Seth Stohs

That's always safe to assume, but you never know. He's been healthy all year. He profiles similarly to Duensing, so he could get up there if needed. Consider, he only has to be added to the 40 man roster after this season (not likely) and can't be a free agent for about 3 more years, it's too early to say anything worse than unlikely.

Jim Crikket posted the video of the Licon walk-off single and the celebration: Knuckleballs ? Kernels Video: Joel Licon?s Walk-off Single Tops Quad Cities

Here's a terrific story from MetroSportsReport on the Jake Mauer ejection, what happened, etc. Kernels unbeaten when Mauer tossed

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Miguel Sano did not play for the third straight game for the Rock Cats due to a tight hamstring. Twins assistant GM announced that they expect 2013 top pick Kohl Stewart to pitch in about 8-10 days. On the other hand, Byron Buxton returned to the Ft. Myers lineup after missing about a week after losing a toe nail. Wilkin Ramirez played for New Britain. Darin Mastroianni, it was announced, will head to Rochester by Tuesday to continue his rehab. There, he will be joined by Josh Willingham. The Twins will call up a starting pitcher for their double header on Friday, and the belief is that it will be Liam Hendriks. Also, according to Baseball America, the Twins have signed Ivory Thomas, their 34th round draft pick from June and an outfielder from Cal St. Dominguez Hills. Check out what else happened in the Twins Minor League system on Sunday: Rochester 4, Syracuse 5 Box Score The Red Wings had another opportunity for late-game dramatics, but former Red Wings (And Twins) reliever Tyler Robertson got the final two out to record his second save with the Chiefs. Liam Hendriks started and gave up five runs (4 earned) on seven hits and two walks in 5.1 innings. He struck out three, and two of the runs came as the result of a misplay in the outfield. AJ Achter came on and walked three and struck out four in 2.2 hitless, scoreless innings. Luis Perdomo gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth. Chris Parmelee led the offense. He went 3-5 with his fourth double. Eduardo Escobar was 2-4 with a walk and his first triple. Jeff Clement went 2-5 and drove in two more runs. Dalton Hicks was also 2-5. New Britain 5, Erie 9 Box Score I think it is fair to say that it was not a great day for Trevor May. The right hander pitched a scoreless first inning, so that’s good. However, He gave up five runs in the second and three more in the third. In total, he gave up eight runs on eight hits and five walks in 2.2 innings. He struck out three. Cole Johnson came on and gave up just one hit and one walk over the next 2.1 innings. He struck out two. Dan Sattler came in and got two outs, but he also walked three batters. Ryan O’Rourke got the final out of the sixth and pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Dakota Watts gave up one run on four hits over two innings. Jordan Parraz led the offense. He went 3-3 with his ninth home run and three RBI. Dan Rohlfing was 3-5. Evan Bigley went 2-4 with a walk. Ft. Myers 6, Tampa 7 Box Score The Miracle headed into the ninth inning with a three-run lead. They had Tyler Jones on the mound. Jones had pitched a scoreless eighth inning. He had not yet given up a run with the Miracle, and didn’t give up a run at all in July. Unfortunately, he gave up four runs on four hits and got just one out in the ninth to take the loss. He left with the tying runner on second base. Zach Jones came in the runner stole third base, and then the winning run scored on a wild pitch. A tough loss after the game went so well through the first eight innings. Matt Tomshaw provided a quality start. He gave up three runs on six hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out three. Nelvin Fuentes came on and walked two in a scoreless seventh inning. He struck out two as well. Byron Buxton returned to the lineup for the first time in a week. He went 0-2, but he walked three times and stole his seventh base. JD Williams, batting third for the Miracle after batting ninth most of the season in Cedar Rapids, went 1-2 with three walks. Jairo Rodriguez went 3-4. Aderlin Mejia went 2-5. Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 2 Box Score Carlos Correa gave Quad Cities a 2-1 lead with a single in the Top of the 9th inning. It was his third hit of the game and, at the time, gave him more hits than the Kernels (3-2). However, the Kernels did get to hit in the bottom of the ninth inning, and hit they did. With one out, Jorge Polanco singled. Adam Walker followed with a single, and an error on the outfielder pushed Walker to third base. Max Kepler walked, and with two outs, Joel Licon came up and drilled a single down the left field line to give the Kernels a 3-2 win. Jake Mauer didn’t get to see the end of the game as he was ejected in the 4th inning after a hitter’s interference call. [ATTACH=CONFIG]5092[/ATTACH] JO Berrios made the start for the Kernels, and the start would be accurately described by the phrase “Damage Control.” The young right-hander gave up just one run over six innings. It’s remarkable because he gave up five hits and walked six batters. He struck out three. Brandon Bixler came on and gave up one hit and walked one in a scoreless inning. He struck out one. Madison Boer went the final two innings and gave up one run on three hits. Elizabethton 2, Johnson City 7 Box Score Felix Jorge was hit pretty hard, though he was also not helped by three errors by the E-Twins. He gave up six runs (3 earned) on eight hits over five innings. He didn’t walk anyone and he struck out five. Austin Malinowski came on and struck out two in two perfect innings. Ethan Mildren gave up one run on two hits and a walk in his inning. Shane Turner went 2-4 with his third and fourth doubles. Zach Granite went 2-5. He now has a seven game hitting streak. Over his past three games, he is 7-14 (.500). Bryan Haar hit his 10th double. GCL Twins No Sunday games scheduled. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions.

