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The Twins got a ridiculously short start from Bartolo Colon in what was a ridiculously long game against Cleveland, but Brian Dozier delivered a three-run homer in the eighth inning that lifted the Twins to victory. The Twins ended up using 10 pitchers, which was a team record for a nine-inning game.Snapshot (chart via Fangraphs) Download attachment: IMG_0689.PNG Download attachment: IMG_0690.PNG Dozier led off the game with a double high off the left field wall, came around to score the first run and finished 3-for-5 with that three-run homer, his 33rd, and three runs scored. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: IMG_0692.PNG Looking Ahead Wed: Twins (Adalberto Mejia) at Cleveland (Danny Salazar), 6:10 pm CT Thu: Twins (Ervin Santana) at Cleveland (Carlos Carrasco), 11:10 am CT Fri: Twins (Jose Berrios) vs. Detroit (Matthew Boyd), 7:10 pm CT Looking Back MIN 10, DET 4: Deja Vu All Over Again MIN 10, DET 4: Twins Blow Out Tigers Bullpen MIN 7, DET 3: Gibson, Offense Keep Rolling Click here to view the article

Bartolo Colon had been remarkably consistent since joining the Twins, but he had a stinker of a Sunday afternoon in Kansas City. He gave up six runs in the second inning, giving the Twins very little hope to escape KC with a series win.Snapshot (chart via Fangraphs) Download attachment: Snapshot910.png Big Sexy lasted just 1.2 innings, but lucky for the Twins they had a couple of fresh long relievers to choose from. But Colon wasn’t the only Minnesota pitcher feeling the Sunday blues right now. John Curtiss got rocked for four runs while recording just a single out. The big blow was a three-run blast to Brandon Moss. Curtiss was among the best relievers in all of the minor leagues this season, but after five big league appearances he holds a 19.64 ERA. Kennys Vargas was 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and a pair of walks. Ehire Adrianza, who started in left field, was the only other Twin to collect two hits. Dillon Gee pitched 3.0 shutout innings of relief. Not much else to say about this one. The Twins got crushed. They’ll have tomorrow off to lick their wounds and prepare to host the Padres for two games. Standings Both the Yankees and Angels games were still in progress at the time this published. At the moment, the Twins sit 3.0 games back of New York and hold a 1.5 game advantage over Anaheim. Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen910.png Looking Ahead Mon: Off Tue: Twins (Kyle Gibson) vs. Padres (Travis Wood), 7:10 pm CT Wed: Twins (Ervin Santana) vs. Padres (Dinelson Lamet), 7:10 pm CT Looking Back KC 5, MIN 2: Molitor Pushes All the Wrong Buttons in Loss MIN 8, KC 5: Rosario Drives in 4, Hildenberger Holds it Together MIN 4, KC 2: Comeback Complete Click here to view the article

If there was a way to measure a team’s competitiveness, it would be safe to assume the Twins would be among the top teams in baseball. They entered the bottom of the ninth down 7-4 Friday night, but battled back and got the game-tying run all the way to third base before finally falling to the Royals.Snapshot (chart via Fangraphs) Download attachment: Snapshot91.png The Twins trailed 7-4 entering the bottom of the ninth. Fireballing closer Kelvin Herrera came in for the Royals. Things did not get off to a good start for KC, as Max Kepler reached on a fielding error, but Herrera recovered to retire the next two batters. But Zack Granite drew a walk and Brian Dozier was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Joe Mauer. To increase the drama, Byron Buxton entered the game as a pinch runner, representing the game-tying run at first base. Mauer sent a slow grounder right through the middle of the infield. That scored two runs and advanced Buxton to third. Herrera was removed from the game in the middle of an at-bat against Jorge Polanco. Lefty Scott Alexander entered and walked Polanco to load the bases again, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position. Just when it looked like the Twins were going to pull off another improbable walk-off win, Alexander got Eddie Rosario swinging to end the game. How did the Twins fall behind in the first place? Dillon Gee was roughed up for five runs and lasted just 2.2 innings. It seems pretty safe to say he’ll be removed from the rotation after two starts in which he logged a total of just 6.2 innings and gave up nine runs. Always need a long guy in the pen, though. Tyler Duffey provided 2.1 innings of relief, but gave up a two-run homer right before he was lifted. Ryan Pressly (1.2 IP), Buddy Boshers (1.1 IP) and John Curtiss (1.0 innings) shut out the Royals from there to give the Twins a chance to mount a comeback. Polanco hit his 10th homer of the year, a two-run shot in the first inning. He also reached base in three of his four plate appearances. Mauer, Dozier and Kepler all had two hits each. Mauer also (stop me if you’ve heard this before) made a pair of fine defensive plays. He laid out to reel in a throw that completed a double play in the first inning and made a nice diving stop near the line in the second inning Standings The Yankees lost, so the Twins are still just a game behind for the top wild card spot. The Angels’ game was still in progress at the time this published. They are currently one back of the Twins, with Baltimore trailing by 1.5 games. Cleveland won its ninth straight game, so they hold an eight-game lead in the AL Central. Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen91.png Looking Ahead Sat: Twins (Kyle Gibson) vs. Royals (Onelki Garcia), 6:10 pm CT Sun: Twins (Ervin Santana) vs. Royals (Ian Kennedy), 1:10 pm CT Mon: Twins (TBD) at Rays (TBD), 6:10 pm CT Looking Back MIN 5, CHW 4: Twins Win on Walk-Off HBP MIN 11, CHW 1: Rosario Hits 2 HRs, Buxton Exits With Injury MIN 6, CHW 4: Polanco Does it All Click here to view the article

The Twins fell just short of mounting an impressive comeback in the first game of their doubleheader Monday, but they made sure no such effort would be required in the second game. After losing 7-6, the Twins jumped out to a huge early lead in the nightcap and cruised to a 10-2 victory. So, in reality, they won the day 16-9. Shoulda challenged Chicago to a winner-take-all situation. Where’s that Pythagoras when you need him?Game 1 Win Expectancy (via Fangraphs) Download attachment: WinEx821_1.png Top 3 Twins per WPA: Dozier .117 | Polanco .092 | Busenitz .032 Tim Melville’s Twins debut did not go well. The 27-year-old gave up two runs in the first inning, cruised through the next two frames before getting knocked around again in the fourth. Here’s how things went: walk, single, three-run homer, strikeout, walk, hit batsman. At that point Molitor had enough. Melville ended with 3.1 innings, five runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Nik Turley pitched the next 3.2 innings, giving up two runs. Melville topped out at 96.6 mph, per Brooks Baseball (though their pitch classifications were all wonky for him) and Turley’s max was 95.7 mph. So those two can bring the heat, but as we know by watching Bartolo Colon, there’s a lot more to pitching than velo. The Twins trailed 7-1 heading into the sixth inning, but battled back to make things very interesting. Jorge Polanco provided a three-run homer to bring the Twins within a run in the eighth, but the comeback effort fell short. Twins W-L Record Overall: 64-60 Last 10: 6-4 Last 20: 14-6 Last 40: 21-19 Last 80: 39-41 AL Central Standings Cleveland 69-54 Minnesota 64-60 (-5.5) Kansas City 62-61 (-7.0) AL Wild Card Standings WC1: Yankees 66-57 (+2.5) WC2: Twins 64-60, Angels 64-60* Seattle 64-62 (-1.0) Kansas City 62-61 (-1.5) *Monday game still in progress Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen621.png Looking Ahead TUE: Twins (Kyle Gibson) at White Sox (Lucas Giolito), 7:10 pm CT WED: Twins (Ervin Santana) at White Sox (James Shields), 7:10 pm CT THU: Twins (Jose Berrios) at White Sox (Derek Holland), 7:10 pm CT Question of the Day I still included Gee in the bullpen report, but he’s gotta stay in the rotation at least for another turn, right? Click here to view the article

Brian Dozier hit the first grand slam of the season for the Twins and both Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario hit two homers in an impressive display of power at Target Field. Unfortunately, Adalberto Mejia was forced to leave this game early due to an injury, but Dillon Gee was outstanding out of the bullpen, earning his first career save for pitching the final four frames.Win Expectancy (via Fangraphs) Download attachment: WinEx88.png The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a squeeze bunt. How adorable. After Kepler’s two-run homer, Milwaukee took back the lead in the top of the fourth, rallying for three runs. The Twins responded by scoring six runs in the bottom of that inning and never looked back. Rosario had a three-homer game this June, but tonight was the first two-homer game of his career. Kepler had really been struggling coming into tonight, posting a .162/.213/.344 (.469 OPS) line over his previous 80 plate appearances. Here’s hoping this gets him rolling. Speaking of guys on a roll, Dozier already has four homers in August, which is as many as he had in all of July. Twins W-L Record Overall: 55-56 (.495) Last 10: 5-5 (.500) Last 20: 9-11 (.450) Last 40: 18-22 (.450) Last 80: 38-42 (.475) Defensive Lineups Here’s a look at the starting lineups from the past seven games: Download attachment: Lineups88.png Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Pen88.png Looking Ahead Wednesday: Twins (Bartolo Colon) at Milwaukee (Brandon Woodruff), 7:10 pm CT Woodfuff, 24, will be making just his second career start. The right-hander pitched 6.1 scoreless innings against Tampa Bay while striking out six. He had a 5.45 ERA in 15 Triple-A starts this year, but that was in the PCL with his home park being Colorado Springs. Colon will be making his 518th career start. Last time out, he threw his first complete game since 2015. Ryan Braun is 5-for-12 with a pair of home runs and a 1.333 OPS off Colon. Hernan Perez is 5-for-6 with a couple of doubles off him. Thursday: Twins (Kyle Gibson) at Milwaukee (Zach Davies), 7:10 pm CT Friday: Twins (TBD) at Detroit (Anibal Sanchez), 6:10 pm CT Saturday: Twins (TBD) at Detroit (Jordan Zimmermann), 5:10 pm CT Sunday: Twins (TBD) at Detroit (Matthew Boyd), 12:10 pm CT Click here to view the article

