Games of April 12

Reynaldo Rodriguez had a good day, but no one else did as the Red Wings were swept.  Randy Rosario and Chad Christensen handle things for the Miracle.  Miles Nordgren and Cody Stashak combine for a Cedar Rapids win.

LEHIGH VALLEY 6, ROCHESTER 1 IN ROCHESTER (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

Andrew Knapp's two-run homer in the first gave the IronPigs all the runs they would need and Tommy Joseph's two-run homer in the fifth put the game out of reach.  Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2-for-2 with a walk.  Logan Darnell pitched five innings, surrendering six runs on seven hits and three walks with no strikeouts.

LEHIGH VALLEY 4, ROCHESTER 0 IN ROCHESTER (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

The IronPigs scored one in the second, one in the third, and two in the sixth.  Mark Appel worked 5.2 scoreless innings and Elvis Araujo finished up.  Reynaldo Rodriguez again led the offense with a 2-for-3 game, getting two of the Red Wings' five hits.  David Martinez pitched 6.1 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks with no strikeouts.

JACKSON 4, CHATTANOOGA 3 IN CHATTANOOGA

Leon Landry's RBI single with two out in the eighth broke a 3-3 tie.  The Lookouts put men on first and second with one out in the ninth, but a pair of ground outs ended the game.  Jason Wheeler went six innings, giving up three runs (all unearned) on five hits and no walks with three strikeouts.  Zach Granite was 2-for-5 with a double, the only player on either team with more than one hit.

FORT MYERS 2, BREVARD COUNTY 1 IN FORT MYERS

The second Miracle batter, Chad Christensen, hit a two-run homer, putting the Miracle ahead 2-0 with none out in the first.  That was all they would get, but it was all they needed.  Randy Rosario struck out eight in six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and no walks.  T. J. White was 2-for-4.

CEDAR RAPIDS 7, KANE COUNTY 2 IN KANE COUNTY

Miles Nordgren and Cody Stashak combined to shut down the Cougars offense.  Nordgren went the first five innings, giving up one run on one hit and two walks with two strikeouts.  Stashak got a four-inning save, allowing one run on two hits and one walk with two strikeouts.  The Kernels scored two in the third and two in the fourth and put it away with three in the eighth.  Chris Paul was 2-for-5 with a double to lead the offense.  Rafael P. Valera (the P stands for Pastor) was the starting catcher, meaning he has now played every position on the field at some point in his career.  He was 1-for-2 in throwing out base stealers.

TODAY'S TILTS

10:15  Jackson (Edwin Diaz, 1-0, 0.00) at Chattanooga (D. J. Baxendale, 0-1, 4.50)
11:00  Cedar Rapids (Randy LeBlanc, 1-0, 1.80) at Kane County (Taylor Clarke, 0-0, 2.25)
12:35  Lehigh Valley (David Buchanan) at Rochester (Tyler Duffey, 0-0, 0.00)
6:05  Brevard County (Angel Ventura, 0-0, 0.00) at Fort Myers (Stephen Gonsalves, 0-1, 4.50)

Games of April 11

Twins affiliates combined to match the run total of the big club.  Good pitching by Ryan Eades and Felix Jorge was wasted.  The Kernels took their first loss.

LEHIGH VALLEY AT ROCHESTER

Rained out.

BILOXI 3, CHATTANOOGA 1 IN BILOXI

Garrett Cooper's two-run triple in the seventh snapped a 1-1 tie and carried Biloxi to victory, as the Lookouts concluded their season-opening five-game series with the Shuckers.  Ryan Eades pitched very well, giving up only one run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts.  Daniel Palka led the offense with a 2-for-4 day.

BREVARD COUNTY 2, FORT MYERS 0 IN FORT MYERS

The Manatees scored single runs in the second and fourth.  The Miracle had eight hits, but all were singles.  The batters showed their big-league readiness by striking out ten times while drawing no walks.  Felix Jorge struck out seven in six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk.  T. J. White and Alex Real each went 2-for-4.

KANE COUNTY 9, CEDAR RAPIDS 0 IN KANE COUNTY

The Kernels offense was shut down, as they managed only three singles and a walk.  Dereck Rodriguez pitched well for four innings but had trouble in the fifth and sixth, giving him a final line of six innings, five runs, eight hits and no walks (two hit batsmen, though), with six strikeouts.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:00  Cedar Rapids (Miles Nordgren) at Kane County (Junior Garcia)
4:05  Lehigh Valley (Zach Elfin) at Rochester (Logan Darnell)
Game 2  Lehigh Valley (Mark Appel) at Rochester (David Martinez)
5:15  Jackson (Dylan Unsworth) at Chattanooga (Jason Wheeler, 0-1, 5.40)
6:05  Brevard County (Brandon Woodruff, 0-0, 1.50) at Fort Myers (Randy Rosario)

Games of April 10

Jose Berrios and Adam Brett Walker II lead the Red Wings.  Nick Gordon has a big day in a Fort Myers loss.  The Kernels stay unbeaten.

