Monday, July, 13th

Twins Talk
Twins 6 White Sox 4 Friday Night WP: Blackburn LP: Dotel Save: Nathan(23)

Blackburn 7inn 4 er 9 hits 1bb 3k 3.06 era Mauer 1-3 1rbi(48) BA: .388

White Sox 8 Twins 7 Saturday Night WP: Floyd LP: Perkins Save Jenks

Perkins 4.1 inn 5 er 8 hits 2bb 1k 4.71 era Mauer 0-4 .381 ba

Twins 13 White Sox 7 WP: Baker LP: Buerhle

Baker: 6.1 inn 5er 6 hits 1bb 4k 5.42 era Mauer 0-4 .373 ba

Transaction: The Twins recalled Alexi Casilla from AAA Rochester and sent IF Matt Tolbert down to Rochester.

Rochester Wrap

Syracuse 2 Rochester 0 Thursday WP: Mock LP: Mulvey Save: Kensing

Mulvey: 8 inn CG 1ER 7 hits 1 bb 4 k 3.93 era Casilla 2-4 .340 batting average

Rochester 6 Syracuse 3 Friday WP: Humber LP: Martin Save: Delaney(3)

Humber: 5 inn 1 earned run 7 hits 4bb 2k 5.86 era Pridie 2-4 17th double 29th rbi

Lehigh Valley 7 Rochester 5 Saturday WP: Woods LP: Jones Save: Registar

Jones: 5 inn 5 ER 11 hits 3k 6.39 era Huber: 2-5 12th hr 3rbi(48) .285 ba

Rochester 5 Lehigh Valley 3 Sunday WP: Delaney LP: Bowers

Santos: 5 inn 1 earned run 6 hits 1bb 3k 4.91 era Valencia 3-4 7th double .360 ba


New Britain Wrap

Connecticut 6 New Britain 0 Thursday WP: English LP: Fox

Fox: 5 inn 2 runs 5 hits 3bb 4k 3.58 era Ortiz: 1-3 batting average .227

New Britain 10 Binghamton 7 Friday WP: Burnett LP: Alfonzo Save: Slama(19)

Mullins: 3.2 inn 5 runs 8 hits 1bb 5k 4.91 era Lis: 4-4 7th hr .309 batting average

New Britain 5 Binghamton 0 Saturday WP: Pino LP: Brown Save: Lugo(3)

Pino: 6 inn 0 runs 6 hits 8k's 3.16 era Lis 3-4 2 hr(9) 4 rbi's(43) .315 ba

Binghamton 11 New Britain 8 Sunday WP: Robertson LP: Gutierrez

Mata: 4.1 inn 4 runs 2bb 4k 4.05 era Roberts 2-4 3 runs scored 2bb .296 ba

Binghamton 14 New Britain 1 Monday WP: Holt LP: Devries

Devries: 1.1 inn 10 runs 7 hits 3bb 1k 3.53 era Lis 3-4 HR(10) .320 batting average

Erik Lis was 11-16 a .688 average with 4 homerun and 8 rbi's in 4 game series vs Binghamton.


Fort Myers Minutes

Sarasota 1 Fort Myers 0 Thursday WP: Gonzalez LP: Hirschfeld Save: Thurman

Hirschfeld: 7 inn 1 run 2 hits 2bb 4k 2.51 era Revere 1-4 .305 batting average

Fort Myers 6 Sarasota 3 Friday WP: Tarsi LP: Webb Save: Van Mil(1)

Tarsi: 6 inn 1 run 7 hits 2bb 7k 1.50 era N. Romero: 2-4 7th double 3 rbi's(19)

Palm Beach 10 Fort Myers 9 Saturday WP: Buursma LP: S. Arias Save: Mulligan

Bromberg: 4.2 inn 3 runs 5 hits 3bb 5k 2.87 era Revere: 2-5 2 rbi's(33) 2sb(33)

Palm Beach 13 Fort Myers 2 Sunday WP: Castillo LP: Robertson

Robertson: 5 inn 6 runs 10 hits 2k 3.86 era Revere: 0-4 .303 batting average


Beloit Beat

South Bend 6 Beloit 5 Thursday WP: Vasquez LP: Hendricks Save: Woodall

Hendricks: 5.2 inn 1 earned run 1bb 5k 1.59era Hicks: 1-4 1bb(14) .222 BA

Beloit 5 South Bend 1 Friday WP: Tippett LP: Moorhouse

Tippett: 7 inn 0 runs 5 hits 2bb 5k 2.63 era Hicks: 2-4 double(4) 1 run .241 BA

Beloit 9 West Michigan 8 Saturday WP: Allen LP: Cassavechia Save: Williams

Berlind: 4.1 inn 4 runs 9 hits 1bb 3k 4.56 era Hicks: 0-3 2bb(16) .230 BA

West Michigan 11 Beloit 3 Sunday WP: Sorenson LP: Osterbrock

Osterbrock: 2.2 inn 10 runs 9 hits 2bb 5.80 era Ladendorf 1-4 2rbi(2) .125 BA


E-town Tidbits

E-town 6 Kingsport 5 Thursday WP: Tone LP: Rojas Save: Carr(2)

Stillings: 5 inn 5 runs 5 hits 3bb 3k 5.73 era Hermann 2-6 .381 batting average

Kingsport 10 E-town 9 Friday WP: White LP: Ibarra Save: Babin

Ibarra: 4.1 inn 7 runs 3 hits 3bb 2k 8.10 era Streich: 3-3 double(4) rbi(11) .326 BA

E-town 10 Johnson City Saturday WP: Munoz LP: Ferrara

Munoz: 6.1 inn 1 run 6 hits 1 bb 9k 3.05 era Hermann 2-4 2 doubles(9) .394 BA

E-town 9 Johnson City 4 Sunday WP: Holbrooks LP: Durham

Garcia: 4.2 inn 3 runs 4 hits 6bb 5k 3.78era Hermann 2-4 hr(3) 2 rbi's(10) .400 ba


Transactions: Here is a quick update on the transactions since last time i updated.

Twins: recalled IF Alexi Casilla and sent down IF Matt Tolbert

Rochester: Matt Tolbert was sent to Rochester to replace Alexi Casilla

New Britain: none

Fort Myers: Catcher Alex Soto was promoted and OF Joe Benson was activated from disabled list.

Beloit: IF Tyler Ladendorf and Catcher Danny Rams were promoted to Beloit; Catcher Alex Soto promoted to Fort Myers and Catcher Buddy Munroe demoted to Elizabethton.

E-town: Tyler Ladendorf and Danny Rams promoted to Beloit; had Buddy Munroe returned to them and saw debut of IF Brian Dozier and First Round Pick Matt Bashore was put on the roster.

Twins Add All-Star caliber player

No the Twins did not add Freddy Sanchez from the Pirates. Instead the Twins have promoted infielder Alexi Casilla from AAA Rochester and sent Matt Tolbert back down to Rochester. I think this move could of been done for 2 different reasons, one of them is hopefully to get him going, because our 2 hole hitters have been so bad this year and 2nd it could be to show Casilla to teams as a possible trade chip to acquire a middle infielder and/or a reliever. Every day until the deadline I am going to propose some trades and see what everyone thinks of them. Today I am going to propose a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

• Twins acquire 2b Freddy Sanchez & RP Matt Capps
• Pirates acquire 2b Alexi Casilla, SP Kevin Mulvey, OF Chris Parmalee, and SP Mike Mccardell

• Overview: On paper it seems like a terrible trade for the Twins because you are trading away 2 top 20 prospects and a very talented infielder who when he is right is just as good as the guy you are acquiring. However, looking at the stats those prospects are not for sure things and both Sanchez and Capps are under team control thru next year. Looking at the stats makes this a trade that the Twins should very seriously consider.

Freddy Sanchez- .316 6 homeruns 34 rbi's with a great .356/.478/.834 and the 2006 batting title when he hit .344 and a .302 career hitter. At age 31 Sanchez makes 6.25 million and his 2010 contract vests if he makes 600 plate appearances.

Matt Capps- 1-5 6.21 era 32 games 29 inn 13 walks and 20 strikeouts 19 saves. Capps had been having a very good first half until he gave up 5 runs to Philadelphia on Friday night. However on the season he has been quite solid. He has a 3.43 career era. At only age 25 Capps is under team control for 2 more years after this year so he would be a very good setup man for the Twins and take pressure off Matt Guerrier. Capps makes 2.43 million this year and is eligible for arbitration after the 2009 and 2010 seasons and won't be a free agent until after the 2011 season.

Alexi Casilla- .180 0 homeruns 5 rbi's in 34 games. very bad .242/.225/.467 splits. At AAA his stats were much better. .340 average 2 hr 17 rbi's 9sb .379/.449/.827. At only 24 years old Casilla could turn out to be a guy that the Twins will regret getting rid of because he may turn out to be a terrific player and is under team control for 5 years and only makes 428,000 this year.

Kevin Mulvey- 3-6 3.93 era 103 inn pitched in 17 starts with 37 walks and 81 strikeouts. Kevin Mulvey is a top 10 prospect and with most teams would be in the majors starting. He is the type of player the Pirates would want because he is a top prospect and he is cheap.

