Games of August 30

A good first rehab start for Adalberto Mejia.  The Lookouts are blanked.  Chris Paul hits a big home run.  Big days for Tyler Wells and Royce Lewis.  Akil Baddoo just keeps hitting.  A fine game for Carlos Suniaga.

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 8, ROCHESTER 4 AT SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE

Ji-Man Choi had a two-run double in a four-run fourth that put the RailRiders up 4-0.  Niko Goodrum had a two-run triple in the sixth and scored on a sacrifice fly to cut the margin to 4-3, but S/W-B came back with four more in the seventh to put the game out of reach.  Tyler Austin hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning.

Adalberto Mejia had a successful rehab appearance, striking out four in three shutout innings while giving up two hits and a walk.  He threw 36 pitches.  Jake Reed struck out three in 2.1 scoreless innings to drop his ERA to 1.82.  J. B. Shuck was 2-for-5.

JACKSON 4, CHATTANOOGA 0 IN JACKSON

Galli Cribbs opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second.  The Generals added two in the sixth and got a run-scoring single from Jamie Westbrook in the eighth.  The Lookouts only once got a man as far as third base, putting men on second and third with two out in the fourth inning.

Ryan Eades pitched four innings, giving up one run on four hits and one walk with no strikeouts.  LaMonte Wade was 2-for-4.  Jonathan Rodriguez was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk and is batting .309.

FORT MYERS 4, ST. LUCIE 3 IN ST. LUCIE (10 INNINGS)

Chris Paul hit a three-run homer in the third to put the Miracle ahead 3-0.  The Mets scored two in the fourth and Ian Strom homered in the fifth to tie it 3-3.  St. Lucie had all kinds of chances--they left the bases loaded in the fifth, got a runner thrown out at the plate in the sixth, and hit into a triple play in the seventh.  In the tenth, Tanner English singled, was bunted to second, took third on a passed ball, and scored on a sacrifice fly with what turned out to be the winning run.

Clark Beeker struck out five in five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks.  Alex Robinson pitched two shutout innings.  Tyler Jay struck out two in two shutout innings to keep his ERA at zero with a WHIP of 0.25 and 5 strikeouts in 4 innings.  Michael Kohn pitched a scoreless inning to keep his ERA at zero with 10 strikeouts in 7 innings.  Zander Weil was 2-for-4 with a double.  Paul was 2-for-5 with his fourth home run and three RBIs and is batting .333.

CEDAR RAPIDS 11, BURLINGTON 1 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Brandon Sandoval had an RBI single in the top of the first, but the Kernels responded with seven in the bottom of the first to put the game out of reach early.  Trey Cabbage had a three-run double in the inning.  Travis Blankenhorn hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Cedar Rapids added two more runs in the eighth.

Tyler Watson struck out six in five innings, giving up one run on three hits and three walks.  Max Cordy and Evan Sanders each pitched two shutout innings of relief.  Royce Lewis was 3-for-4 with a triple and a walk, scoring three times.  He is batting .339.  Ben Rortvedt was 3-for-4 with a double.  Jimmy Kerrigan was 2-for-4.  Cabbage was 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.  Blankenhorn was 2-for-5 with a home run (his thirteenth) and five RBIs.  Aaron Whitefield was 2-for-5.

ELIZABETHTON 7, KINGSPORT 3 IN KINGSPORT

Akil Baddoo tripled and scored in the first and Gorge Munoz homered in the third to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.  The Mets got one in the bottom of the third, but RBI singles by Andrew Bechtold and T. J. White in the fourth made it 4-1.  It was 4-2 after five, but the Twins got three in the sixth to put the game out of reach.  Baddoo had another big hit, a two-run double, in the inning.

Ryley Widell struck out eight in four innings, giving up two runs on five hits and four walks.  He threw 80 pitches, his ERA is 2.43, and he has 41 strikeouts in 29.2 innings.  He also has 20 walks in those innings.  Christian Broussard pitched a scoreless inning.  Calvin Faucher pitched a perfect inning to lower his ERA to 1.23 with a WHIP of 0.95 and 13 strikeouts in 7.1 innings.  Rainis Silva was 4-for-4 with a walk and is batting .356.  Munoz was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Baddoo was 2-for-5 with a double and a triple.  His line is .361/.484/.590.  Bechtold was 2-for-5.  Carson Crites was 1-for-5 and is batting .300.

GCL TWINS 3, GCL RAYS 1 AT RAYS

There was no score until the eighth.  An error and a single put men on first and third, a ground out scored one run, and an Alex Robles single brought home the second to put the Twins up 2-0.  The Rays got one back in the bottom of the eighth, but the potential tying run was thrown out trying to score from first on a single.  Another error brought home an insurance run in the ninth.  There were seven errors in the game, four by the Rays and three by the Twins.

