Games of August 23

A bad day for Twins' playoff hopes:  The Red Wings blow a big lead late.  Elizabethton drops a game in extra innings.  The GCL Twins are on the brink of elimination.

INDIANAPOLIS 7, ROCHESTER 6 IN ROCHESTER

Batting stars:  Eric Farris was 3-for-4 and scored once.  James Beresford was 3-for-5 and scored once.  Jeff Clement was 2-for-5 with a double and a two-run homer, his sixteenth.

Pitching star:  Scott Diamond pitched eight innings, giving up an unearned run on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Alex Presley was 3-for-5 and scored twice.  Lucas May was 2-for-4 with a grand slam.  Matt Hague was 2-for-5 and scored once.

Key inning:  The ninth.  The Indians trailed 6-1.  Edgar Ibarra came in to start the inning.  Hague led off with a single and Jared Goedert hit a one-out single.  Jerry Sands walked to load the bases and Shairon Martis came in to pitch.  Chase D'Arnaud singled in one run and May hit a grand slam to tie the score.  Unfortunately, that did not kill the rally.  Presley and Robert Andino singled to put runners on the corners and a sacrifice fly score the go-ahead run.  In the bottom of the inning, Beresford led off with a single.  They tying run got as far as third with two out, but there he stayed.

Prospect watch:  Eduardo Escobar was 1-for-5 with a walk and an RBI.  Chris Parmelee was 3-for-5 and scored once.  Josmil Pinto was 2-for-4 with a double and scored once.

Pennant race update:  The Red Wings remain a half-game behind Pawtucket.  Their lead over Norfolk in the wild card race is down to one and a half games.

BOWIE 7, NEW BRITAIN 6 IN BOWIE

Batting stars:  Eddie Rosario was 5-for-5 with two doubles and a home run, (his fourth) driving in five.  Daniel Ortiz was 2-for-5 with a home run (his twelfth), scoring twice.  Danny Santana was 2-for-5.

Pitching star:  Daniel Turpen pitched two perfect innings with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Seth Loman was 2-for-4 and scored once.  Mike Wright pitched six innings, allowing two runs on nine hits and one walk with five strikeouts.

Key inning:  The ninth.  The score was tied at six, as the Baysox' 6-1 lead had been eliminated.  Matt Hauser, in his second inning of work, issued a walk to Brandon Waring, who was sacrificed to second.  Ryan O'Rourke came in and issued a walk, a wild pitch, and an intentional walk to load the bases.  A force at home made it two out and brought in Dakota Watts.  He issued the fourth walk of the inning to end the game.

Prospect watch:  Miguel Sano was 1-for-5.

Pennant race update:  The Rock Cats are 8.5 games behind in the wild card race.  Their elimination number is three.

FORT MYERS 9, ST. LUCIE 8 IN FORT MYERS (GAME 1--9 INNINGS--SCHEDULED 7 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Mike Kvasnicka was 3-for-4 with a walk and a home run (his eighth), driving in three.  Levi Michael was 3-for-4 with a home run, scoring twice and driving in two.  Byron Buxton was 2-for-3 with two walks and a triple, scoring twice.

Pitching star:  Tyler Jones pitched a scoreless inning, giving up no hits and two walks with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Ryan Sandoval was 2-for-3 with a walk and a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Charley Thurber was 2-for-3 with two walks and an RBI.  Kyle Johnson was 2-for-5 and scored once.

Key inning:  The ninth.  It had been tied 5-5 after six, 7-7 after seven, and 8-8 after eight.  In the top of the ninth, the Mets had runners on second and third with one out and did not score.  In the bottom of the inning, Kennys Vargas doubled and was bunted to third.  Kvasnicka was intentionally walked.  Jhon Goncalves hit a grounder to third.  St. Lucie tried to turn a double play, but the throw to first was too late and the winning run scored.

Prospect watch:  Dalton Hicks was 1-for-3 with a walk and a double, driving in one.  Vargas was 1-for-5 with a double and scored once.

FORT MYERS 3, ST. LUCIE 2 IN FORT MYERS (GAME 2--SCHEDULED 7 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Byron Buxton was 1-for-1 with two walks and scored once.  Matt Koch was 0-for-1 with two walks.  Adam Pettersen was 0-for-1 with two hit-by-pitches.  The Miracle had only three hits.

Pitching stars:  Matthew Summers struck out five in six innings, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks.  Zach Jones pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Yucary De La Cruz was 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs.

Key inning:  The fifth.  The Mets trailed 3-0 and had two out with none on.  A pair of walks and a two-run double by De La Cruz made it 3-2 with the tying run on second.  Summers settled down to strike out Kyle Johnson and end the threat.  St. Lucie did not get another man on base.

Prospect watch:  Dalton Hicks was 1-for-3 with an RBI.  Kennys Vargas was 0-for-3 with an RBI.  Mike Kvasnicka was 0-for-3.

QUAD CITIES 3, CEDAR RAPIDS 2 IN QUAD CITIES

Batting star:  Adam Brett Walker II was 3-for-4 and scored once.

