Tom Froemming

Part of me wants to see Phil make a comeback, but if I was in his shoes I'd probably just hang 'em up instead of risking any further damage. Nerve issues/reoccurring numbness has to be a scary thing to be experiencing, especially at his age. He's been poked and prodded, sliced open, had bones removed, rehabbed from multiple surgeries and has absolutely nothing to hang his head about if he called it a career at this point.

Ron Gardenhire made his return as a manager to Target Field, but the Twins made sure it wasn’t a triumphant one. Jose Berrios was excellent over eight innings and Eddie Rosario helped put the Twins over when the team desperately needed some late life.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Download attachment: Snapshot521.png Download attachment: WinEx521.png This one was tied at 2-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning and at that point Eddie Rosario basically decided the Twins were going to win this ballgame. After Eduardo Escobar drew a one-out walk, Rosie hit a pitch that was about eyeball high for a double. The Tigers intentionally walked the next batter to load the bases and then unintentionally walked Logan Morrison on four pitches to give the Twins the lead. But Rosario was far from done. Robbie Grossman sent a fly ball to shallow center field and Eddie initially looked like he was simply bluffing a tag up to home, as you often see. Nope. After a few of those bluff steps, Rosario realized the defender hesitated, so he broke for home. The urgent throw sailed way over the catchers head. That gave Fernando Rodney a nice insurance run, which wouldn’t be needed … because Eddie Rosario. Rodney retired the first two batters he faced, then old friend John Hicks sent a rocket out to left field. Rosie caught the line drive and crashed into the wall simultaneously to secure the final out of the game. A fitting and spectacular finish. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen521.png Next Three Games Tue vs. DET, 7:10 pm CT Wed vs. DET, 12:10 pm CT Thu OFF Fri at SEA, 9:10 pm CT Last Three Games MIN 3, MIL 1: Odorizzi Ks 10, LoMo Delivers Go-Ahead Hit MIL 5, MIN 4: Jake Cave Homers in MLB Debut MIL 8, MIN 3: Gibson Falters, Mauer Exits Due to Neck Injury More From Twins Daily Twins Minor League Report (5/21): Kernels Win Late, Gordon Homers A Whole New LoMo Week in Review: Crisis of Leadership The Evolution of Jose Berrios Click here to view the article

You just knew that sooner or later a few bounces were bound to go the Twins way. That was the case Sunday afternoon, and here’s hoping we’ll see that continue. Jake Odorizzi struck out 10 batters, Max Kepler and Logan Morrison delivered a couple of big hits and Fernando Rodney struck out the side in the ninth.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Download attachment: Snapshot520.png Download attachment: WinEx520.png This was Odorizzi’s first double-digit strikeout game since April 5, 2016. The only run he gave up was on a solo homer. He entered the day with the 15th-lowest ERA among qualified pitchers in the AL and lowered that mark to 3.17 with this performance. The Twins’ first run of the game was thanks in large part to the legs of Byron Buxton. He led off the fifth inning with a solid single, stole second base and advanced to third thanks to an error on the throw down to second. Kepler drove him in with a single to center field (which came against lefty Dan Jennings). This game was tied at 1-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth, but the Twins had a few more bounces go their way. After falling behind 0-2, Brian Dozier drew a leadoff walk. He advanced to second base on a wild pitch, and with first base open Kepler drew a walk (against left-hander Boone Logan). Eddie Rosario made contact on an oopsies check swing, but it ended up working out essentially like a bunt, as the runners advanced. Eduardo Escobar was intentionally walked to load ‘em up for Morrison. It was a Logan vs. Logan matchup, as Morrison dug in against Boone. LoMo won the battle, putting an easy swing on a ball that jumped off his bat and nearly left the park. Instead, it was a two-run single that put the Twins up for good. I think this means Boone Logan has to change his name now. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen520.png Next Three Games Mon vs. DET, 7:10 pm CT Tue vs. DET, 7:10 pm CT Wed vs. DET, 12:10 pm CT Last Three Games MIL 5, MIN 4: Jake Cave Homers in MLB Debut MIL 8, MIN 3: Gibson Falters, Mauer Exits Due to Neck Injury MIN 4, STL 1: Berrios is Back More From Twins Daily Buy Your "Picnic With The Saints" Tickets NOW The Evolution of Jose Berrios May Day is Coming for the Twins Click here to view the article

