Twins top O's on wild pitch

GCL Orioles 6 at GCL Twins 7

W: K. Mota (2-0, 1.21); L: J. Reyes (0-3, 3.32)
HR: None.

The GCL Twins scored in the bottom of the 10th inning to pick up a 7-6 win over the GCL Orioles on Thursday at the Lee County Sportsplex.

The Orioles jumped on Jean Mijares early when Garabez Rosa doubling with one out on the board. Luis Ramirez flew out, but Jerome Hoes and Edinho Meyer both took walks to load the bags. Omar Casamayor doubled to clean them off. Casamayor would try to stretch it for a triple however and was taken out at 3rd on the throw, letting the Twins have a turn at the plate.

Anderson Hidalgo took a walk then stole 2nd base. A throwing error by catcher Janensis Guerrero advanced him to 3rd. Danny Ortiz would take a walk before Mike Gonzalez doubled to plate Hidalgo. Jae-Hyung Jang struck out and Reggie Wiliams popped out to end the inning.

Hyun-wook Choi singled out to right, then stole second. Wang-Wei Lin, newly reactivated off the DL, took a walk. Juan Sanchez singled to fill the bases. Hicks would pop out before Hidalgo sacrificed in Wook to make it 3-2 O's.

The Twins would tie it up in the 3rd with Mike Gonzales singling. J.J. would reach on a force attempt and Williams single again saw three men on. Wook sacrificed Gonzales in this time for the equalizer.

Miguel Achil replaced Donis De La Cruz for the bottom of the 4th, and got Hicks and Hidalgo to ground out before allowing a line drive single to center. Ortiz then stole 2nd, and would be doubled in by Gonzales to put the Twins on top. Jakub Hajtmar would replace Gonzales as a pitch runner, and J.J. singled Hajtmar in. A wild pitch ty Achil moved J.J. to 3rd, but Williams would ground out to end the inning.

Mijares would hit Xavier Avery with a pitch in the top of the 5th. After Rosa flew out and Ramirez popped out, Avery stole 2nd. Hoes then singled to drive Avery in, to put the Orioles down by only one.

Marcus Moore replaced Achil in the bottom of the sixth, and Hicks singled. Hidalgo doubled to drive in Hicks restoring the two run lead.

The top of the eighth saw Ramirez and Hoes hit back-to-back singles. Meyers' sac-bunt moved the pair and a single to Casamayor scored Ramierz. Grolman Gonzalez sacrificed in Hoes to tie up the game.

Kelvin Mota would replace Tonkin for the top of the ninth. Despite allowing singles to Avery and Rosa, he'd manged to keep the O's off the board. Neither could the Twins capitalize on Hidalgo's walk in the bottom half of the stanza, so the game went into extra innings.

Edinho Meyer singled in the top of the 10th, but Mota took Casamayor out on strikes and got Gonzalez and Guerro to ground out to send the Twins to the plate.

Jean Carlos Reyes took over the pitching for the Orioles and allowed a lead off single to Williams. Wook's sac-bunt moved him to 2nd and a wild pitch by Reyes got him to 3rd. Reyes then unleashed a second wild pitch, putting Williams over the plate and handing the Twins the win.

Gonzales finished up 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, a run and a pair of RBIs. Williams was 2-for-5 with a run. Wook and Sanchez were both 1-for-3, Wook with a run and a RBI and Sanchez with a walk.

Hidalgo was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, a double, a run and two runs scored. Ortiz was 1-for-4 with a walk and a run and J.J. and Hicks were each 1-for-5, J.J. with a RBI, Hicks with a run.

The Twins face the Reds on Friday at the Lee County Sportsplex for a noon game; they travel to the City of Palms complex on Saturday for a 10:00 AM contest.

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DSL Twins 6 at DSL Diamondbacks/Reds 1

W: A. Salcedo (4-4, 1.42); L: T. Gutierrez (1-8, 4.19)
HR: None.

The DSL Twins knocked out six run on 10 hits to down the DSL Diamondbacks/Reds on the road Thursday morning.

Henry Rodriguez tripled in the bottom of the first for the Dia-Reds, and came home one out later on a Angel Logrono single for the only host run.

Randy Pina doubled, then moved to 3rd on a Carlos Vasquez sac-bunt in the top of the 3rd. Danny Santana singled him in, then stole 2nd base. Yorby Martinez would reach on fielding error, plating Santana for the second Twins run.

Vasquez singled in the top of the fifth, then advanced on back-to-back ground outs by Santana and Martinez. Mercedes would single him in, for the insurance run.

Gustavo Delgado would replace Dia-Reds starter Teo Gutierrez for the top of the six. Felix Caro flew out before Yancarlo Franco singled and advanced to 2nd on Delgado's throwing error. Juan Blanco took a walk and Pina would be hit by a pitch to load the bags. Franco would try to steal home but would be caught. He should have stayed where he was as Vasquez was then walked. Mario Lujan was brought in to replace Delgado, and Danny Santana doubled off him to clean off the plates, scoring three.

Blanco and Pina were both 2-for-3, Blanco with a triple and a run and Pina with a double and a pair of runs to lead the attack. Danny Santana was 2-for-5 with a double, a run and 4 RBIs. Vasquez was 1-for-2 with a walk and 2 runs.

