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If you were hoping the Chattanooga Lookouts didn’t play extra innings again on Tuesday night, boy do I have news for you! But they weren’t the only affiliate that had to go to extra frames on the evening, and a third one threatened to do so before walking it off in the ninth. One of the Twins new prospects, courtesy of the Yankees for Jaime Garcia, also made his organizational debut with Chattanooga. I also couldn’t pick between two hitters of the day, so I gave it to them both.To find out how all those extra innings finished on the night, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS The Twins made a couple of moves in the system on Tuesday as well. They recalled Dillon Gee to the majors and assigned Dietrich Enns to Rochester. Zack Littell was assigned to the Lookouts and made the start. To make the room at AA Randy LeBlanc was sent back to Fort Myers and David Fischer was released. RED WINGS REPORT Lehigh Valley 3, Rochester 1 Box Score With Dillon Gee on his way to the Twins, the Red Wings ended up with a bullpen game against IronPigs on Tuesday night. D.J. Baxendale started and pitched the first three innings. He allowed two hits including a solo home run and struck out three. Alex Wimmers added two perfect innings before he ran into trouble in his third. He got two outs but ended up with two earned runs on two hits in 2.2 innings. He struck out two. Mason Melotakis allowed an inherited runner to score in the sixth and got the first two outs in the seventh before he was replaced by Michael Tonkin. Tonkin allowed just one hit in his 2.1 innings to finish the game, while striking out three. Rochester’s lone run came in the bottom of the first inning, as a throwing error on a Byungho Park single allowed Matt Hague to score. They would collect only one more hit the entire game (a Mitch Garver single) so not much to recap on the offensive side. Park also drew a walk in a 1-3 night and is hitting .324/.368/.577 in nineteen games since the Triple-A All-Star Game. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Montgomery 6 (10 innings) Box Score The story in this one for a lot of Twins fans may have been that one of the new prospect additions they received from the Yankees started the game for the Lookouts. It wasn’t one of Zack Littell’s best games this year, but he did finish six innings in his organizational debut. The first inning was a rough one for him as a couple of hits, a walk, an error, and a balk led to an early 3-0 lead for the Biscuits of Montgomery. It was a good thing for Littell though, that Chattanooga is the best team in the Southern League. They took the lead right back for him in the top of the second with a four-spot. T.J. White led off the inning with a homer, and then Travis Harrison, Nick Gordon, and Levi Michael each had run-scoring singles (Gordon’s included a fielding error, so no RBI for him). Littell settled in from there with three scoreless frames, though he did hit a couple of batters and walked three. In the fifth, an RBI ground out accounted for his fourth run allowed of the evening. Overall in six innings, Little allowed those four runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out six. The Lookouts were facing off against #OldFriend Logan Darnell, and although they knocked him around for twelve hits in five innings, the four runs in the second were all they were able to get as he played Houdini in every other frame. Randy Rosario came on in relief of Littell and pitched two innings. He allowed one run on two hits and it was 5-4 biscuits going into the ninth inning. You know how this is going to go, right? With two outs and Max Murphy on first base, Carlos Paulino delivered the game- tying hit with a double to right field to drive him in and tie it at five. Luke Bard pitched a one-two-three ninth and Chattanooga was looking at their third extra- inning game in their last four. The Lookouts threatened in the top of the tenth, but with Gordon on third base Montgomery elected to intentionally walk Jonathan Rodriguez (wise), and then escaped. Bard then got himself into trouble he couldn’t escape in the bottom half, as a two-out double put the winning run across for the Biscuits. The two through seven hitters in the Chattanooga lineup amassed fourteen hits on the game and as a team outhit Montgomery 16-9, but going just 4-17 with runners in scoring position and leaving fourteen men on base means you left a lot ducks on the pond. The Lookouts lead the Biscuits in the North Division standings by six games after this one. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Clearwater 4 Box Score Fort Myers battled back in this one to steal the game late thanks to a big two-out hit from Jaylin Davis. Starter Eduardo Del Rosario went the first six innings for the Miracle, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out six. The biggest problem with that line, is the three home runs he allowed. Alex Robinson walked one and struck out two in one inning of relief work and thanks to his offense, picked up his second win of the season. Down 4-2 in the top of the eighth, Sean Miller started the rally for Fort Myers with a single to lead off the inning. Zander Wiel moved him to third on a single of his own, and Jermaine Palacios put down a squeeze bunt that scored the first run of the inning. After strikeouts from Brandon Lopez and Brent Rooker, a walk to Kevin Garcia brought Davis to the plate. With the count a 1-0, Davis lined a single into center field to score two and put the Miracle out front 5-4. Sam Clay pitched a scoreless bottom of the inning, and Fort Myers added an insurance run in the top of the ninth as Tanner English singled, stole second base (his 23rd steal) and got to third on a throwing error before Palacios drove him in with a triple. Clay came back out for the ninth, and worked around a leadoff single to secure his ninth save of the year (he’s also 8-0), striking out the final hitter of the game. Miller (2-5, R) and Palacios (3-4, 2 R’s, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, SB) had multiple hits to lead the offense. Zander Wiel scored two runs with a single and a walk in five trips to the plate. Lopez (0-4) and Davis (1-3) each drove in two. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 7, Cedar Rapids 8 (11 innings) Box Score The Kernels jumped out to a 5-1 lead after three thanks to home runs from Christian Cavaness and Caleb Hamilton in the first inning, and a two-run double from Travis Blankenhorn in the third. They extended their lead to 6-1 in the sixth when Cavaness clubbed an RBI double. But after that the game turned for the LumberKings. Cedar Rapids starter Tyler Beardsley had been cruising for the first six innings. He had allowed just one run on three hits and two walks to that point while striking out four. Two singles and a double scored two and ended his night in the seventh with two outs. Overall, Beardsley went 6.2 innings with three earned runs of six hits and two walks, with five K’s. Colton Davis came on and got the final out in the seventh, but a bases clearing double with two outs in the eighth tied the game at six. Hector Lujan came out for the ninth and Clinton took the lead after a leadoff walk and error was followed by a run-scoring double. The Kernels weren’t ready for the game to end yet though, and mounted a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning after the first two hitters to bat went down on strikes. Jimmy Kerrigan got an infield single, stole second base, and then Blankenhorn delivered a big triple to tie it, but was stranded as Lewin Diaz grounded out to send it into extras. Max Cordy came in from the bullpen for the tenth, and allowed a hit but no runs. Same in the eleventh to get his team up to bat again. They didn’t need another extra frame. Joe Cronin led off with a double, moved to third on a sac bunt/throwing error play, and scampered home on a passed ball for the not-so-dramatic walk-off victory. The top four hitters in the Kernels lineup led the way, with Cavaness (3-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Kerrigan (2-6, 2 R’s), Blankenhorn (3-5, R 2 2B’s, 3B, 3 RBI), and Diaz (2-5) collecting multiple hits. Hamilton drove in two and Cronin scored two runs. E-TWINS E-NOTES Kingsport 4, Elizabethton 5 Box Score Elizabethton took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning after Wander Javier led off with his ninth double of the season, and later scored on a single from J.J. Robinson. They had runners on second and third with one out later in the frame, but were unable to add any more runs. The opportunity missed would come back to haunt them. Twins starter Nick Brown began the game with four scoreless innings, including retiring eight in a row at one point, but the Mets finally got to him in the top of fifth thanks to an error that was followed by an RBI double. Brown would finish 5.2 innings, allowing just that unearned run on six hits while striking out six. The offense for Elizabethton got that run back and one more in the bottom of the fifth as Akil Baddoo drove in a run with a double, and later scored on a single from Jose Miranda to put them in front 3-1. Juan Gamez replaced Brown in the sixth and got out of the inning, and added a scoreless seventh. He got two outs in the eighth and was replaced by Jose Martinez with a runner on third, who scored on a double to Martinez’s first hitter. Another RBI double and an RBI single followed to put Kingsport in front 4-3. Martinez worked through a single to the leadoff man in the ninth to keep the Twins in striking distance in the bottom half. And strike they did. Colton Waltner led off the inning with a walk and Mark Contreras followed with a single to put the tying run in scoring position. A sacrifice bunt from Rainis Silva put the winning run in the same position. T.J. Dixon tied the game with a sacrifice fly to center field, and Ariel Montesino ended with a two-out single. Martinez ended up with a blown save and win (4-0) in the score book. Javier (2-4, R, 2B) and Montesino (2-4, R, RBI) had multiple hits on the game to lead the offense, but everyone else except Silva contributed with a run scored or an RBI. Silva’s bunt however, was likely most important play in the game (if you like bunts), so it really was a team effort in the walk-off win. GCL TWINS TAKES Game 1: GCL Rays 3, GCL Twins 5 Box Score In the regularly scheduled game of the day, the Twins saw the first in-game action from their 