Seth Stohs

Day 2 in Beloit was a good day. Then again, it was a Friday and I wasn’t at work and it was a day all about baseball. How could it be bad?! In today's blog, I'll talk about the Snappers 8-1 win over Brian Buchanan and the Kane County Cougars. There are a lot of observations on players before and during the game and much more. This if a fun team to watch with a lot of good players and people! [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Woke up fairly early and wrote yesterday’s Day 1 blog. Realized that it is now August which means that I need to write up my July minor league hitter, starting pitcher and relief pitcher of the month blogs. That means, doing quite a bit of research online. Expect to see those written over the next few days, and I was quite surprised for some reason at all of the very strong hitting during the month. Maybe it is something about the bats warming up as the temperatures continued to rise? That said, there were plenty of very good pitching performances for the month as well. Anyway, there is not a ton to do in Beloit. I’m sure there are things, but I haven’t really found there. We did go to lunch at Applebees, and I definitely recommend the Sizzlin’ N’Allins Skillet!! From there, we went shopping for shoes. I haven’t bought shoes in a long time. My sandals are two years old and have no more sole. My work shoes both have cracks in the bottom from over-use. So, although it took us a while to find Payless, I got two pairs of sandals and new work shoes! Alright, you probably couldn’t care less about my shopping experiences in Beloit, so let’s talk about baseball-related things. We left for the ballpark at about 3:15 but had to make a quick Walmart stop. My car had a temperature gauge in it and as we drove to Walmart, it read 100 degrees. That number got up to 102. Now, as we drove by the bank and later listened to the radio over the speakers at the ball park, it said they reached 95 degrees. Either way, it was incredibly hot. When we arrived at the ballpark, we were again greeted by Chrissy Scaffidi. The Snappers work with a staff of six in their front office, and it is remarkable how hard they work. The grounds crew is incredible and have the field looking great. GM Matt Bosen, in his first year in that role after several previous years in other roles, coordinates it all and does it well. He spent a good 20 minutes chatting with us again on Friday afternoon about all kinds of topics. But he also worked with the grounds crew before, after and even during the game. When we arrived, the Snappers were all on the field. And everyone was working on something. They ran a big round of infield and outfield. Then the pitchers came to the field and they worked through some Pitchers Fielding Practice, but it also turned into another full round of situational infield where manager Nelson Prada would hit the ball anywhere on the field to see where people would go based on runners on base and outs and such. It was very well run. Tommy Watkins walked around the field encouraging players and giving pointers. Gary Lucas talked to the pitchers who were fielding their position, covering first base or backing up a base. Then came batting practice. Again, I can watch BP all day. The first group included Nate Roberts, Wang-Wei Lin, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas. With Roberts and Lin, it was line drive after line drive. Rosario hits the ball so well, and it’s remarkable, his ability to wait on a pitch and drive everything the opposite way. His bat speed is incredible, and despite his size (probably 5-9, maybe 175 pounds), he is able to generate incredible power to all fields. Sano just hits everything hard in batting practice. Yes, he can hit a few out to dead center field or over the scoreboard in left center, but he works on his swing and hits a lot of line drives. He is just a good all-around hitter, or will be. Vargas is still a little more raw. He has amazing power potential, but he does have a long swing. That said, he does work on staying short to the ball and taking a single to left. He definitely works. During batting practice, the infielders do their work between pitches, getting ground balls from fungo hitters. I’ve likely said it before, but watching AJ Pettersen play shortstop is really something to see. He has very good range, but great hands. He also transfers the ball from glove to throwing hand remarkably quickly and makes a strong accurate throw to first or to second. When you have two raw, works-in-progress in Sano and Rosario at 3B and 2B, respectively, it’s got to be nice to have such a steady glove in the middle of the infield. Before the game, as players were starting to head to the field, it was great to get to meet reliever Dallas Gallant. People told me how nice and polite the kid was, and that was all quite true. I have talked to him via Twitter several times while he was rehabbing from his Tommy John surgery. Consider that he had the procedure done last April. He came to minor league camp in March and although his bullpens were closely monitored, he was pitching at 100% by the start of Extended Spring Training. He pitched in a handful of games at Elizabethton, but quickly moved up to Beloit. He’s excited and happy to be playing at this level. He pitched in last night’s game and I’ll get to more on that in a bit. One of the things I’ve enjoyed about my Beloit trips is the people. The front office people have been great, but so have the fans. There are a couple of families that I won’t mention by name, but who are at every game and who come over and chat every day. It’s great, and I feel almost at home in Pohlman Field thanks to these people. Last night was pretty neat because no less than three people came up to me during the course of the game and introduced themselves to me. One gentleman said he came from about 40 mile south of Beloit to see the game. Another brought his son and came from 40 miles north of Beloit. It was fun to talk to them and hear about how much they enjoy Twins Daily. I hope a few more people come out to the ball park tonight, and definitely feel free to come up and say hi! Alright, to the game, right? Matt Tomshaw got the start for the Snappers. He was coming off of a really rough start, but he has been very good since the Twins drafted him very late in the 2011 draft. The lefty doesn’t throw particularly hard, but he has good control. It took an inning or two, but his curveball is very good. Just as important, he seems to throw it at different speeds. Bert Blyleven is always talking about adding and subtracting from pitchers and Tomshaw does that well. His curveball was good and actually made his fastball look faster than it was. He apparently has a six-pitch mix that includes a version of a knuckleball which he threw a few times. He gave up just one run over seven innings. Very impressive. Dallas Gallant came in for the eighth inning, and was very impressive. He throws really hard, probably mid-90s. But he also threw a slider that was very sharp and appeared to break quite late. He told me later that he normally throws that pitch at 84-85, but it was ‘only’ at 81-82 last night. Well, again, with it’s sharp break, it was a very impressive pitch. He pitched an easy 1-2-3 inning. Corey Kimes came in for the 9th inning. It was his Midwest League and Snappers debut after starting the season in Extended Spring Training and then starting for the Elizabethton Twins. Last week, he pitched five shutout innings and was promoted immediately following the game. He is a big kid, but doesn’t throw remarkably hard. He looked a little nervous, but threw the ball well. He did walk a batter, but the game