Steve Lein

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

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

The Minnesota Twins finished their five game road trip vs. the National League on Sunday, with a defeat at the hands of Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants to finish off a sweep. The Twins return home tomorrow to face the Texas Rangers on Memorial Day, looking to get their record on the season back to .500. Down on the farm, the Twins affiliates received some strong pitching performances, including another one from a top prospect, on their way to a 3-1 day at the ballpark. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Sranton/Wilkes-Barre 2 Box Score Kris Johnson took the mound for the Red Wings, and put in his best effort of the year, in which he has had many. On the season Johnson now sports a 4-2 record with a 2.11 ERA. In this game the lefty worked eight innings, allowing a single run in both the first and second innings, before settling in to face the minimum over the next six frames. He retired eighteen in a row at one point, before issuing a walk in the eighth inning, which he followed up by inducing an inning ending double play. Overall on the night Johnson allowed four hits and three walks with the two earned runs, and five strikeouts. A.J. Achter came in for the ninth inning and allowed only a walk. The offense struck for three runs in the fifth inning to take the lead, and added two insurance runs in the sixth. Almost all of the offense came from the number 5, 6, and 7 hitters in the Red Wings lineup: Wilkin Ramirez, Dan Rohlfing, and Doug Bernier, respectively. Ramirez was 2-4 with a double and 2 runs scored; Rohlfing was 2-3 with two doubles, a walk, RBI, and two runs scored and Bernier was 3-5 with a run scored, two RBI and a stolen base. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 1, Binghamton 3 Box Score New Britain got the scoring started early, courtesy of an RBI double in the first inning off the bat of the red hot slugger Kennys Vargas. Unfortunately for them, this would be the only non-goose egg they would put up on the scoreboard all night. They left six runners on-base, and were 0-6 with RISP in the game. Vargas would add two more hits to finish 3-4, and increased his batting average on the year to .331. Danny Ortiz and A.J. Petterson each added a double. On the mound, the Rock Cats got a quality start from Sean Gilmartin, but it was not enough to overcome the lack of offense. Gilmartin went six innings, allowing seven hits, two walks and a hit batter, while striking out five. Jim Fuller came on for the seventh inning and loaded the bases with two walks and a single, before escaping with no damage after a flyout to centerfield. He also struck out two in between the baserunners. Matthew Summers finished the game, allowing only one walk. The switch-hitting Vargas deserves further mention. After starting the year (relatively) slowly, with a .278/.363/.443 line in April, he has taken off in the month of May. In his last ten games, Vargas' batting line is .412/.500/.588, and over the entire month he has hit .381/.454/.643 with seven doubles, five home runs and 20 RBI. He has also walked just as often as he has struck out (12 times). We were all disappointed when Miguel Sano went down for the year with an elbow injury, but Vargas is more than filling in the organizational power void that many envisioned. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Jupiter 1 Box Score Starter Jose Berrios was looking to build off his ten strikeout performance his last time out and he didn’t disappoint. On this night, the righty threw six fantastic innings, allowing only one earned on seven hits and a walk, while striking out seven. In his last four turns through the rotation, Twins Daily’s number six prospect has pitched 24.1 innings, allowing 17 hits and 10 walks, with 32 strikeouts and only 3 earned runs (1.11 ERA). Mason Melotakis and Tyler Jones finished off the win for the Miracle, combining for three shutout innings. Jones picked up his fourth save. Dalton Hicks, Max Kepler, and Stuart Turner all collected two hits. Travis Harrison and Kepler each had a double, with Kepler’s being of the bases-clearing variety to add three runs to scoreboard in the eighth inning. While Harrison’s current home run total on the season doesn’t reflect his power potential, his double was his fifteenth on the season and he now ranks third in the FSL in that category. This also extended Harrison’s hitting streak to fifteen games, a period during which he is batting .385 with seven doubles. Niko Goodrum was the only hitter in the Miracle lineup who did not record a hit, but he did draw a walk and scored a run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Beloit 5 Box Score The leadoff man for the Kernels, J.D. Williams, started the team off on the right foot, by doubling to start the game and coming around to score on a Chad Christensen single. Williams wasn’t done after that either, as he finished the game 3-5 with an RBI, the double and two runs scored. Tanner Vavra and Jason Kanzler each had two hits on the night, with Kanzler slugging a solo home run in the second inning, his fifth of the year. The Kernels were forced to make a comeback late in the game, and the final tally would come off the bat of Bryan Haar, who hit his seventh home run in the top of the eighth to put the Kernels out front. Josue Montanez got the start, and went five innings. He left the game down 5-4, before the Kernels were able to make their comeback and leave him with a no-decision. All five of the runs were earned, and were courtesy of six hits and four walks. Jared Wilson came in to pitch the sixth and seventh innings, allowing only one walk and striking out two. Todd Van Steensel would finish the game with two shutout innings, and picked up his third save. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Jose Berrios, Fort Myers Miracle (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 H’s, 1 BB, 7 K’s) Hitter – Kennys Vargas, New Britain Rock Cats (3-4, 2B, RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester – Trevor May (3-3, 3.35 ERA), 12:05PM CST New Britain @ Binghamton – TBD, 12:05PM CST Fort Myers – Scheduled off day Cedar Rapids @ Beloit – Kohl Stewart (1-1, 2.21 ERA), 2:00PM CST Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins were able to avoid the brutal 4-game sweep at home courtesy of their fellow AL Central bottom dwellers, the Chicago White Sox, after a Sam Fuld single in the seventh inning gave them just enough of a cushion for the eventual 4-3 victory. Glen Perkins made it interesting in the ninth, but struck out two to pick up his 25th save of the year. In the minors, a grand slam brought one affiliate a victory, another went into extra innings, and a top pitching prospect made his Midwest League debut. RED WINGS REPORT Indianapolis 3, Rochester 6 Box score Indianapolis scored first and last against the Red Wings in this one, but in between it was all Rochester. Kris Johnson took the mound for the home team, and gave up a couple singles in the first inning to give Indianapolis a 1-0 lead, but after that Johnson was in control until the eighth inning. In five of the six innings in between he faced the minimum, assisted by two double plays. He did not allow a hit from the second inning until the eighth, and for the game went 7.2 innings with three walks and five strikeouts. In the eighth, the Indians managed to string together three singles and two runs before Johnson was replaced by A.J. Achter, who recorded a four out save, his fifth of the year. The Rochester offense was paced by Josmil Pinto, who blasted a fifth inning grand slam to give the Red Wings all the cushion they would need in support of Johnson. It was his fourth home run of the year. Doug Bernier was 3-4 with a run scored, and Danny Ortiz added a solo home run in the sixth inning. ROCK CATS REVIEW Portland 8, New Britain 5 (11 innings) Box Score The Rock Cats scored first in this one, but were unable to score last as the game went into extra innings. In the first inning, a Tony Thomas triple and Eddie Rosario groundout gave them an early 1-0 lead. They then took a 5-1 lead in the fourth after an Aaron Hicks walk, Brandon Waring double, Mike Kvasnicka single, Brad Boyer double, and Jorge Polanco single plated four runs. Unfortunately for New Britain, it was not a lead they were able to hold as Cole Johnson blew the save in the ninth by surrendering a game-tying home run to Keury De La Cruz. Johnson finished the inning and was replaced by Matthew Summers who worked a perfect tenth, before Ryan O’Rourke was knocked around for three runs in the eleventh, and saddled with the loss. Starter Virgil Vazquez pitched seven innings, allowing seven hits and four runs while striking out seven. The offense was led by Jorge Polanco, who went 3-6 with a double and his first AA RBI. Waring was 2-4 with two doubles, Kennys Vargas added a double, and Boyer led the team with two RBI. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Tampa 6 Box Score In his fourth start since being promoted to Fort Myers, Ethan Mildren was again knocked around by Florida State League hitters. In this one it was eleven hits, two walks, and six earned runs allowed in four innings. Mildren did strike out four. After this game his ERA sits at 7.91 in the FSL. B.J. Hermsen pitched three innings of scoreless relief, and Madison Boer finished the game with a scoreless ninth. The Miracle lineup did get home runs from Dalton Hicks (9) and Mike Gonzalez (8), but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Yankees. Adam Brett Walker II and Rafael Valera added doubles to the effort, while Byron Buxton was 1-4 with a walk, RBI, and his third stolen base of the year. The home run for Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to eighteen games, a season high for the Miracle. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Dayton 1 Box score The story in this one was the Midwest League debut of Stephen Gonsalves, who was promoted to Cedar Rapids to take over the spot of his 2013 draft-mate, Kohl Stewart, and it also turned into his first MWL win as he was fantastic. The first batter he faced was sent walking back to the dugout via strikeout, as was the last batter he saw to finish the sixth inning. In between, Gonsalves scattered just three singles and one walk, with four additional K’s to hold the Dragons scoreless in his six frames. He also picked off a runner at first base. The Kernels offense didn’t break through until the sixth inning, but did so in loud fashion as J.D. Williams and Logan Wade slugged solo home runs to put them in front 2-0. They added insurance runs in the seventh after a Bryan Haar triple, error, and Williams double scored their final two runs. Brandon Bixler worked two innings in relief of Gonsalves, and allowed the only Dayton run on two hits and a walk. He struck out two. Dallas Gallant struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to pick up his third save of the year. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 7, Johnson City 6 (Suspended) Box Score Elizabethton’s game against rival Johnson City was suspended by rain with one out in the fifth inning, after the Twins had taken the lead with four runs in the frame. Thus far Elizabethton had already pounded out thirteen hits, including multiple hit efforts from Tanner English, Max Murphy, Brian Navarreto, and Austin Diemer. Murphy hit his tenth home run on the season, a solo shot in the third inning, while Navaretto added a triple and Tyler Kuresa doubled. Nick Gordon is 1-3 and was caught stealing for the fourth time. In just 4.1 innings, all batters in the Twins lineup have a hit. Sam Gibbons made the start and lasted just three innings, yielding five earned runs on five hits and three walks. Samuel Clay gave up one run on three hits and a walk in fourth before the postponement. The game is likely to be made up in August when Johnson City comes to Elizabethton, as the Twins travel to Greenville for their game on Monday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Stephen Gonsalves (6.0 IP, 3 H’s, 1 BB, 0 R’s, 6 K’s) Hitter – J.D Williams, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-3, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ Rochester – Mark Hamburger (2-1, 2.57 ERA), 6:05PM CST New Britain @ Trenton – Pat Dean (7-6, 4.62 ERA), 6:05 CST Clearwater @ Fort Myers – Brett Lee (7-2, 1.92 ERA), 6:05PM CST Cedar Rapids @ Dayton – Aaron Slegers (7-6, 4.49 ERA), 6:00PM CST Greenville @ Elizabethton – TBD, 6:00PM CST GCL Rays @ GCL Twins – TBD, 11:00AM CST DSL D-backs @ DSL Twins – TBD, 9:30AM CST

The Twins were lifeless for the entire game against Rangers starter Nick Tepesch, before Twins Daily’s #8 prospect Jorge Polanco made a big splash in the ninth inning with a two-RBI triple off closer Joakim Soria to make the score 5-4. Unfortunately, a Brian Dozier strikeout and Kurt Suzuki groundout would prevent him from becoming the Miracle ninth-inning hero. In the minors it was a very eventful night, including two walk-off games and near history among the affiliates. I apologize in advance for the let-down after that remark, however… TRANSACTIONS The Twins placed Danny Santana on the 15-day disabled list after he tweaked his knee in yesterday’s game. They recalled SP Yohan Pino to take his place, who hopefully didn’t fly back to Rochester only to get right back on a plane to Texas! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Lehigh Valley 5 Box score The Red Wings found themselves in a 4-0 hole going into the seventh inning after Lehigh Valley starter, and former Twin, Jason Marquis blanked them for six innings. Rochester’s lineup managed only three hits and a walk against him, but came alive when he left the game after giving up a leadoff single to Chris Colabello to start the seventh inning. Marquis was replaced by Jeremy Horst, who quickly gave up an inherited run on a Chris Herrmann triple. Herrmann scored the Wings' second run of the game on a Brad Nelson groundout. In the eighth, Rochester completed the comeback with a furious two-out rally. Eric Farris doubled with one. This was followed by a “productive” groundout that moved him to third. Deibinson Romero then drew a walk to put runners on the corners, and Colabello brought Fryer home with another single. After a pitching change, Herrmann drew a walk to load the bases before a Brad Nelson double brought home all the ducks on the pond to give Rochester the 6-5 lead. Aaron Thompson and Ryan Pressley closed out the game with two perfect frames to secure the win. The save was Pressley’s fourth of the season. Starter Sean Gilmartin pitched six innings but allowed seven hits, two walks and four earned runs with only one strikeout. Deolis Guerra pitched the seventh inning, but gave up a run after a wild-pitch strikeout put a runner on first, followed by an RBI double. The Rochester offense got multiple hits from Colabello (2-4, R, RBI) and Herrmann (2-3, BB, 2R, RBI) and Nelson provided the clutch hit and collected four RBI on the night. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain had a scheduled seven-inning double-header with New Hampshire to make up a postponed game from April 15th. Game 1 - New Britain 2, New Hampshire 3 Box Score In game one, New Britain took a 2-0 lead in the fourth, but were unable to muster any more offense. As a team they were 1-10 with runners in scoring position, scattering six hits and four walks. In the second game of his rehab assignment, Eduardo Nunez reached base all four times he came up, going 2-2 with two walks. Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2-4 with two doubles and a run scored and Kennys Vargas went 1-3 with a walk. On the mound Tyler Duffey gave a quality effort, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing only three hits, two walks and two runs (one earned). He struck out three. Ryan O’Rourke was asked to face only one batter in the seventh, picking up a strikeout. Cole Johnson recorded the final out of the inning, but would get only one more out in the game before surrendering a walk-off double in the (extra) eighth inning. Game 2 - New Britain 0, New Hampshire 8 Box score Download attachment: Mark Hamburger.jpg Former Minnesota Gopher Mike Kvasnicka was a hero in this game, but not for the reason you would hope as history was nearly made by New Hampshire starter Casey Lawrence. His bid for a perfect game was lost with two outs in the final inning of the shortened game, after Kvasnicka pinch hit for Eduardo Nunez and snuck a ground ball through the left side of the infield for a single. Lawrence struck out eight Rock Cats in the nearly perfect effort. Mark Hamburger made his first start of the season for New Britain, and was solid in four innings. He allowed just one hit, two walks and one run with three strikeouts. Daniel Turpen didn’t have a good night in relief, as he gave up six earned runs on seven hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. Jim Fuller recorded the final out for the Rock Cats, but not before giving up a run of his own. MIRACLE MATTERS St. Lucie -, Fort Myers – The Fort Myers Miracle game against the St. Lucie Mets was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a double-header. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 5, Cedar Rapids 6 Box score Cedar Rapids put enough runs on the board in the third (1), fourth (2), and fifth (3) innings to stave off a late comeback from the Lumberjacks. For some great quotes on Lewis Thorpe and more, check out Seth’s full game report as he reports live from Cedar Rapids. Chad Christensen (2-4, 2R’s, 2B, RBI) and Jason Kanzler (2-4, R, 3B, RBI) collected multiple hits for the Kernels, and every hitter in the lineup except cleanup man Bryan Haar collected a hit. Thorpe pitched 5.1 innings to pick up his first win of the season. Alex Muren relieved him in the sixth and allowed two earned runs over two innings. Todd Van Steensel picked up his seventh save on the year with a five out effort, three of them via strikeout. