Steve Lein

Felix Jorge was also Baseball America's Pitcher of the Day!

I was able to be talked into taking a trip down to Cedar Rapids on Saturday to catch Joe Mauer playing with the Kernels. For this particular game they had a cool promotion, where it was “Jimmy Buffet Night,” complete with the Kernels wearing special jerseys, which were auctioned off after the game. Mauer’s took in $1,000. After the game, when told that was probably a record for the Kernels jersey auctions, beating Byron Buxton by $250, Mauer remarked, “I’m glad to raise some money. If I was down here and he was playing, I’d probably get his too.”That was pretty cool to see, but my particular interest in this game was tied to a couple of the Kernels’ pitchers. Lewis Thorpe, who made the start and picked up his third victory of the year, and Nick Burdi who closed out the ninth inning for his fourth save. Thorpe has been heralded as perhaps the best prospect to ever come out of Australia, and acknowledged by several outlets coming into the year as a guy who could move up prospect lists pretty quickly. Armed with a four pitch mix and extreme willingness to work hard and improve his game and his body (he added about 50 lbs and 5+MPH to his frame and velocity last season), Thorpe is definitely a pitcher to keep a close eye on, and one to not forget among the glut of pitching talent the Minnesota Twins now seem to possess. Asked to describe his arsenal of pitches after the game, Thorpe gave a pretty good scouting report on himself, “My go to pitch is mostly my fastball and changeup. And now, the curveball and slider have picked up astonishingly. I can throw those pitches now where I want them, they’re nice and hard, and good sharp break.” If you go by the “+2” rule everybody in the know talks about with the Veteran Memorial Stadium radar gun, Thorpe sat 91-93MPH all night with his fastball (from the windup and stretch), and touched 95. His curveball was sharp and came in around 75, while the changeup sat around 80 and the slider at 84. I though everything looked great and when I asked him what he thought he did well and what was working for him in the game, he agreed. “I think everything was working tonight. Just down in the zone, throwing it where I wanted to throw it at times I needed to throw it. Just regrouping and getting those low strikes. Everything was working tonight.” Even Mauer noted his effectiveness, “Threw the ball well. His curveball looks pretty nasty, mixing speeds. Second start I’ve seen him throw and he was pretty good today.” He retired the first seven batters of the game, before a low line drive single snuck between the shortstop and third baseman in the third inning. It wouldn’t matter much, as Thorpe paid close attention to the runner at first, and it paid off as he nabbed him with a quick throw. “Pretty good pickoff move I found out first hand,” Mauer would also add. Thorpe didn’t record his first K of the night until the last out of the third inning, but nobody had come close to squaring him up to that point. There were two weak infield line drives along with a tapper back at him on the mound in the first, then two easy ground balls including a broken bat and then another tapper to him in the second. It was the fourth inning when Thorpe really started to dial it in, as in each of the next three innings he picked up two of the outs via K’s. In the fourth, it was two swinging strikeouts on fastballs at 92 and 93, and the two in the sixth were swinging K’s on a nice changeup and a dirty curveball. Like he said, everything was working for him. Needless to say, Thorpe had control of the game for all his six innings, in which he allowed just four hits and two walks, while striking out seven. An unearned run scored in the fifth, the only one I didn’t chart (you can blame me, Lewis), after the inning was started with the only loud contact of the night against him, a double from Kane County’s Jeffrey Baez to left field. He came around to score after Thorpe misfired his throw toward Mauer at first base on the next hitter’s bunt attempt. Unfazed and quick to refocus, he proceeded to strike out the next two batters to end the inning. When asked about that sequence and how he felt in those situations, Thorpe remarked, “I’m calm. I clear myself off. I need to get myself back in the zone, throw strikes. Lost it for a couple of those batters, found myself down to that lefty, but got a good strikeout out of that.” Dallas Gallant came on in relief for the seventh inning, but six innings was all it would take for Thorpe to leave me with a good impression. While being chauffeured around the Kernel’s facilities after he was done, a friend (of mine and Twins Daily) asked what I thought of Thorpe’s outing. I pondered the question for a moment, trying to think of the right word, but it wasn’t hard. “I was impressed.” With the opportunity that was presented to chat with Thorpe post game, I also asked if he had any specific goals going into the end of the year, and what he was going to work on in the offseason. “Get stronger is a big key now. Work hard in the offseason, and if I go to instructs, probably the most likely, work on my mechanics more and make sure I have them all down pat so I don’t lose focus. That’s going to be a big key for me this year working into the offseason.” I also asked if he had picked up anything from Mauer or Ricky Nolasco while they had been around, and he was glowing in praise of the Twins rehabbers. "Just the way they act around the clubhouse. Both those guys are so good to us. They talk to us, teach us, having their presence around is amazing. I love having [them] around, but they're not going to be here for much longer. They're going to go back up with Minnesota and do their thing up there." After Gallant finished the eighth, it was the next pitcher, 2014 second round fireballer Nick Burdi, who intrigued me. I was quick to go back and find my seat behind home plate to take in the action. The first pitch of his outing registered 98 on the scoreboard, which as mentioned above, would equate to 100MPH with a properly calibrated gun. It was bounced to second base for an easy 4-3 putout. The fastball to start the next hitter came up as 99 (101) on the board, and the third pitch of this at-bat was the first slider of his outing, clocked at 89 (91) though taken low and away for a ball. It was then a 94MPH (96) fastball that was sent down the left field line for a double, and a game-tying threat from Kane County. The next sequence from Burdi was the most telling for me and his future MLB prospects, however. A three pitch K, in which he used every bullet in his gun. It was started with a 94 MPH (96) heater for strike one, followed by an 86 MPH (88) swing-and-miss slider for strike two, and finally an 87 MPH (89) changeup that froze the batter as it darted down on the outside corner for strike three and a looking-K. Nasty, nasty stuff. In fact, take a look for yourself: The final batter of the game took a slider for strike one, before popping out to the catcher just behind home plate on a fastball to end the game. If you ignore Burdi’s now irrelevant Midwest League debut, he has appeared in twelve games, thirteen innings pitched, with just eight hits, four walks and two earned runs allowed, while racking up twenty six strikeouts. Mauer was even asked if he would like to grab a bat and stand in against Burdi, he laughed. “I’ve seen it before. Not from him, but he’s got a great arm and I imagine I’ll probably see him pretty soon.” One can hope, Joe. Click here to view the article

I miss playing in Town Ball parks too, A.J. This was great!

