Jeremy Nygaard

I prefer Hernandez as well.

It would be selling Sano at his lowest. Not something I'd advise.

If you want to give it a shot, you have to add. Who are you going to trade for?

Both of those Brewers name could work. I'd be a little surprised to see them move Lemons. He's thrown all of less than five innings in the year since being drafted. You don't know what you're buying; they don't know what they're selling. I think when MLB.com updates their rankings, you'll see Morales and Suarez in a very similar range. Suarez is left-handed and closer and if the Phillies think he can start - and they can contend for the next few year - it might be harder to pry him away. All good names to watch though.

The All-Star break has been filled with Manny Machado rumors and an eventual deal that is the first domino in what will hopefully be a busy trade season. On Thursday, division leader Cleveland made a move to shore up their bullpen. As Twins fans, we’ve seen the hometown team win nine of their last 11, letting that six game skid that preceded the winning streak fade into distant memories. And that’s a problem. The Twins are 7.5 games behind the Indians… and the likelihood of them catching the Indians is extremely low.The idea of supplementing last year’s playoff roster with new additions to the rotation (Jake Odorizzi and Lance Lynn), adding three proven players to the back of the bullpen (Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed and Zach Duke) and plugging the potential of 30+ home runs (Logan Morrison) to an already potent offense raised expectations through the roof. But instead - with the last eleven games being an exception - it has been a disaster. Even with the great end to the first half, the Twins are still on pace to lose the division by 13 games. Though the front office will have two more weeks to make their final decision, they should have the answer already. You can’t give a superior team a head start over a half season and then expect to catch them over the second half. All of that is long for simply saying: LET’S MAKE SOME TRADES! The two big names to move, Brian Dozier and Eduardo Escobar, are going to get the ink in this part of of the rundown. We’ll look at the rest of the players soon thereafter. First, let’s look at Brian Dozier. Dozier ended the first half with a walk-off grand slam and gives hope that maybe he’s warming up for one of his (mostly) annual second-half power runs. He will be owed just shy of $3 million for August and September. There are a handful of teams competing for playoff spots that have big needs at second base: Milwaukee, Boston and Washington come at the top of the list. Washington might have to wait until closer to the deadline before determining if they are buyers or sellers. That leaves the Brewers and Red Sox, in my opinion, as the two teams with the biggest need at second base. The Brewers are unique. They have a big hole at shortstop and have Jonathan Villar, a serviceable player, at second base. But Villar has had a rough year and is now on the disabled list with a thumb injury that will sideline him until the end of the month. I’ve liked what the Brewers have done in terms of adding to their farm system via the draft and trades and I also like their move for Christian Yelich, which took some of those players I liked out of their system. But potentially dealing Dozier to the Brewers starts with prized pitching prospect Corbin Burnes. Burnes is a 23 year old right-handed pitcher who is a Top 100 prospect in baseball and projects as a mid-rotation starter. He’s only in his second full season and projects to help the Brewers in the bullpen during the stretch run. I’d expect the Brewers to balk at that asking price. Beyond him, the Brewers lack the high-end pitcher I’d be targeting. Brewers fans would suggest Luis Ortiz, but he has always struggled to stay healthy, missing time this season with a hamstring strain and failing to ever eclipse the 100 inning mark in a season. When you take that next step down in the prospect category, you’re looking at a number of outfielders, which is a position I’d try to avoid. (While it’s true you can never have too much depth at any position, I’m more than comfortable with the depth the Twins have in the outfield and would prefer to look elsewhere.) In addition to focusing on pitching, I’m also looking for middle infielders and Mauricio Dubon is a good one… who is missing the rest of the year with a torn ACL. It would take more than an injured infielder to give up Dozier. I also know the Twins liked burly RHP Cody Ponce coming out of college. Currently pitching at AA, Ponce projects as a back-end starter. Taking either of them plus a lower level prospect isn’t exciting as Burnes, but it’s possible that it could be enough. The preferred destination for me - and it’s a perfect fit with Dustin Pedroia likely missing the rest of the season - is Boston. The Red Sox always have ammo. Some of it is very appealing. I don’t see the Red Sox shopping Michael Chavis or Jay Groome for a rental. Bryan Mata, though, might be a fair ask. Mata played in the Futures Game, but has struggled with his command, walking 57 in 71 innings. The tall righty has a high-ceiling though, playing high A ball at only 19. A step below Mata is big lefty Darwinzon Hernandez, a 21 a year old who is still pretty raw but also is a high-ceiling prospect. In addition to one of those pitchers, I’d also ask about MLBer Blake Swihart. A former top catching prospect, Swihart would benefit from a change of scenery and the switch-hitter does better from the left-side of the plate, which would pair well with Mitch Garver. Despite his lack on innings behind the plate this season, a catching-starved organization (seriously, who’s the next catcher that gets the call if Wilson or Garver get hurt?) could do worse than to see if he can help fill a hole moving forward. Plus, he offers position flexibility and I’m a sucker for that. If the Red Sox were willing to part with multiple pieces, I’d be willing to move Dozier as well as Zach Duke if that’s what it takes to get it done. Do any of these potential trades appeal to you? Dozier to the Brewers for Ortiz or Dubon or Ponce plus? Dozier and Duke to the Red Sox for Mata and a lottery ticket or Hernandez and possibly Swihart? Eduardo Escobar is another appealing trade piece/pending free agent that the Twins should look to move. Owed $1.6 million in July and August, Escobar has played primarily third base on the season, but can move over to shortstop and second base as needed. In fact, with Machado off the board, Escobar might be the best option for teams looking for a shortstop. Philadelphia was in the Machado sweepstakes until the end, losing out when the Dodgers were willing to part with five prospects in a combination of quality and quantity. The Phillies remain in the infield market. By position and bWAR, the Phillies rank 28th at third base and 27th at shortstop. Though Maikel Franco has improved as of late, Escobar would be an upgrade for a team desperate to battle with the Braves and hold off the Nationals. My ask would be for short-season pitcher Francisco Morales. A tall, hard-throwing, high-ceiling 18-year-old righty who is having a good (albeit very early) season. There are other intriguing prospects in the Philadelphia system as well. Cole Irvin, a big lefty, is 24 and having a very good season in AAA. He projects as a back-half starter, without huge stuff, but throws a variety of pitches and has