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According to MLB Traderumors Nik Turley has been give an 80 game suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Nik Turley is now a Pirate having been claimed from the Twins late last year. Drug in question was Ipamorelin.

Last year, following an injury-plagued season at AA Chattanooga, Niko Goodrum could have become a six-year minor league free agent. Instead, he quickly signed on to remain with the Twins for another year on a minor league contract. On Wednesday night following a game in Rochester, Goodrum learned that it was all worth it. He was told that he is heading to the Minnesota Twins as a September call up. He will fly to Minneapolis on Thursday and be in uniform on Friday. Joining Goodrum as September 1st callups will be left-handed pitchers Nik Turley and Buddy Boshers.To entice Goodrum to stick around, the Twins offered him an invitation to major league spring training. He spent about a month with the club this spring, playing sparingly, but learning from the big league coaches and players. He fought a little shoulder issue in camp, but he hit .375 (6-16) and impressed his manager. Molitor spoke well of Goodrum following a spring game the day that he was sent back to minor league camp. “Niko Goodrum had a shoulder issue midway through camp, but he showed versatility. I really encouraged him to embrace that rather than wondering why he can't find a position because it has value and can open more doors for him. He showed some things." “Versatile” is the key word, and it is the reason that Goodrum will be up right away in September rather than finish out the Red Wings season. With the Red Wings, he has played games at each position except pitcher and catcher this season. He’s started 47 game in right field, 37 games at second base, 20 games at third base, 15 games in center field, nine games at shortstop, three games at first base, and one game in left field. I asked him in spring training if he ever considered getting a catcher’s mitt. “No!” Goodrum announced emphatically. Goodrum will be part of a “first wave” of players coming up from the minor leagues as September call ups to bolster a team fighting with the Yankees, Angels, Mariners and others for two wild card spots. As Derek Falvey explained it. “We’ll have a few come Friday. The question is always if it’s beneficial to get at-bats every day or pitch more regularly rather than being the last guy up here. You can always go get somebody. We’ll have a first wave, and then we’ll make other decisions pending results in Rochester.” Goodrum was signed as the team’s second-round pick in 2010 out of high school near Atlanta, Georgia. His uncle, Otis Nixon, stole 37 bases for the Twins in 1998. Goodrum is an incredible athlete, but he was quite raw in baseball terms. He has been moved through the system accordingly. He spent his draft season in the GCL before spending two seasons in extended spring training and with the Elizabethton Twins. He was the primary shortstop on that talented 2013 Cedar Rapids team and moved up to Ft. Myers for the 2014 season. He split 2015 between the Miracle and Chattanooga. Last year, he started the season with a foot injury that cost him much of the first half. But when he returned, he posted an .808 OPS with the Lookouts. In scouting circles, there is a reason to take great athletes. Goodrum fits into that category. He’s tall, and when drafted, he was thin. He was always fast, and he could play a pretty good shortstop. He is blessed with a strong arm. His speed has allowed him to become a pretty good outfielder as well as he has played out there more in recent years. Scouts would often talk about Goodrum’s “high waist” with the idea that he would eventually add more power. The started to show last year, but this year, he has hit 25 doubles, five triples and 13 home runs in his first season in AAA. Goodrum will have family at the game. His mom and dad, his dad’s wife, his aunt, and his girlfriend will make the trip. In the offseason, he owns Elite Metro Sports and Cages, a baseball and softball facility in his hometown of Fayetteville, Georgia. The indoor facilities and batting cages are open year-round. Goodrum is there during his offseasons and enjoys being able to give back to his community. His dad, Tim, operates the business. Goodrum will likely be used in a utility role over the season’s final month. With the news that Byron Buxton will not need to go on the disabled list and could soon play, Zack Granite will likely be the team’s fourth outfielder, but Goodrum’s ability to play seven positions will allow Molitor to mix and match lineups and moves throughout games. Click here to view the article

On Sept. 1 in MLB, rosters expand. For the entire month, teams can bring up and use any player on the 40-man roster. The usage of this is varied, as some teams will empty out their minors and stock their clubhouse and dugout. Others will simply bring up some pinch-runner types and an extra bullpen arm or two. It all depends on the team’s goals for the season and the construction of their rosters -- both 25- and 40-man. Some teams have more MLB-ready players on their 40’s than others, while others have some younger project-type players who the team just as soon would not want to promote and expose and/or pay an MLB daily salary to. It’s been awhile since the Twins were terribly good heading into September to the point where they were fine-tuning for the playoffs, and that’s frankly not the case this season, either. Most likely, the Twins will bring up any players they think can help them toward the goal of at least one of the Wild Card spots, if not chasing down Cleveland for the division crown in the final days of the season. And while the proverbial floodgates can open as early as Sept. 1, teams don’t like to leave their minor-league clubs playing shorthanded. For instance, the Rochester Red Wings are not only the current Wild Card team in the International League with a three-game lead over Lehigh Valley, but their regular-season schedule doesn’t end until Sept. 4 against Pawtucket. Thus, if the Red Wings miss the postseason, the mass exodus of players to Minneapolis would most likely start on Sept. 5. Either way, here are the players we think the Twins will bring up whenever the time is right next month: Mitch Garver - C/1B/OF Obviously he’s already up, but what we’re saying here is that he’s almost certain to stay up for the rest of the season. Without the injury to Robbie Grossman, Garver most likely finishes out the season at Triple-A Rochester before coming up. Now, with the timeline for recovery for Grossman likely stretching into September, Garver should be up for the duration, working in mostly at DH or first base with some reps in the outfield. As much as he’s caught this season, it’s difficult to ease a catcher into things this deep into the season on the big-league roster. We saw how Juan Centeno’s trial-by-fire went last year, and he was supposed to be a good catch-and-throw guy as well. Running mate Chris Gimenez raves about Garver’s improvement even since this spring, but he probably won’t catch much, if at all the rest of the way. Please click through here to read the rest of this article on ZoneCoverage.com.