Chris Parmalee- He is the biggest prospect in the trade as Parmalee has outstanding power and a good eye at the plate. Parmalee is hitting .256 hitter with 11 homeruns and 46 rbi's. His splits are impressive at .350/446/.795, but they could be better. He is a streaky hitter, but his 38 walks in 256 at bats remind many of a young Adam Dunn. He is only 21 years old so obviously his best years are ahead of him and you can play him at either RF or 1b and could be ready for the big leagues in April of 2012.

Mike Mccardell- He is a top pitching prospect for the Twins and could be on the fast track to the majors. This year Mccardell is 9-5 with a 4.03 era in 16 starts. He has worked 87 innings and only walked 16 batters. At age 24 he should be in AA and a change of scenary would do him wonders because no matter what you of theTwins minor league system they have a history of being slow with moving their prospects and with Mccardell old for his level he needs to get to AA and the Twins don't look like they are going to move him up and a change of scenary would do him good.

Overall, I believe it is a fair trade and something the Twins should really consider doing this trade because with Sanchez you have a good number 2 hitter that you can put in front of Mauer and Morneau and have Capps at the end of the bullpen to spell Matt Guerrier to get to Joe Nathan. Everyone let me know what you think and if you think it is a good trade.

Beloit Snappers: June Awards

Today I will be finishing off My June awards with a look at the Beloit Snappers who really struggled in the month of June. They saw the addition of 2008 first round pick Aaron Hicks, but that didn't seem to help the Snappers. However, there were some good performances out of the Snappers and i think they should be recognized. Let me know what you think and leave comments in the box or email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Thanks and enjoy

• Pitcher of the Month: Bobby Lanigan- Bobby Lanigan after really struggling in April and May really turned it around in June. After having a very good 3.68 era in April he really had a terrible May by increasing his era to 7.16 in May. That led to many people doubting the ability of Bobby Lanigan, but he really quieted those doubters in June. Lanigan went 2-1 with a great 1.73 era in 5 June starts. Bobby worked 26 innings in June and only gave up 5 earned runs which is a run for every 5 innings of work which if phenomenal. Lanigan only walked 4 batters and struck out 21 which is a great ratio. Most impressive of all was Lanigan held opponents to a .212 average in the month of June. Bobby Lanigan is a very talented pitcher that just needed a good month for everyone to realize how talented he is. I really expect Lanigan to have a good 2nd half and start next season in the rotation for Fort Myers next year and watch as his value on prospect lists skyrockets.
• Others Considered: Michael Tarsi, Dan Osterbrock, Brad Tippett

• Hitter of the Month: Ozzie Lewis- Ozzie Lewis had a great month of June on a team that was dreadful offensively in June. Ozzie has been one of the most consistant hitters in the Snapper lineup all year. In April Ozzie hit a very good .333 and backed that up with a solid .271 in May and followed that up with another good month in June. In June Ozzie Lewis hit .303 with 3 homeruns and 12 rbi's along with 4 doubles. Lewis also had a .313 on base percentage which is not bad for a middle of the order bat along with a very good .474 slugging percentage for an ops of .786. Ozzie Lewis has been a consistant bat for the Snappers all year long and on a team that does not have much offense that is a big thing to have. I think Ozzie has earned the promotion to Fort Myers and at his age he needs to move up if he is going to continue to progress. However, with the offense the Snappers have I would be very surprised for him to move up this year.
• Others Considered: Michael Harrington

Thursday, July, 9th

Twins Talk

For those expecting me to talk about the Yankees series you are going to have to go to another blog because you aren't getting anything from me as I just want to forget this series happened and move on to play the White Sox this weekend.

Yankees 10 Twins 2 Tuesday WP: Sabathia LP: Baker

Baker 3 inn 5 runs 9 hits 2bb 4k Mauer 0-3 BA: .384

Yankees 4 Twins 3 Wednesday WP: Burnett LP: Swarzak Save: Rivera

Swarzak 4.1 inn 4 runs 8 hits 1bb Mauer 3-5 BA: .388

Yankees 6 Twins 4 Thursday WP: Albaladejo LP: Liriano Save: Rivera

Liriano 5.1 inn 3 ER 7 hits 2bb 5k Mauer 2-5 BA: .389



Pitching Matchups vs White Sox
Friday Nick Blackburn vs John Danks

Saturday Glen Perkins vs Gavin Floyd

Sunday Scott Baker vs Mark Buerhle

Rochester Wrap
Rochester 9 Syracuse 4

• The Red Wings extended their winning streak to 3 games with a big 9-4 victory over second place Syracuse last night as the Red Wings try to get back in the IL divison race and trail Scranton/WB by only 7 games as we speak and are playing very well right now. Jeff Manship got the start for the Red Wings and was ok getting out of some jams to keep the Red Wings in the game until their bats exploded. Manship went 5.1 innings and gave up 4 runs on 10 hits along with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 3.93 on the year and improved his record on the year to 2-0. Jeff Manship is a slow starter after a promotion and this is no different as 2 of his 3 starts have been suspect, but it will only be a matter of time before he is dominating hitters like he has at every other stop. Jesse Crain then came on and continued his recent string of quality innings. Crain went 1.2 innings to lower his era to 3.18 on the year and has thrown 4.1 innings without giving up a run. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a streak that will lead Jesse back to the Twins where they could surely use him. Juan Morillo then came on and pitched a rocky, but effective inning. Morillo went 1 inning and gave up 2 hits along with a strikeout to lower his era to 2.83 on the year and most importantly no walks. Rob Delaney pitched a clean 9th inning for the Red Wings with a walk and 2 strikeouts to lower his era on the season to 4.74.

• The Red Wings continued their recent hitting prowess as they put up 9 runs on 13 hits and in their 3 game winning streak they have scored 23 runs on 41 hits which averages out to 7.7 runs and 13.7 hits per game which is very impressive considering the Wings have really struggled offensively pretty much all season and get hot is a good sign. In this one the Wings were led by Jason Pridie who went 3-5 with his 5th homerun and 16th double of the year along with 2 rbi's to bring his total up to 28 and brought his average up to .260. Drew Butera had a big game going 2-4 with his 2nd homerun of the year and 2 rbi's to bring his total up to 18. Alexi Casilla went 2-5 with his 15th rbi of the year and improved his average to a team leading .336. David Winfree went 1-4 with his 20th double of the year and drove in his 41st run of the year. Matt Macri went 1-4 with his 16th double of the year. Steve Tolleson, Danny Valencia, Trevor Plouffe, and Brock Peterson all added hits in the winning cause for the Red Wings.
• Tonight, the Wings continue their series with Syracuse as Kevin Mulvey gets the start for Rochester.

New Britain Business

Connecticut 3 New Britain 1

New Britain 7 Connecticut 3

• The Rockcats split a doubleheader with first place Connecticut where they got a couple of good pitching performances and some good and some batting hitting leading to the split. In game 1 Cole Devries got the start and he was victimized by some bad defense by the Rockcats as he was very good. Devries went all 7 innings and gave up 3 runs although none of them were earned thanks to an Erik Lis error in the 1st inning which led to 3 unearned runs on only 5 hits along with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 2.89, but also lower his record on the year to 5-8. Cole Devries has been the most consistant pitcher on the staff for the Rockcats all year and along with Matt Fox those 2 have kept the Rockcats in the lead for the wildcard pretty much all year and I expect that to continue. In game 2 we saw the AA debut of prized prospect Deolis Guerra and he pitched a pretty decent game. Guerra went 5 innings and gave up 2 earned runs on 5 hits along with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. There is so much talent in this kid as he is only 20 years old that the Twins want to see if he can do an Anthony Swarzak and take off in a different level even though I think there were more deserving players. I am really excited to see this kid grow into a possible ace as he is only 20 years old and still has some development to go. Anthony Slama then came on and pitched the last 2 innings and only gave up 1 hit to pick up his 18th save of the year. He also recorded 3 strikeouts in those two innings as he nailed the game down for the Rockcats.

• Offensively the Rockcats had a game where they got nothing going and then a game where they were running on all cylinders. In game 1 the Rockcats could not get anything going as they could only manage 1 run on only 6 hits. The Cats were led by Juan Portes who went 2-3 with his 4th homerun of the year along with his 32nd rbi to bring his average on the year to .316. Rene Tosoni went 1-3 with his 18th double of the year to bring his average up to .275 on the year. Brian Dinkelman also went 1-3 with his 22nd double of the year to bring his average up to .298. Toby Gardenhire and Yancarlos Ortiz each added a hit in the losing cause for the Rockcats. In game 2 the bats really came alive as they had 7 runs on 8 hits. The Rockcats were led by Luke Hughes who had a career game for the Rockcats. Hughes went 4-4 with 3 doubles and 3 rbi's as he works his way back from the oblique injury and hopefully back to Rochester where he belongs. Rene Tosoni had a big game going 2-4 with his 19th double of the year and his 49th rbi of the year to bring his average up to .279. Yancarlos Ortiz had a big game going 1-2 with 3 runs scored from the leadoff spot. Whit Robbins also contributed a hit in the winning cause for the Rockcats.
• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their series with first place Connecticut as Matt Fox gets the start for New Britain.