good control, striking out 93 while only walking 20 in 112 innings so far this season. Franklyn Kilome is another high-ceiling prospect, but his stuff has backed up a little as a 23-year-old in AA, walking over 4.5 batter per nine innings. How would you feel about dealing Escobar to Philadelphia? Escobar to the Phillies for Morales or Irvin or Kilome plus? The difference between Dozier and Escobar and the rest of the Twins potential trade chips is that there is a very good chance that if they don’t find a deal to their liking, they can make the qualifying offer to either or both and get draft pick compensation. Dishing out potentially $19 million to either player seems excessive and is, but one-year deals rarely hamstring a team because of the immediate cost certainty. And in the Twins case, who have very little committed to next year and many players still pre-arbitration, there will be plenty of money to spend, especially on productive offensive bats. There are many other players who fall into a different category - whether that’s impending free agency with no chance to get the qualifying offer or guys who will still spend a year or two or more under team control. We’ll take a look at some of those guys soon. Weigh in below. If you were GM, what would you do with Dozier and Escobar? Click here to view the article

The Twins bullpen left all of their scoreless appearances in Puerto Rico. One former first-round pick flourishes while another struggled badly. Not a lot of great news to share… except that it hit 60 degrees in the Midwest, so no more games snowed out! (Hopefully.) Keep reading to find out much more on the night in the Twins minor league system.TRANSACTIONS There was two transactions announced on Saturday by the affiliates. The Kernels sent pitcher Calvin Faucher to Fort Myers. Faucher made two relief appearances in Cedar Rapids. To fill his role, pitcher Carlos Suniaga was sent north from Fort Myers, where he appeared twice in relief. Rochester placed outfielder Zack Granite on the disabled list with a right shoulder contusion. Their roster remains two below the maximum (though the Twins optioned Gabriel Moya after Saturday’s game and he will join the Red Wings at some point soon). RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Columbus 4 (10 innings) Box Score Rochester drops to 5-6 with Saturday’s extra-innings loss. The new rule - where teams start each inning with a runner on second base - helped Columbus score a run in the top of the 10th, where they had two singles but also grounded into a double-play. The Red Wings started their half of the 10th with the same luxury, but struck out twice to end their threat. They ended their game with six strikeouts in their last seven outs. Columbus jumped out a two-run lead after scoring a single run in both the second and third inning. Rochester got on the board in the bottom half of the third inning when Leo Reginatto doubled in Nick Buss. After Columbus pushed the lead back to two runs, Rochester rallied in the eighth inning. After a Gregorio Petit single, Buss reached on an error, moving Petit to third base. Back-to-back singles by Reginatto and Jake Cave each drove in a run, tying the game. Aaron Slegers made a quality start, allowing three runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out four. Nick Anderson pitched a scoreless pair of innings, striking out three. Mason Melotakis took the loss. The winning run is an unearned run, as it was the runner who started the inning on base. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Jackson 13 Box Score Kohl Stewart was the story of the game… and not in a good way. Entering the game at 2-0 with a 3.48 ERA and a 14/1 K/BB ratio in 10 1/3 innings, many fans were hoping that Stewart had turned a corner. On Saturday, he turned the wrong corner. Recording only five outs, Stewart gave up six hits and a walk, resulting in seven runs (six earned). He struck out one, committed an error and took the loss. Todd Van Steensel and Zack Jones limited the damage, splitting the next 4 ⅓ scoreless innings, combining to strike out seven. Omar Bencomo finished the game, pitching two innings, allowing six runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks. He struck out two. The lineup didn’t do much to help, but neither did the defense. Besides Stewart error, there were four other fielding errors committed (Rooker, Corcino, Miller 2). Brent Rooker doubled in a two-hit performance. Zander Wiel also doubled and is hitting .396 on the young season. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Bradenton 5 Box Score Fort Myers gave up two early game runs and despite tying the game in the sixth, couldn’t complete the comeback. The Miracle lineup provided nine hits, including three from Aaron Whitefield. Whitefield didn’t start the game, replacing Jaylin Davis in the fourth inning. Davis doubled in the second. No word on Davis’s status post-game. Jimmy Kerrigan had two more hits - both doubles - and is batting .407. Brady Anderson pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on five hits. He struck out one and served up one long ball. Hector Lujan took the loss, also giving up a home run, but he also was credited with two unearned runs due to a pair of Joseph Cronin errors. He struck out two. Ryan Mason pitched a perfect final frame, striking out one. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Kane County 9 Box Score Despite jumping to an early lead, Kane County mounted a comeback thanks mostly to a seven-run seventh inning. Royce Lewis was 4-for-4 and is now batting .323. Jose Miranda added two hits. Alex Kirilloff had the team’s lone RBI. Lewis scored the team’s only two runs. The Kernels went hit hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position. Nick Brown pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and striking out four. Brown walked one. Derek Molina gave up two runs in 2/3 of an inning. Jose Martinez took the loss. He recorded four outs, giving up seven runs (five earned) on four hits and two walks. It was Martinez’s second game in a row allowing three or more runs. Jared Finkel had a one-hit appearance, pitching the last 2 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out two. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Royce Lewis, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Nick Brown, Cedar Rapids TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) 4-4, 2 R, SB (2), CS (1) #3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) 1-3, RBI (10), K #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) 1-4, 2B (3), RBI (11) #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) 2-4, 2B (1), R, K # 10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) 0-3, BB, K #13 - Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) 1-4, RBI (6), K #15 - Mitch Garver (Twins) 0-4, K #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) 0-4, PB (1) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Columbus (12:05 CDT) - RHP Fernando Romero Chattanooga @ Jackson (2:05 CDT) - RHP Zack Littell Fort Myers @ Bradenton (12:00 CDT) - RHP Clark Beeker Cedar Rapids vs Kane County (2:05 CDT) - RHP Randy Dobnak Please feel free to ask any questions about Saturday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

But instead of more power they cut the draft show on KFAN and refuse to give me the TD Twitter password! Talk about a lack of appreciation. (I'm joking. If you can't sense I'm joking, I'm telling you again, "I'm joking.")