I was able to be talked into taking a trip down to Cedar Rapids on Saturday to catch Joe Mauer playing with the Kernels. For this particular game they had a cool promotion, where it was “Jimmy Buffet Night,” complete with the Kernels wearing special jerseys, which were auctioned off after the game. Mauer’s took in $1,000. After the game, when told that was probably a record for the Kernels jersey auctions, beating Byron Buxton by $250, Mauer remarked, “I’m glad to raise some money. If I was down here and he was playing, I’d probably get his too.” That was pretty cool to see, but my particular interest in this game was tied to a couple of the Kernels’ pitchers. Lewis Thorpe, who made the start and picked up his third victory of the year, and Nick Burdi who closed out the ninth inning for his fourth save. Thorpe has been heralded as perhaps the best prospect to ever come out of Australia, and acknowledged by several outlets coming into the year as a guy who could move up prospect lists pretty quickly. Armed with a four pitch mix and extreme willingness to work hard and improve his game and his body (he added about 50 lbs and 5+MPH to his frame and velocity last season), Thorpe is definitely a pitcher to keep a close eye on going forward, and one not to forget among the glut of pitching talent the Minnesota Twins now seem to possess. Asked to describe his arsenal of pitches after the game, Thorpe gave a pretty good scouting report on himself, “My go to pitch is mostly my fastball and changeup. And now, the curveball and slider have picked up astonishingly. I can throw those pitches now where I want them, they’re nice and hard, and good sharp break.” If you go by the “+2” rule everybody in the know talks about with the Veteran Memorial Stadium radar gun, Thorpe sat 91-93MPH all night with his fastball (from the windup and stretch), and touched 95. His curveball was sharp and came in around 75, while the changeup sat around 80 and the slider at 84. I thought everything looked great and when I asked him what he thought he did well and what was working for him in the game, he agreed. “I think everything was working tonight. Just down in the zone, throwing it where I wanted to throw it at times I needed to throw it. Just regrouping and getting those low strikes. Everything was working tonight.” Even Mauer noted his effectiveness, “Threw the ball well. His curveball looks pretty nasty, mixing speeds. Second start I’ve seen him throw and he was pretty good today.” He retired the first seven batters of the game, before a low-line drive single was snuck between the shortstop and third baseman in the third inning. It wouldn’t matter much, as Thorpe paid close attention to the runner at first, and it paid off as he nabbed him with a quick throw. “Pretty good pickoff move I found out first hand,” Mauer would also add. Thorpe didn’t record his first K of the night until the last out of the third inning, but nobody had come close to squaring him up to that point. There were two weak infield line drives along with a tapper back at him on the mound in the first, then two easy ground balls including a broken bat, and another tapper to him in the second. It was the fourth inning when Thorpe really started to dial it in, as in each of the next three innings he would pick up two of the outs via K’s. In the fourth it was two swinging strikeouts on fastballs at 92 and 93, and the two in the sixth were swinging K’s on a nice changeup and a dirty curveball. Like he said, everything was working for him. Needless to say, Thorpe had control of the game for all of his six innings, in which he allowed just four hits and two walks, while striking out seven. An unearned run scored in the fifth, the only one I didn’t chart (you can blame me, Lewis), after the inning was started with the only loud contact of the night against him, a double from Kane County’s Jeffrey Baez to left field. He came around to score after Thorpe misfired his throw toward Mauer at first base on the next hitter’s bunt attempt. Unfazed and quick to refocus, he proceeded to strike out the next two batters to end the inning. When asked about that sequence and how he felt in those situations, Thorpe remarked, “I’m calm. I clear myself off. I need to get myself back in the zone, throw strikes. Lost it for a couple of those batters, found myself down to that lefty, but got a good strikeout out of that.” Dallas Gallant came on in relief for the seventh inning, but six innings was all it would take for Thorpe to leave me with a good impression. While being chauffeured around the Kernel’s facilities after he was done, a friend (of mine and Twins Daily) asked what I thought of Thorpe’s outing. I pondered the question for a moment, trying to think of the right word, but it wasn’t hard. “I was impressed.” With the opportunity that was presented to chat with Thorpe post game, I also asked if he had any specific goals going into the end of the year, and what he was going to work on in the offseason. “Get Stronger is a big key now. Work hard in the offseason, and if I go to instructs, probably the most likely, work on my mechanics more and make sure I have them all down pat so I don’t lose focus. That’s going to be a big key for me this year working into the offseason.” I also asked if he had picked up anything from Mauer or Ricky Nolasco while they had been around, and he was glowing in praise of the Twins rehabbers. "Just the way they act around the clubhouse. Both those guys are so good to us. They talk to us, teach us, having their presence around is amazing. I love having [them] around, but they're not going to be here for much longer. They're going to go back up with Minnesota and do their thing up there." After Gallant finished the eighth, it was the next pitcher that intrigued me warming up in the Kernel’s pen, 2014 second round fireballer Nick Burdi. I was quick to go back and find my seat behind home plate to take in the action. His first pitch of his outing registered 98 on the scoreboard, which as mentioned above, should equate to 100MPH with a properly calibrated gun. It was bounced to second base for an easy 4-3 putout. The fastball to start the next hitter came up as 99 (101) on the board, and the third pitch of this at bat was the first slider of his outing, clocked at 89 (91) though taken low and away for a ball. It was then a 94MPH (96) fastball that was sent down the left field line for a double, and a game-tying threat from Kane County. The next sequence from Burdi was the most telling for me and his future MLB prospects, however. A three pitch K, in which he used every bullet in his gun. It was started with a 94 MPH (96) heater for strike one, followed by an 86 MPH (88) swing-and-miss slider for strike two, and finally an 87 MPH (89) changeup that froze the batter as it darted down on the outside corner for strike three and a looking-K. Nasty, nasty stuff. In fact, take a look for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hS9Z49Y4cY&feature=youtu.be The final batter of the game took a slider for strike one, before popping out to the catcher just behind home plate on a fastball to end the game. If you ignore Burdi’s now irrelevant Midwest League debut, he has appeared in twelve games, totaling thirteen innings pitched, with just eight hits, four walks, and two earned runs allowed, while racking up twenty six strikeouts. Mauer was even asked if he would like to grab a bat and stand in against Burdi, he laughed. “I’ve seen it before. Not from him, but he’s got a great arm and I imagine I’ll probably see him pretty soon.” One can hope, Joe.

