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When your organization has as much success as the Minnesota Twins affiliates had during the 2017 season, there’s a good chance there were a lot of strong offensive performers at every level. That was certainly the case when going through the candidates for this award, as several names who had big seasons couldn’t crack the list. Especially amazing when researching this, was the lineup of the 2017 Southern League Co-Champion Chattanooga Lookouts. Names from their roster litter the Southern League leader board for just about every offensive category. But when it came down to it, there was one guy who stood out on almost everyone’s ballot, and he’s no stranger to this award having won it once already in his MiLB career.Seven Twins Daily Minor League writers were asked to vote for the various awards. For the hitter of the year, we each voted for eight players. The player who was voted as #1 received eight points, #2 received seven points and so on with the #8 vote receiving one point. Results were tabulated and can be found below. Short profiles of our top nine are to follow, but first, some players worthy of honorable mention. These players also received votes. Honorable Mention Wander Javier – Elizabethton Twins – 41 games, 47-157 – .299/.383/.471 (.855) – 13 2B’s, 3B, 4 HRs, 34 R’s, 22 RBI, 4 SB. Was #4 in our Short Season Hitter of the Year rankings and displayed the plethora of tools that made him an attractive big money international signing in his first year in the states.Max Murphy – Fort Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts – 130 games, 144-506 – .285/.361/.401, (.762) – 29 2B’s, 6 3B’s, 6 HRs, 80 R’s, 62 RBI, 9 SB. Played 78 games with the Miracle to start his season, slashing .307/.390/.430 before being promoted to Chattanooga for his final 52 games.Daniel Palka – Rochester Red Wings – 84 games, 96-350 – .274/.329/.431 (.759) – 13 2B’s, 3 3B’s, 11 HR, 47 R’s, 42 RBI. Also played in six games with the GCL Twins while rehabbing, and had another home run in those 20 plate appearances. Missed time with an injury, otherwise he might have earned a spot on the Twins September roster.Nick Gordon – Chattanooga Lookouts – 122 games, 140-519 – .270/.341/.408 (.749) – 29 2B’s, 8 3B’s, 9 HRs, 80 R’s, 66 RBI, 13 SB. Was a tale of two seasons for Gordon, as he was scorching hot in the first half of the season (.880 OPS), but wasn’t able to keep that up in the second half (.609 OPS). Despite all that, he ranked third in the Southern League in hits and runs scored, fourth in total bases, and led the circuit in triples.Chris Paul – Fort Myers Miracle – 61 games, 80-238 – .328/.380/.471 (.851) – 18 2B’s, 2 3B’s, 4 HR, 35 R’s, 32 RBI. Missed the months of June and July and the first week of August with a broken hamate bone. In the month of May before that injury, he slashed an impressive .383/.459/.585 (1.044) in 26 games.Minor League Hitter of the Year Here are the top nine vote getters for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year. 9. Travis Blankenhorn – Cedar Rapids Kernels – 118 games, 110-438 – .251/.343/.441 (.784) – 22 2B’s, 11 3B’s, 13 HRs, 68 R’s, 69 RBI, 13 SBs. Blankenhorn spent the entirety of the 2017 season in Cedar Rapids after amassing a .774 OPS in 25 games with the team in 2016 as a 19 year old. He largely repeated that performance with a .784 mark this season, but got there a different way. His average fell by .035 points, but he increased his slugging percentage by .023 because he racked up 46 extra-base hits to lead the Kernels (tied with Lewin Diaz). That total included double digits in every category (22 2Bs, 11 3Bs, 13 HRs) which is very hard to do. He also led the team with 69 RBI. If you’re into advanced hitting statistics, his weighted runs created (wRC) mark of 72 ranked eighth in the Midwest League on the season and he created 21% more runs than the league average hitter (wRC+, per Fangraphs). Just shy of 15% of his plate appearances in 2017 came against pitchers who were younger than he is and he was selected as a Midwest League All-Star. 8. Lewin Diaz – Cedar Rapids Kernels – 122 games, 136-466 – .292/.329/.444 (.773) – 33 2B’s, 1 3B, 12 HRs, 47 R’s, 68 RBI. Diaz was 20 years old for the entirety of the 2017 season with the Kernels, and 90% of his plate appearances were against pitchers older than he is. What did he do against that competition? He led the Midwest League in doubles with 33. In 2016 he hit .310 with Elizabethton, and didn’t slow down much in Cedar Rapids with a mark of .292, placing him sixth in the circuit. He also led the Kernels with 207 total bases. While the batting average was great for Diaz and he struck out just 80 times in 122 games, he will continue to need to work on his patience as he drew just 25 walks as primarily the #3 hitter in the lineup. Diaz also represented Cedar Rapids in the Midwest League All-Star Game. 7. T.J. White – Chattanooga Lookouts – 96 games, 101-366 – .276/.358/.484 (.842) – 26 2B’s, 4 3B’s, 14 HR’s, 44 R’s, 65 RBI. After missing the opening month of the season with an injury, White proved to be a steady presence in the Lookouts lineup from May 15th onward. His OPS was .912 in the month of June, and 1.010 in August. When patrolling Fangraphs, you’ll find that his wRC+ mark of 144 ranked fifth in the Southern League and trailed only another hitter on this list for the Lookouts team lead. If you’re looking for a “clutch” hitter, White also came through big in that category this year, as his .325/.429/.571 mark with two outs and runners in scoring position was stellar. 6. Brent Rooker – Elizabethton Twins/Fort Myers Miracle – 62 games, 64-228 – .281/.364/.566 (.930) – 11 2B’s, 18 HR’s, 42 R’s, 52 RBI. On the surface Rooker’s numbers are especially eye-popping considering he was just drafted at #35 overall in the 2017 MLB draft on June 12th. In an organizational sense, his 18 HRs on the season ranked second in all of the minors for the Twins despite him playing in only half the games. When you have some #FunWithNumbers after he was promoted to Fort Myers, his 11 home runs in 40 games rivals the pace that Miguel Sano put up with the Miracle in 2013 before he was promoted to Chattanooga. There was some strikeout to his game in his first taste of the pros (26.5% of his plate appearances), but it wasn’t an egregious rate and he also showed an ability to draw a walk (11.3% mark). After being a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award as best college player and his initial success as a pro, Rooker is an intriguing name for me to be added to the Twins stable of players being sent to the Arizona Fall League. The only question might be whether the Twins think he’s all ready played enough baseball this year. 5. Jermaine Palacios – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Fort Myers Miracle – 124 games, 149-504 – .296/.333/.454 (.788) – 21 2B’s, 10 3B’s, 13 HRs, 82 R’s, 67 RBI, 20 SBs. Palacios spent all of his 2016 season with Cedar Rapids, and wasn’t able to match the immense potential he showed in his first season in the States, when he hit .370 in the rookie leagues. He made up for that in 2017 with the Kernels by batting .320/.362/.544 before being promoted to Fort Myers. Like Blankenhorn, he also racked up double-digits in all extra-base hit categories on the season. He wasn’t as successful in the Florida State League (.662 OPS vs .907 OPS), but it’s hard to ignore season-long totals like his as a middle-infield prospect. For his output in the MWL before being promoted, he too, was selected as an All-Star for the Kernels. 4. LaMonte Wade – Chattanooga Lookouts – 117 games, 124-424 – .292/.397/.408 (.805) – 22 2B’s, 3 3B’s, 7 HRs, 74 R’s, 67 RBI, 9 SBs. All Wade has done since becoming a professional is get on base. In fact, he’s walked more than he has struck out in his career (177 vs. 151) and in each of his first three seasons. 2017 was no different, as his .397 on-base percentage and 76 walks ranked third in the Southern League. He also ranked seventh in RBI with 67 on the year alongside a host of other Lookouts players. He also set a career high in extra-base hits with 32 on the season. Wade spent a majority of the season batting #3 in the lineup of the best offense in the Southern League and was especially deadly with runners in scoring position (.955 OPS) and late in close games (1.092 OPS). For his efforts in 2017, Wade was selected as a Southern League All-Star at the midseason break. 3. Zack Granite – Rochester Red Wings – 76 games, 103-303 – .340/.394/.479 (.872) – 17 2B’s, 5 3B’s, 5 HR’s, 48 R’s, 30 RBI, 18 SB’s. Granite followed a breakout 2016 season in which he hit .295/.347/.382 for Chattanooga with an even better 2017 that led to his promotion to the Twins in early July. After having his average fall to .237 on May 31st, Granite went on one of the hottest streaks you will ever see in the month of June. He slashed an otherworldly .470/.527/.667 and raised his average on the season to a high of .371 on June 27th before his promotion. Another impressive stat is he struck out just 36 times in 76 games, a rate of only 11.8% of his plate appearances. His 144 wRC+ ranked sixth in the International League (44% more runs created than average hitter) and he found himself on the ballots of both the midseason and postseason All-Star teams. In his time with the Twins, he’s also shown fans what he is capable of as an outfielder, displaying range more than adequate to back up Byron Buxton in center field. 2. Jonathan Rodriguez – Chattanooga Lookouts – 124 games, 137-452 – .303/.408/.518 (.926) – 31 2B’s, 22 HR’s, 89 R’s, 78 RBI. The 28-year-old first baseman came to the Twins organization in 2017 after spending the first eight years of his career in the St. Louis Cardinals system. He was quite the addition to an already potent Chattanooga Lookouts lineup. He took home the Lookouts Triple Crown as well as leading them in doubles, average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. In the Southern League, he tied for the league lead in average (.309), led in on-base percentage (.414), slugging (.525), and OPS (.939). His 21 home runs ranked second and his 31 doubles ranked third. You really don’t have to go far down the list in many categories to find his name. Although he did not play in the Southern League All-Star Game at midseason after getting off to a slow start in April, he was named as the postseason All-Star at DH. Rodriguez always seemed to come up in the minor league reports as the season wore on, and it was because he kept delivering big time hits. In the second half of the Southern League season he crushed to the tune of a .346/.449/.632 slash line, good for a 1.081 OPS. He was the most valuable hitter in the International League by the measures of wRC, wRC+, weighted runs above average (wRAA), and weighted on-base average (wOBA) per Fangraphs. His wRC+ mark of 173 meant he created an astonishing 73% more runs than the average hitter on the season. In many years it would be hard for anyone to best what Rodriguez accomplished this year, but that just makes this awards winner even more impressive. Hitter of the Year Mitch Garver – Rochester Red Wings – 88 games, 93-320 – .291/.387/.541 (.928) – 29 2B’s, 17 HRs, 56 R’s, 45 RBI. The 2017 award marks the second time Garver has taken home Twins Daily’s metaphorical hardware, as he also won the voting in 2014 while playing for Cedar Rapids. Drafted in