Minnesota Twins Minor League Report Friday, June 17, 2016

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1 Minnesota Twins Minor League Report Friday, June 17, 2016 Team Level Record Rochester Red Wings Chattanooga Lookouts Fort Myers Miracle C. Rapids Kernels Elizabethton Twins GCL Twins DSL Twins Triple-A Double-A High-A Low-A Rookie Rookie DSL 40-27; 0.0 GB 1st in Int. League North 34-33; 8.5 GB 2nd in Southern League North 31-35; 4.5 GB 5th in Fla. State League South 35-31; 2.0 GB 3rd in MW League Western N/A N/A 6-5; 3.0 GB T-3rd in DS League South Yesterday s Scores W, 6-2 vs. Columbus W, 1-0 at Montgomery L, 6-2 at Bradenton W, 3-1 at Quad Cities No Game No Game W, 3-1 F/12 at DSL D-backs2 Streak/Last 10 W5, 8-2 W1, 7-3 L1, 4-6 W2, 4-6 N/A N/A W1, 5-5 Table of Contents Yesterday s Boxscores, Team Stats and Standings Pg. 2 Minor League Clips Pg. 18

2 Rochester Red Wings (40-27) 6, Columbus Clippers (35-32) 2 June 16, R H E Columbus Rochester x Columbus AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Gonzalez, E, 2B Rodriguez, Ro, RF Urshela, DH Aguilar, 1B Quiroz, C Diaz, Y, 3B Cowgill, CF Myles, LF Medina, Y, SS Merritt, P Armstrong, P House, P Johnson, J, P Totals Rochester AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Santana, Da, RF-SS Schafer, L, RF Tovar, SS-2B-SS Polanco, J, DH Vargas, K, 1B Rosario, E, CF Field, 2B-RF-2B Walker, LF Paulino, C, C Wickens, 3B Wheeler, J, P Chargois, P Totals HR: Quiroz (7, 8th inning off Wheeler, J, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Quiroz 4; Medina, Y; Rodriguez, Ro; Gonzalez, E; Diaz, Y. RBI: Quiroz (16); Gonzalez, E (31). 2-out RBI: Gonzalez, E. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Rodriguez, Ro. GIDP: Gonzalez, E. Team RISP: 1-for-2. Team LOB: 3. BASERUNNING CS: Rodriguez, Ro (2, 3rd base by Wheeler, J/Paulino, C). FIELDING Pickoffs: Merritt (Tovar at 1st base). HR: Polanco, J (3, 5th inning off Merritt, 2 on, 1 out); Field (4, 8th inning off Johnson, J, 1 on, 1 out). TB: Santana, Da 2; Polanco, J 4; Paulino, C; Field 4; Tovar 2; Walker; Rosario, E. RBI: Polanco, J 4 (13); Field 2 (20). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Field; Tovar; Polanco, J. Team RISP: 2-for-9. Team LOB: 5. BASERUNNING SB: Santana, Da (1, 2nd base off Merritt/Quiroz); Tovar (19, 2nd base off Armstrong/Quiroz). PO: Tovar (1st base by Merritt). FIELDING E: Wickens (5, throw). DP: (Wickens-Tovar-Vargas, K). Columbus IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Merritt (L, 4-5) Armstrong House Johnson, J Totals Rochester IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Wheeler, J (W, 5-1) Chargois (S, 5) Totals Game Scores: Merritt 44; Wheeler, J 68. Pitches-strikes: Merritt ; Armstrong 20-10; House 8-5; Johnson, J 8-6; Wheeler, J ; Chargois Groundouts-flyouts: Merritt 9-4; Armstrong 0-1; House 1-0; Johnson, J 0-0; Wheeler, J 5-5; Chargois 1-0. Batters faced: Merritt 26; Armstrong 4; House 2; Johnson, J 3; Wheeler, J 27; Chargois 5. Inherited runners-scored: Johnson, J 1-1; Chargois 2-1. Umpires: HP: Roberto Ortiz. 1B: Joe Born. 3B: Ryan Clark. Weather: 73 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 12 mph, In from RF. First pitch: 1:35 PM. T: 2:30. Att: 4,814. Venue: Frontier Field. June 16,

