Closing Thoughts: The DSL Twins

I really don't know anything about these guys, so what follows is simply stats and ages of the guys who had the best seasons.

--First baseman Lewin Diaz hit .257/.385/.451.  He had five of the team's seven homers (the league leading home run hitter had nine).  He'll turn 18 in November.

--Second baseman Luis Arraez hit .348/.433/.400 with 10 stolen bases.  He'll be 18 in April.

--Third baseman Jermaine Palacios hit .270/.402/.399 with 14 stolen bases in 17 attempts.  He turned 18 in July.

--Second baseman Jorge Andrade hit .287/.388/.408 and was 22-for-28 in stolen bases.  He'll be 20 in December.

--Outfielder Junior Amarante hit .287/.383/.337 and was 22-for-24 in stolen bases.  He'll be 20 in March.

--Williams Ramirez was 4-1, 1.81, 1.06 WHIP with 81 strikeouts in 74.2 innings.  He turned 22 in August.

--Jose Ramirez was 4-0, 2.25, 1.22 WHIP with 55 strikeouts in 64 innings.  He also turned 22 in August.

--Jadison Jimenez was 6-3, 2.19, 0.91 WHIP with 56 strikeouts in 74 innings.  He'll be 21 in March.

--Jose Martinez was 2-2, 1.91, 1.01 WHIP with 33 strikeouts in 56.2 innings.  He'll be 18 in October.

--Randolph Perez only started three games, but was often used as a "second starter", pitching three innings or more of relief when the starter was only expected to go two or three innings.  He was 3-0, 1.32, 0.94 WHIP with 37 strikeouts in 47.2 innings.

So there are your 2014 DSL Twins.  We'll take a break for a couple of weeks.  The Arizona Fall League starts October 7, and we plan to cover it.

Closing Thoughts: The GCL Twins

The GCL Twins were fourteen games under .500 in a sixty game season, so there weren't exactly a bunch of superstars on the roster.  Here's a look at some guys who did well.  Since I don't know anything about most of them, what follows is mostly their stats and ages.

--Outfielder Amaurys Minier seemed to be well thought of last year, but he didn't really do a whole lot.  This year, he showed why he was well thought of, hitting .292/.405/.520 with a league-leading eight home runs.  He'll turn 19 in January.

--Frankly, none of the other batters did much.  The next highest OPS was shortstop Manuel Guzman's .729 (.283/.385/.345).  He'll be twenty in February.  Part of that is because the league average OPS is only around .680, but the Twins were worst in the league at .603.

--Next after Guzman were second baseman Rafael P. Valera (.254/.370/.341, turned 20 in August) and Dubal Baez (.281/.351/.331, will be 22 in June).  And that's really about all the batters there are who are even worth mentioning.

There's some better news on the pitching front.  No one pitched more than fifty innings, so we're dealing with small sample sizes, but there are some guys who did pretty well.

--Brandon Easton was 2-2, 2.70, 1.36 WHIP.  He struck out 46 in 50 innings.  He'll be 22 on Sunday.

--Alexis Tapia was 5-2, 3.20, 1.04 WHIP with 36 strikeouts in 45 innings.  He turned 19 in August.

--Miles Nordgren only made one start, but was often used for three or more innings of relief.  He was sort of the "second starter" when the actual starter was only planned to go two or three innings.  He was 1-3, 2.23, 1.26 WHIP with 20 strikeouts in 44.1 innings.

--Zach Tillery was 2-3, 2.31, 1.03 WHIP with 25 strikeouts in 35 innings.  He'll be 22 in January.

--Trevor Hildenberger was 1-4, 2.57, 1.14 WHIP with 30 strikeouts in 28 innings.  He'll be 24 in December, though.

The GCL Twins had Trevor Hildenberger, and Michael Theofanopoulos, and Frank Encarnacion on their roster.  That may set a record for most letters in the last name by three teammates.

So that's a look at your 2014 GCL Twins.  One more team to go.  If things go well, we'll look at the DSL Twins tomorrow.

Closing Thoughts: Elizabethton Twins

--We talked a little about outfielder Max Murphy yesterday in the Cedar Rapids article, but he was absolutely dominant in his time at Elizabethton.  .378/.483/.723 in 119 at-bats.  The Twins figured out that he was wasting his time there and moved him up.  He'll be twenty-two in November.

--Outfielder Tanner English also moved up to Cedar Rapids.  While he was in Elizabethton, he hit .316/.439/.474 in 114 at-bats.  He'll be twenty-two in March.

--After those guys left, first baseman Tyler Kuresa was probably the best batter for Elizabethton.  He hit .298/.381/.478.  He'll be twenty-two in November.

--If the best batter wasn't Tyler Kuresa, it was Trey Vavra.  He hit .319/.392/.454.  He turns twenty-three tomorrow.

--Shortstop Nick Gordon didn't exactly dominate, but he wasn't bad.  .293/.333/.366 are his numbers.  He'll be nineteen in October, so he still has some time.

--This was second baseman Will Hurt's third season in the Twins organization.  In 2012 in the GCL, he hit .141/.221/.141.  In 2013, again in the GCL, he hit .243/.387/.284.  This year, in Elizabethton, he hit .235/.303/.235.  Total for three seasons:  .205/.306/.218 in 220 at-bats.  He'll be twenty-one on my birthday, December 22.  The Twins obviously think they see something in him, and he is still young, but that's a whole lot of not hitting.

--In twelve starts, Felix Jorge went 4-2, 2.59, 1.09 WHIP with 61 strikeouts in 66 innings.  He had not done much in his time in Cedar Rapids.  But he'll turn twenty-one in January, so there's time yet.

--John Curtiss had an excellent year, going 2-1, 2.30, 1.21 WHIP with 41 strikeouts in 31.1 innings.  He'll be twenty-two in April.

--Most of the rest of the good pitchers were promoted to Cedar Rapids and we talked about them there.  I do want to mention Dereck Rodriguez, though.  Before this season, Dereck Rodriguez had been a light-hitting outfielder.  He converted to pitching, and so far the conversion has been successful.  He went twenty innings or so without giving up an earned run.  His final numbers were 2-2, 1.05, 1.05 WHIP with 19 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.  It'll be interesting to watch him next season.

So, there are your Elizabethton Twins.  If all goes according to plan, we'll take a look at the GCL Twins tomorrow.

Closing Thoughts: Cedar Rapids Kernels

--Catcher Mitch Garver has gotten onto some of the top prospects lists.  He didn't do that much last year in Elizabethton, but this year for Cedar Rapids he hit .298/.399/.481 with 16 homers.  A ninth round draft pick from the University of New Mexico, he'll presumably go to Fort Myers next year.  He'll be twenty-four in January.

--Outfielder Jason Kanzler spent most of the season at Cedar Rapids, going to Fort Myers for the last month.  He did well both places, going a combined .282/.344/.444.  His numbers are actually a little better in Fort Myers than they were in Cedar Rapids.  It would not be surprising to see him in New Britain next year.  He's twenty-four.

