Steve Lein

The big news in Twins Territory on Friday was the promotion of Trevor May, who will make his MLB debut against the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, opposing recent A’s acquisition Jeff Samardzija. The Twins options Chris Colabello after Friday's game to the necessary room for May. Kyle Gibson took the mound for the Twins on Friday in Oakland, and until the fifth inning was continuing to resemble a revelation for their rotation. That’s when Oakland struck for four runs and a nearly insurmountable lead against lefty Scott Kazmir. The Twins would get to him in a big way the seventh, but at that point their five runs on the board were not enough to put them out front. In the ninth inning, Josh Willingham was just feet away from notching a go-ahead home run against his former team and closer Sean Doolittle, but his blast drifted just foul, and he took a called third strike on the next pitch to end the game. In the minors, one starter flirted with a no-hitter only to end up being one-upped by another who finished a complete-game shutout, and a certain rookie-free-agent/mythical-flamethrower made his professional pitching debut with Elizabethton. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 11, Indianapolis 4 Box score Rochester scored single runs in each of the first two innings, then bludgeoned the Indians for six total runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and three more in the ninth en route to the blowout. Six hitters tallied multiple hits, including Doug Bernier (3-5), Chris Herrmann (2-4), Josmil Pinto (2-3), Wilkin Ramirez (2-5), Aaron Hicks (2-5), and Deibinson Romero (3-5). Bernier hit his sixth home run of the season to lead off the game, and Aaron Hicks added a long blast in the second to put the Red Wings in front 2-0. In the fifth, it was a leadoff single from Romero and extra base hits from Herrmann (3B), Pinto (2B), Danny Ortiz (2B), and finally a Ramirez single that scored four runs, then a string of singles in the sixth that scored two more. The Rochester lineup was 8-15 with runners in scoring position on the night. Mark Hamburger made the start, and pitched 6.1 (extra) quality innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks. What gets lost in that overall line is the fact he held a no hitter intact through six of those innings. It unraveled for him quickly in the seventh however, which led to the Indians three runs before Stephen Pryor would finish the inning. Hamburger struck out just one, but recorded twelve groundouts compared to just four flyouts. In his return to Rochester, Logan Darnell pitched the next 0.2 innings of relief, and surrendered a run after a double, wild pitch, and RBI groundout in the eighth. Michael Tonkin finished the final 1.1 innnings, striking out one. The victory brought the Red Wings within one and a half games of the first place Syracuse Chiefs. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 0, Erie 6 Box Score Starter Pat Dean was roughed up for twelve hits and six earned runs in just 3.1 innings, and the Rock Cats were unable to mount any threats against Seawolves pitchers in this one, racking up just six hits and going 0-7 on the night with runners in scoring position. Jorge Polanco was 2-4, and Eddie Rosario collected the only extra base hit for New Britain, his fourteenth double of the year in the sixth inning. Alex Wimmers came on for 2.2 innings of relief, allowing just one hit while striking out four, and Jim Fuller added two scoreless innings while New Britain limped to the finish in this one. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, St. Lucie 0 Box Score Fort Myers was able to collect some retribution for the AA shutout, by doing the same to their high-A opponent, the St. Lucie Mets. Brett Lee was on the mound looking to atone for his last start, in which he lasted just four innings and allowed four runs. He did that and more, pitching the complete game shutout, scattering seven hits and three walks, while striking out four. He also induced three double plays, and none of the St. Lucie hits went for extra bases. The win gives him a 9-3 record on the year in fifteen starts, and lowered his ERA to 1.89, which would rank fourth in the FSL if he had 3 more innings under his belt, and just ahead of former teammate, Jose Berrios. The Mets actually outhits the Miracle 7-6, but RBI triples from Stuart Turner in the seventh, and Max Kepler in the ninth gave Lee all the support he would need. Kepler was 2-3 on the night, while Travis Harrison was 1-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Byron Buxton rough stretch continued, as he went 0-4 with two strikeouts on the night, and is batting just .171 in his last ten games. In The Sandlot-esque fashion, Jason Kanzler entered the game in the top of the ninth as a pinch runner for Dalton Hicks, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then proceeded to steal third base. He would then take home as part of a double-steal with Adam Brett Walker II for the Miracle’s third run of the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Kane County 6, Cedar Rapids 5 Box score Cedar Rapids fell behind early, as starter Stephen Gonsalves had some trouble in the first inning, as leadoff singles from the first two batters, a walk, and a bases clearing double put them in the hole 3-0. They would get two back in the second courtesy of sacrifice fly’s from Michael Quesada and Chad Christensen that plated Max Murphy and Logan Wade, but were unable to mount any more offense until the ninth inning. Gonsalves would retire nine in a row after the early hiccup, but was only able to finish four innings, allowing the three earned runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out five. In four starts (technically, but really three) with the Kernels, Gonsalves has now pitched sixteen innings with a 2.25 ERA, and sixteen strikeouts compared to just four walks. Chriss Mazza (2 IP, 3 H’s, 2 ER’s 3 K’s) and Hudson Boyd (2 IP, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 1 ER, 2 K’s) combined to pitch the next four innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five, Josue Montanez finished the game with a scoreless inning and two K’s. The Kernels mounted a furious comeback in the bottom of the ninth, which included an RBI single from the rehabbing Joe Mauer, and a Mitch Garver double that scored Engelb Vielma and Mauer to bring them within one. But strikeouts from Alex Swim and Logan Wade with the bases loaded would end the game in losing fashion. Mauer was 3-5 on the night, while Vielma (2-4), Swim (2-5, 2B) and Murphy (2-4, 2B) would also collect multiple hits. E-TWINS E-NOTES Danville 0, Elizabethton 7 Box Score 2014 third round draft choice and fireballer, Michael Cederoth made the start for Elizabethton, and was effectively wild in helping them post another shutout, allowing just one hit but four walks, while striking out four in 5.2 innings. There was also another (recently) well-publicized fireballer who made his professional debut in this one, and that of course means Sidd Finch, err, Brandon Poulson, took the mound in this one. I would say it went well, even though he didn’t strike out like twelve in his one-inning of work. In fact, he didn’t strike out anybody and walked the first batter he faced, but also saw just three batters as he induced a double play ball and weak pop-up for his three outs. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what this guy can do! C.K. Irby (1.1 innings) and Cameron Booser (1 inning) also pitched scoreless innings, with Irby striking out four and Booser striking out two. The E-Town offense was led by none other than Nick Gordon, who was 3-4 with a double, run scored, and RBI to raise his average back to just shy of .300 on the season. Brett Doe added a RBI triple to the effort, while leadoff man Jeremias Pineda went 1-3 with two walks and three runs scored. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score The GCL Twins took this one from the Red Sox at Jet Blue Park, behind a strong start from Josh Guyer, who went five innings and allowed just two runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out three. Jhon Silva, Leonel Zazueta (Win), and Trevor Hildenberger (Save) combined for four innings of scoreless relief, four hits and one walk allowed, with four strikeouts. A Nelson Molina triple scored the first run of the game for the Twins in the third inning, and they added two more in the seventh courtesy of two singles, two sacrifice bunts, and an error to head back home across Fort Myers and Daniels Parkway to the Lee County Sports Complex with the victory. DSL Twins Dialed In DSL D-backs 2, DSL Twins 3 Box Score Starter Moises Gomez (4 IP) and “long reliever” for the night, Randolph Perez (5 IP), combined for all nine innings, surrendering just two earned runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out four apiece. Luis Martinez was 3-4 with two doubles, Emmanuel Morel 2-4 with and run scored, and Roni Tapi added an RBI double in the win. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Brett Lee, Fort Myers Miracle (9IP, CG-SO, 7 H’s, 3 BB’s, 4 K’s) Hitter – Doug Bernier, Rochester Red Wings (3-5, 2 R’s, BB, HR, 2 RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Indianapolis – Alex Meyer (6-4, 3.05 ERA), 6:05PM CST New Britain @ Erie – Taylor Rogers (8-6, 3.92 ERA), 6:05PM CST Fort Myers @ Palm Beach – TBD, 5:35PM CST Kane County @ Cedar Rapids – Lewis Thorpe (2-2, 4.53 ERA), 5:05PM CST Danville @ Elizabethton – Sam Gibbons (3-2, 3.40 ERA), 5:00PM CST GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – TBD, 9:00AM CST DSL Twins @ DSL D-backs – TBD, 9:30AM CST