Carlos Suniaga pitched six shutout innings, giving up two hits and no walks with two strikeouts.  His ERA is 1.69.  Ricky De La Torre was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Robles was 1-for-4 and is batting .318.  Jean Carlos Arias was 1-for-5 and is batting  .302.

DSL TWINS

No game scheduled.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:00  GCL Rays at GCL Twins
9:30  DSL Dodgers2 at DSL Twins
5:30  Elizabethton at Kingsport (Brian Campusano, 0-2, 3.65)
5:30  Fort Myers (Lewis Thorpe, 3-4, 2.83) at Jupiter (Ben Meyer, 3-3, 2.10)
6:05  Rochester (David Hurlbut, 9-8, 3.55) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Chance Adams, 11-4, 2.63)
6:15  Montgomery (Edwin Fierro, 6-3, 2.96) at Chattanooga
6:35  Burlington (Luis Madero, 1-2, 6.14) at Cedar Rapids (Tyler Wells, 5-3, 2.21)

PLAYOFF PICTURE

Rochester is in first place in the wild card race, leading Lehigh Valley by two games.  Their magic number is four.
Chattanooga qualified for the playoffs by winning the first half.  They are first place in the second half, leading Montgomery by five games.  Their magic number is one.
Fort Myers is in first place in the second half, leading Charlotte by four games.  Their magic number is one.
Cedar Rapids qualified for the playoffs by finishing second in the first half.  They are in third place in the second half, trailing Peoria by one game.
Elizabethton has clinched their division.  They lead both Greeneville and Johnson City by 7.5 games.
The GCL Twins have clinched their division.  They lead the GCL Orioles by 7.5 games.
The DSL Twins won their division and received a first-round bye in the playoffs.  They play the DSL Dodgers2 in the second round, which begins today.

Games of August 29

Hector Santiago has a ways to go in his rehab.  Jonathan Rodriguez hits his twenty-first homer.  One good inning was all the Miracle needed.  Home runs carry the E-Twins.  A big day for Benjamin Rodriguez leads the GCL Twins to a doubleheader split.  All the Twins affiliates remain in position for a wild card spot, with five of them already in.

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 8, ROCHESTER 1 AT SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE

Miguel Andujar tripled and scored to put the RailRiders up 1-0 in the second.  Daniel Palka's RBI single tied it 1-1.  It was all Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after that, though.  Andujar hit a two-run homer in the second and Wilkin Castillo hit a two-run homer in a four-run third that made the score 7-1.  They added one more in the fifth.

Hector Santiago pitched 2.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit and two walks with one strikeout.  He threw 48 pitches.  Nik Turley struck out two in two shutout innings to drop his ERA to 2.66 with 79 strikeouts in 67.2 innings.  Mason Melotakis pitched a scoreless inning.  Matt Hague was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Leonardo Reginatto was 0-for-4 and is batting .300.  Carlos Paulino was 0-for-4 and is batting .083.

CHATTANOOGA 3, JACKSON 1 IN JACKSON

The Generals got on the board with a sacrifice fly in the third, but Jonathan Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in the fourth to put the Lookouts up 2-1.  Jackson put a man on second in the seventh and again in the eighth, but that was as close as they would come.  T. J. White doubled home an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth.

Randy LeBlanc, who had struggled in previous attempts at AA, had an excellent game, pitching 7.1 innings and giving up an unearned run on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  Gabriel Moya pitched 1.2 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 0.80 with a WHIP of 0.80 and 84 strikeouts in 56.1 innings.  White was 3-for-4 with three doubles.  LaMonte Wade was 2-for-3 with a double.  Rodriguez was 1-for-4 with his twenty-first home run and is batting .309.

FORT MYERS 5, ST. LUCIE 3 IN ST. LUCIE

The Mets got single runs in the third and fourth to go up 2-0, but the Miracle responded with a five-run fifth.  St. Lucie made two errors in the inning, which also featured a run-scoring double by Mitchell Kranson and a Zander Weil RBI single.  The Mets got one more in the fifth.  They had the tying run on base in both the fifth and the eighth.

Sean Poppen struck out five in five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk.  Michael Theofanopoulos struck out three in a scoreless inning.  Sam Clay pitched two shutout innings to make his ERA 1.43.  Tom Hackimer pitched a perfect inning to drop his ERA to 2.04 with 41 strikeouts in 35.1 innings.  Weil was 2-for-4 with a double.  Jaylin Davis and Kevin Garcia were each 2-for-4.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS

No game scheduled.

