Eric R Pleiss

The Twins did not play on Thursday, but that does not mean they were idle. Reports are that center fielder Sam Fuld is ready to join the Twins on Friday in Detroit and that catcher Eric Fryer has been recalled to take the place of Josmil Pinto. The Twins have not announced a corresponding roster move to make room for Sam Fuld, but Aaron Hicks is a likely candidate to either go on the disabledl list with a bum shoulder, or be demoted to AAA to work on hitting right- handed against right-handed pitchers. Mitch Garver, Cedar Rapids Kernels. Photo Credit: KnuckleballsBlog.com Red Wings Report Rochester 4, Lehigh Valley 0 Box Yohan Pino ran his record up to 9-1 with seven shutout innings. He struck out nine batters, walked three and surrendered just two hits. Ryan Pressly finished the game for the Red Wings, throwing two scoreless innings and allowing only one hit. This is the eighth shutout of the year for the Red Wings and their eighth consecutive series opening win as well. Rochester had just six hits of their own, but five of them came from the top of the order with leadoff hitter Eric Farris and number two hitter James Beresford both enjoying 2-4 nights. Deibinson Romero, in the third spot, was 1-3 and Pedro Florimon, hitting in the nine-hole, picked up the Wings' only other hit of the night. Beresford's 2-4 night extended his hitting streak to nine games and he had two RBIs as well. Josmil Pinto, making his 2014 Red Wings debut, went 0-4. Rock Cats Review POSTPONED Rain kept Reading and New Britain from taking the field on Thursday night. The Rock Cats head back home to take on the Trenton Thunder over the weekend, so this game will be made up at a later date. Miracle Matters Charlotte 8, Fort Myers 7 Box Matt Tomshaw gave up ten hits, including a home run and five runs (four earned) through the first six innings, but the Miracle bats kept Fort Myers in the game and he left with a no decision. Mason Melotakis was charged with a blown save. He pitched three innings, struck out four and gave up just two hits. Brandon Peterson came on to pitch the tenth inning and escaped unscathed, but when he returned in the top of the eleventh he lost the lead when he gave up an RBI triple. He recorded one out and ultimately was charged with two earned runs and the loss. Brian Gilbert finished the game, giving up two hits before retiring the side. The Miracle had eight hits to go along with seven walks, led by Dalton Hicks and Tyler Grimes, who both had 2-5 nights. Second basemen Anderlin Mejia was on base three times, going 1-4 with a walk and he also scored a run. Adam Brett Walker was on base three times as well, also 1-4 with a walk, but the Miracle could not find a way to bring him across the plate. Despite scoring seven runs, the Miracle were done in by ten strikeouts and 4-16 hitting with runners in scoring position. The Miracle stranded ten runners. The Miracle are on break until June 16th for the Florida State LEague All-Star Game on Saturday in Bradenton. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 2 Box 2013 second round draftee Ryan Eades pitched seven innings and worked around nine hits to allow just two earned runs. Eades struck out two and walked one. Alex Muren pitched the final two innings for the save. Muren struck out three and walked one, but faced just six batters thanks to a double play. The Miracle were out hit on the night 9-5, but they took advantage of eight walks to push some runs across. Mitch Garver was the standout performer, going 2-3 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored. He's now hitting .312/.407/.489 in 62 games with the Kernels. Garver also caught James Ramsay stealing to end the first inning. No other Kernels hitter had multiple hits, but Engelb Vielma, Ryan Walker, Bryan Haar and Jon Murphy all reached safely twice thanks to all those free passes the River Bandits gave up. Twins Daily Players of the Day Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Yohan Pino, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day - Mitch Garver, Cedar Rapids Kernels Friday's Probable Starters Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:15 CST) – Alex Meyer (Listen) Trenton @ New Britain (6:35 CST) – Virgil Vasquez (Listen) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – Lewis Thorpe (Listen)

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. (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)

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. 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)

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? 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