Good morning and welcome to the Daily Twins Daily. We have a rundown on last night’s game, an introduction to Dillon Gee, some minor league action (with a play from Mitch Garver that you have to see), Jorge Polanco’s struggles, and breaking down Adalberto Mejia’s mechanics. Get a cup of coffee or Red Bull, settle in and let me take you for a tour around today’s reads.First: Tom Froemming has the game breakdown. Heading into this game, on paper, the Twins seemed like favorites. For starters, on fastballs under 90 MPH, they had the second highest average at .430 (only the Nationals did better versus weak sauce). So it stands to reason that Texas starter, AJ Griffin, who averages 87.7 MPH, would be meat the entire night, right? Wrong, because here is the other thing: The Twins offense is reeaaaallly bad against big, slow curveballs. As a unit they are hitting .212 against breaking balls that were 80 MPH or under -- the second lowest in MLB. Naturally, Griffin kept them at bay by flipping lollypop spinners and made his 88 mile poo hour fastball appear that much quicker. Dillon Gee made his Twins debut in mopping up for Adalberto Mejia after Mejia threw way, way, way too many pitches (in four different at-bats, Mejia threw seven pitches). Sure, there were some plays his defense could have made behind him but Majia fired too many unnecessary bullets (more on Mejia below). Watching Gee, there was something I liked about his approach and the reaction the hitters had to his pitches. Gee was barely breaking 90 and yet hitters were over and under his offerings for the night. So I had to check on the data. What’s the answer? Spin. According to StatCast data, Gee is throwing his fastball at 88.7 MPH on average. This ranks him at 581st among all pitchers this season. However, his fastball’s spin rate (the number of times it rotates on the way to the plate) is at 2406 RPM -- 74th among all pitchers. The higher the spin rate, the harder it is for hitters to square the ball. Second: Eric Pleiss has the minor league report. Lots of tasty nuggets in there including solid pitching performances from Hector Santiago (9 K's in 5.2 innings), Felix Jorge, and there was even a Glen Perkins cameo. Dietrich Enns, who the Twins received in the Jaime Garcia trade, will get his first start in the system in tomorrow’s doubleheader with Rochester. This play happened on Wednesday night but for those who have not seen it, you should take a gander. In the top of the fourth with Rochester trailing the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 3-0 and a runner on third, Lehigh Valley’s Herlis Rodriguez flies out to Wings’ left fielder Daniel Palka. Palka unloads a rainbow of a throw from the mid-left field as Lehigh Valley’s Brock Stassi tags, then Palka and turns away, presumably in disgust, not wanting to watch Stassi score. The throw has an arc, to be sure, but it lands neatly in Mitch Garver’s mitt in time for him to slap on a tag on the late sliding Stassi. The other thing to mention is how Garver quickly blocks the plate with his left foot/leg once he receives the ball. It is a quick turn and suddenly Stassi doesn’t have a plate to touch, just Garver’s giant leg. Third: Not since Jorge Polanco was a 17-year-old in the Gulf Coast League when he hit .250 has the Dominican shortstop had a batting average this low in a professional season. The previous low after that was a respectable .276 in Rochester. While his power and on-base abilities may ebb and flow over the years, Polanco’s batting average has always been robust. Which is what makes this season so confounding. Ted Schwerzler homes in on the issues and finds that he is struggling to match his launch angles and exit velocity from the previous years. An interesting addendum: One of things that StatCast shows is that Polanco isn’t getting the base hits on balls that have the optimal exit velocity (over 85 mph) and launch angle (between 10 and 30 degrees) that he had in 2016. Home: Be sure to sign up today at the Twins Daily Thank You Giveaway. Extra Innings: LET’S TALK ABOUT ADALBERTO MEJIA. In early June, the Twins and Mejia went about tinkering with his mechanics, particularly from the windup. The intent was to quiet his movement and redirected him to more of a north-south delivery. PRE-CHANGE (April 14, 