--First baseman Chad Christensen hit in the middle of the Cedar Rapids order all year.  He did okay, but nothing to get too excited about:  .272/.339/.404 with nine home runs.  He'll be twenty-four next month.

--Outfielder Max Murphy dominated in Elizabethton:  .378/.483/.723.  His stint in Cedar Rapids didn't go as well:  .242/.314/.395.  Still, he won't turn twenty-two until November.  He's worth keeping an eye on.

--Another guy worth keeping an eye on is catcher Alex Swim.  He has no power, but hit .311/.352/.349.  He's twenty-three.

--The wonderfully named outfielder Zack Granite had pretty much a lost year.  Injuries limited him to 79 at-bats, in which he hit .291/.321/.376.  He'll be twenty-two next week.

--Outfielder Ivory Thomas was released during the season and was not picked up, so his career is presumably over.  He had one of the oddest batting lines you'll see:  .163/.433/.250.  He had 80 at-bats, but drew 37 walks.  Most likely that was unsustainable had he moved up the ladder, but it would've been interesting to see what might've happened.  Too bad he couldn't hit just a little bit.

--Ryan Eades did not have a particularly good record--10-11, 5.14, 1.48 WHIP--but he pitched much better at the end of the season.  In his last ten starts he was 5-1, 2.75, 1.12 WHIP.  It's entirely possible that he's turned a corner.  He'll be twenty-three in December.

Aaron Slegers numbers aren't particularly impressive, either--7-7, 4.53.  Then we notice his WHIP was only 1.22.  Then we notice he only walked 20 while striking out 90 in 113.1 innings.  Then we notice that in three starts in Fort Myers he went 2-1, 3.32, 0.95 WHIP with 4 walks and 12 strikeouts.  Then we notice he just turned twenty-two a couple of weeks ago.  He looks like someone worth noticing.

--Kohl Stewart had a fine season.  He was only 3-5 in 19 starts, but he had an ERA of 2.53 and a WHIP of 1.14.  He'll just turn twenty next month.  We'll see how he does in Fort Myers next year.

--Lewis Thorpe, 3-2, 3.52, 1.37 WHIP, 80 strikeouts in 71.2 innings, will be 19 in November.

--Alex Muren, 3-1, 1 save, 2.89, 0.98 WHIP, 56 innings, will be 23 in November.

--Chih-Wei Hu, 7-2, 2.29, 0.96 WHIP in 9 starts, turns 21 in November.

--Stephen Gonsalves went a combined 4-3, 3.02, 1.14 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 94 innings in a season split between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids.  His numbers are similar in both places.  He was 20 in July.

--Mat Batts went 4-1, 1.78, 0.78 WHIP with 67 strikeouts and only 7 walks in 60.2 innings.  He went from the GCL to Elizabethton to Cedar Rapids and pitched well at all three stops.  He turned 23 in July.  We hope they'll start him in Fort Myers next season.

--Reliever Todd Van Steensel was a combined 1-0, 9 saves, 1.39, 1.06 WHIP with 71 strikeouts in 58.1 innings between Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers.  He'll be 24 in January, but that's still pretty good and worth watching.

So that's the Cedar Rapids Kernels.  Will take a look at the Elizabethton Twins tomorrow.

Closing Thoughts: Fort Myers Miracle

Your 2014 Florida State League Champions, not necessarily in order of importance.

--Jason Kanzler could be someone to watch.  After a slow start last year in the GCL, he had a fine season in 2014.  He was with Cedar Rapids most of the season, but continued to play well when promoted to Fort Myers and was instrumental in the Miracle drive to the championship.  He stole 27 bases between the two teams and also hit 11 doubles, 9 triples, and 12 home runs.  He turned 24 in August.

--Dalton Hicks seems to have stalled.  He spent the entire year at Fort Myers and did no better than he'd done there last year, hitting .262/.344/.407.  That's not terrible by any means, but it's not great, either.  He'll be twenty-five next season.  If he's going to make a move, he'd better get to doing it.

--Adam Brett Walker II is an interesting player.  He hit twenty-five homers, which sounds impressive because it is.  His line, though, was .246/.307/.436, which is fine but not all that impressive.  He also struck out 156 times.  He'll turn 23 in October.

The player Walker II kind of reminds me of is Chris Parmelee.  Parmelee got to Fort Myers in 2009, when he was a year younger than Walker II was this year, and hit 16 home runs.  His line, though, was .258/.359/.441, which is a little better than Walker II's but fairly similar.  He struck out 109 times.  The Twins worked with him over the off-season, he cut down his strikeouts, and he raised his batting average.  He lost some power for a while, but eventually got it back.  We'll see if something similar happens with Walker II.

--Max Kepler seemed to figure some things out toward the end of the year.  At the end of June, he was hitting .231/314/.354.  He hit .302 the rest of the way, for a year-end line of .264/.333/.393.  He'll be twenty-two next year.  He'll probably go to New Britain next year.  We'll see if his good second half means that he's turned a corner.

--Byron Buxton pretty much had a lost year.  Slowed by various injuries, he played in only thirty games for Fort Myers and hit .240/.313/.405.  As you know, he played one game for New Britain and was lost for the rest of the year with a concussion.  He'll only be twenty-one next year, so he still has time, but you always hate for someone to have a wasted year, even when it wasn't his fault.

--Brett Lee had a fine year, going 10-5, 2.45, 1.35 WHIP.  He doesn't strike out very many guys, and he struggled a little toward the end of the season.  He turns 24 next week.  There are reasons he might not succeed as he goes up the ladder, but on the other hand, he might.  He certainly deserves a chance to show that he can.

--But the star of the pitching staff, while he was there, was Jose Berrios.  In sixteen starts, he was 9-3, 1.96, 1.05 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 96.1 innings.  He continued to pitch well when he was promoted to New Britain:  3-4, 3.54, 1.11 WHIP in eight starts.  If you throw out his first appearance as a Rock Cat, his ERA falls to 2.78.  He won't be 21 until the end of May.  I'd like to see him start next season in Rochester, although it wouldn't surprise me if the Twins sent him back to New Britain.  There may be no such thing as a pitching prospect, but he sure looks like one to me.

--Tim Shibuya might be worth keeping an eye on.  He's come along slowly, turning 25 in a couple of days, but he pitched well last year in a season split between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids and pitched well this year in Fort Myers.  Sometimes it just takes longer for pitchers.  I'm not saying I think he'll be a star, but it'll be interesting to see what he does in New Britain next season.

So there are some players to watch for the 2014 Fort Myers Miracle.  We'll take the weekend off, but if all goes well, we'll bring you some thoughts on the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Monday.

Closing Thoughts: New Britain Rock Cats

--The biggest success story of the Rock Cats, of course, was Kennys Vargas, who came up to the Twins on August 1 and shows no signs of going back to the minors.  I'm giving myself some credit for this one, because I had suggested a few weeks earlier that the Twins should bring him up.  Of course, I can't claim to have foreseen that he would do as well as he did.  He had an OPS of over .800 at pretty much every stop in the minors.  He showed power and drew a good number of walks.  He struck out quite a bit in Fort Myers last year, but otherwise it wasn't a big problem for him.  He probably would've been our New Britain player of the year had he not gone up to the majors.

