Seth Stohs

An attempt to speed up the game.

In my opinion, I'd like to see Romero, Gonsalves and Jorge moved up to AAA Rochester after the AAA All Star game, and join Slegers in that rotation. Adalberto Mejia has been pretty solid his last three starts. Gibson's shown some signs in like 6 of his 8 starts since coming back. That buys a little time.

It’s hard to believe that the baseball season is already nearly three months complete. The calendar has turned to July, and it is again time to hand out some awards. Today we start with the relief pitchers. Over the next few days, we’ll also post our top starting pitchers and hitters in the Twins minor leagues in June. There have been several transactions in recent days, and that will likely continue. Ironically, this was a terrific month for minor league relievers in the Twins system. Most important, several of those strong bullpen performances came from the upper levels of the system, AAA and AA. It was hard to cut down the honorable mention group, but it had to be done. If you missed any of the Twins Daily minor league awards to this point, check them out here: Hitter of the Month - Zack Granite, Rochester Red WingsStarting Pitcher of the Month - Stephen Gonsalves, Chattanooga LookoutsBefore we share our Twins Daily Minor League Top 5 Relievers for June, here are some terrific bullpen performances that just missed the cut. HONORABLE MENTION Nick Anderson - Chattanooga - 7 G, 1.64 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 9 H, 5 BB, 12 KDJ Baxendale - Rochester - 6 G, 2.77 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 12 H, 3 BB, 8 KMax Cordy - Cedar Rapids - 7 G, 2 GS, 1.13 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 16.0 IP, 9 H, 13 BB, 14 KColton Davis - Cedar Rapids - 9 G, 1 GS, 2.57 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 14.0 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 13 KTom Hackimer - Ft. Myers - 7 G, 1.64 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 9 H, 6 BB, 8 KJake Reed - Chattanooga/Rochester - 8 G, 1.50 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 12.0 IP, 7 H, 6 BB, 12 KMichael Tonkin - Rochester - 8 G, 3.18 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 11.1 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 18 KTodd Van Steensel - Chattanooga - 7 G, 1.64 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 8 H, 6 BB, 8 KTHE TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS #5 - Sam Clay - Ft. Myers - 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 10.2 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 10 K This spring, much was made of the Twins decision to move lefties Randy Rosario and Tyler Jay to the bullpen. Clay made 24 starts a year ago between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He was the starting pitcher in the Midwest League All-Star Game last year. However, he has made the transition to the bullpen appear effortless. Clay gave up six earned runs in ⅔ of an inning in his first appearance this year. Since then, he has given up just two runs over 39 innings. He went 24.1 innings without giving up a run. He gave up a single run in two straight games, and is now on a run of 13.2 innings without giving up a run. In June, opponents hit just .194/.293/.222 (.515) off of him. #4 - Hector Lujan - Cedar Rapids - 8 G, 1.04 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, 8.2 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 8 K Lujan was the Twins 35th-round pick in 2015 out of Westmost College. While he moved slowly initially, he has always had a big fastball. He now sits between 93 and 96 mph, and as his pitching coach JP Martinez told us last night, he has developed a cutter that is now a weapon. This year, he joined the Kernels very early in the season. While they were looking for a guy to close games, Lujan just continued to get outs. He got an opportunity to be the closer, and he has taken advantage of it. In the month, batters hit just .172/.194/.276 (.469) off him. He had four saves in the month and now has eight since taking the job. #3 - Andrew Vasquez - Ft. Myers - 6 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 9.1 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 18 K Vasquez was the Twins 32nd-round draft pick in 2015 out of Westmont College (yes, the same small college that Lujan was selected from, three rounds later). The southpaw has some tremendous stuff. Vasquez throws hard and gets a lot of movement. He joined Cedar Rapids late last year and became a threat in the bullpen. That’s where he began this year, but after a strong first two months, he was moved up to Ft. Myers where he has continued to impress. For the month, not only did he not give up runs (or many base runners), opponents hit just .152/.222/.182 (.404) off of him. He struck out nearly two batters per inning. He has yet to allow a run in 11.1 innings in Ft. Myers. It’s been a combined 18 innings since he’s given up a run. #2 - Luke Bard - Chattanooga - 7 G, 0.87 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 15 K Bard was a supplemental first-round pick for the Twins in 2012. He found himself on the disabled list a lot for the first four years of his career. 2016 was first healthy season, and he sat 93-96, touching 97. He’s been healthy again this year, and he’s been pitching really well. Overall, he has thrown 36 innings this season and has 59 strikeouts with just 13 walks. In June, opponents have hit just .167/.268/.250 (.518). Again, nearly two strikeouts per innings pitched. Bard was touted last season for having a very high spin rate which helps make his fastball jump on hitters and his breaking pitches very sharp. At 26, he should move up to AAA soon. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts and Rochester Red Wings – RHP John Curtiss - 8 G, 1.54 ERA, 0.43 WHIP, 11.2 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 15 K Through April and May John Curtiss gave up zero earned runs. Yet, for whatever reason, he was not the choice for Twins Daily relief pitcher of the month. In June, he finally gave up a run. In fact, he had one game in which he gave up two runs. And yet, this month he is our choice for relief pitcher of the month. Why? Well, he didn’t give up hits. He didn’t issue walks. He continued striking out well over a batter per inning. Opponents hit just .054/.125/.081 (.206). While he had probably earned a promotion much earlier, he finally got that call in mid-June, and he’s been very good so far in Rochester. I mean, he’s given up one hit and one walk in 5.1 innings for the Red Wings. Curtiss was the Twins 6th-round pick in 2014 out of Texas. He had already gone through thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and Tommy John surgery. He tried his luck as a starter in 2015, but he missed time with a concussion. In 2016, he moved to the bullpen, and has been dominant since. He was invited to the Arizona Fall League and pitched well. The 24-year-old could see time as early as this season in the Twins bullpen. There were a lot of very strong relief pitcher performances in June throughout the Twins minor league system. It’s encouraging that several of them are in the upper levels as well. We’ve seen Alan Busenitz and Trevor Hildenberger already. My sense is that we will see several more before the season is over. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations to each of these individuals on an excellent first month to their seasons. Congratulations to the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for June 2017, John Curtiss. Click here to view the article