Definitely would put Wimmers in the AFL. He's been fantastic in the 'pen. Wonder if that's where the Twins view him long term now.

Lee is doing very well and is deadly to lefties, but that's probably the role he ends up in, a lefty specialist, thus he won't ever rank very high. His stuff just isn't comparable to top pitchers in the system.

The big news in Twins Territory on Friday was the promotion of Trevor May, who will make his MLB debut against the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, opposing recent A’s acquisition Jeff Samardzija. The Twins options Chris Colabello after Friday's game to the necessary room for May. Kyle Gibson took the mound for the Twins on Friday in Oakland, and until the fifth inning was continuing to resemble a revelation for their rotation. That’s when Oakland struck for four runs and a nearly insurmountable lead against lefty Scott Kazmir.The Twins would get to him in a big way the seventh, but at that point their five runs on the board were not enough to put them out front. In the ninth inning, Josh Willingham was just feet away from notching a go-ahead home run against his former team and its closer Sean Doolittle, but his blast drifted just foul. He then took a called third strike on the next pitch to end the game. In the minors, one starter flirted with a no-hitter only to end up being one-upped by another who finished a complete-game shutout, and a certain rookie-free-agent/mythical flamethrower made his professional pitching debut with Elizabethton. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 11, Indianapolis 4 Box score Rochester scored single runs in each of the first two innings, then bludgeoned the Indians for six total runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and three more in the ninth en route to the blowout. Six hitters tallied multiple hits, including Doug Bernier (3-5), Chris Herrmann (2-4), Josmil Pinto (2-3), Wilkin Ramirez (2-5), Aaron Hicks (2-5) and Deibinson Romero (3-5). Bernier hit his sixth home run of the season to lead off the game, and Aaron Hicks added a long blast in the second to put the Red Wings in front 2-0. In the fifth, it was a leadoff single from Romero and extra base hits from Herrmann (3B), Pinto (2B), Danny Ortiz (2B), and finally a Ramirez single that scored four runs. Then a string of singles in the sixth scored two more. The Rochester lineup was 8-15 with runners in scoring position on the night. Mark Hamburger made the start, and pitched 6.1 (extra) quality innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks. What gets lost in that overall line is the fact he had a no-hitter intact through six of those innings. It unraveled for him quickly in the seventh however, which led to the Indians' three runs before Stephen Pryor finished the inning. Hamburger struck out just one, but recorded twelve groundouts and four flyouts. In his return to Rochester, Logan Darnell pitched the next 0.2 innings of relief, and surrendered a run after a double, wild pitch and RBI groundout in the eighth. Michael Tonkin finished the final 1.1 innnings, striking out one. The victory brought the Red Wings within one and a half games of the first place Syracuse Chiefs. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 0, Erie 6 Box Score Starter Pat Dean was roughed up for twelve hits and six earned runs in just 3.1 innings, and the Rock Cats were unable to mount any threats against Seawolves pitchers in this one, racking up six hits and going 0-7 on the night with runners in scoring position. Jorge Polanco was 2-4, and Eddie Rosario collected the only extra base hit for New Britain, his fourteenth double of the year in the sixth inning. Alex Wimmers came on for 2.2 innings of relief, allowing one hit while striking out four, and Jim Fuller added two scoreless innings while New Britain limped to the finish in this one. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, St. Lucie 0 Box Score Fort Myers was able to collect some retribution for the AA shutout, by doing the same to their High-A opponent, the St. Lucie Mets. Brett Lee was on the mound looking to atone for his last start, in which he lasted just four innings and allowed four runs. He did that and more, pitching a complete game shutout, scattering seven hits and three walks, while striking out four. He also induced three double plays, and none of the St. Lucie hits went for extra bases. The win gives him a 9-3 record on the year in fifteen starts, and lowered his ERA to 1.89, which would rank fourth in the FSL if he had three more innings under his belt, and just ahead of former teammate, Jose Berrios. The Mets actually outhit the Miracle 7-6, but RBI triples from Stuart Turner in the seventh and Max Kepler in the ninth gave Lee all the support he needed. Kepler was 2-3 on the night, while Travis Harrison was 1-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Byron Buxton rough stretch continued, as he went 0-4 with two strikeouts on the night, and is batting just .171 in his last ten games. In The Sandlot-esque fashion, Jason Kanzler entered the game in the top of the ninth as a pinch runner for Dalton Hicks, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then proceeded to steal third base. He then took home as part of a double-steal with Adam Brett Walker II for the Miracle’s third run of the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Kane County 6, Cedar Rapids 5 Box score Cedar Rapids fell behind early. Starter Stephen Gonsalves had some trouble in the first inning, as leadoff singles from the first two batters, a walk, and a bases clearing double put them in the hole 3-0. They got two back in the second courtesy of sacrifice fly balls from Michael Quesada and Chad Christensen that plated Max Murphy and Logan Wade, but were unable to mount any more offense until the ninth inning. Gonsalves retired nine in a row after the early hiccup, but was able to finish only four innings, allowing the three earned runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out five. In four starts (technically, but really three) with the Kernels, Gonsalves has now pitched sixteen innings with a 2.25 ERA, with sixteen strikeouts compared to just four walks. Chriss Mazza (2 IP, 3 H’s, 2 ER’s 3 K’s) and Hudson Boyd (2 IP, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 1 ER, 2 K’s) combined to pitch the next four innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five. Josue Montanez finished the game with a scoreless inning and two K’s. The Kernels mounted a furious comeback in the bottom of the ninth, which included an RBI single from the rehabbing Joe Mauer and a Mitch Garver double that scored Engelb Vielma and Mauer to bring the team to within one. But strikeouts from Alex Swim and Logan Wade with the bases loaded ended the game in losing fashion. Mauer was 3-5 on the night, while Vielma (2-4), Swim (2-5, 2B) and Murphy (2-4, 2B) also collected multiple hits. E-TWINS E-NOTES Danville 0, Elizabethton 7 Box Score 2014 third round draft choice and fireballer, Michael Cederoth made the start for Elizabethton, and was effectively wild in helping them post another shutout, allowing one hit and four walks, while striking out four in 5.2 innings. There was also another (recently) well-publicized fireballer who made his professional debut in this one, and that of course means Sidd Finch, errr.., Brandon Poulson, took the mound in this one. I would say it went well, even though he didn’t strike out like twelve in his one-inning of work. In fact, he didn’t strike out anybody and walked the first batter he faced, but also saw just three batters as he induced a double play and a weak pop-up for his three outs. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what this guy can do! C.K. Irby (1.1 innings) and Cameron Booser (one inning) also pitched scoreless innings, with Irby striking out four and Booser striking out two. The E-Town offense was led by none other than Nick Gordon, who was 3-4 with a double, run scored and RBI to raise his average back to just shy of .300. Brett Doe added a RBI triple to the effort, while leadoff man Jeremias Pineda went 1-3 with two walks and three runs scored. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score The GCL Twins took this one from the Red Sox at Jet Blue Park, behind a strong start from Josh Guyer, who went five innings and allowed two runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out three. Jhon Silva, Leonel Zazueta (win), and Trevor Hildenberger (save) combined for four innings of scoreless relief, four hits and one walk allowed, with four strikeouts. A Nelson Molina triple scored the first run of the game for the Twins in the third inning, and they added two more in the seventh courtesy of two singles, two sacrifice bunts and an error to head back home across Fort Myers and Daniels Parkway to the Lee County Sports Complex with the victory. DSL Twins Dialed In DSL D-backs 2, DSL Twins 3 Box Score Starter Moises Gomez (4 IP) and “long reliever” for the night, Randolph Perez (5 IP), combined for all nine innings, surrendering just two earned runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out four apiece. Luis Martinez was 3-4 with two doubles, Emmanuel Morel 2-4 with and run scored, and Roni Tapi added an RBI double in the win. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Brett Lee, Fort Myers Miracle (9IP, CG-SO, 7 H’s, 3 BB’s, 4 K’s) Hitter – Doug Bernier, Rochester Red Wings (3-5, 2 R’s, BB, HR, 2 RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Indianapolis – Alex Meyer (6-4, 3.05 ERA), 6:05PM CST New Britain @ Erie – Taylor Rogers (8-6, 3.92 ERA), 6:05PM CST Fort Myers @ Palm Beach – TBD, 5:35PM CST Kane County @ Cedar Rapids – Lewis Thorpe (2-2, 4.53 ERA), 5:05PM CST Danville @ Elizabethton – Sam Gibbons (3-2, 3.40 ERA), 5:00PM CST GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – TBD, 9:00AM CST DSL Twins @ DSL D-backs – TBD, 9:30AM CST Click here to view the article

