Steve Lein

Haha, yes, Burlington Bees!!!

The Minnesota Twins were unable to take the series on Sunday in Kansas City, falling 3-2 to the Royals in Ervin Santana’s season debut. He did more than they could have hoped for limiting the Royals to just two runs on three hits, while striking out eight. But Miguel Sano driving in another run and Aaron Hicks going yard weren’t enough to get him the victory.In the minors on Sunday, there was a comeback win for one squad, and another pounded out fourteen hits to jump out to early big lead. To find out about how all it went down on Sunday, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS The Twins have been busy over the weekend with transactions, and this came with the announcement of the International League All-Star teams on Sunday. Representing the Rochester Red Wings will be 2B James Beresford, RP A.J. Achter, and SP Taylor Rogers. RED WINGS REPORT Lehigh Valley 4, Rochester 2 Box Score Lefthander Taylor Rogers was on the mound for the Red Wings, and delivered a quality start. In 6.1 innings, he allowed three earned runs (four total) on nine hits. He walked none and struck out six. The third inning was the big one for the Iron Pigs, as an error by Oswaldo Arcia in right field got things going to start the inning. This was followed by consecutive doubles to score two, and a single later in the inning put the third run on the board. Rogers recorded the first out of the seventh inning before surrendering a home run to Chase d’Arnaud to end his night. Mark Hamburger pitched 1.2 innings of perfect relief, striking out one. Caleb Thielbar pitched the ninth, allowing two hits but no runs to finish the game. There was little offense for Rochester in this one as they were just 0-2 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. The first eight men of the game were retired before a Carlos Paulino single in the third. Jorge Polanco doubled in the sixth but only made it to third base, and Wilkin Ramirez added a single in the seventh. That was it for the offense until the ninth inning. Arcia led off the bottom half with a single, was retired at second on a Reynaldo Rodriguez fielder’s choice, and Jose Martinez later followed with his third home run of the season to put their only runs on the board for the day. The loss put the Red Wings record at 44-39 on the season, one and a half games back of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in the International League North Division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Jacksonville 3 Box Score Jacksonville jumped out to an early lead in the first inning against Lookouts starter D.J. Baxendale. The second hitter of the game clubbed a solo home run to make it 1-0, and later with the bases loaded Niko Goodrum’s first error in Double-A allowed a second run to score. Baxendale recovered and finished four innings with just the two runs allowed on three hits and a walk. He struck out four. Madison Boer pitched the next two scoreless innings, working around three walks and one hit to keep the score at 2-0. In the top of the sixth, Max Kepler drew a walk with two outs, and Adam Brett Walker drove him in with a double to make it 2-1. Chattanooga then tied it at two in the seventh as Goodrum made up for his earlier error with a solo blast, his second home run in the Southern League. Jacksonville managed to manufacture that run back in the bottom of the inning however, as a lead-off walk and sacrifice bunt put the go-ahead run in scoring position. D.J. Johnson got the second out of the inning, but an RBI single would do the trick for the Suns. J.T. Chargois pitched a scoreless eighth inning, walking two. Chattanooga threatened in each of the eighth and ninth innings, but were unable to push the tying run across. Walker started the eighth with a single and stole second base to put himself in scoring position but the next three batters were retired, stranding him on third. In the ninth, Stephen Wickens doubled with two outs, but Kennys Vargas popped out to end the game. Leadoff man Levi Michael was 2-5 on the day with a double, and Wickens and Walker both added doubles in multi-hit efforts. MIRACLE MATTERS St. Lucie 4, Fort Myers 5 Box Score Fort Myers scored first in the game’s opening frame as an Engelb Vielma single and stolen base, an Alex Swim hit by pitch, and a Mitch Garver walk loaded the bases. They would only get one run on the scoreboard however, on a Jason Kanzler sac fly. They went up 2-0 in the third inning after a Ryan Walker sac fly scored Swim, who had singled, made it to second on a Garver walk and reached to third on an infield error, but it also turned into a double play as Mitch Garver was nabbed attempting to advance to third on the throw home. Kohl Stewart made the start for the Miracle, and began the game by striking out the first two batters. He’d make it a one-two-three inning with a pop-out to Vielma at short. He worked around a walk and ground-rule double in the second to escape a jam, and pitched another one-two-three third inning. In the fourth, it looked like he was going to work out of another jam, but after a line-out, throw-em-out double play of his own teams doing, he got tagged with a two run home run to tie the game at two. He finished three more innings, picking up three more K’s along the way, but a throwing error from himself in the seventh led to an unearned run and 3-2 deficit as he finished the inning. Overall on the day, Stewart went seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks, while striking out six. His six strikeouts were his most in a game this season. St. Lucie would add another run in the eighth inning off Brandon Bixler, as an error from Bryan Haar at third, a walk, and a wild pitch put runners on second and third, and a sac fly brought one in for a 4-2 lead. The Mets bullpen then entered the game, and it was a good thing for the Miracle. Alex Swim led off the bottom of the eighth with a single and Garver followed with a walk. A fly out and walk later had the bases loaded for Marcus Knecht. His single brought in two runs and tied the game at four. Haar was then intentionally walked to load the bases again, and a wild pitch allowed Walker to scamper home with the go-ahead run. Nick Burdi came on for the ninth inning and his first save opportunity back with Fort Myers, and he struck out the first batter he faced. A single then put the tying runner on base, and Burdi was likely bailed out by the third ground-rule double of the game for the Mets, as it kept the tying run to just third base. Burdi then got a groundout to his drawn in infield, and a fly out to preserve the victory and pick up the save. As a team, the Miracle had just five hits on the game, led by Swim who was 2-3 with two runs scored, but took advantage of seven walks and three errors from St. Lucie. KERNELS NUGGETS Burlington 6, Cedar Rapids 9 Box Score The Kernels lineup scored multiple runs in each of the first three innings to jump out to a 7-0 lead early. In the first, Jorge Fernandez cleared the bases the with a three-run double to score Edgar Corcino (walk), Nick Gordon (double), and Max Murphy (walk). In the second, Brian Navarreto and Pat Kelly led off with back-to-back singles and a wild pitch allowed Navarreto to score. Later in the inning, Gordon and Corcino executed a double steal for the inning's second run. In the third inning, Brett Doe led off with a home run, his third of the year, and singles from Fernandez, T.J. White, and Navaretto added another run. Doubles from Fernandez and Navarreto in the seventh inning added two more insurance runs. Making the start for Cedar Rapids was lefty Randy Rosario. He worked the first 4.2 innings, allowing no runs and scattered four hits, while striking out five. Brandon Bixler worked through the seventh inning, and allowed one run on three hits (the run scored on a solo home run) and a walk. He struck out two. Michael Theofanopoulus worked around a couple hits in the eighth inning by striking out two, but ran into a ton of trouble in the ninth. With game at 9-1, a leadoff double got things rolling for the Iron Pigs. A hit batter and two singles around a strikeout and a groundout scored two runs and put runners on the corners with two outs. A double brought in both those runners, and a single another run before Theofanopoulos got the final out of the game on a ground ball. His line read 2.0 innings pitched, and five earned runs on seven hits, while striking out three. Fernandez (3-5, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, 4 RBI), and Navarreto (3-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI) had three hits apiece, and Corcino (2-4, 2 R’s, BB) and Gordon (2-5, R, 2B) also collected multiple hits to lead the offense in taking three of four from Burlington. After a .204 average in the month of May, Gordon followed with a .293 average in June to up his overall line to .253 on the season. He’s collected hits in eight straight games. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Princeton 2 Box Score This game was scoreless through five as starters Juse Mujica for Princeton and Cody Stashak of Elizabethton combined for ten shutout half innings. Stashak allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out five, and Mujica gave up just two hits and one walk while striking out six. The Twins got on the board first in the sixth after Mujica left the game, as the first three hitters of the inning singled to load the bases. A sac fly from Alex Perez, an error off the bat of LaMonte Wade, and single from Amaurys Minier gave Elizabethton a 3-0 lead. They added more in the seventh when Austin Diemer launched his third home run of the season, a two-run shot to make it 5-0. Princeton got on the board in the seventh, as Samuel Clay gave up two singles and a walk to score one, before escaping without any further damage. Jose Abreu came on in the eighth and pitched a scoreless inning, before running into his own trouble in the ninth. A single, walk and double brought the tying runner to the plate, and Anthony McIver was summoned. The 15th round draft pick and lefthander quashed the rally by striking out both hitters he faced to pick up his first professional save. The Twins got multi-hit efforts from Sean Miller (2-5, R), Austin Diemer (2-4, 2 R’s, HR, 2 RBI), and Nelson Molina (2-3, R, BB) in the victory. GCL TWINS TAKES The Gulf Coast League Twins, like the rest of the GCL, had the day off on Sunday. They travel to face the GCL Orioles on Monday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cody Stashak, Elizabethton Twins (W, 5.0 IP, 3 H’s, 1 BB, 5 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Jorge Fernandez, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, 4 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Pat Dean (6-7, 3.11 ERA) Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler (0-1, 6.35 ERA) St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves (2-0, 3.79 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons (2-2, 4.85 ERA) Elizabethton @ Princeton (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Derek Rodriguez (2-0, 1.46 