Jeremy Nygaard

We'll lead tonight's report off with some injury news. Kernels RP Tyler Jones was placed on the D.L. with a strained flexor tendon. (If you're curious to know exactly what that means, I looked it up and, knowing I'm not a doctor, am more confused than I was before.) Taking Jones's place in the bullpen is Alexander Muren, who played for the GCL Twins last summer after being drafted out of CS-Northridge. Also heading to the disabled list is Miracle INF/OF Adam Bryant. Bryant, activated before Sunday's game, lasted all of three at-bats (total, not his own) before separating his shoulder in the outfield and leaving the game. Replacing Bryant from across the street is Aderling Mejia. Mejia was a post-season GCL All-Star last year and made a few appearances for the Miracle after his season was over. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER RED WINGS 0, TOLEDO MUD HENS 1 Box Score It's a little bit harder to win a game with zero runs than it is to lose a game giving up only one. Unfortunately for the Red Wings, they were on the zero side of tonight's game. Andrew Albers pitched a solid 6.1 shutout innings, striking out three. He turned it over to rehabbing Tim Wood, who, taking the loss, gave up three hits, two walks and the only run. Wood's recent performance is going to make it hard to crack the Twins bullpen which will ultimately lead to his exposure on the waiver wire. Caleb Thielbar took care of the two runners he inherited by getting out of the eighth. The Mud Hens didn't need to bat in the ninth. On a night when there wasn't much to speak of offensively, Chris Colabello had two hits (batting .339). Joe Benson's hitting streak is over. Clete Thomas, the next "solution" in center field struck out three times. P.J. Walters (3-2, 3.82) pitches tomorrow at Toledo at 6:30 ET. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 11, NEW HAMPSHIRE FISHER CATS 6 Box Score The Rock Cats got their second straight win to make it back to .500 for the season. The Rock Cats had 13 hits, led by Josmil Pinto's three (including a double and three-run home run) and Danny Santana's two extra base hits (double and triple). Reynaldo Rodriguez added a home run in an exciting ninth inning. Logan Darnell had a rough outing, but made it through 5.2 innings and 93 pitches. He gave up five runs, though two of those were runners he left to A.J. Achter. Achter ended up getting credited with the win. Jose Gonzalez pitched a scoreless eighth. Michael Tonkin gave up an unearned run in the ninth. B.J. Hermsen (0-2, 4.91) looks for his first win tomorrow. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 7, TAMPA YANKEES 0 Box Score The pitching star of tonight - and really of the young season - is former Arkansas Razorback D.J. Baxendale. He improved his record to 5-0 and struck out a career-high 10 batters. Not to temper expectations, but Baseball America's John Manuel said this in a chat over the winter: Download attachment: Bax.jpg (photo courtesy of Bryan - begreen90 - on Flickr) Personally, I don't know how long you can leave him in Fort Myers, but New Britain's rotation isn't exactly in need of help. I would expect though, when there is a need, Baxendale would be first in line. Adrian Salcedo, adjusting nicely to his role in the bullpen, struck out three in two innings. Fort Myers scored all seven of their runs in the first four innings. The lineup scattered nine hits, including doubles by Mejia, Eddie Rosario, Matt Koch, Angel Morales and Jonathan Murphy. The offensive start by Koch has been especially encouraging. In one of my first posts here I said the following about Koch, "Matt Koch hit the ball more squarely than any other Snapper this weekend. He only played Saturday, but the crack of the bat on the ball makes you look up if you're not paying attention." Hey Matt, we're paying attention! Jason Wheeler (2-0, 5.46) pitches tomorrow. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 12, SOUTH BEND SILVER HAWKS 4 Box Score The Kernels won their 21st game tonight by scoring four runs in each of the 1st, 5th and 9th inning. Adam Walker hit another grand slam and added a double to amass 5 RBI. He now has 32 on the season. Not to be outdone, D.J. Hicks and Jorge Polanco each added their 25th RBI, which is tied for 3rd in the MWL. Travis Harrison added his 5th home run, his 3rd since hitting his game-winning "grand single" only eight games ago. Byron Buxton got a hit and a walk, extending his "on-base" streak to "forever". He's batting .373. If Buxton is still in Cedar Rapids on Memorial Day, I might just have to take a road trip. (Shhh... don't tell my wife.) Buxton leads the MWL in OPS and is leading Rock Shoulders by 101 points. Rock Shoulders isn't second, but nobody has ever beaten Rock Shoulders by 101 in anything. Before I forget, the Kernels had two pitchers pitch tonight. Matt Tomshaw went five innings and picked up the win, giving up four runs on ten hits. Manuel Soliman picked up the four-inning save. He didn't allow any hits, but did walk three. He also struck out four. That's all for tonight. If you have questions or comments, please leave them. You are also welcome to talk about Rock Shoulders or Brian Dozier's hair. Click here to view the article

The Twins, who fell back to .500 with yesterday’s loss, have an off day before starting their National League west-coast road-swing. It’s two against the Padres and three against the Giants before starting a four-game home stand against the Rangers. Moving on to the farm… Red Wings Report ROCHESTER 4, TOLEDO 0 Box Score The story of this game revolves around two players: Trevor May and Oswaldo Arcia. Trevor May appeared to being gearing up for the Show with his second straight shutout performance. This one went eight innings on 107 pitches, with six strikeouts. He allowed four hits and four walks. His ERA dropped from 4.11 to 3.35 and he’s also shutting down left-handed batters (who are batting only .185). If it were up to me – and no, no it isn’t – Trevor May would be joining the team next Monday to make his big-league debut at Target Field against the Rangers in place of Kevin Correia. While James Beresford and Deibinson Romero both had two-hit games that included doubles, the story, again, was Oswaldo Arcia. Arcia’s 3-run blast in the fourth inning was more than enough run support and it’s Arcia’s fourth jackjob in his last seven games. While many clamor for his promotion, remember there is clause that prohibits players from being called up within ten days of being optioned (unless there is injury). The Twins will likely use that time to continue to evaluate Chris Colabello (before swapping the players out for each other). Whether its right field or left, I’m hoping the Twins pick one to make Arcia’s permanent home. This game marks the seventh consecutive win for the Red Wings, who now find themselves only one game out of first in the International League North Division. Rock Cats Review NEW BRITAIN 10, RICHMOND 6 Box Score The Rock Cats used a balanced offensively approach – and strung together two big innings – to take the win tonight at New Britain Stadium. Danny Ortiz homered and doubled, driving in two, while Brad Boyer also drove in two on a two-hit night. Tony Thomas scored three times, tripling and stealing a base in his two-hit performance. In all, only Nate Hanson, Brandon Waring and Mike Kvasnicka failed to get hits. Only Waring and Kvasnicka failed to drive in a single run. Kennys Vargas went 1-for-3, bumping his average up to .309 and also walked twice. While I’m not punching his ticket to Rochester anytime soon, Vargas should definitely get a big-league call-up in September. Tyler Duffey picked up his first AA win in his fourth start and while he hasn’t put up stand-out numbers, he’s barely walking anyone (none tonight and three total in 24.2 AA innings). His K/9 is 6.7, which leaves a little to be desired, but would you take 6.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R (4 ER), 0 BB and 4 Ks from the starting pitchers on the Twins staff? Besides the runs… absolutely. Adrian Salcedo came in with two outs in the seventh and allowed an inherited run to score. He struck out two and allowed two hits, recording four outs. Dan Turpen gave up a run in the ninth and also struck out two. Miracle Matters FORT MYERS 2, DAYTONA 4 Box Score After a slow start, Jose Berrios settled down to have arguably his best start as a professional. In seven innings, Berrios allowed five hits and three walks. Two runners came around to score. The highlight though: Ten strikeouts. Berrios’s ten strikeouts were the most he’s had since striking out 11 in August of 2012, his second start in E-town which was only the fourth of his professional career. It wasn’t enough for the win as Travis Harrison committed two errors to charge Brian Gilbert with two unearned runs in two innings to take the loss. Harrison was back at third base, which was obviously a struggle. Miracle play-by-play announcer Brice Zimmerman told TwinsDaily contributor Cody Christie today via Twitter that Berrios has “calmed down his fastball” and is getting better results at 93-94 than he was at 95-96. He also lauded the command that Berrios has shown on his off-speed pitches. Offensively, the team couldn’t muster much. Harrison and John Murphy each drove in a run. Adam Brett Walker doubled. Harrison stole his fourth base. Jorge Polanco got another hit, extending his hit-streak to 16 games. Polanco continues to start at shortstop, where he has 14 errors on the season. Eddie Rosario’s suspension is set to expire this weekend and he will join the Miracle. While his time in Fort Myers isn’t expected to be long, it will make this double-play combo an exciting (or maybe interesting is the better word) one to watch. Kernels Nuggets CEDAR RAPIDS 6, BELOIT 3 Box Score A couple big nights on the offensive side for the Kernels leads the team to victory. Ryan Walker, who joined the Kernels less than a week ago, pounded out four hits from the leadoff position. He tripled, drove in a run and scored three. The star of the night, though, was Cedar Rapids native Chad Christensen. Christensen hit his first and second home runs of the year. He drove in four and crossed home plate three times. He also stole his 10th base of the season. Download attachment: Christensen.jpg Christensen (right) caught pondering life as a professional ballplayer by well-known sniper/Knuckleballs blogger Jim Crikket. Josue Montanez notched his first victory of the year (5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) and was relieved by fireballer Yorman Landa. Landa struggled with control (three walks), but allowed only one hit in two innings. He struck out one. Hudson Boyd aka Lil' Broxton earned save number six. He walked one and gave up three hits in two innings. He struck out two. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY HITTER: Chad Christensen, Cedar Rapids PITCHER: Trevor May, Rochester TUESDAY’S PROBABLES: Rochester vs Toledo (12:05 PM Central) – Scott Diamond (Listen) New Britain vs Richmond (5:35 PM Central) – Sean Gilmartin (Listen) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM Central) – Matt Tomshaw (Listen) Cedar Rapids vs Peoria (12:05 PM Central) – Kohl Stewart (Listen) Click here to view the article