When rebuilding a broken pitching staff, it's necessary to seek out solutions on all fronts. These include free agency, trades, draft, international, and... independent leagues? That last one isn't necessarily a conventional avenue for adding legitimate talent, but the Minnesota Twins have had some success there, and may have more yet to come.For those who enjoy the human element of the game, there's something special about independent ball. Players in these leagues are a long way from the majors, whether undrafted or trying to make their way back into an MLB system. But they're chasing their dreams, often playing in front of paltry crowds for tiny paychecks. When a guy playing in an independent league is able to catch the attention of a major-league organization and work his way to the bigs, it's always a great story. Rich Hill is the most prominent example in the game today. After washing out of affiliated ball in his mid-30s, he signed with the Long Island Ducks in 2015, where he gained notice from the Boston Red Sox. They signed him, he excelled, and two years later he has a $48 million deal with the Dodgers. The Twins haven't had a success of Hill's magnitude, but they've had some notable hits. Minnesota didn't sign Brandon Kintzler out of an independent league, but the former 40th-round draft pick did spend time playing in the Northern League in 2007 and 2008, then with our local St. Paul Saints in 2009, before latching on with the Brewers and finding his way to the big leagues. He would of course later sign with the Twins and turn into an all-star closer, and now he's in line to be pitching in the playoffs in two months. Kintzler's experience in independent ball is now ancient history, but the Twins have a few players who've been there much more recently. Buddy Boshers caught the team's eye while pitching for Somerset in the Atlantic League and is now a fixture in the Minnesota bullpen. Nik Turley was pitching for that same Somerset club last summer, and inked a minor-league deal with the Twins during the offseason, precipitating a major-league debut this year. Things obviously haven't gone smoothly for the southpaw in his three MLB starts, but he continues to dominate at Rochester and will almost surely get more chances. He could become an asset in the bullpen. Tim Melville may be the next name to watch. The Twins signed him in June from the Long Island Ducks team where Hill re-established himself, and he has been tremendous since joining the Class-AAA Red Wings with a 2.55 ERA and 1.07 WHIP through 60 innings. In his latest start for Rochester on Monday, Melville hurled seven innings of one-hit, one-run ball with nine strikeouts. The 27-year-old right-hander is interesting not just because of his recent journey, but because of his history: he's a former fourth-round pick of the Royals who was once ranked among the organization's best young talents and appeared in Baseball Prospectus' Top 100 prospects in 2010. He has flashed good stuff when healthy, with scouts lauding the spin on his breaking balls, and right now it's shining through. If he can keep it up, he may get a look before the year is over. Will he be the next Rich Hill? Not likely. But Melville has a chance to make a real impact, as Boshers has and Turley hopefully still can. At the very least, the former independent leaguer will be another story worth rooting for. Click here to view the article

With Bartolo Colon taking the mound for the Twins, for good or bad, there probably wasn’t much attention being paid to the minor leagues by the average fan on Tuesday night. In addition to that, with two teams taking days off and another game being suspended due to lightning in the GCL (second game of doubleheader), there were only four games in minors on the day but still plenty of action. In those games Rochester’s starter racked up double-digit K’s for the fourth time on the season, the Gulf Coast squad scored a bunch of runs, and a high draft pick from 2017 made his anticipated move to the Florida State League.To find out everything that went on in the minors on Tuesday, keep reading! TRANSACTIONS Some moves were made official today after being reported last night. To make room for Bartolo Colon on the rosters to make the start for the Twins, they placed Phil Hughes on the 60-day DL as his issues with thoracic outlet syndrome remain. They also optioned Kennys Vargas to AAA so they could activate Craig Breslow from his rehab assignment. In more notable news given this is the MiLB report, Brent Rooker was promoted to the Fort Myers Miracle from Elizabethton as promised and he started in tonight’s game. Infielder Dane Hutcheon was sent to Elizabethton to clear the roster spot. Also in Elizabethton, right-handed pitcher and 2017 10th round draft pick, Calvin Faucher was placed on the disabled list. RED WINGS REPORT Charlotte 1, Rochester 3 Box Score Nik Turley took to the hill for the Red Wings in game two of a three-game series that was made into a four-game one with yesterday’s double-header and he was again brilliant. In 6.2 innings, Turley allowed one run on four hits and two walks. He struck out ten including at least one in each inning. His only run allowed came on a solo home run in the fourth. He got two outs in the seventh thanks in part to picking a runner off before a single brought D.J. Baxendale in after 86 pitches. Turley left in line for the win as the Red Wings finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth inning. Mitch Garver led off the inning with a walk, and advanced to third on a double from Tommy Field. Garver scored on a ground out from Matt Hague before a Niko Goodrum triple plated the go-ahead run. The offense added an insurance run in the eighth after Garver led off that inning with a double, and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Byungho Park. Baxendale remained in the game to start the eighth inning and hit a batter, but got a ground out before being lifted for Alex Wimmers who finished the inning. With the score 3-1, John Curtiss came on for the ninth and struck out the first three hitters he faced, but the final K came on a wild pitch that put the runner on first. He got a fly out to end the game and pick up his second save with the Red Wings. In case you hadn’t noticed, the Red Wings have been on fire over the last month plus: They are in third in the International League North Division with a 54-41 record, 5.5 games back of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and four games back in the wild card standings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Scheduled Day Off The Lookouts got a day off on Tuesday after going twenty days without one. In the twenty games they played over that stretch they went 15-5 including eight straight wins to start it. In the second half of the Southern League season they lead the North Division by four games over the Tennessee Smokies with a 19-6 record after winning the first half title. They are back in action on Wednesday night on the road against the Mobile BayBears. