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Weather continues to be the story for the Twins and for their affiliates. With the Twin Cities digging out of a blizzard, three minor league games were impacted by weather in some capacity. Even with the rough weather, there were some strong performances in the farm system. Kohl Stewart started on a roll for Chattanooga but first there were multiple roster moves throughout the system.ROSTER MOVES RHP Alan Busenitz was recalled by Minnesota. OF James Ramsey was added to Rochester from Elizabethton. C Mitchell Kranson placed on the 7-day DL with Fort Myers INF Joe Cronin was reinstated from the 7-day DL at Cedar Rapids and promoted to Fort Myers. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester --, Gwinnett -- Box Score Fernando Romero, Twins Daily’s number two prospect, was scheduled to take the mound for Rochester on Sunday but the weather didn’t cooperate. Rain started falling early in the day and the field got too wet before the teams could get this one started. The teams will play a single-admission doubleheader in Rochester on Monday, April 23 starting at 4:05 pm CST. Rochester is scheduled to start a series in Charlotte on Monday night. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Pensacola 4 Box Score Former first-round pick Kohl Stewart was firing on all cylinders to start this game. He was perfect into the fifth inning before a walk on a 3-2 pitch. As you can see below, the 3-2 pitch was very close. One batter later, the no-hitter was gone and a batter after that the shutout was gone. Stewart came back out for the sixth frame but things got a little dicey. He allowed a one-out single before he committed a throwing error on a pick-off throw. During the same at-bat, he gave up a two-run home run and he was pulled from the game. Overall, he pitched 5.1 innings and was charged with three earned runs. He struck out five and walked one. Zack Jones took over for Stewart and pitched 1.2 scoreless frames. He allowed three walks and struck out one. Ryne Harper pitched a scoreless eighth but ran into some trouble in the ninth. He allowed a run to score to cut the lead to one. Williams Ramirez was called on for one out, a strikeout, as he earned his second save. Chattanooga got things started early. Zander Wiel doubled in the first and came around on a T.J. White single to put the club up 1-0. Wiel and White added to the scoring in the third. With two outs, Wiel singled before White launched a two-run bomb. In the fifth, Ryan Walker smacked a solo home run to put the club up 4-0. With things getting close in the eighth, Wynston Sawyer hit his first home run of the season and it turned out to be the game winner. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Tampa 6 (7 Innings) Box Score Rain was about the only thing that could slow down the Tarpons on this day. Clark Beeker got knocked around for three runs on four hits in two innings of work. Logan Lombana took over for Beeker but didn’t fare much better. Across three innings, he gave up two runs on two hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Max Cordy finished the game by surrendering one run on two hits. He struck out two and walked one. At the plate, the Miracle were limited to three hits and none of their hits were for extra bases. Caleb Hamilton reached base twice in three plate appearances. Jimmy Kerrigan scored the team’s only run after a pair of wild pitches moved him around the bases. Aaron Whitefield went 1-for-3 with a strikeout. As a team, the club went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. Fort Myers has an off-day on Monday before beginning a nine-game road trip on Tuesday. Up first on their road trip is a three game series against the Dunedin Blue Jays. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids --, Clinton -- Box Score For the second Sunday in a row, the Kernels saw snow get in the way of their Sunday baseball plan. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on May 26. Game one is scheduled to start at 5:05 pm that night and game two will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Monday is a scheduled off-day for Cedar Rapids and they hope to be able to start a three game series with Beloit on Tuesday. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: T.J. White, Chattanooga (2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Kohl Stewart, Chattanooga (5.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 K) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 1-4, K #14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) – 0-5, K #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-2, BB, 2 K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (6:04 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Our final monthly award of 2017 comes to you today in the form of the August 2017 Minor League Hitter of the Month. While the pitcher awards this month may have been underwhelming, the hitters more than made up for it. Four hitters ended the month with an OPS over 1.000 which is tremendous. I think you'll enjoy reading today's installment. However, if you missed either of the other awards, here are the quick links: Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month - Zack LittellTwins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month - Nick AndersonLet’s take a look at the Top 6 hitters for the month of July, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Shane Carrier - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 23 G, 26-88, .295/.340/.568 (.909) with six doubles, six homers and 12 RBILewin Diaz - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 24 G, 31-94, .330/.373/.457 (830) with six doubles, two homers and 11 RBI.Wander Javier - Elizabethton Twins - 19 G, 25-77, .325/.384/.506 (.890) with five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI.Leonardo Reginnato - Rochester Red Wings - 27 G, 27-80, .338/.427/.463 (.890) with seven doubles, one triple and 11 RBI.Zander Wiel - Ft. Myers Miracle - 25 G, 27-92, .297/.365/.516 (.882) with six doubles, one triple, four home runs and 18 RBI.THE TOP SIX HITTERS Number 6 – GCL Twins - Jean Carlos Arias - 24 G, .315/.382/.533 (.915). 29-92 with four doubles, two triples, four home runs and 21 RBI. Arias signed with the Twins way back in July of 2014 out of the Dominican Republic. He has slowly worked his way up. 2017 was his second season in the GCL, and it was a nice improvement from his first season. While he played all three outfield positions, he spent most of his time in center field. Arias is a multi-talented player who has the potential to be a five-tool player (though those ultimately are rare). He’s fast, and some believe he’ll add more power as he continues to grow. Number 5 – Jonathan Rodriguez – 1B Jonathan Rodriguez - 27 G, 281/.418/.542 (.960). 27-96 with seven doubles, six home runs and 18 RBI. Rodriguez was our choice for minor league hitter of the month in July. Frankly, he had an incredible season. The 28-year-old spent the first eight seasons of his career in the Cardinals organization. He came to the Twins this offseason and hasn’t stopped hitting. In 119 games for the Lookouts, he hit .309/.414/.525 (.939) with 31 doubles, 21 homers and 76 RBI. His season ended with five games in Rochester, and another home run. Number 4 – Cedar Rapids Kernels - Travis Blankenhorn - 17 G, .338/.390/.634 (1.023). 