Cody Christie

After ending their 11 game losing streak on Saturday, the Twins couldn't make it two wins in a row. The Tigers offense pounced on Mike Pelfrey for five runs on five hits in less than six innings of work. The offense didn't help him out much with three hits and a single run on the board. There were a few different story lines to follow in the minors so let's see what went down! Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com Rochester Red Wings 2, Charlotte Knights 3 Box Score Rochester only collected four hits in the game but the team was still able to keep it close against Charlotte. The Knights got on the scoreboard first with three singles in the top of the fourth inning. This lead wouldn't last very long as the Red Wings scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take back the lead. The first three batters of the fifth inning reached on a pair of walks and a single. This meant the bases were loaded with Oswaldo Arcia coming to the plate. He struck out for the first out in the frame before Deibinson Romero singled to plate a couple of runs. The Red Wings would hold the lead until the top of the eighth inning. Aaron Thompson came in to make his second appearance since being called up to Rochester. He gave up a couple of singles and a double in the frame and the Knights would grab back the lead. Thompson saw his 17.1-inning scoreless streak between New Britain and Rochester snapped. Romero was the lone Red Wings hitter with a multi-hit game. He went 2-for-4 with his first two hits of the season at Triple-A. Before today's game, he had gone 0-for-11 since being called up from New Britain. Clete Thomas and Eric Farris had a hit apiece. Virgil Vasquez started the game and pitched five strong innings. He allowed one run on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Shairon Martis earned his first hold of the year by throwing two scoreless innings. Anthony Slama made his first appearance since April 22nd and he worked a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts. Arcia left Sunday's game with an injury to his right (throwing) shoulder. He made a strong throw to the plate and was removed from the game at the end of the inning. According to some reports, he has been bothered by a shoulder injury since spring training. Rochester is 10 games under .500 but the club has gone 5-5 in their last ten games. The Red Wings continue their homestand with four games against Lehigh Valley. New Britain Rock Cats 11, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 4 Box Score For the first time since May 6th, the Rock Cats scored double digits in runs. The win also helped to ensure at least a split of their series with New Hampshire. New Britain will try and earn a series win when the teams meet on Monday afternoon. Trevor May got the nod on the mound and pitched five innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits with two strike outs and three walks. May has won three of his last four starts and he has lowered his ERA to 3.88. Bobby Lanigan tossed two scoreless innings of relief to close out the game. Dan Rohlfing went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. He hit his seventh double of the year. Nate Hanson had a couple RBI of his own and his first triple. Danny Santana, James Beresford, and Josmil Pinto all had two hits. With the win, New Britain is only two games under .500. The club will finish their series with New Hampshire on Monday before heading home for a six game homestand. Fort Myers Miracle 2, Charlotte Stone Crabs 4 Box Score The Stone Crabs jumped out to an early lead with run in the top of the first inning. They would add to their lead with another couple of runs in the third. Miguel Sano had his 11th error of the year at third base. His error allowed an extra run to score in the third. It took until the bottom of the fifth inning for the Miracle to get on the board. Jonathan Murphy hit his first home run this season. Kennys Vargas added two hits including his 13th double. Stephen Wickens tried to get a rally started in the eighth with a double but the rest of the team didn't follow suit. Tom Stuifbergen took the loss but he still did a decent job on the mound. He gave the bullpen a break by throwing eight innings and allowing three earned runs on six hits. He didn't record a strikeout but he also didn't walk anyone. It was the first time all season that he made it through eight innings. Fort Myers will enjoy an off day on Memorial Day before starting a three-game series with the Bradenton Marauders. Cedar Rapids Kernels --, Burlington Bees -- (Postponed) The Kernels game against the Bees was rained out on Sunday afternoon. The game will be made up as a special Memorial Day doubleheader beginning at 2:00 pm. Both games are scheduled to be seven innings. Cedar Rapids is in the midst of a four game losing streak and they are in danger of falling out of first place in the Western Division of the Midwest League. The Beloit Snappers are sneaking up behind the Kernels in the standings. Following tomorrow's doubleheader, the club continues their homestand with a three game series versus the Clinton LumberKings.

It was a rough week for the Twins with nine straight losses. The club hasn't won a game since May 13th. Two fifths of the starting rotation was replaced including sending down Opening Day starter Vance Worley. Even on a night where Josh Willingham hits two home runs, the club still can't find a way to win. Minnesota does have two of the best team's in all of the minor leagues. This can make it fun to dream about the future. Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton could turn into monster MLB players. The Twins will also have a chance to add another very good player when they have the fourth pick in the upcoming MLB Draft. It was a busy week here at NoDak Twins Fan. Make sure to check out all of my posts and some of the other great work from around the web. Oswaldo Arcia hasn't been playing and some recent struggles are to blame for his benching. Maybe it is just a case of adjustment period for Arcia. I've liked Travis Harrison since the Twins took him in the draft. This Q&A will help you to get to know him a little better. Much like the MLB club, the Twins Double-A affiliate has fallen on some hard times. This link is worth a click just to see the picture. World Baseball Classic hero Sam Deduno is back in the rotation for the Twins. There will be walks, a few strikeouts, and hopefully some good defense behind him. The Twins have been telling the media that Kyle Gibson is staying in the minor leagues to find consistency but is the same standard being held for other pitchers. Is there a possibility that Aaron Hicks is improving? This Twins fan is keeping a close eye on his alcohol intake. Is it one of the best uses of a stadium promo ever? What happened to Vance Worley? According to Baseball America, the Twins have the top prospect tandem. The Twins Memorial Day jersey's look pretty cool. The Twitter feeds for the Twins and the Braves had quite the battle this week. Chris Colabello might be baseball's ultimate underdog. In 1997, the Twins drafted some very familiar names. If you were wondering, the Twins rotation has gotten worse. I was watching Seinfeld earlier this week and the kid behind the counter at the movie store was wearing a familiar baseball cap. MLB.com has quite the sense of humor when it comes to their error pages. The University of Cincinnati's baseball team has taken photobombing to an entirely new level. An employee at a Houston Astros game did something really gross this week. A rookie catcher for the Braves made a big mistake in a game against the Twins. Nick Punto is still making web gem gold in LA. A former member of the Twins organization is trying to revive his career after some drug problems. Nick Blackburn was very close to the devastating tornado in Oklahoma this week. The Royals broadcast sure screwed up a graphic this week. See if you can find all of the errors. The Orioles welcomed Kevin Gausman to the majors with lots of donuts. What if baseball had five bases? I had a dream this week that Francisco Liriano was 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA. Oh wait... My Weekly Rundown Monday: Talk to Contact: Episode 38 Who is Caleb Thielbar? Tuesday: Soul Patrol: Back with a Vengeance Wednesday: Who is Chris Colabello? Twins Minor League Report (5/22): O-fer Kind of Night Thursday: Twins MLB Draft Profile: Clint Frazier, OF Video of the Week: Byron Buxton is already getting local sports media attention and he's still multiple levels away from the big leagues. His tremendous start in Cedar Rapids makes it look like the Twins made the right decision with the second overall pick in last year's draft. His interview skills might need a little improvement but his play on the baseball field is superior to the competition.

