Seth Stohs

After going through the top performing Hitters and Starting Pitchers from April, its’ time to now check out which relief pitchers performed the best in April. The Twins announced their choices of Byron Buxton and DJ Baxendale as their Hitter and Pitcher of the month, respectively. As we saw with the starting pitcher list, using an beginning and ending point (such as a month) can alter how the numbers look. Alex Meyer may be been #1 or #2 on the list if not for one inning in which he gave up four runs. Instead, he was #4. With relief pitchers, the low number of innings in a given month mean that having one bad outing can really affect your numbers. However, we have a pretty strong list of relievers who started the 2013 season with a strong first month. Let's get to the Top 5 Relief Pitchers in April: Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – Tim Atherton - 0.82 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 13 K The 23-year-old from Australia originally signed with the Twins in 2007 as a position player. He was released a year later for some off-field stuff, but re-signed with the Twins, this time as a pitcher, in 2011. He has been quite good since then, and that was the case in April. He pitched the ninth inning of the Kernels’ early-season no-hitter. He struggled some with control last year with the Snappers, but has shown good control to this point in the season. He has a good fastball and a solid slider. He can be deceptive due to a very animated motion. He should move up to Ft. Myers during the season. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – Cole Johnson – 1.69 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 10.2 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 7 K This time last year, Johnson was still toiling in Ft. Myers with the Extended Spring Training group. He was promoted to Beloit when the short-season leagues started. He pitched well for the Snappers in the 2nd half last year and in minor league camp to earn a spot in the Miracle bullpen. The success has continued through the season’s first month when he gave up just two runs and opponents hit just .143 off of him. The 23-year-old was the Twins 44th round pick in 2011 out of Notre Dame. Number 3 – Cedar Rapids – Steven Gruver – 1.08 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 16.2 IP, 11 H, 3 BB, 22 K A year ago at this time, the 23-year-old Gruver was in the starting rotation for the Beloit Snappers. He made 18 starts and 12 relief appearances and posted a 3.61 ERA. The lefty began this season in the Kernels bullpen and has been pitching in long relief. He has pitched at least two innings in each of his appearance and has pitched as many as four innings in relief. He did go 4.2 innings in one spot start. The 2011 7th round pick from Tennessee throws strikes, hits 91 and has a good slider. He is another guy that just needs a spot to open up in Ft. Myers to move up. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – Corey Williams – 2.31 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 8 H, 0 BB, 5 K In 2012, Williams led the Twins minor leagues with 17 saves while pitching in 47 games for Beloit. The lefty struck out 68 batters in 62.1 innings, but he also walked 33. In his first month in the Florida State League, Williams led the organization with six saves despite splitting save opportunities. However, as you can see, he didn’t strike many out, but more encouraging, he also threw strikes. He was the Twins third round pick in 2011 out of Vanderbilt. He throws hard and has very good stuff. Despite not being promoted last year, Williams is a guy who could move quickly. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: [ATTACH=CONFIG]3986[/ATTACH] (Photo by Greg Wagner) Ft. Myers – Zack Jones – 1.64 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 11 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 13 K Zack Jones was one of the talented bullpen arms that the Twins selected in the 2012 draft. Unlike some, he will not be getting an opportunity to start. He will be a back-of-the-bullpen arm. When fans hear Zack Jones, the first thing you should think is fastball. Reports last year in Beloit say that radar guns consistently would hit 98 mph with several instances of reaching triple-digits. In 2013 with the Miracle, the radar guns are consistently between 96 and 99 with the fastball. He has been splitting time pitching with late-inning leads with Corey Williams. Jones has five saves. Opponents hit just .139 off of him in April. Jones is highly-touted and has a chance to move up quickly, but his role and level of success could be determined by his ability to continue to develop a second pitch. Jones said, “Right now, just a slider I’ve been working on. Spent some time messing with different grips and what not, but right now, I believe I have a better grasp on the pitch than I have previously. “His slider is improving,” said Twins Director of Minor League Operations Brad Steil who added, “He’s being aggressive, throwing strikes and not walking many.” To what does Jones credit his first-month success? “In my opinion, a lot of my success this first month really came from attacking the hitter. I’m starting to develop more confidence with my slider and using that periodically in fastball situations so teams can’t just sit on the fastball,” he continued, “For me, I just try to keep it simple. Come into the game ready and throw strikes down in the zone. Do my best to compete with a relaxed intensity and not let the game speed up on me.” The Miracle are 22-4 on the season. They’ve had strong offense, solid starting pitching, and as you can see from this list, their bullpen has been very good. What’s it like to pitch late in games with Corey Williams, and what can he learn from him? Jones says he learns a lot and they push each other. “I’m lucky to be competing with a pitcher like Corey. I believe a lot of our success comes from us competing with each other and backing each other up. He is a well-rounded pitcher and has a very good mound presence. So, from watching from the bullpen, I try and study how he and other pitchers deal with adversity because