E-Twins claim game one, DSL Twins done

Elizabethton 7 at Pulaski 4

W: D. Rondon (1-0, 0.00); L: N. Czyz (0-1, 18.00); SV: S. Blevins (1)
HR: ELI: E. Bigley (1).

The Elizabethton Twins took early lead, held off a mid-game rally and went on to defeat the Pulaski Mariners, 7-4 in game one of the best-of-five Appalachian League Championship series.

Reliever Danny Rondon would claim the win for the E-Twins, while Steve Blevins, a 2008 promotion to the E-Twins from the GCL, handled the save.

With two outs on the board in the first inning, Jon Waltenbury would take a walk. Evan Bigley would then double him in to put the Twins on the board.

They extended their lead in the top of the second with Angel Morales singling his way onto base. Jeff Lanning would fly out, but James Beresford knocked a ground ball single to left and Dominic De La Osa took a walk to load the bags. Nick Romero then hit a ground rule double to center to plate Morales and Beresford. Waltenbury sacrificing in De La Osa to give the Twins a 4-0 lead.

Brad Tippett left the game after only two outs in the first with an injured elbow, with Curtis Leavitt replacing him on he mound. The California hurler found trouble in the bottom of the fourth, allowing back-to-back doubles to Kris Sanchez and Jose Rivero, getting the Mariners on the board. Guy Welsh took a walk. A sac-bunt by George Soto advanced the runners, and a ground out by Jacob Shaffer plated Rivero to cut the Twins lead in half.

Waltenbury singled in the top of the 5th, and Bigley reached on a force attempt in which Soto at second misplayed the ball. Mike Harrington then doubled to drive in Walt for an insurance run.

They'd need it, as Gabriel Noriega walked to start the the bottom of the fifth. Mario Martinez singled, which prompted Ray Smith to call for a pitching change getting Leavitt off the hill and putting Rondon in. The GCL Twins ace closer from 2007 would allow a double to Juan Fuentes which scored Noriega and Martinez, making it 5-4 Twins. He'd get Kris Sanchez to fly out however and Rivero and Welsh to strike out, ending the inning.

Lanning would get plunked by a pitch, with Baby Bearcat singling him to second. De La Osa would also get plunked, loading the bags. Romero would sacrifice in Lanning, but Waltenbury would pop out and Bigley line out, retiring the side.

Leavitt would get charged with 4 runs on four hits and a pair of walks while striking out 4 over 3.1 innings. Rondon would give up 2 hits and fan 3 over the next 2 innings with Jarred Eacott coming in for the seventh and eighth, allowing one walk and fanning three.

Bigley would homer in the top of the 9th, a solo shot, for the Twins 7th run of the night. Blevins would strike out Noriega and Martinez in the bottom half of the final set, with Fuentes claiming a single. Sanchez hit into a force out however, ending the contest.

Beresford was 2-for-4 with a run, and Bigley, the game's yard bird, was 2-for-5 with a double, a run and two RBIs. Walt finished up 1-for-3 with a pair of runs and 1 RBI. Lanning was also 1-for-3 with a run.

Romero, Harrington, and Morales were all 1-for-4, Romero with a double and 3 RBIs, Harrington with a double and a run scored, and Morales with a run.

The two teams rematch tonight at Joe O'Brien Stadium for game two of the series. The first pitch is due out at 7:00 P.M.

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DSL Mariners 1 at DSL Twins 0

W: F. Bautista (1-0, 0.00); L: E. Santana (0-1, 3.00); SV: H. Perez (1)
HR: None.

The DSL Mariners blanked the DSL Twins at Baseball City Thursday, ending the Twins bid for a DSL Championship.

Victor Ozuna took a triple off reliever Eddy Santana and scored on a missed catch by Manuel Soliman at 3rd base.

The D-Twins actually out hit the Mariners, but could not convert on their chances. Yorby Martinez would double in the bottom of the fifth, and after Soliman went down on strikes, try to go home on a Wilfy Gil single to left. He was taken out at the plate however, as Angel Zapata riffled the ball in to Mariners' catcher Hassiel Jimenez, who got the tag on Martinez.

Danny Santana would single in the bottom of the sixth, then steal 2nd. He'd get caught trying to take 3rd however.

Six different Twins had hits, with Carlos Vasquez, Martinez and Gil going 1-for-3 at the plate; Vasquez with a walk, and Martinez with a double. Santana, Jean Carlos Mercedes and Jairo Rodriguez finished up 1-for-4, all one-hit wonders.

Jhonatan Arias is already schedule to make an appearance State-side at Fall Instructional League, but it will certainly be interesting to see which of this talented group of young men will join the 2009 GCL Squad.

The DSL Angels will face the DSL Nationals1 in the Semi-final round, while the DSL Mariners take on the DSL Giants. Thanks to the DSL Twins for all their hard work this season, and a big thanks ti Director of Latin American Operations Jose Marzan for answering countless questions as we explored the Latin American Leagues in depth for the first time, here at Rookie Whites.

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Thanks also to everyone who has stopped in to see how our Twins farm system was fairing. I hope I have not failed you too badly despite the hardware problems that have plagued me this summer.

While the regular seasons winding down for our twins prospects, we will continue to follow our boys through Arizona Fall League, Fall Instructional League and of course, Venezuelan Winter League.

Celestino shuts down DSL Twins

DSL Twins 3 at DSL Mariners 6

W: M. Celestino (1-0, 0.00); L: A. Salcedo (0-1, 2.25)
HR: None.

The DSL Twins dropped game two of their best of three series to the DSL Mariners Wednesday at the Eppy Guerrero Complex in Villa Mella.

The Mariners would jump on a throwing error by shortstop Yorby Martinez to start out, allowing Victor Ozuna to reach, and then advance to 2nd when the ball went into the dugout. A sac-bunt by Ramon Moria advanced the runner and Rudy van Heydoorn doubled out to left to score Osuna. Axel Wei would ground out, moving van Heydoorn to 3rd. He'd score when Twins starter Adrian Salcedo unleashed a wild pitch. Hassiel Jimenez would go down on strikes to end the inning.

Ozuna would single in the bottom of the third, then come home on a van Heydoorn double to make it 3-0 Seattle.

The Twins best scoring opportunity in the early part of the game came in the top of the 1st inning when Danny Santana singled and Jairo Perez took a walk. A wild pitch by Seattle's Miguel Celestino put runners at 2nd and 3rd, but Jairo Rodriguez ground out, stranding the men.

Celestino would work 8 innings, scattering 4 hits and a pair of walks over that period while fanning four.

Eddy Santana would take over for Salcedo in the bottom of the 5th. He'd work the next two allowing only 3 hits before giving way to Raynard Doran, who worked the seventh.

In the top of the 7th, Rodriguez would double for the Twins. Jean Carlos Mercedes went down on strikes and Felix Caro flew out. It looked like Rodriguez would be stranded at 2nd, but a error by Angel Zapata in left allowed Manuel Soliman to reach and Rodriguez to score, putting the Twins on the board.

Lesmir Vargas took over the mound for the Twins in the 8th inning and allowed a lead off walk to Moria. Van Heydoorn flew out, but Wei and Jimenez hit back-to-back singles to load up the bags. Leonardo Parra would be summoned from the bullpen, but the new pitcher gave up a double to Hector Mercedes, which cleaned off the bases, making it 6-1 Mariners.

Bruno Mercedes took over for the nearly unhittable Celestino in the top of the 9th. Rodriguez would ground out, but Mercedes knocked a single out to left. Caro would get hit by a pitch putting two men on. Solimen flew out to center before Carlos Vasquez doubled to bring in the two Twins runners. But Vasquez would be picked off at 2nd, ending the game.

