Steve Lein

I think it's pretty obvious contracts for players Dozier's age now, who can only play one position (that I don't consider one of the "up the middle" important ones, or that many teams even have a need for on the FA market), and are known mostly for power output, aren't getting what had been expected anymore in Free Agency. I'm fully aware how good Dozier has been the last two seasons and I'd love to see him get paid just as much as you, I think. But I really don't think he's going to unless it's from the Twins.

Depending on your source I'd probably say that a 0.4 to 0.7 difference in WAR at this point of the year is more significant than your giving it. I don't doubt that Dozier could be better at end of season, but this is more telling for me: Dozier: -1.30 WPA Escobar: +1.05 WPA

I don't know man, I might put money down that "Addison Reed money" is the BEST he's possibly going to get on any FA deal. Just peruse this list: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018-mlb-free-agent-tracker Money is not being spent like it used to be, especially on players like Dozier.

Couple guys in this list that appeared in my preseason picks to make their MLB debut. 5 other guys on that list already have. Love Thorpe coming on. I'm not too worried about his innings per start yet. You can look at Fernando Romero and see a similar pattern. The fun thing is, Thorpe is doing better at what Romero is supposedly known for: K's and making bats miss.

He's been sneaky good. Doesn't necessarily stand out in any single stat category, but taken in aggregate he's been very solid. I said before the season not to sleep on him in that lineup.

Relatively speaking, there was limited action on Tuesday as two affiliates enjoyed days off. One for travel and the other as their level continued their All-Star break. But there were still four games, and one of them included an offensive explosion led by three hitters each accomplishing a big first in their professional careers.To find out how all your favorite prospects fared on Tuesday night, keep reading and be sure to discuss in the comments! TRANSACTIONS Just one transaction today as the the Twins sent starter Ervin Santana on assignment to Chattanooga to continue his rehab, and he pitched his best game so far on the comeback trail for them on Tuesday. RED WINGS REPORT No Game – Triple-A All-Star Break The Red Wings continue to enjoy their midsummer break. The International League will face off against the Pacific Coast League in Columbus, OH on Wednesday night. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Jacksonville 7 Box Score As mentioned, Ervin Santana got the rehab nod in this one and went the first five innings and 63 pitches (65.1% for strikes). He allowed two earned runs courtesy of a two-run home run in the fourth, but that would be it for the Jumbo Shrimp. He finished with just two hits allowed and struck out six. Five of those K’s came in the first two innings. Down 2-0 heading into the top of the fifth, the Lookouts tied the game with a two-run home run of their own. This came courtesy of Jordan Gore, his first in double-A. Sam Clay came on in the sixth and that’s when the game got away thanks to a couple of errors, including one on himself. All told he got two outs and allowed four runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks. Williams Ramirez finished the game with 2 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out three. Chattanooga had just two other hits besides Gore’s home run on the game, with Brent Rooker going 1-for-4 with three K’s, and Zander Wiel 1-for-4 with a triple. As a team they were just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. MIRACLE MATTERS Palm Beach 14, Fort Myers 8 Box Score Down 8-3 at one point, the Miracle did storm back to tie this one heading into the ninth, but then it got away from them. Tom Hackimer was summoned from the bullpen to start the eighth inning and loaded the bases before escaping. Bringing him back out for the ninth after just tying the game was probably a bad idea. When it was done for Hackimer, utility man Joe Cronin was brought in to record the final two outs on the mound and six runs came around for the final score. Clark Beeker started for Fort Myers and was responsible for the Cardinals first five runs. In four innings he allowed those on two walks, eight hits including two homers, while striking out four. Alex Robinson allowed three runs on two hits and two walks in 2/3’s of an inning, striking out one. Hector Lujan settled things down for the next 2 1/3, allowing one hit and a walk along with two K’s. The initial comeback for the Miracle was sparked by a four-run seventh inning. Alex Kirilloff, Caleb Hamilton, and Taylor Grzelakowski all delivered RBI doubles in the frame. They tied it in the eighth thanks to a Cronin groundout after a walk from Aaron Whitefield to lead off the frame and a single from Travis Blankenhorn advanced him to third. Cronin finished the game as a batter with a run scored on two hits and two walks and drove in three. Lewin Diaz and Grzelakowski also collected multiple hits for the home team in the loss. KERNELS NUGGETS Scheduled Day Off It was a Midwest League travel day for The Kernels as they head back home to Cedar Rapids. They begin a six-game homestand on Wednesday against the Fort Wayne TinCaps, and finish against the Lake County Captains. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 15, Johnson City 1 Box Score Elizabethton took the early lead with two runs in the first, then piled it on from the fifth inning, blowing out their cross-county rival Johnson City in demoralizing fashion Tuesday night. 2018 second-round pick, Ryan Jeffers, got it started with a two-run home in the first inning, his first as a professional baseball player. In the fifth the Twins sent ten hitters into the batters box, and every possible one of them scored as they took control 9-1. The big hits included a two-RBI single from Michael Davis, a two-RBI double from Andrew Coscrove, and a solo home run from Albee Weiss. Three runs in the sixth came on a solo shot from Hunter Lee, also his first as a pro, and a two-run double from Alex Robles. To continue the theme, three more runs in the sixth came courtesy of another Weiss solo blast, and a two-run bomb from Davis that also marked his first since being drafted in the 24th round out of Texas Tech last month and in his first career game. On the pitching front Elizabethton got four innings from starter Pedro Garcia as he was a bit too wild to go any further. He allowed an unearned run on two hits and three walks. He struck out one. Blair Lakso went the three scoreless innings and picked up his third win. He allowed four hits and struck out two. Seth Pinkerton finished it off with two scoreless frames, hitting one batter with a pitch. Only one hitter in the lineup for the Twins didn’t collect a hit, and only two got on base less than twice. Their 18 hits included going 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position and they left only five men on base as they cashed in on almost all their scoring opportunities. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 5 Box Score The Twins were down 3-1 after three, but scratched across runs in four straight innings to take the lead back and hold off the Rays. Andriu Marin got the start and went five innings. He allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk, along with picking up four K’s. The two unearned runs were courtesy of two errors in the third inning that allowed runs to score. They got a sac fly off the bat of Gabe Snyder in the first inning, and he got the comeback started in the fourth with his second home run of the year to lead it off. The Twins got an RBI groundout from Alberoni Nunez later in that inning that would tally single runs in each of the next three. Tyler Webb homered to lead off the fifth, Yeltsin Encarnacion delivered and RBI single in the sixth, and a sac fly from Nunez in the seventh accounted for a 6-3 lead. J.T. Perez was the first arm out of the bullpen, and despite two unearned runs, would end up with his second win of the year. In 1 1/3 innings, he walked one, gave up one hit, and struck out one. Frandy Torres came on with two runners in the seventh and they both would score to account for Perez’s runs, but would get out of the inning with the Twins still out front. Petru Balan began the eighth inning but after loading the bases with two walks and a single, Tanner Howell was brought on. He escaped the jam with a strikeout, ground ball force out to home, and another grounder to keep it 6-5. He finished the game with a scoreless ninth, working around two one-out hits for his third save. He struck out three in his two innings. The Twins totaled twelve hits on the game but weren’t as good as they could have been with runners on, as they were just 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position and left thirteen men on base. Edgar Herrera racked up four of those hits including a double and a run scored. Webb finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk in addition to his homer. Snyder also tacked on with multiple hits in a 2-for-4 game. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Tanner Howell, GCL Twins (Save (3), 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 K) Twins Daily Hitter(s) of the Day – Ryan Jeffers (2-for-3, 3 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB), Hunter Lee (4-for-5, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, K), and Michael Davis (2-for-5, 3 R, HR (1), 3 RBI, BB); Elizabethton Twins (all hit their first career home runs after being drafted this year) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – Scheduled Day off. 2. Fernando Romero (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 3. Nick Gordon (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 4. Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 5. Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 1-for-5, R, 2B (3), RBI, 2 K 6. Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – Out for season with injury. 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 1-for-4, 3 K 8. Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Scheduled Day off. 9. Brusdar Graterol (Fort Myers) – Did not pitch. 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – Scheduled Day off. 11. Zack Littell (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 12. Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 2-for-5, R, K 14. LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – Triple-A All-Star Break. 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – 0-for-2, BB 16. Ben Rortvedt (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, R, BB, 2 K 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, RBI, BB 18. Yunior Severino (Elizabethton Twins) – Did not play. 19. Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 20. Felix Jorge (Rochester) – Did not pitch. WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – Triple-A All-Star Game (6:00PM CST) Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (11:05AM CST) – LHP Dietrich Enns (0-2, 3.09 ERA) Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (3-5, 3.00 ERA) Fort Wayne @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Tyler Watson (2-3, 4.85 ERA) Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00PM CST) – TBD GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