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Bradenton 3 Box Score The Miracle offense was unable to solve Marauders starter Brad Helton, as they scored just one run on four hits in his seven innings. They tied the game at one in the top of the fourth with three singles, but a double-play ball ended that threat and the rest of their offense for the night. Sean Miller had two hits out of the leadoff spot and Zander Wiel drew a walk and clubbed his 22nd double for the only notable performances. After his promotion was made official earlier in the day, Brent Rooker was 0-4 in his Florida State League debut batting in the sixth spot and playing left field. Right-hander Brady Anderson made the start for Fort Myers and went the first five innings. He allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits while striking out three. The two unearned runs came in the fifth inning after two errors from his infield defense. Alex Muren came on for the sixth and pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out one. Sam Clay finished the game for the Miracle with a one-two-three ninth inning. He also struck out one. The offense for the Miracle was just 1-5 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base for the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Scheduled Day Off Cedar Rapids also had the day off on Tuesday after a six-game road trip on which they went just 1-5. They return to Veterans Memorial Stadium on Wednesday for a six-game home stand versus the Great Lakes Loons and Lansing Lugnuts. With an 11-14 record in the second half the Kernels are six games back of the division- leading Quad Cities River Bandits. In the series opener against the Loons tomorrow night left-hander Domenick Carlini will take the mound looking for his fourth win of the season. E-TWINS E-NOTES Bristol 9, Elizabethton 5 Box Score It was a busy first inning in Elizabethton as the Pirates jumped on Twins starter Moises Gomez for two runs in the top half of the frame with three doubles. But the Twins took the lead right back in the bottom half thanks in part to a pair of Bristol errors. Shane Carrier brought in the first two runs with a single, and they went ahead 3-2 on an errant throw on a steal attempt. Gomez was wild in the second inning but managed to keep the Pirates off the board and also pitched a clean third, but an error and fielder’s choice ground ball that did not produce an out preceded another double that made the score 4-3 Bristol after four innings. Gomez' overall line included 4.0 innings pitched with four runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks. He struck out four. Ryley Widell came on for the fifth inning and pitched 2.1 scoreless frames. He allowed just one hit and struck out three before being removed after getting the leadoff man in the seventh inning. Blair Lakso got the final two outs to keep Elizabethton within one after seven, but ran into a heap of trouble in the eighth thanks in part to his own throwing error that led to a three-run home run. Juan Gamez got the final two outs of the inning on a double play ball but also gave up a run on three singles in the ninth. Elizabethton got multiple hit efforts from Wander Javier (2-5, 2 R’s) and Jose Miranda (2-5, R), but their ten hits as a team were all singles. GCL TWINS TAKES Game 1: GCL Rays 5, GCL Twins 11 Box Score The Twins were able to get in their game that was suspended due to lightning yesterday, with play resuming in top of the first inning. It was Jordan Balazovic on the mound when it started with one out and a runner on first base. He loaded the bases before getting an out on a sacrifice fly to put the Rays out front 1-0, but settled in for the next three innings. In the bottom of the first Royce Lewis drew a walk and advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt before being driven in by a single from Benjamin Rodriguez. An error put two runners on and Brian Olson brought them both in with a double to make the score 3-1 in favor of the Twins. It remained that way until the fifth inning. Balazovic got the first batter he faced, but a home run, walk, and RBI double from the next three hitters ended his day with the game tied 3-3. Overall he pitched four innings, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out four. Matt Jones came on from the bullpen and got out of the inning with no further damage. The Twins got both those runs back and more in the bottom half of the frame thanks to a couple of walks, an RBI single from Olson, an RBI groundout from Jean Carlos Arias, and a two RBI double courtesy of Roni Tapia. The offense added another run in the sixth thanks to a throwing error on a double steal, and three more in the seventh thanks to a two-run homer from Tapia that was followed with a back-to-back shot by Ricky De La Torre. Both home runs were their first of the GCL season, and career in De La Torre’s case. Jones finished 3.2 scoreless innings to keep the Twins well out front. He walked two and struck out one. Matz Shutte came on for the ninth and walked a couple of batters before giving up a two-run double for the final score of 11-5. He struck out one and got a double-play ground ball to end the game. The Twins scored those 11 runs on 12 hits and four walks, led by the bottom four hitters in the lineup (Olson, Arias, Tapia, De La Torre) who all had multiple hits and combined to go 9-19 with two doubles, two home runs and nine RBI. Lewis was 1-4 with a run scored and a walk, and in the small sample of his career thus far, has just as many walks as K’s. Game 2: GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 0 (suspended in 2nd inning due to lighting) Box Score Unfortunately for the Twins, their regularly scheduled game of the day suffered the same fate as Monday night, as this one was also suspended due to lightning in the top of the second inning. Before that happened, the Twins had taken the lead 1-0 after a Kerby Camacho double to drive in Alex Robles. Carlos Suniaga pitched a one-two-three inning for the Twins, and the game will be completed tomorrow as the Rays remain in town for a four-game series. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Nik Turley, Rochester Red Wings (W, 6.2IP, 1 ER, 4 H’s, 2 BB’s, 10 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Roni Tapia, GCL Twins (2-5, R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Charlotte @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – RHP Justin Haley (1-0, 2.08 ERA – 4th rehab start) Chattanooga @ Mobile (6:35PM CST) - TBD Fort Myers @ Bradenton (9:30AM CST) – TBD Great Lakes @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Domenick Carlini (3-7, 5.33 ERA) Bristol @ Elizabethton (6:00PM CST) – RHP Melvi Acosta (2-1, 6.20 ERA) GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00AM CST) – TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (completion of 7/18 suspended game) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

There were five games played in the minors on Tuesday and although they went 2-3 on the day there was plenty of action. One affiliate delivered a walk-off win, The Rock kept collecting multiple hits at AAA (It’s only me calling him that, it’s okay to be confused), and their top draft pick delivered an encore performance perhaps even more impressive than homering in his first professional at-bat. To find out who did what in the minors on Tuesday night, keep reading!TRANSACTIONS Before we get to the games, there were some transactions leading into them on today. In Rochester, Yohan Pino was placed on the disabled list with a right-shoulder strain, Nick Tepesch was assigned for a rehab stint in the Gulf Coast League, Dillon Gee was optioned from the Twins, and Alex Wimmers cleared waivers and was outrighted. In the lower levels of the system, Fort Myers released Bradley Strong and the GCL Twins assigned first baseman Mariano Calcano to the Dominican Summer league. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Buffalo 2 Box Score Nik Turley made his first start with the Red Wings since being sent down after a deserved cameo with the Minnesota Twins, and went the first five innings. He allowed a solo home run in the second and an unearned run in the third and left the game with the score tied 2-2. In his five innings, he allowed three hits and walked two while striking out six. His ERA at AAA sits at 3.24 on the season. On the offensive side, if I were to ask you which Red Wings batter was responsible for their first run of the game in this one, who would you guess? Given these reports that you’ve been following for the last few weeks, if you didn’t think of Zack Granite I might ask what is wrong with you. His single in the second inning scored one and if not for a strong throw home would have scored another. He drove in another runner with single in the fourth and finished this one 3-5, raising his batting average to .371. D.J. Baxendale relieved Turley and went two scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and struck out two. Rochester took the lead 3-2 in the top of seventh when Granite led off the inning with a single, but it wasn’t he who scored the run because he got himself thrown out at home on a wild-pitch, trying to score from second on the wild pitch. A two-out single from Byungho Park scored Mitch Garver to put the Red Wings out front. Michael Tonkin finished the final two innings for the Red Wings to pick up his third save on the season. He made it a bit interesting in the ninth, hitting the first two batters of the frame and causing hitting coach Chad Allen to be ejected in the process, but proceeded to strike the next three hitters out. Of his six outs, five came on K’s. Garver (3-5, R), Park (2-5, R, RBI), and Leonardo Reginatto (2-4, R) joined Granite with multiple hits on the game. Despite collecting 14 hits, all singles, and going 5-12 with runners in scoring position on the game, the three runs scored were enough in this one as Rochester pitchers allowed just four hits and two walks. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Scheduled Day Off. The Lookouts enjoyed a day off for travel on Tuesday and get back to action Wednesday night on the road against the Mississippi Braves. Stephen Gonsalves takes the hill in game one of the six-game series. MIRACLE MATTERS Clearwater 2, Fort Myers 3 Box Score With Cody Stashak on the mound for the Miracle, this one was a pitcher’s duel throughout. He went 7.1 innings, allowing just two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out eight. With the score 2-1 in the eighth, he was removed after allowing consecutive singles that put a man on third. Sam Clay came on and that runner scored on a squeeze play to tie the game at two. Fort Myers took the 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh after the Threshers starter was removed from the game. Tanner English singled and stole second base, his seventh of the season, before scoring on a double from Sean Miller. The next batter, Max Murphy, brought him in with an RBI single. Clay stayed in the game and pitched a scoreless ninth inning to give his lineup a chance at some dramatics. They delivered. Miller doubled with one out to put the winning run in scoring position, and after moving to third on a Murphy single, Shane Kennedy brought him in with a walk-off single. Miller (2-4, 2 R’s, 2 2B’s, RBI), Murphy (2-5, RBI), and Kennedy (2-5, RBI) provided all the RBIs for the Miracle out of the nine-one-two spots in the order. Mitchell Kranson added a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Burlington 6, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score Cedar Rapids starter Colton Davis got tagged early and often in this one and the home team was unable to mount a comeback. Davis went the first three innings, and allowed at least one run in each. He finished with four runs allowed on six hits, including two home runs. He struck out two. Ryan Mason went the next three innings and allowed one run on one hit and a walk while striking out two. Alex Robinson pitched two perfect innings, including one strikeout. Evan Sanders finished the game for the Kernels and allowed one insurance run on two hits and a walk, but struck out two. The Kernels offense got one hit from every hitter in their lineup except Caleb Hamilton, but that wasn’t enough to crawl out of the hole they found themselves in early. Travis Blankenhorn clubbed his seventh triple of the season and drew a walk, and Aaron Whitefield blasted his eighth home run along with a walk to lead the offense. As a team the Kernels were 2-7 with runners in scoring position, left eight men on base, and had five hitters with multiple K’s. E-TWINS E-NOTES Pulaski 6, Elizabethton 4 Box Score 2017 fourth-round draft pick Charlie Barnes made his first professional start for the Twins in this one. He went the first 2.1 innings as he ran up his pitch count with three walks. He left with two runners on base in the third, and both came around to score later in the inning. He allowed just one hit and struck out one in his debut. Elizabethton scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning, when Rainis Silva led off with a double and scored on a single from T.J. Dixon. They added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings thanks to RBI singles from Jordan Gore and J.J. Robinson but were outpaced by the Yankees along the way. Twenty-second-round pick Christian Broussard came on in relief of Barnes for his debut and went the next 2.2 innings. He allowed two runs on four hits and a walk with one K. Nick Brown was the next pitcher to make his pro debut, and went two innings. He allowed two runs on two hits and three walks, striking out three. Taylor Clemensia finished the game with two scoreless innings, walking two and striking out two. The Twins closed the Yankees lead to two runs in the eighth inning on a groundout from Andre Jernigan, but were unable to string together enough hits to close the gap. Robinson (2-4, R, RBI) and Gore (3-4, RBI) had multiple hits to lead the offense. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 8, GCL Orioles 13 Box Score The Twins scored first in this one, but their lead was short-lived and if not for a ninth inning rally, would have been on the receiving end of a much worse blowout. Akil Baddoo led off the game with a triple to center field and was promptly driven in by a single from Royce Lewis. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, a throwing error on a double play ball led to two more runs and a 3-0 lead. The rehabbing Nick Tepesch started the game for the Twins, and didn’t do well. He recorded just two outs while allowing five runs on four hits, a walk and a hit-batter. Jordan Balazovic relieved him and stabilized the game for the next three innings, keeping the Orioles off the scoreboard through the fourth inning. Jean Carlos Arias closed the gap to 5-4 in the third with an RBI single, but that’s as close as the Twins would get the rest of the way. Balazovic had retired nine in a row after getting the first out of the fifth inning, but that’s when trouble finally struck. The next five batters reached base leading to three runs before he finally got out of the inning with the score 8-4. Overall, he pitched 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out three. Matz Schutte finished the final three innings, but gave up at least one run in each of those frames. His final line included five earned runs on four hits and two walks, thought he did pick up three strikeouts. In the top of the ninth inning, four consecutive walks scored one and kept the bases loaded for Lewis, who cleared them with a double for the final score of 13-8. He finished 2-5 with four RBI on the game. Colton Burns was 3-5 and scored two runs while Alex Robles added a double and two walks to the offensive effort for the Twins. Arias stole second and third base in the first inning for his first two stolen bases of the season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cody Stashak, Fort Myers Miracle (7.1IP, 2 ER’s, 6 H’s, BB, 8 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Royce Lewis, GCL Twins (2-5, 2B, 4 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (6:05PM CST) – RHP Dillon Gee (0-0, -.-- ERA) Chattanooga @ Mississippi (7:00PM CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves (3-3, 2.85 ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:05PM CST) – LHP Lachlan Wells (3-9, 4.28 ERA) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (12:05PM CST) – RHP Eduardo Del Rosario (7-3, 4.74 ERA) Elizabethton @ Kingsport (5:30PM CST) – RHP Edwar Colina (0-0, 8.31 ERA) GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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

