Cody Christie

On Tuesday it was announced that New Britain Rock Cats outfield Daniel Ortiz was selected as the Eastern League Player of the Week for the period of May 19th-May 25th. Over six games, he hit .480 with four doubles, a triple and two home runs. He had at least one hit in all six games and he post back-to-back three hit nights earlier in the week. During the last week, Ortiz led the league in slugging percentage (.960), OPS (1.460) and tied for the league lead in extra-base hits (7) Would Ortiz's hot hitting continue this week? Read on to find out. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Syracuse 10 Box Score Syracuse must have been sick of losing to Rochester. Coming into the game the Red Wings had beaten the Chiefs in three straight games and outscored them 24-10. Scott Diamond is not making it easy for Rochester to win the games he starts. After giving up seven runs in 3.1 innings, his ERA is up to 7.51 and his WHIP is the highest in the International League. He hasn't won a start since May 2 and he's given up five runs or more in four of his nine starts. Yohon Pino, Deolis Guerra and Edgar Ibarra did their best to clean up the mess as they combined to give up three earned runs over the last 5.2 frames. There wasn't much to speak of on the offensive side. Chris Herrmann and Chris Colabello made their return to the Rochester line-up after being sent down on Monday. Herrmann went 2-for-4 with a run scored while Colabello went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. Chris Rahl had the lone extra-base hit, a double that scored two runs. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 5, Portland 5 (2 Innings-Suspended for wet grounds) Box Score The Rock Cats didn't get very far into their game with the Sea Dogs but there was plenty of action. New Britain got on the board early with a big five-run first inning. Daniel Ortiz continued his hot hitting ways with two hits including a triple. Reynaldo Rodriguez cracked a two-run home run, his eighth of the season. Pat Dean got beat up in the rainy weather as he allowed five runs on six hits in 1.1 innings. He walked one and struck out one. The game is scheduled to be completed on Wednesday as part of a double-header. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 11, Clearwater 0 Box Score Matt Tomshaw twirled eight shutout innings and he faced just one batter over the minimum. He was able to get around his two walks and three hits because of four double plays turned behind him. It was his fourth straight win in May and he has only allowed two earned runs so far this month. Brandon Peterson had a strikeout as he closed out the ninth inning to preserve the shutout. Stuart Turner put together a very impressive night at the plate. He went 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI. It was his second consecutive multi-hit game and he's hit safely in eight of his last ten games. Five other hitters in the Miracle line-up had two hits or more. Max Kepler scored three runs and Niko Goodrum added a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 16, Beloit 5 Box Score The Kernels exploded for seven runs in the fifth inning and 16 runs, a season high, over four innings to pound the Beloit Snappers. Every Kernels starter had a hit besides JD Williams and he still scored three runs and had an RBI without recording a hit. Surprisingly, there was only one extra-base hit out of the 16 hits for Cedar Rapids. Mitch Garver went 3-for-5 with 4 RBI and Ivory Thomas hit a pinch-hit three run homer to cushion the lead. Jake Mauer was able to use a variety of pitchers in the late innings since his club scored so many runs. Derrick Penilla started things for Cedar Rapids and he went four shutout frames while walking three and striking out two. It was only his second start of the season and it was the most innings he has pitched this year. Brandon Bixler picked up the win but he was charged with five runs in less than three innings. Jared Wilson and Hudson Boyd combined to shut out the Kernels in the last 2.1 innings. The Kernels improved to 4-2 against the Snappers this season. After the series win, the Kernels won't face the Snappers again in the first half. The two teams meet again in August TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Matt Tomshaw, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Stuart Turner, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:05 CST)- Alex Meyer (Listen) New Britain @ Portland- Taylor Rogers (Listen) New Britain @ Portland (5:00 CST)- Competition of 5/28 Game Fort Myers @ Clearwater (12:00 CST)- David Hulbut (Listen) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST)- Aaron Slegers (Listen) Photo of Matt Tomshaw by Linwood Ferguson, Ft. Myers Miracle.