--Since he did, we made him co-player of the year with Reynaldo Rodriguez.  Rodriguez hitting .286/.344/.510 with 21 home runs.  Unfortunately, he's twenty-eight years old, so he's only a prospect in the Chris Colabello sense.  He shouldn't be allowed to stand in anyone 's way, but he did enough to at least earn a promotion to AAA.  If he did well enough there, and if enough players got hurt, he could get a shot in the majors at some point.

--The biggest disappointment for the Rock Cats was Eddie Rosario.  He was suspended for the first fifty games of the season and never really did get anything going, hitting .237/.277/.396 in 316 at-bats.  Those numbers are substantially worse than what he hit in a half season in New Britain in 2013.  He'll turn twenty-three at the end of this month, so it's clearly far too early to give up on him.  Despite his numbers, maybe he learned some things this year that will help him in the future.  That's the hope, anyway.  We assume he'll return to New Britain for the start of 2015, but if he does well he might not stay there a long time.

--Jorge Polanco, who we saw briefly in Minnesota, was promoted to New Britain at mid-season.  He hit .281/.323/.342 in 146 at-bats.  That's a pretty empty .281 average, but at the same time, he just turned twenty-one in July.  Nobody really thought he was ready for the majors--he was promoted because the Twins needed an infielder for a week or so and they didn't want to make a move on the forty-man roster.  He has plenty of time to earn his way back.

--Nobody says much about outfielder Daniel Ortiz, but he hit .324/.340/.500 in 189 AA at-bats.  He did not do as well when promoted to Rochester, but he didn't embarrass himself, either.  He obviously doesn't walk much, which isn't a good sign, but there have been good players who didn't walk much.  He'll be twenty-five next year, and presumably will begin the season back in Rochester.  If he does well, we could see him in Minnesota eventually.

--Taylor Rogers had a fine year for New Britain, going 11-6, 3.29, 1.29 WHIP with 113 strikeouts in 145 innings.  Rogers has pitched quite well everywhere he's been:  he's 26-16, 2.94, 1.22 WHIP in three minor league seasons.  He'll turn twenty-four in December.  He should go to Rochester next year, but he'll be someone to keep an eye on should the Twins need starting pitching, which is just possible.

--Some of that could also be said of Jason Wheeler.  He started the season in Fort Myers, but went to New Britain at mid-season and went 5-4, 2.78, 1.14 WHIP with 55 strikeouts in 74.1 innings.  His three-season minor league record is 34-19, 3.26, 1.14 WHIP.  One assumes he will go to Rochester at the start of 2014, but he's another one who we might see if the Twins decide they need a starting pitcher.

--Because of his injuries, Alex Wimmers kind of dropped off the map, but he did well enough for New Britain as a reliever.  He started the year in Fort Myers, but after his promotion he went 1-0, 3.74, 1.15 WHIP with 27 strikeouts in 21.2 innings.  The biggest thing for Wimmers was that he stayed healthy all year.  He'll turn twenty-six November 1, but he's still only thrown 161.1 minor league innings.  Let's not forget about him just yet.

If you're wondering why we haven't discussed Jose Berrios, our plan is to do that in our Fort Myers recap.  If all goes well, we'll bring that to you tomorrow.

Closing Thoughts: Rochester Red Wings

As with most AAA teams, this year's Red Wings were a collection of up-and-comers, down-and-goers, and mediocre-and-stayers.  Let's take a look at some of them.

--Josmil Pinto got off to a slow start when sent to Rochester, but eventually got things going and ended up with good numbers.  He caught only 34 of the 60 games in which he played, which seems odd considering that the Twins keep saying the main thing he needs to work on his defense.  Frankly, I think the Twins should look to trade Pinto this off-season.  I say that not because I don't like him, but because I think that unless there are injuries there is very little chance he'll ever be the regular catcher for the Twins, and the way Vargas is hitting there's not room for him at DH, either.

I know Gardy keeps saying he wants Pinto to win the catcher's job.  He keeps saying Suzuki can be his mentor.  I don't think Gardy's lying about that.  I think he really means it.  I just think that when it comes time to make out the lineup card, Gardy won't be able to help himself.  He's going to keep writing Kurt Suzuki's name in at catcher.

If Suzuki keeps hitting close to .300, of course, that's obviously a good decision.  But I think Gardy will do it even if Suzuki hits .220.  First, we'll hear that Suzuki's just had some bad luck.  Then, every time he gets a hit or two, we'll hear that he's not that far away, that he's just about to turn it around.  If that turns out not to be true, either, we'll hear that Suzuki is such a good defensive player that it doesn't matter what he hits, he's saving us runs on defense every game.  I think Kurt Suzuki's batting average would have to fall to Buteran levels for him to lose the starting catcher job.  Given all that, I'd like to see Pinto traded now, while he's still a prospect, rather than waiting a year or two and having him turn into a suspect.

--Surprisingly, Chris Herrmann had a fine season, hitting .304 and slugging .505 in 204 Rochester at-bats.  He had the best slugging percentage and OPS that he's ever had.  Of course, he'll be 27 next season and has never done anything in the majors, but he's pretty much assured to be playing somewhere in 2015.

--Doug Bernier had a good year by his standards, batting .280 with an OPS of .744.  Having said that, there's no reason to have him on the forty-man roster.  He's perfectly acceptable AAA roster filler, but that's all he's ever going to be.  It still bothers me that we lost Samuel Deduno and His Magical Zoomball and kept Bernier on the roster.

--The same could be said of Eric Farris.  He's younger that Bernier, but still too old to be a prospect.  It's a shame that they played him ahead of Aaron Hicks down the stretch, and I really don't understand why they did it.  There's no particular evidence that Farris is a better batter than Hicks, and while I don't know anything about Farris' defense I have a hard time believing there was much gain there, either.  Add to that the fact that it didn't work, as Rochester missed the playoffs anyway.  I don't understand why they did that.

--This is the first time in a few years that someone came up from Rochester at mid-season and actually helped the Twins.  The odd part is that Danny Santana really wasn't doing all that well as a Red Wing.  In fact, there really was nothing in his minor league batting record suggest he'd do what he's done in the majors so far.  His best batting average in a season was .297 last year in New Britain, and that was with an OPS of only .719.  On the other hand, as they say, he's only twenty-three, so it certainly could be that what he's doing in the majors is real.

--It appears that the clock struck midnight on the Cinderella story of Chris Colabello.  He still hit okay in AAA, but he'll be thirty-one next season and with the emergence of Vargas and the presence of Joe Mauer, there's really no spot for him.  He'll certainly play somewhere next year--his AAA record is too good for him not to--but it's doubtful he'll ever be a regular player again other than by injury to others.  It was a darn good story while it lasted, though, and he sure got some good stories to tell his grandchildren about some game-winning hits he had.  It was a cool thing to see.

