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On Monday, we announced that Todd Van Steensel was our choice for May Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month. Today, it’s time to announce the Twins Daily choice for the May Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month. There were a few really good choices, guys that put up strong numbers during the month.Our April Starting Pitcher of the Month was Aaron Slegers. Before we get to our Top 4 starting pitchers for the month of May, here is a list of a couple others who deserve to be recognized for a solid final month of the season. HONORABLE MENTION Randy LeBlanc - Chattanooga Lookouts - 4 GS, 21.1 IP, 3-0, 2.11 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 20 H, 4 BB, 18 KStephen Gonsalves - Rochester Red Wings - 6 GS, 27.0 IP, 4-1, 4.00 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 19 H, 16 BB, 33 KSean Poppen - Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts - 4 GS, 20.2 IP, 1-2, 2.61 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 17 H, 11 BB, 24 KTyler Wells - Ft. Myers Miracle - 4 GS, 18.2 IP, 1-0, 2.89 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 18 H, 5 BB, 13 K..THE TOP FOUR STARTING PITCHERS #4 - RHP Zack Littell - Rochester Red Wings - 5 G, 4 GS, 1-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 28.0 IP, 20 H, 10 BB, 30 K You may have heard that Littell will be making his Major League debut on Tuesday for the Twins. Littell came to the Twins before the trade deadline last year. The Twins got their one start from Jaime Garcia and then dealt him to the Yankees in exchange for Littell and Dietrich Enns. After an incredible 2017 season between three teams (in High A and Double A), Littell struggled in April at Chattanooga, but he was promoted to Rochester in late April. All five of his appearances in May were for the Red Wings. Littell went six innings in all four of his starts. Each was a quality start. He worked four innings, piggybacking after Trevor May made a May 17 start for the Red Wings. Opponents hit just .200/.274/.340 (.614) in May. #3 - LHP Bryan Sammons - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 1-1, 2.42 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 22.1 IP, 15 H, 6 BB, 18 K Sammons was the Twins eighth-round pick a year ago out of Western Carolina. The left-handed starter has had a solid season for the Kernels yet has just one win to show for it. In May, he picked up just one win despite pitching well. Opponents hit just .192/.284/.333 (.617) against him. He gave up two or fewer runs in each of his May starts and ended the month with his best outing. It included a career-high eight strikeouts over six innings. #2- Omar Bencomo - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings - 6 G, 4-0, 1.98 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 36.1 IP, 29 H, 3 BB, 27 K The 29-year-old from Venezuela began playing pro ball in 2007. He spent the 2016 season between Chattanooga and Rochester. Last year, he was in the Marlins organization. He’s again proven valuable to the Twins in the upper levels, filling in rotation spots in the upper levels wherever needed. He made six appearances during the month. His last start came with the Red Wings and he threw six, one-hit, scoreless innings. For the month, opponents hit just .218/.241/.323 (564) against him for the month. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Cedar Rapids Kernels - RHP Brusdar Graterol - 4 GS, 2-1, 1.66 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 21.2 IP, 14 H, 6 BB, 29 K “It’s pretty impressive. He’s just a freak. You just don’t see guys like that very often. I have a hard time thinking back on anybody that I remember having that type of arm.” Those are the words and phrases that Cedar Rapids manager Toby Gardenhire used to describe hard-throwing Brusdar Graterol. Graterol is the hard-throwing 19-year-old from Venezuela who has been dominant during his short stint with the Kernels. In each of his starts, he has hit triple digits multiple times, topping out at 101 mph. In addition, Graterol has a sharp slider and a pretty good changeup. “Pretty good” isn’t a ringing endorsement, but Graterol is young and will continue to develop it. Gardenhire continued, speaking to Graterol’s pitches, but also his inconsistency. “It’s a very smooth arm action. That’s going to allow him to develop a good breaking ball, and it’s going to allow him to develop a good change up too which is going to be really impressive to see once he gets going. You see signs of it now where you’ll be like ‘Wow, that’ was a good breaking ball’ or ‘that was a good changeup.’ But he’s just having trouble being consistent with it because he’s 19-years-old. He had one start here where he gave up one hit through five (innings). Nobody was going to hit him. You could have put him in a Double A game and nobody would have hit him. We also see where he’s inconsistent, he does things a little different. He misses the zone a little. And that’s going to happen too. It’s all part of the learning curve. You just don’t see guys with that much talent and ability and strength and everything. He’s a rock.” The right-hander has a very strong, thick base which helps him generate so much power. In May, opponents hit just .179/.238/.256 (.495) against him. The sky is the limit with him. Graterol had Tommy John surgery in mid-2015 and missed the entire 2016 season. He returned in 2017 and split time between Extended Spring Training, the GCL and Elizabethton. Gardenhire added, “When he’s good, he really starts sinking it too. You see a little bit of movement. Yesterday (last Saturday), he struggled with that. He flattens out a little when he gets a little bit off. When he’s got the movement going. I mean, he’s throwing 100 with movement and a a slider and a changeup. That’s the potential. He’s got the potential to be a big league Ace. ” Graterol is currently on the disabled list of the Kernels with a hand contusion. Seth Scouting Report Since I saw Graterol in Cedar Rapids last weekend, I thought it would be fun to write up something about it. So here it goes. I’ve never seen a better pitching prospect than Brusdar Graterol. Yes, he has the fastball that hits 101. But what’s impressive is that his delivery is so smooth that it doesn’t look like he’s throwing that hard. Having watched him in the bullpen, his slider is sharp and bites late. As Gardenhire said, it can be inconsistent, as you would expect. But when I saw it break like it’s supposed to, it could be a huge strikeout pitch. And, I saw him throw several changeups. It appears to me to be a pitch that could be at least average in time, if not even better than that. He uses the same delivery, and he gets a little arm-side tail to it. Teammates talked about his work ethic, particularly in the weight room. He is strong and lifts a ton. I watched a few of Fernando Romero’s Triple A starts online this year, and I’ve watched him MLB starts. He has been much better in the big leagues than he was in AAA. I don’t feel like I’m going too far out on a limb to say that Graterol has a better fastball, a better slider, a better changeup, works quicker and has been control than Romero. Now. (And again, this is not a knock on Fernando Romero who is a very good prospect who ranks highly and has a lot of room for growth.) In other words, if he can stay healthy, he is a guy who could move up very quickly. I have little doubt that he should end this season in Ft. Myers with some possibility of a few appearances in Chattanooga. I could see him getting a spring training invite, and if so, the big league staff will want him around. I could see him starting next season in Chattanooga and being called up by the All-Star break. There are several IFs in that timeline, but I don’t feel like it is far-fetched by any means. Congratulations to our Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of May, Cedar Rapids right-hander Brusdar Graterol. Feel free to discuss and ask questions. Click here to view the article

