Francisco Liriano did a tremendous job on Friday night of building his trade value. The lefty gave up just one run in 6.2 innings against baseball’s best offense. Jared Burton got four outs quickly. The Twins got enough offense, as well as some help from the Rangers defense, to put up five runs. Joe Mauer drove in two runs, and Justin Morneau homered. The two teams play again on Saturday as Sam Deduno makes his first Twins start.

With that, here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday:

ROCHESTER 3, PAWTUCKET 1

PJ Walters started and appears to be close to a return to the Twins. The right-hander threw five shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out two. Bobby Lanigan went the next 2.1 innings and gave up one run on three hits and two walks. Dan Sattler debuted with the Red Wings and got four outs. He gave up no runs despite allowing a hit and walking two. Luis Perdomo came in to record the final out.

Danny Valencia went 2-4 with his seventh home run. Pedro Florimon hit his 10^th and 11^th doubles. Clete Thomas was 2-3 with his eighth home run.

The Red Wings are now 41-47 on the season.

NEW BRITAIN 1, TRENTON 7

Aaron Thompson made the start for the Rock Cats. In six innings, he gave up four runs on 11 hits. He walked none and struck out five. Brett Jacobson came in and continued his walking ways. He recorded just one out and was charged with two runs on one hit and three walks. Daniel Turpen gave up one run on three hits in 1.2 innings. He walked none and struck out three.

The Rock Cats’ bats managed just five hits in the game. Aaron Hicks had two of them, including his eighth home run.

With the loss, the Rock Cats fall to 47-38, 1.5 games behind Trenton (49-37).

FT. MYERS 3, CHARLOTTE 5

Madison Boer continues to find ways to last longer into games. On this night, he gave up five runs (3 earned) on nine hits. He walked none and struck out two. Ricky Bowen pitched a scoreless eighth inning. The Miracle managed just six hits in the game. Danny Ortiz remains hot at the plate. He went 2-4 with his fifth home run, a three-run shot that provided all of the Miracle offense.

Earlier in the day, the Miracle announced that infielder Jairo Perez had been released. The Miracle are currently 37-46 on the season. However, they are 9-7 in the early stages of the season’s second half, just one game back of Bradenton for a playoff spot.

BELOIT 5, CLINTON 4

Jason Wheeler went six innings and recorded his ninth win of the season. The tall, left-hander gave up three runs on six hits. He walked four and struck out three. Cole Johnson came in and gave up an unearned run on one walk over the next 2.1 innings. He struck out three. Clinton Dempster recorded the final two outs, both via the strikeout, to record his fourth save.

Matt Koch led the offense. He was 2-5. AJ Pettersen hit his sixth home run. Nate Roberts and Wang-Wei Lin each walked twice.

The Snappers are 46-39 on the season. They clinched a playoff berth in the first half and are currently 7-8 in the second half, three games back of the division leader.

GAME 1 - ELIZABETHTON 6, KINGSPORT 2

After being postponed on Thursday, the E-Twins and Kingsport played two seven inning games on Friday night. Ricardo Arevalo got the nod in Game 1. He went the first four innings and gave up two runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out five. Josh Burris improved to 4-0 with two more shutout innings, dropping his ERA to 0.69. He gave up a hit and walked a batter while striking out one. Mason Melotakis pitched a perfect frame.

Candido Pimentel went 2-3 with his fourth and fifth stolen bases. Travis Harrison went 1-2 with a walk and his second home run. He’s now batting .368. Adam Walker was 1-3 with his third home run. Michael Quesada went 1-3 with his fifth double. He is hitting .370. Max Kepler walked twice and stole his first two bases of the season.

GAME 2 - ELIZABETHTON 5, KINGSPORT 4

Corey Kimes started the second game. The lefty from Illinois gave up only an unearned run on three hits and no walks. In five innings, he struck out eight. Tyler Herr gave up three runs on five hits and recorded just two outs. Kaleb Merck got the final four outs for his first pro save. He struck out two.

Candido Pimentel was 1-2 with a walk in the second game. He also stole his sixth base. Niko Goodrum walked twice. Romy Jimenez went 1-2 with a walk and is hitting .426 now.

The E-Twins are 13-5 and find themselves in a familiar spot a top their division by 2.5 games.

GCL TWINS 4, GCL RED SOX 9

Adrian Salcedo made a rehab start for the GCL Twins. The right-hander went 2.1 innings and gave up four runs (2 earned) on five hits and a walk. The earned runs were thanks to two errors of his own. Randy Rosario came in and gave up five runs (4 earned) on three hits and three walks in three innings. He struck out two. Trent Higginbotham got the final two outs. He was not charged with a run despite allowing two hits and a walk.

Joe Benson was back in the lineup and went 1-3 with a double. John Murphy and Jorge Fernandez each went 2-3. Kelvin Ortiz was 2-2 with his first home run of the season.

The GCL Twins are now 8-8. (Note – you’ll be excited to read about how Byron Buxton and Austin Malinowski did on Saturday morning!)

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Players of the Day for Friday, July 6, 2012

Pitcher of the Day – PJ Walters

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Hitter of the Day – Candido Pimentel

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A Look Ahead – Saturday, July 7, 2012 Schedule

Rochester vs Lehigh Valley – RHP Liam Hendriks

New Britain @ New Hampshire – RHP Shairon Martis

Ft. Myers vs Jupiter – LHP Pat Dean

Beloit vs Burlington – RHP Matt Summers

Elizabethton @ Johnson City – RHP Angel Mata

GCL Twins vs GCL Red Sox – LHP Austin Malinowski

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If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!