Fort Myers Minutes

Sarasota 5 Fort Myers 0

• The Miracle hitters were baffled by 3 Sarasota pitchers as they could not muster a run on only 6 hits. With the promotion of Deolis Guerra to AA this turned into a bullpen game for the Miracle because this was supposed to be Guerra's turn in the rotation. So the Miracle turned to Henry Arias in a pinch and he was decent kind of what you expect out of Arias. Henry Arias went 4 innings and gave up 2 runs on 5 hits along with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 5.13 and lower his record to 1-3. Blair Erickson then came in and was awful in his 1 inning of work. Erickson gave up 2 runs on 3 hits along with 2 strikeouts in his inning to raise his era to 2.83. Joe Testa then came in and was fantastic again as he went 2 shutout innings along with a strikeout and has not allowed a run in 7.1 innings since his promotion from Beloit. Loek Van Mil then came on and got hit a little as he gave up a run on 2 hits along with a strikeout to raise his era to 1.29 on the year.

• With no runs on only 6 hits there was not alot to get excited about last night, but there were a few notable contributions. Ben Revere is coming out of a terrible slump as he went 2-5 to raise his average back up to .306 on the year. Steve Singelton went 1-4 with his 14th double of the year. Evan Bigley, Juan Richardson, and Chris Cates all contributed hits in the losing cause.
• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with Sarasota as Steve Hirschfeld gets the start for Fort Myers.

Beloit Beat

South Bend 6 Beloit 3

• The Snappers saw their losing streak expand to 3 games after a tough 6-3 loss to South Bend last night. Bobby Lanigan got the start for the Snappers and really was not as good as he had been in starts past. Lanigan went 6 innings and gave up 6 runs although only 3 of them were earned on 8 hits along with a walk and 3 strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 4.48 and dropped his record to a rough 7-5 on the year. I really thought Lanigan had turned the corner in June and was going to be the pitcher we were expecting all season and then he has a start like this and your like what is going on. I really hope this was just a rough start and he will bounce back next time because the Snappers to compete at all need good starts out of Bobby every time out. Bruce Pugh then came in and was very good in his 2 innings of work on only 1 hit along with 3 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 4.15. Steve Blevins then came on for the ninth and did a good job as he pitched a perfect inning along with a strikeout to lower his era to 4.17 on the year.

• The Snappers really could not get hardly anything going offensively in this one as they could only muster 3 runs on only 7 hits in the game. Aaron Hicks was the hitting star in this one going 1-4 with his 3rd double of the year and drove in his 9th run. James Beresford went 1-2 with 2 walks to bring his average up to .283. Ramon Santana went 1-4 with 2 rbi's to bring hsi season total up to 40. Michael Harrington, Alex Soto, Dominic De La Osa, and Angel Morales all contributed hits in the losing cause.
• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with South Bend as newcomer Liam Hendricks gets the start for Beloit.

E-town Entertainment

Kingsport 10 E-town 7

• The E-town Twins let a 7-3 lead going into the bottom of the 6th inning get away in a tough to handle 10-7 loss to Kingsport last night. Tom Stuifbergen got the start for the Twins and was decent as he kept the team in the game and left with the lead. Stuifbergen went 6 innings and gave up 3 earned runs and scattered 10 hits along with a walk and 3 strikeouts to raise his era to 4.30 on the year. Kane Holbrooks then came in and went 2/3 of an inning and gave up a run on no hits along with 4 walks to raise his era on the year to 7.20. The Twins got out of that mess with the lead so you think they got it wrapped up right well you would be wrong if you said yes. Tony Davis came in and had a forgettable performance that he forgot about by the time he got to the parking lot after the game. Davis went 1.1 innings and gave up 5 runs on 6 hits along with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 11.37 and took the loss to drop his record ont the year to 0-2.

• The rough pitching outing ruined another great offensive performance by the Twins who put up 7 runs on 11 hits. Once again Danny Rams and Tyler Ladendorf led the offense for the Twins. Rams went 3-5 with his 6th and 7th doubles of the year and his 22nd rbi to bring his average up to .368. Ladendorf went 2-3 with his 7th double and his 17th rbi of the year to bring his average on the season up to .400. Chris Hermann went 2-4 with his 7th double and his 8th rbi to bring his impressive average up to .386. Jon Goncalves went 2-4 with his 2nd double to bring his average up to .273 on the year. Anderson Hidalgo went 1-4 with his 3rd double of the year. Josmil Pinto also added a hit in the losing cause for the Twins.
• Tonight, the Twins continue their series with Kingsport as the Twins will send out Brad Stillings to make a spot start as they lost Liam Hendricks to Beloit and Matt Bashore is not ready to make a start yet for Elizabethton.

Fort Myers Miracle: June Awards

I will be continuing my June awards today with the Fort Myers Miracle who in June got some great performances that led them to clinching the First Half Florida State Leauge Division Title. I hope you all enjoy and you can leave your comments in the comment box or at travis_aune@yahoo.com. thanks and enjoy.

• Pitcher of the Month: Tyler Robertson- Tyler Robertson really stepped it up in June after a couple really good months in April and May and a very good month of June. After having a 4.30 era in April Tyler improved it to 3.74 in May and improved it immensely in June. In June Tyler went 2-1 with an awesome 2.63 era in 4 starts. Tyler worked 24 innings in June so that is a very solid 6 innings a start. In his 24 innings he only gave up 7 earned runs in those 24 innings. He walked only 7 batters while striking out an impressive 24. The most impressive to me was Tyler held opponents to a .226 batting average. As most people know I am very high on Tyler Robertson as I had him rated as the top pitching prospect in the organization and with arm problems last year that cut his season short it took him some time to get back in the groove. However, he has done just that as he has gotten better every month and is in line for a promotion to AA.
• Others Considered: Loek Van Mil, David Bromberg, Spencer Steedley

• Hitter of the Month: Deibinson Romero- Deibinson Romero really bounced back from an awful month of May. After hitting .257 in April and then plummeted to .157 in May before the month of June where he really bounced back. In June Deibinson hit .322 with 3 homeruns and 15 rbi's in 87 at bats. He also had 4 doubles and a triple along with 2 stolen bases. Romero added 10 walks for an obp of .386 along with a slugging percentage of .494 for an ops of .880. Deibinson Romero really bounced back after an awful May to put up numbers that we expected him to have all along. He improved his numbers on the year to hitting .241 with 3 homeruns and 40 rbi's along with 17 doubles and a triple. The only thing he needs to work on is his defense where he has 15 errors on the season and it won't matter how good offensively if he doesn't improve defensively. However, it was a good month for Romero and hopefully he can build on that in July and beyond.
• Others Considered: Chris Parmalee, Steve Singelton, Ben Revere

Q&A with Matt Fox

I had the priviledge to do a Q&A with New Britain Rockcats starting pitcher Matt Fox. After talking with him I have a lot of respect what he has overcome to be a good pitching prospect for the Twins. There are not many guys that would keep going and fighting through what he has gone through. I really think you are going to enjoy this Q&A and i really want to get some comments on Matt and what you thought of the interview. So leave comments in the box or email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

Travis Talks: As a kid did you have any favorite teams?

Matt Fox: I liked 2 teams, the Reds when I was real young, and then the Marlins when they came along.

Travis Talks: In High School did you just play baseball or did you play other sports too?

Matt Fox: I just played Baseball, but was really into golf, actually tried out for the golf team, but I'm pretty sure the golf coach knew I wasn't too serious about joining the team and that i just wanted to play free golf for the week of the tryouts.

Travis Talks: Tell me about your high school career?

Matt Fox: To start off i only played shortstop, didn't pitch and made Varsity as a Freshman. Basically was the starting shortstop only until half way threw my junior year when i jumped on mound for fun and realized how hard I was throwing and that I might have a future on the mound. Went to some showcases summer before my Senior year and was thought from there on that I would have more potential as a pitcher then hitter and the next levels, but still did both.

Travis Talks: In the 2001 draft you were selected in the 6th round by Arizona, but didn't sign did you consider signing and why didnt you sign?

Matt Fox: I was expecting from what scouts were telling me that I would go anywhere in the top 4 or 5 rounds. My family and I had a figure we were comforttable with and we just didn't get to that figure. I also played shortstop and at the time didnt feel like my time playing there was done, as I wanted to go to college and no only pitch, but also hit.

Travis Talks: After high school you went to Central Florida university what led you there?

Matt Fox: I went to UCF for a couple reasons. One was that my brother played there the 4 years before i went , and i had a relationship with the coaching staff that was really strong. another reason was, they were one of the few schools who wanted me to pitch and hit. While alot of other schools either wanted me to pitch only or hit only, not do both.

Travis Talks: Were you heavily recruited out of high school?

Matt Fox: I think i was recruited heavily all the florida schools and a lot of the ACC/SEC Schools were interested. Miami, LSU, Clemson wanted me as a pitcher only, while Tennessee, FAU, and others wanted me only as a hitter.

