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Minor League seasons are coming to an end quickly. Next Thursday marks the final regular season games for the two Twins short season teams. The full season seasons come to an end on Labor Day, though the final Miracle game is on the Sunday before Labor Day. Playoff spots are still up for grabs for the Twins affiliates. Also over the next week, we’ll start hearing about September call-ups, but we’ll also hear more about which players will represent the Twins in the Arizona Fall League.On that note, the Red Wings played plenty of bonus baseball. The Lookouts had a big offensive night. The Miracle and the Kernels each got great pitching performances. One of the top 2016 draft choices had his best game as a pro. It was a full day, six games in the Twins farm system. Read on for the entire minor league report. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Norfolk 3 (13 innings) Box Score There was bonus baseball down in Norfolk on Wednesday. Byron Buxton’s eighth home run gave the Red Wings a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Unfortunately, that was it for the Rochester run-scoring. Kennys Vargas walked twice. Wilfredo Tovar and Adam Brett Walker each had a single and a walk. David Hurlbut continues to impress in his AAA starts. On this night he gave up two runs (1 earned) on eight hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out four and dropped his ERA to 2.70. Neil Ramirez threw a scoreless eighth inning. Alan Busenitz gave up two hits and walked two over two scoreless innings. Edward Mujica gave up two hits over two scoreless innings. Jake Reed got the 13th inning. He gave up a run on two hits and a hit batter to take the loss with one out in the bottom of the inning. Norfolk’s left fielder, LJ Hoes, worked a scoreless top of the 13th inning and recorded the win in the game. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Jacksonville 3 Box Score Kohl Stewart improved to 8-6 with the Lookouts with another quality start. A look into the numbers and you have to wonder how. Stewart went six innings and gave up three runs on seven hits. He walked five and struck out just two. His ERA with Chattanooga is now just 3.14. Brandon Peterson struck out two over two scoreless innings. Luke Bard worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Stuart Turner led the strong Lookouts offensive attack. He went 4-5 with his 22nd double, his sixth home run and two RBI. Zack Granite went 3-5. He stole two bases and now has 50 on the season. Edgar Corcino went 2-5. He had a bases-clearing triple in the team’s five-run seventh inning. Levi Michael went 2-4 with his second homer of the year. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Palm Beach 0 Box Score Mad Money Miles Nordgren recently returned to the Miracle, and on Wednesday he put together his best start yet and recorded his first Florida State League win. Nordgren gave up just one hit over six shutout innings. He walked one and struck out two. Cam Booser got two outs in the seventh inning, but he walked three to load the bases. Nick Anderson got the final out of the seventh and worked two more scoreless innings to record his seventh save of the season. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out three. The Miracle had just four hits in the game. Their run scored when AJ Murray doubled home Daniel Kihle. It was Murray’s tenth Miracle double. Murray went 2-4 in the game. Alex Perez walked twice. Check out this defensive play by Center Fielder Tanner English. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 0 Box Score The Kernels got a terrific pitching performance, giving up just two hits in the shutout. 2016 draft pick Sean Poppen went the first four innings. He gave up just one hit, walked three and struck out five. Michael Cederoth came on and went the next three innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out five. He improved to 4-0 with a 2.76 ERA. Tom Hackimer hit a batter over two scoreless innings to pick up his fourth save with the Kernels. Rainis Silva went 2-3 with his second double and an RBI. Travis Blankenhorn hit his fourth double since joining the Kernels. Luis Arraez hit his 28th double of the season. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 3, Burlington 8 Box Score The Twins fell behind early and weren’t able to put together enough offense for a comeback. Alex Schik started. He gave up six runs (five earned) on five hits (including two home runs) and four walks. He struck out five in his five innings. Alex Robinson came on and gave up two runs on one hit, three walks and two hit batters in 1.1 innings. All four outs came via strikeout. Quin Grogan gave up just a walk over 2.2 scoreless innings finish things out. He struck out three. Ben Rortvedt had his best game in an Elizabethton uniform. He went 3-3 with a walk. Shane Carrier went 2-4 with his 14th double and second triple. Amaurys Minier and Caleb Hamilton each hit their seventh double. Ariel Montesino added his fourth double. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Orioles 14 Box Score Minnesota-Duluth’s Bo Hellquist was back on the mound on Wednesday. He gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits, two walks and a hit batter in five innings. He struck out six. Safe to say that this wasn’t the best performance for right-hander Daniel Martinez. He gave up eight runs on seven hits and a walk. He recorded just one out. Onas Farfan hit a batter but got the final two outs of the inning. Mat Jones came on and gave up four runs on two hits and two walks. He got just two outs, both came on strikeouts. Matz Schutte walked one and got four outs. Jorge Munoz went 2-2 with two doubles his 11th and 12th of the season. Lean Marrero went 2-3. They combined for four of the team’s five hits on the day. For the Orioles, Brian Duensing threw one inning in his rehab outing. He gave up one hit, no runs and walked one. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Miles Nordgren, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Stuart Turner, Chattanooga Lookouts THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Norfolk (11:05 am CST) - RHP Omar Bencomo Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (6:05 CST) - RHP Ryan Eades Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – LHP Lachlan Wells Burlington @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - RHP Jose Martinez GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games. Click here to view the article

The All-Star break popped up at the worst possible time for the hottest offense in baseball. But hopefully Eduardo Nunez will continue to swing a hot bat on Tuesday as he represents the Twins for the American League.Even though MLB games won’t resume until Friday, Monday’s schedule consisted of a nearly full slate for the Twins affiliates. In good news, Jason Wheeler will start for the International League in the AAA All-Star Game on Wednesday. In other news, the Twins released Kevin Jepsen today. They’ll be on the hook for the remainder of his salary (less the prorated minimum when he signs with another team). Let’s check out the rest of the games. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester - OFF DAY At the All-Star break, the Red Wings are 52-40, 4.5 games off of the division pace, but good for only a half-game deficit in the wild card race. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Tennessee 7 Box Score Felix Jorge made his AA debut for the Lookouts on Monday. He squared off against Jen-Ho Tseng, a well-regarded prospect in his own right, who was pursued heavily by the Twins as an international free agent in 2013. Jorge’s night started off as well as you’d hope: He faced nine batters and retired them all, four on strikeouts and four on ground balls. But when the lineup turned over, so did the results. After getting the leadoff batter out, extending his streak to 10 straight, Jorge gave up five consecutive singles, resulting in three runs. Two more singles and a blast resulted in three more runs in the fifth inning. A walk and two more singles plated one more run and Jorge’s night was over: 5 1/3 innings, 10 hits, seven runs, a walk and four strikeouts. The bullpen trio of Zack Jones, Mason Melotakis and Raul Fernandez combined for five strikeouts and three shutout innings. Chattanooga scored first in the third inning when Niko Goodrum singled in Leo Reginatto, who doubled. They tacked on two more in the third inning thanks to a handful of singles and a balk. A Ryan Walker double and Stuart Turner home run contributed to the final three runs. Walker and Mitch Garver both had two hits. Only D.J. Hicks didn’t get a hit. The Lookouts are now 46-42 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Dunedin 5 Box Score Miles Nordgren dominated for six innings before running into big trouble. Nordgren made it through the seventh, but not before giving up five hits, four runs (three earned) and a walk. He struck out two. Entering the seventh, Nordgren had only allowed one hit. Luke Bard (a run on two hits, walk and strikeout) and Brandon Peterson (walk, two strikeouts) each pitched an inning. Offensively, Fort Myers collected only four hits. Brad Hartong doubled. LaMonte Wade, Tanner Witt and Daniel Kihle added singles. The Miracle are 12-7 in the second half, holding a one-game lead in the FSL South. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Kane County 0 Box Score The offense got on the board when Luis Arraez drove in Jermaine Palacios, who tripled, on a sacrifice fly. It was all the Kernels would need - though they’d get more - to win the game. Arraez and Nelson Molina each had two-hit games. Zander Wiel had a two-run home run, his sixth of the season. Casey Scoggins had a double. Molina also stole a base, his third. Eduardo Del Rosario pitched five shutout innings, somewhat miraculously. He put nine runners on base - five hits and four walks - and struck out five. Anthony McIver pitched three scoreless innings, striking out two. Tom Hackimer, completed the shutout. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Greeneville 12 Box Score The E-Twins trailed 4-3 entering the ninth inning, but an eight-run frame ended all hopes for the home team. The offense wasn’t particularly good, but it was moot when the bullpen fell apart. E-town combined for only six hits, two from Shane Carrier, who provided the team with its only extra-base hit, a double. Alex Kirilloff was 0-4 with a strikeout; he played center field. Jose Martinez started the game and pitched five innings. He allowed three runs and struck out three. Alex Robinson pitched a scoreless frame. Griffin Jax struck out four in two innings. Jax gave up a solo home run though and was charged with the loss. Johan Quezada recorded two outs. He walked two and allowed four hits. He allowed six earned runs before being replaced by Hector Lujan, who allowed two more runs to score. Elizabethton drops to 7-11 GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 2 Box Score The piggyback tandem of Taylor Clemensia (hit, three walks, four strikeouts) and Brady Anderson (five hits, two runs, seven strikeouts) each pitched four innings before Onas Farfan allowed a hit in the ninth inning, picking up the save. Competitive Balance pick Jose Miranda led the offense today, picking up three hits, including his first extra-base hit, a double. He drove in two runs. Jorge Andrade and Tyree Davis each also had multi-hit games and doubled. Andrade stole a base. Aaron Whitefield singled twice. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Miles Nordgren, Fort Myers Hitter of the Day – Jose Miranda, GCL Twins TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Chattanooga at Tennessee (6:05 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (2-1, 4.91 ERA) GCL Twins at GCL Orioles (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

The bats were quiet through most of the Twins farm system on Wednesday. There were a few really strong pitching performances. I mean, Felix Jorge was on the mound, so you knew there would be at least one strong pitching performance, right? And, we’ve been waiting for it, but Wednesday was finally the professional debut of Twins top pick, Alex Kirilloff. Find out how that went and much more in today’s Twins Minor League Report. We even have Miguel Sano video.Let’s start with a couple of quick notes before we get to the game reports and highlights. First, after missing just over two weeks with a hamstring injury, Wander Javier returned to the DSL Twins lineup. He played about a half a game and got two plate appearances, a walk and a strikeout. While the other affiliates have played their All-Star Games, the AAA ASG is near the MLB All-Star Game. Three members of the Rochester Red Wings will participate in the event. Lefty Jason Wheeler, second baseman Jorge Polanco and pitching coach Stu Cliburn will participate in the event. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Pawtucket 3 Box Score Logan Darnell started for the Red Wings. The southpaw gave up three runs on nine hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. Sean Burnett came on and got the next four outs, including one on a strikeout. Alex Wimmers pitched a scoreless inning despite giving up a hit and two walks. Marcus Walden gave up a hit in a scoreless inning. Adam Brett Walker led the offense. He went 2-4 with his 11th double. Tommy Field hit his tenth double. Carlos Paulino was 0-1, but he drove in two runs. Miguel Sano batted third and played third base. He went 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout. This may not go down as his greatest moment. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 0, Pensacola 3 Box Score David Hurlbut didn’t get any run support from the hitters or his fielders in this game. The lefty gave up three runs (just one earned) on nine hits. He walked one and struck out five. Three errors were committed behind him. Corey Williams and Raul Fernandez each worked a scoreless inning. There wasn’t much offense. There were six hits, though no one had more than one. Daniel Palka went 1-3 with a walk. Leonardo Reginnato went 1-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. Stuart Turner went 1-3, was hit by a pitch and hit his 10th double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Palm Beach 3 Box Score He gave up two runs in the 7th inning, but outside of that, Felix Jorge was tremendous again. In all, the right-hander went 6.1 innings and gave up two runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out a season-high ten batters. Brandon Peterson got the final two outs in the seventh and then gave up one run in the eighth inning. Todd Van Steensel came on for the ninth, attempting to save a two-run lead. He walked two and struck out one, but he got help from catcher Brian Navarreto who threw out a man trying to steal a base. Van Steensel came through with a big strikeout to end the game. Jorge improved to 8-3 on the season, though his ERA “jumped” to 1.67. The save was Van Steensel’s fifth of the year. The top of the Miracle lineup was very productive. The first five batters each had two hits. TJ White was 2-5 with his first triple. AJ Murray went 2-4 with a walk. Niko Goodrum (4), Trey Vavra (10) and Edgar Corcino (11) each went 2-4 and added a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 4 Box Score For the second time in four games, leadoff man Luis Arraez had a four-hit game. Over those four games, he is 11-17 from the plate. Daniel Kihle went 2-4. Sean Miller added his 12th double. JJ Fernandez extended his hitting streak to ten games with his 16th double. Miles Nordgren fell to 3-4 with just a 2.93 ERA in this complete game effort. The right-hander went all eight innings. He gave up four runs (three earned) on ten hits. He walked one and struck out nine. 75 of his 107 pitches were strikes. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Pulaski 6 Box Score Twins first-round pick Alex Kirilloff has been with the E-Twins since Saturday, but on Wednesday, he finally made his professional debut. He batted sixth and was the team’s DH. It didn’t take him too long to record his first hit. He lined a single to center in his first at bat. He went 1-3 in the game and will likely make his first start in the outfield on Thursday. There wasn’t much offense for the E-Twins on this night. Ariel Montesino continues to hit. He went 2-3 with a walk. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-4 and had the team’s lone RBI. Alex Robinson has a ton of talent. He struck out eight in his season debut, but he also walked six batters. Control has been his issue and it reared its ugly head on Wednesday night in the E-Twins home opener. Robinson was charged with three runs on four hits in just 2.1 innings. He walked five batters without a strikeout. Robinson was replaced by Tyler Beardsley. He gave up two runs on five hits, but he got through 3.2 more innings. He struck out five and did not issue a walk. Max Cordy gave up one run on three hits and a walk in his two innings. He also struck out five. Austin Tribby, a left-hander from Missouri, came on for the ninth to make his professional debut. He walked two and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 0, GCL Orioles 3 Box Score The Twins didn’t have much offense in this game. Twins 12th round pick Zach Featherstone went 2-3 with a walk. Juan Gamez, a late-round pick from NDSU, recorded his first professional hit in this game, a single. Tyler Fox made the start. He gave up two runs on two hits in 3.2 innings. He walked one and struck out two. Matz Schutte gave up one run on two hits over two innings. Moises Gomez went 1.1 innings without allowing a run despite a hit and two walks. Zach Strecker walked one in a scoreless inning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Luis Arraez, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (DH @ 5:05 CST) - LHPs Andrew Albers, Nick Greenwood Chattanooga @ Pensacola (6:30 CST) - RHP Ryan Eades Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (11:00 am CST) - RHP Keaton Steele Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (7:00 CST) – RHP Eduardo Del Rosario Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games. Click here to view the article

With nearly a full compliment of Twins Minor League affiliates in action (GCL Twins start their season on Friday), there was a lot happening down on the Farm. Including the first game of the year for the Elizabethton Twins (E-Twins). Lots happening today in the Transaction Report as teams finalize their second half rosters and the Gulf Coast League and Appalachian League kick off play: Niko Goodrum assigned to Fort Myers from Chattanooga, LaMonte Wade (Fort Myers) placed on DL, Tom Hackimer assigned to Cedar Rapids, Ranis Silva assigned to Cedar Rapids Kernels from Elizabethton Twins, Kevin Garcia (Cedar Rapids) placed on DL, Trey Cabbage and Lachlan Wells both assigned to Elizabethton from the GCL Twins. Continue reading to find out more detail about Thursday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester @ Columbus Clippers Box Score Jose Berrios ripped off another spectacular start for the Red Wings, making it hard for the Twins to keep him in AAA. Berrios pitched eight innings, gave up just three hits (all singles), walked two, and struck out nine. Berrios turned things over to Marcus Walden for the ninth, who picked up his fourth save of the year, with a 1-2-3 ninth. The Wings had eight hits but scored just two runs, both in the second inning, to pick up the win. Leadoff man James Beresford was 2-5 with a pair of singles, and Adam Walker was 2-3 with a walk and a strike out. Eddio Rosario had another hit, an RBI, and a run scored. Catcher John Ryan Murphy (who is struggling with a .214/.285/.301 line in AAA) had the other RBI for Rochester as part of a 1-4 nigh. Final: Red Wings 2, Clippers 0 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Jackson Generals @ Chattanooga Box Score Lookouts starter David Hurlbut left the game after six strong innings, with a 5-2 lead. Hurlbut gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits, a walk, and six strike outs. He also gave up a home run. Jake Reed came in and pitched a uneventful seventh inning, but had to be lifted with two outs in the eighth with the bases loaded. Trevor Hildenberger plunked the next batter to score the game tying run before picking up a strike out to end the inning. He then pitched a clean ninth inning. Tied 5-5 headed to the bottom of the eighth, the Lookouts used a hit-by-pitch to score the winning run. After a one-out walk to Zach Granite, Engelb Vielma bunted him over to second. Daniel Palka and Travis Harrison both walked to load the bases. After a pitching change Mitch Garver took one for the team, scoring Granite from third. On the night, the Lookouts had 14 hits, including a 3-3 night from Travis Harrison that included a pair of doubles, a pair of runs scored, and a pair of walks. Chattanooga was powered by the long ball on Thursday, with home runs from Zach Granite, Mitch Garver and Leonardo Reginatto. Final: Generals 5, Lookouts 6 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ Jupiter Hammerheads Box Score Tyler Jay had a clinker of a start thanks to some defensive miscues, pitching five innings, giving up only four hits, but three runs (two earned), two walks, and struck out five of the 23 hitters he faced. Luke Bard pitched two very good innings, holding the Hammerheads to just one hit. In the bottom of the eight, with the game tied 3-3, Nick Anderson struggled to get outs, giving up a triple, a home run, and a single to the first three batters he faced. Anderson gave up one more run before being lifted for Michael Theofanopoulos who promptly induced an inning-ending grounder. Jupiter sent Miami Marlins reliever Nefi Ogando to the mound to start for the Hammerheads, and the Miracle showed themselves up to the challenge, scoring a pair of runs. Leadoff man T.J. White doubled, and two batters later Nick Gordon added a double of his own, to score White. Chris Paul added a two-out RBI single to score Gordon. After that first inning, the Miracle had just four hits the rest of the way, two in the eighth to tie the game up at three. T.J. White was the only hitter with more than one hit, he finished the night 2-4 with that double and a pair of runs scored. First Basement Chris Paul was just 1-2 but addd a pair of walks. Former first round draftee Nick Gordon was 1-4 with a double, RBI, run scored and a strike out. Final: Miracle 3, Hammerheads 6 KERNELS KORNER Beloit Snappers @ Cedar Rapids Box Score The Kernels scored five runs early and let their pitching staff carry them the rest of the way. The Kernels sent 11 men to the plate in the second and scored all five of their runs via singles, an error, and a sacrifice fly. The Kernels struck out just once on Thursday night, leadoff man Sean Miller. Austin Diemer was 2-3 with a run scored and a walk, and Brad Harton was 2-3 with a double, run scored, and an RBI. Miles Nordgren picked up his third win of the year to move to 3-3 with six innings of one-run baseball. Nordgren gave up just three hits, and struck out five, but he also walked three. He was lifted for Michael Cederoth who held the Snappers hitless for a pair of innings before Kuo Hua Lo finished the game with a perfect ninth inning. Final: Snappers 1, Kernels 5 E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton @ Kingsport Mets Box Score Despite (and perhaps in part thanks to) a late game rain storm that ended the game with two-out and one on in the top of the ninth inning, the Twins held on for a 4-3 victory in their first game of the year. The E-Twins were lead by leadoff man Ariel Montesino who was 3-5 with a run scored. Centerfielder Jaylin Davis added a pair of hits on a 2-4 night that included a solo home run. The Twins used four pitchers to get through eight innings as starter Jose Martinez lasted just just 1.1 innings, charged with 3 runs on three hits and a walk. Andrew Vasquez came in and pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, walking two and striking out four. He was lifted for Johan Quezada who was credited with the win with three innings of hitless baseball, that included three walks