ended on a very nice 5-4-3 (Sano to Rosario to Vargas) double play. Speaking of Sano’s defense. He did not have any errors, but it wasn’t exactly smooth. I mentioned yesterday that watching him field ground balls at 3B and SS before the game, in batting practice or infield practice, he can do it. You can tell he’s been a shortstop his whole life. In the game, it doesn’t always translate. However, he is knocking the ball down, picking it up, and using a remarkably strong arm to still get hitters out at first. I don’t think I can over-state just how strong his arm is. Will he be a future third baseman in the big leagues? I can’t honestly answer that now, but I do 100% agree with keeping him there as long as possible. His arm is just so incredible. Sano was 2-5 last night. He had two RBI singles, struck out twice and then grounded into a double play in the 8th frame. From sitting right behind home plate, you can see the work he has put in to stop swinging at breaking pitches, those sliders down-and-away. Not every time, but the pitch recognition is happening. On the double play, however, he was a little slow to get out of the batter’s box after the swing. Not a lack of effort, just seemingly a footwork thing. But, he hustled down the line and showed great speed. In fact, he beat the relay throw to first by at least a half step, yet he was called out. Clearly a bad call and from his spot in the third base coach’s box, manager Nelson Prada yelled, “That wasn’t even close! That wasn’t even close! That wasn’t even close!” The third time he said it, the umpire tossed him from the game. I kid you not, that is all he said before being tossed. Now, at that point, he ran out to shallow left field where he let the umpire know a little more about how he felt about his call. It may be good that we were unable to hear all of his words at that point. The music was playing on the speakers by then but, wisely, Three Blind Mice was not the song selected! Eddie Rosario had yet another three hit game. In four games since his return from injury, he has three, three-hit games and is 11-20 (.550) during that stretch. It’s just incredible. Stephen Wickens was a late-round pick last year as a four-year college player. He is a Canadian but went to Florida Gulf Coast. He went 3-5 and has been hitting very well since coming up from Elizabethton. He can play both middle infield positions. Last night, he was the DH and went 3-5 with two doubles. Nate Roberts is an incredible lead-off hitter with an uncanny ability to get on base. He isn’t a big guy, but he is hitting .295 with a .438 on base percentage. He takes great at bats and really knows the strike zone. He is happy to get hit by pitches. He then is fast enough to steal bases as well. He’s a perfect leadoff hitter and just a solid offensive player. This is a very fun team to watch. The offense is pretty strong. The pitchers may not be the big prospects or big names, but they are getting the job done, and that bullpen has some huge arms that are very intriguing going forward. Following the game, I was able to talk to Drew Leachman. He was the Snappers best hitter for much of early July, but he’s been in a bit of a slump of late. He was 1-3 in this game with a walk. He came through with a clutch, RBI single in the 7th frame that really broke the game open. It was a nine-pitch at bat in which he fought off some very tough pitches. I told him that it looked like a huge weight came off his shoulders when that ball dropped in and he was standing at 1B. A group that included Twins Daily contributor Jeremy Nygaard, Dallas Gallant, AJ Pettersen and his brother Josh went to Applebees, watched the Olympics and had a great time. One thing I guess I didn’t realize was that Pettersen and Gallant played together in Hyannis in the Cape Cod League. Lots of stories were told. It was a lot of fun! There are a lot of really good people in the Twins organization. Got back to the hotel room about 12:05, and I think I was sleeping by about 12:09. I don’t think I woke up even once until after 7 a.m. Tonight, the Snappers are scheduled to play Wisconsin. There is a chance for a thunderstorm and its highest likelihood for hitting is between six and nine o’clock tonight. If it were to be rained out tonight, it would be too bad because they have a fireworks show after the game, and those are cool! On Sunday, it is Prince Fielder bobblehead day. Fielder played in Beloit in 2002 and 2003.

If I’m being honest, the Snappers game tonight was pretty bad for the hometown nine, at least for eight-and-a-half innings. However, in the bottom of the 9th, the Snappers bats woke up. The team had scored just one run in the first eight innings. The ninth frame started with walks to the eight and nine hitters. JD Williams singled to right field to load the bases. Wang-Wei Lin struck out. Eddie Rosario worked the count to 3-1 before drilling a two-run single of the middle. Miguel Sano came up and worked a walk to again load the bases. Kennys Vargas came up representing the game-tying run. On the first pitch, he uncoiled a huge swing but missed. The second pitch was offspeed and on the outside corner, and he drove a two-run single to the left centerfield gap. AJ Pettersen pinch-ran for Vargas, but Drew Leachman and Stephen Wickens both popped out to end the comeback and end the game. Day 1 of the Beloit Trip was a long one, and yet a lot of fun.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Travis and I left my sister’s place by about 6:50, even ten minutes ahead of schedule. In doing so, we were able to drive Highway 494 and get to 94 and out of the Twin Cities Metro area with little traffic. As we did a year ago, we at some breakfast at Perkins in Menomonie. We continued at a nice, leisurely pace until arriving at our hotel in Beloit around 1:30. We checked in to our hotel room and were able to rest up a little before going to the ball field. I say this all the time, but those of you in the Twin Cities, Beloit is really just a five-and-a-half hour drive. I lived in Bloomington for three years and it wasn’t until the last year there that I realized what a nice trip it was. Hey, if you don’t have any plans for the weekend yet, come to Beloit for games on Saturday night at 7 and then on Sunday at 2. If you’d rather not work on Friday afternoon anyway, take a half-day off and get to Friday night’s game too! Upon arriving at Pohlmann Field, we were met by Snappers Director of Media and Public Relations Chrissy Scaffidi, who let us in and then chatted with us. She was immensely helpful. We actually got there even a little bit before batting practice started. Tommy Watkins was getting things ready for BP. When he saw me, he immediately asked how the trip was. When he was set up, he came over and chatted with us for a good ten minutes about all kinds of things. The man is hilarious. Talked about the immergence of Kennys Vargas and how much he has done in his first nine games. I joked, “Yeah, and he finally hit a single last night to go with his six home runs, a triple and two doubles.” “We got the ball for him after that!” The pitchers came out next and they were working through a pretty strenuous stretching, running and throwing program. Some of the hitters came out to work on bunting for ten minutes before BP. Stephen Wickens and AJ Pettersen seemingly rolled the ball down the base lines, bunting the ball with perfection. I noted at that time that I might be the only person who could enjoy just sitting and watching bunting practice. So, when it was time to watch actual batting practice, it was great. The first group contained JD Williams, Wang-Wei Lin, Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano, the