Tom Froemming

Since the All-Star break, Garver has 10 starts behind the plate to Wilson's eight, and has also started two other games at DH. Baby steps. Something to keep in mind is the most games Garver has ever caught in one season is 67 (last year) and he's already been back there for 62 games this year.

Monday night, Mitch Garver got the opportunity to pitch in a blowout. Tonight, he hit a three-run homer. Is 2018 baseball weird, or what? Garver’s three-run blast in the second set the tone for this game.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Adalberto Mejia: 69 Game Score, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 1 BB, 61.8% strikes (68 pitches, 42 strikes) Home Runs: Mitch Garver (6) Multi-Hit Games: Eddie Rosario (4-for-5, 2 2B), Jorge Polanco (2-for-5), Logan Forsythe (2-for-2, BB) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Mejia .263, Garver .137 WPA of -0.1 or lower: Morrison -.109 Download attachment: WinChart87.png This game was delayed more than two hours due to rain. It started coming down again in the second inning, but Garver didn’t seem to mind. Adalberto Mejia gave up just one hit over five shutout innings, but was removed from this game due to a left wrist strain after just 68 pitches. Though Garver’s blast provided all the runs, the Twins’ best bat tonight was Eddie Rosario. He was 4-for-5 with two doubles and was thrown out at second trying to stretch another single into a two-bagger. This was Rosie’s third four-hit game of the season. Gabriel Moya and Taylor Rogers turned in scoreless innings before Trevor Hildenberger gave up a pair of runs in the eighth. Fernando Rodney earned his 25th save of the season, giving the Twins a rare victory in a one-run game. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen87.png Next Three Games Wed at CLE, 6:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. Mike Clevinger Thu at CLE, 12:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs. Corey Kluber Fri at DET, 6:10 pm CT: TBD Last Three Games CLE 10, MIN 0: Who Needs Chris Gimenez? MIN 6, KC 5: Cave Slugs Grand Slam as Twins Sweep Royals MIN 8, KC 2: New Twins Ace Wins in Front of Old Twins Ace Click here to view the article

Welp, everybody’s been saying Mitch Garver isn’t playing enough, be careful what you wish for. Garver made his first appearance on the mound tonight in the ninth inning of a 10-0 game. And you know what? He was the only Twins pitcher who didn’t surrender a run. Chris Gimenez, eat your heart out.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Kyle Gibson: 23 Game Score, 5.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 K, 3 BB, 52.6% strikes WPA of 0.1 or higher: None WPA of -0.1 or lower: Gibson -.238 Download attachment: WinChart86.png There were other, non-Mitch Garver pitching things that happened in tonight’s game, but I fear that if I go into much detail it may be deemed cruel and unusual. Here are the Twins’ hits: Jake Cave single, Logan Forsythe single, Jorge Polanco double and … nope, that’s it. Kyle Gibson had a rare rough night and Matt Belisle had his usual rough night. Gibson surrendered seven hits and Cleveland scored six runs, four earned over his five innings. Belisle gave up four more runs over his two innings. That puts Belisle up to 20 earned runs in 19 ⅔ innings with the Twins this season. Just for reference, that’s the same number of earned runs Taylor Rogers has allowed in 44 ⅔ innings this season. Belisle also needed a season-high 48 pitches to get through those two innings. The Twins will need to make a move tomorrow when they activate Matt Magill from paternity leave ... Postgame With Garver Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen86.png AL Central Standings CLE 62-49 MIN 52-59 (-10) DET 47-65 (-15.5) CHW 41-70 (-21) KC 34-77 (-28) Next Three Game Tue at CLE, 6:10 pm CT: Adalberto Mejia vs. Carlos Carrasco Wed at CLE, 6:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. Mike Clevinger Thu at CLE, 12:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs. Corey Kluber Last Three Games MIN 6, KC 5: Cave Slugs Grand Slam as Twins Sweep Royals MIN 8, KC 2: New Twins Ace Wins in Front of Old Twins Ace MIN 6, KC 4: Long Day at the Office Click here to view the article

I was just having a laugh earlier with the whole disable comments thing Yes, the biggest downfall of WPA is everything that happens in the field is credited toward the pitcher. WPA cannot account for defense in any way. Sometimes that's good for the pitcher, sometimes it's bad. WPA is not perfect, but I think it's a fun stat to reference in regards to individual games like this, and it's especially nice because you can use it for both hitters and pitchers.

