Cody Christie

Fernando Romero and Shohei Ohtani have taken very different paths to the big leagues. Both players made their big league debuts during the age-23 season but Ohtani’s certainly came with a greater amount of hype. On Sunday, the two rookies will square off in Los Angeles with bragging rights on the line. That being said, a mid-May game is hardly something to prove which player will have a better career. Both of these budding stars have the potential to be great and they have shown some similarities at this early juncture in their careers.Throwing Gas For Twins fans, it’s no secret that Romero’s fastball has a lot of life. Ohtani is more of a mystery as this will be only his sixth start at the big league level. When it comes to rookie pitchers, Romero and Ohtani are two of the hardest throwing pitchers in the league. Success at the big league level comes from mixing up pitches and both pitchers have tried to find a way to keep batters off-balance. Romero actually throws his sinker (39.7%) more often than his fastball (26.3%). Ohtani throws his fastball more frequently (45.6%) but his split finger and slider add a lot of movement for the batter to track. Ohtani has allowed a home run in four of his five starts. In his third start of the year, he was pulled from the game with a blister on his throwing hand. Since returning from the blister, he’s pitched into the sixth inning in both starts but he has allowed six earned runs on 12 hits. He also has a 13 to 7 strikeout to walk ratio during that stretch. (Stat)casting a Wide Net Romero and Ohtani have a limited amount of combined starts at the big league level but their Statcast data is starting to paint a picture. Romero has thrown 194 pitches with only 25 batted balls. Out of those balls, only one batter has barreled up a ball against him and he is averaging an 87.4 exit velocity with a 1.6 launch angle. Ohtani has a little bit larger sample size as he has thrown 445 pitches. Out of that total, there have been 63 batted balls and three balls have been barreled up. Ohtani has allowed some harder hit balls with an exit velocity of 87.7 and a launch angle of 17.8. Other Statcast numbers also show the similarities between these two pitchers. Romero’s expected batting average (.237 XBA) is only 14 points higher than Ohtani (.223). Also, Romero has only allowed two extra-base hits, both doubles, so his expect slugging percentage (.331 XSLG) is over 50 points lower than Ohtani (.384 XSLG). If both players stay healthy and continue to pitch well, there could be quite the race for the American League Rookie of the Year Award. What are you looking forward to seeing on Sunday afternoon? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Around Twins Daily Buxton’s Back: Was No Rehab a Mistake? Wander Javier’s Labral Tear This Dozier Recipe May Be a New One Click here to view the article

It’s been 21 games but Byron Buxton will be back in the Twins lineup tonight. He was initially placed on the disabled list with migraines but then he suffered a hairline fracture in his big toe. The second injury occurred during a rehab game with the Fort Myers Miracle. To make room for Buxton on the roster, Ryan LaMarre was optioned to Triple-A Rochester. In his 20 games with the club, LaMarre hit .324. With Buxton back, what can fans expect from the speedy outfielder? Was skipping a rehab assignment a mistake?Buxton struggled out of the gate this season. In his first 11 games, he went 8-for-41 (.195 BA) at the plate with two extra-base hits, both doubles. He posted an 11 to 2 strikeout to walk ratio and his .233 on-base percentage is almost 60 points lower than his career mark. Minnesota’s wintery weather in the early season might have been to blame for some of his cold start. Now the Twins are getting back quite possibly the best defensive player in the game. Manager Paul Molitor was forced to use a smattering of other players as fill-in options in center field. There have been some misplayed balls and bad routes that hurt the team along the way so the pitching staff must be excited to have Buxton back. “I think everyone feels a little void when he’s not around,” Molitor told reporters. One has to question Minnesota’s decision not to send Buxton down for another rehab assignment. Over the last week, he has tested his ability to run and do other baseball activities. Even though he has been given the green light from the team’s doctors, his swing might not be ready for big league pitching. Buxton wasn’t exactly on fire prior to the injury. Fans have also seen how much his swing is based on timing. He’s dropped and added his swing’s leg-kick throughout the course of his career. Playing a handful of games against minor league pitchers could help Buxton to get some of his timing back. The Twins are scheduled to face the Angels top three pitchers, with Garret Richards, Tyler Skaggs and Shoehi Ohtani set to start three games out of the four game set. Saturday’s starter is still to be determined for LA. Skaggs is left-handed but Richards and Ohtani are both righties. For his career, Buxton has hit .235/.285/.404 against right-handed pitching. Do you think the Twins should have sent Buxton on another rehab assignment? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Around Twins Daily This Dozier Recipe May be a New One Get to Know Miracle Catcher Taylor Grzelakowski How Good is Cleveland, Really Click here to view the article

Kyle Gibson hasn’t been perfect throughout his major league career but something has changed with the former first-round pick. In his sixth professional season, Gibson might finally be putting it all together. So what has changed? Has Gibson started pitching differently? And most importantly, what’s gotten into Kyle Gibson?Roller Coaster Career Gibson’s best season by most statistical accolades was the 2015 campaign. In his age-27 season, Gibson posted a 3.84 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Minnesota was a surprise second-place finisher in the AL Central that season and Gibson played a large role in the club’s improvement. In fact, Twins Daily named him the team’s 2015 Pitcher of the Year. Even looking at his best season, Gibson has never been built to be a frontline starter and there have been some rough moments over the last two seasons. He struggled out of the gate last season with an 8.20 ERA in his first six starts. Opponents were hitting .342/.419/.579 against him and the Twins decided to send him to Rochester. It had to be a low point for Mr. Gibson. After making two starts in the minors, Gibson was recalled and posted a 4.44 ERA over his last 131 2/3 innings. In September alone, he went 4-0 