Frank Schulte is the 4th, in 1911...

I think there's quite a bit more in Buxton than a Crawford comp, but Crawford also had some fantastic years.

I like to call him a legitimate 20/20/20/20 guy... The list of guys to do that in MLB history is extremely short. Only four names, to be exact.

If I could "like" this more than once, I would. Couldn't say it better myself.

Don't have issue with the idea of "protecting an arm," but this should be a decision that is based on fluidity of his health in the present, not based on what occurred a year ago. I bet Meyer would say he feels fantastic and can do more if you asked him right now. Letting him throw 100+ pitches and go deeper into a game, or hell, pitch for the Twins, isn't going to exponentially increase a repeat injury risk at this point. This notion is absurd.

Yup, this. So many times this. And should they really be that concerned about a guy who's On-Base Percentage Against is .300?! Also, Baseball America published their "AAA Best Tools" today. Guess who gets recognized for "Best Fastball" AND "Best Breaking Pitch"? Yup, it's Alex Meyer.

I mean, what really do they need to show the Twins here? On International League leaderboards, May and Meyer are top 10 in ERA (#5 and #6 respectively), near the top in WHIP (#4 and #11), Meyer leads the league in overall K's and K/9, while May is #4 in K/9. They're even #2 (May) and #7 (Meyer) in FIP, and #2 (Meyer) and #3 (May) in Batting Average Against. The standards the Twins have for calling them up with how atrocious their starters in MLB have been is nothing short of baffling. I get the May injury pushing him back, but that concern is over.

If they don't bring up Meyer at all, I will be PISSED. Maybe even to the point of saying "Eff my season tickets, because this team doesn't give a crap about it's fans." It's that simple for me. They aren't 'young' prospects any more, take off the kid gloves.

That Cedar Rapids bullpen is just Ridiculous right now. If Burdi is in any early 2015 plans, I sure hope they move him up a level or two soon!

