Steve Lein

While only three of the Minnesota Twins four full season affiliates were in action on Monday, two of them had doubleheaders on the schedule thanks to the weather that’s been wreaking havoc seemingly every day so far this season. A pair of starting pitchers had solid outings, including one who set a personal strikeout record, and a top prospect hitter finished his day with four hits. An under-the-radar reliever also continued an impressive scoreless streak to start 2019. To find out who those players were, and how the rest of your favorite Twins prospects performed on Monday night, read on!TRANSACTIONS Hopefully Tyler Duffey hadn’t already boarded a plane back to Rochester, NY after being the 26th man on Saturday and officially being returned yesterday, as he was recalled Monday.To make room on the 25-man roster, Jake Cave was optioned to Rochester.RED WINGS REPORT Scheduled Day Off The Red Wings got the day off on Monday to travel as they end six-day homestand where they went 2-3 and had another game rained out that will be made up on June 21st against the Toledo MudHens. They begin a three-game series on Tuesday against the Charlotte Knights with righthander Zack Littell on the mound, coming off a six-inning scoreless outing his last time out. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Game 1: Pensacola 1, Chattanooga 0 Box Score Starter Jorge Alcala was brilliant for 5 2/3 innings to pick up his fifth win of the year and needed to be as his offense was able to scratch across just one run on the game. Alcala retired nine men in a row from the third through the sixth inning, but a two-out single after consecutive strikeouts to open the sixth inning brought an end to his outing. He allowed just two hits and two walks, struck out four, and threw 49 of his 82 pitches for strikes, including seven swinging. The Blue Wahoos scored the only run of the game in the fourth inning after Taylor Grzelakowski drew a leadoff walk, moved to third on an Ernie De La Trinidad double, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Tanner English. Luis Arraez had three of their eight total hits on the game, a trio of singles but never got farther than second base as Pensacola was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Ryan Mason finished the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing a two-out double in the seventh to make it somewhat interesting, but bookending that with a pair of strikeouts to pick up his seventh save of the year. For those keeping track, Mason has now appeared in 11 games, totaling 16 1/3 innings pitched, allowing zero runs on eleven hits and two walks, while striking out 23. That means his ERA is a perfect 0.00, and his WHIP a stellar 0.80 so far on the year. He’s also struck out multiple hitters in his last nine appearances. Game 2: Pensacola 4, Chattanooga 5 (9 innings) Box Score The Blue Wahoos got on the scoreboard first in the fifth inning, taking a 2-0 lead after a couple of walks were followed by consecutive two-out RBI singles from Joe Cronin and Jaylin Davis. They extended that lead to 4-0 in the seventh when Luis Arraez drove in two with a two-out bases-loaded single. Those insurance runs wouldn’t be enough however, as in their final chance the Lookouts got one big swing of the bat to extend the game. After Alex Phillips loaded the bases, lefty Tyler Jay was brought in from the bullpen to face Chattanooga’s cleanup hitter, and he sent an 0-1 pitch into the seats for a game-tying grand slam. Jay was later saved from losing the game by a ground-rule double for escaping to send it to extra innings. He would remain in the game and delivered a scoreless eighth, but the first hitter of the ninth snuck a base hit into center field and the winning run came home. Pensacola took a bullpen approach to game two, with Adam Bray making the start and getting through 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed four hits and struck out three. Sam Clay pitched the next 1 2/3 giving up a hit and a walk while striking out one. Phillips was responsible for most of the comeback, as he was charged with three runs on two hits and three walks in 1 1/3. He struck out one. Jay allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in his 1 2/3 innings, striking out two. The lineup for the Blue Wahoos tallied just six singles and three walks on the day and were 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position. MIRACLE MATTERS Bradenton 2, Fort Myers 8 Box Score Fort Myers poured it on late to put away the Marauders, but before that newly minted pitching phenom Jordan Balazovic chewed through his opposition. For his second start in a row, Balazovic struck out double-digit hitters, but in this one also set a new career high for K’s in a game with 12. He did run up a bit of pitch count to get there, as he only finished five innings with his 94 pitches and also walked four, but is hard to complain about two runs allowed