Steve Lein

The Twins had the day off on Monday as they travel down the West Coast of California from Oakland to Los Angeles to face the Angels of Anaheim on Tuesday. Kyle Gibson will make the start and look to get Minnesota back in the win column after the drubbing yesterday. But in the minors on Monday, it was a full slate of games with each affiliate in action. There were several strong starting pitching performances including a late bid for a combined-no-hitter, a big home run from a familiar name in these reports, and a couple of blowouts in the lower levels.To see if the Twins’ affiliates came out on top in those games, read on! TRANSACTIONS Before we get to the games, a few quick transaction updates: Wilkin Ramirez was sent to the disabled list for the Rochester Red Wings, and they activated Nate Hanson in his place. Pitcher Keaton Steele was also activated from the disabled list for Cedar Rapids, and started Monday's game for the Kernels. RED WINGS REPORT Gwinnett 6, Rochester 3 Box Score Lefthander Taylor Rogers kept the Rochester Red Wings in the game for most of it, but was unable to finish his day on high note. Rochester got out to an early 1-0 lead in the second, when Reynaldo Rodriguez led off the inning with his ninth home run of the season. In the top of the third the lead was handed to the Braves when they got to Rogers for three singles, resulting in two runs. The score remained that way through the sixth, with Rogers finishing that inning with only the two runs allowed on four hits and a walk, along with three strikeouts, but it unraveled for him in the seventh. Consecutive singles, a sac bunt, and intentional walk to load the bases started the inning, then two more singles and a sac fly brought in four runs to make it 6-1 before Cole Johnson came on in relief and escaped the jam. The Red Wings tried to get back in the game in the bottom half of the seventh, as Rodriguez and Bernier drew walks to put runners on with two outs, and Eric Farris delivered his first triple of the season to drive them in and make the score 6-3. Johnson recorded one out in the eighth before his own troubles brought in Mark Hamburger to wiggle out his jam with runners on second and third. Hamburger came back out for the ninth to pitch a scoreless inning, allowing a single and striking out two, but the Red Wings went down one-two-three in the ninth. Rochester was outhit 11-5 on the game, and didn’t get many chances as they were just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. Rodriguez was the only Red Wings player with multiple hits, going 2-3 with two runs scored and the solo home run. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mississippi 1, Chattanooga 4 Box Score The Lookouts were rained out yesterday, but continued their slight turnaround from a rough start to the month. After starting July 3-9 in their first twelve games, they are 5-1 over their last six. Starter David Hurlbut did much of the work for Chattanooga, pitching six shut out frames. He scattered five hits and two walks, while striking out two to improve to 6-4 on the season. He left the game with a 3-0 lead thanks to a single run in the fifth and two in the sixth from the home team. Travis Harrison scored the first run of the game in the fifth, when he led off the inning with a walk and scored on a Stuart Turner double. In the sixth, Max Kepler drew a walk and trotted home on Adam Brett Walker’s twenty-fifth home run of the season to make it 3-0. J.T. Chargois relieved Hurlbut for the seventh and pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. Mississippi got their only run of the game in the eighth off reliever Alex Muren, when consecutive errors from Muren and Kennys Vargas allowed the leadoff man to circle home-to-home in just those two batters. Niko Goodrum added an insurance run in the eighth with a solo home run, his third of the season with the Lookouts and seventh total. Stuart Turner had two hits on the night including the RBI double. Walker had a typical day with the big home run, but also struck out twice. Kepler (1-3, R, BB) and Vargas (1-3, BB) each reached base twice in the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Jupiter 1, Fort Myers 2 Box Score It was a pitcher’s duel at Hammond Stadium on Monday night, with the Miracle’s Aaron Slegers facing off against the rehabbing Henderson Alvarez of the Miami Marlins. Slegers got the best of him with seven strong innings. He walked none and allowed just five hits and one run while striking out five. Fort Myers got to Alvarez in the third inning, and ended his night with two unearned runs after Alex Swim reached base on an error to start the inning. Swim moved to second on a passed ball, and a single from Mitch Garver and a walk to Brett Doe loaded the bases for consecutive sacrifice flies from Ryan Walker and T.J. White. Those two runs would be just enough, as the Hammerhead’s Drew Steckenrider held the Miracle lineup at bay for the rest of the game. Todd Van Steensel picked up his twelfth save with Fort Myers with two innings of relief to finish the game. He allowed one hit and struck out one. White was the only batter with multiple hits for the Miracle, going 2-3 with an RBI, and Swim added a double to the effort. The Miracle improved to 14-11 in the second half of the FSL season, and 52-43 overall. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 14 Box Score Things got ugly early in this one for the Kernels and if it were a Minnesota Baseball Association Town Team game, would have ended a bit early in the eighth inning due to the mercy rule. Starting pitcher Keaton Steele, fresh off the DL, got through the first two innings unscathed, but recorded just one out in the third as the first four men reached base via single or walk, scoring the first two runs of the game in the process. They tacked on three more to Steele’s line before Jared Wilson escaped later with the bases still loaded. The River Bandits continued to fill the scoreboard against Wilson in the fourth (two runs), Michael Theofanopoulos in the fifth (four runs) and Cameron Booser in the sixth (one run), before they finally got a damage free and one-two-three seventh from Randy LeBlanc. He was not immune either though, as they’d get him for two more runs in the eighth, both unearned, as Kernels shortstop Sean Miller committed errors on consecutive ground balls to bring the score to 14-4 and the mercy conditions. Cedar Rapids scored their first run of the game in the sixth inning, as Zack Larson singled in Tanner English who had led off the inning with a walk. In the seventh, a triple from Austin Diemer and a double from Miller brought a little bit of life to the game, but three runs on the Kernels scoreboard weren’t much help. They added a fifth run in the top of the ninth, when English connected for his third home run of the season, making the final score of 14-5. Edgar Corcino (2-4, BB) and Miller (2-4, R, 2B) each had two hits to lead Cedar Rapids, and as team they were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 12, Burlington 1 Box Score The Elizabethton lineup scored early often and late often on Monday, leading to a 12-1 blowout of the Burlington Royals. They were aided by another stellar performance from starter Dereck Rodriguez, who continues to impress early in his transition to a pitcher with Elizabethton. The Twins racked up nineteen hits, and went a combined 8-21 with runners in scoring position. Though normally you might see fourteen men left on base as a bad thing, combined with the twelve runs on the scoreboard you can see how many chances they gave themselves. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning, primarily due to the bat of newly signed first baseman Zander Wiel of Vanderbilt. His first professional home run was a two-run shot to make it 3-0 and Elizabethton would need no other insurance, though they took out a pretty large policy the rest of the game. They added two more in the second inning, and single runs in each of the third and fourth. They were held in check for the next two innings, before adding three to board in the seventh, and single runs again in each of the eighth and ninth. Rodriguez retired the first eleven Royals of the game before a single in the fourth with two outs finally got a runner on base for the home team. They got just one more single off Rodriguez in the fifth, and he faced the minimum over his final three innings, including retiring the final seven Royals he faced. He didn’t walk a single batter, and picked up three strikeouts along the way to improve his Appalachian League record to 3-0 in five starts. Alex Robinson came on in relief to finish the final two innings, allowing one run on one hit, a double in the ninth and two walks. Rainis Silva was 4-4 in the game and got on base in all five plate appearances for Elizabethton, scoring three runs in the process as he doubled and homered to drive in three. Kamran Young was 2-5 with a double, run scored and a walk. Leftfielder Chris Paul had three hits including a double, scored three runs and drove in one. Weil was 2-4 with three RBI’s and a walk to go along with his first pro home run. Travis Blankenhorn notched three hits and a walk, scoring one and driving in one. Ariel Montesino also joined the multiple-hit parade, going 2-4 with a walk, double, run scored and RBI. All nine starters for the Twins had at least one hit and Amaurys Minier was the only starter not to score a run. The win brought Elizabethton’s record to 12-13, and they shoot for .500 at home against the Princeton Rays tomorrow. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Orioles 0, Elizabethton 1 Box Score Pitching was again the name of the game here, and Twins pitchers had a combined no-hitter through the first seven innings. Eduardo Del Rosario went the first five to get it started, walking two and striking out five. Max Cordy walked one and struck out two in the sixth, and Stephen Pryor struck out two in a perfect seventh. Next up in the eighth was John Curtiss, who got the first batter on a ground out to bring the team to 7.1 no-hit innings, but a walk to the next batter would be as far as he could bring them. The Orioles Jack Graham was up next, and was the first to get lucky, sneaking a ground ball through the right side for a base hit and putting a runner in scoring position. Obviously disappointed and perhaps angry the hit got through, Curtiss proceeded to strike out the next two hitters and keep the 1-0 Twins lead. The Twins got that run in the second inning, as singles from Jermaine Palacios, Ruar Verkerk and Kerby Camacho brought Palacios around to score with two outs. Johan Quezada was brought in for the save opportunity, and fared much like Curtiss. He got a groundout to start the inning, but then a walk and single put the game-tying runner on second base again. After a pinch-runner and pinch-hitter substitution, Quezada got a ground ball to third to end the game and pick up the save. Rosario improved to 2-0 in the Gulf Coast League in five starts and lowered his ERA to 1.96 with the five no-hit frames. On offense, the Twins got multiple hits from Luis Arraez (2-3, BB), Palacios (2-3, R) and Verkerk (2-3) and eight hits as a team. Because they were all singles however, they were just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Elizabethton Twins (W, 7.0 IP, 2 H’s, 0 ER’s, 0 BB’s, 3 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Rainis Silva, Elizabethton Twins (4-4, 3 R’s, 2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI) TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnet @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey (4-4, 2.24 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (10:15 AM CST) – TBD Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Chih-Wei Hu (5-2, 2.20 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) –RHP Felix Jorge (4-3, 2.06 ERA) Princeton @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Alex Tapia (1-1, 2.95 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins had the day off on Monday as they travel down the west coast of California from Oakland to Los Angeles to face the Angels of Anaheim on Tuesday. Kyle Gibson will make the start and look to get Minnesota back in the win column after the drubbing yesterday. But in the