first four hitters in the lineup. Tommy Watkins really asked them to focus on hitting line drives the first several rounds. All four hit lots of liners. Some say that when certain batters hit, the ball makes a different sound. Many laugh at that notion. But when Miguel Sano connects, it appears that he gets the good part of the bat on the ball and really hits it solidly. He hit line drive after line drive, using the whole field. Rosario also had a tremendous round, but he seems most comfortable letting the ball get a little bit deeper and ripping line drives to the opposite field. In later rounds, Watkins encouraged the batters to let it fly. Sano hit a couple over the scoreboard in left center. Rosario hit a couple of opposite field homers and one to dead center and pulled a couple. For a guy who is not terribly big, he has just tremendous bat speed. I pointed out on Twitter that it was a joy to watch Sano and Rosario take BP. We had the opportunity to talk with AJ Pettersen when he came out for BP, just for a minute. He was carrying a big catcher’s bag. As he had written recently, when he is not in the lineup, he enjoys catching bullpens. In the regular game, he was down in the bullpen, wearing the gear and warming up the pitchers until he was used as a pinch-runner in the ninth inning. If you get to Pohlman Field, and you need more than just a snack to tide you over, I encourage you to go down the right field line. There, you can get all the normal hot dogs and hamburgers and that kind of stuff. However, last night, I was encouraged to get a True Wisconsin Cheeseburger, so I did, and it was quite good. It is a regular cheeseburger, but above the burger and cheese, there are cheese curds and it is dripped in nacho cheese. It’s a lot, but it is good. Friday night, I may go for the Snappy Burger, which as I understand it is a hamburger with a sliced-in-half brat on top of it. I don’t know. I like hamburgers and I like brats, so it would seem to make sense that I would like the Snappy Burger! And then it was time for the game to start. We sat in the box seats which are literally right at field level. In fact, where I sat was right behind home plate, even with the inside corner of the plate. Alright, here are just some random observations from the evening. Some were posted on Twitter and I’ll elaborate. Others never made it to Twitters, so I guess they should be considered Twins Daily exclusives! The Times... Are they, huh, changin'? It was kind of an awkward thing, but one overriding theme from the evening was the state of the relationship between the Twins and Beloit. It was strange because so many people wanted to talk about it. Clearly it is a huge topics. I would venture to guess that no fewer than eight people there asked me about it. The Snappers are run by a Board of Directors who are most likely in frequent communication with the people in the Twins front office that would be involved in that decision. Nobody that I talked to wants to see the Twins leave Beloit. One person talked about the player accessibility at the stadium and said that it is what it should be like throughout the minor leagues. One fan said that it was disappointing five or six years ago when the Brewers decided to move from Beloit to Appleton and difficult for fans to get used to the Twins. (However, fans didn’t even show up to watch the local Brewers squad.) They also said that the Twins draft and sign such high quality people who do a lot in the community and do a great job interacting with fans, that those who frequent games just love the Twins organization. However, the other theme from this discussion was the due to lack of attendance and the need for a new stadium, they would completely understand if the Twins decided to move elsewhere. One person commented that if the Twins move to Cedar Rapids, it will be the worst-kept secret in minor league baseball. That was certainly something I heard from a couple of people. One wise person later told me that according to MLB rules, if an MLB team or a MILB team intends to move, they can not comment until September 1. The Twins re-upped with New Britain. Meanwhile, Rochester and Beloit's contract with the Twins are up at the end of the season. Seemingly, the longer this plays out, the more likely it is that those teams could move. Obviously for me, if the Twins move out of Beloit, it would be somewhat disappointing. This is my fourth trip over the past three seasons to see Snappers play. I have really enjoyed the atmosphere, but also been able to meet several Snappers fans and the people in their front office are great. Like stated above though, I would understand if the Twins decided to leave Beloit. Alright, on to some quick hitters: Kennys Vargas and Miguel Sano walked onto the field for batting practice together. It was incredible. Vargas made Sano look short and skinny! Late in the game, Travis asked me, “Do you know who else has Vargas’s body type?” Immediately, I responded, “David Ortiz.” We laughed at thinking the same thing, but it is true. Since returning to the Snappers, Rosario has had two three hit games and last night he had two hits including a double. He is not wearing any special face protection following his surgery. What could it be? Maybe it’s just being back and seeing pitches well? Or, maybe it’s the cool Mohawk that he is sporting!Speaking of facial hair, there are a couple of really bad mustaches on the Snappers roster. So bad, in fact, that it kind of looks cool. Nate Roberts has the best one. I’ll have to see if I can get a picture! The Kane County manager is former Twins outfielder/DH Brian Buchanan. Their pitching coach is another former big leaguer, and a former Gophers pitcher, Jim Brower. Of course, while watching the Snappers game, I have to keep tabs on the Twins game. It was fun to read on Twitter how Sam Deduno was pitching (wild but effective… or effectively wild). Late in the game, Brian Dozier hit a two-run homer to give the Twins the 5-0 lead that would be the final score. I talk about how two years ago when I went to Beloit, Mike Trout was playing for Cedar Rapids. I almost forgot the Brian Dozier was playing for Beloit. Yes, I realize that Trout was 18 years old and that Dozier was 22 or 23, but the fact remains that both players flew through the minor leagues and less than two years later were playing in the big leagues. Trout debuted at 19. Dozier debuted at 24. This is a very small sample thing, but Miguel Sano has only had two or three errors in the last month. I saw him commit two of three errors in the two games I saw him play at the beginning of June. This is just an observation, but watching him at third base as the pitch is being delivered, he looks so much more focused and prepared to make plays. I think he only had two or three opportunities last night to make plays, and he made them, but the pre-pitch preparation was encouraging. Alright, that’s it for Day 1 in Beloit. Day 2 has started with waking up, which is a good thing. It sounds as though Twins Daily contributor Jeremy Nygaard will be here for tonight’s game. Also Jim Crikket is saying he’ll be here on Saturday. If anyone else is interest, there will be tickets available, so come on down to Beloit. I’ll be back tomorrow morning with thoughts from Day 2! If you’d like to follow my four days in Beloit, there are a few ways to do that. I do hope to blog a little bit each day. I also have set up a forum page where I may occasionally update on the goings on, and you can ask questions and such. Obviously you can do the same in the comments below. But you’ll also want to either follow me on Twitter, or just bookmark my Twitter feed for more updates.

