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Winning has been a trend throughout the Twins system this season. Entering play on Monday night, the Twins had the third highest winning percentage for any farm system. Twins affiliates have won 54.29% of their games and trail only the Astros and Mets for the top spot. Did Minnesota's affiliated teams continue their winning ways? There were multiple doubleheaders scheduled for Monday so you'll have to read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Toledo 2 Box Score Pat Dean pitching a complete game and limited the Mud Hens to two runs but he didn't get enough run support and was handed his ninth loss of the season. He scattered nine hits and walked two while striking out one. It was his third straight start of seven innings or more while allowing two earned runs or fewer. He's taken the loss in two of those three starts. The lone Rochester run came courtesy of a Reynaldo Rodriguez solo home run. Eric Farris matched Rodriguez with a 2-for-4 night at the plate. Jorge Polanco and Chris Herrmann both reached base twice with a pair of walks. The team had only three at-bats with runners in scoring position but they were held hitless in those RBI situations. With the loss, the Red Wings have lost five straight games and sit three games over .500. The club currently sits three games behind the Scranton/WB RailRiders for first place in the International League North Division. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Lakeland 1 (7 Innings) Box Score Aaron Slegers earned his eighth victory after pitching a seven inning complete game. He allowed one earned run on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks. It was his sixth straight start of pitching at least seven innings and allowing two earned runs or fewer. During that stretch, he has gone 4-1 while limiting opponents to one walk. Michael Quesada drove in a pair of runs to help add to the Miracle lead. Engelb Vielma and DJ Hicks finished the game with two hits, each having a double. T.J. White went 2-for-3 with a run scored. The team had more than enough offense to back the stellar pitching performance by Slegers. Fort Myers 1, Lakeland 6 (7 Innings) Box Score After the strong pitching performance from Slegers in the first half of the double- header, Chih-Wei Hu had a tough time on the mound. He allowed five earned runs on 10 hits while striking out six in less than five innings of work. Brian Gilbert, Tyler Jay, and Trevor Hildenberger put up zeros for the rest of the night but it was too big of a hole. No Miracle batter had more than one hit and none of the team's hits were for extra bases. Michael Quesada scored the lone run for the team. Engelb Vielma reached base twice and finished the doubleheader 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI, a run and a walk. E-Twins E-Notes E-Twins 0, Johnson City 4 (7 Innings) Box Score The E-Twins were held to three hits as no one on the team had more than one hit. Chris Paul reached base two times and cracked the team's lone extra-base hit, a double. A.J. Murray, Alex Perez, and Manuel Guzman each reached base two times. The team went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. Alexis Tapia pitched into the sixth inning but took the loss after allowing four runs, three earned, while striking out nine and walking three. Tyler Stirewalt pitched 1.1 innings without allowing a run. He struck out one and didn't walk any. The loss dropped the E-Twins to four games under .500. E-Twins 4, Johnson City 1 (7 Innings) Box Score The E-Twins struggled to get on the board in the first half of the doubleheader but they found a way to scratch out some hits in the second half. LaMonte Wade had a pair of hits including a double to go along with two RBI. Alex Perez scored two runs and hit his fourth double of the season. The E-Twins two through seven hitters each had at least one hit and the team left only four men on base. Onesimo Hernandez remained perfect on the season after throwing five innings of one-run ball. He struck out four and walked one and the lone run was scored on a solo home run. C.K. Irby picked up his first save after pitching two scoreless innings to close out the contest. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 2, GCL Rays 1 (Suspended- 2 Innings) Box Score The GCL Twins were scheduled for a doubleheader but they weren't able to get through two innings of work before rain interrupted play. Lewin Diaz and Jermaine Palacios each drove in a run before the rain came atumblin' down. Look for a full report on both of these games when the rain finally stops falling in Florida. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Slegers, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Engelb Vielma, Fort Myers Miracle TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Toldeo (6:00 CST) – RHP Jose Berrios Chattanooga vs. Pensacola (6:15 CST) – LHP Brett Lee Ft. Myers vs. Lakeland (6:05 CST) – RHP Ryan Eades Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 CST) – RHP Keaton Steele Elizabethton vs. Johnson City (6:00 CST) – TBA GCL Twins vs. GCL Rays (11:00 am CST) – TBA GCL Twins vs. GCL Rays (Completion of 7/27 Game) Click here to view the article

The Twins were on the West Coast, so tonight we’ll have the minor league report posted before the Twins game is over. It was a full day in the Twins farm system. One pitcher was perfect through five innings. Another pitcher has a streak that reached 14 on this night. There were a lot of multi-hit games in the system, but several players added to their walk totals. Finally, one Twins affiliate played for nearly five hours and needed 16 innings. Did they at least win?These topics and much more can be found as you work your way through today’s Minor League Report. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Gwinnett 5 Box Score Tyler Duffey started this game perfect. In fact, through five innings, he had not allowed a base runner. The perfect game, no hitter and shutout were all gone in the sixth inning. He went 6.1 innings and gave up four runs (two earned) on four hits. He walked none and struck out five. Alex Meyer came in with two runners on in the seventh. He allowed one to score on a groundout before giving up a two-run homer. Aaron Thompson and A.J. Achter each pitched a scoreless inning. Jorge Polanco went 2-4 with his fourth and fifth AAA doubles. Chris Herrmann also went 2-4. Reynaldo Rodriguez was 1-3 with a walk. Oswaldo Arcia went 1-4 with a double and two strikeouts. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Montgomery 8 (10 innings) Box Score The Lookouts played a morning game on Monday. They needed an extra inning and that tenth inning did not go well for the team. Alex Wimmers made the start. He went just three innings and gave up four runs. He gave up four hits, walked five and struck out three. Tim Shibuya replaced him and threw three scoreless innings. . Brandon Peterson threw two scoreless innings. Jake Reed pitched a scoreless ninth. With the score knotted at four after nine, DJ Johnson was tasked with the tenth inning. He gave up four runs on four hits and a walk in the inning to take the loss. The Lookouts managed just four hits in the game but they worked ten walks. Marcus Knecht led the way with three walks. Max Kepler and Kennys Vargas each walked twice in the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Jupiter 1 (16 innings) Box Score The Miracle game started about three hours before the Minnesota Twins game started in California. It ended as the Twins and Angels were playing in the sixth inning. The game was tied at one heading into the bottom of the 16th inning. T.J. White led off by reaching on an error. Jason Kanzler doubled him to third. Chad Christensen was intentionally walked to load the bases. Following a pitching change, Logan Wade flew out to right field. The right fielder made a diving catch but could not get up and throw to the plate quiclyk enough to get White. The Miracle won. In his second game back from an AC joint sprain, Engelb Vielma had two hits and a walk. He also stole his 22nd and 23rd bases. Ryan Walker went 2-6. Jason Kanzler had his seventh double, second triple and a walk. Chad Christensen went 2-5 and walked twice (both intentional). He also stole his 17th base. The interesting thing in minor league baseball is how pitching staffs get used in a long, extra innings game. The Miracle have plenty of experience. Before the short season leagues started, the Miracle would grab pitchers from extended spring training and use them. They may have to do the same after this one. Chih-Wei Hu had a very good start. He gave up just an unearned run on four hits and three walks in 6.1 innings. Corey Williams got the final two outs in the seventh. Zack Jones then struck out two over two hitless, scoreless innings. Dallas Gallant went the next 2.1 innings without allowing a run. He gave up a hit and walked two. He was replaced by Nick Burdi who struck out two in 1.2 hitless innings. Brian Gilbert came on to start the 14th inning. He went the next 2.2 innings without giving up a run. With two outs in the 16th inning, he was replaced by Todd Van Steensel who got the final out. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 2 Box Score In his second start of the season, Felix Jorge gave up one run and struck out nine in five innings. I mention that because on Tuesday, he made his 16th start of the season and just once has he not pitched at least six innings. In this game, he went seven innings and gave up just two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out seven. He improved to 5-3 with a 2.10 ERA. Luke Bard hit one batter over two scoreless innings to drop his season ERA to 1.44. The Kernels had 12 hits in the game and five players had multi-hit games. Tanner English went 2-4 with his fourth homer. Nick Gordon went 2-4 with his 13th and 14th doubles. Pat Kelly went 2-3 with a walk and two RBI. Recent newcomers Austin Diemer and Sean Miller each went 2-4. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Princeton 7 Box Score Alexis Tapia made the start for E-Town. The right-hander gave up four runs on seven hits (two home runs) over six innings. He struck out four. Anthony McIver gave up two runs on three hits in just one inning. Kuo Hua Lo gave up one run on one hit and one walk in two innings. Dan Kihle went 1-2 with three walks in the game. He was leading off and scored three runs. Manuel Guzman went 2-4. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-4 and knocked his first professional home run. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 4 Box Score The Twins fell behind early and were unable to catch up. Lachlan Wells started. He gave up four runs on six hits, a walk and a hit batter in 4.1 innings. He struck out two. Hector Lujan went the next 1.2 innings. He gave up a hit and a walk but no runs. Brandon Poulson got one out, but he gave up one hit and walked a batter. Miguel Gonzalez struck out two over the final 1.2 innings. Bryant Hayman led the offense. He went 3-4. Dalton Hicks, in another rehab appearance, went 1-4 with his second double and an RBI. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tanner English, Cedar Rapids Kernels WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnett @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – LHP Pat Dean Tennessee @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) – TBD Ft. Myers at Tampa (6:00 CST) – RHP Ryan Eades Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 CST) – RHP Ethan Mildren Princeton @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) – RHP Miles Nordgren GCL Twins vs GCL Rays (11:00 CST) - TBA Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