Nope, he can become a free agent following the season. I wrote an article in late February on it, and I talked to him at spring training and he mentioned it. He knows.

No question, Curtiss is legit! Palacios just keeps raking! Lewis could be really, really special. And happy 4th to you as well, Roger!!

Mauer's home run was absolutely crushed. Just a 22 degree angle and traveled 413 feet! And then Max destroyed his homer too... 108 mph and 18 degree angle... And now that's three straight good starts for Mejia... that may be the biggest news. He'll still have ups and downs, but if he can now start having more ups, that's a big boost.

Happy Independence Day! Monday was another Stephen Gonsalves start which is always must-see milb.tv. A former first-round pick provided the offense for the Lookouts. The Red Wings stayed hot, and Aaron Slegers kept a nice streak going. The Miracle used a big inning again to turn a deficit into a win. The Kernels got another terrific pitching performance from a newcomer. The E-Twins bats showed up again, and the GCL Twins played some extra innings. It was a full night in the system. It was also a big night for a former Twins minor leaguer. Right-hander Tim Shibuya, pitching for the Tulsa Drillers in the Texas League, kept a no-hitter intact until two outs in the ninth inning. He had to settle for a complete game, one-hit shutout instead. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Mississippi 2 Box Score It was another start for Stephen Gonsalves, which means that Stephen Gonsalves put together another quality start. The left-hander gave up two runs on eight hits over six innings. He struck out six without issuing a walk. He improved to 5-3 with a 2.67 ERA. Gonsalves was replaced by Todd Van Steensel whose season's ERA dropped to 1.72 with two more scoreless frames. He struck out three. Nick Anderson recorded his first AA save with a perfect ninth which included a strikeout. The offense did little early in the game. In fact, they had just two hits until the seventh inning when they put a three-spot on the board. The big hit again came off the bat of Levi Michael.He hit a three-run homer, his fourth of the season. They added another run in the eighth for the final tally. Edgar Corcino went 2-5 with his 14th double. Nick Gordon was 2-4. Alex Perez went 2-4 with his first AA double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 10, St. Lucie 7 Box Score The game ended well after midnight in Ft. Myers. The start of the game was delayed, and then there was a longer delay in the third inning. On Sunday, the Miracle used an 11-run eighth inning to earn a big win. They used a big inning again on Monday to come back and win another game. Down 7-4 going into the bottom of the 7th inning, the Miracle scored six runs to take a three-run lead. Cody Stashak started and went the first three innings. Given a 4-1 lead, he loaded the bases in the top of the third. Tim Tebow launched a double to the fence in left center field to tie the game. (Tebow went 1-2 with 2 walks) That’s when the rains came. When the game continued, Williams Ramirez came into the game. He threw two shutout innings. Tom Hackimer worked the next two innings. He struck out two but was charged with an unearned run. Andrew Vasquez recorded his first Miracle save with two shutout innings. Zander Wiel went 2-5 with his 15th and 16th doubles. Kevin Garcia went 2-5 with a triple. Jaylin Davis went 2-3 and was hit by a pitch. Mitchell Kranson and Jermaine Palacios were both 2-5. Max Murphy went 1-3 with two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Clinton 0 Box Score A night after Griffin Jax shut out Clinton in his first Kernels start, lefty Anthony Marzi started another shutout for the team. Signed over the weekend from the independent New Britain Bees, Marzi threw the first 6.2 innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out eight batters. His pitching coach, JP Martinez, was impressed. “Marzi forced the ball inside all night which he told me he likes to. So