Miracle lose pitchers' duel, 3-2

Fort Myers 2 at Lakeland 3

Record 13 - 10

W: J. Nickerson (2-2, 6.12); L: M. Fox (1-1, 4.05); SV: E. Clelland (2)
HR: None.

The Miracle lost their third straight game, scoring late and failing to catch up with the Lakeland Flying Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium.

Kevin Slowey worked 5 hitless innings of ball, allowing only 1 walk while striking out 5 and appeared about ready to head up to the Twins. Matt Fox would come on in relief, and the Tigers hounded him for three runs on three hits and 1 walk. He struck out 2 in 2 innings worth of work.

A fielding error by Danny Valencia allowed Brandon Timm to reach in the bottom of the 3rd. A sac bunt by Jeff Kunkel would move Timm to second. A second fielding error by Valencia put Cale Iorg on base. Justin Justice then doubled the pair in. Scott Sizemore would strike out swinging and Justice would be caught stealing 3rd to end the inning.

Brennan Boesch singled out to left, and then moved to 2nd on a passed ball by Miracle catcher Wilson Ramos. A Jeramy Laster single allowed Boesch to score what would prove to be the game winning run.

Jonah Nickerson would work 7.1 innings for the Tigers and he looked like a totally different pitcher than the one the Miracle faced last Monday. Nickerson kept the Miracle off the board through 7 innings and held them to only 2 hits while striking out 4.

Johnny Woodard and Ramos would both single off him in the top of the 8th, before he hit his pitch count and was replaced by Angel Castro. Whit Robbins then tripled in the pair, but that was all the Miracle would see off the Tigers' pitching staff.

For the Miracle, it was a game with more strike outs then hits, with Woodard getting 2 K's and Valencia, Ramos, Danny Santiesteban and Eddie Ovalle picking up one each.

The two teams rematch tomorrow for a 1:00 PM start, with Fort Myers' Deolis Guerra (2-0, 1.42) opposing Lakeland's Matt O'Brien (1-0, 4.32) on the mound.

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Over in Appleton, Wisconsin, the Beloit Snappers and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers split a double header. David Bromberg picked up the win in game one as the Snappers came out on top, 6-5. Bromberg would allow 5 runs, all earned, on 9 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5 through 5 innings worth of work. All five runs came in the first two innings. The Snappers bats were up the task though, with Steve Singleton going 3-for-4 at the plate with a run and 2 RBIs, catcher Jair Fernandez going 3-for-3 with 2 runs and 1 RBI and designated hitter Ben Petsch going 2-for-2 with 1 run and 2 RBIs. (Boxscore)

The Snappers bats were silent in game two however, with Donald Hume limiting Beloit to 3 hits through 4 innings and Phillippe Aumont giving up only 1 hit through 3. Both struck out 2 and walked 1. Joe Benson was 2-f0r3 at the plate. Mike Tarsi lost his 5th game of the season, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. (Boxscore)

Steve Tolleson hit his 2nd home run of the season as the New Britain Rock Cats downed the Trenton Thunder 7-4 in a 12 inning contest. Tolleson was 3-for-6 at the plate with two runs and 3 RBIs. Brock Peterson and Matt Moses were also 3-for-6 in the contest, both with one run and Peterson with 1 RBI as well. Trevor Plouffe was 2-for-6 with a run and David Winfree was 2-for-7 with 1 RBI. Danny Graves picked up the win, working 1.1 innings worth of relief. (Boxscore)

In Triple A action, Rochester blanked the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 10-0. Glen Perkins picked up the win while former Miracle J.D. Durbin suffered his 5th loss of the season and saw his ERA raise to 9.51. Randy Ruiz, Chris Basak and Jose Morales were all 3-for-5 at the plate, Ruiz with 2 runs, and Basak with 1, while Morales and Ruiz had 1 RBI each. Jason Pridie was 3-for-6 with 1 run and 1 RBI, extending his hitting streak while Howie Clark was 2-for-5 with 1 run and 4 RBIs. (Boxscore)

Former Miracle Errol Simonitsch took a rehab stint with the GCL Twins in extended spring training. The Twins slaughtered the GCL Pirates 10-2. Simo allowed a triple and walk but struck out 2 over 2 innings, facing only 9 batters. First baseman Jon Waltenbury was 3-for-3 at the plate with 2 runs, including a triple in the sixth inning. Catcher Danny Rohlfing was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles, 1 run and 1 RBI. The game also included rehab appearances by pitcher Mike Allen and former Miracle Jose Leger.

