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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

After reviewing the pitchers leader board on Friday, today we turn our attention to the hitters. Since the minor league season is about 2/3 complete, there are a lot of names that are consistent at or near the tops of these lists. There have been a lot of strong offensive performances throughout the system. Before we get to the hitters leader board, let’s take a quick look at how the Twins’ affiliates currently stack up in their leagues. Winning, and learning how to win, is and should be part of the development process. Obviously hitting, fielding, base runner and the like are the key, but there's nothing wrong with players getting accustomed to winning and playing in a winning environment.Did you know that the Twins and Yankees are battling for the best overall record in the minor leagues? Three of the Twins affiliates have half-season playoff berths. Chattanooga and Cedar Rapids already clinched playoff spots in their league’s first half. Three affiliates are working toward making second-half berths. The short-season leagues are going full bore too. Rochester is 51-40. The Red Wings are 6.5 games back of the International League North Division-leading Scranton/Wilkes Barre, and two games behind Lehigh Valley for the wild card. They’re in third place in the International League North Division. In their last 34 games, the Red Wings are 24-10.In the second half, Chattanooga is 18-5. That puts them in first place, four games ahead of Tennessee in the Southern League’s North division. Jake Mauer’s got this team playing some very good baseball.Doug Mientkiewicz’s Ft. Myers Miracle team has been playing very well too in the second half. They are 16-5 in the second half. They are in first place in the Florida State League’s South division, three games ahead of Bradenton.Cedar Rapids is 10-13 in the second half after their current five-game losing streak. That puts them a seven games back of Quad Cities and Peoria in the Midwest League’s Western Division.Elizabethton is 15-8 to start their season. That is half a game better than Greeneville, whom they are playing this weekend. The E-Twins are used to being near the top of the Appalachian League’s Western Division.The GCL Twins are 11-7, which puts them one game ahead of the GCL Red Sox at the top of the GCL’s South Division.With that, let’s look at the minor league statistical leader board (through games on Saturday, July 15). THE HITTERS (Rate numbers- minimum 255 plate appearances) Plate Appearances - Max Murphy (380), Nick Gordon (374), Matt Hague (371), Travis Blankenhorn (369), Jermaine Palacios (361), LaMonte Wade (358), Lewin Diaz (357). Batting Average - Zack Granite (.361), Jermaine Palacios (.321), Jonathan Rodriguez (.310), Max Murphy (.303), Nick Gordon (.299), Matt Hague (.296). On-Base Percentage - Zack Granite (.414), LaMonte Wade (.406), Jonathan Rodriguez (.404), Mitch Garver (.386), Max Murphy (.379), Matt Hague (.377), Nick Gordon (.369).. Slugging Percentage - Mitch G arver (.529), Jermaine Palacios (.515), Jonathan Rodriguez (.495), Zack Granite (.494), Jaylin Davis/Aaron Whitefield (.460), Nick Gordon (.455), Lewin Diaz (.451). OPS - Mitch Garver (.915), Zack Granite (.908), Jonathan Rodriguez (.899), Jermaine Palacios (.875), Nick Gordon (.824), Max Murphy (.814). Hits - Jermaine Palacios (108), Max Murphy (101), Nick Gordon (100), Matt Hague (94), Zack Granite (92), Lewin Diaz (90). Doubles - Lewin Diaz (26), Tommy Field (23), Nick Gordon (22), Jonathan Rodriguez/Zander Wiel (20), Four with 19. Triples - Travis Blankenhorn (8), Nick Gordon/Jermaine Palacios/Christian Cavaness (6), Seven with 5. Home Runs - Jaylin Davis (13), Jermaine Palacios/Mitch Garver (12), Jonathan Rodriguez (11), Aaron Whitefield/Lewin Diaz (10) Runs Scored - Jermaine Palacios (65), Max Murphy (58), Jonathan Rodriguez (54), Nick Gordon (53), LaMonte Wade (48), Aaron Whitefield/Travis Blankenhorn (46). RBI - Jaylin Davis (53), Lewin Diaz (50), Jermaine Palacios (49), Travis Blankenhorn/Nick Gordon (47), Jonathan Rodriguez (46), Zander Wiel (44). SB - Tanner English (22), Aaron Whitefield (19), Zack Granite (18), Jermaine Palacios (14), Ryan Walker (10). Click here to view the article

June is always an interesting month in a minor league system. There is the draft, and the organization brings in 25-30 players. The short-season leagues get started. There are All-Star games at each level but AAA, so the month is disjointed for many. And yet, as I researched, looking for the top hitters for the month, there were a tremendous number of hitters who had great success. There are guys with OPS near .900 that are “just” honorable mentions. A guy with an OBP over .500 “only” received mention. It’s hard to image, but there were three hitters with OPS over 1.000 for the month and still the choice for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month was pretty easy.Pitching wins, but only if the hitters score enough runs in that game. Let’s take a look at the Top 5 hitters of the month, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Mitch Garver - Rochester - 23 G, 29-94, .309/.371/.521 (.893) with eight doubles, four homers, 12 RBI.Nick Gordon - Chattanooga - 22 G, 31-99, .313/.382/.465 (.846) with seven doubles, one triple, two homers, 16 RBI.Brandon Lopez - Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers - 20 G, 25-67, .373/.427/.433 (.860) with two triples, and nine RBI.Alex Perez - Ft. Myers/Chattanooga - 19 G, 21-55, .382/.507/.418 (.925) with two doubles and four RBI.Ben Rortvedt - Cedar Rapids - 17 G, 21-62, .339/.423/.516 (.939) with five doubles, two homers and 12 RBITHE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 – Chattanooga - TJ White - 24 G, .297/.385/.527 (.912). 27-91 with seven doubles, one triple, four home runs and 17 RBI. White returned to the Lookouts lineup in mid-May after starting the season on the disabled list. He made a few mechanical alterations to his swing. He’s come back strong to this point. In June, he hit very well, hitting liners all over the part. He has shown even more power than he has in past years as well. White went to high school in Las Vegas where he was a teammate of Joey Gallo of the Rangers. They played against Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper. White stayed home for college, attending UNLV. The Twins made him their 19th round pick in the 2014 draft. He’s gradually moved up the ladder, reaching Chattanooga early in the 2016 season as an injury replacement. Reports indicate that his third base defense has improved as well Number 4 – Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers – SS Jermaine Palacios - .353/.391/.565 (.956). 30-85 with four doubles, one triple, four home runs and 13 RBI. What a year it has been for Jermaine Palacios. Just under a year ago, a frustrating season in Cedar Rapids came to an end when he was hit in the wrist by a pitch. He returned to the Midwest League this season, still just 20 until recently, and has been on fire. He hit .400 in April, slowed down some in May, but he took off again in June. While he showed in the rookie leagues in 2015 what he could do, this year’s success comes as some surprise. He has never shown the kind of power he displayed in the first half of the Kernels, hitting 11 homers. He was promoted to the Miracle following the Midwest League All-Star Game. He’s hit .348 over his first six games. Number 3 - Ft. Myers – OF Max Murphy - .388/.464/.541 (1.005) 33-85 with five doubles, one triple, two homers and 12 RBI. Murphy began this season hitting down in the Miracle lineup. But in mid-May, he started hitting well and getting on base. He was moved to the leadoff position and he’s been very good since. As you can see, in June, he hit for average, took a lot of walks (and was hit a bit) and showed some extra-base power. Murphy was the Twins ninth-round draft pick in 2014 out of Bradley University. He played his high school ball at Robbinsdale Cooper in New Hope, Minnesota. Number 2 - Cedar Rapids – 3B Travis Blankenhorn - .309/.430/.619 (1.048), 30-97 with four doubles, seven triples, four homers and 19 RBI. Blankenhorn is used to having big June’s. Last year, he started very quickly in Elizabethton and earned a promotion to Cedar Rapids. That’s where he is this year. He began the year really hot for two weeks, but struggled for about a month. In June, he turned things around. He has always had a good eye and a willingness to take walks. That will benefit him going forward. However, he really showed some good power and speed in June. 15 extra base hits are impressive, but seven of them were triples. Of course, most will remember his eventual game-winning steal of home as the Kernels really needed a win to secure a playoff berth. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Rochester – OF Zack Granite - .470/.527/.667 (1.193), 55-117 with 11 doubles, three triple, two homers and 12 RBI. What a month! Even the International League didn’t have to wait to name Zack Granite their player of the month. I’ve been writing about Twins minor leaguers for more than a dozen years, and I can’t remember seeing a guy have a month like Granite just did. He hit .470! Granite started the month with a 17-game hitting streak, had that streak snapped, and then ended the month with an 11-game hitting streak. Putting that all together, he hit in 28 out of his 29 games in June. He had 20 multi-hit games. It’s been an interesting past year for Granite. Last year, he was likely heading to Ft. Myers to start the season, but an injury to the likely Lookouts centerfielder meant Granite started in Chattanooga. He stayed there all year and earned the Twins Minor League Player of the Year award. In November, he was added to the 40-man roster which meant he was going to his first major league spring training with the Twins. Paul Molitor raved about him throughout spring training. When he was sent down to minor league camp, Molitor said, “I like Zack a lot. I like how he prepares. I like how he competes. It was good to watch him play. He got into actually a lot of games. Made an impression almost every day he played in some capacity.” Granite enjoyed the experience and took a lot from it. He told Twins Daily on Saturday, “Big league camp was a lot of fun and a good learning experience for me. It was cool to see how guys go about their business and talking to guys about their approach and working with guys like Torii Hunter and (Michael) Cuddyer.” Unfortunately, on the final day of spring training, he pulled a muscle in his side. It cost him a month. He played five games for Ft. Myers before joining the Rochester Red Wings on May 7th. He had two hits that game. He struggled a bit in May, relatively. He was coming back from injury and playing at a new level. And then came June. Granite just takes it all in stride. “I'm just trying to keep things simple and get a good pitch to hit, if I start to think too much then I start worrying about things I shouldn't be thinking about.” When asked if he’s given much thought to possibly being called up soon, and what it would me, he said, “That's something I can't control. I can't waste my time thinking about things I can't control. I just have to do my job and let the people in charge make the decision. My job is simple. Just play the game. If it happens it happens. But I'm going to go out and have fun playing the game.” Fair to say that Granite had a lot of fun playing the game in June! Congratulations to the June Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month for 2017, Rochester Red Wings outfielder Zack Granite. Click here to view the article

This time of year can get very busy in the Twins farm system. The rookie league teams are starting to get up and running while the full-season affiliates have shifted into second-half mode. New playoff spots are on the line and players have a lot to prove in the months ahead. After a plethora of roster moves over the last week, there are plenty of new faces in new places who are trying to make their marks. Whose Sunday performance got them closer to a call-up?RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Lehigh Valley 4 Box Score Lehigh Valley has been the cream of the crop in the International League this season. In fact, the Red Wings were looking to avoid their 10th straight series loss to the IronPigs. Rochester pounced early as Zack Granite led off the bottom of the first with his third home run of the season. Mitch Garver followed with a double and he moved to third on a JB Shuck single. Matt Hague grounded into a double play but Rochester still took a 2-0 lead. Red Wings' starter Tim Melville ran into a little bit of trouble in the third. The first two batters reached on a hit-by-pitch and a walk before a three-run bomb gave Lehigh Valley the lead. Melville settled in from there and tossed five frames, scattering four hits. He struck out six and walked two. Phil Hughes made his third rehab appearance and allowed his first earned run, a solo home run. Drew Rucinski tossed two perfect innings while striking out two. Michael Tonkin earned his second save as he struck out the side in the ninth. Rochester took the lead in the fourth inning. Matt Hague and ByungHo Park both doubled to start the frame. Niko Goodrum drove in Park with a single before coming around to score on a Leonardo Reginatto double. The Red Wings were up 5-3. In the seventh inning, Hague drove in two important runs with his sixth home run of the season to cap off the Rochester victory. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Pensacola 0 (Game 1- 7 Innings) Box Score Dereck Rodriguez was rocking in this game as he picked up his first Double-A victory. In six innings of work, he allowed two hits while striking out six and walking two. There was only one time he faced a batter with a runner in scoring position. Paul Clemens made things a little interesting in the seventh as he allowed a walk and a hit but he struck out the side to finish the game. Travis Harrison put the Lookouts on the board with a solo home run, his first, to start the second inning. In the fourth inning, LaMonte Wade came up with a huge two-out single with the bases loaded to score a pair of runs. Andy Wilkins started the next inning with a double and Brain Navarreto had to use a two-out single to score Wilkins from third. Wilkins drovein another run in the sixth. Edgar Corcino walked and Wade walked before Wilkins brought them both home. Corcino reached base in all four plate appearances. Wilkins finished with a three-hit night. Chattanooga 6, Pensacola 0 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score After only needing one relief pitcher in the first game of the day, Fernando Romero made sure the Lookouts could avoid using the bullpen in this one. He was masterful over seven shutout innings as he struck out six and walked three. The Blue Wahoos only managed three hits and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Romero hasn't lost a game since the middle of May and he has pitched into the sixth inning in five straight appearances. Nick Gordon got things going in the first as he led off with a single. TJ White brought him home with a two-out hit. Travis Harrison created a run by himself in the second. He doubled, stole second, and then scored on a throwing error. In the third frame, Wade singled and Wilkins walked before Levi Michael cracked his eighth double. Gordon and Harrison each reached base three times in the winning effort. Alex Perez went 3-for-3. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 8, Florida 3 Box Score The Miracle pounded out 13 hits including a four-hit night from Max Murphy on their way to an 8-3 victory. Jaylin Davis and Mitchell Kranson each had multi-hit games with Kranson recording his first double. Tanner English reached base three times including a triple. In the fourth, Jermaine Palacios recorded his first FSL RBI with a sac-fly to right. Nelson Monlina was the lone batter in the line-up who failed to record a hit. Anthony McIver was credited with his second win after he allowed three runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Keaton Steele took over for McIver and tossed two scoreless frames. David Fischer and Andrew Vasquez combined for two more scoreless innings as Vasquez struck out all three batters in the final frame. The Miracle have an off-day Monday before the start of a seven-game homestand. Mets farmhand Tim Tebow was recently promoted to St. Lucie and the Miracle have four-games against his squad starting next Friday. Stay tuned... KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 2 Box Score The Kernels used a strong start from Clark Beeker and some timely hitting to come out on top in this one. Beeker pitched into the sixth inning, allowing one run on six hits. As part of his team-high seventh win, he struck out two and walked none. Max Cordy took over for Beeker and pitched 2.1 innings and he allowed one unearned run. He didn't surrender a hit but he walked three batters and struck out two. Hector Lujan pitched a scoreless ninth with a strikeout. With two outs in the first, Travis Blankenhorn singled before an Amaurys Minier double to stake Cedar Rapids to an early 1-0 lead. Caleb Hamilton and Ben Rortvedt cracked back-to-back homers to start the fourth frame. In the seventh inning with two outs, Rortvedt doubled in another run. Hank Morrison capped the scoring with a single to post a final score of 6-2. Minier reached base three times in six plate appearances. Christian Cavaness, Rortvedt and Morrison all had multi-hit games. The Kernels are now eight games over .500 on the season. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 12, Pulaski 3 Box Score The E-Twins compiled four three-run innings to blow out the Yankees. After trailing 1-0 early, Andrew Cosgrove singled to drive in a run and Jordan Gore doubled to plate two more. The fifth inning was the power inning as Matt Contreras and Brent Rooker both homered to extend the lead to 6-1. Contreras drove in another run with a bases-loaded single in the sixth. Carson Crites added a two-run double as the three-run inning streak continued. Six E-Twins batters had multi-hit nights led by Gore as he went 3-for-4 with two doubles. Melvi Acosta earned his first victory of the season. He scatted five hits over five innings while allowing three runs with five strikeouts. Jovani Moran was stellar in relief as he tossed three scoreless innings with six strikeouts and no walks. Juan Gamez finished with a scoreless ninth. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Fernando Romero, Chattanooga Lookouts (CG, 7 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, 3 BB, 3 H) Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Fort Myers Miracle (4-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (4:35 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut (4-4, 3.36 ERA) Rochester @ Buffalo (Game 2) - RHP Aaron Slegers (6-4, 4.11 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Pensacola (6:15 CST) - RHP Randy LeBlanc (2-2 5.35 ERA) Fort Myers - Scheduled Off-Day Cedar Rapids vs. Burlington (6:35 CST) - RHP Tyler Wells (4-1 1.89 ERA) Elizabethton vs. Pulaski (6:00 CST) - RHP Griffen Jax (0-0, 0.00 ERA) GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles (11:00 am CST)- TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

Ft. Myers’ offense has been up and down much of the year. After lots of rain and delays, the Miracle scored 18 runs on Wednesday. Max Murphy led off and led the way for the Miracle, getting on base in one game and driving in runs in the other. Nick Gordon hit a monster home run. Zack Granite’s hitting streak was extended. The Kernels are still looking to clinch a playoff berth. And, the Lookouts received another strong start from Fernando Romero. It was a busy day in the Twins minor league system.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Saturday night, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS Check out the transactions through the minor league system on Wednesday: The Red Wings officially announced that Nick Tepesch has been assigned to Rochester where he is on the disabled list (elbow impingement).Drew Rucinski, DFAd last week, was also re-signed by the Twins and assigned to the Red Wings.Kevin Chapman, the LHP acquired from Atlanta in the Danny Santana deal, was released.Dereck Rodriguez was assigned back to Ft. Myers (where he will likely pitch in the FSL All Star game and probably then return to Chattanooga). Randy LeBlanc was promoted back to Chattanooga. Again.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 5, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 6 Box Score Zack Granite has been on fire the last few weeks. On this night, he went 3-5 with two doubles. Over his now 13 game hitting streak, he is 27-55. John Ryan Murphy, Bengie Gonzalez and Engelb Vielma each went 2-4 in the game. Matt Hague went 1-3 with two walks. David Hurlbut started and gave up four runs on seven hits. In five innings, he walked one and struck out three. Drew Rucinski was perfect for the next two innings. Michael Tonkin came in to protect a one-run lead. Unfortunately, he gets the loss. He gave up two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on two hits and two walks. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 8, Tennessee 1 Box Score If you want to write up what you would like to see in a game for your favorite team, it might look a lot like this Lookouts win. They got ahead early, got a very strong, lengthy start, added some runs late and win the game. Nick Gordon got things going in the second when he launched his sixth home run literally out of Smokies Stadium. Gordon went 2-5 in the game. Fellow Southern League All-Stars Edgar Corcino and LaMonte Wade each had 3-5 nights. Jonathan Rodriguez provided some power late. He was 2-4 with his sixth homer. In between, TJ White, who went 2-5 and is now hitting .320 since his return to the lineup, went 2-5 with his second homer. Fernando Romero got the start and was quite strong. He started with five shutout innings, gave up a run in the sixth and then recovered with a scoreless seventh inning. Romero went seven innings and gave up one run on seven hits. He struck out seven without issuing a walk. Todd Van Steensel closed the door with two scoreless frames. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 - Ft. Myers 9, Charlotte 3 Box Score The Miracle used their bats, and didn’t use their bats, on their way to a big win in the first game of a doubleheader. Max Murphy, batting leadoff, went 0-1 but walked four times.Alex Perez was 2-4 with a walk. Trey Vavra went 1-2 with two walks. Sean Miller went 3-4, and Brian Navarreto went 2-4. In total, the Miracle scored nine runs on nine hits and 11 walks. Lewis Thorpe was back on the mound. The southpaw gave up two runs on four hits. In four innings, he walked just one and struck out eight. He left the game having thrown 68 pitches, 47 for strikes. Michael Theofanopoulos came on and gave up one run on three hits over the next two innings. Andrew Vasquez struck out one in a perfect seventh. Game 2 - Ft. Myers 4, Charlotte 9 Box Score The Miracle completed the sweep of this doubleheader with another strong offensive outburst. Max Murphy got on base in Game 1. He drove in the runs in Game 2. The outfielder went 2-3 with two doubles and five RBI. Trey Vavra went 2-3 with a walk. Kevin Garcia was 2-2 with a walk. Brady Anderson was given the start on the mound. The right-hander gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits in five innings. He struck out just one and did not issue a walk. Sam Clay threw two scoreless innings, though he gave up two hits and hit two batters. He also struck out two batters. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 7 Box Score The Kernels fell behind early and weren’t able to make up the difference. Domenick Carlini gave up five runs on nine hits over five innings. The lefty struck out two and walked four. Patrick McGuff came on in relief and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks over the next two innings. Evan Sanders worked a scoreless eighth frame. The Kernels had plenty of base runners. They just were not able to score a lot of runs. Nine-hitter Aaron Whitefield went 1-3 with a walk. The first four batters in the lineup (Travis Blankenhorn, Jermaine Palacios, Lewin Diaz and Mitchell Kranson) each had two hits. Blankenhorn hit his fifth triple. Sixth hitter, Brandon Lopez, also went 2-4. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Fernando Romero, Chattanooga Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Ft. Myers THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes Barre (5:35 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Chattanooga @ Tennessee(6:00 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (DH at 4:30 CST) - RHPs Cody Stashak, David Fischer Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:35 CST) - RHP Clark Beeker Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games. Click here to view the article

