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Hopefully everyone had a happy Thanksgiving, and maybe even a long weekend from work. We are back here with our weekly Twins Winter League Report. We waited until Sunday this week so that we would have the complete weekend of games in Australia, including Sunday afternoon games (Saturday evening in the States). In some other Winter League and International news, Mike Berardino wrote that Miguel Sano would not be playing in the Dominican Winter League. Instead, he will be working out in the hopes of playing in the WBC. While not Winter League news "Dan KBO" tweeted that lefty Pat Dean has signed with the KIA Tigers in the KBO for 2017. The deal is believed to be for $900,000.Here is the update on how Twins players performed during the past week in the Winter Leagues. Several US players have returned home after their predetermined stint in the Winter Leagues. Niko Goodrum and Ryan O'Rourke returned to the United States from Venezuela. Daniel Palka played a couple of games last week before returning home from the Dominican Republic. AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE Aaron Whitefield and his Brisbane Bandits played four games in Perth. In six total games since our last report, he has gone 11-25 (.440) with three doubles and five stolen bases. In eight total games this season, he is hitting .433/.469/.567 (1.035). At Perth over the weekend, he had a 3-5 game with two doubles and two stolen bases. And in his final game of the weekend, he went 5-6 with a double and three stolen bases. PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE No longer a Twins pitcher (and he hasn't been for a decade), JC Romero threw a scoreless inning on Saturday night. He has yet to give up a run in 11 outings so far. Juan Centeno played in four games during the week. He went 3-9 (.333) with two doubles, two walks and a hit by pitch. He is now hitting .200/.308/.267 (.576) with three doubles. Kennys Vargas is now hitting .180/.305/.300 (.605) with three doubles and a homer. In three games this past week, he went 2-10 (.200) with a double and three walks. JJ Fernandez played in four games last week. He went 2-7 with two walks and a double. In 17 total games, he is now hitting .229/.315/.396 (.711). Lean Marrero and Nelson Molina did not play. Dereck Rodriguez did not pitch. DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE Daniel Palka played his final two games in the Dominican last week. He went 0-7 with five strikeouts before returning to the States. Overall in 22 games, he hit .188/.258/.338 (.596) with three doubles and three home runs. He walked eight times and struck out 30 times. Leonardo Reginnato went a combined 0-7 in his three games played this week. That puts his overall numbers at .150/.209/.150 (.359) in 14 games. Confesor Lara threw four innings in four games this past week. He did not allow a run despite giving up six hits in the week. He struck out one. In 13 total games, he has given up just two earned runs (1.38 ERA, 0.92 WHIP). Opponents have hit just .152 off of him. Jorge Polanco made his season debut in the Dominican. He played in three games this week and went 3-11 (.283) with a triple. He walked twice and struck out twice. The Twins signed Nik Turley last month to a minor league contract. He has spent time with several major league organizations, including being on the Yankees 40-man roster a couple of years ago. He last pitched for Somerset in the independent Atlantic League. He made his first start in the Dominican this week. He went 2.1 innings. He gave up three runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk. He struck out one. VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE With free agents and players heading home, Luis Arraez is the only Twins player currently playing in Venezuela. He played in five games this week and went 7-22 (.318) with two walks. He had just one three-hit game. In 35 games, he is now hitting .376/.408/.511 (.919) with seven doubles and six triples. In about 155 plate appearances, he has just nine walks, and seven strikeouts. Please feel free to discuss any information on these players in the comments below. Click here to view the article

Three winter leagues are up and running now. The Venezuelan Winter League has been going for nearly a month already. They’ve been playing about two weeks in the Dominican Republic, and they have now played just over a week in Puerto Rico. Several players from the Twins organization are already participating and more certainly will in time. Australia has a U23 team playing in the World Cup, and doing well.VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE Let’s start in Venezuela. Young Victor Tademo did not play during the past week. Neither did catcher Jairo Rodriguez. Wilfredo Tovar was limited to three games, and he went 2-13 (.154). Infielder Niko Goodrum played in four games. He went 4-17 (.235) with two walks and a double. Heiker Meneses played in five games and went 5-19 (.263). Reynaldo Rodriguez always hits. He played in five games and went 6-18 (.333) with two doubles. Luis Arraez was terrific again. The 19-year-old hit hits in all four games he played. In face he went 8-18 (.444) with two doubles and a triple. Throughout the season in Cedar Rapids, Arraez was a multi-hit game machine. That has remained the case in Venezuela. Of the four games he played this week, he had multiple hits in three of them. Omar Bencomo made two starts during the week. In the first, he gave up just one run despite eight hits over five innings. The second one didn’t go so well. He gave up seven runs on eight hits in just three innings. Ryan O’Rourke has been slowly working his ERA down after a rough first couple of weeks. He pitched twice during the week. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk in 1.1 innings in his first appearance. In his most recent outing, he gave up just one run on two hits over three innings.He struck out six in his 4.1 innings. Nick Greenwood did not pitch. DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE Leonardo Reginnato, who split 2016 between Chattanooga and Rochester and will play for Brazil in the WBC, played his first game in the Dominican on Friday. He went 0-3 with a walk. Carlos Paulino caught three games. He went 3-9 (.333) in those games. Late last week, Palka was hitting just .182 without an extra base hit. In his past two games, he is 4-10 with a double and two home runs. The home runs came in back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday. Confesor Lara worked in three games over the week. He gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. PUERTO RICO WINTER LEAGUE Lean Marrero, who has played in the GCL the last two years, has played in just one game. He is 0-1. Nelson Molina has played in two games and is 0-2. Juan Centeno has played just three games so far. He is 1-9 (.111). JJ Fernandez has spent the last three seasons in Cedar Rapids. Through three games in Puerto Rico he has gone 4-11 (.364) with two doubles and a home run. Kennys Vargas is playing again this winter. He two hits in 14 at bats (.143) with a double and three walks. Dereck Rodriguez has pitched twice. On Friday night, he pitched one inning of a no hitter for his Puerto Rico team. There is your weekly update of how Twins players have performed in the Winter Leagues. In just a couple of weeks, we’ll add the performances from the Australian Winter League. Aaron Whitefield signed with the Twins last summer and played in the GCL this year. After Instructional League, he joined the Australia World Cup U23 team. He was their leadoff hitter. In five qualifier games, he went 8-23 (.348) against teams like Austria, Argentina, Chinese Taipei and Japan. Australia qualified for the championship round this weekend. They did beat Panama in the first round. Feel free to discuss any of these players or leagues. Ask questions if you like. Click here to view the article

Joe Mauer, Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario homered for the Twins on Wednesday afternoon to help the Twins win in Detroit. All three were signed and developed by the Twins. In the minor leagues, there was a lot of action. One team played 15 innings. There was a quality start and a lot of offense in southwest Florida. A top prospect reached .500. Another prospect is now tied for the home run lead in all of minor league baseball.For more information on the Twins minor leagues, please continue reading. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Durham 2 Box Score It was a bullpen day for the Red Wings and the bullpen came through in fine form. The bats provided plenty of power. Lefty Nick Greenwood started and went the first five innings. He gave up two runs on seven hits. He struck out five without issuing a walk. Ryan O’Rourke came on and threw two shutout frames. Alex Wimmers struck out three batters over the final two innings without allowing a run. Infielder Tommy Field went 2-3 with a walk his 12th double and his seventh home run. Daniel Palka was also 2-3 with a walk. He added his fourth Red Wings homer and a minor league-leading 25th overall home run. Darin Mastroianni was 2-5 with his sixth double. John Ryan Murphy hit his 12th double. Adam Brett Walker drove in a run with his 17th double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Jackson 3 Box Score Kohl Stewart was on the mound for the Lookouts. He went five innings and improved to 4-4. He gave up just an unearned run on three hits. He walked four and struck out four. Raul Fernandez came on and gave up one run on two hits over the next two innings. He walked one and struck out four. Jake Reed threw a scoreless inning. Mason Melotakis gave up a solo home in the ninth before finishing the game. The bottom of the Lookouts lineup helped them come out on top in this game. Stuart Turner, batting seventh, went 2-4 with a walk. Engelb Vielma batted eighth. He went 2-2 and walked three times. Nine-hole hitter Edgar Corcino went 2-3 with two walks. In addition, second-hitter Ryan Walker went 2-5 with three RBI. Dalton Hicks added his 22nd double. Mitch Garver hit his 21st double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 10, Lakeland 13 Box Score The positive? The Miracle offense was terrific, scoring in double figures. The negative? The Miracle pitching allowed 13 runs in this game, despite a quality start. But you know me. We’ve got to start with the positive, right? And that starts with Nick Gordon. The shortstop went 4-5 with his 18th double. He scored three runs and drove in three runs. He reached a fifth time when he was hit by a pitch. LaMonte Wade also reached base five times. He went 3-4 and walked twice. TJ White did too. He went 2-3 with two walks and was hit by a pitch. Trey Vavra went 2-6. Joe Maloney and Alex Perez each had RBI doubles. Randy Rosario started and gave up three runs in six innings. He gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out four. Luke Bard threw a scoreless seventh inning. However, he gave up three runs in the eighth inning. Yorman Landa came on and gave up four more runs on three hits and a walk without getting an out. Luke Westphal came in and was charged with three runs on two hits and three walks in 1.1 innings. He struck out two. Nick Anderson got the final two outs, one on a strikeout. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Bowling Green 5 Box Score Lachlan Wells has been very good since he was promoted to the Kernels. The 19-year-old was hurt by his defense in the first inning with a couple of unearned runs. In all he gave up five runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk in five innings. Max Cordy walked three over three hitless, scoreless innings. Cam Booser threw the ninth frame and it was uneventful, perfect, which is a good thing. The offense was comprised primarily of JJ Fernandez. He had three of the Kernels six hits. He was 3-3 with a walk and his seventh home run. He drove in two of his three runs on that blast. Jaylin Davis drove in the other run with his fourth double. Luis Arraez extended his hitting streak to eight games with his 22nd double of the season. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Kingsport 6 Box Score The E-Twins fell behind early. The were down 6-1 going into the bottom of the 8th. They scored three runs in the 8th inning and another in the ninth but fell one run shy of the comeback. Domenick Carlini started. He gave up five runs (three earned) on seven hits over 3.2 innings. He walked two and struck out six. Alex Robinson came on and put in some of his best work. He gave up an unearned run on just one hit over four innings. He struck out six. He walked four, but two of those walks came in the eighth inning, after 3.1 terrific innings. Patrick McGuff got the final four outs, three of them on strikeouts. In his six innings with the E-Twins, he hasn’t given up a run and has 12 strikeouts. Lewin Diaz hit his fourth home run of the season, a two-run blast in the 8th inning to cut the deficit in half. Brandon Lopez went 2-3 with two walks in the game. Travis Blankenhorn was 2-5 with the ninth inning RBI. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 5 (15 innings) Box Score The Twins took a 3-0 lead into the seventh inning. Miguel De Jesus started and threw five shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out three. Matz Schutte threw a scoreless sixth but was unable to get out any of the three batters he faced in the seventh inning. Onas Farfan came on and limited the damage to just one run that inning. He kept the 3-1 lead until the bottom of the ninth when he was charged with two runs that tied up the game and sent it to extra innings. The score remained 3-3 when the Twins came to bat in the top of the 15th inning in large part due to Moises Gomez. The right-hander threw 4.1 scoreless innings, stretching his season total to 15.2 scoreless innings. Daniel Martinez threw a scoreless 14th inning. The Twins scored three runs in the top of the 15th inning. Tyree Davis drove in Aaron Whitefield with the first run of the inning. Joe Cronin pinch hit and singled to score Davis. He was thrown out trying to steal second. However, Dane Hutcheon doubled and scored on an Emmanuel Morel single to give the Twins a 6-3 lead. Martinez gave up two runs in the bottom of the 15th inning, but the team was able to hold on for the 6-5 win. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Miguel De Jesus, GCL Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Ft. Myers Miracle THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP Andrew Albers Chattanooga @ Jackson (7:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers @ Clearwater (6:00 CST) - RHP Randy LeBlanc Bowling Green @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez Kingsport @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - RHP Tyler Wells GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00 CST) - RHP Huascar Ynoa Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games. Click here to view the article

In the minor leagues on Sunday afternoon for the Twins, one affiliate pounded out fourteen hits and scored nine runs, but ended up losing in a slugfest. Another got all the runs they would need in a victory in one inning. In Chattanooga, a top prospect and 2016 performer was on the mound for his AA debut. How did it go?To find out how it all went down in the minors on Sunday, keep reading! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 2 Box Score In the seventh inning Rochester got all the offense they would need to take the lead and keep it, when they scored all three of their runs. Jorge Polanco led off the inning with his seventh AA home run of the year to make it 2-1. Daniel Palka followed with a double and moved to third on a Byung-Ho Park single. They each moved up a base on a passed ball to tie the game at two, before Wilfredo Tovar drove in Park with a double of his own for the lead. Andrew Albers made the start for the Red Wings, and it was of the quality variety. He picked up the win to improve to 7-3, going six innings and allowing two earned runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out six. Marcus Walden pitched two perfect innings, striking out one, and Alex Wimmers picked up his eighth save with a one-two-three ninth, punctuating the end game with a strikeout. Palka was the only hitter in the Red Wings lineup with multiple hits, going 2-2 with a run scored, double, and two walks. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Tennessee 5 Box Score Lefty Tyler Jay was on the mound for the Lookouts in this one, making his AA debut. He ran into some early trouble, but finished five innings and didn’t factor into the decision. Chattanooga’s offense gave him an early 3-0 lead, as a two-run double from D.J. Hicks in the first was followed by an RBI single from Zach Granite in the second. In the Smokies half of the second inning it was a walk and four singles, including three ground balls that found their way through the infield that led to a 3-3 tie. It remained that way until the fifth, when Jay gave up his first AA home run to the leadoff man. All told, Jay allowed four earned runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out four. The Lookouts again tied the game in the sixth, as back-to-back doubles from Travis Harrison and Leonardo Reginatto made it 4-4. Ryan Eades came on in relief of Jay, and would finish the game but also ended up with the loss when he allowed a solo-home run to the second batter he faced. He went three innings, allowing the lone run on three hits and a walk. He struck out five. Chattanooga’s lineup got multi-hit efforts from Granite (2-3, R, RBI, 2 BB), Reginatto (2-4, 2B, RBI), and Niko Goodrum (2-4, R, 2B). Granite added two outfield assists from center on the defensive side. MIRACLE MATTERS Dunedin 6, Fort Myers 1 Box score Dominican pitcher Fernando Romero made his fourth start with the Miracle in 2016, and scattered six hits over five innings before a fifty-five minute rain delay ended his game. He allowed two runs (one earned), and struck out 3. The Blue Jays got single runs off of him in the first and second innings for an early 2-1 lead, and that would be all they needed as the Miracle offense was held at bay. Fort Myers was outhit in the game just 10-8, but their lone run didn’t come until the bottom of the ninth with the game seemingly out of reach. Alex Perez singled in Nick Gordon, who had doubled two batters earlier. For the game the Miracle were just 1-9 with runners in scoring position, and left only six men on base. Gordon and Joe Maloney were each 2-4. T.J. White added a double out of the leadoff spot. In relief of Romero, John Curtiss and Todd Van Steensel each pitched two innings and allowed two runs. Between them there were four hits allowed, two walks, and they each struck out three. KERNELS NUGGETS Kane County 11, Cedar Rapids 9 Box Score Both the Kernels and Cougars brought their bats in this one, as the teams combined for twenty runs on twenty-seven hits and nine walks. Cedar Rapids got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the first. It was a single, sacrifice bunt, single, RBI single, pop-out, double-steal of home, and RBI single sequence to score them. Zander Wiel and Nelson Molina picked up the RBI’s, and Jaylin Davis got the steal of home. Kernel’s starter Sam Gibbons lost his early lead in the top of the second when he gave up a 2-RBI triple that was followed by a two-run home run. Kane County added two more in the fourth with a based loaded 2-RBI single to make it 6-3 to end Gibbons start. He went 3.1 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out four. Andrew Vasquez came on in relief and stranded two runners, and Cedar Rapids would get those runs back and more in their half of the frame Casey Scoggins reached on an error to lead off, and Jaylin Davis drew a two-out walk to bring up Wiel. His 2-RBI triple was followed by a two-run home run from J.J. Fernandez for a 7-6 score. It would stay that way until the seventh, as Vasquez finished two more scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out two in 2.2 innings. Kuo Hua