Randy LeBlanc continued what’s been a strong start to his 2018 season with an excellent performance and his catcher, Brian Navarreto, had a big night at the plate. The Miracle lost a late lead, the Kernels were kept in check by Brendan McKay and Rochester was rained out.TRANSACTIONS Zack Granite was on the Red Wings’ lineup card prior to the game being called. Also, Jake Reed was reinstated from the DL. Casey Crosby was sent from Rochester to Chattanooga. Jimmy Kerrigan was transferred back to Fort Myers from Rochester. Robby Rinn was sent from the Miracle to Elizabeton’s roster. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester at Scranton POSTPONED CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 0 Box Score W: Randy LeBlanc (7 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K) SV: Williams Ramirez (1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) HR: Brian Navarreto (2) Multi-hit games: Navarreto, LaMonte Wade, Chris Paul Randy LeBlanc continued his excellent start by delivering seven shutout innings, striking out eight batters in the process. Drafted in the 10th round back in 2014, LeBlanc had some trouble stepping up to the Southern League last year, seeing his ERA spike from 2.82 during his time with the Miracle to 3.99 with the Lookouts. It appears LeBlanc is settling in, as he lowered his ERA to 2.23 and improved to 5-1 with tonight’s performance. In 40 1/3 innings, he has 35 strikeouts and 10 walks. Catcher Brian Navarreto had a nice two-way night. He helped lead the Chattanooga staff to a shutout performance behind the dish and was 3-for-4 with a solo homer. LaMonte Wade and Chris Paul each had two hits while Nick Gordon had a double and drew a pair of walks. MIRACLE MATTERS Dunedin 8, Fort Myers 6 Box Score SP: Andro Cutura (5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) HR: None. Multi-hit games: Mark Contreras, Jimmy Kerrigan The Miracle held a 5-4 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, but a big four-run inning put the Blue Jays up for good. Mark Contreras continued his hot streak by going 2-for-4 with a double and a triple. He’s recorded multiple hits in four of his last seven games. Jimmy Kerrigan was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Jaylin Davis was 1-for-3 and drew a couple walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Bowling Green 4, Cedar Rapids 0 Box Score SP: Randy Dobnak (4.1 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K) HR: None. Multi-hit games: None The Kernels faced last year’s No. 4 overall pick Brendan McKay, which was unfortunate because he was dealing. McKay gave up just one hit in the six innings he handled and Cedar Rapids only mustered another base knock against the bullpen. Alex Kirilloff hit a triple, David Banuelos singled and Shane Carrier drew two walks. That was it for the offense. The bright spot for the Kernels pitching staff was Moises Gomez, who held the Hot Rods scoreless over the final 2 1/3 innings of the game. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Randy LeBlanc Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Brian Navarreto TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: 1. Royce Lewis: 0-for-4, K 3. Nick Gordon: 1-for-2, 2B, 2 BBs, R 5. Alex Kirilloff: 1-for-3, 3B, K 7. Brent Rooker: 1-for-4, R 10. Akil Baddoo: 0-for-4, K 13. Lewin Diaz: 0-for-4, RBI 14. LaMonte Wade: 2-for-4, BB 16. Ben Rortvedt: 0-for-3, 2 Ks 17. Travis Blankenhorn: 0-for-4, 3 Ks FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Scranton, 4:35 pm CT - Zack Littell Rochester at Scranton, Game 2 - Stephen Gonsalves Chattanooga vs. Jackson, 6:15 pm CT - Anthony Marzi Fort Myers at Dunedin, 5:30 pm CT - Brady Anderson Cedar Rapids at Bowling Green, 6:35 pm CT - Blayne Enlow Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers had a day off to close out April. However, an unlikely hero surfaced in Chattanooga and helped the Lookouts to a walk-off win. Rochester, in search of some offense, was able to score five runs. Was it enough to win? And hey, we’ve got more transactions including the Twins announcement that top pitching prospect Fernando Romero will be promoted and start for the Twins on Wednesday.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Saturday. And as always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Following Sunday’s Twins loss, the team announced that RH RP Tyler Duffey was optioned to Rochester. On Monday morning, they announced that RH RP John Curtiss had been promoted.Then before the Twins Monday night game, the big news broke. Paul Molitor announced that Phil Hughes was being moved to the bullpen and Fernando Romero will come up to make his first MLB start on Wednesday. Romero is the Twins #2 Prospectand is ready for any role with the Twins.The Rochester Red Wings announced that RH RP Luke Bard had rejoined the team after his time with the Angels as a Rule 5 pick.Reports indicate that LHP Kevin Marnon has been promoted from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 5, Pawtucket 1 Box Score The Red Wings have struggled to score runs all of April, so when they scored three runs in the first inning on Monday, there was reason for excitement. Combined with a strong pitching performance, the Red Wings ended April with 9-10 record. Dietrich Enns made the start. The left-hander gave up just one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out just one, but it was a needed quality start for the Red Wings. DJ Baxendale came on and threw two scoreless innings. Mason Melotakis got the ninth frame and got out of it without allowing a run. Willians Astudillo led the offense. He went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Leonardo Reginnato went 2-for-5 with his sixth double. Brock Stassi went 2-for-5 as well. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Tennessee 3 Box Score It’s been a tough start to the season for outfielder Tanner English. Coming into Monday afternoon’s game, the speedy centerfielder had just four hits in his first 51 at-bats (.078). In fact, after making out his first two at-bats in this game, he was on a stretch in which he was 0-for-23 and 1-for-40. In the 7th inning, English singled to center to break the hitless streak. Down 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, Brian Navarreto singled. Sean Miller sacrificed him to second. LaMonte Wade was walked which brought Tanner English to the plate. On a 1-2 pitch, English connected, hitting a line drive to left. Navarreto scored, and Wade came all the way around from first base with the game-winning run. Manager Tommy Watkins noted after the game, “It was great to see him come through for the team and also for himself. Hopefully this will be the start to him taking off. He has excellent tools, and we’re just trying to get him to believe in himself.” On the mound, starter Randy LeBlanc continued (and finished) his strong April with another good start. The right-hander gave up two runs on seven hits over the first 5 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four. Anthony McIver came on and got the final out of the sixth inning, worked a scoreless seventh frame, and he got the first two outs of the eighth inning. He gave up just one hit and struck out three. Williams Ramirez recorded the final out of the eighth frame. He was charged with an unearned run in the top of the ninth to put the Lookouts down 3-2. Brent Rooker got the team on the board in the third inning with a two-run double, his fifth of the year. Chris Paul and Brian Navarreto each went 2-4. LaMonte Wade went 1-3 with two walks. English went 2-4 with his second double and the game-tying and -winning RBI. English said following the game, “It definitely felt good. It felt good to end the series with that win. I’ve been struggling a bit, so I was just happy to have some good ABs, the hits were just an added bonus. We all look forward to taking that momentum into Mobile.” MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers Box Score No Game Scheduled. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids Box Score No Game Scheduled. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Willians Astudillo, Rochester Red Wings (3-5, 2B(3), 2 RBI) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Dietrich Enns, Rochester Red Wings (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-3, BB, 2B(5), 2 RBI #14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) - 1-3, 2 BB, K, R TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (5:15 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (1st AAA start of the year) Chattanooga - No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ Tampa (5:30 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi (1-0, 1.93 ERA) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina (1-0, 1.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s full schedule of games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