Thursday was just a bad day for the Twins, no way around it. It started with a record-breaking rain delay, and when they finally got underway things went south in a hurry. To top it all off, the day ended with a hurried flight out to Cleveland.White Sox 9, Twins 0 Box Score Win Expectancy (via Fangraphs) Download attachment: WE622.png Nik Turley was one of the feel-good stories of this season, but after Thursday’s thrashing you can’t help but feel bad for the guy. In his third career start, the 27-year-old former Indy leaguer recorded just two outs and gave up five runs off six hits, two of them homers. The nearly five-hour rain delay couldn’t have helped Turley’s preparation for this start, but it’s pretty tough to give a free pass to a guy who now has a 16.39 ERA. The bullpen had to mop up 7.1 innings, but thank goodness Chris Gimenez came to the rescue once again to save another arm from being used. It was Gimenez’s sixth pitching appearance of the year. When the Twins lose, they really go all out. The team was also shut out for the first time all season, so this one was just terrible all around. Not the way you want to head out to play Cleveland. The offense combined for 11 strikeouts and left 14 men on base. The team combined for seven hits, all of them singles. As you'd expect, the team is shuffling players around to try and get some reinforcements in for the Cleveland series. Click here to view the article

With a four-game sweep at Target Field over the weekend, Cleveland surpassed Minnesota in the standings, knocking the Twins out of first place for the first time since early May. Let's be honest: this was inevitable. The Indians are plainly a better team, and in order to hang with them for the rest of the summer, the Twins are going to need to figure some things out.Offensively, the two clubs have been equally productive. Entering Sunday's series finale, the Twins and Indians had both scored 310 runs, with nearly identical team OPS marks (.754 and .759). Only one offense really showed up over the past four games, however. The Indians piled up 28 runs in the sweep while the Twins managed to push only eight across. Minnesota was at the mercy of a vastly superior staff, a disadvantage that will make retaking first place an exceedingly difficult proposition. The formula for the Twins has pretty much gone like this: Ervin Santana, Jose Berrios, pray for rain (or lots of run support). Neither of the two top starters was available in this series and rain mostly stayed away, so the remainder of a highly unimpressive rotation took its beatings. Meanwhile, the contrast in bullpen quality was blindingly evident, as Cleveland countered ineffectual efforts from the Twins with dominance from the likes of Andrew Miller, Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw. Measured by Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), the Indians rank as the best staff in the American League, and the Twins rank worst. So the lopsided outcomes are fairly unsurprising and trading places atop the division was all but inevitable. Cleveland's lead is likely to expand, too, unless the Twins can find a way to solve the hopeless patchwork comprising the back half of their rotation. The Contention Conundrum There is one school of thought that goes like this: the Twins aren't ready to compete yet, and winning in the short term should not be a primary consideration. I can only respond by channeling Eduardo Escobar: C'MON! I'm all for keeping the big picture in mind, but at the same time, the Twins are doing themselves a disservice if they don't make efforts to get the most out of this season. You cannot take for granted that you'll have another year where so many things play out right. It's easy to get caught up in the team's weaknesses after a demoralizing sweep, but let's not overlook the strengths that kept them in first place for five straight weeks. Miguel Sano is mashing at an elite level. Basically every other hitter is at least holding his own at the plate. Byron Buxton, one of the few who isn't, has finally been healthy and is changing games with his defense. Jose Berrios is fulfilling his potential before our very eyes. Ervin Santana has been one of the league's best starters. Brandon Kintzler has, somehow, been one of the its most effective closers. Cleveland is good, but it's not clear any of the other AL Central teams are. The Twins have some glaring flaws, to be sure, but there's a real opportunity to compete into September and maybe beyond. Focusing on that goal may force the organization to make some tough calls. No Easy Answers I think we can safely say plugging in waiver wire fodder like Adam Wilk and Chris Heston is not going to be the solution to Minnesota's pitching woes. Nor does it appear that Nik Turley is going to get it done. Kyle Gibson and Adalberto Mejia have been erratic messes. Yet, for now, there is little choice but to keep running them out there. Hector Santiago appears close to returning (he'll make a rehab start this week) but he brings little assurance at this point. Phil Hughes is not all that close, and may come back as a reliever. I got this text last week from one of my more optimistic, bright-side-seeking Twins fan friends: "I know this is easier said than done but I really think if we could find even two more adequate starting pitchers and like three more bullpen arms we'd be just fine." I mean, you said it man. Unfortunately, finding adequate arms is a challenge that has vexed this franchise for the better part of a decade. In the minors, the Twins really have two players with the legitimate ability to enter the mix as difference-makers in the rotation. At Class-AA Chattanooga, Fernando Romero and Stephen Gonsalves (ranked Nos. 1 and 2 on Twins Daily's top prospect list) have both been tearing it up for the past several weeks. They have stuff that could play in the big leagues. But this is where the front office must weigh that big picture against maximizing the team's chances in the present. You certainly don't want to throw a guy into the fire before he's ready; neither prospect has made even 20 starts at Double-A, or any at Triple-A. There is also the matter of protecting arms. Romero missed two entire seasons before returning to throw 90 innings last year, while Gonsalves missed the first chunk of this year with shoulder issues. The organization is trying to carefully manage workloads and strain, which is much harder to do in the majors. Then again, there are not a lot of alternatives. Trading away significant talent for an impact starter would be more harmful to the long-term structure, and we've seen the types of replacement level talent out there in waivers and free agency. The Twins can either stick with that plan, or they can turn to the best internal options they have, slightly ahead of schedule. These are the tricky decisions involved with trying to hang in a race. It's nice to be in a position to tackle them again, and we'll learn much about the new regime in seeing how they proceed. Click here to view the article

