Steve Lein

Thank you for saying so! I like to try to throw in something other than just recapping whenever I can!

There was plenty of action in the system on Tuesday as the Red Wings made up an earlier postponement with a doubleheader, along with all other affiliates being in action. The games included a couple of shutouts in favor of the good guys but one, we’ll call it an “occurrence,” stood out to me as I went through the game log for a starting pitcher in one of those, one who happened to allow ten hits in a near complete game effort. I’d guess not a single game in the majors has had this happen this year, and who knows how many other seasons before that. I challenge someone to find out for me, and in turn, inform the rest of our readers because I think it’s going to be that rare.You’re going to have to keep reading to find out exactly what I’m referring to, but be sure to add to the discussion in the comments when you find out! TRANSACTIONS There were a couple of transactions in the system on Tuesday: -The Rochester Red Wings received Joe Mauer on a rehab assignment, and he played in both games of their doubleheader. -In AA, the Chattanooga Lookouts placed Zander Wiel on the 7-day disabled list, retroactive to June 10th, with SI joint dysfunction (likely means lower back pain). RED WINGS REPORT Game 1: Rochester 2, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 5 Box Score In game one of the Red Wings doubleheader on Tuesday, right-hander Aaron Slegers took the mound and delivered a (shortened) complete game effort, but was also saddled with the loss. Slegers surrendered five runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks in six innings. The damage came on a three-run home run in the bottom of the first (after an error making those runs the unearned ones), and solo shots in each of the third and fourth innings. He struck out four on the day. On offense Rochester wasn’t able to string together enough hits of their own to keep up, as newcomers Cameron Rupp and Taylor Motter hit their first home runs in the organization in back-to-back fashion in the fourth to account for their only runs. Nick Gordon finished 2-for-3 on the game and as a team they had only two at-bats with runners in scoring position and left only four men on base. Joe Mauer batted first in the lineup as the DH in this one to kick off his rehab assignment and finished 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Game 2: Rochester 0, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 2 Box Score In the makeup of their May 12th postponement, Rochester trotted out the bullpen to handle game two. Gabriel Moya got the starting nod and went the first three innings. He allowed just two hits and struck out four, lowering his ERA on the season at Triple A to 1.85. It was then Tyler Duffey’s turn, and he went the next two innings, allowing two hits and striking out one to put his ERA at 1.29. John Curtiss was up next, and while he started the day with an ERA also below two at 1.61, he would not finish it that way. After a double and single to start the sixth, a triple brought in two and put the RailRiders out front. Curtiss buckled down and got a fly out and two K’s to end the inning and it would be up to the Red Wings lineup in the top of the seventh. Unfortunately, Kennys Vargas led off the inning with a strikeout, then Willians Astudillo sent a fly ball into left field that he tried to stretch into a double but was thrown at second base. Down to their last out, a walk to Wynston Sawyer brought the tying run into the batter’s box, but a groundout ended the game. The lineup again failed to get anything going in this one as well, as they had just six baserunners all game. LaMonte Wade was 1-for-2 with a walk while Astudillo finished 2-for-3 in the book. Joe Mauer again was the DH out of the leadoff spot and again went 0-for-3. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Montgomery 2 Box Score In a bullpen game, the Lookouts got an overall solid pitching effort out of four of their relievers, but offense was hard to come by as they managed just three hits on the game, all singles. Mitchell Kranson, Alex Perez, and Tanner English each had one of those hits, with Perez picking up the only RBI to drive in James Ramsey, who had drawn a walk in the fourth inning. As a team Chattanooga was 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left only four men on base. Todd Van Steensel started the game for the Lookouts and went the first 2 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on three hits (a solo home run) and a walk while striking out two. Williams Ramirez was charged with the loss as he pitched the next two innings. He walked three and gave up one run along with picking up one K. Paco Rodriguez finished the next 1 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out three. Ryne Harper finished the game’s final two frames, retiring all six men he faced including one K. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 0 Box Score The Miracle took the lead 1-0 in the third inning when Jimmy Kerrigan, Travis Blankenhorn, and Jaylin Davis hit consecutive singles. It might have been more, but a double-steal attempt ended with Blankenhorn being thrown out at home. They stretched their lead to 3-0 in the seventh when a Luis Arreaz double brought in Ben Rortvedt and Brandon Lopez who had each singled to start the inning. Blankenhorn finished 3-for-4 but in addition to being caught at home, was also picked off first base. The Cardinals had all zeroes on the scoreboard to that point thanks to Fort Myers starter Clark Beeker. In total, he went 7 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and a walk, while striking out three. Until the eighth, he had allowed just three hits but three singles in the eighth ended his day with two outs. A runner was thrown out at home by Shane Carrier, on the third of those singles to keep Palm Beach off the board. Andrew Vasquez came on to escape the remaining eighth inning jam with a strikeout, then proceeded to strike out the side in the ninth to pick up his fifth save on the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Kane County 0 Box Score Kernels starter Randy Dobnak did his best Houdini impression in this one, scattering ten hits over eight innings to shut out the Cougars. Despite all those hits, Kane County managed only five at-bats with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Dobnak walked none and struck out two. Of his 99 pitches, 73 went for strikes as he was extremely efficient with his pitch count. His defense also played a big part as he struck out only two on the game, and no errors were committed on 30 batted balls. Cedar Rapids jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Dobnak ever took the mound, as the first three top prospects in the lineup, Akil Baddoo, Royce Lewis, and Alex Kirilloff; went for extra bases. Baddoo led off the game with his sixth home run, Lewis doubled, and Kirilloff traded places with him on a double of his own. They stretched the lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning thanks to an RBI single from Andrew Bechtold, and an RBI groundout from Trey Cabbage, then 6-0 after the eighth following doubles from Robby Rinn and Jacob Pearson (his second double of the game), and an error that allowed Pearson to score. In the ninth they tacked on another run after Baddoo led off the frame with a double and he scored on a single from Rinn. The Kernels got multiple hits from Baddoo, Lewis, Rinn (4-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI), Pearson (3-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, RBI), and Bechtold (2-for-4, RBI, HBP). Lewis also stole his 16th base. There were no walks in the game from either team, but Cedar Rapids got the best of the 26 total hits. That “occurrence” I was talking about in the lead? Well, try this on for size: Not a single batter for the Kane County lineup pushed an at-bat to a three-ball count over Dobnak’s eight innings. Add in Martinez, and not one Cougar hitter reached three balls on the game. I don’t think that type of thing happens ever these days but couldn’t quite confirm it myself. If I go so far as to add in Cedar Rapids hitters, there were just two three-ball counts on the entire game on Tuesday night. I would have expected it to have gone quicker than two hours and thirty-nine minutes with that considered. Anyway, for fun and trying to verify my gut feeling on the rarity of this in today’s game, I did discover that Boston Braves pitcher Red Barrett holds the record for fewest pitches in a complete game as he needed just 58 pitches in a 2-0 victory against the Cincinnati Reds in 1944. That game was also the shortest in MLB history to be played at night, clocking in at one hour and fifteen minutes. Those notes aren’t the resolution to my query, but you’ve now learned the answer to some very obscure sports trivia questions. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Randy Dobnak, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 8 IP, 0 R, 10 H, 2 K) Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Akil Baddoo, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 K) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-5, R, 2B (13), K, SB (16) 2. Fernando Romero (Minnesota) – Did not pitch. 3. Nick Gordon (Rochester) – (2 games) 2-for-6, K 4. Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – Did not pitch. 5. Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-5, 2B (18), RBI 6. Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – Out for season with injury. 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 0-for-4, 3 K 8. Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch. 9. Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch. 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B (7), HR (6), RBI, 2 K 11. Zack Littell (Rochester) – Did not pitch. 12. Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, 2B 14. LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – (2 games) 1-for-4, BB, HBP 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – 0-for-1, BB 16. Ben Rortvedt (Fort Myers) – 1-for-3, R, BB 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 3-for-4, CS, PO 18. Yunior Severino (Extended Spring Training) 19. Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 20. Felix Jorge (Rochester) – Disabled List, still no official timetable for return. WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (5:35PM CST) – LHP Dietrich Enns (4-6, 5.85 ERA) Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05PM CST) – LHP Lewis Thorpe (2-4, 4.95 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30PM CST) – RHP Griffin Jax (0-0, 4.76 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (11:00AM CST) – RHP Brusdar Graterol (2-1, 1.95 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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Well, I do believe May has an option left. I think the question is do you have a reliever on the staff you don't care about sending out to bring him back up? I'd rather only use that option sending him back down if he shows he's not ready, rather than keeping him in the minors until he is. It's the unfortunate part about having to come back from Tommy John as a major leaguer. Maybe you catch some lightning in a bottle, though.

