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

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

Rains were again a factor on Friday night. The games in Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids were delayed by rain. In fact, Cedar Rapids was actually postponed and will play a doubleheader on Saturday. The game in Chattanooga experienced a mid-game rain delay as well. Could Rochester pitchers toss their third straight shutout? Which minor leaguer got on base all five times he came to the plate? Which Australian has multi-hit games in in four of his last eight games. Which 2015 draft pick has 25 walks and just nine strikeouts in August?It was a busy night in the Twins farm system. Check out all the game stories and highlights below. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Syracuse 9 Box Score The Red Wings had shut out Syracuse in the two previous games. JO Berrios struck out 12 in seven shutout innings in Syracuse on Wednesday night. On Thursday night, Michael Bowden struck out nine in seven shutout innings. On Friday, it was Taylor Rogers’ turn. It didn’t go so well. Three batters into the game, Syracuse scored, and they kept on doing just that. Rogers went just 2.1 innings. He was charged with seven runs (six earned) on seven hits (two homers) and a walk. He struck out two. Tim Shibuya came on and gave up one run on four hits in three innings. He struck out four. Next up was Alex Meyer. He was charged with an unearned run on three hits over 2.2 innings. He struck out four without issuing a walk. Cole Johnson gave up a hit and a walk in the ninth, but he did not allow a run. Danny Santana was the only Red Wings player with more than one hit. He was 2-4, and the team had just four hits on the game. Xavier Avery knocked in two runs with his 21st double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Birmingham 0 Box Score The offense provided plenty of runs, but the pitching got the job done with a shutout performance. Jason Wheeler went the first 6.1 innings. He gave up two hits, walked three and struck out four. The game was delayed after the fifth inning due to rain, but Wheeler returned. Nick Burdi came on with one out in the seventh. He finished that inning and two more to earn his second Lookouts save. He went 2.2 innings and gave up no hits, walked two and struck out two. Shannon Wilkerson continued to be an instigator for the Lookouts offense. He went 3-3 with two walks in this game. In the third, the Lookouts got back-to-back singles from Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler to give them a 2-0 lead. That same duo contributed again in the seventh inning. Polanco singled in a run before Kepler gave the team a 4-0 lead with a sacrifice fly. Along with Polanco, Travis Harrison also had two hits. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Bradenton 5 (11 innings) Box Score As has been the case about two dozen times this year, the Miracle needed extra frames to decide this game. Mat Batts started the game and was back on track. The southpaw gave up two runs on seven hits over six innings. He struck out two and he walked none. Todd Van Steensel gave up a hit and a walk, but no runs in the seventh. Tyler Jay struck out one in a scoreless eighth inning. It was his fifth straight inning without allowing a run. Alex Muren pitched a scoreless ninth. However, when the game went to the tenth, Muren was charged with an unearned run. Brian Gilbert got the 11th inning. He gave up two runs on one walk and one hit. Logan Wade led the offense. He went 4-5 with his 19th double. He drove in the game-tying run in the 10th inning. He also stole his third base. Engelb Vielma went 3-4 with a walk. He stole his 32nd base. Ryan Walker went 2-5. Chad Christensen went 2-5 and stole his 21st base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids, Kane County Box Score Rain and lightning caused this game to be postponed. They will play two games on Saturday evening. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Kingsport 9 (10 innings) Box Score The Twins had plenty of offense and they held the lead late, but they were unable to hold it and fell in extra innings. LaMonte Wade continues to hit well. He went 2-5 with his ninth home run. In August, he has walked 25 times while striking out just nine times. And in this game, he also threw out a runner at home. Brian Olson went 2-4 with a walk and his second home run. He’s now hitting .372 in his time with the Twins. Amaurys Minier went 2-4 with a walk and his ninth double. Jermaine Palacios went 2-5. Lewin Diaz has just six hits with the E-Twins in about 40 plate appearances, but on Friday, he hit his third home run. Onesimo Hernandez started and gave up three runs on seven hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out six. Jose Abreu gave up one run on two hits in 1.1 innings. He struck out three. Kuo Hua Lo, who has been terrific this season as the team’s closer, gave up two runs on five hits. He gave up a home run in the eighth and game-tying homer in the ninth. Alex Robinson started the tenth inning. He was charged with three runs on two hits and three walks and recorded just two outs. Josh Guyer came on and walked one runner in before getting a strikeout to end the inning. In the game, Christian Cavaness, signed last month as a non-drafted from agent, led off and played center field. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 0, GCL Red Sox 1 Box Score The season is coming to a close. The team is scheduled to play just one more game, on Saturday, before these players get to travel home. Though they received very good pitching, the hitters looked like they were ready for the season to be over. The Twins had just four hits in the game. Ariel Montesino went 2-4. He stole his third base. Roberto Gonzalez and Kolton Kendrick each walked twice in the game. Gonzalez stole his eighth base of the season and tells me his knee continues to feel better. On the mound, seventh round pick Jovani Moran started and threw five innings. He gave up one run on four hits. He walked one and struck out three. He got seven grounders to just two fly outs. Miguel Gonzalez came in and threw four shutout innings. He didn’t give up any hits, walked one and struck out five. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Miguel Gonzalez, GCL Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Shannon Wilkerson, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – LHP Logan Darnell Tennessee @ Chattanooga (6:30 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Bradenton @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (DH @ 5:35 CST) – RHP Randy LeBlanc, RHP Sam Gibbons Kingsport @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) – RHP Miles Nordgren GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00) – TBD (final game of their season) Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