the ninth round of the 2013 draft as a fourth-year senior, Garver’s age (26) may be a barrier for some in considering him as a prospect, but it’s hard to argue with the development path he undertook in making his MLB debut on August 19th. He was on the raw side of the catcher position when he was drafted, but has developed those skills along with his bat as he’s moved up the ladder. He spent all of his time in the minors this year with the Rochester Red Wings, playing primarily catcher but also got time in left field (14 games) and at first base (five games) as the organization made it a priority to add versatility to his game. The reason being, they’re going to have to find a place for his bat. In that sense, Garver was as consistent as you could possibly be, amassing a .928 OPS in the first half of the International League season, then a .927 mark afterward before his call-up to the Twins. For his exploits on the season, Garver was named the IL’s postseason All-Star at catcher. His on-base percentage (.387) and slugging percentage (.541) marks ranked second in the league, while he also shows up on the leader board for doubles and home runs despite having about 100+ fewer at-bats than those around him. His .291 batting average also ranked in the top five among his peers. Also impressive for Garver when you dig into his numbers, were his lack of platoon splits as he hit .304/.427/.557 against lefties and .286/.373/.535 against right-handers. With two outs his OPS was over 1.000. When you venture over to Fangraphs his 166 wRC+ ranked third in the International League, behind only the league MVP Rhys Hoskins (who if you haven’t noticed, has 17 HRs in just 33 MLB games thus far to start his career) and Yandy Diaz, who both also made their MLB debuts this season. It’s quite easy to see how exceptional Garver was during the 2017 season at the highest rung of the minor league ladder, and it made him an almost unanimous selection in the award’s voting. But perhaps the greatest reward of all for him after his stellar season is that now all he has left to look forward to is making his impact in the major leagues instead of the minors. Congratulations Mitch! The Ballots In an attempt to be transparent, here are the votes from our Twins Daily minor league writers: Seth Stohs – 1) Mitch Garver, 2) Jonathan Rodriguez, 3) Zack Granite, 4) LaMonte Wade, 5) Jermaine Palacios, 6) T.J. White, 7) Travis Blankenhorn, 8) Lewin DiazJeremy Nygaard – 1) Mitch Garver, 2) LaMonte Wade, 3) Jonathan Rodriguez, 4) Brent Rooker, 5) Jermaine Palacios, 6) Zack Granite, 7) Travis Blankenhorn, 8) Lewin DiazCody Christie – 1) Mitch Garver, 2) Jonathan Rodriguez, 3) Zack Granite, 4) Brent Rooker, 5) Jermaine Palacios, 6) Chris Paul, 7) T.J. White, 8) Max MurphyTom Froemming – 1) Mitch Garver, 2) Brent Rooker, 3) Zack Granite, 4) Jonathan Rodriguez, 5) LaMonte Wade, 6) T.J. White, 7) Jermaine Palacios, 8) Travis BlankenhornSteve Lein – 1) Mitch Garver, 2) Zack Granite, 3) Jermaine Palacios, 4) LaMonte Wade, 5) T.J. White, 6) Nick Gordon, 7) Brent Rooker, 8) Jonathan RodriguezEric Pleiss – 1) Jonathan Rodriguez, 2) Mitch Garver, 3) T.J. White, 4) Lewin Diaz, 5) Jermaine Palacios, 6) LaMonte Wade, 7) Zack Granite, 8) Wander JavierTed Schwerzler – 1) Mitch Garver, 2) Zack Granite, 3) Jonathan Rodriguez, 4) Travis Blankenhorn, 5) Lewin Diaz, 6) LaMonte Wade, 7) Daniel Palka, 8) Jermaine PalaciosFeel free to discuss. What do you think? Do you agree with our rankings? How would your ballot look? Click here to view the article

Our final monthly award of 2017 comes to you today in the form of the August 2017 Minor League Hitter of the Month. While the pitcher awards this month may have been underwhelming, the hitters more than made up for it. Four hitters ended the month with an OPS over 1.000 which is tremendous. I think you'll enjoy reading today's installment. However, if you missed either of the other awards, here are the quick links: Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month - Zack LittellTwins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month - Nick AndersonLet’s take a look at the Top 6 hitters for the month of July, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Shane Carrier - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 23 G, 26-88, .295/.340/.568 (.909) with six doubles, six homers and 12 RBILewin Diaz - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 24 G, 31-94, .330/.373/.457 (830) with six doubles, two homers and 11 RBI.Wander Javier - Elizabethton Twins - 19 G, 25-77, .325/.384/.506 (.890) with five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI.Leonardo Reginnato - Rochester Red Wings - 27 G, 27-80, .338/.427/.463 (.890) with seven doubles, one triple and 11 RBI.Zander Wiel - Ft. Myers Miracle - 25 G, 27-92, .297/.365/.516 (.882) with six doubles, one triple, four home runs and 18 RBI.THE TOP SIX HITTERS Number 6 – GCL Twins - Jean Carlos Arias - 24 G, .315/.382/.533 (.915). 29-92 with four doubles, two triples, four home runs and 21 RBI. Arias signed with the Twins way back in July of 2014 out of the Dominican Republic. He has slowly worked his way up. 2017 was his second season in the GCL, and it was a nice improvement from his first season. While he played all three outfield positions, he spent most of his time in center field. Arias is a multi-talented player who has the potential to be a five-tool player (though those ultimately are rare). He’s fast, and some believe he’ll add more power as he continues to grow. Number 5 – Jonathan Rodriguez – 1B Jonathan Rodriguez - 27 G, 281/.418/.542 (.960). 27-96 with seven doubles, six home runs and 18 RBI. Rodriguez was our choice for minor league hitter of the month in July. Frankly, he had an incredible season. The 28-year-old spent the first eight seasons of his career in the Cardinals organization. He came to the Twins this offseason and hasn’t stopped hitting. In 119 games for the Lookouts, he hit .309/.414/.525 (.939) with 31 doubles, 21 homers and 76 RBI. His season ended with five games in Rochester, and another home run. Number 4 – Cedar Rapids Kernels - Travis Blankenhorn - 17 G, .338/.390/.634 (1.023). 24-71 with four doubles, one triple, five home runs and 18 RBI. It was a bit of an inconsistent season for Blankenhorn, which likely explains why the recently-turned-21-year-old stayed in Cedar Rapids all year. But, he ended his season on a very strong note in August. His OPS by month were .776, .604, 1.048, .449, 1.023, as well as 1.500 in September where he was 3-6 with two walks, a double and a triple. Blankenhorn spent the first half of the season playing third base. After some roster changes after the All-Star break, he has primarily played second base. Get to know Travis Blankenhorn Catching Up With Travis Blankenhorn Number 3 - Chattanooga Lookouts – 3B TJ White - 27 G, .340/.397/.613 (1.010), 36-106 with ten doubles, two triples, five homers and 20 RBI. The 25-year-old from Las Vegas, and drafted out of UNLV in 2014, quietly put together a strong 2017 season. Considering that he started the season in extended spring training before re-joining the Lookouts in mid-May, he was impressive. Overall, he hit .276/.358/.484 (.842) with 26 doubles and 14 home runs. White is a strong kid, but he’s also quicker than you might think. At third base, he had a fielding percentage of .959 and reports say he showed quite a bit of improvement. Get to know TJ White (including comments from his high school teammate, Joey Gallo) Number 2 - Ft. Myers Miracle – 1B/OF Brent Rooker - 27 G, .341/.411/.706 (1.116), 29-85 with four doubles, nine homers and 31 RBI. Most months, the numbers that Brent Rooker put up in August would be tops on the board. This month, it falls just a little bit short. Rooker played his initial 22 pro games in Elizabethton, getting back into the swing of things and getting some at-bats under his belt. But the plan all along was to get him to Ft. Myers quickly, which they did. While he struggled some early in his move to the Florida State League (hit .163 through his first 12 games), he has been terrific since, and most of that has been in the month of August. Sure, he still struck out 32% of the time (30 K in 95 PA), but when he made contact, big things happened. He was an extra-base machine. Not only did he have nine homers, but most of them drove in more than one run. Overall, it’s been a strong pro debut for Rooker, who had 18 total home runs. It’s certainly something to build on in 2018. I guess he answered the question of whether or not he was promoted too aggressively. Get to know Brent Rooker And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Elizabethton Twins – OF Akil Baddoo - .389/.504/.622 (1.127), 35-90 with 13 doubles, one triple, two homers and 13 RBI. He got on base in over 50% of his plate appearances over the final month of the season, while playing at a new level. Not only did Akil Baddoo walk a lot, but when he did hit, he drove the ball with authority with his 16 extra-base hits. Akil Baddoo was one of the two Comp picks that the Twins had after the second round of the 2016 draft. One was used to draft Jose Miranda, the other on Baddoo, a prep player from Georgia. Baddoo debuted with 38 games in the GCL last year. He stayed in the GCL to start the 2017 season as well where he hit .267/.360/.440 (.800) with eight extra base hits in 20 games. When Rooker was promoted to Ft. Myers, Baddoo took his spot in Elizabethton. He has been their leadoff man pretty much every day since. In 33 games for Elizabethton, the 19-year-old outfielder hit .357/.478/.579 (1.057) with 15 doubles, two triples and three home runs. He reportedly gained 15 pounds in the offseason which gave him more power. He did so without losing speed. He was Elizabethton’s center fielder most games, getting the occasional DH day. A tremendous athlete, Baddoo should find his name moving up prospect rankings this year. He should begin the 2018 season in Cedar Rapids. While you could argue for as many as four players to win the award, we would like to congratulate Akil Baddoo, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for August 2017. Click here to view the article

