Jeremy Nygaard

The Winter Meetings have come to an end and with that, so will our special edition Google Hangouts. We do have one left, though, and you can watch it here, live at 9pm. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1v0aMRMDe-0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Wednesday night we talked about potentially adding Pelfrey and/or Arroyo and what it could mean for the starting pitching staff. We also discussed Josmil Pinto's shoulder, the signing of a Indy League MVP, the return of former scouts and the future of Liam Hendriks. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cWMRlzaRW5E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> You can also use the links below to find it on iTunes and on YouTube. ------ Tuesday night's episode featuring John Bonnes can be seen below. MIKE PELFREY!! <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Wm5xzNjE8q0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> While the Big Pelf took up a too-large segment of our show, it was very entertaining to visibly see John Bonnes's blood pressure go up at the idea of re-signing him. John also talked about TwinsDaily's Winter Meltdown and other current endeavors (not limited to TwinsDaily's re-upping with the Cedar Rapids Kernels). We addressed other news of the day - such as the rumored interest in Stephen Drew - and answered random questions. So once you get by the first three minutes of confusion, you're in for a real treat! You can view the video embed above, the link to or the audio-only version here on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/twinshangout-podcast/id776886965?mt=2.--------- Guestless on a Monday. Seth and I spent an hour talking about today's Twins news. Well, it was like 57 minutes of talking about the Twins and four minutes of utter confusion when Jeremy's volume stopped working. We were able to reconnect the old school way - telephone - to complete our discussion and even made some room for the day's newest news: Rajai Davis to the Twins? Oh, just another day in the life of a Twins fan. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/d5Wc5BU3ZWc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> You can view the video embed above, the link to or the audio-only version here on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/twinshangout-podcast/id776886965?mt=2 (though that seems to be an episode behind).----------------------------- Sunday edition: Seth and Jeremy were joined by 1500 ESPN/Eyewitness News' Doogie Wolfson as we kicked off our Winter Meetings Edition. When it comes to local sports, no one knows it better than Doogie. Doogie suggested the Twins might be busy this week, what positions they may be targeting as well as a few players who the team might be targeting for extensions. He also mentioned one (surprise?) name that may be available in trade talks. Drink it all in. video or Audio-only?<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kKpwZaCotQk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> --- Please leave your questions/comments below. If you're viewing live, you can ask questions during the show using the Q and A feature that we enable. These Hangouts are unlikely to last full hours each night, but this is great way to catch up on your Twins-related news of the day without having to pay close attention for the rest of the day.

Join Seth and I tonight at 8:30 as we're joined by ESPN1500's Brandon Warne. We'll recap the flurry of activity we've seen since last Tuesday night as well as wrap up what's been going on in the catching market over the last couple of days. I'm sure we'll also talk about starting pitching and deviate from the plan that we have. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] If you have any questions you would like for us to answer, please feel free to leave them in the comments below, or ask them in the chat screen during the live show. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CKhkNsn8aNk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> If we have time, we'll talk about the Twins Hall of Fame ballot and maybe even MLB's ballot that was released early last week.

Technical difficulties backed up kickoff about 10 minutes, but we were able to speak with the Pioneer Press's Mike Berardino for about an hour on Tuesday night. You probably already know that he's a pretty knowledgeable dude and he'd make any stathead's night. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4Zbm6BoX-MU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> We also talked about the free agent market and a whole lot of other things Twins. Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and we'll see you again next Tuesday night! [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Please let us know what you thought about the show. If you'd rather watch on YouTube, you can view .

