Seth Stohs

The Astros have an incredible lineup. They play strong defense. Their starting rotation is remarkable. Their bullpen is deep and strong. And, Alex Bregman cannot be stopped. Or at least the Twins couldn’t find a way all series. Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler each had two hits, and Willians Astudillo homered for the Twins.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Odorizzi: 29 Game Score, 4.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 K, 4 BB, 55.3% strikes (52 of 94 pitches) Home Runs: Astudillo (2) Multi-Hit Games: Polanco (2-for-4), Kepler (2-for-4) WPA of 0.1 or higher: None WPA of -0.1 or lower: Odorizzi (-.241) Early in the game, things looked OK for the Twins. Jake Odorizzi started out with two scoreless innings. The Twins had their opportunities early against Astros rookie starter Framber Valdez. They had runners in scoring position but were unable to capitalize. Odorizzi then gave up two-run homers to Alex Bregman in the third inning and Evan Gattis in the fourth inning. And from there, the Astros piled on a bit. Odorizzi just didn’t throw enough strikes. As much as the goal was to not let Bregman beat them, he had the two-run homer and in the eighth inning, he put the icing on the cake with a bases-clearing double. On a related note, I like cake. I rarely have cake, but I do like it. Sometimes I like just the vanilla cake with vanilla icing. Sometimes, chocolate cake is good, especially with some creamy chocolate icing (most of the time it’s a little too rich for my liking). My favorite might be vanilla (yellow) cake with chocolate frosting. Although strawberry shortcake is also fantastic! Back to Jake Odorizzi… in his post game presser, Mike Berardino asked him if he might be interested in being a “Primary” pitcher. Fair to say he doesn’t seem too interested in it. Anyway, back to the Twins. Willians Astudillo DHd and hit a home run. He now has two home runs, two strikeouts and zero walks. Yes, his scouting report and minor league track record have been proven pretty accurate through his small-sample-size big league career. What else got your talking and asking questions throughout Wednesday’s game? Next Three Games Thu: Off Fri vs. KC, 7:10 pm CT: TBD (meaning, Opener to go with “primary” Stephen Gonsalves) Sat vs KC, 6:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios Sun vs KC, 1:10 pm CT: TBD (reportedly Zack Littell and Chase De Jong piggybacking) Last Three Games MIN 10, TEX 7: Tex-plosion! HOU 4, MIN 1: Astros Take Advantage of Pivotal Polanco Error HOU 5, MIN 2: Rough Opener, Strong Stewart Homecoming Click here to view the article

Yes...

Or maybe they would have. No way to know, and that's what I tried to illustrate. Who knows how Stewart would have done in the first inning against their top hitters. Maybe fine, maybe not.

When facing an opposing pitcher such as Justin Verlander, falling behind early is not an ideal strategy. For the second time this week (and ever), the Twins employed the “Opener” concept in Tuesday night’s game. This time, it was Trevor May who started and was replaced in the second inning by the “primary” pitcher, Kohl Stewart, who went to high school at St. Pius X high school, a ten mile commute from Minute Maid Park.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) May: 18 Game Score, 1.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 69.2% strikes (18 of 26 pitches) Home Runs: Polanco (4) Multi-Hit Games: Grossman (2-for-3) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Grossman (.154), Stewart (.101) WPA of -0.1 or lower: May -0.302 The Sample Size is just two, so making any grand statements about the Opener concept at this point would be silly. The “Openers” have been non-good, but the young pitchers who have come after them have been pretty solid. While Tom has stopped doing the daily reliever pitch count chart, I figured that I would at least update you on the Twins who pitched on Tuesday. In the “Opener” role, Trevor May threw 26 pitches. Oliver Drake came in for the seventh inning and needed 19 pitches. Tyler Duffey had a very nice, tidy, nine-pitch eighth inning. By the way, Ryan Pressly was really good for the Astros. He was throwing hard, spinning it well, and putting up numbers. But he struck out the side against the Twins in the eighth inning. He struck out the pinch-hitting Mitch Garver, Joe Mauer and Logan Forsythe. While the radar gun looked the same, Pressly appeared so much more confident on the mound. He looked smoother, more in control. In his time with the Astros, he has 22 strikeouts without issuing a walk. Next Three Games Wed at HOU, 7:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. Framber Valdez Thu: Off Fri vs. KC, 7:10 pm CT: TBD (meaning, Opener to go with “primary” Stephen Gonsalves) Sat vs KC, 6:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs Somebody Last Three Games TEX 18, MIN 4: Speechless TEX 7, MIN 4: Is Jose OK? MIN 10, TEX 7: Tex-plosion! HOU 4, MIN 1: Astros Take Advantage of Pivotal Polanco Error Click here to view the article

Doesn't matter to me.

