Snappers split pair with L-Kings

Beloit 3 at Clinton 5

W: N. Feliz (5-1, 2.05); L: D. Bromberg (3-3, 5.08)
HR: BEL: S. Singleton (3). CLI: I. Gac (15).

David Bromberg would give up 5 runs (4 earned) on six hits while striking out only 2. He'd last only 3 innings, which - needless to say - is a less than successful outing for the young Californian.

This combined with a lack of offense saw the visiting Beloit Snappers fall to the Clinton Lumber Kings, 6-2.

After 3 ground outs shut out the batting order in the first inning, Ian Gac homered to lead off the second. Bromberg would get Tim Smith out on a ground bunt, and both Jon Greene and Jose Felix on strikes. The third went equally well, with a pair of ground outs and a pop out.

In the bottom of the 4th, Renny Osuna reached on a throwing error by Garrett Olson. Mitchell Moreland then triple which brought in the Clinton runner. Gac and Smith both singled and a wild pitch moved the pair. Greene's single would drive in the pair. Felix knocked a line drive to center, which brought in Smith, and that also finished off Bromberg as Beloit field manager Nelson Prada removed him from the game in favor of Danny Hernandez.

Hernandez, who had started to come around in Fort Myers pitched a perfect 2 innings, allowing only 1 strike out. Charles Nolte would finish up on the mound, striking out 2 in the 7th inning.

The catch up problem fell to the Snappers bats,which were largely silent in the contest.

Ben Revere who went 3-for-3 at the plate, would triple in the top of the sixth inning, then come home on a Chris Cates sacrifice. Steve Singleton would go yard in the top of the 7th. That was it for the Snappers offense.

Revere's outing was notable as he hit 2 doubles and a triple, his average is now .410 on the season. Despite getting to Beloit a month late, he appears to be a shoe in for the Midwest League All-star game.

Chris Parmelee, Joe Benson and catcher Greg Yersich each collected a pair of strike outs in the game.

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Beloit 6 at Clinton 2

W: M. Tarsi (3-6, 5.64); L: F. Castillo (0-2, 3.95)
HR: BEL: R. Santana (4).

The Beloit Snappers faired better in the nightcap, collecting six runs on 9 hits. Southpaw Mike Tarsi turned in another solid inning, lasting six innings and giving up 1 run on six hits and 1 walk while striking out 7.

Ben Revere doubled, but would be taken out on a fielder's choice which allowed Joe Benson onto first base. Benson then stole 2nd, and wild pitch by L-Kings starter Fabio Castillo moved him to 3rd. Garrett Olson would hit into a ground out, which saw Benson cross the plate for the first Snapper run.

With one out on the board in the top of the second, Ramon Santana doubled. Mark Dolenc ground out, and Chris Cates walked before Revere singled to plate Santana.

Ian Gac would single to start off the bottom of the inning. Following a pop off to Tim Smith, Tarsi would attempt to pick off Gac, but the ball went astray and Gac moved to 2nd. Jon Greene would collect a walk before Justin Pickett doubled to score Gac. Greene would be taken out at home on the throw, but the play injured catcher Jair Fernandez, who was replaced by David Lehmann for the remainder of the contest.

Olson would single to start off the top of the third, but he'd get caught stealing. Chris Parmelee took a walk. Lehmann would strike out, but a wild pitch by Castillo allowed Parmelee to score. Santana then went yard over the left field wall for his 4th home run of the season. The Snappers were not finished though as Dolenc took a walk, then stole 2nd. Cates would hit a fly ball single to right which plated Dolenc, giving the Snappers six.

Matt Williams would take over for Tarsi in the 7th, and Smith would greet him with a single. Williams would take Greene out on strikes, but would plunk Pickett with a pitch. Matt Lawson then ground into a force out which moved Smith to 3rd. Miguel Alfonzo would single to plate Smith before Engel Beltre flew out to end the inning, and the contest.

Revere would go 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and an RBI. Santana was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and RBIs. Parmelee, Olson, Steve Singleton and Cates each had solo hits for the visiting team.

The series continues on Saturday at Alliant Energy Field. Danny Berlind (3-4, 3.77) is the likely starter for the Snappers.

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Notes: Blair Erickson has yet to pitch for the Miracle since the roster move that sent Mr. Hernandez to Beloit. There was some comment as to how long we'd keep 12 pitchers on the staff as they can't get enough work for them that way. I do not know if that is in any involved in Mr. Erickson's absence or not.

As for Revere getting promoted from Beloit, Kelly Thesier had this to say in her Twins Mailbag feature:

Revere has certainly made a strong impression since being called up to Beloit during the final week of April. In 26 games for the Snappers, Revere is batting .405 with a .445 on-base percentage. He also has recorded 14 stolen bases.

But does that mean Revere is in line for another call up anytime soon? That seems unlikely, considering how short his stint has been at Beloit. Revere, the Twins' first-round selection in last year's First-Year Player Draft, spent the 2007 season with the club's Gulf Coast Rookie League team.

The Twins have always been hesitant to move a player up too quickly through their system. So promoting Revere to Class A Fort Myers in the upcoming weeks is unlikely. The Twins have kept 2006 first-round pick Chris Parmelee at Beloit for a second straight season. Parmelee certainly hasn't had Revere's success, but I see the team letting Revere get a real chance to thrive at Beloit before trying to send him to another level and having to adjust once again.

New Britain Edges Thunder in pitcher's duel

Trenton 1 at New Britain 2

W: J. Rainville (5-5, 6.02); L: A. Aceves (1-1, 0.78); SV: B. Julianel (10)
HR: None.

Lots of pinstripes this weekend as the Fort Myers Miracle take on the Tampa Yankees, the Rochester Red Wings take on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and of course the New Britain Rock Cats are hosting the Yankees AA farm team, the Trenton Thunder.

Jay Rainville has been excellent over his past couple of starts and he continued to carry that performance against the Eastern League's Northern Division leader. Not that the Thunder were lax in the pitching area, having Alfredo Aceves, who was recently named to the FSL All-star team, on the mound.

Edwar Gonzalez singled off Rainville to start out the top of the 2nd inning. Cody Ehlers would be taken out on strikes before Jose Tabata ground into a force out. Kevin Russo's single would move Tabata to 2nd, and Joseph Muich would hit a fly ball to left to plate him. Reegie Corona would draw a walk before Ramiro Pena flew out to end the inning.

Rainville would work 6.1 innings, allowing only 1 run on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. Zach Ward came in for 1.2 innings of relief, giving up only 2 hits to the Yankees farm. Ben Julianel worked the last inning for this 10th save of the season.

The Cats would manage 10 hits in total, but the only two runs came in the bottom of the 4th. With one out on the board, Brock Peterson doubled out to left. Steve Tolleson would pop out before David Winfree singled to move Peterson to 3rd. Dustin Martin then tripled to drive in the pair. Martin would be left stranded however, when Toby Gardenhire struck out.

Peterson and Winfree were both 3-for-4 in the contest with a run. Erik Lis, Tolleson, Martin and Gardenhire had the other four hits for New Britain.

The two teams rematch tomorrow at 6:35 PM. It's Yohan Pino's (1-2, 3.25) start, but as he seems to still be on the D.L., the Cats will likely go with lefty Errol Simonitsch (0-2, 10.67). Trenton will counter with southpaw Phil Coke (4-1, 3.38).

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Miracle stump T-Yanks for 5th straight

Fort Myers 7 at Tampa 1

W: A. Burnett (4-2, 3.07); L: I. Nova (3-6, 4.20)
HR: FTM: J. Portes (3).

After a slow start to the season, the Fort Myers Miracle suddenly have five starting aces on their pitching staff. And a couple more in the bullpen.

Alex Burnett worked 6.1 inning allowing 1 run on 4 hits and a pair of walk. He struck out none, that has hardly noticeable.

Meanwhile the battery got to work early. Ivan Nova would get Brian Dinkelman to fly out to start the game, but Edward Ovalle singled. A wild pitch moved him to second. All-star Danny Valencia would ground out, but Whit Robbins took a walk to put men at the corners. Wilson Ramos and Juan Portes both hit ground ball singles to bring in Ovalle and Robbins respectively, giving the Miracle a pair of runs.

