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Since the end of minor league season, we have handed out some minor league awards. Twins Daily named Trevor Hildenberger the Relief Pitcher of the Year. JO Berrios won the Starting Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season. Max Kepler was the Best Hitter. Jermaine Palacios and Williams Ramirez ran away with the Best Hitter and Best Pitcher among short-season players Today I’m going to start a preliminary Top 50 Twins prospects list and welcome your feedback. Today, I’ll post Part 1: Prospects 41-50.Players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2016. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at-bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings. (The list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2016 - which Cody Christie, Jeremy Nygaard and I are working on - I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.) Top Prospects 41-50 #50 – Zach Granite - 23 – OF – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle Granite was the Twins 14th round pick in 2013 out of Seton Hall. He was limited to just 25 games in 2014 due to a couple of separate injuries. He began the 2015 season back in Cedar Rapids for 19 games during which he hit .358/.463/.463 (.925). He was promoted on May 1 to Ft. Myers where the numbers weren’t quite the same. He hit .249/.328/.304 (.632) with 10 doubles, four triples and a homer. Listed at 6-1 and 175 pounds (maybe!), Granite’s best tool is his speed. He also profiles well at the top of a batting order as he puts together very professional at-bats. Early in the season, a Twins Daily writer asked Granite whether he’s thinking double every time he hits the ball to the outfield. He responded, “I’m thinking triple out of the box.” #49 – Mat Batts - 24 – LHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle Mat Batts spent summers during college interning at Baseball America. This offseason he is writing high school football stories in North Carolina. At times during the season, he wrote for Twins Daily. He was the Twins 17th round pick in 2014 after playing four years at UNC-Wilmington. His fastball tops out in the mid-to-upper 80s, but he has put up remarkable numbers since signing. Between the GCL, Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids in 2014, he went 4-1 with a 1.78 ERA. He began 2015 by going 3-2 with a 2.21 ERA in seven starts for the Kernels. He moved up to Ft. Myers and went 8-4 with a 2.77 ERA in 17 starts. He walks hardly anyone and despite lack of velocity, struck out 8.1 per nine innings overall this season. Listed at 5-11 and 190 pounds, Batts has a deceptive delivery and a good pitch mix to go with good command. As they frequently say, the biggest challenge will be when he gets to AA. #48 – Keaton Steele - 23 – RHP –Cedar Rapids Kernels Steele is another four-year college guy. After playing at Iowa Western CC, he went to Missouri where he pitched for two years (and was drafted twice). The Twins made him their eighth round pick in 2014. He pitched well at Elizabethton in 2014 out of the bullpen. He began 2015 at extended spring training, but he made 14 starts (15 appearances) for the Kernels. He went 7-4 with a 3.41 ERA. In 89.2 innings he walked just 21, though he also struck out just 60. As the Kernels got to the postseason, Steele was pitching his best. #47 – DJ Baxendale - 24 – RHP – Chattanooga Lookouts The Twins drafted Baxendale in the 10th round of the 2012 draft. He signed shortly after pitching for Arkansas in the College World Series. He’s got a good fastball in the low-90s with movement. He also has a good slider. He moved up the system quickly, reaching AA New Britain by May of 2013 where he did struggle. In 2014, he struggled with the Rock Cats before moving back down to Ft. Myers. It turned out that he was injured and just didn’t fully recover the rest of the season. He pitched for Chattanooga through the 2015 season. In 21 starts (two relief outings), he went 7-5 with a 3.80 ERA in 118.1 innings. He walked 40 and struck out 92. He has started, but his stuff may play better out of the bullpen as he continues to move forward. #46 – Levi Michael - 24 – 2B – Chattanooga Lookouts Michael was the Twins first-round pick (30th overall) out of UNC in Chapel Hill in 2011. He was inured that year and began his professional playing career in Ft. Myers in 2012. He played for Ft. Myers again in 2013. And he began the 2014 season in Ft. Myers. However, in 45 games with the Miracle that year, he hit .305/.375/.395 (.770) In 15 games at New Britain, he hit .340/444/.358 (.803). However, a recurring theme in his career, injury, had limited him to just 60 games. In 2015 in Chattanooga, he hit .267/.369/.434 (.804) with 12 doubles, five triples and five home runs. However, he was limited to just 63 games by injury. When healthy the last two years he has been a solid contributor. He has played almost exclusively at second base the last two years, though he played all three positions in college. His MLB career will likely be as a utility type of player, though he puts together good at-bats and could be a solid #9 hitter in the big leagues for some time. It would be nice if he could just get through a full season healthy. #45 – Brett Lee - 25 – LHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts Lee was the Twins 10th round pick in 2011 out of St. Petersburg College in Florida. He has been a starter since his first full season. He was an All-Star in 2014 in the Florida State League, but he missed some time with injury. He was 10-5 with a 2.46 ERA despite a 54/36 strikeout to walk ratio in 106 innings. In 2015, he began the season with six starts for the Miracle. He moved up to Chattanooga and made 16 starts for the Lookouts. He went 6-4 with a 3.10 ERA. In 134 total innings, he walked 41 and struck out just 65. He has good stuff, and twice he has had stretches of three or more starts where he completed seven or more innings. He works quickly and gets quick outs. He is pitching in Venezuela this winter. #44 – LaMonte Wade - 21 – OF – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels Wade was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2015 out of the University of Maryland. He fell to the ninth round, in part, because he missed significant time during his junior season with an injury. He finished the Big 10 season strong and was healthy when the Twins assigned him to Elizabethton. In 64 games with the E-Twins, he hit .312/.428/.506 (.934) with eight doubles, five triples and nine home runs. He also stole 12 bases. As impressive, he walked 46 times with just 35 strikeouts. He moved up to Cedar Rapids at the conclusion of the E-Twins season for the final four games and the Kernels playoff run to the Midwest league championship series. Wade is a great athlete with a top of the order approach at the plate. He can play centerfield, get on base and hit for some power. #43 – Niko Goodrum - 23 – IF/OF – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts Goodrum was the Twins second-round draft pick out of high school in Georgia in 2010. He spent that season in the GCL before spending both 2011 and 2012 in Elizabethton. He was a very good shortstop for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in 2013 and in 2014, he was moved to third base in Ft. Myers. He posted a .672 OPS for the Miracle in 2014. He returned to the team for the first half of the 2015 season and posted .671 OPS in 53 games. He was promoted to Chattanooga where he hit .244/.332/.392 (.724) in 61 games. With the Lookouts, he played 15 or more games at third base, shortstop and in center field. An immensely talented athlete with great speed and middle of the field defense, it looks more and more like he will be more of a utility, role player should he get to the big leagues. #42 – Jason Wheeler - 24 – LHP – Rochester Red Wings/Chattanooga Lookouts Wheeler was the Twins eighth-round pick in 2011 out of Loyola Marymount. He pitched well between Ft. Myers and New Britain in 2014 and was added to the Twins 40-man roster following the season. Despite making just 12 starts at AA, and a spot start in AAA, in 2014, the Twins pushed him to AAA to start 2015. Unfortunately, he went 1-7 with a 6.58 ERA in 15 starts. The highlight was likely getting the opportunity to pitch with his brother, former big league infielder Ryan Wheeler, who was signed to a minor league deal and spent about a month with the Red Wings. Wheeler was sent back to AA where he went 4-3 with a 3.92 ERA. He was named the Southern League Championship Series MVP. Though he was removed from the 40-man roster in early September, he still has a chance. #41 – Johan Quezada - 21 – RHP – GCL Twins Signed by the Twins in 2012, he spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons in his home country, playing in the Dominican Summer League. In those two seasons, he posted a 6.02 ERA and a 2.33 WHIP. In 43.1 innings, he struck out 50, but he walked 74. So, how does he enter into this list? Fair question. As a 20-year-old in the GCL, he posted a pedestrian 3.38 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. However, he greatly improved his walk rate. In 21.1 innings, he gave up just 14 hits, walked 12 (still not good, but much improved) and struck out 23 batters. At 6-6 tall and a lanky build, he was frequently clocked at 97-98 mph. That kind of velocity with improved control is worth monitoring. He turned 21 after the season, so he isn’t young for his level, but he is a project signed just before he turned 18. So what do you think of Part 1, Prospects 41-50? Next up will be prospects 31-40. 