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Twins affiliates were undefeated on Friday night, putting another exclamation point on an incredible display of power throughout the organization. The Twins hit six home runs in the majors, there were two grand slams and a few other big spot blasts in the minors. The biggest may have come from a Miracle hitter who completed a comeback victory. Oh, and Kohl Stewart made his debut in the International League. I tried my best, but so many awesome things happened on Friday that I couldn’t possibly highlight them all with a catchy title, so you’re just going to have to continue reading to find out about it all!TRANSACTIONS Before getting to the games, there were some exciting transactions on Friday throughout the system. The Twins recalled Mitch Garver from AAA to take the place of Robbie Grossman, and he was in uniform on Friday (I’ll let the game recap detail his debut, if it happens). The Twins also optioned Aaron Slegers back to Rochester after his fine MLB debut yesterday. To round out the AAA-related moves, pitcher Kohl Stewart and catcher Carlos Paulino were assigned to Rochester from Chattanooga. To take their places at AA, pitcher Lewis Thorpe and first baseman Brian Olson were brought up from Fort Myers. Down in Fort Myers, the Miracle received catcher Jhon Alvarez from the GCL. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 10, Louisville 4 Box Score The story with the Red Wings on Friday, was the AAA debut of Kohl Stewart. It wasn’t great, but he did enough to pick up his first International League win. He went five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out five. All four runs scored in the second inning. Two of the hits allowed were doubles in that inning, and the big damage came on a two-run home run. From there Stewart settled down a little, picking up a strikeout to end the third, and then two one-two-three innings to finish his day. Rochester scored first in the game, taking a 1-0 lead after the top of the first as J.B. Shuck led off the game with a triple and scored on a ground out. They took back the lead right after Stewart’s bad inning, as they tacked on five runs in the top of the third. A bases loaded walk scored the first run, before Tommy Field added the other four with a grand slam for a 6-4 lead. They added another run in the fourth after another leadoff triple, this one from Engelb Vielma, and he scored on a wild pitch. They tacked on more runs in both of the final two innings due to an RBI single from Niko Goodrum in the eighth and an RBI single from Shuck in the ninth that scored two after an error. Shuck (2-6, R, 3B, RBI), Daniel Palka (2-5, R, 2B, BB), Goodrum (2-5, 2 RBI), and Vielma (2-5, 3 R’s, 3B) each had multiple hits. Kennys Vargas was 1-3 with a run scored, double and two walks. John Curtiss came on for the sixth inning and brought the team into the eighth. He allowed one hit in his 2.2 innings, striking out two. Michael Tonkin finished the final 1.1 innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Tennessee 8 Box Score The Lookouts had to hold off a furious rally from Tennessee in the ninth, but were able to do so because of a couple big innings from their offense, and a gutsy performance from a newcomer to the organization with the tying run on second base. Chattanooga took a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning as they loaded the bases with nobody out to start the game. A Max Murphy single scored the first two runs, a wild pitch the third, and another bases loaded walk the fourth. That chased the Smokies starter from the game. They wouldn’t score another run until the sixth, but they decided to tack on five more when they did. The big hit was a three-run home run from Jonathan Rodriguez and the other two scored on another bases loaded walk and a sac fly from LaMonte Wade. Felix Jorge was the starter for the Lookouts and was efficient with his pitches in seven innings to pick up his tenth win. He allowed three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out six. Ryan Eades came on for the eighth inning and pitched a scoreless frame, but it was the ninth that would haunt him when he came back out. A double, walk and single that included a throwing error scored the first run for the Smokies to make the score 9-4. Another single and a double each brought in another run to make it 9-6 before lights-out lefty Gabriel Moya was summoned with runners on second and third and the tying run stepping into the batter’s box. A sacrifice fly to his first batter made it 9-7, then a double scored another to make it 9-8 with the tying run in scoring position. Moya buckled down and got the next hitter to fly out before striking out the next to pick up his 21st save of the season. Eades ended up being charged with five runs on five hits and a walk in his 1+ innings. Leading the offense was Rodriguez, who in addition to the home run finished 2-4 with a walk. Ryan Walker added three hits to the effort in a 3-4 night. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Tampa 6 Box Score Fort Myers pulled off a miracle in Tampa on Friday night, coming back from a 6-0 deficit to win the game. They fell behind 6-0 as starter Sean Poppen got hit around a little and his defense made a few mistakes. In five innings, he allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and a walk, while striking out four. Both runs Tampa scored in the fourth inning to make it 6-0 were unearned as Jermaine Palacios and Sean Miller committed throwing errors. After that the bullpen shut it down as four pitchers combined for four shutout innings (one apiece). Alex Robinson struck out two in a one-two-three sixth. Michael Kohn pitched a scoreless seventh, walking one and striking out one. Andrew Vasquez gave up a couple of hits and a walk in the eighth but escaped without giving up a run and struck out one. Tom Hackimer picked up his fourth save with Fort Myers with a scoreless ninth. He walked