It was a rough week for the Twins with nine straight losses. The club hasn't won a game since May 13th. Two fifths of the starting rotation was replaced including sending down Opening Day starter Vance Worley. Even on a night where Josh Willingham hits two home runs, the club still can't find a way to win. Minnesota does have two of the best team's in all of the minor leagues. This can make it fun to dream about the future. Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton could turn into monster MLB players. The Twins will also have a chance to add another very good player when they have the fourth pick in the upcoming MLB Draft. It was a busy week here at NoDak Twins Fan. Make sure to check out all of my posts and some of the other great work from around the web. Oswaldo Arcia hasn't been playing and some recent struggles are to blame for his benching. Maybe it is just a case of adjustment period for Arcia. I've liked Travis Harrison since the Twins took him in the draft. This Q&A will help you to get to know him a little better. Much like the MLB club, the Twins Double-A affiliate has fallen on some hard times. This link is worth a click just to see the picture. World Baseball Classic hero Sam Deduno is back in the rotation for the Twins. There will be walks, a few strikeouts, and hopefully some good defense behind him. The Twins have been telling the media that Kyle Gibson is staying in the minor leagues to find consistency but is the same standard being held for other pitchers. Is there a possibility that Aaron Hicks is improving? This Twins fan is keeping a close eye on his alcohol intake. Is it one of the best uses of a stadium promo ever? What happened to Vance Worley? According to Baseball America, the Twins have the top prospect tandem. The Twins Memorial Day jersey's look pretty cool. The Twitter feeds for the Twins and the Braves had quite the battle this week. Chris Colabello might be baseball's ultimate underdog. In 1997, the Twins drafted some very familiar names. If you were wondering, the Twins rotation has gotten worse. I was watching Seinfeld earlier this week and the kid behind the counter at the movie store was wearing a familiar baseball cap. MLB.com has quite the sense of humor when it comes to their error pages. The University of Cincinnati's baseball team has taken photobombing to an entirely new level. An employee at a Houston Astros game did something really gross this week. A rookie catcher for the Braves made a big mistake in a game against the Twins. Nick Punto is still making web gem gold in LA. A former member of the Twins organization is trying to revive his career after some drug problems. Nick Blackburn was very close to the devastating tornado in Oklahoma this week. The Royals broadcast sure screwed up a graphic this week. See if you can find all of the errors. The Orioles welcomed Kevin Gausman to the majors with lots of donuts. What if baseball had five bases? I had a dream this week that Francisco Liriano was 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA. Oh wait... My Weekly Rundown Monday: Talk to Contact: Episode 38 Who is Caleb Thielbar? Tuesday: Soul Patrol: Back with a Vengeance Wednesday: Who is Chris Colabello? Twins Minor League Report (5/22): O-fer Kind of Night Thursday: Twins MLB Draft Profile: Clint Frazier, OF Video of the Week: Byron Buxton is already getting local sports media attention and he's still multiple levels away from the big leagues. His tremendous start in Cedar Rapids makes it look like the Twins made the right decision with the second overall pick in last year's draft. His interview skills might need a little improvement but his play on the baseball field is superior to the competition.

Who IS This Guy? Frazier is a high school center fielder from Georgia. He is widely considered to have the best bat speed in the entire draft. This enables him to have very good raw power. His 5-foot-11 frame has a muscular build at 190 pounds. This makes it tough to project him adding more weight but he looks like an MLB player. He also plays with a ton of energy. On the defensive side of the ball, there are some questions about whether he can stick in center field. He is starting to track the ball well and he continues to improve his ability to finish plays. His arm strength is very good, even with some tendonitis concerns, but he needs to work on his accuracy. Originally posted at http://nodaktwinsfan.com Who Could He Be? There is the potential for Frazier to develop into a five-tool player at a premium position. He has the chance to make multiple All-Star teams or be a solid regular player. One of the biggest holes in his game has been his pitch recognition. He goes up to the plate looking fastball and he can destroy hanging breaking balls. Pitchers have been able to get him out with below average breaking pitches. If this can improve, he could be a monster on the offensive side of the ball. Tendonitis issues have lowered Frazier’s arm strength from plus to above average. If he could get back to his previous level, his defensive value would pair nicely with his solid offensive projections. There is some risk with Frazier but he could reward a team by becoming a perennial All-Star. How Soon Could He Be Playing In Target Field? Frazier will be 18 years, 9 months old on draft day. This would put him on a similar path to the major leagues as Byron Buxton. He would spend the end of this coming summer in rookie ball. Like Buxton this year, he could start 2014 at Low-A. He would spend 2015 at High-A and 2016 at Double-A. This could leave him close to making his big league debut. The Twins let Aaron Hicks skip Triple-A and Frazier has the potential to make that type of move. If he takes care of some of his flaws, he could be an everyday starter by 2017. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Messed Up Because... Frazier might end up busting out in the minor leagues. He doesn't have any room to grow into his body so the potential to add power isn't there. There will likely be better players available at number four. He also has red hair and apparently a good big league player can't have red hair according to old school scout analysis. The Twins could work out a deal with Frazier before the draft to sign him for less than slot value then the team could use the extra money for a pick later in the draft. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Nailed It Because... Without risk, there is never any reward. Frazier's bat speed and five-tool potential could help him to move quickly through the system. Buxton might be the team's center fielder of the future but Frazier could slide into a corner spot and be an above average regular. Imagine the Twins starting outfield in 2017 with Buxton in CF, Frazier in RF, and Arcia or Hicks in LF. Frazier is an unbelievably hard worker and he shows this on the field. He is a natural leader and he will push himself. There might be work ethic questions surrounding other prep players but there is no doubt about Frazier's make-up. Plus it would be cool to have a guy with bright red hair in the middle of the line-up on an everyday basis. MLB Draft Player Profiles: Monday, May 20-- Sean Manaea, SP Tuesday, May 21-- Austin Meadows, OF Wednesday, May 22-- Trey Ball, OF Thursday, May 23-- Ryan Stanek, RHP

Who IS This Guy? Frazier is a high school center fielder from Georgia. He is widely considered to have the best bat speed in the entire draft. This enables him to have very good raw power. His 5-foot-11 frame has a muscular build at 190 pounds. This makes it tough to project him adding more weight but he looks like an MLB player. He also plays with a ton of energy. On the defensive side of the ball, there are some questions about whether he can stick in center field. He is starting to track the ball well and he continues to improve his ability to finish plays. His arm strength is very good, even with some tendonitis concerns, but he needs to work on his accuracy. Originally posted at http://nodaktwinsfan.com Who Could He Be? There is the potential for Frazier to develop into a five-tool player at a premium position. He has the chance to make multiple All-Star teams or be a solid regular player. One of the biggest holes in his game has been his pitch recognition. He goes up to the plate looking fastball and he can destroy hanging breaking balls. Pitchers have been able to get him out with below average breaking pitches. If this can improve, he could be a monster on the offensive side of the ball. Tendonitis issues have lowered Frazier’s arm strength from plus to above average. If he could get back to his previous level, his defensive value would pair nicely with his solid offensive projections. There is some risk with Frazier but he could reward a team by becoming a perennial All-Star. How Soon Could He Be Playing In Target Field? Frazier will be 18 years, 9 months old on draft day. This would put him on a similar path to the major leagues as Byron Buxton. He would spend the end of this coming summer in rookie ball. Like Buxton this year, he could start 2014 at Low-A. He would spend 2015 at High-A and 2016 at Double-A. This could leave him close to making his big league debut. The Twins let Aaron Hicks skip Triple-A and Frazier has the potential to make that type of move. If he takes care of some of his flaws, he could be an everyday starter by 2017. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Messed Up Because... Frazier might end up busting out in the minor leagues. He doesn't have any room to grow into his body so the potential to add power isn't there. There will likely be better players available at number four. He also has red hair and apparently a good big league player can't have red hair according to old school scout analysis. The Twins could work out a deal with Frazier before the draft to sign him for less than slot value then the team could use the extra money for a pick later in the draft. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Nailed It Because... Without risk, there is never any reward. Frazier's bat speed and five-tool potential could help him to move quickly through the system. Buxton might be the team's center fielder of the future but Frazier could slide into a corner spot and be an above average regular. Imagine the Twins starting outfield in 2017 with Buxton in CF, Frazier in RF, and Arcia or Hicks in LF. Frazier is an unbelievably hard worker and he shows this on the field. He is a natural leader and he will push himself. There might be work ethic questions surrounding other prep players but there is no doubt about Frazier's make-up. Plus it would be cool to have a guy with bright red hair in the middle of the line-up on an everyday basis. MLB Draft Player Profiles: Monday, May 20-- Sean Manaea, SP Tuesday, May 21-- Austin Meadows, OF Wednesday, May 22-- Trey Ball, OF Thursday, May 23-- Ryan Stanek, RHP

