Schmiesing slugs in three for E-Twins win

Elizabethton 2 at Pulaski 1

W: L. Martin (1-0, 2.45); L: B. Mohr (0-1, 3.60); SV: M. Hamburger (1)
HR: ELI: A. Schmiesing (1).

Andrew Schmiesing hit a two-run homer in the top of the fifth inning to stake the Elizabethton Twins to a 2 run lead. With Bobby Lanigan, Lee Martin and Mark Hamburger all turning in stellar performances on the mound, it would be all the E-Twins would need.

Lanigan worked four innings, limiting the Mariners rookies to 3 hits while striking out 7. Martin would come in for the next 3, picking up his first win of the season.

Dwight Dritton would single off Martin in the bottom of the sixth, then move to second on Guy Welsh's ground out. Kalian Sams would be taken out on strikes before Mario Martinez sent a ground ball out to center to plate Britton. Kris Sanchez would single as well, but Martinez would be caught stealing by catcher Alex Soto, to end the inning.

Nick Czyz would be on the mound when Jon Waltenbury took a walk in the top of the 8th. Rene Leveret singled and Waltenbury wheeled it to 3rd. Juan Richardson would hit a sac-fly to score the Canadian slugger for the insurance run.

Eric Santiago singled in the top of the 9th. With two outs on the board, Schmiesing then doubled him in to finish off things for the E-Twins.

Schmiesing and Evan Bigley were both 2-for-4, with everyone else in the line up getting at least one hit except for Richardson, who finished up 0-for-3 with a RBI and a strike out.

The two teams rematch Saturday night at Calfee Park with a 7:00 PM start time. Both pitchers are TBD.

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Beloit 5 at Peoria 1

W: D. Bromberg (5-4, 4.42); L: H. Chen (1-4, 3.31)
HR: PEO: L. Bautista (2).

Louis Bautista would take a single shot home run off Beloit Snappers starter David Bromberg in the bottom of the 3rd, but the Chiefs saw little else in the way of offense. Bromberg worked 5.2 innings, allowing 8 hits and one walk while fanning 5 to lead the Snappers to their second win of the second half.

Brian Kirwan and Loek Van Mil combined for the next 2.1 innings and Spencer Steedly closed down the Chiefs to finish off the game.

The Snappers answered Bautista back in the top of th 4th. Paul Kelly would single but be taken out when Chris Parmelee ground into a force out. Deibinson Romero then doubled to move Parms to 3rd. Ozzie Lewis plated the former first round draft pick with a line drive to center that brought in Romero as well. Lewis would make it all the way to 3rd base, but Greg Yersich and Allan de San Miguel were both taken out on strikes end the Snappers scoring threat.

The game would stay close until the top of the 9th. Jon Mueller would take Romero and Lewis out on strikes before allowing a double to Yersich. De San Miguel reached on a fielding error, which moved Yersich to 3rd, and the pair would be tripled in by Estarlin De Los Santos. A throwing error by Jovan Rosa allowed Benson to reach and De Lo to score, before Chris Cates would ground out.

Kelly was 2-for-4 at the plate, while Benson was 2-for-5 in the lead off slot. Cates, Romero, Lewis, Yersich and De Lo were all 1-for-4, Romero and Yersich with a double and a run each, Lewis with 2 RBIs and De Lo with a run, a triple and 2 RBIs. Cates settled for being the one hit wonder of the contest.

Parmelee and de San Miguel were both 0-for-4 with a run each.

The series continues Saturday night at 6:30 PM with Kevin Kreier (2-1, 3.96) on the mound for Peoria against Beloit's Santos Arias (2-3, 2.22).

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If you missed any of the action around the Twins minors this week, don't miss Roger's weekly recap at Twinkie Town.

Defenders walk over Rock Cats

New Britain 2 at Connecticut 4

W: N. Bump (1-3, 4.71); L: R. Mullins (6-5, 3.47)
HR: NBR: D. Winfree (12).

While it wasn't a blow out, the Connecticut Defenders got to the New Britain Rock Cats early, while Giant's prospect Nate Bump kept the visiting team's offense clueless through most of the game.

The Cats managed a whole three hits in the game, paltry by any standards.

Eddy Martinez-Esteve would take walk off Rock cats' starter Ryan Mullins in the bottom of the second, then move to second base on wild pitch. Olmo Rosario and David Maroul hit back to back singles to score the runner for the Defenders early lead.

Following a pop out to Ben Copeland in the bottom of the 3rd, Kyle Haines would take a free pass off Mullins. Carlos Sosa ground into a force out however, then moved to 2nd on Eliezar Alfanzo's single. Martinez-Esteve then walked to load the bags. Rosario would single to bring in two, but Martinez-Esteve would be taken out at 3rd on the play ending the inning.

Jake Wald walked in the bottom of th 4th, and was tripled in by Copeland. While Mullins only gave up 7 hits over 5 innings, the 5 walks hurt him quite a bit, leading to 4 earned runs. He'd fan 3 before Frank Mata took over for the final three stanzas.

Sergio Romo would take over the Defenders mound in the 9th, and would issue a walk to Matt Moses. David Winfree then went yard over the left field wall for a questionable home run that was ruled to hold fair. It as too little to late however, despite a double to Drew Butera with two outs and the Cats went down on Brian Dinkelman's ground out.

Dustin Martin had the only other hit in the game, a single, going 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk.

Game three of the series is Saturday Night. Anthony Swarzak (3-3, 4.74) is expected to face Garrett Broshuis (5-5, 3.87) with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35 PM.

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Rochester 7 at Indianapolis 8

W: M. Miller (4-3, 5.48); L: B. Korecky (3-3, 3.41)
HR: ROC: J. Pridie (5). IND: N. Walker (11), S. Pearce (9), A. Boeve (8).

The Rochester Red Wings could not hold off a ninth-inning rally by the Indianapolis Indians Friday night, watching their lead walk away to lose, 8-7.

Randy Ruiz doubled in the bottom of the second and moved to 3rd on Sergio Santos single. Trevor Plouffe would ground out, but Ruiz came home on the play to open the scoring. Tommy Watkins walked before Ryan Jorgenson's single brought in Santos.

The Wings would not score again until the fifth inning when Jason Pridie and Pittsburgh's Neil Walker traded home runs. Pridie's was a solo shot, while Walker would bring in Brian Bilxer with him.

The the Indians leading into the top of the 7th, Jorgenson singled with 2 outs on the board. Denard Span then tripled him in. A wild pitch would bring in Span before Pridie tripled, then came home on Darrell McDonald's line drive single.

Pridie doubled in the 9th and was plated by McDonald's ground ball single for the insurance run, but it was not enough insurance as Steve Pearce hit a walk off home run off Bobby Korecky with 2-runners on to finish off the game.

Nancy has another great first person recap at Sandlot Swashbucklers. Game three of the series is Saturday night.

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The Red Wings fell to 12-26 on the road. Rochester has not had a three-game winning streak on the road since July 2007. Only Lehigh Valley (9-27 record entering play Friday) has a worse road record then Rochester. The last time Rochester finished the season with the IL’s worst road record was 1984 when the Red Wings finished with a 22-48 record away from Silver Stadium.

Twins infielder Matt Macri left Friday's game with a left calf strain and is listed as day-to-day. He had a career-high two RBIs in the game.

Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer’s wife, Claudia, gave birth to the couple’s first child Friday afternoon. Casey Jonathan Cuddyer was born at 3:23 pm Friday at Fairview Southdale Hospital and he weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces and is 20 inches long. Congratulations to the former Miracle and his family!

Diaz, Twins do in Orioles, 7-3

GCL Twins 7 at GCL Orioles 3

W: A. Lobanov (1-0, 7.71); L: R. Bierd (0-1, 4.50)
HR: None.

Last year, the Orioles kept throwing a bunch of "crappy little lefties", as Milt put it, at the guys and they couldn't hit them. Pedro Beato was not a lefty but the Dominican was certainly effective in limiting the GCL Twins hits, as they took only 4 off of him in 5 innings. Not that the Twins Angelo Sanchez was a slouch. He too limited the opponent to only 4 hits over 5 innings, and fanned 5 as well.

The Twins would find their bats in top of the 7th, with Reggie Williams singling with one out on the board. Aussie Tim Atherton then doubled, moving Williams to 3rd. Catcher Josmil Pinto reached on a fielding error before the O's Randor Bierd would issue a walk to Juan Sanchez forcing in a run. Herbert Lara then hit a sac-fly out to center to drive in Atherton before Jakub Hajtmar ground into a force out.