Travis Talks: You were selected in the 1st round in 2004 by the Twins had they been talking to you or were you surprised they drafted you?

Matt Fox: After going threw the whole draft process in HS, i knew how unpredictable the draft can be, so i didnt look too much into who was talking to me the most or who wasn't. I think I talked to the twins just as much as others, and wasnt overally surprised they took me.

Travis Talks: You started your career in E-town what was it like pitching that first year as a professional?

Matt Fox: My first year was a rough one, only had 3-4 starts before i started feeling shoulder pain, and then was shut down for the rest of the season, besides that i was excited to be there but wanted to be healthy more then anything.

Travis Talks: In 2005 you had shoulder surgery what was the injury and rehab consist of?

Matt Fox: I had a labrum repair and some small work done on my rotator cuff. I had surgery with DR. Andrews and headed to FOrt myers and rehabed there for a year to year and half

Travis Talks: How long did it take to gain confidence back in your arm?

Matt Fox: It's been a long process. At first my confidence wasnt' there and that held me back, then my arm felt good but I couldnt get my velocity above 84 or so. the last 2 years or so have been good, feeling strong and no pain at all. Just waiting and hoping i can get some more velocity.

Travis Talks: Have you had any problems with your arm since the surgery?

Matt Fox: Knock on wood but have had no problems, feeling great!

Travis Talks: Was there ever a time you wanted to call it quits and do something else?
Matt Fox: Coming back from surgey was a tough journey, but at no time did i ever think about doing anything else. Playing a game you love is the best job in the world, and I kept telling myself to just stick with it and one day hopefulyl my time will come.

Travis Talks: What pitches do you throw?

Matt Fox: Currently I throw a 4 seam fastball, Cutter, Curveball and Change-up, usually in that order.

Travis Talks: What would you call your strikeout pitch when you really need a strikeout?

Matt Fox: I'd say for a righty it'd be my cutter, for a lefty, it'd have to be my curveball.

Travis Talks: For someone who doesn't know what is gameday like when your pitching?

Matt Fox: For me personally, it starts when i get up, i just run over there hitters in my mind, try to visualize myself throwing and gettting good results, then it's just kind of sit aroudn and wait until it't stretch time and thats when you really have to focus in. During the game you just get into that tunnel vision where its you and the batter and thats it. Just try and compete and keep your team in the game.

Travis Talks: What was it like when you got your first professional paycheck?

Matt Fox: It was a great feeling, just getting paid to play a game you love is a great feeling!

Travis Talks: What do you think it will be like to pitch at Target Field?

Matt Fox: I'm not too sure, all i know is it's outdoors and MN gets really cold! So it'll be cold and very exciting.

Travis Talks: You have progressed through the system does it ever get frustrating when you dont get promoted when you think your ready?

Matt Fox: Sure, at times it can, but what i have learned is not to read too much into what happens with the moves. You can't control who moves and who doesn't. All you can control is how you pitch and hopefully one day you get your chance.

Travis Talks: If a high school player asked you what does it take to make it in pro ball what would you tell him?

Matt Fox: You have to be ready for a grind. At times the season gets long, long bus trips, crappy hotels, eating fast food. you really have to have a passion for it, and have your heart into it at all times. Other then that, just hard work and a positive attitude!

I would like to thank Matt Fox for taking the time to do this I really appreciate it and best of luck for the rest of the year.

Tuesday, July, 7th

Twins Talk

• The Twins had yesterday off and prepare to begin a 3 game series with the hated New York Yankess as the Twins will send Scott Baker to the mound to get the series off on the right foot.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 7 Buffalo 3

• The finished their series with Buffalo on the right foot with a nice 7-3 victory over the Bisons. Armando Gabino made the spot start for the Red Wings and was very good in this one. Gabino went 4.1 innings and gave up 2 runs on 5 hits along with a walk to lower his era on the year to 3.25 on the year. Gabino has been very solid this year and I would like to see Armando get a chance with the Twins, but I have a sinking suspicion that he is probably 4th in line behind Crain, Morillo, and Delaney. Jesse Crain then came on and had his best outing of his season with Rochester by going 2.2 hitless innings along with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts to lower his era to 3.72. If Jesse Crain can pitch like he did last night it won't be long till he is back with the Twins because they are begging for another reliever that can get guys out, but he hasn't shown that on a consistant basis yet so I need to see more out of him. Rob Delaney then came on and pitched the last 2 innings and was ok. Delaney went 2 innings and gave up 1 run on 2 hits along with 1 walk and 1 strikeout to raise his era to 5.00.

• The Red Wings really had a big offensive night as they put on 7 runs on 16 hits and could of been even bigger if they had not left 9 guys on base. Jason Pridie led the offense by going 3-5 with his 4th homerun of the year along with his 15th double. He also drove in 3 runs to bring his season total up to 26 on the year and brought his average up to .252. Trevor Plouffe went 3-3 to raise his average on the year to .242. Alexi Casilla went 3-5 with 2 runs scored to raise his average to .343 on the year. Matt Macri went 3-4 to raise his average on the year to .230 on the year. Steve Tolleson went 2-4 with his 1st triple of the year and drove in his 9th and 10th runs of the year to bring his average up to .321. Justin Huber went 2-3 and his 45th rbi of the year and improved his average on the year to .283 on the year.
• Tonight, the Red Wings begin a series with 2nd place Syracuse and with all the rainouts the Red Wings will have to have another bullpen game as Reid Santos is tentatively scheduled to pitch for Rochester.
• Big News: Justin Huber replaced Anthony Swarzak on the International League All-Star team.

New Britain Business

New Britain 3 Trenton 1

• The Rockcats continued their winning ways as they won their 2nd consecutive win with a tough hard fought 3-1 victory over Trenton last night. Yohan Pino got his first start for the Cats since his return to the Rockcats rotation and was very good. Pino went 5.1 innings and gave up only 1 run on 6 hits along with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 3.53 and improved his record on the year to 3-1. Yohan Pino has really stepped up after getting off to a rough start on the year. Pino realistically is not a huge prospect, but he has pitched some quality innings for the Cats and has developed into a solid starting pitcher for the Rockcats. Alex Burnett then came on and pitching 2.2 shutout innings along with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 2.25. Anthony Slama came on and pitched the last inning without giving up a run along with 1 strikeout to pick up his 17th save of the year to lower his era on the year to 2.64.

• The Rockcats did not get alot of offense going in the game, but it was enough to get the win with only 6 hits. Juan Portes really supplied the only offense the Rockcats would need in this game as he went 3-4 and drove in 2 runs to bring his total up to 31 on the year and brought his average up to .312. Brian Dinkelman hit his 21st double of the year and improved his average to .303 on the year. Yancarlos Ortiz and Rene Tosoni added hits in the winning cause for the Rockcats.
• Tonight, the Rockcats begin a 3 game series with first place Connecticut as Frank Mata is scheduled to pitch for New Britain.

Fort Myers Minutes

Palm Beach 4 Fort Myers 2

• The Miracle had a tough loss last night to Palm Beach by a score of 4-2 in which they got good pitching just not enough hitting to pick up the win. Tyler Robertson got the start for the Miracle and was very solid. Robertson went 7 innings and gave up 3 runs on 6 hits along with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 3.43 on the year and dropped his record to 5-4. Tyler Robertson continued his strong go of it since a rough start even though he got the loss in this game he still put up a solid start that would be good enough to win in on most nights. Loek Van Mil then came in and gave up a run on no hits along with a walk and a strikeout to raise his very good era to 0.95 on the year. Loek Van Mil has been awesome since coming off the disabled list as he has only given up 2 runs in 19 innings of work on the year for Van Mil and has positioned himself into possibly getting a promotion sometime this summer to AA New Britain.

• The Miracle really could not get it going last night as they were only able to muster 2 runs even though they had 10 hits. The reason they could not get more runs was they left 8 guys on base in the night. Rene Leveret led the offense by going 2-3 to raise his average on the year to .298. Nick Romero went 2-4 with his 5th double of the year to improve his average on the year to .272. Mark Dolenc went 2-4 with his 3rd triple of the year and drove in his 23rd run of the year to improve his average to .284. Esterlin De Los Santos went 1-4 with his 3rd triple of the year to improve his average to .288. Ben Revere went 1-5 at the plate to continue his worse slump of his career. Revere is only 3 for his last 28 a .107 average and not something he has ever experienced as a pro. I have no doubt that he will get it going, but I am sure he is plenty frustrated right now. Steve Singelton and Chris Parmalee each added a hit in the losing cause for the Miracle.
• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with Palm Beach as Mike Mccardell gets the start for Fort Myers.

Beloit Beat

Peoria 7 Beloit 2

• The Snappers had their short 2 game winning streak stopped in a big way to Peoria last night as the Snappers went down 7-2 to the Chiefs. Dan Berlind got the start for the Snappers and actually was pretty good. Berlind went 4.2 innings and only gave up 2 runs on 7 hits along with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 4.33 on the year. Berlind has been solid all year long and has really kept the Snappers in the game most starts it is just that the Snappers could not score any runs for him and that continued last night. Thomas Wright then came on and lets just say he was awful on this night. Wright went 3 innings and gave up 5 runs on 5 hits along with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 12.00. Wright has really struggled since coming off the disabled list and it would not surprise me if he did not make it through the season. Bruce Pugh got the final out in the losing cause for the Snappers to lower his era on the year to 4.38.