The Twins got beat up in what was the first of a huge four-game series with Cleveland, who are hot on their heels in the AL Central. After the game a couple of bullpen moves were announced, though full details have yet to be released.Cleveland 8, Twins 1 Box Score Win Expectancy (via Fangraphs) Download attachment: WE616.png Nik Turley got rocked, giving up eight runs over 4.2 innings. Cleveland tallied nine hits and drew four walks off the lefty. The big blow was a mammoth three-run homer off the bat of Edwin Encarnacion. By taking a quick look at the charts, I wonder if maybe home plate umpire Mike Estabrook had each of these pitchers’ reputations in mind while calling balls and strikes. He certainly seemed to give Carlos Carrasco a more favorable strike zone. Here’s a breakdown of Turley’s pitches, notice all the blue inside the zone: Download attachment: TurleyZone.png And here's Carrasco’s below. Hmmm, no blue inside the zone for him. Download attachment: CarrascoZone.png I’m not trying to suggest the umpire made a seven-run difference in this game, but the information above speaks for itself. By my count, there are five clear strikes from Turley that were called balls, and it’s not like you can find any makeup calls on Carrasco’s chart. Even if Turley had pitched a gem it may not have mattered much, as the offense wasn’t able to muster much against Carrasco. Joe Mauer entered this game with some incredible numbers against Carrasco, but he had his worst day at the plate of the season, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Alan Busenitz, who will be making his major league debut, was acquired in last year’s Hector Santiago trade. The 26-year-old right-hander had a 2.15 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 9.8 K/9 over 29.1 innings for the Red Wings. Wimmers, who had just been sent down Tuesday, is already on the 40-man roster, but Busenitz and Adam Wilk, who is starting tomorrow afternoon, will need to be added. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Pen616New.png UPDATE: Ryan Pressly has been optioned to Rochester. Saturday Twins (Adam Wilk, 6.75 ERA), vs. Cleveland (Ryan Merritt), 1:10 pm CT Twins (Adlaberto Mejia, 5.75 ERA) vs. Cleveland (Mike Clevinger, 4.09 ERA), 7:10 pm CT AL Central Standings Twins 34-30 Cleveland 33-31 (-1) Detroit 32-34 (-3) Kansas City 31-34 (-3.5) Chicago 30-36 (-5) Be sure to also check out today’s Minor League Report, which recaps how the Chattanooga Lookouts locked up a playoff spot. Click here to view the article

On a night when big league teams were changing the future of their franchise, three Twins affiliates were continuing to try to secure first half playoff spots. Chattanooga entered play on Monday with a slim half game lead over Tennessee. Montgomery, the Lookouts' opponent on Monday, sits two games behind Chattanooga. Cedar Rapids is in a similar situation. They enter the final week of the first half with a one game lead over Kane County and a two game lead over Quad Cities. The Kernels start a series in Quad Cities on Tuesday but they couldn't look past their Monday match-up with Burlington. Did either team get closer to clinching a playoff birth?News and Notes: Nik Turley was named International League Pitcher of the Week. The left-handed pitcher struck out a career-high 15 batters over six scoreless innings. He was rewarded for his strong start as he made his MLB debut on Sunday. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Montgomery 0 Box Score Felix Jorge pitched into the seventh inning for the sixth straight start and he allowed two runs or fewer for the fourth straight appearance. In this game, he pitched seven scoreless frames and limited the Biscuits to three hits. Jorge struck out five and walked two as he lowered his season ERA to 3.00. The Lookouts improved to 11-1 in games started by Jorge this season. Chattanooga took a while to get their bats moving in this one. In the top of the fifth, Dan Rohlfing singled before Nick Gordon's 18th double of the season moved him to third. Edgar Corcino drove in the first run of the game with a one-out single. However, Gordon ended up being stranded ninety feet from home. When the seventh frame rolled around, the Lookouts scored without recording a hit. Edgar Corcino walked and moved around the bases on a passed ball and two wild pitches. Things opened up in the top of the ninth with two outs. Corcino singled and LaMonte Wade reached on a throwing error that saw both runners move up a base. Jonathan Rodriguez collected a two-run single and came around to score on a Andy Wilkins double. Two more wild pitches pushed across another run to make the score 6-0. Mason Melotakis struck out the side during a perfect eighth inning. After watching a long top of the ninth, Melotakis allowed a double in the bottom half of the inning, He still managed a pair of strikeouts to end the night with five strikeouts in two innings of work. Tennesse lost for the second straight day so the Lookouts moved to a game and half up in their division. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers --, Charlotte -- (Postponed) Fort Myers and Charlotte were postponed on Monday. The teams will play a doubleheader on Tuesday starting at 4:30 CST. Each game is scheduled to be seven innings. The Miracle have already been eliminated from first-half playoff contention. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Burlington 1 Box Score The Kernels were nearly no-hit hit in this contest as an eighth inning single from Travis Blankenhorn was the lone hit. Blankenhorn reached base twice in four plate appearances. Mitchell Kranson drew a pair of walks. Christian Cavaness and Ben Rortvedt also reached base once. Cedar Rapids only had two opportunities to bat with a runner in scorning position. Tyler wells did his best to keep the game close. He allowed one run on four hits over five innings of work. He struck out eight and walked two. It was his first loss since last August. Ryan Mason and Alex Robinson each pitched two shutout frames with neither walking a batter. Mason struck out one and Robinson struck out two. Had they been no-hit it would have been the first time since May 1, 2015. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Chattanooga Lookouts (7 IP, 0 ER, 5 K, 2 BB, 3 H) Hitter of the Day – Andy Wilkins, Chattanooa Lookouts (2-for-5, 2 2B, RBI, R) TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/WB (5:35 CST) - TBD Chattanooga @ Montgomery (7:05 CST) - TBD Fort Myers vs. Charlotte (4:30 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (0-2, 1.38 ERA) Fort Myers vs. Charlotte (Game 2)- RHP Brady Anderson (2-2, 3.86 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:35 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (4-1, 2.63 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

