Cody Christie

Most people are running out of superlatives for the 2019 version of the Minnesota Twins. The club is an eye-popping 20 games over .500 and they sit atop the AL Central by 10 games. Everything seems to be clicking with a power-packed line-up. Pitchers are having career years. Even a bullpen full of cast-offs seems to be clicking on all cylinders. With Minnesota continuing to steamroll inferior opponents, one must wonder what this team can achieve? Is this one of the best Twins teams of all-time?First World Series Run Since the club moved to Minnesota, the 1965 squad was the lone team to win over 100 games. With a 102-60 record (.630 W-L%), the team also has the highest winning percentage of any Twins team. During the 2019 campaign, the Twins have a .692 W-L%. It seems unlikely for the club to continue on that pace but it seems like they could get to 103 wins. Minnesota’s line-up that season featured greats like Harmon Killebrew, Tony Olivia, Bob Allison, and Earl Battey. Shortstop Zoilo Versalles would be named the AL MVP. The rotation consisted of some strong arms as well. Mudcast Grant, Jim Kaat and Jim Perry all had sub-3.30 ERAs, while Kaat and Grant combined to pitch over 534 innings. The Twins ran into the Dodgers and Sandy Koufax in the World Series, which stopped the club from being a champion. Still the 1965 team, might be one of the best teams from top to bottom. Baltimore Blues Teams Two of Minnesota’s best team contenders also fell short of their World Series goal. Both the 1969 and 1970 squads were able to qualify for the ALCS. Unfortunately, the Baltimore Orioles made quick work of the Twins in both years. Jim Perry was in quite the two-year stretch for being in his age-33 and age-34 seasons. He led the team in WAR in 1969 but he was actually awarded the AL Cy Young in 1970. In these two seasons, he combined to have a 44-18 record with a 2.93 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. He averaged 270 innings pitched and along with 160 strikeouts per season. Tony Oliva’s best professional season was in 1970. He 7.0 WAR led the team. He also led the American League in hits and doubles. Killebrew was also in the prime of his Hall of Fame career. Between the two seasons, he hit 90 home runs. Killebrew would take home the 1969 MVP. Oliva would finish second in the MVP voting one year later. World Series Wins Minnesota’s first World Series winning club didn’t exactly have a stellar regular season. The 1987 Twins finished the regular season at 85-77, which was two games better than the Royals. If the Twins were in the AL East that year, their record would have placed them fifth. The Tigers had trounced through the AL East that year with a 98-64 record, but the Twins were able to dispose of them in five games. Minnesota had to go to seven games against the Cardinals, but they won every game in the Metrodome to clinch the title. Frank Viola was the MVP and a poor regular season record was long forgotten. Minnesota’s second World Series winning club managed a better regular season than the first. They finished the year at 95-67, which was the best record in the American League. Do you know who lead the team in WAR that year? According to Baseball Reference, Kevin Tapani, Shane Mack, and Scott Erickson were the team’s top three players. For many, the 1991 World Series is considered the best Fall Classic of all-time. There were three extra-inning games including both games six and seven. Five of the seven games were decided by one run or less. All Twins fans know how this one ended. Puckett ended Game 6 and Morris dominated in Game 7. Metrodome Era Minnesota won the division five times from 2002-2009 with Ron Gardenhire at the helm. The 2002 club was deemed “The Team that Saved Baseball.” While that club shocked many by making the ALCS, the 2006 club might have been the best club in the Metrodome era. On the mound, Minnesota had the best one-two punch in the game. Johan Santana was in a stretch of being the best pitcher in the game. To join him, a young Francisco Liriano was showing he had the stuff to be among the league’s best. Liriano tried to pitch through pain in August but by November he was scheduled for Tommy John surgery. It’s hard to imagine any team that would have been able to beat Santana and Liriano multiple times in a seven-game series. Not to mention, Joe Nathan was anchoring the backend of a solid bullpen. At the plate, Joe Mauer was putting it all together at the big-league level. He won his first batting title, his first Silver Slugger, and he was an All-Star for the first time. Justin Morneau would be named the American League MVP as he beat out the likes of Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Frank Thomas. For many, Liriano’s injury cost the Twins a shot at World Series title. How good is the current team? Is it better than the 2006 squad? Is it better than the World Series clubs? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Offense was a theme for most of the Twins farm system on Sunday. Three clubs had 10 hits or more (Rochester did it twice) and two teams scored 11 runs or more. Even with the offensive output, there were some strong pitching performances as well. Which bats had the most pop? Which pitchers shined? Read on to find out.TRANSACTIONS RHP Sean Poppen promoted to Rochester. C Janigson Villalobos promoted to Fort Myers. OF Trey Cabbage placed on the suspended list with Fort Myers (Suspended by team). AWARDS The Twins announced their weekly Hitter and Pitcher of the Week: Hitter of the Week: Ryan Jeffers, Fort MyersJeffers played in six games for the Miracle, hitting .400 (8-for-20) with two home runs, four RBI, three walks and a .478 on-base percentage. Jeffers, 21, was drafted by the Twins in the second round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.Pitcher of the Week: Austin Schulfer, Cedar RapidsSchulfer made one start his week on Wednesday against Burlington. He and Jose Martinez combined to throw a seven-inning no hitter. He pitched five shutout innings while striking out seven and walking one. Schulfer, 23, was drafted by the Twins in the 19th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 9, Pawtucket 2 (Completion of suspended game 5/25) Box Score Rochester was already up 6-1 before Saturday’s contest got rained out. Randy Dobnak, in his Triple-A debut, had started the original game. He allowed one run on one hit and struck out one. Sean Poppen started on Sunday. He would pick up his second win after he pitched six strong innings. He struck out seven, walked three, and allowed one earned run. Trevor Hildenberger allowed one hit, but he was able to finish off the ninth. Nick Gordon, Tomas Telis, and Jordan Valdespin all went 2-for-4. Telis and Valdespin both collected three RBI and Gordon added his seven double. LaMonte Wade reached base twice knocked his first triple and scored two runs. Rochester 6, Pawtucket 7 (8 Innings) Box Score Rochester got out a head in this one with a couple runs in the third. Jack Cave and LaMonte Wade walked to put two runners on base. Zander Wiel cracked his ninth double to score both runners. Rochester was up 2-0 but the lead wouldn’t last long. Gabriel Moya pitched two scoreless innings to start the game. Fernando Romero took over in the third but he ran into some trouble in the fourth. He allowed four runs on three hits and he didn’t make it out of the inning. Jake Reed allowed one run on three hits in 1 2/3 innings. This game was supposed to be over after seven frames, but LaMonte Wade wouldn’t let the Red Wings go quietly. With Rochester down two, he smacked his two-run shot to tie the game. Andrew Vasquez quickly saw the lead disappear. A triple with a runner on second was followed by a single to push a second run across and the Red Wings were back down by two. Rochester cause some fuss in the bottom of the final frame, but it wouldn’t be enough this time. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 11, Tennessee 10 Box Score Pensacola scored runs in the final six frames to cap a come from behind victory. Andro Cutura ran into some early trouble as he didn’t make it out of the second inning. He allowed four runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts. Jeff Ames calmed things down as he limited Tennessee to one hit over the next two innings. He struck out four and walked two. The next couple relievers didn’t do as well. Cody Stashak allowed three earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out one and surrendered four hits. Ryan Mason pitched less than an inning and allowed three earned runs. Tyler Jay and Williams Ramirez put up zeros over the final two innings to help the Blue Wahoos stay in the game. Travis Blankenhorn provided quite the offensive punch. He finished the night 4-for-6 with a home run and four RBI. His ninth inning home run gave the team the lead for good. Obviously, he wasn’t the only one. Ben Rortvedt drove in three runs and hit his first Double-A home run. Mitchell Kranson almost matched Blankenhorn in hits as he went 3-for-5. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Daytona 5 Box Score Royce Lewis got things started early as he tripled to start the game. Lewin Diaz drove in Lewis with a sacrifice fly. Trevor Larnach followed with his third home run of the season. Fort Myers had an early 2-0 lead. After Daytona tied it up, Jose Miranda hit a solo home run in the fourth. Unfortunately, that was the end of the scoring for the Miracle. Jhoan Duran recorded 18 outs and 14 were by strikeout. He allowed one earned run on one hit. He reached 101 mph on the gun and hit triple-digits four times in the first inning. Calvin Faucher took the loss in this one after he took over for Duran. He allowed three earned runs on four hits. Alex Phillips pitched the final 1 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked one. Fort Myers went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 14, Peoria 1 Box Score Cedar Rapids used a huge seven-run second inning to distance themselves from Peoria. The club never looked back from there. Every hitter in the Cedar Rapids line-up collected a hit. In fact, all but two players reached base multiple times. Yeltsin Encarnacion had one of the big hits in the second inning, a three-run home run. He finished 3-for-6 and he scored three runs. Jacob Pearson had a three-run double in the same inning. He led the team with four RBI. Gabe Snyder and Gilberto Celestino joined Encarnacion in the three-hit club. Celestino add a triple, his first of the year. Josh Winder was able to sink into cruise control mode on the mound. He tossed seven strong innings by allowing one run on four hits. He struck out seven and walked one. Jose Martinez tossed two scoreless frames to finish the game. He only allowed two base runners. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY TD Pitcher of the Day- Jhoan Duran, Fort Myers (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 14 K, 2 BB) TD Hitter of the Day- Travis Blankenhorn, Pensacola (4-6, HR, 4 RBI, R, 2 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) – 2-4, 3B, R #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) – 1-5, R, BB, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) – Did not pitch #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) – 1-4, HR, R, RBI #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – Did not play #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) – Injured (wrist) #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) – 6.0 IP, ER, H, 14 K, 2 BB #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) – Did not pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) – Injured List #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 2-4, 2B, R, BB #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – Did not pitch #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, 2 K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) – 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) – 3-6, 3B, RBI, 2 R #17 - Zack Littell (Minnesota) – Did not pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 2-7, 3B, HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2K #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) – Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) – 1-4, HR, R, RBI, 2 K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Pawtucket (12:05 CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (3-2, 3.52 ERA) Pensacola – Scheduled Off-Day Fort Myers – Scheduled Off-Day Cedar Rapids vs. Peoria (12:05 CST) – RHP Austin Schulfer (4-2, 2.41 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. 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Most of Twins Territory is riding high with the Twins remarkable start to the season. Minnesota’s offense looks like it is one of the best in the league. The starting staff is outperforming most expectations and the bullpen has been able to hold its own. With the best record in the AL, the Twins are making it tough to be negative. However, there are some weaknesses with this team. Which weakness could hurt the team in the long run?The Offense Minnesota’s offense has ranked as one of the best in the league. There are few weaknesses from top to bottom in the line-up. The Twins rank second in the AL in batting average, SLG, OPS, home runs, and hits. They have also scored the most runs and hit the most doubles. Of regular starters, Marwin Gonzalez has the lowest OPS on the team (.722) and he got off to a slow start. He ended the first month of the season hitting .167/.244/.256 with three extra-base hits. Since the calendar turned to May, he is hitting .358/.427/.552 with seven extra-base hits. Minnesota’s biggest offensive weakness this season has turned it around. Yesterday, I wrote about the team’s trend of barreling up the ball. Minnesota’s catching core has been unreal at putting the barrel on the ball. As one would expect, Nelson Cruz ranks near the top of the league. Other players like CJ Cron and Byron Buxton have also made some stark improvements. Minnesota’s offense was expected to improve but this has to be beyond the wildest dreams of most fans. The Starting Staff Even with a strong offense, a poor starting staff can destroy a season. Twins starting pitchers have outperformed many of the expectations entering the season. Coming off an All-Star season, most people knew what to expect from Jose Berrios. The rest of the staff has also gone above and beyond. Jake Odorizzi’s 1.6 WAR ranks him fourth in the AL among pitchers. He has the second-best ERA, the fourth best hits per 9 IP, and the seventh best WHIP. His ERA is almost 1.5 runs lower than his career mark. Earlier this month, he won the AL Player of the Week and he has continued to perform well. Martin Perez has also been a breath of fresh air. Since joining the rotation, he has a 2.01 ERA and a 41 to 13 strikeout to walk ratio in seven starts. This spring with the help of Odorizzi and Johan Santana, he was able to start developing a cutter. He uses this more than his other pitches and teams are having a tough time figuring it out. Kyle Gibson