It was grand but not good for Pawtucket and Chattanooga. Chih-Wei Hu and Stephen Gonsalves pitch brilliantly. Trey Vavra with a pinch-hit three-run homer. Twins affiliates split.
PAWTUCKET 6, ROCHESTER 4 IN PAWTUCKET
Batting stars: Eddie Rosario was 1-for-5 with a grand slam. Doug Bernier was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run. Argenis Diaz was 0-for-1 with three walks and a run.
Pitching star: Jason Wheeler pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Opposition stars: Bryce Brentz was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his third. Luke Montz was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring twice. Dalier Hinojosa struck out two in two shutout innings, allowing a hit and a walk.
The game: With one out in the fifth, three consecutive walks were followed by Rosario's grand slam to give the Red Wings a 4-2 lead. The PawSox cut it to 4-3 in the sixth and Brentz hit a two-run homer in the seventh to give them a 5-4 advantage. Sean Coyle homered for an insurance run in the eighth. The Red Wings got the tying run up to bat with none out in the ninth, but their final three batters struck out.
Of note: Aaron Hicks was 0-for-4 with a walk and a run. Josmil Pinto was 0-for-4 with a walk.
BIRMINGHAM 6, CHATTANOOGA 4 IN CHATTANOOGA
Batting stars: Miguel Sano was 1-for-4 with a grand slam, his second homer. Levi Michael was 1-for-2 with a walk and a run. Jorge Polanco was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run.
Pitching star: Nick Burdi struck out two in two innings, giving up an unearned run on a hit and a walk.
Opposition stars: Jason Coats was 4-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in one. Jacob May was 3-for-5 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in one. Miguel Chalas struck out two in two perfect innings.
The game: Sano hit a grand slam in the third to give the Lookouts a 4-2 lead. The Barons scored single runs in the fifth and sixth to tie it 4-4 and took the lead in the seventh on a walk and two errors. The Lookouts had two singles in the fourth but did not get another hit until the ninth.
Of note: Byron Buxton was 0-for-4. Dalton Hicks was 0-for-4. Adam Brett Walker II was 1-for-4. Starter Jose Berrios struck out nine in 4.2 innings, but gave up three runs on eight hits and three walks.
FORT MYERS 7, ST. LUCIE 0 IN FORT MYERS
Batting stars: Jason Kanzler was 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and a double, scoring twice. Marcus Knecht was 1-for-2 with two walks, scoring twice and driving in one. Max Kepler was 1-for-4 with a double and two runs.
Pitching stars: Chih-Wei Hu struck out ten in seven shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk. Tim Shibuya pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit with one strikeout. J. T. Chargois struck out one in a perfect inning.
Opposition star: Kyle Regnault struck out three in two shutout innings, allowing one hit.
The game: Kanzler opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the second. The Miracle then scored once in the fifth and three in the sixth to put the game out of reach. Chad Christensen singled in two in the sixth inning. St. Lucie's hits were all singles. They did not get a man past first base.
Of note: Niko Goodrum was 0-for-4. Mitch Garver was 1-for-4 with a run. Christensen was 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
CEDAR RAPIDS 5, PEORIA 1 IN CEDAR RAPIDS
Batting stars: Trey Vavra was 1-for-1 with a pinch-hit three-run homer. Max Murphy was 3-for-4 with two runs. Tyler Kuresa was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Pitching stars: Stephen Gonsalves struck out ten in seven innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk. Zach Tillery pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit with one strikeout.
Opposition stars: Nick Thompson was 2-for-4 with a double and a run. Daniel Poncedeleon pitched 6.1 innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk with one strikeout.
The game: Blake Drake doubled home a run in the top of the second and Kuresa tied it with an RBI single in the bottom of the second. It remained 1-1 until the eighth, when Zach Granite walked, stole second, took third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch. Vavra hit a three-run homer later in the inning to put the game out of reach.
Of note: Granite was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run. Nick Gordon was 0-for-4. Zack Larson was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run.
TODAY'S TILTS
12:05 Rochester (Mark Hamburger, 0-0, 7.71 at Pawtucket (Eduardo Rodriguez, 0-0, 1.59)
5:05 St. Lucie (TBA) at Ft. Myers (TBA)
5:15 Birmingham (Tyler Danish, 1-0, 1.80) at Chattanooga (Greg Peavey, 1-0, 2.84)
Game 2 Birmingham (Mike Recchia, 0-0, 6.30) at Chattanooga (TBA)
6:30 Cedar Rapids (Michael Cederoth, 0-0, 2.25) at Birmingham (Austin Robichaux, 0-1, 10.12)