minors on Monday, it was a full slate of games with each affiliate in action. There were several strong starting pitching performances including a late bid for a combined-no-hitter, a big home run from a familiar name in these reports, and a couple blowouts in the lower levels. To see if the Twins’ affiliates came out on top in those games, read on! TRANSACTIONS Before we get to the games, a few quick transaction updates: Wilkin Ramirez was sent to the disabled list for the Rochester Red Wings, and they activated Nate Hanson in his place. Pitcher Keaton Steele was also activated from the disabled list for Cedar Rapids, and started tonight’s game for the Kernels. RED WINGS REPORT Gwinnett 6, Rochester 3 Box Score Lefthander Taylor Rogers kept the Rochester Red Wings in the game for most of it, but was unable to finish his day on high note. Rochester got out to an early 1-0 lead in the second, when Reynaldo Rodriguez led off the inning with his ninth home run of the season. In the top of the third the lead was handed to the Braves when they got to Rogers with three singles, resulting in two runs. The score would remain that way through the sixth, with Rogers finishing that inning with only the two runs allowed on four hits and a walk, along with three strikeouts, but it unraveled for him in the seventh. Consecutive singles, a sac bunt, and intentional walk to load the bases started the inning, then two more singles and a sac fly brought in four runs to make it 6-1 before Cole Johnson came on in relief and escaped the jam. The Red Wings would try to get back in the game in the bottom half of the seventh, as Rodriguez and Bernier drew walks to put runners on with two outs, and Eric Farris delivered his first triple of the season to drive them in and make the score 6-3. Johnson recorded one out in the eighth before his own troubles summoned Mark Hamburger to wiggle out his jam with runners on second and third. Hamburger would come back out for the ninth and pitch a scoreless inning, allowing a single and striking out two, but the Red Wings went down one-two-three in the ninth. Rochester was outhit 11-5 on the game, and didn’t get many chances as they were just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. Rodriguez was the only Red Wings player with multiple hits, going 2-3 with two runs scored and the solo home run. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mississippi 1, Chattanooga 4 Box Score The Lookouts were rained out yesterday, but continued their slight turnaround from a rough start to the month despite missing a day of action. After starting July 3-9 in their first twelve games, they are 5-1 over their last six. Starter David Hurlbut did much of the work for Chattanooga, pitching six shutout frames. He scattered five hits and two walks, while striking out two to improve to 6-4 on the season. He left the game with a 3-0 lead thanks to a single run in the fifth and two in the sixth from the home team. Travis Harrison scored the first run of the game in the fifth, when he led off the inning with a walk and scored on a Stuart Turner double. In the sixth, Max Kepler drew a walk and trotted home on Adam Brett Walker II’s twenty-fifth home run of the season to make it 3-0. J.T. Chargois relieved Hurlbut for the seventh and pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. Mississippi got their only run of the game in the eighth off reliever Alex Muren, when consecutive errors from Muren and Kennys Vargas allowed the leadoff man to circle home-to-home in just those two batters. Niko Goodrum added an insurance run in the eighth with a solo home run, his third of the season with the Lookouts and seventh total. Stuart Turner had two hits on the night including the RBI double. Walker had a typical day with the big home run, but also struck out twice. Kepler (1-3, R, BB) and Vargas (1-3, BB) each reached base twice in the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Jupiter 1, Fort Myers 2 Box Score It was a pitcher’s duel at Hammond Stadium on Monday night, with the Miracle’s Aaron Slegers facing off against the rehabbing Henderson Alvarez of the Miami Marlins. Slegers got the best of him with seven strong innings. He walked none and allowed just five hits and one run, while striking out five. Fort Myers got to Alvarez in the third inning, and would end his night with two unearned runs after Alex Swim reached base on an error to start the inning. Swim would move to second on a passed ball, and a single from Mitch Garver and a walk to Brett Doe would load the bases for consecutive sacrifice flies from Ryan Walker and T.J. White. Those two runs would be just enough, as the HammerHead’s Drew Steckenrider would hold the Miracle lineup at bay for the rest of the game. Todd Van Steensel picked up his twelfth save with Fort Myers with two innings of relief to finish the game. He allowed one hit and struck out one. White was the only batter with multiple hits for the Miracle going 2-3 with an RBI, and Swim added a double to the effort. The Miracle improved to 14-11 in the second half of the FSL season, and 52-43 overall. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 14 Box Score Things got ugly early in this one for the Kernels, and if it were a Minnesota Baseball Association Town Team game, would have ended a bit early in the eighth inning due to the mercy rule. Starting pitcher Keaton Steel, fresh off the disabled list, got through the first two innings unscathed, but recorded just one out in the third as the first four men reached base via single or walk, scoring the first two runs of the game in the process, and they would tack on three more to Steele’s line before Jared Wilson would escape later with the bases still loaded. The River Bandits would continue to fill the scoreboard against Wilson in the fourth (two runs), Michael Theofanopoulos in the fifth (four runs) and Cameron Booser in the sixth (one run), before they finally got a damage free and one-two-three seventh from Randy LeBlanc. He was not immune either though, as they’d get him for two more runs in the eighth, both unearned, as Kernels shortstop Sean Miller committed errors on