Steve Lein

All four of the Minnesota Twins affiliates were in action on Sunday afternoon, and along with major league team, the organization had an undefeated day. In Rochester, a certain starting pitcher continued his run of AAA dominance, top prospects began and ended the scoring for Chattanooga, Image courtesy of Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports All four of the Minnesota Twins affiliates were in action on Sunday afternoon, and along with major league team, the organization had an undefeated day. In Rochester, a certain starting pitcher continued his run of AAA dominance, top prospects began and ended the scoring for Chattanooga, Fort Myers got a complete game shutout effort on the hill, and the Cedar Rapids lineup knocked the Twins’ former affiliate around their old ball park. Read on to find out who did what and where in Sunday’s MiLB action! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Norfolk 1 Box Score Rochester scored single runs in the third, fourth, and seventh innings to provide plenty of run support for the continued AAA dominance of Tommy Milone. He pounded the strike zone all day and scattered six hits over 8.1 innings. Eighty-five of his one-hundred-and-eight pitches went for strikes and he had retired eleven men in a row when he was finally struck for his first earned run since being optioned to AAA in the bottom of the ninth. Norfolk’s Christian Walker homered to make the score 3-1. With the shutout no longer in place, Milone was lifted for A.J. Achter, who quickly got the final two outs for his sixth save of the year. Milone finished the game with eight strikeouts and no walks. Jose Martinez got the scoring started for the Red Wings when he led off the top of third inning with his second home run of the year. He added a sacrifice fly to score Josmil Pinto in the fourth. Danny Ortiz added the final insurance run when he led off the seventh inning with his seventh home run of the season and the 3-0 lead for Rochester. Martinez and Ortiz both finished the game with two hits and a home run. Kennys Vargas was 1-4, and Argenis Diaz and Eric Fryer collected the other two hits for the Red Wings. The win improved Rochester to 25-19 on the season, leading the International League North Division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Mobile 6 Box Score The Lookouts jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning, and the scoring was started by the bat of Miguel Sano. With Jorge Polanco on first base after a single, Sano launched his ninth home run of the season to center field and a 2-0 lead. Max Kepler and Adam Brett Walker followed with back-to-back doubles to score a third run, and Mike Gonzalez brought home Walker with a single to make it 4-0. Mobile got one run back in the bottom of the inning after a leadoff home run against starter Greg Peavey, but Chattanooga scored two more in the second to make it 6-1. Stephen Wickens reached base on an error, moved to second on a Byron Buxton groundout, and scored on a Polanco single. Travis Harrison then brought Polanco around to score with his first triple of the season to right field. Peavey then kept the BayBears lineup silent until the sixth inning when they plated two runs to close the score to 6-3 and chase him from the game. D.J. Johnson escaped the jam in the sixth, and worked a scoreless seventh before running into trouble in the eighth. A walk, hit batter, and a double scored one before Zack Jones was summoned. He walked two batters to plate the first inherited runner, and then a sacrifice fly scored a second to tie the game at six. In the top of the ninth however, the bat and legs of Buxton put Chattanooga back on top for good, as he beat out a ground ball to third base for a single, and the rushed throw to first turned into a throwing error that allowed Carlos Paulino to race home and make the score 7-6. Jones got a one-two-three bottom of the ninth to pick up his third win on the season. Polanco, Harrison, and Paulino each collected two hits, and Polanco stole his ninth base. Buxton finished 1-4 with a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Brevard County 0, Fort Myers 4 Box Score The Brevard County Manatees had no answer for the efficiency of starter Aaron Slegers on this day. His quick work and complete game shutout performance allowed this game to finish in just under two hours. He didn’t go to a single three-ball count with any hitter, and threw twenty-one first-pitch strikes. The Manatees managed just three hits, all singles, and Slegers struck out a season-high nine batters. It was the first complete game shutout for the Miracle this season, and was one of two shutouts in the series. The Miracle lineup got all the offense they would need in the second and third innings to jump out to 3-0 lead. Niko Goodrum drew his Florida State League leading twenty-seventh walk, stole his tenth base, and scored on a Marcus Knecht single in the second, and Tanner Vavra and Zach Granite scored on an Alex Swim single in the third. Fort Myers added a run in the eighth inning on a throwing error from the catcher that allowed Swim to scamper home. Knecht was 2-3 on the night with an RBI and stolen base, and Swim 2-4 with two RBI and a stolen base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 11, Beloit 1 Box Score Cedar Rapids pounded out thirteen hits on the day to dismantle the Beloit Snappers in the organization's old stomping grounds. They went ahead 2-0 in the second inning, when Blake Schmit drove in Max Murphy with a single, and Zack Larson scored on a wild-pitch strike three to Rainis Silva that would have ended the inning. Their big inning was the top of the third, as they batted around and added six runs to their total. Nick Gordon was the victim of the first and last outs of the inning, but in between Trey Vavra singled, Murphy brought him home with a triple, Larson and Pat Kelly hit back-to-back doubles to score two more, Tyler Kuresa singled in Kelly, and Tanner English added a triple that scored Kuresa and Silva who had reached base on an error. In the fourth inning they scored three more to go ahead 11-0 when two consecutive errors began the frame. A single from Larson, sac fly from Kelly, and double from Kuresa brought in the Kernels' final runs of the day. It was more than enough for the Cedar Rapids pitching staff, who went with a bullpen game started by Zach Tillery. He pitched the first two innings, allowing just two hits. Luke Bard then made his second appearance of the season, pitching two hitless innings of his own. Cameron Booser pitched the fifth and sixth innings, allowing Beloit’s only run of the game, an unearned one, while walking three and striking out one. Trevor Hildenberger finished the final three innings for his fifth save. He allowed two hits and struck out one. Hildenberger’s ERA now sits at 0.35 on the season, his last ten appearances and 21.2 innings pitched being of the scoreless variety. Over that time frame, he’s allowed just six hits and two walks, while striking out twenty-five. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Slegers, Fort Myers Miracle (CG SO, 9 IP, 3 H’s, 0 BB’s, 9 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, 3 R’s, 3B, RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Durhan (4:05 PM CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler (1-2, 5.70 ERA) Chattanooga @ Mobile (4:05 PM CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (3-0, 2.47 ERA) Fort Myers – Scheduled Day Off. Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (2:00 PM CST) – RHP John Curtiss (2-3, 5.79 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games. View full article