3 June 16, 2016 Rochester Red Wings Batting AVG G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR BI SH SF HP BB IBB SO SB CS GIDP SLG OBP Beresford, James Britton, Buck Field, Tommy Meneses, Heiker Murphy, John Ryan Paulino, Carlos Polanco, Jorge Rosario, Eddie Santana, Danny Schafer, Logan Tovar, Wilfredo Vargas, Kennys Walker, Adam Wickens, Stephen Totals Rochester Red Wings Pitching W L ERA G GS CG GF SHO SV IP H R ER HR HB BB IBB SO WP Albers, Andrew Berrios, Jose Burnett, Sean Chargois, J.T Darnell, Logan Greenwood, Nick Martinez, David Meyer, Alex Milone, Tommy O'Rourke, Ryan Runzler, Dan Walden, Marcus Wheeler, Jason Wimmers, Alex Totals

4 WILD CARD STANDINGS International League North Rochester Red Wings Scranton/Wilkes- Barre RailRiders Lehigh Valley IronPigs Buffalo Bisons Pawtucket Red Sox Syracuse Chiefs International League South W5 8-2 L1 8-2 W3 7-3 W2 4-6 L3 5-5 L5 3-7 Charlotte Knights Gwinnett Braves Durham Bulls Norfolk Tides W1 5-5 L3 5-5 L2 4-6 L1 4-6 Scranton/Wilkes- Barre RailRiders Lehigh Valley IronPigs W L PCT GB Streak Last L W3 7-3 Buffalo Bisons W2 4-6 Louisville Bats W3 6-4 Columbus Clippers L7 3-7 Pawtucket Red Sox L3 5-5 Syracuse Chiefs L5 3-7 Gwinnett Braves L3 5-5 Durham Bulls L2 4-6 Toledo Mud Hens W1 3-7 Norfolk Tides L1 4-6 International League West Indianapolis Indians W5 6-4 Louisville Bats W3 6-4 Columbus Clippers L7 3-7 Toledo Mud Hens W

5 Chattanooga Lookouts (34-33) 1, Montgomery Biscuits (33-34) 0 June 16, R H E Chattanooga Montgomery Chattanooga AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Granite, CF Vielma, 3B Palka, RF Harrison, LF Garver, C Hicks, 1B Reginatto, SS Turner, DH Walker, 2B Eades, P Reed, P Hildenberger, P Totals Montgomery AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Querecuto, 2B Gillaspie, 1B Adames, SS Bauers, RF Leonard, DH Wong, 3B Gotta, LF DePew, C Lee, CF Hu, P Stanek, P Winkler, K, P Totals TB: Hicks; Reginatto; Palka; Granite. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Turner; Palka; Hicks. GIDP: Reginatto; Harrison. Team RISP: 0-for-5. Team LOB: 5. FIELDING DP: (Garver-Hicks). Pickoffs: Garver (Querecuto at 1st base); Reed (Lee at 1st base). TB: Querecuto; Wong; Gillaspie. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Gotta; Wong. Team RISP: 0-for-3. Team LOB: 3. BASERUNNING SB: Wong (9, 2nd base off Eades/Garver). PO: Querecuto (1st base by Garver); Lee (1st base by Reed). FIELDING E: Lee (3, throw); DePew (4, throw); Wong (9, fielding). DP: 2 (Adames-Querecuto-Gillaspie; Wong-Querecuto- Gillaspie). Chattanooga IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Eades (W, 4-2) Reed (H, 8) Hildenberger (S, 10) Totals Montgomery IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Hu (L, 2-4) Stanek Winkler, K Totals Game Scores: Eades 73; Hu 65. Pitches-strikes: Eades 86-53; Reed 18-10; Hildenberger 13-9; Hu 86-58; Stanek 23-16; Winkler, K Groundouts-flyouts: Eades 10-2; Reed 0-0; Hildenberger 0-0; Hu 7-4; Stanek 3-2; Winkler, K 1-1. Batters faced: Eades 24; Reed 3; Hildenberger 3; Hu 22; Stanek 6; Winkler, K 5. Umpires: HP: Skyler Shown. 1B: Ryan Doherty. 3B: Adam Beck. Weather: 90 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 10 mph, L to R. First pitch: 7:09 PM. T: 2:23. Att: 3,004. Venue: Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium. June 16,