Two men were having very different feelings on Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta. Chris Colabello continued his remarkable journey by making his MLB debut. The 29-year old rookie failed to get a hit but he made it to the big leagues. There had to be nights along the way where he wondered if it would ever happen. His dream came true today. It has been a nightmare season for Vance Worley after the Braves roughed him up for 10 hits and eight earned runs in less than four innings of work. His ERA ballooned to 7.21 on the year and his record dropped to 1-5. Following the game, the Twins sent Worley to Rochester to try and work out his kinks. Alex Meyer was on the mound for New Britain, the Miracle tried to continue their winning ways, and Cedar Rapids faced a familiar foe in the form of the Beloit Snappers. Let's go down on the pond! Rochester Red Wings (Off Day) While the Red Wings enjoyed an off day, two of their best offensive players from the beginning of the year were playing against the Atlanta Braves. Oswaldo Arcia and Chris Colabello put together numbers in the International League that were worthy of promotion. Now it could become harder for Rochester's struggling offense to put up runs. The team ranks 9th in the International League in OPS and 11th in runs scored. Infielder Dibinson Romero was promoted from New Britain to try and help spark the offense. Romero was hitting .355 in eight games with three homers and six RBI. In a corresponding move, Nate Hanson was sent to New Britain. Rochester will look to turn things around during an eight game homestand. The club has lost six of their last nine games and they sit nine games out of first place in the International League North. Both of the team's coming to Rochester in the next week are below .500 so this gives the team a chance to make up some ground. New Britain Rock Cats 3, Binghamton Bees 8 Box Score Two costly errors from Rock Cats shortstop Danny Santana lead to a couple of unearned runs that were hard for New Britian to come back from. Santana had 18 errors last year at shortstop and he his two errors today push his 2013 total to 17. He hasn't been getting on base or hitting for much power so he needs to make some strides on the defensive side of the ball. Alex Meyer started the contest and pitched into the seventh inning. Over 6.2 innings, he gave up three earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. It was the first time all season where he recorded an out in the seventh inning. For the month of May, it was his best start and one can hope that he is turning a positive corner for the rest of the year. On the offensive side of the ball, Daniel Ortiz put together a three hit effort. He hit his 15th and 16th doubles of the year and scored a run. In his last ten games, he has a .333 batting average with six doubles. Reynaldo Rodriguez added his 11th double of the year. In his first game since being demoted, Nate Hanson went 0-for-4. The Rock Cats have lost 9 of their last 10 games so it has been a rough stretch of baseball. The team can still salvage a split of their series with Binghamton if they can win on Thursday. Over the long weekend, New Britain will play a four-game set against New Hampshire. Fort Myers Miracle 1, Lakeland Flying Tigers 4 Box Score The Miracle scored a quick run in the top of the first inning and then the Lakeland pitching staff proceeded to put a lot of zeros on the scoreboard. Fort Myers wouldn't score another run in the game and the Flying Tigers pounded out 13 hits. Matt Koch was the only Miracle batter to collect more than one hit. He went 2-for-4 with his 1st triple of the year. Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas, the three and four hitter, combined to go 0-for-7. Fort Myers had plenty of opportunities as the club left 10 runners on base and went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Taylor Rogers pitched admirably by throwing five innings and allowing one earned run. He scattered nine hits but he was able to limit the damage. In the second, third, fourth innings he was able to leave the bases loaded to end the frame. In a perfect eighth inning, Zach Jones struck out two batters and lowered his ERA to 0.90. Adrian Salcedo was saddled with his first loss of the year by giving up two runs over two innings. It was the first time he had allowed a run in the month of May. The Miracle are 32-13 and they wrap up a seven-game road trip with their game against Lakeland tomorrow night. Following that game, Fort Myers will head home for a weekend series with the Charlotte Stone Crabs. Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Beloit Snappers 7 Box Score The Kernels tried their best to be the only Twins affiliate to win on Wednesday with a ninth inning rally. Trailing by three runs at the start of the frame, Candido Pimentel walked before a fielding error allowed Byron Buxton to reach. Niko Goodrum stepped to the plate as the tying run but he grounded into a double play. Jorge Polanco was the next batter and he sent one over the fence to cut the lead to one. But in the end, Dalton Hicks popped out to the catcher in foul territory to end the game. Hudson Boyd coughed up seven earned runs in a little over five innings on the mound. The Snappers pounded out three home runs against him and he was limited to four strikeouts. Josue Montanez and Manuel Soliman would combine to shut down the Snappers for the rest of the game. In fact, Beloit would only get one more hit. None of the Kernels hitters were able to knock more than one hit. Byron Buxton went 1-for-4 with his 5th triple and 20th stolen base on the year. J.D. Williams had an interesting line as he went 0-for-1 but collected three walks in the game. Travis Harrison got his 15th double. Cedar Rapids has two more games in Beloit before returning home for a six-game homestand. The Snappers are the team right behind the Kernels in the standings so these next two games are important to the team.

Two men were having very different feelings on Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta. Chris Colabello continued his remarkable journey by making his MLB debut. The 29-year old rookie failed to get a hit but he made it to the big leagues. There had to be nights along the way where he wondered if it would ever happen. His dream came true today. It has been a nightmare season for Vance Worley after the Braves roughed him up for 10 hits and eight earned runs in less than four innings of work. His ERA ballooned to 7.21 on the year and his record dropped to 1-5. Following the game, the Twins sent Worley to Rochester to try and work out his kinks. Alex Meyer was on the mound for New Britain, the Miracle tried to continue their winning ways, and Cedar Rapids faced a familiar foe in the form of the Beloit Snappers. Let's go down on the pond! Rochester Red Wings (Off Day) While the Red Wings enjoyed an off day, two of their best offensive players from the beginning of the year were playing against the Atlanta Braves. Oswaldo Arcia and Chris Colabello put together numbers in the International League that were worthy of promotion. Now it could become harder for Rochester's struggling offense to put up runs. The team ranks 9th in the International League in OPS and 11th in runs scored. Infielder Dibinson Romero was promoted from New Britain to try and help spark the offense. Romero was hitting .355 in eight games with three homers and six RBI. In a corresponding move, Nate Hanson was sent to New Britain. Rochester will look to turn things around during an eight game homestand. The club has lost six of their last nine games and they sit nine games out of first place in the International League North. Both of the team's coming to Rochester in the next week are below .500 so this gives the team a chance to make up some ground. New Britain Rock Cats 3, Binghamton Bees 8 Box Score Two costly errors from Rock Cats shortstop Danny Santana lead to a couple of unearned runs that were hard for New Britian to come back from. Santana had 18 errors last year at shortstop and he his two errors today push his 2013 total to 17. He hasn't been getting on base or hitting for much power so he needs to make some strides on the defensive side of the ball. Alex Meyer started the contest and pitched into the seventh inning. Over 6.2 innings, he gave up three earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. It was the first time all season where he recorded an out in the seventh inning. For the month of May, it was his best start and one can hope that he is turning a positive corner for the rest of the year. On the offensive side of the ball, Daniel Ortiz put together a three hit effort. He hit his 15th and 16th doubles of the year and scored a run. In his last ten games, he has a .333 batting average with six doubles. Reynaldo Rodriguez added his 11th double of the year. In his first game since being demoted, Nate Hanson went 0-for-4. The Rock Cats have lost 9 of their last 10 games so it has been a rough stretch of baseball. The team can still salvage a split of their series with Binghamton if they can win on Thursday. Over the long weekend, New Britain will play a four-game set against New Hampshire. Fort Myers Miracle 1, Lakeland Flying Tigers 4 Box Score The Miracle scored a quick run in the top of the first inning and then the Lakeland pitching staff proceeded to put a lot of zeros on the scoreboard. Fort Myers wouldn't score another run in the game and the Flying Tigers pounded out 13 hits. Matt Koch was the only Miracle batter to collect more than one hit. He went 2-for-4 with his 1st triple of the year. Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas, the three and four hitter, combined to go 0-for-7. Fort Myers had plenty of opportunities as the club left 10 runners on base and went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Taylor Rogers pitched admirably by throwing five innings and allowing one earned run. He scattered nine hits but he was able to limit the damage. In the second, third, fourth innings he was able to leave the bases loaded to end the frame. In a perfect eighth inning, Zach Jones struck out two batters and lowered his ERA to 0.90. Adrian Salcedo was saddled with his first loss of the year by giving up two runs over two innings. It was the first time he had allowed a run in the month of May. The Miracle are 32-13 and they wrap up a seven-game road trip with their game against Lakeland tomorrow night. Following that game, Fort Myers will head home for a weekend series with the Charlotte Stone Crabs. Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Beloit Snappers 7 Box Score The Kernels tried their best to be the only Twins affiliate to win on Wednesday with a ninth inning rally. Trailing by three runs at the start of the frame, Candido Pimentel walked before a fielding error allowed Byron Buxton to reach. Niko Goodrum stepped to the plate as the tying run but he grounded into a double play. Jorge Polanco was the next batter and he sent one over the fence to cut the lead to one. But in the end, Dalton Hicks popped out to the catcher in foul territory to end the game. Hudson Boyd coughed up seven earned runs in a little over five innings on the mound. The Snappers pounded out three home runs against him and he was limited to four strikeouts. Josue Montanez and Manuel Soliman would combine to shut down the Snappers for the rest of the game. In fact, Beloit would only get one more hit. None of the Kernels hitters were able to knock more than one hit. Byron Buxton went 1-for-4 with his 5th triple and 20th stolen base on the year. J.D. Williams had an interesting line as he went 0-for-1 but collected three walks in the game. Travis Harrison got his 15th double. Cedar Rapids has two more games in Beloit before returning home for a six-game homestand. The Snappers are the team right behind the Kernels in the standings so these next two games are important to the team.