Thinking about this, and as good as Realmuto is, he's not the guy I'd pay the price for in the current situation. If he was three years younger, I'd be all over it. I don't want a guy for two years at the price it will take, which lets be serious here, that's probably Lewis as a headliner or Graterol and Romero along with some other top 15/20 guys.

Right after I posted that I knew someone would point that out even though the context is there

That's been my listed measurements since I was 17! (I'm double that now...)

There was more than a full slate of action on Tuesday, as all six affiliates were in action, with one of them playing a doubleheader after their rain out yesterday. There were some solid pitching performances among them, as three games ended in shutouts for the good guys. There was also perhaps what I would call the most bizarre sequence of plays I’ve ever seen in a baseball game, but that’s only if I hadn’t played in, watched, and taken the scorebook for a ton of baseball in Minnesota’s amateur town ball league’s back in my day (bad, bad, defense and pitching). The good thing was, it was an epic collapse of the bad guys that led to a come-from-behind victory.To understand just how bad I’m talking about, you’re going to have to keep reading! You wouldn't even be able to read the notes on my scorebook (I'm going to let you try, though). Also be sure to discuss all the other performances in the system on Tuesday in the comments! TRANSACTIONS There were a some transactions before a few of the games, with the MLB team shuffling a few pitchers at Triple A: -The Red Wings activated catcher Jordan Pacheco from the seven-day disabled list, then had Zack Littell returned from the Twins while sending Gabriel Moya back up to the Minnesota Twins. -In the Appalachian League, left-handed pitcher and 2018 31st round draft choice out of Mississippe State, Zach Neff was assigned to Elizabethton. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Pawtucket 1 Box Score After leading off yesterday’s game with a home run, Byron Buxton got this one started with a double. He scored on a Gregorio Petit single for a 1-0 lead. In the second inning Chris Carter led off with a double and later scored on an RBI single from Leonardo Reginatto. Fernando Romero took it from there and was effectively wild to keep the Red Sox off the scoreboard. In 5 2/3 innings he allowed just three hits but walked five. He also struck out eight, but after a single to load the bases in the sixth and him at 98 pitches, Tyler Duffey was summoned from the ‘pen. He escaped the jam and would finish two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one. Alan Busenitz came on for Duffey with two outs and two runners on in the eighth and also got the final out without a runner scoring. He remained in the game for the ninth and made it somewhat interesting by giving up a solo home run but got all three other hitters out, including a K, to pick up his fourth save of the year. Petit finished with three hits including a double in five trips to the plate, and Edgar Corcino (2-for-4, K) and Reginatto (2-for-4, RBI) also had multiple hits to pace the lineup. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Tennessee 5 Box Score This game was tied at three through six innings, but the Smokies were able to get to reliever Ryan Eades in the seventh, pushing two across for the game’s final score. The Lookouts got multiple hit efforts from Alex Perez (2-for-5, R), Brent Rooker (2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, K), and Mitchell Kranson (2-for-4, 2B, RBI). Rooker’s double in the third inning was of the two-RBIs variety and he has nine RBIs in his last ten games along with four homers as he continues coming on in AA. As a team Chattanooga was 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Omar Bencomo gets credit for a quality start, as he finished the first six innings and allowed three runs. Those came on nine hits and two walks and he struck out three along the way. Eades finished the game with a scoreless eighth, getting the next three hitters out including a pair of K’s after a leadoff double. He allowed four hits total and struck out three. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Charlotte 1 Box Score The Miracle faced off against the Tampa Bay Rays ace on Tuesday night, with Chris Archer taking the hill in his first rehab start since going on the major league disabled list in early June. He held Fort Myers hitless through his four innings, walking only Luis Arreaz in the first while striking out seven. Fortunately for the good guys, Clark Beeker matched him in the run allowed column for those same innings. He allowed only an unearned run in 5 1/3 innings after an error in the fifth, and allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out one. Alex Robinson threw two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing a hit and walk with three strikeouts. Tom Hackimer got their final two outs, striking out both hitters he faced. Alex Kirilloff finally got a hit for Fort Myers in the seventh inning on a bloop single to center, but also got caught attempting to steal second. Caleb Hamilton added a single in the eighth and that was all the offense could muster. With the score still 1-0 in the top of the ninth, they went down one-two-three to fall to 35-45 on the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 0 Box Score Cedar Rapids got a fantastic start from right-hander Randy Dobnak and used a three-run second inning to take control of the game in a shutout of Wisconsin. Dobnak went 7 2/3 innings to improve his record to 6-2 on the season. He allowed six hits (five singles), walked none, and struck out seven. Thanks to some help from his defense and Timber Rattlers base running, he had only faced the minimum through 17 hitters. At 90 pitches (66 for strikes) and after allowing a two-out single in the eighth, Jovani Moran came up for the final out of the inning and would also finish the game. Twins Daily’s MiLB Relief Pitcher of the Month for June started off his July by striking out all four hitters he faced. In their three-run second inning, the Kernels got singles from Robby Rinn and Trey Cabbage, as well as doubles from Andrew Bechtold and Jordan Gore. Bechtold’s drove in one runner while Gore’s drove in two. They added an insurance run in the seventh on a sac fly from Jose Miranda. Royce Lewis (2-for-5, 2B), Rinn (3-for-4, R, 2 2B, K), and Gore (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB) collected multiple hits for Cedar Rapids. E-TWINS E-NOTES Game 1: Elizabethton 4, Princeton 5 (7 innings) Box Score In game one of their doubleheader, the E-Twins squandered an early 3-1 lead and fell to Princeton 5-4 in seven innings. DaShawn Keirsey drew a walk to lead off the game and would score the game’s first run on a Ryan Jeffers single later for a 1-0 lead. They extended that to 3-1 after two thanks to a two-run from Colton Burns. Starter Kyle Funderbunk went the first 2 1/3 innings for Elizabethton, where he allowed one earned run on two hits and three walks while striking out two. Seth Pinkerton went the next 1 1/3 and was on the mound to start the fifth, but two home runs and a walk put the Twins behind 4-3 before he could record another out. Johan Quezada finished the final two innings, allowing the go-ahead run in the sixth after a double and two pitches that got by the catcher. In the top of the sixth Elizabethton tied the game at four on an RBI groundout from Alex Robles, but they would strand a runner on third via a double-play ball and couldn’t push a run across in the seventh. Trevor Casanova reached base every time he came up, finishing 2-for-2 with a double, run scored, and a walk. Game 2: Elizabethton 10, Princeton 6 (7 innings) Box Score In game two Elizabethton found themselves down 6-2 heading into the shortened game's final inning but would capitalize on pitching and defensive miscues galore to storm back and take this one in the seven innings. Pedro Garcia got the start for the Twins and went just two innings. He allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out three. Moises Gomez got them through the fifth, allowing one run on two hits along with picking up two K’s. Assigned after inking his pro contract, Zach Neff picked up the win with two scoreless frames to finish the game. He waked one and struck out two. In the top of the seventh, fourteen hitters stepped into the batter’s box for Elizabethton, and only one player produced any hits (two singles), but they still put up eight runs thanks to an epic collapse from the Rays defense and bullpen. Two walks led off the frame before DaShawn Keirsey singled to load the bases. The arm that came out of the Rays bullpen next had this sequence in your scorebook (bear with me, it’s ridiculous): HBP (RBI) SF-9, RBI, (1 out) WP-BB/PB (unearned run) K (2 out) K/WP/E-3 (unearned run) E-5 (unearned run) E-3/BB BB Since that’s hard to decipher but still doesn’t tell the whole story, here’s how bad that sequence was in words: Hit-by-pitch, RBI sac fly, wild pitch to advance a runner before the at-bat ended in a passed ball for ball four that allowed a run to score, strikeout, strikeout on a wild pitch combined with a missed catch error on the throw to the first baseman (would have been third out), error on ground ball to third, dropped ball error in foul territory on first baseman that ended as another walk, walk. Needless to say it was over after that, but after a new pitcher was sacrificed, Keirsey delivered his second hit of the inning that brought in two more. Unfortunately, they weren’t RBI’s, as this single was of the infield variety and included another error on the shortstop. Neff ended the Rays suffering with a double-play ball and strikeout in the bottom half of the seventh. The Twins had just five hits as a team, with Keirsey picking up three of them total (3-for-5, R, RBI). Ariel Montesino and Albee Weiss added doubles. Andrew Cosgrove drew three walks. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Orioles 0, GCL Twins 4 Box Score The Twins got some fantastic pitching throughout their staff on Tuesday, as four pitchers combined on a shutout, allowing just two hits and striking out eight. Andriu Marin picked up his second win in three starts by going the first five innings. He allowed only one hit and struck out five. Tanner Howell got the next two innings, allowing the other hit and striking out one. Petru Balan and Frandy Torres each pitched scoreless innings to close out the game. They each struck out one, with Balan giving up a walk and Torres having a runner reach on an error. On offense, the Twins racked up ten hits as a team led by Yeltsin Encarnacion who finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a solo home run to lead off the game. Gabe Snyder had two hits in four trips and Augustin Marte drove in two with a single in the fifth. The Twins improve to 8-5 in Gulf Coast League play, tied for first in the South Division. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Randy Dobnak, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 7.2 IP, 6 H, 7 K) GS: 81 Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Yeltsin Encarnacion, GCL Twins (3-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-5, 2B (21) 2. Fernando Romero (Rochester) – (W, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 8 K) 3. Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 0-for-5, K 4. Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – Did not pitch. 5. Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 1-for-3 6. Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – Out for season with injury. 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 2-for-4, 2 2B (20), 2 RBI, K 8. Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch. 9. Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch. 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, 2B (14), BB, 2 K 11. Zack Littell (Rochester) – Did not pitch. 12. Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 0-for-3 14. LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 1-for-4, 2 K 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – Did not play. 16. Ben Rortvedt (Fort Myers) – Did not play. 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, 2 K 18. Yunior Severino (Elizabethton Twins) – 0-for-3, RBI, K 19. Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 20. Felix Jorge (Rochester) – Did not pitch. WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves (5-3, 4.30 ERA) Chattanooga @ Birmingham (5:15PM CST) – TBD Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (3-4, 3.15 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (5:05PM CST) – RHP Edwar Colina (3-2, 3.24 ERA) Kingsport @ Elizabethton (6:00PM CST) – RHP Tyler Palm (1-1, 11.57 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (9:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