All four of the Minnesota Twins affiliates were in action on Sunday afternoon, and along with Major League team, the organization had an undefeated day. In Rochester, a certain starting pitcher continued his run of AAA dominance, top prospects began and ended the scoring for Chattanooga, Fort Myers got a complete game shutout effort on the hill, and the Cedar Rapids lineup knocked the Twins’ former affiliate around their old ball park. Read on to find out who did what and where in Sunday’s MiLB action! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Norfolk 1 Box Score Rochester scored single runs in the third, fourth, and seventh innings to provide plenty of run support for the continued AAA dominance of Tommy Milone. He pounded the strike zone all day and scattered six hits over 8.1 innings. Eighty-five of his one-hundred-and-eight pitches went for strikes and had retired eleven men in a row when he was finally struck for his first earned run since being optioned to AAA in the bottom of the ninth. Norfolk’s Christian Walker homered to make the score 3-1. With the shutout no longer in place, Milone was lifted for A.J. Achter, who quickly got the final two outs for his sixth save of the year. Milone finished the game with eight strikeouts and no walks. Jose Martinez got the scoring started for the Red Wings when he led off the top of third inning with his second home run of the year. He added a sacrifice fly to score Josmil Pinto in the fourth. Danny Ortiz would add the final insurance run in the when he led off the seventh inning with his 7th home run of the season and the 3-0 lead for Rochester. Martinez and Ortiz would both finish the game with two hits and a home run. Kennys Vargas was 1-4, and Argenis Diaz and Eric Fryer collected the other two hits for the Red Wings. The win improved Rochester to 25-19 on the season, leading the International League North Division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Mobile 6 Box Score The Lookouts jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning, and the scoring got started by the bat of Miguel Sano. With Jorge Polanco on first base after a single, Sano launched his ninth home run of the season to center field and a 2-0 lead. Max Kepler and Adam Brett Walker followed with back-to-back doubles to score a third run, and Mike Gonzalez brought home Walker with a single to make it 4-0. Mobile got one run back in the bottom of the inning after a leadoff home run against starter Greg Peavey, but Chattanooga would score two more in the second to make it 6-1. Stephen Wickens reached base on an error, moved to second on a Byron Buxton groundout, and scored on a Polanco single. Travis Harrison would then bring Polanco around to score with his first triple of the season to right field. Peavey then kept the BayBears lineup silent until the sixth inning when they plated two runs to close the score to 6-3 and chase him from the game. D.J. Johnson escaped the jam in the sixth, and worked a scoreless seventh before running into trouble in the eighth. A walk, hit batter, and a double would score one before Zack Jones was summoned. He walked two batters to score the first inherited runner, and then a sacrifice fly scored a second to tie the game at six. In the top of the ninth however, the bat and legs of Buxton would put Chattanooga back on top for good, as he beat out a groundball to third base for a single, and the rushed throw to first turned into a throwing error that allowed Carlos Paulino to race home and make the score 7-6. Jones got a one-two-three bottom of the ninth to pick up his third win on the season. Polanco, Harrison, and Paulino each collected two hits, and Polanco stole his ninth base. Buxton finished 1-4 with a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Brevard County 0, Fort Myers 4 Box Score The Brevard County Manatees had no answer for the efficiency of starter Aaron Slegers on this day. His quick work and complete-game-shutout performance allowed this game to finish in just under two hours. He didn’t go to a single three-ball count with any hitter, and threw twenty-one first pitch strikes. The Manatees manages just three hits, all singles, and Slegers struck out a season-high nine batters. It was the first complete-game shutout for the Miracle this season, and was one of two shutouts in the series. The Miracle lineup got all the offense they would need in the second and third innings to jump out to 3-0 lead. Niko Goodrum drew his Florida State League leading twenty-seventh walk, stole his tenth base, and scored on a Marcus Knecht single in the second, and Tanner Vavra and Zach Granite scored on an Alex Swim single in the third. Fort Myers added a run in the eighth inning on a throwing error from the catcher that allowed Swim to scamper home. Knecht was 2-3 on the night with an RBI and stolen base, and Swim 2-4 with two RBI and a stolen base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 11, Beloit 1 Box Score Cedar Rapids pounded out thirteen hits on the day to dismantle the Beloit Snappers in the organizations old stomping grounds. They went ahead 2-0 in the second inning, when Blake Schmit drove in Max Murphy with a single, and Zack Larson scored on a wild-pitch strike three to Rainis Silva that would have ended the inning. Their big inning was the top of the third, as they batted around and added six runs to their total. Nick Gordon was the victim of the first and last outs of the inning, but in between Trey Vavra singled, Murphy brought him home with a triple, Larson and Pat Kelly hit back-to-back doubles to score two more, Tyler Kuresa singled in Kelly, and Tanner English added a triple that scored Kuresa and Silva who had reached base on an error. In the fourth inning they would score three more to go ahead 11-0 when two consecutive errors began the frame. A single from Larson, sac fly from Kelly, and double from Kuresa would bring in the Kernels final runs of the day. It was more than enough for the Cedar Rapids pitching staff, who went with a bullpen game started by Zach Tillery. He pitched the first two innings, allowing just two hits. Luke Bard then made his second appearance of the season, pitching two hitless innings of his own. Cameron Booser pitched the fifth and sixth innings, allowing Beloit’s only run of the game, an unearned one, while walking three and striking out one. Trevor Hildenberger finished the final three innings for his fifth save. He allowed two hits and struck out one. Hildenberger’s ERA now sits at 0.35 on the season, his last ten appearances and 21.2 innings pitched being of the scoreless variety. Over that timeframe, he’s allowed just six hits and two walks, while striking out twenty-five. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Slegers, Fort Myers Miracle (CG SO, 9 IP, 3 H’s, 0 BB’s, 9 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, 3 R’s, 3B, RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Durhan (4:05 PM CST) – TBD Chattanooga @ Mobile (4:05 PM CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (3-0, 2.47 ERA) Fort Myers – Scheduled Day Off. Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (2:00 PM CST) – RHP John Curtiss (2-3, 5.79 ERA Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games.