Miracle drop 2nd straight to Yankees

Fort Myers 2 at Tampa 3

Record 13 - 9

W: J. Valdez (3-0, 0.00); L: R. Delaney (0-2, 0.77)
HR: None.

There was some discussion at the stadium during his last start that Jeff Manship has not been exactly stellar through the early part of the season. That all changed last night as Manny pitched through 7 innings, holding the Yankees to only 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6.

Sadly, he took a no decision on the game, with his bullpen help surrendering the game late, as the Yankees went on to a 3-2 win in the 9th inning win.

The Miracle wasted no time getting on the board as Rene Tosoni singled, then moved to 2nd when Danny Valencia drew a walk. Johnny Woodard would ground into a force out, but a throwing error by Eduardo Nunez put the ball in the dugout, with Tosoni scoring and Woodard advancing to second on the throw.

Edward Ovalle would triple in the top of the 2nd, then come home on a Danny Santiesteban sac-fly to make it 2-0 Miracle, a score that would stick through the next four innings.

The Yankees would get to Manny in the bottom of the sixth, with James Cooper singling and advancing on a wild pitch by Manship. A line drive to center by Kyle Anson brought in Cooper, cutting the Miracle lead in half.

Zach Day would replace Manship on the mound in the bottom of the 8th. He allowed a doubled to Cooper who then moved to third on Seth Fortenberry's ground out. A fielding error by Day, with Edwar Gonzalez at the plate allowed Cooper to score, and the Yankees to tie up the game. Day would be charged with the blown save, and after a walk to Anson, a call to the bullpen brought Robert Dalney to the mound to get Josue Calzado to strike out to end the inning.

With the game on the line, the Miracle went three up, and three down in the 9th, despite pinch hitter Brian Dinkelman coming in for the light hitting Allan de San Miguel.

Kevin Smith would double off Delaney and then be replaced by the speedy Tim Battle. A Nunez single would bring Battle bolting past the plate, to hand the win to the home team.

Toby Gardenhire would have the only multi-hit game for Fort Myers, going 3-for-4 at the bottom of the rotation with a double. Unfortunately, he did not factor into any scoring.

The Miracle remain on the road, traveling to Lakeland, where the Tiger's faithful will get a look at Twins' righty Kevin Slowey making his second rehab start for the Miracle. He'll face off against Jonah Nickerson (1-2, 7.64), who last surrendered 6 runs (5 earned) to the Miracle on Monday night.

The back-to-back losses see the Miracle fall to 13 - 9 on the season, and Dunedin, winner of their last two, have again tied up the Miracle for first place in the West Division.

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Pending Pinstripes

The Fort Myers Miracle will hold Education Days on May 2 and May 16. The Miracle’s games will start at 10:35 a.m. Kids will learn about math, social studies and language arts and how it all relates to baseball. For more information about getting your class involved, call (239) 768-4210.

Beloit's game against Wisconsin was postponed by rain. It will be made up as part of a double header starting at 1:05 on Saturday.

Trenton slaughtered the New Britain Rock Cats 8-3 Friday night, with Ryan Mullins taking the loss after he allowed five runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. He lasted only 4 innings before giving way to Danny Graves.

Steve Tolleson was 2-for-4 at the plate with 1 RBI. The Cats recorded only four hits in the contest with Luke Hughes adding another home run to his total and Brandon Roberts rounding out the woodwork. (Boxscore)

Hughes is looking for a midseason promotion to the Red Wings, who have Matt Macri and Alexi Casilla at the middle infielding positions.

Macri was 2-for-4 at the plate with a double but the Rochester Red Wings still lost, 6-2 to the Lehigh Vally Iron Pigs. Phillip Humber allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2 for the Wings, who fall to 10 - 12 on the season after winning their last two. (Boxscore) Jason Pridie extended his hitting streak to 16 games with an 8th inning clutch hit.

The Wings pitching staff entered the game with a league-best 2.83 ERA.