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins were unable to take the series on Sunday in Kansas City, falling 3-2 to the Royals in Ervin Santana’s season debut. He did more than they could have hoped for limiting the Royals to just two runs on three hits, while striking out eight. But Miguel Sano driving in another run, and Aaron Hicks going yard weren’t enough to get him the victory. In the minors on Sunday, there was a comeback win for one squad, and another pounded out fourteen hits to jump out to early big lead. To find out about how all it went down on Sunday, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS The Twins have been busy over the weekend with transactions, and this came with the announcement of the International League All-Star teams on Sunday. Representing the Rochester Red Wings will be 2B James Beresford, RP A.J. Achter, and SP Taylor Rogers. RED WINGS REPORT Lehigh Valley 4, Rochester 2 Box Score Lefthander Taylor Rogers was on the mound for the Red Wings, and delivered a quality start effort. In 6.1 innings, he allowed three earned runs (four total) on nine hits. He walked none and struck out six. The third inning was the big one for the Iron Pigs, as an error by Oswaldo Arcia in right field got things going to start the inning. This was followed by consecutive doubles to score two, and a single later in the inning would put the third run on the board. Rogers would record the first out of the seventh inning, before surrendering a home run to Chase d’Arnaud to end his night. Mark Hamburger pitched 1.2 innings of perfect relief, striking out one; and Caleb Thielbar pitched the ninth, allowing two hits but no runs to finish the game. There was little offense for Rochester in this one as they were just 0-2 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. The first eight men of the game were retired before a Carlos Paulino single in the third. Jorge Polanco doubled in the sixth but only made it to third base, and Wilkin Ramirez added a single in the seventh. That was it for the offense until the ninth inning. Arcia led off the bottom half with a single, was retired at second on a Reynaldo Rodriguez fielder’s choice, and Jose Martinez later followed with his third home run of the season to put their only runs on the board for the day. The loss put the Red Wings record at 44-39 on the season, one and a half games back of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in the International League North Division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Jacksonville 3 Box Score Jacksonville jumped out to an early lead in the first inning against Lookouts starter D.J. Baxendale. The second hitter of the game clubbed a solo home run to make it 1-0, and later with the bases loaded Niko Goodrum’s first error in double-A allowed a second run to score. Baxendale would recover and finish four innings with just the two runs allowed on three hits and a walk. He struck out four. Madison Boer would pitch the next two scoreless innings, working around three walks and one hit to keep the score at 2-0. In the top of the sixth, Max Kepler drew a walk with two outs, and Adam Brett Walker drove him in with a double to make it 2-1. Chattanooga then tied it at two in the seventh as Goodrum made up for his earlier error with a solo blast, his second home run in the Southern League. Jacksonville managed to manufacture that run back in the bottom of the inning however, as a leadoff walk and sacrifice bunt put the go-ahead run in scoring position. D.J. Johnson got the second out of the inning, but an RBI single would do the trick for the Suns. J.T. Chargois pitched a scoreless eighth inning, walking two. Chattanooga threatened in each of the eighth and ninth innings, but were unable to push the tying run across home. Walker started the eighth with a single, and stole second base to put himself in scoring position but the next three batters were retired, ending up stranding him on third. In the ninth, Stephen Wickens doubled with two outs, but Kennys Vargas popped out to end the game. Leadoff man Levi Michael was 2-5 on the day with a double, and Wickens and Walker both added doubles in multi-hit efforts. MIRACLE MATTERS St. Lucie 4, Fort Myers 5 Box Score Fort Myers scored first in the game’s opening frame as an Engelb Vielma single and stolen base, Alex Swim hit by pitch, and Mitch Garver walk loaded the bases. They would only get one run on the scoreboard however, on a Jason Kanzler sac fly. They went up 2-0 after the third inning after a Ryan Walker sac fly to score Swim, but it also turned into a double play as Mitch Garver was nabbed attempting to advance to third on the throw home. Kohl Stewart made the start for the Miracle, and began the game by striking out the first two batters. He’d make it a one-two-three inning with a pop-out to Vielma at short. He worked around a walk and ground-rule double in the second to escape a jam, and pitched another one-two-three third inning. In the fourth, it looked like he was going to work out of another jam, but after a line-out throw-em-out double play of his own teams doing, he got tagged with a two run home run to tie the game at two. He would finish three more innings, picking up three more K’s along the way, put a throwing error from himself in the seventh led to an unearned run and 3-2 deficit after he finished the inning. Overall on the day, Stewart went seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks, while striking out six. His six strikeouts were the most in a game this season. St. Lucie would add another run in the eighth inning off Brandon Bixler, as an error from Bryan Haar at third, a walk, and a wild pitch put runners on second and third, and a sac fly brought one in for a 4-2 lead. The Mets bullpen then entered the game, and it was a good thing for the Miracle. Alex Swim led off the bottom of the eighth with a single, and Garver followed with a walk. A fly out and walk later had the bases loaded for Marcus Knecht. His single brought in two runs and tied the game at four. Haar was then intentionally walked to load the bases again, and a wild pitch allowed Walker to scamper home with the go-ahead run. Nick Burdi came on for the ninth inning and his first save opportunity back with Fort Myers, and struck out the first batter he faced. A single then put the tying runner on base, and Burdi was likely bailed out by the third ground-rule double of the game for the Mets, as it kept the tying run to just third base. Burdi then got a groundout to his drawn in infield, and a fly out to preserve the victory pick up the save. As a team, the Miracle had just five hits on the game, led by Swim who was 2-3 with two runs scored, but took advantage of seven walks and three errors from St. Lucie. KERNELS NUGGETS Burlington 6, Cedar Rapids 9 Box Score The Kernels lineup scored multiple runs in each of the first three innings to jump out to a 7-0 lead early. In the first Jorge Fernandez cleared the bases the with a three-run double to score Edgar Corcino (walk), Nick Gordon (double), and Max Murphy (walk). In the second, Brian Navarreto and Pat Kelly led off with back-to-back singles and a wild pitch would allow Navarreto to score. Later in the inning, Gordon and Corcino executed a doube steal for the innings second run. In the third inning, Brett Doe led off with a home run, his third of the year, and singles from Fernandez, T.J. White, and Navaretto would add another run. Doubles from Fernandez and Navarreto in the seventh inning would add two more insurance runs. Making the start for Cedar Rapids was lefty Randy Rosario, and he worked the first 4.2 innings. He allowed no runs and scattered four hits, while striking out five. Brandon Bixler worked through the seventh inning, and allowed one run on three hits (the run scored on a solo home run) and a walk. He struck out two. Michael Theofanopoulus worked around a couple hits in the eighth inning by striking out two, but ran into a ton of trouble in the ninth. With game at 9-1, a leadoff double got things rolling for the Iron Pigs. A hit batter and two singles around a strikeout and a groundout scored two runs and put runners on the corners with two outs. A double would bring in both those runners, and a single another run before Theofanopoulos got the final out of the game on a ground ball. His line read 2.0 innings pitched, and five earned runs on seven hits, while striking out three. Fernandez (3-5, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, 4 RBI), and Navarreto (3-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI) had three hits apiece, and Corcino (2-4, 2 R’s, BB) and Gordon (2-5, R, 2B) also collected multiple hits to lead the offense in taking three of four from Burlington. After a .204 average in the month of May, Gordon followed with a .293 average in June to up his overall line to .253 on the season. He’s collected hits in eight straight games. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Princeton 2 Box Score This game was scoreless through five as starters Juse Mujica for Princeton and Cody Stashak of Elizabethton combined for ten shutout shutout innings. Stashak allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out five, and Mujica gave up just two hits and one walk while striking out six. The Twins got on the board first in the sixth after Mujica left the game, as the first three hitters of the inning singled to load the bases. A sac fly from Alex Perez, error of the bat of LaMonte Wade, and single from Amaurys Minier would give Elizabethton a 3-0 lead. They added more in the seventh when Austin Diemer launched his third home run of the season, a two run shot to make it 5-0. Princeton got on the board in the seventh, as Samuel Clay gave up two singles and a walk to score one, before escaping without any further damage. Jose Abreu would come on in the eighth and pitch a scoreless inning, before running into his own trouble in the ninth. A single, walk, and double brought the tying runner to the plate, and Anthony McIver was summoned. The 15th round draft pick and lefthander quashed any rally by striking out both hitters he faced to pick up his first professional save. The Twins got multi-hit efforts from Sean Miller (2-5, R), Diemer (2-4, 2 R’s, HR, 2 RBI), and Nelson Molina (2-3, R, BB) in the victory. GCL TWINS TAKES The Gulf Coast League Twins, like the rest of the GCL, had the day off on Sunday. They travel to face the GCL Orioles on Monday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cody Stashak, Elizabethton Twins (W, 5.0 IP, 3 H’s, 1 BB, 5 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Jorge Fernandez, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, 4 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Pat Dean (6-7, 3.11 ERA) Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler (0-1, 6.35 ERA) St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves (2-0, 3.79 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons (2-2, 4.85 ERA) Elizabethton @ Princeton (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Derek Rodriguez (2-0, 1.46 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

