Steve Lein

This is not "buying" to me. But I agree it's a path I'd like to seem them take unless they're landing Archer.

I was in the "Stand Pat" group. I don't think this is the year you #GoForIt through what I would consider truly "buying." That means you're trading a package that includes at least 2 of Nick Gordon, Stephen Gonsalves, Fernando Romero, and then some other good prospects too. Those are the type of moves you make when you're leading your division and have one of the best records in baseball (e.g.: you're truly a "contender"). The reality is the Twins have the 12th best record in baseball right now. 12th. Theoretically they shouldn't even be a playoff team. (they could fall to as far as 17th with a run of losses pretty quickly) Despite that they are in the mix for a playoff spot, which is awesome, but the reality to me is their window isn't open yet, so it's not the time to truly "buy." Get the rest of the young guys feet wet this year so you have a better idea if your window will open next year. (I'm all for getting some bullpen help, but at minimal cost. Brad Hand would be nice, but not for that price. Love me some Brad Brach, but no idea his cost?)

I would like to see the Twins add an arm to at least get Belisle out of the bullpen, but I'm not really willing to give up any top prospects for somebody. I'd hate to give up Thorpe and Blankenhorn for what the Nats got, as an example. I know that's the price, but I don't think that's the move to make this year —unless the new guys don't believe in those guys from the old regime. But I wouldn't change my judgement on that until a few years down the line if that's what ends up happening.

It's definitely aggressive, but I agree with mikelink45 above, it's also smart. He's already almost 23 and has played against the best conference in college baseball for longer than most. A conference that has a ton of good pitching that gets drafted high every year and he was the leagues best hitter. I know Seth doesn't think the Twins are always slow with prospects (and in special cases they definitely were not), and maybe the new regime will change this perception and this is a good start, but if it wasn't true in why is that the national perception of every single website and writer you can read about prospects when talking about the Twins? Where there's smoke there's fire. I always bring up Adam Walker for how I view this and it's maybe not the best example either, but it speaks to the idea I want to see changed. I asked Keith Law in a chat once, if he was impressed at all by the number of home runs he had put up in the rookie leagues and Cedar Rapids. His answer was (paraphrasing): "Should I be? With his experience and success in college, that's what should have been expected at those levels. Never should have been there in the first place." That is the type of perception and process I want to go by the wayside with the new guys in charge. Now with Rooker, unless he lights the FSL on fire for the rest of the season, I would expect he starts there next year too like the guys brought up in the article. It's still aggressive, and what I'd like to see more of with college hitters especially. Stop having them play against the kids. All the things like the professional baseball life and getting used to the minors league schedule —they can do that wherever you start them in my opinion.

Max had been my favorite prospect to follow ever since watching him play with the roster of the Beloit Snappers during Spring Training of 2012. He was far and away the best player on the diamond in the week I was there watching, on a team that also included Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Kennys Vargas. I was astonished he did not play in the Midwest League at all that season after that, but injuries may have had something to do with that. Just for fun, some links from that Spring Training: -http://twitpic.com/8zswq4 (opposite field double) -https://twitter.com/HangingSL/status/182841800942292992 (on deck getting ready) (edit: I meant Kennys Vargas, not the topic of the post Max Kepler, for the other top hitters that were playing on that roster)