Luis Lebron would be thrown at the Twins next or actually he'd throw at the Twins, and hit Danny Ortiz with a ball. Andy Diaz then doubled out center to drive in Ortiz. Tyler Landendorf ground out before Williams, Atherton and Pinto would draw walks to force in Diaz. Luiyi Batista would then be brought in, and got Sanchez to ground into a double play to retire the side.

Andrey Lobanov would work two good inning for the Twins and return to the mound for the 8th. Javier Sanchez and Luis Ramirez would take back-to-back singles off him. Garabez Rosa would pop out before Jake Mauer summoned Alex Curry from the bullpen to replace the Russian lefty. Curry would get Jose Kianes out on strikes, but issue a walk to Zachary Dillon, loading the bags. A wild pitch would drive in Santana and a single by Edinho Meyer brought in Ramirez. Dishenko Ricardo could single to score Dillon, but Omar Casamayor would ground out, leaving the O's down by one.

Lara would reach on a fielding error by Xavier Avery and move to 2nd on the play. Following a pop up to Hajtmar, who handled first base defensively, Danny Ortiz would double to drive in Lara. Diaz then singled to bring in Ortiz. Tyler Ladendorf would ground out before Williams doubled to drive in Diaz.

Daiz would finish up 3-for-5 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs in the designated hitter role. Williams was 3-for-5 with a walk, a run and a run batted in. Ortiz was 1-for-4 with double, a pair of runs and a RBI while Atherton was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run. Sanchez was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run batted in. and Ladendorf was the one hit wonder going 1-for-5 at the plate.

The Twins stay on the road against the GCL Reds on Saturday. The game is early - 10 AM start. The GCL Twins return home on Sunday to face the Red Sox.

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Tyler's Twins Talk has a breakdown of the GCL Roster. Since he using the info on MiLB to write the piece, there are some incorrect assumptions in it. I also hope that Ladendorf's .143 batting average would give him an indication as to why Tyler is in the GCL and not Elizabethton. While I appreciate all Milb does in it's reporting, it still works on a "telephone" system and the information they report is inaccurate at times.

DSL Twins 1 at DSL Yankees2 3

W: A. Atacho (1-0, 0.69); L: E. Cardenas (1-1, 2.05); SV: M. Croussett (3)
HR: DSL TWI: Y. Franco (1). DSL NYY2: K. De Leon (1).

A single shot home run by Yancarlo Franco in the eighth inning was all the road kill DSL Twins could manage on Friday against the Yankees2.

Eliecer Cardenas suffered the loss, allowing 3 runs, 2 earned on six hits while fanning 5 over 7 innings.

Manuel Soliman was 3-for-4 with a double while Yorby Martinez, Jairo Perez, and Eliel Sierra all had hits, Sierra with a double.

The Twins end the week at home Saturday against the DSL Diamondback/Reds for a 10:30 AM, Dominican time, start.

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Beloit snaps up first win of 2nd half

Beloit 3 at Peoria 1

W: C. Nolte (3-1, 2.41); L: C. Siegfried (1-6, 7.43)
HR: BEL: E. De Los Santos (1).

The Beloit Snappers started out the 2nd half of the Midwest League season with a win on Thursday, breaking a 1-1 tie in the 8th inning and hanging on to win 3-1.

Mike McCardell worked six innings for the Snappers allowing 1 run (unearned) on 4 hits and a walk while fanning six. The run would come when Cliff Anderson tripled out to Mark Dolenc in left. A throwing error by Deibinson Romero allowed Nate Samson to reach and Anderson to score one out out later.

The Snappers had already gotten onto the board with Estarlin De Los Santos leading off the third inning with a single, then stealing 2nd. A throwing error by Chiefs' catcher Josh Donaldson saw him to 3rd. After a walk to Dolenc, Joe Benson would ground into a double play, but it served to plate De Lo.

For the Chiefs, Dae-Eun Rhee worked five innings, giving up 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. Audy Santana would work the sixth before Chris Siegfried replaced him for the seventh.

Sigfriend would still be on the mound when De Lo lead off the top of the 8th by going yard over the left field wall. Dolenc would single and Benson would walk before Jordan Latham replaced Siegfried on the mound. Paul Kelly's sac-bunt would move the pair and a sac-fly by Chris Parmelee brought in Dolenc for the insurance run.

Kelly would go 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk. De Lo, down at the bottom of the order, was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs and a RBI. Greg Yersich, who handled first base in the game, was the one hit wonder, ending up 1-for-4 at the plate. Benson and Dolenc were both 1-for-3 with a walk each, Dolenc also had a run.

Charles Nolte would pick up the win, allowing 3 hits and a walk over 3 innings. He'd strike out only one.

The two teams rematch on Friday with David Bromberg (4-4, 4.65) on the hill for the Snappers.

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Bluefield 1 at Elizabethton 7

W: T. Wright (1-0, 0.00); L: E. Gamboa (0-1, 4.15)
HR: None.

It was another hit fest at Joe O'Brien Stadium again on Thursday, as the Elizabethton Twins downed the Bluefield Orioles, 7-1.

The bottom of the fifth saw 4 runs in for the E-Twins as Dominic De La Osa was hit by a pitch to open the inning. He'd move to 2nd on a wild pitch. After Nate Hanson flew out, James Beresford singled to bring in De La Osa. A fielding error by Lance West saw the Bearcat to 2nd and a wild pitch by Eddie Gamboa moved him to 3rd. Jeanfred Brito would plate him with a single. Gamboa would then try a pick off on Brito that ended with the speedster taking 2nd on a throwing error. Travis Keating would be brought in for the O's and Drew Schmiesing drew a walk off him. Jon Waltenbury would smash a single out to right. Brito would try to go home, but would be nabbed at the plate on the throw. Keating would then unleash a wild pitch that moved the pair of runners. Danny Rams then doubled to drive the two in.

Hanson would reach on a throwing error in the bottom of the 3rd, and go on to score on a Schmiesing single.

Michael Harrington would double to drive in Brito and Waltenbury in the 7th.

Brito was 2-for-5 with a run and a RBI, the only E-Twin with a multi hit game. Schmeising was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, a run and a run batted in. Waltenbury was 1-for-3 with 2 runs. Rams was 1-for-4 with 2 RBIs and 3 strike outs. Harrington was 1-for-2 with 2 RBIs and a pair of walks. Beresford finished up 1-for-3 with a walk and a run.

Danny Osterbrock worked 3 innings for the E-Twins allowing 1 run on 5 hits while fanning 5. Thom Wright picked up the win by pitching the next three, allowing only 1 hits and a walk while fanning 3. Jarrad Eacott and Danny Rondon finish up on the mound with Eacott working a pair of innings, and Rondon the final stanza.

The E-Twins now travel to Pulaski for a 3-game set against the Mariners new farm team. Game one is set for Friday a 7:00 PM

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Dogs pound Manship, Cats, 10-4

New Britain 4 at Portland 10

W: M. Bowden (6-3, 2.20); L: J. Manship (0-1, 11.25)
HR: NBR: E. Lis (7). POR: M. Wagner 2 (6).

Jeff Manship got a rude reception in his first AA game Thursday night. The Miracle ace gave up 5 runs on 8 hits and 1 walks while striking out 6 over just 4 innings, as the Portland Sea Dogs demolished the New Britain Rock Cats 10-4.

Sea Dog Tony Granadillo singled with one out on the board in the bottom of the first. Jeff Corsaletti reached on a failed force attempt, with a throwing error by Brock Peterson moving the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Mark Wagner then took Manship yard over the left field fence to give the Sea Dogs an early 3 run lead.

The Cats answered back in the top of the 2nd, with Erik Lis putting his 7th home run over the right field wall. Brock Peterson would get on base on a fielding error by John Otness. Matt Moses would ground into a force out however, and would move to 3rd on a throwing error by Michael Bowden on the pick off attempt. David Winfree would hit a fly ball single to right to score Moses.

Manship would get Mickey Hall out on strikes before giving up a walk to Ryan Khoury. Iggy Suarez then singled, moving Khoury to 3rd. Bubba Bell tripled the runners in before Granadillo would go down on strikes and Corsaletti would ground out.

The Cats would get a single out of Brian Dinkelman in the top of the 3rd, but left him stranded. In the bottom of the stanza, Mark Wagner put a single shot home run, his sixth of the season, over the left center field wall. Andy Pinckney would fly out before Otness singled. Hall would go down on strikes again, but Khoury doubled a line drive out to left to plate Otness.