ROCHESTER 4, SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 1 IN ROCHESTER

A two-run single by Buck Britton capped a three-run third that put the Red Wings up 3-1 and provided all the runs they needed.  Jose Berrios struck out nine in five innings, allowing just one run on three hits and four walks.  Alex Meyer then came in to strike out four in four shutout innings, giving up three hits and two walks.  Adam Brett Walker II led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a double.  Ex-Twin Anthony Swarzak started for the RailRiders and took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks with one strikeout.  Ex-Twin Chris Parmelee is also with S/WB, and went 0-for-3 with a walk.

BILOXI 8, CHATTANOOGA 5 IN BILOXI

The Lookouts scored four in the seventh to go ahead 5-2, only to see the Shuckers put up five in the eighth to take the lead for good.  The big inning came against Mike Strong, who gave up all five runs on four hits and a walk in just two-thirds of an inning.  It spoiled a good performance by starter Aaron Slegers, who went six innings and allowed two runs on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts.  Zach Granite was 3-for-5 and Travis Harrison went 2-for-2 with a home run, a double, and a walk.

BRADENTON 4, FORT MYERS 3 IN BRADENTON (10 INNINGS)

Chase Simpson circled the bases on a triple-plus error in the ninth to tie the score and an RBI single by Connor Joe, whose name seems to be backwards, gave the Marauders the victory.  Keaton Steele pitched well for the Miracle, going 5.2 innings and giving up one run on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts.  Nick Gordon had a big day, going 4-for-6 with three doubles, and Alex Real was 3-for-3 with a double and a walk.

CEDAR RAPIDS 3, QUAD CITIES 2 IN QUAD CITIES (10 INNINGS)

Each team scored once in the sixth and once in the ninth before Chris Paul delivered an RBI single for the Kernels in the tenth.  It looked like the River Bandits might tie it again in the bottom of the tenth, as they opened the inning with two singles, but a double play and a strikeout ended the game.  Paul was 4-for-5 on the day and LaMonte Wade went 2-for-3 with a triple.  Sam Clay struck out seven in six innings, allowing only an unearned run on five hits and two walks.

TODAY'S TILTS

5:35  Lehigh Valley (Zach Elfin) at Rochester (Logan Darnell)
6:05  Brevard County (Bubba Derby) at Fort Myers (Randy Rosario)
6:30  Cedar Rapids (Dereck Rodriguez) at Kane County (Justin Donatella)
6:40  Chattanooga (Ryan Eades) at Biloxi (Jorge Ortega)

Games of April 9

A sweep for Twins affiliates, as the Lookouts get their first win and the Kernels remain unbeaten.  A strong debut for Tyler Jay.

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE AT ROCHESTER

Rained out.

CHATTANOOGA 9, BILOXI 5 IN BILOXI

A six-run third overcame a 2-0 deficit and propelled the Lookouts into the win column for the first time this year.  Joe Maloney capped the rally with a two-run double.  Levi Michael was 3-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs.  Stuart Turner was also 3-for-5.  David Hurlbut pitched five innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

FORT MYERS 5, BRADENTON 1 IN BRADENTON

Pitching was the story here.  Tyler Jay struck out seven  in five innings, giving up one run on three hits and three walks.  Todd Van Steensel and Luke Bard each pitched two hitless innings of relief, although Van Steensel issued three walks.  T. J. White was 2-for-4 to lead the offense.

CEDAR RAPIDS 6, QUAD CITIES 2 IN QUAD CITIES

The Kernels scored one in the first and never trailed as they remained unbeaten at 3-0.  Sam Gibbons pitched five innings, allowing one run on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts.  Logan Lombana pitched three innings of relief, giving up one run on one hit and no walks with two strikeouts.  The Kernels had only five hits but drew seven walks.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:00  Fort Myers at Bradenton (Yeudy Garcia)
12:35  Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Anthony Swarzak) at Rochester (Jose Berrios)
1:10  Chattanooga (Aaron Slegers) at Biloxi (Wei-Chung Wang)
1:15  Cedar Rapids (Sam Clay) at Quad Cities (Matt Bower)

Games of April 7-8

Our first report of the season!

GAMES OF APRIL 7

ROCHESTER 3, SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 0 IN SCRANTON

It was actually suspended after four innings and finished April 8.  The Red Wings scored single runs in the first, sixth, and eighth.  Jorge Polanco led the way, going 3-for-4 with two triples.  Kennys Vargas was 2-for-3 and Adam Brett Walker II (they're just listing his as Adam Walker this year, but to me he'll always be Adam Brett Walker II) hit a home run.  Tyler Duffey pitched four shutout innings before the suspension, giving up two hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

BILOXI 4, CHATTANOOGA 0 IN BILOXI

Biloxi scored three in the first and that was all they needed.  The Lookouts had only three hits.  Jason Wheeler struck out five in five innings but gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk.

BRADENTON 3, FORT MYERS 1 IN FORT MYERS

Again, Bradenton scored three in the first and that was all they needed.  Tanner English was 1-for-2 with two walks and scored the only Miracle run.  Stephen Gonsalves pitched well after the first inning, striking out six in six innings and allowing three runs on six hits and no walks.