Mercedes and Franco finished up 1-for-4 each at the plate, Mercedes with a walk and a RBI, while Franco shared the one his wonder title with Jairo Rodriguez, who ended the game 1-for-5.

Adrian Salcedo picked up his 4th win of the season, allowing 1 earned run on 3 hits and a pair of walks while striking out 8 over 5.2 innings.

The Twins host the DSL Cubs1 on Friday for a 10:30 AM Dominican time game. The two teams are tied at 40-24 each for third place in the DSL B.C. North Division, 2 games behind the division leading DSL Yankees2.

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GCL Twins rally past GCL Reds

GCL Twins 6 at GCL Reds 4

W: E. Ibarra (3-0, 3.15); L: J. Gil (0-1, 10.50); SV: J. Testa (1)
HR: TWI: A. Hidalgo (1).

While their High A affiliate, the Fort Myers Miracle, was blowing a 9 run lead to end up with a walk off loss in extra innings to the Sarasota Reds, the GCL Twins were busy overcoming a early 2 run deficit to go on to win, 6-4. The game was moved to the Lee County Sportsplex due to wet grounds at the City of Sarasota Complex.

Canadian hurler Evan Hildebrandt walked Aaron Hicks to open up the contest. They then gave up a home run to Anderson Hidalgo, which went over the left field wall. He settled down after that, getting Andres Diaz to strike out and Reggie Williams to ground out. Tyler Ladendorf popped out, bringing the Reds up to bat.

Alexis Oliveras took a triple from Edgar Ibarra to start out for the home team. A throwing error by Hicks allowed Oliveras to score cutting the Miracle lead in half. Kevin Coddington singled. Follwing a Derrik Hales strike out, Humberto Sosa walked. Sean Conner, the Reds 10th round pick in the 2008 First Year Player draft, went down on strikes as well before Efrain Contreras reached on a fielding error. Coddington would score to tie up the game and Sosa moved to 3rd putting men on the corners. Samuel Vasquez then doubled the pair home before Frank Pfister struck out to end the inning.

Herbert Lara and Hicks hit back-to-back doubles in the top of the 3rd to give the Miracle one more. Hidalgo would single and Hicks would steal 3rd, but a fielder's choice allowed Diaz to reach while Hicks was taken out at the plate. Williams would single before Hildebrant got Ladendorf to fly out to end the inning.

Gerry Gil replaced Hildebrandt in the top of the 5th and allowed a single to Hidalgo to lead off. Diaz would then get plunked by a pitch and Williams walked to load the bags. Ladendorf's fly out to left plated Hidaldo and Diaz, helped in part by a Contreras' throwing error. Jae-Hyung Jang then sacrificed in Willams for the insurance run.

Ibarra would be charged with 4 runs, only 1 earned, on 3 hits and a pair of walks while fanning 6 over 5 innings. Mauro Schiavoni worked the next three innings, scattering 2 hits and a walk while K-ing 1. Joe Testa picked up his first save of the season, allowing a ground bunt single to Contreras and a walk to Pfister, but getting Mauricio Pimentel out on strikes and then Oliveras to hit into a ground out to end the contest.

Lara finished up 3-for-4 with a double and a run. Hyun-wook Chio went 2-for-4 at the plate but did not factor into the scoring. Yard bird Hidalgo would connect two out of 5 times with a pair of runs and pair of RBIs. Hicks and Williams were both 1-for-3 with a run; Hicks with a double, a pair of walks, and a RBI. Williams with a pair of walks. J.J. and Danny Rohlfing were each 1-for-4, J.J. with the RBI, leave the one hit wonder of the game monkier to Rohlfing.

The win coupled with a Pirates rain out Sunday put the Twins just .006 percent behind the Bradenton squad in the South Division standings. The Twins look to turn in a winning set by taking one from the Red Sox at the Lee County Sportsplex on Monday, with the game beginning at noon.

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GCL Twins rally past Orioles on rainy Saturday

GCL Orioles 3 at GCL Twins 5

W: K. Nanney (3-0, 0.82); L: M. Moore (2-1, 0.00); SV: K. Mota (10)
HR: None.

Despite a light rain and threatening thunderstorms in the area, and a brief delay in the game, the GCL Twins managed to rally back in the 8th inning to pick up a win over the GCL Orioles, 5-3 at the Lee County Sportsplex Saturday.

The rain limited the already small crowd - there were only 3 people in the stands when the first pitch was thrown. Martire Gracia got off to a sloppy start and battled with his control through the first four innings.

Garcia walked Xavier Avery to start off the contest, then missed the throw to Henry Sanchez at first on a pick off attempt, sending Avery to 2nd. Jerome Hoes singled out to center, scoring Avery, as Aaron Hicks was not about to go running full out on wet slippery grass. Garcia would get Luis Ramierez on out strikes, but then unleashed a wild pitch that sent Hoes to 2nd. Omar Casamayor would go down on strikes as well, but Garabez Rosa singled out to center again, bringing in Hoes.

Chris Ray made a rehab start for the GCL Pirates, and Danny Ortiz and Andres Diaz would take line drive singles off the major leaguer with two outs on the board. Tyler Ladendorf would go down on strikes however, sending the Orioles up to bat again.

