Seth Stohs

The Minnesota Twins lost 7-5 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night at Target Field. It was the team's tenth loss in their last 11 games, and it dropped their season record to just 9-16. As the calendar flips from April to May, many Twins fans are likely asking themselves if they could have possibly been this wrong about the Twins. We were possibly this wrong about the 2018 Minnesota Twins? Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson, USA Today The Minnesota Twins lost 7-5 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night at Target Field. It was the team's tenth loss in their last 11 games, and it dropped their season record to just 9-16. As the calendar flips from April to May, many Twins fans are likely asking themselves if they could have possibly been this wrong about the Twins. We were possibly this wrong about the 2018 Minnesota Twins? Simply put, there isn't a member of the Minnesota Twins organization, players, coaches or front office, who is happy with the Twins 9-15 record. Even more than the simple record, no one could be happy with the way that the team is playing. Most important maybe to the ownership, fans are already frustrated with the results. To this point, an oversimplified summary of the Twins season would include: poor starting pitching, poor relief pitching, poor hitting and poor defense. There are some positives, to be sure, but overall, April was a rough month for the Twins. There have been excuses given for the team. Some are legitimate. Others just aren't really appropriate. Here is a quick look at some of the excuses or reasons often given for the Twins awful first month of the season. The Weather The weather was awful during the first half of the month, through the season's first three weeks. The Twins had a number of scheduled off days, and then there was an unusual amount of snow that fell on Minneapolis (and many other MLB cities). This certainly could not have been easy, but frankly, the Twins were 8-5 during the spotty part of the schedule. We mostly assumed that the team would benefit from playing every day. Hitters could get into a routine, and pitchers could get into their normal patterns between starts. That, in theory, should create some sort of consistency. Instead, since things returned to normal, the twins have gone 1-10. The Front Office Did Nothing I hear this a lot, and it's one that is hard to fathom. The Twins were one of the busiest teams during the offseason. The Cubs signed Yu Darvish, who the Twins clearly targeted heavily. In the offseason, the Twins signed relievers Fernando Rodney, Zack Duke and Addison Reed. They traded A-ball shortstop Jermaine Palacios for veteran Jake Odorizzi. These were solid moves. Many assumed that the money that was not spent on Darvish would just go unspent money. Instead, the front office played the free agent market wisely. The Twins signed Logan Morrison, who hit 38 home runs last year for Tampa Bay, for $6.5 million and an option. Then they signed Lance Lynn, a pitcher who was projected to make $80 million or more in free agency, for one year and $12 million. That was the point where many Twins fans nodded and thought, OK, now we can really get excited. Now the Twins have accumulated a roster that could possibly compete with Cleveland for an AL Central title. Since the season has started, the front office, unfortunately, has again had to reach down to AAA, and reach out via the waiver wire, to address pitching issues. Judging any of those moves after one month would be very short-sighted, whether positively or negatively. Fernando Rodney has not been good. Zack Duke, after struggling early, has been pretty good the last seven outings. Odorizzi has an ERA below four. Logan Morrison got off to a very slow start. It will take him some time to make his numbers look presentable. Lance Lynn, frankly, has had five starts that look very similar to the two starts Phil Hughes has had, which pushed Hughes to the bullpen. To attempt to summarize Lynn to this point, he has had no command. The Twins Have Missed Byron Buxton While his batting average when he went on the disabled list was just shy of .200, the Twins have won just two games since Byron Buxton went down with migraines... and then a fractured toe. While Max Kepler can play a solid, adequate centerfield, the loss of Buxton comes in the form of replacing Buxton with Kepler and Kepler with Robbie Grossman. In other words, the defense is weakened in two spots. Likewise, it's nice to have Eduardo Escobar's bat in the lineup, but the team also misses Jorge Polanco who will not be able to play for another two months due to his 80-game PED suspension. Now Miguel Sano has a hamstring injury, and the team's infield depth is being stretched. Players Gotta Play If we're being honest, it's almost completely on the players at this point. Max Kepler is really punishing the baseball. Eduardo Escobar continues to be very good with the bat. Joe Mauer continues to be an on-base machine. Ryan Pressly has seemingly taken a next step. Kyle Gibson, Jake Odorizzi and Jose Berrios