that is what makes or breaks a pitcher. We both want the ball just as bad as the other at the end of the game, and we will continue to push each other to be the best we can be.” So, when he gets called in for a save situation, what’s his walk-in music? Jones chuckled and said, “Good question. Guys have different ideas on the walkout music. Some like calm, steady songs, but I’m the opposite. I like feeding my adrenaline when I pitch so I go with something heavy like Metallica.” It may be something he’ll have to have played in Target Field in the future! It was a terrific month for the Ft. Myers Miracle. They were the only team in baseball to end April with 20 wins. Miguel Sano was my choice for Twins minor league hitter of the month. (The Twins officially chose Byron Buxton, which is completely understandable.) DJ Baxendale was the choice for me for Twins minor league starting pitcher of the month. The Twins made him their pitcher of the month. And today, three of my top five relievers, including the top two, were from the Miracle. Hopefully May can be as exciting for the Twins minor league affiliates and their prospects. As always, please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Friday was another good day for the two Minnesota Twins Class A affiliates while the Red Wings and Rock Cats fell short. In some pretty exciting Twins Daily news, our frequent contributor AJ Pettersen tweeted the following after tonight’s Miracle game, “I'm headed to Portland, Maine tomorrow to join the @RockCats!” Congratulation to AJ! Who knows… maybe we’ll get a great blog post telling us all about it!! Check back tomorrow morning for the April Twins minor league relief pitcher of the month article. Rochester Red Wings 1, Columbus Clippers 5 Box Score Kyle Gibson was back on the mound. The Clippers bats were definitely on this day. Gibson gave up five runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings. He didn’t walk any and struck out just one. Shairon Martis then threw 2.1 innings and gave up just two hits. Rafael Perez made his first appearance of the year and through a 1-2-3 inning. Clete Thomas remained hot. He went 2-4 with his fifth stolen base. He is now hitting .385 on the season. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with his sixth double. New Britain Rock Cats 4, Portland Sea Dogs 5 Box Score Pat Dean pitched well again. The lefty gave up just two runs on five hits in 6.1 innings. He walked none and struck out six. Bruce Pugh came on and gave up a run on two hits and got just two outs. Aaron Thompson pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Michael Tonkin came in for the ninth. He got two outs, but with a couple of runners on, Antoan Richardson had an error that allowed both runners to score and the Rock Cats fell. Josmil Pinto went 2-3 with a walk and two RBI. Danny Ortiz was 2-4. Curt Smith homered for the second time this season. Ft. Myers Miracle 6, St. Lucie Mets 0 Box Score For the second time this season, the Miracle were able to topple Mets top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard. Kennys Vargas led the way by going 4-4 with two doubles. He now has nine, two-baggers. Drew Leachman went 2-3. Miguel Sano hit his eighth double. Matt Summers started for the Miracle. The right-hander threw five shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out six. Adrian Salcedo came on and threw two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit. Zack Jones gave up a hit and two walks, but no runs, over two innings. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3980[/ATTACH] Cedar Rapids Kernels 8, West Michigan 6 Box Score Jorge Polanco led the Kernels offense. He went 3-5 with his seventh and eighth doubles and drove in three runs. Jhonatan Arias was 3-4 with his first double. Adam Walker was 2-5 with his first stolen base. Niko Goodrum went 1-3 with two walks. Byron Buxton was 1-4 with a walk, meaning he has continued his streak of getting on base at least once in every game. Mason Melotakis started and gave up four runs (2 earned) on eight hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out three. Manuel Soliman gave up a run on one hit and one walk in 1.2 innings. He struck out four (of the five outs he got). David Hurlbut gave up a run on two hits but he recorded his second save. A LOOK AHEAD to Saturday The Rochester Red Wings will send Liam Hendriks to the mound to face Columbus at 6:05 (all times central). At noon, Trevor May will be on the mound in Portland for the New Britain Rock Cats. Tom Stuifbergen will look to continue his impressive 2013 when he takes the mound for the Miracle at 5:05. Tyler Duffey will make his first non-Sunday start for Cedar Rapids when they play in South Bend at 6:05. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

Yesterday, we looked at the top hitters in the Twins system in May, and today, we’ll be taking a look at the top pitching performances of April. It will be separated into two blog postings, one for the relievers and this one for the starting pitchers. While the hitting leaders were primarily in the lower levels of the Twins farm system, there are a couple of starting pitchers that appear on today’s list that may not be too far from contributing to the Twins. With that, let's jump to the starting pitchers. Here are the Top 5 Starting Pitchers for April: Number 5 - Rochester – Kyle Gibson - 5 GS, 1-3, 3.33 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 21 H, 9 BB, 26 K Gibson’s return from Tommy John surgery has been filled with ups and some downs. He had one start in which he gave up five runs in 4.1 innings. It is a process, to be sure. However, the 25-year-old has been able to strike out nearly a batter per inning. The general belief is that he is getting close to being able to contribute to the Twins. Twins Director of Minor League Operations said, “Kyle is making good progress. He pitched into the 7th inning in his last outing, which was good to see.” Number 4 – New Britain – Alex Meyer - 5 GS, 2-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 28.0 IP, 26 H, 11 BB, 34 K In Meyer’s most recent start, he gave up four runs in six innings, but all four