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Steve Lein

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Blog Entries posted by Steve Lein

  1. Steve Lein
    The Minnesota Twins pounded the Detroit Tigers on Friday night TWENTY to six, courtesy of twenty hits including nine for extra bases and four home runs. Eduardo Escobar was a double short of the cycle (which makes no sense…) and 5-6, Kennys Vargas had two doubles, and Oswaldo Arcia smashed his fourth home run (did it hit the Target Center?!) in his last six games. Danny Santana and Trevor Plouffe (back-to-back after Arcia’s vs. Detroit infielder Andrew Romine) also went bombing. Good stuff.
     
    In the minors, a few affiliates also pounded out a bunch of hits, but were quite able to put as many crooked numbers on the scoreboards. Check it out!
     
    (apologies in advance for the brevity, but I’m writing this way too early on Saturday morning and Twins Daily has this Pub Crawl thing today…maybe I’ll see you there?)
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
     
    Game 1: Syracuse 2, Rochester 4
    Box Score
     
    Rochester outhit Syracuse 16-6 in the first game of the double-header, but managed just four runs. Fortunately this was plenty, as the bullpen patched together 8.1 innings of one-run baseball after the postponement to Kris Johnson’s start yesterday.
     
    A.J. Achter pitched the first 3.1 innings, and was followed by Stephen Pryor who picked up his first win with the Twins organization. Lester Oliveros (how is he not back on the Twins yet?!) and Michael Tonkin finished the game with 2.1 scoreless innings. Oliveros has now struck out forty-six hitters in thirty innings with Rochester.
     
    On offense, Josmil Pinto was had four singles in five at-bats, Chris Herrman added three singles, and James Beresford two. Eric Farris was 3-4 with two doubles and two runs scored.
     
    Game 2: Syracuse 7, Rochester 0 (7 innings)
    Box score
     
    In the seven inning game two, it was Logan Darnell on the mound, and he wasn’t able to make it through five innings. He allowed six earned runs on six hits and two walks in four innings, including two home runs. He struck out five.
     
    Deolis Guerra allowed a run in two innings, and struck out three.
     
    The Red Wings managed only three hits in this one as they were blanked on the scoreboard, and two of them came off the bat of Farris.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 2, Altoona 7
    Box Score
     
    Reynaldo Rodriguez (2-4, 2B, RBI) and Brandon Waring (2-3, BB) each had two hits, but Jorge Polanco (1-3, RBI) was the only other hitter in the lineup who tallied one.
     
    Adrian Salcedo made the start and got knocked around for two runs in the first and second innings, including surrendering the nineteenth home run of the season for Altoona slugger Stetson Allie. Daniel Turpen pitch three innings of relief, but gave up three runs in the sixth, his last inning of the night. Ryan O’Rourke went two scoreless innings to finish the game, walking two.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 5, Charlotte 2
    Box Score
     
    Matt Tomshaw picked up his team leading eleventh win, as he tossed seven innings of two run baseball. He scattered seven hits, walked no one, and struck out five. Brandon Peterson and Zack Jones pitched scoreless frames, each striking out two. Jones tallied his second FSL save of the year.
     
    Leadoff hitter Aderlin Mejia was 4-5 and stole his 21st base, and Jason Kanzler went 3-4 with a double, triple, three runs scored, and his 10th stolen base in just nineteen games with the Miracle. Travis Harrison picked up two RBI’s with his 31st double of the year in the third inning.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 8, Burlington 2
    Box score
     
    The Kernels four runs in the second inning would be enough, but also added three in the fourth and one in the fifth.
     
    Logan Wade paced the offense by going 2-4 with a triple and three RBI. Max Murphy was 2-3 with a double. J.D. Williams added a double and Jonatan Hinojosa added another triple to the offensive effort.
     
    Ryan Eades was solid on the mound, pitching six innings and allowing just one earned run. He scattered five hits and struck out two. Jared Wilson allowed three hits and a run in 1.1 innings, while Chris Mazza finished the game by striking out all five men he faced.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Elizabethton 4, Pulaski 10
    Box Score
     
    Despite outhitting the Mariners 14-8, the Twins were unable to scratch together a victory, as four errors led to seven unearned runs in the eighth inning, which they started with a 4-3 lead.
     
    Felix Jorge was quality in his start, lasting 6.2 innings and allowing three earned runs on six hits, with six K’s. Cameron Booser had a rough go of it in the eighth inning, as two of the errors were his own. He did strike out two. Sam Clay recorded the final out for the Twins with a K.
     
    Jorge Fernandez (2-4, RBI), Tyler Kuresa (2-4), Trey Vavra (2-4, RBI), Alex Real (2-5), and T.J. White (2-4) all tallied multiple hits for the Twins. Brian Navaretto added the only extra base hit on the night with a double in the ninth.
     
    GCL Twins Takes
    GCL Red Sox 3, GCL Twins 4 (11 innings)
    Box Score
     
    The Twins were able to walk this one off in extra innings, as a Jarrard Poteete single brought home Nelson Molina. They stole this one as the Red Sox outhit them 16-5 in the game.
     
    Bubal Baez (2-5, 2B), and Poteete (2-5, 2B, 3 RBI) had two hits. Molina scored two of the four Twins runs.
     
    Miles Nordgren made the start, but ten hits and three earned runs ended his night after 4.2 innings. But it was Jhon Silva, Eduardo Del Rosario, and Trevor Hildenberger who combined to toss 7.1 scoreless innings to salvage a team win. Silva struck out three in 3.1 innings
     
    The GCL Twins did have a second game scheduled, a makeup of a postponement from August fifteenth, but it was again unable to be played.
     
    TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Pitcher – Matt Tomshaw, Fort Myers Miracle (7.0 IP, 2 ER’s, 7 H’s, 5 K’s)
    Hitter – Jason Kanzler, Fort Myers Miracle (3-4, 3 R’s, 2B, 3B, RBI)
     
    SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ Rochester – Game 1: Mark Hamburger (3-4, 4.50 ERA), 3:35PM CST
    Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ Rochester – Game 2: Sean Gilmartin (2-4, 4.36 ERA)
    New Britain @ Altoona – Virgil Vazquez (6-6, 4.09 ERA), 5:00 PM CST
    Fort Myers @ Charlotte - TBD, 5:00 PM CST
    Cedar Rapids @ Burlington – Chih-Wei Hu (6-1, 2.20 ERA), 6:30PM CST
    Elizabethton @ Pulaski – Derrick Penilla (4-4, 4.01 ERA), 6:00PM CST
    GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – Game 1: TBD, 9:00AM CST
    GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – Game 2: TBD
    DSL Orioles @ DSL Twins – TBD, 9:30AM CST
  2. Steve Lein
    The Minnesota Twins and newcomer Tommy Millone were knocked around on Sunday afternoon in between the rain delays with myself in attendance, but the young guns in the lineup continued to provide me with some hope the future.
     
    Danny Santana led off the game for the Twins with a triple to left center, Kennys Vargas had three hits on the day including his third career home run, and Oswaldo Arcia launched his 11tth home run of the season.
     
    In the minors, two affiliates completed series sweeps, two games went into extra innings, and two finished in walk-off fashion. Check it out!
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
     
    Game 1: Syracuse 5, Rochester 2 (10 innings)
    Box score
     
    Logan Darnell made the start in the first of two games on the day for the Red Wings, after their rain postponement on Saturday. In 5.2 innings, the lefty allowed just two earned runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out three. What did him in was the long ball, as two of those hits went for solo home runs, including one from the first batter of the game. Lester Oliveros then came in to pitch 2.1 scoreless innings, with two strikouts. Mark Hamburger would pitch into the extra innings, but was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs in the tenth, after a walk and three consecutive singles, including one where an error on a play at the plate allowed a second runner to score.
     
    The Red Wings had just five hits and three walks in the game, and were 0-9 with runners in scoring position. Chris Herrmann and Pedro Florimon each had two hits, with Herrmann collecting a double, his third home run of the season, and scoring both of Rochester’s runs.
     
    Game 2: Syracuse 7, Rochester 3 (7 innings)
    Box Score
     
    Syracuse jumped all over starter Sean Gilmartin in the first inning and never looked back, as a grand slam contributed to six total runners crossing the plate for the Chiefs. Gilmartin would recover to retire ten in row before a walk, double, and intentional walk to load the bases ended his nigh in the fifth inning.
     
    A.J. Achter came on and allowed one inherited runner to score, but struck out three in two innings of relief. Michael Tonkin finished the shortened game with a scoreless inning, striking out two.
     
    Rochester outhit Syracuse 11-6 in the game, but were unable to string enough of them together to keep pace. Aaron Hicks was 2-4 with a double from the leadoff spot, while Josmil Pinto was 3-3 with a double and a walk from the 3-hole to lead the offense.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    Harrisburg 2, New Britain 7
    Box Score
     
    Eddie Rosario got the Rock Cats on the board first in this one, when he slugged his sixth home run of the season in the third inning, a two-run shot with Levi Michael on-base after a leadoff single. They would add five more runs in the seventh, when Jorge Polanco (RBI single), Corey Wimberly (bases clearing triple), and Kyle Knudson (sacrifice fly) brought home ducks on the pond.
     
    Rosario (2-5), Mike Gonzalez (2-4), Reynaldo Rodriguez (2-3), Polanco (2-4), and Stephen Wickens (2-4 each had multiple hits. Tony Thomas and Gonzalez added doubles to the effort.
     
    It was Jason Wheeler on the mound for New Britain, and he controlled the Harrisburg lineup for five innings, allowing just one hit and one walk, while striking out nine. He walked the first batter of the game, but would strike out the next six batters, eight of the first eleven he faced, and set down eight in a row before his exit after the fifth inning. He improved to 4-4 with the Rock Cats on the season.
     
    Alex Wimmers struck out two more Senators in an inning of relief, while Cole Johnson, Ryan O’Rourke, and Jim Fuller added three more K’s in the final three innings for a total of fourteen for the pitching staff in the game. O’Rourke surrendered the two Harrisburg runs in the eighth inning, but they weren’t enough to overcome the seventh inning outburst from the Red Wings as they completed the three game sweep.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Palm Beach 5, Fort Myers 6 (11 innings)
    Box Score
     
    The Miracle gave up leads in both the eighth and ninth innings of this one, but ended the game with some extra inning heroics from Adam Brett Walk[off] II, as he drove in Travis Harrison with a single in the eleventh to give Fort Myers the victory.
     
    Ethan Mildren made the start, and pitched five solid innings, allowing just two runs as he scattered five hits and three walks. He struck out five. Zack Jones and Madison Boer would combine to throw the next two scoreless innings, before Tyler Jones gave up the first game tying run in the eighth.
     
    Fort Myers was quick to take back the lead in the bottom half of the frame, as Tyler Grimes (single) and Jason Kanzler (double) got themselves into scoring position for Aderlin Mejia (sacrifice fly) and Niko Goodrum (RBI single) for a two run lead going into the ninth that D.J. Johnson would give right back to blow the save opportunity.
     
    Todd Van Steensel was next to pitch for the Miracle, and picked up his first FSL win with two scoreless extra innings, walking two and striking out two.
     
