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Minnesota's minor league affiliates are starting to hit their stride as the season is underway and players are beginning to settle into their roles with the club. The weather is still chilly in many parts of the country and this can impact both pitchers and hitters at this early junction of the season. Over the last two weeks, I've tried to pick out some breakout minor league players on both sides of the ball. Some of the hitters I selected are off to decent starts and I expect their bats to heat up as the weather improves. Pitchers can be up and down but one of the players I picked had a tremendous start on Tuesday night. Let's dive into the action.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 6 Box Score (Game 1- 7 Innings) Lehigh Valley wasted little time jumping on Logan Darnell as the IronPigs used a two-run home run in the first inning to take the lead and never looked back. Darnell allowed six earned runs on seven hits in five innings of work. Buddy Boshers and Dan Runzler put up zeros the rest of the way but there wasn't enough offensive firepower in game 1. Rochester was held with out an extra-base hit and Reynaldo Rodriguez was the only batter to record multiple hits. Jorge Polanco knocked in the team's only run with a sacrifice fly and he ended the game hitting .462 so far this season. Rochester 0, Lehigh Valley 4 Box Score (Game 2- 7 Innings) Mark Appel showed Rochester why he was the first overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft. He pitched into the sixth inning while scattering five hits and striking out five. David Martinez started opposite Appel and was pulled after 6.1 innings as he allowed three earned runs on seven hits. Ryan O'Rourke recorded the last two outs but not before allowing the final run to score. Both Rochester pitchers failed to strike out a batter. Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a couple of singles to complete a four-hit day. Juan Centeno had the team's only extra-base hit, a double, and it was his first double of the season. The team saw very limited action with runners in scoring position (0-for-3 with RISP) and left seven men on base. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 4 Box Score A day after the Twins competed in their home opener the Lookouts returned to Chattanooga for a home opener of their own. The Lookouts have struggled out of the gate this season (1-5 record) and that trend continued on Monday as the club lost a back-and-forth battle with Jackson. Jason Wheeler started the night on the mound and he did not allow an earned run in six frames. However, an Engelb Vielma error at shortstop led to three unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning. One inning later, Travis Harrison collected a two-out RBI single after Zach Granite had started the inning with a double. Granite went 2-for-5 while scoring twice. Leonardo Reginatto, Stuart Turner and Joe Maloney all had doubles but the team left 10 runners on base and was 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Alex Wimmers pitched a perfect seventh inning with a strikeout and no walks. Mason Melotakis was charged with his first loss of the season as he gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth frame. J.T. Chargois struck out a pair of batters to close out the ninth. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Brevard County 1 Box Score Randy Rosario was the story of this game as he took a perfect game into the sixth inning and the Miracle were able to survive with a 2-1 victory. Rosario retired the first 16 batters and struck out four batters in the first two frames. By the time he was removed, he had eight strikeouts across six innings with no walks and two hits. Luke Bard got into some trouble by allowing a single and a double before inducing a double play and a ground out. Yorman Landa earned a hold even though he allowed the Manatees one run. Todd Van Steensel earned his first save with one strike out and a walk in the ninth. The scoring got started early for the Miracle as Chad Christensen blasted a two-run home run in the first inning. Tanner English started the game with a walk and stole second before the home run. Nick Gordon reached base two times in four trips and T.J. White ended the game 2-for-4, his third multi-hit game. Trey Vavra extended his hitting streak to five games. Every batter in the line-up recorded at least one hit with the exception of Brian Navarreto. With the win, the Miracle improved to 3-3 and send Stephen Gonsalves, one of the organization's top pitching prospects, to the mound on Wednesday night. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Kane County 2 Box Score In his first start in the Midwest League, Miles Nordgren took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before back-to-back batters reached base. He ended the day with five innings pitched and one earned run on one hit with two strikeouts and two walks. Cody Stashak was nearly as impressive in relief. He allowed one earned run on two hits in four innings of work for his first professional save. Cedar Rapids got their scoring started in the third inning. A pair of walks and an infield hit left the bases loaded. Sean Miller hit a foul ball that was deep enough to score the game's first run. LaMonte Wade followed this up with a sacrifice fly of his own to push the lead to 2-0. Chris Paul was the only Kernel with multiple hits as he went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. Jermain Palacios plated a pair of runs and Wade cracked his third double of the young season. The Kernels improved to 5-1 with the win and sit atop the Midwest League Western division. Cedar Rapids will look to take the series from Kane County in tomorrow morning's (11:00 am CST) rubber match with Randy LeBlanc on the mound. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Randy Rosario, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Chad Christensen, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley (12:35 CST)- RHP Tyler Duffey (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Jackson (10:15 am CST)- RHP DJ Baxendale (0-1, 4.50 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Brevard County (6:05 CST)- LHP Stephen Gonsalves (0-1, 4.50 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (11:00 am CST)- RHP Randy LeBlanc (1-0, 1.80 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games. Click here to view the article

It was an eventful day in the Twins system, as you would expect September 1st to be. Lots of moving parts, and still some big games as two teams approach the playoffs and one team isn’t quite ready to give up their playoff hopes. There were some awards named, transactions and the Arizona Fall League rosters were announced. The season came to an end for another Twins affiliate.All that and more can be found below. Let’s start with some transactions. ALL-STARS The International League named two members of the Rochester Red Wings to the league’s postseason All-Star team. First baseman Reynaldo Rodriguez and second baseman James Beresford were both very deserving. ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE Major League Baseball announced their 2015 rosters. The Twins will be represented by seven players. The four pitchers from the Twins organization are Nick Burdi, Jake Reed, Trevor Hildenberger and Taylor Rogers. The Twins are sending two catchers, Stuart Turner and Mitch Garver. Adam Brett Walker is the other Twins player who will spend six or seven weeks in the Phoenix area. TRANSACTIONS The Twins made official on Tuesday afternoon what we knew here on Monday night. The team recalled pitchers AJ Achter and Michael Tonkin, and infielders Kennys Vargas and Danny Santana. They also put Eric Fryer back on the 40-man roster and called him up. What we didn’t know is the roster move to make that possible. We have since learned that the Twins have out-righted Jason Wheeler from the 40-man roster. Rochester obviously needed to add some players to make up for the players promoted. Equally obviously, the Twins aren’t going to mess with the Chattanooga roster as they prepare for the playoffs. Eric Farris and Allan de San Miguel came off of the disabled list. Also, Loek Van Mil was in uniform for the Twins. Baseball America had announced that the team had signed him. He last played in affiliated ball in 2013. He has played some in Japan since then. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 2 Box Score The Red Wings are barely holding on in their division. After this loss, Scranton’s magic number to clinch the division over the Red Wings is just one. Rochester does have a little more wiggle room in the wild card hunt, but not much. Michael Bowden started and gave up just two runs on four hits over seven innings. He walked two and struck out eight. Alex Meyer came on and worked two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked two (one intentional) and struck out three. Unfortunately, the Red Wings weren’t able to muster much offense. In fact, Reynaldo Rodriguez scored the lone run of the game. He got on after striking out and the ball got by the catcher. He advanced to second. He stole third base (his 13th steal of the year), the throw went into left field and Rodriguez scored. Aaron Hicks had one of the four Red Wings hits. He played the whole game in right field. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Birmingham 1 Box Score Adam Brett Walker struggled for about five weeks, but he’s been providing some extra-base hits again of late. On Tuesday night, he hit his 30th home run of the season to match the number of doubles he has this season. He was 2-4 with a walk and the homer. He also drove in two more runs, giving him 103 on the season, second-best in minor league baseball. Levi Michael went 3-5. Max Kepler went 1-3 with two walks and two RBI. Cleanup hitter Travis Harrison also drove in two runs. DJ Baxendale gave up just one run on four hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out four. Corey Williams pitched a flawless seventh. Nick Burdi gave up a hit and walked two, but struck out three in a scoreless inning. JT Chargois got the final three outs, two of them via strikeout. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 – Ft. Myers 5, Jupiter 2 Box Score Kohl Stewart was again good in this game. He went six innings and was charged with only two unearned runs. He gave up four hits, walked four and struck out three. He improved to 7-8 with a 3.20 ERA on the season. Jake Reed picked up his first save with a clean seventh inning. Chad Christensen led the offense. He went 3-4 with his second and third triples. Mitch Garver was 2-3 with a walk. Logan Wade hit his 21st double and drove in three runs. Zach Granite was 1-2 and notched his 20th stolen base. Game 2 – Ft. Myers 6, Jupiter 1 Box Score Luke Westphal improved his Miracle numbers to 5-5 with a 2.82 ERA. The southpaw went five shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out five. Todd Van Steensel struck out the side in the sixth. Matt Summers gave up a solo home run in the seventh. LaMonte Wade hit his fourth triple. Aderlin Mejia went 1-2 with a walk. Chad Christensen walked twice. Zach Granite drove in two runs. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 5 Box Score Sam Clay put together a real solid start, but the Kernels fell with two outs in the ninth. The left-hander Clay gave up two runs on eight hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out three. He walked two and struck out three. Yorman Landa pitched the next two innings. He gave up two runs on one hit and two walks. Zach Tillery came on for the ninth. He got two outs, but he gave up a run on two hits and a walk to take the loss. Sean Miller was leading off. He went 2-4 with his third and fourth doubles. TJ White went 2-4 with a walk. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Bristol 1 Box Score Dereck Rodriguez was named the Appy League Pitcher of the Year last week. Tonight, he put together, arguably, his best start of the year. In six innings, he gave up one run. He allowed seven hits, walked none and struck out 11. He improved to 6-3 with a 2.85 ERA. Onesimo Hernandez threw two shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out two. Kuo Hua Lo worked a scoreless inning to finish the game. LaMonte Wade went 2-4 with his fifth triple. AJ Murray was 2-3 with a walk and his 11th double. Brad Hartong and Nelson Molina each went 2-4. Zander Wiel walked twice. The Elizabethton season is complete. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Elizabethton Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chad Christensen, Ft. Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (6:5 CST) – TBD Chattanooga – No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (12:05 CST) – RHP Ethan Mildren Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:35 CST) – LHP Randy Rosario Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

Kris Bryant and Carlos Correa have already made their big league debuts this season so it's pretty easy to call Byron Buxton the best prospect left in the minor leagues. Buxton seems eager to join the other top prospects at baseball's highest level with his hot hitting over the last couple of weeks. One has to wonder if the Twins will be tempted to call-up their prized prospect to add a little punch to their lifeless offense in recent weeks. Buxton might still have some raw parts to his game but his speed might be enough to get him on base and let him wreak havoc. The action on the farm included some crazy games so check out all the results below.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Scranton/WB 13 (Completed Early Rain) Box Score Lester Oliveros did not have the best outing in his fourth start of the season. The pitcher was lit up for five runs including two home runs without recording an out. The Red Wings were forced to turn to the bullpen in the first inning. Alex Meyer tossed three scoreless frames while striking out five and walking two. While Meyer stopped the bleeding, Mark Hamburger reopened the wound by allowing seven runs on eight hits while only recording four outs. Caleb Thielbar and Ryan Wheeler allowed one run over the last 2.2 innings of work. The Red Wings offense was going to need to show up in a big way and it just wasn't in the cards on this night. Eric Fryer collected a trio of hits and an RBI. Reynaldo Rodriguez scored two runs while Jose Martinez reached base three times. However, the team was limited to two hits with runners in scoring position and that makes it tough to recover from a double digit deficit. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Birmingham 0 Box Score The Lookouts found themselves in the midst of quite the pitcher's duel on Friday evening. David Hurlbut pitched seven innings for the second consecutive game and he didn't allow a run or a walk. He struck out five and scattered four hits to lower his ERA to 5.14 on the season. Nick Burdi earned his fourth hold following a scoreless inning of work and J.T. Chargois earned his second save. Byron Buxton continues his hot hitting ways by going 2-for-4 including a walk. He has now hit safely in eight straight contests. Jorge Polanco also picked up a pair of hits and his 12th stolen base. Mike Gonzles had the lone extra-base hit and RBI while Max Kelper raised his average to .305 with a pair of hits. With the win, the Lookouts are 12 games over .500 and tied for the league lead in wins. They have a 4.5 game advantage over the Tennessee Smokies in the Southern League North. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 3 Box Score Fort Myers pulled one game over .500 after their sixth consecutive victory. The Miracle never trailed in the game but they found themselves tied with the Marauders after the fourth and eighth inning before finally taking the lead for good in the top of the ninth. Chih-Wei Hu made his third start since his spot start in Rochester. He pitched five frames and allowed two earned runs on four hits while striking out two and walking three. Hu was closing in on 90 pitches so the Miracle turned things over to Alex Murnen who earned his second victory. He pitched three innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit. Todd Van Steensel picked up his seventh save with a perfect ninth. Chad Christensen had a big night at the plate. He reached base four times including a double and three RBI. He also stole his ninth base of the season. Mitch Garver and Alex Swin each collected a double and Garver plated his 20th run of the year. The team left 14 runners on base but they scored enough for the win. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Great Lakes 4 (Game 1- 13 Innings) Box Score The Kernels were planning on playing a couple of seven inning games on Friday evening but that plan quickly went to the wayside. Their first contest versus the Great Lake Loons stretched to 13 frames and the clubs combined to use nine pitchers. Dereck Rodriguez made the start for Cedar Rapids and allowed three earned runs in four innings of work. He struck out a pair and walked two. Luke Bard and Randy LeBlanc combined to pitch seven scoreless frames to keep the Kernels in the game. Jose Velez took the loss after a bad Max Murphy throw allowed a run to get into scoring position in extra innings. Brett Doe was the lone Kernels hitter with multiple hits. He went 2-for-4 and walked twice. Murphy drove in a couple of runs with a triple in the second inning but Cedar Rapids wouldn't score again. Cedar Rapids 1, Great Lakes 3 (Game 2- 8 Innings) Box Score Game 2 went well into the night with both teams shying away from scoring runs. Keaton Steele ran off quite the impressive streak on the mound in this one as he retired 11 straight and yielded just one run on three hits while striking out a season- high eight batters. There wasn't much offense to write home about. Rafael Valera made his first start of the season and collected a double. Zack Larson went 1-for-3 and scored a run. Pat Kelly had the lone RBI heading into the seventh but this game was also destined for extra-innings and a Kernels loss. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – David Hurlbut, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chad Christensen, Fort Myers Miracle TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/WB (6:05 CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler Chattanooga @ Birmingham (6:30 CST)- RHP Alex Wimmers Ft. Myers vs. Bradenton (5:05 CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers Cedar Rapids vs. Lansing (6:35 CST) - RHP Zach Tillery Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

