Seth Stohs

He's eligible because he was in the Twins organization on Aug 31st, but if the Twins wouldn't put Berrios on the 40 man roster, they aren't going to put Turner on it.He doesn't have to be added to another year either.

Both performed well in the second half. The AFL will be more opportunity for them to show their skills (behind the plate and at the plate), but Ryan and company will not likely learn anything that they don't already know. I'd like to see both of them go to Chattanooga to start the season next year, playing every other day.

21 strikeouts in 13.1 innings, but also 10 walks. That won't play well in the big leagues. So, no, I don't think so. Even if he did get called up, he could still go to the AFL.

The Twins enjoyed an off-day on Thursday after taking a three-game set from the division-leading Kansas City Royals. In the minor leagues, the postseason is now in full swing. Chattanooga and Cedar Rapids both had big games decided in the late innings.Lookouts Look-In Game 1: Montgomery Biscuits @ Chattanooga Lookouts Jamie Schultz vs. D.J. Baxendale Final: Biscuits 3, Lookouts 4 Box Score In the first game of the best-of-five series the Lookouts secured the victory on a walk-off single from Southern League MVP, Max Kepler. With two on and two out, Kepler hit a line drive single to right scoring a pair of runs and earning the Lookouts the victory. In front of a home crowd of 1,279 at AT&T Field in Chattanooga, Tennessee, D.J. Baxendale gave the Lookout fans seven and two-thirds innings of hope. Baxendale gave up a pair of early runs in the second, and another in the sixth but pitched into the eighth inning before being lifted after 101 pitches. Baxendale gave up seven hits and three runs all earned. He walked none and struck out four. Baxendale was lifted for Nick Burdi, who struck out three in an inning and a third of work. He had to get four outs in the top of the ninth after a dropped strike three and an errant throw to first base from Stuart Turner. Leadoff man Shannon Wilkerson and cleanup hitter Travis Harrison were both held hitless, as were D.J. Hicks, Adam Brett Walker, Stephen Wickens and Stuart Turner. The Lookouts offense generated only five hits, but managed to earn NINE free passes from the Biscuits pitching staff, leaving the Lookouts with plenty of chances to score. Jorge Polanco was 2-4 plus a walk with a run scored. Max Kepler's ninth inning hit was his only one of the game, capping a 1-4 night that include a walk and a pair of strikeouts. The Lookouts are back on the diamond Friday night in Chattanooga for Game 2. The series then heads to Montgomery for the conclusion of the five-game series. Kernels Korner Game 2: Cedar Rapids Kernels @ Quad Cities River Bandits Sam Gibbons vs. Brock Dykxhoorn Final: Kernels 3, River Bandits 1 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels have advanced to the Midwest League semifinals with a 3 to 1 victory over the Quad Cities River Bandits on Thursday night in front of 1,555 fans at Modern Woodmen Park. The Quad Cities River Bandits had the best winning percentage of all full-season teams in minor league baseball prior to being swept out of the postseason by the Kernels. Sam Gibbons gave the Kernels everything he had on Thursday night, pitching eight innings of four-hit, one-run baseball. He struck out four and walked none. Yorman Landa pitched two scoreless innings, struck out three, walked none and gave up just a single. Nick Anderson came in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh and shut down the River Bandits to lock up the game and series victory for the Kernels. The Kernels went ahead 3-1 in the top of the eleventh inning on a bizarre series of plays, culminating with a Chris Paul single that plated T.J. White and LaMonte Wade. After a T.J. White walk to start the inning, LaMonte Wade dropped down a sac bunt right in front of home plate but the River Bandits' catcher Garrett Stubbs thought he had a chance to nab White at second. But his throw was late and low and bounced into center field. White advanced to third on the throwing error and then Wade advanced to second after the throw to third got by the Bandits, putting runners at second and third for Chris Paul. The game-winning hit capped a big night at the plate for Chris Paul. He was 3-4 with all three Kernels RBIs, plus a walk. No other Kernels hitter had multiple hits. Edgar Corcino, who had a chance to win the game for the Kernels in the tenth with two on and two out, struck out for the fourth time in five attempts on the evening, a frustrating 0-5 night for Corcino. The Kernels will travel to Peoria, Illinois to take on the Peoria Chiefs in the semi-finals. That series begins on Saturday night. TwinsDaily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Chris Paul - Cedar Rapids Kernels TwinsDaily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Sam Gibbons Cedar Rapids Kernels Friday's Probables Montgomery Biscuits @ Chattanooga Lookouts - Jacob Faria vs. Jason Wheeler Click here to view the article