--The starting rotation was the strength of the Red Wings.  Trevor May, Kris Johnson, Alex Meyer, and Logan Darnell were the mainstays, with Sean Gilmartin, Yohan Pino, and even Mark Hamburger making some fine starts.  In fact, if the Twins had cut bait on Scott Diamond a couple of weeks earlier, Rochester would most likely have made the playoffs.

--We've already seen Trevor May, so we'll set him to the side.  We've seen Yohan Pino, too, and while it's doubtful he'll ever be more than a fill-in at the major league level his performance in AAA has probably bought him a few more years of doing that someplace.

--Alex Meyer was on a pretty strict pitch count all year.  That, combined with a high walk and strikeout total, meant he rarely pitched as many as six innings in a game and averaged less than five.  Given that, I assume he'll probably start in AAA again next year until he gets better control and shows he can go a little deeper into games.

--Logan Darnell really didn't do a whole lot in the minors until 2013, when he went 6-6, 2.61, 1.23 WHIP in fifteen starts in New Britain.  He was 7-6, 3.60, 1.37 WHIP in Rochester this year.  He hasn't shown anything in the majors yet, but at age twenty-five, he's at least worth keeping an eye on.

--Mark Hamburger might be worth keeping an eye on, too.  He pitched well in New Britain and continued to pitch well when moved to Rochester.  He's twenty-seven, but he hasn't thrown a ton of innings, partly because he's mostly been used in relief and partly because he missed time for a variety of reasons.  I don't know that he's in the Twins plans, but I wouldn't totally count him out, either.

--Nobody says much about Stephen Pryor, the guy the Twins got for Kendrys Morales, but he sure did well in his time in Rochester.  In 20.1 innings, he had an ERA of 0.89 and a WHIP of 1.08.  Small sample size?  Sure.  But at age twenty-five he has a very good record in both AA and AAA.  If, as some have speculated, the Twins are ready to make some changes in their bullpen next season, Pryor is one of the guys with a chance to win a spot.

--I suppose we could go on and talk about guys like A. J. Achter and Lester Oliveros, but this article has already gone on at least long enough.  The plan is to look at the New Britain Rock Cats tomorrow, assuming I have time to actually get that done.

Game of September 8

Jason Kanzler's two-run homer gives Fort Myers a Miracle finish.  Ladies and gentlemen, your 2014 Florida State League Champions!

FORT MYERS 4, DAYTONA 2 IN DAYTONA (11 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Aderlin Mejia was 2-for-3 with two walks and a run.  Tyler Grimes was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, driving in one.  Jason Kanzler was 1-for-5 with a two-run homer.

Pitching stars:  D. J. Baxendale struck out seven in 5.2 innings, giving up two unearned runs on six hits and three walks.  Nick Burdi retired all six men he faced, striking out four.  Brandon Peterson retired all four men he faced with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Jose Rosario struck out five in four shutout innings of relief, allowing no hits and four walks.  Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-5 with a double and two runs.

The game:  In the first Mejia walked, went to second on a bunt, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly to give Fort Myers a 1-0 lead.  It stayed 1-0 until the fourth, when Stuart Turner singled, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a Max Kepler single, and scored on a double by Grimes to make it 2-0.  Men were on second and third with one out, but the Miracle could not score again.  It looked like that might cost them, as a two-out error scored a run for Daytona in the bottom of the fourth and another two-out error tied it up in the sixth.  It was tied until the eleventh, when Adam Brett Walker II led off with a double and Kanzler hit a one-out, two-run homer.  The Cubs went down in order in the bottom of the eleventh and the victory was preserved.

Of note:  Travis Harrison was 0-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.  Dalton Hicks was 0-for-6.  Kepler was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Walker II was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring once.

Playoff update:  The win gives the Fort Myers Miracle the Florida State League championship, three games to one.

Coming up next:  We will post some final thoughts on each of the Twins minor league teams in the days ahead.  Then we'll take a bit of time off until the Arizona Fall League season starts on October 7.

Game of September 7

A great five innings by John Curtiss wasn't enough, as Cedar Rapids is eliminated.  Fort Myers was rained out.

FORT MYERS AT DAYTONA

Rained out.

KANE COUNTY 4, CEDAR RAPIDS 2 IN KANE COUNTY

Batting star:  Chad Christensen was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.

Pitching star:  John Curtiss pitched five shutout innings, giving up one hit and three walks with two strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Paul Blackburn struck out seven in five shutout innings, allowing one hit and no walks.  Carlos Penalver was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Chesny Young was 1-for-3 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.

The game:  The starting pitchers dominated, each giving up only one hit in five innings.  In the sixth, however, it became a battle of the bullpens, and the home runs started coming.  Jacob Rogers homered in the sixth to give Kane County a 1-0 lead.  Christensen hit a two-run homer in the seventh to put Cedar Rapids  up 2-1.  In the bottom of the seventh, Penalver hit a two-run homer to put the Cougars back in the lead at 3-2.  Kane County added a run in the eighth when Jeffrey Baez singled, stole second and third, and scored on a Young single.  The Kernels did not get a hit after the seventh.

Of note:  Tanner English was 0-for-4.  Jonatan Hinojosa was 1-for-4 with a run.  Max Murphy was 1-for-4 with a double.  Alex Swim was 0-for-3.

Playoff update:  Cedar Rapids loses the series to Kane County, two games to none.  In the other series, Lake County defeated Fort Wayne 5-4 to win that series two games to none.  Lake County will take on Kane County in the Midwest League finals.  That series will being Wednesday.

TODAY'S TILT

6:05  Fort Myers (D. J. Baxendale, 4-4, 6.02) at Daytona (Rob Zastrynzny, 4-6, 4.66)

Games of September 6

Both teams led early but could not hold the leads.  Fort Myers tries again to win the championship today, while Cedar Rapids tries to stay alive.

DAYTONA 8, FORT MYERS 7 IN DAYTONA

Batting stars:  Stuart Turner was 4-for-4 with a double and a walk, driving in three.  Dalton Hicks was 3-for-5 with a home run, scoring twice and driving in two.  Niko Goodrum was 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Willson Contreras was 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, and a walk, scoring twice and driving in four.  Ben Carhart was 2-for-3 with a walk, scoring twice and driving in one.  Billy McKinney was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs.

The game:  Turner doubled in two in the first to give Fort Myers the early lead.  Marco Hernandez had a two-run single in a three-run second that put Daytona up 3-2.  Hicks singled in a run in the top of the third to tie it up, but in the bottom of the third an RBI single by Carhart and an run-scoring double by Contreras gave the Cubs a 5-3 lead.  The Miracle battled back, as Turner singled in a run in the fifth and a run scored on an error it the sixth to leave the score tied at five.  Aderlin Mejia singled in a run in the eighth to put Fort Myers ahead 6-5, but the Miracle could not add to the lead despite loading the bases.  In the bottom of the eighth, Contreras hit a three-run homer to make it 8-6 Daytona.  Hicks homered in the ninth and Fort Myers got the tying run on base, but could not advance him past first.