The Twins are taking a trip to the west coast to play the hapless Angels. Joe Mauer is getting a day off to rest his knee, which he fouled a ball off of yesterday. Today will be Mauer’s first day off this season. Yes, you read that right. One additional note: If you thought “Promotion Weekend” had drawn to a close, you thought wrong. LSP Luke French, who had been nothing short of dominant at New Britain, has been promoted to Rochester. Moving on, let’s look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the last day of a forgetable April:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER vs BUFFALO Monday’s game was postponed due to rain. NEW BRITAIN 1, HARRISBURG 0 (12 INNINGS) The first 11 innings went scoreless before the Rock Cats plated a runner in the top of 12. Obviously when you go 12 innings without giving up a run, you’ve done something right. David Bromberg started, went five innings and gave up only one hit, one walk and struck out eight. Bobby Lanigan, Lester Oliveros and Luis Perdomo combined to get the next twenty outs, striking out eight while only giving up one hit. Caleb Thielbar, making his AA debut, walked the first batter he faced before ending the game (and earning the save) on a shallow pop out to right field. If you’re keeping track at home, that’s 12 IP, 2 H, 2 BB and 16 Ks. Wow! Chris Herrmann, Aaron Hicks and Pedro Florimon all registered multi-hit games. All had two hits, all were singles. Florimon scored the game’s one and only run on a wild pitch in the top of the twelfth inning. FT. MYERS MIRACLE 1, ST. LUCIE 2 The Miracle lost a tough game, but what could be more significant, lost a player as starter Adrian Salcedo took a one-hopper off the face while pitching to the game’s second batter. He left the game, but there was no immediate word about the significance of the injury. Nelvin Fuentes made his high-A debut before anyone hoped he would, relieving Salcedo with one out in the first. He definitely held his own, pitching almost four innings and only allowing three hits and one run. Miguel Munoz took the loss despite pitching really well too. He went three innings, striking out two. He allowed only one run too, though it was a home run and the deciding run. Matt Hauser pitched the final two frames, striking out three, giving up a hit and hitting a batter. It should also be noted that St. Lucie was able to successfully double-steal with Hauser on the mound. The bats didn’t do much. The team only had five hits, but three of those came off the bat of rehabbing OF Wilkin Ramirez. Angel Morales and Daniel Rohlfing accounted for the other two. Morales also struck out three times. Josmil Pinto picked up two walks. When Danny Ortiz makes his way into the lineup – probably pushing Ramirez back to Rochester – we will most likely see an outfield of Ortiz, Morales and Oswaldo Arcia. BELOIT 7, DAYTON 0 The story of the game was LSP Jason Wheeler. The big-bodied 2011-draftee retired the last 14 batters he faced. He completed six innings of two-hit baseball, allowing one walk, while registering seven strikeouts. Wheeler might have entered the spring as a forgotten high pick, but he’s quickly making us take note. Matthew Tomshaw, Clinton Dempster and Bart Carter each notched a scoreless inning in relief to preserve the shutout. The bats were hot even though the weather wasn’t. Every starter except leadoff hitter Wang-Wei Lin registered a hit as the Snappers had 11 total. Rory Rhodes, who went 2-4, was the only one to have an extra base hit. He also led the team with three runs batted in. Miguel Sano went 2-3 with 2 RBI, a walk and a strikeout. Jhon Goncalves was the only other Snapper with multiple hits. He went 2-4. --- Players of the Day for Monday, April 30, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Rory Rhodes Download attachment: rhodes.jpg Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler (in a close 1-0 vote over the entire Rock Cats staff). Download attachment: wheeler.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, May 1, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Empire State – RHP Cole DeVries (0-1, 2.91) New Britain @ Harrisburg – RHP B.J. Hermsen (AA debut) appears to be the likely starter. Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach – RHP Marty Popham (2-0, 3.92) Beloit - OFF DAY --- Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Division_Champs(1).jpg The Twins spring schedule kicks off tomorrow. I know many are looking forward to it, even without the belief that the Twins will be competing for an AL Central crown this fall. That doesn't make this spring any less interesting. So with that in mind, I'm going on record and making predictions... some bold, some not. TEAM *The Twins will finish in last place in the AL Central. They'll win between 69-72 games.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] *The Twins will be sellers at the deadline. Justin Morneau, Josh Willingham and Mike Pelfrey will bid farewell before the end of July. HITTERS *The battle to start in CF is already over. After trading Span and Revere, we've been led to believe Darrin Mastroianni, Aaron Hicks and Joe Benson are in a three-way battle to be the everyday centerfielder. Benson, who is far removed from a successful minor league year and not as far removed from microfracture surgery, has no shot at being the Opening Day centerfielder. Hicks, for both service reasons and having taken zero at-bats at AAA, will get sent down until a) he absolutely proves he's ready or Mastroianni proves he absolutely isn't the answer. *The opening-day 4th OF will be a guy not currently on the 40-man roster. Clete Thomas, who blew our mind for about two at-bats last year, before making us want to blow our brains out, is the likely frontrunner. (I think the bigger question is, when Thomas gets DFA'd and clears waivers, does he accept his assignment to Rochester or elect free agency?) *Chris Parmelee will be the everyday rightfielder... until it's Oswaldo Arcia. It's going to be an interesting first couple of months. Parmelee isn't best-suited to play the outfield. He's likely good enough to keep the seat warm for Arcia, and that's likely - hopefully, in the Twins mind - going to happen when Morneau is traded away and Parmelee moves to first base. But what happens if Parmelee can't get it done offensively or defensively? Who knows... *Oswaldo Arcia will have more impact on the 2013 Twins than Aaron Hicks. Arcia will hit and play serviceable D. Hicks will play a solid D but struggle to hit. Next year at this time, I see discussions being the same... is Hicks ready to be a leadoff hitter at the major league level? While the right field job is not up-for-grabs in spring training (because Arcia has a stranglehold on it). *Chris Colabello will be a major-league player this year. Another guy that just rakes. Sign him up. *Trevor Ploufee will be frustratingly hot-and-cold both offensively and defensively, but TwinsDaily readers will rejoice that he's not Danny Valencia. *Drew Butera will spend less time in the major leagues in 2013 than any season since debuting in 2010... and TwinsDaily readers will still complain! *Jamey Carroll's option will vest with 401 plate appearances despite the Twins making an effort to see that it doesn't happen. *Pedro Florimon and Brian Dozier will leave the fan base wishing for Luis Rivas and Cristian Guzman. Or Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy. Or basically any 2B/SS combination you can think of. *Joe Mauer will be Joe Mauer. Many will be unhappy. PITCHERS *The rotation will be better than last year. Hardly went out on a limb there... *One year from now we'll feel really good about the rotation. 2014 will include Kyle Gibson (who won't compete for ROY, but be solid amid a limited-innings year), Scott Diamond (who will regress, but still be a solid lefty), Vance Worley (who fans will love because he goes after hitters and works quick), Liam Hendriks (who will actually look like he belongs in the major leagues this year) and Kevin Correia (who was signed to be a #5 pitcher). This isn't mentioning any of the prospects who could be knocking on the door. *The bullpen will be good - again. Glen Perkins and Jared Burton will be fantastic in their late-inning roles. *Brian Duensing will continue to thrive and/or make strides as a left-handed reliever. *Tim Wood will absolutely be in the Opening Day bullpen. This isn't the second coming of Jeff Gray. Tim Wood signed a $675,000 contract with the Twins. He has less than a year of service. Anthony Swarzak, who has over 2 years of service, got $502,500. No Twin who had their contract renewed got over $530,000. That makes Tim Wood, who has had no MLB success - and almost as little experience - the 12th highest-paid Twins player this year. Crazy? Just a little bit. *Sam Deduno will figure something out this year. Either, "Hey, I do know how to throw it through the zone" or "You know what, this baseball thing isn't for me." *Trevor May makes his September debut coming out of the bullpen. *Ryan Pressly doesn't make the team... and the Red Sox will not be willing to work out a trade, unfortunately. Go ahead, be bold... or not bold. Click here to view the article

