Matt Braun

Brief Overview Out of the triforce of tanking AL Central teams, the White Sox have pulled ahead of the dreadful Royals and the atrocious Tigers as a solidly below-average team, somehow a step up over the aforementioned squads. Despite ultimately coming up short in the Machado sweepstakes and being relatively quiet over the offseason except for signing Kelvin Herrera, the White Sox have taken a small step forward thanks to a few internal players realizing their potential along with the help of a breakout from a familiar but unlikely catcher. With a record of 37-41 and a pythag W/L of 33-45, the White Sox will look to be an annoyance to a Twins franchise that is all too familiar with scrappiness. What They Do Well In digging through their team numbers, it became obvious that there really is not one thing that this team excels at but there are not many things that they do horribly, just a constant below-average squad by most major metrics that I could find. They are very good at running the bases as Fangraphs has their team baserunning as the sixth best in all of baseball, somehow above the pesky Royals that just gave the Twins some fits not too long ago. They have the 11th-most steals in baseball which isn’t ridiculously high, so most of their quality baserunning can probably be attributed to them taking extra bases on balls in play while not running themselves into outs. That’s it, honestly. I could not actually find much that was notable as far as what this team does notably well. They have the second highest offensive batting average on balls in play (BABIP) in baseball at a .320 mark (Denard Span’s Twins BABIP was .320) which is certainly interesting but I don’t know how much of a skill that is. I guess just keep in mind that they might have some better “luck” on balls being put into play than the Twins. What They Do Not Do Well Everything? Again, they aren’t truly horrendous in a lot of categories, but often they fall in the 20th-25th range when being compared to the rest of baseball. Their team wRC+ of 92 is 20th in all of baseball and just 2 points lower than Luis Castillo’s Twins wRC+. Their team FIP is 25th in baseball at 4.91 which is slightly worse than Tommy Milone’s Twins FIP of 4.85. Their pitching staff as a whole hold the second worst BB/9 in baseball at 3.85 which is just a hair better than what Kohl Stewart has done in his Twins career so far (3.93 BB/9 for Stewart). Their defense ranks as the eighth worst in baseball which when combined with their pitching staff’s walk rate could mean that the White Sox might beat themselves more often than the Twins beat them as they will most likely shoot themselves in the foot quite a few times. Individuals Of Note I mentioned before that the White Sox have had a few players from the inside who have broken out this year and that remains true even after about a page and a half of typing. Yoan Moncada has hit to the tune of a 130 wRC+ and has already put up a career high 2.5 fWAR (this does come with a sky high .387 BABIP). Tim Anderson has a career high 120 wRC+ and is knocking on the door of a new career-high in fWAR (1.8 now, 2.1 in his rookie year) but this also comes with a high BABIP of .373. Longtime Tigers catcher and All-Star starter voting finalist James McCann has almost doubled his career wRC+ as he currently sits at a 143 mark thanks to a few mechanical changes in his swing. But, and stop me if you have heard this, this comes with a frankly insane .413 BABIP (gee, I wonder why their team BABIP is so high…). Unfortunately for the White Sox, both Anderson and Moncada suffered injuries recently and their status for the series is up in the air. On the pitching side, the big story has been the breakout of Lucas Giolito who has put aside a terrible 2018 season and has dropped his ERA by over half (6.13 in 2018, 2.87 in 2019) with the peripherals to support it. So far he has been the ninth most valuable starting pitcher in baseball by fWAR with the same 2.8 mark that José Berríos currently holds on the year. There have been a number of changes that Giolito made thanks to winter spent with his high school pitching coach, but most notable has been an arm action that hides the ball better and an increased emphasis on his changeup. Right now it looks like he will pitch the Sunday game so be prepared for a much better Giolito than we all saw last year. Recent History Since this is only the second time these teams have matched up this year, there is not much recent history to go off of. The Twins and White Sox faced off at Target Field in a series that started on May 24th and the Twins were ruthlessly efficient in beating them by seven runs in each game. Ending Thoughts As I said in my last write-up, road divisional series are never anything to take for granted, the other team will also be looking to play spoiler and weird stuff tends to happen. The White Sox are a passable squad (less so if Moncada and Anderson miss time) and I can absolutely see them giving the Twins a good fight especially in the Sunday game with Giolito on the mound. I expect the Twins to take two but I also would not be shocked if the White Sox took two instead, especially depending on the roster moves after that 18-inning nightmare the Twins just played and the injuries they are currently nursing. But however it goes, I just pray for everyone’s sanity that no game goes into extras.

