Steve Lein

I think it's almost a certainty Kepler is granted a fourth option year, for what that's worth. Edit: and I see others commented on this already, haha.

150 innings is a minor league benchmark that says you're ready for a full MLB workload. The fact that May has done this four times in his MiLB career tells you he is a workhorse, not someone to be limited. I've mentioned this elsewhere, but there was like 15 pitchers in all of AAA last year who threw 150+ innings last season. There were 12 in AA. Then like 2 in A-ball. That's it.

Well, let's do some case studies. In 2014, Kris Bryant (my definition of "elite" above) had 22 HR's in AA after 68 games when he was promoted. He also hit .355/.458/.702 with a 25.9% K-rate and 14.5% BB rate. Joey Gallo (also an "elite") had 21 HR's in A+ after 58 games when he was promoted. He also hit .323/.463/.735 with a 26% K-rate and 20.7% BB rate. Matt Olson (not quite an elite, much more like Walker) had 37 HR's in 138 games in A+, and was not promoted. He also hit .262/.404/.543 with a 21.6% K-rate and 18.5% BB-rate. In 2013: Joey Gallo hit 38 HR's in Low-A ball to lead all of MiLB, in 106 games, and was NOT promoted (So there is your answer). He also hit .245/.334/.610 with a 37% K-rate and 10.8% BB-rate. For fun Miguel Sano hit 16 HR's in A+ ball in 56 games when he was promoted. He also hit .330/.424/.655 with a 25.1% K-rate and 11.9% BB-rate. So now that I've answered your question (and it didn't take me long), here is ABWII this year: 26 HR's in 91 games, and has not been promoted. He has also hit .262/.317/.563 with a 37.6% K-rate and 7.9% BB-rate. You compare all those slash lines, it should be pretty obvious as to why those guys have, and have not, been promoted during the season. Walker is far and away the worst line of the ones that were not promoted in season. I don't care about RBI, and neither should you. One guys 35 HR's and 90 RBI, might be the same guy's 35 HR's and 120 RBI on another team. RBI depend too much on those around them. And face it, Walker has been on some pretty talented teams with a bunch of guys who get on base for him. There's a reason the Lookouts have 5 regulars in the top 16 of the Southern League for runs scored, including Buxton at #16 who hasn't played there in over a month, and Sano at #1 who hasn't played for them in two weeks. Now I think Walker will be promoted at some point this year, but this is line of thinking you have shouldn't be the reasoning for it.

Story has a better chance sticking at SS than Polanco does. Story also likely would be about the Twins 8th-12th best prospect right now. He's almost top 5 for the Rockies. Arcia, Meyer, or ABW are right in the "value wheelhouse" for what the Twins could offer. Edit: selling Story in the Twins system a bit short considering changes to eligibility, changed from 10th-15th.

Probably very likely.

^ Yes that is true. The "win now" thing is what I mean by the "I don't necessarily think it fits the plan the Twins should be following either" remark.

Yup, I've read all that. I've actually been a fan of Story's for quite a while. He came on my radar a few years ago as a SS prospect the Twins could pursue for the future. Reasoning being, Colorado had Tulowitzki.

...Trevor Story from the Rockies. Reasoning: 1. Tulowitzki is the face of the Franchise, and a far more ingratiated one to their fan base than Joe Mauer is to ours. Think about how Mauer was viewed when winning batting titles and an MVP. That's what Tulowitzki still is in Colorado. I don't so much believe they would trade him, or that any talks the Twins have had with them stayed in that direction for long. 2. If Tulo isn't going anywhere, where would Story play? 2B has D.J. LaMahieu, 3B has Nolan Arenado, SS is Tulowitzki. Story is a prime candidate to send off elsewhere to improve a self-deficiency if you are the Rockies. 3. This works better for the Twins, as it wouldn't cost them a huge haul of prospects which might derail their plans moving forward. I think you're looking at something like Berrios, Arcia, Polanco, and a RP for Tulo. It might just take one of an Arcia, Adam Brett Walker II, or Alex Meyer to get Story. Which type of deal do you like better? Personally, I am in no way against Tulowitzki. I think many around here vastly underestimate what he would bring to their team, but I don't necessarily think it fits the plan the Twins should be following either. http://www.purplerow.com/2015/7/23/9019795/colorado-rockies-prospects-asheville-tourists-trevor-story-on-a-roll

It actually probably isn't as hard as you think to hit it over the scoreboard there, as it's basically even with the fence. But around 450 is probably accurate, and that's still a "monster blast."

