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In some horrible Saturday morning news, we have learned the Twins minor league pitcher Yorman Landa has passed away. He was involved in a traffic incident early this morning outside of Caracas, Venezuela.Yorman Landa signed with the Twins in September of 2010. He slowly worked up the system. In recent years, he fought through some shoulder issues to become a very good bullpen option. Following the 2015 season, he was added to the 40 man roster. He and his triple-digit fasball spent the season in Ft. Myers where he was an All Star. His season came to an end in July with another shoulder issue. The Twins took him off of the 40 man roster this fall, but last week, he re-signed with the Twins. The car accident occurred on the Francisco de Miranda freeway near the Caracas airport. He was taken to the Domingo Luciani Hospital, but doctors were unable to revive him. According to his agent, via Mike Berardino's article, Landa was in the passenger seat of a vehicle, driven by his father. Their car hit a downed tree in the rain. Landa was the only one of four or five passengers to pass away. Our thoughts go out to the friends and family of Yorman Landa. Over his six seasons in the Twins organization, he developed a lot of friendships. So we also extend our sympathies to all of his teammates who got to know him. In a statement from Derek Falvey for the Twins, he said "The Minnesota Twins are deeply saddened by the heartbreaking loss of Yorman Landa early this morning in Venezuela. On behalf of the entire baseball community, we send our sincerest condolences to the Landa family as well as Yorman’s many friends, coaches and teammates." Twins Minor League Director Brad Steil added, "Yorman was a really good guy and was always looking to help out younger players. We will miss him." His teammates and former teammate have taken to social media to share their thoughts on and share tributes to Yorman Landa: Click here to view the article

Not so long ago, hard-throwing pitchers were in high demand. As triple-digit readings became increasingly common, the Minnesota Twins notoriously lagged far behind. The organization put no shortage of effort into correcting that issue, but with mostly subpar results. Now, the Twins have fireballers to spare. And so do the rest of the league's teams.On Sunday night, Parker and I subbed for Aaron on the Gleeman and the Geek podcast. Among the topics discussed was the club's decision to non-tender 22-year-old right-hander Yorman Landa, thus opening a spot on the 40-man roster in advance of this week's Rule 5 draft. Landa has a power arm that has touched 100 MPH. In the past, releasing such a specimen would be unthinkable for a franchise starving for special heat. But Landa's expendability is a sign of the times. In Baseball America's Rule 5 draft preview, JJ Cooper notes that "at least nine pitchers who touched 100 mph or better this year" will be available to the Twins when they select first on Thursday. You can bet that a big fastball alone won't entice the Twins. The past regime has been down that path too many times. Alex Meyer and Jim Hoey were seemingly acquired largely for their overpowering velocity, but the coinciding control issues never went away. J.R. Graham was Minnesota's Rule 5 selection after his velo uptick following a switch to the bullpen caught the eyes of scouts. His 95-MPH heater never translated to dominance. Relievers that can bring the zing are no longer rare commodities, so big radar results in isolation aren't going to generate a whole lot of excitement anymore. It will be interesting to see what other qualities the new decision-makers prioritize. They are all but certain to add a new player in the Rule 5 draft, and there will be plenty of opportunities to find talent through other avenues before and after. To find out which prospects the Twins will be choosing from on Thursday, I highly recommend checking out BA's write-up, which profiles several very intriguing names. Click here to view the article

After posting out Twins Daily Minor League Hitter and Starting Pitcher of the Month of June over the past few days, today we will look at the relief pitchers who got their jobs done during the month. There were a bunch and like the starters, you could make arguments for several of these guys to claim the title. But who won? In case you missed them here are the previous June winners: Hitter of the Month: Daniel Palka, Chattanooga Lookouts. Starting Pitcher of the Month: Felix Jorge, Ft. Myers Miracle. So, who will join them in the June Twins Minor League Awards? Continue reading to find out.First, a couple of relievers worthy of mention: RHP Todd Van Steensel (Ft. Myers Miracle) – 6 G, 1-1, 2 saves, 0.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 2 H, 7 BB, 11 KRHP Marcus Walden (Rochester) - 12 G, 0-0, 1 save, 2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 11 H, 2 BB, 12 KTHE TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS Number 5 - Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers – LHP Michael Theofanopoulos - 10 G, 0.84 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 10.2 IP, 6 H, 5 BB, 11 K Theofanopoulos was the recipient of this award last month when he put together a really strong May. He was very good again in June despite the fact that he was promoted around the middle of the month. In fact, he went five outings in the FSL before allowing a run to score. The 23-year-old lefty was the Twins 30th round pick in the 2014 draft out of Cal-Berkeley. Overall this season, he is 3-1 with three saves, a 1.91 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He has struck out 11.5 per nine overall on the season. Number 4 – Cedar Rapids – RHP Kuo Hua Lo - 7 G, 0.82 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 8 K Lo has been a bit under the radar as a prospect signing signing with the Twins in 2011 from Taiwan. After a year in the GCL, he spent three seasons in Elizabethton. Last year, he finished with a 1.44 ERA and was the top relief pitcher in the league. Overall this year, he is 0-0 with a 1.10 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP for the Kernels in 32.2 innings. He has 30 strikeouts, but he also has 22 walks. He can be tough to hit. His fastball will touch 92-93 mph, but he throws a variety of pitches, some barely registering 70 on the radar gun. Number 3 – Chattanooga – RHP JT Chargois - 10 G, 1.38 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 11 H, 2 BB, 12 K Yes, I admit, I took out his disastrous MLB debut in which he struggled to throw strikes and when he did, it got hit hard. I included only his Rochester numbers since this is a minor league award. Chargois continued to be very good. He hasn’t allowed runs. He hasn’t hurt himself with a lot of walks. The 25-year-old has generally been dominant all season. In 30 total minor league game this year, he has a 1.57 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, just 2.6 BB/9 and 11.5 K/9. The 2012 second round pick is finally healthy and really there is no reason that he shouldn’t spend the entire second half of the season in the Twins bullpen. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – RHP Yorman Landa - 7 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 9.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 12 K The Twins signed Landa from Venezuela in 2010. Following a successful return to action in Cedar Rapids last year, he was added to the Twins 40-man roster. Though he didn’t pitch much in June, he was tremendous when he was on the hill. In fact, he was a late add to the FSL All-Star Game roster and pitched in the game at Hammond Stadium. He pitched a scoreless inning, but as notable, he hit 100 mph on the radar gun on four pitches. The last time he gave up a run was May 26th, ten outings ago. He has given up just one hit over his past nine innings (six outings). Overall this season, Landa is 2-1 with seven saves. He has a 2.39 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, 4.8 BB/9 and 9.0 K/9. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts – RHP Trevor Hildenberger - 9 G, 0.87 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 14 K For the second straight month, a Cal-Berkeley alum is our choice for Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month. It’s an award that Trevor Hildenberger has won several times. Hildenberger was the Twins Daily Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2015. Some may have thought that he was just successful in the low minor leagues due to his age. However, he pitched well in the Arizona Fall League last year against (and with) guys his own age. This year, he quickly moved from Ft. Myers up to AA Chattanooga and his success has just continued. He made just six appearances and needed 9.1 innings of 0.96 ERA to convince the powers-that-be to move him up to Chattanooga. He has now pitched 28.1 innings over 23 games with the Lookouts. He has a 0.95 ERA and an incredible 0.67 WHIP in the Southern League. He has walked just four batters and struck out 31. He has to have the Twins brass thinking about him as a possible option for Rochester at this point. Who knows? We may see him at Target Field yet this year. As you can see from his June stats, he was tremendous. He worked a lot of innings and allowed very few base runners. He walked just one and struck out 14 in 12.2 innings. He also represented the Twins and the Lookouts at the Southern League All-Star Game and, as you’d expect, didn’t give up a run. The former 22nd round pick from Cal-Berkeley had a win or a save in all nine of his outings during the month. He may fit into that mold of Pat Neshek or Darren O’Day in that he throws from the side, and from multiple angles. He gets good movement on his breaking pitches, but also a lot of run on his fastball. He is the rare side arm pitcher who often can touch 93 on the radar gun. While he may not show up on Top 10 prospect lists, Trevor Hildenberger is a guy who has a chance to be a big-time contributor to the Minnesota Twins in the not-too-distant future. There were several very strong relief pitcher performances in June. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations to each of these individuals on an excellent month of may. Congratulations to the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for June 2016, Trevor Hildenberger. Click here to view the article

Fort Myers, Florida and the Minnesota Twins spring training complex played host to the 2016 Florida State League All-Star Game on Saturday night. This will be the first of two All-Star Games hosted by Twins minor league affiliates this season as the Cedar Rapids Kernels will host the Midwest League All-Star Game. It was a low scoring affair as the FSL North used 11 pitchers to combine for a 1-0 shutout of the South squad. Miracle relief pitcher Yorman Landa gave up the lone run in the game. The first batter he faced cracked a double. He struck out the next two batters and the Hammond Stadium radar gun had him hitting 102 miles per hour and 100 miles per hour three more times. However a two-out ground ball single scored the run that would be the difference in the game. To see the full box score of the FSL All-Star Game, click here and read on to see how the other Twins affiliates did on Saturday.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Toledo 1 Box Score Logan Darnell has been one of the most consistent starters for Rochester this season as he helped the club to their 41st win on Saturday night. He pitched seven strong innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out six and walking two. The six strikeouts were a season high for him.It was his eighth victory on the season which is the most wins by any pitcher in the International League. Marcus Walden and JT Chargois both put up zeros on the board to seal the victory. Walden allowed one hit and struck out two. Chargois had a couple batters reach against him but he didn't walk anyone and he lowered his season ERA to 0.57. Rochester's two biggest hits came off the bats of Jorge Polanco and John Ryan Murphy. Polanco gave the Red Wings an early 2-0 when he drove in a pair of runs on a two-out double. Murphy went 2-for-3 and knocked in two runs of his own. Adam Brett Walker reached base twice and didn't strike out. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Montgomery 2 Box Score The top four batters in the Lookouts line-up lead the offensive attack on Saturday night. This group combined for 10 of the team's 11 hits with each player having multiple-hit nights. Daniel Palka continued his impressive season by going 3-for-5 with a triple and a double. Engelb Vielma scored three runs and collected three hits including his third double. Travis Harrison reached base three times and drove in a pair of runs. With the top end of the line-up supporting him, Aaron Slegers was able to earn his fifth victory. He scattered three hits over 6.1 innings to limit the Biscuits offense to two runs. He struck out four and walked three. Jake Reed earned his ninth hold by pitching 1.2 perfect innings. Trevor Hildenberger collected his 11th save with a perfect ninth inning. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 3 Box Score With their first half playoff hopes on the line, the Kernels rallied late to tie this game but they ended up falling by one run. The team was officially knocked out of the playoff race with the loss. Dereck Rodriguez posted his best start of the season. Across six innings, he struck out eight and walked one as he allowed two runs (one earned run) on five hits. Cam Booser took the loss, his second, as he allowed the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. Booser pitched two innings without giving up a hit but walked two and struck out three. Cedar Rapids was held to four hits and the team left eight men on base. Overall, the team went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring positions so the team couldn't find that big hit. Sean Miller drew two walks and scored two runs. J.J Fernandez drove in both of the team's runs as part of a 1-for-4 day. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Logan Darnell, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Daniel Palka, Chattanooga Lookouts SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Toledo (5:05 CST)- LHP Nick Greenwood (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (6:35 CST)- RHP Kohl Stewart (1-1, 3.14 ERA) Cedar Rapids@ Quad Cities (6:00 CST)- LHP Sam Clay (4-2, 2.64 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Click here to view the article

With the major league season already off and running, minor league action will follow suit in a matter of days. Many of the full season rosters are set and the focus can turn to making improvements and getting closer to reaching each player's ultimate goal of making the big leagues. Every season, there are players who rise above the crowd to have breakout campaigns. Two seasons ago, Jose Berrios burst onto the scene on his way to be the first player in Twins history to win back-to-back minor league pitcher of the year awards. Which pitchers should fans keep an eye on this season? Here are a few names to consider.Felix Jorge- SP 2015 Stats (Low-A): 2.79 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 114 SO, 32 BB, 142.0 IP I've been one of the few members on the Felix Jorge fan club over the last couple years. He struggled in 2014 with his first taste of the Midwest League but he bounced back in 2015 with some very solid numbers. Most of his innings this years should be in the Florida State League which is a league that tends to favor pitchers. If he can continue to make strides with his secondary pitches, 2016 could see him become one of the Twins top 10 prospects heading into next season. Mason Melotakis- RP 2015 Stats (N/A): Did Not Play Melotakis missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Minnesota still felt highly enough about him to add him to their 40-man roster during the offseason. He will be monitored closely this year as he returns to the mound. His path to the big leagues will be as a relief pitcher even though he's done some starting in the past. With a fastball in the mid-90's and a curveball to keep batters on their toes, Melotakis could make it all the way to Minnesota this season if everything breaks right. Yorman Landa- RP 2015 Stats (Rookie, Low-A): 2.50 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 40 SO, 16 BB, 36.0 IP Like Melotakis, Landa was added to the team's 40-man roster during the winter. The flame-throwing relief pitcher can reach the high 90's with his fastball but he will need to work on his other pitches as he moves up the ladder. If his control improves, his fastball should help him to continue to overpower batters. Since he is on the 40-man roster, there's a chance he could get a September call-up but the most likely scenario has him reaching Double-A by season's end. Fernando Romero- SP 2015 Stats (N/A): Did Not Play Romero was on the fast-track before elbow issues led to Tommy John surgery. He made only three appearances in 2014 so he's really coming back after two years away from competitive appearances. His fastball can hit the upper-90's and both of his breaking pitches have a chance to be above average. He will likely return to Cedar Rapids at some point this season and he has the chance to be one of the Twins top pitching prospects if he comes back strong. Randy Rosario- SP 2015 Stats (Rookie/Low-A): 3.06 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 54 SO, 20 BB, 61.2 IP After missing most of 2014 due to Tommy John surgery, Rosario was back on the mound in 2015. Even though he missed a season, he was still almost a year younger than the competition in Cedar Rapids. The southpaw can reach the high 90s with his fastball and he will continue to refine his secondary pitches. The majority of his innings will come with Fort Myers but he has a chance to reach the upper levels of the minor leagues this season. Click here to view the article

Last week, we began my preliminary Top 50 Minnesota Twins Prospect countdown with Part 1 (41-50) and Part 2 (31-40). Today the countdown continues with Part 3. We’ll run down prospects 26 through 30. This group today starts with a couple of very young, high potential bats and ends with two pitchers who are very different.As a quick reminder, players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2016. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings. (The list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2016 - which Cody Christie, Jeremy Nygaard and I are working on - I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.) Part 3: Top Prospects 26-30 #30 – Trey Cabbage - 18 – 3B – GCL Twins Cabbage was the Twins fourth-round draft pick in 2015 out of high school in Rutledge, Tennessee. He gave up a commitment to the University of Tennessee to sign with the Twins. He is a terrific athlete. At 6-3 and about 190 pounds, he is best known for his bat. He primarily played third base, but he also got time in the two corner outfield positions as well as a few games at shortstop. In his professional debut with the GCL Twins, he hit .252/.302/.269 (.571) with two doubles in 129 plate appearances. His season was cut short by a couple of weeks when he strained his back. He will likely begin the 2016 season in Extended Spring Training. Most likely he’ll play in Elizabethton, but if a need came up in Cedar Rapids, it is possible he could spend time there as well. Previous Top 30 Rankings: N/A #29 – Amaurys Minier - 19 – 1B – GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins Minier signed a seven-digit signing bonus with the Twins in July of 2012. He played for the GCL Twins in 2013 and 2014, showing big improvement the second year. Hopes were high for Minier heading into this season. Unfortunately, toward the end of spring training, he was hit by a pitch and broke his hand. He rehabbed the injury throughout Extended Spring Training and played in two rehab games in the GCL. He moved up to Elizabethton, but he really struggled offensively. In 50 games, he hit .184/.279/.280 with nine doubles and two homers. He struck out 66 times in 201 plate appearances. Signed as a third baseman, he moved quickly to the outfield and when that didn’t go well, he was moved to first base. It will be interesting to see if he moves up to Cedar Rapids to start the 2016 season, or if he returns to Extended Spring Training and spends a fourth season in the rookie leagues. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (22), 2014 (16) #28 – Travis Harrison - 23 – OF – Chattanooga Lookouts Harrison was the Twins second supplemental first round pick in 2011 out of high school in California. At 6-1 and 220 pounds, he is very strong. He played outfield in high school and then moved to third base for his first two seasons as a pro. In 2014, he moved back to the outfield which is where he played in 2015 (though he played left field in 2014 and right field in 2015). In 115 games with the Lookouts, he hit .240/.363/.356 (.719) with 23 doubles, four triples and five home runs. After hitting 15 homers for Cedar Rapids in 2013, he has hit just eight over the last two seasons. He has an advanced approach at the plate, and if patient, the power will come. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (23), 2014 (14), 2013 (14), 2012 (12) #27 – Yorman Landa - 21 – RHP – Cedar Rapids Kernels The Twins signed Landa from Venezuela in 2010. He spent a year in the DSL, a year in the GCL, and then a year in the Appy League. He began the 2014 season with the Kernels and was named to the league’s All Star game. However, he missed the second half of the season after having shoulder surgery. He returned to the Kernels on May 19th and pitched an inning. However, he returned to Florida. A month later, he began a rehab assignment in the GCL which lasted eight games over three weeks. In mid-July he returned to the Kernels and was terrific the rest of the way. In 26 innings, he walked 14 and struck out 30 while allowing opponents to hit just .191. He was frequently hitting 98 and 99 on the radar guy. Like others, it was most important for Landa to get through the season healthy. He did and is pitching in Venezuela this winter. He should start 2016 in Ft. Myers with the Miracle. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2014 (30) #26 – Aaron Slegers - 23 – RHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts Slegers was the Big 10 Pitcher of the Year while at Indiana in 2013. The Twins made him their fifth round pick. At 6-10 and 250 pounds, the lanky right-hander has impeccable control. He ended his 2014 season with three starts with the Miracle. That’s where he began the 2015 season. In 19 starts, he was 8-6 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. In 119.1 innings, he walked just 21 and struck out 80. He earned a late-season promotion to Chattanooga where he went 1-4 with a 4.91 ERA in six starts. That’s where he’ll begin the 2016 season as well with the possibility of a promotion to Rochester at some point. He doesn’t throw real hard, but he has three pitches and a sense of how to pitch. Previous Top 30 Rankings: N/A So, what do you think of Part 3, Prospects 26-30? Later this week, we’ll continue the countdown. Feel free to share your thoughts on these prospects. Who is too high or too low on this list? Click here to view the article

For the third straight game, the Cedar Rapids Kernels found themselves down a run going into the bottom of the ninth at Perfect Game Field and Veterans Memorial Stadium. On Saturday in Game 3, the Kernels had a come-from-behind win on a Brian Navarreto infield single. On Sunday afternoon, their comeback fell short. What would happen in a winner-takes-all Game 5?26-year-old Ross Seaton got the start for the West Michigan Whitecaps. The 26-year-old had 21 starts for the Detroit Tigers’ Low-A affiliate on the season, posting an 11-8 record with a 3.88 ERA. He also made two starts for AAA Toledo. He has made AAA starts each year since 2012. Randy LeBlanc made the start for the Kernels. On the season, he went 9-5 with a 3.03 ERA in 33 games, and just five starts. Both starters began with two scoreless innings. In the bottom of the third frame, outfielder Austin Diemer put the Kernels on the board with a long home run. It was his first of the postseason and just the third since he was promoted from Elizabethton in mid-July. The Kernels added another run in the bottom of the fourth as well. Edgar Corcino led off with a single and scored on a TJ White single. Randy LeBlanc was terrific through four innings. In fact, he had faced the minimum, 12 batters. His only blemish was a one-out single in the fourth inning. That was quickly erased on a double play. Unfortunately, LeBlanc was unable to get out of the fifth inning. With that two-run lead, LeBlanc got the first out, but followed it with a four-pitch walk. It was followed by a single and another walk to load the bases. A fielder’s choice scored the Whitecaps' first run. A line drive single tied the game at two. That was it for LeBlanc. Luke Bard entered and hit the first batter he faced to load the bases. A few pitches later, he threw a wild pitch off the glove of Brian Navarreto which gave the Whitecaps a 3-2 lead. Bard then struck out the batter to end the inning. Unfortunately, it was a lead that would stick over the remaining innings of the game. The Kernels had a few runners, but were not able to add that third run to tie the game. Randy LeBlanc took the loss. He gave up three runs on three hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. Though he allowed an inherited runner to score, Bard hit a batter and struck one out. Yorman Landa came on and struck out the side in the sixth inning and struck out four over two scoreless innings. Nick Anderson gave up two hits, but no runs, over two scoreless innings. The Kernels managed just four hits in the game. Edgar Corcino and Max Murphy each had one hit and walked once. Congratulations to Jake Mauer, Tommy Watkins, Henry Bonilla and the entire Cedar Rapids Kernels organization on another terrific season and a fun-filled playoff run. Jake Mauer will now join the Minnesota Twins coaching staff for the final two weeks. Click here to view the article