With every new injury comes an opportunity for another player to emerge. Joe Mauer was placed on the DL, opening the door for outfielder Jake Cave to make his major league debut Saturday night. He hit a two-run home run, and fellow fill-in Bobby Wilson had a big two-run double, but the Twins fell to Milwaukee 5-4.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Download attachment: Snapshot519.png Download attachment: WinEx519.png The Twins acquired Cave this offseason from the Yankees, where he figured to have very little opportunity to break in at the major league level. Well, taking a look at the Twins’ depth chart and considering the fact he’s a lefty, it didn’t appear there was going to be much of an avenue for him to contribute here, either. Good thing for him baseball happens. Mauer will take some time off to recover from a neck strain, meaning Logan Morrison will be manning first base and Robbie Grossman will get some work as the DH. That opened the door for another outfielder to enter the fold, and Zack Granite just recently returned from an injury of his own, creating the perfect storm for Cave to enter the picture. Cave took advantage of his first opportunity, destroying a pitch for a round tripper. According to Matt Kelly of MLB.com/Statcast, Cave’s exit velocity of 111.4 mph is the second-highest of any Twins homer this year, trailing only Miguel Sano. Heck of a way to make an impression on your first hit. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen519.png Next Three Games Sun vs. MIL, 1:10 pm CT Mon vs. DET, 7:10 pm CT Tue vs. DET, 7:10 pm CT Last Three Games MIL 8, MIN 3: Gibson Falters, Mauer Exits Due to Neck Injury MIN 4, STL 1: Berrios is Back STL 7, MIN 5: Lynn with a Dud Again More From Twins Daily Twins Minor League Report (5/19): Jaye with a Great Start, Jay with a Poor Finish 2018 MLB Draft Top 50 Prospect: 31-40 Buy Your "Picnic With The Saints" Tickets NOW The Evolution of Jose Berrios Click here to view the article

Myles Jaye threw seven innings of one-hit ball to help lead Rochester to a 2-1 win. Meanwhile, Tyler Jay was on the mound in the bottom of the 10th while Chattanooga squandered its game away. Also, Akil Baddoo reached safely four times in a Cedar Rapids victory and Miguel Sano was in action for the Red Wings.TRANSACTIONS Miguel Sano began his rehab assignment with the Red Wings. With Joe Mauer hitting the DL Jake Cave was promoted from Rochester up to the Twins. He homered in his major league debut. James Ramsey was reinstated from the DL and transferred to Chattanooga. LaMonte Wade was placed on the DL. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Pawtuckett 1 Box Score W: Myles Jaye (7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) SV: Nick Anderson (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Wynston Sawyer, Taylor Featherston Miguel Sano was 0-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout in the first appearance of his rehab assignment. He was the designated hitter. Rochester scored both of its runs in the fourth inning. Jermaine Curtis got things going by getting hit by a pitch with one out. Catcher Wynston Sawyer added a two-out single before Taylor Featherston drove them both home with a triple. That’s all the offense the Red Wings would need thanks in large part to Myles Jaye. He held Pawtuckett to one hit, a solo home run, over seven innings of work. Jaye is on a roll, giving up just three earned runs on 13 hits over his last 18 innings pitched. Gabriel Moya worked a scoreless eighth before Nick Anderson struck out the side in the ninth for his second save. Old friend Justin Haley pitched a good game for the PawSox, striking out six batters over six innings of work, but was saddled with the loss. Dustin Pedroia, on a rehab assignment of his own, was held hitless in three plate appearances by the Red Wings’ pitching staff. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Biloxi 3, Chattanooga 2 (10 innings) Box Score SP: Omar Bencomo (7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Zander Wiel, Chris Paul, Tanner English This one was tied at 1-1 heading into extra innings and Tanner English cashed in the Lookouts’ “bonus runner” in the 10th to take the lead. Tyler Jay came in to try and pick up the save in the bottom of the inning. Things did not go well. The inning started, with the runner already on second of course, with an infield single. That was followed by another single that scored the tying run. With runners on first and second with no outs, the next batter bunted. Brian Navarreto committed a throwing error that allowed the game-winning run to score. Ouch. Omar Bencomo pitched a gem (see above) and Cody Stashak added two perfect innings to go with three strikeouts. Nick Gordon had a single, a walk and stole his sixth base. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 2, St. Lucie 0 (Suspended in the top of the third inning) They tried to get this one in, but the Florida rain had other ideas. The start of this contest was delayed more than 40 minutes and the game ended up being suspended in the top of the third inning due to rain. They’ll pick up where they left off tomorrow afternoon. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Clinton 4 Box Score W: Jovani Moran (2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K) SP: Bryan Sammons (4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Akil Baddoo, Jordan Gore, Alex Kirilloff, Ben Rodriguez, Jose Miranda It was a hit parade for the Kernels, but all 14 of their base knocks were singles. Akil Baddoo was a terror at the top of the lineup, going 3-for-4 with a walk and his 11th stolen base of the season. This game was tied at 2-2 heading into the seventh, but Cedar Rapids managed to manufacture the go-ahead run. With runners on the corners and one out, Jordan Gore stole second base and an error on the throw allowed a run to score. Gore also delivered a big two-run single in the eighth inning in what was a three-hit night for the Kernels’ second baseman. Jared Finkle pitched a perfect eighth and then retired the first two batters he faced in the ninth. Then things got a bit too interesting. He ended up surrendering a couple of runs, but righted the ship in time to secure the victory for Cedar Rapids. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Myles Jaye, Rochester Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Akil Baddoo, Cedar Rapids TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: 1. Royce Lewis: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K 3. Nick Gordon: 1-for-4, BB, SB, E 5. Alex Kirilloff: 2-for-5, RBI, K 7. Brent Rooker: 0-for-5, K 10. Akil Baddoo: 3-for-4, BB, R, SB, K 19. Tyler Jay: 0.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Pawtucket, 12:05 pm CT (Aaron Slegers) Chattanooga at Biloxi, 2:05 pm CT (Randy LeBlanc) Fort Myers vs. St, Lucie, 12:0 pm CT (continuation of suspended game) Fort Myers vs. St. Lucie, Game 2 (Clark Beeker) Cedar Rapids at Clinton, 2:00 pm CT (Brusdar Graterol) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