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 3, Burlington 4 Box Score Burlington struck for two runs and an early lead in the bottom of the first against starter Chih-Wei Hu, but he settled down and retired the final seventeen batters he faced to finish six strong innings. His overall line for the night included just three hits, zero walks and the two earned runs, with three strikeouts. Randy LeBlanc pitched two perfect innings before Cameron Booser was charged with a hard-luck blown save after allowing three hits and two runs (one earned) after a play at the plate that resulted in an error for catcher Brett Doe that put the winning run in scoring position. Elizabethton’s lineup tied the game at two in the seventh inning after Nick Gordon led off the inning with his second triple in as many days, and scored on a strikeout misthrow to first base that put Austin Diemer on second. Diemer score the second run on a wild pitch. The E-Twins took a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth after a run-scoring-balk with runners on second and third after a Diemer single and a Tyler Mautner double, but the bottom half of the inning resulted in the second walk-off loss of the night for Twins affiliates. Gordon went 2-4 and has collected multiple hits in three straight games, but the rest of the E-Twins lineup only managed two hits and three walks. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 3 Box Score There wasn’t much offense in this game from either side, as collectively there were only eleven hits. But five walks from Twins pitchers helped provide the runs Boston’s affiliate needed in the late innings, where they put one run on the board in each of the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to secure the win. Twins hitters had only five singles on the night, with Roberto Gonzalez and Ariel Montesino collecting the two RBI’s. Starter Zach Tillery surrendered only two walks in three innings with four strikeouts. He was relieved by Brandon Easton who pitched four innings, allowing three hits, two walks and one run while notching seven strikeouts. Reyson Zoquiel was charged with a blown save and the loss after surrendering two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk in the eighth and ninth innings. Trevor Hildenberger finished the ninth with no further damage. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Chih-Wei Hu, Elizabethton Twins (6 IP, 3 H’s, 2 ER’s, 0 BB, 3 K’s) Hitter – Brad Nelson, Rochester Red Wings (1-3, 2B, 4 RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Norfolk @ Rochester – Alex Meyer (4-4, 3.79 ERA) 6:05PM CST New Britain @ New Hampshire – Virgil Vasquez (4-3, 3.71 ERA) 6:05 CST Palm Beach @ Fort Myers – TBD 5:05PM CST Clinton @ Cedar Rapids – Ryan Eades (4-7, 6.08 ERA) 6:35 CST Bristol @ Elizabethton – TBD 5:00PM CST GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – TBD 9:00AM CST Click here to view the article

The big news of the day in Twins Territory was that the Twins agreed to terms with free agent 1B/DH Kendrys Morales, but the Twins also shut out the Houston Astros at Target Field behind a strong start from Kyle Gibson. He improved to 5-5 on the year and lowered his ERA to under 4.00. In the minors, one top pitching prospect matched Gibson’s performance while another made his 2014 debut. Let’s get to it: Download attachment: Alex Meyer STBP.jpg RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Gwinnett 2 Box score Rochester jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the fourth inning, and it would be just enough offense to give Alex Meyer his fourth victory of the season. Meyer worked six shutout frames allowing only four singles and a walk, while striking out eight. He retired twelve in a row at one point and his 75 strikeouts on the season now lead the International League. Ryan Pressly was the first to come on in relief and after working a 1-2-3 seventh lost his control a bit in the eighth. An infield single, passed ball and two walks led to the end of his appearance. With the bases loaded, Aaron Thompson was summoned and limited the damage as best he could, allowing two of the inherited runners to score on a single before escaping with Rochester’s lead still intact. Michael Tonkin worked a perfect ninth inning to record his fourth save. The Red Wings offense pounded out thirteen hits on the night, but were just 2-16 with runners in scoring position and left twelve men on base. Chris Colabello was 3-5 with a double, Eric Farris was 2-4 with a double, RBI, and run scored. Eric Frying was 2-4 with an RBI. Despite the lack of clutch hitting every starter in the Wings lineup recorded a hit on the evening. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, Binghamton 4 Box score Twins Daily’s #5 prospect, Eddie Rosario added to his solid 2-5 AA debut on Friday by going 3-5 in this one, including his first home run of the year, a two run blast in the fifth inning. Rosario started the game at second base before moving to center field in the sixth inning. Three other New Britain hitters collected multiple hits: Nate Hanson (2-4, RBI), Reynaldo Rodriguez (2-4, R, RBI) and Brad Boyer (3-4, 3B, 2 RBI). Sam Fuld also began his rehab assignment with the Rock Cats, going 1-3 with a double and a run scored before being pitch hit for in the fifth inning. Pat Dean made the start for New Britain and went five innings. He gave up a solo home run in the second inning and surrendered three additional runs in the fourth before New Britain came back for the win. Adrian Salcedo, Ryan O’Rourke, and Mark Hamburger combined to pitch four innings of shutout baseball to finish the game, allowing only one hit and two walks collectively. Hamburger struck out two in the ninth to record his first save of the year. MIRACLE MATTERS Lakeland 3, Fort Myers 4 Box score Matt Tomshaw took the hill for the Miracle and pitched seven strong innings. He allowed only one earned run on five hits, with two base-on-balls and six strikeouts. He struck out the side in the third inning and the run scored on a sacrifice fly in the fourth. B.J. Hermsen came on to start the eighth inning, and promptly gave up a solo home run, a walk and a single before being replaced by Brian Gilbert who escaped the jam. Tyler Jones gave up one run on two hits in the ninth, but recorded his seventh save. The Fort Myers offense was led by Jorge Polanco and the surging Adam Brett Walker II. At the top of the order Polanco was 3-5 with a double and a run scored. Batting fifth, Walker was 2-4 and slugged his fourteenth home run, a two-run shot in the fifth inning that gave the Miracle a 4-1 lead. The two RBI for Walker gave him thirty-one in his past twenty-one games and he now leads the Florida State League with fifty RBI on the year in addition to pacing the circuit in home runs. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Kane County 5 Box score The story of this game was the 2014 debut of lefty Lewis Thorpe. Through three innings, he had allowed just three singles and kept the Cougars off the board, but that changed quickly in the fourth. A leadoff home run was followed by a single, a hit batter, a walk and a sac fly to put the Kernels down 2-0. Thorpe wasn’t able to get back on track in the fifth as two walks, a wild pitch and a single ended his night after 4.2 innings. Brandon Bixler entered the game with the bases loaded and walked the first batter he faced to score a run and a two run single followed. Hudson Boyd pitched two innings of scoreless ball to finish the game, walking two and striking out two. The Kernels weren’t able to muster much offense in this one, and their only runs came in the eighth inning when a Chad Christensen double scored Ryan Walker and Engelb Vielma. Walker was 2-4 with a triple and a walk on the night. Jon Murphy was 2-4. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Alex Meyer, Rochester Red Wings (6.0 IP, 4 H’s, 1 BB, 8 K’s) Hitter – Eddie Rosario, New Britain Rock Cats (3-5, 2 R’s, HR, 2 RBI) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Gwinnett – Logan Darnell (1-3, 2.58 ERA), 1:05PM CST New Britain @ Binghamton – Taylor Rogers (5-4, 4.88 ERA), 12:05PM CST Fort Myers @ Jupiter – Jason Wheeler (5-4, 2.59 ERA), 4:05PM CST Cedar Rapids @ Kane County – Ethan Mildren (1-3, 4.76 ERA), 1:00PM CST Click here to view the article

