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Thus far in 2018, the Minnesota Twins have played seven baseball games. They've had to deal with frigid temperatures, some snow, and even a postponement in the early going. What they have yet to need due to the circumstances, is a fifth starter. That leash could soon be coming to an end however, and Rule 5 draft pick Tyler Kinley could be caught up in the heart of the shuffle. Through the seven games, Minnesota has won three times by at least four runs, and they were beaten recently by the Seattle Mariners to the tune of a seven run deficit. Despite what would seem like a few opportunities, Paul Molitor has only inserted Minnesota's Rule 5 pick into one game. Kinley got an inning of mop-up work during the blowout loss to the Mariners. He threw 22 pitches over one inning and gave up a hit, run, and walk while tallying two strikeouts. During his inning of work, it was ever apparent as to why the Twins both wanted to grab the former Miami Marlins prospect, and why they were able to. He topped out at 96 mph, reaching that velocity on nine of his 22 pitches. There was also three sweeping sliders at 88 mph that were offered to Mariners hitters. Just 50% of his pitches were in the strike zone however, and there were more than a couple that appeared simply non-competitive. Velocity and lack of command isn't a new blueprint, and it's one that many Rule 5 draftees possess. In being held back until this moment however, it seems widely apparent that manager Paul Molitor doesn't see the training wheels coming off any time soon. This is where things begin to get a bit hairy for both the Twins and Kinley. With Ervin Santana still on the shelf (and frankly not looking like he'll be back before June), Phil Hughes is looking like the most likely candidate to be inserted into the Minnesota rotation. He could be needed as soon as Friday, and the expected move would be that reliever Gabriel Moya would be sent to the minors. In 2.1 IP thus far, Moya has allowed 2 ER on 1 HR and 2 H. It's a small sample size, and the numbers don't suggest much. While he has dominated in the minors, and looks the part of a big league reliever, he has the unfortunate burden of carrying options. What this does for Minnesota though, could be described as suboptimal. In sending out Moya, Minnesota decreases their relief arms by two. Molitor already isn't using Kinley (for fair reasons), and Moya is no longer at his disposal. Coupled with the fact that Trevor Hildenberger simply has not looked right since spring training commenced and Zach Duke has been effectively (but equally ineffective) wild out of the gate with his new team, the Twins relief corps finds themselves immediately stretched. There's little denying that Alan Busenitz couldn't be helping the big league club, but right now there's just no avenue to make it happen. While sorting this all out, Derek Falvey is also faced with a reality that could end up being somewhat of an "egg on face" situation. Sure, Kinley's velocity was intriguing enough to take a flier on, but he really didn't make sense for the Twins given the other options. During the roster shuffle surrounding the Rule 5 draft and beyond, Minnesota lost Luke Bard, Nick Burdi, and J.T. Chargois. Burdi wasn't going to factor into the plans this year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but both of the other two are on big league rosters and showing nicely. As a Rule 5 pick, Bard has the same stipulations as Kinley does. During spring training with the Los Angeles Angels, Bard never appeared in jeopardy of missing out on the 25 man roster however. He's backed up the vote of confidence by turning in a 1.42 ERA across his first 6.1 IP this season. The eight strikeouts have equated to an 11.4 K/9, though he does have an ugly five walks in that same span as well. Chargois was a waiver claim by the Dodgers, and despite that suggesting he nearly passed through unclaimed, one of the best teams in baseball saw and avenue to improve their pen. He's rewarded them with 3.1 scoreless IP giving up just 2 H, striking out three, and working around 95 mph with his fastball. Now is too late to boo-hoo over the loss of players that could have been capable of providing value in the Twins pen. What's going to be tough to stomach however is if Minnesota is forced to give up on Kinley after a matter of weeks, or even a month, and watch their alternative options thrive. At some point soon though, Paul Molitor and the Twins brain trust is going to face a crossroads that determines how they move forward. A team with Postseason aspirations can't have unusable assets out in the pen, and with guys scuffling out of the gate, there has to be more trustworthy options available sooner rather than later. We shouldn't have to wait much longer to see how this situation plays itself out, and hopefully, the sting won't be too bad when all is said and done. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