Lo came on for the seventh, but before the inning was done it was 8-7 Cougars and he had a blown save added to his line. He also pitched the eighth, but allowed two runs on three hits and one walk in two innings. He notched three K’s. Michael Cederoth pitched the ninth, and had a worse go, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk in his inning. He picked up two of the outs via strikeouts. The Kernels added two runs in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a Brian Olson double to score Davis and Molina, who had singled and walked respectively, but Rainis Silva grounded out to end the game. Jermaine Palacios (3-5, R) and Fernandez (3-5, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) each had three hits. Zander Wiel was 2-5 with the triple, two runs scored, a stolen base, and three RBI. Molina (2-3, R, RBI, BB), Davis (2-3, 3 R’s, 2 BB, SB) also collected multiple hits for the home team. E-TWINS E-NOTES Greeneville 4, Elizabethton 1 Box Score Amaurys Minier slugged his third home run of the year as part of a 3-4 game at the plate, but the rest of his teammates combined for just three other hits in twenty-nine at-bats. Minier’s home run came in the seventh inning to pull the Twins within one of the Astros at the time. Lewin Diaz and Minier also added doubles. Right-hander Sean Poppen made the start for Elizabethton and went the first five innings. He allowed one run on four hits and a walk, while striking out six. Austin Tribby was the first reliever up, and pitched into the seventh. He allowed one run on three hits in 1.1 innings. All four of his outs came on strikeouts. Quin Grogan went the next 1.1 innings. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out one.Patrick McGuff then made his Appalachian League debut. In his 1.1 innings he walked one and struck out two. The E-Twins fall to 7-10 on the young season and will wrap up their three game series with the Astros in a rubber match Monday night. GCL TWINS TAKES The GCL Twins, like the rest of the Gulf Coast League, enjoyed the afternoon off on Sunday. They get back to action tomorrow morning against the GCL Orioles. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Albers, Rochester Red Wings (W, 6.0IP, 2 ER’s, 7 H’s, 2 BB, 6 K’s) Hitter of the Day – J.J. Fernandez, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – All Star break Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:05PM CST) – Felix Jorge (first AA start) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (10:35AM CST) – RHP Miles Nordgren (first Miracle start) Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (12:05PM PM CST) – RHP Eduardo Del Rosario (0-2, 6.25 ERA) Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00PM CST) – TBD GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00AM CST) – LHP Taylor Clemensia Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins were way out on the left coast, and now that they are back at home, they lost to a bad Yankees team. Yuck-o. After the game the Twins activated Danny Santana from the disable list and to make room for him the Twins decided that they could not solve the riddle of Oswaldo Arcia and designated him for assignment. Seth Stohs has more on that. Continue reading to find out more detail about Thursday in the Twins farm system.RED WINGS REPORT Columbus Clippers @ Rochester Box Score The Red Wings held the Clippers scoreless for the first seven innings while building a 4-0 lead, before trading two runs in the top of the eight for two runs in the bottom. Danny Santana, making his final rehab start, was 2-4 with a strikeout and two runs scored. Wilfredo Tovar (I just love that name, Wilfredo) was 2-3 with a walk and a run scored, the only other Wings player with multiple hits. Jorge Polanco hit a three-run dinger in the fifth as part of a 1-4 night, and Tommy Field hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth, also as part of a 1-4 night. Rochester Starter Jason Wheeler went 7.2 innings, giving up just those two late runs, giving up four hits, and two walks. Wheeler struck out seven. He was replaced by J.T. Chargois, giving up a hit and recording two strikeouts to finish the game. Final: Clippers 2, Red Wings 6 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Chattanooga @ Montgomery Biscuits Box Score Lots of Lookouts news on Thursday before the game even started, ASG starters were announced and Daniel Palka will start at DH, and Mitch Garver will be behind the plate (Trevor Hildenberger, D.J. Baxendale, Travis Harrison will be subs). Also Thursday morning Daniel Palka was named the Southern League hitter of the week. Engelb Vielma came into Thursday's game riding a 10-game hitting streak but stumbed to an 0-3 evening. Daniel Palka didn't hit any home runs, so that's weird. He was 1-4 with two strikeouts. The aforementioned All-Star starter Mitch Garver was held without a hit, 0-3 with a walk and a K. The Lookouts were held to just four hits, but scored an unearned run in the second inning, which was enough for the victory, thanks to great pitching performances from Eades, Reed and Hildenberger. Starter Ryan Eades went 7.0 innings, giving up just three hits, walking a batter and striking out three. His ERA is now down to 3.66 and he's given up just one earned run in three starts since coming off of the disabled list on June 6. Jake Reed replaced Eades for the eighth and walked one and struck out one. Trevor Hildenberger picked up his tenth save of the season, with a perfect 1-2-3 inning with a pair of strike outs. Final: Lookouts 1, Biscuits 0 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ Bradenton Marauders Box Score The Miracle lost the last game of the first half of their season, and the last game of a nine-game road trip, falling behind in the fourth inning and staying there. The Miracle had seven hits on the night, with two coming from lead-off man T.J. White, 2-4 with a double, an RBI, a walk and a strikeout. No other Fort Myers hitter had multiple hits, but both Edgar Corcino and Nick Gordon picked up doubles. Miracle Starter Keaton Steele gave up five runs (two earned) over 6.0 innings. He struck out five, walked one, and gave up a home run. Steele falls to 2-6 on the year with the loss. John Curtiss pitched the seventh, giving up a trio of hits, but managing to strike out three as well and only gave up one run. Yorman Landa pitched a bumpy ninth, but kept the Marauders off the board, giving up a pair of walks and picking up a pair of strikeouts. Not a great way to head into the All-Star break. Final: Miracle 2, Marauders 6 KERNELS KORNER Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities River Bandits Box Score Cody Stashak had a career high 6.2 shutout innings, taking a