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With the day off as they traveled to Chicago, the Minnesota Twins used the free time to make a series of roster moves. Mike Berardino reported that they had placed Tommy Milone and Casey Fien on waivers. With Ervin Santana set to return on Saturday, and Kyle Gibson making good progress on the DL and set to return as early as next week, the Twins have a chance to make a couple of short-term call ups to fill the roster. It hasn't been officially announced yet, but there are reports indicating that catcher Juan Centeno will be called up from Rochester and that John Ryan Murphy will be sent down in his place. Continue reading to find out more detail about Thursday in the Twins farm system:RED WINGS REPORT Rochester @ Pawtucket PawSox Rained out. Will be played as part of a doubleheader on Saturday. LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Chattanooga @ Mobile Bay Bears Box Score Chattanooga rallied from a 5-1 deficit to tie the game at five in the top of the eighth inning, but ultimately lost the game on a ninth inning walk-off home run from Ronnie Freeman. Freeman was a Lookouts killer all night, he was 2-4 with a pair of home runs and three RBIs. Starter David Hurlbut pitched three effective innings for Chattanooga before giving up a run in the fourth and then four more in the fifth. Hurlbut left the game down 5-1, having surrendered nine hits and a pair of home runs. Mike Strong and Mason Melotakis made quick work of the Bay Bears in the sixth and seventh innings, sending them down in order. In the eighth, with the Lookouts back in the game, Luke Westphal gave up back to back line drive singles and was lifted for Trevor Hildenberger before he recorded an out. Hildenberger sent the next three Loons back to the dugout and the Lookouts escaped without allowing another run. Hildenberger fared less well when he headed out for the ninth and gave up the game winner. Daniel Palka had another big night, 2-4 with a home run and and an RBI. Travis Harrison was 2-4 as well, and Joe Maloney was 2-4 with a double. Final: Lookouts 5, Bay Bears 6 MIRACLE MATTERS St. Lucie Mets @ Fort Myers Box Score The Miracle had 10 hits but were just 3-12 with runners in scoring position, stranded seven, and fell to the St. Lucie Mets who feasted on Miracle pitching, scoring eight runs. Starter Keaton Steele gave up most of the damage, going just four innings. He gave up seven hits, seven runs (six earned), four walks, struck out three and was charged with a throwing error. He was lifted for Brian Gilbert who pitched a pair of innings and gave up just a single run. Todd Van Steensel pitched two scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.38, and Raul Fernandez pitched a scoreless ninth to lower his ERA to 1.23. There were those 10 hits for the Miracle, but just one of the extra-base variety, and no walks. Despite the 10 knocks, only Logan Wade had multiple hits, going 3-4 with the lone extra-base hit, a double, and two RBIs. Final: Mets 8, Miracle 3 KERNELS KORNER Cedar Rapids @ Great Lakes Loons Box Score The Kernels could not manage a hit off of the Great Lakes Loons until midway through the sixth inning, and could not scrape together any runs, falling in a three-hit shutout. Alexander Hermeling, the Loons' starting pitcher, was making his first career start and carried the no-hitter through four scoreless innings before being lifted for a replacement. The Kernels' Jermaine Palacios broke up the no-hitter in the sixth inning with a single off of Great Lakes' reliever Philip Pfeifer. Zander Wiel and Rafael Valera both managed a double, but the Kernels were 0-10 with runners in scoring position, stranding all six of their base-runners. As a team, the Kernels struck out 12 times and walked just once. Starter Sam Gibbons took his third loss of the year, falling to 1-3 with 4.1 innings of three-run baseball. Gibbons gave up just two hits, and struck out eight, but he walked five Loons. Gibbons was replaced by Michael Theofanopoulos when down 2-0; the reliever threw a wild pitch to the first batter he saw to extend the Great Lakes lead to 3-0. Theofanopoulos, Kuo Hua Lo and C.K. Irby held the Loons scoreless the rest of the way. C.K. Irby had another scoreless outing and retains a 0.00 ERA through his first 12.2 innings of the season, spread over eight games. I put Irby's image up at the top of the page, how handsome is this guy? SWOON! Final: Kernels 0, Loons 3 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Logan Wade - Fort Myers Miracle Pitcher of the Day - C.K. Irby - Cedar Rapids Kernels FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester @ Pawtucket (6:05pm) - Andrew Albers (0-0, 8.44) vs. Roenis Elias Chattanooga @ Mobile (7:05pm) - Omar Bencomo (0-1, 5.40) vs. Anthony Banda St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:05pm) - Ricky Knapp vs. Felix Jorge (1-2, 1.40) Cedar Rapids @ Great Lakes (6:05pm) - Sam Clay (2-0, 0.79) vs. TBD Please ask questions and discuss the Thursday games. -ERolf Click here to view the article