With two outs on the board in the bottom of the 4th, Andres Perez doubled. Jose Gil then singled out to to left to plate Tampa's designated hitter. Gil would advance to third on a throwing error by Ramos, but Burnett got Smith to fly out to end the inning.

Ovalle opened up the top of the fifth with a triple. Valencia would sacrifice him in. Robbins walked and Ramos singled to put two men on. After Portes struck out, Eli Tintor would take a walk to load the bases. Yangervis Solarete singled out to left to bring in 2, and Yancarlos Ortiz would send a grounder to short to score Tintor.

Portes would hit a single shot homer in the top of the 9th as a going away gift for the Yankees, who only got a double off Matt Fox before he closed down the side.

Ortiz was 3-for-5 with a run, Portes was 2-for-4, with a walk, a run, and 2 RBIs, and Dinkelman, Ovalle, and Ramos were all 2-for-5, Dink with a walk, Ovalle with a pair of runs and Ramos with a run and a RBI.

The Miracle continue to Party with the Pinstripes tomorrow at Casa de Steinbrenner, with Minnesota Twins pitcher Scott Baker making his second minor league rehab start, his first in the Florida State League. The Yankees pitcher is T.B.D. after the club lost All-star Eric Hacker to AA Trenton on Wednesday.

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Florida State League All-Stars

I've already covered the six Twins prospects selected to the FSL All-Star game, but I'd like to extend congratulations at this point to the rest of the FSL All-Stars:

(Names in parentheses are unavailable due to promotion)

West Division:

Lakeland: Pitchers Rick Porcello and Matt O'Brien, catcher James Skelton, shortstop Cale Iorg and 2nd baseman Scott Sizemore.

Luis Marte was also selected, but will not be able to participate as he's already been sent to Erie of the AA.

Dunedin: Catcher J.P. Arencidia, submarine pitcher Connor Falkenbach and 1st baseman Brian Dopirak

Sara-Reds: Outfielder Drew Stubs and Chris Heisey, pitcher Ramon Geronimo and designated hitter Juan Francisco. (Jordan Smith, Chris Valaika)

Clearwater: Pitchers Edgar Garcia and Matt German and outfielder Gus Milner (Antonio Bastardo)

Tampa: Righthander Ryan Pope, catcher Kyle Anson and outfielder James Cooper (Eric Hacker, Alfredo Aceves)

East Division:

Vero Beach: Pitchers Jeremy Hellickson, Heath Rollins, Ryan Reid and Southpaw Ryan Morse. Infielder Cesar Suarez, outfield Garrett Groce and and DH J.T. Hall.

Brevard County: 3rd baseman Taylor Green and outfielder Darren Ford. (Donovan Hand Omar Aguilar)

Daytona: Outfielder James Adduci, catcher Welington Castillo and 2nd baseman Tony Thomas. Pitchers Casey Lambert and Alex Maestri (Dumas Garcia)

Jupiter: Adalberto Mendez, and Kyle Winters and lefty Graham Taylor. DH Logan Morrison

St. Lucie: Pitcher Dillon Gee and catcher Josh Thole

Palm Beach: 3rd baseman Tony Cruz, shortstop Donovan Solano and outfielder Daryl Jones(Jonathan Mikrut, Jess Todd, Tyler Henley)

Miracle sweep Reds way with 13 hits

Fort Myers 5 at Sarasota 1

W: D. Guerra (6-1, 4.23); L: E. Del Rosario (0-1, 11.25)
HR: None.

Finally, heartening performance from Deolis Guerra! He still needs to watch the walks as five is way to many, but he did hold the Sarasota Reds to 1 run on four hits and five walks while striking out 3. The Fort Myers Miracle put five runs on the board on 13 hits for the win.

(Dear Mr. Guerra, three (3) walks per game is okay. Two (2) walks per game would be preferable. Work on that for me, would you please?)

With a pair of outs on the board in the top of the 2nd inning, Juan Portes doubled and Danny Santiesteban drew a walk. Yangervis Solarte doubled to bring in the pair. Yancarlos Ortiz hit line drive to left to score Solarte for an early three run lead.

Following a Drew Stubbs fly out, Dan Perales was the luck recipient of one of Guerra's free passes. Jason Souwsma and Eddy Rodriguez hit back-to-back singles with brought Perales in and pitching coach Eric Rasmussen scurrying from the Miracle dugout to calm down his Venezuelan stud pitcher. A wild pitch moved Louwsma to 3rd. Jose Castro would reach on a fielder's choice, with the play made the plate, which took Louwsma out at home. Michael DeJesus would fly out to end the inning.

All-Star Danny Valencia hit his 18th double of the year in the top of the 3rd. A wild pitch by Sarasota Starter Enerio del Rosario moved Valencia to 3rd. Whit Robbins doubled him in and catcher Wilson Ramos traded places with him by hitting a double of his own. Ramos would try to come home on a Yangervis Solarte single, but was taken out at the plate to end the inning.

Guerra would get through six innings with Jose Lugo working 2 scoreless sets and Rob Delaney putting the Reds to bed. Solarte was 3-for-4 with 1 run and 2 RBIs. Valencia was 3-for-5 with 1 run .

The Miracle now head over to Casa de Steinbrenner in Tampa to take on the Yankees for a 7:00 PM contest. Alex Burnett (3-2, 3.27) gets the start on the mound for the Miracle. Ivan Nova (3-5, 3.64) will toss out the first pitch for the Tampa Yankees at 7:00 PM.

The Miracle lead the 2nd placed Yankees by 4 games, are 17 games over .500 and have won 7 of their last 10 contests.

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All-Stellar: Pitchers Jeff Manship, Rob Delaney, Anthony Slama and infielders Danny Valencia and Brian Dinkelman were all named to the 47th Florida State League All-Star Game which will be played on Saturday, June 14th at Space Coast Stadium in Melbourne, Florida. Outfielder Rene Tosoni was selected, but will miss the game due to a broken foot.

Six is a record number for the Miracle, who are generally overlooked for the annual showcase. The previous record number was 4 players.

Manship, Delaney, Valencia and Dinkelman were named to the Midwest League All-Star Game last season while playing for Beloit and current Miracle manager Jeff Smith.

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Snapper Game postponed by rain

Rain and lightning postponed the game between the Beloit Snappers and Clinton LumberKings Thursday night in Clinton, Iowa. It will now be made up as part of a doubleheader on Friday night beginning at 6:00pm. The teams will play two seven-inning games with approximately a 30 minute break in between.

The Snappers return home to Pohlman Field on Sunday, June 1st for a four-game series against the Quad Cities River Bandits.

Swarzak, Cats K.O. Defenders

Connecticut 6 at New Britain 10

W: A. Swarzak (3-2, 4.18); L: G. Broshuis (4-5, 4.42); SV: A. Gabino (3)
HR: CT: A. Witter (8). NBR: L. Hughes (11).

Anthony Swarzak allowed only 3 runs - 2 earned - on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 10 in 5.2 innings worth of work. Meanwhile Luke Hughes hit his 11th home run of the year, a blast worth 3 runs in the fourth inning to propel the New Britain Rock Cats over the Connecticut Defenders, 10-6.

New Britain clawed their way onto the scoreboard first when Brock Peterson doubled and Matt Moses and David Winfree followed up with back-to-back singles to plate him. The Defenders answered back in the top of the 3rd with Olmo Rosario singling, then crossing the plate on Travis Ishikawa's line drive to right. Ishikawa would move to second on the throw by Winfree. Eddy Martinez then reached on a Luke Hughes fielding error which also allowed Ishikawa across the plate for a 2nd Defender's run.

Peterson lead the way onto the basepaths with a single in the bottom of the 4th, but Moses hit into a force out. Winfree would follow that with a ground out for two outs before Dustin Martin doubled to bring in Moses. Toby Gardenhire singled to bring in Martin, and Drew Butera drew a walk, setting the stage for Hughes to go yard over the left field fence.