By the bottom of the fourth, Manship had figured out if you don't get them out on strikes, you're not going to get them out, and so struck out 2 of the three batters he faced.

Moses would get as far as 3rd in the top of the 4th, and Danny Valencia would find himself there in the top of the fifth, but the Cats couldn't convert.

Jason Miller took over for Manship in the 5th. With two outs on the board, Otness doubled. Hall would single to drive him in, then stoled 2nd base. Khoury would draw a walk, and the pair would orchestrate a double steal. Iggy Suarez then singled out to left to bring in the pair. Suarze would try to stretch it for 2, but was taken down at second, ending the inning.

The Cats finally found some offense in the top of the 8th, with Winfree singling his way onto base. Felix Molina followed him onto the bags with a grounder. A fielding error by Corsaletti proved costly as it allowed Drew Butera to reach, and Winfree and Molina to score. Dinkelman would get plunked with a pitch, but Dustin Martin's force out retired the side before they could take a sizable chunk out of Portland's lead.

Hall would single off Miller in the bottom of the stanza and Khoury drew a walk. Suarez would go down on strikes before Bubba Bell's single scored Hall for the Dogs' 10th run of the night.

New Britain takes on Connecticut on Friday with Ryan Mullins (6-4, 3.23) getting the start against Nate Bump (0-3, 5.70).

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Rochester 9 at Indianapolis 3

W: B. Duensing (4-6, 3.69); L: J. Chavez (1-2, 3.89)
HR: ROC: D. McDonald (10).

The Rochester Red Wings used a pair of big innings late in the game to overcome the Indianapolis Indians 9-3.

Sergio Santos, Trevor Plouffe and Alejandro Machado all singled to load the bases with one out in the top of the 7th. Ryan Jorgensen then doubled to clear the bags, then moved to 3rd on the throw. He'd be plated by Denard Span.

Randy Ruiz would single in the top of the 8th, and move to 3rd on Santos double. Plouffe walked to fill up the bags again, and Machado tripled to clear them off giving the Wings 7 runs in two innings.

Brian Duensing worked 7 innings, giving up just 2 runs on six hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. Tim Lahey finish off the last two allowing 1 run on three hits.

Santos was 4-for-5 at the plate with a pair of runs, Machado was 2-for-3 with a run and 3 RBIs, Plouffe and Span were both 2-for-4, Plouffe with 3 runs and a walk and Span with a walk and a run scored. Darnell McDonald was 2-for-5 with a run, and a RBI.

Nancy has an excellent first hand write up at Sandlot Swashbucklers (with pictures), so pounce on over there and have a look.

The two teams rematch on Friday at 7:15 PM with Frankie Liriano (3-2, 3.78) on the mound against Pittsburgh prospect Bryan Bullington (3-6, 5.70).

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Infielder Chris Basak was traded to the New York Yankees organization for cash considerations after the game on Tuesday. Basak was batting .260 with six home runs and 17 RBI in 56 games for Rochester.

A season ago, Rochester and Indianapolis split the season series 4-4. The Red Wings were 3-1 at Frontier Field and 1-3 at Victory Field.

Extra Bases Blog

Mircle slip against Reds on Water Day

Sarasota 4 at Fort Myers 3

W: S. Carroll (4-1, 4.94); L: J. Lugo (1-3, 5.06); SV: R. Geronimo (8)
HR: FTM: D. Berg (3).

Matt Williams likes to pitch to the outside of the plate and they call a tighter strike zone in the Florida State League. This is not a combination for success as the young reliever gave up two runs in the fifth, tying the game. The Sarasota Reds would go on to defeat the Fort Myers Miracle, 4-3.

Miracle ace Tyler Robertson was making his first start after missing a brief time on the disable list with shoulder tendinitis. He described it more a sore bicep but in any case, he was held to a lower pitch count than usual and threw only the first 4 innings. Even so, he limited the Reds to just 3 hits and walked only 1 while fanning 5.

Eli Tintor singled his way onto base in the bottom of the 3rd. Danny Lehmann then lay down a ground ball bunt that would have made former Miracle field manager Jose Marzan proud. Yancarlos Ortiz followed this up with his own bunt to advance the pair. Nick Punto ground out to first, plating Tintor to put he Miracle on the board.

In the bottom of the fourth, Danny Berg would knock his 3rd home run of the year over the left field wall.

Williams would take over for Robertson in the top of the fifth and walked Eddy Rodriguez. Jake Kahaulelio would move Rodriguez to 2nd with a sac bunt. Jose Castro then hit a line drive out to center, scoring the runner. Williams would get Chris Heisey out on strikes, before Juan Francisco doubled to the left field line to score Castro.

Iris was a little concerned that they didn't go for a play at the plate, but Lehmann really wasn't in position to make one and a throwing error would have cost them another run. Sometimes you just have to suck it up. Drew Stubbs would go down swinging to retire the side.

Sarasota right hander Scott Carroll worked 7 innings to pick up his 4th save of the season. He'd allow 5 hits and fan seven over the time.

After his shaky fifth, Williams worked the next two innings, using a combination of fly outs and ground outs to get Sarasota to sit down and keeping the game tied.

Field Manager Jeff Smith would then send Jose Lugo to the bullpen and once again, it was the not the good Jose Lugo. Heisey would walk before Francisco doubled off the Dominican reliever to put the Reds on top. Stubbs would single to move Francisco to 3rd, and after Carson Kainer when down on strikes, Jason Louwsma would reach on a fielder's choice as the Lugo caught the ball and sent it back to Lehmann to make the play at home, saving the run. Catcher Jacob Long would ground into a force out to retire the side.

With two outs on the board in the bottom of the 8th, Nick Punto would draw a walk from Phil Valliquette, then steal 2nd. Wilson Ramos, pinch hitting for Steve Singleton would ground out however, leaving him stranded.

With the loss of Rob Delaney to Double A New Britain, Smith is looking more to Blair Erickson to take over the closer role.

After getting Rodriguez out on strikes, Erickson would allow Kahaulelio to single out to center. Castro would ground into a force out and would be tripled in by Heisey before Erickson could get Francisco to strike out.

Juan Portes would get hit by a pitch in the bottom of the ninth, after a fly out to Berg, Garrett Olson would reach on a fielding error by Francisco that put Portes at 3rd. Yangervis Solarte then singled to score Portes. Reds closer Ramon Geronimo would then get Whit Robbins and Danny Lehmann to fly out, ending the game.

Solarte finished up 2-for-4 in the game. Punto was 1-for-3 with a walk. Tintor was 1-for-3 with a run and a pair of strike outs. Lehmann was the one hit wonder, finishing up 1-for-4.

The two teams rematch Saturday evening with Matt Fox (3-1, 3.80) taking to the mound against major leaguer Josh Fogg (0-0, 4.35) who is pitching on a rehab assignment from Cincinnati.

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Kudos to Sharpie for being able to say "Kahaulelio". But dude, that Square Bob Spongepants song was TOO loud. You hurt my ears!

Iris wanted to know Saturday's promotion was. "It's Cat night," I tell her. "You get a free kitten when you walk through the gate."

"NO IT'S NOT!" she says, but she had to think about it first.

In truth, the first 750 people through the gate get a free snazzy looking Miracle cap courtesy of North Trail RV. Myself, I'd rather have the free kitten.

TWINs open 2008 season with a WIN

GCL Pirates 2 at GCL Twins 3

W: S. Blevins (1-0, 0.00); L: J. Charry (0-1, 5.40)
HR: None.

There was lots of rain Thursday morning and their was lots of kitty litter tossed on the diamond to get it going. You know those big industrial sized bags of the stuff? The ones my cat dreams about late at night?

But the Miracle field crew is composed of a bunch of magicians and despite what looked like it was going to be unplayable field conditions, the game got underway and right on time.

Martire Garcia took the start for the GCL Twins, who saw the Pirates get on the board first. On a full count, Anderson Chourio hit a fly ball out to right to open the proceedings. Following a strike out to Edwin Roman, Chourio would steal 2nd. Edward Garcia singled to move Chourio to 3rd. Pirates 35th round draft pick Kyle Morgan would be taken out on strikes before Chourio would steal home.

The Twins tied up the game in the bottom of the third. Anderson Hidalgo would reach on a throwing error by the Pirates Carlos Silva. Lead off man Herbert Lara would ground into a force out that took Hidalgo out at 2nd. Following a ground out to Juan Sanchez, fourth round draftee Danny Ortiz would triple to drive in Lara.

