Steve Lein

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

The second game will go 7 innings.

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

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

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

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

I don't want to "dump" Arcia. Like I said, love the potential in his bat, I just don't think he's a good fit here. He needs to be an outfielder to fit, and he's not even an average one. It's about maximizing your assets.

Put me in the Max Murphy column. He filled up the fantasy stat sheet a bit better!

Been saying this over and over, but I've never thought Arcia was a logical fit for this roster, even though I love the potential in his bat. I'm likely in a large minority, but I was advocating to trade him two years ago because you could see this exact scenario of too many DH's looming, and he was peaking in value in my opinion. The potential of HR power too often overshadows the deficiencies of a player in the eyes of fans if you ask me, and you point out his.

I understand this argument, but it's also one you can poke holes in. You can get power in your lineup from wherever it shows up, it doesn't HAVE TO BE from a corner outfielder. It should depend on how your roster is constructed. Maximizing and utilizing what you have, not pigeon-holing positions into what is the "accepted/expected norm," is how you build a winner when you're a team like the Twins. The future might have Sano at 3B/1B/DH, Vargas at 1B/DH, Dozier at 2B, Arcia in LF/DH, Buxton in CF, Plouffe at 3B/wherever... It strikes me as odd in this scenario that Hicks would be required or expected to have power.

And it's now been revealed that Kohl Stewart is coming off the DL to start tonight, so the "tentative" mark was accurate q; )

I understand the idea behind the "can't hit enough for a corner OF" argument, but I also think it's a fundamentally flawed one. Outfielders aren't the only position that make up a roster. You can get power from wherever it shows up on the diamond. A corner OF-er doesn't NEED to hit for a bunch of power if you're getting it from somewhere else. Plouffe, Vargas, Hunter, Dozier, and Arcia can provide power. How many spots in the lineup do you think have to have it?! If I'm looking to the future, There's Buxton, Arcia, Vargas, Plouffe, Dozier, Sano... Why do you think Hicks has to be a masher to stick? Personally, I love the Idea of a Rosario, Buxton, Hicks outfield of the future (I've advocated trading Arcia for three years now, love his bat, but he doesn't belong in an OF so just isn't a good fit here), along with a lineup that also has Mauer, Plouffe, Sano, Vargas, Dozier, and Santana/Polanco in it. Why on earth would we "require" power from Hicks in a corner outfield spot with that lineup? That's a potentially very powerful lineup that would also provide incredible outfield defense.

Definitely flying under the radar, but then again, a lot of guys are on that roster. Polanco was my pre-season pick for MiLB Hitter of the Year, partly based on the fact he's in this lineup. He's too good of a hitter for pitchers to ignore, but that ends up being a byproduct of pitchers when facing this lineup. He's taking advantage of it, leading the team in hits and showing some surprising pop.

No injury, just no official listing of the starter at this point, so he's our best guess.