The Twins are still playing meaningful games in late August, and they’re being led by a trio of players who began this season in the minor leagues. Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario are all performing very well. On Wednesday, they will send a fourth,Tyler Duffey, to the mound.Three of those players began this season in AA Chattanooga. The exciting thing is knowing that there is a lot more talent coming through the pipeline. Check out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Tuesday. The Midwest League announced its end-of-season awards and all-star team and no Kernels were named. The Appalachian League also named its all-stars as well. LaMonte Wade was an all- star outfielder. Kuo Hua Lo was named the league’s top reliever. Dereck Rodriguez was named the league’s Pitcher of the Year. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Syracuse 4 Box Score A night after collecting 20 hits, the Red Wings were only able to muster six hits in this game. Kennys Vargas had a single and a walk, the only player getting on base more than once. Pat Dean’s scoreless inning streak ended at 18 in the second inning when he gave up a run. The southpaw’s night ended after five innings. He gave up four runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out three. Alex Meyer came on and needed just 20 pitches to strike out three over two perfect innings. Aaron Thompson struck out two in his inning of work. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Tennessee 3 Box Score Shannon Wilkerson has done a nice job for the Lookouts since signing out of the Can-Am League last month. He helped the Lookouts win this game. He had an RBI early, but in the bottom of the seventh, he tripled in Stuart Turner with the go-ahead run. He then scored on a throwing error to give the team the lead. Wilkerson led the offense. He went 2-3 with his third triple and two RBI. Turner went 1-2 with a walk and scored two runs. Heinker Meneses added his tenth double. Brett Lee started for the Lookouts. He gave up three runs (two earned) on eight hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out three. Alex Wimmers came on and threw three shutout innings for the win. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out three. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Jupiter 4 Box Score The Miracle got a quality start from lefty Luke Westphal. He gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out two. Matt Summers came on and gave up one run on three hits in 1.2 innings before getting ejected. He struck out four. Jake Reed came on and got the final four outs. Logan Wade went 2-4 with his 18th double. He has hit in eight of his last nine games and has multiple hits in five of his last seven games. Jason Kanzler cut the Miracle deficit to one with his eighth homer of the season. Mitch Garver doubled for the 23rd time this year. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 7 Box Score The odds of the Kernels coming back on this night and matching their 23-run, 27-hit night against Clinton the night before were not good. They did have eight hits and scored four runs, but it wasn’t enough against Peoria. Felix Jorge went six innings again. He was charged with four unearned runs in one inning which included two errors. In total, he gave up those four runs on nine hits and a walk. He struck out five. It is his 19th time in 21 starts this season that he has completed six innings. Luke Bard came on and gave up three runs on seven hits in three innings. He struck out three. Seven Kernels hitters had at least one hit. Edgar Corcino was the lone player with more than one hit. He was 2-4 with his 14th double. TJ White added his 19th double, and Max Murphy hit his 13th. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Greeneville 8 Box Score Cody Stashak has been very good, but he struggled on this night. In just 1.2 innings, he gave up seven runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out two. CK Irby came on and gave up one run on one hits and one walk in 3.1 innings. He struck out five. Jose Abreu gave up only a walk over three scoreless innings. It’s been a struggle for big Lewin Diaz since being promoted to E-Town. On this night, he hit his second home run. Manuel Guzman and Nelson Molina each went 2-4. Brad Hartong added his seventh double. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 2 Box Score Rain has been, and always is, a force to be reckoned with in Southwest Florida. It was definitely the case on Tuesday afternoon. The Twins and Rays were set to finish a game from mid-July that was suspended after the fourth inning. They planned to finish that as a seven-inning game and then play another seven-inning game. They finished the first game. Brandon Poulson came in and began where he left off a month ago. He finished with 2.2 total innings. He gave up no runs on no hits. He walked two and struck out five. Johan Quezada came in for the eighth inning and gave up a run on three hits. The Twins were unable to come back in the bottom of the inning. In total, Luis Arraez went 2-3 with a walk. Roberto Gonzalez went 2-3 and stole his seventh base. They started game two, but again, it was suspended after four innings with the Twins leading 4-2. The plan is for the teams to finish this game and play another on Wednesday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Alex Meyer, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Shannon Wilkerson, Chattanooga Lookouts WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (6:05 CST) – RHP JO Berrios Tennessee @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers Ft. Myers – No Game Scheduled Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Ethan Mildren Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00 CST) – LHP Sam Clay GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (DH @ 11:00) – TBD, TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

