 Box The Rock Cats scored multiple runs in the second, third, fourth and eighth innings to cruise to a 13-5 victory against Harrisburg. Despite all of the run scoring, Aaron Hicks, starting his rehab assignment and leading off for the Rock Cats, was 0-3 before being lifted for pinch hitter Brad Boyer. Maybe the Rock Cats were looking to limit Hicks to just three at bats, but being lifted for a light hitting second basemen is not a great confidence boost for a guy looking to find his way with the bat. Nate Hanson (4-6), Kennys Vargas (2-6) and Reynaldo Rodriguez (3-5) all hit home runs for New Britain and Eddie Rosario (1-6) and Tony Thomas (1-4) added extra base hits of their own as part of a 19 hit slug fest for the Rock Cats. The Rock Cats pitching staff, buoyed by that offensive outburst, managed to pitch around twelve hits, including eight from starter Pat Dean, who picked up the win with a six inning three run (four earned) outing. Dean struck out four and scattered eight hits. Adrian Salcedo, Mark Hamburger and Cole Johnson each pitched an inning in relief to finish the game. Miracle Matters Fort Myers 4, St. Lucie 7 Box B.J. Hermsen struggled in his first start of the season, giving up four runs in the third inning, before being lifted for Alex Wimmers who pitched three innings of long relief, giving up three runs of his own. Down 7-1 headed to the seventh, Mason Melotakis and Steven Gruber each pitched a scoreless inning to end a tough night for the Miracle. The Miracle managed ten hits, but could not overcome their early deficit. Max Kepler was 2-4 and hit a two-run homer in the seventh as the Miracle tried to make a late charge, but a timely pitching change from St. Lucie put an end to the Fort Myers rally. Adam Brett Walker (1-3) and Aderlin Mejia (2-4) had the other two Miracle RBIs. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 0, Kane County 7 Box Kane County's Duary Torrez shut out the Kernels and held them to just three hits in a rain shortened five inning game (the game was actually suspended with two outs in the bottom of the fifth). Chad Christensen, Mitch Garver and Jason Kanzler all picked up singles, but that was the extent of the Kernels offensive output, they did not have an extra base hit or a walk. Aaron Slegers earned the loss in Kane County, giving up seven runs, all earned, in just three innings. He struck out one batter and gave up a home run. Dallas Gallant pitched an inning and two thirds in relief, giving up just a single hit before the rains came. The Kernels were probably glad that this one was quickly washed away from their memory. E-Town Twins Takes Elizabethton 11, Greenville 3 Box In their first game of the season, the Elizabethton Twins slugged 13 hits, and took advantage of three Greeneville errors to plate eleven runs. Twins' first round draft pick Nick Gordon played shortstop and hit second in the E-Town lineup. He was 4-5 with a double, two runs scored, and a walk. He was also perfect in the field in five chances. Talk about a great way to make his professional debut! Trey Vavra, son of Twins coach Joe Vavra, was 2-5 with four RBIs, hitting in the eight-hole. The Twins used four pitchers, and starter Stephen Gonsalves pitched four innings. He struck out four, walked one, gave up three hits and two runs. Kuo Hua Lo gave up an unearned run in his only inning of relief, and Cameron Booser and Randy LeBlanc both pitched two scoreless innings to complete the E-Town victory. Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Nick Gordon, Elizabethton Twins Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Pat Dean, New Britain Rock Cats Friday's Probable Starters Rochester @ Buffalo (6:05pm Central) – Kris Johnson (Listen) Reading @ New Britain (6:35pm Central) – Taylor Rogers (Listen) Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30pm Central) – Tim Shbuya (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30pm Central) – Lewis Thorpe (Listen) Elizabethton @ Greeneville (6:00pm Central) - Sam Gibbons (Listen) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (11:00am Central) - TBD Click here to view the article

Episode 43 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunesor by clicking here. Eric and Cody talk recent Twins happenings, including a struggling bullpen, an awful PJ Walters, and whatever it is that is going on with some Twins Minor Leaguers in the Futures Game. The two are then joined by Seth Stohs from TwinsDaily.com to talk about all things Twins Minor League and what fans can expect from Kyle Gibson as he makes his MLB debut on Saturday. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Gibson1.jpg Kyle Gibson, Spring Training 2013. Photo Credit: Betsy Bissen After the break the boys talk beer, baseball, and the news. 92 minutes of chatter. You can follow Cody on Twitter (@NoDakTwinsFan) or read his writing at NoDakTwinsFan. You can follow Paul on Twitter (@BaseballPirate) or read his writing at Puckett’s Pond. And of course, you can find me on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) and read my writing at Knuckleballs! - ERolfPleiss ​Originally published at www.KnuckleballsBlog.com Click here to view the article