perfect game into the fourth inning, putting down the first ten batters of the game. Stashak earned the win to move to 4-4 on the year and lowered his ERA to 2.73. Stashak was replaced by Juo Hua Lo who went 2.1 innings earning his first save of the year. He gave up a run on two hits, struck a batter out and gave up a home run. The Kernels had just five hits on the night, but put them together when it counted, scoring three runs in the second, and three more in the top of the ninth. Right fielder J.J. Fernandez was 1-3 with a walk, two runs scored, a home run and four RBIs, leading the way for Cedar Rapids. The other four Kernels hits were all singles, spread among Luis Arraez, Sean Miler, Nelson Molina and Daniel Kihle. Final: Kernels 6, River Bandits 1 DSL Twins Takes DSL Twins @ DSL D-backs2 Box Score Nothing remarkable to report from the DSL Twins batters, but starter Pedro Garcia had a very nice game. He pitched 6.0 innings of one-hit baseball. He walked two and struck out four and left the game with a lead that was promptly squandered by Fredderi Soto in the seventh. The game slogged on into the 12th inning when the DSL Twins loaded the bases via a walk, a sacrifice bunt that resulted in a reached on error, and a hit battsmen to load the bases with no outs. Antonio Tovar singled home a run in the next at bat and Darling Cuesto singled home another run immediately after. The DSL Twins held on in the bottom of the 12th to take home the victory. Final: DSL Twins 3, DSL D-backs2 1 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - J.J. Fernandez, Cedar Rapids Kernels Pitcher of the Day - Ryan Eades, Chattanooga Lookouts FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester @ Toledo Mud Hens (6:05pm) - Jose Berrios vs. Daniel Norris Chattanooga @ Montgomery Biscuits (7:05pm) - David Hurlbut (4-3, 4.09) vs. Hunter Wood Fort Myers - OFF - All-Star Break - All-Star Game at Fort Myers on Saturday Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities River Bandits (7:00pm) - Eduardo Del Rosario (0-1, 8.64) vs. Franklin Perez DSL D-backs2 @ DSL Twins (9:30am) - TBD vs. TBD Please ask questions and discuss the Thursday games. Click here to view the article

There were five games for the Twins' minor leagues affiliates on Saturday. Actually, there were six as the Twins Dominican Summer League (DSL) team made their 2016 debut. Among the four full-season affiliates, there was an opportunity for a cycle. Several top pitching prospects were on the mound, including the AA debut of Kohl Stewart. Though we don’t necessarily cover them every day, the Twins DSL squad won their first game this year, 6-2 over the Orioles team. Though it is really difficult to know which players on those rosters will become quality prospects over time - stats matter very little at that level - we all know who Wander Javier is. The Twins signed the Dominican shortstop last July to a $4 million signing bonus. Today was his professional debut. He batted second and went 1-4 with a walk and a double.Continue reading if you would like just a little bit more information from your Minor League Report. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Louisville 5 Box Score Jason Wheeler took his turn on the mound for the Red Wings. The left-hander gave up four runs on eight hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out six. David Martinez came on for the seventh and got two outs, both on strikeouts, though he did walk one. Ryan O’Rourke came on and got the final out of the seventh on a strikeout. He stayed in for the eighth and gave up one run on three hits, though he did strike out one more. Logan Schafer batted second in his second game with the Red Wings. In the first inning, he hit his first homer. Later, Eddie Rosario added his third homer with the Red Wings, a two-run shot. Buck Britton and James Beresford each went 2-4. Jorge Polanco and Kennys Vargas each doubled. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Birmingham 6 Box Score The big story in this one was the AA debut of Kohl Stewart. It was a rocky start including a couple of rain delays. He gave up two runs in the first inning, and then there was a rain delay. He went out for the second inning and gave up three more runs (two earned) and got just two outs before lightning in the area forced a second weather delay. In all, he went 1.2 innings and gave up five runs (four earned) on four hits and three walks. He did strike out three. After the lightning got far enough away and the game resumed, Luke Westphal replaced Stewart with the bases loaded and got the final out. He worked two more innings without giving up another run. He walked four and struck out four in 2.1 innings. Omar Bencomo entered and threw two shutout innings. Jake Reed pitched the seventh and eighth innings. He gave up one run in his second inning. Trevor Hildenberger came on for the ninth and despite two hits did not allow a run to pick up his seventh save. The offense came through. Daniel Palka had just one hit, but it was his Southern League-leading 12th home run. It was his fifth home run in this series against Birmingham. Travis Harrison got things going with a bases-clearing triple in the second inning. He went 2-5 and the triple was his second. Zach Granite was again the catalyst at the top of the Lookouts lineup, reaching base five times. He went 2-3 and walked three times. He added his third triple. Leonardo Reginnato went 2-4 with a walk and two RBI. MIRACLE MATTERS In yesterday’s Minor League Report, we mentioned that seven members of the Ft. Myers Miracle were named to the Florida State League All-Star Game, which will be held at Hammond Stadium. On Saturday, the Miracle announced that eight of their players would be participating. With Kohl Stewart promoted to Chattanooga, he has been replaced by Felix Jorge. Also Nick Gordon was added as a replacement. Both are certainly deserving. Game 1 - Ft. Myers 2, Daytona 4 Box Score The Miracle jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Unfortunately, they were unable to hold the lead. Nick Gordon went 2-3 with his 10th double and an RBI. Chris Paul was also 2-3. Lefty Randy Rosario started and gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits over five innings. He didn’t walk a batter but struck out one. Nick Anderson and Raul Fernandez each pitched a scoreless inning in relief. Game 2 - Ft. Myers 1, Daytona 2 Box Score With one out in the seventh inning, Gonsalves gave up a two-run double just inside the third base line that put Daytona ahead 2-1. Gonsalves was on. Through six innings, he had given up just one hit and struck out eight. After seven, he gave up two runs (just one earned) on three hits and no walks. He struck out eight and unfortunately, he