Seth Stohs

On Sunday, all of the six Twins minor league went at least five innings and none gave up more than two runs. The Miracle have turned around their slide. They had won just four of their last 18 games, but now they have won four in a row. Another day, another Cedar Rapids win. They have won 82 games this year in their first year as a Twins affiliate. One more win, and this year’s team will have more wins than any of the Kernels 20 years with the Angels.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] If the season ended today, the Red Wings would still be in the playoffs, but they are trending in the wrong direction. Finally, Miguel Sano and some of the Twins top prospects had an impressive day too. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Sunday. Rochester Red Wings 8, Indianapolis Indians 5 (10 innings) Box Score The Red Wings were swept in a four game series against Indianapolis. It was their fifth straight loss yet, somehow, they still maintain a one-game lead over Norfolk for a playoff Wild Card spot. Kyle Gibson made his return start with the Red Wings. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on five hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out four. Aaron Thompson pitched the sixth and gave up one run on two hits. Shairon Martis struck out two over two shutout innings. Michael Tonkin pitched a scoreless ninth in his first appearance since being sent back. After pitching a scoreless ninth inning, he was charged with four runs in the top of the 10th inning and recorded just one out. Edgar Ibarra got the final two outs. James Beresford was 2-3 and his two-run single in the bottom of the ninth tied the game at four. Darin Mastroianni went 1-3 with two walks. Jared Mitchell went 2-5. New Britain Rock Cats 7, Bowie Bay Sox 4 Box Score Pedro Hernandez was very good in this game, and Miguel Sano helped power the Rock Cats to a victory. Hernandez worked the first six innings. He gave up one run on five hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out two. Dan Sattler started the seventh and got just two outs. However, he gave up three runs on four hits and two walks. Matt Hauser came in and got the final out of the seventh before working perfect eighth and ninth innings too. He struck out two. Miguel Sano got a couple of pitches to his liking. He went 2-3 with a walk. He hit his 32nd and 33rd home runs and drove in four runs, giving him 99 RBI on the season. He was also hit by a pitch, but it was on a full count. Eddie Rosario went 2-5 with his 18th double. Kyle Knudson went 2-4 with his fourth double. Danny Ortiz went 2-4. Danny Santana stole his 27th base. Photo by Fox Sports North Game 1 - Ft. Myers Miracle 5, St. Lucie Mets 1 Box Score JD Williams provided the offense, and Taylor Rogers won for the 11th time with the Miracle. Williams went 3-4 with his fourth and fifth doubles and his first home run. He drove in four runs. Levi Michael went 2-2 with a walk, his 14th double, and he also stole his 19th base. Byron Buxton went 2-2 with his eighth triple. Matt Koch went 2-3. Taylor Rogers was charged with only an unearned run in six innings. He gave up four hits, walked four and struck out three. Tyler Jones came on and struck out one in a scoreless seventh. Game 2 - Ft. Myers Miracle 8, St. Lucie Mets 2 Box Score The second game was much like the first game. The Miracle got a very solid start, and this time, it was Stephen Wickens, and a bunch of walks, that provided the offense. Wickens went 3-4 with his 20th and 21st doubles. He also stole his 17th base. Dalton Hicks went 1-2 with two walks and drove in another run. JD Williams, Byron Buxton and Kennys Vargas each walked two times. Mike Kvasnicka doubled for the 13th time. Lefty David Hurlbut got the start and went the first six innings. He gave up two runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out four. Adrian Salcedo gave up one hit in a scoreless seventh inning. Cedar Rapids Kernels 9, Peoria Chiefs 1 Box Score Again, the equation looks pretty much the same; strong starting pitching and plenty of offense. Tim Shibuya gave up only an unearned run on three hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out two. Brett Lee came on and struck out one in a perfect inning. Alex Muren gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. Ryan Walker led the way going 3-5 with his first double. Tyler Grimes was also 3-5. Travis Harrison was 2-4 with a walk. Michael Gonzales went 1-2 with a walk and his seventh double. Adam Walker was 1-3 with two walks. Bo Altobelli and Michael Quesada each added a double. In a scary situation, Max Kepler was a late scratch due to a freak accident near the indoor batting cage. Check out Jim Ecker’s story of what happened and how long Kepler could be out. Elizabethton Twins 0, Princeton 2 Box Score The E-Twins certainly got the good starting pitching part of the equation, but they got no offense. They managed just three hits in the game. They walked twice and struck out 14 times. Stephen Gonsalves started and gave up one run on three hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out nine. Carson Goldsmith came on and gave up one run on three hits in two innings. Luke Bard struck out one in a perfect inning. GCL Twins No Game Scheduled. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