The bottom of the 4th would see Tim Atherton reach on a fielding error by Chourio with 2 outs on the board. Reggie Williams then tripled out to right to plate him.

The Pirates would out hit the Twins 12-5 with Garcia allowing the one run on half that total - six hits - while fanning four over 4 innings.

Aussie Elliott Biddle would make his North American professional debut for the Twins in the fifth. The righty allowed a single to Chourio, but got Garcia and Morgan to ground out to retire the side.

He did not fare so well in the top of the sixth however, with Mendez opening with a double. Craig Parry would fly out before Andury Acevedo bunted Mendez to 3rd. Alex Vargas singled out to left to plate Mendez before Biddle could get Silva to fly out and Chourio to ground into a force out to send the Pirates back to the dugout.

Mauro Schiavoni would take over for the seventh inning on the mound and pitched quite well. In the eighth, Acevedo's ground ball single would slam into him, bowling him over on the mound. After a brief break during which he was checked, he'd be forced to leave the game with bruised right hand. Poor little Schia-pet! Steve Blevins, who had been warming up in the bullpen, would take over a little earlier than planned. He would allow a double to Vargas and and hit Silva with a pitch, but get both Chourio and Roman out on strikes to end the threat.

There was another break during the inning when a ball fouled back off the end of a Pirates bat and into the Miracle dugout, slamming into Javier Brown's face. The rookie infielder would be helped out to the dugout, according to later reports, he has a nice bloodmouse on the side of his face, but nothing is broken. He will miss several games, but is otherwise okay.

Pirate Jorge Cherry would allow a walk to Twins 2nd rounder Tyler Ladendorf in the bottom of the stanza. Blevins returned to the mound for the top of the 9th, going 3 up and 3 down.

Tim Atherton would ground out to start the bottom of the 9th, but Reggie Williams doubled. Twins field manager Jake Mauer would put Jakub Hajtmar in as a pinch runner for Williams. Hidalego would line out to right, which brought us back to the top of the order.

The Twins have had a lot of success with Latin American lead off men in the past with Jeanfred Brito in 2007 and Esterlin De Los Santos in 2006. This year's lead off man is no different. Lara hit a nice little fly ball over the head of Pirates' 1st baseman Alex Vargas to drive in Hajtmar, winning the opening game of the 2008 GCL Twins season!

Williams was 2-for-4 with a double and a triple and a run scored. Lara was 1-for-3 with a pair of walks, a run and a run scored. Ortiz would go 1-for-4 at the plate with a triple and a run batted in, while Aussie outfielder Atherton was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.

The Twins play their next two on the road in Sarasota, facing the Orioles on Friday at Noon and the Reds on Saturday at 10:00 AM. They return home on Sunday for a noon contest against the GCL Red Sox.

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As a matter of expediency, I have posted the 2008 roster as a .jpg and will put it into html as soon as I get a chance. There are also well over 100 pictures coming of the game, so hang tight.

The Twins got new unis - they were so new they still had the little holographic stickers on them. They look sharp!

DSL Indians 2 at DSL Twins 9

W: P. Guerra (2-0, 3.32); L: J. Campos (0-1, 6.35)
HR: None.

The DSL Twins love these big wins at home, this time blowing out the DSL Indians with a 3 runs 2nd inning and a 4 run 4th inning.

Willy Gil was 3-for-4 at the plate with a triple, a walk, and a pair of runs. Juan Blanco was 3-for-4 with a triple, a run, and 2 runs score while catcher Rafael Sanchez was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a pair of runs, plus a run batted in.

Pedro Guerra worked six innings for the DSL Twins, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4.

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Miracle ace Reds, 5-3

Sarasota 3 at Fort Myers 5

W: A. Burnett (6-2, 3.40); L: A. Smit (5-5, 3.91); SV: A. Slama (14)
HR: FTM: S. Singleton (1).

Former Miracle Alex Smit was dealing off the mound for the Sarasota Reds during the early part of Thursday evening's game, but in the end it would a current Fort Myers Miracle Ace who would take game one of the 2nd half of the FSL season.

Steve Singleton would go yard in the second inning for his first home run in a Miracle uniform, but it was all Fort Myers would get off Smit in the first five innings.

Meanwhile, the Reds took an early lead off Miracle starter Alex Burnett. Jose Castro singled out to center. Burnett would get Chris Heisey out on strikes before Todd Frazier's line drive moved Castro to second. Juan Francisco would fly out before Drew Stubbs hit his 17th double of the season to bring in the two runners.

The score would stay 2-1 Sarasota until the bottom of the sixth. Following a fly out to Nick Punto, Edward Ovalle walked. Juan Portes ground out out before Wilson Ramos singled out left to drive in Ovalle. Ramos would progress to 2nd on the throw. Whit Robbins then singled him in with a ground ball out to right to give the Miracle a 3-2 lead.

Stubbs would single off Burnett in the top of the 7th, and come in on Carson Kainer's double out to left, tying up the game.

Smit would finally tire in the bottom of the 7th, allowing a single to Garrett Olson who advanced to 2nd on Jose Castro's throwing error. A wild pitch moved Olson to 3rd. Steve Singleton would draw a walk, and following a pitching change that put Logan Ondrusek on the mound, moved to 2nd on Danny Santiesteban's ground out. Yangervis Solarte then smacked a grounder out to center to drive in the pair, making it 5-3.

Burnett would work seven innings, allowing 3 runs on six hits while fanning 4. Smit would be charged with 5 runs, all earned on 5 hits and a pair of walks while striking out six over six.

Ozzie Sosa gave the crowd a bit of a thrill in the 8th, looking a little shaky during his outing, walking Castro then moving him to 2nd on a while pitch. Heisey would single to move Castro to 3rd, but Sosa would get Frazier out on strikes and Francisco on a fly out to get out of the jam.

Ramos was 2-for-4 with a run and a RBI for the Miracle. Singleton was 1-for-2 with a walk, 2 runs and 2 RBIs, while Olson was 1-for-4 with a run. Robbins was also 1-for-4 with a run scored. Nick Punto and Juan Portes were the one hit wonders for the evening.

Friday is "Water Day" at the ball park as Miracle starter Tyler Robertson (4-2, 2.76) puts it. The big lefty will be pitted against Scott Carroll (3-1, 5.75). The park opens at 9 AM so you can enjoy all the water day festivities, with the game slated to start at Noon.

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And yes, for those who were curious, I did get some great autographs down at the Reds dugout. Drew Stubbs was very nice and signed everything! The only I didn't get was Danny Guerrero, largely because Sharpie had turned the mic on by that point, and I can't outshout Sharpie once he gets going. No biggie. I'm sure he'll be in the stands tomorrow or Saturday.

Sea Dogs errors lead to Rock Cats win

New Britain 9 at Portland 6 (11 innings)

W: B. Julianel (1-2, 3.00); L: B. Vaughan (1-1, 3.03)
HR: NBR: B. Peterson (7), E. Lis (6).

A pair of errors in the 11th inning proved costly as the New Britain Rock Cats took advantage of the Portland Sea Dogs lapse in judgment to parlay them into 3 runs, to pick up a win on the road.

Shored up by their new arrivals, the Cats got onto the board first. Brian Dinkelman would ground out in the lead off role, but Dustin Martin walked his way onto base. Danny Valencia also picked up a free pass before Erik Lis singled out to center. Peterson would take a walk too before Matt Moses sacrificed in Valencia. David Winfree would also take a walk, but Felix Molina struck out to retire the side.

Drew Butera lead off the top of the second with a double, and Dinkelman followed that up with a double of his own, trading places with the Cat's catcher. Martin would ground out and Valencia pop out before Lis put one over the right field wall, for two more runs, spotting New Britain a 5-0 lead.

They'd need it however as Ryan Khoury doubled in the bottom of the inning. Kyle Aselton, making a start for the Rock Cats, then issued walks to Iggy Suarez, Bubba Bell and Tony Granadillo to force in a run. The walks kept coming though as Jeff Corsaletti took one to force in a second Sea Dogs run. Sandy Madera would hit into a force out that scored Bell while Granadillo was taken out at 3rd. A throwing error by Valencia however, allowed Corseletti and Madera to advance. Happily Zach Daeges flew out to end the inning.