TRANSACTIONS -INF Jose Miranda placed on the temporary inactive list -RHP Sean Poppen optioned to AAA Rochester -RHP Andro Cutura transferred to AA Pensacola -RHP Cody Allen reportedly signed to a minor league deal, no assignment or official announcement yet https://twitter.com/DanHayesMLB/status/1142570022562402304 Not a transaction, but Jordan Balazovic recently moved into the MLB pipeline top 100 list which gives the Twins 5 prospects on the list now (Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Brusdar Graterol, Trevor Larnach, Jordan Balazovic). https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1142290230361411584 RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Toledo 2 Box Score Devin Smeltzer: 4 ⅔ IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 66.3% strikes (57 of 86 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Red Wings were involved in a low-scoring affair on Saturday which I thought was illegal to do at AAA this year but evidently it is allowed, go figure. The Red Wings were only able to scratch across three hits along with three walks and a hit-by-pitch with just one of those hits going for extra bases. Devin Smeltzer was unable to complete five innings but Cody Stashak, Gabriel Moya, and Ian Krol were able to pick it up after him by not allowing any runs over 3- 1/3 in relief while punching out five. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 2, Jacksonville 3 Box Score Charlie Barnes: 4 ⅔ IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 67.6% strikes (50 of 74 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Lewin Diaz (3-for-4, 2B, RBI) The Blue Wahoos lost a close one this Saturday by just a single run. Lewin Diaz was promoted a few days ago and naturally he has struggled early as he adjusts to the new level… Or not. Diaz went 3-for-4 and his OPS at AA so far is a blistering 1.230, it would be hard to make a case that any other hitter in the Twins system has had a better year than Diaz as he just continues to rake. Anthony Vizcaya took the hard-luck loss as he worked 2 1/3 in relief and gave up just a single run. Unfortunately, that was the go-ahead run and Vizcaya therefore had to take the loss. He still holds 0.64 ERA on the season at AA however so he should not feel too bad. The starter for the Jumbo Shrimp was top prospect Sixto Sanchez who was acquired by the Marlins over the offseason. Sanchez did not disappoint as he allowed just two runs over seven innings. But this is a report for the Blue Wahoos, so the compliments will end there. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Jupiter 7 Box Score Jordan Balazovic: 5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 64.0% strikes (55 of 86 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Gabriel Maciel (2-for-2, 2 R, BB, 2 HBP), Royce Lewis (2-for-5), Trevor Larnach (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB) The Miracle lost a rough game on Saturday that was not without a few great individual performances. The top of the Miracle lineup got the job done as the first four batters in the lineup reached base a combined eleven times. After that, the 5-9 batters combined for just three times where a base was reached safely and that came with nine strikeouts. No one told Gabriel Maciel that A+ is supposed to be harder than A because he reached base every single time he came to the plate on Saturday and is off to a flaming start at A+ that comes with an OPS of 1.188 in his small sample. Jordan Balazovic labored somewhat but still ended his outing with just a single earned run given up over his five innings of work. Joe Record and Calvin Faucher were not as good as they gave up a combined five earned runs in two innings after Balazovic was taken out. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 5 Box Score Josh Winder: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 65.2% strikes (60 of 92 pitches) HR: Trevor Casanova (1) Multi-hit games: None Josh Winder was great yet again as he continues to rack up the quality starts with great peripherals. His season ERA now sits at an elite 2.66 which is the sixth lowest among qualified starters in the Midwest league. Trevor Casanova blasted his first home run of the year as the association of hitters in the Twins system named “Trevor” continue to impress this year. Casanova was also the only Kernel batter to reach base multiple times in the game. The game was close late but some sloppiness from the Kernels defense allowed the tying run to score in the seventh thanks to an error and the Kernels were walked-off in the ninth because of a stolen base by Peoria that happened to coincide with a wild pitch that allowed the runner to score. E-Town E-Notes Elizabethton 1, Kingsport 5 Box Score Ryan Shreve: 3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 77.1% strikes (37 of 48 pitches) HR: Charles Mack (1) Multi-hit games: None The other Twins (junior Twins? Diet Twins? I’ll think of more), fell to Kingsport this Saturday to fall to 2-3 on the season so far. The lone little Twins’ run came from Charles Mack’s first professional home run which came in the first inning. Freshly drafted Spencer Steer recorded his first professional hit in the fifth inning with a sharp infield single. The little brother Twins struck out twelve Kingsport hitters over eight total innings but they just could not quite get the BABIP to go their way. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Josh Winder Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Lewin Diaz PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-5, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 1-for-4, 2B #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured list #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 K #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 1-for-3, 2 K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Tommy John surgery, out for year #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 0-for-4, K #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured list #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 0-for-3, BB #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured list #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, RBI #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - With the Twins-did not pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 0-for-3, BB #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - Temporary inactive list SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Toledo (3:05 P.M.) - LHP Lewis Thorpe Pensacola @ Jacksonville (2:05 P.M.) - RHP Jorge Alcala Fort Myers @ Jupiter (12:00 P.M.) - RHP Cole Sands Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (5:05 P.M.) - RHP Andrew Cabezas Elizabethton @ Kingsport (3:00 P.M.) - LHP Brent Headrick Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games.

The Royals current record is 25-48, albeit with a pythag W/L of 31-42 that suggests some bad luck, but they still find themselves in the basement of a poor AL Central. What They Do Well The Royals have stolen the most bases in baseball and it isn’t even really particularly close (70 swipes, second place is 61). The main culprit has been Adalberto Mondesi whose 27 swipes is more than the entirety of 10 teams so far. After that, both Billy Hamilton and Whit Merrifield clock in with more than 10 steals. None of the three catchers who the Twins have employed rank notably well in pop time or arm strength according to Statcast so the Royals will certainly look to cause some havoc on the base paths against them. Defensively, the Royals rank as the fifth-best defensive team in baseball according to Fangraphs thanks in large part to their excellent range that FanGraphs has as the fourth best in MLB. Their defense is cemented by two great defensive catchers in Cam Gallagher and Martin Maldonado, great up-the-middle defense thanks to shortstop Adalberto Mondesi and second baseman Nicky Lopez, and the speedster Billy Hamilton in center who can make Twins fans understand what other fans feel whenever Byron Buxton robs someone of a hit. A great defense can be frustrating to play against both as a fan watching and as a team playing against said defense so I assume the Royals figured they might as well be annoying if they aren’t going to be good. What They Do Not Do Well Generally, when you compliment a team and the only two things you can come up with are speed and defense, that's a sign that you aren’t talking about a good team. The Royals have the eighth-worst wRC+ at 87 (as well as Danny Valencia hit with the Twins), their team FIP is the 12th worst in baseball at 4.56 (Grant Balfour’s Twins FIP was 4.54), their offense walks at a 7.7% clip (Denny Hocking or Matthew LeCroy, take your pick), and their pitchers strike out eight guys per nine (Matt Belisle’s Twins run has them beat at 8.04). To put it simply, this team is below average to bad in most offensive and pitching categories. Individuals Of Note Not to be incredibly down, the Royals do have a few interesting players of note. Hunter Dozier has accumulated 2.3 fWAR over 216 plate appearances this year (but he is currently on the IL and his status for the weekend makes it seem like he is unlikely to play), Adalberto Mondesi has continued to do well with his interesting combo of power (.172 ISO, 11th best among qualified SS) and speed (the aforementioned 27 steals), and Whit Merrifield is still the quality player at the bat and in the field that Twins fans have come to expect. On the pitching side of things, Homer Bailey is enjoying a strange renaissance as he sits at a 4.09 FIP on the year, a good .73 points below his ERA, and Ian Kennedy has had a resurgence as a reliever and he currently holds a 2.06 FIP thanks in part to a 30.4 K%. Recent History The last time these two teams played was … last series! The Twins took two of three at home with all three games being decided by two runs or fewer. The last time the Twins played Kansas City in Kansas City was the quick two-game series all the way back on April 2 and 3. The Twins took both games thanks to late heroics in both matches but would probably like to avoid needing that this time around. Ending Thoughts The Royals are tanking, yes, but divisional games on the road are never a given no matter the talent difference and a split series (in my opinion) would not be all too surprising. But as long as the Twins play like the Twins we know and love, they should be able to win some games against a Royals team that has no desire, nor much ability, to win this year.