and three strikeouts. Hector Lujan pitched a scoreless eighth, but was not without trouble as he walked the bases loaded before inducing an inning-ending grounder to first base. Final: E-Twins 4, Mets 3 DSL TWINS TAKES DSL Giants @ DSL Twins Box Score Edgar Herrera was 2-4 with a double and a run scored, the only Twins hitter with more than one hit. Jorge Parra picked up the Twins' lone RBI, an RBI groundout in the seventh. The Twins used three pitchers, with solid outings from Melvi Acosta and Amicar Crus sandwiching a poor game from Elivas Rivas. Acosta went 5.0 and gave up four hits and one run. Cruz pitched three scoreless innings to finish the game. Inbetween Elivas Rivas pitched one clunker of an inning, giving up three three run homer after putting two men on via walks. Final: DSL Giants 4, DSL Twins 3 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Travis Harrison, Chattanooga Pitcher of the Day - Jose Berrios, Rochester FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Louisville Bats @ Rochester (6:05pm) - Sampson v. Darnell (8-5, 3.09) Jackson Generals @ Chattanooga (6:15pm) - Moore v. TBD Fort Myers @ Jupiter Hammerheads (5:30pm) - Jorge (6-3, 1.59) v. Peters Beloit Snappers @ Cedar Rapids (6:35pm) - Murray v. Del Rosario, E (0-1, 5.65) E-Twins @ Kingsport Mets (6:00pm) - TBD v. TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (11:00am) - TBD v. TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Giants (9:30am) - TBD v. TBD Please ask questions and discuss the Thursday games. -ERolf

The Red Wings got a big blast and held on. The Miracle got another great start - as we’ve come to expect - to go with enough offense to pull off the win. The Kernels also got a tremendous start and just enough offense near the end of the game to come away with a win. A few more players drafted by the Twins last week have signed. Jeremy is keeping tabs on each signing here. Because of the added players coming into the organization over the next couple of weeks, the Twins released six minor leaguers from extended spring training. Pitchers Rich Condeelis, Nate Gercken and Luis Hernandez were released. So were catcher Jose Ortiz, infielder Ruar Verkerk and outfielder Rowan Ebersohn. Finally, top pick Alex Kirilloff was named to the USA Today High School All-American first-team today. His Plum High School team is playing today (Thursday) for the Pennsylvania State Championship. If you missed it, John and Jeremy interviewed him last Friday. Also, Doogie Wolfson interviewed him on this week’s Scoops podcast (along with a fun interview with Torii Hunter).Here is Wednesday night’s minor league update. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Columbus 1 Box Score While there were other hits as the game went along, Kennys Vargas provided the biggest hit of the game in the third inning. He came to the plate with the bases loaded and unloaded for his ninth home run of the season. The grand slam gave the Red Wings a 4-0 lead, a lead they were able to hold onto the rest of the way. Andrew Albers started and improved to 5-1 with the win. He gave up one run on eight hits over 5.1 innings. He walked one and struck out four. Sean Burnett came on and got the next five outs, two of them on strikeouts. Alex Wimmers threw two scoreless innings to record his fifth save of the season. Vargas was 3-4 in the game including his 11th double. Eddie Rosario was 2-3 with a walk. Tommy Fields went 1-2 with two walks and his sixth double. Danny Santana went 1-4. It was his second rehab game. After starting in right field on Tuesday night, he started in centerfield on Wednesday. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Montgomery 4 Box Score The Lookouts fell behind early and just were unable to mount much of a rally the rest of the way. DJ Baxendale started. In just three innings, he gave up three runs on nine hits and a walk. He struck just one out. Raul Fernandez came on and gave up one run on three hits over his three innings. Mason Melotakis struck out two in his inning. Omar Bencomo struck out one in a perfect inning. The Lookouts had six hits. Levi Michael had the lone extra-base hit, his fifth triple of the year. Zach Granite had an RBI single. Travis Harrison was 1-3 and added a sacrifice fly. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Lakeland 2 Box Score Felix Jorge just continues to amaze and impress. Wednesday night was no exception. The right-hander started the game by throwing seven shutout innings. He gave up one in the eighth. Overall, he gave up one run on six hits over 7.2 innings. He struck out six without issuing a walk. He is now 6-3 with a 1.59 ERA. Brandon Peterson got the Miracle out of the 8th and then gave up one run in the ninth but held on for his fourth save. He struck out four in 1.1 innings. TJ White was one of my breakout prospects coming into this season. He is a sturdy, 5-10 and 215 pounds, but he has really good speed and power. Due to need, he was pushed to AA to start the season and really struggled. Last week, he came back to teh Miracle and as you would expect he struggled to find his stroke again. But that’s changing. Moved to the leadoff spot, he went 3-4, was hit by a pitch and homered in this game. Nick Gordon, now batting third again, went 3-5 with his 11th double. Alex Perez went 2-4 with his first double with the Miracle. Brian Navarreto was also 2-4. Alex Real added his seventh double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Burlington 1 Box Score This was quite the pitching matchup through the first seven innings. Burlington’s Jared Ruxer and Jhonny Polanco combined to throw seven shutout innings. Kernels right-hander Miles Nordgren matched zeroes with them. Nordgren gave up just three hits, walked one and struck out six. Sam Gibbons came in for the eighth inning. He gave up one run on three hits. However, in the bottom of the inning, the Kernels were also able to get on the board. Sean Miller led off and reached on an error. After a one-out walk by Zander Wiel, Nelson Molina bounced one to first base. The first baseman fielded it but his throw to second base hit Wiel. Instead of a possible double play, Sean Miller scored the game-tying run. Next up was Daniel Kihle and he lined a single to score Zander Wiel. Williams Ramirez came on for the ninth inning. He got the first two outs, but after a single, Michael Theofanopoulos came in and got the final out. It was Theofanopoulos’ second save. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – TJ White, Ft. Myers Miracle THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler Chattanooga @ Montgomery (7:05 CST) - Ryan Eades (vs Chih-Wei Hu) Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – RHP Keaton Steele Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (7:00 CST) – RHP Cody Stashak Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games. Click here to view the article

Transaction Report: The big move of the day, reported in full by Jeremy Nygaard, was the MLB draft. The Twins selected OF Alex Kirilloff with the 15th overall pick, a toolsy outfielder from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Twins used their next pick, 56th overall, to select C Ben Rortvedt, a high schooler from the Badger State. With back-to-back picks at 73 & 74 in the competitive balance round, the Twins selected SS Jose Miranda from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, and OF Akil Baddoo out of Salem High School in Georga. In lesser news, the Twins signed infielder Christian Ibarra from the independent Lincoln Saltdogs and assigned him to the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Continue reading to find out more detail about Thursday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Red Wings @ Buffalo Bisons Box Score The Red Wings were down 4-0 after three innings, used a 3-run fifth to pull within one, and tied things in the top of the eighth at 6-6 before things fell apart in the bottom half of the inning. The Wings committed three errors, one each from James Beresford (3, throwing), Adam Walker (3, throwing), and Logan Schafer (1, fielding). The