Sano and Rosario seem to be the types to step up in big situations. They have in their minor league careers, and although this is the big leagues, I think that continues. The thing I found interesting was that Cuddyer (deservedly so) received a ton of the credit for the 17-4 run to end the season, but everyone stepped up. That is amazing!

Miguel Sano came off the bench in the 12th inning on Wednesday night and delivered a clutch home run to give the Twins a 3-2 lead and win over the Kansas City Royals. The game was full of excitement, ebbs and flows, good at bad. As I was watching the Twins, I could help but thinking back to the 2009 Twins. With the Twins win coupled with a Rangers loss, Minnesota is 1.5 games behind Texas for that second Wild Card spot.As Kurt Suzuki laid on the ground after a home plate collision with the Royals’ Jarrod Dyson. On Twitter, I was being asked what the Twins would do if Suzuki needed to miss significant time. In mid-September, the Twins would have to rely on the combination of Chris Herrmann and Eric Fryer down the stretch. On September 12, 2009, Justin Morneau dove head-first into first base in an attempt to avoid a tag. He jarred his back and ended up with a stress fracture in his lower back. It was all bad news. Morneau had just reached 30 home runs and 100 RBI. The team was also 5 ½ games back of the Detroit Tigers. At 70-72, the situation looked bleak. The good thing was that the Twins were scheduled to play the Tigers seven more times over the final 20 games. Little did we know at the time that they would play them an eighth time, in Game 163 at the Metrodome. Michael Cuddyer moved in to first base. Jason Kubel was primarily DHing, and he moved out to right field. The DH position was filled with the likes of Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris. But if the Twins were going to get to the playoffs, they needed those two to step up, but others as well. And, that’s exactly what happened. The offense took off, and the Twins went 17-4 down the stretch, catching the Tigers and winning Game 163. Here is a look at how the hitters performed over that final stretch. MICHAEL CUDDYER The team-first Cuddyer stepped up. Over the final 21 games, he hit .325/.398/.675 (1.073) with three doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 24 RBI. He also played very well at first base in Morneau’s absence. Overall, Cuddyer hit 34 doubles, 32 homers and drove in 94 runs. This final stretch got him a lot of MVP votes. JOE MAUER Mauer’s MVP season was absolutely incredible. Though Cuddyer hit the home runs and drove in 24 runs, Mauer was on base most of the month. In 21 games starting September 13, he hit .378/.521/.527 (1.048) with five doubles, two homers and 14 RBI. Those numbers are amazing, but they were right in line with his full-season numbers in 2009. Overall, he hit .365/.444/.587 (1.034) with 30 doubles and 28 homers. ORLANDO CABRERA The Twins acquired the 34-year-old shortstop from Oakland in exchange for former 2nd-round pick Tyler Ladendorf (who made his MLB debut for the A’s in 2015). Cabrera was magnificent down the stretch. He played all 21 games and hit .355/.378/.538 (.915) with six doubles, a triple, three homers and 19 RBI while playing a strong shortstop. JASON KUBEL Kubel moved out to the outfield from DH and hit well down the stretch. He played in 20 of the final 21 games and hit .278/.333/.597 (.931) with five doubles, six home runs and 21 RBI. DENARD SPAN The 25-year-old Span was in his first full season with the Twins and did a great job leading off. He played in 19 of the final 21 games and hit .333/.398/.397 (.795) with three doubles and a triple. He drove in 11 runs and scored 16 times. DELMON YOUNG The 23-year-old was in left field. He played all 21 games and hit .353/.380/.576 (.957) with five doubles, a triple, four home runs and 17 RBI. NICK PUNTO Ron Gardenhire loved his defense and his approach at the plate. He was a polarizing figure with fans. However, he took over at second base late in this season. He played in all 21 of the final games and hit .250/.407/.297 (.704) with three doubles. In that stretch, he walked 17 times and obviously played great defense. MATT TOLBERT 2009 was the year they brought in Joe Crede. As he had in previous seasons, Crede ended up out for the season with recurring back issues. Tolbert wasn’t much of a hitter, but he started 18 of the final 21 games. After September 13th, he hit .313/.347/.448 (.795) with four doubles, a triple and a home run. GAME 163 HEROES Mauer and Tolbert each had two hits in Game 163. But that game was also a reminder that anyone can play hero in a big game or a pennant stretch. In the final inning, Carlos Gomez was on second and scored on a game-winning single off the bat of Alexi Casilla. Bobby Keppel was the winning pitcher, his first and only major league win. BRIAN DUENSING People may forget, but Duensing was alright as a starting pitcher for a while. In his final four starts of that 2009 season, he went 2-0 with a 2.92 ERA. On September 13th, with the Morneau news fresh, Duensing threw seven shutout innings. He backed that up with 6.1 scoreless innings in his next outing. OTHERS Francisco Liriano was pretty bad and had been moved to the bullpen later in the season. Scott Baker went 2-1 despite a 4.61 ERA. Jeff Manship wasn’t great, but he picked up his first career win in Game 160. Joe Nathan posted a 1.46 ERA and recorded nine saves. The Twins went 12-0 in games he pitched. SUMMARY 2010 was the last time the Twins were in the playoffs and Twins fans were involved in a pennant race. However, the second half of the final month of 2009 was as exciting as it gets in the baseball world. The former MVP gets hurt. Things don’t look good. Someone needs to step up. Everyone did step up. Mauer was amazing. Cuddyer had some huge home runs. And then there was Game 163, one of the most exciting games in Twins history. So, what will happen in the final three weeks of the 2015 season? There’s no way to know. The Twins are just 1.5 games back of a playoff spot. Who will step up? Will it be a big name? Will Miguel Sano hit a few more big home runs? How will the rookies respond? Will the veterans lead the way? Will a role player come up in a big situation and come through? In reality, they will need a combination of all of the above. No one knows the answers to those questions. All I know is that it’s going to be a lot of fun to find watch! Click here to view the article

