Cody Christie

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Many of the Twins minor league affiliates celebrated Independence Day early with offensive explosions. The Red Wings and the Miracle had men up and down their line-ups knock in runs to help their clubs to come out victorious. There were a few minor league news and notes that took place on Wednesday afternoon. Catcher Danny Lehmann was released by the club after spending time on the disable list this season. He had only played 18 games this season and he was a career .229/.317/.301 hitter. It was also announced that Chris Colabello and Andrew Albers will represent the Red Wings at the Triple-A All-Star Game. Colabello was the overall leader in the online fan balloting and he will start at first base for the International League squad. Rochester Red Wings 11, Buffalo Bisons 1 Box Scores The Red Wings had some fireworks on the field on the day before the Fourth of July. Brian Dinkelman, Chris Colabello, and Deibinson Romero all hit home runs. Every batter in the Rochester line-up recorded a hit and some of the men had six chances at the plate. Doug Bernier had the most hits as he went 3-for-6. Chris Herrmann had a very good game by collecting two hits in four trips to the plate. He had his ninth double and his third triple. Colabello continued his remarkable season by knocking his 21st home run. In one of his best pitching performances of the year, Andrew Albers tossed seven strong frames. He allowed one solo home run but that was the only run scored on the night. The Bisons had five hits and Albers struck out six men. New Britain Rock Cats 1, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 6 Box Score Miguel Sano continued some of his struggles at the Double-A level. He went 0-for-4 on this night but he struck out three times. The defensive side of the ball wasn't much better as he committed his sixth error since his promotion. It wasn't only Sano that struggled on Wednesday night because the rest of the offense didn't help the team. Danny Santana was the lone Rock Cats with two hits. Nate Hanson hit his 14th double of the season and scored a run. Daniel Ortiz continued his powerful season by knocking his 22nd double. The team went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and there were nine runners left on base. Virgil Vasquez was making his second start at Double-A since being demoted from Rochester. He tossed six innings and gave up four earned runs. AJ Achter did a good job in relief by tossing a perfect ninth inning with a strikeout. Fort Myers Miracle 11, Bradenton Marauders 5 Box Score The Miracle pounded out 21 hits and the club had no problem coming out victorious. Fort Myers scored three runs in the sixth inning and they topped that in the seventh by scoring six runs. It's hard to know where to start with the offensive explosion. Byron Buxton went 3-for-5 with a double but he did strikeout two times. The three hit game raised his batting average to .400 since being promoted to Fort Myers. Every batter in the Miracle line-up had a double except for Kennys Vargas. Jhon Goncalves, Mike Kvasnicka, and Candido Pimentel all went 3-for-5 in the game. Taylor Rogers benefited from the offensive explosion on the mound. He pitched into the seventh inning and limited the Marauders to three runs on nine hits. He struck out three batters and only gave up one walk. Corey Williams recorded the final four outs of the game and collected three strikeouts. Cedar Rapids Kernels 2, Beloit Snappers 8 Box Score Beloit, the former Twins affiliate, has turned into a tough team for the current Twins affiliate to beat. Cedar Rapids fell again to the Snappers and there wasn't much offense for the Kernels. Beloit scored runs in five different innings to come out with an easy win. Max Kepler continued his hot start to the season by going 2-for-4 with an RBI. JD Williams had the only extra base hit with his 11th double of the year. Jorge Polanco scored a run and had two hits. The club went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position so some offensive opportunities were missed. Christian Powell started the contest and pitched 5.2 innings. He gave up 10 hits and six earned runs. Allowing two home runs didn't help him on the way to his second loss of the year. Hudson Boyd and Caleb Brewer only gave up one earned run in the last 2.1 innings. They combined to strikeout three and gave up four hits. Elizabethton Twins --, Johnson City Cardinals -- Inclement weather might have been the only thing that could have stopped the E-Twins from winning. Their game with the Johnson City Cardinals got postponed due to some weather issues. The club has a 10-2 record and they will look to continue their winnings ways over the holiday weekend. GCL Twins 8, GCL Rays 2 (6 Innings-Rain) Box Score Nick Blackburn returned to the mound for the first time and got some decent results. He threw four innings and scattered seven hits. The Rays scored both of their runs off of Blackburn and he had one strikeout. Leonel Zazueta pitched the fifth inning and he struck out two batters. Joel Polanco lead the offense with a 2-for-3 day. He hit his first double of the season and knocked in two runs. Amaurys Minier knocked in three runs to help stretch the lead. Adonis Pacheco added his second double of the season.