    Seven of the nine hitters in the Miracle lineup collected multiple hits, as they tallied seventeen in the game. Stuart Turner, Grimes, and Kanzler had doubles, while Mejia and Grimes drove in two runs. Kanzler also stole two bases, giving him nine total in just sixteen games with Fort Myers.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Peoria 4, Cedar Rapids 5
    Box score
     
    Cedar Rapids was also able to finish off a series sweep, and win their sixth game in a row, in [intentional] walk-off fashion on Sunday.
     
    With the game tied 4-4 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, a Logan Wade double and Chad Christensen walk put runners on first and third for Mitch Garver. Peoria pitcher Jacob Booden then intended to put Garver on first base with an intentional walk, but misfired his first throw into the dirt and past the catcher, allowing Wade to race home for the win.
     
    The Kernels offense was led by Wade who was 3-5 on the day, with the ninth inning double and fifth inning home run to drive in three. Jonatan Hinojosa was 2-5 with a run scored, and Garver was 2-4 with two doubles and a walk.
     
    Ryan Eades was on the mound and despite allowing three runs in the third inning, was able to finish six innings for Cedar Rapids. He allowed four total runs on seven hits and two walks, with one strikeout. Hudson Boyd struck out two in two perfect innings, while Brian Gilbert was credited with the win after pitching a scoreless top of the ninth.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Princeton 0, Elizabethton 11
    Box Score
     
    Elizabethton scored early then often en route to the blowout of Princeton at home.
     
    A wild pitch in the first inning allowed Jermias Pineda to score the first run of the game, while singles from Trey Vavra and Alex Real brought home Nick Gordon and Tanner English for a 3-0 lead after three.
    Elizabethton then sent ten men to the plate in the fourth on their way to seven runs, punctuated by a three run home run from Brian Navaretto, his second of the year.
     
    Six hitters collected multiple hits for the Twins, including Pineda (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, 3 RBI), Gordon (2-4, 2 RBI), English (2-4, BB, R, 2B), Vavra (3-5, R), Real (2-4, BB, R, RBI) and Austin Deimer (2-4, 2 R’s, 2B) as they totaled fifteen hits in the game as a team.
     
    Derrick Penilla improved to 4-4 on the season with six shutout innings, scattering four hits and one walk, while striking out eight. Enigma Brandon Poulson pitched two scoreless innings of relief, allowing one hit and two walks with two K’s, while Randy LeBlanc finished the game with a scoreless inning.
     
    TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Pitcher – Jason Wheeler, New Britain Rock Cats (5 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 R’s, 9 K’s)
    Hitter – Logan Wade, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 3 RBI)
     
    MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Syracuse @ Rochester – Mark Hamburger (3-3, 4.37 ERA), 6:05PM CST
    Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids – Chih-Wei Hu (5-1, 2.54 ERA), 6:35PM CST
    Princeton @ Elizabethton – John Curtiss (2-1, 0.84 ERA), 6:00PM CST
    GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles – TBD, 11:00AM CST
    DSL Twins @ DSL Padres – TBD, 9:30AM CST
  3. Steve Lein
    The Minnesota Twins offense exploded twenty-three hits to pound their rival White Sox on Sunday afternoon in Chicago, 16-3. Danny Santana was 5-6 and a home run shy of the cycle, while Chris Parmelee (2-2), Oswaldo Arcia (3-6), and Eric Fryer (3-6) hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning with the game well in hand. Arcia’s mammoth blast cleared the seating in right field, and was estimated at 452 feet, which would be the longest HR of the year at U.S. Cellular field per ESPN’s Home Run Tracker. Josh Willingham and Chris Colabello were the only Twins to not collect multiple hits, and in an odd box score entry, Willingham left ten men on base, but it obviously didn’t matter. The Twins went 10-22 with runners in scoring position on the game, and in the eighth inning sent fourteen total hitters to the plate to send the White Sox faithful heading for the exits. The first eight batters of that inning reached base safely, and nine came around to score.
     
    Kyle Gibson made the start and except for one pitch to Dayan Viciedo, was in control for most of the game. He went seven total innings in the quality start, and allowed six hits and zero walks, while striking out six.
     
    After the game, the Twins optioned Logan Darnell back to Rochester to clear room for outfielder Jordan Schafer, who was claimed on waivers from the Atlanta Braves earlier in the day.
     
    In the minors, Alex Meyer took the hill for the Red Wings, and several affiliates were forced to make comeback efforts late in the game. Read on to see what happened!
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 6, Louisville 5 (15 innings)
    Box score
     
    Rochester got on the board in the first inning courtesy of two Louisville errors, one to allow leadoff man Eric Farris to reach first, and another to allow him to score. They added two in the fourth inning after consecutive doubles from Danny Ortiz and Reynaldo Rodriguez, and sac fly from Chris Rahl. Another Ortiz double in the sixth led to their fourth run, and a 4-0 lead.
     
    Through five innings at this point, Meyer had held the Bats scoreless on just two walks and one hit, with six strikeouts. In the sixth, Meyer surpassed his pitch limit after a single, walk, and two more strikeouts to finish with 5.2 innings pitched, and was replaced by A.J. Achter. With Meyer responsible for the two runners, Achter then walked the bases loaded, allowed one of them to score on a wild pitch, and the second on a double that also scored a run that was charged to him. Edgar Ibarra pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but was lifted for Michael Tonkin after consecutive singles in the eighth. Tonkin then allowed both of those runs to score, and Louisville took the lead 5-4 before finishing the inning.
     
    In the top of the ninth, Rochester was able to send the game into extra innings after three consecutive singles from James Beresford, Josmil Pinto, and Wilkin Ramirez pushed Beresford across the plate. With Pinto on second representing the go-ahead run with just one out, Louisville played the matchups against Ortiz and Rodriguez, who were both struck out to end the inning.
     
    It was a marathon after that, with threats in extra innings from both sides.
     
    Stephen Pryor, Deolis Guerra, Aaron Thompson, and Lester Oliveros combined to pitch the next six innings into the fourteenth, keeping it scoreless despite issuing eight walks and allowing three hits. Oliveros struck out four.
     
    In the top of the fifteenth, Doug Bernier led off with a single, Rahl bunted him to second, and Pedro Florimon tripled to bring in the go-ahead run.
     
    In the bottom half of the inning, it was Red Wings backup catcher Dan Rohlfing who walked out to the mound as their ninth pitcher of the game. He of course recorded the save, and the Red Wings took home the victory.
     
    Ortiz led the offense by going 4-7 on the night with the two doubles and two runs scored, while Chris Rahl (2-5) collected two RBI. Beresford and Bernier each finished with three hits.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    Erie 7, New Britain 1
    Box Score
     
    It was all Seawolves in this one as the Rock Cats managed just four hits and three walks in the game. Brandon Waring had the only extra base hit with a double and he also drew one of the walks, while Tony Thomas scored the only run while drawing two walks. Thomas drew one of his walks to start the bottom of the ninth, which was followed by singles from Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario to score their only run.
     
    Four pitchers made appearances for New Britain, and none of them escaped without allowing at least one run. Daniel Turpin made the start, and exited after three innings. He gave up just one hit, but four walks on the way to allowing one run. He struck out three. Jim Fuller then came in and pitched three innings, allowing three hits, three walks, and two earned runs while striking out four. Cole Johnson allowed five hits and one run in two innings, and Alex Wimmers finished the game by allowing three runs on a walk and two home runs in the ninth inning.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 7
    Box Score
     
    Just like their AA brethren, the Miracle weren’t able to put any runs on the board until the ninth inning in this one, when it was far too late. They did make a valiant effort at a comeback however, as they scored four before Byron Buxton stepped to the plate representing the tying run with two outs. Unfortunately, he flew out to right field to end the game. Buxton was 0-5 and batting third.
     
    The Miracle did outhit the Flying Tigers 12-9, but left eight men on base and had only one extra base hit, a double from Tyler Grimes that scored two of the runs in the ninth. Grimes went 3-4 on the day with a run scored and the two RBI. Levi Michael (2-5), Adam Brett Walker II (2-3, R, BB) and Max Kepler (2-4, R) each had multiple hits.
     
    Lefty Steven Gruver was making his second start for Fort Myers, and he allowed just two hits, one walk, and one earned run in five innings with one K for a very solid, but not quality-qualifying effort. B.J. Hermsen allowed a two-run home run in his one inning, but struck out two. Madison Boer then came on for the seventh inning, and walked the leadoff man before retiring the next two hitters, but a single and a triple would score two before Tyler Jones replaced him. He allowed the inherited runner to score on a single, and a run of his own on a double before recording the final out. D.J. Johnson pitched a scoreless eighth to finish the game for the Miracle.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 6
    Box score
     
    There was yet another comeback mounted by a hometown affiliate at Pohlman Field in Beloit, WI, but again it just wasn’t enough.
     
    The Kernels scored three in the eighth inning to pull within one, after a Chad Christensen walk and Alex Swim double put runners on second and third. Max Murphy brought them both home with a single to left field, and would score on a Michael Quesada double. Engelb Vielma then drew a walk, but a pitching change and consecutive strikeouts from Jon Murphy and Ryan Walker ended the threat.
     
    Walker and Christensen also added doubles to the offensive effort, while Logan Wade slugged his fifth home run of the year, a solo shot in the third inning to put Cedar Rapids on the board.
     
    Stephen Gonsalves made his second start in the Midwest League, but it was an error by Swim in the fourth inning with two outs that allowed three unearned runs to score. In five innings, Gonsalves gave up five hits, two walks, and one earned run, while striking out five. Hudson Boyd was charged with an unearned run himself in the sixth after a Vielma fielding error, and Brandon Bixler finished the final two innings, allowing three hits, two walks, and one earned run while striking out four.
     
    In Major League roster-related news for the Kernels, Joe Mauer and Ricky Nolasco are set to begin Rehab assignments in Cedar Rapids tomorrow.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Johnson City 2, Elizabethton 0 (7 innings)
    Box Score
     
    Elizabethton’s game was a pitching duel throughout, as the teams combined for just 8 hits on the night.
     
    Obviously with a zero in the box score, there wasn’t much offense to talk about. The lineup managed just four singles and one walk collectively, and they were 0-6 with runners in scoring position.
     
    Felix Jorge was the starter for the Twins, and did all he could to keep them within striking distance. He scattered four hits to tune of just two runs, and struck out five. Unfortunately for him, he was saddled with a 7-inning complete game loss.
     
    TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Pitcher – Alex Meyer (5.2 IP, 2 H's, 2 ER's, 3 BB's, 8 K's), Rochester Red Wings
    Hitter – Danny Ortiz (4-7, 2 R's, 2 2B's), Rochester Red Wings
     
    MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Rochester @ Louisville – Trevor May (8-5, 2.72 ERA), 6:05PM CST
    Fort Myers @ Lakeland – TBD, 5:30PM CST
    Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids – Lewis Thorpe (2-2, 4.74 ERA), 6:35PM CST
    Johnson City @ Elizabethton – Derrick Penilla (3-2, 4.15 ERA), 6:00PM CST
    GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins – TBD, 11:00AM CST
    DSL Reds @ DSL Twins – TBD, 9:30AM CST
  4. Steve Lein
    In the majors, Minnesota Twins starter Yohan Pino ran into trouble in the seventh inning, and it led to four runs and a 6-4 Chicago White Sox lead. The Twins were able to make an immediate comeback with a three fun eighth inning however, punctuated by a two-RBI double off the bat of Oswaldo Arcia. They would add an insurance run in the ninth, courtesy of Danny Santana’s fifth home run, and Glen Perkins shut the door on the White Sox to pick up his 27th save on the year.
     
