Only two of the Minnesota Twins four full-season affiliates were in action on Sunday afternoon, but there was enough offense provided for all of them by the lineup in Chattanooga lineup as they won their fourth straight game with General Manager Terry Ryan in attendance.

There was also a League ERA leader on the mound looking for his third win of the season.

Read on to find out how it all happened!

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 1, Louisville 3

Box Score

A Rochester lineup without outfielders Eddie Rosario and Aaron Hicks was unable to muster much offense in Louseville, as Bats starter Jon Moscot shut them down to the tune of just three hits and one run in eight innings.

The damage came from the bat of Reynaldo Rodriguez, who slugged his second home run of the year in the fourth inning. He also singled in the first inning, accounting for two of the team’s three hits. Wilkin Ramirez had the other, a single, and also drew a walk. That was it for the Red Wings offense as they did not have a single at-bat with runners in scoring position on the day, and left only two men on base.

Left-hander Jason Wheeler made the start for the Red Wings, and did his best to match Moscot, pitching into the eighth inning. He finished 7.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, while striking out three. It was back-to-back home runs to start the fifth inning that put the game out of reach, 3-1.

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Jackson 3, Chattanooga 16

Box Score

Starter D.J. Baxendale entered the day as the Southern League ERA leader, with a mark of 0.86. On the year, he had started five games for the Lookouts and pitched six or more innings each game, totaling 31.1 innings while striking out 29.

He would end the day no longer leading the league in ERA, nor did he pitch six innings, but did pick up his third win. His pitch count got up there pretty fast in this one, as it took 107 pitches to finish five innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits, one a solo home run, and two walks. He struck out five.

With the game in hand at that point already, at 8-0, Cole Johnson came in and pitched the next two innings. He gave up one run on three hits and struck out two. Nick Burdi then came on and lowered his ERA to 7.50, pitching two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and one walk, while striking out three.

The Lookouts offense exploded early and often in this one, as General Manager Terry Ryan looked on. They hung crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the first (2), third (3), and fourth (2) innings, and added another in the fifth to build the 8-2 lead.

Jorge Polanco scored Byron Buxton from third after he was hit by a pitch to leadoff the game with a Sac Fly in the first, and Miguel Sano followed with a double that scored Stephen Wickens. Sano added his first RBI Sac Fly of the day in the third inning, and was followed by Adam Brett Walker II’s Florida State League leading eighth home run of the season, a two run shot that scored Travis Harrison.

Buxton drew a walk in the fourth inning, and scored on a Polanco single before Sano added his second run scoring Sac Fly to make the score 7-2.

Max Kepler led off the fifth inning with a double and came around to score on a Buxton single to get them to the eight runs.

The next inning, Chattanooga would bring thirteen men to the plate, and extend their lead to 15-3. Harrison, Walker II, Kepler, and Heiker Meneses would club doubles around a single from Polanco and a walk from Stuart Turner to score the first four runs of the inning. Buxton then brought home Turner with a single and came around to score on a single from Sano after an error off the bat of Wickens allowed Meneses to score from third.

Polanco added an RBI triple in the eighth inning to finish the scoring on the game.

Six hitters had multiple hit games, including Buxton (2-4, 3 R’s, 2 RBI, BB), Wickens (3-5, 4 R’s), Polanco (4-5, R, 3B, 3 RBI), Sano (2-4, 2B, 4 RBI), Walker II (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBI), and Kepler (3-5, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, RBI). Harrison was 1-3 with a double and drew three walks, and Meneses added a double and an RBI to the effort. Catcher Stuart Turner was the only batter without a hit on the day, but drew a walk and scored a run.

Quite the day for several players with the GM in attendance!

MIRACLE MATTERS

The Fort Myers Miracle had the day off on Sunday and will resume their homestand with a four game series against the Dunedin Blue Jays Monday Night.

KERNELS NUGGETS

It was a scheduled day off for the Cedar Rapids Kernels as well, as they returned home from a 6-0 road trip against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Beloit Snappers. They will host the Peoria Chiefs.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day – Nick Burdi, Chattanooga Lookoutss (2.0 IP, 0 R’s, 2 H’s, BB, 3 K’s)

Hitter of the Day – Entire Chattanooga Lookouts lineup (18 H’s, 6 2B’s, 3B, HR, 15 RBI, 5 BB). Okay, if I have to pick one, it’s Adam Brett Walker II (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 4 RBI).

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Toledo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – LHP Pat Dean (2-2, 2.45 ERA)

Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05 PM CST) – RHP Alex Wimmers (0-0, 6.43 ERA)

Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (1-2, 3.64 ERA, tentative)

Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Jared Wilson (3-0, 2.42 ERA)

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games.