ELIZABETHTON 6, KINGSPORT 3 IN KINGSPORT

Anthony Derocie homered in the second to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.  J. J. Robinson hit a two-run homer in the fourth to put the Twins ahead 2-1.  An error tied it 2-2 in the sixth and Kingsport went back in front 3-2 on a run-scoring triple by Raphael Gladu.  Jose Miranda homered in the eighth to tie it 3-3 and Elizabethton got three in the ninth on Wander Javier's three-run homer to go into the lead to stay.

Randy Dobnak pitched five innings, giving up one run on two hits and no walks with four strikeouts.  His ERA is 2.39 with a WHIP of 0.95.  Jovani Moran struck out five in two shutout innings to lower his ERA to 0.36 with a WHIP of 0.73 and 45 strikeouts in 24.2 innings.  Rainis Silva was 3-for-5 and is batting .330.  Miranda was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run, his eleventh.  Akil Baddoo was 2-for-5 with a double and is batting .359.  Javier was 1-for-5 with a home run (his fourth) and three RBIs and is batting .301.  Robinson's home run was his ninth.

GCL TWINS 3, GCL RAYS 2 AT TWINS (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

The Rays scored in the first, but Benjamin Rodriguez delivered a two-run single in the third that put the Twins up 2-1.  Carlos Vargas' RBI single tied it 2-2 in the top of the sixth, but Rodriguez led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk, was bunted to second, took third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch to give the Twins a 3-2 advantage.  The Rays got a one-out double from Chris Betts in the seventh but could not advance him.

Matt Tracy struck out six in four innings, giving up a run on two hits and no walks.  This was his first GCL appearance, as he is on a rehab assignment from Chattanooga.  Ricky De La Torre and Jared Akins were each 2-for-3.  Alex Robles was 0-for-3 to make his average .314.

GCL RAYS 1, GCL TWINS 0 AT RAYS (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

The game's lone run scored in the third when Alexander Alvarez walked, stole second, went to third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch.  The Twins had plenty of chances, getting at least one man into scoring position in each of innings two through five, but went 0-for-6 with men in scoring position.

Tyler Benninghoff struck out two in two perfect innings.  Zach Featherstone pitched a scoreless inning to make his ERA 2.93.  Alex Robles was 2-for-3 with a double and is batting .320.  Jean Carlos Arias was 0-for-3 and is batting .305.

TODAY'S TILTS

11:00  GCL Twins at GCL Rays
5:30  Elizabethton at Kingsport (Ezequiel Zabaleta, 2-2, 6.19)
5:30  Fort Myers (Clark Beeker, 1-1, 9.00) at St. Lucie
6:05  Chattanooga at Jackson (Ryan Atkinson, 2-2, 4.24)
6:05  Rochester (Adalberto Mejia, 0-1, 3.48) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Domingo German, 6-2, 2.78)
6:35  Burlington (Andrew Vinson, 9-9, 4.31) at Cedar Rapids (Tyler Watson, 0-3, 4.84)

PLAYOFF PICTURE

Rochester is in first place in the wild card race, leading Lehigh Valley by three games.  Their magic number is four.
Chattanooga qualified for the playoffs by winning the first half.  They are in first place in the second half, leading Montgomery by six games.  Their magic number is one.
Fort Myers is in first place in the second half, leading Charlotte by four games.  Their magic number is two.
Cedar Rapids qualified for the playoffs by finishing second in the first half.  They are third in the second half, trailing second-place Peoria by one game.
Elizabethton has clinched the division.  They lead Greeneville and Johnson City each by 6.5 games.
The GCL Twins have clinched the division.  They lead the GCL Orioles and the GCL Rays each by 6.5 games.
The DSL Twins won their division and also won a first-round bye in the playoffs.  It appears that they will start their second-round playoff series Thursday.

Games of August 28

A tough game for Felix jorge.  Early returns on Cody Stashak at AA are good.  Brent Rooker goes deep again.  Cedar Rapids scored four runs despite going 0-for-8 with men in scoring position.  Akil Baddoo doesn't get a hit but raises his OBP anyway.

SCRANTON/WILKES BARRE 5, ROCHESTER 3 AT SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE

The RailRiders scored single runs in each of the first three innings and Cito Culver hit a two-run homer in the fourth to make the score 5-0.  The Red Wings came back with two in the fifth and one in the seventh to make it 5-3.  Rochester only got one baserunner after that, however, a single in the ninth.  The man never got past first base.

Felix Jorge pitched four innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and no walks with two strikeouts.  Yohan Pino struck out two in two shutout innings.  Drew Rucinski retired all four men he faced to drop his ERA to 2.73.  Leonardo Reginatto was 2-for-3 with a walk and is batting .304.

