Jeremy Nygaard

John and Jeremy revealed their Offseason Blueprint during a 90-minute often-exhilarating Across the Meadow podcast on Tuesday night. The 40-man roster decisions, arbitration-eligible player decisions, free agent predictions and potential trade targets were all examined. There are other topics covered as well, such as the coaching staff carousel that made a few stops on Tuesday afternoon.For much greater detail, listen to our podcast. You can listen directly here or download directly from iTunes here. As it stands currently (with the six free agents), the Twins have 37 players on their 40-man roster. Both Jeremy and John are going to pare down that number by outrighting Johnny Field, Zach Granite, Chase DeJong, Tyler Duffey, John Curtiss and Aaron Slegers. John will outright Alan Busenitz additionally. Neither are tendering a contract to Robbie Grossman (who could be brought back for less than $4 million). This puts Jeremy's roster at 30. John has 29. By November 20, teams must add Rule 5-eligible players to their 40-man. Both Jeremy and John will add Nick Gordon, LaMonte Wade and Luis Arraez. John will also add Jake Reed and Tyler Jay. Jeremy will add Johan Quezada. This puts both rosters at 34. Our intention was to leave an open spot to draft an Rule 5 players and keep our payroll under $125 million. If you've listened to the podcast before, you'll know that Jeremy has been a big fan of Nathan Eovaldi (even before his great playoff run). Both Jeremy and John would sign him to a 4 year, $58 million deal (contract projection from Twins Daily's offseason handbook). John will spend more handsomely on the bullpen adding both Andrew Miller (2 yr/$24m) and Joe Kelly (2 yr/$14.5m). Jeremy, never a believer is spending big on bullpen arms, is only adding Sergio Romo (1 yr/$3m). On the offensive side of things, it's Jeremy who is opening up the wallet. He's adding Jose Iglesias (2 yr/$18m) to play shortstop, allowing Jorge Polanco to slide over to second base and providing a bridge to Royce Lewis. He's also hoping for Josh Donaldson (1 yr/$15m) to regain health and dominate Target Field once again, limiting his time at third base (60 games) and letting him DH 50-70 times. His last add provides positional flexibility, adding Marwin Gonzalez (3 yr/$33m) who can play all around the infield and the outfield corners. John plugs D.J. LeMahieu (3 yr/$38 m) in at second base, electing to keep Polanco at shortstop and swings for the fences, adding Adrian Beltre (2 yr/$30m) to provide leadership and guidance to the young core, especially Miguel Sano. All told, Jeremy's projected payroll comes in right around $125m while John's is a little higher, around $130m. All of these signings may be unlikely, but during the podcast we talk about alternatives as the Plan A guys come off the board. Listen and let us know what you think. Click here to view the article

Both Liriano (2008) and Perkins (2009) had service time issues with the organization. But both were about keeping them from Super 2 status, neither of them had free agency pushed away. I also think both of them had grieve-able cases. Neither got to that point. Personally, I think Buxton has the best argument out of any. The only players who didn't get the addition besides Buxton were Thorpe and Romero (two pitchers who have hit their innings limit) and Granite (who is out for the year). Any argument about not enough playing time is ridiculous. There's also no standard to "deserving" it when literally everyone else who was able got the call.

John and Jeremy cover every angle of the Twins decision to not bring Byron Buxton up in September. At a minimum, it's a curious decision. Some might call it shady. How does this effect the relationship between the organization and Buxton's camp? How could this impact the future between the two? All of this and more in the most recent episode of Across the Meadow.Listen here. You can also view and download all of our episodes on iTunes. Click here to view the article

Since the activity of the trade deadline has died down, there have been a number of changes at both the Major League level and throughout the affiliates. We covered the week in between the deadline and present in Episode 3 of our podcast.You can find us on iTunes. You can listen to the latest Twins-related episode. It's also available on our Across the Meadow website. In addition to that, you can also listen to us preview each football team for the upcoming fantasy football season. We'd love for you to listen and let us know what you think. John also mans our Twitter account and will definitely engage with you. Click here to view the article

