Cody Christie

Baseball is a game of streaks. Hitting streaks, winning streaks, and a pile of other streaks are all part of the game. After taking their last four games, the Lookouts entered play on Tuesday with their longest winning streak since last August. Tyler Jay was on the mound for Fort Myers and he hadn't given up a run in his last two appearances while lowering his ERA to close to 3.00. Would either of these streaks continue on Tuesday? You'll have to read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 9, Charlotte 3 Box Score Rochester's offense exploded for seven runs in the first four frames as the team collected 12 hits in the game. Every batter in the lineup had a hit with the exception of Max Kepler. Tommy Field led the way with a pair of home runs while finishing 3-for-4 with four RBI. Kennys Vargas belted his fifth home run of the season as part of a multi-hit effort. Stephen Wickens also joined the home run party with a solo shot in the third. Andrew Albers improved to 2-0 as he was able to pitch comfortably with a lead for six innings. He worked out of a few jams as he allowed 10 hits but limited the Knights to three earned runs. He struck out three and walked one. J.T Chargois was asked to get five outs and he did so by striking out five batters. Buddy Boshers and Dan Runzler each added zeros to the scoreboard during their appearances. The Red Wings continue to hover around the .500 mark and now sit at 21-18 after winning three of their last four games. Few teams are gaining much separation in the International League North as Rochester is one of three teams tied for the top spot and no team is more than three games out of first. Roster Moves: Outfielder Robbie Grossman was signed by Minnesota and assigned to Rochester. Right-handed pitcher Jose Berrios was optioned to Rochester. In a corresponding move, left-handed pitcher Taylor Rogers was recalled by Minnesota CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Biloxi 9 Box Score The Lookouts tried their best to keep their winning streak alive but an early five-run deficit was too much to overcome. Aaron Slegers got hit around for seven runs on nine hits including two long balls. He struck out three and walked two on the way to his fourth loss. Luke Westphal was called on and allowed two earned runs in three frames. Mason Melotakis and Mike Strong finished the last two innings without allowing a run but they combined to walk three without a strikeout. Zach Granite's speed was on full display in this contest as he reached base three times including a triple and had his 17th stolen base. Joe Maloney went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Travis Harrison didn't collect a hit but he did get walked three times. Daniel Palka was the only player on the team not to reach base in the game. The loss drops the Lookouts to 18-21 which is good enough for third place in the Southern League North. They are five games behind the Jackson Generals for the top spot. Chattanooga has still won seven of their last 11 and they have a quick turn-around with any early Wednesday game. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 0, Dunedin 4 Box Score Fort Myers was held to three hits as the Blue Jays cruised to an easy 4-0 shutout. Tanner Witt and Edgar Corcino both went 1-for-4 with a double but neither man made it around to score. Austin Diemer had the team's other hit, a single. Overall, the team left four runners on base and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Tyler Jay suffered his third loss but he still pitched great. Over six innings of work, he allowed one earned run on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks. In his last three starts, he has pitched 19.1 innings and only allowed one earned run while striking out 19. John Curtiss gave up three runs in his inning of work to add to the Dunedin lead. Luke Bard struck out two in the eighth frame. With the loss, the Miracle dropped to 22-17 on the season. This was the team's third loss in the last five games but the club still sits atop the standings in the Florida State League South. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 5 Box Score The Kernels found themselves in an early 3-0 hole and they spent most of the game trying to dig their way out. Cody Stashak started for Cedar Rapids and was charged with three earned runs over six innings. He struck out two and walked none. It was the fourth straight start where he has pitched into the sixth frame while allowing two earned runs or fewer. Sam Gibbons surrendered two earned runs as he walked three across two innings. Michael Cederoth struck out two in a perfect ninth. Cedar Rapids went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base. Daniel Kihle was the only batter with more than one hit. He finished the night 2-for-4 with two runs scored. J.J. Fernandez had the team's only extra base hit, a double, but he also struck out three times. LaMonte Wade reached base three times in four plate appearances. Following the loss, the Kernels dropped to 20-17 and sit two games back of Clinton for the top spot in the Midwest League Western Division. The Snappers are only one game behind the Kernels so tomorrow's game is important and Cedar Rapids send Randy LeBlanc and his 0.90 ERA to the mound. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Tyler Jay, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Tommy Field, Rochester Red Wings WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (6:05 CST)- RHP David Martinez (1-3, 5.14 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Biloxi (10:15 am CST)- RHP Ryan Eades (2-2, 5.00 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 CST)- RHP Keaton Steele (1-3, 4.01 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Beloit (6:35 CST)- RHP Randy LeBlanc (4-2, 0.90 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games. Click here to view the article

When a team starts out as poorly as the Twins have this season, fans are going to be left searching for answers. Is this Terry Ryan's fault for not having a better roster? Are the minor league coaches to blame for not preparing the team's top prospects? Or is there a much simpler answer? Over the last week, there has been plenty of discussion about Torii Hunter not being on the current Twins squad. Even national baseball writers have noticed and wondered if Hunter could make a difference in turning this team around. Hunter himself has said that the Twins' "are kind of going through the motions."For years fans of this club have engaged in endless discussion about who the clubhouse leader is with Hunter not on the roster. Joe Mauer's quiet demeanor doesn't demand everyone's attention. Some players might react better to more subtle leadership compared to Hunter's boisterous attitude. Players like Brian Dozier and Glen Perkins have taken on leadership roles but it's not quite the same as with Hunter. This isn't the first team to struggle a year after Hunter left. There's been an interesting trend in regard to teams Hunter has been on and the clubs' results in the season following his departure. Los Angeles Angels Era (2008-2012) The Angels were a playoff team the year before Hunter signed with them as a free agent but they were easily swept out of the first round by Boston. In Hunter's first LA season, the team improved from 94 wins to 100 wins, the only team in franchise history to reach the century mark. The Angeles lost to the Red Sox again in 2008 before making the ALCS in 2009 and losing to the Yankees. That was the last year Los Angeles won a playoff series. Hunter's last year in LA was 2012 when the club went 89-73 and finished five games out of first place. The season after he left was even worse as the club dropped to 78-84. The Angels finished 18 games out of first which was their worst mark since 2003. Detroit Tigers Time (2013-2014) Hunter moved on from Los Angeles and came back to the AL Central in 2013. The Tigers were coming off a World Series