Outfielder Denard Span reported to Rochester and arrived before the game. The Twins have also optioned lefthanded pitcher Francisco Liriano to Triple-A Rochester. In three starts with the Twins this season, Liriano is 0-3, 11.32 (10.1 ip, 13 er), allowing 15 hits with 13 walks and seven strikeouts. Liriano is expected to start Wednesday's 12:05 pm home game against Pawtucket.

The Red Wings will need to make roster moves to make room for both players.

Tampa takes Education Day win from Miracle

Fort Myers 2 at Tampa 4

Record 13 - 8

W: E. Hacker (2-1, 0.82); L: C. Devries (1-3, 5.48); SV: J. Hovis (3)
HR: None.

It seems the Miracle generally do not perform well during morning starts, and Thursday's Education Day start in Tampa was no different as the Yankees took a 4-2 win from the Miracle at Legends Field.

With two outs on the board in the bottom of the first, James Cooper doubled out to left. An Edwar Gonzalez line drive was deflected by Miracle starter Cole Devries over to 2nd, allowing Copper to progress to 3rd. With Seth Fortenberry at the plate, Cooper then stole home and Gonzalez progressed to second on a missed catch by shortstop Toby Gardenhire who had three, count 'em, three, errors in the game.

Fortenberry would hit a single out to center, which allowed Gonzalez to score, putting two on the board for Yankees early.

The Miracle tied the game up though in the top of the 2nd. Johnny Woodard reached on a fielding error by Damon Sublett and Juan Portes followed that up with a double. Wilson Ramos would ground out, but Woodard would score on the play. Following a second ground out to Edward Ovalle, Rocky Palacios knocked a grounder to right that scored Portes.

That would be all the Miracle would get though as Tampa's Eric Hacker held the Miracle to 2 unearned runs on 4 hits and one walk over seven innings. He'd strike out three during his stay on the mound.

Devries pitched fairly well through the next three innings, allowing a pair of doubles and a single, but not all in the same inning.

That would end in the fifth, when Eduardo Nunez doubled, then came home on a James Cooper single for what would prove to be the game winning run.

With Danny Vais on the mound in the 8th inning, Luis Nunez would hit a ground rule double for the home team, and scored on a Sublett single for the extra run.

Jose Lugo worked 2 scoreless innings for the Miracle, allowing only 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out just one. Grant Duff and Jonathan Hovis finished off the game for Tampa, with Duff allowing 2 hits, but also striking out two.

The two teams rematch tonight for a more traditional 7:00 start with Jeff Manship (3-0, 4.12) making his way to mound. The Yankees will counter with lefty Michael Dunn (0-1, 2.95). The game will be broadcast locally at 1410/1660 AM beginning at 6:45 as well as on the internet.

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The Snappers had a day off after being swept by the West Michigan Whitecaps. They will travel now to Wisconsin to take on the Timber Rattlers with a 6:35 PM Central time start on Friday.

Trenton downed the Rock Cats 2-1, rallying past in the 7th inning for the win. David Winfree had the lone Rock Cats run, a solo shot homer in the 2nd inning. Yohan Pino suffered the loss, giving up 2 runs, both earned on 4 hits while striking out 4. (Boxscore)

The Rochester Red Wings took an 8-2 win over the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Brian Duensing picked up the win, allowing only 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 5 over 7 innings. Randy Ruiz was 2-for-3 with 2 runs and 4 RBIs after hitting his first home run of the season. Former Miracle catcher Jose Morales was 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs while Matt Macri and Garrett Jones were both 2-for-4, Macri with 1 run and Jones with 2 as well as one RBI. (Boxscore)

The Red Wings and Minnesota Twins announced a two-year extention of their Player Development Contract on Thursday. The Twins will activate OF Michael Cuddyer from the disabled list Friday, and option OF Denard Span to Rochester. The Red Wings will need to make a roster move when Span reports.

Fort Myers slams Yankees, 8-1

Fort Myers 8 at Tampa 1

Record: 13 - 7

W: A. Burnett (1-1, 3.05); L: I. Nova (0-4, 5.23)
HR: None.

Wilson Ramos went 3-for-5 at the plate Wednesday night with 3 RBIs to lead the Fort Myers Miracle offense as they downed the Tampa Yankees 8-1 on the road.

The two teams rematch today at 11:00 A.M. with Fort Myers righty Cole Devries (1-2, 6.00) facing off against RHP Erik Hacker (1-1, 1.04) for the Yankees.