Down big after four innings, the Minnesota Twins fought back to make the game interesting in the ninth but would come up 180 feet away from tying the game. If you gave up on the game early, you did miss some fun! While in Chicago, the Twins combined to go 1-5 against the Windy City tandem and largely it was pitching to blame instead of the offense. They scored 32-runs in the six games (5.33/game) but will have to head north along the Lake Michigan shoreline to try to salvage, against the Milwaukee Brewers, something out of their nine-game road trip .Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Current record: Lance Lynn: 8 Game Score, 1.2 IP, 7 ER, 1 K, 3 BB, 53.2% strikes Bullpen: 6.1IP, 4 ER, 6 K, 3 BB Lineup: 5-for-13 w/RISP, 11 LOB Top three per WPA: Garver .100, Cave .090, Dozier .080 Download attachment: game chart.png The Twins got the scoring started in the top of the second inning, as Jake Cave hit a monster blast to center field for a 1-0 lead: Cave would finish the game 3-for5 with two RBI, adding an RBI double and a single later in the game. In the bottom of the second however, Lance Lynn was chased after giving up two more walks, five hits, and six runs. The biggest of those hits was a three-run home run to opposing starter Jon Lester: An inherited runner would be added on to Lynn’s line in the eight-run inning, and his 1 2/3 innings pitched was the first time he hadn’t gone at least five innings in his last eight turns. With the scoreboard reading 9-1 after four frames, the Twins did not go away. Mitch Garver added an RBI single to Cave’s RBI double in the fifth. Brian Dozier clubbed his twelfth home run of the season in the top of sixth, a two-run shot to make it 10-5. It still wasn’t looking good with two outs in the top of the eighth inning and the score 11-5, but that’s when things got weird in a good way. Eduardo Escobar hit his major league leading 34th double, Dozier drew a walk, and Logan Morrison drove in one to cut the lead to five. Astudillo then drove in two more with a triple, and Mitch Garver made it 11-10 with his third home run on the season before the Cubs summoned closer Brandon Morrow to escape the two-out rally: Minnesota got Eddie Rosario into scoring position in the ninth but were unable to bring him in and left Chicago being swept by the Cubs, who outscored them 35-25 in the series. The game marked the first time since 1930 the Cubs have scored ten or more runs in four consecutive games. Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: bullpen chart.jpg AL Central Standings CLE 45-37 MIN 35-45 (-8.5) DET 37-48 (-9) CWS 28-54 (-16.5) KC 25-57 (-19.5) Next Three Games Mon @ MIL, 7:10PM CST – RHP Kyle Gibson (2-6, 3.48 ERA) Tue @ MIL, 3:10PM CST – RHP Jake Odorizzi (3-5, 4.62 ERA) Wed @ MIL, 3:10PM CST – RHP Jose Berrios (8-6, 3.52 ERA) Last Three Games CHC 14, MIN 9: It’s Not the Heat, It’s … Actually, It Is the Heat This Time CHC 10, MIN 6: Hey, Remember Joe Mauer? MIN 2, CWS 1: Walking Away With a Win More From Twins Daily Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher Of The Month – June 2018 Twins Minor League Report (6/30): Grand Night for Cedar Rapids Revisiting Molitor vs. Lovullo Click here to view the article