Generally if your team has a catcher or an outfielder pitching, it means that something went terribly wrong. After a long day of baseball in Louisville, Dan Rohlfing had to pitch for the Rochester Red Wings. You'll just have to read below how it went. Check out everything that happened throughout the Minnesota Twins farm system on Sunday, August 3.The Minnesota Twins offense exploded for twenty-three hits to pound the rival White Sox on Sunday afternoon in Chicago, 16-3. Danny Santana was 5-6 and a home run shy of the cycle, while Chris Parmelee (2-2), Oswaldo Arcia (3-6), and Eric Fryer (3-6) hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning with the game well in hand. Arcia’s mammoth blast cleared the seating in right field, and was estimated at 452 feet, which would be the longest HR of the year at U.S. Cellular field per ESPN’s Home Run Tracker. Josh Willingham and Chris Colabello were the only Twins to not collect multiple hits, and in an odd box score entry, Willingham left ten men on base. It obviously didn’t matter. The Twins went 10-22 with runners in scoring position on the game, and in the eighth inning sent fourteen hitters to the plate to send the White Sox faithful heading for the exits. The first eight batters of that inning reached base safely and nine came around to score. Kyle Gibson made the start and except for one pitch to Dayan Viciedo, was in control for most of the game. He went seven innings in the quality start, allowing six hits and zero walks while striking out six. After the game, the Twins optioned Logan Darnell back to Rochester to clear room for outfielder Jordan Schafer, who was claimed on waivers from the Atlanta Braves earlier in the day. In the minors, Alex Meyer took the hill for the Red Wings, and several affiliates were forced to make comeback efforts late in their games. Read on to see what happened! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Louisville 5 (15 innings) Box score Rochester got on the board in the first inning courtesy of two Louisville errors, one to allow leadoff man Eric Farris to reach first and another to allow him to score. They added two in the fourth inning after consecutive doubles from Danny Ortiz and Reynaldo Rodriguez and sac fly from Chris Rahl. Another Ortiz double in the sixth led to their fourth run and a 4-0 lead. Through five innings, Meyer had held the Bats scoreless on just two walks and one hit, with six strikeouts. In the sixth, Meyer surpassed his pitch limit after a single, walk and two more strikeouts to finish with 5.2 innings pitched, and was replaced by A.J. Achter. With Meyer responsible for the two runners, Achter then walked the bases loaded, allowed one of the runners to score on a wild pitch and the second on a double that also scored a run that was charged to him. Edgar Ibarra pitched a scoreless seventh inning but was lifted for Michael Tonkin after consecutive singles in the eighth. Tonkin then allowed both those runners to score and Louisville took the lead 5-4 before ending the inning. In the top of the ninth, Rochester was able to send the game into extra innings after three consecutive singles from James Beresford, Josmil Pinto and Wilkin Ramirez pushed Beresford across the plate. With Pinto on second representing the go-ahead run with just one out, Louisville played matchup against Ortiz and Rodriguez, who were both struck out to end the inning. It was a marathon after that, with threats in extra innings from both sides. Stephen Pryor, Deolis Guerra, Aaron Thompson and Lester Oliveros combined to pitch the next six innings, keeping it scoreless despite issuing eight walks and allowing three hits. Oliveros struck out four. In the top of the fifteenth, Doug Bernier led off with a single, Rahl bunted him to second and Pedro Florimon tripled to bring in the go-ahead run. In the bottom half of the inning, it was Red Wings backup catcher Dan Rohlfing who walked out to the mound as their ninth pitcher of the game. He of course recorded the save, and the Red Wings took home the victory. Ortiz led the offense by going 4-7 on the night with the two doubles and two runs scored, while Chris Rahl (2-5) collected two RBI. Beresford and Bernier each finished with three hits. ROCK CATS REVIEW Erie 7, New Britain 1 Box Score It was all Seawolves in this one as the Rock Cats managed just four hits and three walks in the game. Brandon Waring had the only extra base hit with a double and he also drew one of the walks, while Tony Thomas scored the only run while drawing two walks. Thomas drew one of his walks to start the bottom of the ninth, which was followed by singles from Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario to score their run. Four pitchers made appearances for New Britain and none of them escaped without allowing at least one run. Daniel Turpen made the start and exited after three innings. He gave up just one hit, but also four walks on the way to allowing one run. He struck out three. Jim Fuller then came in and pitched three innings, allowing three hits, three walks and two earned runs while striking out four. Cole Johnson allowed five hits and one run in two innings. Alex Wimmers finished the game, allowing three runs on a walk and two home runs in the ninth inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 7 Box Score Like their AA brethren, the Miracle weren’t able to put any runs on the board until the ninth inning, when it was far too late. They did make a valiant effort at a comeback however, as they scored four before Byron Buxton stepped to the plate representing the tying run with two outs. Unfortunately, he flew out to right field to end the game. Buxton batted third and was 0-5. The Miracle did outhit the Flying Tigers 12-9, but left eight men on base and had only one extra base hit, a double from Tyler Grimes that scored two of the runs in the ninth. Grimes went 3-4 on the day with a run scored and the two RBI. Levi Michael (2-5), Adam Brett Walker II (2-3, R, BB) and Max Kepler (2-4, R) each had multiple hits. Lefty Steven Gruver was making his second start for Fort Myers. He allowed just two hits, one walk and one earned run in five innings with one K for a very solid, but not quality-qualifying effort. B.J. Hermsen allowed a two-run home run in his one inning, but struck out two. Madison Boer then came on for the seventh inning, and walked the leadoff man before retiring the next two hitters. A single and a triple then scored two before Tyler Jones replaced him. He allowed the inherited runner to score on a single, and then a run charged to him on a double before recording the final out. D.J. Johnson pitched a scoreless eighth to finish the game for the Miracle. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 6 Box score There was yet another comeback mounted by a hometown affiliate at Pohlman Field in Beloit, WI, but again it just wasn’t enough. The Kernels scored three in the eighth inning to pull within one, after a Chad Christensen walk and Alex Swim double put runners on second and third. Max Murphy brought them both home with a single to left field, and he scored on a Michael Quesada double. Engelb Vielma then drew a walk, but a pitching change and consecutive strikeouts from Jon Murphy and Ryan Walker ended the threat. Walker and Christensen also added doubles to the offensive effort, while Logan Wade slugged his fifth home run of the year, a solo shot in the third inning to put Cedar Rapids on the board. Stephen Gonsalves made his second start in the Midwest League, but it was an error by Swim in the fourth inning with two outs that allowed three unearned runs to score. In five innings, Gonsalves gave up five hits, two walks and one earned run, while striking out five. Hudson Boyd was charged with an unearned run in the sixth after a Vielma fielding error. Brandon Bixler finished the final two innings, allowing three hits, two walks and one earned run while striking out four. In major league roster-related news for the Kernels, Joe Mauer and Ricky Nolasco are set to begin Rehab assignments in Cedar Rapids tomorrow. E-TWINS E-NOTES Johnson City 2, Elizabethton 0 (7 innings) Box Score Elizabethton’s game was a pitching duel throughout, as the teams combined for just 8 hits on the night. Obviously with a zero in the box score, there wasn’t much offense to talk about. The lineup managed just four singles and one walk collectively and they were 0-6 with runners in scoring position. Felix Jorge was the starter for the Twins, and did all he could to keep them within striking distance. He scattered four hits to the tune of just two runs and struck out five. Unfortunately for him, he was saddled with a 7-inning complete game loss. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Alex Meyer (5.2 IP, 2 H's, 2 ER's, 3 BB's, 8 K's), Rochester Red Wings Hitter – Danny Ortiz (4-7, 2 R's, 2 2B's), Rochester Red Wings MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Louisville – Trevor May (8-5, 2.72 ERA), 6:05PM CST Fort Myers @ Lakeland – TBD, 5:30PM CST Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids – Lewis Thorpe (2-2, 4.74 ERA), 6:35PM CST Johnson City @ Elizabethton – Derrick Penilla (3-2, 4.15 ERA), 6:00PM CST GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins – TBD, 11:00AM CST DSL Reds @ DSL Twins – TBD, 9:30AM CST Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins offense exploded twenty-three hits to pound their rival White Sox on Sunday afternoon in Chicago, 16-3. Danny Santana was 5-6 and a home run shy of the cycle, while Chris Parmelee (2-2), Oswaldo Arcia (3-6), and Eric Fryer (3-6) hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning with the game well in hand. Arcia’s mammoth blast cleared the seating in right field, and was estimated at 452 feet, which would be the longest HR of the year at U.S. Cellular field per ESPN’s Home Run Tracker. Josh Willingham and Chris Colabello were the only Twins to not collect multiple hits, and in an odd box score entry, Willingham left ten men on base, but it obviously didn’t matter. The Twins went 10-22 with runners in scoring position on the game, and in the eighth inning sent fourteen total hitters to the plate to send the White Sox faithful heading for the exits. The first eight batters of that inning reached base safely, and nine came around to score. Kyle Gibson made the start and except for one pitch to Dayan Viciedo, was in control for most of the game. He went seven total innings in the quality start, and allowed six hits and zero walks, while striking out six. After the game, the Twins optioned Logan Darnell back to Rochester to clear room for outfielder Jordan Schafer, who was claimed on waivers from the Atlanta Braves earlier in the day. In the minors, Alex Meyer took the hill for the Red Wings, and several affiliates were forced to make comeback efforts late in the game. Read on to see what happened! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Louisville 5 (15 innings) Box score Rochester got on the board in the first inning courtesy of two Louisville errors, one to allow leadoff man Eric Farris to reach first, and another to allow him to score. They added two in the fourth inning after consecutive doubles from Danny Ortiz and Reynaldo Rodriguez, and sac fly from Chris Rahl. Another Ortiz double in the sixth led to their fourth run, and a 4-0 lead. Through five innings at this point, Meyer had held the Bats scoreless on just two walks and one hit, with six strikeouts. In the sixth, Meyer surpassed his pitch limit after a single, walk, and two more strikeouts to finish with 5.2 innings pitched, and was replaced by A.J. Achter. With Meyer responsible for the two runners, Achter then walked the bases loaded, allowed one of them to score on a wild pitch, and the second on a double that also scored a run that was charged to him. Edgar Ibarra pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but was lifted for Michael Tonkin after consecutive singles in the eighth. Tonkin then allowed both of those runs to score, and Louisville took the lead 5-4 before finishing the inning. In the top of the ninth, Rochester was able to send the game into extra innings after three consecutive singles from James Beresford, Josmil Pinto, and Wilkin Ramirez pushed Beresford across the plate. With Pinto on second representing the go-ahead run with just one out, Louisville played the matchups against Ortiz and Rodriguez, who were both struck out to end the inning. It was a marathon after that, with threats in extra innings from both sides. Stephen Pryor, Deolis Guerra, Aaron Thompson, and Lester Oliveros combined to pitch the next six innings into the fourteenth, keeping it scoreless despite issuing eight walks and allowing three hits. Oliveros struck out four. In the top of the fifteenth, Doug Bernier led off with a single, Rahl bunted him to second, and Pedro Florimon tripled to bring in the go-ahead run. In the bottom half of the inning, it was Red Wings backup catcher Dan Rohlfing who walked out to the mound as their ninth pitcher of the game. He of course recorded the save, and the Red Wings took home the victory. Ortiz led the offense by going 4-7 on the night with the two doubles and two runs scored, while Chris Rahl (2-5) collected two RBI. Beresford and Bernier each finished with three hits. ROCK CATS REVIEW Erie 7, New Britain 1 Box Score It was all Seawolves in this one as the Rock Cats managed just four hits and three walks in the game. Brandon Waring had the only extra base hit with a double and he also drew one of the walks, while Tony Thomas scored the only run while drawing two walks. Thomas drew one of his walks to start the bottom of the ninth, which was followed by singles from Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario to score their only run. Four pitchers made appearances for New Britain, and none of them escaped without allowing at least one run. Daniel Turpin made the start, and exited after three innings. He gave up just one hit, but four walks on the way to allowing one run. He struck out three. Jim Fuller then came in and pitched three innings, allowing three hits, three walks, and two earned runs while striking out four. Cole Johnson allowed five hits and one run in two innings, and Alex Wimmers finished the game by allowing three runs on a walk and two home runs in the ninth inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 7 Box Score Just like their AA brethren, the Miracle weren’t able to put any runs on the board until the ninth inning in this one, when it was far too late. They did make a valiant effort at a comeback however, as they scored four before Byron Buxton stepped to the plate representing the tying run with two outs. Unfortunately, he flew out to right field to end the game. Buxton was 0-5 and batting third. The Miracle did outhit the Flying Tigers 12-9, but left eight men on base and had only one extra base hit, a double from Tyler Grimes that scored two of the runs in the ninth. Grimes went 3-4 on the day with a run scored and the two RBI. Levi Michael (2-5), Adam Brett Walker II (2-3, R, BB) and Max Kepler (2-4, R) each had multiple hits. Lefty Steven Gruver was making his second start for Fort Myers, and he allowed just two hits, one walk, and one earned run in five innings with one K for a very solid, but not quality-qualifying effort. B.J. Hermsen allowed a two-run home run in his one inning, but struck out two. Madison Boer then came on for the seventh inning, and walked the leadoff man before retiring the next two hitters, but a single and a triple would score two before Tyler Jones replaced him. He allowed the inherited runner to score on a single, and a run of his own on a double before recording the final out. D.J. Johnson pitched a scoreless eighth to finish the game for the Miracle. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 6 Box score There was yet another comeback mounted by a hometown affiliate at Pohlman Field in Beloit, WI, but again it just wasn’t enough. The Kernels scored three in the eighth inning to pull within one, after a Chad Christensen walk and Alex Swim double put runners on second and third. Max Murphy brought them both home with a single to left field, and would score on a Michael Quesada double. Engelb Vielma then drew a walk, but a pitching change and consecutive strikeouts from Jon Murphy and Ryan Walker ended the threat. Walker and Christensen also added doubles to the offensive effort, while Logan Wade slugged his fifth home run of the year, a solo shot in the third inning to put Cedar Rapids on the board. Stephen Gonsalves made his second start in the Midwest League, but it was an error by Swim in the fourth inning with two outs that allowed three unearned runs to score. In five innings, Gonsalves gave up five hits, two walks, and one earned run, while striking out five. Hudson Boyd was charged with an unearned run himself in the sixth after a Vielma fielding error, and Brandon Bixler finished the final two innings, allowing three hits, two walks, and one earned run while striking out four. In Major League roster-related news for the Kernels, Joe Mauer and Ricky Nolasco are set to begin Rehab assignments in Cedar Rapids tomorrow. E-TWINS E-NOTES Johnson City 2, Elizabethton 0 (7 innings) Box Score Elizabethton’s game was a pitching duel throughout, as the teams combined for just 8 hits on the night. Obviously with a zero in the box score, there wasn’t much offense to talk about. The lineup managed just four singles and one walk collectively, and they were 0-6 with runners in scoring position. Felix Jorge was the starter for the Twins, and did all he could to keep them within striking distance. He scattered four hits to tune of just two runs, and struck out five. Unfortunately for him, he was saddled with a 7-inning complete game loss. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Alex Meyer (5.2 IP, 2 H's, 2 ER's, 3 BB's, 8 K's), Rochester Red Wings Hitter – Danny Ortiz (4-7, 2 R's, 2 2B's), Rochester Red Wings MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Louisville – Trevor May (8-5, 2.72 ERA), 6:05PM CST Fort Myers @ Lakeland – TBD, 5:30PM CST Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids – Lewis Thorpe (2-2, 4.74 ERA), 6:35PM CST Johnson City @ Elizabethton – Derrick Penilla (3-2, 4.15 ERA), 6:00PM CST GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins – TBD, 11:00AM CST DSL Reds @ DSL Twins – TBD, 9:30AM CST