The Twins completed the sweep on the Orioles today and now have a two-and-a-half-game cushion in the wild card standings. They still trail the Royals by four-and-a-half games in the American League Central. You can learn all about the recently-drafted future-Twins in the Twins Draftbook, available for $2.99. It includes profiles on all 40 drafted players, including Zander Wiel, who will be official soon, pending a physical, and Puerto Rican LHP Jovani Moran, who signed today and received a bonus above slot.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Buffalo 5 Box Score The Red Wings jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the second inning when both Wilkin Ramirez and Carlos Paulino had RBI singles. Jose Berrios had a really impressive first five shutout innings, including eight strikeouts. The wheels fell off in the sixth, though. Berrios threw 19 pitches to five different batters. All five batters reached. All five batters scored. In the first five innings, Berrios allowed only four runners to reach base. So even though the line isn’t pretty, it wasn’t nearly as bad as his line looks. Regardless of how it looked though, a 2-0 lead soon became a 5-2 deficit. The Red Wings answered back in the sixth when Danny Ortiz doubled in Reynaldo Rodriguez to make the score 5-3. Rodriguez turned around in the seventh and drove in Jorge Polanco to make it 5-4. It would remain that way until the bottom of the ninth. Polanco doubled to start off the inning. A James Beresford walk and Oswaldo Arcia bloop single loaded the bases. Jose Martinez drew a walk to tie the game before Ortiz hit a well-placed two-hopper to the first baseman who couldn’t record an out. The Red Wings win in walk-off fashion. The bullpen trio of Mark Hamburger, Caleb Thielbar and Michael Tonkin combined to pitch four scoreless innings. Tonkin struck out two and earned the win. Both Ortiz and Polanco had three hits and they each doubled. Rodriguez had a double among his two hits. Polanco also committed his fifth error for the Red Wings. It’s only his fifth AAA game. The Red Wings are 46-40. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Jacksonville 1 (7 innings - rain shortened) Box Score The Lookouts took a rain-shortened victory from Jacksonville on Wednesday. After opening the game with a single, Levi Michael scored the game’s first run on an Aderling Mejia single. The Lookouts added three more runs in the second inning. Kennys Vargas led off the inning with a double and he advanced on a wild pitch. After a Mike Gonzales walk, Niko Goodrum drove Vargas in with a double. A two-base error off the bat of Levi Michael allowed both Gonzales and Goodrum to score. Two more runs crossed the plate in the fourth. Gonzales and Goodrum singled to start off the inning. Gonzales scored on an RBI groundout by Michael and Goodrum scored on Max Kepler’s 22nd double. David Hurlbut cruised through 6.2 innings before the game was delayed and then called for rain. Hurlbut allowed a first-inning run, striking out four, walking one and giving up seven hits. Max Kepler left the game after tweaking his shoulder, according to Darren Wolfson. Doogie says that Kepler is day-to-day. Interestingly enough, Kepler was replaced in right field by relief pitcher Tim Shibuya, who threw out a runner at second in the sixth inning. After a very slow start to the second half, the Lookouts have won two of three. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Jupiter 2 Box Score Chih-Wei Hu allowed one run on five hits in seven innings to earn the win. He struck out four. Nick Burdi picked up his second Miracle save with two innings of two-hit ball. He struck out two and allowed an unearned run to score. The Miracle scored one run in three separate innings: a first-inning Mitch Garver sac fly scored Zach Granite. An Engelb Vielma single in the third scored Zach Granite. And in the eighth inning, Vielma scored on a wild pitch. Ryan Walker had three singles and Marcus Knecht added a triple. Fort Myers improves to 48-36 on the season and 10-4 in the second half. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Beloit 1 Box Score Felix Jorge was the man on Wednesday. He pitched eight innings of six-hit, one-walk, shutout baseball, striking out seven. He picked up his fourth win and his ERA dropped to 2.00. Brandon Bixler pitched the ninth inning and allowed a run. The offense had two crooked-number innings: A three-run second and a five-run fifth. In the third inning, T.J. White drew a two-out walk to advance Jorge Fernandez to second. Fernandez reached on a fielder’s choice after Brett Doe had reached on an error. After Fernandez stole third base, Brian Navarreto singled him in. Rafael Valera then doubled to score White and Navarreto. In the fifth inning, Valera, Zack Larson and Nick Gordon had back-to-back-to-back singles. Edgar Corcino scored them with a grand slam. Max Murphy was hit by a pitch and later scored on a White single. Corcino led the offense with three hits. Larson, Gordon and Valera all had two. Gordon also committed his 12th error on the season. Cedar Rapids improves to 50-34 overall and 9-5 in the second half. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 2, Kingsport 8 Box Score Miles Nordgren got the start and left in good shape, allowing only an unearned run over five innings. He struck out three, allowing four hits and a walk. Anthony Mciver blew the “save” and took the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) in two innings. Josh Guyer also allowed four runs, but he only recorded three outs. E-town scored both of their runs in the sixth inning. Manuel Guzman hit a home run. Sean Miller followed that by drawing a walk and he was doubled home by LaMonte Wade. Wade also had a single, as did Brad Hartong, and that accounted for all four hits the team had. Wade committed his second error and Guzman his fourth. Elizabethton drops to 7-8. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 6 Box Score The GCL Twins jumped out to an early lead on Wednesday, but fell late to the GCL Orioles. The Twins affiliate scored two early in the second inning. Bryant (aka John) Hayman led off the inning with a double and Jermaine Palacios followed with a one-out walk. Both scored on a single by Robert Molina, helped by a fielding error on the play. One more run was added in the eighth inning when Jorge Andrade drove in Roberto Gonzalez. Palacios paced the offense with two of its six hits. Hayman’s double was the only extra-base hit. After a strong performances on Tuesday, Trey Cabbage and Travis Blankenhorn combined to go 0-8 with five strikeouts. Lachlan Wells started and allowed two runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out four in five innings. Stephen Pryor made his first multi-inning rehab appearance took the loss. He gave up three hits and two runs in two innings. Chris Mazza, also rehabbing, allowed two runs on four hits in one inning of work. The loss drops the GCL Twins to 9-6. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Danny Ortiz, Rochester THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Buffalo (6:05 CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey Chattanooga vs Mississippi (6:15 CST) – RHP Alex Wimmers Ft. Myers at Jupiter (11:05 CST) – RHP Ryan Eades Cedar Rapids at Beloit (7:00 CST) – RHP Ethan Mildren Elizabethton at Kingsport (6:00 CST) - RHP Andro Cutura GCL Twins vs GCL Orioles (11:00 CST) - TBS Feel free to leave any questions or comments below! Click here to view the article

Brian Dozier put the Minnesota Twins out front 1-0 immediately in the series opener with their cross-state rival Milwaukee Brewers, leading off the game with his fifteenth home run of the season. It was the eleventh time in his career he has led off a game in such fashion. Four of their six minor league teams also jumped out to leads after the first inning, but what happened next for the parent club after Dozier’s home run was repeated throughout the MLB action on the night.To find out how it all went down, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS First, there were some significant transactions on Friday. As reported yesterday, top pitching prospect Alex Meyer was promoted to the Twins to pitch out of their bullpen. The move was made official today and Meyer will be ready to make his major league debut in Milwaukee. That exciting news was also met with some bad news, as Byron Buxton is headed to the disabled list with a sprained thumb. The Twins recalled Danny Santana in his place. Also on the move to Rochester, is Aaron Hicks to begin a rehab assignment, and the Red Wings also activated Nate Hanson from their disabled list. On to the action from Friday night! RED WINGS REPORT Charlotte 3, Rochester 1 Box Score Lefthander Pat Dean was on the hill for Rochester, and was fantastic. In seven innings, he allowed just two runs while scattering seven hits and two walks. He struck out three. Both runs came in the third inning, as a couple of doubles scored one and a single scored the other. Charlotte’s starter was just as good, however. Erik Johnson bettered Dean with a line of: 7 IP, 4 Hits, 1 Run, 1BB, and 8 K’s. Johnson currently leads with International League with eighty-eight strikeouts, and was the league’s pitcher of the week coming into the game after two shutout performances in his prior two starts. The Red Wings lone run of the game came in the fifth, when a double from Carlos Paulino brought home Ryan Wheeler who had singled. As a team Rochester left just four men on base while going 1-4 with runners in scoring position, so their opportunities were very few and far between. James Beresford and Oswaldo Arcia picked up the other two hits. Aaron Hicks was 0-4 with two strikeouts in his first game of rehab. Lester Oliveros pitched a scoreless eighth inning, allowing one hit but striking out three. Michael Tonkin allowed one run on three hits in the ninth in his first appearance back with the Red Wings. He struck out one. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Montgomery 7 Box Score The Montgomery Biscuits handed the Lookouts the 2-0 lead after one inning as Levi Michael led off the game by getting hit with a pitch and stealing second base. Miguel Sano sent a pitch into center field that resulted in a fielding error that scored Michael and put him on second base. Max Kepler followed with an RBI single. Alex Wimmers was on the mound for Chattanooga coming off a 3-0 stretch in which he had allowed zero runs in seven plus innings each game, pitching 21.2 innings. Over that time he had given up just eight hits and six walks, while striking out twenty three. He was able to continue this scoreless stretch for four innings, but it was clear he didn’t have the same stuff as Montgomery managed four hits and three walks in those innings. They finally got to him in the fifth. A triple, sac fly, single, double, single and another sac fly tied the game at three before Wimmers was lifted for Brandon Peterson. He recorded a strikeout to end the inning. The Lookouts took back the lead in the seventh inning, when the Biscuit’s bullpen came into play. Sano came to the plate with runners on the corners, and put himself into scoring position with an RBI double. Kepler was then intentionally walked to load the bases before Travis Harrison picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice ground ball. An RBI single from Michael added another insurance run in the eighth to make the score 6-3, and fireballer Zach Jones came on to pitch. The leadoff man singled before consecutive strikeouts got the Biscuits manager ejected, but it may have sparked his team. Consecutive singles loaded the bases, and exactly what you hope doesn’t happen, did. Leadoff man Joey Rickard’s first home run of the year, in fifty-nine games played, was a grand slam to put Montgomery ahead 7-6. Sano led off the ninth inning with his third double of the game to put the tying run at second base, but he remained there on a Kepler strikeout, Harrison ground out to the pitcher, and a hit-by-pitch for Heiker Meneses. That brought big moment kingpin Adam Brett Walker to the batters box. In a cruel twist of fate, he drew a walk to load the bases. (They probably weren’t pitching much to him!) Stuart Turner wouldn’t get a chance to be a hero, as Walker was caught napping with his bases-loaded lead at first base, leading to snap-throw pickoff from Biscuits catcher Justin O’Connor to end the game. Michael (2-3, 2 R’s, RBI, BB), Sano (3-5, R, 3 2B’s, RBI), Kepler (2-4, 2 RBI, BB), and Niko Goodrum (2-4, R) picked up multiple hits for the Lookouts. MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte 4, Fort Myers 5 (15 innings) Box Score Fort Myers also jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning by taking advantage of a couple of walks. Zach Granite led off the game with one, Aderlin Mejia followed with a single and after an Alex Swim fielder’s choice, Marcus Knecht drew a walk to load the bases. Mitch Garver promptly cleared them with a double to make the score 3-0. Chih-Wei Hu made the start for the Miracle, and he began by striking out the side in the opening frame, the side including a rehabbing Grady Sizemore of the Philadelphia Phillies as the game’s first hitter. He’d allow a few singles but no runs going into the fourth inning, when the Stone Crabs struck back. A home run from Mike Marjama would make the score 3-1 after the fourth, and in the fifth two doubles around a Sizemore single tied the game at three. Hu finished six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, but struck out ten Stone Crabs hitters along the way. Those ten strikeouts matched his season high back on April 17th. Brian Gilbert came on for the seventh and started the inning with a walk. That brought up Sizemore who doubled down the right field line to bring in a run, giving Charlotte a 4-3 lead. The eighth inning marked the professional debut of the Twins 2015 first-round draft pick, lefthander Tyler Jay from the University of Illinois. I checked in to the Fort Myers broadcast to catch the action, and I liked what I heard. The first batter he faced doubled to left field, but Jay worked around it, getting the next three batters, including a strikeout on an 86 MPH, hard breaking slider. He had a brisk pace and utilized a consistent 94-96 MPH fastball, and another one of his sliders registered at 88. Congrats on a successful debut, Tyler! Todd Van Steensel came on for the top of the ninth, and had a one-two-three inning, including another strikeout of Sizemore. The Miracle weren’t able to manage much after the first inning. From the second inning through the eighth, they registered just three hits and were unable to string any of them together to add any runs to the scoreboard. Then they almost walked it off in the ninth. Down by one, Garver was hit by a pitch and replaced on the bases by Jason Kanzler to start the frame. Bryan Haar followed with a single, and a bunt attempt by Chad Christensen was misplayed on the force play at third, loading the bases with the winning run in scoring position. The first opportunity went to Logan Wade. His groundball to short with the infield in led to a force out at home for the inning's first out. Engelb Vielma then grounded one to short resulting in the same outcome. Zach Granite was be next. His line drive single to center field brought in Christensen and Wade was waved around third, but the throw from center field beat him to the plate to end the inning, sending it to extra-innings. Leftfielder Marcus Knecht was a defensive hero in the tenth, as he made a nice running catch on the first hitter of the frame to rob a base hit, and recorded the final out on a leaping, crashing-into-the-wall catch to rob a potential go-ahead home run. Guess who was coming up the next inning? Knecht didn’t bring the game-winner home in this at-bat, or his next, but in the fifteenth inning he stepped to the plate again with the bases loaded. He literally walked it off this time, drawing a free pass to push the game-winning run across the plate. In a strange statistical anomaly, it was the fourth time this season he has picked up an RBI with a bases-loaded walk. In extra innings, Van Steensel combined with Alex Muren and Matt Summers to keep the Stone Crabs off the scoreboard. Muren went three innings, allowing four hits but no runs because of five strikeouts, and Summers got credited with the win with two perfect innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 4, Cedar Rapids 3 (10 innings) Box Score As is the theme, the Kernels also took a first inning lead against the first half division winning Quad Cities River Bandits in this one. Top draft pick Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros was also making his professional debut for the opposing squad. Cedar Rapids begin the game with walks to Edgar Corcino and Nick Gordon, and a single from Zack Larson loaded the bases. Alex Real then brought in the first run of the game with another single, and a T.J. White groundout allowed Gordon to scamper home for a 2-0 lead after one inning. Ethan Mildren made the start for Cedar Rapids and kept Quad Cities off balance all night. He scattered five hits and two walks over six innings while striking out three and allowing no damage to the scoreboard. It was still 2-0 Kernels when he was relieved by Luke Westphal to start the seventh. A leadoff triple led to a 2-1 game on a groundout to Gordon at shortstop. The Kernels got the run back in the bottom half of the inning when White lined a double to left field, and went station to station on groundouts from Jorge Fernandez and Brian Navarreto to make the score 3-1. Trevor Hildenberger came in to pitch the eighth, and was not his usual unhittable self. He picked up a strikeout on his first, fourth, and seventh hitters of the inning, but in between four singles pushed two runs across home plate to tie the game at three. Hildenberger was charged with his first blown save of the year. He would come back out for the ninth inning, and although he escaped with no further damage, he was struck with two more base hits. Out to pitch in extra innings, was the also recently unhittable Randy LeBlanc, who brought with him a twenty-six inning scoreless streak. He made it 26.1 innings to set the season high for the Kernels, but got no further. A triple to the second batter of the inning put the runner is prime scoring position for a sac fly and 4-3 River Bandits lead. In the bottom half, Cedar Rapids got the tying run in scoring position, but a Gordon fly out and Larson strikeout ended the game in ten. Alex Real (2-4, RBI) and White (2-4, R, 2B, RBI) picked up multiple hits, and Corcino reached base three times via walk to lead the offense. They were outhit thirteen to five as a team. E-TOWN E-NOTES Pulaski 1, Elizabethton 4 Box Score Like their big-brother affiliates, the Elizabethton Twins also struck in the first frame for an early lead. Fortunately for them, they were able to hang onto that lead, and were never really threatened. Their three runs in the first came on a three-run home run from Tyler Kuresa, his second in three games. It was more than enough as Twins starting pitcher Andro Cutura allowed just three hits to Pulaski in five innings. He walked two and struck out six. Relievers Anthony Mciver, Alex Robinson, and Jose Abreu did not allow any other hits to finish the game. Mciver struck out two in two perfect innings. Robinson hit a batter and walked two to load the bases for Abreu, who then hit a batter to bring in Pulaski’s only run. He retired the next three hitters to escape the inning and worked a perfect ninth, striking out the final hitter of the game to pick up the save. Elizabethton’s fourth run scored on a Kamron Young single in the seventh to score Nelson Molina. Lamonte Wade was only hitter in the lineup to record multiple hits, going 2-4. A.J. Murray added a double. GCL TWINS TAKES Twins 1, Red Sox 5 Box Score There was little offense for the Twins in this one, as they managed just four hits, leaving six men on base, and were 1-4 with runners in scoring position. Two of those four hits came from fourth-round draft choice Trey Cabbage, who played third base in this contest. He also picked up their only RBI by driving in catcher Brian Olson, who had tripled in front of him in the ninth inning. Leadoff man Luis Martinez added a double. Luis Hernandez started the game for the Twins, and was roughed up to the tune of six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks in just 2.1 innings. He did strike out three. Moises Gomez, Callan Pearce and Brandon Poulson combined to finish the final 5.2 innings, allowing no runs on five hits and one walk. Poulson struck out two in the eighth inning after the first man up reached base on a Cabbage throwing error from third. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Chih-Wei Hu, Fort Myers Miracle (6 IP, 8 H’s, 3 ER’s, 0 BB’s, 10 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano, Chattanooga Lookouts (3-5, R, 3 2B’s, RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Charlotte @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Tyler Duffey (2-4, 3.35 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (6:35 PM CST) – LHP Brett Lee (0-1, 5.09 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CST) – TBD Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Keaton Steele (2-2, 3.16 ERA) Pulaski @ Elizabethton (5:00 PM CST) – RHP Cody Stashak (0-0, -.-- ERA, 13th Round Pick out of St. Johns) GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (9:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday’s games. Click here to view the article