Many of the Twins minor league affiliates celebrated Independence Day early with offensive explosions. The Red Wings and the Miracle had men up and down their line-ups knock in runs to help their clubs to come out victorious. There were a few minor league news and notes that took place on Wednesday afternoon. Catcher Danny Lehmann was released by the club after spending time on the disable list this season. He had only played 18 games this season and he was a career .229/.317/.301 hitter. It was also announced that Chris Colabello and Andrew Albers will represent the Red Wings at the Triple-A All-Star Game. Colabello was the overall leader in the online fan balloting and he will start at first base for the International League squad. Rochester Red Wings 11, Buffalo Bisons 1 Box Scores The Red Wings had some fireworks on the field on the day before the Fourth of July. Brian Dinkelman, Chris Colabello, and Deibinson Romero all hit home runs. Every batter in the Rochester line-up recorded a hit and some of the men had six chances at the plate. Doug Bernier had the most hits as he went 3-for-6. Chris Herrmann had a very good game by collecting two hits in four trips to the plate. He had his ninth double and his third triple. Colabello continued his remarkable season by knocking his 21st home run. In one of his best pitching performances of the year, Andrew Albers tossed seven strong frames. He allowed one solo home run but that was the only run scored on the night. The Bisons had five hits and Albers struck out six men. New Britain Rock Cats 1, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 6 Box Score Miguel Sano continued some of his struggles at the Double-A level. He went 0-for-4 on this night but he struck out three times. The defensive side of the ball wasn't much better as he committed his sixth error since his promotion. It wasn't only Sano that struggled on Wednesday night because the rest of the offense didn't help the team. Danny Santana was the lone Rock Cats with two hits. Nate Hanson hit his 14th double of the season and scored a run. Daniel Ortiz continued his powerful season by knocking his 22nd double. The team went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and there were nine runners left on base. Virgil Vasquez was making his second start at Double-A since being demoted from Rochester. He tossed six innings and gave up four earned runs. AJ Achter did a good job in relief by tossing a perfect ninth inning with a strikeout. Fort Myers Miracle 11, Bradenton Marauders 5 Box Score The Miracle pounded out 21 hits and the club had no problem coming out victorious. Fort Myers scored three runs in the sixth inning and they topped that in the seventh by scoring six runs. It's hard to know where to start with the offensive explosion. Byron Buxton went 3-for-5 with a double but he did strikeout two times. The three hit game raised his batting average to .400 since being promoted to Fort Myers. Every batter in the Miracle line-up had a double except for Kennys Vargas. Jhon Goncalves, Mike Kvasnicka, and Candido Pimentel all went 3-for-5 in the game. Taylor Rogers benefited from the offensive explosion on the mound. He pitched into the seventh inning and limited the Marauders to three runs on nine hits. He struck out three batters and only gave up one walk. Corey Williams recorded the final four outs of the game and collected three strikeouts. Cedar Rapids Kernels 2, Beloit Snappers 8 Box Score Beloit, the former Twins affiliate, has turned into a tough team for the current Twins affiliate to beat. Cedar Rapids fell again to the Snappers and there wasn't much offense for the Kernels. Beloit scored runs in five different innings to come out with an easy win. Max Kepler continued his hot start to the season by going 2-for-4 with an RBI. JD Williams had the only extra base hit with his 11th double of the year. Jorge Polanco scored a run and had two hits. The club went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position so some offensive opportunities were missed. Christian Powell started the contest and pitched 5.2 innings. He gave up 10 hits and six earned runs. Allowing two home runs didn't help him on the way to his second loss of the year. Hudson Boyd and Caleb Brewer only gave up one earned run in the last 2.1 innings. They combined to strikeout three and gave up four hits. Elizabethton Twins --, Johnson City Cardinals -- Inclement weather might have been the only thing that could have stopped the E-Twins from winning. Their game with the Johnson City Cardinals got postponed due to some weather issues. The club has a 10-2 record and they will look to continue their winnings ways over the holiday weekend. GCL Twins 8, GCL Rays 2 (6 Innings-Rain) Box Score Nick Blackburn returned to the mound for the first time and got some decent results. He threw four innings and scattered seven hits. The Rays scored both of their runs off of Blackburn and he had one strikeout. Leonel Zazueta pitched the fifth inning and he struck out two batters. Joel Polanco lead the offense with a 2-for-3 day. He hit his first double of the season and knocked in two runs. Amaurys Minier knocked in three runs to help stretch the lead. Adonis Pacheco added his second double of the season.