Pitching stars:  Hudson Boyd pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Brian Gilbert pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Andrew Walter struck out five in 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks.  Teoscar Hernandez was 2-for-4 and scored once.

Key inning:  The seventh.  The score was tied at two.  With one out, Austin Elkins was hit by a pitch, took second on a ground out, and scored on a Jordan Scott single to put the River Bandits in the lead to stay.

Prospect watch:  Max Kepler was 0-for-4 with an RBI.

PULASKI 3, ELIZABETHTON 2 IN PULASKI (11 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Stuart Turner was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, his third.  Mitch Garver was 2-for-5.

Pitching stars:  Felix Jorge struck out eleven in six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks.  Ethan Mildren struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks.

Opposition stars:  Leoncio Munoz struck out three in three shutout innings, allowing no hits and no walks.  Jeffrey Zimmerman was 3-for-5 with two RBIs.  Aaron Barbosa was 2-for-4 with a walk and scored once.

Key inning:  The eleventh.  The score was tied at two.  Luke Guarnaccia got a one-out single and took second on an error.  Following an intentional walk, Gabrial Franca singled to end the game.

Prospect watch:  Zach Larson was 0-for-4 with a walk and scored once.  Zach Granite was 0-for-5.

Pennant race update:  The Twins trail Greeneville by two games for the last playoff spot.  Their elimination number is six.

GCL RED SOX 2, GCL TWINS 0 AT TWINS

Batting stars:  None.  The Twins had only three hits, all singles.

Pitching stars:  Jared Wilson pitched four innings, giving up one run on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts.  Deolis Guerra pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.  Jose Abreu pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Jake Drehoff started and pitched three perfect innings with three strikeouts.  Pat Goetze pitched two perfect innings with two strikeouts.  Alixon Suarez was 1-for-2 with a walk and a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Key inning:  The fourth.  It was a scoreless tie.  Jordan Austin and Wendell Rijo opened the inning with singles.  They were still on first and second with two out, but Suarez hit an RBI double to give the Red Sox the only run they would need.

Prospect watch:  Alex Swim was 0-for-3 with a walk.  Adonis Pacheco was 1-for-3.

Pennant race update:  The GCL Twins dropped to four games behind the Red Sox.  Their elimination number is two.

DSL PADRES 2, DSL TWINS 1 AT TWINS

Batting stars:  None.  The Twins had only two hits.

Pitching stars:  Eduardo Del Rosario pitched four shutout innings, giving up no hits and four walks with one strikeout.  Sebastian Perez pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and one walk with one strikeout.  Randolph Perez pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Emmanuel Ramos struck out four in four shutout innings, allowing one hit and on e walk.  Jhonathan Carillo pitched four innings, allowing one run on one hit and two walks with three strikeouts.  Wilfri De La Cruz was 2-for-4 and scored once.

Key inning:  The eighth.  The Padres trailed 1-0.  With two out and none on, De La Cruz singled, Ronaldo Contreras walked, and Cristian Munoz drove them both home with a double.  The runs came off Williams Ramirez in his second inning.

Prospect watch:  Ariel Montesino was 0-for-3 with a walk.

Pennant race update:  The DSL season is concluded.  The Twins finished with a record of 36-33.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:00  GCL Red Sox at GCL Twins

5:05  St. Lucie (Octavio Acosta, no record) at Fort Myers (David Hurlbut, 0-0, 6.75)

5:35  New Britain (TBA) at Bowie (Jake Pettit, 6-5, 4.69)

6:00  Elizabethton (Yorman Landa, 3-4, 2.68) at Pulaski (Noel De La Cruz, 3-3, 4.50)

6:05  Indianapolis (Andy Oliver, 5-4, 3.99) at Rochester (Logan Darnell, 4-3, 4.33)

6:35  Peoria (Kyle Helisek, 7-5, 3.28) at Cedar Rapids (Josue Montanez, 5-5, 4.46)

Games of August 22

The Red Wings fall out of first.  The E-Twins get a little closer.  A LEW! sighting.

INDIANAPOLIS 6, ROCHESTER 1 IN ROCHESTER

Batting star:  Jeff Clement was 2-for-4 with two doubles.

Pitching star:  Pat Dean pitched five innings, giving up three unearned runs on eight hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Jameson Taillon pitched six innings, allowing one run on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts.  Matt Hague was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.  Alex Presley was 2-for-5 and scored twice.

Key inning:  The first.  Presley and Robert Andino opened the game with singles.  An error loaded the bases.  A strikeout gave the Red Wings some hope, but Andrew Lambo hit a sacrifice fly that plated two on a throwing error.  Russ Canzler singled in a third run to give the Indians a 3-0 lead before Rochester came to bat.

Prospect watch:  Darin Mastroianni was 1-for-5 with a double.  Eduardo Escobar was 0-for-3 with a walk.  Chris Parmelee was 0-for-4.  Josmil Pinto was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pennant race update:  Rochester is now in second place, a half-game behind Pawtucket.  In the wild card race, the Red Wings lead Norfolk by two games.

BOWIE 8, NEW BRITAIN 1 IN BOWIE

Batting stars:  Danny Santana was 2-for-4 with a home run, his second.  Daniel Ortiz was 2-for-3.