As we passed Labor Day, the minor league season has come to an end. Next week, we’ll start announcing the Twins Daily Minor League awards for 2018. This week, we will celebrate the strong performances from the season’s final month. It may be surprising that August marks the first time that we have a repeat winner for Hitter of the Month. It probably won’t surprise you to learn which player is the repeat winner. Previous Hitters of the Month for 2018: April 2018: Zander Wiel, Chattanooga Lookouts May 2018: Alex Kirilloff, Cedar Rapids Kernels June 2018: Luis Arraez, Ft. Myers Miracle July 2018: Ryan Jeffers, Cedar Rapids Kernels August 2018: See below...Let’s take a look at the Top 4 hitters for the month of August, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Luis Arraez - Chattanooga Lookouts - 28-81, .346/.393/.444 (.838) with two doubles and two homers.Colton Burns - Elizabethton Twins - 16-51, .314/.435/.627 (1.063) with four doubles and four home runs.Trevor Casanova - Elizabethton Twins - 19-52, .365/.397/.577 (.973) with five doubles, two homers, seven RBIs.Trevor Larnach - Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels - 30-105, .286/.364/.476 (.841), nine doubles, one triple, three homers, 12 RBIs.Luke Raley - Chattanooga Lookouts - 23-84, .274/.382/.440 (.823) with one double, two triples, three homers and 13 RBI.Ben Rodriguez - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 24-91, .264/.358/.462 (.819) with ten doubles, one triple, two homers and 20 RBIs.Ben Rortvedt - Ft. Myers Miracle - 16-56, .286/.344/.464 (.809) with five doubles, one triple, one homer and ten RBIs.THE TOP FOUR HITTERS Number 4 – Chattanooga Lookouts - Jaylin Davis - .290/.368/.473 (.841). 27-93 with five doubles, four home runs and 15 RBIs. 2018 has been a year of improvement for Jaylin Davis. He has dropped his strikeout rate some and increased his walk rate. He has successfully moved from High-A to Double-A. In the final week of August, Davis learned that he would be representing the Twins in the Arizona Fall League. While Davis is not a big man, he is incredibly strong and full of power potential. He will need to continue showing plate discipline and strike zone judgment, but he’s put himself in a good situation going into 2019. Number 3 - Cedar Rapids Kernels – 2B Michael Helman - .367/.407/.510 (.918), 36-98 with six doubles, one triple, two homers and 14 RBIs. The Twins were excited that Helman, a shortstop from Texas A&M, was available when they made their first pick on Day 3 of June’s draft. Since signing officially on the final day, he has primarily played second base. He has also been hitting pretty much from the start. In 12 games in Elizabethton, he hit .375. In 26 games with the Kernels, he has hit .359. Over his final seven games of the month, he hit .429 (12-for-28) with three doubles and a homer. He had 12 multi-hit games in 24 games played during the month including his first three (and four of his first five) of the month after being promoted. Number 2 - Cedar Rapids Kernels – SS Michael Davis - .289/.312/.578 (.890), 26-90 with six doubles, one triple, six homers and 21 RBIs. With how quickly Davis has adjusted to pro ball and life in the Midwest League, one can’t help but wonder how it is possible that Michael Davis was available to the Twins in the 24th round of this year’s draft. After just three games in Elizabethton, Davis was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he hasn’t missed a beat. While it could potentially be hard to maintain success with the 31 strikeouts/3 walk ratio he had in August, when you produce the kind of power he produced, it can be very impressive. Not only that, but he’s playing a solid shortstop as well. Over his final seven games of the month, Davis hit .519 (14-for-27) with a double, triple, homer and 15 RBIs, helping the Kernels earn their 2nd half division title. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Ft. Myers Miracle – OF Alex Kirilloff - .351/.387/.550 (.936), 39-111 with ten doubles, four homers and 16 RBIs. Kirilloff put together one of the best seasons in recent Twins minor league history. He was our choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month in May and now again in August. Interestingly, Kirilloff’s OPS for the month of August was under 1.000 for the first time since April. But he led the Miracle to a playoff berth on the last day of the season. He continued to provide doubles and added more home runs during the month than he had previously with the Miracle this year. The former first-round pick finished his first full season of playing as a professional with 44 doubles, seven triples, 20 home runs and 101 RBIs. We would like to congratulate Alex Kirilloff, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for August 2018. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions. Click here to view the article

I don't think anyone does (or should) think that final paragraph. Just because we disagree with a decision he and Thad Levine make doesn't mean they aren't doing what they feel is in the best long-term interests of the organization. While I think this situation is bad, it doesn't mean they don't know what they're doing or aren't leading the organization in the right direction.

Pineda was ruled out after having knee surgery Zack Granite was shut down a couple of months ago with his shoulder injury. He began rehabbing a couple of weeks ago.