As spring training began in Twins Territory, there were questions about who should be starting at third base when the team headed north. Trevor Plouffe was coming off an underwhelming season where he dealt with some injuries and he struggled defensively at third base. Miguel Sano was ranked as one of the best prospects in the game and his powerful swing looked primed to make his debut. Flash-forward a couple months and Sano is recovering from Tommy John surgery while Plouffe has continued to look more comfortable at the plate and in the field. Plouffe is never going to be a high batting average player but he's changed some of his offensive approach. Last season, he set a career high in doubles with 22 and this season he's already notched 18 two-baggers. His OPS+ of 113 breaks his career high from back in 2012 when he went HR crazy for a few weeks. There have been two big changes for Plouffe this season. The first has been his plate discipline and more importantly his ability to coax walks. He has 19 walks to his credit this year but he has increased is BB% from 6.5% in 2013 to close to 10% in 2014. Plouffe has also seen more pitches per game this season than last year. In 2013, he averaged 4.04 pitches seen per at-bat and that number has jumped to 4.60 in 2014. Another area of improvement for Plouffe has been his ability to drive the ball to the opposite field. Last season, he had a total of six doubles to the opposite field and only two of those balls were to the gap. Already this season he has ten doubles to the opposite field and seven of those doubles are in the gap. His line drive percentage has also increased from 24.7% to 28.5%. Plouffe is in his first year of being arbitration eligible since he qualified as a Super 2 player. His salary bumped up to $2.35 million this season and that number will continue to increase in the years to come. Here's a fun little player comparison between two former Twins first round picks. Player A: 1544 PA, .260/.336/.444, 86 2B, 48 HR, .184 ISO, .304 BABIP Player B: 1544 PA, .242/.305/.413, 78 2B, 51 HR, .171 ISO, .281 BABIP Player A is Michael Cuddyer, another late bloomer with the Twins. Player B is Trevor Plouffe through Wednesday night's game in San Diego. It took Cuddyer over 1500 at-bats to consistently compile an OPS+ of over 100. Plouffe is around that mark and he just crossed the 1500 career at-bats. If Plouffe can continue to make small improvements, the Twins are going to have to continue to find room for him on their line-up card.

Minnesota starts into a West Coast swing of baseball action on Tuesday. The club will play two games in San Diego before heading up the coast for a weekend series in San Francisco. This means some late night baseball action for Twins Territory, as most of the team's games won't be starting until 8:00 pm or later. The Twins have won each of their last three series including two out of three from Boston and Detroit. If the Twins want to continue to be relevant in the AL Central, they will need to continue to win series. The Tigers are out to an early lead in the division and they are playing at a very high level. Down in the minor leagues, there were three very strong starts by pitchers in New Britain, Fort Myers, and Cedar Rapids. Were their teams able to pick up the victories? You'll have to read on to find out! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Toledo 3 Box Score The loss by Rochester ended a seven-game winning streak and a 10-game home winning streak. It was the third time the Red Wings have been shut out this season and Toledo has done it to them twice. Scott Diamond started and lasted seven innings while giving up three runs on six hits. He tied his season high in strikeouts with six and he hasn't allowed a walk in his last 13.1 innings. James Beresford went 1-for-4 in the game and extended his hitting streak to seven games. He also has a 13-game home hitting streak in front of the Frontier Field faithful. Doug Bernier started at first base and he has now started at six different positions (1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, and RF) for the Wings this season. Pedro Florimon had two hits and his sixth error in the field. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 7, Richmond 2 Box Score Daniel Ortiz powered the Rock Cats past the Flying Squirrels on Tuesday night. Ortiz went 3-for-4 with two doubles and it was his second consecutive multi-hit game. The first four hitters in New Britain's line-up all had multi-hit games and they combined to go 9-for-15 with three doubles and five runs scored. Overall, the team is hitting almost .500 with runners in scoring position and this certainly helped the pitching staff on this night. Sean Gilmartin had plenty of run support and he didn't need it all. Over 8.0 innings, he allowed two runs on four hits, struck out a season high nine batters and issued no walks. It was his first win since May 2nd and it was the first time he had pitched more than 6.2 innings this season. Lester Oliveros struck out one in a perfect ninth inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Dunedin 2 Box Score A four-run fourth inning helped the Miracle break open a tie game. Travis Harrison started the frame with a double and Dalton Hicks followed that up with a walk. A few pitches later Niko Goodrum drove in both base runners with triple. Adam Brett Walker knocked in Goodrum with a single and a few batters later he scored on a Jonathan Murphy single. The Miracle were up 5-1 and they didn't look back. To cap off a solid day of starting pitching by Twins minor leaguers (Cedar Rapids played an afternoon game), Matt Tomshaw went seven frames, allowing two runs on five hits. Both runs scored against him were home runs but they were solo shots, helping keep his team in the game. He struck out four and walked one. Madison Boer pitched two shutout innings to finish the game. He allowed one hit and stuck out two. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 2 Box Score JD Williams played the hero in this game as his pinch-hit, two run single in the bottom of the eighth turned out to be the difference. Bryan Santy had a good day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with his third double of the season. He also scored two of the team's four runs. Ivory Thomas and Carlos Avila each went 2-for-2 at the dish. Kohl Stewart didn't figure into the decision but he was outstanding on the mound. He tossed six frames and allowed one run on four hits. He struck out three and walked one. It was the first time he has pitched at least six innings since April 25th and it was only the second time all year he made it that far into a game. His ERA is down to 2.21 for the season over 40.2 innings. Alex Muren picked up his first win of the season, allowing one run in two innings of relief work. He struck out three and didn't walk any. Todd Van Steensel earned his second save by pitching a scoreless ninth frame. 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, New Britain Rock Cats SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester- Scheduled off day Richmond @ New Britain (5:35 CST)- Pat Dean (Listen) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 CST)- David Hulbut (Listen) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST)- Felix Jorge (Listen) The Twins beat the Padres last night so on Wednesday you can get a half price large or extra-large pizza from PapaJohns.com with the promo code TWINSWIN.