Another Monday means that each minor league level announces their player of the week honors. Twins-affiliated players have been littering the awards so far this season and that trend continued on Monday. Left-handed pitcher Tommy Milone was named the International League Pitcher of the Week. He only made one start over the last week but he tossed eight shutout innings while allowing three hits, all singles, striking out 12 without issuing a walk. To start the game, he struck out five straight batters. No batters reached scoring position against him and he faced the minimum in six of his eight innings of work. Top prospect Jose Berrios was also honored on Monday. The right-handed pitcher was honored as the Southern League's Pitcher of the Week. He tossed a nine innings complete game shutout for his fourth win of the season. He struck out eight and walked two while limiting the opposition to two hits, both singles. Both pitchers were scheduled to be on the mound today so let's see how they fared.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Durham 0 Box Score Tommy Milone is sick of being in the minor leagues and he is making that pretty clear with his performance since being demoted. On 115 pitches, Milone tossed a complete game shutout. He scattered six hits but used 13 strikeouts to get out of any jams. In three starts since being demoted, he has yet to allow a run and he has struck out 33 batters in 23.1 innings. (As Seth writes today, Tommy Milone Is Making A Statement.) Josmil Pinto provided the most important hit when he cranked a two-run home run with two outs in the sixth inning. Eric Farris reached base three times, scored a pair of runs and stole a base. James Beresford drove in a run and collected a double. Wilkin Ramirez hit his second double of the season. With the win, Rochester improved to 21-16 ahead of their double header with Durham tomorrow. The team has won three of their last four games and they haven't lost a series since May 8-9 against Louisville. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Montgomery 4 Box Score Jose Berrios couldn't follow up his memorable performance from last week. He was limited to five innings in this game as he allowed three runs on five hits while striking out five and walking one. Some of the outs he gave up were long fly balls so the results look better than they could have been. Even with the rough day, Berrios still has an ERA under 2.90 for the season. The bullpen trio of Nick Burdi, Zack Jones, and DJ Johnson combined to pitch four perfect innings. Burdi struck out three in two innings of work and Jones struck out the side in the eighth. Dallas Gallant gave up a run on a couple of hits without recording an out. The Lookouts didn't have many opportunities on the offensive side of the ball as the team went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Jorge Polanco picked up a couple of hits to raise his average to .314. Max Kepler had the only other hit in the game, a two-run home run. It was his first of the season. With the loss, Chattanooga drops to 23-15 on the season. It was their second consecutive loss after winning five games in a row. The Lookouts had not lost two game in a row this month until today. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 11, Bradenton 5 Box Score The fireworks were out in Fort Myers on Monday evening as the club pounded out 12 hits and 11 runs including two three-run innings. Chad Christensen went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a run. Jason Kanzler scored three times, drove in three runs, and both his hits were for extra-bases. Engelb Vielma hit his second double, scored two runs and stole his tenth base. Niko Goodrum also crossed the plate twice. The offensive explosion meant the Miracle were able to dance around three fielding errors. Vielma had a throwing error, his sixth of the season. Goodrum was charged with a fielding error, his eight of the season. Logan Wade was the only starter not to reach base and he had his sixth error. Aaron Slegers started and didn't allow an earned run over five innings of work. He struck out two and walked two. Alex Muren pitched two perfect innings while striking out one. Todd Van Steensel got beat up a little in his two innings of work as he allowed three runs on five hits but he did strike out three. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Peoria 3 Box Score Completion from 5/14 In a game started last Thursday when the first four innings were played, Cedar Rapids found themselves in an early hole after Stephen Gonsalves surrendered two runs in the top of the first inning but the Kernels offense came pouring back. Over the next two innings, Cedar Rapids plated six runs to take the lead for good. The only thing that slowed the offense down was rain and a wet playing surface that suspended play before the fifth inning. Trey Vavra had a good game at the plate with two hits including his fourth home run and his eighth double. He knocked in three of the team's runs and all of his RBIs came with two outs. Tanner English reached base three times via a triple, single and walk as he scored two runs. Nick Gordon drove in a run and scored two runs. After the rough top of the first, Gonsalves calmed down before the rain started to fall. He pitched four innings while allowing two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Keaton Steele started the game today in his Kernels debut and earned his first victory. He pitched five innings, allowed one earned run and had six strikeouts. Cedar Rapids 0, Peoria 1 (7 innings) Box Score Regularly Scheduled Game The Kernels bats cooled off for the second game of the night. In fact, the team was one Zack Larson single away from being part of a seven inning no-hitter. Nick Gordon had the only opportunity to bat with a runner in scoring position after Tanner English had stolen second base with two outs. This is the closest the Kernels came to scoring a run. Matt Batts took the loss after pitching all six innings but he put together some impressive numbers. He only allowed one earned run and he struck out 12 including multiple strikeouts in five of his six frames. It was the first time all season he struck out more than seven and it was his first loss of the month. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tommy Milone, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chad Christensen, Fort Myers Miracle TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Durham (10:05 am CST) – RHP Chih-Wei Hu (Triple-A Debut) Rochester vs. Durham (6:05 CST) – RHP Alex Meyer Chattanooga vs. Montgomery (6:15 CST)- RHP Greg Peavey Ft. Myers vs. Bradenton (6:05 CST) – RHP Ethan Mildren Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (11:00 am CST) - RHP John Curtiss Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Monday games. Click here to view the article

In the minors on Sunday every game was a close and hard fought battle, unlike the Minnesota Twins against Chris Archer. There was a dynamic pitching duel in one, and another that went back and forth seemingly every inning. When the dust settled, the Twins affiliates went 2-2 on the day.There was also some action on the roster front, as one (surprise?) major leaguer was sent to AAA, and a few pitching spots were shuffled. Read on to find out what happened across all four affiliates! TRANSACTIONS First, there was some notable roster movement announced after the action today. DH Kennys Vargas was optioned by the Twins, and will head to Rochester where he can work every day as the Twins face a National League lineup on Tuesday in Pittsburgh after a day off tomorrow. Eduardo Nunez has been activated from the disabled list to take his spot. In the Midwest League, pitchers Sam Clay and C.K. Irby will head back to extended spring training, while Yorman Landa (recovered from shoulder surgery) and Keaton Steele have been called up. RED WINGS REPORT Lehigh Valley 3, Rochester 5 Box Score The Red Wings were the first to put a tally on the scoreboard in the fourth inning, when Wilkin Ramirez, Ryan Wheeler, and Nate Hanson all singled to start the frame. Hanson’s single brought home Ramirez, but he was erased on a double-play ball and Wheeler was stranded at third to end the inning. Rochester added its final four runs in the fifth inning, providing plenty of insurance for the home team. James Beresford led off the inning with a walk, Eric Fryer was hit by a pitch, and Josmil Pinto singled home Beresford for the first run. Danny Ortiz then drew a walk to load the bases and force a pitching change. Ramirez lifted a sac fly to center field, scoring Fryer, before Wheeler doubled to bring home Pinto and Ortiz for a 5-0 lead. Taylor Rogers made the start for Rochester, and made quick work of the Iron Pigs. He needed just sixty-four pitches to finish six innings. Rogers allowed one earned run on four hits, walked none, and struck out four while improving his record to 3-2 with a 3.31 ERA on the season. Tim Stauffer came out for the seventh inning and was able to work a scoreless inning around two walks and a single. He wouldn’t be as lucky in the eighth. Three consecutive singles loaded the bases, and Lester Oliveros was summoned. The only batter he faced hit a sac fly to make the score 5-2, and Caleb Thielbar then gave up a run-scoring single before ending the inning. A.J. Achter pitched a one-two-three ninth inning to notch his fourth save of the season. Rochester’s lineup tallied eleven hits on the game, with Fryer (2-4, R), Pinto (2-4, R, RBI), and Wheeler (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI) collecting multiple hits. Hanson and Ramirez each also collected an RBI. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Montgomery 2, Chattanooga 1 Box Score The Lookouts game on Sunday was a pitcher’s duel throughout, as both teams managed just three combined runs on the day. Chattanooga scored theirs quickly, when they jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Byron Buxton reached on an error, Jorge Polanco singled, and Max Kepler drew a walk to load the bases. Adam Brett Walker II then stepped into the box, and drew an RBI walk for a 1-0 lead. The score remained 1-0 until the top of fifth, when a leadoff triple put the tying run ninety feet away against Lookouts starter Tyler Duffey. Duffey struck out the next two hitters, but a double from Johnny Field finally brought in the run and tied the game at one. Duffey would then strike out the next hitter for the third out. Though Duffey finished seven innings and was very good, he did allow some loud contact as six of his seven hits allowed went for extra bases (five doubles, one triple). He was able to limit the damage, however, by striking out a career high twelve batters. Duffey lowered his ERA to 2.56 on the season, and his fifty-four strikeouts give him the Southern League lead over teammate Jose Berrios, who pitches tomorrow. Madison Boer came on for the eighth inning, and escaped a two-out threat with a groundout to end the inning after consecutive singles and a wild pitch put runners on second and third. He wouldn’t be so lucky in the ninth, as a single, sacrifice bunt, and groundout put the go-ahead runner on third, and a single brought him home for the 2-1 lead. Mike Gonzalez led off the bottom of the ninth for the Lookouts, and was called out on strikes on what was likely a controversial call, because hitting coach Chad Allen was subsequently ejected. Carlos Paulino and Heiker Meneses both followed that by grounding out to third, ending the game. The Chattanooga lineup managed just six hits, and they were all picked up by just three hitters. Jorge Polanco and Paulino both were 2-4, while Max Kepler kept up his hot-hitting ways, going 2-2 on the night with two walks. The other hitters in the lineup combined to go 0-22 with eleven strikeouts (three each for Sano and Mike Gonzalez, two each for Buxton and Walker). As a team, the lineup went 0-10 with runners in scoring position, and left eight men on base. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Jupiter 3 Box Score Kohl Stewart was on the hill for his second start after coming off the disabled list, and pitched much better in this one. He was left with a no-decision, but went five innings, scattering six hits and a walk, allowing just two runs (one earned) while striking out four. He allowed the runs in the first inning after two doubles, and in the fifth after a lead-off single and error put a runner on third base. The single that followed brought him home. Stewart finished his day with the game tied 2-2. Luke Westphal came on and picked up the win after throwing 1.1 innings of relief. He allowed one run on two hits and a walk, but struck out three. Brian Gilbert went the next 1.2 innings, finishing the eighth inning with a scoreless outing. J.T Chargois picked up his third save of the year with a one-two-three ninth, striking out the last hitter of the game looking. Fort Myers took the lead for good in the seventh inning when Zach Granite opened the inning with a walk, a Chad Christensen double brought him home, and a Michael Quesada single scored Christensen to make the score 4-2. The Miracle would give back one of the runs in the bottom half of the inning, but added another insurance run in the eighth on a wild pitch to score Logan Wade, who had led off the inning with a single. The lineup was led by Chad Christensen who picked up three hits, including two doubles, scored two runs, and drove in two. Jason Kanzler (2-5, R) and Marcus Knecht (2-4, 2B, RBI) also picked up multiple hits, and Kanzler stole his eighth base of the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 6, Cedar Rapids 5 Box Score It was a back and forth affair in Cedar Rapids on Sunday afternoon, but the Kernels weren’t able to stay on top, eventually falling 6-5 after they were unable to match the go-ahead run scored in the top of the ninth with one of their own in the bottom half. Quad Cities took the first lead in the third inning, when the first run of the game scored on a sac fly. Cedar Rapids jumped ahead in their turn in the third when Pat Kelly led off the inning with a triple to right field, and Tanner English, Trey Vavra, and T.J. White were all hit by pitches. A single from Blake Schmit scored Kelly and the final HBP to White forced home English. The Kernels added a run in the fifth inning when singles by White and Brett Doe put runners on the corners, then a wild pitch allowed White to scamper home. The home team didn’t hold their 3-1 lead for long, as the River Bandits tied the game in the sixth with two runs off starter Jared Wilson to end his night. He finished the sixth inning, but a leadoff walk and home run from Sean McMullen made it 3-3 when he exited. Cedar Rapids quickly responded to take back the lead in the bottom of the sixth, taking advantage of two Quad Cities errors to put Schmit and Max Murphy on first and second for Zack Larson, who singled to make the score 4-3. This lead wouldn’t last either, as Zach Tillery came on in relief, and promptly allowed a double and a hit batter to put two runners on to start the inning, and then an RBI single and sac fly scored two runs to make it 5-4 in favor of the River Bandits. Trey Vavra took it upon himself to tie the game 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth, when he clubbed his fourth home run of the year to center field (actually his fifth, but that one came in a suspended game that will be finished tomorrow, so he is not yet credited for it), but Tillery was unable to keep the scoreboard knotted in the eighth, as an RBI single with two outs brought in the go-ahead run. The Kernels threatened in the bottom of the ninth, as Tyler Kuresa doubled with one out, and was lifted for pinch-runner Nick Gordon, but Pat Kelly struck out swinging and Tanner English grounded out to strand him at second and end the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Duffey, Chattanooga Lookouts (7.0 IP, 1 R, 7 H’s, 3 BB’s, 12 K’s) Hitter of the Day –Chad Christensen, Fort Myers Miracle (3-4, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, 2 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Durham @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – LHP Tommy Milone (2-0, 0.00 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (10:15 AM CST) – RHP Jose Berrios (4-1, 2.60 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (1-2, 3.63 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (Regularly scheduled game to finish after postponed game, 7:00 PM CST) – RHP Mat Batts (3-1, 2.34 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (5:00 PM CST, finish of postponement of May 14th game, Cedar Rapids leads 6-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games. Click here to view the article