Only two of the Minnesota Twins four full-season affiliates were in action on Sunday afternoon, but there was enough offense provided for all of them by the lineup in Chattanooga as they won their fourth straight game with general manager Terry Ryan in attendance. There was also a league ERA leader on the mound looking for his third win of the season.Read on to find out how it all happened! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Louisville 3 Box Score A Rochester lineup without outfielders Eddie Rosario and Aaron Hicks was unable to muster much offense in Louisville, as Bats starter Jon Moscot shut them down to the tune of just three hits and one run in eight innings. The damage came from the bat of Reynaldo Rodriguez, who slugged his second home run of the year in the fourth inning. He also singled in the first inning, accounting for two of the team’s three hits. Wilkin Ramirez had the other, a single, and also drew a walk. That was it for the Red Wings offense as they did not have a single at-bat with runners in scoring position on the day, and left only two men on base. Left-hander Jason Wheeler made the start for the Red Wings, and he did his best to match Moscot, pitching into the eighth inning. He finished 7.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, while striking out three. It was back-to-back home runs to start the fifth inning that put the game ultimately out of reach, 3-1. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jackson 3, Chattanooga 16 Box Score Starter D.J. Baxendale entered the day as the Southern League ERA leader, with a mark of 0.86. On the year, he had started five games for the Lookouts and pitched six or more innings each game, totaling 31.1 innings while striking out 29. He ended the day no longer leading the league in ERA, nor did he pitch six innings, but did pick up his third win. His pitch count got up there pretty fast in this one, as it took 107 pitches to finish five innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits, one a solo home run, and two walks. He struck out five. With the game in hand at that point already, at 8-0, Cole Johnson came in and pitched the next two innings. He gave up one run on three hits and struck out two. Nick Burdi then came on and lowered his ERA to 7.50, pitching two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and one walk, while striking out three. The Lookouts offense exploded early and often in this one as general manager Terry Ryan looked on. They hung crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the first (2), third (3), and fourth (2) innings, and added another in the fifth to build an 8-2 lead. Jorge Polanco scored Byron Buxton with a sac fly after he had been hit by a pitch to lead off the game and found his way to third on a Stephan Wickens single. Miguel Sano followed with a double that scored Wickens. Sano added his first RBI sac fly of the day in the third inning, and this was followed by Adam Brett Walker II’s league- leading eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot. Buxton drew a walk in the fourth inning, went to third on a Wickens single, and scored on a Polanco single before Sano added his second run-scoring sac fly to make the score 7-2. Max Kepler led off the fifth inning with a double and came around to score on a Buxton single to get them to eight runs. The next inning, Chattanooga brought 13 men to the plate and extended their lead to 15-3. Harrison, Walker, Kepler clubbed doubles after a single from Polanco, then Stuart Turner walked and Heiker Meneses added the fourth double of the inning to give the Lookouts their first four runs of the inning. Buxton then, with a single, brought Turner home and sent Meneses to third. Wickens reached second on a two-base error which plated Meneses and sent Buxton to third. To end the inning's scoring Sano singled, driving in Buxton. Another crooked number. Polanco added an RBI triple in the eighth inning to finish the scoring in the game. Six hitters had a multiple-hit game, including Buxton (2-4, 3 R’s, 2 RBI, BB), Wickens (3-5, 4 R’s), Polanco (4-5, R, 3B, 3 RBI), Sano (2-4, 2B, 4 RBI), Walker II (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBI), and Kepler (3-5, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, RBI). Harrison was 1-3 with a double and drew three walks, and Meneses added a double and an RBI to the effort. Catcher Stuart Turner was the only batter without a hit on the day, but drew a walk and scored a run. Quite the day for several players with the GM in attendance! MIRACLE MATTERS The Fort Myers Miracle had the day off on Sunday and will resume their homestand with a four-game series against the Dunedin Blue Jays Monday Night. KERNELS NUGGETS It was a scheduled day off for the Cedar Rapids Kernels as well, as they returned home from a 6-0 road trip against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Beloit Snappers. They will host the Peoria Chiefs. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Nick Burdi, Chattanooga Lookouts (2.0 IP, 0 R’s, 2 H’s, BB, 3 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Entire Chattanooga Lookouts lineup (18 H’s, 6 2B’s, 3B, HR, 15 RBI, 5 BB). Okay, if I have to pick one, it’s Adam Brett Walker II (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBIs). MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – LHP Pat Dean (2-2, 2.45 ERA) Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05 PM CST) – RHP Alex Wimmers (0-0, 6.43 ERA) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (Return from DL) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Jared Wilson (3-0, 2.42 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games. Click here to view the article