Personally, I'd get Sano up here soon and DH him. You put Kepler and Walker at AAA to audition for September call-ups. Probably after the futures game.

I've been nervous pretty much the whole year. Burdi and Reed had very high expectations because of what they accomplished last year, but may have hit a bit of a wall. Jones had been fantastic until June. Had a 1.56 ERA coming into the month, but four runs in his last two appearances, in just 1.2 innings, will damage a relievers ERA pretty significantly. I hope they all start turning it around the second half.

Oh I know! Triple slashes in June: Sano: .329/.422/.671 Kepler: .373/.485/.590 Walker: .319/.376/.747 The last 10 is even more impressive, that's why I put that in instead!

Good thing I decided not to use the term "murderer's row," haha!

There was plenty of action on Sunday, as both the Rochester Red Wings and Elizabethton Twins played doubleheaders. There was a walk-off blast in one game, a few stellar pitching performances, and an ongoing winning streak was on the line.There was also an incredible display of power from the middle of the lineup for one affiliate (I’ll let you guess which one…), as the players involved continue to one-up each other. There was so much action I couldn't limit the player of the day to just one name, either. Read on to find out all about it! RED WINGS REPORT Game 1: Charlotte 0, Rochester 1 Box Score In the first game of their doubleheader, both teams managed to combine for just nine hits on the day and a single run. Luckily for the Red Wings, it was they who scored it. An error by Charlotte’s shortstop in the third inning allowed Doug Bernier to reach base. He moved to third on a James Beresford single, and was driven in on a single to left from Eric Fryer. That’s all starter Tyler Duffey would need. He pitched a seven inning complete game shutout, scattering four hits and one walk along the way. He struck out four. Beresford was 2-4 on the day and is batting .328 on the year, and Jose Martinez added the only extra-base hit for the Red Wings, a double. Game 2: Charlotte 4, Rochester 5 (11 innings) Box Score Greg Peavey made the start for Rochester in the second game, and gave up single runs in the second and third innings to put them down 2-0 early, but a three-run fourth put Rochester out front 3-2 after four. Reynaldo Rodriguez and Oswaldo Arcia singled to start the inning, and Wilkin Ramirez put the crooked number on the board with his second home run of the year. The score remained that way until the seventh and final inning, when Michael Tonkin was summoned for the save opportunity. A one-out walk put the tying run on base, and it moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Tonkin was hit with the blown save after an RBI single to center field, before escaping the inning via a strikeout with runners on first and second. A.J. Achter pitched the first two extra innings, allowing just one walk while striking out three to keep the game tied. Lester Oliveros pitched a scoreless tenth inning by striking out two around two singles, but ran into more trouble in the eleventh after recording two quick outs. A single, walk, and wild pitch put a runner on third, and he was driven in on a single from the Knights’ Micah Johnson to make it 4-3. The middle of the Rochester lineup was due up in the bottom of the eleventh, and Arcia singled to put the game's tying run on base with one out. All he had to do was trot around the bases, as Ramirez followed with his second home run of the game, a walk-off blast to left field for the 5-4 extra-inning win. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Montgomery 8 Box Score The Chattanooga lineup pounded out thirteen hits as a team providing a ton of offense, though it was just enough to escape with the victory after an eventful ninth inning. The Lookouts jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first after Max Kepler drove in Miguel Sano, who had doubled. Montgomery tied the game at one in the second inning with a sac fly, but the score remained that way until the sixth as starter Jose Berrios was brilliant. In seven innings, Berrios allowed just the one run on two hits and a walk. He struck out six and seventy of his ninety-seven pitches went for strikes. He retired thirteen in a row at one point, and struck out the last two hitters he faced in the game. He left with the score 5-1 in favor of the Lookouts. They pushed two runs across in each of the sixth and seventh innings, thanks to a two-run home run from Adam Brett Walker in the sixth, and a two-run double from Kepler in the seventh. The Biscuits lineup woke up after Berrios left however, and made the score 5-4 in the eighth as D.J. Baxendale was greeted with a solo home run, and two batters later a two-run shot reached the seats. He finished the inning with a strikeout to escape any more damage. The middle of the lineup got all of the runs back for Baxendale in the ninth, as singles from Jorge Polanco and Heiker Meneses were the prelude to a three-run Sano blast into right, and a Walker double brought home Kepler and a 9-4 cushion for the bullpen. Zach Jones walked the first batter he faced, and then picked up the first two quick outs, before his control became an issue again. Three more walks and two wild pitches brought the first run of the inning across, and a triple cleared the bases for three more. Jones was then relieved by Tim Shibuya with the tying run on third, but he got a fly out to right field to end the game. Berrios improved to 8-3 on the season, and lowered his ERA to 3.08. Shibuya picked up his first save of the year. The big names in the lineup: Polanco (3-4, 2 R’s, 2B, BB), Sano (3-5, 3 R’s, 2B, HR, 3 RBI), Kepler (3-3, 2 R’s, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB), and Walker (2-4, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB); collected multiple hits and filled up the stat sheet for Chattanooga. Over their last ten games Sano, Kepler, and Walker have been otherworldly in the three, four, and five spots in the lineup: Sano: 14-40 (.350), 13 R’s, 6 2B’s, 4 HR’s, 11 RBI, 5 BB’s, 9 K’s. Kepler: 21-38 (.553), 8 R’s, 2 2B’s, 4 3B’s, 9 RBI, 7 BB’s, 6 K’s. Walker: 14-39 (.359), 7 R’s, 2 2B’s, 5 HR’s, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 17 K’s. Insanity! MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Dunedin 7 Box Score While they racked up eight hits as a team, they were just 2-11 with runners in scoring position and left ten men on base. Mat Batts was on the hill for Fort Myers, but was only able to make it through 3.2 innings, thanks in part to his defense. In the third two runs had scored after a walk, double, and single; but Batts had countered with a strikeout for the second out. A ground ball to first base was then misplayed by Bryan Haar to prolong the inning, and a single drove in the third run for the early Blue Jays lead. Batts would finish his outing with four runs allowed (three earned) on eight hits and one walk, striking out five. Dunedin would add single runs in the fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to put their final total on the board. Jason Kanzler made the score 4-1 with his fifth home run of the season in the fifth innning, and they’d get as close as 4-2 after an RBI single from Engelb Vielma in the sixth. Chad Christensen (2-5), Kanzler (2-4), and Vielma (2-4) had multi-hit games to lead the offense. Brian Gilbert was the first man up in relief, and finished the sixth inning. He allowed one run on two hits over his 2.1 innings, walking one and striking out one. Tyler Jay then made his second appearance for the Miracle and recorded two quick outs before consecutive extra base hits led to his first run allowed as a pro. He picked up a strikeout to end the threat. Todd Van Steensel came out for the eighth inning, and he was tagged with a solo home run along with picking up a strikeout. The Fort Myers Miracle were riding a ten-game winning streak coming into this one, but that’s as far as they could take it. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 6, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score Cedar Rapids was unable to string any offense together, totaling just five hits and one walk on the day. They left just four men on base and were 0-4 with runners in scoring position. Alex Real provided their only notch on the scoreboard with a solo home run leading off the fourth inning that made the score 3-1. Zach Tillery made the start for the Kernels, and allowed single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings before being lifted. His line was three earned runs on seven hits and two walks and five strikeouts in four innings. Michael Theofanopoulos pitched three innings in relief, allowing one run on three hits and a walk. Brandon Bixler finished the game by allowing two runs on three hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out one. The first four hitters in the Kernels lineup - Tanner English, Nick Gordon, Edgar Corcino and Real – were all 1-4 on the day. Jorge Fernandez provided the only other base hit of the day. Top 2015 draft pick of the Houston Astros, Alex Bregman, slugged his first professional home run off Tillery in the third inning. E-TOWN E-NOTES Game 1: Pulaski 6, Elizabethton 2 Box Score The Elizabethton Twins also played a double-header on Sunday, and in the first game they fell behind early and were unable to claw back. Pulaski pushed across two runs in each of the first and second innings, and the home team couldn’t quite match them, leaving the score at 4-2 after two. Manuel Guzman went station to station in the first, and scored on a wild pitch, while Amaurys Minier led off the second with his first home run of 2015. In the third, three consecutive singles loaded the bases to start the inning, but the Twins were unable to scratch a run across after a pop-out double play behind third base that resulted in the runner being thrown out at home after tagging up. They would not threaten again. Guzman was the only hitter to pick up multiple hits, going 2-4 with a run scored. Kamran Young, LaMonte Wade, Daniel Kihle, and Ariel Montesino pitcked up the rest of their seven hits. As a team they left five men on base and were 1-7 with runners in scoring position. Left-hander Brandon Easton started the game, and allowed the first four runs. He lasted just 2.1 innings, as four walks and four hits got him into trouble. He struck out three. Nate Gercken went the next 3.2 innings, and surrendered two runs on five hits, while striking out four. Josh Guyer pitched a scoreless final inning, striking out two along the way. Game 2: Pulaski 0, Elizabethton 4 Box Score In game two, Cody Stashak and Onesimo Hernandez combined to shut out the Yankees. Stashak went the first four innings, allowing just one hit and one walk, while striking out four. Hernandez allowed just one hit over the final three innings and struck out six. Elizabethton scored all four of their runs in the fifth inning. A Nelson Molina single brought in A.J. Murray, who had doubled, for the game’s first run. Manuel Guzman singled with the bases loaded to score the second, and a LaMonte Wade walk and Amaurys Minier sac fly finished it off. Murray (2-3, 2B) was the only hitter to collect multiple hits or an extra-base hit. GCL TWINS TAKES The Gulf Coast League Twins, like the rest of the GCL, had the day off on Sunday. They travel to face the GCL Rays Monday morning. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher(s) of the Day – Tyler Duffey, Rochester Red Wings (7 IP, CG-SO, 4 H’s, 1 BB, 4 K’s) Jose Berrios, Chattanooga Lookouts (7 IP, 1 R, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 6 K’s) Hitter(s) of the Day – Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, and Adam Brett Walker; Chattanooga Lookouts (8-12, 6 R’s, 3 2B’s, 2 HR’s, 9 RBI). Wilkin Ramirez, Rochester Red Wings (3-5, 2 R’s, 2B, 2 HR’s, 5 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Ervin Santana (2-0, 2.84 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (7:05 PM CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler (0-0, -.-- ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (3-4, 3.62 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 PM CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons (1-2, 6.20 ERA) Bristol @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday’s games. Click here to view the article