his plan lined up with what we had on their hitters. He creates some deception, throws across his body and fills the zone. Push-pull with his changeup was good, and he put some right-handed hitters away with his slider, which was nice to see.” Ryan Mason came on and got the next four outs. Hector Lujan recorded his eighth save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, including a strikeout. Lujan took over closer’s duties about a month ago, and he has been terrific. It’s a role he has enjoyed. “The biggest thing I've felt that has helped me get comfortable in these games is just having the mentality of attacking and getting ahead of hitters. Being able to get ahead in the count with any pitch depending on the hitter and what his approach has been the whole game. All in all, I'm just trying to be able to get out there and do what I can to help get a team W.” Martinez noted that Lujan was displaying some of the traits of a closer all season, even before claiming the role. “Hector has been poised and aggressive whenever we’ve thrown (in) him all year. He picked up a cutter in the offseason, and we’ve worked hard to refine it. It has become his bread and butter and is pretty firm, sitting 87-89. He’s got a lively fastball at 93-96, so it’s tough for guys to get comfortable against him. I’ve been really happy with his mentality, his work ethic, and his composure in those tight spots.” Ben Rortvedt drove in the first run with a single. He was 2-4. Lewin Diaz drove in the other run with a single. He also was 2-4. Joe Cronin was 2-4 with a triple. Lean Marrero was also 2-4. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 7, Danville 1 Box Score The E-Twins turned the tables in Danville on Monday night after Danville won on Sunday by the same score. Edwar Colina was very good. The right-hander gave up up one run on three hits over six innings. He walked three and struck out seven. The bullpen finished the job. Converted catcher Juan Gamez struck out two over two perfect innings. Jose Martinez struck out one in the ninth. 2017 ninth-round pick Mark Contreras went 3-5 with his first two doubles and his first triple as a pro. TJ Dixon went 2-5 with his first triple. Carson Crites went 2-6. Kolton Kendrick and Trey Cabbage both had a single and two walks. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Rays 3 (10 innings) Box Score Right-hander Tyler Beardsley hasn’t pitched in a game since he started for Cedar Rapids in May 21. On Monday, he made a rehab appearance in the GCl. He threw two scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out three. Beardsley noted, "It felt good to be back out there competing. I've put a lot of hard work in these last six weeks to get back on the mound." Amilcar Cruz worked the next two innings. He gave up no runs on two hits, walked one and struck out two. Next to the mound for the Twins was Brusdar Graterol. He gave up two runs on four hits over five innings. He walked just one and struck out eight batters. Royce Lewis is now hitting .360 after this 2-5 game. He added his fourth double. Alex Robles went 2-4 with his second double. Ben Rodriguez added his first pro double. The game was tied going into the bottom of the 10th inning. Vadim Balan entered the game. He hit the first batter. The next guy laid down a bunt. Balan fielded it and threw it away. The runner came around from first base to score and end the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Anthony Marzi, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Mark Contreras, Elizabethton Twins TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Justin Haley Tennessee @ Chattanooga (5:15 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart Ft. Myers @ Tampa (6:00 CST) - TBD Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST) - RHP Eduardo Del Rosario Princeton @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - RHP Huascar Ynoa GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (9:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