Spot starter Kris Johnson made took the mound for Minnesota on Friday, but wasn’t able to give the Twins much of a chance in Colorado as he surrendered two, one, and two runs in the first three innings of the game, setting them back 5-1 before he was removed after just 57 pitches and four innings. Drew Stubbs and Troy Tulowitzki blasted home runs as part of the early barrage, and the Twins offense wasn’t able to recover against Rockies’ starter Jorge De La Rosa and their bullpen. In the minors, there were two dramatic finishes and two dramatic “finish him!” mercy rule scores reflected on scoreboards. Read on to find out which were good and which were bad. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 5 Box score Starting pitcher Mark Hamburger had a good effort in his first start in AA last week, but wasn’t able to duplicate that effectiveness in this one. The St. Paul native went four innings, giving up seven hits, three walks and five earned runs to earn him the loss. On a positive note, he did strike out five. Edgar Ibarra (2 IP, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 2 K’s) and Michael Tonkin (2 IP, 1 H, 2 K’s) combined for four innings of scoreless relief, but the offense wasn’t able to mount any semblance of a comeback. On the night the lineup did collect ten hits, but only one went for extra bases and despite going 3-11 with RISP, they drove in only one run and left 11 men on base. Wilkin Ramirez (2-5) and Doug Bernier (2-4, 3B) collected multiple hits and every other batter except Pedro Florimon reached base. Unfortunately, Josmil Pinto (1-3, BB) collected the only RBI, driving in James Beresford with a third inning single to center field. ROCK CATS REVIEW Reading 5, New Britain 3 Box Score New Britain scored early but not often enough in this one. They took a 1-0 lead on doubles from Aaron Hicks and Reynaldo Rodriguez in the first inning and extended it to 2-0 after an Eddie Rosario double and Lance Ray single in the third. In the top of the fourth however, an error by SS Brad Boyer led to two runs and a tie score before Reading took the lead for good in the fifth after a sac fly. Download attachment: EddieRosario.jpg Starter Pat Dean pitched 5.2 innings, giving up 10 hits and four runs (2 earned) while striking out two. Adrian Salcedo replaced him and pitched 2.1 innings of perfect baseball, picking up three K’s in the process. Jim Fuller came in for the top of the ninth and gave up three hits, one walk, and one insurance run to finish the game for the Rock Cats. The Rock Cats threatened in the ninth with runners on first and second with one out, but pinch hitter Tony Thomas and Mike Kvasnicka would K to close out the loss. The standout in the lineup was Eddie Rosario, who went 2-4 with a double, a game tying home run in the bottom of the fifth and two runs scored. MIRACLE MATTERS Dunedin 1, Fort Myers 2 Box Score Blue Jays’ starter Kendall Graveman was locked in a pitchers duel with whe Miracle’s Brett Lee for over two-thirds of the game, as collectively they pitched 13.2 innings, allowing only eight hits, two walks, two runs (one earned), while racking up thirteen K’s. The game was tied at 1-1 when Lee was relieved by Alex Wimmers with two out in the top of the seventh. Wimmers struck out the next batter to finish the inning, then loaded the bases in the eighth before striking out the final two hitters to keep the game tied. In the top of the ninth, Tyler Jones retired all three men he faced to leave Fort Myers with sudden death conditions for their at-bat. Niko Goodrum started the inning with a walk, moving to second on a wild pitch. Travis Harrison moved him to third with a sac fly, and in stepped Dalton Hicks. It wasn’t flashy, but he got the job done with another sac fly for a walk-off win at home. The victory came despite just three hits for the Miracle. Aderlin Mejia had two of them, including an RBI single in the fifth for the first run of the game. KERNELS NUGGETS The Kernels were scheduled to finish a suspended game with the Clinton Lumberkings from June 30th before their regularly scheduled contest. Clinton 4, Cedar Rapids 5 (11 innings) Box score After resuming play for the 10th inning, Clinton built a major threat in the 11th after a walk, single and stolen base put runners on second and third with nobody out. One out and one hit later, the game was 4-3 Lumberkings before a play at home extinguished the fire. In the bottom half, a Jon Murphy single and throwing error from the pitcher on a sacrifice bunt attempt from Bo Altobelli put the Kernels in great position for a comeback. Chad Christensen did not disappoint, delivering another walk-off victory with a 2-RBI single. Cedar Rapids 6, Clinton 1 Box Score After being the original starter in the suspended game that was finished earlier, Kohl Stewart again took the mound in this one. This time he went six innings, scattering six hits, one walk and just one earned run while amassing five strikeouts. It was just his second win of the season in sixteen starts despite a now 2.58 ERA. Jared Wilson then pitched two scoreless innings before Nick Burdi came in for the ninth and struck out the side. Since his forgettable debut, Burdi has appeared in three games, allowing just two hits and one walk over three innings, while picking up all nine outs via strikeout. The Kernels took a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning, before a triple from Chad Christensen, a Mitch Garver single, Bryan Haar walk and Jason Kanzler triple led to four insurance runs and the final 6-1 lead. Logan Wade (2-5, R, 2B), Alex Swim (2-5, R), Kanzler (2-4, R, 3B, 2 RBI), and Jon Murphy (2-3, 2 RBI) collected multiple hits in the game. E-TWINS E-NOTES Kingsport 12, Elizabethton 0 Box Score Elizabethton committed nearly as many errors (3) as they collected hits on the night (4), leading to a shutout and thumping at the hands of the Kingsport Mets, who knocked around the Twins pitchers with nineteen hits. Felix Jorge made the start and lasted 5.2 innings, giving up eight hits, one walk and three earned runs. Randy LeBlanc then gave up five hits and three more runs in 1.1 innings, before Samuel Clay finished the first of two beyond-mercy-rule game of the night for Twins affiliates with two innings worth of six hit, six earned run baseball. Trey Vavra and Jhonatan Hinojosa were the only batters to get a hit for Elizabethton, each going 2-4. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Red Sox 17, GCL Twins 0 Box Score It was even worse on the scoreboard for the lower level of the Twins Rookie League teams, but the outcome was similar as the GCL Twins squad committed four errors to combine with fifteen hits and eight walks for the Red Sox lineup, compared to just six singles and three walks for the home team. Reliever Eduardo Del Rosario was arguably the only standout performer, pitching 1.2 scoreless and hitless innings with two K’s. DSL TWINS NOTES DSL Reds 3, DSL Twins 10 Box Score Of note in this game is the Twins committed six errors, while the Reds managed to commit just two. Fortunately for the Twins, when it came to capitalizing on those mistakes, they scored six unearned runs compared to just two for the Reds. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Brett Lee, Fort Myers Miracle (6.2 IP, 5 H’s, 1 BB, 1 R, 8 K’s) Hitter – Eddie Rosario, New Britain Rock Cats (2-4, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ Rochester – Sean Gilmartin (1-4, 4.44 ERA), 6:05PM CST Reading @ New Britain – Taylor Rogers (7-6, 3.91 ERA), 6:05 CST Dunedin @ Fort Myers – D.J. Baxendale (2-1, 6.67 ERA), 5:05PM CST Cedar Rapids @ Clinton – Aaron Slegers (5-6, 5.18 ERA), 6:30PM CST Elizabethton @ Danville – Derrick Penilla (0-1, 6.75 ERA), 6:00PM CST GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – TBD, 9:00AM CST DSL Twins @ DSL Padres – TBD, 9:30AM CST Click here to view the article

After a rough, Mother Nature influenced series, in which the Twins were forced to use every one of their pitchers in a double-header vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, they received a valiant effort from their prized off-season acquisition, Ricky Nolasco, on Friday night to stave off a catastrophic pitching predicament moving into the weekend. Although Nolasco was able to save the bullpen with a complete game, three earned run effort, it wasn’t enough to save himself from taking a loss, as the Twins weren’t able to muster any offense against the Baltimore Orioles’ Ubaldo Jimenez, tallying only four hits in a disappointing effort for the first (semi) decent weather game I’ve been able to attend in section 107 at Target Field this year. Minnesota’s minor league affiliates were able to fare somewhat better however, going 2-2 on the night, including a familiar extra innings marathon. Download attachment: Scott Diamond2.jpg TRANSACTIONS The Twins recalled SP Logan Darnell from Rochester before the weekend games kicked off. He is due to make his MLB debut in relief of an overused bullpen. Also, they optioned SP Kris Johnson back to Rochester after his double-header spot start on Thursday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Louisville 1 Box score Scott Diamond took the hill for the Red Wings, and after an extremely disappointing start to his season, put together the type of outing Twins fans might remember from his staff-ace stretch of 2012. Diamond lasted 6.2 innings, scattering 6 hits and 2 walks, with only 1 earned run and 6 K’s. He was replaced by A.J. Achter, who finished the final 2.1 innings without surrendering a baserunner and closed out the victory for Rochester. The offense was led by the recently on-fire Chris Parmelee, who had a first inning sac fly to score Doug Bernier, and a fifth inning solo blast, his 5th HR of the season, to make the score 4-1 in Rochester’s favor. DH Brad Nelson and 3B Deibinson Romero added RBI doubles to contribute to the offense. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 4, New Hampshire 2 Box score The pitcher the Twins received from the Atlanta Braves organization in exchange for Ryan Doumit last season put together arguably his best start for his new organization. Sean Gilmartin tossed six innings of one run ball, allowing only three hits and racked up eight K’s to secure the win, although he did surrender four walks. Relievers Daniel Turpen (hold), Lester Oliveros (hold), and Adrian Salcedo (save) all pitched a single inning and helped ensure the victory for the Rock Cats. The trio of relievers added six K’s to the team’s total, three BB’s and only one ER and each allowed one hit. Notable was the rough start for Turpen, who started off the 7th inning with a single and stolen base to advance the runner to 2nd and subsequent wild-pitch that put him on 3rd. But he then proceeded to strike out the next three batters looking to end the threat. On the offensive side, DH Kennys Vargas slugged his 5th HR on the season in the sixth inning, plating Kenny Wilson for a 4-1 Rock Cats lead. 2B Tony Thomas and SS (and Twins Daily contributor) A.J. Petterson added doubles to the offense, while Nate Hanson (another Minnesotan) added his second HR of the year in the victory. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Palm Beach 3 (14 innings) Box score The Miracle attempted to emulate the Twins from Thursday night in a game lasting nearly four hours and into the 14th inning. Unfortunately, the result was the same, a tally in the loss column. David Hurlburt started for the Miracle and put together a quality start effort. He pitched six innings, allowing seven hits and two ER’s with no walks and two K’s. He was replaced by lefty Steven Gruver who pitched into the 9th, then Tim Shibuya who tossed a much needed 4.1 innings in the extra effort. Tyler Jones earned the loss after giving up a single and HBP to start the 14th, a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, then a sac fly to plate the walk-off run. Fort Myers received multi-hit efforts from leadoff man (and keep-your-eye-on-prospect) 2B Levi Michael (two doubles) and OF Adam Brett Walker II (double) in the extended game, but only four other hitters collected a hit on the evening. Although as a team they walked nine times, they stranded all but one of them. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 12 Box score The pitching staff for the Kernels had a rough night and were unable to limit an early, relentless attack from the Chiefs. Prospect Felix Jorge made the start, but was able to last only three innings. He allowed one BB, but eight hits including one HR, three triples and a double; these resulted in a 5-0 lead for Peoria. He was replaced by Christian Powell who fared even worse, surrendering seven runs (six earned) in 0.2 innings. He was relieved by Todd Van Steesel who allowed every inherited runner to score in the 4th inning before recovering to strike out four through his 2.1 innings. Brandon Bixler then provided the mop-up duty in the last three innings, allowing one walk, with three K’s. The offense was stymied to the tune of 14 K’s from the Peoria pitchers, though they were able to collect ten hits. They were led by 2B Logan Wade who went 3-5 with two doubles and an RBI, CF Jason Kanzler who went 2-5 with a run scored and 3B Bryan Haar who went 2-4. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Scott Diamond, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Logan Wade, Cedar Rapids Kernels SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ Rochester (12:05 PM CST) – Yohan Pino (Listen) New Hampshire @ New Britain (5:35 PM CST) – Pat Dean (Listen) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:35 CST) – Alex Wimmers (Listen) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – Aaron Slegers (Listen) Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Darnell_Logan_Profile_US_720.jpg The Minnesota Twins won their third game in a row on Saturday to push their record to over .500 on the season. Starting pitcher Samuel Deduno gave a quality start effort and Brian Dozier continued to provide the thump in the lineup, slugging his eleventh home run of the season. It was a 3-run shot in the fifth inning that gave the Twins just enough cushion. There was plenty offense for a few of the Twins affiliates' lineups on Saturday, but collectively their pitching didn’t provide them with the same help as Deduno did for the Twins. RED WINGS REPORT Toledo 2, Rochester 9 Box Score Logan Darnell made his second start for the Red Wings since returning from his one game cup of coffee with the Twins. His game didn’t quite qualify for the “quality start” moniker, but might as well have. Darnell lasted 5.2 innings, scattering six hits and two walks, while striking out eight. He was charged with two runs,one earned. When he ran into trouble in the sixth after a Diebinson Romero error, Matt Hoffman came on in relief and shut the door on the threat. He pitched the final 3.1 innings, striking out three while lowering his ERA on the season to 1.56. The Rochester lineup pushed two runs across in each of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings on their way to the blowout. Eric Farris and Romero each slugged a two-run homer, and Romero also added a triple and led the Red Wings with three RBI’s on the night. Farris, Romero, Dan Rohlfing, Eric Fryer, and Josh Willingham each had two hits. Oswaldo Arcia was hit by a pitch and walked twice, scoring two runs. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain played a double-header Saturday, making up their second of two postponed games with Harrisburg from the end of April. Game 1: New Britain 0, Harrisburg 5 Box Score In Game 1, the Rock Cats ran into the Washington Nationals #2 rated prospect by MLB.com, A.J. Cole. He threw the seven inning complete game, allowing only four hits and zero walks, while striking out eight. Corey Wimberly had the only extra-base hit for New Britain, a double, and Brad Boyer stole two bases after his first inning single. Virgil Vasquez started for the Rock Cats, and allowed five earned runs on eight hits and two walks, though he did strike out nine, in his 4.2 innings. Jim Fuller finished the game with a perfect 1.1 innings. Game 2: New Britain 3, Harrisburg 9 Box Score In Game 2, starter Matthew Summers had many of the same problems as Vasquez in the first. He finished five innings, but allowed all nine Senators runs on nine hits and three walks, with three K’s. He also allowed three home runs. Ryan O’Rourke pitched the final inning, allowing only a walk. Unlike the first game, New Britain did manage to send a few runners across home plate in this one. Kennys Vargas was 2-3 with an RBI and run scored, and Mike Kvasnicka was 2-2 with a walk and RBI. Reynaldo Rodriguez, Matt Koch, and Nate Hanson added doubles for the Rock Cats. MIRACLE MATTERS Daytona 11, Fort Myers 9 Box Score The Miracle made a valiant effort in the bottom of the ninth, but a bases clearing double by Adam Brett Walker II to score Jorge Polanco, Dalton Hicks, and Max Kepler were their final runs before Daytona shut the door on the comeback. The offense for the Miracle was led by Walker II and Kepler, who each had three hits, including the aforementioned double by Walker II in the ninth and a triple from Kepler in the second. Hicks also collected three RBI’s with a home run in the fifth inning, his second of the year. As a team, the Miracle had thirteen hits, including six extra base hits, but even that was not enough to keep pace with the Cubs. Daytona knocked around starter Jason Wheeler to the tune of six runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks, including three doubles before he left the game after 2.2 innings. Relievers Tim Shibuya, Mason Melotakis, Brandon Peterson, and Madison Boer didn’t fare much better. Collectively they allowed the other five runs on ten hits and three walks in their 6.1 innings. Melotakis and Peterson each struck out three in two innings apiece. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Burlington 7 Box Score The Kernels struck first, scoring a run in each of the opening two frames, but Burlington was quick to strike back at starter Ryan Eades. After getting one run back in the bottom of the second, the Bees added three in the third after three consecutive hitters slugged extra base hits (double, triple, double). Eades did recover to record the next five outs with strikeouts, but the extra base hit bug would come back to bite Eades in the fifth and end his night. Overall in five innings, he allowed all seven of Burlington’s runs on nine hits, with two walks and seven K’s. Brandon Bixler pitched the sixth and seventh innings, striking out two and walking two, while Hudson Boyd finished the game for the Kernels. The Kernels managed only six hits in the game and were led by Chad Christensen and Bo Altobelli each of whom had two. Altobelli had the only extra-base hit with a double in the seventh inning. Mitch Garver and Bryan Santy knocked in the runs for Cedar Rapids. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Logan Darnell, Rochester Red Wings (5.2IP, 1ER, 8K’s) Hitter – Diebinson Romero, Rochester Red Wings (2-5, 3B, HR, 2 R’s, 3 RBI) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester – Kris Johnson (2-2, 2.45 ERA), 12:05PM CST New Britain @ Harrisburg – TBD, 1:00PM CST Daytona @ Fort Myers – Brett Lee (3-1, 2.84 ERA), 3:05PM CST Cedar Rapids @ Burlington – Ethan Mildren (0-2, 3.72 ERA), 2:00PM CST [/hr]The Twins continued to win and you continue to save. Get a half price large or extra-large pizza on Sunday at PapaJohns.com by using the promo code TWINSWIN. Click here to view the article