Pitching star:  B. J. Hermsen pitched six innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits and no walks with no strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Daniel McCutchen pitched seven innings, allowing one run on three hits and no walks with four strikeouts.  Lew Ford was 2-for-3 with a walk and a home run, scoring three times.  Trayvon Robinson was 3-for-4 with a walk and a double, scoring three times.  The runs came off Blake Martin in his only inning.

Key inning:  The seventh.  The BaySox already led 2-1.  Ford led off with a home run.  Three walks loaded the bases with two out and a wild pitch brought home another run, making it 4-1.

Prospect watch:  Miguel Sano was 0-for-4.  Eddie Rosario was 0-for-4.

Pennant race update:  The Rock Cats trail Trenton by 7.5 games for the last playoff spot.  Their elimination number is five.

FORT MYERS AT CHARLOTTE

Rained out.

QUAD CITIES 7, CEDAR RAPIDS 1 IN QUAD CITIES

Batting stars:  Adam Brett Walker II was II-for-4 with a double and scored once.  Bo Altobelli was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Tyler Grimes was 2-for-4.  The Kernels out-hit the River Bandits 11-9.

Pitching star:  Dallas Gallant pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and no walks with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Chris Devenski struck out eight in seven innings, allowing one run on nine hits with no walks.  Roberto Pena was 2-for-4 and scored once.  Teoscar Hernandez was 2-for-5 and scored twice.

Key inning:  The fifth.  It was a 1-1 tie.  A walk and a single put runners on the corners with one out.  Jordan Scott laid down a bunt single to bring in the go-ahead run.  Anthony Kemp delivered a single-and-error to drive home an insurance run and put runners on second and third.  With two out, a two-run double by Carlos Correa made it 5-1.  Most of the damage came off starter Jose Berrios, with Christian Powell surrendering the double.

Prospect watch:  Berrios pitched 4.2 innings, giving up five runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

ELIZABETHTON 6, PULASKI 3 IN PULASKI

Batting stars:  Ryan Walker was 2-for-5 with an RBI.  Zach Larson was 1-for-3 with a walk and a home run (his first), scoring twice.

Pitching stars:  Aaron Slegers struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up two hits and no walks.  Luke Bard pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up no hits and two walks with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Isaiah Yates was 3-for-5 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in one.  Luke Guarnaccia was 2-for-4 with a double.  Gabriel Franca was 2-for-4 with a walk and scored once.

Key inning:  The fourth.  The Twins trailed 2-1.  With one out, Rory Rhodes walked, Bryan Santy singled, and Larson walked to load the bases.  Romy Jimenez brought home one with an infield single.  Logan Wade hit what should have been a double-play ball, but a throwing error allowed two runs to score and put the Twins in the lead to stay.

Prospect watch:  Zach Granite was 1-for-4 with a walk and scored once.  Jimenez was 1-for-4 with an RBI.  Kuo Hua Lo pitched 4.1 innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

Pennant race update:  Elizabethton trails Greeneville by a game for the last playoff spot.  Their elimination number is eight.

GCL TWINS 7, GCL ORIOLES 4 AT TWINS

Batting stars:  Ryan Tufts was 3-for-4 with a walk and a double, scoring twice.  Ivory Thomas was 2-for-3 with two walks, scoring once and driving in one.  Jason Kanzler was 0-for-1 with two walks.

Pitching stars:  Sam Gibbons pitched five shutout innings, giving up four hits and no walks with two strikeouts.  Josh Guyer pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Oswill Lartiguez was 1-for-3 with a walk and a double, scoring twice and driving in one.

Key inning:  The fifth.  The Twins already led 3-0.  They opened the inning with three walks, but a double play left runners on second and third with two out.  Another walk re-loaded the bases and pinch-hitter Adonis Pacheco singled in two runs to make the score 5-0.

Prospect watch:  Pacheco was 1-for-1 with three RBIs.  Alex Swim was 1-for-4 with a walk and a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Pennant race update:  The Twins trail the Red Sox by three games.  Their elimination number is four.

DSL PADRES 5, DSL TWINS 4 AT TWINS

Batting stars:  Rafael P. Valera was 2-for-3 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  Wilfredy Loranzo started and pitched three innings, giving up one run on one hit and three walks with five strikeouts.  Robener Cabrera pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits and no walks with one strikeout.  Carlos Aponte pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Ramon Reyes pitched two perfect innings with one strikeout.  Jhonatan Pena was 2-for-3 with a double and a hit-by-pitch and scored once.

Key inning:  The eighth.  The Twins led 3-1.  In the top of the inning, Antonio Tovar walked, stole second, and scored on a single by Valera to make it 4-1.  In the bottom of the inning, a single, a hit batsman, and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with one out.  Back-to-back doubles by Wilfri De La Cruz and Jonas Lantigua tied the score and a single by Derwin Pomare put the Padres ahead 5-4.  Most of the damage was done off Jhon Silva, with Elias Villasana giving up the Pomare single.