It was a busy and full day for the Minnesota Twins minor league teams: transactions early and some impressive performances from some top prospects. Byron Buxton made his AAA debut and did well. Oswaldo Arcia’s slump continued. Max Kepler had another big day. Two hitters finished just a home run away from the cycle. Which top prospect hit his first home run of the year? I don’t want to spoil too much, so just keep on reading.TRANSACTIONS Late on Friday night, Twins Daily learned that Jake Reed has been demoted to Ft. Myers. Ft. Myers officially announced the Aaron Sleger promotion. Alex Swim was again placed on the disabled list. They also announced that they had signed 26-year-old right-hander Omar Bencomo. The Venezuelan spent 2007 through 2011 in the Rays system, peaking in the Midwest League. He was 6-1 with a 3.19 ERA with Laredo and Wichita in the American Association. Cedar Rapids announced that they have signed right-handed pitcher Nick Anderson. He went to Mayville State (ND) University and was the Brewers 32nd round pick in 2012. He was pitching for the Frontier Greys of the Frontier League. He was 2-0 with a 0.65 ERA and 13 saves in 27.2 innings. He had walked six and struck out 35. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Charlotte 9 Box Score Byron Buxton was the star of this show, at least for a while. It’s fair to say that Matt Tuiasosopo was the star by game’s end, and as important, Charlotte topped the Red Wings. Pat Dean started for the Red Wings. The left-hander was charged with eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits. He walked one and struck out two. Cole Johnson gave up a run on one hit in his inning. Logan Darnell tossed a scoreless eighth. Tuiasosopo hit a three-run homer in the first inning, a solo homer in the second inning, and a three-run homer off of Johnson in the seventh inning. Buxton made his AAA debut on this night in North Carolina. He had singles in his first two at-bats and ended the game 3-5. He is a career .600 hitter in AAA. Danny Santana also went 3-5 in the game and stole his fifth base. He has been really struggling – just 2 for 20 – since his demotion a week ago. Carlos Paulino, the lone catcher on the Red Wings roster for the game, went 2-4. Oswaldo Arcia went 0-4 and is now two for his last 38 (.053). CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Mobile 6 Box Score The Lookouts tried to give this one away, but got the 27th out just in time. Brett Lee started for the Lookouts. He gave up three runs in the second inning. That was it. The left-hander went eight innings. He gave up those three runs on seven hits. He struck out five without issuing a walk. He improved to 3-4 with a 3.73 ERA with Chattanooga. The Lookouts were down 3-2 going into the bottom of the sixth, but they put up three runs then, followed by two in the seventh to take a commanding 7-2 lead. Alex Muren came on to start the ninth. He gave up two hits and a walk before being replaced by closer JT Chargois. He got two outs, but then gave up a single and a double to cut the lead to 7-6. With runners on second and third, Chargois got a big strikeout to end the game. He gets credit for his ninth save of the season. Kennys Vargas went 3-3 with a single, double and triple (his second of the week!). He also walked twice. Max Kepler went 2-4 with a walk, his 26th double and his seventh home run. Dalton Hicks went 2-5. Jorge Polanco went 1-3 with two walks. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 13, Palm Beach 5 Box Score The Miracle offense was consistent, scoring in five separate innings in this game. Five runs in the ninth gave them some insurance. Eight of the nine starters had at least one hit. Aderlin Mejia went 4-6. Engelb Vielma went 3-5 with a walk. He also stole his 27th base of the year. Logan Wade went 3-5 with a single, double (14) and triple (2). Mitch Garver went 2-5 with a walk and his fourth home run. Jason Kanzler went 2-5 with his fifth triple. Ryan Walker had two hits, and Tanner Vavra was 1-3 with two walks. Lefty Luke Westphal started and gave up two runs on six hits over 4.2 innings. He walked two and struck out five. Zack Jones came on and went 2.1 innings. He gave up just one hit and struck out four. Brian Gilbert gave up one run on two hits and a walk in his inning. Trevor Hildenberger gave up two runs on three hits in the ninth. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Bowling Green 7 Box Score The Kernels gave up a five-spot in the sixth inning. They tried to claw back, scoring two in the seventh and one in the eighth, but they came up short in their comeback attempt. Randy Rosario was on the mound at the start of the game. He gave up two runs in the first inning, but he settled in and threw four straight scoreless. However, in the sixth, he gave up four more. Overall, he was charged with six runs (four earned) on nine hits and a walk. Jared Wilson came on and gave up one run on two hits and a walk over the next 2.1 innings. He struck out three. John Curtiss made his return to the Kernels and struck out one in a scoreless inning. The TrackMan system that was in Cedar Rapids had him hitting 95 mph. Nick Gordon has been hitting well since late May. On this night, he went 3-5 with his first home run of the season. It was his second career homer as he had one in Elizabethton last year. Rafael Valera went 3-4. TJ White went 2-3 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Bluefield 0 Box Score Dereck Rodriguez was terrific again. The right-hander threw another five shutout innings in this game, dropping his season ERA to just 1.22. He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out five. Anthony Mciver relieved and got Rodriguez out of the sixth inning, getting three outs before the two inherited runners had a chance to score. Logan Lombana came on and recorded his first professional save. He gave up just one hit over three shutout innings. He struck out five. The Twins scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. One came on a wild pitch, another came on a Chris Paul double, and the third on a Travis Blankenhorn single. They added two more runs in the eighth inning, both on wild pitches. The E-Twins had seven hits and five walks in the game. Paul went 1-3 with a walk and his seventh double. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-3 with a walk. GCL TWINS TAKES Game 1 – GCL Twins 5, GCL Red Sox 3 Box Score The Twins headed over to jetBlue Stadium in Ft. Myers to take on the GCL Red Sox in two games. Lewin Diaz led the offense. He went 2-4 with his first homer of the season and four RBI. Blake Schmit, still rehabbing, went 2-3 with a run batted in. Jose Martinez started for the Twins. He gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk in four innings. He struck out five. Rich Condeelis went the next two innings. He didn’t give up a run or a hit. He walked one and struck out two. Hector Lujan picked up his first career save, striking out two in his one-hit inning. Game 2 – GCL Twins 0, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score In the second game, they got good pitching, but no runs. Max Cordy started and gave up one run on four hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out five. Matz Schutte came on and gave up a run on four hits in two innings. Brandon Poulson walked one batter in his scoreless inning. Trey Cabbage went 2-3 in the game. Luis Martinez walked twice and hit a double. Luis Arraez added a double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Logan Lombana, Elizabethton Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kennys Vargas, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (6:05 CST) – RHP JO Berrios (2-1, 3.58 ERA) Mobile @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) – RHP DJ Baxendale (4-3, 3.99 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (4:35 CST) – RHP Omar Bencomo Bowling Green @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Randy LeBlanc Bluefield @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) – RHP Onesimo Hernandez (3-0, 4.50 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (DH @ 9:00 CST) – TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Click here to view the article

The Twins surprised everyone and won on Thursday afternoon, taking two out of three against the Royals to win their first series of the year. Down on the farm, things did not go as well with every affiliate in action taking the loss.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Pawtucket PawSox 8 Box Score Despite seven runs on twelve hits, the Red Wings lost to the PawSox in the bottom of the ninth when Ryan Pressly, working in his third inning of the evening, gave up a one out home run to Pawtucket's Bryce Brentz. Pressly, who entered the game with two outs in the sixth, was charged with a blown save and a loss. Red Wings' starter Taylor Rogers was lucky to escape without a decision after giving up five runs, all earned, in six innings. Rogers struck out seven, but he also walked three and gave up two long balls. Logan Darnell came on the start the sixth and put two men on base before yielding to Pressly who gave up a double, allowing both inherited runners to score and tagging Darnell with two earned runs. Twelve hits and seven walks led to plenty of scoring opportunities for the Red Wings, who failed to tally an extra-base hit and left ten runners on base despite going 4-10 with runners in scoring position. Reynaldo Rodriguez was 3-4 with a walk and an RBI to pace Rochester. Eddie Rosario (2-4), Josmil Pinto (2-2, 3BB), and Jose Martinez (2-4) all collected two hits. Pinto is now hitting .417, including six hits in his last seven at-bats, plus those two walks. He has to be wondering how much longer it will be until he is back with the Minnesota Twins. LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Birmingham Barons @ Chattanooga POSTPONED - Jose Berrios will have an extra day of rest as the Lookouts were rained out tonight in Chattanooga. MIRACLE MATTERS Tampa Yankees 7, Fort Myers 6 (10 innings) Box Score Down 6-2 in the bottom of the eighth, the Miracle rallied for four runs on a Logan Wade grand slam to send the game into extra innings. Aaron Slegers, Fort Myers' starter, went just 5.2 innings, surrendering six runs, four earned. He walked one batter and struck out five. Madison Boer finished the sixth for Slegers and pitched two more scoreless innings after that to get the Miracle through the eighth. With the game now tied, Todd Van Steensel pitched 1.2 scoreless innings before yielding to Brandon Peterson, with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the tenth. Peterson quickly got ahead of Angelo Gumbs 0-2 on a pair of breaking balls and then balked in a run when he dropped the ball while he was standing on the rubber, before eventually striking out Gumbs to retire the side. The Miracle were aided by four Tampa errors, but Engelb Vielma and Alex Swim managed to go 0-10 at the top of the order, leaving Fort Myers to manufacture runs without their table setters on base. Logan Wade's grand slam was part of his 2-4 night and was the punctuation mark on the night for the Miracle hitters. Marcus Knecht was the only other Miracle hitter with multiple hits, 2-4 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Niko Goodrum finished the night 1-4 with a single and two walks. With a runner on second in the bottom of the tenth, Max Kepler was caught looking to end the game. Kepler, DHing on Thursday night, ended 1-5 with a walk and two strike- outs. KERNELS KORNER Peoria Chiefs 3, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score A quick ballgame on Thursday in Iowa, lasting just two hours and five minutes. Kernels' starter John Curtiss cruised through five innings, but gave up three runs in the sixth inning to take the loss. The Kernels now need a win tomorrow night to avoid being swept at home by the Chiefs. Curtiss scattered ten hits, struck out six and walked just a single batter. His ERA now sits at 4.63 on the young season. Michael Theofanopoulos pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings, and C.K. Irby finished the game with an interesting ninth, walking two and striking out two. There was not a lot of offense for the Kernels against Peoria's Austin Gomber, who struck out eight Cedar Rapids batsmen and yielded just a single run on an RBI single by Zack Larson in the bottom of the third. That Larson RBI gave the Kernels their first lead of the series against the Chiefs, but the Kernels did not have the hits to keep pace. Zach Granite was the bright spot for Cedar Rapids, going 3-4 with a double, raising his season average to .458 while extending his hitting streak to five games. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Josmil Pinto, Rochester Red Wings Pitcher of the Day - Michael Theofanopoulos, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester @ Pawtucket - Jason Wheeler (0-1, 2.70) vs. Henry Owens (0-0, 1.42) Birmingham @ Chattanooga - Mike Recchia (0-0, 5.40) vs. Jose Berrios (1-0, 1.42) St. Lucie @ Fort Myers - Marcos Molina (0-0, 3.) vs. Chih-Wei Hu (0-0 3.60) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids - Daniel Poncedeleon (1-0, 0.00) vs. Stephen Gonsalves (1-0, 1.50) On the most recent episode of the Talk to Contact podcast, Seth Stohs identified Gonsalves as his pick to be the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Click here to view the article