Only two of the Minnesota Twins four full-season affiliates were in action on Sunday afternoon, but there was enough offense provided for all of them by the lineup in Chattanooga lineup as they won their fourth straight game with General Manager Terry Ryan in attendance. There was also a League ERA leader on the mound looking for his third win of the season. Read on to find out how it all happened! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Louisville 3 Box Score A Rochester lineup without outfielders Eddie Rosario and Aaron Hicks was unable to muster much offense in Louseville, as Bats starter Jon Moscot shut them down to the tune of just three hits and one run in eight innings. The damage came from the bat of Reynaldo Rodriguez, who slugged his second home run of the year in the fourth inning. He also singled in the first inning, accounting for two of the team’s three hits. Wilkin Ramirez had the other, a single, and also drew a walk. That was it for the Red Wings offense as they did not have a single at-bat with runners in scoring position on the day, and left only two men on base. Left-hander Jason Wheeler made the start for the Red Wings, and did his best to match Moscot, pitching into the eighth inning. He finished 7.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, while striking out three. It was back-to-back home runs to start the fifth inning that put the game out of reach, 3-1. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jackson 3, Chattanooga 16 Box Score Starter D.J. Baxendale entered the day as the Southern League ERA leader, with a mark of 0.86. On the year, he had started five games for the Lookouts and pitched six or more innings each game, totaling 31.1 innings while striking out 29. He would end the day no longer leading the league in ERA, nor did he pitch six innings, but did pick up his third win. His pitch count got up there pretty fast in this one, as it took 107 pitches to finish five innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits, one a solo home run, and two walks. He struck out five. With the game in hand at that point already, at 8-0, Cole Johnson came in and pitched the next two innings. He gave up one run on three hits and struck out two. Nick Burdi then came on and lowered his ERA to 7.50, pitching two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and one walk, while striking out three. The Lookouts offense exploded early and often in this one, as General Manager Terry Ryan looked on. They hung crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the first (2), third (3), and fourth (2) innings, and added another in the fifth to build the 8-2 lead. Jorge Polanco scored Byron Buxton from third after he was hit by a pitch to leadoff the game with a Sac Fly in the first, and Miguel Sano followed with a double that scored Stephen Wickens. Sano added his first RBI Sac Fly of the day in the third inning, and was followed by Adam Brett Walker II’s Florida State League leading eighth home run of the season, a two run shot that scored Travis Harrison. Buxton drew a walk in the fourth inning, and scored on a Polanco single before Sano added his second run scoring Sac Fly to make the score 7-2. Max Kepler led off the fifth inning with a double and came around to score on a Buxton single to get them to the eight runs. The next inning, Chattanooga would bring thirteen men to the plate, and extend their lead to 15-3. Harrison, Walker II, Kepler, and Heiker Meneses would club doubles around a single from Polanco and a walk from Stuart Turner to score the first four runs of the inning. Buxton then brought home Turner with a single and came around to score on a single from Sano after an error off the bat of Wickens allowed Meneses to score from third. Polanco added an RBI triple in the eighth inning to finish the scoring on the game. Six hitters had multiple hit games, including Buxton (2-4, 3 R’s, 2 RBI, BB), Wickens (3-5, 4 R’s), Polanco (4-5, R, 3B, 3 RBI), Sano (2-4, 2B, 4 RBI), Walker II (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBI), and Kepler (3-5, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, RBI). Harrison was 1-3 with a double and drew three walks, and Meneses added a double and an RBI to the effort. Catcher Stuart Turner was the only batter without a hit on the day, but drew a walk and scored a run. Quite the day for several players with the GM in attendance! MIRACLE MATTERS The Fort Myers Miracle had the day off on Sunday and will resume their homestand with a four game series against the Dunedin Blue Jays Monday Night. KERNELS NUGGETS It was a scheduled day off for the Cedar Rapids Kernels as well, as they returned home from a 6-0 road trip against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Beloit Snappers. They will host the Peoria Chiefs. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Nick Burdi, Chattanooga Lookoutss (2.0 IP, 0 R’s, 2 H’s, BB, 3 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Entire Chattanooga Lookouts lineup (18 H’s, 6 2B’s, 3B, HR, 15 RBI, 5 BB). Okay, if I have to pick one, it’s Adam Brett Walker II (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBI). MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – LHP Pat Dean (2-2, 2.45 ERA) Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05 PM CST) – RHP Alex Wimmers (0-0, 6.43 ERA) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (1-2, 3.64 ERA, tentative) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Jared Wilson (3-0, 2.42 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games.

Love the talk about the changeup. His has always been highly regarded and far and away his best pitch if you ask me. Has been rated as the best changeup in the organization by Baseball America since he came over, and it's easy to see why with all the swings and misses he gets on it.

Only report I've seen is at the end of this article: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/sports/professional/story/2015/may/05/sizzling-starlookouts-center-fielder-byrbuxtr/302426/ Sprained ankle. Definitely looked worse than that in the video.

Was a placeholder for the video to be added in the article on the front page. I write these on Sundays, but a few other people get ahold of it before they get moved there. I didn't have the video at the time, so left it for them! Thanks for reading!