sweep the year prior to signing Hunter. Detroit jumped from 88 wins in 2012 to 93 wins with Hunter in the line-up. That club made it to the ALCS before falling to the Red Sox in six games. Detroit's 90 wins topped the AL Central again in 2014 but they were swept by Baltimore in the ALDS. The club took a big step backward during their first year without Hunter and finished 74-87 (20.5 games behind Kansas City). Minnesota Twins Homecoming (2015) Minnesota brought Hunter back last year on the heels of four straight 90-loss seasons. Some questioned the move since it didn't seem like the Twins were in a position to start winning now. The Twins proved plenty of doubters wrong as the team wasn't eliminated from playoff contention until the final weekend of the season. Minnesota also improved from 70 wins in 2014 to 83 wins. His play on the field wasn't leading to wins but his off the field leadership might have kept morale a little higher. It's hard to argue with results as the Twins have struggled to get to double-digits wins by the middle of May. All three of Hunter's clubs have struggled in the year after he left. Los Angeles won 11 fewer games, Detroit fell by 16 games, and Minnesota seems destined for another 90 losses. Can one player make that much of a difference? There's no way to quantify what a player's off-field contributions are to a team. A lot of this leadership happens behind closed doors and out of the earshot of local media members. From dance parties to firing guys up in the clubhouse, Hunter made his mark on this franchise but he certainly couldn't get the current squad into playoff contention by himself. Hunter has been the heart and soul of this organization during his two Minnesota stints but there isn't a simple solution to fix the 2016 Twins because there are plenty of other things wrong with this team. Pitchers need to pitch better and batters need to break out of their slumps. Baseball is a game of adjustments and this club hasn't made the right adjustments yet. No number of dance parties is going to fix those issues. Click here to view the article

The craziest rumor has been swirling around the baseball world... What if the Angels considered trading Mike Trout? By many accounts, Trout has been the best player in the baseball world since his rookie campaign. His first full season was 2012 and during that time he has the highest fWAR. It's not really all that close as Andrew McCutchen's 28.4 WAR is 11.5 point lower than Trout. He's used his five-tools to lead the league in a variety of categories and win multiple MVP awards but does it even make sense for the Angels to part ways with a once-in-a-generation player.To understand why this could be necessary, it's important to understand the current state of affairs in Los Angeles. The Angels are hurting with mounting injuries and they have a historically bad minor league system. Having the best player in the world doesn't help if a team isn't able to provide supporting pieces to make a postseason run. Los Angeles hasn't been in the playoffs since 2014 and they haven't won a playoff series since 2009. Minnesota's poor start to the season isn't exactly screaming that this club is ready to take a big step forward and make a playoff push. However, the Twins have one of the best farm systems in the game and this means they could put together quite the package to try to lure Los Angeles into at least considering a deal. Any deal for Trout would likely need to include many of the Twins best prospects. Coming into the 2016 season, Minnesota's top position player prospects included Byron Buxton, Nick Gordon, Max Kepler, and Jorge Polanco. The team's best pitching prospects were Jose Berrios, Tyler Jay, Stephen Gonsalves, and Kohl Stewart. For the Twins to make this kind of move, it would likely take five, six, or even seven of these players. The club has a lot already invested in each of these men as they get closer to becoming big league regulars. This core of young talent is supposed to change a losing culture back into this organization's winning ways. Trout is a superstar player and he can make a huge difference on the field but he can't play all nine positions at once. He is under contract through 2020 when he will be 28-years old. The scary thing could be that he might still be getting better as he gets closer to his prime and this would only add more value to his current contract. The Twins don't look like they are in a position to win this season. Trading away the organization's top prospects would be bargaining away the future with no guarantee that Trout would bring winning baseball back to Minnesota. In fact, Trout coming to Minnesota might be a worse situation for him than his current club unless the Twins were to overhaul their roster. That would be tough to do with a chunk of the farm system dealt for Trout. At this point, a deal for Trout might be a pipe dream as the Angels' GM came out and said that Trout isn't going anywhere. "We have not intent or desire to consider moving Mike Trout -- he's not moving," said Billy Eppler told Fox Sports. "He's an impact player, a huge piece in a championship core." If you are sitting in Terry Ryan's chair, what kind of offer would you put on the table? Would it be worth betting the future for the best player in the game? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Byron Buxton and Max Kepler were demoted to Rochester where the organization hoped for them to play everyday and start to build some confidence on the offensive side of the ball. Buxton has had quite the offensive stretch as he entered play on Tuesday hitting .352/.421/.676 so far in the month of May. This includes three home runs and a pair of doubles. Kepler's time in Rochester hadn't been as bold as Buxton. Since leaving Minnesota, he has hit .196/.300/.333 with four extra-base hits and six strikeouts. He has coaxed eight walks but his other offensive numbers are a little lower than most would like to see. Would Buxton continue his hot hitting? Could Kepler break out of his cold streak? Keep reading to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 9, Gwinnett 3 Box Score Byron Buxton had multiple hits for the second consecutive game. It was his sixth time in the last nine game that he has more than one hit. Max Kepler had a three-hit night and reached base in four of his five at-bats. Kennys Vargas walked four time including twice in the team's huge seven-run fourth inning. Stephen Wickens was the only Red Wings player who didn't reach base and he struck out three times. Tommy Milone made his first appearance in Rochester after starting the season in the Twins rotation. He pitched into the sixth before running into a little bit of a jam and turning things over to the bullpen. Milone struck out five, walked none, and was charged with one earned run. J.T. Chargois made his Triple-A debut by striking out two and allowing a two-run double. Marcus Walden and Ryan O'Rourke didn't allow a base-runner in the last 2.2 innings. It was the fourth straight win for the Red Wings. James Beresford extended his on-base streak to 13 games. Rochester is now a game over .500 (17-16) and three games out of first in the International League North. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Pensacola 10 (11 Innings) Box Score In a crazy, back-and-forth game, the Lookouts had to score seven runs in the final three frames to come back and force extra-innings. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Ryan Walker singled to center. During the next at-bat, he stole second and the catcher threw the ball away. This allowed Walker to scamper all the way home and score the tying run. Walker had already scored an important run in the eighth inning after leading off the frame with a single. Chattanooga outhit the Blue Wahoos 18-14 but Pensacola cracked five home runs. Travis Harrison went 4-for-5 with a walk but he failed to collect an extra-base hit. DJ Hick drove in two as part of a three-hit night. Leonardo Reginatto went 3-for-6 with his seventh double. Nick Greenwood started and allowed five earned runs on nine hits including two home runs. Corey Williams relieved Greenwood and didn't fare much better as he was charged with three earned runs. Jake Reed had a roller coaster ride as he struck out three and walked three in two innings of work but only allowed one hit and one run. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Bradenton 6 Box Score The score might make the game look closer than it was as the Miracle were outhit 13 to 3 in this one. Kohl Stewart surrendered seven of the 13 hits as he collected an out in the seventh inning for the first time this year. He was charged with three runs, two earned, while striking out four and walking none across 6.1 innings but he left the game with his team up 2-1. Raul Fernandez finished the seventh and eighth as he allowed a solo home run. Yorman Landa struck out one and walked one as he gave up multiple earned runs for the first time this season. Trey Vavra picked up his sixth double of the season and scored a run. Alex Real doubled and was one of two Miracle players to reach base twice. Max Murphy was the other player to reach twice and he drove in one of the team's two runs. Overall, the club went 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base. With the loss, the Miracle drop to four games over .500 at 18-14. Over the club's last seven games, they are 5-2. Tomorrow night's game will be the third in this back-and-forth home-and-home series with Bradenton. Fort Myers is tied with Charlotte at the top of the Florida State League South. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Kane County 2 (7 Innings) Box Score Because of rain, the Kernels were forced to push back Monday's game and play it as part of a double-header on Tuesday evening. Cody Stashak pitched into the sixth inning for the fourth consecutive start and he hasn't allowed more than two earned runs during that stretch. In this game, he pitched six innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits with three strikeouts. His ERA dropped to 1.95 on the season but he still took the loss. Michael Cederoth allowed one one hit and struck out a pair during his inning of work. Offensively, there wasn't much to talk about. The Kernels reached base three times in the entire game. Luis Arraez went 1-for-3 out of the lead-off spot. LaMonte Wade is hitting .352 after a 1-for-3 game. Catcher Rafael Valera drew the team's only walk. It's hard for any team to score runs when they only get two chances to bat with runners in scoring position. Cedar Rapids 3, Kane County 2 (7 Innings) Box Score Miles Nordgren hadn't allowed an earned run in almost a month (April 17) but that streak came to an end on Tuesday. He still made quite the effort as he struck out nine and didn't walk any in five innings pitched. Two runs were scored against him but only one was earned. Michael Theofanopoulos was outstanding in relief as he struck out the side in the sixth. After struggling for any hits in the first game of the night, the Kernels had double-digit hits. A.J. Murray was 3-for-3 with a double and his first triple of the season. With two hits in this game, Luis Arraez finished the night 3-for-7 with a double and an RBI. Brian Olson scored a pair of runs and reached base twice. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Miles Nordgren, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Max Kepler, Rochester Red Wings WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Gwinnett (6:05 CST)- LHP Andrew Albers (0-0, 5.56 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Pensacola (6:15 CST)- LHP David Hurlbut (2-1, 6.59 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST)- LHP Tyler Jay (2-2, 3.86 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Kane County (12:05 CST)- RHP Randy LeBlanc (3-2, 1.16 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games. Click here to view the article

There's been a lot of negativity surrounding the 2016 Minnesota Twins. Poor play on the field and mounting losses make it tough for the fanbase to get too excited about a team that seems to be heading for 90 losses for the fifth time in the last six seasons. However, mixed in with all that negativity have been a few bright spots. Joe Mauer seems to be back to hitting like Joe Mauer. Jose Berrios has come up and held his own through his first few starts. But the biggest surprise of the season might be the hot start by Minnesota's biggest offseason acquisition, Byung-Ho Park.Park entered play this weekend in the midst of a six-game hitting streak. That streak came to an end on Saturday after he was plunked on the knee with a Chris Sale slider. He was forced to be removed from the game but it was an impressive week of hitting from the rookie slugger. In his first 10 MLB games, Park spent some time adjusting to pitching at the big league level. He hit .167/.268/.389 with four extra-base hits and a 15 to 4 strikeout to walk ratio. Over the next 14 games, Park found his groove and hit .348/.404/.761 with eight extra-base hits (five home runs). He also reduced his strikeout to walk ratio from 12 to 4. The most impressive thing might be the fact that Park is seeing many of these pitchers for the first time. He is already making adjustments to the best pitchers in the game and the results have been impressive to say the least. Some questioned whether Park's power would translate from Korea to the United States. MLB Statcast ranks Park in the top three in the American League for home run distance as his longest home run went 451.2 feet. In fact, Park has two of the top 40 longest home runs hit in all of baseball this season. Park's heat map up to this point in the season shows why he has been effective. He takes advantage of pitches in the zone. His swing trajectory also helps him to go after pitches that are low and away while still making solid contact. By examining his spray chart, it's easy to see that he is already comfortable using all parts of the field and his home runs have gone to all parts of the park. Even with his slow start, Parks batting line is up to .256/.337/.570 and he leads the Twins with seven home runs (through play on Sunday). He does have 29 strikeouts across 98 plate appearances but those numbers were on the decline with his recent hot streak. The strikeouts were expected with his transition to the big leagues but the other numbers have to be more than the Twins could have hoped for. Park leads all AL rookies in home runs, slugging percentage, and OPS while ranking near the top in many other categories. Prospects like Byron Buxton, Jose Berrios, and Max Kepler get a lot of the hype but Park could end up being the recipient of the American League Rookie of the Year award. If Park keeps up this pace for the rest of the season, the Twins will have gotten quite the steal from Korea. Even if he can't keep the pace going, he has still shown Twins Territory "The Power of Park." Click here to view the article