when it’s all said and done with that amount of punchouts. He struck out three hitters in a row on two separate occasions and all three outs via K’s in two other frames. Of his 59 strikes, an astounding 22 were of the swing and miss variety. Calvin Faucher and Anthony Vizcaya combined to toss four innings of scoreless relief (two innings apiece), allowing four hits and a walk while striking out five between them. Faucher notched his fourth hold, while Vizcaya picked up his fourth save. The Miracle took the lead 3-2 in the fourth after a solo home run from Michael Helman, extended it to 4-2 after a Trevor Larnach RBI-double in the seventh, then blew it open with a four run eighth. Helman (single), Royce Lewis (double), Larnach (single), and Ryan Jeffers (double) all drove in a run in the inning. On the game Larnach led the charge by going 4-for-5 with two RBI, while Helman and Ryan Costello each also added two hits to the effort. Lewis scored three runs by chipping in a walk and two stolen bases to go along with his double in a 1-for-4 night at the dish. After hitting just .209 in the month of April, Lewis is at .292 so far in May with five multiple hit games in his last eleven. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 1: Quad Cities 4, Cedar Rapids 9 Box Score Righthander Josh Winder took the mound for the Kernels in game one and followed his eight-inning gem on May 6th with a complete game in this one. Because of the doubleheader it was *only* seven innings, but he kept the River Bandits in check when it mattered, finishing by allowing four earned runs on five hits and four walks, while striking out three. Of his 102 pitches on the game, 65 went for strikes (64%). The Cedar Rapids lineup put things at ease for Winder with two big innings, including the bottom of the first. Three of the first four batters of the game for the Kernels reached by via walk or a hit-by-pitch, then an RBI groundout from Gabe Snyder, an RBI single Gilberto Celestino, and two-RBI single by Gabriel Maciel made it 4-0. In the fourth, a three-run bomb from Snyder and two-RBI double from Andrew Bechtold added five more runs for the home team’s final tally. Game 2: Quad Cities 7, Cedar Rapids 0 Box Score Cedar Rapids wasn’t able to continue their offensive barrage from the first game of the day, as they were being no-hit through 4 2/3 innings. Gabriel Maciel broke that bid up in the fifth with a two-out single, but that would basically be it for the home team on the game. They had just four chances with runners in scoring position and were unable to capitalize. Gabe Snyder added his fifth double of the year and Yeltsin Encarnacion added a single to account for their three hits in the nightcap. Austin Schulfer got the start for the Kernels and finished three innings. He was hit for three runs in the third after a two-run triple and an RBI single to end his day. He allowed those three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out one. Carlos Suniago chipped in two scoreless innings, striking out three to keep his team within striking distance, but Jose Martinez followed by allowing three more runs in the sixth on two hits and three walks to make it 6-0 Quad Cities. Moises Gomez came on for the final frame, and a leadoff triple led to a sac fly before finishing the game. He struck out one. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jordan Balazovic, Fort Myers Miracle (W, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 12 K) Hitter of the Day – Trevor Larnach, Fort Myers Miracle (4-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, 3 R, 2B (6), BB, K, 2 SB (8) #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 2-for-8, K (2 games) #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 4-for-5, R, 2B (12), 2 RBI #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - No game #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - No game #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - No game #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - No game #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured list #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI BB, K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-6, 2 R, BB, K #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - No game #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - No game #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - W, 5.2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-5, RBI WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (6:04PM CST) – RHP Zack Littell (2-2, 3.82 ERA) Pensacola @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) - RHP Brusdar Graterol (4-0, 1.91 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30PM CST) – RHP Edwar Colina (0-1, 11.57 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Luis Rijo (0-3, 4.05 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Monday’s games! Click here to view the article