Enlow's just working in Ft. Myers. I'm sure he'll get into a game soon. Leach is still waiting for his visa. Once he gets that, he'll come down, work out some, probably pitch a little out of the bullpen.

Looks like 8 players have signed this morning...

Looks like Jelfry Marte is official now... https://twitter.com/TwinsLatinos/status/881911426125881344

I think Burdi and Reed are givens. Stewart and Bard are on the fence. Navi may be if he shows any ability to hit in AA the rest of the year.

Yesterday, Zack Granite was the unsurprising choice for Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month of June. Today, we’ll discuss the top starting pitchers during the month. Because of All-Star games and promotions, it can be a difficult month to rate the players. Some guys have five starts and 32 innings thrown. Some guys have just three starts or 16 innings pitched, so it can be difficult. There were several really good choices, so let’s get to it.Before we get to our Top 5 starting pitchers for the month of June, here is a list of a couple of others who deserve to be recognized for a solid month. HONORABLE MENTION Clark Beeker - Cedar Rapids - 4 GS, 23.1 IP, 2-0, 3.86 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 24 H, 3 BB, 14 KFelix Jorge - Chattanooga - 5 GS, 34.0 IP, 3-0, 2.91 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 34 H, 5 BB, 31 KLewis Thorpe - Ft. Myers - 4 G, 3 GS, 16.2 IP, 1-0, 1.62 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 13 H, 7 BB, 16 K.THE TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS #5 - Fernando Romero - Chattanooga Lookouts - 4 GS, 3-0, 1.69 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 26.2 IP, 21 H, 8 BB, 27 K Romero was the choice for Twins Daily’s #1 prospect before the 2017 season, and he’s performed well in his jump to AA Chattanooga. While he started out a little slow, he has been quite good since mid-May. More important, he’s become more consistent. Along with the fantastic numbers listed above, about a strikeout each inning, opponents hit just .206/.283/.333 (.617) off Romero in June. He returned to the mound in 2016 after missing two years of playing time due to Tommy John surgery in 2014 and knee surgery in 2015. After three starts with the Kernels, he moved up to Ft. Myers where he continued to dominate until being shut down in late August. In November, he was added to the 40-man roster. #4 - Dereck Rodriguez - Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts - 5 GS, 3-0, 2.60 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 19 H, 9 BB, 31 K Rodriguez was the Twins 2011 sixth-round pick. He spent the next three years as an outfielder. He then transitioned into a pitcher full time in 2014. He was moved along slowly, but about 12 months ago, he took off. He struggled for the first six weeks of the 2016 season in Cedar Rapids, but he pitched well, and earned a late-season promotion to Ft. Myers. He began 2017 as the Miracle Opening Day starter. He earned a spot on the Florida State League All-Star team and pitched an inning in the game. He started June in Ft. Myers, but he was promoted to the Lookouts for a start. He was sent back to the Miracle in order to pitch in the All-Star Game, but then was brought back up to the Lookouts. He put up very good numbers at both levels. In fact, opponents hit just .198/.264/.281 (.541) against him. He should spend the remainder of the season with the Lookouts. He could become a free agent following the season, unless the Twins put him on their 40-man roster. #3 - Tyler Wells - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 2-2, 1.96 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 17 H, 4 BB, 27 K Wells was the Twins 15th-round pick last year out of Cal State-San Bernadino. At 6-8, 265 pounds, Wells can look intimidating on the mound. He runs a fastball 91-94, but his best pitches may be his breaking balls, both a 12-6 curveball and a good slider. He returned from the disabled list at the end of May and started where he left off. In June, opponents hit just .202/.236/.226 (.462) off of him. Unfortunately, he is back on the disabled list after experiencing the same issue that put him on the DL for three weeks earlier this season. He is experiencing some issues in his shoulder. An MRI was conducted because it was his second time with this issue, but the results were inconclusive. It didn’t show that anything structural was wrong. He’ll be in the Twin Cities in the coming days for another look. #2- Cody Stashak - Ft. Myers Miracle - 3 GS, 2-0, 0.98 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 18.1 IP, 10 H, 4 BB, 20 K A quick look at his raw numbers and it is hard to justify him not being #1 on this list. However, he made just three starts for the Miracle because he was placed on the DL on May 22 and didn’t return to the Miracle mound until June 15th. In half of the month, he was nearly unhittable. Opponents hit just .156/.217/.172 (.389) off him during the month. Stashak was the Twins 13th-round pick in 2015 out of St. Johns. He isn’t a flame-thrower, but he sits 90-93 and pounds the strike zone with a good three-pitch mix. He is a good athlete. If he keeps pitching well, he could be a candidate to move up to Chattanooga within the next month. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts - LHP Stephen Gonsalves - 5 GS, 4-1, 2.32 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 31.0 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 38 K Maybe the lesson to be learned from these top starting pitcher performances in June is that if caught early and treated/rehabbed, pitchers can come back as strong, or even stronger. This month’s top starting pitcher is a great example of that. Gonsalves was the Twins fourth-round pick in 2013 out of high school in San Diego. He has quickly and consistently moved up each season. He was the Twins Daily choice for Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2016 as well as the Twins choice for their top minor league pitcher. His success caused the Twins to invite him to big league spring training this year. It was an experience he relished. “Big league camp, to me, was them telling me that I was close and need to keep driving and stay hungry. It was a great experience, meeting the guys and especially some of the veterans we had invited to camp. The other great thing about camp was that all my teammates were there with me, guys I've been playing with for the past couple years and it was awesome to go through the the experience with them.” He made a good impression at camp. Unfortunately, his spring training ended early as he was experiencing some discomfort behind his left shoulder. It was the same injury that cost him about a month during the Arizona Fall League. Because of it, he did not return to AA Chattanooga until mid-May. “Yes, it was very frustrating when I had to miss the first half of the season just because I'm always going to be the guy that wants to be out on the field competing.” In eight starts since his return, he has been very good. He is 4-3 with a 2.63 ERA. In 48 innings, he’s given up just 31 hits. He’s walked just ten and struck out 56. The concern with his AA numbers (which were astounding) in the second half of last season was the walks. He’s dropped that number while continuing to strike out more than a batter per inning. Gonsalves is choosing to take the time on the disabled list as a positive. “Although I think the injury was a little blessing in disguise. It was time for us to go over my mechanics for the last couple years and really get my entire body to work together as one. Once I came back, I started throwing a little harder, and I was more consistent with throwing strikes because my body was working together.” His fastball velocity is back, even consistently a little higher. Whereas he was 88-93 in the past, he’s now consistently 90-94. He breaking ball is better and his changeup remains a plus-plus pitch. While many wanted him to start his season in Rochester, and now he may just be ready for that jump, it was likely the best thing for him to start in AA Chattanooga. They were a winning team, competing for a playoff spot, he was with teammates he knew well, and a coach he has tremendous confidence in. As he notes, “I felt comfortable when I got back with my team in a place I had a lot of success at last year. So I was calm and relaxed. Back with working with Ivan (Arteaga, the Lookouts pitching coach) makes it feel like I never left, and I'm right where I should be.” The key to his success so far this season? In Gonsalves’s words, “The key this season has just been consistency, my delivery has made all my pitches easier for me to locate. It is letting me repeat everything easier.” And who knows, there may be another blessing in disguise to missing the first six weeks of the season. He will be under no innings limit, and as the Twins are struggling to find pitching, Gonsalves is a name that should receive a lot of consideration in another month, if not sooner. For now, it would seem the bump up to AAA Rochester should be considered following the International League All-Star Game. Gonsalves has to be added to the Twins 40-man roster after this season. So he could be a consideration for 2017, though the organization would certainly want to be sure that they won’t use an option. But September should be a real possibility. For now, we appreciate a terrific June performance by the left-hander. Congratulations to our Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of June, Lookouts starter Stephen Gonsalves. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like. It wasn’t as easy a decision as you might think. There were several solid starters in June, and several really stood out. Click here to view the article

I think worrying about Brent Rooker at this point is kind of WAY premature. He had one bad game when he returned after missing three days. He'll be fine. And... high school kids drafted his year are not playing in the Appy League, well, very few. That's also not a good take.