Starting pitching has been much improved so far this season for the Twins. Few would argue that getting quality starts is the most important thing for a team that wants to win. After reviewing the top minor league hitters and relief pitchers in recent days, today we review the top starting pitcher performances in the month of May. In this list there are a few of the Twins top starting pitcher prospects and names that we saw in April. Sustaining success at a level shows a lot, and often leads to promotions around this time of the season. We saw that with some of the starters mentioned below.With that, let's get to know these starting pitchers. Below are the Top 5 Starting Pitchers for May. We begin, however, with a few players deserving of mention. Rochester LHP Pat Dean – 6 GS, 3-3, 3.07 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 41.0 IP, 45 H, 7 BB, 11 KChattanooga/Rochester – RHP Tyler Duffey – 6 GS, 2-2, 2.56 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 38.2 IP, 37 H, 9 BB, 37 KFt. Myers LHP Brett Lee – 5 GS, 1-2, 2.70 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 33.1 IP, 29 H, 12 BB, 16 KCedar Rapids/Ft. Myers LHP Mat Batts – 4 GS, 1-1, 1.96 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 21 H, 7 BB, 23 KTOP 5 STARTING PITCHERS IN MAY Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – RHP Felix Jorge - 5 GS, 2-1, 2.97 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 30.1 IP, 25 H, 4 BB, 20 K 21-year-old Jorge really struggled in his early-season showing with the Kernels last year but went on to be the Appy League Pitcher of the Year. He came back to Cedar Rapids this year and has been very good. Overall, the lanky right-hander is 3-2 with a 2.42 ERA. In 48.1 innings over eight starts, he has a 0.93 WHIP due to just 36 hits and nine walks. He has very good mechanics and sits in the low-90s. He has a good feel for pitching. Number 4 – Chattanooga – RHP JO Berrios - 6 GS, 4-1, 2.61 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 41.1 IP, 33 H, 9 BB, 42 K May is a big month for JO Berrios. On the 27th, he turned 21 years old. On the 15th, his daughter turned one. I believe even his wife’s birthday is on the 13th, and on that day, he threw a nine-inning, complete game, two-hit shutout at Birmingham. He was able to go at least six innings in all but one of this six starts. Through the end of May, Berrios had gone 6-2 with a 2.84 ERA. Opponents had hit just .242/.305/.360 off of him in May. He continues to pitch in the low-to-mid 90s with really good secondary pitches and control. Berrios has solidified himself as the Twins top pitching prospect. Could a move to Rochester be imminent? Number 3 – Ft. Myers/Rochester – RHP Chih-Wei Hu - 4 GS, 2-0, 0.78 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 16 H, 7 BB, 18 K Hu had a very interesting month. The right-hander from Taiwan made two starts at Ft. Myers before it was announced that he was going to make a spot start for the AAA Rochester Red Wings. Hu pitched better than anyone could have hoped or expected. He gave up just one run on two hits in six innings. He walked four, but he also struck out six. He quickly returned to Ft. Myers where he didn’t make his next start for 11 days. He didn’t miss a beat. He gave up two runs (one earned) in that start. The stocky right-hander tops out about 95 mph though he sits 91-93. He’s got a palm ball, a couple of breaking pitches and everything he throws gets a lot of movement. Number 2 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Stephen Gonsalves - 5 GS, 3-1, 1.61 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 28.0 IP, 16 H, 9 BB, 36 K Gonsalves was our choice for Starting Pitcher of the Month for April. Overall, he is now 6-1 with a 1.15 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP in nine starts this year for Cedar Rapids. He has dominated the Midwest League all year. In fact, his only loss came on May 1. In that start, he gave up two runs over seven innings. However, that was the game that the Kernels were no-hit by Clinton. Batters hit .165/.257/.206 (.463) in the month of May. Gonsalves has an advanced baseball and pitching knowledge. He is tall, strong and has the pitches and good control to be very successful as he continues to advance and grow. He won’t turn 21 for another month, so he’s got a lot of room yet for growth. Following his June 1 start, he announced that he has been promoted to Ft. Myers to continue his season. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Rochester Red Wings – LHP Tommy Milone - 5 GS, 4-0, 0.70 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 38.2 IP, 25 H, 3 BB, 47 K At the end of April, when Ricky Nolasco came off of the disabled list, the Twins needed to open up a spot in the starting rotation. The decision was made to have Tommy Milone continue to start, so he was sent back to Rochester because he had an option remaining. Understandably, he was disappointed, but he said all the right things. He also performed on the field as you would hope. OK, that’s not true. There’s no way that there could be any hope that he would be as incredible as he has been with the Red Wings. In his first start, he threw 6.1 shutout innings. He just got better from there. In start number two, he threw eight shutout innings. Then he threw his first professional complete game shutout. In his next start, he went another 8.1 innings without giving up a run before giving up a solo home run with an out in the ninth. To summarize, he went 37.2 innings without giving up a run in AAA. In those 31.2 scoreless innings, he gave up just 20 hits, walked two and struck out 41. He made one more start in May and pitched “just” a regular quality start. He gave up two runs in seven innings. Milone was promoted to the Twins and will make the start in Boston this afternoon (Thursday). Before the game, Ricky Nolasco will throw a bullpen and the team will determine whether or not he will go on the disabled list. If they decide that Nolasco is all right, he will start on Saturday. That means that this could be a spot start for Milone with the Twins and he could be returned to the Red Wings after the game. If Nolasco does go on the DL, Milone will have at least a couple more opportunities to stake his claim on a rotation spot with the Twins. The 28 year old is a big league pitcher. He’s not a AAA pitcher and he’s not a AAAA pitcher. He should be in a starting rotation. It’s strange for the Twins and their fans to have pitchers throwing so well that a legit big league starter is sitting in AAA waiting for an opportunity. However, because he was in the minor leagues for the full month, his incredible numbers simply can’t be ignored. What a tremendous month for the left-hander. Please feel free to post your comments on Milone, Gonsalves, Hu, Berrios, Jorge and the rest of the Twins minor league starting pitchers who pitched well in May. Let us know what you think. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates have all reached the 40-game plateau this week. Their seasons are nearly 30% complete. Each week, we have been posting the Twins Minor League Leader Board in the Saturday morning Minor League Report. This week, we’re going to post it on its own and see how it goes. Each week, we look at a variety of statistics to recognize the Twins minor leaguers who have performed well in 2015. We will start with the hitters and then look at both the starting pitchers and bullpen arms. These lists are fun because sometimes players emerge as guys that you will want to start paying attention to. In the below lists, we are starting to see more of the big-name prospects showing up, which is also a good thing.For most statistical categories, we’ll look at the top 5 players, though some leeway is given in the event of ties (or just common sense). For hitters, I am using 130 plate appearances as the cut off for BA, OBP, SLG and OPS. For pitchers, we’ll look at ERA, WHIP, K/9 and BB/9. I am using 32.0 innings as the cutoff for starters and 14.0 innings as the cutoff for relief pitchers. Here is the Minnesota Twins Minor League Leader Board through games played on Friday, May 22. HITTERS Let’s start with the hitters. When we ran these leader boards after two, three or four weeks, there were several surprising names on these lists. There is a lot of randomness to small sample size. However, now we are to the point where most regulars have between 150 and 170 plate appearances. Not a huge sample, but again, about 30% of their season. Some of those early-season names have remained. Plate Appearances: Niko Goodrum (190), Byron Buxton (184), Zach Granite (183), Miguel Sano/Max Murphy (170). Batting Average: Trey Vavra (.345), James Beresford (.344), Alex Swim (.338), Max Kepler (.336), Zach Granite (.320) On-Base Percentage: Zach Granite (.413), Trey Vavra (.401), Max Kepler (.381), James Beresford (.380), Travis Harrison (.373) Isolated Discipline: Tanner English (.130), Mitch Garver (.128), Miguel Sano (.108), Niko Goodrum (.103), Travis Harrison (.097) (I like this statistic because it’s easy to calculate, but it also shows which hitters are not as reliant on getting hits to get on base. It is simply (OBP-BA). A guy can have a low batting average, but he can still have value if he’s getting on base at a good percentage. Kernels center fielder Tanner English is hitting just .220, but he is on base 35% of the time thanks to a good eye at the plate. Miguel Sano gets on base because a lot of pitchers don’t want to throw him any more strikes than they have to.) Slugging Percentage: Trey Vavra (.545), Adam Brett Walker (.533), Max Kepler (.520), Byron Buxton (.497), Miguel Sano (.472) Isolated Power (IsoP): Adam Brett Walker (.286), Byron Buxton (.240), Miguel Sano (.233), Trey Vavra/Danny Ortiz (.200) (Like Isolated Discipline, Isolate Power is easy to calculate. It is just (SLG-BA). In other words, how many extra base hits is the player getting? How much power is he showing? Again, it’s showing that a player can be valuable even if he doesn't hit for high average. No surprise at all with who is on top of this list, is it? Lots of home runs, doubles and triples on that list.) OPS: Trey Vavra (.946), Max Kepler (.901), Adam Brett Walker (.830), Miguel Sano (.819), Byron Buxton (.807) Hits: Alex Swim (51), Trey Vavra (.50), Zach Granite (49), Jorge Polanco (47), James Beresford (44) 2B: Travis Harrison (15), Max Kepler (13), Aaron Hicks/Chad Christensen (10), 4 tied with 9. 