Winfree would double with 2 outs on the board in the bottom of the 5th, coming home on a Dustin Martin single to add one more to the Rock Cats total.

Adam Witter homered off Swarzak in the top of the sixth. Swarzak would allow a walk to Simon Klink, but David Marount struck out and Jake Wald flew out before Jay Sawatski came in to get Ben Copeland to ground out to end the inning. The slightly premature removal from the mound suggests that Swarzak had reach his pitch count and threw a few too many balls - vs strikes - than would be suitable, but it was still a good start for the somewhat beleaguered top prospect.

Butera doubled and Hughes walked of Josh Sharpless in the bottom of the 8th. Butera would be plated by an Erik Lis double. Peterson would walk to load the bases. Ronnie Ray came into to replace Sharpless on the mound. Moses would hit a sacrifice fly off of him to bring in Hughes, and Winfree would follow that up with a ground ball single to bring in Lis, giving the Rock Cats 10.

The Defenders took 3 back in the top of the 9th with Wald and Copeland walking. Rosario hit a single to left to bring in Wald. Carlos Silva would reach on a failed force attempt and Iskiwawa would walk to force in Copeland before Armando Gabino stepped in to relieve Sawatski. Eddy Martinez-Esteve ground into a force out that plated Roasario, but Gabino would get Witter and Klink out on strikes to end the contest.

Peterson and Gardenhire were both 2-for-4 in game, Peterson with a walk and a run and Gardenhire with a run and a run scored. Winfree and Martin were both 3-for-5 with a run and 2 RBIs each. Trevore Plouffe was 2-for-5. Hughes would finish up 1-for-3 with a pair of walks, two runs and 3 RBIs on the home run.

The Rock Cats remain at New Britain stadium as Division leading Trenton comes into town for a weekend series. Jay Rainville (4-5, 6.61) will handle the pitching chores in game one, throwing out the first pitch at 6:35 PM.

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The New Britain Rock Cats announced today that their Friday, May 16th Rain Out with Portland will now be made up as part of a single-admission, Twilight doubleheader to be played at New Britain Stadium on Saturday evening, July 12th. First pitch of Game 1 will be tossed at 5:35 PM; both contests will be 7-innings in duration.

Wings sweep Knights

Charlotte 3 at Rochester 4



W: K. Mulvey (3-6, 4.07); L: T. Ohka (1-8, 5.46); SV: J. DePaula (1)
HR: CHA: J. Bourgeois (2). ROC: G. Jones (5), D. McDonald (5).

Garrett Jones 5th home run of the season, a single shot in the 7th inning, gave the Rochester Red Wings a 4-3 win over the Charlotte Knights, and a sweep of the four game series.

Tommy Watkins doubled in the 1st inning, moved to 3rd on a sac-bunt and was sacrificed in by Darnell McDonald to put the Wings on the board. Charlotte answered back in the top of the 2nd when Chris Getz singled. Jason Bourgeois then put a Kevin Mulvey pitch over the left field wall to give the Knights the lead.

Rochester tied it up in the bottom of the 3rd when Chris Basak singled. A throwing error by second baseman Juan Uribe allowed Basak to advance to 3rd. Jason Pridie then sacrificed him in for the equalizing run.

Charlotte claimed the lead again in the top of the 5th when Thomas Collaro doubled, and moved to 3rd on Jerry Owen's ground out. Uribe then hit a line drive to plate Collaro.

McDonald put his 5th homer to the season over the center field wall to tie up the game again.

Mulvey, who notched his 3rd win of the season, allowed all three Charlotte runs on 5 hits. He fanned 9 over 7 innings.

Watkins was 2-for-4 in the game with a run, McDonald had 2 RBIs. Morales saw his 11-game hitting streak snapped as he went 0-for-3 in the contest.

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The Minnesota Twins have claimed lefthanded pitcher Craig Breslow off waivers from the Cleveland Indians. In seven appearances with the Indians this season, he was 0-0, 3.24 (8.1 ip, 3 er), allowing 10 hits with five walks and seven strikeouts. Breslow is expected to be at the Metrodome in time for tomorrow night's game vs. the New York Yankees and will wear uniform number 49. To make room for Breslow on the 40-man roster, the Twins have transferred righthanded pitcher Pat Neshek to the 60-day disabled list. The Twins will make an additional roster move prior to tomorrow night's game to make room on the 25-man roster.

Wings win third straight

Charlotte 3 at Rochester 6

W: D. Graves (2-0, 3.05); L: W. Whisler (5-3, 2.91); SV: T. Lahey (7)
HR: CHA: B. Eldred (19), D. Richar (1).

Jim Mandelaro wrote in his blog Extra Bases that "Danny Graves is a reliever forced to be a starter."

Perhaps that is the case, but Graves worked well as a starter on Wednesday night allowing 3 runs on 8 hits and 1 walks while striking out 3 over 5.2 innings.

Ricky Barrett and Tim Lahey picked up the relief work as the Rochester Red Wings went to defeat the Charlotte Knights, 6-3 at Frontier Stadium.

Jerry Owens would double for the Knights with 2 outs in the top of the 3rd. Juan Uribe then singled to bring him in for an early Charlotte lead.

The Wings took it back in the bottom of the inning however, when Tommy Watkins doubled out to left, then came home on a Jason Pridie single.

Sergio Santos and Ryan Jorgenson hit back-to-back singles to start out the bottom of the 5th. Chris Basak then doubled the pair in. Watkins would move Basak to 3rd on a sac bunt, and he would score on a Pridie's grounder to center.

With one out in the board in the top of the 6th, Graves would allow back-to-back single shot home runs to Danny Richar and Brad Eldred. He would strike out Josh Fields before Barrett was brought in to relieve him, falling just shy of a quality start.

Darnell McDonald walked in the bottom of the 2nd, then stole 2nd base. He would move to 3rd on Brian Buscher's ground out. Garrett Jones' line drive single plated him to make it 5-3 Wings.

The final run came in the bottom of the 8th, when Watkins walked with 2 outs on the board. He'd move to second on a passed ball, and 3rd on a wild pitch. Pridie then tripled to bring him in.

All in all it was good night for the former Miracle who when 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk and 2 runs. Pridie was 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Jones was 2-for-4 with 1 RBI, and Randy Ruiz was 2-for-3 with a walk.

Brian Buscher had his 15-game hitting streak at Frontier Field snapped after an 0-for-4 night.

Stan Cliburn now has an 183-167 record as manager of the Rochester Red Wings. Stan needs just 17 more wins to be only the sixth manager since 1963 to compile 200 wins in his first three seasons (Joe Altobelli 1971-73, 241 wins; Greg Biagini 1989-91, 237 wins; Darrell Johnson 1963-65, 230 wins; Marv Foley 1995-1997, 228 wins and Phil Roof 2003-05 216 wins).

The two teams finish up the 4-game series with a morning contest. Kevin Mulvey (2-6, 4.10) will throw out the first pitch at 11:05 AM.

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Manship, Slama shut out Reds

Sarasota 0 at Fort Myers 2

W: J. Manship (6-2, 3.11); L: A. Smit (4-4, 3.51); SV: A. Slama (9)
HR: None.

For the second straight game, the Miracle shut out the Sarasota Reds, this time 2-0. The 3-game home-and-home series concludes tonight in Sarasota at 7:00.

Jeff Manship allowed only 3 hits and 3 walks over 7 innings. Uncharacteristically, he only struck out 2, and seemed to throw more balls then unusual, but got through the game unscathed. It probably wasn't the best outing I've seen from him, but it was far from being the worst on as well.

In the bottom of the second, Juan Portes and Eli Tintor hit back-to-back singles. Allan de San Miguel walked to load the bases. A Yancarlos Ortiz sac-fly to center brought in Portes to put one run on the board.

Former Miracle Alex Smit pitched well for the Reds. That would be the only run he'd give up, on 7 hits and 2 walks while fanning 4 over six innings. It was as good of a classic pitcher's duel as we've seen in the stadium in a while.