Of note:  Mejia was 2-for-5 with an RBI.  Travis Harrison was 1-for-5 with a run.  Max Kepler was 0-for-4 with a run.  Adam Brett Walker II was 0-for-5.  Starter Brett Lee pitched 5.2 innings, giving up five runs on eight hits and four walks with one strikeout.

Playoff update:  Fort Myers now leads the best-of-five series two games to one.  They will once again try to close out the series tonight.

KANE COUNTY 5, CEDAR RAPIDS 2 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Batting stars:  Tanner English was 3-for-5 with a triple, scoring once and driving in one.  Chad Christensen was 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.  Alex Swim was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Ryan Eades pitched 5.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits and six walks with four strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Daury Torrez struck out five in five innings, allowing one run on seven hits and no walks.  Mark Zagunis was 2-for-5 with a home run and a triple, driving in two.  Jeimer Candelario was 1-for-3 with two walks.

The game:  In the first, English singled, took second on an error, and scored on a pair of ground outs to give Cedar Rapids a 1-0 lead.  Zagunis tripled in a run in the third to tie it at one.  It remained tied until the seventh.  Kane County then got a single and a walk, a wild pitch moved runners to second and third, and they both scored on an error to put the Cougars ahead 3-1.  English hit a one-out RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to 3-2, but that was as much as the Kernels could do.  Cael Brockmeyer tripled and scored in the eighth and Zagunis homered in the ninth to make it 5-2.  Cedar Rapids got two on with none out in the eighth but did not get a baserunner after that.

Of note:  Jonatan Hinojosa was 2-for-5.  Max Murphy was 1-for-4 with a double.

Playoff update:  Cedar Rapids trails the best-of-three division championship series two games to one.  They will try to stay alive tonight.

TODAY'S TILTS

4:35  Fort Myers (TBA) at Daytona (Rob Zastryzny, 4-6, 4.66)

6:00  Cedar Rapids (John Curtiss, 2-1, 2.30) at Daytona (Paul Blackburn, 9-4. 3.23)

Games of September 5

Fort Myers takes a 2-0 lead in the championship series!  Cedar Rapids advances to the division finals!  Two more big games tonight!

FORT MYERS 5, DAYTONA 0 IN FORT MYERS

Batting stars:  Travis Harrison was 1-for-2 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch, scoring once and driving in two.  Dalton Hicks was 1-for-5 with a triple, scoring once and driving in one.  Tyler Grimes was 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and a run.

Pitching stars:  Ethan Mildren pitched five innings, giving up five hits and four walks with three strikeouts.  Todd Van Steensel pitched one inning, giving up a walk.  Nick Burdi struck out three in 2.1 innings, giving up two hits.

Opposition stars:  Wes Darvill was 2-for-4 with a double.  Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-5 with a double.  Jose Rosario struck out three in 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit.

The game:  Each team got a runner into scoring position in each of the first two innings, and Daytona did it again in the top of the third, but there was no scoring until the bottom of the third, when Aderlin Mejia singled, stole second, and scored on a Harrison single.  Hicks then tripled in a run and scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.  Each team threatened in the fifth and the Cubs got a man into scoring position in the seventh and eighth, but there was no more scoring until the bottom of the eighth, when Fort Myers loaded the bases on an error, a hit batsman, and a single and scored on a pair of bases-loaded walks to go ahead 5-0.  Daytona went down in order in the ninth.  The Cubs had eight hits and drew six walks, but stranded twelve runners.

Of note:  Aderlin Mejia was 2-for-5 with a run.  Stuart Turner was 0-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.  Max Kepler was 0-for-4.  Adam Brett Walker II was 0-for-4 with a run.

Playoff update:  Fort Myers takes a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.  The remainder of the series will be played in Daytona.  There is no travel day, so game three will be played tonight.

CEDAR RAPIDS 4, BURLINGTON 2 IN BURLINGTON

Batting stars:  Logan Wade was 2-for-4 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in one.  Chad Christensen was 2-for-4 with a home run, driving in two.  Ryan Walker was 1-for-3 with a triple and a walk, scoring once.

Pitching stars:  Stephen Gonsalves struck out six in five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk.  Jared Wilson struck out two in two perfect innings.  Dallas Gallant struck out two in a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Harrison Cooney struck out nine in six innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk.  Kody Eaves was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

The game:  Cedar Rapids got on the board first, scoring two in the third on a triple by Walker, and RBI ground out, and a Christensen home run.  Burlington got the runs right back in the bottom of the third on RBI singles by Bo Way and Eaves.  There was no more scoring until the eighth, With one out, Jonatan Hinojosa singled, Wade doubled, Christensen singled in the go-ahead run, and Max Murphy doubled in an insurance run.  The Bees got their leadoff man on in the ninth with an error, but did not advance him past first base.  Burlington did not get a hit after the fifth inning.

Of note:  Hinojosa was 1-for-4 with a run.  Murphy was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Alex Swim was 0-for-4.

Playoff update:  Cedar Rapids wins the best-of-three series two games to one.  In other action, Fort Wayne defeated West Michigan 6-2 to take that series two games to one.  The division championship round starts tonight, as Cedar Rapids hosts Kane County and Lake County is at Fort Wayne.  Each series is best-of-three.

TODAY'S TILTS

6:05  Fort Myers at Daytona

6:35  Kane County at Cedar Rapids

Players of the Year: 2014

In looking at these, remember that they are done on a team-by-team basis.  In other words, we're giving an award for being the best player on each team for the 2014 season.  Thus, someone who spent half the season for one team and half the season for another, while he may have done very well for both, might not be the player of the year for either one.

ROCHESTER

Position player:  Deibinson Romero hit .265/.364/.406 in 419 at-bats.

Pitchers:  Trevor May was 8-6, 2.84, 1.16 WHIP with 94 strikeouts in 98.1 innings (18 starts).  Yohan Pino was 10-2, 2.47, 0.97 WHIP with 72 strikeouts in 73 innings (9 starts, 7 relief appearances).

NEW BRITAIN

Position players:  Reynaldo Rodriguez hit .286/.344/.510 in 461 at-bats.  Kennys Vargas hit .281/.360/.472 in 356 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Taylor Rogers was 11-6, 3.29, 1.29 WHIP with 113 strikeouts in 145 innings (24 starts).

FORT MYERS

Position player:  Jorge Polanco hit .291/.364/.415 in 378 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Jose Berrios was 9-3, 1.96, 1.05 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 96.1 innings (16 starts).  Brandon Peterson was 1-1, 1 save, 1.80, 1.00 WHIP with 65 strikeouts in 45 innings (1 start, 30 relief appearances).

CEDAR RAPIDS

Position player:  Mitch Garver hit .298/.399/.481 in 430 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Kohl Stewart was 3-5, 2.59, 1.14 WHIP with 62 strikeouts in 87 innings (19 starts).

ELIZABETHTON

Position player:  Max Murphy hit .378/.483/.723 in 119 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Felix Jorge was 4-2, 2.59, 1.09 WHIP with 61 strikeouts in 66 innings (12 starts).  Dereck Rodriguez was 2-2, 5 saves, 1.05, 1.05 WHIP with 19 strikeouts in 25.2 innings (17 relief appearances).

