Steve Lein

There was a ton of action in the system on Tuesday night as all of the affiliates were in play. The big hit of the night was delivered by an outfielder just getting back into AAA form after a month-long stint with the big league club and a 2017 top 10 round draft pick also was fantastic in his first start as a pro. Another team’s lineup pounded out hit after hit in game two of a double-header but there were also a few clunkers that provided little to talk about for the lineups of their teams.To find out who did what in the minors on Tuesday, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS Before the games on Tuesday there were a few transactions in the system. Yohan Pino was assigned to Rochester and Ryan Strausborger was released from AAA. At Double-A the release of pitcher Raul Fernandez was also made official. In the Gulf Coast League pitcher Vadim Balan was placed on the seven-day disabled list retroactive to August 3rd. RED WINGS REPORT Columbus 2, Rochester 6 Box Score With Hector Santiago’s rehab start being pushed back a day, Nik Turley got the ball for the Red Wings and spotted the Clippers a 2-0 lead before his offense took an at- bat. A walk and three singles in the top of the first accounted for that scoring, but that was all Columbus would get for the rest of the game as Turley settled in from there. Rochester tied the game at two in the bottom of the third when Daniel Palka doubled in Zack Granite and Mitch Garver. Tommy Field had doubled earlier in the inning but was thrown out at home on Garver’s single. The big hit for the Wings came in the fourth, as Zack Granite slugged his fifth home run of the season, a grand slam to make it 6-2. Turley finished five innings to pick up his fifth win of the season. He allowed those two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out seven. His ERA is now at 2.89 at AAA. Luke Bard made his first appearance at AAA, and threw two scoreless frames of relief. He allowed two hits and struck out one. Jake Reed finished the final two innings, allowing one hit and picking up a K. Granite scored two runs and drew a walk in addition to the the big home run. Garver was 3-4 with a run scored and a double. Matt Hague was 2-4 with a double and a run scored and Tommy Field also had two hits including a double, in three at-bats. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jackson 3, Chattanooga 0 Box Score In a theme that will continue throughout this report, there wasn’t much that happened on the offensive side of the game for the Lookouts in this one. Edgar Corcino (3-4, 2B), Jonathan Rodriguez (2-4, 2B), and T.J. White (2-4) accounted for six of the team's eight hits. The offense was just 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Felix Jorge made the start for Chattanooga and was very good for most of the game. He ran into his biggest trouble in the eighth after a couple of singles, a sac bunt, and a sac fly made the score 2-0 Generals. The third run (unearned) came with runners on the corners after a throwing error and walk that caused him to be removed. The runner he was responsible for scored during a run-down on a steal attempt that also ended the inning. In 7.2 innings Jorge scattered ten hits and a walk while striking out three. Nick Anderson finished the final 1.1 innings, allowing one hit and striking out one. In his last 10 games, Anderson has allowed just one run on four hits in 11.1 innings, with 13 K’s. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Palm Beach 6 Box Score The Miracle managed just four hits and didn’t have a single plate appearance with a runner in scoring position for the entire game. Brandon Lopez was 2-4 on the day and that’s all you really need to know on the offensive side. Brady Anderson was on the hill for Fort Myers and went the first 6+ innings. At the end of the sixth he had given up just two runs on five hits in the contest. He walked the first hitter of the seventh and gave up a single to the second before he was removed to account for his four runs allowed. He struck out one. Keaton Steele came on and proceeded to give up four consecutive singles before he got a double-play ball for the first two outs. By that time four runners had scored to make it the final tally of 6-0 Cardinals. Steele added a scoreless eighth to finish the game, having allowed two runs on five hits and two walks, with one K. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Wisconsin 1 Box Score Cedar Rapids took an early 1-0 lead after an RBI single from Hank Morrison in the top of the first. He scored Christian Caveness who had doubled to lead off the game. From there it was all about the pitching on both sides as the game remained 1-0 until the seventh inning. 