The Twins bats started off hot today and the team got another excellent performance from Scott Diamond. Gardenhire curiously gave the 8th inning to Alex Burnett, who allowed a hit and a walk before being relieved by Tyler Robertson who promptly served up a 3-run meatball to Prince Fielder. Anthony Swarzak, who also made an appearance despite being the only possible weekend starter on the active roster, gave up a home run to Delmon Young. After the game it was announced that Chris Parmelee would be heading back to Rochester to make room for P Sam Deduno, who would be having his contract purchased and starting Saturday’s tilt against the Texas Rangers. Deduno missed a month and half earlier this season with shoulder tendinitis.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Deduno last pitched for the Red Wings on Monday. The Twins have known since sending Nick Blackburn down that they would be short a starter for the weekend. Many of those in the Twittersphere speculated that Deduno would be the guy getting the call for one of this weekend’s games. The other news out of Rochester was that RP Deolis Guerra, the last wheel of the Johan Santana trade, was placed on the 7-day D.L. He will be replaced in the pen by RP Dan Sattler. Sattler was signed from the independent St. Paul Saints on May 29th. Sattler will join LRP Caleb Thielbar in the Red Wings bullpen. They are the only two players the Twins have ever signed from the Saints. If you missed the report of yesterday’s action, you can find it here. Before we take a spin around the farm, let me warn you that it appears those at MiLB.com are still on holiday vacation. The box scores aren’t updating nearly as quickly as you’d expect, and when they are, they’re not always accurate. So if something that you read tonight is totally not true, well… you’ve read my disclaimer. ROCHESTER 6, PAWTUCKET 4 Box score This report is going to start with a non-Twins player, only because it’s that bad. Red Sox pitcher Daniel Bard entered the game and managed to do the following in only 20 pitches: Hit batter, double, hit batter, wild pitch, wild pitch, single, hook. I mention that also because his little brother and recent Twins-draftee, Luke, was probably on hand to watch big brother fall apart. Let’s hope that the two don’t share all the same DNA, if you know what I mean. With the win, the Wings improve to 40-47 and 26-24 since May 15. Matt Carson led the offense with two hits (one double) and with his two RBI, he has a team-leading 32 on the season. IL All-Star Pedro Florimon, who has struggled recently, added two hits as did Wilkin Ramirez who also added two walks. Danny Valencia snapped an 0-for-14 skid with his single off of Bard. Jeff Manship labored through four innings before turning the game over to Luis Perdomo. Perdomo struck out three in two innings to earn the win. Perdomo can also grow the best beard in the system, but that’s neither here nor there. Brendan Wise did all he could to make the game interesting again (2 2/3 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 ER, K) before Caleb Thielbar ended it with one out, walking the first batter he faced on four pitches, before striking out the next batter on three pitches to earn his first AAA save. NEW BRITAIN 7, TRENTON 1 Box score The Rockcats were led by the bat of the best hitter in the system, Oswaldo Arcia. Arcia went 3-for-5 to raise his average to .303. Chris Colabello went 3-for-4 with two doubles. Five of the team’s runs came in the fifth inning. B.J. Hermsen, who will eventually join the pitching carousel if he keeps it up, went seven innings on 90 pitches. He allowed an unearned run on five hits and two walks. He struck out five. David Bromberg, who’s bounced around levels and roles, pitched two innings, allowing a hit. The win brings the Rockcats within a half game of Trenton in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. That in itself, should be encouraging for Twins fans. FT. MYERS 8, CHARLOTTE 5 Box score The game of Dannys. Daniel Santana hit a 3-run blast in the fourth inning. It was his only hit, but he made it count. He also stole a base. Danny Ortiz was 3-for-5. He also added a home run and has his average up to .289. Danny Rams, who was once a decent prospect, continues his fall. After going 0-for-3 tonight, he’s batting .198. Though he did homer yesterday, the most powerful prep bat in the 2007 class is slugging only .339. He was much better – in the same league – in 2010. Tom Stuifbergen was much better than the box score suggests (only because the box score is actually wrong). He scattered six hits (not nine) over 5 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs (only one earned) and struck out two. The big-bodied Dutchman is working his way back from a variety of injuries. Stuif should move up to New Britain before long. BELOIT 3, CLINTON 5 Box score The Snappers were the last of the affiliates to finish their game and they were the first to lose. Tyler Jones is ready for the next step. He struck out seven in five innings, allowing two hits, a run and a walk. His ERA is now 2.51. He lowered his WHIP to 0.96 and raised his K/9 to 11.98. I really wonder why his season began in EST and not Beloit. Ryan O’Rourke had a rough couple of innings before giving way to Corey Williams, who couldn’t complete the 8th without giving up the go-ahead run and an insurance run. Clint Dempster got the final out of the inning before the bats came up short in the top half of the ninth. Drew Leachman had three singles (and an error). J.D. Williams had two hits (and a stolen base). Jhon Goncalves added two hits as well. Tyler Grimes contributed two hits – a double and a home run. RP Dallas Gallant will be joining the Snappers bullpen. He has been pitching for the E-Twins as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery. ELIZABETHTON vs KINGSPORT - postponed GCL TWINS 5, GCL ORIOLES 0 Box score It seems a lot longer than the eleven games it took, but Byron Buxton collected his first professional extra base hit (a double) as well as his first professional run batted in. His batting average is up to .143, but over the last two days (three games), he’s batting .333 (4-for-12). Joe Benson made his second rehab start – his first since a forgetful 0-for-2, 2 K night – and went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run. He was also aggressive on the base paths, stealing a base and getting caught stealing. I’m not sure what the timetable is on Benson’s return to the upper levels, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him get a few games in with the Miracle before heading back to New Britain (and eventually, hopefully, Rochester). Considering he is DH’ing, but not fielding, it would suggest he may have to stay around the GCL for a while yet. John Murphy stole two bases, including swiping home. Sam Gibbons pitched five innings of three hit, three strikeout ball. 2012 draftee Alex Muren made his second appearance, pitching two innings and striking out one. Melciades DeLaCruz finished off the shutout with two scoreless innings. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, July 5, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – B. J. Hermsen Download attachment: hermsen2.jpg picture courtesy of thrylos98 Hitters of the Day – Chris Colabello Download attachment: 12wesnotes_Colabello.jpg www.boston.com --- A Look Ahead – Friday, July 6, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Pawtucket – RHP P.J. Walters (rehab) New Britain at Trenton – LHP Aaron Thompson (3-2, 5.23) Ft. Myers at Charlotte – RHP Madison Boer (4-6, 7.69) Beloit at Clinton – RHP Matt Summers (7-4, 3.75) Elizabethton vs Kingsport (Game 1) – RHP Ricardo Arevalo (1-0, 1.50) Elizabethton vs Kingsport (Game 2) – NO STARTER ANNOUNCED GCL Twins at GCL Orioles – NO STARTER ANNOUNCED --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Any other comments also welcome. Click here to view the article

I've heard the Mark Langston comp a few times... Lee is definitely a prospect. Both Seth and I have called him a real sleeper multiple times on our Hangout.

I either dreamt or read that he was hit in the backside/belt area. As for your other idea... outside of the box for sure. I don't dislike it, but I don't think it happens.

No. Two reasons: 1) He's not on the 40-man nor does he need to be added. 2) He'll play in the AFL, which you can't do if you're on the 25-man roster past a certain date. Polanco will be playing in the DWL this winter.

Seth and Jeremy will be hanging out again on Wednesday night, talking about Minnesota Twins 40 man roster decisions and more with guest and friend of Twins Daily AJ Pettersen. You'll want to join the conversation... You can ask us questions and we'll respond. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NEpV5dNQtsE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Click Play to Listen Live! [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Seth and I discussed the local nine on Tuesday night. Some things we touched on were: The looming suspension of Eddie Rosario and what it means, the 40-man roster choices the teams needs to make today, the trade with the Pirates, free agent rumors, curious moves, winter league updates and questions from viewers. If you can stick it out til the end, you can also view an awkward exchange between "Neal Huntington" and "Terry Ryan". We'll also have a special edition show tonight discussing the moves the Twins make this afternoon. Featuring a special guest! <cue the intrigue, right?> Download attachment: hangouts-episode-2.jpg As always, we'd love to get your feedback, so leave below. Click to view live at 8:30! <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Uuad_vzHPzU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Click here to view the article

It was a week ago that Jered Weaver no-hit the Twins. That feat will not be repeated tonight. This is the minor league report so you won’t see Brian Dozier’s name below as he’s making his big-league debut at Target Field tonight. Congrats Brian! As you may have heard, Rochester and New Britain swapped OF Joe Benson for SS Pedro Florimon. This should help alleviate the logjam in the Red Wings outfield and hopefully help Benson get out of his current funk. Let’s take a spin around the farm:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 0, PAWTUCKET 4 The big news in Pawtucket was the rehab start of Daisuke Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka won 18 games for the Red Sox in 2008 but hasn’t been good or healthy since. He was pretty good tonight, though, allowing only two hits and three walks to the Red Wings in 4 2/3 innings. Daryl Thompson made the start for Rochester. He scattered five hits and a walk in five innings, giving up only one run – a home run. Jeff Manship had two rough innings (5 H, 3 ER, BB) before Casey Fien pitched a scoreless eighth. Darin Mastroianni continued to swing a hot bat going 2-4 with a double. He’s now 14/36 (.389) over his last nine games. Matt Carson went 2 for 4. NEW BRITAIN vs BINGHAMTON Monday’s game was postponed due to inclement weather. FT. MYERS 12, LAKELAND 3 The Miracle followed up last night’s 13-run, 18-hit game with another great performance. Today they scored 12 runs on 12 hits. Pat Dean gave up two first inning runs (with the help of a fielding error), before settling down. He allowed seven hits, three runs (only one earned), a walk and two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Bruce Pugh and Jose Gonzalez combined to get 10 outs, only allowing one hit and one walk while striking out two. The bats were the story of this game. Particularly Anderson Hidalgo’s. Hidalgo had a double and a grand slam driving in six runs total. Michael Gonzales had three hits (one double) while Jairo Perez and Josmil Pinto (2 RBI) both contributed two hits. Lance Ray drove in three runs. BELOIT 5, KANE COUNTY 1 Matthew Summers threw a gem for the Snappers tonight. Summers went eight innings, allowing four hits, one run (which came on a home run) and a walk. He also struck out four. Clint Dempster pitched a perfect ninth. Top prospect Miguel Sano hit his MWL-leading 9th home run in the first inning. He also added a single and a strikeout. Eddie Rosario, who went hitless in two official at-bats, walked twice. Drew Leachman added two hits. JD Williams doubled (and stole third – his 7th SB on the season). --- Players of the Day for Monday, May 7, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Miracle 3B/DH Anderson Hidalgo Download attachment: hidalgo.jpg www.twin-keys.blogspot.com Pitcher of the Day – Snappers P Matthew Summers Download attachment: summers.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, May 8, 2012 schedule Rochester @ Pawtucket – RHP Liam Hendriks (making his 2012 AAA debut) New Britain @ Binghamton – LHP Andrew Albers (1-0, 4.35, 27/1 K/BB) Ft. Myers @ Dunedin – RHP Madison Boer (0-1, 4.76) Beloit vs Kane County – LHP Matthew Tomshaw (1-0, 2.60) --- Click here to view the article