Alex Burnett took the start for the Miracle, holding the Yankees to 1 run on 2 hits and 4 walks while striking out 3. The Miracle got on the board first, in the fifth inning, putting a hurt on Tampa righty Ivan Nova.

Whit Robbins and Danny Santiesteban would lead off the inning with walks. A sac-bunt by Yancarlos Ortiz put runners at 2nd and 3rd. A Brian Dinkelman double brought the pair in. Rene Tosoni's follow up single brought in Dinkelman. With Danny Valencia at the plate, Tosoni would steal second. Valencia flew out, but Johnny Woodard's single to left brought in Tosoni. Juan Portes would draw a walk before Ramos doubled to score the pair and the Yankees called for Wilkins Arias to replace Nova.

Damon Sublett singled out to right in the bottom of the sixth for Tampa. Following an Eduardo Nunex ground out, James Cooper drew a walk and Edwar Gonzalez was hit by a Burnett pitch to load the bases. Kevin Smith would then take a walk off Barnett to force in a run. Miracle field manager Jeff Smith then called for a pitching change, bringing in reliever Anthony Slama who got Josue Calzado to ground into a force out to end the stanza.

A Juan Portes double and a Ramos single paid dividends in the top of the 7th when Robbins ground into a double play which allowed Portes to score.

With two outs in the top of the 8th, Rodolfo Palacios would double then come home on a Toby Gardenhire line drive to center to finish off the scoring.

Brian Dinkelman was 2-for-5 with a run and 2 RBIs while Valencia when 2-for-4 with a double. Zach Day (the box says Danny Vais) and Danny Hernandez both worked an inning for the Miracle to finish off the game, holding the Yankees hitless.

Hernandez was activated from the Beloit disabled list on Tuesday and added to Mircle roster in time for the road trip.

The Miracle now hold a 2 game lead over Dunedin in the FSL West Division. The Jays have lost their last 3, after falling to Lakeland on the road last night.

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Pending Pinstripes

Beloit continued their struggles on Wednesday, falling 5-4 to the West Michigan Whitecaps. Blair Erickson suffered his 3rd loss of the season in relief of Brian Kirwan, surrending the game winning run on 3 hits and 1 walk (Boxscore). Garrett Olson was 3-for-6 with 1 run for the Snappers, who fall to 6-14 on the season.

In Double A, New Britain pounded out 21 hits against Reading, for a 15-6 win at home. Luke Hughes was 4-for-5 at the plate with a pair of home runs, 2 runs, and 5 RBIs (Boxscore). Felix Molina was 3-for-5 with 3 doubles, 2 runs and 5 RBIs. Six other players had a multi-hit game. Jay Sawatski picked up the win in relief of Oswaldo Sosa, who gave up 4 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks in 3 innings worth of work.

Rochester captured a 5-3 win over the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Tim Lahey picked up the win, his first the season at the Triple-A level. Former Miracle Alexi Casilla was 2-for-4 in the game with a run, while free-agent signee Jon Knott, a Venice, Florida native, was 2-for-3 with a home run (Boxscore).

First Church of Toby

2008 edition, Vol. 1



Toby practices for the Mini-golf tournament...



Run Toby! Run!



I has a base.



Both hands on the bat, buddy!



Seriously, try it with both hands on the bat.



He bunts and....



He has a base...



Again.

"I love Toby dearly," I tell Miracle broadcaster Sean Fox, "but he is the biggest Dork on the field."

"And in the clubhouse, and on the bus," Fox says. "That's just Toby."

Miracle rally late to sweep Tigers

Lakeland 9 at Fort Myers 10

Record 12 - 7

W: D. Vais (4-0, 0.69); L: F. Dolsi (0-1, 7.11)
HR: LAK: J. Justice (3). FTM: D. Santiesteban (2), J. Portes (1).

The Lakeland Flying Tigers bullpen suffered a power outage on Earth Day, allowing the Miracle bats to rally back to a 10-9 win Tuesday. It was the second straight home series sweep for the Fort Myers squad, who also took the series from Clearwater.

Shawn Roof, the son of former Rochester field manager Phil Roof, doubled in Ryan Stieby in the top of the 2nd inning to give the Tigers first blood. Roof would try to stretch to the play for a triple, and was taken out at 3rd.