Red Wings had just six hits on the night (four for extra bases, all doubles), but benefitted from seven free baserunners via the walk to help score six runs. No Rochester hitter had multiple hits, but Logan Schafer and Kennys Vargas were both 1-4 with a walk, and Vargas added three RBIs. Tommy Field was 0-2 as the DH, but had a pair of walks and scored a run. If you're wondering who Tommy Field is, he's a MiLB veteran who has had a cup of coffee in parts of four different seasons, never making more than 51 plate appearances. He was released by the Detroit Tigers (AAA Toledo) on May 6th, and the Twins (Red Wings) snatched him up a week later on May 14th. He's hitting .195/.250/.366 for Rochester, but owns a .265/.347/.429 AAA slash over five seasons. The Red Wings sent Andrew Albers out for the start, and he gave up 6 runs (4 earned) over 5.2 innings. He struck out 5 and walked no one. He left with a loss hanging over him, but lucked into a no-decision after the Red Wings scored several runs late in the game. Albers was replaced by Nick Greenwood who pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless 1-hit baseball in his Red Wings debut. Greenwood made 20 appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals between the 2014 and 2015 seasons, with 19 coming in 2014. Greenwood started 2016 with the independent New Britain Bees before signing a MiLB deal with the Twins on May 6th. Greenwood was replaced by Dan Runzier who gave up three earned runs on two hits and a walk before being replaced by Marcus Walden who came into the game with two runners on base, allowing both the score before recording the final out of the eighth inning. The winning run was scored by old friend Alexi Casilla. Final: Red Wings 6, Bisons 9 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Jacksonville Suns @ Lookouts Box Score Great hitting and great pitching both came together for the Lookouts who won a laugher against the Suns. Seven Lookouts hitters had multi-hit nights, led by a pair of 3-5 nights from Leonardo Reginatto and Engelb Vielma. Reginatto had a two-run homer in the fifth, and Vielmad had a double and a run scored. Daniel Palka had ANOTHER two-home run game, 2-3 with two home runs, 4 RBI, 2 walks, and three runs scored. Zach Granite, Travis Harrison, and Mitch Garver also added home runs, because apparently everyone was hitting them on Thursday night. Kohl Stewart picked up his first AA victory with six innings of 3-hit baseball. Stewart gave up no runs, no walks, and he struck out five. Corey Williams pitched the seventh and gave up the only run of the night, on two hits. Mason Melotakis sent the Suns down in order in the eighth, including a strike out. Mike Strong finished the game with a scoreless ninth, giving up a walk and picking up a strike out. Final: Suns 1, Lookouts 15 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers Miracle @ Brevard County Manatees Postponed due to rain The Miracle and the Manatees will play a doubleheader on Friday, two seven-inning games. Game one starts at 4:05pm. KERNELS KORNER Kane County Cougars @ Kernels Box Score The Kernels burned a quality start from Miles Nordgren and a couple of web-gems from J.J. Fernandez and LaMonte Wade, falling two-zip to the Cougars in front of 4,004 fans at Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Fernandez robbed the Cougars of a home run, and Wade threw out a runner at home. Nordgren pitched six innings, gave up two hits, two runs (both unearned), walked two and struck out three. Nordgren gave way to Kuo Hua Lo who gave the twins 2.0 innings of 1-hit ball. He struck out two, walked one, and gave up zero runs. Cam Booser pitched the ninth for the Kernels, striking out the side. Four of the five Kernels hits came from the top two hitters in the order, Luis Arraez and Sean Miller. Arraez was 2-4 with a pair of doubles and a pair of strike outs. Miller was 2-4, also with a pair of strike outs. The only other Kernels hit of the night was a double from A.J. Murray. Final: Cougars 2, Kernels 0 DSL TWINS TAKES DSL Twins @ DSL Mariners1 Box Score Not much doing in the Dominican for the DSL Twins on Thursday morning, except for a big game from Edgar Herrera who was 3-4 with a double. Herrera has eight hits over the first four games of the year for the DSL Twins, including a pair of 3-4 nights. The DSL Twins received 4.0 innings from both of their pitchers on Thursday. Edwar Colina gave up a hit, 3 runs (1 earned), stuck out five and gave up a home run. Carlos Suniaga picked up the loss with 4 hits, two runs (both earned) and he struck out 4. Final: DSL Twins 3, DSL Mariners1 5 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Daniel Palka - Chattanooga Lookouts Pitcher of the Day - Kohl Stewart - Chattanooga Lookouts FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Toledo Mud Hens @ Rochester (6:05pm) - Buck Farmer vs. Jason Wheeler (4-1, 2.05) Chattanooga @ Tennessee Smokies (6:05pm) - D.J. Baxendale (5-6, 3.38) vs. Brad Markey Fort Myers @ Brevard County Manatees (Game 1, 4:05pm) - Keaton Steele (1-5, 4.72) vs. Eric Hanhold Fort Myers @ Brevard County Manatees (Game 2, 30 minutes after conclusion of Game 1) - TBD vs. TBD Cedar Rapids @ Peoria Chiefs (7:00pm) - Cody Stashak (3-3, 2.90) vs. Sandy Alcantara DSL Mariners1 @ DSL Twins (9:30am) - TBD vs. TBD Please ask questions and discuss the Thursday games. -ERolf

Yesterday, we announced Byron Buxton as our Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month for May. Today, we recognize the top starting pitchers in the Twins minor leagues. Determining this month’s top starter was the most difficult decision I’ve had to make for a monthly award. So, I went to some others to help vote. Even then, the vote was close. But you’ll have to keep reading to find out who we’re talking about. At the end, you can comment on who would get your vote.So before to our Top 5 starting pitchers for the month, here are a few others who deserve to be recognized for a strong month. LHP Andrew Albers (Rochester) - 5 GS, 3-1, 3.16 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 31.1 IP, 33 H, 10 BB, 22 KRHP DJ Baxendale (Chattanooga) - 6 GS, 4-2, 3.55 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 38.0 IP, 38 H, 6 BB, 25 KLHP Stephen Gonsalves (Ft. Myers) - 5 GS, 3-1, 2.51 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 23 H, 12 BB, 26 KRHP Felix Jorge (Ft. Myers) - 4 GS, 2-1, 2.05 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 24 H, 5 BB, 21 KTHE TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – RHP Miles Nordgren - 5 G, 4 GS, 1-1, 2.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 25 H, 5 BB, 35 K Nordgren was the Twins 23rd-round draft pick in 2014 out of Birmingham Southern. He has pitched in long relief and as a starter at various times since signing. He was with the Kernels briefly in 2015 and began the 2016 season in extended spring training. In 2016, he has made nine appearances. The four out of the bullpen were at least two innings. For the month, Nordgren held opponents to a .240/.275/.269 (.544). His 12.0 K/9 is the highest on this list of starting pitchers. In his most recent start, he struck out twelve batters in seven innings thanks to an improved slider. When asked if he throws 90 mph, following the game, Nordgren said, “on a good day.” Number 4 - Rochester – LHP Tommy Milone - 4 GS, 2-0, 2.22 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 28.1 IP, 23 H, 0 BB, 24 K In late April, the Twins moved Milone to their bullpen. He made one big league appearance in long relief at the beginning of May before being placed on waivers. When he went unclaimed, he was outrighted to Rochester. As he did a year ago when he was optioned to the Red Wings, he pitched great. Milone was a strike-throwing machine. Opponents hit just .219/.219/.371 off of him in his four starts. He throws strikes and he misses bats. Then again, there’s no surprise in his AAA success. Milone is clearly a big league pitcher who now is just waiting for another opportunity whether it is with the Twins or elsewhere. Number 3 – Rochester – LHP Jason Wheeler - 6 GS, 4-1, 1.