2017 eighth-round draft pick Bryan Sammons was making his first start since joining the Kernels early in August. The lefty was fantastic for the game's first five innings, picking up his first Midwest League win in the process. He allowed just three hits and walked one, while racking up eight K’s on just 65 pitches (46 for strikes). Evan Sanders came in for the sixth inning and kept the Timber Rattlers scoreless for the next 2.1 frames. He allowed two hits and struck out three. The Kernels added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a Trey Cabbage home run, his second of the year with in the Midwest League. Cabbage was also the only hitter in the lineup with two hits, as he finished 2-3. With the score 3-0 in the bottom of the eighth and after Sanders had struck out the leadoff man, in came Max Cordy from the bullpen. He got a ground out but then three consecutive leadoff singles scored one and put the tying run on base. Hector Lujan came on and snuffed out the threat with ground out to keep the Kernels in front 3-1. Lujan added a scoreless ninth to pick up his twelfth save. He gave up one hit and struck out one. E-TWINS E-NOTES Game 1: Elizabethton 5, Bluefield 7 (7 innings) Box Score In game one of their doubleheader, the Twins weren’t able to recover from an early Bluefield outburst and fell 7-5. Starter Melvi Acosta was charged with all seven runs in the first two innings. Two were unearned due to a throwing error in the first from Andrew Bechtold, but Acosta also threw three wild pitches to aid the Blue Jays. He gave up seven hits and three walks total, and did not strike out any in 2.0 innings. Juan Gamez came in for the third inning and stabilized it from there. He threw 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and three walks. He struck out one. Jared Finkel finished the game for the Twins with two strikeouts. Elizabethton scored two runs in the fourth inning on a wild pitch and a sac fly, then one in the fifth thanks to an RBI single from Jose Miranda. They added two more in the sixth with a RBI single from Mark Contreras and an RBI double from Akil Baddoo to account for all their scoring. Miranda (2-4, R, RBI), Kolton Kendrick (2-4, R), and Rainis Silva (2-2, R, RBI) each had two hits. Game 2: Elizabethton 12, Bluefield 3 Box Score In the makeup game from their postponement yesterday, the Elizabethton offense came alive to pound Bluefield into submission. Starter Nick Brown went the first six innings, and after two it was 2-0 Blue Jays. On the night he surrendered only three runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out seven. The Twins offense scored multiple runs in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings that put them well out front after five. Rainis Silva drove in two with a single which was followed by a Matt Albanese double for two more in a five-run third. Silva added an RBI double and scored again on a single from J.J. Robinson in a two-run fourth. They added four more in the fifth and another run in the sixth for their final tally of 12 runs. The offense as a whole made up for the lack of offense elsewhere in the system, as they outhit the Blue Jays 19-5 and were 9-21 with runners in scoring position. Seven hitters in the lineup had at least two hits led by Albanese who was 4-4 with two runs scored, two doubles, and two RBI. Silva drove in three, and Akil Baddoo scored three runs out of the leadoff spot with a 1-4 night including a walk. Reliever Jovani Moran finished off Bluefield with a one-two-three seventh, punctuating the blowout with a strikeout. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Orioles 8, GCL Twins 1 Box Score The Twins weren’t able to get much going on Tuesday afternoon as they managed just seven singles as a team and struck out twelve times. Overall they were 1-12 with runners in scoring position and left twelve men on base. The lone RBI came off the bat of Jean Carlos Arias in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Dane Hutcheon who had singled earlier. Ricky De La Torre went 2-5 on the game and Royce Lewis was 1-3 with a walk. Former major leaguer reliever Michael Kohn continued to work his way into game action after signing a minor league contract with the Twins on July 19th. He pitched a scoreless first inning and struck out two. Tyler Wells came on from there and went the next 3.2 innings. He allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out five. He was replaced with two outs in the fifth after his second walk of the inning. David Gerics went two innings and allowed four runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out two. Petru Balan was the final pitcher of the day for the Twins, and gave up two runs on six hits and two walks in 2.1 innings to finish the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Bryan Sammons, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 5.0 IP, 3 H’s, BB, 8 K’s) Hitter(s) of the Day – Matt Albanese, Elizabethton Twins (4-4, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, 2 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ Rochester (12:35PM CST) – LHP Hector Santiago (1-1, 3.55 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30PM CST) – LHP Lewis Thorpe (3-4, 2.79 ERA) Greenville @ Elizabethton (6:00PM CST) – TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