and Michael Pineda have seen some ups and downs. Pineda is in his first season back from Tommy John, so some struggles were expected. Even with the struggles, Pineda has produced quality starts in his last three starts. Depth at the back end of the rotation could be a weakness. If one of the top three starters were to be hurt or start underperforming, the rest of the rotation could struggle. Stephen Gonsalves, Kohl Stewart, Lewis Thorpe, and Zack Littell are waiting in Rochester. Could they be trusted taking over a spot in the rotation? The Bullpen At this point in the season, the casual fan might consider the bullpen to be the team’s greatest weakness. Most of this thought process comes from the team having a non-traditional bullpen. There is no designated closer and four different players have earned saves this season. Blake Parker, Ryne Harper, Matt Magill and Taylor Rogers all have ERA’s of 1.80 or less. Trevor May has made the most appearances out of the bullpen. Even though he has allowed eight earned runs in 18 IP, he has 17 strikeouts. Manager Rocco Baldelli has been able to turn to most of these pitchers with confidence in any situation. Trevor Hildenberger, a key component of the 2017 team, struggled through the beginning of the season. In 14 innings, he allowed 13 earned runs and it seemed like his breaking pitch wasn’t doing what he wanted it to do. He is down in Rochester trying to work through some of his struggles. Adalberto Mejia was another player that struggled (11 earned runs in 11.1 IP), but he is now on the injury list. Fernando Romero has been transitioning to a bullpen role between the MLB and Triple-A levels. Lots of other relief pitchers have been struggling in Rochester. Maybe the switch to using the MLB baseball has impacted their numbers. Perhaps, top pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol could be used in a bullpen role later in the season. What do you see as the team’s biggest weakness? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Minnesota’s offense has been one of the best in the American League. It’s been looking more like the club has few weaknesses from top to bottom in their line-up. They have also been able to produce at a high level with players like Nelson Cruz, Mitch Garver, and Miguel Sano spending time on the injured list. So how has Minnesota’s offense emerged this season? It’s all about barreling up the ball.Barrel of Fun Entering play on Tuesday, Minnesota ranks as the top team when it comes to barreling up the ball. Minnesota has barreled up the ball on 2.0 % of pitches. Atlanta is Minnesota’s closest competition in the barrel department with a 1.7% total. The big-league average is 1.35%. No other AL Central teams rank in the top 15 and Cleveland has the fifth worst total in all of baseball. Download attachment: Barrels by Club.png Catcher Power It’s no secret that Minnesota’s catchers have been producing at quite the rate to start the year. Neither Jason Castro or Mitch Garver qualify for the league leader in Barrel % but they are both near the top on the Twins leaderboard. When it comes to Barrel %, Castro’s 26.7% mark is nearly 10% higher than the second place Twins player, Nelson Cruz. Garver is tied with C.J. Cron for third on the team with a 16.9% Barrel %. Barreling up the ball also shows up in some of the catcher’s other StatCast data. Castro and Garver only trail Cruz when it comes to average exit velocity. Castro’s 92.9 exit velocity ranks as the 18th best in all of baseball. Garver is 0.9 mph behind Castro which is good for 41st overall. Also, Castro only trails the recently activated Miguel Sano in Hard Hit %. Team Effort Minnesota’s catchers have been strong, but other players have also helped the team’s early offensive output. Cruz has been a prolific power hitter for most of the last decade and that trend has continued in a Twins uniform. He has the seventh best exit velocity in all of baseball and he has the AL’s fifth best average. Cruz’s 17.2 Barrel % is in the top 5% of the league and he ranks in the top 2% when it comes to xwOBAcon. CJ Cron has also been a pleasant surprise in the Twins line-up. Cron ranks in the top 15 in barrels per plate appearance, which places him in the top 7% of the league in Barrel %. Since both catchers don’t qualify currently, Cron only trails Cruz on the team’s Barrel % leaderboard. Byron Buxton is another player getting a lot of attention and Parker did a great job of analyzing his swing yesterday. From 2016-2018, Buxton’s exit velocity averaged near 85 mph. This season he has increased to 91.5 mph. Last year, his hard hit % was 27.0 and this year he has jumped to 42.5. One of Buxton’s biggest jumps is in Barrel %. He was at a very low 1.6% and he has improved to 9.4% this season. Overall, Minnesota ranks in the top 1% in the league in relation to Barrel %, XSLG, XWOBA. They rank in the top 3% in xWOBAcon and WOBA. Also, the team ranks in the top 7% in WOBAcon. Can the Twins keep up this pace? How will more Miguel Sano impact the numbers? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Major League Baseball is using a juiced baseball. At least that is the belief of a lot people watching the game. Even scouts have complained about the difficulties in evaluating talent between the minor leagues and the big leagues. Triple-A teams started using the same baseball as the big leagues this year and it has certainly impacted the game. How do Rochester’s numbers stack up with the switch to the new baseball?2018 Season Recap In 140 games last season, Rochester hit .227/.304/.346 (.650) with 97 home runs, 24 triples and 193 doubles. For players that made at least 70 appearances with Rochester, Willians Astudillio led the way with a .782 OPS. Kennys Vargas ranked second with a .752 OPS. Vargas was first on the team in home runs (21) and doubles (23). Astudillo ranked second in both of those categories with 12 homers and 17 doubles. Rochester was below the league average in most hitting categories. International League teams hit .252/.320/.389 (.709). The Red Wings ranked second to last in home runs and last in doubles. However, Rochester struck out the fourth least in the league and ranked in the middle of the pack in walks. Download attachment: Batting 2018.PNG Rochester pitchers tossed over 1200 innings last year. In those appearances, the club averaged a 3.39 ERA with a 1.27 WHIP, an 8.5 SO/9 and a 3.3 BB/9. Stephen Gonsalves started 18 games and posted a 2.96 ERA with a 95 to 55 strike out to walk ratio. Zack Littell’s 15 starts were second on the team and he had a 3.57 ERA while striking out 98 and walking 40. Red Wings pitchers fared better than hitters when compared to league averages. Rochester’s 3.39 ranked as the best in the league. The club was also one of seven teams to have double-digit shutouts. Only one team allowed fewer hits and Rochester was one of four clubs to allow fewer than 100 home runs. Download attachment: Pitching 2018.PNG 2019 Season Explosion With the new baseball this season, International League teams are hitting .263/.342/.441 (.783). That means slugging percentage is up 52 points and OPS is up 74 points. After being well below league average last season, Rochester hitters are near league average this year as they are hitting .260/.334/.439 (.773). Three players have over 90 plate appearances and an OPS of .878 or higher (Jordany Valdespin, Drew Maggi, and Luke Raley). Download attachment: 2019 Batting.PNG While Rochester’s hitters have improved, the pitchers have gone the opposite direction. International League pitchers have combined for a 4.88 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP and 9.1 SO/9. Red Wings pitchers have the second worst ERA in the league (5.91) and they have allowed the fourth most home runs (57). Also, the club’s 1.52 WHIP is the third worst total in the league. One positive sign is the club has the second highest SO/9 total in the league (10.4 SO/9). Lewis Thorpe has started the most games for Rochester this season. In 41 2/3 innings, he has a 6.70 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP with 53 strikeouts and 12 walks. Zack Littell has thrown the most innings for the Red Wings. He has a 4.19 ERA in 43 innings with 45 strikeouts and 16 walks. Download attachment: 2019 Pitching.PNG Are the new baseball’s going to impact how scouts look at Triple-A players? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