runs came in the third inning. If we were nice, and we could just pretend that one inning didn’t happen, his ERA for the month would be 1.33. Certainly his walk total is a little high, but his strikeouts are encouraging, even exciting. Meyer is blessed with an upper-90s fastball, a hammer for a curveball, a sharp slider and an ever-improving change up. Still just 23 years old, Meyer could rise quickly. Number 3 – Ft. Myers – Tom Stuifbergen - 5 GS, 1-1, 2.60 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 23 H, 0 BB, 18 K Stuifbergen doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts, and the 24-year-old is back with the Miracle for the third straight year. But he also doesn’t walk anybody. Zero walks in 27.2 innings?! He also doesn’t give up many home runs. He gave up two homers in his first start of the year, and has given up none since, in 22.2 innings. He has the pitches, he just needs to opportunity to advance. Steil said, “He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing and be ready when there’s an opportunity. When he’s pitching well, it’s usually because he’s changing speeds effectively and keeping hitters off balance.” Number 2 – Cedar Rapids – Tyler Duffey - 4 GS, 3-1, 2.60 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 18 H, 3 BB, 21 K The Twins used their fifth round pick last year on Duffey, a relief pitcher from Rice. As would be expected, he dominated the Appalachian League out of the bullpen. The Twins were committed to giving Duffey (And several other college relievers) an opportunity to start. Duffey got that opportunity, and he has made the best of it to this point. In his first start of the season, he threw seven perfect innings for the Kernels, and two pitchers completed the no-hitter. With a six-man rotation and the weather issues, Duffey made just four starts in the month. He has shown impeccable control and general ability to keep runners off base. He is efficient with his pitches and has been able to complete seven innings in three of his four starts. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: [ATTACH=CONFIG]3975[/ATTACH] Ft. Myers – DJ Baxendale - 5 GS, 4-0, 1.84 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 29.1 IP, 21 H, 6 BB, 25 K Baxendale was the top starter of the Arkansas Razerbacks team that advanced to the College World Series. During the season, he set the Arkansas record with 20 starts. He went 8-5 with a 3.11 ERA. The Twins were thrilled to use their 10th round pick on the right-hander as they believed he had the talent to be selected much earlier. He began his pro career with the Elizabethton Twins but quickly moved up to Beloit. Combined, he walked just two and struck out 31 in 18.2 innings. He pitched out of the bullpen primarily because of the 107 innings he threw during the college season. The plan was for him to start this season, but it is somewhat surprising the he began the season with the Miracle. However, as Brad Steil said, the things he’s done so well in April are the things that got him pushed to Ft. Myers. “He’s been locating well, keeping hitters off balance by changing speeds, and keeping the ball down. Along with (those things), just his maturity and poise on the mound.” Just take a look at the numbers. 4-0 with a sub-2.00 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP. He has limited long balls and walks. The Miracle were 21-4 in April, and Baxendale was a big part of it. So, what does he throw? A scouting report might tell you that he throws both a 2-seam and a 4-seam fastball that ranges from 87 to 92 mph. He has a big-bending curveball in the low 70s with downward break that makes it a pitch that induces ground balls. He also has a very good, late-breaking slider in the 78 to 82 mph range. He has terrific control of it, and when he spots it on the outside corner, he can get hitters to chase. He also has good arm speed and sink on his changeup. What would Baxendale himself say? “I throw a four-seam fastball, sinker, change-up, curve ball and slider. I try to use the slider and curveball both as strikeout pitches in order to keep the hitters guessing what pitch I will come with ahead in the count.” Baxendale has great command and makeup. He has the ability to move the ball around the strike zone very well. He can pitch to all of the zones of the plate, up and down, inside and out. He gets a lot of swings and misses outside of the zone, in part, because he hides the ball well. He is competitive and wants to win at everything. He has a knack of getting out of jams, and has grittiness and intensity on the mound. Baxendale credits his pitching coach and his control for his success so far this year. “The biggest key to my success so far is throwing low, quality strikes with all of my pitches. I’ve been working hard with pitching coach Ivan Arteaga to be able to consistently repeat my mechanics which improves my command and control of all pitches.” It’s also been about making adjustments to the professional game. Baxendale explained, “The biggest adjustment I’ve made so far in pro ball is to be efficient in my innings and keep the pitch count down. I’ve done this by pitching to contact, throwing the ball down in the zone and getting outs in early counts.” For Baxendale to continue to develop and rise through the Twins system, he may need to get a little bigger and strong. By adding some weight and strength, he would likely see a little increased velocity. But for now, Baxendale is happen to be part of this tremendous Miracle team. “Being part of a talented team is always fun. We are all really competitive so we want to win. It’s pretty special to be a part of a team that is as talented as we are because every game is fun to watch.” There were a lot of great hitting performances in April, but several pitchers threw the ball very well and were quite successful in the season’s opening month as well. DJ Baxendale is the choice for April Starting Pitcher of the Year, but Tyler Duffey, Tom Stuifbergen, Alex Meyer and Kyle Gibson all performed quite well during the month. We’ll be back tomorrow to discuss the Relief Pitcher of the Month. Please feel free to comment and ask questions.