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Gibson also posted a 31-to-8 strikeout to walk ratio over those final 35 2/3 innings. Flipping the Switch Gibson seems to have built off of the positive end to his 2017. According to MLB.com’s Baseball Savant, hitters are barreling up the ball against Gibson less frequently this year. Last year, batters had a 6.9% barrel percentage and they’ve posted a 5.9% barrel percentage against him since 2015. This year his barrel percentage is down to 5%. He currently ranks as the 22nd best pitcher when it comes to barrels per plate appearance. Less frequent barreling of the ball has also helped other areas of his pitching. His expected batting average and expected slugging percentage are currently sitting at all-time lows. For his career, Gibson had allowed a .269 XBA and a .426 XSLG. Through his first 650 pitches this season, he has limited batters to a .232 XBA and a .375 XSLG. One of the biggest reasons for the switch has been Gibson’s ability to miss bats this season. When this tweet was circling the internet last week, it opened plenty of eyes. Even in Gibson’s most dominating years in the minors, he wasn’t getting swings and misses like he is in 2018. His strikeouts per nine rate is over 10.0 for the first time at the big league level. He’s been keeping the ball down and making it tough for hitters to make consistent contact. Looking Long-Term The new and improved Gibson has been a bonus this year but other younger pitchers have entered the Twins’ long term plans with the potential to be frontline starters. Jose Berrios has shown tremendous ability this season. Top prospect Fernando Romero was just called up and Stephen Gonsalves has been dominating Triple-A. Minnesota doesn’t need Gibson to be the team’s best pitcher but he is showing plenty of value so far this season. Consistently sticking in the role of a number three or four starter would be a positive over what Twins Territory saw last year with Gibson. There have been other pitchers who took time to develop at the big league level. Gibson might be figuring out the best ways of attacking hitters with the pitches he has to offer. As a savvier veteran, Gibson might be reaching his full potential. Playoff teams need more than a top-of-the-rotation ace pitcher. Other pitchers need to step up and fill in those other spots. Gibson has been much more than a fill-in this season. Around Twins Daily Twins Minor League Report (5/6): Gonsalves Fans Nine Week in Review: Baby Steps Edwar Colina: From Chilly Home Opener to No-Hitter Click here to view the article

For the first time all season, every affiliate was able to play their scheduled Sunday game. Twins Territory is basking in the glow of early summer, which means there should be plenty more baseball games to write about in the days ahead. Sunday saw Stephen Gonsalves make his second Triple A start, while Chattanooga and Fort Myers found themselves in one-run games. Whose performance stood out above the crowd? Read on and then you decide…RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score Rochester pounced quickly on Lehigh Valley and Stephen Gonsalves was able to cruise to his second straight victory since being promoted to Triple A. The Red Wings got things started in the first with two outs. Jake Cave got a single. Kennys Vargas singled to center to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch brought in Cave from third. Willians Astudillo singled to load the bases. The biggest hit of the frame came from Taylor Featherston who doubled to plate three runs. He finished the day 1-for-3 with three RBI, a walk and a run scored. Cave was the lone Red Wings hitter to collect multiple hits, both singles. Leonardo Reginatto was the only batter not to reach base but he added two RBI. Gonsalves faced the minimum through the first 14 batters. After surrendering a solo home run and a double in the fifth, he settled in to pitch into the top of the seventh. After walking the lead-off batter in that inning, he got Trevor Plouffe to fly out and he struck out the next batter. Mitch Walding, the same batter who homered earlier, singled to put a runner in scoring position. This was the end of Gonsalves’ day. He struck out nine, walked one, and allowed three hits over 6 2/3 innings. Nick Anderson pitched the final 2 1/3 innings for the Red Wings. He allowed only one base runner and he struck out two. Over his last five appearances, Anderson hasn’t allowed an earned run and has pitched multiple innings in four of those outings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Mobile 2 Box Score The hits were few and far between for the Lookouts on Sunday afternoon. Nick Gordon and Alex Robles each went 1-for-3 and those were the only hits for the club. Overall, the team had two opportunities to bat with runners in scoring position and one of them was successful. Chattanooga seemed to be getting a rally going in the ninth. Alex Perez led off the inning with a walk before moving to second on a wild pitch. Robles followed with a single to put runners on the corners with no outs. The next batter was LaMonte Wade and he was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brent Rooker got ahead in the count 2-1 before fouling off a pitch. He struck out on the next pitch for the first out of the inning and that’s when things got a little strange. Nick Gordon stepped in with a chance to play the hero. He cracked a long fly ball to left field that was deep enough to be a sacrifice fly. However, Robles got caught trying to advance and became the final out of the game. Anthony Marzi had a strong start in his Double A debut. Over six innings, he scattered four hits and allowed one earned run, a home run. He struck out eight and walked one. Ryan Eades finished off the final two frames by allowing one run on one hit with two strikeouts. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Jupiter 4 Box Score Clark Beeker worked his best start of the season and the Miracle were able to hold off the Hammerheads in this one. Beeker pitched six innings, allowing one run on six hits. He struck out three and walked one. Calvin Faucher picked up from Beeker and allowed only one base runner over the next two frames. For the Miracle, every starter in the line-up reached base. Mark Contreras, Joe Cronin, and Taylor Grzelakowski all had multi-hit efforts. Grzelakowski has five multiple-hit efforts in his last ten games. Contreras scored a pair of runs and Arraez led the team with two RBI. Things got a little dicey at the end as Logan Lombana allowed Jupiter back into the game. In the top of the ninth, he allowed a single and a home run to start the inning. After allowing the next batter to reach on a walk, he coaxed a ground out before being replaced by Kevin Marnon. He got one out before back-to-back singles made it a one-run game. Marnon loaded the bases with a walk before a sharp groundout to Carson Crites ended the mayhem. It is the first time Jupiter has lost a series this season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, West Michigan 4 Box Score Cedar Rapids jumped out to an early lead thanks to a little luck. With one out in the second, Andrew Bechtold walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. He was stranded at second until a two-out double from David Banuelos made the score 1-0. Unfortunately, that’s where the scoring ended for the Kernels. Bryan Sammons lost for the third time in his last four starts. However, he has only allowed more than two earned runs in one of those appearances. He finished 6 1/3 innings, a career best, by allowing two earned runs on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Derek Molina allowed two earned runs over the final 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two and didn’t allow a free pass. Cedar Rapids went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. Alex Kirilloff collected his tenth double of the season. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Taylor Grzelakowski (2-for-4, RBI, 2B) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Stephen Gonsalves, Rochester (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 9 K) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #3 – Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) – 1-3, RBI, K #4 – Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 9 K #5 – Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 1-4, 2B, K #7 – Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 0-3, BB, 2 K #14 – LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) – 0-3, K #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) – 0-3, BB, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (5:05 CST) - TBD Chattanooga @ Jackson (6:15 CST) – LHP Lewis Thorpe (0-3, 4.37 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Charlotte (6:00 CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:00 CST) – RHP Edwar Colina (2-0, 6.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

One of Major League Baseball’s greats, Ichiro Suzuki, is retiring as a member of the Seattle Mariners to join their front office. Ichiro will be remembered as one of the greatest hitters of all time. After staring his career in Japan, he made one of the greatest debut seasons in baseball history. He went on to win the MVP and the Rookie of the year in 2001 and his career was off to whirlwind start. After 18 seasons, Ichiro is riding off into the sunset. So how did the future Hall of Famer fare when facing the Twins? What were his best games in Minnesota?Ichiro suited up against the Twins in 119 games throughout his career. In those contests, he hit .333/.362/.415 with 10 doubles, eight triples and five home runs. He stole 21 bases and was thrown out nine times. He also posted a 51 to 23 strikeout to walk ratio. Considering that was almost an entire season’s worth of work, he posted quite the impressive numbers. His best season against the Twins was in 2006. He faced the Twins eight times that season and hit .526/.538/.711 with a home run, two triples and two steals. He had three four-hit games against the Twins that season including two in one June series. In that series alone, he went 11-for-16 with a home run and two RBI. The 2013 campaign wasn’t too bad either for the aging star in his first full season as a Yankee. In seven games, he hit .444/.483/.741 with three doubles, a triple and a home run. In a series over the Fourth of July at Target Field, Ichiro went 7-for-15 with two doubles and a triple. Ichiro made his last trip to Target Field for the Twins Home Opener this season. It’s no secret that he struggled this season as he hit .205/.255/.205 in 15 games. However in those two contests at Target Field, he went 3-for-7 (.429 BA) and scored a run. At the Home Opener, I looked down from my outfield seats and took a picture of Ichiro. It was the last time I got to see him in person. He was masterful at the plate and he’s the type of player I will tell my child about when he is old enough. Thanks for the memories. Enjoy your ride off into the sunset. What was your favorite Ichiro memory? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Phil Hughes had to know his leash was short in the Twins rotation. Minnesota’s Triple-A rotation is full of plenty of major league-ready arms. During his last spring training start, Hughes left the game with an oblique injury that seemed very convenient for the Twins front office. Since his return from that injury, Hughes has allowed six earned runs on 10 hits in seven innings of work. With Fernando Romero making his big league debut on Wednesday, Hughes is headed to the bullpen. Is this the beginning of the end for Phil Hughes?Record Breaker Minnesota's original signing of Phil Hughes seemed like a very “Twins-like” move. Over his last three seasons in New York, he started 75 games and posted a 4.82 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP. His 68 home runs could be attributed to pitching with the short porch in the Bronx. The Twins were hoping a new ballpark and a new environment could re-create the younger version of Hughes. During the 2014 season, Phil Hughes was a breath of fresh air for the Twins starting rotation. His 3.52 ERA and 209.2 innings pitched looked Cy Young worthy when compared to the likes of Ricky Nolasco and Kevin Correia. He even set the MLB record for strikeout-to-walk ratio in a season. Minnesota was so starved for starting pitching, the club restructured his contract following 2014 to cover the 2015-2019 seasons. If the Twins were going to get the 2014 version of Hughes, his new contract seemed like a good investment. In hindsight, it has been an injury-ridden deal full of frustration for fans and even more frustration for the player. Frustration Hughes pitched 27 games in 2015 with a 4.40 ERA while allowing the most home runs in the American League. His last two seasons have been cut short by injuries. He was limited to just 26 games in 2016-17. The Twins owe Hughes $26.4 million for 2018 and 2019 and he is being demoted to a bullpen role. Last summer, Hughes was asked by the Pioneer Press if his second season-ending surgery in as many summers was a threat to his career. “I try not to think that way,” Hughes said. “It’s been a rough go the last few years. I try not to let my mind wander that way. I try to take it with what I can do now and focus