No, this one isn't about unwritten rules at all. It's just about Garza not liking players bunting on him. It's about Garza knowing other teams knowing that he doesn't field bunts and throw well to 1B. That's the report. It was a close game. No unwritten rules broken.

According to Brandon Warne, via Twitter:

Agreed. I think Ibarra is a bullpen guy at this point. Jones probably is a reliever long-term, but now that he's in shape and throwing more strikes, I would have no problem with them trying him as a starter again. I don't think it's likely.

Yeah, it was kind of fun to follow the Tweets live last night. Garza's definitely not the nicest person, and the drinking concerns have been there since his days with the Twins. No question. He can still pitch pretty well though.

According to LaVelle (via Twitter), Pat Dean has been promoted to AAA. Will start Tuesday.

I would agree with that. In fact, he may start now for Elizabethton the rest of the season.

The Kentucky lefty thing is pretty crazy. If nothing else, we know that the Twins will (and have) scouted the University of Kentucky. I'm sure they've been aware of the two you mentioned for 3-5 years. As for Wimmers, I'm just not certain. My initial thought was that they would have to add him, but that is somewhat contingent upon him having come back and shown health by season's end. To this point, it's been mixed results.

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In recent days, we posted the choices for Minnesota Twins Minor League Starting Pitchers and Hitters for the month of July. Today, I present the top relief pitching performers for the month. There are a couple of guys at the top of this list that, if you argued the other should be #1, or vice versa, I wouldn’t have much of an argument. Two guys stand out on this list, but all five of them warrant recognition. Interestingly, the short-season teams played all of July and they are represented on this list as well. A couple of 2013 draft picks make an appearance. Here’s a look at the Top 5 relief pitching performers from July. Feel free to discuss below. --- Number 5 – GCL Twins – LHP Stephen Gonsalves – 5 G, 2 GS, 1-0, 0.63 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 14.1 IP, 8 H, 7 BB, 18 K Gonsalves was the Twins 4th round draft pick in June out of high school in San Diego. Already 19, the lefty pitched very well in his professional debut with the GCL Twins in his first month. In fact, he pitched well enough that he was just promoted to Elizabethton. At 6-5 and just 190 pounds, the Twins should be patient and let him grow. The Twins had to go a little over slot to get him signed, but he should prove to be worth it in time. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – RHP Adrian Salcedo - 6 G, 2-0, 0.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 12.0 IP, 9 H, 1 BB, 7 K Salcedo was a Top 10 Twins prospect as recently as before the 2012 season. However, that season was lost because of both shoulder and elbow injuries. He spent most of the year, and the offseason, rehabbing. He has been brought back this year in the Ft. Myers bullpen. Overall, in 27 relief appearances this year, he is 5-1 with a 3.72 ERA. In 48.1 innings, he has given up 47 hits, walked just seven and struck out 48. Salcedo is 6-3 and 175 pounds. He is extremely athletic. It will be interesting to see if he gets another opportunity to start. Number 3 – Elizabethton – LHP Brandon Bixler - 6 G, 1-1, 0.73 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, 18 K The 21-year-old Bixler was the Twins 16th round draft pick of the Twins this June out of Dunk City, Florida Gulf Coast University. This college season, he went 5-3 with a 4.14 ERA. He had 64 strikeouts in 50 innings. Over three college seasons, he struck out 156 batters over 128.2 innings. The left-hander is just 5-11 and 170 pounds, but he does throw hard. Bixler put up these terrific numbers in Elizabethton, and has now been promoted to Cedar Rapids where he has made one appearance in August. Number 2 – New Britain/Rochester – LHP Edgar Ibarra - 9 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.44 WHIP, 11.2 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 11 K I saw Ibarra make a start for Beloit in 2010 and came away incredibly impressed. I saw a very good fastball that he worked inside and outside. I saw a tremendous changeup that he was able to spot. He also had a very good breaking ball that he threw at various speeds. All of his pitches moved. Then again, he never really put up great numbers as a starter. The following year in Ft. Myers, he made 16 starts and 16 relief appearances. He has not made any starts since. Today (8/4) marks two months since he has last given up a run. That covers 20 appearances and 25.2 innings. The left-hander touches 95, and I believe he has a very good chance of helping the Twins. His control has been good so far with the Red Wings, but over his career, walks have been the biggest issue. Ibarra could have become a 6-year minor league free agent, but he quickly re-signed with the Twins. Don’t be surprised if the Twins don’t let him become a free agent at the end of this season and add him to the 40 man roster, either in September, or days after the World Series is complete. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: [ATTACH=CONFIG]5090[/ATTACH] Photo by Cedar Rapids Kernels Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers – RHP Tyler Jones - 8 G, 0-0, 7 Saves, 0.00 ERA, 0.45 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 17 K Jones, a 23-year-old Milwaukee native, was the Twins 11th round pick in 2011 out of LSU where he spent just one year. In 2012, he began the season at Extended Spring Training because, as he said to me earlier in the season, he was completely out of shape. He did make 16 starts with Beloit and posted a 4.67 ERA, but he had 102 strikeouts in 86.2 innings. This year, he got himself into tremendous shape, and also moved into the bullpen at Cedar Rapids. In doing so, he can now air-out his fastball. When I saw him a month ago, he ended a game with a strikeout on a 96 mph fastball. His slider is also much improved from when I saw him in 2012. He was tremendous in July, starting in Cedar Rapids and earning that promotion to Ft. Myers. Not only did he not give up any runs in July, but look at the walks and strikeouts per inning. Astounding. Jones is definitely one to watch! What do you think? Please feel free to discuss and ask questions.

Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids clinched playoff spots in the first half of their seasons, and are both playing well in the 2nd half as well, even with promotions and such. Rochester went from 11 games back on July 2nd to taking their division lead by the end of the month. As of today, they would be a playoff team. As mentioned, New Britain is playing a little better now. Elizabethton is the team that has been almost a given to make the playoffs most years. However, this year, they're struggling. The Big Three have been mostly good, but not as consistent, and I think because of the focus on pitching in the last couple of drafts, they don't have the offense they typically have.

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There are a lot of ways to win a ball game, but one of the most unlikely occurred in Rochester on Saturday night. A 29-year-old from Marshalltown, Iowa, who was drafted by the Minnesota Twins eleven years ago got to play hero, twice. Another minor league free agent signing helped lead the New Britain Rock Cats to a big victory. A great way to get a win happened with the Ft. Myers Miracle. If your pitcher throws a complete game shutout, there is a good chance your team will win. Of course, life in the minor leagues can also teach us how to lose. We saw a couple of those on Saturday as well. Poor starting pitching and poor defense is a quick way to losing. Check out what else happened in the Twins Minor League system on Saturday: Rochester 7, Syracuse 6 (12 innings) Box Score Based on the final score alone, it might be hard to believe that this game needed extra innings. A 1-1 tie through nine, the Chiefs opened it up with a big, five-run tenth frame. The Red Wings attempted a comeback, and Jeff Clement had the chance to play hero… twice. Well, to see how, you’ll just have to read below. PJ Walters started for Rochester, and was very good through five innings. He did not give up a run. However, in the sixth inning, his control eluded him. He walked three in the inning, including walking in a run. Overall, he went 5.2 innings and gave up one run on three hits. He walked five, hit one and struck out three. Edgar Ibarra came on and continued his streak of scoreless innings and appearances. He got four outs, so he has not given up a run in 20 appearances and 25.2 innings. Michael Tonkin gave up one hit over the eighth and ninth innings. However, Luis Perdomo came in to start the tenth. He got one out, but he walked one, hit one and gave up a hit and was charged with three runs because Cody Eppley allowed the inherited runners to score, plus two more. That brings us to the bottom of the 10th, Red Wings down 6-1. To that point in the game, the Twins had just four hits. With two outs, Chris Parmelee cut the lead to 6-2 with an RBI single. Soon after, the bases were loaded, and Jeff Clement stepped to the plate. The unlikely happened. Clement launched a grand slam to tie the game at six. So, it was off to the 11th inning. Eppley stayed in the game, but after getting two outs, he had walked two more batters. Shairon Martis came in and got the final out of the 11th inning and pitched a scoreless 12th frame as well. With one out in the bottom of the 12th inning, Deibinson Romero walked for the third time in the game. Eduardo Escobar came in to run for him. Who stepped to the plate? Jeff Clement, and he came through again. He doubled and Escobar was able to score the winning run. Aside from Clement, Josmil Pinto and James Beresford each had two hits in the game. New Britain 6, Erie 4 Box Score Despite a 99 minute delay to the start of this game, the Rock Cat bats showed up right away. They scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and held on for the rest of the game. Reynaldo Rodriguez again had a big game. The first baseman went 3-4 with his 24th double and his 15th home run. Danny Santana went 2-4 with his 18th double. Kyle Knudson went 2-3 with his second AA double. BJ Hermsen got a spot start. He went the first three innings and gave up three runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out two. Blake Martin came on and gave up one run on one hit in 1.2 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Dan Turpen went the next 1.1 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and a walk and struck out two. Jose Gonzalez pitched a scoreless inning. Matt Hauser came on for the final two innings and struck out two. Ft. Myers 5, Tampa 0 Box Score For the second time in his last four starts, lefty Taylor Rogers threw a complete game shutout. In his nine innings, he gave up five hits, walked three and struck out seven. [ATTACH=CONFIG]5088[/ATTACH] Photo by Linwood Ferguson/Ft. Myers Miracle Darin Mastroianni, in his second rehab game, was 3-5 with two doubles. Dalton Hicks was 3-4 with a walk. JD Williams was 2-4 with a walk and his eighth stolen base. Matt Koch went 2-5 with his 17th double. Mike Kvasnicka went 2-4. Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 5 Box Score Going into the ninth inning, 2012 top pick Carlos Correia had the same number of hits (four) in the game as the Kernels did. It was also just one more than the number of errors that that Kernels had. Cedar Rapids got two singles in the ninth, but couldn’t come up with the big hit. Niko Goodrum had the lone extra base hit, his 20th double. Mason Melotakis started for the Kernels. The lefty gave up four runs (2 earned) on eight hits. He walked none and struck out five. Dallas Gallant came on and gave up one run on one hit and one walk in his inning. He struck out two. Tim Shibuya pitched the final three innings. He gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out two. Elizabethton 6, Bluefield 14 Box Score It was not a good start for Tanner Mendonca. In total, he gave up eight runs (5 earned) on five hits and three walks in just two innings. The three earned runs came in the first inning because of a throwing error, by Mendonca. He was replaced by Kuo Hua Lo who gave up two runs on three hits over the next three innings. He hit two batters. He struck out five. Carson Goldsmith came on and got two outs. He gave up one run on one hit and one walk. Andrew Ferreira got the four batters that he faced out. Brandon Peterson then gave up three runs on four hits and a walk over the final two innings. He struck out three. Lead off man Zach Granite went 3-5. Mitch Garver went 2-4 with his tenth double and four RBI. Rory Rhodes went 2-5 with his ninth double. GCL Twins 10, GCL Red Sox 8 Box Score Amaurys Minier returned to the GCL lineup for the first time since leaving a July 24 game with a quad injury. He had just one hit in the game, but it was his sixth home run of the season. Jason Kanzler was 2-5 with his second double. Zach Larson was 2-5 with his sixth double. Adonis Pacheco was 1-2 with two walks. Alex Wimmers had a rough start in his rehab. The righty gave up eight runs (5 earned) on nine hits in just three innings. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out two. Brandon Easton came on and worked the next three innings. He gave up no runs on one hit. He walked none and struck out four. Miguel Gonzalez gave up one hit and one walk in his two innings. He struck out four. Jose Abreu came on for his fourth save. He walked one and struck out one in the ninth inning. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions.

"Most are Double-A and Triple-A Minor League players.[1] Each club can opt to send two players below Double-A. Foreign players are allowed, as long as the player is not on his native country's primary protected player list." Have to assume that Vargas, Rosario and Sano are on those primary protected lists as they played for their big teams in winter ball. Mike Berardino tweeted to me last night that players on the DL after some date in mid-July are also ineligible. That would mean no for Wimmers and also Alex Meyer, if true.

Ummm... that's a bit of a stretch.