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The Minor League regular season is now just one more day from being complete. In fact, the Ft. Myers Miracle played their final game on Sunday morning. We’ve been producing daily minor league reports since the minor league seasons started in early April. It’s almost sad seeing that it is nearly complete. But worry not, two Twins affiliates will begin their playoff runs this week and we’ll cover those fully.Check out everything that happened in the Twins farm system on Sunday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score Another day, another solid start for a Red Wings pitcher. On this day, Michael Bowden gave up just one run over 5.1 innings. He gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out five. Loek van Mil came on and walked one over 1.1 scoreless innings. Aaron Thompson struck out one of the four batters he faced and got out. Mark Hamburger gave up two hits, but struck out two, in his scoreless inning. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with a walk. Doug Bernier went 2-4 with two RBI. Carlos Paulino went 0-1, but he walked three times. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 11, Jackson 10 (10 innings) Box Score The Lookouts entered the bottom of the sixth inning of Sunday night's game trailing 8-1. They chipped four runs off that lead. They spotted the Generals two more runs in the seventh, but knocked off in that inning and then put up another four-spot in the eighth to knot the game at 10 and send it to extras. An error allowed Stephen Wickens to score the walk-off run. Shannon Wilkerson led the late-inning offensive juggernaut, going 4-6 with his 11th stolen base. He came up a home-run short of the cycle. Jorge Polanco doubled among his two hits. With the exception of D.J. Hicks, all starters drove in a run; Jairo Rodriguez drove in two. Travis Harrison was 1-3, but drew three walks. Levi Michael doubled and also swiped his 18th bag of the year. Brett Lee gave up seven runs (four earned) over 5 1/3 innings. He walked and struck out one. He was relieved by Jake Red who gave up a home run among the three he allowed. He recorded four outs. D.J. Johnson pitched a scoreless inning and a third. Brandon Peterson collected the win. He pitched two scoreless frames and struck out four. The Lookouts conclude their regular season with a Monday matinee. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Charlotte 5 Box Score The Miracle fell in their final game of the season. They end their season with a 76-63. That is the best overall record in the Florida State League South Division. However, because they did not win the division in either half, they will not make the playoffs. The Miracle also set an attendance record at Hammond Stadium this season. Luke Westphal started and gave up two runs (1 earned) on nine hits in 4.2 innings. He walked one and struck out five. Brian Gilbert went the next 1.1 innings. He gave up one run on one hit and a walk. Tyler Jay walked one and struck out one in his inning. Zack Jones gave up two unearned runs on three hits in his inning. He struck out one. Alex Muren finished it with a perfect inning. Ryan Walker went 2-2 with his seventh double. Zach Granite was 2-3 with his tenth double. Engelb Vielma went 1-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 1 Box Score The Kernels are prepping for their playoff run. We learned from Jeff Johnson (The Gazette, Cedar Rapids) that they will use Felix Jorge, Sam Gibbons and Keaton Steele in their upcoming series against Quad Cities. Randy LeBlanc ended his season with a quality start. He gave up one run on four hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out three and improved to 9-5 with a 3.03 ERA. Luke Bard gave up a hit and walked two over two scoreless innings. He struck out three. Nick Anderson picked up his fourth save with a perfect ninth. Nick Gordon led the offense. He went 2-4 with his seventh triple and an RBI. TJ White was 1-3 and drove in a run. Austin Diemer went 2-3. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Cedar Rapids Kernels MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (12:35 CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers Jackson @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – TBD Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 CST) – LHP Sam Clay Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Click here to view the article

It’s hard to believe that it’s September already. The full minor league seasons will be complete on Labor Day. Both short-season affiliates are now done with their seasons as well. But before we start thinking too much about the 2015 season, let’s take a look at some of the top performers. Today we start with the starting pitchers. As Terry Ryan told local media on Tuesday night, he saw a lot of great performances in the last week while in Rochester.Before getting to the Top 5 starters for the month of August, here are a few starters who just missed the cut but deserve recognition. Honorable Mention LHP – Luke Westphal – Ft. Myers – 5 GS, 1-2, 1.75 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 25.2 IP, 21 H, 6 BB, 22 KRHP – Kohl Stewart – Ft. Myers – 4 GS, 2-1, 2.39 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 25 H, 6 BB, 16 KRHP – Andro Cutura – Elizabethton – 5 GS, 1-1, 1.75 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 25.2 IP, 25 H, 7 BB, 22 KLHP – Lachlan Wells – GCL Twins – 4 GS, 3-1, 1.50 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 18.0 IP, 12 H, 5 BB, 17 K--- Number 5 – Cedar Rapids Kernels – RHP Keaton Steele – 5 G, 4-1, 2.57 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 35.0 IP, 26 H, 2 BB, 22 K Third time is the charm. After being drafted by the Rays in 2012 and the Royals in 2013, he signed when the Twins used their eighth-round pick in 2014 on the University of Missouri right-hander. He went 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA in 19 games out of the bullpen for Elizabethton last year. He began this season in extended spring training, but in mid-May he came up and did well out of the rotation. He missed three weeks in July, but has returned strong. In August, opponents hit just .210/.238/.298 (.537). He was 5-5 in quality starts. Overall this year, he is 6-4 with a 3.33 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) for the Kernels. Number 4 – Rochester Red Wings – LHP Logan Darnell – 5 G, 3-1, 2.25 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 32.0 IP, 23 H, 7 BB, 26 K Darnell was the Twins sixth-round draft pick in 2010 out of Kentucky. He made seven appearances, including four starts, for the Twins in 2014. He went to spring training with the Twins this year as a bullpen arm, a role he held through the season’s first four months. However, he made a spot start early in August and stayed in the rotation and put up tremendous numbers. He gave up two runs in 28 innings during his four starts. His third start, he threw a complete game shutout. In his final start of the month, he gave up one run over eight innings. Opponents hit just .195/.238/.280 (.518) against him, making a September call up a possibility. Number 3 – Rochester Red Wings – LHP Pat Dean - 6 GS, 4-2, 2.28 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 43.1 IP, 37 H, 7 BB, 25 K Dean was the Twins third-round pick in 2010 out of Boston College. We Got To Know the southpaw last week in a story in which he talks about his impressive, surprising, successful 2015 season. Overall, he’s 11-11 with a 2.91 ERA in 26 starts and 170 innings. Opponents hit just 233/.265/.277 (.542) against him. His monthly numbers are more impressive when you consider that he gave up seven runs in six innings in one start. However, he threw two complete game shutouts and an eight-inning shutout in the month as well. Number 2 – Rochester Red Wings – RHP JO Berrios - 6 GS, 2-0, 2.03 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 40.0 IP, 30 H, 3 BB, 48 K I think it’s fair to say that JO Berrios has been the biggest topic among Twins fans, with the exception of one Miguel Sano. He continued to put up great numbers through the month of August. Just yesterday, GM Terry Ryan finally announced the Berrios would not be getting called up to the Twins this year. Instead, he will head home for the offseason. He made six starts and the final two were in front of the Twins GM. His worst start, statistically, of the month came against Scranton/Wilkes Barre when he gave up four runs on six hits in six innings. You may recall, he had a no-hitter through six innings in that game. In other words, take away that one inning and the numbers look even more astonishing. On the season, between AA and AAA, he is now 13-5 with a 2.90 ERA. In 26 starts and 161.1 innings, he has walked just 37 while striking out 170 batters, the most in minor league baseball. We’ve all seen , and when I wrote about him being