6 June 16, 2016 Chattanooga Lookouts Batting AVG G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR BI SH SF HP BB IBB SO SB CS GIDP SLG OBP Garver, Mitch Granite, Zach Harrison, Travis Hicks, D.J Michael, Levi Palka, Daniel Reginatto, Leonardo Rodriguez, Jairo Turner, Stuart Vielma, Engelb Walker, Ryan Wilkerson, Shannon Totals Chattanooga Lookouts Pitching W L ERA G GS CG GF SHO SV IP H R ER HR HB BB IBB SO WP Baxendale, D.J Bencomo, Omar Eades, Ryan Fernandez, Raul Hildenberger, Trevor Hurlbut, David Melotakis, Mason Reed, Jake Slegers, Aaron Stewart, Kohl Strong, Mike Westphal, Luke Williams, Corey Totals

7 FIRST HALF STANDINGS Southern League North * Jackson Generals W1 5-5 Chattanooga Lookouts W1 7-3 Montgomery Biscuits L1 5-5 Tennessee Smokies L1 3-7 Birmingham Barons W1 4-6 Southern League South Pensacola Blue Wahoos L1 5-5 Biloxi Shuckers L2 5-5 Mississippi Braves L1 6-4 Mobile BayBears W1 7-3 Jacksonville Suns W

8 Bradenton Marauders (36-29) 6, Fort Myers Miracle (31-35) 2 June 16, R H E Fort Myers Bradenton x Fort Myers AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG White, 3B Corcino, CF Gordon, DH a-olson, PH-DH Maloney, RF Vavra, Tr, 1B Wade, SS Witt, LF Perez, 2B Navarreto, C Steele, P Curtiss, P Landa, P Totals a-walked for Gordon in the 8th. Bradenton AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Tucker, DH Newman, SS Kramer, 2B Suiter, 1B Gushue, C Joe, 3B Escobar, El, CF Suchy, RF Roy, LF Garcia, Y, P Scioneaux, P Hirsch, P Neumann, P Totals B: Gordon (12, Garcia, Y); Corcino (8, Garcia, Y); White (2, Neumann). TB: Wade; Vavra, Tr; Gordon 2; Navarreto; White 3; Corcino 2. RBI: Vavra, Tr (20); White (4). 2-out RBI: White. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Maloney; Navarreto; Corcino 2; Witt; Wade. Team RISP: 0-for-11. Team LOB: 9. BASERUNNING SB: White (2, 2nd base off Garcia, Y/Gushue). 2B: Gushue (10, Steele); Newman (10, Curtiss). 3B: Tucker (1, Steele); Newman (1, Steele). HR: Gushue (6, 5th inning off Steele, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Tucker 4; Roy; Newman 5; Suchy; Gushue 6. RBI: Newman 5 (24); Gushue (24). 2-out RBI: Newman 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Kramer; Escobar, El; Suiter 2; Roy 2. SF: Newman. Team RISP: 2-for-10. Team LOB: 6. FIELDING E: Wade (7, fielding). Fort Myers IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Steele (L, 2-6) Curtiss Landa Totals Bradenton IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Garcia, Y (W, 2-4) Scioneaux Hirsch Neumann Totals Game Scores: Steele 52; Garcia, Y 63. WP: Landa. Pitches-strikes: Steele 80-57; Curtiss 25-16; Landa 22-11; Garcia, Y 93-53; Scioneaux 25-19; Hirsch 23-15; Neumann Groundouts-flyouts: Steele 7-4; Curtiss 0-0; Landa 1-0; Garcia, Y 4-2; Scioneaux 2-2; Hirsch 2-0; Neumann 1-0. Batters faced: Steele 25; Curtiss 6; Landa 5; Garcia, Y 22; Scioneaux 6; Hirsch 5; Neumann 5. Inherited runners-scored: Scioneaux 1-0. Umpires: HP: Grant Conrad. 1B: Justin Robinson. Weather: 88 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 13 mph, L to R. First pitch: 6:31 PM. T: 2:30. Att: 1,041. Venue: McKechnie Field. June 16,