Robert Stephenson, RHP, 26-years-old Cincinnati Reds (31-38, 5th in NL Central) Four more years of team control via arbitration. 2019: 3.67 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 12.3 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 in 27 IP 2018: 9.26 ERA, 2.49 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 9.3 BB/9 in 11.2 IP in MLB (2.87 ERA in 20 Triple-A starts) As we here at Twins Daily continue to profile every reliever under the sun, we reach a reliever for the Reds by the name of Robert Stephenson. Now, I’ll answer what was most likely your first question; “what the hell is a Robert Stephenson”? Which is fair as he sounds more like a member of The Strokes or a young adult novel writer than a major league ballplayer but I digress. Stephenson was a top pitching prospect for the Reds for a number of years but suffered the typical struggles of a pitcher adjusting to the major league game. He would walk too many guys and not go deep into ball games which is not really a great combination for a starting pitcher. Add onto this the fact that the Reds could not develop a pitcher if their lives depended on it and Stephenson’s struggles in short major league stints from 2016-18 are not hard to understand. The Reds finally wised up and brought in Derek Johnson to be their new pitching coach for 2019 and Johnson took one look at Stephenson and decided to make him a reliever (or maybe someone else did. I’m not Johnson or Stephenson, just some random dude on the internet). The results so far have been tremendous as the move to the bullpen added a tick to Stephenson’s fastball velocity (~93 MPH before, now ~94) and he dropped his curve and mostly dropped his change in favor of throwing his slider almost 60% of the time. This development has led to 2.59 FIP in 2019 so far along with the second-highest swinging strike rate in all of baseball among qualified relievers. The downside is the Reds might not sell They find themselves last in the NL Central, but their run differential shows a better team than what their record indicates. And if they do sell, I don’t think the 26 year-old Stephenson would be at the top of the list of guys who would go. Of course, anyone could be traded for the right price, but the Reds may direct teams to David Hernandez or Jared Hughes if they are looking for relief help. Another one of the knocks on Stephenson was that he had a hard time staying healthy and as I currently write this article, Stephenson is on a rehab assignment thanks to a cervical strain in his neck, so those injury concerns may still exist. Stephenson also lacks the kind of consistent performance that may be desired from a reliever. While his 2019 numbers are nice, he has not had a long history of success and there’s a chance that the league adjusts back to the changes he has made. The upside is obvious, he has made tangible changes to his game for the better, has secretly become one of the more dominating relievers in baseball, and would obviously be a fresh breath of life to a bullpen that needs support. Not to mention that his small amount of MLB service time (free agent in 2024) means that he would not be a mercenary or a “hired gun” for a single-year playoff run but could instead be a contributor for many years down the road. The flip side is that he would cost more in the form of prospects but that’s an issue for the Twins and the Reds to hash out. Now, here are a few clips of his slide-piece and just try not to tell yourself how much you want him: https://twitter.com/matthew_btwins/status/1136738401204334592 https://twitter.com/matthew_btwins/status/1136738759435669504 https://twitter.com/matthew_btwins/status/1136739124436582400 See Also John Gant, RHP, Cardinals Alex Colome, RHP, White Sox Seth Lugo, RHP, Mets Greg Holland, RHP, Diamondbacks Sean Doolittle, LHP, Nationals Kirby Yates, RHP, Padres 10 Relievers Minnesota Could Target

RED WINGS REPORT Rochester suspended vs Charlotte The bats came out early in this game but it mattered not as the rain decided to come out as well and the game was suspended in the bottom of the third. The game will be continued tomorrow as the first game of a doubleheader. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 1, Tennessee 2 Box Score Jorge Alcala: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 66.3% strikes (53 of 80 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Jaylin Davis (2-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB) The Blue Wahoos lost a close 2-1 game Saturday in the only game that was actually played in full in the Twins’ system. Jorge Alcala had a middling start but his strike rate indicates that he may have gotten unlucky in his walk and strikeout totals. Alcala was picked up by Adam Bray and Sam Clay who combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief with four combined strikeouts, two combined hits allowed, and no walks given up. The Blue Wahoos offense was largely stagnant all game as they could only put together six hits total and just a pair of extra-base hits. Jaylin Davis was the bright spot as he reached base three times and hit one of those aforementioned extra-base hits. MIRACLE MATTERS There was no Miracle game today because it was the all-star weekend for the Florida State League. The Miracle had four hitters in the starting lineup for the FSL South all-star squad along with two pitchers that entered the game. Lewin Diaz did not get a hit but started the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the first, Trevor Larnach went 1-for-2 with a single, Ryan Jeffers went 0-for-3, and Royce Lewis went 0-for-3. Johan Quezada and Alex Phillips combined for three scoreless innings to end the game and Phillips received the save. Here’s the box score if you care to read it. But that was not all as Ryan Jeffers participated in the home run derby before the game and made it to the finals but unfortunately did not win. Here is some footage of Jeffers hitting dingers, hopefully any fans in left field had some helmets: https://twitter.com/MiracleBaseball/status/1140013249011822593 https://twitter.com/MiracleBaseball/status/1140018534271062016 KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids suspended vs Clinton The Kernels started their game against the Clinton Lumberkings but Mother Nature had other plans and the rain started to fall after only a full inning was played. The game will be continued tomorrow as the first part of a doubleheader. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Adam Bray, Pensacola Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jaylin Davis, Pensacola PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - No game #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Injured list #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured list #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - No game #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - Suspended game #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Suspended game #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - No game #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Suspended game #9 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - No game #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Tommy John surgery, out for year #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Suspended game #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured list #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - No game #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 1-for-4, K #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured list #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - Suspended game #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - With the Twins-did not pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - Suspended game #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - No game SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Charlotte @ Rochester Game 1: (11:05 A.M.) - Continuation of suspended game. Tennessee @ Pensacola (1:05 P.M.) - RHP Andro Cutura Clinton @ Cedar Rapids Game 1: (2:05 P.M.) TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games.