I originally posted this story back in spring training under the title "Chris Colabello continues his fairy tale." With the recent news of his promotion to the Twins, I thought it would be appropriate to move it back to the front page of this blog. I have added in some information about his season so far. One of the best stories in the Twins organization in 2012 was the tale of a 28-year old man that got his first taste of baseball with an affiliated club. Chris Colabello had molded himself into one of the best hitters in the Canadian-American Association before the Twins signed him to deal. He spent all of last season being the elder statesman of the Eastern League while showing off his skills at the plate. The story of Colabello could get even better this year when he is asked to make his MLB debut. He would be a 29-year old rookie and the thought of him being in the Twins line-up isn't too hard to imagine. Let's look back at what got him to this point and look ahead to what could bring him to the Twin Cities. After growing up and attending college in Massachusetts, Colabello wanted to continue his professional baseball career. No major league organization drafted him out of college so he found a team in the independent leagues. For six seasons, he played in the Canadian-American Association and he developed himself into one of the best hitters in this league. From 2005-2011, Colabello hit over .300 in every season. Those seven seasons saw him hit .317/.390/.514 with an average of 14 home runs a year. He showed the ability to play both corner infield positions and even a little outfield. The skills were there but no MLB teams came calling. Before the 2006 season, Colabello got to try out for the Italian World Baseball Classic team. He didn't make the squad but the Tigers took notice and invited him to spring training. His spring was good but he didn't make the club and he went back to the CAA. His persistence would finally pay off but not for another half of a decade. The 2011 season would be an eye-opening year for Colabello because he would put together the best numbers of his career. He hit .348/.410/.600 with 20 home runs and 32 doubles. He finished second in the league in home runs, batting average, RBI, and hits. He led the league in doubles and slugging percentage. At the end of the season, he would be named the Independent Leagues Player of the Year by Baseball America. Minnesota would offer him a chance for the start of the 2012 season. There weren't any promises made by the Twins and he didn't get a signing bonus but he was getting an opportunity. If he made a minor league team, he would be making less money then he had in the CAA but sometimes it's not about the money. Colabello would be sent to New Britain for the entirety of the 2012 season. He would hit .284/.358/.478 over 134 games. His numbers would be good enough to lead the Eastern League in doubles and he finished second in RBI, fourth in runs, and fourth in home runs. Darin Ruf would walk-away with the Eastern League MVP but Colabello would have strong runner up finish. He was finally living his dream and that dream has only gotten better so far this spring. The Twins wanted Colabello back in the organization and his performance last year was good enough for Team Italy to add him to their roster for the 2013 WBC. Italy would make a surprise trip to the second round of the WBC and Colabello was a key figure for their team. He hit .333/.368/.667 and he lead the team in home runs (2) and RBI (7). Things were off to an even better start with the Rochester Red Wings this season. He was hitting .358/.417/.659 with 12 HR, 17 2B, and 39 RBI. Colabello was leading the team in almost every offensive category and the Twins offense hasn't exactly been firing on all cylinders. Hopefully, he can insert some offensive pop into a dull line-up. The fairy tale ending for Colabello will be when he steps onto the field for his first big league game. It has been quite the journey but he has earned this opportunity. He might not be a prospect to build around but his story is one of the best. Fairy tales are great but Colabello gets to live out his dream and play major league baseball. That sounds like a fairy tale ending to me...

I originally posted this story back in spring training under the title "Chris Colabello continues his fairy tale." With the recent news of his promotion to the Twins, I thought it would be appropriate to move it back to the front page of this blog. I have added in some information about his season so far. One of the best stories in the Twins organization in 2012 was the tale of a 28-year old man that got his first taste of baseball with an affiliated club. Chris Colabello had molded himself into one of the best hitters in the Canadian-American Association before the Twins signed him to deal. He spent all of last season being the elder statesman of the Eastern League while showing off his skills at the plate. The story of Colabello could get even better this year when he is asked to make his MLB debut. He would be a 29-year old rookie and the thought of him being in the Twins line-up isn't too hard to imagine. Let's look back at what got him to this point and look ahead to what could bring him to the Twin Cities. After growing up and attending college in Massachusetts, Colabello wanted to continue his professional baseball career. No major league organization drafted him out of college so he found a team in the independent leagues. For six seasons, he played in the Canadian-American Association and he developed himself into one of the best hitters in this league. From 2005-2011, Colabello hit over .300 in every season. Those seven seasons saw him hit .317/.390/.514 with an average of 14 home runs a year. He showed the ability to play both corner infield positions and even a little outfield. The skills were there but no MLB teams came calling. Before the 2006 season, Colabello got to try out for the Italian World Baseball Classic team. He didn't make the squad but the Tigers took notice and invited him to spring training. His spring was good but he didn't make the club and he went back to the CAA. His persistence would finally pay off but not for another half of a decade. The 2011 season would be an eye-opening year for Colabello because he would put together the best numbers of his career. He hit .348/.410/.600 with 20 home runs and 32 doubles. He finished second in the league in home runs, batting average, RBI, and hits. He led the league in doubles and slugging percentage. At the end of the season, he would be named the Independent Leagues Player of the Year by Baseball America. Minnesota would offer him a chance for the start of the 2012 season. There weren't any promises made by the Twins and he didn't get a signing bonus but he was getting an opportunity. If he made a minor league team, he would be making less money then he had in the CAA but sometimes it's not about the money. Colabello would be sent to New Britain for the entirety of the 2012 season. He would hit .284/.358/.478 over 134 games. His numbers would be good enough to lead the Eastern League in doubles and he finished second in RBI, fourth in runs, and fourth in home runs. Darin Ruf would walk-away with the Eastern League MVP but Colabello would have strong runner up finish. He was finally living his dream and that dream has only gotten better so far this spring. The Twins wanted Colabello back in the organization and his performance last year was good enough for Team Italy to add him to their roster for the 2013 WBC. Italy would make a surprise trip to the second round of the WBC and Colabello was a key figure for their team. He hit .333/.368/.667 and he lead the team in home runs (2) and RBI (7). Things were off to an even better start with the Rochester Red Wings this season. He was hitting .358/.417/.659 with 12 HR, 17 2B, and 39 RBI. Colabello was leading the team in almost every offensive category and the Twins offense hasn't exactly been firing on all cylinders. Hopefully, he can insert some offensive pop into a dull line-up. The fairy tale ending for Colabello will be when he steps onto the field for his first big league game. It has been quite the journey but he has earned this opportunity. He might not be a prospect to build around but his story is one of the best. Fairy tales are great but Colabello gets to live out his dream and play major league baseball. That sounds like a fairy tale ending to me...