A pair of walks and a single to Larry Rivera loaded the bags up in the second inning, but Garcia was able to take Ramirez out on strikes to send the Orioles back to the dugout without crossing the plate.

Hyun-wook Choi singled and would get to 3rd on Reggie Williams fly ball single one out later, but Hicks flew out to end the inning.

The Twins finally get a man crossed the plate in the bottom of the 3rd. Anderson Hidalgo singled. Following a ground out to Danny Ortiz that advanced the runner, a passed ball by catcher Dashenko Ricardo and a wild pitch by Vito Frabizio pushed Hidalgo over the plate to make it 2-1 Orioles.

Garcia finally got going in the fourth, striking out a pair and getting Edwin Cintron to fly out to end the inning. It would end his stay on the mound as well, as he exited, having allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7.

Joe Testa would come in for the top of the 5th and strike out all three batters he faced. The free agent signee has been a great pick up for the Twins his season. Here's hoping he can continue the success that he's had. In any case, that was in it started raining and both teams headed for the shelter of the clubhouse and batting cages. The fans however, do not have too many choices for shelter that do not involve metals, so most fled to their cars.

The shower however was brief and the game resumed. Frabrizio continued on the mound for the O's and Khol Nanney would come in to pitch the next three innings for the Twins.

Jesse Beal replaced Fabrizio in the bottom of the sixth, but the Twins fared no better against him. Marcus Moore would handle the seventh, and would return to the mound for the eighth.

Moore would get Diaz and Ladendorf out on strikes, but issued a walk to Henry Sanchez. Wook reached on a force attempt, and Herbert Lara would come in to replace the lumbering Sanchez. Likewise, the speedy Jon Goncalves would join the game, replacing Wook. A wild pitch by Moore moved he pair, leaving room for catcher Jae-Hyung Jang to talk a walk. All that speed paid off when Reggie Williams doubled bringing in two. With two men left on base, the Orioles would call in Brian Anderson to keep the game close, but Hicks singled to plate the remaining runners, making it 5-2 Twins.

Kelvin Mota would be asked to close out the game but with one out on the board, he'd walk Ricardo. Justin Martin singled to move the O's catcher to 2nd. Larry Rivera would go down on strikes and the O's would put Grolmann Gonzalez in a pinch hitter. Gonzalez got the job done, singling out to center to score Ricardo, but Avery flew out to end the contest giving the Twins the win.

Reggie Williams finished off the game 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, a run and 2 RBIs. Anderson Hidalgo was 3-for-5 with a double and a run. Andres Diaz in the designed hitter role was 2-for-4. Wook and Danny Ortiz (1-for-4) and Hicks (1-for-5) each had singles, Hicks with a RBI as well.

Henry Sanchez finished of 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and 1 strike out.

The Twins are not out of playoff contention yet. Unbeknown to me, the GCL has instituted a wild card slot for 2008 so there will be no more buy for the top ranked team. Instead they will face the wild card team in a one game playoff round. The Pirates are leading the GCL South by only half a game and the Twins 26-16, .619 record puts them solidly in the running for the wild card spot.

Sunday, the Twins travel to Sarasota to take on the Reds, they return home on Monday to face the Red Sox. Both games are scheduled for noon.

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DSL Twins 1 at DSL Orioles 4

W: E. Ramirez (3-2, 2.63); L: L. Vargas (1-3, 3.00); SV: E. Nunez (10)
HR: None.

It was a different story for the Dominican Summer League Twins, who were also playing the Orioles. The O's took an early lead and hung on to win 4-1.

Yancarlo Franco doubled in the top of the six. A wild pitch by Eiri Ramirez moved him to 3rd and Danny Santana would sacrifice him in.

Jairo Perez finished up 2-for-4 at the plate. Wilfy Gil was 1-for-3 with a walk while Yorby Martinez, Jairo Rodriguez and Franco were all 1-for-4. Rodriguez and Franco each had doubles.

Lesmir Vargas suffered his first loss fo the season, giving up 2 unearned runs on five hits while striking out 2 in five innings worth of work. Renzol Reverol worked the next two innings before giving way to Raynard Doran, who gave up 2 runs, earned, on three hits in 1.1 innings while fanning 2.

The DSL Twins rest on Sunday. The face the DSL White Sox on Monday for a 10:30 AM Dominican time game.

The Twins trail the DSL White Sox1 by 2.5 games with 2 weeks (12 games) left in the season.

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Orioles Hangout Community

Hicks has allegedly signed an autograph deal and is no longer "allowed" to sign autographs for fans. I've not had the opportunity to test this out, but I'm sure it will work wonders in alienating his fan base once he gets into a league where they have fans.

Sanchez seemed to think he wasn't going to play as "it's muddy and they don't want to me to reinjure my knee." He played. Sort of.

A reminder to the boys - if you have not picked up your pictures yet, you need to do so. I'm tired of hunting you all down. Just because you are anti-social (Mr. Ortiz) does not mean I don't have pictures for you.

Hicks hits puts Twins on top

GCL Twins 3 at GCL Pirates 2

W: J. Testa (2-0, 1.54); L: F. Ortiz (1-1, 2.33); SV: K. Mota (9)
HR: TWI: A. Hicks (3).