Detroit is still paying money to Fielder, and Justin Verlander. I don't think in Fielder's case he's getting $24MIL, but rather some deferred (or other method of) amount through at least another year. Always fun to bring up that the Mets are going to be paying Bobby Bonilla through 2035, and Bret Saberhagen through 2029.

Sano is not at all a bad clubhouse guy. He's always had a fun loving, sometimes silly, have a good time personality. I think he'll fit back in perfectly in this clubhouse. You want more proof, just read Bill Vilona's recent feature on him while with Pensacola: "Blue Wahoos players said Sano's engaging personality resonates throughout the clubhouse. "He is always fun to have around," said right fielder Jaylin Davis. "I was with him in Fort Myers (last year) for a little bit and he is definitely fun to be around. He brightens up the clubhouse. "I think he's in a good place right now." " You can say other things about him, but not this.

I don't think there would be much of a market for Arraez, on his own. While he's an elite hit tool guy, that's his one trick at this point. It will get him to the majors but he's not a top 10 prospect or anything.

The last time we weighed-in the big story was how the pitching staff was leading the team to a fast start, and since then the team hasn’t slowed down. The Southern League is known for it’s unique five-game series schedule and they’ve yet to lose a series so far, resulting in the best start in team history.While the pitching has still been fantastic after the promotion of Twins Daily’s starting pitcher of the month Devin Smeltzer, offensive reinforcements have arrived in the form of top prospect Alex Kirilloff and a rehabbing Miguel Sano to help continue that trend. Kirilloff’s first game of the year came on May 2nd, and it was okay to expect some rust as he finished 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts, but you knew the opposing team respected his efforts last year as he also was intentionally walked. That rust didn’t oxidize for any longer than that however, as in his next five games he has combined to go 8-for-19 with a double, triple, four RBI and three more walks. He’s basically immediately picked up where he left off last season and is also possibly showing some patience he lacked (or didn’t need) during his 2018 campaign. He’s already provided an injection of star performance into a minor league system somewhat lacking in that regard as far as hitters go thus far. Also, as a way to possibly get him to the majors sooner, he’s also gotten most of his starts at first base in the early going. Sano adds some major league star power to the lineup, and he’s already showed off some of his prestigious power at Blue Wahoos Stadium: In four games with Pensacola Sano has clubbed two doubles and that home run, good for a slugging percentage of .600 in 15 at-bats. He may not be there much longer or is already on his way to triple-A, but he’s been a big contributor in his brief time. All in all on his rehab stint thus far, Sano is crushing 400/.440/.800 with two homers and eight runs batted in over six games. In addition to those two, another player just keeps showing he’s a #ProfessionalHitter in the minors. Luis Arraez missed nearly all of the 2017 season after injuring his knee with Fort Myers, but after hitting .298 in 48 games with the Chattanooga Lookouts last year he’s hitting .341 with Pensacola, good for second in the Southern League in batting average and on-base percentage while leading the league in hits. He’s not quite in Willians Astudillo territory when it comes to striking out (nobody is), but his 9% strikeout rate is also virtually unheard of in today’s game. While pitching got the Blue Wahoos going early, the hitting is starting to catch up, so look out Southern League. Batting League Leaders (through games completed on 5/8) -Luis Arraez leads league in hits, is fifth in walks and total bases, and second in batting average and on-base percentage. -Jaylin Davis’ four home runs lead the team and is tied for fifth in the circuit, while his .370 on-base percentage and .299 batting average rank seventh. -Taylor Grzelakowski’s 16 RBIs is tied for eighth in the league. -Tanner English and Jordan Gore have each scored 18 runs, tied for fifth in the league. Pitching League Leaders -Griffin Jax’s 0.53 ERA leads the league and his 1.00 WHIP ranks sixth. -Devin Smeltzer still ranks second in ERA (0.60) after his promotion. -Brusdar Graterol is tied for second in the league in innings pitched (37.2), is sixth in strikeouts (36), and fifth in WHIP (0.98) -Jorge Alcala comes in at #2 in strikeouts on the year with 40 in 33.2 innings. -Reliever Ryan Mason has picked up six saves, good for second in the Southern League Other Links -Unfortunately, for a violation of unspecified team rules, backflipper Dusten Knight was removed from the Pensacola roster and subsequently released. Every few weeks during the season I’ll be looking back at what happened for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and welcome any input our readers may have on what you would like to see in these posts. I consider this space a work-in-progress that will evolve as the season wears on, so please leave a comment and discuss the Blue Wahoos performance thus far! Click here to view the article

Yes, Baddoo was credited with an RBI on the play. Probably comes down to the fact the run scored well before the second out of the play was recorded. On a double play grounder, it's really the fielder's choice where they go for the play, so the run didn't score based on the batted ball.

This was always a criticism of Joe Mauer that I had. He had the same approach every at-bat, didn't matter the situation. You often saw him take that one pitch you're talking about. I batted leadoff a lot in my playing days. Always wanted to see pitches from a pitcher in my first at-bat (unless I knew him well already), figure out what he could throw, try to see more than a fastball. But any further at-bats against that pitcher? I'm ambushing the pitch I recognize in the zone unless there's a different reason not to (like he's been struggling). Walks are good, but hits are way better. I feel that idea has been lost some in today's game.