TRANSACTIONS C Willians Astudillo optioned to AAA Rochester RHP Ryan Eades contract selected by Minnesota RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Pawtucket 2 Box Score Randy Dobnak: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 61.1% strikes (55 of 90 pitches) HR: Drew Maggi (6), Wilin Rosario (7) Multi-hit games: Willians Astudillo (3-for-4, RBI, BB), Wilin Rosario (2-for-3, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB), Drew Maggi (2-for-2, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB) The Red Wings pushed their win streak to six games thanks to a consistent offensive attack and a great start from Randy Dobnak who now holds a 2.55 ERA in his time at AAA. Fan favorite Willians Astudillo was demoted to AAA yesterday and apparently took the news in stride as he collected three hits and somehow walked in his first game back in the minors. Four Red Wings hitters (Astudillo, Rooker, Rosario, Maggi) reached base multiple times and all but three hitters reached base at least once during the game. Trevor Hildenberger was called on in the ninth to end the game and gave up a homer in his sole inning of work. His AAA ERA now sits at 8.44 and I truly hope that he can put it back together soon as he has shown that he can be a dominating reliever in the majors. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 2, Biloxi 5 Box Score Charlie Barnes: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 60.3% strikes (44 of 73 pitches) HR: Jaylin Davis (9) Multi-hit games: Michael Davis (2-for-4, 2B) Despite great showings from the Davis brothers (note: Michael and Jaylin are not actual brothers to the best of my knowledge), the Blue Wahoos fell to the Shuckers by a score of 5-2. It was a close 2-1 affair until the Shuckers were able to break through with three runs off Jeff Ames in the bottom of the eighth inning. A Travis Blankenhorn RBI double in the top of the ninth would trim the lead to just three, but the Blue Wahoos were unable to score again by the time their outs ran out. Side-arming reliever Tom Hackimer came into the game in relief of Charlie Barnes and threw a pair of scoreless innings to bring his AA ERA down to a microscopic 1.08. In the end, the Blue Wahoos' inability to get a hit with RISP helped do them in as they went a combined 1-for-8 in opportunities where a man was in scoring position. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Jupiter 2 Box Score Cole Sands: 5 ⅓ IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 62.2% strikes (51 of 82 pitches) HR: Lewin Diaz (13), Jose Miranda (4), Trey Cabbage (2) Multi-hit games: Lewin Diaz (2-for-3, HR, R, RBI, BB), Trevor Larnach (2-for-4), David Banuelos (2-for-4, RBI) Lewin Diaz continued to make an absolute mockery of the very concept of A+ by launching his 13th homer of the year in support of yet another multi-hit game for the slugging first baseman. The only reason why he hasn’t been promoted to AA is because his bus ticket to Pensacola was lost in the mail (or probably some actual legit reason, who knows). Perhaps the Twins want to give Alex Kirilloff that playing time at first base. In any case, it seems like Diaz will be moving up sooner rather than later because A+ pitchers cannot stop him, they can only hope to contain him. Not to be outdone by Diaz, the baby bombas, Jose Miranda and Trey Cabbage, both launched home runs of their own as every Miracle run came off a hot, fresh, and piping tater. Cole Sands was dealing early in the game but was removed after the first out in the sixth because of a cut in his pitching hand. Hopefully it is more precautionary than anything and Sands can get back out there soon. Aaron Whitefield swiped his 19th base of the season which puts him just behind Vidal Brujan for the FSL lead (Brujan has 21 steals). You also may or may not be surprised by this little tidbit from Marshall Kelner: https://twitter.com/MarshallKelner/status/1137521185296658432 KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Peoria 7 (10 innings) Box Score Josh Winder: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 63.6% strikes (63 of 99 pitches) HR: Wander Javier (2) Multi-hit games: Andrew Bechtold (3-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB), Gabe Snyder (2-for-5, 2B, R), Estamy Urena (2-for-3, RBI) The Kernels won quite the game this Saturday that took an extra inning to end and went berserk in the bottom of the eighth. Josh Winder was nothing short of outstanding in his start as he went seven full innings without surrendering so much as an extra-base hit, much less a run. The game was a seemingly normal 2-0 affair heading into the bottom half of the eighth but the Chiefs took advantage of Brian Rapp’s wildness by scratching four runs across thanks in part to a hit-by-pitch, walks, and some singles. All seemed lost heading into the ninth but the Kernels were able to put some men on before Gabriel Maciel singled one of them home, giving the Kernels a deficit of just one run. Jacob Pearson struck out, Gilberto Celestino walked, and the bases were loaded for Wander Javier. What did Wander Javier do with those loaded bases? He unloaded them along with himself as he blasted a grand slam to give the Kernels a 7-4 lead. But, the baseball gods were not done as the Chiefs took advantage of some wildness this time from Alex Schick in the bottom of the ninth and tied the game right back. The 10th started with a man on second base and the Kernels were able to take advantage thanks to an Andrew Bechtold RBI single. The Chiefs were not able to capitalize like the Kernels did as Derek Molina slammed the door shut and ended the inning without even allowing the free runner to advance. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Josh Winder Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Drew Maggi PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4 #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Injured list #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured list #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4 #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB, K #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 1-for-3, 2B, R, 2 BB, K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Tommy John surgery, out for year #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Did not play #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured list #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 1-for-3, 2B, BB, 2 K #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured list #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, R, BB #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - With the Twins-did not pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - Did not play #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket: (12:05 P.M.) - RHP Chase De Jong Pensacola @ Tennessee (2:35 P.M.) - RHP Jorge Alcala Fort Myers @ Lakeland (12:00 P.M.) - RHP Edwar Colina Peoria @ Cedar Rapids Game 1 (1:00 P.M.) - RHP Andrew Cabezas Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games.