Despite the fact that the GCL Twins don’t play on Sundays, it was a very busy day in the Twins minor league system. AA Chattanooga finished their suspended game and played their regularly-scheduled game. Ft. Myers played two games against the Tebows, I mean, St. Lucie Mets. The Kernels had a quality prospect make his Midwest League debut. It was also the first day of the new International signing period. That means that the Twins (and all the other teams) could start signing 16-year-old international players. Most of the top names come from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. But players from Cuba, Australia and other countries will also be signed. While it was posted that the Twins have an agreement with SS Jelfry Marte, they are likely to sign another dozen or more kids from foreign countries. According to Ben Badler from Baseball America, the Twins are also the favorite to sign OFs Carlos Aguilar and Mauro Bonafacio. As for Sunday night, the Twins have not yet actually signed any of these players. That will happen over the course of the next week, and in some cases, over the coming months.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Sunday, starting with the transactions of the day. OK, there was just one transaction. Felix Jorge was returned to Chattanooga following his MLB debut as the 26th man in the Twins doubleheader. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Lehigh Valley 3 Box Score David Hurlbut put together another quality start, but the Red Wings offense was unable to score. The left-hander gave up three runs on eight hits over 7.2 innings. He struck out nine without issuing a walk. Alex Wimmers came on and struck out the one batter he faced. The Red Wings offense had just five hits in the game. Zack Granite went 2-4 and is now hitting .367. Mitch Garver - who played left field again - went 0-3 with a walk which ended his 15-game hitting streak. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Mississippi 3 (completion of suspended game from Saturday) Box Score On Saturday, the Lookouts started their game, but after two innings, it was suspended by rain. They completed that game on Sunday. Fernando Romero started on Saturday and threw two scoreless innings. He gave up a hit, walked two and struck out three. Randy LeBlanc started when the game resumed on Sunday. He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out five. Luke Bard picked up the save by recording the final four outs. He gave up three hits and walked one without allowing a run. He struck out two. Nick Gordon went 2-4 and drove in a run. Levi Michael went 1-3 with a two-run homer, his third of the season. Chattanooga 4, Mississippi 0 (regularly-scheduled games) Box Score In the regularly-scheduled, now-7-inning game, the Lookouts got some really good pitching. Ryan Eades made the start and threw three shutout innings. He didn’t give up a hit or issue a walk and struck out five. Alex Muren came on and also threw three shutout innings. He gave up four hits, and struck out one. Randy Rosario pitched a perfect ninth. Edgar Corcino led the offense with a 2-3 game. He stole his second base and scored two runs. They scored three runs in the 6th to solidify their lead. TJ White knocked a two-run double, his tenth of the year. Levi Michael followed with his ninth double to drive in White. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 - Ft. Myers 4, St. Lucie 5 Box Score Through the first four innings, Brady Anderson gave up only one run. However, he started the fifth by giving up three singles to load the bases. The bases were then unloaded with a grand slam. That certainly, and quickly, altered Anderson’s pitching line. He gave up five runs on eight hits and four walks in four innings. Jonny Drozd came on and gave up a hit and two walks but no runs over two innings. David Fischer worked a scoreless seventh frame. The Miracle started slow and made a comeback in the seventh that fell just shy. In that inning, Brandon Lopez and Jermaine Palacios had RBI singles to cut the lead to one, but the team could not get one more hit to extend the game. Lopez went 2-3 with a walk and has hit .438 in his first five games with the Miracle. With a 3-4, Palacios is now hitting .407 through his first seven games since joining the team. Max Murphy went 2-4. Sean Miller was 1-2 with a walk and his second stolen base. Game 2 - Ft. Myers 12, St. Lucie 1 Box Score Playing a mid-afternoon doubleheader in early July in Ft. Myers is not advised. With that heat and humidity, it can be difficult. After a close first game, the Miracle were able to put a strong offensive performance together for a big win. Nearly everyone in the offense contributed in some way. Brandon Lopez stayed hot. He went 3-5 in game two and is now at .476 in