Sad to see the hitting streak end last night. Since Cuddyer isn't much of a contact hitter, this was quite the stretch of game for him. It was fun to follow while it lasted. Now he can start a new streak.

It's interesting to think about what the Twins could have gotten for him at last year's deadline or during this past offseason.

I wonder if anyone will be moved. The Twins always seem to want to get back a good value for their players and I don't know if any of their available assets are going to bring back what they want at the deadline.

As they say, there are no bad one year contracts. That being said... I wouldn't put the odds very high.

Down the stretch they come! Well, at least as far as voting goes for the 2013 MLB All-Star Game in New York City. There can be some debate over who should make the club. Some voters like to pick out the players that have had the best first half of a season in 2013. Others look at the last calendar year and try and pick out the rosters based on those performances. Today I break down the American League roster. There are some tough decisions at a couple positions but there are some ways to break the ties. Take a look at my picks and leave a comment with your roster. Catcher: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins Other Candidates: Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians; Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles One of the easiest picks in the AL might be the man behind the plate. Mauer easily has the highest WAR among catchers this season and that also holds true for his WAR over the last calendar year. Santana might be the only other man that deserves a chance to start. He hits for a little bit more power than Mauer but the nod should still go to the Twins backstop. Matt Wieters has been a solid player on a good team in the last year but his batting average is pretty low. First Base: Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles Other Candidates: Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers; Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays It has been quite the first half of the year for Mr. Chris Davis. He is on pace to hit over 60 home runs and in the last calendar year he has the highest WAR among AL first basemen. Prince Fielder might be the better known name on the list and Albert Pujols could also be in consideration. Edwin Encarnacion might be a surprise person to consider but in the last 12 months he has a higher WAR than Fielder and he has hit 43 home runs. He is actually on the ballot as a DH but I will slide him into this spot since he has started 45 games there in 2013. Second Base: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees Other Candidates: Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox; Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians This is a tough pick because Cano and Pedroia's value over the last calendar year has been almost identical. Cano hits for more power and Pedroia hits for a higher average. On the defensive side of the ball, Pedroia is probably the better defender so some people might consider him the front-runner. As Twins fans saw earlier this week, Cano can be a one-man wrecking crew in a sub-par Yankee line-up. With many of the other star hitters on the DL, Cano has compiled some great numbers in the first half and he should get the start in New York. Third Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers Other Candidates: Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles; Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays There has been a lot of hype around Machado and his tremendous first half. Unfortunately, he plays the same position as the defending AL MVP and Cabrera is having another tremendous season at the plate. He might be the best hitter in all of baseball and he could be fighting for another Triple Crown if Chris Davis ever slows down his home run total. Machado might be the wave of the future at third base in the AL but he will have to wait to make his first start at the hot corner. Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta, Detroit Tigers Other Candidates: JJ Hardy, Baltimore Orioles; Jed Lowrie, Oakland Athletics Out of all of the positions in the American League, this might be the weakest one for picking out a starter. Hardy will probably win the fan voting and end up the starter. The Orioles fans have been very good to some of their candidates this season. Peralta and Hardy have put together similar numbers over the last calendar year so it is a tough call. My vote goes to Peralta but it was another tough pick at a middle infield position. Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox Other Candidates: Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals; Mark Trumbo, Los Angeles Angels DH is such a weird position because fans don't get to pick out a DH from the National League. This can be a benefit to the NL because the manager can just slide a good hitter into the role. As far as the AL goes, Ortiz might be locked into this spot until he retires. Last season, Butler had a good story with the game being played in Kansas City but he won't have the hometown crowd to back him in NYC. After the famous speech in Boston by Ortiz, all of Red Sox nation has been out in force to vote for one of the leaders on their team. Outfielders: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels; Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles; Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics Other Candidates: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays; Torii Hunter, Detroit Tigers; Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox Mike Trout is probably one of the easiest picks for this team. He had a tremendous season last year and he continues to put up solid numbers in his sophomore campaign. The list gets a little dicey after that point. Adam Jones is going to get voted in by the fans and I am fine with that pick. He has become the face of the franchise for a Baltimore team that continues to surprise people in the AL East. Picking the last outfielder was the toughest spot for me on this AL squad. Bautista is having a bounce-back season, Hunter continues to play well with his aging body, and Ellsbury was an MVP candidate before some injuries last season. I picked Cespedes because he provides an interesting dynamic to the game. He appeals to the international audience even though his home country wouldn't be able to watch the game. Also, the A's have been near the top of their division and they deserve a starter. That wraps up my picks for the starting line-up. Who would make your team? Leave a COMMENT and start your discussion.