It was Revenge of the Former Twins in Tuesday night’s Twins/White Sox game. Francisco Liriano got through six innings and gave up just two runs. Jesse Crain relieved him for a scoreless inning. And, AJ Pierzynski hit the big two-run homer in the top of the ninth off of Jeff Gray, and that was it. The Twins tried to come back, scoring one run in the bottom of the ninth, but Addison Reed closed out the 4-3 win for the White Sox. Denard Span had a four-hit game. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the Tuesday games in the minor leagues. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 10, COLUMBUS 8 (12 innings) Chris Parmelee provided the power. Unfortunately, the Red Wings needed extra frames to pick up this win. Eric Hurley started and gave up two runs on six hits and a walk in six innings. He struckout four. Daniel Turpen came in and threw two scoreless innings. He went out for the ninth but was charged with four runs on four this and a hit batter. Lester Oliveros came on to protect a three-run lead in the ninth and gave up a sacrifice fly followed by a two-run homer that tied the game. Deolis Guerra gave up a run on three hits in the 10th. Caleb Thielbar got the final four outs, three of them on strikeouts. Parmelee has been on fire of late. In this game, he was 3-6 with his ninth double and eighth and ninth home runs. He now has five home runs in the last six games. Brian Dinkelman went 3-4 with two walks and his tenth double. Eduardo Escobar was 3-6. Wilkin Ramirez went 2-6 with his ninth double and tenth home run. Tsuyoshi Nishioka was 2-6 with his 13th double. NEW BRITAIN 2, BOWIE 1 Chris Colabello may have committed two errors, but his two run home run in the fourth inning was about it for the Rock Cats offense. In fact, Chris Herrmann was the only other Rock Cat hitter with a hit. BJ Hermsen started for the Rock Cats and gave up only an unearned run in 5.1 innings. He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out three. Jose Gonzalez came in and gave up a hit and a walk but got out of the sixth. Bruce Pugh recorded his sixth save with three no-hit innings. He walked two and struck out three. FT. MYERS 4, DAYTONA 5 It was another rough one for Tom Stuifbergen in this game. The Dutch right-hander gave up five runs on ten hits in four innings. He walked one and struckout three. Ryan O’Rourke made his second Miracle appearance and for the second time, he threw two scoreless innings. AJ Achter pitched the final two innings and struck out three. Levi Michael went 3-5. Steve Liddle went 1-3 with two walks. Danny Rams hit his fourth home run. Andy Leer went 0-0 with four walks in the game. BELOIT 9, KANE COUNTY 4 David Hurlbut was great again and the offense exploded, giving the Snappers a nice win to start the homestand. Hurlbut threw seven scoreless innings. He gave up one run in the eighth frame. He left with two outs in the ninth inning and the score 9-2. DJ Baxendale came on and allowed the two inherited runners to score before he got the final out. The Snappers bats got to face Royals top pick, Kyle Zimmer. They scored six runs in the second inning and chased him early. Kennys Vargas continues to rake. In this game, he was 2-3 with two walks and a home run. In nine games with the Snappers since his return, he now has six home runs to go with two doubles and one triple. On Wednesday, the powerful switch-hitter turns 22 years old. In tonight’s game, he added his first single! Stephen Wickens was also 2-3 with two walks. He added his third double. Eddie Rosario made a triumphant return to the Snappers lineup after missing over a month after being hit in the face by a line drive in batting practice. He went 3-5 with his 21st double, which still leads the team by two. Nate Roberts went 2-4 with a walk and his 16th stolen base. Wang-Wei Lin went 2-5 with his 12th double and three RBI. Miguel Sano went 0-1 with three walks. ELIZABETHTON, BRISTOL This game was postponed by rain. GCL TWINS 6, GCL RAYS 1 The Kyle Gibson Watch continues, and on Tuesday, he put in his best rehab performance, both in terms of success and length. Gibson worked the first three innings in this game. He gave up no runs and no hits. He did walk one batter, but he struck out seven. The other two outs came on ground balls. He may make one more GCL appearance before moving up to Ft. Myers. Next on the mound for the GCL Twins was another rehabber. Andrew Albers gave up one hit over two scoreless innings. He struck out two. Gonzalo Sanudo came in and gave up one run on six hits in three innings. He walked none and struck out three. Gerardo Ramirez pitched a perfect ninth. Aderlin Mejia went 2-4. Byron Buxton hit a two run triple, his second three-bagger of the short-season. Bryan Santy was 1-3 with a walk, his second double and two RBI. --- Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 31, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Chris Parmelee Pitcher of the Day – Kyle Gibson --- A Look Ahead – Wednesday, August 1, 2012 Schedule Rochester – No Game Scheduled New Britain @ Bowie – LHP Blake Martin Ft. Myers @ Daytona – RHP Madison Boer Beloit vs Kane County – LHP Taylor Rogers Elizabethton @ Bristol – RHP Ricardo Arevalo GCL Twins vs GCL Rays – TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!