The Twins were off on Thursday and so were half the Minor League affiliates. The Cedar Rapids Kernels were rained out for the sixth straight day and haven’t played since last Friday. With the Red Wings on a scheduled off day, there were just a couple of teams in action on Thursday night. The Lookouts and the Miracle both rode strong pitching performances to victories, find out more below.TRANSACTIONS Fort Myers Miracle placed RHP Colton Davis on the 7-day disabled list and activated 2B Luis Arraez from the 7-day disabled list. RED WINGS REPORT OFF CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jacksonville 1 Box Score The Lookouts put a three-spot on the board in the bottom of the first inning and then didn’t bother to score again as the pitching staff carried them the rest of the way, giving up just one run late in the game. Randy LeBlanc started and earned the win to move to 2-1 on the year with six innings of scoreless baseball. LeBlanc scattered five hits, walked one, and struck out three. Zack Jones pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but not without challenge as he walked three and escaped unharmed thanks to a pair of strike outs. Williams Ramirez picked up his third save of the year, this one of the six-out variety. He gave up one run on one hit, he walked two and struck out one. Bunching all of their runs in the first inning, the Lookouts sent seven men to the plate and could have scored more if not for making two outs on the base paths. Chris Paul had the Lookouts’ only extra-base hit of the night, during the first inning rally, his only hit of the night. He finished 1-for-3 with that double, a walk, and a run scored. Brent Rooker, T.J. White, and Brian Navarreto each added a pair of singles. A hero the last couple of days, Zander Wiel added another RBI as part of a 1-for-3 night that also included a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Dunedin 2 Box Score Fort Myers committed three errors and still came out on top on Thursday night thanks to some excellent pitching that gave up just three hits and one earned run. Starter Tyler Wells moved to 2-0 on the year with five full innings of one-hit baseball. He struck out only two but did not issue a single walk. He was replaced by Max Cody who gave up an unearned run on one hit and a walk. Carlos Suniaga earned his first save of the year, also a two-inning save just like Williams Ramirez up in AA. He gave up a run on one hit, and a walk. He struck out two. The Miracle scored three of their four runs on a pair of home runs. Jimmy Kerrigan, who finished a single short of the cycle as part of his 3-for-4 night hit a solo home run. The other dinger was a two-run shot off the bat of Joe Cronin in the seventh inning. Cronin was 2-for-3 with a double and that home run, and three RBIs. As a team, the Miracle had 10 hits, two walks, and they struck out eight times. Luis Arraez played in his first game since April 8, 2017. He was 0-for-4 and made a pair of errors at second base. KERNELS NUGGETS Doubleheader Postponed - Rain STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jimmy Kerrigan, Fort Myers Miracle TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily top 20 prospects performed: #3. Nick Gordon – 0-4, 1R, 1SO #7. Brent Rooker – 2-4, 1SO #13. Lewin Diaz – 1-3, 3B, 1R, 1SO #14. LaMonte Wade – 1-4, 1R #17. Travis Blankenhorn – 2-4, 1R FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Columbus, 5:35 pm CT - Adalberto Mejia Chattanooga vs. Jacksonville, 6:15 pm CT - Lewis Thorpe Fort Myers at Bradenton, 5:30 pm CT - Charlie Barnes Cedar Rapids vs. Kane County, 6:36 pm CT - Blayne Enlow Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday's games. Click here to view the article

Labor Day Weekend is here and with it comes what many consider the last weekend of summer. For baseball fans, this means the playoffs are right around the corner. Luckily for fans of the Twins organization almost every affiliate will be competing in postseason play. Only the Red Wings have yet to clinch a playoff birth. The GCL and Elizabethton Twins started their playoff journeys on Sunday. Rochester entered Sunday with a two-game lead in the wild card race. What kind of drama would unfold? Read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Pawtucket 7 Box Score Entering play on Sunday, Rochester held their playoff fate in their own hands. The club was leading the wild card standings with two games to play. Lehigh Valley was the only other club still in the race and they had a doubleheader on Sunday where they could make up some ground. Both Robbie Grossman and Hector Santiago were scheduled to start for Rochester as part of their rehab assignment. Santiago struggled on the mound by allowing five earned runs on eight hits including two home runs. He struck out four and walked two. Chris Heston allowed one solo home run in three innings of work. Drew Rucinski finished off the game with two shutout innings. Matt Hauge was the lone bright spot at the plate. He went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles as he reached 30 doubles on the season. Daniel Palka picked up both RBI in the game as part of a 1-for-4 effort. Lehigh Valley won their first game on Sunday to cut the Red Wings wild card lead to 0.5 game. In their second game of the day, they would win again which means the two clubs will enter play on Monday tied in the wild card standings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Montgomery 1 Box Score It took five innings for the Lookouts bats to wake up but they continued to roll against Montgomery. Chattanooga has won 14 of their last 15 games against Montgomery including wins in the last six games. Randy LeBlanc had a lot to do with tonight's win as he tossed eight innings of one-run ball. He struck out seven and didn't issue a free pass. Todd Van Steensel closed out the ninth with two strikeouts. Edgar Corcino has been destroying Biscuits pitching in this series. In all four games, he's recorded multiple hits. His biggest hit in this game was a three-run home run. For the series, Corcino is 9-for-19 with two doubles, a home run, and seven RBI. LaMonte Wade, Ryan Strausborger, and Alex Perez all had multi-hit games. Brian Olson was the only starter that failed to reach base. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Jupiter 7 Box Score In the regular season finale, the Miracle didn't have much on the line. Monday will be an off-day for the club before Game 1 of the 2017 FSL South Division Championship series against the Palm Beach Cardinals on Tuesday at Hammond Stadium. Brent Rooker and Jermaine Palacios both went 2-for-4 with Palacios collecting a double and a triple. Zander Wiel collected his 30th double of the season. Kevin Garcia went 1-for-4. The team went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. Brady Anderson pitched four innings and allowed two runs on five hits while striking out five. Eduardo Del Rosario was hit around for five earned runs while walking three. Alex Robinson, Williams Ramirez, and Michael Theofanopoulos combined for four shutout innings to end the game. Ramirez struck out three over two innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Beloit 3 Box Score Royce Lewis started the game by reaching base on a fielding error but he was removed from the game. He left the field under his own power and was replaced by Trey Cabbage. Tommy Watkins had this to say after the game: Cabbage came around to score on a Caleb Hamilton single and the Kernels had an early 1-0 lead. Randy Dobnak tossed seven strong innings, allowing two runs over seven frames. He struck out one and walked one on the way to a no-decision. Jordan Gore and Travis Blankenhorn both doubled in the eighth to help the Kernels tie the game. Ryan Mason took over for Dobnak and had to deal with a bunch of bunts by Beloit. The first batter of the inning bunted and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a sacrifice bunt and a walk, Jesus Lopez used a squeeze bunt to push across the winning run. The Kernels host the Kane County Cougars in Game 1 of the MWL Western Division Quarterfinals on Wednesday, September 6th. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 2, Greeneville 3 (Appalachian League Playoffs- Game 1) Box Score- Best-of-3 Series J.J. Robinson staked the E-Twins to an early lead with a lead-off home run in the top of the second inning. Bailey Ober got the Game 1 start and quickly gave back a run in the bottom of the second. Overall, he allowed two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and no walks. It was his second start out of his last three where he pitched six innings and allowed two runs or fewer. Akil Baddoo, the Twins Minor League Player of the Week, walked to start the top of the eighth. With two outs in the frame, Jose Miranda doubled to right field and Baddoo came around to tie the game. Jared Finkel saw the lead evaporate in the bottom half of eighth. With one out, Wilson Amador singled and this was followed by Juan Pineda triple that became the game-winning hit. The E-Twins have to win each of the next two games to advance in the Appy League Playoffs. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 0, GCL Nationals 4 (GCL Semifinals) Box Score The GCL Twins couldn't get their offense firing on all cylinders in this one as only three batters in the line-up managed to record a hit. Benjamin Rodriguez and Taylor Grzelakowski both went 2-for-4 with a double but neither batter was able to come around and score. Kerby Camacho was the only other Twins hitter to record a hit as he went 1-for-2. Overall, the team went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. Third-round pick Blayne Enlow started for the GCL and made it through five innings. He allowed three earned runs (four total runs) on five hits with six strikeouts and one walk. Kevin Marnon and Derek Molina combined for three shutout innings in relief with Molina recording strikeouts for three of the five outs he collected. The GCL Twins saw their season come to a heartbreaking end but there were plenty of strong performances throughout the season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga Lookouts (8.