The two teams rematch Thursday at Baseball City at 10:30 AM for the decisive 3rd game of the series.

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Twins top Reds, FIL information released

GCL Reds 5 at GCL Twins 7

W: A. Sanchez (4-3, 3.62); L: L. Machuca (1-3, 6.48); SV: B. Pugh (2)
HR: RDS: D. Lutz (1). TWI: R. Tosoni (1).

The GCL Twins were ahead when a late afternoon thunderstorm interrupted, and then ended the game at the Lee County Sportsplex early.

Angelo Sanchez took the start for the Twins, picking up his 4th win of the season.

Aaron Hicks doubled to lead off the bottom of the first. Juan Sanchez struck out, but Rene Tosoni singled to score the Twin's centerfielder. Mike Gonzales hit a grounder to right to move Tosoni to 3rd, and Josmir Pinto singled out to left to drive in Tosoni. Tyler Ladendorf hit into a double play, giving the Reds a turn at the plate.

Sean Conner would lead off with walk and Frank Pfister doubled him in. Samuel Vasquez singled, moving Pfister to third, but Donald Lutz lined into an unassisted double play with Vasquez being doubled of first. Mariekson Gregorius poped up leave the Twins with a slender lead.

It would not hold up past the top of the 3rd however, as Mauricio Pimente and Alexis Oliveras hit back-to-back singles. A throwing error by Tosoni allowed Pimentel to score, tying up the game. Kevin Coddington's line drive to right put Oliveras on 3rd, and he'd score on Humberto Sosa's ground out. Conner and Pfister would both fly out, bring the Twins up to bat.

Tosoni launched one over the right field fence to tie up the game.

Lutz followed suite in the top of the 4th to put the Reds on top again.

Jakub Hajtmar singled, and moved to 2nd on Javier Brown's sac bunt. Herbert Lara reached on a fielder's choice that netted Hajtmar at 3rd. Lara then stole 2nd, and advanced to 3rd when Coddington over threw 2nd on a caught stealing attempt. Hicks singled, driving in Lara, then stole 2nd. Juan Sanchez's line drive to center plated Hicks. The Reds would call for a pitching change, bring Brodie Pullen in to replace Luis Machuca. Sanchez then stole 2nd base before Rene Tosoni singled. A wild pitch by Pullen put Tosoni on 2nd, and Gonzales walked to load the bags. The mounting excitement went for naught though as Pinto struck out, stranding the runners.

Danny Ortiz would replace Tosoni in the top of the 5th. Coddington would draw a walk sandwiched in between strike outs to Oliveras and Sosa. Conner double him in, but Pfister went down on strikes, making it a short inning for the Reds.

Bruce Pugh replaced Sanchez in the top of the sixth. Following a fly out to Vasques, Lutz would single and then move to second on Pugh's throwing error during the pick off attempt. Gregorius took a walk, as did Pimentel. Oliveras would ground into a double play though with the bases loaded to Pugh out of his jam.

Neither team would threaten much in the next 1 and a half innings before the rains, so the Twins were declared the victory. Sadly however, the Pirates defeated the Red Sox, so the Twins did not make up any ground in the standing.

Tosoni was 3-for-3 at the plate with 2 runs and 3 RBIs, including the home tun. Hicks was 2-for-3 with walk, a double, a pair of runs and a RBI. Pinto and Hajtmar were 2-for-4 each, Pinto with a RBI as well. Brown and Ortiz were 1-for-1 each, Brown with a walk and a RBI to leave Ortiz as the one hit wonder of the contest.

Juan Sanchez finished of 1-for-4 with a run and a RBI. Ladendorf was 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run. Lara was 0-for-4 at the plate, but had a run as well.

The Twins play a double header tomorrow against the Red Sox at the City of Palms Complex, they must win their next two and the Pirates much lose their next to for them to tie the division. Game time is 11:00 AM for the Twins final contests for the 2008 regular season.

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DSL Mariners 0 at DSL Twins 1

W: P. Guerra (1-0, 0.00); L: H. Perez (0-1, 1.42); SV: E. Alvarez (1)
HR: None.

Jairo Perez doubled in the bottom of the 4th, moved to 3rd on a wild pitch by Seattle's Henry Perez, and came home on Jairo Rodrgiuez's line drive to left.

It was the only run for the DSL Twins, but it was the only one they needed as Pedro Guerra scattered nine hits and a walk across 8 innings while striking out six to keep the Mariners off the board. Edison Alvarez shut down Seattle for the final inning, to give the Twins a win in game one of the best-of-three wildcard round of the 2008 DSL playoffs.

The Twins won on only three hits - two came off the bat of Rodriguez.

The series now shifts to the Eppy Guerrero Complex in Villa Mella for Tuesday's 10:30 AM rematch.

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The 2008 Fall Instructional League preliminary Roster and Schedule is now available online. As always, these things are set in pixels, not stone, and are therefore subject to change without notice.

You might note that Mark Hamburger's name is on the list, but he was traded this afternoon to the Rangers for Eddie Guardado (LEN3), so obviously, he won't be coming.

Of note is the position switch for Juan Richardson from 3rd base to catcher. Also making a position change is Danny Santiesteban, who will begin pitching full time after joining the organization as an outfielder in 2005.

The two new signees B.J. Hermsen and Blayne Weller will getting their first taste of the majors at the camp as well.

Game times are nominally listed as 1:00 PM expect for Saturday which some sadist has scheduled for 10:00 AM. I should not that the games NEVER start at 1:00, usually more like noon, but the official start time is "whenever the other team shows up".

Days list as "Game Day" usually but not always include an inner-squad scrimmage which can start at any time.

There will also likely be a few prospects at camp that are not on the list and while which be rehabbing injuries, most notable would be Pat Neshek, although Tyler Robertson said he'd probably pitch instructs as well.

As always, there are no official game reports being posted, nor are any stats from FIL going to be made available, much the chagrin of all you stat watchers. I will however be bringing you pictures and video from the camp so we can get a subjective look at our new draftees.

Nelson Prada will be the field manager this year, aided as always be an able coaching staff including Eric Rasmussen, Milt Cuyler, Jim Dwyer, Jose Marzan and Jeff Smith.

(Note: the printable version of the roster in in Excel spreadsheet .xls format.)

Schedule / Roster / Printable Roster

Sloppy Twins hand Pirates a win

GCL Twins 1 at GCL Pirates 3

W: I. Herrera-Rusova (1-0, 3.86); L: M. Garcia (2-2, 3.25)
HR: None.

Sloppy play and sloppy weather saw the GCL Twins fall to the GCL Pirates 3-1 in Bradenton despite giving up only one hit in six innings to the Bucs.

AFter getting Adenson Chouno out on strikes in the bottom of the first inning, Martire Garcia would walk Ben Gonzalez. Jarek Cunningham would fall to strikes as well, at which point Gonzalez stole 2nd. A throwing error by Javier Brown at 2nd base allowed Gonzalez to score and Edward Garcia to reach, giving the Pirates a one run lead.

Garcia would work the next four innings, allowing a walk to Craig Perry in the bottom of the 4th and hitting Victor Sanchez in the bottom of the 5th.

Gabriel Alvarado was equally good for the Pirates. in the top of the sixth, with one out, Javier Brown singled, but would be caught stealing. Jon Goncalves singled and Aaron Hicks walked. Ivan Herrera-Rusova replaced Alvarado at that point and walked Anderson Hidalgo. A passed ball by Jesus Aguilera saw Goncalves score, tying up the game.