one and struck out one. The Miracle started their comeback in the top of sixth inning when Jermaine Palacios led off with single, Brandon Lopez scored him with a double and Chris Paul singled to put runners on the corners. Mitchell Kranson then delivered an RBI single to make it 6-2. In the seventh, it was another big blast from a 2017 draft pick that brought them all the way back. Sean Miller led off the inning with a single, and one out later Tanner English reached on an error. Palacios brought them both home with another double to make it 6-4, and he would score on another hit from Lopez, this one a single. With two outs, Brent Rooker came to plate and blasted, off the foul pole, his seventh home run with Fort Myers, and fourth in his last ten games, to put them out front 7-6 and complete the comeback. Palacios (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, 2 RBI), Lopez (3-5, 2 R’s, 2B, 2 RBI), Rooker (2-5, R, HR, 2 RBI), Miller (2-4, R), and Jaylin Davis (2-4) all had multiple hits for the Miracle as they racked up fourteen hits as a team and were 4-9 with runners in scoring position. Robinson picked up the win on the pitching front to improve to 4-0, and Kohn and Vasquez were credited with holds. KERNELS NUGGETS Beloit 1, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score The former Minnesota Twins Midwest League affiliate and their new one got engaged in a pitcher’s duel in Cedar Rapids, and it though it got a little interesting in the bottom of the ninth, the home team held on for the victory. Left-hander Anthony Marzi made the start for Cedar Rapids, and again was pretty good. He allowed just one run on four hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out three to lower his ERA to 1.99 on the season. Ryan Mason pitched a scoreless eighth inning, allowing a single and striking out one. The Kernels tied the game at one in the bottom of the third, when Royce Lewis drove in Joe Cronin with a double, his first in the Midwest League. They took the lead in the seventh after a Shane Carrier double put runners on second and third, and Trey Cabbage brought in one with a sac fly. In the ninth it was team saves leader Hector Lujan who got the call. He struck out the first man he faced, but the next beat out an infield single to get the tying runner on base. The next hitter is when it got interesting, as a fly ball to center field got the second out on a sliding catch from Aaron Whitefield, but an airmailed throw back in (toward friend of TD’s Steve Buhr) put the runner on third base. No big deal though, as Lujan struck out the next man to close the door on his fourteenth save. The Kernels had just four hits as a team on the game, but they got all the runs they needed in the end. Lewin Diaz was 2-4 with a double as the other hitter of mention. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Bristol 1 Box Score Elizabethton’s offense pounded out 12 hits and were 5-11 with runners in scoring position in racking up nine runs on the game. Akil Baddoo and Ariel Montesino led the charge with three hits apiece. All three of Baddoo’s were doubles and he scored three runs. He also drove in three. Jose Miranda slugged a two-run home run in the third inning to make the score 3-0. Rainis Silva followed that with a triple and scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0. Wander Javier drove in one in the ninth with a single and finished the game 2-4. He also stole third base and scampered in on a throwing error to cap the Twins scoring at nine. Kolton Kendrick was 1-3 with two walks. Baddoo, Montesino, Javier and Silva all picked up stolen bases. On the mound for the Twins was right-hander Bailey Ober, and he limited the damage to just one run in six innings while allowing seven hits and a walk. That was because he also racked up 11 K’s, including the first four hitters of the game and the last two he faced. Ober improved to 2-1 in his professional career. Jovani Moran came on for the seventh and continued the strikeout parade. In two innings he walked one and struck out five. Jared Finkel finished the game with a one-two-three ninth. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score The Red Sox jumped on Twins starter Tyler Benninghoff for two runs in the first inning, ending his day before he could finish an inning. It was just his second appearance as a pro so he was still on a pitch limit. He walked one, struck out one, and gave up back-to-back doubles to account for those two runs. Henry Centeno was the first reliever up, and went one inning, allowing one hit and a walk. Kevin Marnon brought the team through the fifth inning, striking out four in 3.1 innings and retiring all ten hitters he faced. Cody Stashak picked up the win pitching the sixth and seventh innings. He allowed one hit and struck out four. Zach Featherstone allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in the eighth, and Derek Molina picked up his fourth save by allowing one hit and striking out one in the ninth. The Twins offense cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the second inning with a sac fly from Edgar Herrera to score Benjamin Rodriguez, who had led off with a single. They took the lead 5-2 in the seventh thanks to a grand slam from Jared Akins, his second home run in as many days. Akins added a sac fly in the ninth to score the Twins sixth run, finishing his day 1-4 with 5 RBI. Players with multiple hits on the game included Emmanuel Morel (2-5), Jean Carlos Arias (2-5), Rodriguez (2-4, R), and Alex Robles (2-4). Edgar Herrera, Humberto Maldonado and Kerby Camacho added doubles to the 12-hit effort for the Twins, and Ricky De La Torre drew three walks. In a slight anomaly of a stat, the Twins were 0-4 on the game in stolen base attempts. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Bailey Ober, Elizabethton Twins (W, 6.0IP, 7 H’s, 1 ER, BB, 11 K’s) Hitter(s) of the Day – Akil Baddoo, Elizabethton Twins (3-4, 3 R’s, 3 2B’s, 3 RBI, BB) (Honorable Mention to Tommy Field, Jared Akins, Jonathan Rodriguez, and Brent Rooker for the big spot bomb parade on Friday) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Louisville (5:35PM CST) – RHP Chris Heston (0-1, 7.63 ERA) Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Fernando Romero (11-7, 2.96 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30PM CST) – RHP Clark Beeker (0-0, -.-- ERA, FSL debut. 11-3, 2.03 ERA in Midwest League) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (1-0, 4.50 ERA) Elizabethton @ Bristol (11:00AM CST) – LHP Ryley Widell (0-2, 2.70 ERA) GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (9:00AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games! Click here to view the article