There have been a lot of great stories and performances in the Twins farm system in 2013. There are the independent league stories of Chris Colabello, Caleb Thielbar, and Andrew Albers. There is Doug Bernier, a 33-year-old shortstop who is back in the big leagues five years after two previous big league games. Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario have been hitting all year. Oswaldo Arcia, Aaron Hicks and Kyle Gibson have now had a glimpse into big league life. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Ten days ago, JO Berrios went on the 7-Day Disabled List, and Alex Meyer went nearly three months without pitching. Berrios returned to action earlier in the week, and on Saturday, Alex Meyer made his return to the Rock Cats and was impressive. The most encouraging thing going into the offseason would be seeing Berrios and Meyer end the season healthy and successful. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Saturday. Rochester Red Wings 4, Indianapolis Indians 6 Box Score Logan Darnell started with two scoreless innings. However, he ended up giving up five runs on six hits and three walks in three innings. Virgil Vasquez was able to work the next five innings. He gave up just one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out six. AJ Achter walked three but did not allow a run in the 9th inning. The Red Wings managed just seven hits in the game. Jermaine Mitchell had four of them. He also stole his 20th base. Darin Mastroianni went 1-2 with a walk. He stole his third and fourth bases. Aaron Hicks returned to the lineup, batting fifth and serving as the DH. He went 0-2 but walked twice. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Bowie Bay Sox 0 Box Score The most encouraging thing that can happen in the final week of the minor league season is for Alex Meyer to show well and prove himself healthy. On Saturday, he returned to the mound for New Britain for the first time since early June. He was quite impressive. He went five innings of shutout baseball. He gave up just one hit, walked two and struck out five. Reports say that he touched 100 mph on a couple of pitches. He also got a couple of strikeouts on an 87-mph knuckle-curveball. Cole Johnson replaced him in the 6th inning. He gave up two hits and a walk, but no runs, in his two innings. He struck out two. Dakota Watts then recorded his eighth save with two scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out four. Miguel Sano went 2-4 with his 14th RBI, which drove in the team’s first run. Eddie Rosario went 2-4 and stole his sixth base. Jordan Parraz went 1-3 with a walk and his tenth double. Ft. Myers Miracle, St. Lucie Mets The game as postponed. The teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Peoria Chiefs 0 Box Score There wasn’t much offense on Saturday night in Cedar Rapids. Peoria had four hits. Cedar Rapids had just three hits. Fortunately, one of those hits was a home run off of the bat of Michael Quesada. It was his second homer of the season. Josue Montanez made the start for the Kernels and went the first 6.1 innings. He gave up thiree hits and a walk while striking out two to record his sixth win. Brandon Bixler came in and got a strikeout, but he also gave up one hit and walked one. Madison Boer came on and worked the final 2.1 innings to record his seventh save. He walked one and struck out two. Elizabethton Twins 6, Pulaski 7 Box Score The E-Twins jumped out to a 4 run lead after the top of the first. Rory Rhodes cleared the bases with a double. He then stole third base and scored on a throwing error by the catcher. Zach Larson went 2-4 with a walk, his second double and two RBI. Romy Jimenez hit his seventh double. Yorman Landa started. He gave up three runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out one. Andre Martinez worked two innings and gave up two unearned runs. He gave up just one hit and struck out four. Ryan Eades gave up two hits over two scoreless