For whatever reason, they let Aselton back out onto the field for the 3rd. Aaron Bates promptly took a double off of him, and following a fly out to Mark Wagner, Khoury took a walk. Iggy Suarez would line out before Aselton started with the free pass hand out again, giving another one each to Bell and Granadillo and scoring Bates before Bobby Cuellar got out there with Jay Sawatski. Sawat would give up a single to Corsaletti that plated Khoury, but would get Madera to ground out to end the inning.

Things settled down after that, but you have to wonder if Cuellar was questioning the wisdom of demoting Jay Rainville and Oswaldo Sosa, especially as Yohan Pino is not cleared to start and is working out of the pen.

Brock Peterson would go yard over the right field fence in the top of the 6th to give New Britain a one run lead. It was short lived however as Bates tripled off Pino. Bates would injure his leg during the run to 3rd, and was replaced by John Otness as a pinch runner. Wagner would single to drive in Otness, tying up the game again.

Neither team found much in the way of scoring opportunities after that. Granadillo would double in the bottom of the 7th for the Dogs, while the Cats managed to get Drew Butera to 2nd in the top of the ninth.

It wasn't until Suarez's fielding error in the top of the 11th that New Britain found their opening. Winfree would reach and a second error, this time by pitcher Beau Vaughan, put Molina on base. Drew Butera singled to load the bags, and a sac-fly by Dinkelman brough in Winfree. Martin would single to load up the bags again and Valencia would take a walk to force in the insurance run. Lis hit into a ground out that plated Butera for the 3rd run before Peterson flew out to end the inning.

Ben Julianel would strike out Madera, get Daeges on a fly out and get Otness to pop out to end the contest.

Peterson finish up 3-for-6 with a walk a run and a run scored while Lis was 3-for-7 with a run and 4 RBIs. Butera was 4-for-5 at the plate with a walk and a pair of runs, while Valencia was 2-for-5 with 2 walks, a run, and a run scored. No one hit wonders, as Dinkelman, Martin, Moses and Molina all contributed with either a run or a run scored.

Winfree was the only Cat without a hit, but walked twice and finished with a run as well.

The two teams rematch tomorrow for the final game in the shortened series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 PM

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The Rochester Red Wings had the day off as the International League rested on Wednesday.

E-Twin bat past Bluefield, 5-2

Bluefield 2 at Elizabethton 5

W: B. Tippett (1-0, 0.00); L: K. Moreland (0-1, 3.00); SV: D. Rondon (1)
HR: BLU: L. Bernardo (1), B. Conley (1). ELI: A. Soto (1).

Much of the early part of Wednesday's game between the Elizabethton Twins and the Bluefield Orioles was a pitching match up between Baltimore farm hand Kenneth Moreland and former reliever Brad Tippett who is now being converted to a starting role.

Tippett would go 5 innings, allowing 2 hit and 1 walks while striking out 5, and the Twins would get their bats working double time to down the Orioles.

The E-Twins would get on the board in the bottom of the 2nd when Angel Morales took a single off Moreland. Following a fly out to Alex Soto, Nick Papasan hit a double out to right to plate Morales.

Colin Allen would replace Moreland in the bottom of the 4th. The fifth would see Soto reach on a wild pitch, and Jeanfred Brito reach on a throwing error that also put the runners at second and third. Jon Waltenbury took a walk to load the bags with 2 outs on the board, but Rene Leveret hit into a ground out to end the inning.

Curtis Leavitt replaced Tippett in the sixth and would work the next two. In the bottom of the sixth, Evan Bigley would single onto base with one out on the board. A wild pitch by Allen moved him to 2nd. Following a strike out to Morales, Alex Soto went yard over the center field wall, to bring in 2.

Bluefield would respond in the top of the 7th, with Brian Conley taking a home run off Leavitt.

Adolfito Garcia replaced Allen in the bottom of the 7th and walked Brito. A throwing error on a pick off attempt saw Brito at 2nd and a wild pitch moved him to 3rd. Waltenbury would single to plate Brito, and Leveret would be hit by a pitch. Michael Harrington then walked to load the bags. Looking for a grand slam? Nothing so exciting. Bigley would get plunked by a pitch to force in a run, and also force a pitching change, with Patrick Kantakevich taking over for Bluefield. He would strike out Morales, and Bigley would be picked off at first to end the inning.

Omar Alcala would replace Leavitt in the top of the 8th and allow a home run to Luis Bernardo. A single, a wild pitch and a hit batter put two runners on before Lee Martin got the call to the mound to replace Alcala. He'd issue a walk to Jason Rook to load the bags, but got Elvin Polanco to ground into a double play to end the inning.

Danny Rondon would come into the game to replace Lee Martin, allowing a double to Brian Corley and a walk to Preston Peterson. However, he got Lance West to ground into a double play and after a walk to Richard Oleo, got Luis Bernardo out on strikes to close out the game.

Waltenbury would lead the offense going to 2-for-3 at the plate with a walk, a run and a run batted in. Soto drove in a pair with his home run despite being 1-for-4. Morales and Papasan were also 1-for-4, Papi with a double and a RBI and Morales with a run. Bigley was 1-for-3 with a run and a run batted in.

The series finishes off tomorrow at Joe O'Brien Stadium with a 7:00 PM start scheduled.

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Note: Pulaski returns to the Appy League, this time as a farm for the Mariners. Perhaps we would ship those Mariners balls the Miracle have in the gift shop up to E-ton?

The GCL Twin begin play tomorrow with a noon start against the GCL Pirates.

Snappers Add Five: As reported yesterday, the Snappers added Allan de San Miguel, Deibinson Romero, Paul Kelly and Henry Reyes to their roster along with pitcher Chris Anderson. Anderson was drafted in 2007 but had his contract invalidated after he couldn't pass the physical. He was later signed as a non-drafted free agent. The moves put the Snappers roster at 24, one shy of the league maximum. Ramon Santana remains on the team's disabled list. (Snappers)

The Snappers lead off the second half of the Midwest League season with an eight game road swing beginning with a four-game set against the Peoria Chiefs, starting on Thursday.

DSL Twins 2 at DSL White Sox1 1

W: R. Acosta (3-0, 0.00); L: A. Medina (2-2, 2.45); SV: E. Alvarez (4)
HR: DSL TWI: E. Sierra (2).

Ramon Acosta worked 7.2 innings for the DSL Twins allowing 1 unearned run on 8 hits while fanning six to lead the DSL Twins to a 2-1 win over the DSL White Sox1. Edison Alvarez picked up his 4th save of the season, allowing 1 hit and striking out 1 over 1.1 innings.

Juan Perez doubled to lead off the top of the 5th for the Twins and Eliel Sierra homered to put two runs on the board for the Twins.

Sierra would however get fielding error in the bottom of the 8th which allowed Rather Trujillo, who had singled his way onto base, to progress to 3rd on a Jerry Puentes single. Juan Varga then singled to drive in Trujillo for the lone White Sox1 run.

Sierra finished up 2-for-3 at the plate with a run and two runs scored. Jhonatan Arias was also 2-for-3 but did not factor into the scoring. Perez was 1-for-4 with a a double and a run, with a pair of strike outs on the side.

The DSL Twins host the DSL Indians on Thursday for a 10:30 AM Dominican Time game.

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Blue Jays batter Miracle, 9-5

Fort Myers 5 at Dunedin 9

W: N. Starner (1-0, 2.08); L: D. Guerra (7-3, 4.83)
HR: DUN: S. Shoffit (7), C. Patton (6), M. Cabral (1), D. Corrente (1).

Matt Williams may have been named a Midwest All-star, but his 2008 debut for the Fort Myers Miracle on Wednesday would not earn him any recommendations as All-Star material. Replacing starter Deolis Guerra in the sixth inning with 2 outs on the board, Williams would give up back-to-back home runs to David Corente and Sean Shoffit, adding 3 to the total of what had been up until then a very close game.

The Miracle got on the board in the bottom of the first when Steve Singlton knocked a line drive out to right to get on base and Edward Ovalle hit a double of Dunedin Blue Jays starter Adrian Martin. Juan Portes would fly out to center before Whit Robbins sacrificed in Singleton.

Despite a triple to Cory Patton in the bottom of the stanza and a walk to Brian Dopirak, Guerra would keep the Jays off the board until the bottom of the second inning when he allowed a home run to Marcos Cabral. It would be the team leading 7th home run allowed by Guerra this season.

The score would stay tied then, until the bottom of the six. Patton would double out to right to lead off. Dopirak would line out and Jesus Gonzalez would fly out before Marcos Cabral singled to plate Patton. That's when Williams would take over.