In echoing the thoughts of others throughout the winter, it’s extremely difficult to be disappointed as a Twins fan this off-season. The team has added six pitchers, including a necessary starting pitching addition in Jake Odorizzi. Minnesota has added established bullpen arms (Reed) and others with either upside (Rodney), or bounce back potential (Duke). While we can bemoan the Twins inability to land a marquee arm like Yu Darvish, the Twins have established themselves a platform for being competitive in a weak division. Solid rotation, good bullpen, excellent lineup.The Falvey and Levine regime, let’s call them The Falvgime, deserves credit for the rapidity of their organizational overhaul. After a year of assessment and modest additions in 2017, they have added exciting, progressive coaching voices such as James Rowson and Garvin Alston. They have beefed up their research and analytics department both quantitatively and qualitatively, adding reputable names such as Josh Kalk, John Manuel and Daniel Adler. (If you haven’t listened to Adler’s recent appearance on Ben Lindbergh’s Effectively Wild podcast, you’re doing yourself an injustice). It’s easy to be swept up into The Falvgime hype train, but what are the mistakes they have made along the way so far? Are there any opportunities missed which may end up as organizational regrets? Let’s rewind a few years to June 4th 2012. The 2012 amateur player draft will forever be remembered by Twins fans as the draft that landed them Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios. If both Buxton and Berrios continue their respective careers at their current trajectories, this draft would be remembered as monumentally successful. The 2012 Draft also marked a trend of the Twins drafting an increasing number of high velocity arms, adding Luke Bard with the 42nd pick, Mason Melotakis with the 63rd pick, and J.T. Chargois with the 72nd pick. More on those three shortly. The 2012 draft also netted the Twins Tyler Duffey at 160th overall, and Taylor Rogers at 340th overall, both of whom have become significant role players in the Twins’ bullpen. Of the three 2012 draft arms, only Melotakis remains. The 27-year-old Bard was claimed by the Angels in the Rule 5 draft, after amassing a 2.76 ERA over 65 innings between Chattanooga and Rochester in 2017. Bard managed a 13.6 SO/9 in those innings. Chargois was claimed by the 104-win LA Dodgers last week after being placed on waivers to make extra space available on the Twins 40-man roster. Chargois, also 27, has been plagued by injuries, but is intriguing as the Twins former top relief prospect and one of only five Twins pitchers to throw a pitch 99mph or higher since 2008. Reaction to Chargois being claimed has been mixed, with most cautioning against a snap reaction until the Twins fill the final spot on their 40-man roster. Thad Levine indicated some regret in the Twins’ loss, telling Twin Cities’ media "we were 29/30ths of the way there." The Dodgers are certainly an interesting team to claim Chargois, having put together the fourth best bullpen ERA in 2017, the third best strikeout total, and the second best batting average against in MLB. Melotakis successfully passed through waivers during the 2017, much to the ire of Twins fans, who struggled to understand the rationale of placing a former top (left-handed) relief pitching product who was having an excellent season at risk. All three of the Bard, Melo, and Chargois triumvirate had struggled throughout their minor league careers with injuries, and that may well be a decisive factor in the front office’s decision-making process. It does, however, seem that the organization has let significant arm talent slip from its grasp in Bard and Chargois, right when they appeared ready to make a more significant major league contribution. Rewind again to 2014. Nick Gordon was selected fifth overall by the Twins. Minnesota proceeded to select an entire bullpen after him, including several more high velocity arms such as Nick Burdi (second round), Jake Reed (fifth round) and John Curtiss (sixth round). It’s easy to pretend as if the old Twins regime did nothing about the teams’ bullpen struggles year after year, but it was a problem which was recognized and drafted toward several years before Derrick Falvey and Thad Levine took over the