JACKSON 5, CHATTANOOGA 4 IN JACKSON

Andy Wilkins hit a three-run homer in the fourth to put the Lookouts ahead 3-1.  The Generals came back with a three-spot of their own in the sixth to regain the lead at 4-3.  T. J. White had an RBI double in the seventh to tie it at 4-4, but Chattanooga could not take the lead despite having a man on second with none out.  In the bottom of the ninth, two walks and a bunt put men on second and third with one out.  A fly ball made it two down, but Kevin Cron delivered an RBI infield single to end the game.

D. J. Baxendale pitched five innings, giving up a run on six hits and no walks with four strikeouts.  His ERA is 1.62.  Cody Stashak struck out two in two shutout innings to keep his ERA at zero with a WHIP of 0.75 and 7 strikeouts in 4 AA innings.  Wilkins was 2-for-4 with his eleventh home run and three RBIs.  Jonathan Rodriguez was 0-for-3 with a walk and is batting .309.

ST. LUCIE 3, FORT MYERS 2 IN ST. LUCIE

Brent Rooker hit a two-run homer in the first inning, but that was as good as it got for the Miracle.  Wuilmer Becerra singled home a run in the fourth to make it 2-1.  In the fifth, Jacob Zanon hit a two-run double to give the Mets a 3-2 advantage.  Fort Myers had men on first and second in the sixth and on first and third in the seventh, but could not tie the score.

Lewis Thorpe started and pitched a perfect inning.  He was apparently removed at that point to save him for the playoffs, which the Miracle have not clinched a spot for yet.  His ERA is 2.83 with 73 strikeouts in 70 innings.  Lachlan Wells pitched four innings, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts.  Andrew Vasquez pitched two shutout innings to lower his ERA to 1.59 with 49 strikeouts in 34 innings.  Michael Kohn struck out two in a scoreless inning to keep his ERA at zero with 9 strikeouts in 6 innings.  Brandon Lopez was 2-for-5 with a double.  Rooker's home run was his eleventh.  Chris Paul was 0-for-4 and is batting .332.

CEDAR RAPIDS 4, QUAD CITIES 3 IN QUAD CITIES (10 INNINGS)

The Kernels scored one in the top of the first and the River Bandits scored two in the bottom of the first.  There the score stayed until the sixth, when a walk and three wild pitches brought home the tying run.  In the top of the tenth, Aaron Whitefield led off by reaching base on a strikeout/wild pitch.  He took second on a passed ball, went to third on a bunt, and scored on a wild pitch to give Cedar Rapids a 3-2 lead.  Shane Kennedy homered for an insurance run and the Kernels needed it, as Quad Cities scored once in the bottom of the tenth and had the tying run on second with two out.  A foul popup ended the game.  Neither team had a hit with men in scoring position.  Cedar Rapids was 0-for-8 and the River Bandits were 0-for-11.

Bryan Sammons struck out six in four innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks.  Patrick McGuff struck out two in two innings to make his ERA 2.64 with 48 strikeouts in 47.2 innings.  Ryan Mason pitched a scoreless inning to drop his ERA to 1.94.  Colton Davis struck out two in two innings.  Kennedy was 1-for-3 with a home run and two walks and is batting .300.  Royce Lewis was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk and is batting .310.

GREENEVILLE 3, ELIZABETHTON 2 IN GREENEVILLE

The Astros got all three of their runs in the fourth inning, as Frankeny Fernandez had an RBI double and Patrick Mathis had a two-run single.  The Twins stranded nine runners in the first seven innings before scoring two in the eighth on an Andrew Cosgrove double.  For the game, Elizabethton left eleven men on base.

Edwar Colina pitched four innings, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks with one strikeout.  Ricky Ramirez pitched two shutout innings.  Blair Lasko struck out three in two shutout innings.  Akil Baddoo was 0-for-2 with three walks and is batting .357 with an OBP of .490.  Wander Javier was 0-for-5 and is batting .304.  Carson Crites was 1-for-4 and is batting .303.

GCL TWINS AT GCL RAYS

Rained out.

DSL TWINS

No game scheduled.