3B: Byron Buxton (10), Aaron Hicks (4), Levi Michael/Max Murphy/Tanner English/TJ White (3) HR: Adam Brett Walker (11), Miguel Sano (8), Trey Vavra/Danny Ortiz (6), Byron Buxton/Brock Peterson (5) Runs: Byron Buxton (31), Miguel Sano/Zach Granite (29), Adam Brett Walker/Travis Harrison (27), Nick Gordon (26) RBI: Byron Buxton (33), Adam Brett Walker (32), Trey Vavra/Danny Ortiz (27), Miguel Sano/Zack Larson (24) SB: Tanner English/Zach Granite (13), Byron Buxton (12), Jason Kanzler/Engelb Vielma (10). STARTING PITCHERS (>32 IP) Innings: Taylor Rogers (55.0), Pat Dean (54.2), Tyler Duffey (52.2), JO Berrios (50.0), DJ Baxendale/Jason Wheeler (47.0) ERA: Chih-Wei Hu (1.10), Stephen Gonsalves (1.50), Felix Jorge (2.13), Brett Lee (2.14), Mat Batts (2.21) WHIP: Stephen Gonsalves (0.81), Chih-Wei Hu (0.85), Felix Jorge (0.95), Mat Batts (1.03), Tyler Duffey (1.10) K/9: Stephen Gonsalves (11.6), JO Berrios (10.4), Mat Batts (9.7), Alex Meyer (9.4), Chih-Wei Hu/Tyler Duffey (9.2) BB/9: Greg Peavey (1.5), Pat Dean (1.6), John Curtiss (1.7), Aaron Slegers (1.8), Felix Jorge (1.9) Strikeouts: JO Berrios (58), Tyler Duffey/Stephen Gonsalves (54), Mat Batts/Taylor Rogers (44), Chih-Wei Hu 42) RELIEF PITCHERS (>14 IP, Innings: Zach Tillery (27.1), Todd Van Steensel (26.0), Alex Muren (25.2), Brandon Peterson/Randy LeBlanc (23.0) ERA: Trevor Hildenberger (0.40), Cameron Booser (0.93), Brandon Peterson (1.17), Madison Boer (1.40), Lester Oliveros (1.86) WHIP: Trevor Hildenberger (0.49), AJ Achter (0.63), Zach Tillery (0.81), Madison Boer (0.90), Tim Shibuya (0.92), Zack Jones (0.93) K/9: Cameron Booser (15.4), Zack Jones (14.1), Lester Oliveros (14.0), Todd Van Steensel (13.8), Brandon Peterson (13.3) BB/9: Trevor Hildenberger (1.2), Zack Jones (1.3), Tim Shibuya (1.7), Jake Reed (2.1), Cole Johnson (2.2) Saves: Zack Jones (6), AJ Achter/Michael Tonkin (5), Cameron Booser/Trevor Hildenberger/Todd Van Steensel (4) There you have it. The Twins Minor League Leader Board through Friday, May 22. What do you think? What surprises you? Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates will pass the 50-game plateau this week. Each week, we will be posting the Twins Minor League Leaderboard in the Saturday morning. From week to week, we can see several things change on these lists. A hot week. A cold week. An injury.For most statistical categories, we’ll look at the Top 5 players, though some leeway is given in the event of ties (or just common sense). For hitters, I am using 140 plate appearances as the cutoff for BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, IsoD and IsoP. For pitchers, we’ll look at ERA, WHIP, K/9 and BB/9. I am using 32.0 innings as the cutoff for starters and 16.0 innings as the cutoff for relief pitchers. Here is the Minnesota Twins Minor League Leader Board through games played on Friday, May 29. HITTERS As you can see, some players have now passed 200 plate appearances for the season. The sample size is starting to get larger. Many of the same names are appearing on these lists. Feel free to comment below on what stands out to you. Plate Appearances: Niko Goodrum (213), Byron Buxton (209), Zach Granite (208), Max Murphy (201), Nick Gordon (194) Batting Average: Trey Vavra (.346), Alex Swim (.339), James Beresford (.324), Zach Granite (.320), Max Kepler/Jorge Polanco (.315), On-Base Percentage: Trey Vavra (.406), Zach Granite (.402), Travis Harrison (.377), Alex Swim (.368), James Beresford (.365), Isolated Discipline: Mitch Garver (.131), Tanner English (.125), Niko Goodrum (.106), Miguel Sano (.102), Michael Gonzales (.094), Travis Harrison (.092) (I like this statistic because it’s easy to calculate, but it also shows which hitters are not as reliant upon getting hits to get on base. It is simply (OBP-BA). A guy can have a low batting average, but he can still have value if he’s getting on base at a good percentage.) Slugging Percentage: Adam Brett Walker (.541), Trey Vavra (.538), Byron Buxton (.511), Danny Ortiz (.506), Max Kepler (.493), Miguel Sano (.490) Isolated Power (IsoP): Adam Brett Walker (.288), Byron Buxton (.245), Miguel Sano (.248), Danny Ortiz (.226), Trey Vavra (.192) (Like Isolated Discipline, Isolated Power is easy to calculate. It is just (SLG-BA). In other words, how many extra base hits is the player getting? How much power is he showing? Again, it’s showing that a player can be valuable even if he doesn't hit for high average.) OPS: Trey Vavra (.944), Max Kepler (.852), Adam Brett Walker (.846), Danny Ortiz (.839), Byron Buxton (.836), Miguel Sano (.835), Hits: Alex Swim (59), Zach Granite/Jorge Polanco (57), Trey Vavra (54), Byron Buxton (50), James Beresford (48) 2B: Max Kepler (16), Travis Harrison (15), Danny Ortiz (12), Adam Brett Walker/Reynaldo Rodriguez (11), 5 Tied with 10. 3B: Byron Buxton (11), Max Murphy/Tanner English (5), Aaron Hicks (4), Levi Michael/TJ White/Pat Kelly (3) HR: Adam Brett Walker (12), Miguel Sano (9), Danny Ortiz (7), Trey Vavra/Byron Buxton (6), Josmil Pinto/Brock Peterson (5) Runs: Byron Buxton (37), Zach Granite (34), Max Murphy (32), Adam Brett Walker/Miguel Sano (31), Nick Gordon (30) RBI: Adam Brett Walker (39), Byron Buxton (34), Danny Ortiz (32), Miguel Sano/Zack Larson (30), Trey Vavra (28) SB: Tanner English (16), Byron Buxton (14), Zach Granite (13), Niko Goodrum/Nick Gordon/Engelb Vielma (11). STARTING PITCHERS (>36 IP) Innings: Tyler Duffey (64.1), Taylor Rogers (62.0), Pat Dean (54.2), JO Berrios (63.1), Pat Dean (61.0), Greg Peavey (53.0) ERA: Chih-Wei Hu (1.10), Stephen Gonsalves (1.31), Mat Batts (2.08), Pat Dean (2.36), Felix Jorge (2.42), WHIP: Stephen Gonsalves (0.79), Chih-Wei Hu (0.85), Felix Jorge (0.93), Aaron Slegers (0.97), Mat Batts (1.03) K/9: Stephen Gonsalves (12.4), JO Berrios (9.9), Alex Meyer (9.7), Chih-Wei Hu (9.2), Mat Batts (8.9), Tyler Duffey/Alex Wimmers/John Curtiss (8.8) BB/9: Aaron Slegers (1.5), John Curtiss/Felix Jorge (1.7), Pat Dean (1.8), Tyler Duffey/Greg Peavey (2.0), Strikeouts: JO Berrios (70), Stephen Gonsalves (66), Tyler Duffey (63), Mat Batts/Taylor Rogers (47) Wins: JO Berrios (6-2), Chih-Wei Hu (5-0), Stephen Gonsalves (5-1), Pat Dean (5-3) RELIEF PITCHERS (>16 IP, Games: AJ Achter (21), Alex Muren/Brandon Peterson/JT Chargois (17), Madison Boer/Zack Jones/Todd Van Steensel (16). Innings: Alex Muren (28.1), Todd Van Steensel (27.1), Randy LeBlanc (27.0), Madison Boer/Trevor Hildenberger (26.2), Brandon Peterson (25.0) ERA: Trevor Hildenberger (0.34), Cameron Booser (0.81), Brandon Peterson (1.08), Zack Jones (1.56), Mike Theofanopoulos (1.82), Lester Oliveros (1.99) WHIP: Trevor Hildenberger (0.49), AJ Achter (0.60), Zack Jones (0.92), Tim Shibuya (0.97), Madison Boer (0.98), Cameron Booser (0.99) K/9: Cameron Booser (14.1), Lester Oliveros/Todd Van Steensel (13.5), Brandon Peterson (12.6), Cole Johnson (11.8), Zack Jones (11.4), JT Chargois (11.2), Trevor Hildenberger (11.1) BB/9: Trevor Hildenberger (1.2), Zack Jones (1.3), Tim Shibuya (1.7), Jake Reed (2.1), Cole Johnson (2.2) Saves: Zack Jones/AJ Achter (7), Michael Tonkin/Cameron Booser/Trevor Hildenberger (5), JT Chargois/Todd Van Steensel (4). There you have it. The Twins Minor League Leader Board through Friday, May 29. What are your thoughts? What surprised you? Click here to view the article

We know that Twins Daily readers follow the Twins farm system each day with these reports. I would imagine you were equally excited to see Eddie Rosario promoted to the big leagues, and even more excited when he launched the first MLB pitch he saw into the bleachers in left centerfield. His Rochester Red Wings didn’t get much offense, and neither did the potent bats in Chattanooga. Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids have been really struggling to generate offense, but on this night, they both got strong hitting to go with their usually stellar pitching.Read below for all of the scores and highlights from the Twins minor league system, starting with some transactions. TRANSACTIONS Rochester lost Doug Bernier as he was promoted to the Twins.Levi Michael was put on the 7-day disabled list with his ankle sprain.After the game, the Miracle promoted Madison Boer to ChattanoogaBefore the Miracle game, Brandon Peterson and Todd Van Steensel were sent to extended spring training while Jose Velez and Alexis Tapia came across the parking lot to play for the Miracle. (As they had done earlier in the year; this is procedural after the Miracle played two more extra innings games prior to Wednesday.)RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Indianapolis 3 Box Score Minor league teams rarely fly. Those long bus rides are famous, or infamous, in the minors. However, the International League is spread all over the eastern half of the country. The Red Wings had an early-morning flight to Indianapolis. Pat Dean made the start and the left-hander went the first 5.2 innings. He gave up three runs on nine hits and three walks. He struck out just one. Mark Hamburger made his return to the bullpen and got five outs. He gave up no runs despite giving up two hits and a walk. Ryan O’Rourke got the final two outs. The Red Wings didn’t produce much offense on this day. They had six hits, but were able to cross home plate just once. That happened on a solo home run off the bat of Josmil Pinto. The Red Wings saw a couple of old friends in this game. Right-hander Deolis Guerra got the win. He gave up three hits and struck out one in 2.1 innings out of the bullpen. Third baseman Deibinson Romero went 2-4 with two doubles. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 4 Box Score The Lookouts got close but weren’t able to catch Jackson on this night, falling by one. Alex Wimmers made the start. He gave up two runs on three hits over six innings. He walked four and struck out seven. Tim Shibuya came on and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in his two innings. Cole Johnson struck out two in his perfect inning. Max Kepler went 2-4 in the game. In the bottom of the ninth, he drove a ball that was caught at the wall in center field. Travis Harrison had a walk and his eighth double. Adam Brett Walker added an RBI double. Byron Buxton’s eight-game hitting streak came to an end after an 0-4 night. He did have an RBI. Miguel Sano went 0-3 and walked once. He also committed his sixth error. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 9, Bradenton 0 Box Score The Miracle scored three runs in the first inning. In the third, they put up a five-spot. They received very good pitching and got a needed win, in regulation. The top four hitters in the Miracle lineup each had two hits. Zach Granite, Engelb Vielma and Alex Swim went 2-5. Brian Haar was 2-4. Niko Goodrum provided power with his two-run home in the first inning. It was his fourth of the season. Tanner Vavra added his second double. Chih-Wei Hu made the start. The right-hander from Taiwan threw five shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out two. He needed just 79 pitches and 51 of them were strikes. Lefty Jose Velez came on and struck out four (and walked none) in three perfect innings. Right-hander Alexis Tapia gave up a hit in a scoreless inning. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Wisconsin 2 Box Score Through five innings, the score of this game was 2-2. John Curtiss worked the first six, got a lead, and then the two most dominant relievers in the Midwest League came on to, well, dominate the final three innings and close out the team’s 16th win. Curtiss was charged with two runs on six hits in those six innings. He struck out eight without issuing a walk. Trevor Hildenberger came on and struck out three in two perfect innings. Cam Booser got the final three batters out, two of them on strikeouts. Hildenberger’s season ERA now sits at 0.60 while Booser’s is at 0.69. The Kernels scored three runs in the sixth and another three runs in the seventh to take control of this game. Max Murphy led the way. He went 3-5 with his third triple and three RBI. Trey Vavra went 3-5. He also had another outfield assist. Tanner English added a double. Rainis Silva, who was recently promoted when Brian Navarreto went on the DL, went 1-3 with a walk. He doubled in his first MWL at bat. The 19-year-old is the youngest player on the Kernels roster, about five months younger than Nick Gordon. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jose Velez, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Indianapolis (10:05 am CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – RHP Ethan Mildren Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:30 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

Yesterday, we looked at the top minor league relievers in the Twins farm system in April. Today, we turn our attention to the starting pitchers who got off to a strong start. There were some really good ones. As you see, there are four honorable mentions who posted an ERA below 2.20. That can tell you how well the top four performed during the month.With that, let's get to know these starting pitchers. Below are the Top 4 Starting Pitchers for April. We begin with a few players deserving of mention. Rochester LHP Taylor Rogers – 4 GS, 2-0, 2.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 27.1 IP, 20 H, 10 BB, 23 KFt. Myers RHP Ryan Eades – 3 GS, 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 18.0 IP, 16 H, 4 BB, 9 KCedar Rapids LHP Mat Batts – 4 GS, 2-1, 2.19 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 24.2 IP, 16 H, 5 BB, 24 KCedar Rapids RHP Felix Jorge – 3 GS, 1-1, 1.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 18.0 IP, 11 H, 5 BB, 24 KTOP 4 STARTING PITCHERS IN APRIL Number 4 – Chattanooga – RHP D.J. Baxendale - 4 GS, 2-0, 1.07 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 25.1 IP, 21 H, 6 BB, 24 K When he has been healthy, DJ Baxendale has been a very good starting pitcher. The problem is that he hasn’t been healthy for a couple of years, really since the beginning of the 2013 season. He appears to be at 100% again to start the 2015 season, and he is pitching very well for the Lookouts. He’s got a full mix of pitches and has been able to miss bats this year as well. Number 3 – Rochester – LHP Pat Dean - 3 GS, 2-0, 0.90 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 12 H, 5 BB, 22 K Dean was the Twins third-round pick in the 2010 draft out of Boston College. By the end of the 2011 season, he was pitching in AA. However, aside from six starts in 2013, he has remained in AA the last two years. This year, he has made the move to AAA, but he wasn’t even in the Red Wings starting rotation to start the season. However, Trevor May got promoted before he made a start and Dean took his place. He’s been lights out through April. In his first three starts, he had allowed just two earned runs in 20 innings. In nearly 500 innings between High-A and AA, he averaged 4.9 strikeouts per nine innings. So his 22 strikeouts in 20 innings is noteworthy. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – RHP Chih-Wei Hu - 4 GS, 3-0, 1.50 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 24.0 IP, 14 H, 3 BB, 28 K Hu gave up two runs in five innings in his first start of the season. In his next three April starts, he gave up two earned runs in 19 innings. He was a bit of a surprise in 2014 when he spent two-and-a-half months in Extended Spring Training. He went 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in three starts with Elizabethton. He moved up to Cedar Rapids where he went 7-2 with a 2.29 ERA. Hu will be 21 years old throughout the 2014 season. He’s got all the pitches, including a palm ball. He throws 91 to 93 mph and touches 94 and 95, and everything he throws moves a lot. Opponents hit just .167 against him in April and he had more than a strikeout each inning. Most months, that would earn him the Pitcher of the Month award. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Cedar Rapids Kernels – LHP Stephen Gonsalves - 3 GS, 2-0, 0.90 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 11 H, 2 BB, 30 K The Twins got, potentially, the steal of the 2013 draft when they selected lefty Stephen Gonsalves in the fourth round of the draft. He dominated in the GCL and at Elizabethton that year. In 2013, he made 14 starts between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids and was very good. After making eight starts for the Kernels at the end of 2014, he returned to Iowa to start this season. He gave up a run in six innings in his first start. He has gone seven innings in each of his three starts since. In his 20 April innings, he issued just two walks and struck out 30. Opponents hit just .174 against him during the month. He has been impressive on several levels. First, just look at those April numbers again. They’re remarkable. Secondly, the San Diego native says that he had never made a start when the game time temperature is under 60 degrees. Gonsalves said, “I was pretty fortunate. My first two starts I pitched with warm weather and was able to sit during the colder days for my body to adjust. Other than that, it was just about being aggressive inside with the fastball because no one wants to get their hands busted in this weather.” He’s been quite aggressive in his pitch mix early in the season. “I’ve been able to get away with 75% fastballs here, just being down in the zone, going early in. Then 25% changeups away to follow up.” He likes to give credit to his catchers for his success. He worked with a good one last year and continues into 2015. “I believe working more with (Mitch) Garver last year was the big difference. Other than the league itself, picking his brain for those final two months was a big help in plan-of-attack. I’ve been able to introduce that to (Brian) Navarreto this year." Gonsalves has a lot of confidence. He also has a very high baseball IQ. Teammates talk about his knowledge of how to pitch and he has a plan. He has set some goals for himself for 2015. “My goals for the season are to get my K/BB ratio to 4/1, and maybe even drop below one walk per nine (innings).” I would be surprised if the 20-year-old spends much more time in Cedar Rapids. As soon as there is a need in Ft. Myers, he should be the first one promoted. Right now, he is posting the types of numbers that say there might not even need to be a need with the Miracle for him to be promoted. That said, Gonsalves is thinking even bigger. “Level-wise, I’m always thinking as far as possible, so getting to AA would be truly amazing.” Amazing? Yes. Surprising at this point? Not really. Please feel free to post your comments on Gonsalves, Hu and the rest of the Twins minor league starting pitchers that pitched well in April. How do you feel about the rankings? We’ll be back tomorrow with the Minor League Hitter of the Month of April. Click here to view the article