organization. Burdi fits the familiar pattern of the Twins 2012 drafted relief pitchers. He has a massive arm with the ability to hit triple digits. In 104 MiLB innings, he has managed 142 K's. Burdi seemed to be putting it all together at AA in 2017, giving up just one earned run in 17 IP until Tommy John surgery derailed his season. Burdi was selected by the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft before being traded to the Pirates. John Curtiss and Jake Reed are the two remaining arms from the 2014 draft who have made the steadiest progress towards the major league team, Curtiss making, and struggling in, his MLB debut last year. Curtiss dominated minor league competition to the tune of 68 K's in 48.1 IP and a miserly .135 avg. Reed spent 2017 split between Chattanooga and Rochester, turning it up at AAA and giving up a 2.05 ERA whilst striking out 25 in 30 innings. Both are strong contenders to contribute at the major league level this year. Looking through the Twins current top 30 prospects as a whole (MLB Pipeline list), there’s still some depth at reliever. The names featured are Tyler Jay (8th), John Curtiss (20th), and Jake Reed (26th). The recently departed Chargois was listed at 21. While this may be in no way indicative of how much help the Twins bullpen may receive from the minor leagues in 2018, it raises an interesting question. Did "The Falvgime" completely press the reset button on Twins relief pitching prospects when they took over the organization? While this seems counter-intuitive the front office has certainly been more aggressive at exposing relief pitching options via waivers and the Rule 5 draft than we might have expected. The common denominator surrounding high-end relief pitching prospects the Twins have lost is a history of significant injuries. It seems likely that on a team with several necessary areas of improvement (between the rotation and the bullpen) Falvey and Levine have been careful not to pin their hopes to prospects who have struggled to stay healthy, perhaps recognizing that they are entering a window of contention with the Tigers and Royals entering rebuilds and the White Sox in the midst of one. They have taken some gambles with exposing these players, some seemingly paying off, others have not. What do y’all think? Has "The Falvgime" made mistakes in how they have handled Twins’ relief pitching prospects? Do you think they should have prioritized keeping Bard and Burdi? Will they regret losing Chargois? Click here to view the article

In echoing the thoughts of others throughout the winter, it’s extremely difficult to be disappointed as a Twins fan this off-season. The team has added six pitchers, including a necessary starting pitching addition in Jake Odorizzi. Minnesota has added established bullpen arms (Reed) and others with either upside (Rodney), or bounce back potential (Duke). While we can bemoan the Twins inability to land a marquee arm like Yu Darvish, the Twins have established themselves a platform for being competitive in a weak division. Solid rotation, good bullpen, excellent lineup. The Falvey and Levine regime, let’s call them ‘The Falvgime’, deserves credit for the rapidity of their organizational overhaul. After a year of assessment and modest additions in 2017, they have added exciting, progressive coaching voices such as James Rowson and Garvin Alston. They have beefed up their research and analytics department both quantitatively and qualitatively, adding reputable names such as Josh Kalk, John Manuel, and Daniel Adler. (If you haven’t listened to Adler’s recent appearance on Ben Lindbergh’s Effectively Wild podcast, you’re doing yourself an injustice). It’s easy to be swept up into The Falvgime hype train, but what are the mistakes they have made along the way so far? Are there any opportunities missed which may end up as organizational regrets? Let’s rewind a few years to June 4th 2012. The 2012 amateur player draft will forever be remembered by Twins fans as the draft that landed them Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios. If both Buxton and Berrios continue their respective careers at their current trajectories, this draft would be remembered as monumentally successful. 