I've wanted him to get a look for a long time. He's probably a utility bench guy, but yes, he doesn't have anything left to prove in the minors.

In the majors, Minnesota Twins starter Yohan Pino ran into trouble in the seventh inning, and it led to four runs and a 6-4 Chicago White Sox lead. The Twins were able to make an immediate comeback with a three-run eighth inning, punctuated by a two-RBI double off the bat of Oswaldo Arcia. They added an insurance run in the ninth, courtesy of Danny Santana’s fifth home run, and Glen Perkins shut the door on the White Sox to pick up his 27th save on the year. In the minors, one affiliate mounted a similar comeback, two games were finalized early due to rain, and another went 2-0 in a double-header with assistance from a monstrous bullpen. Check it out!RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Louisville 3 Box score Starting pitcher Mark Hamburger was making his third turn in the Rochester rotation on Saturday and left the game in line for the loss after five innings, with Louisville out front 3-2. He’d take a no-decision for the game however, as the Red Wings added a run in the top of the sixth, two in the seventh and a final insurance run in the eighth to take the victory from the Louisville Bats. For the game, Hamburger surrendered five hits, three walks and three runs (two earned), with three K’s. Aaron Thompson struck out the side in the sixth, Lester Oliveros went two scoreless innings with two hits allowed and three strikeouts, and Michael Tonkin picked up his seventh save with two strikeouts in the ninth. The Rochester offense got multiple hit nights from the top four hitters in their lineup which were Eric Farris (2-5, R, RBI), James Beresford (4-5, 2 R’s, 2B, SB), Josmil Pinto (2-5, 2B, RBI), and Wilkin Ramirez (2-5, R, RBI), as well as Danny Ortiz (2-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB). It was the two runs in the seventh inning that gave the Red Wings the lead for good after run-scoring singles from Pinto and Ramirez. ROCK CATS REVIEW Erie 3, New Britain 5 Box Score Like the Twins, the Rock Cats came back in this one to take the victory by pulling within one in the seventh, and taking the lead 5-3 with three runs in the bottom of the eighth. It was a Brad Boyer double in the seventh that scored Stephen Wickens, followed by an RBI double from Eddie Rosario to bring in Boyer.In the eighth inning, Aaron Hicks led off with a single, which was followed by a Tony Thomas single and a Mike Gonzalez walk to load the bases with one out. Wickens then doubled to clear the pond, and the Rock Cats wouldn’t look back. Rosario was 1-5 with two strikeouts in his first game in four days and Hicks was 1-2 with two walks. Wickens and Boyer each had two hits. Starter Pat Dean went seven quality innings, scattering seven hits and two walks (one solo-HR), allowing three runs (two earned) with six K’s. Alex Wimmers picked up the win by pitching a perfect eighth inning, while Mason Melotakis and Ryan O’Rourke combined to finish the ninth. O’Rourke notched his fourth save. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Lakeland 4 (Final after five innings) Box Score This game was shortened by rain, and ruled complete after just four and a half innings innings with Lakeland as the home team. There wasn’t much offense for the good guys, as Fort Myers had just one hit, a single from Travis Harrison and one walk from Stuart Turner in the game. Lakeland starter Tanner Bailey struck out four in his five innings. Miracle “Ace” Brett Lee was on the mound and had arguably his worst start of the season, yet his ERA rose to just 2.10. In four innings he allowed eight hits (three doubles), one walk and four earned runs with just one K. KERNELS NUGGETS After their rain postponement at Pohlman Field in Beloit Friday night, the Kernels had a double-header on Saturday. Stephen Gonsalves pitched the only inning for the Kernels on Friday and will take the hill again on Sunday. Game 1: Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 2 Box score After play resumed with a 0-0 in the second inning, it was Josue Montanez on the mound for the Kernels, and he pitched three innings, allowing three hits and three walks, but just one run with two K’s. Chris Mazza then pitched two innings, allowing a run of his own on three more hits and one walk, with three K’s. Collegiate closers Jake Reed and Nick Burdi finished the final three innings, with Reed tossing two scoreless with two strikeouts, and Burdi picking up his third save with a 1-2-3 ninth, including two strikeouts. Max Murphy led the offense with a 2-4 game including an RBI, while Bryan Haar and J.D. Williams added doubles to the effort. Logan Wade and Chad Christensen each reached base via a walk, and each stole second base. Wade’s was just his second stolen base of the year in 49 games with Cedar Rapids, but also his second straight game with one. Christensen’s steal was his team leading twenty-fourth of the year. Game 2: Cedar Rapids 5, Beloit 2 Box Score A three-run home run from Bryan Haar in top of the eighth inning broke the tie and made the score 5-2 Kernels before Beloit failed to tie the game in the bottom half to make it the second game on the day that was finalized early. Haar was 3-5 in this one with two runs scored and a walk to go along with the go-ahead home run, while Jon Murphy added a multi-hit effort by going 2-3. Max Murphy and Michael Quesada tallied the two other RBI’s for Cedar Rapids. Mat Batts took the mound for the Kernels and struck out seven in five innings. He gave up just three hits, one walk and one run. Jared Wilson pitched two innings of relief, allowing a solo home run, and striking out four. Dallas Gallant picked up his fourth Midwest League save of the year by striking out the side in the ninth. BONUS CRAZY STAT: If you combine the last 10 appearances from the three-headed-bullpen monster of Nick Burdi, Jake Reed, and Dallas Gallant for the Kernels, you get the following numbers: 37 innings pitched, just 19 hits and 8 walks allowed, 5 runs (3 earned) scored, and SIXTY-THREE STRIKEOUTS. That’s a 0.73 ERA, 15.32 K/9IP, and a sub .170 batting average against. Wowzers… E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Kingsport 0 Box Score Elizabethton received seven shutout innings courtesy of starter Sam Gibbons, who allowed just two hits and one walk, while racking up seven K’s. Randy Leblanc pitched the final two innings and kept the shutout intact despite allowing three hits. He struck out one. Gibbons' seven scoreless innings matched his season high from June 26th, when he allowed just one hit and one walk against Burlington. The Elizabethton offense scored two runs in the first and two runs in the fourth on their way to the victory. Tyler Kuresa led the way with three RBI’s on a groundout and a single. He was 1-4 on the game. Leadoff man Jeremias Pineda (2-4, 2 R’s) and two-hole hitter Nick Gordon (2-4, R) added multiple-hit nights. Tanner English was 1-2 with two walks and stole his first base of the season. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Red Sox 3 Box Score The GCL Twins scored all four of their runs in the sixth inning to take the lead, when they sent eight men to the plate. An Amaurys Minier double scored one and a Rafael Valera fielder’s choice scored another before Joel Ramirez brought home the final two with a single. They held on for the win despite a threat with runners on second and third from the Red Sox in the eighth and two hits in the ninth. Six pitchers took the mound for the Twins, including starter David Hurlburt who left in the second inning after allowing a single and recording one out. Callan Pearce finished the second with a hit, walk, and strikeout. Zack Jones allowed two runs in one-third of an inning, before Josh Guyer was able to provide a break for the bullpen, throwing five innings with just one run allowed (unearned) on four hits and two walks, with two strikeouts. Seth Wagner and Trevor Hildenberger combined to finish the final 1.2 innings, each allowing one hit and totaling three K’s. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Three-Headed-Bullpen Monster (4IP, 0 R’s, 1 H, 1 BB, 7 K’s), Cedar Rapids Kernels Hitter – Bryan Haar (2 games, 4-6, 3 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB’s), Cedar Rapids Kernels SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Louisville – Alex Meyer (6-4, 3.05 ERA), 5:05PM CST Erie @ New Britain – TBD, 12:35 CST Fort Myers @ Lakeland – TBD, 12:00PM CST Cedar Rapids @ Beloit – Stephen Gonsalves (1-0, 0.00 ERA), 2:00PM CST Johnson City @ Elizabethton – Felix Jorge, 5:00PM CST Click here to view the article