The dog days of summer are quickly approaching and many of the Twins affiliates need to push for the playoffs. Three leagues hand-out first half playoff spots while Rochester has a full-season battle ahead of them. Rochester entered play on Thursday 11.5 games behind Lehigh Valley in the International League North. The Iron Pigs are going to be tough to catch so the Red Wings might need to focus on the wild card race where they trail by six games. Chattanooga currently trails Montgomery by half a game for the top spot in the Southern League North. Fort Myers sits nine games out of first place and five games under .500. There are four teams ahead of them in the standings so the first half title is likely out of reach. If the Midwest League playoffs started today, the Kernels would be in as the first half winners of the Western Division. They are currently a game up on Kane County for the division lead. The division winner and runner-up for each half qualify for the MWL playoffs.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Syracuse 3 Box Score Syracuse was threatening in many of the early innings but Aaron Slegers continued to find ways to get out of the jam. The Chiefs had runners in scoring position in the first, second and fourth innings before they eventually broke through in the sixth. A pair of doubles and a pair of singles would sink Slegers. In 6.2 innings, he ended up allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out four and walking three. Rochester tried to answer back in the bottom of the sixth. Engelb Vielma and Zach Granite started the frame with singles. With one out, Matt Hague lifted a sacrifice fly to center. Granite came around to score after two wild pitches from Chiefs' starter AJ Cole. However, the two runs wouldn't be enough. Many Twins fans are on bullpen watch as the big league squad could use some help. Michael Tonkin allowed base runners in both innings he worked but he worked out of both jams with a couple of strikeouts. Ryan Pressly struck out the side in the ninth but he also allowed a pair of hits. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Jackson 3 Box Score Chattanooga wasted a strong start from Ryan Eades as Jackson wasn't able to score until the Lookouts' bullpen got into the game. Eades only allowed one hit and struck out three in five innings. Randy LeBlanc struggled in the sixth as he surrendered three runs on four hits. Todd Van Steensel struck out two and walked two in an inning. Jake Reed pitched two scoreless frames by allowing one hit. Before the bullpen blow-up, the Lookouts held a 2-0 lead. Ryan Strausborger and TJ White started the second with a pair of doubles. With one one out in the inning, Nick Gordon brought in Strausborger for the first run. In the fifth inning, Gordon cracked his fifth home run which is already as many home runs as he had in his first three professional seasons combined. Jonathan Rodriguez reached base four times in five at-bats with a double and a pair of walks. Gordon, Strausborger, and Ryan White all had multi-hit efforts. The team went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and out-hit Jackson 10 to 6. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Tampa 2 (Game 1- 7 Innings) Box Score Fort Myers jumped out to an early 1-0 thanks to a lead-off home run from Max Murphy. The hits were few and far between for the rest of the game. The Miracle went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Murphy was the lone batter to finish with multiple hits as he added a double and reached on a walk. Nelson Molina went 1-for-3 with a double. Brady Anderson suffered his second loss in as many starts. In the top of the third, he allowed a one out walk that came back to haunt him. The next batter knocked a two-run home run that turned out to be the difference in the game. Anderson stuck out four and walked two in six innings. Williams Ramirez pitched a scoreless seventh with a strikeout. Fort Myers 2, Tampa 1 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score Fort Myers turned things around on Tampa in the second game of the double-header. Much like the Miracle did in game one, the Yankees jumped out to an early 1-0 first inning lead. Derek Rodriguez allowed a triple and single to the first two batters of the game. He settled in from there and went on quite the run. Rodriguez retired 11 straight batters at one point on his way to a complete game (even if it was only seven innings). He struck 10 batters for only the third time in his career. It was the first time he had accomplished this feat since last July. There have been only three starts this season where he has allowed more than three runs. Murphy was in the middle of the offensive action for the second straight game. He tripled to lead off the fourth inning. Alex Perez knocked him in with a single. After two consecutive walks to load the bases, Kevin Garcia grounded into a double play that pushed in the second run. Fort Myers only had three hits but that's all they would need. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Clinton 4 Box Score The Kernels struggled to get the bats going in this one and found themselves in an early hole. Domenick Carlini allowed four runs on eight hits while taking his fourth loss of the season. He struck out eight and didn't give up a walk. Logan Lombana allowed only one base runner over the last three innings to keep the game close. All four LumberKings runs were scored with two outs in the inning. Cedar Rapids' top six hitters in the line-up combined to go 3-for-22 with no extra-base hits in the loss. Brandon Lopez went 2-for-3 but failed to come around and score. Ben Rortvedt collected his fifth double and drove in the team's lone run. Lewin Diaz and Mitchell Kranson each went 1-for-4. With the loss, the Kernels drop to 34-26 and they still hold their playoff destiny in their own hands. It was only the third series loss for Cedar Rapids this season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Fort Myers Miracle (7 IP, 1 ER, 10 K, 1 BB) Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Fort Myers Miracle (3-for-6, HR, 3B, 2B, BB 2 R) FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Syracuse (6:05 CST) - LHP Adam Wilk (0-0, 4.26 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (7:05 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero (4-5, 3.51 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Tampa (6:05 CST) - RHP David Fischer (3-4, 4.02 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Burlington (6:35 CST) - RHP Clark Beeker (5-2, 2.51 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins opened their brief road trip on Monday in Baltimore. Kyle Gibson, who was recalled from Rochester when Phil Hughes was placed on the disabled list, made the start. Congratulations to Chris Paul of the Miracle, who was named Florida State League Player of the Week. Paul hit 12-25 last week with nine runs, nine RBI, five doubles and two home runs, including a three-run walk-off and a walk-off single in consecutive games. Let’s check the affiliates.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester - DAY OFF Rochester is 19-19 and on a two-game losing streak. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Biloxi 3 Box Score Felix Jorge took the ball and improved to 4-1 on the season. In seven strong innings, Jorge scattered five hits and a walk. He allowed three runs and struck out three. Mason Melotakis picked up the hold with an inning that included a walk and hit… and Melotakis also striking out the side. John Curtiss picked up his seventh save and struck out one. T.J. White led the offense with two hits. Jonathan Rodriguez hit his fifth home run, a two-run shot in the third inning. Ryan Strausborger tripled and his eighth inning walk drove in the game-winning run. Nick Gordon was 1-3 with a walk and run scored. The Lookouts jump to 24-21. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 13, Dunedin 6 Box Score The Miracle and especially David Fischer got a chance to see Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki on Monday night. No problem. They combined to go 0-4 with three strikeouts and a walk. Fischer picked up his third win of the season. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing only a run on two hits… but walked six. He struck out five. Michael Theofanopoulos got beat up, he surrendered five runs on six hits and a walk, striking out out in 2.2 innings. Nick Anderson pitched a perfect ninth. The bats put up innings of five, three, two and three runs on their way to a 13-run barrage. Kevin Garcia, 3-5 with an RBI, two runs, and a walk, and Sean Miller, 3-5 with two runs and a walk, paced the team with three hits each. Max Murphy was 2-5, but scored three times and drove in four. Murphy had a double and a walk. Also in the two-hit club were Zander Wiel, who hit his fifth home run, a solo shot and Alex Perez, who scored three runs and drove in a run. FSL POW Chris Paul was replaced in the fifth inning after going 0-3 with two strikeouts. Fort Myers is on a hot streak and improves to 24-21. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Clinton 3 (12 innings) Box Score It’s Monday, so naturally at least one affiliate was going to go into extra innings. But it ended in walk-off fashion as Jermaine Palacios hit a three-run walk-off home run in the twelfth inning. With the Kernels trailing 3-2 after an inning and a half, the scoring slowed down. The Kernels tied it in the seventh inning. Then the scoring stopped for four more innings. Sean Poppen gave up three runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out five in five innings. Colton Davis (two innings, three hits), Andrew Vasquez (three innings, walk, two strikeouts) and Tom Hackimer (two innings, three strikeouts) combined to give the bullpen seven shutout innings. Christian Cavaness was 3-5 with a triple, walk, RBI and run. Lewin Diaz was 2-5 and is batting .294. Ben Rortvedt added two hits. Aaron Whitefield, from the 9-spot, scored two runs and is batting .288. But the story, again, is Palacios. Batting .329, he’s now got six home runs and added his ninth double on Monday as well. Last year’s injury-shortened season is now just a blip on the radar and he’s back to being the breakout prospect he was in 2015. The Kernels are 26-18 TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Chattanooga Hitter of the Day – Jermaine Palacios, Cedar Rapids TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Durham (6:05 CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler (3-1, 5.35 ERA) Fort Myers at Dunedin (5:30 CST) - LHP Lachlan Wells (2-5, 3.51 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs Clinton (6:35 CST) - LHP Domenick Carlini (2-2, 4.73 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

The tryout period is over. Minnesota's new front office has busy over the last few days. Buddy Boshers and Kyle Gibson were both optioned to Rochester. Danny Santana and Michael Tonkin were both designated for assignment which means they could end up in different uniforms before the end of the week. With new faces heading to Rochester, a few names had to be added back to the big league squad. Infielder Ehire Adrianza and relief pitcher Justin Haley were both reinstated from the 10-day disabled list. Haley pitched one scoreless inning in Rochester while striking out two. Adrianza was hitting .310/.383/.357 in 42 minor league at-bats this season. Even with all the roster moving and shaking. There were still games to be played. SPOILER ALERT: There were some great performances on Sunday afternoon.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Pawtucket 1 Box Score For the second straight Sunday, Jose Berrios was on the mound as he continued his masterful start to the season. The only trouble he faced in the game came with two outs in the top of the first. He allowed back-to-back doubles that pushed across the lone Pawtucket run of the game. Berrios pitched 6.2 innings while allowing one earned run on six hits. He struck out four and walked none. Minnesota could call him up to make his next start at the big league level. Rochester responded quickly in the bottom of the first. Zack Granite and JB Shuck led off the inning with singles. Tommy Field drove in both runners with his eighth double of the season. Rochester wouldn't trail for the rest of the game. Granite created the next run for the Red Wings as well. He started the third with a single, stole second, and Field drove him him with a single. With little margin for error, the bullpen played an important role in this game. Buddy Boshers relieved Berrios in the seventh. He was able to strand a runner at second while keeping Rochester up two. Trevor Hildenberger allowed one hit during his inning of work but a big strikeout helped him leave a runner in scorning position. Alex Wimmers struck out the first two batters of the ninth before a walk and a single put the tying run on base. A groundout ended the threat and Wimmers earned his third save. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Pensacola 2 (Game 1- seven Innings) Box Score Nick Gordon started this game with a bang for the Lookouts. His first inning triple put Chattanooga in position to tie this game in the early going. Engelb Vielma drove him in with a single. From there, the team's bats went cold until a big sixth inning. In that sixth frame, all the damage was done with two outs. Jonathan Rodriguez singled and was followed by a LaMonte Wade double. Travis Harrison plated two runs with a single. He wasn't on base very long as the next batter, Ryan Walker, tripled to score Harrison. Gordon ended the game 2-for-3 with two extra-base hits and a run scored. Kohl Stewart started for Chattanooga but couldn't make it out of the fifth inning. In 4.2 innings, he allowed two earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks. He has a 5.63 ERA for the season. Todd Van Steensel earned his third victory out of the bullpen. He didn't allow a base runner over the last 2.1 innings while striking out two. Chattanooga 3, Pensacola 2 (Game 2- eight Innings) Box Score For the second straight game, Nick Gordon helped the Lookouts get off to a fast start. He led off the first inning with a walk. Levi Michael and Edgar Corcino followed with singles put Chattanooga out to an early 1-0 lead. Ryan Eades got the start and didn't run into any trouble until the top of the fifth inning. A pair of singles and a triple pushed across a pair of runs as Pensacola took a 2-1 lead. That lead would be short lived as Chattanooga used a Jonathan Rodriguez double and a fielding error to tie up the game in the bottom of the frame. After Eades exited, the bullpen put up zeros the rest of the way. John Curtiss pitched two scoreless innings and he has yet to allow a run this year. Nick Burdi saw two base runners reach against him but put the team in position to win. This game headed to extra-innings as it was scheduled to be two seven-inning contests. In the bottom of the eighth, Corcino lead-off with a walk. Jonathan Rodriguez followed with a single that moved Corcino all the way to third. LaMonte Wade got to play the hero with a walk-off single over an outfield that was playing in. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 0 Box Score Fort Myers and starting pitcher Dereck Rodriguez found themselves in the middle of quite the pitchers duel. Rodriguez had limited the Mets to two hits in seven innings of work but the offense didn't decide to show up until the last two innings. Rodriguez didn't allow a run and struck out three on the way to his second victory. St. Lucie removed their starter in the eighth and Fort Myers was able to break through. With one out, Max Murphy was hit by a pitch. Nelson Molina cracked a two-run shot. Two batters latter Zander Wiel knocked his third home run of the season, a two-run shot that pushed the lead to 4-0. In the top of the ninth, Fort Myers was able to add some insurance runs. Max Murphy started it again with a single to center. Nelson Molina doubled and Murphy came all the way around to score. Chris Paul followed Molina's double with a single to add one more run. Williams Ramirez replaced Rodriguez and allowed one runner in both of his innings of work. In the eighth, a batter reached with a one out walk. In the ninth, a batter reached with a one-out single. Over two shutout innings, he struck out three. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Fort Wayne 1 Box Score Clark Beeker won his fourth consecutive start on Sunday after tossing six strong innings. It was his fourth quality start as he limited the TinCaps to one earned run. He retired eight straight batters at one point in the contest and he allowed only one runner to get into scoring position. Beeker struck out six and walked one. The first big hit of the game came in the second inning off the bat of Christian Cavaness. Travis Blankenhorn and Ariel Montesino reached base with walks before Cavaness belted a two-run double. In the fifth frame, Aaron Whitfield led off the inning with a single and scored on a Lewin Diaz one-out double. Blankenhorn brought in Diaz with a two-out single to push the lead to 4-0. Max Cordy took over for Beeker and pitched three scoreless innings. He struck out three and walked one. It was his longest outing of the season and he leads the team with three saves. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Fort Myers Miracle (7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 K) Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-for-5, 2B, 3B, 2R, 2 BB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST)- TBD Chattanooga @ Montgomery (7:05 CST) - TBD Fort Myers vs. Palm Beach (5:35 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak (0-3, 4.00 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:00 CST)- RHP Eduardo Del Rosario (2-1, 3.04 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