Chourino reached on fielding error by Garcia. Gonzalez would move him to 2nd with a sac bunt, and wild pitch by Garcia advanced him to 3rd. Cunningham then took a walk, putting men on the corners. Miguel Munoz would come in at that point and walked Edward Garcia to load the bags. Parry would go down on strikes, but Carlos Silva singled, driving in two. Silve then stole 2nd, but Sachez ground out to end the inning.

At the point the game was stopped due to rain, so the Twins never had a chance to catch up.

The Twins fall to two games back with five left to play. They will host the GCL Orioles for two of those game, Sunday at 11:00 at the Lee County Sportsplex.

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DSL Indians 2 at the DSL Twins 4

W: O. Villaroel (4-4, 2.51); L: J. Campos (4-3, 3.32); SV: E. Alvarez (15)
HR: None.

Orlando Villaroel picked up the win, his 4th of the season, and Edison Alvarez recorded his 15th save as the DSL Twins topped the DSL Indians 4-2 at Baseball City Saturday, winning the Boca Chica North Division.

Manuel Soliman singled in the bottom of the 3rd, but Yorby Martinez hit into a ground out that nabbed him at 2nd. Jhonatan Arias doubled, and Martinez scored from first to give the Twins a one run lead.

Soliman again singled in the bottom of the fifth and would try to stretch it for a double, being taken out at second. Martinez and Arias hit back-to-back singles before Wilfy Gil ground into a force out, leaving runners at the corners. Danny Santana reached on a throwing error that allowed Martinez to score. Gil then stole 3rd and a trowing error by catcher Henry Moreno sent him scurrying home for the 3rd Twins run. Jean Carlos Mercedes took a walk and Jairo Perez singled allowing Santana to cross the plate for run number four.

In the top of the sixth, Argenis Martinez took a walk with one out on the board for the Tribe. Jesus Aguilar doubled . Darling Read singled to plate the two, making it 4-2 Twins, but Roman Vinicio ground out and Yileiviu Fernandez struck out to retire the side.

Despite a single and a stolen base in the top of the 7th, the Indians never really threatened after that, as the Twins went on to clinch the Division title.

Soliman was 3-for-4 at the plate but did not factor into the scoring. Perez was 2-for-4 and Arias was 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI. Martinez, 1-for-3 had a pair of runs, while Santana (1-for-4) and Gil (0-for-4) had a run each.

The DSL Giants won the Boca Chica South Division by 6.5 games. The DSL Rangers 1 won the San Pedro division by less than half a game, .667 to .662 over the DSL Angels.

The DSL Mariners took the Santo Domingo North Division by 6.5 games, and the DSL Nationals1 won the Santo Domingo West Division by a whopping 25 games.

The first game of the playoffs is scheduled for Monday with the Twins hosting either the Mariners or the Giants at Baseball City and the wild card Angels take on the Rangers at Towers Baseball Academy.

(The DSL article says they host the Mariners, but then it goes on to say that the Nationals and the Mariners wait for the Winner of these two series for the second semifinal series B.) The games start, as always at 10:30 AM and I believe are a best of 3 game format.

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E-Twins clinch, Apply League All-Star list released

Elizabethton 12 at Danville 3

W: T. Wright (4-0, 3.20); L: P. Clemens (3-3, 3.39); SV: S. Blevins (1)
HR: None.

The Elizabethton Twins clinched their playoff berth Friday night with a resounding defeat of the Danville Braves.

Chris Shehan singled off Elizabethton starter Thom Wright in the bottom of the 2nd, then stole 2nd. A wild pitch by Wright moved Shehan to 3rd and Mike Elkerson doubled him in to give the Braves an early one run lead.

Nathan Hanson reached on a fielding error in the top of the 3rd. James Beresford laid down a sac-bunt, but a throwing error by Braves pitcher Paul Clemens sent Hanson to 3rd and Beresford to 1st. Dominic De La Osa singled, loading the bases. Nick Romero's follow up single scored Hanson. Jon Waltenbury sacrificed Beresford in, and one out later, a wild pitch by Clemens allowed De La Osa to score. Romero would be left stranded when Michael Harrington was called out on strikes.

Shehan again singled in the bottom of the sixth then stole 2nd base. With 2 outs on the board, Mike Elkerson singled. Elizabethton Field manager Ray Smith called for a pitching change, getting Steve Blevins onto the mound to replace Wright. Jesus Sucre singled off Blevins to plate Shehan, but the former GCL Twin then struck out L. V. Ware, leaving two men stranded.

Hanson took a walk in the top of the 7th with one out on the board. The Braves would bring Brandon Beachy in to replace Clemens, and Beresford greeted the new hurler with a single. De La Osa drew a walk. and a wild pitch by Beachy moved the pair. Romero sacrificing in Beresford to make it 4-2 Twins.

Evan Bigly would reach on a fielding error by Ware in the top of the 8th. Harrintong would single and a fielding error by Camilo Parra advanced the runners. Alex Soto singled out to left to drive in Bigley, and a wild pitch by Beachy put Harrington over the plate. Angel Morales would fly out to right and Hanson would be hit by a pitch before the Braves replaced Beachy with Derick Himpsi, who got Beresford to ground into a double play to retire the Twins.

Shehan would take a triple of Blevins in the bottom of the 8ths and come home on Parra's ground out. Blevins got Shayne Moody to ground out as well then struck out Mike Elkerson to send the Twins up to bat again.

With a 7-3 lead, De La Osa and Romero would take back-to-back walks to start the ninth. Waltenbury ground into a force out, that put runners at the corners. Evan Bigley reached on a fielder's choice, but the Braves could not make the play at the plate, and De La Osa scored. Harrington doubled in the the remaining runners to make it 10-3 Twins. Soto took a walk, and wild pitch by Himpsi put Harrington on 3rd. Morales then walked the bases full. Hanson reached on a force attempt that scored Harrington. De La Osa, batting around the order, took a walk as well to force in Soto to make the game 12-3. The Braves would have to call in pitcher Rico Reid to get Romero to pop out, getting them out of the bases loaded jam.

Romero was 2-for-4 at the plate with a walk and a pair of RBIs. Harrington was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs and two RBIs. De La Osa was 1-for-3 with 3 walks, a pair of runs and a run scored. Soto and Beresford were 1-for-4 each; Soto with a walk, a run and a run scored, a Beresford with a pair of runs.

The win was Wright's fourth, Blevins picked up the save, his first since his promotion from the GCL Twins.

In defeating the Braves, the Twins also allowed Pulaski to clinch, so the 2008 Appalachian League playoff match is now set.

Elizabethton faces Danville one more time on Saturday night with a 7:00 PM start, then hosts Princeton for a three game homestand to complete their regular season.

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The Elizabethton Twins dominated the Appalachian League's All-Star Team list, filling eight selections. Dan Osterbrock was named Pitcher of the Year. The University of Cincinnati product leads the league with 100 strikeouts and 73 innings pitched and ranks second with seven wins. The 21-year-old southpaw is 7-2 with a 3.08 ERA in a dozen starts, was named Pitcher of the Week on July 7 and has held opponents to a .239 batting average.

Osterbrock struck out 12 batters in consecutive starts on July 24-30. He's fanned at least 10 in five of his last seven starts, allowing 15 earned runs in that span.

GCL alumni Mark Hamburger was named Reliever of the Year; outfielders Evan Bigley and Angel Morales were named to the list as was first baseman Jon Waltenbury in the designed hitter role. Brad Tippett was also added to the All-star pitchers' list.

Elizabethton's Ryan Hedwell was named trainer of the year by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society.