In his most recent mock draft, Jim Callis of MLBPipeline.com had the Twins taking Tyler Kolek at the fifth spot, but among the other candidates he listed the Twins might be looking at he included Kyle Freeland. Who is this guy? Download attachment: IMG_0432.jpg Coming out of a Denver, CO high school in 2011, Freeland was drafted in the 35th round by the Philadelphia Phillies, but did not sign and headed to play baseball at a Division-I school, the University of Evansville. Kyle Freeland has matured into dominating 6'4" lefty and he recently led the Purple Aces to a Missouri Valley regular season conference title. Freeland started 14 games in each of his three college seasons and pitched between 91.0 and 99.2 innings. His freshman and sophomore seasons he fared well for a young kid starting in a mid-major conference, but he never really put things together until his junior year. Coming into the 2014 season, Freeland had a strong strike out to walk rate, 154/48 (3.2 to 1), but this year he struck out more than a batter an inning (128 in just 99.2 innings) and increased his strikeout to walk rate to 10.6 to 1! Why the Twins will pick him: In a recent Game Report from Baseball America, Clint Longenecker described all of Freeland's offerings as above-average, with a plus slider and fastball. Freeland has a fastball that sits 90-92, but he can ramp it up to the mid-90s when he needs it, and with the impeccable command he has, he can put the baseball where ever he wants. His changeup is improving, and is still a plus offering in the mid-80s, and his slider comes in anywhere from high-70s to the mid-80s, keeping hitters off balance with both velocity and movement. Most of all, what the Twins like about Freeland is his ability to throw strikes. Freeland threw more than 70% strikes in 2014, and a couple of outings this past season threw more than 80% strikes. With that kind of control, the Twins would be selecting a strike-throwing machine, which they have historically valued, but also a player with elite offerings from all his pitches and the ability to get hitters out on both sides of the plate. Freeland only turned 21 about a week and a half ago, making him one of the younger college arms in the draft. The Twins were not afraid, two years ago, to draft one of the older high school players in the draft in Byron Buxton, but certainly any time they have an opportunity to draft a younger player, that makes the player a little more attractive. Why the Twins will not pick him: Throwing tons of strikes has worked for Freeland in college, especially in an overmatched Missouri Valley Conference schedule, but at the MLB level, hitters, for the most part, are going to be able to hit strikes. Freeland will likely have to change his strategy against a higher level of opponent. There is some concern regarding Freeland's high-effort delivery, which "leaves him spinning toward third base," according to Baseball America. Freeland's arm slot, which sometimes comes in a little below three-quarters, is also a concern. Ultimately, the Twins will not pick Freeland because he is not one of the five best players in the draft, and the Twins have consistently taken the best player available at their draft slot, and Freeland falls just a tick outside the top five. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlkFxxBAQHw Click here to view the article

The Twins took an early lead against the Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka but could not hold on as the Yankees came storming back in the fifth inning with a couple of home runs against Phil Hughes. The Twins tried making a game of it, but the Yankees ran the score up to 7-4 and the Twins did not have enough firepower to hang in. Lots of tight games down in the minor league system, as every full season affiliate played a one- or two-run game. Let's get to it. Download attachment: alex meyer.jpg Red Wings Report Rochester 2, Pawtucket 1 Box With Alex Meyer picking up the victory, the Red Wings have now won five straight games, their longest streak since mid-May. Alex Meyer went six innings and gave up just three hits and a single earned run. He struck out seven but also walked four. After a couple of poor outings, Meyer put himself back on track for a mid/late-season call-up. Ryan Pressly, the 2013 Rule Five draft pick, closed out the game with three scoreless innings. He struck out one and allowed only a single hit. The Red Wings suffered a power outage from the top of their lineup, as their 1-6 hitters finished the game 0-20, with three walks. Pedro Florimon was the only hitter with multiple hits, 2-4 with two doubles and a run scored. Chris Rahl and Dan Rohlfing each had an RBI at the bottom of the line up in the eight- and nine-hole, respectively. Rock Cats Review New Britain 4, Binghamton 6 Box The Rock Cats and the Mets were scheduled to play two seven inning games on Thursday night, but the first game went into extra frames (9 innings), the weather did not cooperate and the second game was rained out. That game will be made up in late August. Tyler Duffey was on the hill for New Britain and did not have his best stuff. He walked three, gave up three home runs, surrendered nine hits and was tagged with four runs. Duffey left the game with a no-decision thanks to a strong output from the Rock Cats hitters. Daniel Turpen pitched an 1.1 innings before yielding to Ryan O'Rourke who came in and walked the only hitter he faced. Cole Johnson came in to replace O'Rourke and shut down the Mets in the eighth. Johnson was back out in the ninth and was tagged with the loss after a two-run home run from Kyle Johnson. Aaron Hicks was 2-4 with a home run and two RBIs, but he also had two strike- outs. The Twins' Opening Day center fielder is hitting .245/.377/.408 in 15 AA games. Eddie Rosario was 1-4 and Kennys Vargas was hitless in four plate appearances. Miracle Matters Fort Myers 7, Bradenton 6 Box Jose Berrios was named the Florida State League Player of the Month for June, announced Thursday by League President Chuck Murphy. Berrios was 4-1 over six starts. He pitched 41 innings, gave up only seven earned runs and posted a 1.54 ERA. He had 53 strike outs and the FLS hit just .168 against him. He takes the hill for the Miracle on Friday. Matt Tomshaw gave up 10 hits and five runs (all earned) in 5.2 innings but still picked up the win courtesy of seven runs from the bats of the Miracle hitters. Tomshaw was followed by Brandon Peterson and Mason Melotakis, who both earned holds, and then Tyler Jones struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his tenth save of the year. Lance Ray was the only Miracle hitter without a hit last night (0-4). Jorge Polanco was 2-5, still sharp following his brief MLB stint. Max Kepler and Nike Goodrum both had two hits. Adam Brett Walker II hit another home run and now has 17 on the year. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Raids 3, Wisconsin 5 Box Ryan Eades continues a mostly disappointing season with another loss, his eighth (to go with five wins), and his ERA is now 6.37. For a second round draft pick from a year ago and a college guy coming out of a strong LSU program, expectations were fairly high for Eades going into this year. Eades has struggled with his control: he has 32 walks in 70.2 innings, and opponents are hitting .321 against him. Another second rounder, 2014's Nick Burdi, came on in the sixth for his second appearance as a professional. Last Sunday Burdi made his MiLB debut and walked all four hitters he faced, gave up a wild pitch and was charged with four earned runs. On Thursday night he was much better, giving up a hit and a walk, but he struck out three and had that high-90s fastball under control. Brandon Bixler and Todd Van Steensel both pitched a scoreless inning of relief to finish the game for Cedar Rapids. Ryan Walker was 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored out of the ninth spot in the lineup to pace the Kernels. Chad Christensen was 0-4 with one of the other RBIs and J.D. Williams picked up the only other RBI and was 1-3 with a double and a run scored. The rest of the Cedar Rapids team was pretty quiet, thanks to 10 strikeouts from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers staff. E-Town E-Notes Elizabethron 0, Bluefield 2 Box Sam Gibbons pitched six innings, giving up only a two-run home run, and struck out eleven batters, but was still tagged with the loss. Derrick Penilla struck out four in two innings and Dereck Rodriguez finished the game with a scoreless ninth. Nick Gordon was 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout and Trey Vavra was 2-3 with a walk but the E-Town Twins could not string their hits together and were shut out. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 2 Box Brandon Easton pitched five innings and gave up just one unearned run and struck out five. Zach Tillery pitched two scoreless innings before turning things over to Eduardo Del Rosario. It was a 1-1 game in the ninth when Del Rosario gave up a couple of doubles to put men on second and third, and then loaded the bases with an intentional walk. Del Rosario then served up a wild pitch to Zach Marberry to end the game when Cade Gotta came home to score. Not much happening with the bats as the GCL Twins had just five hits. Rainis Silva was one of two standouts with two hits, a double and the lone RBI. Rafael Valera was the other, 1-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored. DSL Twins Notes DSL Twins 10, DSL Diamondbacks 4 Box The DSL Twins struck out only two batters all night, but still found a way to win by limiting the DSL D-back to five hits and three walks. Jose Martinez and Robener Cabrera each pitched four innings and gave up two runs apiece. Daulin Ramierz came on and pitched a clean ninth inning. The DSL Twins banged the ball around and ended the night with 14 hits, ten runs and seven walks. Junior Amarante was 3-4 with a walk and two RBIs as the DH, and right fielder Jorge Parra was 3-4 with three runs scored, a triple, an RBI and a walk. Lewin Diza was on base three times with a hit and two walks. Twins Daily Players of the Day Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Alex Meyer, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day - Aaron Hicks, New Britain Rock Cats Friday's Probable Starters Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:15 Central) – Logan Darnell (Listen) New Britain @ Portland (5:00 Central) – Virgil Vasquez (Listen) Charlotte @ Ft. Myers (11:35 AM Central) – Jose Berrios (Listen) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (5:00 Central) - Ethan Mildren (Listen) Bluefield @ Elizabethton (6:00 Central) - Chih-Wei Hu (Listen) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 AM Central) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Diamondbacks (9:30 AM Central) - TBD Click here to view the article

The Twins didn't lose today, and they haven't lost a baseball game for almost a week! They return to the diamond on Friday, fresh off the All-Star fun in Minneapolis and riding a hot stretch, having won five of their last seven games. With the All-Star games over in the minor leagues as well, we have a full slate of minor league action to discuss. http://twinsdaily.co...ntid=8254&stc=1 Red Wings Report Rochester 4, Norfolk 7 Box The Red Wings struck first, scoring a run in the top of the first, but fell behind 3-1 before they hit again. They tied the game in the top of the third, but Norfolk scored four runs between the sixth and eighth innings, and walked away with a 7-4 win. Yohan Pino, fresh after a return from pitching in the big leagues, pitched a stinker and was charged with his second loss of the year (9-2). Pinto made it just five innings. He gave up only three hits, but he walked seven and gave up a home run. He struck out six. Aaron Thompson pitched 1.1 scoreless before turning things over to Lester Oliveros. Oliveros finished the seventh inning, but was charged with an earned run. Michael Tonkin pitched the eighth and gave up an earned run as well. The Red Wings scored their four runs on only five hits. Eric Farris, Wilkin Ramirez, Brad Nelson, Chris Rahl and