Seth and Jeremy will be hanging out again on Wednesday night, talking about Minnesota Twins 40 man roster decisions and more with guest and friend of Twins Daily AJ Pettersen. You'll want to join the conversation... You can ask us questions and we'll respond. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NEpV5dNQtsE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Click Play to Listen Live! [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Seth and I discussed the local nine on Tuesday night. Some things we touched on were: The looming suspension of Eddie Rosario and what it means, the 40-man roster choices the teams needs to make today, the trade with the Pirates, free agent rumors, curious moves, winter league updates and questions from viewers. If you can stick it out til the end, you can also view an awkward exchange between "Neal Huntington" and "Terry Ryan". We'll also have a special edition show tonight discussing the moves the Twins make this afternoon. Featuring a special guest! <cue the intrigue, right?> As always, we'd love to get your feedback, so leave below. Click to view live at 8:30! <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Uuad_vzHPzU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Join Seth and I as we talked about a wide variety of Twins topics.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Watch and listen to Seth and I tackle a variety of topics. We cover the Joe Mauer move, off-season leagues, Byron Buxton and injuries, some free agents targets and answer your questions! Leave us your feedback. <!-- Place this tag in your head or just before your close body tag. --> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js"></script> <!-- Place this tag where you want the widget to render. --> <div class="g-post" data-href="https://plus.google.com/105223969215261032144/posts/GKKSiKVWa9Q"></div>

I’ve never told anyone this story… Mostly because I just made it up... And also because if I didn’t make it up, you still wouldn’t believe it… --- I had never been more excited to attend a baseball game than I was to attend Game 1 of the 2010 American League Division Series against the Yankees.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It was the first playoff game to ever happen at Target Field and my seats were great. I remember that funny feeling – nothing like Game 163 – when things were happening, either good or bad, and the crowd just seemed disinterested. It was really weird… and part of me figured it was a lot of people that were there because it was the first playoff game, not because they really wanted to be there. Corporate big-wigs sitting in their over-priced padded seats for the first time since April, probably. As I took the walk back to my car, knowing that a three-game sweep was inevitable, I noticed a glimmer in the parking ramp stairwell. It was a lamp. Not a lamp that the Amish use to guide their buggies around my neighborhood; no, it was a lamp that looked a lot like the one in Aladdin. So I picked it up and rubbed it. And sure enough, out came a genie. It wasn’t the blue genie that you’re all picturing. It wasn’t like that at all. The genie was darker, pudgier and had a funny eye. “Holy smokes! You’re Kirby Puckett!” I was sure of it. The genie replied that he wasn’t, he was just a genie… but he talked real fast and laughed real deep and we both knew: he was Kirby Puckett. He told me he was going to grant me three wishes, but he needed to warn me: No matter what I wished for, the next three seasons were going end with 90 or more losses. I immediately realized that prolonged losing might mean trading away Joe Mauer. So without thinking, I used my first wish. “I wish for Joe Mauer to spend his entire career with the Twins.” Kirby the Genie shook his head, “Alright.” I thought more about the upcoming seasons. How hard was it going to be to make it through the next three years? “I wish that the Twins will have a Top 3 farm system going into 2014.” I knew that couldn’t happen overnight and, even with three great drafts that alone wouldn’t lead to a contending team in 2014. So I used wish number three. “I wish the Twins would have the space and the willingness to spend big when they get back to the point where they can compete.” Kirby winked, laughed and told me he’d grant my wishes. And with that, he was gone. ___ Well, here we are. We’ve suffered through the three straight losing seasons. We’ve got Baby Jesus for life. We’ve got a Top 3 if not the Top 1 farm system. And we’ve got the means to spend now, adding pieces for 2014, but keeping our eyes on 2015 and 2016. I’m going to make five moves this offseason: 1) Sign Phil Hughes. While he’s not the #1 fans are hoping for (who is?), leaving Yankee Stadium and coming to Target Field is going to steer his career down a whole different path. Plus, he’s on the right side of 30. I’ll give him 3 years and up to $33 million. I’m going to give him $3 million just for signing, $9 million per year and have a buyout of $3 million on a fourth year at $13 million. I agree, it’s excessive… but it’s a willingness to spend, just like I wished. 2) Trade for Chad Billingsley. This is another move that comes with risk. Billingsley did, in fact, miss 2013 recovering from Tommy John surgery and there is no guarantee that he’ll even be ready when April rolls around. Oh, and he is the final year of a 3-yr/$35 million contract. But here’s the deal: The Twins have shown interest in Billingsley before and, even though they’re strapped with cash, Billingsley is on the outside-looking-in when it comes to L.A.’s rotation. And the kicker, there is some belief the Dodgers weren’t happy when Billingsley decided to try the rehab and PRP therapy in lieu of surgery, which happened anyway. I’ll offer a mid-level prospect (Matt Summers, maybe?) and in return the Dodgers pick up $6 million of this year’s contract, that leaves the Twins paying the other $6 million and the last $1 million installment of the buyout. They also get the chance to pay him $11 million for 2015 or cut him loose. (That’s the $14 million minus the $3 million of the buyout that was paid already.) A risky move for 2014 that could potentially be a huge steal for 2015. 3) Trade Oswaldo Arcia to the Rangers. With Nelson Cruz on his way out and David Murphy a free agent, there is a corner outfield spot available. The Rangers have also said they’ll explore moving Elvis Andrus or Ian Kinsler to make room for Jurickson Profar. If the Twins could package Arcia in a deal to get Andrus without giving up the farm, I’d do it… I just don’t see that happening. More likely, I see the Twins sending Arcia to the Rangers in exchange for a couple minor-league arms: RHP Luke Jackson, who would start in AA, and Victor Payano, a 6-6 lefty who was in high-A last year but is still very projectable. Jackson is a hard-thrower who misses bats but walks a bunch, too. There might have to be a little more going back to Texas, but that’s the price of business. So why trade Arcia, you wonder? Well, I’ll start the year with an outfield of Willingham-Presley-Parmelee/Doumit, which, admittedly, isn’t pretty. (Would it be that much prettier with Arcia out there?) But eventually Hicks comes back up and isn’t terrible. And after the All-Star break, Buxton comes up. I’d also move Eddie Rosario back to the OF and picture late 2014 with an outfield of Rosario-Buxton-Hicks. 4) Sign A.J. Pierzynski. I want to let Pinto get some more AAA at-bats under his belt. I don’t know what it will cost to get A.J., but if I could get him for a year at $8 million, I could handle that. 5) Get lucky on the scrap heap. I’m looking at you, Johan. Maybe it’s a $3 million, incentive-laiden deal with a team option of 2015. Even if Santana passes, there are a number of names that could be interesting as reclamation projects: Roberto Hernandez/Fausto Carmona, Ryan Vogelsong and Edinson Volquez are just a few names that could fit with small guarantees and big incentives. This puts the Opening Day payroll at a very manageable $92,805,000. It also puts the team in position to spend going into 2015 as well, with less than $37 million committed to Mauer, Perkins and Hughes, the only three guys under contract.