While the Twins were in the midst of the longest game in Target Field history, the Twins minor leagues were in the middle of a busy day. Only two teams have games on Memorial Day so Sunday became a critical day as multiple affiliates float around the .500 mark. What teams could shine? What players would struggle? Who would help their team to win? Read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Indianapolis 2 Box Score Only three Red Wings batters were able to collect hits as the team was held to four total hits. Niko Goodrum had the team's lone extra-base hit as he came around to score on a Tommy Field single. Field led the team with a 2-for-3 effort. Leonardo Reginatto went 1-for-3. David Hurlbut started and made it through five frames. He allowed two earned runs on six hits with a strikeout and a walk. It was his third loss of the season and he hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of those decisions. Alan Busenitz and Alex Wimmers kept the game close for Rochester. Busenitz pitched two scoreless innings by allowing only a pair of singles. The final two innings from Wimmers were perfect and he struck out one. The loss drops the team to one game under .500. Rochester has gone 4-6 over the last ten games as the club sits 9.5 games out of first place in the International League North Division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Montgomery 2 Box Score Chattanooa powered past Montgomery with a pair of four-run innings. In the bottom of the second inning Travis Harrison and Dan Gamache led off the inning with doubles. With two outs in the frame, Dan Rohlfing walked before a trio of singles. Ryan Walker, Nick Gordon and Levi Michael joined the hit parade and pushed the lead to 4-0. In the bottom of the third, TJ White walked with two outs. Kevin Garcia and Dan Rohlfing singled to score another run. Walker came up with the biggest hit of the inning, a three-run home run. When the dust cleared, the Lookouts held an 8-0 lead. Felix Jorge improved to 5-1 on the season. Over seven shutout innings, he limited the Biscuits to five hits while striking out one and walking one. Raul Fernandez allowed two earned runs on three hits over the final two frames. He struck out one and didn't have a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Charlotte 6 Box Score Fort Myers jumped out to an early first inning lead. Bradley Strong reached base on a throwing error and than stole second. Chris Paul cracked a ground-rule double which would score Strong. The Miracle offense went cold from there as the team was shut out the rest of the way. They finished 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Paul reached base three times in the game while Max Murphy and Strong both collected doubles. David Fischer took the loss for the Miracle even though he limited the Stone Crabs to two runs on four hits. He pitched five innings while striking out four and walking two. Williams Ramirez had a rough inning as he walked three batters and allowed a pair of runs. Sam Clay and Alex Muren both allowed a run in their inning of work with each pitcher collecting a strikeout. With the loss, the Miracle fall one game below .500. They currently sit 4.5 games out of first place in the Florida State League South Division. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Kane County 2 (10 Innings) Box Score Cedar Rapids seemed to be off to a good start. Lewin Diaz singled in front of a Jaylin Davis double to get an early 1-0 lead. Kane County quickly countered to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the frame. Cedar Rapids was quiet until the fifth inning when Caleb Hamilton led off the inning with a single. Aaron Whitefield drove him in with a double to tie the game. The Kernels finally found a way to get back on the board in extra innings. Travis Blankenhorn was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a balk. Kane County's manager didn't like the call and he was ejected from the game. With two outs, the Cougars walked the bases loaded. Aaron Whitefield was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. Ariel Montesino singled to drive in two more. Domenick Carlini kept the game close for the Kernels. He allowed two earned runs on four hits. He struck out two and walked one. Colton Davis and Alex Robinson combined for three shutout innings. Tom Hackimer picked up his third win after two shutout innings allowing one base runner and he struck out three. He has not been tagged for an earned run in his last 21.0 IP. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Chattanooga Lookouts (7 IP, 0 ER, 5 H) Hitter of the Day – Ryan Walker, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Indianapolis (12:35 CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler (4-1, 4.50 ERA Chattanooga - Scheduled Off Day Fort Myers - Scheduled Off Day Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (1:00 CST)- RHP Clark Beeker (5-2, 2.61 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