Dan Rohlfin were all hitless on the night. James Beresford led the way, 2-4, with a home run and two RBIs. Deibinson Romero continues to look good, as he was 1-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Josmil Pinto was 1-3 with a walk and two strike outs. Pedro Florimon had the Red Wings' other hit. Rock Cats Review New Britain 1, Reading 4 Box The Rock Cats were down early, giving up a run in the first and second innings, before scoring a run of their own in the top of the third. Reading added a run each in the sixth and eighth inning to finish off the Rock Cats 4-1. The Rock Cats had as many hits (two) as errors. Virgil Vasquez, who pitched a complete game his last time out, was tagged with the loss after giving up seven hits, including a home run, in 5.2 innings. He was charged with three runs, all earned, walked two and struck out two. Jim Fuller finished the sixth for the Rock Cats, and pitched a scoreless seventh for good measure. Matthew Summers gave up a run in he eighth on a solo home run to finish the game. Two hits. Three Walks. Ten strike outs. Not a great day for New Britain at the plate. Aaron Hicks was 1-2 with two walks and no strike outs, providing more than half of the Rock Cats' offense on the night. Kyle Knudson had the other hit, going 1-3. Miracle Matters Fort Myers 7, Daytona 5 Box This was a back and forth game the Miracle did not lead until the seventh inning when they went ahead 6-5. They added an insurance run in the top of the ninth to seal the victory. Ethan Mildren pitched only four innings, yielding six hits, five earned runs, two walks, a home run and he struck out two. He was making just his second start since being moved up from Cedar Rapids, taking his lumps as he adjusts to the new level. Brian Gilbert picked up a win with two scoreless innings, Steven Gruver earned his seventh hold of the year with his own two scoreless inning stretch, before Tyler Jones closed out the game with a scoreless ninth, earning his thirteenth save of the season. The Miracle scattered ten hits and four walks around a pretty balanced attack. No one had more than two hits, and only two men failed to record a hit (Danny Santana (0-4) and Travis Harrison (0-4)) but they both worked a walk. Byron Buxton continues to hit well, going 2-5 with a solo home run and a single. He also struck out once. With Danny Santana rehabbing before returning to the Twins, Santana played center field while Buxton handled things in right. Niko Goodrum was 2-4 with two runs scored, two doubles and an RBI. Dalton Hicks was 2-5 with a double and a run scored. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 4, Lake County 3 Box The Kernels built a 4-0 lead through the first six innings and hung on after a late inning rally brought the Captains within one. Kohl Stewart, still working on a very strict pitch count, had one of his best starts of the year. He pitched five innings, struck out three, walked no one and gave up four hits. His ERA is now 2.42 and he's 3-5 after picking up the win on Thursday night. Jared Wilson pitched two scoreless innings to earn his second hold of the year. Hudson Boyd struck out two in his inning of work, but gave up a run after Claudio Bautista tripled with one out and scored on a Clint Frazier ground out. Nick Burdi pitched the ninth, struck out Nellie Rodriguez and then induced a ground out to record two quick outs, but then his control failed him. Burdi walked the next two batters and then threw a wild pitch that allowed both runners to advance. He gave up a two run single, and the next batter, Ivan Castillo singled as well, but the Kernels' defense caught Jon Murphy trying to go first to third to end the game. Jason Kanzler was 3-4 with a triple and a run scored to lead the Kernels. Engelb Vielma was 2-3 with an RBI. No other Kernels had more than one hit or any extra base hits. E-Town E-Notes Elizabethton 2, Princeton 3 Box Matt Batts pitched six scoreless innings, struck out three, walked no one and gave up just four hits. He did not earn a win because his bullpen gave up three runs and the Princeton Rays walked-off the Twins. Josue Montanez pitched a scoreless seventh, Keaton Steele gave up two in the eighth (blown save) and Cameron Booser earned the loss by giving up a run with two outs in the ninth. The E-Town Twins spread five hits among five batters and only had one extra base hit, a double from Alex Real (1-4). Jeremias Pineda, Nick Gordon, Austin Diemer, and Pat Kelly also had hits. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 2 Box The Twins pitched a bullpen game, with Michael Theofanopoulos, Zach Tillery, and Miles Nordgren all pitching three innings. Theofanopoulos was the only pitcher to give up any runs and they were both unearned. The three combined for seven strikeouts and two walks. Levi Michael played three innings in a rehab start, and was 1-1 with a double, an RBI and a sacrifice fly. Amaurys Minier was 2-3 with a double and a walk and Dubal Baez was 2-2 with a double and an RBI. DSL Twins Notes DSL Twins 4, DSL Orioles 3 Box The DSL Twins scored their first three runs in the fifth inning, and then did not score again until the top of the 11th to earn an extra innings victory. Jadison Jimenez pitched six innings of three hit ball, struck out six, walked one, and gave up two earned runs. Luis Hernandez pitched three innings, but gave up an eighth inning run and was charged with a blown save. Daulin Ramirez pitched the scoreless 10th and 11th innings to pick up the win. The DSL Twins had 11 hits and walked five times and they were 5-12 with runners in scoring position. Jorge Andrade, the DH, was 2-6 with a run scored, but also struck out four times. Luis Arraez was 2-5 with a walk. Lewin Diaz was 2-4 with two walks and an RBI. Roni Tapia was 2-5 as well. Twins Daily Minor League Players of the Day: Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day - Jason Kanzler, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Kohl Stewart, Cedar Rapids Kernels Friday's Probables Rochester @ Norfolk (6:05 Central) – Alex Meyer (Listen) New Britain @ Reading (6:05 Central) – Pat Dean (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05 Central) – Brett Lee (Listen) Lake County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 Central) - Aaron Slegers (Listen) Elizabethton @ Princeton (6:05 Central) - Felix Jorge (Listen) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (11:00 AM Central) - TBD DSL Orioles @ DSL Twins (9:30 AM Central) - TBD Click here to view the article