have been solid pitchers most times out. Addison Reed has been quite good. As Mitch Garver has played more of late, his bat has heated up. The team needs better starting pitching. The team needs better relief pitching. The team needs better hitting overall, but they more specifically need to be better with runners in scoring position. Reasons for Optimism It might be difficult right now to imagine a scenario where the Twins turn this around and make a playoff push. The team will need to start playing well soon, but there are some things that we do need to remember. First, the Twins still are scheduled to play another 138 games. To end the season with 87 wins, the team would need to go 78-60. That means that they would need to win about 56% of their remaining games. That's not an easy task, but it isn't out of the realm of possibility if things change soon. The team has played just one game in the American League Central to this point. That means they have another 56 games against the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox. If they go 37-19 in those 56 games, that would mean that they needed to go .500 in their other 82 remaining games to reach that 87 win mark. I don't know if winning 2/3 of their games against those three AL Central teams is realistic, but those games will be very important to the Twins. I still believe that the Twins have a good combination of veterans and younger players. Veterans will typically find a way to reach their typical numbers by season's end. Logan Morrison and Lance Lynn can only get better. Fernando Rodney should get better. Taylor Rogers and Trevor Hildenberger will get better. The front office has shown they're not going to be afraid to make moves, particularly with the final 25- and 40-man roster spots. Tyler Kinley got some time, and now has been DFAd. They added David Hale. He pitched once, and they DFAd him. They are trying Matt Magill. Gabriel Moya made the Opening Day roster, Alan Busenitz has been up, Tyler Duffey got another shot and now he's been sent back, and John Curtiss is up. And finally, the exciting news from Monday was the announcement that Fernando Romero, the team's top pitching prospect, will be called up on Wednesday to make the start for the Twins. It isn't likely to be a one-time spot start as Phil Hughes has been moved to the bullpen. Hughes got two starts upon his return and the club saw enough. And to replace him, they didn't just call up anyone. They called up their top prospect. Is Fernando Romero ready? Probably not quite. But he's close, and his stuff can be electric. He's got the upper-90s fastball to go with a slider. He'll need to be more consistent with control and command, and his third pitch (a changeup) is still a work-in progress. But it's the kind of move that tells the organization, we aren't settling and we're going to give this key part of our future a shot. If Lance Lynn doesn't soon make some adjustments, he may need a three-week DL stint with some sort of "injury" and someone like Stephen Gonsalves - who will make his first AAA start of 2018 on Tuesday - could get an opportunity. If Miguel Sano can't play in the next couple of days, could the Twins decide to promote another highly-touted prospect, Nick Gordon, directly from Double A? Is he big-league ready? Probably not, there are still questions about him and he could use more development time, but that would be a big move. If they feel he's close, which he might be, that would be the possible move. So, were we wrong? I don't know what everyone who reads this thinks the 2018 Twins team would do or should do. I do think most believed that this team can, should and will compete for a playoff spot. I'm not sure how many thought that the team had made up the 20 win distance between the Twins and Cleveland from last year, but on paper, the team had improved. They had added some solid veterans, and they still had young players capable of getting better and better. I am not at the point yet in giving up on the 2018 season. It's FAR too early for that. I still believe that there is too much talent on this roster and that they should turn it around quickly. Getting Byron Buxton back would be huge. Having a healthy Miguel Sano, and preferably one that strikes out less than 40% of the time, would be helpful. Having Lance Lynn show what he's been capable of through his years with the Cardinals would be nice. Logan Morrison figuring out a way to hit five or six home runs a month the rest of the way would be good. A higher percentage of competitive at-bats would be a good start. Eddie Rosario remembering not to swing at pitches he can't drive would be great. Jason Castro performing as he did in 2017 would be good. The bullpen finding its way will be crucial, and obviously the most important thing will be for the starting staff to throw some quality starts onto their stat lines. There is reason for hope and optimism. That should not be gone for Twins fans. But right now, little is going right, and they will need to turn things around quickly to encourage fans to show up to Target Field. View full article

Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers had a day off to close out April. However, an unlikely hero surfaced in Chattanooga and helped the Lookouts to a walk-off win. Rochester, in search of some offense, was able to score five runs. Was it enough to win? And hey, we’ve got more transactions including the Twins announcement that top pitching prospect Fernando Romero will be promoted and start for the Twins on Wednesday. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily (photo of Tanner English) Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers had a day off to close out April. However, an unlikely hero surfaced in Chattanooga and helped the Lookouts to a walk-off win. Rochester, in search of some offense, was able to score five runs. Was it enough to win? And hey, we’ve got more transactions including the Twins announcement that top pitching prospect Fernando Romero will be promoted and start for the Twins on Wednesday. Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Saturday. And as always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Following Sunday’s Twins loss, the team announced that RH RP Tyler Duffey was optioned to Rochester. On Monday morning, they announced that RH RP John Curtiss had been promoted. Then before the Twins Monday night game, the big news broke. Paul Molitor announced that Phil Hughes was being moved to the bullpen and Fernando Romero will come up to make his first MLB start on Wednesday. Romero is the Twins #2 Prospect and is ready for any role with the Twins. The Rochester Red Wings announced that RH RP Luke Bard had rejoined the team after his time with the Angels as a Rule 5 pick. Reports indicate that LHP Kevin Marnon has been promoted from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Pawtucket 1 Box Score The Red Wings have struggled to score runs all of April, so when they scored three runs in the first inning on Monday, there was reason for excitement. Combined with a strong pitching performance, the Red Wings ended April with 9-10 record. Dietrich Enns made the start. The left-hander gave up just one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out just one, but it was a needed quality start for the Red Wings. DJ Baxendale came on and threw two scoreless innings. Mason Melotakis got the ninth frame and got out of it without allowing a run. Willians Astudillo led the offense. He went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Leonardo Reginnato went 2-for-5 with his sixth double. Brock Stassi went 2-for-5 as well. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Tennessee 3 Box Score It’s been a tough start to the season for outfielder Tanner English. Coming into Monday afternoon’s game, the speedy centerfielder had just four hits in his first 51 at-bats (.078). In fact, after making out his first two at-bats in this game, he was on a stretch in which he was 0-for-23 and 1-for-40. In the 7th inning, English singled to center to break the hitless streak. Down 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, Brian Navarreto singled. Sean Miller sacrificed him to second. LaMonte Wade was walked which brought Tanner English to the plate. On a 1-2 pitch, English connected, hitting a line drive to left. Navarreto scored, and Wade came all the way around from first base with the game-winning run. Manager Tommy Watkins noted after the game, “It was great to see him come through for the team and also for himself. Hopefully this will be the start to him taking off. He has excellent tools, and we’re just trying to get him to believe in himself.” On the mound, starter Randy LeBlanc continued (and finished) his strong April with another good start. The right-hander gave up two runs on seven hits over the first 5 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four. Anthony McIver came on and got the final out of the sixth inning, worked a scoreless seventh frame, and he got the first two outs of the eighth inning. He gave up just one hit and struck out three. Williams Ramirez recorded the final out of the eighth frame. He was charged with an unearned run in the top of the ninth to put the Lookouts down 3-2. Brent Rooker got the team on the board in the third inning with a two-run double, his fifth of the year. Chris Paul and Brian Navarreto each went 2-4. LaMonte Wade went 1-3 with two walks. English went 2-4 with his second double and the game-tying and -winning RBI. English said following the game, “It definitely felt good. It felt good to end the series with that win. I’ve been struggling a bit, so I was just happy to have some good ABs, the hits were just an added bonus. We all look forward to taking that momentum into Mobile.” MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers Box Score No Game Scheduled. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids Box Score No Game Scheduled. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Willians Astudillo, Rochester Red Wings (3-5, 2B(3), 2 RBI) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Dietrich Enns, Rochester Red Wings (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-3, BB, 2B(5), 2 RBI #14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) - 1-3, 2 BB, K, R TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (5:15 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (1st AAA start of the year) Chattanooga - No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ Tampa (5:30 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi (1-0, 1.93 ERA) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina (1-0, 1.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s full schedule of games, or ask any questions you may have. View full article

The Twins have announced that Fernando Romero will start on Wednesday with Phil Hughes going to the bullpen. Wow!!