That "decoy" play from Garver reminds me of some antics I pulled on a softball field. I was playing third and ball was hit to RF, dude came into third and our right-fielder had no business throwing to me to try and beat him there, but he did. I just stood there like I already knew there was no play and the guy on third non-nonchalantly rounded the base a little too far and didn't bother trying to get back on. I caught the ball normally then immediately bare-hand tagged him in the chest a foot off the base. Ump was right there and gave a very satisfying and emphatic you're out motion. Dude just gave me a look, said a curse word, put his head down and walked back to the duguout.

"And last night, Max Kepler let a ball fall in for a double out in right that I think he'd catch more often than not. I wonder if there's been any thought of flip-flopping those two. I wouldn't usually endorse that kind of tinkering, but now would be the perfect time to give it a try." I've been saying they should do that since Kepler came up. Eddie's got the better arm and I think Kepler is the better defender of the two. It's a logical swap.

I've honestly always considered the Appalachian League (advanced "rookie") and the Short-Season A-Leagues to be the same thing. I'm not going to look it up, but I'd venture there aren't many teams that have affiliates in both. I know the Yankees do, but they have 8 affiliates total (9 if you include the DSL), which is 2 more full teams of prospects than the Twins and it's obvious it's a budget thing there.

I love Palka's reaction to his throw. I think he thought he sailed it and had no chance, haha!

Not sure what you expect from just drafted high-school pitchers who hadn't thrown in a game in at least a month (probably longer)... They probably start at like max of 35 pitches in first game, and that's if they don't run up the pitch count to 20+ in a single inning. Hunter Greene, for example, probably isn't even going to pitch this year.

They lead the division by six games right now, too. If you go overall in the Southern League, it's 10 games and they have a similar record to the Astros, the best team team by far in the AL.