GCL TWINS

Position player:  Amaurys Minier was .292/.405/.520 in 171 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Alexis Tapia was 5-2, 3.20, 1.04 WHIP with 36 strikeouts in 45 innings (8 starts, 4 relief appearances).  Miles Nordgren was 1-3, 3 saves, 2.23, 1.26 WHIP with 20 strikeouts in 44.1 innings (1 start, 15 relief appearances.

DSL TWINS

Position player:  Lewin Diaz hit .257/.385/.451 in 144 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Williams Ramirez was 4-1, 1.81, 1.06 WHIP with 81 strikeouts in 74.2 innings (15 starts, 1 relief appearance).

Players of the Month: August, 2014

Well, August and the first day of September.

ROCHESTER

Position player:  Josmil Pinto hit .296/.361/.435 in 108 at-bats.  For the season he hit .279/.376/.457 in 208 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Stephen Pryor was 1-0, 2 saves, 0.55, 1.04 WHIP with 18 strikeouts in 16.1 innings (11 relief appearances).  For the season he was 1-0, 2 saves, 0.89, 1.08 WHIP with 22 strikeouts in 20.1 innings (14 relief appearances).

NEW BRITAIN

Position player:  Jorge Polanco hit .293/.344/.353 in 116 at-bats.  For the season he hit .281/.323/.342 in 146 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Taylor Rogers was 3-0, 0.64, 1.07 WHIP with 27 strikeouts in 28 innings (5 starts).  For the season he was 11-6, 3.29, 1.29 WHIP with 113 strikeouts in 145 innings.

FORT MYERS

Position player:  Max Kepler hit .312/.348/.459 in 109 at-bats.  For the season he hit .264/.333/.393 in 364 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Steven Gruver was 2-1, 2.00, 1.19 WHIP with 15 strikeouts in 27 innings (6 starts).  For the season he was 4-6, 2.79, 1.34 WHIP with 58 strikeouts in 87 innings (10 starts, 32 relief appearances).

CEDAR RAPIDS

Position player:  Jonatan Hinojosa hit .354/.369/.512 in 82 at-bats.  For the season he hit .341/.378/.494 in 85 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Jake Reed was 1-0, 4 saves, 0.00, 0.36 WHIP with 16 strikeouts in 14 innings (9 relief appearances).  For the season he was 3-0, 5 saves, 0.36, 0.52 WHIP with 31 strikeouts in 25 innings (16 relief appearances).

ELIZABETHTON

Position player:  Trey Vavra hit .351/.411/.485 in 97 at-bats.  For the season he hit .319/.392/.454 in 185 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Samuel Clay was 1-0, 0.64, 1.36 WHIP with 22 strikeouts in 14 innings.  For the season he was 2-1, 5.59, 1.79 WHIP with 44 strikeouts in 29 innings (19 relief appearances).

GCL TWINS

Position player:  Amaurys Minier hit .328/.473/.672 in 58 at-bats.  For the season he hit .292/.405/.520 in 171 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Josh Guyer was 1-0, 1.80, 1.04 WHIP with 11 strikeouts in 25 innings (4 starts, 1 relief appearance).  For the season he was 1-1, 5.01, 1.46 WHIP with 26 strikeouts in 46.2 innings (8 starts, 4 relief appearances).

DSL TWINS

Position player:  Edgar Herrera hit .400/.559/.520 in 25 at-bats.  For the season he hit .259/.361/.302 in 139 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Williams Ramirez was 1-0, 0.44, 1.02 WHIP with 18 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.  For the season he was 4-1, 1.81, 1.06 WHIP with 81 strikeouts in 74.2 innings.

Games of September 4

Adam Brett Walker II and Matt Tomshaw lead Fort Myers to a first-game victory.  Logan Wade and Mat Batts lead Cedar Rapids to even their first-round series.  A couple of big games tonight.

FORT MYERS 5, DAYTONA 1 IN FORT MYERS

Batting stars:  Adam Brett Walker II was 3-for-4 with a home run and a double, driving in two.  Travis Harrison was 2-for-4 with two doubles and a walk, driving in one.  Stuart Turner was 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Matt Tomshaw pitched six innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  D. J. Johnson struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.  Brandon Peterson pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Bijan Rademacher was 3-for-3 with a run.  Gioskar Amaya was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

The game:  Tyler Grimes delivered a two-run single-plus-error in the second to give Fort Myers a 2-0 lead.  Daytona did not get a man past first base until the sixth, when Amaya doubled in a run to cut the lead to 2-1.  The Cubs had the bases loaded with one out, but a double play ended the inning.  The Miracle came right back with two in the bottom of the sixth, with Walker II leading off the inning with a homer and Harrison doubling in a run later in the inning.  Walker II doubled in a run in the seventh to make it 5-1.  Daytona put men on first and third in the eighth, but again a double play ended the inning and the Cubs did not threaten again.

Of note:  Aderlin Mejia was 1-for-4.  Dalton Hicks was 1-for-5 with a run.  Max Kepler was 0-for-4.

Playoff update:  Fort Myers takes a 1-0 lead over Daytona in the championship series.  Game 2 is tonight, again in Fort Myers.

CEDAR RAPIDS 2, BURLINGTON 1 IN BURLINGTON

Batting stars:  Logan Wade was 1-for-4 with a home run.  Chad Christensen was 2-for-4 with a run.  Alex Swim was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Mat Batts pitched 5.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts.  Brian Gilbert struck out two in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk.  Jake Reed pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Sean Newcomb struck out six in five innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk with one strikeout.  Brandon Bayardi was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Erick Salcedo was 2-for-3.

The game:  There was no score until the fourth, when Christensen, Max Murphy, and Swim led off the inning with singles to give Cedar Rapids a 1-0 lead.  The Kernels could do no more, however, and with two out in the sixth, Kody Eaves singles, stole second, and scored on a Bayardi single.  Wade put Cedar Rapids back on top in the eighth with a one-out home run.  Burlington opened the bottom of the eighth with two singles, the second a bunt that led to a disputed call at first base and the ejection of Kernels manager Jake Mauer.  He wasn't around, then, to see Cedar Rapids work out of the jam with a pickoff and a double play.  Two singles opened the Bees ninth as well, but a strikeout and another double play ended the game.

Of note:  Jonatan Hinojosa was 1-for-4.  Murphy was 1-for-4.

Playoff update:  Cedar Rapids and Burlington are tied 1-1 in the best-of-three series.  The series will be decided tonight.  In other series, West Michigan beat Fort Wayne 2-1 to tie that series, Kane County beat Wisconsin 4-3 in 13 innings to sweep that series, and Lake County defeated South Bend 7-2 to sweep that series.

TODAY'S TILTS

6:05  Daytona at Fort Myers

6:30  Cedar Rapids at Burlington

Players of the Week: August 25--September 1, 2014

I know these are late, but having done them all year, I wanted to do the last one, too.  We'll have players of the month for August at some point as well.