The answer to most of this comment, is all prospects are different. There is not a cookie cutter approach. This is also why your third paragraph is nothing but hearsay. You would have a very hard time proving anything in relation. The reason why this might stick out to you, is because a lot of guys who get promoted mid-season, are big-time, well known, well scouted, and consensus top level guys. It's as simple as "elite prospects move faster because they are elite prospects." We all love Walker's power, and Kepler is certainly having a breakout season. But you'd be hard pressed to find them on any Top 50's, or even Top 100 lists right now. Walker especially because his questions are still so pronounced despite the big power numbers. One-trick pony's rarely have staying power. Now, Wilkin Ramirez just got injured for Rochester, so someone might move up now, but I'd move Kepler up before Walker, and there's not even a sliver of a debate about that to me between the two.

Yup, definitely looking forward with that. Won't help their push for playoff's this year, but would keep them on the path of the future.

How about Arcia for Trevor Story, instead of Pursuing Tulowitzki? But I'm in the boat of some others. Tulowitzki would be a major boost. You're getting a proven, elite commodity (when healthy) at the expense of probably prospects who haven't done anything yet. It's not like Tulo would be a rental either. There are certainly trade scenarios where everything makes perfect sense. And to those that are so afraid of Tulo's home/road splits for reasons I don't understand, I have to point out that his away OPS is still elite for a SS. Now do I think this would be in their best interest? That's debatable. But, in the right scenario this could help in both the short and long term. I'd certainly prefer to do other types of deals first, like the one I suggest up top, but I'd have a hard time being mad about bringing in a player of Tulowitzki's caliber, unless he continues to miss 1/2 the games every year.

To be quite honest, if there's talks happening with the Rockies about a SS, I might have more interest in Trevor Story than Troy Tulowitzki. I don't really think the Rockies want or will move Tulo, which blocks Story, and he'd certainly be a lot cheaper on what is sent to Colorado. Definite questions about Story's bat, but he brings some thump and might be better defensively than Tulo in the long term as well.

Rumor has it they had attempted overhauling his mechanics this year, and I think this had a direct effect. I know you can always tweak things to try and see some improvements, but I think it's often overlooked that a guys existing mechanics were developed over years of playing baseball. Guys settle into what is comfortable for them, and often times that is where you're going to get the best results. I'm hoping they tried tinkering too much and he'll get back on track if he just goes out and keeps pitching again like he knows how. Anyway, on to the update! Burdi has made three appearances for the Miracle since the last update. In a 12-1 blowout win for the Miracle on July 17th, Burdi pitched a one-two-three 9th inning, striking out two. On July 19th, Burdi saw his first struggles and first run(s) given up back in the Florida State League. He pitched the sixth and seventh innings in relief of Stephen Gonsalves. He gave up a solo home run in the sixth, but retired the three other hitters faced including a strikeout. In the seventh inning, A single turned into an easy RBI after a balk and wild pitch put the runner on third base, who scored on a sac fly. Burdi finished the seventh with no other damage. Two runs on Two Hits with one K for the game. In yesterday's (July 21st) 16-inning affair, Burdi came on to relieve Dallas Gallant in the top of the 12th with one out and a runner on second base. Burdi struck out both hitters to escape the inning with the game still tied. Burdi would come back out for the 13th inning, and retired the side in order. 1.2 innings with 2 K's. Season Totals FSL (4 games): 0-0, 1.54 ERA, 11.2 IP, 2 Saves, 2 ER's on 6 hits and 0 BB's, with 15 K's.

I agree with that, but look where they already are now with May on the outside of the rotation looking in. That situation doesn't change much in the future. Someone in this situation is likely to be worth more to another team than the Twins in the future. It's called maximizing your assets.