It was a very good night in the Minnesota Twins minor league system. The Cedar Rapids Kernels advanced to the second round of the Midwest League playoffs. The Ft. Myers Miracle jumped to a 2-0 lead over Daytona in the Florida State League championship series.After winning at home in Games 1 and 2, the Miracle will have a chance to claim the championship in Daytona on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Kernels will host Kane County in Game 1 on Saturday night. There were plenty of heroes in the two games. And, there were a couple of Kernels transactions after their game which will be mentioned later in today’s report. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 2 - Ft. Myers 5, Daytona 0 Box Score Ethan Mildren picked a good day to find ways to work out of trouble. The right-hander gave up five hits and four walks over his five innings, but he was able to keep Dattona scoreless. He struck out three. Todd Van Steensel has been kept busy in these playoffs. He worked one inning and gave up only a walk. Steven Gruver came on for the seventh inning. He gave up a walk and a hit and recorded two outs before leaving the game with an apparent injury. However, Nick Burdi came on and got the final seven outs, three of them strikeouts, to record the save. He gave up just two hits. The Miracle tallied three runs in the third inning. Travis Harrison singled in Aderlin Mejia with the first run. Dalton Hicks followed with a triple to score Harrison and make it 2-0. The next batter, Stuart Turner, hit a sacrifice fly scoring Hicks. The Miracle got a little insurance in the 8th inning. With the bases loaded, Niko Goodrum and Travis Harrison each took a bases-loaded walk to drive in a run and give the Miracle a 5-0 lead. The teams will now travel way north to Daytona where they will play Game 3, and potentially two more games. One more win and the Miracle will earn their league championship. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 3 - Cedar Rapids 4, Burlington 2 Box Score After losing Game 1 in Cedar Rapids, the Kernels were tasked with winning for a second straight night on the road in Burlington. They were up to the challenge. Cedar Rapids took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. Ryan Walker tripled and scored on a groundout by Logan Wade. One batter later, Chad Christensen hit a solo home run. Young Stephen Gonsalves was given the starting nod. The lefty gave up two runs on six hits and a walk in the game’s first five innings. Both runs came in the bottom of the third inning. Jared Wilson worked the sixth and seventh innings, giving up nothing. He struck out two. Then in the top of the 8th, the Kernels reclaimed the lead. Jonatan Hinojosa singled. He advanced to third base on a double by Logan Wade. Chad Christensen singled in Hinojosa to give the Kernels a 3-2 lead. It was followed by a Max Murphy double that scored Wade. With a late-inning lead, Jake Mauer turned to the dominant bullpen guys. Dallas Gallant got the eighth inning and struck out two. Jake Reed came on for the ninth inning for the second straight night. He didn’t have to work quite as hard as he had on Thursday. He had a 1-2-3 inning to record his second straight save and send the Kernels to the next round. If you’re counting, that is now 24.2 innings since he has last given up a run. The Kernels will start the 2nd round of the Midwest League playoffs on Saturday night. They will be playing host to the Kane County Cougars. Games 2 and 3 will be at Kane County (Chicago area). The Kernels will add outfielder Tanner English and right-handed pitcher John Curtiss to their roster from the Elizabethton squad. To made room, two players were put on the disabled list. Mitch Garver, who hadn’t played since being pinch-hit for in the sixth inning of Game 1, was put on the disabled list for a concussion. Lewis Thorpe was put on the disabled list with “elbow” listed as the injury. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ethan Mildren, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chad Christensen, Cedar Rapids Kernels SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Game 3 - Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05 CST) – Brett Lee Game 1 - Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – Ryan Eades Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

With the Minor League season all but over, this is likely the last time I will be writing the Minor League Report for the 2014 season. I won't disappear completely, you can still find me and the rest of the Talk to Contact crew talking beer, baseball and the news over at www.TalkToContact.com on our weekly Minnesota Twins podcast. Thank you for hanging out with me and talking Minor LEague ball this year at Twins Daily, it has been a blast. The Twins played host to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the first of a four game series at Target Field. The Twins lost (what's new?), but Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers are playing in the post-season and you're here for the Minor League Report, so let's make it happen. Miracle Matters Daytona 1, Fort Myers 5 Box The Miracle took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Florida State League Championship Series on Thursday night with a victory over the Daytona Cubs. The Miracle jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning and never looked back. Dalton Hicks and Stuart Turner scored those two runs on an RBI single from Tyler Grimes with two outs in the second. Miracle Starter Matt Tomshaw was cruising into the sixth inning before running into a little bit of trouble. The Cubs' leadoff hitter in the sixth reached on a ground ball deflected off of Tomshaw, and then advanced to second when Tyler Grimes committed a throwing error trying to make a play on the deflected ball. The next hitter dropped a bunt single to put runners on the corner with no outs. Tomshaw then struck out a hitter before a ground rule double plated a run. The Miracle were saved a run as the base runners were only allowed to advance two bases. Tomshaw then walked the next batter and induced an inning-ending double play a batter later. With the score now 2-1, Adam Brett Walker, who finished first in the FSL in homers in the regular season, led off the bottom of the sixth and deposited the third pitch of the inning over Green Monster in left field. The Miracle would add another run in the sixth when Travis Harrison doubled home Jason Kanzler. The Miracle closed out the scoring in the bottom of