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Coming into play on Tuesday, August 8th, the Rochester Red Wings have a record of 65-50. That puts them 8 ½ games back of International League North Division leading Scranton-Wilkes-Barre. They’re in third place, two games behind the Lehigh Valley IronPigs for second place in the division, and more important, in the wild card race. That’s why it’s understandable that the organization made the move to bring up lefty starter Stephen Gonsalves and righty reliever Luke Bard. The hope could be that the two will help bolster the Red Wings pitching staff and help them get into the playoffs. Well, that, along with some good experience in a playoff chase at a new level of development. Gonsalves will make his first AAA start on Thursday against Norfolk. When he and Bard make their Red Wings debuts, they will be the 37th and 38th pitchers to throw for the team this season, already a franchise record. With that, I thought I’d bring out a Triple-A version of Nick Nelson’s Three-Bagger series. Below you’ll find three players at Rochester of particular interest.Here are three Rochester Red Wings to pay particular attention to in the coming weeks. MITCH GARVER Those that follow me on Twitter know that I’ve been including the hashtag #CallHimUp on any of the tweets that mention Garver. He’s 26, and he’s put up tremendous numbers. In fact, someone close to the Red Wings said he’s “having one of the best seasons as a catcher in recent Red Wings history.” Through 81 games this season, he is hitting .276/.378/.521 (.898). He’s hit 23 doubles and 16 home runs. Since being drafted in the ninth round of the 2013 draft, after his senior season at the University of New Mexico, he has continued to improve each season. That’s great since he was the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2014 while playing in Cedar Rapids. This year, he’s been impressive, showing a strong knowledge of the strike zone and attacking driveable pitches into the gaps and over the fence, to either field. As important in a catcher’s development, he’s improved tremendously behind the plate as well. He’s blessed with a very strong arm, and has always thrown out base stealers at a strong percent. While his pitch framing numbers aren’t as strong this year as last, pitchers rave about his ability to call a good game. My first thought was maybe Wilson Ramos put up some strong numbers for the Red Wings. However, in 71 games for the team in 2010, he hit .241/.280/.345 (.625) with 14 doubles and five home runs (as a 22 year old) in 71 games. In 2014, Josmil Pinto hit .279/.376/.457 (.833) with 17 doubles and six homers in 60 games for the Red Wings. In 2008, Jose Morales hit .315/.348/.426 (.774) with eight doubles and four homers in 54 games. In 2007, Morales hit .311/.366/.399 (.765) with 25 doubles and two homers in 108 games. In 2005, Rob Bowen hit .268/.368/.402 (.770) with 13 doubles and six homers. And that takes us back through the Twins affiliation with Rochester. I think it’s safe to say that the season Mitch Garver is putting together is the best in the last 15 years, to be sure. Meanwhile, Jason Castro is hitting .227/.322/.371 (.693) with 20 doubles and six homers in 80 games for the Twins. Backup Chris Gimenez is hitting .202/.317/.355 (.672) with four doubles and five homers in 47 games. Garver has versatility too. He’s caught in 61 games. He played first base in five games, and he’s played 14 games in left field. While his range may be that of a catcher in left field, he would be a right-handed bench or DH option for the Twins. There is no question that Mitch Garver will be called up for September. There should be little question that he should be given every opportunity next spring to break with the big league club. For good. MICHAEL TONKIN After starting the season 0-1 with a 6.55 ERA and a 2.18 WHIP through nine games and 11 innings for the Twins, the front office decided it was time to DFA the hard-throwing right-hander. Tonkin was drafted by the Twins in the 30th round of the 2008 draft out of high school in California. He was given some opportunity to start, but in 2010, he made the move to the bullpen. He quickly became one of the Twins top relief pitching minor leaguers. Blessed with a 95 mph fastball and a good slider, he showed good control while striking out ten or more batters per nine innings pitched. He got his first taste of the big leagues in 2013, and he went up and down for a few seasons. His first full season in the big leagues was 2016, his first season without options remaining. This spring, he again made the Opening Day roster, primarily due to the options situation. But as we mentioned, by early May, the decision was made to let him go. Fortunately