If you were hoping the Chattanooga Lookouts didn’t play extra innings again on Tuesday night, boy do I have news for you! But they weren’t the only affiliate that had to go to extra frames on the evening, and a third one threatened to do so before walking it off in the ninth. One of the Twins new prospects, courtesy of the Yankees for Jaime Garcia, also made his organizational debut with Chattanooga. I also couldn’t pick between two hitters of the day, so I gave it to them both.To find out how all those extra innings finished on the night, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS The Twins made a couple of moves in the system on Tuesday as well. They recalled Dillon Gee to the majors and assigned Dietrich Enns to Rochester. Zack Littell was assigned to the Lookouts and made the start. To make the room at AA Randy LeBlanc was sent back to Fort Myers and David Fischer was released. RED WINGS REPORT Lehigh Valley 3, Rochester 1 Box Score With Dillon Gee on his way to the Twins, the Red Wings ended up with a bullpen game against IronPigs on Tuesday night. D.J. Baxendale started and pitched the first three innings. He allowed two hits including a solo home run and struck out three. Alex Wimmers added two perfect innings before he ran into trouble in his third. He got two outs but ended up with two earned runs on two hits in 2.2 innings. He struck out two. Mason Melotakis allowed an inherited runner to score in the sixth and got the first two outs in the seventh before he was replaced by Michael Tonkin. Tonkin allowed just one hit in his 2.1 innings to finish the game, while striking out three. Rochester’s lone run came in the bottom of the first inning, as a throwing error on a Byungho Park single allowed Matt Hague to score. They would collect only one more hit the entire game (a Mitch Garver single) so not much to recap on the offensive side. Park also drew a walk in a 1-3 night and is hitting .324/.368/.577 in nineteen games since the Triple-A All-Star Game. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Montgomery 6 (10 innings) Box Score The story in this one for a lot of Twins fans may have been that one of the new prospect additions they received from the Yankees started the game for the Lookouts. It wasn’t one of Zack Littell’s best games this year, but he did finish six innings in his organizational debut. The first inning was a rough one for him as a couple of hits, a walk, an error, and a balk led to an early 3-0 lead for the Biscuits of Montgomery. It was a good thing for Littell though, that Chattanooga is the best team in the Southern League. They took the lead right back for him in the top of the second with a four-spot. T.J. White led off the inning with a homer, and then Travis Harrison, Nick Gordon, and Levi Michael each had run-scoring singles (Gordon’s included a fielding error, so no RBI for him). Littell settled in from there with three scoreless frames, though he did hit a couple of batters and walked three. In the fifth, an RBI ground out accounted for his fourth run allowed of the evening. Overall in six innings, Little allowed those four runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out six. The Lookouts were facing off against #OldFriend Logan Darnell, and although they knocked him around for twelve hits in five innings, the four runs in the second were all they were able to get as he played Houdini in every other frame. Randy Rosario came on in relief of Littell and pitched two innings. He allowed one run on two hits and it was 5-4 biscuits going into the ninth inning. You know how this is going to go, right? With two outs and Max Murphy on first base, Carlos Paulino delivered the game- tying hit with a double to right field to drive him in and tie it at five. Luke Bard pitched a one-two-three ninth and Chattanooga was looking at their third extra- inning game in their last four. The Lookouts threatened in the top of the tenth, but with Gordon on third base Montgomery elected to intentionally walk Jonathan Rodriguez (wise), and then escaped. Bard then got himself into trouble he couldn’t escape in the bottom half, as a two-out double put the winning run across for the Biscuits. The two through seven hitters in the Chattanooga lineup amassed fourteen hits on the game and as a team outhit Montgomery 16-9, but going just 4-17 with runners in scoring position and leaving fourteen men on base means you left a lot ducks on the pond. The Lookouts lead the Biscuits in the North Division standings by six games after this one. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Clearwater 4 Box Score Fort Myers battled back in this one to steal the game late thanks to a big two-out hit from Jaylin Davis. Starter Eduardo Del Rosario went the first six innings for the Miracle, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out six. The biggest problem with that line, is the three home runs he allowed. Alex Robinson walked one and struck out two in one inning of relief work and thanks to his offense, picked up his second win of the season. Down 4-2 in the top of the eighth, Sean Miller started the rally for Fort Myers with a single to lead off the inning. Zander Wiel moved him to third on a single of his own, and Jermaine Palacios put down a squeeze bunt that scored the first run of the inning. After strikeouts from Brandon Lopez and Brent Rooker, a walk to Kevin Garcia brought Davis to the plate. With the count a 1-0, Davis lined a single into center field to score two and put the Miracle out front 5-4. Sam Clay pitched a scoreless bottom of the inning, and Fort Myers added an insurance run in the top of the ninth as Tanner English singled, stole second base (his 23rd steal) and got to third on a throwing error before Palacios drove him in with a triple. Clay came back out for the ninth, and worked around a leadoff single to secure his ninth save of the year (he’s also 8-0), striking out the final hitter of the game. Miller (2-5, R) and Palacios (3-4, 2 R’s, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, SB) had multiple hits to lead the offense. Zander Wiel scored two runs with a single and a walk in five trips to the plate. Lopez (0-4) and Davis (1-3) each drove in two. KERNELS NUGGETS Clinton 7, Cedar Rapids 8 (11 innings) Box Score The Kernels jumped out to a 5-1 lead after three thanks to home runs from Christian Cavaness and Caleb Hamilton in the first inning, and a two-run double from Travis Blankenhorn in the third. They extended their lead to 6-1 in the sixth when Cavaness clubbed an RBI double. But after that the game turned for the LumberKings. Cedar Rapids starter Tyler Beardsley had been