the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2014, teammates raved about him and his work ethic. He even did an interview for Twins Daily in both English and Spanish.And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts – LHP Brett Lee - 6 GS, 5-0, 1.30 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 41.2 IP, 29 H, 9 BB, 27 K Lee was drafted by the Pirates in 2009 and the Dodgers in 2010 before signing with the Twins as their 10th round pick in 2011. He was an All-Star in the Florida State League last year, but he missed time with injury. He began this season late again and made six starts for the Miracle before moving up to AA Chattanooga. He struggled some in his transition to the Southern League. Not in terms of runs allowed, but he wasn’t getting through five innings most starts. That changed in August. All six of his starts this month were quality starts. During the month, he reduced his ERA from 4.25 to 2.89. Twins Daily caught up with Lee following his tremendous August performance. Asked if there was a difficult adjustment from the Florida State League to the Southern League, he said, “It was a little tougher adjusting to the smaller strike zone. The hitters are more disciplined at the plate. They have better approaches and know what they’re trying to do. That made me have to make good pitches more consistently, and get ahead in the count.” So to progress, he had to make some adjustments. “I’d say a huge factor for me was lengthening my stride, following through and developing a slider.” He was quick to give credit to his pitching coach with the Lookouts, Stu Cliburn. “Cliburn helped me a lot with it. He showed me some new grips with it, and some things I can do to make sure I can repeat my delivery.” It was a strong month for Brett Lee, but also for several members of the Triple-A Rochester rotation. It’s exciting to see so many strong performances in the upper levels of the Twins minor league system. So there you have it. The top pitchers in the Minnesota Twins farm system in August. What do you think? How would you rank these starting pitchers? Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins got a brilliant start from Ervin Santana on Sunday afternoon, and held off a late rally to win two of three games from the American League West division-leading Houston Astros, and remain in the thick of the wild card standings. That Miguel Sano guy hit another home run, too. (He might be good…) In the minors on Sunday, there were a few other brilliant starts from pitchers, a pair of double-headers, including one that went late into the night, and a tropical storm set its sights on Florida.Keep reading to find out what happened! RED WINGS REPORT Pawtucket 0, Rochester 7 Box Score Lefthander Pat Dean made the start for the Red Wings, and cruised to his eleventh victory of the season. He was brilliant throughout, scattering five hits and one walk in eight innings while striking out three, keeping the Red Sox off the scoreboard with some help from his defense. The only threat against him came in the sixth inning, when a pair of singles put runners on first and second. Another single was sent into left field, but Reynaldo Rodriguez’s throw cut down the runner at home for the final out of the inning. The win brought Dean’s ERA back below 3.00, where it has hovered all season. The Red Wings got on the board early, as Kennys Vargas launched his sixth home run of the season in AAA, a three-run shot to put them in front from the start. They added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, along with two more in the seventh. A.J. Achter finished the game with a scoreless ninth inning, walking one and striking out one. Vargas led the offense with his home run and finished his day 1-2 with two walks, two runs scored and the three RBIs. James Beresford (3-5, R), Danny Santana (2-5, 2 R’s), and Oswaldo Arcia (2-3, RBI) collected multiple hits. In his first appearance of his rehab assignment, Aaron Hicks led off and was the DH. He went 1-5 with an RBI. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER The Lookouts had a double-header on Sunday afternoon, making up their game against Birmingham that was rained out on July 2nd. Game 1: Chattanooga 10, Birmingham 4 Box Score Starter Greg Peavey was in control through the game’s first four innings, facing just one batter over the minimum. But a long inning inside the dugout may have switched his fortunes around in this one when it got to the fifth inning. Chattanooga’s lineup struck for four runs in the fourth inning by sending every hitter in the lineup to the plate. It was four walks (one intentional to Max Kepler), a sacrifice bunt, a single from Heiker Meneses, and an error off the bat of Travis Harrison that combined to put the runs on the board. Menses added another single in the fifth to score Wickens and make the game 5-0 at that point. This is where Peavey unraveled. A pair of two-run home runs pulled the Barons within one, before Peavey was able to finish the inning and his day. He finished with the four runs allowed on four hits and one walk, while striking out four. Corey Williams came on for the sixth inning and recorded the first two outs before a walk then brought J.T. Chargois into the game. He hit the first batter he faced, but struck out the next to end the inning. The Lookouts added five more runs in the seventh inning to give Chargois a good cushion. They again sent nine hitters up to bat, and again it was started by Walker, though this time with a double. Singles from Wickens, Meneses, Wilkerson and Kepler, and a sac fly from Harrison added the runs to the board. Chargois pitched a double-perfect ninth inning, striking out the side to secure the win in game 1. Game 2: Chattanooga 3, Birmingham 0 Box Score In the makeup game, Brett Lee got the start for Chattanooga, and was untouchable. In the seven-inning complete game shutout, Lee allowed just two hits and two walks, while striking out eight Barons hitters. Lee recorded a strikeout in all but one inning, and struck out the side in the sixth. The win pushed his record to 6-4 on the season with Chattanooga, and the eight strikeouts were a season high. Chattanooga's three runs in this one came in the sixth inning, when Birmingham went to their bullpen. Travis Harrison got it started with a one-out double, and came around to score on a Niko Goodrum single. After Goodrum stole his sixteenth base, D.J. Hicks launched his fifth home run of the year to make it to the 3-0 final. MIRACLE MATTERS The Fort Myers Miracle game against the Jupiter HammerHeads was postponed and rescheduled due to Tropical Storm Erika. They will have a second day off tomorrow. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Peoria 3 Box Score Cedar Rapids took an early lead they would not relinquish in the second inning, plating six runs. Alex Real brought in the first two runs with a single, Austin Diemer brought him in with a double, an error off the bat of Rafael Valera scored Diemer, and a triple from Nick Gordon added the fifth run. Gordon scored the sixth on a wild pitch. T.J. White capped the Kernels scoring in the third inning, leading off the frame with his second home run of the year with Cedar Rapids. Starter Keaton Steele gave a quality effort, finishing eight innings to improve his record to 6-4. He allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out six. A two-run home run in the second inning was the only major damage as Peoria was just 1-5 with runners in scoring position, and left only four men on base for the game. John Curtiss finished the game with a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out two. The Kernels offense got multiple hits from Valera (2-5, R), Gordon (2-5, R, 3B, RBI), White (3-5, 2 R’s, HR, RBI) and Diemer (2-4, R, 2B, RBI). The win ended a season long five-game losing streak for the Kernels. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton had a double-header scheduled for Sunday against the Bristol Pirates to make up a prior rainout from August 15th, but the weather did not cooperate on this day either, pushing the start time back and the makeup game to late in the evening. But they did manage to finish both games. Game 1: Bristol 7, Elizabethton 6 (9 innings) Box Score Bristol jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after two innings when they finally did get started, as they tagged starter Andro Cutura for two in the first and an error in the second led to another run. Cutura finished five innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits and a walk. He struck out seven and ended his day with his team down 4-0. Elizabethton’s offense finally found some life in the fifth inning, when Kamran Young led off with a double. He came around to score the Twins first run of the game on a single from Christian Cavaness. In the sixth, they got Cutura off the hook for a loss by tying the game at four. Zander Wiel led off with a single, and scored after a walk and error put two more runners on base. Another single from Manuel Guzman loaded the bases, and a wild pitch scored one more before another RBI single from Cavaness tied the game. It went into extra innings for a seven-inning game and wound up ending at the normal nine. After Cutura was lifted from the game, Josh Guyer added 2.1 