There was plenty of action on Sunday, as both the Rochester Red Wings and Elizabethton Twins played double-headers. There was a walk-off blast in one game, a few stellar pitching performances, and an ongoing winning streak on the line. There was also an incredible display of power from the middle of the lineup for one affiliate (I’ll let you guess which one…), as the players involved continue to one-up each other. There was so much action I couldn't limit the players of the day to just one name, either. Read on to find out all about it! RED WINGS REPORT Game 1: Charlotte 0, Rochester 1 Box Score In the first game of their double-header, both teams combined managed just nine hits on the day and a single run. Luckily for the Red Wings, it was they who scored it. An error by Charlotte’s shortstop in the third inning allowed Doug Bernier to reach base. He moved to third on a James Beresford single, and was driven in on a single to left from Eric Fryer. That’s all starter Tyler Duffey would need. He pitched the seven inning complete game shutout, scattering just four hits and one walk along the way. He struck out four. Beresford was 2-4 on the day and is batting .328 on the year, and Jose Martinez added the only extra-base hit for the Red Wings, a double. Game 2: Charlotte 4, Rochester 5 (11 innings) Box Score Greg Peavey made the start for Rochester in the second game, and gave up single runs in the second and third innings to put them down 2-0 early, but a three run fourth put Rochester out front 3-2 after four. Reynaldo Rodriguez and Oswaldo Arcia singled to start the inning, and Wilkin Ramirez put the crooked number on the board with his second home run of the year. The score would remain that way until the seventh and final inning, when Michael Tonkin was summoned for the save opportunity. A one-out walk put the tying run on base, and it moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Tonkin was hit with the blown save after an RBI single to centerfield, before escaping the inning via a strikeout with runners on first and second. A.J. Achter pitched the first two extra innings, allowing just one walk while striking out three to keep the game tied. Lester Oliveros pitched a scoreless tenth inning by striking out two around two singles, but ran into more trouble in the eleventh after recording two quick outs. A single, walk, and wild pitch put a runner on third, and he was driven in on a single from the Knights’ Micah Johnson to make it 4-3. The middle of the Rochester lineup was due up in the bottom of the eleventh, and Arcia singled to put the game tying run on base with one out. All he had to do was trot around the bases, as Ramirez followed with his second home run of the game, a walk-off blast to left field for the 5-4 extra inning win. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Montgomery 8 Box Score The Chattanooga lineup pounded out thirteen hits as a team providing a ton of offense, though it was just enough to escape with the victory after an eventful ninth inning. The Lookouts jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first after Max Kepler drove in Miguel Sano, who had doubled. Montgomery tied the game at one in the second inning with a sac fly, but the score would remain that way until the sixth as starter Jose Berrios was brilliant. In seven innings, Berrios allowed just the one run on two hits and a walk. He struck out six and seventy of his ninety-seven pitches went for strikes. He retired thirteen in a row at one point, and struck out the last two hitters he faced in the game. He left with the score 5-1 in favor of the Lookouts. They pushed two runs across in each of the sixth and seventh innings, thanks to a two-run home run from Adam Brett Walker in the sixth, and a two-run double from Kepler in the seventh. The Biscuits lineup woke up after Berrios left however, and made the score 5-4 in the eighth as D.J. Baxendale was greeted with a solo home run, and two batters later a two-run shot reached the seats. He finished the inning with a strikeout to escape any more damage. The middle of the lineup got all of the runs back for Baxendale in the ninth, as singles from Jorge Polanco and Heiker Meneses were the prelude to a three-run Sano blast into right, and a Walker double brought home Kepler and a 9-4 cushion for the bullpen. Zach Jones walked the first batter he faced, and then picked up the first two quick outs, before his control became an issue again. Three more walks and two wild pitches brought the first run of the inning across, and a triple would clear the bases for three more. Jones was then relieved by Tim Shibuya with the tying run on third, but he got a fly out to right field to end the game. Berrios improved to 8-3 on the season, and lowered his ERA to 3.08. Shibuya picked up his first save of the year. The big names in the lineup: Polanco (3-4, 2 R’s, 2B, BB), Sano (3-5, 3 R’s, 2B, HR, 3 RBI), Kepler (3-3, 2 R’s, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB), and Walker (2-4, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB); collected multiple hits and filled up the stat sheet for Chattanooga. Over their last ten games Sano, Kepler, and Walker have been otherworldly in the three, four, and five spots in the lineup: Sano: 14-40 (.350), 13 R’s, 6 2B’s, 4 HR’s, 11 RBI, 5 BB’s, 9 K’s. Kepler: 21-38 (.553), 8 R’s, 2 2B’s, 4 3B’s, 9 RBI, 7 BB’s, 6 K’s. Walker: 14-39 (.359), 7 R’s, 2 2B’s, 5 HR’s, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 17 K’s. Insanity! MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Dunedin 7 Box Score While they racked up eight hits as a team, they were just 2-11 with runners in scoring position and left ten men on base. Mat Batts was on the hill for Fort Myers, but was only able to make it through 3.2 innings, thanks in part to his defense. In the third two runs had scored after a walk, double, and single; but Batts had countered with a strikeout for the second out. A ground ball to first base was then misplayed by Bryan Haar to prolong it, and a single would drive in the third run for the early Blue Jays lead. Batts would finish his outing with four runs allowed (three earned) on eight hits and one walk, striking out five. Dunedin would add single runs in the fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to put their final total on the board. Jason Kanzler made the score 4-1 with his fifth home run of the season in the fifth innning, and they’d get as close as 4-2 after an RBI single from Engelb Vielma in the sixth. Chad Christensen (2-5), Kanzler (2-4), and Vielma (2-4) had multi-hit games to lead the offense. Brian Gilbert was the first man up in relief, and finished the sixth inning. He allowed one run on two hits over his 2.1 innings, walking one and striking out one. Tyler Jay then made his second appearance for the Miracle and recorded two quick outs before consecutive extra base hits led to his first run allowed as a pro. He picked up a strikeout to end the threat. Todd Van Steensel came out for the eighth inning, and he was tagged with a solo home run along with picking up a strikeout. The Fort Myers Miracle were riding a ten game winning streak coming into this one, but that’s as far as they could take it. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 6, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score Cedar Rapids was unable to string any offense together, totaling just five hits and one walk on the day. They left just four men on base and were 0-4 with runners in scoring position. Alex Real provided their only notch on the scoreboard with a solo home run leading off the fourth inning that made the score 3-1. Zach Tillery made the start for the Kernels, and allowed single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings before being lifted. His line was three earned runs on seven hits and two walks and five strikeouts in four innings. Michael Theofanopoulos pitched three innings in relief, allowing one run on three hits and a walk. Brandon Bixler finished the game by allowing two runs on three hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out one. The top four hitters in the Kernels lineup - Tanner English, Nick Gordon, Edgar Corcino and Real – were 1-4 on the day. Jorge Fernandez provided the only other base hit of the day. Top 2015 draft pick of the Houston Astros, Alex Bregman, slugged his first professional home run off Tillery in the third inning. E-TOWN E-NOTES Game 1: Pulaski 6, Elizabethton 2 Box Score The Elizabethton Twins also played a double-header on Sunday, and in game one they fell behind early and were unable to claw back. Pulaski pushed across two runs in each of the first and second innings, and the home team couldn’t quite match them to put the score at 4-2 after two. Manuel Guzman went station to station in the first, and scored on a wild pitch, while Amaurys Minier led off the second with his first home run of 2015. In the third, three consecutive singles loaded the bases to start the inning, but the Twins were unable to scratch a run across after a pop-out double play behind third base that resulted in the runner being thrown out at home after tagging up. They would not threaten again. Guzman was the only hitter to pick up multiple hits, going 2-4 with a run scored. Kamran Young, LaMonte Wade, Daniel Kihle, and Ariel Montesino pitcked up the rest of their seven hits. As a team they left five men on base and were 1-7 with runners in scoring position. Lefthander Brandon Easton started the game, and allowed the first four runs. He lasted just 2.1 innings, as four walks and four hits got him into trouble. He struck out three. Nate Gercken would go the next 3.2 innings, and surrendered two runs on five hits, while striking out four. Josh Guyer would pitch a scoreless final inning, striking out two along the way. Game 2: Pulaski 0, Elizabethton 4 Box Score In the game two, Cody Stashak and Onesimo Hernandez combined to shutout the Yankees. Stashak went the first four innings, allowing just one hit and one walk, while striking out four. Hernandez allowed just one hit over the final three innings and struck out six. Elizabethton scored all four of their runs in the fifth inning. A Nelson Molina single brought in A.J. Murray, who had doubled, for the game’s first run. Manuel Guzman singled with the bases loaded to score the second, and a LaMonte Wade walk and Amaurys Minier sac flay would finish it off. Murray (2-3, 2B) was the only hitter to collect multiple hits or an extra-base hit. GCL TWINS TAKES The Gulf Coast League Twins, like the rest of the GCL, had the day off on Sunday. They travel to face the GCL Rays Monday morning. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher(s) of the Day – Tyler Duffey, Rochester Red Wings (7 IP, CG-SO, 4 H’s, 1 BB, 4 K’s) Jose Berrios, Chattanooga Lookouts (7 IP, 1 R, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 6 K’s) Hitter(s) of the Day – Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, and Adam Brett Walker; Chattanooga Lookouts (8-12, 6 R’s, 3 2B’s, 2 HR’s, 9 RBI). Wilkin Ramirez, Rochester Red Wings (3-5, 2 R’s, 2B, 2 HR’s, 5 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Ervin Santana (2-0, 2.84 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (&:05 PM CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler (0-0, -.-- ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (3-4, 3.62 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 PM CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons (1-2, 6.20 ERA) Bristol @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday’s games.