cruising for the first six innings. He had allowed just one run on three hits and two walks to that point while striking out four. Two singles and a double scored two and ended his night in the seventh with two outs. Overall, Beardsley went 6.2 innings with three earned runs of six hits and two walks, with five K’s. Colton Davis came on and got the final out in the seventh, but a bases clearing double with two outs in the eighth tied the game at six. Hector Lujan came out for the ninth and Clinton took the lead after a leadoff walk and error was followed by a run-scoring double. The Kernels weren’t ready for the game to end yet though, and mounted a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning after the first two hitters to bat went down on strikes. Jimmy Kerrigan got an infield single, stole second base, and then Blankenhorn delivered a big triple to tie it, but was stranded as Lewin Diaz grounded out to send it into extras. Max Cordy came in from the bullpen for the tenth, and allowed a hit but no runs. Same in the eleventh to get his team up to bat again. They didn’t need another extra frame. Joe Cronin led off with a double, moved to third on a sac bunt/throwing error play, and scampered home on a passed ball for the not-so-dramatic walk-off victory. The top four hitters in the Kernels lineup led the way, with Cavaness (3-5, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Kerrigan (2-6, 2 R’s), Blankenhorn (3-5, R 2 2B’s, 3B, 3 RBI), and Diaz (2-5) collecting multiple hits. Hamilton drove in two and Cronin scored two runs. E-TWINS E-NOTES Kingsport 4, Elizabethton 5 Box Score Elizabethton took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning after Wander Javier led off with his ninth double of the season, and later scored on a single from J.J. Robinson. They had runners on second and third with one out later in the frame, but were unable to add any more runs. The opportunity missed would come back to haunt them. Twins starter Nick Brown began the game with four scoreless innings, including retiring eight in a row at one point, but the Mets finally got to him in the top of fifth thanks to an error that was followed by an RBI double. Brown would finish 5.2 innings, allowing just that unearned run on six hits while striking out six. The offense for Elizabethton got that run back and one more in the bottom of the fifth as Akil Baddoo drove in a run with a double, and later scored on a single from Jose Miranda to put them in front 3-1. Juan Gamez replaced Brown in the sixth and got out of the inning, and added a scoreless seventh. He got two outs in the eighth and was replaced by Jose Martinez with a runner on third, who scored on a double to Martinez’s first hitter. Another RBI double and an RBI single followed to put Kingsport in front 4-3. Martinez worked through a single to the leadoff man in the ninth to keep the Twins in striking distance in the bottom half. And strike they did. Colton Waltner led off the inning with a walk and Mark Contreras followed with a single to put the tying run in scoring position. A sacrifice bunt from Rainis Silva put the winning run in the same position. T.J. Dixon tied the game with a sacrifice fly to center field, and Ariel Montesino ended with a two-out single. Martinez ended up with a blown save and win (4-0) in the score book. Javier (2-4, R, 2B) and Montesino (2-4, R, RBI) had multiple hits on the game to lead the offense, but everyone else except Silva contributed with a run scored or an RBI. Silva’s bunt however, was likely most important play in the game (if you like bunts), so it really was a team effort in the walk-off win. GCL TWINS TAKES Game 1: GCL Rays 3, GCL Twins 5 Box Score In the regularly scheduled game of the day, the Twins saw the first in-game action from their 2017 2nd round draft pick, Landon Leach. Although he likely had some nerves and wasn’t great, you have to remember he’s going to be eased into action at this point. He walked his first batter (just like Blayne Enlow) and uncorked a couple of off target pitches that put that runner on third, before picking up his first strikeout as a pro. He then got a ground out that scored the runner and issued another walk before he was removed the game. So just two outs in his debut, but it means literally nothing at this point. Pedro Garcia came into the game to get the final out of the first and went the next five innings in total including four scoreless. He got two outs in the sixth before leaving with the bases loaded. Overall Garcia allowed one run on four walks and one hit, and struck out four. Joe Rosenstein came on and struck out the batter he faced, but on a wild-pitch so that’s how Garcia’s run scored. Rosenstein gave up one run of his own in the seventh and gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out one in 1.1 innings while picking up his first save. The Twins early offense came courtesy of an Alex Robles RBI single in the first and a Benjamin Rodriguez RBI double in the third before they tacked on three more in the fourth for a 5-1 lead. Victor Tademo led off the inning with a solo home run, and later in the inning a Jean Carlos Arias single brought in two. Emmanuel Morel was 2-3 with a double, walk, and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Kerby Camacho added a double. Garcia improved to 5-1 in the GCL season. Game 2: GCL Twins 0, GCL Rays 2 Box Score In the makeup game of yesterday’s rainout, the teams combined for just seven hits between them. Unfortunately for the Twins the Rays were the only ones to get any extra-base hits, and they came in the form of back-to-back-to-back doubles in the fifth inning that scored the two runs for the Rays. Derek Molina made the start and went two scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out one. Jordan Balazovic finished the final four innings, allowing the two runs on just those doubles, and striking out four. On offense, Arias, Rodriguez, and Robles all went 1-3 for the Twins only hits on the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Nick Brown, Elizabethton Twins (5.2IP, 0 ER’s, 6 H’s, 6 K’s) Hitter(s) of the Day – Jermaine Palacios, Fort Myers Miracle (3-4, 2 R’s, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, SB) Travis Blankenhorn, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, R, 2 2B’s, 3B, 3 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – RHP Tim Melville 3-3, 2.44 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (7:05PM CST) – RHP Fernando Romero (10-6, 2.64 ERA) Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Evan Sanders (1-3, 8.53 ERA) 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