9 June 16, 2016 Fort Myers Miracle Batting AVG G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR BI SH SF HP BB IBB SO SB CS GIDP SLG OBP Corcino, Edgar Gordon, Nick Maloney, Joe Navarreto, Brian Olson, Brian Paul, Chris Perez, Alex Real, Alex Vavra, Trey Wade, Logan White, T.J Witt, Tanner Totals Fort Myers Miracle Pitching W L ERA G GS CG GF SHO SV IP H R ER HR HB BB IBB SO WP Anderson, Nick Bard, Luke Curtiss, John Gilbert, Brian Gonsalves, Stephen Jay, Tyler Jorge, Felix Landa, Yorman LeBlanc, Randy Peterson, Brandon Rosario, Randy Steele, Keaton Van Steensel, Todd Totals

10 FIRST HALF STANDINGS Florida State League North * Tampa Yankees W1 5-5 Clearwater Threshers L2 5-5 Daytona Tortugas W5 8-2 Lakeland Flying Tigers L2 5-5 Dunedin Blue Jays W1 5-5 Brevard County Manatees L2 3-7 Florida State League South Bradenton Marauders W2 5-5 St. Lucie Mets W3 7-3 Charlotte Stone Crabs W1 5-5 Palm Beach Cardinals W1 5-5 Fort Myers Miracle L1 4-6 Jupiter Hammerheads L

11 Cedar Rapids Kernels (35-31) 6, Quad Cities River Bandits (29-37) 1 June 16, R H E Cedar Rapids Quad Cities Cedar Rapids AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Arraez, 2B Miller, SS Wade, DH Murray, C Wiel, 1B Molina, 3B Kihle, LF Fernandez, J, RF Hartong, CF Stashak, P Lo, P Totals Quad Cities AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Duarte, CF Ballard, 2B Trompiz, SS McCall, DH Porter, LF Roa, RF Goedert, 1B Correa, C Michelena, 3B Quiala, P Nelson, P Murphy, P Totals HR: Fernandez, J (4, 9th inning off Murphy, 2 on, 2 out). TB: Kihle; Miller; Arraez; Molina; Fernandez, J 4. RBI: Fernandez, J 4 (25); Arraez 2 (19). 2-out RBI: Arraez 2; Fernandez, J 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Miller 2. Team RISP: 2-for-4. Team LOB: 3. FIELDING E: Molina (2, fielding). PB: Murray 2 (4). DP: (Miller-Arraez-Wiel). HR: McCall (4, 9th inning off Lo, 0 on, 1 out). TB: McCall 5; Michelena; Ballard. RBI: McCall (17). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Porter; Trompiz; Correa; Goedert. GIDP: Duarte. Team RISP: 0-for-7. Team LOB: 6. FIELDING E: Goedert (2, fielding). Cedar Rapids IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Stashak (W, 4-4) Lo (S, 1) Totals Quad Cities IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Quiala (L, 0-5) Nelson Murphy Totals Game Scores: Stashak 76; Quiala 37. WP: Lo. HBP: Michelena (by Stashak). Pitches-strikes: Stashak ; Lo 38-21; Quiala 45-25; Nelson 41-27; Murphy Groundouts-flyouts: Stashak 5-5; Lo 4-0; Quiala 2-3; Nelson 5-1; Murphy 3-5. Batters faced: Stashak 25; Lo 9; Quiala 10; Nelson 11; Murphy 15. Inherited runners-scored: Lo 2-0; Nelson 2-0. Umpires: HP: Isaias Barba. 1B: Tom Hanahan. Weather: 81 degrees, clear. Wind: 13 mph, L to R. First pitch: 7:01 PM. T: 2:33. Att: 3,655. Venue: Modern Woodmen Park. June 16,

12 June 16, 2016 Cedar Rapids Kernels Batting AVG G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR BI SH SF HP BB IBB SO SB CS GIDP SLG OBP Arraez, Luis Fernandez, J.J Garcia, Kevin Hartong, Brad Ibarra, Chris Kihle, Daniel Miller, Sean Molina, Nelson Murray, A.J Palacios, Jermaine Wade, LaMonte Wiel, Zander Totals Cedar Rapids Kernels Pitching W L ERA G GS CG GF SHO SV IP H R ER HR HB BB IBB SO WP Booser, Cam Cederoth, Michael Clay, Sam Del Rosario, Eduardo Gibbons, Sam Lo, Kuo Hua McIver, Anthony Nordgren, Miles Ramirez, Williams Rodriguez, Dereck Romero, Fernando Stashak, Cody Theofanopoulos, Michael Totals