Brian Dozier put the Minnesota Twins out front 1-0 immediately in the series opener with their cross-state rival Milwaukee Brewers, leading off the game with his fifteenth home run of the season. It was the eleventh time in his career he has led off a game in such fashion. Four of their six minor league teams also jumped out to leads after the first inning, but what happened next for the parent club after Dozier’s home run was repeated throughout the MLB action on the night.To find out how it all went down, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS First, there were some significant transactions on Friday. As reported yesterday, top pitching prospect Alex Meyer was promoted to the Twins to pitch out of their bullpen. The move was made official today and Meyer will be ready to make his major league debut in Milwaukee. That exciting news was also met with some bad news, as Byron Buxton is headed to the disabled list with a sprained thumb. The Twins recalled Danny Santana in his place. Also on the move to Rochester, is Aaron Hicks to begin a rehab assignment, and the Red Wings also activated Nate Hanson from their disabled list. On to the action from Friday night! RED WINGS REPORT Charlotte 3, Rochester 1 Box Score Lefthander Pat Dean was on the hill for Rochester, and was fantastic. In seven innings, he allowed just two runs while scattering seven hits and two walks. He struck out three. Both runs came in the third inning, as a couple of doubles scored one and a single scored the other. Charlotte’s starter was just as good, however. Erik Johnson bettered Dean with a line of: 7 IP, 4 Hits, 1 Run, 1BB, and 8 K’s. Johnson currently leads with International League with eighty-eight strikeouts, and was the league’s pitcher of the week coming into the game after two shutout performances in his prior two starts. The Red Wings lone run of the game came in the fifth, when a double from Carlos Paulino brought home Ryan Wheeler who had singled. As a team Rochester left just four men on base while going 1-4 with runners in scoring position, so their opportunities were very few and far between. James Beresford and Oswaldo Arcia picked up the other two hits. Aaron Hicks was 0-4 with two strikeouts in his first game of rehab. Lester Oliveros pitched a scoreless eighth inning, allowing one hit but striking out three. Michael Tonkin allowed one run on three hits in the ninth in his first appearance back with the Red Wings. He struck out one. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Montgomery 7 Box Score The Montgomery Biscuits handed the Lookouts the 2-0 lead after one inning as Levi Michael led off the game by getting hit with a pitch and stealing second base. Miguel Sano sent a pitch into center field that resulted in a fielding error that scored Michael and put him on second base. Max Kepler followed with an RBI single. Alex Wimmers was on the mound for Chattanooga coming off a 3-0 stretch in which he had allowed zero runs in seven plus innings each game, pitching 21.2 innings. Over that time he had given up just eight hits and six walks, while striking out twenty three. He was able to continue this scoreless stretch for four innings, but it was clear he didn’t have the same stuff as Montgomery managed four hits and three walks in those innings. They finally got to him in the fifth. A triple, sac fly, single, double, single and another sac fly tied the game at three before Wimmers was lifted for Brandon Peterson. He recorded a strikeout to end the inning. The Lookouts took back the lead in the seventh inning, when the Biscuit’s bullpen came into play. Sano came to the plate with runners on the corners, and put himself into scoring position with an RBI double. Kepler was then intentionally walked to load the bases before Travis Harrison picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice ground ball. An RBI single from Michael added another insurance run in the eighth to make the score 6-3, and fireballer Zach Jones came on to pitch. The leadoff man singled before consecutive strikeouts got the Biscuits manager ejected, but it may have sparked his team. Consecutive singles loaded the bases, and exactly what you hope doesn’t happen, did. Leadoff man Joey Rickard’s first home run of the year, in fifty-nine games played, was a grand slam to put Montgomery ahead 7-6. Sano led off the ninth inning with his third double of the game to put the tying run at second base, but he remained there on a Kepler strikeout, Harrison ground out to the pitcher, and a hit-by-pitch for Heiker Meneses. That brought big moment kingpin Adam Brett Walker to the batters box. In a cruel twist of fate, he drew a walk to load the bases. (They probably weren’t pitching much to him!) Stuart Turner wouldn’t get a chance to be a hero, as Walker was caught napping with his bases-loaded lead at first base, leading to snap-throw pickoff from Biscuits catcher Justin O’Connor to end the game. Michael (2-3, 2 R’s, RBI, BB), Sano (3-5, R, 3 2B’s, RBI), Kepler (2-4, 2 RBI, BB), and Niko Goodrum (2-4, R) picked up multiple hits for the Lookouts. MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte 4, Fort Myers 5 (15 innings) Box Score Fort Myers also jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning by taking advantage of a couple of walks. Zach Granite led off the game with one, Aderlin Mejia followed with a single and after an Alex Swim fielder’s choice, Marcus Knecht drew a walk to load the bases. Mitch Garver promptly cleared them with a double to make the score 3-0. Chih-Wei Hu made the start for the Miracle, and he began by striking out the side in the opening frame, the side including a rehabbing Grady Sizemore of the Philadelphia Phillies as the game’s first hitter. He’d allow a few singles but no runs going into the fourth inning, when the Stone Crabs struck back. A home run from Mike Marjama would make the score 3-1 after the fourth, and in the fifth two doubles around a Sizemore single tied the game at three. Hu finished six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, but struck out ten Stone Crabs hitters along the way. Those ten strikeouts matched his season high back on April 17th. Brian Gilbert came on for the seventh and started the inning with a walk. That brought up Sizemore who doubled down the right field line to bring in a run, giving Charlotte a 4-3 lead. The eighth inning marked the professional debut of the Twins 2015 first-round draft pick, lefthander Tyler Jay from the University of Illinois. I checked in to the Fort Myers broadcast to catch the action, and I liked what I heard. The first batter he faced doubled to left field, but Jay worked around it, getting the next three batters, including a strikeout on an 86 MPH, hard breaking slider. He had a brisk pace and utilized a consistent 94-96 MPH fastball, and another one of his sliders registered at 88. Congrats on a successful debut, Tyler! Todd Van Steensel came on for the top of the ninth, and had a one-two-three inning, including another strikeout of Sizemore. The Miracle weren’t able to manage much after the first inning. From the second inning through the eighth, they registered just three hits and were unable to string any of them together to add any runs to the scoreboard. Then they almost walked it off in the ninth. Down by one, Garver was hit by a pitch and replaced on the bases by Jason Kanzler to start the frame. Bryan Haar followed with a single, and a bunt attempt by Chad Christensen was misplayed on the force play at third, loading the bases with the winning run in scoring position. The first opportunity went to Logan Wade. His groundball to short with the infield in led to a force out at home for the inning's first out. Engelb Vielma then grounded one to short resulting in the same outcome. Zach Granite was be next. His line drive single to center field brought in Christensen and Wade was waved around third, but the throw from center field beat him to the plate to end the inning, sending it to extra-innings. Leftfielder Marcus Knecht was a defensive hero in the tenth, as he made a nice running catch on the first hitter of the frame to rob a base hit, and recorded the final out on a leaping, crashing-into-the-wall catch to rob a potential go-ahead home run. Guess who was coming up the next inning? Knecht didn’t bring the game-winner home in this at-bat, or his next, but in the fifteenth inning he stepped to the plate again with the bases loaded. He literally walked it off this time, drawing a free pass to push the game-winning run across the plate. In a strange statistical anomaly, it was the fourth time this season he has picked up an RBI with a bases-loaded walk. In extra innings, Van Steensel combined with Alex Muren and Matt Summers to keep the Stone Crabs off the scoreboard. Muren went three innings, allowing four hits but no runs because of five strikeouts, and Summers got credited with the win with two perfect innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 4, Cedar Rapids 3 (10 innings) Box Score As is the theme, the Kernels also took a first inning lead against the first half division winning Quad Cities River Bandits in this one. Top draft pick Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros was also making his professional debut for the opposing squad. Cedar Rapids begin the game with walks to Edgar Corcino and Nick Gordon, and a single from Zack Larson loaded the bases. Alex Real then brought in the first run of the game with another single, and a T.J. White groundout allowed Gordon to scamper home for a 2-0 lead after one inning. Ethan Mildren made the start for Cedar Rapids and kept Quad Cities off balance all night. He scattered five hits and two walks over six innings while striking out three and allowing no damage to the scoreboard. It was still 2-0 Kernels when he was relieved by Luke Westphal to start the seventh. A leadoff triple led to a 2-1 game on a groundout to Gordon at shortstop. The Kernels got the run back in the bottom half of the inning when White lined a double to left field, and went station to station on groundouts from Jorge Fernandez and Brian Navarreto to make the score 3-1. Trevor Hildenberger came in to pitch the eighth, and was not his usual unhittable self. He picked up a strikeout on his first, fourth, and seventh hitters of the inning, but in between four singles pushed two runs across home plate to tie the game at three. Hildenberger was charged with his first blown save of the year. He would come back out for the ninth inning, and although he escaped with no further damage, he was struck with two more base hits. Out to pitch in extra innings, was the also recently unhittable Randy LeBlanc, who brought with him a twenty-six inning scoreless streak. He made it 26.1 innings to set the season high for the Kernels, but got no further. A triple to the second batter of the inning put the runner is prime scoring position for a sac fly and 4-3 River Bandits lead. In the bottom half, Cedar Rapids got the tying run in scoring position, but a Gordon fly out and Larson strikeout ended the game in ten. Alex Real (2-4, RBI) and White (2-4, R, 2B, RBI) picked up multiple hits, and Corcino reached base three times via walk to lead the offense. They were outhit thirteen to five as a team. E-TOWN E-NOTES Pulaski 1, Elizabethton 4 Box Score Like their big-brother affiliates, the Elizabethton Twins also struck in the first frame for an early lead. Fortunately for them, they were able to hang onto that lead, and were never really threatened. Their three runs in the first came on a three-run home run from Tyler Kuresa, his second in three games. It was more than enough as Twins starting pitcher Andro Cutura allowed just three hits to Pulaski in five innings. He walked two and struck out six. Relievers Anthony Mciver, Alex Robinson, and Jose Abreu did not allow any other hits to finish the game. Mciver struck out two in two perfect innings. Robinson hit a batter and walked two to load the bases for Abreu, who then hit a batter to bring in Pulaski’s only run. He retired the next three hitters to escape the inning and worked a perfect ninth, striking out the final hitter of the game to pick up the save. Elizabethton’s fourth run scored on a Kamron Young single in the seventh to score Nelson Molina. Lamonte Wade was only hitter in the lineup to record multiple hits, going 2-4. A.J. Murray added a double. GCL TWINS TAKES Twins 1, Red Sox 5 Box Score There was little offense for the Twins in this one, as they managed just four hits, leaving six men on base, and were 1-4 with runners in scoring position. Two of those four hits came from fourth-round draft choice Trey Cabbage, who played third base in this contest. He also picked up their only RBI by driving in catcher Brian Olson, who had tripled in front of him in the ninth inning. Leadoff man Luis Martinez added a double. Luis Hernandez started the game for the Twins, and was roughed up to the tune of six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks in just 2.1 innings. He did strike out three. Moises Gomez, Callan Pearce and Brandon Poulson combined to finish the final 5.2 innings, allowing no runs on five hits and one walk. Poulson struck out two in the eighth inning after the first man up reached base on a Cabbage throwing error from third. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Chih-Wei Hu, Fort Myers Miracle (6 IP, 8 H’s, 3 ER’s, 0 BB’s, 10 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano, Chattanooga Lookouts (3-5, R, 3 2B’s, RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Charlotte @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Tyler Duffey (2-4, 3.35 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (6:35 PM CST) – LHP Brett Lee (0-1, 5.09 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CST) – TBD Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Keaton Steele (2-2, 3.16 ERA) Pulaski @ Elizabethton (5:00 PM CST) – RHP Cody Stashak (0-0, -.-- ERA, 13th Round Pick out of St. Johns) GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (9:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday’s games. Click here to view the article