Per the Twins, David Hale has cleared waivers. He has rejected an outright assignment so he is now a free agent.

https://theathletic.com/332645/2018/04/30/tigers-quality-control-coach-joe-vavra-on-his-job-using-analytics-and-which-areas-are-ripe-for-improvement/ Joe Vavra is the new Quality Control Coach for the Tigers, joining Ron Gardenhire's staff... this is an interesting article on his new role, spring training, analytics and much more. Vavra is a great baseball man, lifer. He was the Twins hitting coach most of the Twins '00s glory years with Mauer, Morneau, Hunter, Cuddyer, etc. He also was the bench coach after spending time as the third base coach. He was known as a guy who used the analytics and really attempted to bring it in a consumable way to people. He discusses that as well.

Graterol was FAR more impressive to watch than the box score indicates. He absolutely dominated the first three innings.

The Rochester Red Wings have one of the worst offenses in minor league baseball. So, how can they win? Well, how about pitching a shutout? That’s what they got on Saturday. Chattanooga had a big inning and the big blow came from the guy who has been doing it all month. The Miracle got behind early, tried to come back, but they fell short. The Kernels played two games, and got exactly what they needed in the first game. They had another pitcher in game two who made his Kernels debut. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily (photos of Jordan Gore, Randy Dobnak) The Rochester Red Wings have one of the worst offenses in minor league baseball. So, how can they win? Well, how about pitching a shutout? That’s what they got on Saturday. Chattanooga had a big inning and the big blow came from the guy who has been doing it all month. The Miracle got behind early, tried to come back, but they fell short. The Kernels played two games, and got exactly what they needed in the first game. They had another pitcher in game two who made his Kernels debut. Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Saturday. And as always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Following the Twins Friday night loss, they announced that RHP David Hale had been DFAd. On Saturday morning, they announced that RHP Matt Magill has been added to the roster. . Cedar Rapids sent RHP Moises Gomez down to extended spring training. 2017 draft pick Rickey Ramirez was promoted to the Kernels. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Syracuse 0 Box Score The Red Wings offense has not been terribly good to start the 2017, so on Saturday afternoon, the Rochester pitching staff picked them up and provided a great game. Aaron Slegers made the start a day later than he was scheduled to because of his one day at Yankees Stadium with the Twins, but he was quite good. The right-hander gave up four hits and walked two over six shutout innings to drop his season ERA to 1.50. He struck out four. Brainerd High School’s Nick Anderson came on and threw two zeroes on the board. He walked one and struck out four. For the season, he now has given up just one run and on the season he has walked two and struck out 17 in 11 innings. Gabriel Moya gave up a hit and a walk, but kept the shutout intact as he recorded his first save of the season. Still not a lot of offense for the Red Wings, but it was enough. In the second inning, James Ramsey singled in Brock Stassi with the first run of the game. The second run came in the eighth inning when Bobby Wilson scored on a wild pitch. Wilson had doubled to reach base, the lone extra-base hit for the Red Wings. Ramsey, Stassi, Taylor Featherston and Jake Cave were all 1-for-3 with a walk. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Tennessee 4 Box Score Down 4-2 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Lookouts put together a big four-run inning. With the bases loaded, LaMonte Wade walked in a run. Brent Rooker then hit into a double play, but a run scored to tie the game. After a Nick Gordon walk, Zander Wiel came through again with a two-run double. Kohl Stewart made the start for the Lookouts. He gave up a first-inning run, but after that he settled in. He went five innings and gave up just the one run. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out three. Ryan Eades came on to start the sixth inning, but he recorded just two outs. He was charged with three runs on four hits. Todd Van Steensel came on and got six outs. He walked two and struck out two. Williams Ramirez came on and got the final four outs, all on strikeouts for his fourth save of the year. Nick Gordon went 2-for-2 with a walk, a sacrifice fly and his fourth double. LaMonte Wade went 2-for-3 with a walk. Edgar Corcino went 1-for-3 with his second double and a sacrifice fly. Wiel’s double was his ninth of the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Daytona 7 Box Score The Miracle fell behind early. It just wasn’t the night for local product Brady Anderson. The right-hander gave up seven runs (six earned) on seven hits (including two home runs). He walked one and struck out three. Calvin Faucher came on and threw three scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, walked two and struck two out. Hector Lujan worked the final three innings. He gave up no runs on two hits. He struck out three. The Miracle offense tried to make a comeback in the seventh, but they managed just three hits on the game. Their runs came on a bases-loaded walk and two RBI groundouts. Joe Cronin went 1-for-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 1 - Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 1 Box Score Randy Dobnak went undrafted last year and was set to head to the USPBL. As he was headed there, the Twins called and he quickly signed with them. He’s been good in his pro career, and on Saturday, he gave the Kernels what they needed. Following a 13-inning game on Friday night, Dobnak provided seven innings, a complete game in a doubleheader, and the Kernels got a 2-1 win. The right-hander gave up one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out six in the win. 63 of his 100 pitches were strikes. Jordan Gore and Royce Lewis provided much of the Kernels offense. Gore, playing second base in game one, went 3-for-3 and is now hitting .385 on the season. Lewis drove in both runs. In the first, he scored Akil Baddoo with a groundout. His next at bat, he singled up the middle to score Gore. Game 2 - Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 4 Box Score In the second game, right-hander Melvi Acosta made his first Midwest League start. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out two. Carlos Suniaga came on and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk and recorded just four outs. He struck out one. Finally, Rickey Ramirez made his first appearance for the Kernels. He got the final four outs and gave up only a walk. The Kernels managed just four hits in the game. Trey Cabbage’s third double of the year scored Jean Carlos Arias, who had tripled. Jordan Gore had a hit in two at-bats. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Jordan Gore, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Randy Dobnak, Cedar Rapids Kernels (or Aaron Slegers, Rochester, Red Wings) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 1-6, K, 2 RBI #3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 2-2, BB, 2B (4), SF, R, RBI #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3 #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-4, K #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, BB, R, 3 K #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, R #14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) - 2-3, BB, R, RBI #15 - Mitch Garver (Minnesota) - 2-4, 2B, HR(2), RBI, 2 K #16 - Ben Rorvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, K #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, BB, RBI SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (12:05 CST) - LHP Dietrich Enns (0-3, 5.79 ERA) Tennessee @ Chattanooga (DH @ 1:15 CST) - RHP Zack Littell (0-2, 5.89 ERA), RHP Omar Bencomo Daytona @ Ft. Myers (3:00 CST) - RHP Clark Beeker (0-1, 3.75 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:15 CST) - LHP Bryan Sammons (0-2, 3.95 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Saturday’s full schedule of games, or ask any questions you may have. View full article

I mean, he's so young for the level. He didn't return from missing two full seasons until last June, and he moved up to Ft. Myers (where he hadn't played), and after just a dozen starts, he's now so young in AA. That's a lot to overcome... He's holding his own right now and learning. He's smart. He'll (probably) be fine. Certainly nothing to worry about.