Philippe-Alexandre Valiquette replace Smit on the Reds mound in the bottom of the 7th. Ortiz would single his way onto base, and move over to 2nd on a sac-bunt by Brian Dinkelman. A balk saw Ortiz advance to 3rd before Ovalle hit a ground ball single to center to bring in the Miracle short stop for the second Fort Myers run.

Anthony Slama came in to pitch the last two innings, allowing a line drive single to Juan Francisco in the top of the 9th, but otherwise mowing through the competition to pick up his 9th save of the season.

Portes finished up the game 3-for-4 with a run. Tintor was 2-for-4, both legitimate hits, not flukes like last night's hit was. He also struck out twice as did Ovalle up near the top of the order.

Danny Valencia hit a beautiful fly down the first base line that Chris Heisey could not quite get a glove on in the bottom of the 5th for a triple, but with 2 outs already on the board, Smit was able to get Whit Robbins out on strikes to end the inning.

Deolis Guerra (5-1, 4.56) will get the start tonight on Dollar Days at Ed Smith Stadium. Sarasota counters with a 70-million dollar proposal to lure the Red Sox away from Lee County. Or perhaps Rafael Gonzalez (2-3, 8.65), who is actually more in their price range.

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The oft injured Danny Berg is experiencing some issues with his hamstring and is day-to-day.

Scott Baker will pitch for the Miracle Friday in Tampa at the newly renamed Case de Steinbrener. With the GCL Twins on the road this weekend, one could stop by Bradenton to pick up the noon game there, then progress on to Tampa to see Scotty pitch against the T-Yanks. Then spend the night at Sarasota and stop off at Twins Lakes for the Noon game there on the way back for a nice baseball road trip.

One could, but as my car has never quite recovered from the last Bradenton trip, this one is not.

Where is Jose Mijares? Section 108, Row 12, Seat 4 or there abouts the last time I checked. The lefty reliever is rehabbing back at the Lee County Sportsplex, and has been attending Miracle games quite a bit.

Rock Cats break up no hitter; go on to win

Connecticut 2 at New Britain 3

W: R. Mullins (5-3, 3.38); L: K. Pichardo (1-3, 3.09); SV: B. Julianel (9)
HR: None.

The New Britain Rock Cats rallied past the Connecticut Defenders in the 7th inning to give lefty Ryan Mullins his fifth win of the season.

With one out on the board in the fifth inning, Nestor Rojas and Jake Wald hit back-to-back singles. A wild pitch moved Rojas to 3rd, and a walk to Ben Copeland loaded the bases. Antoan Richardson then reached on a throwing error by Luke Hughes, allowing both Rojas and Wald to come in for a pair of unearned runs.

Mullins would allow a total of 5 hits and a pair of walks over seven innings while fanning 3. Kyle Aselton and Ben Julianel each worked an inning of relief and allowing only one run each to keep the Defenders at bay.

Kelvin Pichardo took over the mound in the bottom of the 7th. Erik Lis would hit a ground ball single, and then advance to 2nd on a throwing error. Following a fly out to David Winfree, Matt Moses and Brock Peterson hit back-to-back singles that brought in Lis. Dustin Martin took a walk, loading the bases, and Drew Butera would also draw a walk, forcing in a run to tie up the game. Steve Tolleson then hit into a sacrifice double play that allowed Peterson to cross the base for the game winning run.

It was only the 4th win for the Cats, who are two games under .500 on season, and trail the Defenders in the standings by a game, 8.5 games back from first placed Trenton.

Lis was 2-for-3 on the night with a walk and a run, the only Cat with a multiple hit game as the Cats only managed four hits in total.

Giant's prospect Nate Bump would carry a no-hitter through five, allowing only 2 walks. Josh Sharpless kept the Cats off the board in the sixth, allowing only a walk.

The Cats finish off the series with the Defenders Thursday with a 6:35 PM first pitch time. Anthony Swarzak (2-2, 4.29) will take the start on the mound for New Britain.

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Beloit 0 at Clinton 1 - 10 Innings

W: J. Quintero (4-1, 5.40); L: S. Hirschfeld (4-1, 1.20)
HR: None.

Santos Arias and Spencer Steedly held the Clinton Lumber Kings off the board for 9 innings as the two teams engaged in a pitcher's duel.

Renny Osuna singled in the bottom of the 10th off Steven Hirschfeld. A wild pitch moved Osuna to 2nd. Hirschfield then intentionally walked Mitchell Moreland, and Ian Gac waited long enough to get a free pass of his own. With the bases loaded, Tim Smith hit a line drive single that scored Osuna, ending the game.

Kennil Gomez one hit the Snappers through 7 innings, allowing 3 walks and fanning 4. Arias would give up 5 hits and 6 walks while fanning 6 over seven.

Danny Lehmann went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Snappers, while Ramon Santana had the only other Beloit hit.

The two teams rematch Thursday for game two in the four game series with the first pitch due at 7:00 pm central time. David Bromberg (3-2, 4.70) will be on the mound for the Snappers.

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From the Mail Bag

Chris Anderson was the Twins 18th round pick, 546th overall, in the First-Year Player Draft in 2007. Is this kid still around? Haven't seen his name anywhere?

Anderson is in extended spring training and will be starting his professional career with the Elizabethton Twins. You can find pictures of him at GCLTwins.com.

Dianna, what's the story with (Aaron) Craig? Did he get hurt or released......haven't seen any info on him.

Craig was released by the Twins.

Anyone know what the status of Rene Leveret is? He had a very solid year at Elizabethton last year. Can't believe they'd be holding him in extended spring to send him there again this season. I'd understand if they didn't want to take AB's away from Parmelee, but couldn't they lend him to another organization or independant team to get pt?

Rene was/is injured to start the season and is at the Lee County Sportsplex rehabing. I spoke with him on Monday and he said he'd be ready to go for the second half of the season.

One other question, did we ever sign Reggie Williams? I don't see him anywhere.

He is in extended spring training and will likely start the season with the GCL Twins.

What's the deal with Ozzie Lewis?

Ozzie broke his arm during Fall Instructional League. It will take him a little while to get back to 100%. His lack of hitting is not a concern at this point.

Other players at Extended Spring Training doing rehab work: Michael Allen, Estarlin De Los Santos, Paul Kelly, Jose Leger, Wang-Wei Lin, Alejandro Machado, Lee Martin (pitched Monday), Henry Reyes, Deibeson Romero, Kyle Waldrop, Brandon Roberts, David Shinskie, Tom Stuifbergen.

Drew Thompson left camp to rest his back for another year. Henry Sanchez had surgery on his knee (again) and is done for the season. Winston Marquez was recently injured and will be flying to Minnisota to have surgery. He is expected to miss the season as well.

Who's going to Elizabethton?

Catchers: Danny Rams, Dan Rohlfing, Alex Soto
Infielders: James Beresford, Jeanfred Brito, Juan Richardson, Eric Santiago, Jon Waltenbury. MAYBE Nick Papasan.
Outfielders: Angel Morales, Andrew Schmiesing
Pitchers: Chris Anderson, Jarrad Eacott, Kyle Edlich, Rodney Gessman, Mark Hamburger, Liam Hendriks, Curtis Leavitt, Danny Rondon, Thom Wright

Although there are several names on the pitchers list that might find themselves released as well. Omar Alcala is possible, but I've not seen a strong outing from in in EST, so I wouldn't count on it. Hambuger is repotedly hitting 93 to 95 on the gun on a consistant basis, but I've yet to see him throw. Nelvin Fuentes spent time with the GCL Twins last year, but I don't think he's ready to be promoted.

You can add Allen, De Los Santos, and Martin to that list as well. Maybe Stuifbergen, but he's spent so much time on the DL, they might want him to stay in Fort Myers for another season.

None of these are locks (obviously) and the draft will certainly affect who stays and who goes.

Miracle blank Sara-Reds

Sarasota 0 at Fort Myers 5

W: C. Devries (4-4, 3.70); L: S. Carroll (0-1, 7.94)
HR: None.

If it was hits you were looking for, Hammond Stadium was not the place to be on Tuesday night. Cole Devries pitched brilliantly at times, allowing only 4 hits and 1 walk over six innings as the Fort Myers Miracle blanked the Sarasota Reds 5-0.