Since May 18th, a span of six starts, no opposing team had scored more than three earned runs off Kyle Gibson, and five of those games were of the quality start variety. That changed on the south side of Chicago on Wednesday as the White Sox racked up eleven hits and a 5-0 lead when his night was done.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Kyle Gibson: 44 Game Score, 7 IP, 5 ER, 7 K, 1 BB, 63.7% strikes Bullpen: 1 IP, ER, 2 K Lineup: 2-for-6 w/RISP, 8 LOB Bottom three per WPA: Gibson -.170, Wilson -.140, Kepler/Mauer -.070 Download attachment: chart (1).jpg Gibson did end up finishing seven innings and struck out seven, but whenever Chicago needed a big hit, they seemed to get it. Among the twelve baserunners he surrendered, only five were left on base and the White Sox were 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position against him. On the mound opposite him for the Sox was James Shields, and he looked like the younger version of himself against a hapless Twins lineup. He got thirteen outs on ground balls, struck out five, and had three one-two-three innings among his seven frames. In the sixth inning, it was a “what the heck just happened?!” moment when it comes to umpires, and the Twins were on the wrong side of it. Third base coach Gene Glynn was mysteriously ejected (nice video, by the way, MLB…) after a Brian Dozier single put Eddie Rosario 90 feet away from home. A balk was then called that should have given Minnesota a run, but the White Sox protested and somehow that call was reversed. Paul Molitor then came out to object to that decision and also got tossed… The weirdest part in all of that, is just like strikes, arguing a balk is not supposed to be allowed: Not that it mattered much other than it would have kept the Twins from being shut out to that point, but I can’t wait to hear any explanations from Major League Baseball. Download attachment: shrug emoji.png Out of the bullpen, Ryan Pressly gave up a home run to Avisail Garcia in the eighth inning and his ERA on the season has now increased by two full runs in the month of June to 4.14. The only star of the game on offense for Minnesota was Ehire Adrianza, who went 4-for-4 with his 14th double, and finally got the Twins on the board officially in the top of ninth with an RBI single. Go back at ‘em tomorrow, fellas…? Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: bullpen chart.png AL Central Standings CLE 43-35 MIN 34-42 (-8) DET 36-45 (-8.5) CWS 28-51 (-15.5) KC 25-55 (-19) Next Three Games Thu @ CWS, 1:10PM CST – RHP Jake Odorizzi (3-5, 4.97 ERA) Fri @ CHC, 4:05PM CST – RHP Jose Berrios (8-5, 3.15 ERA) Sat @ CHC, 1:20PM CST – LHP Adalberto Mejia (0-0, -.--ERA) Last Three Games CWS 8, MIN 4: South Side Slip MIN 2, TEX 0: La MaKKKKKKKKKKKKina TEX 9, MIN 6: Odorizzi Lays an Egg More From Twins Daily The Rise and Fall of Miguel Sano Twins Daily Roundtable: Sell, Sell, Sell? Twins Minor League Report (6/27): Moves Making Waves on the Farm Click here to view the article

Colina was pretty good yesterday too, and I did consider him for pitcher of the day. When I consider starters close, I try to use Game Score to determine if I missed anything in their performance to set them apart. Colina and Thorpe were basically equal, so I take the guy who limited contact and had more to do with his performance by what he can control, and that's Thorpe with the 7 K's (e.g.: his FIP would be better).