2012 also marked a trend of the Twins drafting an increasing number of high velocity arms, adding Luke Bard with the 42nd pick, Mason Melotakis with the 63rd pick, and J.T. Chargois with the 72nd pick. More on those three shortly. The 2012 draft also netted the Twins Tyler Duffey at 160th overall, and Tyler Rogers at 340th overall, both of whom have become significant role players in the Twins’ bullpen. Of the three 2012 draft arms, only Melotakis remains. The 27 year old Bard was claimed by the Angels in the Rule 5 draft, after amassing a 2.76 ERA over 65 innings between Chattanooga and Rochester in 2017. Bard managed a 13.6 SO/9 in those innings. Chargois was claimed by the 104 win LA Dodgers last week after being placed on waivers to make extra space available on the Twins 40 man roster. Chargois, also 27, has been plagued by injuries, but is intriguing as the Twins former top relief prospect and one of only five Twins pitchers to throw a pitch 99mph or higher since 2008. Reaction to Chargois being claimed has been mixed, with most cautioning against a snap reaction until the Twins fill the final spot on their 40 man roster. Thad Levine indicated some regret in the Twins’ loss, telling Twin Cities’ media ‘we were 29/30ths of the way there’. The Dodgers are certainly an interesting team to claim Chargois, having put together the fourth best bullpen ERA in 2017, the third best strikeout total, and the second best batting average against in MLB. Melotakis successfully passed through waivers during the 2017, much to the ire of Twins fans, who struggled to understand the rationale of placing a former top (left-handed) relief pitching product who was having an excellent season at risk. All three of the Bard, Melo, and Chargois triumvirate had struggled throughout their minor league careers with injuries, and that may well be a decisive factor in the front office’s decision making process. It does however, seem that the organization has let significant arm talent slip from its grasp in Bard and Chargois, right when they appeared ready to make a more significant major league contribution. Rewind again to 2014. Nick Gordon was selected 5th overall by the Twins. Minnesota proceeded to select an entire bullpen after him, including several more high velocity arms such as Nick Burdi (2nd round), Jake Reed (5th round) and John Curtiss (6th round). It’s easy to pretend as if the old Twins regime did nothing about the teams’ bullpen struggles year after year, but it was a problem which was recognized and drafted towards several years before Derrick Falvey and Thad Levine took over the organization. Burdi fits the familiar pattern of the Twins 2012 drafted relief pitchers. He has a massive arm with the ability to hit triple digits. In 104 MiLB innings, he has managed 142 Ks. Burdi seemed to be putting it all together at AA in 2017, giving up just one earned run in 17 IP until Tommy John surgery derailed his season. Burdi was selected by the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft before being traded to the Pirates. John Curtiss and Jake Reed are the two remaining arms from the 2014 draft who have made the steadiest progress towards the major league team, Curtiss making, and struggling in his MLB debut last year. Curtiss dominated minor league competition to the tune of 68Ks in 48.1 IP and a miserly .135 avg. Reed spent 2017 split between Chattanooga and Rochester, turning it up at AAA and giving up a 2.05 ERA whilst striking out 25 in 30 innings. Both are strong contenders to contribute at the major league level this year. Looking through the Twins current top 30 prospects as a whole (MLB list), there’s still some depth at reliever. The names featured are Tyler Jay (8th), John Curtiss (20th), and Jake Reed (26th). The recently departed Chargois was listed at 21. While this may be in no way indicative of how much help the Twins bullpen may receive from the minor leagues in 2018, it raises an interesting question. Did ‘The Falvgime’ completely press the reset button on Twins relief pitching prospects when they took over the organization? While this seems counter intuitive the front office has certainly been more aggressive at exposing relief pitching options via waivers and the Rule 5 draft than we might have expected. The common denominator surrounding high end relief pitching prospects the Twins have lost is a history of significant injuries. It seems likely that in a team with several necessary areas of improvement (between the rotation and the bullpen) Falvey and Levine have been careful not to pin their hopes to prospects who have struggled to stay healthy, perhaps recognizing that they are entering a window of contention with the Tigers and Royals entering rebuilds and the White Sox in the midst of one. They have taken some gambles with exposing these players, some seemingly paying off, others have not. What do y’all think? Has ‘The Falvgime’ made mistakes in how they have handled Twins’ relief pitching prospects? Do you think they should have prioritized keeping Bard and Burdi? Will they regret losing Chargois?

