Eric R Pleiss

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. 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

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. 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

When it rains, it pours. That was certainly the case Saturday in Minneapolis as the Twin Cities was drenched in yet another big rain storm. But it was also true down in Arlington where the Twins lost yet another road game to run their road losing streak to nine games. Kyle Gibson takes the hill on Sunday with a chance to send the Twins home on a positive note. Matt Tomshaw, Fort Myers Miracle; Photo Credit: Linwood Ferguson, http://www.captivephotons.com/ Red Wings Report Rochester 1, Norfolk 2 Box The Red Wings were hard luck losers in a 13-inning home game on Saturday night. Alex Meyer returned to form tonight and pitched six innings of one run baseball. The run he gave up was a two-out home run to Xavier Paul in the top of the fourth. He shook off the home run and struck out the next two hitters he faced. All told, Meyer struck out three and walked one. Edgar Ibarra pitched two perfect innings, and A.J. Achter followed that up with three perfect innings of his own to bring the Red Wings through the eleventh inning. Aaron Thompson gave up a single in the twelfth, but erased that with a double play and escaped the inning unscathed. Michael Tonkin came on in the thirteenth and gave up a one out single to Francisco Peguero. Peguero then stole second and advanced to third on the throw from Chris Herrmann. Peguero scored on a Michael Almanzar single to give the Norfolk Tide the lead. The Red Wings could not counter in the bottom of the thirteenth, despite a leadoff single from Chris Rahl. Thirteen innings and only one run means the Wings struggled with the bats. They managed eight hits (in 44 at-bats) and three walks, but outside of a Deibinson Romero double in the bottom of the ninth to extend the game to extra innings, they could not string any hits together and the Red Wings were 0-5 with runners in scoring position. Rock Cats Review New Britain 2, New Hampshire 6 Box The Rock Cats took an early 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the third, but Virgil Vasquez was touched up for three runs in the third on two singles and two walks. Vasquez hung on to pitch 6.1 innings, yielding another earned run in the seventh. He struck out four and walked four before the bullpen took over. Ryan O'Rourke came on to try to limit the damage in the seventh but walked two and gave up two runs before being replaced by Matthew Summers who finished the seventh and pitched a scoreless eighth. Eduardo Nunez was 2-3 with a triple and a walk and is hitting .400 on his rehab stint. Aaron Hicks was 0-2 with a pair of walks and is hitting just .162/.289/.270 in 11 minor league games so far this year. Reynaldo Rodriguez and Mike Kvasnicka were both 2-4 and each pushed across a run. The Rock Cats were 2-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners. Miracle Matters Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 2 Box Matt Tomshaw pitched 7.1 innings, scattered nine hits, struck out five, walked one and left the game down 2-1 in the eighth. Mason Melotakis finished off the eighth inning and Madison Boer picked up a win with a scoreless ninth inning thanks to some errant pitching in the bottom of the ninth from Dixon Llorens. Down 2-1 entering the final frame, Niko Goodrum led off with a hit-by-pitch and Nate Roberts and Adam Walker followed with walks to load the bases with no outs. Dalton Hicks struck out swinging, but Travis Harrison was hit by a pitch in the next plate appearance, scoring Goodrum and keeping the bases loaded. The Miracle won the game on an error after the catcher Dante Rosenberg failed to make a catch for a force out at home after Max Kepler hit the ball to the shortstop. On the night, the Miracle scored three runs despite only four hits and took advantage of those late inning walks and HBPs. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 9, Clinton 5 (rain shortened) Box Twins Daily's Seth Stohs is down in Cedar Rapids this weekend and has full coverage of the Kernels' rain shortened 6.1 inning game. Since Seth has the full write up, I'll just give you the highlights. Ryan Eades picked up his fifth win despite giving up five runs (four earned) in five innings. He struck out five, gave up seven hits, including two home runs, and walked no one. Bryan Haar led the way offensively for the Kernels with seven RBI thanks to a grand slam and a three-run bomb. E-Town E-Notes Elizabethton 6, Bristol 0 Box Felix Jorge struck out three and walked three over five scoreless innings in his Elizabethton debut following a demotion from Cedar Rapids where he had a 9.00 ERA over 39 innings. Samuel Clay (1.0 innings), C.K. Irby (2.0) and Dereck Rodriguez (1.0) held the Bristol Pirates scoreless the rest of the way as the Twins cruised to a win. The 1-3 hitters combined to go 5-9 with two walks, four RBIs, and a home run. Tanner English was 2-4 with two RBI at the top of the order and Nick Gordon (in as a DH) was 2-4 from the second spot in the order. Right fielder Max Murphy was 1-2 with two walks, two RBIs and a home run from the three hole. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 4, GCL Red Sox 3 Box After Miguel Gonzalez surrendered three runs in the fifth the GCL Twins battled back to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh and hung on for the victory. The Twins were paced by Dubal Baez who was 3-5 leading off and Joel Polanco who was 2-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Twins Daily Players of the Day Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day - Matt Tomshaw, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Hitter of the Day - Bryan Haar, Cedar Rapids Kernels Sunday's Probable Starters Norfolk @ Rochester (12:05pm CT) – Logan Darnell (Listen) New Britain @ New Hampshire Game 1 (12:35pm CT) – Pat Dean (Listen) Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (3:05pm CT) - Jose Berrios (Listen) Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (2:05pm CT) – TBD (Listen) Bristol @ Elixabethton (5:00pm CT) – Derrick Penilla (Listen) GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD

The Twins extended their road losing streak to seven games and were swept out of Anaheim after another ineffective Ricky Nolasco start. Nolasco has been a disaster in just about every start he has made after his Twins debut. With Danny Santana dealing with a sore hamstring and the the Twins already short of middle infielders, the Twins demoted Yohan Pino and called up Jorge Polanco all the way from High-A Fort Myers prior to yesterday's game. Polanco becomes the first Twins player to make the jump from A-Ball to the big leagues since Kent Hrbek. Polanco walked and scored in his only at-bat in the ninth inning. Red Wings Report Rochester 0, Lehigh Valley 1 Box The Red Wings out-hit the IronPigs five to four, but could not put hits together when it mattered and were blanked 1-0. Kris Johnson was a hard-luck loser, pitching seven innings of four-hit baseball. Johnson struck out nine and walked five in addition to giving up a single run. His ERA now sits at 2.61. The IronPigs' Greg Smith pitched six innings of two-hit, five-strikeout baseball before yielding to the bullpen. The Red Wings didn't manage another hit until the ninth inning, rallying for three hits but failing to score a run thanks to an early caught stealing from Chris Rahl. Chris Colabello flew out to left field to end the game with two men on. James Beresford had the best day at the plate, going 2-4. The Red Wings' only extra base was an Eric Farris double. They had zero walks. Rock Cats Review New Britain 1, New Hampshire 2 Box Much like the Red Wings, the Rock Cats failed to pick up a timely hit and lost a tightly contested 2-1 game. Jason Wheeler pitched six innings and struck out two, walked three and gave up two earned runs on six hits. Adrian Salcedo followed up with two scoreless innings of relief but the Rock Cats could only manage one run and Wheeler was stuck with a loss. Aaron Hicks, leading off, was 1-4, but he made that one hit count with a solo home run in the eighth inning, the Rock Cats' only run. Kennys Vargas was 2-4 and was lifted for a pinch runner in the ninth. Eddie Rosario picked up an outfield assist, throwing out a runner at home to help keep the game close. Miracle Matters Fort Myers 3, St. Lucie 2 (Suspended after top of fifth) Box Tim Shibuya was not pitching great, having given up six hits, two runs (one earned), including a home run, before the game was suspended due to rain with one out in the top of the fifth. Anderlin Mejia started the day 2-2 with a double and a run scored to pace the Miracle. Niko Goodrum was 1-2 with an RBI and a stolen base. The game will be completed Friday. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 6 Box Aaron Slegers struggled early, giving up a pair of runs in the first inning, and struggled through six innings. He gave up four runs (all earned) walked three, struck out three and scattered seven hits. Hudson Boyd gave up two runs in an inning of relief and Todd Van Steensel wrapped things up for the Kernels pitchers with a scoreless eighth. Cedar Rapids hung in this game despite Slegers struggles, trailing just 3-2 going into the sixth inning. Unfortunately the top of the order could not get things done and the Kernels' one, two and three hitters (Zack Granite, Engelb Vielma, and Chad Christensen) finished the night 0-10 with two strike outs. Bryan Haar was 2-4 with an RBI and Jon Murphy was 1-3 with a double, Cedar Rapids' only extra base hit. E-Town E-Notes Elizabethton 7, Burlington 0 Box Sam Gibbons, another of the Twins' young Australians, pitched seven scoreless innings, stuck out seven, walked just one, and surrendered only one hit. All of the E-Town hits came from the first five hitters, who combined to go 10-21, led by Nick Gordon who went 3-5 with a double and a triple. Tanner English also had a nice night at the plate, 4-5 with a solo home run. Pat Kelly, Thursday's Down on the Pond subject on the most recent Talk to Contact podcast, was 0-4. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 1 Box Matthew Batts struck out five in four innings, and Nelson Molina collected three hits as the GCL Twins picked up their third win of the year. Twins Daily Players of the Day Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Kris Johnson, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League hitter of the Day - Nick Gordon, Elizabethton Twins Friday's Probable Starters Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (6:05pm CT) – Sean Gilmartin (Listen) New Britain @ New Hampshire Game 1 (5:05pm CT) – Mark Hamburger (Listen) New Britain @ New Hampshire Game 2 - Tyler Duffey (Listen) St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:05pm CT) - TBD (Listen) St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (completion from Thursday) (Listen) Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35pm CT) – Lewis Thorpe (Listen) Elizabethton @ Burlington (6:00pm CT) – Chih-Wei Hu (Listen) GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD

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

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 strikeouts. Like Andrew Albers before him, Pino will have to prove he has staying power after a strong initial outing. 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 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 heading 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 by 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 to 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 1.2 innings 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 memories. 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 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, Rochester Red Wings 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)