Tommy Field had a banner day with the stick in support of Aaron Slegers' excellent performance, lifting Rochester to victory over the Louisville Bats. But the system couldn't match its perfect Thursday night, as both the Lookouts and Miracle let their games slip away. Just like the Twins, the Kernels were rained out. Find out what else happened around the Twins' minor leagues on Saturday.***TRANSACTION ALERT*** RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Louisville 1 Box Score The Rochester lineup struck early and Aaron Slegers pitched masterfully with the lead as the Wings cruised to victory. Already leading 2-0, Rochester batted around in the third inning, tallying five runs in the process That was more than enough support for the efficient Slegers, who was in attack mode throughout this contest and didn't get into a three-ball count until the sixth inning. Slegers, who was coming off a couple of rough outings, pitched eight innings, giving up one unearned run (due to his own fielding error) while limiting the Bats' bats to seven hits. He walked one and struck out four. Second baseman Tommy Field had a field day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a homer, two doubles and a walk. Field, 30, is now hitting .318/.387/.561 (.947 OPS). Matt Hague and Leonardo Reginatto each had a pair of hits. Niko Goodrum scored a pair of runs, marking the fifth-straight game he's crossed the plate. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jackson 7, Chattanooga 4 Box Score Things got off to such a great start for Chattanooga. Nick Gordon led off the game with a base hit and later came around to score. By the time Kohl Stewart took the hill he had a 2-0 lead, and he even struck out the first batter he faced. Stewart lasted only four innings and while he only gave up two runs things did not go well. He issued four walks and threw a wild pitch that allowed a run to score. In 19.1 innings, Stewart has now walked 20 batters and has almost as many wild pitches (10) as strikeouts (11). Matt Tracy came in to pitch the final four innings, but had the opposite issue. Tracy notched six strikeouts, but he also gave up five runs. Right fielder Edgar Corcino had a nice game, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. LaMonte Wade had a sac fly, a double and fought the wind to make a great leaping catch at the wall in left field. MIRACLE MATTERS Dunedin 6, Fort Myers 2 Box Score A pair of errors committed in the third inning proved costly, especially against the potent Dunedin lineup that leads the Florida State League in OPS by 20 points. It's not like Dunedin needed any extra help, as they pounded out 15 hits on the evening. Minnesota native Max Murphy recorded his third-consecutive multi-hit game for the Miracle, going 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored. After a slow start, the 24-year-old has hit .371 with six walks in his last 10 games. The only other hitter to record two hits for Fort Myers was Rafael Valera. Zander Wiel missed just one game after being hit in the face on Thursday by a 95 mph fastball. He was the DH in his return tonight, and recorded his eighth double of the year. In 21 games, the Vanderbilt product has 13 extra-base hits. Lachlan Wells started for Fort Myers, he gave up five runs in as many innings but just two of them were earned. With four more strikeouts, the 20-year-old Aussie is up to 24 Ks in 22 innings pitched for Fort Myers. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids at Peoria (POSTPONED) Rain prevented this game from being played. These two teams will face off in a doubleheader Sunday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Slegers (8 IP, 0 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 Ks) Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tommy Field (3-for-3, HR, 2 2Bs, walk, 2 runs,) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Louisville (12:35 CT) Jose Berrios (1.44 ERA, 0.88 WHIP) Chattanooga at Jackson (2:05 CT) TBD Fort Myers vs. Dunedin (3:05 CT) Dereck Rodriguez (3.24 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) Cedar Rapids at Peoria (Noon CT) Clark Beeker (2.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) Cedar Rapids at Peoria (Game 2) Tyler Beardsley (3.94 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday's games. Click here to view the article

It was another busy day in the Twins minor league system. Two hitters were one hit away from achieving a cycle. There were a couple of very strong pitching performances as well, especially for Cedar Rapids, but also in Chattanooga. Those Miracle bats, which were quiet most of the season, went off for the second straight day. There was a transaction, and so much information that we're just going to encourage you to start reading.Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Thursday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0 @ Gwinnett 3 Box Score The Red wings managed just four hits and were unable to push any runs across the plate on Thursday night. Half of the Red wings hits came from Tommy Field, 2-4 with a pair of singles. Daniel Palka was 0-4 but didn’t strike out, which is about as good as an 0-4 night can get for Mr. Palka. Despite getting tagged with the loss to fall to 1-1, Nick Tepesch pitched well enough to give the Wings a victory, going five innings and giving up just a single unearned run. He gave up seven hits and a walk, so there were plenty of base runners, but 7 strikeouts helped him pitch out of jams. French flame thrower J.T. Chargois pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball, striking out a pair, giving up no hits, and one walk. D.J Baxendale finished the game for Rochester, and gave up a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth to help Gwinnett pad their 1-0 lead. If you’re into big, thick, burly beards – and who isn’t – let’s have a moment of silence for Jason Motte’s beard. Motte, closing for the Gwinnett Braves after being DFAd by the Rockies after posting an 8.31 ERA in the spring, signed a minor league deal with the Braves and is now rocking a baby-smooth face. The beard era of baseball might look as stupid as the big glasses and mustaches of the 70s and 80s in a decade or two, but for now, I’m sad to see the beard go. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Biloxi 0 @ Chattanooga 3 Box Score The Lookouts did not do much with the bats, but thanks to a combined 6-hit shutout from the pitching staff, they didn’t have to. The Lookouts collected hits from six different players, including a solo home run from my Rolf-brother, Dan Rohlfing, which gave the Lookouts a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Chattanooga pushed two more runs across, one each in the fifth and sixth, to put the score at 3-0. Felix Jorge moved to 2-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.72 with six scoreless innings in Chattanooga. Jorge gave up six hits, walked three and struck out four and stayed out of trouble. Flame thrower Nick Burdi pitched two scoreless innings of relief before turning the ball over to Mason Melotakis who walked one and struck out three to pick up his second save of the year. MIRACLE MATTERS Florida 3 @ Fort Myers 8 Box Score If you were not paying close attention this past winter, you might have missed that the Brevard County Manatees are now the Florida Fire Frogs. What is a Fire Frog? – some sort of prehistoric creature that roamed the Earth 278 million years ago. With that in mind, team president Joe Harrington said that the team name, “represents the geographic diversity of our fan base, has a hometown feel and speaks to the fun, vibrant experience our fans will enjoy at games.” Errr… whatever dude. Now on with the baseballing. The Miracle gave up 10 hits but gave up just three runs as part of a 8-3 butt kicking handed out to the Fire Frogs. The Miracle led just 2-1 headed into the home half of the sixth inning, but put their first five men on base to start what would turn out to be a five-run inning. Zander Wiel was the story of the game: the designated hitter was 3-3, just a home run short of a cycle, and picked up a pair of RBIs, plus the dude had a walk! Brian Navarreto had three hits (a single and two doubles) and his own pair of RBIs. David Fischer pitched well, giving up six hits over six innings, yielding just one run, and he struck out seven while walking none. The lone run he gave up was a solo homer. Anthony McIver struggled a bit, giving up two runs in two innings of relief on four hits. He walked two and struck out three. Nick Anderson came in for mop up duties in the ninth and set down the side in order. KERNELS NUGGETS Kane County 5 @ Cedar Rapids 3 Box Score Before the Thursday game against the Cougars, the Kernels announced that RHP Alex Schick was headed to the seven-day disabled list, to be replaced on the active roster by RHP Logan Lombana from extended spring training. Lombana spent parts of last season in the bullpen for both the Kernels and the Fort Myers Miracle. The Kernels opened their seven game home stand with a great performance from starter Tyler Wells who notched 11 strikeouts over 7 innings, but it all went for naught as the Kernels coughed up three runs in the top of the ninth to fall to 5-3. Wells started the game by sending the Cougars down in order in the first and second innings, all via strike out! Wells' final line was seven innings, six hits, two runs (both earned), no walks, those 11 wonderful strike outs. Wells was replaced by Colton Davis, who picked up both the loss and a blown save after giving up three runs in the top of the ninth. Davis pitched two innings, gave up four hits, three runs, two walks and struck out three. Jermaine Palacios led the way for the Kernels with 3-4 night that left him just a home run short of the cycle. The Kernels had plenty of chances to score runs on the evening but were just 2-11 with men in scoring position. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Wells – Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Zander Wiel – Fort Myers Miracle FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (6:05pm) – Jason Wheeler (1-1, 6.30) Biloxi @ Chattanooga (6:15pm) – Paul Clemens (0-0, 2.89) Ft. Myers @ Dunedin (6:30pm) – Keaton Steele (0-2, 6.30) Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35pm) – Sean Poppen (0-0, 1.23) I made it this far without making any 4/20 jokes, but in addition to asking any questions and discussing Thursday's games, feel free to leave your best pot-related alternate MiLB headline in the comments! Click here to view the article

Happy Father’s Day across Twins territory, including Rochester, NY; Chattanooga, TN; Fort Myers, FL; and Cedar Rapids, IA! If you were out at a ballpark today, I hope you stayed hydrated! There were three games in the minor leagues on Sunday afternoon, with those teams looking to bring home a victory just like their parent club did against the Yankees. One team got most of their offense in just one inning, while the other two teams scored first and tried to hold on. Did any of them do enough to send their fans home happy? Let’s check out all the action from Sunday, and find out!RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 8, Toledo 5 Box Score Rochester used a big inning to take down the Toledo Mud Hens on Sunday, scoring seven of their eight runs in the sixth inning when they sent eleven men to the plate. Adam Walker led off the inning by reaching base on an error, moved to third on a John Ryan Murphy double, and scored their first run of the inning when James Beresford drove him in with a single. Logan Schafer followed with an RBI single and then both Toledo’s starting pitcher and manager were ejected. Jorge Polanco (1B), Eddie Rosario (sac fly), Tommy Field (2B), and Wilfredo Tovar (2B) all contributed RBI hits afterward, and the Red Wings took the lead 7-1. Nick Greenwood made the start for Rochester, his first AAA start of the year, and worked the first five innings. He allowed one run on four hits and a walk, and struck out two. In his five innings, Greenwood threw just fifty-eight pitches. Dan Runzler was the first man up from the bullpen for the bottom of the sixth, and the Mud Hens got three of those runs back off of him. He struck out the first man he faced, but a single and three walks scored one before Sean Burnett came on, with Runzler responsible for all men on base. Burnett got a ground ball and force at home for the second out, but a single to the next batter scored two more to make it 7-4. Burnett stayed in the game and pitched a one-two-three seventh inning before giving way to Alex Wimmers in the eighth. The Mud Hens John Hicks led off the inning with a double, and two ground ball outs would allow him to score, closing the gap to 7-5. The Red Wings got one back in the top of ninth, as Polanco brought in Beresford with a sac fly, but Wimmers finished off the victory with a scoreless bottom frame for his sixth save. Rochester improves their record to 42-28 on the year, and in the month of June has gone 13-5. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Montgomery 5 Box Score The Lookouts jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to a Daniel Palka sac fly to score Zach Granite from third, who had singled to lead off the game. Still in the first, they threatened to score another run, but Engelb Vielma was thrown out at home on a ground ball off the bat of Travis Harrison. Chattanooga’s starter Kohl Stewart gave that run back in the bottom of the first after recording two quick outs. A single and wild pitch followed by a bloop single tied the game at one. The Biscuits made it 2-1 in the second as a walk was followed by an RBI double, and two doubles in the third made it 3-1. The Biscuits would never look back. All told, Stewart finished four and one third innings, allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks. He struck out two and raised his ERA to 4.82 in four starts at AA. Mitch Garver closed the gap to 5-3 in the sixth inning, as his fifth home run of the year was a two-run shot to left field, but they would be shut out the rest of the way. Granite and Leonardo Reginatto each had two hits on the day. In addition to his RBI, Palka also stole his fifth base of the year. The bullpen duo of Corey Williams and Raul Fernandez finished the game without allowing a run. Williams walk two and gave up one hit in 1.2 innings, striking out one. Fernandez allowed a hit and a walk in his two innings. The Lookouts finish the first half of their season with a 36-34 record and second place in the North Division, ten games out of first place behind the Jackson Generals. They will have to win the division in the second half (or finish second to Jackson again) to find their way into the postseason. MIRACLE MATTERS The Miracle, along with the rest of the Florida State League, enjoyed Sunday afternoon off after their All-Star Game in Fort Myers yesterday. They are back in action on Monday night at home against the Charlotte Stone Crabs to kick off the second half of the FSL season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 4 Box Score The Kernels had the first lead in the game, as a walk from Daniel Kihle was followed by consecutive singles from Luis Arraez and Sean Miller in the top of the third inning. They also lost that lead in the bottom half of the frame, as starter Sam Clay was unable to finish the inning. He allowed a leadoff single, walk, and an RBI single while recording only one out before manager Jake Mauer went to the bullpen. Sam Gibbons came on and gave up a run on a wild pitch to his first batter, but escaped the inning with no further damage. Gibbons went on to pitch a scoreless fourth inning, but ran into trouble himself in the fifth. A single and three doubles added to the River Bandits lead, making it 4-1. An error, balk, and fly out put Sean Miller on third in the sixth, and a double off the bat of Zander Wiel brought him in to close it to 4-2. Anthony McIver pitched the final two innings for Cedar Rapids, retiring every batter he faced, including two strikeouts, to give the Kernels offense a chance. In the ninth, Chris Ibarra drew a walk and was moved to third on a J.J. Fernandez single to put the tying runs on base. Kihle brought in Ibarra with a ground ball out, but Fernandez was stranded on second to end the game. Arreaz was the only hitter with multiple hits, including a double. As a team the Kernels were just 1-11 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. They finish the first half of the Midwest League season with a 36-22 record, finishing third in the Western Division, 2.5 games out of a clinching a playoff spot. Cedar Rapids will play host to the Midwest League All-Star Game on Tuesday night at 7:05PM CST. The Kernels will be represented in the game by position players Luis Arreaz and LaMonte Wade (both voted starters), and pitcher Sam Clay. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Nick Greenwood, Rochester Red Wings (W, 5.0IP, 1 ER, 4 H’s, 1 BB, 2 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Tommy Field, Rochester Red Wings (3-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (6:05PM CST) – LHP Andrew Albers (5-1, 3.46 ERA) Chattanooga – Scheduled day off (Southern League All-Star Break) Charlotte @ Fort Myers (6:05PM CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids – Scheduled day off (Midwest League All-Star Break). Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