With the Major League All-Star Game being played on Tuesday, most of the minor leagues were quiet on Tuesday. Minnesota Twins affiliates had just two games scheduled with the GCL Twins and Chattanooga Lookouts in action. A top prospect was on the hill in AA and was great in limited action, but there was little offense for the good guys in either game as both teams combined for just nine hits.Read on to find out who did what in the two games on Tuesday night! RED WINGS REPORT Scheduled Day Off As mentioned, the Red Wings did not play on Tuesday, but in some fun MiLB promotion news they have decided to take on a new name for one night on August 10th that they have been promoting aggressively on their Twitter feed. They will be the “Rochester Plates” in honor of a Rochester food tradition served just down the street from Frontier Field. In an overwhelming response from fans, all the merchandise is already on back-order. Per the first link above, a “garbage plate” is: “two burgers (or two hot dogs) served on a bed of mac salad and home fries and topped with meat hot sauce and onions.” If I’m ever in Rochester I’ll have to try it! The Triple-A All-Star Game is played on Wednesday, so the Red Wings will not be back in action until Thursday when they take on the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs on the road. Bartolo Colon will make the start for Rochester. Pitcher Drew Rucinski will represent the Red Wings as the International League team takes on the Pacific Coast League All-Stars. Zack Granite was also selected to the game from Rochester, though he will not play in the game, having been promoted to the Twins. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Pensacola 4 Box Score The Lookouts got another strong start from Fernando Romero in this one, and heading into the ninth inning he was still in line for the win. He went the first five innings and threw just 63 pitches, an apparent attempt to limit his innings moving forward has been implemented. He retired ten in a row at one point and struck out five on the game. He allowed just two hits and a walk to the Blue Wahoos lineup. Chattanooga took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth as Max Murphy launched his first Southern League home run of the season. Ryan Eades came on in relief of Romero and kept the score there for the next two innings, but ran into a heap of trouble in the eighth due to a single and two walks around a strikeout for his only out of the inning. In his 2.1 innings Eades allowed one hit, walked three and struck out four. Randy Rosario inherited the bases-loaded jam and gave up the go-ahead two-run double to the first batter he faced to put Pensacola out front. The third runner charged to Eades and one to Rosario then scored on an infield error before an outfield assist at home from Murphy got them out of the inning. The Lookouts got the tying runner to the plate in the top of the ninth with one out after a LaMonte Wade single and walk to Jonathan Rodriguez, but an infield pop-up and strikeout ended the game. Wade finished the game 2-3 with a walk and Carlos Paulino added a single for the offense that managed just four hits and struck out fourteen times on the game. They were 1-4 with runners in scoring position (runner did not score on the hit) and left four men on base. MIRACLE MATTERS Scheduled Day Off The Miracle also got the day off to watch the Major League All-Star game and I’m guessing there might be a few players in attendance since the game is across the peninsula in Miami, but they will be back in action at the Charlotte Stone Crabs tomorrow night. Lewis Thorpe will be on the mound in the series opener and the Miracle have the best record in the Florida State League in the second half at 13-4. KERNELS NUGGETS Scheduled Day Off The Kernels will begin a three game series on the road versus the West Michigan Whitecaps on Wednesday night, with left-hander Domenick Carlini on the hill. Cedar Rapids sits at 10-9 in the second half thus far, 4 games back of the Quad City River Bandits in the Western Division. E-TWINS E-NOTES Scheduled Day Off Elizabethton will begin a stretch of 21 straight games when they hit the road to face off against the Burlington Royals on Wednesday. Moises Gomez will start the first game of the six-game road trip that starts the marathon. The Twins lead the West Division by a half-game at 13-6 in the short season Appalachian League. You heard all about it in this column yesterday, but for some extra reading check out the notes on Brent Rooker and Royce Lewis’ day from MiLB.com’s daily prospect roundup. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Orioles 5, GCL Twins 2 Box Score The Orioles got to Twins starter Jordan Balazovic early in this one. They scored one in the first and two in the second to jump out to a three-run lead before he pitched a scoreless third inning. But that was the end of his night. In three innings he allowed those three runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out one. Almicar Cruz came on for the fourth inning, and promptly surrendered a home run to the first batter he faced for a 4-0 Orioles lead. He did not give up any more runs in his two innings, striking out four but also allowing three hits and a walk. The Twins got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth after Benjamin Gonzalez led off with a single and scored on a double from Kerby Camacho thanks to a throwing error from the left fielder. They closed the lead to 4-2 in the seventh as Camacho notched his second double of the game and was driven in by a Roni Tapia single up the middle. Reliever Zach Featherstone came on in the sixth inning and pitched two scoreless frames. He walked two and struck out two. Austin Bizzle pitched the top of the eighth and allowed a run on two hits and two walks to make the score 5-2 before rains came and ended the game a bit early. The top five hitters in the Twins lineup were 0-15 on the day, but in a weird box score irregularity, the entire lineup did not strike out once all game despite just five total hits and leaving only four men on base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Fernando Romero, Chattanooga Lookouts (5.0IP, 2 H’s, BB, 5 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Kerby Camacho, GCL Twins (2-2, R, 2 2B’s, BB) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Chattanooga @ Pensacola (6:35PM CST) - TBD Fort Myers @ Charlotte (5:35PM CST) – LHP Lewis Thorpe (2-2, 2.23 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ West Michigan (6:00PM CST) – LHP Domenick Carlini (3-6, 5.53 ERA) Elizabethton @ Burlington (6:00PM CST) – RHP Moises Gomez (0-0, 10.45 ERA) 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