Down the stretch they come! Well, at least as far as voting goes for the 2013 MLB All-Star Game in New York City. There can be some debate over who should make the club. Some voters like to pick out the players that have had the best first half of a season in 2013. Others look at the last calendar year and try and pick out the rosters based on those performances. Today I break down the American League roster. There are some tough decisions at a couple positions but there are some ways to break the ties. Take a look at my picks and leave a comment with your roster. Catcher: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins Other Candidates: Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians; Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles One of the easiest picks in the AL might be the man behind the plate. Mauer easily has the highest WAR among catchers this season and that also holds true for his WAR over the last calendar year. Santana might be the only other man that deserves a chance to start. He hits for a little bit more power than Mauer but the nod should still go to the Twins backstop. Matt Wieters has been a solid player on a good team in the last year but his batting average is pretty low. First Base: Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles Other Candidates: Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers; Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays It has been quite the first half of the year for Mr. Chris Davis. He is on pace to hit over 60 home runs and in the last calendar year he has the highest WAR among AL first basemen. Prince Fielder might be the better known name on the list and Albert Pujols could also be in consideration. Edwin Encarnacion might be a surprise person to consider but in the last 12 months he has a higher WAR than Fielder and he has hit 43 home runs. He is actually on the ballot as a DH but I will slide him into this spot since he has started 45 games there in 2013. Second Base: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees Other Candidates: Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox; Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians This is a tough pick because Cano and Pedroia's value over the last calendar year has been almost identical. Cano hits for more power and Pedroia hits for a higher average. On the defensive side of the ball, Pedroia is probably the better defender so some people might consider him the front-runner. As Twins fans saw earlier this week, Cano can be a one-man wrecking crew in a sub-par Yankee line-up. With many of the other star hitters on the DL, Cano has compiled some great numbers in the first half and he should get the start in New York. Third Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers Other Candidates: Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles; Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays There has been a lot of hype around Machado and his tremendous first half. Unfortunately, he plays the same position as the defending AL MVP and Cabrera is having another tremendous season at the plate. He might be the best hitter in all of baseball and he could be fighting for another Triple Crown if Chris Davis ever slows down his home run total. Machado might be the wave of the future at third base in the AL but he will have to wait to make his first start at the hot corner. Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta, Detroit Tigers Other Candidates: JJ Hardy, Baltimore Orioles; Jed Lowrie, Oakland Athletics Out of all of the positions in the American League, this might be the weakest one for picking out a starter. Hardy will probably win the fan voting and end up the starter. The Orioles fans have been very good to some of their candidates this season. Peralta and Hardy have put together similar numbers over the last calendar year so it is a tough call. My vote goes to Peralta but it was another tough pick at a middle infield position. Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox Other Candidates: Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals; Mark Trumbo, Los Angeles Angels DH is such a weird position because fans don't get to pick out a DH from the National League. This can be a benefit to the NL because the manager can just slide a good hitter into the role. As far as the AL goes, Ortiz might be locked into this spot until he retires. Last season, Butler had a good story with the game being played in Kansas City but he won't have the hometown crowd to back him in NYC. After the famous speech in Boston by Ortiz, all of Red Sox nation has been out in force to vote for one of the leaders on their team. Outfielders: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels; Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles; Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics Other Candidates: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays; Torii Hunter, Detroit Tigers; Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox Mike Trout is probably one of the easiest picks for this team. He had a tremendous season last year and he continues to put up solid numbers in his sophomore campaign. The list gets a little dicey after that point. Adam Jones is going to get voted in by the fans and I am fine with that pick. He has become the face of the franchise for a Baltimore team that continues to surprise people in the AL East. Picking the last outfielder was the toughest spot for me on this AL squad. Bautista is having a bounce-back season, Hunter continues to play well with his aging body, and Ellsbury was an MVP candidate before some injuries last season. I picked Cespedes because he provides an interesting dynamic to the game. He appeals to the international audience even though his home country wouldn't be able to watch the game. Also, the A's have been near the top of their division and they deserve a starter. That wraps up my picks for the starting line-up. Who would make your team? Leave a COMMENT and start your discussion.

