Saturday, May, 29th

Twins Talk
Twins 2 (28-20) Rangers 1

• The Twins combined good pitching and great defense to pick up their second straight win this time over the Texas Rangers in a hard fought 2-1 pitchers duel that the Twins came on top in. Kevin Slowey got the start for the Twins and was very good in this one. Slowey went 6.2 innings and only gave up a run on 6 hits along with a walk and five strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 4.15 and improved his record to 6-3 on the year. Slowey finally got past the 6th inning, something he had only done in 1 start previous this year so that was a good sign. He hit his spots much better and that is what Twins fans have been waiting to see out of Slowey so it was very promising to see out of him. Slowey ran out of gas in the 7th inning loading the bases with two outs before needing help from the bullpen. The Twins turned to lefty Jose Mijares to retire Rangers slugger Nelson Cruz. There was some question putting Mijares in that situation because even at his best he can be a little bit wild and there was no room for error so it was a bit curious. However, Mijares did his job and got his batter out on a groundout. With the out Mijares lowered his era on the year to 2.89. Jose Mijares has really improved since coming off the DL and will see more and more opportunities in big situations. Matt Guerrier then came on and did his job phenomenally pitching a perfect 8th inning with a strikeout to lower his era to 1.64. Jon Rauch pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his 11th save of the year on one hit along with a strikeout to lower his era on the year to 2.84.

• The Twins really could not get much going offensively, but they did not need much to get the win thanks to the good pitching out of the pitching staff. The Twins scored 2 runs on only 7 hits along with drawing 5 walks while leaving 9 guys on base including having the bases loaded and nobody out and only able to score 1 run so the score could have been a bit more lopsided, but a win is a win. The Twins were led offensively by O-Dawg Orlando Hudson who went 3-4 at the plate with his 9th double of the year to bring his average up to .303 on the year. Jim Thome went 1-4 at the plate with his 6th double of the year. Michael Cuddyer went 1-4 at the plate with his 3rd triple of the year. Joe Mauer went 1-3 at the plate with his 23rd rbi and grounded into a double play that scored the winning run in the 5th inning. Denard Span went 1-4 at the plate to bring his average down to .289 on the season.

• Today, the Twins continue their weekend series with Texas as Carl Pavano gets the start for the Twins against CJ Wilson of the Rangers. Gametime is at 3:10 at Target Field in Minneapolis as the Twins try to make it 3 wins in a row.

Rochester Wrap

Durham 4 Rochester 2 (18-30)

• The Red Wings suffered a tough loss to Durham last night as they haven't gotten any consistancy out of the Red Wings as they lost 4-2 last night to Durham. The Wings got a great start out of Matt Fox, but the bullpen could not hold a 2-0 lead going into the 7th inning in the game. Matt Fox went the first 6 innings and did not give up a run on only 3 hits along with three strikeouts. With the 6 shutout innings Fox lowered his era on the year to 2.44. Matt Fox has been solid all year long for the Red Wings and besides a rough start or 2 he has been very good whether the Red Wings have chosen to have him start or come in relief. Jose Lugo then came on and saw his season long struggles continue in this one. Lugo got only one out and gave up two runs on two hits along with a strikeout to raise his era on the year to 7.03. It is amazing that a lefty that can throw 94 can struggle as much as Lugo has this year. It was just a couple years ago that he was taken in the rule V draft and now he is on the verge of either being demoted down to AA or even possibly being released all together. Rob Delaney then came on and had a rough outing which is surprising as he has pitched so good this year. Delaney picked up the loss and dropped his record on the season to 5-2. Delaney went 1.2 innings and gave up two runs on two hits along with a strikeout and a homerun to raise his era on the year to 4.39.

• The Red Wings could not do much offensively as they tried to hang on to a 2-0 lead and were unable to do just that. The Red Wings scored 2 runs on 11 hits along with drawing a walk and leaving an unbelievable 8 guys on base. Brock Peterson committed his 4th error of the year in the loss. The Red Wings were led offensively by Brian Dinkelman who went 2-4 at the plate with his 10th and 11th doubles of the year to raise his average up to .279. Danny Valencia went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .302. Wilson Ramos possibly might be breaking out of his slump by going 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .167. Jacque Jones continued his hot May by going 2-4 at the plate with his 7th double of the year and his 10th rbi to bring his average up to .312. Jones has really caught fire in the month of May hitting .317. If the Twins need a corner outfielder it would not shock me at all if Jones did not get the call. Dustin Martin went 1-4 at the plate with his 8th double of the year and 33rd rbi. Matt Tolbert and Trevor Plouffe each added base hits in the losing cause for the Red Wings.

• Tonight, the Red Wings continue their series with Durham as staff ace Jeff Manship gets the start for Rochester. Gametime is at 6:05 in Durham as the Red Wings try to get back on the winning track.