the seventh via an RBI double from Adam Brett Walker, scoring Stuart Turner. With runners on second and third with no outs and a chance to really break the game open, the Miracle failed to put another ball in play as Tyler Grimes and Jason Kanzler struck out swinging before Aderlin Megia was hit by a pitch. Then with bases loaded and two outs, Niko Goodrum went down on strikes as well. With the score then 5-1, D.J. Johnson and Brandon Peterson finished things up for the Miracle, holding the Cubs scoreless for the final two frames. On the night, Adam Brett Walker was 3-4 with a run scored, that double and home run, and two RBIs. The 22-year-old is hitting .444 this post season, and as I mentioned above, led the FSL in homers this year, with 25 long balls. A year ago in Cedar Rapids Walker lit up the Midwest League with 27 round-trippers. Walker should start 2015 in Double-A and really test his meddle against some of the better pitchers in the Minor Leagues. Travis Harrison was 2-4 on the day with two doubles, an RBI and a walk. The Miracle hitters totaled eleven hits, four walks and nine strike outs against the Cubs. Matt Tomshaw's final line was six innings pitched, six hits, one earned run, two walks and he struck out four. D.J. Johnson pitched two scoreless innings to earn his second hold of the post season, and Brandon Peterson finished things off in the eighth. The Miracle are back at "home" at Jet Blue Park for game-two on Friday evening at 6:05pm. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 2, Burlington 1 Box After dropping the first game of the series in Cedar Rapids, the Kernels snuck pas the Burlington Bees 2-1 to force a third game in this three-game series. The Kernels and the Bees played three quiet innings until Cedar Rapids broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth. With runners on the corner and no outs, Alex Swim singled home a run to give the Kernels a 1-0 lead with two runners on and no outs and a chance to extend their lead. The next batter, J.D. Williams popped one up to the first basement, and then Engelb Vielma and Michael Quesada both struck out swinging to end the Kernel's threat. The Bees tied the game with two outs in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single, ending the evening for Kernel's starter Mat Batts. Brian Gilbert replaced Batts and struck out the next batter swinging to end the sixth. In the top of the eighth Logan Wade pushed the Kernels ahead by a run with a solo home run, which turned out to be the winning run for the Kernels. In the bottom of the eighth, things heated up after Jake Mauer was ejected arguing a safe call at first base on a bunt attempt that gave Burlington runners on first and second with no outs. Mauer's ejection perked up his team as Gilbert proceeded to pick off the runner at second base, and then quickly induced an inning ending double play to move play to the ninth. Down by one, the Bees put runners on the corners with no outs against Jake Reed, who replaced Gilbert to start the inning. Reed struck out the next batter and then induced an inning ending double play of his own on a grounder to Engelb Vielma at shortstop to preserve the Kernels' victory. The Kernels recorded just seven hits on the night, to go along with a single walk while striking out ten times. Chad Christensen were both 2-4, and the hero of the night, Logan Wade, was 1-4 with that solo blast. On the mound, Mat Batts pitched very well, scattering three hits over 5.2 innings, giving up only one run. Brian Gilbert pitched 2.1 scoreless innings before turning things over to Jake Reed for an adventurous save. The Kernels and the Bees will finish things off on Friday at 6:30pm at Community Field in Burlington, winner take all. TwinsDaily Minor League Players of the Day TwinsDaily Minor League Hitter of the Day - Adam Brett Walker, Fort Myers TwinsDaily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Matt Tomshaw, Fort Myers Friday's Probables Daytona @ Fort Myers, 6:05pm, TBD Cedar Rapids @ Burlington, 6:30pm, Stephen Gonsalves

The Minnesota Twins and newcomer Tommy Milone were knocked around on Sunday afternoon in between the rain delays with myself in attendance, but the young guns in the lineup continued to provide me with some hope for the future. Danny Santana led off the game for the Twins with a triple to left center, Kennys Vargas had three hits on the day including his third home run, and Oswaldo Arcia launched his 11th home run of the season. In the minors, two affiliates completed series sweeps, two games went into extra innings and two finished in walk-off fashion. Check it out!RED WINGS REPORT Game 1: Syracuse 5, Rochester 2 (10 innings) Box score After their rain postponement on Saturday, Logan Darnell made the start for the Red Wings in the first of two games. In 5.2 innings, the lefty allowed just two earned runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out three. What did him in was the long ball, as two of those hits went for solo home runs, including one from the first batter of the game. Lester Oliveros then came in to pitch 2.1 scoreless innings, with two strikouts. Mark Hamburger pitched into extra innings, but was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs (one unearned) in the tenth, after a walk, three consecutive singles and an error at the plate allowed the runs to score. The Red Wings had just five hits and three walks in the game, and were 0-9 with runners in scoring position. Chris Herrmann and Pedro Florimon each had two hits, with Herrmann collecting a double, his third home run of the season and he scored both of Rochester’s runs. Game 2: Syracuse 7, Rochester 3 (7 innings) Box Score Syracuse jumped all over starter Sean Gilmartin in the first inning and never looked back, as a grand slam contributed to six runners crossing the plate for the Chiefs. Gilmartin recovered to retire ten in row before a walk, double and intentional walk to load the bases ended his night in the fifth inning. A.J. Achter came on and allowed one inherited runner to score, but struck out three in two innings of relief. Michael Tonkin finished the shortened game with a scoreless inning, striking out two. Rochester outhit Syracuse 11-6 in the game, but were unable to string enough of them together to keep pace. Aaron Hicks was 2-4 with a double from the leadoff spot, while Josmil Pinto was 3-3 with a double and a walk from the 3-hole to lead the offense. ROCK CATS REVIEW Harrisburg 2, New Britain 7 Box Score Eddie Rosario got the Rock Cats on the board first in this one, when he