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The Twins had a back and forth game on a beautiful afternoon at Target Field. Unfortunately, the club came out on the losing side of their match-up with the Royals. There were home runs from Justin Morneau, Trevor Plouffe, and Clete Thomas but it still wasn't enough. The bullpen gave up four runs in the last four frames for a tough loss. In minor league news, RHP AJ Achter was transferred to Rochester from New Britain. It will be his first trip to Triple-A. Achter had appeared in 24 games as a relief pitcher. He has a 2.27 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 19 walks in 35.2 innings. In a corresponding move, C/OF Dan Rohlfing was sent to New Britain from Rochester. There were some close games and some hard fought victories in the Twins system today. Check out all of the action from down on the pond. Rochester Red Wings 0, Syracuse Chiefs 2 Box Score Liam Hendriks pitched a complete game but the offense didn't give him any support. He struck out four and walked one while limiting the Chiefs to two runs. The loss dropped his record to 1-6 and he hasn't won a game since the beginning of May. The Red Wings had a tough time getting the offense going. Drew Butera was the lone Rochester hitter to collect more than one hit. Jeff Clement knocked his 10th double but he was the only person in the top five of the batting order to collect a hit. The bottom four batters in the order all had at least one hit. Today's loss marked the first three game losing streak for the Red Wings since May 13-15. Rochester still ended the month of June with a 17-13 record. This was the second game of a 24 game stretch against opponents in the International League North Division. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Reading Phillies 8 Box Score The Rock Cats wouldn't score a run until the late innings and the Phillies were well in control by that point in the game. Two New Britain errors from Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario resulted in some extra work for the pitching staff and the Rock Cats lost their series to Reading. It was their third loss in four games to end the month of June. Matthew Summers was making his second start since being called up from Fort Myers. He pitched four innings and gave up five runs on seven hits. His control was a little all over the place as he walked four and struck out three. Out of his 87 pitches, 55 of them were for strikes. Dakota Watts and Edgar Ibarra did a good job to keep the game close in the middle innings. They combined to pitch four innings and they limited Reading to two base runners. Matt Hauser pitched the ninth and he gave up three earned runs in the final frame. Josmil Pinto didn't start at catcher but he still went 2-for-3 with a run scored from the DH slot. Daniel Ortiz went 2-or-4 with his 21st double of the season. Rosario tried to make up for his error with a double and a run scored but it still wasn't enough for New Britain. Fort Myers Miracle 4, St. Lucie Mets 1 (Rain Shortened- 6 Innings) Box Score Fort Myers scored runs in four of the six innings to come out