Jake Cave hit a grand slam in the second inning and the Twins’ bullpen managed to hold off a pesky Royals team to complete a three-game sweep. Things got very interesting late, but a big strikeout from Trevor May and some nice glove work from Mitch Garver and Miguel Sano helped secure the victory.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Ervin Santana: 38 Game Score, 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 3 K, 1 BB, 66.3% strikes Home Runs: Jake Cave (4) Multi-Hit Games: Robbie Grossman (2-for-4, 2B), Miguel Sano (2-for-4), Logan Forsythe (2-for-4), Max Kepler (2-for-3, 2B, BB) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Cave .298, Rodney .173, Moya .145 WPA of -0.1 or lower: Hildenberger -.103, Garver -.189 Download attachment: WinChart85.png Obviously, the best possible outcome a hitter can produce is to hit a grand slam. It just doesn’t get any better than that. But the way Cave worked his plate appearance up to the point where he hit the salami was very impressive as well. Cave fell behind 1-2 in the count and Duffy threw a 78 mph curveball, the first of the plate appearance. He bounced off the mound, expecting to get a called strike, but it was accurately called a ball. Still, it was an outstanding two-strike pitch. Cave fouled off the next pitch, a 96 mph fastball, and was visibly frustrated, a sign he was probably sitting on that pitch. Duffy went back to the fastball, but missed just barely below the zone. Another really outstanding two-strike offering from Duffy. With the count full, and the bases too, Cave was finally in the driver’s seat. Duffy wasn’t going to want to walk in a run, especially while facing a hitter who had done so poorly against same-sided pitching. He went back to the fastball. On the way in, it was 94.8 mph and traveled 60 feet, six inches. Cave absolutely unloaded on it, sending it out at 109 mph as it traveled 402 feet into the stands. When you consider the fact that Cave entered this game with a .158/.238/.368 line against lefties (though in just 21 PAs) and that Duffy had only give up one home run to a southpaw in 96 opportunities heading into today, this has to be considered both one of the best plate appearances and least likely outcomes from a Twins hitter we’ve seen all season. Ervin Santana went just 4 1/3 innings, which by the way is probably about what we can expect going forward. Ervin has given up 10 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings since his return, a 6.14 ERA, and is living on his slider and changeup. Santana left with runners on first and second base and one out, but Gabriel Moya came in and slammed the door. Moya retired all five batters he faced Sunday afternoon, recording two strikeouts while throwing 11 of his 16 pitches for strikes. Trevor Hildenberger gave up a two-run homer in the seventh to cut the Twins’ lead to one run. The Royals threatened again in the eighth thanks to a error by Miguel Sano and a “single” on a ball Logan Morrison should have caught at first base. Luckily Trevor May ended the threat by striking out Alcides Escobar to strand the runners at second and third. The Royals were feisty today. They also got their leadoff man on in the ninth, but Mitch Garver gunned down Whit Merrifield trying to steal second. Merrifield has stolen 67 bases in his career at an 80.7 percent success rate coming into today. Kansas City got the game-tying run all the way to third, but Miguel Sano made a very nice play to end this one, giving Fernando Rodney his 24th save. Robbie Grossman exited this game with a hamstring strain after hitting a single in the seventh inning. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen85.png AL Central Standings CLE 61-49 MIN 52-58 (-9) DET 47-64 (14.5) CHW 41-70 (-20.) KC 34-77 (-27.5) Next Three Game Mon at CLE, 6:10 pm CT: Kyle Gibson vs. Trevor Bauer Tue at CLE, 6:10 pm CT: Adalberto Mejia vs. Carlos Carrasco Wed at CLE, 6:10 pm CT: Jake Odorizzi vs. Mike Clevinger Last Three Games MIN 8, KC 2: New Twins Ace Wins in Front of Old Twins Ace MIN 6, KC 4: Long Day at the Office CLE 2, MIN 0: Carrasco Stars in Dominant Performance Click here to view the article