Brian Dozier put the Minnesota Twins out front 1-0 immediately in the series opener with their cross-state rival Milwaukee Brewers, leading off the game with his fifteenth home run of the season. It was the eleventh time in his career he has led off a game in such fashion. Four of their six minor league teams also jumped out to leads after the first inning, but what happened next for the parent club after Dozier’s home run was telling throughout the MiLB action on the night. To find out how it all went down, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS First, there were some significant transactions on Friday. As reported yesterday, top pitching prospect Alex Meyer was promoted to the Twins to pitch out of their bullpen. The move was made official today and Meyer will be ready to make his Major League debut in Milwaukee. That exciting news was also met with some bad news, as Byron Buxton is headed to the Disabled List with a sprained thumb. The Twins recalled Danny Santana in his place. Also on the move to Rochester, is Aaron Hicks to begin a rehab assignment, and the Red Wings also activated Nate Hanson from their disabled list. On to the action from Friday night! RED WINGS REPORT Charlotte 3, Rochester 1 Box Score Lefthander Pat Dean was on the hill for Rochester, and was fantastic. In seven innings, he allowed just two runs while scattering seven hits and two walks. He struck out three. Both runs came in the third inning, as a couple of doubles scored one, and a single scored the other. Charlotte’s starter was just as good, however. Erik Johnson bettered Dean with a line of: 7 IP, 4 Hits, 1 Run, 1BB, and 8 K’s. Johnson currently leads with International League with eighty-eight strikeouts, and was the league’s pitcher of the week coming into the game after two shutout performances in his prior two starts. The Red Wings lone run of the game came in the fifth, when a double from Carlos Paulino brought home Ryan Wheeler who had singled. As a team Rochester left just four men on base while going 1-4 with runners in scoring position, so their opportunities were very few and far between. James Beresford and Oswaldo Arcia picked up the other two hits. Aaron Hicks was 0-4 with two strikeouts in his first game of rehab. Lester Oliveros pitched a scoreless eighth inning, allowing one hit but striking out three. Michael Tonkin allowed one run on three hits in the ninth in his first appearance back with the Red Wings. He struck out one. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Montgomery 7 Box Score The Montgomery Biscuits handed the Lookouts the 2-0 lead after one inning as Levi Michael led off the game by getting hit with a pitch and stealing second base. Miguel Sano sent a pitch into centerfield that resulted in a fielding error that scored Michael and put him on second base. Max Kepler followed with an RBI single. Alex Wimmers was on the mound for Chattanooga coming off a 3-0 stretch in which he had allowed zero runs in seven plus innings each game, totaling 21.2 innings pitched. Over that time frame he had given up just eight hits and six walks, while striking out twenty three. He was able to continue this scoreless stretch for four innings, but it was clear he didn’t have the same stuff as Montgomery managed four hits and three walks in those innings. They finally got to him in the fifth. A triple, sac fly, single, double, single and another sac fly would tie the game at three before Wimmers was lifted for Brandon Peterson. He recorded a strikeout to end the inning. The Lookouts would take back the lead in the seventh inning, when the Biscuit’s bullpen came into play. Sano came to the plate with runners on the corners, and put himself into scoring position with an RBI double. Kepler was then intentionally walked to load the bases before Travis Harrison picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice ground ball. An RBI single from Michael would add another insurance run in the eighth to make the score 6-3, and fireballer Zach Jones came on to pitch. The leadoff man singled before a consecutive strikeouts got the Biscuits manager ejected, but it may have sparked his team. Consecutive singles loaded the bases, and exactly what you hope doesn’t happen, did. Leadoff man Joey Rickard’s first home run of the year, in fifty-nine games played, was a grand slam to put Montgomery ahead 7-6. Sano led off the ninth inning with his third double of the game to put the tying run at second base, but he remained there for a Kepler strikeout, Harrison ground out to the pitcher, and a hit-by-pitch to Heiker Meneses. That brought big moment kingpin Adam Brett Walker to the batters box. In a cruel twist of fate, he drew a walk to load the bases. (They probably weren’t pitching much to him!) Stuart Turner wouldn’t get a chance to be a hero, as Walker was caught napping with his bases-loaded lead at first base, leading to snap-throw pickoff from Biscuits catcher Justin O’Connor to end the game. Michael (2-3, 2 R’s, RBI, BB), Sano (3-5, R, 3 2B’s, RBI), Kepler (2-4, 2 RBI, BB), and Niko Goodrum (2-4, R) picked up multiple hits for the Lookouts. MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte 4, Fort Myers 5 (15 innings) Box Score Fort Myers also jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning by taking advantage of a couple walks. Zach Granite led off the game with one, Aderlin Mejia followed with a single and after an Alex Swim fielder’s choice, Marcus Knecht drew a walk to load the bases. Mitch Garver promptly cleared them with a double to make the score 3-0. Chih-Wei Hu made the start for the Miracle, and he began by striking out the side in the opening frame, including a rehabbing Grady Sizemore of the Philadelphia Phillies as the game’s first hitter. He’d allow a few singles but no runs going into the fourth inning, when the Stone Crabs struck back. A home run from Mike Marjama would make the score 3-1 after the fourth, and in the fifth two doubles around a Sizemore single would tie the game at three. Hu would finish six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, but struck out ten Stone Crabs hitters along the way. Those ten strikeouts matched his season high back on April 17th. Brian Gilbert came on for the seventh and started the inning with a walk. That brought up Sizemore who doubled down the right field line to bring in a run, giving Charlotte a 4-3 lead. The eighth inning marked the professional debut of the Twins 2015 First Round draft pick, lefthander Tyler Jay from the University of Illinois. I checked into the Fort Myers broadcast to catch the action, and I liked what I heard. The first batter he faced doubled to left field, but Jay worked around it, getting the next three batters, including a strikeout on an 86 MPH, hard breaking slider. He had a brisk pace and utilized a consistent 94-96 MPH fastball, and another one of his sliders registered at 88. Congrats on a successful debut, Tyler! Todd Van Steensel came on for the top of the ninth, and had a one-two-three inning, including another strikeout of Sizemore. The Miracle weren’t able to manage much after the first inning. From the second inning through the eighth, they registered just three hits and were unable to string any of them together to add some runs to the scoreboard. Then they almost walked it off in the ninth. Down by one, Garver was hit by a pitch and replaced on the bases by Jason Kanzler to start the frame. Bryan Haar followed with a single, and a bunt attempt by Chad Christensen was misplayed on the force play at third, loading the bases with the winning run in scoring position. The first opportunity went to Logan Wade. His groundball to short with the infield in led to a force out at home for the innings first out. Engelb Vielma then grounded one to short resulting in the same outcome. Zach Granite would be next. His line drive single to centerfield brought in Christensen and Wade was waved around third, but the throw from center field beat him to the plate to end the inning, sending it to extra-innings. Leftfielder Marcus Knecht was a defensive hero in the tenth, as he made a nice running catch on the first hitter of the frame to rob a base hit, and would record the final out on a leaping, crashing into the wall catch to rob a potential go-ahead home run. Guess who was coming up the next inning? Knecht didn’t bring the game-winner home in this at-bat, or his next, but in the fifteenth inning he stepped to the plate again with the bases loaded. He literally walked it off this time, drawing a free pass to push the game-winning run across the plate. In a strange statistical anomaly, it was the fourth time this season he picked up an RBI with a bases loaded walk. In extra innings, Van Steensel combined with Alex Muren and Matt Summers to keep the Stone Crabs off the scoreboard. Muren went three innings, allowing four hits but no runs because of five strikeouts, and Summers got credited the win with two perfect innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 4, Cedar Rapids 3 (10 innings) Box Score As is the theme, the Kernels also took a first inning lead against the first half division winning Quad Cities River Bandits in this one. Top draft pick Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros was also making his professional debut for the opposing squad. Cedar Rapids begin the game with walks to Edgar Corcino and Nick Gordon, and a single from Zack Larson loaded the bases. Alex Real then brought in the first run of the game with another single, and a T.J. White groundout allowed Gordon to scamper home for a 2-0 lead after one inning. Ethan Mildren made the start for Cedar Rapids and kept Quad Cities off balance all night. He scattered five hits and two walks over six innings while striking out three and allowing no damage to the scoreboard. It was still 2-0 Kernels when he was relieved by Luke Westphal to start the seventh. A leadoff triple would lead to a 2-1 game on a groundout to Gordon at shortstop. The Kernels got the run back in the bottom half of the inning when White lined a double to left field, and went station to station on groundouts from Jorge Fernandez and Brian Navarreto to make the score 3-1. Trevor Hildenberger came into pitch the eighth, and was not his usual unhittable self. He picked up a strikeout on his first, fourth, and seventh hitters of the inning, but in between four singles pushed two runs across home plate to tie the game at three. Hildenberger was charged with his first blown save of the year. He would come back out for the ninth inning, and although he escaped with no further damage, he was struck with two more base hits. Out to pitch in extra innings, was the also recently unhittable Randy LeBlanc, who brought with him a twenty-six inning scoreless streak. He made it 26.1 innings to set the season high for the Kernels, but got no further. A triple to the second batter of the inning put the runner is prime scoring position for a sac fly and 4-3 River Bandits lead. In the bottom half, Cedar Rapids got the tying run in scoring position, but a Gordon fly out and Larson strikeout would end the game in ten. Alex Real (2-4, RBI) and White (2-4, R, 2B, RBI) picked up multiple hits, and Corcino reached base three times via walk to lead the offense. They were outhit thirteen to five as a team. E-TOWN E-NOTES Pulaski 1, Elizabethton 4 Box Score Like their big-brother affiliates, the Elizabethton Twins also struck in the first frame for an early lead. Fortunately for them, they were able to hang onto that lead, and were never really threatened. Their three runs in the first came on a three-run home run from Tyler Kuresa, his second in three games. It was more than enough as Twins starting pitcher Andro Cutura allowed just three hits to Pulaski in five innings. He walked two and struck out six. Relievers Anthony Mciver, Alex Robinson, and Jose Abreu did not allow any other hits to finish the game. Mciver struck out two in two perfect innings. Robinson hit a batter and walked two to load the bases for Abreu, who then also hit a batter to bring in Pulaski’s only run. He retired the next three hitters to escape the inning and worked a perfect ninth, striking out the final hitter of the game to pick up the save. Elizabethton’s fourth run scored on a Kamron Young single in the seventh to score Nelson Molina. Lamonte Wade was only hitter in the lineup to record multiple hits, going 2-4. A.J. Murray added a double. GCL TWINS TAKES Twins 1, Red Sox 5 Box Score There was little offense for the Twins in this one, as they managed just four hits as a team, leaving only six men on base, and were 1-4 with runners in scoring position. Two of those four hits came from fourth round draft choice Trey Cabbage, who played third base in this contest. He also picked up their only RBI by driving in catcher Brian Olson, who had tripled in front of him in the ninth inning. Leadoff man Luis Martinez added a double. Luis Hernandez started the game for the Twins, and was roughed up to the tune of six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks in just 2.1 innings. He did strike out three. Moises Gomez, Callan Pearce, and Brandon Poulson combined to finish the final 5.2 innings, allowing no runs on five hits and one walk. Poulson struck out two in the eighth inning after the first man up reached base on a Cabbage throwing error from third. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Chih-Wei Hu, Fort Myers Miracle (6 IP, 8 H’s, 3 ER’s, 0 BB’s, 10 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano, Chattanooga Lookouts (3-5, R, 3 2B’s, RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Charlotte @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Tyler Duffey (2-4, 3.35 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (6:35 PM CST) – LHP Brett Lee (0-1, 5.09 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CST) – TBD Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Keaton Steele (2-2, 3.16 ERA) Pulaski @ Elizabethton (5:00 PM CST) – RHP Cody Stashak (0-0, -.-- ERA, 13th Round Pick out of St. Johns) GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (9:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday’s games.