Prospect watch:  Ariel Montesino was 1-for-4 and scored once.  Frank Encarnacion was 0-for-2 and scored once.  Silva, who had pitched very well all year, gave up four runs on on three hits and a walk with one strikeout in one-third of an inning.

TODAY'S TILTS

10:00  DSL Padres at DSL Twins

11:00  GCL Twins at GCL Red Sox

4:05  St. Lucie (Alex Panteliodis, 6-5, 4.24) at Fort Myers (Jason Wheeler, 8-4, 3.88)

Game 2  St. Lucie (Hansel Robles, 5-3, 4.02) at Fort Myers (Matthew Summers, 4-5, 2.49)

6:00  Elizabethton (Felix Jorge, 2-2, 3.17) at Pulaski (Jose Flores, 6-0, 2.70)

6:05  New Britain (D. J. Baxendale, 5-6, 5.52) at Bowie (Mike Wright, 11-2, 3.19)

6:15  Indianapolis (Brandon Cumpton, 6-7, 3.55) at Rochester (Scott Diamond, 2-0, 2.70)

7:00  Cedar Rapids (Hudson Boyd, 4-4, 5.23) at Quad Cities (Joe Bircher, 3-3, 4.20)

Where They Stand: Through Games of August 21, 2013

Rochester is 72-60, first in the International League North, a half game ahead of Pawtucket.  The Red Wings are three games ahead of Norfolk in the wild card race, should that become an issue.  Rochester lost its most recent game and is 6-4 in its last ten games.

New Britain is 60-70, fifth in the Eastern League Eastern, twenty-one games behind Binghamton.  The Rock Cats are 7.5 games behind Trenton for the last playoff spot.  New Britain's elimination number is six.  The Rock Cats lost their most recent game and are 3-7 in their last ten games.

Fort Myers is 26-30, sixth in the Florida State League South, 7.5 games behind Charlotte.  Overall, the Miracle is 71-52, best in the Florida State League.  Fort Myers has already qualified for the playoffs by winning the first half.  The Miracle has lost five consecutive games and is 2-8 in its last ten games.

Cedar Rapids is 40-18, first in the Midwest League Western, 6.5 games ahead of Quad Cities.  Overall, the Kernels are 80-46, best in the Midwest League.  Cedar Rapids has already qualified for the playoffs by finishing second in the first half.  The Kernels have won eight consecutive games and are 9-1 in their last ten games.

Elizabethton is 32-27, third in the Appalachian League West, two games behind Greeneville.  The Twins are 1.5 games behind Kingsport for the last playoff spot.  Elizabethton's elimination number is nine.  The Twins have won three consecutive games and are 9-1 in their last ten games.

The GCL Twins are 26-27, third in the Gulf Coast League South, three games behind the Red Sox.  Their elimination number is five.  The Twins won their most recent game and are 5-5 in their last ten games.  The GCL season ends one week from today.

The DSL Twins are 36-31, second in the Boca Chica Baseball City, 8.5 games behind the Giants.  They have been eliminated from the playoffs.  The Twins lost their most recent game and are 3-7 in their last ten games.  The DSL season ends tomorrow.

Games of August 21

Cole DeVries does well on his rehab assignment.  The Miracle and the DSL Twins are swept.  Miguel Sulbaran leads the Kernels to victory.

TRENTON 3, NEW BRITAIN 1 IN NEW BRITAIN

Batting stars:  Danny Santana was 2-for-4 with a triple and scored once.  Eddie Rosario was 2-for-4.  Dan Rohlfing was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Cole DeVries pitched six innings, giving up an unearned run on five hits and no walks with three strikeouts.  Matt Hauser pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Shane Greene struck out seven in seven innings, allowing one run on six hit and one walk.  Jose Pirela was 2-for-3 with a walk and scored once.  Ben Gamel was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Key inning:  The eighth.  The score was tied at one.  Ramon Flores led off with a double off Ryan O'Rourke, who was starting his second inning.  Daniel Sattler came in and retired the first two batters he faced.  A walk and a Gamel single made it 2-1 and put runners at the corners.  Gamel then stole second, which led to an insurance run on a throwing error.

Prospect watch:  Miguel Sano did not play.

CHARLOTTE 2, FORT MYERS 1 IN CHARLOTTE (GAME 1--9 INNINGS--SCHEDULED 7 INNINGS)

Batting star:  Byron Buxton was 2-for-3 with a walk and scored once.

Pitching star:  Matt Tomshaw pitched eight innings, giving up one run on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Grayson Garvin pitched four innings, allowing one run on one hit and no walks with one strikeout.  Shay Crawford pitched three shutout innings, allowing two hits and two walks.  Alejandro Segovia was 2-for-4.

Key inning:  The ninth.  The score was tied at one.  Chad Rodgers came in to pitch.  Willie Argo singled and an error put runners on first and second.  A double play put the winning run on third and Drew Vettleson singled to drive him home.

Prospect watch:  Dalton Hicks was 0-for-4.  Kennys Vargas was 0-for-3.  Mike Kvasnicka was 1-for-3.