2017): http://i.imgur.com/TnvB54G.gif POST-CHANGE (July 23, 2017): http://i.imgur.com/IES96zt.gif Rather than stepping toward third base into the conventional windup, Mejia is now doing the modified stretch windup, simply making a slight inward turn and going home. Also, instead of raising his hands to eye level and then breaking at his chest, Mejia keeps the ball just above the belt where he breaks his hands. All very quiet and all very smooth. It certainly LOOKS better but how have the results been since the changes? Download attachment: Mejia.PNG While the runs allowed and ERA are messy, Mejia has allowed fewer hits, fewer walks, and fewer home runs in the windup. Not to mention, more strikeouts and fewer well-hit balls. Mejia is a work in progress but he clearly has talent and the pitches to potentially make this thing work. Random: You should read this Deadspin story about the kid who didn’t die at Riverfront Stadium. Click here to view the article

The Twins managed just three hits and Joey Gallo blasted a three-run homer for Texas. That about says it all. Adalberto Mejia lasted just four innings, but that was in part due to the fact that his teammates made a couple of crucial misplays.Win Expectancy (via Fangraphs) Download attachment: WinEx83.png Brian Dozier and Max Kepler, the top two batters in tonight’s order, have both really been struggling of late. Dozier was 0 for 4 tonight, and is now 5 for 37 (.135) since the start of that West Coast road trip with 13 strikeouts and no walks. Kepler, 0 for 3 tonight, is now 11 for 66 (.167) since the All-Star break. It was a weird night for Mejia. He walked the first batter of the game, then gave up back-to-back singles, putting Texas up 1-0 before the Twins even recorded an out. But then just like that, Adalberto struck out the next five batters he faced. After a 30-pitch first frame, Mejia faced the minimum in both the second and third innings. Things got messy in the fourth, however, as his defense misplayed a couple of balls. After retiring the leadoff man, Mejia gave up a “double” to Mike Napoli that bounced out of a sliding Eddie Rosario’s glove. Baseball Savant had the hit probability on that ball at just three percent. Twins Record Overall: 51-55 (.481) Last 10: 2-8 (.200) Last 20: 6-14 (.300) Last 40: 17-23 (.425) Last 80: 37-43 (.463) A couple of big stories to follow over these final two months will be who is playing shortstop and how young players like Zack Granite are being used. Things will get even more interesting once rosters expand. With that in mind, these game recaps will also include some info on recent starting lineups. Enjoy. Defensive Lineups Here's a look at the starting lineups from the past seven games: Download attachment: Lineups83.png Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Pen83.png Looking Ahead Friday: Twins (Bartolo Colon) vs. Texas (Martin Perez), 7:10 pm CT In four second-half starts, Perez has a 7.03 ERA and 1.52 WHIP. But the southpaw has great numbers against current Twins hitters, holding them to a .189/.267/.208 line over 61 PAs. As a team, the Twins have a .697 OPS vs. LHP. League average is .744. Colon is coming off his best start as a Twin, having held the A's to three runs over 6.1 IP. Adrian Beltre, who recently recorded his 3,000th hit, has an .844 OPS and six homers off Colon over his career. Saturday: Twins (Kyle Gibson) vs. Texas (Cole Hamels) Sunday: Twins (TBD) vs. Texas (Nick Martinez) Next Series: Twins host the Brewers in a two-game series before heading to Milwaukee for two games. Click here to view the article

The Twins found a way to beat the Astros on Saturday night. I know that isn’t related to the minor leagues, but just felt like it should be stated again. The Red Wings got a well-pitched game. The Lookouts pitched a shutout. The Miracle had a walk-off. The Kernels gave up just one run. E-Town grabbed a lead with a comeback in the ninth, and a slugger returned to the field in the GCL. You’ll want to keep reading to find out which players contributed on Saturday.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Saturday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score With his opt-out looming (and maybe passing by the time you read this), Dillon Gee went out and put together a terrific start. The right-hander gave up just four hits and a walk over seven shutout innings. He struck out four. In his three starts for the Red Wings, he threw 15 innings without giving up a run. He gave up ten hits, walked three and struck out eight. Mason Melotakis came on and got one out. He was charged with a run on a hit. He also struck out one. Drew Rucinski came on and got the final five outs. He gave up just one hit. Byungho Park led the offense. He went 3-5. Niko Goodrum went 2-5 with his 19th double. He also stole his fifth bag. Matt Hague went 1-3 with two walks. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Jacksonville 0 Box Score It was a well-played game for the Lookouts on Saturday night. Obviously a shutout means pretty solid pitching. The offense did its part as well. Dereck Rodriguez made the start and clearly didn’t have his best stuff. He needed 77 pitches to get through three innings. He gave up four hits, walked two batters and hit another. However, he threw three shutout innings. Raul Fernandez came on and went the middle three innings. He gave up just one hit, didn’t walk anyone and struck out five. Todd Van Steensel struck out three over the two innings he worked. Nick Anderson worked a perfect ninth inning to finish the shutout. Nick Gordon was back in the lineup after missing a couple of games after being hit by a pitch earlier in the week. He went 2-4 with a walk. Jonathan Rodriguez continued his terrific season. He went 3-4 with his 20th double and 11th home run. Carlos Paulino was 2-4. TJ White added his seventh home run of the year. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, St. Lucie 3 Box Score Tim Tebow and the St. Lucie Mets were back in Ft. Myers for their final series against the Miracle. He went 0-4 in this game and is now hitting .298. Over 4,600 fans showed up to see the former Heisman winner, but they got to see a dramatic win for the home team. Cody Stashak gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out six. Tom Hackimer, Alex Muren and Sam Clay each worked a scoreless inning. The Miracle were down 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Tanner English was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. He scored on Brandon Lopez’s fourth Miracle double to tie the game. The next batter, Jermaine Palacios, then knocked in Lopez with his fourth double to end the game. Palacios and Lopez were each 3-5 with a double. Sean Miller went 3-4 as well. Nelson Molina went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth double. Zander Wiel added his 20th double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, South Bend 1 Box Score On Saturday night, the Kernels lost for the fifth straight time. For the fourth time in those five games, they were shut out. In this game, the Kernels managed just four hits. Griffin Jax put together another strong start. He gave up one run on three hits in seven innings. He walked three and struck out two. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Greeneville 6 Box Score Nick Brown, the Twins 32nd-round pick this June out of William & Mary, made his first start as a pro. He went four innings and gave up four runs on four hits (three home runs). He walked two and struck out four. Bryan Sammons went the next 4.1 innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits. He walked three and struck out five. Juan Gamez came on to get the final two outs and record his first save. The E-Twins went into the ninth inning down by a run. Brent Rooker came up with the bases loaded and cleared the bases with his fifth E-Twins double. He then scored on a single by Shane Carrier for the final tally of the game. Rooker went 2-4 and drove in four runs. Carrier was 2-5 with his fourth double and four driven in. Andrew Bechtold went 0-0, but he walked four times. The E-Twins had nine walks in the game. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Red Sox 6 Box Score The Twins played the Red Sox in a Saturday morning game. Daniel Palka played in a game for the first time since breaking fingers. He went 0-3. Brian Olson played in his second rehab game and went 1-3. Akil Baddoo had another strong game. He went 3-5. Royce Lewis went 2-5 with his first triple. Ben Rodriguez, Alex Robles and Victor Tademo each went 2-4. Robles also stole his third base. Lefty Taylor Clemensia gave up two runs on two hits in 4.2 innings. He walked one and struck out seven. Amilcar Cruz gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits over 2.2 innings. Jose Bermudez came on to get the final two outs, but not before giving up a run on two hits. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dillon Gee, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (12:35 CST) - RHP Tim Melville Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (4:15 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (3:30 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (1:05 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi Elizabethton @ Greeneville (6:00 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. 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The troubling trend of TOS surgery survivors, a veteran reliever headed toward an unceremonious exit, and a new side-arming righty bringing back memories good and bad. We'll cover three trending storylines in the latest Three-Bagger below the fold.