victorious in this rain shortened game. Bryon Buxton seems to be finding his swing at High-A. He went 3-for-3 in this game with his first double and first stolen base at this level. Every time he was on base, he scored a run and his average is up to .333 since being promoted. Kennys Vargas went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI to get his RBI total up to 61 for the year. With Buxton at the top of the order, Vargas could continue to add to this total in the coming weeks. Jhon Goncalves and Mike Kvasnicka each had a hit. Jason Wheeler pitched 5.1 innings for his seventh win of the season. He scattered four hits and allowed one earned run. Ryan O'Rourke earned his third save by recording the last couple of outs before the rains came tumbling down. He struck out both of the batters he faced. After losing four straight games at the beginning of the week, the Miracle have won two straight games. The team will close out the series with St. Lucie on Monday evening. Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Peoria Chiefs 5 Box Score The Kernels had won nine straight games coming into Sunday's contest with the Chiefs and it looked like their winning streak was going to come to an end. It took a little bit of magic from the Kernels in the bottom of the ninth to pull out their 10th straight wins. Max Kepler's RBI single was the only hit of the inning and it made the team walk-off winners. Tim Atherton made his first start for the Kernels after appearing in 20 games as a relief pitcher. He pitched into the fourth inning and allowed three runs even though one of them was earned. He walked three batters and struck out two. Alex Muren and Tyler Jones pitched the last three innings and one unearned run was scored against them. Jones picked up his fourth win of the season. The offense was lead by Jorge Polanco with two hits and two runs scored. Travis Harrison hit his 24th double and knocked in a couple of runs. In the game, Harrison did have his 17 error of the season at third base. Niko Goodrum got a start at first base and he added his 17th double while scoring a run. Mike Pelfrey will make a rehab start for the Kernels on Monday night. It will be the final game of the series against the Chiefs and the club will be going for win number 11 in a row. Elizabethton Twins 5, Kingsport Mets 1 Box Score The E-Twins kept up their winning ways in the early portion of their season. Randy Rosario won his second decision after he threw five innings by striking out seven and allowing one earned run. The Mets only managed three hits against him and he didn't walk a batter. Austin Malinowski and Brandon Peterson each pitched two frames and combined to give up two hits. Peterson struck out four batters and he has yet to let a run cross the plate. Malinowski had a good bounce back performance after allowing three runs in his last appearance. Dereck Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. He also stole third base for his fourth steal of 2013. Bryan Haar hit his third home run of the season. Mitch Garver and Romy Jimenez also hit long balls and for each of them it was their first home run.