New Britain Business

New Britain 3 (14-33) Portland 2

• The Rockcats got a big win last night as they finally made Cats starter Carlos Gutierrez a winner after being a tough luck loser in quite a few starts this year. The Rockcats did not do much against Portland pitching, but did just enough to get the win. Carlos Gutierrez continued his strong May for the Rockcats in this one. Gutierrez went 6 innings and only gave up 2 runs on 4 hits along with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 3.65 and improved his record to 2-3. Gutierrez really has had a good month of May and not much to show for it. In the month of May Gutierrez has gone 2-2 with a great 2.15 era in 6 starts. If Gutierrez keeps it up it won't be long before he is up in AAA knocking on the door for the Twins. Joe Testa then came on and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings on only two hits along with two strikeouts to lower his era 7.15 on the year. Chris Province then came on and got the last two outs, but made it interesting as he walked two batters and a strikeout before getting out of the jam to get the win and pick up his 4th save of the year for the Rockcats.

• The Rockcats did not get much going on offense, but they got enough offense to pick up the win. The Rockcats scored three runs on seven hits along with drawing four walks and leaving seven guys on base. Yangervis Solarte committed his first error of the year and Steve Singleton committed his 7th. The Rockcats were led offensively by Chris Cates who went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .158. Yangervis Solarte went 1-4 with his 5th double of the year. Erik Lis went 1-3 at the plate with his 4th homerun and 11th and 12th rbi's. Brandon Roberts, Rene Tosoni, and Steve Singleton each contributed base hits in the winning cause for the Rockcats.

• Today, the Rockcats continue their series with Portland as Mike Mccardell gets the start for New Britain. Gametime is at 12:00pm in Portland as the Rockcats try to win their second consecutive victory over the Sea Dogs.

Fort Myers Minutes

Fort Myers 6 (20-28) Brevard County 0

• The Miracle got back on the winning track with a nice 6-0 victory over Brevard County behind a wonderful pitching performance by Dan Osterbrock and good hitting and defense in this one. Dan Osterbrock got the start for the Miracle and went 6.2 innings with only one measly hit allowed along with three walks and three strikeouts to lower his era to 4.20 and picked up his first FSL win. Osterbrock is an interesting case that he does not throw hard at all and you wonder sometimes how he gets by. That is why sometimes he gets drilled because he only throws a mid 80's fastball. However, when he hits his spots with his fastball and gets his curveball over for a strike he can be very good. Jose Gonzalez then came on and pitched the last 2.1 innings of relief along with 4 strikeouts to finish off the shutout for the Miracle.

• The Miracle did not do a whole lot offensively in this one, but just enough to get the job done. The Miracle scored 6 runs on 7 hits along with drawing 7 walks and leaving 9 guys on base. Deibinson Romero committed his 4th error of the year in the victory for the Miracle. The Miracle were led offensively by Deibinson Romero who went 2-5 at the plate with his 14th and 15th rbi's of the year to bring his average up to .203. Evan Bigley went 1-5 at the plate with his 13th double of the year. Joe Benson went 1-3 at the plate with his 11th rbi and 4th stolen base. Jon Goncalves went 1-3 at the plate with his 6th rbi and 2nd stolen base. Esterlin De Los Santos went 1-4 at the plate with his 4th stolen base of the year.

• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with Brevard County as 19 year old phenom Adrian Salcedo gets the start for Fort Myers. Gametime is at 6:05 in Brevard County as the Miracle try to pick up another win.

Beloit Beat

Peoria 10 Beloit 4 (25-23)

• The Snappers have seen their promising first half go by the wasteside in another loss for the Snappers. The 10-4 loss to Peoria was the Snappers 8th consecutive loss that put them from first place to out of playoff contention. Miguel Munoz got the start for Beloit and pitched effectively the first 3 innings and then did not even make it out of the 4th inning in the loss. Munoz went 4 innings and gave up 9 runs on 8 hits along with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 4.89 and drop his record on the year to 1-4. Peter Kennelly then came on and pitched 2 scoreless innings on only a walk to lower his era on the year to 6.18. Matt Tone then came on and worked an inning and gave up a run on two hits along with a walk and a strikeout to raise his era on the year to 4.15. Kane Holbrooks finished the game with a scoreless inning of relief along with a strikeout to lower his era on the year to 1.27. If Holbrooks keeps it going it will not be very long before Holbrooks is up in Fort Myers.

• The Snappers could not get much going offensively in this one as they lost their 8th straight game. The Snappers scored 4 runs on only 5 hits along with drawing 3 walks and leaving 4 guys on base. Danny Rams committed his 2nd error of the year and Reggie Williams committed his 7th. The Snappers were led offensively by Aaron Hicks who went 1-3 at the plate with his 10th double along with a walk and two runs scored. Angel Morales went 1-4 at the plate with his 4th triple of the year. Danny Rams went 1-4 at the plate with his first triple of the year and his 11th rbi. James Beresford and Anderson Hidalgo each contributed hits in the losing cause for the Snappers.

• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Peoria as Brad Stillings gets the start for Beloit. Gametime is at 6:30pm in Peoria as the Snappers try to break out of their 8 game losing streak.