The 1991 World Series will always hold a special place in the heart of Twins fans. Kirby Puckett's heroics in Game 6 and the magnificent pitching performance of Jack Morris are legendary moments etched into the minds of a generation of baseball fans. Many consider this World Series as the best of all time and it all comes into focus in the newly released book "Down to the Last Pitch." To get a better understanding of this legendary World Series, author Tim Wendel breaks down every game by using the words and stories from the players who were in the middle of the action. Wendel was a founding editor of USA Today Baseball Weekly and he has authored ten books. His years of being around the game of baseball are evident throughout the book's chapters. This specific World Series will always be marked as a special time in baseball. Changes would hit the game hard in the coming years. Performance enhancing drugs and labor unrest would be baseball's themes for the next decade. "In a lot of ways it will always be a sweet spot in time," said Steve Hirdt of the Elias Sports Bureau. "Not only did this one Series have everything you ever wanted in terms of pressure games and great performances, you also look back on it fondly because of what was to come, the challenges the game would soon face." Each chapter of this 253-page book is dedicated to one game in the Series. However, Wendel doesn't just retell the story of each pitch or each at-bat. He delves into the back-stories of the players on the rosters for the Braves and the Twins. He explores other stories from around the baseball world, like Ricky Henderson's stolen base record, Nolan Ryan's final no-hitter and Pete Rose being banned for life. Baseball is never about one team or one player. It is about the stories and the history that take place on an everyday basis. One of my favorite stories in the book took place in spring training 1991. The author, a man who covered National League baseball until '91, was trying to get to know the teams and players of the American League. He showed up late one evening to the Lee County Sports Complex in Fort Myers and he heard someone taking batting practice. What he ended up finding was Kent Hrbek, Chili Davis and Dan Gladden watching Kirby Puckett taking hacks in the batting cage. Some interesting conversations took place as a strange reporter showed up to their impromptu batting session and it ended with an interesting back-and-forth between the parties involved. Did those extra spring training BP sessions pay off for the Twins? No one may ever know but the team wound up in the middle of a World Series for the ages. Five of the seven games were decided in the home team's last at-bat, four games were decided on the last pitch and three games finished in extra-innings. Wendel's baseball acumen and historical knowledge make this a book for any baseball fan. This isn't just a story of the Twins winning or the Braves losing. It is a snapshot of baseball in the early 1990's, a simpler time when "everyone involved was left with memories of the last fine time in baseball."

It has been a rough season for some of the top position players in the Twins minor league system. Eddie Rosario is serving a 50-game suspension after he tested positive for marijuana use. Miguel Sano had to undergo Tommy John surgery and the earliest he could be on the field is very late in the summer. To cap it all off, Byron Buxton, the consensus top prospect in all baseball, has played a whopping five games this year because of a wrist injury and its aggravation. Byron Buxton Original Outlook (2014): After tearing up both Low-A and High-A last season, Buxton was expected to spend most of the season at Double-A. This would have left him with an outside chance at making his big league debut as a September call-up. Injury Issue: Buxton missed all of the first month of the season with a wrist injury. This forced the Twins to send him back to Fort Myers to work himself back into form after the injury. He played five games and went just 3-for-20 with a double and a home run before he re-injured his wrist sliding into third base. Consequences of Lost Playing Time: One of the things that made Buxton move up the prospect charts so quickly was his achievement at each level for his young age. Last season he was two years younger than the average age of position players in the Midwest League. He dominated the Florida State League and he was almost four years younger than players in that league. There are comparisons between him and Mike Trout and Buxton's numbers are even better at the same point. Every at-bat is important for development and he is losing precious development time. Miguel Sano Original Outlook (2014): After producing some of the best power numbers in the minor leagues, Sano was expected to get the majority of his playing time at Triple-A. This would have left him knocking on the door to the big leagues shortly after the All-Star Game. Injury Issue: Something wasn't right with Sano's elbow for most of the off-season. He wasn't able to fully participate in Winter League action but the Twins wanted him to try to rest his sore elbow. After he reported to big league camp, the reports were mostly positive as he tried to stretch out his arm. It was eventually decided that Tommy John surgery was the only option as he continued to deal with pain. Consequences of Lost Playing Time: Much like Buxton, one of the reasons Sano was so highly touted was his advanced ability at such a young age. When he was playing with New Britain at the end of 2013, he was almost 4.5 years younger than the competition. He has more professional playing time than Buxton and he reached a higher level even though they are close to the same age. Sano's injury is frustrating especially since he was dealing with elbow problems for much of the off-season. He'll try and get back in games at the end of this year and this will push back his debut into 2015. Eddie Rosario Original Outlook (2014): After transitioning to the middle infield and getting some extra at-bats in the Arizona Fall League, Rosario was supposed to end up in Rochester to push for the big leagues. He and Sano have followed much of the same path so a late season call-up was not out of the question. Injury Issue: Rosario reported to Twins camp three weeks after the other minor league players. The only word out from the Twins front office was that he was dealing with "personal issues." After he reported to extended spring training, word came out that his suspension was due to smoking marijuana during the Arizona Fall League. He is also rehabbing a sore elbow. Consequences of Lost Playing Time: While Buxton and Sano are trying to get healthy and back on the field, Rosario is dealing with a different kind of recovery. He made a mistake in the off-season and he is dealing with the consequences. Rosario's suspension will be over at the end of May so he will likely beat the other two players back onto the field. There was an outside chance of him making his debut this year but that likely won't happen because of his lost at-bats. It will also be interesting to see if the Twins continue to use him at second base because of Brian Dozier's emergence. Twins held on to beat the Mariners 5-4 last night, and you win today. Get a half-price large or extra-large pizza today (Saturday) from PapaJohns.com when you use the promo code TWINSWIN.