Last month, I compiled a list of my top five players who should be promoted. A little more than a month later, all five of those prospects have either been promoted or, in J.T. Chargois’ case, spent time at the next level. With those promotions, I thought it would be a good idea to give an updated list, so here is an updated version of my top five prospects who should be promoted: 5. Trevor Hildenberger, RP, Chattanooga I debated whether or not I should include Hildenberger on this list for the simple fact that he has only been in Chattanooga for two months. However, in those two months, he has been nothing short of dominant for the Lookouts. With Chattanooga, he has thrown 28.1 innings and has only allowed three runs on 15 hits for an ERA of just 0.95. He started the season in high-A Fort Myers and allowed one run in 9.1 innings, but he has elevated his game to another level. After allowing an opponents batting average of .282 with the Miracle early in the season, he has allowed teams to hit at just .156 clip since the move up to Double-A. His WHIP is also outstanding at 0.67 and he has a strikeouts per nine innings rate of 9.8. His walks per nine innings is also solid at 1.3. I don’t know if they would promote him so shortly after being at Double-A for only two months, but I would expect him to be promoted to Triple-A Rochester by the end of the season. 4. Tyler Jay, SP, Fort Myers After going six starts with only allowing three runs combined, Jay has allowed eight in his previous eight innings (two starts). But still, he has done enough to be able to be promoted to Chattanooga. Jay has had two starts where he was hammered, which has inflated his ERA. His ERA is still a very solid 3.02, but has allowed 11 earned runs combined in two starts and 11 in the other 10 starts. His opponents batting average is .247, which needs to improve, as does his WHIP of 1.22. He still has a bit of work to do, but he deserves a promotion. Since he was a reliever at Illinois, Jay will be on an innings limit this year, so he could move up to Chattanooga and be in the bullpen. 3. Sam Clay, SP, Cedar Rapids Clay has struggled recently, having allowed 19 earned runs in his last six starts (28.1 innings) after having given up just five earned runs in his first 41 innings this season. That raised his ERA by two full runs. Perhaps his recent struggles is the reason that Fernando Romero was promoted before him. Maybe Miles Nordgren could pass him up too, but as of right now, I have Clay here. His opponent’s batting average is .226, which is solid, and his 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings rate is good as well. His WHIP of 1.33 needs to improve, as does his poor 4.7 walks per nine innings rate. He could move up to Fort Myers, along with Nordgren if both Jorge and Jay are promoted by the end of the season, which seems likely. 2. Felix Jorge, SP, Fort Myers Despite only being on Fort Myers for this year, it is about time to move up Jorge. He is destroying High-A right now. He has not allowed more than three runs in any one start this season, and he has allowed three in just one start. Jorge is coming off a start in which he had a season-high 10 strikeouts against Palm Beach. His strikeouts per nine innings rate is less than ideal at 7.7, but in every other statistic, Jorge dominates. He has an opponents batting average of .224 and a terrific 0.94 WHIP. He has also only allowed just three home runs on the year and his walks per nine innings rate is just 1.2. His 1.67 ERA leads the entire Twins system, so I expect Jorge to be in Chattanooga by the end of the season. 1. J.T. Chargois, RP, Rochester While Chargois did make an appearance with the big league club last month, that stay lasted only three days and he only made one appearance......and it did not go well. However, many players who went onto nice careers were shelled in their debuts. I believe he has earned another stint with the Twins, especially since their bullpen is a dumpster fire. Since being optioned back to Rochester, Chargois has picked up right where he left off. Since being recalled, he has allowed one run in nine innings. His opponent’s batting average is still very good at .190 and he has a WHIP of 0.94. He still has a strikeouts per nine innings rate of an impressive 11.8. With the Twins out of contention and in need of bullpen help, Chargois needs to be recalled so the big league club knows what they have in him to see if he will be a big part of future plans.