He's on the 40-man roster, therefore already "on the team," and was "sent down" to the minors as part of Spring Training. Thus, he's "recalled" now!

Apparently every guy in the system has a "rocket arm"? Santana has a rocket arm. Polanco's is pretty average for a SS. I haven't seen anyone put a grade better than 50 on him for his arm. It's good to see him at #4 though, I think he's been very underrated, or overlooked maybe, with everyone else in the system. He gets it done.

Yup!

That conversation still isn't started unless Buxton, Sano, or Berrios' name is included. No thanks.

The GCL game was not listed on the MiLB scoreboard page when I wrote this last night. Even if it was, I'm certain they would not have listed a probable starter, just like they currently do not for tomorrow: http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?cid=&lid=&org=142&sc=&sid=milb&t=affiliate&ymd=20150623 Believe me, it'd be there if it was on that page or at any of the other locations I search for the starters!

Eddie has definitely shown he belongs so far. Still things to improve upon, but lots of praise for him doing the little things!

Happy Father’s Day across Twins Territory!!! While Jake Arrieta was taking it to the Minnesota Twins lineup and Anthony Rizzo continued to bash their pitchers on Sunday afternoon, three of the four full-season league affiliates were in action in the minors.The organization went 2-2 on the day. In the minors a come-from behind victory was sparked by a pair of bash-brothers in a single inning, and there were several standout bullpen performances. Read on to find out about all the action on Sunday afternoon! RED WINGS REPORT Louisville 3, Rochester 2 Box Score The Red Wings managed to score first and last in this contest, but were still handed a loss as Louisville put a crooked number on the scoreboard in an inning, while the Wings did not. In the first inning Danny Santana led off the game for Rochester with a double and after being moved to third on a groundout he trotted home to score the game’s first run on a Danny Ortiz single and 1-0 lead. It would remain that way until the third inning, when Red Wings starter Pat Dean gave up a solo home run to number eight hitter Ryan Lamarre to tie the game at one. Dean had retired the first seven hitters of the game to that point. He ran into further trouble in the fourth inning as the middle of the lineup for Louisville came through with some more power. Number three hitter Hernan Iribarren singled to start the inning, and trotted home on a two-run home run from cleanup man Josh Satin, making the score 3-1. Dean faced the minimum over the next nine outs before walking two around a strikeout to begin the top of the seventh. He was relieved by Alex Meyer who escaped the inning with no damage after two fly-outs. In the bottom of the seventh inning, it was again Santana providing a spark for Rochester. His third triple in 12 games with the Red Wings allowed him to score on a sac fly to left field from James Beresford, moving the score to 3-2. Meyer pitched a scoreless eighth inning, picking up two strikeouts along the way, to keep the game within striking distance for Rochester. Caleb Thielbar retired the side one-two-three in the ninth, bringing up the home team for their final at-bat. Eric Farris singled with one out, then was erased on an Eric Fryer fielder’s choice. Fryer moved to second on a balk, placing the tying run in scoring position for the games star to that point, Danny Santana. Unfortunately, this at-bat ended in a groundout to second base instead of an extra-base hit, and Rochester fell 3-2. Santana (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, 3B) and Oswaldo Arcia (2-4) were the only hitters in the lineup with multiple hits and Reynaldo Rodriguez added a triple to lead the offense. Dean managed a quality start, allowing the three runs on five hits and two walks in 6.1 innings, striking out five. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jacksonville 5, Chattanooga 6 Box Score The Lookouts found themselves down 5-1 after the top-half of the sixth-inning, but the powerful bats in their lineup refused to let them stay there. D.J. Baxendale made the start and pitched the first three frames in his first start returning from shoulder discomfort. He allowed zero runs on one hit and two walks, while striking out three. Tim Shibuya came on for the fourth inning, and promptly allowed a solo home run to the first batter he faced, the rehabbing Michael Morse of the Miami Marlins, to tie the game at one. It didn’t get much better for Shibuya, as he allowed two runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to put the Lookouts in a 5-1 hole. Brandon Peterson came on in the sixth inning with two outs and a runner on third, but picked up a strikeout to end the frame. This is when the big boppers in the Chattanooga lineup came out to play. Mike Gonzalez led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk, and Adam Brett Walker made the score 5-3 with his Southern League-leading 19th home run of the year. Singles from Jairo Rodriguez and Levi Micheal around a Stephen Wickens fly out and a Niko Goodrum strikeout would bring Miguel Sano to the plate. His 13th home run of the season put the Lookouts out front 6-5 and they never looked back. Peterson picked up four more strikeouts and did not allow a single base runner in the seventh and eighth innings, before yielding the save opportunity to J.T. Chargois. He walked one but retired the three other hitters to pick up his fifth save in eight appearances with the Lookouts. His ERA stands at 2.08 for the season and 1.17 with Chattanooga. Assisting Sano (1-3, 2 R’s, HR, BB, 3 RBI) and Walker (1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI) with multiple hits in the comeback victory were Michael (2-4, R, BB, SB), and Rodriguez (2-4, R). Max Kepler was 0-2 but reached base via walk twice and stole his eleventh base from the cleanup spot in the lineup (behind Sano). The Lookouts finish the first half of the Southern League season atop the North Division standings, and tied with the Biloxi Shuckers of the South Division with 43-25 records. The 43-25 mark is the Lookouts best first half record in the history of their home park, AT&T Field. MIRACLE MATTERS The Miracle enjoyed a day off on Sunday afternoon, and host the Palm Beach Cardinals for a three game series starting tomorrow at 6:05 PM CST at the Century Link Sports Complex and Hammond Stadium. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Clinton 2 Box Score Cedar Rapids jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning after Brett Doe led off the frame with an infield single and moved into scoring position when T.J. White was hit by a pitch. He scored on a Rafael Valera single. Kernels starter Jared Wilson gave the run back in the bottom half when a two-out single brought home Joseph DeCarlo, who had doubled. Cedar Rapids responded by adding two runs in each of the third and fifth innings. Max Murphy was the catalyst in both of those innings. In the third, he slugged his fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to make the score 3-1. In the fifth, his double put runners on second and third. A balk scored Alex Real and moved Murphy up to third, before a pick off attempt caught Pat Kelly between first and second base with two-outs. Kelly was savvy enough to make the LumberKings attempt multiple throws in a rundown, and Murphy was able to scamper home before they tagged out Kelly to end the inning. Randy LeBlanc was the first pitcher in relief of Wilson, and he went three scoreless innings to improve his record to 5-0. He allowed just two hits and struck out two. These three scoreless innings improved his ongoing scoreless streak to 26 innings, tying him with Trevor Hildenberger for the team’s longest streak of the year and lowered his ERA to 1.52. Lefty Cameron Booser came on for the eighth inning and allowed one run on a sac fly after a walk and two singles, but struck out the last two hitters he faced to escape with limited damage. Hildenberger then came on for the ninth and recorded his eighth save by striking out the side. His ERA rests at 0.51 on the season and has not been above 1.00 since April 23rd. The Kernels got multiple hits from Real (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B), Murphy (2-4, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) and Valera (2-3, BB, RBI) to lead the offense. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Brandon Peterson, Chattanooga Lookouts (W, 2.1 IP, 5 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano, Chattanooga Lookouts (1-3, 2 R’s, GW 3-Run HR, 3 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Tyler Duffey (1-4, 4.15 ERA) Chattanooga – Scheduled Day Off. Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids – MWL All-Star Break. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

