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Last summer while playing minimally with the Ft. Myers Miracle, Tyler Grimes contemplated his future in baseball. He also contemplated his future outside of baseball. His manager, Doug Mientkiewicz, talked him into sticking it out through the rest of the season. He started playing almost every day, and he was a huge part of the their Florida State League Championship run. Now he’s in the Minnesota Twins Major League Spring Training.In December, Grimes got a phone call from Twins General Manager Terry Ryan. Ryan talked to Grimes and invited him to big league spring training as a non-roster player. The response, according to Ryan, “caught me off guard, I can tell you that.” Grimes said he told Ryan, “Thanks Terry, but it’s time to move on.” Grimes had spent his offseason doing a lot of thinking. “It was probably the toughest offseason I’ve ever had. This is all I’ve known, the game of baseball. I was ready. I was ready to go out in the real world and start my life and move on.” --------------------------------- Grimes was the Twins fifth-round draft pick in 2011 out of Wichita State. He was drafted as a shortstop and played middle infield his first two seasons, both at Beloit. At the Instructional League after the 2012 season, the Twins moved him from the middle infield to behind the plate.There was an adjustment. He had to learn a new position, and learn how to work with pitchers. He also had to learn that he wasn’t going to play every day the way a position player would.He returned to the Midwest League in 2013, this time to Cedar Rapids. In 2014, he moved up to the Ft. Myers Miracle. Again, he played in about half of the team’s games and rarely caught. He would DH, play some in the outfield and some in the infield. He was wondering a lot about things already then. In June, he went to manager Doug Mientkiewicz and told him that he was thinking that he would be done with his professional baseball career. He gives a ton of credit to the former Twins first baseman for keeping him playing and more. “Doug Mientkiewicz helped me a lot. I mean, he’s basically been my mentor since last year got started. We built a close bond with one another, and I kept in touch with him throughout the offseason. He’s always been positive to me. He’s definitely helped me big time in my career. And, it’s only been a year that he’s been with me. But last year, he played a big role in a lot of things. To be able to play for a guy like that, and his mentality, I was blessed to have him.” Mientkiewicz told him to be patient and stick with it. Soon after, Eddie Rosario moved up to New Britain, and Grimes found himself starting most games in center field. He played there until Byron Buxton, and later Jason Kanzler, were in Ft. Myers. He had never played the outfield before, but he didn’t mind. “It didn’t matter where I played. Give me a glove and hit me nine. I want to be a part of these guys and be a part of this team. I want to help us win. You get humbled in this game in a lot of ways. Last year was good for me. I loved showing up to the field every day knowing I was going to play. As long as I was in the lineup, I didn’t care. From one to nine, I didn’t care. I was excited and I was going to make the most of it. It was different at first playing outfield. I’d never played outfield. I kind of taught myself as it went.” His philosophy in the outfield was pretty simple really. “If I saw a ball in the air, I was running after it. I was kind of like a dog trying to catch a Frisbee.” As the playoffs approached, Levi Michael was promoted to New Britain. Tyler Grimes became the Miracle’s starting second baseman. He had at least played quite a bit at that position in the past and took ground balls there frequently. His Miracle team went to the playoffs and kept on winning. Grimes certainly enjoyed that playoff atmosphere. “It was fun. Doug’s a real intense guy, but when we got to the playoffs, he was the calmest one out of everyone. We had a lot of fun. We had a good group of guys. It was special to win the first championship in Miracle history. We were all pretty excited as a team, but even more for him because he gets the most out of his players. To get that with him and the group of guys that we had was a pretty special moment.” He said the players on that team all had each other’s back. “Everybody was contributing. I think I popped up a bunt and Jason Kanzler came up and hit a big home run. That’s what this game is about and everybody picking each other up and that’s what we did. It’s tough to win a championship, but with those guys and the way we picked one another up, it was a good feeling.” The toughest part about leaving the game of baseball (or any sport) is the changing of relationships that were built. “Being away from your family, these guys are all you’ve got. We’re brothers. We spend more time with each other than we do