I wouldn't really "like" any deal that brought Tulo here if it means sending Gibson or Berrios off, along with whatever else they needed to get it done (absolutely "NO WAY" on Buxton or Sano), but this is kind of a problem that was created the last few seasons using Free Agency to fix the rotation. They have Ricky Nolasco at $12MIL/year through 2017. Phil Hughes at basically $13MIL/year through 2019. Ervin Santana at 13.4MIL/year through 2018. Then Gibson under team control through 2019, Milone under control through 2018, and May under control through 2020. Add in names like Meyer and Berrios, and suddenly you have way too many pitchers for not enough spots through the next three seasons. Would anyone else consider this a surplus? We probably should, so theoretically the best thing the Twins can do for their short and long term future is use this surplus to improve other areas. Shortstop certainly is a good spot to start. If they would take Berrios or Gibson, then Arcia, Nolasco, and perhaps Polanco or another fringe top 10 guy, I think you'd have to do it. Is that a deal they would want? Not so sure about that, but that's about as much as I would want the Twins to spend. Maybe Meyer's name gets thrown in, and I'd certainly want Hundley or a RP's name from their side too.

Complete gut-reaction responses: Twins Wins: 47.5 - UNDER Mauer's OPS: .815 - UNDER Dozier HRs: 14.5 - OVER Sano HRs: 9.5 - OVER Hicks: .350 OBP - UNDER Sano OPS: .900 - UNDER Hunter HR: 8.5 - OVER Perkins Saves: 22.5 - UNDER Gibson ERA: 3.25 - OVER Santana ERA: 3.50 - OVER Hughes ERA: 3.75 - UNDER Arcia PA: 150 - UNDER Buxton PA: 150 - UNDER Trevor May Starts: 5.5 - OVER Mike Pelfrey Starts: 5.5 - OVER Alex Meyer IP: 6.5 - OVER Jose Berrios IP: 15.5 - UNDER Kurt Suzuki OPS: .600 - OVER RP acquired via free agency and trade: 1.5 - UNDER Catchers acquired via trade: 0.5 - UNDER Trevor Plouffe OPS: .775 - UNDER Brian Duensing ERA: 3.80 - OVER Blaine Boyer ERA: 3.80 - OVER Casey Fien ERA: 3.80 - OVER

Exactly what Seth is saying is what I mean by "necessary or warranted."

Don't disagree, but they are certainly organizational guys. You set a very bad example for the rest of your MiLB players by just dumping those types when it's not necessary or warranted, and this suggested move is not necessary or warranted in my view.

Rochester still has a full outfield I think. Arcia, Ortiz, and Farris are all getting pretty much full playing time, with Farris playing all over. Rodriguez plays about a quarter of his games in RF too. Even with the Ramirez DL stint, you would probably have to release someone to get ABW constant playing time there right now like he has in AA.