The Twins lost in an ugly fashion Friday night, but more importantly, they lost another player due to injury, at least temporarily. Joe Mauer was forced to exit the game with neck tightness and is day-to-day. Hopefully his absence is brief, but this lineup is already in shambles.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Download attachment: Snapshot518.png Download attachment: WinEx518.png The details surrounding Mauer’s exit and the time it took to relay the news of what actually happened are strange. Joe was out in the on-deck circle in the fifth inning when Paul Molitor emerged from the dugout. Suddenly Mauer was gone and Logan Morrison was stepping up to the plate. As if that wasn’t odd enough, it took ages for the team to relay the news of what happened. This, of course, led to all kinds of speculation ranging form Mauer was being traded to he was abducted by aliens (Ok, that one was just me goofing off). Here’s hoping Mauer has a speedy recovery because this team can ill afford to be without yet another regular. What about the game? Ugh. Kyle Gibson had a rough start, giving up five runs over 5 1/3 innings, and the bullpen also struggled (three more runs over 3 2/3 innings). But, as has been the case often so far this season, Max Kepler and Eduardo Escobar were pluses. Kepler was particularly impressive. Lefty Brent Suter did a great job of keeping the Twins off balance, but Kepler had a double, a walk and sacrifice fly against him. Considering the Twins only got five hits and just the one run and one walk off Suter, that’s yet another really impressive showing from Max against a southpaw. And, oh by the way, Kepler also hit a two-run homer off reliever Boone Logan, another lefty. Escobar was 3-for-4, raising his average to .292 and his OPS to .891. On the down side, Brian Dozier was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and Byron Buxton was 0-for-4 with a pair of Ks and left four men on base. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days:Download attachment: Bullpen518.png Next Three Games Sat vs. MIL, 6:10 pm CT Sun vs. MIL, 1:10 pm CT Mon vs. DET, 7:10 pm CT Last Three Games MIN 4, STL 1: Berrios is Back STL 7, MIN 5: Lynn with a Dud Again SEA 1, MIN 0: Twins Get LeBlanc’ed More From Twins Daily 2018 MLB Draft Top 50 Prospect: 31-40 The Evolution of Jose Berrios Click here to view the article