Yes, they do. And I understand this idea is likely what wins the argument for a guy like Gordon (top prospect who you want to come up and stay). Moves like this are made all the time though. Depends if you care about burning an option in Spring Training the next year if you plan to start them back in the minors.

Check out the link in my post above about Kepler. This is explained in depth there. If Diaz isn't on the 40-man he assuredly will be on the Triple-A reserve roster, meaning he can't be selected in minor league phase. Lots of A-ball top prospects are on the Triple-A reserve roster for this reason (which is a 38-man list). Also, just as an FYI, the reserve rosters are not published to the public.

No, I don't either. Was just painting an example. I could see a September callup very easily, though.

Guys I would add (in no particular order): 1. Gonsalves 2. Rodriguez 3. Littell 4. Reed 5. Curtiss 6. Thorpe 7. Stewart Not sure all of them will be, but I suspect the Twins are gonna lose a guy or two any way it shakes out.

If Gordon came up right now he wouldn't come close to accruing a year of control, so not sure why you're worrying about that. There's what, 65 days left this year? So in your scenario, if he came up now and not until June next year he still wouldn't reach a year of service before the end of 2018.

Diaz is in the same situation Kepler was a few years ago. (I even asked BA about him back then) Kepler was [added but I don't know why] anyone would add a low-A 1B/DH to their major league roster at this point. Not even sure Diaz would be in my top 10 right now and Kepler definitely was. Edit: Kepler actually was put on the 40-man that year, but my point still stands.

Options for the near future. I've been saying it leading up to this, despite them being in division race, their window for competing wasn't open yet (they had the 12th best record in baseball when they were "leading the division"). It closed in a hurry and they made the right type of moves that they could.

Pleasantly surprised to get that some bonus $$ as well. Watson was about the type of prospect one should expect back for Kintzler. Appears to have some upside yet.

Not in a "buying" way, definitely. They're a good group to sell too though.

I mentioned this probability about a week ago. They were like 1 game back in the Division and Wild Card I think, but actually had the 12th best record in all of the Majors. I said it would be very easy for them to fall as low as 17th if they couldn't scratch some games in these upcoming series. After this run they're 16th now and five other teams are within 2 games of their record. They didn't rise to the challenge.

Was wondering if the schedules of the Indians, Royals, and Twins teams helped their chances in any way. CLE plays KC in 9 games throughout the rest of the season, Twins play CLE 6 and and KC 7. CLE plays BOS and NYY 7 times each in the next month, including back-to-back series (at home) in the next week. Also has TB and COL on the schedule but pretty easy September to close out the season. KC plays Boston for 3 games starting tomorrow, and also has series with COL, ARI, and TB, but the rest of their schedule doesn't look too daunting either. Twins have series with MIL, TB, ARI, and NYY remaining on their schedule. Saving grace may be 9 games vs. DET but they are 3-6 against them so far. So, I don't think the schedule favors the Twins in any way but we have seen them answer demoralizing series with good ones. We all seemed to know the few weeks after the All-Star game were going to determine what should be done, they're 4-8 in that time and even a sweep against OAK may not claw them back into the division race. I guess what I'm saying is I agree with the numbered bullets from the article. If the Oakland series goes bad, then I'd be looking at what's out there for selling some of the minor parts.

To be fair, no one was expecting that from Judge. Sickels had a long Twitter discussion around the All-Star game basically saying he never saw this in him. Had him as a B/B- prospect (#10 in their system) coming into the year. Part of what he said: "massive power (at least a 60, some say 70) in 6-7, 275 pound frame, but strikeout problems are equally massive; had made progress with his swing in Triple-A but major league hitters exposed more holes; may struggle to hit .230 but will crush mistakes."

That's two days in a row a "top" prospect pitcher dominated one of our affiliates. Glasnow vs. Rochester on Tuesday, Kopech yesterday. I always try to make mention if they're facing off against a well known guy, so I'm glad you take notice!