The Twins were off Monday and most Minnesota sports fans turned their focus to U.S. Bank Stadium where the Vikings hosted the Saints. (Cue the high hopes.) This afternoon, word began on Twitter that the Gabriel Moya, a lefty acquired for John Ryan Murphy, will be joining the Twins bullpen. All other Twins-centric news came out of Cedar Rapids as the Kernels hosted Quad Cities in the final game of the Western Division playoffs.KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 6 (QC wins series 2-1) Box Score Kernels starter Tyler Wells posted a 5-3 record with a 3.11 ERA in 75 1/3 innings with the team this year. He walked fewer than three batters per nine innings. The playoffs for Wells, though, have been a different story. Wells got roughed up by Burlington last week, surrendering eight runs on ten hits and a walk and only recorded six outs. Tonight wasn't as bad, but it certainly wasn't good. Wells retired the first batter, but then walked the next three. A two-out double cleared the bases. Wells settled in after that, sending the next eight batters back to the bench. He did allow another pair of hits and a sacrifice fly to push his tally to four runs. He did manage three strikeouts, all of the swinging variety. In the meantime, the hitters weren't posing much of a threat. Travis Blankenhorn singled in the first. An Aaron Whitefield walk pushed Blankenhorn to second. Both were stranded when Lewin Diaz and Caleb Hamilton went down on strikes. Shane Kennedy's single in the second was erased when he was caught stealing. The Kernels then went down in order in the third, fourth, fifth and six innings. Bryan Sammons relieved Wells and pitched the next 3.1 innings. He struck out three, but worked around five base runners, allowing none to score. But only thanks to Max Cordy, who came in with the bases loaded and got a strikeout. Aaron Whitefield put the Kernels on the board with a solo home run to lead off the seventh inning. Whitefield, a former softball player in Australia, was primarily known for his speed coming into the season. He batted .298 in the GCL in 2016, but hit only two home runs and slugged .366. It's been a new Whitefield this season, as he hit 11 home runs. His OBP has dropped as his slugging has risen, though, and his OPS went from .737 to .732. After stealing 31 bases in 51 games this year, Whitefield stole (only) 33 in 117 games. An eighth-inning Shane Carrier double didn't result in any runs and though Cordy was able to escape the eighth, he couldn't get himself out of trouble in the ninth inning, allowing a walk and three singles that pushed the Quad Cities lead to 6-1. Whitefield walked to start the bottom of the ninth. But Diaz struck out and both Hamilton and Jimmy Kernigan grounded out to end the game. Royce Lewis continued and finished his playoff struggles, going 0-4 tonight and he has gone hitless since returning from a hamstring injury. Though the season didn't conclude the way Kernels fans hoped, it was another successful year that promises more hope for next year. 2016 first-round pick Alex Kirilloff should spend a majority of his year in Cedar Rapids after missing this year with Tommy John surgery. Royce Lewis will likely be back to begin the season. Also joining the 2018 version will be many members who helped the Elizabethton Twins win the Appy League title last week. So take the winter off, except for the Arizona Fall League, and be ready for more minor league fun next season! Click here to view the article

The Twins open a series in Tampa on Monday evening. They are very much in the thick of the playoff race on Labor Day, which is a pleasant surprise. All of the affiliates also entered the latter part of their season - where most team's regular season ends on Labor Day - in the playoff race as well. See how all the affiliates fared in the last regular season edition of the minor league report. (There's a twist... IT LOOKS DIFFERENT.)9:30 pm update: The E-Twins evened the series with Greeneville with a convincing 14-7 win. Despite giving up a run and an early lead, Elizabethton bounced back to up six first-inning runs and never look back. Their offense was led by Kolton Kendrick who had three hits including a double and two-run home run and J.J. Robinson who had two hits including a three-run home run. Akil Baddoo also homered. Carson Crites had two hits and a stolen base. Brusdar Graterol got the start and wasn't great. In three innings, he allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk. He struck out five. Melvi Acosta was credited with the win. He struck out eight over four innings. Acosta allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk. Rickey Ramirez got knocked around for two runs on five hits in his two innings. Tomorrow night at 7pm EST, these two teams will square off for the Appy League Western Division crown. Elizabethton will host. Winner-take-a-trip-to-the-Finals and loser goes home! FOR THE E-TWINS: ONE GAME FOR THE WHOLE SEASON MIRACLE UPDATE: Their postseason kicks off Tuesday night at 6:35 pm EST as they will host Palm Beach. 4:30 pm update: The Kernels dropped their regular season finale to Beloit 3-0. Cedar Rapids managed only six hits, all singles. Lewin Diaz had two of them and finished the season batting .292. He was caught attempting to steal second base today. Tyler Beardsley, activated earlier today in place of Evan Sanders, started the game and pitched six innings. He struck out three and allowed only one run on four hits and two walks. He was credited with the loss, his ninth of the season. Logan Lombana pitched one inning of perfect relief. Colton Davis, on the other hand, gave up three hits and two runs in his inning of work. The Kernels will head back to Iowa for one game on Wednesday night. They will host Kane County in the first game of the the MWL Quarterfinals. Games 2 and 3 will shift back to Kane County. Tyler Wells will be on the mound. Wells is 5-3 on the season with 3.11 ERA. First pitch Wednesday will be at 6:35. FOR THE KERNELS: A NEW SEASON 4:00 pm update: Chattanooga beat Montgomery 2-1 to cap an impressive 91-49 season in which they were both the first- and second-half champions. Next up is the Southern League Semifinals which will be against Montgomery (again). Because they won both halves, the Lookouts will host games 1, 2 and, if necessary, 4 and 5. Montgomery will only host game 3. The series opens on Wednesday at 7:15 EST with Zack Littell on the mound. Dereck Rodriguez will get the start on Thursday. Not a lot noteworthy from Monday's victory. Max Murphy drove in Nick Gordon in the first inning. Andy Wilkins hit his 12th home run, a solo shot, in the fourth inning. Edgar Corcino finished his AA season batting .302. (But only .292 when combined with his AAA line.) LaMonte Wade ended with a .295/.400/.412 slash line which is comparable to his career line (.296/.405/.439), just with less power. Ryan Eades picked up his fourth win of the season, pitching five innings of shutout, three-hit ball. He struck out one and walked one. Randy Rosario gave up a home run among three hits. He struck out two in two innings. Keaton Steele picked up his first professional save, hurling two shutout, no-hit innings. He walked a batter and struck one out too. FOR THE LOOKOUTS: A NEW SEASON 3:30 pm update: The Red Wings entered today all square