TODAY'S TILTS

10:00  GCL Rays at GCL Twins
Game 2  GCL Twins at GCL Rays
5:30  Elizabethton at Kingsport (Joe Cavallaro, 3-1, 2.28)
5:30  Fort Myers (Sean Poppen, 2-2, 3.45) at St. Lucie
6:05  Chattanooga at Jackson (Alex Young, 9-8, 3.88)
6:05  Rochester (Hector Santiago, 1-1, 4.24) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Jordan Montgomery, 0-0, 3.00)

PLAYOFF PICTURE

Rochester is in first place in the wild card race, leading Lehigh Valley by three games.  Their magic number is five.
Chattanooga qualified for the playoffs by winning the first half and is in first place in the second half, leading Montgomery by five games.  Their magic number is three.
Fort Myers is in first place in the second half, leading Charlotte by 3.5 games.  Their magic number is four.
Cedar Rapids qualified for the playoffs by finishing second in the first half.  They are in third place in the second half, trailing Peoria for second by one game.
Elizabethton has clinched the division title, leading Greeneville and Johnson City by 5.5 games.
The GCL Twins are in first place, leading the GCL Orioles by 5.5 games.  Their magic number is three.
The DSL Twins qualified for the playoffs and received a first-round bye.

Games of August 27

A fine game for Aaron Slegers.  No offense for the Lookouts.  Akil Baddoo keeps hitting.  The E-Twins clinch their division.

ROCHESTER 4, BUFFALO 3 IN ROCHESTER

The Red Wings trailed 3-1 through five.  Anthony Recker singled in a run in the sixth to make it 3-2.  In the seventh, with a man on first and two out, Daniel Palka circled the bases on a single-plus-error to put Rochester ahead 4-3.  The last seventeen Bison batters were retired.

Aaron Slegers struck out ten in eight innings, giving up three runs on five hits and no walks.  Michael Tonkin pitched a perfect ninth to drop his ERA to 1.79 with 61 strikeouts in 40.1 innings.  Leonardo Reginatto was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk and is batting .300.  Recker was 2-for-4.

JACKSON 3, CHATTANOOGA 0 IN JACKSON

Daniel Lockhard and Emilio Bonifacio both homered in the fifth inning to give the Generals a 2-0 lead.  They added a run in the sixth.  The Lookouts best scoring chance came in the fifth, when two walks and an error loaded the bases, but LaMonte Wade lined into a double play.  Chattanooga had only two hits.

Dereck Rodriguez pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk with three strikeouts.  Randy Rosario struck out two in 1.2 scoreless innings.  Nick Anderson pitched a scoreless inning to lower his ERA to 0.85 with a WHIP of 0.76 and 34 strikeouts in 31.2 innings.  Jonathan Rodriguez was 1-for-4 and is batting .311.

CHARLOTTE AT FORT MYERS

Both ends of a doubleheader were rained out.

QUAD CITIES 9, CEDAR RAPIDS 6 IN QUAD CITIES

Travis Blankenhorn homered in a two-run first and Lewin Diaz had an RBI single in a three-run second that put the Kernels up 5-0.  It looked good, but the River Bandits bounced back with four in the third.  Chuckie Robinson hit a three-run homer and Abraham Toro-Hernandez also homered, cutting the lead to 5-4.  In the fifth, Chas McCormick singled home the tying run and Luis Payano's run-scoring single gave Quad Cities the lead.  It was 7-5 going to the sixth.  Cedar Rapids loaded the bases with none out, but a double play meant they could only score one.  The River Bandits added two in the bottom of the sixth to make it 9-6.  The Kernels brought the tying run up to bat in the seventh and again in the eighth, but did not dent the plate again.

Tyler Beardsley pitched 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits and three walks with one strikeout.  Eduardo Del Rosario struck out two in two shutout innings.  Diaz was 3-for-4 with a walk.  Trey Cabbage was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Jordan Gore was 2-for-5.  Blankenhorn's home run was his twelfth.

ELIZABETHTON 8, GREENEVILLE 2 IN GREENEVILLE

It was scoreless until the fourth, when the Twins scored six times to take control of the game.  Gorge Munoz had a three-run double in the inning.  The Astros got two in the bottom of the fourth but did not get closer than four runs.

Nick Brown pitched six innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  Jared Finkel pitched three shutout innings to make his ERA 2.25.  Munoz was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and three RBIs.  Akil Baddoo was 2-for-4 with a walk and is batting .364.  Rainis Silva was 2-for-5 and is batting .315.  Carson Crites was 1-for-5 and is batting .305.

GCL TWINS

No game scheduled.

DSL TWINS

No game scheduled.  As far as I can tell, the DSL playoffs start today, but the DSL Twins have a first-round bye because they had one of the two best records in the league.  The first round playoff series appear to be best-of-three.