with our own families.” ------------------------------------- Back to that day when Terry Ryan called Grimes and invited him to big league camp. Grimes had a lot of good reasons to consider his post-baseball options. As he said, “It was tough. The season is a different monster. Not a lot of people get what we go through. The money? You’re making under the poverty level. I mean, I could go to McDonald's and flip burgers and make more than what we make. I have to be realistic with myself. You have to come to reality sometime. You can’t play this game forever.” When Grimes got the call from Ryan, he was surprised as well. “At that time, I was kind of on the ropes of if I was going to come back or not. So, we had a long talk about that. He gave me a night to sleep on it. I called him back an hour later and let him know that I was coming down.” Ryan said that it wasn’t the response he expected. A lot of players will go back and forth on whether to keep playing, but typically not when they get invited to big league camp. Ryan said, “He was questioning whether or not he had enough ability, and that bothered me because I believe he’s got some ability, otherwise we wouldn’t have invited him. He’s got a bit more ability than he gives himself credit for.” Ryan is glad that Grimes quickly changed his mind. “It was a little different, but everything’s alright now. We’re glad he’s here, and so is he, I believe.” Grimes would agree. “He had more confidence in me than I had in myself probably. Just to hear that from our GM and for him to let me sleep on it, it showed me a lot from Terry Ryan. I’m so happy that I’m here and he’s given me this opportunity.” It was definitely the right choice for him, and he has enjoyed his time in big league camp. “It’s been good. I grew up watching Torii Hunter, Joe Mauer, and now I’m in the same clubhouse as them. It’s pretty cool. It’s a good experience. I’m just trying to take in everything that I can. It’s a good experience and I’m just trying to take in everything I can. There’s never enough learning in this game. Everything’s new. You can learn something new every day. I’m enjoying it. Getting this atmosphere, big league atmosphere. Being with some of my teammates that I’ve played with, it’s been comfortable. They’ve made us comfortable, all of us young guys. These are all great guys. Veteran leadership, it’s awesome.” Who knows what the future holds for Grimes. He hopes to move up to Chattanooga. “I’d love to be in Chattanooga. It’d be nice to be with Doug and a bunch of my former teammates from last year. We had a good camaraderie in the clubhouse and had a lot of fun. Other than that, enjoying it while I can and letting everything take care of itself.” He seems happy and content. “I’m just trying to take one day at a time and let God take care of everything.” Click here to view the article

I recall seeing the Cedar Rapids Kernels in late June. They had not been a strong team in the first half and their pitching staff was a mess. Pretty much since that time, they have played really well. In fact, their magic number for a Midwest League playoff berth is currently just five. They’ve been receiving much improved pitching. SD Buhr was able to speak to Kernels manager Jake Mauer and his coaches, Tommy Watkins and Ivan Arteaga to discuss the turnaround.Ft. Myers already has a spot in the playoffs, but they had a great night of power and pitching. New Britain is probably out of playoff contention, but they had a great game too. Find out more about those games and who played well throughout the Twins minor league system on Wednesday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Buffalo 5 Box Score This game was tied going into the bottom of the ninth, but the Bisons were able to walk-off against the Red Wings. Alex Meyer made the start for the Red Wings. He gave up four runs, three earned, on eight hits. In 5.2 innings, he walked none and struck out ten. 62 of his 89 pitches were strikes. Aaron Thompson came on and got the next four outs, two of them on strikeouts. Deolis Guerra threw a perfect eighth frame. Mark Hamburger came on for the ninth. He recorded two outs, but the winning run scored on a single just out of the reach of a diving Aaron Hicks. Leading the Red wings offense, Chris Colabello went 3-5 and homered for the tenth time this season, Hicks went 2-4 in the game and hit his third double. He’s now hitting .298 with Rochester. James Beresford went 2-4. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 7, Richmond 0 Box Score The Rock Cats got another very good start from the recently returned Taylor Rogers. He threw five shutout innings, giving up three hits, walking four and striking out three. Alex Wimmers struck out three over two perfect innings. Jim Fuller struck out four over two scoreless innings. Nate Hanson led the offense. He went 2-5 with his 20th double. He drove in three runs and he was credited with his first stolen base of the year. Tony Thomas went 2-4 with his 14th stolen base. Matt Koch was also 2-4. Eddie Rosario doubled for the 17th time. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Bradenton 1 Box Score Power and pitching are always a good combination for a winning strategy. The Miracle got both on Wednesday night. Steven Gruver started and threw five shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out three. It was his eighth start of the year (with 32 relief appearances). With this start, he has worked five innings in each of his last four starts. He has given up just four earned runs in those 20 innings. Alex Muren came on for the sixth and threw two shutout innings. He gave up just one hit and he struck out two. BJ Hermsen was charged with one run on three hits in his inning. He struck out two. Brandon Peterson struck out the side in the ninth inning. The power in this game came, but not from the players that you might have expected. Tyler Grimes led the way. He went 2-4 with his second triple and his third home run. Stuart Turner was also 2-4. Max Kepler went 1-3 with a walk and his fourth home run. Jason Kanzler hit his third Miracle home run. Niko Goodrum walked twice and stole his 34th base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 5 Box Score The Kernels home stand ended and so did their eight-game winning streak. Stephen Gonsalves started. The lefty gave up two runs, one earned, on six hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out seven. Hudson Boyd gave up three runs in the sixth inning on three hits and two walks. Chris Mazza struck out four over two scoreless innings. Brian Gilbert struck out two in the ninth. Engelb Vielma and Jonatan Hinojosa each went 2-4. Max Murphy hit his sixth double, while Michael Quesada hit his 12th double. Mitch Garver walked twice and stole his seventh base. E-TWINS E-NOTES The E-Twins had a scheduled off day. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 7, GCL Orioles 8 Box Score Josh Guyer put together a very solid start in Ft. Myers. He worked five innings and was charged with two unearned runs. He gave up five hits, a walk and had two strikeouts. Seth Wagner worked the sixth and got just two outs. He gave up three runs on two hits and two walks. Trevor Hildenberger got the next four outs and was charged with one run. Leonel Zazueta gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in the eighth inning. Manuel Guzman and Nelson Molina were each 2-4 in this game. Amaurys Minier hit his ninth double. Rafael Valera doubled for the eighth time of the year. Rainis Silva drove in three runs with his ninth double of the year. Silva is now hitting .351 over his last ten games while driving in six in the last two games. He is one of the youngest players on the roster. He turned 18 years old in March. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Steven Gruver, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tyler Grimes, Ft. Myers Miracle THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (6:00 CST) – Logan Darnell New Britain @ Richmond (6:05 CST) – TBD Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) – Lewis Thorpe Elizabethton @ Pulaski (6:00 CST) – Sam Gibbons GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

I have to say, I have been pretty lucky down here in Cedar Rapids. On Opening Night, I saw Twins pitchers strikeout 16 batters, Byron Buxton get a couple of hits and a steal and a couple of home runs. On Friday night, I got to see more individual performances that are exciting for Twins fans, and I got to see a come-from-behind, bottom-of-the-ninth, walk-off win.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] One of the first observations that I have seen with this Cedar Rapids team is that they are very close, and that they have a lot of fun playing baseball. JD Williams is kind of the leader in the have-fun category, but what he starts, seemingly most of the players follow along. It’s also clear that manager Jake Mauer, and his coaches Gary Lucas (pitching) and Tommy Watkins (hitting) have the ears and the utmost respect of the players. I had a chance to meet Tim Goodrum (Niko’s dad) the other night, and he introduced me to Adam Walker (Adam’s dad). The Twins do talk about character being important a lot. You meet these fathers, and I’ve interacted with several parents and players in the past as well, and you get a better sense for why the players (still young kids) have such a high level of character. I’ll be sure to write more notes and observations from my trip to Cedar Rapids in the coming days, but let’s briefly discuss what happened in the Kernels/Snappers game last night, as well as let you in on how the other Twins affiliates did. Cedar Rapids Kernels 9, Beloit Snappers 7 Following Opening Night’s 16 run game (9-7 Kernels win) which also included 16 strikeouts by Kernels pitchers, Friday night’s game