Today is the July trade deadline. At 3:00 this afternoon (central time), the non-waiver trade deadline will come and go. The Twins have already traded Francisco Liriano. That was a given. The Twins needed to deal him before July 31 regardless of the 10 (or more) things that we hate about the actual deal itself. What would your reaction be if the Twins did not make another trade before the 3:00 deadline? [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]What if Terry Ryan does not get an offer for Denard Span, Josh Willingham or Glen Perkins that he deems worthy of accepting? What if the Twins have to eat $10 million or more from the Blue Jays in a deal for Justin Morneau? The Twins need to do something to acquire pitching, and with a weakened minor league system, they also just need to gain as much talent as they can regardless of position. So, is there a case for the Twins to do nothing at the trade deadline? The Twins are said to be looking for a lot in return for Denard Span. The same is true of Josh Willingham, if he is even available at all. This is smart, and the Twins are the team in control on these guys. Because both are signed for a couple more years at very reasonable dollar values, there is no hurry to trade them. In both cases, GM Terry Ryan should not accept anything less than a great return. First, both play pretty important roles on a team and are very valuable. Span is a terrific leadoff hitter and a solid centerfielder. Willingham may not be much defensively, but having his kind of power in the middle of the lineup is an asset. Second, because they are signed for at least two more seasons, the Twins could find that they could acquire more during the offseason, or even at next year’s trade deadline. Although the Twins would likely love to get out from under the $14 million they owe Justin Morneau, they should be smart about it as well. If they have to eat any of the contract, they need to make sure that they get enough return to make it worthwhile. Otherwise, they might as well just keep Morneau and hope that he can continue to improve, maybe even getting back to his MVP form. If so, he is a great middle-of-the-lineup threat, and as is seemingly a theme here, he could have even more value next July, or in the offseason. The same can be said for relief pitchers Glen Perkins, Brian Duensing and Jared Burton. Perkins is signed long term. Duensing has at least three years of arbitration-eligibility before he can become a free agent, and Burton has one more arbitration season. Relief pitching is something that seems to get traded at the trade deadline for more than they should. So, the Twins should explore deals for these three in hopes that they are offered a package they can’t refuse. But the other side is that these are three strong building blocks that can provide stability in the Twins bullpen that they can hold on to for a couple of years. Again, all three could be traded in the offseason or at the deadline next July. Of course, other players could sneak through waivers and be traded in August. Players like Carl Pavano and Matt Capps would need to come off of the Disabled List and prove themselves to be healthy enough to get through the rest of the season first, but that could happen. Someone like Alexi Casilla could provide a bench bat or pinch-running capabilities for the right team for a playoff run as well. According to Twins mlb.com writer Rhett Bollinger, the Twins are 34-32 since May 16th. If not for a horrendous first six weeks of the season, the Twins could be in contention for a playoff spot. Maybe this team isn’t as far away from contending for a playoff berth as we think? Maintaining status quo would mean that the Twins could have a 2013 lineup with Denard Span, Ben Revere, Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau, Trevor Plouffe and Ryan Doumit in it. Although Brian Dozier has struggled mightily in his rookie season, as most players do, there is still hope that he can be a league average middle infielder in time. They will need to figure out how the middle infield will play out, but with those first seven in the lineup, the middle infield can go back to being defense-first types. The question, as it always is, is in the pitching staff. Scott Diamond would appear to be the only sure-thing for a rotation spot coming into the season. It is unlikely that anyone that te Twins would acquire in a trade today would be able to step in to a rotation spot in 2013 and become a top starter, but the hope would be that the return on a great player would be some pitchers with great upside. But if the Twins decide not to make July trades or big offseason trades, that means that they have ever intention of competing right away in 2013. If that is the case, the Twins will have to spend on pitching in the offseason. I am fine with them “counting on” Liam Hendriks to step up in 2013. I even understand their need to continue giving Nick Blackburn opportunities because of his horrible contract (although I think once we get into the 2013 season, the Twins should feel like they can DFA him and just eat what is remaining). Kyle Gibson may be ready by June. That means that, at a minimum, the Twins need to bring in two quality starters. I would never advocate giving a $100 million contract to any pitcher, so I would not sign Zach Greinke, but I’m sure many of you might think differently. For me, I would much rather see the Twins sign two (or three?) $8-10 million types. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Twins offer Edwin Jackson a three year, $27 million deal. I would like to see them offer Anibal Sanchez a four year, $36-40 million deal. Aces? Probably not. Quality starters who are still young enough to continue to improve and provide some stability to the staff? Certainly. I would not overpay for either of them, or any of the other free agent pitchers, and there is no way to know what other teams will offer them contracts or if the players would even be interested in coming to the Twins, but the Twins do need to reach out to them. And yes, if this is the direction, it will also require a commitment from the ownership because it will require that the payroll not go down any further, and likely go up a little bit. I would also bring back Scott Baker. He may not be able to pitch until midseason, so I would keep the year one contract low. However, I would offer a contract with a series of team options. Baker has always shown that, when healthy, he is a very good pitcher. If think it would be wise to bring him back at the right price. Regarding the need to bring more talent into the Twins farm system, the team will need to find ways. Again, trades could come in the offseason. The Twins should use their high waiver claim to pick up talent. They should look at the Rule 5 draft as a means to bring in players. They also should feel good about several of their prospects. Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia have both taken big strides forward this year. Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario remain top prospects. The Twins used the draft to acquire high-ceiling young talent like Byron Buxton and J.O. Berrios, along with some very hard throwers. It isn't like the Twins minor leagues are completely void of talent. So, if the trade deadline passes at 3:00 today, and we learn that the Twins did not make another trade (or more), it will likely feel somewhat disappointing. However, we will never know for sure what offers Terry Ryan received for these various players. I do know that I would be far more disappointed if the Twins traded one of their valuable pieces who are not free agents at the end of the season for a package that we deem less than appropriate. photo from Twins Now

The Twins got a very nice 7-6 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night. But the offense and defense of Denard Span and some great ninth inning work from the bottom of the order gave the Twins a walk-off win. Danny Valencia led off the ninth with a line drive single. Alexi Casilla pinch ran for him. Brian Dozier laid down a perfect bunt that AJ Pierzynski threw into right field, allowing both runners to advance. Jamey Carroll stepped up and flew out to right field, deep enough for Casilla to score the game-winning run. The next 24 hours will be interesting as the trade deadline will pass in the middle of the afternoon (3:00 central time) and then the Twins will take on Francisco Liriano in his first White Sox start. Should be an interesting day, to say the least. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the Monday games in the minor leagues. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 7, COLUMBUS 2 Esmerling Vasquez made the start for the Red Wings and was very good. The right-hander threw six innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out six. Kyle Waldrop came in and recorded his third save with three perfect innings. The big hit for the Red Wings came off the bat of Rene Rivera whose eighth homer of the season was a grand slam. Chris Parmelee went 3-5 and drove in two runs. Pedro Florimon was 3-5. Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Matt Carson were each 2-5. Brian Dinkelman went 2-4. Eduardo Escobar made his Red Wings debut and was 1-4 with an RBI. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS No Game Scheduled FT. MYERS 4, DAYTONA 8 It was a rough start for Cole Nelson and the Miracle in this one. They came on late, but it wasn’t enough. Nelson gave up seven runs (5 earned) on ten hits and two walks in three innings. Miguel Munoz struckout four over three scoreless innings. Clinton Dempster gave up a run on two hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out three. The Miracle scored four runs in the 9th, but that only cut the lead in half. Levi Michael was 2-5. Anderson Hidalgo hit a three-run double in that ninth inning. BELOIT 5, PEORIA 3 Jason Wheeler started and gave up one run on six hits and two walks in five innings. He struckout four. Dallas Gallant gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits in two innings. He struckout three. Corey Williams recorded his 15th save with two scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit and struckout two. Stephen Wickens hit his first Midwest League home run and walked. AJ Pettersen went 2-3 with his ninth double. Miguel Sano went 2-4. Kennys Vargas went 1-3 with a walk and his second double. ELIZABETHTON 5, BRISTOL 3 Corey Kimes made the start in this game. The lefty gave up three hits and a walk over five shutout innings. Brett Lee improved to 3-0 despite blowing a save. He gave up three runs on four hits in two innings. Luke Bard made his Elizabethton debut. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two in an inning. Travis Huber picked up his first save with a 1-2-3 inning. Jorge Polanco led the offense in this game. He went 3-4 with his first home run and fourth stolen base. Candido Pimentel went 2-5 with his fifth double. GCL TWINS 3, GCL RAYS 1 Yorman Landa pitched very well again. He threw four shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. Kuo Hua Lo gave up one run on five hits over the next 3.2 innings. Melciades de la Cruz struckout two in 1.1 innings. Zach Larson went 2-3 with his second stolen base. Byron Buxton was 1-3 with a walk and his fourth double. Joel Licon drove in two runs. Aderlin Mejia was 1-3 and stole three bases, including a steal of home. --- Players of the Day for Monday, July 30, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Jorge Polanco Pitcher of the Day – Corey Kimes --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, July 31, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Columbus – RHP Eric Hurley New Britain @ Bowie – LHP Blake Martin Ft. Myers @ Daytona – RHP Tom Stuifbergen Beloit vs Kane County – David Hurlbut (vs Royals #1 pick, RHP Kyle Zimmer) Elizabethton @ Bristol – Ricardo Arevalo GCL Twins vs GCL Rays – TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!