Minnesota Twins affiliates went 4-1 on Tuesday on a pretty good day throughout the system. Chattanooga kept on trucking with a top prospect on the mound, the rookie league teams scored a lot of runs, and Fort Myers needed extra innings in a game dominated by pitching on both sides. A major leaguer also made a rehab appearance with Rochester.To find out who did what in the minors on Tuesday, read on! TRANSACTIONS There were a few of transactions before the games on Tuesday. Minnesota sent Hector Santiago on a rehab assignment to Rochester and he started their game. The option of Kyle Gibson was also made official. In the Gulf Coast League Derek Molina was activated from the disabled list and made his pro debut with the start. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Indianapolis 5 Box Score The Red Wings had trouble solving Indians starter and top prospect Tyler Glasnow, who improved to 6-0 with a 1.46 ERA in Triple-A after struggling in his first taste of the majors with Pittsburgh. He held Rochester to just one run on four hits and three walks. Hector Santiago made the rehab start for the Red Wings and labored through just 1+ innings. He surrendered four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks. Drew Rucinski came in to the game for him after the first three hitters reached base in the second inning. If not for an Engelb Vielma error on a double-play ball, Rucinski may have gotten them out of the inning with little damage. He was literally unhittable. In four innings he struck out four, retiring twelve of the other hitters he faced and ten in a row after that error. In case you were wondering, over the months of June and July back with Rochester, Rucinski has pitched 25.0 innings, allowing just one run on fourteen hits and one walk, while striking out seventeen. (That’s pretty good…) Matt Hague finally got the Wings on the board versus Glasnow in the sixth, as he led off the frame with his eighth home run. They added one in the ninth on an RBI single from John Ryan Murphy that was basically seceded by defensive indifference. The offense as a team was just 1-4 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Mason Melotakis pitched 1.1 innings of relief after Rucinski, allowing one run on two hits and a walk before Michael Tonkin finished the final 1.1 innings. He allowed one hit and struck out three (and continues his dominance of AAA). CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Birmingham 4, Chattanooga 9 Box Score Chattanooga is a train that just keeps on rolling as they improved to a remarkable 24-7 in the second half of the season. If you take into account the first half when they won the Southern League North Division, they have an 11 game lead on the second place team in the standings. One of the main reasons why they have been so good is their starting rotation and on Tuesday it was Stephen Gonsalves' turn. Even though he wasn’t necessarily at his best, he picked up his seventh win of the season by going 5.2 innings. He allowed two runs on three hits and three walks as 51 of his 98 pitches went for strikes. He struck out six. Andy Wilkins gave the Lookouts the early 1-0 lead when he led off the second inning with his eighth home run of year. In the fourth they took back the lead 3-1 on a bases-loaded walk to Max Murphy and sacrifice fly from Ryan Walker. Randy Rosario came on with runners on first and second in the sixth and promptly gave up a double, but the throw from LaMonte Wade and relay from Gordon got the tying runner at home to end the inning and keep Gonsalves in line for the win. Rosario went 2.1 innings, allowing 2 runs on four hits. He walked none and struck out none. The Lookouts offense then exploded for a six-run bottom of the sixth. Even more impressive, all the runs scored after a double-play to notch the first two outs. Murphy, Walker and Travis Harrison all drew walks to load the bases after that before Carlos Paulino scored two with a single. Nick Gordon then delivered an RBI single, Wade a 2-RBI double, and Wilkins capped the inning with an RBI single and 9-2 lead. Nick Anderson came out for the ninth and if not for an error was perfect. He struck out two. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 1 (13 innings) Box Score If you like pitching and defense, this was your type of game as both teams combined for just thirteen hits and two runs through the first nine innings. They then went four more before any more runs were scored. Cody Stashak made the start for the Miracle, but unfortunately only went two innings before being removed from the game for an apparent injury. He allowed only a single before his exit. David Fischer went the next three scoreless innings, walking three and striking out two. Williams Ramirez pitched a scoreless sixth before getting himself ejected in the seventh. He pitched 1.1 innings and was on the hook for the bases being loaded. Alex Muren came on in relief of him and a sac fly gave Lakeland a 1-0 lead, but escaping that jam without any further damage proved to be the pivotal point in the game. Muren finished 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing no runs on two hits and walk. He struck out two. Sam Clay took over in the extra frames, and brought them into the thirteenth