A former first round pick delivered a walk-off victory in Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon, in a game where both teams combined for thirty-hits and twenty-seven runs to provide the most entertaining game of the year. Elsewhere, there were three quality starts from starting pitchers, and standout games from several hitters. Read on to hear all about the slugfest in Chattanooga, and everything else that happened in Sunday’s action! RED WINGS REPORT Norfolk 3, Rochester 7 Box Score Rochester started the game off with a bang, scoring four runs in the first inning to chase Norfolk starter Zach Davies from the game after recording just two outs. Eddie Rosario started the early rally with a walk, and an error put Reynaldo Rodriguez and Rosario on first and second. Josmil Pinto singled and Rosario raced home, but was thrown out at home for the second out. An Eric Fryer single brought Rodriguez home from third for the game’s first run, then Danny Ortiz brought home two more with a triple to centerfield. He would score on a single from James Beresford to make it 4-0 after the first inning, and Davies was gone from the game. Rochester struck for two more runs in the fifth inning on singles from Jose Martinez and Beresford, and Aaron Hicks led off the sixth with a home run to left center to put them up 7-1. Alex Meyer made the start for the Red Wings, and delivered a quality start. It was not without it’s warts as he allowed three runs on six hits and four walks, but limited the damage by scattering them and tallying six strikeouts. He pitched into the eighth inning, but walked the first two batters and was replaced by Caleb Thielbar. Sixty-Three of his one-hundred and four pitches went for strikes on the afternoon. Thielbar allowed the two inherited runners to score in the eighth while recording one out before being lifted for A.J. Achter. He finished the game for his first save of the year, striking out one in 1.2 innings. Hicks (2-5, R, 2B, HR, RBI), Fryer (3-5, 2 R’s, RBI), Ortiz (2-4, 2 R’s, 3B, 2 RBI), and Beresford (2-4, 2 RBI) had multiple hits on the day for the offense. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jacksonville 13, Chattanooga 14 Box Score It was all fireworks all the time in Chattanooga, as the teams combined for thirty hits and twenty-seven runs on the game. Jacksonville jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, before the Lookouts struck for six runs in the bottom of the third. The inning got started with a leadoff triple from Max Kepler, his second on the season, and he scored on an error by the first baseman that came off the bat of Stuart Turner. A Heiker Meneses single moved put runners on first and second, and they both raced home when Byron Buxton tripled to left. Buxton would score on Dalton Hicks single, then Miguel Sano punctuated the inning with a two run home run to left. The triple and home run were both Buxton and Sano’s fifth of the year. Lookouts starter Greg Peavey would give the lead back immediately in the fourth inning as a hit batter, two singles, and a double tied the score at 6-6 and brought Dallas Gallant into the game. Another double would plate two more runs and give Jacksonville the lead 8-6. Chattanooga would tie the game at eight in the bottom half when a Levi Michael double brough home Matt Juengel, and a Hicks sac fly brought home Meneses from third base. The score remained tied until the bottom of the seventh, when Adam Brett Walker II hits his sixth home run of the year, a solo shot, to make it 9-8. The lead again would not hold as Jake Reed ran into trouble in the top of the eighth, allowing three consecutive singles to score two, and a triple that brought in two more to make the game 12-9 in favor of the Suns. The Lookouts were not about to back down however, and again tied the game in the home team’s half of the inning when Buxton and Meneses scored on a Levi Michael triple after singling themselves, and Sano brought home Michael with a Sac Fly to make it 12-12. Nick Burdi came in to pitch