Brian Dinkelman would take a walk off Sarasota starter Scott Carroll to lead off for the Miracle, he would then steal 2nd. Danny Valencia and Whit Robbins hit back-to-back singles one out later which would bring him in for an early home team lead.

With one out on the board in the 3rd. Edward Ovalle and Valencia hit back-to-back doubles to give the Miracle another run.

Sarasota would get runners in the corners in the fourth when Todd Frazier and Juan Francisco singled with one out on the board. Drew Stubbs would fly out to Danny Santiesteban and Chris Heisey ground into a force out to finish off the inning.

Juan Portes doubled to lead off the bottom of the 4th. Two outs later, Yancarlos Ortiz would hit a line drive to left to bring in Portes. Ortiz would steal 2nd, and Dinkelman would take another walk, but Ovalle would fly out to right to end the inning, stranding the runners.

In the top of the sixth, Frazier would reach when Devries, not expecting the ball, dropped it when Frazier hit it straight to him. Francisco - a dangerous player who has hurt the Miracle before - singled. But Devries got Stubbs to hit into a long fly out to center that Santieseban caught on the warning track to end the inning.

Juan Portes would single, then steal 2nd in the bottom of the sixth. With 2 outs on the board, Ortiz would single to plate him. Ruben Madina would replace Carroll on the mound, being greeted with a Dinkelman double which brought in Ortiz. Dinkelman would try to go for three, but would be taken out on the throw.

Danny Vais and Frank Matta worked the next two innings for the Miracle. Sean Watson replaced Medina for the bottom of the 8th inning. After Portes had reached on a throwing error, Eli Tinter for hit an shallow infield single that drilled Watson, then rolled to 3rd. Santiesteban would ground into a force out, in part because Michael DeJesus at second seemed unsure if he should throw to 3rd or first and as a result hung on to the ball too long to turn a double play. Ortiz would walk to load the bases before Dinkelman would fly out to left to end the inning.

Closer Rob Delaney would make things interesting in the top of the 9th, allowing singles to Stubbs and Heisey with two outs on the board before getting Jason Lousma to strike out swinging to end the game.

The two teams rematch tomorrow with Jeff Manship (5-2, 3.49) trying to live up the to performance of his three predecessors, while former Miracle Alex Smit (4-3, 3.75) will pitch for the Reds.

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Breeze

The good, the bad, the ugly: To reiterate the roster changes, Danny Hernandez was sent to the Beloit Snappers while Blair Erickson was promoted to the Miracle. Erickson was the player I liked best during 2007 Fall Instructional League and has put up some good numbers with the Snappers. Eli Tintor finished off his suspension and returned to the Miracle line up, taking Johnny Woodard's place on the roster. Woodard has been moved to the Disabled List with a broken Hamate bone.

With the win, the Miracle move to 15 games above the .500 mark. At this time last season, the were 9 games under, dead last in the standings and 12 games behind the division leading Sarasota Reds.

The scoreboard went from bad to worse last night as the Miracle had either no outs or two outs, but never one out, during the course of the evening. Missy got a new set of dark blue duds so she could match the players on the field. She came out later with a white jersey over a navy short sleeved shirt with navy pants and looked quite stylish while she was doing the chicken dance.

Connecticut 6 at New Britain 4

W: A. Cowart (4-2, 2.98); L: O. Sosa (2-4, 6.46); SV: O. Matos (5)
HR: None.

When we checked in with the Rock Cats last night, they were trailing the Defenders by one in the top of the 7th. They never recovered, with Ozzie Sosa taking his 4th loss of the season after giving up 4 runs on six hits and 3 walks while fanning 5 over five innings.

Matt Moses and Dustin Martin were both 2-for-4 for New Britain, Moses with a run and Martin with 2 runs scored. Trevor Plouffe and Luke Hughes both a hit and a run for the Cats. David Winfree was 1-for-4 with 1 RBI. Erik Lis was 0-for-4 with a run scored.

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Rock Cats
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Courant
Bulletin

Charlotte 0 at Rochester 12

W: P. Humber (2-5, 5.19); L: J. Egbert (0-4, 7.55)
HR: None.

The Rochester Red Wings suddenly looked like the team to beat as Phil Humber and two relievers blanked the visiting Charlotte Knights. Humber would allow 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5 over six innings.

The Wings broke out their bats as well, with Brian Buscher going 3-for-5 at the plate with 3 runs, Randy Ruiz was 4-for-5 also with 3 runs and with 1 runs scored as well, Sergio Santos was 2-for-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs, Darnell McDonald was 2-for-6 with 1 RBI and former Miracle Tommy Watkins was 2-for-4 with a pair of walks and 2 RBIs.

Garrett Jones and Jose Morales - two Miracle alumni - also had a hit a piece, Morales drew 2 walks and had 3 runs as well, while Jones recorded a walk, a run and a RBI.

Morales stroked an 0-2 pitch to right field in the eighth inning, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.

The Red Wings are now 16-8 record when the Wings score four runs or more in a game, but only a 5-24 record when scoring three or fewer runs.

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Tampa at Fort Myers, Game of May 17th

I had decided that I was retaking photos of Jeff Manship because I did like the ones I had to date for 2008 and did not like the layouts I'd done. However, this was the last game Tampa was in town and I'd gone over to the Tampa dugout to get Autographs from Eric Hacker and Seth Fortenberry. Hacker, of course, was the last one out. I don't get that. Our pitchers come out right away, it's usually the relievers that take their sweet old time about getting out there.

In any case, once I'd accomplished my mission, I started cutting through the sections to get to Iris' seats and ran into Ed who invited me to stop and chat, which I did. So by the time I got to Iris, the light was starting to go. You'll notice that in the second half of this album.

I figured Manny would notice me over by the Yankees dugout and give me grief about it - he gives me grief about everything - but no. Since he was pitching, he wasn't paying attention to what was going on around him.

When he didn't say anything, I went over to him, at this last homestand and said "You know, I'm really miffed because you didn't give me a hard time about being down by the Yankees dugout collecting autographs."

"When was this?"

"The last game they where here for, the one you pitched."

"I didn't notice."

"I guess not, but I figured if anyone would, it would be you. I did get lots of nasty looks last year when I was collecting Tigers autographs."

I wasn't really getting a response, so I went on with "I wanted to get Hacker's autograph before he got promoted."

"He's doing really well this year," Manny says. "He has nothing special, but he really knows how to pitch."

"He's enjoyable to watch," I agree.

"That guy I pitched against, Garcia, he's really good too." Tampa has a good pitching staff. As of last Saturday, May 24, they lead the Florida State League in team pitching with a 2.73 ERA. Fort Myers, you usually ranks up there was fifth, with a 3.52 ERA.

"I like to think our autographs have more meaning for you," he says, "because of the sentimental value."

"You know I love all you guys," I tell him.

He was really good, I did four different layouts and he signed them all for me in one fell swoop.

Anyway, click on the image above to go the album.

Erickson Heading to Fort Myers; Hernandez Heading Back to Beloit

A Beloit Snappers Press Release

The Minnesota Twins have promoted Snappers right-handed pitcher Blair Erickson to their high A affiliate Fort Myers Miracle. Along with Erickson’s promotion, the Twins have also sent right-handed pitcher Danny Hernandez down from the Miracle to the Snappers. Both moves are effective today.

So far this season, Erickson has a 1-3 record and a 3.38 ERA. Blair has 26 strikeouts to go along with just eight walks, while sporting a 1.34 WHIP. Opponents are batting .258 against the right-hander.

Blair was the Twins’ 10th round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player draft. Erickson attended the University of California-Irvine where he was named to the Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-American second team and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason All-American third team as a junior. Last season Erickson tied for second in the Appalachian League in saves with 11.

Hernandez returns to the Snappers after appearing in nine games this season for the Fort Myers Miracle. Hernandez went 0-1 with a 7.45 ERA in 9.2 innings pitched.