With a double-header in the Midwest League and a full slate for all the other full season affiliates, there was a lot of action in the minors on Tuesday. While the offenses in the first four games of the day couldn’t pull out any victories for your favorite affiliates, game two of that double-header made up for it behind grand slams from not one, but two of the Twins top prospects.To find out about those big blasts and everything else that happened in the minors on Tuesday night, keep reading and add to the discussion in the comments! TRANSACTIONS AND NEWS After being named the Midwest Player of the Week on Monday, Alex Kirilloff took home some more paperware on Tuesday, when he was named the MWL Player of the Month. In 31 games in May, Kirilloff led the league in hits, RBI, total bases, and hit .360/.423/.640 (1.063 OPS). With their record at 33-25 and leading the Southern League North Division, the Lookouts had seven players selected as All-Stars. They include position players LaMonte Wade and Zander Wiel, along with pitchers Omar Bencomo, Ryne Harper, Randy LeBlanc, Williams Ramiriz, and Todd Van Steensel. As far as transactions go: -The Twins officially recalled starter Zack Littell, and he made his major league debut in game two of the Twins double-header versus the White Sox. Littell is the fourth player from my preseason list to make his Major League debut so far this season. -Rochester was the landing spot for catcher Cameron Rupp after he signed with the Twins yesterday. RED WINGS REPORT Indianapolis 5, Rochester 0 Box Score For the first five innings, Stephen Gonsalves was again on his game in this one. To that point, he had allowed just one earned run on two hits and two walks along with racking up four K’s. After recording outs with the first two hitters of the sixth however, a walk was followed by an RBI double and another walk to end his day. Trevor May came on in relief and allowed an RBI double to score an inherited runner. Gonsalves finished with 5 2/3 innings, with three earned runs allowed on three hits and for walks, with five strikeouts. May finished the sixth and the seventh and allowed one run of his own on four hits while striking out two. Luke Bard finished the game for the Red Wings, allowing one run on a walk and a hit in two innings. He struck out four. There wasn’t much offense from the Rochester lineup as they picked up just six hits on the game while going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight men on base. Nick Gordon was 3-for-4 and is now hitting .357 in AAA. Kennys Vargas picked up their only extra-base hit, his fourth double. Chris Carter drew two walks. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mobile 11, Chattanooga 5 Box Score Both teams racked up thirteen hits on the game, but the difference in this one was extra base runners, courtesy of seven walks for the BayBears compared to just one for the Lookouts. Mobile also collected five extra-base hits to just one for Chattanooga to account for the final score discrepancy. On the mound for the home team was Sean Poppen and he made it just 3 1/3 innings before the wheels fell completely off for him. He allowed eight earned runs on seven hits and three walks and struck out five. Ryan Eades got through the next six outs but allowed three runs on four hits and a walk himself. He struck out four. Paco Rodriguez and Zack Jones were finally able to stop the run parade, combining for 3 2/3 scoreless innings to finish the game. Rodriguez allowed two hits and walked two in two innings, while Jones walked one and struck out two in 1 2/3 innings. Chris Paul slugged his fourth home run of the season for Chattanooga in the sixth inning, but his two-run shot wasn’t nearly enough. Brent Rooker, Edgar Corcino, James Ramsey, Alex Perez, and Sean Miller all collected two singles. Ramsey scored two runs and LaMonte Wade singled and drew the Lookouts only walk on the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Palm Beach 6, Fort Myers 4 Box Score Fort Myers took a 1-0 lead after one when Travis Blankenhorn scored on a wild pitch after collecting his tenth double of the season, but in a bullpen game the reliever core was unable keep them in this one. Fresh off his promotion, Kevin Marnon made the start for the Miracle and went the first three innings. After a one-two-three first he allowed two runs on three hits in three total innings. He walked none and struck out two. Logan Lombana then came on and in two innings allowed three runs on five hits while striking out one. Next up was Hector Lujan and he struck out four in three innings, allowing one run on three hits. Alex Robinson finished the game with a scoreless inning but did load the bases on a double and two walks before recording the third out. They surrendered four home runs as a unit. The Fort Myers offense did climb as close as 5-3 after the sixth but got no closer than that. Despite their twelve hits as a team, they were just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Luis Arreaz (2-for-5, 2B), Blankenhorn (3-for-5, R, 2 2B, RBI), Jimmy