I't's been a long time, at least 9-10 years... but as you know better than anyone probably, I really enjoy it! Hope you're doing well!

It's because he isn't 6-4 and 220 pounds, and he doesn't throw 95. Seriously, most people think that if a guy doesn't throw 93+, he can't be successful. It makes the degree of difficulty that much higher, but there are some pretty good pitchers who throw (a few mph) slower than Milone and are pretty solid (Buehrle, Weaver, etc). He'll have his occasional clunker, but he deserves all the accolades this year. He handled being demoted perfectly and has come back even better.

Good catch. I'll update... but yeah, they will hopefully have meaningful games in October too!

Baseball is a funny game, and at this point in the season, it doesn't matter who is hot and who is not. All that matters is the score at the end of the game. Sometimes it's the veterans who come through. Sometimes it's the young players that have their moment. Sometimes, it's the most unlikely of hero.

Tommy Milone was back on the mound for the Twins on Monday night in Kansas City and was again terrific. The southpaw gave up just two runs over seven innings for his eighth win of the year. The Twins got a lot of contributions through the game and won 6-2. In doing so, the Twins remain 1.5 games back of the Texas Rangers for the second wild card position. As Labor Day has passed and those students and teachers who didn't start last week will begin their 2015-16 school years on Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins have a record of 71-66.So, let's go back to early April. You pick the date. Do you prefer to go back to Opening Day, or a week later when the team was 1-6? Now ask yourself how you think the Twins outlook for the rest of the season would be if you knew that on Labor Day, Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco would both be on the Disabled List. Glen Perkins isn't even on the road trip because of a bad back after missing time with a pain in his neck. The bullpen was full of question marks. Joe Mauer was still hitting just .267. Kurt Suzuki was hitting like Kurt Suzuki of old. Torii Hunter's offense was showing his 40 years. The Twins just lost two out of three in Houston including a really tough, late loss on Sunday. Then remind yourself that this team is 1.5 games behind Texas in the race for the AL's second wild card berth. They are again five games over .500. As impressive, after that really difficult, late-innings loss on Sunday in Houston, the Twins found the resiliency they've shown on several occasions this year. Just when you think they're out, they lure us back with a winning streak or an improbable, resilient win. It may sound cliché by now, but this playoff race stuff is fun. Twins fans have waited four years for this. By Labor Day, many of us - even us diehards - would be channel surfing rather than watching each pitch and each inning. That means being on the edge of our eats as Kevin Jepsen sweated through his Saturday night save. It means lunging from your chair when Byron Buxton came up with the big catch to win that game and end Houston's threat. It means being disappointed when Tyler Duffey was removed from Sunday's game only to see Trevor May cough up the lead on Jed Lowrie's grand slam. It means understanding that those games happen through a baseball season, but moaning about its implications in the standings. The Twins have given us in 2015 what we've wanted for the last four years. Hopefully they can remain in this thing and continue to give us meaningful games to watch through September, and maybe even into October. They will need to continue getting strong performances from veteran and rookie alike. When Tommy Milone came back from AAA, he began with seven straight starts where he gave up two runs or less, something he has now done in 11 of 16 post-return starts.Torii Hunter has had five hits in his last two games. He had six hits in his previous 18 games.While Miguel Sano gets all the headlines, and deservingly so, Eddie Rosario continues to get some big hits - including that big, two-run triple over the weekend. He also continues to play great defense and last night got another outfield assist.It has been a difficult season for Kurt Suzuki, but in his past 20 games, he is hitting .298.Joe Mauer isn’t putting up Mauer-like numbers that fans got accustomed to in the first decade of his career, but his numbers remain tremendous in clutch situations. With Runners in Scoring Position, he is hitting. 352/.463/.448. With Runners on 2nd and 3rd or bases loaded this year, he is hitting .500/.571/.611.Since Danny Santana was sent down to Rochester (and Jorge Polanco to Chattanooga), Eduardo Escobar has hit .333/.368/.544 with 13 doubles and five home runs.Miguel Sano carried the team for about a month. He’s in a real slump right now. Byron Buxton has struggled offensively. Tyler Duffey has probably been the Twins second-best starting pitcher in the last month. But now the season is down to about three weeks, and the Twins are just 1.5 games back of Texas and 1.5 games ahead of the Angels. Here’s a quick glimpse at the remaining schedule: Two @ Kansas CityThree @ Chicago (White Sox)Three vs DetroitFour vs LA AngelsThree vs ClevelandThree @ DetroitFour @ ClevelandThree vs Kansas City25 games remaining. 21 of them are within the division. Four games against an Angels team that is just 1.5 games behind them. Seven games against a surging Cleveland team that has a terrific rotation. How many will the Twins need to win in order to achieve that second wild card position? Would going 15-10 be enough? Would they need to go 19-6? Of course, there is no way to know. It’s not going to be easy down the stretch, but we are reminded that when a team is in contention and every game matters, nothing comes easy. But this is what we’ve wanted. Meaningful games in September. We’ve got that!! Click here to view the article