Since the start of the 2011 season, the Twins have a recordof103-157. Only the Houston Astros have a worse record in that time (90-170).As the trade deadline approaches, it is striking how active the Astros have been in making trades while the Twins have been pretty quiet to this point. Since the beginning of July 2011, the Twins have made the following moves: • August 2011 – Traded Delmon Young to Detroit forRHP Lester Oliveros and LHP Cole Nelson. • August 2011 – Traded Jim Thome to Cleveland for cash. • December 2011 – Traded Kevin Slowey to Colorado for RHP Daniel Turpen [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] In contrast, here are the trades made by the Astros in that same time: • July 2011 – Traded Hunter Pence to Philadelphiafor 1B Jonathan Singleton, RHP Jarred Cosart, RHP Josh Zeid, and OF Domingo Santana • July 2011 – Traded Jeff Keppinger to San Francisco for RHP Henry Sosa and RHP Jason Stoffel • July 2011 – Traded Michael Bourn to Atlanta for OF Jordan Schafer, RHP Juan Abreu, RHP Paul Clemens and LHP Brett Oberholtzen • May 2012 – Traded Justin Ruggiano to Miami for C Jobduan Morales • July 2012 – Traded Carlos Lee to Miami for 3B Matt Dominguez and LHP Rob Rasmussen • July 2012 – Traded Brandon Lyon, JA Happ and David Carpenter to Toronto for Francisco Cordero, Ben Francisco, RHP Joe Musgrove, RHP Asher Wojciechowski, LHP David Rollins, C Carlos Perez, and a Player to be Named Later. • July 2012 – Traded Brett Myers to Chicago (WhiteSox) for RHP Matt Heidenreich and LHP Blair Walters • July 2013 – Traded Wandy Rodriguez to Pittsburgh for OF Robbie Grossman, LHP Randy Owens, LHP Colton Cain The Twins have used their high waiver spot to claim the likes of Pedro Florimon, Clete Thomas and Erik Komatsu. The Astros have used their waiver spot to claim players like Fernando Martinez and Mark Hamburger. The Astros masterfully handled the draft. Instead of taking the “easy” pick, Mark Appel, they took the top high school bat (according to many) in Carlos Correa and signed him for well below the suggested slot for the top pick. That allowed them to sign Lance McCullers, who fell to them in the supplemental first round. The Astros have pretty much blown up their roster and started from scratch. Of the players who were on the Astros Opening Day roster, Jed Lowrie is the player remaining who has the largest contract, at $1.15million. It’s hard to imagine the Twins completely blowing things up, but should they? What is the right thing to do? With needs at many positions at the big league level and throughout the minor league system, would it be best to start over and accumulate as much talent as possible? Does it need to happen at the July trade deadline? For Francisco Liriano, the answer would seemingly be yes. However, since Josh Willingham and Denard Span are signed long term, if Terry Ryan doesn’t feel he is getting maximum return, he can keep them and try again this offseason. So what do you think? Will the Twins or the Astros contend in their division first?