Monday was a pretty quiet day in the Twins organization. The big news might have been that former Twins GM and long-time Twins executive Bill Smith was hired as an Assistant to the President and CEO of Minor League Baseball, Pat O’Conner. As you know he did a ton of work for the Twins organization, establishing the minor league academy in Ft. Myers and recently the new academy in the Dominican Republic. Jose Berrios was named the Pitcher of the Week in the International League for the second time in three weeks. Outfielder Max Murphy was named the Player of the Week in the Florida State League. And, if you missed it, Miguel Sano was named the American League Hitter of the Week.The Twins had an off day on Monday. So did the Rochester Red Wings and the Cedar Rapids Kernels. But Chattanooga played an early game and the Miracle had a very nice win in the evening. Find out more of what happened in the Twins system on Monday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester Box Score No Game Scheduled. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Jackson 2 Box Score The Lookouts played an afternoon game, a get-away day before an off day on Tuesday. They were able to leave Jackson with a win. Felix Jorge improved to 3-1 on the season. The right-hander gave up two runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out two. Luke Bard came on and struck out three over two perfect innings. Mason Melotakis - our choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month - tossed another scoreless inning to earn his third save. He now has thrown 11.2 scoreless innings to start the season. Edgar Corcino certainly helped the team to a win. He had an RBI double, his fifth of the season. He also gave the Lookouts some cushion in the ninth with a run-scoring sacrifice fly. Dan Gamache drove in a run in the ninth inning also on a 2-5 day from the third baseman. Engelb Vielma went 2-5. Levi Michael had a strong game. He went 1-2 with two walks and his second double. Nick Gordon went 1-3 with two walks. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Daytona 1 Box Score On Monday, Max Murphy was named the Florida State League Player of the Week. His first game of the new week was pretty good too. The outfielder from Minnesota went 3-4 with his fifth double and first triple. He was a homer shy of a cycle. Shane Kennedy went 2-4 with his first home run and two RBIs. It was his first home run in affiliated ball, in just his second game. The utility player played for three colleges including his two final college seasons at Clemson. Undrafted, he spent the 2016 season playing for Southern Illinois of the Frontier League where he hit .363/.465/.513 (.978) with 24 doubles and five homers. The Twins signed the 25-year-old this spring to a minor league deal. He went to extended spring training but was called up to the Miracle on Sunday. Dereck Rodriguez was terrific again. The right-hander gave up just one run on five hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out six. It gave him his first win of the season and dropped his ERA to 2.78. Williams Ramirez pitched a perfect eighth inning. Nick Anderson recorded his first save with a perfect ninth inning which included two strikeouts. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids Box Score No Game Scheduled. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Ft. Myers Miracle TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (5:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Chattanooga - No Game Scheduled Daytona @ Ft. Myers (5:35 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak Lake County @ Cedar Rapids - RHP Eddie Del Rosario Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday night’s games. Click here to view the article

Jose Berrios is making it known that he doesn't want to be in Rochester for much longer. He entered play on Sunday with a 1.44 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Opponents were hitting .180 against him with a 28 to 6 strikeout to walk ratio. It's hard to believe but those numbers would improve on Sunday. Minnesota doesn't need a fifth starter until later this week. One has to wonder if Berrios will be getting the call. His MLB time has been disappointing but it's hard to imagine him putting up better numbers at Triple-A. It might be time to throw him into the fire at the big league level.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Louisville 1 Box Score Jose Berrios was outstanding over eight shutout innings. He allow one runner to reach scoring position and that happened in the second inning. Overall, he allowed two hits, both singles, while striking out seven and walking two. His season ERA dropped to 1.09 following his outstanding pitching performance. Berrios found himself in a pitchers duel with Rochester failing to get on the board until the seventh frame. Matt Hauge started the frame with his third home run of the season. Following a Daniel Palka walk, Niko Goodrum cracked a two-run shot. With two outs in the frame, John Ryan Murphy would collected his first home run to push the lead to 4-0. In the bottom of the eighth, the Wings loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a hit by pitch. Eventually, Niko Goodrum drew a bases-loaded walk to add an insurance run. Drew Rucinski came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. The first batter collected a double and eventually came around to score. He coaxed a double play to end the game. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Jackson 3 Box Score Top pitching prospect Fernando Romero made his fifth Double-A appearance on Sunday. For the third consecutive start, he pitched into the sixth inning and allowed one earned run or less. In this outing, he scattered seven hits over six innings while striking out six. Following this strong start, his ERA dropped to under 3.00 for the first time this season. Chattanooga scored a first inning run after Nick Gordon tripled to start the game. The scoring picked up again in the fourth. Jonathan Rodriguez singled before scoring on a LaMonte Wade double. Wade was driven in by a Dan Gamache triple. Ryan Walker drove in Gamache with a sacrifice fly and the Lookouts were up 4-0. Gamache came up with another big hit in the fifth inning. His two-out double plated two runs. In the sixth, the first three batters collected hits as the Lookouts extended their lead to 8-1. Gamache wasn't done as he doubled to start the seventh and set up another scoring opportunity. Of the last three games, he's had multiple hits in two of them. Ryan Eades ran into a little trouble out of the bullpen. He allowed three runs in the bottom of the seventh as Jackson tried to claw closer. John Curtiss struck out the side to close out the ninth. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 8, Dunedin 6 Box Score Before starting on the comeback trail against Dunedin things were looking bleak for Fort Myers as they were looking at a five run deficit, 6-1, after the top half of the second inning. Max Murphy punched his first two home runs of the season to help the comeback. He started the scoring in the first with a solo shot and added another solo shot in the third. The big inning for Fort Myers came in the bottom of the eighth when the team plated three runs to take the lead. Zack Granite came up with the biggest hit, a run-scoring double. The Miracle also scored a pair of runs on a sacrifice fly and a throwing error by the center fielder. Chris Anderson was making his organizational debut on the mound and it didn't go well. He allowed six earned runs on five hits. Anthony McIver and Sam Clay both pitched three shutout innings. McIver struck out three and walked two while Clay had two strikeouts and two walks. Jonny Drozd earned his second save with a perfect ninth frame. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Peoria 0 (6 Innings) Box Score Weather got in the way again for the Kernels. They were scheduled to play a double-header on Sunday but rain forced an early completion to their first game. The second game was postponed. Clark Beeker was the story of this game. He tossed five shutout innings, allowing one hit. He struck out three and walked none. Beeker, a 2016 33rd round pick is now 3-1 on the season with a tidy 1.69 ERA. This is his first start all season where he's failed to pitch seven innings and only the rain put an end to that streak. Offensively, Cedar Rapids could string together only three hits. In the fourth frame, Lewin Diaz started the inning by being hit by a pitch. Jaylin Davis, the next batter, singled to move Diaz into scoring position. Caleb Hamilton came up with the big hit, a one-out RBI double. This would be the lone run of the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jose Berrios, Rochester Red Wings Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Fort Myers Miracle MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester- Scheduled Off Day Chattanooga @ Jackson (11:05 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge Fort Myers vs. Dayton (5:35 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (0-2, 3.24 ERA) Cedar Rapids- Scheduled Off Day Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

