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Rain wiped out two of the four Twins minor league affiliates. It rained much of the day in Boston, but the Twins and the Red Sox were able to get in the final game of their series. Rain also caused a delay in Jupiter, Florida, but the Hammerheads and the Miracle were able to finish their game. Miguel Sano returned to the Miracle lineup on Thursday night and the team was also boosted by three players who were working in Extended Spring Training just a week ago. Somehow, the Miracle just keep winning! On Friday, The New Britain Rock Cats and the Cedar Rapids Kernels will each play a doubleheader, so tomorrow night’s report will be a little longer.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 2, Toledo Mud Hens 12 Box Score It’s been a tough go for Liam Hendriks in his time with the Red Wings this year. On Thursday, he gave up six runs on 11 hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out three. He was replaced by Daniel Turpen who did not record an out. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on three hits. He was replaced by Michael O’Connor who gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in… one inning. Virgil Vasquez came on and threw two perfect innings. Nate Hanson got the start in right field. He went 2-3 with a walk and his second double. Jeff Clement was 2-4. Chris Colabello hit his ninth double. The outfield alignment was Hanson in right field, Joe Benson in center and Chris Herrmann in left. Clete Thomas may miss a couple of games with a groin injury. Evan Bigley was put on the disabled list earlier in the day with a sprained wrist. Danny Lehmann was promoted to Rochester where he will serve as a backup catcher. This will allow Herrmann to play in the outfield. New Britain Rock Cats, Portland Sea Dogs This game was postponed by rain. A makeup date has not yet been determined. These two teams are already playing a doubleheader on Friday from a previous weather postponement. Cole De Vries will be making his second rehab start, his first with the Rock Cats. Ft. Myers Miracle 8, Jupiter Hammerheads 0 Box Score The Miracle improved to 26-7 on this night- how the team is doing it is beyond me. Miguel Sano returned to the lineup on Thursday night after missing two games. He had a good day at the plate, though he committed his third error, and the offense was also helped by a group of players who have been added to the Miracle roster from the Extended Spring Training camp, just across the parking lot. Sano was 2-4 with a walk in his return. However, Jonathan Murphy went 3-5 with his second double. Joel Licon, in his first game with the Miracle, also went 3-5 with a double. Aderlin Mejia was 2-3 with a walk, his third double and his second stolen base. A week ago, those three were toiling in anonymity on the back fields in Ft. Myers. This week, they’re helping one of the best minor league teams continue to win. Tom Stuifbergen started for the Miracle. He gave up two hits in two shutout innings. Then the rains came, and delayed the game long enough that Stuifbergen was replaced. Cole Johnson was brought in to the game and he continued what he’s done all year. He threw three shutout innings and gave up just two hits. He struck out four (and walked none) to reduce his ERA to 1.06. Dakota Watts went two scoreless innings and gave up one hit. Corey Williams gave up two hits and a walk, but he provided two scoreless innings as well. Cedar Rapids Kernels, Quad Cities Bandits The game was rained out. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader starting at 5:00 on Friday. Outfielder JD Williams has not played since Saturday. In a text message with Kernels manager Jake Mauer, he said, “JD tweaked his groin, should be good tomorrow.” Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

A day after several of the Twins minor league affiliates’ games were rained out, it was nearly a full schedule on Tuesday night. Elizabethton had the night off, but Rochester played two games to make up for it. A Honkball star showed what he is capable of in New Britain. A big time international signing from last year celebrated this year’s International Signing Day with a nice game. A couple big relief pitching prospects who hadn’t pitched in about ten days got back into action. A couple pitchers from the Twins' opening day roster took the mound in the minors.. Lots happened, including another homer from a guy in Cedar Rapids who quietly is putting up some monster power numbers in the shadow of Chris Colabello and Miguel Sano.