If it were me, I'm keeping him. He's the best overall SS package they have in the entire organization at this point in my opinion. If he gets you Stroman or Archer, then I can see it more. But he also wouldn't be the only top prospect in those deals. This is not the deal I make this season. I use $$$ in the offseason for pitching, and not the young assets at AA currently on hand.

Yeah, then TWO umpires even moved closer behind the plate and into the TV shot to try and slow him down and he still threw early after that...

I believe this is what you're looking for: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/hr_derby

Haven't ever tried this one, but I have put a ton of time into the Baseball Mogul franchise. Something about the simplicity of that one that I preferred.

I've tried looking into it more in the past because I was curious about the same thing, but I haven't been able to find a "one-stop-shop" that shows it. Probably would have to look into each team individually. But my gut tells me the teams with lower pools are the ones paying the tax. (less money means they've been having success in the MLB season, and it is more likely they are the big budget teams who may not care) I do not believe the Twins have ever gone over. Pretty certain I've seen that before.

In the last five years (not including 2017), 74 of the 150 possible pools paid a tax. It is possible that it is trending the other way though now. 23 of 30 teams did in 2016. Nobody has exceeded by more than 5% yet. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/223686792/2017-mlb-draft-bonus-pools-pick-values/

This is true. However, it's not how teams actually treat it. In this draft pool era, only around half of all pools for all 30 teams have ever been exceeded. Teams are avoiding the tax.

That's because the cost is going to be the internal players that will (hopefully) bring you over the hump in the next few years when you're expected to be better, than going for it now when nearly everyone agrees there's holes preventing it. I would not mortgage the future for this season if I was running the team. I'd try to improve where it makes sense, but I'm not sure the cost for these guys is right for them at this point.

Neshek is less likely I think, because of his age and that a lot of teams will want him. From the Twins side, you might approach top 15 prospect territory, such as LaMonte Wade or Jake Reed - I'm guessing someone else will give up more. I would be willing to give up a decent amount for Hand, but I would not under any circumstance give them Gordon, Gonsalves, or Romero. Thus, I don't think the Twins can win the bidding there either. If they do get one of those guys, I don't think most fans are going to like the cost. it will be (much) worse than the Hu for Jepsen trade (and I didn't like that one at all).

I was basing this on my knowledge of both amateur tournament rules I've participated in and the World Baseball Classic rules, which have runners on first and second starting in the 11th. It has always been the last hitter(s) in the lineup who gets put on base. Although I can't find any specific link to the rule wording I am sure that is the case after scanning some other GCL box scores. It is always the last place in the lineup to make an out that starts at 2B. It is not a strategic thing where you can plug anyone in.