The Minor League regular season is now just one more day from being complete. In fact, the Ft. Myers Miracle played their final game on Sunday morning. We’ve been producing daily minor league reports since the minor league seasons started in early April. It’s almost sad seeing that it is nearly complete. But worry not, two Twins affiliates will begin their playoff runs this week and we’ll cover those fully.Check out everything that happened in the Twins farm system on Sunday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score Another day, another solid start for a Red Wings pitcher. On this day, Michael Bowden gave up just one run over 5.1 innings. He gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out five. Loek van Mil came on and walked one over 1.1 scoreless innings. Aaron Thompson struck out one of the four batters he faced and got out. Mark Hamburger gave up two hits, but struck out two, in his scoreless inning. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with a walk. Doug Bernier went 2-4 with two RBI. Carlos Paulino went 0-1, but he walked three times. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 11, Jackson 10 (10 innings) Box Score The Lookouts entered the bottom of the sixth inning of Sunday night's game trailing 8-1. They chipped four runs off that lead. They spotted the Generals two more runs in the seventh, but knocked off in that inning and then put up another four-spot in the eighth to knot the game at 10 and send it to extras. An error allowed Stephen Wickens to score the walk-off run. Shannon Wilkerson led the late-inning offensive juggernaut, going 4-6 with his 11th stolen base. He came up a home-run short of the cycle. Jorge Polanco doubled among his two hits. With the exception of D.J. Hicks, all starters drove in a run; Jairo Rodriguez drove in two. Travis Harrison was 1-3, but drew three walks. Levi Michael doubled and also swiped his 18th bag of the year. Brett Lee gave up seven runs (four earned) over 5 1/3 innings. He walked and struck out one. He was relieved by Jake Red who gave up a home run among the three he allowed. He recorded four outs. D.J. Johnson pitched a scoreless inning and a third. Brandon Peterson collected the win. He pitched two scoreless frames and struck out four. The Lookouts conclude their regular season with a Monday matinee. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Charlotte 5 Box Score The Miracle fell in their final game of the season. They end their season with a 76-63. That is the best overall record in the Florida State League South Division. However, because they did not win the division in either half, they will not make the playoffs. The Miracle also set an attendance record at Hammond Stadium this season. Luke Westphal started and gave up two runs (1 earned) on nine hits in 4.2 innings. He walked one and struck out five. Brian Gilbert went the next 1.1 innings. He gave up one run on one hit and a walk. Tyler Jay walked one and struck out one in his inning. Zack Jones gave up two unearned runs on three hits in his inning. He struck out one. Alex Muren finished it with a perfect inning. Ryan Walker went 2-2 with his seventh double. Zach Granite was 2-3 with his tenth double. Engelb Vielma went 1-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 1 Box Score The Kernels are prepping for their playoff run. We learned from Jeff Johnson (The Gazette, Cedar Rapids) that they will use Felix Jorge, Sam Gibbons and Keaton Steele in their upcoming series against Quad Cities. Randy LeBlanc ended his season with a quality start. He gave up one run on four hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out three and improved to 9-5 with a 3.03 ERA. Luke Bard gave up a hit and walked two over two scoreless innings. He struck out three. Nick Anderson picked up his fourth save with a perfect ninth. Nick Gordon led the offense. He went 2-4 with his seventh triple and an RBI. TJ White was 1-3 and drove in a run. Austin Diemer went 2-3. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Cedar Rapids Kernels MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (12:35 CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers Jackson @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – TBD Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 CST) – LHP Sam Clay Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Click here to view the article

I still think decision-makers in the organization have mixed thoughts on his abilities.

I'd say Gonsalves is 190-200. He's got room to grow. He's immensely talented and very smart.

Reed and Landa were certainly strongly considered.

He's definitely made big strides this season. Still doesn't throw real hard, so I don't think he'd be taken. He's a 40-42 man on the 40 man roster, probably. He's not a minor league free agent for another year, so he's maybe 50/50.