If you’re looking for pitching prospects, Friday was a good night to see some of the Twins top prospects. In fact, three of the Twins Daily Top 12 Twins prospects made starts for the their team on Friday including the first full-season start for hard-throwing Brusdar Graterol. Another top pitching prospect earned a promotion. But, there were a few relievers who really pitched well on this night, and a couple of top hitting prospect had big, late-inning hits for their team too. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily (photos of Lewis Thorpe, Brusdar Graterol, Fernando Romero) If you’re looking for pitching prospects, Friday was a good night to see some of the Twins top prospects. In fact, three of the Twins Daily Top 12 Twins prospects made starts for the their team on Friday including the first full-season start for hard-throwing Brusdar Graterol. Another top pitching prospect earned a promotion. But, there were a few relievers who really pitched well on this night, and a couple of top hitting prospect had big, late-inning hits for their team too. It’s been a long week for the Twins and their fans, and it was a long night again on Friday night. It was also a long night for the Kernels as they needed 12 innings to decide their game. Extra innings were needed in Rochester’s game as well. For the Lookouts, there weren’t extra innings, but it was a long night. Fortunately, the Miracle scored late to make a long game not feel so long. Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Friday. And as always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Rochester announced officially that Aaron Slegers had returned. Also, Stephen Gonsalves has been promoted from Chattanooga. Gonsalves was the Twins Daily #4 Prospect. Chattanooga also announced the promotion of Gonsalves. LH RP Sam Clay was activated from the disabled list while infielder Ryan Walker was placed on the DL. The Kernels announced that RHPs Nick Brown and Jared Finkel have been placed on the disabled list. RHPs Melvi Acosta and Brusdar Graterol have been promoted to Cedar Rapids. Graterol was the Twins Daily #9 Prospect. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Syracuse 4 (10 innings) Box Score Fernando Romero was back on the mound for the Red Wings. The right-hander gave up three runs on six hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out three. Alan Busenitz made his return from the Twins and struck out two in his inning. Casey Crosby got two outs before handing the ball to John Curtiss. Curtiss went 2 1/3 innings of two-hit ball. He struck out five. With the game tied, DJ Baxendale got the 10th inning. He gave up just one hit and a walk, but since a runner starts at second, he gave up a run (which is unearned) and took the loss. Willians Astudillo hit his second double and his first triple. Brock Stassi was 2-for-4 with his third double. Kennys Vargas walked twice. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Tennessee 6 Box Score Zander Wiel has had a fantastic first month of the season for the Lookouts. In the third inning, his eighth double of the year scored Brent Rooker to tie the game at one. Rooker had reached on his third double. Unfortunately, the Cubs scored the next five runs and won the game. The Lookouts managed just five hits. Edgar Corcino was the lone Lookout with more than one hit. He went 2-for-4 with his first double. They also had six walks including two by LaMonte Wade. Lewis Thorpe made the start. The lefty went the first 4 2/3 innings. He was charged with six runs, but just two were earned. He gave up ten hits, but he didn’t walk any and struck out seven. Cody Stashak came on and struck out four over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. That was followed by two scoreless innings from Anthony McIver who also struck out three. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Daytona 5 Box Score The Miracle fell behind 4-0 in the second inning, but worked their way back and ultimately won the game late. Andro Cutura made his second Miracle appearance and his first start in almost two years. He gave up four runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked and struck out two. Max Cordy came on and gave up an unearned run on one hit over two innings. He struck out four without issuing a walk. Ryan Mason continues to pitch well. He gave up two hits over 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out two. Joe Cronin went 2-for-3 with a walk and is now hitting .375. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-4. Caleb Hamilton went 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI. Alex Perez went 1-for-3 with a walk. Jimmy Kerrigan had two big RBI as well. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 6 (13 innings) Box Score There was definitely an excitement around the Kernels on Friday. The Cedar Rapids roster is already filled with prospects, and the season debut of Brusdar Graterol was very exciting. Graterol was terrific through his first three innings. He gave up just one hit and struck out six batters. In the fourth, he gave up two hits and then hit a batter to load the bases with one out. He got the second out, and even had two strikes on the next batter before hitting him to score a run. Next, an error allowed two runs to score, and his night was over. But Graterol was impressive. His fastball was consistently sitting between 96 and 99 mph, and he showed the makings of a real good slider. Jose Martinez came on and got the final out of the fourth and worked two more innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. And then Kevin Marnon came on. He went two innings without allowing a run. He then continued into extra innings and didn’t allow a run - despite the innings starting with a runner on second base - in the 10th or 11th innings, either. Tied at three going into the top of the 12th inning, Ben Rodriguez was sent to second base. With one out, Royce Lewis singled in Rodriguez and advanced to second base on the throw. Next, Alex Kirilloff singled to score Lewis. The Kernels had a two-run lead. For Lewis, it was his third hit of the game. It was the second RBI single of the game for Kirilloff. Marnon was at just under 40 pitches in his four innings, so he went back out for the 12th inning. The first batter hit a home run off of him to tie the game at five. So they went to the 13th. The Kernels didn’t score in the top of the inning. Jovani Moran, who got the final two outs of the 12th, struggled with control in the 13th and in the end, he issued a bases-loaded walk which ended the game. With a doubleheader on Saturday, it may have been best for both teams for that game to come to an end. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Willians Astudillo, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Kevin Marnon, Cedar Rapids Kernels TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 3-6, 2 R, RBI, K, SB(5) #2 - Fernando Romero (Rochester) - 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (83 pitches, 51 strikes) #3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 0-5, 2 K #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 2-6, R, 2 RBI, 2 K #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-4, BB, R, RBI, 2B(3), K #9 - Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) - 3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 2 HBP (61 pitches, 40 strikes) #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 BB, 5 K, SB(5) #12 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - 4.2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (87 pitches, 62 strikes) #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, RBI, K #14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) - 0-3, 2 BB #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 1-6, 2B(4), 4 K #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 2-4, R SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (12L95 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Tennessee @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart Daytona @ Ft. Myers (5:00 CST) - RHP Brady Anderson Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (DH @ 2:15 CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak, RHP Melvi Acosta Please feel free to ask any questions about Friday’s full schedule of games, or ask any questions you may have. View full article