• The Snappers really couldn't get anything going on the night as they could only muster 2 runs on 6 hits. Michael Harrington led the offense by going 2-4 with his 23rd double of the year and his 26th rbi to raise his average on the year to .236. Ramon Santana went 1-3 with his 38th rbi of the year and improved his average up to .298. Aaron Hicks went 0-3 with his 13th walk of the year compared to only 11 strikeouts so he has a very good eye at the plate. Hicks is only hitting .217, but his 13 walks really helps him maintain a .383 obp which is very good considering he is only hitting .217. That discipline at the plate will come in handy and just imagine what it will be when he adjusts and starts hitting like we all know he will. Aaron is too talented of a player to be hitting .217 at A ball and it is just a matter of time until he explodes. James Beresford, Nathan Hanson, and Drew Thompson all contributed hits in the losing cause for the Snappers.
• Tonight, the Snappers finish off their series with Peoria as Dan Osterbrock gets the start for Beloit.

E-town Entertainment

E-town 5 Princeton 2

Princeton 5 E-town 4

• The E-town Twins split a doubleheader with Princeton to make up for the rainout on Sunday. The Twins won the first game by a score of 5-2 before dropping the second one by a score of 5-4. In game 1 Matire Garcia got the start and was ok. Garcia went 5 innings and gave up 2 runs on 5 hits along with 5 walks and 4 strikeouts to pick up his 2nd win of the year and raise his era to 3.00 on the year. Garcia has really not gotten hit this year, but the walks are disconcerting as he has walked 14 batters in only 12 innings of work in 3 starts. There is nothing in his history to suggest a walk problem, but he needs to get this taken care of soon. Brad Stillings then came on and went 1/3 of an inning with 2 walks to lower his era to 3.00. Tony Davis then followed and went 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout to lower his era to 5.40. Billy Bulluck pitched the 7th to get his 2nd save of the year along with a strikeout to lower his era to 1.42. In game 2 Michael Munoz got the start and was ok. Munoz went 3.2 innings and gave up 4 runs on 4 hits along with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts to raise his average up to 4.40 on the year. Munoz really has not had a good start to the season and will feel the pressure of Matt Bashore joining the staff as they decide who is the person to go to the bullpen and right now it might be Munoz. Matt Tone took the loss by going 2.1 innings and gave up 1 run on 2 hits along with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 2.70.

• The Twins had their bats quieted down a little bit, but compared to what they were doing offensively it looks like they aren't hitting at all which is a stretch. In game 1 they scored 5 runs on 8 hits. The Twins were led by Derek Mccallum who went 2-3 with his first triple of the year and drove in 3 runs to bring his total up to 6 on the year and increase his average to .250. Josmil Pinto went 2-3 with his 2nd double of the year to raise his average up to .303. Anderson Hidalgo went 2-3 to raise his average up to .313. Michael Gonzalez and Tobias Streich each contributed a hit in the Twins win. Tyler Ladendorf went 0-4 at the plate to lower his average to .380 on the year. In game 2 the Twins put up 4 runs on only 5 hits. Michael Gonzalez went 1-2 with 2nd double of the year to bring his average up to .343. Danny Rams went 1-3 with his 5th double with his 21st rbi. Paul Klingsberg went 1-2 with his 2nd and 3rd rbi's of the year and brought his average up to .348. Chris Herman and Tyler Ladendorf added hits in the losing cause for the Twins.
• Tonight, the Twins will continue their series with Princeton as Angelo Sanchez gets the start for Elizabethton.

Monday, July, 6th

Twins Talk
Tigers 11 Twins 9 16 innings Friday WP: Dolsi LP Dickey

Slowey 3 inn 6 runs 5 hits 4k Span 5-8 with triple and 2 rbi's

Twins 4 Tigers 3 Saturday WP: Guerrier LP: Lyon Save: Nathan (22)

Liriano 7 inn 3 runs 5 hits 2bb 8k Morneau 4-4 20th hr and 2 rbi's

Twins 6 Tigers 2 Sunday WP: Blackburn LP: Porcell0

Blackburn 9 inn 1 ER 7 hits 1bb 6k Morneau 2-4 21st hr and 2 rbi's



Rochester Wrap
Rochester 6 Buffalo 2 Friday WP: Manship LP: Perez Save: Delaney

Manship 7 inn 1 run 5 hits 4bb 2 k Huber 2-3 2 doubles 2rbi's and 2 walks

Buffalo 8 Rochester 3 Saturday WP: Figueroa LP: Mulvey

Mulvey 5.1 inn 6 runs 7 hits 5bb 4k Valencia 2-3 with a rbi

Rochester 9 Buffalo 5 Sunday WP: Humber LP: Stoner Save: Morillo

Humber 6 inn 5 runs 6 hits 1bb 5k Pridie 3-5 with double,triple homerun and 3 rbi's

Buffalo 5 Rochester 0 Sunday WP: Niese LP Jason Jones

Jones 7 inn 5 runs 9 hits 3k Christy 2-2 with a walk


New Britain Business
Portland 6 New Britain 4 Friday WP:Mills LP: Devries Save: Cox

Devries 4.1 6 runs 10 hits 1bb 5k era 3.13 Roberts 2-4 2 doubles and 3 rbi's

Portland 8 New Britain 5 Friday WP:Doubront LP: Fox Save: Large

Fox 3.2 inn 7 runs 6 hits 6bb 4k era 3.58 Gardenhire 3-4 with double and rbi

Trenton 7 New Britain 6 Saturday WP: Schmidt LP: Waldrop

Gutierrez 5 inn 1 run 1 hit 2bb 2k era 5.46 Lis 4-7 with a double

New Britain 5 Trenton 0 Sunday WP: Mullins LP: Bleich

Mullins 8 inn o runs 5 hits 8 strikeouts era 4.59 Portes 2-5 with double and 3 rbi's



Fort Myers Minutes

Fort Myers 2 Charlotte 1 Friday WP: Guerra LP: Downs Save: S. Arias

Guerra 7.1 inn 1 hit 1 run 1bb 6k Steve Singelton 2-4 with a double

Charlotte 9 Fort Myers 2 Saturday WP: Newmann LP: Hirschfeld Save: Mejias

Hirschfeld 3.1 inn 8runs 6 hits 2bb 2k era 2.86 Leveret 3-5 average .287

Fort Myers 8 Palm Beach 4 Sunday WP: Bromberg LP: Brown

Bromberg 5.2 inn 3earned runs 8 hits 2bb 4k Dolenc 2-3 with 2 rbi's



Beloit Beat
Cedar Rapids 5 Beloit 4 WP: Pugliesse LP: B. Martin Save: Taylor

Lanigan 5.2 inn 3 runs 6 hits 2 walks 5 strikeouts Hicks 2-4 double,triple,rbi,sb

Beloit 4 Peoria 1 WP: Tarsi LP: Shafer Save: M. Williams

Tarsi 7 inn 1 run 8 hits 3bb 3k Hicks 2-3 with 2 walks

Beloit 4 Peoria 2 WP: Tippett LP: Hatley Save: B. Martin

Tippett 7 inn 2 runs 6 hits 1 bb 5k Hicks 0-3 with a walk BA: ..233

E-town Entertainment

E-town 7 Greenville 5 Friday WP: Stuifbergen LP: Cruz Save: Bulluck

Stuifbergen 6 inn 4 runs 9 hits 1bb 6k Ladendorf 1-5 rbi ba:.429

E-town 13 Greenville 8 Saturday WP: Hendricks LP: Queved

Hendricks 5 inn 3 earned runs 8 hits 3k Ladendorf 1-4 hr,rbi and a walk

E-town 0 Princeton 0 Rained out Sunday

New Britain Rockcats: June Awards

Today I will be bringing you the Pitcher and Hitter of the month for the New Britain Rockcats for the month of June. The Rockcats had alot of changes in June as they lost Danny Valencia, Steve Tolleson, and Jeff Manship to promotion to Rochester and Catcher Wilson Ramos to injury so they had some difficulties, but also had a very good month with some good performances.