You may have seen Cody’s update earlier today on how the Twins prospects have done while playing in Arizona so far this fall. There are some other leagues underway in the warmer parts of the world and here’s an update on those players. This only includes players that are under contract to the team. Expected minor-league free agents are not included. *Stats through 10/28, in order of #Impressiveness Dominican Winter League: Jorge Polanco: 7 G, 11-for-28, 7 R, 3 2B, HR, 5 BB, 3 K, 2 SB, .393/.438/.607 [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Jorge Polanco has had a very positive start to his winter. If Polanco follows the same development path as Eddie Rosario, we could see him competing for a spot sometime in 2014. While the debate has been if Rosario or Brian Dozier should be considered the 2B of the future, Polanco should definitely be a part of that discussion. www.sbnation.com Miguel Sano: 2 G, 1-for-5, R, 4 BB, 2 K, SB, .200/.556/.200 Miguel Sano had two throwing errors in two games before being shut down with elbow discomfort. Danny Santana: 5 G, 5-for-23, 4 R, 2B, RBI, BB, IBB, 7 K, 3 SB, .217/.280/.261 Deibinson Romero: 2 G, 1-for-6, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, .167/.333/.667 Chris Herrmann: 6 G, 3-for-15, R, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, .200/.316/.333 Adrian Salcedo: G, 0.2 IP, H, 1.50 WHIP, .333 BAA Venezuelan Winter League: Eduardo Escobar: 11 G, 13-for42, 4 R, 2 2B, 2 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 9 K, .310/.356/.524 Jermaine Mitchell: 8 G, 6-for-31, 7 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 10 K, SB, CS, .194/.306/.226 Jairo Rodriguez: G Lester Oliveros: 4 G, 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 K, 1.00 WHIP, .182 BAA Oliveros is trying to prove he belongs back on the 40-man roster after recovering from UCL surgery. Virgil Vasquez: 4 G, 4 GS (0-1), 18.2 IP, 21 H, 9 R, 8 ER (3.86 ERA), 4 HR, 2 BB, 17 K, 1.23 WHIP, .280 BAA Dakota Watts: 6 G (2-1), 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER (2.57 ERA), 3 BB, 2 K, 1.43 WHIP, .259 BAA Cole DeVries: 3 G, 2 GS, 7.1 IP, 13 H, 7 ER (8.59 ERA), 4 BB, 8 K, 2.32 WHIP, .371 BAA

It was a very eventful day all through Twins Territory. Read on for jammed-pack excitement... or at least a recap of what happened while you enjoyed the "unofficial" last day of Summer. ROCHESTER RED WINGS 13, SCRANTON/WB RAILRIDERS 3 Box Score[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] From today's pregame notes: The Red Wings made a total of 140 transactions this year, which included housing 60 different players over the course of the season. That is the highest number since 1995 (62). Only five players made it through the whole season on Rochester's roster: Shairon Martis, Eric Fryer, Jeff Clement, Brian Dinkelman and Ray Olmedo. Scott Diamond will take the mound at 1:05 pm at Frontier Field in hopes of securing a win. With a win, the Red Wings also need Norfolk to lose to clinch a playoff berth. That is the only way the Red Wings season doesn't end today. In an effort to keep you up-to-date, I posted live updates throughout the Norfolk and Rochester game. If you still don't know - isn't the anticipation killing you? - you can re-live the moment. Right now. UPDATE 12:25 CT Scott Diamond gave up a run in the top of the 1st, but the Red Wings answered back in the bottom of the inning scoring three runs. They currently have runners on first and third with nobody out. Durham and Norfolk are currently tied at 0 in the top of the 6th. Durham put a runner on base with a 2-out single. Update 12:30 CT Norfolk got out of the inning. Heading to the bottom of the 6th. Still scoreless. Ray Olmedo singled home Jeff Clement. 