innings, allowing two unearned runs on one hit and one walk. He struck out four. After those two runs made it 6-4 in favor of the Pirates in the eighth, the Twins were quick to get them back in the bottom half. A double from Jermaine Palacios brought home Nelson Molina and Manuel Guzman, who had reached base with a pair of singles. For the Twins, Jose Abreu had been brought into the game to end the threat in the eighth, but didn’t quite make it through the ninth. He got the first two outs on ground balls, but then a solo home run put Bristol back out front. Lewin Diaz doubled to put a runner in scoring position in the home half of the ninth, but ground balls from Brian Olson and Nelson Molina weren’t enough to tie it back up. Cavaness (2-4, 2 RBI), Palacios (2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI), Diaz (2-5, 2B), and Guzman (2-4, R) all collected two hits. LaMonte Wade drew three walks and stole his ninth base. Game 2: Bristol 4, Elizabethton 11 Box Score The Twins scored two in the first inning after Jermaine Palacios and Daniel Kihle started the inning with singles. A sac fly from LaMonte Wade and an error scored the first run, then a sac fly from Amaurys Minier the second. Elizabethton starter Nate Gercken gave both those runs and more back in the following inning, as a three-run home run gave Bristol the lead. In the bottom of the third inning, Kihle tied the game at three with a solo home run of his own for the home team. After that, the rest of the Elizabethton lineup exploded, putting crooked numbers on the board in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. When the dust settled, it was 11-4 Twins. Kihle (2-3, 2 R’s, HR, RBI, BB), Brad Hartong (3-4, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, RBI), and Nelson Molina (2-3, RBI) led the way with multiple hits. LaMonte Wade drew two more walks and stole another base. Gercken finished his game with four earned runs on four hits and four walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out five. Anthony McIver came on for the final 2.1 innings, allowing no runs on two hits and a walk. Of the eight outs he recorded, six came via strikeout. GCL TWINS TAKES The Gulf Coast League regular season came to an end yesterday for GCL Twins. The GCL Blue Jays and GCL Red Sox will face off for the league championship. The Twins ended their season with a record of 27-32, and third place in their division. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Brett Lee, Chattanooga Lookouts (W, 7.0 IP, CGSO, 2 H’s, 2 BB’s, 8 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Kennys Vargas, Rochester Red Wings (1-2, 2 R’s, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – RHP Jose Berrios (4-2, 2.78 ERA) Chattanooga @ Birmingham (4:15PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (1-3, 5.32 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter – No Game Scheduled due to Tropical Depression Erika Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:00 PM CST) – RHP Felix Jorge (6-6, 2.90 ERA) Bristol @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins will limp out of the Big Apple having been swept (again) by the Yankees. Aaron Hicks strained his left hamstring in Wednesday’s loss and will limp to the disabled list. To fill the hole in center field, the Twins will recall Byron Buxton from Rochester. Buxton will join the team tomorrow in Baltimore. After all the hand-wringing after being activated and optioned on August 10, nothing really changes. Instead of accumulating 113 days of service time, he’ll accumulate 104. Neither number is important. Because he was on assignment for less than 10 days, his option doesn’t count. All that the time in AAA did was give him confidence. Let’s check Wednesday’s action on the farm.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Buffalo 0 Box Score The Red Wings pushed over a pair of runs in three different innings to improve their season record to 66-60. Danny Santana had a 2-RBI single in the first. It likely would have gone for extra bases, but Kennys Vargas was ahead of him. James Beresford had a sacrifice fly and run scoring single. Vargas drove in a run in addition to walking twice. Buxton had an RBI double and finished his AAA season(?) (career?) with a .400 batting average and hits in all 13 games he played. Pat Dean pitched a gem. Using 114 pitches, Dean went all nine innings allowing only six hits while striking out six. While he hasn’t dominated lefties or had very high groundball or strikeout rates, Dean doesn’t issue many walks and has a sub-3 ERA. Being left-handed certainly suggests that Dean will be around for a while. Somewhere. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 11, Pensacola 0 Box Score The Lookouts jumped out a 10-0 lead in the 3rd inning in hopes of enacting the rarely-used 10-run run in the Southern League. Instead, though, they played the rest of game and added one more run to pad their easy win. After returning to the lineup on Tuesday night, Jorge Polanco quickly rounded back into form, hitting a double and a home run and stealing his 16th base. He drove in two and scored three times. Stuart Tuner one-upped him, getting three hits including a double and drove in three runs. Of course, Mad Max Kepler one-upped them both and everyone else with a four-hit game that included his ninth home run and two RBIs. He’s now batting .342 on the year and if not for Byron Buxton, would be the guy that everyone wishes the Twins would be promoting. Brett Lee pitched seven innings of two-hit shutout ball. He walked four and struck out four before turning the game over to the bullpen duo of Corey Williams and Alex Muren. Each struck out a batter in his scoreless inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Charlotte 4 Box Score After building a 6-0 lead, the Miracle had to wait out a one hour and fifteen minute rain delay before getting back into it. Jason Kanzler (3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI), Mitch Garver (2-5, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI) and Logan Wade (3-4, 3B, R) were the offensive stars, combining for eight of the team’s 11 hits and five of their six extra-base hits. Marcus Knecht had two RBIs and a stolen base. Luke Westphal struck out five in seven innings to get the win. Jake Reed allowed two unearned runs to score in the sixth. Zack Jones was charged with two runs in the eighth. He struck out three and walked two. Trevor Hildenburger picked up his second save, getting the last five Stone Crabs out. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Kane County 2 Box Score The offense strung just enough together to beat the Cougars. The Kernels had six hits, all singles, but drew five walks. The top five hitters in the order accounted for all three RBIs and all four runs scored (and four of the six hits). Rafael Valera scored two runs on a hit and three walks. Nick Gordon scored once. Edgar Corcino scored and drove in a run. T.J. White and Alex Real each knocked in a run. Felix Jorge picked up the win. He allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks in seven innings. Uncharacteristically, he only struck out two, matching his season low. Jared Wilson and Nick Anderson, who earned his second save, each pitched scoreless frames. The Kernels are 69-52 on the season. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton - off day GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Orioles 6 Box Score Roberto Gonzalez played well in Wednesday’s loss. Gonzalez, who recently returned from a DL stint, had two hits, stole two bases and drove in a run. His season batting average is up to .278. Rowan Ebersohn was the only other hitter with a multi-hit effort. Jose Martinez started and took the loss on three runs in five innings. Moises Gomez pitched the only scoreless inning before giving way to Callan Pearce, who allowed a run. Miguel Gonzalez came in late and gave up two runs, though his ERA is still a miniscule 1.14. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, Rochester Twins Daily Minor League Hitters of the Day – Max Kepler, Chattanooga THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester - OFF Chattanooga at Pensacola (6:35 CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers Ft. Myers at Bradenton (5:30 CST) – RHP Omar Bencomo Cedar Rapids vs Kane County (6:35 CST) – RHP Ethan Mildren Elizabethton at Pulaski (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins at GCL Orioles (11:00 CST) - TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below! Click here to view the article