13 FIRST HALF STANDINGS Midwest League Eastern South Bend Cubs W1 6-4 West Michigan Whitecaps W1 6-4 Lake County Captains L3 5-5 Fort Wayne TinCaps L1 5-5 Bowling Green Hot Rods W3 5-5 Lansing Lugnuts L2 5-5 Great Lakes Loons L1 4-6 Dayton Dragons W2 5-5 Midwest League Western Clinton LumberKings L1 7-3 Peoria Chiefs W1 6-4 Cedar Rapids Kernels W2 4-6 Burlington Bees L2 4-6 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers W1 5-5 Beloit Snappers L1 4-6 Kane County Cougars W1 4-6 Quad Cities River Bandits L

14 DSL Twins (6-5) 3, DSL D-backs2 (3-8) 1 June 16, R H E DSL Twins DSL D-backs DSL Twins AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Santana, 3B Encarnacion, SS Tovar, A, CF-RF Cuesto, C Herrera, E, RF-1B Martinez, LF Tejada, O, DH Marte, Ag, PR-DH Calcano, 1B Vasquez, CF Henriquez, Z, 2B Garcia, P Soto, P Marin, An, P Suniaga, P Totals DSL D-backs2 AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Perez, J, DH Leyton, SS Marriaga, RF Federico, 1B-3B a-gonzalez, E, PH-2B Hernandez, E, 3B-2B-3B Santilien, LF Rodriguez, V, CF Garcia, A, C Machado, 2B Garcia, J, 2B-1B Hernandez, J, P Abreu, O, P Defrank, P Contreras, P Totals Ran for Tejada, O in the 9th. a-struck out for Federico in the 10th. TB: Henriquez, Z; Tovar, A; Tejada, O 2; Santana; Cuesto. RBI: Calcano (4); Tovar, A (8); Cuesto (1). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Herrera, E 3; Cuesto 2; Vasquez; Marte, Ag 2. SAC: Marte, Ag; Santana. SF: Calcano. GIDP: Vasquez. Team RISP: 3-for-16. Team LOB: 13. BASERUNNING SB: Santana (1, 3rd base off Defrank/Garcia, A); Encarnacion (1, 2nd base off Defrank/Garcia, A). PO: Henriquez, Z (2nd base by Garcia, J). FIELDING E: Encarnacion (1, fielding); Soto (1, throw); Santana (2, throw). DP: (Santana-Henriquez, Z-Calcano). TB: Santilien; Rodriguez, V; Marriaga; Garcia, J; Hernandez, E. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Garcia, A 2; Federico; Hernandez, E 2; Marriaga. SAC: Perez, J. GIDP: Federico. Team RISP: 0-for-11. Team LOB: 11. BASERUNNING SB: Marriaga 2 (5, 2nd base off Soto/Cuesto, 3rd base off Soto/Cuesto); Perez, J 2 (4, 2nd base off Suniaga/Cuesto, 2nd base off Suniaga/Cuesto). CS: Hernandez, E (1, 2nd base by Garcia/Cuesto). FIELDING E: Leyton (5, fielding); Contreras (1, fielding). DP: 2 (Machado-Federico; Leyton-Garcia, J). DSL Twins IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Garcia Soto (BS, 1) Marin, An Suniaga (W, 3-1) Totals DSL D-backs2 IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Hernandez, J Abreu, O Defrank Contreras (L, 0-1) Totals Abreu, O pitched to 2 batters in the 8th. Game Scores: Garcia 72; Hernandez, J 72. WP: Defrank. IBB: Encarnacion (by Defrank). HBP: Encarnacion (by Contreras); Marriaga (by Soto); Machado (by Marin, An). Groundouts-flyouts: Garcia 11-1; Soto 1-2; Marin, An 3-1; Suniaga 4-3; Hernandez, J 10-4; Abreu, O 0-1; Defrank 4-0; Contreras 4-0. Batters faced: Garcia 20; Soto 6; Marin, An 9; Suniaga 13; Hernandez, J 22; Abreu, O 7; Defrank 11; Contreras 12. Inherited runners-scored: Defrank 2-0. Umpires: HP: Santiago McDonald. 1B: Engel Perez. Weather: 75 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 10 mph, In from LF. First pitch: 5:45 PM. T: 3:29. Venue: TBD. June 16,