The Twins took an early four-run lead courtesy of an Oswaldo Arcia grand slam that nearly landed in the Target Field Plaza OUTSIDE of Gate 34. Unfortunately the home team, dressed handsomely in powder blue throwback uniforms, could not hold the lead as Correia and the bullpen let the lead slip away and the Twins failed to rally. Download attachment: sgm.JPG (photo credit Scott Blanchette) Transactions Thursday was a big day for the future of the organization with the Twins taking high school shortstop Nick Gordon fifth overall in the MLB draft, and then right hander Nick Burdi in the second round. Check out all the coverage on Gordon and Burdi here at TwinsDaily.com and check back all day on Friday as we continue to keep you up to date on the draft. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Charlotte 7 Box Trevor May was tagged with the loss, despite a quality start. He struck out nine Charlotte Knights and walked just two. He surrendered three runs, all earned, breaking his streak of THIRTY consecutive innings without giving up an earned run, a streak that dates back to May 7. Matt Hoffman, who relieved May in the seventh inning, really struggled last night. He was lit up for four runs in an inning and a third, including a two-run home run in the eighth. Edgar Ibarra finished the final two outs of the eighth inning and almost picked up the win as the Red Wings rallied in the top of the ninth. The Red Wings put their first six hitters on base in the bottom of the ninth, including a three-run home run by Daniel Ortiz to pull the Red Wings within one, his second homer in as many days. After the Ortiz bomb, Charlotte's Donnie Veal came in and set down the next three Rochester hitters to record his third save. Veal was not the only Charlotte pitcher Rochester struggled with, as they recorded just three hits in the first eight innings against the Knights' starter Charlie Leesman. Brad Nelson, the Wings' DH, was 3-4 with a double, Wilkin Ramirez was 2-4 with and RBI and Daniel Ortiz was 1-3 with a home run, three RBIs and a walk. No other Red Wings hitters was on base more than once. Rock Cats Review New Britain 1, Akron 0 Box In a good old-fashioned pitchers duel, Sean Gilmartin led the Rock Cats with seven and a third innings of scoreless ball, with eight strikeouts and zero walks. (Are we fully on the Gilmartin bandwagon yet? He now has a 2.82 ERA, 68 strike outs and just 16 walks in 67 innings). Ryan O'Rourke earned a hold with two thirds of an inning, striking out both hitters he faced, and Cole Johnson recorded his fourth save of the season with a clean ninth inning. When you win 1-0, you do not need a lot of offense, which is good because the Rock Cats had just five hits, all from three players. Brad Boyer and Mike Kvansnicka were both 2-3, but Tony Thomas was the hero of the night with a seventh inning solo home run, his only hit of the night, providing all the offense the Rock Cats would need. Miracle Matters Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 3 Box Fort Myers starter Tim Shibuya went just four innings, giving up two runs (one earned) to go along with two Ks and zero walks. Steven Gruver and Brandon Peterson both pitched two innings of relief. Gruver gave up an earned run, and Peterson picked up the win thanks to a late Miracle rally. Tyler Jones entered in the ninth and struck out two Lakeland Flying Tigers to earn the save. Seven of the nine Miracle hitters picked up hits, but only Dalton Hicks had more than one (2-4). Adam Brett Walker II (1-4) and Tyler Grimes (0-1) both had an RBI, and Travis Harrison, playing as the DH, had two. But the real story of the night was Eddie Rosario. He was just 1-4, but in a tied game in the bottom of the seventh, Rosario raced home from third on an infield chopper, sliding in just ahead of the throw to give the Miracle the win. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 7 Box Fernando Romero pitched very well in his Cedar Rapids debut with five innings of two run ball. He struck out six, walked one, gave up seven hits and a solo home run. Josue Montanez struggled tonight, picking up the loss with one inning of dreadful pitching. He faced eight batters, walked two, gave up three hits and five earned runs. Alex Muren held the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers hitless the rest of the way but the damage was already done. The Kernels picked up nine hits but were just 2-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Bryan Haar was 1-4 and had an RBI with the only Cedar Rapids extra base hit of the night, a double. Engelb Vielma was 2-5 with a strike out, Michael Quesada and Bo Altobelli were both 2-4, the other two Kernels with multi-hit games. Chad Christensen and Joel Licon had the other Kernel RBIs. Twins Daily Players of the Day Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Sean Gilmartin - New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day - Daniel Ortiz - Rochester Red Wings Saturday's Probable Starters Rochester @ Charlotte (6:05 Central) – Yohan Pino (Listen) New Britain @ Binghamton (6:05 Central) – Virgil Vasquez (Listen) Lakeland @ Ft. Myers (6:05 Central) – Jose Berrios (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 Central) – Ryan Eades (Listen) Click here to view the article