The big news in Twins Territory on Friday was the promotion of Trevor May, who will make his MLB debut against the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, opposing recent A’s acquisition Jeff Samardzija. The Twins options Chris Colabello after Friday's game to the necessary room for May. Kyle Gibson took the mound for the Twins on Friday in Oakland, and until the fifth inning was continuing to resemble a revelation for their rotation. That’s when Oakland struck for four runs and a nearly insurmountable lead against lefty Scott Kazmir. The Twins would get to him in a big way the seventh, but at that point their five runs on the board were not enough to put them out front. In the ninth inning, Josh Willingham was just feet away from notching a go-ahead home run against his former team and closer Sean Doolittle, but his blast drifted just foul, and he took a called third strike on the next pitch to end the game. In the minors, one starter flirted with a no-hitter only to end up being one-upped by another who finished a complete-game shutout, and a certain rookie-free-agent/mythical-flamethrower made his professional pitching debut with Elizabethton. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 11, Indianapolis 4 Box score Rochester scored single runs in each of the first two innings, then bludgeoned the Indians for six total runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and three more in the ninth en route to the blowout. Six hitters tallied multiple hits, including Doug Bernier (3-5), Chris Herrmann (2-4), Josmil Pinto (2-3), Wilkin Ramirez (2-5), Aaron Hicks (2-5), and Deibinson Romero (3-5). Bernier hit his sixth home run of the season to lead off the game, and Aaron Hicks added a long blast in the second to put the Red Wings in front 2-0. In the fifth, it was a leadoff single from Romero and extra base hits from Herrmann (3B), Pinto (2B), Danny Ortiz (2B), and finally a Ramirez single that scored four runs, then a string of singles in the sixth that scored two more. The Rochester lineup was 8-15 with runners in scoring position on the night. Mark Hamburger made the start, and pitched 6.1 (extra) quality innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks. What gets lost in that overall line is the fact he held a no hitter intact through six of those innings. It unraveled for him quickly in the seventh however, which led to the Indians three runs before Stephen Pryor would finish the inning. Hamburger struck out just one, but recorded twelve groundouts compared to just four flyouts. In his return to Rochester, Logan Darnell pitched the next 0.2 innings of relief, and surrendered a run after a double, wild pitch, and RBI groundout in the eighth. Michael Tonkin finished the final 1.1 innnings, striking out one. The victory brought the Red Wings within one and a half games of the first place Syracuse Chiefs. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 0, Erie 6 Box Score Starter Pat Dean was roughed up for twelve hits and six earned runs in just 3.1 innings, and the Rock Cats were unable to mount any threats against Seawolves pitchers in this one, racking up just six hits and going 0-7 on the night with runners in scoring position. Jorge Polanco was 2-4, and Eddie Rosario collected the only extra base hit for New Britain, his fourteenth double of the year in the sixth inning. Alex Wimmers came on for 2.2 innings of relief, allowing just one hit while striking out four, and Jim Fuller added two scoreless innings while New Britain limped to the finish in this one. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, St. Lucie 0 Box Score Fort Myers was able to collect some retribution for the AA shutout, by doing the same to their high-A opponent, the St. Lucie Mets. Brett Lee was on the mound looking to atone for his last start, in which he lasted just four innings and allowed four runs. He did that and more, pitching the complete game shutout, scattering seven hits and three walks, while striking out four. He also induced three double plays, and none of the St. Lucie hits went for extra bases. The win gives him a 9-3 record on the year in fifteen starts, and lowered his ERA to 1.89, which would rank fourth in the FSL if he had 3 more innings under his belt, and just ahead of former teammate, Jose Berrios. The Mets actually outhits the Miracle 7-6, but RBI triples from Stuart Turner in the seventh, and Max Kepler in the ninth gave Lee all the support he would need. Kepler was 2-3 on the night, while Travis Harrison was 1-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Byron Buxton rough stretch continued, as he went 0-4 with two strikeouts on the night, and is batting just .171 in his last ten games. In The Sandlot-esque fashion, Jason Kanzler entered the game in the top of the ninth as a pinch runner for Dalton Hicks, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then proceeded to steal third base. He would then take home as part of a double-steal with Adam Brett Walker II for the Miracle’s third run of the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Kane County 6, Cedar Rapids 5 Box score Cedar Rapids fell behind early, as starter Stephen Gonsalves had some trouble in the first inning, as leadoff singles from the first two batters, a walk, and a bases clearing double put them in the hole 3-0. They would get two back in the second courtesy of sacrifice fly’s from Michael Quesada and Chad Christensen that plated Max Murphy and Logan Wade, but were unable to mount any more offense until the ninth inning. Gonsalves would retire nine in a row after the early hiccup, but was only able to finish four innings, allowing the three earned runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out five. In four starts (technically, but really three) with the Kernels, Gonsalves has now pitched sixteen innings with a 2.25 ERA, and sixteen strikeouts compared to just four walks. Chriss Mazza (2 IP, 3 H’s, 2 ER’s 3 K’s) and Hudson Boyd (2 IP, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 1 ER, 2 K’s) combined to pitch the next four innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five, Josue Montanez finished the game with a scoreless inning and two K’s. The Kernels mounted a furious comeback in the bottom of the ninth, which included an RBI single from the rehabbing Joe Mauer, and a Mitch Garver double that scored Engelb Vielma and Mauer to bring them within one. But strikeouts from Alex Swim and Logan Wade with the bases loaded would end the game in losing fashion. Mauer was 3-5 on the night, while Vielma (2-4), Swim (2-5, 2B) and Murphy (2-4, 2B) would also collect multiple hits. E-TWINS E-NOTES Danville 0, Elizabethton 7 Box Score 2014 third round draft choice and fireballer, Michael Cederoth made the start for Elizabethton, and was effectively wild in helping them post another shutout, allowing just one hit but four walks, while striking out four in 5.2 innings. There was also another (recently) well-publicized fireballer who made his professional debut in this one, and that of course means Sidd Finch, err, Brandon Poulson, took the mound in this one. I would say it went well, even though he didn’t strike out like twelve in his one-inning of work. In fact, he didn’t strike out anybody and walked the first batter he faced, but also saw just three batters as he induced a double play ball and weak pop-up for his three outs. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what this guy can do! C.K. Irby (1.1 innings) and Cameron Booser (1 inning) also pitched scoreless innings, with Irby striking out four and Booser striking out two. The E-Town offense was led by none other than Nick Gordon, who was 3-4 with a double, run scored, and RBI to raise his average back to just shy of .300 on the season. Brett Doe added a RBI triple to the effort, while leadoff man Jeremias Pineda went 1-3 with two walks and three runs scored. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score The GCL Twins took this one from the Red Sox at Jet Blue Park, behind a strong start from Josh Guyer, who went five innings and allowed just two runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out three. Jhon Silva, Leonel Zazueta (Win), and Trevor Hildenberger (Save) combined for four innings of scoreless relief, four hits and one walk allowed, with four strikeouts. A Nelson Molina triple scored the first run of the game for the Twins in the third inning, and they added two more in the seventh courtesy of two singles, two sacrifice bunts, and an error to head back home across Fort Myers and Daniels Parkway to the Lee County Sports Complex with the victory. DSL Twins Dialed In DSL D-backs 2, DSL Twins 3 Box Score Starter Moises Gomez (4 IP) and “long reliever” for the night, Randolph Perez (5 IP), combined for all nine innings, surrendering just two earned runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out four apiece. Luis Martinez was 3-4 with two doubles, Emmanuel Morel 2-4 with and run scored, and Roni Tapi added an RBI double in the win. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Brett Lee, Fort Myers Miracle (9IP, CG-SO, 7 H’s, 3 BB’s, 4 K’s) Hitter – Doug Bernier, Rochester Red Wings (3-5, 2 R’s, BB, HR, 2 RBI) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Indianapolis – Alex Meyer (6-4, 3.05 ERA), 6:05PM CST New Britain @ Erie – Taylor Rogers (8-6, 3.92 ERA), 6:05PM CST Fort Myers @ Palm Beach – TBD, 5:35PM CST Kane County @ Cedar Rapids – Lewis Thorpe (2-2, 4.53 ERA), 5:05PM CST Danville @ Elizabethton – Sam Gibbons (3-2, 3.40 ERA), 5:00PM CST GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – TBD, 9:00AM CST DSL Twins @ DSL D-backs – TBD, 9:30AM CST