In the bottom of the inning, Johnny Woodard would open with a double and Whit Robbins would follow one out later with a single. Danny Santieseban then launched one over the left field fence to give the Miracle a 3-1 lead.

Lakeland would answer back in the top of the 3rd with Justin Justice singling out to right, and Cale Iorg out to left. A fielding error by Juan Portes got Justice to 3d, and a Scott Sizemore sac fly brought him home. A wild pitch by southpaw Tyler Robertson then allowed Iorg to score, tying up the game.

The top of the six would prove profitable for the Tigers, when a pair of errors by Robbins, playing at 3rd allowed Brandon Timm and Jeramy Laster to both reach base. James Skelton then drew a walk off Robertson. This time the big lefty could not find the strikes, and allowed a single to Strieby to drive in two. Brennan Boesch would then ground into a force out before field manager Jeff Smith came in to take the laboring Robertson out of the game.

He'd be replaced by Matt Fox. The former first round pick allowed a single to Roof that brought in Skelton. Justin Jones then went yard over the right field wall to bring in 3 more, making it 9-3 Lakeland.

Tiger's starter Matt O'Brien had pitched a good game until then, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 1. But Jordan Tata's appearance on the roster, and the mound, did not sit well with Lakeland, as Tata, who has been battling injuries, had trouble finding the strike zone. He'd issue a walk to Rene Tosoni, and would get Danny Valencia to pop out before giving free passes to Woodard and Portes. A sac-fly by Robbins to center field allowed Tosoni to score, while a double by Santiesteban brought in Woodard. Allan de San Miguel would draw a walk before Lakeland field manager Andy Barkett finally pulled the plug on Tata.

Ed Clelland would come in and promptly allowed Wilson Ramos to walk which brought in Portes and kept the bases loaded. Clelland then unleashed a wild pitch, which brought in Santiesteban and just like that, the Miracle were back in the game.

The home team would get within one in the bottom of the 7th, when Valencia doubled then scored on a Portes grounder to center. They threatened in the bottom of the 8th, with the speedy Santiesteban getting as far as 3rd, but Tosoni would strike out to end the inning, with a huge group groan from the 2-for-Tuesday crowd.

Woodard would single in the bottom of the 9th, and Portes would put one over the left field wall to give the Miracle 2, and the win.

Woodard and Santieseban were both 3-for-4 with a pair of runs each, Santiesteban with 4 RBIs. Portes was 2-for-4 with a walk, a pair of runs and 3 RBIs for the home town team.

Robertson would allow 7 runs on six hits and 3 walks while striking out only 3. Rob Delany and Danny Vais finished off the game.

With the win, the Miracle take sole possession of first place, after Dunedin lost their last two to the Sara-Reds. The Miracle now head out on the road for three in Tampa and three in Lakeland before returning home against Clearwater on Wednesday April 30th.

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Take I-75 North

Missy, the Miracle mascot, recieved a makeover, going from furry to plush and getting a new white pinstriped uniform. I can't say the change is for the better, but your children may have a different opinion.

Manny accosted me for missing a couple of games last week while I was down win a sinus infection. Then the rookies found me and got on my case for not going out to see them play. It's nice to know I'm missed when I'm not around. (Your milage may vary.)

Danny Berlind suffered the loss as the Beloit Snappers fell to the West Michigan Whitecaps 5-3. Mark Dolenc and Chris Cates were both 3-for-3 for the Snappers, Dolenc with 1 run and 1 RBI and Cates with 1 RBI.

In New Britain, Reading posted an 11 - 9 win as Jay Rainville suffered his 2nd loss of the season, allowing 10 runs on 13 hits while striking out 1 over 3.2 innings. Dustin Martin was 2-for-3 with a run for the Rock Cats; Steve Tolleson was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run, and a RBI, and Luke Hughes, Brock Peterson and EriK Lis were all 2-for-5. Hughes smashed his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot in the 3rd inning off Fabio Castro.

The Red Wings had the night off. Tim Lahey joined the club after pitching for the Miracle Monday night. Righty Zach Day was activated from the DL and assigned to the Miracle to take his place. Danny Graves was promoted to Double A New Britain as well.