innings. CK Irby gave up two runs on an eighth inning home run. GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score Lewis Thorpe was one of the Twins biggest international signings in 2012 out of Australia. The lefty started this game, and in four shutout innings, he gave up just one hit, walked one and struck out nine. On the season, he has pitched in 12 games. In 44 innings, he has given up 32 hits, walked just six and struck out 64 batters. Though he had a no decision in this game, he is now 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA. Lester Oliveros came in and walked two and struck out one in 0.1 innings. Leonel Zazueta then gave up four runs (3 earned) on three hits. He hit a batter and struck out two. Miguel Gonzalez struck out five, and walked one, in 2.2 scoreless, hitless innings. Tyler Stirewalt struck out one in a perfect inning. The Twins had seven hits in the game. Jorge Fernandez went 1-2 with his seventh double and two RBI. Ryan Tufts was 1-3 with his third double. Brian Navarreto went 1-3 with a walk and his third stolen base. He scored two runs. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

There were a lot of standout performances on Friday night. Four starting pitchers provided Quality Starts for their teams. Strange for the Twins organization, one of them even had double-digit strikeouts, if you can believe that. Ten Twins minor leaguers had at least three hits on this day as well. Unfortunately, three of the Twins affiliates lost games in the last inning. But another team ended a poor steak in fine fashion. The highlight of the night was the performance of a possibly overlooked Twins prospect in New Britain. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]It isn’t every day when a player has five hits in a game. But, Rosario didn’t just slap his way to five hits. He went 5-5 with two doubles and a home run. With Buxton, Sano and Arcia around, Rosario is known to prospect followers, but he is often overlooked. He shouldn’t be. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Friday. Rochester Red Wings 6, Indianapolis Indians 7 Box Score The offense and Scott Diamond did their jobs on this night, but one bad inning cost the Red Wings an important game in the standings. Scott Diamond was impressive for the second straight outing. After throwing a complete game in his previous start, Diamond gave up only an unearned run over eight innings. He gave up nine hits, walked two and struck out three. The Red Wings got contributions from most in the lineup. Eric Farris went 3-4 with his 22nd stolen base. Chris Parmelee went 3-5 with his first stolen base. James Beresford went 3-5. Jeff Clement went 2-5 with his 24th double and his 16th home run. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with his fifth double. Antoan Richardson went 2-5. That brings us to the 9th inning. Edgar Ibarra came in to start the inning. He had gone 26 games and 31.1 innings without giving up a run. All good things much come to an end. He gave up a single to lead off the inning. Then, after a fly out, he gave up another single. He walked a batter to load the bases. At that point, he was replaced by Shairon Martis. Martis gave up a single that scored the first run off of Ibarra in 31.2 innings. The bases were still loaded, and Martis gave up a grand slam to #9 hitter Lucas May to tie the game. He gave up one more run to take the loss. So, Ibarra was charged with three runs in the inning, and Martis was charged with the other three. Amazingly, coming into the game, the Red Wings had been 58-0 on the season when leading after eight innings. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Bowie Bay Sox 8 Box Score The story of this game was the bat of Eddie Rosario. Unfortunately, the story of the end of the game was a lack of control, and it cost the Rock Cats on this night. The Rock Cats fell behind early, but a Rosario single tied the game in the 8th. However, the bottom of the 9th didn’t go so well for the Rock Cats bullpen. Matt Hauser pitched a scoreless eighth inning, but he walked the leadoff batter of the ninth. It was followed by a sacrifice bunt. Ryan O’Rourke came on and issued another walk. He threw a wild pitch, and Jeff Smith chose to intentionally walk the batter to load the bases. The infield came in and O’Rourke coaxed a grounder to first base. Reynaldo Rodriguez threw home for the force out. With two outs, Dakota Watts came in to the game. He walked the lone batter he faced, bringing in the winning run for Bowie. DJ Baxendale started and was charged with six runs (5 earned) on six hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out