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As a follow up to someone that writes about the game, it only seems natural to check with a woman that tells stories through a different medium. Having made her own trek through the minor leagues before debuting in The Show, Melanie Newman can now (or will as 2020 gets underway) call herself a big leaguer. Paving a Path Part 1: Britt Ghiroli The Georgia native has worked as a broadcaster at both the High-A and Double-A levels. She’s been a sideline reporter for Division 1 college athletics, and both MLB and ESPN have employed her directly. Now the long time Red Sox fan joins the Baltimore Orioles and calls a new team home. I caught up with her recently to talk about the journey: Twins Daily: You've been multi-talented and focused on a plethora of sports since breaking into the media scene. When did it become clear that baseball was your calling and that's where you wanted to focus? Melanie Newman: I always knew I wanted to specialize in baseball but also had learned in college that performing as a multi-sport journalist widened my chances of employment. Bob Rathbun sat down with me to review my work and chat soon after graduating and he affirmed to me I needed to give baseball a bigger piece of my attention. So, while I always stayed vigilant in studying other sports right down to cornhole, I've fought the hardest to have just about any role in baseball. TD: Everyone in baseball understands the ladder progression through a system. In your baseball career you've gone from minor league positions to now working with a big-league club. How has that helped to shape your drive, and what challenges does each new level present? MN: I will always adore my time in the minor leagues because it is so unique and a chance to really understand not just the game but the players. You see the sacrifices and the grind at a new level on those 12-hour bus rides. Broadcasters aren't exempt to those conditions. Sometimes the late hours and no days off catch up to you, but once you find your stride (usually the fifth week every season), things smooth out, you adjust to those 3-hour sleeps. If anything, it's proven to me that I DO want to be here and how much I appreciate this world. I also better understand what it takes for a game to even happen, from the sales staff to the groundskeepers, then multiply that immensely at the Major League level! I could not do an ounce of my job without the village of staff who make it happen, including PR, digital media, producers and editors. TD: Now working with a Major League club, do you feel like you need to re-establish yourself all over again, or is credibility built on your brand? As a female, is there an additional sense of responsibility being representative of opportunity beyond just yourself? MN: Breaking into the Majors feels two-fold: I absolutely am not changing who I am, because who I am is why I was hired. If I tried to be like another big league broadcaster, that just creates a duplicate in the industry and the beauty of every single broadcaster in any sport is while we might have similarities, we are each unique because we found certain aspects of how to do the job that speak to us on a personal level more than others. For example, I felt called to the humanizing niche of story telling, why humans are the way they are and how that shapes them into the athlete they are - what makes them laugh, the people in their life who got them here, etc. The second side is that while I am sure of who I am, that doesn't mean I can't develop and improve. I'm lucky to have a good team of peers and mentors to help me better my craft every day. According to the outside world, you are supposed to have more responsibility as a woman. While I am aware that my actions are more heavily scrutinized, I know how I was raised as a person and how I was trained to be a professional, I expect to behave at the same high caliber as every other respectable broadcaster, regardless of gender. TD: We're starting to see a female presence emerge in coaching and gameday operations for teams. You have been a pioneer on the broadcasting scene in multiple different stops. Do you feel like your success has helped contribute to that, and how can you continue using your platform so we can see talent no matter where it comes from? MN: I really would never take credit for females enterprising in the various roles of any sport. I will say it's so awesome that it's becoming more frequent to run into a female counterpart whether in the offices or at the facilities and getting to further pick their brains on how their particular role is unique and why they've pursued it. Going out every day and doing my job at a high level, that's what speaks and engages others to know that no matter their orientation or background, your dreams don't discriminate. It's also important to go out into the community, to engage with younger kids and just be a friendly person, there's no need to have a wall up around children. TD: Knowing that you have Red Sox fandom in your blood, it has to be different working for an organization in a division