was much more crisp. The Kernels cleaned up their defense with a strong showing, and the pitching was very good for both teams. Because of that, the game was finished much quicker. However, though there were less runs, there was a lot of drama, and any time the home team wins in walk-off fashion, it’s a great night. Down 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, Dalton Hicks led off with a solid single to right field. He was pinch run for by Candido Pimentel. Adam Walker flew out to center for the first out, but Travis Harrison came through with a big double to right centerfield. Pimentel was able to score easily to tie the game, making the decision to pinch-run him pay off right away. Harrison, a throw-back who doesn’t wear batting glove, said after the game of the at bat, “I was looking middle-out because I figure he wouldn’t want to come in and lose it on one pitch if I took a chance and hit a home run, and he gave it to me right there, a middle-away fastball and I couldn’t have hit it any better.” That brought Niko Goodrum to the plate with Harrison on second base and one out. He lined a hard single down the right field line. Mauer waved Harrison around third base, and when the right fielder bobbled the ball, there was no play on the plate. There was, however, a rush toward second base to mob Goodrum. Goodrum said, “I was moved up on the plate looking for a fastball so I could drive him in, and that’s what I got. I knew right away that he was going to score.” “Run faster! I knew where the right fielder was playing before the ball was hit. I got a pretty good jump on it, so I knew I could probably score. I just had to make sure I could stay on my feet and get in there.” Goodrum acknowledged that it was his first walk-off hit in professional baseball. How did he feel about the hit and being piled on after the game, “Pretty exciting!” The story of the game up to that point was another solid night of pitching from the Kernels pitcher. Hudson Boyd made the start and gave up just one run on three hits. He did walk three and struckout three. With two outs in the top of the 5th, he hit a batter, and that was the end of his night. It was clear that pitching Coach Gary Lucas wanted Boyd to get that final batter, but Boyd was removed. “It’s more protecting his career, to be honest for you. It was his first time out. You’d like to get him a win and that will look nice and everything, but most importantly, I was hoping he’d go out on a positive note.” Mauer added, “Boyd got better as the game went on, which is very encouraging. The young man’s first start. He’s never pitched in cold weather before. I thought that was encouraging his last couple of innings there. With him I think the biggest thing, and a lot of young guys can do that, where they don’t trust their stuff, and he’s got pretty good stuff. I thought he got a little finesse, tried to be a little too fine when he walked a couple of men, but then he got a little aggressive again, which is good.” Boyd was also happy with his game. “The second inning was rough, but I came out in the third and made some adjustments. I didn’t want to let one bad inning to become two. I tried to put it behind me. My changeup was really good tonight. In the fourth and fifth inning, my curveball was working. It had some bite. In that second inning, I couldn’t get my fastball over, so I walked a couple of people.” Boyd seemed legitimately concerned about pitching in the cold weather on Wednesday, but he said it wasn’t a big issue for him on Friday night. “Actually, I didn’t even notice it. I actually didn’t think I even needed my sleeves. Once I got out there, it was natural.” Left-hander Steven Gruver came in and got the final out of the fifth inning. He then worked three more innings. He gave up just an unearned run on one hit and two walks, and he struckout two. Unfortunately, he gave up one run in the top of the 8th frame that gave the Snappers a 2-1 lead. Mauer said, “Gruver had the hiccup with the lead-off walk, but other than that, he was phenomenal.” Lefty Brett Lee came on for the top of the 9th. He is scheduled to start for the Kernels on Tuesday, but he came in and struckout the side on his bullpen day. And then came the bottom of the ninth, walk-off heroics! There’s a lot of excitement in Cedar Rapids for the Kernels this year. I want to encourage people to check out Metro Sports Report and the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Both provide some great information on the Kernels. You’ll also want to follow the Kernels website for a lot of information on the team as well as the ability to listen to the games live online. Buxton Update Byron Buxton went 2-3 with a walk, a first inning leadoff blast and his second stolen base. I noted on Twitter during his first at bat versus the Snappers (A’s) starter Michael Ynoa that there was over $10 million in signing bonuses during that plate