Pitching wins, right? Well, on a night when Mike Pelfrey got rocked yet again, all four Twins minor league starters posted quality starts. A couple of strong candidates for minor league starting pitcher of the year did what they’ve done all year. And there were some solid hitting performances too.Check out everything that happened in the Twins farm system on Friday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Pawtucket 1 Box Score Pat Dean made the final start of his remarkable 2015 season. Dean improved to 12-11 with a 2.82 ERA after completing his fifth game of the year. In his nine innings, he gave up one run on five hits. He walked none and struck out one. As you would guess, he needed just 97 pitches and 72 of them were strikes. Allan de San Miguel sat on the Rochester DL for most of the whole year. He was added to the roster on Tuesday. In this game, he went 2-3 with his first double. Oswaldo Arcia added his 13th double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 8, Jackson 2 Box Score The Lookouts had a terrific night as they prepare for the Southern League playoffs. They got a strong start from David Hulbut. The southpaw went the first seven innings. He gave up two runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out three. Alex Wimmers and Nick Burdi both struck out two in perfect innings. Nearly everyone contributed to the offensive output. Shannon Wilkerson went 3-5 and stole his 10th base. Stuart Turner was 3-4. Niko Goodrum went 2-4 with a walk. Dalton Hicks and Heiker Meneses each had two hits. Adam Brett Walker hit his 31st double. Max Kepler was 0-2, but he walked three times. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Charlotte 1 Box Score Stephen Gonsalves’s final start of the season was terrific. He improved to 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA with the Miracle with the win. The lefty went the first six innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He struck out five without issuing a walk. Matt Summers earned his first save with three shutout innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. Bryan Haar led the offense with a 3-4 game. Ryan Walker went 2-4 with a walk, his sixth double and his ninth stolen base. Logan Wade hit his 22nd double. Mitch Garver was 1-3 with a walk and his 24th double. Tanner Vavra went 1-2 with two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Wisconsin 4 Box Score The Kernels gave up the lead in the second half of this game, but they were able to come back and take the lead and secure another win over Wisconsin. Sam Gibbons started. He went six innings and gave up two runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out four. John Curtiss came on and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning. Zach Tillery threw a scoreless eighth and Nick Anderson recorded his third save with a scoreless ninth. TJ White again led the way. He went 2-3 with his 21st double. LaMonte Wade went 2-4. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ryan Walker, Ft. Myers Miracle SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (5:35 CST) – RHP JO Berrios Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15) – RHP Greg Peavey Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (5:00 CST) – TBD vs Chih-Wei Hu Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Keaton Steele Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

In the last several days, we have posted our Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher and Hitter of the Month of August. There have been a lot of strong candidates for each category and that remains the case as we look at the top performing relief pitchers for August. There are a couple of 2015 draft picks, some guys who have been around a long time, and a guy who has a really long last name.There were a lot of very strong August performances out of the bullpen at the Twins affiliates. Below you’ll find the Top 5 Relief Pitchers in August, but first a few relievers worthy of mention: RHP Yorman Landa – Cedar Rapids – 7 G, 1-1, 