It hardly seems like it has been a month. Maybe it was the cold weather, some postponements and several doubleheaders. But just because the weather was cold does not mean that there weren’t some very hot bats in the Twins farm system. The Twins had the top two teams in the minor leagues in the month of April. The Ft. Myers Miracle went 21-4. The Cedar Rapids Kernels were right behind at 18-5. Miguel Sano or Byron Buxton? Byron Buxton or Miguel Sano? They are two of the two prospects in all of baseball, and in April, both of them put up remarkable numbers. Sano has dominated the Florida State League despite being the youngest player in the league. Buxton is one of the youngest players in the Midwest League and he is easily the league’s top prospect. A very strong case could be made for each of them being the Twins top prospect. In April, a strong case could be made for both of them to be the Twins minor league hitter of the month for April. Below, I’ll highlight the Top 5 minor league hitters in the month, and yes, I will pick Sano or Buxton at #1. As is the case when making a Twins prospect list, if you like, you can consider them 1a and 1b. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3967[/ATTACH] Photo by Greg Wagner Here are my selections for the Top 5 Twins Minor League hitters in April: Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – Adam Brett Walker - (23-81) .284/.356/.593 (.948) with three doubles, two triples, six home runs and 26 RBI. Walker was the Twins third round pick in 2012 out of Jacksonville U. The first two weeks of the season were a struggle for 6-4, 225 pound slugger, but in the final week of the month, Walker was on fire and named the Midwest League Hitter of the Month. Five of his home runs came over a four-game stretch from April 22nd to April 27th. According to the Kernels hitting coach Tommy Watkins, “It’s about getting a good pitch to hit. It’s about having a rhythm, and knowing what pitches he can drive.” Most say that the 21-year-old’s power potential is as great as any player in the organization, including Miguel Sano. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – Eddie Rosario - (36-104) .346/.386/.538 (.924) with seven doubles, two triples, 3 home runs and 19 RBI. 2013 has been an incredible year for the Twins 4th round pick from 2010. It began by him playing well in the Puerto Rico Winter League. He earned a spot on the Puerto Rican WBC team and played well in the tournament. He got an opportunity and hit well in Twins big league camp. And now he has had a terrific first month with the Miracle. He continues to hit for average while showing plenty of extra base power. He has solidified himself as a top prospect. His ability to play second base has been a question since he just switched to the position a year ago. The 21-year-old has made great improvements and is statistically the best defensive second baseman in the Florida State League. Number 3 - New Britain – Josmil Pinto - (32-96) .333/.413/.563 (.975) with five doubles, a triple, five home runs and 21 RBI. Pinto had an opportunity to become a free agent after the 2012 season (as a 6-year minor league free agent). Instead, he signed back quickly with the Twins. Soon after, the Twins put him on their 40 man roster. The catcher is off to a fast start with the bat. He has shown that 2012 was not a fluke and that he can hit for average and for power. He is 24 years old and could be called up if the Twins did have a catching need. It took some time for him to develop, but Pinto is on the cusp. Number 2 – Cedar Rapids – Byron Buxton - (31-79) .392/.510/.684 (1.194) with five doubles, three triples, four home runs and 21 RBI. When you’re the #2 overall pick in the draft, expectations are going to be high. To say that Buxton has exceeded expectations to this point is probably an understatement. There was some question about whether he would start the season with Kernels or stay in Ft. Myers in Extended Spring Training. I asked his hitting coach Tommy Watkins who a good comp would be for Buxton. “Mike Trout. When he comes to the plate, he has a presence. He can hurt you in so many ways, with power and with his speed.” Buxton has all the tools. He has incredible power. Three of his four home runs on the season have exited the stadium in Cedar Rapids. He also has great speed and the ability to beat out many infield hits. He plays great defense and has a very strong arm. He also has a tool that not every young player has. He already has great plate discipline as shown by his on-base percentage being over .500. He has been on base at least once in every game this season. He is especially proficient as a two-strike hitter. As Watkins told me, “Two strikes doesn’t scare him at all. A lot of young hitters are afraid to hit with two strikes. They start swinging at everything. Buxton’s not afraid at all. He rarely hacks at the first pitch.” Despite being incredibly gifted as an athlete, Buxton is said to have a tremendous attitude. Watkins concurred, “He is very coachable. He listens. He wants to get better!” The April Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... Ft. Myers Miracle 3B Miguel Sano (35-95) .368/.435/.747 (1.183) with seven doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 24 RBI. The Florida State League is a very difficult place for hitters to succeed. Really, it is. At least, it’s