appearance. Ynoa received $4.25 million dollars as a 16-year-old from the Dominican. He has pitched very little because he had Tommy John surgery a couple of years ago. Last year, he pitched a combined 30 innings between rookie ball and the A’s Low A team, yet the A’s chose to put him on their 40 man roster. In the first inning, it’s fair to say that the Twins $6 million man, Buxton, won that battle. He got a pitch on the inner half of the plate and launched a long, towering home run over the left field fence, out of the ballpark and onto the street behind. It is already being said that it bounced off the street and hit the second floor of a house. Just as impressive as Buxton’s power is his speed. He stole his second base of the season last night. However, in one at bat, he hit a routine, three-bounce ground ball to third base. The third baseman fielded it cleanly and made a strong, accurate throw to first base. Buxton beat the throw by a half-step. There is no question that Buxton has a bit of developing to do, but first, he is quite advanced for his age, and second, he has the potential to be a 40-40 type of player. Mauer said after the game of Buxton, “He’s a very talented individual. There is no doubt about it. He stayed back. He got a hanging breaking ball in that first at bat, and he unloaded on it. That was a big time swing. In talking to him, he’s going to affect the game a lot of ways, even if he’s not swing that bat very well, with his speed and the pressure he can put on. He made a nice play, a ball hit to right center with nobody out, caught the ball, turned, Boom, right to the cutoff man. It was fantastic. Not only the wherewithal and the athleticism to catch it, but to keep the ball down, right to the cutoff man. That guy had no chance in advancing. Stuff like that, you want to see especially with young outfielders. Some may get excited and think the guy’s going to go, but he was calm, collected. He is a pretty special talent, no doubt about it. It’s a matter of him doing it every day. He’s going to be in there, without a doubt. Drew Leachman was put on the 7-Day Disabled List. In the opening game, he had a stolen base. His left (non-throwing) shoulder caught the base and jammed. Following the game (after having two more at bats in the game), he was icing his shoulder. On Friday, he could not raise his right arm at all. Mauer said of Leachman, “Young man’s trying to play, gut it out. He’s a guy with experience, put up pretty good numbers here. We’ll miss that presence here in the middle of the lineup. It’ll give somebody an opportunity to step up too. Who will replace him? As of post-game, Mauer did not know. I asked if it could be an arm, and Mauer said, “I would like it to be an arm. You know, there’s a few guys down at Extended that are pretty good pitchers that we thought had a chance to break with us when everything shook out. That’s usually how it happens. There’s three or four boys down there that are getting close. I don’t think it’ll be a starter. I think it’ll be a bullpen guy. We’ll know tomorrow.” Tyler Grimes caught his first game as a professional player and really did a nice job. “He’s caught in spring training and in Instructional League, so that was a whole learning experience for him too.” I was at the ballpark early, and when I was there, Grimes out stretching in his knee pads. Soon after, backup catcher Jhonatan Arias was with him, coaching and instructing him on various catching techniques. Then Jairo Rodriguez, the Opening Day catcher, was out there a well, helping Grimes through drills. I have to say that those two catchers being willing to help their teammate (yet also a “competitor” in the sense that they all want to advance). I found that to be pretty classy. Niko Goodrum acknowledged two goals for the season. First, “I want to steal 40 bases real bad!” Second, “I hit 200 pounds, and I hope I can stay up there!” The Kernels will send 2012 2nd round pick Mason Melotakis to the mound at 2:05 today to face the Snappers. At the game last night, no less than three people stopped me in the concourse to introduce themselves and say Hi. They had all made the trip down from the Twin Cities that afternoon. One was heading back following the game, while a couple of others were spending a night to go to Saturday’s game as well. In two days, I’ve seen two tremendous games, and it has been a lot of fun. In my mind, it is worth the trip, and from those I have talked to, they would agree. Rochester Red Wings 2, Buffalo Bisons 3 The Red Wings came up short for the second straight game in Buffalo with a 3-2 loss on Friday afternoon. Kyle Gibson started and was very good. The lanky, right-hander worked the first five innings. He gave up one run on four hits. He walked none and struckout four, including a big one to end the fifth inning with a couple of runners on in a 1-1 game. Michael O’Connor came in and gave up one run on three hits in two innings. Anthony Slama pitched the eighth inning and takes the loss. He gave up a solo home run to Luis Jimenez. The Red Wings had just five hits in the game. Brian Dinkelman hit his first home run of the season. Oswaldo Arcia hit his second home run in as many games. Former Twins starter Ramon Ortiz started for the Bisons. He hit three batters, including hitting Chris Colabello and Drew Butera back to back. Butera was hit in the hand by a pitch and had to leave the game. After the game, he was put on the Disabled List and infielder Eric Farris was promoted to Rochester. On Saturday, righty Shairon Martis will start opposite Claudio Vargas. Both have pitched in the big leagues. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Richmond Flying Squirrels 0 (Conclusion of suspended game) The weather isn’t warm, and the bats certainly are not either. Logan Darnell had started this game on Thursday night. He went 3.2 scoreless innings and gave up four hits and walked two before the rains came. When play resumed on Friday night, Blake Martin took the mound. He went 2.1 innings without allowing a hit. He did walk one, but he struckout three. Bobby Lanigan came on and gave up one hit in a scoreless frame. Jose Gonzalez pitched a perfect inning as well. Michael Tonkin came in and threw a clean ninth inning to record his first save of the season. The Rock Cats managed just six hits. Danny Santana had three of the hits including a single that scored Eric Farris with the lone run of the game. Antoan Richardson went 1-2 with a walk and a double. Josmil Pinto also doubled. New Britain Rock Cats 0, Richmond Flying Squirrels 1 (regularly scheduled game) The bats remained pretty cold for both teams in the regularly scheduled matchup. Trevor May started for the Rock Cats. He gave up one run on three hits and three walks. He struckout four. Edgar Ibarra pitched a scoreless inning despite loading the bases with two hits and an intentional walk. The Rock Cats gave up just one run, but it was more than enough as Richmond pitchers Jack Snodgrass and Daryl Maday no-hit New Britain. They each walked one batter, but those were quickly erased by two Flyin Squirrel double plays. Connecticut native Pat Dean will make the Saturday start for the Rock Cats. He had made one late-season start for the team in 2011. As mentioned above, second baseman Eric Farris was promoted to AAA Rochester to replace Drew Butera on the roster. Farris spent the past three years playing AAA ball in the Brewers organization. Farris spent some time with the Brewers each of the past two years. The Brewers decided to put him on their AA roster, and the Mariners selected him in the AAA Rule 5 draft. Seattle decided to release him just before opening day and the Twins signed him quickly. To fill Farris’s roster spot, corner infielder and outfielder Curt Smith was activated. He was signed by the Twins after playing for Team Netherlands in the WBC. Ft. Myers Miracle 4, Bradenton Marauders 1 For the second straight night, the Miracle got some good pitching and enough offense to win a very crisp game. Jason Wheeler began the 2013 season as he pitched most of the 2012 season in Beloit. The tall lefty threw five shutout innings for his first win of the season. He gave up four hits, walked one and struckout three. Miguel Munoz came on and gave up just one hit in two shutout innings. Cole Johnson gave up an eighth inning run on one hit and one walk. Corey Williams came on in the ninth for a 1-2-3 save. The Miracle had just five hits in the game. Fortunately, catcher Kyle Knudson, who is fully healthy for the first time since signing with the Twins from the University of Minnesota, hit his first home run of the year, a line drive over the left field fence. Then Kennys Vargas launched a towering blast over the wall in right field. Angel Morales provided a double for the Miracle as well. Eddie Rosario got his first hit of the season. 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As has been the case throughout most of the first two months of the 2013 season, the excitement tonight in the Twins minor league system came from the bottom two levels. The Ft. Myers Miracle and Cedar Rapids Kernels combined to score 28 runs. One prospect drilled two home runs in a game. Vance Worley made his second start with Rochester. Was he able to duplicate he quality of his first game? And which Alex Meyer showed up on Saturday?