It has been quite the wild ride for Mr. Caleb J. Thielbar on his way to the major leagues. The 26-year old left-hander was called-up by the Minnesota Twins on Monday after the team demoted fifth starter Pedro Hernandez. Thielbar is not a starter so the team will need to make another roster move before Friday's game to fill out the rotation. Options for this spot include Kyle Gibson, Sam Deduno, and PJ Walters. Thielbar was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 18th round of the 2009 MLB Draft. The Minnesota native went to college at South Dakota State University. He would spend the first two years of his professional career in the lower levels of the Brewers’ system. During his first season in rookie ball, he posted a 6-1 record with a 1.53 ERA. Most of his appearances were out of the bullpen as he was asked to make two starts. Over 48 innings, he struck out 48 and walked eight. These were the type of numbers that one would expect from a college age pitcher in rookie ball. In 2010, Thielbar found a few more bumps in the road as he tried to make his mark in the minors. He played nine games at rookie ball and his ERA jumped to 3.68 over 14.2 innings. His time in Low-A produced even worse numbers. Over 30 games, he had a 5.60 ERA and a 1.491 WHIP. He struck out 43 and walked 14 over 53.0 innings. The Brewers would cut ties with him and it was time for Thielbar to make some changes as he headed to independent baseball. Thielbar would find a new team to latch on with for 2011. The St. Paul Saints were looking to add some depth to their bullpen and Thielbar seemed to fit the mold. He would pitch 49.2 innings for the Saints with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.128 WHIP. He had a decent strike out to walk rate as he struck out 62 and walked 15. The Minnesota Twins took notice of Thielbar's numbers and he signed a deal with the club. Since it was so late in the year, he was limited to three appearances with the Fort Myers Miracle. It was enough to earn his first win as a member of the Twins organization. He didn't allow a single run and he gave up one hit in 7.1 innings. Last season was a whirlwind for Thielbar. He pitched very effectively at three different levels in the Twins system. On a return trip to the Florida State League, he pitched 12.1 innings with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.486 WHIP. The next stop was New Britain where he threw 25.0 innings with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.840 WHIP. Rochester was his final stop and he threw 40.1 innings with a 3.57 ERA and a 1.438 WHIP. Minnesota wanted to see more out of Thielbar so he was sent to the Arizona Fall League this past year. He had pitched close to 80 innings in the minors so he had tired by the time the AFL started. Over 13 innings, he posted an 11.08 ERA. He gave up 21 hits, walked eight, and struck out 12. There was still enough there for the Twins to add him to their 40-man roster. To start the 2013 season, Theilbar was sent back to Rochester. He was 1-1 with a 3.76 ERA in 17 relief appearances at Triple-A. In 26.1 innings, he struck out 34 and walked eight while holding lefties to a .159 batting average. Since his primary responsibility with the MLB club should be to get out lefties, he seems to be up to this task. Over his last eight appearances with the Red Wings, he had not allowed a run. In those 11.1 innings, he struck out 15 and limited his walks to five. Things seemed to be clicking on all cylinders for him and the time was right to have him join the Twins roster. According to the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook, (which you can still order here for a discounted price): "When Thielbar was pitching in the Brewers system, he threw a fastball in the mid-80s. After being released, he completely reworked his mechanics and got himself in much better shape. In 2012, he was hitting 92 mph. He has very good control of his curveball, and also throws a change-up. Some compare his delivery to that of fellow-Minnesota left-handed reliever Glen Perkins." One of the strengths of the Twins has been their bullpen and Thielbar can be another important piece of the puzzle. It looks like he is ready for the big leagues and this will complete quite the journey to get to this point.

It has been quite the wild ride for Mr. Caleb J. Thielbar on his way to the major leagues. The 26-year old left-hander was called-up by the Minnesota Twins on Monday after the team demoted fifth starter Pedro Hernandez. Thielbar is not a starter so the team will need to make another roster move before Friday's game to fill out the rotation. Options for this spot include Kyle Gibson, Sam Deduno, and PJ Walters. Thielbar was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 18th round of the 2009 MLB Draft. The Minnesota native went to college at South Dakota State University. He would spend the first two years of his professional career in the lower levels of the Brewers’ system. During his first season in rookie ball, he posted a 6-1 record with a 1.53 ERA. Most of his appearances were out of the bullpen as he was asked to make two starts. Over 48 innings, he struck out 48 and walked eight. These were the type of numbers that one would expect from a college age pitcher in rookie ball. In 2010, Thielbar found a few more bumps in the road as he tried to make his mark in the minors. He played nine games at rookie ball and his ERA jumped to 3.68 over 14.2 innings. His time in Low-A produced even worse numbers. Over 30 games, he had a 5.60 ERA and a 1.491 WHIP. He struck out 43 and walked 14 over 53.0 innings. The Brewers would cut ties with him and it was time for Thielbar to make some changes as he headed to independent baseball. Thielbar would find a new team to latch on with for 2011. The St. Paul Saints were looking to add some depth to their bullpen and Thielbar seemed to fit the mold. He would pitch 49.2 innings for the Saints with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.128 WHIP. He had a decent strike out to walk rate as he struck out 62 and walked 15. The Minnesota Twins took notice of Thielbar's numbers and he signed a deal with the club. Since it was so late in the year, he was limited to three appearances with the Fort Myers Miracle. It was enough to earn his first win as a member of the Twins organization. He didn't allow a single run and he gave up one hit in 7.1 innings. Last season was a whirlwind for Thielbar. He pitched very effectively at three different levels in the Twins system. On a return trip to the Florida State League, he pitched 12.1 innings with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.486 WHIP. The next stop was New Britain where he threw 25.0 innings with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.840 WHIP. Rochester was his final stop and he threw 40.1 innings with a 3.57 ERA and a 1.438 WHIP. Minnesota wanted to see more out of Thielbar so he was sent to the Arizona Fall League this past year. He had pitched close to 80 innings in the minors so he had tired by the time the AFL started. Over 13 innings, he posted an 11.08 ERA. He gave up 21 hits, walked eight, and struck out 12. There was still enough there for the Twins to add him to their 40-man roster. To start the 2013 season, Theilbar was sent back to Rochester. He was 1-1 with a 3.76 ERA in 17 relief appearances at Triple-A. In 26.1 innings, he struck out 34 and walked eight while holding lefties to a .159 batting average. Since his primary responsibility with the MLB club should be to get out lefties, he seems to be up to this task. Over his last eight appearances with the Red Wings, he had not allowed a run. In those 11.1 innings, he struck out 15 and limited his walks to five. Things seemed to be clicking on all cylinders for him and the time was right to have him join the Twins roster. According to the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook, (which you can still order here for a discounted price): "When Thielbar was pitching in the Brewers system, he threw a fastball in the mid-80s. After being released, he completely reworked his mechanics and got himself in much better shape. In 2012, he was hitting 92 mph. He has very good control of his curveball, and also throws a change-up. Some compare his delivery to that of fellow-Minnesota left-handed reliever Glen Perkins." One of the strengths of the Twins has been their bullpen and Thielbar can be another important piece of the puzzle. It looks like he is ready for the big leagues and this will complete quite the journey to get to this point.