Buxton is going to 20-20-20-20 several times I think. Only 4 players in MLB history have done that!

Yup. That's exactly my point. Be more "aggressive," which I think he's doing.

And I understand the balls/strikes stuff there too. But Mauer is/has been one of the leagues best hitters, yes? Elite at times even, yes? It seems logical to me that you could expect him to do more than most guys with the pitches that "nibble" if he wanted too. That's why I word it as being "more aggressive." After all, he is still seeing "strikes," yes?

It's a great batting line with RISP for sure. What gets missed however, is the fact that despite the great batting line, he's actually driven in a very modest percentage of those runners, at least for where he resides in the batting order (trust me on this, but I'm not going to show the data because people take it the wrong way, haha). It's largely because of his .124 ISO, which means he takes a lot of walks in those situations. I would absolutely 100% of the time take a drop in batting average and OBP in those situations if it means along the way he's being more aggressive to rack up more total hits, which can actually bring in runners. That seems to be what he's doing this year, and that drop in BA and OBP isn't happening along with it. I like this version of Joe, as it works in the lineup they are using right now despite the absence of power.

Kepler has been my favorite prospect to track since he was signed. I've said this several times here before, but it's been that way since watching him play 3 games with the Beloit Snappers roster in 2012 down at Spring Training. That roster included Miguel Sano, Kennys Vargas, and Eddie Rosario. Kepler was the best player on the diamond for those games, and it wasn't even close. He was something like 7-11 with 3 doubles, no K's, and a couple walks (I'd have to find my notebook from that trip for exact numbers) in those games. Everything he hit was a line drive, and he was fast. Here's one of his doubles from that trip: http://www.twitpic.com/8zswq4 I was absolutely stunned he never played with Beloit that year.