TRANSACTIONS DH Nelson Cruz transferred to A+ Fort Myers on a MLB Rehab Assignment OF Mark Contreras transferred to A+ Fort Myers from AA Pensacola OF Albee Weiss transferred from A+ Fort Myers to Rookie ball Elizabethton OF Brent Rooker reinstated from the injured list at AAA Rochester OF Tanner English transferred to AA Pensacola from AAA Rochester RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Buffalo 2 Box Score Sean Poppen: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 56.5% strikes (52 of 92 pitches) HR: Zander Wiel (8) Multi-hit games: Randy César (2-for-4, R), Drew Maggi (2-for-4, R) The Rochester Red Wings’ pitching was absolutely on point tonight as Sean Poppen, Fernando Romero, and Ryan Eades combined for just one earned run over all nine innings with 11 punchouts in total. But the Red Wings did not forget to bring the offense with them as well as they slugged four total extra-base hits that helped them put together seven runs in the game. All but two hitters got a hit for the Red Wings. Brent Rooker was activated from the IL and quickly made his presence known by hitting an RBI double in the seventh to extend the lead to 6-2 in the Red Wings favor. Here is video evidence of Zander Wiel’s homer that tied the game in fifth: https://twitter.com/RocRedWings/status/1134993025225109504 A Jake Cave bases-clearing double: https://twitter.com/MorrieSilver8/status/1135009751547486208 The Brent Rooker RBI Double: https://twitter.com/MorrieSilver8/status/1135008846198562816 BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 4, Mississippi 8 Box Score Jeff Ames: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 61.9% strikes (26 of 42) HR: Jimmy Kerrigan (4), Alex Kirilloff (2) Multi-hit games: Alex Kirilloff (3-for-3, HR, 2B, R, RBI, BB) The Blue Wahoos ran a bullpen game against the Braves and the Braves pounced all over each pitcher the Blue Wahoos sent out by putting up at least a single earned run on all five Blue Wahoos’ pitchers that pitched today. The major offensive performance for the Blue Wahoos came from a decent hitter named Alex Kirilloff who was more than just a phantom menace to the Braves as he reached base in every plate appearance this game along with slapping a homer and coming just a triple short of the cycle. He has turned it on the last few weeks and has been hitting more like the Alex Kirilloff we all know and love. Outside of Kirilloff’s performance and an eighth inning Jimmy Kerrigan two-run homer, the Blue Wahoos were unable to do much against the Braves offensively and fell to them by a score of 8-4. The Alex Kirilloff homer: https://twitter.com/TFTwins/status/1135012914652418050 MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 0, Lakeland 1 Box Score Jhoan Duran: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 65.7% strikes (67 of 102) HR: None Multi-hit games: None It was a good old fashioned pitchers duel as Jhoan Duran and Johan Quezada combined for just a single earned run on the day yet Duran was saddled with the tough-luck loss as the Miracle offense failed to score in the game. Duran unfortunately moves to 0-5 on the year but still holds a good ERA and excellent peripherals, he’ll continue to be a fun player to keep track of all season. Hotshot prospect Nelson Cruz went 1-for-4 with a single and a pair of strikeouts in his first rehab game. He’ll play in the game on Sunday too and will probably be re-evaluated then. The Miracle offense in total could only scatter four singles and three walks against Lakeland’s pitching and the offense had only two chances to hit with a runner in scoring position. https://twitter.com/MarshallKelner/status/1134910183992365056 KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Beloit 2 Box Score Josh Winder: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yeltsin Encarnacion (2-for-4, BB), Wander Javier (2-for-5, 2 R), Andrew Bechtold (2-for-3, 3 R, 2B, BB), Gabriel Maciel (2-for-4, RBI) The Kernels were all over the Snappers today as they bested them with both their arms and their bats. Kernels pitchers combined for just a single earned run over the entirety of the game as Moises Gomez and Alex Schick picked up right where Josh Winder left off and refused to allow the Snappers to score even a single run more than they did off Winder. A bases-clearing double from Gabe Snyder in the fourth inning proved to be the boost the Kernels needed to topple the Snappers as Beloit could only answer with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning before not scoring for the rest of the game. All but two Kernels hitters reached base safely at least once during the game and five Kernels batters reached base multiple times. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jhoan Duran Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Alex Kirilloff PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4, 4 K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 3-for-3, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured list #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-3, BB #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2 R #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 1-for-4, 2B, RBI K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Tommy John surgery, out for year #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB, K #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured list #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-3, BB, K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 0-for-4, K #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured list #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-5, 2 K #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - With the Twins-did not pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester Game 1: (1:05 P.M.) - RHP Kohl Stewart Pensacola @ Tennessee (1:05 P.M.) - LHP Bryan Sammons Fort Myers @ Lakeland (12:00 P.M.) - RHP Cole Sands Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (2:00 P.M.) - RHP Andrew Cabezas Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games.

TRANSACTIONS -RHP Melvi Acosta promoted from A+ Fort Myers to AA Pensacola -RHP Randy Dobnak promoted from AA Pensacola to AAA Rochester -INF Wander Javier activated for A Cedar Rapids Injuries: https://twitter.com/DanHayesMLB/status/1132354488663183360 https://twitter.com/DanHayesMLB/status/1132354794339872769 https://twitter.com/DanHayesMLB/status/1132356067210518528 https://twitter.com/SethTweets/status/1132471728939180036 RED WINGS REPORT Suspended vs Pawtucket The Red Wings got out to a quick 6-1 lead vs Pawtucket in support of Randy Dobnak’s first AAA start before the rain came in and forced a suspension in the bottom of the second. The game will be made up as a doubleheader tomorrow and the first game will continue as normal as a nine inning game while the second game will be a seven inning affair. The Red Wings were wearing Hustlers jerseys which became a feature on ESPN and the clip can be found here: https://vimeo.com/338423235 BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 1, Tennessee 5 Box Score Melvi Acosta: 4 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 70.8% strikes (46 of 65 pitches) HR: Travis Blankenhorn (7) Multi-hit games: Alex Kirilloff (2-for-4), Ernie De La Trinidad (2-for-3) The Blue Wahoos could not get much going offensively outside of a leadoff home run from Travis Blankenhorn and fell to the Tennessee Smokies. The only other extra-base hit was a double from Jaylin Davis. After Melvi Acosta made his AA debut by throwing four innings to start the game, Adam Bray came in and continued his excellent season by firing off four scoreless innings that came with three punch outs and just one hit. Alex Kirilloff had a multi-hit game which was good to see, hopefully he’ll be back doing Alex Kirilloff things very soon. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Daytona 0 Box Score Jordan Balazovic: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 66.3 % strikes (59 of 89 pitches) HR: Lewin Diaz (9) Multi-hit games: Lewin Diaz (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI), Aaron Whitefield (2-for-3, R, BB) Two weeks ago when I last wrote one of these, I typed in that Lewin Diaz had hit his third homer of the season, today he hit his ninth, that is quite the progression and it is great to see. In fact, Diaz tied the Miracle record for home runs hit in a single month. https://twitter.com/AndrewBern12/status/1132452002062118912 Jordan Balazovic took the mound for his fourth A+ start and the Daytona hitters most likely did not sleep the night before in terror of who was waiting for them on the mound today. The good news for Daytona is that they only struck out three times against him but the bad news is that they forgot to score and so Balazovic ended with seven shutout innings. Anthony Vizcaya took over after Balazovic and finished off the game with a pair of scoreless and hitless innings that came with two punch outs and it put a nice bow tie on the shutout for the Miracle pitching. Earlier on Saturday, the FSL All-Star rosters were announced and the Miracle had eight selections-the highest for any team in the FSL. Those players can be found here: https://twitter.com/Brandon_Warne/status/1132330902317674496 KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Peoria 8 Box Score Cole Sands: 5 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 64.8% strikes (59 of 91 pitches) HR: Gilberto Celestino (2), Ben Rodriguez (3) Multi-hit games: Jared Akins (2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R), Gilberto Celestino (3-for-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI), Andrew Bechtold (3-for-3, R, RBI, BB), Gabe Snyder (2-for-3, 2 RBI, BB) Wander Javier made his 2019 professional debut along with his first game above of rookie ball today in the Kernels game vs the Chiefs. He started his day out with a HBP (stop hitting him please) and finished his day without a hit. The Kernels offense was popping all day as only three innings ended without the Kernels offense scoring a run and six different players collected at least one RBI in the game. The Kernels headed into the bottom of the eighth down a run but knotted the game at eight thanks to a Gilberto Celestino single before Ben Rodriguez launched the walk-off homer in the ninth to give the Kernels the win. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jordan Balazovic Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Gilberto Celestino PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 2-for-4, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured list #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, 3 K #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, R, 2 K #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 0-for-3, 3 K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Suspended game #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Tommy John surgery #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Suspended game #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - No IL yet but needs rest #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4, 2K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Did not play #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured list #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, K #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - With the Twins-did not pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - Did not play #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4, K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester Game 1: (4:05 P.M. Game 2 will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of game 1) Pensacola @ Tennessee (1:00 P.M.) Fort Myers @ Daytona (5: 35 P.M.) - RHP Jhoan Duran Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 P.M.) - RHP Josh Winder Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games.

My connections to Kepler run a bit deeper too. My last name implies a strong German heritage (Braun means “brown” in German), so naturally I stuck to Kepler. Of course, the similarities pretty much end there as he can hit major league pitching and my baseball career ended once the breaking balls were introduced to me. Anyways, Kepler ended that year with a modest 93 wRC+ and a 1.3 fWAR over 113 games. Passable numbers for sure, but the potential for Max seemed higher thanks to his top prospect status, great athleticism, and low BABIP which seemed to be signs that a breakout season was coming soon. Kepler put up the same wRC+ in 2017, a somewhat baffling occurrence as a breakout seemed all but inevitable that year. Of course, there is always next year and the Kepler celebrations were paused until 2018 where he hit for a wRC+ of … 97. Scientists and baseball writers were bewildered as his walk rate jumped 3.3% while his strikeout rate dropped 4.4%, both things that would suggest a breakthrough, yet it didn’t quite occur. Kepler’s defensive numbers were better in 2018 so his fWAR jumped from 1.4 to 2.6, but this was not quite the way everyone wanted Kepler to improve. Between his start in 2016 and the end of the 2018 season, Kepler’s BABIP (batting average on balls in play) sat at an astonishingly low .257. Among those with 1500+ plate appearances in that time period, he comes in with the fifth-lowest BABIP in all of baseball. Some of the names that come in around him are Todd Frazier, Jose Bautista, Albert Pujols, Carlos Santana, Maikel Franco, Curtis Granderson, and Salvador Perez. There’s a general theme here of slow, lethargic and (mostly) guys who would no longer be considered “athletic” by MLB standards. But then there’s Kepler, who BaseballSavant has in the 59th percentile for sprint speed, an above average level. Why his BABIP is so low remains beyond me as looking into his batted ball profile leaves me even more confused than before. His soft/med/hard hit % slash line is almost identical to George Springer from 2016-2018, yet Springer holds a BABIP .049 points above him. His pull/center/oppo % slash line resembles Victor Martinez’s from 2016-2018, yet even old man V-Mart was able to put up a .281 BABIP. And to top it all off, his FB/GB/LD % slash line over 2016-2018 matches up well with Rougned Odor, yet the small stink was able to out BABIP him by .017 points. Now, every player has a BABIP that is unique to them and their batted-ball profile. Some can hold higher numbers than others while some just naturally have lower ball in play ability, but Kepler’s BABIP will always remain perplexing to me, what is making it so that this guy cannot get a hit to save his life? But enough about the past, we can’t change it anyways. What about Kepler so far this year? Well thank you so much for asking, Kepler is holding a respectable 118 wRC+ in 2019 as he continues to usually bat lead off in an extremely potent Twins lineup. His average exit velocity of 91.4 MPH is higher than his career average of 89.2 and the MLB average of 87.4. What is probably the least shocking about a hitter in 2019 is that he also now has a career high pull rate of 56.2% which is 11.4% higher than his average and his average launch angle is currently 15.7 degrees, a number that is actually lower than his 2018 launch angle average, but a mark that is above the MLB average of 11.0 degrees. Or, to put it simply, he’s pulling the ball in the air more, which is a good thing. Oh and by the way, he’s also swinging way more than usual, which is probably a good thing for him. His swing rate is at 51.9%, a number that would place him in the top 20 of qualified free swingers in baseball last year and is also 9.3% higher than his swing rate last year. The return is that his walk rate is slightly down (but still great) while his K rate is slightly up (but still very manageable) yet because he’s hitting the ball hard I don’t think he or the Twins care too much. At the start of spring training, the Twins inked Kepler to a five-year, $35 million extension that would make him a free agent in 2025. The deal basically ensured that Kepler would be paid a guaranteed amount of life-altering money while the Twins hedged their bets that the still young Kepler could break through and make a $7 million AAV deal look like a steal. And even if he never improved over his 2018 self, $7 million a year for a solid OFer is still pocket change. The next major sign of confidence has come in his nearly daily placing at the very top of the Twins lineup, a move that has been questioned less and less as the year has started but was a somewhat puzzling play when it was first announced. Nonetheless, the budding star (and yes, I do mean star) has started to flash the offensive capabilities that the Twins believed he had in him thanks to some changes in his approach at the plate and if he holds it over a full season with his 2018 level of defense, you are looking at a legitimate top-five right fielder in all of MLB.