It wasn't the best week for the Twins as the team lost the rubber game of their three game set with the Orioles on Sunday. This was followed by losing two out of three games to the dreaded White Sox. Even with the poor play, Joe Mauer continues to be one of the best hitters in the game (.519/.594/.704 in the last 7 days). Aaron Hicks showed off all of his skills in one game to help the team to their only win of the week. It wasn't all bad for Justin Morneau either as he hit over .460 for the week with four doubles. Things don't get much easier from here as the Boston Red Sox come to Target Field for a weekend set. Clay Buchholz takes the hill on Friday for the Sox. He has been one of the best pitchers in the American League this season but the Twins got to him in their last match-up a little over a week ago. Boston's in town for a three game series but don't forget to check out some of the top baseball news from the last week. Byron Buxton smashed a walk-off grand slam and his teammates even let him get all the way around the bases! (The Kernels didn't do this on a walk-off a couple weeks ago.) Is there a connection between pitching to contact and the runs a team scores? Tom Brunansky is starting to get a feel for his new job. It also helps to have one of the best hitters in the game for the players to watch every day. With his performance earlier this week, there certainly has to be hope for Hicks. Some might even call it "The Aaron Hicks Game." Sometimes it helps to have 20/20 hindsight when it comes to free agent pitching. In the heart of the Twins offense, there has been a strong core this year. Chris Colabello took a different path but he certainly is making some noise this season. Sickels also wrote some prospect notes on a recent trip to see Cedar Rapids. Harrison and Walker were the subject of one post while Goodrum and Polanco headlined the other. Sports Illustrated's Fortunate 50 list came out and Joe Mauer ranks 20th. More top prospects are playing up the middle positions and this has cut back on production with first basemen at the big league level. Joe Mauer took over the active leader board for career batting average. Take that Pujols and Ichiro! Twins minor leaguer and Minnesota native Nate Hanson picked baseball over hockey. The offense has been great for Fort Myers but the pitching is helping the team to win games. There have been plenty of mock drafts posted in recent days and there starting to be a consensus for the Twins with the fourth pick: MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo: #4 Sean Manaea Baseball America: #4 Kohl Stewart ESPN's Keith Law: #4 Kohl Stewart Minor League Ball's John Sickels: #4 Kohl Stewart Here are some interesting notes on how players fared in games when their bobblehead was given out. Torii Hunter has changed his approach and the results have been very good for the veteran. The Marlins believe new manager Mike Redmond has their back (even if their team isn't very good) This deployed dad sure made a memorable return home. Mariners shortstops are hitting worse than pitchers so far this year. A campaign has started to push Mariano Rivera to start this year's All-Star Game. Apparently, they want to "Start Mo." Rawlings is changing some of the standards when it comes to baseball helmets. Have you ever wondered what Yankee Stadium would look like if it was made out of match sticks? A player in Korea celebrated a knock like it was a home run... then the outfielder caught it on the warning track. My Weekly Rundown Saturday: Talk to Contact: Episode 37 Monday: Mauer's hot streaks and chasing doubles Tuesday: Are the Twins a .500 club? Wednesday: Contemplating Cole De Vries Twins Minor League Report (5/15): Colabello Crushes Video of the Week: As mentioned multiple times in this post, Aaron Hicks put together quite the effort earlier this week. In one game, he hit two home runs and he took a home run away from Adam Dunn. Like Puckett, Hunter, Span, and Revere before him, Hicks can scale the wall and bring one back into the park. Check out the smile on his face when he shows off the ball he caught.

It wasn't the best week for the Twins as the team lost the rubber game of their three game set with the Orioles on Sunday. This was followed by losing two out of three games to the dreaded White Sox. Even with the poor play, Joe Mauer continues to be one of the best hitters in the game (.519/.594/.704 in the last 7 days). Aaron Hicks showed off all of his skills in one game to help the team to their only win of the week. It wasn't all bad for Justin Morneau either as he hit over .460 for the week with four doubles. Things don't get much easier from here as the Boston Red Sox come to Target Field for a weekend set. Clay Buchholz takes the hill on Friday for the Sox. He has been one of the best pitchers in the American League this season but the Twins got to him in their last match-up a little over a week ago. Boston's in town for a three game series but don't forget to check out some of the top baseball news from the last week. Byron Buxton smashed a walk-off grand slam and his teammates even let him get all the way around the bases! (The Kernels didn't do this on a walk-off a couple weeks ago.) Is there a connection between pitching to contact and the runs a team scores? Tom Brunansky is starting to get a feel for his new job. It also helps to have one of the best hitters in the game for the players to watch every day. With his performance earlier this week, there certainly has to be hope for Hicks. Some might even call it "The Aaron Hicks Game." Sometimes it helps to have 20/20 hindsight when it comes to free agent pitching. In the heart of the Twins offense, there has been a strong core this year. Chris Colabello took a different path but he certainly is making some noise this season. Sickels also wrote some prospect notes on a recent trip to see Cedar Rapids. Harrison and Walker were the subject of one post while Goodrum and Polanco headlined the other. Sports Illustrated's Fortunate 50 list came out and Joe Mauer ranks 20th. More top prospects are playing up the middle positions and this has cut back on production with first basemen at the big league level. Joe Mauer took over the active leader board for career batting average. Take that Pujols and Ichiro! Twins minor leaguer and Minnesota native Nate Hanson picked baseball over hockey. The offense has been great for Fort Myers but the pitching is helping the team to win games. There have been plenty of mock drafts posted in recent days and there starting to be a consensus for the Twins with the fourth pick: MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo: #4 Sean Manaea Baseball America: #4 Kohl Stewart ESPN's Keith Law: #4 Kohl Stewart Minor League Ball's John Sickels: #4 Kohl Stewart Here are some interesting notes on how players fared in games when their bobblehead was given out. Torii Hunter has changed his approach and the results have been very good for the veteran. The Marlins believe new manager Mike Redmond has their back (even if their team isn't very good) This deployed dad sure made a memorable return home. Mariners shortstops are hitting worse than pitchers so far this year. A campaign has started to push Mariano Rivera to start this year's All-Star Game. Apparently, they want to "Start Mo." Rawlings is changing some of the standards when it comes to baseball helmets. Have you ever wondered what Yankee Stadium would look like if it was made out of match sticks? A player in Korea celebrated a knock like it was a home run... then the outfielder caught it on the warning track. My Weekly Rundown Saturday: Talk to Contact: Episode 37 Monday: Mauer's hot streaks and chasing doubles Tuesday: Are the Twins a .500 club? Wednesday: Contemplating Cole De Vries Twins Minor League Report (5/15): Colabello Crushes Video of the Week: As mentioned multiple times in this post, Aaron Hicks put together quite the effort earlier this week. In one game, he hit two home runs and he took a home run away from Adam Dunn. Like Puckett, Hunter, Span, and Revere before him, Hicks can scale the wall and bring one back into the park. Check out the smile on his face when he shows off the ball he caught.