Why have I lived my life thinking that Gerrit Cole throws with his left hand? Apparently the only Pirates highlights I've seen have been in a mirror!

That's where I'm at.

Yes. The rosters expand from 25 to 40, so anyone on the 40-man can be brought up.

Here we are three days from the non-waiver trade deadline and almost every single affiliate is still playing meaningful baseball. It might be time… time for the parent club to sell off some assets and bulk these minor league rosters up. Ok, that’s not exactly how it works. Go inside to check out Monday’s action.The Twins were off on Monday, but there was plenty of activity on minor league fields and front offices. Before we get into the action there were a few announcements that should get a mention: CF Jason Kanzler was promoted to Fort Myers (who had a spot open, presumably, for Indy ball P D.J. Johnson) and OF Max Murphy (!) was promoted to Cedar Rapids from Elizabethton. Murphy is a unique case. He’s crushing it in the Appy League, but it’s a pretty rare occurrence for a hitter to get drafted, report to E-town and then get a production-related promotion to the Midwest League. I seriously can’t think of one. Monday afternoon, the Miracle released OF Nate Roberts. This opens a spot back up. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Indianapolis 5 Box Score With the PawSox dropping their second straight, Rochester blew a golden opportunity to jump back into the driver’s seat to earn the International League Wild Card spot. As it stands now, the Red Wings (60-49) remained tied for that spot, two games behind Syracuse. Tonight’s tilt matched up Mark Hamburger with the rehabbing Gerrit Cole. Cole struck out seven Red Wings over five shutout innings. While Hamburger outlasted him (six innings), he did allow five runs and took the loss. Deolis Guerra struck out four in two innings. The Red Wings couldn’t muster a single run - and struck out 14 times. Seven different players got hits with Josmil Pinto and Deibinson Romero the lone players to have extra base hits (both doubled). Rochester was done in by going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 1, Trenton 6 Box Score The Rock Cats dropped their second straight and fall to 52-55, 16 games out of first and 10.5 out of a Wild Card position. Pat Dean made the start tonight and only lasted four innings. He got knocked around for 10 hits and six runs. Alex Wimmers did a good job in relief retiring six batters. Daniel Turpen did the same. However, it was too little too late from the pitching perspective. The offense offered very little support, mustering only five hits. Tony Thomas’s double and Brad Boyer’s triples were the only extra base hits. Boyer knocked in Mike Kvasnicka to score New Britain’s lone run. Jorge Polanco was 1-for-4 with a strikeout in his third AA game, all of which he’s gotten hits in. Polanco continues to play shortstop and you have to figure - with New Britain’s relevance coming to an end - that Polanco will get a lot of at-bats for the Twins once rosters expand. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 14, Clearwater 0 Box Score Whatever it is, Fort Myers has it. The Miracle improved to 65-40 behind an offensive barrage and great pitching. I think Doug Mientkiewicz has “it” too. Brett Lee was downright terrific and - according to Brice Zimmerman, the Miracle play-by-play man - recorded 17 of his 21 outs on ground balls. Some other crazy stats: Only four times did Lee allow the ball out of the infield. Besides the Clearwater sixth - when Lee issued a walk and allowed two batters to single - they never brought more than three men to the plate in an inning. Brandon Peterson finished the game with two perfect innings, along with two strikeouts. Today’s box score leaves a lot to sift through: seventeen hits, an eight-run fourth and a six-run sixth just to name a few. Let’s look at the most important parts of the game. Byron Buxton was 2-for-4 with two runs, a walk and a hit by pitch. Most importantly, he’s healthy. He also deserves a promotion. Of course, staying in Fort Myers guarantees a few extra games of baseball (in the playoffs, no less) than going to New Britain would. Mike Gonzales, Dalton Hicks and Jason Kanzler all homered. Each homer has it’s own significance. Gonzales has a 19-game hitting streak and has homered in three straight games. He drove in five runs and was a triple short of the cycle tonight. Hicks hit his fifth bomb in the last seven days. Kanzler’s home run came in his first game in high-A. He had three RBI. Stuart Turner was 3-for-5 (double) and Travis Harrison was 2-for-4 (double) as he continues his pursuit for .300. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Dayton 3 Box Score Cedar Rapids remains in a dogfight for a playoff spots. Tonight’s loss doesn’t leave them any worse - they’re still tied for a spot - but a string of wins could hopefully help them separate from the pack. Here’s the long and the short of it: Mitch Garver needs to move up. He and Turner can split C/DH duties. (And Mike Gonzales should move to AA to split DH/1B duties with Kennys Vargas.) After tonight’s 2-for-4-with-a-bomb performance, Garver is now 5th in the MWL in home runs (14) and 4th in OPS (.877). He’s also top 15 in batting average (.295) and top 10 in on-base percentage (.385) and slugging (.492). Alex Swim also continues to hit: two more tonight and a .330 average. Of course, he’s a catcher playing right field because there’s not enough at-bats to go around otherwise. If only there was a solution… Aaron Slegers took the loss. He pitched five innings and struck out seven. The three runs on eight hits and a walk were more than the offense could overcome. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 13, Greeneville 6 Box Score Well, Max Murphy might be gone, but he left his bat for Trey Vavra apparently. Tonight, Vavra went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and six (!) RBI. And not to be outdone, Tyler Mautner went 2-for-4 with a double, home run, two runs scored and four RBI. Nick Gordon didn’t play today. Mat Batts struck out eight in six innings of one-run, two-hit ball to earn the win. Batts isn’t a hard thrower, but apparently has a very good changeup. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins vs GCL Rays Today’s game was postponed due to rain. The GCL Twins (12-20) are currently eight games behind the first-place GCL Rays (20-12). The next three days match the same two teams, so it’s likely that one of those days is turned into a doubleheader. DSL DIALED IN DSL Twins 11, DSL Diamondbacks 10 Box Score Just your typical DSL game where one team, trailing 8-5, scores five ninth-inning runs to take a 10-8 lead… only to cough up three runs in the bottom of the ninth and lose in walk-off fashion. This marks the DSL Twins 10th win in their last 13 games. Bonus baby Lewin Diaz was 1-for-4 with a double, one walk and two strikeouts. Twins Daily Minor League Players of the Day Pitcher of the Day- Brett Lee, Fort Myers Hitter of the Day- Trey Vavra, Elizabethton Tuesday's Probables Rochester vs Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) – Alex Meyer (Listen) New Britain at Trenton (6:05 CST) – Jose Berrios (Listen) Ft. Myers vs Clearwater (6:05 CST) – TBD (Listen) Cedar Rapids vs Burlington (6:35 CST) - Lewis Thorpe (Listen) Elizabethton vs Greeneville (6:00 CST) - Felix Jorge GCL Twins at GCL Rays (10:00am CST) – TBD GCL Twins vs GCL Rays (Game 2) – TBD DSL Twins at DSL Diamondbacks (9:30am CST) – TBD Click here to view the article