is credited with the loss. According to Brice Zimmerman, Gonsalves hit 97 once. The Miracle managed just four hits in the game, none after the first three batters. Edgar Corcino went 2-3 while Engelb Vielma and Nick Gordon each went 1-3. After getting swept on Saturday, the Miracle are now 27-29 on the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Peoria 2 Box Score Saturday was the 22nd birthday of Kernels’ right-hander Cody Stashak. The Kernels offense gift to him was a nice offensive explosion. That said, the 2015 draft pick from St. John’s put together a nice outing. In six innings, he gave up two runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out seven to improve to 3-3 with a 3.08 ERA. Williams Ramirez came on and recorded his first save. He threw three shutout innings, giving up just two hits, walking one and striking out four. JJ Fernandez led the offense. He had an opportunity in the bottom of the eighth to complete a cycle with a triple. He settled for a single and a 4-4 day. He added a walk, his 12th double and his third home run. Zander Wiel went 3-5 with his 10th double. Sean Miller was also 3-5. Daniel Kihle went 2-5. Alex Perez led off. He walked twice and was hit by a pitch. Ron Gardenhire is in Cedar Rapids this weekend, and The Gazette’s Jeff Johnson had a chance to catch up with him on Saturday night for this article. (photo of JJ Fernandez by Seth Stohs) TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – JJ Fernandez, Cedar Rapids Kernels SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Louisville (1:05 p.m. CST) - RHP Kyle Gibson Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (4:15 CST) - RHP DJ Baxendale Daytona @ Ft. Myers (3:05 CST) – RHP Randy LeBlanc Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – RHP Eduardo del Rosario Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Click here to view the article

CEDAR RAPIDS - Another day in Cedar Rapids and no on-field batting practice because of the rains. In reality, it only rained for about 15 minutes, but it came down hard and accumulated. However, the Kernels grounds crew did a great job. There was one more rain cell that hit the ballpark about game time, so the Kernels decided to delay the start of the game by about 45 minutes which was the right decision. It was a fireworks game for the Kernels, so the stands were pretty full, and the crowd got to watch some bonus baseball as the Kernels and TimberRattlers went 11 innings. And the rest of the organization was full of exciting games. See how Travis Harrison helped the Lookouts to a win. How did Tommy Milone fare? Did he throw too many strikes? Stephen Gonsalves was on the mound too. And, were you ready to give up on Eddie Rosario?We’ve got quotes from the Kernels starting pitcher, catcher and manager as well, so continue reading today’s Minor League Report. TRANSACTIONS On Saturday, there was just one transaction in the Twins system: In Ft. Myers, Max Murphy was placed on the 7-Day disabled list with a strained hamstring. Taking his spot is Engelb Vielma who has been rehabbing in extended spring Ttaining.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 3, Charlotte 4 Box Score The reports of the demise of Eddie Rosario might have been a little premature. The outfielder went 4-5 with his sixth double for the Red Wings. He raised his average to .289. Byron Buxton nearly homered but had to settle for a ground rule double on the play. He was 2-4 with his ninth double. Jorge Polanco added his second double. Tommy Milone was the definition of a strike thrower on Saturday night. 82 of his 102 pitches were strikes. The lefty gave up two runs on three hits over 7.2 innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out seven. JT Chargois came on for the final out of the eighth inning. He gave up a hit but the inherited runner did not score. Alex Wimmers came on for the ninth. He gave up two runs and got just one out. Sean Burnett got the final two outs on the inning. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Tennessee 2 Box Score Travis Harrison drove in three runs which was enough to help the Lookouts to a 3-2 win. The outfielder went 2-3 in the game with his ninth double. Dalton Hicks and Ryan Walker were both 2-3. Hicks hit his 10th double. Aaron Slegers made the start. The lanky right-hander gave up two runs on five hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out six. Corey Williams was excellent in relief. He struck out three over two shutout innings to improve to 2-0. Trevor Hildenberger recorded his fifth save with a perfect ninth inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Charlotte 3 Box Score This game was close until the eighth when Charlotte put together a big inning. Stephen Gonsalves gave up some hits, but he put together another quality start. In six innings he gave up three runs (2 earned) on nine hits. He walked one and struck out seven. Todd Van Steensel came in and pitched a scoreless seventh inning. However, things didn’t go so well in the eighth. It started with four straight hits. After getting two outs, he gave up a single and a home run. Six runs on six hits, in a hurry. Brian Gilbert got the final out. Logan Wade went 2-4 with his fourth triple. Alex Real went 2-3 with a walk. Tanner Witt and Brian Navarreto each hit his first home run of the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Wisconsin 2 Box Score The story in this game was all the strikeouts. Unfortunately, it was the Kernels who struck out on the scoreboard at the end of the night. Righty Miles Nordgren made the start for the Kernels. He came into the game with 28 strikeouts in 31+ innings. In this game, he went seven innings and struck out 12 batters without issuing a walk. He gave up one run on four hits, easily the best start of his professional career. The lone run he allowed came on a broken bat blooper. The right-hander who says that he hits 90 “on a good day” said that he threw “a lot more sliders” instead of his curveball. His catcher AJ Murray was impressed. “He made my job easy. I just put my glove down and he threw it there every time. He was in control the whole game the whole time, and it’s probably the best I’ve seen him throw this year or last year.” Williams Ramirez came on and worked a season-high three innings. He gave up just one hit, walked none and struck out five. He showed a mid-90s fastball with a very sharp, high-70s curveball. Earlier in the day, Jake Mauer said that Ramirez had never pitched under the lights as he has done a couple of times now with the Kernels. Following the game, Mauer said that Ramirez “He’s got a live arm too. It’s electric. It comes out good. It’s downhill. Breaking ball’s good. He looks more and