The Twins concluded their three-game series with the White Sox by playing a little Wednesday afternoon baseball. With how bad the White Sox looked in recent weeks, it seemed like the Twins should be able to earn a series win. That didn't happen as the Sox took the final two games of the three-game set. Joe Mauer has been on fire lately and his recent hot streak has him in some rarefied air. He took over the active career leader board for batting average. Albert Pujols (.323 BA) had been on the top of the list followed by Ichiro Suzuki (.321 BA). Those two players are on the decline and Mauer looks to be in the prime of his career. On the most recent edition of the "Talk to Contact" podcast, we had Baseball Prospectus' Jason Parks on the show to talk about some of the big names in the Twins farm system. It is a great interview and you should make sure to download the episode if you haven't heard it yet. There were plenty of games today down on the farm. Here's a look into the Twins farm system... Rochester Red Wings 7, Durham Bulls 10 Box Score Cole De Vries continued his rehab trail with a start in Rochester on Wednesday night. His previous two starts had been with the Fort Myers Miracle and the New Britain Rock Cats. With a Triple-A start under his belt, his rehab time could be coming to an end. His performance on Wednesday would play a pivotal role in the team's decision. I wrote about De Vries and contemplated his place with the Twins now that he is healthy. For De Vries, his start with Rochester didn't go perfectly. He got knocked around over four innings for a total of 11 hits and six earned runs. The fifth inning was where most of the trouble happened for De Vries. He had allowed three runs in the first four frames before not recording an out in a three-run top of the fifth. Rochester's offense faired pretty well against one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. Jake Odorizzi made it through 5.1 innings but he surrendered six earned runs and three long balls. Chris Colabello had a monster game as he went 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double. His five RBI were great but it wasn't nearly enough to keep pace with the Bulls. Eric Farris extended his hit streak to nine games with a single in the bottom of the fourth. The loss puts the Red Wings ten games under .500 for the first time this season and for the first time since May 28, 2012. The club has also lost six of their last seven contests. There are two more games left in the series with the Bulls and the Red Wings have to find a way to get back to playing winning baseball. New Britain Rock Cats 3, Bowie Baysox 10 Box Score Pat Dean is going to want to forget about the bottom of the second inning on Wednesday night. The Baysox gave him a rude awakening and knocked him out of the game early. The first batter of the frame hit one over the fence and it didn't get much better from there. He would give up six more hits including another home run and he would be charged with seven earned runs in a little over an inning of work. Danny Santana was the only Rock Cats hitter with two hits. He is in the midst of an eight game hit streak and he has six multi-hit games during that stretch. Over the last ten games, he is hitting .425/.465/.550 with three doubles and a triple. Daniel Ortiz had his 12th double of the year and his 23rd RBI. New Britain's bullpen was counted on to eat up a lot of innings tonight. Blake Martin threw two hitless innings and struck out two batters. Aaron Thompson continued his impressive work with one hit and two strikeouts in an inning of work. His ERA dropped to 0.61 for the year and he has only given up one earned run in his last ten outings. The Rock Cats sit one game over .500 but the club has lost their last three games. Tomorrow night marks the last game in their series with Bowie before the club returns home for a weeklong home stand. By only trailing Portland by three games in the standings, the next week could be important. Fort Myers Miracle 4, Dunedin Blue Jays 5 Box Score The Miracle jumped out to an early lead in this contest but the offense slowed down for six innings before waking up in the bottom of the ninth. Dunedin held a slim 3-2 lead before tacking on a couple of insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning. Fort Myers scored two runs of their own in the ninth without recording an out. With Angel Morales at second and Eddie Rosario at first, Andy Leer attempted a bunt and the pitcher was able to get the lead runner at third. Levi Michael was the next batter and he struck out. Aderling Meijia was walked to load the bases but Stephen Wickens struck out looking to end the game. There were plenty of opportunities for the Miracle but the team left seven runners on base. The club also went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position including a couple of untimely double plays off the bats of Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas. Sano went 0-for-3 and he only has one home run in his last ten games. Vargas went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Even though Leer couldn't get a successful bunt down in the ninth, he hit his third home run of the season earlier in the game. Rosario didn't start the game but he was used as a pinch hitter in the critical ninth inning. He almost hit a game tying home run but it went foul. He settled for a single to keep the inning alive. Kyle Davies started the game for the Miracle. The seven-year MLB veteran was making a rehab start with the club. Minnesota signed him as a free agent in February and this was his first appearance with the organization. He tossed five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits. It was only the tenth loss of the year for the Miracle and the club will finish their four-game series with Dunedin on Thursday night. From there, the club will head on a seven-game road trip that includes stops in Charlotte and Lakeland. Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Burlington Bees 5 (7 innings) Box Score In the first game of a double-header, the Kernels used a couple of late inning runs to slide by the Bees. Cedar Rapids had nine hits in the game and over half of those hits were for extra-bases. The team went 4-for-7 with runners in scoring position and they needed every one of those runs in this game. Jorge Polanco paced the offense with a 2-for-3 night. Both of his hits were for extra bases including his fifth triple and tenth double of the year. Dalton Hicks had a big two-out double in the fifth inning to tie the game. Byron Buxton reached base in two of his three plate appearances. He finished the game going 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. Jeremias Pineda would come in as a pinch runner in the bottom of the 6th and wreak havoc on the bases. He stole second base, advanced to third on a ground out, and then scored what turned out to be the winning run on a wild pitch. Hudson Boyd started the game and allowed five runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out four batters and walked three men. Josue Montanez would earn his first win of the year in only his third appearance with the Kernels. He tossed two scoreless innings by allowing one hit and striking out two. Cedar Rapids Kernels 4, Burlington Bees 6 (7 innings) Box Score The Kernels and the Bees had to play two on Wednesday to make-up a game from April 23rd. After powering their way to a win in the first game, the Kernels bats fell a little flat in the second game until the last inning. Cedar Rapids scored two in the bottom of the ninth but the team still fell short. Steven Gruver pitched three innings in a spot start for him. He gave up three earned runs on three hits but he struggled with command and walked four batters. Alex Muren made his second appearance with the Kernels and pitched three innings while allowing two earned runs. Josh Burris pitched the final frame and gave up a run. It was the fourth consecutive outing that he gave up at least one run and his ERA sits above 12. Byron Buxton played DH in the second game of the double header. He would strike out twice in the game but he notched his 10th double of the year. Tyler Grimes added a 2-run home run but the team only managed a total of three hits. The club struck out 13 times and left six runners on base. Cedar Rapids will play the final game of their series with Burlington tomorrow night. Over the weekend, the club will play four games with Kane County. The Cougars are a .500 club and they will be looking to make an impression on the current leaders of the Midwest League, the Kernels.