Frank Schulte is the 4th, in 1911...

I think there's quite a bit more in Buxton than a Crawford comp, but Crawford also had some fantastic years.

I like to call him a legitimate 20/20/20/20 guy... The list of guys to do that in MLB history is extremely short. Only four names, to be exact.

If I could "like" this more than once, I would. Couldn't say it better myself.

Don't have issue with the idea of "protecting an arm," but this should be a decision that is based on fluidity of his health in the present, not based on what occurred a year ago. I bet Meyer would say he feels fantastic and can do more if you asked him right now. Letting him throw 100+ pitches and go deeper into a game, or hell, pitch for the Twins, isn't going to exponentially increase a repeat injury risk at this point. This notion is absurd.

Yup, this. So many times this. And should they really be that concerned about a guy who's On-Base Percentage Against is .300?! Also, Baseball America published their "AAA Best Tools" today. Guess who gets recognized for "Best Fastball" AND "Best Breaking Pitch"? Yup, it's Alex Meyer.

I mean, what really do they need to show the Twins here? On International League leaderboards, May and Meyer are top 10 in ERA (#5 and #6 respectively), near the top in WHIP (#4 and #11), Meyer leads the league in overall K's and K/9, while May is #4 in K/9. They're even #2 (May) and #7 (Meyer) in FIP, and #2 (Meyer) and #3 (May) in Batting Average Against. The standards the Twins have for calling them up with how atrocious their starters in MLB have been is nothing short of baffling. I get the May injury pushing him back, but that concern is over.

If they don't bring up Meyer at all, I will be PISSED. Maybe even to the point of saying "Eff my season tickets, because this team doesn't give a crap about it's fans." It's that simple for me. They aren't 'young' prospects any more, take off the kid gloves.

That Cedar Rapids bullpen is just Ridiculous right now. If Burdi is in any early 2015 plans, I sure hope they move him up a level or two soon!