The Twins had the day off on Monday as they travel down the West Coast of California from Oakland to Los Angeles to face the Angels of Anaheim on Tuesday. Kyle Gibson will make the start and look to get Minnesota back in the win column after the drubbing yesterday. But in the minors on Monday, it was a full slate of games with each affiliate in action. There were several strong starting pitching performances including a late bid for a combined-no-hitter, a big home run from a familiar name in these reports, and a couple of blowouts in the lower levels. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of Rainis Silva) The Twins had the day off on Monday as they travel down the West Coast of California from Oakland to Los Angeles to face the Angels of Anaheim on Tuesday. Kyle Gibson will make the start and look to get Minnesota back in the win column after the drubbing yesterday. But in the minors on Monday, it was a full slate of games with each affiliate in action. There were several strong starting pitching performances including a late bid for a combined-no-hitter, a big home run from a familiar name in these reports, and a couple of blowouts in the lower levels. To see if the Twins’ affiliates came out on top in those games, read on! TRANSACTIONS Before we get to the games, a few quick transaction updates: Wilkin Ramirez was sent to the disabled list for the Rochester Red Wings, and they activated Nate Hanson in his place. Pitcher Keaton Steele was also activated from the disabled list for Cedar Rapids, and started Monday's game for the Kernels. RED WINGS REPORT Gwinnett 6, Rochester 3 Box Score Lefthander Taylor Rogers kept the Rochester Red Wings in the game for most of it, but was unable to finish his day on high note. Rochester got out to an early 1-0 lead in the second, when Reynaldo Rodriguez led off the inning with his ninth home run of the season. In the top of the third the lead was handed to the Braves when they got to Rogers for three singles, resulting in two runs. The score remained that way through the sixth, with Rogers finishing that inning with only the two runs allowed on four hits and a walk, along with three strikeouts, but it unraveled for him in the seventh. Consecutive singles, a sac bunt, and intentional walk to load the bases started the inning, then two more singles and a sac fly brought in four runs to make it 6-1 before Cole Johnson came on in relief and escaped the jam. The Red Wings tried to get back in the game in the bottom half of the seventh, as Rodriguez and Bernier drew walks to put runners on with two outs, and Eric Farris delivered his first triple of the season to drive them in and make the score 6-3. Johnson recorded one out in the eighth before his own troubles brought in Mark Hamburger to wiggle out his jam with runners on second and third. Hamburger came back out for the ninth to pitch a scoreless inning, allowing a single and striking out two, but the Red Wings went down one-two-three in the ninth. Rochester was outhit 11-5 on the game, and didn’t get many chances as they were just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. Rodriguez was the only Red Wings player with multiple hits, going 2-3 with two runs scored and the solo home run. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mississippi 1, Chattanooga 4 Box Score The Lookouts were rained out yesterday, but continued their slight turnaround from a rough start to the month. After starting July 3-9 in their first twelve games, they are 5-1 over their last six. Starter David Hurlbut did much of the work for Chattanooga, pitching six shut out frames. He scattered five hits and two walks, while striking out two to improve to 6-4 on the season. He left the game with a 3-0 lead thanks to a single run in the fifth and two in the sixth from the home team. Travis Harrison scored the first run of the game in the fifth, when he led off the inning with a walk and scored on a Stuart Turner double. In the sixth, Max Kepler drew a walk and trotted home on Adam Brett Walker’s twenty-fifth home run of the season to make it 3-0. J.T. Chargois relieved Hurlbut for the seventh and pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. Mississippi got their only run of the game in the eighth off reliever Alex Muren, when consecutive errors from Muren and Kennys Vargas allowed the leadoff man to circle home-to-home in just those two batters. Niko Goodrum added an insurance run in the eighth with a solo home run, his third of the season with the Lookouts and seventh total. Stuart Turner had two hits on the night including the RBI double. Walker had a typical day with the big home run, but also struck out twice. Kepler (1-3, R, BB) and Vargas (1-3, BB) each reached base twice in the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Jupiter 1, Fort Myers 2 Box Score It was a pitcher’s duel at Hammond Stadium on Monday night, with the Miracle’s Aaron Slegers facing off against the rehabbing Henderson Alvarez of the Miami Marlins. Slegers got the best of him with seven strong innings. He walked none and allowed just five hits and one run while striking out five. Fort Myers got to Alvarez in the third inning, and ended his night with two unearned runs after Alex Swim reached base on an error to start the inning. Swim moved to second on a passed ball, and a single from Mitch Garver and a walk to Brett Doe loaded the bases for consecutive sacrifice flies from Ryan Walker and T.J. White. Those two runs would be just enough, as the Hammerhead’s Drew Steckenrider held the Miracle lineup at bay for the rest of the game. Todd Van Steensel picked up his twelfth save with Fort Myers with two innings of relief to finish the game. He allowed one hit and struck out one. White was the only batter with multiple hits for the Miracle, going 2-3 with an RBI, and Swim added a double to the effort. The Miracle improved to 14-11 in the second half of the FSL season, and 52-43 overall. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 14 Box Score Things got ugly early in this one for the Kernels and if it were a Minnesota Baseball Association Town Team game, would have ended a bit early in the eighth inning due to the mercy rule. Starting pitcher Keaton Steele, fresh off the DL, got through the first two innings unscathed, but recorded just one out in the third as the first four men reached base via single or walk, scoring the first two runs of the game in the process. They tacked on three more to Steele’s line before Jared Wilson escaped later with the bases still loaded. The River Bandits continued to fill the scoreboard against Wilson in the fourth (two runs), Michael Theofanopoulos in the fifth (four runs) and Cameron Booser in the sixth (one run), before they finally got a damage free and one-two-three seventh from Randy LeBlanc. He was not immune either though, as they’d get him for two more runs in the eighth, both unearned, as Kernels shortstop Sean Miller committed errors on consecutive ground balls to bring the score to 14-4 and the mercy conditions. Cedar Rapids scored their first run of the game in the sixth inning, as Zack Larson singled in Tanner English who had led off the inning with a walk. In the seventh, a triple from Austin Diemer and a double from Miller brought a little bit of life to the game, but three runs on the Kernels scoreboard weren’t much help. They added a fifth run in the top of the ninth, when English connected for his third home run of the season, making the final score of 14-5. Edgar Corcino (2-4, BB) and Miller (2-4, R, 2B) each had two hits to lead Cedar Rapids, and as team they were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 12, Burlington 1 Box Score The Elizabethton lineup scored early often and late often on Monday, leading to a 12-1 blowout of the Burlington Royals. They were aided by another stellar performance from starter Dereck Rodriguez, who continues to impress early in his transition to a pitcher with Elizabethton. The Twins racked up nineteen hits, and went a combined 8-21 with runners in scoring position. Though normally you might see fourteen men left on base as a bad thing, combined with the twelve runs on the scoreboard you can see how many chances they gave themselves. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning, primarily due to the bat of newly signed first baseman Zander Wiel of Vanderbilt. His first professional home run was a two-run shot to make it 3-0 and Elizabethton would need no other insurance, though they took out a pretty large policy the rest of the game. They added two more in the second inning, and single runs in each of the third and fourth. They were held in check for the next two innings, before adding three to board in the seventh, and single runs again in each of the eighth and ninth. Rodriguez retired the first eleven Royals of the game before a single in the fourth with two outs finally got a runner on base for the home team. They got just one more single off Rodriguez in the fifth, and he faced the minimum over his final three innings, including retiring the final seven Royals he faced. He didn’t walk a single batter, and picked up three strikeouts along the way to improve his Appalachian League record to 3-0 in five starts. Alex Robinson came on in relief to finish the final two innings, allowing one run on one hit, a double in the ninth and two walks. Rainis Silva was 4-4 in the game and got on base in all five plate appearances for Elizabethton, scoring three runs in the process as he doubled and homered to drive in three. Kamran Young was 2-5 with a double, run scored and a walk. Leftfielder Chris Paul had three hits including a double, scored three runs and drove in one. Weil was 2-4 with three RBI’s and a walk to go along with his first pro home run. Travis Blankenhorn notched three hits and a walk, scoring one and driving in one. Ariel Montesino also joined the multiple-hit parade, going 2-4 with a walk, double, run scored and RBI. All nine starters for the Twins had at least one hit and Amaurys Minier was the only starter not to score a run. The win brought Elizabethton’s record to 12-13, and they shoot for .500 at home against the Princeton Rays tomorrow. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Orioles 0, Elizabethton 1 Box Score Pitching was again the name of the game here, and Twins pitchers had a combined no-hitter through the first seven innings. Eduardo Del Rosario went the first five to get it started, walking two and striking out five. Max Cordy walked one and struck out two in the sixth, and Stephen Pryor struck out two in a perfect seventh. Next up in the eighth was John Curtiss, who got the first batter on a ground out to bring the team to 7.1 no-hit innings, but a walk to the next batter would be as far as he could bring them. The Orioles Jack Graham was up next, and was the first to get lucky, sneaking a ground ball through the right side for a base hit and putting a runner in scoring position. Obviously disappointed and perhaps angry the hit got through, Curtiss proceeded to strike out the next two hitters and keep the 1-0 Twins lead. The Twins got that run in the second inning, as singles from Jermaine Palacios, Ruar Verkerk and Kerby Camacho brought Palacios around to score with two outs. Johan Quezada was brought in for the save opportunity, and fared much like Curtiss. He got a groundout to start the inning, but then a walk and single put the game-tying runner on second base again. After a pinch-runner and pinch-hitter substitution, Quezada got a ground ball to third to end the game and pick up the save. Rosario improved to 2-0 in the Gulf Coast League in five starts and lowered his ERA to 1.96 with the five no-hit frames. On offense, the Twins got multiple hits from Luis Arraez (2-3, BB), Palacios (2-3, R) and Verkerk (2-3) and eight hits as a team. Because they were all singles however, they were just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Elizabethton Twins (W, 7.0 IP, 2 H’s, 0 ER’s, 0 BB’s, 3 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Rainis Silva, Elizabethton Twins (4-4, 3 R’s, 2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI) TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnet @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey (4-4, 2.24 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (10:15 AM CST) – TBD Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Chih-Wei Hu (5-2, 2.20 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) –RHP Felix Jorge (4-3, 2.06 ERA) Princeton @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Alex Tapia (1-1, 2.95 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. View full article