I just do not understand how baseball works. The Twins got all over perennial Cy Young candidate Chris Sale on Thursday night en route to trouncing the Chicago White Sox 12-2. Sale was out after just three innings and he had given up nine runs, the most in his career. Trevor May gave up just a pair of runs despite scattering ten hits, but couldn't finish the sixth inning.Down in the minor leagues it was a little bit of a mixed bag on Thursday evening. Aaron Hicks, Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano all had notable performances, as well as a great pitching performance from Chih-Wei Hu. But Nick Burdi struggled again, and Dalton Hicks and Adam Brett Walker II combined to go 0-9 with seven strikeouts. RED WINGS REPORT Columbus Clippers @ Rochester Box Score At home at Frontier Field, in front of just shy of 4,000 fans, Mark Hamburger and the Rochester Red Wings came back from an early deficit to move to 12-8 on the season. The Red Wings chased the Clippers' starter Jordan Cooper after 3.2 innings, sending him to his first defeat of the season, surrendering nine hits and four runs (three earned). Those nine hits were part of a season high outburst of 17 hits for Rochester. Hamburger gave up three early runs (two earned) but hung around to finish the sixth, throwing 110 pitches, but just 65 for strikes. Hamburger walked three and struck out six and gave up just five hits. Lester Oliveros, who many have been clamoring to have join the Twins' bullpen, worked two innings of relief, striking out four, but he walked two and gave up a run. Ryan O'Rourke pitched the ninth to finish the game for the Red Wings. It was a pretty balanced attack from the Rochester hitters with eight of nine starters picking up at least one base hit, and seven of nine picking up two or more. Aaron Hicks led off for the Red Wings and extending his hitting streak to 11 games by going 3-5, bringing his average up to .310 on the year. Eddie Rosario had three hits of his own, 3-5 with a pair of RBIs. How nice would those two look in the Twins outfield right now?! Despite the season-high 17 base hits, the Red Wings managed just two extra-base hits, a double apiece from Reynaldo Rodriguez and James Beresford. Rochester was 7-18 with men in scoring position and still managed to strand twelve runners. Final Score: Clippers 4, Red Wings 8 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Jacksonville Suns @ Chattanooga Box Score Former first-round draft pick Alex Wimmers had the start for Chattanooga on Thursday evening and pitched well through the first five innings, but ran into trouble in the sixth, giving up three runs and leaving with two outs in the sixth. His line for the night included eight hits, two walks, four strikeouts and four earned runs. Wimmers was replaced by D.J. Johnson who held the Suns scoreless through the seventh. Nick Burdi came on in the eighth, but struggled again, giving up two runs. He struck out one and walked one. Burdi's ERA is now 10.13, fairly disappointing for a guy who many suggested could slot right into the Twins bullpen before the end of 2015. Those two runs gave Burdi the loss on the evening, his third of this young season. Dallas Gallant pitched a perfect ninth to finish the game. Byron Buxton continues to heat up, he went 2-4 with a triple and a walk, plus two stolen bases. Miguel Sano was 1-3 with a solo home run and a walk, but he also had a pair of strikeouts. In all, the Lookouts struck out thirteen times, including four for Dalton Hicks as part of an 0-5 night and three from Adam Brett Walk as part of his 0-4 night. Final Score: Suns 6, Lookouts 4 MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte Stone Crabs @ Fort Myers Box Score Chih-Wei Hu continues to impress every time out. On Thursday night in Fort Myers he mowed down the Stone Crabs, struck out eight, walked two, and gave up two runs (just one earned) on four hits. Hu is now 3-0 on the season and his ERA is down to 1.50. Todd Van Steensel pitched two scoreless innings of relief and struck out four to pick up his second hold of 2015. J.T. Chargois gave up a hit, a walk, an unearned run, struck out a batter and earned his second save of the year, throwing 19 pitches in the ninth. The Miracle scored five runs, all earned, on just eight hits despite being 0-9 with runners in scoring position and stranding 10 runners. In the first inning the Miracle scored a run without any hits thanks to a couple walks, a groundout and an eventual sac fly from Mitch Garver. Niko Goodrum hit his third home run of the year, a two-run round-tripper off of German Marquez in the third inning. Right fielder Chad Christensen had a perfect night for Fort Myers, going 3-3 with a double. Final score: Stone Crabs 3, Miracle 5 KERNELS KORNER Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities River Bandits Box Score The Kernels could not figure out how to attack the River Bandits pitching, picking up just four hits on the evening. The trio of Brock Dykxhoom, Jose Montero and Joshua James kept the Kernels guessing all night long. No Kernels hitter had multiple hits and only Max Murphy (1-3 with a double and a walk) reached safely twice. Shortstop of the future, Nick Gordon, was 0-3 with a strike out and a walk. Zach Granite, Cedar Rapids' leadoff hitter, was 1-4 and extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a first inning double. Kernels starter John Curtiss only made it through the fourth inning. He gave up six hits, three earned runs, struck out four and served up a pair of home runs. Samuel Clay and Zach Tillery each pitched two innings of relief and both gave up only one hit. Clay, however, also walked three hitters and was charged with an earned run. Final Score: Kernels 2, River Bandits 4 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Byron Buxton - Chattanooga Lookouts Pitcher of the Day - Chih-Wei Hu - Fort Myers Miracle FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Norfolk @ Rochester - Mike Wright vs. Pat Dean (2-0, 0.90) Jacksonville @ Chattanooga- Jake Esch vs. Tyler Duffey (0-2, 3.16) Fort Myers @ Charlotte - Ethan Mildren (0-2, 5.28) vs TBD Clinton @ Cedar Rapids - Daniel Missaki vs. Stephen Gonsalves (2-0, 0.90) Click here to view the article

I just do not understand how baseball works. The Twins got all over perennial Cy Young candidate Chris Sale on Thursday night en route to trouncing the Chicago White Sox 12-2. Sale was out after just three innings and he had giving up nine runs, the most in his career. Trevor May gave up just a pair of runs despite scattering ten hits, but couldn't finish the sixth inning. Down in the Minor Leagues it was a little bit of a mixed bag on Thursday evening. Aaron Hicks, Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano all had notable performances, as well as a great pitching performance from Chih-Wei Hu. But Nick Burdi struggled again, and Dalton Hicks and Adam Brett Walker II combined to go 0-9 with seven strikeouts. RED WINGS REPORT Columbus Clippers @ Rochester Box Score At home at Frontier Field, in front of just shy of 4,000 fans, Mark Hamburger and the Rochester Red Wings came back from an early deficit to move to 12-8 on the season. The Red Wings chased the Clippers' starter Jordan Cooper after 3.2 innings, sending him to his first defeat of the season, surrendering nine hits and four runs (three earned). Those nine hits were part of a season high outburst of 17 hits for Rochester. Hamburger gave up three early runs (two earned) but hung around to finish the sixth, throwing 110 pitches, but just 65 for strikes. Hamburger walked three and struck out six and gave up just five hits. Lester Oliveros, who many have been clamoring to have join the Twins' bullpen, worked two innings of relief, striking out four, but he walked two and gave up a run. Ryan O'Rourke pitched the ninth to finish the game for the Red Wings. It was a pretty balanced attack from the Rochester Hitters with eight of nine starters picking up at least one base hit, and seven of nine picking up two or more. Aaron Hicks led off for the Red Wings and extending his hitting streak to 11 games by going 3-5, bringing his average up to .310 on the year. Eddie Rosario had three hits of his own, 3-5 with a pair of RBIs. How nice would those two look in the Twins outfield right now?! Despite the season-high 17 base hits, the Red Wings managed just two extra base hits, a double a piece from Reynaldo Rodriguez and James Beresford. Rochester was 7-18 with men in scoring position and still managed to strand twelve runners. Final Score: Clippers 4, Red Wings 8 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Jacksonville Suns @ Chattanooga Box Score Former first round draft pick Alex Wimmers had the start for Chattanooga on Thursday evening and pitched well through the first five innings, but ran into trouble in the sixth, giving up three runs and leaving with two outs in the sixth. His line for the night included 8 hits, 2 walks, 4 strike outs and 4 earned runs. Wimmers was replaced by D.J. Johnson who held the Suns scoreless through the seventh. Nick Burdi came on in the eighth, but struggled again, giving up two runs. He struck out one and walked won. Burdi's ERA is now 10.13, fairly disappointing for a guy that many suggested could slot right in to the Twins bullpen before the end of 2015. Those two runs gave Burdi the loss on the evening, his third of this young season. Dallas Gallant pitched a perfect ninth to finish the game. Byron Buxton continues to heat up, he went 2-4 with a triple and a walk, plus two stolen bases. Miguel Sano was 1-3 with a solo home run, and a walk, but he also had a pair of strike outs. In all, the Lookouts struck out thirteen times, including four for Dalton Hicks as part of an 0-5 night and three from Adam Brett Walk as part of his 0-4 night. Final Score: Suns 6, Lookouts 4 MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte Stone Crabs @ Fort Myers Box Score Chih-Wei Hu continues to impress every time out. On Thursday night in Fort Myers he mowed down the Stone Crabs, struck out eight, walked two, and gave up two runs (just one earned) on four hits. Hu is now 3-0 on the season and his ERA is down to 1.50. Todd Van Steensel pitched two scoreless innings of relief and struck out four to pick up his second hold of 2015. J.T. Chargois gave up a hit, a walk, an unearned run, struck out a batter and earned his second save of the year, throwing 19 pitches in the ninth. The Miracle scored five runs, all earned, on just eight hits despite being 0-9 with runners in scoring position and stranding 10 runners. In the first inning the Miracle scored a run without any hits at all thanks to a couple walks, a ground out and an eventual sac fly from Mitch Garver. Niko Goodrum hit his third home run of the year, a two-run round-tripper off of German Marquez in the third inning. Right fielder Chad Christensen had a perfect night for Fort Myers, he was 3-3 with a double. Final score: Stone Crabs 3, Miracle 5 KERNELS KORNER Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities River Bandits Box Score The Kernels could not figure out how to attack the River Bandits pitching, picking up just four combined hits on the evening. The Trip of Brock Dykxhoom, Jose Montero and Joshua James kept the Kernels guessing all night long. No Kernels hitter had multiple hits and only Max Murphy (1-3 with a double and a walk) reached safely twice. Shortstop of the future, Nick Gordon, was 0-3 with a strike out and a walk. Zach Granite, Cedar Rapids' leadoff hitter, was 1-4 and extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a first inning double. Kernels starter John Curtiss only made it through the fourth inning. He gave up six hits, three earned runs, struck out four and served up a pair of home runs. Samuel Clay and Zach Tillery each pitched two innings of relief and both gave up only one hit. Clay, however, also walked three hitters and was charged with an earned run. Final Score: Kernels 2, River Bandits 4 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Byron Buxton - Chattanooga Lookouts Pitcher of the Day - Chih-Wei Hu - Fort Myers Miracle FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Norfolk @ Rochester - Mike Wright vs. TBD Jacksonville @ Chattanooga- Jake Esch vs. Tyler Duffey (0-2, 3.16) Fort Myers @ Charlotte - Ethan Mildren (0-2, 5.28) vs TBD Clinton @ Cedar Rapids - Daniel Missaki vs. Stephen Gonsalves (2-0, 0.90)

