Seth Stohs

A big Thank You to everyone who made it along the path of the Twins Daily Touch ‘Em All Pub Crawl on Saturday. It was great to meet so many of you. It was a busy day in the Twins minor leagues, with two doubleheaders. The Kernels inched closer to clinching an unexpected playoff berth thanks to another tremendously pitched ball game. The Miracle had a couple prospects with three hits.. Virgil Vasquez pitched for the first time since his no-hitter last Saturday, but for a different team. Check out all that and more below in today’s Twins Minor League Report for Saturday's games.RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 – Rochester 3, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 2 Box Score Chris Herrmann led the offense, and the Wings got just enough pitching to pull out Game 1 on Saturday. Herrmann went 3-3 with his 16th and 17th doubles. Chris Colabello hit his 10th double. Pedro Florimon hit his fourth home run of his Red Wings season. Sean Gilmartin started and went 4.1 innings. He gave up two runs on three hits. He walked four and struck out four. Mark Hamburger walked two in 1.2 scoreless relief innings. Michael Tonkin gave up a hit and a walk but recorded his ninth save of the year. He struck out two. Game 2 – Rochester 1, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 2 Box Score The offense struggled in the second game, managing just four hits. Pedro Florimon drove in the team’s lone run with his 16th double. Virgil Vasquez, fresh off of his New Britain no-no, was promoted to start the second game. He was needed because Yohan Pino made the Game 1 start in the Twins doubleheader. He pitched well, giving up just two runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out 11. He gave the Red Wings innings, using 119 pitches to complete the game and save the bullpen. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, Altoona 1 Box Score Jason Wheeler posted yet another strong start for the Rock Cats. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out eight. Alex Wimmers gave up a hit and walked two over two scoreless innings. He struck out three. Jim Fuller struck out two in a scoreless ninth. Jorge Polanco went 2-3 with two walks. Levi Michael was 2-3 with one walk. Brandon Waring went 2-4 with his 27th double. Kyle Knudson went 2-3 with a walk and his 11th double. Reynaldo Rodriguez knocked his 36th double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Charlotte 7 Box Score Ethan Mildren had a rough start on this day. The right-hander was charged with six earned runs on nine hits and two walks over the first 4.1 innings. He struck out one. BJ Hermsen went the next 2.2 innings and gave up a run on four hits and a walk. Alex Muren pitched a perfect frame. Adam Walker went 3-4 with his first triple of the season. Max Kepler was 3-4 as well with his 16th and 17th doubles. Jairo Rodriguez went 2-3. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Burlington 0 Box Score Chih-Wei Hu was very good. He gave up four hits and a walk over six shutout innings. Brian Gilbert struck out two over two scoreless frames. Jake Reed struck out one in the ninth to record his fourth save with the Kernels. Reed's scoreless streak is now at 19.2 innings and his ERA with the Kernels is just 0.41. The only earned run he has given up with the Kernels came in his June 30 debut with the team. He gave up an unearned run in his second game and that was the last run he's allowed. The Kernels won despite just five hits. Alex Swim went 2-4 with one of the RBIs. The other two Kernels’ runs scored on ground ball double plays. Jonatan Hinojosa had a hit. He has at least one hit in all 11 games since his return to the Kernels. He is 18-49 (.367) over that stretch with two doubles and four triples. The Kernels can clinch a playoff berth on Sunday with a win in Quad Cities or with a loss by Peoria in Clinton. Magic number is one. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Pulaski 2 Box Score The E-Twins had a good mix of offense and pitching in this game. Lefty Derrick Penilla was the pitching half of that equation. He went six innings and gave up two runs on four hits, a walk and five strikeouts. Sam Clay then struck out five over two scoreless innings. Josh Burris struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning. Jeremias Pineda went 2-5 and scored three runs in this game. He also stole his 21st base. Tyler Kuresa went 2-5 with his 12th double and four RBI. He has an impressive 40 RBI on the short-season. Will Hurt went 2-3 with a walk. GCL TWINS TAKES Game 1 – GCL Twins 5, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score It’s been a tough season for the GCL Twins, so Saturday’s double-header sweep had to feel good them. In the first game, Alexis Tapia went the first 5.1 innings and gave up one run on five hits. He walked none and struck out five. Leonel Zazueta gave up an unearned run on one hit and two walks in the final 1.2 innings. Manuel Guzman went 2-4 with his fourth double. He also stole his 17th base. Rainis Silva was 1-3 with a walk and drove in two runs. Tyree Davis hit his second double. Game 2 – GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 0 Box Score Zach Tillery started the second game and threw 5.1 shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out two. Trevor Hildenberger struck out three in the final 1.2 innings to record his ninth save. Amaurys Minier went 2-3 with a walk and his 10th double. Rafael Valera hit his second triple. Manuel Guzman was 1-3 with a walk and his 18th stolen base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Chih-Wei Hu, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Adam Walker/Max Kepler, Ft. Myers Miracle SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (12:05 CST) – Tyler Duffey New Britain @ Altoona (5:00 CST) – Pat Dean Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (4:00 CST) – DJ Baxendale Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:15 CST) – Mat Batts Elizabethton @ Pulaski (DH @ 4:00 CST) – TBD, TBD GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins win in Game 1 on Saturday against the Tigers, it means that on Sunday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article