The Twins picked up a win on Thursday night thanks to another big game from Kendrys Morales against his former team. Morales had an important two-run double to help stretch the Twins' lead. The Twins have now won three straight games and head out to Colorado for some interleague play against the Rockies and Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and LaTroy Hawkins. Let's take a look at the minor leagues. http://twinsdaily.co...ntid=8207&stc=1 Red Wings Report Game One: Rochester 4, Scranton/WB 5 Box Scott Diamond pitched poorly, lasting four and two-thirds innings, giving up nine hits, four earned runs and two home runs. He struck out three and walked one. The Red Wings scored enough runs to keep Diamond from being tagged with the loss but he left the game down 4-2. Lester Oliveros came on and pitched into the seventh inning. He was lifted with one out and Ryan Pressly allowed an inherited runner to score, giving Oliveros and the Red Wings a loss. James Beresford was 2-4 with a double and an RBI, and Eric Farris was 2-3 with an RBI. The recently activated Josmil Pinto was 1-2 with a walk and a run scored. Not much else happened for the Red Wings in this seven inning game, but as a team the Red Wings struck out only one time. Game Two: Rochester 0, Scranton/WB 1 Box Rochester pitched a bullpen game in the night cap, sending Deolis Guerra and A.J. Achter to the mound. Guerra started and pitched three scoreless innings before yielding to Achter. After pitching three scoreless innings of his own, Achter gave up a solo home run to the first batter in the seventh inning and was tagged with the loss. The Red Wings managed just five hits and struck out six times. Wilkin Ramirez was the only hitter with multiple hits, going 2-3. The Wings left six runners on base and were 0-2 with runners in scoring position. Rock Cats Review New Britain 4, New Hampshire 0 Box Thirty-two year old Virgil Vasquez pitched a complete game shutout. He gave up only five hits and struck out eight. He did not walk a single batter. Vasquez pitched efficiently, throwing just 107 pitches with 74 going for strikes. Vasquez pitched well enough on his own, but picked up some help from his defense with a couple double plays, an outfield assist and a runner caught stealing. With the bats, left fielder Mike Kvasnicka stayed hot: he was 2-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and a run scored. Aaron Hicks was 1-3 with a walk and an RBI. Eddie Rosario was 2-4. Kennys Vargas hit a solo home run in the fourth. Miracle Matters Fort Myers 5, Palm Beach 4 Box The Miracle needed five pitchers to earn the win, and pitched just well enough to keep the Miracle out front all game. Ethan Mildren picked up his first win at Double-A with 5.1 innings of two-run baseball. He scattered five hits, struck out 3, walked one and gave up both of his runs on a two-run homer. Madison Boer and Steven Gruver each pitched an inning of relief earning a hold. Brandon Peterson also earned a hold of his own for two-thirds of an inning of work to close out the eighth, despite giving up a run. Tyler Jones came on and pitched a clean ninth to pick up his twelfth save of the year. Travis Harrison led the Miracle with three base hits, including a solo home run. Niko Goodrum was 2-5 with a double and a run scored, and Aderlin Mejia was 2-4. Byron Buxton, DHing and hitting leadoff, was 0-4. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 7, Wisconsin 5 Box Chih-Wei Hu, making his first start in Cedar Rapids, pitched six innings, struck out five, walked one, and gave up just four hits. Hu gave up no earned runs, but was tagged for four unearned runs in the first inning thanks to THREE Kernels' errors. Alex Muren pitched the seventh and eighth and picked up the win as the Kernels scored late. Muren struck out two and gave up two hits. Dallas Gallant came on and gave up a run, but still struck out the side to earn his first save of the year in Cedar Rapids. Alex Swim was 2-4 with a double and two RBIs, and Bo Altobelli was 2-2 with a double, a walk and two runs scored hitting out of the eighth spot. E-Town E-Notes Elizabethton 4, Kingsport 2 Box A strong performance from the Twins pitching staff helped E-Town pick up their 14th win of the season. Matt Batts went five innings and gave up two earned runs while he struck out six and scattered four hits. Kuo Hua Lo and Dereck Rodriguez each pitched two scoreless innings to close out the game. Lo struck out five in two innings and Rodriguez struck out two and he walked one. Jeremias Pineda was hot at the top of the lineup, 2-4 with a double, a run scored and a walk. Nick Gordon was held hitless on Thursday night, 0-3 with a walk, but he did pick up an RBI. Max Murphy was 1-4 with a run scored and a double, but also had two strike outs. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 2 Box Baseball is weird. Onas Farfan pitches four scoreless innings to start the game, but because he did not last five innings, he leaves with no decision. Miguel Gonzalez comes on , gives up the only two runs of the night in two innings and because the Twins managed to tack on an extra run of support in the fifth he earns the win. Seth Wagner and Trevor Hildenberger finished the game for the GCL Twins. Nelson Molina was the only batter with multiple hits, 2-3 with a run scored and two walks in five plate appearances. Rafael P Valera was 1-3 with a triple and two RBIs. Tyree Davis picked up a triple of his own and was 1-4 with an RBI. DSL Twins Notes DSL Twins 3, DSL Reds 5 Box Jadison Jimenez (which HAS to be a made up name) pitched six innings and gave up only a single unearned run but had a strong performance spoiled after Erick Balbuena, who pitched a scoreless inning, allowed the first three batters of the eight to reach base and was tagged for three earned runs and the loss. Daulin Ramirez entered the game while the Twins still had a lead, but allowed the inherited runners to score, plus another one for good measure and blew a save. Lewin Diaz was 2-3 with a solo home run. Roni Tapia was 0-4 with three strike outs. Antonio Tovar was 2-4 with an RBI. Twins Daily Minor League Players of the Day Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day - Virgin Vasquez, New Britian Rock Cats Twins Daily Hitter of the Day - Travis Harrison, Fort Myers Miracle Friday's Probable Pitchers Rochester @ Scranton/WB (6:05 Central) – Mark Hamburger (Listen) Reading @ New Britain (6:05 Central) – Pat Dean (Listen) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 Central) – Brett Lee (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 Central) - Kohl Stewart (Listen) Kingsport @ Elizabethton (6:00 Central) - Felix Jorge (Listen) GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (11:00 AM Central) - TBD DSL Reds @ DSL Twins (9:30 AM Central) - TBD Click here to view the article

The Twins pulled out a late night win against the Mariners. Phil Hughes pitched 7.1 shutout innings and Sam Fuld hit a go-ahead home run, his first as a Twin. Brian Dozier hit an RBI sac fly to increase the lead to 2-0 late in the game and the bullpen shut down the Mariners bats. Transactions Ricky Nolasco was put on the 15-day disabled list with a sore pitching elbow. The Twins have recalled Chris Herrmann to take his spot on the 25-man roster, giving Gardy a third catcher and a 12-man pitching staff. Josmil Pinto was activated from the AAA disabled list to replace Herrmann at AAA. Brian Dozier was added to the list of participants for the Home Run Derby. He doesn't have the power we typically expect from derby participants, but he's a hometown guy with a not awful home run total over the past year. http://twinsdaily.co...ntid=8166&stc=1 Red Wings Report Rochester 3, Buffalo 2 Box Alex Meyer threw 99 pitches, 59 for strikes, over six innings. He gave up four hits, two runs, struck out ten and walked four. After a couple of hiccups in mid-June, Meyer has now rattled off three strong starts in a row, and will head to the MLB Futures game on a roll. His ERA is down to 3.43 and he has 103 strikeouts in just 89.1 innings. Rob Antony talked about wanting more consistency from Meyer earlier this week, but it seems like he's doing everything he needs to to earn a promotion after the All-Star game, especially if Ricky Nolasco's injury prevents him from returning to the starting rotation. Alex Meyer left the game with a no decision, and Edgar Ibarra came on, pitched two scoreless innings, picked off two runners and earned the win when Rochester took the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Ryan Pressly pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his sixth save of the year. Doug Bernier led off for the Wings and was 2-4 with a double and two RBIs. He's now hitting .299/.375/.436 this year in AAA. He's going to be 34 later this month, but with the performance the Twins have received from shortstops this year, his name is certainly in the mix if Danny Santana is out for an extended period and Eduardo Escobar continues to slide. The Red Wings take on former Twin Liam Hendriks on Wednesday evening. Hendriks is having a strong year at AAA, 6-1, 2.19 ERA, 70 strike outs, 6 walks, in 86.1 innings. Hendriks has twice been called up to Toronto to start for the Blue Jays this year, and pitched well in his first two outings before being trounced for six earned runs in 1.2 innings at the end of June. Rock Cats Review Game One: New Britain 10, New Hampshire 2 (seven innings) Box The Rock Cats jumped out to an early lead and continued to add on en route to a 15 hit, 10 run explosion. Every Rock Cats hitter had at least one hit. Leadoff hitter Mike Kvasnicka was 3-4 with a double and an RBI. Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2-3 with two runs scored, two doubles and the Rock Cats' only base on balls of the evening. Brandon Waring was 1-4 with two strikeouts and a seventh inning grand slam. Adrian Salcedo and Jim Fuller combined to throw five scoreless innings and Cole Johnson finished the final two frames, surrendering two earned runs, but not factoring in the outcome thanks to all the runs the Rock Cats scored. Game Two: New Britain 5, New Hampshire 4 (seven innings) Box In a back and forth game, Tyler Duffey pitched well enough to earn a win, despite lasting only 5.1 innings and giving up four runs (three earned). Duffey allowed eight hits and two home runs and struck out four. Ryan O'Rourke finished the sixth for Duffey and the Rock Cats without giving up a hit and Daniel Turpen earned his first save of the year with a scoreless seventh. Aaron Hicks was 3-4 with a run scored and is now hitting .279/.400/.410 at AA. Mike Kvasnicka picked up two more hits in game two, including a solo home run. He ended the day 5-8 over two games. Hicks and Kvasnicka had five hits in the second game, the rest of the Rock Cats had just four more, but thanks to some timely hits and a sac fly, they managed to earn a victory. Miracle Matters Fort Myers' game against Palm Beach was postponed due to rain. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 15, Wisconsin 5 Box You're reading that correctly, the Kernels scored 15 runs. J.D. Willimas was 4-4 hitting in the eight hole, including a two run homer in the bottom of the second, a double, four RBIs and a walk. What a day, kid! Ryan Walker was 2-3 with a walk, a double and four RBIs. Lots of Kernels were on base three times between walks and hits, in addition to Williams and Walker, Chad Christensen, Jason Kanzler and Tanner Vavra all managed the feat. Lewis Thorpe pitched four innings and gave up just two hits, but he walked three and gave up a home run to account for three earned runs. He struck out five. Brandon Bixler pitched two innings, gave up two hits and an unearned run and earned the victory. Nick Burdi pitched a scoreless seventh, and reportedly reached 101 mph on the radar gun. His control was much better in this, his third, outing, His ERA has come down from infinity (after failing to record an out in his first start) to just 18.00. Jake Reed gave up an unearned run in the eighth and Hudson Boyd pitched a scoreless ninth to end the game. Wednesday night is Hall of Fame Night in Cedar Rapids. The Kernels will recognize members of the 2014 Cedar Rapids Baseball Hall of Fame, Mike Trout, Chris Sabo, Verna Nance, Tom Barbee and Ron Gonder. E-Town E-Notes Elizabethton 9, Johnson City 3 Box Stephen Gonsalves earned his second Rookie League win: he struck out five, walked three and gave up five hits in five innings. He was charged with two unearned runs. Samuel Clay and Keaton Steele both earned holds, and Josue Montanez finished things off with a scorelss ninth. Nick Gordon continues to hit, picking two more on Tuesday night with a 2-5 performance. He's now hitting .362/.408/.493. Don't forget he's 18 years old and has played just 16 games as a professional in a league that's generally the destination for college draft picks, kid's right out of high school. Every other Elizabethton hitter had a hit as well and Max Murphy, Tyler Kuresa and Jonatan Hinojosa all had two. Jaermias Pineda was 1-4 with a double, the Twins' only extra base hit (out of 13). GCL Twins Takes Game One: GCL Twins 2, GCL Orioles 1 (seven innings) Box Amaurys Minier had two of the GCL Twins' six hits, and was the only batter with more than one, going 2-3 with the Twins' only extra base hit, a double, and an RBI. Rainis Silvia was 0-3 but had the other GCL Twins RBI. Josh Guyer started and pitched three one-hit innings before turning things over to Alexis Tapia who earned the win with two one-hit innings. Eduardo Del Rosario earned his first save with two innings of relief work and was charged with an unearned run. Game Two: GCL Twins 0, GCL Orioles 1 (seven innings) Box Rainis Silva had half the Twins' hits in the second game, going 2-3 with a strike out. Tyree Davis and Nelson Molina each had a single. Amaurys Minier who played well in the first game was 0-3 with three strike outs in game two. Onesimo Hernandez pitched five strong innings. He struck out eight, walked no one, and scattered five hits and surrendered only one run. Unfortunately he was tagged with the loss because the Twins did not help out with run support. Jhon Silva and Trevor Hildenberger each pitched a scoreless inning of relief. DSL Twins Notes DSL Twins 7, DSL White Sox 8 Box The Twins out-hit the Sox 11-10, but were just short where it counted and lost after giving up the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth. Lewin Diaz had a big day at the plate, going 3-4 with two runs scored, a double, an RBI and a walk. Jermaine Palacios and Edgar Herrera each collected two hits. None of the Twins pitchers had much luck on Tuesday, as everyone gave up at least a run, and Carlos Aponte, who was tagged with a loss for giving up an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth, was the only pitcher not to surrender more than one run. Jose Ramirez started and went two innings, walking five and giving up two runs (both earned). Johan Quezada gave up two earned runs in two innings of four walk baseball. Argenis Silva pitched two innings, struck out four, but gave up five hits and three earned runs. Just an ugly night all around from the pitching staff. Twins Daily Players of the Day Twins Daily Hitter of the Day - Mike Kvasnicka, New Britian Rock Cats Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day - Alex Meyer, Rochester Red Wings Wednesday's Probable Starters Buffalo @ Rochester (6:05 Central) – Logan Darnell (Listen) New Britain @ New Hampshire (12:05 Central) – Jose Berrios (Listen) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:05 Central) – Tim Shibuya (Listen) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (make up of 7/8 game) - Matt Tomshaw Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 Central) - Ryan Eades (Listen) Kingsport @ Elizabethton (6:00 Central) - Sam Gibbons (Listen) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 AM Central) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL White Sox (9:30 AM Central) - TBD Click here to view the article

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You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/codygangh.jpg “Peace to my All Star homies in West Fargo.” – Cody Christie, probably This week we talk all about the first half, the Twins best players and worst players before the All Star break, and what we think might happen in the second half. Jay Corn rags on Joe Mauer, Cody Christie praises Brian Dozier, and Eric Pleiss raves about his boyfriend Phil Hughes. Join us for the Twins talk, stay for the beers and baseball chatter. I hope you enjoy this special episode.You can follow Cody on Twitter (@NoDakTwinsFan) or read his writing at NoDakTwinsFan, you can find Paul on Twitter (@BaseballPirate) you can find Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) and read his writing at Knuckleballs, and you can find Mr. Jay Corn on Twitter (@Jay__Corn)! If you enjoy our podcast, please take a couple extra minutes and rate and review our show on iTunes. iTunes ratings and reviews are to podcasting as S'mores are to camping.