Signed by the Twins as a non-drafted free agent on May 8, 2003, Hernandez is coming off two different surgeries on his right elbow. Last season Danny had arthroscopic surgery on June 1st and UCL reconstruction surgery on June 22nd.

Before his injury, Hernandez went 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA for the Snappers in eight innings pitched.

The moves leave the Beloit active roster at 25.

Photos from Monday's EST Game

Click HERE for pictures of Scott Baker on the mound, plus Nick Punto and some assorted Minor Leaguers from Monday's Extended Spring Training game at the Lee County Sportsplex.

I didn't have the right film with me, so the second roll didn't turn out as well as I'd have liked.

For more pictures from extended spring training, please visit gcltwins.com/photos.html

Bees blasts snap Snappers streak

Burlington 12 at Beloit 8

W: M. Mitchell (2-4, 4.17); L: B. Kirwan (3-3, 5.13); SV: J. Augustine (3)
HR: BUR: M. Moustakas (6), A. Ortiz (2), K. Martin (1).

One of the discussions we had over at Extended Spring Training Monday had to do with the Beloit Snappers. While some of the pitchers - most notably Danny Berlind - have turned a corner after their slow start earlier this season, others - most notably Brian Kirwan - have not.

Kirwan would give up 7 runs, 6 earned, on 8 hits and 3 walks over 4 innings against the Burlington Bees, picking up his 3rd loss of the season.

Beloit opened up the scoring in the bottom of the 1st with Joe Benson and Garrett Olson hitting back-to-back doubles to put Benson across the plate.

The Bees were quick to answer back. Kyle Martin took a walk with 2-outs in the top of the 2nd, then stole 2nd base. Alwin Perez's fly ball single plated him to tie up the game. Kirwan would allow runners at the corners before he got Todd Balduf to ground out to retire the side.

Burlington was far from finished however, with Adrian Ortiz doubling in the 3rd. David Lough's ground out moved him to third base, and a passed ball by Jair Fernandez brought in Ortiz. A fielding error by Ramon Santana allowed Moustakas to reach, and Jason Taylor singled to follow him onto the bags. Jamar Walton singled to drive in Moustakas, making it 3-1 Bees.

Antonio Jimenez opened up the 4th inning by doubling off Kirwan. Balduf and Ortiz hit back to back singles to load the bags. Moustakas would then go yard for his sixth home run of the season, a grand slam to give the Bees a commanding six run lead.

That would finish off Kirwan, but not the Bees. Matt Williams took over at the Top of the 5th and allowed a single to Martin before putting a pair of outs on the board, Then he walked Balduf before giving up a yarder to Ortiz, his second of the season, that went over the right field fence. Williams was another pitcher that was a recent topic of conversation around the Lee County Sportsplex.

Fernandez and Santana singled in the bottom of the inning 5th, and came home on a Ben Revere double to start the Snappers rally. Benson would sacrifice in Santana to make the score 10-3 Bees.

Chris Parmelee would greet incoming pitcher Joe Augustine with a double. One out later, Steve Singleton's ground ball single drove in Parms. Fernandez would also put a ball on the ground, moving Sing to 2nd. Santana would fly out and Chris Cates would walk to load the bags. Revere would reach on a force attempt that brought in 2 more runs for the Snappers, making it 10-6 Bees.

Parmelee would walk in the 7th and Marc Dolenec, pinch hitting for Lewis, would double to plate Parms.

Balduf took a walk off Loek Van Mil in the top of the 8th, and Ortiz followed him onto the bags with a single. Lough's sac-bunt moved the pair and a wild pitch by Van Mil allowed Balduf to score. The Dutchman would then hit Jason Taylor with a pitch before being pulled in favor of Australian Brad Tippett, who would get Walton to fly out to end the inning.

Santana singled for Beloit in the bottom of the 8th. Following a line out to Chris Cates and a fly out to Revere, Santana would steal 2nd base. Joe Benson then doubled to bring in Santana, but the score was now 11-8 Bees.

Martin iced the cake for Burlington with his first home run of the season over the left field wall.

Fernandez and Santana both finished up 3-for-5 with 2 runs each., Revere and Singleton were 2-for-5, Sing with a run and an RBI; Revere with just an RBI. Benson was 2-for-4 with a run and 2 runs scored.

Having had their fill of stinging insects, the Snappers will take Tuesday off and head over to Alliant Energy Field in Clinton to visit the Lumber Kings for a 7:00 PM contest on Wednesday.

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Red Wings win at home

Charlotte 6 at Rochester 7

W: T. Lahey (3-4, 3.22); L: D. Day (0-3, 4.66)
HR: CHA: B. Eldred (18). ROC: G. Jones (4).

It took extra inning to make the hometown crowd happy on Memorial Day, but the Red Wings slipped past the Charlotte Knights in 10. Tim Lahey would pick up his 3rd win o fthe season on the mound, working 2.1 innings without a run or walk, and fanning 4 during that time.

Charlott got on the board in the first inning, when Chris Gentz tripled to start off the game with a boom, and Jason Bourgeois doubled him in. Bourgis would steal 3rd, but Brad Eldred was allowed on first as Bourgeois was taken out at the plate to save the run. Francisco Liriano would strike out Danny Richter - batting 3rd - and Thomas Collaron - batting sixth - to end the inning.

The Red Wings made a definitive statement in the 3rd when Tommy Watkins reached on a fielding error. Jason Pridie doubled and Darnell McDonald tripled to bring in two and take over the lead. Brian Buscher singled in McDonald before Garrett Jones hit his fourth blast of the season over the left field wall, making it 5-1 Wings.

Charlotte would answer back in the top of the fifth. With two outs on the board, Jared Price doubled. Liriano then allowed back-to-back singles to Getz and Beourgeois to drive in one. Richter walked to load the bases, and Eldred when yard for a grand slam over the left center field wall.

Rochester would tie it up in the bottom of the 7th when Tommy Watkins singled, then came home on McDonald's double to center field.

Brian Buscher drew a walk to get on base in the bottom of the 10th. Felix Molina would come into the game as a pinch runner for him and moved to second on Garrett Jones single. Randy Ruiz then singled out to right to bring in Molina for the game winning run.

Jones was 3-for-5 with a run and 2 RBIs, Jose Morales was 2-for-4 but did not factor into the scoring. Watkins, Pridie, McDonald and Ruiz were all 2-for-5, Watkins with 3 runs, Pridie and McDonald with one each, while McDonald had 3 RBIs as well. Ruiz had but 1 RBI, the game winner.

Morales singled off Broadway in the second inning, pushing his hitting streak to 10 games. Morales added another single in his next at-bat, and is now batting .306 for the season.

With the win the Red Wings reached the 20 win mark for the season (52 games). The last time Rochester went this many games into the season to get their 20th win was 2001 when it took until their 54th game (June 2 20-34 record).

The four game series continues tonight at 7:05 eastern time at Frontier Field. Philip Humber (1-5, 5.89) will take the start on the mound for the Red Wings.

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Red Wings
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D&C - Notebook

Sea Dogs Rock Cats Pitching Staff

New Britain 11 at Portland 15

W: K. Jackson (3-0, 5.08); L: E. Simonitsch (0-2, 10.67)
HR: NBR: E. Lis (4), D. Butera (2). POR: B. Bell (7), S. Madera (4).

Monday's game at Hadlock Field proved to be less than memorable for the New Britain Rock Cats. Sure, they had offense - knocking out 11 runs on 12 hits. But their pitching failed them, including a 10-run fifth inning.

Steve Tolleson led off the game with a double to left, and moved to 3rd on a Luke Hughes single. Erik Lis would send a ground ball to center scoring Tolleson to put the Cats on the board first.

The first tremor of things to come came in the bottom of the second. Sandy Madera and Aaron Bates hit back-to-back singles off starter Errol Simonistch. Bubba Bell then sent his 7th home run of the season over the center field wall to give the Dogs three.

Hughes would draw a walk with 2 outs on the board in the top of the 3rd. David Winfree sent a long single to center field that got Hughes to the plate, to cut the Dogs lead to just one.