for the club, Tonkin passed through waivers and has been pitching late innings for the Red Wings this season. And he’s been pitching well. In 23 games and 33 innings since joining the Red Wings, he is 3-2 with four saves. He has posted a 1.91 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. He’s walking 3.0 batters per nine while striking out an impressive 13.1 per nine (48 strikeouts in 33 innings). More impressive, in his last 15 games (21 innings), he has a 0.86 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP. He’s walked three batters and struck out 34! Tonkin is already 27, but maybe the extended trip back to AAA allowed him to figure something out. Maybe. Maybe not. But it does feel like he would warrant one last shot with the big league club to see what has stuck. If it looks legit, keep him on the roster. If not, you DFA him and let him become a free agent. TIM MELVILLE Every time the Twins sign someone out of independent leagues or promote a 27+ year old player to Rochester, I can always anticipate a certain faction of the Twins Daily readership cringing. I’m guessing that when the Twins signed RHP Tim Melville from the independent league Long Island Ducks earlier this season, several of you reading this hated it. But Melville has made himself interesting, or at least he should be interesting to Twins fans. The still-just-27-year-old righty is 3-3 with a 2.55 ERA for the Red Wings in 10 games (nine starts) since joining their roster nearly two months ago. He’s got a 1.07 WHIP. In 60 innings, he’s given up 44 hits, walked 20 and struck out 58. If he was 1-2 years younger, we’d be crying out for him to get an opportunity. Instead, Melville has had to live with the “bust” label, fair or not. He was a highly-touted prep player from Missouri. The Royals used a fourth-round draft pick, and a lot of cash ($1.25 million). He was a top prospect until he had Tommy John surgery in 2012. In 2014, he went 2-11 with a 5.50 ERA for the Royals AA affiliate and was let go by the organization. The Tigers swooped in and signed him for 2015. He went 7-10 with a 4.63 ERA in AAA. In 2016, he signed with the Reds. He was called up and made his MLB debut on April 10th. He went 0-1 with an 11.00 ERA in three games (two starts) for the Reds. He was DFAd on April 22nd and went to AAA where he got hurt. He found himself without an offer this spring, so he went the independent route. With the Ducks, he was 3-4 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in nine starts when the Twins signed him. While his background doesn’t necessarily convince you that he’d have success if the Twins promoted him, his ‘stuff’ might. In his starts, he has been between 93 and 96 mph and been able to maintain that throughout the game. He’s got a pretty good curveball that can get swings-and-misses, and often gets weak contact. And his changeup is about average. Now, I’m not saying he would come up and insert himself as a mid-rotation starter. Not at all. But maybe he can be the starting pitcher depth that Thad Levine talked about. Maybe he can be a guy at AAA who can make a few starts in the big leagues from time to time. Maybe not. But if the Twins bring him up in September and give him a shot, I certainly won’t feel bad about it. Maybe he can be a stop-gap until the new front office believes that the likes of Gonsalves, Romero, Jorge, Littell, Slegers are more ready for that role. RED WINGS NOTEBOOK OK, so I can’t stop at just three. Here are a few more Red Wings notes of note. Niko Goodrum is setting himself up to be a valuable utility player. So far this year, he has played first base (three games), second base (24 games), third base (16 games), shortstop (nine games), left field (one game), center field (13 games) and right field (40 games). In 106 games, he’s hitting .259/.308/.413 (.721) with 23 doubles, four triples and nine home runs.Matt Hague has quietly been very good for the Red Wings. In 110 games, he’s hit .294/.371/.405 (.777) with 21 doubles and eight homers. Very professional.Since his return from fractured fingers, Daniel Palka has hit .277/.329/.446 (.775) with a double, two triples and two homers in 16 games. Reports indicate that he’s been much better the last week or so and appears to be returning to form.Byungho Park started the season very slow, but he’s come on very strong. The 30-year-old is hitting .263/.321/.428 (.749) with 22 doubles and nine homers. In his last 57 games, he’s hitting .303/.351/.476 (.827) with 14 doubles and six homers.In 18 games since he returned to the Red Wings, Kennys Vargas is hitting .234/.338/.516 (.853). However, in his last two games, he has gone 5-8 with two doubles and a homer, which account for most of that stat line.Mason Melotakis has made 11 appearances (13.1 innings) since coming off the Twins 40-man roster for the Red Wings. He has a 2.03 ERA despite a 1.35 WHIP. Reports are that he’s been quite good despite the fact that his velocity has been way down from where has had been.Jake Reed is 1-0 with a 1.45 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP in 14 games (18.2 innings) since joining the Red Wings. He has 16 strikeouts and six walks. He’ll need to be added to the 40-man roster in the offseason, so a September call up should happen.John Curtiss has been with the Red Wings for about a month now. In 14 games (17.2 innings), he’s got a 2.04 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. He’s got eight walks and 24 strikeouts, so he’s been a bit more wild, but he’s certainly a candidate for a September call up.Aaron Slegers’ eight-game winning streak came to an end with his most recent start, but he’s been terrific and appears to be a very strong candidate for International League Pitcher of the Year. . He is 12-4 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in 20 starts (123 innings). He’s got 91 strikeouts to go with just 27 walks. While he doesn’t profile as a top prospect because his “stuff” doesn’t grade out real high, Slegers knows how to pitch. He’ll give up some hits, but he won’t hurt himself with walks, and his home run rate has stayed down as well. He’s earned a shot at a September call up. However, the business side of the 40-man roster decisions and the Rule 5 implications may make him a tough choice.So there you have it. A whole bunch on the Twins AAA affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. Feel free to discuss and ask questions. Click here to view the article

Good thing that the Twins won on Monday night against the Brewers because their five affiliates that played all lost. That isn’t to say there weren’t some solid performances. And, as we know, winning isn’t the most important thing in the minor leagues. Player development is. But, learning how to win and being part of that atmosphere can be an important part of development. This year, the combined record of the Twins affiliates ranks second in baseball to the Yankees organization. There are a lot of really good things going on in the Twins minor leagues.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Monday. Let’s start with the transactions of the day: As we heard on Sunday night, LHP Stephen Gonsalves and RHP Luke Bard have been promoted to AAA Rochester. On Monday morning, more parts of the transaction were announced:OF Edgar Corcino was sent back to the Lookouts. With Zack Granite returning to the Red Wings, and Daniel Palka now healthy, and JB Shuck in the picture, it makes sense to send Corcino to Chattanooga where he will play. Also, as mentioned yesterday, LaMonte Wade was placed on the disabled list.RHP DJ Baxendale was also sent from the Red Wings to the Lookouts.The other part of the move is Sam Clay’s promotion from Ft. Myers to Chattanooga.His season has been half-interesting, half-remarkable. In his first outing, he gave up six earned runs on 0.2 inning. Then he went 13 games (24.1 innings) without allowing a run. He then gave up one run in back-to-back games. Since then, he’s pitched in 20 games (31.0 IP) without allowing a run.Also, about a week ago, the Twins released infielder Zaino Henriquez from the Dominican Summer League roster. The Curacao native did a Q&A with Jeremy before the 2015 season. He had signed with the Twins in August 2015 at the age of 16.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 1, Columbus 4 Box Score Tim Melville was on the mound for the Red Wings, and as he has been since signing from the Atlantic League, he was very good. The right-hander gave up one run on one hit over seven innings. He walked three batters, but he struck out nine. When he left the game, it was tied at one. Drew Rucinski entered and because of an error, he was charged with three unearned runs on four hits in the eighth inning. He struck out two. Michael Tonkin came on and struck out the side in the ninth. Daniel Palka went 2-4. The Red Wings run scored on a single off the bat of Matt Hague. It scored Niko Goodrum, who had knocked his 23rd double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 9 Box Score It was another Fernando Romero outing, which is normally a very good thing. On this night, Romero had one of those clunkers that every pitcher experiences. He gave up single runs in the first and second innings before giving up four runs in the third. He settled down and ended his night with two scoreless innings. In all, he gave up six runs on nine hits over five innings. He walked none and also struck out none. Dereck Rodriguez made his second straight appearance out of the bullpen. He gave