• Pitcher of the Month: Cole Devries- Cole Devries had a great month of June and really has been good all year long. In June Devries really stepped it up for the Rockcats. In 5 starts in June Devries went 2-2 with a 2.70 era. In 30 innings Cole only walked 7 batters while striking out 17. With the 30 innings in 5 starts that is 6 innings a start which is very good. He held opponents to a .281 batting average in the month of June. Cole Devries is a pitch to contact type of pitcher that gets by on guile and guts. He is a guy that I can't figure out how he gets by, but every season he makes his 30 starts and has an era in the 3's and gives his team a chance to win every time. On the year Cole is 5-7 with a very good 3.13 on the year in 15 starts Cole has worked 83.1 innings.
• Others Considered: Matt Fox, Anthony Slama, Yohan Pino

• Hitter of the Month: Rene Tosoni- Rene Tosoni really turned it on in the month after June after getting off to a slow start for the Rockcats. Tosoni hit only .180 with an ops of .622. In May he turned it up to hit .323 with an ops of 1.013. He kept it going in June by hitting .304 with 2 homeruns and 17 rbi's along with 7 doubles and a triple along with 15 walks. Tosoni also scored 15 runs in the month. In June he had a obp of .439 along with a slugging percentage of .494 for an ops of .932. His season numbers are all the more impressive as he is hitting .280 on the year with 10 homeruns and 47rbi's which are team highs in homeruns and rbi's for the Rockcats. Rene Tosoni has really established himself as a big time prospect for the Twins and people need to remember he just turned 23 on Thursday so he is very young for his level and I look for him to keep getting better as he develops his game.
• Others considered: Juan Portes, Erik Lis, Brandon Roberts

MInor League Stop

I think everyone knows that the Twins defeated the Royals 5-1 on Wednesday afternoon so I am not going to go over that game again. I am though going to get everyone up to date on the minor league games played on Wednesday and Thursday. In tommorrow's post I will have coverage on the Twins game against the Tigers so this is only a one day thing that I won't have Twins coverage.


Rochester Wrap
Rochester Day off Wednesday
Rochester 0 Buffalo 0 Thursay as it was rained out

• The Red Wings had their game rained out last night and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday. Tonight, the Red Wings begin their series with Buffalo as Jeff Manship gets the ball for Rochester.

New Britain Business

New Britain 3 Portland 1 Wednesday

New Britain 3 Portland 1 Wednesday

New Britain 0 Portland 0 Rained out Thursday

• The Rockcats completed a doubleheader sweep on Wednesday night with identical 3-1 victories over Portand. In game 1 Frank Mata got the spot start and was very effective. Mata went 3.2 innings and only gave up 1 run on 2 hits along with 2 strikeouts to lower his era to 4.64 on the year. Frank Mata made a nice spot start and if he can keep pitching like he did Wednesday night he will be a very effective reliever for the Rockcats. Jose Lugo then came on and pitched a very good 2.1 innings. Lugo went 2.1 innings and only gave up 1 walk along with 2 strikeouts to lower his era to 4.36 and improve his record on the year to 4-2. Anthony Slama came on in the 7th to pick up his 16th save of the year. Slama pitched 1 inning shutout inning along with 1 walk and 1 strikeout to lower his era to 2.47 on the year. In game 2 Yohan Pino got the start and was also very good. Pino went the first 4 innings and gave up 1 run on 5 hits along with a walk and 6 strikeouts to lower his era to 3.74 on the year. Pino has really been very effective as he got off to a slow start, but has turned it on and I would have no problem slotting Pino into the starting rotation after the Rockcats lost Jeff Manship to Rochester. Kyle Waldrop continued his dominance at AA by pitching 2.2 scoreless innings to pick up his 1st win with New Britain. Waldrop has worked 8 shutout innings since his callup to New Britain and after having arm problems last year seems like he is back at full strength and will be a good arm out of the bullpen for the Rockcats. Alex Burnett got the last out to pick up his 1st save at the AA level and lowered his era to a very good 2.29.

• The Rockcats did not really get the bats going in either game, but because of the really good pitching it ended up being enough to win both games. In game 1 the Rockcats got 3 runs on 6 hits. Toby Gardenhire led the offense going 2-3 to improve his average on the year to .252. Brian Dinkelman went 1-3 with his 19th double of the year to improve his average to .298. Brandon Roberts went 1-4 with his 10th double of the year and an rbi to bring his total up to 25. Erik Lis went 1-3 with his 12th double of the year to bring his average up to an even .300 on the year. Allan De San Miguel also contributed a hit in the Rockcats victory Wednesday night. In game 2 the Rockcats once again scored 3 runs on 6 hits to pick up the victory. Rene Tosoni was the hitting star in this one going 2-3 with his 16th double of the year and improved his average up to .280 on the year. After a slow start Tosoni has really picked it up to lead the team in homeruns, rbi's and brought his average to a very respectable .280 on the year. Yancarlos Ortiz went 1-3 with his 4th double of the year and drove in his 16th run of the year to improve his average to .221. Whit Robbins went 1-3 with 2 rbi's to bring his season total up to 35 and brought his average up to .304. Brian Dinkelman and Matt Moses also contributed hits in the Rockcats victory Wednesday night to complete the sweep.
• Tonight, the Rockcats will compete in another doubleheader with Portland to make up for the rainout on Thursday. Cole Devries will pitch for the Rockcats in game 1 while Matt Fox gets the ball in game 2.

Fort Myers Minutes

Fort Myers 0 Lakeland 0 Wednesday Rained Out

Fort Myers 0 Lakeland 0 Wednesday Rained Out

Fort Myers 3 Lakeland 1 Thursday

Fort Myers 4 Lakeland 1 Thursday

• The Miracle after having a couple days washed out because of rain swept a doubleheader last night from Lakeland as they won by the scores of 3-1 in the first game and 4-1 in the second. In game 1 Tyler Robertson got the ball, but because of a long rain delay in the 3rd inning was only able to go 2 innings. Coming back from an arm injury it is best to be careful with Robertson and not risk getting him hurt. Tyler was off to a good start in this one though as he went 2 good innings. Robertson went 2 innings and only gave up 2 hits along with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts to lower his era to 3.39 on the year. Joe Testa came in and pitched 2 shutout innings on 3 hits along with a walk and 5 strikeouts to improve his record on the year to 1-0. Loek Van Mil pitched 2 more shutout innings on 2 hits to lower his era on the year to 0.53. Van Mil has been the story of the second half after coming off the disabled list. In 17 innings Van Mil has only given up 1 run which is very impressive. Blair Erickson pitched the 7th to pick up his 9th save of the year and allowed an unearned run on 1 hit along with 2 strikeouts to lower his era to 2.36 on the year. In game 2 the Miracle sent out Mike Mccardell and he was fabulous. Mccardell went all 7 innings to pick up the win for the Miracle. Mccardell went 7 innings and gave up only 1 run on 7 hits along with 1 walk and an incredible 9 strikeouts. It had to be one of Mike Mccardell's best starts of the season and there have been many of them as he has had a great year after getting off to a slow start to become one of Fort Myers most reliable starters and someone who should be considered for a promotion if one is needed to AA.

• The Miracle did not score much in the doubleheader, but obviously they scored enough to get the job done since they won both games. In game 1 the Miracle were led by Steve Singelton who went 1-3 with his 5th homerun of the year and his 31st rbi of the year to bring his average up to .254. Deibinson Romero went 1-3 with his 16th double of the year to bring his average up to .245. Evan Bigley, Mark Dolenc, Jair Fernandez, and Chris Cates all contributed base hits in the Miracles victory. In game 2 the Miracle could only muster 4 runs on 9 hits, but that was enough to get the win. Steve Singelton continued his hot streak as he went 2-4 in the nightcap to bring his average up to .258. Mark Dolenc went 2-3 to bring his average on the year to .276. Chris Parmalee gave the Miracle all the runs they would need with a 2 run homerun. Parmalee went 1-3 with his 10th homerun and his 43rd and 44th rbi's of the year to bring his average up to .268. Nick Romero went 1-3 with his 3rd homerun of the year and his 13th rbi of the year to bring his average up to .276. Deibinson Romero went 1-3 with his 17th double of the year and his 39th rbi of the year to bring his average up to .247. Evan Bigley went 1-3 with his 7th double of the year and brought his average up to .262 on the year. Juan Richardson added a hit in the winning cause for the Miracle.
• Tonight, the Miracle begin a short 2 game series with Charlotte as Deolis Guerra is scheduled to pitch for Fort Myers.

Beloit Beat

Cedar Rapids 8 Beloit 2 Wednesday

Cedar Rapids 5 Beloit 1 Thursday

• The Snappers lost a couple games the last couple of days to Cedar Rapids by the scores of 8-2 on Wednesday and 5-1 last night. On Wednesday night Dan Berlind got the ball for the Snappers and was not very good. Berlind went 3.2 innings and gave up 4 runs on 5 hits along with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts to raise his era to 4.36 and lower his record to 2-9 on the year. Dan Berlind was good for a while, but it seems like the hitters in the Midwest League have caught up and he needs to make some adjustments. Blake Martin then came on and went 2.1 shutout innings along with 4 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 3.60. Thomas Wright then came on and gave up 2 runs on 2 hits along with 2 walks and 1 strikeout in 1 inning of work to raise his era to 9.00 on the year. Mike Allen then came on and went 1 shutout inning on a hit to lower his era on the year to 5.37. Bruce Pugh pitched the 9th and gave up 2 runs on 4 hits along with a strikeout to raise his era to 4.54. On Thursday night Dan Osterbrock got the start for the Snappers and was solid wiht his defense letting him down a little bit in the game. Osterbrock went 5 innings and gave up 3 runs on 10 hits along with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts to lower his era to 4.90 on the year and lower his record to 4-6. Osterbrock has really come on after a horrible April and May to be a decent pitching in June and the start of July. Curtis Leavitt then came on and gave up 1 run on 1 hit along with a walk and 3 strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 7.71 on the year. Matt Williams pitched the last 2 innings and gave up 1 unearned run on 2 hits to lower his era on the year to 2.32.