supposed to be. Apparently Miguel Sano did not get the memo. Deemed one of baseball’s top prospects, Sano had an impressive showing in his first month in the league. His nine home runs are best in all of minor league baseball. Tommy Watkins was his hitting coach a year ago in Beloit. Is he surprised at what Sano has been able to do in Ft. Myers? “No. We all know his potential. He has tremendous power.” What was the biggest area of improvement for Sano? “He really improved his plate discipline. We knew after his first month last year that he wouldn’t get anything to hit. If they wanted to spin the ball, he needed to lay off the tough ones. It looks like he’s doing that. He knows what he can do, and what pitches he can handle.” Sano has a chance to move up pretty quickly. Reports indicate that his defense and footwork have been greatly improved. But it is his bat that will help him move up the ladder and become a star. No question. Sano will find some struggles in the Florida State League, and how he handles those moments may best determine just how quickly he will be with the Twins. For now, and certainly for April, Sano is putting up the numbers to deserve recognition. There were several strong performances in April that weren’t included in the Top 5. Here are some Honorable Mentions who, in most months, would easily be in the Top 5. Clete Thomas only had 58 at bats in April, but he hit .362/.456/.621 (1.077) with three doubles, four homers and 13 RBI. Chris Colabello continued to impress and show he belongs. In April, he hit .302/.358/.542 (.899) with five doubles, six homers and 19 RBI. Travis Harrison hit .291/.341/.519 (.860) with nine doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI. Dalton Hicks hit .274/.351/.512 (.863) with eight doubles, four homers and 19 RBI. Jorge Polanco hit .341/.379/.489 (.868) with six doubles, two triples, one home run and 19 RBI. JD Williams hit .250/.446/.522 (.946) with four doubles, three homers and nine home runs. He walked 19 times and stole six bases. It was a terrific month for Twins minor league hitting prospects, especially in Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids. You can tell me that I should have picked Buxton, and I won’t disagree with you too much at all. Hopefully May will bring some similar statistics. Feel free to comment and discuss.

One month of minor league action is in the books, and for the most part, it has played out even better than could have been anticipated. The Minnesota Twins organization’s top prospects are performing very well. Just as important, several of the second-tier prospects have been able to establish themselves early in the season. The Ft. Myers Miracle has the most wins of any team in the minor leagues. The Cedar Rapids Kernels have a roster filled with players who were on the Beloit playoff team a year ago and from the Appalachian League champion Elizabethton Twins. Over the next couple of days, I will be posting the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month, Starting Pitcher of the Month and Relief Pitcher of the month articles. There were a lot of very good choices. However, we still need to talk about what happened in the Twins system on Tuesday night. Rochester Red Wings 2, Buffalo Bisons 5 Box Score Clete Thomas got the Red Wings on the scoreboard in the first inning with his fourth home run of the season. He went 3-5 with the home run as well as his third double. Chris Colabello went 2-5. Joe Benson had a hit to extend his hitting streak to seven games. In that time, he is 9-26 (.346). Andrew Albers put together a solid start. The left-hander went six innings and gave up just two runs on eight hits. He walked none and struck out seven. Shairon Martis came on and gave up just one hit over two scoreless innings. The score was just 2-1 entering the ninth frame when the rehabbing Tim Wood came on. He recorded just one out, but he gave up three runs on three hits. Michael O’Connor came on and got the final two outs. The Red Wings finish April with a 10-16 record. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3955[/ATTACH] New Britain Rock Cats 2, Harrisburg Senators 6 Box Score Alex Meyer was back on the mound for the Rock Cats. He threw five scoreless innings in this game. Unfortunately, he pitched six innings and the third inning didn’t go so well. He gave up four runs in that frame. Overall, he gave up four runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out eight. As impressive in the development process, Meyer did not allow a base runner following the third inning. Jose Gonzalez came on for the Rock Cats and gave up two runs on four hits in 1.2 innings. Michael Tonkin came on and got the final four outs. The Rock Cats bats didn’t show up in this game. They managed just four hits. Curt Smith went 1-2 and walked once. New Britain ends April with a 13-12 mark. Ft. Myers Miracle 5, Clearwater Threshers 2 Box Score The Miracle had an incredible month of April, ending the month with another win to give them a minor league best 21 victories. DJ Baxendale was back on the mound and was a winner for the fourth time in the month. The right-hander went six innings and gave up two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out five. Chad Rodgers came on and threw two scoreless innings. Corey Williams came on and recorded his sixth save with a perfect ninth inning. Angel Morales had the key hits in this game. He was 2-4 with his ninth double and his second home run. He drove in two runs. Eddie Rosario was 2-4 with a walk and his seventh double. Andy Leer was also 2-4. Miguel Sano was 1-2 with two walks. Stephen Wickens and Levi Michael each doubled. Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Lansing Lugnuts 4 Box Score The Kernels managed just five hits in this game, but a couple of them were pretty important. Byron Buxton led off the bottom of the first with an infield single and came around to score on Dalton Hicks’ fourth home run of the season. In the third inning, it was Buxton’s turn to hit his fourth homer of the year, another two-run blast. Matt Tomshaw made his first start of the season for Cedar Rapids. The lefty threw five shutout innings and gave up just four hits. He walked one and struck out two. Manuel Soliman came on in the sixth inning. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. He was replaced by David Hurlbut who gave up two unearned runs on three hits and a walk. Tyler Jones came on to get the final out and his fourth save of the month. The Kernels’ 18-5 record is overshadowed by the Miracle, but they are off to a tremendous start. A LOOK AHEAD to Wednesday The Rochester Red Wings will be enjoying an off day on Wednesday. New Britain will sent lefty Logan Darnell to the mound against Harrisburg. Darnell is 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA so far. The Miracle will play an afternoon game in Clearwater. Jason Wheeler will look to improve to 3-0 despite going into the game with a 5.84 ERA. Cedar Rapids makes their first, long trek into the Eastern Division as they will play West Michigan. Lefty Brett Lee is 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA. Twins 1, Tigers 6 Justin Verlander was Justin Verlander. Alex Avila, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder all homers. Vance Worley gave up six runs. OK, in general, it was not a good game for the Twins. The lone run came on a Wilkin Ramirez double. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

On Monday night, the Minnesota Twins began a three-game series in Detroit against the Tigers. It was Mike Pelfrey facing Max Scherzer. You likely watched the game or saw the box score already when you read this, so you know that the Twins fell by the final score of 4-3. It was interesting to watch the game while at the same time calculating the Twins Win Expectancy after each and every play throughout the game. Win Expectancy is a number that changes with every game situation. Someone who had too much time on their hands looked at every play in MLB games from 1957 through 2005. It assigns a Percent-Likelihood of a team winning based on what happened over nearly 100,000 games. Here is a look at the Top 5 Plays from tonight’s Twins-Tigers game in terms of effect on Win Expectancy. #5 – Florimon Turns Double Play from Back Side. It was the bottom of the 5th inning and the Twins led 3-1. Mike Pelfrey had allowed a lead-off single to Alex Avila. With Avila on 1st, the Twins’ Win Probability was at 66.1% Omar Infanta blasted a one-hopper right at the Twins shortstop. Florimon fielded the ball cleanly but as he was throwing to second base, he was falling backwards. Despite his imbalance, he made a perfect feed to Brian Dozier who quickly turned and fired to first base to complete the double play. Now with two outs and no one on, the Twins’ Win Expectancy increased to 76.2% Win Expectancy Change – 10.1% #4 – “Hammer” Homers to give Twins 1-0 Lead. A visiting team’s Win Expectancy when the game starts is just 46.1% Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer flew out. When Josh Willingham stepped to the plate, that Win Expectancy was down to 42.1% Scherzer didn’t give up many hard hit baseballs through the game, but Willingham did get a hold of this one for a solo home run that gave the Twins the 1-0 lead. Following the homer, the Twins Win Expectancy was 53.0% Win Expectancy Change- 10.9% #3 – Dirks Homers to Cut Twins’ Lead in Half. In the 2nd innings, the Twins added a second run on an Aaron Hicks’ ground out to take a 2-0 lead (which increased the Twins Win Expectancy by 4.3% to 69.8% After the Tigers and the Twins each posted one, two, three innings, Andy Dirks came up with two outs and no one on base in the bottom of the third. The left-hander’s solo home run cut the Twins’ lead to 2-1. It also cut the Twins’ Win Expectancy from 71.0% to 58.9% Win Expectancy Change – 12.1% #2 – Arcia Double Gives Twins 3-1 Lead. The Tigers (Dirks) cut the Twins lead to one run in the bottom of the third, but the Twins were able to get a couple of doubles to get that run back and reclaim a two-run lead. With one out, Chris Parmelee doubled to very deep right center field. After Trevor Plouffe struck out for the second out, Oswaldo Arcia fell behind Scherzer 0-2. However, he was able to fight off a fastball and hit a soft liner just inside the left field line for an RBI double. After the Plouffe strikeout, the Twins Win Expectancy was 57.8% However, after the RBI double, the Twins Win Expectancy jumped to 71.6% Win Expectancy Change – 13.8% [ATTACH=CONFIG]3927[/ATTACH] #1 – Fielder Blast Gives Tigers 4-3 Lead. If you watched the game, or saw highlights, it was pretty clear which play of the game had the biggest effect on the Win Expectancy. When the