One week from today, a lot of questions will be answered. One week from today is the non-waiver trade deadline. The Twins clearly need to be sellers at this point. They are 40-56 record, 16 games under .500 and 12 games behind the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers. They are nowhere near the Wild Card race. So with one week to go, what do we know? We have to watch what is going on around the rest of baseball to get a sense for what could be going on with the Twins. Some trades are starting to happen and they may (or may not) affect what happens going forward. They may help us project what the Twins could get in return for some of their players. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] For instance, the New York Yankees acquired Ichiro Suzuki from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for two minor league relievers. The 38 year old Ichiro is a singles hitter boasted 200 hit seasons and an OPS+ over 100 (100 is considered average) for the first ten years of his MLB career. Last year, his OPS+ was just 88. This year, that number is just 83. Who knows? Being traded to a contender may spark Ichiro into playing like he did for the first decade. However, the Ichiro Suzuki trade does not give us any indication of what the Twins could get for OF Denard Span. Due to age, salary and years, Span has much, much more value than Ichiro. That said, the Yankees were a team that needed an outfielder, and Span made a lot of sense there. At least for now, this trade does mean there is one less team who will be calling on Span. Last season, the Tigers added Doug Fister at the trade deadline, and he really helped the Tigers make their playoff run. Yesterday, the Tigers made another huge splash by acquiring right-hander Anibal Sanchez from the Miami Marlins. They likely had to take on the contract of infielder Omar Infante as well. Sanchez is vastly underrated and maybe not a commonly known name yet, but he is a very good pitcher. To be sure, his resume looks a lot better as he is traded than Doug Fister did a year ago. But the Tigers gave up a lot to get Sanchez. First, they traded 20-year-old future ace Jacob Turner, who has made starts with the Tigers already. Turner came into the season as Baseball America's 22nd ranked prospect. The Tigers also traded AA catching prospect Rob Brantly and Brian Flynn, a 6-8, 22-year-old pitcher who recently was promoted to AA. They didn't have to trade top prospect Nick Castellanos, but Turner and Brantly were both top 5 Tigers prospects by most accounts. The Cubs were also busy yesterday as there were rumors on deals for both Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza. The Cubs have agreed to trade Dempster to the Atlanta Braves in a deal that would likely include RHP Randall Delgado. Delgado has been starting for the Braves and came into the season as the #46 prospect according to Baseball America. At this point, Dempster is yet to approve the trade (he has 10-5 rights), but again, this gives us another data point. There were a lot of rumors of the Cubs and Dodgers discussing a Matt Garza trade in which the Cubs would receive RHP Zach Lee in return. 20 year old Lee was the Dodgers first round pick in 2010 and was recently promoted to AA. He came into the season as the #62 ranked prospect according to Baseball America. It is looking more and more like Cole Hamels will resign with the Phillies, but Zach Greinke is likely to be traded. What could the Twins get in exchange for lefty Francisco Liriano who, despite last night's clunker, has been one of baseball's best starting pitchers. Based on the package received for Sanchez, and the rumors floating around deals with Dempster and Garza, it is fair for Twins fans to be excited about what the Twins could get in return for Liriano. It appears that the going rate is a pitching prospect who ranks somewhere in the 30-60 range (likely a team's #1 or #2 prospect), along with a second prospect who ranks in that team's Top 10, and maybe even one more player who ranks outside the top ten but still has potential. And if the Twins get an offer like that, they would have to take it! Finally, the San Diego Padres agreed to a three year, $30 million contract extension with Carlos Quentin. Quentin was frequently rumored to be available and due to his small contract for this season, he was the top right-handed power bat available. As he is no longer available, that makes Twins LF Josh Willingham more and more valuable. The Twins have come out and said that he is not currently available. However, due to a very good contract that goes beyond this season (2 more years at just $14 million), the TWins could get a big haul for their big slugger. The Twins are said to be asking "for a ton" for Denard Span. If, er, when teams call on Josh Willingham, the Twins should be asking for two tons, and I would not be surprised if there were a team or two willing to give up that much. The Twins should need to be overwhelmed by an offer to trade The Hammer, but it is also very possible that they will be. So again, there is just one more week before the non-waiver trade deadline. As we know, there can still be deals in August. They're just more difficult to complete. The Twins should be quite active, and they have three players that they should be able to get a good return for. There are other players that could be dealt too. Deals could happen at any time, but paying attention to what is going on throughout baseball may give you perspective on what it could mean for the Twins.

In what may have been his final start with the Twins, starter Francisco Liriano threw his first clunker in over two months. The lefty gave up home runs to Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios and could not complete three innings. The Twins got plenty of base runners. Denard Span had three hits, and Brian Dozier had two. The Twins grounded into five double plays in the game though which ended several scoring opportunities. Brian Duensing and Alex Burnett were very good in relief. Ryan Doumit did his best to keep up with Beloit's Kennys Vargas tonight. The big question now is whether tonight's pitching performance by Liriano affected the return they could get for him. We shall find out. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the Monday games in the minor leagues. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Liam Hendriks was back on the mound for Rochester. Two players made their returns with the GCL Twins this morning. And yes, Kennys Vargas is mentioned again. ROCHESTER 0, DURHAM 4 For the first time this year, Liam Hendriks gets “credited” with a Loss for the Red Wings. Yet, he pitched pretty well. The Aussie right-hander gave up two runs on four hits in six innings. He walked three and struckout six batters. Caleb Theilbar came in and gave up two runs on three hits (including a home run) in an inning. Kyle Waldrop threw a scoreless inning in relief. The Red Wings showed very little offense. They had just six hits in the game and Ray Chang had two of them. Clete Thomas and Pedro Florimon each hit a double. Thomas stole a base, and he also threw out a runner at home. NEW BRITAIN 1, BINGHAMTON 8 Aaron Thompson started for the Rock Cats. The lefty gave up four runs (2 earned) on eight hits (two home runs) and a walk in five innings. Edgar Ibarra came in and gave up three runs on two hits (both home runs) and a walk. He struck out three. Dakota Watts was charged with an unearned run on one walk in 1.2 innings. The Rock Cats managed just four hits in the game. Oswaldo Arcia was 2-4. FT. MYERS 5, CHARLOTTE 4 Jhon Goncalves has only been back in the Florida State League, but his speed helped the Miracle to a win on Monday night. The outfielder was 3-4 after singling to lead off the bottom of the ninth. He advanced to third after a sacrifice bunt and a ground out. With two outs, and two strikes on Danny Ortiz, the pitcher threw a high fastball that bounced off the catcher’s glove, allowing Goncalves to sprint home from third base with the winning run. Anderson Hidalgo was also 3-4. He hit his eighth double, his third home run and drove in two runs. Pat Dean started. He gave up four runs on 10 hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out three. AJ Achter came on and threw two scoreless innings for his first Miracle win. BELOIT 3, GREAT LAKES 0 Matt Tomshaw returned to the starting rotation and threw very well. The lefty worked the first four innings, giving up just two hits. He walked none and struck out six. Cole Johnson worked the next three scoreless innings. He gave up three walks, walked none and struck out one. Zach Jones recorded his first save, striking out four in two innings. Nate Roberts continues to lead the way for the Snappers out of the leadoff spot. He went 2-4 with his first triple and 14th stolen base. Kennys Vargas hit his third home run (in his second game) and later he was intentionally walked. Miguel Sano had a rough one. He went 0-4 with four strikeouts. ELIZABETHTON 3, JOHNSON CITY 0 Angel Mata started for the E-Twins and he threw five shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out nine. Christian Powell came in and threw two scoreless innings. He gave up three hits but walked none and struck out three. He was credited with his first professional win. Tyler Duffey struckout two in a scoreless eighth inning. As he did in college, he handed the ball over to JT Chargois who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his second save. Travis Harrison went 2-3 with a walk. (and yes, his 17th error of the short season) Jorge Polanco and Jhonathan Arias each doubled. Max Kepler and Niko Goodrum combined to go 0-8 with five walks, but each stole his fourth base of the year. GAME 1 – GCL TWINS 1, GCL ORIOLES 4 There were a couple of returns in this game. Alex Wimmers made a start for the first time since his April debut with the New Britain Rock Cats. He has been rehabbing a partially torn UCL. On this day, he gave up three runs on four hits and a walk and recorded just two outs. Kuo Hua Lo came on and struck out two over 4.1 one-hit innings. Alex Muren came in and gave up one run on two hits and a walk in two innings. Byron Buxton returned to the GCL team in this game. He was the team’s DH and hit third. His hamstring was tested. He was 1-2 with a walk and a triple. Kelvin Ortiz walked twice and stole his fifth base. Aderlin Mejia went 1-2 with a walk. GAME 1 – GCL TWINS 1, GCL ORIOLES 2 After managing just five hits in game one, the Twins had just one hit, a Logan Wade single, in game two. Yorman Landa started and threw five shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out two. Melciades de la Cruz then gave up two runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter in his inning to take the loss. --- Players of the Day for Monday, July 23, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Angel Mata Hitter of the Day – Anderson Hidalgo --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, July 24, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Syracuse – RHP Shairon Martis New Britain vs Binghampton – LHP Blake Martin Ft. Myers @ Charlotte – RHP Matt Summers Beloit – No Game Scheduled Elizabethton @ Kingsport – LHP Corey Kimes GCL Twins vs GCL Orioles (DH) – TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!