A two-run home run by Aaron Hicks, his third of his professional career, helped propel the Twins to a 3-2 win over the GCL Pirates Sunday at Pirate City.

Herbert Lara doubled his way onto base before Hicks towering fly ball went over the right field fence to give the Twins a 2-0 lead.

Jean Mirajes took the start for the Twins, allowing only 2 hits and a pair of walks while striking out 3 over 4 innings. He'd give way to Michael Tonkin in the fifth.

The newcomer would get Alex Vargas to fly out before allowing a walk to Kyle Saukko. Adenson Chourio took a single off of him, but Saukko would be caught trying to steal second and Edwin Roman would strike out.

Tyler Cox worked four for the Pirates, allowing a pair of hits and a pair of walks while fanning 4. Ivan Herrera-Rusova would be on the mound when Hicks went yard. Francisco Ortiz replaced Herrera-Rusova in the top of the sixth and got Danny Ortiz, Tyler Ladendorf and Michael Gonzales to ground out, bringing the Pirates up to bat.

Joe Testa would be selected to head out to the mound, and he'd allow a line drive single to Jose Tabata. After getting Ronny Paulino to line out and Jarek Cunningham out on strikes, Edward Garcia would triple to drive in Tabata. A throwing error by Henry Sanchez at first would allowed Garcia over the plate as well, tying up the score.

Henry would not redeem himself in the seventh, going down on strikes. Pinto doubled and moved to 3rd on Juan Sanchez's ground out, but Lara went down on strikes, stranding the runner. Testa worked a quick bottom of the inning, going three up, and three down.

Aaron Hicks would triple in the top of the 8th. Anderson Hidalgo's line drive to left plated him for the game winning run. Ortiz would line into a double play and Ladendorf would ground out, stranding Hidalgo. The bottom half of the inning would be equally as quick as Testa put the next three batters to rest.

Gary Amato replaced Frank Ortiz for the top of the 9th, and got Gonzales and Henry Sanchez to strike out and Pinto to fly out to bring the Pirates up to bat. The Twins turned to closer Kelvin Mota. Jarek Cunningham would single, but Garcia ground into a force out. He'd then steal 2nd and advance to 3rd on a throwing error by Pinto. Andury Acevedo drew a walk, but Mota picked him off at 1st. Alex Vargas then flew out to end the contest.

Hicks went 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of walks, a pair of runs and a pair of runs scored. Lara would finish up 2-for-3 with a double and a run. Hidalgo, Ortiz and Pinto were each 1-for-4, Hidalgo with a run, Pinto with a double.

With the win, the GCL Twins regain the South Division lead, 1 game in front of the GCL Pirates. Their 23-14 record (.622) is currently the best in the Gulf Coast League.

The Twins are on the road Monday against the Orioles and return home on Tuesday to face the Reds. Both games are at noon.

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Tabata Was acquired by the Pirates in a trade with the Yankees. He entered the 2007 season ranked as the Yankee's second-best prospect by Baseball America and was named to the 2007 FSL Post-Season All-Star. He was a Future's Game Selection in 2006 and was named to the Sally All-stars in 2006 and the GCL Post-Season All-star team in 2005. Tabata has been a head case for a while and has been taken out of games in the Eastern League twice this season for disciplinary reasons. He was suspended for 3 games in May after fleeing the ballpark without permission after striking out in the seventh inning.

The Yankees received Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte and sent Tabata, Ross Ohlendorf, Dan McCutchen and Jeff Karstens to the Pirates in exchange.

Twins drop Orioles (twice!)

GCL Twins 5 at GCL Orioles 3

W: E. Ibarra (2-0, 3.30); L: J. Moore (1-1, 2.48); SV: K. Mota (8)
HR: None.

Anderson Hidalgo and Danny Ortiz were key players in propelling the GCL Twins to a 5-3 win Wednesday over the GCL Orioles at Twins Lakes Park.

Edgar Iberra took the start for the Twins, scattering seven hits and three walks over five innings to limit the Orioles to a pair of runs while striking out four.

The O's runs would come in the bottom of the 3rd inning, with Xavier Avery singling. He'd be taken out at second however on Luis Ramirez force out, and pinch runner Edwin Cinton replaced Ramirez on the basepaths. Jerome Hoes took a walk and Edinho Meyers singled to plate Cintron. Garabes Rosa's line drive to left scored Hoes before Dennis Perez ground out and and Dashenko Richardo struck out to end the inning.

The Twins were already leading by three at the point however, as they lost no time getting on the board against Orioles starter Justin Moore. Back-to-back-to-back doubles by Aaron Hicks, Hidalgo and Ortiz opened up the game to give the Twins a pair of runs in the opening stanza.

They'd add a third run in the top of the third with Hidalgo singling and Ortiz doubling him in.

In the top of the sixth, Henry Sanchez doubled and Hyeong-rok Choi reached on a fielder's choice that saw Sanchez to 3rd. Danny Rohlfing would line out before Hyun-wook Choi sacrificed in Sachez. Herbert Lara then hit a line drive single out to left to plate Rok for the Twins fifth run.