Miracle devour Tigers, 10 - 4

Lakeland 4 at Fort Myers 10

Record 11 - 7

W: D. Guerra (2-0, 1.42); L: J. Nickerson (1-2, 7.64)
HR: LAK: J. Laster (3), J. Justice (2). FTM: J. Woodard (4).

A grand slam home run by Johnny Woodard in the 3rd inning started out a night that ended up in 15 hits and 10 runs for the Fort Myers Miracle.

Minnesota Twins righty Kevin Slowey took the start for the Miracle, allowing 1 run on 1 hit when Jeremy Laster went yard in the second inning on him. He would strike out 5 otherwise over 3 innings worth of work before giving way to Deolis Guerra who would be credited with the win.

Fort Myers took an early lead in the 1st when Rene Tosoni, Danny Valencia and Woodard all recorded singles, which brought Tosoni in for the first run. After the Tigers tied it up in the 2nd, Whit Robbins drew a walk in the bottom of the inning. A Danny Santiesteban single would bring Robbins in, in part due to a throwing error by Lakeland firstbaseman Pedro Cotto. Tiger's third baseman Michael Bertram was run over by Robbins during the play, but was able to continue the game after a brief delay.

Brian Dinkelman and Tosoni had both recorded singles in the 3rd and Valencia drew a walk, loading the bases for Woodard's mamoth hit, that jumped the right field fence to make it 6-1 Miracle.

Lakeland took one run back in the top of the 4th when Michael Bertram doubled and Jeramy Laster singled. Pedro Cotto would reach on what was called a fielder's choice after Woodard dropped the ball, twice, at first base allowing Bertram to score.

The game would settle down until the top of the 7th, when Luis Ott would draw a walk off Guerra. Justin Justice then went deep over the right field fence to score 2.

The Miracle were undaunted however, as Dinkelman drew a walk in the bottom of the 7th, then stole 2nd base. Rene Tosoni would bring him in on a ground ball to center.

With Nicholas Martin on the mound for the bottom of the 8th and 2 outs, Toby Gardenhire would single. Dinkleman and Tosoni followed suite to bring in Gardenhire. Valencia then brought in Dinkelman with a line drive to center. After Woodard was hit by a pitch, Martin would be done, with Brendan Wise coming in from the Lakeland bullpen to finish up. Edward Ovalle singled off of him to drive in Tosoni before Wilson Ramos ground into a force out to end the Miracle offense.

Tim Lahey, who is getting a look at some live hitters before being reassigned to Rochester, finished off the game, setting three Lakeland batters down in order.

Tosoni was 4-for-5 in game with 3 runs and 2 RBIs. Valencia was 3-for-4 with a run and 1 RBI while Dinkleman, Woodard and Ovalle were all 2-for-4. Woodard's grand slam gave him 5 RBIs in the game, Dinkleman had 3 runs and walk and Ovalle had a walk and 1 RBI. Ramos, who went 0-for-5, saw his batting average drop to .189.

The Miracle look for a sweep tonight, sending lefty Tyler Robertson (0-1, 2.57) to the hill against right-hander Matt O'Brien (1-0, 3.86).

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Take I-75 North

The Snappers fell to the West Michigan Whitecaps 2-1 Monday night (Boxscore). Deibinson Romero had a single shot home run in the 5th inning for the Twins Low A farm team. Shortstop Chris Cates was 2-for-3 in the game, but the Tampa, Florida, native did not figure into the scoring.

Reading fell to the New Britain Rock Cats, 5-2. Former Miracle 1st baseman Brock Peterson was 2-for-3 with a walk, a pair of doubles and a run for the Cats while Luke Hughes and Trevor Plouffe were both 2-for-4, Hughes with 1 run and 1 RBI on a single shot home run. Former Miracle Erik Lis also went yard, bringing in 2 RBIs (Boxscore). Armando Gabino picked up the win in relief of starter Anthony Swarzak, who gave up 2 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6 over only 4 innings.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre shut out the Rochester Red Wings for the second straight game. Jason Pridie and Jose Morales had the only hits for the Wings who cold against Yankees starter Darrell Rasner (Boxscore). Glen Perkins suffered the loss, the former Miracle gave up 1 run on six hits and 2 walks while striking out 2 over 5 innings worth of play.

