Seth Stohs

What a night in the Twins system! The Twins found another way to lose to the Yankees. Byron Buxton continued to hit. Two top-ten prospects threw complete games for the Ft. Myers Miracle. With that true, the top pitching performance of the night came from Cedar Rapids. That says a lot when you consider the Elizabethton starter didn’t give up a hit. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (Stephen Gonsalves, Kohl Stewart) What a night in the Twins system! The Twins found another way to lose to the Yankees. Byron Buxton continued to hit. Two top-ten prospects threw complete games for the Ft. Myers Miracle. With that true, the top pitching performance of the night came from Cedar Rapids. That says a lot when you consider the Elizabethton starter didn’t give up a hit. All that and more can be found as you work your way through today’s minor league report. TRANSACTIONS There were a couple of transactions in the Twins system on Tuesday: Lefty David Hurlbut, promoted to Rochester over the weekend for one start, was returned to AA Chattanooga. RHP Matt Summer was sent down to Ft. Myers. Danny Santana was activated from the 7-day disabled list. Eric Farris was placed on the DL for Rochester. In former Twins minor league news, as of last week when he was released from the Rochester roster, Nate Hanson has signed with the 62-19 St. Paul Saints. He was in their lineup on Tuesday night. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Buffalo 5 Box Score Byron Buxton extended his hitting streak to all 12 games he’s spent with the Red Wings. He went 2-4 with his second double. Danny Santana was 2-4 with his seventh double and fourth triple. James Beresford was also 2-4. Kennys Vargas’s fifth double drove in two runs. Logan Darnell made the start and the lefty worked into the sixth inning. In 5.2 innings, he gave up three unearned runs. He allowed three hits, walked five and struck out three. Tim Shibuya, the Twins 23rd round pick in 2011, made his AAA debut. He gave up two hits over 1.1 scoreless innings in relief. Aaron Thompson came on to start the eighth, but he gave up two hits and walked a batter without recording an out. Mark Hamburger came in and allowed two of the inherited runners to score on a hit, but he got through the eighth inning holding a one-run lead. Michael Tonkin came on and pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Pensacola 8 Box Score Greg Peavey had a rough one. He gave up six runs on four hits and four walks and recorded just four outs. Alex Wimmers came on and struck out three over 2.2 perfect innings. Brandon Peterson struck out one in a flawless inning. Nick Burdi gave up two runs on three hits and two walks over 1.2 innings. He struck out two. DJ Johnson got the final out with a strikeout. The Lookouts went 1-2-3 in the first two innings. Niko Goodrum led off the third inning with his fifth home run. He went 2-3 in the game. Max Kepler was 1-3 with a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 – Ft. Myers 4, Charlotte 1 Box Score Stephen Gonsalves continues a remarkable 2015 season. The left-hander went all seven innings of game one. He gave up just one run on four hits. He walked one and struck out seven. He improved to 6-1 with a 2.23 ERA with the Miracle. Josmil Pinto was added to the Miracle roster after DHing in four games with the GCL Twins. He was the DH and third hitter in this game. He went 1-4 but hit a solo home run. The other big hit came off the bat of Tanner Vavra. He hit a two-run single in a three-run fifth inning. Logan Wade hit his 17th double. Game 2 – Ft. Myers 5, Charlotte 2 Box Score Kohl Stewart followed Gonsalves’s complete game with one of his own. He gave up two runs on six hits over seven innings. He did not walk a batter. He struck out two and recorded 13 groundouts. He is now 6-7 with a 3.21 ERA on the season. Tanner Vavra again led the way. He went 2-2 with a walk. Aderlin Mejia went 1-2 with his eighth double and two RBI KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Kane County 1 Box Score Keaton Steele deserved better. The right-hander gave up just one run on three hits over eight innings. He walked none and struck out four. However, he took the loss. The Kernels bats just couldn’t get anything going. They managed just six hits in the game. Zach Larson went 2-3 with his 18th double. Edgar Corcino went 2-4. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Danville 2 Box Score Cody Stashak was back on the mound. Through five innings, he gave up only an unearned run. He gave up no hits, walked two and struck out six. He came out of the game and was replaced by Logan Lombana. He gave up one run on four hits over two innings. He struck out two and didn’t walk a batter. Kuo Hua Lo struck out four over the final two innings to drop his ERA to 1.03. Stashak improved to 5-1 with a 1.58 ERA. Kamran Young led the offense. He went 2-4 with his sixth double, his second triple and four RBI. LaMonte Wade went 1-2 with two walks. He also stole his sixth and seventh bases. Manuel Guzman walked twice. He stole his 16th, 17th and 18th bases. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 5 Box Score Christian Cavaness led off the game by being hit by a pitch. He stayed in the game and scored a run, but he was replaced by Jorge Andrade who went 3-3 for the rest of the game. He also stole his ninth base. Roberto Gonzalez went 2-4 in the game. Ariel Montesino had a single and a walk. Blake Schmit went 1-4 and drove in two runs. He has hit .324 in his rehab stint. Williams Ramirez started and gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits. In 4.2 innings, he walked once and struck out four. Max Cordy came on and worked the next 2.1 innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He struck out two. Johan Quezada gave up one run on one hit and one walk in his inning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Keaton Steele, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tanner Vavra, Ft. Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester (12:35 CST) – LHP Pat Dean Chattanooga @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) – LHP Brett Lee Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (6:00 CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids @ Ft. Myers (6:35 CST) – RHP Felix Jorge Elizabethton – No Game Scheduled GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00 CST) – TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below View full article