The top six affiliates in the Twins’ minor league system combined to score a grand total of just nine runs Saturday night. On the bright side, there was still a multi-home run game from Jaylin Davis, a walk-off homer from Mark Contreras and a dominant pitching performance from Andro Cutura.TRANSACTIONS Aaron Slegers began his rehab assignment with Rochester. The Red Wings also added recent waiver claim Johnny Field to the roster and placed LaMonte Wade on the DL with a right hamstring strain. RED WINGS REPORT Pawtucket 8, Rochester 1 Box Score SP: Aaron Slegers (1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Willians Astudillo (2-for-4) Not a real encouraging first time back out for Slegers, who last pitched on July 10. Kohl Stewart was the innings eater for Rochester, as he went 5 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Stewart gave up four runs on eight hits and a pair of walks while striking out two. Johnny Field was 1-for-4 with a stolen base in his debut in the Twins’ system. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Mississippi 6, Chattanooga 2 Box Score SP: Anthony Marzi (1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K) HR: Jaylin Davis 2 (4) Multi-hit games: Jaylin Davis (3-for-4, 2 HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R) Anthony Marzi started this game and was piggy-backed by Omar Bencomo, who struck out seven batters over 5 1/3 innings. Devin Smeltzer, part of the Brian Dozier trade, made his first appearance in the Twins system. He faced five batters and the Braves recorded a run-scoring single, added another run on an error and a two-run double while Smeltzer was on the mound. All the offense for Chattanooga came from Jaylin Davis. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Florida 0 Box Score W: Adam Bray (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) SP: Andro Cutura (7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) HR: Mark Contreras (7) Multi-hit games: Aaron Whitefield (2-for-2, BB, 2 SB) This game was tied 0-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth, but Mark Contreras finished it with a two-out walk-off homer. Let’s call this a Florida State League special. The two teams combined for one run on five hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Beloit 5, Cedar Rapids 3 Box Score SP: Jordan Balazovic (6.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Akil Baddoo (2-for-4, 3B, 2 R), Ryan Jeffers (2-for-3, 2B, BB, RBI, R) Five of Cedar Rapids’ eight hits went for extra bases, but the Kernels could only tally three runs. Jordan Balazovic gave up two home runs, the first time anybody has taken him deep in seven starts. Jared Finkel threw three scoreless innings out of the bullpen and racked up four strikeouts. E-TWINS E-NOTES Pulaski 1, Elizabethton 0 Box Score SP: Austin Schulfer (4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Trevor Casanova (3-for-4), Trevor Larnach (2-for3, BB) Huh, well I guess you can have an FSL special in the Appy League too. Much like the Miracle game tonight, this one was tied 0-0 going into the bottom of the ninth. Unfortunately, the Yankees walked off E-Town. After Austin Schulfer started things with four shutout innings, Carlos Suniaga followed suit with four scoreless frames of his own. Luis Gil, who the Twins traded for Jake Cave, struck out seven batters over five two-hit innings. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Red Sox 4, GCL Twins 2 Box Score SP: Landon Leach (4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: None Estamy Urena delivered a two-run double, but that was all the offense the Twins could muster. Only one of the four runs the pitching staff gave up was earned, as the Twins’ defense committed five errors. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Andro Cutura, Fort Myers Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Jaylin Davis, Chattanooga TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed 1. Royce Lewis (FM): 0-for-4, K 2. Alex Kirilloff (FM): Did not play. 3. Brusdar Graterol (FM): Did not pitch. 4. Nick Gordon (ROC): 1-for-4, K 5. Stephen Gonsalves (ROC): Did not pitch. 6. Trevor Larnach (ET): 2-for-3, BB 7. Brent Rooker (CHAT): 1-for-4, 2B 8. Akil Baddoo (CR): 2-for-4. 3B, 2 R 9. Wander Javier: Out of for the season 10. Zack Littell (ROC): Did not pitch. 11. Blayne Enlow (CR): Did not pitch. 12. LaMonte Wade (ROC): Did not play. 13. Travis Blankenhorn (FM): 1-for-4 14. Lewis Thorpe (CHAT): Did not pitch. 15. Ben Rortvedt (FM): 0-for-4, K 16. Yunior Severino (ET): 0-for-4, K 17. Lewin Diaz (FM): Out with injury. 18. Ryan Jeffers (CR): 2-for-3, 2B, BB, RBI, R 19. Jacob Pearson (CR): Did not play. 20. Luis Arraez (CHAT): 1-for-4, 2B SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Pawtuckett, 12:35 pm CT: Fernando Romero Chattanooga vs. Mississippi, 1:15 pm CT: Sean Poppen Fort Myers vs. Florida, 3:00 pm CT: Bryan Sammons Cedar Rapids vs. Beliot, 2:05 pm CT: Jhoan Duran Elizabethton at Pulaski, 6:00 pm CT: TBD GCL Twins: Off Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