During the zombie apocalypse, a walker attack is not a good thing but for fans of the Chattanooga Lookouts, an Adam Brett Walker attack is a terrific thing. Besides Walker's strong night at the plate, there were multiple strong pitching performances across the Twins system on Thursday. This wasn't the only piece of good news as big name prospects like Byron Buxton and Max Kepler continued to try and find ways to help their teams to win. Which players had the biggest games on Thursday? You will have to read on to find out...RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Buffalo 0 (7 Innings) Box Score Pat Dean didn't allow a run as he pitched into the seventh inning for his ninth win of the season. It was his second time in his last three starts that he pitched six innings or more and didn't allow a run. Michael Tonkin was called on to get the final two outs and he recorded his 12th save. On the offensive side of the ball, Xavier Avery had a big game after replacing Oswaldo Arcia after he was hit by a pitch. Avery finished the day 3-for-3 with a home run and all three of the team's RBIs. James Beresford and Eric Fryer each picked up a pair of hits and Byron Buxton went 1-for-4 with a run scored. Rochester 1, Buffalo 2 (7 Innings) Box Score Rochester jumped out to an early 1-0 lead but the club wasn't able to hold on for their second win of the day. Logan Darnell put his club in position to win as he limited the Bisons to one run in 5.1 innings of work. He struck out five and walked one. Mark Hamburger took the loss after allowing the go-ahead run during his 1.1 innings. There wasn't much excitement on the offensive side of things. Byron Buxton was the lone Red Wings player with multiple hits. He went 2-for-4 with a steal but he struck out two times as well. Doug Bernier reached base twice and scored the team's only run. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Tennessee 3 Box Score Chattanooga scored a very important run in the bottom of the eighth inning as Tennessee would put two on the board in the ninth to make it a one-run game. Brandon Peterson allowed both runs in the ninth inning but he had enough left in the tank to get the final out and earn his second save. Brett Lee pitched into the eighth inning for his 4th victory. He struck out three and limited the Smokies to one earned run. Adam Brett Walker collected his 25th and 26th doubles of the season as part of a three-hit effort. Walker was part of the insurance run in the eighth as he ended up scoring the pivotal run on a Heiker Meneses single. Max Kepler continued his strong season as he is now one double shy of 30 ang hitting .332 after his 1-for-4 night. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Palm Beach 1 Box Score Fort Myers had a hard time finding their offensive stroke on Thursday as the team was held to five hits. Engelb Vielma went 3-for-4 and Logan Wade had the team's only extra-base hit, a double. Mitch Garver went 1-for-4. Overall, the team went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Luke Westphal was very good on the mound. He scattered five Cardinals hits over seven innings and limited them to one run. He struck out five and walked none but it wasn't enough as he was charged with his fourth loss. Todd Van Steensel pitched two shutout frames to end the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Lake County 6 Box Score The Kernels used a four-run fifth inning to mount a come-from-behind victory and win their third straight rubber game. Eight of the nine Kernels hitters reached base at least once and seven of them recorded at least one hit. Rafael Valera went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Tanner English extended his hitting streak to a personal-best 12 games and also extended his on-base streak to a Kernels' season-high 23 games. The bullpen was strong for the Kernels after starter Zach Tillery allowed five runs on 11 hits in four innings. Luke Bard earned the win and remains a perfect 7-0 on the season. He allowed one run across a pair of innings. Yorman Landa and John Curtiss shut down the Captains the rest of the way for the club's 68th win. E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 5, Bristol 4 Box Score Dereck Rodriguez improved his record to 5-1 as he did just enough to lead Elizabethton to the victory. In seven innings, he allowed four runs on eight hits and struck out eight. His ERA sits at 1.75 for the season. Kuo Hua Lo picked up the save after tossing two shutout frames with three strikeouts and a pair of walks. Travis Blankenhorn provided most of the offensive punch as he had three-run home run and drove in another for a total of four RBIs. Brad Hartong collected three hits including his fifth double. Jermaine Palacios and Daniel Kihle both had multi-hit efforts including a double for Palacios and a stolen base for Kihle. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 10 Box Score Both of these teams slugged it out for the first few frames but the GCL Rays had way too much firepower. Blake Schmit used a triple and a home run to drive in a pair of runs. Kerby Camacho knocked his first two doubles of the season and scored a run. Christian Cavaness also drove in a run and scored a run out of the lead-off spot. Jose Martinez was charged with the loss after allowing six earned runs on nine hits. He struck out three and walked two. Andrew Vasquez and Luis Hernandez ran into some control issues later in the game as they combined for five walks and three earned runs. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brett Lee, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Adam Brett Walker, Chattanooga Lookouts FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Scranton/WB (6:05 CST) – TBD Chattanooga vs. Tennessee (6:15 CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers Fort Myers vs. Palm Beach (6:05 CST) – RHP Omar Bencomo Cedar Rapids @ Fort Wayne (6:05 CST) – LHP Randy Rosario Elizabethton @ Bristol (6:00 CST) – RHP Onesimo Hernandez GCL Twins vs. GCL Red Sox (11:00 am CST) – TBA Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins lost a 1-0 decision to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night. The primary winner in the Twins minor leagues on Tuesday was Rain. Two games were rained out and another affiliate had a scheduled day off. The one team that did play was the Chattanooga Lookouts and that’s always worth paying attention to. There were, however, several transactions announced and likely more to come. Here is the Twins minor league report for Tuesday. Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the Comments below and we can discuss.TRANSACTIONS As was mentioned here in yesterday’s report, Stephen Gonsalves tweeted that he has been promoted to Ft. Myers. This has not yet been announced officially.On Tuesday morning, Dereck Rodriguez tweeted that he was in Atlanta and excited to be heading to Cedar Rapids. That move was later verified by the Kernels.Along with that move, the Kernels announced that RHP Jared Wilson was being promoted to Ft. Myers as well.The Miracle announced that LHP Brett Lee has been promoted to AA Chattanooga.RED WINGS REPORTRochester @ Lehigh Valley Box Score This game was delayed and then postponed by rain. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Tennessee 9 Box Score Let’s start with the positive. Adam Brett Walker hit his Southern League leading 13th and 14th home runs of the season and drove in all three runs for the Lookouts. That’s all I’ve got for positive. Here comes the rest of the game story This game got out of hand for the Lookouts early. Alex Wimmers made the start. He pitched a scoreless first inning, but then he gave up three in the second, one in the third and three more in the fourth. He gave up seven runs on ten hits and two walks in four innings. Madison Boer came on and worked scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth frames. He was left in the game and got the first two outs in the seventh. He then walked the next two batters. D.J. Johnson came in and gave up a walk and then a two-run double, both runs charged to Boer. Johnson worked 1.1 innings without being charged with a run. Zack Jones struck out one in a perfect ninth inning. In the first inning, Miguel Sano singled and stole second. In his next at-bat, he grounded into a double play. An inning later, he came out. The report from the announcers indicated that he may have re-aggravated his jammed index finger. MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte @ Ft. Myers Box Score Game Postponed by rain. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids Box Score No Game Scheduled. DAY IN THE DSL We aren’t going to cover the Dominican Summer League here. However, we don’t want to completely forget that they are playing. On Tuesday, the DSL Twins beat the DSL Mariners 11-1. Because we need something positive – besides Walker – I figured I’d provide some highlights from this game as well. Antonio Tovar (RF) went 4-5 with a triple and three RBI. Emmanuel Morel (DH) went 2-3 with two walks and a triple. Jean Carlos Arias (CF) went 2-5 with a home run and three RBI. Jorge Munoz went 2-5 with his first double. Edgar Herrera (LF) went 2-4 with a walk and a double. Jorge Parra (1B) went 2-3 with a walk and a stolen base. Juan Herrera went the first four innings. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two. Danny Feliz threw three shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out two. Miguel De Jesus struck out three over the final two innings. Most of these kids are between 17 and 19, though there are a couple of 20 year olds as well. They play about six days a week. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Zack Jones, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Adam Brett Walker, Chattanooga Lookouts WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (DH @ 5:05 CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler, Taylor Rogers Tennessee @ Chattanooga (10:15 a.m. CST) – RHP JO Berrios Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (DH @ 4:00 CST) – RHP Jared Wilson, Kohl Stewart Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 CST) – RHP Felix Jorge Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