Kerrigan (2-for-4, R, 2B, 3B), Taylor Grzelakowski (2-for-4, 2 R), and Mark Contreras (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) each had multiple hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 1: Beloit 5, Cedar Rapids 2 (7 innings) Box Score For the second time in his past three starts, right-hander Blayne Enlow made it through six innings. Unfortunately, only in two of those innings were goose eggs put up on the scoreboard. Single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings, along with two in the sixth meant Beloit took the lead and never relinquished it in game one of their double-header. All told, Enlow allowed the five earned runs on ten hits, including two home runs. He struck out two. Carlos Suniaga finished the game for the Kernels with a one-two-three inning. The Cedar Rapids batting order collected six hits and three walks. Robby Rinn and Ben Rodriguez each had doubles, while Jose Miranda clubbed his fourth home run of the season. Andrew Bechtold had the other RBI and stole his fourth base. Alex Kirilloff went 1-for-2 with a walk while Royce Lewis finished this one 0-for-4. Game 2: Beloit 3, Cedar Rapids 14 (7 innings) Box Score The Kernels bats exploded in game two on Tuesday, hanging crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. If this was a Town Ball game instead of a double-header, the seven innings played would have been because of the mercy rule. The barrage was led by their top prospects, Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff, as both prospects clubbed grand slams for the home town crowd. If you didn’t already know, today was Lewis’ 19th birthday, and his salami came in the fourth inning to make the score 7-2. Kirilloff’s followed in the fifth and came with two outs to make the score 12-2. Both grand slams were the first of their professional careers. With his 11th home run of the season, Kirilloff also now leads the Midwest League. Five Cedar Rapids hitters collected multiple hits on the game and included Lewis (2-for-4), Jean Carlos Arias (3-for-5), Robby Rinn (3-for-4), Trey Cabbage (3-for-4), and Andrew Bechtold (2-for-3). Those five also scored at least two runs apiece. Rinn added a two-run home run in the third inning, and Cabbage had two doubles. Pitching for the Kernels in this one was Melvi Acosta and he went the first four innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks. He struck out three. Jared Finkel finished the final three frames to pick up his third win, surrendering one run on four hits. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Rochester Red Wins (L, 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 5 K) Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Alex Kirilloff and Royce Lewis, Cedar Rapids Kernels (Grand Slam from each) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – (2 games) 2-for-8, 2 R, GS HR, 4 RBI, BB 2. Fernando Romero (Minnesota) – 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 4 K 3. Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 3-for-4 4. Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – (L, 4-2) 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 5 K 5. Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – (2 games) 2-for-7, R, GS HR, 4 RBI, BB 6. Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – Out for season with injury. 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 2-for-5 8. Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – (L, 0-2) 6 IP, 5 ER, 10 H, 0 BB, 2 K 9. Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) – Disabled List (hand contusion) 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, K 11. Zack Littell (Minnesota) – (L, 0-1 – MLB Debut) 3 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, K 12. Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4 14. LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) – 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – 1-for-5, 2 K (pinch hit in game 1, start in game 2) 16. Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-3, R, RBI, K 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 3-for-5, R, 2 2B, RBI, 2 K 18. Yunior Severino (Extended Spring Training) 19. Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 20. Felix Jorge (Rochester) – Disabled List, still no official timetable for return. WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (5-2, 3.27 ERA) Mobile @ Chattanooga (10:15AM CST) – LHP Anthony Marzi (0-3, 6.46 ERA) Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – TBD Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (12:05PM CST) – TBD Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (game 2) – RHP Tanner Kiest (0-0, 3.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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I would guess the plan for Leach all along was to have him in Elizabethton, with the possibility to end the year in Cedar Rapids if he dominates Appalachian League hitters. He was never the type I envisioned as a fast mover in the low levels, he just hasn't pitched enough as a professional or amateur.

