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Thursday, the Minnesota Twins topped the Seattle Mariners 4-2 to win their home opener. It was also Opening Day for three of the four Twins full-season minor league affiliates. The Chattanooga Lookouts and Ft. Myers Miracle hosted their season openers while the Cedar Rapids Kernels made the trek south to Quad Cities for their first game. We might try a few different things with the minor league reports this year, so be sure to provide feedback in the comments if you like (or don’t like) some of the changes.The three Twins affiliates opened their seasons by playing some competitive games. Two of the games were decided by one run and the other by two. We saw a little of everything. Some good hitting. Some good pitching. Some bad hitting and pitching too. Phil Hughes made a Miracle start. Continue on to find out more. RED WINGS REPORT Red Wings Box Score The Red Wings open their 2018 season on Friday night with Aaron Slegers on the mound. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Birmingham 5 Box Score The Lookouts made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Ryan Walker and Nick Gordon singled, but a game-ending double play hit into by Edgar Corcino ended the threat and the game. When the pitching staff strikes out 14 batters, you expect to win. However, when the same pitching staff walks ten, well, that just doesn’t work well. Walks definitely came back to haunt the Lookouts. Zack Littell got the Opening Day call. The right-hander left the game with one on and one out in the fifth inning with the Lookouts leading 3-1. Ryan Eades came on and finished out the inning but not before walking four batters and allowing the game to be tied. Littell ended the game having given up two runs on five hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out seven including three in the second inning. Eades did work a scoreless sixth inning. Todd Van Steensel came on and gave up two runs on three hits and three walks. He struck out two, but the walks were followed by doubles which isn’t a good combination, I mean, if you’re rooting for the pitching team. Finally, Williams Ramirez got the final five outs. He walked one, but he struck out four. Nick Gordon and Ryan Walker led the offense. Gordon got things going with a leadoff triple and a run scored in the bottom of the first. He added three more singles and went 4-5 in the game. Ryan Walker doubled in his first at-bat, and he hit his first home run of the season in his second at-bat. He went 3-4. Chris Paul was 2-4 with a double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Charlotte 3 Box Score Phil Hughes made a rehab start for the Miracle as he prepares to make the April 11th start for the Minnesota Twins. The veteran right-hander worked the first five innings. He gave up three runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out five. Two of the three runs came in that fifth inning. Hughes was replaced by the regularly-scheduled starter, lefty Anthony Marzi. He struck out four batters over three scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and walked one. Sean Poppen, who will likely be the sixth starter for the Miracle, came on for the ninth inning and recorded the save. It was the first save of his pro career. He gave up one hit, but he struck out two. The Miracle bats took a few innings to get going. Through three innings and ten batters, the team had just one hit. In the fourth, Mitchell Kranson and Caleb Hamilton singled. Lewin Diaz came on and knocked in both runners with a double. The next inning, Aaron Whitefield doubled Brandon Lopez to third base. Kranson followed with a two-run double of his own. That was it for the Miracle scoring. Kranson and Caleb Hamilton each went 2-4 in the game. Travis Blankenhorn added a double later in the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 0 Box Score The Kernels headed south a few hours to take on the Quad Cities River Bandits and came away with a nice shutout. Lefty Bryan Sammons was given the Opening Day start and came through. He gave up three hits over four shutout innings. He walked none and struck out six. Jovani Moran came on for the fifth inning and didn’t let anyone put the ball in play. The southpaw walked three but struck out three in a scoreless inning. Right-hander Jared Finkel came on and worked three scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and didn’t record a strikeout. Ryan Mason came on for the ninth inning to record the save. He struck out one. Unfortunately, with one out in the ninth inning, Ben Rortvedt had to leave the game. A foul tip struck his throwing hand, and he was clearly in pain. He tried to move his fingers and even played catch with first baseman Ben Rodriguez. After the second throw, which sailed over Rodriguez’s head, Rortvedt walked off the field, replaced by David Banuelos. POSTGAME UPDATE: The Kernels didn’t have a lot of offense, but Shane Carrier carried the offense on this night. In the first inning, Akil Baddoo and Royce Lewis walked. After a fielder’s choice, Carrier knocked in Baddoo with a sacrifice fly. In the fourth inning, Carrier launched his first home run of the season. He went 2-3 in the game. Andrew Bechtold was 2-2 with two walks, a double and a stolen base. Trey Cabbage went 1-3 with a walk. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Ryan Walker/Nick Gordon, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Bryan Sammons, Cedar Rapids Kernels TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, 2 BB, K, SB #3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 4-5, 3B, RBI, K #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4 #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 0-4, K #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, 2 BB, 3 K, SB #11 - Zack Littell (Chattanooga) - 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K #14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) - 1-4 #15 - Mitch Garver (Minnesota) - 1-4, first Major League home run #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4 #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, 2B, 2 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester (5;05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Birmingham @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves Charlotte @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - RHP Tyler Wells Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:35 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina Please feel free to ask any questions about Thursday’s Opening Day games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Bottom of the ninth inning of a championship game. A runner on first base. Your team is down by one run. You step to the plate. It’s a dream scenario we all have enacted in our minds at one time or another. Earlier this month, Chattanooga Lookouts first baseman Jonathan Rodriguez got to live that dream. He got a fastball up in the zone, and he launched it deep into the night, well beyond the fence in left-center field. Immediately, he raised his arms and walked toward first base. His teammates leapt out of the home dugout and raced to greet him when he arrived at home plate. The home run gave the Lookouts a 3-2 win in the game, and a 3-2 win in the series. It also gave them a share of the Southern League championship. You see, the Southern League decided to cancel the championship series due to Hurricane Irma which affected people in Puerto Rico, Cuba and made landfall in Florida as well. While he was playing hero for Chattanooga, Rodriguez had family and friends back home in Puerto Rico dealing with the aftermath of the hurricane. After the season, Rodriguez returned home to Puerto Rico and soon after Hurricane Maria arrived. It was bigger and badder than Irma and caused devastation throughout the entire island. Power was knocked out throughout the country and there is a good chance it won’t be returned for months. Jonathan Rodriguez is doing what he can to help the relief efforts. While there are a lot of Hurricane relief efforts in Texas and Florida, let’s also remember that Puerto Rico is a US commonwealth. These are American citizens as well, and they need help. A lot of help. Yankees legend Jorge Posada wrote a heartfelt article for the Players Tribune, asking for a favor. Eddie Rosario, Jose Berrios and Kennys Vargas are Twins players from Puerto Rico, but there are several Twins minor leaguers from the island nation. The Twins are scheduled to play two games against Cleveland next season in Puerto Rico, at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. The stadium suffered major damage in this hurricane. So, as you read this, consider donating to Puerto Rico relief efforts if you are able.But now, let’s get to know a little more about Jonathan Rodriguez. He is a 28-year -old first baseman who spent the first eight seasons of his career in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Last offseason, he became a free agent and signed with the Twins. He spent most of the season with the Chattanooga Lookouts, though he spent about a week at the end of the season with Rochester. He rejoined the Lookouts for their playoff run, and had the tremendous moment to give the Lookouts the championship. Let’s get to know him. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Puerto Rico, who was your favorite team to follow? Who were some of your favorite players? Jonathan Rodriguez (JR): Growing up, when I started playing baseball at 7, I was a Braves fan. Loved watching Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, the Braves starting rotation with Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine. Always wondered why Leo Mazzone, their pitching coach was always rocking during the game. SS: How difficult was it to play and be in the States during Hurricane Irma, knowing family and friends were back home going through it? JR: It was very difficult during that first playoff game because there was so much that could happen with Irma’s trajectory. Thankfully the eye missed the island and damage was way less that what it could have been. SS: How about going through Hurricane Maria while in Puerto Rico? Are you and your family doing alright? JR: Thankfully, my family and I are OK. But the country is devastated. It’s not green at all. All trees, branches and leaves are gone. Looks like all the trees burned down. SS: What were some of the better memories of your youth and high school baseball career in Puerto Rico? Did you play other sports or were you involved in other activities too? JR: My youth baseball career never took a break ever since I turned eight. Every summer, some team would want me to play for them in tournaments in the US. It was fun getting to travel every summer, and get to face great teams. In high school, I also played volleyball. I think volleyball is a very intense sport and very personal against your competition. For some reason, I still like it tons. SS: What was the recruitment process like for you out of high school, and what was it about State College of Florida-Manatee that made it the right choice for you? JR: Recruitment out of high school wasn’t much. I had committed to Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona. But I had to come with money out of pocket to pay for school. Then, Manatee came along with a full ride. They showed lots of interest, gave me a full scholarship and welcomed me with open arms. I will be forever grateful to Coach Hill Sr., or Seven as we called him, his son Hill Jr (21), Coach Barry (17), Al Corlbeil and Matt Ennis for the great opportunity and adjustment period I went thru when I first got to college. Thanks to them, I was able to get adjusted to baseball in the state quicker and learn the fundamentals the right way. SS: What were a couple of your highlights from your time in college? JR: Highlights from my Juco days... Aside from going 4-5 with a double, two home runs and five RBIs while being sick, most of the highlights were taken by Jonathan Griffin, a former Diamondbacks player that hit 20 something home runs that year. I hit behind him most of the time, so usually I was just looking at all the bombs he would hit. SS: Did you have the chance to speak with many scouts before the draft? JR: I really never talked to any scouts, except Charlie Gonzalez, the Cardinals scout. This guy really pushed for me, drafting me even when he knew I had a torn labrum. Very grateful of the opportunity he offered me. SS: The Cardinals took you in the 17th round. How did you find out that you had been drafted? How busy was your phone at that moment? JR: The summer in 2009 my phone wasn’t busy that much. Out of nowhere, I got a call from the White Sox and Texas, I think. The Cardinals where the team calling me the most. I found out I got drafted sitting in my living room watching the Discovery Channel when Charlie called me congratulating me because the Cardinals had drafted me. A lot of joy rushed through my body because a lot of hard word had paid off. My mom’s reaction was priceless, and I was going to get the chance to meet my favorite player... Albert Pujols. SS: What has the adjustment like for you, from the college game to the professional game, both on and off the field? Specifically, how big of a challenge was the language barrier? JR: Language barrier wasn’t an issue. When I went to college, I knew English, so it was a matter of polishing it, learning slangs and that kind of stuff. Communication wasn’t an issue. On the field, the aluminum-wood bat transition was critical. Getting jammed at 95+ with wood was very different from aluminum bats, hahaha. At Manatee, we had a winning culture, so paying attention to detail was second nature. When I got out of Manatee, I was a professional baseball player waiting for a contract. That program is top notch getting student-athletes ready for pro ball. SS: You became a free agent after the 2016 season and signed with the Twins. What was it about the Twins organization that made it the right organization for you to sign with? JR: Last year, I felt like I had decent numbers to get a couple of calls during free agency. That wasn’t the case. The Twins were one of the few teams that called me and, to be honest, free agency is becoming tougher and tougher. You see guys with big league time, starting in Indy ball because the game is getting younger and younger. So, I’m really grateful that the Twins took a chance with me during the offseason and gave me an opportunity not many teams would have. SS: What was the key to your success really throughout the 2017 season? How much fun was it to play for such a great team in Chattanooga, under a great manager in Jake Mauer? JR: There are a couple of factors to my success this season. First, having my wife in town made a huge difference. It's really hard to play for 6 months away from family. My mom and brother have been able to see me play in the States only one time, so having that family presence every home game was key. Second, trusting in my abilities and what makes me a good player was huge. I was able to make a midseason adjustment, which was a huge gamble for me, but I had nothing to lose, and that was having a more “fly ball approach”. Trying to hit the ball hard in the air made me drive the ball more consistently, which is very important in my offensive game. Playing under Jake is a breeze, man! Jake laid out the rules at the beginning of the season, and we just went out there and had fun! The whole coaching staff was fun, and that just makes you enjoy more the time you are at the field. SS: I have to ask… take us back to the Southern League co-championship game. The Lookouts are down 2-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. A runner gets on base. What is going through your mind as you’re walking to the plate? Were you thinking walk-off the whole time? JR: At the moment I stepped to the plate, I wasn’t thinking of trying to hit a home run. Like I said in the interview to MiLB, in the top of the seventh, after striking out, I saw myself hitting a home run and turning to our dugout getting my hands across my jersey where it says ‘Nooga. When Wade got on, after a very competitive at-bat against Gibaut, one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the league, I had no thoughts of a home run. I just went looking for a belt high fastball to drive and stay away from a double play. SS: And from the video, it was pretty clear you knew it was gone and your team was getting rings… What was going through your mind as you were running around the bases? JR: OMG, man, as soon as I hit it, I flipped my bat and got my hands up like Manny Ramirez, I for sure knew it was gone. Walking to first while watching the ball, I was thinking “I really ended this game with a home run” and running around the bases it was surreal. I was thinking of all the hard work that I’ve put into this game, my family, my wife and wishing they were able to see it live. My wife had to fly back before the season ended, so she wasn’t there to see it. It was, by far, the highlight of my career! SS: What do you have planned for the offseason? Will you play winter ball again? JR: So far the plan is to play winter ball. Now that Maria hit Puerto Rico, the winter ball here is uncertain. Stadiums are destroyed, so it would be hard to get them ready in time. Hopefully some team from the Dominican Republic calls me, that would be a dream come true since my parents are from Dominican Republic and it would be an honor to play in front of my family back in the Dominican Republic. SS: What are some of the things that you enjoy doing when you’re not playing baseball? JR: I really enjoy and invest lots of time playing this video game called Destiny. It's a Sci-Fi shooter and is very interesting and overall a time-consuming game. Thankfully, a lot of the guys in the Twins like Stephen (Gonsalves), (Mitch) Garver, (Jason) Wheeler, Dereck Rodriguez, Ryan Walker, Ryan Strausborger and a lot of other guys play it too, so we will be spending a lot of time playing together, at least I will get back on the sticks when power and internet get back to Puerto Rico, which might take months. SS: You can become a free agent again this offseason. What will be some of the factors that will go into a decision for where you’ll play in 2018? JR: That's a good question and it's something me and my agent need to sit down and discuss the plan for next year. Right now, priority is to help my people here as much as I can to recover from this disaster, and then, we will discuss all the possibilities for my future. SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? JR: My parents have been a cornerstone to everything I am today. Although they have no baseball background, their support has always been there since day one. My brothers and my wife’s support have helped me be hungry to become the best version of myself on a baseball field. All the coaches, in one form or another, have contributed in my development as a player on the field, but also a good citizen off the field. And to God, he has blessed me with great people around me and has given me health and strength to go through all the challenges thrown at me. SS: Favorite Baseball movie? JR: Hahaha! To me it has to be, Bad News Bears. I find it hilarious. A big Thank You to Jonathan Rodriguez for taking time to respond to our questions. It’s a busy time for him as he’s helping out Puerto Rico after the impact of Hurricane Maria. Most of the country doesn’t have power. He made a comment that he only has internet access at night, but he took some of that time to respond. Again, if you are able, consider donating to the relief efforts in Puerto Rico. 