Not really true. I was at the game in Port Charlotte that he started right before he was sent down in ST. He was all over the place. My thoughts since his first few starts of the season is something physical is bothering him. It's likely not major since he continues to go out there, but his performance thus far in comparison to his history suggests something is up.

Three groundouts and a walk to Alexi Casilla in the first for Hu!

If you want to keep winning now and put the "best roster" together in an effort to do so as you say you want to, you CAN'T use the "we're paying this guy money" argument. Milone deserves to be in the majors, but nobody in the rotation really deserves to be sent down either, I don't think. So you look to the bullpen, and what I see is either send down Thompson, or cut bait with offseason non-tender candidate, Brian Duensing. Then it's up to whoever is smarter than me to determine if it's Milone, Nolasco, Pelfrey, or May who gets put in the 'pen.

Burdi has continued to lower his ERA in the last week, and continues to throw multiple innings. On May 15th against Birmingham Barons, he picked up his third win of the season when he pitched the 8th and 9th innings of a game that would go 10. It didn't start great however, as the first batter he faced, White Sox prospect Courtney Hawkins, got beaned and left the game with a head injury (Ouch!...Hawkins was back the next night). Burdi then walked the next batter, and got a free out on a sac bunt to put the runners on second and third. He then got a strikeout and pop-out to end the threat. In the ninth inning, a leadoff double, sac bunt, and single scored the games tying run, but he would get another strikeout and fly out to end his night. Chattanooga scored two runs in the top of the tenth, which put him in line for that third win. On May 18th against the Montgomery Biscuits, Burdi again pitched two innings, the 6th and the 7th, in relief of Jose Berrios. He went one-two-three in the sixth with one strikeout, and if not for an error leading of the seventh, would have done the same n that frame. He got a groundout for the innings first out, then struck out the next two batters. So, since the last update, that's 4.0 IP, with 1 run allowed on 2 hits and 1 walk and 1 hit batter, while striking out 5. His ERA is now down to 6.19. Season Totals (12 games): 3-3, 6.19 ERA, 16.0 IP, 1 Save, 11 ER's on 15 hits and 14 walks, with 18 K's.

Don't know how many of you use Firefox (and you can probably do this in other browsers too), but if the ads bother you this much, disable Adobe Flash on this site. I don't see a single one of the banner ads that's tied into the auto-ad stuff since I've done this. Those banners and boxes remain blank. It's an option available immediately to the left of the address bar and right of the "back" button in the browser menu bar. I did this because, for me at least, these sites overload Flash to the point of crashing the browser consistently if I don't (like using well over 1 GB of RAM just for Flash), but getting rid of these ads is a side-effect perk.

Baseball America posted their Hot Sheet for the week last Friday, and there were some notes about Twins prospects. First, Alex Meyer got the dubious mention in the "Not so hot" section after allowing 8 runs in 2 2/3 innings. This is not news to most of us here, and hopefully he can get back on track soon! Second, Jose Berrios took home the #1 spot in the Hot Sheet after a week in which he allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits and 5 walks in 2 starts, while striking out 16. In the chat, Matt Eddy was also asked a few questions relevant to Berrios: "John (Chicago): Which of these sizzling minor league pitchers has the highest ceiling? Berrios? Brian Johnson? Aaron Nola? Eduardo Rodriguez? Matt Eddy: In terms of raw pitch grades, I would give the edge to Berrios, then pick ‘em between Rodriguez and Nola, then Johnson. If you’re playing for this year, then Rodriguez probably gives you the best combo of stuff and upper-levels performance record." "Brady (Sacramento): Please rank the following in terms of best pitching prospects Glasnow, Berrios, Urias and order in which you think they reach majors? Matt Eddy: I think our preseason ranking still holds: Urias, Glasnow, then Berrios. Despite his extreme youth, Urias might actually be first to the majors." Pretty good week for Berrios!

When I've seen him he's either been "on" or "off." When he's "off," you have no idea where the ball is going. When he's "on," hitters don't have a prayer. But even when he's been "off" a few of those times, he's been effectively wild. Hopefully he can find some level of consistency.

He'll be versatile in that he can play all the OF positions or 1B. And he won't have to learn one of them while on the job since he has consistently played them all. In 2014 on the Miracle for example, he was primarily the centerfielder, but he's primarily played 1B for the Lookouts this year.

The second game will go 7 innings.