The Jay were not done in the sixth however, as Luis Sanchez and Adam Calderone hit back-to-back singles to follow up the home runs. Williams would then walk Brad Emaus to load the bags. A passed ball by Wilson Ramos allowed Sachez to score. Corry Patton would be issued a walk before field manager Jeff Smith made his way to the mound with Blair Erickson in tow. Erickson would get Dopirak to ground into a force out to exit the inning.

The Miracle would attempt to battle back with Danny Berg and Eli Tintor both singling in the top of the 7th. Following a ground out to Yancarlos Ortiz that moved the pair, Singleton was hit a sac-fly to center to drive in Berg.

Jose Lugo would take over the mound in the bottom of the 8th and today, we were treated to the bad Jose Lugo. After getting Shoffit out on strikes, he'd walk Sanchez. Calderone would go down on strikes as well, but Lugo would then plunk Emaus with a pitch. Patton would go yard over the right field fence, adding another 3 to the Blue Jays total.

Undaunted, Berg would draw a walk with one out in the top of the 9th. A wild pitch would move him to 2nd. Tintor would strike out, but Yancarlos Ortiz singled his way onto the bags, moving Berg to 3rd. Singleton then doubled in Berg. Ovalle would hit a fly ball single to center to knock in the two runners, but Jay's reliever Paul Phillips would get Juan Portes to pop out to end the game.

Singleton would finish up 2-for-4 with 2 runs and 1 RBI. Ovalle would go 2-for-5 at the plate with 2 RBIs. Berg was 1-for-3 with a walk and a pair of runs. Robbins was 1-for-3 with an RBI and Ortiz was 1-for-2 with a walk and a run.

Ramos and Tintor were the one hit wonders of the game, Tintor with a pair of strike outs. Ovalle would strike out twice as well.

Guerra would pick up his 3rd loss of the season, allowing 3 runs, earned, on five hits and a pair of walks while striking out 6 over 5.2 innings.

The Miracle finish up the first half of the season with a 45-24 record, which is also a clubhouse record a well.

Fort Myers hosts Sarasota on Thursday to kick off the second half of the FSL 2008 season. Alex Burnett (5-2, 3.36) will handle the pitching chores against former Miracle southpaw Alex Smit (5-4, 3.60). It's Dog Daze II so bring your pooch to the park as well as Thirsty Thursday with half priced beer. First pitch will be thrown out at 7:05 PM.

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Expecting Twins blog

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The Minnesota Twins have sent middle infielder Nick Punto to the Lee County Sportsplex on a rehab assignment. He is expected to play in an intersquad scrimmage today with the GCL Twins and will begin a stint with the Fort Myers Miracle on Thursday when they start their three game home stand against the Sarasota Reds. The Twins have stated they want Punto to play in at least three game this time before joining the major league club. That means he would play the entire homestand with the Miracle and fly out to join the Twins in San Diego in time for their series against the Padres.

This is the second rehab stint that Punto has made due to a hamstring injury. He first injured the muscle back in early May and spent close to three weeks on the DL with the injury. He appeared in several extending spring training games over the Memorial day weekend, but in his first game back with the Twins following the rehab stint on May 31, Punto re-injured the muscle while playing on the FieldTurf at the Metrodome.

The setback is the reason the Twins are being more cautious with Punto's rehab stint this time and making sure that his leg gets fully tested in game action.

Former Miracle Matt Tolbert had his cast removed a week ago on his surgically repaired left thumb and reported that is is feeling much better. Tolbert is currently wearing a splint on the thumb, but it is reportedly only for one more week. He could start gripping a bat next Wednesday to begin his rehab work. The target date for Tolbert to return to the Twins line up is still Aug. 1.

Snappers notable, but not shining at All-Stars game

West All-Stars 5 at East All-Stars 4

W: B. Parker; L: M. Ramirez
HR: MIDW: T. Smith.

It would take 10 innings for the West All-Stars to defeat the East All-Stars, with Clinton's Timothy Smith (Texas) earning MVP honors by going yard off Miguel Ramirez of the host Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers) for the game winner.

For the Twins batters, Ben Revere would be o-for-2, as was short stop Chris Cates. Jair Fernandez would go 1-for-2 at the plate with a strike out.

David Bromberg did not fair well in his start, allowing three runs on three hits and 2 walks over .2 innings worth of work.

Steve Hirschfield worked 1 inning, allowing 1 run on 1 hit while fanning three. Loek Van Mil took over for the following inning, allowing a hit and a walk and striking out 1 but keeping the East off the board.

Spencer Steedley worked .1 inning, giving up 2 hits.

Yes, it's true. The only runs give up to the East came from Snappers players.

Bromberg was the hardest hit, walking designated hitter Manuel Rodriguez (Toronto) and infielder Andrew Parrino (San Diego) to start. He'd get Evan Frey (Arizona) out on strikes, but a single by Peter Kosma (St. Louis) loaded the bases. Andrew Lambo's (LA Dodgers) line drive brought in Rodriguez, while Chris Carlson's (Detroit) ground out plated Parrino. A single to Charles Kingrey (St. Louis) brought Kozma past the plate and prompted a pitcher change, with Trevor Reckling (LA Angels) coming in to finish off the inning.

All four of the West's runs would come while the All-Star starters were still in the game. Fernandez would single in the tenth after Smith's game winner had gone out of the park.

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LEN3 reported that Deibinson Romero and Paul Kelly were activated from the DL and sent to Beloit. That leave the Beloit moves as follows:

Start 25 players.

Outgoing to Fort Myers:
Garrett Olson
Steve Singleton
Danny Lehmann
Matt Williams
Total = -4

Outgoing to Elizabethton:
Danny Berlind
Brad Tippett
Total = -2

Incoming from Fort Myers
Henry Reyes
Allan de San Miguel
Total = +2

Incoming from DL:
Deibinson Romero
Paul Kelly
Total = +2

current = 25-4-2+2+2=23 (down 2)

The Snappers are on the road for the next eight, starting with a 4-game set against Peoria Chiefs on Thursday. The contest is slated for a 7:00 PM start.

E-Twins make Orioles blue with 12 runs

Bluefield 6 at Elizabethton 12

W: J. Eacott (1-0, 6.75); L: K. Touchatt (0-1, 6.75)
HR: ELI: M. Harrington (1), D. Rams (1), J. Waltenbury (1).

The 2008 version of the Elizabethton Twins found a lot to be excited about on opening night, and showed that excitement by blasting out 12 runs on 13 hits to double up the Bluefield Orioles.

Danny Berlind took the start, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8 over five innings.

All three runs came in the first inning with Nicholas Ray and Rodolfo Cardona hitting back-to-back singles. Brian Corley would be hit by a pitch before Berlind would get Elvin Polanco out on strikes. Richard Oleo singled to drive in Ray before Levi Carolus doubled in Cardona and Corley. Buck Britton would draw a walk before Berlind got Arthur Bonevacia to ground into a double.

Berlind would settle down after that for the next four, while the E-Twin bats got to work. Michael Harrington would get things started by going yard over the right field fence in the bottom of the second.

Following a pair of ground outs in the bottom of the third, Jon Waltenbury and Rene Leveret hit back-to-back doubles to put another run on the board. Harrington and Juan Richardson each hit singles to plate Leveret. Angel Morales would use a throwing error by Cardona to get on board, loading the bags. A Danny Rams single plated Harrington and Richadson to give the Twins the lead.

Mark Hamburger would take over for Berlind in the sixth. The eighth would see him surrender a pair of runs on 3 hits. Elvin Polanco and Richard Cleo both singled. Carolus poped out as did Britton before Arthur Bonevacia singled to load the bags. Field Manager Ray Smith would then call for Aussie closer Jarrad Eacott to take over on the mound. He'd hit Preston Pehron with a pitch to force in a run, and issue a walk to Nicholas Ray before getting Cardona to ground out, retiring the side.

James Berseford drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the inning. He'd be replaced by Jeanfred Brito as a baserunner. Andrew Schmiesing would hit a sac bunt to move Brito, and an Eric Santigo ground out got him to 3rd. Conrad Ormann then replaced Bluefield's Kyle Touchett on the hill, and unleashed a wild pitch to bring Brito in. Waltenbury then went yard over the center field fence for the insurance run, while Leveret followed that up with double. Harrington singled to bring in Leveret, and Morales would be hit by a pitch, loading the bags. Danny Rams then hit a grand slam over the center field wall. Brito would ground out to end the inning.