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While the Twins were in the midst of the longest game in Target Field history, the Twins minor leagues were in the middle of a busy day. Only two teams have games on Memorial Day so Sunday became a critical day as multiple affiliates float around the .500 mark. What teams could shine? What players would struggle? Who would help their team to win? Read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Indianapolis 2 Box Score Only three Red Wings batters were able to collect hits as the team was held to four total hits. Niko Goodrum had the team's lone extra-base hit as he came around to score on a Tommy Field single. Field led the team with a 2-for-3 effort. Leonardo Reginatto went 1-for-3. David Hurlbut started and made it through five frames. He allowed two earned runs on six hits with a strikeout and a walk. It was his third loss of the season and he hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of those decisions. Alan Busenitz and Alex Wimmers kept the game close for Rochester. Busenitz pitched two scoreless innings by allowing only a pair of singles. The final two innings from Wimmers were perfect and he struck out one. The loss drops the team to one game under .500. Rochester has gone 4-6 over the last ten games as the club sits 9.5 games out of first place in the International League North Division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Montgomery 2 Box Score Chattanooa powered past Montgomery with a pair of four-run innings. In the bottom of the second inning Travis Harrison and Dan Gamache led off the inning with doubles. With two outs in the frame, Dan Rohlfing walked before a trio of singles. Ryan Walker, Nick Gordon and Levi Michael joined the hit parade and pushed the lead to 4-0. In the bottom of the third, TJ White walked with two outs. Kevin Garcia and Dan Rohlfing singled to score another run. Walker came up with the biggest hit of the inning, a three-run home run. When the dust cleared, the Lookouts held an 8-0 lead. Felix Jorge improved to 5-1 on the season. Over seven shutout innings, he limited the Biscuits to five hits while striking out one and walking one. Raul Fernandez allowed two earned runs on three hits over the final two frames. He struck out one and didn't have a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Charlotte 6 Box Score Fort Myers jumped out to an early first inning lead. Bradley Strong reached base on a throwing error and than stole second. Chris Paul cracked a ground-rule double which would score Strong. The Miracle offense went cold from there as the team was shut out the rest of the way. They finished 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Paul reached base three times in the game while Max Murphy and Strong both collected doubles. David Fischer took the loss for the Miracle even though he limited the Stone Crabs to two runs on four hits. He pitched five innings while striking out four and walking two. Williams Ramirez had a rough inning as he walked three batters and allowed a pair of runs. Sam Clay and Alex Muren both allowed a run in their inning of work with each pitcher collecting a strikeout. With the loss, the Miracle fall one game below .500. They currently sit 4.5 games out of first place in the Florida State League South Division. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Kane County 2 (10 Innings) Box Score Cedar Rapids seemed to be off to a good start. Lewin Diaz singled in front of a Jaylin Davis double to get an early 1-0 lead. Kane County quickly countered to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the frame. Cedar Rapids was quiet until the fifth inning when Caleb Hamilton led off the inning with a single. Aaron Whitefield drove him in with a double to tie the game. The Kernels finally found a way to get back on the board in extra innings. Travis Blankenhorn was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a balk. Kane County's manager didn't like the call and he was ejected from the game. With two outs, the Cougars walked the bases loaded. Aaron Whitefield was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. Ariel Montesino singled to drive in two more. Domenick Carlini kept the game close for the Kernels. He allowed two earned runs on four hits. He struck out two and walked one. Colton Davis and Alex Robinson combined for three shutout innings. Tom Hackimer picked up his third win after two shutout innings allowing one base runner and he struck out three. He has not been tagged for an earned run in his last 21.0 IP. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Chattanooga Lookouts (7 IP, 0 ER, 5 H) Hitter of the Day – Ryan Walker, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Indianapolis (12:35 CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler (4-1, 4.50 ERA Chattanooga - Scheduled Off Day Fort Myers - Scheduled Off Day Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (1:00 CST)- RHP Clark Beeker (5-2, 2.61 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. The baseball world helps to celebrate the weekend by powering their uniforms and bats in pink. Not only can players honor their mothers but they can also help raise money for breast cancer awareness as many of the items will be auctioned off for charity. It was a muted Mother's Day in the Twins farm system as only two teams were scheduled to play. After a rain-out for Rochester, the Lookouts were the lone team to play. Who would make his mom proud? Read on to find out...RED WINGS REPORT Rochester --, Pawtucket -- (Postponed) Rain and wet grounds meant the Red Wings' game was postponed on Sunday. Rochester was looking to sweep the four-game series after being swept by Lehigh Valley earlier in the week.The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday, June 17 starting at 3:35 pm CST. Sunday marked the eighth time Rochester has been postponed this season. The Red Wings are currently tied with the Buffalo Bisons for second place in the International League North. Lehigh Valley sits atop the division and they are currently three games ahead of Rochester and Buffalo. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Birmingham 4 Box Score Chattanooga was getting no-hit into the sixth inning but their bats finally came alive over the course of the final frames. Lookouts' right hander Paul Clemens matched zeros with the Barons as he didn't allow a run in his five innings of work. However, Birmingham would strike first with a solo home run in the top of the sixth. The Lookouts wasted little time answering back as Ryan Walker ended the no-hitter and the shutout with one swing of the bat. He led off the bottom of the sixth with a long ball to tie the game at 1-1. Chattanooga wasn't done as they strung together a walk and three straight singles to push the lead to 3-1. The game continued to be back and forth with Birmingham scoring two in the top of the seventh to tie the game. Walker got things going again in the seventh. He and Nick Gordon singled to start the frame. Engelb Vielma bunted them over before LaMonte Wade connected for a clutch two-run single that turned out to be the the tie-breaking hit. Raul Fernandez allowed four earned runs over 2.2 innings in relief of Clemens. It was still enough to "earn" his first victory of the year. John Curtiss was asked to get an out in the eighth before collecting the final three outs in the ninth. He didn't allow a run and struck out two on the way to his sixth save. MIRACLE MATTERS Following an off-day on Sunday, the Miracle will start a six-game home stand as they look to dig out of a recent slump. Fort Myers has lost four of their last five contests and they have only won one series in the month of May. This week will go a long way to deciding if the Miracle can contend for a first half playoff spot. This up-coming home stand includes series versus the first place teams in the FSL South and North Divisions, Clearwater and Bradenton. Currently, the Miracle are in fourth place in the FSL South as they trail Bradenton by seven games. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids entered Sunday with a 20-15 record as they sit near the top of the MWL Western Division. They are percentage points behind Kane County for the overall top spot but they have played two more games than the Cougars. Over the last week, the Kernels went 4-3. Over the next three days they will play four games against Peoria to make-up for a rainout at the end of last month. The Chiefs are nine games under .500 and sit seven games back of the Kernels. Next weekend, Cedar Rapids has a big series at Wisconsin, the second-place team in the MWL Western Division. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Paul Clemens, Chattanooga Lookouts (5 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 K) Hitter of the Day – Ryan Walker, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST)- LHP David Hurlbut (2-2, 1.59 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Birmingham (6:15 CST) - TBD Fort Myers vs. Clearwater (5:35 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak (0-3, 3.94 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Peoria (5:30 CST)- RHP Eduardo Del Rosario (2-2, 3.95 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Peoria (Game 2- Makeup of 4/29)- TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