Joe Test replaced Iberra at the top of the sixth and took the first two batters he faced out on strikes while getting the third to ground out. The seventh inning proved a bit more difficult for the former Wagner College ace, as Avery singled off him to start off the inning. Cintron ground into a force out that took Avery down at 2nd but Cintron then stole second. Hoes would ground out, moving Cintron to 3rd and a passed ball by Danny Rohlfing brought the O's runner home.

Kelvin Mota worked the last two innings for the Twins, picking up his 8th save of the season.

Hidalgo finished up 3-for-4 with a double, a pair of runs and a RBI. Ortiz was 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a pair of RBIs. Henry Sanchez was 1-for-3 with a double and a run, Lara went 1-for-4 with a RBI and Hicks finished up 1-for-5 with a double and a run. Rok would contribute a run despite going 0-for-4 in the game.

The Twins are currently tied for the Pirates for first in the GCL South Division as each team has posted a 20-13 record. The Twins are on the road Thursday against the GCL Reds, for a Noon game.

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DSL Orioles 2 at DSL Twins 7

W: O. Villaroel (3-3, 2.06); L: D. Mambru (0-2, 2.75); SV: L. Vargas (1)
HR: None.

The DSL Twins pounded out 7 runs on 8 hits as they routed the DSL Orioles Wednesday morning.

Jairo Perez would get hit by a pitch in the bottom of the second and Eliel Sierra walked to follow him onto the basepaths. Manuel Soliman flew out before Jhonatan Arias walked to fill the bases. Orioles starter Dionicio Mambru then walked Felix Caro and Carlos Vasquez to force in pair of runs. Danny Santana would go down on strikes before Jean Carlos Mercedes took a walk for force in Arias for the Twins 3rd run.

Needless to say, Mambru was not invited back to the mound for the bottom of the 3rd. Enrico Jimenez took over and despite a walk, a wild pitch and a single kept the Twins off the board for that inning at least.

He'd walk Carlos Vasquez in the bottom of the 4th and a sac bunt by Santana advanced him to 2nd. Mercedes singled but Vasquez would be taken out at home. Oswaldo Arcia doubled however to plate Mercedes, giving the Twins a 4-1 lead.

Cesar Ciurcina worked the first four innings for the Twins before giving way to Orlando Villaroel for the next three. Villaroel would give up 1 run on 3 hits and a pair of walks while striking out 2 to pick up his 3rd win of the season.

Jose Sosa would be throwing for the Orioles in the bottom of the 7th. Arcia took a single off of him, and advanced to 3rd on a throwing error by Moises Ciriaco. Perez then sacrificed him in for the Twins 5th run.

In the bottom of the 8th, Arias singles, then advanced to second when Sosa uncorked a wild pitch. A balk would see Arias to 3rd. Wilfy Gil would go down on strikes, and Vasquez would fly out before Santana tripled in Arias. Mercedes would be hit by a pitch before Arcia singled to plate Santana to top off the Twins scoring.

Lesmir Vargas picked up his first save of the season, working a pair of scoreless innings for the Twins.

Arcia was 3-for-5 with a run and a pair of RBIs and Arias was 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a pair of runs. Mercedes (1-for-3) and Soliman (1-for-4) added singles, Mercedes with a run and a RBI was well. Santana finished up 1-for-4 with the triple, a run and a RBI. Perez (0-for-2) and Sierra (0-for-3) were hitless at the plate but both had walk and run in contest, Perez with a RBI as well.

The DSL Twins are on the road Thursday against the DSL Rockies for a 10:30 AM Dominican Time game.

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Twins double up Reds

GCL REds 3 at GCL Twins 6

W: J. Testa (1-0, 0.00); L: R. Ceballos (3-1, 8.18); SV: M. Schiavoni (1)
HR: TWI: D. Ortiz (1).

Joe Testa picked up his first professional win and Danny Ortiz went yard as the GCL Twins downed the GCL Reds in a game that saw the Reds use a plethora of pitchers.

One assumes it was a bull pen start and they were trying to use the whole bullpen.

The Reds got on the board first with Mauricio Pimentel singling off of Martire Garcia. Samuel Vasquez would fly out, but Yen-Wen Kuo took a walk, moving Pimentel to 2nd. Efrain Contreras' single scored Pimentel and Donald Lutz's follow up single plated Kuo. Frank Pfister would ground into a force out that took down Contreras. Eli Rimes walked to load the bags, but Garcia got Todd Waller to strike out swinging to strand the Reds runners.

After a fly out to Aaron Hicks and a ground out to Anderson Hidalgo, Danny Ortiz singled, then moved to 2nd on a wild pitch. Andres Diaz drew a walk. Efrain Rodriguez would be called for a balk moving the pair, and then unleashed a wild pitch that scored Ortiz. Mike Gonzales then singled in Diaz to tie up the game. Hyeong-rok Choi also singled, moving Gonzales to second. That marked the first pitching change as Matteo Pizziconi, one of two Italian pitchers on the Reds staff, replaced Rodriguez on the mound. Pizziconi would get Josmir Pinto out on strikes to end the inning.

(Oh, no wonder I'm confused. The Twins roster has him listed as Josmir, while MiLB has him down as Josmil. Poor kid!)

Garcia would walk Vasquez, but otherwise kept the top of the 2nd a short affair.