Twins Daily has done a great job covering all of the action that happened over the last week as the Twins were very active at the trade deadline. In addition to that, the beginning of a new month also brings all sorts of Player of the Month recaps. And there's always the main staples of Twins Daily: the daily minor league reports and Twins game recaps.I'd like to introduce Twins Daily readers to something new. You may have noticed - or maybe not - that my writing and commenting has been much more sporadic this season. There are plenty of reasons for that... mostly growing kids and more responsibilities at work. But my interest in the Twins and their affiliates has never waned. I don't follow any less and I'm still certainly not short of opinions. What became of that is that I'd have a lot of Twins conversations with my neighbor. I'd be out with my dog or getting the mail or rolling the garbage to the end of the driveway and sometimes my neighbor, John Miller, would be outside. Our conversations would typically be about the Twins. We'd have these conversations across the road that splits our property, Meadow Lane. (Which is where we came up with our somewhat cheesy name.) He's been a long time reader of Twins Daily. (But never attended Winter Meltdown or a Touch Em All Pub Crawl. We'll have to fix that.) We'd talk about different things that have been written or commented on these very pages and he's said a number of times that he was thinking about starting a blog. And he should! At some point in time - probably after attending Gleeman and the Geek's first Taproom Tuesday of the year - we started talking about doing a podcast together. And last week, leading up to the trade deadline, that finally happened. If you're into podcasts, give it a shot. Give us feedback. We've jumped through the hoops to get our podcast on iTunes. You can listen to the Trade Deadline Preview (Episode 1) or the Trade Deadline Review (Episode 2). It's also available on our Across the Meadow website. We'd love for you to listen and let us know what you think. John also mans our Twitter account and will definitely engage with you. Click here to view the article