    In the minors, one affiliate mounted a similar comeback, two games were finalized early due to rain, and another went 2-0 in a double-header with assistance from a monstrous bullpen. Check it out!
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 6, Louisville 3
    Box score
     
    Starting pitcher Mark Hamburger was making his third turn in the Rochester rotation on Saturday and left the game in line for the loss after five innings, with Louisville out front 3-2.
     
    He’d take a no-decision for the game however, as the Red Wings added a run in the top of the sixth, two in the seventh, and a final insurance run in the eighth to take the victory from Louisville Bats.
     
    For the game, Hamburger surrendered five hits, three walks and three runs (two earned), with three K’s. Aaron Thompson struck out the side in the sixth, Lester Oliveros went two scoreless innings with two hits allowed and three strikeouts, and Michael Tonkin picked up his seventh save with two strikeouts in the ninth.
     
    The Rochester offense got multiple hit nights from the top four hitters in their lineup which included Eric Farris (2-5, R, RBI), James Beresford (4-5, 2 R’s, 2B, SB), Josmil Pinto (2-5, 2B, RBI), and Wilkin Ramirez (2-5, R, RBI), as well as Danny Ortiz (2-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB). It was the two runs in the seventh inning that gave the Red Wings the lead for good after run scoring singles from Pinto and Ramirez.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    Erie 3, New Britain 5
    Box Score
     
    Like the Twins, the Rock Cats came back in this one to take the victory, by pulling within one in the seventh, and taking the lead 5-3 with three runs in the bottom of the eighth.
     
    It was a Brad Boyer double in the seventh that scored Stephen Wickens, which was followed by an RBI double from Eddie Rosario to bring in Boyer.
     
    In the eighth inning, Aaron Hicks led off with a single, which was followed by a Tony Thomas single and Mike Gonzalez walk to load the bases with one out. Wickens then doubled to clear the pond, and the Rock cats wouldn’t look back. Rosario was 1-5 with two strikeouts in his first game in four days, Hicks was 1-2 with two walks. Wickens and Boyer each had two hits.
     
    Starter Pat Dean went seven quality innings, scattering seven hits and two walks (one solo-HR), allowing three runs (two earned) with six K’s. Alex Wimmers picked up the win by pitching a perfect eighth inning, while Mason Melotakis and Ryan O’Rourke combined to finish the ninth. O’Rourke notched his fourth save.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 0, Lakeland 4 (Final after five innings)
    Box Score
     
    This game was shortened by rain, and ruled final after just four and a half innings innings with Lakeland as the home team.
     
    There wasn’t much offense for the good guys, as Fort Myers had just one hit, a single from Travis Harrison, and one walk from Stuart Turner in the game up to this point. Lakeland starter Tanner Bailey struck out four in his five innings.
     
    Miracle “Ace” Brett Lee was on the mound and had arguably his worst start of the season, yet his ERA rose to just 2.10. In four innings he allowed eight hits (three doubles), one walk and four earned runs with just one K.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
     
    After their rain postponement at Pohlman Field in Beloit last night, the Kernels had a double-header on Saturday. Stephen Gonsalves pitched the only inning for the Kernels on Friday, and will take the hill again on Sunday.
     
    Game 1: Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 2
    Box score
     
    After play resumed with a 0-0 in the second inning, it was Josue Montanez on the mound for the Kernels, and he pitched three innings, allowing three hits and three walks, but just one run with two K’s. Chris Mazza then pitched two innings, allowing a run of his own on three more hits and one walk, with three K’s. Collegiate closers Jake Reed and Nick Burdi finished the final three innings, with Reed tossing two scoreless with two strikeouts, and Burdi picking up his third save with a 1-2-3 ninth, including two more strikeouts.
     
    Max Murphy led the offense with a 2-4 game including an RBI, while Bryan Haar and J.D. Williams added doubles to the effort. Logan Wade and Chad Christensen each reached base via a walk, and stole second base. Wade’s was just his second stolen base of the year in 49 games with Cedar Rapids, but also his second straight game with one. Christensen’s was his team leading twenty-fourth of the year.
     
    Game 2: Cedar Rapids 5, Beloit 2
    Box Score
     
    A three-run home run from Bryan Haar in top of the eighth inning broke the tie and made the score 5-2 Kernels before Beloit failed to tie the game in the bottom half to make it the second game on the day that was finalized early.
     
    Haar was 3-5 in this one with two runs scored and a walk to go along with the go-ahead home run, while Jon Murphy added a multi-hit effort by going 2-3. Max Murphy and Michael Quesada tallied the two other RBI’s for Cedar Rapids.
     
    Matt Batts took the mound for the Kernels and struckout seven in five innings. He gave up just three hits, one walk and one run. Jared Wilson pitched two innings of relief, allowing a solo home run, but striking out four. Dallas Gallant picked up his fourth Midwest League save of the year by striking out the side in the ninth.
     
    BONUS CRAZY STAT: If you combine the last 10 appearances from the three-headed-bullpen monster of Nick Burdi, Jake Reed, and Dallas Gallant for the Kernels, you get the following numbers:
     
    37 innings pitched, just 19 hits and 8 walks allowed, 5 runs (3 earned) scored, and SIXTY-THREE STRIKEOUTS. That’s a 0.73 ERA, 15.32 K/9IP, and a sub .170 batting average against. Wowzers…
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Elizabethton 4, Kingsport 0
    Box Score
     
    Elizabethton received seven shutout innings courtesy of starter Sam Gibbons, who allowed just two hits and one walk, while racking up seven K’s. Randy Leblanc pitched the final two innings and kept the shutout intact despite allowing three hits. He struck out one.
     
    Gibbons seven scoreless innings matched his season high from June 26th, when he allowed just one hit and one walk against Burlington.
     
    The Elizabthton offense scored two runs in the first and two runs in the fourth on their way to the victory. Tyler Kuresa led the way with three RBI’s on groundout and single. He was 1-4 on the game. Leadoff man Jermias Pineda (2-4, 2 R’s) and two-hole hitter Nick Gordon (2-4, R) added multiple hit nights. Tanner English was 1-2 with two walks and stole his first base of the season.
     
    GCL TWINS TAKES
    GCL Twins 4, GCL Red Sox 3
    Box Score
     
    The GCL Twins scored all four of their runs in the sixth inning to take the lead, when they sent eight men to the plate. An Amaurys Minier double scored one and a Rafael Valera fielder’s choice scored another before Joel Ramirez brought home the final two with a single.
     
    They held on for the win despite a threat with runners on second and third from the Red Sox in the eighth and two hits in the ninth.
     
    Six pitchers took the mound for the Twins, including starter David Hurlburt who left in the second inning after allowing a single and recording one out. Callan Pearce finished the second with a hit, walk, and strikeout. Zack Jones allowed two runs in one-third of an inning, before Josh Guyer was able to provide a break for the bullpen, throwing five innings with just one run allowed (unearned) on four hits and two walks, with two strikeouts. Seth Wagner and Trevor Hildenberger combined to finish the final 1.2 innings, each allowing one hit and totaling three K’s.
     
    TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Pitcher – Three-Headed-Bullpen Monster (4IP, 0 R’s, 1 H, 1 BB, 7 K’s), Cedar Rapids Kernels
    Hitter – Bryan Haar (2 games, 4-6, 3 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB’s), Cedar Rapids Kernels
     
    SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Rochester @ Louisville – Alex Meyer (6-4, 3.05 ERA), 5:05PM CST
    Erie @ New Britain – TBD, 12:35 CST
    Fort Myers @ Lakeland – TBD, 12:00PM CST
    Cedar Rapids @ Beloit – Stephen Gonsalves (1-0, 0.00 ERA), 2:00PM CST
    Johnson City @ Elizabethton – Felix Jorge, 5:00PM CST
  5. Steve Lein
    The Minnesota Twins were able to avoid the brutal 4-game sweep at home courtesy of their fellow AL Central bottom dwellers, the Chicago White Sox, after a Sam Fuld single in the seventh inning gave them just enough of a cushion for the eventual 4-3 victory. Glen Perkins made it interesting in the ninth, but struck out two to pick up his 25th save of the year.
     
    In the minors, a grand slam brought one affiliate a victory, another went into extra innings, and a top pitching prospect made his Midwest League debut.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Indianapolis 3, Rochester 6
    Box score
     
    Indianapolis scored first and last against the Red Wings in this one, but in between it was all Rochester.
     
    Kris Johnson took the mound for the home team, and gave up a couple singles in the first inning to give Indianapolis a 1-0 lead, but after that Johnson was in control until the eighth inning. In five of the six innings in between he faced the minimum, assisted by two double plays. He did not allow a hit from the second inning until the eighth, and for the game went 7.2 innings with three walks and five strikeouts. In the eighth, the Indians managed to string together three singles and two runs before Johnson was replaced by A.J. Achter, who recorded a four out save, his fifth of the year.
     
    The Rochester offense was paced by Josmil Pinto, who blasted a fifth inning grand slam to give the Red Wings all the cushion they would need in support of Johnson. It was his fourth home run of the year. Doug Bernier was 3-4 with a run scored, and Danny Ortiz added a solo home run in the sixth inning.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    Portland 8, New Britain 5 (11 innings)
    Box Score
     
    The Rock Cats scored first in this one, but were unable to score last as the game went into extra innings. In the first inning, a Tony Thomas triple and Eddie Rosario groundout gave them an early 1-0 lead. They then took a 5-1 lead in the fourth after an Aaron Hicks walk, Brandon Waring double, Mike Kvasnicka single, Brad Boyer double, and Jorge Polanco single plated four runs.
     
    Unfortunately for New Britain, it was not a lead they were able to hold as Cole Johnson blew the save in the ninth by surrendering a game-tying home run to Keury De La Cruz. Johnson finished the inning and was replaced by Matthew Summers who worked a perfect tenth, before Ryan O’Rourke was knocked around for three runs in the eleventh, and saddled with the loss.
     
    Starter Virgil Vazquez pitched seven innings, allowing seven hits and four runs while striking out seven.
     
    The offense was led by Jorge Polanco, who went 3-6 with a double and his first AA RBI. Waring was 2-4 with two doubles, Kennys Vargas added a double, and Boyer led the team with two RBI.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 4, Tampa 6
    Box Score
     
    In his fourth start since being promoted to Fort Myers, Ethan Mildren was again knocked around by Florida State League hitters. In this one it was eleven hits, two walks, and six earned runs allowed in four innings. Mildren did strike out four. After this game his ERA sits at 7.91 in the FSL.
     
    B.J. Hermsen pitched three innings of scoreless relief, and Madison Boer finished the game with a scoreless ninth.
     
    The Miracle lineup did get home runs from Dalton Hicks (9) and Mike Gonzalez (8), but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Yankees. Adam Brett Walker II and Rafael Valera added doubles to the effort, while Byron Buxton was 1-4 with a walk, RBI, and his third stolen base of the year.
     