I’ve been down here in Fort Myers, Florida, for several days now and I’ve been very slow about posting anything here. My bad. The newly remodeled stadium at the Twins’ complex (now named “Century Link Field”) is very nice. Much wider concourses and a lot of variety of seating options. I’ve seen parts of a couple games at the new place, as well as a game against the Phillies at their Clearwater home. I plan to also see the Twins take on the Orioles up in Sarasota on Sunday.But I’ve spent the lion’s share of my time over on the back fields watching the minor leaguers, in particular the two Class-A groups. One of them made up of guys who were Cedar Rapids Kernels last year and are likely to play for the Fort Myers Miracle this season, the other made up of players likely ticketed to start this season in Cedar Rapids. I’ve taken quite a few pictures and maybe I’ll work at getting them downloaded and posted at Knuckleballsblog.com once I get back to Cedar Rapids next week. For now, I’m going to share three separate articles I wrote for MetroSportsReport.com in Cedar Rapids. Since I don’t have space concerns here, I’m just going to combine them all in this one blog post. Enjoy. Stephen Gonsalves Will Have a New Pitch When He Returns to Cedar Rapids Ask Minnesota Twins pitching prospect Stephen Gonsalves about his offseason and the first thing he may mention is his vacation to Australia with fellow Twins pitching prospects Lewis Thorpe and Sam Gibbons. “It was Sam’s 21st birthday so we made a little vacation out of it,” Gonsalves explained on Friday, while watching his Cedar Rapids Kernels teammates take on a group of Tampa Bay Rays Class-A prospects. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/GonsalvesST15c-600x399.jpg Stephen Gonsalves But hanging out with Aussies Thorpe and Gibbons down-under for a couple of weeks was just one small part of Gonsalves’ winter. The 20-year-old lefty starting pitcher played a crucial role in the playoff drive the Kernels put together during the second half of the 2014 season. He notched a 3.19 ERA while striking out 44 batters in just 36.2 innings of work over eight starts with Cedar Rapids. Some young pitchers might have felt satisfied with those numbers and focused their offseason workouts on simply adding some muscle or improving their conditioning, but not Gonsalves. The young Californian combined a 90 mph fastball with an effective slow curve and an equally effective change up to solidify his ranking as a consensus top 20 prospect within the Twins’ organization heading in to 2015. Rather than being satisfied with that, Gonsalves went home after participating in fall instructional league and went to work on broadening his arsenal of pitching weapons. “Right after instructs, I went home and started working out that next week,” Gonsalves said. “Home” for Gonsalves is San Diego, California, and he wasn’t working out alone there. He worked out with a couple of other well-credentialed pitchers with San Diego ties. “I was able to work out with Stephen Strasburg this whole offseason, got to pick his brain a lot,” Gonsalves recalled. “James Shields was there, also. So I got to mix in a lot with those guys and kind of pick their brains the entire offseason. Helped me out a little mechanically on the hill, also.” Strasburg and Shields were both rotation leaders for major league postseason participants last year, Strasburg with the Washington Nationals and Shields with the Kansas City Royals. Shields inked a new deal as a free agent this offseason with the San Diego Padres. “I was working on a slider,” said Gonsalves. “That’s what Shields is known for, his slider, so I got to work with him for about a month just specifically on that pitch for a while. It’s coming along nicely. The Twins are starting to like it.” So far this spring, the results seem to be positive. He’s been in Ft. Myers since March 1, well before the minor leaguers began playing games. He’s made three solid appearances, building up his pitch count and getting ready to head north to Cedar Rapids when camp breaks the first full week of April. Gonsalves acknowledged that he’s likely to be one of just a small number of 2014 Kernels returning to open the new campaign in Cedar Rapids, but he’s looking forward to opening the year with the new crew of Kernels. “We’re going to have a whole new team, pretty much, (but) we’re going to have a good little squad together. It’s going to be fun. We’re going to be a little scrappy team.” Chad Christensen Hoping His Time Playing Before Hometown Fans is Over Almost a year ago, Cedar Rapids Washington grad Chad Christensen got the word he would be making his full-season pro baseball debut with his hometown club, the Cedar Rapids Kernels. This spring, the Minnesota Twins farm hand is hoping to avoid a return trip to Cedar Rapids. You can’t blame a guy for preferring a promotion up the Twins’ minor league ladder over another summer living at home. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/P3250300-600x450.jpg Chad Christensen & Jason Kanzler going through early morning stretching exercises In fact, hitting .272 for the Kernels last season,Christensen left Cedar Rapids, just like his Kernels teammates. “I went back to Lincoln and lived there,” Christensen explained. “A lot of guys that are in pro ball are back there so we kind of work out together and use the (University of Nebraska) facilities and everything. That’s where I was doing my workouts. “I came home (to Cedar Rapids) for a couple of weeks before I came here (Fort Myers). I got down here a little early, February 23rd, to get outside, get out of the cold and get back to baseball.” With about two weeks of spring training left, his ultimate assignment is primarily just speculation. At this point, every player in camp is hoping for a promotion and, for Christensen, that would mean a spot on the roster of the Twins’ class High-A affiliate, the Fort Myers Miracle. “I’m not positive,” Christensen said, when asked about whether he’d heard anything about where he would open the 2015 season. “I would think probably down here (in Fort Myers). But I’m just playing, it’s not up to me. I’m just trying to play every day and stay healthy and get back in the swing of things.” For Christensen, playing every day last summer meant spending time playing all around the diamond defensively for the Kernels. Christensen played all over the outfield, but also logged 90 games at first base. He also played 27 games at third base for Elizabethton in 2013. Versatility is a benefit for players trying to get noticed in a professional baseball organization and Christensen will be continuing to demonstrate his willingness and ability to move around the field. During spring training, however, it’s clear the Twins are wanting to see him in the outfield as much as possible. “I’ve been playing all outfield – all three outfield spots,”said Christensen. “Obviously, if I’m needed to go in to the infield again, I can go in the infield, but I’ve been in the outfield down here, so far.” An assignment with the Miracle would keep Christensen with a lot of last summer’s Kernels. Of the thirty or so players currently listed on the Miracle’s spring training roster, over 25 spent time in Cedar Rapids last season. Christensen likes the idea of sticking with that group. “Yeah, we have a good group. Guys come ready to go every day, that’s what makes it fun,” said Christensen. “We’re looking forward to getting the season going.” Christensen isn’t the only one ready to get the season rolling. Kernels hitting coach Tommy Watkins indicated he is more than ready to head to Cedar Rapids. “This is like Groundhog Day,” Watkins said, alluding to the day-after-day repetitive nature of the spring training routine. Christensen indicated the players are starting to feel the same way. “Yeah, we’re starting to get kind of anxious this time of year.” Jake Mauer Hopes to Have His Roster Set Soon In less than two weeks, Cedar Rapids Kernels manager Jake Mauer will be bringing a fresh crop of 25 ballplayers north from their spring training home in Fort Myers, Florida. The exact constitution of that roster, however, is still somewhat of a work in progress. Mauer said he’d like to get things finalized soon, however. “Ideally we’d like to have who we’re going to take to Cedar Rapids that last week of spring training,” Mauer explained on Thursday, just before his squad took on a Class A group of Boston Red Sox prospects. “You can do different things and put in different signs, things we’re going to use throughout the year. Make sure we get all the kinks out before we start up there at Kane County (where the Kernels open their season on April 9).” Mauer will be entering his third season as manager of the Kernels. In fact, among all of the Twins organization’s full-season teams, he’s the only manager assigned to the same club he led a year ago. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/P3260219-600x450.jpg Jake Mauer and Tommy Watkins with early morning instructions The Twins hired Hall of Famer Paul Molitor to manage the big league team this season and former Chicago Cubs manager Mike Quade is taking over the AAA Rochester Red Wings. Jeff Smith and Doug Mientkiewicz swapped their assignments this year, with Mientkiewicz managing AA Chattanooga and Smith taking over high-A Fort Myers. Mauer indicated, though, that he wasn’t surprised to be assigned to Cedar Rapids again. “No, I wouldn’t say surprised,” he said. “Obviously, Cedar Rapids is a pretty good fit for me on a personal level, family-wise. Professional-wise, baseball is baseball, wherever you’re at and at the level I’m at, I really enjoy being around the young guys and teaching every day.” Kernels fans may recognize the team’s manager this season, but they are going to want to pick up a program early on their first trip to the ballpark and study it closely, because they aren’t likely to see many familiar names or faces among the 2015 Kernels players Starting pitchers Stephen Gonsalves and Mat Batts are looking likely to return to start their new season with the Kernels and both have been, “throwing it well,” according to their manager. John Curtiss, who joined the Kernels to make a start during their playoff run a year ago, is also likely to start his summer with the Kernels. “As far as those starters, folks in CR have seen those guys a little bit, but our bullpen is going to be pretty much all new guys from what it looks like,” Mauer said. “As far as position players, I don’t think