Tommy Field had a banner day with the stick in support of Aaron Slegers' excellent performance, lifting Rochester to victory over the Louisville Bats. But the system couldn't match its perfect Thursday night, as both the Lookouts and Miracle let their games slip away. Just like the Twins, the Kernels were rained out. Find out what else happened around the Twins' minor leagues on Saturday.***TRANSACTION ALERT*** RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Louisville 1 Box Score The Rochester lineup struck early and Aaron Slegers pitched masterfully with the lead as the Wings cruised to victory. Already leading 2-0, Rochester batted around in the third inning, tallying five runs in the process That was more than enough support for the efficient Slegers, who was in attack mode throughout this contest and didn't get into a three-ball count until the sixth inning. Slegers, who was coming off a couple of rough outings, pitched eight innings, giving up one unearned run (due to his own fielding error) while limiting the Bats' bats to seven hits. He walked one and struck out four. Second baseman Tommy Field had a field day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a homer, two doubles and a walk. Field, 30, is now hitting .318/.387/.561 (.947 OPS). Matt Hague and Leonardo Reginatto each had a pair of hits. Niko Goodrum scored a pair of runs, marking the fifth-straight game he's crossed the plate. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jackson 7, Chattanooga 4 Box Score Things got off to such a great start for Chattanooga. Nick Gordon led off the game with a base hit and later came around to score. By the time Kohl Stewart took the hill he had a 2-0 lead, and he even struck out the first batter he faced. Stewart lasted only four innings and while he only gave up two runs things did not go well. He issued four walks and threw a wild pitch that allowed a run to score. In 19.1 innings, Stewart has now walked 20 batters and has almost as many wild pitches (10) as strikeouts (11). Matt Tracy came in to pitch the final four innings, but had the opposite issue. Tracy notched six strikeouts, but he also gave up five runs. Right fielder Edgar Corcino had a nice game, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. LaMonte Wade had a sac fly, a double and fought the wind to make a great leaping catch at the wall in left field. MIRACLE MATTERS Dunedin 6, Fort Myers 2 Box Score A pair of errors committed in the third inning proved costly, especially against the potent Dunedin lineup that leads the Florida State League in OPS by 20 points. It's not like Dunedin needed any extra help, as they pounded out 15 hits on the evening. Minnesota native Max Murphy recorded his third-consecutive multi-hit game for the Miracle, going 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored. After a slow start, the 24-year-old has hit .371 with six walks in his last 10 games. The only other hitter to record two hits for Fort Myers was Rafael Valera. Zander Wiel missed just one game after being hit in the face on Thursday by a 95 mph fastball. He was the DH in his return tonight, and recorded his eighth double of the year. In 21 games, the Vanderbilt product has 13 extra-base hits. Lachlan Wells started for Fort Myers, he gave up five runs in as many innings but just two of them were earned. With four more strikeouts, the 20-year-old Aussie is up to 24 Ks in 22 innings pitched for Fort Myers. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids at Peoria (POSTPONED) Rain prevented this game from being played. These two teams will face off in a doubleheader Sunday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Slegers (8 IP, 0 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 Ks) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tommy Field (3-for-3, HR, 2 2Bs, walk, 2 runs,) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Louisville (12:35 CT) Jose Berrios (1.44 ERA, 0.88 WHIP) Chattanooga at Jackson (2:05 CT) TBD Fort Myers vs. Dunedin (3:05 CT) Dereck Rodriguez (3.24 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) Cedar Rapids at Peoria (Noon CT) Clark Beeker (2.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) Cedar Rapids at Peoria (Game 2) Tyler Beardsley (3.94 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday's games. Click here to view the article

On Thursday, all four Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates won their games. Things weren’t so favorable for the teams on Friday, however. All four teams lost their games. Three of them were blowouts, and the other was a tough extra-innings loss. But there were several silver linings including a nice AAA start for Adalberto Mejia, his first since his demotion.Find out everything that happened in a busy day in the Twins minor league system, starting with a whole bunch of transactions. TRANSACTIONS Friday was a busy day in terms of transactions throughout the Twins organization. Here is a quick rundown: Hector Santiago placed on bereavement list.LHP Buddy Boshers recalled to Twins.RHP JT Chargois placed on the Rochester DL (elbow impingement)LHP Nik Turley added to the Rochester roster.RHP Randy LeBlanc added to the Chattanooga roster.RHP Chris Anderson added to the Ft. Myers roster.LHP Domenick Carlini added to the Cedar Rapids roster.RHP Quin Grogan sent from Cedar Rapids to extended spring training. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Louisville 2 (10 innings) Box Score Adalberto Mejia made his first start for the Red Wings since being demoted from the Twins. And he was terrific. The left-hander struck out the side in the first inning. He went seven shutout innings and gave up just two hits. He struck out six without issuing a walk. Raul Fernandez came on. He gave up one run on two hits over two innings. Trevor Hildenberger came on for the tenth inning. He gave up a run on two hits to take the loss. The Red Wings bats did little in the game. They managed just four hits, though they did take seven walks. However, they just weren’t able to come up with any big run-scoring hits. Ehire Adrianza, who started in left field for the second straight game, drove in the lone run with an eighth inning single. Bengie Gonzalez had two hits. Mitch Garver walked twice. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 10 Box Score Randy LeBlanc was called up early in the day and made his first start. In 21 innings over his first three starts in Ft. Myers, he gave up just one run. With the Miracle last year, he posted a 4.70 ERA, but he ended last season with ten shutout innings with the Lookouts. So, how did his initial 2017 start in AA go? Well, not quite so well. The right-hander from Tulane gave up eight runs on eight hits and three walks in just two innings. Randy Rosario came on and gave up one run on three hits and two walks in three innings. Mason Melotakis came on and threw two more scoreless innings in relief. That pushes his streak to 10.2 innings to start his season. Nick Burdi came in for the eighth inning, having started the season with 7.1 scoreless inning. The first batter of the inning, Colin Walsh, ended the streak with a solo home run. But Burdi got the next three batters out. LaMonte Wade led the offense. He went 3-4 with just his first double of the season. Engelb Vielma went 2-4 with his fifth double. Dan Gamache went 2-4. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Dunedin 8 Box Score It was another rough start for Keaton Steele. The right-hander went the first four innings. He gave up seven runs on nine hits. He walked four and struck out just one. Williams Ramirez came on and struck out three over two shutout innings. He gave up a hit and walked two. Jonny Drozd came on and gave up a run on two hits over two innings. He struck out three. Michael Theofanopoulos worked a scoreless inning. Max Murphy had a strong game. He went 2-3 with two walks and his third double. Chris Paul also had two hits in the game. Kevin Garcia went 1-2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly. Nelson Molina added his first double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 5 Box Score Domenick Carlini made a start for the Kernels last week, then was sent back to extended spring. Quin Grogan pitched a bit out of relief, but before this game, Carlini was added to the roster to make another start. The left-hander gave up five runs on five hits and four walks over 3.2 innings. He struck out one. Logan Lombana came on and gave up three hits and a walk but no runs over 2.1 innings. He struck out three. Max Cordy then struck out three over two scoreless innings. He walked two and gave up one hit. Jermaine Palacios stayed hot. The shortstop went 3-5 in the game to bump his batting average up to .395. Jaylin Davis went 2-3 with a walk. Travis Blankenhorn and Aaron Whitefield each hit their fifth doubles of the season. Blankenhorn and Ben Rortvedt had the two RBIs for the Kernels. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Adalberto Mejia, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Ft. Myers Miracle SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Chattanooga @ Jackson - (6:05 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) - LHP Lachlan Wells Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:30 CST) - RHP Clark Beeker Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday night’s games. Click here to view the article

On Tuesday night two of the Twins affiliate's games were affected by rain with one being postponed, but there was still plenty of action. One hitter kept a hot streak alive in AAA while his teammate picked up his first International League win on the mound. A shutout was pitched in the Midwest League, and in Fort Myers players worked hard on a Miracle comeback.To find out how it all went down on Tuesday in the minor leagues, and if that comeback was completed, read on! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Gwinnett 2 Box Score The Red Wings offense jumped all over Braves starter and top pitching prospect Sean Newcomb for five runs in the first two innings. His wildness loaded the bases before a ball was put in play in the first, and Kennys Vargas did so loudly with a bases-clearing triple (he thought it was a grand slam). Daniel Palka stayed hot and followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0 after one, and a Matt Hague RBI single in the second was plenty to allow Rochester to never look back. Left-hander David Hurlbut picked up his first win of the season and his first in AAA as he went 5.2 innings in the start. He allowed just one run (unearned) on three hits and three walks. He struck out seven. D.J. Baxendale came on to finish the sixth inning after Hurlbut gave up the run, and started off by walking old-friend-not-known-for-drawing-walks Adam Brett Walker, his second free pass of the game (he’s hitting .147 with a .490 OPS, if you were wondering). Trevor Hildenberger was able to record only one out in the seventh before rain came down and delayed the game. When play resumed, Drew Rucinski was the pitcher and he finished the final 2.2 innings. He allowed one run on three hits while striking out four. Palka finished 2-4 with an RBI, Leonardo Reginatto scored two runs out of the leadoff spot, and Hague also drew three walks in the win. All eyes will be on Jose Berrios on Wednesday as he makes his third start of the season, where he’s been nothing short of spectacular so far, alongside, at Target Field, a scuffling Kyle Gibson. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Biloxi 0, Chattanooga 0 (Suspended after 2 innings) Box Score The Lookouts game with the Biloxi Shuckers was suspended after two innings due to rain, and will be completed on Wednesday as a makeshift double-header starting early. The suspended game will finish its nine innings, while game two will go seven. Matt Tracy was the starter for Chattanooga, and had struck out two and allowed only a walk when play was stopped. Nick Gordon led off the bottom of the first with a double, but was stranded when the next three hitters went down on strikes. Dan Rohlfing and Dan Gamache started the second with consecutive singles and each moved up a base on a wild pitch, but still weren’t able to score. Fernando Romero is the probable starter for Chattanooga in Wednesday’s regularly scheduled contest. MIRACLE MATTERS Florida 5, Fort Myers 4 Box score Despite out-hitting the Fire Frogs 13-9 for the game, the Miracle were always playing from behind and couldn’t quite finish any comebacks in this one. Dereck Rodriguez took the mound for the home team and surrendered single runs in each of the first three innings as Fort Myers fell behind 3-0. It wasn’t all his fault however, as errors from Alex Perex at second base and Nelson Molina at shortstop led to the first two. Three singles in the third led to his only earned run on the game, and he settled in from there to finish with a quality start and retired the last eight hitters he faced. In his six innings he allowed six hits and walked two, while striking out six. Fort Myers closed the gap to 3-2 in the bottom of the third as Molina reached base on a strikeout that got away from the catcher to start the inning, and advanced all the way to third when the throw to first sailed into right field. A double from Perez drove him in, and he scored on a triple from Zander Wiel later in the frame. That score remained until the seventh when Jonny Drozd came on in relief for the Miracle. Consecutive doubles made it 4-2 in favor of Florida. Fort Myers snuffed out a double-steal attempt at home and also got force-out at home in the inning to keep the Fire Frogs from doing any more damage. Williams Ramirez pitched a one-two-three eighth inning, striking out two in the process before the Miracle got a rally started in the bottom half. Wiel and Trey Vavra started the inning with singles before Wiel took off on a steal attempt of third. The catcher's throw was off target and he came around to score to again pull within one. They had the bases loaded later in the frame with just one out, but weren’t able to tie it up. A double in the ninth added an earned run to Ramirez’s line, but he finished two innings with one hit and two walks allowed, with four strikeouts. The ninth inning again was promising at the start, as a Max Murphy double and Chris Paul made the score 5-4, but three consecutive strikeouts finished the game and the last of their comeback attempts. The four game series continues on Wednesday at 5:35PM CST with Cody Stashak on the mound for Fort Myers. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Peoria 0 Box Score The Kernels pitching staff dominated the Chiefs on Tuesday night, with starter Tyler Beardsley leading the way. He allowed five hits and one walk in his six scoreless innings, striking out six along the way. He didn’t allow a runner past second base until his final inning, and only stolen bases got a runner there before that. Andrew Vasquez and Tom Hackimer combined to finish the game with three perfect innings. Vasquez picked up a hold with a one-two-three seventh that included two strikeouts, and Hackimer picked up the save with three strikeouts of his own in the final two innings. It took until the sixth inning before the Kernels were able to strike, but Mitchell Kranson’s third double of the year was a big one to make it 2-0 in favor of the good guys. Jaylin Davis added an RBI single in the eighth to make it 3-0, and Travis Blankenhorn and Lewin Diaz added RBI singles in the top of the ninth to make the final score. Blankenhorn (2-4, 2 R’s, RBI), Diaz (2-5, RBI), and Davis (3-4, R, RBI) had multiple hit efforts in the victory. Jermaine Palacios scored two runs and stole his second base of the season. Early season standout Eduardo Del Rosario toes the rubber for Cedar Rapids in the series finale Wednesday morning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Beardsley, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 6.0 IP, 5 H’s, BB, 6 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Zander Wiel, Fort Myers Miracle (2-4, R, 3B, RBI, SB) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Gwinnett (6:05PM CST) – RHP Jose Berrios (1-0, 0.00 ERA) Biloxi @ Chattanooga (5:35PM CST) – RHP Fernando Romero (0-2, 9.00 ERA) Florida @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Cody Stashak (0-2, 3.00 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (11:00AM CST) – RHP Eduardo Del Rosario (1-0, 0.84 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article