0.71 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 13 H, 4 BB, 12 KRHP Jake Reed – Ft. Myers – 9 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 8.2 IP, 10 H, 2 BB, 7 KLHP Corey Williams - Chattanooga – 10 G, 0-0, 1.54 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 11.2 IP, 4 H, 8 BB, 11 KTHE TOP FIVE Number 5 – Cedar Rapids Kernels – LHP Mike Theofanopoulos - 7 G, 1.59 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 11.1 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 15 K The Twins drafted the southpaw with their 30th round draft pick in 2014 out of California where he teamed with Trevor Hildenberger and Chris Paul. He turned 23 years old in early August and put together arguably his best month of the season. Opponents hit just .222 off of him in the month. He isn’t a flame-thrower, but he has some deception and enough movement to miss bats. In 68.1 innings this season, he has walked 29, but he’s also struck out 74 batters. Number 4 – Elizabethton Twins – Logan Lombana - 7 G, 1.35 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 17 H, 3 BB, 23 K Lombana is on this list, in large part for the sheer number of innings that he pitched for the E-Twins. Twenty innings in one month as a reliever is pretty impressive. The three walks to 23 strikeout ratio is also very impressive. Lombana was the Twins 25th round draft pick this year out of Long Beach State. Overall this year, he went 1-2 with a 2.25 ERA in 15 games (32 innings) for the E-Twins. Number 3 – Ft. Myers – Tyler Jay - 8 G, 1.13 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 12 K The Twins first-round pick from Illinois struggled in his jump from the Big 10 to the Florida State League. Through July 31, he pitched 8.1 innings and gave up nine runs (7 earned) on 13 hits and five walks. However, things were much better in his second month. The Twins are always cautious with their current-year picks, so Jay pitches about every fourth day and only for one inning. He greatly improved his walk to strikeout rate and was much more successful. Number 2 – Chattanooga – JT Chargois - 9 G, 0.87 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 11 K What a story JT Chargois has and will have later in life to tell. The Twins second round pick in 2012 out of Rice, he had pitched in just 12 games as a professional and none in the last two seasons due to elbow injury and surgery. He impressed at Instructional League last year, touching triple digits. The goal was likely to get him through this season healthy, and he has done that. He posted a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings in Ft. Myers before moving up to Double-A Chattanooga. There, he has posted a 3.52 ERA in 30.2 innings. However, it is important to note that he has allowed just one earned run in his last 17.2 innings. He definitely is one to watch in 2016. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Elizabethton Twins – Kuo Hua Lo - 9 G, 1.98 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 8 H, 6 BB, 23 K Lo was signed by the Twins as a free agent from Taiwan in 2011. He pitched in the GCL in 2012. He has spent the last three seasons with the Elizabethton Twins. As a 22-year-old this year, he has pitched very well. In fact, last week, he was named to the Appalachian League post-season All-Star list as the top reliever. Domination would be a good word to describe his August, striking out almost two batters per inning. In 19 games and 31.1 innings this season, he gave up just 15 hits, walked eight and struck out 43 batters. He is 4-1 with seven saves. He has a 1.44 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP. After three years in the Appy League, he has earned an opportunity in the Midwest League. So what do you think? I’ve ranked the top five bullpen arms in the Twins organization in August, along with several more that deserve to be recognized for their great final month to the 2015 season. Who would your choice be? How would you rank these guys (and feel free to include others)? Click here to view the article