It was a great night for the Rochester Red Wings’ offense and it was led by Byron Buxton as you’ll read below. Adam Walker did what he does best, crush mistake pitches. Jason Wheeler continued to pitch well. Two long streaks continued for Kernels players, and the Miracle got a clutch hit from a top prospect. It was an eventful night in the Twins minor league system.NOTE: Seth will be in attendance at the games in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so expect reports and stories from there throughout the weekend. Remember, Cedar Rapids is less than five hours south of the Twin Cities. It’s certainly worth the trip, especially if you’re interested in prospects. Also, the Field of Dreams movie site is less than an hour away. Consider making a trip this summer! You’ll enjoy it! Check the Kernels schedule and get tickets here. For much more on what happened on Wednesday in the Twins farm system, please continue. TRANSACTIONS On Wednesday, there were a few transactions in the Twins system: First, the Twins moved LHP Glen Perkins to the 60-Day disabled list. They put OF Darin Mastroianni on the 15-Day disabled list. They purchased the contract of LHP Buddy Boshers and called him up to the big leagues.Mitch Garver was activated from the DL, but RHP Ryan Eades was placed on the DL.RHP Hector Lujan was returned to extended spring training. RHP Nick Anderson was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers. RHP Kuo Hua Lo was brought back to the Kernels from extended spring training.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 9, Indianapolis 8 Box Score Byron Buxton has had a tremendous May with the Red Wings which begs the question, how long will (and should) he remain in AAA before coming back to the Twins? It’s a fair question, to be sure. He led off this game with a double. In his second at-bat, he hit his fifth home run, a long blast to the right of center field. He was intentionally walked the next time up. In his final plate appearance, he lined a single up the middle. Altogether, he was 3-4 with his seventh double, fifth homer and two RBI. In the first inning, Tommy Field knocked a three-run homer, his third homer in just over a week with the organization. He went 2-3 with a walk and four RBI. Field’s home run was followed by Adam Brett Walker’s tenth home run of the season, a tape-measure shot measured at about 450 feet. Kennys Vargas went 2-4 with a walk. Eddie Rosario went 2-4 with a double. Jorge Polanco added his fifth triple. Jason Wheeler was good again. He improved to 3-1 with a 1.86 ERA with six solid innings. He gave up two runs in five hits and a walk. He struck out three. David Martinez came on and gave up one run on one hit and two walks in the seventh. He struck out two. Alex Wimmers gave up a hit in a scoreless eighth. The Red Wings went into the ninth inning with a 9-3 lead. Ryan O’Rourke started the inning. He got two outs, but gave up five runs (two earned) on five hits. JT Chargois came in and gave up a hit, but he then got the final out for his third Red Wings save. The Red Wings have now won 15 of their last 20 games and are 26-20 on the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Tennessee 2 Box Score Good things come in threes, right? The Lookouts scored three runs in the third inning thanks to two triples. TJ White got things going with a two-run triple. Next up was leadoff man Zach Granite who switched places with him with a triple of his own. Ryan Walker went 2-4 with his third stolen base. Leonardo Reginnato went 2-3. Daniel Palka added a triple late in the game. DJ Baxendale started and worked the first 6.2 innings. He gave up two runs on four hits. He also hit a batter. He struck out one. Mason Melotakis came on and get the final out of the 7th inning, on a strikeout. Trevor Hildenberger picked up his fourth save. He struck out three over two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits. Baxendale improved to 4-5 with a 3.06 ERA. With the win, the Lookouts improved to 20-26 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Palm Beach 10 (10 innings) Box Score Obviously the tenth inning didn’t go well for the Miracle. Nick Gordon’s third triple tied the score at four in the ninth inning. However, in the tenth, the first eight batters reached for the Cardinals and six of them scored. Keaton Steele started. The right-hander gave up one run on six hits and four walks in five innings. He struck out four. Nick Anderson came on for his Florida State League debut. He gave up an unearned run on one hit and one walk in his inning. The unearned run was due to a throwing error by Anderson himself. He struck out two. Raul Fernandez threw two scoreless innings. John Curtiss gave up two runs in the ninth, but when the Miracle scored two to tie it, he returned for the tenth. All three batters he faced reached base. He was replaced by Brian Gilbert who faced five batters and gave up three hits, a walk, and the next batter reached on an error. He was replaced by Todd Van Steensel who gave up a hit but got the final three outs, two on strikeouts. Max Murphy and Brian Navarreto each went 3-5 in the game. Tanner Witt went 2-4 with a walk. Edgar Corcino went 2-4 and his fourth home run of the year tied the game at two in the eighth inning. Gordon went 1-3 with two walks and the triple. The Miracle fell to 24-23 on the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Burlington 7 Box Score Sam Clay had his first rough start of the season. The left-hander gave up seven runs on six hits, five walks and a hit batter in just 2.2 innings. He struck out one. Kuo Hua Lo struck out six over the next 3.1 innings. He gave up two hits and walked two, but no runs. Williams Ramirez then worked two perfect innings, striking out one. LaMonte Wade got things going for the Kernels with a home run, his fourth, in the first inning. He didn’t take long to increase his streak of consecutive games getting on base to 25. He went 3-5 in the game. Later, Zander Wiel extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a two-run single. Brad Hartong went 2-4 with his first triple. Jermaine Palacios went 2-4 with his third double and two driven in. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Trevor Hildenberger, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Byron Buxton, Rochester Red Wings THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ Rochester (10:05 a.m. CST) - RHP Jose Berrios Tennessee @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - LHP Nick Greenwood Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) – RHP Felix Jorge Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) – RHP Fernando Romero Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