We'll be doing a lot of minor league stuff. I'll certainly again try to project rosters (probably after new year's, or at least after the winter meetings). I'll try to get a roster from the instructional league. I still think Kepler starts next year at Ft. Myers, but that could change too.

Kepler is definitely playing very well of late. he's healthy. He's playing every day. And there's just so much talent. It's good to see that, including the extra base hits, in the FSL.

I don't really think there is much/any analysis in the article. It's updating on many of the injuries in the system throughout the year, pointing out there have been a lot. If anyone wants to compare to other organizations, that's fine. The point is that several Twins minor leaguers have missed time due to injuries at some point during the season, or recently enough that it still is noteworthy.

I don't think anyone is complaining. It's part of the game and an unfortunate part. But now one is saying "Poor Me, Poor Me." It's unfortunate for the team and for the players and their development.

100% agree!!

You're right... and it seems as if it's come to that... (maybe it's actually 20/80, or 15/85, but it's a lot.

Nope, he stopped that after about a week in the minors.

On Tuesday night, Cedar Rapids Kernels right-handed pitcher Kohl Stewart was removed from the game in the 2nd inning due to recurring shoulder soreness. It was later deemed “precautionary.” However, a recurring theme of the 2014 Minnesota Twins minor league season has been injuries. A player being removed mid-game due to injury has happened on several occasions throughout the season. Unfortunately, the injury bug has bitten most of the Twins top prospects over the last two seasons.Let’s take a look at the Twins Daily Top 10 Prospects coming into the 2014 season. #1 Byron Buxton – Outfielder Baseball’s top prospect has seemingly been snakebitten in 2014. In mid-March, he dove for a ball in centerfield and hurt his wrist. He missed two months. He returned in early in May. However, five games into his return, he slid, feet-first, and reinjured the same wrist. He missed two more months. He returned in mid-July, and in his eighth game back, he was hit by a pitch in the other wrist and missed another week. As you know, a week ago he was promoted to New Britain. In his first game, he collided with right fielder Mike Kvasnicka and while there were no broken bones, he had a concussion and will not play again this season. The team is hopeful he can participate in the Instructional League and the Arizona Fall League. #2 – Miguel Sano – Third Baseman Miguel Sano came to big league camp this spring, but in the team’s first scrimmage, an off-balance throw hurt his elbow. He had Tommy John surgery a week later. He is recovering in Ft. Myers. He will not play in the Instructional League, the Arizona Fall League or the first half of the Dominican Winter League. He may play in the second half of the DWL in an attempt to be ready for spring training. #3 – Alex Meyer – Right-Handed Pitcher Meyer has actually remained healthy throughout this season. However, he missed two months last year with a shoulder injury. The goal for Meyer this year clearly is to get him through the season healthy while attempting to meet an innings limit. He has been held to just 75 pitches several times. However, getting him to 130 innings this season is a key. He should be able to get to 160 innings in 2015. #4 – Kohl Stewart – Right-Handed Pitcher Stewart was the Twins top pick just last year and spent the season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. He was part of a six-man rotation. Through his first 17 starts, he posted a 2.42 ERA and opponents hit just .230 off of him. Unfortunately, shoulder soreness from a long bus ride to Lake County cost him a month, though nothing was found wrong structurally. He returned to action last week. As mentioned above, however, he left his start on Tuesday with more shoulder discomfort. #5 – Eddie Rosario – Second Base/Outfield Rosario has been healthy this year, but his development was slowed by his 50 game suspension to start the season due to a second failed test for a drug of abuse. He hasn’t hit real well, though he does have a bunch of doubles. He also missed four or five games last month for violating team rules. He may not have been injured, but he has been hurt by missed development time. #6 – JO Berrios – Right-Handed Pitcher There was no pitcher in the Twins organization, and maybe through minor league baseball, whose stock had risen this season as much as JO Berrios. He was a Florida State League all-star, started the Futures Game at Target Field and was promoted to AA New Britain. However, he left his fourth start with the Rock Cats due to shoulder stiffness. After evaluation, he was deemed fine. He skipped one start and has returned to the mound looking strong. Hopefully that was a short-term blip on the radar. #7 – Josmil Pinto – Catcher/DH Josmil Pinto made the Twins opening day roster, but he was relegated to the backup catcher role. When he performed, it was as a third catcher who was primarily DH'ing. In early June, he was optioned to Rochester. Late in the month, he suffered a hip injury and missed three weeks of play. He has returned and has, of late, been playing better. #10 – Trevor May – Right-Handed Pitcher May performed very well early in the season. In fact, many believed that he would be called up in late May or early July. He was named to the Futures