CHARLOTTE 6, FORT MYERS 0 IN CHARLOTTE (GAME 2--SCHEDULED 7 INNINGS)

Batting star:  Jairo Rodriguez was 1-for-2 with a walk and a double.  The Miracle had only two hits in the game and only six in the doubleheader.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Jared Mortensen pitched a complete game, allowing two hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Richie Shaffer was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Key inning:  The second.  It was a scoreless tie.  With one out, Alejandro Segovian and Jeff Malm hit consecutive doubles to put the Stone Crabs on the board.  A two-out single by Lucas Bailey made it 2-0.

Prospect watch:  Byron Buxton was 0-for-3.  Dalton Hicks was 1-for-3 with a double.  Mike Kvasnicka was 0-for-2 with a walk.

CEDAR RAPIDS 6, QUAD CITIES 1 IN QUAD CITIES

Batting stars:  Mike Gonzales was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Bo Altobelli was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Adam Brett Walker II as II-for-5 and scored once.

Pitching stars:  Miguel Sulbaran struck out six in five innings, giving up an unearned run on five hits and a walk.  Alex Muren pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits and no walks with two strikeouts.  Mason Melotakis pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and no walks with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Richard Rodriguez struck out five in three shutout innings, allowing one hit and one walk.  Rio Ruiz was 2-for-4 with a double.  Jobduan Morales was 2-for-2.

Key inning:  The fourth.  The Kernels already led 1-0.  Travis Harrison led off with a walk and Joel Licon followed with a two-run homer to make it 3-0.

GCL TWINS 3, GCL ORIOLES 0 AT ORIOLES

Batting star:  Brian Navarreto was 2-for-4 with a double and scored once.

Pitching stars:  Fernando Romero struck out five in five innings, giving up four hits and no walks.  Miguel Gonzalez pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and no walks with one strikeout.  Derick Penilla struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and one walk.

Opposition stars:  Kevin Grendell struck out three in two shutout innings, allowing one hit and no walks.  Nick Nowottnik struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit and no walks.  Chance Sicso was 1-for-2 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch.

Key inning:  The fourth.  It was a scoreless tie.  There were two out and none on.  Chad Christensen walked and Navaretto singled and stole second to put runners on second and third.  Jorge Fernandez hit a two-run single to put the Twins in the lead 2-0.

Prospect watch:  Adonis Pacheco was 0-for-4.  Zach Hayden gave up one hit and one walk with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning, and has now begun his pro career with eight scoreless innings.

DSL GIANTS 5, DSL TWINS 3 AT GIANTS  (GAME 1--SCHEDULED 7 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Francis Mateo was 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in one.  Gabriel A. Ynfante was 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Jean Angomas was 2-f0r-2 with two walks and a double, scoring twice and driving in one.  Kleiber Rivas was 1-for-1 with two walks and an RBI.

Key inning:  The fourth.  The Giants led 2-0.  In the top of the inning, Joel Ramirez drew a one-out walk, stole second, and scored on a two-out single by Mateo.  A wild pitch advanced the runner to second, and an RBI single by Ynfante tied the score.  In the bottom of the inning, a walk, a wild pitch, a passed ball, and a ground out scored the go-ahead run for the Giants.  With two out, a walk, an RBI double by Angomas, and an RBI single by Rivas made it 5-2.

Prospect watch:  Dubal Baez was 0-for-0 with two walks.  Frank Encarnacion was 0-for-2.  Ariel Montesino was 0-for-2 with a walk.

DSL GIANTS 10, DSL TWINS 2 AT GIANTS (GAME 2--SCHEDULED 7 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Ariel Montesino was 2-for-4 with a walk and two triples.  Antonio Tovar was 1-for-2 with a walk and scored once.

Pitching star:  Randolph Perez struck out two in two perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Olbis Parra pitched five innings, allowing an unearned run on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Gustavo Cabrera was 2-for-4 with a triple and a home run, scoring twice and driving in three.  Emmanuel Hernandez was 1-for-2 with two walks and a double, scoring twice.

Key inning:  The first.  In a scoreless tie, Nicol Parra singled and Cabrera tripled to put the Giants on the board.  Cabrera then executed what appears to be a straight steal of home to make it 2-0.  A walk, a stolen base-plus-error, and a ground out made it 3-0.

Prospect watch:  Frank Encarnacion was 0-for-3 with a walk.

TODAY'S TILTS

10:00  DSL Twins at DSL Padres

11:00  GCL Orioles at GCL Twins

5:30  Fort Myers (Jason Wheeler, 8-4, 3.88) at Charlotte (TBA)

6:00  Elizabethton (Kuo Hua Lo, 1-1, 2.28) at Pulaski (TBA)

6:05  Indianapolis (Jameson Taillon, 0-1, 4.50) at Rochester (Pat Dean, 1-1, 2.75)

6:05  New Britain at Bowie

7:00  Cedar Rapids (Jose Berrios, 7-5, 3.45) at Quad Cities (Chris Devenski, 2-3, 5.64)

Games of August 20

The Red Wings lead is cut to a game.  Kohl Stewart shines in his Appy League debut.  Deolis Guerra begins a rehab assignment.

LOUISVILLE 5, ROCHESTER 1 IN LOUISVILLE

Batting stars:  None.