Each month at Twins Daily, we will select a Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month, Starting Pitcher of the Month and Relief Pitcher of the Month. It is important to recognize accomplishment in the minor leagues. Today, we start our April Awards by naming the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month. There were several really strong candidates. Who was our choice? Read on.First, a few relievers worthy of mention: RHP Raul Fernandez (Ft. Myers) – 7 G, 0-0, 1.42 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 10 KRHP Todd Van Steensel (Ft. Myers) – 8 G, 0-0, 1.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9.0 IP, 3 H, 6 BB, 6 KRHP Trevor Hildenberger (Ft. Myers/Chattanooga) – 7 G, 1-1, 3 Saves, 0.87 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 11 H, 0 BB, 10 KLHP Luke Westphal (Ft. Myers/Chattanooga) – 7 G, 1-0, 1.08 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 12 KTHE TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS Number 5 - Cedar Rapids – RHP Nick Anderson - 6 G, 2.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9.0 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 10 K The Twins signed Anderson last August out of independent ball and sent him to Cedar Rapids where he was very good as the team’s closer the final month and through their playoff run. The Brainerd native and Mayville (ND) alum is back with the Kernels this year and off to a strong start again. He has been sharing duties, but with the John Curtiss promotion, the 25-year-old will see more late inning opportunities. Number 4 – Rochester – LHP Buddy Boshers - 8 G, 0.87 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 9 H, 2 BB, 11 K 27-year-old Boshers pitched in 25 games for the Angels in 2013. However, he spent 2015 in independent ball, striking out 71 in 54 innings in the Atlantic League. He continued to pitch well in Venezuela this winter. The Twins signed him to a minor league deal and invited him to camp. He had a solid showing, and he has been very good for the Red Wings in the first month. Number 3 – Chattanooga – RHP JT Chargois - 8 G, 1.12 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 8.0 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 11 K If this award would have been handed out 10-12 days ago, Chargois would have been the easy choice for winning. In his first five outings, he went five innings and got all 15 batters he faced out. His last three outings are a good reminder of sample size, but Chargois is arguably the top relief pitching prospect in the system (with apologies to a few others). After missing two seasons with injury, the former second-round pick came back strong last year. He’s got a good three-pitch mix and could be summoned to the big leagues any time. Number 2 – Cedar Rapids – RHP CK Irby - 7 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 11.2 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 11 K Irby began the 2015 season in Cedar Rapids as well, but he really struggled with his control, walking 14 (and striking out 20) in 14 innings before being sent back to Elizabethton. At least for April, the 23-year-old seems to have improved his control. He allowed only an unearned run and few base runners helping to set up for Anderson and Curtiss. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers – John Curtiss - 7 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.44 WHIP, 9.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 18 K 2015 was a very difficult season for RHP John Curtiss. He began the season as a starter, got hurt, came back, got hurt and struggled when he was able to pitch. Curtiss said, “2015 was pretty horrible, from the concussion to the hurt elbow to the poor performance.” However, he looked to 2016 and continued, “(I’m) just trying to move on from it and improve.” Based on his April, it’s safe to say that 2016 is starting out much better for the Twins sixth-round pick from 2013 out of the University of Texas. When you’re striking out two batters per inning and not even allowing a base runner every other inning, things are going well. He was splitting time with Nick Anderson in the Kernels closer role. Late in the month, he earned a promotion to Ft. Myers. Curtiss noted, “So far, I’ve been locating my pitches better, and my stuff has been livelier. The biggest deal for me so far has been having a healthy arm.” This is not the first time he has pitched out of the bullpen. Following Tommy John surgery in college, he came back and was the closer for Texas as they advanced to the College World Series. It is a role that he really enjoys and thrives in. “I really like being in the pen. The innings are late in the game where the game is on the line, and you get to impact more games. Also the pen camaraderie is pretty neat.” Curtiss has a pitch mix that could lend itself well to success in the bullpen. He throws a fastball that sits 94 to 96 mph. He also throws a sharp curveball and a good changeup. “I can use them all as out pitches, depending on who’s at the plate, and what I trust in that moment. Late in the month, he was promoted to the Miracle where he pitched a clean inning. His goals for 2016 are simple. “I just want to get better every day and help the team win.” JP Martinez was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2004. He was in the organization through the 2007 season when he peaked at AAA. After coaching in high school following his career, he has been a pitching coach in the Twins system the last two years. Last year he was with the GCL Twins. This year, he is in Cedar Rapids where he has worked with Curtiss all spring. Martinez said, “John came into camp healthy and ready to go. He was sharp, focused and attacked the zone which is why we trusted him in the late innings. He’s got a live fastball and a plus-slider. His promotion was well deserved.” Curtiss is out to prove that, when healthy, he can be a very effective reliever. Off the field, Curtiss says, “I’m really into Texas Country Music. Red Dirt. There are a lot of songwriters I’m a big fan of, too many to list. I play the guitar a lot in the off-season, and in season, I mostly read and write songs.” There were several very strong relief pitcher performances in April. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations to each of these individuals on a great start to their 2016 season. Congratulations to the first Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for 2016, John Curtiss. Click here to view the article