consecutive ground balls to bring the score to 14-4 and the mercy conditions. Cedar Rapids scored their first run of the game in the sixth inning, as Zack Larson singled in Tanner English who had led off the inning with a walk. In the seventh, a triple from Austin Diemer and a double from Miller brought a little bit of life to the game, but three runs on the Kernels scoreboard weren’t much help. They added a fifth run in the top of the ninth, when English connected for his third home run of the season, making the final score of 14-5. Edgar Corcino (2-4, BB) and Miller (2-4, R, 2B) each had two hits to lead Cedar Rapids, and as team they were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 12, Burlington 1 Box Score The Elizabethton lineup scored early often and late often on Monday, leading to a 12-1 blowout of the Burlington Royals, and were aided by another stellar performance from starter Derek Rodriguez, who continues to impress early in his transition to a pitcher with Elizabethton. The Twins racked up nineteen hits, and went a combined 8-21 with runners in scoring position. Though normally you might see fourteen men left on base as a bad thing, combined with the twelve runs on the scoreboard this tells you how many chances they gave themselves. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning, primarily due to the bat of newly signed first baseman Zander Wiel of Vanderbilt. His first professional home run was a two-run shot to make it 3-0 and Elizabethton would need no other insurance, though they took out a pretty large policy the rest of the game. They added two more in the second inning, and single runs in each of the third and fourth. They were held in check for the next two innings, before adding three to board in the seventh, and single runs again in each of the eighth and ninth. Rodriguez retired the first eleven Royals of the game, before a single in the fourth with two outs finally got a runner on base for the home team. They would get just one more single off Rodriguez in the fifth, and he faced the minimum over his final three innings, including retiring the final seven Royals he faced. He didn’t walk a single batter, and picked up three strikeouts along the way to improve his Appalachian League record to 3-0 in five starts. Alex Robinson came on in relief to finish the final two innings, allowing one run on one hit, a double in the ninth, and two walks. Rainis Silva was 4-4 in the game and got on base in all five plate appearances for Elizabethton, scoring three runs in the process as he doubled and homered to drive in three. Kamran Young was 2-5 with a double, run scored, and a walk. Leftfielder Chris Paul had three hits including a double, scored three runs, and drove in one. Weil was 2-4 with three RBI’s and a walk to go along with his first pro home run. Travis Blankenhorn notched three hits and a walk, scoring one and driving in one. Ariel Montesino also joined the multiple-hit parade, going 2-4 with a walk, double, run scored and RBI. All nine starters for the Twins had at least one hit, and Amaurys Minier was the only starter not to score a run. The win brought Elizabethton’s record to 12-13, and they shoot for .500 at home against the Princeton Rays tomorrow. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Orioles 0, Elizabethton 1 Box Score Pitching was again the name of the game in this one, and Twins pitchers had a combined no-hitter through the first seven innings. Eduardo Del Rosario went the first five to get it started, walking two and striking out five. Max Cordy walked one and struck out two in the sixth, and Stephen Pryor struck out two in a perfect seventh. Next up in the eighth was John Curtiss, who got the first batter on a ground out to bring the team to 7.1 no-hit innings, but a walk to the next batter would be as far as he could bring them. The Orioles Jack Graham was up next, and was the first to get lucky, sneaking a ground ball through the right side for a base hit and putting a runner in scoring position. Obviously disappointed and perhaps angry the hit got through, Curtiss proceeded to strikeout the next two hitters and keep the 1-0 Twins lead. The Twins got that run in the second inning, as singles from Jermaine Palacios, Ruar Verkerk, and Kerby Camacho brought Palacios around to score with two outs. Johan Quezada was brought in for the save opportunity, and fared much like Curtiss. He got a ground out to start the inning, but then a walk and single put the game tying runner on second base again. After a pinch-runner and pinch-hitter substitution, Quezada got a ground ball to third to end the game and pick up the save. Rosario improved to 2-0 in the Gulf Coast League in five starts, and lowered his ERA to 1.96 with the five no-hit frames. On offense, the Twins got multiple hits from Luis Arraez (2-3, BB), Palacios (2-3, R) and Verkerk (2-3) and eight hits as a team. Because they were all singles however, they were just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Derek Rodriguez, Elizabethton Twins (W, 7.0 IP, 2 H’s, 0 ER’s, 0 BB’s, 3 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Rainis Silva, Elizabethton Twins (4-4, 3 R’s, 2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI) TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnet @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey (4-4, 2.24 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (10:15 AM CST) – TBD Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Chih-Wei Hu (5-2, 2.20 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) –RHP Felix Jorge (4-3, 2.06 ERA) Princeton @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Alex Tapia (1-1, 2.95 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

Again, he wasn't going to, nor has he to this point, taken any valuable at bats away from deserving youngsters. That's what I was getting at. It wouldn't be an issue at this point if the Twins weren't competitive, either. The guys who should be playing and have earned it, are.

He's actually pretty much been the definition of average. He has been saved only by the HR's. And the injuries are a concern, not a reason for hope.

