Steve Lein

The numbers don't line up in talking about the Rule 5 draft when considering who they will leave off and need to add to protect. I think the Twins are going to lose someone, or even a couple. It depends if you care that those names are Jake Reed, Nick Burdi, and/or Derek Rodriguez (I add Thorpe before him).

I would say yes. Only reason he's not a top 10 prospect right now is because he missed two seasons. He was brilliant before then, and I should know. I went to see him back then, and interviewed him: http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/color-me-and-joe-mauer-impressed-r2962 Love that he's back and pitching well!

It’s not often that a team down seven runs comes back to win a game, but that’s just what happened in Cedar Rapids on Thursday night. Who played the hero? In addition to that epic comeback, one left-handed starting pitching prospect fanned a career high number of batters in his start, a hitter was a single shy of a cycle, and several others had big offensive games. One affiliate even clinched their second division title of the year.To find out how all of your favorite prospects fared on Thursday night, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS With rosters ready to expand in the majors for September, there was a flurry of transactions on Thursday throughout the system. In AAA, the Red Wings received 1B Jonathan Rodriguez and IF Ryan Walker from the Lookouts, in addition to pitcher Michael Kohn from Fort Myers. In Chattanooga, the Lookouts received 2B Nelson Molina from Fort Myers. To replace their players on the move, Fort Myers received 3B Joe Cronin and RHP Eduardo Del Rosario from Cedar Rapids. In the Midwest League, Amaurys Minier was activated from the disabled list and the same for RHP Calvin Faucher with Elizabethton. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 1 Box Score The Red Wings offense outhit the RailRiders 11-4 on Thursday, providing plenty of run support for starter David Hurlbut to pick up his tenth win of the year. Hurlbut tossed 6.1 innings, allowing just one run on four hits and two walks, while striking out five. His run allowed came in the first inning to put Scranton/WB up 1-0 early, as a walk to a rehabbing Matt Holliday was followed by an RBI double (runner was thrown out at third base for the third out). After allowing a leadoff single in the second, Hurlbut retired the next thirteen in a row into the sixth inning. Rochester took the lead in the fourth inning as Matt Hague led off with a single and scored on a Daniel Palka triple to tie it at one. Then it was an RBI single from Byungho Park and RBI double from Anthony Recker that put them up by two. The offense added two more insurance runs in the sixth inning thanks to an RBI double from Leonardo Reginatto and sac fly from Recker for the final score of 5-1. Hague (2-5, R), Palka (2-3, R, 3B, RBI, 2 BBs), Park (2-5, R, RBI), and Recker (2-3, 2B, RBI, BB) all had multiple hits. In relief of Hurlbut, Drew Rucinski and Michael Tonkin combined to retire all eight hitters they faced to end the game. Rucinski went 1.2 innings and struck out two, while Tonkin went one-two-three in the ninth to wrap up the victory. With the win, the Red Wings hold a two game lead on the wild card over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, with four games left to play. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Montgomery 2, Chattanooga 11 Box Score It took a little while for the Lookout’s lineup to turn it on, but when they did they turned it up to eleven (literally). Leading 3-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh, they piled on five runs to break the game open. The biggest hit was a three-run bomb from Nick Gordon, his ninth of the season to make it 6-2, before T.J. White added a two-run home run of his own for an 8-2 lead. In the eighth, a bases-loaded walk to Brian Navaretto and two-RBI single from Edgar Corcino made the final tally of eleven runs for the home team. White had three hits, falling just a single short of the cycle in a big day when he also scored three runs. Gordon (2-5, R, HR, 3 RBI), Corcino (2-4, 3 RBI), and Alex Perez (2-3, 3 R’s, BB) each had two hits, while Navaretto was 1-1 with a run scored and two walks on the day. As a team they were 4-11 with runners in scoring position, and left just five men on base after collecting eleven hits and five walks. Making the start for Chattanooga was Zack Littell, and he improved to 5-0 with the Lookouts and an incredible 19-1 overall on the season by going the first six innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks while striking out four. He lowered his ERA to below 3.00 with the Twins organization in the process. In relief, Anthony McIver went two scoreless frames, allowing two hits and striking out two. Nick Anderson finished the game with a one-two-three inning, striking out two. With the win, the Lookouts are the Southern League North Division Champions in the second half of the season after also winning the first half. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Jupiter 3 (11 innings) Box Score Starter Lewis Thorpe put together an excellent start for the Miracle, but they were unable to pull out a victory on Thursday night as the offense managed just two runs. Thorpe pitched seven innings just three days after pitching an inning in Monday’s game in preparation for the playoffs. He struck out a career high eleven batters, including the side in the fourth inning and all three outs in the fifth. He allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk in his best outing of the season. He left the game down 2-1, but got the no-decision when the Miracle tied the game at two in the top of the ninth to send it to extra innings. Down 1-0 in the top of the sixth, the Miracle finally got on the scoreboard when Tanner English led off the inning with a double and later scored on a single from Brandon Lopez. Thorpe gave the Hammerheads the lead right back in the bottom half, as his errant pickoff throw put a runner in scoring position and scored on a single for the 2-1 lead. In the top of the ninth, the Miracle were handed a big chance to take the lead for good, but managed to score just one run to tie it. Lopez led off the frame with a walk, and consecutive errors by the pitcher on sacrifice bunt attempts loaded the bases with nobody out. Zander Wiel’s sac fly tied it at two and was followed by an infield single to again load the bases, but a force out at home and fly out from the next two batters snuffed out the go-ahead threat. Williams Ramirez came on for Thorpe in the eighth, and got them through the ninth with two perfect innings, striking out two. Andrew Vasquez came on in the tenth and had a one-two-three inning, but the eleventh started off with a bunt single that included a throwing error from Wiel to put the winning run on second base. Vasquez walked the next batter to put the force out into play then got the next two hitters out, but wasn’t able to get the third as a single brought in the walk-off run for Jupiter. Collecting multiple hits for the Miracle were Lopez (2-5, R, RBI, BB) and Jaylin Davis (2-5), but they had just six hits as a team, were 2-9 with runners in scoring position, and left seven men on base. KERNELS NUGGETS Burlington 8, Cedar Rapids 9 (10 innings) Box Score Cedar Rapids fell behind 8-1 in the early going as starter Tyler Wells was knocked around in just two-plus innings, but stormed back into the game with a big offensive outburst of their own that would end up pushing the game to extra innings. Wells allowed runs in each of the three innings he came out for, but wasn’t able to record an out in the third and was charged with all eight Burlington runs. In 2+ innings pitched, Wells allowed those runs on ten hits and one walk, and racked up 76 pitches in the process. Logan Lombana came on in relief in the third and shut down the Bees for three innings. He allowed three hits and struck out two before the Kernels offense popped in the bottom of the fifth. Travis Blankenhorn led off the inning with a double to set the stage, and Caleb Hamilton drove him in with an RBI single for the first run of the inning. Shane Carrier then clubbed his seventh home run with Cedar Rapids to make it 8-4 before three consecutive singles scored another and left even more ducks on the pond. Aaron Whitefield drove in one with a double to make it 8-6, before Blankenhorn bookended the inning with a two-RBI single to tie the game at eight. After Lombana was done, relievers Ryan Mason and Colton Davis combined for four shutout innings to bring the game into extra frames. They each pitched two innings, allowed one hit, and struck out three. The only difference in their lines was Mason also walked one. Patrick McGuff came on in the tenth and made it interesting, but got out of the inning without allowing a run to set up his offense for the win. Jordan Gore started the bottom half with a single and moved into scoring position on a passed ball with Whitefield in the batter’s box. He took advantage, walking it off for Cedar Rapids with his second double of the game. Each hitter in the Kernels lineup had at least one hit, with five collecting two or more. Whitefield and Blankenhorn each had two doubles and drove in two. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 0, Kingsport 8 Box Score Elizabethton’s offense managed just four hits on the game against the Mets, going 0-3 with runners in scoring position and leaving just three men on base in the shutout loss. Wander Javier led the offense by going 1-4 with a double. Akil Baddoo, Jose Miranda, and Andrew Bechtold collected the other three hits, all singles. Starter Moises Gomez matched the zeroes of Kingsport’s pitcher for the first three innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three, but the bullpen combo of Blair Lakso and Rickey Ramirez had a rough day. They both allowed four earned runs, with Lakso’s coming in 2.2 innings and Ramirez’s in 1.1. They each allowed four hits total. Lakso struck out two and Ramirez one in those innings. Jared Finkel pitched a Snapper-mow-em-down eighth inning, striking out the side to finish the game for E-town. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Rays 2, GCL Twins 8 Box Score The Twins struck first in the third inning, taking the lead 3-0 after a two-RBI double from Jared Akins and an RBI single from Jean Carlos Arias to start the game’s scoring. They tacked on three more runs in the fifth after loading bases with nobody out for Benjamin Rodriguez. He brought in one with a single, then Taylor Grzelakowski and Victor Tademo each added sac flies for the 6-1 lead. In the seventh inning the Twins capped their scoring as Grzelakowski slugged his first professional home run, a two-run shot to make the final score of 8-2. The top five hitters in the lineup (Akins, Ricky De La Torre, Arias, Rodriguez, Grzelakowski) all collected two hits and scored at least one run on the game. Ricky De La Torre had a double as part of his two hits. On the mound for the Twins in this one was Jordan Balazovic, and he went the first 4.2 innings. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four. Joe Rosenstein got the next two outs, but allowed one run on a hit and a walk. Derek Molina pitched two scoreless innings from there, allowing two hits and striking out three. Austin Bizzle finished out the game with 1.2 scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and struck out two. The Twins improved to 34-22 on the season with the victory, and are just one game back of the best record in the Gulf Coast League. They have clinched the South Division title. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Lewis Thorpe, Fort Myers Miracle (7.0 IP, ER, 5 H’s, BB, 11 K’s) Hitter(s) of the Day – T.J. White, Chattanooga Lookouts (3-5, 3 R’s, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI) FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers (14-4, 3.37 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30PM CST) – LHP Anthony Marzi (0-0, -.-- ERA) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (2-0, 3.00 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox, Game 1 (10:00AM CST) – TBD GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins, Game 2 – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! Click here to view the article

Well, when this is happening: Or this (from last night) (this from last week vs. White Sox): I'm not sure you can fault Garver very much for anything that got by...

I have to admit, Tuesday’s minor league report was a lot less fun to write than last Friday’s was, when Twins affiliates combined to go 6-0. That’s because they flipped that record to 0-5 for this one. The only thing keeping them from completely flipping that to six, was because Rochester’s game with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was suspended due to rain in the fourth inning. That was unfortunate too, as one of their hitters put himself in line for the player of the day award for the second day in a row to that point.To find out just how unlucky Twins affiliates were on Tuesday night, read on...at your own risk. TRANSACTIONS There were several transactions that were made official before the games on Tuesday. Nik Turley was optioned back to Rochester after the doubleheader yesterday. In AA, Kohl Stewart was put on the 7-day disabled list with left-knee tendinitis just a day after officially rejoining the Lookouts roster. Alex Muren was called up from Fort Myers and pitched in their game last night. Sam Clay was returned to Fort Myers. In Cedar Rapids, Christian Caveness was placed on the disabled list with a blood clot in his right shoulder. (Get well soon!) To take his roster spot Shane Kennedy was brought up from the Gulf Coast League. In the Appalachian League, Christian Broussard was activated from the DL and made the start last night. RED WINGS REPORT Scranton/WB 4, Rochester 4 (Suspended in top of fourth inning) Box Score Rain suspended the Red Wings game on Tuesday in the top of the fourth inning. The RailRiders had scored two runs in the first two innings to account for their runs, including two solo home runs off starter Aaron Slegers. Byungho Park accounted for all four of Rochester’s runs, with an RBI single in the first and a three run home run in the third. The game will be completed tomorrow before their regularly scheduled game. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mississippi 6, Chattanooga 5 Box Score Starting for the Lookouts was Dereck Rodriguez, and he made it into the sixth inning before he was chased. In 5.2 innings the Braves scored five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks. He allowed a solo home run and struck out two. Randy Rosario came on in relief with two outs in the sixth and promptly gave up a triple to score two inherited runners. He allowed a run of his own in the seventh and in total allowed four hits while picking up two K’s in 1.1 innings. Alex Muren finished the game with two scoreless frames. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out two of his own. Chattanooga made a late comeback, getting to 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth, but couldn’t get the big hit to put them over the top. With the bases loaded in the seventh after three walks and a catcher interference play that allowed one to score, they were able to push just one other runner across on a double-play ball before LaMonte Wade flew out to end the threat. In the eighth, a solo home run from T.J. White got it to 6-5, and two more walks put the tying run in scoring position, but it wasn’t meant to be. Edgar Corcino (2-5, R, HR, RBI) and White (3-4, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, RBI) led the offense with multiple hits. Andy Wilkins had a double in four trips to the plate and Nick Gordon singled and picked up an RBI by drawing a bases-loaded walk. Levi Michael and Brian Navarreto each drew two walks. As a team the Lookouts were just 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Clearwater 4 Box Score The Miracle were shut out in this one as they managed just four hits. Chris Paul was 2-3 with a triple and was also hit by a pitch to reach base three times. Brent Rooker and Mitchell Kranson collected the other two hits for the offense, both singles. As a team they struck out only six times, but were 0-5 with runners in scoring position. Randy LeBlanc made the start for Fort Myers and went the first five innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out four. The first run of the game for Clearwater came in the fourth inning and they added the other two against LeBlanc in the fifth. Michael Theofanopoulos pitched two scoreless innings of relief, walking two and striking out one. Williams Ramirez pitched the eighth inning, allowing one run on two hits and a walk. He struck out one. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Kane County 9 Box Score Kane County jumped all over Cedar Rapids pitching in this one, building a 7-0 lead before the Kernels put their lone run on the scoreboard. Bryan Sammons took the mound and went the first 3.2 innings. He gave up five runs (four earned) on three hits and four walks. He did strike out six. Patrick McGuff pitched the next 1.1 innings, striking out one but allowing four runs of his own on six hits, including a three-run home run. Logan Lombana finished the game for Cedar Rapids, keeping the Cougars from adding to their blowout in 3.0 scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out one. Lewin Diaz was responsible for the Kernels only run, slugging his 11th home run of the season in the fifth inning. Jimmy Kerrigan was 2-3 batting second in the lineup, and Shane Kennedy added the team's fourth hit. The Cedar Rapids offense did not have a single plate appearance with runners in scoring position as Kane County’s pitcher, Connor Grey, tossed a complete game. The loss halted the Kernels win streak at five and evened both team’s records at 29-29 in the second half of the Midwest League season. Kane County won the Western Division in the first half, and both are 8.5 games behind the second half -leading Quad Cities River Bandits, which Cedar Rapids plays next on their current road trip. E-TWINS E-NOTES Johnson City 4, Elizabethton 3 Box Score Elizabethton took the lead 3-2 in this one in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Andrew Bechtold’s tenth double of the year tied the game at two and a Mark Contreras single brought him in to put them out front. They weren’t able to hold that lead however. Their first run of the game came in the bottom of the third courtesy of a sac fly from Kolton Kendrick. Akil Baddoo finished 1-3 with two walks and stole his fourth base, but was also thrown out for the fourth time. Christian Broussard got the first inning for the Twins and walked the leadoff man, but got the next three. He was replaced by Edward Colina for the second inning. He went 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk, with four K’s. Jovani Moran came on with two outs in the seventh and got the final out, but was charged with a blown save in the eighth when he gave up the go-ahead two-run home run to Elizabethton’s bitter rivals. To attempt to make up for that, he did strike out five in 2.1 innings to finish the game. The Twins offense did threaten with two outs in the eighth, but were unable to get a run across to tie the game and went down one-two-three in the bottom of the ninth, all on strikeouts. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 10 Box Score The Twins were outhit in this one 13-6, and it showed up on the scoreboard as they fell to the Orioles on the road. After the Orioles struck for five runs in the first two innings, the Twins did crawl back to make the score 5-4 after the top of the sixth, but five more runs from the Orioles to answer did them in for good. Tyler Benninghoff made the start and got just one out (likely plan for him coming back from injury is one inning appearances at this point, so don’t read too much into it). He walked two, gave up a two-run homer, and struck out one. Jordan Balazovic came in from there and got out of the first inning, but allowed three runs of his own in the second. He ended up finishing 3.2 innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out two along the way. Cody Stashak pitched a scoreless fifth inning but surrendered two runs on three hits overall in 1.2 innings, striking out two. Tyler Jay was the next man to get touched up, as he allowed both of Stashak’s inherited runners to score and one of his own while closing out the sixth, then two more on a home run in the seventh. He allowed four hits in 1.0 innings, while striking out one. Amilcar Cruz finally stabilized the scoreboard for the last four outs, walking two and striking out two. On the offensive side, two Twins hitters collected two hits. Benjamin Rodriguez was 2-4 with two runs scored, a homer, and two RBI. His home run was the blast that brought them within one. Ricky De La Torre was 2-3 with a walk, a home run, and RBI. His solo shot got the Twins on the board in the second inning. The rest of the team combined to go 2-25 with 12 K’s. They were just 1-2 with runners in scoring position and left only four men on base overall. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Logan Lombana, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3.0IP, 0 R’s, 2 BB’s, K) Hitter of the Day – T.J. White, Chattanooga Lookouts (3-4, 2 R’s, 2B, HR, RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – RHP Felix Jorge (0-0, -.--. AAA debut) Mississippi @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) – TBD Fort Myers @ Clearwater (6:00PM CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (2-2, 3.50 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30PM CST) – LHP Tyler Watson (0-3, 6.06 ERA) Bristol @ Elizabethton (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

Twins affiliates were undefeated on Friday night, putting another exclamation point on an incredible display of power throughout the organization. The Twins hit six home runs in the majors, there were two grand slams and a few other big spot blasts in the minors. The biggest may have come from a Miracle hitter who completed a comeback victory. Oh, and Kohl Stewart made his debut in the International League. I tried my best, but so many awesome things happened on Friday that I couldn’t possibly highlight them all with a catchy title, so you’re just going to have to continue reading to find out about it all!TRANSACTIONS Before getting to the games, there were some exciting transactions on Friday throughout the system. The Twins recalled Mitch Garver from AAA to take the place of Robbie Grossman, and he was in uniform on Friday (I’ll let the game recap detail his debut, if it happens). The Twins also optioned Aaron Slegers back to Rochester after his fine MLB debut yesterday. To round out the AAA-related moves, pitcher Kohl Stewart and catcher Carlos Paulino were assigned to Rochester from Chattanooga. To take their places at AA, pitcher Lewis Thorpe and first baseman Brian Olson were brought up from Fort Myers. Down in Fort Myers, the Miracle received catcher Jhon Alvarez from the GCL. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 10, Louisville 4 Box Score The story with the Red Wings on Friday, was the AAA debut of Kohl Stewart. It wasn’t great, but he did enough to pick up his first International League win. He went five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out five. All four runs scored in the second inning. Two of the hits allowed were doubles in that inning, and the big damage came on a two-run home run. From there Stewart settled down a little, picking up a strikeout to end the third, and then two one-two-three innings to finish his day. Rochester scored first in the game, taking a 1-0 lead after the top of the first as J.B. Shuck led off the game with a triple and scored on a ground out. They took back the lead right after Stewart’s bad inning, as they tacked on five runs in the top of the third. A bases loaded walk scored the first run, before Tommy Field added the other four with a grand slam for a 6-4 lead. They added another run in the fourth after another leadoff triple, this one from Engelb Vielma, and he scored on a wild pitch. They tacked on more runs in both of the final two innings due to an RBI single from Niko Goodrum in the eighth and an RBI single from Shuck in the ninth that scored two after an error. Shuck (2-6, R, 3B, RBI), Daniel Palka (2-5, R, 2B, BB), Goodrum (2-5, 2 RBI), and Vielma (2-5, 3 R’s, 3B) each had multiple hits. Kennys Vargas was 1-3 with a run scored, double and two walks. John Curtiss came on for the sixth inning and brought the team into the eighth. He allowed one hit in his 2.2 innings, striking out two. Michael Tonkin finished the final 1.1 innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Tennessee 8 Box Score The Lookouts had to hold off a furious rally from Tennessee in the ninth, but were able to do so because of a couple big innings from their offense, and a gutsy performance from a newcomer to the organization with the tying run on second base. Chattanooga took a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning as they loaded the bases with nobody out to start the game. A Max Murphy single scored the first two runs, a wild pitch the third, and another bases loaded walk the fourth. That chased the Smokies starter from the game. They wouldn’t score another run until the sixth, but they decided to tack on five more when they did. The big hit was a three-run home run from Jonathan Rodriguez and the other two scored on another bases loaded walk and a sac fly from LaMonte Wade. Felix Jorge was the starter for the Lookouts and was efficient with his pitches in seven innings to pick up his tenth win. He allowed