Game, but he suffered a calf injury and ended up missing a month. When he returned, rain cost him one start and cut short another start to just three innings. However, he has now debuted with the Twins and despite early struggles, could be part of the Twins future rotation. EVEN MORE As you noticed, I skipped numbers nine and ten. Number eight was Jorge Polanco who has remained healthy and played well in Ft. Myers and in a recent promotion to New Britain, and even in two short stints with the Twins. Number nine was Lewis Thorpe who we expected to spend the season in Elizabethton, but he was promoted to Cedar Rapids in mid-June and has held his own. However, other prospects have also been hurt and lost development time because of injury. Here’s a quick rundown: Max Kepler – Outfielder/First Baseman – The youngster from Germany has been on the disabled list a couple times this year for various reasons. He missed time last year with elbow issues and has missed time this year for a couple of reasons, including a serious case of strep throat.Mason Melotakis – Left-Handed Pitcher – Melotakis made the shift back to the bullpen this year in Ft. Myers and earned himself a promotion to New Britain. He missed two weeks with elbow inflammation. He returned to the mound on earlier this week.Zach Jones – Right-Handed Pitcher – In the offseason, Jones learned that he had an aneurysm in his right shoulder. He needed to have surgery. As he was recovering from that, doctors found a blood clot in his leg. He got to Ft. Myers in May and continued to rehab. He pitched in several games for the GCL Twins and earlier this week he returned to action with the Ft. Myers Miracle.Corey Williams – Left-Handed Pitcher – Williams suffered an elbow injury during spring training and had Tommy John surgery on April 1st.JT Chargois – Right-Handed Pitcher – The former 2nd round pick from Rice has been hurt since signing with the Twins. He rehabbed throughout the 2013 season before having Tommy John surgery last August.Luke Bard – Right-Handed Pitcher – Bard had a couple surgeries during 2013. In mid-May this year he had another surgery. According to Bard, he had a “latisimus reattachment and a teres major reattachment.” Basically the muscles between his scapula and his humerus were completely detached. Once in, doctors wondered how he was able to throw at all. He will likely be out until mid-2015.Yorman Landa – Right-Handed Pitcher – The hard-throwing righty began the season in Cedar Rapids’ bullpen. He was throwing very well in May, but he needed shoulder surgery and is out for the year.Randy Rosario – Left-Handed Pitcher – Rosario began the season in the Cedar Rapids starting rotation. Unfortunately, two of three starts into the season, he hurt his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery.Fernando Romero – Right-Handed Pitcher – the 18-year-old came out of nowhere last year, hitting 96 mph. He began this season in extended spring, but he was called up to Cedar Rapids where he made a handful of starts. Unfortunately, he too experienced elbow pain and soon after had Tommy John surgery.Taylor Rogers – Left-Handed Pitcher – He was my choice for Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year last year. After an early struggle in AA, he has been very good. He did miss about three weeks with a biceps injury, but he has been good again in his return.DJ Baxendale – Right-Handed Pitcher – He has been hurt much of the year and struggled when healthy. He is currently pitching in a rehab stint in the GCL.Zack Larson – Outfielder – The 20-year-old began the season in Cedar Rapids and did well. In early May, he pulled his hamstring and did not start playing rehab games in the GCL for two months. After just a few games, he had a setback and missed another two weeks. He just returned to the Kernels this week.Brett Lee – Left-Handed Pitcher – He was named an all-star for Ft. Myers but shoulder discomfort kept him out of the game. He has returned and continued to pitch well.David Hurlbut - Left-Handed Pitcher - Like Lee, Hurlbut was a Florida State League All Star, but he has not made a start for the Miracle since June 2nd due to shoulder issues. He is rehabbing in the GCL now.There have been other injuries in the Twins farm system. To be fair, there have also been a lot of very good performances that are certainly encouragement. The disabled list time is just development time missed. It doesn’t necessarily affect prospect status. So, what can be done? That is a pretty open-ended question. I certainly don’t know. Injuries like Byron Buxton’s or Zack Larson’s are injuries incurred through baseball activities. What about all of the pitcher injuries? There have been several Tommy John surgeries and even shoulder injuries. Is there something the Twins are doing wrong? It would seem to me that their rules regarding innings counts, pitch counts and such are pretty much the same as other organizations. Is it bad luck? Are the arm injuries due to the Twins process? Should they pitch more? Could they possibly pitch less? What about in between starts? I’m more and more developing the opinion that it is pretty much a 50/50 proposition that a pitcher will have some arm issues. The odds may even be worse. Which is why I will continue to say that the Twins have just been snake-bitten this season. I have never seen anything like this, and hopefully this is a one-year thing and next year they won’t have as many injuries. Any suggestions? Click here to view the article