If the season had started 10 games ago, the Twins would have the second best record in the American League. Too bad the Twins had been terrible for the better part of four months before this brief stretch. To make things worse, the Twins sent struggling Byron Buxton to Rochester to make room for Trevor Plouffe who was activated from the disabled list.Continue reading to find out more detail about Sunday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester @ Lehigh Valley IronPigs Box Score Byung Ho Park had another rough day, 0-4 with a strikeout, as the Red Wings were rocked by the IronPigs. Buck Britton led the offensive charge, 2-4 with a double and a run scored. The pitching staff didn't fare much better, as starter Jason Wheeler gave up four earned runs over 6.0 innings. He gave up eight hits, walked four, struck out one and gave up a home run. Alex Wimmers had a terrible relief stint, managing just 0.2 innings, giving up five runs (three earned), via five hits. Sean Burnett finished the inning, striking out the only batter he faced. Neil Ramirez gave up a run in the bottom of the eighth to finish the game. Final: Red Wings 1, IronPigs 10 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Jacksonville Suns @ Chattanooga Box Score More Omar Bencomo, more of the time! Bencomo gave the Suns fits over 7.0 innings. Bencomo gave up just two hits. He walked one and struck out five. Raul Fernandez and Ryan Eades each gave the Lookouts an inning of scoreless relief to complete a 3-hit shutout. The Lookouts only tallied six hits of their own, but two of them were doubles, and two more of them went over the fence, so that was plenty. Ryan Walker led the way with a 2-3 game, with a double, a home run, two runs scored, two RBIs, and a walk. Nike Goodrum had a two-run dinger as part of his 1-4 night. Zach Granite had a nice night as well, 2-4 with a double and a run scored. Final: Suns 0, Lookouts 4 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ Charlotte Stone Crabs Box Score Fort Myers only gave up one hit, but they gave up TWO runs! To make matters worse, they managed only three hits of their own, scoring just one run, in a tough loss. Dereck Rodriguez was tagged with the loss in his Fort Myers debut, despite 7.0 innings of one-hit ball. He gave up two runs, walked two and struck out six. Cam Booser added a clean inning of relief, sending the Stone Crabs down 1-2-3. Tough night with the sticks for the Miracle, who teamed up for seven strikeouts, two walks, and those same three hits. The Miracle scored their lone run on a solo home run from Chris Paul (1-4). Final: Miracle 1, Stone Crabs 2 KERNELS KORNER Peoria Chiefs @ Cedar Rapids Box Score The Chiefs put up three runs in the top of the first against Tyler Beardsley, and then had just one more hit the rest of the night. Beardsley pitched 5.0 innings, gave up three hits, three runs, walked four and struck out one. He was replaced by Williams Ramirez, who had a spectacular relief outing, going three full innings giving up just one hit. Max Cordy pitched the bottom of the ninth. He was a little rocky, walking two batters, but struck out two and kept the Chiefs off the board. Leadoff man Christian Ibarra led the way for the Kernels, he was 2-4 with a solo home run. Luis Arraez and Casey Scoggins each added two hits of their own. Final: Chiefs 3, Kernels 2 E-TWINS E-NOTES Danville Braves @ Elizabethton Postponed, rain. Will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Monday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Ryan Walker - Chattanooga Pitcher of the Day - Omar Bencomo - Chattanooga MONDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester - OFF Chattanooga - David Hurlbut (7-6, 3.62) Fort Myers - Keaton Steele (5-9, 4.21) Cedar Rapids - Sam Gibbons (5-3, 5.00) E-Twins - Game 1 - Jose Martinez (1-3, 7.36) E-Twins - Game 2 - TBD GCL Twins - TBD DSL Twins - TBD Please ask questions and discuss the Sunday games. -ERolf Click here to view the article

If the season started 10 games ago, the Twins would have the second best record in the American League. Too bad the twins have been terrible for the better part of four months. To make things worse, the Twins sent struggling Byron Buxton to Rochester to make room for Trevor Plouffe who is activated from the Disabled List. Continue reading to find out more detail about Saturday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester @ Lehigh Valley IronPigs Box Score Byung Ho Park had another rough day, 0-4 with a strike out, as the Red Wings were rocked by the IronPigs. Buck Britton led the offensive charge, 2-4 with a double and a run scored. The pitching staff didn't fare much better, as starter Jason Wheeler gave up four earned runs over 6.0 innings. He gave up eight hits, walked four, struck out one and gave up a home run. Alex Wimmers had a terrible relief stint, managing just 0.2 innings, giving up five runs (three earned), via five hits. Sean Burnett finished the inning, striking out the only batter he faced. Neil Ramirez gave up a run in the bottom of the eighth to finish the game. Final: Red Wings 1, IronPigs 10 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Jacksonville Suns @ Chattanooga Box Score More Omar Bencomo, more of the time! Bencomo gave the Suns fits over 7.0 innings. Bencomo gave up just two hits. He walked one and struck out five. Raul Fernandez and Ryan Eades each gave the Lookouts an inning of scoreless relief to complete a 3-hit shutout. The Lookouts only tallied six hits of their own, but two of them were doubles, and two more of them went over the fence, so that was plenty. Ryan Walker led the way with a 2-3 night, with a double, a home run, two runs scored, two RBIs, and a walk. Nike Goodrum had a two-run dinger as part of his 1-4 night. Zach Granite had a nice night as well, 2-4 with a double and a run scored. Final: Suns 0, Lookouts 4 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ Charlotte Stone Crabs Box Score Fort Myers only gave up one hit, but they gave up TWO runs! To make matters worse, they only managed three hits of their own, scoring just one run, in a tough loss. Dereck Rodriguez was tagged with the loss in his Fort Myers debut, despite 7.0 innings of one hit ball. He gave up two runs, walked two, and struck out six. Cam Booser added a clean inning of relief, sending the Stone Crabs down 1-2-3. Tough night with the sticks for the Miracle, who teamed up for seven strike outs, two walks, and those same three hits. The Miracle scored their lone run on a solo home run from Chris Paul (1-4). Final: Miracle 1, Stone Crabs 2 KERNELS KORNER Peoria Chiefs @ Cedar Rapids Box Score The Chiefs put up three runs in the top of the first against Tyler Beardsley, and then had just one more hit the rest of the night. Beardsley pitched 5.0 innings, gave up three hits, three runs, walked four and struck out one. He was replaced by Williams Ramirez, who had a spectacular relief outing, going three full innings giving up just one hit. Max Cordy pitched the bottom of the ninth. He was a little rocky, walking two batters, but struck out two and kept the Chiefs off the board. Leadoff man Christian Ibarra led the way for the Kernels, he was 2-4 with a solo home run. Luis Arraez and Casey Scoggins each added two hits of their own. Final: Chiefs 3, Kernels 2 E-TWINS E-NOTES Danville Braves @ Elizabethton Postponed, rain. Will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Monday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Ryan Walker - Chattanooga Pitcher of the Day - Omar Bencomo - Chattanooga MONDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester - OFF Chattanooga - David Hurlbut (7-6, 3.62) Fort Myers - Keaton Steele (5-9, 4.21) Cedar Rapids - Sam Gibbons (5-3, 5.00) E-Twins - Game 1 - Jose Martinez (1-3, 7.36) E-Twins - Game 2 - TBD GCL Twins - TBD DSL Twins - TBD Please ask questions and discuss the Sunday games. -ERolf

Three Red Wings participated in the AAA All-Star game on Wednesday night in Charlotte. Kohl Stewart was on the mound attempting to duplicate Stephen Gonsalves’s Tuesday night performance. He got a lot of support from his offense. The Kernels put up big offensive numbers in the suburbs of Cleveland. Elizabethton powered its way to a win. It was a busy day in the organization, so continue on to read much more.If you missed it, here is the Twins minor league leaderboard through Tuesday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester Box Score While the majority of the Red Wings team remains on their All-Star break, three members of the roster were on the International League roster for the AAA All-Star Game. Lefty Jason Wheeler was given the start against the Pacific Coast League All-Stars. He gave up a double in the first inning but was able to get out of it without allowing a run. In the 2nd, he gave up a single which was soon followed by a home run by Travis Taijeron. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in his two innings. He struck out one. Jose Berrios pitched the fourth inning. He gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning. Jorge Polanco was the one hitter in the International League team. He had an infield single in his first at-bat. He doubled in his second at-bat. He ended his evening 2-3. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 11, Tennessee 1 Box Score On Wednesday afternoon, Kohl Stewart was on the mound looking to give the Lookouts a second straight quality start. Stewart was up to the challenge. He gave up one run on seven hits over the first seven innings. He walked three and struck out three. He improved to 3-4 with a 3.74 ERA with the Lookouts. Zack Jones came on and was again very good. He threw two more shutout innings and had one strikeout. He now has thrown eight scoreless innings since his return to the organization. He has given up two hits, walked two and struck out 11. The offense came through to help as well. The top three hitters in the lineup each had three hits. Zach Granite was 3-5 with two runs scored. Niko Goodrum also was 3-5 and scored twice. Ryan Walker hit third and was 3-4 with a walk. He added his fifth double, scored three runs and stole his seventh base. The RBI production came from the five through seven spots in the lineup. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Tampa 8 Box Score The Miracle fell behind early and were unable to come back. Keaton Steele made the start. He gave up six runs on ten hits in just three innings. He walked two and struck out two. Michael Theofanopoulos gave up one run on two hits and a walk over the next two innings. He struck out one. Nick Anderson went the next two innings. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk. He struck out four. John Curtiss struck out one in the final inning. Alex Perez went 2-4 with his fifth double. Daniel Kihle was also 2-4. Nick Gordon (17), Chris Paul (13), Trey Vavra (12) and Brian Navarreto (5) each hit a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Lake County 4 Box Score Cody Stashak was strong again, and the Kernels offense provided plenty of offense, half of the runs coming on one blast. Stashak improved to 6-5 with a 3.16 ERA. In six innings, he gave up two runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out five. Two of the hits he gave up came off the bat of a rehabbing Michael Brantley. Andrew Vasquez pitched the seventh. The left-hander gave up two runs on a hit and a walk. He struck out two. Williams Ramirez picked up his second save. He walked one and struck one out over two scoreless innings. Jermaine Palacios went 3-5 with his eighth double. Luis Arraez went 3-5 with his 20th double. Zander Wiel went 2-4 with a walk. Kevin Garcia was 2-4 with his third double. Casey Scoggins added his second double. Jaylin Davis was 2-4 with his second double. However, the big blast came in the fifth went Davis launched his first Midwest League home run, a grand slam that put the Kernels ahead for good. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 8, Danville 2 Box Score The E-Twins got off to a quick start with a couple of big home runs early. It was plenty of offense on this night. In the top of the first inning, Lewin Diaz hit a two-run homer, his third of the season. In the top of the 2nd inning, Travis Blankenhorn - who had doubled ahead of the Diaz homer - hit a three-run homer to give Elizabethton a 5-1 lead. Alex Kiriloff also had two hits including his fourth double. Trey Cabbage went 1-2 with two walks. Brandon Lopez was 1-3 with two walks. Tyler Beardsley went the first four innings. He gave up no runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out three. Austin Tribby struck out three over the next three innings. He gave up just one hit. Alex Robinson threw the final two innings. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk. He struck out four. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 7 Box Score Bo Hellquist was again on the mound for the Twins in this one. The lefty gave up one run on four hits over four innings. He struck out four without issuing a walk. Daniel Martinez worked the next two innings. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk. He struck out two. Callan Pearce is now up to eight shutout innings on the season after throwing two more scoreless innings on Wednesday. The Twins went into the ninth inning with a one-run lead. Closer Garrett Kelly came on and was charged with five runs on four hits and a walk. Both of the outs he got came on strikeouts. Onas Farfan came on with two on. Both inherited runners scored but he did get the final out. Joe Cronin went 2-4. Aaron Whitefield went 1-3 with a walk, his second double, an RBI and his fifth stolen base. Manuel Guzman was also 1-3 with a walk. Kolton Kendrick walked twice. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kohl Stewart, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jaylin Davis, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Norfolk @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP Pat Dean Mobile @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers @ Tampa (6:00 CST) - LHP Randy Rosario Cedar Rapids @ Lake County (10:00 am CST) – LHP Lachlan Wells Elizabethton @ Greeneville (6:00 CST) - RHP Domenick Carlini GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 am CST) - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games. Click here to view the article

The draft is complete, 40 rounds in the books. The Twins selected 42 players, and now over the next month (by July 15), they will attempt to sign anywhere from 20 to 30 of them and put them into the minor league system. There was plenty of action in the system as all four full-season affiliates played on Saturday night. On Saturday morning, the DSL Twins played and lost 16-11 in ten innings. Antonio Tovar went 3-6 with his first professional home run. Wander Javier went 2-5 with a walk and his second home run (two games in a row). Check out the Day 3 Draft Picks with some notes on most of them.Here is Saturday night’s Minor League update. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Toledo 5 Box Score Jose Berrios was back on the mound on Saturday and started out great. Through six innings he gave up just one run on three hits and a walk. However, after getting the first two outs of the seventh inning, he gave up a single, walked a batter, another single and back-to-back doubles before Sean Burnett came in to get out of the inning. Berrios’s final line? In 6.2 innings, he gave up five runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out five. Burnett got out of the seventh and then pitched a perfect eighth inning as well. Alex Wimmers came on for the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead. He struck out one in a perfect inning to record his fourth save of the year. Adam Brett Walker got things going in style in the second inning. His thirteenth home run of the year gave the Red Wings a 3-0 lead. He went 2-4 in the game. Logan Schafer was also 2-4. Kennys Vargas (10), Jorge Polanco (7) and John Ryan Murphy (5) each added a double for the Red Wings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 8, Tennessee 1 Box Score It was a collective effort by the Lookouts in this win on Saturday night. It started with a strong start. Ryan Eades threw six shutout innings. He gave up just three hits, walked none and struck out five to improve to 3-2. Luke Westphal threw two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one. Mike Strong gave up a run in the ninth. Ryan Walker was the Twins 18th-round draft pick in 2013 out of Texas-Arlington. He hit one home run for Elizabethton after signing. One Saturday night he hit his second professional home run. He went 2-4 with his first double and first home run. Travis Harrison was 3-5 with his 12th double and sixth home run. Mitch Garver went 2-3 with two walks. Zach Granite went 2-5 and stole his 27th base. Leonardo Reginnato went 2-5 with his 11th double. Engelb Vielma went 1-3 and is now hitting .323 with the Lookouts. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Brevard County 2 Box Score Randy Rosario was on the hill for the Miracle on Saturday night and put together a very strong outing. The left-hander gave up one run on seven hits over 6.2 innings. He walked one and struck out four. Brian Gilbert struck out three in 1.1 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and walked one. Nick Gordon went 2-4 and stole his ninth base of the year. TJ White was also 2-4. The Miracle had just five hits in the game. Chris Paul added two walks. Todd Van Steensel pitched a scoreless ninth inning. However, in the tenth inning, he walked two and had a throwing error and the winning (or for the Miracle, the losing) run scored on a passed ball. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Peoria 7 Box Score For the Kernels, it was all about the top of the first inning. Sean MIller led off with a double. Later, AJ Murray hit a two-run double. Then JJ Fernandez and Kevin Garcia each had an RBI double. Finally, Jermaine Palacios drove in two runs with a double. The Kernels had a 6-0 lead before even going out to play some defense. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to do much the rest of the game. Brad Hartong went 2-4. Eduardo Del Rosario started. He gave up three runs on six hits in 4.1 innings. He walked two, hit one and struck out three. Williams Ramirez came in and struggled some. In 2.2 innings he gave up four runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter. Mike Theofanopoulos gave up a hit, but struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ryan Eades, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ryan Walker, Chattanooga Lookouts SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester (12:35 p.m. CST) - LHP Logan Darnell Chattanooga @ Tennessee (1:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers @ Lakeland (3:00 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (5:00 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday games. Click here to view the article

...but not for the Twins! The affiliates went 3-for-3 on Monday night. Monday weather in the Midwest wreaked havoc on both the Twins and Kernels games, but there was still plenty of action within the organization off the field, on the field and on the transaction page. The Florida State League named OF Edgar Corcino Player of the Week. Corcino batted 12-for-23 over the last six games, hitting two home runs for the Miracle. The Twins announced that Ryan O’Rourke cleared waivers and will join the Rochester Red Wings. The Kernels also made a bevy of moves, activating P Michael Cederoth and OF Daniel Kihle, swapping catchers Brian Olson (from extended) with Bryant Heyman (to extended), and placing P Logan Lombana on the restricted list. Manager Jake Mauer later confirmed with the media that Lombana was indeed facing a PED suspension. Seth also posted Monday evening that spring training non-roster invitee and current Fort Myers C Alex Swim is retiring. Good luck to Alex in whatever step is next after baseball. Now let’s check out the action on the field.