With a full slate of action on Tuesday, fans all across Twins Territory already were getting plenty of chances to watch baseball on Independence Day. Then three of those six games went into extra innings so the fans that made it out to the ballparks in Chattanooga, Tampa, and Fort Myers got free baseball to enjoy on the holiday. One of those games even ended with fireworks in the form of a walk-off home run for the good guys.To find out who the standouts on the Fourth of July were in the minors, and just how many extra innings those teams played, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS Before we get into the games, there were a few Independence Day transactions. In Rochester, Justin Haley was sent on a rehab assignment to the Red Wings and made the start in their game. Outfielder Ryan Strausborger was promoted from Chattanooga and Kennys Vargas was optioned to AAA. The Lookouts also got a pitcher on a rehab assignment, theirs in the form of Zack Jones, who also started the game for Chattanooga though under different circumstances than Haley. RED WINGS REPORT Pawtucket 3, Rochester 5 Box Score The Red Wings got another multi-hit effort from Zack Granite, who went 2-4 with three RBI. He scored one of those with a single in the second inning, and his fourth inning single scored the other two and gave Rochester a 4-2 lead. They extended their lead to three in the fifth on a wild-pitch that allowed Mitch Garver to scamper home from third. Justin Haley made the start for the Red Wings and went the first three innings in his first rehab appearance. He allowed a two-run home run in the third and four hits total while striking out three. Nik Turley came on in relief and went the next five innings. He allowed no runs on two hits and a walk, and added three K’s. Jake Reed pitched the ninth inning and picked up his second save for Rochester. He did allow a solo home run for the final score of 5-3, but also struck out the last two hitters of the game. It was Reed’s first run allowed at AAA. Niko Goodrum scored two runs with a 1-2 day that included a walk. Bengie Gonzalez picked up the other RBI for the Red Wings with a single in the second inning that scored Kennys Vargas. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Tennessee 5, Chattanooga 6 (14 innings) Box Score Chattanooga jumped out to a 5-1 lead after five innings, but weren’t able to keep the Smokies at bay. They scored those five runs thanks to a T.J. White RBI single in the second inning, a Jonathan Rodriguez two-run homer in the fourth, and a two-RBI single off the bat of LaMonte Wade in the fifth. Starter Kohl Stewart gave up a run in the top of the first after a giving up a one-out double, but that would be it for the Smokies against him. He went five innings, allowing four hits and one walk. He struck out one. Relievers Matt Tracy and Paul Clemens each threw two innings, but the Smokies also tagged each of them for two runs to tie the game at five in the top of the eighth. Tracy’s runs came on three walks and double while Clemens’ came on four hits including three doubles. Both relievers also struck out two. Randy Rosario took over in the tenth, and went the next three scoreless and perfect innings while picking up two K’s. Luke Bard came on for the thirteenth inning and pitched a one-two-three frame. Chattanooga had an opportunity in the bottom of the thirteenth as three two-out walks loaded the bases, but Levi Michael grounded out to end the inning. Bard came back out in the fourteenth and again had a one-two-three inning, striking out the final two hitters of this one. Over his last eleven appearances and 17.2 innings pitched, Bard has allowed just one run on twelve hits and six walks, while striking out 30. #FreeBard The Lookouts got another bases-loaded opportunity in the fourteenth after a Nick Gordon single and walks to Edgar Corcino and LaMonte Wade with two outs, and this time the day’s hero came through. Designated hitter Rodriguez knocked his fourth hit of the game, a single to score Gordon and walk it off after a long day. Rodriguez finished 4-6 with two runs scored, two doubles, his tenth home run, a walk, and three runs batted in. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Tampa 2 (14 innings) Box Score Fort Myers fell behind 1-0 in the second inning when starter David Fischer gave up a solo home run. He was pretty good otherwise in his four innings however, allowing just one other hit with one strikeout. Michael Theofanopoulos went the next three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and a walk, with six K’s. The Miracle tied the game at one in the top of the ninth inning thanks to an RBI single from Mitchell Kranson. His hit scored Jermaine Palacios who had singled to lead off the inning. Sam Clay came on for Theofanopoulos in the eighth and brought the game into extra innings. He finished four scoreless innings and allowed one hit, walked three and struck out two. Position Player Pitcher Alert: Catcher Kevin Garcia was the next arm brought on to pitch and he made it two plus innings. He had the first two outs of the bottom of the fourteenth, but a solo home run ended the game for Fort Myers. The Miracle lineup, despite the five extra frames, had just two at-bats in the entire contest with runners in scoring position and went 1-2. They had six singles after nine innings, and added three more singles for nine total hits on