The Twins got a great mound performance from Samuel Deduno who picked up his first MLB win, giving up just one run in 6.1 innings. He got plenty of run support on this day. Ryan Doumit was 3-4 hit two home runs, one from each side of the plate. He drove in four runs. Brian Dozier drove in two more runs with a double off the wall. The Twins bullpen struggled but hung on for a 7-5 win. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the Sunday games in the minor leagues.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester finally has a ten-home run hitter. The Snappers had a newcomer arrive on Sunday and he helped the team put on quite a power display. But there was a lot of power shown throughout the system. GAME 1 – ROCHESTER 5, DURHAM 1 Jeff Manship improved to 6-1 with another strong performance. He gave up one run on three hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out four. Luis Perdomo pitched a scoreless seventh inning. He gave up one hit and a walk. Clete Thomas won the Rochester Race to Ten Home Runs! He went 1-2 with a walk and the home run. Sean Burroughs went 2-3. Pedro Florimon hit his 13th double. GAME 2 – ROCHESTER 3, DURHAM 4 Luke French started game two for the Red Wings. The lefty gave up three runs on six hits in 3.2 innings. He walked three and struck out four. Dan Sattler came in and got the next four batters out, two of them on strikeouts. Lester Oliveros came in and pitched a scoreless sixth innings, but he gave up the winning run in the seventh. Tsuyoshi Nishioka went 2-3 and drove in the team’s first run. Sean Burroughs was also 2-3. In the 5th inning, Clete Thomas and Danny Valencia had back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game at three. NEW BRITAIN 8, HARRISBURG 4 The bats showed up for the Rock Cats in this game and Steve Hirschfeld pitched well yet again in this Rock Cats win. Nate Hanson led the offense by going 3-5 with his third home run and four RBI. Deibinson Romero was 2-4 with a walk, his 14th home run and three RBI. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with a walk and his 29th double. Aaron Hicks was 0-2, but he walked three times and stole his 22nd base. Hirschfeld won for the 7th time this season. He worked the first six innings and gave up three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out four. David Bromberg gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. He struck out three. Bruce Pugh got his fifth save by getting the final four outs. FT. MYERS 2, LAKELAND 4 Madison Boer falls to 4-9 after this game, but he pitched quite well. The Eden Prairie native gave up two runs (1 earned) on five hits in six innings. He walked one, hit one and struck out six. Cole Nelson came in and gave up two runs on three hits, a walk and a hit batter in one inning. Ricky Bowen then pitched a scoreless inning. Josmil Pinto had another very good game. He went 3-4. Jhon Goncalves went 2-3. Danny Santana hit a two-run homer in the 8th inning that cut the deficit in half. It was his fifth home run of the year. The Miracle had 11 hits in this game, but left too many on base. BELOIT 7, GREAT LAKES 10 It was a big day for the Snappers offense. There was a big return and a huge power display, but it wasn’t enough on this day. Kennys Vargas was having a very strong season last year at Elizabethton when it suddenly came to an end at the hands of a 50 Game Suspension for Performance Enhancing Drugs. He served about 18 games last year, so he had to serve another 32 games in 2012. Unfortunately, he needed to serve those games with the team he was with when he got the suspension. That means that his suspension couldn’t continue until the Elizabethton season started in late June. Instead of returning to the E-Twins at the end of the 50 games, the Twins had him go directly to Beloit. In his first game in almost a year, Vargas went 2-4 with a walk. In his first at bat, he hit a solo home run. In his second at bat, he hit a two-run home run. Not a bad return. Vargas wasn’t the only Snappers hitter who displayed power in this game. Steve Liddle hit his third home run. Wang-Wei Lin hit his second homer of the year. Nate Roberts was 4-4 with his eighth double and his fourth home run. He was also hit by a pitch. Tyler Jones started for the Snappers. The right-hander went just three innings and gave up seven runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out three. Ryan O’Rourke replaced him in the fourth inning and after allowing the inherited runners to score, he threw three shutout frames and struck out three. Mason Melotakis gets the loss because he gave up an unearned run on one hit and one walk in two innings. Corey Williams pitched the ninth inning and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. ELIZABETHTON 5, JOHNSON CITY 6 Max Kepler continues to rake. On this day, he was 2-4 with his fifth double and fourth home run (all in the last week). Bo Altobelli went 2-3 with a walk and his second double. Travis Harrison added his fifth double. Hein Robb started for the E-Twins. He gave up four runs (2 earned) on four hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out three. Brett Lee gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits over the next two innings. Luis Nunez walked one over the next two innings without giving up a run. GCL TWINS No game scheduled. --- Players of the Day for Sunday, July 22, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Jeff Manship Hitter of the Day – Nate Roberts --- A Look Ahead – Monday, July 23, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Durham – RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain vs Binghampton – TBD Ft. Myers vs Charlotte – LHP Pat Dean Beloit vs Great Lakes – TBD Elizabethton @ Kingsport – RHP Angel Mata GCL Twins vs GCL Orioles (DH) – TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!