    The home run for Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to eighteen games, a season high for the Miracle.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 4, Dayton 1
    Box score
     
    The story in this one was the Midwest League debut of Stephen Gonsalves, who was promoted to Cedar Rapids to take over the spot of his 2013 draft-mate, Kohl Stewart, and it also turned into his first MWL win as he was fantastic.
     
    The first batter he faced was sent walking back to the dugout via strikeout, as was the last batter he saw to finish the sixth inning. In between, Gonsalves scattered just three singles and one walk, with four additional K’s to hold the Dragons scoreless in his six frames. He also picked off a runner at first base.
     
    The Kernels offense didn’t break through until the sixth inning, but did so in loud fashion as J.D. Williams and Logan Wade slugged solo home runs to put them in front 2-0. They added insurance runs in the seventh after a Bryan Haar triple, error, and Williams double scored their final two runs.
     
    Brandon Bixler worked two innings in relief of Gonsalves, and allowed the only Dayton run on two hits and a walk. He struck out two. Dallas Gallant struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to pick up his third save of the year.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Elizabethton 7, Johnson City 6 (Suspended)
    Box Score
     
    Elizabethton’s game against rival Johnson City was suspended by rain with one out in the fifth inning, after the Twins had taken the lead with four runs in the frame.
     
    Thus far Elizabethton had already pounded out thirteen hits, including multiple hit efforts from Tanner English, Max Murphy, Brian Navarreto, and Austin Diemer. Murphy hit his tenth home run on the season, a solo shot in the third inning, while Navaretto added a triple and Tyler Kuresa doubled. Nick Gordon is 1-3 and was caught stealing for the fourth time. In just 4.1 innings, all batters in the Twins lineup have a hit.
     
    Sam Gibbons made the start and lasted just three innings, yielding five earned runs on five hits and three walks. Samuel Clay gave up one run on three hits and a walk in fourth before the postponement.
     
    The game is likely to be made up in August when Johnson City comes to Elizabethton, as the Twins travel to Greenville for their game on Monday.
     
    TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Pitcher – Stephen Gonsalves (6.0 IP, 3 H’s, 1 BB, 0 R’s, 6 K’s)
    Hitter – J.D Williams, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-3, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI)
     
    MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Indianapolis @ Rochester – Mark Hamburger (2-1, 2.57 ERA), 6:05PM CST
    New Britain @ Trenton – Pat Dean (7-6, 4.62 ERA), 6:05 CST
    Clearwater @ Fort Myers – Brett Lee (7-2, 1.92 ERA), 6:05PM CST
    Cedar Rapids @ Dayton – Aaron Slegers (7-6, 4.49 ERA), 6:00PM CST
    Greenville @ Elizabethton – TBD, 6:00PM CST
    GCL Rays @ GCL Twins – TBD, 11:00AM CST
    DSL D-backs @ DSL Twins – TBD, 9:30AM CST
  6. Steve Lein
    Spot starter Kris Johnson made took the mound for Minnesota on Friday, but wasn’t able to give the Twins much of a chance in Colorado as he surrendered two, one, and two runs in the first three innings of the game, setting them back 5-1 before he was removed after just 57 pitches to start the fifth. Drew Stubbs and Troy Tulowitzki blasted home runs as part of the early barrage, and the Twins offense wasn’t able to recover against Rockies’ starter Jorge De La Rosa or their bullpen.
     
    In the minors, there were two dramatic finishes and two dramatic “finish him!” mercy rule scores reflected on scoreboards. Read on to find out which were good and which were bad.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 1, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 5
    Box score
     
    Starting pitcher Mark Hamburger had a good effort in his first start in AA last week, but wasn’t able to mirror that effectiveness in this one. The St. Paul native went four innings, and they included seven hits, three walks, and five earned runs to tag him with the loss. On a positive note, he did strike out five. Edgar Ibarra (2 IP, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 2 K’s) and Michael Tonkin (2 IP, 1 H, 2 K’s) combined for four innings of scoreless relief, but the offense wasn’t able to mount any semblance of a comeback.
     
    On the night the lineup did collect ten hits, but only one went for extra bases and despite going 3-11 with RISP, they only drove in one run and left 11 men on base. Wilkin Ramirez (2-5) and Doug Bernier (2-4, 3B) collected multiple hits, and every other batter except Pedro Florimon reached base. Unfortunately, Josmil Pinto (1-3, BB) collected the only RBI, driving in James Beresford with a third inning single to center field.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    Reading 5, New Britain 3
    Box Score
     
    New Britain scored early but not often enough in this one. They took a 1-0 lead after doubles from Aaron Hicks and Reynaldo Rodriguez in the first inning, and extended it to 2-0 after an Eddie Rosario double and Lance Ray single in the third. In the top of the fourth however, an error by SS Brad Boyer led to two runs and a tie score before Reading took the lead for good in the fifth after a sac fly.
     
    Starter Pat Dean pitched 5.2 innings, giving up 10 hits and four runs (2 earned) while striking out two. Adrian Salcedo replaced him and pitched 2.1 innings of perfect baseball, picking up three K’s in the process. Jim Fuller came in for the top of the ninth and gave up three hits, one walk, and one insurance run to finish the game for the Rock Cats.
     
    The Rock Cats threatened in the ninth with runners on 1st and 2nd with one out, but pinch hitter Tony Thomas and Mike Kvasnicka would K to close out the loss.
     
    The standout in the lineup was Eddie Rosario, who went 2-4 with a double, game tying home run in the bottom of the fifth, and two runs scored.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Dunedin 1, Fort Myers 2
    Box Score
     
    Blue Jays’ starter Kendall Graveman was locked in a pitchers duel with whe Miracle’s Brett Lee for over two-thirds of the game, as collectively they pitched 13.2 innings, allowing only eight hits, two walks, two runs (one earned), while racking up thirteen K’s. The game was tied at 1-1 when Lee was relieved by Alex Wimmers with two outs in the top of the seventh. Wimmers struck out the next batter to finish the inning, then loaded the bases in the eighth before striking out the final two hitters to keep the game tied.
     
    In the top of the ninth, Tyler Jones retired all three men he faced to leave Fort Myers with sudden death conditions for their at-bat.
     
    Niko Goodrum would start the inning with a walk, and moved to second on a wild pitch. Travis Harrison would move him to third with a sac fly, and in stepped Dalton Hicks. It wasn’t flashy, but he got the job done with another sac fly for a walk-off win at home.
     
    The victory came despite just three hits on the night for the Miracle. Aderlin Mejia had two of them, including an RBI single in the fifth for the first run of the game.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
     
    The Kernels were scheduled to finish a suspended game with the Clinton Lumberkings from June 30th before their regularly scheduled contest.
     
    Clinton 4, Cedar Rapids 5 (11 innings)
    Box score
     
    After resuming play for the 10th inning, Clinton built a major threat in the 11th after a walk, single, and stolen base put runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. One out and one hit later, the game was 4-3 Lumberkings before a play at home distinguished the fire.
     
    In the bottom half, a Jon Murphy single and throwing error from the pitcher on a sac-bunt attempt from Bo Altobelli put the Kernels in great position for a comeback. Chad Christensen wouldn’t disappoint, delivering another walk-off victory with a 2-RBI single.
     
    Cedar Rapids 6, Clinton 1
    Box Score
     
    After being the original starter in the suspended game that was finished earlier, Kohl Stewart again took the mound in this one. This time he went six innings, scattering six hits, one walk, and just one earned run while amassing five strikeouts. It was just his second win of the season in sixteen starts despite a now 2.58 ERA. Jared Wilson would then pitch two scoreless innings before Nick Burdi came in for the ninth and struck out the side. Since his forgettable debut, Burdi has appeared in three games, allowing just two hits and one walk over three innings, while picking up all nine outs via strikeout.
     
    The Kernels took a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning, before a triple from Chad Christensen, a Mitch Garver single, Bryan Haar walk, and Jason Kanzler triple led to four insurance runs and the final 6-1 lead. Logan Wade (2-5, R, 2B), Alex Swim (2-5, R), Kanzler (2-4, R, 3B, 2 RBI), and Jon Murphy (2-3, 2 RBI) collected multiple hits in the game.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Kingsport 12, Elizabethton 0
    Box Score
     
    Elizabethton committed nearly as many errors (3) as they collected hits on the night (4), leading to a shutout and thumping at the hands of the Kingsport Mets, who knocked around the Twins pitchers with nineteen hits.
     
    Felix Jorge made the start and lasted 5.2 innings, giving up eight hits, one walk and three earned runs. Randy LeBlanc would then give up five hits and three more runs in 1.1 innings, before Samuel Clay finished the first beyond mercy-rule game of the night for Twins affiliates with two innings worth of six hit, six earned run baseball.
     
    Trey Vavra and Jhonatan Hinojosa were the only batters to get a hit for Elizabethton, each going 2-4.
     
    GCL TWINS TAKES
    GCL Red Sox 17, GCL Twins 0
    Box Score
     
    It was even worse on the scoreboard for the lower level of the Twins Rookie League teams, but the reasons similar as the GCL Twins squad committed four errors to combine with fifteen hits and eight walks for the Red Sox lineup, compared to just six singles and three walks for the home team.
     
    Reliever Eduardo Del Rosario was arguably the only standout performer, pitching 1.2 scoreless and hitless innings with two K’s.
     
    DSL TWINS NOTES
    DSL Reds 3, DSL Twins 10
    Box Score
     
    Of note in this game is the Twins committed six errors, while the Reds managed to commit just two. Fortunately for the Twins, the numbers were the same when it came to capitalizing on those mistakes, as they scored six unearned runs compared to just two for the Reds.
     
    TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Pitcher – Brett Lee, Fort Myers Miracle (6.2 IP, 5 H’s, 1 BB, 1 R, 8 K’s)
    Hitter – Eddie Rosario, New Britain Rock Cats (2-4, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, RBI)
     
    SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ Rochester – Sean Gilmartin (1-4, 4.44 ERA), 6:05PM CST
    Reading @ New Britain – Taylor Rogers (7-6, 3.91 ERA), 6:05 CST
    Dunedin @ Fort Myers – D.J. Baxendale (2-1, 6.67 ERA), 5:05PM CST
    Cedar Rapids @ Clinton – Aaron Slegers (5-6, 5.18 ERA), 6:30PM CST
    Elizabethton @ Danville – Derrick Penilla (0-1, 6.75 ERA), 6:00PM CST
    GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – TBD, 9:00AM CST
    DSL Twins @ DSL Padres – TBD, 9:30AM CST
  7. Steve Lein
    The Minnesota Twins were able to end their 10-game road losing streak against the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon, behind a solid bounce-back effort from starter Kyle Gibson and clutch hitting from Kendrys Morales and unexpected spark plug Jorge Polanco. Gibson went eight efficient innings, allowing just two runs on ninety-five pitches (69 for strikes). Morales provided the winning RBI with a ninth inning double down the line in left to score Sam Fuld, and Glen Perkins closed out the ninth by striking out the side to pick up his 20th save of the year.
     
    Down in the minors, the Twins affiliates received strong starting performances from all of their pitchers (including that Berrios guy), but were only 1-3 on the day.
     