After a pair of ground outs, Aaron Hicks took a walk, then stole 2nd. Pizziconi would try to pick him off but put the ball into the outfield instead, moving Hicks to 3rd. Hidalgo took a walk, but Pizziconi got Ortiz to ground out, leaving Hicks stranded. This would become on ongoing theme through out the game, as Hicks simply could not get past 3rd.

Lutz singled off Garcia with one out on the board in the top of the 3rd, then stole 2nd base. Rimes doubled him in, putting the Reds back on top.

Luca Panerati, the other Italian on the Reds staff, replaced his countryman for the 3rd inning, getting Diaz to ground out and Gonzales and Rok to fly out.

Joe Testa would replace Garcia in the top of the 4th, and would work the next three innings, fanning 3.

Justin Walker showed up on the hill for the bottom of the fourth. Pinto Singled and Juan Sanchez took a walk. Herbert Lara would advance the pair on a sac-bunt. Following a pop out to Hicks, Hidalgo singled to plate Pinto. Sanchez would try to come home as well, but was called out at home, ending the inning with the game knotted up again.

The bottom of the fifth got Rafael Ceballos out to the hill. Ortiz greeted him with his first home run of the season, putting the ball over the right field fence. Funny, for a little guy, he sure has a lot of power. Diaz ground out but Gonzales singled. Rok would be hit by a pitch. Pinto would go down on strikes before Sanchez singled out to left to drive in Gonzales. A fielding error by Theodis Bowe in left advanced the runners. That did it for Ceballos as the Reds got David Torcise out of the bullpen. He'd get Lara to pop out to end the inning.

Torcise got to come back out for the bottom of the sixth. Hicks would reach on a throwing error and Hidalgo would move him on a sac-bunt. After Ortiz went down on strikes, Torcise unleashed a wild pitch that moved Hicks to 3rd. Sadly Diaz flew out, leaving Hicks stranded again.

The Twins put Ian Mopas on the mound for the top of the 7th. Ian has been complaining of a sore shoulder, but he got Bowe and Pimentel to ground out before allowing a single to Vasquez. Kuo would then pop out to end send the Twins out to bat again. "That went rather well," Mopas said after the game. Yes, it did.

Raul Rodriguez was the lucky recipient of a trip to the mound for the Reds in the bottom of the 7th. He'd allow walks to Gonzales and Rok but would get Pinto to line into a double play. Sanchez singled in Gonzales. I have to say, at 6'6" and 245 lbs, watching the former Diablo Valley Viking bear down on you the plate is a pretty daunting image for any catcher. I was sitting just to the right of the plate and got to see it twice. Glad he's on our team!

Mauro Schiavoni worked both the top of the 8th and the 9th for the Twins and did a fine job keeping the Reds hitless over the two, earning his first professional save.

Hector Santana would be the last of the Reds pitchers we'd have the pleasure of seeing, and he'd give up a triple to Aaron Hicks. Hicks was again left on base though as Hidalgo went down on strikes and Ortiz and Diaz then popped out.

Gonzales and Sanchez were both 2-for-3, Gonzales with a pair of runs and a RBI, and Sanchez with walk and 2 runs scored. Ortiz was 2-for-5 with 2 runs and a RBI, courtesy of the homer. Hicks and Pinto were each 1-for-4, hicks with a triple and walk and Pinto with a run. Hidalgo was 1-for-3 with a walk and a RBI. Rok was 1-for-2 with a walk, while Diaz, who finish up 0-for-4 with walk, chipped in a run as well.

The Twins face the Red Sox Sunday at the City of Palms Complex for a noon game. They rest on Monday.

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Twins drop two to Orioles

The GCL Orioles haven't won too many games this season, but two of those wins came when they captured both halves a double header at the Lee County Sportsplex on Friday.

GCL Orioles 3 at GCL Twins 1

W: M. Moore (2-0, 0.00); L: M. Munoz (3-2, 3.30)
HR: None.

In game one, Xavier Avery greeted Twins starter Miguel Munoz with a double. A wild pitch by Munoz sent Avery to 3rd. After Garbez Rosa struck out, Jerome Hoes would ground out to plate Avery.

The Twins answered back though in the bottom half of the first, with Danny Ortiz tripling, then coming home on Johnny Woodard's follow up single.

The game would stay tied up until the top of the 5th, when Rosa singled with two outs on the board. Hoes' line drive moved Rosa to 3rd and a Omar Casamayor ground ball single put him over the plate.

Avery doubled in the top of the 7th moved to 3rd one out later on a Hoes single and was scored by a Casamayor ground ball to right.

Justin Moore and Marcus Moore would scatter seven Twins hits over the seven inning contest.

Their best scoring chance came in the bottom of the 3rd when Aaron Hicks singled, stole 2nd and moved to 3rd on Johnny Woodard's force out. Henry Sanchez would then walk to load the bases, but Tyler Ladendorf flew out to strand the runners.

Munoz would surrender 2 runs on eight hits while fanning 8 over five innings. Kohl Nanney worked the last two, giving up one run on 4 hits while striking out one.

Ortiz and Choi were 2-for-3 a the plate, Ortiz with a double, a triple and a run. Woodard and Ladendorf were 1-for-3, Woodard with a RBI, Ladendorf with a double. Hicks finish up 1-for-4.