All four Twins affiliates found themselves in close contests on Sunday. Two clubs were able to hold on and win by two runs or fewer. The other two clubs held big early leads and saw them disappear in the late innings. Who was able to perform well? Who struggled on Sunday? Let’s jump in.TRANSACTIONS OF Tanner English promoted to Rochester. OF Luke Raley placed on the 7-day IL with a left-ankle strain. AWARDS The Twins announced their weekly Hitter and Pitcher of the Week: Hitter of the Week: Lewin Diaz, Fort MyersDiaz played in six games for the Miracle and went 9-for-27 (.333 BA) with one double, three home runs, six RBI and a 1.037 OPS. Diaz, 22, was signed out of Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic in July of 2013.Pitcher of the Week: Andrew Cabezas, Cedar RapidsCabezas made one start his week on Wednesday against Quad Cities. He pitched seven shutout innings with one hit allowed, no walks and nine strikeouts. Cabezas, 22, was drafted by the Twins in the 18th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft from the University of Miami. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Durham 4 Box Score Rochester used a balanced offensive attack to score runs in five different innings. This included two runs in the final three innings, which turned out to be the difference in the game. The Red Wings scored first with two runs in the second. Randy Cesar hit a two-run home run, his fourth long ball of the season. In the fifth, newly promoted Tanner English hit a solo shot. To put that in perspective, he only had four home runs all last season. Zack Littell pitched five strong innings by scattering four hits. He allowed one earned run with two strikeouts and a walk. After Littell allowed a run, Jack Cave quickly got it back with a home run to push Rochester’s lead to 4-1. Andrew Vasquez struggled to keep the Red Wings ahead. He was able to get only one out and he was charged with three earned runs. Jake Reed pitched the next 1 2/3 without allowing an earned run to score. He was charged with a blown save because of the inherited runners he got from Vasquez. Reed struck out three. Gabriel Moya pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. Preston Guilmet earned his fifth save with a scoreless ninth. Rochester was able to come back thanks to a solo home run from Zander Wiel. It was his seventh of the year. Jake Cave added a two-out insurance run in the ninth. LaMonte Wade had walked and Wiel moved him to second on a single. Cave took care of the rest with a single to center. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 4, Mobile 3 (10 Innings) Box Score Pensacola is usually in good shape with Brusdar Graterol on the mound. That continued to be the case on Sunday, but he wsa not around to see the end of this one. Graterol pitched five strong innings as he allowed two runs on six hits. He struck out seven and walked two. Of his 81 pitches, 51 were for strikes. He reached 102 mph with his first pitch of the game. Alex Kirilloff created a run by himself in the bottom of the second. He doubled to lead off the inning and stole third. On the play, there was a throwing error by the catcher and Kirilloff was able to scamper home. Pensacola plated two more runs in the third after Travis Blankenhorn blasted his sixth home run of the year. The Blue Wahoos were up 3-1 and the game was in the hands of the bullpen. Alex Phillips and Tom Hackimer took over from Graterol. Each pitched a scoreless frame. Phillips walked one and allowed one hit, but he kept Mobile off the board. For Hackimer, he hasn’t allowed an earned run since 4/26. Ryan Mason pitched the final three frames. He allowed the tying run in the eighth, but he finished with two shutout frames for his second win. Joe Cronin started on second in the bottom of the tenth. Mark Contreras moved him to third on a sacrifice bunt. After a walk to Blankenhorn, Jaylin Davis slapped a single past a diving third baseman. The Wahoos won and celebrated on the field. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, St. Lucie 8 Box Score For the first time since 2015, the Miracle were swept at home in a three-game series. Fort Myers was up by as many as five runs in this game, but the Mets proved to be too much. Fort Myers built their lead with four runs in the first inning. Royce Lewis collected a one-out single and moved to third on a double from Lewin Diaz. With Jose Miranda batting, a wild pitch allowed Lewis to score. Then Miranda drove Diaz in with a single. Ryan Jeffers capped the inning with a two-run homer. Diaz was also part of the scoring in the third inning. He led off the inning with his seventh home run of the season. Fort Myers had their largest lead of the game at 5-0. Lewis would score a run in the fifth without the help of his teammates. He lined a one-out double then he moved to third and scored on two wild pitches. Fort Myers had a 6-2 advantage. Jordan Balazovic started but he couldn’t make it out of the sixth inning. Overall, he was charged with four runs on six hits. He struck out eight including the first five batters of the game. Also, he has collected seven strikeouts or more in every appearance this season. Johan Quezada pitched two scoreless innings in relief. He walked one and allowed a hit. Joe Record ran into some trouble in the ninth after pitching a scoreless eighth. He allowed four runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout. Anthony Vizcaya came in to try and clean up the mess. It was a tough situation with a tie game and two runners on base. He walked the bases loaded and then saw runs score on a single and a sacrifice fly. He struck out the final two batters he faced. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Clinton 8 Box Score Much like the Miracle, the Kernels saw an early lead evaporate in the late innings. Andrew Bechtold put a two-spot on the scoreboard in the second with his third home run. Chris Williams had doubled earlier in the frame. Cedar Rapids kept the scoring going in the third. Gabriel Maciel walked to start the inning and then Gilberto Celestino smacked a two-run home run. Jacob Pearson followed with a single and then Williams drove him in with a triple. Williams was able to score on a wild pitch and the Kernels were up 6-0. Josh Winder was given an early lead, but he struggled to hold on to it. He allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking one. It was his shortest outing since 4/20. Brian Rapp took over for Winder and he had his own struggles. In two innings of work, he allowed three runs on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Derek Molina took the loss, but he came into a tough situation after the first three batters had reached in the eighth inning. Cedar Rapids was still up 7-5 but there were two runners in scoring position. The first batter he faced hit a single to score a run. He struck out the next two batters but a two-out single put Clinton up by one. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY TD Pitcher of the Day- Brusdar Graterol, Pensacola (5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 7 K, 2 BB) TD Hitter of the Day- Travis Blankenhorn, Pensacola (3-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, R, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) – 2-4, 2B, 2 R, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) – 2-3, 2B, R, BB, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 7 K, 2 BB #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) – Did not play #5 - Wander Javier (EST) – Injured (quad), return…unknown #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) – Injured (wrist) #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) – Did not pitch #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) – Did not pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) – Injured List #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (adductor) #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List, late-May return possible #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) – 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) – 0-3, BB, 2K #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) – 1-3, 2 RBI, R #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) – 5.0 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 K, BB #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 0-4, R, BB, K #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) – Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) – 1-4, RBI, R, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – Scheduled Off-Day Pensacola vs. Mobile (6:35 CST) – RHP Randy Dobnak (5-0, 1.43 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Bradenton (5:30 CST) – RHP Jhoan Duran (0-3, 4.21 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Burlington (6:35 CST) – RHP Luis Rijo (0-4, 4. ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

Nick Gordon started the year on the injured list, but he was off to a hot start since returning to Rochester. In eight games, he had gone 12-for-34 with five doubles, five RBI, and three stolen bases. Unfortunately, he ended up back on the injured list with a left adductor strain. It’s an important season for Gordon, so it’s tough to see him back on the IL. There were lots of other transactions on Tuesday including some prominent players in the organization.TRANSACTIONS INF Nick Gordon placed on 7-day IL with Rochester (left adductor strain). RHP Chase De Jong placed on 7-day IL with Rochester (left quad strain). INF Luis Arraez promoted to Rochester. C Ben Rortvedt promoted to Pensacola. C David Banuelos promoted to Fort Myers. OF Akil Baddoo placed on 7-day IL with Fort Myers (left elbow strain). OF DaShawn Keirsey on 7-day IL with Cedar Rapids (left shoulder strain). OF Jared Akins promoted to Cedar Rapids. OF Jean Carlos Arias promoted to Cedar Rapids. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Charlotte 13 Box Score Rochester found themselves in an early hole as Zack Littell allowed five runs in the third inning. This included three home runs. He was able to reign it in a little from there as he pitched five innings and struck out six while walking one. Addison Reed continued to struggle out of the Red Wings bullpen. His fastball topped out in the high 80’s and he just doesn’t look like the pitcher Minnesota signed prior to the 2018 campaign. He allowed two runs, both solo home runs, on three hits. Nick Gordon’s injury allowed Luis Arraez made his Triple-A debut. He batted lead-off and played second base. Miguel Sano was also in the line-up and playing third. Both players ended the night 2-for-5 and Arraez scored a run. Tomas Telis and LaMonte Wade both cracked solo home runs to keep the game in reach. Drew Maggi had one of the biggest hits of the night, a two-run bomb in the top of the eighth inning to bring Rochester within one at 7-6. Rochester tied it on a Jake Cave single but that’s as close as it got. Charlotte answered quickly with six runs in the bottom of the eighth. Zack Weiss took the brunt of the attack as he was charged with four earned runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings. Fernando Romero gave up a pair of home runs in 2/3 of an inning. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 3, Chattanooga 0 Box Score Top pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol was on the mound for Pensacola and he had most of his stuff working on this night. He limited the Lookouts to no runs on three hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked two. It was his second straight appearance allowed no runs and he has allowed two runs or fewer in his last four appearances. The Blue Wahoos offense didn’t wake-up until the fifth inning. Mark Contreras doubled to score Joe Cronin and put Pensacola up 1-0. In the eighth inning, the club loaded the bases with nobody out. Mitchell Kranson drove in a run on a ground out to second. Cronin followed with a sacrifice fly. Tom Hackimer tossed two scoreless innings for his second hold in as many appearances at Double-A. Cody Stashak earned his third save by pitching two perfect frames. He struck out two and lowered his season ERA to 1.42. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 8, Bradenton 1 Box Score Fort Myers put up a five spot in the top of the third inning and the pitching staff was able to take over from there. Ryan Costello lead off that inning with his fifth home run. With one out, Michael Helman singled and Royce Lewis drove him in with his seventh double of the season. Jose Miranda drove in Lewis with a two-out RBI single to push the lead to 3-0. The inning continued with Lewin Diaz matching Lewis with his seventh double of the season. He moved to third on the throw as Miranda scored. Trey Cabbage brought Diaz in with his first triple. The Miracle had a 5-0 lead thanks to four extra-base hits in the inning. Costello got things started again in the sixth frame. He led off with a walk before moving to second on a single from Helman. Lewis pushed the lead to 6-1 with his second double of the game. Trevor Larnach used a ground out to push across the second run of the inning. On the mound, Edwar Colina bounced back nicely after struggling in his last appearance. He allowed one run on four hits over six innings. Colina struck out 10 and walked three. He also became the third Miracle pitcher to hit triple digits on the radar gun this season. Hector Lujan and Melvi Acosta combined for three shutout innings to end the game. Lujan piled up four strikeouts in two perfect innings. Acosta walked one in his inning of work. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 11 Box Score Luis Rijo got knocked around in this one as he allowed a season high seven runs (six earned) on nine hits. He didn’t make it out of the fifth inning for the first time since April 24. He struck out three and walked four. Things didn’t go much better for Brian Rapp. He was charged with three runs on four hits. He pitched 2 1/3 innings and struck out one. Zach Neff pitched two innings and allowed one run on two hits. He struck out two and walked one. Jacob Pearson drove in the first run of the game for the Kernels. His single in the second brought in Andrew Bechtold. On the same play, Gabriel Maciel was thrown out at the plate. Gabe Snyder had one of the team’s two extra-base hits, a double. Chris Williams added a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth, but it was a little too late for a Kernels comeback. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY TD Pitcher of the Day- Edwar Colina, Fort Myers (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 10 K, 3 BB) TD Hitter of the Day- Drew Maggi, Rochester (4-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) – 2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) – 0-5, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 3 K, 2 BB #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) – 1-5, RBI, K #5 - Wander Javier (EST) – Injured, early May return #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) – Did not play #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) – Did not pitch #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) – Did not pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) – Injured List #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) – 0-5, 2 K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) – 1-3, BB #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not play #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 6 K, BB #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 1-5, RBI, R, 3 K #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) – Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) – 1-5, RBI, R WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (6:04 CST) – TBD Pensacola @ Chattanooga (10:15 AM CST) – RHP Randy Dobnak (4-0, 0.84 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – LHP Bryan Sammons (4-0, 0.66 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Quad Cities (12:05 CST) – RHP Andrew Cabezas (0-3, 4.21 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday’s games. Click here to view the article

Minnesota had been home to some other cult heroes before Willians Astudillo started to fill the role. Lew Ford debuted with the Twins as a 26-year old rookie in 2003. From 2004-2006, he averaged 135 games played on two teams that won the AL Central. Chants of “LEEEEWWWWWW” rained down from the Metrodome faithful. Ford is now 42 but guess what? He’s still playing baseball.Ford’s Origins Ford was drafted in the 12th round of the 1999 amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox. He had spent four years in college, so he was 22-years old when he signed. His time in the Boston organization would be short lived, as he was deal to Minnesota on September 9, 2000 for Hector Carrasco. He spent the 2001 season at High-A and Double-A without showing many positive signs. He hit .259/.333/.377 with 38 extra-base hits in 129 games. He was over a year older than the competition in the Florida State League. He 2002 season might have been his coming out party. He combined for a .903 OPS at Double-A and Triple-A. It was getting harder for the Twins to ignore his production. Ford continued to hit the ball at Triple-A in 2003 and the Twins called him up. He played 34 games that season and batted .329/.402/.575 with 11 extra-base hits in 34 games. Ford got one playoff at-bat that year and struck out against Mariano Rivera in his only plate appearance. Minnesota would fall to the Yankees three games to one. Minnesota Nice Ford’s best season was the 2004 campaign. He played 154 games and batted .299/.381/.446 with 15 home runs and 31 doubles. It was his only big-league season where he’d finish with double-digit home runs. He finished in the top-25 in the MVP voting. He’d play 147 games in 2005 but his numbers came back to the pack. His OBP was still .338 but his slugging percentage dipped to .377. Minnesota would use Ford for 159 games over the next two seasons, but his numbers continued to dwindle. He played 104 games in 2006 and his OBP dropped to .287 and his slugging percentage dropped to .312. He was granted his free agency in October 2007. Comeback King Ford tried to mount comebacks with multiple teams in the years after leaving Minnesota. The Rockies and the Reds signed him, but he never appeared at the big-league level. However, he would make it back to the big leagues in 2012 with the Baltimore Orioles. He played in 25 regular seasons games that season and saved his best for the postseason. In three playoff games, he went 3-for-9 with a double, an RBI and two runs scores. Baltimore won the AL Wild Card Game against Texas but fell to the New York in the ALDS. For Ford, he got to relive his big-league dream at age-35. Long Island Legend Since he turned 32, Ford has played parts of multiple seasons with the Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League. He has also spent time playing in Mexico, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic but Long Island has become his second home. During the 2018 campaign, he was 41 years old. That was almost 12 years older than the competition in the Atlantic League. He played 123 games and hit .293/.352/.432 with 33 doubles and 10 home runs. This season, he has served as a coach and mentor, but the Ducks have still allowed him to play in 11 games during his age-42 season. Wally Backman, Long Island’s manager, has nothing but praise for Ford. “He's been here, he's a part of this community, and if he wants to play and thinks he can still perform, I'll have him here with me. Lew is in the gym every day, there's a lot of work. He takes care of himself very well. You see the longevity of players today outlast players of when I played. There's so much more for a player to do -- the vitamins and the work ethic -- where we just played baseball in the 80's. We weren't in the gym like these players are today and we didn't have the supplements that are available to the players today. If you take care of yourself, and I think Lew has done that, you're able to play up to that level. Lew can hit, and he can still run." Over 21-seasons at all levels, he has hit .296/.369/.448. He has 2331 career hits, 193 career home runs, and 495 career doubles. If you listen closely, you can still hear the chants of his name radiate at the Metrodome. What was your favorite Lew Ford memory? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Over most of the last two decades, Minnesota has struggled to find consistency at the shortstop position. Jorge Polanco and his tremendous start might be the person to stop this revolving door. Maybe it’s the newfound security of his off-season extension. Maybe he’s trying to make-up for his suspension from last season. Or maybe, just maybe, this is the player he was always going to be.Polanco is setting a record pace to start the season. Since the team moved to Minnesota, Rod Carew is the only middle infielder to post an OPS+ of 144 or more. Polanco entered play on Monday with a 165 OPS+. Polanco is on a record pace, so let’s see how the other top seasons stack up. Honorable Mention Brian Dozier (2016): 134 OPS+ Dozier’s 2016 campaign finished just outside the top-5 on this list but it seems fitting to include him as an honorable mention. He clubbed 42 home runs that season. He’s the only player not named Harmon Killebrew to pop more than 40 long-balls in one season. Unlike the other players on this list, Dozier didn’t hit for a high average. His 134 OPS+ was the highest total of his career. He finished 13th in the AL MVP voting, but five players in front of him had a lower WAR. 5. Chuck Knoblauch (1995): 136 OPS+ The Twins teams of the mid- and late-90’s were tough to watch but these are some of my first concrete baseball memories. During the strike-shortened 1995 season, Minnesota only won 56 games. Knoblauch finished with the second highest batting average of his career. His .911 OPS was aided by 34 doubles and eight triples. He had led the league with 45 doubles in 1994 but some of those balls went out of the park in 1995. He cracked double-digit home runs for the first time in his career. He finished 17th in the MVP voting but his 6.7 WAR ranked him fourth among position players. 