How much does veteran leadership cost? Well, on Sunday afternoon it cost the Twins nine runs. Matt Belisle and Craig Breslow got crushed, blowing a game the Twins were leading 5-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Despite the ugly loss, it’s a pretty amazing time to be a Twins fan right now. The team is still in first place after going 6-4 on a West Coast road trip and tomorrow they’ll finally be making their choice for the No. 1 pick in the draft. Byron Buxton even had a good game today!Giants 13, Twins 8 Box Score Win Expectancy (via Fangraphs) Download attachment: WX611.png It would probably be an appropriate time to write a eulogy for Matt Belise’s pitching career, but nobody would take any joy in that. It’s been a good run, he’s been a big leaguer for 14 years, but after getting rocked for four runs in 0.2 innings, his ERA is all the way up to 8.59. With his reputation, I’m sure he’ll have no trouble staying in the game as some type of a coach if he so chooses. No roster moves have been announced, but you have to figure it’s only a matter of time now. What's gone wrong for Belisle? Well along with an increase in walks (BB percent is up from 3.8 in 2016 to 13.6 this year), he's giving up more hard contact and more fly balls. That's a recipe for disaster. Info below via Fangraphs: Download attachment: Screenshot 2017-06-12 at 6.57.51 AM.png Craig Breslow, one-upped Belisle by giving up five runs in the eighth. He had been pitching fairly well prior to tonight’s meltdown, but almost exclusively in low-leverage situations. Both Belisle and Breslow were added over the offseason in large part to add leadership to the bullpen. We'll see just how much the team values that leadership based on how much longer they stick around. The big intrigue leading into this one surrounded Nik Turley making his major league debut. Things got off to a rough start, as the 27-year-old lefty gave up a pair of runs in the first inning. His teammates picked him up by tying the game in the bottom of the first. Turley settled in some after that, but he only pitched four innings, giving up four runs on eight hits. He had four strikeouts and did not walk a batter. Brooks Baseball had Turley maxing out at 95 mph, and he managed to get eight swinging strikes on 73 pitches (10.95 percent whiff rate). It wasn’t a great start by any means, but he probably won’t be taking the next flight to Rochester, either. Lord knows Turley’s traveled enough this season. Here’s a look at all the transactions he’s been involved in so far this season, via MiLB.com: Download attachment: TurlyTransactions.png Eduardo Escobar had a big night, going 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI. Byron Buxton had two hits, one of them a home run, and also made a four-star catch, according to Statcast. Today Twins (Adalberto Mejia, 4.18 ERA) vs. Seattle (Yovani Gallardo, 6.26 ERA), 7:10 pm CT This will be a rematch from Wednesday, which the Mariners won on a walk-off homer. Seattle scored three runs off Mejia over his five innings pitched, but only managed a pair of hits (both home runs) off the lefty in that contest. Gallardo went seven innings in that game, giving up five runs. He’s pitched well at Target Field over his career, logging a 3.65 ERA over four starts. AL Central Standings Twins 32-27 Cleveland 31-29 (-1.5) Detroit 30-32 (-3.5) Kansas City 28-34 (-5.5) Chicago 26-35 (-7.0) From Yesterday’s Game Unfortunately, some of the really cool, fun stuff I like to look at isn’t always available right when I write these up. Here’s Kennys Vargas’ monster homer at AT&T Park from Saturday with a Target Field overlay vis ESPN's Home Run Tracker: Download attachment: VargasTF.jpg Click here to view the article

In the minors on Tuesday there were a few shortstop prospects who collected hits in bunches, including a near-cycle, but they couldn’t quite match the effort of a starter called up to AAA earlier in the day. He did something not many pitchers could say they’ve done over the first three innings, along with setting a career high for K’s on the game. Bad weather in Florida also wreaked havoc on the Miracle’s attempt at a mid-week series.To find out who made the headlines on 2-1 night in the system on Tuesday, read on. TRANSACTIONS Nik Turley was assigned again to Rochester on Tuesday, made the start for the Red Wings and made more than a statement to stay in AAA for good this time, and maybe even a call-up to the Twins. To make roomon the roster, right-handed pitcher Ryan Eades was swapped back to AA. RED WINGS REPORT Scranton Wilkes-Barre 1, Rochester 8 Box Score The Red Wings offense exploded for multiple runs in each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings in this one to put the RailRiders away. But the story wasn’t that late offensive explosion to secure the victory. The story was starter Nik Turley whose name has appeared quite frequently in these reports this season, but even he hadn’t done something like this. What you ask? How about recording his first ten outs of the game via the strikeout. He did punch out fourteen in a seven inning start for Chattanooga on April 25th, but would eclipse that number in six innings in this one, with fifteen K’s total. He did allow four hits (including two doubles) and two walks on the game, but whenever any trouble materialized he simply shrugged it off and overpowered the next hitter(s). Mitch Garver started that scoring for Rochester with his fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot in the sixth. Zack Granite added an RBI single in the three-run seventh inning that also included three errors, and John Ryan Murphy added an RBI double in the two-run eighth to account for most of that late offense. Granite finished 3-5 with two runs scored. Out of the bullpen, Drew Rucinski pitched two perfect innings including one strikeout, while Michael Tonkin allowed a run on two hits and a walk in the ninth to close out the game. He also struck out one. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jackson 4, Chattanooga 2 (14 innings) Box Score The Lookouts were taken into extra innings in this one, as the pitching staffs of both teams limited the chances throughout. Matt Tracy made the start for Chattanooga and went the first six innings. He gave up a two-run home run in the fourth that made the score 2-1 in favor of the Generals, but that was it. He allowed five hits and two walks along with five strikeouts on the game. Chattanooga scored single runs in the third and fifth innings thanks to the bat of Nick Gordon, who brought in the run with a single in both frames. The Lookouts left the bases loaded in that fifth inning, and with the game tied the bullpens took over. Todd Van Steensel, Luke Bard and Mason Melotakis all pitched two scoreless frames for the home team, extending into the extra frames. Van Steensel was perfect in the seventh and eighth. Bard allowed two hits but struck out three in the ninth and tenth. Melotakis walked one and struck out three in the next two innings. Jackson’s bullpen pitched nine scoreless innings, combining to allow just five hits and four walks, while striking out fourteen to keep Chattanooga from walking this one off. Nick Anderson came on in the thirteenth frame and kept the game tied, but ran into trouble that spelled doom for the Lookouts in the fourteenth. Three singles, a walk, and a sac fly plated two runs for 4-2 Jackson lead. Ryan Walker led off the bottom of the inning with a walk and Gordon reached base as the tying run with an infield single before an out was recorded, but a double-play ball and ground out shut the door on the extended game. Gordon (4-6, 2 RBI, BB), Edgar Corcino (3-7), and Walker (2-5, R, 2B, BB) accounted for nine of the Lookouts eleven hits on the game. The rest of the team was 2-33 with twelve of their sixteen total strikeouts. They were just 2-14 with runners in scoring position and left thirteen men on base. MIRACLE MATTERS Cancelled – Rain. After their game was postponed due to rain yesterday, the weather persisted in Palm Beach and both games today were cancelled. Per a press release from the Miracle, the games will not be made up. Lewis Thorpe had started the game yesterday and his team was down 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth due to a couple of unearned runs when it was postponed. No stats from that game will count. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Clinton 2 Box Score Cedar Rapids notched runs in four of the first five innings in this one, jumping out to a 5-0 lead that would be more than enough offense for their pitching staff. Lewin Diaz put them up 1-0 with an RBI double in the first inning, keeping his name at the top of the leaderboard for extra-base hits on the season with twenty-eight (21 2B, 3B, 7 HR). They scored two in the third thanks to an RBI triple from Jermaine Palacios and an RBI single from Jaylin Davis. In the fourth, after his first double of the season and advancing to third on a fielder's choice, Hank Morrison raced home on a wild pitch before Palacios clubbed his eighth home run to make it 5-0. The LumberKings were held scoreless through the sixth inning thanks to the effort of Kernels starter Tyler Wells. In the high quality start, he allowed just two singles to the opposing offense while striking out seven. Of his 83 pitches, 56 went for strikes including eight swing-and-misses. He struck out the side in the fifth inning. He lowered his ERA to 2.05 on the season along with picking up his third win. The Kernels tacked on two more runs in the eighth thanks to a Caleb Hamilton double, and he scored on a wild pitch. In relief of Wells, Max Cordy allowed a run on a walk that was followed by an RBI double in the seventh, but struck out two in his inning. Colton Davis pitched a scoreless eight, striking out one. Patrick McGuff came on to finish the game, and gave up a run on a walk and a hit for the final score of 7-2. Palacios finished a double short of the cycle with a 3-5 night and scored three runs in addition to his two RBI. Davis was the only other player with multiple hits and also drove in two. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Nik Turley, Rochester Red Wings (W, 6 IP, 4 H’s, 2 BB’s, 15 K’s) Hitter of the Day – Jermaine Palacios, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, 3 R’s, 3B, HR, 2 RBI) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton Wilkes-Barre @ Rochester (11:35AM CST) – LHP David Hurlbut (3-3, 3.35 ERA) Jackson @ Chattanooga (10:15AM CST) – RHP Felix Jorge (5-1, 3.39 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:05PM CST) – RHP Brady Anderson (2-1, 4.01 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30PM CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (4-1, 2.12 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

On Friday, we reviewed the top relief pitchers in the Minnesota Twins organization in May. There were so many really, really good options that it was difficult to pick some over the others. Today we highlight the better starting pitching performers in May, and let’s just say that the task is a little more difficult. Let’s get to it. Before we get to our Top 5 starting pitchers for the month of May, here is a list of a couple others who deserve to be recognized for a solid first month.HONORABLE MENTION Brady Anderson - Ft. Myers - 5 G, 2 GS, 17.1 IP, 1-0, 2.08 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 15 H, 2 BB, 8 KRandy LeBlanc - Ft. Myers/Chattanooga - 4 GS, 24.0, 2.25 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 25 H, 9 BB, 5 KFelix Jorge - Chattanooga - 5 GS, 31.0 IP, 2-1, 3-0, 3.19 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 30 H, 10 BB, 15 KTHE TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS #5 - Clark Beeker - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 5 GS, 2-1, 3.19 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 31.0 IP, 25 H, 6 BB, 20 K Beeker was the Twins 33rd-round draft pick last June after four years at Davidson University. He made an appearance on this list last month too when he went 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA. In May, he did a nice job of keeping runners off base well, though his ERA is a bit higher. Opponents hit just .225/.273/.405 (.678) off of him in the month. Beeker relies on control and command of a fastball that reaches into the upper 80s. He mixes his pitches well. Get to know more about Clark Beeker in his Twins Daily Q&A from November. #4 - Sean Poppen - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 5 GS, 3-1, 2.97 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 30.1 IP, 30 H, 8 BB, 27 K Another Kernels starter, Poppen was the Twins 19th-round pick last year after four years at Harvard. He started with the Kernels this season, and he’s been solid all year. Of his ten total starts, he has quality starts in nine of them. While Poppen sits 91-93, he works with a strong four-pitch mix and good control. Opponents hit just .259/.318/.328 (.645) during May. He is a good combination of enough smarts and with a strong baseball IQ. #3 - Nik Turley - Chattanooga Lookouts - 6 G, 4 GS, 0-1, 2.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 16 H, 6 BB, 26 K Turley was a 50th-round pick of the Yankees, was once their minor league pitcher of the year and on their 40-man roster. The Twins signed him this offseason from the independent leagues, and he’s been a pleasant surprise. After dominating AA in April, he spent May going back and forth between Chattanooga and Rochester, and between starting and the bullpen. But he handled it well. While his strikeout rate was down a bit (it had to come down from an incredible April, right?), opponents hit just .216/.272/.365 (.636) off him. #2- Ryan Eades - Chattanooga Lookouts - 5 G, 4 GS, 3-1, 2.52 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 25.0 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 20 K A former Twins second-round pick, Eades had moved to the bullpen last year, and it was the role he spent April in Chattanooga filling. But early in May, the Lookouts needed a starter, and he made the start. He has made three more starts, including what may be a spot start in AAA Rochester, and done quite well. Opponents hit just .220/.280/.330 (.610) against him. His future role may be in the bullpen, but he’s always had a good mix of pitches And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: RHP Aaron Slegers- Rochester Red Wings – - 5 GS, 2-1, 3.41 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 31.2 IP, 27 H, 4 BB, 11 K. It’s been an interesting season for Sleegers, the 2013 fifth-round pick of the Twins out of Indiana. He wasn’t added to the 40-man roster last fall, but he was invited to big league spring training. He went to Rochester, and in his first start, he went six innings of no-hit ball. He then struggled a bit, but he seemed to figure things out well again in May. In fact, he had another game in which he had a no-hitter through seven innings. Opponents hit just .225/.248/.392 (.640). Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like. It wasn’t as easy a decision as you might think. There were several solid starters in May without one that really stood out. And it’s always good to have lots of starting pitchers throwing well! Click here to view the article