Both the Lookouts and the Kernels found themselves in a do-or-die situation on Sunday. The Lookouts were attempting to become the co-champions of the Southern League after failing to clinch in Game 4 on Saturday. The Kernels lost Game 1 of their three game semifinal series on Saturday which lead to an all-important Game 2 on Sunday. With everything on the line, which players would shine? Could both teams find a way to win?CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Montgomery 2 Box Score It didn't take long for the Lookouts to find themselves in a hole. Dietrich Enns allowed a solo home run to lead off the game and Chattanooga was down 1-0. The lead wouldn't last long as Andy Wilkins smashed a game-tying home run to lead off the second. Enns ran into some more trouble in the fourth. With two outs in the frame, he allowed three consecutive hits before Nick Gordon gunned down a man at the plate. The Lookouts bullpen was outstanding in relief. Randy LeBlanc, Todd Van Steensel, and Anthony McIver combined for five shutout frames to keep Chattanooga in the game. McIver didn't allow a base runner in the final two innings while striking out one. As the bottom of the ninth began, LaMonte Wade stepped to the plate with the Lookouts trailing by one. He had singled to start the frame and put the tying run on base. Jonathan Rodriguez stepped to the plate with a chance to cap off his tremendous season. He cracked a walk-off home run and Chattanooga was crowned co-champions of the Southern League. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Quad Cities 4 Box Score The Kernels took a tough luck loss on Saturday as they fell 5-4 in extra innings to the River Bandits. Since the Midwest League semifinals are a best-of-three series, the Kernels found themselves with their backs against the wall on Sunday afternoon. It was win or go home. After a scoreless first frame, Lewin Diaz led off the second inning with a double. He moved to third on a Caleb Hamilton ground out and came in to score on a Jimmy Kerrigan sacrifice fly. Shane Kennedy kept the inning going with a two-out walk but the biggest hit of the frame came on a Shane Carrier two-run blast to put the Kernels up 3-0. Travis Blankenhorn kept things going in the third inning as he started the frame with a solo shot to right field. With the Kernels up 4-0, Blankenhorn led off the fifth inning with a walk. Aaron Whitefield and Diaz both singled to move Blankenhorn around the bases. Caleb Hamilton doubled to score Whitefield and Kerrington drove in Lewis with a ground out for a 7-0 advantage. Charles Barnes started for Cedar Rapids and pitched five shutout frames. He scattered five hits while striking out three and walking three. The bullpen ran into a little trouble in the sixth inning. Partrick McGuff and Randy Dobnak combined to allow four earned runs with each only collecting one out. Colton Davis picked up the bullpen as he went 2.1 frames and allowed only one hit. Hector Lujan earned his first save this postseason as he struck out one and allowed one hit in the ninth. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Charles Barnes, Cedar Rapids Kernels Hitter of the Day – Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Cedar Rapids vs. Quad Cities (5:35 CST) - RHP Tyler Wells (5-3, 3.11 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

The rains won the day in Ft. Myers, forcing the postponement of three games. But the four other Twins affiliates all played and attempted to push closer to the playoffs. Find out everything that happened throughout the system, including a pitcher who improved to 18-1 on the season. One other minor leaguer reached milestone numbers in a couple of stats. Which 2017 draftee keyed an Elizabethton win that put them into the playoffs again this year? Continue reading to find out all the scores and highlights in the Twins minor leagues from Saturday.Incredibly, there were no transactions in the organization on Saturday. That has certainly been an unusual thing throughout this season. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Buffalo 3 Box Score Left-hander David Hurlbut improved to 9-8 with another solid performance. He gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out three. He now has a 3.55 ERA on the season. Alex Wimmers gave up one run over the next two innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. Jake Reed got the final four outs to record his fifth save for the Red Wings. He gave up a hit and a walk but gave up no runs to reduce his ERA to 1.98. J.B. Shuck went 3-4. Leonardo Reginnato went 2-3 with a walk and his 13th double. Levi Michael and Niko Goodrum went 2-4 in the game. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 10, Jackson 2 Box Score Zack Littell was back on the mound for the Lookouts. He went six innings and gave up just two runs. He allowed six hits, walked two and struck out five to improve to 4-0 since joining the Lookouts. It pushes his overall season record to a remarkable 18-1. Anthony McIver struck out two over two scoreless innings. He gave up a hit and a walk. Keaton Steele worked the ninth. He gave up a hit and a walk, but no runs to end the game. The offense provided plenty of support for Littell. Jonathan Rodriguez reached a couple of milestone season numbers. He hit his 30th double and his 20th home run. Andy Wilkins hit his 10th home run, a three-run shot. LaMonte Wade went 3-5 with his 19th double and third triple. Max Murphy was 2-4 with his 11th double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers, Charlotte Box Score Rain was the winner of the day in Ft. Myers on Saturday. They will attempt to play two on Sunday afternoon. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Quad Cities 1 Box Score There was very little offense down in Davenport on Saturday night. Let’s start with the positive. Tyler Wells was on the mound and very good again. He went six innings and gave up just one run on four hits. He walked three and struck out four. Max Cordy worked the final two innings without allowing a base runner. He struck out three. However, the Kernels were unable to muster much offense. They had just three hits. Ben Rortvedt’s 15th double was their lone extra-base hit. They walked once and the team struck out a combined 16 times. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Greeneville 2 Box Score The E-Twins are heading back to the playoffs, clinching a spot on Saturday night with just over a week left in the season. Twins 2017 tenth-round pick Mark Contreras led the way. He hit his ninth double and his fourth home run. Roberto Molina’s second home run drove in two runs. Later, Akil Baddoo added a solo shot, his third E-Twins homer. Brusdar Graterol started and recorded his second win. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out six. Melvi Acosta came out of the bullpen to work the final four innings. He gave up a run on four hits. He struck out four. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins, GCL Red Sox Box Score For the second straight day, the GCL Twins and Red Sox were rained out. They carry a large lead into what will be a busy final regular-season week of the year. These two games will be made up as part of doubleheaders next Friday and Saturday to close out the regular season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - (You Vote) Zack Littell, Chattanooga Lookouts, or Tyler Wells, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Mark Contreras, Elizabethton Twins SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Chattanooga @ Jackson (2:05 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez Charlotte @ Ft. Myers (DH at 1:00 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe, RHP Randy LeBlanc Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:15 CST) - RHP Tyler Beardsley Elizabethton @ Greeneville (6:00 CST) - RHP Nick Brown GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article

August is upon us. That means that we are now entering (basically) the final month of the minor league season. Most of the minor league season is complete on Labor Day with playoffs starting soon after. The Dog Days are here, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t a lot of solid hitting performances in the system in July. As you’ve noticed, ,the Elizabethton Twins have been a very hot offense. A couple of Red Wings had strong months are are making their cases to be called up. With the short-season teams having a full month, there are a lot more candidates, so grab some coffee and enjoy.Let’s take a look at the Top 6 hitters for the month of July, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Akil Baddoo - GCL Twins/Elizabethton - 25 G, 26-94, 277/.398/.447 (.845) with four doubles, three triples, two homers, 16 RBI.Jordan Gore - Elizabethton - 15 G, 20-59, .339/.400/.441 (.841) with three doubles and a homer, 11 RBI.Matt Hague - Rochester - 29 G, 32-106, .302/.375/.453 (.828) with ten doubles, two homers, 16 RBI.Wander Javier - Elizabethton - 15 G, 18-58, .310/.412/.483 (.895) with five doubles, one triple, one homer and seven RBI.Royce Lewis - GCL Twins - 22 G, 27-84, .321/.412/.464 (.877) with four doubles, one triple, two homers and 11 RBI.Levi Michael - Chattanooga - 19 G, 22-73, .301/.370/.548 (.918) with four doubles, one triple, four homers and 12 RBISean Miller - Ft. Myers - 25 G, 30-94, .319/.347/.436 (.783) with five doubles, two homers and 15 RBI.Ben Rodriguez - GCL Twins - 20 G, 23-67, .343/.443/.507 (.951) with six doubles, one triple, one home run, and 20 RBI.Alex Robles - GCL Twins - 22 G, 29-88, .330/.348/.432 (.780) with three doubles, two home runs and 16 RBI.LaMonte Wade - Chattanooga - 24 G, 28-103, .272/.359/.417 (.776) with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs and 18 RBI.THE TOP SIX HITTERS Number 6 – Rochester - Byungho Park - 29 G, .292/.333/.538 (.871). 31-106 with six doubles, one triple, six home runs and 19 RBI. Park turned 31 years old in July, and he put together ae solid month. An injury slowed him in the early season, but he’s been hitting well since mid-June. In July, he started to show some of the power that made him legendary in Korea. Signed through 2019, with an option for 2020, the Twins will likely give him another shot at some point. Until then, it’s just good to see him healthy and starting to hit well again in Rochester. Number 5 – Elizabethton – 2B Jose Miranda - 24 G, .317/.360/.515 (.875). 32-101 with two doubles, six home runs and 22 RBI. In 2016, the Twins had four of the first 74 draft picks. With their first of two compensation picks (following the second round), they selected infielder Jose Miranda out of the Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico. Miranda just turned 19 at the end of June. He’s been one (of several) really good hitters in the middle of the E-Town lineup. He’s shown a good approach at the plate, but he hits the ball with authority often. Of his 23 games played in the field so far this season, he’s played second base in 22 of them, with one start at third base. He’s also DHd a bit. Number 4 – Rochester - Mitch Garver - 25 G, .244/.340/.567 (.906). 22-90 with five doubles, eight home runs and 16 RBI. These are things I’ve written several times throughout the season and particularly the last couple of weeks. “It is inexcusable that Mitch Garver is not in the big leagues.” “Mitch Garver is the best all-around catcher in the Twins organization, including the two catchers with the Twins.” Overall this season, he is hitting .267/.370/.509 (.879) with 22 doubles and 15 home runs. He’s also thrown out 30% of would-be base stealers. He turned 26 in January. My assumption is that Chris Gimenez will either be traded or DFAd sometime in August to get Mitch Garver to the big leagues. If not, he should be up on September 1st. It just shouldn’t have taken that long. Number 3 - Elizabethton – 3B Andrew Bechtold - .387/.467/.629 (1.096) 24-62 with seven doubles, one triple, two homers and 11 RBI. He was drafted by the Rangers out of high school in 2014. He went to Maryland where he red-shirted before playing one season there. He transferred to Chipola College where he was part of a tremendous junior college team. The Twins took him in the fifth round. After signing (above slot), he went to Elizabethton. He went 0-7 his first two games. Since then, he has hit .403/.481/.627 (1.108). Number 2 - Elizabethton Twins – OF Shane Carrier - 23 G, .390/.402/.630 (1.032), 39-100 with nine doubles, five homers and 30 RBI. Carrier was the Twins 8th round pick in 2016 out of Fullerton College. He signed, forgoing a scholarship offer at Cal St. Fullerton. He spent last summer in Elizabethton. He began this season in Cedar Rapids, but through 30 games, he was hitting just .215/.243/.299 (.542), so he went down to extended spring training. It’s paid off. He has been destroying the ball in the Appy League to the tune of a .341/.353/.535 (.888) rate with ten doubles and five home runs. Carrier is strong and has a ton of power potential that he is just tapping into. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts – 1B Jonathan Rodriguez - .383/.455/.652 (1.107), 44-115 with 13 doubles, six homers and 22 RBI. The Twins signed Jonathan Rodriguez as a six-year minor league free agent this past offseason. The Puerto Rico native went to the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota and was the 17th round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009. Rodriguez gradually worked his way up the Cardinals system. He got to AA in 2014, but he stayed there until 2016 when he played in 39 AAA games. The Twins were quick to sign him and he’s been a mainstay in the Chattanooga lineup all season. With the Cardinals organization, he mostly played corner outfield positions. With the Lookouts, he’s only played first base and DH so far. That makes sense for the 27-year-old who stands 6-2 and weighs in at 250 pounds. He will turn 28 in just a couple of weeks. In 94 games with the Lookouts this year, he has hit .317/.413/.516 (.928) with 24 doubles and 15 home runs. His July was tremendous. He had two four-hit games, four three-hit games and eight two-hit games during the month. He was an extra-base hit machine, with 13 doubles and six home runs. He was named the Southern League Player of the Month as well. With Byungho Park and Kennys Vargas, along with Matt Hague, at AAA, Rodriguez is likely to spend the full season with the Lookouts. Congratulations to the July Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month for 2017, Chattanooga Lookouts Jonathan Rodriguez. Click here to view the article

This time of year can be a vicious time in the minor leagues. While some teams are fighting for a playoff spot, some players don't know the organization they will be playing for later in the week. In the age of social media and constant updates, it has to be unnerving to go to bed and not know if you will be moving across the country. Two players will join the Twins systems as part of a deal for Jaime Garcia. Right-handed pitcher Zack Littell and LHP Dietrich Enns with Enns being assigned to Rochester and Littell headed to Chattanooga. Littell was ranked as high as the #20 prospect in the Yankees organization. Also, pitchers Charlie Barnes and Bryan Sammons have been promoted from Elizabethtown to Cedar Rapids.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Toledo 0 Box Score Byron Buxton and ByungHo Park both homered to back up a stellar start from Aaron Slegers. Slegers tossed eight shutout innings by scattering four hits and striking out one. It was the fifth straight game he has pitched into the seventh inning and he has only allowed one earned run over his last four starts. Toldeo had only five opportunities to bat with runners in scoring position. Buxton was pulled early from the game on Saturday with a tight hamstring but he was back in the line-up on Sunday. He led off the top of the sixth inning with a home run. He should be back with the Twins later this week. Park added an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning to help back the strong outing from Slegers It was Park's ninth home run of the year and his third in the last six games. John Curtiss earned his fifth save since being promoted from Chattanooga. He walked two batters for the first time at Triple-A. He struck out the first batter of the ninth but then saw the next two reach with free passes. One runner made it to third but he wiggled out of it for the save. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Montgomery 3 Box Score After a 21-inning game on Saturday, nine innings wasn't enough to decide this contest either. The Lookouts needed two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to tie things at three. A three-run top of the tenth, and the Lookouts won their 69th game. Stephen Gonsalves started and pitched into the seventh inning. He allowed three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and four walks. It was the first time he had allowed more than three walks this season. A tired Lookouts bullpen was taxed again. Todd Van Steensel pitched 2.1 shutout innings with a strikeout and two walks. Gabriel Moya took over when Van Steensel got into trouble in the ninth. He made it out of that frame and only allowed one hit in the tenth inning for his first win in the Twins system. TJ White got the scoring started in the seventh inning as he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. One batter later, a wild pitch allowed Max Murphy to scamper home and cut the lead to 3-2. In the eighth inning, Alex Perez and Murphy walked to put runners in scoring position. Jonathan Rodriguez plated a run with a sharp single to right. Rodriguez reached base four times in the game. The 10th inning was a wild mess with two hits, four walks and a wild pitch. It was enough to plate three Chattanooga runs. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Clearwater 0 (Game 1- 7 Innings) Box Score After a two-hour rain delay, the Miracle were able to open up the scoring in the fifth inning. Zander Wiel singled to start the frame before moving to second on a wild pitch. Brandon Lopez drove him in from second with a single and Fort Myers was up 1-0. The Miracle added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Wiel and Lopez walked with one out. Jaylin Davis reached on an fielding error by the shortstop to load the bases. Recently promoted Brent Rooker walked to bring in a run. Kevin Garcia brought in a run with a sacrifice fly and Shane Kennedy drove in a run with a two-out single to cap the three-run frame. Anthony McIver started and pitched four scoreless frames. He struck out two, walked one, and limited the Threshers to two hits. Michael Theofanopoulos earned his fifth win,having pitched two scoreless frames in relief. Tom Hackimer finished off the shutout with a perfect final frame. Fort Myers 0, Clearwater 2 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score There was little to write home about for the Miracle in this one. In fact, the team didn't manage a hit as Harold Arauz went the distance and struck out 10. Brandon Lopez was the lone batter to reach base with a walk in the final inning. He made it to second after a ground out but was left in scoring position. Keaton Steele allowed one run on four hits while striking out two. He pitched three frames and didn't allow a walk. Williams Ramirez took over for Steele and tossed two scoreless frames. He only allowed one hit and struck out three. Alex Muren saw one run cross the plate in the final frame. It was an important insurance run for Clearwater to help Arauz finish off the no-hitter. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Lansing 5 Box Score Aaron Whitefield drove in all three runs for the Kernels and stole two bases but his one-man wrecking crew approach didn't lead to a win. A three-run home run in the sixth inning proved to be more of a wrecking ball than what Whitefield provided. Ben Rortvedt and Joe Cronin each reached base twice while Rortvedt scored a pair of runs. Anthony Marzi allowed five runs (four earned) over five innings with five strikeouts and two walks. The pivotal three-run homer was given up by Marzi before had he retired a batter in the sixth. Logan Lombana allowed one base runner over two innings with a pair of strikeouts. Max Cordy continued to put up zeros with two scoreless frames. He limited the LumberKings to one hit. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Bluefield 1 Box Score The E-Twins exploded for nine run on 11 hits to pound the Mets. Every batter in the E-Twins line-up collected a hit. Jose Miranda and Shane Carrier each had multi-hit nights. Andrew Cosgrove knocked his first professional home run. Wander Javier reached base three times and collected his eighth double. Every batter from three through nine in the line-up had at least one RBI. Ryely Widell and Moises Gomez combined for a strong pitching performance. Widell started and tossed four scoreless frames. He struck out six and walked two. He's only allowed one earned run in four professional appearances. Gomez was credited with the win, allowing one earned run over five innings. He struck out five and didn't issue a walk. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Slegers, Rochester Red Wings (8 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 H) Hitter of the Day – Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-for-4, 3 RBI, 2 BB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester - Scheduled Off-Day Chattanooga @ Montgomery (7:05 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (4-5, 3.47 ERA) Fort Myers @ Clearwater (6:00 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (2-2, 3.42 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Clinton (6:35 CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes (MWL Debut) Elizabethton vs. Kingsport (6:00 CST) - RHP Melvi Acosta (3-1, 6.30 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

Byron Buxton, whose walk-up song is Mark Morrison’s 1996 hit “Return of the Mack,” made a triumphant return to Rochester. He opened his rehab assignment by slugging a lead-off homer, then helped spark a game-winning rally in extra innings. Also tonight, Royce Lewis picked up two more hits, Fernando Romero dazzled, Gabriel Moya impressed in his Twins org debut, Tim Melville struck out 11 batters and Joe Cronin had a big game.Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Friday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Toledo 1 (10 innings) Box Score Buxton popped the leadoff homer and Red Wings starter Tim Melville had a no-hitter through 4.2 innings, but Rochester couldn’t muster any more offense. Melville eventually gave up a run in the seventh, and the game went into extras. Buxton led off the 10th with a single, and after Mitch Garver struck out, Matt Hague singled to advance Byron to second. Niko Goodrum struck out, but ByungHo Park delivered the go-ahead hit, a two-run double. The Wings added two more runs, as Daniel Palka tripled and Tommy Field hit a single. Melville was marvelous, striking out 11 batters over 7.0 innings in this one. He lowered his ERA to 2.44 over his 48 innings with the Red Wings. He was pitching with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League earlier this year. Mason Melotakis pitched two perfect innings to pick up the W. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Birmingham 2 Box Score Jonathan Rodriguez, who has a strong case to be the Southern League MVP this season, had yet another great night. The 27-year-old hit his 15th homer and 24th double of the season on a three-hit night in which he also scored three runs. Rodriguez entered the evening as the league leader in OPS by 21 points. The Twins signed Rodriguez as a minor league free agent over the winter. Fernando Romero went five innings yet again tonight, but it may not have been due to any kind of limits this time. There was a rain delay in the middle of the fifth, so it was a logical point to call it a night for the 22-year-old Dominican sensation. As we’ve come to expect at this point, Romero was outstanding. He struck out nine batters and surrendered one run on just three hits while issuing one walk. Gabriel Moya, acquired from Arizona for Joh Ryan Murphy, made his Twins organization debut. He struck out the side in the eighth inning and walked a batter. Nick Anderson pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two. Nick Gordon hit a double, drew a walk and scored a run. He also made a throwing error, his 21st error of the season. (UPDATE The official scorer has changed that play to a hit, so Gordon is still at 20 errors.) Fun fact: the Southern League record for errors in a season by a shortstop is 56. The player? Former Twins center fielder Otis Nixon in 1981. Andy Wilkins, Ryan Walker and Levi Michael all had two-hit games. T.J White hit a bases-clearing triple. Catcher Brian Navarreto hit his first career homer at the Double A level. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Lakeland 0 Box Score Brady Anderson turned in a terrific start, the Fort Myers bullpen dominated and the offense manufactured a pair of runs. Anderson gave up five hits and a walk over 5.2 innings while striking out three batters. Andrew Vasquez, who has dominated like very few other pitchers in all of minor league baseball this season, struck out four batters over 2.1 innings of one-hit ball. He’s now pitched 23.2 scoreless innings for the Miracle, and has 38 Ks against just four walks. Sam Clay finished things off in the ninth, striking out the side for his eighth save. Tanner English had a great game out of the leadoff spot. He drew three walks, stole second base twice and scored a run. The Miracle scored their runs on an error on a pickoff throw and a sacrifice fly. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Peoria 3 Box Score Shortstop Joe Cronin hit a three-run homer and ended the night 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. That led a big offensive night for the Kernels, as Trey Cabbage also had three hits and Caleb Hamilton, Christian Cavaness and Gorge Munoz each had two hits. Domenick Carlini gave up three runs, one earned, over 5.0 innings. Ryan Madson was the first man out of the bullpen, and threw 3.0 scoreless innings, giving up a couple of hits while tallying three strikeouts. Hector Lujan earned his 10th save with a scoreless ninth inning. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Princeton 1 (Game 1, 7 innings) Box Score Bryan Sammons, the Twins eighth-round pick in this year’s draft, pitched 5.0 shutout innings. He gave up three hits, struck out six and didn’t walk anyone. Sammons, a lefty out of Western Carolina, has now pitched 24.2 innings and has only surrendered four earned runs (1.46 ERA). Colton Waltner, a 21st rounder in this year’s class, hit his first professional home run and stole a base. Shane Carrier had a pair of hits, boosting his average to .339, and Andrew Bechtold hit a double, drew a walk and scored twice. Elizabethton 3, Princeton 0 (Game 2, Suspended after 2 innings) Box Score The Twins were off to an excellent start in this one, but more rain came through and forced this game to be suspended. Jose Miranda and Carrier both hit homers and Bechtold had a triple. Edwar Colina had thrown two shutout innings with four strikeouts. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Red Sox 12, GCL Twins 7 Box Score The Twins built a 7-4 lead in this one, but typically rock solid bullpen arms Vadim Balan and Zach Featherstone combined to give up eight runs (five earned) over just 1.2 innings. Alex Robles had the big blast in this one, clubbing a three-run homer. The 22-year-old right fielder had a monster game, going 3-for-5 with four RBI. Royce Lewis had yet another big game, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a run. This was his 25th professional game, he’s gotten multiple hits in 12 of them. Petru Balan started for the Twins and gave up three runs on four hits over 3.0 innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Tim Melville, Rochester (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga (3-for-5, HR, 2B, 3 R, 1 RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Toledo, 6:05 pm CT, Hector Santiago (6.75 ERA, 1.75 WHIP) Chattanooga vs. Birmingham, 6:15 pm CT, Felix Jorge (4.01 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) Fort Myers at Clearwater, 5:15 pm CT, Lewis Thorpe (3.06 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) Cedar Rapids vs Clinton, 6:35 pm CT, Clark Beeker (2.51 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) Elizabethton at Princeton, 6:00 pm CT, TBD GCL Twins at GCL Red Sox, 9:00 am CT, TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday's games. Click here to view the article

Injuries can be devastating to the careers of players. Some of the best players in baseball history have seen their careers cut short because of surgeries and the injuries that caused them to go under the knife. It seems rare for players to be able to avoid the injury bug for their entire career. However, it can be a momentous occasion when a player is finally able to return to the game they love. Glen Perkins hadn't pitched in a baseball game in almost 13 months. On Saturday, he was able to step back on the mound in a rookie league game and feel like he was getting closer to his goal. He still might be a way off from regaining his All-Star form but it was a step in the right direction. Read on to see how he fared in his return to the mound...RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Toledo 3 Box Score David Hurlbut twirled a gem and the bullpen was able to barely hold off the charging Mud Hens for the victory. Hurlbut tossed seven innings and allowed one run on six hits. He struck out four and didn't surrender a walk. He's won five of his last six decisions and he hasn't allowed more than three earned runs since the middle of June. Alex Wimmers and John Curtiss each allowed a run in relief but they kept the Red Wings on top. Matt Hague didn't need much help to create the team's first run. A one-out double put him in scoring position. He moved to third on a wild pitch and a Kennys Vargas ground out brought him in. Niko Goodrum led off the fifth with his 20th double before advancing to third on a fielding error by the right fielder. Leonardo Reginatto wasted little time bringing him in with a run-scoring single to put Rochester up 2-0. After Toledo scored in the top of the seventh, Rochester answered back. Goodrum notched his second double of the game with two outs. Reginatto, JR Murphy and Edgar Corcino strung together three straight singles to push across a pair of runs. Rochester needed all the breathing room they could get and it paid off to put the team at 15 games over .500 on the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Mobile 0 Box Score Fernando Romero was provided early run support in this one and Lookouts bullpen held on to the victory. Romero pitched five shutout frames and struck out six while walking three. He lowered his season ERA to 2.68 but he hasn't pitched more than five innings since the end of June. Randy LeBlanc tossed two scoreless frames including three strikeouts. Raul Fernandez finished off the final two frames to complete the shutout. He struck out two and walked one. With one out in the first, LaMonte Wade was hit by a pitch. Jonathan Rodriguez, Andy Wilkins and Max Murphy all followed with singles before TJ White was hit by a pitch to score the third run of the inning. Rodriguez created a run in the third. He walked, stole second and advanced to third on a fly out. White doubled to score Rodriguez. One batter later, White scored on a Perez single. Rodriguez had another big hit in the sixth, a two-run homer, that capped a big night at the plate. With the victory, the Lookouts move to 64-34 on the season. They lead the Southern League North division by six games in the second half but they already have won the first half title. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Tampa 3 Box Score Fort Myers fell one big hit short of a big comeback. The Miracle left the bases loaded in the ninth but fell a run short. David Fischer took his seventh loss as he allowed one run over two innings. He struck out four and walked four. Keaton Steele allowed only one hit over three innings to go along with a strikeout. Williams Ramirez put together two shutout innings with three strikeouts. Alex Muren gave up the two biggest runs in his two innings of work. Miracle catcher Brian Navarreto and manager Doug Mientkiewicz were both ejected in the seventh inning after Navarreto was called out on a check swing. Mitchell Kranson collected three hits and an RBI. Jermaine Palacios had the team's only extra-base hit, a double, as part of a multi-hit night. Kevin Garcia reached base three times and came around to score a run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 12, Lansing 4 Box Score The Kernels used an all-out offensive assault to catapult the club to their 52nd victory. Ben Rortvedt launched a three-run home run and Trey Cabbage added a home run of his own. Travis Blankenhorn, Lewin Diaz and Christian Cavaness all finished with multi-hit nights. Cabbage reached base four times in five plate appearances and scored two runs. Diaz drove in three runs and scored twice. Every batter in the Kernels' line-up had a hit with the exception of Joe Cronin but he walked twice. Griffen Jax was able to coast to his second victory. He pitched into the seventh inning for the third time in his last four appearances. Overall, he allowed two earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Logan Lombana ran into a little trouble as he allowed two runs on three hits in an inning of relief. Patrick McGuff finished off the final four outs without allowing a hit and striking out three. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Bluefield 4 Box Score For the fourth time in his last five starts, Edwar Colina pitched at least five innings. However, five errors meant he saw four runs cross the plate and he only allowed two earned runs. He struck out five and walked two. Jared Finkel didn't allow a run over the final 3.2 frames. Only two men reached base and he struck out two. Jose Miranda and Shane Carrier each went 2-for-4 at the dish. Robert Molina had the team's lone extra-base hit, a double. Akil Baddoo reached base twice and scored the team's only run. Overall, the team went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 7, GCL Red Sox 0 (Game 1- 7 Innings) Box Score Royce Lewis was part of two big scoring innings and Glen Perkins made his return trip to the mound after missing 13 months. Perkins started the game and was asked to get three outs. He struck out the first two batters he faced and fielded a come-backer that ended his clean 1-2-3 inning. It had to be a relief for the former All-Star to get back into game action. There is still a chance he could impact the 2017 Twins but that remains to be seen. Lewis and Ricky De La Torre singled to start the first before an Alex Robles ground out brought Lewis in from third. Benjamin Rodriguez cracked his fifth double of the season to plate another run. A Brian Olson ground out and a Victor Tademo single capped a four-run frame. With one out in the second, Lewis singled and came around to score on a Robles single. Rehabbing outfielder Daniel Palka singled to score De La Torre and the Twins were up 6-0. Brusdar Graterol pitched five shutout innings after Perkins left the game. He scattered three hits and tallied five strikeouts to improve to 2-0 on the season. Jose Bermudez closed out the final frame with a perfect inning including a strikeout. GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 4 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score For all the offense in the day's first game, the second game didn't go so hot for the GCL Twins. The club only mustered three hits and went 0-for-11 with runnerss in scoring position. Alex Robles finished 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored. Kerby Camacho didn't record an at-bat as he was walked three times. Ricky De La Torre reached base twice. Taylor Clemensia struggled as he walked two batters, had a balk, allowed a steal, and didn't record an out. Carlos Suniaga took over and pitched 4.