In the minors on Sunday every game was a close and hard fought battle, unlike the Minnesota Twins against Chris Archer. There was a dynamic pitching duel in one, and another that went back and forth seemingly every inning. When the dust settled, the Twins affiliates went 2-2 on the day. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs In the minors on Sunday every game was a close and hard fought battle, unlike the Minnesota Twins against Chris Archer. There was a dynamic pitching duel in one, and another that went back and forth seemingly every inning. When the dust settled, the Twins affiliates went 2-2 on the day. There was also some action on the roster front, as one (surprise?) major leaguer was sent to AAA, and a few pitching spots were shuffled. Read on to find out what happened across all four affiliates! TRANSACTIONS First, there was some notable roster movement announced after the action today. DH Kennys Vargas was optioned by the Twins, and will head to Rochester where he can work every day as the Twins face a National League lineup on Tuesday in Pittsburgh after a day off tomorrow. Eduardo Nunez has been activated from the disabled list to take his spot. In the Midwest League, pitchers Sam Clay and C.K. Irby will head back to extended spring training, while Yorman Landa (recovered from shoulder surgery) and Keaton Steele have been called up. RED WINGS REPORT Lehigh Valley 3, Rochester 5 Box Score The Red Wings were the first to put a tally on the scoreboard in the fourth inning, when Wilkin Ramirez, Ryan Wheeler, and Nate Hanson all singled to start the frame. Hanson’s single brought home Ramirez, but he was erased on a double-play ball and Wheeler was stranded at third to end the inning. Rochester added its final four runs in the fifth inning, providing plenty of insurance for the home team. James Beresford led off the inning with a walk, Eric Fryer was hit by a pitch, and Josmil Pinto singled home Beresford for the first run. Danny Ortiz then drew a walk to load the bases and force a pitching change. Ramirez lifted a sac fly to center field, scoring Fryer, before Wheeler doubled to bring home Pinto and Ortiz for a 5-0 lead. Taylor Rogers made the start for Rochester, and made quick work of the Iron Pigs. He needed just sixty-four pitches to finish six innings. Rogers allowed one earned run on four hits, walked none, and struck out four while improving his record to 3-2 with a 3.31 ERA on the season. Tim Stauffer came out for the seventh inning and was able to work a scoreless inning around two walks and a single. He wouldn’t be as lucky in the eighth. Three consecutive singles loaded the bases, and Lester Oliveros was summoned. The only batter he faced hit a sac fly to make the score 5-2, and Caleb Thielbar then gave up a run-scoring single before ending the inning. A.J. Achter pitched a one-two-three ninth inning to notch his fourth save of the season. Rochester’s lineup tallied eleven hits on the game, with Fryer (2-4, R), Pinto (2-4, R, RBI), and Wheeler (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI) collecting multiple hits. Hanson and Ramirez each also collected an RBI. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Montgomery 2, Chattanooga 1 Box Score The Lookouts game on Sunday was a pitcher’s duel throughout, as both teams managed just three combined runs on the day. Chattanooga scored theirs quickly, when they jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Byron Buxton reached on an error, Jorge Polanco singled, and Max Kepler drew a walk to load the bases. Adam Brett Walker II then stepped into the box, and drew an RBI walk for a 1-0 lead. The score remained 1-0 until the top of fifth, when a leadoff triple put the tying run ninety feet away against Lookouts starter Tyler Duffey. Duffey struck out the next two hitters, but a double from Johnny Field finally brought in the run and tied the game at one. Duffey would then strike out the next hitter for the third out. Though Duffey finished seven innings and was very good, he did allow some loud contact as six of his seven hits allowed went for extra bases (five doubles, one triple). He was able to limit the damage, however, by striking out a career high twelve batters. Duffey lowered his ERA to 2.56 on the season, and his fifty-four strikeouts give him the Southern League lead over teammate Jose Berrios, who pitches tomorrow. Madison Boer came on for the eighth inning, and escaped a two-out threat with a groundout to end the inning after consecutive singles and a wild pitch put runners on second and third. He wouldn’t be so lucky in the ninth, as a single, sacrifice bunt, and groundout put the go-ahead runner on third, and a single brought him home for the 2-1 lead. Mike Gonzalez led off the bottom of the ninth for the Lookouts, and was called out on strikes on what was likely a controversial call, because hitting coach Chad Allen was subsequently ejected. Carlos Paulino and Heiker Meneses both followed that by grounding out to third, ending the game. The Chattanooga lineup managed just six hits, and they were all picked up by just three hitters. Jorge Polanco and Paulino both were 2-4, while Max Kepler kept up his hot-hitting ways, going 2-2 on the night with two walks. The other hitters in the lineup combined to go 0-22 with eleven strikeouts (three each for Sano and Mike Gonzalez, two each for Buxton and Walker). As a team, the lineup went 0-10 with runners in scoring position, and left eight men on base. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Jupiter 3 Box Score Kohl Stewart was on the hill for his second start after coming off the disabled list, and pitched much better in this one. He was left with a no-decision, but went five innings, scattering six hits and a walk, allowing just two runs (one earned) while striking out four. He allowed the runs in the first inning after two doubles, and in the fifth after a lead-off single and error put a runner on third base. The single that followed brought him home. Stewart finished his day with the game tied 2-2. Luke Westphal came on and picked up the win after throwing 1.1 innings of relief. He allowed one run on two hits and a walk, but struck out three. Brian Gilbert went the next 1.2 innings, finishing the eighth inning with a scoreless outing. J.T Chargois picked up his third save of the year with a one-two-three ninth, striking out the last hitter of the game looking. Fort Myers took the lead for good in the seventh inning when Zach Granite opened the inning with a walk, a Chad Christensen double brought him home, and a Michael Quesada single scored Christensen to make the score 4-2. The Miracle would give back one of the runs in the bottom half of the inning, but added another insurance run in the eighth on a wild pitch to score Logan Wade, who had led off the inning with a single. The lineup was led by Chad Christensen who picked up three hits, including two doubles, scored two runs, and drove in two. Jason Kanzler (2-5, R) and Marcus Knecht (2-4, 2B, RBI) also picked up multiple hits, and Kanzler stole his eighth base of the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 6, Cedar Rapids 5 Box Score It was a back and forth affair in Cedar Rapids on Sunday afternoon, but the Kernels weren’t able to stay on top, eventually falling 6-5 after they were unable to match the go-ahead run scored in the top of the ninth with one of their own in the bottom half. Quad Cities took the first lead in the third inning, when the first run of the game scored on a sac fly. Cedar Rapids jumped ahead in their turn in the third when Pat Kelly led off the inning with a triple to right field, and Tanner English, Trey Vavra, and T.J. White were all hit by pitches. A single from Blake Schmit scored Kelly and the final HBP to White forced home English. The Kernels added a run in the fifth inning when singles by White and Brett Doe put runners on the corners, then a wild pitch allowed White to scamper home. The home team didn’t hold their 3-1 lead for long, as the River Bandits tied the game in the sixth with two runs off starter Jared Wilson to end his night. He finished the sixth inning, but a leadoff walk and home run from Sean McMullen made it 3-3 when he exited. Cedar Rapids quickly responded to take back the lead in the bottom of the sixth, taking advantage of two Quad Cities errors to put Schmit and Max Murphy on first and second for Zack Larson, who singled to make the score 4-3. This lead wouldn’t last either, as Zach Tillery came on in relief, and promptly allowed a double and a hit batter to put two runners on to start the inning, and then an RBI single and sac fly scored two runs to make it 5-4 in favor of the River Bandits. Trey Vavra took it upon himself to tie the game 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth, when he clubbed his fourth home run of the year to center field (actually his fifth, but that one came in a suspended game that will be finished tomorrow, so he is not yet credited for it), but Tillery was unable to keep the scoreboard knotted in the eighth, as an RBI single with two outs brought in the go-ahead run. The Kernels threatened in the bottom of the ninth, as Tyler Kuresa doubled with one out, and was lifted for pinch-runner Nick Gordon, but Pat Kelly struck out swinging and Tanner English grounded out to strand him at second and end the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Duffey, Chattanooga Lookouts (7.0 IP, 1 R, 7 H’s, 3 BB’s, 12 K’s) Hitter of the Day –Chad Christensen, Fort Myers Miracle (3-4, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, 2 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Durham @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – LHP Tommy Milone (2-0, 0.00 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (10:15 AM CST) – RHP Jose Berrios (4-1, 2.60 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (1-2, 3.63 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (Regularly scheduled game to finish after postponed game, 7:00 PM CST) – RHP Mat Batts (3-1, 2.34 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (5:00 PM CST, finish of postponement of May 14th game, Cedar Rapids leads 6-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games. View full article