Happy Father’s Day across Twins Territory!!! While Jake Arrieta was taking it to the Minnesota Twins lineup and Anthony Rizzo continued to bash their pitchers on Sunday Afternoon, three of the four full-season league affiliates were in action in the minors. The organization went 2-2 on the day, but in the minors a come-from behind victory was sparked by a pair of bash-brothers in a single inning, and there were several standout bullpen performances. Read on to find out about all the action on Sunday afternoon! RED WINGS REPORT Louisville 3, Rochester 2 Box Score The Red Wings managed to score first and last in this contest, but were still handed a loss as Louisville put a crooked number on the scoreboard in an inning, while they did not. In the first inning Danny Santana led off the game for Rochester with a double, and after being moved to third on a ground out, trotted home to score the game’s first run on a Danny Ortiz single and 1-0 lead. It would remain that way until the third inning, when Red Wings starter Pat Dean gave up a solo home run to number eight-hitter Ryan Lamarre to tie the game at one. Dean had retired the first seven hitters of the game to that point. He ran into further trouble in the fourth inning as the middle of the lineup for Louisville came through with some more power. Number three-hitter Hernan Iribarren singled to start the inning, and trotted home on a two-run home run from cleanup man Josh Satin, making the score 3-1. Dean would face the minimum over the next nine outs before walking two around a strikeout to begin the top of the seventh. He was relieved by Alex Meyer who escaped the inning with zero damage after two fly-outs. In the bottom of the seventh inning, it was again Santana providing a spark for Rochester. His third triple in 12 games with the Red Wings allowed him to score on a sac-fly to left field from James Beresford, closing the score to 3-2. Meyer would pitch a scoreless eighth inning, picking up two strikeouts along the way, to keep the game in striking distance for Rochester. Caleb Thielbar retired the side one-two-three in the ninth, bringing up the home team for their final at-bat. Eric Farris singled with one out, then was erased on a Eric Fryer fielder’s choice, before Fryer moved to second on a balk, placing the tying run in scoring position for the games star to that point, Danny Santana. Unfortunately, this at-bat ended in a ground out to second base instead of an extra-base hit, and Rochester fell 3-2. Santana (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, 3B) and Oswaldo Arcia (2-4) were the only hitters in the lineup with multiple hits, and Reynaldo Rodriguez added a triple to lead the offense. Dean managed a quality start, allowing the three runs on five hits and two walks in 6.1 innings, striking out five. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jacksonville 5, Chattanooga 6 Box Score The Lookouts found themselves down 5-1 after the top-half of the sixth-inning, but the powerful bats in their lineup refused to let them stay there. D.J. Baxendale made the start, and pitched the first three frames in his first start returning from shoulder discomfort. He allowed zero runs on one hit and two walks, while striking out three. Tim Shibuya came on for the fourth inning, and promptly allowed a solo home run to the first batter he faced, the rehabbing Michael Morse of the Miami Marlins, to tie the game at one. It didn’t get much better for Shibuya, as he would allow two runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to put the Lookouts in a 5-1 hole. Brandon Peterson game on in the sixth inning with two outs and a runner on third, but picked up a strikeout to end the frame. This is when the big-boppers in the Chattanooga lineup came out to play. Mike Gonzalez led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk, and Adam Brett Walker made the score 5-3 with his Southern League Leading 19th home run of the year. Singles from Jairo Rodriguez and Levi Micheal around a Stephen Wickens fly out and Niko Goodrum K would bring Miguel Sano to the plate. His 13th home run of the season would put the Lookouts out front 6-5 and they never looked back. Peterson would pick up four more strikeouts and not allow a single baserunner in the seventh and eighth innings, before yielding the save opportunity to J.T. Chargois. He walked one but retired the three other hitters to pick up his fifth save in eight appearances with the Lookouts. His ERA stands at 2.08 for the season, and 1.17 with Chattanooga. Assisting Sano (1-3, 2 R’s, HR, BB, 3 RBI) and Walker (1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI) with multiple hits in the comeback victory were Michael (2-4, R, BB, SB), and Rodriguez (2-4, R). Max Kepler was 0-2 but reached base via walk twice and stole his eleventh base from the cleanup spot in the lineup (behind Sano). The Lookouts finish the first half of the Southern League season atop the North Division standings, and tied with the Biloxi Shuckers of the South Division with 43-25 records. The 43-25 mark is the Lookouts best first half record in the history of their home park, AT&T Field. MIRACLE MATTERS The Miracle enjoyed a day off on Sunday afternoon, and host the Palm Beach Cardinals for a three game series starting tomorrow at 6:05 PM CST at the Century Link Sports Complex and Hammond Stadium. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Clinton 2 Box Score Cedar Rapids jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning after Brett Doe led off the frame with an infield single and moved into scoring position when T.J. White was hit by a pitch. He would score on a Rafael Valera single. Kernels starter Jared Wilson gave the run back in the bottom half when a two-out single brought home Joseph DeCarlo, who had doubled. Cedar Rapids responded by adding two runs in each of the third and fifth innings. Max Murphy was the catalyst in both those innings. In the third, he slugged his fourth home run of the season, a two run shot to make the score 3-1, and in the fifth his double put runners on second and third. A balk would score Alex Real and move him up to third, before a pickoff attempt caught Pat Kelly between first and second base with two-outs. Kelly was savvy enough to make the Lumberkings attempt multiple throws in a rundown, and Murphy was able to scamper home before they tagged-out Kelly to end the inning. Randy LeBlanc was the first pitcher in relief of Wilson, and he went three scoreless innings to improve his record to 5-0. He allowed just two hits and struck out two. These three scoreless innings improved his ongoing scoreless streak to 26 innings, tying him with Trevor Hildenberger for the team’s longest streak of the year and lowered his ERA to 1.52. Lefty Cameron Booser came on for the eighth inning and allowed one run on a sac fly after a walk and two singles, but struck out the last two hitters he faced to escape with limited damage. Hildenberger then came on for the ninth and recorded his eighth save by striking out the side. His ERA rests at 0.51 on the season and has not been above 1.00 since April 23rd. The Kernels got multiple hits from Real (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B), Murphy (2-4, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) and Valera (2-3, BB, RBI) to lead the offense. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Brandon Peterson, Chattanooga Lookouts (W, 2.1 IP, 5 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano, Chattanooga Lookouts (1-3, 2 R’s, GW 3-Run HR, 3 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Tyler Duffey (1-4, 4.15 ERA) Chattanooga – Scheduled Day Off. Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids – MWL All-Star Break. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

That's a good question... Walker is not a particularly good outfielder, and hasn't been playing 1B (was described as "stiff" there going into his draft). Kepler is the better option to me at both spots defensively. So if that's the conundrum, I think it's Max in the OF.

Kepler was still .305/.361/.491 the day Buxton was promoted with a .283/.351/.489. I might concede a wash, haha!