The Twins had a back and forth game on a beautiful afternoon at Target Field. Unfortunately, the club came out on the losing side of their match-up with the Royals. There were home runs from Justin Morneau, Trevor Plouffe, and Clete Thomas but it still wasn't enough. The bullpen gave up four runs in the last four frames for a tough loss. In minor league news, RHP AJ Achter was transferred to Rochester from New Britain. It will be his first trip to Triple-A. Achter had appeared in 24 games as a relief pitcher. He has a 2.27 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 19 walks in 35.2 innings. In a corresponding move, C/OF Dan Rohlfing was sent to New Britain from Rochester. There were some close games and some hard fought victories in the Twins system today. Check out all of the action from down on the pond. Rochester Red Wings 0, Syracuse Chiefs 2 Box Score Liam Hendriks pitched a complete game but the offense didn't give him any support. He struck out four and walked one while limiting the Chiefs to two runs. The loss dropped his record to 1-6 and he hasn't won a game since the beginning of May. The Red Wings had a tough time getting the offense going. Drew Butera was the lone Rochester hitter to collect more than one hit. Jeff Clement knocked his 10th double but he was the only person in the top five of the batting order to collect a hit. The bottom four batters in the order all had at least one hit. Today's loss marked the first three game losing streak for the Red Wings since May 13-15. Rochester still ended the month of June with a 17-13 record. This was the second game of a 24 game stretch against opponents in the International League North Division. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Reading Phillies 8 Box Score The Rock Cats wouldn't score a run until the late innings and the Phillies were well in control by that point in the game. Two New Britain errors from Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario resulted in some extra work for the pitching staff and the Rock Cats lost their series to Reading. It was their third loss in four games to end the month of June. Matthew Summers was making his second start since being called up from Fort Myers. He pitched four innings and gave up five runs on seven hits. His control was a little all over the place as he walked four and struck out three. Out of his 87 pitches, 55 of them were for strikes. Dakota Watts and Edgar Ibarra did a good job to keep the game close in the middle innings. They combined to pitch four innings and they limited Reading to two base runners. Matt Hauser pitched the ninth and he gave up three earned runs in the final frame. Josmil Pinto didn't start at catcher but he still went 2-for-3 with a run scored from the DH slot. Daniel Ortiz went 2-or-4 with his 21st double of the season. Rosario tried to make up for his error with a double and a run scored but it still wasn't enough for New Britain. Fort Myers Miracle 4, St. Lucie Mets 1 (Rain Shortened- 6 Innings) Box Score Fort Myers scored runs in four of the six innings to come out victorious in this rain shortened game. Bryon Buxton seems to be finding his swing at High-A. He went 3-for-3 in this game with his first double and first stolen base at this level. Every time he was on base, he scored a run and his average is up to .333 since being promoted. Kennys Vargas went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI to get his RBI total up to 61 for the year. With Buxton at the top of the order, Vargas could continue to add to this total in the coming weeks. Jhon Goncalves and Mike Kvasnicka each had a hit. Jason Wheeler pitched 5.1 innings for his seventh win of the season. He scattered four hits and allowed one earned run. Ryan O'Rourke earned his third save by recording the last couple of outs before the rains came tumbling down. He struck out both of the batters he faced. After losing four straight games at the beginning of the week, the Miracle have won two straight games. The team will close out the series with St. Lucie on Monday evening. Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Peoria Chiefs 5 Box Score The Kernels had won nine straight games coming into Sunday's contest with the Chiefs and it looked like their winning streak was going to come to an end. It took a little bit of magic from the Kernels in the bottom of the ninth to pull out their 10th straight wins. Max Kepler's RBI single was the only hit of the inning and it made the team walk-off winners. Tim Atherton made his first start for the Kernels after appearing in 20 games as a relief pitcher. He pitched into the fourth inning and allowed three runs even though one of them was earned. He walked three batters and struck out two. Alex Muren and Tyler Jones pitched the last three innings and one unearned run was scored against them. Jones picked up his fourth win of the season. The offense was lead by Jorge Polanco with two hits and two runs scored. Travis Harrison hit his 24th double and knocked in a couple of runs. In the game, Harrison did have his 17 error of the season at third base. Niko Goodrum got a start at first base and he added his 17th double while scoring a run. Mike Pelfrey will make a rehab start for the Kernels on Monday night. It will be the final game of the series against the Chiefs and the club will be going for win number 11 in a row. Elizabethton Twins 5, Kingsport Mets 1 Box Score The E-Twins kept up their winning ways in the early portion of their season. Randy Rosario won his second decision after he threw five innings by striking out seven and allowing one earned run. The Mets only managed three hits against him and he didn't walk a batter. Austin Malinowski and Brandon Peterson each pitched two frames and combined to give up two hits. Peterson struck out four batters and he has yet to let a run cross the plate. Malinowski had a good bounce back performance after allowing three runs in his last appearance. Dereck Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. He also stole third base for his fourth steal of 2013. Bryan Haar hit his third home run of the season. Mitch Garver and Romy Jimenez also hit long balls and for each of them it was their first home run.