2017 2nd round draft pick, Landon Leach. Although he likely had some nerves and wasn’t great, you have to remember he’s going to be eased into action at this point. He walked his first batter (just like Blayne Enlow) and uncorked a couple of off target pitches that put that runner on third, before picking up his first strikeout as a pro. He then got a ground out that scored the runner and issued another walk before he was removed the game. So just two outs in his debut, but it means literally nothing at this point. Pedro Garcia came into the game to get the final out of the first and went the next five innings in total including four scoreless. He got two outs in the sixth before leaving with the bases loaded. Overall Garcia allowed one run on four walks and one hit, and struck out four. Joe Rosenstein came on and struck out the batter he faced, but on a wild-pitch so that’s how Garcia’s run scored. Rosenstein gave up one run of his own in the seventh and gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out one in 1.1 innings while picking up his first save. The Twins early offense came courtesy of an Alex Robles RBI single in the first and a Benjamin Rodriguez RBI double in the third before they tacked on three more in the fourth for a 5-1 lead. Victor Tademo led off the inning with a solo home run, and later in the inning a Jean Carlos Arias single brought in two. Emmanuel Morel was 2-3 with a double, walk, and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Kerby Camacho added a double. Garcia improved to 5-1 in the GCL season. Game 2: GCL Twins 0, GCL Rays 2 Box Score In the makeup game of yesterday’s rainout, the teams combined for just seven hits between them. Unfortunately for the Twins the Rays were the only ones to get any extra-base hits, and they came in the form of back-to-back-to-back doubles in the fifth inning that scored the two runs for the Rays. Derek Molina made the start and went two scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out one. Jordan Balazovic finished the final four innings, allowing the two runs on just those doubles, and striking out four. On offense, Arias, Rodriguez, and Robles all went 1-3 for the Twins only hits on the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Nick Brown, Elizabethton Twins (5.2IP, 0 ER’s, 6 H’s, 6 K’s) Hitter(s) of the Day – Jermaine Palacios, Fort Myers Miracle (3-4, 2 R’s, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, SB) Travis Blankenhorn, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, R, 2 2B’s, 3B, 3 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – RHP Tim Melville 3-3, 2.44 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (7:05PM CST) – RHP Fernando Romero (10-6, 2.64 ERA) Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Evan Sanders (1-3, 8.53 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

The Chattanooga Lookouts put together a comeback victory that clinched a first half division title, thus solidifying their spot in the Southern League playoffs. Find out what else happened around the Twins' minor leagues on Friday. TRANSACTIONS Several moves were made in the system and we'll update them as we hear them. Twins Daily has learned that along with Adam Wilk, the Twins will promote RHPs Alex Wimmers and Alan Busenitz. As Wimmers was only optioned four days ago, he can be the 26th man, or the Twins would have to place a pitcher on the DL.Hearing at least one pitcher is moving up from Chattanooga to Rochester as well. Again, more as we can confirm.RED WINGS REPORTRochester at Pawtucket POSTPONED This was the 10th postponement of Rochester’s season. They’ll be playing a doubleheader tomorrow. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Tennessee 3 Box Score The Lookouts are the first half champions of the Southern League North Divison, clinching a playoff berth, after a crazy comeback in the top of the ninth. Trailing 3-2 entering the final inning, T.J. White led off with a broken-bat single. Levi Michael followed with a walk. Dan Rohlfing dropped down a sacrifice bunt, but the Smokies first baseman decided to try to get the out at third, airmailing the ball into left field instead. White and Michael came around to score, giving the Lookouts the lead. Rohlfing would later come around to score on a passed ball. A broken bat, a walk, an error and a passed ball. The Baseball Gods were certainly on Chattanooga’s side tonight. Luke Bard pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the victory for the Lookouts. Starter Randy LeBlanc gave up two runs on five hits over 5.1 innings. He had four strikeouts and walked one batter. White was 3-for-4 with a double and scored twice. Edgar Corcino tallied a pair of hits. Nick Anderson pitched a scoreless eighth inning to keep the game within a run for the Looks, who are now 40-28 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS OFF It’s the all-star break for the Florida State League. All-Stars from Fort Myers are Sam Clay, Dereck Rodriguez, Brian Navarreto and Chris Paul. The game is tomorrow. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 5, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score The Kernels jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first inning thanks to a Christian Cavaness bases-clearing triple, but Clinton just kept chipping away, scoring single runs in the second, fourth, sixth and eighth innings to complete the comeback. Over six innings, Eduardo Del Rosario gave up four runs, walked three batters and surrendered seven hits. Ryan Mason was credited with the loss after giving up the game-winning run in the eighth inning. Colton Davis pitched a perfect ninth, lowering his ERA to 1.45. Cedar Rapids recorded just seven hits on the night, three of which came from Cavaness. Ben Rortvedt, who has been heating up of late, was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. Tomorrow night there figures to be an excellent crowd in Cedar Rapids, as the Kernels are giving away Mike Trout bobbleheads. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga (5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – T.J. White, Chattanooga (3-for-4, double, 2 runs) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERSS Rochester at Pawtucket, 3:35 pm CT, Yohan Pino (7.82 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) Rochester at Pawtucket, Game 2, Chris Heston (4.62 ERA, 1.35 WHIP) Chattanooga at Tennessee, 6 pm CT, TBA Cedar Rapids vs. Clinton, 6:35 CT, Tyler Wells (2.02 ERA, 0.98 WHIP) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday's games. Click here to view the article

May is complete. June is upon us. Today we look at some of the top hitters in the Twins organization during the season’s second month. As you would expect, there is a good mix of young prospects and veterans. There are some power-hitter types and some guys for whom on-base percentage is a more important indicator of their potential. In case you missed it, here are the previously-announced May winners: Starting Pitcher of the Month, Aaron SlegersRelief Pitcher of the Month, Randy RosarioPitching wins, but only if the hitters score enough runs in that game. There were quite a few hitters that started their seasons strong. Let’s take a look at the Top 5 hitters of the month, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Edgar Corcino - Chattanooga - 25 G, 28-88, .318/.382/.409 (.791) with five doubles, one homer, 21 RBI.Jaylin Davis - Cedar Rapids - 29 G, 29-113, .257/.294/.531 (.825) with seven doubles, eight homers, 18 RBI.Zander Wiel - Ft. Myers - 25 G, 25-94, .266/.337/.489 (.826) with five doubles, two triples, four homers and 12 RBI.THE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 – Cedar Rapids - Christian Cavaness - .278/.338/.528 (.865). 20-72 with five doubles, two triples, three home runs and 15 RBI. Cavaness signed as a non-drafted free agent after a very successful season at NAIA Lindenwood University in Belleville, Illinois. He split 2016 between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids. He began this season with the Kernels and played sparingly in April. And then the calendar turned to May. And he started hitting, and Tommy Watkins rewarded him with more and more playing time. He delivered at the bottom of the Kernels order by getting on base and hitting for some power. He can play center field fine. He certainly has the range. But he’s been mostly playing left field and doing a very nice job. Number 4 – Chattanooga – SS Nick Gordon - .294/.374/.532 (.906). 32-109 with 11 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 12 RBI. Gordon was the Twins first pick in the 2014 draft, and he has continued to progress nicely as he’s moved up a level a year. After a very strong showing last year in the Arizona Fall League, Gordon earned an invitation to major league spring training. He told me shortly after he was sent to minor league camp that he was feeling all kinds of confidence due to the opportunities in Arizona and at spring training. He’s been leading off most every game for the Lookouts. He’s been doing a nice job all season, and remained consistent through May. He has started to walk more, showing a much better knowledge or the strike zone. He’s also increased his power this year in terms of doubles and home runs. There continue to be mixed reports on his defense, though most think he can be a major league shortstop. Number 3 - Chattanooga – OF LaMonte Wade - .318/.456/.432 (.888) 28-88 with four doubles, two homers and 14 RBI Wade had a tough first ten games in Chattanooga, but he quickly adapted to the Southern League and has been very good since. He is doing the things that made him such an intriguing prospect. He began walking more than he strikes out. He has a plan going into every plate appearance, and no one in the system knows the strike zone better. Wade was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2015 out of Maryland where he missed a large chunk of his junior season with injury, which probably pushed him down a few rounds in the draft. Number 2 - Ft. Myers – 3B Chris Paul - .383/.459/.585 (1.044), 36-94 with 11 doubles, one triple, two homers and 20 RBI. Chris Paul was the Twins fifth-round draft pick out of Cal-Berkeley. He had spent a couple of summers playing for the St. Cloud Rox. He began 2016 season in Cedar Rapids though he moved up to the Miracle within the first month due to injuries higher up the ladder. He struggled and his season came to an end early due to his own injury. He’s been one of the better hitters in the Twins organization through the first two months of the season.He was good in April, but he was very good in May. He hit for average. He got on base almost 50% of the time, and he hit a bunch of doubles. He had a walk-off, three-run homer and a few days later had a walk-off single for the Miracle. Unfortunately, he ended the month on the disabled list. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Cedar Rapids – 1B Lewin Diaz - .327/.361/.627 (989), 36-110 with 13 doubles, one triple, six homers and 23 RBI. Lewin Diaz signed with the Twins way back in 2013 for $1.4 million of the Dominican Republic. After a year in the DSL, he moved up to the GCL in 2015. Last year, he was the Twins Daily short-season Minor League Hitter of the Year for his efforts in Elizabethton. This year, he made the move to full season and has done a very nice job for the Kernels. At 6-5 and roughly 250 pounds, he can be an intimidating batter in the middle of the Kernels lineup. He’s got plenty of room for improvement, but he’s more than held his own, and he’s starting to show even more power than maybe expected. His 20 doubles lead the Twins minor leagues right now. He’s in the Top 3 in home runs and RBI. He’s got some work to do around first base, though he is fairly athletic and smooth around the bag. Congratulations to the May Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month for 2017, Cedar Rapids first baseman Lewin Diaz. Click here to view the article

It wasn’t a particularly good night in Anaheim for the Minnesota Twins, but it was an historic game as Albert Pujols hit a grand slam for his 600th career home run. There were several very close contests in the Twins minor league system on Saturday night, so let’s get to that right away.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Saturday night. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Norfolk 8 Box Score The Red Wings fell behind early, but a six-run sixth inning gave them a 7-5 lead. Unfortunately, in the bottom of that inning, the Wings bullpen coughed up the lead. Aaron Slegers, hours after being named the Twins minor league starting pitcher of the month for May, made the start for Rochester. He gave up five runs on 12 hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out three. However, because of the timing of the Red Wings rally, he had the chance to pick up a win. But Kam Mickolio came in and gave up three runs on two hits and a walk. Kevin Chapman and Trevor Hildenberger each worked a scoreless inning. Kennys Vargas put the team on the board with a solo home run. He went 2-4 with a walk as well. Tommy Field went 2-5 with his 13th double and three driven in. Zack Granite was 2-4 with a walk. Mitch Garver went 1-3 with two walks. Niko Goodrum added his 13th double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Birmingham 7 Box Score The Lookouts also had a six-run inning but it wasn’t enough. TJ White went 2-4 with an RBI. Dan Gamache hit his eighth double and drove in two runs. LaMonte Wade was 1-3 with two walks. Randy LeBlanc made the start. He was charged with six runs on 11 hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out three. Nick Anderson came on to make his AA debut. He threw two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. Todd Van Steensel pitched a scoreless eighth inning, but with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, he gave up the winning (or losing?) run. Of the five outs he recorded, three came on strikeouts. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Palm Beach 8 Box Score David Fischer made the start for the Miracle. He was charged with six runs (five earned) on six hits and four walks in four innings. Anthony McIver came on and gave up a hit and struck one out. Andrew Vasquez came on for his Miracle debut. He struck out four over 2.2 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and walked one. Michael Theofanopoulos gave up two runs on three hits in his inning. Max Murphy and Zander Wiel each went 2-4. Rafael Valera added a double. Justin Hazard, in his second game since joining the Miracle from extended spring training, recorded his first hit. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Burlington 4 (10 innings) Box Score Clark Beeker put together another quality start for the Kernels. In seven innings, he gave up two runs on five hits. He struck out four without issuing a walk. Colton Davis came on and gave up an unearned run on three walks in his inning. He struck out two. Alex Robinson worked a scoreless ninth inning before giving up the game-winning run in the 10th. Christian Cavaness went 3-4 in the game with his seventh double and third triple. He drove in two of the three runs. Brandon Lopez went 2-4. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Clark Beeker, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Christian Cavaness, Cedar Rapids SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Norfolk (12:05 CST) - LHP Adam Wilk Chattanooga @ Birmingham (4:15 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (12:00 CST) - LHP Lachlan Wells Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (2:00 CST) - RHP Eduardo Del Rosario Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article