One start... That's all Minnesota wanted to see from Alex Meyer before he was returned to Rochester. After making his first start at the big league level, the Twins decided that Meyer's performance wasn't good enough for a team floundering at 11 games under .500. If you are reading this article and a frequent visitor to Twins Daily, you are likely a fan of the Twins organization. For those that have read my work before, you know I am a fan of the team and I follow the minor leagues and Twins prospects with a passion. However, I feel the Twins are misusing Meyer at this point in his career.To paint the full picture, let's go back to Meyer's Minnesota origin. The Twins traded for Meyer in the winter of 2012 as they sent Denard Span to the Nationals. Meyer was a year removed from being a first-round pick after a three year collegiate career at the University of Kentucky. He's been a top-100 prospect on all three national prospect rankings (Baseball America, MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus) from 2013-15. Baseball Prospectus ranked him as the 14th best prospect as recently as 2015. There have been plenty of bumps and bruises for Meyer as he has gotten closer to the big leagues. After being considered one of the top starting pitching prospects in the game, Meyer struggled so much last season that he was sent to the bullpen to try to improve his performance. As part of the transition, things didn't go perfectly but he lowered his ERA and his SO/9 rate increased. 2016 was a new season and the Twins decided to give Meyer another chance to be a starter. He made three Triple-A appearances, two as a starter, and posted a 1.04 ERA with 19 to 4 strikeout to walk ratio. Opponents hit .183/.234/.217 against him as he only allowed two earned runs. This was a very small sample size but it was a step in the right direction after a miserable 2015. Minnesota promoted Meyer to the majors on April 25, 2016 but he wouldn't appear in a game until April 29 as a relief pitcher. In his first outing, he allowed two earned runs on five hits. During his start on Tuesday, he pitched into the third inning and allowed three earned runs with four strikeouts and three walks. After the game, he was informed that he would be going back to Rochester. For the second year in a row, the Twins let Meyer pitch in two big league games before demoting him. There are a lot of factors that go into a player being on a big league roster and it could be that Meyer is being subject to a roster crunch at this point to fit Ervin Santana back into the rotation. Minnesota wants Meyer to continue to start and there doesn't seem to be a spot for him at the big league level. From the player's perspective, it must be hard to be in Meyer's shoes. He was on a path to be a regular in the big leagues at this point in his career but that hasn't come to fruition. The Twins have shifted Meyer from starter to reliever last season and now this season he has gone back to being a starter before being brought up to be a reliever and being sent back down so he can start again. Meyer can't get settled in any specific role. He's moved between starting and relieving while also moving between Triple-A and the big leagues. There are different mindsets when it comes to starting and relieving and it can take a mental adjustment to prepare for these different roles. If Minnesota wants to know what they have in Meyer, the team should allow him to pitch at the big league level. Decide on his role and let him sink or swim. This team is not winning games right now and Meyer was supposed to be a part of the long-term solution. There has already been plenty of discussion in the forums about Meyer's demotion. I'm in the camp that Minnesota is misusing Meyer at this point in his career. He will get other opportunities but these brief tastes of the big leagues are not helping his long-term development. What camp do you fall in? Should Meyer have been demoted or should he still be part of the Twins 25-man roster? Leave a COMMENT and add to the discussion. Click here to view the article

Not all prospects pan out. That's just the nature of the game. Baseball can be a cruel and challenging journey but that's why so many people love this sport. The unknown is always around the game. On any given night, a player whose name you've never heard could make history and that history is deep-rooted and transcends generations. Byron Buxton was supposed to make his own history. He was a can't miss prospect with the potential to follow in the footsteps of current All-Stars like Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. Things haven't gone exactly to plan for Buxton and the idea starts to trickle in that the Twins might have been a little too aggressive with their budding star.Minnesota's top prospect was demoted a little over a week ago. His Triple-A results have mirrored his big league results as he is striking out too often and not getting on base enough. There has been a little bit more power, three extra-base hits and a .608 OPS, but these numbers aren't going to make the Twins come calling in the immediate future. Over the last two seasons at the big league level, Buxton has a total of 187 plate appearance and 174 at-bats with 15 extra-base hits. One of the most concerning issues has been his strikeout totals. He has 68 combined strikeouts so he struck out in 36.4% of his plate appearances. Speed is one of his biggest tools but he's only getting on base 23.9% of the time so it's hard to utilize this tool. What's Next For Byron Buxton? Buxton has plenty to prove in the minors before the Twins are willing to give him another shot at baseball's highest level. Buxton doesn't even have 100 at-bats at the Triple-A level under his belt so there is still things for him to focus on as he prepares for another big league opportunity. Strikeouts Out of players with a minimum of 40 plate appearances in 2016, Buxton's 49.0 K% is the highest in the big leagues. Since he has been in Rochester, he has improved his K% slightly to 32.4% but it's still much too high. Seeing better pitching on a daily basis has been tough for Buxton. He is going to have to learn how to make the appropriate adjustments. When he was drafted, there were some who questioned the level of competition he was facing in rural Georgia. For now, he needs to do a better job of recognizing pitches and working counts in his favor. On-Base Percentage Besides strikeouts, one of the biggest areas of concern has been Buxton's inability to get on base at a consistent clip. If he wants to be able to showcase his blazing speed, he needs to find a way to make more consistent contact and get on base. During the 2015 season at Double-A and Triple-A, Buxton hit over .300 and got on base 36.7% of the time. Those numbers would be great but with each movement up the ladder there have been new struggles . He's still almost five years younger than the competition in the International League but it can be frustrating to think that some of the best young players in the game were already finding big league success in their age-22 season. Steals Buxton stole a remarkable 55 bases in 2013 while being caught 19 times between Low-A and High-A. In his injury plagued 2014 season (31 games), he swiped six bases and was caught twice. Last season, Buxton played over 100 games and was caught stealing only five times but he was also limited to 24 steals. At baseball's highest levels, the pitchers have better pick-off moves and the catchers have stronger arms. Stealing bases is an art form and it could be one of the most valuable pieces of Buxton's game if he can find the right balance on the base paths. Is Buxton a bust as a prospect? Only time will tell at this point. There is plenty of baseball left in his career and he will have other opportunities at the MLB level. He will need to make a significant reduction in his strikeout percentage while making more consistent contact and using his speed as a weapon on the bases. This might sound like a lot but he's a young man with all the tools in the world. It's his turn to prove to the organization that he can be the player that all of the baseball world claims he should be. Click here to view the article