on that. It has been frustrating, even disheartening a little bit, but I try not to think that way.” One has to wonder if Hughes has started to think that way over the last handful of days. When asked about his transition to the bullpen, Hughes is trying to stay positive. “I can only embrace it,” he said. “If I go down there with a positive attitude and help the team win in whatever role I’m given, that’s all I can do. I think it’s a positive thing.” Fastball Falloff Hughes has been a successful bullpen option but that was early in his career with New York. In fact, he was a critical part of the 2009 Yankee team on their way to the World Series title. Since that campaign, he has never made more than five relief appearances. Those five appearances came last season as he fought through his injury. During his career, Hughes has never been noted for his velocity. The decline in his fastball velocity has been a concern in recent years, especially with all of his mounting injuries. He was averaging over 93 miles per hour through the majority of the 2014 campaign. Through his first two appearances in 2018, his fastball velocity has averaged 90.5, which is over two miles per hour slower than his career mark. It remains to be seen if Hughes will be able to regain some magic in a bullpen role. There are plenty of younger arms in the Twins system waiting to get a shot at the big league level. Since he was signed under the previous regime, the current front office shouldn’t feel an allegiance to the rest of the money owed to Hughes. If the bullpen doesn’t work out, the end might be looming for Mr. Hughes. Around Twins Daily Royce Lewis is Finding His Stroke Can Fernando Romero Spark the Twins? Something Has Clicked with Eduardo Escobar Click here to view the article

The beginning of the minor league season can be full of plenty of ups and downs. Weather has impacted games for multiple weeks, especially for Twins affiliates in Cedar Rapids and Rochester. As the calendar turns to May, there is hope for warmer weather and the possibility of top prospects hitting their stride. For Minnesota’s top prospect, Royce Lewis, the season’s beginning has been anything but cold. Last year’s number one overall pick is starting the year at Cedar Rapids but he could be fighting for a promotion in the coming weeks. What’s gone right so far this year for Mr. Lewis?Hot Hitting Entering play on Tuesday night, Lewis is hitting .316/.361/.386 with two extra-base hits. In his 14 games, he has an eight to four strikeout to walk ratio while adding in five stolen bases. Lewis was named the Twins Minor League Player of the Week for his performance at the plate last week. During those four games, he went 7-for-23 with four runs and four RBI. This was following on the heels of a four-hit game the week before. Lewis has hit safely in 10 of his 14 games this season including multiple hits in five contests. On April 21, he went 4-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base. Less than a week later on April 27, he finished with three hits while adding a pair of runs, a stolen base and a RBI. He has only failed to reach base in three games this season. Meanwhile, he is doing this while being almost 2.5 years younger than the competition in the Midwest League. He won’t turn 19 until June 5th and he could be in Fort Myers before he blows out the candles on his birthday cake. Extra Rest Days Minnesota has been cautious with Lewis to start the season by allowing him multiple rest days. He has yet to play three days in a row. Weather has obviously impacted some of the team’s early schedule. However, the team has specifically not had him in the lineup on multiple occasions. The 2018 campaign will mark be his first opportunity to play a full professional season. Last year after being drafted, Lewis played in 54 games to end the season. He had also played in his high school season last spring which would bump up his total slightly. Lewis will likely pass 100 games played this season and it makes more sense for him to be getting the bulk of his action when the weather is nicer. Promotion Prediction Baseball fans have seen top prospects burst onto the scene over the last week. Atlanta’s budding star is only 20 years old but he has been playing professionally since age 17. Lewis could follow in Acuna’s footsteps but it seems more likely for Minnesota to pump the brakes a little. Acuna only played one minor league season with more than 100 games and that was last year. During the 2017 season, he played at all three of the highest levels in the Braves system. Lewis is starting 2018 at Low-A so his first step will be a promotion to Fort Myers. He will need to continue to hit well but as I said before, I believe he can be in Florida before his birthday in early June. If he continues on the fast track, Lewis could be in Minnesota as early as next summer. A more likely timeline would make him a September call-up in 2019 and a starter in 2020. What are your early impressions of Lewis? Can he make it to Target Field by next season? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Around Twins Daily Twins Tied to Misael Urbina, Expected to be “Aggressive” Internationally Week in Review: Down in the Dumps Click here to view the article

Finding the next international star is a goal of a lot of clubs in the coming months. Teenage players start building relationships with different scouts from a variety of clubs. From those relationship, young players sign for money that can change their familys' lives. Current Twins regulars like Miguel Sano and Max Kepler were originally signed as international players. With the international signing period approaching later this summer, Twins fans can expect the club to aggressively go after one of the top-ranked prospects.Who is Misael Urbina? Minnesota is considered the favorites to sign Misael Urbina. To give a brief answer to the question above, he is a 15-year old outfielder from Venezuela. Scouts have called him an advanced hitter with an above-average hit tool and plus speed. MLB.com ranks him as the third overall prospect in their international class and they have plenty of positive things to say about him. He is a “line-drive hitter with a high baseball IQ.” They went on to say, “he’s already an advanced defender for his age.” They praised his instincts and makeup. One of the reasons he has been able to vault to the top of the class is because of his international experience. He has been taking part in the Venezuelan Winter League’s parallel program. This allows the young outfielder to to compete against professional players with more experience than he has. Baseball America has been following