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Twins minor leagues have had quite a few walk-off wins already this year. It was also fun watching the big league club get a walk-off win Saturday afternoon. With that, check out what happened in the Twins minor league system on Saturday, including the Dominican Summer League opener: Rochester Red Wings 3, Charlotte Knights 4 Box Score Vance Worley took the mound for his second Red Wings start. His first was a complete game shutout. His second- not so much. He gave up a first inning run. Then he gave up three runs in the second. Not a good start, but he did go on to throw five shutout innings. Overall, he gave up four runs on ten hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out seven. Luis Perdomo struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning. The Red Wings had plenty of scoring opportunities. They had eight hits and they also walked 12 times. Somehow they managed to score just three runs. Antoan Richardson led off and went 1-2 with three walks and his fifth stolen base. Oswaldo Arcia was 1-2 with three walks. His sixth Red Wings home run came in the ninth inning and cut the deficit to one. Jeff Clement was 2-4. New Britain Rock Cats 4, Bowie Baysox 3 Box Score Alex Meyer has been, at times solid, but quite inconsistent for the Rock Cats this season. On this evening he was terrific. The lanky right-handed starter went 6.1 innings. He gave up one run on two hits and two walks. He struck out a season-high ten. Blake Martin came on and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. AJ Achter came on and got the final five outs for his third save. He gave up two hits and a walk but no runs. James Beresford led the way offensively by going 3-4 with his fifth stolen base. He’s now hitting .338 and inexplicably remaining in AA. Danny Ortiz was 2-4. Danny Santana was very good in May and, in the first game in June, went 2-4 with his 10th and 11th stolen bases. Nate Hanson and Curt Smith each doubled. Ft. Myers Miracle 13, Palm Beach Cardinals 4 Box Score The Miracle offense exploded in this game. Angel Morales is also inexplicably still in Ft. Myers. It’s his third season with the Miracle and he had a terrific month of May. In this game he was 3-4 with two doubles. Kennys Vargas was 3-6. Eddie Rosario went 3-5 with his fifth triple. Andy Leer went 2-4 with two walks and his fourth home run. Aderlin Mejia was 2-5 with a walk. Jhon Goncalves went 2-6. Tom Stuifbergen was the recipient of the run support. The Dutch right-hander went six innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits. He walked none and struck out three. Chad Rodgers threw two shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out one. Nelvin Fuentes gave up a run on a hit in an inning. Cedar Rapids Kernels 15, Kane County 2 Box Score Byron Buxton was given a rare night off, and the Kernels’ bats took off. Fifteen runs on fifteen hits and nine walks make for a pretty good day. Dalton Hicks led the way. The burly first baseman went 3-4 with a walk, his sixth and seventh homers and four RBI. Tyler Grimes went 3-3 with two walks and a triple. Jeremias Pineda went 2-3 with two walks and his first home run. JD Williams and Niko Goodrum were each 2-5 with a walk and a double. Jorge Polanco and Adam Walker each added a double. Photo by Rinaldi Photos Lefty Brett Lee was appreciative of the run support, though he needed not much of it. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on seven hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out four. Finishing the game, Manuel Soliman struck out four in two perfect innings. DSL Twins 5, DSL Orioles 6 Box Score This was opening day in the Dominican Summer League. The Twins squad used seven pitchers to get through nine innings. Onesimo Hernandez gave up one run on four hits (and a hit batter) in three innings. He struck out thre. Carlos Aponte gave up two runs on two hits and a hit batter in one inning. Sebastian Perez gave up one run on two hits in two innings. Robener Cabrera gave up an unearned run on one hit and a walk in one innings. Johan Quezada walked two and struck out two in one scoreless inning. Rendis Reyes got two outs, though he gave up one run on two walks. Ezequiel Zarzuela got the final out. The offense was led by 17-year-old catcher Rainis Silva who went 2-4. Rafael Valera and Carlos Martinez each doubled. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

It is a rarity when the Minnesota Twins get a win because of a home run. That was the case though for the hometown nine Thursday night. It was a rarity that occurred several times down through the Twins farm system as there were several big home runs. The Twins got four homers in their win over the Brewers. The Red Wings hit four home runs in their game. The Miracle got three home runs, including a huge, late-inning one. The Kernels had a significant home run in each game of their double header. Of course, you’re going to have to keep reading to find out the specifics. Check out what happened in the Twins minor league system on Thursday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 13, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 10 Box Score In his most recent starts, Kyle Gibson had done something that he had not done to that point. He put together two straight good starts. Could he make it a third? Well, he did extend his scoreless innings streak