TODAY'S TILTS

11:00  GCL Twins at GCL Rays
5:30  Fort Myers (Randy LeBlanc, 2-2, 2.82) at St. Lucie
6:00  Elizabethton (Edwar Colina, 3-4, 3.09) at Greeneville (Jairo Solis, 1-1, 2.45)
6:05  Chattanooga at Jackson (Frank Duncan, 1-2, 4.66)
6:05  Rochester (Felix Jorge, 0-0, 0.00) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Bryan Mitchell, 2-3, 3.22)
6:35  Cedar Rapids (Bryan Sammons, 2-1, 4.86) at Quad Cities (Patrick Sandoval, 2-2, 4.60)

PLAYOFF PICTURE

Rochester is in first place in the wild card race, leading Lehigh Valley by three games.  Their magic number is six.
Chattanooga qualified for the playoffs by winning the first half.  They are in first place in the second half, leading Montgomery by six games.  Their magic number is three.
Fort Myers is in first place in the second half, leading Charlotte by four games.  Their magic number is four.
Cedar Rapids qualified for the playoffs by finishing second in the second half.  They are in third place in the second half, trailing second place Peoria by a game.
Elizabethton has clinched the division championship, leading Johnson City by 5.5 games.
The GCL Twins are in first place, leading the GCL Orioles by 5.5 games.  Their magic number is three.
The DSL Twins won their division and have a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Games of August 26

Two-out hits carry the Red Wings.  Jonathan Rodriguez hits his twentieth home run.  Tyler Wells pitches a good game.  Akil Baddoo keeps hitting.

ROCHESTER 6, BUFFALO 3 IN ROCHESTER

With two out and none on in the first, the Red Wings got five consecutive singles to take a 3-0 lead.  The Bisons got on the board in the fourth, but Rochester scored two runs on one wild pitch in the fifth to go ahead 5-1.  Buffalo scored single runs in the sixth and seventh to close to 5-3, but the Red Wings got an RBI single from Levi Michael in the ninth to make it 6-3.  The Bisons put their first two men on base in the bottom of the ninth, but a ground out and a double play ended the game.

David Hurlbut pitched 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts.  Jake Reed pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to drop his ERA to 1.98.  J. B. Shuck was 3-for-4.  Leonardo Reginatto was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Michael and Niko Goodrum were each 2-for-4.

CHATTANOOGA 10, JACKSON 2 IN JACKSON

Jonathan Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in a three-run fourth that put the Lookouts ahead 3-1.  The Generals got one in the fifth to make it 3-2, but Chattanooga scored four in the sixth to put the game out of reach.  Andy Wilkins had a two-run homer in the inning.

Zack Littell pitched six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts.  Anthony McIver struck out two in two shutout innings to keep his ERA at zero in four innings with a WHIP of 0.75.  Keaton Steele pitched a scoreless inning.  LaMonte Wade was 3-for-4 with a double and a triple.  Max Murphy was 2-for-4 with a double.  Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with a double and his twentieth home run and is batting .312.  Wilkins' home run was his tenth and he had three RBIs.  Edgar Corcino hit a home run, his fifth.

CHARLOTTE AT FORT MYERS

Wet grounded out.

QUAD CITIES 1, CEDAR RAPIDS 0 IN QUAD CITIES

The game's lone run came in the second on a walk and two singles.  The Kernels twice got a man as far as second base:  in the third Jordan Gore singled and stole second, and in the eighth Ben Rortvedt doubled.  Neither runner advanced to third.

Tyler Wells pitched six innings, giving up one run on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts.  His ERA is 2.21 with 90 strikeouts in 73.1.  Max Cordy struck out three in two shutout innings.  The Kernels had only three hits.  Royce Lewis was 0-for-4 and is batting .315.

ELIZABETHTON 5, GREENEVILLE 2 IN GREENEVILLE

Robert Molina hit a two-run homer in the second and Mark Contreras homered leading off the fourth to put the Twins ahead 3-0.  The Astros got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, but Contreras doubled home a run in the sixth and Akil Baddoo homered in the seventh to make it 5-1.  Greeneville got one in the eighth but did not bring the tying run up to bat.

Brusdar Graterol struck out six in five innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk.  Melvi Acosta struck out four in four innings, giving up one run on four hits and no walks.  Contreras was 2-for-4 with a double and his fourth home run.  Baddoo was 1-for-3 with two walks and his third home run and is batting .358.  Molina's home run was his second.  Wander Javier was 0-for-5 and is batting .315.  Carson Crites was 0-for-4 and is batting .309.  Andrew Bechtold was 1-for-3 with a walk and is batting .300.

GCL TWINS V. GCL RED SOX

Both ends of a doubleheader were rained out.