Bigley ranks second in the league with 14 homers and 46 RBIs. He hit .394 in June and cemented his spot on the All-Star roster last week when he hit two homers and drove in five runs against Princeton.

Tippett opened eyes last season for the Twins with an 0.93 ERA. The Australian was 8-3 with a 2.63 ERA in 13 starts this season. Hamburger, a Minnesota native, has 13 saves and 39 strikeouts over 35 2/3 innings.

Morales was the Twins' third-round pick in 2007 and hit .313 in his second Minor League season with Elizabethton. The center fielder, who spent his first professional season with the GCL Twins, leads the Appy League with 15 homers to go with 28 RBIs.

Waltenbury, a 2006 seventh-rounder and member of the 2007 GCL Twins squad, is hitting .331 with 10 homers and 43 RBIs. (TriCities Sports)

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DSL Twins 5 at DSL White Sox 1

W: C. Ciurcina (3-2, 3.68); L: Y. Rodriguez (2-2, 2.65)
HR: None.

The DSL Twins defeated the DSL White Sox while the DSL Indians did the Twins a favor, blanking the DSL Yankees2 to leave the Twins alone atop the DSL Boca Chica North Division.

The Twins wasted no time getting on the board as Wilfy Gil reached on a fielding error and made his way to 3rd base. Danny Santana sacrificed him in to put the Twins on the board. A fielding error by Lara would prove costly however, as Santana, who would have been safe at first tried to make it to second, but was take out at the base. Oswaldo Arcia doubled before Jairo Perez reached on a fielding error, moving Arcia to 3rd. Jairo Rodriguez singled Arcia home. A passed ball by Daniel Yepez moved the two runners. Eliel Sierra hit into a ground out, allowing Perez to score and giving the Twins a 3-0 lead.

The Sox took out back in the bottom of the inning with Jeffer Patinod doubling, then coming home on a Angel Ferreiras single.

The Twins answered back in the top of the 2nd however, as Yorby Martinez drew a walk to lead off. Yancarlo Franco would ground into a force out, but Gil was then hit by a pitch, moving Franco to 3nd. Sanatana singled, but Franco would be taken down at home leaving runners on 2nd and 3rd. Arcia singled to bring in Gil. Santana would try to come home as well, but was taken down at the plate, sending the Sox up to bat again.

No worries though. Cesar Ciurcina would hold the White Sox to only 4 hits over five innings while striking out six. Renzi Reveroi took over for the next two allowing 2 hits and walk and striking out 4. Jhonny Garcia struck out 2 in the 8th inning.

Ronny Juma would be on the mound for the Twins in the top of the 9th and would take Manuel Soliman and Martinez out on strikes before walking Franco, who then stole 2nd. Gil then tripled him in for an extra marker before Santana popped out, putting the Twins defensive unit back into play.

Edison Alvarez used three quick outs to end the game.

If the Twins can defeat the Indians on Saturday at Baseball City, or if both the Twins and the Yankees2 drop their final games, the Twins, who have won their last six, will clinch their playoff berth.

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Rain forces game cancelations in final week of GCL play

Continued thundershowers in the wake of Hurricane Fay saw the start of cancellations for Gulf Coast League teams as they enter their final weekend of play.

Games between the GCL Blue Jays and GCL Tigers, and GCL Yankees and GCL Phillies were both cancelled.

The double header between the Indians and Braves was postponed at was the game between the GCL Marlins and the GCL Nationals. The game between the Orioles and Reds Sox was suspended, and is scheduled to resume on Wednesday, August 27, which would make back-to-back double headers for Boston, as they are schedule to play two against the GCL Twins on Tuesday.

The Dodgers and the Cardinals got 8 innings in, with the Dodgers leading 11-2 at the time, claiming the win in the rain shortened contest.

In Bradenton, the GCL Reds defeated the GCL Pirates, holding them to a one game lead over the Twins. The Phillies are leading in the North Division and the Dodgers in the East, but Nationals are just half a game behind.

The idle Twins continue to lead the wild card race by a wide margin. Right now, it looks like the Twins will end up playing the Pirates in the single-game elimination round of the GCL playoffs.

After two days off, the boys should be ready to rock the Pirates tomorrow morning in Bradenton!

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Joe Testa's second start for the GCL Twins did not go as well as his first. Testa started Wednesday's game in Lakeland against the Flying Tigers and gave up 6 runs, five earned on 6 hits and 3 walks while fanning 3.

Even so, the rookie's done will after taking a walk across the parking lot.

There was still a nice article - or at least a part of it, in the Brick Township Bulletin about him.

"I jumped over two levels — Advanced Rookie and Low A," Testa was quoted as saying the article. "It's exciting, and I got my first start."

It should be noted however that in these cases where a prospect is moved in an emergency call up situation, they rarely stay at the same level for the following year.

Yangervis Solarte stayed with Fort Myers for quite a while at the mid-season mark before being reassigned to Low A Beloit to finish off the year. Jeff Manship, who started his career with the Miracle in 2006, was sent to Beloit in 2007 to begin the season.

Still Testa pitched well, but will have to learn to switch up his pitches more. While the fastball and the cutter worked the first time out, the seasoned FSL pitchers will tell you that at least 3 pitches are needed - including the off speed change up - to be successful at the High A level.

Photos of Testa making his FSL debut are available now on our sister site at www.miraclefans.com.

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Fay dropped a lot of rain on southwest Florida, but left little damage or flooding in the Fort Myers and Cape Coral areas. My mother seemed let down that wasn't wading around in water up to my waste after seeing the devastation in other parts of the state on TV.

However, we're all fine, as is the ballpark and we're all ready to play a little hardball, just as soon as the Thunderstorms stop.

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For former GCL Twin Loek van Mil, pitching in the Olympics was a huge honor. However, the tall Dutchman didn't even get into one game, as he suffered a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament during a bullpen session in China. He left the site of the Olympics to return to the Twin Cities to be checked by team doctors.

Van Mil had been with the Low A Beloit Snappers before leaving for the Olympics. He enjoyed a a good deal of success in the league after being prompted to throw as hard as he could, increasing his velocity to 94-95 miles an hour from his previous 87 miles per hour.

The 7'1" right hander received a good deal of media coverage with the Snappers this year as the tallest player in professional baseball. A strange twist of fate landed him on the team with shortstop Chris Cates, who at 5'3" is the shortest player in professional baseball.

Van Mil was a starter for the GCL Twins in 2006. He was moved back to the bullpen to start the 2007 season with short season Elizabethton and has prospered in the reliever's role.

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DSL Orioles 6 at DSL Twins 12

W: L. Parra (6-1, 1.48); L: J. Sosa (0-2, 9.43)
HR: None.

The host DSL Twins doubled up the DSL Orioles Thursday morning, take a huge 12-6 win over the visiting team.

The Orioles would get on the board first, taking six runs, only 2 earned, on six hits from starter Adrian Salcedo, who fanned 3 over 2 innings.

A pair of passed balled by catcher Jhonatan Arias and a fielding error by centerfielder Wilfy Gil contributed to the unearned runs.

The Twins would strike back in the bottom of the fourth, with Oswaldo Arcia doubling, and then advancing to 3rd on a fielding error. Jairo Perez sacrificed him in to put the Twins on the board. Jean Carlos Mercedes singled, and Eliel Sierra double to put runners in scoring position. Rafael Sanchez would be called out on strikes, but Juan Blanco reached on a fielding error which also scored Mercedes. Yorby Martinez would single in Sierra before Gil ground into a force out to end the inning.