It was a highlight evening at Target Field Saturday night. Johan Santana was enshrined into the Twins Hall of Fame, Jose Berrios had a strong performance and the lineup flexed its muscles en route to victory.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Jose Berrios: 66 Game Score, 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 K, 3 BB, 66.0% strikes Home Runs: Eddie Rosario (20), Max Kepler (14), Logan Morrison (15) Multi-Hit Games: Max Kepler (3-for-3, HR, BB), Logan Morrison (2-for-4, HR) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Kepler .318, Berrios .166 WPA of -0.1 or lower: None. Download attachment: WinChart84.png Berrios ran into some control issues in the third inning. He walked three of the first four batters he faced that frame, then surrendered a two-run single to Alex Gordon. That was the only blip on the evening, as Jose went on to give up just those two runs over seven innings. It had to have been pretty cool for Berrios to have the opportunity to perform with Cy-tana in the building, and he stepped up to the occasion. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen84.png Next Three Games Sun vs. KC, 1:10 pm CT: Ervin Santana vs. Danny Duffy Mon at CLE, 6:10 pm CT: Kyle Gibson vs. Trevor Bauer Tue at CLE, 6:10 pm CT: Adalberto Mejia vs. Carlos Carrasco Last Three Games MIN 6, KC 4: Long Day at the Office CLE 2, MIN 0: Carrasco Stars in Dominant Performance CLE 6, MIN 2: Deadline Day Ends in Defeat Click here to view the article

Updated. I cannot believe this game wasn't just called off.

Apparently, it was critical that this Twins-Royals matchup be played to a full nine innings. Despite this, Mother Nature did her best to disrupt things. But the umpiring crew and (I assume) both managers decided the show must go on. Two rain delays caused this game to be completed more than five hours and 40 minutes after it started. Somebody needs to give the grounds crew an award.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Jake Odorizzi: 42 Game Score, 3.1 IP, 2 ER, 2 K, 0 BB, 68.1% strikes Multi-Hit Games: Eddie Rosario (2-for-5), Jorge Polanco (2-for-5, 2B), Miguel Sano (2-for-4, 2B) WPA of 0.1 or higher: Cave .142, Polanco .136, Sano .114 WPA of -0.1 or lower: Garver -.115, Moya -.142 Download attachment: WinChart83update.png The Twins jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning thanks to a Miguel Sano two-run double and Joe Mauer RBI single. Salvador Perez destroyed a two-run homer in the third, and not too long after that the first storm rolled through. The first rain delay stopped the game in the fourth inning and caused a break of about 90 minutes, so Twins starter Jake Odorizzi’s night was done. Gabriel Moya took over once play resumed and eventually coughed up the lead, but the bats stormed back (sorry) to tie it up on a Logan Forsythe RBI groundout and a bases-loaded walk from Jake Cave. Trevor May took over in the sixth and was bringing heat. He was consistently hitting 95 mph on his four seamer and touched 90 mph with the slider. He struck out three of the four batters he faced. The Twins tacked on another run in the sixth thanks to a Jorge Polanco double that plated Eddie Rosario from first base. Then came the second rain delay. The grounds crew struggled to get the main tarp all the way over the diamond and had to pull in a second tarp to get the job done. After the rain had stopped, the crew basically had to put the entire playing surface back together. Countless bags of diamond dust were applied to the infield and all the warning tracks. Water on the grass had to be swept into the drainage vents under the field. The base lines and batter's box had to be redrawn. I didn't think there was a snowball's chance in Phoenix this game was going to pick back up again, but those glorious grounds crew members made it happen. Why it was so necessary in a game between two of the worst teams in the American League, I'm not so sure. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen83update.png Next Three Games Sat vs. KC, 6:10 pm CT: Jose Berrios vs. Burch Smith Sun vs. KC, 1:10 pm CT: Ervin Santana vs. Danny Duffy Mon at CLE, 6:10 pm CT: TBD Last Three Games CLE 2, MIN 0: Carrasco Stars in Dominant Performance CLE 6, MIN 2: Deadline Day Ends in Defeat MIN 5, CLE 4: Awesome Sauce! Click here to view the article

Jake Depue of 1500ESPN has relayed via Twitter that Wade was removed for "precautionary reasons."