Generally if your team has a catcher or an outfielder pitching, it means that something went terribly wrong. After a long day of baseball in Louisville, Dan Rohlfing had to pitch for the Rochester Red Wings. You'll just have to read below how it went. Check out everything that happened throughout the Minnesota Twins farm system on Sunday, August 3.The Minnesota Twins offense exploded for twenty-three hits to pound the rival White Sox on Sunday afternoon in Chicago, 16-3. Danny Santana was 5-6 and a home run shy of the cycle, while Chris Parmelee (2-2), Oswaldo Arcia (3-6), and Eric Fryer (3-6) hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning with the game well in hand. Arcia’s mammoth blast cleared the seating in right field, and was estimated at 452 feet, which would be the longest HR of the year at U.S. Cellular field per ESPN’s Home Run Tracker. Josh Willingham and Chris Colabello were the only Twins to not collect multiple hits, and in an odd box score entry, Willingham left ten men on base. It obviously didn’t matter. The Twins went 10-22 with runners in scoring position on the game, and in the eighth inning sent fourteen hitters to the plate to send the White Sox faithful heading for the exits. The first eight batters of that inning reached base safely and nine came around to score. Kyle Gibson made the start and except for one pitch to Dayan Viciedo, was in control for most of the game. He went seven innings in the quality start, allowing six hits and zero walks while striking out six. After the game, the Twins optioned Logan Darnell back to Rochester to clear room for outfielder Jordan Schafer, who was claimed on waivers from the Atlanta Braves earlier in the day. In the minors, Alex Meyer took the hill for the Red Wings, and several affiliates were forced to make comeback efforts late in their games. Read on to see what happened! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Louisville 5 (15 innings) Box score Rochester got on the board in the first inning courtesy of two Louisville errors, one to allow leadoff man Eric Farris to reach first and another to allow him to score. They added two in the fourth inning after consecutive doubles from Danny Ortiz and Reynaldo Rodriguez and sac fly from Chris Rahl. Another Ortiz double in the sixth led to their fourth run and a 4-0 lead. Through five innings, Meyer had held the Bats scoreless on just two walks and one hit, with six strikeouts. In the sixth, Meyer surpassed his pitch limit after a single, walk and two more strikeouts to finish with 5.2 innings pitched, and was replaced by A.J. Achter. With Meyer responsible for the two runners, Achter then walked the bases loaded, allowed one of the runners to score on a wild pitch and the second on a double that also scored a run that was charged to him. Edgar Ibarra pitched a scoreless seventh inning but was lifted for Michael Tonkin after consecutive singles in the eighth. Tonkin then allowed both those runners to score and Louisville took the lead 5-4 before ending the inning. In the top of the ninth, Rochester was able to send the game into extra innings after three consecutive singles from James Beresford, Josmil Pinto and Wilkin Ramirez pushed Beresford across the plate. With Pinto on second representing the go-ahead run with just one out, Louisville played matchup against Ortiz and Rodriguez, who were both struck out to end the inning. It was a marathon after that, with threats in extra innings from both sides. Stephen Pryor, Deolis Guerra, Aaron Thompson and Lester Oliveros combined to pitch the next six innings, keeping it scoreless despite issuing eight walks and allowing three hits. Oliveros struck out four. In the top of the fifteenth, Doug Bernier led off with a single, Rahl bunted him to second and Pedro Florimon tripled to bring in the go-ahead run. In the bottom half of the inning, it was Red Wings backup catcher Dan Rohlfing who walked out to the mound as their ninth pitcher of the game. He of course recorded the save, and the Red Wings took home the victory. Ortiz led the offense by going 4-7 on the night with the two doubles and two runs scored, while Chris Rahl (2-5) collected two RBI. Beresford and Bernier each finished with three hits. ROCK CATS REVIEW Erie 7, New Britain 1 Box Score It was all Seawolves in this one as the Rock Cats managed just four hits and three walks in the game. Brandon Waring had the only extra base hit with a double and he also drew one of the walks, while Tony Thomas scored the only run while drawing two walks. Thomas drew one of his walks to start the bottom of the ninth, which was followed by singles from Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario to score their run. Four pitchers made appearances for New Britain and none of them escaped without allowing at least one run. Daniel Turpen made the start and exited after three innings. He gave up just one hit, but also four walks on the way to allowing one run. He struck out three. Jim Fuller then came in and pitched three innings, allowing three hits, three walks and two earned runs while striking out four. Cole Johnson allowed five hits and one run in two innings. Alex Wimmers finished the game, allowing three runs on a walk and two home runs in the ninth inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 7 Box Score Like their AA brethren, the Miracle weren’t able to put any runs on the board until the ninth inning, when it was far too late. They did make a valiant effort at a comeback however, as they scored four before Byron Buxton stepped to the plate representing the tying run with two outs. Unfortunately, he flew out to right field to end the game. Buxton batted third and was 0-5. The Miracle did outhit the Flying Tigers 12-9, but left eight men on base and had only one extra base hit, a double from Tyler Grimes that scored two of the runs in the ninth. Grimes went 3-4 on the day with a run scored and the two RBI. Levi Michael (2-5), Adam Brett Walker II (2-3, R, BB) and Max Kepler (2-4, R) each had multiple hits. Lefty Steven Gruver was making his second start for Fort Myers. He allowed just two hits, one walk and one earned run in five innings with one K for a very solid, but not quality-qualifying effort. B.J. Hermsen allowed a two-run home run in his one inning, but struck out two. Madison Boer then came on for the seventh inning, and walked the leadoff man before retiring the next two hitters. A single and a triple then scored two before Tyler Jones replaced him. He allowed the inherited runner to score on a single, and then a run charged to him on a double before recording the final out. D.J. Johnson pitched a scoreless eighth to finish the game for the Miracle. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 6 Box score There was yet another comeback mounted by a hometown affiliate at Pohlman Field in Beloit, WI, but again it just wasn’t enough. The Kernels scored three in the eighth inning to pull within one, after a Chad Christensen walk and Alex Swim double put runners on second and third. Max Murphy brought them both home with a single to left field, and he scored on a Michael Quesada double. Engelb Vielma then drew a walk, but a pitching change and consecutive strikeouts from Jon Murphy and Ryan Walker ended the threat. Walker and Christensen also added doubles to the offensive effort, while Logan Wade slugged his fifth home run of the year, a solo shot in the third inning to put Cedar Rapids on the board. Stephen Gonsalves made his second start in the Midwest League, but it was an error by Swim in the fourth inning with two outs that allowed three unearned runs to score. In five innings, Gonsalves gave up five hits, two walks and one earned run, while striking out five. Hudson Boyd was charged with an unearned run in the sixth after a Vielma fielding error. Brandon Bixler finished the final two innings, allowing three hits, two walks and one earned run while striking out four. In major league roster-related news for the Kernels, Joe Mauer and Ricky Nolasco are set to begin Rehab assignments in Cedar Rapids tomorrow. E-TWINS E-NOTES Johnson City 2, Elizabethton 0 (7 innings) Box Score Elizabethton’s game was a pitching duel throughout, as the teams combined for just 8 hits on the night. Obviously with a zero in the box score, there wasn’t much offense to talk about. The lineup managed just four singles and one walk collectively and they were 0-6 with runners in scoring position. Felix Jorge was the starter for the Twins, and did all he could to keep them within striking distance. He scattered four hits to the tune of just two runs and struck out five. Unfortunately for him, he was saddled with a 7-inning complete game loss. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Alex Meyer (5.2 IP, 2 H's, 2 ER's, 3 BB's, 8 K's), Rochester Red Wings Hitter – Danny Ortiz (4-7, 2 R's, 2 2B's), Rochester Red Wings MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Louisville – Trevor May (8-5, 2.72 ERA), 6:05PM CST Fort Myers @ Lakeland – TBD, 5:30PM CST Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids – Lewis Thorpe (2-2, 4.74 ERA), 6:35PM CST Johnson City @ Elizabethton – Derrick Penilla (3-2, 4.15 ERA), 6:00PM CST GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins – TBD, 11:00AM CST DSL Reds @ DSL Twins – TBD, 9:30AM CST Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins offense exploded twenty-three hits to pound their rival White Sox on Sunday afternoon in Chicago, 16-3. Danny Santana was 5-6 and a home run shy of the cycle, while Chris Parmelee (2-2), Oswaldo Arcia (3-6), and Eric Fryer (3-6) hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning with the game well in hand. Arcia’s mammoth blast cleared the seating in right field, and was estimated at 452 feet, which would be the longest HR of the year at U.S. Cellular field per ESPN’s Home Run Tracker. Josh Willingham and Chris Colabello were the only Twins to not collect multiple hits, and in an odd box score entry, Willingham left ten men on base, but it obviously didn’t matter. The Twins went 10-22 with runners in scoring position on the game, and in the eighth inning sent fourteen total hitters to the plate to send the White Sox faithful heading for the exits. The first eight batters of that inning reached base safely, and nine came around to score. Kyle Gibson made the start and except for one pitch to Dayan Viciedo, was in control for most of the game. He went seven total innings in the quality start, and allowed six hits and zero walks, while striking out six. After the game, the Twins optioned Logan Darnell back to Rochester to clear room for outfielder Jordan Schafer, who was claimed on waivers from the Atlanta Braves earlier in the day. In the minors, Alex Meyer took the hill for the Red Wings, and several affiliates were forced to make comeback efforts late in the game. Read on to see what happened! RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Louisville 5 (15 innings) Box score Rochester got on the board in the first inning courtesy of two Louisville errors, one to allow leadoff man Eric Farris to reach first, and another to allow him to score. They added two in the fourth inning after consecutive doubles from Danny Ortiz and Reynaldo Rodriguez, and sac fly from Chris Rahl. Another Ortiz double in the sixth led to their fourth run, and a 4-0 lead. Through five innings at this point, Meyer had held the Bats scoreless on just two walks and one hit, with six strikeouts. In the sixth, Meyer surpassed his pitch limit after a single, walk, and two more strikeouts to finish with 5.2 innings pitched, and was replaced by A.J. Achter. With Meyer responsible for the two runners, Achter then walked the bases loaded, allowed one of them to score on a wild pitch, and the second on a double that also scored a run that was charged to him. Edgar Ibarra pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but was lifted for Michael Tonkin after consecutive singles in the eighth. Tonkin then allowed both of those runs to score, and Louisville took the lead 5-4 before finishing the inning. In the top of the ninth, Rochester was able to send the game into extra innings after three consecutive singles from James Beresford, Josmil Pinto, and Wilkin Ramirez pushed Beresford across the plate. With