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 39.2 IP, 28 H, 7 BB, 36 K A year ago, Jason Wheeler was on the 40-man roster and began the season in AAA. He really struggled with AAA. In 15 starts, he went 1-7 with a 6.58 ERA. He returned to AA and pitched well again. That’s where he started the 2016 season, with the Lookouts. In four starts, he posted a 1.88 ERA. He was brought back up to AAA and he has been fantastic. For the month, Wheeler allowed opponents to hit .194/.237/.278 (.515) against him. More surprising yet, he has struck out 7.5 batters per nine innings after posting a career K/9 rate of just 6.0. At 6-6 and 250 pounds, Wheeler doesn’t throw real hard, but he knows how to pitch. Number 2 - Cedar Rapids – RHP Randy LeBlanc - 5 GS, 4-0, 0.24 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 37.0 IP, 24 H, 6 BB, 21 K I would guess that with LeBlanc’s May, he would win the Starting Pitcher of the Month award in at least 95% of months. This month, he comes in a close second. LeBlanc gave up one run all month, in 37 innings. At one time, he had a run of 37 innings between runs allowed. The 24-year-old was the Twins 10th-round pick in 2014 out of Tulane. In May, opponents hit just .185/.232/.208 (.440) off of him. Seemingly any time he had a base runner, he was able to use his sinker to coax a double play. According to Kernels pitching coach JP Martinez, “He’s basically got a ground ball whenever he needs it with that sinker he’s got.” While he doesn’t throw real hard, hitting 92 at times with a sinker, he’s able to work the fastball on both sides of the plate. He’s got a plus-changeup, and a harder, mid-80s slider. He’s got another slider in the lower-80s that drops more. Per Martinez, he’s got good stuff but just needed to develop it over innings, “He’s got hard-sink in the low-90s, a good slider and a really good changeup. I think the only thing they wanted to work on coming back was putting guys away. I don’t think that they thought he didn’t have an out pitch but they wanted him to develop it more. He’s got a great idea how to attack hitters.” Following eight shutout innings on the last day of the month, he was finally promoted from the Kernels to Ft. Myers. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Ft. Myers – LHP Tyler Jay - 5 GS, 3-2, 0.84 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 32.1 IP, 20 H, 7 BB, 38 K For the second straight month, the choice for starting pitcher of the month is a left-hander from the Ft. Myers Miracle. In a very close vote, Jay was the selection over LeBlanc in large part due to his dominance. Ironically, Jay’s roommate with the Miracle is April’s SP of the Month, Stephen Gonsalves. The Twins top pick a year ago out of Illinois had a tremendous May, culminating with eight shutout innings on the final day of the month. While his overall numbers are very similar to LeBlanc’s, his strikeout tally is what puts him in that top spot. Opponents hit just .180/.229/.180 (.409) against him in the month. No extra-base hits. Blessed with a mid-90s fastball, Jay also has a devastating slider, a slower curveball and a change up. A reliever in college, Jay is making the transition to being a starter. With the exception for one start, and a couple of games with first inning struggles, Jay has made that transition smoothly. There was again several choices for starting pitcher performances in May, and two of them were very deserving of winning the award. Let’s discuss. Who would get your vote, Tyler Jay or Randy LeBlanc? And frankly, in most months, Jason Wheeler would win the award with the numbers he put up in May. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations these individuals on a terrific month. Congratulations to the May Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month for 2016, Tyler Jay. Click here to view the article

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

The game at Target Field on a beautiful day was heavily attended and many fans in the stands witnessed their favorite team win. Unfortunately, the stadium was full of Blue Jays fans. Though there were no official transactions on Sunday, there is an anticipation of Eduardo Escobar being activated (and likely Jorge Polanco being sent down). But could it be something else? On the farm, there was plenty of activity. Let’s get right into it.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Durham 2 Box Score Rochester got an excellent start from Tommy Milone (8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 8 K) and timely hitting in the ninth inning to steal a win from Durham on Sunday. The Red Wings took the lead in the fourth. After Max Kepler and Kennys Vargas singled to start the inning, Eddie Rosario grounded into a double play. Though Rosario wasn’t credited with an RBI, Kepler scored on the play. (And you could argue that Rosario could have tried harder to beat the relay throw to first, though he probably still would have been out.) Milone struggled a bit in the fifth inning, Durham started the inning with a double down the right field line. The ball was definitely catchable - and most outfielders would have caught it - but Kepler had left the game with stomach issues and he was replaced by Tommy Field, who had been playing shortstop. Three singles later, the Red Wings were down 2-1. It took until the ninth inning for Rochester to mount a comeback. Wilfredo Tovar opened the inning with a single and moved to second on a Vargas walk. Vargas, the potential go-ahead run, was replaced by Stephen Wickens. Eddie Rosario failed to drive a run in, but was productive enough to move both runners over. Buck Britton drove in the tying run with another ground out. Durham elected to intentionally walk Adam Walker to face Tommy Field. Field promptly singled up the middle to score Wickens. J.T. Chargois was asked to close the game out. He got the first two batters to look at strike three and coaxed a roller to Tovar to end the game. Chargois has now pitched five times for Rochester spanning 6 2/3 innings. He’s struck out 15, holding his opponents to a .091 batting average. He has a WHIP of 0.60. Chargois is ready to help the Twins bullpen. At 25-19, the Red Wings are a half-game out of first in the IL North Division lead and a half game ahead of Lehigh Valley in the wild card race. Not bad for a team that’s swapping players on a semi-regular basis with the Twins. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 4 (11 innings) Box Score The Lookouts got off to a hot start, but the run-producing at-bats turned cold and Chattanooga couldn’t hold a three-run lead, falling in extras. Eight batters stepped to the plate in the top of the first. Zach Granite reached an error and moved to third on a Leo Reginatto single. D.J. Hicks drove them both in with a double. After a Travis Harrison strike out, both Daniel Palka and Joe Maloney singled, driving in Hicks. After Ryan Walker flew out, with Jairo Rodriguez batting, Palka was picked off and caught stealing third, ending the threat. Jackson got one run back off of Slegers in the bottom of the inning and he pitched well until he ran into trouble in the sixth, a frame in which he walked two batters, who both scored to tie the game. Slegers allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks. He struck out eight. Jake Reed struck out five in three scoreless innings. Mike Strong took the loss, allowing a double and then a run-scoring single that produced the winning run in the 11th inning. D.J Hicks added another double, his ninth on the year, in the sixth. Palka, Maloney and Walker all had two-hit games. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Tampa 4 (11 innings) Box Score Kyle Gibson made his first rehab start on Sunday and threw 56 pitches (41 strikes). Gibson appeared close to his normal self, throwing in the low-90s with a low-to-mid-80s slider and a change-up. He pitched 4 1/3 innings. He allowed three hits and a walk. He struck out two and picked a runner off of first base. Eduardo Escobar continued to rehab and went 0-for-3 with a walk before being subbed out when the game went to extra innings. Edgar Corcino provided three of the team’s eight hits including a home run in the eighth to tie the game. It was Corcino’s third on the season. He scored the Miracle’s only other run in the second inning after a leadoff single and going to station-to-station, eventually scored on a throwing error when Chad Christensen stole second base. Corcino stole his fifth base of the year. Nick Gordon pinch hit in the 10th inning and got a hit. Gordon will return to manning shortstop full-time when Escobar goes back to Minnesota (soon). Chris Paul stole two bases. Brian Gilbert relieved Gibson and pitched 1 2/3 innings, striking out one. Tampa got on the board with a two-run home run in the eighth inning of Todd Van Steensel, who pitched two innings. Raul Fernandez pitched three innings, but took the loss, allowing two runs in the 11th inning. Fort Myers batted 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, including leaving the bases loaded in the 10th inning. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Quad Cities 1 Box Score The Kernels' day started out a lot like the Twins' day, only with hits that were less loud. After a double, single and stolen base, the Kernels and Miles Nordgren were facing two runners in scoring position with nobody out. But then Nordgren settled down and settled in. He coaxed three straight ground outs (one of which drove in a run). He worked around two singles in the second and three singles in the fifth, but didn’t allow any more runners to cross the plate. All told, Nordgren pitched seven innings, allowing eight hits and a walk. He struck out four. The seven innings were both a season-high (by three innings) and a career high (by four outs). Nordgren did, however, use fewer pitches (85) than he did in his five-inning appearance last Sunday (88). The Kernels scored in five different innings and got multi-hit games from seven different players. Alex Perez doubled and tripled, driving in two runs. Nelson Molina drove in a run on three hits. Zander Wiel hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning. Wiel also added a double as did A.J. Murray, Luis Arraez and J.J. Fernandez. LaMonte Wade went 0-for-4, but drew a walk and has now reached base safely in 23 consecutive games. Michael Theofanopoulos finished the game with two perfect innings. He has 10 straight scoreless appearances and a scoreless streak of 18 2/3 innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Miles Nordgren, Cedar Rapids (Yeah, Tommy Milone had a better game, but we know what Tommy Milone is. He dominates AAA and shouldn’t be there. But he hasn’t demonstrated that he’s good enough to be in a big-league rotation either. Anyway, I want to recognize a guy who hasn’t been recognized before.) Hitter of the Day – Edgar Corcino, Fort Myers MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Chattanooga @ Jackson (7:05PM CST) – RHP Ryan Eades (2-2, 4.93 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (9:35PM CST) – Kohl Stewart (3-1, 1.77 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 CST) – Cody Stashak (2-3, 2.41 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’’s games. Click here to view the article

Byron Buxton and Max Kepler were demoted to Rochester where the organization hoped for them to play everyday and start to build some confidence on the offensive side of the ball. Buxton has had quite the offensive stretch as he entered play on Tuesday hitting .352/.421/.676 so far in the month of May. This includes three home runs and a pair of doubles. Kepler's time in Rochester hadn't been as bold as Buxton. Since leaving Minnesota, he has hit .196/.300/.333 with four extra-base hits and six strikeouts. He has coaxed eight walks but his other offensive numbers are a little lower than most would like to see. Would Buxton continue his hot hitting? Could Kepler break out of his cold streak? Keep reading to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 9, Gwinnett 3 Box Score Byron Buxton had multiple hits for the second consecutive game. It was his sixth time in the last nine game that he has more than one hit. Max Kepler had a three-hit night and reached base in four of his five at-bats. Kennys Vargas walked four time including twice in the team's huge seven-run fourth inning. Stephen Wickens was the only Red Wings player who didn't reach base and he struck out three times. Tommy Milone made his first appearance in Rochester after starting the season in the Twins rotation. He pitched into the sixth before running into a little bit of a jam and turning things over to the bullpen. Milone struck out five, walked none, and was charged with one earned run. J.T. Chargois made his Triple-A debut by striking out two and allowing a two-run double. Marcus Walden and Ryan O'Rourke didn't allow a base-runner in the last 2.2 innings. It was the fourth straight win for the Red Wings. James Beresford extended his on-base streak to 13 games. Rochester is now a game over .500 (17-16) and three games out of first in the International League North. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Pensacola 10 (11 Innings) Box Score In a crazy, back-and-forth game, the Lookouts had to score seven runs in the final three frames to come back and force extra-innings. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Ryan Walker singled to center. During the next at-bat, he stole second and the catcher threw the ball away. This allowed Walker to scamper all the way home and score the tying run. Walker had already scored an important run in the eighth inning after leading off the frame with a single. Chattanooga outhit the Blue Wahoos 18-14 but Pensacola cracked five home runs. Travis Harrison went 4-for-5 with a walk but he failed to collect an extra-base hit. DJ Hick drove in two as part of a three-hit night. Leonardo Reginatto went 3-for-6 with his seventh double. Nick Greenwood started and allowed five earned runs on nine hits including two home runs. Corey Williams relieved Greenwood and didn't fare much better as he was charged with three earned runs. Jake Reed had a roller coaster ride as he struck out three and walked three in two innings of work but only allowed one hit and one run. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Bradenton 6 Box Score The score might make the game look closer than it was as the Miracle were outhit 13 to 3 in this one. Kohl Stewart surrendered seven of the 13 hits as he collected an out in the seventh inning for the first time this year. He was charged with three runs, two earned, while striking out four and walking none across 6.1 innings but he left the game with his team up 2-1. Raul Fernandez finished the seventh and eighth as he allowed a solo home run. Yorman Landa struck out one and walked one as he gave up multiple earned runs for the first time this season. Trey Vavra picked up his sixth double of the season and scored a run. Alex Real doubled and was one of two Miracle players to reach base twice. Max Murphy was the other player to reach twice and he drove in one of the team's two runs. Overall, the club went 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base. With the loss, the Miracle drop to four games over .500 at 18-14. Over the club's last seven games, they are 5-2. Tomorrow night's game will be the third in this back-and-forth home-and-home series with Bradenton. Fort Myers is tied with Charlotte at the top of the Florida State League South. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Kane County 2 (7 Innings) Box Score Because of rain, the Kernels were forced to push back Monday's game and play it as part of a double-header on Tuesday evening. Cody Stashak pitched into the sixth inning for the fourth consecutive start and he hasn't allowed more than two earned runs during that stretch. In this game, he pitched six innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits with three strikeouts. His ERA dropped to 1.95 on the season but he still took the loss. Michael Cederoth allowed one one hit and struck out a pair during his inning of work. Offensively, there wasn't much to talk about. The Kernels reached base three times in the entire game. Luis Arraez went 1-for-3 out of the lead-off spot. LaMonte Wade is hitting .352 after a 1-for-3 game. Catcher Rafael Valera drew the team's only walk. It's hard for any team to score runs when they only get two chances to bat with runners in scoring position. Cedar Rapids 3, Kane County 2 (7 Innings) Box Score Miles Nordgren hadn't allowed an earned run in almost a month (April 17) but that streak came to an end on Tuesday. He still made quite the effort as he struck out nine and didn't walk any in five innings pitched. Two runs were scored against him but only one was earned. Michael Theofanopoulos was outstanding in relief as he struck out the side in the sixth. After struggling for any hits in the first game of the night, the Kernels had double-digit hits. A.J. Murray was 3-for-3 with a double and his first triple of the season. With two hits in this game, Luis Arraez finished the night 3-for-7 with a double and an RBI. Brian Olson scored a pair of runs and reached base twice. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Miles Nordgren, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Max Kepler, Rochester Red Wings WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Gwinnett (6:05 CST)- LHP Andrew Albers (0-0, 5.56 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Pensacola (6:15 CST)- LHP David Hurlbut (2-1, 6.59 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST)- LHP Tyler Jay (2-2, 3.86 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Kane County (12:05 CST)- RHP Randy LeBlanc (3-2, 1.16 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games. Click here to view the article

Minnesota's minor league affiliates are starting to hit their stride as the season is underway and players are beginning to settle into their roles with the club. The weather is still chilly in many parts of the country and this can impact both pitchers and hitters at this early junction of the season. Over the last two weeks, I've tried to pick out some breakout minor league players on both sides of the ball. Some of the hitters I selected are off to decent starts and I expect their bats to heat up as the weather improves. Pitchers can be up and down but one of the players I picked had a tremendous start on Tuesday night. Let's dive into the action.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 6 Box Score (Game 1- 7 Innings) Lehigh Valley wasted little time jumping on Logan Darnell as the IronPigs used a two-run home run in the first inning to take the lead and never looked back. Darnell allowed six earned runs on seven hits in five innings of work. Buddy Boshers and Dan Runzler put up zeros the rest of the way but there wasn't enough offensive firepower in game 1. Rochester was held with out an extra-base hit and Reynaldo Rodriguez was the only batter to record multiple hits. Jorge Polanco knocked in the team's only run with a sacrifice fly and he ended the game hitting .462 so far this season. Rochester 0, Lehigh Valley 4 Box Score (Game 2- 7 Innings) Mark Appel showed Rochester why he was the first overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft. He pitched into the sixth inning while scattering five hits and striking out five. David Martinez started opposite Appel and was pulled after 6.1 innings as he allowed three earned runs on seven hits. Ryan O'Rourke recorded the last two outs but not before allowing the final run to score. Both Rochester pitchers failed to strike out a batter. Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a couple of singles to complete a four-hit day. Juan Centeno had the team's only extra-base hit, a double, and it was his first double of the season. The team saw very limited action with runners in scoring position (0-for-3 with RISP) and left seven men on base. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 4 Box Score A day after the Twins competed in their home opener the Lookouts returned to Chattanooga for a home opener of their own. The Lookouts have struggled out of the gate this season (1-5 record) and that trend continued on Monday as the club lost a back-and-forth battle with Jackson. Jason Wheeler started the night on the mound and he did not allow an earned run in six frames. However, an Engelb Vielma error at shortstop led to three unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning. One inning later, Travis Harrison collected a two-out RBI single after Zach Granite had started the inning with a double. Granite went 2-for-5 while scoring twice. Leonardo Reginatto, Stuart Turner and Joe Maloney all had doubles but the team left 10 runners on base and was 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Alex Wimmers pitched a perfect seventh inning with a strikeout and no walks. Mason Melotakis was charged with his first loss of the season as he gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth frame. J.T. Chargois struck out a pair of batters to close out the ninth. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Brevard County 1 Box Score Randy Rosario was the story of this game as he took a perfect game into the sixth inning and the Miracle were able to survive with a 2-1 victory. Rosario retired the first 16 batters and struck out four batters in the first two frames. By the time he was removed, he had eight strikeouts across six innings with no walks and two hits. Luke Bard got into some trouble by allowing a single and a double before inducing a double play and a ground out. Yorman Landa earned a hold even though he allowed the Manatees one run. Todd Van Steensel earned his first save with one strike out and a walk in the ninth. The scoring got started early for the Miracle as Chad Christensen blasted a two-run home run in the first inning. Tanner English started the game with a walk and stole second before the home run. Nick Gordon reached base two times in four trips and T.J. White ended the game 2-for-4, his third multi-hit game. Trey Vavra extended his hitting streak to five games. Every batter in the line-up recorded at least one hit with the exception of Brian Navarreto. With the win, the Miracle improved to 3-3 and send Stephen Gonsalves, one of the organization's top pitching prospects, to the mound on Wednesday night. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Kane County 2 Box Score In his first start in the Midwest League, Miles Nordgren took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before back-to-back batters reached base. He ended the day with five innings pitched and one earned run on one hit with two strikeouts and two walks. Cody Stashak was nearly as impressive in relief. He allowed one earned run on two hits in four innings of work for his first professional save. Cedar Rapids got their scoring started in the third inning. A pair of walks and an infield hit left the bases loaded. Sean Miller hit a foul ball that was deep enough to score the game's first run. LaMonte Wade followed this up with a sacrifice fly of his own to push the lead to 2-0. Chris Paul was the only Kernel with multiple hits as he went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. Jermain Palacios plated a pair of runs and Wade cracked his third double of the young season. The Kernels improved to 5-1 with the win and sit atop the Midwest League Western division. Cedar Rapids will look to take the series from Kane County in tomorrow morning's (11:00 am CST) rubber match with Randy LeBlanc on the mound. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Randy Rosario, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Chad Christensen, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley (12:35 CST)- RHP Tyler Duffey (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Jackson (10:15 am CST)- RHP DJ Baxendale (0-1, 4.50 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Brevard County (6:05 CST)- LHP Stephen Gonsalves (0-1, 4.50 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (11:00 am CST)- RHP Randy LeBlanc (1-0, 1.80 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games. Click here to view the article