ROCHESTER

Position player:  Eric Farris was 9-for-26 with two home runs and two walks.  For the season he hit .280/.316/.356 in 483 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Mark Hamburger made one relief appearance, pitching seven innings.  He gave up no runs on three hits and no walks with six strikeouts.  For the season he was 4-4, 3.79, 1.34 WHIP with 37 strikeouts in 54.2 innings (6 starts, 8 relief appearances).

NEW BRITAIN

Position player:  Kyle Knudson was 6-for-19 with three doubles.  For the season he hit .215/.265/.279 in 247 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Taylor Rogers made two starts, pitching fourteen innings.  He gave up two runs on seven hits and four walks with fifteen strikeouts.  For the season he was 11-6, 3.29, 1.29 WHIP with 113 strikeouts in 145 at-bats.

FORT MYERS

Position player:  Stuart Turner was 8-for-18 with three doubles, two home runs, two walks, and a stolen base.  For the season, he hit .249/.322/.375 in 325 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Ethan Mildren made one start, pitching seven innings.  He gave up no runs on three hits and no walks with two strikeouts.  For the season, he was 3-3, 5.47, 1.52 WHIP with 29 strikeouts in 52.2 innings (10 starts).

CEDAR RAPIDS

Position player:  Jonatan Hinojosa was 10-for-29 with a home run, two walks, and a stolen base.  For the season, he hit .314/.378/.494 in 85 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Lewis Thorpe made two starts, pitching eight innings.  He gave up no runs on four hits and eight walks with twelve strikeouts.  For the season he was 3-2, 3.52, 1.37 WHIP with 80 strikeouts in 71.2 innings (16 starts).

ELIZABETHTON

Position player:  Tyler Kuresa was 7-for-16 with two doubles and seven walks.  For the season he hit .298/.381/.478 in 161 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Keaton Steele appeared in two games, pitching two innings.  He gave up no runs on two his and no walks with three strikeouts.  For the season he was 2-1, 2.93, 1.27 WHIP with 33 strikeouts in 30.2 innings.

GCL TWINS

Position player:  Amaurys Minier was 2-for-6 with a double, a home run, and two walks.  For the season he hit .292/.405/.520 in 171 at-bats.

Pitcher:  Eduardo Del Rosario appeared in one game, pitching three innings.  He gave up no runs on one hit and no walks with one strikeout.  For the season, he was 4-1, 1 save, 3.49, 1.27 WHIP with 25 strikeouts in 28.1 innings (17 relief appearances).

Games of September 3

D. J. Baxendale pitched seven strong innings and Fort Myers got a touchdown in the third to move to the championship round.  Cedar Rapids was blanked and needs to win tonight to stay alive.

FORT MYERS 6, BRADENTON 2 IN FORT MYERS (PLAYOFF GAME 2)

Batting stars:  Travis Harrison was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Dalton Hicks was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk.  Aderlin Mejia was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  D. J. Baxendale pitched seven innings, giving up an unearned run on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts.  Todd Van Steensel pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Jin-De Jhang was 2-for-3 with a run.  Adam Frazier was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

The game:  Frazier opened the scoring with an RBI single in the third.  Fort Myers responded to that run with a half-dozen in the bottom of the third.  An error scored the first run, Mejia singled in the second, Harrison hit a two-run double, and Hicks hit a two-run homer.  That was all the runs the Miracle got, but it was all they would need.  Bradenton did not threaten again until the ninth, when a single, two walks, and a sacrifice fly scored their other run.

Of note:  Max Kepler was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Adam Brett Walker II was 1-for-4.

Playoff update:  Fort Myers wins the series 2-0.  In the other series, Daytona defeated Dunedin 9-4 to win that series 2-0.  Oddly, there will be no day off before the championship series.  The Miracle will host Daytona tonight in the first of the best-of-five series.

BURLINGTON 2, CEDAR RAPIDS 0 IN CEDAR RAPIDS (PLAYOFF GAME 1)

Batting stars:  Alex Swim was 2-for-4.  Max Murphy was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Chih-Wei Hu struck out seven in five shutout innings, giving up four hits and a walk.  Dallas Gallant retired all six batters he faced in 2.1 perfect innings, striking out four of them.

Opposition stars:  Victor Alcantara pitched six shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Eric Aguilera was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Brian Loconsole struck out five in two shutout innings, allowing one hit.

The game:  Each team got a man to third base in the third inning, but there was no scoring until the sixth, when Aguilera led off the inning with a home run.  Burlington added a run in the seventh when, after the first two men went out, Kody Eaves walked, took second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Brandon Bayardi single.  Cedar Rapids did not get a man past first after that.

Of note:  Jonatan Hinojosa was 1-for-4.  Chad Christensen was 0-for-3 with a walk.  Mitch Garver was 0-for-2.

Playoff update:  Cedar Rapids trails the best-of-three series 1-0.  In the other series, Lake County beat South Bend 6-2, Fort Wayne defeated West Michigan 7-5, and it was Kane County over Wisconsin 7-3.

TODAY'S TILTS

6:05  Daytona (TBA) at Fort Myers (TBA)

6:30  Cedar Rapids (Mat Batts, 2-0, 2.20) at Burlington (TBA)

Games of September 2

Jason Kanzler leads Fort Myers to victory, as they overcome a disastrous inning to take a 1-0 series lead.  Elizabethton is eliminated as Nick Gordon misses the game with a broken finger.  Cedar Rapids opens its playoff series tonight.

FORT MYERS 8, BRADENTON 7 IN BRADENTON (PLAYOFF GAME 1)

Batting stars:  Jason Kanzler was 2-for-3 with a grand slam, a double, and a walk, driving in six.  Dalton Hicks was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring once and driving in one.  Adam Brett Walker II was 0-for-1 with four walks and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Brandon Peterson pitched 2.1 perfect innings with one strikeout.  D. J. Johnson struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a walk.  Zach Jones struck out two in a perfect inning.

Opposition star:  Jordan Steranka was 1-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.

The game:  In the second, an RBI double by Max Kepler and a two-run double by Kanzler gave Fort Myers a 3-0 lead.  It didn't last long, because in the bottom of the second Bradenton put up seven.  The Miracle made three errors in the inning, so all seven runs were unearned.  There was a man on first with two out, but then came an error, a double, a single, an error, another error, a walk, and a double.  It looked bad, but Fort Myers came back to score four in the fourth.  They got three walks to start the inning and Kanzler then hit a home run to tie the game at seven.  In the sixth, Travis Harrison hit a one-out double and scored on a single by Hicks.  Apart from the second, the only Marauders threat came in the eighth, when a single and a walk put men on first and second with one out.  A double play ended the inning.

Of note:  Aderlin Mejia was 0-for-4 with a walk.  Harrison was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring once.  Kepler was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring twice and driving in one.  Starter Brett Lee pitched 1.2 innings, giving up seven unearned runs on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

Playoff series update:  Fort Myers leads the best-of-three series one game to none.