we’ll have too many guys that were there last year. Maybe a few guys that were there for a portion of the year, we may get back,” he added. Outfielders Zack Larson and Max Murphy are the only position players with time in a Kernels uniform who have been assigned to the most recent Kernels spring training working group. Mauer was quick to point out that the roster is not set, however. “It will depend with, obviously Molitor running the big league club, who he likes, who he wants to keep.” The parent Twins are still about 10 players over their opening day roster limit, so as the big club makes further cuts, there could be additions and/or subtractions from the current group of prospective Kernels. Once the season gets underway, Mauer indicated he felt the team may be relying on their starting pitching early on. “I think we’ll have some starting pitchers with a little bit of experience that I think we’ll lean on, especially early in the year. They’ll need to go out there and set the tone.” Offensively, the Kernels are going to be relying on a lot of players with little or no experience above rookie-level short season ball at Elizabethton last season. “We’re still trying to kind of get to know these guys a little bit,” Mauer said, of his position players. “As far as team speed, I don’t know if we’re going to have a lot of it. We’re going to have some guys that put up decent numbers in E’Town. Obviously, we all know it’s different going in to the Midwest League, facing a little different caliber of pitching.” A number of players are having strong springs, but Mauer was philosophical about his expectations for the Kernels once they leave the mid-80 degree temperatures of Fort Myers behind and head north. “We may go through some growing pains, but hopefully it’ll all shake out. We’ll see how we react when it’s thirty degrees out.” Click here to view the article

Rains postponed Game 4 of the Florida State League Championship series in Daytona which might have been a blessing in disguise. Unfortunately, the 2014 Cedar Rapids Kernels season has come to a close as the team fell 4-2 to Kane County. The Cougars advance to the Midwest League Finals.MIRACLE MATTERS Game 4 – Ft. Myers @ Daytona - Postponed The day off may have been just what the two teams need as they have not had a day off since the playoffs began. However, for the Miracle, this delay could prove very beneficial. Had Game 4 been played on Sunday, the Miracle likely would have employed a bullpen game. However, with the game moved to Monday, the Miracle will be able to start DJ Baxendale on regular rest. And, if it were necessary, Matt Tomshaw could start Game 5 on regular rest. The two teams will play again on Monday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Daytona. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 2 - Cedar Rapids 2, Kane County 4 Box Score This game started out as quite the pitcher’s duel. The Kernels managed just one hit through the first five innings off Cougars starter Paul Blackburn who struck out seven. John Curtiss, making his first start for the Kernels, was certainly up to the challenge. He threw five shutout innings. He walked three but he did not allow a hit until the fifth inning. The right-hander was the Twins sixth-round pick in June out of the University of Texas where he was that team’s closer. After pitching in the College World Series and then signing with the Twins, he went to Elizabethton where he was a starter. With Lewis Thorpe placed on the disabled list, Curtiss was called up before this series started. Jared Wilson came on to replace Curtiss in the sixth inning. He gave up a solo home run to Jacob Rogers. However, in the top of the 7th, the Kernels were able to get on the board and take the lead. With one out, Jonatan Hinojosa singled. It was followed by a two-run homer by Chad Christensen. In the bottom of the 7th, Wilson issued a walk to lead off the inning and then gave up a two-run homer to Carlos Penalver. One out later, Brian Gilbert replaced Wilson and got out of the inning. Gilbert gave up another run in the bottom of the eighth. The Kernels were not able to get any closer and fell 4-2. The team had just four hits in the game. Besides Christensen’s homer, Max Murphy’s double was the only extra-base hit. The Kernels season comes to an end, but it has sure been a good run. After going just 31-39 in the first half, the Kernels went 42-28 in the second half to earn a spot in the Midwest League playoffs. Then won two of three against Burlington in Round 1 of the playoffs. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – John Curtiss, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chad Christensen, Cedar Rapids Kernels MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05 CST) – DJ Baxendale Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Kernels game and season. Click here to view the article

It was a very good night in the Minnesota Twins minor league system. The Cedar Rapids Kernels advanced to the second round of the Midwest League playoffs. The Ft. Myers Miracle jumped to a 2-0 lead over Daytona in the Florida State League championship series.After winning at home in Games 1 and 2, the Miracle will have a chance to claim the championship in Daytona on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Kernels will host Kane County in Game 1 on Saturday night. There were plenty of heroes in the two games. And, there were a couple of Kernels transactions after their game which will be mentioned later in today’s report. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 2 - Ft. Myers 5, Daytona 0 Box Score Ethan Mildren picked a good day to find ways to work out of trouble. The right-hander gave up five hits and four walks over his five innings, but he was able to keep Dattona scoreless. He struck out three. Todd Van Steensel has been kept busy in these playoffs. He worked one inning and gave up only a walk. Steven Gruver came on for the seventh inning. He gave up a walk and a hit and recorded two outs before leaving the game with an apparent injury. However, Nick Burdi came on and got the final seven outs, three of them strikeouts, to record the save. He gave up just two hits. The Miracle tallied three runs in the third inning. Travis Harrison singled in Aderlin Mejia with the first run. Dalton Hicks followed with a triple to score Harrison and make it 2-0. The next batter, Stuart Turner, hit a sacrifice fly scoring Hicks. The Miracle got a little insurance in the 8th inning. With the bases loaded, Niko Goodrum and Travis Harrison each took a bases-loaded walk to drive in a run and give the Miracle a 5-0 lead. The teams will now travel way north to Daytona where they will play Game 3, and potentially two more games. One more win and the Miracle will earn their league championship. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 3 - Cedar Rapids 4, Burlington 2 Box Score After losing Game 1 in Cedar Rapids, the Kernels were tasked with winning for a second straight night on the road in Burlington. They were up to the challenge. Cedar Rapids took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. Ryan Walker tripled and scored on a groundout by Logan Wade. One batter later, Chad Christensen hit a solo home run. Young Stephen Gonsalves was given the starting nod. The lefty gave up two runs on six hits and a walk in the game’s first five innings. Both runs came in the bottom of the third inning. Jared Wilson worked the sixth and seventh innings, giving up nothing. He struck out two. Then in the top of the 8th, the Kernels reclaimed the lead. Jonatan Hinojosa singled. He advanced to third base on a double by Logan Wade. Chad Christensen singled in Hinojosa to give the Kernels a 3-2 lead. It was followed by a Max Murphy double that scored Wade. With a late-inning lead, Jake Mauer turned to the dominant bullpen guys. Dallas Gallant got the eighth inning and struck out two. Jake Reed came on for the ninth inning for the second straight night. He didn’t have to work quite as hard as he had on Thursday. He had a 1-2-3 inning to record his second straight save and send the Kernels to the next round. If you’re counting, that is now 24.2 innings since he has last given up a run. The Kernels will start the 2nd round of the Midwest League playoffs on Saturday night. They will be playing host to the Kane County Cougars. Games 2 and 3 will be at Kane County (Chicago area). The Kernels will add outfielder Tanner English and right-handed pitcher John Curtiss to their roster from the Elizabethton squad. To made room, two players were put on the disabled list. Mitch Garver, who hadn’t played since being pinch-hit for in the sixth inning of Game 1, was put on the disabled list for a concussion. Lewis Thorpe was put on the disabled list with “elbow” listed as the injury. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ethan Mildren, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chad Christensen, Cedar Rapids Kernels SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Game 3 - Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05 CST) – Brett Lee Game 1 - Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – Ryan Eades Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