the ninth inning, and after recording an out, gave up a triple to Kenny Wilson to put the go-ahead run on third. A Sac Fly would give the Suns the lead before Burdi finished the inning with a strikeout. You just knew the Lookouts lineup was going to give up in this one, and Walker led off the bottom of the inning with a double to left. A Kepler single and stolen base put the game winning run on second, and a walk to Turner loaded the bases. The tying run scored when Meneses drew a second consecutive walk, and Byron Buxton stepped into the box with the game winning run on third. He popped out in foul territory (wink), but the 2012 first round got picked up by 2011’s first round pick, Levi Michael. His single to left on an 0-1 count brought Kepler racing home to start the walk-off celebration: [VIDEO] The Lookouts offense pounded out thirteen hits and was 6-14 with runners scoring position. Buxton (2-6, 2 R’s, 3B, 2 RBI), Michael (3-6, R, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI), Walker (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, RBI), Kepler (2-4, 2 R’s, 3B, BB, SB), and Meneses (2-4, 3 R’s, RBI, BB) filled up the stat sheet for Chattanooga. All four pitchers for Chattanooga gave up an earned run, but the offense would not let them down. Burdi picked up the win to make him 2-3 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte 5, Fort Myers 2 Box Score This one was a pitcher’s duel until Fort Myers starter Brett Lee left the game after six innings. He allowed just one run on five hits and four walks, while striking out two. Brian Gilbert pitched a scoreless seventh but two walks and a single to start the eighth put the go-ahead run on the scoreboard, and runners on the corners for J.T. Chargois. A groundout and single brought in the inherited runners for a 4-1 Stone Crabs lead before Chargois recorded a strikeout to escape the inning. Fort Myers got one back in the bottom of the eighth, when a Marcus Knecht Sac Fly brought in Niko Goodrum, but that’s all the Miracle were able to scratch by. Charlotte added an insurance run in the ninth off Brandon Peterson, and reliever Brad Schreiber struck out Tanner Vavra, Engelb Vielma, and Zach Granite to end the game. Goodrum was 2-3 on the day with a run scored, a walk, and his fourth stolen base, Knecht and Vielma each recorded an RBI, and Tanner Vavra added a double to lead the offense. As a team they were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 5, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score Clinton jumped out to an early lead against Cedar Rapids starter Felix Jorge in the second inning, when consecutive singles put runners on base for first baseman Kristian Brito. His first home run of the year made the score 3-0, and provided all the offense Lumberjack starter Pat Peterson would need. Jorge finished with a quality start, going six innings and allowing the three runs on nine hits and one walk. He struck out five. Sam Clay allowed two runs on two hits and three walks in two innings, giving Clinton some insurance, and Michael Theofanopoulos finished the game with a scoreless ninth. Although they had ten hits as a team, including multi-hit efforts from Max Murphy (3-4), Pat Kelly (2-5, R, 3B), and Trey Vavra (2-4, R, 2B), they managed just one RBI (Jorge Fernandez) and left ten men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Alex Meyer, Rochester Red Wings (W, 7.0IP, 3 ER’s, 6 H’s, 4 BB, 6 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Levi Michael, Chattanooga Lookouts (3-6, R, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, Game-winning single) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – Scheduled Day Off Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (6:15 PM CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale (2-0, 1.97 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Luke Westphal (0-1,6.57 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin – RHP Jared Wilson (2-0, 1.65 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games.