Never understood the vitriol around the Hunter signing, and the comment "it's played out better than anyone could have imagined" hits the wrong buttons for me. I'd argue it's played out exactly how the Twins, and others like myself, imagined it. It was a one-year deal and none of the "prospects" we had in the system for the outfield were "ready" at the time. They complained he would be blocking these guys, but that was not even close to true. Add in the fact that his .765 OPS the year before, would have been bested on an already pretty good offense by only two players, and those two players were Danny Santana and Kennys Vargas, who I think we all would agree, played above their skill level at the time. The belief that Hunter's production was going to fall off a cliff never was rooted in reality to me. He had maintained his production as he aged for five plus years already. Also, myself being such a big fan of his from the teams in the 2000's, I kept up with what he was doing elsewhere after leaving the Twins. There never should have been a doubt he was going to have a highly positive clubhouse influence. We don't like to monetize that aspect, but it'd be pretty hard to argue that this hasn't been worth quite a bit to this point. I guess what I'm saying is, I told you so... Haha q;) On the whole though, good summary, it's amazing what competent starting pitching can accomplish!

Kyle Gibson continued his breakout campaign against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon, helping the Twins complete a series win against their division rival heading into the All-Star break. Miguel Sano also delivered his second career home run, avoiding the silent treatment in the dugout for the first of many more times. Oh, and news flash: The Twins Have the Second Best Record (!) in the American League. In the minors on Sunday, there was one game that had a ton of offense, and a bunch more with not so much. One former first-round pick (supplemental round) had a big day, the guy batting behind him added to his home run totals, and a converted outfielder continued to shine in Elizabethton’s starting rotation.Read on to find out what happened and where! TRANSACTIONS First, there were a slew of transactions in Chattanooga before the games on Sunday. In Chattanooga, Travis Harrison was activated from the disabled list and had a big impact on their game. Zach Jones was also sent down to Fort Myers after his recent struggles, with Matt Summers being called up in his place. First baseman Mike Gonzales was also released by the Twins from the Lookouts roster. He is twenty-seven years old and had spent seven years in the Twins organization, reaching as high as AA. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Syracuse 4 Box Score Greg Peavey was on the mound for the Red Wings and dueled with the Chiefs’ Taylor Jordan for much of the early going. It was still tied at zero into the fourth inning, before the home team struck first against Peavey. A two out double put a runner in scoring position and the following single brought him home for the 1-0 lead. The Chiefs added two more in the fifth, when the first three hitters all singled to score one, and a later double scored the second. Peavey escaped that inning without any more damage, and finished his day with a one-two-three sixth. He allowed the three runs on eight hits and one walk, while striking out two. Rochester was unable to get on the board until the eighth inning, when Jorge Polanco led off with a double, and scored later on a Chris Herrmann sacrifice fly. Polanco was a stud on Sunday afternoon, going 4-4 on the day with a double and a run scored, raising his average with the Red Wings to .366. He didn’t get much help from the rest of the offense however, as they were unable to string enough hits together behind him to make a difference on the scoreboard. As a team they were 1-12 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Caleb Thielbar threw a scoreless seventh inning, allowing one hit and striking out two. Aaron Thompson pitched the bottom of the eighth, allowing one run on two hits to make the score 4-1. Danny Ortiz led off the ninth with a double, and Jose Martinez moved him to third with a single that brought the tying run to the plate with nobody out. But Wilkin Ramirez flew out to old friend Darin Mastroianni in center field, and Argenis Diaz grounded into a double play to end the game. With the loss, Rochester finishes the first half of their International League season with a record of 49-42, and they sit in first place in the North Division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mississippi 11, Chattanooga 10 Box Score The game in Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon was a roller coaster for each side, as they combined for twenty-one runs on twenty-nine hits, and exchanged leads four times. Mississippi put a crooked number up in the first, as three singles and a wild pitch combined to plate two runs off Lookout’s starter Jason Wheeler. They got both those runs back in the bottom of the second as Travis Harrison led off with a walk, and Stephen Wickens, Marcus Knecht and Stuart Turner all singled to make it 2-2. Wheeler settled down after the first inning and finished seven innings, scattering a total of nine hits. He allowed three runs (two earned), did not walk a batter, and struck out three. Mississippi took back the lead 3-2 in the sixth when the Braves got a double and single in succession, but they handed the lead to Chattanooga in the bottom of the inning. Wickens drew a walk and was followed by a Knecht single,before Stuart Turner greeted the bullpen with a 2-RBI double to make it 4-3. They tacked on three more runs in the seventh inning as Harrison (2-run HR) and Adam Brett Walker (solo HR) connected for back to back blasts. They were Harrison’s fourth of the season and Walker’s twenty-fourth. Brandon Peterson was summoned from the bullpen for the top of the eighth inning, having not allowed a run since his promotion to AA, and in 26.0 innings overall since May 5th. The streak was not to continue as a single and triple quickly put an end to it. A later double scored a second run to make the score 7-5. The Lookouts got back those runs and more again in the bottom of the frame, as two singles and a walk loaded the bases, and Harrison cleared them