The Twins had the day off on Monday as they travel down the west coast of California from Oakland to Los Angeles to face the Angels of Anaheim on Tuesday. Kyle Gibson will make the start and look to get Minnesota back in the win column after the drubbing yesterday. But in the minors on Monday, it was a full slate of games with each affiliate in action. There were several strong starting pitching performances including a late bid for a combined-no-hitter, a big home run from a familiar name in these reports, and a couple blowouts in the lower levels. To see if the Twins’ affiliates came out on top in those games, read on! TRANSACTIONS Before we get to the games, a few quick transaction updates: Wilkin Ramirez was sent to the disabled list for the Rochester Red Wings, and they activated Nate Hanson in his place. Pitcher Keaton Steele was also activated from the disabled list for Cedar Rapids, and started tonight’s game for the Kernels. RED WINGS REPORT Gwinnett 6, Rochester 3 Box Score Lefthander Taylor Rogers kept the Rochester Red Wings in the game for most of it, but was unable to finish his day on high note. Rochester got out to an early 1-0 lead in the second, when Reynaldo Rodriguez led off the inning with his ninth home run of the season. In the top of the third the lead was handed to the Braves when they got to Rogers with three singles, resulting in two runs. The score would remain that way through the sixth, with Rogers finishing that inning with only the two runs allowed on four hits and a walk, along with three strikeouts, but it unraveled for him in the seventh. Consecutive singles, a sac bunt, and intentional walk to load the bases started the inning, then two more singles and a sac fly brought in four runs to make it 6-1 before Cole Johnson came on in relief and escaped the jam. The Red Wings would try to get back in the game in the bottom half of the seventh, as Rodriguez and Bernier drew walks to put runners on with two outs, and Eric Farris delivered his first triple of the season to drive them in and make the score 6-3. Johnson recorded one out in the eighth before his own troubles summoned Mark Hamburger to wiggle out his jam with runners on second and third. Hamburger would come back out for the ninth and pitch a scoreless inning, allowing a single and striking out two, but the Red Wings went down one-two-three in the ninth. Rochester was outhit 11-5 on the game, and didn’t get many chances as they were just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. Rodriguez was the only Red Wings player with multiple hits, going 2-3 with two runs scored and the solo home run. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mississippi 1, Chattanooga 4 Box Score The Lookouts were rained out yesterday, but continued their slight turnaround from a rough start to the month despite missing a day of action. After starting July 3-9 in their first twelve games, they are 5-1 over their last six. Starter David Hurlbut did much of the work for Chattanooga, pitching six shutout frames. He scattered five hits and two walks, while striking out two to improve to 6-4 on the season. He left the game with a 3-0 lead thanks to a single run in the fifth and two in the sixth from the home team. Travis Harrison scored the first run of the game in the fifth, when he led off the inning with a walk and scored on a Stuart Turner double. In the sixth, Max Kepler drew a walk and trotted home on Adam Brett Walker II’s twenty-fifth home run of the season to make it 3-0. J.T. Chargois relieved Hurlbut for the seventh and pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. Mississippi got their only run of the game in the eighth off reliever Alex Muren, when consecutive errors from Muren and Kennys Vargas allowed the leadoff man to circle home-to-home in just those two batters. Niko Goodrum added an insurance run in the eighth with a solo home run, his third of the season with the Lookouts and seventh total. Stuart Turner had two hits on the night including the RBI double. Walker had a typical day with the big home run, but also struck out twice. Kepler (1-3, R, BB) and Vargas (1-3, BB) each reached base twice in the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Jupiter 1, Fort Myers 2 Box Score It was a pitcher’s duel at Hammond Stadium on Monday night, with the Miracle’s Aaron Slegers facing off