I might be reading this wrong... are you saying that he stay in the bullpen going forward, beyond this year? I can see him working in the bullpen this year if they are completely out of it... but not going forward. That's a lot of money for an 8th inning guy.

Yeah, that's it... I'm just saying there's no way to know that he was hurt when he started struggling. It's possible he was just struggling when he was struggling. Can't just assume he was hurt right from the beginning of his struggles.

He hasn't had a cortisone shot or anything this year. This is the first of this issue this year. He's missed time, I believe, each of the last two seasons, maybe even further back. I think you're jumping to some unfair conclusions here based on K-Rate.

I'm sure after the cortisone shot, they give it a couple of days to heal. I wouldn't want to DL him if it's possible he'll be back in 4-6 days. These games are big and if he responds well, I'd want him out there.

According to 1500ESPN's baseball writer Derek Wetmore, Twins closer Glen Perkins will be getting a cortisone shot in his neck.

David Hurlbut was returned to Chattanooga after making a weekend start with the Red Wings.

I was just listening to 1500espn, and they announced that Nate Hanson has signed with the Saints. Nice signing for an already really great team.

Duensing got the lefty, and aside from a blooper and a liner past a drawn-in 3B, O'Rourke has been dominant against lefties.

Reminiscent of this great Butch Huskey moment!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPKlJ8eGvhY

Yeah, becoming a LOOGY or a reliever can happen at any time. He's got three good pitches and he's just 24, so he can still develop. He's left-handed. The thing about starting is that you face so many more batters and pitch in so many different situations. A reliever may come in with runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out... Tough situation. A starter may face that situation once a game. Have to find a way out of it with minimal damage. So yeah, he can be a LOOGY any time, but he's got talent and stuff, so keep him starting. If you need a lefty-reliever up, bring him up and put him in that role.

I believe in track record though. I get that he's 40. I get that he's struggled, but there's still plenty left. Even last night, he crushed a few balls foul. The bat speed is still there, just needs some hits to fall in. That's not to say that he will play well. No way to know that. I don't think we know that Buxton would play well. He didn't in the small sample when he first came up. Don't get me wrong. I would want to play Buxton over Hunter for the last 6 weeks, but it doesn't guarantee anything.

This is why I hate the pitch framing stat. Watching Suzuki, he is framing the ball. He's being subtle. He sits quietly. He's holding out the glove appropriately. The ump just called a ball a ball. I didn't see anything that tells me he didn't pitch frame well.

No one is saying that you need to ignore the past stats, but give the guy a little credit for moving up to a new league, experiencing the expected struggles and really coming on the last couple of months. He's made some sort of adjustment. If he can post .650-.680 OPS all the way up, and eventually into the big leagues, with his defense, that makes for a pretty solid player. Definitely one to watch. No one is saying he should be a top ten prospect, maybe not even top 20, but definitely one to watch.

Right, but if he can post a .750 OPS for the final 5-6 weeks playing 4 times a week, that would be great.

They will keep evaluating the young player and those guys will continue to play. No question about it. But, in my opinion, if they are going to the playoffs this year (as long of a shot as it is), I think they're going to have to be led by Mauer, Hunter, Dozier, Plouffe, etc. Sano, Rosario, Hicks, Buxton will all have that opportunity too. It'll be fun to see how everyone responds.