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GCL Orioles 8 at GCL Twins 5

W: J. Almanzar (1-2, 8.16); L: J. Mijares (0-2, 5.56); SV: J. Reyes (2)
HR: None.

Andrei Lobanov, Jean Mijares and Kelvin Mota all got a bit of shelling in the second game, although the GCL Twins almost got as many as they gave up. Still the GCL Orioles went on to a 8-5 win to finish off the afternoon.

In the top of the third inning, Francsico Mejia singled and Xavier Avery doubled off the Twins Russian starter. A sac-fly by Javier Santana allowed Mejia to score. Jerome Hoes would follow that up with a triple that drove in Avery. Omar Casamayor then singled in Hoes to give the Birds a 3 run lead.

Javier Brown walked in the bottom half of the stanza and moved to 2nd on Herbert Lara's single one out later. Anderson Hidalgo singled to drive in Brown to make it 3-1 O's.

Jean Mijares would take over in to top of the fourth for Lovanov, who left the game after surrendering 3 runs on six hits in three innings. Edwin Cintron reached on a fielding error by Mike Gonzales with one out on the board. Mejia's ground out moved him to second and an Avery single plated him.

Tyler Ladendorf would reach on a fielding error by Javier Santana, then move to 2nd on wild pitch by the O's Sam Taveras. After Danny Rohlfing went down on strikes, another wild pitch moved Ladendorf to 3rd. Reggie Williams ground out served to score him before Brown ground out to end the inning.

Jon Goncalves walked in the bottom of the 5th off reliever Jorge Almanzar. Lara ground out, moving Goncalves to 2nd and Hidalgo doubled him in. Danny Ortiz followed up with is own double to plate Hidalgo. Ortiz would move to 3rd on a Gonzales ground out. Almanzar would then let go of a wild pitch that allowed Ortiz to cross the plate, to make it 5-4 Twins.

The O's answered back in the of the sixth though with Justin Martin singling with one out on the board. Grolmann Gonazlez would replace Martin as a pinch runner. Edwin Cintron walked and a wild pitch by Mijares put Gonzalez at 3rd. Kevin Mota would come in to replace Jean Mijares. Dennis Perez, pinch hitting for Mejia, took a walk off Mota and Avery singled to drive in Gonzalez. Following a pop out by Santana, Hoes singled to bring in Citron and Perez, making it 7-5 Orioles.

Edinho Mayer doubled off Mota on the top of the 7th, moved to 3rd on Michael Gioioso's bunt single and scored on wild pitch by Mota to give the O's 8.

Hidalgo was 2-for-4 for the Twins with a run and 2 RBIs. Ortis was 1-for-2 with a walk a run and a run scored. Lara (1-for-4) and Rohlfing (1-for-3) each had a single. Brown and Goncalves were both 0-for-2 with a walk and a run each, Ladendorf was 0-for-3 with a run and Williams was 0-for-3 with a run scored.

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DSL Cubs1 at DSL Twins 2

W: H. Mayora (3-2, 1.62); L: P. Guerra (5-2, 2.20); SV: A. Florentino (6)
HR: None.

Pedro Guerra has pitched well for the DSL Twins this season, but he'd take the loss Friday against the DSL Cubs1, who took 3 runs off of him, only 1 earned, on 7 hits over 7 innings, he'd fan 9.

Carlos Carrillo surrendered 2 more hits, both earned on 3 hits and a pair of walks in the last two innings.

The Twins got off to a good start with Danny Santana singling then stealing 2nd. Jhonatan Arias and Manuel Soliman would then go down on strikes before Oswaldo Arcia reach on a fielding error by Cubs shortstop Robert Bautista that also scored Santana.

In the bottom of the second, Eliel Sierra doubled, then came home, two outs later, on Santana's triple.

But they could not solve Hector Mayor after that. The Twins would get 10 hits, but were unable to string together a successful attack.

Juan Perez was 3-for-4 but did not factor into the scoring. Arias and Sierra were both 2-for-4, Sierra with a double and a run. Santana was 2-for-5 with a triple, a run and RBI while Felix Caro was 1-for-4, the one hit wonder of the contest.

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Mejia's double lifts O's over Twins

GCL Twins 4 at GCL Orioles 5

W: M. Moore (1-0, 0.00); L: A. Lobanov (2-1, 3.65); SV: J. Reyes (1)
HR: None.

The GCL Orioles rallied past the GCL Twins at Twin Lakes Park to pick up a 5-4 win Sunday afternoon. The double header scheduled for Sunday was rescheduled to the July 25, 2008 to prevent the Twins from playing back-to-back double headers on Sunday and Monday.

The Twins got on the board first with Aaron Hicks taking a walk, then stealing 2nd. He'd advance to 3rd on a throwing error by O's catcher Dashenko Ricardo. Danny Ortiz hit into a ground out that plated Hicks.

Miguel Munoz took the start for the Twins and would not give up a hit until the 3rd inning, when he allowed a single to Francisco Mejia.

The top of the fifth saw Danny Rohlfing double and Anderson Hidalgo walk. Jakub Hajtmar ground out, advancing the pair. Herbert Lara's single to right brought them in, helped in part by a fielding error charged to Justin Martin.