24-71 with four doubles, one triple, five home runs and 18 RBI. It was a bit of an inconsistent season for Blankenhorn, which likely explains why the recently-turned-21-year-old stayed in Cedar Rapids all year. But, he ended his season on a very strong note in August. His OPS by month were .776, .604, 1.048, .449, 1.023, as well as 1.500 in September where he was 3-6 with two walks, a double and a triple. Blankenhorn spent the first half of the season playing third base. After some roster changes after the All-Star break, he has primarily played second base. Get to know Travis Blankenhorn Catching Up With Travis Blankenhorn Number 3 - Chattanooga Lookouts – 3B TJ White - 27 G, .340/.397/.613 (1.010), 36-106 with ten doubles, two triples, five homers and 20 RBI. The 25-year-old from Las Vegas, and drafted out of UNLV in 2014, quietly put together a strong 2017 season. Considering that he started the season in extended spring training before re-joining the Lookouts in mid-May, he was impressive. Overall, he hit .276/.358/.484 (.842) with 26 doubles and 14 home runs. White is a strong kid, but he’s also quicker than you might think. At third base, he had a fielding percentage of .959 and reports say he showed quite a bit of improvement. Get to know TJ White (including comments from his high school teammate, Joey Gallo) Number 2 - Ft. Myers Miracle – 1B/OF Brent Rooker - 27 G, .341/.411/.706 (1.116), 29-85 with four doubles, nine homers and 31 RBI. Most months, the numbers that Brent Rooker put up in August would be tops on the board. This month, it falls just a little bit short. Rooker played his initial 22 pro games in Elizabethton, getting back into the swing of things and getting some at-bats under his belt. But the plan all along was to get him to Ft. Myers quickly, which they did. While he struggled some early in his move to the Florida State League (hit .163 through his first 12 games), he has been terrific since, and most of that has been in the month of August. Sure, he still struck out 32% of the time (30 K in 95 PA), but when he made contact, big things happened. He was an extra-base machine. Not only did he have nine homers, but most of them drove in more than one run. Overall, it’s been a strong pro debut for Rooker, who had 18 total home runs. It’s certainly something to build on in 2018. I guess he answered the question of whether or not he was promoted too aggressively. Get to know Brent Rooker And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Elizabethton Twins – OF Akil Baddoo - .389/.504/.622 (1.127), 35-90 with 13 doubles, one triple, two homers and 13 RBI. He got on base in over 50% of his plate appearances over the final month of the season, while playing at a new level. Not only did Akil Baddoo walk a lot, but when he did hit, he drove the ball with authority with his 16 extra-base hits. Akil Baddoo was one of the two Comp picks that the Twins had after the second round of the 2016 draft. One was used to draft Jose Miranda, the other on Baddoo, a prep player from Georgia. Baddoo debuted with 38 games in the GCL last year. He stayed in the GCL to start the 2017 season as well where he hit .267/.360/.440 (.800) with eight extra base hits in 20 games. When Rooker was promoted to Ft. Myers, Baddoo took his spot in Elizabethton. He has been their leadoff man pretty much every day since. In 33 games for Elizabethton, the 19-year-old outfielder hit .357/.478/.579 (1.057) with 15 doubles, two triples and three home runs. He reportedly gained 15 pounds in the offseason which gave him more power. He did so without losing speed. He was Elizabethton’s center fielder most games, getting the occasional DH day. A tremendous athlete, Baddoo should find his name moving up prospect rankings this year. He should begin the 2018 season in Cedar Rapids. While you could argue for as many as four players to win the award, we would like to congratulate Akil Baddoo, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for August 2017. Click here to view the article

They’re all big games in the playoffs, but Friday was a fun night to be a fan of the Twins minor league teams. Elizabethton had a chance to win another Appalachian League title. The Lookouts looked to regain home-field advantage on the road. The Cedar Rapids Kernels learned that their Midwest League Western Division championship series will start on Saturday in Davenport against Quad Cities.Both of the Friday games were close. A two-run game and a one-run game… nail-biters, to be sure, especially given the playoff implications. Be sure to read through today’s article for everything about these two games and what is next. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Montgomery 0 Box Score There isn’t a lot to write about this game, but that’s OK if you’re a Twins or Lookouts fan. The important thing to know is that they have regained the home-field advantage with a big win in Montgomery. Felix Jorge returned to the Lookouts and he worked six scoreless innings. He gave up just three hits, walked one and struck out four to earn the win. Todd Van Steensel did what Todd Van Steensel does. He threw two scoreless innings, striking out three batters. The offense? I’m glad you asked. Jonathan Rodriguez was on first base in the fourth inning when TJ White came to the plate. White hit his third home run in as many games in this series to give the Lookouts a 2-0 lead. That’s all they’d need. Gabriel Moya got a strikeout to end a 1-2-3 ninth inning to record the save. SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Montgomery @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - TBD (likely a rehabbing Adalberto Mejia) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:35 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Elizabethton’s championship, the Lookouts taking back home field advantage or the Kernels starting their second round playoff series. Check back on Saturday night for another night of Twins minor league playoff action. Click here to view the article