up three runs on seven hits in his three innings. He struck out three. Todd Van Steensel dropped his season ERA to 1.45 with a scoreless ninth inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Palm Beach 5 Box Score Take away the bottom of the third, and the Miracle would have posted a win, even a shutout, but that’s not how it works. Eduardo Del Rosario started, and he gave up five runs on six hits and four walks. The damage all came in that third inning. Williams Ramirez struck out two over two scoreless innings. Then Michael Theofanopoulos struck out one over two scoreless innings. The Miracle tried to come back. Brent Rooker went 2-4, and his three-run homer in the sixth inning cut the Miracle deficit to just 5-4. But they were unable to push another run across the plate. Mitchell Kranson and Brandon Lopez each had two base hits. Jaylin Davis and Tanner English each added a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Wisconsin 7 Box Score The game was close throughout until a four-run eighth inning gave the TimberRattlers the final margin of victory. Ben Rortvedt and Trey Cabbage combined to give the Kernels their two runs. In the second inning, Rortvedt doubled and later scored on a Cabbage single. Again in the fourth, Rortvedt doubled, his 14th of the year. Two batters later, Cabbage knocked him in with a sacrifice fly. Eight of the nine Kernels hitters had at least one hit, but they were only able to score the two runs. 12 strikeouts may have played a factor in that too. Tyler Beardlsey started and went the first 4.2 innings. He was charged with three runs on three hits and three walks. He struck out two. Patrick McGuff came on and threw 2.1 scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out two. Colton Davis has been arguably the most consistent Kernels reliever all year, but it started out rough. The first batter of the eighth inning homered, and they added three more runs off of the Kernels reliever. His ERA jumped from 2.52 to 3.18 in this outing. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton, Bluefield Box Score The game was postponed by rain. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 0, GCL Orioles 6 Box Score There was very little offense for the Twins in this game. Alex Robles had the lone hit for the team. Colton Burns had the lone walk. Henry Centeno made his third rehab appearance. He went 2.2 innings and gave up one run on three hits. He struck out three without issuing a walk. Jordan Balazovic came on and gave up five runs (three earned) on eight hits in 3.1 innings. He walked three and struck out two. Taylor Clemensia threw two scoreless innings. He gave up a hit, walked one and struck out one. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tim Melville, Rochester Red Wings. Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Brent Rooker, Ft. Myers Miracle THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP Hector Santiago Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30 CST) - RHP Brady Anderson Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 CST) - LHP Bryan Sammons Elizabethton @ Bluefield (DH at 4:05 CST) - RHP Melvi Acosta, RHP Nick Brown GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00 am) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

Yesterday, Jonathan Rodriguez was named our Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month. Today, we’ll turn to the pitching, starting with the starters. There were some strong performances at every level, from the rookie leagues to AAA. One starting pitcher gave up one run in the entire month. Another won all of his starts. There are players new to the organization and players who are new to professional baseball. There are 20 year olds and 27 year olds and everything in between. You’ll want to keep reading to find out more.Before we get to our Top 6 starting pitchers for the month of July, here is a list of a others who deserve to be recognized for a solid month. HONORABLE MENTION Edwar Colina - Elizabethton - 5 GS, 24.2 IP, 1-2, 2.19 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 20 H, 10 BB, 29 KStephen Gonsalves - Chattanooga - 6 GS, 32.2 IP, 3-0, 3.31 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 32 H, 11 BB, 36 KBrusdar Graterol - GCL/Elizabethton - 5 G, 3 GS, 19.1 IP, 2-0, 2.33 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 13 H, 7 BB, 23 K.David Hurlbut - Rochester - 5 G, 4 GS, 29.2 IP, 3-1, 3.03 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 29 H, 4 BB, 24 K.Griffin Jax - Elizabethton/Cedar Rapids - 4 GS, 26.1 IP, 2-1, 2.39 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 19 H, 7 BB, 13 K.Bryan Sammons - Elizabethton - 5 G, 3 GS, 21.0 IP, 2-0, 1.29 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 