Chris Paul, LaMonte Wade and Zander Wiel all homered for Chattanooga in a Lookouts victory and Trevor May continued his rehab in Rochester, throwing 60 pitches over four innings. See what else happened in this lightning round edition of the minor league report.I apologize for the extremely abbreviated report tonight. I had to spring into action unexpectedly and this was the best I could do. A couple of real quick things to note: LaMonte Wade hit a big game-tying home run for the Lookouts in the top of the fifth inning tonight, but then was removed from the game in the bottom of the sixth. No word on why that was. Also, infielder Joe Cronin pitched for the Miracle tonight, getting out the only two batters he faced. RED WINGS REPORT Syracuse 4, Rochester 2 Box Score SP: Trevor May (4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Jake Cave (2-for-3, 2B, BB) CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Biloxi 4 Box Score W: Lewis Thorpe (5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) SV: Ryne Harper (2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) HR: Chris Paul (2), LaMonte Wade (6), Zander Wiel (3) Multi-hit games: Brian Navarreto (2-for-4, RBI) MIRACLE MATTERS Jupiter 5, Fort Myers 2 Box Score SP: Charlie Barnes (5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Brandon Lopez (2-for-4), Luis Arraez (2-for-3, 2B) KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 2, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score SP: Bailey Ober (6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) HR: None Multi-hit games: Alex Kirilloff (2-for-4, RBI) STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Bailey Ober Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: LaMonte Wade TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: 1. Royce Lewis: 0-for-4, K 3. Nick Gordon: 1-for-4, 2B 5. Alex Kirilloff: 2-for-4, RBI, K 7. Brent Rooker: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 K 10. Akil Baddoo: 0-for-2, BB, R, 2 K 11. Zack Littell: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K 12. Lewis Thorpe: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 K 13. Lewin Diaz: 0-for-3, BB, K, SB 14. LaMonte Wade: 1-for-3, HR, R, RBI, K 16. Ben Rortvedt: 0-for-3, BB, K 17. Travis Blankenhorn: 0-for-3, R, 2 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Pawtuckett, 6:05 pm CT (Stephen Gonsalves) Chattanooga at Biloxi, 6:35 pm CT (Kohl Stewart) Fort Myers vs. St Lucie, 6:00 pm CT (Brady Anderson) Cedar Rapids at Clinton, 6:30 pm CT (Blayne Enlow Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

Lance Lynn had been struggling, but this was his chance at sweet, sweet revenge against his former team who showed no interest in bringing him back for 2018. He responded to the occasion by … throwing another clunker.Snapshot Info Record: 18-21 Lynn: Game Score 38, 56.1 Strike%, 3.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K Bullpen: 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 IR, 1 IS, 5 K, 2 BB Hitters: 3-for-8 w/RISP, 7 LOB, 6 K, 5 BB Top 3 per WPA: Morrison .230, Rosario .173, Grossman .078 Win Expectancy Chart (via FanGraphs) Download attachment: chart.png Lynn only lasted three innings and it took him 82 pitches just to get that far. He walked another four batters. His ERA on the year ticked up to 7.47. Ick. The bullpen also ran into some trouble. Taylor Rogers gave up a run while recording five outs, Ryan Pressly was charged with two earned runs in his inning of work, though one of those scored while Zach Duke was on the bump, and Phil Hughes gave up a home run to the first batter he faced. The only members of the bullpen who didn’t appear in this one were Trevor Hildenberger and Fernando Rodney. Good thing the Twins are off tomorrow. Despite the shaky performance from the pitching staff, the Twins still had the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the eighth inning. Logan Morrison was 2-for-3 with a walk and a home run, which was the only extra-base hit for the Twins today. Eddie Rosario was 3-for-4 with a walk and Joe Mauer picked up a pair of hits. There was a lot of traffic on the bases in this one. The teams combined for 23 hits, 11 walks and left a total of 17 runners on base. Next Three Games Thu OFF Fri vs. MIL, 7:10 pm CT Sat vs. MIL, 6:10 pm CT Sun vs. MIL, 1:10 pm CT Last Three Games MIN 4, STL 1: Berrios is Back SEA 1, MIN 0: Twins Get LeBlanc’ed LAA 2, MIN 1: Ohtani Excellent as Angels Walk Off Twins More From Twins Daily BREAKING NEWS: Jason Castro Out for the Year Twins Daily Roundtable: Romero's Rotation Spot "Picnic With The Saints" Ticket Prices Announced Click here to view the article

I originally responded to this question on the 9th. We've seen another poor Lance Lynn start since then and he appears to be working on yet another one this afternoon. If he keeps this up, the Twins will have a much easier time of figuring out what to do.