Danny Santana would get hit by a pitch in the bottom of the 5th. A wild pitch from the Orioles' Julio Sanchez moved Santana to 2nd. Arcia would fly out, but Perez would get plunked by a pitch next. Another wild pitch from Sanchez advanced the pair of runners. Mercedes would take walk to load the bases. Sierra singled to drive in Santana before Isreal Sosa came in to replace the struggling Sanchez, getting two quick outs to preserve the O's lead.

The Twins had other ideas however. Martinez and Gil would draw back-to-back walks to start the inning, prompting another pitching change. This time Jose Sosa took over the mound. Santana greeted him with single which combined with a fielding error, scored Martinez and put Gil on 3rd. Aracia's grounder to center plated Arcia for the tying run. A wild pitch from Sosa advanced the two runners before Perez reached on a fielding error that also allowed Santana to score. Mercedes ground out plated Arcia before Sierra would be hit by pitch. Pinch hitter Jairo Rodriguez singled to load up the bags again. William Princivil would be brought in to get the O's out of their jam, but unleashed a wild pitch instead, sending Perez over the plate. He would then get Blanco out on strikes before Martinez flew out to end the inning with the Twins leading 9-6.

A triple by Santana added another pair of runs in the 7th while a double by Martinez and a pair of wild pitches made it an even dozen in the 8th.

Raynard Doran and Leonardo Parra tossed six hitless innings for the Twins, with Parra picking up the win, his sixth of the season.

With the Win, the Twins tie up the DSL Yankees2 for the top spot in the B.C. North Division. There are two more games remaining as the Twins visit the DSL White Sox on Friday and host the DSL Indians on Sunday to finish off the season.

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GCL Twins blank GCL Reds

GCL Twins 3 at GCL Reds 0

W: A. Sanchez (3-3, 3.26); L: L. Machuca (1-2, 4.15); SV: K. Mota (11)
HR: None.

Angelo Sanchez and three relievers held the GCL Reds to a total of 4 hits and a pair of walks over nine innings as the Twins blanked the Reds 3-0 at the City of Sarasota Complex.

All three Twins runs came in the top of the 3rd inning, which started with a Herbert Lara ground out. Aaron Hicks and Juan Sanchez hit back-to-back singles. A walk to Danny Ortiz loaded the bags. Mike Gonzales would sacrifice in Hicks before Hyeong-rok Choi singled to drive in the remaining two runners. Tyler Ladendorf's fly out ended the inning.

Three of the Reds for hits were for extra bases with Mauricio Pimentel tripling the bottom of the 3rd, but the Reds could not convert on any of their chances.

Jean Mijares, Mike Tonkin and Kelvin Mota combined to hold the Reds hitless over the last three. It was Sanchez's 3rd win of the season; Mota earned his 11th save.

The Twins had 10 hits in the game, but the tight Reds defense kept them at bay. A double to Juan Sanchez and a walk to Gonzales had runners at 2nd and 3rd in the top of the 1st, but with 2 outs on the board, Red's starter Luis Machuca would get Rok to strike out.

A walk to Danny Ortiz would be followed by Gonzales getting plunked by a pitch in the top of the 5th. Sanchez had stuck out to start the inning and Rok would strike out before Tyler Ladendorf drew a walk, but Bryan Gardner finish by getting Danny Rohlfing out on strikes.

Ladendorf would single off Efrain Rodriguez in the top of the 8th, and advance to 3rd on a Lara single. The speedy Venezuelan would then steal 2nd but Aaron Hicks would hit into a ground out, again getting the Reds out of a jam.

Ladendorf had another strong day at the plate going 2-for-3 with a walk, despite not figuring into the scoring. Hicks and Sanchez both finished up 2-for-5 with a run each, Sanchez with a double as well. Ortiz, Rok, Jakub Hajtmar, and Lara were all 1-for-4, Ortiz with a walk and a run, and Rok with a pair of RBIs.

The Pirates defeated the Red Sox 4-1, so the the win did not pick up any points in the standings for the Fort Myers squad, as they continue to trail the Bucs by one game. The other three teams in the division have been eliminated from the play picture. In the North Division, with seven (six) games left to play, the GCL Phillies lead the GCL Braves by 4.5 games.

In the East Division, the Dodgers and the Nationals are duking it out for the title with identical records. The deciding game between the two was postponed by afternoon showers at Dodgertown.

Fort Myers continues to lead the wild card race.

The Twins return home now to face the Red Sox at the Lee County Sportsplex. Thursday's game begins at Noon. Tuesday game against the Orioles will be made up on Sunday as part of a double header the Lee County Sportsplex, starting at 11:00 AM.

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Elizabethton's Angel Morales, an alumni of 2007 GCL Squad, was named the Appalachian Leagues' Offensive Player of the Week. The Puerto Rican center fielder started his week in lackluster fashion going 0-for-7 in the first two games. However, in his next four games, Morales would be dynamic as he has so often been with the E-Twins this season. Morales would club an extra-base hit in each of the team's final four games on the week and at least one homer in the final three games. His best outing came on Sunday, during which he hit a pair of shots giving him seven runs scored for the week. Minnesota's 3rd pick, 122nd over all in the 2007 first year players draft, Morales has done an admirable job crossing the plate with the Twins, especially in August, during which he has scored in all but one game.

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DSL Twins 5 at DSL Diamondbacks 1

W: R. Reverol (4-2, 3.21); L: F. Santana (0-2, 6.65); SV: L. Vargas (2)
HR: DSL TWI: O. Arcia (4).

The DSL Twins scored early and put in some great defensive work against the DSL Diamondbacks to pick up another road win, this time 5-1.

Jair Perez lead off with a double in the top of the 2nd, and moved to 3rd on Eliel Sierra's single. A throwing error on a pickoff attempt saw Perez score and Sierra advance to 3rd. Manuel Soliman would pop out, but Lesther Galvan reached on a fielding error, which also allowed Sierra to score. Randy Pina and Carlos Vasquez would both ground out, letting the Diamondbacks have a turn at bat.

Wifly Gil singled in the top of the 3rd, then stole 2nd. A catching error by the Diamondbacks' Adonys Canelo at short advanced Gil to 3rd. Diamondbacks' starter Frank Santana then unleashed a wild pitch, scoring Gil. Yancarlos Franco pop out before Oswaldo Arcia hit a solo shot home run over the center field fence, making it 4-0 Twins. Perez doubled, then stole 3rd. Sierra would draw a walk, and Santana would take a walk to the dugout, being replaced on the Diamondbacks' mound by Eury De La Rosa. Soliman ground into a force out that took Sierra out at 2nd and scored Perez. Soliman would then caught stealing in a pitch off attempt by De La Rosa to retire the Twins.

Eliencer Cardenas worked the first three for the Twins before giving way to Renzo Revorol for the next trio of innings. Lesmir Vargas would take over in the bottom of the 7th and would allow the only Diamondbacks run in the bottom of the 8th. A fielding error in left by Arcia contributed to the run, making it unearned.

It was Reverol's 4th win of the season, and Vargas' 2nd save.

Arcia would finish up 2-for-3 at the plate with the yard ball. Perez was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs. Jhonatan Arias was 1-for-2 at the plate but did not factor into the scoring. Sierra was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run. Gil batted 1-for-4 with a run.

The DSL Twins move into 2nd place in the B.C. North Division, one game behind the DSL Yankees2. I don't know the playoff format for the league, but given the explosion of participants in both the North and South Divisions which left the Venezuelan League nearly bereft of teams, thre is most likely a wild card slot available.

With 3 games left to play, perhaps we shall find out. The Twins host the DSL Orioles on Thursday for a 10:30 AM Dominican time game.