JOHNSON CITY 5, ELIZABETHTON 4 IN ELIZABETHTON (PLAYOFF GAME 3)

Batting stars:  Tyler Kuresa was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Blake Schmit was 2-for-3 with a run.  Tanner English was 2-for-5 with a run.

Pitching star:  Keaton Steele pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Julio Mateo pitched five shutout innings of relief, allowing two hits and two walks with three strikeouts.  Anthony Ray was 1-for-3 with a triple and a walk, driving in two.  Chris Rivera was 1-for-2 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.

The game:  Kuresa hit a two-run homer in the first to give Elizabethton the early lead.  Johnson City came back with three in the second.  All the damage came with two out:  three singles to score one and a two-run triple by Ray to make it 3-2 Cardinals.  In the third, three consecutive singles loaded the bases for the Twins and an error put Elizabethton back on top 4-3.  For a while it looked like that might be enough, but in the sixth, two singles, a productive out, and a sacrifice fly tied the score.  In the seventh, a walk and two singles loaded the bases for Johnson City and a wild pitch brought home the go-ahead run.  After the third inning, the Twins only twice got a man past first base.  In the fourth, Jeremias Pineda walked, stole second, and reached third on a fly ball with two out.  In the seventh, Tanner English singled and stole second, again getting there with two out.

Of note:  Trey Vavra was 1-for-4 with a run.  Jorge Fernandez was 1-for-4 with an RBI.  Nick Gordon did not play, missing the game with a broken finger.

Playoff series update:  Elizabethton is done, losing the playoff series two games to one.  The visiting team won all three games.

TODAY'S TILTS

6:05  Bradenton (TBA) at Fort Myers (TBA)

6:35  Burlington (TBA) at Cedar Rapids (Chih-Wei Hu, 8-2, 2.15)

Games of September 1

A big inning isn't enough for Elizabethton.  Aaron Hicks and Kris Johnson lead Rochester to victory.  A big day for Jorge Polanco.

ROCHESTER 3, PAWTUCKET 1 IN PAWTUCKET

Batting stars:  Aaron Hicks was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.  Eric Farris was 2-for-3 with an RBI.  Dan Rohlfing was 1-for-2 with a walk and a run.

Pitching stars:  Kris Johnson pitched six innings, giving up a run on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts.  A. J. Achter struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Lester Oliveros pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Ryan Roberts was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once.  Jose Valdez pitched two shutout innings, allowing two hits with one strikeout.

The game:  Chris Colabello singled in a run in the first and a sacrifice fly scored one in the second to make it 2-0.  In the fourth, Roberts doubled and scored on a two-out single by Blake Swihart to make it 2-1.  The Red Wings got the run back in the fifth on a pair of singles and a pair of productive outs.  Pawtucket did not get the tying run on base.

Of note:  Doug Bernier was 1-for-4 with a run.  Colabello was 1-for-4 with an RBI.

NEW BRITAIN 4, NEW HAMPSHIRE 3 IN NEW BRITAIN (13 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Jorge Polanco was 3-for-6 with a double and three RBIs.  Matt Koch was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Stephen Wickens was 2-for-5 with a run.

Pitching stars:  Starter Alex Wimmers struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up one hit.  Daniel Turpen pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  Cole Johnson struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up three hits.

Opposition stars:  Casey Lawrence pitched seven ininngs, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks with two strikeouts.  Sean Ochinko was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer (his second).  K. C. Hobson was 2-for-4 with a double.

The game:  Polanco singled in a run in the first and Koch drove one home with a single in the second to give New Britain a 2-0 lead.  Ochinko hit a two-run homer in the fourth to tie it at two.  It stayed 2-2 through seven.  In the eighth, Kevin Nolan singled in a run to make it 3-2, but the Rock Cats got the run back when Polanco singled in another run.  New Britain loaded the bases with none out in the tenth, but could not score.  New Hampshire led off the thirteenth with two singles, but also could not score.  In the bottom of the thirteenth, Eddie Rosario hit a one-out single and scored from first on a double by Polanco to bring the game and the season to a close.

Of note:  Corey Wimberly was 1-for-6 with a double and a run.  Rosario was 1-for-6 with a run.  Mike Gonzales was 0-for-2.

CEDAR RAPIDS 3, CLINTON 1 IN CLINTON

Batting stars:  Alex Swim was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Jonatan Hinojosa was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run.  J. D. Williams was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Ryan Eades pitched seven innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  Hudson Boyd struck out two in a perfect inning.  Jake Reed pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Kevin McCoy struck out three in three shutout innings, allowing only a walk.  Aaron Brooks pitched three perfect innings with one strikeout.  Nelson Ward was 1-for-3 with a triple and a run.

The game:  Cedar Rapids scored once in the first and got two in the third on a Swim RBI single and a bases-loaded walk.  Clinton's lone run came in the fifth when Ward tripled and scored.  The LumberKings got a man to third with two out in the first, but otherwise did not threaten.  getting only three hits.

Of note:  Chad Christensen was 0-for-3 with a walk.  Mitch Garver was 0-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and a run.  Max Murphy was 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

JOHNSON CITY 10, ELIZABETHTON 9 IN ELIZABETHTON (PLAYOFFS, GAME 2)

Batting stars:  Pat Kelly was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring twice and driving in two.  Tanner English was 1-for-4 with a triple, scoring once and driving in two.  Jorge Fernandez was 3-for-4 with a run.

Pitching star:  Trevor Hildenberger struck out four in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up two walks.

Opposition stars:  Anderson Gerdel struck out three in 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits.  Oscar Mercado was 3-for-5 with a double, scoring three times and driving in three.  Casey Turgeon was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring three times and driving in one.

The game:  Elizabethton made two errors in the first inning, leading to two Johnson City runs.  In the third, Turgeon doubled in one, Mercado singled in another, and two more scored on a ground out and a wild pitch, putting the Cardinals up 6-0.  Meanwhile, the Twins did not get a hit in the first five innings.  They exploded in the sixth, though, sending thirteen men to the plate and scoring nine times.  The inning featured a triple, a double, four singles, three walks, three wild pitches, a passed ball, and a hit batsman and left Elizabethton ahead 9-6.  The lead didn't last long.  In the seventh, three singles loaded the bases, a wild pitch brought home one.  Mercado's two-run double tied it, and Casey Grayson's run-scoring double put Johnson City up 10-9.  And there it stayed.  The Twins got a man to second with one out in the seventh, but their last eight batters were retired.

Of note:  Nick Gordon was 1-for-4 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.  Trey Vavra was 0-for-3 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch, scoring once.  Tyler Kuresa was 1-for-5 with a run and an RBI.  Starter Sam Gibbons pitched three innings, giving up six runs (four earned) on five hits and no walks with one strikeout.

Series update:  The teams are tied 1-1.  The deciding game will be played tonight.

Other series:  Danville defeated Princeton 8-5 to take the series, two games to none.

TODAY'S TILTS

5:30  Fort Myers (TBA) at Bradenton (TBA)

6:00  Johnson City (Matt Pearce, 2-4, 4.20) at Elizabethton (Felix Jorge, 4-2, 2.59)