There was plenty of action in the system on Tuesday even with Elizabethton’s doubleheader getting rained out. A left-handed starter delivered another strong performance as he makes his way back into the prospect picture, a grand slam powered the Kernels to victory, and there were couple walk-offs games.To find out how all your favorite prospects fared on Tuesday night, read on and be sure to add to the discussion in the comments! TRANSACTIONS Before we get to the games, there were a few transactions in the system on Tuesday: -Jake Cave was recalled by the Minnesota Twins and started in RF in their game. -Fort Myers activated RHP Adam Bray from the 7-day disabled list (and would debut tonight) and released RHP Logan Lombana. -After getting his stateside career started with a bang, C Yeremi De La Cruz was placed on the 60-day disabled list for the GCL Twins, effectively ending his 2018 season. -LHP J.T. Perez was assigned to the GCL Twins and pitched on Tuesday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Syracuse 4 (10 innings) Box Score The Red Wings came out on the wrong side of an extra-inning affair on Tuesday, falling to the Chiefs 4-3 in the tenth inning. Rochester took the lead early, scratching two runs across after loading the bases with no outs thanks to a double-play ball with the defense back and an RBI single from Chris Carter. Starter Zack Littell kept it close for nearly seven innings, exiting after striking out the first two hitters of the seventh as he reached a pitch count threshold (100 pitches, 64 for strikes). He allowed two runs on nine hits and one walk, along with picking up four strikeouts and was in line for the win when he came out. Tyler Duffey got the final out of the seventh and retired the first two hitters in the eighth before he ran into trouble. A walk and consecutive singles tied the game at three and charged Duffey with his second blown save of the year. Jake Reed was summoned and got out of the eighth before also adding a scoreless ninth. Reed gave up one hit, walked two (one intentional), and struck out two. After the Red Wings went one-two-three in the top of the tenth, Luke Bard came on for the bottom half. He struck out the first batter of the inning, but with a runner starting on second base the double to the next hitter meant the end of the game. In the loss the offense got two hits from Zack Granite, Nick Gordon, and Carter who added a solo home run in the sixth. As the DH Kennys Vargas went 1-for-2 with three walks. LaMonte Wade finished 1-for-4 with a walk. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Biloxi 4, Chattanooga 5 Box Score The Lookouts bullpen gave up a three-run lead in the ninth inning, but unlike their triple-A cohorts managed to walk it off in the bottom half to put them back above .500. Lewis Thorpe took the mound for Chattanooga and was again strong. In 5 2/3 innings he allowed one run on four hits while racking up seven strikeouts. He was removed in the sixth after loading the bases with his only walk and two outs. In his two starts in the second half of the Southern League season, Thorpe has allowed just one run on five hits and two walks in 12 2/3 innings and has struck out 19. Coming off surgery and other ailments, Thorpe appears to be rounding back into the form I saw when I had the chance to interview him with Cedar Rapids. In the month of April his WHIP was 1.61 and opposing batters hit .349 off him. In may his WHIP didn’t improve (1.62), but opponents hit .277. Now in June he’s improved his WHIP to 1.09 and that batting average against is just .229. That includes a disastrous game on June 9th where he allowed 9 earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. Chattanooga struck first in third inning, as a Jimmy Kerrigan double brought in Alex Perez who had singled a batter before him. They took the lead back 3-1 in the sixth on an RBI single from Mitchell Kranson and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch from Ryan Walker. Walker added a needed insurance run with a bases-loaded groundout in the eighth that made it 4-1. In relief of Thorpe, Andrew Vasquez mowed the Shuckers down for 2 1/3 innings. He retired every batter he faced, including sending five of them on walks of shame back to the dugout. Todd Van Steensel was summoned for the save opportunity in the ninth and got two quick outs, but then the wheels fell off. Two walks and three consecutive RBI singles tied the game before the Lookouts could get another arm warmed up. That was Paco Rodriguez and with the go-ahead run on third base he was able to coax a groundout to bring up the home team. A one out single from Perez put the winning run on base, and a deep fly to center got him into scoring position. The Shuckers chose to intentionally walk Brent Rooker to bring up Chris Paul, and he delivered with a single to left field. The Chattanooga offense got multiple hits from Perez (2-for-5, 2 R, K), Kerrigan (2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI, K), Paul (3-for-5, 2 R, GW-RBI), and Kranson (2-for-4, RBI) while no other batter picked up a hit. Jaylin Davis walked three times, and Walker drove in two. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Tampa 10 Box Score Tyler Watson took the mound for the Miracle on Tuesday and got nickel and dimed by the Tarpons offense. He was finished after just three innings and sixty pitches as they took a 3-1 lead. Watson surrendered three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks in those innings. He struck out four. An error on Lewin Diaz in the first led to the first run of the game, then a walk, passed ball, bunt single, wild pitch, and another single led to two runs in the third. Brady Anderson came out of the bullpen in the fourth, but before he got out of the inning three more runs were on the board for Tampa and they took a 6-2 lead. Anderson allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out two. Adam Bray managed to put a goose egg up in one of his two innings, but also gave up five hits and walked one while striking out two. Colton Davis finished the game for the Miracle, allowing three runs on three hits and a walk in his two innings. He struck out three. Fort