We are a month and a half into the baseball season and the Minnesota Twins are a woeful 10-30, tied with the Atlanta Braves for the worst record in the league. Right now, most Twins fans should turn their attention to minor league baseball. There are a handful of minor leaguers in the Twins system who deserve a promotion. I tried to avoid players, especially younger ones, who have only been at their respective level for only this season. Here are my top five: 5. LaMonte Wade, OF, Cedar Rapids Wade has been tearing it up in Cedar Rapids so far this year. After having just a .143 batting average in Cedar Rapids last season (granted, it was just a four game sample size), he is is hitting at a .325/.421/.472 clip this season. He has shown to have a very good eye at the plate, striking out 18 times in 123 official at-bats and has more walks (22) than he does strikeouts. The 2015 ninth round draft pick is also 22, so if the Maryland product keeps this up through the month of June, he is worthy of a promotion. His .893 OPS is also leading all of the Twins minor leaguers and his slugging percentage is third, only behind teammate A.J. Murray and top prospect Byron Buxton. 4. Randy LeBlanc, RHP, Cedar Rapids LeBlanc has been nothing short of incredible for the Kernels this year. He has allowed four earned runs in 46 innings. Yes, four! That is good enough for a microscopic 0.78 ERA. He had a solid season for Cedar Rapids last year, going 9-5 with an ERA just north of 3.00, but he has been even better this season. Now, I would not call him a great prospect, considering he is already 24 and still in Low-A ball, but he absolutely deserves a promotion, especially when one of the Fort Myers pitchers is promoted within the next few months. His WHIP of 0.87 is second in the all of the Twins system and he has an opponents batting average of just .196. If he ever wants to sniff a chance at the majors, he needs to improve his strikeout total, as he just has 28 in his 46 innings. But with an ERA of less than 1, he needs a new challenge and will soon get it. 3. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP, Fort Myers If anyone has been more impressive than LeBlanc this season, it has been Gonsalves. After dominating in Cedar Rapids early last season, Gonsalves was promoted to Fort Myers and pitched well, registering a 7-2 record with a 2.61 ERA. He has been nothing short of incredible this season, going 5-1 and having an ERA of 1.27 in seven starts. If you dig into his stats a little more, it makes it that much more impressive. He has a WHIP of 0.84, which is tops in all of the Twins system and an opposing batting average of .152. After a season-opening start in which he gave up three runs in six innings in a loss to Bradenton, the southpaw has only given up three runs total in his last six starts (36.2 innings). His K/9 from Cedar Rapids was unattainable in Fort Myers as he struck out 77 batters in just 55 innings, but this season's 8.02 K/9 in still very solid. If there is room in Chattanooga, Gonsalves will be promoted shortly. 2. Kohl Stewart, RHP, Fort Myers Last year in his first season at high-A, Stewart pitched decent for Fort Myers, but still had a high opponents batting average and was still not striking very many out. A year ago, the 2013 first round pick struck out just 71 batters in 129.1 innings for just 4.94 strikeouts per nine innings. This year has been a complete turnaround. Not only has he had his way with opposing hitters, his strikeouts per nine innings rate is miles better than 2015. He has struck out 37 in 40.2 innings so far for an 8.19 K/9 to go along with his 3-1 record with a sparkling 1.77 ERA. His opponents batting average also stands out at .185 with a WHIP of 0.98. His major improvement from 2015 has earned him a promotion that will likely come this summer. 1. J.T. Chargois, RHP, Rochester It is unfortunate that he has to settle for being on this list, considering he has done more than enough to be a part of the big league club. Chargois has been lights out for Chattanooga and Rochester this season. So far on the year, Chargois has pitched 17.1 innings split between the two teams and has allowed a total of two earned runs. In Rochester, he has pitched 5.2 scoreless innings and has allowed just two hits, while striking out an incredible 13. Obviously that won't hold up, but that is an eye-popping 20.65 strikeouts per nine innings. Even if you include his stint in Chattanooga this year, his K/9 is still 14.02. For a team that has a bullpen as bad as the Twins, there is no reason that Chargois should not be on the big league club and I have a feeling if he keeps it up, he will be sooner rather than later.