15 June 16, 2016 DSL Twins Batting AVG G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR BI SH SF HP BB IBB SO SB CS GIDP SLG OBP Calcano, Mariano Cuesto, Darling De La Cruz, Yeremi Duran, Moris Encarnacion, Yeltsin Henriquez, Zaino Hernandez, Francisco Herrera, Edgar Javier, Wander Maldonado, Humberto Marte, Agustin Martinez, Juan Parra, Jorge Perez, Yeison Santana, Ruben Tademo, Victor Tejada, Oliver Tovar, Antonio Vasquez, Samuel Totals DSL Twins Pitching W L ERA G GS CG GF SHO SV IP H R ER HR HB BB IBB SO WP Acosta, Melvi Balbuena, Erick Bellorin, Luis Bermudez, Jose Castro, Cristian Colina, Edwar Cruz, Amilcar Feliz, Danny Garcia, Pedro Marin, Andriu Mojica, Juan Pena, Juan Rivas, Elvis Soto, Fredderi Suniaga, Carlos Torres, Frandy Totals

16 Dominican Summer League North DSL Rangers W3 8-2 DSL Yankees L1 6-4 DSL Cubs W1 5-5 DSL Mets L3 4-6 DSL Indians W2 4-6 DSL Pirates L2 3-7 Dominican Summer League South DSL Mariners W5 9-1 DSL Dodgers W1 6-4 DSL Cubs L1 5-5 DSL Giants W3 5-5 DSL Twins W1 5-5 DSL Rojos L1 4-6 DSL D-backs L5 3-7 DSL Orioles L3 3-7 Dominican Summer League Northwest DSL Astros Blue W6 9-1 DSL Dodgers W6 7-3 DSL Red Sox W4 7-3 DSL Athletics L1 5-5 DSL Royals L2 4-5 DSL Rays W1 3-6 DSL Marlins L8 2-8 DSL Phillies L4 2-8 Dominican Summer League Baseball City DSL Blue Jays W2 6-4 DSL D-backs L2 6-4 DSL Reds W2 5-5 DSL Padres W2 4-6 DSL White Sox L2 5-5 DSL Orioles L2 4-6 Dominican Summer League Northeast DSL Astros Orange W1 8-2 DSL Red Sox W

17 DSL Rangers L1 6-4 DSL Mets L5 3-7 DSL Phillies L1 4-6 DSL Rays W1 1-9 Dominican Summer League San Pedro DSL Cardinals W4 8-2 DSL Braves W1 6-4 DSL Rockies W1 6-4 DSL Angels W2 5-4 DSL Brewers L1 4-6 DSL Nationals L2 4-6 DSL Yankees L3 3-6 DSL Tigers L