    Second-round draft pick Nick Burdi also made his professional debut for the Cedar Rapids Kernels with Seth Stohs in attendance.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Norfolk 1, Rochester 8
    Box score
     
    The story of the game for the Red Wings was starter Logan Darnell. He pitched his first AAA complete game, scattering nine hits and one walk, with three strikeouts. He was helped in large part by inducing four double plays, which is a season high for the Red Wings defense. Darnell is now 3-1 with 2.29 ERA in 39.1 IP in front of the home crowd at Frontier Field. The lone run was the result of a home run off the bat of Michael Almanzar in the fifth inning.
     
    The offense put five runs on the board in the third inning to provide all the offensive support Darnell would need. James Beresford led off the inning with a single, and scored when Danny Ortiz hit his fourth home run of the season. Four consecutive hitters would reach base after this, with Doug Bernier (single), Deibinson Romero (walk), Chris Colabello (double, RBI), and Chris Herrmann (Double, 2 RBI) providing the three other runs. Rochester would add a run in the seventh, and two in the eighth to reach their final tally.
     
    James Beresford (3-4, 2 R’s) and Eric Farris (2-5, RBI) we’re the only batters to collect multiple hits, but every player in the lineup except Nate Hanson reached base.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 2, New Hampshire 3
    Box Score
     
    Starter Pat Dean was able to give the Rock Cats a quality start, but there was not enough offense to secure him a victory, as the lineup collected only five hits and three walks on the night and batting 1-7 with runners in scoring position.
     
    Tony Thomas and Mike Kvasnicka each hit a double, while Aaron Hicks was 1-2 with two walks and a run scored. Kennys Vargas and Stephen Wickens had the other two hits.
     
    Dean pitched 6.1 innings, but was chased in the seventh inning after giving up five consecutive singles to start it. If not for an outfield assist to home on the last of those, Dean would have surrendered at least one more run. He was relieved by Cole Johnson who retired the final two batters of the inning and would finish the game with 1.2 innings, one hit allowed, and two K’s.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Palm Beach 5, Fort Myers 2
    Box Score
     
    The story was much the same for the Miracle offense in Fort Myers, as they were only able to push two runs across the plate on the day in support of staff ace Jose Berrios, who took only his third loss of the season. As a team, they were 2-11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
     
    Berrios continued his dominance in this one, again pitching at least six innings, allowing two or fewer earned runs, and striking out seven or more for his ninth straight start. In this one, he went seven innings, allowing just five hits and one walk, while striking out seven. He did surrender just his fourth home run of the year in the first inning, but also retired the final eight batters of his outing, finishing his game with a K.
     
    For the offense, Lance Ray was 2-5 with an RBI (in thirteen games this season so far, he is sporting a .979 OPS with 8 doubles and 1 HR), Dalton hicks clubbed a double, and Tyler Grimes was 1-1 with a double and three walks. Niko Goodrum was 1-5 with a run scored and stole his 16th base of the year. Nate Roberts was 0-3, but walked twice, continuing to display his keen on-base abilities after a long period of exile.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Clinton 7, Cedar Rapids 4
    Box score
     
    Twins Daily’s Seth Stohs was again in attendance at the Kernels game this afternoon, and saw a great game right until the end. He was able to chat with many of the players and coaches after the game, providing the insight here.
     
    On the mound for the Kernels was Ethan Mildren, and he put together arguably his best start of the season. He blanked the LumberKings for seven innings, allowing just four hits, one walk, and racked up six K’s. Asked to describe his outing, Mildren said “I was getting ahead with my fastball well and establishing in and out, and getting good movement on my two-seamer in on righties.” Coach Jake Mauer added “He was outstanding. He was Phenomenal.” Indeed!
     

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]8038[/ATTACH]



    SP Ethan Mildren


    Cedar Rapids struck for two runs in the first inning after Zack Granite led off the inning with a walk, and was moved to third on an Engelb Vielma double. The bases were loaded after Chad Christensen was hit with a pitch, and a second HBP to Jason Kanzler scored the first run of the game. An Alex Swim groundout would score Vielma for run number two.
     
    The scored stayed the same until the eighth inning, when the Kernels added two insurance runs on a Bryan Haar home run after Christensen hit his fourth triple of the year in front of him. Haar’s blast was his third in two days.
     
    What came next was the professional debut of the Twins 2014 second round pick, hard-throwing closer Nick Burdi out of Louisville, who was in the College World Series.
     
    It didn’t go well, as he himself would explain. Burdi faced just four hitters in the top of the ninth, and walked all of them, with the first of his four earned runs given up scoring on a wild pitch.
     
    Burdi explained, “[i was] a little rusty but I still walked four guys. That’s not an excuse but I’ve got to come back next time and be sharper.” He would add “It happens. It’s baseball. Have to move on” and “I’ve got to be better.”
     
    Jake Mauer also talked about his new pitche, explaining “We don’t know a lot about him. He was the closer at Louisville. He was the closer at a big time program. He’ll get another chance. No doubt about it.”
     
    Burdi was replaced by Jared Wilson, who gave up a run-scoring single to the first batter he faced, then walked in another run to make the score 4-3. The final blow came when Christian Carmichael hit a grand slam to plate the final four for the LumberKings. Wilson line in one inning included four hits, one walke, three earned runs, and was charged with the Blown Save and Loss.
     
    E-TWINS E-NOTES
    Bristol 0, Elizabethton 0 (suspended in the bottom of the first inning)
    Box Score
     
    The E-Twins didn’t get to play much baseball on Sunday, as rain would stop play with only one out in the bottom of the first inning. On the mound for Elizabethton was Derrick Penilla, who gave up a double to start the game, but escaped the first with no damage and picked up a strikeout.
     
    The game will be finished before the regularly scheduled tilt tomorrow.
     
    GCL TWINS TAKES
     
    Just like every Sunday during the Gulf Coast League season, there were no games scheduled. The GCL Twins return to action tomorrow at 11:00 AM CST against the GCL Rays at home in Fort Myers.
     
    TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Pitcher – TRIPLE PLAY!!! Logan Darnell, Rochester Red Wings (9IP, CG, 9 H’s, BB, 1 ER, 3 K’s); Jose Berrios, Fort Myers Miracle (7 IP, 5 H’s, BB, 2 ER’s, 7 K’s); Ethan Mildren, Cedar Rapids Kernels (7 IP, 4 H’s, BB, 0 R’s, 6 K’s)
    Hitter – Danny Ortiz, Rochester Red Wings (1-3, BB, 2 R’s, HR, 2 RBI)
     
    MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Norfolk @ Rochester – TBD 6:05PM CST
    Binghamton @ New Britain – TBD 6:05 CST
    Palm Beach @ Fort Myers – D.J. Baxendale (1-1, 5.23 ERA) 6:05PM CST
    Clinton @ Cedar Rapids – Kohl Stewart (1-4, 2.53 ERA) 12:05PM CST
    Bristol @ Elizabethton (regularly scheduled game) – Michael Cederoth 6:00PM CST
    GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – TBD 11:00AM CST
  9. Steve Lein
    Minnesota Twins starter Phil Hughes continued his renaissance of 2014, tossing a complete game effort in Fenway Park – a stadium in which he had owned a career ERA of 6.56 in – on Tuesday night. Unfortunately for him, the offense wasn’t to provide enough punch to avoid a tally in the loss column against Jon Lester.
     
    In the minors, one of the affiliates participated in their league’s All-Star Game, while a few familiar names in these reports continued their headlining play.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Pawtucket 2, Rochester 1 (suspendend)
    Box score
     
    The Red Wings game against Boston’s AAA affiliate was suspended due to rain after the first out of the fourth inning. The game will be completed on Wednesday before the scheduled game, which will be shortened to a seven inning contest.
     
    Sean Gilmartin was called up to Rochester to make the start, and should stay in AAA after the promotion of Yohan Pino to the Twins. In the 3.1 innings finished on the night, he allowed six hits and two runs (both unearned), with two strikeouts.
     
    On offense, the Red Wings only made it through the lineup once (.5), with Eric Farris, Deibinson Romero (double), Chris Colabello, and Dan Rohlfing collecting their four hits. James Beresford drew a walk and scored the lone run on Colabello’s first inning single.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 7, Harrisburg 2
    Box score
     
    Up 3-2 heading into the seventh inning, the Rock Cats were looking for some insurance runs, and they got them courtesy of 1B Kennys Vargas. After a Tony Thomas single, Eddie Rosario walk, and Nate Hanson single, Vargas stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. On an 0-2 count, Harrisburg pitcher Neil Holland served up a pitch that Vargas deposited deep into right field for a Grand Slam, and 7-2 lead they would not relinquish. Hanson was 4-4 on the night with two doubles, a walk, and two runs scored, and Vargas and Rosario each collected multiple hits.
     
    Tyler Duffey made the start, and improved to 2-2 in eight starts with New Britain after finishing five innings, allowing five hits, two walks, and two earned runs while striking out four. Daniel Turpen pitched two perfect innings of relief (2 K’s), while Jim Fuller (2 hits allowed), and Ryan O’Rourke (2 K’s) closed out the victory with scoreless frames themselves.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Bradenton 2, Fort Myers 4
    Box score
     
    The third batter of the game for Bradenton singled to right field, but this was all the offense the Marauders were able to mount against Miracle stud Jose Berrios. In seven innings, Berrios allowed only this one hit, two walks, and struck out nine. Berrios recorded multiple strikeouts in the first, second, fifth, and sixth innings, and of his nine K’s, six were of the swinging variety. This start also marked the seventh straight where Berrios finished at least six innings, struck out seven or more, and allowed just two or fewer earned runs. The victory pushed his record to 7-2 on the season, and lowered his ERA to an otherworldly 2.09. His name appears near the top of every meaningful statistical category in the Florida State League, and it is only a matter of time before he should make his way to the AA Eastern League.
     
    The Miracle offense struck first in the fourth inning, putting up a three-spot after Jorge Polanco led off the inning with his fifth home run of the year, and Stephen Wickens (single), Lance Ray (double, RBI), and Dalton Hicks (single, RBI) collected hits. Fort Myers would add a run in the seventh when Niko Goodrum singled and collected his twelfth steal of the season, then scored on a throwing error from Marauder first-baseman Jose Osuna after a Tyler Grimes ground out.
     
    Madison Boer came on for the eighth inning to relieve Berrios, but a walk, two singles, and a sac fly would put a crooked number on the board for Bradenton to make the score 3-2 heading into the ninth. Tyler Jones would put the leadoff man on first, but would get the next three out, punctuating his eighth save of the year with a strikeout.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    MWL West 7, MWL East 0
    Box score
     
    The Cedar Rapids Kernels play in the Western Division, and were represented by 1B Bryan Haar, and pitchers Kohl Stewart (SP) and Yorman Landa (RP) in the winning effort. Haar went 1-2 in the game, singling in his first at-bat to lead off the seventh inning, but neither Stewart nor Landa pitched in the game (lots of players, can’t get to them all!)
     
    The Kernels resume play on Thursday when they open the second half of the season on the road against the Kane County Cougars.
     
    TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Pitcher – Jose Berrios, Fort Myers Miracle (7 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 9 K’s)
    Hitter – Kennys Vargas, New Britain Rock Cats (2-5, 2 R’s, GS (13), 4 RBI)
     
    WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Pawtucket @ Rochester – Alex Meyer (4-3, 3.62 ERA), 6:05PM CST
    New Britain @ Harrisburg – TBD 11:00AM CST
    Bradenton @ Fort Myers – TBD 6:05PM CST
  10. Steve Lein
    Kyle Gibson and the Minnesota Twins shutout Detroit to climb back within one game of .500 and just 3.0 games back of the Tigers divisional lead on Friday.
     