* Dillon Gee's time on Minnesota's 25-man roster was brief and uneventful – he didn't make it into a game between being called up on Friday and sent back to the minors on Monday. There is, however, little doubt that we'll be seeing him again soon enough. The addition of Gee on a minor-league deal last week was interesting, and not because he is yet another marginal arm mixed in as the Twins desperately seek numbers for a thin staff. More noteworthy, in my mind, is that the right-hander is another victim of the thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) epidemic, having undergone surgery for the ailment last October. This condition, generally affecting blood circulation to the arm and sensation in the hand, and the rib removal procedure used to address it, have risen in prominence recently. Several high-profile pitchers are currently trying to work their way back, including Phil Hughes. The early returns have been roundly unencouraging. Gee was released by the Rangers earlier this month after failing to impress. Hughes has struggled mightily while dealing with recurring symptoms, and will now try to return as a reliever. Matt Harvey, who underwent the surgery last summer around the same time as Hughes, is sidelined indefinitely with further shoulder issues after posting a 5.25 ERA in 13 starts for the Mets. Tyson Ross, eight months removed from his own TOS operation, had a 7.71 ERA in four rehab starts at Triple-A before being called up and now has a 6.13 ERA in three starts with Texas. Not only have these TOS recoverers failed to show any kind of meaningful improvement in velocity or stuff; many are having trouble even staying on the mound. Not a great sign. * The decision to send down Gee was puzzling and looked worse in hindsight when a rain delay on Tuesday night forced Hector Santiago out after two innings. It would've been a perfect opportunity for Gee to eat some innings but instead the Twins had to piece things together with an already beat-up bullpen. All so the club can continue to roster Matt Belisle, despite his providing no reason to do so. The 37-year-old made another lackluster appearance on Monday night, allowing an RBI single to Dustin Pedroia and then issuing an intentional walk before exiting. Evidently it was enough to keep him hanging around for whatever reason because Gee was deemed more expendable. Showing little command of a consistently hittable repertoire, Belisle is bound be let loose soon enough. While he looked like a better signing than Tim Stauffer v. 2015 on the surface, the results have been depressingly similar. Craig Breslow has been equally uninspiring, though he's been relegated to pitching almost exclusively in lopsided losses so it's less noticeable. For better or worse, until the Twins decide to go out and get some help, I'm ready to mostly hand this thing over to the young guys. Like this one: * Will Trevor Hildenberger, called up alongside Gee last Friday, be an impact upgrade for the bullpen? His transcendent brilliance while rising through the Twins system does pique the curiosity. It comes down to which franchise precedent he comes closest to following. With his quirky sidearm delivery and absurd numbers in the minors, Hildenberger calls to mind two former Twins relievers, representing very different career outcomes: Pat Neshek and Anthony Slama. Both right-handers flat-out decimated minor-league hitters, but neither enjoyed a lofty prospect status reflective of those monster stats, due to fastballs that barely touched 90 and a perceived gimmicky approach. Neshek, of course, had no problem translating his game to the majors. He was immediately dominant when called up to the Twins in 2006, embarking upon a tremendously successful career that continues today. (In fact, the now-36-year-old Phillies reliever figures to be a top Twins trade deadline target.) Slama never got more than a brief cup of coffee in the big leagues and quietly fizzled out. He retired with a career 2.51 ERA and 12.0 K/9 rate in the minors, and seven total innings pitched in the majors. The newcomer will surely fall somewhere in between; the question is which one he'll land closer to. Hildenberger's numbers in the minors overshadow both Neshek and Slama. In parts of four minor-league seasons, he has registered a 1.57 ERA and 200-to-26 (!) K/BB ratio over 172 innings. He has been Twins Daily's choice for Minor League Reliever of the Year in each of the past two seasons on the basis of those numbers. But as a former 22nd-round draft pick with plenty of skeptics, he'll need to prove himself and earn his way into high-leverage innings. Here's hoping he can follow the path of Neshek and become a game-changer for a bullpen that will take any help it can get, no matter how "gimmicky." Click here to view the article