• The Snappers really could not get the bats going in the games as they only scored 3 runs in the 2 games combined. On Wednesday night the Snappers only got 2 runs on 6 hits. Jeff Lanning led the attack going 2-4 with his 4th double of the year to bring his average up to .254 on the year. Buddy Munroe went 2-4 to bring his average up to .375. Jon Waltenbury and Drew Thompson contributed hits in the losing cause for the Snappers. Aaron Hicks continued his slow start by going 0-3 even though he did pick up his 7th rbi of the year to drop his average down to .200 on the year. On Thursday night the Snapper offense really could not do anything as they only got 1 run on 2 hits and that is not going to ever get it done. James Beresford was really the only one to do anything at the plate going 1-4 with his 4th double of the year to bring his average up to .278. Nathan Hanson went 1-3 to bring his average up to .254. Aaron Hicks continued his struggles by going 0-3 with a walk to lower his average on the year to .188.
• Tonight, the Snappers finish off their series with Cedar Rapids as Bobby Lanigan gets the start for Beloit.

E-town Entertainment

E-town 8 Bristol 3 Wednesday

E-town 12 Greenville 4 Thursday

• The Twins won 2 games this week and continued their dominant start of the season by beating Bristol 8-3 on Wednesday and beating Greenville by a 12-4 score on Thursday. Michael Munoz got the start for the Twins on Wednesday agains Bristol and he was very good. Munoz went 5.2 innings and gave up 1 run on 5 hits along with 4 strikeouts to lower his era to 2.53 after 2 starts. Kyle Carr then came in and went 2.1 shutout innings on 1 hit along with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 1.08. Winston Marquez finished the game by going the last inning and gave up 2 runs on 2 hits along with a walk to bring his era up to 9.00 on the year. On Thursday night the Twins had Angelo Sanchez on the mound he also did very well. Sanchez went 6 innings and only gave up 2 runs on 6 hits along with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 4.09 and raise his record to 2-0 in 2 starts for the E-town Twins after last night. Ramon Acosta then came in and went 2 innings and gave up 2 unearned runs on 2 hits along with 1 walk and 1 strikeout to lower his era down to 1.80. Tony Davis pitched the 9th and gave up no runs on 1 hit along with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 6.23.

• The Twins bats continue to dominate the games as they scored 20 runs in the 2 games for E-town. On Wednesday night they had 8 runs on 11 hits to pick up the victory. Tyler Ladendorf led the offense by going 3-5 with his 3rd homerun of the year along with his 3rd double and drove in 4 runs to bring his season total up to 11 and brought his average up to .438. Derek Mccallum had a big game going 2-3 to bring his average on the year to .229. Danny Rohling went 1-3 with his first triple of the year and drove in 2 runs to bring his season total up to 3. Chris Hermann, Michael Gonzalez, Danny Rams, Paul Klingsberg, and Anderson Hidalgo added hits in the winning cause. On Thursday night the Twins offense went crazy for 12 runs on 14 hits in the winning cause because you arent going to lose very often when you score 12 runs. Danny Rams led the attack going 3-5 with his 5th homerun and drove in his 16th, 17th and 18th rbi's of the year and improved his average to .429 on the year. Tyler Ladendorf also went 3-5 with his 4th and 5th doubles of the year and drove in his 12th and 13th runs of the year to bring his average up to .459. Tobias Streich went 1-5 with his 2nd homerun of the year and drove in his 3rd, 4th, and 5th rbi's of the year. Jasmil Pinto went 1-5 with his 4th homerun of the year and drove in his 1oth run of the year. Chris Hermann went 1-4 with his 4th double of the year for the Twins. Anderson Hidalgo, Danny Rohlfing, Reggie Williams, and Jon Goncalves each contributed hits in the winning cause for the Twins.
• Tonight, the Twins continue their series with Greenville as Tom Stuifbergen gets the start for Elizabethton.

Rochester Red Wings: June Awards

Today I will look at the Rochester Red Wings and their June awards with the Pitcher of the month and the Hitter of the month. The Red Wings have continued to hang around in the playoff race because of those 2 guys among others. Hope you enjoy and will leave a comment in the comment box or send me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• Pitcher of the Month: Anthony Swarzak- The Red Wings did not have very good pitching in the month of June so I chose a guy who did not spend the entire month of June in Rochester. In the month of June Anthony Swarzak made 3 starts for the Red Wings and went 1-0 with a very good 2.53 era. Swarzak went 21.1 innings, which is overy 7 innings a start which shows how big of a horse he is. He allowed only 6 runs in 21.1 innings of work along with only 5 walks and 11 strikeouts. Swarzak held opponents to a .205 average in the month of June. Anthony Swarzak really has been good all year for the Red Wings and led to a couple weeks with the Twins. Swarzak has pretty much done everything he can do at AAA and I think it is time for him to join the Twins on a permanent basis. However, it should not take away from the month Anthony had in Rochester to earn pitcher of the month award.
• Others considered: Kevin Mulvey, Armando Gabino

• Hitter of the Month: Brock Peterson- Going into the month of June Brock Peterson was buried as far down on the bench than you can imagine. However, Brock started hitting early in the month and kept it going all through the month and saw his playing time spike in June and he didn't disappoint. In June Brock played in 22 games and hit .352 with 2 homeruns and 11 rbi's along with 3 doubles in 71 at bats. He had a .410 obp along with a .479 slugging percentage for an ops of .889. Brock Peterson really showed what he is made of in June and I look for his playing time to keep increasing and increasing as the season goes forward. I have to admit I did not see this coming out of Brock and am pleasantly surprised by what he did in June.
• Others Considered: Justin Huber, Steve Tolleson

Friday, July, 3rd

Just a heads up my postings this weekend are going to be a little sporatic because since it is the 4th this weekend I will be at the lake getting some sun hopefully. Don't worry when I get back I will update everyone on the Twins and their minor league teams. It just might not happen until Sunday night or Monday morning. Everyone enjoy a fun and safe holiday weekend.

Minnesota Twins June Awards

I will be doing my month awards once again as we move onto the month of June and see who exceeded expectations to grab the Pitcher and Hitter of the Month. I will be starting my tour of all the teams with the Twins and work my way down all the way to Beloit. I will not do Elizabethton or the GCL because they just started their seasons, but I will be adding them next month when i look back at July. I hope you all enjoy and if anybody has a disagreement with me you can either leave it in the comment box or email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• Pitcher of the Month: Joe Nathan- Joe Nathan stole the show in June for the Twins. Nick Blackburn would of been a very solid pick as he went 1-2 with a very good 2.37 era in 5 June starts. For him not to get it there had to of been a performance pretty outstanding. Joe Nathan put up one of the greatest months from a closer in Minnesota Twins history. Joe appeared in 12 games for the Twins and went 0-0 with a 0.00 era in June. He pitched 11.2 scoreless innings and picked up 11 saves in the month of June. In 11.2 innings Nathan only gave up 4 hits along with a very impression 1 walk and 18 strikeouts to pace the Twins. The most impressive stat of all though was opponents hit only .105 against him in June. Normally, I prefer giving this award to a starting pitcher, but Nathans stats were too good to pass up. Joe Nathan in my opinion is the best closer out there and I am so glad the Twins decided to show him the money because as bad as our bullpen has been this year can you imagine what it would of been like without the anchor at the end in Joe Nathan. On the year Nathan has a 1.45 era and 20 saves and appears on his way to another All-Star game for the Twins.
• Others Considered: Nick Blackburn, Scott Baker, Matt Guerrier

• Hitter of the Month: Jason Kubel- It is not very often that you hit .357 for the month and not win player of the month award. Jason Kubel beat out Joe Mauer even though Mauer hit .353 for the month of June. The reason I gave it to Kubel is because of production. In the month of June Jason Kubel hit .291 with an incredible 8 homeruns and 17 rbi's along with 5 doubles and 10 walks. Kubel had an obp of .371 with a slugging percentage of .628 for an ops of .999. Jason Kubel really struggles against left handed pitching as he is only a .185 hitter against lefty's. However, against right handers he is just killing the ball hitting .352 with 13 homeruns and 38 rbi's and an ops of 1.062. Jason Kubel has really come into his own in the DH spot and gives the Twins a third dangerous hitter from the left side to go with Mauer and Morneau. If need be he can play the occasional outfield and not hurt the team too bad, but his best position with his knees and defensively is DH. On the year Kubel is hitting .308 with 13 homeruns and 42 rbi's which would be up there for an All-Star selection, but with the game in the National League he won't make it. This was a tough decision between Kubel and Mauer in June so I am wondering if you all think I made the right decision.