with a double to make it 10-5 going into the ninth. J.T. Chargois recorded the first two outs quickly, but then all hell broke loose against the reliever and home team. A walk, single and a double scored two before another single and two walks scored a third and left the bases loaded for Matt Summers. Mississippi brought in pinch hitter Rio Ruiz, drew an RBI walk to make it 10-9, then a double from Sean Godfrey would put the Braves ahead 11-10. Deflated by the bullpen implosion, Chattanooga’s offense went down one-two-three in the bottom of the inning to take the loss, as they look to avoid a five-game home series sweep by Mississippi on Monday. MIRACLE MATTERS Clearwater 4, Fort Myers 1 Box Score Left-hander Stephen Gonsalves was on the mound for the Miracle, making his fifth Florida State League start. He wasn’t his greatest, but also wasn’t helped much by his defense, as two of his three runs allowed were unearned after a throwing error Alex Swim in the fourth. Gonsalves’s day came to an end in the sixth inning, as a throwing error from T.J. White after two singles to start the inning loaded the bases. Nick Burdi came into the game and shut down the threat with two strikeouts and an infield pop out. Overall on the day Gonsalves pitched five innings, allowing the three runs (one earned) on eight hits and four walks. He struck out two. The Miracle offense closed the score to 3-1 in the fourth, when a Mitch Garver double scored Ryan Walker, who had singled to lead off the inning, but that is as close as they would get. Burdi also came out for the seventh, and set the Threshers down one-two-three while adding another strikeout. It was then Tyler Jay’s turn in the eighth, and he struck out all three hitters he faced. Todd Van Steensel came on in the ninth and promptly loaded the bases with two walks and single. He allowed one run on a single before managing to wiggle out of the jam by inducing a 1-to-2-to-3 double-play. Fort Myers went down in order in the bottom of the ninth to hand Gonsalves his first loss in the FSL, though he did lower his ERA to 2.61. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Kane County 3 Box Score Despite each team collecting ten hits, there wasn’t much in the run columns on the scoreboard for either team, as they combined for just one extra-base hit on the day. The Cougars took the lead 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth off Kernels starter Sam Gibbons, as a double from Marty Herum led off the inning, and a sac bunt and sac fly brought him home. It remained that way until the eighth inning, as Gibbons scattered seven hits and a walk over 5.1 innings while striking out three, and reliever Luke Bard added 2.2 scoreless frames, striking out two. Cougars starter Markus Solbach (former Twins prospect) scattered nine hits over seven innings of his own, striking out four. In the eighth inning the Kernels finally got to him, as a Nick Gordon single brought home Sean Miller from second to tie the game. Miller had led off the inning with a single of his own, and was moved into scoring position on a Tanner English sacrifice bunt. With a tie game heading into the bottom of the ninth in Kane County, the Kernels went to left-hander Brandon Bixler, who had allowed at least one run in each of his past four outings. He got two outs, but the trend continued and sent the Kernels into the dugout with a loss, as pinch-hitter Ildemaro Vargas blasted a two-run home run just over wall in the gap in left-center for the 3-1 walk-off victory. The win pushed Kane County’s (15-3) second half Western Division lead to four games over the Kernels (11-7). E-TOWN E-NOTES Johnson City 3, Elizabethton 2 Box Score Elizabethton’s game on Sunday was also easy on the scoreboard operators, as they got another fantastic pitching performance from Dereck Rodriguez. The Cardinals got on the board early with a run in the first inning as a single and stolen base put a runner in scoring position. A fielding error from first baseman Amaurys Minier would then allow that run to scamper home. From there on Rodriguez was in control. He finished six innings, allowing just the one unearned run on four hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out six and his ERA in four starts in the Appalachian League sits at 1.61. Elizabethton took the lead in the second inning, when Nelson Molina launched his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field making the score 2-1. Anthony Mciver added two scoreless innings in relief of Rodriguez to keep it that way until the ninth inning for Jose Abreu. With one out and a runner on second, Johnson City’s Luke Doyle sent a liner into center field for a single. The runner was waved around third but the throw beat him home to keep the lead with two outs. The next hitter grounded to third, but the throw was misplayed by Tyler Kuresa for an error on the first baseman, and the tying run came around to score before Abreu got the third out. Elizabethtons lineup was retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Abreu came out for another inning, but did not record an out, and the three singles surrendered brought home the go-ahead run for the Cardinals. Logan Lombana came in to replace Abreu with two runners on an escaped any more damage by retiring all three hitters he faced. Down 3-2 in the tenth, the Twins got the tying run on base after a Kamran Young single, but pinch hitter A.J. Murray grounded into a double play to end the game. Murray was pinch hitting for Wade, who was 2-4 in the game before that at-bat. Molina also added two hits, including the home run to lead the offense. GCL TWINS TAKES The Gulf Coast League Twins, like the rest of the GCL, had the day off on Sunday. They host the GCL Rays on Monday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Elizabethton Twins (6.0 IP, 4 H’s, 0 ER’s, BB, 6 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Travis Harrison, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-4, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, BB, 5 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – International League All-Star Break. Mississippi @ Chattanooga (6:15 PM CST) – LHP David Hurlbut (4-4, 5.57 ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (6-4, 3.07 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:35 PM CST) – LHP Luke Westphal (1-1, 4.50 ERA) Johnson City @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Alex Tapia (1-1, 2.76 ERA) GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. 