DSL ANGELS 4, DSL TWINS 3 AT ANGELS

The Angels scored two in the first on a bases-loaded hit batsman and a sacrifice fly.  In the fourth, Yeltsin Encarnacion had an RBI triple and later scored to tie it 2-2.  Miguel De La Cruz had a runs-scoring double in the fifth to give the Angels a 3-2 lead, but the Twins tied it in the seventh when Cesar Salazar singled home a run.  The Angels once again took the lead in the eighth on a Luis Diaz RBI single.  This time the Twins could not tie it, as they went down in order in the ninth.

Fernando Sanchez started and pitched two innings, giving up two runs on two hits and one walk with two strikeouts.  Luciano De La Cruz struck out three in two shutout innings.  Juan Mojica struck out two in two shutout innings.  Salazar was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Encarnacion was 2-for-4 with a triple and is batting .318.  Francisco Martinez was 2-for-4.  Ruben Santana was 0-for-4.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:35  Buffalo at Rochester (Aaron Slegers, 13-4, 3.37)
1:00  Charlotte (Brandon Lawson, 4-5, 4.52) at Fort Myers (Lewis Thorpe, 3-4, 2.87)
Game 2  Charlotte (Eduar Lopez, 9-7, 3.40) at Fort Myers (Randy LeBlanc, 2-2, 2.82)
1:15  Cedar Rapids (Tyler Beardsley, 4-7, 5.16) at Quad Cities (Carlos Sanabria, 4-4, 4.48)
2:05  Chattanooga at Jackson (Brad Keller, 8-9, 5.23)
5:00  Elizabethton (Nick Brown, 2-1, 5.260 at Greeneville (Chad Donato, 1-0, 2.84)

PLAYOFF PICTURE

Rochester is in first place in the wild card race, leading Lehigh Valley by two games.  Their magic number is eight.
Chattanooga qualified for the playoffs by winning the first half and is in first place in the second half, leading Montgomery by seven games.  Their magic number is three.
Fort Myers is in first place in the second half, leading Charlotte by four games.  Their magic number is six.
Cedar Rapids qualified for the playoffs by finishing second in the first half.  They are tied for second with Peoria in the second half.
Elizabethton is in first place, leading Johnson City by 4.5 games.  Their magic number to qualify for the playoffs is five.
The GCL Twins are in first place, leading the GCL Orioles by 5.5 games.  Their magic number is three.
The DSL Twins won their division by five games over the DSL Mets1.  It appears that they will begin their playoffs on Monday.

Games of August 25

Stephen Gonsalves gets back on track.  Gabriel Moya has nothing to learn in Chattanooga.  Cody Stashak makes a successful AA debut.  Tyler Jay makes a successful high-A debut.  Brent Rooker keeps hitting.  Carson Crites and Jose Miranda hit three-run homers.

BUFFALO 2, ROCHESTER 1 IN ROCHESTER (11 INNINGS)

Michael Saunders hit an RBI double in the third to put the Bisons ahead 1-0.  Levi Michael led off the sixth with a home run to tie it 1-1.  The Red Wings nearly won it in the bottom of the ninth, but Matt Hague was thrown out trying to score from first on an Anthony Recker double.  In the eleventh, two singles, a bunt, and a sacrifice fly brought home what turned out to be the winning run.

Stephen Gonsalves got back on track, striking out six in six innings while giving up one run on seven hits and a walk.  Nik Turley pitched two shutout innings to drop his ERA to 2.74 with 77 strikeouts in 65.2 innings.  Michael Tonkin struck out three in two perfect innings to lower his ERA to 1.83 with 60 strikeouts in 39.2 innings.  Recker was 2-for-4 with a double.

CHATTANOOGA 3, MISSISSIPPI 1 IN CHATTANOOGA

The Braves got one in the first and the Lookouts got one in the fifth.  T. J. White broke the 1-1 tie in the eighth with an RBI single.  Max Murphy followed with a run-scoring double to provide an insurance run.  The Braves had men on first and second with one out in the ninth, but a double play ended the game.

Ryan Eades pitched four innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts.  Cody Stashak had a fine AA debut, striking out five in two shutout innings.  Alex Muren struck out two in two shutout innings to make his ERA 1.38.  Gabriel Moya pitched a scoreless inning to drop his ERA to 0.82 with a WHIP of 0.80 and 83 strikeouts in 54.2 innings.  Jonathan Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with a double and is batting .311.  White was 2-for-3 with a double.  Murphy was 2-for-4 with a double.  Brian Olson was 1-for-3 and is batting .333.

FORT MYERS 14, CHARLOTTE 2 IN FORT MYERS

Zander Weil had a two-run double and Jaylin Davis a two-run homer in a six-run first inning that put the Miracle ahead 6-0.  Fort Myers scored six more in the fourth, with Tanner English hitting a rally-killing grand slam, to make the score 12-0.  It was 14-0 before the Stone Crabs got on the board with two in the eighth.