I really hope he gets a look. In my opinion he's been the best overall performing reliever in the system the last few years. Just keeps impressing. I had him on my list of players who could make their MLB debut this year. (http://twinsdaily.com/blog/15/entry-9383-the-next-minnesota-twins-2018/)

All four of the Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates were in action on Tuesday night, and they went a perfect 4-0. Four home runs powered the Miracle lineup with Ervin Santana rehabbing, the lineup and bullpen picked up starter Stephen Gonsalves for the Red Wings, Lewis Thorpe pitched arguably his best game of the season for the Lookouts, and behind their stars the Kernels clawed back for a victory.To find out exactly how each of the affiliates pulled out their wins, read on and be sure to add to the discussion in the comments! TRANSACTIONS Before the games on Tuesday, there were several moves in the system: Recent waiver claim and utility man Taylor Motter was assigned to Triple-A.SP Myles Jaye was traded to Cleveland for cash considerations and assigned to the Indians Triple-A team.Chattanooga activated SP Kohl Stewart from the temporary inactive list.OF Shane Carrier was assigned to Fort Myers from Cedar Rapids.Ervin Santana officially sent on rehab assignment to the Miracle.OF Jared Foster was released from Fort Myers.1B Robby Rinn was assigned to Cedar Rapids from Elizabethton’s roster.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 11, Durham 8 Box Score The Red Wings went up 1-0 after the top of the first thanks to an RBI single from Kennys Vargas to score Willians Astudillo, but it went downhill quickly from there. Starting Pitcher Stephen Gonsalves was roughed up by the Durham lineup in the bottom half, including a leadoff home run for the Tampa Bay Rays affiliate. Three walks and two more hits, including a bases clearing double ended the lefty’s night after recording just two outs. All told, Gonsalves gave up five runs. Of his 38 pitches, just 18 went for strikes and his ERA rose to 4.00. Luckily for Gonsalves, he wouldn’t end up on the hook for a loss as his Rochester teammates did their best to pick him up. A three-run third inning, two-run fourth, and another in the fifth put them up 7-5. Gabriel Moya pitched three innings of shutout relief, getting them into the fourth. He allowed two hits and struck out two. Jake Reed went the next 2 1/3 innings, but did allow single runs in the fifth and sixth for a 7-7 tie. Nick Anderson was summoned for the seventh frame, and went one-two-three, striking out two. He did the same in the eighth and back out for the ninth a leadoff walk led to an unearned run. Anderson got the win with his three innings, giving up just one walk and striking out four. His ERA is a 1.16 for the season. The Red Wings tacked on four more runs in the eighth for their final tally. They sent 10 men to the plate in the inning and got six singles, a fielding error, and a sac fly to account for those runs. Astudillo and Chris Carter each picked up three hits on the night. Kennys Vargas hit a three-run home run and had four RBIs. Jake Cave (solo) and Taylor Featherston (two-run) added home runs. As a team they racked up fifteen hits and were 9-for-16 with runners in scoring position. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Birmingham 0 Box Score For the first five innings of this one, the Lookouts had a good old-fashioned pitching duel with the Barons. On the bump for Chattanooga was lefty Lewis Thorpe, while Birmingham sent out #OldFriend Matt Tomshaw. Thorpe would complete five innings, allowing just three hits and two walks, while striking out eight. Tomshaw went seven innings, allowing one run (unearned) on five hits and a walk and struck out four. The Lookouts got their run in the seventh inning, as an error on Tomshaw on a bunt from Edgar Corcino got him all the way to third, and a Ryan Walker single brought him in. Todd Van Steensel and Ryne Harper combined for four shutout and hitless innings. They each struck out three in two innings apiece. Van Steensel recorded his fifth win and Harper his fifth save. Corcino finished 2-for-4. Sean Miller added his first double and Chris Paul drew two walks in the win. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 8, Clearwater 1 Box Score The rehabbing Ervin Santana was on the mound for the Miracle and looked much better from a stat line perspective than his first outing with Chattanooga. He hit his pitch count after one batter in the fourth and finished with 3 1/3 innings pitched. He allowed one run on two hits (triple and double in the first), walked one, and struck out three. According to the Fort Myers twitter account, Santana’s velocity still wasn’t quite there, but the results were certainly more encouraging: From there it was the Fort Myers lineup that shined. They racked up eight runs on nine hits, including home runs from Jimmy Kerrigan (to lead off the game), Shane Carrier (two run shot to cap a five run third inning), and solo shots from Jaylin Davis and Joe Cronin in the sixth. Ryan Mason was credited with the win after following Santana with 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and struck out three. Logan Lombana got them to the ninth inning, allowing three hits but no runs in two scoreless frames. Alex Robinson finished the game with a one-two-three ninth, including a strikeout. In addition to the home runs, the Miracle got doubles from Mitchell Kranson and Caleb Hamilton. Kerrigan scored two runs and drove in two with a 2-for-5 night at the plate. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 5, Cedar Rapids 6 Box Score The Kernels fell behind in this one but battled their way back for the come-from- behind victory. Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff led the offense. Lewis finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, double, and two RBI. Kirilloff went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI, giving him 41 on the season in 46 games. Jordan Gose scored two runs from the nine hole in the lineup. Lewis’ double in the seventh scored two runs and Kirilloff drove him in with a single to tie the game at five. An RBI double from Robby Rinn in the eighth put the Kernels ahead for good in his Midwest League debut. Bailey Ober started for Cedar Rapids and allowed all five of the Timber Rattlers runs. They scored three in the third and one in each of the fourth and fifth to take the lead. Ober finished 5 2/3 innings, allowing those runs on ten hits and a walk. He also struck out eight. Melvi Acosta finished the final 3 1/3 innings, allowing no hits and striking out two. He retired all ten men he faced to pick up his first win. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Lewis Thorpe, Chattanooga Lookouts (5 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K) Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Kennys Vargas, Rochester Red Wings (2-for-4, R, HR, 4 RBI, BB) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI 2. Fernando Romero (Minnesota) – Did not pitch. 3. Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 0-for-5, 4 K 4. Stephen Gonsalves (Chattanooga) – 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, K 5. Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 3-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI 6. Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – Out for season with injury. 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 0-for-4, K 8. Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch. 9. Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch. 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – Did not play. 11. Zack Littell (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 12. Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) – 5 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, K 14. LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) – 0-for-4, 2 K 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – 1-for-3, BB, 2 K 16. Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – Scheduled day off. 18. Yunior Severino (Extended Spring Training) 19. Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 20. Felix Jorge (Rochester) – Disabled List, still no official timetable for return WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Durham (12:05PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (5-2, 3.27 ERA) Chattanooga @ Birmingham (12:30PM CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (3-2, 5.90 ERA) Fort Myers @ Clearwater (11:00AM CST) – RHP Brady Anderson (0-4, 5.33 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (12:05PM CST) – RHP Blayne Enlow (0-1, 3.28 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