Myers got multi-hit and multi-walk efforts from MLB-ers Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano, and Diaz and Taylor Grzelakowski each collected two hits themselves, but as a team they finished 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left twelve men on base. Polanco clubbed a home run in the third inning to put the Miracle on the board, and Grzelakowski added a double for their only extra base hits on the game. Alex Kiriloff went hitless in five at-bats, striking out three times. KERNELS NUGGETS Beloit 0, Cedar Rapids 6 Box Score The Kernels popped for four runs in the bottom of the first inning thanks to the bat of Jose Miranda, and that would be more than enough behind the arms of starter Edwar Colina and MWL All-Star Jared Finkel. Batting cleanup, Miranda stepped into the box with the bases loaded in the first and delivered a grand slam, his seventh home run of the season, to put Cedar Rapids out front 4-0. They would add two more runs in the fourth on a Royce Lewis two-RBI single to account for all of their scoring. Colina went the first six innings, holding the Snappers to just three hits and one walk. He struck out two and had three one-two-three innings. Finkel finished the game with three scoreless frames to pick up his second save. He allowed just one hit on the game. Akil Baddoo would finish 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two walks. Jacob Pearson scored two runs and drew a walk in addition to going 1-for-3. Lewis went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. E-TWINS E-NOTES Game 1: Johnson City 9, Elizabethton 2 (6 innings, rain) Box Score Game 2: Postponed by Rain (no makeup date announced) Elizabethton was scheduled for a double-header due to their postponement yesterday, but rains continued to play a part on Tuesday. They were able to get just one game in, and even it was shortened due to the weather. It was probably an act of mercy for the Twins however, as they got rocked by their in-state rivals from the words “play ball.” Twins starter Pedro Garcia failed to record an out, and before he was lifted five runs had already crossed home plate. Another inherited runner would score to affect Garcia’s line along with another for an early 7-0 lead for the Cardinals. Christian Broussard ended up pitching the games first four official innings worth of outs, and he allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four. Juan Gamez allowed one run on two hits and a walk in his 1 2/3 innings before the rains cut the game short. He also struck out four. The Elizabethton offense scored their two runs in the third inning thanks to a two-run triple off the bat of Lean Marrero. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Rays 6, GCL Twins 2 Box Score In this one, both squads managed only six hits and committed five errors on defense, but the Rays were the only ones able to take advantage thanks in part to five walks and other miscues from Twins starter Tyler Benninghoff. In the top of the first a leadoff single was followed by a throwing error on a pickoff attempt and then three additional walks, two hit batters, and two wild pitches led to three runs for the Rays. Benninghoff settled down a little from there, finishing 3 1/3 innings without allowing another run. He gave up two hits and struck out two. The Twins scored single runs in each of the sixth and ninth innings. In the sixth it was a single to short that also included a throwing error on once upon a time Minnesota signee Jelfrey Marte, that allowed a run to score. In the ninth, a throwing error on a steal attempt put a runner on third and a groundout brought him in. Aaron Whitefield led the offense with two hits in three at-bats and also drew a walk. Gabe Snyder and Edgar Herrera picked up the RBIs. Out of the bullpen Dylan Stowell pitched 2 2/3 scoreless frames. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four. Thanks to four errors in the seventh inning, left-hander Erik Cha allowed three unearned runs on a hit and walk in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out one. J.T. Perez finished the game for the Twins with 1 1/3 scoreless. He gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out two. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Lewis Thorpe, Chattanooga Lookouts (5.2 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 7 K) Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Jose Miranda, Cedar Rapids Kernels (1-for-3, R, GS (7), 4 RBI) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, K 2. Fernando Romero (Rochester) – Did not pitch. 3. Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 2-for-5, R 4. Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – Did not pitch. 5. Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 0-for-5, 3 K 6. Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – Out for season with injury. 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 0-for-4, IBB, 2 K 8. Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch. 9. Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch. 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB, K 11. Zack Littell (Rochester) – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 9 H, BB, 4 K 12. Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) – 5.2 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 7 K 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 2-for-5, 2 K 14. LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 1-for-4, BB, K 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – (game in progress) 16. Ben Rortvedt (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, BB, 2 K 18. Yunior Severino (Elizabethton Twins) – 1-for-2 19. Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 20. Felix Jorge (Rochester) – Did not pitch. WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (5:35PM CST) – RHP Fernando Romero (0-1, 2.57 ERA) Chattanooga – Scheduled day off. Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30PM CST) – RHP Clark Beeker (2-5, 3.20 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (12:05PM CST) – RHP Randy Dobnak (5-2, 4.18 ERA) Elizabethton – Scheduled day off. GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