In the majors, Minnesota Twins starter Yohan Pino ran into trouble in the seventh inning, and it led to four runs and a 6-4 Chicago White Sox lead. The Twins were able to make an immediate comeback with a three fun eighth inning however, punctuated by a two-RBI double off the bat of Oswaldo Arcia. They would add an insurance run in the ninth, courtesy of Danny Santana’s fifth home run, and Glen Perkins shut the door on the White Sox to pick up his 27th save on the year. In the minors, one affiliate mounted a similar comeback, two games were finalized early due to rain, and another went 2-0 in a double-header with assistance from a monstrous bullpen. Check it out! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Louisville 3 Box score Starting pitcher Mark Hamburger was making his third turn in the Rochester rotation on Saturday and left the game in line for the loss after five innings, with Louisville out front 3-2. He’d take a no-decision for the game however, as the Red Wings added a run in the top of the sixth, two in the seventh, and a final insurance run in the eighth to take the victory from Louisville Bats. For the game, Hamburger surrendered five hits, three walks and three runs (two earned), with three K’s. Aaron Thompson struck out the side in the sixth, Lester Oliveros went two scoreless innings with two hits allowed and three strikeouts, and Michael Tonkin picked up his seventh save with two strikeouts in the ninth. The Rochester offense got multiple hit nights from the top four hitters in their lineup which included Eric Farris (2-5, R, RBI), James Beresford (4-5, 2 R’s, 2B, SB), Josmil Pinto (2-5, 2B, RBI), and Wilkin Ramirez (2-5, R, RBI), as well as Danny Ortiz (2-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB). It was the two runs in the seventh inning that gave the Red Wings the lead for good after run scoring singles from Pinto and Ramirez. ROCK CATS REVIEW Erie 3, New Britain 5 Box Score Like the Twins, the Rock Cats came back in this one to take the victory, by pulling within one in the seventh, and taking the lead 5-3 with three runs in the bottom of the eighth. It was a Brad Boyer double in the seventh that scored Stephen Wickens, which was followed by an RBI double from Eddie Rosario to bring in Boyer. In the eighth inning, Aaron Hicks led off with a single, which was followed by a Tony Thomas single and Mike Gonzalez walk to load the bases with one out. Wickens then doubled to clear the pond, and the Rock cats wouldn’t look back. Rosario was 1-5 with two strikeouts in his first game in four days, Hicks was 1-2 with two walks. Wickens and Boyer each had two hits. Starter Pat Dean went seven quality innings, scattering seven hits and two walks (one solo-HR), allowing three runs (two earned) with six K’s. Alex Wimmers picked up the win by pitching a perfect eighth inning, while Mason Melotakis and Ryan O’Rourke combined to finish the ninth. O’Rourke notched his fourth save. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Lakeland 4 (Final after five innings) Box Score This game was shortened by rain, and ruled final after just four and a half innings innings with Lakeland as the home team. There wasn’t much offense for the good guys, as Fort Myers had just one hit, a single from Travis Harrison, and one walk from Stuart Turner in the game up to this point. Lakeland starter Tanner Bailey struck out four in his five innings. Miracle “Ace” Brett Lee was on the mound and had arguably his worst start of the season, yet his ERA rose to just 2.10. In four innings he allowed eight hits (three doubles), one walk and four earned runs with just one K. KERNELS NUGGETS After their rain postponement at Pohlman Field in Beloit last night, the Kernels had a double-header on Saturday. Stephen Gonsalves pitched the only inning for the Kernels on Friday, and will take the hill again on Sunday. Game 1: Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 2 Box score After play resumed with a 0-0 in the second inning, it was Josue Montanez on the mound for the Kernels, and he pitched three innings, allowing three hits and three walks, but just one run with two K’s. Chris Mazza then pitched two innings, allowing a run of his own on three more hits and one walk, with three K’s. Collegiate closers Jake Reed and Nick Burdi finished the final three innings, with Reed tossing two scoreless with two strikeouts, and Burdi picking up his third save with a 1-2-3 ninth, including two more strikeouts. Max Murphy led the offense with a 2-4 game including an RBI, while Bryan Haar and J.D. Williams added doubles to the effort. Logan Wade and Chad Christensen each reached base via a walk, and stole second base. Wade’s was just his second stolen base of the year in 49 games with Cedar Rapids, but also his second straight game with one. Christensen’s was his team leading twenty-fourth of the year. Game 2: Cedar Rapids 5, Beloit 2 Box Score A three-run home run from Bryan Haar in top of the eighth inning broke the tie and made the score 5-2 Kernels before Beloit failed to tie the game in the bottom half to make it the second game on the day that was finalized early. Haar was 3-5 in this one with two runs scored and a walk to go along with the go-ahead home run, while Jon Murphy added a multi-hit effort by going 2-3. Max Murphy and Michael Quesada tallied the two other RBI’s for Cedar Rapids. Matt Batts took the mound for the Kernels and struckout seven in five innings. He gave up just three hits, one walk and one run. Jared Wilson pitched two innings of relief, allowing a solo home run, but striking out four. Dallas Gallant picked up his fourth Midwest League save of the year by striking out the side in the ninth. BONUS CRAZY STAT: If you combine the last 10 appearances from the three-headed-bullpen monster of Nick Burdi, Jake Reed, and Dallas Gallant for the Kernels, you get the following numbers: 37 innings pitched, just 19 hits and 8 walks allowed, 5 runs (3 earned) scored, and SIXTY-THREE STRIKEOUTS. That’s a 0.73 ERA, 15.32 K/9IP, and a sub .170 batting average against. Wowzers… E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Kingsport 0 Box Score Elizabethton received seven shutout innings courtesy of starter Sam Gibbons, who allowed just two hits and one walk, while racking up seven K’s. Randy Leblanc pitched the final two innings and kept the shutout intact despite allowing three hits. He struck out one. Gibbons seven scoreless innings matched his season high from June 26th, when he allowed just one hit and one walk against Burlington. The Elizabthton offense scored two runs in the first and two runs in the fourth on their way to the victory. Tyler Kuresa led the way with three RBI’s on groundout and single. He was 1-4 on the game. Leadoff man Jermias Pineda (2-4, 2 R’s) and two-hole hitter Nick Gordon (2-4, R) added multiple hit nights. Tanner English was 1-2 with two walks and stole his first base of the season. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Red Sox 3 Box Score The GCL Twins scored all four of their runs in the sixth inning to take the lead, when they sent eight men to the plate. An Amaurys Minier double scored one and a Rafael Valera fielder’s choice scored another before Joel Ramirez brought home the final two with a single. They held on for the win despite a threat with runners on second and third from the Red Sox in the eighth and two hits in the ninth. Six pitchers took the mound for the Twins, including starter David Hurlburt who left in the second inning after allowing a single and recording one out. Callan Pearce finished the second with a hit, walk, and strikeout. Zack Jones allowed two runs in one-third of an inning, before Josh Guyer was able to provide a break for the bullpen, throwing five innings with just one run allowed (unearned) on four hits and two walks, with two strikeouts. Seth Wagner and Trevor Hildenberger combined to finish the final 1.2 innings, each allowing one hit and totaling three K’s. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Three-Headed-Bullpen Monster (4IP, 0 R’s, 1 H, 1 BB, 7 K’s), Cedar Rapids Kernels Hitter – Bryan Haar (2 games, 4-6, 3 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB’s), Cedar Rapids Kernels SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Louisville – Alex Meyer (6-4, 3.05 ERA), 5:05PM CST Erie @ New Britain – TBD, 12:35 CST Fort Myers @ Lakeland – TBD, 12:00PM CST Cedar Rapids @ Beloit – Stephen Gonsalves (1-0, 0.00 ERA), 2:00PM CST Johnson City @ Elizabethton – Felix Jorge, 5:00PM CST

I like this idea a lot. It's definitely time to start looking at what they have for next year. As mentioned, it's harder to do in August, but makes total sense in September. As for the piggy-backing starters idea, I think having May/Meyer do this would be a great promotional tool for the Twins. But there shouldn't be any issue with May being able to handle a workload, and I don't see any issue with putting Meyer in the bullpen like they began the MLB career of Johan Santana. The interest in the team as it sits right now is basically non-existent to casual fans, doing these things will spark some interest in the final months of the season. The Vargas callup is a good start, but the pitching is what we really want to see.

No problem John, you should have seen the looks of confusion on my face while trying to post it to the new format, haha!