In the minors on Sunday every game was a close and hard fought battle, unlike the Minnesota Twins against Chris Archer. There was a dynamic pitching duel in one, and another that went back and forth seemingly every inning. When the dust settled, the Twins affiliates went 2-2 on the day. There was also some action on the roster front, as one (surprise?) major league was sent to AAA, and a few pitching spots were shuffled. Read on to find out what happened across all four affiliates! TRANSACTIONS First, there was some notable movement on the MLB and MiLB rosters after the action today. DH Kennys Vargas was optioned by the Twins, and will head to Rochester where he can work every day as the Twins face a National League lineup on Tuesday in Pittsburgh after a day off tomorrow. Eduardo Nunez has been activated from the disabled list to take his spot. In the Midwest League, pitchers Sam Clay and C.K. Irby will head back to Extended Spring Training, while Yorman Landa (recovered from shoulder surgery) and Keaton Steel have been called up. RED WINGS REPORT Lehigh Valley 3, Rochester 5 Box Score The Red Wings were the first to tally on a run on the scoreboard in the fourth inning, when Wilkin Ramirez, Ryan Wheeler, and Nate Hanson all singled to start the frame. Hanson’s single brought home Ramirez, but he was erased on a double-play ball and Wheeler would be stranded at third to end the inning. Rochester would add its final four runs in the fifth inning, however, providing plenty of insurance for the home team. James Beresford led off the inning with a walk, Eric Fryer was hit by a pitch, and Josmil Pinto singled home Beresford for the first run. Danny Ortiz then drew a walk to load the bases and force a pitching change. Ramirez lifted a Sac Fly to centerfield, scoring Fryer, before Wheeler doubled to bring home Pinto and Ortiz for a 5-0 lead. Taylor Rogers made the start for Rochester, and made quick work of the Iron Pigs batting order. He needed just sixty-four pitches to finish six innings. Rogers allowed just one earned run on four hits, walked none, and struck out four while improving his record to 3-2 with a 3.31 ERA on the season. Tim Stauffer came out for the seventh inning and was able to work a scoreless inning around two walks and a single. He wouldn’t be as lucky in the eighth. Three consecutive singles loaded the bases, and Lester Oliveros was summoned. The only batter he faced hit a sac fly to make the score 5-2, and Caleb Thielbar then gave up a run-scoring single before ending the inning. A.J. Achter pitched a one-two-three ninth inning to notch his fourth save of the season. Rochester’s lineup tallied eleven hits on the game, with Fryer (2-4, R), Pinto (2-4, R, RBI), and Wheeler (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI) collecting multiple hits. Hanson and Ramirez also collected an RBI. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Montgomery 2, Chattanooga 1 Box Score The Lookouts game on Sunday was a pitcher’s duel throughout, as both teams managed just three combined runs on the day. Chattanooga scored their's quickly, when they jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Byron Buxton reached on an error, Jorge Polanco singled, and Max Kepler drew a walk to load the bases. Adam Brett Walker II then stepped into the box, and drew an RBI walk for a 1-0 lead. The score remained 1-0 until the top of fifth, when a leadoff triple put the tying run ninety feet away against Lookouts starter Tyler Duffey. Duffey would strikeout the next two hitters, but a double from Johnny Field finally brought in the run and tied the game at one. Duffey would then strike out the next hitter for the third out. Though Duffey finished seven innings and was very good, he did allow some loud contact as six of his seven hits allowed went for extra bases (five doubles, one triple). He was able to limit the damage however, by striking out a career high twelve hitters. Duffey lowered his ERA to 2.56 on the season, and his now fifty-four strikeouts on the season give him the Southern League lead over teammate Jose Berrios, who pitches tomorrow. Madison Boer came on for the eighth inning, and escaped a two-out threat with a groundout to end the inning after consecutive singles and a wild pitch put runners on second and third. He wouldn’t be so lucky in the ninth, as a single, sacrifice bunt, and groundout put the go-ahead runner on third, and a single brought him home for the 2-1 lead. Mike Gonzalez led off the bottom of the ninth for the Lookouts, and was called out on strikes and what was likely a controversial call, because hitting coach Chad Allen was subsequently ejected. Carlos Paulina and Heiker Meneses would both follow that by grounding out to third, ending the game. The Chattanooga lineup managed just six hits on the game, and they were all picked up by just three hitters. Jorge Polanco and Paulino both were 2-4, while Max Kepler kept up his hot-hitting ways, going 2-2 on the night with two walks. All other hitters in the lineup combined to go 0-22 with eleven strikeouts (three each for Sano and Mike Gonzalez, two each for Buxton and Walker). As a team the lineup went 0-10 with runners in scoring position, and left eight men on base. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Jupiter 3 Box Score Kohl Stewart was on the hill for his second start after coming off the disabled list, and pitched much better in this one. He was left with a no-decision, but went five innings, scattering six hits and walk, allowing just two runs (one earned) while striking out four. He allowed the runs in the first inning after two doubles, and in the fifth after a leadoff single and error put a runner on third base, then the single that followed brought him home. Stewart would finish his day with the game tied 2-2. Luke Westphal came on and picked up the win after throwing 1.1 innings of relief, he allowed one run on two hits and a walk, but struckout three. Brian Gilbert went the next 1.2 innings, finishing the eighth inning with a scoreless outing. J.T Chargois picked up his third save of the year with a one-two-three ninth, striking out the last hitter of the game looking. Fort Myers took the lead for good in the seventh inning, when Zach Granite started the inning with a walk, a Chad Christensen double brought him home from first base, and a Michael Quesada single scored Christensen to make the score 4-2. The Miracle would give back one of the runs in the bottom half of the inning, but added another insurance run in the eighth on a wild pitch to score Logan Wade, who had led off the inning with a single. The lineup was led by Chad Christensen who picked up three hits, including two doubles, scored two runs, and drove in two. Jason Kanzler (2-5, R) and Marcus Knecht (2-4, 2B, RBI) also picked up multiple hits, and Kanzler also stole his eighth base of the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 6, Cedar Rapids 5 Box Score It was a back and forth affair in Cedar Rapids on Sunday afternoon, but the Kernels weren’t able to stay on top, eventually falling 6-5 after they were unable to match the go-ahead run scored in the top of the ninth with one of their own in the bottom half. Quad Cities scored took the first lead in the third inning, when the first run of the game scored on a sac fly. Cedar Rapids would jump ahead in their turn in the third, when Pat Kelly led off the inning with a triple to right field, and Tanner English, Trey Vavra, and T.J. White were all hit by pitches. A single from Blake Schmit scored Kelly, and the final HBP to White forced home English. The Kernels would add a run in the fifth inning when singles by White and Brett Doe put runners on the corners, then a Wild Pitch allowed White to scamper home. The home team didn’t hold their 3-1 lead for long, as the River Bandits tied the game in the sixth with two runs off starter Jared Wilson to end his night. He would finish the sixth inning, but a leadoff walk and home run from Sean McMullen made it 3-3 upon his exit. Cedar Rapids quickly responded to take back the lead in the bottom of the sixth, taking advantage of two Quad Cities errors to put Schmit and Max Murphy on first and second for Zack Larson, who singled to make the score 4-3. This lead wouldn’t last either, as Zach Tillery came on in relief, and promptly allowed a double and a hit batter to put two runners on to start the inning, and then an RBI single and sac fly to scored two runs to make it 5-4 in favor of the River Bandits. Trey Vavra took it upon himself to tie the game 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth, when he clubbed his fourth home run of the year to centerfield (actually his fifth, but that one came in a suspended game that will be finished tomorrow, so he is not yet credited for it), but Tillery was unable to keep the scoreboard knotted in the eighth, as an RBI single with two outs brought in the go-ahead run. The Kernels threatened in the bottom of the ninth, as Tyler Kuresa doubled with one out, and was lifted for pinch runner Nick Gordon, but Pat Kelley struck out swinging and Tanner English grounded out to strand him at second and end the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Duffey, Chattanooga Lookouts (7.0 IP, 1 R, 7 H’s, 3 BB’s, 12 K’s) Hitter of the Day –Chad Christensen, Fort Myers Miracle (3-4, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, 2 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Durham @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – LHP Tommy Milone (2-0, 0.00 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (10:15 AM CST) – RHP Jose Berrios (4-1, 2.60 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (Regularly scheduled game to finish after postponed game, 7:00 PM CST) – RHP Mat Batts (3-1, 2.34 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (5:00 PM CST, finish of postponement of May 14th game, Cedar Rapids leads 6-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games.