It may not have been a full-scheduled, busy day in the Twins farm system, but off the field, a lot was going on. The Red Wings were rained out, and Chattanooga’s game was suspended after a couple of top prospects gave them the lead. The Miracle and Kernels got some terrific pitching, and both teams got just enough pitching.There were several transactions, so continue reading to check out everything from the Twins farm system on Thursday TRANSACTIONS It’s been a couple of busy days of late in terms of transactions in the Twins minor league system. I would expect there could be more moves coming in the not-too-distant future. Here is what was announced on Thursday: RHP Tyler Duffey was promoted to Rochester and will join their rotation. A corresponding move will need to happen Friday before the Red Wings games.LHP David Hurlbut was promoted from Ft. Myers to Chattanooga. Hurlbut recently returned to action after missing nearly a year with shoulder discomfort. Since his return, he threw 12 innings without allowing an earned run. He was named to the Florida State League All-Star game last year.Dalton Hicks hasn’t played in about 10 days, but he was officially put on the disabled list (trapezius strain) and catcher Jairo Rodriguez was added to the Lookouts roster.LHP Mat Batts was promoted to the Ft. Myers Miracle from Cedar Rapids. The southpaw was terrific in his time with the Kernels late last season and to this point this year.RHP Luke Bard was removed from the disabled list and will be added to the Cedar Rapids starting rotation. He did not pitch in 2014 and missed most of the 2013 season as well. He had another surgery last May 15th and is excited to get back on the mound.LHP Jose Velez was promoted from extended spring training to the Kernels. He has pitched a handful of innings with Ft. Myers when they have needed arms. He was signed after playing the last two seasons in independent baseball.RHP Yorman Landa was returned to the disabled list and returned to Ft. Myers to be evaluated. He had returned after missing almost exactly one year following shoulder surgery. Reportedly, he suffered shoulder pain and will be checked out in Ft. Myers.RED WINGS REPORTRochester @ Norfolk Box Score This game was rained out. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday, starting at 5:00. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga @ Mobile Box Score The game started late because of rain. It was suspended in the top of the third inning due to rain. In that top of the third, the Lookouts took a 2-0 lead when Byron Buxton doubled in Carlos Paulino, and two batters later Miguel Sano singled in Buxton. Alex Wimmers had thrown two shutout innings. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Brevard County 0 Box Score The story in this game was pitching, and that starts with the starter, Brett Lee. The left-hander completed eight shutout innings. He gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out six. Three of those strikeouts came in the eighth inning when he was still hitting 93 mph. In his most recent start, last Friday, he threw seven shutout innings before given up two runs in that eighth inning. In the start before that, he gave up one run in threw 7.1 innings. In other words, he has been pitching great. The Miracle stayed scoreless in the game for seven innings. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Tanner Vavra led off with a double down the right field line. The ball was booted and Vavra got to third base. The next batter, Zach Granite, singled through a drawn-in infield to score Vavra and give the Miracle the 1-0 lead going to the ninth inning. Granite was the lone Miracle hitter with a multi-hit game. He was 2-4. Alex Swim returned to the lineup and had a double. Minnesota native Brandon Peterson came in for the ninth inning. Three batters and three strikeouts later, the game was over. It was Peterson’s first save of the season. A terrific pitching performance by Brett Lee, and Brandon Peterson slammed the door shut to end it. Not a bad impression to make on Twins GM Terry Ryan who is in Ft. Myers to watch the Miracle. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 2 Box Score For the fifth straight game (and sixth out of seven starts), right-hander Felix Jorge completed six innings. It was also his fifth straight quality start. Jorge gave up two runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out two. The Kernels jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Peoria starter Matt Pearce walked three of the first four Kernels batters to load the bases. Zack Larson flew out to right field to drive in one run. T.J. White came through with a two-out, two-run triple. The Kernels had just two more hits in the game. Trevor Hildenberger came on for the seventh and eighth innings. He did not allow a run, or a hit, or walk a batter, and struck out three to drop his ERA to 0.40 on the season. He has not given up a run in 19 innings. Cameron Booser came on for the ninth inning. He got a fly out and strike out before walking a batter. In came a pinch runner and on the first pitch, catcher Brett Doe threw him out attempting to steal second to end the game. Nick Gordon got a night off. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brett Lee, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Zach Granite, Ft. Myers Miracle FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Norfolk (DH @ 5:05 CST) – LHP Pat Dean, LHP Taylor Rogers Chattanooga @ Mobile (7:05 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Brevard County @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – LHP Luke Westphal Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:30 CST) – RHP Jared Wilson Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games. Click here to view the article

Minor League baseball is so fun to watch because there are four teams to watch. Anything can happen in one game, but even more an happen in four games. On Friday night, one of the affiliates had a walk-off win. One of the affiliates had an extra-innings win. One of the big prospects belted two home runs.On Friday afternoon, the Rochester Red Wings roster showed a new name. The name Ryan Wheeler showed up. A day earlier, reliever Stephen Pryor had knee surgery and went on the Disabled List. Wheeler is an infielder, though he has also spent time in the outfield too. The 26-year-old made his MLB debut in 2012, playing in 50 games with the Diamondbacks. He then played in 59 more games for the Colorado Rockies between the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He split the 2014 season between the Rockies and Angels organization. He was with the Angels AAA-affiliate in 2015 but was released last weekend. The neat thing about this signing? Wheeler is the older brother of Rochester starting pitcher Jason Wheeler. The younger sibling was on the mound for the Red Wings on Friday night. The other interesting piece of information that came out on Friday was that Chih-Wei Hu will make a spot start for Rochester on Tuesday in their double-header. Eric Rasmussen, Twins minor league pitching coordinator said they believe he will be able to handle it and that he is very competitive. He said that if Hu gives up one run in seven innings, he is upset about the one run.Hopefully he can pitch alright and head back to Ft. Myers after the game ready to continue his dominance. Continue below to see how the Twins affiliates did on Friday night. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 4 Box Score James Beresford has been in the organization since signing in 2005. He has long been an overlooked prospect. He’s in his third season at Rochester, and he’s hitting .317. On Friday night, he finished off a big comeback and helped the Red Wings improve to 19-15. The Red Wings entered the bottom of the ninth inning down by a score of 4-2. With the bases loaded, Eric Farris singled in a run to cut the deficit to one. Then Beresford came to the plate and singled in the tying run and the winning run. Beresford went 2-5 with his fifth double in the game. Farris led the way by going 3-5 with the other three RBI. Danny Ortiz doubled for the fifth time this year. Argenis Diaz went 1-2 with two walks. Reportedly Ryan Wheeler arrived at the stadium in Rochester after the game started. Younger brother Jason went the first 5.2 innings. He gave up four runs on eight hits. His issued no walks and struck out two. Ryan O’Rourke came on and faced four batters and recorded four outs. He struck out three. Lester Oliveros finished the game with two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked none and struck out one. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Birmingham 5 (10 innings) Box Score The Lookouts needed an extra inning, but they got a couple of big blasts from a big prospect to improve their season record to 22-13. Since May 1, Miguel Sano has been hitting really well. In the first inning of this game, he hit his seventh home run of the season. He came to the plate in the 10th inning with a runner on base and a tie game. He launched his second home run of the night, his eighth of the year, and propelled the Lookouts to the win. He went 3-5 on the day. Jorge Polanco also went 3-5 in the game. Travis Harrison went 2-5 with his 12th double Adam Brett Walker and Miguel Gonzales both had two hits as well. DJ Baxendale made the start. He went five innings and was charged with four runs on eight hits. He walked none and struck out two. Dallas Gallant came on and threw two scoreless innings. Nick Burdi pitched a scoreless eighth inning. He was given the ninth inning as well, trying to protect a one-run lead, but he gave up one run to send the game to extra frames. With the two-run lead in the 10th, DJ Johnson came on and recorded his third save of the season, all within the last two weeks. Since May 1, Miguel Sano is hitting .315/.375/.630 (1.005) with five doubles, four homers and 11 RBI. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Jupiter 2 Box Score Brett Lee was again very good in this game, but he ended up getting another loss as the offense could muster just one run. The southpaw started the game and threw seven scoreless innings. He went out to start the eighth frame. He got the first batter out. Then a single, a stolen base and another single, and he had given up a run that tied the game at one. He was replaced by JT Chargois who struck out the first batter he faced. However, the next batter doubled in another run and the Miracle were down 2-1. Chargois struck out the next batter to end the inning. A great outing by Lee, but the Miracle were able to score just one run despite recording eight hits. Engelb Vielma returned to the lineup after missing two games and had three of the hits. He also stole his ninth base. Zach Granite did his job at the top of the order. He went 1-2 and walked twice. Jason Kanzler went 2-4 with his seventh stolen base. Chad Christensen added his fifth double. Lee’s final line: 7 innings, two earned runs on six hits, one walk and four strikeouts. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 10 Box Score It was a tough night for the Kernels on Friday. Michael Cederoth made the start and went just three innings. He gave up six runs (5 earned) on four hits, three walks and a hit batter. He also struck out two. Sam Clay came on and gave up one run over the next three innings. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out three. CK Irby gave up two runs on four walks in his inning. He struck out one. Mike Theofanopoulos gave up one run on two hits and a walk over his two innings. Trey Vavra continued to hit. He went 2-4. Blake Schmit hit his first triple and drove in two runs. The Kernels also got doubles from Max Murphy (6) and Pat Kelly (4). Murphy now has a seven-game hitting streak and has reached base in 12 straight games. The Kernels are now 21-13, 6.5 games back of Quad Cities who is now 28-7! TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brett Lee, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – LHP Pat Dean Montgomery @ Chattanooga (7:15 CST) – TBD Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (5:35 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST) – RHP Felix Jorge LEADERBOARD Here is a quick look at the statistical leaderboard throughout the Twins minor league system. HITTERS Plate Appearances: Niko Goodrum (164), Byron Buxton (152), Zach Granite (150), Alex Swim (146), Miguel Sano (140). Hits: Alex Swim (46), Zach Granite (43), Jorge Polanco (39), Reynaldo Rodriguez/Trey Vavra (37) Runs: Zach Granite (25), Travis Harrison/Adam Brett Walker (23), Reynaldo Rodriguez/Byron Buxton/Miguel Sano (22) RBI: Adam Brett Walker (25), Byron Buxton/Danny Ortiz (23), Nick Gordon (21), Miguel Sano (20) 2B: Travis Harrison (12), Aaron Hicks/Max Kepler (10), Reynaldo Rodriguez (9), Adam Brett Walker (8) 3B: Byron Buxton (6), Aaron Hicks (4), Max Murphy/Levi Michael (3), Six with 2. HR: Adam Brett Walker (9), Miguel Sano (8), Danny Ortiz (5), Four with 4. SB: Zach Granite (12), Tanner English (10), Byron Buxton/Engelb Vielma (9), Three with 7. BA (>100 AB): Zach Granite (.350), Aaron Hicks (.336), Trey Vavra (.333), Alex Swim (.331), James Beresford (.317) OBP (>100 AB): Zach Granite (.449), Aaron Hicks (.415), Travis Harrison (.403), Trey Vavra (.397), Reynaldo Rodriguez (.362) SLG (>100 AB): Aaron Hicks (.561), Miguel Sano (.496), Trey Vavra (.495), Reynaldo Rodriguez (.472), Danny Ortiz (.468) OPS (>100 AB): Aaron Hicks (.975), Trey Vavra (.892), Zach Granite (.888), Adam Brett Walker (.857), Travis Harrison (.852) PITCHERS Innings Pitched: Tyler Duffey (45.2), JO Berrios (45.0), Taylor Rogers (43.0), Pat Dean (42.0), DJ Baxendale/Jason Wheeler (41.1) SP ERA (>26 IP): Chih-Wei Hu (1.03), Stephen Gonsalves (1.41), Pat Dean (1.93), DJ Baxendale (1.96), Jared Wilson (1.98) RP ERA (>12 IP): Trevor HIldenberger (0.50), Cameron Booser (1.10), Madison Boer (1.31), Adrian Salcedo (1.38), Tim Shibuya/Brandon Peterson (1.45) SP WHIP (>26 IP): Stephen Gonsalves (0.81), Chih-Wei Hu (0.83), Felix Jorge (0.97), Mat Batts (1.04), Pat Dean/Tyler Duffey (1.05) RP WHIP (>12 IP): Trevor Hildenberger (0.50), AJ Achter (0.69), Madison Boer (0.73), Zach Tillery (0.77), Tim Shibuya (0.86) SP K/9 (>26 IP): Stephen Gonsalves (12.1), JO Berrios (10.6), Felix Jorge (10.2), John Curtiss (9.8), Chih-Wei Hu (9.3) RP K/9 (>12 IP): Cameron Booser (17.1), Zack Jones (14.2), Todd Van Steensel (13.5), Lester Oliveros (13.2), CK Irby (12.9) SP BB/9 (>26 IP): John Curtiss (1.4), Chih-Wei Hu (1.5), Aaron Slegers (1.6), Tyler Duffey/Felix Jorge/Greg Peavey (1.8) RP BB/9 (>12 IP): Trevor Hildenberger (1.0), Zack Jones (1.5), Tim Shibuya (1.9), Lester Oliveros (2.1), Cole Johnson (2.2) Strikeouts: JO Berrios (53), Stephen Gonsalves (43), Tyler Duffey (42), Taylor Rogers (40), DJ Baxendale/Chih-Wei Hu (36) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. 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Since the end of minor league season, we have handed out some minor league awards. On Monday, the Twins announced that Kennys Vargas and JO Berrios were named their choices for Twins minor league hitter and pitcher of the year in the minor leagues. Today I’m going to start a preliminary Top 50 Twins prospects list and welcome your feedback. Today, I’ll post Part 1: Prospects 41-50. Players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2015. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings.(The list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015, I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.) Top Prospects 41-50 #50 – Lewin Diaz - 17 – 1B – Dominican Summer League The 17-year-old was the Twins bonus baby when he signed for over $1 million in 2013. In 2014, he made his professional debut in the DSL. In 43 games, he hit .257/.385/.451 (.836) with 13 doubles and five homers. He walked 26 times and struck out 24 times. Still young, he has immense power potential. He should make his debut next season in the States, likely in the GCL. #49 – Ryan Eades - 22 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels The Twins second round pick in 2013 out of powerhouse LSU, Eades spent his entire first full season in Cedar Rapids. It was a disappointing season for the 22-year-old right-hander. He went 10-11 with a 5.14 ERA in 25 starts. In 133 innings, he gave up 147 hits, walked 50 and struck out just 98. Eades has three solid pitches. He just really struggles with consistency, not only from game-to-game but often from inning-to-inning. #48 – Tanner English - 21 – OF – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels English was the Twins 11th round pick this June after three seasons at the University of South Carolina. He had previously been a 13th round pick out of high school in 2011. He signed late and then missed some time with a shoulder injury. However, at Elizabethton, the 21-year-old hit .316/.439/.474 (.913) with 10 extra base hits in 32 games. He was then promoted to Cedar Rapids for their second round playoff series. He is a good combination of power, speed and defense. #47 – Jonatan Hinojosa - 22 – IF – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Elizabethton Twins Hinojosa is all about speed and defense. The infielder has a good glove at all three spots. He is 5-11 and just over 150 pounds. He served a 50-game PED suspension early in the season and came back to play in Elizabethton. He was promoted back to Cedar Rapids where he finished with 20 strong games. He hit .341/.378/.494 (.872) in 92 plate appearances. Combined, he stole 23 bases in 27 attempts. #46 – Max Murphy - 21 – OF – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels Murphy is from Robbinsdale, Minnesota, and the Twins drafted him in the ninth round this year out of Bradley. Murphy is just shy of 6-0 and compactly built. He has good power and it was on display at Elizabethton. He was named the Appalachian League hitter of the year when he hit .378/.483/.723 (1.206) with seven doubles, two triples and 10 homers in 35 games. He was then promoted to Cedar Rapids where he came down to earth, though he did hit seven doubles and four homers in 32 games. #45 – Dalton Hicks - 24 – 1B – Ft. Myers Miracle Hicks was the Twins 17th round pick in 2012 out of Central Florida. He has been a big run producer