The Twins were off on Thursday, so a lot of people spent a lot of time trying to figure out what the heck Torii Hunter was doing when he scampered towards home plate on Wednesday night, attempting a straight steal of home. If that doesn't do it for you, you can get your baseball fix from the newest Talk to Contact podcast featuring TwinsDaily's own Jeremy Nygaard talking about the MLB draft and the Twins' payroll.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester @ Syracuse Chiefs The Red Wings and Chiefs were postponed due to inclement weather. LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Chattanooga @ Mississippi Braves Box Score Byron Buxton had the night off, which likely ruffled the feathers of a few of the 2,735 packed into Trustman Park in Pearl, Mississippi, but the Braves came away with the victory, so the home crowd went home winners. Max Kepler replaced Buxton in center field and went 0-4 on the evening. The only real bright spot for Chattanooga was Mike Gonzales, we picked up a pair of hits, including a seventh inning solo home run to knot the game at two-two. The Lookouts had just six hits on the evening, none from their second ranked prospect, Miguel Sano, was was 0-3 with a walk and a strike out. Sano is now hitting just .163 but retains an OBP well above .300 thanks to AA pitchers giving him nearly a free pass a game. Greg Peavey, a name all but the most die-hard Twins fans might not be familiar with (2014 Rule 5 draftee from the Triple-A portion of the draft), started for the Lookouts but failed to make it through the sixth inning. Over 5.2 innings, Peavey gave up a pair of runs, walked four, struck out four, and surrendered five hits. Peavey left the game with the Lookouts trailing 2-1 but was left out of the decision after that Gonzales homer. Cole Johnson, a former 44th rounder out of Notre Dame, came on in relief to close out the sixth without issue. Johnson came back out for the seventh and ran into trouble, giving up three runs before being bulled for Dallas Gallant with two outs. Gallant quickly retired the side and pitched a perfect eight for good measure. Final Score: Lookouts 2, Braves 5 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ St. Lucie Mets Box Score In front of 1,259 fans at Tradition Field in St. Lucie, Florida, Chih-Wei Hu moved his record to 2-0 with six innings of five-hit baseball against the Mets. Hu struck out four, walked none, and gave up just a single home run, a first inning home run to the St. Lucie leadoff hitter Champ Stuart Stuart owes Kernel's centerfielder Jason Kanzler a beer after the game for the assist on the home run, bouncing from Kanzler's glove over the wall as Kanzler crashed into the padding. After Hu left the game, Todd Van Steensel pitched two perfect innings that included four strike outs. Madison Boer earned earned his first save of the year, but he had to work for it. He gave up a run and three hits before sending the Mets to the showers. Losers of their last three games, the Miracle rallied from the first inning deficit to tie the game in the fourth before taking the lead for good with a pair of runs in the fifth innings. Aderlin Mejia and Engelb Vielma both had a pair of hits and an RBI but Mejia earns hitter of the game honors for me as he reached base a third time with a base on balls. Fort Myers had plenty of opportunities to score more runs, but were just 3-13 with runners in scoring position, stranding eight men on base and striking out ten times. Final score: Miracle 4, Mets 2 KERNELS KORNER Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Box Score Six hits and three runs was plenty of offense for the Kernels as Stephen Gonsalves shut down the Timber Rattlers for seven innings and Trevor Hildenberger slammed the door shut with two shutout innings to earn his first save of the young season. Gonsalves was absolutely brilliant, giving up just a single hit and a single walk, and he fanned eleven of the twenty-four batters he faced. At one point Gonsalves retired ten consecutive batters. Gonsalves has been nearly unhittable this season, he has fanned 30 in just 20 innings spread over three starts and his ERA is just 0.90. Hildenberger kept Wisconsin guessing as well, adding in another pair of strike outs. Cedar Rapids' number nine hitter, Jonatan Hinojosa was the only batter from either team to collect multiple hits, finishing the night two for three with a couple of singles. Brian Navarreto provided the game's only extra base hit, his first double of the year. Without much in the way of a hitting display, this game went quickly, just 2:07 in front of a mid-week day game crowd of 476 at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, WI. Final Score: Kernels 3, Timber Rattlers 0 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Mike Gonzales, Chattanooga Lookouts Pitcher of the Day - Stephen Gonsalves, Cedar Rapids Kernels FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Syracuse @ Rochester - Scott McGregor vs. Mark Hamburger (0-1, 9.35) Chattanooga @ Mississippi - D.J. Baxendale (2-0, 0.00) vs. Ryan Weber Fort Myers @ St. Lucie - Ethan Mildren (0-2, 5.79) vs. Logan Taylor Kane County @ Cedar Rapids - Brent Jones vs. Michael Caderoth (0-1, 4.50) Click here to view the article

Power and pitching have a way of getting noticed, in the big leagues or in the minor leagues, or frankly any level of organized baseball. On Friday night in the Minnesota Twins minor leagues, there were some big home runs (to go with Trevor Plouffe’s extra-innings, walk-off blast), but there were a couple of very strong pitching performances as well. Continue reading to find out all of the details about Friday night in the Twins farm system.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Pawtucket 6 Box Score It was a matchup of left-handers in Pawtucket on Friday night. The Red Wings sent Jason Wheeler to the mound to face Paw Sox top pitching prospect Henry Owens. The Red Wings’ bats were able to touch up Owens for four runs on three hits and six walks in just 4.2 innings. On the other side, Wheeler gave up two runs on five hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out four. Lester Oliveros came on and gave up one run, while striking out two, in his inning. AJ Achter was charged with two runs on two hits and a walk in his inning. Michael Tonkin gave up a solo home run in the eighth inning. The big hit off of Owens was a grand slam by Eddie Rosario. It was his first AAA home run. Doug Bernier had two hits. Reynaldo Rodriguez and a single and walked once. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Birmingham 6 Box Score After being rained out on Thursday, JO Berrios finally made his second start of the season on Friday night. The good news? He struck out nine batters. However, he went just 4.2 innings and gave up three runs on eight hits, three walks and a hit batter. He needed 107 pitches and just 60 of them were strikes. Jake Reed came on and was charged with one run on two hits in 1.1 innings. Nick Burdi went the next two innings and was charged with an unearned run on one hit and one walk. He struck out two. DJ Johnson gave up a run on three hits in the ninth inning. In the third inning, Miguel Sano came up with the bases loaded and launched his second home run of the year. The grand slam gave the Lookouts a 4-2 lead at the time. However, the Lookouts had only six hits. Levi Michael and Jorge Polanco each had a single and a walk in the game. The Lookouts defense did not help the cause either. They totaled four errors, two of them were throws by Miguel Sano. The Lookouts are now 5-2. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, St. Lucie 0 Box Score On Thursday, Jason Kanzler had a bunt single to end his 0-23 start to the season. As you would expect, he busted out in style on Friday night. In his first at-bat, he gave the Miracle a 2-0 lead with a long, two-run homer. He added a double later in the game as well. His game ended a little early though. In the 6th inning, the Miracle started with a single, an error and a walk to load the bases. After two strikeouts, Jason Kanzler came to the plate. He went around on a check swing. At least, that’s what the home plate ump said, and called. Kanzler objected vehemently and was immediately ejected. Chad Christensen was called on to replace him, and he singled to right to score two more runs. Another run scored on a balk and the Miracle had a three-run sixth inning. The Miracle added another run in the 7th inning to give them their seventh run. Of course, an even more important story for the team occurred on the mound. Chih-Wei Hu started and threw seven shutout innings. He gave up just two hits, walked one and struck out ten for the Win. He had a three-ball count just twice in the game. Tim Shibuya and JT Chargois each threw a scoreless inning to complete the shutout. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Peoria 1 Box Score It may not show from the final score, but this was quite the pitcher’s duel through most of the game. The Kernels were able to break their losing streak thanks to a big eighth inning. Lefty Stephen Gonsalves got a no-decision, but he pitched very well. He gave up one run on five hits and a walk in his seven innings. He recorded ten strikeouts. Through his first two starts, he has given up two runs on ten hits in 13 innings. He has just one walk allowed and has struck out 19 batters. (I was a guest on the Talk 2 Contact podcast this week and predicted Gonsalves as the Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2015. Hear who the others predicted for their minor league pitcher and hitter of the year.) Gonsalves was replaced by Zach Tillery who pitched two scoreless innings in relief to improve to 2-0 on the season. Max Murphy led the offense. He went 3-4 in the game. Tyler Kuresa had a 2-4 night. However, the big hit came from a guy who was getting a night off. Trey Vavra came up with two runners on base in the eighth inning of a tie game. He launched his second home run of the season, a three-run blast to give the Kernels a 5-1 lead. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Chih-Wei Hu, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Trey Vavra, Cedar Rapids Kernels SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (12:05 CST) – RHP Mark Hamburger Birmingham @ Chattanooga (5:15 CST) – RHP Greg Peavey St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – RHP Ethan Mildren Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) – RHP Michael Cederoth Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article