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 K, 0 BB) Hitter of the Day – Edgar Corcino, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Pawtucket (12:35 CST) - LHP Adalberto Mejia (0-1, 3.04 ERA) Chattanooga vs.Mississippi (1:15 CST) - RHP Ryan Eades (3-3, 3.87 ERA) Fort Myers- Scheduled Off-Day Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (2:00 CST) - TBD Elizabethton vs. Greeneville (6:00 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins were well rested on Tuesday night after the off-day, and picked up a win against a White Sox squad that bested the Twins in a five-game series last week.Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Tuesday. Transactions: Twins sent Hector Santiago on rehab in Rochester, and the Lookouts sent Matt Tracy on a rehab assignment in the GCL. Anthony Marzi was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Fort Myers. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1 @ Scranton/WB 8 Box Score It is hard to win a game when you only score one run, and harder yet when you give up eight of them, and so it was as Rochester dropped Tuesday’s game against Scranton. Matt Hague was the only Wings player with multiple hits, 2-4 with a walk. The Wings had no extra-base hits, and walked just twice as a team, against 8 strike- outs. Tough night for Carlos Paulino who was 0-4 with 3 strike outs and he had a throwing error and a passed ball behind the dish. Hector Santiago went just 2.2 innings, gave up a hit, a run, walked two and struck out one in the first outing of his rehab assignment. Santiago was lifted for Chris Heston, who gave up six runs (five earned) in just 0.2 innings. He gave up five hits, walked two, struck out two, and gave up as many home runs as outs recorded. Luke Bard gave the Red Wings 1.2 innings of one run ball, striking out three. Nik Turley pitched 2.0 strong innings, giving up a hit, and struck out two. Mason Melotakis finished the game, giving up a hit in an inning of work. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3 @ Jackson 1 Box Score Chattanooga took a 2-1 lead in the fourth and then hung on the rest of the way, adding an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Even though he was 3-4 with three doubles, T.J. White played second fiddle to his teammate. Jonathan Rodriguez was the hero of the day, 1-4 with a two-run home run, driving in the winning run. LaMonte Wade had a nice day at the dish as well, 2-3 with two runs scored, a double and a walk. Great night on the bump for Randy LeBlanc. He earned the win moving to 4-4, with 7.1 innings of one-run (unearned) ball. He struck out two, walked one and scattered six hits. Gabriel Moya earned the five-out save, giving up a hit and striking out one. Moya lowered his ERA on the season to 0.80. Moya, if you have forgotten, was the return from the Diamondbacks in the John Ryan Murphy trade. Moya has a 0.71 ERA with the Lookouts over 12 games (12.2 IP), with 16 strikeouts and just three walks. On the year, he has 84 strike outs and only 15 walks. Looking like a pretty nice pickup. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 5 @ St. Lucie 3 Box Score Fort Myers scored all five of their runs in the fifth inning, but did enough damage against the St. Lucie Mets to earn a road win. Three of the Lookouts nine hits were for extra bases, all doubles, one each from Sean Miller, Mitchell Kranson and Zandier Wiel. Wiel also added a stolen base. The Lookouts should have scored a few more runs on Tuesday night, but were just 1-10 with runners in scoring position. Brent Rooker did not hit a dinger, going 0-3, with a run scored, the first time he has been hitless since August 16th, almost 2 weeks ago. Starter Sean Poppen earned a win with 5.0 innings of three-run baseball. He gave up six hits, struck out five and walked just one. The Bullpen then did great work the rest of the way, holding the Mets to just one hit for the next four innings. One inning from Michael Theofanopoulos (he gave up the hit), 2.0 innings from Sam Clay, and 1.0 from Tom Hackimer, earning his sixth save of the year. The Miracle pitchers struck out 10 batters on Tuesday night, and walked four. E-Twins E-Notes Elizabethton 6 @ Kingsport 3 Box Score The Elizabethon Twins were electric in the late innings, tying the game with a run in the top of the eighth, and putting the game out of reach with a three-spot in the ninth. The Twins got home runs from Wander Javier (three-run jack in the ninth), Jose Miranda (solo show tin the eighth), and J.J. Robinson (two-run dinger in the fourth). Rainis Silva didn’t have any home runs, but was 3-5 on the night, a pretty good day at the plate, and he’s now hitting .330. Randy Dobnak put the Twins in a position to win, pitching 5.0 innings, giving up just one run and striking out four. Then Jose Martinez came in, giving up a pair of runs over 2.0 innings and finally, Jovani Moran vultured a W when the Twins took a late lead, as he gave the club 2.0 scoreless innings, walking one and striking out FIVE. Moran has now stuck out five batters in his last four appearances (2.0, 2.0, 2.1, and 2.0 IP respectively), good for 20 Ks against just 2 walks. Moran was a seventh round draftee in the 2015 draft out of Puerto Rico, and has excelled as a closer for E-Town after missing 2016 due to the removal of bone chips in his elbow. GCL Twins Takes GCL Rays 2 @ GCL Twins 3 (Game 1) Box Score The Twins and Rays played a doubleheader to make up for Monday’s rain out, with each team taking a turn as the home team at the Twins complex on Tuesday afternoon. The home team ended up winning both games! In Game 1, the Twins used a couple of Rays errors to score some extra runs, taking advantage of what the Rays gave them to get a win, despite going just 2-11 with runners in scoring position. Ricky De La Torre was 2-3 with a run scored, and Jared Akins was 2-3 as a well. Benjamin Rodriguez had the only RBI of the night, an RBI single, part of a 1-2 night with a walk, and a run scored. Matt Tracy pitched 4.0 innings, on a rehab start from Chattanooga, gave up just 2 hits and one run. He walked no one and struck out six. He was replaced by Blayne Enlow, who earned the win with 3.0 innings of three-hit, one-run baseball. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 0 @ GCL Rays 1 (Game 2) Box Score In Game 2, with the Rays masquerading as the home team, the Twins fell 1-0. Twins bats couldn’t do much, and Alex Robles (2-3, 2B) had half of the team’s hits. Twins pitchers only gave up two hits in the second half of the doubleheader, but a handful of walks helped the Rays win. Starter Tyler Benninghoff started the game with 2.0 scoreless innings. He faced the minimum, and struck out two. Pedro Garcia was tagged with the loss, as he gave up a run over 3.0 innings, he walked three and struck out four. Zach Featherstone finished the game for the Twins, 1.0 inning, one hit, and one strikeout. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – T.J. White, Chattanooga Lookouts WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/WB (6:05pm) – Adalberto Mejia (0-1, 3.48) Chattanooga @ Jackson (5:30pm) - TBD Fort Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30pm) – Clark Beeker (1-1, 9.00) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (6:35pm) – Tyler Watson (0-3, 4.84) Elizabethton @ Kingsport (5:30pm) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00am) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday's games. Click here to view the article

The Twins opened a series in Boston on Monday night and the affiliates played eight games, six of which will be profiled here. (The two DSL games from Monday are linked here and here.) The Twins optioned Dillon Gee after Monday night’s game to make room on the roster for Hector Santiago. Let’s check in on the large slate of Monday’s games.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Buffalo 3 (Game 1) Box Score After surrendering three runs in the first four innings, the Red Wings ended the first half of the doubleheader with four unanswered runs to win the seven-inning affair. A three-run fifth inning, led by doubles off the bats of ByungHo Park and Mitch Garver helped tie the game and two sixth inning doubles by Tommy Field and Niko Goodrum gave the Red Wings the lead for good. Zack Granite added two more hits, including a double, and improved his average to .363. David Hurlbut secured the win with 5.2 innings, allowing eight hits and four walks, while striking out five and allowing five runs. Jake Reed picked up the four-out save. He struck out one and gave up two hits. Rochester 4, Buffalo 2 (Game 2) Box Score You may have heard this before, but Zack Granite led off the game with a single and came around to score the game’s first run. In the second inning, Granite added his second single driving in Bengie Gonzalez, who had doubled earlier. Granite finished the game batting .365. Buffalo scored a run in the bottom of the second off Aaron Slegers, who allowed two runs on two walks and seven hits over five innings. He struck out four and improved to 7-4 on the season. Leo Reginatto hit a two-run home run in the third inning to make the difference in the game. John Curtiss, who picked up the hold, and Ryan Pressly, who struck out two in picking up the save, each pitched a scoreless inning. The Red Wings improved to 40-34 with their two wins on Monday. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Pensacola 6 Box Score The game started off perfectly for the Lookouts. Randy LeBlanc sent down Pensacola 1-2-3 in the first inning. The bottom half started with singles from Nick Gordon and Levi Michael before a walk to LaMonte Wade loaded the bases. A sacrifice fly by Jonathan Rodriguez scored Gordon and the game’s first run. But that was where the scoring for the Lookouts stopped. Five more hits (including a Wade triple) and no more runs were all the club could muster. LeBlanc’s night got worse too. In 5.2 innings, he allowed three runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out seven. Todd Van Steensel got the next four outs. Raul Fernandez gave up three runs in his frame before turning it over to Luke Bard, who completed a scoreless inning, striking out the side. It was the first-half champ Lookouts first loss in the season’s second half (4-1). MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers - OFF DAY KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Burlington 6 Box Score Burlington scored five early-inning runs and the Kernels couldn’t string together enough hits to get back into the game. Christian Cavaness led the offense with two hits, scoring one of the team’s runs. Travis Blankenhorn scored the team’s other run. He had a hit and two walks. Caleb Hamilton had a double. Lewin Diaz was credited with the team’s sole RBI, his 42nd on the season. Tyler Wells took the loss, dropping to 4-2. Wells gave up five runs (three earned) on two walks and seven hits. He struck out two. Patrick McGuff gave up a run in three innings. Logan Lombana finished the game with two shutout innings. The defense was definitely missing recently-promoted shortstop Jermaine Palacios, as his replacement Ariel Montesino committed two errors. Burlington also stole four bases, three while Wells was pitching. The playoff-bound Kernels dropped to 2-3 in the second half. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Pulaski 6 Box Score Errors were the story in this game too as Elizabethton committed four of them. Griffin Jax pitched 4.2 innings, allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits. He struck out seven but was hurt by his defense behind him. Bryan Sammons, working in relief, struck out five in three innings, allowing one run. Jose Martinez struck out two in 1.1 innings. Wander Javier walked and doubled. He also struck out, was caught stealing and committed an error. Trey Cabbage doubled and stole third base. Matt Albanese went 1-3 and stole a base… but saw his average drop to .625. Robert Molina hit a home run. Brent Rooker went 0-4 with two strikeouts. The E-Twins are 3-2. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 5, GCL Orioles 2 Box Score Royce Lewis started his professional career off with a bang: A home run in his first at-bat. He singled later. He batted second and played shortstop. Here is video of the home run, courtesy of Darren Wolfson. (I got a video sent to me from a scout on hand... which I would have used if there wasn't better quality video, which there is. Next time.) Jean Carlos Arias was 2-3. He doubled, hit a home run and drove in three runs. This is a welcomed sight after he struggled to an OPS of .531 in his first go-around in the GCL in 2016. Justin Haley allowed a hit and struck out one batter in his one-inning rehab look. Brusdar Graterol, who will be a Top 10 Twins prospect sooner rather than later, struck out four in four one-hit innings. Jose Bermudez got knocked around for five hits and two runs in 1.1 inning. He walked two. Bermudez pitched in the closer’s role for the DSL affiliate last year (and struggled). Vadim Balan pitched 2.2 innings. He gave up one hit, but picked up the win while striking out one. The GCL Twins are 1-0. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Brusdar Graterol, GCL Twins Hitter of the Day – Zack Granite, Rochester TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Buffalo (6:05 CST) - LHP Nik Turley (1-2, 3.49 ERA) Fort Myers vs Clearwater (6:05 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak (3-3, 3.57 RHP) Cedar Rapids vs Burlington (6:35 CST) - RHP Colton Davis (3-1, 1.36 ERA) Elizabethton vs Pulaski (6:00 CST) - TBA GCL Twins at GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) - TBA Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Chattanooga Lookouts put together a comeback victory that clinched a first half division title, thus solidifying their spot in the Southern League playoffs. Find out what else happened around the Twins' minor leagues on Friday. TRANSACTIONS Several moves were made in the system and we'll update them as we hear them. Twins Daily has learned that along with Adam Wilk, the Twins will promote RHPs Alex Wimmers and Alan Busenitz. As Wimmers was only optioned four days ago, he can be the 26th man, or the Twins would have to place a pitcher on the DL.Hearing at least one pitcher is moving up from Chattanooga to Rochester as well. Again, more as we can confirm.RED WINGS REPORTRochester at Pawtucket POSTPONED This was the 10th postponement of Rochester’s season. They’ll be playing a doubleheader tomorrow. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Tennessee 3 Box Score The Lookouts are the first half champions of the Southern League North Divison, clinching a playoff berth, after a crazy comeback in the top of the ninth. Trailing 3-2 entering the final inning, T.J. White led off with a broken-bat single. Levi Michael followed with a walk. Dan Rohlfing dropped down a sacrifice bunt, but the Smokies first baseman decided to try to get the out at third, airmailing the ball into left field instead. White and Michael came around to score, giving the Lookouts the lead. Rohlfing would later come around to score on a passed ball. A broken bat, a walk, an error and a passed ball. The Baseball Gods were certainly on Chattanooga’s side tonight. Luke Bard pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the victory for the Lookouts. Starter Randy LeBlanc gave up two runs on five hits over 5.1 innings. He had four strikeouts and walked one batter. White was 3-for-4 with a double and scored twice. Edgar Corcino tallied a pair of hits. Nick Anderson pitched a scoreless eighth inning to keep the game within a run for the Looks, who are now 40-28 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS OFF It’s the all-star break for the Florida State League. All-Stars from Fort Myers are Sam Clay, Dereck Rodriguez, Brian Navarreto and Chris Paul. The game is tomorrow. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 5, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score The Kernels jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first inning thanks to a Christian Cavaness bases-clearing triple, but Clinton just kept chipping away, scoring single runs in the second, fourth, sixth and eighth innings to complete the comeback. Over six innings, Eduardo Del Rosario gave up four runs, walked three batters and surrendered seven hits. Ryan Mason was credited with the loss after giving up the game-winning run in the eighth inning. Colton Davis pitched a perfect ninth, lowering his ERA to 1.45. Cedar Rapids recorded just seven hits on the night, three of which came from Cavaness. Ben Rortvedt, who has been heating up of late, was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. Tomorrow night there figures to be an excellent crowd in Cedar Rapids, as the Kernels are giving away Mike Trout bobbleheads. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga (5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – T.J. White, Chattanooga (3-for-4, double, 2 runs) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERSS Rochester at Pawtucket, 3:35 pm CT, Yohan Pino (7.82 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) Rochester at Pawtucket, Game 2, Chris Heston (4.62 ERA, 1.35 WHIP) Chattanooga at Tennessee, 6 pm CT, TBA Cedar Rapids vs. Clinton, 6:35 CT, Tyler Wells (2.02 ERA, 0.98 WHIP) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday's games. Click here to view the article