4-1, still none out in the bottom of the first. Update 12:40 CT Norfolk started off the bottom of 6 with a double and a walk. Durham followed that with a strikeout and double-play. On to the 7th... Meanwhile, Rochester is still batting in the 1st. Eduardo Escobar has doubled twice and has four RBI so far in a 9-1 game. Scranton/WB has made a pitching move already. (These Red Wings must really not want to re-join the Twins. #jajaja) Update 1:30 CT Durham just stranded a runner on second base. He singled and later stole second. But with one out, they went strikeout/weak groundout to end the inning. Norfolk comes to bat in the bottom of the 9th. Rochester, on the other hand, continues to pull away... Update 1:34 CT Strikeout, groundout... we're one out from extra innings. Update 1:40 CT Durham is now batting in the top of the 10th. Eduardo Escobar is killing it, by the way. Two doubles and home run, so far. Update 1:45 CT Durham has a runner on first and third with one out in the top of the 10th. Update 1:47 CT A single scores the game's first runner. 1st and 2nd, one out. Red Wings gotta love this... Update 1:49 CT Inning over on double-play. Three outs from a Durham win. Update 1:55 CT Of course, Norfolk singles to lead off bottom of 10th. Former Twin Jason Pridie can't get him over to second. One out. Update 1:57 CT That's two swinging strikeouts in the bottom of 9 for closer Kirby Yates. One out to go... Update 2:00 CT It's an epic battle between Yates and Buck Britton... and it ends in another swinging strikeout. It's all on the Red Wings now... a win and they're in. Update 2:04 CT I gotta take a break from all of this excitement. Top of the 6th. 12 outs away. FINAL UPDATE They did it. They won and, by tiebreaker, are the International League Wild Card. Scott Diamond gave up three runs over seven innings and Virgil Vasquez tossed the final two frames. Diamond got a Olmedo-Beresford-Parmelee triple play behind him as well. Escobar finished with three doubles, a home run and 5 RBI. Ray Olmedo and Antoan Richardson each finished with three hits. The Red Wings will host the PawSox on Wednesday (Cole De Vries) and Thursday (P.J. Walters) before heading to Pawtucket for games Friday through Sunday, as necessary. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 2, READING PHILLIES 3 Box Score Miguel Sano was getting the season finale off, until Evan Bigley was ejected. Sano finished the year with 2 Ks and a line-out to third. Brad Boyer and Kyle Knudson ended their seasons with 2-hit games. Danny Santana and Eddie Rosario each had a hit and a stolen base. D.J. Baxendale struck out nine over 7.1 innings. He gave up 12 hits and 3 runs. Ryan O'Rourke recorded the final five outs, with 1 K. FORT MYERS MIRACLE The Miracle are off today and will kick off a three-game set tomorrow with Charlotte at 6:30 ET. Game 1 is on the road with Games 2 and 3 scheduled for Fort Myers. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 15, CLINTON LUMBERKINGS 6 Box Score Miguel Sulbaran improved to 9-4 on the season with a win today. He pitched five innings and allowed two runs. He struck out only one. The bullpen handled the rest of the game in small pieces and most of them threw successfully. Hudson Boyd (H, K, IP), Josue Montanez (.2 IP, 2 H), Brandon Bixler (.1 IP, K) and Brian Gilbert (IP, H) all had scoreless efforts in relief. Dallas Gallant was had a bit of a hiccup. Gallant got three outs, but also gave up back-to-back home runs and a walk for four total runs. He struck out two. The offense was pretty explosive today. They scored 15 runs on 14 hits. Adam Brett Walker (27) and Jonathan Murphy (2) both homered. Niko Goodrum, Jorge Polanco, Walker, Tyler Grimes and Michael Quesada all had doubles. Quesada actually reached base in all five of his plate appearances (two hits, three walks). The 88-50 record that Cedar Rapids finished with ties a franchise record and, to my knowledge, was the most wins in baseball this year. The Kernels will travel to Quad Cities for Game 1 on Wednesday night. Brett Lee is on the mound. The Kernels will return home for games Thursday and Friday night. Tim Shibuya and Tim Atherton (if necessary) are the scheduled starters. Leave your questions and/or comments below.