    Unfortunately, the organization’s affiliates didn’t fare as well, going 0-2 (3?) on the night despite some big names on the mound.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Lehigh Valley 3, Rochester 0
    Box score
     
    Alex Meyer was on the hill for the Red Wings, and the first batter he faced would foretell his night, in not a good way. His second pitch of the game hit leadoff man Leandro Castro, and though he followed this up by inducing a double play, two walks and a single would follow before he was able to escape with no damage. In the second Meyer was unable to escape unscathed, surrendering three singles, a triple, and three runs. He would finish the inning with a strikeout, but was replaced by Scott Diamond to start the third after just 55 pitches. Diamond, Deolis Guerra, and Edgar Ibarra would combine to shutout the Iron Pigs for the rest of the game, collectively allowing only two hits (both from Ibarra), two walks, and four strikeouts (three from Diamond). Unfortunately for the pitchers, the Red Wings left fourteen men on base and were 0-10 with runners in scoring position on the night despite outhitting Lehigh Valley 10-7.
     
    In the shutout offensive effort, Chris Herrmann and Pedro Florimon each had two hits, with Florimon and Dan Rohlfing collecting the only extra-base hits (doubles). James Beresford extended his hitting streak to ten games with a single in the sixth inning.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    Trenton 2, New Britain 1 (suspended)
    Box score
     
    The Rock Cats game against the Trenton Thunder was suspended in the bottom of the eighth, and will be completed before their scheduled game on Saturday.
     
    There was little offense from New Britain up to this point, as they had amassed just three hits and one walk before the delay. Reynaldo Rodriguez got the Rock Cats on the board with a solo home run in the fourth inning, his ninth of the season to tie the game at one, but they were unable to do much else. Nate Hanson (single) and Brandon Waring (double) had the other two hits.
     
    Virgil Vasquez made the start for the Rock Cats, and put together a quality start effort. In six innings, he allowed four hits, three walks, and one earned run while striking out six. Adrian Salcedo pitched a scoreless seventh inning despite issuing two walks and a single, while Matt Summers would allow the go-ahead run in the eighth after a triple.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
     
    The Fort Myers Miracle and the rest of the Florida State League began their All-Star break today. The FSL North will play the FSL South in the game at 6:05PM CST on Saturday. The Miracle are represented by Adam Brett Walker II (DH), and Jose Berrios (SP), who is a likely candidate to start the game for the South squad. The Miracle return to action on Monday, when they kick off the season’s second half at home against the Bradenton Marauders.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Burlington 6, Cedar Rapids 5
    Box score
     
    Lewis Thorpe made his second start of the season for the Kernels, but has yet to find the same form he enjoyed in the Rookie Leagues last season. Over four innings, he allowed three hits, four walks, and two earned runs with one K. Both of the runs were scored in the fourth inning after he loaded the bases and surrendered a sacrifice fly and two subsequent free passes. Jared Wilson came on for the fifth, and allowed the Bee’s to tie the game at four after allowing a two-run home run. The Kernels took the lead back in the bottom of the inning, but Chris Mazza gave it right back in the top of the sixth after a walk and two doubles that brought the deciding two runs across the plate. Todd Van Steensel finished the game with two perfect innings, striking out three.
     
    At the plate, the Kernels were led by Ryan Walker and Tanner Vavra, who each collected two hits, and Jason Kanzler who hit his seventh home run of the season to give Cedar Rapids a 3-2 lead in the fourth.
     
    TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Pitcher – Todd Van Steensel, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K’s)
    Hitter – Reynaldo Rodriguez, New Britain Rock Cats (1-3, HR)
     
    SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Lehigh Valley @ Rochester – Logan Darnell (1-4, 3.02 ERA), 6:05PM CST
    Trenton @ New Britain – Pat Dean (3-2, 4.84 ERA), 5:35PM CST
    Burlington @ Cedar Rapids – Ethan Mildren (2-3, 4.56 ERA), 5:05PM CST
  11. Steve Lein
    Arguably, it's been quite a long time since the Twins have employed a franchise type player at the most important position on the diamond, shortstop (I'll leave J.J. Hardy out of this conversation). Since 2004 when Christian Guzman last manned the position, the Twins have sent players such as Jason Castro, Jason Bartlett, Nick Punto, Matt Tolbert, Adam Everett, Orlando Cabrera, Alexi Casilla, Trevor Plouffe, Brian Dozier, Pedro Florimon, and Eduardo Escobar out there for extended playing time, to extremely underwhelming results (recent play of Escobar not withstanding).
     
    The Twins could do well to change this organizational shortcoming with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft, where there are a few highly touted players at this position, including North Carolina State’s Trea Turner. But there is another shortstop where the connections with the Twins have been much louder leading up to this draft, and that has been with Windermere, FL high schooler, Nick Gordon.
     
    Who is this guy?
    A conversation about Gordon should almost certainly start with a look at his pedigree. He is the younger brother of current MLB second-baseman, Dee Gordon of the Dodgers, and son of former MLB reliever, Tom “Flash” Gordon.
     
    Much like his brother Dee, Nick has above-average speed and came up playing shortstop, but that is nearly where the similarities end. The difference between them has been Nick’s bat, which took a big step forward in 2014 after adding some strength to his upper body. This has made him a far more highly regarded draft prospect than Dee, who was selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2008 draft.
     
    While he shares the position and speed similarity with his brother, Nick also possesses one of the draft’s best infield arms, which came courtesy of his father, “Flash.” On a high school mound Nick touches the mid-90’s, and translates this arm strength easily to the shortstop position. Scouts also praise Gordon’s instincts for the position, and he carries far less doubts about his long term outlook to stay at short than the usual prep player. Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com echoed these thoughts recently while discussing Gordon for the Chicago Cubs at pick number four: “It's a common situation every year to see players who man shortstop as amateurs but aren't expected to stay there long-term as professionals. Gordon, without a doubt, will play shortstop at the highest level. He has the arm, the hands and the range to be an outstanding defender at short.”
     
    Why the Twins will pick him
    In their recent history, if the Twins have targeted a high school position player early in the draft, it’s been for players that had potential with their bat (Travis Harrison) or great athleticism (Niko Goodrum) for their position and it can be said that Gordon possesses both these qualities. Add in the fact that the Twins have been devoid of a long-term solution at shortstop for ten years now, and it’s hard to miss why the Twins might be in on him.
     
    Gordon is a left-handed batter who is praised more for gap-to-gap power than raw power potential that he could grow into, but this is also what makes him more appealing if you’re looking for a shortstop. Even though he added strength to his 6’2” frame, he's been described as a “wiry” build that onlookers don’t see outgrowing the position or his athleticism for it.
     
    When you combine all of these elements together, you get a premium prospect at a premium position who definitely deserves a long look.
     
    Why the Twins will not pick him
    If you believe most of the rumblings, only one of the top pitchers (Aiken, Kolek, Rodon, or Nola) may prevent the Twins from selecting Gordon.
     
    The Twins do already have a few intriguing middle-infield prospects in their farm system, including Jorge Polanco, Niko Goodrum, and the Twins recent spark plug, Danny Santana. But all of these players have questions related to their long-term outlook at shortstop, or have already played considerable innings at other positions.
     
    Even though the comments above do temper this concern, it does always exist in some capacity if the expectation of drafting a high schooler is for him to stick at shortstop. It simply is a rarity that any of them make it to the big leagues in that capacity or develop the hitting skills to stay there in the majors. His own brother has certainly been a prime example, and this has also been the case for the Twins with players like Casilla, Plouffe, Dozier and Florimon reaching the big leagues at short, but not sticking for long.
     
    If there isn't another player atop the Twins board at number five, it’s likely none of these reasons would deter them from adding one of the best high school position players available in 2014 to the organization.
  12. Steve Lein
    Kevin Correia did all he could for the Twins against Masahiro Tanaka and the New York Yankees on Saturday, but the bullpen was unable to keep the game tied after an eighth inning rain delay, and the Twins would fall 3-1.
     
    Rain would also prevent one affiliate’s game from being played on Saturday, while the AAA team received another strong effort from a top prospect.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Gwinnett 1, Rochester 6
    Box score
     
    Rochester would put runs on the board in each of the first three innings to take a 4-0 lead, and it would be more than enough offense to support starter Trevor May. In seven shutout frames, May allowed only four hits and two walks, while striking out four. In his last four starts, the righthander has allowed only one unearned run in twenty-six innings, and has lowered his ERA on the season to 2.62. He also lowered his league-leading Batting Average Against to .196.
     
    Matt Hoffman was charged with the only Gwinnet run in the eighth inning, and was replaced by A.J. Achter who shut the door on a bases loaded threat. Achter would finish the game with a clean ninth inning to pick up his fourth save.
     
    The Rochester offense pounded out thirteen hits in the game including one from every hitter in the lineup. Eric Farris, Doug Bernier, Eric Fryer, and Pedro Florimon all had two hits, with Florimon’s second inning solo-HR being their only extra-base hit. Bernier led the team with two RBI, and Deibinson Romero drew two walks.
     
    With the win, the Red Wings took back first place in the International League North division, and have now won fourteen of their last eighteen games.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    Binghamton 2, New Britain 3
    Box score
     
    Virgil Vasquez made the start for New Britain and scattered nine hits and a walk over six innings. He allowed just the two runs and struck out four in a quality start effort. He was relieved by Mark Hamburger, making his first appearance of the year after serving his suspension. In two scoreless innings, Hamburger gave up two hits and walked one, and struck out two. Lester Oliveros picked up his seventh save with a scoreless ninth.
     
    The offense was led by Danny Ortiz and Kennys Vargas, who each went 2-4. Ortiz and Mike Kvasnicka had the only extra-base hits (doubles) for the Rock Cats, and Vargas and Brad Boyer each collected an RBI. The two-hit game for Ortiz was his sixth multi-hit game in his last ten, and he finished the month of May with a .388 batting average in twenty-seven games.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
     
    The Fort Myers Miracle game against the Tampa Yankees was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up tomorrow in a double header starting at 2:05PM CST.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Burlington 7, Cedar Rapids 6
    Box score
     
    The Burlington Bees struck quickly with three runs in the first inning against Kernels starter Josue Montanez, but it was two errors from the Kernels defense that allowed them to score. Montanez then kept the Bees off the board until the fourth inning, when another error would lead to a fourth unearned run and end to his night. In four innings Montanez allowed four hits, one walk, and had seven strikeouts. Alex Muren pitched three innings of relief, surrendering three earned runs on four hits. He struck out four. Felix Jorge would finish the game for the Kernels with two scoreless innings.
     
    Down 7-2 in the eighth inning, the Kernels mounted a strong effort at a comeback. Engelb Vielma led off the inning with a walk, then a Chad Christensen single and Mitch Garver walk loaded the bases. Third baseman Bryan Haar then cleared the bases with a triple and would score on a Jason Kanzler single, but that would be as close as the Kernels could get. Vielma and Christensen each went 2-4 in the game.
     
    TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Pitcher – Trevor May, Rochester Red Wigns (7.0 IP, 4 H’s, 2 BB’s, 4 K’s)
    Hitter – Danny Ortiz, New Britain Rock Cats (2-4, 2B, R)
     
    SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Gwinnett @ Rochester – Yohan Pino (6-1, 1.73 ERA), 12:05PM CST
    Binghamton @ New Britain – Pat Dean (2-2, 5.15 ERA), 12:35PM CST
    Tampa @ Fort Myers (Game 1) – Jose Berrios (4-2, 2.55 ERA), 2:05PM CST
    Tampa @ Fort Myers (Game 2) – Matthew Tomshaw (4-1, 1.88 ERA)
    Burlington @ Cedar Rapids – Kohl Stewart (1-2, 2.93 ERA), 2:05PM CST
  13. Steve Lein
    The Minnesota Twins finished their five game road trip vs. the National League on Sunday, with a defeat at the hands of Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants to finish off a sweep. The Twins return home tomorrow to face the Texas Rangers on Memorial Day, looking to get their record on the season back to .500.
     
    Down on the farm, the Twins affiliates received some strong pitching performances, including another one from a top prospect, on their way to a 3-1 day at the ballpark.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 6, Sranton/Wilkes-Barre 2
    Box Score
     
    Kris Johnson took the mound for the Red Wings, and put in his best effort of the year, in which he has had many. On the season Johnson now sports a 4-2 record with a 2.11 ERA. In this game the lefty worked eight innings, allowing a single run in both the first and second innings, before settling in to face the minimum over the next six frames. He retired eighteen in a row at one point, before issuing a walk in the eighth inning, which he followed up by inducing an inning ending double play. Overall on the night Johnson allowed four hits and three walks with the two earned runs, and five strikeouts. A.J. Achter came in for the ninth inning and allowed only a walk.
     
    The offense struck for three runs in the fifth inning to take the lead, and added two insurance runs in the sixth. Almost all of the offense came from the number 5, 6, and 7 hitters in the Red Wings lineup: Wilkin Ramirez, Dan Rohlfing, and Doug Bernier, respectively. Ramirez was 2-4 with a double and 2 runs scored; Rohlfing was 2-3 with two doubles, a walk, RBI, and two runs scored; and Bernier was 3-5 with a run scored, two RBI, and a stolen base.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 1, Binghamton 3
    Box Score
     
    New Britain got the scoring started early, courtesy of an RBI double in the first inning off the bat the red hot slugger Kennys Vargas. Unfortunately for them, this would be the only non-goose egg they would put up on the scoreboard all night. They left six runners on-base, and were 0-6 with RISP in the game. Vargas would add two more hits to finish 3-4, and increased his batting average on the year to .331. Danny Ortiz and A.J. Petterson each added a double.
     
    On the mound, the Rock Cats got a quality start effort from Sean Gilmartin, but it was not enough to overcome the lack of offense. Gilmartin went six innings, allowing seven hits, two walks, and a hit batter, while striking out five. Jim Fuller came on for the seventh inning and loaded the bases with two walks and a single, before escaping with no damage after a flyout to centerfield. He also struck out two in between the baserunners. Matthew Summers would finish the game, allowing only one walk.
     
    The switch-hitting Vargas deserves further mention. After starting the year (relatively) slow, with a .278/.363/.443 line in April, he has taken off in the month of May. In his last ten games, Vargas' batting line is .412/.500/.588, and over the entire month he has hit .381/.454/.643 with seven doubles, five home runs, and 20 RBI. He has also walked just as often as he has struck out (12 times). We were all disappointed when Miguel Sano went down for the year with an elbow injury, but Vargas is more than filling in the organizational power-void that many envisioned.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 6, Jupiter 1
    Box Score
     
    Starter Jose Berrios was looking to build off his ten strikeout performance his last time out, and he didn’t disappoint. On this night, the righty threw six fantastic innings, allowing only one earned on seven hits and a walk, while striking out seven. In his last four turns through the rotation, Twins Daily’s number six prospect has pitched 24.1 innings, allowing 17 hits and 10 walks, with 32 strikeouts and only 3 earned runs (1.11 ERA).
     
    Mason Melotakis and Tyler Jones would finish off the win for the Miracle, combining for three shutout innings. Jones picked up his fourth save.
     
    Dalton Hicks, Max Kepler, and Stuart Turner all collected two hits in the game. Travis Harrison and Kepler each had a double, with Kepler’s being of the bases-clearing variety to add three runs to scoreboard in the eighth inning. While Harrison’s current home run total on the season doesn’t reflect his power potential, his double was his fifteenth on the season and he now ranks third in the FSL in that category. This also extended Harrison’s hitting streak to fifteen games, a period during which he is batting .385 with seven doubles. Niko Goodrum was the only hitter in the Miracle lineup that did not record a hit, but he did draw a walk and scored a run.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 6, Beloit 5
    Box Score
     
    The leadoff man for the Kernels, J.D. Williams, started the team off on the right foot, by doubling to start the game and coming around to score on a Chad Christensen single. Williams wasn’t done after that either, as he would finish the game 3-5 with an RBI, the double, and two runs scored. Tanner Vavra and Jason Kanzler each had two hits on the night, with Kanzler slugging a solo home run in the second inning, his fifth of the year. The Kernels were forced to make a comeback late in the game, and the final tally would come off the bat of Bryan Haar, who hit his seventh home run in the top of the eighth to put the Kernels out front.
     
    Josue Montanez got the start, and went five innings. He left the game down 5-4, before the Kernels were able to make their comeback and leave him with a no-decision. All five of the runs were earned, and were courtesy of six hits and four walks. Jared Wilson came in to pitch the sixth and seventh innings, allowing only one walk and striking out two. Todd Van Steensel would finish the game with two shutout innings, and picked up his third save.
     
    TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Pitcher – Jose Berrios, Fort Myers Miracle (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 H’s, 1 BB, 7 K’s)
    Hitter – Kennys Vargas, New Britain Rock Cats (3-4, 2B, RBI)
     
    MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Syracuse @ Rochester – Trevor May (3-3, 3.35 ERA), 12:05PM CST
    New Britain @ Binghamton – TBD, 12:05PM CST
    Fort Myers – Scheduled off day
    Cedar Rapids @ Beloit – Kohl Stewart (1-1, 2.21 ERA), 2:00PM CST
  14. Steve Lein
    The Minnesota Twins won their third game in a row on Saturday to push their record to over .500 on the season. Starting pitcher Samuel Deduno gave a quality start effort, and Brian Dozier continued to provide the thump in the lineup, slugging his eleventh home run of the season. It was a 3-run shot in the fifth inning that gave the Twins just enough cushion.
     
    There was plenty offense for a few of the Twins affiliate’s lineups on Saturday, but their pitching didn’t provide them with the same help collectively as Deduno did for the Twins.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Toledo 2, Rochester 9
    Box Score
     
    Logan Darnell made his second start for the Red Wings since returning from his one game cup of coffee with the Twins. He didn’t quite qualify for the “quality start” moniker, but might as well have. Darnell lasted 5.2 innings, scattering six hits and two walks, while striking out eight. He was charged with two runs (one earned). When he ran into trouble in the sixth after a Diebinson Romero error, Matt Hoffman came on in relief and shut the door on the threat. He would pitch the final 3.1 innings, striking out three while lowering his ERA on the season to 1.56.
     
    The Rochester lineup pushed two runs across in each of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings on their way to the blowout. Eric Farris and Romero each slugged a two-run homer, and Romero also added a triple and led the Red Wings with three RBI’s on the night. Farris, Romero, Dan Rohlfing, Eric Fryer, and Josh Willingham each had two hits. Oswaldo Arcia was hit by a pitch and walked twice, scoring two runs.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain played a double-header Saturday, making up their second of two postponed games with Harrisburg from the end of April.
     
    Game 1: New Britain 0, Harrisburg 5
    Box Score
     
    In Game 1, the Rock Cats ran into the Washington Nationals #2 rated prospect by MLB.com, A.J. Cole. He would throw the seven inning complete game, allowing only four hits and zero walks, while striking out eight.
     
    Corey Wimberly had the only extra-base hit for New Britain, a double, and Brad Boyer stole two bases after his first inning single.
     
    Virgil Vasquez started for the Rock Cats, and allowed five earned runs on eight hits and two walks, though he did strike out nine in his 4.2 innings. Jim Fuller would finish the game with a perfect 1.1 innings.
     
    Game 2: New Britain 3, Harrisburg 9
    Box Score
     
    In Game 2, starter Matthew Summers had many of the same problems as Vasquez in the first. He would finish five innings, but allowed all nine Senators runs on nine hits and three walks, with three K’s. He also allowed three home runs. Ryan O’Rourke pitched the final inning, allowing only a walk.
     
    Unlike the first game, New Britain did manage to send a few runners across home plate in this one. Kennys Vargas was 2-3 with an RBI and run scored, and Mike Kvasnicka was 2-2 with a walk and RBI. Reynaldo Rodriguez, Matt Koch, and Nate Hanson added doubles for the Rock Cats.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Daytona 11, Fort Myers 9
    Box Score
     
    The Miracle made a valiant effort in the bottom of the ninth, but a bases clearing double by Adam Brett Walker II to score Jorge Polanco, Dalton Hicks, and Max Kepler would be their final runs before Daytona shut the door on the comeback.
     
    The offense for the Miracle was led by Walker II and Kepler, who each had three hits, including the aforementioned double by Walker II in the ninth, and a triple from Kepler in the second. Hicks also collected three RBI’s with a home run in the fifth inning, his second of the year. As a team, the Miracle had thirteen hits, including six extra base hits, but even that was not enough to keep pace with the Cubs.
     
    Daytona knocked around starter Jason Wheeler to the tune of six runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks, including three doubles before he left the game after 2.2 innings. Relievers Tim Shibuya, Mason Melotakis, Brandon Peterson, and Madison Boer didn’t fare much better. Collectively they allowed the other five runs on ten hits and three walks in their 6.1 innings. Melotakis and Peterson each struck out three in two innings apiece.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 2, Burlington 7
    Box Score
     
    The Kernels struck first, scoring a run in the opening two frames of the game, but Burlington was quick to strike back at starter Ryan Eades. After getting one run back in the bottom of the second, the Bees added three in the third after three consecutive hitters slugged extra base hits (double-triple-double). Eades did recover to record the next five outs with strike outs, but the extra base hit bug would come back to bite Eades in the fifth and end his night. Overall in five innings, he allowed all seven of Burlington’s runs on nine hits, with two walks and seven K’s. Brandon Bixler pitched the sixth and seventh innings, striking out two and walking two, while Hudson Boyd finished the game for the Kernels.
     
    The Kernels managed only six hits in the game and were led by Chad Christensen and Bo Altobelli whom each had two. Altobelli had the only extra-base hit with a double in the seventh inning. Mitch Garver and Bryan Santy knocked in the runs for Cedar Rapids.
    TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Pitcher – Logan Darnell, Rochester Red Wings (5.2IP, 1ER, 8K’s)
    Hitter – Diebinson Romero, Rochester Red Wings (2-5, 3B, HR, 2 R’s, 3 RBI)
     
    SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Toledo @ Rochester – Kris Johnson (2-2, 2.45 ERA), 12:05PM CST
    New Britain @ Harrisburg – TBD, 1:00PM CST
    Daytona @ Fort Myers – Brett Lee (3-1, 2.84 ERA), 3:05PM CST
    Cedar Rapids @ Burlington – Ethan Mildren (0-2, 3.72 ERA), 2:00PM CST
  15. Steve Lein
    The Twins fell to the Indians 4-3 tonight in walk-off fashion, but received a quality start effort from Ricky Nolasco, who bucked his early season strikeout deficiency, and racked up nine K’s in his six innings.
     