Urbina for some time. In February, MLB held a Venezuelan Showcase and Urbina was the only player to hit the ball over the fence during batting practice. At 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, there is room for him to grow into his frame. However, BA said “his swing gets in and out of the hitting zone quickly, but he has good bat speed.” In one of the games being scouted, Urbina beat out an infield single in 4.20 seconds. Other Baseball America scouts said, his “athleticism sticks out in center field. A plus runner, Urbina showed a quick first step, gliding around the outfield with good instincts.” The same person went on to say, he “isn’t a pure hitter, but he has good bat speed and drove the ball for hard contact to all fields during BP.” Baseball America has video of him hitting at an Expected to Be Aggressive MLB.com believes the Twins are one of a handful of teams that will “be aggressive” during this signing period. Minnesota’s bonus pool for the current year is $6,025,400. That total ties them with other clubs like Miami, Milwaukee, and Tampa Bay. Team can also trade for an additional 75 percent of their bonus pool allotment. Since the Twins have just over $6 million, they could trade and end up with $10,544,450 in their final pool amount. During the Shoehi Ohtani sweepstakes last winter, the Twins missed out on the big prize. However, they were able to make multiple deals to send some of their international bonus pool money to other teams. Minnesota acquired catcher David Banuelos from the Mariners in exchange for $1 million in international bonus pool cap space. They also acquired outfielder Jacob Pearson from the Angels for the same amount of space. Banuelos has played 12 games for Cedar Rapids, where he is four months younger than the competition. So far this season, he’s hit .143/.234/.214 with 16 strikeouts and 4 walks. His only extra-base hit was a home run. Jacob Pearson is in extended spring training and has yet to appear in a game for the Twins system. Are you excited about the Twins adding a highly ranked prospect like Urbina? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Around Twins Daily Week in Review: Down in the Dumps Twins Minor League Report (4/29): Diaz Delivers Walk-Off Home Run On Ryan Pressly’s Release Point, Pitch Mix Click here to view the article

Half of the Twins Daily Top-20 Prospects were in action on Sunday afternoon. Chattanooga fought through a doubleheader. Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids were forced to mount comebacks. All four games were decided by two runs or less. How did the organization’s top prospects perform? Were any able to help their club’s to thrilling wins? Read on to find out…ROSTER MOVES C Brian Olson was reinstated from the disabled list for Chattanooga OF Jaylin Davis reinstated from the disabled list for Fort Myers RHP Max Cordy transferred from Fort Myers to Elizabethton RHP Moises Gomez promoted to the Kernels from Extended Spring Training RHP Melvi Acosta assigned to extended spring training from the Kernels RED WINGS REPORT Rochester --, Syracuse -- Box Score Rain and cold weather got in the way of this contest between the Red Wings and the Chiefs. The plan is to play a doubleheader on Monday, June 25 with the first game scheduled to start at 3:05 CST. Rochester has been postponed five times this season. The Reds Wings head to Pawtucket for a three-game set starting on Monday. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Tennessee 3 (Game 1- 7 Innings) Box Score A pair of Smokies home runs got in the way of the Lookouts chance to move further above the .500 mark. Zack Littell fell to 0-3 after allowing three runs on six hits including the aforementioned long balls. He struck out three and walked two in 4 2/3 innings. Tyler Jay finished off the game with 2 1/3 scoreless frames. He struck out two and walked one. He has pitched multiple innings in two of his three appearances so far this season. Chris Paul and Brent Rooker both went 2-for-3. Paul’s leadoff single in the second allowed him to come around and score the game’s first run. In the third inning, Paul plated a run with his sixth double. Overall, the team went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. Chattanooga 2, Tennessee 3 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score That score isn’t a misprint. As Yogi Berra famously said, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” However, Chattanooga’s starter didn’t factor into the decision in this contest. Omar Bencomo, in his first start of the season, tossed four scoreless frames with three strikeouts and no walks. His season ERA dropped to 1.56 to go along with a 1.04 WHIP. Sam Clay had a rough fifth inning. Two doubles, a walk, a single, and a wild pitch led to three runs being scored. Zack Jones was terrific to end the game with five strikeouts over two innings. Hits were few and far between for the Lookouts. Only the top three batters in the lineup recorded hits. For the second straight game, Brent Rooker went 2-for-3 while adding his fourth double and an RBI. It was Rooker’s fifth multi-hit effort during the 2018 campaign. Nick Gordon went 1-for-2 and LaMonte Wade finished 1-for-3 with a run scored. Zander Wiel had an outfield assist in the game as he threw out a runner at home from left field. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Daytona 4 (11 Innings) Box Score Things weren’t looking good in extra-innings for the Miracle. In the top of the 10th frame, Daytona had taken a one-run lead. Due to new rules, Luis Arraez started the bottom of the inning at second base. After a sacrifice bunt, he came home on a Travis Blankenhorn single to tie the game. Trailing again by one in the 11t- inning, Lewin Diaz stepped up to the plate and drove an 0-1 fastball over the right field wall for the walk-off home run. Earlier in the contest, the Miracle had scored first in the game for the first time in the series. Taylor Grzelakowski led off the second with a double. Caleb Hamilton reached base on a throwing error that allowed Grzelakowski to come around and score. Nelson Molina drove in Hamilton with a one-out single. Fort Myers had an early 2-0 lead. Clark Beeker pitched into the fifth inning without allowing an earned run. He struck out four and walked two in 4 1/3 innings. Beeker has pitched 9 2/3 straight innings of scoreless baseball. Andrew Vasquez was asked to get five outs and he collected strikeouts in four of those five at-bats. Sean Poppen tossed four innings and collected seven strikeouts. Although, he walked a pair and scattered two hits, which led to three runs (two earned) being scored. Logan Lombana gets credit for his second win thank to the Diaz walk-off. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 2 Box Score With Bryan Sammons on the mound, the Kernels found themselves in an early hole but it wasn’t all his fault. In the bottom of the first with one out, Sammons walked a batter before a wild pitch moved the runner into scoring position. Andrew Bechtold and Ben Rodriguez commited fielding errors on back-to-back plays to keep the inning alive. Two runs would score but Cedar Rapids buckled down from there. In the fourth frame, Cedar Rapids got a run back. Two walks and a wild pitch loaded the bases for Jordan Gore. He grounded out but the lead was cut in half. Gore has reached safely in all 11 games this year. Trey Cabbage tied the game in the top of the sixth with his first home run of the year. In the seventh inning, the Kernels scored two runs without recording a hit. The team collected five walks and pushed across the final two runs of the game. Ben Rodriguez finished the game hitless but reached base three times. Derek Molina and Moises Gomez combined for five shutout innings to end the game. Molina earned his first win by striking out two and walking two over three innings. Gomez earned his first save as he struck out two in the last two innings. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Travis Blankenhorn, Fort Myers (3-for-5, RBI, K) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Derek Molina, Cedar Rapids (3 IP, 0 ER, 2 K, 1st MWL Win) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #3 – Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) – 1-5 #5 – Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 1-5, 2 K #7 – Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 4-6, 2B, RBI, R #10 – Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, 2 BB, K #11 – Zack Littell (Chattanooga) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 3 K, 2 BB #13 – Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 1-1, HR, 2 RBI, R #14 – LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) – 2-7, R, K #16 – Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) – 0-2, 2 BB, R #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 3-5, RBI, K #19 – Tyler Jay (Cedar Rapids) – 2.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 K, BB MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (5:15 CST) - LHP Dietrich Enns (0-3, 5.79 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Tennessee (10:15 AM CST) – RHP Randy LeBlanc (3-1, 1.99 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Minnesota has hit a little bit of a slump. After being swept by the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees made quick work of the Twins on Monday night. Outside of Jose Berrios, Minnesota’s starters have struggled and the bullpen has been taxed. It might be time to think about reshuffling the roster. New faces might infuse some life into the club at this early juncture in the season. What candidates are poised for promotion? Who hasn’t performed up to expectations so far this year?Pitching Problems Minnesota’s pitchers have the seventh worse ERA in the American League, which puts them in the middle of the pack. With the help of Jose Berrios, Twins starters have the fifth best ERA in the AL. However, Twins starters have pitched the fewest innings of any AL starting staff but weather played a role in this total as well. A revamped bullpen was supposed to help the Twins stay in playoff contention. So far this year, only the Royals and the White Sox have a higher bullpen ERA. Minnesota has the fifth highest BB/9 and K/9 totals in the American League. New additions Fernando Rodney (4.05 ERA), Zack Duke (7.94 ERA) and Tyler Kinley (24.30 ERA) have struggled in multiple appearances. RHP Alan Busenitz was optioned to Rochester following Monday’s debacle in the Bronx. LHP Gabriel Moya has also joined Rochester this week. In four appearances (4 innings), Busenitz allowed three runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Moya made five appearances and allowed six runs on six hits including three home runs. Tyler Kinley was a Rule 5 Draft pick but he has mostly been used in mop-up duty so far this year. Even in these low-leverage situations, he has surrendered nine runs in 3 1/3 innings. The Twins might not be able to hide him in the bullpen for much longer. Trevor Hildenberger was great at the end of last season but he has struggled in 2018. Through 9 2/3 innings, he has surrendered five earned runs and has a six to four strikeout to walk ratio. Reevaluating Rochester Tyler Duffey was announced as the roster replacement for Busenitz. Duffey made four appearances at Triple-A and he was asked to pitch more than one inning in every outing. He pitched three innings or more in three of his four appearances. Duffey hasn’t allowed an earned run so far this season and he has 14 strikeouts in 11 innings. Opponents are hitting .086/.108/.114 so he should be a welcome addition to the bullpen. Two other promotion candidates are John Curtiss and Aaron Slegers. Curtiss has put together a strong track record in the minor leagues with plenty of late-inning experience. Last season between Chattanooga and Rochester, he had a 1.28 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 49.1 innings. This year he’s allowed three runs in seven innings with 12 strikeouts. Slegers has been utilized as a starter for Rochester this season. He’s made three starts (18.0 innings) and allowed four earned runs. If the Twins are going to add another bullpen arm, Curtiss seems the most likely candidate. Phil Hughes might be a candidate to move to the bullpen and Slegers could fill his spot at the back of the rotation. Slegers could slide into a long relief role because Minnesota is probably going to stick with their current starting staff. Prepping for Prospects Some of the team’s top prospects might also be getting closer to making their big league debuts. Fernando Romero has been impressive so far this season at Rochester. In three appearances (two starts), he has a 1.69 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Stephen Gonsalves continues to thrive for Chattanooga. In 15.1 innings, he has allowed three earned runs (two home runs) with a 0.98 WHIP. Both players are on the 40-man roster so that makes a call-up a little easier. For position players, Zack Granite made multiple appearances with the Twins last season. So far with Rochester, he’s gone 5-for-31 and added eight walks. Unfortunately, he was placed on the disabled list this past weekend with a right shoulder contusion. Nick Gordon has been hitting well at Chattanooga to start the season. Through the team’s first 17 games, he is batting .375/.382/.578 with seven extra-base hits and a 10 to 2 strikeout to walk ratio. Jorge Polanco’s suspension might have opened a window for Gordon. He isn’t on the team’s 40-man roster so that complicates his call-up situation. That being said, Gordon should debut at some point in 2018 and he could be a boost to the lineup. How would you reshuffle the lineup? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Around Twins Daily The Art of Streaking: Analyzing Brian Dozier’s Hitting Streak 2018 Minnesota Twins Extended Spring Training Roster Week in Review: Too Many Missteps Click here to view the article