The Twins got an excellent outing from free-agent pick-up Kevin Correia, who worked into the 8th inning. Unfortunately, the Royals strung a few hits together and were able to chase Correia after taking a 3-1 lead. The Twins failed to rally in the 9th and lost their 3rd “Home Opener” of the season. (But remain undefeated in non-Home Openers.) Download attachment: Auto Oswaldo Arcia.jpg Three of the club’s affiliates were in action this evening. Let’s take a look… [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 2, Scranton/WB RailRiders 4 Box Score Congratulations to first baseman Chris Colabello, who was named International League Player of the Week for last week. Andrew Albers was originally slated to begin the season in New Britain’s bullpen. A BJ Hermsen injury sent him to their rotation. After Alex Burnett was waived, a spot in Rochester’s bullpen opened up. Soon after that, Pedro Hernandez took Cole De Vries’ spot in Minnesota’s rotation. Albers, whose minor-league career has been a journey, has been on a mini-journey in just the last week. His ultimate destination, Rochester’s rotation, is where Albers made his season debut tonight. Albers pitched very well before reaching his pitch limit with two outs in the fourth. He allowed a run on three hits and a walk. He struck out five, throwing 50 strikes on 76 pitches. Luis Perdomo had another rough outing, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks. He did strike out two, but used 32 pitches to record only four outs. Daniel Turpen allowed a run. Tyler Robertson, back in AAA, walked a batter in an otherwise uneventful inning. The bats didn’t offer much in terms of run support. Oswaldo Arcia, who, despite gaudy numbers, has avoided the prospect spotlight (thank Sano and Buxton for that), had another big game. His three singles led to him scoring both of Rochester’s runs. He also stole his first base of the year. Clete Thomas and Rey Olmedo both added two hits. Thomas drove in both runs and now has seven on the young season. Joe Benson, now batting .077, had his first double of the season. New Britain Rock Cats 9, Harrisburg Senators 2 Box Score New Britain continues their season-opening road trip in Harrisburg tonight. After winning their season opener, the Rock Cats lost their next three games. A change of venue proved to be enough to end the losing streak. The bats were alive for the Rock Cats. Danny Ortiz (now batting .400) led the charge with a double and a home run. Josmil Pinto had a three-run triple. Harold Garcia hit his second home run of the season. Antoan Richardson had two hits and a walk in the leadoff position. Danny Santana had three hits (to improve his average to .273). Blake Martin enters his 3rd season making spot-starts for the Rock Cats. Tonight, he worked three innings (66 pitches, 34 strikes), allowing only one run. He avoided trouble despite yielding two hits and walking four. He struck out two and now has an ERA of 1.69. Marty Popham (52 pitches, 28 strikes) walked two in three scoreless innings. He struck out four. Edgar Ibarra walked and struck out one in an inning. Nelvin Fuentes gave up a run on two hits in the ninth to close out the victory. Ft. Myers Miracle – DAY OFF after starting the season 4-0 D.J. Baxendale will make his season debut tomorrow night. Cedar Rapids Kernels 10, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 2 Box Score The story of the spring in the upper Midwest has been the cold weather. The Kernels opened in a cool, but seasonable, weekend in Cedar Rapids. Today, they headed north to Appleton, WI. Early this afternoon, first baseman DJ Hicks tweeted, “You know it’s cold when teammates are buying gloves and head masks for a game.” Shortstop Niko Goodrum later tweeted that on his way to the game he saw a frozen lake… for the first time in his life. Once the game started, in mid-30s “heat”, the story, again, was the Kernels. After jumping out to a 6-0 lead, the Kernels were able to coast to a 10-2 win. Another stellar pitching performance tonight, this time from David Hurlbut left Cedar Rapids in good shape. Hurlbut pitched six innings (70 pitches, 49 strikes) allowing three hits and two runs (a 2-run home run). He struck out five. Tyler Jones pitched two innings out of the bullpen, striking out two. Jones has been phenomenal. In 5.1 innings this year, he’s struck out eight and allowed zero hits. Chris Mazza closed out the game by striking out the side. He walked a batter and allowed an infield hit. The lineup added plenty of run support. All of the starters (besides catcher Jairo Rodriguez) recorded a hit. Seven of the nine batters scored. Byron Buxton hit his second home run of the season and drove in three runs, though he did prove human and strike out three times. DJ Hicks improved to .389 with two hits (a double). Adam Walker, back in his home state, drove in four runs on two hits (including a double). Travis Harrison hit his first home run. JD Williams showed his speed reaching base three times and stealing two bases. He was caught stealing once, but it brought Jake Mauer out to argue and sounded on the radio like it was a questionable call. (If you haven’t, listen to a Kernels baseball game on kmryradio.com. It’s fantastic. Broadcaster Morgan Hawk does a great job.) Tomorrow, Brett Lee will make his first start of the season. He picked up the win in Friday’s walk-off victory over Beloit. He wasn’t scheduled to pitch, but was needed due to the short bullpen that has since been added to. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: mlb-draft.jpg This is the second go-around at putting a mock draft together. The final installment will come on draft-day morning. In this installment, you will see that I also included where the players were listed in last week's mock draft (version 1.0). Please feel free to comment and ask questions below. 1. Houston - Brady Aiken, LPH, California prep - It’s becoming more apparent that the Astros are looking to save some cash here. If they can do that and get the top pitcher in the draft, great. If they can do that and not take a pitcher, that might be better. But for now, it’s Aiken. (Last week: Carlos Rodon, LHP, NC State) 2. Miami - Alex Jackson, C/OF, California prep - There’s some belief that the decision may be made solely by the owner - and that it will be Carlos Rodon - I’m going to stick with smarter heads prevailing. (Last week: Brady Aiken, LHP, California prep) 3. Chicago White Sox - Tyler Kolek, RHP, Texas prep - I’ve been back and forth on this one. Either way, White Sox are in a good position. (Last week: No change) 4. Chicago Cubs - Carlos Rodon, LHP, NC State - This would be a coup for the Cubs. The possibility remains that they could work a deal on the cheap and steal someone later. (Last week - Jeff Hoffman, RHP, East Carolina - which I still believe is a real possibility, if Rodon goes to the Marlins) 5. Minnesota - Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU - Nola is everything the Twins love in a pitcher. There’s also a ton of safety in the pick. While “Top 5” shouldn’t be a safe pick, this is a situation where it just makes sense. (Last week: Alex Jackson, C/OF, California prep) 6. Seattle - Nick Gordon, SS, Florida prep - (Last week: Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU) 7. Philadelphia - Sean Newcomb, LHP, Hartford - (Last week: Nick Gordon, SS, Florida prep) 8. Colorado - Kyle Freeland, LHP, Evansville - (Last week: No change) 9. Toronto - Trea Turner, SS, NC State - (Last week: No change) 10. New York Mets - Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State - (Last week: Sean Newcomb, LHP, Hartford) 11. Toronto - Jeff Hoffman, RHP, East Carolina - (Last week: Touki Toussaint, RHP, Florida prep) 12. Milwaukee - Grant Holmes, RHP, South Carolina prep - (Last week: No change) 13. San Diego - Touki Toussaint, RHP, Florida prep - (Last week: Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State) 14. San Francisco - Tyler Beede, RHP, Vanderbilt - (Last week: No change) 15. LA Angels - Max Pentecost, C, Kennesaw State - (Last week: No change) 16. Arizona - Monte Harrison, OF, Missouri prep - (Last week: Brandon Finnegan, LHP, TCU) 17. Kansas City - Sean Reid-Foley, RHP, Florida prep - (Last week: Bradley Zimmer, OF, San Francisco) 18. Washington - Bradley Zimmer, OF, San Francisco - (Last week: Erick Fedde, RHP, UNLV) 19. Cincinnati - Kyle Schwarber, C, Indiana - (Last week: Sean Reid-Foley, RHP, Florida prep) 20. Tampa Bay - AJ Reed, 1B, Kentucky - (Last week: Kyle Schwarber, C, Indiana) 21. Cleveland - Erick Fedde, RHP, UNLV - (Last week: Nick Burdi, RHP, Louisville) 22. LA Dodgers - Derek Hill, OF, California prep - (Last week: No change) 23. Detroit - Nick Burdi, RHP, Louisville - (Last week: Michael Chavis, 3B, Georgia prep) 24. Pittsburgh - Brandon Finnegan, LHP, TCU - (Last week: AJ Reed, 1B, Kentucky) 25. Oakland - Ti’quan Forbes, SS, Mississippi prep - (Last week: Monte Harrison, OF, Missouri prep) 26. Boston - Derek Fisher, OF, Virginia - (Last week: No change) 27. St. Louis - Kodi Medeiros, LHP, Hawaii prep - (Last week: No change) 28. Kansas City - Jacob Gatewood, 3B, California prep 29. Cincinnati - Spencer Adams, RHP, Georgia prep 30. Texas - Jack Flaherty, RHP, California prep 31. Cleveland - Jacob Lindgren, LHP, Mississippi State 32. Atlanta - Michael Gettys, OF, Georgia prep 33. Boston - Luis Ortiz, RHP, California prep 34. St. Louis - Justus Sheffield, LHP, Tennessee prep Click here to view the article