six. Daniel Turpen came on and was perfect for two innings before Hauser’s scoreless eighth frame. Eddie Rosario had one of those games that batters want to have. He went 5-5 and hit his 16th and 17th doubles, his fourth home run (12th overall) and drove in four runs, including the two runs he drove in in the 8th that tied the game at six each. Danny Ortiz went 2-5 with his 12th home run. Danny Santana also went 2-5 and stole his 26th base. Game 1 - Ft. Myers Miracle 9, St. Lucie Mets 8 (10 innings) Box Score I have to assume that ten innings and three hours and 41 minutes is not what the Miracle and Mets were hoping for in Game 1, but that’s exactly what happened. Jason Wheeler got the start. The left-hander from Loyola Marymount gave up four runs, just one earned, on seven hits. He walked two and struck out three. Nelvin Fuentes, another lefty, came on and gave up three runs on two hits and three walks in the sixth inning. Steve Gruver, the third left-hander of the game, gave up one run on two hits and a walk over two innings. He struck out two. Right-hander Tyler Jones came on and walked two in the ninth, but he struck one out, gave up no runs, and got the win. Mike Kvasnicka and Levi Michael led the way. Kvasnicka went 3-4 with a walk, his eighth homer and three RBI. Levi Michael went 3-4 with his fourth home run. Stephen Wickens went 2-4 with his 17th and 18th home runs. Byron Buxton went 2-3 with two walks and his seventh (16th overall) triple. (According to Miracle play-by-play man Brice Zimmerman, he was hitting .411 over his previous 24 games following this game.) Jairo Rodriguez added two hits. Game 2 - Ft. Myers Miracle, St. Lucie Mets Box Score The Miracle didn’t get a lot of offense, but they got enough to sweep this doubleheader. Coming into the day, the Miracle had gone 4-14 in their past 18 games. The Miracle had just three hits in the game. Byron Buxton was 1-1 with two walks. AJ Pettersen was hit twice, once in the shoulder and once on the helmet. Pettersen scored on a Stephen Wickens RBI double. After a Buxton walk, Wickens came around to score on a Dalton Hicks single. Buxton scored on a ground out by Kennys Vargas ground out. All three Miracle runs scored in the third inning. Matt Summers made the Miracle start. He gave up just two runs on two hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five batters. Zack Jones came in for the 7th inning. He had a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts for his 13th save. Cedar Rapids Kernels 2, Quad Cities River Bandits 3 Box Score Hudson Boyd has had many more downs than ups in his first full season as a professional, but on Friday night, he had arguably his best start of the year, providing the Kernels with a Quality Start. In seven innings, he gave up three runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out four. Brian Gilbert gave up a hit in a scoreless eighth frame. The Kernels had nine hits, but only Adam Walker had a multi-hit game. The talented right fielder went 3-4 in the game. Shortstop Ryan Walker, the Twins 18th round pick this June, was called up to the Kernels on Friday and debuted by going 1-3 in the game. Elizabethton Twins 2, Pulaski 3 (11 innings) Box Score The E-Twins came into the day one game back of the wild card. However, the two teams ahead of them won, which means they end this day two games out of a playoff spot with just seven games to play. Felix Jorge made the start for the Twins. He gave up two earned runs on six hits over the first six innings of the game. He walked two and struck out 11. Ethan Mildren worked the next three innings and did not allow a run. He gave up just one hit, walked two and struck out three. Austin Malinowski came on and pitched a scoreless tenth inning. However, with one out in the 11th, he allowed the game-winning run for Pulaski. The E-Twins managed just six hits in the game. Stuart Turner had three of the hits, including his third home run of the season which drove in both of the team’s runs. Mitch Garver went 2-5. Tanner Vavra had the other hit, a single. GCL Twins 0, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score The GCL squad got some good pitching, but the bats did absolutely nothing. They managed just three hits in the game and only worked one walk. Jared Wilson started and gave up one run on four hits and a walk in four innings. He walked four. For the second time, Deolis Guerra pitched in a rehab game. He pitched a perfect inning, striking out one. Seth Wagner gave up an unearned run on one hit and one walk in two innings. Jose Abreu struck out one in a scoreless inning. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