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Red Sox slip by Twins in the ninth

GCL Twins 4 at GCL Red Sox 5

W: A. Batista (5-1, 6.41); L: K. Nanney (3-1, 1.76)
HR: None.

I've been boycotting the Red Sox due to the local political problems with a team. Mainly we build then a nice stadium which is only used for about 10 weeks in the spring and eats taxpayer money the rest of the year. We spend a mill or so per year on them for upgrades, and they decide to turn around and move to Sarasota or Orlando.

There's more but that's the sort version.

As a result, I will not journey to the City of Palms Complex this season, although I'm sure that no one over there has missed me, and so I was told by Jim Rantz that I missed "one hell of a game" on Saturday.

The Red Sox would slip by the Twins in the ninth, picking up a 5-4 win. The started out by taking an early lead off Twins starter Edgar Ibarra.

Wilfred Pichardo singled, then stole 2nd. Derrik Gibson singled out to center to score him. He'd steal 2nd as well, but Ibarra would take Casey Kelly out on strikes. Roberto Feliz's double moved Gibson to 3rd, but Ibarra then issued back-to-back strike outs to Chih-Hsian Huang and Andrew Frezza to get out of the jam and keep the Red Sox to a single run.

Juan Sanchez doubled in the top of the 3rd then moved to 3rd on Danny Ortiz ground out. Mike Gonzales' ground out served to plate him, tying up the contest.

Bruce Pugh would replace Ibarra in the bottom of the 4th, and allow a walk to Joantoni Garcia. Christian Vazques walked as well, and a single by Pichardo loaded the bags. A wild pitch by Pugh allowed Garcia to score. Pugh would then be called on a balk, allowing Vazquez over the plate. Pugh would take Gibson and Kelly out on strikes before Roberto Feliz popped out with the Red Sox now leading by two.

The Twins answered back however, with Sanchez doubling. Ortiz would go down on strikes, but Gonzales reached on a throwing error. Gibson's error also allowed Sanchez to score. A wild pitch by Wang-Yi Lin put Gonzales at 2nd. Lin's throwing error then allowed Pinto to reach and Gonzales to score, tying up the contest again. Both Tyler Landendorf and Hyun-wook Choi would fly out to retire the Twins.

Pugh would pitch the next three innings, allowing only 1 hit, but walking 4. He'd fan five before giving way to Khol Nanney.

Anatanaer Batista would work the 8th and 9th for the Red Sox, and would be on the mound when Aaron Hicks doubled in the top of the final stanza. Sanchez sac-bunt advanced him to 3rd, and Ortiz would double him in to give the Twins the lead. Gonzales and Rohlfing both ground out, letting the Sox have a chance at the plate.

Nanney would walk Pichardo, then allow a single to Gibson that moved Pichardo to 3rd. Gibson then stole 2nd. Nanney would get Kelly out on strikes, but Feliz doubled the pair in to end the contest with the Red Sox on top.

The loss would be Nanney's first of the season, coming on 2 hits and walk, while fanning 3 over 2.1 innings.

Sanchez lead the GCL Twins attack, going 3-for-3 at the plate with walk, a pair of doubles and two runs. Javier Brown was 2-for-3 in the contest. Jonathan Goncalves was 1-for-3 with a double, and Wook was 1-for-4 picking up the one hit wonder of the game title.

Hicks and Ortiz were 1-for-5 with a double each, Hicks with a run, Ortiz with a RBI. Gonzales, who finished up 0-for-3 at the plate, was still productive with a walk, a run and a RBI.

The Twins take Sunday off before taking on the South Division leading Pirates on Monday (weather permitting).

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Tropical Storm Fay continued to wreak havoc in the Caribbean, and causing the game between the DSL Twins and the DSL Reds to be postponed or canceled. The DSL Twins take Sunday off as well. The take on the DSL Yankees2 Monday for a 10:30 AM Dominican time game.

The Red Sox agreed to terms at the signing deadline with 4th round pick Peter Hissey (OF), 5th round pick Ryan Westmorland (OF), 13th round pick Tyler Wilson (RHP), 27th round pick Colby Cervenka (LHP), 35th rounder Carson Blair (SS) and 50th rounder Kyle Stroup (RHP). All were assigned to their Gulf Coast League affiliate. The Sox love to spend money, throwing a cool $1 mil at Hissey, and $1.604 mill (with bonuses making it $2 mill) on Wesmorland.

The Twins on the other hand signed sixth round pick B.J. Hermsen for $650 K. The righthander will not report to Fort Myers until Fall Instructional League, which is to begin around September 22nd. The Twins also agreed to terms with 14th round pick Blayne Weller, a righthanded pitcher from Key West, Florida, High School.

The Pirates also shored up their squad for the upcoming playoffs. Sandlot Swashbucklers is reporting that the Pirates signed 20th rounder Quinton Miller (RHP) and assigned him to Bradenton. 1st rounder Pedro Alvarez was also inked with a $6 Million bonus, but was not yet assigned to a team at the time the article was written. It is however, unlikely that the former Vanderbilt University 3rd baseman will be joining the GCL team.

Ladendorf homers as Twins cool off Reds

GCL Reds 1 at GCL Twins 5

W: M. Garcia (2-1, 3.61); L: E. Hildenbrandt (3-2, 2.92); SV: M. Schiavoni (2)
HR: TWI: T. Ladendorf (1).

The Twins took an early lead Friday at the Lee County Sportsplex and never relinquished it, picking up a 5-1 win over the 3rd placed Reds in the South Division standings.

Andres Diaz singled his way onto base and one out later, Tyler Ladendorf hit his first home run of the season over the left field. That was definitely a feel good run as Ladendorf has struggled at the plate this season and everyone has been pulling for him.

Maurico Pimentel and Kevin Coddington hit back-to-back singles off Twins starter Martire Garcia. Alexis Oliveras singled to drive in Pimentel for the Reds lone run. Garcia would induce Humberto Sosa to ground into a double play and then took Eli Rimes out on strikes to retire the side.

Jakub Hajtmar doubled in the bottom of the sixth, and Gonzalez singled him in. Andres Diaz would take a single too, but Hyeong-rok Choi would flyout, ending the inning.

The Reds replaced Canadian hurler Evan Hildenbradt with Bryan Gardner in the bottom of the seventh. Ladendorf would go down on strikes, but Danny Rohlfing drew a walk. Herbert Lara singled and Arron Hicks doubled to score the pair, to give the Twins their fourth and fifth runs.

Garcia worked six for the Twins allowing just the one run on 3 hits and a walk while striking out six. He's been somewhat of a human strike out machine all season long. Mauro Schiavoni picked up his second save of the season, allowing a pair of hits while fanning two over three innings.

Ladendorf lead the attack, going 2-for-3 at the plate with run and 2 RBIs. Diaz would finish up 2-for-4 with a run, while Hicks, Hajtmar, Danny Ortiz, and Gonzalez were all 1-for-4, Hajtmar with a run, Hicks with 2 RBIs and Gonzales with one, leaving Ortiz to be the one hit wonder of the game.

Lara finished up 1-for-3 with a run at the bottom of the order. Rohlfing would hit 0-and-2, but parlayed a walk into a run for the Twins.

The Twins finish off this four game set on the road against the GCL Red Sox at the City of Palms Complex. As it's Saturday, the game beings at 10:00 AM. The Twins then rest on Sunday.

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The Dominican Summer League game between the DSL Cubs1 and the DSL Twins was postponed due to rain from Tropical Storm Fay, which is likely to threaten the Florida coast early next week. The DSL Twins are schedule to take on the DSL Reds on the road on Saturday, weather permitting, for a 10:30 AM game. With seven games left in the season, it's likely that the game will not be made up.