This is the second in a series of (somewhat) weekly installments leading up to the June 5th through 7th draft. The focus is intended to be very Twins-specific. --- Download attachment: mlb-draft.jpg We’re getting to the point of the draft season where the focus really gets focused down to a handful of players. Teams drafting at or near the top will send out their most-trusted decision makers to get an idea of how they stack up compared to the best around the nation. The Twins are no different. If you haven’t been paying attention to the early-season rumors and rankings, you can start right here. There’s a ton of draft stuff out – not only on this site – but everywhere. I’m going to do my best to get you caught up-to-date on the guys most likely to hear their name called by the Twins in early June. Last week I previewed the local prospects that could get drafted. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]--- We entered this season with what was perceived to be a sure-fire 1.1 in Carlos Rodon. Jeff Hoffman made waves in the Cape Cod League and early in the college season Tyler Beede showed that his command issues might be things of the past. Then the high school season kicked off and the top right- and left-handed pitchers (Tyler Kolek and Brady Aiken) both took significant steps forward. Not to mention, the lone position player that we’ll talk about, Alex Jackson, has answered some questions about his bat that seemed to pop up earlier this spring. There have also been some other college pitchers who have gained some steam lately. So where does that leave us? Well, it leaves us with six (and you could make the argument for more) names that should figure to be front and center a handful of Thursdays from now. Before we go through the names, let’s look at the teams that draft before the Twins. #1 – Astros – This marks the 3rd straight season that the Astros have the pick of the litter. But this year should be different. The window should begin to open for the Astros to compete. They recently called up top-prospect George Springer and more may be on the way up in the near-future. The Astros went high-ceiling in 2012 and followed that up with best current player in 2013. Which way will they go this time? It’s hard to say, but history suggests that the least likely route to go with 1.1 is a prep pitcher. Could they buck that trend? #2 – Marlins – Who knows what this group is thinking? This group also has the most available money to spend on the draft. I don’t know what they’re going to do, but I’d bet they try to make a splash. (See what I did there?) #3 – White Sox – This is the pick that intrigues me the most because it’s a team the Twins face roughly 67 times each year. The White Sox have typically shied away from prep pitchers and, really, prep players in generally, for the last 20 years. Of course, this is the highest the White Sox will have picked since 1990. #4 – Cubs – Theo and Co. have only been in charge a few years, but the patterns still remain: When picking in the single digits, they Cubs go with bats. There have been a couple notable exceptions over the last 25 years (Mark Prior and Kerry Wood), but those are the only exceptions. It might be hard to argue against it, too. Kris Bryant and Javier Baez figure to be the heart of the Cubs order for years to come and they’ll be driving in Albert Almora in frequently. Those three guys? The Cubbies last three first draft picks. So again, where does that leave the Twins? Well, actually, it leaves the Twins in a pretty enviable position. Maybe. In their most recent draft rankings, all of Perfect Game, Baseball America and ESPN (Keith Law) ranked prep LHP Brady Aiken as the #1 prospect. A former high-school teammate of current Twins farmhand Stephen Gonsalves, Aiken came out of the chute with improved velocity to go with two other quality pitches. Earlier reports indicated that Aiken had been clocked as high as 97 mph, but in his latest start was low-90s with his max speed hitting 94 mph. My personal take on Aiken is that if the draft were today and he made it to the Twins at #5, they would take him. My other take is that he won’t, and the Twins will be OK with it. The UCLA commit, who is being represented by Casey Close (he of the recent $700 million summer), will never set foot on campus. If the Astros pass (I think they will), I think the White Sox are Aiken’s landing spot. Entering the season, prep RHP Tyler Kolek was the big body with the big fastball. He was also the most highly-regarded prep pitcher in the 2014 class. Despite being jumped over by Aiken by all of Perfect Game, Baseball America and ESPN, Kolek has still seen his prospect star rise and is the consensus #2 prospect on all the draft boards. One report had him clocked at 103 at one point in his last start, though that’s been disputed by a reputable source. Regardless, 100 mph fastballs, 90 mph sliders and 80 mph curveballs coming from a big, durable frame is not going to get passed up by many teams. (Keith Law offers a slightly different scouting report in his latest piece, but point remains the same: He’s a stud.) According to a recent draft chat at Perfect Game, one area scout said there is no way that the Twins don’t take Kolek if he is available to them. I’d believe that as there is no way they have a lower grade on Kolek than they did on Kohl Stewart last year, the #4 overall pick. The problem is, I don’t see any way that Kolek falls past the Cubs and he probably doesn’t even make it that far. Kolek doesn’t live far from Houston and I could see him going first overall. North Carolina State LHP Carlos Rodon had been one of the best collegiate pitchers in both his freshman and sophomore years. The problem is that Rodon hasn’t been nearly as consistently good this spring. He doesn’t throw the gas that either Aiken or Kolek do, but he’s got a nasty slider. Also in the nasty column: his pitch count. He’s been abused this year, but I don’t think it’s going to matter at the end. It almost makes too much sense for the Marlins to take him and pair him up with Jose Fernandez (somewhat quickly) and try to make a run before Giancarlos Stanton hits his walk year. Rodon was drafted by the Brewers out of high school and is advised by the one and only Scott Boras. This is where, from the Twins perspective anyway, things get interesting. RHP Jeff Hoffman (East Carolina) had a crazy Cape summer. In his first go-around in the league (2012), he pitched 30 innings and struck out 30. He had two rough outings in the walk category, but still only ended up with 10. To go along with the 21 hits he allowed, his WHIP was still barely over 1.00. Fast-forward to 2013, down went the walks (5) and up went the strikeouts (33) in 24.1 innings. After starting off this spring slower than expected, Hoffman really picked it up in his last start, fanning a career-high 18 batters in eight innings. If he was the guy that fell through to the Cubs, I figured that would be his landing spot. Today, however, news broke that Hoffman started experiencing pain in his throwing arm – with some reports saying it’s his elbow – and that he’ll miss his next two starts. This could be a monkey wrench that really screws with the Twins plans. Someone that could enter the mix is prep C Alex Jackson. Jackson, who is committed to Oregon, is also represented by Scott Boras. His tools, which consist of a strong arm, the ability to stick at catcher, and a bat that offers both average and the potential for power, could get him into the Top 5 picks. There’s also some who believe he could take the Wil Myers path to the bigs. You know, the path that starts at catcher but the bat plays so well you have to move him quickly. The Cubs could be chomping at the bit to add him to the stable of talented hitters. So, what if Hoffman’s injury is more serious and the three pitchers and Jackson are off the board? Enter Evansville LHP Kyle Freeland. Get this: Freeland has thrown 64 innings so far this year and only walked four batters. I’m not going to say those words. But the Twins value guys that don’t issue walks. But wait there’s more! He’s struck out 87 batters, too. You might say, “Evansville?” But I might say, “San Diego State?” or “FGCU?” Freeland could be a stud. Are there questions right now? Sure. Delivery questions due to a lower arm angle that takes more effort that you want to see. But the combination of a low-90s fastball with a swing-and-miss slider/cutter and a changeup in the works, don’t sleep on this guy at #5. There are other players too that should get some consideration. Guys like RHP Tyler Beede , Vanderbilt and RHP Aaron Nola, LSU are guys that should come off the board in the Top 10 picks. Feel free to leave your thoughts, comments and questions below. ~~~ Since the Twins outlasted the Rays 9-7 on Thursday, today (Friday) you can get 50% off a L or XL pizza from PapaJohns.com if you use the 'TWINSWIN' promo code. ~~~ Click here to view the article

The Twins were off today. In other baseball news, it was announced that Matt Harvey of the Mets has a partially torn UCL. He's getting the dreaded "rest and recovery" treatment many Twins fans are too familiar with. It's an unfortunate development for one of the best young arms in the game today. Eddie Rosario was named Eastern League Player of the Week after his stellar week last week. There was also a nice write-up about a few Twins prospects on Baseball America as well as a can't-miss (Insider-only) piece that discusses the "scout's divide" on Adam Brett Walker. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Let's look at the action around the farm today which included both very good and very bad performances: ROCHESTER RED WINGS 5, SYRACUSE CHIEFS 15 Box Score Not only has Rochester squandered their division lead, but they have now fallen a game behind the Norfolk Tides in the IL Wild Card Race. It was another brutal night for the Wings, who gave up a 6-spot in the first inning for the second consecutive game. P.J. Walters got the start and only lasted two innings. He gave up eight runs (four earned) on five hits and four walks. (His error lead to the unearned runs.) He was replaced by the recently-activated Luis Perdomo. Perdomo didn't fair much better. He was chased after 2.2 innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on four walks and two hits. Edgar Ibarra even gave up a run in his 1.1 inning of work. The Red Wings turned to outfielder Jermaine Mitchell to work the 8th inning and, of course, he pitched around a walk and single to have a shutout inning. Mitchell returned for the 9th and gave up a two-run double. Plug pulled. Ray Olmedo replaced Mitchell and allowed an inherited run to score before retiring the side. Deibinson Romero had three hits, including a home run and had three RBI. Eduardo Escobar followed up Romero's home run with a home run of his own. Josmil Pinto, who is in a cold-stretch, was moved down to 9th and posted a double. Jeff Clement also doubled. Pat Dean will look to right the ship tomorrow at 7:05 ET. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 5, TRENTON THUNDER 3 Box Score Trevor May had a very solid outing tonight for the RockCats. He didn't give up a hit for the first five innings, completing six total. He struck out nine, while allowing only two hits walking two batters. Download attachment: trevormay.jpg www.milb.com It will be interesting to see if May's name is included tomorrow when the Arizona Fall League Rosters are announced. If not, I think there is a pretty good shot that May will join the Twins when rosters expand next week. May is short of 140 innings after pitching around 150 innings the previous two minor league seasons. Getting him 25-30 Major League innings could be very valuable as May figures to compete for a spot in the Major League rotation next spring. There is also a chance that May could join Rochester as they continue to push - and struggle - in their attempt to make the International League Playoffs. Daniel Turpen allowed three runs in relief, which allowed the game to get close. Ryan O'Rourke recorded the last four outs to secure the save. Offensively, the 6-7-8 hitters: Reynaldo Rodriguez, Brad Boyer and Dan Rohlfing all had three hits and combined to go 9-for-11. Boyer drove in three runs. Danny Santana and Jordan Parraz each had two hits. Eddie Rosario was 1-for-5 with an RBI. Miguel Sano went 0-for-3 with two walks. Cole De Vries starts tomorrow at 7:05 ET. FORT MYERS MIRACLE vs PALM BEACH CARDINALS - rained out; doubleheader tomorrow. Matt Tomshaw is in line to get one of the starts. The other starter is TBD. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 3, PEORIA CHIEFS 1 Box Score With Max Kepler on the shelf for a couple days with a badly cut finger, the Kernels rolled out a makeshift infield, which included two catchers - Tyler Grimes (2B) and Bo Altobelli (1B) - playing out of position. Turns out their big hits and timely pitching were enough to secure another Kernels victory. Grimes doubled twice and Jeremias Pineda was 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead the offense. Altobelli drove in a run on two hits and Michael Quesada also doubled in a run. Tim Atherton picked up the win going seven strong innings, striking out seven. He allowed one run. Mason Melotakis pitched the 8th and allowed only a hit when striking out two. Brian Gilbert picked up his fifth save, striking out one in a single frame. Miguel Sulbaran will make his third start for the Kernels tomorrow night at 6:35 CT. ELIZABETHTON TWINS 11, PRINCETON RAYS 3 Box Score The E-Twins got a nice outing from their offense (11 runs on 14 hits), but were helped by the five errors that Princeton committed. The Princeton offense wasn't bad either (12 hits), but only managed three runs. The win keeps the E-Twins hanging onto their playoff hopes by a thread. (Elimination number remains four with Greeneville still playing.) Zach Granite had three hits tonight, including a double and was also caught stealing. Engelb Vielma scored three runs on two hits. Bryan Haar drove in two runs on two hits (a double) and also walked twice. Match Garver and Zach Larson also added doubles. Hein Robb allowed three runs on ten hits. He struck out five in five innings. Austin Malinowski struck out four in three innings of work. Brandon Peterson finished it off with a hit and K. Kohl Stewart will pitch tomorrow at 7:05 ET. GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 8 Box Score Despite jumping out to a quick lead, the Twins dropped this one after surrendering four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Starter Derrick Penilla gave up four runs (two earned) in 2.1 innings. Chih-Wei Hu also allowed two earned runs in 2.2 innings, but Hu was able to strike out six. In relief, Zach Hayden made his 10th appearance (9 IP) and still hasn't allowed a run. Alex Swim led the offense with two hits. Both Nelson Molina and Ryan Tufts doubled. At 27-30, the GCL Twins have been eliminated from postseason contention. If you have questions or comments, fire away! Click here to view the article