Two more big games in the Twins minor leagues. The Chattanooga Lookouts went to Montgomery for Game 3 of their Southern League playoff series. The Cedar Rapids Kernels held a 1-0 series lead against Peoria and returned to Cedar Rapids for Game 2. Would a Game 3 be needed? Continue below to read more in today's Minor League Report.The Minnesota Twins continued to have the number of American League Cy Young contender Chris Sale, who was chased after just three innings, nine hits, and six earned runs. Torii Hunter slugged his nineteenth home run of the year in the first inning to get it started, and they never looked back behind the start of Kyle Gibson. He went 7.2 innings of shutout ball, and struck out seven. The win kept the Twins just one game back of the Texas Rangers for the final AL Wild Card, who also won Sunday afternoon. In the minors on Sunday, both the Cedar Rapids Kernels and Chattanooga Lookouts continued their postseason push. One team found themselves down early and needed a comeback if they wanted to prevent a sudden death game three, and the other had to hold off a late comeback if they were going to take a series lead on the road. To find out how all it all went down on Sunday night, keep reading! CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Montgomery 3 Box Score The Chattanooga offense got things started quickly, and it was courtesy of the Southern League home run champ, Adam Brett Walker. His two-run blast in the second inning put them up 2-0, as Lookouts starter Greg Peavey cruised in the early innings. Singles from Shannon Wilkerson, Stephen Wickens, and Max Kepler loaded the bases with one out in the third inning, and an error and fielder’s choice would add to more runs to make it 4-0 early. Peavey scattered five hits and three walks in six innings, striking out five while holding the Biscuits off the scoreboard. The Lookouts would add an insurance run for him in the top of the seventh on a Jorge Polanco sac fly. Peavey was relieved by Alex Wimmers with a five run lead in the seventh, and that’s when things got dicey. He recorded the innings first out, but consecutive walks were followed by a three run home run to make it 5-3. A double and single would follow to put the tying run in scoring position before the bullpen could get warmed up. Lefty Corey Williams was summoned for a same-sided hitter matchup, but he walked the batter to load the bases. Jake Reed was quickly brought in to face the right-handers coming up, and escaped the threat with consecutive strikeouts. The Lookouts mounted a two-out rally in the eighth, as an error put runners on second and third for Wilkerson, who brought them in with a single to right field to make it 7-3. Reed remained in the game for the eighth inning and kept Montgomery off the board, despite two walks. D.J. Johnson was called upon for the ninth, and finished the game with a one-two-three inning. The Lookouts got multiple hits from Wickens (2-5, R) in the leadoff spot, and Wilkerson (3-3, 2 R’s, 2 RBI) in the nine hole. Kepler was 1-4 with walk, and Walker’s home run was their only extra base hit of the day. The win puts Chattanooga out front 2-1 in the series, and they’ll look to end the five game series tomorrow night on the road. KERNELS NUGGETS Peoria 4, Cedar Rapids 5 Box Score In game two of their best of three Midwest League Western Division title series, Cedar Rapids sent left-hander Randy Rosario to the mound. He was spotted a 1-0 lead in the second inning when doubles from Chris Paul and Austin Diemer got the Kernels on the board first, but a rough top of the third for Rosario put Peoria out front. Consecutive singles started the inning, and a fielder’s choice ground ball and walk put runners on the corners. A strikeout for the second out gave Rosario two outs and a chance to escape unscathed, but a T.J. White error allowed the first two Chiefs runs to score and prolonged the inning. A balk on Rosario would score the third run of the inning and move another runner into scoring position, who came in on a single to the next batter to make it 4-1 Peoria early. Rosario picked up another strikeout to end the threat, and went on to finish six innings total. He retired the side one-two-three in each of the fifth and sixth. All of the four runs against Rosario were unearned. He allowed seven hits and walked one, while striking out five on the day. The Kernels would come back to pull within one run by scoring single runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, Max Murphy led off with a single, and was followed by a double from Brian Navaretto to put runners on second and third. Diemer sent a single into left field to score Murphy, but Navaretto was gunned down at home for the innings first out. A double play ball would end the inning. The fifth started with a double from Edgar Corcino, and his run made the score 4-3 when LaMonte Wade doubled to right field. Michael Theofanopoulos came in from the bullpen for the seventh inning and struck out two hitters in a scoreless inning. He allowed one hit. In the bottom of the seventh, Nick Gordon wreaked some havoc on the bases, and the result put the Kernels out front. He led off the inning with a single and was moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt from Corcino to put the tying run in scoring position. Gordon didn’t think he was quite close enough, as he took off for third and stole it to put himself ninety-feet away. It was a pretty smart and important base, as a wild-pitch to the next batter allowed him to score the tying run and moved White to second. He would score on Paul’s single a batter later put the Kernels out front 5-4. Yorman Landa was then summoned from the Kernels bullpen in the eighth, and came out throwing fire. He struck out the side in quick fashion, all swinging, and made it four K’s in a row to start the ninth. He then walked a batter to put the tying run on base for Peoria, but followed that up by inducing a game-ending double play for his first postseason save. (Video by Steve Buhr) As a team the Kernels outhit the Chiefs thirteen to eight, and had far more scoring opportunities than Peoria. They were 4-18 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base, compared to just 1-4 with runners and scoring position and four men left on base for Peoria. Gordon led the Kernels with a 3-5 night, scoring one run and adding a double. Corcino (2-3, 2B, R), Paul (2-4, 2B, R, RBI), and Diemer (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI) each had two hits on the night. With the sweep of the three game series, the Kernels will make their first appearance in the Midwest League Championship Series since 1994, when they defeated Rockford three games to one in the five game series. Their defeat of the Chiefs also marks the second series win of the postseason where their opponent finished one or both halves of the MWL season with a better record. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Yorman Landa, Cedar Rapids Kernels (Save, 2.0 IP, 1 BB, 4 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Shannon Wilkerson, Chattanooga Lookouts (3-3, 2 R’s, 2 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Chattanooga @ Montgomery (7:05PM CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids – Day off before MWL Championship series begins on Wednesday. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games! Click here to view the article

The Twins were awarded a pick in the Competitive Balance Lottery on Wednesday afternoon. They were eligible for a pick in the B Round (after the second round) because they received revenue sharing money last season. So as of Wednesday afternoon, the Twins were in line for four of the top 74 picks in the 2016 draft: #21 (Round 1), #59 (Round 2), #72 (awarded Wednesday) and #74 (compensation for not signing Kyle Cody). The first three picks can change throughout the rest of the season and free agency. The Twins are locked in to pick #74 regardless. After the Kernels game, Trevor Hildenberger was promoted to Fort Myers. This was called a “short-term” move because of the Miracle’s marathon affair on Tuesday night, but he has definitely earned the shot to move up. Zach Tillery will take his place on the Kernels active roster.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Gwinnett 2 Box Score Despite finding themselves in an early hole, the Red Wings used a big fifth inning and added an insurance run later to cruise to victory. Pat Dean scattered eight hits and two walks over seven innings. He allowed two runs in picking up his seventh win of the season. He struck out one before turning the ball over to Michael Tonkin, who earned a two-inning save. He walked one, gave up two hits and struck out two. Tonkin hasn’t allowed an earned run in AAA since June 28th (eight appearances) and has seen his ERA drop to 1.30. His 37:5 K:BB ratio in 27.2 innings is equally impressive. Unfortunately, Tonkin has not done much to impress during his three brief cameos with the Twins in 2015. Chris Herrmann started getting back on track with the bat on Tuesday when he had two hits, his first hits in a week. On Wednesday, Herrmann had two more hits and an RBI. Eric Farris added a double, but in a five-hit game for the Wings, there wasn’t much offense to speak of. The three-run fifth started with a Danny Ortiz walk. He advanced to second on one of Herrmann’s singles. Farris followed that with a double to score Ortiz. Doug Bernier plated Herrmann on a sac fly and Argenis Diaz singled Farris in to close the scoring. The following inning James Beresford scored after singling and advancing on a error, eventually coming around on Herrmann’s second hit. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 8, Tennessee 7 Box Score There wasn’t a lot of pretty to talk to about this game. Except for one inning. One really big inning. Trailing 7-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Lookouts exploded for seven runs. Aderling Mejia coaxed a one-out walk and advanced to second on a Shannon Wilkerson single. Levi Michael walked to load the bases and Heiker Meneses was hit by a pitch to score the team’s second run. Max Kepler followed with a bases clearing double and the game was 7-5. Kepler scored on Kennys Vargas’s single and two more runs scored on Adam Brett Walker’s 26th home run. Wilkerson’s three hits paced the team and he also stole his first base with the team. In addition to his hit-by-pitch, Meneses also had two singles. Walker had two hits. Michael added a double. Brett Lee got a no-decision after pitching five innings and giving up six runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk. He struck out three. Matt Summers was credited with the win. He struck out four and allowed three hits and two walk (which only led to one run) in 2.2 innings. Alex Muren got his third save, striking out one and retiring four, total. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Tampa 6 Box Score The Miracle pitching staff got a much-needed long start after last night’s extra-inning game. Ryan Eades threw 97 pitches in six innings, giving up six runs on nine hits and three walks. He struck out three and got the loss. Trevor Hildenberger made his High-A debut. He allowed two hits in two innings, striking out two. Combined, he’s allowed four earned runs in 47 innings (0.76 ERA). He has 61 strikeouts (11.7 K/9) and allowed 26 hits and 5 walks (0.66 WHIP). Video game numbers. The offense was led by two-hit nights from Engelb Vielma, who doubled, and Chad Christensen. Ryan Walker had the team’s only RBI with a hit and a walk, and Logan Wade also added a hit and walk. Jason Kanzler tripled. Walker (4) and Christensen (18) each stole a base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Wisconsin 4 Box Score The Kernels used a five-run third inning and hung on by a narrow margin to improve to 56-41 overall and 15-12 in the second half. Sean Miller led off the third inning with a single. Tanner English backed that up with a single of his own. After a Nick Gordon walk, Edgar Corcino cleared the bases with a triple to center field. Later that inning Tyler Kuresa singled in Corcino and advanced to third on a Pat Kelly double. Alex Real drove in Kuresa with an RBI groundout. Corcino and Miller led the offense with two hits each. Miller also stole his first base as a pro. Ethan Mildren picked up the win with 5.1 innings pitched. He allowed three runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out three. Yorman Landa cleaned up the sixth inning mess and completed two more innings, striking out two and walking one. The ninth got a little messy for Cameron Booser. Booser didn’t allow any hits, but two walks and two wild pitches scored a run and had the tying run on third base. Booser coaxed a pop out and then got his second strikeout of the inning to preserve the win. It was his ninth save of the year. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 0, Princeton 3 Box Score E-town out-hit Princeton, but Princeton did more with their seven hits than the E-Twins did with their eight. E-town failed to a score a single run despite eight hits. Chris Paul and A.J. Murray each had two hits. The team was 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position. Miles Nordgren took the loss despite pitching well. He lasted 6.2 innings allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits. He struck out three. Logan Lombana pitched 2.1 shutout innings. He allowed one hit and one walk. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 0, GCL Orioles 12 Box Score It was two-and-a-half hours of not pretty for the GCL Twins on Wednesday afternoon. The notables: Offensively, the team mustered four hits. Two of those hits were singles off the bat of Jermaine Palacios. Palacios is in the midst of a 12-game hitting streak. He’s had multiple hits in ten of those games and is currently hitting .434. Lewin Diaz doubled and walked. Rowan Ebersohn got a hit in his only at-bat as a late-inning replacement. John Curtiss pitched two innings in a rehab appearance. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk. Five other pitchers made appearances today. It’s not pretty, so please be cautious while viewing. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Yorman Landa, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Max Kepler, Chattanooga THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Gwinnett (10:05 CST) – RHP Jose Berrios Chattanooga vs Tennessee (6:15 CST) – RHP D.J. Baxendale Ft. Myers at Tampa (6:00 CST) – LHP Mat Batts Cedar Rapids vs Wisconsin (6:35 CST) – RHP Zach Tillery Elizabethton vs Princeton (6:00 CST) - RHP Andro Cutura GCL Twins at GCL Orioles (11:00 CST) - TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below! Click here to view the article

It’s almost like they know. Coming into Friday, Miguel Sano had 20 home runs this season. Chris Colabello had 18. In his first two at-bats on Friday, Colabello homered, catching up to Sano. But it wasn’t long before Sano hit his 21st. Then, a little more than an hour later, Sano hit his 22nd homer of the year. (It’s almost like last year when Trevor Plouffe and Josh Willingham seemed to so frequently homer on the same day.) The two are easily the top home run hitters in the organization. The next highest home run hitters in the organization are Cedar Rapids third baseman Travis Harrison, who hit his thirteenth home run tonight, and Ft. Myers first baseman Kennys Vargas, also with thirteen. Check out what happened in the Twins farm system on Friday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 2, Indianapolis Indians 4 Box Score Andrew Albers was back on the mound for the Red Wings. The Canadian left-hander gave up four runs in six innings. He gave up eight hits, three of them home runs. He walked one and struck out four. Aaron Thompson came on and struck out one over two scoreless innings in relief. The offense managed just four hits in the game. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with his 19th and 20th home runs of the season. He is now hitting .367 with an OPS right around 1.100. The thing that impressed me most about Colabello is that he talks a lot about only being able to control what he can control. And he lives that thinking. That’s the thought-process he needed when he wasn’t given an opportunity in affiliated ball. It’s what he had to think in AA, and in his first big league spring training, and in the WBC, and when he was sent AAA. And, it is likely why he has maintained this performance throughout the season despite numbers that should have him in the big leagues now. New Britain Rock Cats 5, Reading Fightin Phils 6 Box Score So, it didn’t take Miguel Sano too long to figure out Eastern League pitching. Yes, he got off to a slow start, but his power numbers have been tremendous and, despite a loss in this game, he showed his power here. The Rock Cats had just five hits; three came off of the bat of Miguel Sano. In the bottom of the fourth, he hit a long, two-run home run. In the bottom of the ninth, he came to the plate with two runners on base and the Rock Cats down by four. His second homer of the day, sixth home run with the Rock Cats and 22nd home run of his season, cut the deficit to just one, but that was all the team could muster. Sano drove in all five runs. The one time he made out, the centerfielder made a catch at the wall. Of his 13 AA hits, Sano has six home runs, two triples, one double and four singles. Video of the second home run from Twins Fan from Afar (video of the 1st will be in the comments): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMmmGqKjrvE Trevor May made the start and gave up a home run on the first pitch. In all, he went five innings and gave up four runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out six. Dan Turpen came on and struck out three in two scoreless innings. Bruce Pugh came off of the disabled list. He gave up a solo home run, but that was the only blemish in the inning. AJ Achter pitched the ninth and gave up one run on three hits and a walk. Ft. Myers Miracle, Jupiter Hammerheads (Suspended in 3rd) This game was suspended due to rain with one out in the bottom of the third inning. It will be resumed when the Miracle next heads to Jupiter, which will be in mid-August. Manuel Soliman had given up three hits and two walks but no runs in 2.1 innings when the game was called. He had struck out four. Cedar Rapids Kernels 7, Burlington Bees 1 Box Score The streak continues for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. They are now 8-0 since the All-Star break. They got off to a fast start and kept the lead. In the first inning, Travis Harrison hit a two-run double. Adam Walker soon followed with a two-run homer to make it 4-0. In the second innings, Harrison hit a two-run homer. Harrison was 2-4 with his 23rd double, his 13th homer and four RBI. Walker was 2-3 with a walk and the homer was his 12th of the season. JD Williams was 2-4 with his 14th stolen base. Jeremias Pineda went 2-3. Niko Goodrum (16th two bagger), Dalton Hicks (26th) and Jhonatan Arias (3rd) each doubled. It was not just about the hitting on this night. Josue Montanez was terrific in the start. The young left gave up two hits in five shutout innings. He walked none and struck out four. Hudson Boyd made his first appearance out of the bullpen. He gave up an unearned run on two hits and a walk in two innings, striking out three. Madison Boer was activated from the DL and sent to the Kernels. He had broken his hand (left-hand) and had made a couple appearances with the GCL Twins. He gave up two hits, but no runs, in his inning. Steven Gruver came on and struck out two in a perfect ninth. Mike Pelfrey will be making a rehab start for the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Monday. Elizabethton Twins 8, Princeton Rays 0 Box Score This was a pitcher’s duel until the E-Twins scored seven runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to finish an 8-0 win. The E-Twins got on the scoreboard just an inning earlier when shortstop Ryan Walker hit his first professional home run. The big hits in the eighth inning were two-run doubles off the bats of Rory Rhodes and Javier Pimentel. Walker, Pimentel and catcher Mitch Garver each went 2-4. Yorman Landa was again terrific in the start. The young right-hander threw five shutout innings. He gave up just one hit, walked one and struck out eight. So, in his first two starts, he has thrown ten innings, walked two and struck out 15! Brian Gilbert made his Twins debut with a scoreless sixth frame. He struck out one. Kuo Hua Lo gave up one hit and one walk, but no runs, in two innings. He struck out two. Brandon Peterson struck out two in a scoreless ninth frame. GCL Twins 5, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score Nick Blackburn returned to the mound in a game for the first time since 2012. The right-hander has been rehabbing all season. In October, he had bone chips removed from his elbow. Then in January, he had wrist surgery. On Friday afternoon, he made a start for the GCL Twins. He went four shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked none and struck out four. He was replaced by Damian Defrank who worked the next four innings, giving up two runs on four hits. He struck out one and walked none. Miguel Gonzalez came on for the ninth and recorded his second save. He gave up one hit and struck out one. Jorge Fernandez led the offense. He went 3-4 with his first double. Jason Kanzler went 2-4 and stole his second base. Lance Ray’s rehab continued and he had a two-run double. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

Eddie Rosario has been on fire since his promotion to New Britain. In 33 games, he is hitting .318/380/.473 (.853) with ten doubles, two triples and two home runs. Meanwhile, the offensive adjustment to AA has been more of a challenge for Miguel Sano. In 32 games, he is hitting just .204 with 32 strikeouts. He is walking 10% of the time, and he has 13 extra base hits. Last night, the two of them led the Rock Cats to a 8-7 win. Meanwhile, the Cedar Rapids Kernels got a great start, and some major power production from a guy who has been overlooked much of the season. For all that, and much more, check out what happened in the Twins' farm system on Friday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester 5, Syracuse 4 (5 innings) Box Score It was a rain-shortened game, but the Red Wings got another win. PJ Walters started and went just 2.2 innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out four. Cody Eppley walked two over the next 1.1 innings, but no hits and no runs. Aaron Thompson gave up one run on three hits in his inning but gets credited with the save. Brian Dinkelman led the offense. He was 2-2 with his second triple. Jeff Clement drove in two runs. New Britain 8, Binghampton 7 Box Score The Rock Cats got a lot of runs and they needed each one. Miguel Sano provided the big hit. He was 2-3 with two walks in the game and he drilled a grand slam, his seventh homer with the team. Eddie Rosario went 2-4 with a walk and his 10th double. Danny Santana went 2-4 with a walk. He also stole his 17th and 18th bases. Evan Bigley went 3-4 with a walk and his second and third doubles. Following his complete game, one-hitter, Virgil Vasquez gave up five runs on six hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out one. Dan Turpen gave up two hits and a walk in one inning. He struck out two. Dakota Watts gave up one run on three hits in his two innings, while he struck out four. Cole Johnson gave up one run on two hits and a walk in one inning. Ft. Myers 3, Dunedin 6 Box Score Manuel Soliman had a rough start. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on four hits and five walks in four innings. He struck out two. Matt Tomshaw was perfect over the next two innings, striking out one. Steven Gruver came on and gave up three runs on three hits and three walks and recorded just two outs. Tyler Jones gave up two hits but no runs over the next 1.1 innings. He struck out two. Aderlin Mejia went 3-4 with his 14th stolen base. JD Williams is now hitting .455 in his first three games at Ft. Myers after going 2-4 with an RBI in this game. Matt Koch hit his 16th double. Cedar Rapids 4, Lake County 1 Box Score Great pitching and big hits help win ball games, right? That’s the formula that worked for the Kernels on this night. It all starts with pitching though, and Brett Lee provided another spectacular start. Lee went nine innings and gave up one run on six hits; he walked one and struck out ten. It was his second straight complete game! He is now 7-4 with a 3.30 ERA. Adam Walker provided the power. He went 2-5 with his 19th and 20th home runs and drove in three runs. Max Kepler went 3-4 with his second steal. Jonathan Murphy was 2-5 with his second stolen base. Niko Goodrum stole his 10th and 11th bases. Photo by Cedar Rapids Kernels Elizabethton 6, Bristol 0 (8 innings) Box Score Another rain-shortened game, but the E-Twins are happy to get any games in lately. Yorman Landa was on the mound and he was good again. He threw five shutout innings and gave up just two hits. He did walk three and hit two other batters. He struck out three. Kuo Hua Lo gave up just a walk over the next two innings. Ryan Walker was 3-4. Rory Rhodes went 2-3 with a walk. Mitch Garver was 2-4. GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score Alex Swim led the offense by going 3-4 with his third double. Jorge Fernandez hit his fourth double. Jared Wilson started. The fifth-year senior went just two innings and gave up three runs on one hit, two walks and two hit batters; he struck out three. Chih-Wei Hu gave up one run on three hits and a walk over the next three innings. Jose Abreu gave up just one hit over the final three innings. He struck out two. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article