It’s shaping up to be a killer couple of days for Cedar Rapids. After the first two games of their four-game set with Peoria got rained out, the Kernels are forced to play double-headers on Tuesday and Wednesday. In their two other double-headers this season, the Kernels have played to an all or nothing result. They have either swept or gotten swept by the opposition. This had left the club with a 2-2 record in double-header action this season. How would they fare tonight? Would they be the sweepers or the swept? TRANSACTIONS In the Cedar Rapids game, two Kernels were hurt and put on the Disabled List before game two. Listen to last night's Twins Hangouts to learn who the Kernels have promoted from Extended Spring Training. Also, Seth and Jeremy were joined early in the show by top left-handed pitching prospects, Stephen Gonsalves and Lewis Thorpe. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6. Columbus 0 (6 innings- Rain) Box Score Rochester decided to have a home run party. The only requirement was that the batter couldn't of hit a home run yet this season at the Triple-A level. Eric Farris, Oswaldo Arcia, Deibinson Romero, and Chris Herrmann each met the criterion. They were all solo home runs except for Arica's two-run shot. After a two-hit effort, Farris now has a team leading 15 multi-hit games in 32 starts this season. Trevor May was pitching against another tough Trevor, Trevor Bauer. May gave up three hits and struck out six over six frames. It was the first time Bauer has lost this season and the win ended Rochester's eight game losing streak. The Red Wings have a season high five-game winning streak at home. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 4, Portland 2 Box Score The Rock Cats turned to Taylor Rogers to continue their recent winning ways. The club had won back-to-back games coming into the night and Rogers did his best to continue the streak. He tossed six innings of one-run ball by striking out seven and walking three. Over his last two starts, he has pitched a minimum of six innings and allowed one earned run or less. It was also his third straight victory. Kennys Vargas and Reynaldo Rodriguez both had multi-hit nights and each scored two runs. It was the eighth double of the season for Vargas. Brandon Waring and Daniel Ortiz each added a double to help the Rock Cat offense. Waring's two-out double knocked in Rodriguez and Vargas and that hit made the difference in the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Brevard County 0 Box Score Jose Berrios, one of the Twins top pitching prospects, completed 6.1 innings of shutout ball by limiting Brevard County to three hits. He didn't allow a hit until the fifth and his eight strikeouts were a season high. Berrios might have been able to finish the seventh inning if not for a missed catch error by first baseman Mike Gonzales. Madison Boer and Brandon Peterson helped to complete the shutout by allowing only a hit each. The Miracle didn't need a ton of offense but they scored enough to get a comfortable lead. Travis Harrison is in the midst of a four game hitting streak and he knocked two doubles. Aderlin Mejia and John Murphy each collected two hits including a double apiece. Jorge Polanco scored two runs and he extended his hit streak to 11 consecutive games. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 3 (Game 1) Box Score The Kernels got out-hit 11 to two but the club held a two run lead heading into the fifth inning, when Peoria got their big inning. After allowing one run in the first, starting pitcher Ethan Mildren settled in before allowing three doubles and three runs in the top of the fifth. His record dropped to 0-2 despite having a 3.10 ERA after allowing two runs or less in every start prior to today. Jason Kanzler provided all the offense for the Kernels. With two outs in the fourth, he cracked his third double of the season to drive in two runs. He also swiped two bases to bring his season total to seven. Overall, there wasn’t a ton of offense to speak of from Cedar Rapids. Note - In the first game, Engelb Vielma hurt his leg (specific injury not yet known) in his first at bat. Later in the game, Tanner Vavra and Jason Kanzler collided going for a pop up. Kanzler was put on the Disabled List with a concussion. Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 6 (Game 2) Box Score A big five-run third inning doomed the Kernels and starting pitcher Josue Montanez. He was charged with five earned runs on four hits and his ERA is up to 8.74. It's been back-to-back rough starts for Montanez as he allowed eight earned runs in less than two innings in his previous appearance. Bryan Haar clocked his sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot. The long ball gave Cedar Rapids an early lead but it wasn't enough. Haar finished the double-header going 4-for-6 with three runs scored. Bo Altobelli added two hits and an RBI in this game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Jose Berrios, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Bryan Haar, Cedar Rapids Kernels WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ Rochester (6:05 CST)- Scott Diamond Portland @ New Britain (5:35 CST)- Tyler Duffey Fort Myers @ Brevard County (9:35 CST)- David Hulbut Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST)- Kohl Stewart Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (30 min. after Game 1)- Felix Jorge Since the Twins beat the Red Sox on Tuesday night thanks to a walk-off homer from Chris Parmelee, you can get 50% off your online order at PapaJohns.com on Wednesday using the code "TWINSWIN".