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Speaking of the Kernels, were they able to continue their winning streak? Check out that and what else happened in the Twins farm system on Tuesday: Game 1 - Rochester Red Wings 2, Syracuse Chiefs 5 Box Score Cole De Vries was on the mound to start Game 1. The righty gave up three runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Michael Tonkin came on after being out for ten days due to soreness in his shoulder. He went one inning and gave up two runs on three hits. They are his first earned runs in two months. Blake Martin relieved and got the final two outs. Ray Olmedo went 2-3, the only Red Wing hitter with more than one hit. Antoan Richardson doubled for the eighth time. Game 2 - Rochester Red Wings 6, Syracuse Chiefs 5 Box Score Vance Worley was not terribly impressive in Game 2. The Twins Opening Day starter gave up four runs on six hits and in 5.1 innings he walked five and struck out just two. And, for his efforts, he improved to 5-3. Aaron Thompson gave up one run on two hits in the next inning. Luis Perdomo picked up his sixth save by getting the final two outs. The offense came through in this game though. Eric Farris was 2-4 with his 14th stolen base. James Beresford went 2-3 with his first double. Eric Fryer drilled a two-run double (his sixth). Deibinson Romero was 1-2 with a walk, his fifth double and two RBI. New Britain Rock Cats 3, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 1 Box Score It’s been an up-and-down season so far for Tom Stuifbergen, and on this night he was very good. He threw 6.1 shutout innings, giving up four hits, walking one and striking out three. Edgar Ibara got the next four outs, two of them on strikeouts. Dan Turpen recorded his second save. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 1.1 innings; he struck out two. The Rock Cats won despite just six hits. Josmil Pinto had his 19th double. Fisher Cats' 2012 first-round pick Marcus Stroman was very good. In 6.1 innings he walked one and struck out 13. He was charged with all three runs and took the loss. Ft. Myers Miracle 5, Bradenton Marauders 2 Box Score Tyler Duffey put together his best start for the Miracle. The right-hander threw seven shutout innings and used his defense to do so. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out zero. Jose Gonzalez came on and worked a perfect eighth frame. Zack Jones made his first appearance since June 23rd and was a little rusty. In his inning, he gave up two runs on a hit and two walks. Jhon Goncalves went 2-3 with a walk, his 15th double and fifth stolen base. Byron Buxton went 2-4. In Buxton’s first three games with the Miracle, he went 2-13. His last three games have all been multi-hit games through which he is 7-12. Now, he is hitting .360 with the Miracle. He is 19 years old. Just saying. Cedar Rapids Kernels 4, Beloit Snappers 5 Box Score JO Berrios was on the mound, hoping to extend the Kernels 2nd half start to 12-0. He struggled. In just 4.1 innings, he gave up five runs (3 earned) on seven hits. He walked one and struck out six. Madison Boer came on in relief and gave up two hits over 2.2 innings. Steven Gruver came on and struck out two in the final inning. Jonathan Murphy, in his second game with the Kernels, went 3-4 with a double. JD Williams went 2-4 in his first game back since being hit by a pitch in the knee on Saturday. On the organization's home run leader board, Travis Harrison took over third place with his 14th. The loss ends the Kernels 11 game post-All-Star break winning streak. The team is 11-1 in the second half. Beloit won for the fifth straight time, and they are 10-2 in the second half. Elizabethton Twins No Game Scheduled. GCL Twins 2, GCL Orioles 3 Box Score It’s only been about ten days, but Amaurys Minier has already experienced the ups and downs of pro ball. Monday, he was very good. He went 3-3 with his second and third doubles. Brian Navaretto was 1-2 with a walk and his first double. Sam Gibbons started and worked the first three innings. He gave up no runs on four hits. He neither walked nor struck out a batter. He did hit one. Lewis Thorpe came in for the next two innings and didn't allow a run. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. Derek Penilla made his first professional appearance. He gave up one run on two hits in an inning. Dan Sattler had Tommy John surgery last August, and he made his first rehab appearance. He gave up two runs on two hits and recorded two outs, one on a strikeout. Sattler took the loss when Miguel Gonzalez came on and gave up a game-winning hit. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

After looking at the top starting pitchers in the Minnesota Twins system in July, today we turn our attention to the hitters (and tomorrow, we’ll discuss the top relievers for the month). Chris Colabello won this ‘award’ the last two months. He’s now with the Twins, so there is actually quite a bit of competition for this award for the first time in a couple months. A couple top prospects are near the top of the list. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] July is always an interesting month for these awards. Consider that the players at the upper levels participate in the All-Star game (or get their All-Star break). Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton both played in the Futures Game. The season is also now four months gone, and some players are really starting to feel the long season, particularly those who are on a full-season team for the first time. Here’s a look at the Top 5 hitters from July. --- Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – OF Jonathan Murphy – (29-94) .309/.393/.383 (.776) with four doubles, one home run and nine RBI. Murphy was the Twins’ 19th round pick just last year out of Jacksonville University where he teamed with Adam Walker for three years and Miracle pitcher Matt Tomshaw. He began this season by staying at Extended Spring Training, but when the Miracle had a short-term need in the outfield, Murphy went across the parking lot. He played so well right away that he stayed with the Miracle for 37 games. When he began to struggle, he went to Cedar Rapids in late June. The 23-year-old has now played 25 games with the Kernels. He is hitting .293/.375/.364 (.739) with four doubles and a home run. Murphy is a speed guy and a good outfielder. He is also 4-5 in stolen base attempts. For much more from and about Murphy, check out SD Buhr’s article from earlier this week. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – OF Mike Kvasnicka – (30-100) .300/.366/.490 (.856) with eight doubles, one triple, three home runs and 15 RBI. The Twins drafted Kvasnicka in the 31st round of the 2007 draft out of Lakeville (MN) high school, but he went on to play for the Minnesota Gophers. The Astros took him with the first supplemental pick of the first round of the 2010 draft. They moved him from third base and catcher and he struggled with the bat in Low A ball. Last year, he got hurt. This spring, the Twins were able to acquire him for Gonzalo Sanudo, who pitched for the Twins GCL team last year. Unfortunately, he broke his hamate bone before the season started and didn’t play until mid-June. However, since that time, Kvasnicka has hit like crazy while playing solely in the outfield. His father, Jay, was the Twins 8th round draft pick in 1988. Mike has power and is certainly worth the risk to acquire. Number 3 – Rochester – 3B Deibinson Romero – (27-84) .321/.426/.548 (.973) with seven doubles, four home runs and 21 RBI. Romero has been with the Twins organization for a long time, since signing with the team in July of 2004 out of the Dominican Republic. He was added to the 40 man roster following an injury-plaqued season at Beloit in 2008. After a promotion however, he really struggled with the Florida State League and came off the 40 man roster. He has been with the organization since, and continued to struggle until the 2012 season when he performed well in his second season at New Britain. He could have become a free agent the last two offseasons, but he has elected to stay with the Twins organization. He was invited to big league spring training again this spring, but visa issues caused hin to miss all spring training and his season began late. After eight games in New Britain, he made his AAA debut, and he has been pretty good ever since. He was terrific in July, showing both power and patience (14 walks). Number 2 – New Britain – 2B Eddie Rosario – (36-102) .353/.394/.549 (.944) with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs and 17 RBI. When the Twins drafted Rosario with their 4th round pick in 2010, he was considered the best hitter out of Puerto Rico that year. He has kept hitting since. He has been the Appalachian League MVP and last winter, he played so well in the Puerto Rican Winter League that he was named to their World Baseball Classic team. He began this season in Ft. Myers, but once the Miracle clinched the first half title, he was promoted to New Britain where he has continued to hit. Rosario has incredibly quick hands which allows him to see the pitches a little longer. He has plenty of extra base power, though he doesn’t necessarily like to walk. What makes him a possible 2014 call up that his defense has greatly improved at second base. He definitely is a top prospect. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Cedar Rapids – OF Adam Walker – (35-115) .304/.325/.652 (.977) with eight doubles, one triple, ten home runs and 31 RBI. The question I have probably been asked the most in the last month is, “Why is Adam Walker still in Cedar Rapids?” My answer remains the same. I really have no idea. He hasn’t been all that consistent, but in the first 100 games of his season, he has hit .282/.323/.543 (.866) with 25 doubles, six triples, 22 home runs and 91 RBI. He is also 8-8 in stolen base attempts and plays a solid right field. At 6-4 and 225 pounds, Walker has as much power potential as any player in the Twins farm system, with the possible (though I’m not sure) exception of Miguel Sano. He has struck out 93 times in 427 plate appearances which isn’t bad for a power hitter, but he has walked just 23 times. Despite playing three seasons at Jacksonville U, he is still just 21 years old. His future is bright. What do you think? No Byron Buxton. No Miguel Sano. That said, both of them had very solid months as well. It’s always good to recognize different players in the Twins farm system. Please feel free to discuss and ask questions. View full article