Minnesota Twins affiliates went undefeated on Tuesday thanks in large part to big performances from a couple of top prospects and another who has spent time in the majors already. One of those top prospects extended his hitting streak and almost got to the plate once more for a chance at the cycle. After a rainout yesterday, a doubleheader was scheduled in Florida but only one of those games was played as the rain couldn’t stay away.Keep reading to find out how all of the Twins minor league players did on Tuesday and be sure to add to the discussion in the comments! RED WINGS REPORT Syracuse 1, Rochester 9 Box Score The Red Wings got to the scoring early in this one after a Zack Granite single to lead off the game was followed by a Ryan LaMarre triple and a double from Jack Cave to put them out front 2-0. Cave scored on a Brock Stassi single to make it a three-run lead after the first inning. Syracuse got on the board in the top of the fourth, when starter Aaron Slegers gave up a solo home run to the first hitter of the inning, but retired the next seven men he faced before a single was erased on a double-play ball to end the top of the sixth and his day despite throwing just 73 pitches (47 for strikes). He allowed three hits and a walk in his six innings and struck out one. Nine of his fifteen outs came on ground balls. The game was 4-1 in favor of Rochester at that point as they tacked on a run in the fifth when LaMarre led off with a double and was driven in on a single from Kennys Vargas. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, the Red Wings strung together a barrage of hits to take control of the game 8-1. Five singles and another double from LaMarre accounted for the four runs in the frame. They’d make it 9-1 in the seventh after three singles to load the bases were followed by an RBI groundout from LaMarre. Tyler Duffey came on for the seventh and worked around a couple of two-out singles for a scoreless inning. Back out for the eighth he got a double-play ball as part of another scoreless frame. He allowed three hits and struck out one in his two innings. Gabriel Moya came on for the ninth and finished the game for Rochester. He gave up a double and walked one, but also picked up two strikeouts. The home team got hits from every batter in their lineup, and multiple hit efforts from seven of the nine. LaMarre led the way by going 3-5 with three runs scored, two doubles, a triple, and four runs batted in. Vargas and Stassi each drove in two while Granite singled three times in six trips and scored two runs. Taylor Featherstone also finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored, a double and a walk. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Tennessee 3, Chattanooga 11 Box Score It was a pitcher’s duel in this one for the game's first four innings, as Lookouts starter Randy LeBlanc’s zeroes on the scoreboard were matched by the Smokies’ Oscar De La Cruz. But the offense finally got to De La Cruz in the bottom of the fifth, knocking him out of the game as they took the lead and never looked back. Brian Navarreto and LaMonte Wade drew walks to put the first ducks on the pond in the inning, while Brent Rooker (RBI single), Zander Wiel (two-RBI single), and Edgar Corcino (RBI double) knocked them in to go ahead 4-0. LeBlanc surrendered a solo home run in the sixth that made it 4-1, but finished his outing with his fourth strikeout. He scattered seven hits and one walk over his six innings to pick up his sixth win and lowered his ERA to 2.14 on the season. Chattanooga added a run in the sixth on a sac fly from Rooker, then blew open the game in the seventh with five more. Those five runs came on Chris Paul’s first home run of the season, a two-run shot, an RBI single from Wade, and another base knock from Rooker to score two more for a 10-1 lead. Cody Stashak came on for the seventh and had a one-two-three inning, striking out two. He then got the first two outs of the eighth on strikeouts, but a couple of walks ended his appearance at 1 2/3 innings. Casey Crosby relieved him, and a passed ball scored one before he got a groundout to end the frame. A wild-pitch scored another for the Smokies in the ninth, but Crosby would finish the game with a strikeout. In 1 1/3 innings, Crosby walked three and struck out two. Rooker finished this one 3-for-4 with a run scored and four RBI, while Tanner English (2-4, R, 2B, SB) and Alex Perez (2-5, R, RBI) also added multiple hits to lead the offense. Corcino and Navarreto each drove in two and as a team the Lookouts went 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Chattanooga improves to 25-14 on the season and are in first place in the Southern League North Division. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Jupiter 0 (Game 1, 7 innings) Box Score In the first game of their scheduled doubleheader after their postponement on Monday, the Miracle got one big blast and excellent pitching to take down the Hammerheads. They went ahead 1-0 in the second inning, when Jimmy Kerrigan delivered his fourth home run of the season in the Florida State League, and fifth overall. The lineup as a whole delivered only five hits, with Taylor Grzelakowski finishing the game 2-for-3. Mark Contreras added a double, and Joe Cronin and Brandon Lopez each drew two walks. Fort Myers got a good start from right-hander Sean Poppen, who went the first five-plus innings to pick up his first win of the year. He scattered four hits and two walks, while striking out five. After surrendering a single to the leadoff man in the sixth, Andrew Vasquez was summoned to finish the game and picked up his third save in the process. In two scoreless innings, he struck out two and allowed only a single and a walk. After the completion of game one, rain again moved into the area and game two was postponed. It will now be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 4:00PM CST. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 5, Cedar Rapids 6 Box Score The River Bandits and Kernels traded blows in the early going, getting through three innings with the score 4-3 in favor of the Kernels. Starter Edwar Colina made it through just three-plus innings as his pitch count was up to 78 after walking the first two batters of the fourth. He allowed three runs on four hits and four walks, but did strike out four. The Kernels scored three runs in the bottom of the first after a two-run home run from Alex Kirilloff, his sixth of the year, and an RBI single from Andrew Bechtold later in the inning. They took the lead back in the third on a Jean Carlos Arias grounder to score Kirilloff, who had singled leading off the frame. Nick Brown came on in relief of Colina and got out of the fourth inning without allowing either of his inherited runners to score, and pitchedinto the sixth. In his 2 1/3 innings, he gave up only a walk, but also a run as that batter scored after he was replaced by Jovani Moran. Moran also went multiple innings, allowing two hits and two walks while racking up four K’s in two innings. Tied 4-4 in the seventh, Kirilloff again was first up in the inning, and this time delivered a triple and scored on a sac fly to put Cedar Rapids in front again 5-4. Kirilloff would finish this one a double shy of the cycle in four trips to the plate, with three runs scored and two RBIs. His hitting streak is now up to 14 games and he has collected multiple hits in five of his last seven. Carlos Suniaga entered the game with one out and the bases loaded in the eighth but got out of the jam with the Kernels lead still intact by striking out one and inducing an infield popup. Jose Miranda added an insurance run for Cedar Rapids in the eighth, with his second home run of the season. Suniaga remained in for the ninth and got two ground ball outs before a solo home run made it a little more interesting, but he got the next batter to ground out as well to end the game and pick up his second save of the season. Although Moran was charged with a blown save, he also earned his first win of the year as the Kernels improved to 17-15. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Slegers, Rochester Red Wings (W, 6 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, K) Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Alex Kirilloff, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-4, 3 R, 3B, HR, 2 RBI) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 3. Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) – 0-4, R, BB, 2 K 5. Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) – 3-4, 3 R, 3B, HR, 2 RBI 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 3-4, R, 4 RBI, K 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 1-3, R, 2 BB 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 1-3 14. LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) – 1-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 K 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 0-3, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – LHP Dietrich Enns (1-4, 5.96 ERA) Tennessee @ Chattanooga (10:15AM CST) – LHP Anthony Marzi (0-1, 2.03 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter (DH @ 4:00 PM CST) – RHP Tyler Wells (3-1, 2.96 ERA), TBD Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (Game 1 – 12:05PM CST) – LHP Tyler Watson (2-1, 3.22 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (Game 2 – 6:35PM CST) – RHP Randy Dobnak (3-1, 4.91 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