Pitching stars:  Edgar Ibarra pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Virgil Vasquez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and no walks with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Greg Reynolds pitched a complete game, allowing one run on five hits and no walks with four strikeouts.  Mike Hessman was 2-for-4 with a walk and two doubles, scoring once.  Billy Hamilton was 2-for-4 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.

Key inning:  The sixth.  The Bats already led 2-1.  Starter P. J. Walters opened the inning with two walks and was replaced by Cody Eppley.  With two out, the runners had only advanced to second and third.  Then, however, Jason Donald tripled in both runners and scored on a Hamilton single to make it 5-1.

Prospect watch:  Eduardo Escobar was 1-for-4.  Chris Parmelee was 1-for-4.  Chris Colabello was 0-for-4.  Josmil Pinto was 1-for-2 with an RBI.  Aaron Hicks was 0-for-3.  P. J. Walters struck out five in five innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on tw0 hits and four walks.

Pennant race update:  Rochester leads Pawtucket by one game in the International League North.  They are three games ahead of Norfolk should they be forced into the wild card race.

NEW BRITAIN 6, TRENTON 4 IN NEW BRITAIN

Batting stars:  Brad Boyer, making his Twins debut, was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Evan Bigley was 1-for-2 with a walk and a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  Trevor May pitched six innings, giving up two runs on two hits and four walks with four strikeouts.  Dakota Watts pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and no walks.

Opposition stars:  Kyle Roller was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, scoring twice.  Ramon Flores was 2-for-4 with a walk and a double.  Mason Williams was 2-for-5 with a triple and an RBI.

Key inning:  The first.  With two out in the top of the inning, Gary Sanchez walked and Roller hit a two-run homer to put the Thunder ahead.  In the bottom of the inning, with one out, Boyer got an infield single, Nate Hanson and Miguel Sano hit back-to-back doubles to tie the score, Eddie Rosario singled, and Bigley hit a sacrifice fly to put the Twins ahead.

Prospect watch:  Sano was 1-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Rosario was 1-for-4.

Pennant race update:  New Britain's elimination number remains eight.

CHARLOTTE 1, FORT MYERS 0 IN FORT MYERS

Batting star:  Byron Buxton was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  Taylor Rogers pitched eight innings, giving up one run on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts.  Zach Jones pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and no walks.

Opposition stars:  Ryan Carpenter pitched four innings, allowing up three hits and no walks.  Lenny Linsky struck out four in three innings, allowing one hit and two walks.  Andrew Bellatti pitched two perfect innings with two strikeouts.

Key inning:  The seventh.  In a scoreless tie, Richie Schaffer led off with a home run for the only run of the game.

Prospect watch:  Dalton Hicks was 1-for-3 with a double.  Kennys Vargas was 0-for-3.  Mike Kvasnicka was 0-for-3.

CEDAR RAPIDS 8, PEORIA 3 IN PEORIA

Batting stars:  Max Kepler was 2-for-5 with two doubles, scoring twice and driving in two.  Niko Goodrum was 2-for-5 and scored twice.  Bo Altobelli was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Brett Lee pitched a perfect inning.  Brandon Bixler struck out two in a perfect inning.  Dallas Gallant struck out three in a perfect perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Brady Adamek struck out two in 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks.

Key inning:  The third.  The Kernels trailed 2-0.  A walk and an error put runners on the corners with one out.  Kepler hit an RBI double, Adam Brett Walker II drove in II with a single, a walk and an error brought home one more, and Altobelli singled to bring in the fifth run of the inning.

Prospect watch:  Walker II was 1-for-4 with a walk, scoring once and driving in II.  Tim Atherton pitched six innings, giving up three runs on five hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

ELIZABETHTON 10, GREENEVILLE 8 IN ELIZABETHTON

Batting stars:  Bryan Haar was 3-for-5 with a double and a home run (his fifth), scoring twice and driving in three.  Logan Wade was 3-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Mitch Garver was 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  Kohl Stewart, in his Appalachian League debut, struck out eight in four shutout innings, giving up one hit and one walk.  Austin Malinowski struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Mark Wilk was 1-for-3 with two walks, scoring once and driving in two.  Brian Holberton was 1-for-3 with two walks, scoring once.  Ariel Ovando was 1-for-3 with a walk and a home run, scoring twice and driving in three.  The Astros had only four hits but drew eleven walks.

Key inning:  The sixth.  Trailing 8-0, the Astros got back into the game with six runs.  Tanner Mendonca opened the inning with three walks and was replaced by Andre Martinez.  A force out, a walk, and an error brought home two.  With two out, the fifth walk of the inning forced home the third run, and Josh Burris came in.  A sixth walk brought home the fourth run, and Wilk singled home two more.  In the bottom of the inning, though, Kelvin Ortiz hit a one-out single and Haar hit a two-run homer to make the score 10-6.

Prospect watch:  Zach Granite was 1-for-5 with two RBIs.  Zach Larson was 1-for-3 with a walk and scored twice.

Pennant race update:  Elizabethton continues to trail Kingsport by 1.5 games for the last playoff spot.