All four Twins affiliates played on Thursday night. Max Kepler was named an MVP. The Lookouts and Kernels are working to set their postseason rosters, specifically their starting rotations. We’re down to the final four days of the regular season. Check out everything that happened in the Twins farm system on Thursday night.ALL-STARS Max Kepler and Adam Brett Walker were named to the Southern League All-Star team, and on Thursday, Kepler was named the league’s MVP. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Pawtucket 5 Box Score Logan Darnell appears to have had his pitches limited in this game. He gave up two runs (one earned) on seven hits over just 4.2 innings. He threw just 68 pitches and struck out three. Could it mean he’ll be promoted to the Twins on Labor Day? Cole Johnson pitched an inning and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. Tim Shibuya went the next 1.1 innings. He gave up an unearned run on two hits. Aaron Thompson pitched a 1-2-3 inning. James Beresford and Danny Ortiz each went 2-4. Reynaldo Rodriguez knocked his 16th home run of the year. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Jackson 5 Box Score Jason Wheeler started and gave up three runs on four hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out six. DJ Johnson struck out three of the four batters he faced and got out. Brandon Peterson gave up two hits but no runs in his inning. He struck out two. Jake Reed, in his return to the Lookouts, gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in an inning. He struck out two. The team had just four hits. Max Kepler went 1-3 with a walk and also drove in a run with his 13th triple of the year. Jorge Polanco added his 16th AA Double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 9, Charlotte 5 Box Score Mat Batts didn’t have his best, but it was enough to improve to 8-4 with an ERA at 2.77. The lefty went six innings and gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits. He walked one and struck out five. He walked one and struck out five. Tyler Jay walked one in a scoreless inning. Todd Van Steensel threw two scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out one. Zach Granite led the way. He went 3-3 with a walk, his fourth triple and his 21st stolen base. Chad Christensen went 3-4 with his 16th double. Bryan Haar drove in three with his first triple. Engelb Vielma and Aderlin Mejia each went 2-5 with an RBI. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 5 Box Score Mike Theofanopoulos made his first start of the year. He gave up three runs on three hits and two walks in three innings. He struck out three. Felix Jorge came out of the bullpen for the first time, likely to limit pitches so he’ll be able to start next in the playoffs next week. He gave up one run on three hits in two innings. He struck out two. Luke Bard struck out three in two scoreless innings. Nick Anderson pitched a perfect inning. Nick Gordon batted third for the Kernels. He went 2-3 with his 23rd double. He was also hit by a pitch. Brett Doe went 2-4. Chris Paul hit his first MWL double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Luke Bard, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Zach Granite, Ft. Myers Miracle FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (5:35 CST) – TBD Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15) – RHP Greg Peavey Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (5:00 CST) – TBD Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Keaton Steele Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Click here to view the article