Jose Berrios’ post-Puerto Rico funk has finally come to an end. He broke a streak of four-straight starts with four or more earned runs by tossing a gem against the Cardinals. Jose surrendered one run on just two hits to go with 10 strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Download attachment: Snapshot515.png Download attachment: WinEx515.png Berrios gave St. Louis a heavy dose of curveballs, offering it up 33 times among the 102 pitches on the evening. He got nine swinging strikes and five called strikes on that Uncle Charlie and the Cardinals only managed to put it in play three times. Altogether, Jose had 16 swinging strikes and topped out at 95.5 mph. The bullpen locked it down, as Addison Reed retired the only two batters he faced on strikes and Fernando Rodney pitched a perfect ninth inning for his eighth save. He hasn’t given up a run in eight appearances and has surrendered just two hits over that stretch. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days:Download attachment: Bullpen515.png Next Three Games Wed vs. STL, 12:10 pm CT Thu OFF Fri vs. MIL, 7:10 pm CT Sat vs. MIL, 6:10 pm CT Last Three Games SEA 1, MIN 0: Twins Get LeBlanc’ed LAA 2, MIN 1: Ohtani Excellent as Angels Walk Off Twins MIN 5, LAA 3: Twins Outlast Angels in Gutsy Victory More From Twins Daily "Picnic With The Saints" Ticket Prices Announced 2018 MLB Draft Top 50 Prospects: 41-50 What Can Be Done to Awaken Slumbering Twins Offense? Click here to view the article