On Monday night in New York, the Minnesota Twins found another frustrating way to lose to the Yankees. It’s something Twins fans should be used to, but it brings out strong feelings every time. With a tough road trip underway, starting with a tough loss is not what anyone wanted. The Twins find themselves in a battle for two wild card spots. This road trip may go a long ways in determining whether the Twins are contender or pretender. Image courtesy of Adam Hunger, USA Today On Monday night in New York, the Minnesota Twins found another frustrating way to lose to the Yankees. It’s something Twins fans should be used to, but it brings out strong feelings every time. With a tough road trip underway, starting with a tough loss is not what anyone wanted. The Twins find themselves in a battle for two wild card spots. This road trip may go a long ways in determining whether the Twins are contender or pretender. Here is a quick look at how the standings look heading into Tuesday’s games: The New York Yankees lead the Blue Jays in the AL East, but many still believe that Toronto could win that division. If that is the case, the Twins are 5.5 games behind the Bronx Bombers. That’s what makes Monday night’s loss so frustrating. It was a winnable game. The Twins scored plenty of runs and they matched the powerful offense of the Yankees. Eduardo Nunez, in this Mike Berardino tout video, shouldered the loss. He said “It’s all on my back. I think I lost the game.” Sure, he had the final play in the game, but there was plenty of blame to go around. Kyle Gibson gave up a three-run homer to Brian McCann on an 0-2 pitch in the first. When the Twins fought back and took the lead, Gibson was unable to slow the Yankees offense. He gave up six runs in five innings. Ryan O’Rourke, who has been very good against left-handed batters, gave up singles to the two left-handed hitters he faced (admittedly a bloop single and a liner past a drawn-in Trevor Plouffe at third base). Brian Duensing got the left-hander he was asked to face on a strikeout, but then gave up a game-tying homer to Carlos Beltran. The manager, Paul Molitor, kept giving up outs by sending base stealers. They were successful just twice in five attempts on the night. One could question the decision to challenge the Eddie Rosario catch, leaving Alex Rodriguez on first base, rather than Mark Teixeira, or The decision to not hold A-Rod on first, allowing him to steal second and score right after that. There was plenty of blame. ROUGH ROAD AHEAD The Twins have two more games in New York, where they actually have played well in recent years. Then they play four games in Baltimore against an Orioles team that currently holds the second wild card spot. After a day off next Monday, the Twins will play three games in Tampa against the Rays. Then they return home and play the AL West-leading Houston Astros in a three-game series. After a series at Target Field against the White Sox, the Twins travel to Houston for three more games. After that series, a trip to Kaufman Stadium for three games against the Kansas City Royals. The Royals, of course, hold a 12.5 game over the Twins in the AL Central. The Twins have played really well at Target Field yet have completely struggled on the road. Their next nine games are away from Target Field. 18 of their next 24 games are on the road. If they can remain in contention that long, their final 19 games include three against the White Sox, six against the Tigers and six against Cleveland. The only team they play that is currently in a possible playoff position is the Angels, though they have four games at Target Field against them. Considering where the Twins were at the All-Star break (11 games over .500), the second half has been quite frustrating. Considering where the Twins were after one week of the season, we should be thrilled that the Twins are in the position that they are with 44 games to play. Even more important, players like Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, Aaron Hicks and Byron Buxton are going to be getting big league at-bats in important situations. It can only help them in the long run. Pitchers like Tyler Duffey, Trevor May and Ryan O’Rourke are getting to pitch in big situations in big ball games. In the last month, many of the veterans have struggled while the young players are doing as much or more than could rightfully be expected. The veterans (hitters, starters and relievers) will need to step up if the team is to remain in contention. The Twins had a frustrating loss in the first of their ten-game road trip against some key competitors in a playoff race. However, they still sit at 59-59 with 44 more games to play. We asked for meaningful games in August and for the first time in five years, we have them. View full article

They may not think that. I think that he can. Especially if he plays like he did last year, which maybe he would have if given that chance earlier in the season. Hindsight is 20/20.

I actually think Nunez has been pretty solid at SS when he's played there. No, he doesn't have huge range, but he makes most of the plays. Yup, the last error was bad. He didn't have a play at home after the bad hop and bobble, so it was weird to throw it to first, but yeah. And yeah, I think that the Twins can be a winning team with Escobar as their every day shortstop, and Nunez as a backup. Nunez stood up to the media after the game and fully put the loss on his back, but that's not true at all. SP gave up 6 runs in 5 innings. Manager kept trying to steal bases. Lefties in the bullpen didn't get it done on this night (they've both actually been OK of late). Just an ugly, long game.

Onesimo Hernandez named Appy League Pitcher of the Week.

There's a reason I didn't write out the why myself. Ha!

They could do that. They could just DFA him. Or, they could put him back on the Family Emergency List thing that they have put him on a couple of times already this year.

That's not the reason, but this is Kepler's second of four option years. So, they don't have to bring him up.