The Twins concluded their three-game series with the White Sox by playing a little Wednesday afternoon baseball. With how bad the White Sox looked in recent weeks, it seemed like the Twins should be able to earn a series win. That didn't happen as the Sox took the final two games of the three-game set. Joe Mauer has been on fire lately and his recent hot streak has him in some rarefied air. He took over the active career leader board for batting average. Albert Pujols (.323 BA) had been on the top of the list followed by Ichiro Suzuki (.321 BA). Those two players are on the decline and Mauer looks to be in the prime of his career. On the most recent edition of the "Talk to Contact" podcast, we had Baseball Prospectus' Jason Parks on the show to talk about some of the big names in the Twins farm system. It is a great interview and you should make sure to download the episode if you haven't heard it yet. There were plenty of games today down on the farm. Here's a look into the Twins farm system... Rochester Red Wings 7, Durham Bulls 10 Box Score Cole De Vries continued his rehab trail with a start in Rochester on Wednesday night. His previous two starts had been with the Fort Myers Miracle and the New Britain Rock Cats. With a Triple-A start under his belt, his rehab time could be coming to an end. His performance on Wednesday would play a pivotal role in the team's decision. I wrote about De Vries and contemplated his place with the Twins now that he is healthy. For De Vries, his start with Rochester didn't go perfectly. He got knocked around over four innings for a total of 11 hits and six earned runs. The fifth inning was where most of the trouble happened for De Vries. He had allowed three runs in the first four frames before not recording an out in a three-run top of the fifth. Rochester's offense faired pretty well against one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. Jake Odorizzi made it through 5.1 innings but he surrendered six earned runs and three long balls. Chris Colabello had a monster game as he went 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double. His five RBI were great but it wasn't nearly enough to keep pace with the Bulls. Eric Farris extended his hit streak to nine games with a single in the bottom of the fourth. The loss puts the Red Wings ten games under .500 for the first time this season and for the first time since May 28, 2012. The club has also lost six of their last seven contests. There are two more games left in the series with the Bulls and the Red Wings have to find a way to get back to playing winning baseball. New Britain Rock Cats 3, Bowie Baysox 10 Box Score Pat Dean is going to want to forget about the bottom of the second inning on Wednesday night. The Baysox gave him a rude awakening and knocked him out of the game early. The first batter of the frame hit one over the fence and it didn't get much better from there. He would give up six more hits including another home run and he would be charged with seven earned runs in a little over an inning of work. Danny Santana was the only Rock Cats hitter with two hits. He is in the midst of an eight game hit streak and he has six multi-hit games during that stretch. Over the last ten games, he is hitting .425/.465/.550 with three doubles and a triple. Daniel Ortiz had his 12th double of the year and his 23rd RBI. New Britain's bullpen was counted on to eat up a lot of innings tonight. Blake Martin threw two hitless innings and struck out two batters. Aaron Thompson continued his impressive work with one hit and two strikeouts in an inning of work. His ERA dropped to 0.61 for the year and he has only given up one earned run in his last ten outings. The Rock Cats sit one game over .500 but the club has lost their last three games. Tomorrow night marks the last game in their series with Bowie before the club returns home for a weeklong home stand. By only trailing Portland by three games in the standings, the next week could be important. Fort Myers Miracle 4, Dunedin Blue Jays 5 Box Score The Miracle jumped out to an early lead in this contest but the offense slowed down for six innings before waking up in the bottom of the ninth. Dunedin held a slim 3-2 lead before tacking on a couple of insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning. Fort Myers scored two runs of their own in the ninth without recording an out. With Angel Morales at second and Eddie Rosario at first, Andy Leer attempted a bunt and the pitcher was able to get the lead runner at third. Levi Michael was the next batter and he struck out. Aderling Meijia was walked to load the bases but Stephen Wickens struck out looking to end the game. There were plenty of opportunities for the Miracle but the team left seven runners on base. The club also went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position including a couple of untimely double plays off the bats of Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas. Sano went 0-for-3 and he only has one home run in his last ten games. Vargas went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Even though Leer couldn't get a successful bunt down in the ninth, he hit his third home run of the season earlier in the game. Rosario didn't start the game but he was used as a pinch hitter in the critical ninth inning. He almost hit a game tying home run but it went foul. He settled for a single to keep the inning alive. Kyle Davies started the game for the Miracle. The seven-year MLB veteran was making a rehab start with the club. Minnesota signed him as a free agent in February and this was his first appearance with the organization. He tossed five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits. It was only the tenth loss of the year for the Miracle and the club will finish their four-game series with Dunedin on Thursday night. From there, the club will head on a seven-game road trip that includes stops in Charlotte and Lakeland. Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Burlington Bees 5 (7 innings) Box Score In the first game of a double-header, the Kernels used a couple of late inning runs to slide by the Bees. Cedar Rapids had nine hits in the game and over half of those hits were for extra-bases. The team went 4-for-7 with runners in scoring position and they needed every one of those runs in this game. Jorge Polanco paced the offense with a 2-for-3 night. Both of his hits were for extra bases including his fifth triple and tenth double of the year. Dalton Hicks had a big two-out double in the fifth inning to tie the game. Byron Buxton reached base in two of his three plate appearances. He finished the game going 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. Jeremias Pineda would come in as a pinch runner in the bottom of the 6th and wreak havoc on the bases. He stole second base, advanced to third on a ground out, and then scored what turned out to be the winning run on a wild pitch. Hudson Boyd started the game and allowed five runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out four batters and walked three men. Josue Montanez would earn his first win of the year in only his third appearance with the Kernels. He tossed two scoreless innings by allowing one hit and striking out two. Cedar Rapids Kernels 4, Burlington Bees 6 (7 innings) Box Score The Kernels and the Bees had to play two on Wednesday to make-up a game from April 23rd. After powering their way to a win in the first game, the Kernels bats fell a little flat in the second game until the last inning. Cedar Rapids scored two in the bottom of the ninth but the team still fell short. Steven Gruver pitched three innings in a spot start for him. He gave up three earned runs on three hits but he struggled with command and walked four batters. Alex Muren made his second appearance with the Kernels and pitched three innings while allowing two earned runs. Josh Burris pitched the final frame and gave up a run. It was the fourth consecutive outing that he gave up at least one run and his ERA sits above 12. Byron Buxton played DH in the second game of the double header. He would strike out twice in the game but he notched his 10th double of the year. Tyler Grimes added a 2-run home run but the team only managed a total of three hits. The club struck out 13 times and left six runners on base. Cedar Rapids will play the final game of their series with Burlington tomorrow night. Over the weekend, the club will play four games with Kane County. The Cougars are a .500 club and they will be looking to make an impression on the current leaders of the Midwest League, the Kernels.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4080[/ATTACH] On Wednesday night in Rochester, New York, Cole De Vries will take the mound for the Red Wings in what could be his final rehab start before being taken off the disable list. The right-handed hurler has been dealing with a strain on the outer part of his forearm and he has yet to appear in a game for the Twins this season. De Vries is an interesting player in the Twins system. Last season, he was finally rewarded for his time and dedication to the organization by becoming a 27-year old rookie. He posted a 5-5 record with a 4.11 ERA in 16 starts. It wasn't terrible and the team kept him on the 40-man roster for the 2013 season. When De Vries went down with an injury in spring training, there were plenty of fans that thought the dreaded Tommy John surgery would be headed his way. Lucky for him and the Twins, his elbow was fine and he just had a strained right forearm. The rest and rehab with this injury are much easier than working back from Tommy John. In his first rehab start, De Vries threw four innings for the Fort Myers Miracle. He gave up one earned run on six hits with six strikeouts and no walks. Opponents hit .353 off of him in that game but a player’s first return to game action can mean that he was testing out the feel of his pitches. He made the jump up to New Britain for his next start and he had quite the interesting start. Over five innings, he gave up five runs but only two of those runs were earned. He had five strikeouts and two walks but there were also two home runs hit off of him. It would have been interesting to see what his line would have looked like without the errors behind him. Triple-A is the next stop for De Vries and he could signal to the Twins that he is ready to rejoin their rotation. The question still remains about where he will fit into the club's plans. Pedro Hernandez has put together a 2-0 record as the Twins number five starter but his other numbers are a little tough to swallow. He has a 5.79 ERA over five starts with a 1.571 WHIP. His 15 strikeouts compared to is nine walks are also not so impressive. He has give up 35 hits in 28.0 innings and the team keeps putting him out there every fifth day. Vance Worley and Mike Pelfrey each have an ERA north of 6.00 so one might think De Vries could be taking one of their spots. The Twins were planning on getting a lot out of Worley and Pelfrey this year so the club will probably continue to stick with them. If things continue to go south for these two men, the club could make a different move in the future. When De Vries was given his chance last season, there were fans that were clamoring to see him start a game for the Twins. At 28-years old, he isn't exactly a rising star in the Twins organization. He has found ways to be effective at every level in the minors and now the Twins can use him at the back end of their rotation. De Vries is never going to win any big pitching awards but the former stand-out at the University of Minnesota gets to continue his career in his home state. His friends and family can come to watch him play at Target Field on a weekly basis and he might be an important part to a Twins team that has turned a few heads this season.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4067[/ATTACH] It's getting close to the end of the first fourth of the season and the Twins are still flirting with the .500 mark. There is a lot of baseball left to play but it has been an encouraging first portion of the season for Twins fans. Some surprise pitching performances, a good offense and a stingy bullpen have the club in range of the top of the division. So how did this Twins team get here and is this pace sustainable for the remainder of the season? The starting staff has been one of the weaknesses of this club and there have clearly been some holes in the rotation. Vance Worley, the team's opening day starter, has an ERA north of 7.00 and WHIP is almost 2.00. Mike Pelfrey's numbers are nearly as bad as Worley's and these two men were supposed to play key roles on this team. Kevin Correia has been a big surprise and he leads the starters in almost every major category. Scott Diamond has put together some solid efforts since he returned from injury. His addition to the staff should provide a nice boost to the club. Pedro Hernandez has filled in as the fifth starter but there are other arms hot on his heels. Even with some good performances mixed in, it is hard not to imagine the Twins rotation getting better as the season goes on. Kyle Gibson and Cole DeVries are scheduled to join the rotation at some point in the coming weeks. It would also be tough for players like Worley and Pelfrey to be as bad as they have been so far this year. This leads one to imagine that the starting pitching should be able to help the Twins stay around the .500 mark. On the offensive side of the ball, things have been off to a good start. Joe Mauer is near the top of the leader board in multiple offensive categories. Justin Morneau has helped pace the middle of the line-up and Josh Willingham is finding ways to get on base though his average is low. Even young players like Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia are starting to figure out MLB pitching. The team currently ranks 8th in the American League in runs scored and this has helped the club to a positive run differential. Minnesota's 69 doubles ranks sixth among AL teams and is the second highest total in the AL Central. With some slow offensive performances in the early weeks, the Twins' team batting average of .251 might not be as bad an omen as it seems. So far, the club is below league average in batting average, slugging, and OPS. With Hicks and Arcia already in the MLB line-up, there isn't a ton of offensive help in the high levels of the minors. The club might have their best offensive core in and playing on a regular basis. If the players not named Mauer and Morneau can raise their numbers, this could be a very good offensive team. Minnesota's recent offensive performance makes it hard not to think that the team can stay close to the .500 mark. Over the weekend, Terry Ryan was asked about the Twins still being around the .500 mark especially with a lot of underachievers. His response was that .500 is not good enough. He wants this team to contend. The .500 mark seems pretty good after the last two awful seasons. It's hard to know if the club will be able to sustain this pace for the rest of the year but there are signs that it could be possible. Underachieving players might start to figure it out and then the Twins could be a dangerous club in the AL Central.