I recall seeing the Cedar Rapids Kernels in late June. They had not been a strong team in the first half and their pitching staff was a mess. Pretty much since that time, they have played really well. In fact, their magic number for a Midwest League playoff berth is currently just five. They’ve been receiving much improved pitching. SD Buhr was able to speak to Kernels manager Jake Mauer and his coaches, Tommy Watkins and Ivan Arteaga to discuss the turnaround.Ft. Myers already has a spot in the playoffs, but they had a great night of power and pitching. New Britain is probably out of playoff contention, but they had a great game too. Find out more about those games and who played well throughout the Twins minor league system on Wednesday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Buffalo 5 Box Score This game was tied going into the bottom of the ninth, but the Bisons were able to walk-off against the Red Wings. Alex Meyer made the start for the Red Wings. He gave up four runs, three earned, on eight hits. In 5.2 innings, he walked none and struck out ten. 62 of his 89 pitches were strikes. Aaron Thompson came on and got the next four outs, two of them on strikeouts. Deolis Guerra threw a perfect eighth frame. Mark Hamburger came on for the ninth. He recorded two outs, but the winning run scored on a single just out of the reach of a diving Aaron Hicks. Leading the Red wings offense, Chris Colabello went 3-5 and homered for the tenth time this season, Hicks went 2-4 in the game and hit his third double. He’s now hitting .298 with Rochester. James Beresford went 2-4. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 7, Richmond 0 Box Score The Rock Cats got another very good start from the recently returned Taylor Rogers. He threw five shutout innings, giving up three hits, walking four and striking out three. Alex Wimmers struck out three over two perfect innings. Jim Fuller struck out four over two scoreless innings. Nate Hanson led the offense. He went 2-5 with his 20th double. He drove in three runs and he was credited with his first stolen base of the year. Tony Thomas went 2-4 with his 14th stolen base. Matt Koch was also 2-4. Eddie Rosario doubled for the 17th time. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Bradenton 1 Box Score Power and pitching are always a good combination for a winning strategy. The Miracle got both on Wednesday night. Steven Gruver started and threw five shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out three. It was his eighth start of the year (with 32 relief appearances). With this start, he has worked five innings in each of his last four starts. He has given up just four earned runs in those 20 innings. Alex Muren came on for the sixth and threw two shutout innings. He gave up just one hit and he struck out two. BJ Hermsen was charged with one run on three hits in his inning. He struck out two. Brandon Peterson struck out the side in the ninth inning. The power in this game came, but not from the players that you might have expected. Tyler Grimes led the way. He went 2-4 with his second triple and his third home run. Stuart Turner was also 2-4. Max Kepler went 1-3 with a walk and his fourth home run. Jason Kanzler hit his third Miracle home run. Niko Goodrum walked twice and stole his 34th base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 5 Box Score The Kernels home stand ended and so did their eight-game winning streak. Stephen Gonsalves started. The lefty gave up two runs, one earned, on six hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out seven. Hudson Boyd gave up three runs in the sixth inning on three hits and two walks. Chris Mazza struck out four over two scoreless innings. Brian Gilbert struck out two in the ninth. Engelb Vielma and Jonatan Hinojosa each went 2-4. Max Murphy hit his sixth double, while Michael Quesada hit his 12th double. Mitch Garver walked twice and stole his seventh base. E-TWINS E-NOTES The E-Twins had a scheduled off day. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 7, GCL Orioles 8 Box Score Josh Guyer put together a very solid start in Ft. Myers. He worked five innings and was charged with two unearned runs. He gave up five hits, a walk and had two strikeouts. Seth Wagner worked the sixth and got just two outs. He gave up three runs on two hits and two walks. Trevor Hildenberger got the next four outs and was charged with one run. Leonel Zazueta gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in the eighth inning. Manuel Guzman and Nelson Molina were each 2-4 in this game. Amaurys Minier hit his ninth double. Rafael Valera doubled for the eighth time of the year. Rainis Silva drove in three runs with his ninth double of the year. Silva is now hitting .351 over his last ten games while driving in six in the last two games. He is one of the youngest players on the roster. He turned 18 years old in March. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Steven Gruver, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tyler Grimes, Ft. Myers Miracle THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (6:00 CST) – Logan Darnell New Britain @ Richmond (6:05 CST) – TBD Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) – Lewis Thorpe Elizabethton @ Pulaski (6:00 CST) – Sam Gibbons GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