Things are starting to wind down in the minor league season and this means plenty of very important games for Twins affiliates. The Kernels entered Sunday with a chance to clinch and the Red Wings are right in the middle of the wild card hunt. This means every at-bat and every pitch are very important. The same can't be said for the MLB version of the Twins. They are out of the playoff chase but they can still upset a few teams along the way. After pounding the Detroit Tigers in the first two games of the series, the Twins dropped the last two to end up with a split. Let's see if the farm system offered up any more hope on Sunday.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Scranton/WB 4 Box Score A lot of Rochester's future is in their own hands. They took that fact to heart on Sunday as they mounted a four-run bottom of the eighth inning to crawl past the RailRiders. Doug Bernier went 1-for-3 and his two-run double put the Wings on top for good. Daniel Ortiz cracked his eighth home run of the season, his first since July 27. Lester Oliveros continued his run of scoreless innings over the last 11 games, not having given up a run in his last 19.2 frames. Tyler Duffey started and allowed three runs on five hits and three walks over four innings. It was the first time since June 4 that he didn't make it through five innings. With a week's worth of games left in the regular season, the Red Wings are 1.5 games back of the wild card leaders Buffalo and Pawtucket. They have two games remaining with both teams so they can forge their own destiny. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 12, Altoona 0 Box Score Pat Dean was masterful in this game as he scattered three hits over eight shutout innings. He struck out three and walked two. It was his eighth victory of the season. He hadn't pitched more than seven innings in any start this season. Cole Johnson helped complete the shutout by striking out one in an inning of work. The Rock Cats offense gave Dean plenty of run support. Reynaldo Rodriguez crossed the 20-home run plateau with a two-run shot in the 6th inning. Corey Wimberly had three hits including his 11th double. Kyle Knudson scored twice and hit a couple doubles. The only starters to remain hitless were Nate Hanson and Tony Thomas. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2. Charlotte 5 Box Score D.J. Baxendale surrendered five earned runs on eight hits as he was charged with his third loss of the season. It was his third straight outing of less than five innings and he has not won a game since he won three straight starts at the beginning of July. Nick Burdi made his fifth appearance for the Miracle and he has yet to allow a run. He has nine strikeouts over five innings pitched, with one walk allowed. Adam Brett Walker continues to hit home runs. He reached base in three of his four plate appearances and hit his 25th home run of the season. He's also up to 93 RBIs on the season. The second place hitters in those categories have 19 homers and 78 RBIs. Dalton Hicks had the only other extra-base hit for Fort Myers. His 24th double set up one of the team's two runs. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 8 Box Score Even though the Kernels didn't win this game, a loss by Peoria meant the Kernels still clinched a playoff spot for the second consecutive season. Cedar Rapids will play either Burlington or Kane County in the opening round. Cedar Rapids strung together three straight singles to take an eighth inning 5-4 lead but the River Bandits stole the lead back in the bottom of the frame and held on for the win. J.D. Williams was a perfect 3-for-3 and he reached base four times. Chad Christensen knocked in four runs with his 23rd and 24th doubles of the season. Engelb Vielma scored twice and added his 13th double of the year. Hudson Boyd took the loss after giving up three earned runs on three hits. He struck out one and walked one. Mat Batts got the no-decision after he pitched 4.2 innings, allowing three earned runs with four strikeouts. It was the first time since July 2 that he didn't make it through five innings. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 10, Bristol 4 (Game 1- 7 Innings) Box Score Seven runs in the last two innings helped separate the E-Twins from the Pirates. Nick Gordon went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base. He was caught stealing one time and got picked off once. Jorge Fernandez and Tyler Mautner collected three RBIs apiece. Mautner had two extra-base hits, a double and a home run. Keaton Steele earned his second victory after he replaced John Curtiss. Steele struck out two over two innings while allowing one run. Curtiss made it four innings and gave up three earned runs. Dereck Rodriguez struck out the side as part of a perfect final frame. Elizabethton 1, Bristol 0 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score After the 14 runs scored in the first tilt of the doubleheader, this game took on quite a different feel. The teams found themselves in a pitcher's duel with neither team being able to muster much offense. Bristol out-hit Elizabethton six to two but it wasn't enough. Trey Vavra hit a double to drive in the lone run of the game. Randy LeBlanc earned his first professional victory, throwing five shutout frames, striking out seven and walking none. C.K. Irby struck out five over the final two frames to complete the shutout. It was his second save of the year. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chad Christensen, Cedar Rapids Kernels MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/WB @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Alex Meyer (Listen) New Britain @ Binghamton (5:35 CST) – Taylor Rogers (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – Brett Lee (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (7:00 CST) - Stephen Gonsalves (Listen) Elizabethton @ Bristol (6:00 CST)- Michael Cederoth GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD Click here to view the article

A day after being part of a no-hitter that he started three weeks ago, Trevor May did something else that was a little strange; he pitched in relief for the Twins game. This was something he hadn't done since 2010 at the High-A level. After a rough big league debut, it was probably nice for May to get back on the mound and prove he belongs at the big league level. It was a strange day in the minor leagues. Two Twins' affiliates had weather interfere with their game and one team had to finish a game they started at the end of June. Let's see how things shook out after all of the weather issues. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 1 (3rd Inning- Suspended) Box Score These two teams couldn't get their game completed as rain interrupted things after two innings of play. A double-header is scheduled for tomorrow with the first game being a nine inning contest and the second game being a shortened seven inning game. Look for a full report on this game as part of tomorrow's minor league report at Twins Daily. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 2, Bowie 0 Box Score For the first time since the beginning of July, Jason Wheeler was credited with a victory. He tossed 7.1 shutout innings by striking out five and walking none. He limited the Baysox to four hits with only two of the hits being for extra-bases. Ryan O'Rourke and Daniel Turpen collected the final five outs to keep the shutout intact. It was the second save for Turpen and the tenth hold for O'Rourke. Mike Gonzalez provided the big hit for the Rock Cats. He cranked his third home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the fourth inning. After two quick outs to start the inning, Tony Thomas singled. He advanced to second on a balk ahead of the Gonzalez home run. Eddie Rosario and Jorge Polanco both went 1-for-3 with each reaching base a second time with a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 8 (Game 1- 9 Innings) Box Score The post Byron Buxton era in Fort Myers didn't go as planned as the team would drop a pair of games. The first game was a resumed game that had been rained out in the top of the fifth with the Miracle leading 3-2. The team held the lead for most of the game before the bullpen allowed five runs over the last two frames. Tyler Jones was the man on the mound for all of the late inning damage. The five runs were scored on five hits including a home run. Tim Shibuya had started the game on June 26th and limited the Mets to two runs, one earned, on six hits in a little over four innings. Fort Myers used a balance offensive attack to build up their early lead. Six different players drove in a run. Anderlin Mejia and Niko Goodrum did a good job at the top of the order. They combined to go 4-for-9 with two doubles and three runs scored. Dalton Hicks added a double of his own and he came around to score a run. Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 5 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score Aderlin Mejia kept his hot hitting going in the second game recording another two-hit performance. In his last six games he has four multi-hit games so he's in the middle of quite an offensive run. Tyler Grimes knocked in three with a home run as part of a two hit night. Jairo Rodriguez only had one hit but he scored two of the team's runs. Adam Brett Walker added his 88th RBI of the season. Ethan Mildren got knocked around for seven hits and he allowed six runs. Only four of the runs were earned following a couple of defensive miscues by Mejia and Bryan Haar. It was the first time in his last three starts that Mildren hadn't pitched six innings. Madison Boer struck out the side in the sixth and DJ Johnson pitched a perfect seventh. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 12, Beloit 5 Box Score The Kernels used a small ball approach to rack up 12 runs in this game. Cedar Rapids didn't have an extra-base hit but they used a balance attack with every batter besides Ryan Walker, the lead-off man, getting at least one hit. Chad Christensen plated three runs including two of them with two outs in an inning. The bottom three men in the order (JD Williams, Engelb Vielma, and Tanner Vavra) all drove in two runs. The Kernels went 9-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Ryan Eades was able to coast to his second straight win and he hasn't been charged with a loss since July 20th. He scattered nine hits and allowed two earned runs for his eighth victory. Josue Montanez got into a little bit of trouble as he allowed three runs in an inning of work. Hudson Boyd limited the Snappers to two base runners over the last two frames. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton --, Bristol -- Rain got in the way of this contest between the E-Twins and the Pirates. It was the second time in the tree game series that weather postponed due to rain. The game will be made-up as part of a double header on August 24th when the E-Twins return to Bristol. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 5 Box Score The GCL Twins were only out hit 11 to 10 but the team struggled to get runners across the plate. Overall the team went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and they left nine runners on base. Joel Polanco and Zack Larson each had a double as part of a two-hit day. Amaurys Minier reached base three different times but his teammates couldn't move him in to score. Zach Tillery took his second loss of the season after throwing three innings and allowing one earned run on four hits. He struck out two and walked one. Josh Burris relieved Tillery and four runs were scored against him but they were all unearned because of a couple defensive errors. Jhon Silva, Callan Pearce, and Miles Nordgren shut out the Rays offense the rest of the way. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler, New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Aderlin Mejia, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Durham @ Rochester (4:05 CST)- Completion of 8/12 Game Durham @ Rochester (30 minutes after Game 1) – Mark Hamburger (Listen) New Britain @ Trenton (6:05 CST) – Tyler Duffey (Listen) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (4:05 CST) – TBA (Listen) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (30 minutes after Game 1)- TBA Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00 CST) - Chih-Wei Hu (Listen) Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - John Curtiss GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and toread his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com

Monday night was a full night in the Twins minor league system, and each team provided impressive highlights. For Rochester, it was LHP Logan Darnell. For New Britain, pick between Miguel Sano and Danny Ortiz. For Ft. Myers, how about Dalton Hicks? Maybe Tyler Duffey? For Cedar Rapids, of course it was Adam Walker. Zach Granite gets the nod for Elizabethton. You can pick between Zach Larson, Chad Christensen and Amaurys Minier for the GCL picks, but you won’t pick their defense. Find out what those players did and how the minor league games went Monday night:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester 3, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score Logan Darnell has certainly experienced good and bad in his short time with the Red Wings. On this night, he was very good. The lefty went six shutout innings and gave up just four hits. He walked none and struck out two, needing only 65 pitches. Aaron Thompson came in and gave up one run on three hits in his two innings. Shairon Martis came on and pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save of the season. It was also Darnell’s first AAA win. Oswaldo Arcia remained hot in his return to the Red Wings. He went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth double. Chris Parmelee went 2-4. Game 1 – New Britain 4, Portland 5 Box Score Danny Ortiz continues to be overlooked as a prospect, but he was very good in this game. He went 3-3 with his 23rd double and his ninth home run. AJ Pettersen went 2-3 with his fourth double. Jordan Parraz hit his eighth home run. Miguel Sano was 1-2 with two walks. BJ Hermsen got a spot start in the front end of the double-header. He falls to 1-7 after giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks in 3.2 innings. Matt Hauser came on and gave up one run on two hits over 3.1 innings. He didn’t issue a walk and struck out five. Game 2 – New Britain 3, Portland 8 (9 innings) Box Score They needed a couple extra innings to decide the second game of the double- header. In the end, after five runs in the top of the ninth, there was no miracle comeback for the home team. DJ Baxendale made the start and threw well. In six innings, he gave up three runs (2 earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out four. Jose Gonzalez got the first two outs of the seventh. Cole Johnson got the final out of the seventh and worked a scoreless eighth frame. However, both batters he faced in the ninth hit solo home runs. He was replaced by Ryan O’Rourke who gave up three runs on three hits and a walk before getting out of the inning. Angel Morales went 2-3 with his third home run. Miguel Sano was 1-4, as he hit his ninth Rock Cats home run (and 25th overall, taking over the organizational lead from Chris Colabello). Ft. Myers 10, Brevard County 3 Box Score The Miracle offense exploded in this game. Dalton Hicks led the way. He went 3-4 with the second home run since his promotion, three RBI and two walks. Stephen Wickens went 3-4 with a walk and three RBI. Matt Koch was 2-5 with a walk and three RBI. Jhon Goncalves was 2-4 with a walk. Aderlin Mejia and former Gopher Mike Kvasnicka each added two hits. Tyler Duffey put together another quality start. He went the first seven innings and gave up three runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out a season-high ten batters. Nelvin Fuentes came on and threw two scoreless innings; he walked one and struck out one. Cedar Rapids 11, Ft. Wayne 4 Box Score The Kernels also put up big offensive numbers, though that happens on a nearly nightly basis. Speaking of things that happen on nearly a nightly basis, Adam Walker had another big game and hit another home run. The outfielder went 3-5 with his 22nd double and his 22nd home run. He drove in three runs to give him 88 RBI for the season. Michael Gonzales went 3-4 with a walk and his first double. Jorge Polanco went 3-5 with a walk. Max Kepler was 2-5. JO Berrios was on the mound and pitched well for the win. In six innings, he gave up three runs (2 earned) on eight hits and a walk; he struck out four. Tim Shibuya came on and gave up a run on two hits in his inning. Alex Muren walked one in a scoreless inning. Dallas Gallant walked one and struck out one in his inning. Elizabethton 3, Danville 3 (Game suspended after five innings) Box Score This rain-shortened game began poorly. Tanner Mendonca started and recorded just two outs. He gave up three runs on one hit and five walks. The two outs came on strikeouts. Andrew Ferreira went the next 3.1 innings without allowing a run. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out five. Austin Malinowski struck out two in the final inning. Zach Granite went 2-3 with his second double and second triple. GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 13 Box Score Pitching and defense win, right? Well, in this game, it was defense that cost the GCL Twins a win. The teams combined for ten errors- unfortunately, eight were by the Twins. Alex Wimmers got the start. He gave up one run on five hits in 3.1 innings. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out four. Brandon Easton got the final two outs of the fourth frame, but not before giving up six runs; three were earned. Derrick Penilla pitched the fifth and was charged with three runs (two earned) on three hits. Kohl Stewart came on and pitched the next two innings. He gave up three runs (one earned) on two hits and struck out two. Reyson Zoquiel gave up an unearned run in his inning. Josh Guyer didn’t give up a run in his inning despite a hit and two walks. Zach Larson went 3-4 with a walk. Chad Christensen went 3-5 with his fourth double. Amaurys Minier went 2-5 and launched his fifth home run of the season. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article