Minnesota Twins affiliates combined to go an even 2-2 on Tuesday night, with one of those losses coming in the form of a walk-off home run in Mississippi. Miguel Sano continued his strong rehab work with a three-hit night, while a top hitting prospect in the Florida State League launched his first home run(s) of the year. Keep reading to find out how everything went down on Tuesday in the Twins farm system!TRANSACTIONS Twins reliever Addison Reed was sent on rehab assignment with the Rochester Red Wings and made his season debut in their game.RED WINGS REPORT Toledo 10, Rochester 5 Box Score Righthander Kohl Stewart got the start for the Red Wings, and although he gave up a run in the top of the first, he also struck out the last four batters he faced, and five total. That’s notable, as he only went the first two innings, which begs the question if he’ll be in line on Saturday for the Twins with a doubleheader on the schedule. 26 of his 39 pitches went for strikes, and he coaxed five swinging strikes. Rochester took the lead in the second inning as Jordany Valdespin clubbed his third home run of the year, a two-run shot and that was followed in the third by an RBI single from Wilin Rosario to give them a 3-1 lead. After Stewart was done, it was the 2019 debut for reliever Addison Reed to kick off his rehab assignment and he pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. Ryan Eades then got the fourth inning and it went poorly, as he allowed three runs on five hits and a walk, raising his ERA to 8.47 on the year and ending up taking the loss. Jake Reed didn’t fare much better in the fifth and sixth as he surrendered four runs on three hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings bringing his ERA to 6.75. Lefty Gabriel Moya came on in the seventh with two outs and the bases loaded but followed two of J-Reed’s walks with two of his own to allow a couple of those inherited runners to score. Back out for the seventh Moya was better, setting down the Mudhens hitters one-two-three including the first two via K’s. Preston Guilmet finished the final two innings, allowing two runs on four hits for Toledo’s final tally of 10 runs on the game. He struck out three. The Red Wings offense got within three of the Mudhens in the seventh inning, as Luke Raley and Brent Rooker each delivered their sixth home run of the year in back-to-back fashion, but the team went quiet from there and they fall to 12-17 on the season. Nick Gordon finished the game 2-for-4 and Raley 2-for-5 for the only multi-hit efforts. Gordon and Drew Maggi each stole two bases. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Pensacola 3, Mississippi 5 Box Score Pensacola jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the top of the second inning thanks to a Miguel Sano RBI-sac fly in the first, and a run scoring ground ball in the second off the bat of Taylor Grzelakowski. It wouldn’t last though, as starter Jorge Alcala allowed a run in the second and two more in the third to put his team behind 3-2. Alcala settled in from there though, finishing with just those three runs allowed on eight hits and a walk in his five innings while striking out three. In the top of the fifth his lineup tied the game back up at three thanks to a sacrifice fly from Travis Blankenhorn that scored Alex Kirilloff, who had led off the inning with a walk and reached third on a Sano double, but that would be it for the good guys the rest of the game. Sano finished 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles while Jaylin Davis also added two hits and two walks. As a team the Blue Wahoos were 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position, so it wasn’t like they lacked opportunities, they just weren’t able to cash them in with a big hit. After Alcala left the game, Adam Bray went three scoreless innings, retiring seven men in a row to end his outing and striking out four in the process. Coach Ramon Borrego went to Alex Phillips with the score tied at three in the ninth, and the leadoff man was able to draw a walk after a foul pop-up was dropped by catcher Caleb Hamilton. Two batters later the Braves walked it off in dramatic fashion with a two-run homer. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 9, Charlotte 7 Box Score The Miracle lineup got on the board early and often in this one, thanks to home runs off the bats of Trevor Larnach (his first HR of the year) and Lewin Diaz (his second). Those blasts made it 3-0 after the top half of the first, and they added two more in the second inning thanks to a couple of errors and the rare RBI-sacrifice-fly-double-play (can’t say I ever recorded one of those in a scorebook). Starter Bryan Sammons, who carried a 0.40 ERA into the game, went five innings and despite allowing four runs, only raised his ERA to 0.66 as three of those runs were of the unearned variety after consecutive errors from third baseman Ryan Costello in the second inning. Sammons improved to 4-0 on the season with his effort that included ten strikeouts, a new career high for the lefthander. With the score 5-4 in favor of Fort Myers heading into the seventh inning, Larnach added some needed insurance with his second home run of the game, this one a three-run shot. After Sammons exited after five, Hector Lujan delivered two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two. Johan Quezada came on for the eighth and ran into some trouble, allowing three runs (two earned) on three singles and a throwing error from Royce Lewis. Akil Baddoo added an RBI single in the eighth to make it 9-7 for the Miracle before Charlotte’s last chance. Quezada came out to start the inning and gave up a leadoff single before getting the next two hitters out, but another single brought the winning run to the batter’s box and Calvin Faucher was brought in to get the final out. He struck out his man to end the game and pick up his first save of the year, while Quezada ended his day with 1 2/3 innings with two K’s. The offense was led by Larnach who finished 3-for-5 with the two home runs and four RBIs, but Baddoo (2-for-4, 2 RBI, K), Lewis (2-for-5, R, K), Diaz (2-for-5, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), and Trey Cabbage (2-for-5, 2 R) also provided multiple hits on the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, South Bend 5 Box Score The offense for the Kernels popped early and late in this one to secure a victory against the Cubs, but in between it was closely contested. They took an early lead by putting up four runs in the top of the second thanks to a pair of sacrifice flies and multiple errors from the South Bend defense. Starting pitcher Luis Rijo gave them all back in the third but managed to finish 5 2/3 innings. He allowed four earned runs on six hits and a walk, striking out three. 62 of his 92 pitches went for strikes in the outing. Brian Rapp got the final out of the sixth and came back out for the seventh, but when it was done he was charged with a blown save as the Cubs tied it back up at five. Luckily for Rapp, he also got the win as in the top of the eighth Gilberto Celestino delivered a two-run bases loaded single to take back the lead, and a wild pitch would allow another insurance run to score for the final score of 8-5. Derek Molina closed out the game with two perfect innings, striking out one and picking up his third save. Outfielder Jacob Pearson finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk, and while nobody else got multiple hits on the day, they did record 10 walks as a team and finished 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Bryan Sammons, Fort Myers Miracle (5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 10 K) Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Trevor Larnach, Fort Myers Miracle (3-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-5, R, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 1-for-4, R, BB, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - No Game #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI, BB, K #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) - 2-for-4, 2 RBI, K, SB #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 2-for-4, 2B, BB, K, 2 SB #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured list #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-5, 3 K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-5, R, 2B, 3 K #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2 RBI, BB #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-for-4, R, 2B, BB, K #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - 5 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, BB, 3 K #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, R, 2B, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – RHP Zack Littell (1-2, 4.67 ERA) Pensacola @ Mississippi (10:35AM CST) - RHP Brusdar Graterol (3-0, 2.23 ERA) Charlotte @ Fort Myers (5:30PM CST) – RHP Jhoan Duran (0-3, 4.03 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (9:35AM CST) – RHP Andrew Cabezas (0-3, 5.21 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

If there's a noteworthy prospect on the other team and he does something or has something done to him I try to point it out, but not in a fashion where the focus turns to them instead of the Twins prospects. For instance, from my first report of the year: "Hector Lujan came on for the sixth and went the next 2 2/3’s. He allowed one hit and struck out four including Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the eighth."