4. Chuck Knoblauch (1996): 143 OPS+ Knoblauch’s 1996 campaign was clearly the best season of his career. He finished third in WAR trailing only Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez. He hit .341, a career high. In fact, he would never hit above .300 for the rest of his career. He led the AL with 14 triples, but he also had 13 home runs and 35 doubles. Minnesota was closer to .500 as the club finished 78-84. Clearly, the MVP voters paid little attention to the happenings in Minnesota. Knoblauch finished 16th in the MVP race. His 8.7 WAR was more than double that year’s MVP, Juan Gonzalez. 3. Rod Carew (1973): 144 OPS+ There were lots of firsts for Carew during the 1973 season. His first time leading the league in hits. His first time leading the league in triples. He would also finish in the top-5 for the AL MVP for the first time. All 24 first place votes went to Oakland’s Reggie Jackson, but a theme starts to emerge with Carew’s seasons. His WAR total was higher than the players between him and Jackson. Carew’s batting average was over 50 points higher than Jackson. Carew stole 41 bases during the season and the Twins finished 82-80. 2. Rod Carew (1974): 150 OPS+ For the first time in his career, Carew led all of baseball in hits. He would do this one other time during his MVP season. His .364 batting average was the second highest of his career and his .433 OBP was only 16 points behind the 1977 campaign. His 7.5 WAR was the third highest total of his career. He finished seventh in the MVP voting. However, only Fergie Jenkins had a higher WAR total out of the players ahead of him in the voting. 1. Rod Carew (1975): 157 OPS+ Carew’s best season for OPS+ wasn’t even the year he was named AL MVP (1977). For that season, he started all but five games at first base, so that season doesn’t qualify for this list. He posted a 178 OPS+ that year, a career high, and led the league in runs, hits, triples, batting average, OBP, OPS, and OPS+. The 1975 campaign was his last season playing in the middle infield. He won his fourth consecutive batting title and his fifth batting title overall. That season marked on the second time he had led the league on OBP, which was assisted by a league high 18 intentional walks. He was hitting above .400 into the middle of June and flirted with getting back there in late July. He finished ninth in the MVP voting but his 7.9 WAR that season was higher than all but one player ahead of him in the voting. Will Polanco be able to break the record? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

For many Twins fans, the signing of Martin Perez wasn’t viewed in a positive light. The left-handed hurler had struggled in recent years with Texas. So far this season, he’s turned into one of the bright spots on a very strong Twins team. One pitch has made all the difference for Mr. Perez.Maybe fans shouldn’t have doubted the Twins front office. Thad Levine was very familiar with Perez from his own days in the Rangers front office. Before joining the Twins, Derek Falvey might have been best known for what he was able to do with the Cleveland pitching staff. Everything’s Bigger in Texas Perez was a regular part of the Ranger’s rotation from 2016-2017. During that time, he averaged over 190 innings per season, but he struggled to get consistent outs. He ranked near the top of the league in earned runs allowed and walks. Also, he wasn’t striking out batters on a consistent basis. He averaged just over five strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Statcast paints an even bleaker picture of what he was doing on the mound. His XBA ranked in the bottom 6% in the league for three consecutive seasons. In his last full season as a starter, his XSLG was in the bottom 7% of the league and his WOBA was in the bottom 1% of league. His strikeout percentage was also in the bottom 7% of the league for three straight seasons. Moving to the bullpen in 2018 didn’t help many of his numbers. His WHIP ballooned to 1.78, a career high. His strikeout and walk rates also stayed nearly the same. Perez’s hits per nine and home runs per nine average jumped to twice his career average. It was time for a change. The Birth of a Cutter During spring training, Perez got some advice from Johan Santana and Jake Odorizzi. From this advice, he was able to add a cut fastball that has kept batters off-balance. This pitch has become a secret weapon as hitters have been unable to solve this new addition to his pitching repertoire. Perez has thrown his new found pitch 34.8% of the time this season. He has 39 strikeouts and 13 of them have been as a result of the cutter. When facing Houston’s potent line-up, he limited the Astros to four hits over eight shutout innings. In that start, he threw his cutter on 43 of his 100 pitches. Perez seemed to put it all together on Monday night against Toronto. He collected a season high nine strikeouts in seven shutout innings. Five of his nine strikeouts came on the cutter. Out of his 102 pitches against the Blue Jays, he threw his cutter 34 times. Blue Jays hitters only managed one hit against the cutter. Will Perez be able to keep this up in the months and weeks ahead? Will the league eventually be able to figure him out? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

The Miracle nearly had a no-hitter on Sunday and now the Kernels find themselves on the wrong side of a contest on Monday. Minor league contests are tough when it comes to strong pitching performances. How long can a starter last? How close can a club get to history? One team was able to make that happen on Monday night.TRANSACTIONS INF Ronald Torreyes placed on the temporary inactive list, retroactive to May 4. RHP Tom Hackimer promoted from Fort Myers to Pensacola. RHP Edwar Colina reinstated from 7-day IL for Fort Myers. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester enjoyed an off-day on Monday. The club currently sits at 12-16 before starting a three-game series with the Toledo Mud Hens. Rochester is currently 6.5 games behind Lehigh Valley. The club has a sub-.500 record at home and on the road. Brent Rooker could be one of the hitters to provide a boost in Rochester. Other than that, there might continue to be some struggles for Minnesota’s Triple-A squad. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 6, Mississippi 2 Box Score Pensacola used a five-run seventh inning to separate themselves from the Braves. Alex Kirilloff got things started for the Blue Wahoos with a run-scoring triple in the third frame. Tanner English got the scoring started in the seventh with a two-run double. Jordan Gore follow with a run-scoring single before Kirilloff drove him in with a single of his own. Kirilloff was able to score on fielding error. Sean Poppen started and lasted five frames. He scattered two runs on three hits, but he struggled with five walks. He was able to punch out seven batters and he lowered his season ERA to 2.84. Jeff Ames took over for Poppen. He pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed one run on three hits. He struck out one and walked one. Cody Stashak continued to be tremendous in relief. He pitched 2 1/3 perfect innings by striking out three. He’s allowed only one run in his last five appearances while striking out 14 in 9 1/3 innings of work. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Charlotte 6 Box Score Fort Myers had won five straight games, but the club struggled to find any offense on this night. Especially when their opponent scored six runs in the first four innings. In his first appearance this season, Edwar Colina struggled. Colina allowed six earned runs on eight hits in less than five innings of work. He struck out five and walked three. He was making his first appearance since the Florida State League clinching game last September. Rickey Ramirez did a great job in relief as he tossed 2 1/3 innings of shutout ball. He retired all seven batters he faced, and he struck out six, including the last five batters he saw. Joe Record also picked up the pitching staff with one perfect inning. He didn’t allow a hit and he struck out one. Overall, the pitching staff struck out 12 in eight innings of work. Fort Myers nearly matched Charlotte in hits (7 to 8) but the club couldn’t come up with the big one. Jose Miranda tried his best with a 3-for-4 night including his seventh double. He had three of the club’s four hits against the opposing starter. Royce Lewis collected his second triple. Overall, the club was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and the team left eight men on base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, South Bend 2 Box Score Cedar Rapids could literally muster nothing when it came to the offensive side of the ball. The Kernels found themselves on the wrong side of a no-hitter on Monday. Cedar Rapids had one base runner the entire night. Andrew Bechtold was able to break up the perfect game with a walk. Other than that, there was little to discuss on the offensive side of the ball. Josh Winder did all he could to keep Cedar Rapids in the game. He pitched a complete game, the first of his career, and limited the Cubs to two runs on three hits. He struck out six and walked two. Winder has pitched a minimum of five innings in every start and he has yet to surrender more than two earned runs. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY TD Pitcher of the Day- Josh Winder, Cedar Rapids (8 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 6 K, 2 BB) TD Hitter of the Day- Alex Kirilloff, Pensacola (3-5, 3B, 2 RBI, R) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) – 1-4, 3B #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) – 3-5, 3B, 2 RBI, R #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) – Did not pitch #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) – 0-3, BB, 2 K #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - No Game #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) – No Scheduled Game #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) – Did not pitch #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) – No Scheduled Game #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) – 0-5, 4 K #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) – 1-4, RBI, R, K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) – 2-4, 2B #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3 #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) – No Scheduled Game #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – No Scheduled Game #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) – Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) – 3-4, 2B, R, K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Toledo (5:35 CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (2-2, 4.50 ERA) Pensacola @ Mississippi (6:35 CST) – RHP Jorge Alcala (4-1, 4.71 ERA) Fort Myers @ Charlotte (5:30 CST) – LHP Bryan Sammons (3-0, 0.40 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 CST) – RHP Luis Rijo (0-3, 3.43 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

Alex Kirilloff was activated last Thursday from the disabled list. He missed the Blue Wahoo’s first 26 games after suffering a wrist injury late in spring training. Coming off a monster 2018 season, Kirilloff is widely considered the second-best prospect in the Twins organization. Entering the season, Kirilloff was ranked as MLB.com’s number nine prospect and Baseball America ranked him as number 15. Minnesota’s other top position player prospects have struggled to start the year. Some injuries have been to blame. Can Kirilloff help to boost a struggling group?In case you missed any of them, Twins Daily named its Award winners for April. Hitter of the Month - Trey CabbageStarting Pitcher of the Month - Devin SmeltzerRelief Pitcher of the Month - Ryan MasonAll rankings below are from the Twins Daily Top-20 Prospects. 1. Royce Lewis- Fort Myers Last week, the discussion arose about the possibility of Royce Lewis being baseball’s best prospect. Lewis has struggled to start the season. Through his first 28 games, he is hitting .227/.323/.273 with four extra-base hits. He has yet to hit a home run after clubbing 14 a season ago. He has done well against lefties by going 8-for-20 with two extra-base hits and more walks (3) than strikeouts (2). 2. Alex Kirilloff- Pensacola Kirilloff’s wrist injury obviously impacts his start to the season. In his first four games, he has gone 4-for-13 with a double. His three walks in 18 plate appearances have helped him to get on base 50% of the time. In Pensacola, Kirilloff is nearly three years younger than the competition. It seems likely for him to spend the majority of the year at Double-A. However, he could still make his big league debut this season. 4. Trevor Larnach- Fort Myers Larnach is part of a key group of 2018 draft picks populating the Miracle roster. In his first 28 games, he is hitting .279/.325/.369 with 10 doubles. Only one player has more doubles in the Florida State League. During his professional debut, Larnach posted a 28 to 21 strikeout to walk ratio. This season, he already has 25 strikeouts, but he has coaxed only eight walks. 5. Wander Javier- Extended Spring Training Javier hasn’t played since 2017. He missed all of 2018 after having surgery in his non-throwing shoulder. His start to the 2019 season has been delayed because of a right quad strain. He needs to show he can stay healthy. Minnesota will have to add him to the 40-man roster this off-season and he hasn’t played a game above the Appalachian League. 6. Brent Rooker- Rochester During his age-24 season, Rooker is getting on base 27% of the time and he has a .753 OPS. During the 2017 campaign, he posted a .930 OPS across two levels. He clubbed 18 home runs that year and his prospect stock couldn’t have been higher. Last year in Double-A his OPS dipped to .798 and he struck out a whopping 150 times in 130 games. He already has 30 strikeouts this season in 17 games. 10. Akil Baddoo- Fort Myers Baddoo has struggled to make consistent contact during his first taste of the Florida State League. He’s averaged more than a strikeout per game but there has only been one game this season where he faced a pitcher younger than himself. When he has made contact, there has been some power in his swing. He has 10 extra-base hits. Speed has also been part of his game as he has three triples and he has been successful in four of his five steal attempts. Can Kirilloff help to boost this struggling group? Who has the most to prove in the months ahead? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article