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The Minor League Report is meant to provide Twins Daily readers with an update on the goings-on throughout the Twins minor league system. We include who pitched, who had multi-hit games or home runs, and who was involved with transactions. However, something happened on Wednesday night to remind us again (as if we should need it), that these minor leaguers are more than just names in box scores and stat lines. Byron Buxton made his Double-A debut on Wednesday night against Bowie. Sure, he went 0-3 with three strikeouts. However, in the top of the 5th, he chased a fly ball to right center. It was caught by Mike Kvasnicka, but Buxton dove for the ball. His head collided with Kvasnicka’s hip. The game was delayed for 35 minutes. Buxton was knocked out, unconscious for about ten minutes. He was stabilized and left the field in an ambulance. Kvasnicka also went to the hospital for evaluation.Terry Ryan happened to be in New Britain. He went with the players to the hospital. He later told the Rock Cats radio announcers what he had learned. Mike Kvasnicka was back in the dugout with the team and had just a sore hip. Buxton was given several tests and found no broken bones. He did suffer a concussion and will likely be placed on the disabled list and miss more time. Though a concussion is not a good thing, things could have been much worse. By the end of the game, Buxton had returned to the clubhouse as well. (If you would like to, here is the video of the play.) To find out more about how that Rock Cats game ended up, and much more from around the Twins farm system, you’ll want to continue reading. A top Twins pitching prospect made his first start in nearly a month. Here is the Minor League Report for Wednesday: RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 – Rochester 7, Durham 8 (11 innings) Box Score Knowing they were playing two games on Wednesday, extra frames in Game 1, a continuation of a suspended game, is probably the last thing that either team wanted. Sean Gilmartin had started this game with two innings. He had given up one run on two hits and a walk. He struck out four. When the game resumed on Wednesday, Mark Hamburger took the mound. He was charged with six runs (five earned) on ten hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out five. Stephen Pryor struck out three over two scoreless innings. Aaron Thompson faced two batters in the 10th inning and both got hits. Michael Tonkin came in and gave up the game winning run. Game 2 – Rochester 4, Durham 2 Box Score It most likely was a one-start promotion, but right-hander Tyler Duffey made the most of this appearance with a terrific start. In six innings, he gave up just two runs five hits and two walks. In that sixth inning, he allowed a two-run homer to Nick Franklin. Duffey struck out seven to earn the win. Lester Oliveros struck out two in the 7th for his fourth save. In his last seven games, he has given up 0 runs in 13 innings and has struck out 21 batters. Josmil Pinto went 2-3 in the game. Doug Bernier and Chris Herrmann each doubled. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 8, Bowie 5 Box Score Obviously the big news in this game was the collision between Mike Kvasnicka and Byron Buxton, but the game did continue and the Rock Cats picked up a win. Buxton was 0-3 with three strikeouts before his injury. He also threw out a base runner at third base. Levi Michael also made his AA debut at second base. He went 2-3 and stole two bases. Eddie Rosario went 1-3 with two walks. The Rock Cats had seven hits, walked four times and four players were hit by a pitch. It was a bullpen game for the Rock Cats. Cole Johnson started and threw 2.2 scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out three. Edgar Ibarra came on and was charged with one run on one hit and a walk in 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Alex Wimmers gave up four runs on five hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out two. Jim Fuller struck out two over the final 2.2 innings. He gave up no runs on three hits and recorded his first save of the year. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 – Ft. Myers 1, St. Lucie 6 Box Score Brett Lee made the start in the first game of this doubleheader. The lefty gave up five runs on eight hits, three walks and a hit batter in 3.1 innings. Todd Van Steensel came on and gave up one run on a hit and two walks over 2.2 innings. Madison Boer pitched a scoreless inning. Niko Goodrum hit his third home run of the year. Aderlin Mejia was 2-3 with two walks in the game. Game 2 – Ft. Myers 7, St. Lucie 3 Box Score The Miracle were able to split their doubleheader with a Game 2 win. This was also a bullpen game. Brandon Peterson started and went the first 2.1 innings. He was charged with two runs on four hits and two walks in 2.1 innings. He struck out two. Alex Muren came on and gave up just two hits over 2.2 scoreless innings. Nick Burdi made his Florida State League debut. He gave up a hit, but he struck out two in his inning. DJ Johnson got the final inning and gave up an unearned run on one hit. Dalton Hicks went 2-4. Tyler Grimes was 1-1 with two walks. Jason Kanzler also walked twice. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Beloit 1 Box Score It had been nearly a month since he had last pitched, but Kohl Stewart returned to the mound for the Kernels in Beloit on Wednesday night. Limited to just 50 pitches, Stewart completed four innings. He gave up a run on three hits. He walked none and struck out four. Chih-Wei Hu came on and earned the win with five shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked a batter and struck out three. JD Williams led the offense. He went 2-2 with two walks, his 16th double and his third home run. Max Murphy had a big game as well. He was 2-4 with his fourth double and third home run. Jonatan Hinojosa led off and went 2-4 with a walk. Mitch Garver was 2-4. Chad Christensen went 1-3 with his seventh triple. He was also hit by a pitch twice. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Greeneville 0 Box Score John Curtiss was a tremendous reliever in college, but he’s being given an opportunity to start in Elizabethton. He had a terrific game on Wednesday. The right-hander gave up just two hits over six shutout innings. He walked none and struck out ten. Sam Clay came on and walked two and struck out two over two scoreless innings. CK Irby struck out two in a perfect ninth inning. Jorge Fernandez went 2-2 with a walk. Trey Vavra went 1-1 with a walk, a sacrifice fly and his 13th double. Jeremias Pineda went 2-3. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 9, GCL Rays 1 Box Score The Twins had a much-needed and rare big win. Zach Larson had a terrific game in his rehab from his hamstring injury. He was 3-4 with a walk, and he stole his first base. Amaurys Minier went 2-3 with two walks and his first triple of the year. He also threw out of base runner at home. Joel Polanco went 2-5 with two RBI. Lefty Brandon Easton improved to 2-1. He gave up just one run on six hits and a walk over the first five innings. He struck out six. Eduardo Del Rosario pitched a perfect inning. Zack Jones had his best outing. He struck out two in a perfect inning. Leonel Zazueta struck out two over the final two innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Chih-Wei Hu, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – JD Williams, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Durham @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Alex Meyer Bowie @ New Britain (6:05 CST) – Pat Dean St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – Steven Gruver Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00 CST) – TBD Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) – Michael Cederoth GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games. A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins win against the Houston Astros on Wednesday, it means that on Thursday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article

On Saturday, Nick Blackburn was placed on the Rochester disabled list with an inflamed knee. Virgil Vasquez will make the start for him on Sunday. On the field, there were some good starts and a couple not-so-good starts. A couple affiliates came from behind to get wins. A couple homers by Kennys Vargas powered the Miracle to a win. Elizabethton doubled their pleasure against Johnson City. Check out what else happened in the Twins Minor League system on Saturday night:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester 4, Norfolk 2 Box Score Logan Darnell was solid again in his Saturday start for the Red Wings. The lefty gave up two runs on four hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out eight. Cody Eppley came on and gave up a hit to the batter he faced. Edgar Ibarra came on and got two outs, extending his consecutive scoreless inning streak to 22.2 innings (between New Britain and Rochester). Michael Tonkin recorded the final four outs, two on strikeouts, for his sixth save. The Red Wings bats made short work of Orioles pitching prospect Kevin Gausman. The hard-throwing righty topped out at 98 mph in his 4.1 innings of work. The Wings scored four runs on six hits and two walks off him. Eduardo Escobar went 2-4 with a double and a stolen base. Deibinson Romero was 2-4 with his ninth home run. James Beresford was 2-3 with a triple. What a month July has been for the Red Wings. With this win and a Pawtucket loss, the two teams are in a virtual tie at the top of the International League North Division. The Red Wings were 11 games behind the Red Sox on July 2nd! New Britain 3, Reading 12 Box Score Miguel Sano sat out for the fourth straight game, and the Rock Cats looked like they needed more than just the ultra-talented prospect on this night. Former Gopher Seth Rosin held the Rock Cats to just one run over the first five innings. Danny Santana was 2-5 with his 20th stolen base. Eddie Rosario was 2-5 with his 11th double and third stolen base. Danny Ortiz went 2-5. DJ Baxendale had another rough start. He was charged with eight runs (7 earned) on ten hits and two walks in four innings. Blake Martin came on and gave up a run on a hit and a walk in an inning. He struck out two. BJ Hermsen and Ryan O’Rourke each threw a scoreless inning of relief. Cole Johnson then gave up three runs on two hits in his inning. He did strike out three. Ft. Myers 12, Clearwater 11 Box Score This was a back and forth game for the Miracle, but in the end, they walked off with a win; they had to overcome a five-run deficit at one point. Tyler Duffey started and gave up seven runs (5 earned) on seven hits and three walks in just 3.1 innings. Chad Rodgers came on and got the final two outs of the fourth, but not before giving up a home run. Steven Gruver worked the next three innings. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two. Corey Williams gave up a hit in a scoreless inning. In the ninth, Zach Jones came on to hold a two-run lead, but he gave up two runs on a hit and a walk. He blew the save, but thanks to the Miracle winning in the bottom of the ninth, he also gets the win. JD Williams went 3-5 with a walk, his fifth stolen base and he scored the game-winning run. Kennys Vargas put on a show. He went 2-3 with three walks. He hit his 16th and 17th home runs, both three-run blasts. The six RBI was the most by a Miracle hitter in a game this season. Mike Kvasnicka went 2-5 with a walk and his seventh and eighth doubles. Stephen Wickens was 2-2 with a walk. Cedar Rapids 5, Clinton 2 Box Score Tim Atherton gave up a run in the third and a run in the fourth. In six innings, the Australian right-hander gave up the two runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out eight. Hudson Boyd worked the next two innings, and allowed only a walk. Brian Gilbert came on to protect the three-run lead in the ninth and recorded the save. Max Kepler led the offense on this night. He was 2-3 with his fifth homer, a solo shot, a walk and two RBI. Adam Walker hit his 23rd double, a shot off the wall. Elizabethton 8, Johnson City 0 Box Score The E-Twins doubled their pleasure on Saturday night. The team hit nine doubles and a home run and got great pitching for the win. Randy Rosario started and gave up six hits and no walks in seven shutout innings. He struck out nine. C. K. Irby gave up two hits but no runs in his inning. Kuo-Hua Lo pitched a scoreless inning. Bryan Haar led the offense. He was 3-5 with his fifth, sixth and seventh doubles. Rory Rhodes was 3-5 with his eighth double. Javier Pimentel went 3-5 with his eighth double. Mitch Garver went 2-5 with his fifth and sixth doubles. Jake Proctor returned to the E-Twins lineup and hit a double. Logan Wade was 2-4 and hit his second home run. GCL Twins, GCL Red Sox Postponed by Rain. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article

It was a big day for Minnesota Twins’ second-round draft pick Ryan Eades. He agreed to terms with the Twins and will report to Elizabethton. The E-Twins have played the past two days without two of their catchers. Third-round pick Stuart Turner and ninth-round pick Mitch Garver flew to Wichita because they were two of the three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award for the nation’s top collegiate catcher. In a ceremony on Thursday night, Turner was named the winner of the award. Check out what happened in the Twins farm system Thursday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 8, Indianapolis Indians 4 Box Score Vance Worley has appeared to be back on track. In his previous three starts, he had given up just one earned run in 23 innings. On this night, he improved to 4-3 but he gave up four runs on ten hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out six. Luis Perdomo got a three-inning save. He gave up just one hit and walked one while striking out three. Jeff Clement went 2-4 with his eighth double and his 13th home run. Antoan Richardson went 2-5. Aaron Hicks played seven innings, going 0-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Reading Phillies 9 Box Score The Rock Cats fell behind early and were unable to catch up. Virgil Vasquez started and gave up seven runs (3 earned) on ten hits in six innings. He walked one and strck out five. Cole Johnson struck out two in one perfect inning. Matt Summers gave up two runs on three hits in an inning. BJ Hermsen worked a perfect ninth. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-4 with his 21st double. Jordan Parraz went 2-4 with his fifth double. Miguel Sano hit his fourth homer for the Rock Cats. It was his 20th overall of the season. Ft. Myers Miracle 2, Jupiter 11 Box Score Taylor Rogers has been one of the most consistent starters in the Twins organization this spring, but he was due for a clunker. The left-hander gave up seven runs (4 earned) on seven hits in just four innings. He walked two and struck out one. Chad Rodgers went the next 2.2 innings. He gave up three runs on two hits and a walk, striking out two. Adrian Salcedo got the final four outs; he gave up one run on two hits. Jhon Goncales hit his 10th and 11th doubles in his four at bats. Jonathan Murphy went 2-3 with a walk. Cedar Rapids Kernels 9, Burlington Bees 0 Box Score The Kernels have come out of the All-Star break on fire. With the 9-0 win, the Kernels are now 7-0 since returning to action. Christian Powell was very good. He threw six shutout innings and gave up just one hit. He walked too many (five) and struck out four. Tyler Jones came on and recorded his fifth save. He gave up no runs on no hits and no walks. Jorge Polanco went 3-4 with his third home run. JD Williams was 3-5 with his fourth and fifth triples. Dalton Hicks went 2-5 with his 25th double. Niko Goodrum was 1-1 with four walks, scoring three times. Elizabethton Twins 6, Princeton 3 Box Score The E-Twins were able to pick up a win tonight. Josh Burris made another start. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on two hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out four. Andrew Ferreira struck out four in two scoreless innings, while giving up two hits. Ethan Mildren gave up one hit in a scoreless inning. Luis Nunez picked up his third save. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out three in two shutout innings. Zach Granite led off and went 2-3. Javier Pimentel went 2-4 with his second double. Dereck Rodriguez went 2-4 and stole his third base. GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 7 Box Score Australian lefty Lewis Thorpe made his second start. In four innings, he gave up no runs on just one hit. He walked one and struck out eight. Sam Gibbons threw two shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out two. Josh Guyer had a really rough one: he recorded just one out, but was charged with seven runs (6 earned) on four hits and a walk. Jose Abreu went the final 2.2 innings. He gave up one hit, walked none and struck out three. Alex Swim went 2-4 with a double. Zach Larson was 2-4 with his second home run. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article