Stewart was okay. Certainly limited the damage. Yes, that is why Sammons would have been removed. And this is a good rule. If you look at the pitch locations for Sano, he didn't see anything near the strikezone until that pop up. It was dead-middle, he just missed it. Rortvedt is definitely coming around!

With the Pensacola Blue Wahoos having a travel day and the Cedar Rapids Kernels being rained out, there were just two games on Tuesday night in the system. A Minnesota Twins slugger made his first appearance in game action on the year, kicking off his rehab assignment with Fort Myers while Rochester’s offense clubbed their way to double-digit runs.To find out how all of your favorite Twins prospects who were in action on Tuesday fared, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS As alluded to above, Miguel Sano was officially sent on a rehab assignment to the Fort Myers Miracle.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 11, Scranton/WB 2 Box Score The Rochester lineup pounded out 12 hits and drew four walks as they blew out the RailRiders 11-2 behind home runs from Drew Maggi, Zander Wiel, and Jordany Valdespin. Wiel’s fifth inning blast was his sixth of the year as he continues to slug above his career norms in the season’s opening month. He finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored, three RBI, and also drew a walk. They took a 3-1 lead in the top of the third and never looked back as they tacked on more in each of the fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. Randy Cesar (2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI), Valdespin (2-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBI), and Maggi (2-for-4, 2 R, 3B, HR, 2 RBI) also collected multiple hits on the game. Kohl Stewart got the start for the Red Wings, his first turn back with Rochester after making a spot start for the Twins and delivered a quality outing. He went the first six innings, scattering five hits and three walks and allowing just one run. He struck out three and was effectively wild, as just 51 of his 91 pitches went for strikes (56%). Tyler Duffey went the next two frames, allowing one run on three hits along with striking out three. Austin Adams finished the game, allowing two hits but no runs. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Scheduled Day Off Pensacola took a series on the road against the Jackson Generals 3-2 and got the day off on Tuesday as they head home for a series against the Biloxi Shuckers. The Blue Wahoos finished the month of April with their best record in team history at 17-8. They have won all five series they’ve played thus far and look to continue that trend with righthander Sean Poppen on the hill on Wednesday. MIRACLE MATTERS Clearwater 3, Fort Myers 0 Box Score The story heading into this game was the start of a rehab assignment for the Twins Miguel Sano. With his lacerated foot finally healed, he slotted in at third in the Miracle batting order, playing third base. In is first at-bat of the night, he was hit by pitch with the count at 2-0, and in his second drew a four-pitch walk where no pitch was close to the zone. With him scheduled to play just five innings he’d need some help from teammates to get another plate appearance, and luckily Royce Lewis did so with a two-out single. The first pitch Sano saw was definitely in his wheelhouse but ended up as just a towering infield flyout. Lewin Diaz then entered the game for him at first base, with Ryan Costello sliding over to third. On the mound for the Miracle was lefty Bryan Sammons, who carried a 0.42 ERA into this start. Although he managed to improve that mark to 0.40 on the game, he was only able to finish one inning as the Threshers lineup worked him for several long at-bats resulting in 37 total pitches. He gave up two hits, walked two, and struck out two but escaped with the bases loaded. Anthony Vizcaya came out from the bullpen for the second inning and finished the next three. He allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk while striking out four. Johan Quezada went the next two after that, allowing one run on one hit and three walks. He struck out three. Tom Hackimer then added two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. His ERA on the year in 13 1/3 innings now stands at 0.68. Calvin Faucher finished the game for the Miracle with a scoreless ninth, walking two but allowing no hits and striking out one. There wasn’t much offense to talk about for Fort Myers, as they managed just three hits on the game. Lewis raised his average back above .200 with a 2-for-4 night. Ben Rortvedt had the only extra-base hit with a double and drew a walk four plate appearances. KERNELS NUGGETS Bowling Green @ Cedar Rapids - PPD: Rain The Kernels were unable to get their game in at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Tuesday as persistent rain kept the field too wet. They’ll make it up with a doubleheader on Wednesday, with right-hander Luis Rijo taking the mound for Cedar Rapids in game one at 5:00PM CST. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Tom Hackimer, Fort Myers Miracle (2.0 IP, H, 3 K) Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Zander Wiel, Rochester Red Wings (3-for-4, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI, BB) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4 #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Injured List #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - No game #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4, 2 K #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - No Game #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) - 0-for-4, 3 K #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured list #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured list #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-3, 2B, BB, K #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - Game PPD #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-for-3, 2 R, BB, K #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - No game #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4 WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (5:35PM CST) – RHP Zack Littell (1-2, 4.50 ERA) Biloxi @ Pensacola (6:35PM CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (2-0, 0.75 ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (12:00PM CST) – RHP Jhoan Duran (0-3, 3.63 ERA) Bowling Green @ Cedar Rapids, Game 1 (5:00PM CST) – RHP Luis Rijo (0-2, 4.20 ERA) Bowling Green @ Cedar Rapids, Game 2 - RHP Austin Schulfur (3-1, 2.45 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

The Florida State League has always HEAVILY favored pitching. Definitely not a hitters league. These are big league ballparks in dimensions as most of them are homes to Spring Training facilities. This is just napkin math, but I'd consider a .750 OPS in the FSL about as meaningful as an .800 OPS in say, the Southern League.