six games. Shane Kennedy went 3-3 with a walk and his second triple. Max Murphy went 2-5 with his 16th double. Nelson Molina went 2-4. Tanner English was 1-2 with two walks and his eighth double. Jermaine Palacios hit his second double and drove in three runs. Zander Wiel hit his seventh home run. Anthony McIver made another start and did well again. He gave up one run on five hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out three. Keaton Steele gave up two hits and a walk over two scoreless innings. Lopez has enjoyed his time in Ft. Myers and appreciates the coaching he's received. "The adjustment has been easy really thanks to the coaching staff and my teammates. It's a fun group of guys that love to go out there have fun and at the same time get better doing it. Since I got up here I've been working with Doug (Mientkiewicz) and Sing (hitting coach Steve Singleton) in cages on a few things with my swing and I've definitely felt more comfortable in games at the plate." KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 0 Box Score The Kernels made another commuter trip to Clinton and drove home with a nice, clean win. Griffin Jax was terrific in his first Midwest League start. The right-hander drafted a year ago from Air Force worked seven shutout innings. He walked one and struck out four. Jax was happy with his performance following the game. He said, “I was able to establish my fastball to both sides of the plate for the most part. Our report on them was that they had trouble with the fastball, so that was the game plan moving forward. I had some early-game nerves but after the first inning I settled in.” Jeff Johnson from The Gazette posted the following on Saturday night regarding Jax. Assume he does have a 60-day leave, and that he’s been at extended spring training and made a start in Elizabethton, he should be able to spend four to five weeks with the Kernels. Logan Lombana worked a scoreless eighth inning. Hector Lujan recorded his seventh save of the season. The Kernels scored one run in each of the first three innings. In the first, Travis Blankenhorn hit a two-out double and scored on a Lewin Diaz single. The in the second, Andre Jernigan walked and scored on a Lean Marrero double, his first since joining the Kernels a week ago. In the third, Aaron Whitefield hit his ninth home run of the season. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Danville 7 Box Score The E-Twins played an afternoon game in Danville on Sunday. It was a good game until a five-run bottom of the eighth gave Danville a big win. Charlie Barnes made his second start. In 3.1 innings, he gave up one run on five hits and two walks. He struck out five. Chris Broussard worked 3.2 scoreless innings, but he was able to get just one out in the bottom of the eighth. He was charged with four runs on six hits and a walk. Jared Finkel came on and got the final two outs, though he was charged with two runs (one earned) in that inning as well. The E-Twins managed just three hits in the game. Wander Javier had two of them including his fourth double. He stole his second base as well. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins Box Score There are no Gulf Coast League games on Sundays (with some exceptions). TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Griffin Jax, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Brandon Lopez, Ft. Myers Miracle MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Chattanooga @ Mississippi (6:00 CST) - LHP Matt Tracy St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi Elizabethton @ Danville (6:00 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 am CST) - RHP Brusdar Graterol Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. 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On Sunday night, 2017 MLB All-Stars were named. The Minnesota Twins will be represented by two players. Ervin Santana and Miguel Sano will head to Miami next week as All Stars.Miguel Sano had been leading fan voting until the final week when Cleveland's Jose Ramirez (and Toronto's Josh Donaldson) passed him. Some are demanding a recount. Nevertheless, Sano will be going to Miami as a reserve. Sano will also participate in the Home Run Derby. Click here to view the article

His best skill is knowing the strike zone pretty well. He isn't strong defensively in the outfield, probably best as a DH. He doesn't have a lot of power. He's not real fast. And, he hasn't hit for a lot of average in the past. He's kind of just a real solid player who doesn't have the flashy tools to fit into the "prospect" rankings... which doesn't mean he can't get to the big leagues.

He had a fantastic June...

Or, Busenitz was unable to pitch on Saturday and probably Sunday after working 2.2 innings on Friday night.