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Gwinnett 3 Box Score The Red Wings got back to .500 (18-18) with a victory Monday night. Buck Britton drove in Byron Buxton and Max Kepler in the first inning to start the scoring. Gwinnett tied the score in the fourth inning, but a Britton triple followed by a John Ryan Murphy sacrifice fly gave the Red Wings a 3-2 lead in the bottom half of the inning. Gwinnett scored again in the top half of the fifth to even the score at three apiece. Rochester pulled away with a three-run seventh. With one-out, Wilfredo Tovar drew a walk and advanced to third on a Stephen Wickens single. Byron Buxton singled Tovar in. After a ground out advanced both runners into scoring position, Max Kepler drove them in with the third single of the inning. Buxton and Britton both had two hits to lead the offense. Taylor Rogers is transitioning back into the rotation. Extending to 66 pitches, Rogers went five innings allowing five hits and three runs. He struck out two and walked none. With all the moves so far this season, it will be nice for Rochester to have their most consistent starter from last year back in the rotation long-term. Dan Runzler and Buddy Boshers both pitched two scoreless innings to get the win and save, respectively. The revolving door that is the Twins bullpen could see either or both of these guys entering at some point this summer. Rochester announced Monday night that Tommy Milone would be making his Rochester debut on Tuesday against Gwinnett. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 12, Pensacola 3 Box Score Pensacola scored the first run of the game, but you’re not going to lose many games if you put up crooked numbers in four different innings and that is exactly what Chattanooga did on Monday night. After the third inning started with T.J. White reaching base on an error, both Ryan Walker and Shannon Wilkerson singled to load the bases. Zach Granite struck out for the first out of the inning, but Travis Harrison was able to knock White in with a single and keep the bases loaded. D.J. Hicks had a two-run single of his own and the Lookouts had a 3-1 lead. Chattanooga wasn’t done, though. Mitch Garver doubled to score both Harrison and Hicks and the lead was pushed to 5-1. The Lookouts added two more runs in the fourth inning. Walked tripled to score White, who singled and Wilkerson knocked Walker in and expanded the lead to 7-1. Pensacola got two runs back in the sixth to make it 7-3. But Chattanooga answered with three runs in the seventh and two runs in the eighth. Ryan Walker plated Hicks and Garver with run-producing single and Wilkerson drove White in. In the eighth, Mitch Garver hit a two-run home run. The offense came to play, led by Mitch Garver who drove in four and was a triple short of the cycle. Wilkerson had three hits and drove in two. Ryan Walker went 4-for-4 with a triple and three RBI in his AA home debut. Only Granite failed to get a hit. D.J. Baxendale earned his second win of the season. He allowed three runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out five. Mason Melotakis and Luke Westphal each pitched a scoreless frame. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 10, Bradenton 6 Box Score The Miracled scored the first ten runs of the game... and did we witness the final start of Stephen Gonsalves’s Miracle career? Newly-added spark plug Tanner Witt walked and stole second to open the game. Edgar Corcino, mentioned in the lead, doubled him in and later scored on a Trey Vavra double-play ball. Fort Myers came back with another pair in the fourth. Logan Wade singled and stole second before scoring on a Kevin Garcia RBI groundout. Max Murphy, who also singled, scored on a throwing error. With a 4-0 lead, the Miracle put their foot on the gas and scored five more in the fifth. Corcino singles. Chris Paul singles. Vavra singles. Logan Wade hits a two-run double. After finally recording an out, both Max Murphy and Garcia are hit by pitches, driving in Vavra. Chad Christensen drove Wade in with a single and Tanner Witt, the 9th batter of 11 in the inning, drove in Murphy with a walk. Vavra homered in the sixth. Stephen Gonsalves was masterful (again). In 6 1/3 innings, he gave up no runs on two hits. He did walk four, but also struck out eight and lowered his ERA to 1.21. An ERA that’s inflated by a three-run home run he gave up in his first inning of the year. It's definitely time for Gonsalves to move on, but if you look at the course of his career, it seems every promotion has come weeks (or longer) after he's completely deserving of it. Why would this time be any different? The bullpen of Todd Van Steensel (four runs) and Brian Gilbert (two unearned runs) gave back six runs in less than three innings. Vavra and Wade had three-hit nights for an offense that was clicking on all cylinders. Only Witt, who batted leadoff, didn’t get a hit, but he drew two walks. Fort Myers improves to 18-13. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids vs Kane County Postponed. Doubleheader on Tuesday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Fort Myers Hitter of the Day – Mitch Garver, Chattanooga TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnett @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – LHP Tommy Milone (2016 AAA Debut) Pensacola @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) - LHP David Hurlbut (2-1, 6.59 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05PM CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (2-0, 1.91 ERA) Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (5:35PM CST, Game 1) – RHP Cody Stashak (2-1, 1.66 ERA) Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (Game 2) – RHP Randy LeBlanc (3-2, 1.16) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

It was the first Friday night in the Minor League schedule. At the end of the day, despite a couple of questionable weather situations, all four Twins full-season affiliates have completed two games. All four starting pitchers went at least five innings, and three of the starters had more than a strikeout per inning. Not a ton of offense in any of the games, but enough to get a couple of wins.Any feedback would be welcomed on these reports, positive or negative. What do you enjoy, and what would you like to see more of (or any of). RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 - Rochester 3, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 0 (Completion of Suspended Game) Box Score The teams got through four innings on Thursday’s opening night, but that was it. On Friday afternoon, Brandon Kintzler replaced Tyler Duffey who had thrown four shutout innings. Kintzler threw two scoreless innings, striking out four and giving up just one hit. Taylor Rogers went the next two innings. He gave up a walk and a hit, but no runs and struck out one. JR Graham pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out one, for his first save. Jorge Polanco led the way going 3-4 with two triples. He scored twice thanks to Max Kepler. First, Kepler grounded out to score Polanco with the team’s first run of the season. Later, Kepler knocked a sacrifice fly to score Polanco with the second run. Kepler was 1-3 with two RBI. His hit was a single to left. Adam Brett Walker provided the power for the third run with his first AAA home run. He was 1-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Kennys Vargas went 2-3. Game 2 - Rochester 2, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 7 (Regularly-Scheduled Game) Box Score Pat Dean was terrific through five innings. He started the sixth inning and gave up a single and a double before being replaced by Loek Van Mil. Van Mil allowed both runners to score, then gave up four more hits and they all scored (3 earned). He also walked one. Dan Runzler came on and threw a wild pitch to score one more before getting the final out of the bottom of the 6th inning. The six-run inning was too much to overcome. Through five innings, Dean had given up just an unearned run on two hits and a walk. He struck out six. However, because of the 6th inning, his final line is three runs (2 earned) on four hits and a walk in five innings. Five errors by the Red Wings certainly didn’t help the cause in this game. Jorge Polanco, playing second base again, had two of the errors. Juan Centeno gave the Red Wings a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a single. He was 1-2 with a walk and a stolen base. Buck Britton went 2-3 with a double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Biloxi 6 Box Score Biloxi knocked three home runs in this game to even the series at one game a piece. Two of the homers came later to give them some breathing room. However, the first homer came in the first. DJ Baxendale was on the mound. He got the first batter out but then gave up back-to-back doubles before prospect Jacob Nottingham hit a home run to give them a 3-0 lead. After that, Baxendale was terrific. Following the home run, he faced 17 more batters. He gave up just three singles and two of them were erased with double plays by the next batter. So Baxendale ended with a quality start. He completed six innings and was charged with three runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out five. He was replaced by lefty Mason Melotakis who threw his first game in about 20 months after Tommy John surgery. He gave up a solo home run in the 7th to make it 4-2. Jake Reed got the eighth inning. He got the first two batters out quickly, one on a strikeout. He then gave up a single and a long home run to make the score 6-2. He ended the inning with a second strikeout. The Miracle offense wasn’t able to do much. In fact, through five innings against former Twins draft pick Javi Salas (38th round, 2013, went back to Miami for senior season) the only base runner was Stuart Turner who was hit by a pitch. In the 6th, Turner got the team’s first hit, a double (his second in as many games). He moved to third on a bunt and scored on a Zach Granite ground out. An inning later, Mitch Garver cut the deficit to 3-2 with his first home run of the season. Turner and Garver have each started one game at DH and one game behind the plate. Turner is hitting .500 (2-4 with a walk and a HBP) so far with two doubles. Garver is 2-7 with the home run. Daniel Palka was again not in the starting lineup. He did pinch hit for Turner in the 7th inning and popped out. The Lookouts 3-5 hitters went 0-12 in this game with eight strikeouts. It was a theme as the Lookouts struck out 13 times in the game without drawing a walk. That doesn’t work often when recording just four hits. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Bradenton 2 Box Score The story of this game was definitely the performance of Kohl Stewart. The former #1 pick made his first start of the year. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out seven. He gave up a two-run homer in the fifth inning. According to Miracle play-by-play man Brice Zimmerman, Stewart’s fastball was sitting 94-96 mph and hit 97 at times. Stewart was replaced in the 7th inning by lefty Luke Westphal who struck out two (and walked one) in the inning. Because the Miracle took the lead after his inning, he gets credit for the win. Yorman Landa came on for the 8th frame. He gave up no runs on one hit. He struck out one to help get out of the inning despite his own error. Down 2-0 going into the sixth, the Miracle got on the board in the 6th. Ryan Walker led off with a walk. With one out, Nick Gordon singled. An error on the center fielder allowed Walker to score. In the 7th inning, Trey Vavra was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He went to third on a single by Logan Wade. A single by Alex Real scored Vavra. Chad Christensen bunted the runners to second and third. Following a pitching change, Ryan Walker came through with an RBI single to put the Miracle up 4-3. Trevor Hildenberger, our choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2015, came on to protect a one-run lead. The first batter hit a slow roller to third but the runner was safe at first. Hildenberger struck out the next two batters before another slow hopper to the right side resulted in another infield hit. With two on and two outs, Hildenberger got the final out on a fly ball to Tanner English in center. Ryan Walker went 2-2 with a walk and that game-winning RBI. Alex Real went 2-3. Nick Gordon went 1-4, and Trey Vavra was 1-3 with a hit by pitch. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 2 Box Score It was cold in Cedar Rapids on Friday night. Late in the game, the temp dropped to 32 degrees. Earlier in the game, there were snow flurries flying. They got the game in and the Kernels found a way to get their second win in as many chances. Andro Cutura got things going right. He struck out three in the first inning. Through four shutout innings, he had seven strikeouts. He gave up two runs in the fifth, but ended the inning with his eighth strikeout and five complete innings. CK Irby struck out two over two scoreless innings. Brainerd native (and Mayville State grad) Nick Anderson struck out two over two scoreless innings to end it. In the 2nd inning, Max Murphy led off with a single and advanced to third on a Zander Wiel double. JJ Fernandez hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Murphy. It was deep enough to allow Wiel to advance to third base. He then scored on a wild pitch. An inning later, Rafael Valera led off with a triple. A couple of batters later, Max Murphy tripled him in. Murphy then scored on a Wiel sacrifice fly. The Kernels scored two more late in the game thanks to four wild pitches to make it 6-2. Murphy went 2-4 with the triple. Wiel was 1-2 with a walk, a double and the sacrifice fly. LaMonte Wade was 1-3 with a walk. Chris Paul walked twice. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kohl Stewart, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ryan Walker, Ft. Myers Miracle SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS The Rochester Red Wings announced on Friday that Saturday’s home opener has been postponed and will be played at a later date. The Red Wings new home opener will be played on Sunday with Jose Berrios on the mound. Chattanooga @ Biloxi (7:10 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Bradenton @ Ft. Myers (5:30 CST) – LHP Tyler Jay Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:15 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

FORT MYERS, Fla. - On Monday, the Minnesota Twins sent a team across the state to Jupiter to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. Before they left, Paul Molitor and Terry Ryan informed more players that they were heading to minor league camp. It was pretty quiet by Hammond Stadium, but things are really cranking up on the minor league side of the complex. Minor league action is in full form. Today, I wanted to post a bunch of minor league notes from the day.The squads started their day with their morning routine. They get to the field around 9:30 to stretch. Then there is baserunning, throwing, ground balls, fly balls, PFPs, pickoff plays, situational plays, all the stuff from a normal baseball practice. They had lunch, but at noon, Work Group 4 (the guys who will most likely be sticking in Ft. Myers for Extended Spring Training) took on Bethel University. The Minnesota college in St. Paul has played five games previously in Florida the last few days and will play a few more. But, it’s a good challenge for both teams. The head coach of the Bethel team is New Ulm native, former Gopher, and former Minnesota Twins player Brian Raabe. For his team, it is an opportunity to play against some really good, talented players. However that talent is very raw, and they have only been practicing officially for the last four or five days together. As the game was starting, Tom Kelly walked slowly across the field, fungo in tow, and watched the first inning while talking to Raabe. I noted several times that even as pitches were being made, his back was to the batter, and they were standing outside the dugout. For the young Twins players, it’s a chance to play a team of 19-22 year olds who have been practicing for at least six weeks together. It’s also playing against someone other than yourselves. The EST Twins scored four runs over the last couple of innings to take a 7-4 win, but again, that is the least important part of the game. As has been mentioned many times, Tom Kelly and his fungo love to teach the fundamentals of the game. After catching up with Raabe, Kelly took 2015 draft pick Kolton Kendrick to a side field and worked with him on some things around first base. I looked back 45 minutes later… still instructing… Awhile later, Kendrick got into the game at first base… and Kelly was right there with him. That’s not an unusual happening at Twins minor league camp. When Kelly comes down from the big league side, he’s got his fungo and he takes time with players whenever he sees a coachable moment. At 1:00, Work Group 1 - which is currently comprised of players who will start 2016 in AAA or AA but will change as players move down from big league camp - played Work Group 2 (comprised of AA and Hi-A players) on the next field. The next field pitted Work Group 3 (comprised of Hi-A and Low-A players) against Work Group 4 (Low-A and some Extended Spring players). A lot of pitchers threw between the two games. Most worked just one inning, but three guys who will be starters also pitched. Stephen Gonsalves, Randy LeBlanc and David Hurlbut all threw 60 pitches, getting through four innings. Someone with direct knowledge told me that the starters will throw 60 pitches this time out. In their next outing, they’ll try to get to 75 pitches. Then 95 pitches. Then they’ll drop back to 75 pitches and be ready to roll for Opening Day. From watching Gonsalves, it is clear that adding a slider this offseason could be great for him. It can be death to left-handed hitters. It’s interesting as the Twins pitchers are just completing their third time through the spring rotation. They were to get 60 pitches in. In their fourth start, the goal will be 75 pitches. So, minor league starters aren’t given a lot of time to build arm strength. There were a couple of scary moments on the day. Early in one game, Levi Michael lined a ball right back at David Hurlbut. The left hander was fortunately able to get his glove up just in time and was unscathed. Infielder Tanner Vavra was facing Alex Wimmers later in the game. A pitch got away from Wimmers and hit Vavra right in the helmet. Vavra went down, but as people were trying to help him, he jumped up. He went to first base under his own power. He soon came out of the game and had to go through concussion protocols. Fortunately, he is all right and the tests came back fine. The next batter, Logan Wade, crushed a pitch well beyond the right field fence. Mike Berardino had the nugget on Twitter on Sunday about Levi Michael giving up left-handed hitting. He will only bat right-handed at this point. That’s what he did on Monday. Some Other Notes I chatted with Niko Goodrum for a little while before lunch. He definitely looks bigger and stronger. I asked him about Elite Metro Sports and Cages. It is a place in his home town of Fayetteville, Georgia. Goodrum wanted a way to give back in his community and thought that having a training facility for youth in his city was a good idea. He told me that he really didn’t have anything like that when he was growing up. Throughout the offseason, Niko worked with hundreds of kids of all ages in the cages, but also on all aspects of the game. They held several clinics. His uncles Donell and Otis Nixon came and helped at some base stealing clinics as well. His cousin, a third former big leaguer in the family, also has been a big influence on Goodrum. Niko said that he just really enjoys working with the kids. To be a good teacher, it helps to be a good learner. Here Goodrum is taking some instruction from former big leaguer (and GCL hitting coach) Javier Valentin. I chatted with Lewis Thorpe a little bit before lunch as well. He had thrown a bullpen that morning and said it felt really good. He feels like he is back to normal but he knows they will be patient with him in his return. It’s clear that he’s been working hard this spring. He has lost a lot of weight that had been gained throughout the injury. He expects that he’ll start throwing more and getting into a routine before joining a team later this spring. They’ll build up his in-game pitch count in the same way that others do in spring training, but just at a little slower pace. While Thorpe has lost some weight, there are a few guys who gained weight. We’ve already discussed that Nick Gordon has added 15 pounds in the offseason. In chatting with Mike Radcliff, he noted that it’s almost even more. He had been sick and lost a bit of weight so the fact that he’s gained 14 is encouraging. Ryan Walker missed time early last season with an injury. The gifted-defensive middle infielder has always been skinny and has tried to add weight. However, he often loses some during the season. He came to Twins spring training last year at about 170 pounds but by the end of the season, he was at closer to 160 pounds. He worked really hard in the offseason and is now sitting between 180 and 185 pounds and hopes to maintain it through the season. He may start the season in Chattanooga, but could return to Ft. Myers for some of the season depending upon the rosters above. The 12 players that were sent down from big league camp did not participate in the games on Monday. 