Hah, yeah. I like "official" notices!

Should have been added. I only go by MiLB.com's transaction pages, and as of 9:00 PM when I wrapped this up, he wasn't there yet as that's the last section I add

Despite there only being three games in the Minnesota Twins farm system Tuesday, there were plenty of interesting stories both in games and out. Off the diamond, a top prospect was promoted to the final rung of the minor league ladder before an MLB debut could happen. On it, a Fort Myers pitcher delivered his best start of the season, and another prospect walked off a win for the Miracle. Trevor May and Miguel Sano also continued their rehab tours in Triple-A.To find out how all of your favorite Twins prospects fared on Tuesday, keep reading and be sure to add to the discussion in the comments! TRANSACTIONS As alluded to, there was one pretty major transaction in the system on Tuesday. With Ryan LaMarre being recalled to the Twins, shortstop Nick Gordon was assigned to the Rochester Red Wings from Chattanooga. Left-handed starter Adalberto Mejia was also reinstated from the disabled list for Rochester and would piggy-back on Trevor May in their game. Also, the Twins acquired first baseman Chris Carter for cash considerations. He was slugging .600 for the Angels' Triple A club and had 13 home runs in 38 games. Carter will report to Rochester. RED WINGS REPORT Lehigh Valley 4, Rochester 3 Box Score Trevor May was on the mound for the Red Wings, making his third rehab appearance in the minors as part of his comeback from Tommy John surgery. He went the first four innings and allowed three earned runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out two. He threw 68 pitches, with 39 of them going strikes. All the Iron Pigs damage came in the second inning as they took a 3-0 lead. A two-run home run and an RBI triple accounted for those runs. May settled in from there to deliver a one-two-three third, and only a walk to #OldFriend Trevor Plouffe in the fourth, who also collected an RBI double in the sixth. May was relieved by Adalberto Mejia, and the lefty finished the next 3 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on five hits, but also struck out five including all three outs of the seventh with the score 4-1 in favor of Lehigh Valley. Rochester got on the scoreboard in the top of the seventh thanks to a sac fly off the bat of Taylor Featherstone to score Brock Stassi, who had led off the inning with a walk. The good guys closed that lead to 4-3 in the top of the eighth after Zack Granite led off with a double and Miguel Sano followed with a two-run homer, the first of his rehab assignment. Sano’s day was then done, but he finished the game 3-for-4. The reason Sano’s night was over after that big blast, was because newly promoted top prospect Nick Gordon was brought into the game as a defensive replacement for him in the bottom of the eighth. Gordon slotted at shortstop while Leonardo Reginatto moved over to third base. He got no defensive chances and with the Red Wings going down one-two-three in the ninth, also didn’t get to make a plate appearance. Alan Busenitz got the final two outs of the game for Rochester, walking one and striking out one. Astudillo joined Sano with multiple hits on the game, finishing 2-for-4. Rochester falls to 21-18 on the season, and now two and a half games behind the Iron Pigs in the International League North division. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Scheduled day off. The Lookouts had Tuesday off as they travel back home to Chattanooga from Mississippi. They will take on the Montgomery Biscuits at 6:15PM CST on Wednesday night looking to extend their lead in the Southern League North division. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 2 Box Score Despite knocking out eleven hits compared to just six for the Marauders, the Miracle needed the bottom of the ninth inning to pull this one out. Luis Arreaz (2-for-3, RBI) and Jaylin Davis 3-for-3, R, 2 2B, BB) each had multi-hit nights to lead the offense. As a team they left twelve men on base but cashed them in when it counted by going 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Sean Poppen got the start for Fort Myers and was electric for the first seven innings. He allowed just one earned run on five hits and zero walks, while striking out seven. His only blemish was a solo home run in the second inning and he was the first pitcher for the Miracle to complete seven innings so far this year. With the score 2-1 in favor of Fort Myers going into the ninth inning, reliever Ryan Mason came on for his second inning of work. He had a one-two-three eighth frame but a one-out walk put the tying run on base. After picking up a K to bring Bradenton down to their last out, they got the big hit in the form of a triple to tie the game. Mason got out of the inning but was charged with the blown save. In the bottom of the ninth, a leadoff single from Jared Foster was followed by a sacrifice bunt from Arreaz to put the winning run in scoring position for the Miracle, and after an intentional walk to Jimmy Kerrigan, Lewin Diaz stepped into the box and walked it off for the home team with an RBI single to center field. KERNELS NUGGETS Kane County 8, Cedar Rapids 7 Box Score The Kernels scored first in this one thanks to the bat of Trey Cabbage, who slugged his third home run of the season in the second inning. They pushed that lead to 6-0 after the top of the third inning as they sent nine men to the plate in the frame. Triples from Jean Carlos Arias and Jose Miranda were the big knocks in that sequence to drive in three, and Ben Rortvedt (RBI single) and Cabbage (sac fly) knocked in the others. But starter Tyler Watson gave those five runs right back in the bottom of the frame thanks to a pair of doubles, a walk, a hit batter, and a three-run home run. Watson was able to finish 4 2/3 innings but was pulled in the fifth after allowing a triple and walking a couple of hitters. Jovani Moran came on and escaped that jam with a strikeout to keep the game tied at six. The Kernels went back ahead in the top of the sixth after a double from David Banuelos was followed by an RBI single from Arias. Moran set the Cougars down one-two-three in the bottom of the sixth, including two strikeouts but was greeted by consecutive extra-base hits in the seventh that tied the game back up at seven, and then a wild pitch that scored another to give the Cougars the lead. Moran picked up two more K’s and finished with five strikeouts in his two innings, but the two earned runs saddled him with the loss. The Cedar Rapids lineup went down without a fight in the final two frames, failing to get a baserunner against the Kane County bullpen. Calvin Faucher finished the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing no hits and striking out two. As a team the Kernels finished this one with thirteen hits and three walks, went 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and left only four men on base, but couldn’t get the needed hits in the end. Arias (3-5, R, 3B, RBI) and Royce Lewis (2-5, R) each collected multiple hits. Alex Kirilloff finished 1-2 with a run scored, drew two walks, and also stole the first base of his career. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Sean Poppen, Fort Myers Miracle (7 IP, ER, 5 H, 7 K) Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Jaylin Davis, Fort Myers Miracle (3-for-3, R, 2 2B, BB) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-5, R, 2 K’s 3. Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) – Did not bat. 5. Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-2, R, 2 BB, K 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 1-for-5, RBI (Walk-off single) 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – (Twins game in progress as of this writing) 16. Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, R, RBI, K 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 1-for-3, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (6:05PM CST) – RHP Zack Littell (1-0, 1.69 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) – TBD Bradenton @ Fort Myers (11:00AM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (1-4, 4.41 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (11:00AM CST) – RHP Bailey Ober (0-1, 8.04 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

Another note on Kirilloff courtesy of the prospect roundup on MLB.com: "Alex Kirilloff extended his extra-base-hit streak to 13 games with his sixth home run [and] With an extra-base hit in his next contest, the 20-year-old outfielder will tie the Major League record shared by Paul Waner (1927) and Chipper Jones (2006)."

With all the talk about a Lewis promotion, the one thing I'm interested to see is if the new front office handle's anything differently. For comparison: Byron Buxton, 2013 season w/CR: .341/.431/.559 (.990 OPS, 68 games) - promoted June 24th of that year Royce Lewis, 2018 season thus far: .343/.387/.414 (.801 OPS, 24 games) Quite honestly, it seems pretty odd to me everyone is jumping on this promotion bandwagon already. I don't quite see it, but it could tell us something different (and that I would like) if the new guys were to do this. I think the more important key to any promotion for Lewis at this point, is how he's handling the shortstop position.

You mentioned his carrying tool right before that last sentence!

I wouldn't have put him on a rehab assignment in the first place, so that was mistake number one. Probably would have put him on one now after what happened on the first one, so they're doubling up in my opinion.