The anti-climatic ninth saw Lance West double for Bluefield, move to 3rd on a wild pitch, then come home on a sac-fly. That would be it though, as Eacott got Carolus to strike out to end the contest.

Richardson was 3-for-3 in the contest with a pair of walks and a pair of runs. Waltenbury was 3-for-4 with a walk, a pair of runs and a run batted in. Harrinton was 3-for-5 in his first professional game with 3 runs and 3 runs scored, while Leveret went 2-for-4 with a walk a pair of runs and a RBI. Rams was only 2-for-5 with a run, but batted in six.

The E-Twins now play a pair more against Bluefield, with games Wednesday and Thursday both starting at 7:00 PM.

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DSL Orioles 3 at DSL TWins 13

W: C. Ciurcina (1-1, 3.77); L: R. Garcia (0-1, 2.25)
HR: None.

Not to be out done by the Rookie league E-Twins, the DSL Twins pounded out 13 runs in route to a trouncing of the the DSL Orioles.

Every Twin except for catcher Jhonatan Arias and pinch hitter Juan Blanco had at least one hit in the contest that featured no grand slams - no home runs even.

The O's would get on board first, with Octavio Wilson singling then moving to 3rd, one out later on Moises Ciriaco's single to right. Ciriaco then stole second and Twins catcher Arias thew the ball past 2nd, allowing Wilson to score.

The Twins took it back in the bottom of the inning. With two outs on the board, Manuel Soliman, Jairo Perez and Arias all walked to load the bags. Yancarlo Franco then singled in Soliman before Carlos Vasquez ground out finished the inning.

The O's would get a pair of singles in the 4th, but would get caught trying to steal home, ending the inning.

Rafael Garcia replaced Enrico Jimenez on the mound for the O's for the bottom of the stanza. Willy Gil singled then stole 2nd. Danny Santana's sac bunt moved him to 3rd and following a pop out to Martinez, he'd be plated by Mercedes ground ball single.

Jairo Perez doubled to lead off the fifth, then got to 3rd safely when the O's attempt at a fielder's choice failed. Blanco, who had reached on the play, would steal 2nd. Following a fly out to Franco, Vasquez line drive plated Perez.

Cesar Ciurcina would work six innings for the Twins, allowing six hits and fanning four. The only run he'd give up was unearned.

Santana singled in the bottom of the sixth, followed by back-to-back doubles to Martinez and Mercedes which plated Santana. Following a pop out to Soliman, Perez sacrificed in Martinez. Rodriguez drew a walk and a Franco single loaded the bags back up. A walk to Vasquez forced in a run, and a wild pitch by Eiri Ramirez brought in another. Julio Reyes would be called to the mound and would walk Gil and Santana, which brought in Franco before getting Martinez to ground out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, Mercedes would single and Soliman double. A wild pitch by Reyes allowed Mercedes to score. That would finish it for Reyes as well, who would be replaced on the mound by Mike Rodriguez. A fielding error by Ciriaco allowed Soliman to score and Perez to reach, and a pair of wild pitches by Rodriguez put Perez on 3rd. Rodriguez's ground out plated Perez.

In the top of the 8th a throwing error by Santana put Wilson on base for the O's. He'd move to 2nd on a Ciriaco single and would score on David Calderon's ground out for the Orioles second run of the contest.

The Twins found two more in the bottom of the 8th, with Martinez singling his way onto base, and moving to 2nd on a Soliman ground out. Perez singled out to left to score Martinez, and would move to 2nd on the throw. Rodriguez's line drive to right plated Perez to finish off the scoring for the DSL Twins.

Deivi Germosen would start out the top of the ninth, and hit Esterylin Feliz with a pitch. A wild pitch moved Feliz to 2nd, while Rojean Cleota's ground out got him to 3rd. After Gino Moranci struck out, Ronson's line drive single brought in Feliz. Germosen would walk two more before Leonardo Parra was brought in to get the final out, taking Ciriaco out on strikes to end the contest.

Wednesday is a road game at the White Sox, as the DSL Twins attempt to avoid another away blanking beginning at 10:30 AM Dominican Time.

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Errors cost Miracle

Fort Myers 1 at Dunedin 3

W: K. Rodriguez (5-6, 3.58); L: C. Devries (5-6, 2.99); SV: C. Falkenbach (8)
HR: FTM: J. Portes (6).

For once, the Fort Myers Miracle lost a pitching duel. Fort Myers' Cole Devries would allow 2 runs, 1 earned, on 7 hits and a pair of walks. He'd fan 7 over six inning.

Kenny Rodriguez held the Miracle to 4 hits over six, giving up 1 run while fanning 6.

Adam Calerone, Brad Emaus and Brian Dopirak all singled in the first inning to put one run on the board. Jesus Gonzalez would reach on a fielding error by Yancarlos Ortiz, which brought Emaus over the plate before Devries could get Marcos Cabral out on strikes to end the inning.

Juan Portes would put a fly ball over the left field fence for this sixth home run of the year in the top of the six.

Recently demoted Jay Rainville would see Calderone reach on a throwing error by Yangervis Solarte who was working 2nd base for the game. Calderone would move to 2nd on Emaus' ground out. Jesus Gonzalez would then double Calderone in. Gonzalez would be taken out at third when he tried to stretch the hit for a triple to end the inning.

Chad Blackwell, who was not with the Jays the last time they were in town, worked one inning, as did Edward Rodriguez and Conner Falkenbach, who recorded his 8th save of the year.

Portes and Danny Berg were both 2-for-4, Portes with 1 run and 1 RBI on the home run, while Berg had a double. Eli Tintor also doubled for the Miracle, as did Juan Portes, they just couldn't get together and do them all in the same inning. Solarte and Eddie Ovalle were the one hit wonders of the night.

The two teams play the rubber match tomorrow, with Deolis Guerra (7-2, 4.83) going up against Adrian Martin (3-2, 5.88) on a Wet-N-Wild Wednesday at Knology Field. The game starts at 12:00 Noon.

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Rochester falls short in slugfest

Louisville 10 at Rochester 9

W: M. Belisle (4-0, 5.29); L: D. Graves (3-2, 5.40); SV: J. Adkins (14)
HR: LOU: K. Barker (9), D. Anderson (4), J. Keppinger (1). ROC: C. Basak (6).

Twins correspondent Kelly Thesier in her recent mailbag tackles the question of calling up Danny Graves and where he might fit in the Twins roster.

After Jay Rainville and Oswaldo Sosa earned a demotion by winning their last starts, I'd say that after giving up 9 runs (7 earned) on 8 hits and one walk over two innings, Graves sounds like a prime candidate for starter material to me. Yes, yes, I know. Sour grapes and all that.

But honestly, despite their pitching staff taking a drubbing, the Rochester Red Wings battled back against the Louisville Bats in slug fest, falling just a little short in the end.

Kevin Barker hit a grand slam home run over the center field wall off Graves, to give the Bats a 5-0 lead. Norris Hopper had lead off the inning with a double, moved to 3rd on a fielding error by Trevor Plouffe and came home on a fielding error by Chris Basak. Those same errors also put Jeff Keepinger and Drew Anderson on base and a Ryan Hanigan single loaded the bags just in time for Barker to go Bang.

Rochester answered back with Denard Span leading off with a walk. He's be caught stealing however, so it would Jason Pridie's single that got the offense going. Pride then stole 2nd, which allowed room for a walk to Garrett Jones. Randy Ruiz was hit by pitch, loading the bags. Sergio Santos then doubled to drive in Pridie and Jones, making the score look a little more respectable at 5-2.

Keppinger hit a solo shot home run off Graves in the second.

Basak answered back in the bottom of the second, sending a ball over the left field wall. Span would double then come home on a wild pitch by Justin Mullett. Pridie singled and McDonald walked before Jones single would drive in the Wings' right fielder. Jones would be taken out at 2nd on the play, but Randy Ruiz followed it up with a walk. Santos then doubled to drive in McDonald before Trevor Plouffe would line out to end the inning.

Graves would allow back-to-back singles to Barker and Adam Rosales before a coaching visit to the mound paused things for a moment. Once they resumed, Luis Bolivar singled to load the bases and Stan Cliburn pulled Graves in favor of Carmen Cali. Cali would hit Andy Green with a pitch to force in a run, then give up a single to Michael Griffin that brought in two more runners. He would get Hopper to strike out swinging and Keppinger to ground into a double play however to retire the side.