with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, who held the tiebreaker. Rochester took care of business, with a 10-1 victory over Pawtucket. Their regular season record is at an impressive 80-62. The game with just as much importance, though, was being held in Lehigh Valley. Lehigh Valley jumped out to a 4-0 lead through two innings and things weren't looking good. Scranton got on the board in the 7th, then made noise in the 8th as well. After cutting the lead to 4-2, Scranton had two men on with only one out. Unfortunately, two strikeouts later and it was still 4-2. Coming into the final frame - and three outs from a playoff berth - Lehigh Valley allowed a leadoff home run and Scranton backed it up with a single, line out and another single. The Red Wings playoff chances were off life support. A walk loaded the bases with one out. Any ball to the outfield should tie the game. Another strikeout. And in the final at-bat, which would decide the Red Wings playoff hopes, Scranton grounded out weakly to second base. The Red Wings season is over. But the season ended on a win and some very good performances. Matt Hague with 2-4 with two home runs and three runs scored and, who knows, may be called on to supplement the Twins bench. Levi Michael had three hits and a stolen base. Jon Rodriguez, who crushed it at AA, hit his first AAA home run and drove in two runs. J.B. Shuck drove in four with a home run and a double. Leo Reginatto also had two hits and an RBI. Adalberto Mejia pitched five innings, allowing one run on six hits and two walks. He struck out two. Dietrich Enns pitched four innings of shutout ball. He allowed four hits and a walk while striking out two. Mejia and Enns will both likely be re-joining the Twins, though their roles - presumably in the bullpen - have yet to be defined. FOR THE RED WINGS: CURTAINS Click here to view the article

The Twins were off Monday, but there was still good news: Byron Buxton was named American League Player of the Week. Buxton batted .333 with five home runs, 10 RBI, nine runs, two stolen bases and an OPS of 1.161. He is the third Twin (Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario) to receive the honor this season. The affiliates had a full slate, see how they did below. Read about Monday’s action below.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Scranton W/B 5 Box Score Felix Jorge gave up five runs in four innings on seven hits. He struck out two. Yohan Pino (two scoreless innings) and Buddy Boshers (two outs) both struck out two in relief. Drew Rucinski recorded the last four outs. Leo Reginatto had two hits and scored two runs. Anthony Recker hit his 16th double of the season. Engelb Vielma doubled and drove in two runs. With both the Red Wings and Lehigh Valley losing, Rochester’s magic number has been reduced to five. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Jackson 5 Box Score A walk-off win tonight for Jackson. Andy Wilkins hit a three-run fourth inning home run and T.J. White doubled in Wilkins later to account for the fourth and final run. Nick Gordon, Edgar Corcino and LaMonte Wade each added a single. D.J. Baxendale struck out four in five innings. He allowed six hits and one run. Alex Muren was tagged for three runs in a single frame, resulting in a blown save. Cody Stashak struck out two in two innings. Todd Van Steensel allowed the game-winning run. Fernando Romero was placed on the DL with shoulder impingement. Chattanooga has already clinched the first-half title and still has a magic number of three after their loss and Montgomery’s win. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, St. Lucie 3 Box Score Brent Rooker continued to swing a big stick, homering in his third straight game. He now has 11 in the FSL and 18 since being drafted in June. Unfortunately, the Miracle only managed a Brandon Lopez double and four other singles in the game. Lewis Thorpe started and only pitched one inning, throwing 14 pitches. Unconfirmed reports suggest the team had him throw only one inning as he prepares for the playoffs. Lachlan Wells pitched the next four innings allowing three runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out three and took the loss, dropping to 4-10. Andrew Vasquez and Michael Kohn both had scoreless outings. The Miracle didn’t play this weekend due to rainouts, but still have a nice cushion in the FSL. If they can’t wrap up the league by Sunday, they’ll potentially have to make up their rained out games on Monday. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 2 (10 innings) Box Score Bryan Sammons struck out six in four innings. He allowed four hits and walked two. Two runs scored but only one was earned. Patrick McGuff struck out two in a hitless frame. Ryan Mason allowed a hit in one inning. Colton Davis struck out two in two innings. Royce Lewis and Caleb Hamilton both had doubles and scored runs. Jordon Gore and Ben Rortvedt added hits. Rortvedt also had three more passed balls, running his total to 15. Aaron Whitefield struck out to begin the 10th inning, but reached base anyway after the third strike was dropped. A passed ball advanced him to second, a sac bunt advanced him to third. He then scored on a wild pitch to compete the true middle school girls softball scoring play. Shane Kennedy later homered. Hector Lujan entered in the 10th to save the game. He allowed a hit. Rortvedt had a throwing error on a stolen base attempt and his last passed ball, but Lujan got a couple of groundballs and a foul pop out to end it. The Kernels activated P Evan Sanders and placed P Tyler Beardsley on the DL. Getting Royce Lewis was a shot in the arm and the Kernels are (32-31) in the second half. Regardless how this week plays out, they will be in the MWL playoffs. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 2, Greeneville 3 Box Score The E-Twins managed only six hits and two runs on Monday night. Andrew Cosgrove had a two-run double that scored J.J. Robinson and Andrew Bechtold. Akil Baddoo reached base three times, all by walk. Robinson and T.J. Dixon both had a stolen base. Edwar Colina took the loss allowing three runs on four hits, two walks and two hit batters. He struck out one. Ricky Ramirez and Blair Lasko each pitched two innings in relief. Ramirez allowed one hit and struck out one. Lasko allowed one hit and struck out three. E-town wrapped up the Appy League West on Sunday. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins vs GCL Rays - rained out The two teams will play a doubleheader (hopefully) on Tuesday. The magic number for the GCL Twins remains three. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Bryan Sammons, Cedar Rapids Hitter of the Day – Andy Wilkins, Chattanooga TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Scranton/WB (6:05 CST) - LHP Hector Santiago (REHAB) Chattanooga at Jackson (6:05 CST) - TBA Fort Myers at St. Lucie (5:30 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (2-2, 3.45 ERA) Elizabethton at Kingsport (5:30 CST) - TBA GCL Twins at GCL Rays (11:00 AM CST - doubleheader) - TBA Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