11 H, 6 BB, 25 K.THE TOP SIX STARTING PITCHERS #6 - Fernando Romero - Chattanooga Lookouts - 6 GS, 3-1, 1.67 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 22 H, 11 BB, 36 K Romero was the Twins Daily #1 Twins Prospect coming into the season. He’s pitched like it through most of the season. Over the last six starts, he has been limited to five innings per start, and as you can see from the July numbers, he’s been very good. His fastball is consistently 96-99 mph. He’s got a good, sharp slider. His changeup is his pitch that needs work, but reports are that it continues to improve. It will be interesting to see how he is used the rest of this season. July was a good month for Romero, but he’s been good all year. He’s 11-6 with a 2.60 ERA with 115 strikeouts in 110.2 innings. #5 - Clark Beeker - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 5 GS, 3-1, 0.84 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 32.0 IP, 22 H, 3 BB, 23 K Beeker has been a regular in these monthly reports this season. He was the Twins 33rd-round pick in 2016 out of Davidson. In July, batters hit just .190/.230/.241 (.471) off of him. An ERA under 1.00. A WHIP under 1.00. You can’t ask a starter to do that, but Beeker’s been doing it while still providing a lot of innings. Last week, he tossed a complete game shutout. On the year, Beeker is now 11-3 with a 2.31 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. He’s got tremendous control, having walked just 14 batters in 113 innings. #4 - Eduardo Del Rosario - Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers Miracle - 4 GS, 1-2, 1.33 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 15 H, 5 BB, 17 K Del Rosario was the Kernels Opening Day starter, and he was their first starter coming back after the All-Star break. At the end of July, he was finally promoted to the Miracle. In his final start of July, his first start with the Miracle, he gave up just an unearned run and one hit over eight innings. For the full month, opponents hit just .165/.232/.275 (.507) against him. He’s not a big guy, but he’s wiry, and throws with a whip-like action. On the season, he is now 7-6 with a 4.39 ERA. He’s got 90 strikeouts in 98.1 innings. #3 - Tim Melville - Rochester Red Wings - 5 GS, 1-3, 1.89 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 33.1 IP, 25 H, 8 BB, 28 K Melville was the Royals fourth-round pick in 2008 out of high school in Missouri. He was very highly-touted, but he struggled right away. He stayed in the Royals organization through the 2014 season. He pitched for Detroit’s AAA affiliate in 2015. He went to the Reds in 2016 and received a three-game, 11 inning big league debut. Following the season, he was not signed by anyone. So he went to the independent Atlanta League where he was a teammate for Twins legend Lew Ford with the Long Island Ducks. The Twins came calling, and since joining the Red Wings, Melville has been quite good. In nine games (eight starts), he is 3-3 with a 2.72 ERA. In July, batters hit just .205/.263/.279 (.542) off of him. Reports indicate that the still-just-27-year-old is sitting between 93 and 96 with his fastball, and he’s got a good breaking ball too. He might be a guy given an opportunity if the front office doesn’t believe that the AA guys are ready yet this year. #2- Charlie Barnes - Elizabethton Twins - 6 G, 5 GS, 2-0, 0.37 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 24.1 IP, 17 H, 8 BB, 26 K I mean, what can Charlie Barnes possibly do in his second month of pro ball after a debut like this. He gave up two runs in 2.1 innings in his pro debut (which came in June). In his next start, he gave up one run, the only run he gave up in 24.1 innings over the whole month. Opponents hit just .183/.255/.215 (.470) off him. Drafted in the fourth round out of Clemson this year, Barnes was touted as a changeup artist. It was no surprise that he was quickly promoted to Cedar Rapids where he threw four shutout innings to keep the streak going. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Rochester Red Wings - RHP Aaron Slegers - 5 GS, 5-0, 0.99 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 36.1 IP, 26 H, 4 BB, 22 K For the second month this season, Aaron Slegers is our choice for Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month. He was also the choice in May. Slegers made five starts in July and won all five of them. He gave up three runs in the first start. Over the last four starts, he gave up one run in 29.2 innings. Opponents hit just .202/.226/.240 (.466) off of him in July. The 24-year-old was the Twins fifth-round draft pick in 2014 out of Indiana. He wasn’t protected from the Rule 5 draft which made a lot of people in the organization nervous. When he wasn’t selected, he