since signing with the Twins. His grand slam in extra innings gave the E-Twins and Appalachian League championship in 2012. Hicks led minor league baseball in RBI in 2013 with 110. He spent 2014 in Ft. Myers where he hit .262/.344/.407 (.751) with 24 doubles, 11 home runs and 76 RBI. At 6-5 and about 250 pounds, Hicks is lumbering, but he has tremendous power. #44 – Jason Kanzler - 24 – OF – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle The 24-year-old spent four years at the University of Buffalo where he won two college Gold Glove awards. Kanzler’s can play above-average defense at all three outfield positions. He strikes out a lot, but he packs a lot of power. In 84 games at Cedar Rapids, he hit .286/.334/.448 (.782) with eight doubles, eight triples and nine home runs. He moved up to Ft. Myers where in 27 games he hit .267/.476/.430 (.906). His two-run homer in the tenth inning of the FSL championship series Game 4 gave the Miracle their first championship with the Twins. Overall, he had 32 extra base hits. He also stole 27 bats in 34 attempts combined. And, of course, we must Feat the Stache! #43 – Rainis Silva - 18 – C – GCL Twins After a year in the DSL in which he hit just .223 (.539 OPS), Silva came to the States right away in spring training. At 18 in the GCL, he hit .270/.294/.342 (.636) with nine doubles. He ended the season quite strong though. He is known more for his defense. He has good size and a strong arm. He threw out 39% of would-be base stealers in 2014. He also spent 10 games at first base and had just one error. #42 – Felix Jorge - 20 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Elizabethton Twins It was an interesting season for Felix Jorge. He began the season at Cedar Rapids but struggled immensely, posting a 2-5 record with a 9.00 ERA in 39 innings (12 games). He was sent back to Elizabethton where he was the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year. He went 4-2 with a 2.59 ERA. He is 6-2 and lanky. As he grows, he should add more velocity. 2015 will be a big year for Jorge as he attempts to show he can get Midwest League hitters out. #41 – Brett Lee - 24 – LHP – Ft. Myers Miracle Lee was the Twins 10th round pick in 2011 out of St. Petersburg College. He was a Florida State League All-Star in 2014 when he went 10-5 with a 2.45 ERA. He has good stuff and good control. However, his strikeout rate has dropped quickly. He struck out 9.9 batters per nine innings in 2012 at Elizabethton. In 2013 in Cedar Rapids, he struck out 6.9 per nine innings. In 2014, he struck out just 4.6 per nine. He has good stuff, so I suspect the numbers will continue to be solid and his strikeout rate will come up some. So, what do you think of Part 1, Prospects 41-50? Next up will be prospects 31-40. Click here to view the article

The big story of the night was star pitching prospect Kohl Stewart being pulled very early in his start by the Cedar Rapids training staff. His fastball usually sits in the mid-90s but he was topping out anywhere from 88-90 mph. The Twins have come out and said they removed him for precautionary reasons. With not many games left in the minor league season, it would be surprising to see Stewart on the mound again in 2014. With Stewart out of the game early, would the Kernels be able to continue their recent winning streak? Read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Buffalo 2 Box Score Rochester was up six runs before Buffalo was able to crack into the run column. Pedro Florimon drove in three runs with a pair of doubles. Wilkin Ramirez hit his fourth home run as part of a two-hit night. Chris Colabello hit his third home run in his last nine games and he leads the team with nine homers. Tyler Duffy made his second career Triple-A start and earned his second victory. In this game, he went six innings and allowed two earned runs as he struck out six. He has gone at least six innings in both outings. Lester Oliveros replaced Duffey and did well by striking out four in two innings. The last time he didn't strike out more than one batter in an appearance was all the way back on July 7th. With the win, the Red Wings stay two games back in the wild card race with 13 games remaining in the season. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 3, Richmond 5 (Game 1-Completion from 8/18) Box Score In a game that was started on Monday night, the Rock Cats didn't have enough in the tank to mount a comeback. Virgil Vasquez had started and did not allow a run in two innings before rain halted the game. Cole Johnson took over when the game resumed tonight. He allowed four earned runs over three innings and was served with his second loss. Adrian Salcedo did well to strike out five in three innings. On the offensive side, Levi Michael and Kyle Knudson both had two hits including a double each. Knudson drove in two runs and it was Michael's first double since being promoted. Tony Thomas knocked in a run with his ninth double. New Britain 5, Richmond 1 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score After having two hits in the first game of the night, Michael continued his hot hitting with three more hits in game two. Nate Hanson knocked in a run as part of a two- hit game. Tony Thomas and Matt Koch both went 2-for-3 with a run scored to help the Rock Cats avoid the doubleheader sweep. Jason Adam threw four shutout innings to start the game. He struck out two and walked one. Daniel Turpen earned his fourth victory by pitching 1.1 innings and striking out three. Edgar Ibarra got into a little trouble in the seventh inning as he couldn't protect the shutout. Three straight one-out singles scored a run but he was able to leave two runners on base and finish the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 2 Box Score The Miracle were out-hit in this game but they squeaked across one more run than Bradenton to earn the win. Aderlin Mejia got things started at the top of the line-up. He went 3-for-5, his second straight multi-hit game. Niko Goodrum and Travis Harrison both drove in a run to help the cause. Brett Lee joined teammate Matt Tomshaw in the double-digit win club. Over seven innings, he gave up 11 hits but was helped by three double plays turned behind him. Nick Burdi made his second appearance with the Miracle and he struck out one in an inning. Zack Jones earned his first save by pitching a perfect ninth. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 3 Box Score The Kernels had to scramble a little after starter Kohl Stewart was pulled early (see above). A big three-run eighth inning powered the club to their eighth straight victory. Mat Batts did some tremendous work out of the bullpen. He pitched five shutout innings by striking out six and walking none. It was his second victory with the Kernels. Engelb Vielma and Tanner Vavra were hot at the back end of the Kernels line-up. They combined to go 7-for-8 in the game with three RBI and three runs scored. Vielma collected his first home run of the season and his first home run since joining the Twins organization in 2012. Chad Christensen went 3-for-5 with a double. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 7, Princeton 8 Box Score Elizabethton took a one run lead into the ninth but Princeton struck for a couple runs to take the lead and the game. Dereck Rodriguez took the loss and the blown save but only one of the runs he gave up was earned. Third baseman Blake Schmit had two throwing errors in the ninth. Michael Cederoth started and gave up four earned runs over four innings. He struck out five and walked two. CK Irby struck out five in two innings of relief work. Tanner English and Alex Real both hit homers to pace the E-Twins offense. For Real, his home run was his first and he smacked his fifth double. Austin Diemer went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Will Hurt had three hits for the first time this season. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 5, GCL Orioles 6 Box Score The Twins scored five runs over the course of two innings but the Orioles came charging back with four runs in the next two frames. Rainis Silva had two doubles as part of a three-hit day and he drove in three runs. They were his seventh and eighth doubles of the season. No one else had more than one hit. Rafael Valera scored two runs without recording a hit. Brandon Easton started and didn't allow an earned run in his three innings. The only runs scored against him came after a fielding error by Ruar Verkerk. Zach Tillery was charged with his third loss after surrendering four runs on six hits in three innings. Eduardo Del Rosario pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts to end the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Mat Batts, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Engelb Vielma, Cedar Rapids Kernels WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (6:05 CST) – Alex Meyer (Listen) New Britain @ Richmond (6:05 CST) – TBD (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – Steven Gruver (Listen) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - Stephen Gonsalves (Listen) Elizabethton- Scheduled Off Day GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD Click here to view the article

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