the game after fourteen innings. Max Murphy, Palacios and Kranson all had two hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 2, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score Cedar Rapids scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a sacrifice fly from Lewin Diaz, but that’s all the offense they would push across for the game as this one also turned into a pitcher’s duel. Eduardo Del Rosario made the start for the Kernels and went seven strong innings. He allowed just one run on a solo home run, three hits total, walked none and struck out six. The game was tied 1-1 when he left after those seven innings, and Max Cordy pitched a scoreless eighth before a leadoff walk in the ninth allowed the Timber Rattlers to manufacture the go-ahead run. The lineup for Cedar Rapids collected just six hits and was led by Diaz (2-3, RBI) and Ben Rortvedt (2-3, 2B) who each had two. Lean Marrero added a triple in the fifth inning but was left stranded. As a team they were 0-4 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. E-TWINS E-NOTES Princeton 6, Elizabethton 2 Box Score Twins Daily’s 2016 Short Season Pitcher of the Year, Huascar Ynoa, made the start for the Twins and went the first five innings. They were of the scoreless variety as he allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out three. Elizabethton scored the first run of the game in the second inning when Andrew Cosgrove singled in Andrew Bechtold, who had picked up his first double of the year a batter earlier. The Twins made the score 2-0 for their starter in the bottom of the fifth when Jose Miranda led off the inning with his second Appalachian League home run. Bryan Sammons came on in relief of Ynoa for the sixth inning, and an error led to an unearned run to make the score 2-1. Sammons added a scoreless seventh inning and struck out three in his outing. In the eighth, Blair Lakso was summoned to keep the lead but it wasn’t meant to be. With one out there was an errant throw on a steal attempt, then a walk, single, wild pitch, two-run double, and RBI single ended his outing with the score 5-2 Princeton. Jared Finkel came on and got the last out of the inning with a K and he finished the game with another frame, but gave up an insurance run in the ninth on three singles. Down 6-2 in the bottom of the ninth, the Twins did their best to mount a comeback by loading the bases with two-outs for Brent Rooker. Unfortunately his ground ball to third didn’t find a hole and dropped Elizabethton to 8-5 on the season. Miranda finished his day 2-5 with the home run, Bechtold was 1-3 with a double, a run scored, and walk, and Matt Albanese added a double to lead the offensive effort. As a team they were 2-8 with runners in scoring position and left ten men on base. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 4 (10 innings) Box Score The GCL Twins jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning thanks to a Benjamin Rodriguez triple that scored Akil Baddoo and Victor Tademo who had reached base via a walk and hit by pitch, respectively. They made it 3-0 in the third as Royce Lewis drew a walk to lead off the frame and stole second base before Rodriguez singled him in. In the fifth Rodriguez delivered again with a single to score Alex Robles, who had doubled earlier in the inning. The Twins would need all those Rodriguez runs batted in as the Rays finally got to the bullpen of the Twins in the eighth inning. Zack Jones had started the game for his first rehab appearance, and stuck out two in the first inning. Jordan Balazovic then came on and went the next five scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out six. Matt Jones pitched a scoreless seventh inning before running into a heap of trouble after a strike three got away from the catcher and put a runner on. Four more singles and a hit batter scored four runs to tie the game before Austin Bizzle came one and struck out the two hitters he faced to end the threat. Jose Burmudez brought the game into extra innings with two scoreless frames, including the tenth which started with a runner on second base under the new rules. In the bottom of the tenth, Lewis started on second base for the Twins as he was the last out of the ninth inning. He didn’t have to do much running, as Baddoo launched his first home run of the season in walk-off fashion to give the Twins the 6-4 win and bring on the fireworks. Despite just six hits as a team, thanks to Rodriguez and Baddoo the Twins made the most of them by getting four of those with runners in scoring position. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Eduardo Del Rosario, Cedar Rapids Kernels (7.0IP, ER, 3 H’s, 6 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts (GW-single in fourteenth inning. 4-6, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, HR, BB, 3 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester, Game 1 (3:35PM CST) – RHP Dillon Gee (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Pawtucket @ Rochester, Game 2 (TBD) - TBD Tennessee @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) - TBD Fort Myers @ Tampa (6:00PM CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (0-0, -.-- ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Evan Sanders (0-1, 11.25 ERA) Princeton @ Elizabethton (6:00PM CST) – RHP Moises Gomez (0-0, 14.29 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