Brian Dozier has been on quite the streak to start the season. With a hit on Sunday, Dozier has hit safely in a team record 16 games to start the season. He has the longest active streak in baseball and his streak actually dates back to September 22 last season. What’s been working for Dozier? How has a career .252 hitter compiled the best streak of his career?Inside the Numbers Entering play on Monday, Dozier has hit in 23 straight games and he’s batting .378 (37-for-98) during that stretch. Dozier’s 16-game hitting streak to start the season allowed him to pass Kirby Puckett and Josh Willingham for longest in club history to start a season. Puckett started the 1994 season with a 15 game streak and Josh Willingham matched the feat in 2012. In Monday night’s game, Dozier did collect a hit to move his streak to 24 straight games. An even more impressive streak might be the fact that Dozier has reached base safely in 33 consecutive games. The last time Dozier didn’t reach base was September 10, 2017 against the Kansas City Royals. He went 0-for-3 in the game before being lifted for a pinch hitter in a blow-out loss. With a walk in his first at-bat on Monday, Dozier stretched this streak to 34 games. During his on-base streak, Dozier’s .346 batting average trails Carlos Correa (.355) in the entire American League. Aaron Judge (.482 OBP) and Xander Bogaerts (.429 OBP) are the only AL players with a better on-base percentage during that stretch. A New Approach? Dozier has been known as a pull-hitter for most of his career. Even this season, you can see that all of his home runs are pulled down the third base line. However over the last couple of seasons, there has been a shift in his approach at the plate. The 2016 season saw all but three of his home runs come outside of left-center to the first base foul line. In 2017, he had seven home runs in that range but he also had more hits to the opposite field. As part of Minnesota’s trip to New York, Dozier stopped by MLB Network to discuss how his swing has evolved throughout his career. One golf outing with Tom Brunansky might have unlocked Dozier’s power potential. The video below is a great conversation to hear some insights into Dozier’s approach at the plate. He talks at length about his home run in last year’s Wild Card game. Golfing for the Fences Dozier’s approach at the plate has allowed him to have some good coverage of the entire strike zone. During his 34-game on-base streak, pitches in the bottom half of the zone have been where Dozier has done the most damage. Apparently, Dozier’s golf swing is also helping him to get to pitches lower in the zone. Dozier will be a free agent at season’s end and he’s certainly seemed to be on a mission so far this season. His new swing could also help him reach some Minnesota Twins milestones in the coming months. Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak is still a long ways away but Twins fans can have some fun watching Dozier as he goes streaking. Around Twins Daily Week in Review: Too Many Missteps Twins Minor League Report (4/22): Romero Strikes Out 10, Buxton Rehabs Max Kepler Improving His Approach in 2018 Click here to view the article

Weather has gotten in the way of at least one minor league game every Sunday this season. That trend continued this week with the Lookouts being forced to play a doubleheader on Monday. For those team’s that got on the field, there were some entertaining games throughout the system. Who shined on Sunday? Read on to find out…ROSTER MOVES RHP Phil Hughes returned from MLB rehab and activated by Minnesota. OF Byron Buxton transferred to Fort Myers on MLB rehab assignment. LHP Casey Crosby was reinstated from the disabled list for Rochester. LHP Tyler Jay was reinstated from the disabled list for Chattanooga. LHP Andrew Vasquez transferred to Fort Myers from Chattanooga. OF Jaylin Davis placed on the 7-day DL at Fort Myers. RHP Randy Dobnak activated from the 7-day DL at Cedar Rapids. RHP Blayne Enlow placed on the 7-day DL, retroactive to April 21 with a lower back strain. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Columbus 1 Box Score Fernando Romero might have been missing some of his best stuff on Sunday afternoon but that didn’t stop him from putting together a solid effort on the mound. He pitched into the seventh frame (6 2/3 innings) and allowed one run on two hits. Romero struck out 10 and walked two. The lone run scored against Romero came after he allowed a lead-off double in the fourth. A one-out single would bring home the runner. Columbus has a strong line-up and Romero didn’t have his slider working to its full potential. Overall, a pretty strong performance for the team’s top pitching prospect. In relief of Romero, Matt Magill and Ryne Harper combined for over two innings of shutout ball. In fact, the two pitchers were asked to record seven outs in the game and they combined for seven strikeouts. Offensively, Rochester collected twice as many hits as Columbus but went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base. The team racked up 12 strikeouts with five batters striking out more than once. Brock Stassi had the team’s only extra-base hit, a double. Leonardo Reginatto reached base twice with a single and a walk. With no big hits, Rochester falls to 5-7 on the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga --, Jackson -- Box Score Weather got in the way today’s contest between the Lookouts and the Generals. The game will be made-up as part of a doubleheader on Monday, April 23. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 4:00 pm CST. Both games are scheduled to be seven innings. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Bradenton 4 Box Score After seven innings, Fort Myers looked to be in the driver’s seat. However, two late inning runs would move the Miracle from victory lane to defeat. Clark Beeker started and pitched five innings without allowing an earned run. He scattered three hits and saw one unearned run cross the plate. Beeker struck out two and walked two. Calvin Faucher took over for Beeker and allowed one run in two innings. He struck out three and walked one. After both of these players left the mound, the team still had the lead. Fort Myers got on the scoreboard with a solo home run by Taylor Grzelakowski in the fifth. He wasn’t done with one long ball. In the seventh inning, Jimmy Kerrigan led off the inning with a single. Grzelakowski smashed his second home run of the day. Joe Cronin went 3-for-4 and Nelson Molina added two hits. Byron Buxton made his first rehab start as the number two hitter and designated hitter. He went 0-for-4. Andrew Vasquez came in for the top of the eighth. He allowed a single and then compounded the damage by having a throwing error on a pickoff attempt. Following a walk, a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk, the bases were loaded. Grzelakowski allowed a passed ball and the tying run scored. In the ninth, Vasquez allowed a single, a wild pitch, and walk-off single. It was a rough couple of frames for Mr. Vasquez. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Kane County 0 Box Score Three Kernels pitchers combined to shutout Kane County. Randy Dobnak picked up his first win of the season after tossing 5.2 scoreless frames. He scattered six hits while striking out four and walking two. Carlos Suniaga pitched 2 1/3 innings and only allowed two hits. He hasn’t allowed a run in three appearances with Cedar Rapids. Kevin Marnon struck out two in the final frame. A big fourth inning was all the Kernels needed to come out on top in this one. Andrew Bechtold reached base on a throwing error and moved to second. With one out, David Banuelos singled to drive in Bechtold. Mark Contreras followed with a double before back-to-back singles from Ben Rodriguez and Jordan Gore. Akil Baddoo walked to load the bases and Jose Miranda capped the four-run inning with a sacrifice fly. Miranda finished with a home run and four RBI. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Taylor Grzelakowski, Fort Myers (2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Fernando Romero, Rochester (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 10 K) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 – Fernando Romero (Rochester) – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 10 K #5 – Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, BB, K #10 – Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, 2 BB, K #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Gwinnett (4:05 CST) - LHP Dietrich Enns (0-2, 10.29 ERA) Rochester vs. Gwinnett (Make-Up of 4/15)- RHP D.J. Baxendale (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Chattanooga @ Jackson (4:00 CST) – RHP Zack Littell (0-1, 3.86 ERA) Chattanooga @ Jackson (Make-Up of 4/22)- LHP Stephen Gonsalves (2-0, 1.76 ERA) Fort Myers @ Clearwater (6:00 CST)- RHP Sean Poppen (0-1, 4.00 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Burlington (6:35 CST)- LHP Bryan Sammons (0-1, 0.96 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

If Joe Mauer retired today, there is a good chance he wouldn’t get the call from Cooperstown. He wasn’t able to play long enough at catcher and he doesn’t fit the profile of a first baseman. His Cooperstown Case has some merit but there are still things he has left to accomplish in his career. Here is a checklist for Mr. Mauer to follow if he wants to be remembered as one of the best players of all-time.Chasing 3000 The 3,000 hit mark has been a magical threshold for players to get into Cooperstown. Out of Hall of Fame eligible players, only two players with over 3,000 hits have failed to be enshrined. Pete Rose has been banned from baseball and Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for a banned substance during his playing career. Mauer just cracked hit number 2,000 so he’d have to play for most of the next decade to get close to the 3,000 hit mark. As I wrote about last week, Mauer is approaching rarified air among the best hitting catchers of all-time. This season alone, he has a chance to pass Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, and Mike Piazza. If Mauer had been able to stay behind the plate, he could have gone down as one of the best hitting catchers of all-time. Keep Bad Seasons To A Minimum For a player to make the Hall of Fame, he doesn’t need to be great for every season of his career. However, one of the most important things to do is to avoid have prolonged seasons where the player is viewed as slumping. Concussions and blurred vision put Mauer into a three-year stretch where he didn’t hit like he had before the injuries When Mauer suffered his concussion in 2013, he entered a three year stretch where there were some offensive struggles. From 2014-2016, he hit .267/.353/.380 while averaging 28 doubles, eight home runs, and 100 strikeouts. To put that in perspective, the AL average numbers for 2017 were .257/.321/.423. Even in Mauer’s bad seasons, he was hitting higher than the league average and getting on base much higher than the league average. He came back in 2017 and hit over .300 for the first time since his injury. He might have weathered the worst seasons of his career if he can post a similar batting line (.305/.384/.417) to last season in the years to come. Continue Playing Joe Mauer’s future is a little up in the air. His contract expires at season’s end and no one know if he will continue to suit up for the Twins or for any other team for that matter. His positional switch has helped him to average more games played per season (127 games/season as a catcher, 138 games/season as a first baseman). If he is feeling healthy and continues to perform well, there’s no reason Mauer can’t continue to play throughout his upper-30s. Some of the all-time greats had to finish their careers in other uniforms and one has to wonder if that will be the eventual path for Mauer. Willie Mays played into his 40s but he ended his career in a Mets jersey. Babe Ruth finished his age-40 season in a Boston Braves uniform. Yogi Berra is best remembered for being a Yankee but his last game came with the Mets. Even Twins great Harmon Killebrew finished in a Royals jersey. It’s hard for some of the best players in the world to hang it up. When baseball has been your entire life, walking away from the game can be the tough decision. Mauer is one of the best players in Twins history but he will need to continue playing if he wants to get the call from the Hall. Around Twins Daily Cooperstown Case: Should Joe Mauer Make the Hall of Fame? A Look Back to 2001: What if the Twins Drafted Mark Prior? Myth Busting: How Has Joe Mauer Fared in the Clutch? Click here to view the article