Wednesday, July, 1st

Twins Talk
Twins 2 Royals 1

• The Twins were on the winning end of a tough hard fought 2-1 victory last night over the Royals. Scott Baker got the start for the Twins and I don't know how to describe his start. He was not bad, but he threw so many pitches that he was only able to complete 5 innings. Baker went 5 innings and gave up 1 run on 5 hits along with 2 walks and 1 strikeout to lower his era to 4.99 on the year and improve his record to 6-6. Baker did not have his good stuff on this night, but I was so impressed how he kept battling and battling out there. The Royals kept fouling pitch after pitch off. He had at bats with 7 pitches, 8 pitches , 9 pitches and 15 pitches, but Baker would not give in to the hitter and really showed his mental toughness. There are those out there that question his mental toughness because he doesn't show emotion on the mound, but Baker showed his toughness by battling the heck out of it last night to keep his team in the game even though he did not have great stuff. In the month of June Scott Baker really bounced back from a couple so so months and got back to being Scott Baker. In June Baker was 4-0 with a very Scott Baker like 3.20 era in 6 June starts. That is after he posted a 9.82 era in April and a 4.97 era in May. Baker was good, but the real story of the game was Bobby Keppel who pitched 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Is Bobby Keppel the answer out of the bullpen probably not, but he sure has pitched good in his 2 outings. Keppel went 2.1 innings and gave up no runs on 1 hit along with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Jose Mijares and Matt Guerrier each got an out to get out of the 8th with the lead still intact. Joe Nathan then came on in the ninth to shut the door for his 20th save of the year and lowered his era to an awesome 1.45. In the month of June Joe Nathan pitched 11.2 innings and June without giving up a run and only 4 hits and picked up 11 saves. All I can say about that is WOW! Joe Nathan is the best closer in the game for my money and he might be having his best season of his career.

• The Twins did not get much on the offensive side last night, but just enough to pull out the victory. Justin Morneau led the attack going 2-3 with his 19th homerun of the year and drove in his 64th run of the year to improve his average on the year to .313. Justin Morneau is quietly putting up MVP numbers again as he is 7th in average, 4th in homeruns, 2nd in rbi's, 4th in sluggin, and 4th in on base percentage. What I mean by quietly is all anyone talks about right now is can Joe Mauer hit .400 while Morneau continues to put up the big numbers and now has hit a homerun in 3 consecutive games and drove in 6 runs in those games. Brendan Harris went 1-4 with his 12th double of the year and brought his average down to .288. Michael Cuddyer went 1-3 with a sacrifice fly to drive in his 40th run of the year and brought his average up to .277. Joe Mauer went 1-4 at the plate and still saw his average drop to .383. When you have an average that high if you don't have 2 hits every game the average will go down. Denard Span, Joe Crede, and Carlos Gomez added hits in the winning cause for the Twins.
• Today, the Twins finish their series with the Royals and their roadtrip off as Glen Perkins gets the start for the Twins.

Rochester Wrap

• The Red Wings had their game with Scranton/WB rained out last night and will be made up later in the year. The Red Wings have today off before beginning a series with Buffalo tommorrow night.

New Britain Business

New Britain 9 Portland 5

• The Rockcats got back on the winning side of things after losing 2 straight to Connecticut with a big 9-5 victory over Portland last night. The Rockcats jumped all over Portland starter Kason Gabbard for 7 runs in the first inning and held on the rest of the way. Ryan Mullins got the start for the Rockcats and I felt did a pretty decent job. Basically, he is what he is and he will on most starts keep you in the game. Last night Mullins went 6 innings and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits along with 3 walks and an impressive 8 strikeouts to bring his era on the year down to 5.07 and improve his record to 5-8. I think Mullins era is inflated because when he gets hit he gets hit hard so there are some not so pretty lines in there so it takes forever to bring it down. Jay Rainville came in relief and really struggled giving up 2 runs on 2 hits in an inning of work along with a strikeout to raise his era to a not very good 5.64. Jay Rainville is a guy that I have been very dissapointed in as he has really struggled this year as he started out in the rotation and now is in the bullpen and the next step is probably being released. It is not all his fault though as injuries have robbed the former 1st round pick of his fastball as he struggles to get his fastball in the high 80's and in professional ball it is hard to get guys out when you don't have a good fastball. Alex Burnett then came in and pitched a good inning of relief on no hits along with a walk and 2 strikeouts to lower his era to 2.33. Anthony Slama worked a scoreless ninth on no hits along with a walk and 2 strikeouts to lower his era to 2.53.

• On a night the pitching was not real great the Rockcats hitters bailed out the pitching as they scored 9 runs on 11 hits. Rene Tosoni led the offense going 2-4 with his 10th homerun and drove in 2 runs to bring his season total up to 47 on the year to bring his average up to .279. Tosoni has really taken a step forward from a good prospect to one of the best hitting prospects in the organization. Toby Gardenhire got a start and made the most of it going 2-4 with his 4th double of the year to bring his average up to .240. Juan Portes went 2-4 to bring his average on the year to .311. Erik Lis went 1-5 and his 6th homerun, a 3 run shot in the first, along with 3 rbi's to bring his season total to 36. Danny Berg went 1-5 with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rbi's of the year. Danny Lehman went 1-4 with his 4th double of the year. Brian Dinkelman went 1-3 with his 18th double along with 2 walks to bring his average up to .298. Brandon Roberts also added a hit in the winning cause for the Rockcats.
• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their series with Portland as they will compete in a doubleheader with Cole Devries scheduled to start in one with Frank Mata scheduled to pitch the other.

Fort Myers Minutes

• The Miracle had their game with Lakeland rained out and will make it up with a doubleheader tonight. Mike Mccardell is scheduled to go in the first game and Tyler Robertson is scheduled to pitch in the second.

Beloit Beat

Cedar Rapids 4 Beloit 1

• The Snappers wasted an excellent start by Brad Tippett and had the relief pitching let them down in a tough to take 4-1 loss to Cedar Rapids last night to move their record to 2-3. Brad Tippett got the start for the Snappers and was outstanding. Tippett went 6 innings and only gave up 1 run although the run was unearned on 4 hits along with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts to lower his era to 2.89 on the year. Brad Tippett has been by far the most consistant starter for Beloit all year and consistantly gives good starts. I would like to see Tippett maybe get a chance with Fort Myers this summer. Either way he will be with Fort Myers at the start of next season so its not a big deal if he gets promoted this year or they wait until next year. Curtis Leavitt then came on and pitched 2 very solid innings of work without giving up a run to lower his era to 8.10 on the year. Steve Blevins then came in the 9th in a 1-1 tie and lets just say it did not go the best. In 1 inning of work Blevins gave up 3 runs on 2 hits along with a walk and a strikeout to raise his era to 4.46 and lower his record on the year to 2-4. I know it was a terrible outing by Blevins, but he has been so good this year that I have no doubt that he will bounce back next time to have a good outing. That is the key with any reliever and especially prospects. It is not about how you do when things are going good, but how you respond to a rough outing. I have no doubt Blevins will rebound in a big way.

• The Snappers offense did not help the pitching in this one at all as they could only muster 1 run on only 3 hits. Aaron Hicks led the offense by going 1-3 with his 6th rbi of the year and improved his average to .222 in only 27 at bats. I know he is off to a little bit of a slow start with the Snappers, but it won't be long until he takes off and hits like we all know he will. Drew Thompson went 1-2 with his 9th double of the year and improved his average on the year to .198. Ramon Santana added a base hit in the losing cause for the Snappers.
• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Cedar Rapids as Dan Berlind will get the start for Beloit.

E-town Entertainment

E-town 8 Bristol 7

• The E-town Twins had a hard back and forth game last night with Bristol and found a way to win it 8-7 with 2 unearned runs in the bottom of the 9th to improve their record to 7-1. Matire Garcia got the start for the Twins and was uncharacteristically wild. Garcia only lasted 2 innings and gave up 1 run on 1 hit along with an incredible 6 walks and 1 strikeout. There is nothing in Garcia's past that says that this is a problem so I have to believe this was a one time thing and Garcia will come back next time out with a much better outing. Brad Stillings then came on and went 3.2 innings and gave up 2 earned runs on 4 hits along with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts to bring his era down to 3.18. Edgar Ibarra then came on and pitched 1.2 scoreless innings on a hit along with 2 walks and a strikeout to bring his era down to 3.86. Kane Holbrooks then came in and pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up a run on no hits along with a strikeout to bring his era up to 2.70. Billy Bulluck then came on and really struggled in this game. Bulluck gave up 2 runs although only 1 of them was earned on 2 hits along with 2 strikeouts to get his first win of the year and increased his era to 2.25.

• The Twins offense really bailed out the pitching in this one as they put up 8 runs on 9 hits. Jasmil Pinto led the offense by going 3-4 with his 3rd homerun of the year along with a double and drove in his 8th and 9th rbi's of the year to bring hsi average up to .273. Derek Mccallum went 2-4 with his 1st professional homerun to bring his average up to .188. Danny Rams continued his recent string of power numbers as he went 1-3 with his 4th homerun of the year and drove in 2 runs to bring his season total up to 15. Reggie Williams went 1-4 with his first homerun of the year. Chris Hermann and Tobias Streich added a hit apiece in the E-town victory last night.
• Tonight, the Twins continue their series with Bristol as Michael Munoz gets the start for Elizabethton