What they said. Sheesh...

I would venture no single player to win that award thinks it was "meaningless." Also, not even close to a big deal. I'm actually happy he is able to do so.

Not just a "day off" I guess: Update from user wavedog in the Brent Rooker thread.

Just a day off. A little early for that bump that we know is coming yet. There are a lot of players on the roster so they all need time (37 players are active as of today).

There were five games played in the minors on Tuesday and although they went 2-3 on the day there was plenty of action. One affiliate delivered a walk-off win, The Rock kept collecting multiple hits at AAA (It’s only me calling him that, it’s okay to be confused), and their top draft pick delivered an encore performance perhaps even more impressive than homering in his first professional at-bat. To find out who did what in the minors on Tuesday night, keep reading!TRANSACTIONS Before we get to the games, there were some transactions leading into them on today. In Rochester, Yohan Pino was placed on the disabled list with a right-shoulder strain, Nick Tepesch was assigned for a rehab stint in the Gulf Coast League, Dillon Gee was optioned from the Twins, and Alex Wimmers cleared waivers and was outrighted. In the lower levels of the system, Fort Myers released Bradley Strong and the GCL Twins assigned first baseman Mariano Calcano to the Dominican Summer league. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Buffalo 2 Box Score Nik Turley made his first start with the Red Wings since being sent down after a deserved cameo with the Minnesota Twins, and went the first five innings. He allowed a solo home run in the second and an unearned run in the third and left the game with the score tied 2-2. In his five innings, he allowed three hits and walked two while striking out six. His ERA at AAA sits at 3.24 on the season. On the offensive side, if I were to ask you which Red Wings batter was responsible for their first run of the game in this one, who would you guess? Given these reports that you’ve been following for the last few weeks, if you didn’t think of Zack Granite I might ask what is wrong with you. His single in the second inning scored one and if not for a strong throw home would have scored another. He drove in another runner with single in the fourth and finished this one 3-5, raising his batting average to .371. D.J. Baxendale relieved Turley and went two scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and struck out two. Rochester took the lead 3-2 in the top of seventh when Granite led off the inning with a single, but it wasn’t he who scored the run because he got himself thrown out at home on a wild-pitch, trying to score from second on the wild pitch. A two-out single from Byungho Park scored Mitch Garver to put the Red Wings out front. Michael Tonkin finished the final two innings for the Red Wings to pick up his third save on the season. He made it a bit interesting in the ninth, hitting the first two batters of the frame and causing hitting coach Chad Allen to be ejected in the process, but proceeded to strike the next three hitters out. Of his six outs, five came on K’s. Garver (3-5, R), Park (2-5, R, RBI), and Leonardo Reginatto (2-4, R) joined Granite with multiple hits on the game. Despite collecting 14 hits, all singles, and going 5-12 with runners in scoring position on the game, the three runs scored were enough in this one as Rochester pitchers allowed just four hits and two walks. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Scheduled Day Off. The Lookouts enjoyed a day off for travel on Tuesday and get back to action Wednesday night on the road against the Mississippi Braves. Stephen Gonsalves takes the hill in game one of the six-game series. MIRACLE MATTERS Clearwater 2, Fort Myers 3 Box Score With Cody Stashak on the mound for the Miracle, this one was a pitcher’s duel throughout. He went 7.1 innings, allowing just two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out eight. With the score 2-1 in the eighth, he was removed after allowing consecutive singles that put a man on third. Sam Clay came on and that runner scored on a squeeze play to tie the game at two. Fort Myers took the 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh after the Threshers starter was removed from the game. Tanner English singled and stole second base, his seventh of the season, before scoring on a double from Sean Miller. The next batter, Max Murphy, brought him in with an RBI single. Clay stayed in the game and pitched a scoreless ninth inning to give his lineup a chance at some dramatics. They delivered. Miller doubled with one out to put the winning run in scoring position, and after moving to third on a Murphy single, Shane Kennedy brought him in with a walk-off single. Miller (2-4, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, RBI), Murphy (2-5, RBI), and Kennedy (2-5, RBI) provided all the RBIs for the Miracle out of the nine-one-two spots in the order. Mitchell Kranson added a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Burlington 6, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score Cedar Rapids starter Colton Davis got tagged early and often in this one and the home team was unable to mount a comeback. Davis went the first three innings, and allowed at least one run in each. He finished with four runs allowed on six hits, including two home runs. He struck out two. Ryan Mason went the next three innings and allowed one run on one hit and a walk while striking out two. Alex Robinson pitched two perfect innings, including one strikeout. Evan Sanders finished the game for the Kernels and allowed one insurance run on two hits and a walk, but struck out two. The Kernels offense got one hit from every hitter in their lineup except Caleb Hamilton, but that wasn’t enough to crawl out of the hole they found themselves in early. Travis Blankenhorn clubbed his seventh triple of the season and drew a walk, and Aaron Whitefield blasted his eighth home run along with a walk to lead the offense. As a team the Kernels were 2-7 with runners in scoring position, left eight men on base, and had five hitters with multiple K’s. E-TWINS E-NOTES Pulaski 6, Elizabethton 4 Box Score 2017 fourth-round draft pick Charlie Barnes made his first professional start for the Twins in this one. He went the first 2.1 innings as he ran up his pitch count with three walks. He left with two runners on base in the third, and both came around to score later in the inning. He allowed just one hit and struck out one in his debut. Elizabethton scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning, when Rainis Silva led off with a double and scored on a single from T.J. Dixon. They added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings thanks to RBI singles from Jordan Gore and J.J. Robinson but were outpaced by the Yankees along the way. Twenty-second-round pick Christian Broussard came on in relief of Barnes for his debut and went the next 2.2 innings. He allowed two runs on four hits and a walk with one K. Nick Brown was the next pitcher to make his pro debut, and went two innings. He allowed two runs on two hits and three walks, striking out three. Taylor Clemensia finished the game with two scoreless innings, walking two and striking out two. The Twins closed the Yankees lead to two runs in the eighth inning on a groundout from Andre Jernigan, but were unable to string together enough hits to close the gap. Robinson (2-4, R, RBI) and Gore (3-4, RBI) had multiple hits to lead the offense. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 8, GCL Orioles 13 Box Score The Twins scored first in this one, but their lead was short-lived and if not for a ninth inning rally, would have been on the receiving end of a much worse blowout. Akil Baddoo led off the game with a triple to center field and was promptly driven in by a single from Royce Lewis. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, a throwing error on a double play ball led to two more runs and a 3-0 lead. The rehabbing Nick Tepesch started the game for the Twins, and didn’t do well. He recorded just two outs while allowing five runs on four hits, a walk and a hit-batter. Jordan Balazovic relieved him and stabilized the game for the next three innings, keeping the Orioles off the scoreboard through the fourth inning. Jean Carlos Arias closed the gap to 5-4 in the third with an RBI single, but that’s as close as the Twins would get the rest of the way. Balazovic had retired nine in a row after getting the first out of the fifth inning, but that’s when trouble finally struck. The next five batters reached base leading to three runs before he finally got out of the inning with the score 8-4. Overall, he pitched 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out three. Matz Schutte finished the final three innings, but gave up at least one run in each of those frames. His final line included five earned runs on four hits and two walks, thought he did pick up three strikeouts. In the top of the ninth inning, four consecutive walks scored one and kept the bases loaded for Lewis, who cleared them with a double for the final score of 13-8. He finished 2-5 with four RBI on the game. Colton Burns was 3-5 and scored two runs while Alex Robles added a double and two walks to the offensive effort for the Twins. Arias stole second and third base in the first inning for his first two stolen bases of the season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cody Stashak, Fort Myers Miracle (7.1IP, 2 ER’s, 6 H’s, BB, 8 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Royce Lewis, GCL Twins (2-5, 2B, 4 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (6:05PM CST) – RHP Dillon Gee (0-0, -.-- ERA) Chattanooga @ Mississippi (7:00PM CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves (3-3, 2.85 ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:05PM CST) – LHP Lachlan Wells (3-9, 4.28 ERA) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (12:05PM CST) – RHP Eduardo Del Rosario (7-3, 4.74 ERA) Elizabethton @ Kingsport (5:30PM CST) – RHP Edwar Colina (0-0, 8.31 ERA) 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