On last week's episode of Talk to Contact, Darren "Doogie" Wolfson spent some time with us discussing the possibility of a Brian Dozier contract extension. He mentioned that Dozier's agent has already approached the Twins about this possibility. By the end of the interview, he said he wouldn't be surprised if Dozier has a new contract in place by the end of spring training next year. From the perspective of the Twins front office, there might not be a reason to be in a rush with Dozier. He didn't make his big league debut until the age of 24. His first year of arbitration eligibility is 2016 and he can't be a free agent until 2019. Dozier would be 31-years old before he hit the free agent market and a lot can happen to a player over the course of multiple seasons. On the other hand, Minnesota might want to lock-up Dozier before he gets to arbitration because of the way he has played since the second half of last season. Dozier's power swing really showed up in the last year's second half. He slashed .253/.313/.443 with 10 home runs and 18 doubles. His batting average is never going to be the prettiest (he's a career .240 hitter) but his combination of stellar defense and base running ability make him very valuable. A hot start from Dozier in 2014 could mean his cost is starting to rise. He already has nine home runs to his name and his 34 runs scored leads the American League. The addition of Hall-of-Famer Paul Molitor to the coaching staff must also be helping Dozier. One of Molitor's duties is base running coach and Dozier is closing in on a career high in steals. He collected 14 steals a season ago and he already has 12 in 2014. So what could a Dozier extension look like in the next year? A starting point for the Twins and Dozier could be the deal signed by Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko. Gyorko was drafted a year after Dozier and he made his debut on roughly the same timeline. Even though he was still arbitration eligible, the Padres inked him to a 5-year, $35 million contract, which includes a team option for a sixth year. This could mean Gyorko is in San Diego through 2020. Another second baseman to sign a recent contract extension was Jason Kipnis. Like Dozier, he was drafted in 2009 but he made his debut a year earlier. He also has an All-Star appearance to his name and he was closer to free agency by a year. The Indians gave Kipnis a 6-year, $52.5 million deal with a team option for 2020. Looking at these two deals I would put Dozier somewhere in the middle of these two players. The Twins should offer Dozier a 5-year deal for around $40 million with a team option for a sixth year. His average salary would be less than Kipnis and higher than Gyorko. I could see it going a little higher than $40 million but not too much higher. This deal would lock up Dozier through his arbitration years and push back his free agent years.

In Monday’s Twins game, Danny Santana made his rookie debut as a pinch runner in the late innings. He would collect his first MLB hit later in the game. Tonight he got to make his first big league start at shortstop and he batted ninth in the order. He went 0-for-3 but he showed off his strong arm while turning a tough double play. Byron Buxton has been trying to work out the kinks in his swing as he returned from an early season wrist injury. The first few games were rough as he went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts. Understandably, there would be some rust in the early going but could he shake off some of that rust on Tuesday evening? RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5. Columbus 3 Box Score Rochester jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but the pitching staff couldn't hold on and the offense went cold. Oswaldo Arcia had the team's lone extra-base hit as his double helped to give the team an early lead. Deibinson Romero had two hits and he knocked in a couple runs but he also had his seventh fielding error of the season. A night after knocking his second career home run, James Beresford was quiet at the plate as he went 0-for-3 with a walk. Kris Johnson was making his first start back in Rochester since he made a spot start for the Twins at the end of last week. He struck out eight and pitched into the sixth inning before running into some trouble. In the end, he was only charged with one earned run. Matt Guerrier took the loss as he gave up three runs on three hits including a home run. It was the first time Rochester has lost back-to-back games since April 25-26. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, Trenton 0 Box Score The month of May has been very kind to the Rock Cats. After finishing the month of April with a 6-16 record, New Britain has won six of their first seven games since the calendar turned. Taylor Rogers certainly helped the club continue their winnings ways. He tossed 6.1 innings of shutout ball by scattering five hits. He struck out five and walked two. His ERA was over 8.00 entering the game but his effort tonight dropped it to under 6.50. Offensively the Rock Cats got help from all parts of their line-up. Daniel Ortiz and Reynaldo Rodriguez each added a couple hits and they combined for three of the team's RBI. Both of the RBI for Ortiz came with two outs and he is up to 11 RBI for the year. Kennys Vargas was also highly involved in the offense as he knocked in two runs and scored two runs. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 0 Box Score In only his third game since returning from injury, Byron Buxton snapped back in a big way. He launched a two-run shot in the bottom of the first innings. The Miracle would stay on top the rest of the way. Max Kepler also hit a two-run homer, his second long ball of the year. Levi Michael and Niko Goodrum both had multi-hit nights to help pace the offense. Goodrum also stole his fifth base of the season. The Miracle used four different pitchers for the shutout. Replacing scheduled starter Brett Lee, Steven Gruver pitched the first four frames while striking out two and walking two. Tim Shibuya earned his third victory by tossing the next three innings and only allowing one hit. Brandon Peterson struck out the side in the eighth and Tyler Jones shut the door in the ninth. It was the second straight win for Fort Myers after a four game losing streak to start the month of May. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 10 Box Score Bryan Haar hit his fifth home run of the season and JD Williams reached base safely in all five plate appearances. Williams was credited with a single, a double, two walks, and a hit by pitch. This still wasn't nearly enough as the trailed 8-1 after just two innings. The River Bandits pounced on Josue Montanez early as he was knocked out after only 1.2 frames. He allowed eight earned runs on seven hits with one strikeout and three walks. Todd Van Steensel, Christian Powell, and Alex Muren did a good job of stopping the bleeding. The bullpen crew limited Quad Cities to two runs over the last 6.1 innings to keep the game from getting too out of hand. Last year's top pick Kohl Stewart will get the start on the mound tomorrow. He looks to set the pace and get the team headed back in the right direction. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Taylor Rogers, New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Niko Goodrum, Fort Myers Miracle SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (5:35 CST)- Trevor May New Britain @ Bowie (5:35 CST)- Tyler Duffey Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:35 CST)- TBD Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:35 CST)- Kohl Stewart

In Monday’s Twins game, Danny Santana made his rookie debut as a pinch runner in the late innings. He collected his first MLB hit later in the game. Tonight he got to make his first big league start at shortstop and he batted ninth in the order. He went 0-for-3 but he showed off his strong arm while turning a tough double play. Byron Buxton has been trying to work out the kinks in his swing as he returned from an early season wrist injury. The first few games were rough as he went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts. Understandably, there would be some rust in the early going but could he shake off some of that rust on Tuesday evening? RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3. Columbus 5 Box Score Rochester jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but the pitching staff couldn't hold on and the offense went cold. Oswaldo Arcia had the team's lone extra-base hit as his double helped give the team an early lead. Deibinson Romero had two hits and knocked in a couple runs but he also had his seventh fielding error of the season. A night after knocking his second career home run, James Beresford was quiet at the plate, going 0-for-3 with a walk. Kris Johnson was making his first start back in Rochester since he made a spot start for the Twins at the end of last week. He struck out eight and pitched into the sixth inning before running into some trouble. In the end, he was only charged with one earned run. Matt Guerrier took the loss as he gave up three runs on three hits including a home run. It was the first time Rochester has lost back-to-back games since April 25-26. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, Trenton 0 Box Score The month of May has been very kind to the Rock Cats. After finishing the month of April with a 6-16 record, New Britain has won six of their first seven games since the calendar turned. Taylor Rogers certainly helped the club continue its winning ways. He tossed 6.1 innings of shutout ball by scattering five hits. He struck out five and walked two. His ERA was over 8.00 entering the game and his effort tonight dropped it to under 6.50. Offensively, the Rock Cats got help from all parts of their line-up. Daniel Ortiz and Reynaldo Rodriguez each added a couple hits and they combined for three of the team's RBI. Both of the RBI for Ortiz came with two outs and he is up to 11 RBI for the year. Kennys Vargas was also highly involved in the offense as he knocked in two runs and scored two runs. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 0 Box Score In only his third game since returning from injury, Byron Buxton snapped back in a big way. He launched a two-run shot in the bottom of the first inning. The Miracle stayed on top the rest of the way. Max Kepler also hit a two-run homer, his second long ball of the year. Levi Michael and Niko Goodrum both had multi-hit nights to help pace the offense. Goodrum also stole his fifth base of the season. The Miracle used four different pitchers for the shutout. Replacing scheduled starter Brett Lee, Steven Gruver pitched the first four frames while striking out two and walking two. Tim Shibuya earned his third victory by tossing the next three innings and allowing only one hit. Brandon Peterson struck out the side in the eighth and Tyler Jones shut the door in the ninth. It was the second straight win for Fort Myers after a four game losing streak to start the month of May. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 10 Box Score Bryan Haar hit his fifth home run of the season and JD Williams reached base safely in all five plate appearances. Williams was credited with a single, a double, two walks and a hit by pitch. This still wasn't nearly enough as they trailed 8-1 after just two innings. The River Bandits pounced on Josue Montanez early as he was knocked out after only 1.2 frames. He allowed eight earned runs on seven hits with one strikeout and three walks. Todd Van Steensel, Christian Powell, and Alex Muren did a good job of stopping the bleeding. The bullpen crew limited Quad Cities to two runs over the last 6.1 innings to keep the game from getting too out of hand. Last year's top pick Kohl Stewart will get the start tomorrow. He looks to set the pace and get the team headed back in the right direction. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Taylor Rogers, New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Niko Goodrum, Fort Myers Miracle SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (5:35 CST)- Trevor May New Britain @ Bowie (5:35 CST)- Tyler Duffey Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:35 CST)- TBD Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:35 CST)- Kohl Stewart

Something clearly hadn't been right with Mike Pelfrey in his recent starts and the Twins finally did something about it Saturday morning. Pelfrey was placed on the disabled list with a left groin strain. Sam Deduno will take Pelfrey's spot in the rotation as he has continued to pitch well out of the bullpen. Danny Santana is the man taking Pelfrey's spot on the active roster. The Twins plan to use him in a variety of roles especially since the club already has two other shortstops on the roster. Santana is one of the top prospects in the Twins system and he was hitting .268/.311/.381 with seven doubles in 24 games at Rochester. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Louisville 0 Box Score Yohan Pino took it to his former team on Saturday afternoon. He tossed his second complete-game shutout of the season as he scattered three hits over nine innings. After throwing nine innings, Pino is in the midst of a 15 2/3 scoreless inning streak. In that streak he has limited opponents to seven hits with no walks and 17 strikeouts. His ERA is down to 0.84 and he has a perfect 5-0 record even though he hasn't been in the starting rotation for the entire season. Chris Parmelee went 0-for-2 with a couple walks to snap a career-high 15-game hitting streak. Wilkin Ramirez collected a couple hits and scored a run. Doug Bernier and Deibinson Romero both added a double while James Beresford had a single to run his hitting streak to five games. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, New Hampshire 5 (12 innings) Box Score New Britain had their backs against the wall at multiple points of this game. New Hampshire scored a run in the top of the tenth inning to take their first lead of the day. Kennys Vargas kept the team alive with a solo-shot in the bottom of the inning. In the twelfth inning, the Fisher Cats scored again to jump out on top. Cory Wimberly singled to start the bottom of the inning. A couple batters later, Tony Thomas, who was a late inning pinch runner, sent the fans home happy with a walk-off two run bomb. Pat Dean started the game for the Rock Cats. He pitched seven strong frames while limiting New Hampshire to three runs on nine hits. His five strikeouts were his second highest total of the season. The bullpen trio of Cole Johnson, Ryan O'Rourke, and Jim Fuller didn't allow an earned run after Dean's departure. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 10 Box Score The Miracle pitching staff had a rough night. Alex Wimmers started and was all over the place with his control. He allowed four walks in only 3.2 innings. Palm Beach tagged him for six runs (three earned) on six hits. Brian Gilbert walked as many batters as Wimmers in only two innings of work. Madison Boer was charged with three earned runs over the last couple innings. Levi Michael offered a positive note in a rough game. He went 4-for-5 with a triple, a run scored and an RBI. It was the fifth straight game in which he has registered multiple hits. Travis Harrison went 0-for-1 but knocked in one of the team's three runs with a sacrifice fly. Stuart Turner hit his third double of the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 0 Box Score While the Miracle pitching staff had their troubles on Saturday, the Kernels' staff gave a strong performance. Aaron Slegers picked up his third win of the year after he threw seven scoreless frames. He struck out six and walked two. Alex Muren pitched the eighth innings and didn't allow a base runner. The Kernels recorded four doubles on the offensive side of the ball to defeat Peoria for the first time this season. Chad Christensen went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Engelb Vielma added two hits of his own and scored two of the three runs for Cedar Rapids. 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: Levi Michael, Fort Myers Miracle SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ Rochester (12:05 CST)- Alex Meyer New Hampshire @ New Britain (12:35 CST)- Virgil Vasquez Bradenton @ Fort Myers (3:05 CST)- Jason Wheeler Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST)- Ryan Eades ~~~ The Twins beat the Orioles yesterday (Saturday) so you can get a half price large or XL pizza from PapaJohns.com by using the promo code 'twinswin'!