three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out six. Ryan Eades came on for the eighth inning and pitched a scoreless frame, but it was the ninth that would haunt him when he came back out. A double, walk and single that included a throwing error scored the first run for the Smokies to make the score 9-4. Another single and a double each brought in another run to make it 9-6 before lights-out lefty Gabriel Moya was summoned with runners on second and third and the tying run stepping into the batter’s box. A sacrifice fly to his first batter made it 9-7, then a double scored another to make it 9-8 with the tying run in scoring position. Moya buckled down and got the next hitter to fly out before striking out the next to pick up his 21st save of the season. Eades ended up being charged with five runs on five hits and a walk in his 1+ innings. Leading the offense was Rodriguez, who in addition to the home run finished 2-4 with a walk. Ryan Walker added three hits to the effort in a 3-4 night. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Tampa 6 Box Score Fort Myers pulled off a miracle in Tampa on Friday night, coming back from a 6-0 deficit to win the game. They fell behind 6-0 as starter Sean Poppen got hit around a little and his defense made a few mistakes. In five innings, he allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and a walk, while striking out four. Both runs Tampa scored in the fourth inning to make it 6-0 were unearned as Jermaine Palacios and Sean Miller committed throwing errors. After that the bullpen shut it down as four pitchers combined for four shutout innings (one apiece). Alex Robinson struck out two in a one-two-three sixth. Michael Kohn pitched a scoreless seventh, walking one and striking out one. Andrew Vasquez gave up a couple of hits and a walk in the eighth but escaped without giving up a run and struck out one. Tom Hackimer picked up his fourth save with Fort Myers with a scoreless ninth. He walked one and struck out one. The Miracle started their comeback in the top of sixth inning when Jermaine Palacios led off with single, Brandon Lopez scored him with a double and Chris Paul singled to put runners on the corners. Mitchell Kranson then delivered an RBI single to make it 6-2. In the seventh, it was another big blast from a 2017 draft pick that brought them all the way back. Sean Miller led off the inning with a single, and one out later Tanner English reached on an error. Palacios brought them both home with another double to make it 6-4, and he would score on another hit from Lopez, this one a single. With two outs, Brent Rooker came to plate and blasted, off the foul pole, his seventh home run with Fort Myers, and fourth in his last ten games, to put them out front 7-6 and complete the comeback. Palacios (2-5, 2 R’s, 2B, 2 RBI), Lopez (3-5, 2 R’s, 2B, 2 RBI), Rooker (2-5, R, HR, 2 RBI), Miller (2-4, R), and Jaylin Davis (2-4) all had multiple hits for the Miracle as they racked up fourteen hits as a team and were 4-9 with runners in scoring position. Robinson picked up the win on the pitching front to improve to 4-0, and Kohn and Vasquez were credited with holds. KERNELS NUGGETS Beloit 1, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score The former Minnesota Twins Midwest League affiliate and their new one got engaged in a pitcher’s duel in Cedar Rapids, and it though it got a little interesting in the bottom of the ninth, the home team held on for the victory. Left-hander Anthony Marzi made the start for Cedar Rapids, and again was pretty good. He allowed just one run on four hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out three to lower his ERA to 1.99 on the season. Ryan Mason pitched a scoreless eighth inning, allowing a single and striking out one. The Kernels tied the game at one in the bottom of the third, when Royce Lewis drove in Joe Cronin with a double, his first in the Midwest League. They took the lead in the seventh after a Shane Carrier double put runners on second and third, and Trey Cabbage brought in one with a sac fly. In the ninth it was team saves leader Hector Lujan who got the call. He struck out the first man he faced, but the next beat out an infield single to get the tying runner on base. The next hitter is when it got interesting, as a fly ball to center field got the second out on a sliding catch from Aaron Whitefield, but an airmailed throw back in (toward friend of TD’s Steve Buhr) put the runner on third base. No big deal though, as Lujan struck out the next man to close the door on his fourteenth save. The Kernels had just four hits as a team on the game, but they got all the runs they needed in the end. Lewin Diaz was 2-4 with a double as the other hitter of mention. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Bristol 1 Box Score Elizabethton’s offense pounded out 12 hits and were 5-11 with runners in scoring position in racking up nine runs on the game. Akil Baddoo and Ariel Montesino led the charge with three hits apiece. All three of Baddoo’s were doubles and he scored three runs. He also drove in three. Jose Miranda slugged a two-run home run in the third inning to make the score 3-0. Rainis Silva followed that with a triple and scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0. Wander Javier drove in one in the ninth with a single and finished the game 2-4. He also stole third base and scampered in on a throwing error to cap the Twins scoring at nine. Kolton Kendrick was 1-3 with two walks. Baddoo, Montesino, Javier and Silva all picked up stolen bases. On the mound for the Twins was right-hander Bailey Ober, and he limited the damage to just one run in six innings while allowing seven hits and a walk. That was because he also racked up 11 K’s, including the first four hitters of the game and the last two he faced. Ober improved to 2-1 in his professional career. Jovani Moran came on for the seventh and continued the strikeout parade. In two innings he walked one and struck out five. Jared Finkel finished the game with a one-two-three ninth. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score The Red Sox jumped on Twins starter Tyler Benninghoff for two runs in the first inning, ending his day before he could finish an inning. It was just his second appearance as a pro so he was still on a pitch limit. He walked one, struck out one, and gave up back-to-back doubles to account for those two runs. Henry Centeno was the first reliever up, and went one inning, allowing one hit and a walk. Kevin Marnon brought the team through the fifth inning, striking out four in 3.1 innings and retiring all ten hitters he faced. Cody Stashak picked up the win pitching the sixth and seventh innings. He allowed one hit and struck out four. Zach Featherstone allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in the eighth, and Derek Molina picked up his fourth save by allowing one hit and striking out one in the ninth. The Twins offense cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the second inning with a sac fly from Edgar Herrera to score Benjamin Rodriguez, who had led off with a single. They took the lead 5-2 in the seventh thanks to a grand slam from Jared Akins, his second home run in as many days. Akins added a sac fly in the ninth to score the Twins sixth run, finishing his day 1-4 with 5 RBI. Players with multiple hits on the game included Emmanuel Morel (2-5), Jean Carlos Arias (2-5), Rodriguez (2-4, R), and Alex Robles (2-4). Edgar Herrera, Humberto Maldonado and Kerby Camacho added doubles to the 12-hit effort for the Twins, and Ricky De La Torre drew three walks. In a slight anomaly of a stat, the Twins were 0-4 on the game in stolen base attempts. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Bailey Ober, Elizabethton Twins (W, 6.0IP, 7 H’s, 1 ER, BB, 11 K’s) Hitter(s) of the Day – Akil Baddoo, Elizabethton Twins (3-4, 3 R’s, 3 2B’s, 3 RBI, BB) (Honorable Mention to Tommy Field, Jared Akins, Jonathan Rodriguez, and Brent Rooker for the big spot bomb parade on Friday) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Louisville (5:35PM CST) – RHP Chris Heston (0-1, 7.63 ERA) Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Fernando Romero (11-7, 2.96 ERA) Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30PM CST) – RHP Clark Beeker (0-0, -.-- ERA, FSL debut. 11-3, 2.03 ERA in Midwest League) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (1-0, 4.50 ERA) Elizabethton @ Bristol (11:00AM CST) – LHP Ryley Widell (0-2, 2.70 ERA) GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (9:00AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games! Click here to view the article

That's why I included it in the first paragraph. If you wan't to think about it that way, then you also can't ignore what happened in the other 7 games in that stretch, though. Yes, more walks than we'd like, but also 3 or fewer runs in every one of those game, and only 3 once. If you're thinking of it like "he was bad in two of his last three so he shouldn't be promoted," that's like saying Royce Lewis shouldn't have been promoted to CR because he was only hitting .190 in his last 12 games in the Gulf Coast League... (which is a true statement). (I don't think you're thinking of it that way, but Stewart was pretty consistent in that stretch if you ask me)

Last 10 starts (which is basically since he came off the DL): 5-2, 3.29 ERA, 54.2 IP, 49 H's, 20 ER's, 22 BB, 41 K's. Take out 2 of his last 3 games and his ERA is 2.06. He's definitely been better. I think we all still want to see more, but there is something there.

Nice. I'm still a Stewart fan. One thing he does have is the "stuff"...

I wasn't referring to anyone on the Major League team already. Talking about the talent in the minors.

The advancement of recent draftees is what I wanted to see out of the new front office compared to the old. Get them where they should be based on talent and the experience they brought to the table. But I'm also surprised they haven't then applied these principles to the players that were already in the organization from an overall overview perspective. No Romero in AAA, Gonsalves just moved there, Gordon not in AAA, Garver not in majors, etc... those types of things. I wonder if they have a really low opinion of the talent that was in the organization when they got here.

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.