The Twins are less than 24 hours from an influx of talent into their farm system. Obviously, some of these players won't sign right away but this time of year can always pull minor league fans in opposite directions. It's great to add new talent but that also means other players could be out of a job as new players take their place. It's tough to consider but some players might be in their final days in a Twins uniform. With only three affiliates playing on Sunday, who stood out above the crowd? Read on to find out.Roster Moves RHP Nik Turley, contract purchased by Minnesota LHP Matt Tracy was moved from Chattanooga to Rochester LHP Randy Rosario was optioned from Minnesota to Chattanooga RHP Drew Rucinski, designated for assignment LHP Nick Greenwood, released RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Syracuse 5 Box Score Rochester got their offense moving in the second inning. Niko Goodrum singled to start the frame. ByungHo Park doubled before a J.B. Shuck triple plated a pair of runs. JR Murphy used a sac-fly to push the Rochester lead to 3-0. In the next inning, Matt Hague walked before a Tommy Field double moved him to third. Park singled and Shuck doubled as each batter drove in a run. After Syracuse scored three runs in the top of the fourth, Rochester needed to find some way to answer. Zach Granite started the frame with a double. Mitch Garver moved him to third on a come-backer to the mound. Matt Hague brought him in on a sacrifice fly to extend the lead back to three runs. With Nik Turley making his big league debut, Matt Tracy started for Rochester. He went five frames and allowed three runs on six hits. He struck out four and walked two. Trevor Hildenberger ran into some sixth inning trouble as he allowed two runs and the Chiefs were one run away from tying the game. Park, Shuck and Engelb Vielma were all 2-for-4. Alan Busenitz and Ryan Pressly each pitched a shutout inning to close the game. Busenitz allowed a double, a wild pitch, and a walk before a huge inning-ending double play. Pressly struck out the side in the ninth and all three strikeouts were swinging. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Montgomery 4 Box Score Chattanooga jumped early on Montgomery's pitching staff. Jonathan Rodriguez and Dan Gamache reached with a walk and a single to start the threat. With two outs, Jose Gonzalez walked to load the bases. A Ryan Walker single brought in the first two runs of the game. Nick Gordon finished the frame with a two-run triple to put Chattanooga up 4-0. In the next inning, Rodriguez singled and scored two batters later on a TJ White single to extend the Lookouts' lead. Randy LeBlanc had just pitched out of the bullpen three days ago so he was on a short pitch count. He scattered five hits and struck out five through four shutout frames. Raul Fernandez continued posting zeros as he didn't allow a run in two innings while striking out one. From there, things got a little dicey for the bullpen. Todd Van Steensel allowed a one-out double before a wild pitch moved the runner to third. A sacrifice fly scored Montgomery's first run of the game. Recently returned Randy Rosario ran into some trouble himself. He gave up three singles and a walk but a key strikeout kept the bleeding to one run. Jake Reed entered the ninth with a three-run lead and he needed every one of them. He walked two of the first four batters before a double cut the lead to 5-3. During the next at-bat, Reed uncorked a wild pitch that allowed the runner to scamper in from third. A line out to center ended the threat and the Lookouts came away with the big win. With the win, the Lookouts move into sole possession of first place in the Southern League North Division. Tennessee lost on Sunday and sits a half a game behind Chattanooga. Montgomery is two games back. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Burlington 4 Box Score The Kernels got out to a quick start as they used back-to-back doubles from Mitchell Kranson and Jaylin Davis to score the game's first run. Cedar Rapids had three hits in the first frame but they were held to only two more hits the rest of the way. Kranson is in the middle of a career-best seven game hit streak. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-for-4. Hitters five through nine in the Kernel's line-up reached base one time. Max Cordy made a spot start and had a career high-tying four shutout innings. He had to get out of a bases loaded jam in the second and then Davis had to throw out a runner at home in the fourth. Evan Sanders took the loss as he allowed three runs on three hits with two walks. Logan Lombana allowed a solo home run in his two innings with two strikeouts. Colton Davis struck out two as part of two scoreless innings. Even with the loss, the Kernels have their destiny in their own hands. Entering the final week of the first half, Cedar Rapids leads the Midwest League Western Division by one game over Kane County and sits two games above Quad Cities. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga Lookouts (4 IP, 0 ER, 5 K, BB, 5 H) Hitter of the Day – JB Shuck, Rochester Red Wings (2-for-4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester - Scheduled Off Day Chattanooga @ Montgomery (7:05 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge (6-1, 3.32 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Charlotte (6:05 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (0-2, 1.38 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Burlington (12:05 CST) - RHP Tyler Wells (3-0, 2.05 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

In the last two day, lefties Lewis Thorpe and Stephen Gonsalves have returned to the mound. Several hitters have started heating up. In one week, you’ll notice there have been some changes in the Twins Minor League Leaderboard. Find out who is leading the Twins minor leagues in a variety of statistics, and then feel free to discuss.But first, let’s take a quick look at how the Twins’ affiliates currently stack up in their leagues. Rochester is 19-18. The Red Wings are 6.5 games back in the International League North Division. They’re in fourth place in the division.In the first half, Chattanooga is 23-20. That puts them tied for second place, 2.0 games in the Southern League’s South division.Ft. Myers has won seven straight games and is 23-20 and in second place in the Florida State League’s South division.Cedar Rapids is 25-17 so far this season. They are currently tied with Kane County (19-14) at the top of the Midwest League’s Western Division.With that, let’s look at the minor league statistical leader board (through games on Saturday, May 20). THE HITTERS (Rate numbers- minimum 114 plate appearances) Plate Appearances - Chris Paul (179), Nick Gordon (178), Zander Wiel (172), Max Murphy (171), Jermaine Palacios (168). Batting Average - Chris Paul (.337), Jermaine Palacios (.325), LaMonte Wade (.314), Edgar Corcino (.303), Nick Gordon (.300). On-Base Percentage - LaMonte Wade (.442), Chris Paul (.380), Edgar Corcino (.371), Jermaine Palacios (.369), Nick Gordon (.365). Slugging Percentage - Jermaine Palacios (.535), Lewin Diaz (.500), Jaylin Davis (.497), Aaron Whitefield (.477), Nick Gordon (.475). OPS - Jermaine Palacios (.904), LaMonte Wade (.896), Nick Gordon (.840), Chris Paul (.828), Lewin Diaz (.815). Hits - Chris Paul (55), Jermaine Palacios (51), Nick Gordon (48), Lewin Diaz (45), Max Murphy/Edgar Corcino (40). Doubles - Lewin Diaz (16), Chris Paul/Zander Wiel/Mitchell Kranson (12), Tommy Field (11). Triples - Jermaine Palacios/Zander Wiel/Nick Gordon (5), Rafael Valera (4), eight with 2. Home Runs - Jaylin Davis (9), Daniel Palka (7), Jermaine Palacios/Aaron Whitefield/Lewin Diaz (5), five tied with four. Runs Scored - Jermaine Palacios (32), LaMonte Wade (27), Max Murphy (26), Jaylin Davis (24), Jonathan Rodriguez/Chris Paul (23). RBI - Lewin Diaz (27), Zander Wiel (26), Jaylin Davis/Nick Gordon (23), Chris Paul (22). SB - Zach Granite (9), Tanner English (8), Aaron Whitefield (7), Jermaine Palacios/Jaylin Davis/Max Murphy (6). . THE STARTING PITCHERS (Rate number - minimum 32.0 innings) Innings Pitched: Dereck Rodriguez (50.0), Clark Beeker (45.2), Sean Poppen (45.1), Aaron Slegers (42.1), Randy LeBlanc/Lachlan Wells (41.0). ERA: Jose Berrios (1.13), Sean Poppen (2.38), Randy LeBlanc (2.41), Tyler Wells (2.65), Clark Beeker (2.76). WHIP: Jose Berrios (0.81), Clark Beeker (0.99), Tyler Wells (1.09), Sean Poppen (1.103), Cody Stashak (1.105). K/9: Tyler Wells (11.9), Eduardo Del Rosario/David Fischer (9.6), Jose Berrios (8.8), Sean Poppen (8.7). BB/9: Clark Beeker (1.4), Dereck Rodriguez/Sean Poppen (1.6), Tyler Beardsley/Jose Berrios (1.8). K: Nik Turley (54), Tyler Wells (45), Sean Poppen (44), Eduardo Del Rosario (43), Dereck Rodriguez/Jose Berrios (39) THE RELIEF PITCHERS (Rate numbers - minimum 13.0 innings, and less than 2 starts) Innings Pitched: Brady Anderson (30.0), Randy Rosario (26.0), Sam Clay (24.0), Anthony McIver (23.0), Williams Ramirez (21.1). ERA: John Curtiss (0.00), Nick Burdi (0.57), Nick Anderson (1.04), Williams Ramirez (1.69), Randy Rosario (1.73). WHIP: Nick Burdi (0.64), Tom Hackimer (0.65), Nick Anderson (0.75), Alan Busenitz (0.81), Randy Rosario (0.85) K/9: Andrew Vasquez (14.3), Luke Bard (13.7), Alex Robinson (13.5), Alan Busenitz (11.8), John Curtiss/Todd Van Steensel (11.7). BB/9: Brady Anderson/Tom Hackimer (0.9), Nick Anderson (1.0), Drew Rucinski (1.4), Hector Lujan (1.6) K: Luke Bard (31), Andrew Vasquez (26), Alex Robinson (25), Sam Clay (24), Tom Hackimer (22). Saves: John Curtiss/Tom Hackimer (6), Alex Wimmers (4), Mason Melotakis/Jonny Drozd/Max Cordy (3). Feel free to ask questions about any of the players or teams. Click here to view the article