Weather was an issue in Minneapolis, as the Twins couldn't get in the first game of their series with the Dodgers. The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Thursday. Kyle Gibson was supposed to start on Sunday before a rainout and now he has been pushed back to Wednesday. He should be well rested. Some of the other speculation for Thursday is about who the Twins could call-up to be their 26th man for the doubleheader. The Twins could be looking at a starting pitcher to start one of the games. Some of the options on the 40-man roster are left-handed pitchers Kris Johnson and Logan Darnell. Otherwise Gibson would need to pitch on short rest over the weekend. (UPDATE - The Twins announced that Kris Johnson will be the 26th man and start on Thursday night.) RED WINGS REPORT Rochester --, Charlotte -- (Postponed) For the sixth time this season, the Red Wings were postponed due weather. This is their fourth home game lost due to weather. Since Charlotte isn't scheduled to return to Rochester this season, this game will be made up when the Red Wings visit the Knights at the beginning of June. The exact date is yet to be announced but the series runs from June 3rd to June 6th. Rochester will be considered the home team for one of the games and get to bat last. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain --, Harrisburg -- (Postponed) For the second time in five days, the Rock Cats were unable to take the field because of rain. It's been tough for the Rock Cats to get any rhythm as a club with all their weather issues in the last month. The team is in the middle of a three game losing streak. Today's contest is rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Thursday evening. Taylor Rogers was the scheduled starter so he will be pushed back to one of the other starts in this series with Harrisburg. New Britain needs to find a way to start winning some ball games. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Bradenton 1 Box Score Matt Tomshaw got the Miracle off on the right foot by throwing four innings of one-run ball. He struck out four and walked one. It was his first start of the season as he has been building up arm strength over his first three appearances. Tim Shibuya covered the next two frames and allowed only one hit. There have been some rough outings for Shibuya this season so it was nice to see a clean couple innings. Five hitters had multiple hit games for the Miracle. Travis Harrison led the way with a 3-for-5 night including a double and two RBI. It was his second three-hit game in his last three appearances. Levi Michael and Aderlin Mejia each added a double to the hit parade. Meijia matched Harrison with two RBI. The Miracle have been on quite the roll during the last week as the club has won six of their last seven games. They will try to finish off the sweep of Bradenton tomorrow night with Brett Lee on the mound. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Kane County 2 Box Score In his longest start of the season, Ethan Mildren pitched six frames and scattered eight hits with four strikeouts. He allowed one earned run to lower his ERA to 2.50. Brandon Bixler picked a bad time to give up his first run of the season, a streak which lasted 11.1 innings and six games. He gave up a couple hits and a walk which turned into the winning run for Kane County. Mitch Garver was the lone Kernels hitter with more than one hit. He went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Chad Christensen ended a streak of 15 consecutive games reaching base after he went 0-for-4. Bryan Haar finally ended a rough hitless streak. He had been hitless in his last 21 at-bats coming into tonight but he went 1-for-4 to end the streak. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Ethan Mildren, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Travis Harrison, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester- Scheduled Off Day New Hampshire @ New Britain (6:00 CST)- Taylor Rogers* Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05 CST)- Brett Lee Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST)- Josue Montanez *Scheduled to changed because of today's postponement

The game was a struggle for Kyle Gibson on Tuesday night. The Rays pounced on him for seven runs and he was saddled with his first loss of this young season. David Price pitched nine strong innings and showed why he is one of the best pitchers in baseball. The good thing is that it appears as if Brian Dozier is going to continue to hit a lot of home runs this season. Chris Colabello also seemed comfortable at the plate as he collected his second home run. He also saw 20 pitches over his four at-bats while no other Twins player saw more than 14. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Pawtucket 5 Box Score The Red Wings offense was very balanced as six different men had an RBI in the game and most of the damage came in a six-run seventh inning. Chris Parmelee extended his hit streak to a season-long seven games. Eric Harris went 2-for-4 and scored two runs. Chris Rahl hit his fifth double and Wilkin Ramirez hit his second triple of the season. The team went 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Logan Darnell started for Rochester and pitched five strong innings. He allowed two earned runs on three hits including six strikeouts and two walks. Yohan Pino did some fantastic work in relief by striking out nine hitters in only four innings of work. With their 10th win of the season, the Red Wing matched their win total from last April. The team hasn't had a winning month of April since 2007 and they currently sit with a record of 10-8. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 2, New Hampshire 1 Box Score This low scoring affair saw the Rock Cats squeak out their fifth victory of the season. Virgil Vasquez didn't pick up a decision in this game but he pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits on only 84 pitches. It was his first start of the season after being used in relief in his first two appearances this year. Jim Fuller allowed the only run scored by New Hampshire but he ended up "earning" his first win of the season. It was a doubles party for New Britain as Tony Thomas, Reynaldo Rodriguez, and Brandon Waring all collected a two-bagger. Rodriguez had a multiple hit game for the fourth time in his last seven games. Anderlin Mejia didn't join the doubles party but he had two hits and he scored a run. Because of some bad weather and poor play, this was New Britain's first victory since April 13th. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Jupiter 5 Box Score The Miracle couldn't get to Jupiter starter Scott Lyman as he tossed six scoreless frames. Jason Wheeler got hit around over 4.2 innings as the Miracle starter. He allowed five runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Tyler Jones and Mason Melotakis combined to pitch the last 3.1 innings without allowing a hit. Levi Michael was the lone Miracle batter with more than one hit. He went 2-for-4 and he has three multiple hit games out of the last eight. Travis Harrison cracked his first triple since 2012 in the rookie leagues. Max Kepler knocked in Harrison with a single to score the only run of the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Peoria 4 Box Score In three out of his four starts this season, Ryan Eades has allowed three runs or fewer but the Kernels continued struggle to find ways to support his efforts. Tonight Eades tossed 5.2 innings of two-run baseball with five strikeouts. It was his third loss of the season. Josue Montanez took over for Eades and allowed one run over the last 2.1 frames. Chad Christensen did his best to keep the Kernels in the game as he went 3-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base. He was also the only batter in the line-up that didn't strikeout at some point in the contest. Tanner Vavra had the only extra-base hit for Cedar Rapids, his fourth double of the season. The team left six men on base and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Virgil Vasquez, New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Chad Christensen, Cedar Rapids Kernels WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (5:15 CST)- Alex Meyer New Hampshire @ New Britain (5:35 CST)- DJ Baxendale Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:05 CST)- Tyler Duffey Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (11:00 CST)- Ethan Mildren