40-man roster guys actually have the right to take a couple of days off after the are optioned. My guess is that they will be at practice today. Teams can expect non-roster guys to go straight to minor league camp. My guess is that the Twins (Terry Ryan) encouraged them to take Monday off. The Twins big league club has their one scheduled day off of the spring. They’re there for six to seven weeks officially and get just one day off, so I’m sure they’ll enjoy it. Not me though. I’ll be again spending the day at minor league camp. I did take about 400 pictures yesterday. We’ll see how many turned out. I’ll take more today and get to editing tonight. Again pictures taken here in Ft. Myers will be used throughout the season in Minor League reports. Some of them will be posted to the Twins Daily Facebook Page, the Twins Daily Twitter account, and I’ll also post some on my Twitter account. So, click those links, follow us on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook. Click here to view the article

The Minor League regular season is now just one more day from being complete. In fact, the Ft. Myers Miracle played their final game on Sunday morning. We’ve been producing daily minor league reports since the minor league seasons started in early April. It’s almost sad seeing that it is nearly complete. But worry not, two Twins affiliates will begin their playoff runs this week and we’ll cover those fully.Check out everything that happened in the Twins farm system on Sunday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score Another day, another solid start for a Red Wings pitcher. On this day, Michael Bowden gave up just one run over 5.1 innings. He gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out five. Loek van Mil came on and walked one over 1.1 scoreless innings. Aaron Thompson struck out one of the four batters he faced and got out. Mark Hamburger gave up two hits, but struck out two, in his scoreless inning. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with a walk. Doug Bernier went 2-4 with two RBI. Carlos Paulino went 0-1, but he walked three times. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 11, Jackson 10 (10 innings) Box Score The Lookouts entered the bottom of the sixth inning of Sunday night's game trailing 8-1. They chipped four runs off that lead. They spotted the Generals two more runs in the seventh, but knocked off in that inning and then put up another four-spot in the eighth to knot the game at 10 and send it to extras. An error allowed Stephen Wickens to score the walk-off run. Shannon Wilkerson led the late-inning offensive juggernaut, going 4-6 with his 11th stolen base. He came up a home-run short of the cycle. Jorge Polanco doubled among his two hits. With the exception of D.J. Hicks, all starters drove in a run; Jairo Rodriguez drove in two. Travis Harrison was 1-3, but drew three walks. Levi Michael doubled and also swiped his 18th bag of the year. Brett Lee gave up seven runs (four earned) over 5 1/3 innings. He walked and struck out one. He was relieved by Jake Red who gave up a home run among the three he allowed. He recorded four outs. D.J. Johnson pitched a scoreless inning and a third. Brandon Peterson collected the win. He pitched two scoreless frames and struck out four. The Lookouts conclude their regular season with a Monday matinee. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Charlotte 5 Box Score The Miracle fell in their final game of the season. They end their season with a 76-63. That is the best overall record in the Florida State League South Division. However, because they did not win the division in either half, they will not make the playoffs. The Miracle also set an attendance record at Hammond Stadium this season. Luke Westphal started and gave up two runs (1 earned) on nine hits in 4.2 innings. He walked one and struck out five. Brian Gilbert went the next 1.1 innings. He gave up one run on one hit and a walk. Tyler Jay walked one and struck out one in his inning. Zack Jones gave up two unearned runs on three hits in his inning. He struck out one. Alex Muren finished it with a perfect inning. Ryan Walker went 2-2 with his seventh double. Zach Granite was 2-3 with his tenth double. Engelb Vielma went 1-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 1 Box Score The Kernels are prepping for their playoff run. We learned from Jeff Johnson (The Gazette, Cedar Rapids) that they will use Felix Jorge, Sam Gibbons and Keaton Steele in their upcoming series against Quad Cities. Randy LeBlanc ended his season with a quality start. He gave up one run on four hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out three and improved to 9-5 with a 3.03 ERA. Luke Bard gave up a hit and walked two over two scoreless innings. He struck out three. Nick Anderson picked up his fourth save with a perfect ninth. Nick Gordon led the offense. He went 2-4 with his seventh triple and an RBI. TJ White was 1-3 and drove in a run. Austin Diemer went 2-3. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Cedar Rapids Kernels MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (12:35 CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers Jackson @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – TBD Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 CST) – LHP Sam Clay Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Click here to view the article

Pitching wins, right? Well, on a night when Mike Pelfrey got rocked yet again, all four Twins minor league starters posted quality starts. A couple of strong candidates for minor league starting pitcher of the year did what they’ve done all year. And there were some solid hitting performances too.Check out everything that happened in the Twins farm system on Friday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Pawtucket 1 Box Score Pat Dean made the final start of his remarkable 2015 season. Dean improved to 12-11 with a 2.82 ERA after completing his fifth game of the year. In his nine innings, he gave up one run on five hits. He walked none and struck out one. As you would guess, he needed just 97 pitches and 72 of them were strikes. Allan de San Miguel sat on the Rochester DL for most of the whole year. He was added to the roster on Tuesday. In this game, he went 2-3 with his first double. Oswaldo Arcia added his 13th double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 8, Jackson 2 Box Score The Lookouts had a terrific night as they prepare for the Southern League playoffs. They got a strong start from David Hulbut. The southpaw went the first seven innings. He gave up two runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out three. Alex Wimmers and Nick Burdi both struck out two in perfect innings. Nearly everyone contributed to the offensive output. Shannon Wilkerson went 3-5 and stole his 10th base. Stuart Turner was 3-4. Niko Goodrum went 2-4 with a walk. Dalton Hicks and Heiker Meneses each had two hits. Adam Brett Walker hit his 31st double. Max Kepler was 0-2, but he walked three times. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Charlotte 1 Box Score Stephen Gonsalves’s final start of the season was terrific. He improved to 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA with the Miracle with the win. The lefty went the first six innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He struck out five without issuing a walk. Matt Summers earned his first save with three shutout innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. Bryan Haar led the offense with a 3-4 game. Ryan Walker went 2-4 with a walk, his sixth double and his ninth stolen base. Logan Wade hit his 22nd double. Mitch Garver was 1-3 with a walk and his 24th double. Tanner Vavra went 1-2 with two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Wisconsin 4 Box Score The Kernels gave up the lead in the second half of this game, but they were able to come back and take the lead and secure another win over Wisconsin. Sam Gibbons started. He went six innings and gave up two runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out four. John Curtiss came on and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning. Zach Tillery threw a scoreless eighth and Nick Anderson recorded his third save with a scoreless ninth. TJ White again led the way. He went 2-3 with his 21st double. LaMonte Wade went 2-4. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ryan Walker, Ft. Myers Miracle SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (5:35 CST) – RHP JO Berrios Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15) – RHP Greg Peavey Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (5:00 CST) – TBD vs Chih-Wei Hu Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Keaton Steele Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article