I've been to a little over a third of MLB stadiums I think by now, and some that are no longer around, planning to add Texas to the list in June. But of the one's I've been too, My top 5 would go: 5. AT&T Park, San Francisco - Really cool spot on the water and beautiful stadium. But it's an absolute maze of small concourses, making it a chore to navigate. 4. Wrigley Stadium, Chicago - This ranking is on pure nostalgia. And Wrigleyville is pretty fun. 3. Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City - The new renovations really make this one stand out. 2. Coors Field, Denver - You won't find a better neighborhood to hang out in after a game. Also a lot of openness, which I like. 1. Target Field, Minneapolis - Ignore that I've been to about 100 games here since it's construction. They got this right on so many levels.

I wouldn't worry about it. He didn't labor in any innings. I've always felt it's not the "total" amount of pitches that we should worry about. It's how they get to that number. It's far worse to throw 30 or more pitches in a single inning than it is to average 12.5 per inning over a full game.

He's only pitched a max of 71 pro innings in a season to this point (i.e.: it's early in his career), so I'd imagine they have him on some kind of an innings limit. But from the two box scores that tracked him, he had a 105 pitches in a 6-inning outing on 4/30, and a 79 pitches in a 5 inning outing on 5/6 that was a blowout, so no need to keep him in there.

Had them rated Meyer, Stewart, Berrios to start the year (all very close). I think it's hard to make an argument against it not being Berrios, Meyer, Stewart now. Meyer still has the best stuff, but Berrios is the best overall package.

Love Kepler, one of my favorites to track. Have since watching him outplay everyone on the diamond for a week down in Spring Training a few years ago. And this was on the Beloit roster that had Sano, Vargas, and Rosario. And Kepler didn't even end up playing on that roster that season. http://twitpic.com/8zswq4