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I think Perkins deserves to be an All-Star. I don't think he will be on the initial roster. But after some of the starters pitch on Sunday, I think he could be added in the days leading up to the All-Star Game.

It will be fun to see where Mauer's numbers end up at the end of his career. Twins fans are lucky to get to watch him on a daily basis.

Shortstop is a weak position in the AL. JJ Hardy is probably going to be the starter for the AL in the All-Star Game and the Twins already had him on their roster. I'm fine with Florimon at the position but I don't know what the future is going to hold in Minnesota. Danny Santana has the bat for SS but his defense is terrible. The Twins are going to want someone they can rely on from a defensive perspective.

I think Diamond might be the odd-man out in the rotation. Gibson is up until he reaches his innings limit. Maybe a little time in Rochester will help Mr. Diamond.

If they gave away a rookie of the year award for the first half of the season, he might get the award for the American League.

I think it would take a lot to get Perkins away from the Twins. Probably more than other teams are going to offer. He is signed to so a low deal that the Twins are most likely going to keep him around. Anything can happen at the deadline but I think Perkins is staying put.

It was announced earlier this week that Miguel Sano will be in New York during the All-Star break to take part in MLB's Future Game. This got me to thinking... What if Sano was able to compete in the HR Derby? How would he do against some of the best sluggers currently in baseball? Let the discussion begin.

Another week of baseball's regular season has come and gone. For the Twins there was plenty of news this week. The Marlins turned out to be pesky but they have been surprising more than one team in the National League so far this season. Kyle Gibson will be making his big league debut on Saturday and this is a moment to get a little bit excited about. Twins fans have heard his name for multiple seasons. Ryan Doumit had a cool slide, Byron Buxton is good at baseball, and the trade deadline is approaching. All these things and more in the latest edition of "Links-N-Thinks.” Stuart Turner, a 2013 Twins draft pick, was honored with the Johnny Bench Award. This award is given to the nation's best division one catcher. Here's a look at how Kyle Gibson did in each game this season for AAA-Rochester. Now that Gibson will be part of the rotation, one pitcher is going to have to lose his job. Clete Thomas has changed his swing and this has helped him to be more productive. The traded deadline is a little over a month away and it's tough to know if there is a trade market for Morneau. Logan Darnell is one step away from the big leagues after a very good season thus far. If you want to geek out a little, check out this article that looks at OPS minus batting average. Who should be blamed for the struggles the Twins have incurred against the Yankees? The back story of Max Kepler is one of the best in baseball. Kernels fans can't watch Byron Buxton any more but a German-born player could be the next to take that team by storm. Speaking of Buxton... It can be fun to examine the tools he has as a player. Buxton and Miguel Sano will represent the Twins in MLB's Futures Game. The Twins minor league system might be ahead of the curve in this new type of training. Are the Twins a fascinating team? Maybe when Buxton and Sano get here. Joe Mauer is chasing Mickey Vernon. Scientists may have unlocked the mystery in the evolution of pitchers. Is there a way to improve umpiring in MLB without increasing replay? Michael Cuddyer has been having quite the season for the Rockies. In this clip, Nick Punto has to fight some fans for a foul ball. You could also listen to it just to hear Vin Scully's voice. Matt Garza could be the best pitcher available at this year's trade deadline. I love collecting ticket stubs so this is one of the saddest trends in baseball right now. Cleveland has sure been making some noise in the AL Central. Kerry Wood made a scary discovery while paddling around in a boat. There is more than one reason why Bull Durham is a good movie. I know you want to see Hawk Harrelson in an outfit that is strangely similar to the Hamburglar. My Weekly Rundown Talk to Contact: Episode 42 Monday: 2013 Minnesota Twins Trade Candidates Wednesday: Twins Minor League Report (6/26): Sano's Big Day Thursday: A Checklist for Kyle Gibson Video of the Week: Ryan Doumit had to get a little creative on this play at the plate. He missed the plate on his first pass and he had to sneak back behind the catcher to score a run. I'm sure Oswaldo Arcia was happy since it added to his RBI total but it was still a funny play to watch unfold. Watch it again and enjoy your weekend!