Thanks for this Andrew, great job. New Twins minor league coordinator Pete Maki was previously the pitching coach at Duke, so he should have some first-hand knowledge of Griffin Conine. I know Maki's not a scout and Conine's not a pitcher, but you'd have to imagine that connection should only help the Twins in gathering info on him.

I know he's only listed at No. 46 on here, but you gotta believe the Brewers have to strongly consider taking him with their first pick (21 overall). I mean the marketing alone has gotta be worth reaching for

Mother Nature tried her best. Back on April 8, the Twins-Mariners game was postponed due to weather. That contest was rescheduled for tonight, but rain delayed the start by over an hour. The Twins should have taken the hint. When the game finally got underway, a flat Twins team failed to mount anything resembling an offense and lost 1-0 thanks to a defensive miscue.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Download attachment: Snapshot514.png Download attachment: WinEx514.png The Twins made Wade LeBlanc look like Sandy Koufax. He pitched six scoreless innings and only gave up three hits. The Twins hit only two balls in excess of 100 mph off LeBlanc. In comparison, the Mariners had six such hits off Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi still pitched a great game himself, striking out seven batters over six shutout innings. Matt Magill pitched a 1-2-3 seventh before things got way too interesting in the eighth. Dee Gordon hit a double off the wall to open things up against Trevor Hidenberger. The next batter laid down a bunt. Logan Morrsion airmailed the throw into right field, allowing Gordon to score the go-ahead run. Also that inning, Max Kepler whiffed on a line drive that he lost in the lights, but luckily just the one run scored that inning. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen514.png Next Three Games Tue vs. STL, 7:10 pm CT Wed vs. STL, 12:10 pm CT Thu OFF Fri vs. MIL, 7:10 pm CT Last Three Games LAA 2, MIN 1: Ohtani Excellent as Angels Walk Off Twins MIN 5, LAA 3: Twins Outlast Angels in Gutsy Victory MIN 5, LAA 4: Rally Rosie More From Twins Daily Twins Minor League Report (5/14): Great Graterol! Garver Making the Most of the Opportunity Join Twins Daily at "Picnic With The Saints" Click here to view the article

Yep, hit probability and catch probability are two different things. Hit probability doesn't take defensive positioning into account at all. Unfortunately, they make catch probability very difficult to find and only highlight it when a fielder makes a sensational play. But, just forget I even brought any of that up, my main argument is that ball was in the air a very long time. You could see where a player's clock in his head would say that's going to get caught. Adrianza could have done a better job reading the defense, but taking off on the pitch I'm sure made that a bit more difficult. It certainly was not a great base running play, but there was some stuff going on there where I can see why it caused him some trouble. It's unfortunate. If he would have even advanced another foot or two while that ball was in the air he's safe and the Twins probably win that game.

Here are Zach Duke's splits on the year, albeit in some pretty small samples: vs. LHB (20 PAs) .118/.250/.118 (.368 OPS) 83.5 avg. exit velo vs. RHB (45 PAs) .278/.422/.361 (.783 OPS) 88.0 avg. exit velo Of course, the big problem yesterday was that Duke hit the leadoff guy when he already had two strikes on him. That was such a nasty pitch that the batter checked his swing on a ball that hit him on the back shin. Also, to be fair, Duke has intentionally walked three RHB and they have an unsustainability high .435 BABIP against him. But ... If you're forced to turn to Duke against a bunch of righties in a tie ballgame, your bullpen needs some adjusting. In 2018, there's just no way to hide a pitcher. Phil Hughes either needs to be used in games or needs to get released.