GCL RAYS 4, GCL TWINS 3 AT TWINS

Batting stars:  Jason Kanzler was 2-for-5 with a double and a home run, his second.  Brian Navaretto was 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and an RBI.  Engelb Vielma was 1-for-2 with a walk and a double, scoring twice.

Pitching stars:  Chih-Wei Hu struck out seven in five shutout innings, giving up three hits and no walks.  Tyler Stirewalt struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and one walk.  Deolis Guerra, in his first outing of the year on a rehab assignment, pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and no walks with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Andres Gonzalez pitched four shutout innings of relief, giving up three hits and no walks with two strikeouts.  Cristian Toribio was 1-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch, scoring once.

Key inning:  The seventh.  The Rays trailed 3-0.  Reyson Zoquiel came in to pitch.  He retired two of the first three batters on ground outs, hitting the other.  Jeremy Hadley then singled in one run and a hit batsman and a walk loaded the bases.  Stirewalt came in to pitch, walked in a run, then allowed a two-run single to Nick Ciuffo to put the Rays ahead 4-3.

Prospect watch:  Alex Swim was 0-for-4.  Adonis Pacheco was 0-for-4.

Pennant race update:  The GCL Twins are three games behind the Orioles and Red Sox in the GCL South.  Their elimination number is six.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:30  DSL Giants at DSL Twins

11:00  GCL Twins at GCL Orioles

4:00  Fort Myers at Charlotte

Game 2  Fort Myers at Charlotte

6:05  Trenton (Shane Greene, 6-3, 3.45) at New Britain (Cole DeVries, 0-2, 2.70)

7:00  Cedar Rapids (Miguel Sulbaran, 6-4, 3.26) at Quad Cities (Daniel Minor, 7-2, 3.47)

Games of August 19

Excellent pitching by Liam Hendriks, Tim Shibuya, and Hein Robb.  A circus play gives the E-Twins all the runs they need.  Josmil Pinto hits his first AAA home run.

ROCHESTER 7, LOUISVILLE 0 IN ROCHESTER

Batting stars:  Jermaine Mitchell was 3-for-4 with a double.  Josmil Pinto was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run, his first, scoring twice.  Chris Colabello was 2-for-4 and scored once.

Pitching stars:  Liam Hendriks struck out eight in eight innings, giving up four hits and no walks.  Aaron Thompson pitched one inning, giving up one hit and no walks.

Opposition star:   Nick Christiani struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and no walks.

Key inning:  The first.  It was a scoreless tie.  Darin Mastroianni led off with a single and Chris Parmelee hit a one-out two-run homer to put the Red Wings up 2-0.

Prospect watch:  Mastroianni was 1-for-3 with a walk and scored once.  Parmelee was 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run homer, his third, scoring twice.

Pennant race update:  Rochester leads Pawtucket by two games in the International League North.

TRENTON 10, NEW BRITAIN 3 IN NEW BRITAIN

Batting stars:  Danny Santana was 2-for-3 with a walk and a triple, scoring twice.  Evan Bigley was 2-for-4.  Kyle Knudson was 1-for-2 with two walks and scored once.

Pitching stars:  Pedro Hernandez struck out four in five shutout innings, giving up four hits and a walk.  B. J. Hermsen pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and no walks.

Opposition stars:  Jose Pirela was 5-for-5 with a double and four RBIs.  Gary Sanchez was 2-for-4 with two walks and a double, scoring twice.  Reegie Corona was 2-for-4 with a walk, scoring three times and driving in one.

Key inning:  The seventh.  The Thunder trailed 2-0.  Blake Martin came in to pitch.  A single and a walk put two on with none out, but they were still on second and third with two out.  Daniel Turpen then came in.  A walk loaded the bases.  Kyle Roller singled in one run, Pirela singled in two to put Trenton ahead, and an infield hit by Carmen Angelini made it 4-2.

Prospect watch:  Eddie Rosario was 1-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.  Miguel Sano was 0-for-4.

Pennant race update:  The Rock Cats' tragic number is eight.

CEDAR RAPIDS 2, PEORIA 1 IN PEORIA

Batting stars:  None.  The Kernels had only four hits, and no one had more than one.

Pitching stars:  Tim Shibuya pitched eight innings, giving up one run on five hits and no walks with two strikeouts.  Madison Boer pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Ben O'Shea pitched six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts.  Gerwuins Velazco was 2-for-3.

Key inning:  The ninth.  The Chiefs trailed 2-0.  Charlie Tilson led off with a single and scored on a Jordan Walton double to make it 2-1.  Boer then came in to replace Shibuya.  A ground out advanced the tying run to third, but a popup and another ground out ended the game.

Prospect watch:  Adam Brett Walker II was 0-for-4.

ELIZABETHTON 2, GREENEVILLE 0 IN ELIZABETHTON

Batting stars:  Rory Rhodes was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Bryan Haar was 2-for-4 and scored once.

Pitching stars:  Hein Robb struck out six in six innings, giving up five hits and two walks.  Luke Bard struck out two in 1.2 innings, giving up no hits and one walk.  Carson Goldsmith faced five batters, striking out four and walking one.