Twins top O's on wild pitch

GCL Orioles 6 at GCL Twins 7

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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DSL Twins 6 at DSL Diamondbacks/Reds 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Pirates down Twins, pull ahead in playoff race

GCL Twins 1 at GCL Pirates 4

W: G. Amato (2-0, 0.00); L: A. Sanchez (2-3, 3.71)
HR: None.

The GCL Pirates roughed up Twins starter Angelo Sanchez, taking 3 earned runs of him on 7 hit and a pair of walks over 3 innings at Pirate City in Bradenton.

Meanwhile Gabrial Alvarado limited the GCL Twins to just one hit and pair of walks over the first four innings.

Adenson Chourio singled in the bottom of the 1st then moved to 2nd on Edwin Roman's sac bunt. Jarek Cunningham would fly out before Edward Garcia singled in Chourio to put the Pirates on the board in the bottom of the first.

Cunningham would single in the bottom of the 3rd with one out on the board. Sanchez then unleashed a pair of wild pitches that advanced Cunningham to 3rd. Garcia would take walk before Carlos Silva doubled in Cunningham. Craig Parry's follow up single to center scored Garcia. Sanchez would get Andury Acevedo out on strikes, but issued a walk to Jesus Aguilera to load up the bags. Happily, Kyle Saukko ground into a force out to to end the inning.

Ian Mopas replaced Sanchez for the fourth. After getting Chourio to pop out, he'd give up back-to-back singles to Roman and Cunningham. A throwing error on the Roman's single advanced to him 2nd and he'd come home on Cunningham's line drive. Mopas then picked Cunningham off at first, but walked Garcia and advanced him to second on a balk. Silva ground out however to get Mopas out of the inning.

Ivan Herrera-Rusova replaced Alvarado at the top of the fifth. The top of the seventh would see Josmir Pinto double. Ladendorf ground out, and the Pirates brought in Gary Amato to replace Herrera-Rusova. Amato would get Javier Brown out on strikes, but Jon Goncalves doubled to score Pinto for the lone Twins run.

Pinto would finish up 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and a run. Aaron Hicks and Juan Sanchez were both 1-for-4, while Andres Diaz, Brown and Goncalves were all 1-for-3, Diaz and Brown with walks and Goncavles with a double and a RBI.

Sanchez would take the loss, his third of the season. Mopas worked three allowing 1 run, unearned, on 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out just one. Khol Nanney worked the last 2 innings, allowing just one Pirates hit.

The Pirates pull out to a 1.5 game lead in the South Division, while the Twins still head up the wild card race.

The GCL Orioles come into the Lee County Sportsplex for a game against the GCL Twins Thursday at noon. They Twins remain at home to take on the GCL Reds on Friday.

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DSL Yankees2 3 at DSL Twins 2

W: W. Eusebio (4-5, 5.40); L: E. Alvarez (0-3, 2.34)
HR: DSL TWI: D. Santana (1).

Despite a home run by Danny Santana, the Twins fell in extra innings to the DSL Yankees2 at home. Closer Edison Alvarez would suffer the loss, his third of the season.

Santana put a ball over the center field all in the bottom of the first with one out. Yankee's starter Victor Beriguete worked 5.2 innings for the Yankees.

Following a ground out to Oswaldo Arcia in the top of the sixth, Jairo Perez tripled. Eliel Sierra would sacrifice him in. Manuel Soliman would take a walk before Beriguete was lifted in favor of Sherssy Cruz, who finished the inning by getting Jhonatan Arias to ground into a force out.

Beriguete exited the game allowing 2 earned runs on 4 hits and 3 walks while fanning 2.

The Yankees would take an unearned run from Eliecer Cardenas in the third inning. Juan Rijo singled, and Julio Rojas advanced him on a sac bunt. But a throwing error by Yancarlo Franco as 3rd base allowed Rojas to reach and while Rijo took an extra base, moving to 3rd. Keny Rodriguez hit into a double play, but Rijo came home while the Twins were busy taking Rojas out at 2nd.

Alvarez took over in the to of the 8th. In the top of the ninth, Kelvin De Leon tripled off the Twins closer. After Reymond Nunez went down on strikes, Henry Pena would reach on a fielder's choice. The play at the plate failed however, as De Leon scored to tie up the contest.

Eduardo Sosa tripled in the top of the 10th, then came home on a De Leon single one out later. The Twins could find no offense in the bottom half of the stanza to counter with, as Felix Caro went down swinging to end it.

Santana, Arcia, and Perez were all 1-for-4 with Santana and Perez added a run each. Yorby Martinez was 1-for-2 with a walk and a double. Meanwhile the Yankees put seven hits on the board off the Twins pitchers.

The Twins are on the road Thursday against the DSL Diamondbacks/Reds. Game time, as always, is 10:30 AM Dominican time.

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GCL Twins down Snyder, Red Sox

GCL Red Sox 1 at GCL Twins 3

W: M. Munoz (4-2, 3.09); L: W. Lin (0-2, 4.41); SV: B. Pugh (1)
HR: None.

Juan Sanchez went 3-for-4 at the plate driving in two runs to pace the GCL Twins to a win over the GCL Red Sox at the Lee County Sportsplex in Fort Myers, Florida, Monday.

Miguel Munoz worked six scoreless innings for the GCL Twins.

The GCL Red Sox had two low minor league hurlers on rehab, Caleb Clay and Eammon Portice who worked the first two innings, plus Kyle Snyder from the AAA Pawsox, the second time the Twins have faced Snyder this season.

Snyder would work two innings before giving way to Wang-Yi Lin in the bottom of the 5th. Lin would get Jakub Hajtmar to ground out before giving up walks to Josmir Pinto and Javier Brown. Jon Goncalves singled out to left to load up the bags. Herbert Lara would ground out, bringing in Pinto before Sanchez ground ball single brought in Brown and Goncalves to give the Twins three. Danny Ortiz would single, but Mike Gonzalez hit into a ground out to end the inning.

After giving up only two hits and fanning 6 through the first six innings, Munoz returned to the Twins mound for the top of the 7th. He'd allow a single to Casey Kelly before giving up walks to Roberto Felix and Bryan Peterson, to fill up the bases. He'd then get Chih-Hsiang Huang to ground into a double play, allowing Kelly to score but taking Peterson out at 2nd. Jake Mauer took Munoz from the the mound at the point, getting Bruce Pugh out of the bullpen to replace him. Pugh would get Joantoni Garcia to fly out to retire the Red Sox, stranding Feliz on third.

Pugh would work the finally 2 innings, giving up a hit while fanning 3. Neither would the Twins get anything more as Lin went on to work 2 more innings before giving way to Jennell Hudson for the final inning.

Ortiz was 1-for-3 in the contest, becoming the one hit wonder of the game. Pinto was 1-for-1 with a pair of walks and a run, while Goncalves was 1-for-3 with a run. Brown, 0-for-2 picking up the final run on a walk.

The Twins rest on Tuesday and return to action Wednesday against the GCL Pirates in Bradenton for a noon game.

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DSL White Sox1 3 at DSL Twins 11

W: L. Parra (5-1, 1.63); L: C. Zabala (6-2, 1.77)
HR: None.

The DSL Twins pounded out 11 runs on 14 hits to batter the division leading DSL White Sox1 11-3 at home on Monday.

Jerry Puentes doubled to lead off for the White Sox1. Following a pop out to Jeffer Patino and a ground out to Juan Vegas, Puentes scored. Angel Ferreiras singled then advanced to 2nd on a throwing error by Carlos Vasquez. Hector Acuna would single him in, giving the White Sox1 a pair of runs to start off the game.