It's a special Spring Training episode with Seth live in Fort Myers. If you have questions or comments, please leave them below. You can view and all other episodes on our YouTube channel, download our shows on iTunes, or listen to them on our webpage. Click here to view the article

Every affiliate was involved in a transaction today. The Red Wings placed P Liam Hendriks on the DL with right elbow inflammation. OF Antoan Richardson will take his place. The RockCats, losing Richardson to Rochester, get Deibinson Romero, who finally arrived in the States and is ready to play baseball. The Miracle activated OF Nate “That Pitch Hit Me” Roberts and sent INF Joel Licon back across the street.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Kernels add C Michael Quesada, who had been serving a 50-game suspension. Oh, and hur-ray for Aaron Hicks. I think the monkey has come off of his back… finally. ROCHESTER RED WINGS 5, COLUMBUS CLIPPERS 7 Box Score The Red Wings comeback fell short and the club drops to 15-23. Chris Herrmann can hope to use today’s game as a springboard to improve for the rest of the season. After a fairly disappointing start this year, Herrmann went 3-for-4 with a double. He also scored two runs. Jeff Clement hit his 3rd home run, his first at Frontier Field. Chris Colabello added a double. Brian Dinkelman had a pinch-hit two run single with two outs in the ninth. Virgil Vasquez, who will probably remain in the rotation while Hendriks is out, struck out a season-high seven batters. He allowed two runs on a walk and four hits in five innings. Because of but recently coming out of the bullpen, Vasquez threw only 72 pitches. He will probably be allowed to throw closer to 90 in his next outing. Shairon Martis took the loss, allowing four runs on four walks and hit. Michael O’Connor relieved him and allowed an inherited runner to score before allowing a run of his own on three hits and two walks. He struck out two in 2.1 innings of work. Kyle Gibson (2-4, 3.32), who would have started today’s game on normal rest, was pushed back a day after his complete game shutout and will make the start for the Red Wings tomorrow at 7:05 ET when Durham comes to town. Cole DeVries will be making a rehab start on Wednesday. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS – OFF DAY The Rock Cats open a series in Bowie on Tuesday at 7:05 ET with xxxxx making the start. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 6, DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 2 Box Score The Miracle pushed six runs across the plate – all with two-out – to improve to 28-8 on the season. Nate Roberts, who missed the first part of the season with a knee injury, returned to the lineup to play his first baseball since destroying the Arizona Fall League. He batted leadoff, hit a double, drove in a run and, of course, was hit by a pitch. Download attachment: roberts.jpg (photo by Anelle) Miguel Sano was 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored; he stole his 4th base but also committed his 9th error. Angel Morales was 1-for-2 with a triple and also reached on HBP twice. Matt Koch continues to rake, hitting his 5th double, and is now batting .337. Jason Wheeler improved to 4-0. He pitched five innings, striking out four. He walked three, scattered eight hits and allowed two runners to score. Nelvin Fuentes and Zach Jones combined to shut the Blue Jays down for the last four innings, both allowing only a single hit. Jones walked two. Fuentes struck out three while Jones struck out one. Matt Summers (1-2, 4.29) takes the hill tomorrow at 7:05 ET CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 2, BELOIT SNAPPERS 3 Box Score A day after playing a very atypical baseball game, the Kernels and Snappers got back to regular baseball. Today, the Kernels fell 3-2 to the Snappers and are now 24-11 on the year. Matt Tomshaw pitched a very solid seven innings. He struck out five and only allowed a walk and four hits. Unfortunately, one of those hits was a two-run homerun. Tim Atherton relieved Tomshaw and was a bit out of control. He recorded five outs, all by strikeout. He also allowed four walks and one hit. The lone hit drove in the game-winning, walk-off run. The offense apparently used most of their hits and runs yesterday. Only Niko Goodrum had a multi-hit game. He had a double and triple and is now batting .289. Byron Buxton had a hit, two stolen bases (15 on the season) and scored twice. Adam Walker, named MWL player of the week earlier in the day, struck out three times while going 0-for-4. The Kernels return home and welcome Burlington to Pefect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium tomorrow. Brett Lee (2-2, 2.92) makes the 6:35 CT start. If you have any questions, comments or sweet mustache pictures, please share! Click here to view the article

Join Seth and I tonight at 8:30 for another episode of #HangoutandTalkTwins. Download attachment: hangoutspic3.jpg We're going to put the HOF talk to rest for once and for all and we'll also discuss the A-Roid suspension (which, if you follow Seth on Twitter, you know he's against). Though the Twins haven't done anything newsworthy lately, I'm sure we'll find a way to fit them in too. To watch this week's show, please keep reading...[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RxUgTpupTlY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Click here to view the article