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I wouldn't go even close to Altuve, other than maybe you could say Arraez has potential for his hit tool to be comparable. Doesn't strike out much, puts the ball in play. I don't think he's a great defender, potential for average in the future. Only doubles power, probably below average runner. He'll likely always put up a nice average, but that might be it. Bat is one thing that can carry you if you have it, though! It was really unfortunate he tore his ACL last year!

It was a busy night in the system on Tuesday, as the short season leagues have kicked off and two affiliate’s leagues played their All-Star games. The Minnesota Twins farm teams went 4-0 on the night, and a little-known player out of the Dominican Republic had an incredible game in the Gulf Coast League.To find out how Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, and the rest of the organization’s All-Stars and prospects fared on Tuesday night, keep reading and be sure to add to the discussion in the comments! TRANSACTIONS There were a couple of transactions leading into the action on Tuesday: -Felix Jorge was sent on a rehab assignment in the GCL from Chattanooga and started the game for the GCL Twins. -Leonardo Reginatto was activated from the disabled list for the Red Wings. -Byron Buxton began his rehab assignment with Rochester. -Pitcher Josh Winder was assigned to the Elizabethton roster. RED WINGS REPORT Syracuse 3, Rochester 4 Box Score The Red Wings used a big third inning and a strong bullpen performance on Tuesday to pull out a victory despite being outhit 10-to-6. In that third inning Jake Cave got the scoring started with a two-RBI double, and later in the inning RBI singles from Willians Astudillo and Cameron Rupp put them out front for good at 4-2. Nick Gordon and Kennys Vargas added doubles to the effort, and LaMonte Wade drew two walks to keep his Triple A on-base-percentage above .400 despite hitting just .219 thus far after his promotion. In 11 games he now has 10 walks compared to just four strikeouts. Left-hander Dietrich Enns made the start and finished five innings to pick up his fifth win. He allowed three runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out two. The bullpen went to work from there, as D.J. Baxendale, Luke Bard, and John Curtiss combined for four innings of scoreless ball to close the game. Baxendale went two innings, allowing two hits and striking out four. Bard allowed two hits in the eighth but no runs, striking out one. Curtiss slammed the door with a one-two-three ninth, striking out two. Baxendale and Bard each picked up holds, while Curtiss notched his fifth save. Byron Buxton batted leadoff and went 0-4 with two strikeouts in his first rehab game as the DH. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Southern League All-Star Game: South 9, North 5 Box Score With selections LaMonte Wade promoted to Rochester and Zander Wiel and Randy LeBlanc on the disabled list, the Lookouts were represented on the North squad by pitchers Omar Bencomo, Ryne Harper, Williams Ramirez, and Todd Van Steensel in the Southern League All-Star Game Tuesday Night in Birmingham, Alabama. It was all them for the first six innings, as the North jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first and their pitchers held the South hitless. Bencomo got the fourth and delivered a one-two-three frame, striking out one. Harper got the sixth and did the same, setting all three hitters down in order. Unfortunately, it was Ramirez who lost the no-hitter in the seventh when he gave up a leadoff single, and that was followed by a home run to tie the game at two. He got the next two hitters out before being lifted. The teams traded blows in the eighth, each putting three runs on the board to head to the ninth tied at five. The North handed the ball to Van Steensel and his excellent 1.75 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in the first half. He was promptly greeted by a solo home run to put the South out front. Like Ramirez, he got the next two outs before he was replaced. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 8, Palm Beach 7 Box Score Fort Myers fell behind 5-0 after the top of half of the third inning as starting pitcher Tyler Watson was knocked around by the Tarpons lineup. In 3 1/3 total innings, Watson surrendered seven runs on eleven hits. He struck out two. Ryan Mason was able to settle it down, as he would finish the next 3 2/3 innings. He allowed no runs on five hits while striking out three. He was able to pick up the win as the Miracle offense woke up in the bottom of the third and scratched a couple more across while he was on the mound. The lineup stormed back with six runs in that third inning to take the lead 6-5. Travis Blankenhorn got the scoring started with a 2-RBI double and later score on a wild pitch. After a series of walks, Caleb Hamilton delivered a bases-clearing triple to put Fort Myers out front. Watson gave that lead back in the top of the fourth, but an RBI single from Jaylin Davis in the bottom half knotted it back up. With the game still tied in the sixth, Travis Blankenhorn led off with a single and then stole second base, his fifth of the year, to put himself in scoring position. Lewin Diaz drove him in with a one-out single and that was enough for the Miracle. Logan Lombana struck out two in a scoreless eighth, working around a leadoff single. Tom Hackimer picked up his second save of the season with a scoreless ninth. He hit one batter and struck out one. KERNELS NUGGETS Midwest League All-Star Game: West 2, East 3 (10 innings) Box Score Like their double-A big brothers, the Midwest League also played their All-Star game, this one in Lansing, Michigan on Tuesday night. The Kernels were well represented, with top prospects Royce Lewis starting at shortstop and batting leadoff and Alex Kirilloff batting third and starting in right field. Lewis led off the game with a single and promptly stole second base but ended up stranded. In his second at-bat he would fly out to right field and then was replaced heading into the bottom of the fifth. Kirilloff played the whole game, getting four at-bats, and actually ended up pushing the exhibition to extra innings with an RBI single in the top of the eighth to tie the game at two. Cedar Rapids pitcher Jared Finkel was handed the fourth inning and pitched a scoreless frame. He allowed two singles and struck out one. Brusdar Graterol was on the roster, but according to Jeff Johnson of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, did not make the trip so he could rest his arm: "> Earlier in the day, Kirilloff participated in the Home Run Derby, but his 12 home runs fell one shy of making it into the final cut (notice the fence-spanning sign for him

On the mound for the Twins on Wednesday night, was phenom Jose Berrios. Heading into the game he got quite the compliment from a Hall of Fame pitcher. Berrios did his best to live up to that comparison, also reminding Tiger’s manager Ron Gardenhire of a Twins Hall of Famer he used to coach all night. Unfortunately, something may not be right with Addison Reed. He would be charged with his fourth blown save in his last seven appearances, making Berrios’ best effort at an impersonation all for naught.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Current record: 29-35 Jose Berrios: 58 Game Score, 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 7, 1 BB, 71.7% strikes Bullpen: 2.0 IP, 3 ER (4 R), 1 K, 0 BB Lineup: 1-for-4 w/RISP, 6 LOB Top three per WPA: Berrios .304, Pressly .112, Escobar .108 Download attachment: WP chart.png The Twins jumped on Tigers starter Matthew Boyd in the first inning, with Brian Dozier getting hit by a pitch to lead off the game in front of a double from Eddie Rosario and a two-RBI single from the still scorching Eduardo Escobar. #OldFriend Niko Goodrum got to Berrios in the second with a solo shot (his sixth of the year) to close the gap to 2-1, but that would be it for Ron Gardenhire’s squad against him. After that blast, Berrios buckled down and picked up six of his seven K’s, several to escape scoring chances as the Tigers went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position against him. After a one-two-three seventh inning from Ryan Pressly, Twins fans were treated to the Addison Reed Experience. Again. Five singles and an ugly throwing error from Robbie Grossman led to four runs in the eighth inning and it was all over. Reed has now allowed a run in five of his last seven appearances, raising his ERA over a full run from 2.60 to 3.78 over that time frame. The offense again held much of the blame in this one, as they managed just two more hits on the game after putting up a crooked number in the first. At least we were able to watch Berrios out-maneuver the Tigers for six innings in ace fashion. Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: bullpen usage chart.png AL Central Standings CLE 35-30 DET 32-37 (-5) MIN 29-35 (-5.5) CHW 23-42 (-12) KC 22-46 (-14) Next Three Games Thu @ DET, 12:10PM CST – RHP Lancy Lynn (4-4, 5.08 ERA) Fri @ CLE, 6:10PM CST – RHP Kyle Gibson (1-4, 3.45 ERA) Sat @ CLE, 3:10PM CST – RHP Fernando Romero (3-2, 3.92 ERA) Last Three Games MIN 6, DET 4: More Grand Slams, Please MIN 7, LAA 5: Jake Cave Sparks a Fire LAA 2, MIN 1: Is This a Rerun? More From Twins Daily Twins Daily Roundtable: Romero’s Innings Twins Sign Belisle: What Does This Mean? Twins Minor League Report (6/13): Lookouts Pace the Action Click here to view the article