The Ft. Myers Miracle played a morning game on Wednesday. All four Twins affiliates played, but the Miracle game was the only one that didn’t go to extra innings. Kevin Chapman arrived in Rochester. The move also meant that Raul Fernandez was sent down to Chattanooga. Those moves happened before the Twins claimed Adam Wilk and sent Drew Rucinski down to Rochester.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Wednesday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 2 (11) Box Score David Hurlbut continued the terrific start to his season. The left-hander went six innings and gave up just one run on seven hits. He walked one and struck out three to drop his season ERA to 1.59 on the season. Trevor Hildenberger struck out one in a perfect seventh inning. Nik Turley then threw two shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out two. Alex Wimmers pitched a scoreless tenth inning. However, he went back out for the 11th inning and gave up a game-winning, walkoff homer. Despite extra innings, the Red Wings managed just six hits. Their lone run came off rehabbing Aaron Nola when Ben Paulsen drove in a run with a single. Daniel Palka went 2-3 with a walk and his fourth double. Tommy Field added a double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Montgomery 4 (12 innings) Box Score The Lookouts also needed extra innings to decide their Wednesday game. And unfortunately, they too came up short. Randy LeBlanc made the start. He gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out two. Raul Fernandez, just sent down from Rochester, threw 2.2 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out two. Mason Melotakis finally gave up a run. The left-hander came into the game with 12.1 scoreless innings. He surpassed 13 innings before giving up a run on a wild pitch, which tied the game at three in the 11th. Todd Van Steensel came in for the 12th frame. He recorded two outs, but he gave up a run on two hits to take the loss. LaMonte Wade went 3-6. Nick Gordon went 2-6 with his seventh double. Engelb Vielma went 2-5 with two RBI. Levi Michael went 2-4 with a walk and his third double. Jon Rodriguez went 2-5 with a walk. LaMonte Wade’s season has been very interesting. In his first ten games, he hit .103/.229/.103 (.332). In his next 20 games, he hit .421/.557/.667 (1.224). And that was before the 3-6 on Wednesday. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 0, Palm Beach 5 Box Score The Miracle played a morning education game with lots of kids at the stadium. Keaton Steele was on the mound to start for Ft. Myers. He gave up two runs in the first inning and three more in the second despite leaving with two outs. In 1.2 innings, he gave up five runs on eight hits. Jonny Drozd came on and provided 3.1 shutout innings. He gave up just two hits and struck out one. Williams Ramirez walked two and gave up one hit over two scoreless innings. He struck out two. Sam Clay and Nick Anderson each pitched a scoreless inning. That puts Anderson at 13.1 scoreless innings to start the season. Sam Clay has a streak of 17.2 scoreless innings. Sean Miller provided much of the Miracle offense. He went 3-4 with his seventh double. Zander Wiel went 1-3 with a walk and his 12th double. Max Murphy went 1-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Dayton 5 (10 innings) Box Score Apparently the theme of the night is extra innings, and the Kernels needed to go one extra frame before settling their game. Tyler Wells made the start. The right-hander gave up three runs on four hits (including two homers) in five innings. He walked two and struck out six. Hector Lujan gave up four hits over two scoreless innings. Alex Robinson struck out two in his scoreless inning. Colton Davis came in for the ninth inning to protect a two-run lead. However, he gave up a two-run homer which sent the game to extra innings. Lewin Diaz went 3-5 with his 13th double. Ariel Montesino was 2-3 with his fourth double and two sacrifice flies. He also stole his first base. Shane Carrier went 3-4 and was hit by a pitch. He also singled in the game-winning run in the top of the tenth. Colton Davis went back out for the bottom of the tenth inning. He got the first two outs and left with the tying run on third base. Tom Hackimer came on and struck out the one batter he faced to end the game and record his third save. Lewin Diaz hit .224/.264/.358 (.622) in his first 18 games with the Kernels this year. In his past 13 games (including Wednesday night), he has hit .346/.370/.635 (1.005). TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Shane Carrier, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (5:05 CST) - LHP Adalberto Mejia Chattanooga @ Montgomery (7:05 CST) - LHP Matt Tracy Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (5:35 CST) - LHP Lachlan Wells Cedar Rapids @ Bowling Green (2:05 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins spent their off-day between Chicago and Detroit in preparation of their three-game series in Motown. And they didn’t want anything screwing up their hot start. The Tigers finished their series with visiting Boston and the Red Sox had several team employees and players suffering from the flu. The Twins, forced to stay in Chicago an extra night while Red Sox players remained in the city and their hotel, called the Tigers to get the visiting clubhouse fumigated. That’s all the Twins need after a quick start to their season… catching the Red Sox sick germs and losing players.To the minor-league front... We’re still waiting for additional details on second base prospect Luis Arraez. Arraez left Saturday’s game on a cart after an awkward tumble and was placed on the disabled list Monday. To take his place, the Miracle added outfield Casey Scoggins from extended spring training. In brighter news, pitching prospect Jose Berrios was named 2017’s first International League Pitcher of the Week. This comes on the heels of pitching six innings of shut out, seven-strikeout ball on Saturday. All of the affiliates were in action on Monday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Buffalo 9 Box Score After both teams started their seasons with sweeps, one team was bound to fall from the ranks of the undefeated. That team fell behind early and couldn’t mount a comeback. Jason Wheeler, who had a great bounce-back year in 2016 that saw him win 11 games in a Red Wings uniform, was making his 2017 debut. After a first inning that saw Buffalo quickly go down in order, Wheeler ran into trouble. Despite only walking two and a half batters per nine over his 700+ inning minor-league career, Wheeler issued three free passes in the second inning alone. Combine that with a passed ball and two singles and Wheeler was fortunate to escape the inning with only three runners crossing home plate. He settled down - allowing only a solo home run in the fourth - but still only was able to make it through five innings (91 pitches) before being lifted. He struck out three. The bullpen didn’t fare any better. D.J. Baxendale allowed two runs on three hits while recording four outs. Buddy Boshers gave up three runs on four hits and a walk while also recording four outs. Alex Wimmers got the last out of the eighth inning on a strikeout, but not before letting two of his three inherited runners score on a single. The offense collected nine hits, led by Leo Reginatto, who finished a triple short of the cycle and hit his first career AAA home run. He drove in two. Kenny Vargas chipped in with two hits and ByungHo Park doubled in the ninth inning, but was lifted for a pinch-runner. Reports from the field were that he may have aggravated a hamstring. While it could be nothing, it at least bears watching. Rochester falls to 3-1. The two teams collide again on Tuesday afternoon. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Mobile 6 Box Score The Lookouts fell behind 5-0 before putting together a four-run sixth inning to close the gap to 6-5. A two-run eighth inning completed the comeback victory. In the sixth inning, Edgar Corcino led off with a double. He waited there through two outs and a pitching change. Then his teammates got to work. Travis Harrison doubled to score Corcino. LaMonte Wade singled Harrison in. Jairo Rodriguez hit a double to plate Wade. Then Rodriguez scored on a Levi Michael single, who later stole a base. The winning inning came courtesy of another Wade single and then a Rodriguez single. A wild-pitch advanced both runners and Rodriguez, now in scoring position, was replaced by Tanner English. Nick Gordon drove them both in, but was thrown out at second base. Rodriguez ended up with three hits and in addition to those multi-hit players mentioned already, Engelb Vielma also had two hits, including a double and an RBI. Paul Clemens made a forgettable Twins-organization debut. In four innings, he gave up five runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk. Ryan Eades walked three and allowed a solo home run, but was bailed out by Mason Melotakis, who relieved Eades with the bases loaded, but got an infield fly pop out and fly out to end the inning. Melotakis picked up the win. Luke Bard earned the save, but made it interesting by allowing two hits in the ninth. Chattanooga escapes with the win and improves to 3-2. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Tampa 4 (13 innings) Box Score The Miracle scored runs early and got a great performance from pitcher Randy LeBlanc… but ended up losing in a 13-inning game that lasted three and a half hours. LeBlanc struck out eight in seven scoreless innings. He allowed five hits. LeBlanc made 13 starts for the Miracle last year after dominating in Cedar Rapids (and also made one start for Chattanooga). Jonny Drozd allowed three runs in the eighth inning and took a blown save. Nick Anderson pitched two innings of scoreless ball before turning it over to Anthony McIver, who retired five before allowing the winning run. The whole lineup, with the exception of Sean Miller, got a hit or two. But of the 11 hits, only one, a Nelson Molina solo home run, went for extra bases. The team struggled to a 1-8 line with runners in scoring position. Alex Perez was 2-4 with two walks. Fort Myers also made plenty of mistakes: Zander Wiel committed two fielding errors at first base and Rafael Valera and Nelson Molina were both caught stealing. The Miracle drops to 1-4 on the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Kane County 2 Box Score The Kernels ran into a Kane County club that had pitched shutouts in two of their last three games. They saw more of the same on Monday night. Cedar Rapids starter Clark Beeker did his best to keep the Kernels in the game, completing seven innings. He allowed two runs, including a solo home run, on eight hits and a walk. He struck out three. Hector Lujan gave up a walk in his inning of work. The offense just didn’t do enough to score runs. They did collect eight hits - all singles - but went 1-9 with runners in scoring position, struck out 12 times and had an Aaron Whitefield caught-stealing. These things proved problematic. Jermaine Palacios and Brandon Lopez both had two-hit games. The Kernels will look to knock the Cougars from perfection on Tuesday afternoon. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Fort Myers Miracle Hitter of the Day – Leo Reginatto, Rochester Red Wings TUESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Buffalo (12:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (6:00 CST) - LHP Lachlan Wells (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (NOON CST) - RHP Tyler Beardsley (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

Let’s just forget about the Minnesota Twins for a bit. There’re plenty of happy things to talk about. Though it’s not what we wanted to be reading in late August, Byron Buxton was named the International League Hitter of the Week. Randy LeBlanc made his AA debut. Three hitters had four or more hits. Another affiliate clinched a playoff berth. Read all about it here.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Scranton W/B 2 Box Score Tyler Duffey pitched six no-hit innings in his return to AAA before running into trouble in the seventh. He gave up two hits and two runs in that frame and it ended his night. He walked three and struck out five, throwing 97 pitches. Buddy Boshers, who began his rehab assignment, pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning and Jake Reed struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning after allowing a leadoff single. James Beresford led the offense with four hits. He also drew a walk and drove in three runs. John Ryan Murphy and Heiker Meneses both had two-hit games. Byron Buxton was 0-3 with a walk, strikeout and sacrifice fly. Rochester struck out 14 times on Monday night, including a streak of eight straight outs being recorded by strikeout (and 12 of 14). Yet it’s still an improvement from Sunday’s game. (Ouch.) The Red Wings also added catcher Carlos Paulino before the game. At 77-60, Rochester is still fighting for a playoff berth. They trail Lehigh Valley by 3.5 games in the wild card race with seven games to go. The Red Wings close their season with five straight games against Lehigh Valley, so it could be a race to the finish. Stay tuned. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 13, Mississippi 0 Box Score Three big innings - including a five-run first - made this a non-competitive game from the start. Niko Goodrum had four hits - including a three-run home run and a double - and five RBIs. Both D.J. Hicks and Stuart Turner drove in three runs. T.J. White and Hicks both had two-hit games and scored three times. Zach Granite stole his 52nd base. Randy LeBlanc struck out five in seven shutout innings. He walked two and allowed five hits. Randy Rosario closed the game out with two perfect innings which included three strikeouts. With seven games left, the Lookouts trail Montgomery by two games in the fight for a playoff spot. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 5 Box Score Though it was a losing effort, Nick Gordon did something relatively rare, going 5-for-5. He tripled and scored twice. Five other batters got one hit apiece, including a Joe Maloney double. Fort Myers went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and, despite scoring three runs, didn’t produce a single RBI. They scored on an error and two wild pitches. The Miracle went with a bullpen game on Monday using Luke Westphal (three innings), Cam Booser (two innings) and Confesor Lara (three innings). Both Westphal and Lara gave up two runs, Lara gave up one. Booser was the high strikeout guy, with three. With a week remaining in the season, Fort Myers would need to catch both St. Lucie and Jupiter, who are tied atop the FSL South and lead the Miracle by three games. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Clinton 1 Box Score With tonight’s win, the Kernels clinch a berth in the Midwest League playoffs. They’ve accomplished this feat in each of the four season the Twins have been affiliated with the Kernels. The offense got off to a quick start, scoring all six of their runs in the first four innings. Brandon Lopez and Jaylin Davis each had two-hit games. Lopez doubled and drove in two runs. Davis hit a solo home run, his eighth as a Kernel. Both Luis Arraez (.346) and Travis Blankenhorn (.320) collected a hit and have averages over .300. Eduardo Del Rosario gave up one run in 5.2 innings. He struck out seven and allowed seven runners to reach base (three walks, three hits, one HBP). Max Cordy struck out two in 2.1 one-hit innings. Cordy has been a breakout player after being drafted in the 40th round in 2015. Over two levels, he’s struck out 34 in 26 1/3 innings. He does need to work on his control (17 walks) but a 95 mph fastball with an 86 mph slider is a good place to start. Anthony McIver pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out one. This win - the Kernels eighth straight - along with two Burlington losses sends Cedar Rapids to the playoffs. The Kernels will enter the playoffs with the distinction of being the “Second-Half West Winners” and will declare Tuesday which game(s) of the playoffs they host (either Game 1 or Game 2 and 3). Their opponent will likely be Burlington or Wisconsin. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Greeneville 2 Box Score Not a lot of offense to speak of Monday. An Ariel Montesino single preceded Caleb Hamilton and MItchell Kranson walks and Montesino scored on an Amaurys Minier grounded out. The only other hit was a single by Luis Martinez, who also walked twice. Clark Beeker pitched well enough to keep the E-Twins in the game, but the two runs over 6.1 innings was one more than his offense could provide. He struck out six and walked two. Johan Quezada recorded five out, two by strikeout. The E-Twins have made the playoffs and will face Johnson City. They could still overtake the Cardinals to be the division champ, but are two games back. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Rays 3 Box Score The GCL Twins missed an opportunity to tie the Red Sox in the standings and remain a game out of first place with three games left. Aaron Whitfield continues to hit (.309) notching a single on Monday. He didn’t steal a base though, surprisingly. Kidany Salva added an RBI double and Akil Baddoo also drove in a run . Tyler Fox gave up a run over six innings, striking out four and left while in line to pick up the win, but Garrett Kelly blew his third save of the season and took the loss after giving up two runs on four hits in three innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Chattanooga Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Fort Myers TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Syracuse (6:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut (0-1, 2.70 ERA) Chattanooga vs Mississippi (6:15 CST) - RHP Ryan Eades (6-5, 4.44 ERA) Fort Myers at Palm Beach (6:05 CST) - RHP Miles Nordgren (1-4, 5.08 ERA) Elizabethton vs Greeneville (6:00 CST) - RHP Alex Schink (5-2, 5.53 ERA) GCL Twins vs GCL Rays (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article