Monday was an off day for the Twins as they return home to begin a six-game homestand on Tuesday. Sports writers sometimes use the “most important week of the season” hyperbole when talking about a week such as the one upcoming, but in this instance - despite these games not counting for anything extra - it might actually be true. At least until next week’s road trip. And the following week’s three-game set before the August waiver trade deadline. You see, it will be sometime during this timespan that the front office will have to decide the “pretender vs contender” debate. But until we know exactly, we will enjoy the ride. And when that ride takes a day off - like it did on Monday - we’ll enjoy the next best thing: The Twins minor league system. On Monday, Eddie Rosario was named American League Player of the Week. Rosario batted .444 with 12 hits, nine RBI, three double and four home runs. Brent Rooker (.364/.417/.818) was also named Florida State Hitter of the Week. He hit three three-run home runs. Not a bad week for those two outfielders. Read about Monday’s action below.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester - OFF DAY At 69-52, the Red Wings are all square with Lehigh Valley in the International League Wild Card race, though the two teams will not face each other over the final 21 games on the season. The Red Wings will face the best team in the league, Scranton/WB, eight times though, so their path to the playoffs is not going to be a cakewalk. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Birmingham 0 Box Score All nine batters in the lineup contributed at least one hit. Seven of the nine scored runs and six of the nine drove in runs. But Nick Gordon was clearly the star of the game and had, arguably, the best offensive showing of any Twins farmhand this season. In six at-bats, Gordon collected three singles, a double and a triple for five hits. He scored three runs and drove in two. His batting average climbed eight points to .288. Brian Navarreto was 3-5. LaMonte Wade, Andy Wilkins, Ryan Walker and Edgar Corcino all had two hits. One of Corcino’s was a triple. Jonathan Rodriguez hit his 16th home run. He had three RBI. The bullpen - in a bullpen game - pitched a shutout. D.J. Baxendale pitched the first three frames, followed by Glen Perkins. Perkins threw 21 pitches (11 strikes) on his way to a hitless, one-walk, two-strikeout performance. Yohan Pino earned the win with three innings of two-hit ball. He struck out four. Nick Anderson and Gabriel Moya each pitched a scoreless frame. The Lookouts are 35-15 in the second half and 77-43 overall. They will have a charging Montgomery team to fend off. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Lakeland 5 Box Score Mitchell Kranson was the Miracle Hero on Monday night. Summoned to hit for Tanner English with the bases load and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Kranson promptly drove in the tying and winning runs, giving the Miracle a walk-off victory. Until that point, the Miracle had scattered hits, but failed to do a lot of damage. Sean Miller, Zander Wiel and Brian Olson all had two hits. Brandon Lopez had a triple and drove in two runs. Brent Rooker went hitless, but walked three times and struck out in his only official at-bat. Lewis Thorpe pitched six innings and did OK. He gave up two runs on five hits and four walks. He struck out three and was in line for the win. Andrew Vasquez blew his save chance, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk in two innings. Alex Robinson worked a scoreless frame and was the pitcher of record when Kranson provided his heroics, earning the win. At 23-18, the Miracle are on a six-game winning streak and have pushed their lead to five games in the FSL South. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Burlington 2 Box Score Royce Lewis continued to hit the ball really well in full-season ball, collecting two more hits (but seeing his average fall to .538) and driving in a run, but it wasn’t enough. He also committed his first error as a Kernel. Caleb Hamilton and Shane Carrier provided the only other hits. Aaron Whitefield stole his 28th base of the season. Tyler Beardsley pitched five innings, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out five. Logan Lombana also struck out five, in three scoreless innings. The Kernels are 23-27 in the second half, but have already clinched a playoff spot by way of finishing as division runners-up in the first half. They are slated to face Kane County in a three-game set. Kane County will have home-field advantage. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 8, Johnson City 5 Box Score In a game delayed by over two and a half hours, the E-Twins were able to take an early lead and hang on. Wander Javier paced the offense with three hits. T.J. Dixon, Carson Crites and Matt Albanese all had two-hit games. Albanese’s seventh inning home run was their lone extra-base hit of the game. Nick Brown and Jared Finkel piggybacked Monday’s game. Brown took the first 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk. He struck out five. Finkel picked up the win, tossing 4.2 one-run (unearned) innings allowing only two hits while striking out four. The E-Twins are 31-21 with a 2.5 game lead over Johnson City. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Ray 10 Box Score Chris Heston, who has made 41 big-league appearances and threw a no-hitter against the Mets two years ago, got roughed up by a bunch of 18-year-olds. In five innings, he gave up three runs on seven hits. He struck out five. Michael Kohn, who’s also rehabbing his way back, pitched a scoreless frame. Petru Balan put on four batters and three came around to score. He recorded only one out. David Geric also gave up three runs. He got through a whole inning, but walked four. Taylor Clemensia walked three, threw three wild pitches and recorded five outs. Jean Carlos Arias drove in Emmanuel Morel, who doubled to start the game, and then scored himself, but that was it for runs. Jared Akins had the only other two hits of the game. The GCL Twins, in the midst of a cold spell, are 24-19. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jared Finkel, Elizabethton Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Chattanooga TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Columbus (6:05 CST) - TBA Fort Myers vs Lakeland (6:05 CST) - TBA Cedar Rapids at Burlington (6:30 CST) - LHP Bryan Sammons (1-0, 3.38 ERA) Elizabethton at Johnson City (10:30 AM CST) - RHP Edwar Colina (3-3, 2.54 ERA) GCL Twins at GCL Rays (11:00 AM CST) - TBA Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins shift to the road part of their home-and-home series against the Brewers on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Kennys Vargas was recalled from Rochester to take the roster spot opened up by placing Adalberto Mejia on the disabled list. Including the DSL, the Twins affiliates went 5-0. Read up below the jump.