TRANSACTIONS INF Miguel Sanó transferred from AA to AAA for his MLB rehab assignment RHP Kohl Stewart recalled by Minnesota RHP Tyler Duffey recalled by Minnesota (26th man for the DH) Update: Following the game, Stewart and Fernando Romero were optioned to Rochester. Martine Perez was actvated from the paternity list. Willians Astudillo will be activated from the Injured List on Sunday morning. Also, as the 26th man, Tyler Duffey was sent back to Rochester, as well. RED WINGS REPORT Red Wings 0, Durham 1 Box Score Devin Smeltzer: 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 68% strikes (68 of 100 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: None The talk so far about AAA has been the offensive explosion that seems to have come as a result of the MLB ball being implemented at the AAA level. Evidently, no one told Devin Smeltzer that this is an offense-heavy environment because he fired off eight impressive shutout innings to continue his absolute tear through the minors to start the season. So far, he has surrendered just two earned runs through his forty-five innings of work at AA and AAA combined. He may be at the majors sooner rather than later if this keeps up. Unfortunately for the Red Wings, the Bulls pitching was just as good and were able to hold the Red Wings to two hits on the day. Old friend Oliver Drake served as the opener for Durham (they are the affiliate for the Rays after all, they have to get crafty somewhere) and in total, all but two outs thrown by the Bulls came from pitchers with major league experience. Miguel Sanó went 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts in his first AAA rehab game but played some nifty defense in the process. https://twitter.com/MorrieSilver8/status/1127366401805770753 https://twitter.com/RocRedWings/status/1127324773602795525 BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 1, Chattanooga 5 (5 innings, ended due to rain) Box Score Sean Poppen: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 49.2% strikes (29 of 59 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: None While the Miracle had to finish game that started the day before due to rain, the Blue Wahoos saw their game cut short for the same reason. Someone needs to find whatever voodoo doll or prayer would finally allow the teams to play games without unnecessary comments from Mother Nature. No Blue Wahoos hitter reached base twice, but Jordan Gore was the only one who saw more than two plate appearances in the game. Despite only playing five innings, the basepaths were an active highway as there were five stolen base attempts combined in the game. The Blue Wahoos only attempt was unsuccessful while the Lookouts were successful on three with a single caught stealing. MIRACLE MATTERS Game one: Ft. Myers 2, Tampa 5 (continued from yesterday, 7 innings) Box Score Tyler Watson: 4 ⅔ IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 61.7% strikes (58 of 94 pitches) HR: Lewin Diaz (3), Ryan Costello (4) Multi-hit games: Akil Baddoo (2-for-4), Royce Lewis (2-for-4, 2B) This game was suspended yesterday due to heavy rain because Mother Nature’s wrath on the Twins minor league teams refuses to end. Because of this, they started in the bottom of the fifth inning and would play until the end of the seventh. Fort Myers flexed their muscles as Lewin Diaz launched another home run and Ryan Costello decided to join in on the fun and hit his own homer in the fifth. Royce Lewis added another multi-hit game to his season total, a good sign as he struggled to start the year but appears to be turning it around. More strong hitting performances will punch his ticket to Pensacola eventually. There were no runs scored today after play was resumed and despite out hitting the Tarpons, the Miracle eventually lost. https://twitter.com/MiracleBaseball/status/1126956368462741505 https://twitter.com/MiracleBaseball/status/1126951322794778624 Game two: Ft. Myers 3, Tampa 4 (7 innings) Box Score Charlie Barnes: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 53.3% strikes (8 of 15 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games:Jose Miranda (2-for-4, RBI), Ryan Jeffers (2-for-3, R, BB), Trey Cabbage (2-for-3, 2B, RBI) The second game of the doubleheader proved to be quite the match as it came down to the wire in the bottom of the seventh. The Miracle were able to put up some runs in the sixth thanks to an RBI double from Trey Cabbage and some wild pitch shenanigans. A Jose Miranda single in the seventh plated Royce Lewis and brought the game within a run, but Lewin Diaz and Ryan Jeffers both flew out to end the game. The Miracle ran with somewhat of a bullpen game as Charlie Barnes only went for an inning before Hector Lujan, Joe Record, and Johan Quezada combined afterwards to end the game. Trey Cabbage continued to sting the ball as his 2-for-3 effort raised his A+ average to .350 and his OPS to .909 (that’s high-A average to be clear, but a .350 is also worth an A plus so I guess it works). The Miracle out-hit the Tarpons again but the team went 2-for-14 with RISP and that proved to be part of their downfall for the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, West Michigan 7 Box Score Cole Sands: 5 ⅓ IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 65.0% strikes (63 of 97 pitches) HR: Gabe Snyder (2) Multi-hit games: Gabe Snyder (2-for-5, HR, R, RBI), Yeltsin Encarnacion (2-for-4, RBI) A game that was played in full without any rain interference? I didn’t know that was allowed. Anyways, despite getting hit for four runs in his start, Cole Sands was encouraging by punching out eight hitters while only walking a single batter, some better luck will result in a cleaner line eventually. Gabe Snyder hit his second homer of the season and is now holding an OPS of .930 at A ball. Some more games like the one today will put his name in the conversation for a promotion. The Kernels as a whole struck out fourteen Whitecaps despite only throwing eight innings today, an impressive total indeed. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Devin Smeltzer Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Gabe Snyder PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 3-for-8, 2 2B, R, 2 K (2 games) #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 0-for-2 #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-5, 2B, 3 BB (2 games) #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - Season has not started #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 0-for-3, 3 K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-7, BB, 3 K (2 games) #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 1-for-4, 2 K #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured list #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-3, R, BB #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-3 #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured list #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, R, BB #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 0-for-4, K #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-6, RBI, K (2 games) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Durham @ Rochester (12:05 P.M.) - Pensacola @ Chattanooga (1:15 P.M.) - RHP Jorge Alcala (The other leagues are off for Mother’s Day, which is in fact tomorrow) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games.