I'll repeat the same comment I made in the game recap of his last start here, as your data and video basically shows what I was saying: "I'm actually not all concerned about his changeup coming in that fast because it's got a bunch more drop on it than his 2-seamer. From what I've seen, he controls that changeup down in the zone well, and his 2-seamer is almost a riser with the arm-side run he gets. If he starts leaving changeups up in the zone they'll get hammered at that speed, but I haven't seen that issue yet."

He's definitely a guy who has given up hits, but also definitely limits the damage against him because of his heavy sinking fastball. Jose Berrios, as an example, until sometime last year had a higher career MiLB ERA than Stewart did. Berrios also gave up 35 home runs in 591+ minor league innings (0.53/9IP), while Stewart has allowed just 18 in 490 innings (0.33/9IP). These numbers certainly don't tell the whole story, but it's very interesting to look at. At least to me. Stewart is also still young enough where you can't dismiss him as a prospect in my opinion. He still has plenty of time to put whatever it is he has together and I do think he's going to pitch in the majors.

All four of the Twins affiliates were in action on Tuesday including a pitching duel between New York franchises, a rumble in the jungle of Chattanooga, a home run binge in Florida, and some Dragons breathing fire to turn the tide of a battle in the Midwest League.To find out how all of your favorite Twins prospects fared on Tuesday night, keep reading and add to the discussion in the comments! TRANSACTIONS There were a couple of moves made in the Twins minor league system on Tuesday: -In the Florida State League third baseman Carson Crites was transferred to the extended spring training roster from Fort Myers while catcher Robert Molina was brought up to the Miracle. -More noteworthy was the placement of right-handed pitcher Brusdar Graterol on the seven-day disabled list for Cedar Rapids with lower back spasms. The move is retroactive to May 6th so the top prospect could be back to pitching as early as this coming Monday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Buffalo 1 Box Score In his last game against Lehigh Valley on May 3rd, Rochester starting pitcher Aaron Slegers had his streak of 17 minor league starts without a loss broken by the Iron Pigs. He did all he could in this game to start a new one. Over seven innings, Slegers scattered four hits and one walk, while striking out five. His only earned run came in the fourth inning, as the leadoff man doubled and would come around to score after consecutive groundouts. He then retired ten in a row after that double and erased a single with a double-play ball in the seventh to finish his night. 54 of his 83 pitches on the game went for strikes and he killed worms to the tune of ten groundouts to one flyout. The Red Wings offense took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning thanks to a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kennys Vargas to score Jermaine Curtis, who had led off the inning with a walk. Curtis also drew a walk to lead off the game and another in the fifth, marking his 17th straight game reaching base safely at least once. Rochester added another run in the fifth thanks to doubles from Willians Astudillo and James Ramsey that put Slegers in line for the win when he exited. Tyler Duffey was brought on for the eighth inning and worked around a leadoff walk to pitch a scoreless frame and pick up his first hold on the season. He struck out one. With the score still 2-1, the Red Wings summoned right-hander John Curtiss for the ninth inning and his first save opportunity of the year. He delivered a one-two-three inning on just seven pitches, punching out the final hitter for the exclamation point. The teams combined for just nine hits on the game, with Rochester edging Buffalo 5-to-4. The Bisons however were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position while the Red Wings were 2-for-5. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jackson 8, Chattanooga 9 (10 innings) Box Score The top two teams in the Southern League North Division got into a slugfest on Tuesday night and it didn’t seem like either of them wanted to hold on for the win as leads changed or became tied eight times on the game. They traded jabs through the first four innings with the Jackson Generals plating single runs in the first, third, and fourth innings while Chattanooga pushed one across in the each of the first and third frames for a 3-2 score going into the bottom of the fifth. That is when the Lookouts landed the first haymaker of the bout in the form of a three-run homer off the bat of T.J. White. It was White’s fourth of the year and gave them their first lead of the game at 5-3. With the score 5-4 in the seventh, Chattanooga landed a good combo as a single, walk, and hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, before another walk scored one and a single from Edgar Corcino brought in two more for an 8-4 lead. Jackson finally landed an uppercut in the top of the ninth, as a two-run triple was followed by a sac fly to tie the game at eight and leave the decision up to the scorecards of the judges (err… extra innings). Fortunately for the Lookouts, they’d still get the chance to tally a knockout in this one as a they kept the Generals from scoring with a runner starting on second base in the top of the tenth. In their half of the frame and with two outs, Jackson decided to intentionally walk Zander Wiel, and after he took second base on defensive indifference, also put Chris Paul on base. That brought up second baseman Alex Perez, and his grounder toward first base finally put the Generals on the canvas thanks to a fielding error. The teams combined for twenty-nine hits, went 9-for-39 (39!) with runners in scoring position, and left twenty-five men on base for the game. Despite the seventeen combined runs, there were still a lot punches that didn’t land. Lookouts starter Kohl Stewart also actually delivered a quality start. In six innings he allowed three runs (two earned) by scattering ten hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out six. Of his 100 pitches, 62 went for strikes including eight swings and misses. He struck out his final two hitters to finish strong. Anthony McIver picked up his third hold of the season by pitching two innings with his team out front. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out four. Zack Jones blew his first save of the year, but also picked up his first win in extras. He allowed three runs on two hits and struck out three in his two innings. Chattanooga’s lineup got multi-hit efforts from Nick Gordon, Paul, Brian Navarreto, and White. Paul scored three runs, White drove in three, and Perez drew three walks to lead the offense. MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte 3, Fort Myers 6 Box Score Early season standout Tyler Wells got the start for the Miracle, and despite allowing only two runs, was able to make it only through four innings before his pitch count rose too high. That was not thanks to walks as he allowed only one on the game, but the Charlotte lineup was able to work good at-bats and chipped away with five hits against the right-hander. The first of those hits allowed came courtesy of the game’s first hitter, as Lucius Fox greeted Wells with a solo home run on his first pitch. The home team got that run back just as quickly, as Mark Contreras led off the game for Fort Myers by clubbing his first home run in the Florida State League to tie it at one. In the second inning Charlotte strung together the lone walk and a couple of singles to go up 2-1 and the score remained that way when Wells exited the game. Reliever Tom Hackimer returned from the disabled list to make his 2018 debut in the fifth inning and he pitched into the sixth. He recorded five outs, but also allowed a run on three hits and two walks. He struck out one. With two outs in the sixth, Ryan Mason came on and intentionally walked his first batter to load the bases and bring force outs all around the bases into play. It paid off, as he got a grounder to third base to end the threat and keep the Miracle within two. In the bottom of the inning Contreras added his second FSL home run, a solo shot to left-center field and Jaylin Davis later added his second of the season as well, a two-run shot to put Fort Myers out front 4-3. They would add two more runs in the eighth courtesy of a Joe Cronin double, Lewin Diaz RBI single, and an RBI ground-rule double from Taylor Grzelakowski. It was Grzelakowski’s second double of the game and sixth on the season. He finished 3-for-4 and the multi-hit night was his sixth such effort in his last twelve games. Mason finished the game for the Miracle to pick up his second win of the season. In his 3 1/3 innings he allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out three to lower his ERA on the season to 1.53. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Dayton 8 Box Score The Kernels struck early and often in this one, building up a 6-0 lead before the Dragons were able to fire back. And unfortunately for Cedar Rapids, they did so with some Khaleesi level “dracarys.” Akil Baddoo got it started for the Kernels from the words “play ball,” as he led off the game by drawing a walk. Royce Lewis followed with a slow-roller single to third base, and the throw sailed on the first baseman allowing Baddoo to make it all the way home. Lewis later scored on a Ben Rortvedt single with the bases loaded, but another run was cut down at home on the same play to end the inning. In the third Alex Kirilloff clubbed his twelfth double of the year (ranking second in the MWL) and scored on another error from the Dayton defense to make it 3-0 in Cedar Rapids favor. In the fourth it was again the top of the order that came through to break the game open. With two outs, number nine hitter Jordan Gore got the hitting started with his first double of the season. Baddoo and Lewis then followed suit, notching their first and second doubles of the year respectively, to score two. Kirilloff made it 6-0 Kernels with an RBI single before the Dragons could get out of the inning. The bottom of the fourth is when the Dayton lineup finally broke through against starter Tyler Watson. A single and a double put them on the scoreboard, and they pulled within two after a three-run homer off the bat of John Sansone. Watson came back out for the fifth and worked a scoreless inning. On the game, he allowed the four earned runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out four. Nick Brown was the first reliever summoned and pitched a scoreless sixth frame. Back out for the seventh however, it unraveled a bit for the righty out of the College of William and Mary. A hit batter and four hits, including a bases-clearing double, led to four runs on the scoreboard and an 8-6 lead for the Dragons. Moises Gomez would finish the game for Cedar Rapids with a scoreless inning. The Kernels offense put a runner in scoring position in each of their final three at-bats, but were unable to get the big hit they had gotten earlier in the game and fall to 14-12 on the season. The top three hitters in the lineup (Baddoo, Lewis, and Kirilloff) combined to go 6-for-12 with five runs scored, three walks, three doubles, and three runs batted in, but the rest of the offense finished just 4-26. They were 5-for-15 overall with runners in scoring position, leaving ten men on base. Baddoo stole his eighth base of the year, while Gore added his third and fourth. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Slegers (W, 7 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 5 K) Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Mark Contreras, Fort Myers Miracle (2-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 2-5, 2 R, 2B (2), RBI, K 3. Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) – 2-6, R, 2 K 5. Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 2-4, R, 2B (12), RBI, BB 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 0-5, BB, K 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 2-3, 2 R, 2B (1), RBI, 2 BB 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 2-4, RBI 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – 1-3 16. Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) – 1-5, RBI, 2 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (12:05PM CST) – LHP Dietrich Enns (1-3, 4.50 ERA) Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) – RHP Omar Bencomo (1-0, 2.01 ERA) Charlotte @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (0-3, 5.14 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:00PM CST) – RHP Bailey Ober (0-1, 19.29 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

Romero's got four pitches as far as I can tell: 4-seamer 2-seamer Slider Changeup I'm actually not all concerned about his changeup coming in that fast because it's got a bunch more drop on it than his 2-seamer. From what I've seen, he controls that changeup down in the zone well, and his 2-seamer is almost a riser with the arm-side run he gets. If he starts leaving changeups up in the zone they'll get hammered at that speed, but I haven't seen that issue yet.