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 12, Columbus 3 Box Score After allowing the game’s first run, the Red Wings scored the next five and even after Columbus scored two more to narrow the lead to two, Rochester put up four runs in the next half inning to push the game out of reach. The offensive assault was led by Daniel Palka (3-4, HR, 2 RBI), Niko Goordum (3-5, 2 RBI) and Matt Hague (1-2, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 4 R). ByungHo Park and Tommy Field also contributed two-hit, two-RBI games. Eight different batters got hits and all 10 players who made a plate appearance reached base safely at least once. Hitting 8-18 with runners in scoring position typically helps you in the win column. Hector Santiago didn’t exactly “WOW!” in his rehab start. Throwing 98 pitches, but only 52 strikes and only lasting 4.1 innings, Santiago walked six, hit a batter and allowed three runs on two hits, including a home run. He struck out four. At this point, you have to figure that if he’s going to help the Twins in the short term, it’s out of the bullpen (and that’s even with Mejia going down). Dietrich Enns was tomorrow's scheduled starter, as this broke during the game. At 67-50, the Red Wings are a half game behind Lehigh Valley in the wild card race. Lehigh Valley was still playing at press time. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga - OFF DAY The Lookouts are 32-13 in the second half and 74-41 overall. They have clinched a playoff spot and will host the season-long runner-up (which is a tight 3-team race). Judging from their website (which is selling playoff tickets), it looks like the Lookouts have opted to host Games 1 and 2, which will be played on September 6 and 7. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Palm Beach 2 Box Score The middle of the order provided the thump and enough offense to push the Miracle to victory on Wednesday evening. The 3-6 batters (Jermaine Palacios, Mitchell Kranson, Brent Rooker and Zander Wiel) went a combined 10-17, driving in two and scoring four runs. Rooker and Wiel both had three hits. The rest of the lineup was 2-19. Starter Lewis Thorpe avoided big damage despite allowing eight hits in five innings. He walked two, struck out five and allowed two runs. The win went to Tom Hackimer who struck out four in two one-hit innings. (Move him up!) Alex Muren collected the save. At 28-18, the Miracle have a two-game lead in the FSL South. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids - OFF DAY The Kernels are 20-25 in the second half, but have already clinched a playoff spot by way of finishing as division runners-up in the first half. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Greeneville 1 Box Score Edwar Colina pitched six shutout innings, allowing three hits and walking three. He struck out five and picked up his second win of the season. Blair Lasko gave up a run in his lone inning. Jose Martinez struck out two in two innings. Carson Crites had three hits, including a double. He scored a run and drove in a run as well. J.J. Robinson was 2-4 with a home run and 4 RBI. Kolton Kendrick and Rainis Silva each added doubles. The E-Twins have a four-game lead in their division with a record of 29-18. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 6, GCL Orioles 1 Box Score A balanced offensive attack led the GCL Twins to victory. No batter went hitless and five different guys scored the six runs. Royce Lewis had the lone multi-hit game, going 2-4 with a triple. Jean Carlos Arias had a three-run triple in the seventh inning. Colton Burns, Ricky De La Torre and Taylor Grzelakowski added doubles. Pedro Garcia struck out five in 5.2 scoreless, three-hit innings. His record improved to 6-1. Derek Molina picked up the save striking out six in 3.1 innings. He allowed a run on four hits. The GCL Twins are 23-16. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Edward Colina, Elizabethton Hitter of the Day – Daniel Palka, Rochester THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Norfolk (6:05 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (0-0, -.-- ERA) Chattanooga at Birmingham (7:05 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (5-5, 3.65 ERA) Fort Myers vs Dunedin (6:05 CST) - RHP Randy LeBlanc (2-1, 1.80 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs Quad Cities (6:35 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (0-1, 6.75 ERA) Elizabethton vs Greeneville (6:00 CST) - RHP Brusdar Graterol (1-0, 4.00 ERA) GCL Twins vs GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) - TBA Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games. Click here to view the article

An off day on the calendar, but not a day off by any means. The Twins waited until the deadline to pull their trigger on a move, sending All-Star closer Brandon Kintzler to Washington for A-level LHP Tyler Watson and $500,000 in international bonus money. Watson will join Cedar Rapids, who placed Domenick Carlini on the disabled list. The Twins now have three open 40-man spots and two holes to fill on the 25-man roster to fill before the San Diego series that begins Tuesday. Earlier in the afternoon, pitcher Clark Beeker was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. Congrats to Clark! Let’s check in on all of Monday’s games.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester - OFF DAY The 62-45 Red Wings will host Lehigh Valley in a series that begins tomorrow. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Montgomery 6 Box Score It was going to happen again. Despite having a two-run lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Lookouts were going to play another extra-inning game. A triple followed by a single followed by a sacrifice bunt and it was one out with the tying run at second. And then it happened, a rocket shot towards the hole that was definitely going to score the game-tying run. Only it didn't. A diving Nick Gordon fielded the ball to his right and quickly rifled the ball to first base where the runner was called out. (It was very close.) The next batter popped out and the game was over. In nine innings. Shortly after 10 pm central time. T.J. White, Max Murphy and Carlos Paulino all had two hits. White hit his ninth home run. LaMonte Wade had only one hit, but it was a triple, and he drove in three runs. Nick Gordon, officially, was 0-1, but he drew three walks. Kohl Stewart picked up the win, though it wasn't necessarily pretty. He worked six innings, striking out six, but allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks. He was effective in getting groundball outs (8:1) and improved his record to 5-5. Randy LeBlanc struck out three in two scoreless frames before Nick Anderson picked up the one-inning save... which was an adventure. At 70-37 overall and 27-9 in the second half, the Lookouts have a five-game lead in their division, and have consistently been the best team in the Southern League all season. Let's see how much of this team remains together as the higher levels will surely come looking for help. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Clearwater 6 Box Score All of the Miracle runs came by way of the home run. Brent Rooker hit his second high-A homer (and 9th overall) with a solo shot in the second inning. It gave Fort Myers a 1-0 lead. After allowing the game to be tied in the fourth inning, Mitch Kranson hit a two-run blast in the fifth inning to put the Miracle up 3-1. The Fort Myers bullpen - Glen Perkins and David Fischer - allowed a combined five runs in two innings, negating a good rebound start by Sean Poppen. Poppen went six innings, striking out five, allowing only one run on six hits. Brandon Lopez paced the offense with two hits. At 22-16, the Miracle are two games back in their division. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Clinton 0 Box Score Charlie Barnes struck out four over four innings in his full-season debut. Only five runners - four hits and a walk - reached base, but none scored. Unfortunately, Barnes exited the scoreless tie and took a no decision. Patrick McGuff was credited with the win. He allowed two hits and struck out two in two innings. Ryan Mason struck out three in two innings. Hector Lujan picked up his 11th save of the season. The bats were relatively quiet - only seven hits all game - but new Kernel Jimmy Kerrigan drove in all (two) of the game's runs with a home run in the sixth inning. Gorge Munez, who scored the other run, had two hits including a double. Now 56-51, but only 17-20 in the second half the Kernels are 5.5 games back in their division. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Kingsport 3 Box Score The E-Twins continue to swing very hot bats and that was apparent again on Monday. Every member of the lineup recorded at least one hit. Andrew Bechtold led the offense going 2-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Shane Carrier, Kolton Kendrick, Carson Crites and Akil Baddoo all had two hits. Carrier and Baddoo added doubles as did Jordan Gore and Jose Miranda. Crites and Baddoo each stole a base. Melvi Acosta picked up the win, tossing 5.2 innings. He gave up two runs on five hits. Acosta struck out three. Rickey Ramirez recored the final 10 outs. He gave up a run on two hits and also struck out three. The E-Twins have a five-game winning streak and have pushed their division lead to three games at 25-14. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins vs GCL Rays Postponed - Rain The GCL Twins are 17-13. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Sean Poppen, Fort Myers Hitter of the Day – Andrew Bechtold, Elizabethton TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) - RHP Dillon Gee (3-1, 2.00 ERA) Chattanooga at Montgomery (7:05 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (4-2, 4.04 ERA) Fort Myers at Clearwater (6:00 CST) - RHP Eduardo Del Rosario (1-0, 0.00 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs Clinton (6:35 CST) - RHP Tyler Beardsley (3-4, 5.81 ERA) Elizabethton vs Kingsport (6:00 CST) - RHP Nick Brown (0-1, 5.24 ERA) GCL Twins at GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) - TBA Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins are finishing up their series with the Dodgers on Wednesday night, hoping to avoid a sweep. A few moves were made on Wednesday as well: The Lookouts released catcher Dan Rohlfing. Taking his place is the newly-acquired Anthony Recker. Fort Myers added pitcher Eduardo Del Rosario from Cedar Rapids. The Kernels also placed pitcher Griffin Jax on the military leave list. They will likely be looking to E-town for rotation replacements. Elizabethton also is down one in their rotation after the recent trade of Huascar Ynoa. Let’s check in on all of Wednesday’s games.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Indianapolis 1 Box Score Home runs were the name of the game for the Red Wings on Wednesday. Mitch Garver hit his 15th AAA home run this year in the first inning. Niko Goodrum extended the lead to 3-0 with a solo home run in the second inning. Kennys Vargas hit two home runs, a solo and three-run shot, in the later innings to extend the lead even further. Vargas led the team with four RBI. Matt Hague had two doubles and scored both times. J.B. Shuck had three hits including a double. Dillon Gee pitched well, striking out seven over six innings, allowing only one run on six hits. Jake Reed hit a batter, but then got five straight groundball outs in his two innings of work. John Curtiss closed the game, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning At 59-44, the Red Wings are four games behind Lehigh Valley in the wild card race. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Birmingham 3 Box Score The story of the night was Michael Kopech, stud prospect for the White Sox, who will be a thorn in the Twins' side for a long time. He struck out twelve and spit flames. Jonathan Rodriguez provided most of the offensive punch for the Lookouts with two hits (one double), a walk and the team's only RBI. Levi Michael had two singles. Carlos Paulino had one. Nick Gordon drew two walks and scored the team's only run. Kohl Stewart allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and four walks. He struck out two. Raul Fernandez pitched two scoreless innings. Ryan Eades gave up a run in his two innings of work. At 24-8, the Lookouts have a nice cushion as division leaders. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Lakeland 5 Box Score The Miracle took a one-run lead in the top half of the fourth inning, but allowed five runs in the bottom half to create a deficit from which they couldn’t recover. Sean Poppen made his fifth start since his promotion and had the roughest outing of his young career. In five frames, he gave up five runs on 11 hits and a walk. He struck out four. Keaton Steele struck out one in three scoreless innings. Offensively, the bats were quiet. Tanner English and Zander Wiel each doubled. Wiel drove in Mitch Kranson, who had walked, in the fourth. Jermaine Palacios drove English in with a groundout in the ninth. Brian Navarreto provided the only other base hit. The 19-13 Miracle have gone through a cold stretch and now find themselves 1.5 games out of first place. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids at Peoria - POSTPONED (RAIN) A doubleheader will start at 5:30 on Thursday. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 0, Pulaski 1 Box Score Not a lot to say about this two-hour, action-starved game. Nick Brown gave up a solo home run in the fourth inning, allowing the game’s only run. He yielded only three hits and a walk over six innings, striking out four, but took the loss. Charlie Barnes pitched two innings in relief, striking out one. Offensively, the E-Twins only had four hits: A double by Shane Carrier, his seventh, and singles by Mark Contreras, Rainis Silva and T.J. Dixon. Though they drew four walks, the team hit a collective 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position, sealing their fate. The E-Twins have a 1.5 game lead at 20-14. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Orioles 12 Box Score Another game that was lacking in offense for the good team. Four hits produced one (unearned) run. Three of those hits came off the bat of leadoff hitter Emmanuel Morel, two of which were doubles. He scored the only run. But the rest of the lineup went 1-24 (a single by Jared Akins) and that was all she wrote. Glen Perkins did throw another inning. He allowed a hit, a walk and struck out one. Blayne Enlow piggybacked him and threw 3.2 innings, allowing a run on one hit. He struck out three. The trio of Matt Jones, Jose Bermudez and Juan Mojica was bad. Eleven runs on 10 hits and seven walks over four and a third innings. I’m going to leave the specifics out - someone’s family might be reading - but if you’re into blood and gore, you can click the box score above. The GCL Twins drop to 16-11. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Nick Brown, Elizabethton Hitter of the Day – Kennys Vargas, Rochester THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Indianapolis (6:05 CST) - RHP Kyle Gibson (0-2, 2.92 ERA) Chattanooga vs Birmingham (6:15 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (4-1, 2.95 ERA) Fort Myers at Lakeland (5:30 CST) - RHP Eduardo Del Rosario (0-0, -.-- ERA) Cedar Rapids at Peoria (5:30 CST) - RHP Tyler Beardsley (3-4, 5.98 ERA) Cedar Rapids at Peoria (Game 2) - LHP Evan Sanders (1-2, 8.40 ERA) Elizabethton at Pulaski (6:00 CST) - LHP Bryan Sammons (1-0, 1.83 ERA) GCL Twins at GCL Orioles (11:00 AM CST) - TBA Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games. Click here to view the article