The Twins began their scoring barrage in the bottom of the 2nd inning, with Jairo Perez singling before Felix Caro popped out. Eliel Sierra and Jhonatan Arias both singled, allowing Perez to score. Juan Blanco's line drive to left brought in Sierra, and Arias would would steal home while Blanco stole 2nd. Carlos Vasquez and Wifly Gil both ground out, ending the fun for the second inning at least.

Juan Vega took a walk in the top of the third off Twins starter Orlando Villaroel, who then unleashed a wild pitch, sending Vega to 2nd. A double by Angel Ferreiras brought Vega in before Villarel could get Hector Acuna to strike out.

The bottom of fourth saw Caro double and Sierra reach on a fielding error. Arias' single loaded the bags. Blanco ground into a force out to score Caro and, following a strike out to Vasquez, Sierra would score on a balk, with Blanco advancing to 3rd. A passed ball by Sox catcher Danny Yepez got Blanco to 3rd, at which point Gil doubled to drive him in.

Yovan Rodriguez would replace Carlos Zabala in the bottom of the sixth and he'd return to the mound for the Sox in the seventh. Danny Santana took a triple off him to lead off, and Oswaldo Arcia drew a walk. Perez reached on a force attempt; a fielding error by Sox shortstop Mijel Garcia allowed Santana to score. Caro would strike out, before missed catch on a pick off attempt brought Arcia over the plate Sierra would double, but Arias flew out and Franco popped out to end the inning.

The Twins tacked on three more in the bottom of the eighth. Reliever Emenejildo Arias would get Vasquez out on strikes before allowing a double to Gil. Santana reached on a fielding error, and Arcia tripled the pair in. A missed catch by left fielder Juan Vega turned the triple into an in-the-park home run as Arcia scored as well.

Leonardo Parra would pick up the win, allowing only 1 hit while fanning two over three innings of relief. Edison Alvarez worked the final 2 innings, allowing 2 hits and a walk.

Sierra finished up 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and a pair of runs. Arias and Arcia were each 2-for-4, Arias with a run and a run scored, Arcia with a walk, a triple, a pair of runs and 2 RBIs. Gil and Caro were both 2-for-5, Gil with a pair of doubles, a run and a RBI and Caro with 1 double and 1 run.

Blanco was 1-for-3 with a run and a pair of RBIs; Santana and Perez were both 1-for-5, Santana with a triple and a pair of runs and Perez with a run and a RBI.

The DSL Twins travel to face the DSL Indians Tuesday morning for a 10:30 AM Dominican time game.

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GCL Twins rally past Orioles on rainy Saturday

GCL Orioles 3 at GCL Twins 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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DSL Twins 1 at DSL Orioles 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Orioles Hangout Community

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

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

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

Twins surrender first place to Pirates

GCL Pirates 5 at GCL Twins 2

W: T. Cox (2-2, 1.98); L: M. Tonkin (0-1, 6.00); SV: J. Charry (3)
HR: None.

The games between these two teams have been hard fought all year and this one was really no different.

Jean Mijares took the start for the GCL Twins and held the Pirates off until the 3rd inning. Pirate Matt Capps, pitching on a major league rehab assignment, was not so lucky.

Aaron Hicks and Jakub Hajtmar both pounced on Capps for a back-to-backs singles to lead off the bottom of the first. A fielding error by Victor Sanchez on Hajtmar's line drive allowed the speedy Hicks to score and moved Hajtmar to second. He'd get no farther than 3rd however on Mike Gonzales ground out one out later as Henry Sanchez went down on strikes to end the inning.

Mijares would walk Jesus Aguilara in the top of the 3rd. Edwin Roman bunted, but the Twins chose to take Aguilera out at 2nd. A wild pitch by Mijares sent Roman to second however. After Adenson Chourio went down on strikes, Mijares issued a walk to Ben Gonzalez. Jarek Cunningham then singled to plate Roman and put Gonzalez on 3rd. Alex Vargas ground out however, keeping the score tied.

Michael Tonkin replaced Mijares in the top of the sixth and walked Cunningham. Vargas would ground into a force out, but Edward Garcia then singled to move him to 2nd. Victor Sanchez doubled in Vargas. After Tonkin plunked Andury Acevedo with a pitch, Aguilera singled to bring in Garcia.

Capps would only work one inning before giving way to Tyler Cox who as baffled the Twins most of the season. He'd work the next five, scattering a pair of hits and fanning 4. Emilis Guerrero took over for the seventh inning.

With one out on the board, Anderson Hidalgo singled, then moved to 2nd on a throwing error by Guerrero. A wild pitch got him to 3rd, and he'd score on Josmil Pinto's ground out. Juan Sanchez and Herbert Lara hit back-to-back singles getting Sanchez to 2nd, but Hicks ground out to send the Pirates to the plate again.

Nick Lobanov Worked the seventh and the eighth, giving way to Bruce Pugh in the ninth. Pugh would walk Aguilera and Roman. Chourio singled to load up the bags, and Pugh walked Gonzalez to force in a run. Cunningham would sacrifice in Roman to give the Pirates an extra two points before Vargas popped out and Garcia lined out to send the Twins up to bat again.

Pinto would triple off Jorge Charry but got no support from "Hank the Tank" and Hidalgo, with both going down on strikes. Juan Sanchez's strike out would then end the contest.

The Twins out hit the Pirates, 9-8, but it's not a home run derby so it's not the hits that count. Hidalgo and Pinto were both 2-for-4, with Hidalgo recording a run and Pinto double and a triple, plus a run scored. Juan was 1-for-3 as was Herbert Lara. Hicks, Hajtmar and Ortiz were all 1-for-4, Hicks with a run. Henry Sanchez fell one strike out short of the Golden Sombrero. Sorry kid, no prize for you this time.

The Twins play the GCL Orioles Saturday at the Lee County Sports center for a 10:00 AM game. They are on the road Sunday vs the GCL Reds.

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DSL Diamondbacks 1 at DSL Twins 4

W: A. Salcedo (3-4, 1.40); L: G. Martinez (3-4, 3.92)
HR: None.

The DSL Twins took a lead in the fourth, added to it in the sixth and held on for a win at home over the DSL Diamondbacks Friday morning.

Lesther Galvin walked in the bottom of the fourth, then one out later, stole 2nd. Jairo Perez would go down on strikes, but Jairo Rodriguez reached on a fielding error by Damil Taveras which also brought in Galvan for the first Twins run.

Danny Santana lead off the bottom of the sixth with a single. Galvan would ground out, advancing Santana to 2nd. Oswaldo Arcia took a walk. The Diamondbacks would make a pitching change then, bringing in Juan Roasrio to replace the outgoing Gustavo Martinez. Perez singled to plate Santana and Rodriguez's follow up grounder brought in Arcia. Perez would be taken out at home on the throw. However, Eliel Sierra would get plunked with a pitch, moving Rodriguez to 2nd, and a Felix Caro single to center got Rodriguez over the plate for the fourth Twins run.

Adrian Salcedo worked seven inning, scattering 4 hits and fanning 4. Jhonny Garcia took care of the last two, giving up 1 run in the ninth on 3 hits.

Santana was 3-for-4 at the plate with a run, while Perez was 2-for-4. Rodriguez and Caro were both 1-for-4, Rodriguez with a run and a run scored, Caro with a RBI.

Arcia was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run, and Galvan, who would finish up 0-or-3 at the plate, had a walk and a run.

The DSL Twins also play the Orioles, or at least, the DSL version of them, but they will do so on the road for a 10:30 AM Dominican time game.

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