against the rehabbing Henderson Alvarez of the Miami Marlins. Slegers got the best of him with seven strong innings. He walked none and allowed just five hits and one run, while striking out five. Fort Myers got to Alvarez in the third inning, and would end his night with two unearned runs after Alex Swim reached base on an error to start the inning. Swim would move to second on a passed ball, and a single from Mitch Garver and a walk to Brett Doe would load the bases for consecutive sacrifice flies from Ryan Walker and T.J. White. Those two runs would be just enough, as the HammerHead’s Drew Steckenrider would hold the Miracle lineup at bay for the rest of the game. Todd Van Steensel picked up his twelfth save with Fort Myers with two innings of relief to finish the game. He allowed one hit and struck out one. White was the only batter with multiple hits for the Miracle going 2-3 with an RBI, and Swim added a double to the effort. The Miracle improved to 14-11 in the second half of the FSL season, and 52-43 overall. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 14 Box Score Things got ugly early in this one for the Kernels, and if it were a Minnesota Baseball Association Town Team game, would have ended a bit early in the eighth inning due to the mercy rule. Starting pitcher Keaton Steel, fresh off the disabled list, got through the first two innings unscathed, but recorded just one out in the third as the first four men reached base via single or walk, scoring the first two runs of the game in the process, and they would tack on three more to Steele’s line before Jared Wilson would escape later with the bases still loaded. The River Bandits would continue to fill the scoreboard against Wilson in the fourth (two runs), Michael Theofanopoulos in the fifth (four runs) and Cameron Booser in the sixth (one run), before they finally got a damage free and one-two-three seventh from Randy LeBlanc. He was not immune either though, as they’d get him for two more runs in the eighth, both unearned, as Kernels shortstop Sean Miller committed errors on consecutive ground balls to bring the score to 14-4 and the mercy conditions. Cedar Rapids scored their first run of the game in the sixth inning, as Zack Larson singled in Tanner English who had led off the inning with a walk. In the seventh, a triple from Austin Diemer and a double from Miller brought a little bit of life to the game, but three runs on the Kernels scoreboard weren’t much help. They added a fifth run in the top of the ninth, when English connected for his third home run of the season, making the final score of 14-5. Edgar Corcino (2-4, BB) and Miller (2-4, R, 2B) each had two hits to lead Cedar Rapids, and as team they were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 12, Burlington 1 Box Score The Elizabethton lineup scored early often and late often on Monday, leading to a 12-1 blowout of the Burlington Royals, and were aided by another stellar performance from starter Derek Rodriguez, who continues to impress early in his transition to a pitcher with Elizabethton. The Twins racked up nineteen hits, and went a combined 8-21 with runners in scoring position. Though normally you might see fourteen men left on base as a bad thing, combined with the twelve runs on the scoreboard this tells you how many chances they gave themselves. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning, primarily due to the bat of newly signed first baseman Zander Wiel of Vanderbilt. His first professional home run was a two-run shot to make it 3-0 and Elizabethton would need no other insurance, though they took out a pretty large policy the rest of the game. They added two more in the second inning, and single runs in each of the third and fourth. They were held in check for the next two innings, before adding three to board in the seventh, and single runs again in each of the eighth and ninth. Rodriguez retired the first eleven Royals of the game, before a single in the fourth with two outs finally got a runner on base for the home team. They would get just one more single off Rodriguez in the fifth, and he faced the minimum over his final three innings, including retiring the final seven Royals he faced. He didn’t walk a single batter, and picked up three strikeouts along the way to improve his Appalachian League record to 3-0 in five