    The strikeout trend would continue with a few of the Twins top pitching prospects on the evening.
     
    TRANSACTIONS
    The Twins activated their 2013 15th round draft pick, pitcher Derrick Pinella, and assigned him to Cedar Rapids. The 6’2” lefty pitched at the Mount San Antonio (California) Junior College where he pitched as both a starter and reliever. He would make his first appearance of the season in the evenings game (a forgettable one).
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 0, Columbus 7
    Box score
     
    Trevor May got the start for the Red Wings, looking to build off his 11 K, 1 BB performance six days prior. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the same magic. A second inning two-run home run from Roberto Perez got the scoring started for Columbus, and they never looked back. May lasted 4.2 innings, allowing eight hits, five runs (four earned), with three walks and four strikeouts. He was relieved by Deolis Guerra, who finished off the fifth inning and the sixth, walking two and picking up one K. Edgar Ibarra then finished the game for Rochester. In two innings, he gave up two hits, two walks, and two runs, with one strikeout.
     
    The Red Wings managed only four hits on the game, and were led by a 2-4 night from James Beresford. They threatened in the 4th and the 7th innings, but stranded runners on third both times. Chris Parmelee and Deibinson Romero provided the other two hits, both singles.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    Trenton 6, New Britain 4
    Box score
     
    Righthander Tyler Duffey took the mound, and retired the first twelve batters he faced as the Rock Cats built a 2-0 lead. In the fifth however, Duffey gave up a leadoff single that was followed by a home run off the bat of Kyle Roller, his Eastern League leading ninth of the season to tie the score at two (interesting note on Roller, is he has these nine home runs while not qualifying for the Eastern League batting leaderboard, where he would be 2nd in Avg., and 1st in OBP, slugging, and OPS). Duffey finished the 7th inning, allowing four runs on just four hits, but two of them were homers. He struck out four and did not issue a walk. Even with the inning-eating start, the Rock Cats bullpen got some exercise as the game went into extra innings. Adrian Salcedo, Jim Fuller, Daniel Turpen, and Ryan O’Rourke combined to throw five innings, allowed four hits, and five strikeouts. O’Rourke was saddled with the loss after he to, surrendered a two-run home run. Of note in the extended game, is the entirety of the pitching staff did not issue a single base-on-balls (though they did have two HBP’s).
     
    The offensive contributions for the Rock Cats came from lead-off man Tony Thomas, who was 3-4 with a home run, three RBI, and a stolen base (was also caught stealing and picked off once each); and Kennys Vargas who was 3-6 with two doubles, though the three times he did not reach base, were because of the strikeout and was 3-3 at one point. Reynaldo Rodriguez, Mike Kvasnicka, and pinch-hitter Corey Wimberly collected New Britain’s three other hits on the night.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 6, Jupiter 3
    Box score
     
    Twins Daily’s #6 Twins prospect, righty Jose Berrios, toed the rubber for the Miracle and was effectively erratic, which contributed to him lasting only five innings despite allowing only one hit and zero runs while racking up seven K’s. He was erratic because he also walked four. Mason Melotakis took over in sixth inning and pitched the next 2.1 innings giving up one hit and one walk, with two strikeouts. Madison Boer relieved Melotakis in the eighth inning and induced an inning-ending double play to end a threat, but would not fare as well in the ninth. A walk, double, and home run would plate Hammerheads three runs before Boer recovered to retire the final three hitters.
     
    At the plate, eight of the nine hitters in the Miracle lineup collected hits, with Adam Brett Walker II providing two. Walker was also caught stealing for the second time this season and second time of his professional career in eighteen attempts. Extra-base hits were provided by Levi Michael with a bases clearing double in the 7th, and a triple from Niko Goodrum who went on to score. Byron Buxton continued to work his way back, singling in the fourth an advancing to second on a throwing error, and also struck out with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 7
    Box score
     
    The Kernels would jump out to a 3-0 lead after the second inning, but those would be the only runs they could muster on the night. Jason Kanzler collected two hits, and Ivory Thomas drew three walks on the night. Engelb Vielma and Chad Christensen collecter their third and fourth doubles on the year, respectively. J.D. Williams and Zach Larson drove in two of the three runs, while the third scored on a bases loaded double-play ball off the bat of Mitch Garver.
     
    2014 first round pick, Kohl Stewart, continued his strong start to the 2014 season. He tossed five innings, allowing five hits and two walks, zero runs, and struck out six. He lowered his ERA to under 3.00 on the season in 25.2 innings, and sports a fantastic 0.78 WHIP. As mentioned in the transactions section, Derrick Pinella made his 2014 debut but it was one he’d like to forget. He started with a groundball out, a walk, and then a strikeout, then proceeded to walk three consecutive batters before being replaced by Yorman Landa. Landa would then also walk the next 2 batters (with a passed ball thrown in). Hudson Boyd replaced him in the eighth and would finish game, but allowed two runs, two hits, and two walks before doing so.
     
    TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jose Berrios, Cedar Rapids Kernels
    Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kennys Vargas, New Britain Rock Cats
     
    THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Rochester @ Columbus (5:35PM CST) – Scott Diamond
    New Britain @ Bowie (5:35PM CST) – TBD
    Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:35PM CST) – David Hurlbut
    Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:35PM CST) – Felix Jorge
  16. Steve Lein
    After a rough, Mother Nature influenced series, in which the Twins were forced to use every one of their pitchers in a double-header vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, they received a valiant effort from their prized off-season acquisition, Ricky Nolasco, on Friday night to stave off a catastrophic pitching predicament moving into the weekend.
     
    Although Nolasco was able to save the bullpen with a complete game, 3-earned run effort, it wasn’t enough to save himself from taking a loss, as the Twins weren’t able to muster any offense against the Baltimore Orioles’ Ubaldo Jimenez, tallying only 4 hits in a disappointing effort for the first (semi) decent weather game I’ve been able to attend in section 107 at Target Field this year.
     
    Minnesota’s Minor League affiliates, were able to fare somewhat better however, going 2-2 on the night, including a familiar extra innings marathon.
     
    TRANSACTIONS
    The Twins recalled SP Logan Darnell from Rochester before the weekend games kicked off. He is due to make his MLB debut in reprieve of an overused bullpen, and optioned SP Kris Johnson back to Rochester after his double-header spot start on Thursday.
     
    RED WINGS REPORT
    Rochester 6, Louisville 1
    Box score
     
    Scott Diamond took the hill for the Red Wings, and after an extremely disappointing start to his season, put together the first type of outing that that Twins fans remember from his staff-ace stretch of 2012. Diamond lasted 6.2 innings, scattering 6 hits and 2 walks, with only 1 earned run and 6 K’s. He was replaced by A.J. Achter, who finished the final 2.1 innings without surrendering a baserunner and finalized the victory for Rochester.
     
    The offense was led by the recently on-fire Chris Parmelee, whom had a 1st inning sac fly to score Doug Bernier, and a 5th inning solo blast, his 5th HR of the season, to make the score 4-1 in Rochester’s favor. DH Brad Nelson, and 3B Deibinson Romero added RBI doubles to contribute to the offense.
     
    ROCK CATS REVIEW
    New Britain 4, New Hampshire 2
    Box score
     
    The acquisition from the Atlanta Braves organization that the Twins received for dealing Ryan Doumit last season put together arguably his best start for his new organization on Friday night. Sean Gilmartin tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball, allowing only 3 hits and racked up 8 K’s to secure the win, although he did surrender 4 BB’s. Relievers Daniel Turpen (hold), Lester Oliveros (hold), and Adrian Salcedo (save) all pitched a single inning and ensured the victory for the Rock Cats. The trio of relievers added 6 K’s to the team’s total, allowing 1 hit each, 3 total BB’s, and only 1 ER. Notable, was the rough start for Turpen, who started the 7th inning off with a single and stolen base to advance the runner to 2nd, and subsequent wild-pitch that put him on 3rd. But he then proceeded to K the next 3 batters looking to end the threat.
     
    On the offensive side, DH Kennys Vargas slugged his 5th HR on the season in the 6th inning, plating Kenny Wilson for a 4-1 Rock Cats lead. 2B Tony Thomas and SS (and Twins Daily contributor) A.J. Petterson added doubles to the offense, while Nate Hanson (another Minnesotan) added his second HR on the year in the victory.
     
    MIRACLE MATTERS
    Fort Myers 2, Palm Beach 3 (14 innings)
    Box score
     
    The Miracle attempted to emulate the Twins from Thursday night, lasting nearly 4 hours into the 14th inning. Unfortunately for them, the result was the same, a tally in the Loss column.
     
    David Hurlburt started for the Miracle and put together a quality start effort. He pitched 6 innings, allowing 7 hits and 2 ER’s with no walks and 2 K’s. He was replaced by lefty Steven Gruver who pitched into the 9th, then Tim Shibuya who tossed a much needed 4.1 innings in the extra effort. Tyler Jones became the recipient of the loss after giving up a single and HBP to start the 14th, a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, then sac fly to plate the walk-off run.
     
    Fort Myers received multi-hit efforts from leadoff man (and subsequent keep-your-eye-on-prospect) 2B Levi Michael (2 doubles) and OF Adam Brett Walker II (double) in the extended game, but only 4 other hitters collected a hit on the evening. Although as a team they walked 9 times, they stranded all but 1 of them.
     
    KERNELS NUGGETS
    Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 12
    Box score
     
    The pitching staff for the Kernels had a rough night and were unable to limit an early, relentless attack from the Chiefs. Helium prospect Felix Jorge made the start, but was only able to last 3 innings. He allowed only 1 BB, but 8 hits including 1 HR, 2 3B’s, and a double, which resulted in a 5-0 lead for Peoria. He was replaced by Christian Powell, who fared even worse, surrendering 7 R’s (6 earned) in just 0.2 innings. He was relieved by Todd Van Steesel whom allowed every inherited runner to score in the 4th inning before recovering to strike out 4 through the 6th and 2.1 total IP. Brandon Bixler then provided the mop-up duty in the last 3 innings, allowing 1 BB, with 3 K’s.
     
    The offense was stymied to the tune of 14 K’s from the Peoria pitchers, though they were able to collect 10 hits on the night. They were led by 2B Logan Wade who went 3-5 with 2 doubles and an RBI, CF Jason Kanzler who went 2-5 with a run scored, and 3B Bryan Haar who went 2-4.
     
    TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
    Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Scott Diamond, Rochester Red Wings
    Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Logan Wade, Cedar Rapids Kernels
     
    SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
    Louisville @ Rochester (12:05 PM CST) – Yohan Pino (Listen)
    New Hampshire @ New Britain (5:35 PM CST) – Pat Dean (Listen)
    Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:35 CST) – Alex Wimmers (Listen)
    Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – Aaron Slegers (Listen)
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