with 3.0 scoreless innings of his own. He gave up one hit, one walk and struck out four. Due to his offense's rally in the top of thirteenth, he improved to 8-0 on the season with a 1.36 ERA. He hasn’t given up a run in his last seventeen appearances dating back to May 31st and spanning 27.0 innings pitched. In the top of the thirteenth the Miracle offense finally woke up, as singles from Brandon Lopez and Sean Miller put a runner in scoring position before a wild pitch and intentional walk loaded the bases for Nelson Molina. His double brought in two for 3-1 Miracle lead, and a passed ball later in the frame made it 4-1. Tom Hackimer came on to close the door, and did so for his third save with the Miracle and ninth of the season. He allowed a single and struck out one. Jermaine Palacios (2-7, R, 3B), Lopez (2-5, R) and Brian Navaretto (2-5) each had two hits to lead the offense. Zander Wiel was 1-3, drew three walks and scored a run. The teams combined to go just 2-21 with runners in scoring position on the game, and left 21 men on base. KERNELS NUGGETS Scheduled Day Off The Kernels had the day off on Tuesday as they travel to Peoria for a three-game series on the road. They went 3-3 on their six game homestand against Great Lakes and Lansing and have some work to do in the second half of the season as they are just 14-17 and six games back of the Western Division-leading Quad Cities River Bandits. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Pulaski 3 Box Score Elizabethton got multiple hit efforts from five hitters in their lineup Tuesday night as they handed Pulaski just their fourth loss of the season at home. Robert Molina (2-4, R, 2B, RBI) was one of those hitters and his RBI double in the second inning got the scoring started for the Twins. Mark Contreras (2-3, R, RBI) and Matt Albanese added sacrifice flies to make it 3-0 after two. Melvi Acosta made the start for Elizabethton and went the first 5.2 innings. He allowed two runs on three hits but control was a problem as he walked five. He also struck out five. With two outs in the sixth his final walk ended his day at 92 pitches (50 for strikes). The Twins added four runs in the top of the fifth after Akil Baddoo (2-5, R, 3B, 2 RBI) led off the inning with his first triple. Jose Miranda brought him in with a sac fly before Shane Carrier (2-5, 2 R’s, HR, 2 RBI) and Kolton Kendrick (2-5, 2 R’s, HR, RBI) hit back-to-back jacks to make the score 7-2 in favor of E-Town. They added two more insurance runs in the eighth on a two-RBI single from Baddoo. In relief of Acosta Juan Gamez went 1.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out two. Ricky Ramirez finished the game with 1.2 innings of scoreless ball. He allowed one hit and struck out one. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 8, GCL Orioles 5 Box Score The Twins jumped out to an 8-0 lead after four innings and it was more than enough to hold off a sixth inning rally from the Orioles. The offense put up crooked numbers in each of the first, second and fourth innings. In the first Royce Lewis led off the game with a walk, advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw, stole third base after Jean Carlos Arias was hit by a pitch, and then scored on steal attempt of second base that led to a throwing error from the catcher. Ricky De La Torre drove in Arias with a single for the 2-0 lead after one. The Twins attempted four steals in the first inning alone, with only De La Torre getting thrown out. A three-run two-out rally came in the second inning as a double from Jared Akins was followed by an RBI single from Lewis, and a two-RBI triple from Arias. Three more runs scored in the fourth thanks to Arias (RBI single), an error to score Akins, and a wild pitch that allowed Arias to scamper home from third. 2017 14th-round draft pick Derek Molina made his professional debut on the mound and went the first three innings. The right-hander out of Merced College in California gave up just two hits and struck five. Pedro Garcia added two scoreless innings before running into trouble in the sixth. He was replaced by Matz Schutte with two outs and ended up allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in 2.2 innings. Two of those runs came because Schutte gave up a grand slam after walking his first batter but got out of the inning with the score 8-5. Vadim Balan pitched the final three innings and picked up his fourth save in the process. He allowed just one hit and walked one while striking out two. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Fort Myers Miracle Staff (13 IP, 13 H’s, 5 BB, 9 K’s, 1 run allowed. W-Sam Clay, S-Tom Hackimer) Hitter of the Day – Andy Wilkins, Chattanooga Lookouts (3-4, 2 R’s, HR, 2 RBI, BB) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Indianapolis (12:35PM CST) – RHP Dillon Gee (2-1, 2.14 ERA) Birmingham @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart (4-4, 3.63 ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30PM CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (2-1, 2.11 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:00PM CST) – RHP Tyler Beardsley (3-4, 5.98 ERA) Elizabethton @ Pulaski (6:00PM CST) – TBD GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article