It was a quiet day in Twins World. No roster moves. Minimal injury (recover) news. But, as it is, no news is better than bad news. The Red Wings activated Anthony Slama before their game and intentionally didn’t pitch him, just to irritate the #FreeAnthonySlama crowd. If you're interested in checking out the organizational rosters and contracts, Brock and I have been working on a place where you can view it all. He calls it a "monster", for me it's more of an obsession... hopefully we can continue to tweak it for your viewing pleasure. And now, the news from a pretty successful Thursday: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]ROCHESTER 5, EMPIRE STATE 2 Box score The Red Wings ended their 3-game losing streak to get back to over .500. (60-59) The rehab start of P.J. Walters didn’t go real well. He lasted only 2/3 of an inning and allowed two runs on four hits and a walk. He did strike out one. He left with the bases loaded. Esmerling Vasquez came in and recorded the third out before recording the next 22 outs! He was a little wild - walking four - but only allowed two hits and struck out seven. Vasquez would have been the scheduled starter, so he will stay on typical rest… and gave the Red Wings bullpen a much-needed rest. Daniel Turpen came in to record the save by getting the last two outs. He gave up a hit and struck out one. Eduardo Escobar led the offense with three hits, including a double. He scored twice and drove in a run. Rene Rivera had a double. Brian Dinkelman, Clete Thomas, Evan Bigley, Ray Chang and Pedro Florimon chipped in singles. Florimon, who missed the last seven games with a wrist injury, also drove in two runs. Earlier in the week, Florimon was named by Baseball America as having the best infield arm in the International League. Chris Parmelee went 0-for-4. Over the last four games, he is 2-for-14. NEW BRITAIN 4 , BINGHAMTON 6 Box score Logan Darnell had his longest outing in a month. That’s the positive. His 5 2/3 innings, though, weren’t spectacular. He allowed 11 hits and five runs. He walked three and only struck out one. Since his 8K performance on July 21st, he’s only struck out three in three starts (13 2/3 innings). Jose Gonzalez allowed a run in an inning and Dakota Watts pitched a scoreless 1 1/3 inning. Both struck out two. The Rock Cats offense collected ten hits. Unfortunately, nine of those were singles. Estarlin De Los Santos led the way with three. Rene Tosoni had two. Aaron Hicks, Chris Herrmann, Dan Rohlfing and Nate Hanson each had one single. Oswaldo Arcia had the lone double, but after taking a walk and have having a sac fly, raised his average to .320 by going 1-for-2. FT. MYERS 4, JUPITER 1 Box score Daniel Santana had three singles and a stolen base to lead the Miracle. Andy Leer and Angel Morales added two singles each. Danny Ortiz had a double. Danny Rams drove in two. Levi Michael was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the second inning. He had a hit and a stolen base in the first. Matt Summers cruised through Beloit, but has struggled a little bit since his promotion. His first three starts were pretty good, before struggling in his fourth start. His fifth start, today, he last 4 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and only one run. His peripherals were not as good: four walks (a high since his promotion) and one strikeout (tied his low since his promotion). A.J. Achter went 2 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Michael Tonkin earned the save by recording the final five outs. He struck out three and gave up one hit. BELOIT 8, QUAD CITIES 3 Box score The Snappers scored eight runs on eight hits (all singles), thanks mostly to Quad Cities starter Dail Villenueva, who didn’t make it out of the first, walking four batters. Eddie Rosario can flat out hit. Though he hit 21 home runs last year, he doesn’t have great power. What he does have is extremely quick and powerful wrists. He’ll let the ball get deep into the zone (a la Denard Span) before swinging. Tonight, he added two more hits to his season total. Drew Leachman had two hits. Kennys Vargas and Stephen Wickens both drove in two runs. Miguel Sano was 1-for-3 with two walks. Jason Wheeler continues to impress. He completed five innings, allowing one run on six hits and two walks. He struck out two. He turned the game over to Tim Atherton, who pitched two innings. He gave up three walks and struck out two. Mason Melotakis only got two outs. He allowed a home run (two hits total) and walk. He struck out one. D.J. Baxendale came in with two on and two out and retired the batter he faced. He came back out in the ninth and allowed a run on two hits. He struck out one. ELIZABETHTON 4, JOHNSON CITY 3 Box score The E-Twins held on to win their second straight after dropping three consecutive (over six games). Byron Buxton’s second night under the lights wasn’t nearing as good as his first. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Bo Altobelli was 4-for-4 with a run. Travis Harrison had two hits (one triple). Adam Walker hit his 12th home run. Candido Pimentel and Max Kepler also added two hits each. Harrison committed his 20th error. Elizabethton got strong outings from their pitchers. Hudson Boyd went four strong, allowing four hits and an unearned run. He struck out two. Josh Burris pitched two perfect innings in relief. Andrew Ferreira allowed a walk and struck out two in two innings. Tyler Herr picked up the save, but not before allowing three hits and a walk in an inning. He entered with a three-run lead and needed every one of them. GCL TWINS 4, GCL ORIOLES 6 Box score The Twins got one early, but even with a 7th-inning rally, one bad inning was too much to come back from. Joel Licon has had a very solid pro debut. Batting leadoff, he had two hits. Will Hurt has slowly started to rebound from a very slow start. He added two hits today, but is still looking for his first extra-base hit. Dereck Rodriguez, Logan Wade and B.K. Santy all added singles. Andre Martinez walked five and allowed five hits over six innings. The six runs earned him his first decision – a loss. He struck out two. Markus Solbach pitched a scoreless final two frames. He allowed three hits and struck out two. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, August 9, 2012 Hitters of the Day – Eduardo Escobar Download attachment: escobar.JPG picasaweb.google.com Pitcher of the Day – Esmerling Vasquez Download attachment: vasquez.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Friday, August 10, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Pawtucket – RHP Eric Hurley (0-0, 11.25) New Britain vs Reading – LHP Blake Martin (3-5, 4.68) St. Lucie at Fort Myers – LHP Cole Nelson (5-4, 5.43) Beloit at Quad Cities – LHP David Hurlbut (5-5, 2.69) Elizabethton at Bristol – RHP Angel Mata (3-2, 2.70) GCL Twins vs GCL Red Sox – TBA --- If you have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and we’ll try to answer them! Comments also welcome. Click here to view the article

The Twins enjoyed an off-day today. Tomorrow is Jackie Robinson Day around baseball and the Twins kick off a three-game series with the Blue Jays. On the farm, it was a big day for multiple former first-round picks. Download attachment: Wimmers pic.jpg Make sure you're checking out the other stories featured on the front page and if you're so inclined, join Seth and me tomorrow night on the latest edition of Twins Hangouts. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Pawtucket 9 Box Score The Wings dropped a rain-shortened game to the PawSox tonight (at least it appeared like it was going to be rain-shortened when they pulled the tarp in the top of the 9th). Trevor May couldn't build off the gem he had last game and was only able to retire one batter in the 5th inning of tonight's game. He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out four and threw 84 pitches (54 strikes). Brooks Raley, who currently holds the belt as the 40th man on the 40-man, gave up five hits, a walk and three runs in one inning. Edgar Ibarra and A.J. Achter didn't do much better, both allowing runs in their innings-plus of work. Danny Santana was the offensive highlight, with his two triples and three total hits. Eduardo Nunez added a double and Eric Fryer had a two-hit game. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 2, New Hampshire 3 Box Score The highlight of this game was likely the debut of former (and potentially future Twin) Matt Guerrier. Matt Guerrier was recently activated from Rochester’s DL and sent to New Britain. He pitched one innings, throwing 20 pitches, 16 for strikes. He struck out two. Pat Dean made the start and allowed one run in four innings. He struck out one and was removed after only 60 pitches. The weather was not great, with a 35-minute delay likely playing into the short start. Dan Turpen took the loss in his season debut. He allowed two runs in two innings. Jim Fuller pitched a hitless final frame. The offense turned in a pretty dismal performance. Reynaldo Rodriguez provided two of the team’s four hits, including a home run. Brandon Waring added a double and Kennys Vargas drove in the team’s other run. To make room for Matty G., the Rock Cats removed B.J. Hermsen from the roster and sent him to Extended Spring Training. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Charlotte 3 Box Score The Miracle improved to 7-4 with a convincing win over Charlotte Stone Crabs. The story of tonight’s game was the start of Alex Wimmers. I was clearly excited about Wimmers getting back into the rotation, as the following message I sent to Seth last night shows: Download attachment: wimmers.JPG As always, Seth the Optimist shared my enthusiasm. It got off to a bit of rocky start when Wimmers allowed a double to the first batter he faced and then balked that runner over the third. Of course, the former Big Ten Pitcher of the Year has faced his share of adversity over the last handful of years, so he barely blinked… and then retired the next 18 (!) batters he faced. His final line of six innings looked fantastic: 6 IP, H, 6 K. He was sitting in the high-80s, but throwing his changeup and curveball effectively. If you remember, as an amateur he could dial it up to the mid-90s and had a silly changeup. He’s starting to piece it all back together, so don’t fall asleep on Wimmers as a prospect yet. Matt Tomshaw picked up the three-inning save despite giving up three runs on three hits. He struck out four. The offense came to play tonight too. Despite slow starts by both Max Kepler (0-for-5, now batting .094) and Adam Walker (0-for-5 and batting a powerful .205), the Miracle offense has still shown life. Tonight’s 18-hit, 7-extra-base-hit performance was solid proof of that. Travis Harrison, batting 8th, went 5-for-5 with two runs, a double and an RBI. He’s now batting .286. He was 5-for-30 (.167) with a double and an RBI for the season before the game. Levi Michael is showing some prospect-life too. Tonight, he provided a 4-for-5 night with two runs, a double and a walk. Jorge Polanco drove in two runs and is now batting .400 after a two-hit game including a double. Dalton Hicks came up a home-run short of the cycle. He also walked twice and drove in three. (But somehow failed to score a run.) Niko Goodrum also had two hits and is still batting a robust .325. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, South Bend 4 Box Score The Kernels improved to 8-3, winning their sixth straight, with a walk-off win tonight on a chilly night in Cedar Rapids. Aaron Slegers made the start and allowed four runs in five innings. He walked one and struck out three. The bullpen combo of Brandon Bixler (2 IP, BB, 3 K) and Hudson Boyd (2 IP, BB, 2 K, Win) closed out the game with four hitless innings. Bryan Haar led the offense (again) with three hits, including a triple. Mitch Garver also added three hits, his last an infield hit to the pitcher that scored the winning run. Tanner Vavra had two hits (one double). The Kernels entered the ninth inning down two runs. The winning sequence started with a Joel Licon walk. Logan Wade advanced Licon to second on a pinch-hit single. Jeremias Pineda failed to advance the runners on a bunt attempt before flying out. Jason Kanzler drove in Licon with a single. Tanner Vavra followed that with another single to load the bases. That brought Zack Larson, who has been the Kernels most dangerous hitter. Larson coaxed a walk to tie the game. Finally, Garver drove in Kanzler to win the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Alex Wimmers, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Travis Harrison, Fort Myers Miracle MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Scott Diamond (Listen) New Britain @ New Hampshire (4:35 CST) – D.J. Baxendale (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (5:30 CST) – Jason Wheeler (Listen) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – Ryan Eades (Listen) Click here to view the article

Technical difficulties backed up kickoff about 10 minutes, but we were able to speak with the Pioneer Press's Mike Berardino for about an hour on Tuesday night. You probably already know that he's a pretty knowledgeable dude and he'd make any stathead's night. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4Zbm6BoX-MU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> We also talked about the free agent market and a whole lot of other things Twins. Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and we'll see you again next Tuesday night! [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: hangoutspic.jpg Please let us know what you thought about the show. If you'd rather watch on YouTube, you can view . Click here to view the article