Hey, I wrote this one! Seth doesn't write all of these, guys, haha! He'd be WAY overloaded!!! Jeremy Nygaard, Cody Christie, and Eric Pleiss also contribute q;-) Anyway, good catch on that. Not sure why it got changed here, it's not written that way in the original post on my own blog. It was the "flurry" of four singles that scored the runs, not walks. I wasn't able to find anything out on Lee's injury, just that he was on the 7-day DL to start the season, was placed there on April 6th.

In the minors on Sunday, Twins affiliates saw a solid rehab appearance from starter Ricky Nolasco in Cedar Rapids, and eight dominant innings from a left-hander in Rochester. Multiple games had dramatic finishes, but just one team would bring home a victory. Read on to find out what happened and where! RED WINGS REPORT Syracuse 4, Rochester 6 Box Score Rochester plated four runners in the third inning, and two in the fourth to provide just enough offense for the bullpen in the ninth, after starter Pat Dean delivered eight dominant innings. Dean allowed just six hits (all singles) and walked two, while striking out seven on the day. He retired the first ten Syracuse hitters of the game, and his is lone earned run against came in the fourth inning. Tony Gwynn Jr. singled with one out, and moved to second on a walk, before a Kila Ka'aihue single with two outs brought him home from second. Dean would strike out the next hitter to end the inning. Rochester's offense brought all nine hitters in the lineup to the plate in the third, resulting in their big inning. Aaron Hicks led off with walk, then stole second base and scored the first run of the game on a Josmil Pinto single. A Brock Peterson single later loaded the bases for Danny Ortiz, who's groundout went 3-2 to prevent a run but kept the bases loaded with two outs. Jose Martinez then single to bring in two runs, and chase starter Taylor Jordan from the game. James Beresford would bring Ortiz home with the final run of the inning with a double. A Reynaldo Rodriguez triple to left field in the fourth inning scored Hicks and Pinto to provide the needed offense in the ninth, when Stephen Pryor relieved Dean with a 6-1 lead. The first three batters would load the bases after a double, walk, and single. The Red Wings then conceded the run for a double play that made the score 6-2 with two outs and left a runner on third. The next hitter, Cutter Dykstra, hit his first home run of the season to make the score 6-4. Rochester went back to the bullpen for closer Michael Tonkin, and he struck out the final batter for his fifth save of the year. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Tennessee 5 Box Score The Lookouts would score first and last in this one, but nothing in between handed them their sixth loss in their last seven games to put them at 7-9 on the season, and in fourth place in the Southern's Leagues North Division. Dalton Hicks hit his second home run of the year in the first inning for the early 1-0 lead, and a ninth inning double from Adam Brett Walker put runners on second and third. A Stephen Wickens groundout would then bring in the games last run. In between, the Lookouts managed just three singles, and Tennessee starter Frank Batista retired the last twelve hitters he faced to complete seven innings. Chattanooga starter Tyler Duffy ran into trouble with two outs in the fifth inning and the game tied 1-1. With runners on first and third, four consecutive singles would plate runs to put the Smokies up for good 5-1. Adrian Salcedo came on for the sixth inning, and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three to finish the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Palm Beach 4, Fort Myers 2 Box Score Starter Brett Lee came off the disabled list to make his first start of the season for the Miracle, and left the game down 4-0 after five innings. He surrendered the four runs on 11 hits, while striking out four. It was a flurry of singles that would cause problems for Lee in the fifth (and all game for the Miracle), when four of them ended up tallying three runs on the scoreboard. Dereck Rodriguez would make his Florida State League and 2015 season debut when he came on for the sixth inning. He pitched two innings of scoreless ball, allowing one hit and walking two, with two K's. Brandon Peterson would allow two hits while collecting the first two outs of eighth inning, before being replaced by Madison Boer who finished the game with 1.1 scoreless. The Miracle scored both their runs in the sixth, when with two outs a Jason Kanzler single moved Chad Christensen to second. Logan Wade would bring him home with a single of his own, and Marcus Knecht followed with a double to bring in Kanzler. The Miracle wouldn't collect another hit until there were two outs in the ninth inning when Mitch Garver singled to center. The next hitter, Bryan Harr would fly out to left to end the game. Despite all of the Cardinals hits being singles, the Miracle were outhit 14-7 on the game and fell to 6-12 on the season. Palm Beach got a complete game effort from Jimmy Reed, who improved to 2-0. KERNELS NUGGETS Kane County 3, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score Cedar Rapids made a late effort to avoid a series sweep, but would leave a runner in scoring position in the ninth to be handed a series sweep by rival Kane County. Ricky Nolasco made the start in his first rehab appearnace, and was solid in five innings. He allowed just one run (unearned) on three hits and zero walks. while striking out five. He completed his outing with a 1-2-3 fifth inning, with the final two hitters of the going down looking. A Tanner English error in center field in the first inning led to the only blemish in the run column. The Kernels tied the game in the fifth, when Nick Gordon brought home English after he singled and stole second base (his seventh of the year) to tie the game at one, making up for the early misplay. It was then quiet until the seventh inning, when reliever Michael Theofanopoulus ran into some issues. A double from Fernery Ozuna would put the Cougars up 2-1, and then two consecutive wild pitches brought him home to make it 3-1. In the ninth inning Cedar Rapids had a chance after English led off the frame with his first home run of the year, making it 3-2. Zach Granite would draw a walk and move to second on a wild-pitch to put the tying run in scoring position, but Max Murphy groundout would end the game. English and Granite would each collect two hits to lead the Fort Myers offense, but as a team the Miracle were just 1-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded twelve men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings (W, 8.0IP, 1 R, 6 H’s, 2 BB, 7 K’s) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tanner English, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-4, 2 R's, HR, RBI, SB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ Rochester (5:35 PM CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers (1-0, 2.37 ERA) Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:05 PM CST) – RHP J.O. Berrios (1-1, 3.94 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (6:06 PM CST) – LHP Luke Westphal (0-1, 5.40 ERA) Cedar Rapids - Scheduled Day Off. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games.