more comfortable out there each time.” When I said, “The lights don’t seem to bother him,” Mauer said with a chuckle, “No I think he’s used to it now.” Could Ramirez eventually start? Mauer said he could, but right now, the team needs someone to pitch late in games ,and Ramirez is in that mix too. Unfortunately, the Kernels were unable to muster any offense. However, in the bottom of the ninth, they were able to get one across to tie the game and send it to extra innings. JJ Fernandez lined a double to the right field corner. Alex Perez ran for him and advanced to third base on a slow bounder to third base. Jermaine Palacios lined out to medium-deep center field allowing Perez to score the game-tying run and send it to extra innings. In the 11th inning, CK Irby came on. The first batter blooped a single. The second batter bunted. Irby fielded and threw to second. The throw tailed into the runner’s helmet and bounced away. He was able to advance to third, though he was clearly hurt and left the game. A deep fly to right scored the go-ahead run. JJ Fernandez led the way with his 10th double and first triple of the year. Luis Arraez went 2-4. LaMonte Wade wasted no time extending his on-base streak to 28 games with a first inning walk. He added a single later. Sean Miller hit his third triple, and Brad Hartong hit his second double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Miles Nordgren, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Eddie Rosario, Rochester Red Wings SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Charlotte @ Rochester (12:35 p.m. CST) - LHP Andrew Albers Tennessee @ Chattanooga (5:15 CST) - RHP Omar Bencomo Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (11:35 am CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – RHP Cody Stashak Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Click here to view the article

It was an interesting day in the Twins organization. A lot of things came to a head, and no question there is more fallout to come, at some point. There were several transactions on Friday, and we know more will become official on Saturday. There were also four solid pitching performances. There was a four-hit game, and a surprise four-walk game. And, Byron Buxton homered again! Continue to read all of the transactions, some potential next moves, and the highlights from all four Twins affiliates.TRANSACTIONS It was another busy day of transactions. It feels like we have started many transactions with that sentence, but Friday was very busy. In the afternoon, the Twins announced the following: Ervin Santana was coming of the disabled list. He will start on Saturday.John Ryan Murphy was optioned to Rochester.Ryan O’Rourke and JR Graham was designated for assignment. To review, this means that they have been removed from the 40-man roster. The other teams will have a chance to claim them. If they go unclaimed, they can be outrighted to Rochester.Darin Mastroianni and Juan Centeno were added to the 40-man roster and called up.We also learned, from Mike Berardino, that Casey Fien and Tommy Milone were played on irrevocable waivers and those waivers end on Saturday afternoon at which point they will be off of the 40-man roster. I would speculate that Brandon Kintzler and Buddy Boshers are be the most logical call-ups to replace them.There were also a couple of minor league transactions:Catcher Brett Doe went through minor league spring training, but he was released very late in camp. When offered, he accepted a role as the bullpen catcher for the Rochester Red Wings. With Centeno called up to the Twins, the Red Wings needed a catcher and they called out to the bullpen. Doe was added to the Red Wings roster and will - at least temporarily - be their backup catcher.Nick Burdi was placed on the Chattanooga disabled list. He is being shut down again, this time with a bone bruise at the bottom of his right humerus. It is on the outside of his pitching elbow. Per Mike Berardino, an MRI showed no damaged other than the bone bruise.The Twins signed LHP Nick Greenwood, a 28-year-old who had been 3-0 with the new New Britain franchise which is in the Atlantic League. He had time the last two years with the St. Louis Cardinals, though he spent most of his time at AAA Memphis. He will begin with the Lookouts.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7 , Pawtucket 5 (10 innings) Box Score This game didn’t get really interesting until the 8th inning. In the bottom of the inning, Pawtucket scored two to take a 4-1 lead. However, in the top of the 9th frame, the Red Wings scored four runs to take a 5-4 lead. Unfortunately, in the bottom of the ninth, the PawSox scored a run to send it to extra innings. In the top of the 10th, the Red Wings scored two runs to take a 7-5 lead. Byron Buxton got the Red Wings off on a good note. He led off the game with his second home run. He was 2-5 with a walk as well. Buck Britton went 4-5. Carlos Paulino went 1-3 with two walks. Adam Brett Walker went 0-1 with four walks. Andrew Albers made his second start. The lefty went six innings. He gave up two runs on eight hits and three walks. He struck out five. Alex Wimmers gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. Buddy Boshers got the final out of the eighth inning, but he gave up the run in the ninth frame. Marcus Walden got the 10th inning and went 1-2-3 to end the game and record the save. Red Wings manager Mike Quade was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing a balk call. Also, after the Red Wings took the lead in the 9th inning, Jorge Polanco was removed from the game. Could it have been ‘for defensive purposes’ that Polanco was replaced by Heiker Meneses in the field? Sure. But with it being likely that Eduardo Escobar will go on the disabled list, it’s more likely that Polanco will make his third trip to the big leagues already this year. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Mobile 3 Box Score Omar Bencomo signed late last year with the Twins and pitched for Ft. Myers. He pitched really well in Venezuela this past winter and returned to the organization. At the end of spring training, he went to extended spring training and waited for an opportunity. With so much activity in the system, the Twins pushed him to Chattanooga. In his second start, he gave up just one run over six innings. He allowed three walks, walked one and struck out five. Jake Reed came on and gave up two runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. He walked one and struck one out. JT Chargois got the final five outs. He gave up one hit and a walk but no runs, to record his sixth save. The outing dropped his season ERA to 0.84. Travis Harrison went 2-4 with a walk. Stuart Turner went 2-4. Zach Granite was 2-5 with his 11th and 12th stolen bases. Mitch Garver added his sixth double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, St. Lucie 1 Box Score Old Reliable, Felix Jorge, was on the mound for the Miracle on Friday night. The right-hander improved to 2-2 with a 1.38 ERA on the season with another strong performance. He gave up one run on five hits over seven innings. He walked none and struck out seven. 