Ricardo would take a single of Munoz in the bottom of the stanza then move to 2nd on Jose Kianes ground out. Following a fly out to Martin, Michael Gioioso doubled to plate Ricardo and a second double, to Mejia would bring in Gioioso before Javier Santana flew out to end the inning.

Andres Diaz doubled with one out on the board in the top of the sixth. Rohlfing singled to advance him to 3rd and a Hidalgo line drive plated him for the Twins' fourth run.

Munoz would finish up allowing 2 runs on 4 hits while fanning 4 over six innings worth of work. Andrei Lovanov would replace him in the 7th.

The Russian reliever would get Richardo out on strikes before Kianes drew a walk. Martin and Gioioso hit back-to-back singles, scoring Kianes, cutting the Twins lead to one run. Mejia then doubled to plate the two runners, putting the O's on top.

The Twins would load the bases in the top of the 9th before the O's got Jean Carlos Reyes in to stop them. Reyes would get Mike Gonzales out on strikes and Diaz to hit into a fly out to end the game.

Rohlfing and Hidalgo were both 2-for-3, each with a double and a run, Hidalgo with a walk and a RBI as well. Lara was 2-for-4 with a RBI. Diaz, in the designed hitter role, was 1-for-5 with a double and a run while Landedorf was the game's one hit wonder, finishing up 1-for-4 at the plate.

That was one more hit than Hicks got as 0-for-3 at the plate, but he walked twice and also had a run for the Twins.

The Twins return home to Lee County Sportsplex on Monday to take on the GCL Reds in a double header. Game time is 11:00 AM.

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GCL Twins rally past GCL Red Sox

GCL Red Sox 5 at GCL Twins 6

W: B. Pugh (1-0, 0.00); L: S. Huijer (1-1, 2.25); SV: K. Mota (3)
HR: TWI: H. Choi (1).

The GCL Twins came back to win the game late, after surrendering an early lead to the GCL Red Sox Wednesday at Lee County Sportsplex.

Wilfred Pichardo opened up for the Red Sox by singling off Twins starter Edgar Ibera, stealing 2nd, and then coming home on a passed ball by Daniel Rohlfing.

The Twins answered back in the bottom of the 2nd when Andres Diaz took a walk, then moved to 2nd on Tyler Ladendorf's single. Following a strike out to Hyoing-rock Choi, Danny Rohlfing sent a fly ball single to center that served to plate Diaz.

The top of the 3rd started off badly with Christian Vazquez, Pichardo, and Andrew Frezza all drawing walks to load the bags. Following a fly out to Michael Almanzar, Tyler Yockey singled out to right and with the help of a fielding error by Jon Goncalves, cleaned off the bases. Bryan Paterson few out before Fort Myers native Thomas De Benedetto doubled to score Yockey.

Rocky homered to lead off the bottom of the 4th for the Twins, sending a ball over the right field wall. Ryan Pressly would then hit Danny Rohlfing with a pitch. Anderson Hidalgo singled out to center to move Rohlfing to second, and he'd progress to 3rd on a Herbert Lara ground out. With runners on the corners, Goncalves would then double to score the pair, making it 5-4 Red Sox.

The tying run eluded the Twins until the bottom of the 6th, when Goncalves singled his way onto base with one out, then stole 2nd. Aaron Hicks' ground out moved Goncalves to 3rd, and he'd score on a Danny Ortiz fly ball to right.

With Swen Hujer on the mound for the Red Sox, Hidalgo singled his way onto base. Juan Sanchez would replace him as a pinch runner, and he'd move to 2nd on a sac-bunt by Lara. One out later, Aaron Hicks tripled to plate the Venezuelan for the go ahead run.

Iberra would end up giving up 5 runs, 4 earned on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3 over 3 innings. Andres Lovanov worked the next two innings before giving way to Bruce Pugh, who'd pick up his first professional win, allowing only 1 hit while striking out 2 over 3 innings worth of work. Kelvin Mota mopped up, collecting his 3 win in 1 inning worth of work.

Rocky and Hidalgo were both 2-for-4, Rocky with a run and a run batted in on a double and a home run. Goncalves finished up 2-for-5 with a double, a run and 2 runs scored. Hicks and Rohlfing were 1-for-3 each at the plate, Hicks with a pair of walks, a triple and a run batted in, Rohlfing with a run and a RBI. Ortiz was 1-for-4 with walk and a RBI, while Ladendorf, who was also 1-for-4, was the one hit wonder of the game.

The Twins rest on Thursday, and face then travel to Bradenton for a 10:00 AM game against the GCL Pirates on Independence Day.

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Herald Tribune

DSL Yankees2 1 at DSL Twins 0

The DSL Yankees2 held the DSL Twins to only three hits Wednesday, and while Pedro Guerra was outstanding, he was victimized by a Carlos Vasquez fielding error in the second inning, which lead to an unearned run on a double and a single. Guerra would allow only 3 hits, and strike out 4 in six innings. Jose Gonzalez and Leonardo Parra finished up the last three innings, combining to strike out six.

Jairo Rodriguez was 2-for-3 for the Twins, while Eliel Sierra was 1-for-4 with a double.

The Twins visit the Diamondbacks/Reds on the Thursday for a 10:30 AM Dominican Time game.

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