18 Minor League Clips Revitalized Wheeler keeps mowing down hitters for Wings Kevin Oklobzija Democrat & Chronicle - 6/16/16 A not-so-memorable one-year anniversary is fast approaching for Jason Wheeler. It was on June 21, 2015, that the Rochester Red Wings demoted Wheeler, taking him out of their starting rotation and sending him to Double-A Chattanooga. His fairly rapid four-year climb up the Minnesota Twins' minor-league food chain had encountered a serious detour. Road closed. Go back. He went from a hard-throwing left-hander with solid promise to a devalued prospect with an in-limbo future. In 13 starts for the Red Wings in the first three months of 2015, he had a 1-6 record, 5.90 earned-run average and opposing batter's were hitting.310 against him. Which, based on his performance this season with the Red Wings, is nearly impossible to believe. Wheeler has been one of the Wings' most dynamic starters since his April 27 promotion from Chattanooga, and he was mowing down hitters again on Thursday afternoon in a 6-2 victory over the Columbus Clippers. The 25-year-old Wheeler pitched 7⅔ innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out seven. He has been pitching so well that, in allowing just two runs, his earned-run average actually went up, albeit minutely, from 2.15 to In 10 starts, the Torrance, California, native has a 5-1 record and the fifth-best ERA in the International League. "Obviously I had something to prove to myself," Wheeler said after Thursday's matinee at Frontier Field. "We all know how it went last year so I was taking it personal. I wanted to show people I belong." He finished 2015 strong for Chattanooga, earning MVP honors in the Southern League championship series after winning one game and posting a four-inning save in another. He allowed just two earned runs in 17 postseason innings (1.06 ERA). "I was just trying to get outs, it didn't matter where they were," he said. The major refurbishing began in the off-season. He needed to re-create his slider and gain more confidence with his fastball and change. He said he spent an extra 10 to 15 minutes after formal workouts each day in spring training working with Chattanooga pitching coach Ivan Arteaga and rookie-ball pitching coach Luis Ramirez. With his slider, he's using a different grip, different hand placement and a different hand angle to create a whole new movement and consistency. "He's pitching inside better than I think he did last year," Wings manager Mike Quade said. "Working the inside part of the plate, and keeping hitters off the plate, then creates the opportunity to get strikes on the outer half," Quade said. And yes, for Wheeler, it's nice to be back in Triple-A. but there's so much more to achieve. "You don't want to be the best Triple-A pitcher; that's almost a backhanded compliment," Wheeler said. "You're working on things to get bigleague hitters out." While he was retiring 15 of the first 17 batters he faced, his teammates were providing him with a 4-0 lead. Singles by Danny Santana and Wilfredo Tovar and a ground ball by Jorge Polanco produced a run in the first inning, then Polanco belted a three-run homer in the fifth. 18

19 The Clippers scored twice off Wheeler in the eighth but Tommy Field retaliated for Rochester with a two-run homer in the bottom half as the Wings ran their winning streak to five. They are an IL-best The Wings haven't been atop the entire league this late in a season since September of 1997, when they won the regular-season pennant and their last Governors' Cup. "Winning is fun, winning is really fun," Wheeler said. "Everyone says the minor leagues are about developing. Well, we want to develop winners. If you can't win here, what makes you think you can win in the big leagues." Miracle end long road trip with 6-2 loss The News-Press - 6/16/16 BRADENTON The Fort Myers Miracle saw their nine-game road trip come to an end with a 6-2 loss to the Bradenton Marauders at McKechnie Field on Thursday night. The Miracle finished the long trip with a 4-5 record. The Marauders broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning as Cole Tucker led off with a triple and scored on Kevin Newman s sacrifice fly. Bradenton took control one inning later by scoring four times, thanks to a lead-off home run by Taylor Gushue and a bases-loaded triple off the bat of Newman, to take a 5-0 lead after five. The Marauders added some insurance in the seventh as Newman delivered again, this time on a one-out RBI double. Newman finished the game with two hits, both for extra-bases, in three at bats with five runs batted in. The Miracle broke the shutout in the eighth inning on an RBI ground out by Trey Vavra, scoring Edgar Corcino, who led off the frame with a walk. Fort Myers tallied again in the ninth on T.J. White s two-out double that scored Brian Naverreto to close out the scoring. Cedar Rapids Kernels beat Quad Cities, gain a tiny bit of ground in MWL standings The Gazette - 6/16/16 DAVENPORT Starting pitcher Cody Stashak threw 6 2/3 shutout innings to help the Cedar Rapids Kernels past the Quad Cities River Bandits, 7-1, Thursday night in Midwest League baseball at Modern Woodmen Park. It was a career-long outing for Stashak (4-4), who allowed just two hits and two walks, striking out eight. Kuo Hua Lo went the final 2 1/3 innings for his first save of the season, allowing only Dexture McCall s ninth-inning solo home run. The Kernels (35-31) scored three times in the second inning for the only runs they d need, taking advantage of Yoanis Quiala s wildness. Quiala (0-5) walked four batters in a row, forcing in a run, then Luis Arraez hit a two-run single through a gap created by a Quad Cities defensive shift. J.J. Fernandez hit a three-run home run in a four-run ninth to create separation. Cedar Rapids remained 1 1/2 games behind second-place Peoria for the final Western Division playoff spot in the first half. Clinton leads the division, two games ahead of the Kernels. Cedar Rapids plays again Friday night at Modern Woodmen Park and has other games scheduled their to end the first half. 19