Tyler Duffey was on the mound for the Minnesota Twins on Sunday as the parent squad looked to avoid a home series sweep at the hands of the team that yesterday passed them in American League Wild Card standings. Duffey delivered, tossing seven shutout innings as the Twins won 8-1 to end the series with the teams tied in those standings. The Angels next series has them facing the Houston Astros. The Twins have an opportunity to make up some ground in the next few days while they face off against the Cleveland Indians, who are 1.5 games behind them. In the minors on Sunday, the Cedar Rapids Kernels looked to end their Midwest League Championship series at home, and Chattanooga Lookouts looked to send their Southern League series to a deciding Game Five. Both teams got quality starts from their starting pitchers, would it be enough to extend or win their respective series’?Keep on reading about Sunday’s action to find out! CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Biloxi 2, Chattanooga 4 Box Score Lefthander David Hurlbut made the start for the Lookouts, as they came into the game down 2-1 in the series against the Biloxi Shuckers. He made quick work of the first and second innings, pitching a one-two-three frame in the second, but the Shuckers got on the board first in the third, as a two-out rally was capped by an RBI single from Orlando Arcia to make it 1-0. A solo home run from Brett Phillips in the fourth made it 2-0. Hurlbut didn’t allow any further damage, retiring the next seven batters he faced to finish six innings. He allowed the two runs on five hits and walk, while striking out six. The Chattanooga lineup finally came alive in the bottom of the sixth, as a single from Jorge Polanco and walks to Travis Harrison and Adam Brett Walker loaded the bases. Levi Michael tied the game at two with a single to left field, which was followed by a Heiker Meneses walk to again load the bases. Stuart Turner put them in front 3-2 with a sac fly to score Walker, and single from Shannon Wilkerson brought in Michael to make it 4-2. Chattanooga sent every hitter in the lineup to the plate in the big inning. The outburst put Hurlbut in line for the win, and the Lookouts summoned fireballer Nick Burdi from the bullpen to hold the lead. He walked one in the seventh inning, but retired the other three hitters, including a strikeout, to keep the lead at two. In the eighth, it got a bit more interesting. Burdi retired the first hitter, but then walked the next two to put the tying run on base. A groundout then put runners at first and third with two outs, before he walked another to load the bases. That ended his night and brought in J.T. Chargois from Chattanooga’s bullpen. He struck out Nick Ramirez to end the inning and the threat. After the Lookouts were held off the board in the bottom of the eighth, Chargois remained in the game to close it out. A single and a walk around a groundout and a strikeout again had the tying run on base, but again Chargois bore down and ended the threat and game with a strikeout to push it do a deciding Game Five tomorrow night in Chattanooga. The offense was led by Jorge Polanco, who picked up three hits and scored a run, and Michael who was 2-4 with two RBIs in his first start in their last eight postseason games. As a team the Lookouts did not have a single extra-base hit, but took advantage of six walks and got the runs when they could by going 3-8 with runners in scoring position. KERNELS NUGGETS West Michigan 2, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score After two and a half innings in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, the game was tied 0-0 as both starters had scattered two hits. The Kernels scored the first run of the game in the bottom of third, as Nick Gordon doubled and scored on a single from T.J. White to make it 1-0. It remained that way until the fifth inning, when Kernels starter Randy Rosario finally ran into some trouble he could not escape from unscathed. A single and a walk put two runners on with one out before consecutive singles each plated a run to put West Michigan up 2-1. Rosario came out again for the sixth, and put up another scoreless frame despite two hits to end his day. Michael Theofanopoulos came in from the bullpen for the seventh and eighth innings and kept the score 2-1. He gave up two hits in his two scoreless innings. John Curtiss came on for the top of the ninth and gave up a leadoff single, but a sacrifice bunt and consecutive swinging strikeouts kept the Shuckers lead at one for the home team’s final at-bat. Edgar Corcino worked a walk to put the tying run on base to start the inning. He was put into scoring position at second base when LaMonte Wade singled to center with one out. A Chris Paul strikeout put the Kernels down to their last out in the potential series clinching game. Max Murphy worked a walk to load the bases, and summoned the Shuckers closer Joe Jimenez into the game to face Kernels catcher Brian Navarreto, who played hero in last night’s Kernels win. It wasn’t meant to be this time, as Naverreto went down swinging to force a Midwest League Championship deciding Game Five Monday night in Cedar Rapids. Nick Gordon had a solid game for the Kernels, going 2-4 with a run scored and a double from the two-spot in the lineup. He is hitting .364 in the postseason for the Kernels. LaMonte Wade added two hits, Austin Diemer added a triple, and White had their only RBI. As a team Cedar Rapids was just 1-9 with runners in scoring position however, and left seven men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – J.T. Chargois, Chattanooga Lookouts (Save, 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Levi Michael, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-4, R, 2 RBI) MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Biloxi @ Chattanooga (6:15PM CST) – TBD West Michigan @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games! Click here to view the article