The two aren't related though... Petit was the option in the middle infield as a utility guy. He can play 2B, 3B and SS... Wiel can play 1B/LF... not the same. And, we all saw the struggles Gordon had at Rochester, so we can understand him not coming up. So, I don't have any problem with Petit.

Labor Day always marks the final regular season minor league games. The Rochester Red Wings and Chattanooga Lookouts seasons ended. Three more Red Wings players were called up to the Twins following the game. The Kernels, whose playoff run begins on Wednesday, began six hours late. See how they did and who they will play starting Wednesday. Ft. Myers and Elizabethton had the day off as they prepare for their upcoming playoff series.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Monday afternoon, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins announced that RHP Chase De Jong and John Curtiss will also be recalled and in uniform for the Twins on Tuesday.Logan Morrison has been placed on the 60-day disabled list, allowing the Twins to add Gregorio Petit to the roster and promote him as well. Tyler Watson started for the Kernels. The southpaw had a Quality Start. Despite giving up nine hits, he gave up just three runs over six innings. He struck out seven batters without a walk. Calvin Faucher threw a scoreless inning as well. Ricky Ramirez struck out two in a perfect eighth inning. The Kernels took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Jacob Pearson doubled and then scored on a single from Trey Cabbage. Trevor Larnach went 2-for-4. Following his double, the Twins top 2017 pick scored on a Michael Helman single. These two teams will begin a playoff series on Wednesday, also in Beloit. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton Box Score The E-Twins begin the Appalachian League championship series on Tuesday. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Kennys Vargas, Rochester Red Wings (2-3, BB, 2-2B(23)). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Chase De Jong, Rochester Red Wings (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 0-3, BB, R, K #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Minnesota) - Did not pitch #6 - Trevor Larnach (Cedar Rapids) - #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 0-4, 2 K #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-5, 2 K #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - No Game Scheduled #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Out for the season (wrist) #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) - #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - 2-4, 2 RBI #21 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled *Since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester - Season Complete Chattanooga - Season Complete Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (5:30 CST) - RHP Andro Cutura Cedar Rapids - Playoff series starts on Wednesday Elizabethton @ Princeton (6:00 CST) - RHP Austin Schulfer (Game 1 of Appy League championship series) GCL Twins - Season Completed Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

He will most likely play in Elizabethton next year... possibly in Cedar Rapids. Though he has been in my Top 50 the last year.

Vargas? No. Mauer's at 1B and Tyler Austin should play there when Mauer isn't.

It depends, and it still depends on that Core (Buxton, Sano, Berrios, Rosario, Polanco, Kepler)... but while much of the AAA level was filled with minor league free agents, there are several starters and relievers as Gordon and Wade to fill spots. Thorpe and Rooker from AA. Win-Loss record doesn't matter in the minors at all and isn't indicative of big league success. (though I think that learning to win and compete for playoff spots, etc., can be good for development). And, as we've heard, At least before yesterday,t he Twins were on a pace this season in which they scored about the same number of runs and had given up like 40 runs less than last year. So, those one-run losses have certainly altered the trajectory of the season.

Updated article... Johnny Field, Chris Gimenez and Tyler Duffey are being recalled. Andrew Vasquez added to the 40 and called up. Adalberto Mejia to the 60 Day DL.