Brady Anderson struck out four in three shutout innings, giving up one hit and no walks.  Tyler Jay struck out three in two shutout innings in his Class A debut.  Tom Hackimer struck out four in two shutout innings to lower his ERA to 2.10 with 40 strikeouts in 34.1 innings.  Michael Kohn struck out two in a scoreless inning to keep his ERA at zero with a WHIP of 0.80 and 7 strikeouts in 5 innings.  Brent Rooker was 3-for-4 with a home run (his tenth) and three runs.  Davis was 3-for-5 with two home runs (his second and third) and three RBIs.  Weil was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.  English was 2-for-4 with a home run (his eighth), a walk, and five RBIs.

CEDAR RAPIDS 6, QUAD CITIES 2 IN QUAD CITIES

The Kernels got two in the second and Lewin Diaz homered in the third to give Cedar Rapids a 3-0 lead.  The River Bandits twice closed to within two, 3-1 and 4-2, but that was as close as they would come.  Jimmy Kerrigan added two in the ninth with a two-run single.

Charlie Barnes pitched four innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts.  Logan Lombana pitched two scoreless innings to make his ERA 2.55.  Hector Lujan pitched a scoreless inning to drop his ERA to 1.41 with a WHIP of 0.92 and 51 strikeouts in 51 innings.  Kerrigan was 2-for-5.  Diaz' home run was his twelfth.  Travis Blankenhorn hit a home run, his eleventh.  Royce Lewis was 1-for-3 with a walk and is batting .340.

ELIZABETHTON 12, BRISTOL 1 IN ELIZABETHTON

Carson Crites hit a three-run homer in the third to put the Twins ahead 4-0.  They then scored five in the fourth to put the game out of reach.  Ariel Montesino homered and Jose Miranda hit a three-run homer in the inning.  The Pirates scored their lone run in the fifth.

Ryley Widell struck out six in four innings, giving up one run on three hits and six walks.  His ERA is 2.10 with 33 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.  Moises Gomez struck out seven in five shutout innings. Crites was 4-for-5 with a home run (his fourth) and three RBIs and is batting .318.  Montesino was 3-for-5 with a double and a home run (his third), driving in four.  Akil Baddoo was 2-for-3 with two walks and is batting .359.  Wander Javier was 2-for-5 and is batting .326.

GCL RED SOX AT GCL TWINS

Rained out.

DSL TWINS 3, DSL ANGELS 2 AT TWINS

The Twins got one in the first and two in the second and held on.  The Angels scored single runs in the third and sixth.  The Angels had just one hit after the sixth inning.

Luis Gil started and pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and no walks with one strikeout.  His ERA is 2.59 with 49 strikeouts in 41.2 innings.  Yeremi Garcia pitched a perfect inning.  Frandy Torres pitched two shutout innings to drop his ERA to 0.72.  Alberoni Nunez was 0-for-3 and is batting .352.  Ruben Santana was 0-for-3 with a walk and is batting .348.  Yeltsin Encarnacion was 1-for-3 and is batting .313.  Estamy Urena was 0-for-4 and is batting .305.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:30  DSL Twins at DSL Angels
5:00  Elizabethton at Greeneville (Hansel Paulino, 4-1, 2.79)
5:05  Buffalo at Rochester (David Hurlbut, 8-8, 3.56)
5:05  Charlotte (Brandon Lawson, 4-5, 4.52) at Fort Myers (Lewis Thorpe, 3-4, 2.87)
6:05  Chattanooga at Jackson (Joey Payamps, 6-5, 4.43)
6:35  Cedar Rapids (Tyler Wells, 5-2, 2.27) at Quad Cities (Cristian Javier, 1-0, 2.93)

*The GCL Twins/Red Sox doubleheader has already been rained out.

**The Dominican Summer League regular season ends today.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

Rochester is in first place in the wild card race, leading Lehigh Valley by two games.  Their magic number is nine.
Chattanooga qualified for the playoffs by winning the first half.  They are in first place in the second half, leading Montgomery by six games.  Their magic number is five.
Fort Myers is in first place in the second half, leading Charlotte by four games.  Their magic number is six.
Cedar Rapids qualified for the playoffs by finishing second in the first half.  They are in second place in the second half, leading Peoria by one game.  Their magic number is nine.
Elizabethton is in first place, leading Johnson City by 3.5 games.  Their magic number for getting into the playoffs is six.
The GCL Twins are in first place, leading the GCL Orioles by 5.5 games.  Their magic number is three.
The DSL Twins are in first place and have clinched their division.  They lead the DSL Mets1 by six games.