you grew up getting to know. How exciting is it to learn the Orioles organization from the inside, and what are you most looking forward to when we get back on the field? MN: I am very appreciative of my time in the Boston organization, especially to have grown up with New England family roots. I have had the pleasure of working for multiple organization's and I'm fortunate that a professor taught us to set aside fandoms in job hunting because the wealth of amazing people I've come to know across the entire country fills my heart. Baltimore's enthusiasm and the immediate synergy was hard to ignore. I felt like family within an hour of meeting the staff and hoped they felt the same (which I would argue now, they did). I just can't wait to step into Orioles Park at Camden Yards, knowing I am a part of this amazing organization and to see the incredible memories we will get to build together. TD: Baltimore has struggled at the big-league level of late, but have some really talented prospects. As someone who's worked on the minor league scene, how excited are you to be able to cover those stories and monitor that progress? MN: The minor leagues will always hold a special place in my heart and there is a deeper appreciation when you've been in the bottom levels to work your way up. I was fortunate to call games against two of Baltimore's affiliates last year so oddly enough when I was hired, it felt like I was more familiar with more of their minor leaguers than their major leaguers. The work Mike Elias and his team have done to select the best talent out there in building the future is absolutely exciting, the way they are training and honing each player's talents is a multi-level process that is developing both the athlete and the human being. TD: Let's end it with a surviving quarantine question. We all want baseball back and living through this sports-less time for the country has certainly been suboptimal. What have you been doing to keep busy? On off days, how do you give yourself a reset? MN: My days are pretty consistent between Spanish lessons, reading baseball articles and listening to other broadcasts/broadcasters, going for runs and spending family time. It's not flashy or exciting but the consistency of routine has been key! Follow Melanie and check out her work here. Check back in next week for entry number three in this four-part series. 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Box Score Berrios: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 9 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, 64.9% strikes (63 of 97 pitches) Home Runs: Cruz 2 (32), Garver (21), Rosario (24) Multi-Hit Games: Cruz (4 for 5, 2 HR), Rosario (2 for 5, HR) WPA of +0.1: None WPA of -0.1: Berrios -.271 It didn’t take long for the Braves to respond to last night's walk-off home run, with a home run of their own. On the first pitch of the game, Ronald Acuna Jr. took Jose Berrios deep to give the Braves a quick 1-0 lead. I guess this is what Acuna was jogging in for last night while Miguel Sano’s home run was still in the air. The Braves were able to get to Berrios again in the top of the third. After an Acuna walk, and an Ozzie Albies single, Freddie Freeman went deep for the second time in this series. However, unlike the one last night that needed every inch to get over the wall in left, this one was crushed well over the center field wall. After adding another run in the fifth, the Braves blew the game open with six runs in the top of the sixth. The innings looked like it wasn’t going to amount to anything, as two of the first three Braves to come to the plate in the inning struck out. However, that was followed by the Braves going single, single, triple, single, double, single, before Adam Duvall struck out for the second time in the inning. When all was said and done, the Braves had an 11-0 lead, with nine earned runs charged to Jose Berrios. That is the most earned runs Berrios has allowed in his entire professional career. The bats finally woke up for the Twins in the bottom of the sixth inning. Nelson Cruz got the scoring going with this blast. https://twitter.com/Twins/status/1158925798998446080 After an Eddie Rosario single, Mitch Garver followed with a no-doubter of his own, trimming the Braves lead all the way down to… well 11-3. https://twitter.com/Twins/status/1158926606502694913 The Twins threatened with a couple of two-out walks later in the inning but were unable to tack on any more runs. However, the Twins weren’t done scoring quite yet. In the bottom of the seventh, Max Kepler and Jake Cave led off with a couple of singles, setting the stage for Nelson Cruz to hit his second home run of the night, and 16th home run since the All-Star Break. https://twitter.com/Twins/status/1158933217883381762 The Braves tacked on another run in the top of the eighth, thanks to three more hits from the middle of the Brave order. In the bottom of the ninth, Eddie Rosario took new Braves closer Shane Greene deep to the opposite field for the Twins fourth home run of the night. https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/1158945107803922433 Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Next Three Games Wed vs ATL, 12:10 pm CT (Fried-Perez) Thu vs CLE, 7:10 pm CT (TBD-TBD) Fri vs CLE, 7:10 pm CT (TBD-TBD) Last Game Twins Game Recap (8/5): May Throws Fire, Sano Launches a Walk-Off Bomb in Twins Win