I know the picture doesn't fit, but for what might be the last time, let's give #33 another cover photo. This from a happier time. Let's hope there is more champagne in Morneau's near future... and also that none of the corks hit him in the head. If you want to weigh in on the trade and it's reactions. Go here. Tonight was a very significant night for the Rochester Red Wings. It's also a big night for Josmil Pinto, as he is with the Twins and will make his big-league debut soon.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Let's look at how the four minor league teams did tonight: ROCHESTER RED WINGS 6, BUFFALO BISONS 5 Box Score The Red Wings did nearly everything possible to blow this game late, but instead held on to win (and eliminate Buffalo from Wild Card contention). The Red Wings currently find themselves a half-game behind Norfolk, who is playing here. If Norfolk loses, the Red Wings pull into a tie for the Wild Card, but have the tiebreaker. If Norfolk wins, the Red Wings will have to make that one-game disadvantage up in the next two days. P.J. Walters gave up two runs early, but settled down and made it six innings. Aaron Thompson gave up an unearned run and Shairon Martis allowed the Bisons to battle back (and get the go-ahead run in scoring position with two outs) before Michael Tonking recorded the final out. Aaron Hicks was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a stolen base. Eric Fryer homered and Eduardo Escobar, Chris Parmelee and James Beresford all added doubles. Pat Dean looks to keep the Red Wings in the hunt tomorrow night at 6:05 ET. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 4, READING PHILLIES 5 Box Score Reading scored a 9th inning run to win a game that no one actually knew was going on. So you better read about it here... Trevor May pitched and was solid. He struck out 10 in seven innings, scattering four runs on six hits and a walk. Matt Hauser gave up the run to pick up the loss. Miguel Sano was busy. He tripled, was hit by a pitch, grounded into a double play and committed an error. Eddie Rosario got two hits, including a double. Angel Morales hit his 5th AA home run. Stuart Turner made his AA debut and collected two singles. Kyle Davies pitches tomorrow at 6:35 ET. FORT MYERS MIRACLE 2, BRADENTON MARAUDERS 3 Box Score The Miracle's bullpen blew a save, allowing three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. David Hurlbut scattered nine hits over 7.1 innings, but only allowed two runners (inherited by Tyler Jones) to score. He struck out six. Tyler Jones finished the inning, but not before allowing a run of his own to score as well. he took the loss. Byron Buxton had a hit and scored a run out of the 3-hole. Kennys Vargas had the only extra base hit for the team (his 33rd double). Tomorrow afternoon (12:05 ET) is the Miracle's regular-season finale. Their playoffs start Tuesday. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 5, CLINTON LUMBERKINGS 0 Box Score Lots of offense from the Kernels tonight, led by leadoff hitter Jonathan Murphy. Murphy had two hits, including a triple and scored two runs. Tyler Grimes, Mike Gonzales and Bo Altobelli all had two-hit games and an RBI as well. Gonzaelez hit a long home run. After returning to the lineup with a bang last night, Niko Goodrum took today's game off. Tim Shibuya went the distance today. He struck out six. He allowed four hits and only walked one. The Kernels have set their playoff rotation and it looks like this: Brett Lee in Game 1, Tim Shibuya in Game 2, and Tim Atherton in Game 3. It was believed that Jose Berrios would be one of the guys in the rotation, but it was reported earlier today that he wouldn't be included. Nothing specific to report, as it appears that Berrios is completely healthy, but has worn down later in the year. The Kernels have two more games at Clinton before starting their playoffs. Tim Atherton starts tomorrow at 2:00 CT. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

The Twins were off today. In other baseball news, it was announced that Matt Harvey of the Mets has a partially torn UCL. He's getting the dreaded "rest and recovery" treatment many Twins fans are too familiar with. It's an unfortunate development for one of the best young arms in the game today. Eddie Rosario was named Eastern League Player of the Week after his stellar week last week. There was also a nice write-up about a few Twins prospects on Baseball America as well as a can't-miss (Insider-only) piece that discusses the "scout's divide" on Adam Brett Walker. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Let's look at the action around the farm today which included both very good and very bad performances: ROCHESTER RED WINGS 5, SYRACUSE CHIEFS 15 Box Score Not only has Rochester squandered their division lead, but they have now fallen a game behind the Norfolk Tides in the IL Wild Card Race. It was another brutal night for the Wings, who gave up a 6-spot in the first inning for the second consecutive game. P.J. Walters got the start and only lasted two innings. He gave up eight runs (four earned) on five hits and four walks. (His error lead to the unearned runs.) He was replaced by the recently-activated Luis Perdomo. Perdomo didn't fair much better. He was chased after 2.2 innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on four walks and two hits. Edgar Ibarra even gave up a run in his 1.1 inning of work. The Red Wings turned to outfielder Jermaine Mitchell to work the 8th inning and, of course, he pitched around a walk and single to have a shutout inning. Mitchell returned for the 9th and gave up a two-run double. Plug pulled. Ray Olmedo replaced Mitchell and allowed an inherited run to score before retiring the side. Deibinson Romero had three hits, including a home run and had three RBI. Eduardo Escobar followed up Romero's home run with a home run of his own. Josmil Pinto, who is in a cold-stretch, was moved down to 9th and posted a double. Jeff Clement also doubled. Pat Dean will look to right the ship tomorrow at 7:05 ET. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS 5, TRENTON THUNDER 3 Box Score Trevor May had a very solid outing tonight for the RockCats. He didn't give up a hit for the first five innings, completing six total. He struck out nine, while allowing only two hits walking two batters. www.milb.com It will be interesting to see if May's name is included tomorrow when the Arizona Fall League Rosters are announced. If not, I think there is a pretty good shot that May will join the Twins when rosters expand next week. May is short of 140 innings after pitching around 150 innings the previous two minor league seasons. Getting him 25-30 Major League innings could be very valuable as May figures to compete for a spot in the Major League rotation next spring. There is also a chance that May could join Rochester as they continue to push - and struggle - in their attempt to make the International League Playoffs. Daniel Turpen allowed three runs in relief, which allowed the game to get close. Ryan O'Rourke recorded the last four outs to secure the save. Offensively, the 6-7-8 hitters: Reynaldo Rodriguez, Brad Boyer and Dan Rohlfing all had three hits and combined to go 9-for-11. Boyer drove in three runs. Danny Santana and Jordan Parraz each had two hits. Eddie Rosario was 1-for-5 with an RBI. Miguel Sano went 0-for-3 with two walks. Cole De Vries starts tomorrow at 7:05 ET. FORT MYERS MIRACLE vs PALM BEACH CARDINALS - rained out; doubleheader tomorrow. Matt Tomshaw is in line to get one of the starts. The other starter is TBD. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 3, PEORIA CHIEFS 1 Box Score With Max Kepler on the shelf for a couple days with a badly cut finger, the Kernels rolled out a makeshift infield, which included two catchers - Tyler Grimes (2B) and Bo Altobelli (1B) - playing out of position. Turns out their big hits and timely pitching were enough to secure another Kernels victory. Grimes doubled twice and Jeremias Pineda was 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead the offense. Altobelli drove in a run on two hits and Michael Quesada also doubled in a run. Tim Atherton picked up the win going seven strong innings, striking out seven. He allowed one run. Mason Melotakis pitched the 8th and allowed only a hit when striking out two. Brian Gilbert picked up his fifth save, striking out one in a single frame. Miguel Sulbaran will make his third start for the Kernels tomorrow night at 6:35 CT. ELIZABETHTON TWINS 11, PRINCETON RAYS 3 Box Score The E-Twins got a nice outing from their offense (11 runs on 14 hits), but were helped by the five errors that Princeton committed. The Princeton offense wasn't bad either (12 hits), but only managed three runs. The win keeps the E-Twins hanging onto their playoff hopes by a thread. (Elimination number remains four with Greeneville still playing.) Zach Granite had three hits tonight, including a double and was also caught stealing. Engelb Vielma scored three runs on two hits. Bryan Haar drove in two runs on two hits (a double) and also walked twice. Match Garver and Zach Larson also added doubles. Hein Robb allowed three runs on ten hits. He struck out five in five innings. Austin Malinowski struck out four in three innings of work. Brandon Peterson finished it off with a hit and K. Kohl Stewart will pitch tomorrow at 7:05 ET. GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 8 Box Score Despite jumping out to a quick lead, the Twins dropped this one after surrendering four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Starter Derrick Penilla gave up four runs (two earned) in 2.1 innings. Chih-Wei Hu also allowed two earned runs in 2.2 innings, but Hu was able to strike out six. In relief, Zach Hayden made his 10th appearance (9 IP) and still hasn't allowed a run. Alex Swim led the offense with two hits. Both Nelson Molina and Ryan Tufts doubled. At 27-30, the GCL Twins have been eliminated from postseason contention. If you have questions or comments, fire away!