Because they clinched playoff berths in the first half, Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers are trying to finish strong and preparing for the playoffs. However, Rochester and Elizabethton are still fighting for a spot in the playoffs as well. After tonight’s game, the Red Wings are now a half-game behind Pawtucket. However, they are two games ahead of Norfolk for the Wild Card. On Thursday, the E-Twins won for the 12th time in 13 games (and 14th of their last 16). They are now just 1.5 games out of the lead in the division, and just one game behind the Wild Card team. Of course, New Britain and the GCL Twins are out of playoff contention. By the way, the Arizona Fall League rosters are expected to be announced next Tuesday. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Thursday.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 1, Indianapolis Indians 6 Box Score The Red Wings had the opportunity to hit against one of baseball’s biggest pitching prospects, Jameson Taillon. The right-hander went six innings and gave up just one run on four hits. He walked three and struck out three. Pat Dean got the start for the Red Wings. The lefty gave up three unearned runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out four. AJ Achter came on and gave up an unearned run on two hits in 1.1 innings. Aaron Thompon gave up one run in the eighth inning. He allowed one hit and walked one. Shairon Martis pitched the ninth and gave up one run on two hits. He struck out two. Jeff Clement hit his 22nd and 23rd doubles in four at bats. Antoan Richarson walked twice and stole his 23rd base. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Bowie Bay Sox 8 Box Score BJ Hermsen fell to 1-10 on the season, but he put in his best performance of the year. He went six innings and gave up two runs (1 earned) on six hits. He didn’t walk any or record a strikeout. Blake Martin came in to start the 7th inning. He got the first two outs but was charged with two runs on a hit and three walks. Jose Gonzalez got the final four outs, two on strikeouts. However, he gave up four runs on three hits and a walk. The Rock Cats managed just six hits in the game. Danny Santana went 2-4 and hit his second home run. Danny Ortiz went 2-3. Miguel Sano’s time with the Rock Cats has certainly been streaky. After an 0-4 on Thursday night, he is now 4-34 over his past nine game. Of course, two of those four hits were doubles and another was a home run. Ft. Myers Miracle, Charlotte Stone Crabs Game canceled due to weather. It will not be made up. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Quad Cities River Bandits 7 Box Score JO Berrios spent a little over a week on the Disabled List, but he returned to action on Thursday night. He started out well, but overall, he went 4.2 innings and gave up five runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out four. Christian Powell was charged with two unearned runs in 2.1 innings. He gave up four hits and walked two. Dallas Gallant pitched a scoreless inning. Adam Walker went 2-4 with his 30th double of the season. Bo Altobelli and Tyler Grimes each went 2-4. Elizabethton Twins 6, Pulaski 3 Box Score On Thursday, the E-Twins won for the 12th time in 13 games (and 14th of their last 16). They are now just 1.5 games out of the lead in the division, and just one game behind the Wild Card team. Kuo Hua Lo went the first 4.1 innings. He was charged with two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three. Luke Bard picked up the win. He finished the fifth and pitched the sixth as well. He walked two and struck out win. Carson Goldsmith gave up one run on two hits in the seventh inning. He struck out three. Aaron Slegers got his second save. He gave up two hits, but struck out three. Ryan Walker went 2-5, the only Twins bat with more than one hit. Zach Larson hit his first Appy League home run. Logan Wade hit his first triple. GCL Twins 7, GCL Orioles 4 Box Score Sam Gibbons got the start for the Twins and threw five shutout innings. He gave up four hits, didn’t walk any, and struck out two. Brandon Easton came on and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out one. Josh Guyer struck out one in a perfect inning. Cameron Booser recently signed as a non-draft free agent and made his professional debut on Thursday. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits in one inning. He struck out one. Ryan Tufts led the offense by going 3-4 with a walk and his second double. Ivory Thomas was 2-3 with two walks. Alex Swim hit his sixth double. Jonatan Hinojosa hit his fifth triple. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.