It was a night with a couple of tough losses for a couple of Twins affiliates. The Cedar Rapids dropped Game 1 of their best-of-three series. They’ll need to win on Sunday to extend their season. The Chattanooga Lookouts will have to win on Sunday night or they will end their season with a loss as well. However, if the Lookouts win on Sunday, they will win a co-championship. Should be an interesting, fun day on Sunday!Continue reading to find out how the two Twins minor league playoff games went and who performed well in the losses. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 0, Montgomery 2 Box Score The final score was the same as Game 3. Unfortunately for the Lookouts, they were on the short-end on the scoreboard in Game 4. Adalberto Mejia made his final rehab start. He had made two starts for the Red Wings, but their season is over, so he made a start for the Lookouts. Having thrown 61 pitches in his previous rehab appearance, he was in line to throw about 75 pitches in this one. He threw 73 pitches, and 50 of them were strikes. The left-hander threw the first five innings. He gave up just one hit, walked none and struck out five without allowing a run. He appears ready to rejoin the Twins starting rotation. The Rays also used a couple of rehabbing pitchers. Nathan Eovaldi struck out two in the first innings. Then Xavier Cedeno threw a scoreless inning. At that point, #OldFriend Logan Darnell came in to the game to face the Lookouts. The southpaw went the next 4.2 innings without allowing a run to get the win. The Lookouts were unable to score in the game. Darnell said it wasn't too strange to pitch against the Twins affiliate. "I mean, not that strange. I only knew a handful of guys and Baxendale might be the only guy I played with. But honestly it's good to see the staff... Jake (Mauer), Ivan (Arteaga), CJ the most! Great people! Chattanooga is a solid team! Very tough to pitch against... perfect mix of patience and aggressive hitters. TJ White is dangerous player." TJ White had two of the Lookouts' four hits. Jonathan Rodriguez walked twice. But the Lookouts ended the game without a run. DJ Baxendale came into the game for the sixth inning and put up another zero. Unfortunately, the Lookouts defense was not good. They committed four errors in this game. Baxendale gave up one run each in the seventh and eighth innings, but they were both unearned. Nick Anderson pitched a scoreless ninth. That sets up a winner-takes-all game on Sunday night in Chattanooga. Remember, the Southern League has cancelled its championship series due to Hurricane Irma, so there will be co-champions. Pensacola won the other half. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 5 (10 innings) Box Score The Kernels won their first round series against Kane County and even had a day off while waiting to find out who they would play in the Midwest League’s Western Division finals. That team was Quad Cities, so it was off to Davenport on Saturday for the Kernels. There was no scoring in the first inning, but the Kernels put together a nice second inning. They scored four runs. Lewin Diaz led off with a double which was followed by a walk by Caleb Hamilton. With one out, Jimmy Kerrigan walked to load the bases. Ben Rortvedt came through with a two-run single to right field. Kerrigan was able to advance to third base which was important because he scored soon after on a wild pitch. Rortvedt advanced to second base on the wild pitch which allowed him to score on an Ariel Montesino single. Tyler Watson made the start and he was terrific through six innings. He put up six zeroes on the board. However, the Twins were not able to add on. Watson went out for the seventh and it didn’t go well for him. Watson struck out the first batter. He then issued a walk but got the second out on a fly out. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get the third out. The next three batters hit singles before Watson was replaced by Logan Lombana. Lombana gave up a single to score one, and then the game-tying run scored on an error. Bryan Sammons and Max Cordy combined to throw two scoreless innings and send the game to extra innings. Ryan Mason came in for the 10th inning. Colin Moran walked to lead off the inning. A pinch-runner advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. The Kernels chose to intentionally walk the next batter, hoping to coax a double play ball. Instead, the next batter singled which scored the runner from second and ended the game. The Kernels dropped Game 1 of the Best of 3 series. Game 2 will be in Cedar Rapids. The Kernels will need to win to keep their season going. SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Montgomery @ Chattanooga (5:15 CST) - LHP Dietrich Enns Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (4:05 CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes Please feel free to ask any questions about Saturday night’s playoff games. Check back on Sunday night for another night of Twins minor league playoff action. Click here to view the article

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

An off day on the calendar, but not a day off by any means. The Twins waited until the deadline to pull their trigger on a move, sending All-Star closer Brandon Kintzler to Washington for A-level LHP Tyler Watson and $500,000 in international bonus money. Watson will join Cedar Rapids, who placed Domenick Carlini on the disabled list. The Twins now have three open 40-man spots and two holes to fill on the 25-man roster to fill before the San Diego series that begins Tuesday. Earlier in the afternoon, pitcher Clark Beeker was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. Congrats to Clark! Let’s check in on all of Monday’s games.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester - OFF DAY The 62-45 Red Wings will host Lehigh Valley in a series that begins tomorrow. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Montgomery 6 Box Score It was going to happen again. Despite having a two-run lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Lookouts were going to play another extra-inning game. A triple followed by a single followed by a sacrifice bunt and it was one out with the tying run at second. And then it happened, a rocket shot towards the hole that was definitely going to score the game-tying run. Only it didn't. A diving Nick Gordon fielded the ball to his right and quickly rifled the ball to first base where the runner was called out. (It was very close.) The next batter popped out and the game was over. In nine innings. Shortly after 10 pm central time. T.J. White, Max Murphy and Carlos Paulino all had two hits. White hit his ninth home run. LaMonte Wade had only one hit, but it was a triple, and he drove in three runs. Nick Gordon, officially, was 0-1, but he drew three walks. Kohl Stewart picked up the win, though it wasn't necessarily pretty. He worked six innings, striking out six, but allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks. He was effective in getting groundball outs (8:1) and improved his record to 5-5. Randy LeBlanc struck out three in two scoreless frames before Nick Anderson picked up the one-inning save... which was an adventure. At 70-37 overall and 27-9 in the second half, the Lookouts have a five-game lead in their division, and have consistently been the best team in the Southern League all season. Let's see how much of this team remains together as the higher levels will surely come looking for help. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Clearwater 6 Box Score All of the Miracle runs came by way of the home run. Brent Rooker hit his second high-A homer (and 9th overall) with a solo shot in the second inning. It gave Fort Myers a 1-0 lead. After allowing the game to be tied in the fourth inning, Mitch Kranson hit a two-run blast in the fifth inning to put the Miracle up 3-1. The Fort Myers bullpen - Glen Perkins and David Fischer - allowed a combined five runs in two innings, negating a good rebound start by Sean Poppen. Poppen went six innings, striking out five, allowing only one run on six hits. Brandon Lopez paced the offense with two hits. At 22-16, the Miracle are two games back in their division. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Clinton 0 Box Score Charlie Barnes struck out four over four innings in his full-season debut. Only five runners - four hits and a walk - reached base, but none scored. Unfortunately, Barnes exited the scoreless tie and took a no decision. Patrick McGuff was credited with the win. He allowed two hits and struck out two in two innings. Ryan Mason struck out three in two innings. Hector Lujan picked up his 11th save of the season. The bats were relatively quiet - only seven hits all game - but new Kernel Jimmy Kerrigan drove in all (two) of the game's runs with a home run in the sixth inning. Gorge Munez, who scored the other run, had two hits including a double. Now 56-51, but only 17-20 in the second half the Kernels are 5.5 games back in their division. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Kingsport 3 Box Score The E-Twins continue to swing very hot bats and that was apparent again on Monday. Every member of the lineup recorded at least one hit. Andrew Bechtold led the offense going 2-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Shane Carrier, Kolton Kendrick, Carson Crites and Akil Baddoo all had two hits. Carrier and Baddoo added doubles as did Jordan Gore and Jose Miranda. Crites and Baddoo each stole a base. Melvi Acosta picked up the win, tossing 5.2 innings. He gave up two runs on five hits. Acosta struck out three. Rickey Ramirez recored the final 10 outs. He gave up a run on two hits and also struck out three. The E-Twins have a five-game winning streak and have pushed their division lead to three games at 25-14. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins vs GCL Rays Postponed - Rain The GCL Twins are 17-13. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Sean Poppen, Fort Myers Hitter of the Day – Andrew Bechtold, Elizabethton TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) - RHP Dillon Gee (3-1, 2.00 ERA) Chattanooga at Montgomery (7:05 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (4-2, 4.04 ERA) Fort Myers at Clearwater (6:00 CST) - RHP Eduardo Del Rosario (1-0, 0.00 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs Clinton (6:35 CST) - RHP Tyler Beardsley (3-4, 5.81 ERA) Elizabethton vs Kingsport (6:00 CST) - RHP Nick Brown (0-1, 5.24 ERA) GCL Twins at GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) - TBA Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

Defense has been key for the Twins turnaround this season. Fans saw a key error from Jorge Polanco on Friday night which caused Jose Berrios to throw 30 extra pitches. This meant he was pulled after collecting only five outs. Pitchers rely on the defense behind them and it can be tough when defenders can't make the play. Errors ran rampant for multiple Twins affiliates on Friday. Which clubs would be able to avoid these defensive woes? Read on to find out...RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score Rochester's pitching staff hurled a gem in this one as a final inning run was the only thing stopping them from collecting a shutout. Justin Haley earned his first victory of the season after limiting the Iron Pigs to three hits. He didn't allow an earned run and he struck out two in his five innings of work. Craig Breslow, Alex Wimmers, and Michael Tonkin all pitched scoreless innings with Wimmers and Tonkin each collecting two strikeouts. Jake Reed allowed three hits and a walk in the final frame but limited the damage to one run. Bengie Gonzalez singled with one out in the third and moved into scoring position on an Engelb Vielma walk. A couple of batters later, Gonzalez came around to score on a wild pitch. In the fifth inning, Edgar Corcino tripled before Gonzalez brought him home with a sacrifice fly. Rochester was up 2-0. The Red Wings added some critical insurance runs in the seventh inning. Matt Hague started the frame with a double. After ByungHo Park was hit by pitch and a JB Shuck single, the bases were loaded. With Corcino batting, an error by the first baseman allowed two runs to come around and score to push the lead to 4-0. Rochester is now 10 games over .500 for the season (50-40). Since the calendar turned to July, the club has gone 8-4. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Jacksonville 3 Box Score These two clubs found themselves in a back and forth battle before the Lookouts went on a strong run to end the game. Kohl Stewart started and allowed three runs on six hits with a season-high seven strikeouts. Randy Rosario struggled with some control issues as he walked four batters in two inning but he escaped without allowing a run. Luke Bard struck out one and walked on in the final frame. Max Murphy fell a home run shy of the cycle as part of a four-hit night. TJ White drove in three runs including a two-run home run. Jonathan Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs. Dan Rohlfing was the lone batter to be held without a hit. It was the third straight win for the Lookouts as the club has gone 11-4 so far in July. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Charlotte 4 Box Score Fort Myers entered play on Friday night with an eight game win streak and things were looking good for the club as they jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. Tanner English led-off double put the Miracle in position to score their first run on a Jermaine Palacios sacrifice fly. Mitchell Kranson added to the lead with a solo home run. In the third inning, Sean Miller launched his first Florida State League home run in over 333 at-bats. He was greeted with the silent treatment in the dugout. David Fischer kept the Stone Crabs at bay before allowing a three-run homer in the fourth. He ended the night after four innings with three strikeouts and four walks. Williams Ramirez and Michael Theofanopoulos each pitched two scoreless innings with Theofanopoulos striking out two and walking two. Alex Muren entered in the ninth and allowed a walk-off home run to the first batter of the inning. It was the second pitch of the inning for Muren. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, West Michigan 3 Box Score The Kernels were limited to three hits while committing four errors, a season high, which is a tough recipe for winning a game. Clark Beeker took the loss but he only allowed one earned run over five frames. He struck out five and walked two. Ryan Mason and Colton Davis combined for three shutout innings to end the game. Mason struck out two and Davis struck out one. Lewin Diaz had the lone extra-base hit, a double, but he also had one of the team's defensive errors. Trey Cabbage and Ben Rortvedt each went 1-for-3. Cedar Rapids combined for 14 strikeouts and the team only had one opportunity to bat with runners in scoring position. After winning four straight games through last weekend, the Kernels have dropped four straight including being swept by West Michigan. Friday's shutout was the club's third shutout loss in their last four contests. It was the team's first three-game sweep since June 12, 2016. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 3, Burlington 5 Box Score After trailing 1-0 in the third inning, the E-Twins plated two in fourth to take back the lead. With two outs, Brent Rooker was hit by a pitch and Kolton Kendrick moved him to second with a walk. Colton Waltner, making his E-Twins debut, drove in both runs with a double. In the sixth, the E-Twins added to their lead as Kendrick and Waltner walked before a Mark Contreras single drove in a run to make it 3-1. Charlie Barnes got the start and cruised through five innings. He didn't allow an earned run on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Blair Lakso ran into some late inning trouble as he surrendered four earned runs including three in the eighth inning. He struck out two and walked two in 2.1 innings. Jose Martinez finished the game by recording the final two outs and allowing one inherited runner to score. It was the second straight loss for the E-Twins but the club has won six of their last nine. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 9 Box Score GCL Twins pitchers only allowed two earned runs but five defensive errors led to seven unearned runs. Number one overall pick Royce Lewis had yet to commit an error but he was charged with a throwing error and a fielding error. He also struggled at the plate by going 0-for-4. Humberto Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Pertru Balan was charged with the loss even though he didn't allow an earned run. He scattered four hits and struck out five with two walks. Vadim Balan didn't make it through an inning on the mound as five unearned runs crossed the plate. He has yet to allow an earned run in six appearances. Matt Jones allowed the only two earned runs of the game in 3.1 innings. Zach Featherstone collected the final six outs by allowing only a hit with a pair of strikeouts. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Kohl Stewart, Chattanooga Lookouts (6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 K, 1 BB) Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Chattanooga Lookouts (4-for-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (5:35 CST) - RHP Dillion Gee (1-0, 0.00 ERA_ Chattanooga vs. Jacksonville (6:15 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (3-1, 3.77 ERA) Fort Myers vs. St. Lucie (5:05 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak (3-3, 3.76 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 CST) - RHP Griffin Jax (1-0, 2.84 ERA) Elizabethton @ Greenville (5:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 am CST)- TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday’s games. Click here to view the article

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

Happy Father's Day to all the dads, grandpas and great-grandpas across Twins Territory. Baseball can be quite the bonding experience for fathers and sons. This bond is passed down through the generations. My dad worked many long days as a UPS driver for over 30 years. I still remember waiting up for him to get home so we could play catch. He'd schedule his breaks so he could show up in his brown work uniform to play in the father-son baseball game. He took me to my first Twins game where I got to watch Kirby Puckett, the man I thought was a hero. It turns out the hero was the man who brought me to the game. The man who didn't have to play catch with me when he got home after a long work day. The man who didn't have to take his breaks so he could play in a kid's baseball game. These are the memories that stick with a person as other memories fade away. Thank you, Dad!RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Pawtucket 2 (Game 1- 8 Innings) Box Score Rochester scored in each of the first two frames to take an early 2-0 lead. After a Matt Hague walk, singles from Mitch Garver and ByungHo Park plated the first run. JB Shuck was hit by a pitch to start the second. Bengie Gonzalez and Engelb Vielma were walked to load the bases. Zach Granite singled to push the score to 2-0 with no outs. Unfortunately, the Red Wings would score only one with the bases loaded and no outs. Chris Heston started and allowed two earned runs on seven hits with a strikeout. Drew Rucinski didn't allow a run in two innings. Michael Tonkin picked up his second win after striking out four of the six batters he faced to end the game. Seven innings wasn't enough to decide the first game of the doubleheader. Lucky enough for Rochester fans, Matt Hague didn't wait long into extra-frames. He led off the top of the eighth inning with his fifth home run of the season which turned out to be the game-winning knock. Rochester 2, Pawtucket 1 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score Rochester found themselves in an early 1-0 hole but that's where the scoring would stop for the Red Sox. Tim Melville, in his second start with Rochester, pitched five innings and allowed one run. He danced around four walks and three hits but struck out four on the way to his first win. Trevor Hildenberger picked up save number five with two scoreless frames including three strikeouts. JB Shuck started the third with a double, his 15th on the season. Bengie Gonzlez was the next batter and he reached on a throwing error which allowed Shuck to score. In the top of the fifth, Tommy Field singled and scored on a single from Shuck. The play included two errors from the Red Sox outfield so neither of the runs scored by Rochester were earned. With two wins on Sunday, Rochester is now just one game under .500 at 32-33 on the season. They are 11 games out of first place in the International League North but they are only eight games back in the wild card race with plenty of baseball left to play. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 10, Tennessee 2 Box Score Chattanooga pounded out 12 hits and 10 runs on their way to the club's 42nd win this season. With the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the fourth, the Lookouts plated four runs. Ryan Walker started the inning with a single and moved to third on Nick Gordon's second double of the game. Levi Michael drove in one with a ground-out before LaMonte Wade added a run-scoring single. Wade stole second in front of an Andy Wilkins double. Then Dan Gamache doubled to bring in Wilkins and cap the four-run inning. TJ White broke the game open in the seventh inning with a three-run home run. It was his third homer of the season. Nick Gordon finished 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored. Wade, Wilkins and Walker all had multi-hit games. Paul Clemens was able to put the game on cruise control to improve to 2-0 with the Lookouts. He scattered five hits over five innings while adding a strikeout and a walk. Alex Muren struck out two in two innings but did allow a solo home run. Todd Van Steensel pitched two scoreless innings to finish the contest, lowereing his ERA to 1.93. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 16, Clinton 3 Box Score With a chance to clinch a playoff spot on Sunday, the Kernels made quick work of the LumberKings. Cedar Rapids sent 13 men to the plate in the first inning on their way to scoring nine runs. Travis Blankenhorn scored twice in the frame including a two-run home run. Lewin Diaz added a two-run single and Christian Cavaness brought home two with a triple. The Kernels added to their lead in the second with an Aaron Whitefield two-run home run and a run scoring single from Blankenhorn. Their 12-0 lead was more than enough for the pitching staff. Whitefield finished with a career-high five runs batted in. Ben Rortvedt connected for his first career home run as part of a three-hit game. Blankenhorn went 4-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI. Every batter in the Kernels' starting line-up reached base. Max Cordy pitched into the fourth inning and allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Alex Robinson was credited with the win. He tossed 2.1 scoreless innings with a strikeout and a walk. Logan Lombana allowed a pair of runs in one inning. Patrick McGuff finished off the game with two scoreless frames including two strikeouts. The Kernels qualified for the Midwest League playoffs for the fifth year in a row and secured the longest playoff streak in Cedar Rapids professional baseball history. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Michael Tonkin, Rochester Red Wings (2 IP, 4 K, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB) Hitter of the Day – Travis Blankenhorn, Cedar Rapids Kernels (4-for-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Buffalo (6:05 CST) - TBD Chattanooga - Scheduled Off-Day Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids - Scheduled Off-Day Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

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

I can’t believe that it is already Labor Day. For most of our Minnesota readers, that means school starts tomorrow! The Dog Days of August can be difficult in a long minor league season. We saw yesterday how the starting pitchers were excellent during the month. Today, we consider the top hitters in the Twins system in August. Who ended the season strong? In case you missed it, here were the previous August winners: Starting Pitcher of the Month, Stephen GonsalvesRelief Pitcher of the Month, Jake ReedWhile the pitching did seem to be a bit above the hitting during the month, there were several hitters that had strong August performances as well. Congratulations to all of the players mentioned below. HONORABLE MENTION OF Shane Carrier (Elizabethton) - .296/.327/.454 (.781). 32-108 with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs and 13 RBIs.OF Jaylin Davis (Cedar Rapids) - .253/.333/.451 (.784). 23-91 with six doubles, four homers and 10 RBIss.IF Nelson Molina (Cedar Rapids) - .319/.376/.429 (.805). 29-91 with four doubles, two homers and seven RBIs.C John Ryan Murphy (Rochester) - .328/.361/.448 (.809). 19-58 with one doubles, two homers and ten RBIs.OF Daniel Palka (Rochester) - .228/.282/.525 (.807). 23-101 with six doubles, eight home runs and 13 RBIs.C Stuart Turner (Chattanooga) - .303/.321/.434 (.755). 23-76 with seven doubles, one homer and 12 RBIs.THE TOP SIX HITTERS Number 6 – Ft. Myers/Chattanooga – 3B TJ White - .312/.360/.473 (.833). 29-93 with six doubles, three triples, one home run and 15 RBIs. White was set to have a big season. At 5-11 and 230 pounds, he is incredibly strong, but he also runs very well. After a few games with the Miracle, he was moved up to AA due to some injuries. He struggled for a couple of months before finally being sent back to Ft. Myers where he again played quite well. He was again promoted to Chattanooga mid-month and has been very good since, much more ready. He’s got power potential, but for such a big, strong young man he gets a lot of triples and runs real well. A high school teammate of Rangers prospect Joey Gallo, White went to UNLV. The Twins used their 18th-round pick in 2014 on him. Number 5 – Ft. Myers – OF Joe Maloney - .330/.367/.477 (.845). 29-88 with seven doubles, two home runs and 14 RBIs. Maloney was the independent leagues player of the year in 2015. The Twins signed the catcher following the season. After a strong showing in spring training, he began the year in Chattanooga. With Mitch Garver and Stuart Turner on the roster, Maloney spent his time at DH and in the outfield. Midseason, he was struggling and was sent back to Ft. Myers where he started slow. However, he took off in August, hitting for average and showing good power in the Florida State League. Number 4 – Chattanooga – OF Zack Granite - .316/.354/.410 (.765). 37-117 with five doubles, three triples and 14 RBIss. Granite is no stranger to these hitter of the month awards articles. The speedy center fielder has had a terrific season with the Lookouts. He has been everything you would want from a leadoff man. He’s hit for average, been able to get on base, and even shown a little more pop in his bat than he has in the past. For the month, he hit over .300 and displayed his speed with the extra- base hits. He also stole 15 bases during the month. He currently sits at 55 steals for the season. He was also named to the Southern League’s postseason All-Star team this month. Granite was the team’s 14th-round pick in 2013 out of Seton Hall. Number 3 - Elizabethton/Cedar Rapids – 2B Travis Blankenhorn - .320/.371/.495 (.866) 31-97 with seven doubles, two triples, two homers and 15 RBIs. Blankenhorn has had a very good year with the bat in 2016. He was the Twins tihrd-round pick last year out of high school in Pennsylvania. He split last season between the GCL and Elizabethton. He began this season at extended spring training, in part learning to play second base. He demolished the Appy League and was soon promoted to Cedar Rapids where he has continued to hit. While his defensive position remains uncertain, his bat has kept him in the lineup most days. He had a big month in August, hitting for average, showing some speed and hitting a couple of Kernels homers. Number 2 - Elizabethton – 1B Lewin Diaz - .333/.381/.564 (945). 26-78 with four doubles, one triple, four homers and 13 RBIs. Late last week, we named Lewin Diaz our Short Season Hitter of the Year. When the season is just over two months, a strong month can propel a guy to such an award. Diaz was terrific in August. He hit for average, got on base and showed the tremendous power potential one might hope for in a 250 pound young man. The 19-year-old maybe should be ranked higher this month, but with playing time split more in the rookie leagues, he has 20-30 fewer plate appearances than others. However, Diaz is starting to become what the Twins envisioned when making him a big-money sign from the Dominican in 2014. Number 1B - Cedar Rapids – 2B Luis Arraez - .425/.444/.487 (913). 48-113 with seven doubles and 18 RBIs. Update - Due to Labor Day and the author of this article apparently began researching for the Hitter of the Month with the B's instead of the A's. Arraez had an incredible season with the Kernels and he has had many multi-hit games. His .347 average led the Midwest League. He became the youngest player to lead the MWL in hitting since Mike Trout. Still just 19, Arraez will advance to Ft. Myers in 2017. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Rochester – OF Adam Brett Walker - .269/.314/.537 (.851). 29-108 with four doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 21 RBI. Walker is not a stranger to appearing in hitter of the month award articles. He’s won a few and ranked highly several other times. In August, he again showed the type of power that he has. While he’ll never hit for a big average, and he’ll strike out too much, he has come a long way since the Twins used their third-round pick in 2012 on the strong outfielder. As I wrote last week, this is the fourth straight full-season that Walker has hit 25 or more home runs. He and Daniel Palka provided the Red Wings with some massive power in the middle of their lineup. When it comes to pure power, Walker (and Palka) are right up there with Miguel Sano for biggest in the organization. Walker was added to the Twins 40-man roster last November. With today being the last day of the Rochester season, it is possible he will earn his first big league call up today. There were a lot of real solid hitting performances in the Twins system in August. While there may not have been any 1.000 OPS months, there were quite a few in the .800-.900 range. Consolidating full-season players with the short-season players can be difficult. So, let me know what you think. Feel free to discuss the winner or any of the mentions in the comments. Congratulations to the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month for August, 2016, Adam Brett Walker. Click here to view the article

It was no surprise that the Twins needed to get an arm to Kansas City after Friday night’s 11 inning, seven hour (with rain and light delays). The specifics may have been a bit surprising. Adalberto Mejia was called up to the Twins, his first big league promotion. Kennys Vargas was the one optioned to Rochester where he’ll have to spend the next ten days. Because of a short start from lefty Hector Santiago, Mejia also made his major league debut with two outs in the fifth inning. He got a groundout to end that inning. He went another two innings and gave up two runs on five hits. Following the game, he was optioned back to Rochester. The Twins will promote another pitcher to take his spot before Sunday’s series finale.Because Mejia was promoted, Omar Bencomo was brought back to Rochester to make the Saturday start. The Red Wings also officially announced the signing of veteran Edward Mujica. Also, lefty Randy Rosario was promoted from Ft. Myers to the Chattanooga bullpen. That means that five of the six Miracle starters at the beginning of the season have now made it to Chattanooga. Let’s get to the Saturday game action: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Gwinnett 5 (7-Rain) Box Score Omar Bencomo was summoned back to the Red Wings pretty last minute to make this start. He went five innings, though he gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk. He struck out four. Rio Ruiz took him deep twice. Neil Ramirez got the final two outs of the sixth inning before the game was called due to rain. The Red Wings managed just six hits. Wilfredo Tovar went 1-2 with a walk and his 22nd double. He scored the lone run on a single off the bat of Adam Brett Walker. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Montgomery 1 Box Score With Bencomo heading back to the Red Wings, Eades was back into the Lookouts rotation, at least for this start. He was tremendous. He gave up just one hit over six shutout innings. He walked one and struck out four. 51 of his 81 pitches were strikes. Zack Jones gave up a run on a hit in two innings. He walked two and struck out two. Raul Fernandez recorded his third save with a perfect ninth. TJ White had a strong game. The infielder went 3-4 with his fourth double and third triple. Stuart Turner was 2-4 with his 21st double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Jupiter 4 Box Score Before they batted, the Miracle were down 4-0, but they clawed their way back and scored seven unanswered runs to claim the win. It was a tough start for Sam Clay. The lefty gave up four runs on two hits and six walks in 4.2 innings. He gave up all four runs right away in the first inning. He struck out four. Luke Westphal came on and walked two and struck out two over 1.1 scoreless innings. Cam Booser struck out five of the six batters he faced in his two perfect innings. Nick Anderson recorded his seventh Miracle save with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth. Down 4-0 before they batted, Tanner English and Joe Maloney each hit solo home runs. English was 2-5. The homer was his fourth. Maloney went 2-4 with his fourth homer. He drove in four runs in the game. Chris Ibarra went 2-5 with his third double. Trey Vavra went 2-3 with a walk. Daniel Kihle went 2-4. Nick Gordon added his 22nd double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Burlington 3 Box Score The Kernels scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead. They added three more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth and earned the win. Tyler Beardsley started and gave up two runs on four hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out two. Michael Cederoth gave up a run on two hits and a walk over 2.1 innings. He struck out two. Max Cordy got the final two outs of the 8th inning, one on a strikeout. Tom Hakimer gave up a hit and hit a batter in a scoreless ninth inning. JJ Fernandez went 2-3 with his 24th double. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-4. Casey Scoggins went 2-4 with a walk. Brandon Lopez went 1-3 and walked twice. Nelson Molina contributed his 14th double. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 2, Burlington 4 Box Score While the Kernels beat Burlington on Saturday night, the E-Twins dropped a game in Burlington. Random fun with minor league cities, of course. Miguel De Jesus started. He gave up three runs on three hits in five innings. He walked four and struck out six. Johan Quezada gave up a run on three hits over his two innings. Quin Grogan walked one and struck one out in his scoreless inning. The Twins managed just four hits in the game. Lewin Diaz was 1-3 with a walk and his 14th double. Alex Kirilloff was also 1-3 with a walk. Caleb Hamilton added his fifth double. Roberto Gonzalez doubled for the third time. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, Red Sox 1 Box Score Jordan Balazovic put together the best start of his very young professional career on Saturday morning. The young Canadian threw six shutout innings to earn his second win. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out two. Matz Schutt hit two and gave up a hit in a scoreless seventh inning. Juan Gamez made his second pitching appearance. In this one, he gave up a run on two hits and a walk in just two-thirds of an inning. Clark Beeker got the final out of the eighth and then pitched a scoreless ninth for his second GCL save. Juan Miranda went 2-3 with his seventh double. Lean Marrero was 2-4 with his third stolen base. Justin Hazard knocked his fifth double. 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 – TJ White, Chattanooga Lookouts SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Gwinnett (1:05 CST) - LHP Nick Greenwood Montgomery @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (3:05 CST) - RHP Keaton Steele Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Elizabethton @ Burlington (5:00 CST) - RHP Tyler Wells GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday's games. Click here to view the article