slugged his sixth home run of the season in the third inning, a two-run shot with Levi Michael on-base after a leadoff single. They added five more runs in the seventh, when Jorge Polanco (RBI single), Corey Wimberly (bases-clearing triple) and Kyle Knudson (sacrifice fly) brought home ducks on the pond. Rosario (2-5), Mike Gonzalez (2-4), Reynaldo Rodriguez (2-3), Polanco (2-4), and Stephen Wickens (2-4 each had multiple hits. Tony Thomas and Gonzalez added doubles to the effort. It was Jason Wheeler on the mound for New Britain. He controlled the Harrisburg lineup for five innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out nine. He walked the first batter of the game, but struck out the next six. He struck out eight of the first eleven he faced and set down eight in a row before his exit after the fifth inning. He improved to 4-4 with the Rock Cats. Alex Wimmers struck out two more Senators in an inning of relief, while Cole Johnson, Ryan O’Rourke and Jim Fuller added three more K's in the final three innings for a total of fourteen for the pitching staff. O’Rourke surrendered the two Harrisburg runs in the eighth inning, but they weren’t enough to overcome the seventh inning outburst from the Red Wings as they completed the three game sweep. MIRACLE MATTERS Palm Beach 5, Fort Myers 6 (11 innings) Box Score The Miracle gave up leads in both the eighth and ninth innings of this one, but ended the game with some extra inning heroics from Adam Brett Walk[off] II, as he drove in Travis Harrison with a single in the eleventh to give Fort Myers the victory. Ethan Mildren made the start, and pitched five solid innings, allowing two runs as he scattered five hits and three walks. He struck out five. Zack Jones and Madison Boer combined to throw the next two scoreless innings, before Tyler Jones gave up the game-tying run in the eighth. Fort Myers was quick to take back the lead in the bottom half of the frame, as Tyler Grimes (single) and Jason Kanzler (double) got themselves into scoring position for Aderlin Mejia (sacrifice fly) and Niko Goodrum (RBI single), for a two run lead going into the ninth. D.J. Johnson then gave up two runs to blow the save opportunity and send the game into extra innings. Todd Van Steensel was next to pitch for the Miracle and picked up his first FSL win with two scoreless extra innings, walking two and striking out two. Seven of the nine hitters in the Miracle lineup collected multiple hits, as they tallied seventeen in the game. Stuart Turner, Grimes and Kanzler had doubles, while Mejia and Grimes each drove in two runs. Kanzler also stole two bases, giving him nine in sixteen games with Fort Myers. KERNELS NUGGETS Peoria 4, Cedar Rapids 5 Box score Cedar Rapids was also able to finish off a series sweep, winning their sixth game in a row, in [intentional] walk-off fashion on Sunday. With the game tied 4-4 with two out in the bottom of the ninth, a Logan Wade double, a wild pitch and a Chad Christensen walk put runners on first and third for Mitch Garver. Peoria pitcher Jacob Booden, who had entered the game in the eighth inning, then intended to put Garver on first base with an intentional walk, but misfired his first throw into the dirt and past the catcher, allowing Wade to race home for the win. The Kernels offense was led by Wade who was 3-5 on the day, with the ninth inning double and fifth inning home run to drive in three. Jonatan Hinojosa was 2-5 with a run scored. Garver was 2-4 with two doubles and a walk. Ryan Eades was on the mound and despite allowing three runs in the third inning, was able to finish six innings for Cedar Rapids. He allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks, with one strikeout. Hudson Boyd struck out two in two perfect innings, while Brian Gilbert was credited with the win after pitching a scoreless top of the ninth. E-TWINS E-NOTES Princeton 0, Elizabethton 11 Box Score Elizabethton scored early and often en route to the blowout of Princeton at home. A wild pitch in the first inning allowed Jermias Pineda to score the first run of the game, while singles from Trey Vavra and Alex Real brought home Nick Gordon and Tanner English for a 3-0 lead after three. Elizabethton then sent ten men to the plate in the fourth on their way to seven runs, punctuated by a three run home run from Brian Navaretto, his second of the year. Six hitters collected multiple hits for the Twins, including Pineda (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, 3 RBI), Gordon (2-4, 2 RBI), English (2-4, BB, R, 2B), Vavra (3-5, R), Real (2-4, BB, R, RBI) and Austin Deimer (2-4, 2 R’s, 2B) as the team garnered fifteen hits. Derrick Penilla improved to 4-4 on the season with six shutout innings, scattering four hits and one walk, while striking out eight. Enigma Brandon Poulson pitched two scoreless innings of relief, allowing one hit and two walks with two K’s, while Randy LeBlanc finished the game with a scoreless inning. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Jason Wheeler, New Britain Rock Cats (5 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 R’s, 9 K’s) Hitter – Logan Wade, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester – Mark Hamburger (3-3, 4.37 ERA), 6:05PM CST Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids – Chih-Wei Hu (5-1, 2.54 ERA), 6:35PM CST Princeton @ Elizabethton – John Curtiss (2-1, 0.84 ERA), 6:00PM CST GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles – TBD, 11:00AM CST DSL Twins @ DSL Padres – TBD, 9:30AM CST Click here to view the article

Adam Brett Walker knows his role on this Cedar Rapids Kernels team, and on the 4th of July, he came through. “My main goal this year was to drive in runs. I think that’s kind of a main part for me. When runners are on, runners in scoring position, I try to have a quality at bat.” Walker came to the plate in the bottom of the 2nd inning of a scoreless game with Max Kepler on first base. Walker crushed the first pitch over the wall in left center field, and the ball likely didn’t get over 20 feet in the air. “I was trying to look for a fastball over the plate. He threw four straight (balls) to Max. He was just trying to get it over, get a strike over. I was trying to put a good swing on it.” The blast proved to be all the Kernels offense needed thanks to Josue Montanez and a couple relievers.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Montanez was put into the starting rotation following the Midwest League All-Star game after pitching in the Kernels bullpen. On this night, he was very good. He began with five shutout innings. The lefty was throwing a fastball between 88 and 90. He showed a very good changeup at about 80 to 82. He also had a good curveball in the low 70s. In total, he went 5.2 innings without allowing a run. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out five. Alex Muren entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the sixth. He needed just one pitch to get out of that inning and keep the shutout going. In the seventh inning, he gave up one run that cut the lead to 2-1. Dalton Hicks stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 8th and hit a long home run over the 400' sign in centerfield to get that run back and give the Kernels a 3-1 lead. Tyler Jones worked the final two innings to record the save. He struck out two, including the final batter on a 96 mph fastball. Catcher Michael Quesada was asked if he could tell before the game that Montanez could have a good night. His response might surprise you. “Honestly, he didn’t really have anything in the bullpen. He just pitched on pure guts. The change up was our key pitch, our out pitch. He did a really good job of keeping guys off balance and throwing strikes when he needed to.” There’s little question about what happened in the sixth inning. Quesada continued, “He got a little tired at the end, but it’s expected. He’s typically a reliever and switching over to the starting role. So for him, it’s still getting used to going longer innings and throwing more pitches.” Hicks and Walker’s home runs were, for each, his 13th, putting both within one homer of team leader, Travis Harrison, who has 14. Hicks and Harrison were both 2-4. The game was played in front of 5,631 fans at Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids. It was the second-largest crowd at the stadium. The game started at 5:05. Fans were entertained throughout the game by a couple of dueling pianists. The played and sang the classics . Following the game, the were a couple of presentations. One very neat thing that the Kernels have done several times throughout the year is have a silent auction for special Kernels uniforms. On Thursday, the Kernels wore special Armed Forces jerseys. Each player’s game-worn jersey was auctioned. Every player’s jersey went for at least $100, and all of the money goes to charity. Following the game, the winners of each auction go down to the field and get the jerseys from the players. They are able to get them signed and take pictures with them as well. It’s really a neat thing. At that point, they opened up the field and kids were able to run the bases, and people were allowed to play catch in the outfield. Later in the evening, the Kernels put on a firework display. They timed it well with the Cedar Rapids Downtown fireworks show, which followed soon after. It’s always a great trip to watch the Kernels. This is a well-run organization and they are great people. Spent a good 20 minutes talking to GM Doug Nelson who told us that they are quite pleased with the increased attendance this year. Although there is no way to officially say so, it is likely more people from Minnesota and/or Twins fans from Iowa, are coming to games. I definitely recommend getting to Cedar Rapids for a weekend of Kernels games if and when you can. A great time would be the final weekend of July. It will be Twins weekend and Tony Oliva and others will come and there will be plenty of fun throughout that weekend. This roster, even after the promotion of Byron Buxton, is tremendous and very fun to watch. Rochester Red Wings 6, Pawtucket Red Sox 2 Box Score Pedro Hernandez started and got the win. The lefty gave up two runs on five hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out three. Aaron Thompson recorded the three-inning save thanks to three shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. Drew Butera had the big hit. He was 2-4 with a long home run, his second of the season. Chris Colabello doubled for the 22nd time this year. Jermaine Mitchell made his Red Wings debut and recorded an infield single. New Britain Rock Cats 6, Portland Sea Dogs 4 Box Score The Rock Cats were down 4-0 after one inning. Slowly, the offense fought back. Trevor May started and gave up those four runs on eight hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out six. Cole Johnson worked the next two innings and did not allow a run. He walked two and struck out three in two innings. Dakota Watts picked up his first save of the year with a perfect ninth. Jordan Parraz hit a three-run homer (5th with Rock Cats) to cut the lead. Josmil Pinto also homered for the 12th time. Eddie Rosario was 2-5. The game was tied going into the bottom of the ninth. With a runner on, Miguel Sano hit a pinch-hit double to give the Rock Cats the lead. Eddie Rosario followed with an RBI single; he also had a fifth inning triple. Ft. Myers Miracle No Game Scheduled. Elizabethton Twins 5, Bluefield Blue Jays 6 Box Score Felix Jorge joins Yorman Landa and Randy Rosario as three very exciting young pitching prospects for the E-Twins. In this game, Jorge threw five shutout innings. He gave up just one hit, walked none and struck out four. Ethan Mildern gave up a hit and a walk, but no runs, in his one inning. Dallas Gallant worked a scoreless eighth. Logan Wade led the offense by going 2-3 with his first triple and first home run. Mitch Garver was 2-4. Javier Pimentel notched his fourth double. Zach Granite doubled for the first time. That brings us to the 8th inning with the E-Twins ahead 5-0. Gallant remained in the game to start the eighth. He was charged with three runs on two hits and two walks. Kuo-Hua Lo came on to get those final outs. However, he gave up three more runs on three hits and a walk and the E-Twins were unable to score in the top of the ninth. GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles Rays 4 Box Score The story here, of course, is that Twins top pick from last month’s draft, Kohl Stewart, made his first professional appearance. He gave up one run on two hits in two innings. He walked none and struck out two. Brandon Easton came on and gave up one run on two hits in his two innings. Dan Sattler made his second appearance and went 1-2-3. Josh Guyer gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in his inning. Fernando Romero came on for the final three innings. He walked one and struck out five. Evan Bigley made another appearance and went 2-4. Zach Larson led off the bottom of the first inning with his third home run of the season. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article