My point has always been that accumulating prospects is important because so few pan out as hoped. In other words, let's say you've got 10 prospects that are really highly touted. That likely means that maybe 1 will become an All Star type. Hopefully two will become every day regulars. Hopefully 3 of them can become role players, and then you know 3-4 of them will fizzle before the big leagues... And that's before factoring in the injury factor which is pretty much completely unpredictable. I have never seen anything like this though.

But there's also a reason that Hicks is playing all 3 outfield positions now. There were always questions about Santana's Defense at SS. Escobar is terrific at shortstop with the glove. I just assume he isn't going to hit like he has this year going forward, but there's no way I'd trade him at this point. There wouldn't be enough upside in whoever they would get for him to make it worth it. I mentioned on the Twins Hangouts last night that I can't help but wonder if not only the Twins but the other organizations still see Escobar as "just" a utility infielder. Fair or not. He made it to the big leagues at at 21 as a utility guy. Who would do that if they saw him as a real prospect (the White Sox, I guess)? I wonder if that's the industry's standard belief. The Twins do, and rightfully should, value utility guys. We've seen the value of that position for the last 25 years. Having a guy that can play all three spots in the infield is huge, and now I think he can be an adequate starting SS too.

Alright, after listening, comment here YOUR #Twins15 list... Who would you protect?

It could be both. He throws hard, but he also can mix it up really well.

1.) I really like the Hu-dini nickname. Good stuff! 2.) I had the chance to talk to Ivan Arteaga when I was there. He is a tremendous communicator. I asked him 3-4 questions and he was great for 20 minutes. Very deep. Very thoughtful responses. He has the passion. His English is very good, and he talked about how important that is for him, but also for the players who do not speak English as their primary language.