Mayday, Mayday! Ok, maybe there isn't anything to panic about at this point. I mean it's still early in the minor league campaign but the calendar did turn to May on Sunday. Most of the Twins' affiliates are attempting to find themselves in this early part of the year. Sunday's games were a microcosm of the season so far; there was some good pitching and not much timely hitting. Would that trend continue on Sunday or would there be a different story line to follow?RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Scranton/WB 0 Box Score Old friend Anthony Swarzak made one mistake in his return to Rochester and Adam Brett Walker made him pay. In the midst of a scoreless pitchers duel, Walker stepped in against Swarzak and belted his third home run of the season. Walker finished the day 2-for-3 with a home run and a double. Wilfredo Tovar followed up his strong performance from Saturday with a 1-for-4 day including his eighth steal. David Martinez started for Rochester and pitched into the eighth frame. He struck out six and walked one while lowering his ERA to 2.84. Buddy Boshers was asked to get outs in parts of two innings for his first hold of the year. J.R. Graham earned his third save as he didn't allow a base runner to reach. The Red Wings begin a seven-game road swing on Monday with a three-game series in Syracuse before heading to Pawtucket for four games. Rochester trails Syracuse, the current leaders of the International League North, by three games. The Chiefs are 11-4 at home this season and Rochester is 4-5 on the road. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Montgomery 0 Box Score After being nearly no-hit on Saturday night, the Lookouts returned the favor with a shutout on Sunday afternoon. Aaron Slegers was masterful as he scattered five hits over eight shutout frames. He struck out five and walked one for his second win. It was the first time he made it through eight innings since July 13 of last season with the Miracle. J.T. Chargois walked two batters in the ninth but was still able to keep the shutout alive and earn his fifth save. Zach Granite singled to start the bottom of the first and stole second for his tenth steal of the season. Following a Daniel Palka strikeout, Mitch Garver drove in Granite with a single to right. It was an early 1-0 lead and that's all the team would need. Granite finished the day 2-for-4 and Palka reached base two times. The team's five through nine hitters failed to collect a hit. These same two clubs will finish off their five game series on Monday. Both teams have won a pair of games so far. The Lookouts are 4-2 over the last week and sit five games out of first place in the Southern League North. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Charlotte 2 Box Score For the second straight day, the Miracle offense couldn't get going against the Stone Crabs pitching staff. Trevor Plouffe continued his rehab and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Between his first two games, he has gone 1-for-8. Trey Vavra collected three hits before being removed for a pinch runner in the late innings. The team's only run was scored on a solo home run off the bat of Max Murphy. Fort Myers was limited to two at-bats with runners in scoring position and neither one resulted in a hit. Randy Rosario was charged with his second loss of the season after surrendering two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and three walks. In both of his losses this season, he has pitched into the sixth inning and allowed a total of four earned runs. Luke Bard and Brandon Peterson shut down the Stone Crabs the rest of the way. Bard didn't allow a hit in 1.2 innings while Peterson hasn't allowed a run since moving from Chattanooga to Fort Myers. The Miracle finish off their nine-game road trip with a three-game series at Palm Beach. The club has gone 3-3 so far on the trip and they have yet to play Palm Beach this season. It's a critical first-half series as the Miracle currently trail the Cardinals by one game in the Florida State League South standings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids --, South Bend -- The finale of this three game series between the Kernels and the Cubs was cancelled on Sunday due to rain. This was the only scheduled series between these two teams so there will not be a make-up game. Each team won a game in the series so they will end the year with a 1-1 head-to-head record. Cedar Rapids starts a six-game road trip with a three-game series against Lansing. Cody Stashak, who was supposed to start Sunday's game, will get pushed to Monday night. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Aaron Slegers, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Adam Brett Walker, Rochester Red Wings MONDAYS'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (5:35 CST)- LHP Jason Wheeler (0-0 1.29 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Montgomery (1:15 CST)- RHP Ryan Eades (0-2, 8.00 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30 CST)- LHP Stephen Gonsalves (2-1, 1.44 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05 CST)- RHP Cody Stashak (2-0, 1.13 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games. Click here to view the article

The first month of the minor league season wrapped up on Saturday with plenty of positive signs from the Twins system. Strong pitching has been the key throughout most of the organization but there have also been some hitters who have gotten off to hot starts. As the weather continues to warm-up, it will be interesting to see the direction that will be followed by the Twins' affiliates. So what was the story on Saturday? Strong pitching? Hot hitting? Read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Scranton/WB 5 Box Score Andrew Albers made his return to the Twins organization with his first start for the Red Wings since 2013. The first inning was a little rough as he allowed back-to-back home runs to start the game. He settled down a little from there and finished the game by allowing five earned runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings. Of his 80 pitches, 50 were for strikes and he had one walk. Marcus Walden took over in the sixth and allowed a couple of inherited runners to score. Brandon Kintzler earned his fourth win out of the bullpen after throwing two scoreless frames. Buddy Boshers earned his first save by striking out the side in the ninth. Despite being outhit 12 to 9, Rochester used a pair of three-run innings to separate themselves from the RailRiders. Wilfredo Tovar and Darin Mastroianni both had two hits including a double for each. Tovar had two of the biggest hits for the Red Wings including the game-tying hit in the bottom of the eighth. Kennys Vargas plated the game-winning runs with a single to left. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 0, Montgomery 12 Box Score One hit... that's all the Lookouts could muster up in this one. Like a few other teams in the organization on Saturday, the Lookouts offense was almost nonexistent. Mitch Garver was the lone player to save the team from being no-hit. He went 1-for-2 with a walk. Three batters reached in the bottom of the ninth to load the bases but the Lookouts couldn't push across a run and were shut out for only the third time this season. Omar Bencomo made his first Southern League start and gave up eight runs, four earned, on seven hits with a strikeout and three walks. Mike Strong and Corey Williams didn't fare much better as each of them allowed a pair of runs in their combined four innings of work. All three pitchers allowed a home run and Strong was the only one to strike out more than one batter. Chattanooga finished 3-4 in the last week after Montgomery has taken two of the first three in this series. At this point, the Lookouts are at the bottom of the Southern League North standings but there is plenty of baseball left to play. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Charlotte 2 Box Score Felix Jorge continues to pitch well for the Miracle even though the offense hasn't really supported him in many of his starts. Today, the right-handed hurler pitched six strong innings while allowing two earned runs. He struck three and walked one. In both of his losses this season, he has made it through six frames and allowed a total of four runs. John Curtiss and Yorman Landa kept the team in the game as each pitched a shutout inning but the offense didn't show up. Fort Myers squeaked out four total hits and struck out 12 times. The club was limited to one at-bat with a runner in scoring position. Alex Real plated the only run for the team with a solo home run in the fourth inning. Trevor Plouffe is on rehab assignment with the club and he went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. Ryan Walker and Nick Gordon had the team's other hits. The Miracle pitching staff had recorded 32 straight scoreless innings against Charlotte and that streak extended to 33 tonight before a run pushed across the plate. With the loss, the Miracle dropped to three games over .500 at 13-10. Over the last week, the club has gone 5-2 as they sit near the top of the standings in the Florida State League South. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, South Bend 5 Box Score As has been the trend for most of this season, the Kernels offense had a tough time getting moving on Saturday night. Only three players managed hits in the game and the team left six men on base (1-for-4 with RISP). LaMonte Wade reached base in three of his four at-bats. Christian Cavaness went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk. Sean Miller scored the team's only run after he singled and stole second in the fifth frame. South Bend jumped out to an early lead after some wild plays in the first inning. The first three batters reached after a pair of singles and a throwing error by Miller. Starting pitcher Dereck Rodriguez struck out a batter before a couple of doubles and a wild pitch allowed the inning to continue. The Kernels have only lost 10 games and Rodriguez has been charged with four of those losses even though he only gave up one earned run in this game. He struck out four and walked one in four innings. Mile Nordgren did well in relief by pitching three scoreless frames. He had to dance around five hits and a walk but he continued to put zeros on the board. Michael Theofanopoulos struck out four and walked three in two scoreless innings. It was his fifth straight appearance without allowing an earned run. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Felix Jorge, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Wilfredo Tovar, Rochester Red Wings SUNDAYS'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Scranton/WB (12:35 CST)- RHP David Martinez (0-1 4.00 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Montgomery (1:15 CST)- RHP Aaron Slegers (1-1, 3.91 ERA) Fort Myers @ Charlotte (11:35 am CST)- LHP Randy Rosario (2-1, 1.02 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. West Michigan (2:05 CST)- RHP Cody Stashak (2-0, 1.13 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Click here to view the article

This week's recent disabled list fiasco at the big league level means the upper minors are pretty sparse in the starting pitching department. With Jose Berrios, Alex Meyer, and Tyler Duffey all on the big league roster, three-fifths of the Rochester rotation is no longer with the club. This left a clear need to add another starter. Minnesota wasted little time scouring independent league rosters for some help. Former Twins pitcher Andrew Albers was signed to a minor league deal and assigned to Rochester. He had been pitching for an independent team in the Atlantic League. With the continued roster movement down on the farm, how would the teams fare as they adjust to new faces in new places?RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Buffalo 2 (10 Innings) Box Score After being locked into an extra-innings battle on Tuesday, nine innings wasn't enough to decide this one between Rochester and Buffalo. Jason Wheeler was promoted from Double-A before today's game to make the start because of the trio of players mentioned above that were called up to the big leagues. Wheeler pitched a very strong game against a very experienced Bisons roster. He lasted seven innings and allowed one run on six hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Buddy Boshers relieved Wheeler and went 1.2 shutout innings while limiting Buffalo to one hit. Brandon Kintzler took the loss, his first of the season, after three singles in the bottom of the tenth inning allowed the game-winning run to score. Despite the loss, James Beresford recorded his third straight multi-hit game and finished the day 3-for-5 with an RBI. Byron Buxton notched his first multi-hit game since being demoted and he has now recorded a hit in all 15 games he has played in Rochester the last two years. Heiker Meneses recorded the team's lone extra-base hit, his first double of the season. Overall, the team left eight runners on base and went 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga (Scheduled Off Day) After another strong performance from Daniel Palka (one of my breakout hitter picks), the Lookouts enjoyed an off-day on Wednesday. Chattanooga has won two straight games and they currently have a 8-12 record while sitting 4.5 games out of first place in the Southern League North. The club resumes action on Thursday with the start of a five-game home series against Montgomery. Roster Move: Right-handed pitcher Omar Bencomo was added to the Lookouts roster. So far this season, he has been in Extended Spring Training, waiting for an opportunity. Last year he signed with the Twins later in the season and with Fort Myers, he had a 1-1 record with a 1.50 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP over 18.0 IP. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Jupiter 1 (10 Innings) Box Score Kohl Stewart did his best to put the Miracle in position to win but he wouldn't figure into the decision as the offense didn't wake up until the late innings. For the second time in his last three appearances, Stewart pitched six shutout frames. When he was pulled, he had struck out five and walked three while lowering his ERA to 1.93. Miracle starting pitchers have now tossed 25 1/3 innings over their last three games without allowing a run. Yorman Landa allowed one run after giving up a lead-off double in the seventh inning and he was in line for the loss before Trey Vavra saved the day. In the top of the ninth frame, Vavra stepped to the plate with his team down 1-0 and down to their last out. He connected on a 3-2 pitch and homered to left field to tie the game. It was just the spark the team needed as the team batted around and scored five runs in the next inning including doubles from Edgar Corcino and Chris Paul. Alex Swim led the team with three hits and Vavra plated three runs. Brandon Peterson earned his first victory of the season after tossing two scoreless frames with a strikeout. Todd Van Steensel closed things out in the bottom of the tenth as the only base runner he allowed was on a two-out walk. With the win, Fort Myers stretched their winning streak to four games. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, West Michigan 8 Box Score The Whitecaps were coming on strong on Wednesday as they plated runs in each of the first four innings including two multi-run innings. Andro Cutura took the brunt of the damage as he allowed a career high eight earned runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and a walk in four innings. Michael Theofanopoulos stopped some of the bleeding as he pitched three shutout frames with a pair of strikeouts. Zach Tillery struck out four in the final two innings. Cedar Rapids struggled offensively, going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base. A.J. Murray went 2-for-4 with his fourth double and a run scored. Luis Arraez had two hits and reached base four times. J.J. Fernandez hit his first home run, a solo-shot in the second inning to tie the game before West Michigan took back the lead. These same two teams square off tomorrow in the rubber game of this three-game set. The Kernels have lost four of their last six games so a series win could help get things moving in the right direction. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Jason Wheeler, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Trey Vavra, Fort Myers Miracle THURSDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (12:05 CST)- LHP Logan Darnell (1-2, 4.58 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Montgomery (6:15 CST)- RHP DJ Baxendale (1-2, 2.35 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter (9:30 am CST)- LHP Tyler Jay (1-1, 3.60 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. West Michigan (6:35 CST)- RHP Sam Gibbons (1-2, 5.74 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