TRANSACTIONS RHP D.J. Baxendale reinstated from the injured list INF Adam Rosales traded to the Cleveland Indians for cash considerations RED WINGS REPORT Red Wings 10, Pawtucket 8 Box Score Lewis Thorpe: 1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 65% strikes (26 of 40 pitches) HR: Brent Rooker (5) Multi-hit games: Nick Gordon (2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI), LaMonte Wade (2-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB), Luke Raley (3-for-6, 2 R,), Zander Wiel (2-for-5, R), Jordany Valdespin (3-for-5, R, 3 RBI), Drew Maggi (2-for-5, R, RBI) Lewis Thorpe ran into trouble in the first inning and was forced to throw 40 pitches. Because of the Twins 35 pitch in an inning limit, Thorpe was forced to leave the game after the first inning. Despite being down in a hole early, the Red Wings offense took action by scoring seven unanswered runs during the second through fourth innings. Going into the ninth knotted at eight a piece, Drew Maggi hit a leadoff double which was backed up by a Nick Gordon double immediately after which gave the Red Wings the lead. Two wild pitches from Jenrry Mejia allowed Gordon to move to third and then subsequently score to give the Red Wings a 10-8 lead. Despite only getting one inning from the starter, the Red Wings bullpen, made up of efforts from D.J. Baxendale, Austin Adams, Andrew Vasquez, and Preston Guilmet, was able to fire off eight innings of two-run ball that came with 11 punchouts and probably a solid pat on the back from the manager. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 11, Biloxi 2 Box Score Randy Dobnak: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 63.6% strikes (49 of 77 pitches) HR: Travis Blankenhorn (2), Mitchell Kranson (3) Multi-hit games: Luis Arraez (2-for-4, 3 R, RBI, BB), Alex Kirilloff (2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB) The Blue Wahoos had already made their mark by having some ridiculously good starting pitching, but now they have a hot Luis Arraez and Travis Blankenhorn, a healthy Alex Kirilloff, and backup from another up-and-coming hotshot named Miguel Sano. Good luck trying to beat that. Randy Dobnak had a solid Double-A debut outing and he would have gotten the win had he reached the five-inning mark but that honor went to Adam Bray who fired off a pair of scoreless innings to continue his absolute tear so far this year. Tyler Jay finished off the game with three scoreless innings of his own. The Blue Wahoos bats were at it all game as they scored in every inning except for the fourth and eight where they finally decided to show a bit of mercy to the Shuckers. Miguel Sano went 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts along with a sacrifice fly in the fifth and he also apparently hit an absolutely monster foul ball home run. Also of note, Alex Kirilloff made his start at first base, something he had not done in his professional career yet. The Twins had talked about getting him playing there in anticipation of whenever he joins the major league club as the Twins outfield is currently pretty set in stone. https://twitter.com/billvilonaPNJ/status/1124832775788486656 https://twitter.com/billvilonaPNJ/status/1124839813667016704 https://twitter.com/billvilonaPNJ/status/1124853320458428417 MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Palm Beach 5 Box Score (https://www.milb.com/gameday/miracle-vs-cardinals/2019/05/04/572995#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=box,game=572995) Charlie Barnes: 5 1/3 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 66% strikes (62 of 94 pitches) HR: Lewin Diaz (1), Aaron Whitefield (2) Multi-hit games: Royce Lewis (2-for-4, R, BB), Trevor Larnach (3-for-5, 2 R, RBI), Lewin Diaz (2-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB) Another Saturday start for Charlie Barnes, I believe this is now the third time that I have written about a game that he started this year so far, this is frankly bordering on stalking and I am going to have to ask him to pick a different day to start (I’m kidding of course. I’ll write about Charlie with glee.) Anyways, the Miracle played quite the thriller of a game this Saturday. The scoring was kicked off early by the Cardinals as they put a run across in both the first, second, and fourth innings respectively. Luckily for the Miracle, Aaron Whitefield hates baseballs as much as he hates three-run deficits, so he launched his second homer of the year in the fifth inning to make it a 3-1 game. The Cardinals answered back with two more runs in the sixth, but it could have been worse had Trevor Larnach not gunned down the hopeful third run at the plate to keep the score 5-1. The Miracle scratched two runs together in the eighth thanks to some wild pitch and passed ball shenanigans to make the game a close 5-3 affair. The top of the ninth started with a Ryan Costello single but unfortunately, the next two batters would get out. Now with two outs in the ninth, Royce Lewis would work a walk to move Costello to second. Trevor Larnach then would single him home to make it just a one-run game. Now facing a chance to tie the game, Lewin Diaz decided to give the Miracle the lead outright as he blasted a heroic three-run homer to give the Miracle a 7-5 lead that they would not relinquish. https://twitter.com/MiracleBaseball/status/1124834090337951746 KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Dayton 4 Box Score (https://www.milb.com/gameday/dragons-vs-kernels/2019/05/04/577193#game_state=final,game_tab=,game=577193) Tyler Palm: 4 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 73.2% strikes (41 of 56 pitches) HR: Jacob Pearson (2) Multi-hit games: Andrew Bechtold (2-for-3, RBI, BB) Donning some awesome Yoda jerseys, the Kernels took on the Dragons in a game that ended in the same way that an actual fight between a dragon and a kernel of corn would end. https://twitter.com/MiLBPromos/status/1124781257077022721 Despite giving up four runs, Kernels pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts, a number that gave them the higher ground over the Dragon’s pitchers who could only muster eight. Kernels pitchers also only surrendered four hits total in the game, but the Dragons were opportunistic as they took advantage of an error in the fourth and a balk in the fifth to help with their scoring. Jacob Pearson had a big day offensively as he blasted his second homer of the year and walked twice along with scoring both of the runs for the Kernels. Hopefully this game will be the launching point of his season and he starts to improve his .503 OPS on the year. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Palm Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Trevor Larnach PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, R, BB, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 3-for-5, 2 R, RBI, K #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - Season has not started #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 1-for-6, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - 1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 0 K #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-5, 3 K #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured list #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, 2 K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4 #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured list #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4 #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 2-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - Did not play SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (12:00 P.M.) - RHP Kohl Stewart Biloxi @ Pensacola (1:05 P.M.) - RHP Griffin Jax Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (12:00 P.M.) - RHP Jordan Balazovic Dayton @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 P.M.) - RHP Cole Sands Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games.