72 of his 99 pitches were strikes. Yorman Landa came on and struck out three over the final two innings for his second save. He gave up just one hit. Edgar Corcino’s hot streak remained. He went 2-3 with a walk and his second stolen base. The Miracle had just six hits. Kevin Garcia had the only extra-base hit, his first double of the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Great Lakes 2 Box Score Sam Clay continued to pitch well, but this time it wasn’t enough to help the Kernels to a win. The lefty gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits in 5.2 innings. He walked three and struck out nine. Miles Nordgren came on and threw 2.1 scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit, walked one and struck out two. JJ Fernandez had a strong game. He went 3-4 including his second home run of the season. Rafael Valera went 2-5. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – JJ Fernandez, Cedar Rapids Kernels SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (DH @ 4:05 CST) - RHP David Martinez, LHP Jason Wheeler Chattanooga @ Mobile (7:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – LHP Randy Rosario Cedar Rapids @ Great Lakes (6:05 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

It was a long day for those who follow the Twins minor leagues. The Miracle played a game at 10:30 eastern time. The Red Wings played at 1:00 eastern. Then there were two night games. There was an incredible pitching performance in Rochester, though the three other starters on the day struggled. Of course Daniel Palka kept hitting while a couple of other top prospects had multi-hit games with extra-base hits.Continue to to read all about the events in the Minnesota Twins minor leagues on Thursday. TRANSACTIONS Early on Thursday morning, the Kernels announced the RHP John Curtiss and OF Max Murphy had been promoted to Ft. Myers. OF Daniel Kihle moved up to Cedar Rapids from extended spring. Kuo Hua Lo was also promoted from extended spring training, though he was never actually sent back to Ft. Myers after being “demoted” a few days earlier. Though there was no announcement, LHP Mason Melotakis was back pitching for Chattanooga on Thursday which means he was removed from the DL. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Buffalo 0 Box Score The story of this game, without question, was left-hander Logan Darnell. Left off the Twins 40-man roster this offseason, Darnell cleared waivers and was happy to stay with the Twins. He had a strong spring training and was one of the last cuts. On this day, Darnell needed just 105 pitches (71 strikes) to complete nine innings of shutout ball. He gave up four hits, walked four and struck out none. Byron Buxton went 2-5. He had a triple late in the game. Earlier in the game, he had a double but was thrown out trying to turn it into a triple. To make things even, he also threw out a guy trying to advance to third in the game too. Wilfredo Tovar went 2-3 with a walk and his seventh stolen base. Adam Brett Walker and Juan Centeno each went 2-4. Stephen Wickens knocked his first home run of the season, his first AAA homer. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Montgomery 6 Box Score DJ Baxendale gave up four first-inning runs and another in the second, but then responded with four scoreless innings. In total, he gave up five runs on five hits. He walked four and struck out five. Mason Melotakis returned from the DL and pitched a scoreless inning. Despite allowing one hit he needed just seven pitches. Trevor Hildenberger made his AA debut with a scoreless inning. He struck out two. He also needed just 12 pitches and ten were strikes. Nick Burdi gave up one run on two hits in an inning. Offensively, Daniel Palka was about it. He went 2-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. Travis Harrison drove in the lone run with an RBI double. Pitching for Montgomery was former Twins prospect Chih-Wei Hu. The right-hander from Taiwan gave up one run on four hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out four. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Jupiter 12 Box Score The Miracle played a 9:30 game in Jupiter. It didn’t go well for top picher Tyler Jay. The left-hander gave up six runs (5 earned) on ten hits in 4.1 innings. He walked none but also struck out none. Luke Bard came on and gave up two runs on three hits in 1.2 innings. Brian Gilbert then gave up four runs on three hits and three walks in 1.2 inning. Todd Van Steensel came in and got the final out. Nick Gordon led the offense by going 2-4 with his second triple. He had two errors in the field, giving him six on the season. Logan Wade added his second triple of the year. Chad Christensen knocked his second home run. Alex Real was 2-3 in the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, West Michigan 6 Box Score Down 6-5 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Kernels loaded the bases. JJ Fernandez singled in the game-tying run. After a pitching change, a wild pitch scored the winning run. The game started out poorly. Sam Gibbons went the first five innings. He gave up six runs (five earned) on five hits and five walks. He struck out one. Logan Lombana came in and calmed things. He worked three scoreless innings, striking out four batters. Nick Anderson struck out one in a scoreless inning. JJ Fernandez came up with the big hit. It was the third hit for him on the day. Jermaine Palacios and Christian Cavaness each went 1-3 with a walk. Daniel Kihle made his Kernels debut. Unfortunately, early in the game, he had a collision with Jermaine Palacios on a pop fly in the outfield. Kihle left the game. LaMonte Wade came on, playing for the first time in five days due to a hamstring injury. Still not 100%, Wade went 1-2 with a walk. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Logan Darnell, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Byron Buxton, Rochester Red Wings FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (DH 4:05 CST) - (LHP Pat Dean, LHP Taylor Rogers) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (5:35 CST) – RHP Keaton Steele South Bend @Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – LHP Sam Clay Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games. Click here to view the article