Elizabethton started its quest for another Appalachian League title on Friday night with a road game. They got a strong start and some youngsters really stepped up their offense in a nice win. They can clinch a spot in the championship series with a win on Saturday (or Sunday, if needed). In addition, Lewis Thorpe and Tyler Wells had strong starts. Alex Kirilloff reached another milestone, but how did the Miracle do in their attempt to get in to the Florida State League playoffs?Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Friday, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins announced that Matt Belisle would be activated from the DL on Saturday.September call ups for Saturday will include: Johnny Field, Chris Gimenez and Tyler Duffey. There had been reports from Rochester that Zack Littell left the field with his duffle bag. It's possible that they just aren't going to activate him until Sunday or something.It appears LHP Andrew Vasquez has been called up as well. He began the 2018 season in Ft. Myers.. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 3 Box Score Lewis Thorpe made his final minor league start of the 2018 season on Friday night, though he still took the loss. The southpaw from Australia worked the first seven innings. He was charged with three unearned runs on four hits and a walk. He struck out eight. He gave up the three runs in the sixth innings. With one out, Thorpe committed an error, then walked a batter. The big blow was a three-run homer that followed. Ryne Harper worked two scoreless, hitless innings. The Red Wings managed just five hits. Jon Kemmer had two hits. Zander Wiel added a single and a walk. Byron Buxton was 0-for-3 with a strikeout. He was also hit by a pitch. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Jackson 1 Box Score It’s been a terrific season for righty Tyler Wells. He gave up just one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. He uncharacteristically walked four, but he (characteristically) struck out eight. Casey Crosby got the final out of the sixth inning and worked a scoreless seventh frame as well. Tyler Jay worked a scoreless eighth inning, and Devin Smeltzer recorded his third save with a perfect ninth. Jimmy Kerrigan led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with his seventh double. Luis Arraez added two singles. Mitchell Kranson singled and walked twice. Luke Raley was 1-for-3 with a walk and drove in two runs. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Clearwater 10 Box Score The Miracle came into the season’s final weekend with a 1 1/2 game lead for a playoff spot. On this night, they were unable to help their own cause. Griffin Jax had his first rough start of the season. He gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits and two walks in just 2 2/3 innings. Kevin Marnon came on and gave up two runs on five hits, a walk and a hit batter over the next two innings. Alex Phillip made his Twins debut and threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings without even giving up a base runner. He struck out two. Adam Bray was charged with two runs on six hits over the final two innings. He struck one out. Phillips was signed out of the independent Frontier League this week. Reports indicate that he is aggressive in the strike zone. His fastball sits 91 to 93 mph and he has both a slider and a curveball, both of which were referred to as “good pitches.” Royce Lewis went 2-for-4 in the game. Alex Kirilloff went 1-for-1 with three walks. He homered in his first at-bat of the game. It was his 20th overall of the season. He also has 101 RBI. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Burlington 2 Box Score How did Michael Davis last until the 24th round in this year’s draft. All he’s done since signing is mash to the tune of a .308 average with now nine home runs. The biggest came tonight when, down a run in the bottom of the eighth inning, he crushed a grand slam that proved to be the game winner. Gabriel Maciel went 3-for-4. Victor Tademo was 2-for-3 with a walk and his first Midwest League double. Melvi Acosta started. The righty gave up two runs on five hits and a walk in just five innings. He struck out two. Moises Gomez came on and threw two zeroes on the scoreboard. Zach Neff worked both the eighth and ninth frames to be credited with the Win. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 7, Kingsport 3 Box Score The E-Twins began their annual playoff run with a game in Kingsport. After the win, Game 2 (and Game 3, if necessary) will be played in Elizabethton. The offense showed up, but it was a terrific start by 2018 pick Josh Winder. The seventh-round pick gave up one run on four hits over the first six innings. He walked none and struck out eight. JT Perez came in for the seventh and got two outs. However, he gave up one run on one hit and three walks. Both outs he recorded came on strikeouts. Jacob Blank got the final seven outs to record the save. Five of the outs came on strikeouts. He gave up one run on one hit and two walks. Yunior Severino and Ricky De La Torre, the youngest players on the team, each had three hits. Severino had a double. Gilberto Celestino went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer. Alex Robles had two hits and drove in three runs. Chris Williams had a single and two walks. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Yunior Severino, Elizabethton Twins (3-5, 2B, 2 R). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Josh Winder, Elizabethton Twins (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 2-4,K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - 1-1, 3 BB, HR(7), R, RBI #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 0-4, 2 K, R, K #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Minnesota) - 3.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 0 K. #6 - Trevor Larnach (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, K #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 0-4, IBB, K #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - did not play #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-4, 2B(9) #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, K #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, BB, RBI #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - 3-5, 2B, 2 R, K #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Out for the season (wrist) #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) - did not play #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, K #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - 2-5, 2 R, K #21 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, R, K *Since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (5:05 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero (5-5, 3.49 ERA) Chattanooga @ Jackson (6:05 CST) - LHP Dietrich Enns (4-5, 4.01 ERA) Clearwater @ Ft. Myers (5:00 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina (0-1, 5.79 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00 CST) - RHP Carlos Suniaga (3-4, 3.89 ERA) Kingsport @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) - RHP Luis Rijo GCL Twins - Season Completed Please feel free to ask any questions about Friday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Learning goes far beyond stats, but on another level, isn't learning to play in a playoff chase, and hopefully in a playoff series or two a learning experience?

Thad Levine said at the Baseball Prospectus event on Saturday that if he even suggests moving Alex Kirilloff to AA this year that someone needs to slap him. Lots of reason to keep him in Ft. Myers and I guarantee he is continuing to learn.

Yeah, pitchers sliding practice (PSP) in spring training is fun to watch. HA!

1.) Wells was told he had reached the # of innings this year that they wanted him at. This isn't about 'deserving', it's about what's' best for the players involved. 2.) Jax did well. He didn't start pitching this season until about June 1 (in games), and his job in the Air Force right now is preparing and working on baseball. So, no surprise in that one.

When healthy, Robinson is incredibly intriguing, especially if he throws strikes... Throws like 98-99, can be a good slider.