Minnesota Twins starter Phil Hughes continued his renaissance in 2014, tossing a complete game effort in Fenway Park – a stadium in which he had owned a career ERA of 6.56 – on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, the offense wasn’t up to providing enough punch to avoid a tally in the loss column against Jon Lester. In the minors, one of the affiliates participated in their league’s All-Star Game, while a few familiar names in these reports continued their headlining play. RED WINGS REPORT Pawtucket 2, Rochester 1 (suspendend) Box score The Red Wings game against Boston’s AAA affiliate was suspended due to rain after the first out of the fourth inning. The game will be completed on Wednesday before the scheduled game, which will be shortened to a seven inning contest. Sean Gilmartin was called up to Rochester to make the start, and should stay in AAA after the promotion of Yohan Pino to the Twins. In the 3.1 innings finished on the night, he allowed six hits and two runs (both unearned) with two strikeouts. On offense, the Red Wings only made it through the lineup once, with Eric Farris, Deibinson Romero (double), Chris Colabello and Dan Rohlfing each collecting one of their four hits. James Beresford drew a walk and scored the lone run on Colabello’s first inning single. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 7, Harrisburg 2 Box score Download attachment: Nate Hanson.jpg Up 3-2 heading into the seventh inning, the Rock Cats were looking for some insurance runs, and they got them courtesy of 1B Kennys Vargas. After a Tony Thomas single, an Eddie Rosario walk, and a Nate Hanson single, Vargas stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. On an 0-2 count, Harrisburg pitcher Neil Holland served up a pitch that Vargas deposited deep to right field for a grand slam, and a 7-2 lead they would not relinquish. Hanson was 4-4 on the night with two doubles, a walk and two runs scored. Vargas and Rosario each collected multiple hits. Tyler Duffey made the start and after finishing five innings improved to 2-2 in eight starts with New Britain, allowing five hits, two walks and two earned runs while striking out four. Daniel Turpen pitched two perfect innings of relief (2 K’s), while Jim Fuller (2 hits allowed) and Ryan O’Rourke (2 K’s) closed out the victory with scoreless frames. MIRACLE MATTERS Bradenton 2, Fort Myers 4 Box score The third batter of the game for Bradenton singled to right field, but this was all the offense the Marauders were able to mount against Miracle stud Jose Berrios. In seven innings, Berrios allowed only this one hit, two walks and he struck out nine. Berrios recorded multiple strikeouts in the first, second, fifth, and sixth innings. Of his nine K’s, six were of the swinging variety. This start also marked the seventh straight where Berrios finished at least six innings, struck out seven or more and allowed just two or fewer earned runs. The victory pushed his record to 7-2 on the season and lowered his ERA to an otherworldly 2.09. His name appears near the top of every meaningful statistical category in the Florida State League, and it is only a matter of time before he should make his way to the AA Eastern League. The Miracle offense struck first in the fourth inning, putting up a three-spot after Jorge Polanco led off the inning with his fifth home run of the year, and Stephen Wickens (single), Lance Ray (double, RBI), and Dalton Hicks (single, RBI) collected hits. Fort Myers added a run in the seventh when Niko Goodrum singled, collected his twelfth steal of the season, then scored on a throwing error from Marauder first-baseman Jose Osuna after a Tyler Grimes ground out. Madison Boer came on for the eighth inning to relieve Berrios, but a walk, two singles and a sac fly put a crooked number on the board for Bradenton to make the score 3-2 heading into the ninth. Tyler Jones put the leadoff man on first, but got the next three men out, punctuating his eighth save of the year with a strikeout. KERNELS NUGGETS MWL West 7, MWL East 0 Box score The Cedar Rapids Kernels play in the Western Division, and were represented in the All-Star game by 1B Bryan Haar, and pitchers Kohl Stewart (SP) and Yorman Landa (RP) in the winning effort. Haar went 1-2, singling in his first at-bat to lead off the seventh inning, but neither Stewart nor Landa pitched in the game (lots of players, can’t get to them all!) The Kernels resume play on Thursday when they open the second half of the season on the road against the Kane County Cougars. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Jose Berrios, Fort Myers Miracle (7 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 9 K’s) Hitter – Kennys Vargas, New Britain Rock Cats (2-5, 2 R’s, GS (13), 4 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester – Alex Meyer (4-3, 3.62 ERA), 6:05PM CST New Britain @ Harrisburg – Virgil Vasquez, 11:00AM CST Bradenton @ Fort Myers – TBD 6:05PM CST Click here to view the article

Arguably, it's been quite a long time since the Twins have employed a franchise-type player at the most important position on the diamond, shortstop (I'll leave J.J. Hardy out of this conversation). Since 2004 when Christian Guzman last manned the position, the Twins have sent players such as Jason Castro, Jason Bartlett, Nick Punto, Matt Tolbert, Adam Everett, Orlando Cabrera, Alexi Casilla, Trevor Plouffe, Brian Dozier, Pedro Florimon, and Eduardo Escobar out there for extended playing time, to extremely underwhelming results (recent play of Escobar notwithstanding). The Twins could do well to change this organizational shortcoming with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft, where there are a few highly touted players at this position, including North Carolina State’s Trea Turner. But there is another shortstop with whom, leading up to the draft, rumors of connections with the Twins have been much louder. That has been with Windermere, FL high schooler, Nick Gordon. Download attachment: Gordon.jpg Photo by Rinaldi Photos Who is this guy? A conversation about Gordon should almost certainly start with a look at his pedigree. He is the younger brother of current MLB second-baseman Dee Gordon of the Dodgers and son of former MLB reliever, Tom “Flash” Gordon. Much like his brother Dee, Nick has above-average speed and came up playing shortstop, but that is nearly where the similarities end. The difference between them has been Nick’s bat, which took a big step forward in 2014 after he added some strength to his upper body. This has made him a far more highly regarded draft prospect than Dee, who was selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2008 draft. While he shares the position (Dee was drafted as a shortstop) and speed similarities with his brother, Nick also possesses one of the draft’s best infield arms, which came courtesy of his father, “Flash.” On a high school mound Nick touches the mid-90’s, and translates this arm strength easily to the shortstop position. Scouts also praise Gordon’s instincts for the position, and he carries far fewer doubts about his long term outlook to stay at short than the usual prep player. Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com echoed these thoughts recently while discussing Gordon for the Chicago Cubs at pick number four: “It's a common situation every year to see players who man shortstop as amateurs but aren't expected to stay there long-term as professionals. Gordon, without a doubt, will play shortstop at the highest level. He has the arm, the hands and the range to be an outstanding defender at short.” Why the Twins will pick him In their recent history, if the Twins have targeted a high school position player early in the draft, it’s been for players who have had potential with their bat (Travis Harrison) or great athleticism (Niko Goodrum) for their position and it can be said that Gordon possesses both these qualities. Add the fact that the Twins have been devoid of a long-term solution at shortstop for ten years now, and it’s hard to miss why the Twins might be in on him. Gordon is a left-handed batter who is praised more for gap-to-gap power than raw power potential that he could grow into, but this is also what makes him more appealing if you’re looking for a shortstop. Even though he added strength to his 6’2” frame, he's been described as having such a “wiry” build that onlookers don’t see him outgrowing the position or his athleticism for it. When you combine all these elements, you get a premium prospect at a premium position who definitely deserves a long look. Why the Twins will not pick him If you believe most of the rumblings, only selecting one of the top pitchers (Aiken, Kolek, Rodon, or Nola) may prevent the Twins from selecting Gordon. The Twins do already have a few intriguing middle infield prospects in their farm system, including Jorge Polanco, Niko Goodrum, and the Twins recent spark plug, Danny Santana. But all these players have questions related to their long-term outlook at shortstop or have already played considerable innings at other positions. Though the comments above do temper this next concern, it does always exist in some capacity if the expectation of drafting a high schooler is for him to stick at shortstop. It simply is a rarity that any of them make it to the big leagues in that capacity or develop the hitting skills to stay there in the majors. His own brother has certainly been a prime example. This has also been the case for the Twins with players like Casilla, Plouffe, Dozier and Florimon reaching the big leagues at short, but not sticking for long. If there isn't another player atop the Twins board at number five, it’s likely none of these reasons would deter them from adding one of the best high school position players available in 2014 to the organization. [/hr]Twins beat the Yankees on Sunday, so you win today. Get 50% of a Large or XL pizza at PapaJohns.com when using the promo code 'TWINSWIN'. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins were able to end their 10-game road losing streak against the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon, behind a solid bounce-back effort from starter Kyle Gibson and clutch hitting from Kendrys Morales and unexpected spark plug Jorge Polanco. Gibson went eight efficient innings, allowing just two runs on ninety-five pitches (69 for strikes). Morales provided the winning RBI with a ninth inning double down the line to left to score Sam Fuld. Glen Perkins closed out the ninth by striking out the side to pick up his 20th save of the year. Down in the minors, the Twins affiliates received strong starting performances from all their pitchers (including that Berrios guy), but were only 1-3 on the day. Second-round draft pick Nick Burdi also made his professional debut for the Cedar Rapids Kernels with Seth Stohs in attendance. RED WINGS REPORT Norfolk 1, Rochester 8 Box score The story of the game for the Red Wings was starter Logan Darnell. He pitched his first AAA complete game, scattering nine hits and one walk, with three strikeouts. He helped himself by inducing four double plays, which is a season high for the Red Wings defense. Darnell is now 3-1 with 2.29 ERA in 39.1 IP in front of the home crowd at Frontier Field. The lone run was the result of a home run off the bat of Michael Almanzar in the fifth inning. The offense put five runs on the board in the third inning to provide all the offensive support Darnell would need. James Beresford led off the inning with a single, and scored when Danny Ortiz hit his fourth home run of the season. Four consecutive hitters reached base after this, with Doug Bernier (single), Deibinson Romero (walk), Chris Colabello (double, RBI), and Chris Herrmann (double, 2 RBI) providing the three other runs. Rochester added a run in the seventh and two in the eighth to reach their final tally. James Beresford (3-4, 2 R’s) and Eric Farris (2-5, RBI) were the only batters to collect multiple hits, but every player in the lineup except Nate Hanson reached base. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 2, New Hampshire 3 Box Score Starter Pat Dean was able to give the Rock Cats a quality start, but there was not enough offense to secure him a victory, as the lineup collected only five hits and three walks on the night and batted 1-7 with runners in scoring position. Tony Thomas and Mike Kvasnicka each hit a double, while Aaron Hicks was 1-2 with two walks and a run scored. Kennys Vargas and Stephen Wickens had the other two hits. Dean pitched 6.1 innings, but was chased in the seventh inning after giving up five consecutive singles to start the frame. If not for an outfield assist at home on the last of those, Dean would have surrendered at least one more run. He was relieved by Cole Johnson who retired the final two batters of the inning and finished the game with 1.2 innings, one hit allowed and two K’s. MIRACLE MATTERS Palm Beach 5, Fort Myers 2 Box Score The story was much the same for the Miracle offense in Fort Myers, as they were only able to push two runs across the plate in support of staff ace Jose Berrios, who took only his third loss of the season. As a team, they were 2-11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base. Berrios continued his dominance in this one, again pitching at least six innings, allowing two or fewer earned runs and striking out seven or more for his ninth straight start. In this one, he went seven innings, allowing just five hits and one walk, while striking out seven. He did surrender just his fourth home run of the year in the first inning, but also retired the final eight batters of his outing, finishing his game with a K. For the offense, Lance Ray was 2-5 with an RBI (in thirteen games this season so far, he is sporting a .979 OPS with 8 doubles and 1 HR), Dalton hicks clubbed a double and Tyler Grimes was 1-1 with a double and three walks. Niko Goodrum was 1-5 with a run scored and stole his 16th base of the year. Nate Roberts was 0-3, but walked twice, continuing to display his keen on-base abilities after a long period of injury recovery. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 7, Cedar Rapids 4 Box score Twins Daily’s Seth Stohs was again in attendance at the Kernels game this afternoon, and saw a great game right until the end. He was able to chat with many of the players and coaches after the game, providing the insight here. On the mound for the Kernels was Ethan Mildren, and he put together arguably his best start of the season. He blanked the LumberKings for seven innings, allowing just four hits, one walk and he racked up six K’s. Asked to describe his outing, Mildren said “I was getting ahead with my fastball well and establishing in and out, and getting good movement on my two-seamer in on righties.” Coach Jake Mauer added “He was outstanding. He was phenomenal.” Indeed! Download attachment: Ethan Mildren.jpg SP Ethan Mildren Cedar Rapids struck for two runs in the first inning after Zack Granite led off the inning with a walk and was moved to third on an Engelb Vielma double. The bases were loaded after Chad Christensen was hit with a pitch, and a second HBP to Jason Kanzler scored the first run of the game. An Alex Swim groundout scored Vielma for run number two. The scored stayed the same until the eighth inning, when the Kernels added two insurance runs on a Bryan Haar home run after Christensen hit his fourth triple of the year in front of him. Haar’s blast was his third in two days. What came next was the professional debut of the Twins 2014 second round pick, hard-throwing closer Nick Burdi out of Louisville, who had been in the College World Series. It didn’t go well, as he himself would admit. Burdi faced just four hitters in the top of the ninth, and walked all of them, with the first of his four earned runs given up scoring on a wild pitch. Burdi explained, “[i was] a little rusty but I still walked four guys. That’s not an excuse but I’ve got to come back next time and be sharper.” He added: “It happens. It’s baseball. Have to move on” and “I’ve got to be better.” Jake Mauer also talked about his new pitcher, explaining “We don’t know a lot about him. He was the closer at Louisville. He was the closer at a big time program. He’ll get another chance. No doubt about it.” Burdi was replaced by Jared Wilson, who gave up a run-scoring single to the first batter he faced, then walked in another run to make the score 4-3. The final blow came when Christian Carmichael hit a grand slam to plate the final four for the LumberKings. Wilson's line for one inning included four hits, one walk, three earned runs and was charged with the blown save and loss. E-TWINS E-NOTES Bristol 0, Elizabethton 0 (suspended in the bottom of the first inning) Box Score The E-Twins didn’t get to play much baseball on Sunday, as rain stopped play with only one out in the bottom of the first inning. On the mound for Elizabethton was Derrick Penilla, who gave up a double to start the game, but escaped the first with no damage and picked up a strikeout. The game will be finished before the regularly scheduled tilt tomorrow. GCL TWINS TAKES Just like every Sunday during the Gulf Coast League season, there were no games scheduled. The GCL Twins return to action tomorrow at 11:00 AM CST against the GCL Rays at home in Fort Myers. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – TRIPLE PLAY!!! Logan Darnell, Rochester Red Wings (9IP, CG, 9 H’s, BB, 1 ER, 3 K’s); Jose Berrios, Fort Myers Miracle (7 IP, 5 H’s, BB, 2 ER’s, 7 K’s); Ethan Mildren, Cedar Rapids Kernels (7 IP, 4 H’s, BB, 0 R’s, 6 K’s) Hitter – Danny Ortiz, Rochester Red Wings (1-3, BB, 2 R’s, HR, 2 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Norfolk @ Rochester – TBD 6:05PM CST Binghamton @ New Britain – TBD 6:05 CST Palm Beach @ Fort Myers – D.J. Baxendale (1-1, 5.23 ERA) 6:05PM CST Clinton @ Cedar Rapids – Kohl Stewart (1-4, 2.53 ERA) 12:05PM CST Bristol @ Elizabethton (regularly scheduled game) – Michael Cederoth 6:00PM CST GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – TBD 11:00AM CST [/hr]Twins ended their losing streak yesterday so celebrate with a half-price L or XL pizza from PapaJohns.com by using the promo code 'TWINSWIN'! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Florimon_Pedro_Portrait_US_720.jpg The Tampa Bay Rays finished off a three game sweep of the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon with a 5-3 victory in the heat at Target Field. Kevin Correia wasn’t able to continue his recent run of solid pitching, as he lasted just four innings and gave up runs in each of the first three. In the minors, the starting pitching was the story of the day, but in a good way as all four full-season affiliate starters pitched into the sixth inning. Read on to find out what happened in the minor leagues on Sunday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 14, Norfolk 2 Box score Pedro Florimon (3), Nate Hanson (2), and Danny Ortiz (5) all homered in this game, while accounting for eight of the Red Wings fourteen runs. Florimon’s was a solo-blast, Hanson’s a three-run shot, and Ortiz’ a grand slam in the eighth inning. In addition to Hanson (3-4, R, 2B, HR, BB, 4 RBI) and Ortiz (2-5, R, HR, 5 RBI), rightfielder Chris Rahl (4-5, 3 R’s, 3 2B’s, 3 RBI) and centerfielder Eric Farris (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, RBI) each collected multiple hits. All batters in the lineup reached base and scored at least one run. Logan Darnell made the quality start for Rochester, pitching 6.1 innings in which he allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out two. The two runs came in the third inning when Steve Lombardozzi and Christian Walker bookended a 3-hit inning with doubles. Lester Oliveros finished the seventh and eighth with 1.2 perfect innings of relief, striking out two in the process and Michael Tonkin pitched a scoreless ninth. http://embed.sendtonews.com/player/embed.php?SK=qV6ziM11vl&MK=54290&PK=4935[/media] ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, Reading 5 Box Score New Britain was largely dominated by Reading’s starter, Adam Loewen, for six innings before breaking through in a big way in the seventh. Down 3-0 going into the inning, the Rock Cats strung together a hit-by-pitch (Reynaldo Rodriguez), double (Brandown Waring) and walk (Stephen Wickens) to load the bases , before an ejection (Coach Chad Allen) on a catcher interference call (Tony Thomas), and a grand slam (Aaron Hicks) put five runs on the board. Starter Jason Wheeler gave up a two-run home run in the first inning, but settled down nicely and allowed just one more run to also log a quality start. On the day, Wheeler went seven innings and allowed five hits and a walk, with three strikeouts. Matthew Summers took over in the eighth and recorded two outs before loading the bases. He was then replaced by Mason Melotakis, who gave up a two-run single to tie the game before picking up a strikeout to end the threat. In the top of the ninth, Tony Thomas put New Briatain back in the lead with his seventh home run of the year to left field. Melotakis worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning to pick up the win. For the game, Rodriguez and Waring (2B) each had two hits while Thomas (2) and Hicks (4) collected all the RBI’s to lead the Cats. MIRACLE MATTERS Brevard County 4, Fort Myers 7 Box Score Tim Shibuya was the third of the Twins affiliate’s starting pitchers on the day to give a quality start, also doing so with a seven inning effort. He scattered seven hits and a walk to allow only one earned run, while striking out five. The early lead for the Kernels was provided by the bat of Adam Walker, who doubled in the third inning to score Jorge Polanco and Dalton Hicks. Walker went to third on the throw and then scored on a Mike Gonzalez single. The needed insurance runs came in the sixth inning courtesy of the bat of Niko Goodrum, who crushed a three-run home run to put the Miracle in front 6-1. B.J. Hermsen came on to pitch the eighth, and allowed consecutive singles and a three run home run to the first three batters he faced, before recording all three outs to finish the inning with a 6-4 lead. Fort Myers added another run in the bottom of eighth on a Goodrum double, before Todd Van Steensel finished the game with a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his first Florida State League save. Goodrum (2-3, R, GS, BB, 4 RBI), Stuart Turner (2-3, 2 R’s, BB), and Travis Harrison (3-4, 2B) led the Miracle offense. The three hits continue a torrid hitting pace in July for Harrison. On the month he is batting .361/.418/.475, with four doubles and a home run in 16 games. His average on the season is now up to .292, and though the home runs aren’t there yet, he does rank third in the FSL in doubles with 24. Byron Buxton did not play for the second day in a row after being hit by a pitch on Friday. KERNELS NUGGETS Fort Wayne 2, Cedar Rapids 0 Box score This game at Perfect Game Field lasted just over two hours, as both teams combined for just nine hits and two runs. Not to be outdone by his fellow Sunday starters, Ryan Eades also threw six innings of quality baseball for Cedar Rapids. It was a big bounce-back game for him, as in each of his previous four starts he had allowed at least five runs and never made it into the sixth inning. In this one he allowed five hits, one walk and one earned run while striking out two. Alex Muren and Jared Wilson combined for three innings of perfect baseball in relief, picking up three K’s along the way. Unfortunately for Eades, the game's two runs were scored by the TinCaps, and the Kernels offense was held silent the entire game. J.D. Williams (2-3), Alex Swim and Michael Quesada were the only batters with a hit and they were all singles. E-TWINS E-NOTES The Elizabethton Twins played a double-header on Sunday, with the second game a make-up of their rain out from last night. Game 1: Burlington 0, Elizabethton 8 Box Score In the first regularly scheduled game, Elizabethton scored early and often on their way to the seven-inning shutout. First-baseman Tyler Kuresa was the star in this one, going 3-4 with a double, his third and fourth home runs of the year and three RBI. Max Murphy slugged his eighth home run and Brett Doe added his first. Derrick Penilla made the start for Elizabethton, pitching five scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and struck out four. Samuel Clay struck out three in his one inning, and Koa Hua Lo pitched a perfect seventh inning. Game 2: Burlington 3, Elizabethton 1 Box Score Michael Cederoth made the start for Elizabethton in the makeup game and pitched 4.2 innings, surrendering seven hits, three walks, and three earned runs before he was chased in the fifth. John Curtiss was the first reliever summoned, and he recorded all four of his outs with strikeouts, before Randy LeBlanc pitched a perfect final inning with one K. On offense, Blake Schmit picked up the only Twins RBI with a sac fly in the fifth, while as a team they collected just five hits. Centerfielder Austin Diemer hit his fourth double. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Tim Shibuya, Fort Myers Miracle (7.0 IP, 7 H’s, 1 BB, 1 ER, 5 K’s) Hitter – Nate Hanson, Rochester Red Wings (3-4, R, 2B, HR, BB, 4 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Durham – Sean Gilmartin (1-1, 4.13 ERA), 6:05PM CST Altoona @ New Britain – TBD, 6:05 CST Brevard County @ Fort Myers – Matthew Tomshaw (8-2, 2.88 ERA), 6:05PM CST Fort Wayne @ Cedar Rapids – Chih-Wei Hu (1-0, 3.00 ERA), 12:05PM CST Burlington @ Elizabethton – Stephen Gonsalves (2-0, 2.25 ERA), 6:00PM CST GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles – TBD, 11:00AM CST DSL Twins @ DSL White Sox – TBD, 9:30AM CST [/hr]The Twins hung on to beat Cleveland on Monday so today you can get a half-price large or extra-large pizza at PapaJohns.com by using the code 'TWINSWIN'. Click here to view the article