It was a beautiful Saturday across the upper Midwest. There was a full slate of games in the Twins system. While there weren't any standout performances there were a lot of players worthy of recognition on this night. Please feel free to ask questions about anything you read today or anything in the Twins farm system in the comments.Continue reading to find out more detail about Saturday in the Twins farm system: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester @ Lehigh Valley IronPigs Box Score Kind of a forgettable night for the Red Wings, except for Trevor Plouffe, who played first base and hit third. He was 2-4 with a home run, a double and a pair of RBIs. Unfortunately the rest of the Red Wings went a combined 1-26 with 12 strikeouts. Byung Ho Park was 0-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Starter Andrew Albers was tagged with his fifth loss of the year to fall to 9-5 after four innings of five-run ball. He gave up eight hits, walked three, and didn't bother to strike anyone out. He also gave up a pair of home runs. D.J. Baxendale pitched great in relief, giving up just a pair of hits over 3.0 scoreless innings. J.T.Chargois gave up two runs (one earned) in the eighth inning to finish things up for the Red Wings staff. Final: Red Wings 2, IronPigs 7 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Jacksonville Suns @ Chattanooga Box Score Chattanooga scored all of their runs in one inning, putting a three-spot on the board in the bottom of the sixth. That sixth inning included a Levi Michael triple, a hit batsman, a sacrifice bunt that left the bunter on second base, a single, a pitching change, a stolen base, a strikeout, a ground out, a walk, another stolen base, and it finally ended with a strikeout of the eighth man in the inning to bat. Starter Kohl Stewart picked up the win to move to 6-5 with eight innings of solid work. Stewart struck out just two and walked four and gave up seven hits, including a home run, but yielded just two runs. Jake Reed came on for the ninth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning to earn his third save of the year. Final: Jacksonville 2, Lookouts 3 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ Charlotte Stone Crabs Box Score The Miracle used a three-run first to get out in front of the Stone Crabs, but then did not score again. Their pitching staff gave up a pair of runs in the bottom half of the first, another run in the second, and fell behind after giving up another run in the third. They would give up one more run in the eighth, to give Charlotte some insurance. No Miracle hitter had more than one hit, but DH Tanner English (hitting leadoff) picked up three walks as part of an 0-2 night and T.J. White hit a two-run home run as part of that three-run first inning. Starting pitcher Fernando Romero pitched only three innings, giving up five hits, four runs, three earned, with two walks, one strike out and zero home runs (if only he had managed to pitch 6 innings we'd have a lovely 6/5/4/3/2/1/0 line). Todd Van Steensel gave the Miracle 2.1 scoreless innings, Randy Rosario did the same over 1.2, and then Luke Bard gave up a run in the eighth to end the night. Final: Miracle 3, Stone Crabs 5 KERNELS KORNER Peoria Chiefs @ Cedar Rapids Box Score Christian Ibarra (2-4 with a home run, a walk, and two runs scored) led the way for the Kernels in defeat, and Nelson Molina (3-4 with an RBI) helped out, but otherwise the Kernels bats were quiet, garnering just one more hit from the rest of the team. Starter Lachlan Wells earned a no-decision despite leaving after seven innings while down three runs when the Kernels rallied to tie the game in the eighth. Reliever Logan Lombana pitched a scoreless eighth. Unfortunately the Chiefs got to reliever Anthony McIver in his second frame, the tenth inning, giving up three runs on three hits and a pair of walks. He struck out one. Final: Chiefs 7, Kernels 4 E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton @ Johnson City Cardinals Box Score Not much doing in Elizabethton as the Twins lost by three runs (and committed three errors), despite out-hitting the Cardinals 9-6. The Twins didn't manage any extra- base hits, just 9 singles. Lewin Diaz was 2-4 and Roberto Gonzalez was also 2-4, the only hitters with multiple hits. Twins starter Sean Poppen fell to 2-3 with the loss, pitching 5.0 innings giving up six hits, five runs, four earned. He struck out four, walked two and gave up a home run. He was replaced by Austin Tribby and eventually Tribby gave way to Quin Grogan. The two relievers combined to throw 3.0 innings of no-hit baseball, but the game was already out of hand. Final: E-Twins 2, Cardinals 5 GCL TWINS TALK GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins Box Score Ten hits for the GCL Twins, including a 3-4 night from Justin Hazard (great name), which included a double. Heiker Meneses had a nice night as well, going 2-4 with a walk. Bo Hellquist had a nice start, giving up one run over 6.0 innings. He gave up five hits, walked no one and struck out a pair. Callan Pearce was tagged with the loss giving up a run in 2.1 innings or relief. Garrett Kelly recorded the final two outs of the night and gave up a run as well. Final: GCL Red Sox 3, GCL Twins 2 DSL TWINS TAKES DSL Twins @ DSL D-backs2 Box Score The DSL Twins pitched a one-hitter, giving up a double to the leadoff batter in the bottom of the ninth inning. I'm not sure what happened, and sometimes weird things happen in the DSL, but despite not recording any outs in the bottom half of the ninth inning, the game ended after the double. Juan Mojica pitched six innings of no-hit ball, walked one, and struck out six to start the night for the Twins. Frandy Torres pitched two more hitless innings, and then Amilcar Cruz gave up the only hit of the game, that leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth. Four DSL Twins had 2-4 nights, as the Twins racked up 11 hits and two walks against just four strike outs. Darling Cuesto and Antonio Tovar each had identical 2-4 nights with a run scored, a double, and an RBI. Jorge Parra was 1-3 with a double and three RBIs. Final: DSL Twins 6, DSL D-backs2 0 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Trevor Plouffe, Rochester Red Wings Pitchers of the Day - DSL Twins Staff SUNDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester - Jason Wheeler (9-2, 2.81) Chattanooga - Omar Bencomo (3-6, 4.41) Fort Myers - Dereck Rodriguez (Fort Myers Debut) Cedar Rapids - Tyler Beardsley (Cedar Rapids Debut) E-Twins - TBD GCL Twins - OFF DSL Twins - OFF Please ask questions and discuss the Saturday games. -ERolf Click here to view the article