to 20 but after that, the wheels fell off. He gave up three runs in the third inning, and by the time his afternoon was over, he had given up six earned runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out six. Aaron Thompson got three outs. Anthony Slama’s 2013 struggles continued. He recorded just one out in the eighth inning and was charged with four runs (3 earned) on three hits and a hit batter. His season ERA is now 17.28. Michael Tonkin came on to make his AAA debut. He threw two pitches and gave up a two-run single before being replaced by Tyler Robertson who got the final two outs of the inning. Shairon Martis came on and gave up one hit in a scoreless inning. Fortunately, the Red Wing bats showed up on this day. Oswaldo Arcia ended an 0-14 stretch since his return to Rochester. He went 4-5 with his third double and fourth home run. Dan Rohlfing went 3-4 (and is now hitting .800 in his two AAA games!). Eric Fryer went 2-3 with two walks. Like the Twins, the Red Wings hit four home runs in this game. Along with Arcia, Clete Thomas (9th), Jeff Clement (7th) and Deibinson Romero (1st) each homered. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Richmond Squirrels 1 Box Score This game took less time than a Cedar Rapids rain delay tonight. The pitchers' duel was completed in two hours and 21 minutes. Pat Dean started and gave up one run on five hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out three. Blake Martin struck out two in the 8th inning. AJ Achter came on for the 9th frame. He gave up two hits but no runs to record his second save. There was very little offense in this one. The Rock Cats had six hits. However, Danny Ortiz went 2-3 and drove in both runs. Ft. Myers Miracle 7, Bradenton Marauders 4 Box Score The Miracle continue finding ways to win. This was yet another come-from-behind win. Jason Wheeler got the start. The lefty gave up four runs (2 earned) on six hits. In seven innings, he walked two and struck out four. Ryan O’Rourke is back from the DL and continues to play the role of Vulture. He came into the game with the team down a run. Immediately the Miracle came back. He threw two scoreless innings and improved his record to 5-0. Eddie Rosario went 2-4 with his 12th double. Angel Morales hit his fifth homer. Levi Michael hit his second homer. Down 4-3 going into the bottom of the 8th inning, the Miracle scored four runs that inning. The big blow was a three-run blast by Kennys Vargas. Vargas was 2-4 in the game and the Miracle are now 38-14. Looking at the box score, Miguel Sano was removed from the game and replaced by Stephen Wickens. Announcer Brice Zimmerman suspects it was because after the ball got away from the catcher after his second strikeout, Sano did not run down the line. This is similar to the reason Eddie Rosario was benched about a week ago. Doug Mientkiewicz and the Twins are (and should be) sticklers for doing things right, whether you are a star or not. It will be interesting to see if Sano plays on Friday. Game 1 - Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Clinton LumberKings 3 Box Score This was a comeback game in a couple of ways. First, after four innings, this game had a significant rain delay. Nearly three hours later, the teams returned to the field. Tyler Duffey threw four shutout innings before the delay. He had given up five hits, walked none and struck out five. When the game resumed, Steve Gruver came on. He gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. He left the game with runners on and the team down 3-2. Alex Muren came on and threw one pitch. That was all he needed to get a ground ball double play. In the bottom of the 6th, Tyler Grimes launched a three-run homer to give the Kernels the lead. The timing made Muren a winner with that one pitch. David Hulbut relieved in the 7th to get the save. Byron Buxton went 2-3 with a walk and his 24th stolen base and was thrown out for the ninth time. Adam Walker added his fifth triple. Photo by Rinaldi Photos Game 2 - Cedar Rapids Kernels 3, Clinton LumberKings 2 Box Score Hein Robb had to wait through that extended first game to make his Midwest League debut. The southpaw from South Africa went the first three innings. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk. He was replaced by Tyler Jones who gave up a hit and three walks in two scoreless innings. Josue Montanez worked the final two innings and recorded a strikeout to end the game. Dalton Hicks hit a double and twice drove in Byron Buxton. However, it was yet another big home run that was the difference-maker. This time, it was Travis Harrison. The third baseman hit a deep home run to center field in the fourth inning to give the Kernels the 3-2 lead that they were able to hold on to. It was Harrison’s ninth home run of the year. The Kernels are now 33-19 after the double-header sweep. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article