The Twins fell to the Indians 4-3 tonight in walk-off fashion, but received a quality start from Ricky Nolasco, who bucked his early season strikeout deficiency, and racked up nine K’s in his six innings. The strikeout trend would continue with a few of the Twins top pitching prospects on the evening. TRANSACTIONS The Twins activated their 2013 15th round draft pick, pitcher Derrick Pinella, and assigned him to Cedar Rapids. The 6’2” lefty pitched at the Mount San Antonio (California) Junior College where he pitched as both a starter and reliever. He made his first appearance of the season in the evening game (a forgettable one). Download attachment: JO Berrios 2edit.jpg RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Columbus 7 Box score Trevor May got the start for the Red Wings, looking to build off his 11 K, 1 BB performance six days prior. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the same magic. A second inning two-run home run from Roberto Perez got the scoring started for Columbus, and they never looked back. May lasted 4.2 innings, allowing eight hits, five runs (four earned) with three walks and four strikeouts. He was relieved by Deolis Guerra, who finished off the fifth and the sixth, walking two and picking up one K. Edgar Ibarra then finished the game for Rochester. In two innings, he gave up two hits, two walks, and two runs with one strikeout. The Red Wings managed only four hits on the game, and were led by a 2-4 night from James Beresford. They threatened in the 4th and the 7th innings, but stranded runners on third both times. Chris Parmelee and Deibinson Romero provided the other two hits, both singles. ROCK CATS REVIEW Trenton 6, New Britain 4 Box score Righthander Tyler Duffey took the mound, and retired the first twelve batters he faced as the Rock Cats built a 2-0 lead. In the fifth however, Duffey gave up a leadoff single that was followed by a home run off the bat of Kyle Roller, his Eastern League leading ninth of the season to tie the score at two (interesting note on Roller: he has these nine home runs while not qualifying for the Eastern League batting leaderboard, where he would be 2nd in BA, and 1st in OBP, slugging, and OPS). Duffey finished the 7th inning, allowing four runs on just four hits, but two of them were homers. He struck out four and did not issue a walk. Even with the inning-eating start, the Rock Cats bullpen got some exercise as the game went into extra innings. Adrian Salcedo, Jim Fuller, Daniel Turpen, and Ryan O’Rourke combined to throw five innings, allowed four hits and five strikeouts. O’Rourke was saddled with the loss after he too surrendered a two-run home run. Of note in the extended game, is the entirety of the pitching staff used did not issue a single base-on-balls (though they did have two HBP’s). The offensive contributions for the Rock Cats came from lead-off man Tony Thomas, who was 3-4 with a home run, three RBI, and a stolen base (was also caught stealing and picked off once each) and Kennys Vargas who was 3-6 with two doubles, though the three times he did not reach base he struck out and he was 3-3 at one point. Reynaldo Rodriguez, Mike Kvasnicka, and pinch-hitter Corey Wimberly collected New Britain’s three other hits on the night. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Jupiter 3 Box score Twins Daily’s #6 Twins prospect, righty Jose Berrios, toed the rubber for the Miracle and was effectively erratic, which contributed to him lasting only five innings despite allowing only one hit and zero runs while racking up seven K’s. He was erratic only because he walked four batters. Mason Melotakis took over in sixth inning and pitched the next 2.1 innings giving up one hit and one walk, with two strikeouts. Madison Boer relieved Melotakis in the eighth inning and induced an inning-ending double play to end a threat, but would not fare as well in the ninth. A walk, double and home run plated the Hammerheads three runs before Boer recovered to retire the final three hitters. At the plate, eight of the nine hitters in the Miracle lineup collected hits, with Adam Brett Walker II providing two. Walker was also caught stealing for the second time this season and second time of his professional career in eighteen attempts. Extra-base hits were provided by Levi Michael with a bases clearing double in the 7th, and a triple from Niko Goodrum who went on to score. Byron Buxton continued to work his way back, singling in the fourth and he also struck out with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 7 Box score The Kernels jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the second inning, but those would be the only runs they could muster on the night. Jason Kanzler collected two hits, and Ivory Thomas drew three walks on the night. Engelb Vielma and Chad Christensen collecter their third and fourth doubles on the year, respectively. J.D. Williams and Zach Larson drove in two of the three runs, while the third scored on a bases loaded double-play ball off the bat of Mitch Garver. 2014 first round pick, Kohl Stewart, continued his strong start to the 2014 season. He tossed five innings, allowing five hits and two walks, zero runs and struck out six. He lowered his ERA to 2.35 on the season in 30.2 innings, and sports a fantastic 0.88 WHIP after this start. As mentioned in the transactions section, Derrick Pinella made his 2014 debut but it was one he’d like to forget. He started with a groundball out, a walk, and then a strikeout, then proceeded to walk three consecutive batters before being replaced by Yorman Landa. Landa then walked the next 2 batters (with a passed ball thrown in). Hudson Boyd replaced him in the eighth and finished game, but allowed two runs, two hits and two walks before doing so. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jose Berrios, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kennys Vargas, New Britain Rock Cats THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (5:35PM CST) – Scott Diamond New Britain @ Bowie (5:35PM CST) – TBD Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:35PM CST) – David Hurlbut Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:35PM CST) – Felix Jorge Click here to view the article

Kyle Gibson and the Minnesota Twins shut out Detroit to climb back within one game of .500 and just 3.0 games back of the Tigers divisional lead on Friday. Unfortunately, the organization’s affiliates didn’t fare as well, going 0-2 (3?) on the night despite some big names on the mound. RED WINGS REPORT Lehigh Valley 3, Rochester 0 Box score Alex Meyer was on the hill for the Red Wings, and the first batter he faced foretold his night, not in a good way. His second pitch of the game hit leadoff man Leandro Castro and though he followed this up by inducing a double play, two walks and a single followed before he was able to escape with no damage. In the second, Meyer was unable to escape unscathed, surrendering three singles, a triple and three runs. He finished the inning with a strikeout, but was replaced by Scott Diamond to start the third after just 55 pitches. Diamond, Deolis Guerra and Edgar Ibarra combined to shut out the Iron Pigs for the rest of the game, collectively allowing only two hits (both from Ibarra), two walks and four strikeouts (three from Diamond). Unfortunately for the pitchers, the Red Wings left fourteen men on base and were 0-10 with runners in scoring position on the night despite outhitting Lehigh Valley 10-7. In the offensive effort, Chris Herrmann and Pedro Florimon each had two hits, with Florimon and Dan Rohlfing collecting the only extra-base hits (doubles). James Beresford extended his hitting streak to ten games with a single in the sixth inning. ROCK CATS REVIEW Trenton 2, New Britain 1 (suspended) Box score The Rock Cats game against the Trenton Thunder was suspended in the bottom of the eighth, and will be completed before their scheduled game on Saturday. There was little offense from New Britain, as they amassed just three hits and one walk before the delay. Reynaldo Rodriguez got the Rock Cats on the board with a solo home run in the fourth inning, his ninth of the season to tie the game at one, but they were unable to do much else. Nate Hanson (single) and Brandon Waring (double) had the other two hits. Virgil Vasquez made the start for the Rock Cats, and put together a quality start. In six innings, he allowed four hits, three walks and one earned run while striking out six. Adrian Salcedo pitched a scoreless seventh inning despite issuing two walks and a single, while Matt Summers allowed the go-ahead run in the eighth after a triple. Download attachment: Reynaldo Rodriguez.jpg MIRACLE MATTERS The Fort Myers Miracle and the rest of the Florida State League began their All-Star break today. The FSL North will play the FSL South in the game at 6:05PM CST on Saturday. The Miracle are represented by Adam Brett Walker II (DH), and Jose Berrios (SP), who is a likely candidate to start the game for the South squad. The Miracle return to action on Monday, when they kick off the season’s second half at home against the Bradenton Marauders. KERNELS NUGGETS Burlington 6, Cedar Rapids 5 Box score Lewis Thorpe made his second start of the season for the Kernels, but has yet to find the same form he enjoyed in the rookie leagues last season. Over four innings, he allowed three hits, four walks and two earned runs with one K. Both the runs were scored in the fourth inning after he loaded the bases and surrendered a sacrifice fly and two subsequent free passes. Jared Wilson came on for the fifth, and allowed the Bee’s to tie the game at four after allowing a two-run home run. The Kernels took the lead back in the bottom of the inning, but Chris Mazza gave it right back in the top of the sixth after a walk and two doubles that brought the deciding two runs across the plate. Todd Van Steensel finished the game with two perfect innings, striking out three. At the plate, the Kernels were led by Ryan Walker and Tanner Vavra, who each collected two hits and Jason Kanzler who hit his seventh home run of the season to give Cedar Rapids a 3-2 lead in the fourth. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Todd Van Steensel, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K’s) Hitter – Reynaldo Rodriguez, New Britain Rock Cats (1-3, HR) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester – Logan Darnell (1-4, 3.02 ERA), 6:05PM CST Trenton @ New Britain – Pat Dean (3-2, 4.84 ERA), 5:35PM CST Burlington @ Cedar Rapids – Ethan Mildren (2-3, 4.56 ERA), 5:05PM CST [/hr]Twins win, you win! Treat yourself to a half-price L or XL pizza at PapaJohns.com using the promo code 'TWINSWIN' on Saturday. Click here to view the article