Miracle down Flying Tigers, 6-2

Lakeland 2 at Fort Myers 6

Record 10 - 7

W: J. Manship (3-0, 4.12); L: D. Below (1-2, 5.21); SV: A. Slama (3)
HR: FTM: D. Valencia (3).

It was the bottom of the fifth, and I was just telling Tyler we needed to get some offense going.

"We had 10 hits yesterday," he says. "It was all just one at a time."

"I meant today." We only had 3 hits on the board at the time, and Lakeland had a 2 run lead.

Ryan Strieby had taken a walk in the top of the 3rd, and Jeffrey Kunkel doubled a line drive out to right. A fielding error by Edward Ovalle allowed Strieby to score. Kunkel would go for a triple, and was taken out at 3rd. Cale Iong then tripled off Miracle starter Jeff Manship, out to right. Louis Ott ground out, but Iong came home on the play. Scott Sizemore would single out to left before Brennan Boesch would strike out to retire the side.

Danny Santieseban walked to start out the bottom of the fifth, and Yancarlos Ortiz flew out to right, which led up to the above conversation, with just three Miracle hits on the board.

Brian Dinkelman and Juan Portes both drew walks, when the Tigers decided to pull starter Duane Below and go with reliever Ed Clelland. That gave me a chance to thank Tyler for the autograph and get back to my seat.

Just in time. Danny Valencia got the fourth Miracle hit, singling out to left to bring in Santiesteban. Wilson Ramos kept it going with a life drive out to Jeremy Laster in center field that brought in Dink and Portes. Edward Ovalle would ground into a force out and Rocky Palacios would ground out as well, but the Miracle were on the board and had the lead.

With two outs in the 6th, Brandon Timm would single, but field manager Jeff Smith was taking no chances, turning to reliever Jose Lugo. The outgoing Manship would have given up 2 runs, both earned, on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4 in 5.2 innings worth of work.

Lugo would get the final out in the sixth and hold the Tigers hitless in the seventh.

Gabriel Benitez would take over the mound from Clelland in the 7th, when Dinkelman walked. Portes flew out, and with Valencia at the plate, Dinkelman would steal 2nd. That's when Valencia connected to take Benitez deep, bringing in two. I'd later hear Sean Fox saying on the Miracle broadcast that is was the longest home run he'd seen out of the Miracle. There was no tape, but that ball went a ways, that is for certain. Ramos almost made the fence as well, flying out on the warning track to Brennan Boesch. That gave the Miracle a nice little cushion to their lead.

Anthony Slama would be called in to "Slama the door" on Lakeland, which he did well in the 8th, allowing only walk to Sizemore.

The Flying Tigers turned to pitcher Brendan Wise in the bottom of the 8th. Following a Whit Robbins fly out, Santiesteban and Yancarlos Ortiz would hit back to back doubles to give the Miracle their sixth run of the night. Wise would intentionally walk Dinkelman to get at Portes, who hit a single to left. Valencia would be called out on strikes, a very controversial call by the umpire, especially as Valencia felt he'd earned a walk. Ramon ground into a force out to end the inning.

Slama would make things a bit interesting in the ninth however, allowing a single to Pedro Cotto, and then throwing the ball past 2nd base on a force attempt that allowed Laster to get on the bag. With one out on the board though, held get Strieby to ground into a double play to end the contest.

Valencia would go 2-for-3 on th night with 1 run and 3 RBIs. Dinkelman would go 2-for-2 with 3 walks and 2 runs. Santiesteban was 1-for-2 with a walk, but also had 2 runs to his credit.

The two teams rematch tomorrow for a 7:05 PM start. The Miracle will have Twins' pitcher Kevin Slowey on the mound on a rehab start. Lakeland will send Johan Nickerson (1-1, 7.30) out to the hill in retaliation.

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Despite home runs by Ozzie Lews and Ramon Santana in Beloit, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers still took a win, 4-3 from the Snappers. Blair Erickson and Charles Nolte would combine to surrender 3 runs in the 6th inning, on 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2. Erickson would be charged with the loss. Santana would go 2-for-3 with 1 run and 1 RBI at the plate, while right fielder Mark Dolenc was 2-for-5. (Boxscore)

The New Britain Rock Cats downed the Trenton Thunder 5-4 in Eastern League play (Boxscore). Former Miracle lefty Kyle Aselton picked up the win in the 12th inning, the second straight time these two teams have played extra innings. Trevor Plouffe, Matt Moses and Erik Lis were each 2-for-5 in the game, Plouffe and Lis with a run each and Moses and Lis with an RBI each. Dustin Martin was 2-for-6 with 1 run and 1 RBI. Ryan Mullins worked six innings on the mound, allowing 3 runs, 1 earned on 8 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2.