Brief Overview: These two clubs last faced each other in 2016 when sweeps were traded at the opposing teams ballparks. Atlanta leads the NL East by a healthy seven game margin, but their +58 run differential is nearly one-third of Minnesota’s +141 mark. The Braves have played at Target Field just five times, and the Twins will be looking for their first home win against the unusual foe since their debut game in the new digs. What They Do Well: Atlanta doesn’t possess a lineup quite to the level of Minnesota’s “A” group, but they aren’t far behind. Brian Snitker’s club is second in the National League in terms of offensive fWAR. They are top 10 in baseball when it comes to the long ball, and although the 103 wRC+ puts them near an average baseline, a .334 wOBA is just 4 points (.334) shy of the Dodgers for the top spot in the National League. It’s because of their offense that the Braves have created the lead they have in the NL East, and the run differential is a byproduct of them being able to score in bunches. It’s there where the positives begin to run out however, and if that differential seems like it’s because the Pythag suggests a 61-51 record is more appropriate. What They Do Not Do Well: For a team this good you’d expect the problems to be a bit more muted. Unfortunately on both the pitching and defensive fronts, there aren’t a ton of positives. As a whole, Atlanta’s pitching staff ranks 23rd in baseball. The starters are a respectable 17th but the abomination of a bullpen comes in at 29th. The front office attempted to address this by acquiring Chris Martin, Shane Greene, and Mark Melancon. Martin is a K/BB hero and brings a solid run in 2019 with the Rangers to the senior circuit. Melancon isn’t the guy he was a few years ago, but still has the chops to be a difference maker. Greene was supposed to be the headliner, but peripherals suggested likely regression and that’s come at the Braves expense thus far. In the field Atlanta is 25th in baseball. There’s no area that they significantly lack talent on defense, but the group as a whole falls short of mediocrity. This isn’t the Mets defense that Minnesota had a chance at a couple of weeks ago, but Atlanta does come in behind the divisional foe Chicago White Sox. Individuals Of Note: You can’t talk about Atlanta without first bringing up Ronald Acuna Jr. After winning the NL Rookie of the Year in 2018 he’s had an amazing encore performance. Through the exact same number of games (111) he’s surpassed his 2018 fWAR (3.7) by 0.1. Batting for both power and average, he’s among the most fearsome hitters in the game today. Freddie Freeman continues to be a model of consistency at first base. While not producing defensively to the same Gold Glove-caliber of 2018, he should still be in the conversation. Continuing to fall out of bed and hit for a .300 average has been his MO for years, and the .950 OPS is the third best mark of his career. It wasn’t groundbreaking to expect a healthy Josh Donaldson to contribute for this club. He’s posted a 2.6 fWAR in 2019 and has a wRC+ (127) one point higher than teammate Acuna. Looking at Ozzie Albies as a thrown in would be doing him a disservice, but the point here is that this lineup packs some punch. On the bump it’s impossible to overlook game one starter Mike Soroka. This was always Julio Teheran’s rotation until the former first-round pick took over. He’s 22 years old, gives up the lowest HR/9 in the league, and totes a sparkling 2.37 ERA. Minnesota loves the long ball, but they could have their hands full in this one. Recent History: As noted above, these two teams don’t link up often. Since 2013 they’ve played a grand total of seven times with Atlanta winning five of them. In 2016 Minnesota took the last two contests between the clubs, winning 4-2 and 10-3 in Georgia. Recent Trajectories: Atlanta comes to Target Field having won six of their last ten, but did lose in extras to Cincinnati on Sunday. Minnesota has held serve against a trio of hapless opponents going 8-2 over their last ten, and is currently riding a three-game winning streak. Pitching Matchups: Monday: Odorizzi vs Soroka Tuesday: Berrios vs Fried Foltynewicz Wednesday: Perez vs Fried (Gausman claimed by Reds) Ending Thoughts: This seven game stretch is as about as important as it gets for the Fightin’ Baldelli's the rest of the way. Atlanta is no slouch and Minnesota can’t get caught looking ahead to Cleveland. They’ll take these teams on without Byron Buxton, and neither Michael Pineda nor Sam Dyson will be at their disposal. Getting through this upcoming week with five wins would be massive to set up the final stretch. I think Atlanta gets one of the trio, but give me Minnesota exposing the soft run differential a bit. Having not made predictions for the first few series previews, this prediction would makes it two in a row.