Drew Anderson would go yard off Cali in the top of the fourth. That also, mercifully ended the Bats scoring and it was now up to the Wings to catch up.

With one out in the bottom of the 5th, Plouffe would single, then move to 3rd on Basak's double. Ryan Jorgenson walked to load the bags, and a single by Span brought in Plouffe. However Bats reliever Todd Coffey would get Pridie and McDonald out on strikes to end the inning, stranding the remaining runners.

Ruiz would double in the bottom of the sixth, moving to 3rd on a Santos ground out and scoring on a line drive by Plouffe.

With two outs on the board on the bottom of the eighth, Basak and Jorgensen would hit back-to-back singles. Span would then hit a line drive to plate Basak before Pridie ground out to end the inning.

They need just one run to tie in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn't find it, despite a single to Ruiz.

Basak would finish up the game 4-for-5 with 2 runs and a run scored, Span was 3-for-5 with a walk, a run and 2 RBIs. Ruiz and Jorgensen were 2-for4, Ruiz with a run, Jorgensen with a walk. Santos and Pridies were both 2-for-6, Pridie with a pair of runs and Santos with 3 RBIs.

The league has Wednesday off. The Wings then hit the road, starting a four-game series against the Indianapolis Indians on Thursday, before visiting Louisville for another 4-game set.

Garrett Jones hit his seventh home run of the season Monday night, and his 65th as a Red Wing. Jones is just one home run shy of tying Luke Easter and John Valle for 9th all-time (66 home runs) on the Red Wings home run list and 12 away from tying Steve Bilko for 8th all-time (77 home runs). Jones has now hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games.

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New Britain at Portland - Postponed

Tuesday's game between the Portland Sea Dogs and the New Britain Rock Cats was postponed, due to the fact it was raining cats and dogs. The game as been rescheduled for Tuesday, August 26th at Hadlock field with a start time of 6:00 PM. The two teams will play Wednesday, June 18 - weather permitting - with a 7:00 PM start time.

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Red Wings sixth nixes Bats

Louisville 1 at Rochester 9

W: M. Gomez (2-1, 2.15); L: R. Ramirez (2-2, 5.88)
HR: ROC: G. Jones (7).

The Rochester Red Wings continued to look mighty at home, pulverizing the Louisville Bats 9-1. A big 6-run sixth inning would salt the game away for Rochester, after Julio DePaula and Mario Gomez combined for 5.1 innings of shut out baseball.

Denard Span returned to the line up, knocking a double to start out the game. He would get picked off at second though, so the Wings would have to wait until the bottom of the third for their first run.

Jeff Christy and Span drew back-to-back walks. Jason Pridie would ground into a force out which brought Christy in, took Span out at 2nd and Pridie at first. Following a walk to Darnell McDonald, Garrett Jones would ground out to end the inning.

Randy Ruiz led off the bottom of the six with a walk. Matt Beilsle would take over the mound for the Bats and allowed a single to Sergio Santos. Trevor Plouffe hit a sac bunt that moved the pair. Alejandro Machado would reach on a fielder's choice as the Bats tried to make a play at the plate. They failed however and Ruiz put what would be the game winning run on the board.

Following a ground out to Christy, Span singled to bring in Machado. Tyler Pelland would replace Beilsle on the mound and would issue a walk to Pridie. McDonald then doubled to bring in Span and Pridie. A single to Jones served to plate McDonald before Ruiz would be taken out on strikes.

Louis Bolivar would swing at Casey Daigle's wild pitch to strike out, but he made it to base safely while Christy chased down the ball. Andy Green then tripled him in to put the Bats on the board.

Span would single in the bottom of the 9th, and two outs later, Jones would go over the center field wall to add a pair more to the wings total.

Gomez picked up the win, pitching 2.1 innings of relief in which he allowed only one hit, and struck out 2. Span was 3-for-3 with a pair of runs and a RBI after recovering from a broken finger. McDonald and Jones were both 2-for-4 with a run each, McDonald with 2 runs scored, Jones with 3 runs scored.

The two teams finish up Tuesday with a 1:35 PM game before taking a league day off on Wednesday. Danny Graves (3-1, 3.89 ERA) gets the start against Louisville's Justin Mallett (2-1, 3.31).

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Beloit is on their All-star break and had the day off. The Midwest League All-star game is Tuesday, June 17, at Dow Diamond in Midland, Michigan. The New Britain Rock Cats had a league day off Monday and begin a new 3-game series on Tuesday against the Portland Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field.

The start of Monday's AAA game was delayed by rain for 41 minutes.

Support for the Red Wings over the weekend was awesome. Rochester has drawn a combined 30,529 fans (11,391 on Friday, 10,223 on Saturday and 8,915 on Sunday). This is the sixth straight year Rochester has drawn over 30,000 fans for a three day period.

The Red Wings bullpen had not allowed an earned run in their last 21 innings before Monday's run off Casey Daigle in the seventh inning.

New Fort Myers Miracle win against Dunedin

Fort Myers 5 at Dunedin 2

W: M. Fox (3-1, 3.80); L: K. Ginley (5-3, 4.12); SV: A. Slama (13)
HR: DUN: B. Emaus (6).

The newly retooled Fort Myers Miracle downed the Dunedin Blue Jays 5-2 at Knology Field Monday to add to their 1st half win record. The newcomers added little offensively, but the remaining core of the 1st half West Division Champions was up to the task.

Matt Fox would make the start and he too would add to something, allowing a home run to Bradley Emaus in the bottom of the first to start the game. Fox has been primarily a reliever in the first half, but has only one fewer home runs allowed the Delois Guerra, a starter.

The Miracle would answer back in the top of the 3rd. Yangervis Solarte would single in the lead off position, then steal his way to 2nd. After Edward Ovalle was taken out on strikes, Juan Portes singled to bring the speedy Solarte home. Portes would advance to second on the throw. Whit Robbins would then smack a line drive out to left to bring in Portes, making it 2-1 Fort Myers.

Solarte would be hit by a pitch in the top of the fifth, then moved to second on Ovale's single to right. Portes hit a grounder to left that loaded the bags. Robbins would be taken out on strikes, but Wilson Ramos singled to bring on Solarte. Recently promoted Garrett Olson would ground into a double play however to end the inning.

With a triple to lead off the top of the 7th, Solarte would come home one out later on a wild pitch by Dunedin reliever Celson Polenco. Portes would follow that up with a double and make it all the way to 3rd before Ramos would strike out to leave him stranded.

Fox would work six inning, allowing only the one run on 3 hits and one walk while striking out 7. Blair Erickson took over on the mound in the 7th using a pair of fly outs and a strike out to end the inning. He did not fair so well to open up the eighth however, allowing walks to Sean Shoffit and Luis Sanchez. Field manager Jeff Smith would get Jose Lugo out of the bullpen. He would get Chris Emanuele out on strikes before Adam Calderone singled ot bring in Shoffit. Brad Emaus would strike out and Brian Dopirak ground into a force out to end the inning.

The Miracle took one more for good measure in the top of the ninth. Ovalle doubled with one out on the board, and moved to 3rd on Portes ground out. Robbins fly ball single to right served to plate him.

Anthony Slama would work the bottom of the ninth, closing the door on Dunedin to secure the win.

Solarte finish up 2-for-4 with three runs on the night, Portes was 3-for-5 with a run and a run scored, Ovalle, Robbins and Ramos all went 2-for-5, Ovalle with a run, Robbins with a pair of RBIs and Ramos with a run scored. Danny Lehmann in the designated hitter role and Yancarlos Ortiz were the one hit wonders of the night.

The two teams rematch Tuesday with Cole Devries (5-5, 3.11) getting the start against Kenny Rodriguez (4-6, 3.76). First pitch is slated for 7:00 PM.

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DSL Twins 0 at DSL Diamondbacks 4

W: M. Gil (1-1, 2.00); L: O. Villaroel (0-2, 1.20)
HR: None.

Not surprisingly, the DSL Twins were once again blanked on the road, this time by the DSL Diamondbacks. (Hint: try taking bats along when you go!)

Jean Carlos Mercedes and Jairo Rodriguez had the only hits for the DSL Twins, one each.

Orlando Villaroel suffered the loss allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 1. Carlos Carrillo gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and one walk while striking out 1 over 2 innings of relief.

The Twins host the DSL Orioles Tuesday for a 10:30 AM (Dominican Time) contest.

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