Thanks Roger! Jax is certainly a unique story, I would take your prediction for him any day. As for Graterol, yes, he's got very few innings on his arm, especially for someone getting his first crack at double A. I've advocated for the exact scenario you speak of, both with Romero from last year (didn't happen that way), and Graterol for this one because of that. He's going to have a limit, but if he's killing it when he's close to that number and in triple A, I would find it to be a disservice to his development to not get his feet wet in the majors in this fashion. Cardinals have had great success with this methodology, and heck, the Twins did too with Johan Santana. There are many other pundits out there who think this type of thing should be done more as well, especially with players of his ilk that have innings limitations.

I don't think I ever really "look[ed] like a baseball player" either as an overly skinny guy, but discovered I could quite easily use this to my advantage. One particular moment I recall, is my high school team was getting dominated by this pitcher when I was a Junior and not a starter. Coach wanted to get me in a game so pinch-hit me in final inning. I step into the box, and the pitcher who'd been striking everybody out called his catcher out to talk to him. As they're chatting they both glanced back at me with smirks on their faces and laughed. I knew what was up. Pitcher threw his first pitch high-and-tight, guessing they were hoping I'd bail and they could laugh. I nonchalantly stuck my arms out and up and let if fly under them. The pitcher got this look on his face that said "what the heck, he's not afraid?!" His coach immediately came out to visit him, and mine called me over. Says to me, "That coach right now is telling his pitcher to quit messing around. This guy is a backup. Go right at him and get this over with. So sit on this fastball and put a good swing on it like I know you can." I got that fastball, and laced it into left for one of our teams like 4 hits on the day. That pitcher was pissed. Just could not believe I hit him. He threw over to first like four times despite the fact I only took like a 2-foot lead.

Can't wait to see Thorpe, he's been one of my favorite guys ever since I interviewed him in Cedar Rapids. Has taken a longer road than he would like I'm sure, but he's still only 23 and when he's on, well starts like this are what happens! If you check out my other post from last night on the Blue Wahoos, I add some color to what Smeltzer has done thus far. He had been transitioned to the bullpen before the Twins acquired him, and I'm guessing/hoping this pitching development program found something to take advantage of with him, and we're seeing some early returns on it. Hackimer is another guy who's dealt with some injuries. Was thought he could be a quick mover as a reliever when he was drafted. He put in a lot of work getting his shoulder back into shape, even teaching himself to throw left-handed (pretty well, I might add too): He's a sidearmer, so comes at you from a much different angle. He's also big into science and nerdy stuff about pitching: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/twins-prospect-tom-hackimer-on-being-a-pitching-nerd/