We've been dealing with dreadful pitching in the major leagues pretty much everyday since... well... 2011. Today was more of the same. In fact, Kyle Gibson was sent back to Rochester after today's outing. There were some other minor league moves as well. A.J. Pettersen was moved from New Britain to Fort Myers along with Matthew Summers. To make room, Fort Myers sent Alex Swim back across the street. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] On a positive note, those in the FSNorth viewership got to see a glimpse into the Twins future as they broadcast the RockCats game this evening. Another positive was how some rehabbing pitchers fared. ROCHESTER RED WINGS 7, LOUISVILLE BATS 0 Box Score If you're looking for meaningful September baseball (and want to cheer for wins), this is one team for you to follow. The Red Wings have been playing very good baseball (and doing it with familiar names). Tonight, old friend Liam Hendriks was dialed in. Eight innings, eight strikeouts, no runs, four hits. He's probably earned the right to earn a major league salary again. Aaron Thompson pitched the final frame. Mid-season addition Jermaine Mitchell collected three hits out of the nine-hole. Chris Parmelee and Josmil Pinto each homered. The team had 12 hits tonight, including six extra-base hits. Pawtucket also won to keep the gap at two games. PJ Walters is scheduled to take the ball at 1:05 ET. NEW BRITAIN ROCKCATS 3, TRENTON THUNDER 10 Box Score The story of this game was that it was the first chance for many fans to see Miguel Sano and/or Eddie Rosario. (Unless you travel to MiLB games or watched the WBC on MLB Network (Rosario) or the couple of Spring Training games that Sano got into.) Neither did a lot tonight, but "rehabbing" Pedro Hernandez might have been the best you've seen him. He allowed only five baserunners in four innings and struck out four. He left with the RockCats up 2-0. After B.J. Hermsen pitched out of trouble in the 5th, but bullpen imploded. The trio of Blake Martin, Daniel Turpen and Jose Gonzalez allowed 10 runs on 11 hits and five walks. Not pretty. There were also some fielding gaffes that wouldn't make your daddy proud. Offensively, Danny Santana showed his wheels on both advancing on a sac fly from first to second and by tripling. Eddie Rosario hit a gapper to the left-center field wall that scored two runners. Miguel Sano didn't have any hits but had a loud out in the first and made a nice charging defensive play to nab a runner at first. Trevor May is on the bump tomorrow as the RockCats take on Trenton again at 7:05 ET. FORT MYERS MIRACLE - Day Off CEDAR RAPIDS 2, PEORIA CHIEFS 1 Box Score While the bats never fully woke up, they did just enough to get the win. The win, however, is credited to Tim Shibuya who pitched a great game. Shibuya went 8-plus innings, allowing only a run on five hits. Though he only struck out two batters, Shibuya only had to throw 76 pitches. Madison Boer earned the save by abandoning a runner on the third to end the game. Michael Gonzales had a sacrifice fly to score Jonathan Murphy in the first and added a double later. Jeremias Pineda singled in Joel Licon in the second inning. Niko Goodrum and Tyler Grimes added singles. Goodrum also stole two bases (now has 20) and committed his 25th error on the season. ELIZABETHTON TWINS 2, GREENEVILLE ASTROS 0 Box Score The E-Twins won again and are currently 1.5 games out of second-place and a shot at the Appy League playoffs. The pitching was the story of this game too. Hein Robb went the first six innings. He struck out six, walked two and allowed five hits. Luke Bard walked one and struck two. Carson Goldsmith secured the save by striking out four batters for four outs. The E-Twins bats offered a balanced attack. Seven of the nine starters accounted for a hit. Zach Larson provided the only extra-base hit (double). Bryan Haar had two hits while playing third base. ...and sit down for this one: Kohl Stewart is making his Appy League debut tomorrow night at 7:05 ET. Seth is currently making calls to see if the FSN crew from New Britain can be re-routed to Elizabethton. It would simply replace the Twins game and no one would even notice. GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 2 Box Score And of course, if you're into good Twins "future" news, I've saved the best for last. Alex Meyer rehabbed today for the GCL Twins. He pitched the first 3.2 innings. (Eh.) He only allowed two hits. (Good.) Of the 11 outs he recored, nine came by strikeout. (Nine.) Nine! Not a bad afternoon. www.baseballamerica.com Lewis Thorpe relieved him and struck out six in 3.1 innings. And not to be outdone, Jared Wilson and Jose Abreu struck out three in the final two innings. That's 18 strikeouts. Today. The Twins have struck out 18 batters the whole month of August. (That's exaggerated... I think.) Hitting-wise, more of the same. Not a lot of action. Amaurys Minier didn't play again today. He's been nursing injuries on-and-off all season. Don't choke on your peanuts when I tell you that Nelson freaking Molina led the squad with two hits today. He was 2-for-2 and is batting .290 over his last 10 games. Not bad after starting the year 1-for-52. (He did get caught stealing twice - once after a pickoff. At least that's what the box score called it. I call it "he was so excited to be on base he forgot what to do next".) Chad Christensen homered. Christensen is a Big 10 guy (Nebraska) and local-ish (Cedar Rapids). He's also versatile (can play any corner). I would think there is a chance he could be promoted aggressively in 2014 and get a chance to play the season in his hometown. Continue the conversation below.