Before returning to action after the All-Star Break, we took a look at potential landing spots for the two biggest trade chips/rentals that the Twins have to offer contenders. Since then, the Twins got swept at Kansas City before getting back on the right track on Monday at Toronto. Dozier has one hit since his walk-off grand slam and a whole bunch of strikeouts. Escobar has gotten a couple hits and looks, hopefully, like he is starting to hit his way out of the slump he previously found himself in. There was also the Ken Rosenthal report that the Brewers had asked the Twins about acquiring both players. This article isn't about Dozier and Escobar... but I'll give you a little dessert after the main course.As teams look at the market, it becomes a balance of “what have you done for me lately?” and “who is this player typically?” When the answer to both of those questtions is very good, you’re getting a lot in return. Negotiations become slightly more difficult when the answers don’t match up… especially when the player is on the wrong side of 30. Today, we’re going to look at a few other players who, for one reason or another, stretch those questions a little bit further than Dozier, a top second basemen who is having a down year, and Escobar, a versatile defender with a solid bat. Kyle Gibson is having a great year. He’s got an additional year of control, his slider is nearly unhittable and when he’s not producing outs by strikeouts, he’s getting them on ground balls. He’s a great example of a player who, if he continues pitching the way he has since the second half of last year, could really help the Twins get back into contention in 2019. The Twins, though, appear poised to head into spring training with more viable rotation options than any other year in recent memory. In short, maybe it’s worthwhile to shop Kyle Gibson. Though there isn’t an urgent need to move him - there are worse things than plugging him into an experienced rotation next year - it’s worth taking a look around to see who might be interested. For me, there is one team that sticks out: the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies are in the midst of a NL West battle that may last until the final days of the season and have gotten productive seasons out of four of their five rotation members. Their fifth member, Chad Bettis, is currently on the DL with a blister. In his place, Colorado has been starting Antonio Senzatela, who himself just returned on Sunday from his own blister issues. I’m not going to pretend I know a lot about their rotation, but it seems like blister issues are typically a recurring problem. Enter Gibson, who has made 27 or more starts in each season since returning to health after Tommy John surgery. Colorado, where no free agent pitcher ever wants to go, should be motivated to add a groundball pitcher with another year of team control, even if they don’t stay in contention to win the division. The targeted headliner in a return package from the Rockies should be 23-year-old AAA infield Ryan McMahon. McMahon played almost exclusively at third base until shifting over to first base. The Rockies have all-world Nolan Arenado to man the hot corner for the foreseeable future, so McMahon was moved to help accelerate getting him into the lineup. He's also played quite a bit of second base. McMahon is a good hitter, has a good understanding of the strike zone, hits for power and also can steal some bases. Now here’s where the problem starts. If you’d paid close attention to Gibson over his last calendar year, you think he’s turned the page and is now a mid-rotation starter and his trade value should match that. “Yeah, but…” would be how every other team in baseball responds to that. I would think McMahon isn’t enough. I’d want someone in addition who is closer to MLB ready. The Rockies might think McMahon alone is too much. To move Gibson, though, the offer would need to overwhelm. Fernando Rodney is another example of a player who might not get the value his performance has dictated. Understandably, too, as he’s 41 years old. If not for his age and the rapid decline that will set in at some point - though there is nothing in his peripherals that suggest that decline is going to happen soon - Rodney has value, under contract for $4.25 million next year. The Braves, having recently lost their closer, seems like an excellent match. Would the Twins have interest in 19-year-old RHP Freddy Tarnok, a third-round pick last year who is new to pitching and having success in low-A ball? The Braves didn’t seem to have too much interest in Jeurys Famillia before the Mets dealt him to Oakland. One of the reason had to do with not wanting to deal from the top of their stash of prospects. Tarnok doesn’t fit into that group, but his potential certainly does. I don’t think any return for Rodney is going to include much. Is it worth it to deal away a controlled, affordable, mostly reliable closer for what amounts to a lottery ticket? It might be easy to say no to that from the Twins perspective. At the same time, the Braves might ask if it is worth trading a high-ceiling lottery ticket for a guy who is over twice the lottery ticket’s age. They might pass on that as well. Lance Lynn and Ervin Santana have both done enough (or not enough) to stay safe through the July deadline. Logan Morrison is having such a disastrous season, it’d be hard to merit any return. So I guess that leaves Joe Mauer. I’d accommodate Mauer if he wants to chase a championship. Regardless, I’d consider it more than likely that Mauer is back in a Twins uniform next year. But that might be a conversation for a different day. *** BONUS BITS: Typically trading multiple pieces to the same team will reduce the return. Dealing Escobar and Dozier to the Brewers in the same trade might enable them to ask for one of their top prospects, like Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta or Corey Ray. (I still don't think the Brewers have any desire to move any of those three.) The other thing that adds intrigue to this situation is that the Brewers just lost a starting pitcher for the rest of the season. How much might Milwaukee give up to secure a pitcher like Gibson? Might they be interested in Lance Lynn? There are a number of questions that can only be answered in time. But I certainly wouldn't rule out a creative deal that packages multiple players together. Likely? No. Possible? Sure. Click here to view the article

Machado was going to require a king's ransom. Beyond that we've only seen moves in the RP market. Hard to comp for Dozier or Escobar so far. I thought the return on Familia was light, but not sending money and getting IFA money back adds variables that make that trade unique.

Is there something lower than "no value"? I guess Sano could balloon to 400 pounds and that would be lower... but right now the club could get nothing of value for him.

I was asked the same thing on Twitter... there aren't a lot of teams looking to deal catchers. The best catching prospect in baseball got traded today (and he's no lock to stay there) for the best reliever on the market and another reliever. The value of a catcher is super high. I would be shocked if the Twins could make a deal that nets someone projected to be a catching regular.

Trade for guys who have started. If they don't work, they can relieve. Kilome would be fine in that role. Less convinced you want to trade for a minor league reliever, especially one that just adds to the AAA logjam.

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