With the Cedar Rapids Kernels being rained out on Monday, there was some extra baseball for Twins affiliates on Tuesday. While the Kernels managed a split, it was the starting pitching in a couple of the other games that made the headlines. Lewis Thorpe struck out a bunch of hitters for his second start in a row, while another pitcher who exited his last game after being struck by a line drive, picked up where he left off without missing a beat, ending the night leading his league in K’s.To find out everything that happened in the minor leagues for Twins affiliates on Tuesday, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS Pensacola Blue Wahoos place CF Jimmy Kerrigan on 7-day IL and assigned C Kidany Salva from GCL TwinsRED WINGS REPORTScranton/Wilkes-Barre 1, Rochester 8 Box Score Left-hander Lewis Thorpe toed the rubber for the Red Wings and after giving up a solo home run in the top of the first, derailed Scranton/Wilkes-Barre the rest of the way. After that blip, he retired eighteen men in a row, including a stretch of five straight strikeouts on his way to totaling 12 K’s on the game. He picked up his first win of the year by going eight innings, allowing just the lone run on three hits and zero walks. He was a strike throwing machine on the game, with 71 of his 95 pitches going for strikes, including an #Elite 21 swings and misses. After having some trouble by allowing 15 earned runs in his first two starts of the year, Thorpe has dialed it in in his last two, allowing just three runs in 13 2/3 innings while striking out 24 against just one walk. Rochester’s offense got on the board in the third inning to tie the game at one thanks to a LaMonte Wade single that drove in Ronald Torreyes, who had doubled earlier. They took control of the game in the fourth in part thanks to Brent Rooker’s fourth home run of the year: After that smash doubles from Tomas Telis and Torreyes around an Adam Rosales walk made the score 4-1 in favor of the home team. Another Telis double and RBI single from Wade in the sixth made it 5-1, before they tacked on three more in the eighth thanks to a Wade double and Randy Cesar 2-RBI single. Reliever Preston Guilmet came in for Thorpe in the ninth, delivering a one-two-three ninth and punctuating the victory with a strikeout. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Mobile 1, Pensacola 0 Box Score The only things that can stop Pensacola’s starter Devin Smeltzer so far on the year, are apparently when a line drive back at him takes him out of the game (his last start) or his offense abandons him (this one). Luckily after that scary sequence in his last start, he checked out fine and didn’t miss a beat on Tuesday. The lefthander went seven innings in this one, allowing just one run on six hits while picking up nine more strikeouts that puts him in the Southern League lead in that category. Mobile scored in the third inning thanks to some small ball, as a single, stolen base, and another single with two outs accounted for the game’s only run. The Blue Wahoos collected just three hits on the game and were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Luis Arraez, Jaylin Davis, and Brian Navarreto each singled, while Ernie De La Trinidad drew two walks. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Bradenton 1 Box Score The middle of the Miracle lineup got the game started off on the right foot as number three hitter Trevor Larnach and cleanup man Jose Miranda swapped places at second base with consecutive doubles in the top of the first for a 1-0 lead. Bradenton knotted the game at one in the second, as they managed to score the first run of the year on Fort Myers starter Bryan Sammons thanks to a two-out double and RBI single. That’s all they’d manage, and Sammons ended the game with a 0.42 ERA on the season after finishing 5 1/3 innings. He allowed just three hits and walked three while striking out four to pick up his third win of the year. The Miracle took the lead back in the sixth when leadoff man Akil Baddoo launched his third home run of the season. After Sammons' exit Calvin Faucher went the next 2 1/3, walking one and striking out two. Tom Hackimer recorded the final out of the eighth with a strikeout, then finished the ninth by striking out three in a row after a leadoff walk to pick up his first save. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 1: Cedar Rapids 0, Wisconsin 9 Box Score In the first game of their doubleheader, the Kernels were in danger of being no-hit going into the top of the sixth inning, as the Timber Rattlers and their starter Aaron Ashby had built a 5-0 lead. Luckily, Michael Davis ended that effort with a leadoff double after Ashby’s day was done but that would be their only hit on the game. Gabriel Maciel drew two walks and Trey Cabbage one to account for the only baserunners on the day. Andrew Cabezas got the start for Cedar Rapids and went the first four innings. He allowed four earned runs on six hits and a walk but did strike out five. Carlos Suniaga went the next 1 2/3 and was unable to make it through the sixth. He surrendered five runs on four hits and two walks. Derek Molina inherited a runner who would score the final tally for Wisconsin when he gave up a single but got the final out with a strikeout to end the bleeding. The Kernels went down in order in the seventh and prepped for game two. Game 2: Cedar Rapids 7, Wisconsin 6 Box Score Cedar Rapids turned to their bullpen in game two, and while each of their first three pitchers surrendered at least one run, the offense was there in this one to pick them up. Brian Rapp got the start and pitched into the third inning when a walk and a single ended his day. In total he was charged with three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four. Austin Schulfer did his best to keep his team in the game, tallying three innings and allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out seven. He would be credited with his third win on the year when it was all said and done. Zach Neff came on for the sixth with a 7-4 lead for the Kernels but allowed two runs on two walks and a double before Joe Record was brought in to close out the game. Record retired all four hitters he faced, including two strikeouts in the seventh, to pick up his first save. Cedar Rapids did most of their damage in a four-run fourth inning started by a home run from Hunter Lee, his first hit of the season. That was followed by three straight singles from Gabriel Maciel, Gabe Snyder, and Trey Cabbage before a two-out single from Gilberto Celestino put the Kernels up 7-3. Cabbage added his sixth home run of the young season in the third inning and ended the day tied for the Midwest League lead in bombs. Catcher Ben Rodriguez followed Cabbage’s shot with a back-to-back blast of his own for his first home run of the year. Andrew Bechtold (2-for-4, 2B), Cabbage (3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI), and Maciel (2-for-3, BB) had multiple hits. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Lewis Thorpe, Rochester Red Wings (W, 8 IP, ER, 3 H, 12 K) Twins Daily Hitter(s) of the Day – Trey Cabbage, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-6, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4 #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Injured List #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-3, R, 2B, SB, K #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - No Game #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 2-for-5, R, HR, 3 K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - W, 8 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 12 K #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, HR, K #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-3, BB, K #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, RBI, K #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 3-for-4, R, 2B, 3 RBI, BB #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ Rochester (5:05PM CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (1-2, 6.00 ERA) Mobile @ Pensacola (6:35PM CST) - RHP Griffin Jax (1-0, 0.54 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30PM CST) – RHP Jhoan Duran (0-2, 3.65 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:35PM CST) – RHP Luis Rijo (0-2, 4.35 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are in their first year partnering with the Minnesota Twins, and they’ve appeared to join the organization at a great time. Several top prospects in the system should spend time with them during the 2019 season, and several already are there. They sit atop the Southern League standings and in large part that has been because of their starting pitching. Brusdar Graterol is the big name, but every starter to take the mound has done their part and more. Last Weighed In: N/A *** Overall Record: 13-5 (1st in South Division) Last 10 games: 7-3 Starting Rotation ERA: 2.10 While Pensacola’s season started a day late due to the weather on the Florida panhandle, Jorge Alcala set the tone for the starting staff by throwing five strong innings in the season opener as the Blue Wahoos shut out the Mobile BayBears 7-0. Alcala has since gone on to win every one of his four starts thus far but in the context of the rotation as a whole, is probably the fourth most impressive performer on the list. That’s because Brusdar Graterol, Griffin Jax, and Devin Smeltzer have been even more lights out. Along with Andro Cutura and one start from Sean Poppen, as a starting staff they’ve combined to post a 10-1 record with a miniscule 2.10 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, while striking out 9.8 hitters per game. Graterol brought a 0.52 ERA into his start on Monday, after a start that was was arguably the best of his minor league career, where he carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He wasn’t dominant like that again but showed some resolve to reset after a bad inning that left the game tied at four and finished five innings. His offense then got a run back for him that allowed him to pick up his second win of the season in four turns. His 2.01 ERA after this game is still rock solid and he has paired it with a 0.94 WHIP while striking out 24 hitters in 22 1/3 innings. The Twins haven’t had a starter with an arm like his velocity-wise since…Pat Mahomes?!...But what’s even better than the velocity he brings, is the movement Graterol can generate along with it. Behold: While Graterol has the top prospect shine and both he and Alcala get glowing scouting reports for their stuff, Jax and Smeltzer have arguably been even better when it comes to performance thus far. Both carry an ERA below 1.00 in three starts apiece. In total Jax has thrown 16 2/3 innings, allowing just one earned run on 12 hits and seven walks while striking out 14 hitters. His last two turns were of the quality variety and if you didn’t know his somewhat weird path to get here as a baseball prospect, the Blue Wahoos reporter Bill Vilona has you covered. Smeltzer came to the Twins organization as somewhat of a throw-in in last years Brian Dozier trade with the Dodgers, but maybe the scouting department of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine found something they liked in him. He had been a starter for most of his time in the Los Angeles system, but when acquired had been transitioned to the bullpen. That’s also where he pitched for the Twins after coming over and got some more time there in the AFL. That makes it a little odd that he’s back in a starting role with Pensacola, but I’m not going to argue with the early results. He has just a 0.67 WHIP in 18 total innings, allowing just nine hits and three walks while punching out 21 hitters and his performance earned him a Southern League pitcher of the week award: He doesn’t possess a big arm, working only around 90 miles-per-hour with his fastball, but maybe there’s a secret sauce that has been found with his breaking balls or something else. Smeltzer had a scary moment in his last start, where a line drive struck him in the head to lead off the top of the fifth inning. He was removed from the game and walked off under his own power, and luckily didn’t miss any time as Minnesota Twins farm director Jeremy Zoll told the Star Tribune that “Smeltzer has checked out fine” and as of this writing is throwing another gem for the Blue Wahoos (and will end the night leading the league in strikeouts). If not for the Rochester Red Wings needing a spot start on April 10th another starter, Sean Poppen, may have got a bigger note than this paragraph as well. He’s started one game and struck out 11 hitters in five innings on April 20th against the Mobile BayBears. Pensacola is currently dominating the Southern League in the standings, and it’s been their starting pitching leading the way thus far. It could be an interesting dynamic as the year wears on, as if this continues, they may not have these horses for long. Luckily for them though, Fort Myers has some horses of their own that look like they’ll be ready to take their place. Batting League Leaders (as of 4/22) -Luis Arraez ranks second in the Southern League with a .343 batting average and first in hits with 24 -Tanner English is tied for third in steals with 5 in 10 games -Brian Schales is tied for second with 13 RBI, and second in home runs with three -Jordan Gore leads the league with 15 runs scored in 16 games Pitching League Leaders -Devin Smeltzer (0.50) and Griffin Jax (0.54) are #1 and #2 in the Southern League in ERA. Smeltzer is second in WHIP (0.67) -Jorge Alcala leads the league in wins (4-0) -Alcala (25) and Graterol (24) rank #3 and #4 in strikeouts -Backflipper Dusten Knight is tied for the league lead in saves with 4 Every two weeks during the season I’ll be looking back at what happened for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and welcome any input our readers may have on what you would like to see in these posts. I consider this space a work-in-progress that will evolve as the season wears on, so please leave a comment and discuss the Blue Wahoos performance thus far! Click here to view the article

I would expect you could find even more data on this somewhere, but this was a quick article I looked at: https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/mercedes-benz-stadium-to-cut-concession-stand-prices-on-popular-items-by-12-perc "During the 2017 Falcons and Atlanta United seasons, average spending on concessions increased at Falcons games by 16 percent per person over the previous season, despite a 50 percent decrease in pricing over the previous season. Data also showed that more than 6,000 Falcons fan per game entered the stadium as much as an hour earlier to take advantage of the options and pricing in the stadium."

By putting him in Double A at the start of the year, signs are sure pointing to aggressiveness with him. In the Pensacola rotation, I think he's on the short list to promote to Rochester if the Twins need a starter. Also have to remember when it comes to pitching for the Twins this year potentially, that Graterol has very few innings on his arm. He only threw 102 last year. It was talked about with Romero how bringing him up in the bullpen late in the year would be a good exercise, and I think that's the potential for Graterol this year at the moment too. Becomes a lot harder not to consider him for some starts later in the year if this keeps up though!