Starting on Tuesday night, the Minnesota Twins will begin a three-game series against Cleveland. Prior to the July 31 trade deadline, the team traded their top starting pitcher over the last several years (Justin Masterson) as well as their everyday shortstop for the better part of the last half-dozen years (Asdrubal Cabrera). With six weeks to play, they find themselves on the periphery of contention, 4.5 games behind Seattle, for a wild card spot.If you’re wondering who it is keeping Cleveland in contention, get a Klube, errr..., a Kluber. Corey Kluber to be more specific. Kluber is a little-known right-hander who is becoming an ace before our very eyes. Kluber is 13-6 this season for Cleveland with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. In 26 starts, he has thrown 179.1 innings. He has walked just 38 and struck out 197 batters. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, Kluber was the 4th round pick out of Stetson University way back in 2007. He has certainly paid his dues in the minor leagues. In fact, in 2010, he was part of a three-team trade that sent Jake Westbrook from Cleveland to St. Louis, Ryan Ludwick from the Cardinals to the Padres, and Kluber went to Cleveland. One year later, in September of 2011 and at the age of 25, he made his debut. He posted a 2-5 record with a 5.14 ERA in 12 starts in 2012. However, in 2013, he started his ascent. He went 11-5 with a 3.85 ERA (a 99 ERA+) in 26 games with Cleveland. When he starts against the Twins on Thursday afternoon, it will be his 27th start of the season. He has been at his best since the beginning of July. In his last eight starts, he is 6-0 with a 1.31 ERA while averaging nearly eight innings per start. It’s fun to watch great pitching. It’s encouraging to see a guy become so great despite not debuting until he was 25 and even have a full-time starting role in the big leagues until he was nearly 27. It’s never too late. Let’s take a look at the pitching matchups of this three-game set. If you’re able, be sure to get to Target Field where there are still a lot of great tickets available for very reasonable prices. Leading their charge has been the same unit that has been doing so all year: their pitching. Overall, the Indians have a 3.56 ERA this year (compared to the Twins mark of 4.35) and they’ve been even better since the break, posting a 2.80 ERA over those 25 games. (You don’t want to know how THAT compares to the Twins.) Given those numbers, the pitching matchups look a little better than you might have hoped. Let’s go through them each and figure out which ticket you like the best: Tuesday 7:10 p.m. – Trevor Bauer vs Kyle Gibson This is an interesting matchup of former highly-touted college pitchers. Bauer was the 3rd overall pick in the 2011 draft out of UCLA by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was dealt to Cleveland following the 2012 season. After a rocky 2013, he appears to be making some strides forward in 2014. He is 4-7 with a 4.35 ERA. Gibson was the Twins first-round pick in 2009 out of Missouri. If not for injury concerns, he would likely have been a top ten pick as well. He had his Tommy John surgery. He then struggled in his debut in 2013, but he has quietly been a very solid starter for the Twins in 2014. He is now 11-9 with a 3.96 ERA. Check out this pitching matchup for as little as $4! There are a lot of seats available for just four dollars. Wednesday 7:10 p.m. – TJ House vs Ricky Nolasco 24-year-old lefty TJ House will be making his 12th major league start for Cleveland in this game. He has a record of 1-3 with a 4.13 ERA. Ricky Nolasco will be making his second start since returning from his disabled list stint. He will be trying to keep his ERA below six. He is currently 5-8 with a 5.99 ERA. There are $4 tickets available for this game too. You might want some tickets in the outfield because this game could be high scoring! Thursday 12:10 p.m. – Corey Kluber vs Phil Hughes This is a terrific matchup between a couple of baseball’s most underrated starting pitchers in 2014. As mentioned above, Kluber is 13-6 with a 2.41 ERA. Hughes is 13-8 with a 3.76 ERA. There are a lot of tickets still available for this matinee. Might be a good day to play a little hooky from work and watch what should be a very good pitching matchup. There are even several box seats available for less than $80. ~~~ There are plenty of good seats available for this midweek series against Cleveland. Thursday afternoon’s game promises to be quite a pitcher’s duel. Tuesday’s game is a game of starters with high ceilings who should continue to get better. Wednesday night’s game has the potential to be a slugfest. This series means a lot to Cleveland, and the Twins will try to play spoiler. Check out which seats will work best for you and your family. And don’t forget! All of your seats are 10% cheaper and help support Twins Daily if you use the code DAILYDOUBLE. Whatever your needs (football is coming….), your local ticket supplier, Ticket King, can help. Click here to view the article

Arcia's OPS+ of 101 is solid, and encouraging. If he can use the whole field better and cut down on the strikeouts, that number should continue to rise. The fact that he's not a very good hitter right now, yet still puts up adequate-to-solid overall numbers should be very exciting for what he could become if he listens and learns.

Yes, they could add him to the 40 man one day and take him off the next. I like the idea of giving him 3-4 weeks of big league time.

I believe that's the video that's up in the story/article, right?

I think it would be awesome. I don't know that it's "likely" but I'd have no problem with it. Jeremy and I talked about this on the Twins Hangouts last week.

They do only plat 7-inning games when there is a doubleheader. Fun night to write the Minor League Report, with three doubleheaders! Dalton Hicks has been crushing the ball. No doubt!! So has Mike Gonzales. And yes, Matt Tomshaw deserved pitcher of the day. I had to change it once Vasquez went to the 7th.