I have no information, just speculation, but it certainly seems like a LaMonte Wade promotion may be happening. Is it possible the Twins have already worked out a waiver trade? Maybe a LoMo or Grossman deal? Forsythe DFA? Or who knows, maybe Wade just got sick from all those Garbage Plates they've been feeding the guys in Rochester

I love FanGraphs, Kiley and Eric are great, but I cannot endorse their prospect rankings. I don't know if they're using old grades still or what, but there's some weird stuff going on there. I had Wiel in my top 40. He's been a consistent performer throughout the minors, but age, position and lack of big power is going to keep him from shooting up lists. A .385 OBP works no matter who you are or what you play, but that's mostly supported by a .378 BABIP right now. I think for him to really get some love there's going to need to be more power, but he's among my favorite players in the system. I have no idea if it'll translate at the higher levels, but the dude is just a good baseball player.

Zander Wiel had a big night, leading the Chattanooga lineup to an impressive output in support of Lewis Thorpe. Also, Willians Astudillo hit his 10th home run for the Red Wings and Ryan Jeffers had another multi-hit game for Cedar Rapids. Come check out the rest of Thursday’s edition of the Minor League Report.Welcome to an impromptu speed round edition of the Minor League Report. Hold onto your hats! TRANSACTIONS -Ryan Walker and Paco Rodriguez were released from Chattanooga to make room for Luke Raley and Devin Smeltzer. -Tom Hackimer was placed back on the 7-Day DL and Dylan Stowell was promoted from the GCL to the Miracle to fill his spot on the roster. RED WINGS REPORT Scranton/WB 6, Rochester 2 Box Score SP: Chase De Jong (3.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) HR: Willians Astudillo (10) Multi-hit games: Willians Astudillo (2-for-4, 2B, HR) CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 12, Mississippi 3 Box Score W: Lewis Thorpe (5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Zander Wiel (3-for-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, R), Luis Arraez (3-for-5, 2 R), Brent Rooker (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R), Mitchell Kranson (2-for-4, BB, RBI), Brian Navarreto (2-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 R) MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers - POSTPONED KERNELS NUGGETS Peoria 3, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score SP: Randy Dobnak (5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) HR: None. Multi-hit games: Ryan Jeffers (2-for-4, RBI) E-TWINS E-NOTES Game 1: Johnson City 5, Elizabethton 3 (7 innings) Box Score SP: Tyler Palm (4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K) HR: Trevor Casanova (2) Multi-hit games: Alex Robles (2-for-3) Game 2: Suspended after two innings due to rain. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins - OFF STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Lewis Thorpe, Chattanooga Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Zander Wiel, Chattanooga TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed 1. Royce Lewis (FM): Did not play. 2. Alex Kirilloff (FM): Did not play, 3. Brusdar Graterol (FM): Did not pitch. 4. Nick Gordon (ROC): 0-for-4, 2 K 5. Stephen Gonsalves (ROC): Did not pitch. 6. Trevor Larnach (ET): 1-fr-3, 2B, RBI 7. Brent Rooker (CHAT): 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R, 2 K 8. Akil Baddoo (CR): 0-for-3, RBI 9. Wander Javier: Out of for the season 10. Zack Littell (ROC): Did not pitch. 11. Blayne Enlow (CR): Did not pitch. 12. LaMonte Wade (ROC): 0-for-1 (Exited in the third inning) 13. Travis Blankenhorn (FM): Did not play. 14. Lewis Thorpe (CHAT): 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K 15. Ben Rortvedt (FM): Did not play. 16. Yunior Severino (ET): Did not play. 17. Lewin Diaz (FM): Out with an injury. 18. Ryan Jeffers (CR): 2-for-4, RBI 19. Jacob Pearson (CR): Did not play. 20. Luis Arraez (CHAT): 3-for-5, 2 R FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Pawtuckett, 6:05 pm CT: TBD Chattanooga vs. Mississippi, 6:05 pm CT: Dietrich Enns Fort Myers vs. Florida, 6:00 pm CT: Jovani Moran Cedar Rapids at Peoria, 7:00 pm CT: Blayne Enlow Elizabethton at Pulaski, 6:00 pm CT: TBD GCL Twins vs. GCL Red Sox, 11:00 am CT: TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

That's a popular story, but according to the guy who designed the logo it's not true.