bottom of the 6th inning began, the Twins’ Win Expectancy was at 73.3% After an Andy Dirks bunt single to lead off the inning, it fell to 67.5% Following the Miguel Cabrera walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd bases, the Win Expectancy fell to 59.5% However, after Pelfrey’s first pitch to Prince Fielder landed behind the wall in centerfield, the Twins Win Expectancy was just 23.1% Win Expectancy Change – 36.4% [ATTACH=CONFIG]3928[/ATTACH] (Please note that this chart shows the Win Probability for the HOME team, the Tigers, throughout the game.) Pelfrey was very good through the first five innings. Unfortunately, the struggles in the fifth inning happened, and happened quite quickly. Win Expectancy is a nice, fun tool that can be used to see the impact of individual plays on the game. Like all statistics, it isn’t a perfect tool. For instances, when Fielder came up, the Twins Win Expectancy was 73.3% whether it was Fielder stepping to the plate or Don Kelly or Tom Kelly. If you take a look at the Win Expectancy change for each player in the Twins lineup, it can show who had the biggest impact, positive or negative, in the game. It is extremely important to point out that this is a one-game sample, so performance (or clutchness), good or bad, has to be taken for what it’s worth. For this one game, here are the Twins hitters effect on Win Expectancy. Brian Dozier -15.5% Joe Mauer -9.2% Josh Willingham +5.6% Justin Morneau -11.4% Chris Parmelee -4.4% Trevor Plouffe -4.9% Oswaldo Arcia +14.3% Aaron Hicks -2.1% Pedro Florimon -0.1% Safe to say that Oswaldo Arcia was the Twins player who gave the team the best chance to win on Monday night. Win Expectancy is just one way to look at a game. It is kind of fun to see how much each play affects the game, from the first inning to the ninth, or to extras. On this night, one pitch completely altered the outlook of the game. Unfortunately, it was one pitch that meant a Twins loss instead of a Twins win.

t was bound to happen. The four Twins full-season minor league affiliates had all won each of the past three days. That’s a 12-0 record. On Sunday, that streak broke as two of the affiliates won. That said, all four games were decided by two runs or less. There is some very good baseball being played in the Twins farm system. Speaking of very good baseball, the Minnesota Twins are back over .500 again after a 5-0 win over the Texas Rangers. Kevin Correia continued his impressive April with the Twins. On Sunday, he worked eight shutout innings to lower his ERA to 2.23. The team now begins a ten-game road trip. Rochester Red Wings 3, Buffalo Bisons 5 Box Score Evan Bigley had every right to be disappointed when he learned he would be sent back to New Britain to start the 2013 season. Fortunately, just weeks into the season, he was promoted to Rochester. After a 3-4 on Sunday, he is now hitting .394 through his first 11 games with the Red Wings. Chris Herrmann went 2-4. He is hitting .250 on the season, but in his last seven games, he is hitting .379. Ray Olmedo went 1-3 with two walks. Liam Hendriks was back on the mound for the Red Wings. He gave up five runs (3 earned) on eight hits in five innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out two. Tyler Robertson struck out two over two scoreless innings. Dan Turpen went the final two innings and gave up only one hit. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Richmond Flying Squirrels 4 Box Score Lefty Pat Dean started for the Rock Cats and things went well early. He gave up a leadoff single, but then he struck out the next three batters. However, he gave up three runs on eight hits in five innings to take the loss. He walked none and struck out four. AJ Achter came on and gave up one run on three hits and a walk over the next two innings. Aaron Thompson threw two scoreless innings. Danny Santana went 2-4 with his second double and his second stolen base. Dan Rohlfing went 2-4. Ft. Myers Miracle 8, Clearwater Thrashers 7 Box Score The Miracle jumped to a 7-0 lead after scoring five runs in the top of the 7th. The got some insurance, which proved necessary when Clearwater got within one run in the bottom of the 9th. Taylor Rogers made the start for the Miracle. The lefty gave up two runs in the 7th inning, but he was still on the mound when the 9th inning started. He gave up a leadoff double and left the game. The runner came around to score which gave him a final line of three runs on six hits in eight innings. He walked none and struck out just one. Adrian Salcedo replaced him and gave up four runs on four hits in the ninth. He struck out two. Eddie Rosario went 2-4 with a walk, his sixth double and his second stolen base. His third home run of the year came in the ninth and proved to be a very important run. Angel Morales went 2-4 and got the Miracle on the scoreboard early with his first home run of the season. Miguel Sano went 2-5 with his first triple (which was nearly his tenth home run). He also stole his second base. Kyle Knudson went 2-4. Kennys Vargas hit his seventh double. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3911[/ATTACH] photo by Rinaldi Photos Cedar Rapids Kernels 4, Lansing Lugnuts 3 Box Score Tyler Duffey was back on the mound for his fourth start of the year, all four on Sundays. He improved to 3-1 with eight strong innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits. He walked none and struck out four. Tyler Jones registered his third save with two strikeouts in a perfect ninth. Jorge Polanco went 3-4. After his walk-off, pinch-hit “single” a night before, Travis Harrison was back in the lineup on Sunday and went 2-3 with his ninth double. DJ Hicks drove in a run with an 8th inning single to give the Kernels the lead. A LOOK AHEAD to Monday Rochester will play at 6:35 against Buffalo. If you have MLB Network, you can watch Virgil Vasquez take the mound. Trevor May will take the mound for New Britain when they play Harrisburg. After having a start pushed back due to illness, Tom Stuifbergen returns to action for the Miracle when they play again at Clearwater. J.O. Berrios will make his second start for Cedar Rapids against the Lansing Lugnuts. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

On Friday night, the Minnesota Twins fell 4-3 to the Texas Rangers. A three-run home run off the bat of Oswaldo Arcia with two outs in the bottom of the ninth was all of the scoring for the Twins. Scott Diamond was immensely hittable, and the defense failed to make a couple of plays. However, for the second straight night, all four Twins full-season minor league affiliates were winners. One power-hitting prospect homered for the third time in four games. An equally powerful young man drilled two home runs on Friday night and drove in seven runs. One prospect had two extra base hits and is attempting to reclaim his status in the organization. There are hitting streaks worth following and big offense. RHP Josh Burris will be joining the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Saturday as a busy week of transactions continues. Here’s Friday night’s update. Rochester Red Wings 4, Syracuse Chiefs 2 Box Score PJ Walters was a winner for the second straight start. The right-hander gave up one run on three hits and two walks in 6.2 innings. He struck out four. Michael O’ Connor came in and gave up one run on three hits in 1.2 innings. Bobby Lanigan made his 2013 Red Wings debut and got the final two outs for his first save. Joe Benson fought his way back to a .200 average. In this game, he was 2-4 with his second triple and his first home run. Eric Farris went 2-5 with his second double. Chris Herrmann went 2-5. Doug Bernier followed his 5-hit game on Thursday night by going 0-1 and walking three times on Friday night. New Britain Rock Cats 7, Richmond Flying Squirrels 4 Box Score Logan Darnell was on the mound for the Rock Cats. He gave up three runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked twice and struck out five. Bruce Pugh gave up one run despite no hits in 1.2 innings. He walked three batters. Blake Martin came on and gave up two walks and a hit (that scored an inherited runner), but no runs of his own before he got one out. AJ Achter came on for the ninth inning and struck out the side to record his first AA save. Josmil Pinto went 3-4. Dan Rohlfing went 2-3 with a walk. James Beresford and Mark Sobolewski each had two hits. Antoan Richardson went 1-3 with two walks. He scored three run and stole his 8th, 9th and 10th bases of the season. Jhon Goncalves homered for the second time. Ft. Myers Miracle 10, Charlotte Stone Crabs 4 Box Score The Miracle won for the third straight time on Friday night. Josh Wheeler was the recipient of all the run support. The lefty went 6.2 innings and gave up three runs on four hits and a walk. He struck out two. Nelvin Fuentes came on and got the next four batters out. Miguel Munoz gave up one run on two hits in the ninth. AJ Pettersen went 2-5 to extend his hitting streak to ten games. He is hitting .370 during that stretch. Eddie Rosario was 2-5 with a triple. Kennys Vargas was 2-4 with his first triple. He later scored on an RBI single from Drew Leachman, who was 2-4. Andy Leer went 2-4 with his second home run. Miguel Sano launched his ninth home run of the month (so far), his third in four games. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3896[/ATTACH] Photo courtesy Rinaldi Photos Cedar Rapids Kernels 13, Great Lakes Loons 8 Box Score We’ll try to ignore the fact that Kernels pitchers have given up 15 runs over the past two games. The reason we might be able to successfully do that is because the Kernels offense put up a combined 29 runs in those two games. On this night, Adam Walker was the star of the show. The powerful right-handed bat hit a three-run homer in the first inning. In the fourth inning, he came up with the bases loaded and hit a grand slam. Two home runs and seven RBI equates to a pretty productive game. His five home runs and 22 RBI lead the Midwest League. JD Williams added a home run in the fourth inning, his third. Jorge Polanco went 3-4 with a walk and his fifth double. Travis Harrison and Jhonathan Arias were each 2-5. Candido Pimentel was 2-4 with a walk. Byron Buxton walked three times and stole his eighth base. Hudson Boyd got the start for the Kernels. The right hander gave up four runs on five hits in four innings. He walked four and struck out just one. Steven Gruver came on and gave up one run on three hits in 2.2 innings. He walked just one and struck out six. Chris Mazza gave up three runs on three hits in 1.1 innings. He struck out two. David Hurlbut came in and struck out two in a scoreless inning. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.