Baseball is a game of streaks. Hitting streaks, winning streaks, and a pile of other streaks are all part of the game. After taking their last four games, the Lookouts entered play on Tuesday with their longest winning streak since last August. Tyler Jay was on the mound for Fort Myers and he hadn't given up a run in his last two appearances while lowering his ERA to close to 3.00. Would either of these streaks continue on Tuesday? You'll have to read on to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 9, Charlotte 3 Box Score Rochester's offense exploded for seven runs in the first four frames as the team collected 12 hits in the game. Every batter in the lineup had a hit with the exception of Max Kepler. Tommy Field led the way with a pair of home runs while finishing 3-for-4 with four RBI. Kennys Vargas belted his fifth home run of the season as part of a multi-hit effort. Stephen Wickens also joined the home run party with a solo shot in the third. Andrew Albers improved to 2-0 as he was able to pitch comfortably with a lead for six innings. He worked out of a few jams as he allowed 10 hits but limited the Knights to three earned runs. He struck out three and walked one. J.T Chargois was asked to get five outs and he did so by striking out five batters. Buddy Boshers and Dan Runzler each added zeros to the scoreboard during their appearances. The Red Wings continue to hover around the .500 mark and now sit at 21-18 after winning three of their last four games. Few teams are gaining much separation in the International League North as Rochester is one of three teams tied for the top spot and no team is more than three games out of first. Roster Moves: Outfielder Robbie Grossman was signed by Minnesota and assigned to Rochester. Right-handed pitcher Jose Berrios was optioned to Rochester. In a corresponding move, left-handed pitcher Taylor Rogers was recalled by Minnesota CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Biloxi 9 Box Score The Lookouts tried their best to keep their winning streak alive but an early five-run deficit was too much to overcome. Aaron Slegers got hit around for seven runs on nine hits including two long balls. He struck out three and walked two on the way to his fourth loss. Luke Westphal was called on and allowed two earned runs in three frames. Mason Melotakis and Mike Strong finished the last two innings without allowing a run but they combined to walk three without a strikeout. Zach Granite's speed was on full display in this contest as he reached base three times including a triple and had his 17th stolen base. Joe Maloney went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Travis Harrison didn't collect a hit but he did get walked three times. Daniel Palka was the only player on the team not to reach base in the game. The loss drops the Lookouts to 18-21 which is good enough for third place in the Southern League North. They are five games behind the Jackson Generals for the top spot. Chattanooga has still won seven of their last 11 and they have a quick turn-around with any early Wednesday game. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 0, Dunedin 4 Box Score Fort Myers was held to three hits as the Blue Jays cruised to an easy 4-0 shutout. Tanner Witt and Edgar Corcino both went 1-for-4 with a double but neither man made it around to score. Austin Diemer had the team's other hit, a single. Overall, the team left four runners on base and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Tyler Jay suffered his third loss but he still pitched great. Over six innings of work, he allowed one earned run on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks. In his last three starts, he has pitched 19.1 innings and only allowed one earned run while striking out 19. John Curtiss gave up three runs in his inning of work to add to the Dunedin lead. Luke Bard struck out two in the eighth frame. With the loss, the Miracle dropped to 22-17 on the season. This was the team's third loss in the last five games but the club still sits atop the standings in the Florida State League South. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 5 Box Score The Kernels found themselves in an early 3-0 hole and they spent most of the game trying to dig their way out. Cody Stashak started for Cedar Rapids and was charged with three earned runs over six innings. He struck out two and walked none. It was the fourth straight start where he has pitched into the sixth frame while allowing two earned runs or fewer. Sam Gibbons surrendered two earned runs as he walked three across two innings. Michael Cederoth struck out two in a perfect ninth. Cedar Rapids went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base. Daniel Kihle was the only batter with more than one hit. He finished the night 2-for-4 with two runs scored. J.J. Fernandez had the team's only extra base hit, a double, but he also struck out three times. LaMonte Wade reached base three times in four plate appearances. Following the loss, the Kernels dropped to 20-17 and sit two games back of Clinton for the top spot in the Midwest League Western Division. The Snappers are only one game behind the Kernels so tomorrow's game is important and Cedar Rapids send Randy LeBlanc and his 0.90 ERA to the mound. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Tyler Jay, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Tommy Field, Rochester Red Wings WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (6:05 CST)- RHP David Martinez (1-3, 5.14 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Biloxi (10:15 am CST)- RHP Ryan Eades (2-2, 5.00 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 CST)- RHP Keaton Steele (1-3, 4.01 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Beloit (6:35 CST)- RHP Randy LeBlanc (4-2, 0.90 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games. Click here to view the article