CEDAR RAPIDS 12, QUAD CITIES 4 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

The Kernels already led 6-2 when a six-run eighth put the game out of reach.  Chris Paul was 3-for-4 with a triple.  A. J. Murray was 2-for-5 with a home run.  Randy LeBlanc pitched five innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

GAMES OF APRIL 8

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 7, ROCHESTER 2 IN SCRANTON (7 INNINGS)

This one was played after the completion of the suspended game.  The Red Wings took a 2-0 lead in the second and still led 2-1 going to the bottom of the sixth, but S/WB scored six in the sixth to take control.  Most of the damage came off Loek Van Mil, who surrendered four runs (three earned) in just two-thirds of an inning before leaving the game after taking a line drive off his leg.  Pat Dean had pitched well for five innings before giving up hits to the first two batters of the sixth, leaving his final line three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk with six strikeouts.  Buck Britton was 2-for-3 with a double to lead the Rochester offense.

BILOXI 6, CHATTANOOGA 2 IN BILOXI

The Shuckers again scored three runs in the first inning and it again was all they needed.  The Lookouts closed to 3-2 in the top of the seventh, but Biloxi got on in the bottom of the seventh and two in the eighth to put it out of reach.  Chattanooga had only four hits, one of them a Mitch Garver homer.  The starter again pitched well after the first inning, with D. J. Baxendale giving up three runs on six hits and no walks with five strikeouts.

FORT MYERS 3, BRADENTON 2 IN FORT MYERS

Ryan Walker's RBI single finished a two-run seventh that overcame a 2-1 deficit and carried the Miracle to victory.  Kohl Stewart gave up a two-run homer in the fifth but that was about it, as he was charged with two runs on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in six innings.  Walker went 2-for-2 with a walk and Alex Real was 2-for-3.

CEDAR RAPIDS 6, QUAD CITIES 2 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

It was deuces wild, as the Kernels got two in the second and two in the third and put it away with two in the seventh.  Max Murphy was 2-for-4 with a triple to lead the offense.  Andro Cutura struck out eight in five innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks.

2016 Twins Minor League Preview

A quick look at the Twins' full-season minor league teams.  Minor league rosters were not complete when this was put together, so it's possible some things have changed.

ROCHESTER RED WINGS

Manager:  Mike Quade

Coaches:  Chad Allen, Stu Cliburn

Notable Pitchers:  Jose Berrios, Logan Darnell, Pat Dean, Tyler Duffey, Taylor Rogers, Loek van Mil.

Notable position players:  James Beresford, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, Reynaldo Rodriguez, Kennys Vargas, Adam Brett Walker II.

Stadium:  Frontier Field

CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS

Manager:  Doug Mientkiewicz

Coaches:  Tommy Watkins, Ivan Arteaga

Notable pitchers:  D. J. Baxendale, Nick Burdi, Brett Lee, Mason Melotakis, Aaron Slegers, Alex Wimmers.

Notable position players:  Niko Goodrum, D. J. Hicks, Travis Harrison, Levi Michael, Stuart Turner, Stephen Wickens.

Stadium:  AT&T Field

FORT MYERS MIRACLE

Manager:  Jeff Smith

Coaches:  Jim Dwyer, Henry Bonilla

Notable pitchers:  Stephen Gonsalves, Trevor Hildenberger, Tyler Jay, Felix Jorge, Kohl Stewart, Todd Van Steensel.

Notable position players:  Austin Diemer, Tanner English, Nick Gordon, Alex Swim, Trey Vavra, Logan Wade.

Stadium:  Hammond Stadium

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS

Manager:  Jake Mauer

Coaches:  J. P. Martinez, Brian Dinkelman

Notable pitchers:  Michael Cederoth, John Curtiss, Sam Gibbons, Kuo Hua Lo, Dereck Rodriguez, Michael Theofanopolous.

Notable position players:  Luis Arraez, Christian Cavaness, Max Murphy, Jermaine Palacios, Rafael P. Valera, LaMonte Wade.

Stadium:  Perfect Game Field

TODAY'S TILTS

6:05  Bradenton (Alex McRae) at Fort Myers
6:05  Rochester at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
6:35  Quad Cities at Cedar Rapids
6:40  Chattanooga at Biloxi (Josh Hader)

A Word From Your Author

Sadly, this year I will not be able to provide minor league coverage that is as comprehensive as the last few years.  I say "sadly" for my benefit more than yours.  I really have enjoyed doing it, and would like to be able to continue, but I simply don't have as much time as I used to have.

That does not mean I'm abandoning the field.  I will provide daily recaps whenever I can.  There will be some days when I can't--whether I'll try to make those games up depends on how much time I have.  The recaps will probably be shorter than in recent years.  I also will not be doing players of the week or players of the month any more, because I simply don't have the time to do them.

Further complicating this is that I'm going out of town Thursday morning and won't be able to update anything until at least Saturday.  Given what I have to do when I get home, it may well be Monday before I publish anything here.  Again, I may or may not try to catch up on the games I missed, depending on how many I miss and how much time I have when I get back.

So, I'll do what I can.  Thanks for reading.  Go Twins!