Triple AAA Rochester would take a big 7-4 win from the Scranton/WB Yankees on Sunday. Darren McDonald would go 3-for-3 at the plate with 3 walks and 1 RBI. Chris Basak was 2-for-4 with 2 runs. Former Miracle catcher Jose Morales picked up 2 RBIs in the contest while Jason Pridie accounted for 2 runs and 3 RBIs on a hit and a walk, going yard in the ninth to give the Red Wings the win (Boxscore). Naples resident Carmen Cali recorded his second win of the season for the Twins farm team, while Bobby Korecky recorded his 4th save of the season.

Sara-Reds slip past Miracle

Fort Myers 1 at Sarasota 2

Record: 9 - 7

W: J. Smith (3-1, 1.42); L: C. Devries (1-2, 6.00); SV: S. Watson (3)
HR: None.

The Sarasota Reds took a slim lead in the bottom of the second inning and hung onto it through nine to pick up a win over the Fort Myers Miracle.

Despite pounding out ten hit, the Miracle could only convert for one run with Brian Dinkelman, Rene Tosoni and Juan Portes all singling in the top of the 3rd. Portes fly to left field would score Dinkelman.

Justin Turner singled on a line drive in the first and came home on a Chris Valaika double. Valaika would be taken out at 3rd on the play as he tried to stretch it for a triple.

Drew Stubbs double in the bottom of the second and Justin Laowsma would be hit by a pitch to put runners on base. The pair then worked a double steal with Anthony Gressick at the plate. Gressick would then hit a sac-fly to bring in Stubbs for what would prove to be the game winning run.

Cole Devries suffered the loss, allowing both runs on six hits and 1 walk while striking out 6 over 5 innings worth of work. Tim Lahey, newly added to the roster, and Danny Graves finished off the contest.

Dinkleman and Portes were both 3-for-4 in the contest.

The Miracle return home to take on the Lakeland Flying Tigers Sunday for a special 5:05 PM start. Jeff Manship (2-0, 4.50) will make the start for Fort Myers. The Tigers are expected to counter with lefty Duane Below (1-1, 4.92).

Boxscore
Log
Miracle
News Press
NDN
Herald Tribune

Danny Berg was placed on the seven-day DL retroactive to last Thursday with an undisclosed injury. Lahey was required by the Twins after he was taken in December in the Rule 5 draft by the Phillies. He was designated for assignment and the Twins purchased his contract back. He was added to the Miracle roster from extended spring training.

In Single-A low, four runs in the last three innings helped the Timber Rattlers claim game two of the three-game series, 5-3. Beloit's Spencer Steedley picked up the loss allowing two runs off three hits. Joe Benson was 2-for-3 for the Snappers with 2 walk and 2 runs. Sean Singleton and Garrett Olsen were both 2-for-4, Singleton with a run and 2 RBIs and Olson with 1 RBI. Catcher Danny Lehmann was 3-for-3 with a double.

In Double-A play, Trenton downed the Rock Cats 5-3 in New Britain. Luke Hughes hit his 2nd home run of the season for the Cats, going 3-for-5 at the plate with 2 runs and 1 RBI. Brock Peterson was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run. Dustin Martin and David Winfree each had a hit a piece in the game.

Yohan Pino allowed 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5 in five innings worth of work, but took a no-decision in the game. Ben Julianel suffered the loss in the 11th inning with 2-unearned runs on 2 hits and 4 walks while striking out one over 2 innings.

The Rochester Red Wings also lost to a Yankees' farm team, being shut out by the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees 1-0. Rochester managed only 3 hits and 1 wlak in the contest. Brian Duensing suffered the loss, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5 over 5.2 innings.

Check out the Rock Cats report on RedWingsBaseball.com for a look former Miracle Anthony Swarzak, plus stroll through of the Miracle roster, which speculates that Deolis Guerra will be called up to New Britain once the Twins deem Swarzak ready for Triple A play.