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Kyle Gibson continued his breakout campaign against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon, helping the Twins complete a series win against their division rival heading into the All Star Break. Miguel Sano also delivered his second career home run, avoiding the silent treatment in the dugout for the first of many more times. Oh, and news flash: The Twins Have the Second Best Record in the American League! In the minors on Sunday, there was one game that had a ton of offense, and a bunch more with not so much. One former first round pick (supplemental round) had a big day, the guy batting behind him added to his home run totals, and a converted outfielder continued to shine in Elizabethton’s starting rotation. Read on to find out what happened and where! TRANSACTIONS First, there were a slew of transactions in Chattanooga before the games on Sunday. In Chattanooga, Travis Harrison was activated from the disabled list and had a big impact on their game. Zach Jones was also sent down to Fort Myers after his recent struggles, with Matt Summers being called up in his place. First baseman Mike Gonzales was also released by the Twins from the Lookouts roster. He is twenty-seven years old and had spent seven years in the Twins organization, reaching as high as AA. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Syracuse 4 Box Score Greg Peavey was on the mound for the Red Wings, and dueled with the Chiefs’ Taylor Jordan for much of the early going. It was still tied at zero into the fourth inning, before the home team struck first against Peavey. A two out double put a runner in scoring position, and the following single brought him home for the 1-0 lead. The Chiefs would add two more in the fifth, when the first three hitters all singled to score one, and a later double would score the second. Peavey would escape that inning without any more damage, and finished his day with a one-two-three sixth. He allowed the three runs on eight hits and one walk, while striking out two. Rochester was unable to get on the board until the eighth inning, when Jorge Polanco led off with a double, and scored later on a Chris Herrmann sacrifice fly. Polanco was a stud on Sunday afternoon, going 4-4 on the day with a double and a run scored, raising his average with the Red Wings to .366. He didn’t get much help from the rest of the offense however, as they were unable to string enough hits together behind him to make a difference on the scoreboard. As a team they were 1-12 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Caleb Thielbar threw a scoreless seventh inning, allowing one hit and striking out two; while Aaron Thompson pitched the bottom of the eighth, allowing one run on two hits to make the score 4-1. Danny Ortiz led off the ninth with a double, and Jose Martinez moved him to third with a single that brought the tying run to the plate with nobody out. But Wilkin Ramirez flew out to old friend Darin Mastroianni in center field, and Argenias Diaz grounded into a double play to end the game. With the loss, Rochester finishes the first half of their International League season with a record of 49-42, and sit in first place in the North Division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mississippi 11, Chattanooga 10 Box Score The game in Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon was a roller coaster for each side, as they combined for twenty-one runs on twenty-nine hits, and changed leads four times. Mississippi put a crooked number up in the first, as three singles and a wild pitch combined to plate two runs off Lookout’s starter Jason Wheeler. They got both those runs back in the bottom of the second as Travis Harrison led off with a walk, and Stephen Wickens, Marcus Knecht, and Stuart Turner all singled to make it 2-2. Wheeler settled down after the first inning and finished seven innings, scattering a total of nine hits. He allowed three runs (two earned), did not walk a batter, and struck out three. Mississippi took back the lead 3-2 in the sixth when the Braves got a double and single in succession, but they handed the lead to Chattanooga in the bottom of the inning. Wickens drew a walk and was followed by a Knecht single, before Stuart Turner greeted the bullpen with a 2-RBI double to make it 4-3. They tacked on three more runs in the seventh inning as Harrison (2-R HR) and Adam Brett Walker (solo HR) connected for back to back blasts. They were Harrison’s fourth of the season, and Walker’s twenty-fourth. Brandon Peterson was summoned from the bullpen for the top of the eighth inning, having not allowed a run since his promotion to AA, and in 26.0 innings overall since May 5th. The streak was not to continue any further, as a single and triple quickly put an end to it. A later double would score a second run to make the score 7-5. The Lookouts got back those runs and more again in the bottom of the frame, as two singles and a walk would load the bases, and Harrison would clear them with a double to make it 10-5 going into the ninth. J.T. Chargois recorded the first two outs quickly, but then all hell broke loose against the reliever and home team. A walk, single, and a double would score two, before another single, and two walks would score a third and leave the bases loaded for Matt Summers. Mississippi brought in Pinch Hitter Rio Ruiz, who drew an RBI walk to make it 10-9, then a double from Sean Godfrey would put the Braves ahead 11-10. Deflated by the bullpen implosion, Chattanooga’s offense went down one-two-three in the bottom of the inning to take the loss, and look to avoid a five-game home-series sweep byMississippi on Monday. MIRACLE MATTERS Clearwater 4, Fort Myers 1 Box Score Lefthander Stephen Gonsalves was on the mound for the Miracle, making his fifth Florida State League start. He wasn’t his greatest, but also wasn’t helped much by his defense, as two of his three runs allowed were unearned after a throwing error from Alex Swim in the fourth. Gonsalves’s day would come to an end in the sixth inning, as a throwing error from T.J. White after two singles to start the inning would load the