Opposition stars:  Frederick Tiburcio struck out six in four innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and no walks.  Krishawn Holley struck out four in three shutout innings, allowing three hits and no walks.  Chase McDonald was 2-for-4 with a double.

Key inning:  The fourth.  It was a scoreless tie.  Haar led off with a single and stole second.  With one out, Rhodes singled to center and ended up circling the bases when there were two throwing errors, a play which must have been entertaining to watch for Twins fans.  Those were the only runs of the game.

Prospect watch:  Zach Granite was 0-for-4.  Zach Larson was 1-for-4 with a double.  Romy Jimenez was 1-for-3.

Pennant race update:  The E-Twins are 1.5 games behind Kingsport the last playoff spot.

GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 1 AT TWINS

Batting star:  Nelson Molina was 2-for-2 and scored once.

Pitching stars:  Alex Meyer started and struck out nine in only 3.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and no walks.  Lewis Thorpe struck out six in 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up no hits and no walks.  Jared Wilson struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up no hits and no walks.

Opposition star:  Riley Unroe was 2-for-4 with a double and a triple.

Key inning:  The ninth.  The Twins led 2-0.  Jose Abreu came in to pitch.  He struck out the first man, but an error was followed by singles by Kean Wong and Alexander Simon to make it 2-1 with men on first and third.  Cristian Toribio then hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.

Prospect watch:  Adonis Pacheco was 0-for-4.

Pennant race update:  The GCL Twins are third, three games behind the GCL Red Sox in the Gulf Coast League South.

DSL TWINS 6, DSL REDS 5 AT TWINS

Batting star:  Rafael P. Valera was 3-for-3 with a walk, scoring twice and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  Ramses Herrera struck out five in four innings, giving up one run on two hits and two walks.  Elias Villasana pitched two perfect innings.  Jhon Silva struck out two in a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Hector Vargas was 2-for-4 and scored once.  Miguel Mendez was 1-for-2 with a walk, scoring once and driving in two.

Key inning:  The eighth.  The Reds had scored four in the seventh to tie the game at five.  Valera singled, went to second on a bunt, took third on a Carlos Martinez single, and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

Prospect watch:  Ariel Montesino was 1-for-4 with an RBI.  Frank Encarnacion was 0-for-3.  Dubal Baez was used as a pinch-hitter and was 0-for-1.

Pennant race update:  The DSL Twins have been eliminated from the playoffs.

TODAY'S TILTS

11:00  GCL Twins at GCL Rays

12:05  Louisville (Greg Reynolds, 11-3, 2.50) at Rochester (P. J. Walters, 6-3, 3.99)

6:00  Greeneville (Francis Ramirez, no record) at Elizabethton (Kohl Stewart, no record)

6:05  Charlotte at Fort Myers

6:05  Trenton (Mikey O'Brien, 7-6, 3.86) at New Britain (Trevor May, 7-9, 4.75)

6:30  Cedar Rapids (Tim Atherton, 6-4, 2.58) at Peoria (Chris Perry, 2-1, 2.41)

Players of the Week: August 12-18, 2013

Rochester:  Eric Fryer was 8-for-19 with four doubles, a home run, and a stolen base.  For the season, he is hitting .217/.344/.354 in 175 at-bats.

New Britain:  Danny Santana was 11-for-28 with two doubles, a walk, and two stolen bases.  For the season, he is hitting .292/.325/.377 with 25 stolen bases in 483 at-bats.

Fort Myers:  Byron Buxton was 13-for-24 with a double, a triple, four walks, and seven stolen bases.  For the season, he is hitting .314/.389/.474 with 16 stolen bases in 175 at-bats.  Jason Wheeler was 0-0, 0.00, 0.95 WHIP with 16 strikeouts in 13.2 innings.  For the season, he is 8-4, 3.88, 1.49 WHIP with 83 strikeouts in 132.1 innings.

Cedar Rapids:  Joel Licon was 8-for-22 with two doubles, a home run, a walk, and a stolen base.  For the season, he is hitting .265/.319/.364 in 151 at-bats.  Josue Montanez was 1-0, 1.84, 1.02 WHIP in 14.2 innings.  For the season, he is 5-5, 4.46, 1.37 WHIP in 76.2 innings.

Elizabethton:  Bryan Haar was 7-for-15 with a double and a stolen base.  For the season, he is hitting .291/.330/.471 in 189 at-bats.  Steven Gonsalves was 1-0, 1.00, 1.00 WHIP with 12 strikeouts in 9 innings.  Those are also his season numbers at Elizabethton.

GCL Twins:  Jason Kanzler was 8-for-20 with two doubles, two triples, a walk, and three stolen bases.  For the season, he is hitting .231/.293/.372 with 9 stolen bases in 121 at-bats.

DSL Twins:  Dubal Baez was 7-for-17 with three doubles, three walks, and four stolen bases.  For the season, he is hitting .337/.444/.399 with 26 stolen bases in 163 at-bats.  Ariel Montesino was 6-for-13 with a double, a home run, three walks, and three stolen bases.  For the season he is hitting .281/.414/.404 with 8 stolen bases in 57 at-bats.