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and four walks. Zach Featherstone and Vadim Balan finished the final two frames with each allowing two free passes. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – David Hurlbut, Rochester Red Wings (7 IP, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB) Hitter of the Day – Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-for-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Toledo (12:35 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers (10-4, 3.50 ERA_ Chattanooga @ Mobile (5:05 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge (8-1, 3.56 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Tampa (3:05 CST) - RHP Brady Anderson (4-5, 4.30 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Lansing (2:05 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi (3-0, 1.37 ERA) Elizabethton vs. Bluefield (5:00 CST) - RHP Huascar Ynoa (0-1, 3.68 ERA) GCL Twins - Scheduled Off-Day Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article

Defense has been key for the Twins turnaround this season. Fans saw a key error from Jorge Polanco on Friday night which caused Jose Berrios to throw 30 extra pitches. This meant he was pulled after collecting only five outs. Pitchers rely on the defense behind them and it can be tough when defenders can't make the play. Errors ran rampant for multiple Twins affiliates on Friday. Which clubs would be able to avoid these defensive woes? Read on to find out...RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score Rochester's pitching staff hurled a gem in this one as a final inning run was the only thing stopping them from collecting a shutout. Justin Haley earned his first victory of the season after limiting the Iron Pigs to three hits. He didn't allow an earned run and he struck out two in his five innings of work. Craig Breslow, Alex Wimmers, and Michael Tonkin all pitched scoreless innings with Wimmers and Tonkin each collecting two strikeouts. Jake Reed allowed three hits and a walk in the final frame but limited the damage to one run. Bengie Gonzalez singled with one out in the third and moved into scoring position on an Engelb Vielma walk. A couple of batters later, Gonzalez came around to score on a wild pitch. In the fifth inning, Edgar Corcino tripled before Gonzalez brought him home with a sacrifice fly. Rochester was up 2-0. The Red Wings added some critical insurance runs in the seventh inning. Matt Hague started the frame with a double. After ByungHo Park was hit by pitch and a JB Shuck single, the bases were loaded. With Corcino batting, an error by the first baseman allowed two runs to come around and score to push the lead to 4-0. Rochester is now 10 games over .500 for the season (50-40). Since the calendar turned to July, the club has gone 8-4. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Jacksonville 3 Box Score These two clubs found themselves in a back and forth battle before the Lookouts went on a strong run to end the game. Kohl Stewart started and allowed three runs on six hits with a season-high seven strikeouts. Randy Rosario struggled with some control issues as he walked four batters in two inning but he escaped without allowing a run. Luke Bard struck out one and walked on in the final frame. Max Murphy fell a home run shy of the cycle as part of a four-hit night. TJ White drove in three runs including a two-run home run. Jonathan Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs. Dan Rohlfing was the lone batter to be held without a hit. It was the third straight win for the Lookouts as the club has gone 11-4 so far in July. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Charlotte 4 Box Score Fort Myers entered play on Friday night with an eight game win streak and things were looking good for the club as they jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. Tanner English led-off double put the Miracle in position to score their first run on a Jermaine Palacios sacrifice fly. Mitchell Kranson added to the lead with a solo home run. In the third inning, Sean Miller launched his first Florida State League home run in over 333 at-bats. He was greeted with the silent treatment in the dugout. David Fischer kept the Stone Crabs at bay before allowing a three-run homer in the fourth. He ended the night after four innings with three strikeouts and four walks. Williams Ramirez and Michael Theofanopoulos each pitched two scoreless innings with Theofanopoulos striking out two and walking two. Alex Muren entered in the ninth and allowed a walk-off home run to the first batter of the inning. It was the second pitch of the inning for Muren. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, West Michigan 3 Box Score The Kernels were limited to three hits while committing four errors, a season high, which is a tough recipe for winning a game. Clark Beeker took the loss but he only allowed one earned run over five frames. He struck out five and walked two. Ryan Mason and Colton Davis combined for three shutout innings to end the game. Mason struck out two and Davis struck out one. Lewin Diaz had the lone extra-base hit, a double, but he also had one of the team's defensive errors. Trey Cabbage and Ben Rortvedt each went 1-for-3. Cedar Rapids combined for 14 strikeouts and the team only had one opportunity to bat with runners in scoring position. After winning four straight games through last weekend, the Kernels have dropped four straight including being swept by West Michigan. Friday's shutout was the club's third shutout loss in their last four contests. It was the team's first three-game sweep since June 12, 2016. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 3, Burlington 5 Box Score After trailing 1-0 in the third inning, the E-Twins plated two in fourth to take back the lead. With two outs, Brent Rooker was hit by a pitch and Kolton Kendrick moved him to second with a walk. Colton Waltner, making his E-Twins debut, drove in both runs with a double. In the sixth, the E-Twins added to their lead as Kendrick and Waltner walked before a Mark Contreras single drove in a run to make it 3-1. Charlie Barnes got the start and cruised through five innings. He didn't allow an earned run on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Blair Lakso ran into some late inning trouble as he surrendered four earned runs including three in the eighth inning. He struck out two and walked two in 2.1 innings. Jose Martinez finished the game by recording the final two outs and allowing one inherited runner to score. It was the second straight loss for the E-Twins but the club has won six of their last nine. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 9 Box Score GCL Twins pitchers only allowed two earned runs but five defensive errors led to seven unearned runs. Number one overall pick Royce Lewis had yet to commit an error but he was charged with a throwing error and a fielding error. He also struggled at the plate by going 0-for-4. Humberto Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Pertru Balan was charged with the loss even though he didn't allow an earned run. He scattered four hits and struck out five with two walks. Vadim Balan didn't make it through an inning on the mound as five unearned runs crossed the plate. He has yet to allow an earned run in six appearances. Matt Jones allowed the only two earned runs of the game in 3.1 innings. Zach Featherstone collected the final six outs by allowing only a hit with a pair of strikeouts. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Kohl Stewart, Chattanooga Lookouts (6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 K, 1 BB) Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Chattanooga Lookouts (4-for-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (5:35 CST) - RHP Dillion Gee (1-0, 0.00 ERA_ Chattanooga vs. Jacksonville (6:15 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (3-1, 3.77 ERA) Fort Myers vs. St. Lucie (5:05 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak (3-3, 3.76 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 CST) - RHP Griffin Jax (1-0, 2.84 ERA) Elizabethton @ Greenville (5:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 am CST)- TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins found a way to beat the Astros on Saturday night. I know that isn’t related to the minor leagues, but just felt like it should be stated again. The Red Wings got a well-pitched game. The Lookouts pitched a shutout. The Miracle had a walk-off. The Kernels gave up just one run. E-Town grabbed a lead with a comeback in the ninth, and a slugger returned to the field in the GCL. You’ll want to keep reading to find out which players contributed on Saturday.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Saturday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score With his opt-out looming (and maybe passing by the time you read this), Dillon Gee went out and put together a terrific start. The right-hander gave up just four hits and a walk over seven shutout innings. He struck out four. In his three starts for the Red Wings, he threw 15 innings without giving up a run. He gave up ten hits, walked three and struck out eight. Mason Melotakis came on and got one out. He was charged with a run on a hit. He also struck out one. Drew Rucinski came on and got the final five outs. He gave up just one hit. Byungho Park led the offense. He went 3-5. Niko Goodrum went 2-5 with his 19th double. He also stole his fifth bag. Matt Hague went 1-3 with two walks. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Jacksonville 0 Box Score It was a well-played game for the Lookouts on Saturday night. Obviously a shutout means pretty solid pitching. The offense did its part as well. Dereck Rodriguez made the start and clearly didn’t have his best stuff. He needed 77 pitches to get through three innings. He gave up four hits, walked two batters and hit another. However, he threw three shutout innings. Raul Fernandez came on and went the middle three innings. He gave up just one hit, didn’t walk anyone and struck out five. Todd Van Steensel struck out three over the two innings he worked. Nick Anderson worked a perfect ninth inning to finish the shutout. Nick Gordon was back in the lineup after missing a couple of games after being hit by a pitch earlier in the week. He went 2-4 with a walk. Jonathan Rodriguez continued his terrific season. He went 3-4 with his 20th double and 11th home run. Carlos Paulino was 2-4. TJ White added his seventh home run of the year. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, St. Lucie 3 Box Score Tim Tebow and the St. Lucie Mets were back in Ft. Myers for their final series against the Miracle. He went 0-4 in this game and is now hitting .298. Over 4,600 fans showed up to see the former Heisman winner, but they got to see a dramatic win for the home team. Cody Stashak gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out six. Tom Hackimer, Alex Muren and Sam Clay each worked a scoreless inning. The Miracle were down 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Tanner English was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. He scored on Brandon Lopez’s fourth Miracle double to tie the game. The next batter, Jermaine Palacios, then knocked in Lopez with his fourth double to end the game. Palacios and Lopez were each 3-5 with a double. Sean Miller went 3-4 as well. Nelson Molina went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth double. Zander Wiel added his 20th double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, South Bend 1 Box Score On Saturday night, the Kernels lost for the fifth straight time. For the fourth time in those five games, they were shut out. In this game, the Kernels managed just four hits. Griffin Jax put together another strong start. He gave up one run on three hits in seven innings. He walked three and struck out two. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Greeneville 6 Box Score Nick Brown, the Twins 32nd-round pick this June out of William & Mary, made his first start as a pro. He went four innings and gave up four runs on four hits (three home runs). He walked two and struck out four. Bryan Sammons went the next 4.1 innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits. He walked three and struck out five. Juan Gamez came on to get the final two outs and record his first save. The E-Twins went into the ninth inning down by a run. Brent Rooker came up with the bases loaded and cleared the bases with his fifth E-Twins double. He then scored on a single by Shane Carrier for the final tally of the game. Rooker went 2-4 and drove in four runs. Carrier was 2-5 with his fourth double and four driven in. Andrew Bechtold went 0-0, but he walked four times. The E-Twins had nine walks in the game. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Red Sox 6 Box Score The Twins played the Red Sox in a Saturday morning game. Daniel Palka played in a game for the first time since breaking fingers. He went 0-3. Brian Olson played in his second rehab game and went 1-3. Akil Baddoo had another strong game. He went 3-5. Royce Lewis went 2-5 with his first triple. Ben Rodriguez, Alex Robles and Victor Tademo each went 2-4. Robles also stole his third base. Lefty Taylor Clemensia gave up two runs on two hits in 4.2 innings. He walked one and struck out seven. Amilcar Cruz gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits over 2.2 innings. Jose Bermudez came on to get the final two outs, but not before giving up a run on two hits. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dillon Gee, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (12:35 CST) - RHP Tim Melville Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (4:15 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (3:30 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (1:05 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi Elizabethton @ Greeneville (6:00 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. 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With a full slate of action on Tuesday, fans all across Twins Territory already were getting plenty of chances to watch baseball on Independence Day. Then three of those six games went into extra innings so the fans that made it out to the ballparks in Chattanooga, Tampa, and Fort Myers got free baseball to enjoy on the holiday. One of those games even ended with fireworks in the form of a walk-off home run for the good guys.To find out who the standouts on the Fourth of July were in the minors, and just how many extra innings those teams played, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS Before we get into the games, there were a few Independence Day transactions. In Rochester, Justin Haley was sent on a rehab assignment to the Red Wings and made the start in their game. Outfielder Ryan Strausborger was promoted from Chattanooga and Kennys Vargas was optioned to AAA. The Lookouts also got a pitcher on a rehab assignment, theirs in the form of Zack Jones, who also started the game for Chattanooga though under different circumstances than Haley. RED WINGS REPORT Pawtucket 3, Rochester 5 Box Score The Red Wings got another multi-hit effort from Zack Granite, who went 2-4 with three RBI. He scored one of those with a single in the second inning, and his fourth inning single scored the other two and gave Rochester a 4-2 lead. They extended their lead to three in the fifth on a wild-pitch that allowed Mitch Garver to scamper home from third. Justin Haley made the start for the Red Wings and went the first three innings in his first rehab appearance. He allowed a two-run home run in the third and four hits total while striking out three. Nik Turley came on in relief and went the next five innings. He allowed no runs on two hits and a walk, and added three K’s. Jake Reed pitched the ninth inning and picked up his second save for Rochester. He did allow a solo home run for the final score of 5-3, but also struck out the last two hitters of the game. It was Reed’s first run allowed at AAA. Niko Goodrum scored two runs with a 1-2 day that included a walk. Bengie Gonzalez picked up the other RBI for the Red Wings with a single in the second inning that scored Kennys Vargas. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Tennessee 5, Chattanooga 6 (14 innings) Box Score Chattanooga jumped out to a 5-1 lead after five innings, but weren’t able to keep the Smokies at bay. They scored those five runs thanks to a T.J. White RBI single in the second inning, a Jonathan Rodriguez two-run homer in the fourth, and a two-RBI single off the bat of LaMonte Wade in the fifth. Starter Kohl Stewart gave up a run in the top of the first after a giving up a one-out double, but that would be it for the Smokies against him. He went five innings, allowing four hits and one walk. He struck out one. Relievers Matt Tracy and Paul Clemens each threw two innings, but the Smokies also tagged each of them for two runs to tie the game at five in the top of the eighth. Tracy’s runs came on three walks and double while Clemens’ came on four hits including three doubles. Both relievers also struck out two. Randy Rosario took over in the tenth, and went the next three scoreless and perfect innings while picking up two K’s. Luke Bard came on for the thirteenth inning and pitched a one-two-three frame. Chattanooga had an opportunity in the bottom of the thirteenth as three two-out walks loaded the bases, but Levi Michael grounded out to end the inning. Bard came back out in the fourteenth and again had a one-two-three inning, striking out the final two hitters of this one. Over his last eleven appearances and 17.2 innings pitched, Bard has allowed just one run on twelve hits and six walks, while striking out 30. #FreeBard The Lookouts got another bases-loaded opportunity in the fourteenth after a Nick Gordon single and walks to Edgar Corcino and LaMonte Wade with two outs, and this time the day’s hero came through. Designated hitter Rodriguez knocked his fourth hit of the game, a single to score Gordon and walk it off after a long day. Rodriguez finished 4-6 with two runs scored, two doubles, his tenth home run, a walk, and three runs batted in. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Tampa 2 (14 innings) Box Score Fort Myers fell behind 1-0 in the second inning when starter David Fischer gave up a solo home run. He was pretty good otherwise in his four innings however, allowing just one other hit with one strikeout. Michael Theofanopoulos went the next three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and a walk, with six K’s. The Miracle tied the game at one in the top of the ninth inning thanks to an RBI single from Mitchell Kranson. His hit scored Jermaine Palacios who had singled to lead off the inning. Sam Clay came on for Theofanopoulos in the eighth and brought the game into extra innings. He finished four scoreless innings and allowed one hit, walked three and struck out two. Position Player Pitcher Alert: Catcher Kevin Garcia was the next arm brought on to pitch and he made it two plus innings. He had the first two outs of the bottom of the fourteenth, but a solo home run ended the game for Fort Myers. The Miracle lineup, despite the five extra frames, had just two at-bats in the entire contest with runners in scoring position and went 1-2. They had six singles after nine innings, and added three more singles for nine total hits on the game after fourteen innings. Max Murphy, Palacios and Kranson all had two hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 2, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score Cedar Rapids scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a sacrifice fly from Lewin Diaz, but that’s all the offense they would push across for the game as this one also turned into a pitcher’s duel. Eduardo Del Rosario made the start for the Kernels and went seven strong innings. He allowed just one run on a solo home run, three hits total, walked none and struck out six. The game was tied 1-1 when he left after those seven innings, and Max Cordy pitched a scoreless eighth before a leadoff walk in the ninth allowed the Timber Rattlers to manufacture the go-ahead run. The lineup for Cedar Rapids collected just six hits and was led by Diaz (2-3, RBI) and Ben Rortvedt (2-3, 2B) who each had two. Lean Marrero added a triple in the fifth inning but was left stranded. As a team they were 0-4 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. E-TWINS E-NOTES Princeton 6, Elizabethton 2 Box Score Twins Daily’s 2016 Short Season Pitcher of the Year, Huascar Ynoa, made the start for the Twins and went the first five innings. They were of the scoreless variety as he allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out three. Elizabethton scored the first run of the game in the second inning when Andrew Cosgrove singled in Andrew Bechtold, who had picked up his first double of the year a batter earlier. The Twins made the score 2-0 for their starter in the bottom of the fifth when Jose Miranda led off the inning with his second Appalachian League home run. Bryan Sammons came on in relief of Ynoa for the sixth inning, and an error led to an unearned run to make the score 2-1. Sammons added a scoreless seventh inning and struck out three in his outing. In the eighth, Blair Lakso was summoned to keep the lead but it wasn’t meant to be. With one out there was an errant throw on a steal attempt, then a walk, single, wild pitch, two-run double, and RBI single ended his outing with the score 5-2 Princeton. Jared Finkel came on and got the last out of the inning with a K and he finished the game with another frame, but gave up an insurance run in the ninth on three singles. Down 6-2 in the bottom of the ninth, the Twins did their best to mount a comeback by loading the bases with two-outs for Brent Rooker. Unfortunately his ground ball to third didn’t find a hole and dropped Elizabethton to 8-5 on the season. Miranda finished his day 2-5 with the home run, Bechtold was 1-3 with a double, a run scored, and walk, and Matt Albanese added a double to lead the offensive effort. As a team they were 2-8 with runners in scoring position and left ten men on base. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 4 (10 innings) Box Score The GCL Twins jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning thanks to a Benjamin Rodriguez triple that scored Akil Baddoo and Victor Tademo who had reached base via a walk and hit by pitch, respectively. They made it 3-0 in the third as Royce Lewis drew a walk to lead off the frame and stole second base before Rodriguez singled him in. In the fifth Rodriguez delivered again with a single to score Alex Robles, who had doubled earlier in the inning. The Twins would need all those Rodriguez runs batted in as the Rays finally got to the bullpen of the Twins in the eighth inning. Zack Jones had started the game for his first rehab appearance, and stuck out two in the first inning. Jordan Balazovic then came on and went the next five scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out six. Matt Jones pitched a scoreless seventh inning before running into a heap of trouble after a strike three got away from the catcher and put a runner on. Four more singles and a hit batter scored four runs to tie the game before Austin Bizzle came one and struck out the two hitters he faced to end the threat. Jose Burmudez brought the game into extra innings with two scoreless frames, including the tenth which started with a runner on second base under the new rules. In the bottom of the tenth, Lewis started on second base for the Twins as he was the last out of the ninth inning. He didn’t have to do much running, as Baddoo launched his first home run of the season in walk-off fashion to give the Twins the 6-4 win and bring on the fireworks. Despite just six hits as a team, thanks to Rodriguez and Baddoo the Twins made the most of them by getting four of those with runners in scoring position. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Eduardo Del Rosario, Cedar Rapids Kernels (7.0IP, ER, 3 H’s, 6 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts (GW-single in fourteenth inning. 4-6, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, HR, BB, 3 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester, Game 1 (3:35PM CST) – RHP Dillon Gee (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Pawtucket @ Rochester, Game 2 (TBD) - TBD Tennessee @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) - TBD Fort Myers @ Tampa (6:00PM CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (0-0, -.-- ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Evan Sanders (0-1, 11.25 ERA) Princeton @ Elizabethton (6:00PM CST) – RHP Moises Gomez (0-0, 14.29 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

A full slate of games was scheduled in the Twins farm system on Wednesday. The Miracle game was postponed by weather. Stephen Gonsalves looked to continue his winning ways. He was helped by the home run ball. Did Zack Granite’s hitting streak continue? Royce Lewis was hit by a pitch, and it caused some discussion. So much happened in the Twins system on Wednesday. Get caught up on it all here.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Wednesday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS There were a handful of transactions in the Twins system on Wednesday. Phil Hughes is now back on the Twins roster. He was removed from the disabled list after his stint in the Red Wings bullpen. Craig Breslow was placed on the 10-day DL.Alex Wimmers was outrighted to Rochester after clearing waivers. Later in the day, we learned that Mason Melotakis had also cleared waivers and was outrighted to Rochester. Best case scenario for the Twins.Infielder Dan Gamache has been released. He had spent the season with the Chattanooga Lookouts. Ryan Eades was activated from the disabled list.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 0, Buffalo 3 Box Score Dillon Gee made his first appearance in the Twins organization on Wednesday night when he made the start for the Red Wings. While he spent a couple of days as insurance in the Twins bullpen, he didn’t get into a game. On Wednesday, he was limited to 50 pitches since he hasn’t pitched in nearly two weeks. The right-hander threw three scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one, all in 47 pitches. Lefty Matt Tracy came on and gave up three runs over the next two innings. He gave up seven hits and walked two. Alex Wimmers worked two scoreless, perfect innings. The Red Wings’ offense didn’t do much. Engelb Vielma had two of the team’s six hits, including its lone extra base hit, a double. Zack Granite started the game 0-3, but he got a single in his final at bat. He now has a ten-game hitting streak and has hit in 27 of 28 games in June. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Mississippi 1 Box Score The Lookouts put together a strong, complete game with good pitching and some timely hitting. Stephen Gonsalves was on the mound, and his overall line looks terrific. The left-hander gave up just one run on five hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out five. The run came on a solo homer in that seventh inning. But as impressive as that is, Gonsalves also found a way to work out of some tough situations. Twice, there were two runners on with nobody out and Gonsalves worked out of it. Some was luck. In one instance, Gonsalves threw what would have been a wild pitch, but Dan Rohlfing hustled back and threw to Gonsalves at home in time to get the runner attempting to score. But then Gonsalves got a big strikeout for the second out. It was a good mix of dominating at times and working out of some tough situations as well. Gonsalves improved to 4-3 with a 2.63 ERA in his eight starts since returning from the disabled list. Nick Anderson worked a scoreless eighth inning, and Randy Rosario worked a perfect ninth inning. The Lookouts took the lead with one run in a long second inning. Mississippi’s starter walked four straight batters. Levi Michael’s walk drove in a run. In the third inning, Jonathan Rodriguez hit a solo homer. With two on in the fourth inning, Rodriguez came up and launched a three-run homer to give the Lookouts a 5-0 lead. Rodriguez went 2-4 with a walk and his seventh and eighth homers. Michael went 2-4 with a walk. Nick Gordon was 0-2, though he did walk three times. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers, Clearwater Box Score Rain won the day in Ft. Myers and caused another postponement. The two teams will try to play a doubleheader on Thursday. Then on Friday, Tim Tebow and the Port St. Lucie Mets will come to Hammond Stadium. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Burlington 5 Box Score Sometimes all it takes is one bad inning, and that’s what happened in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday afternoon. Eddie Del Rosario cruised through the first two innings. After a strikeout began the third frame, he walked the next two batters. They both scored on a double. After another walk, Del Rosario gave up a three-run homer before getting out of the inning, but the damage was done. The Kernels were down 5-1. In all, Del Rosario went 5.1 innings and gave up those five runs. He gave up three hits, walked four and struck out four. Logan Lombana gave up two hits over 1.2 scoreless innings of relief work. Max Cordy then worked two scoreless innings. Ben Rortvedt led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk in the game. His ninth double scored Amaurys Minier. Minier reached twice on walks. Joe Cronin went 1-2 with two walks. Travis Blankenhorn also walked twice. Hank Morrison had the only other extra-base hit, his first triple with the Kernels. After meeting with a doctor on Tuesday, right-hander Tyler Wells had an MRI on Wednesday. Results should be known in the next day or so. The MRI was given since it was the second time that Wells has experienced this. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Kingsport 0 Box Score What a difference a start can make. Maybe Edwar Colina was more relaxed in his second start in the United States. In his first start, the E-Twins season opener, he gave up six runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks in just 4.1 innings. On Wednesday night, it was a different story. Colina threw five shutout innings. In fact, he left the game without giving up a hit. He did still walk four, but he struck out four as well. Jose Martinez came on and gave up a single right away in the 6th, so there wasn’t too much no-no drama. He gave up two hits over 2.2 scoreless innings. He struck out three. Calvin Faucher got the final four outs, two of them by strikeouts. JJ Robinson had a big game. With two runners on base in the first inning, Robinson singled in Trey Cabbage with the first run of the game. In the fifth inning, Wander Javier hit an RBI double to score Andy Cosgrove. But then after a Matt Albanese single to start the top of the 8th, Robinson knocked a two-run homer. It marked his first home run as a pro, and gave the Twins a 4-0 lead. An inning later, it was a 4-0 win. Along with Robinson’s 2-4, outfielder Shane Carrier went 2-4. Albanese was 1-3 with a walk, and Trey Cabbage reached twice on walks. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 8, GCL Orioles 3 Box Score It was a rough start for the GCL Twins, but the tide quickly changed. Juan Mojica started and gave up three runs and recorded only two outs. Carlos Suniaga came on and got the final out of the first inning and worked four more innings without allowing another run. In fact, he gave up just two hits. Suniaga began the season with Elizabethton and actually worked 3.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts last week in a game. Amilcar Cruz came on and worked four innings of one-hit, no-run ball for the save. The Twins saw themselves down 3-0 before they even came to bat, but they responded with a six-run bottom of the first inning. A Colton Burns single was followed by walks to Royce Lewis and Jared Akins to load the bases. Benjamin Rodriguez singled to score Burns. Then Victor Tademo added a single that scored Lewis and Akins. Kerby Camacho grounded out, but it was enough to score Rodriguez with the fourth run of the inning. With two outs, Roni Tapia singled to score Tademo. Finally, Humberto Maldonado tripled to score Tapia and give the Twins a 6-3 lead. That’s where the score remained until the bottom of the seventh when the Twins tacked on two more runs. Ricky De La Torre tripled to score Tademo. Tapia then doubled to score De La Torre. Rodriguez went 2-3 with a walk and a triple. Tapia went 2-4 with a double and two RBI. Humberto Maldonado went 2-4 with a triple. Royce Lewis went 0-3, though he also walked and was hit by a pitch. Immediately after being hit, he stole second base. It caused words to be exchanged. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (12:05 CST) - RHP Chris Heston (0-1, 8.44 ERA) Chattanooga @ Mississippi (7:00 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge (8-1, 3.26 ERA) Clearwater @ Ft. Myers (DH @ 4:00 CST) - LHP Lachlan Wells, LHP Lewis Thorpe (1-2, 2.05 ERA) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (5-2, 3.15 ERA) Elizabethton @ Kingsport (5:30 CST) - RHP Huascar Ynoa (0-1, 3.60 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games. Click here to view the article