The Twins took a series from the New York Yankees for the first time in forever. There were some rumors - that seem to have been shot down since - that Bartolo Colon was considering retirement after his next start. LEN3 reported after the game that the Twins have signed RP Michael Kohn to a minor-league deal. He is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery, so he’ll begin his time in the organization on the disabled list. Let’s check in on all of Wednesday’s games.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Charlotte 6 Box Score The Red Wings were walk-off winners on Wednesday night. ByungHo Park was the offensive star. He went 3-4 with a home run and the game-winning walk-off RBI. He’s worked his batting average back up to .256. Mitch Garver went 2-4 with a two-run home run, his 13th on the season. (Call him up!) Kennys Vargas hit a home run in his first at-bat since being optioned. Justin Haley got knocked around a bit in his rehab start. He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits (two home runs) and two walks. He struck out four. Mason Melotakis pitched two scoreless innings, striking out one. Drew Rucinski gave up a run in 1 1/3 innings. Alan Busenitz picked up the win after pitching a scoreless ninth inning. The Red Wings are 54-41 but remain six and a half games out of their division and five games out of the wild card race. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 12, Mobile 1 Box Score Stephen Gonsalves made the start and picked up the win. Exiting with two outs in the sixth inning, Gonsalves struck out eight, allowing one run on five hits and two walks. Todd Van Steensel struck out two in 2 1/3 innings. Nick Anderson finished the game. The powerful bats were the story of the game though. A pair of home runs by Jonathan Rodriguez led the six-home run charge. Nick Gordon, LaMonte Wade, Andy Wilkens and T.J. White also contributed. Wade was 4-5 with four RBI and a stolen base. Rodriguez and Carlos Paulino both had three hits. Rodriguez scored three times. At 20-6, the Lookouts have a five-game lead in their division. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 3 Box Score Lewis Thorpe struck out seven in seven innings. He gave up two runs on six hits and a walk, but got a no decision. Tom Hackimer recorded five outs - and gave up a run - but improved his record to 3-0. Sam Clay got the one-out save. The Miracle scored all four of their runs in the last two innings. Sean Miller hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning. Miller told Seth Stohs, “I wasn't looking to homer. They were shifting me pull side pretty good so I was honestly just looking to keep my swing short and hit a ball in the 4 hole. But he ran a fastball in and I just reacted to it. And I had a pretty good feeling it was gone off the bat!" Mitch Kranson and Jaylin Davis drove in runs in the ninth inning. Kevin Garcia was the only player with a multi-hit game, going 2-4. Brent Rooker went 0-3 with two strikeouts and a walk. Through two games he’s batting .000. The 18-7 Miracle have a three-game lead in their division. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Great Lakes 8 Box Score Domenick Carlini got knocked around for nine hits in four innings, resulting in seven runs. But only three were earned as the Kernels committed four errors. Carlini struck out six, but also gave up two home runs. Patrick McGuff got six outs, all by strikeout. Logan Lombana and Colton Davis put in scoreless outings. Aaron Whitefield was 3-4 with two stolen bases and two runs scored. Gorge Munez got two hits, but also committed an error. Lewin Diaz got a hit and drove in a run… but committed two errors. The playoff-bound Kernels dropped to 11-14 in the second half. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 17, Bristol 8 Box Score The E-Twins spotted Bristol an early lead, but used a nine-run eighth inning - and 20 hits total! - to take the victory. Offensively, every player hit. And every player scored. And all but one player drove in a run. Lots. Of. Offense. Jordan Gore, Shane Carrier, Andrew Bechtold and T.J. Dixon all went 3-5. Carrier, Bechtold, and Dixon all doubled, as did Carson Crites. Dixon drove in four runs and stole a base. J.J. Robinson hit his fourth home run of the young season. Melvi Acosta struggled, allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits and three walks. He struck out four in four innings. Jovani Moran struck out four in three scoreless innings. He earned the win. Jared Finkel picked up the save. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Rays 2 (Game one - completion of yesterday’s suspended game) Box Score Pedro Garcia picked up the game where it left off - in the second inning - and pitched the next six innings to complete the game. He allowed two runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out six. Offensively, Emmanuel Morel’s two-run double gave the club a four-run second inning. The squad managed only four hits, which included a Kerby Camacho double. GCL Twins 4, GCL Rays 1 (Game two) Box Score Blayne Enlow made his professional debut. He issued a walk and an unearned run over two innings. He struck out three. Enlow told Stohs, "Stepping on the field today is hopefully the first of many. Toeing the rubber today was the best feeling, and now it’s just a grind from here. I will continue to compete and work my hardest to be the best I can.” Amilcar Cruz struck out four in the next four innings to pick up the win. Converted outfielder Zach Featherstone picked up the save with a scoreless inning. Daniel Palka went 2-3 with a home run in his rehab start. Expect him to head north soon. Royce Lewis went 2-3 with a two-run home run, his third. Alex Robles hit his first professional home run and also went 2-3. Robles told Stohs, "I hit a fastball down and in and just tried put a good swing on it, the feeling of rounding the bases for the first time was awesome, just kind of put into perspective how cool it is to be able to play professional baseball and be able to compete at this level.” The GCL Twins improve to 14-7. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Lewis Thorpe, Fort Myers Hitter of the Day – LaMonte Wade, Chattanooga THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs Toledo (6:05 CST) - RHP Dillon Gee (2-0, 0.00 ERA) Chattanooga at Mobile (6:35 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (3-4, 3.83 ERA) Fort Myers vs Bradenton (5:30 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak (3-3, 3.82 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs Great Lakes (6:35 CST) - RHP Tyler Beardsley (3-3, 5.79 ERA) Elizabethton vs Bristol (6:00 CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes (1-1, 1.72 ERA) GCL Twins vs GCL Rays (11:00 AM CST) - TBA Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games. Click here to view the article