Minnesota had their anchor at catcher but tell the baseball gods your plan and they will laugh in your face. Joe Mauer was locked into a long-term contract and he looked like he was on his way to a Hall of Fame catching career. There was a chance that Mauer could beat out the likes of Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra to be the best backstop of all time. Those plans changed in recent years as Mauer's concussion-related symptoms have moved him out from behind the plate.The Twins found themselves in a little kerfuffle with their long-term catching plans. Kurt Suzuki was brought in to bridge the gap to some of the younger catching prospects in the organization. With Suzuki's aging body, the Twins traded former first round pick Aaron Hicks to the Yankees for catcher John Ryan Murphy. Murphy has struggled in limited action this season. Through this weekend's games, he has three hits in 35 plate appearances and only one of those hits has been for extra-bases. Suzuki has fared a little better as he has gone 7-for-37 but four of his seven hits have gone for extra-bases. With the weak production from the current catching core, it's tough not to look to the future. Stuart Turner was drafted by the Twins in the third round of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft from the University of Mississippi. With his college experience, the Twins have not been afraid to be aggressive with Turner. He has been younger than the competition at every stop except for rookie ball. With Minnesota's aggressive approach, Turner has encountered some offensive struggles. At Fort Myers in 2014, he hit under .250 with a .698 OPS while getting on base 32.2% of the time. Those numbers dipped a little last season as he made the jump to Double-A. He still posted a .322 OBP but hit only .223 and slugged .306. These aren't exactly offensive numbers to write home about. Turner has gotten high praise during his time in the system as a good game caller while being a strong defensive presence behind the plate. He's a leader on and off the field and that provides a lot of value to a club even if his bat never turns around... but what if his bat finally caught up to his defensive prowess? The Twins sent Turner to the Arizona Fall League this past off-season and for the first time in his career, he has been asked to repeat a level to start 2016. The Twins could have been aggressive with him and sent him to Rochester but the organization thought it would be best for him to go back to Chattanooga. That decisions seems to be paying dividends so far. Through this weekend's action, Turner was hitting .286/.432/.486 with four doubles and a home run. All of those numbers would put him on pace for career high totals. The most positive sign might be that Turner is doing this at Double-A in his age-24 season where he is roughly the same age as the competition. This isn't a move that is going to happen in the next week or month but Turner is looking more and more like a long-term solution to the Twins catching woes. If Turner can continue to evolve into a catcher who can be more than a defense-first option, he can become a vital piece for the Twins as they head into a new era. When the Twins have gone on World Series runs in the past, the catcher has always been a role player. His defense, game calling, and leadership will continue to be strong. Turner can be that type of solid contributing role player as the Twins attempt to return to their World Series glory in the years to come. Click here to view the article

There were multiple streaks to keep an eye on during Tuesday's action in the Twins farm system. Stephen Gonsalves entered his start tonight with a streak of 11 straight scoreless innings. LaMonte Wade entered play today with a 12-game hit streak, the longest currently active streak in affiliated baseball. Would either of these streaks continue? You'll have to read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Pawtucket 9 Box Score Pat Dean and Loek van Mil ran into some tough times on the mound on Tuesday night. Dean earned his third loss after allowing four earned runs over five frames. He struck out four and walked two. Van Mil didn't do much better in relief as he gave up four runs in 1.2 innings with a strikeout. Dan Runzler and Buddy Boshers put zeros up the rest of the way but the Wings were in a deep hole. As a team, Rochester was held to four hits but three of the four hits were for extra-bases. David Murphy hit his first home run since signing with the Twins. James Beresford and Kennys Vargas both collected their second double of the season. Wilfredo Tovar doubled his stolen base total on the year by swiping second twice in the game. The team was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left five runners on base. With the loss, the Red Wings drop to 4-8 on the season as the team has lost six of their last eight games. They are currently in last place in the International League North and trail the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders by four games. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Mississippi 7 Box Score David Hurlbut started for the Lookouts and he couldn't make it out of the fourth inning. In 3.1 innings, he allowed four earned runs on nine hits with three strikeouts. Corey Williams took over for Hurlbut and allowed one run, a solo home run, across two innings with three strikeouts. Marcus Walden and Jake Reed finished off the last 2.2 innings by allowing one run, a home run given up by Reed. Joe Maloney and Levi Michael each went 1-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI, and a walk. Leonardo Reginatto had the team's lone extra-base hit, his third double of the season. Shannon Wilkerson reached base three times but also struck out twice. The team left nine men on base and went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The loss drops Chattanooga to 4-9 on the season as the team has lost four of their last five games. They are currently in last place in the Southern League North and sit 4.5 games behind the Jackson Generals. These two teams will square off again tomorrow in game four of a five game series. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Jupiter 1 Box Score Stephen Gonsalves has been on quite the roll to start the season. He gave up three runs in his first inning this season and he entered the night with 11 straight scoreless frames. He carried that streak into the fifth inning tonight before allowing a leadoff home run. Gonsalves wouldn't factor into the decision but he made it through seven innings by allowing the one earned run with eight strikeouts and a walk. Trevor Hildenberger earned his first victory of the year as he pitched two scoreless innings to close out the contest. Alex Swim was the lone Miracle batter with multiple hits as he finished the night 2-for-4 before being pulled for a pinch runner in the late innings. Tanner English walked to start the bottom of the sixth inning and followed this up by stealing second. Swim grounded out to advance him to third and Nick Gordon drove him in with another ground out. English was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the eighth and this was followed by a Swim single. One batter later, Trey Vavra walked to load the bases for Chris Paul who used a sacrifice fly to score the winning run. With the victory, the Miracle have won six of their last eight games. Their six-game homestand continues tomorrow with the second game of their series with Jupiter. Former first-round pick Kohl Stewart is scheduled to take the mound. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Burlington 5 Box Score The Kernels struggled to get any offense going against Bee's starter Jamie Barria as he took a perfect game into the fifth inning. However, the Kernels were right in the game behind a solid start from Randy LeBlanc. He lasted a career-high seven innings and limited the Bees to two runs (one earned) on four hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Logan Lombana allowed three earned runs in his one inning on the mound to allow the Bees to add to their late inning lead. Seven of the nine batters in the Kernels line-up had a hit but the team only had four at-bats with runners in scoring position. Rafael Valera cracked his fourth double of the season as he drove in the team's lone run. In the seventh inning, J.J. Fernandez tried to score from first on a double from Jermaine Palacios but he was gunned down at the plate and the Kernels were out of scoring opportunities. LaMonte Wade's 12-game hit streak was snapped with an 0-for-4 day. The Kernels and the Bees are tied at 1-1 in this three game series with the rubber match scheduled for Wednesday evening. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Stephen Gonsalves, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Alex Swim, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Pawtucket (12:35 CST)- RHP Alex Meyer (1-0, 0.00 ERA) Chattanooga @ Mississippi (10:35 am CST)- RHP Aaron Slegers (0-1, 3.60 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Jupiter (6:05 CST)- RHP Kohl Stewart (1-0, 1.50 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST)- RHP Andro Cutura (2-0, 2.45 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games. Click here to view the article

Minnesota's minor league affiliates are starting to hit their stride as the season is underway and players are beginning to settle into their roles with the club. The weather is still chilly in many parts of the country and this can impact both pitchers and hitters at this early junction of the season. Over the last two weeks, I've tried to pick out some breakout minor league players on both sides of the ball. Some of the hitters I selected are off to decent starts and I expect their bats to heat up as the weather improves. Pitchers can be up and down but one of the players I picked had a tremendous start on Tuesday night. Let's dive into the action.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 6 Box Score (Game 1- 7 Innings) Lehigh Valley wasted little time jumping on Logan Darnell as the IronPigs used a two-run home run in the first inning to take the lead and never looked back. Darnell allowed six earned runs on seven hits in five innings of work. Buddy Boshers and Dan Runzler put up zeros the rest of the way but there wasn't enough offensive firepower in game 1. Rochester was held with out an extra-base hit and Reynaldo Rodriguez was the only batter to record multiple hits. Jorge Polanco knocked in the team's only run with a sacrifice fly and he ended the game hitting .462 so far this season. Rochester 0, Lehigh Valley 4 Box Score (Game 2- 7 Innings) Mark Appel showed Rochester why he was the first overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft. He pitched into the sixth inning while scattering five hits and striking out five. David Martinez started opposite Appel and was pulled after 6.1 innings as he allowed three earned runs on seven hits. Ryan O'Rourke recorded the last two outs but not before allowing the final run to score. Both Rochester pitchers failed to strike out a batter. Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a couple of singles to complete a four-hit day. Juan Centeno had the team's only extra-base hit, a double, and it was his first double of the season. The team saw very limited action with runners in scoring position (0-for-3 with RISP) and left seven men on base. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 4 Box Score A day after the Twins competed in their home opener the Lookouts returned to Chattanooga for a home opener of their own. The Lookouts have struggled out of the gate this season (1-5 record) and that trend continued on Monday as the club lost a back-and-forth battle with Jackson. Jason Wheeler started the night on the mound and he did not allow an earned run in six frames. However, an Engelb Vielma error at shortstop led to three unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning. One inning later, Travis Harrison collected a two-out RBI single after Zach Granite had started the inning with a double. Granite went 2-for-5 while scoring twice. Leonardo Reginatto, Stuart Turner and Joe Maloney all had doubles but the team left 10 runners on base and was 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Alex Wimmers pitched a perfect seventh inning with a strikeout and no walks. Mason Melotakis was charged with his first loss of the season as he gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth frame. J.T. Chargois struck out a pair of batters to close out the ninth. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Brevard County 1 Box Score Randy Rosario was the story of this game as he took a perfect game into the sixth inning and the Miracle were able to survive with a 2-1 victory. Rosario retired the first 16 batters and struck out four batters in the first two frames. By the time he was removed, he had eight strikeouts across six innings with no walks and two hits. Luke Bard got into some trouble by allowing a single and a double before inducing a double play and a ground out. Yorman Landa earned a hold even though he allowed the Manatees one run. Todd Van Steensel earned his first save with one strike out and a walk in the ninth. The scoring got started early for the Miracle as Chad Christensen blasted a two-run home run in the first inning. Tanner English started the game with a walk and stole second before the home run. Nick Gordon reached base two times in four trips and T.J. White ended the game 2-for-4, his third multi-hit game. Trey Vavra extended his hitting streak to five games. Every batter in the line-up recorded at least one hit with the exception of Brian Navarreto. With the win, the Miracle improved to 3-3 and send Stephen Gonsalves, one of the organization's top pitching prospects, to the mound on Wednesday night. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Kane County 2 Box Score In his first start in the Midwest League, Miles Nordgren took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before back-to-back batters reached base. He ended the day with five innings pitched and one earned run on one hit with two strikeouts and two walks. Cody Stashak was nearly as impressive in relief. He allowed one earned run on two hits in four innings of work for his first professional save. Cedar Rapids got their scoring started in the third inning. A pair of walks and an infield hit left the bases loaded. Sean Miller hit a foul ball that was deep enough to score the game's first run. LaMonte Wade followed this up with a sacrifice fly of his own to push the lead to 2-0. Chris Paul was the only Kernel with multiple hits as he went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. Jermain Palacios plated a pair of runs and Wade cracked his third double of the young season. The Kernels improved to 5-1 with the win and sit atop the Midwest League Western division. Cedar Rapids will look to take the series from Kane County in tomorrow morning's (11:00 am CST) rubber match with Randy LeBlanc on the mound. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Randy Rosario, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Chad Christensen, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley (12:35 CST)- RHP Tyler Duffey (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Jackson (10:15 am CST)- RHP DJ Baxendale (0-1, 4.50 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Brevard County (6:05 CST)- LHP Stephen Gonsalves (0-1, 4.50 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (11:00 am CST)- RHP Randy LeBlanc (1-0, 1.80 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games. Click here to view the article