Twins Daily has learned and confirmed (from a person with direct knowledge) that right-hander relief pitcher Trevor Hildenberger will be called up to the Twins on Friday. When the 26-year-old gets into a game, it will be his major league debut. In addition, the Twins will call up RHP Dillon Gee, who they just signed on Wednesday to a minor league contract. Nik Turley was optioned to Rochester following his Thursday night outing in which he recorded just two outs. Also Ehire Adrianza was placed on the 10-day disabled list. UPDATE - The Twins announced the Alex Wimmers and Mason Melotakis were DFAd to make room for Gee and Hildenberger. The Twins head to Cleveland for a three-game series starting Friday night. The Twins will need to make two 40-man roster decisions to make room for Hildenberger and Gee.Last week, the Twins called up hard-throwing Alan Busenitz from Rochester. In an article on Busenitz, we mentioned that Trevor Hildenberger was also very deserving. The side-arming righty was the Twins Daily choice for Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2015and again in 2016. In 21 games for Rochester this season, he is 2-1 with six saves. In 30.2 innings, he has allowed 27 hits, walked eight and struck out 35. Following Thursday night's game, Hildenberger got the news every ballplayer wants to hear. And, he was able to share it with a couple of very important people. Hildenberger said, "It was awesome having my parents in Rochester and being able to tell them face-to-face." Hildenberger's story is a great one. He was the 22nd-round pick of the Twins in 2014 out of Cal-Berkeley. He was at Berkeley for five years (a redshirt year), and he barely got on the mound until his fourth year because of a change he made on the mound. As he told Seth in the Twins Prospect Handbook 2016, "It started back at the end of my third year at Cal-Berkeley when my teammate wore the wrong number jersey to practice. My pitching coach, Mike Neu, commented on what he pictured when he saw my teammate's number. I asked him what he pictured when he saw my number 26, and he said a sidearm pitcher because UCLA and Washington both had sidearm relief pitchers with the number 26. At that point in time, I had thrown a cumulative 12 innings in three years and was clearly not effective enough to compete. So he asked me to throw a bullpen from a lower arm angle. I obliged, not realizing it was a permanent change. He liked what he saw and sent me off to summer ball in Bend, Oregon, in the summer of 2012 to refine my new style and experience some growing pains." The change worked. He had a great final season at Cal, got drafted and on Thursday night, received the call that every baseball player hopes for, a call to the big leagues. Hildenberger is comfortable with himself now as a pitcher and what it takes for him to be successful. In that same article, he said, "I really pride myself on throwing strikes with all three of my pitches, and the ones over the top too. If I get to a 3-2 count, I have no problem throwing from side-arm, fastball, changeup or slider. I really believe I can put it in the strike zone when I need to." At Berkeley, Hildenberger majored in American Film and Media. It's something he has a passion for. He told us, "I'm a big movie guy. I wrote about film a lot in college. I watch films that are a bit more off the beaten path, some foreign films or independent films that are played in really small theaters. But it's on the pitcher's mound that Hildenberger has dominated, really since signing back in 2014. Like Busenitz, Hildenberger has earned his promotion. The 22nd-round pick becomes the first member of the Twins 2014 draft to reach the big leagues. If healthy, it's likely both Nick Burdi and Jake Reed would be up too, and John Curtiss is certainly a name to watch as he's dominating in AA. Nick Gordon was the team's top pick, and he's put up an all-star first half in Chattanooga. Click here to view the article

According to Jon Heyman, the Minnesota Twins have signed veteran right-handed pitcher Dillon Gee to a minor league contract. He will start with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.The Twins need pitching, and Gee represents another guy getting an opportunity. He was outrighted by the Texas Rangers last weekend and chose to become a free agent. Darren Wolfson was the first to note that the Twins and Gee's representation were conversing. Gee spent parts of five seasons with the New York Mets. He was a back-of-the-rotation type of starter. At various times, there were rumors of the Twins having interest in him. He spent 2016 with the Kansas City Royals, splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. He had thoracic outlet syndrome surgery after the 2016 and signed with the Rangers this year where he pitched in just four games before being released. The Twins need arms. Any Twins fan would agree with that. They clearly do not want to push the likes of Stephen Gonsalves, Fernando Romero and Felix Jorge up to AAA quite yet. So, in the last few weeks, they have brought in guys like Chris Heston and Adam Wilk. Gee fits into that category, AAA pitchers who might just be able to give some decent innings. At least that is the hope. If not, they are AAA placeholders for the prospects. Click here to view the article