The Twins remain in the 7th slot for the 2014 MLB Draft if the season ended today. It will be an interesting six weeks as only four games separate the 4th pick from the 15th pick. The Twins are currently 1.5 games ahead of the Cubs (who would pick 4th) and only 2.5 games behind Colorado (who would pick 15th). The Red Wings announced this morning that OF Antoan Richardson would be activated and UTIL Brian Dinkelman would be placed on the DL with a quad strain.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] This afternoon, the Kernels announced that 2B Jorge Polanco was placed on the DL with a strained hamstring. The assumption is that this opens up a spot for the team to activate Jose Berrios to start Thursday's game. Let's look at the action on the field. ROCHESTER RED WINGS 1, LOUISVILLE BATS 0 Box Score Logan Darnell stepped up and made his best start in AAA. He completed eight strong, shutout innings. He struck out six and only allowed five hits and a walk. (Could he be next year's Andrew Albers?) Michael Tonkin earned the save with a 1-2-3, two-strikeout 9th inning. Obviously in a 1-0 win, there wasn't a lot of offense. The lone run scored on a James Beresford RBI single that plated Chris Colabello. Darrin Mastroianni and Eric Farris added hits for the Red Wings. Liam Hendriks starts tomorrow's tilt at 7:05 ET. The Red Wings need to keep their foot on the gas as they compete in a the tightest division in the league; only three games separate them from being out of the playoffs completely. NEW BRITAIN ROCKCATS 5, BINGHAMTON METS 3 Box Score A couple big swings and another good pitching performance was enough to seal the deal for the RockCats today. Both Reynaldo Rodriguez and Nate Hanson connected on the two-run HRs in the 5th inning to give New Britain all the offense they'd need. Five of the other starters - including Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario - were able to contribute hits today as well. It should be noted that Rosario, battling a mini-slump, was dropped to sixth in the order. D.J. Baxendale hasn't had the same success in AA that he had in Fort Myers but we got to see a glimpse of that pitcher today as he struck out eight batters in six innings. He allowed six hits and a walk that resulted in three runs, but improved his AA record to 5-6. Despite his performance as a RockCat being less dominating, I still believe that Baxendale can become a Scott Baker-ish contributor to the rotation in 2015. The bullpen trio of Matt Hauser, Dan Sattler and Dakota Watts kept the door closed as they only allowed two hits combined while striking out three. While tomorrow's scheduled starter for the 7:05 ET game is TBD, it would appear to be B.J. Hermsen's spot. Hermsen has really struggled in AA this year - in both a starting and relieving role, so who makes this start is anyone's guess. (UPDATE - Terry Ryan said on Sunday morning that Pedro Hernandez would be starting for the Rock Cats.) FORT MYERS MIRACLE vs BRADENTON MARAUDERS Box Score This game was suspended in the 3rd inning with Bradenton leading 2-0. David Hurlbut had got touched up early, but had already struck out four batters. In true Byron Buxton form, he had already recorded a single and a stolen base before the rain came. This game will be completed on August 29. The Miracle are off tomorrow. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 3, PEORIA CHIEFS 1 Box Score Josue Montanez only gave up one run over 7.2 innings, but the Kernels were also aided by four Peoria errors. Montanez didn't give up a run until the 8th inning and then had to be relieved by Brian Gilbert to retire the side. Montanez finished with four strikeouts, a walk and seven hits allowed. Gilbert picked up the save by collecting the last four outs. It was Gilbert's fourth save since his promotion. The Kernels are very high on Gilbert, it will be interesting to see if he is given an opportunity to start next season. Michael Gonzales has now hit safely in all three games since his return from the disabled list. Tonight's hit was a home run that led off the scoring. The Kernels picked up two insurance runs in the seven thanks to a hit batter and two fielding errors. Joel Licon and Jonathan Murphy both had hits that scored runners (though Licon didn't get credit for an RBI). Tim Shibuya will start tomorrow at 6:30 CT for the Kernels. Shibuya has had a trying time since being named the Appy League Pitcher of the Year in 2011. ELIZABETHTON TWINS 5, GREENEVILLE ASTROS 2 (8 Innings) Box Score The draft pick that has stolen the show - at least in the early results - was on the mound for the E-Twins today. That guy, of course, being Stephen Gonsalves. Gonsalves pitched four shutout innings today and struck out five. It wasn't all great though: two walks, a wild pitch, a balk, a throwing error and three hits allowed. That being said, he's exceeding early expectations. Ryan Eades, the Twins top college draft choice, struggled throwing it over the plate. In two innings, he walked four and hit a batter. Austin Malinowski picked up the win for this late-game work, but mostly for being the pitcher of record when the E-Twins ripped off four 7th-inning runs to take the lead. Unlike previous versions of this team, this year's squad is winning (when they do) by stringing hits together and not hitting a lot of home runs. Tanner Vavra had two hits, including a double, driving in two. Zach Granite also had two RBI and Bryan Haar added a double. Hein Robb in tomorrow's (7pm ET) scheduled starter. GCL TWINS - Day off It sounds as though Alex Meyer will be pitching in this game and potentially moving up the ladder if all goes well. The goal is to get him back to New Britain before the end of the regular season before sending him to the Arizona Fall League.