Pinto on second representing the go-ahead run with just one out, Louisville played the matchups against Ortiz and Rodriguez, who were both struck out to end the inning. It was a marathon after that, with threats in extra innings from both sides. Stephen Pryor, Deolis Guerra, Aaron Thompson, and Lester Oliveros combined to pitch the next six innings into the fourteenth, keeping it scoreless despite issuing eight walks and allowing three hits. Oliveros struck out four. In the top of the fifteenth, Doug Bernier led off with a single, Rahl bunted him to second, and Pedro Florimon tripled to bring in the go-ahead run. In the bottom half of the inning, it was Red Wings backup catcher Dan Rohlfing who walked out to the mound as their ninth pitcher of the game. He of course recorded the save, and the Red Wings took home the victory. Ortiz led the offense by going 4-7 on the night with the two doubles and two runs scored, while Chris Rahl (2-5) collected two RBI. Beresford and Bernier each finished with three hits. ROCK CATS REVIEW Erie 7, New Britain 1 Box Score It was all Seawolves in this one as the Rock Cats managed just four hits and three walks in the game. Brandon Waring had the only extra base hit with a double and he also drew one of the walks, while Tony Thomas scored the only run while drawing two walks. Thomas drew one of his walks to start the bottom of the ninth, which was followed by singles from Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario to score their only run. Four pitchers made appearances for New Britain, and none of them escaped without allowing at least one run. Daniel Turpin made the start, and exited after three innings. He gave up just one hit, but four walks on the way to allowing one run. He struck out three. Jim Fuller then came in and pitched three innings, allowing three hits, three walks, and two earned runs while striking out four. Cole Johnson allowed five hits and one run in two innings, and Alex Wimmers finished the game by allowing three runs on a walk and two home runs in the ninth inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 7 Box Score Just like their AA brethren, the Miracle weren’t able to put any runs on the board until the ninth inning in this one, when it was far too late. They did make a valiant effort at a comeback however, as they scored four before Byron Buxton stepped to the plate representing the tying run with two outs. Unfortunately, he flew out to right field to end the game. Buxton was 0-5 and batting third. The Miracle did outhit the Flying Tigers 12-9, but left eight men on base and had only one extra base hit, a double from Tyler Grimes that scored two of the runs in the ninth. Grimes went 3-4 on the day with a run scored and the two RBI. Levi Michael (2-5), Adam Brett Walker II (2-3, R, BB) and Max Kepler (2-4, R) each had multiple hits. Lefty Steven Gruver was making his second start for Fort Myers, and he allowed just two hits, one walk, and one earned run in five innings with one K for a very solid, but not quality-qualifying effort. B.J. Hermsen allowed a two-run home run in his one inning, but struck out two. Madison Boer then came on for the seventh inning, and walked the leadoff man before retiring the next two hitters, but a single and a triple would score two before Tyler Jones replaced him. He allowed the inherited runner to score on a single, and a run of his own on a double before recording the final out. D.J. Johnson pitched a scoreless eighth to finish the game for the Miracle. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 6 Box score There was yet another comeback mounted by a hometown affiliate at Pohlman Field in Beloit, WI, but again it just wasn’t enough. The Kernels scored three in the eighth inning to pull within one, after a Chad Christensen walk and Alex Swim double put runners on second and third. Max Murphy brought them both home with a single to left field, and would score on a Michael Quesada double. Engelb Vielma then drew a walk, but a pitching change and consecutive strikeouts from Jon Murphy and Ryan Walker ended the threat. Walker and Christensen also added doubles to the offensive effort, while Logan Wade slugged his fifth home run of the year, a solo shot in the third inning to put Cedar Rapids on the board. Stephen Gonsalves made his second start in the Midwest League, but it was an error by Swim in the fourth inning with two outs that allowed three unearned runs to score. In five innings, Gonsalves gave up five hits, two walks, and one earned run, while striking out five. Hudson Boyd was charged with an unearned run himself in the sixth after a Vielma fielding error, and Brandon Bixler finished the final two innings, allowing three hits, two walks, and one earned run while striking out four. In Major League roster-related news for the Kernels, Joe Mauer and Ricky Nolasco are set to begin Rehab assignments in Cedar Rapids tomorrow. E-TWINS E-NOTES Johnson City 2, Elizabethton 0 (7 innings) Box Score Elizabethton’s game was a pitching duel throughout, as the teams combined for just 8 hits on the night. Obviously with a zero in the box score, there wasn’t much offense to talk about. The lineup managed just four singles and one walk collectively, and they were 0-6 with runners in scoring position. Felix Jorge was the starter for the Twins, and did all he could to keep them within striking distance. He scattered four hits to tune of just two runs, and struck out five. Unfortunately for him, he was saddled with a 7-inning complete game loss. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Alex Meyer (5.2 IP, 2 H's, 2 ER's, 3 BB's, 8 K's), Rochester Red Wings Hitter – Danny Ortiz (4-7, 2 R's, 2 2B's), Rochester Red Wings MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Louisville – Trevor May (8-5, 2.72 ERA), 6:05PM CST Fort Myers @ Lakeland – TBD, 5:30PM CST Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids – Lewis Thorpe (2-2, 4.74 ERA), 6:35PM CST Johnson City @ Elizabethton – Derrick Penilla (3-2, 4.15 ERA), 6:00PM CST GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins – TBD, 11:00AM CST DSL Reds @ DSL Twins – TBD, 9:30AM CST