In the top of the 4th, Trevor Plouffe would reach on fielding error by shortstop Ryan Khoury. Evidently it was a bad day for Khoury as Toby Gardenhire also made his way onto the bags when Khoury fumbled his play a second time. After a pop out to Drew Butera, Tolleson took a walk to load the bags. The Dogs would bring in pitcher Kyle Jackson to replace Matthew Goodson to get them out of the jam, but a single by Matt Moses put two more over the plate to give the Cats a one run lead.

Jeff Corsaletti struck out to start out the bottom of the fifth. Then the wheels came off. Tony Granadillo singled and Zach Daeges took a walk. Medera went yard for the 4th time this season over the center field wall to give the Dogs another three. Bates and Bell hit back-to-back singles, and the pair would be plated by Mark Wagner's double. Andrew Pinckney hit a single to bring in Wagner for the for the sixth run of the inning. At this point, Simonitisch was pulled from the mound in favor of Jay Sawatski, which, given Jay's record on the season was a questionable move at best. However Sawatski would get Khoury out on strikes before allowing a single to Corsaletti. Granadillo then doubled to drive in 2 more, and Daeges followed that up with his own double to bring in Granadillo. A fielding error by Gardenhire at 2nd allowed Madera to reach and Daeges to score before Bates would strike out swinging to end the slaughter.

How do you bounce back from that? Well, you start by letting Plouffe take walk. Gardehire singled to follow him onto the bags and Drew Butera put one over the center field wall, his second yarder of the season, but bring in three. Tolleson would strike out swinging for the first out, but Moses followed that up with a walk. Hughes struck out swinging for the second out, but Lis would go yard to bring in 2 more runs. Winfree walked and after a pitching change which brought Chad Rhoades to the mound, so did Dustin Martin. Plouffe then singled to drive in Winfree, but Gardenhire's ground out ended the inning, leaving the Cats with some catching up to do.

Jason Miller replaced Sawatski in the bottom of the 7th, and allowed a double to Corsaletti to start off. Granadillo would single to bring in the runner, and advance to 2nd on a fielding error by Matt Moses. Daeges singled but Madera ground into a double play, which still brought in Granadillo, giving the Dogs a total of 15 runs.

The Cats needed five, but would only find one when Plouffe doubled in Winfree.

Lis would lead the offense, going 2-for-3 with 3 walks, 1 run and 3 RBIs. Plouffe would go 2-for-4 with a walk, 2 runs and 2 RBIs. and Tolleson was 2-for-5 with a walk and a run, but also struck out 3 times. Moses batted in two while Butera plated three. Hughes was 1-for-5 with a walk, a run and a pair of strike outs.

Simonitsch saw his average balloon to 10.67 after allowing 10 earned runs on 11 hits and 3 walks. He fanned 4 over 4.1 innings. Sawatski was charged for the 3 runs, 2 earned, on 4 hits and 3 walks over 1.2 innings.

Anxious to put the Sea Dogs behind them, the Cats will now scamper back to New Britain Stadium to face the Connecticut Defenders for a 6:35 PM game on Tuesday. I have no doubt they will be screaming for help from Fort Myers despite the fact that the FSL All-Star break is still two weeks away.

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Sea Dogs

Baker's 3rd inning

Also Nick Punto's second at bat.

Baker's not quite half-dozen

GCL Pirates 8 at GCL Twins 1

I am not a big fan of extended spring training games in general, and rehab games in particular. Hosting a pitcher on rehab isn't bad, it's the batters that get to me. Winning or losing or even how you play the game is not the point. The point is getting the work in for the individual that is rehabbing, so that he'll get back up to the Twins as soon as possible.

Scott Baker pitched the first five innings of Monday's Annual Memorial Day Game (with Terry Ryan). He pitched very well and was a pleasure to watch, from the first strike out to the last line out. He allowed one run a pair of wind-fed doubles in the fifth inning, but was otherwise solid, allowing four hits and at least 3 strike outs (I missed two outs in the second inning as I was messing with the camera.)

Baker is expected to make one more minor league start, most likely on Saturday. As the Fort Myers Miracle are in Tampa, I'm going to guess it's not going be with the Twins High A Affiliate. As the GCL boys are in Bradenton on Saturday, I'm guessing it's not going to be with them either.

Most likely Baker's next start will be at Frontier Field in Rochester on Saturday.

Baker's performance was heartening from a Twins fan perspective. After Saturday's 19-3 loss to the Tigers including Bonsor's 9 run, 7 hit performance, it's clear the Twins need Baker back A.S.A.P.

The less then happy side of today's game was Nick Punto's six at bats, in which we had four fly outs, one double play and one strike out. Punto did play second base through the first six innings as well, and his defense was not part of the problem. He still has a ways to go though, and will be sticking around the Lee County Sportsplex at least for a little while longer according to Terry Ryan who said "He's not ready".

And given that the idea was to get little Nicky Punto as many at bats as possible, it was a little hard for the regular GCL boys to get anything going with the batting order disrupted.

As a result, the Twins did not get onto the board until the 9th inning, when Anderson Hidalgo doubled, then came home on a failed double play that took out Andres Diaz at second base. After tagging the base for the first out, the Pirates shortstop threw the ball into Diaz - an accident - but I'm sure that didn't make Andres feel any better. It's tough to see a player get injured anytime, but it's doubley so when his parents are watching.

Curtis Leavitt would take over from Baker and would work the 6th and 7th innings. He faired well enough in the seventh, although I had made my way over to the first base side to talk to my buddies.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ryan asks me.

"I occasionally like to go to the English speaking side of the park so I can have a conversation," I explain.

And Winston Marquez wasn't around to translate for me today, as he suffered an ACL tear and will be headed up to Minnesota for surgery. He is done for the season.

It was in the 8th with two outs that Leavitt got into trouble allowing 4 hits, including a double and a triple and a walk for five runs - all earned. I was considering whining to Jake to please, please, please roll the inning, when Leavitt finally got the last out, striking the batter out looking.

Chris Anderson, the new little lefty from New Hampshire, worked the 8th inning, allowing only 1 base hit and striking out 1. Lee Martin pitched the ninth. The first batter would reach on a fielding error (E6) and the second Pirates' boy would put one over the fence.

Note that the Pirates had new uniforms which did not have their names on the back and as I do not have a roster for them I have no idea who was who on their team. He would also allow a single before getting the fourth batter he face to hit into a double play and the final out on an outfield fly.

As for our guys, Jeanfred Brito was 0-for-4, James Beresford was 0-for-2, and reached on a throwing error in the fifth inning. Angel Morales was 0-for-2 with a walk and a pair of strike outs, Danny Rams was 0-for-3, Hidalgo was 2-for-2 with a double, Alex Soto was 0-for-1 with a walk, Hyun-Wook Choi (the outfielding Choi - we have two) was 0-for-2 with a walk and Reggie Williams was 1-for 2.

And Eli Tintor...well...Eli was our new first baseman and he went 1-for-3 with one strike out. He hit into a very controversial triple play in the bottom of the the fifth, fueled by a terrible call by the umpire, who made several questionable calls in the game. I also got my first look at Tim Atherson, the new Aussie infielder, who was 0-for-1. He would be hit by a pitch in the 6th inning. Nick Papasan would take a walk for him in the 8th.

So while we didn't win, and the game was certainly a let down from that aspect, we did get a good outing from Baker, so I'll take the positive from the experience.

Hurry back Scotty, Minnesota needs you!

Video of Baker's third inning is currently uploading and will be available a little later today. Photos are also in the works. We are very multi-media friendly around here.

Just add Ramos; rally monkees not needed

Palm Beach 2 at Fort Myers 10

W: T. Robertson (3-2, 3.04); L: B. Furnish (3-3, 3.80)
HR: FTM: W. Ramos (7).

Wilson Ramos as always had the ability to hit for power, at least, he's had the ability since playing North American professional baseball. The problem in the past has been his plate discipline and waiting for the right pitch.

That's something that's developed over the past two months. Sunday afternoon, during the fourth inning of a drubbing of the Palm Beach Cardinals, the Fort Myers Miracle slugger hit a bomb over the right field wall for his seventh home run of the season, a grand slam that was the icing on the cake of a Palm Beach route.