Much has been made recently about the boo birds in Target Field singling out Joe Mauer while he’s up to bat. It is somewhat hard to understand this early in the season while he’s actually performing pretty well from a grand scheme perspective, batting .319 with a .410 On-Base Percentage. He’s played in every game, has knocked in some runners, and has even hit a HR over the limestone wall in right field. But people’s eyes (including mine) are seeing something different, and that’s a lack of production in big moments and late in games. Hence the boo’s. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] You can point to statistics like his .400 batting average with runners in scoring position, or his 1.125 OPS while the Twins have a lead in a game, and think to yourself, “Joe is back!” That’s fine. But here are some other (admittedly small sample size, just like all these statistics, good or bad) stats that demonstrate clearly why many fans are frustrated with him thus far. The Twins have not lead many games this year, and while they’ve been behind on the scoreboard, Mauer’s tri-slash line is .256/.304/.326, good for a .630 OPS. Not exactly bringing his team back into any games…In the 7th, 8th, and 9th inning of all games, that tri-slash line is .200/.360/.200, a paltry .560 OPS. In those same innings, he has just 1 RBI and no extra-base hits. Not exactly producing in crunch time…Baseball-Reference.com has a statistic that tracks situational hitting called “late and close” (admittedly, I’m not sure on the exact specifics of it), in those situations, his OPS is .397. You’re not reading that incorrectly.Here’s some season tri-slash lines for Player X:2001: .327/.378/.415 2004: .326/.374/.407 2009: .308/.365/.392 Mauer in 2012: .319/.410/.403. Pretty similar, right? So, any guesses as to who Player X is? I’ll give you the answer in the form of another question: Would you pay Juan Pierre $23 million dollars?! Personally, you won’t find me joining the boo-birds in getting on Joe’s case, as the title of this post states, it’s asinine. Download attachment: JoeMauerBoos.jpg He’s a once-in-a-lifetime hitter, playing the games most physically demanding position a vast majority of the time. He’s won 3 batting titles. He’s won an MVP. He’s Joe freakin’ Mauer, a born and raised Minnesotan. But I also think you’re a little off on your analysis if you feel this is the same Joe Mauer that won those batting titles and an MVP award. When it has mattered this year, when the Twins and their fans have needed him to come through up to this point, he simply put, hasn’t. It’s a “what have you done for me lately” situation. In New York that would get you run out of town. In Minnesota, I guess you just have to deal with some boo’s until everything regresses (or progresses) back to the mean (which it will). You can follow me on Twitter: @MNTwinsGUFS, send any thoughts or questions to: twins.gufs@gmail.com, or leave your comments below! (Also available at: http://Twins.GearUpForSports.com/blog/ ) Click here to view the article

Kevin Correia did all he could for the Twins against Masahiro Tanaka and the New York Yankees on Saturday, but the bullpen was unable to keep the game tied after an eighth inning rain delay, and the Twins would fall 3-1. Rain also prevented one affiliate’s game from being played on Saturday, while the AAA team received another strong effort from a top prospect. RED WINGS REPORT Gwinnett 1, Rochester 6 Box score Download attachment: TrevorMay.jpg Rochester put runs on the board in each of the first three innings to take a 4-0 lead, and it was more than enough offense to support starter Trevor May. In seven shutout frames, May allowed only four hits and two walks while striking out four. In his last four starts, the righthander has allowed only one unearned run in twenty-six innings and has lowered his ERA on the season to 2.62. He also lowered his league-leading batting average against to .196. Matt Hoffman was charged with the only Gwinnet run in the eighth inning and was replaced by A.J. Achter who shut the door on a bases loaded threat. Achter finished the game with a clean ninth inning to pick up his fourth save. The Rochester offense pounded out thirteen hits in the game including one from every hitter in the lineup. Eric Farris, Doug Bernier, Eric Fryer, and Pedro Florimon all had two hits, with Florimon’s second inning solo-HR being their only extra-base hit. Bernier led the team with two RBI and Deibinson Romero drew two walks. With the win, the Red Wings took back first place in the International League North division and have now won fourteen of their last eighteen games. ROCK CATS REVIEW Binghamton 2, New Britain 3 Box score Virgil Vasquez made the start for New Britain and scattered nine hits and a walk over six innings. He allowed just the two runs and struck out four in a quality start effort. He was relieved by Mark Hamburger, making his first appearance of the year after serving his suspension. In two scoreless innings, Hamburger gave up two hits, walked one, and struck out two. Lester Oliveros picked up his seventh save with a scoreless ninth. The offense was led by Danny Ortiz and Kennys Vargas, who each went 2-4. Ortiz and Mike Kvasnicka had the only extra-base hits (doubles) for the Rock Cats, and Vargas and Brad Boyer each collected an RBI. The two-hit game for Ortiz was his sixth multi-hit game in his last ten, and he finished the month of May with a .388 batting average in twenty-seven games. MIRACLE MATTERS The Fort Myers Miracle game against the Tampa Yankees was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up tomorrow in a double header starting at 2:05PM CST. KERNELS NUGGETS Burlington 7, Cedar Rapids 6 Box score The Burlington Bees struck quickly with three runs in the first inning against Kernels starter Josue Montanez, but it was two errors from the Kernels defense that allowed them to score. Montanez then kept the Bees off the board until the fourth inning, when another error led to a fourth unearned run and end to his night. In four innings Montanez allowed four hits, one walk and had seven strikeouts. Alex Muren pitched three innings of relief, surrendering three earned runs on four hits. He struck out four. Felix Jorge finished the game for the Kernels with two scoreless innings. Down 7-2 in the eighth inning, the Kernels mounted a strong effort at a comeback. Engelb Vielma led off the inning with a walk, then Chad Christensen singled and Mitch Garver walked to load the bases. Third baseman Bryan Haar then cleared the bases with a triple and scored on a Jason Kanzler single, but that was as close as the Kernels could get. Vielma and Christensen each went 2-4 in the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Trevor May, Rochester Red Wings (7.0 IP, 4 H’s, 2 BB’s, 4 K’s) Hitter – Danny Ortiz, New Britain Rock Cats (2-4, 2B, R) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnett @ Rochester – Yohan Pino (6-1, 1.73 ERA), 12:05PM CST Binghamton @ New Britain – Pat Dean (2-2, 5.15 ERA), 12:35PM CST Tampa @ Fort Myers (Game 1) – Jose Berrios (4-2, 2.55 ERA), 2:05PM CST Tampa @ Fort Myers (Game 2) – Matthew Tomshaw (4-1, 1.88 ERA) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids – Kohl Stewart (1-2, 2.93 ERA), 2:05PM CST Click here to view the article