starts. Alex Robinson came on in relief to finish the final two innings, allowing one run on one hit, a double in the ninth, and two walks. Rainis Silva was 4-4 in the game and got on base in all five plate appearances for Elizabethton, scoring three runs in the process as he doubled and homered to drive in three. Kamran Young was 2-5 with a double, run scored, and a walk. Leftfielder Chris Paul had three hits including a double, scored three runs, and drove in one. Weil was 2-4 with three RBI’s and a walk to go along with his first pro home run. Travis Blankenhorn notched three hits and a walk, scoring one and driving in one. Ariel Montesino also joined the multiple-hit parade, going 2-4 with a walk, double, run scored and RBI. All nine starters for the Twins had at least one hit, and Amaurys Minier was the only starter not to score a run. The win brought Elizabethton’s record to 12-13, and they shoot for .500 at home against the Princeton Rays tomorrow. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Orioles 0, Elizabethton 1 Box Score Pitching was again the name of the game in this one, and Twins pitchers had a combined no-hitter through the first seven innings. Eduardo Del Rosario went the first five to get it started, walking two and striking out five. Max Cordy walked one and struck out two in the sixth, and Stephen Pryor struck out two in a perfect seventh. Next up in the eighth was John Curtiss, who got the first batter on a ground out to bring the team to 7.1 no-hit innings, but a walk to the next batter would be as far as he could bring them. The Orioles Jack Graham was up next, and was the first to get lucky, sneaking a ground ball through the right side for a base hit and putting a runner in scoring position. Obviously disappointed and perhaps angry the hit got through, Curtiss proceeded to strikeout the next two hitters and keep the 1-0 Twins lead. The Twins got that run in the second inning, as singles from Jermaine Palacios, Ruar Verkerk, and Kerby Camacho brought Palacios around to score with two outs. Johan Quezada was brought in for the save opportunity, and fared much like Curtiss. He got a ground out to start the inning, but then a walk and single put the game tying runner on second base again. After a pinch-runner and pinch-hitter substitution, Quezada got a ground ball to third to end the game and pick up the save. Rosario improved to 2-0 in the Gulf Coast League in five starts, and lowered his ERA to 1.96 with the five no-hit frames. On offense, the Twins got multiple hits from Luis Arraez (2-3, BB), Palacios (2-3, R) and Verkerk (2-3) and eight hits as a team. Because they were all singles however, they were just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left only five men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Derek Rodriguez, Elizabethton Twins (W, 7.0 IP, 2 H’s, 0 ER’s, 0 BB’s, 3 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Rainis Silva, Elizabethton Twins (4-4, 3 R’s, 2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI) TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnet @ Rochester (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey (4-4, 2.24 ERA) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (10:15 AM CST) – TBD Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Chih-Wei Hu (5-2, 2.20 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) –RHP Felix Jorge (4-3, 2.06 ERA) Princeton @ Elizabethton (6:00 PM CST) – RHP Alex Tapia (1-1, 2.95 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

Don't assume that's what the case was with Jay. He wasn't a typical reliever. Sure, he was pretty much the closer, but I'd describe him more as a firestopper. He pitched over 3 innings several times. How many college closers do that? Burdi didn't do that. Peterson didn't do that. Jones didn't do that. Reed didn't do that... Jay also happened to play on one of the best teams in the country, who's strength was their starting pitching. It just so happens Jay was younger than all the other starters. His coaches have basically come out and said Jay wasn't starting because the other guys held seniority over him, despite the fact he may have been the best of the bunch. Good problem to have at Illinois: "All our guys deserve to start...so lets go with the experience pecking order."

Because I loved the nickname: Crime Dog, Fred McGriff.