received an invitation to big league camp. He made a strong impression on the coaches and has taken some of the things he learned and put them to use this season. His five straight wins in July extends his streak to eight straight starts with a win. In that stretch, he is 8-0 with a 1.73 ERA. Overall on the season, Slegers has made 19 starts. He is 12-4 with a 3.13 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. In 118 innings, he has walked just 25 and struck out just 85 (6.5 K/9). Slegers isn’t a flame thrower. Opponents get hits off of him. But what he does is not hurt himself with walks, and he keeps the ball in the yard. His fastball sits in the low 90s, but he’s been known to touch 94 and even 95 at times. He’s got a good pitch mix and knows how to pitch. He should gets an opportunity to make starts for the Twins before season’s end. Congratulations to our Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of July, Rochester starter Aaron Slegers. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like. It wasn’t as easy a decision as you might think. There were several solid starters in July, and several really stood out. Click here to view the article

Byron Buxton, whose walk-up song is Mark Morrison’s 1996 hit “Return of the Mack,” made a triumphant return to Rochester. He opened his rehab assignment by slugging a lead-off homer, then helped spark a game-winning rally in extra innings. Also tonight, Royce Lewis picked up two more hits, Fernando Romero dazzled, Gabriel Moya impressed in his Twins org debut, Tim Melville struck out 11 batters and Joe Cronin had a big game.Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Friday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Toledo 1 (10 innings) Box Score Buxton popped the leadoff homer and Red Wings starter Tim Melville had a no-hitter through 4.2 innings, but Rochester couldn’t muster any more offense. Melville eventually gave up a run in the seventh, and the game went into extras. Buxton led off the 10th with a single, and after Mitch Garver struck out, Matt Hague singled to advance Byron to second. Niko Goodrum struck out, but ByungHo Park delivered the go-ahead hit, a two-run double. The Wings added two more runs, as Daniel Palka tripled and Tommy Field hit a single. Melville was marvelous, striking out 11 batters over 7.0 innings in this one. He lowered his ERA to 2.44 over his 48 innings with the Red Wings. He was pitching with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League earlier this year. Mason Melotakis pitched two perfect innings to pick up the W. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Birmingham 2 Box Score Jonathan Rodriguez, who has a strong case to be the Southern League MVP this season, had yet another great night. The 27-year-old hit his 15th homer and 24th double of the season on a three-hit night in which he also scored three runs. Rodriguez entered the evening as the league leader in OPS by 21 points. The Twins signed Rodriguez as a minor league free agent over the winter. Fernando Romero went five innings yet again tonight, but it may not have been due to any kind of limits this time. There was a rain delay in the middle of the fifth, so it was a logical point to call it a night for the 22-year-old Dominican sensation. As we’ve come to expect at this point, Romero was outstanding. He struck out nine batters and surrendered one run on just three hits while issuing one walk. Gabriel Moya, acquired from Arizona for Joh Ryan Murphy, made his Twins organization debut. He struck out the side in the eighth inning and walked a batter. Nick Anderson pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two. Nick Gordon hit a double, drew a walk and scored a run. He also made a throwing error, his 21st error of the season. (UPDATE The official scorer has changed that play to a hit, so Gordon is still at 20 errors.) Fun fact: the Southern League record for errors in a season by a shortstop is 56. The player? Former Twins center fielder Otis Nixon in 1981. Andy Wilkins, Ryan Walker and Levi Michael all had two-hit games. T.J White hit a bases-clearing triple. Catcher Brian Navarreto hit his first career homer at the Double A level. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Lakeland 0 Box Score Brady Anderson turned in a terrific start, the Fort Myers bullpen dominated and the offense manufactured a pair of runs. Anderson gave up five hits and a walk over 5.2 innings while striking out three batters. Andrew Vasquez, who has dominated like very few other pitchers in all of minor league baseball this season, struck out four batters over 2.1 innings of one-hit ball. He’s now pitched 23.2 scoreless innings for the Miracle, and has 38 Ks against just four walks. Sam Clay finished things off in the ninth, striking out the side for his eighth save. Tanner English had a great game out of the leadoff spot. He drew three walks, stole second base twice and scored a run. The Miracle scored their runs on an error on a pickoff throw and a sacrifice fly. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Peoria 3 Box Score Shortstop Joe Cronin hit a three-run homer and ended the night 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. That led a big offensive night for the Kernels, as Trey Cabbage also had three hits and Caleb Hamilton, Christian Cavaness and Gorge Munoz each had two hits. Domenick Carlini gave up three runs, one earned, over 5.0 innings. Ryan Madson was the first man out of the bullpen, and threw 3.0 scoreless innings, giving up a couple of hits while tallying three strikeouts. Hector Lujan earned his 10th save with a scoreless ninth inning. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Princeton 1 (Game 1, 7 innings) Box Score Bryan Sammons, the Twins eighth-round pick in this year’s draft, pitched 5.0 shutout innings. He gave up three hits, struck out six and didn’t walk anyone. Sammons, a lefty out of Western Carolina, has now pitched 24.2 innings and has only surrendered four earned runs (1.46 ERA). Colton Waltner, a 21st rounder in this year’s class, hit his first professional home run and stole a base. Shane Carrier had a pair of hits, boosting his average to .339, and Andrew Bechtold hit a double, drew a walk and scored twice. Elizabethton 3, Princeton 0 (Game 2, Suspended after 2 innings) Box Score The Twins were off to an excellent start in this one, but more rain came through and forced this game to be suspended. Jose Miranda and Carrier both hit homers and Bechtold had a triple. Edwar Colina had thrown two shutout innings with four strikeouts. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Red Sox 12, GCL Twins 7 Box Score The Twins built a 7-4 lead in this one, but typically rock solid bullpen arms Vadim Balan and Zach Featherstone combined to give up eight runs (five earned) over just 1.2 innings. Alex Robles had the big blast in this one, clubbing a three-run homer. The 22-year-old right fielder had a monster game, going 3-for-5 with four RBI. Royce Lewis had yet another big game, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a run. This was his 25th professional game, he’s gotten multiple hits in 12 of them. Petru Balan started for the Twins and gave up three runs on four hits over 3.0 innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Tim Melville, Rochester (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga (3-for-5, HR, 2B, 3 R, 1 RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Toledo, 6:05 pm CT, Hector Santiago (6.75 ERA, 1.75 WHIP) Chattanooga vs. Birmingham, 6:15 pm CT, Felix Jorge (4.01 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) Fort Myers at Clearwater, 5:15 pm CT, Lewis Thorpe (3.06 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) Cedar Rapids vs Clinton, 6:35 pm CT, Clark Beeker (2.51 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) Elizabethton at Princeton, 6:00 pm CT, TBD GCL Twins at GCL Red Sox, 9:00 am CT, TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday's games. Click here to view the article

Prospect mavens across Twins Territory were bracing for impact all day Friday, anxiously awaiting details on the rumored Jaime Garcia trade with Atlanta. That deal never happened, but it was a good reminder that now is as good a time as ever to get acquainted with the system. There were plenty of notable performances Friday night, including Brent Rooker recording his first hit with Fort Myers. And his second … and third. Also, LaMonte Wade hit a big homer for the Lookouts, Tim Melville was brilliant for the Red Wings, Joe Cronin cracked a couple of homers for the Kernels and Akil Baddoo had a nice debut with E-Town.Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Friday. Glen Perkins had a big announcement to share on Twitter: Twins radio man Cory Provus elaborated during the big club's broadcast that Perkins would be pitching in the GCL. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Toledo 0 Box Score Tim Melville was outstanding, pitching eight shutout innings. He gave up just four hits, all singles, and walked a batter while striking out four. The 27-year-old right-hander now has a 2.63 ERA over six appearances with the Red Wings. The bottom of the fifth started by three straight singles from ByungHo Park, Tommy Field and Edgar Corcino, who drove in a run on his hit. In the bottom of the sixth, Rochester added another run when Mitch Garver and Niko Goodrum hit back-to-back singles and Kennys Vargas had an RBI ground out. Alan Busenitz pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save for the Wings. He’s thrown six scoreless innings since being optioned back down from the Twins, tallying seven K's with just one walk and two hits allowed. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Mobile 2 Box Score LaMonte Wade hit a huge three-run homer in the seventh inning and Dereck Rodriguez continued to impress as the Lookouts improved their second-half record to an insane 22-6. These guys are on some kind of a roll right now. In his seventh start since making the jump from Fort Myers, Rodriguez threw five shutout innings. He gave up four hits, a walk and struck out six batters. He really cruised through the first five innings, but opened the sixth by giving up a single and a walk. Rodriguez was lifted after 77 pitches in favor of Ryan Eades, who got out of that sixth inning, but ended up surrendering two runs over 3.1 innings. Nick Anderson recorded the final two outs, both on strikeouts, for his third save. Andy Wilkins hit his sixth homer and Travis Harrison was 2-for-4 with a double. MIRACLE MATTERS Tampa 6, Fort Myers 4 Box Score Brent Rooker started off his tenure in Fort Myers 0-for10, but he busted out by going 3-for-3 with a walk. Jermaine Palacios and Sean Miller also had three hits each. The Miracle scratched across a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth, but could not complete the comeback effort. Sean Poppen is in the middle of an excellent season, but he struggled tonight, giving up four runs over five innings. Michael Theofanopoulos gave up another couple of runs over his three innings of work before Andrew Vasquez pitched a scoreless ninth. The big lefty has now thrown 19 scoreless innings for the Miracle. Brandon Lopez was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Center fielder Tanner English scored three runs, stole his 18th base and threw out a runner at second base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Great Lakes 4 Box Score Kernels shortstop Joe Cronin made an appearance on the mound in a blowout loss Thursday night, striking out a couple of batters while giving up a run. Tonight, he made sure nobody would be thinking about converting him to a pitcher. Cronin slugged a pair of homers, his first two home runs for Cedar Rapids. Starting pitcher Evan Sanders had a very uneven night. The good: He only gave up two hits and struck out seven batters over five innings. The bad: He walked five batters and gave up four runs despite just the two hits. Colton Davis and Hector Lujan each pitched two scoreless innings out of the pen. Lujan, whose ERA is down to 1.63, picked up his ninth save. Lewin Diaz was 2-for-4 and hit his 27th double of the season. Caleb Hamilton was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Aaron Whitefield stole his 24th base of the year. E-TWINS E-NOTES Bluefield 8, Elizabethton 5 (13 innings) Box Score Akil Baddoo was 2-for-6 with a double, two RBIs and a run in his Appy League debut, but the Twins fell in 13 innings. Bryan Sammons made his second start for E-Town and struck out five batters over six innings, holding the Blue Jays to two runs on four hits. Third baseman Andrew Bechtold made a costly error, his fourth, that led to two unearned runs in the eighth inning, but he also entered this contest with an OPS over 1.000 and added two more hits. Shortstop Jordan Gore was 3-for-6 with a couple of RBIs and second baseman Carson Crites hit a pair of doubles and scored three runs. Venezuelan product Jose Martinez was a stud out of the pen, throwing 4.1 shutout innings. The 20-year-old right-hander has only surrendered three runs over 18.1 innings (1.83 ERA) while striking out 16 batters and walking just three. GCL TWINS TAKES Twins at Red Sox, Postponed Just to fuel trade speculation, the Twins didn’t take just one regular out of the lineup, but they managed to postpone the entire game. No word on whether any of the players were hugging in the dugout. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Tim Melville, Rochester (8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Joe Cronin, Cedar Rapids (2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Toledo, 5:05 pm CT, David Hurlbut (3.56 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) Chattanooga at Mobile, 7:05 pm CT, Fernando Romero (2.82 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) Fort Myers vs. Tampa, 5:05 pm CT, TBD Cedar Rapids vs. Lansing, 6:35 pm CT, Griffin Jax (2.29 ERA, 0.92 WHIP) Elizabethton vs. Bluefield, 5:00 pm CT, Edwar Colina (2.70 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) GCL Twins vs. GCL Red Sox, 9:00 am CT, TBD GCL Twins at GCL Red Sox, Game 2, TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday's games. Click here to view the article