The Miracle quickly jumped all over Redbird's starter Brad Furnish, with Edward Ovalle singling in the bottom of the first inning, then moving to 2nd on a wild pitch. Ovalle then stole 3rd, and came home on Danny Valencia's ground ball single to right.

Danny Santiesteban singled his way onto first base, then stole 2nd. With two outs on the board, Santiesteban stole 3rd, then came home on a throwing error by Palm Beach catcher Tony Cruz.

Ovalle and Valencia would both single, with Valencia's ball slamming into Furnish. Following a break in which he was looked at by the Card's trainer, he was taken off the field in favor of Eddie Dagerman. Whit Robbins greeted the new hurler with a single to score Ovalle, and Ramos would ground into a double play, which served to plate Valencia. It was now 4-0 Miracle going into the top of the fourth.

Tony Cruz would get a free pass from Miracle starter Tyler Robertson. Andrew Brown hit a double that plated Cruz for the first Palm Beach run.

Palacios singled in the bottom of the 4th, and move to 2nd on Santiesteban's ground out. Yancarlos Ortiz took a walk, and a wild pitch by Degerman moved the pair. Brian Dinkelman then walked to load the bases. Ovalle would reach on a rare catcher interference call when Cruz's glove interfered with his swing. The dead ball situation forced in Palacios, and Valencia's sacrifice brought in Ortiz. Robbins then drew a walk to again load the bases, just in time for Ramos blast.

In the fifth, Luke Gorsett singled and then moved on a pair of wild pitches. Not saying anything about Palacios, but there seems to be a lot more wild pitches when he catches than when either Ramos or Allan de San Miguel are behind the plate. Nick Derba drew a walk, but Nathan Southard would ground into a double play that brought in Gorsett. Robertson would take Marmol out on strikes to retire the side.

Neither team saw much in the way over scoring opportunities over the next few innings. Robertson would work six, giving up the 2 earned runs on 2 hits and 2 walks while fanning 4. Dagerman would be replaced in the sixth by Justin Fiske, while Danny Hernandez worked the 7th and 8th innings.

Hernandez would give up a walk in the 7th and a single in the 8th, but was efficient otherwise and seems to have settled down from the problems he was working through earlier in the season.

Dinkelman singled in the bottom of the 8th, but was taken down in a force out. Ovalle moved to second on the play, when Redbird 2nd baseman Donovan Solano threw the ball between Andrew Brown's legs at first, and into the dugout. Yangervis Solarete, who was brought into the game as a pinch hitter, ground out to end the inning.

Matt Fox would get Brown to fly out, but issued a walk to Brian Cartie. Luke Gorsett would pop out however and Fox would take Derba out on strikes to finish off the game.

Valencia was 2-for-3 with a run and 2 RBIs, Dinkelman and Ovalle were both 2-for-4, Dink with a walk and a run and Ovalle with 3 runs and a run scored.

The route split the set with the Cardinals. The Miracle rest on Monday. The Sarasota Reds come into town on Tuesday for a pair in the first part of a 3-game home-and-home series. Cole Devries (3-4, 4.13) starts for the Miracle.

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Slama Honored: Ft.Myers righthanded pitcher Anthony Slama is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week for May 17-May 23. Slama, 23, allowed just one hit in three games and recorded two saves for the Miracle (3.1 innings). He struck out eight and did not allow an earned run. Slama was the Twins 29th round selection in the 2006 First-Year Player draft out of University of San Diego. He made his professional debut last season going a combined 1-1 with a 1.71 ERA for Elizabethton and Beloit.

Baker to pitch rehab start: TwinsBaseball.com reported Friday that current Twin and former Miracle pitcher Scott Baker will make two minor league rehab starts with the first one on Monday, May 26, at Extended Spring Training. The game, which is played at the Lee County Sportsplex, starts at 10:00 AM. It is free, and open to the public.

Pawsox pound Rochester

Rochester 1 at Pawtucket 11

W: H. Jones (1-1, 1.35); L: B. Duensing (2-5, 4.50); SV: M. Asencio (1)
HR: PAW: C. Carter (6), D. Brown (3), B. Moss (2).

The Rochester Red Wings need help, and they need it now. The Pawtucket Red Sox pounded the Wings 11-1, in a game that certainly made the Pawsox home crowd happy.

Brian Duensing gave up 8 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 5, lasting only 4.2 innings before giving way to Julio DePaula, who surrendered another 3 runs on 2 hits and walk while striking out just one over 1.1 innings.

Pawtucket wasted no time getting on the board, with Keith Ginter singling, then coming home when Chris Carter put a bomb over the right center field fence.

Rochester would get their lone run in the top of the 3rd, when Jason Pridie tripled, then came home on a Chris Basak single.

Chad Spann would get on base on a 3rd-strike dropped pitch and got to second on a wild pitch by Duensing. He moved to 3rd on a single by former Red Wing Gil Velazquez, then came home on a Sean Danielson force out. Danielson then stole 2nd, and was plated by Jeff Bailey's double out to right field.

Carter would have singled his way onto base in the bottom of the 5th when Brandon Moss put a blast over the right field well. Spann then drew a walk and Valazquez doubled out to right. DePaula would come into the game at that point, and allow a double to Danielson that scored the pair for a 4-run 5th inning.

With 2 outs on the board in the sixth, Carter would get hit by a pitch and Moss would draw a walk. Dusty Brown took a DePaula pitch over the center field wall to tag 3 more onto the Pawsox total.

Garrett Jones and Jose Morales had the only other two hits for the hapless Wings. Morales' single boosted his hitting streak to nine game. On April 16 Morales was hitting .105 (4-for-38), but he has boosted his average to .301 after Sunday's game.

Rochester returns home to Frontier Field for a 4:05 matinée game against the Charlotte Knights. Francisco Liriano (0-2, 3.93) will get the start on the mound for the Wings.

Wings alumni Jason Kubel's grand slam with two outs in the eighth inning gave the Twins a 6-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon. It was Kubel's fourth career grand slam and the second of the season. It made a winner of starter Glen Perkins, who allowed a run and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings. Perkins (2-1) walked two and struck out four.

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Beloit tops Bees in extra innings

Burlington 3 at Beloit 4 - 11 innings

W: C. Nolte (2-1, 2.21); L: A. Bradley (1-3, 1.59)
HR: BUR: M. Moustakas (5), R. Eigsti (2). BEL: G. Yersich (4), J. Benson (3).

Ozzie Lewis singled in Ramon Santana in the 11th inning Sunday to give the Beloit Snappers another win over the Burlington Bees.

Danny Berlind took the start for Beloit, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while fanning 6 over 7 innings.

Beloit got on the board first when Joe Benson hit a single shot home fun over the right center-field fence in the bottom of the 2nd. Greg Yersich would homer in the bottom of the 3rd, going over the left field wall with a line drive.

The Bees tied the game up in the top of the 5th, when Ryan Eigsti went yard over the center field fence on Berlind. Adrian Ortiz followed that up with a single, and David Lough tripled him in for the tying run.

Blair Erikson replaced Berlind for the 8th and the 9th. Mike Moustakas went yard on Erikson in the 8th to put the Bees up on top.

The Snappers tied it up in the bottom of the 9th when Steve Singleton drew a walk. Ramon would replace him in the game as a pinch runner and Garrett Olson would hit a sac-bunt that put Ramon in scoring position at 2nd. Lewis fly out got Ramon to 3rd and Benson singled to score, sending the game into extra innings.

Benson was 2-for-4 in the game with a run and 2 runs scored. Lewis was 2-for-5, upping his batting average to .173.

Charles Nolte picked up the win, pitching the extra innings and allowing only a single and a walk while fanning 5.

Beloit looks to keep this win streak alive and sweep the Bees with a 2:00 Memorial Day game. Brian Kirwan (3-2, 4.44) will be on the mound for the Snappers.

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(Note: Dear Mr. Berlind, anytime you'd care to mosey on down here to Southwest Florida would be fine, I'd be more than delighted to you have you.)