I''d hope not. Of course, pitching well and showing improved command will certainly help make his case. I'd like to think he's done with AA.

The Twins announced that right-hander Luke Bard will return to the Twins organization. He will be assigned to Rochester!

Not sure if everyone here is aware or not, but Stephen Gonsalves's next start will be with the Red Wings...

Just to add the note... I was a day off, but Jeff Johnson from The Gazette in Cedar Rapids pointed out tonight that Brusdar Graterol is in Cedar Rapids and is expected to start for the Kernels against Quad Cities on Friday night.

Always fun when the team plays poorly, as most teams do every year, how much overreacting there is. That's not to say there aren't concerns and things to work on, but without being boring, it is a 162 game season. Lots of season left. 56 or so games against the Tigers, White Sox and Royals. Hopefully more consistent play. Hopefully a few of the slumpers get things going here soon. Hopefully Dozier, Mauer and Kepler keep it up. I mean, there's no reason to give up on 2018 or their playoff hopes yet.

He is hoping to play in Ft. Myers tonight. Yesterday, per reports, he had his toe nail drilled to relieve the pressure and pain in his toe. If he can play tonight and be pain-free, he could be activated Friday, or sometime over the weekend.

I have zero concern about either of them. Castro will be fine. And, I fully believe in Garver's bat and his arm.

Aaron Whitefield had surgery this morning. I found out that he has a broken hamate bone. That's typically a 2-3 month recovery. That's unfortunate. I know he's been struggling offensively to start the season, but his defense is fantastic and if he can make more contact, he could be a good hitter too.