bases. Nick Burdi came into the game and shut down the threat with two strikeouts and an infield pop out. Overall on the day Gonsalves pitched five innings, allowing the three runs (one earned) on eight hits and four walks. He struck out two. The Miracle offense closed the score to 3-1 in the fourth, when a Mitch Garver double scored Ryan Walker, who had singled to lead off the inning, but that is as close as they would get. Burdi also came out for the seventh, and set the Threshers down one-two-three while adding another strikeout. It was then Tyler Jay’s turn in the eighth, and he struck out all three hitters he faced. Todd Van Steensel came on in the ninth and promptly loaded the bases with two walks and single. He allowed one run on a single before managing to wiggle out of the jam by inducing a 1-2-3 double-play. Fort Myers would go down in order in the bottom of the ninth to hand Gonsalves his first loss in the FSL, though he did lower his ERA to 2.61. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Kane County 3 Box Score Despite each team collecting ten hits, there wasn’t much in the run columns on the scoreboard for either team, as they combined for just one extra-base hit on the day. The Cougars took the lead 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth off Kernels starter Sam Gibbons, as a double from Marty Herum led off the inning, and a sac bunt and sac fly brought him home. It would remain that way until the eighth inning, as Gibbons scattered seven hits and a walk over 5.1 innings while striking out three, and reliever Luke Bard added 2.2 scoreless frames, striking out two. Cougars starter Markus Solbach scattered nine hits over seven innings of his own, striking out four. In the eighth inning the Kernels finally got to him, as a Nick Gordon single brought home Sean Miller from second to tie the game. Miller had led off the inning with a single of his own, and was moved into scoring position on a Tanner English sacrifice bunt. With a tie-game heading into the bottom of the ninth in Kane County, the Kernels went to lefthander Brandon Bixler, who had allowed at least one run in each of his past four outings. He got two outs, but that trend continued and sent the Kernels into the dugout with a loss, as pinch-hitter Ildemaro Vargas blasted a two-run home run just over wall in the gap in left center for the 3-1 walk-off victory. The win pushed Kane County’s (15-3) second half Western Division lead to four games over the Kernels (11-7). E-TOWN E-NOTES Johnson City 3, Elizabethton 2 Box Score Elizabethton’s game on Sunday was also easy on the scoreboard operators, as they got another fantastic pitching performance from Derek Rodriguez. The Cardinals got on the board early with a run in the first inning as a single and stolen base put a runner in scoring position. A fielding error from first baseman Amaurys Minier would then allow that run to scamper home. From there on Rodriguez was in control. He finished six innings, allowing just the one unearned run on four hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out six and his ERA in four starts in the Appalachian League sits at 1.61. Elizabethton took the lead in the second inning, when Nelson Molina launched his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field making the score 2-1. Anthony Mciver added two scoreless innings in relief of Rodriguez to keep it that way until the ninth inning for Jose Abreu. With one out and a runner on second, Johnson City’s Luke Doyle sent a liner into centerfield for a single. The runner was waved around third but the throw beat him home to keep the lead with two outs. The next hitter grounded to third, but the throw was misplayed by Tyler Kuresa for an error on the first baseman, and the tying run came around to score before Abreau got the third out. Elizabethtons lineup was retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Abreu came out for another inning, but did not record an out, and the three singles surrendered brought home the go-ahead run for the Cardinals. Logan Lombana came in to replace Abreu with two runners on an escaped any more damage by retiring all three hitters he faced. Down 3-2 in the tenth, the Twins got the tying run on base after a Kamran Young single, but pinch hitter A.J. Murray would ground into a double play to end the game. Murray was pinch hitting for Wade, who was 2-4 in the game before that at-bat. Molina also added two hits, including the home run to lead the offense. GCL TWINS TAKES The Gulf Coast League Twins, like the rest of the GCL, had the day off on Sunday. They host the GCL Rays on Monday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Derek Rodriguez, Elizabethton Twins (6.0 IP, 4 H’s, 0 ER’s, BB, 6 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Travis Harrison, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-4, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, BB, 5 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – International League All-Star Break. Mississippi @ Chattanooga (6:15 PM CST) – LHP David Hurlbut (4-4, 5.57 ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (6-4, 3.07 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:35 PM CST) – LHP Luke Westphal (1-1, 4.50 ERA) Johnson City @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Alex Tapia (1-1, 2.76 ERA) GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

The 54 minute 35 second mark is important podcast information and discussion... q; )

I was actually worried about that in titling the article. I couldn't find anything else very thematic for the day, so here we are, haha!

What Darin says. People are quick to forget, that despite his young age, he has yet to earn full-time play (on bad teams over the past three years) and will have burned all his options after this season (and he was given a fourth option year in 2015). He'll be back this year, but I think he's pretty low on the OF totem pole right now and he isn't going to be handed anything.

Who knows if he's here to stay, but I agree with you on a lot! He's MLB-ready as a hitter. There's more than a few people, including coaches in the minors (Dougie), that know and/or have said he was more ready than Buxton as a hitter. I hope to see his first MLB home run tonight at Target Field!

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.