The Twins have lost six in a row. The pitching has been generally not very good for the last week. The starters haven’t been able to provide innings, and the bullpen has not been very effective, outside of Addison Reed and Ryan Pressly. The offense has been frustrating to say the least, again with some exceptions. As much attention as Logan Morrison and Robbie Grossman are getting for their awful starts to their seasons, Jason Castro is quietly off to a very slow start as well. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily The Twins have lost six in a row. The pitching has been generally not very good for the last week. The starters haven’t been able to provide innings, and the bullpen has not been very effective, outside of Addison Reed and Ryan Pressly. The offense has been frustrating to say the least, again with some exceptions. As much attention as Logan Morrison and Robbie Grossman are getting for their awful starts to their seasons, Jason Castro is quietly off to a very slow start as well. Before the 2017 season, the Twins signed Jason Castro to a three-year, $24 million deal. In 2017, he had easily his best offensive season since his All-Star season in 2013 with the Astros. Last year, Castro hit .242/.333/.388 (.720) with 22 doubles and ten home runs. While those aren’t great numbers for a hitter, they are very solid for a catcher, especially one credited to be as solid as he is defensively. But right now, Castro has been struggling and because of Morrison and Grossman, few are talking about it. Following his 0-4 with three strikeout game on Wednesday night, Castro is hitting just .146/.241/.229 (.470). He has 20 strikeouts in 54 plate appearances. That’s 37%. Defensively, Castro is a good pitch framer. Let’s be honest, those are the numbers that made him a free agent that several teams wanted last year. He is league average the last couple of years in terms of throwing out base stealers. He’s had his moments already this year in terms of blocking balls and such. Of course, it’s also important to remember that we are talking about 54 plate appearances. He’s still at the point of the season where a 4-for-4 day would raise his batting average by .065, so there is no reason to worry at this point. Mitch Garver was the Twins minor league player of the year last year after a big season in AAA. He made his debut. Now 27, he’s earned the opportunity to be on the big league roster. He’s been used mostly in a platoon role. Castro starts against right-handers while Garver gets the starts against southpaws. Between that and the multitude of weather postponements, Garver hasn’t had much playing time. In fact, he went from April 10 until April 21 without playing. He’s had just 22 plate appearances in his eight games played this season. He’s hitting .200/.273/.400 (.673) with a double and a game-winning home run among his four hits. He has seven strikeouts in his 22 plate appearance (32%). Of course, if I want to use the if-he-goes-4-for-4-in-his-next-game scenario, Garver’s batting average would increase by .133. Defensively, he has had his ups and downs. On Tuesday night in New York, he had a tough inning with a “wild pitch’ and an error, but he was also the catcher for Jose Berrios’s complete game shutout. I said already last year that I thought Garver was the best overall catcher in the organization. Of course, at the time, he had zero major league service time. But I’ll stand by that comment. I think that Garver can be a good defensive catcher and a better-than-average hitting catcher. Of course, that will need to be proven over time. At this stage, it is simply opinion. Jason Castro and Mitch Garver are the Twins two catchers, and they likely will be throughout the season, barring injury. As the Twins, hopefully, start playing a more consistent schedule, both catchers should be able to get into more of a regular routine with more consistent playing time. Looking at Rochester to see what the options are as the Twins' #3 catcher, it’s easy to feel confident that Castro and Garver will remain the big league catchers. Bobby Wilson went 0-3 with two walks on Wednesday. The 35-year-old veteran has two hits in his first 31 at bats (.065) with the Red Wings. Willians Astudillo is hitting .267/.290/.400 (.690) in his eight games for the Red Wings. And at AA, the Twins have defensive specialist Brian Navarreto and veteran Wynston Sawyer. The Twins will need their catchers to pick it up over the next few weeks offensively. And there is little reason to believe that they won’t. Castro will likely end the season hitting .220 with about ten homers and strong defense. Garver isn’t proven, but if he gets enough consistent at-bats, he should certainly outperform Castro at the plate. While catcher is an area in the organization that could use some depth (their top catching prospects are in Cedar Rapids - Rortvedt, Banuelos), I believe that their two major league catchers have a chance to be about league average for the position, and if that’s the case, it will really help the team. View full article

Anderson is from Brainerd. He actually went to St. Cloud State for three years, and then went to Mayville State the last year. The Brewers drafted him, but they never offered him a contract (which goes against the CBA, by the way). So, he went to indy ball. He's got good stuff. He throws 94-87 with a good slider.

I certainly wouldn't put Lance Lynn in that same category. He's struggled with control through his first few starts, but he's a legit mid-rotation starter. Gibson's fine in the back of a rotation. Those aren't the guys that should be replaced on April 24th by prospects. Hughes... well, I can't imagine that will last too much longer. And, LaMonte Wade should be playing, not sitting the bench. Not yet, at least. Get him to AAA first, and then he's close.