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The Twins and interim-GM Rob Antony were active near the August 1st non-waiver trade deadline. We are nearly one-third of the way through August, and we have to wonder how busy the team will be before August 31 waiver deadline. In this article, we’ll give a refresher on what can happen during August. We’ll also take a look at which Twins players could be dealt in August.Let’s start with a reminder of the Rules of the August (waiver trade deadline). First and foremost, in order for a player to be traded in August, he has to be placed on revocable trade waivers. If a player is claimed, three things can happen. If the player is claimed by a team, the two teams have 48 hours to work out a trade agreement.The team can allow the player - and the entirety of their remaining contract - to go to the claiming team.The team can pull the player back from waivers.Now, a team can place a player on waivers a second time. However, the player can not be pulled back if he is claimed. If a player passes through waivers, he can be traded to any team. In August, nearly all players are placed on waivers once, even if the team has no interest in trading the player at that time. Why? Well, maybe the team could get offered a package they just can’t turn down. If nothing else, it allows them to gauge interest in players for potential offseason moves. Rob Antony is likely to put most Twins players on the roster on waivers, but we know that Max Kepler, Jose Berrios and Miguel Sano aren’t going to get traded. We know that Taylor Rogers, Trevor May and Ryan Pressly aren’t getting traded. However, there are a lot of Twins players who could be discussed or even traded. I’ll try to come up with a list and you can decide for yourself if you think they could or even should be traded this month. Some will be the names we heard in July. Other names might arise either as a fallback plan or as an injury replacement. THE PITCHERS Ervin Santana - His name was mentioned a lot in July as a possible trade candidate. With his long history of productive pitching and a very reasonable contract for the next two seasons, one would think Santana would get claimed. Of course, that limits the likelihood of the Twins trading him. As Rob Antony pointed out on his radio show on Sunday, they decided that if they would trade Santana, it would be for a package that they were very happy with. In other words, the Twins aren’t giving him away. Brandon Kintzler - Kintzler’s name was mentioned in trade rumors as well. Signed to a minor league contract before the season, Kintzler spent the first month in Rochester. However, since coming up to the Twins he has done well. In particular, he has done a terrific job as the Twins closer since Kevin Jepsen was removed from the role. The reality is that if the Twins traded him, they would be selling high. However, he will have another year of arbitration remaining. Even if he is in a seventh-inning role, he will have earned what he will get paid in 2017.With several options in the upper levels, selling high would seem to make a lot of sense. However, at his 2016 salary, he would likely be claimed which might limit the return. Tommy Milone - The left-hander might be of interest to the right team. His most recent outing out of the pen was successful, a role he had very limited experience in. However, he has a lot of experience and success as a starter in his career. A team that is looking for a swing man might find Milone to be a good option. Buddy Boshers - Maybe a surprise name on this list, the Twins signed him out of independent league ball in the offseason. With a much-improved array of breaking pitches, he has come a long way. Though he hasn’t been quite as good since coming back to the big leagues he was very good in AAA and in his earlier stint with the Twins. The team obviously isn’t going to trade Taylor Rogers, but maybe there’s a team in need of a left-hander. It would obviously be a minor return. Michael Tonkin - Another surprising name. Tonkin has done a nice job in his final opportunity with the Twins this year. He was one of the final men to make the 25-man roster, and only really made it because he was out of options. He’s certainly had his ups and downs this year, but he does have 65 strikeouts in 55 innings this year. What is a front office supposed to make of Tonkin and his 2017 outlook. Maybe there is a team that thinks he can pitch in the 6th or 7th inning the rest of this year and maybe become a late-inning option. The Twins front office will need to decide what Tonking can be here, and how he compares with some of the prospects who are close. THE HITTERS Kurt Suzuki - He certainly seems to be an obvious candidate to be traded. However, reports indicate there was minimal interest in the backstop due to his defense. He is having a terrific offensive season, however. If a playoff-caliber team needs a solid, reliable backup catcher who will be able to handle any situation, Suzuki would fit the bill. Suzuki is a free agent at season’s end, and if the Twins really want him back in 2017, they can sign him as a free agent in the offseason. Trevor Plouffe - There certainly would have been talked about as a July deadline trade candidate if not for his broken ribs. He’s back now and if he can play well for the next couple of weeks his name will be mentioned prominently again. He has one more year of arbitration remaining and will likely get to about $9 million in 2017. The defense at the hot corner of Miguel Sano and Jorge Polanco could factor into the decision. Danny Santana - The Twins and specifically Paul Molitor seems to love the game of Danny Santana. He’s a terrific athlete with good speed and a big arm. He had the strong MLB debut in 2014 and then he struggled mightily in 2015. He is out of options so he made the team as a utility player this year, able to play six positions. What is his role going forward with the Twins? Can he be the primary utility man? Or could there be a team interested in giving him a chance for a bigger role? Kennys Vargas - Despite looking the complete opposite of Danny Santana, there are similarities between the two. Vargas debuted in 2014’s second half and showed power potential. However, he really struggled in 2015. He’ll be out of options in 2017 and there is certainly a log jam of DH and first base options in the organization. Could the Twins trade him? Byung Ho Park - After a $25 million commitment, could the Twins deal Park in the right deal? Again, it’s about the log jam at first base and DH. He has 10 AAA homers, but he hasn’t really hit well there either. It would seem to be a sell-low on a guy with three years remaining. I’d be surprised. Eduardo Escobar - Eduardo Nunez was already traded. Jorge Polanco is far from a given as a future shortstop, and Escobar has had some great second halves. Because in the worst case, he’s still a versatile utility player, he’d be a guy to keep around. It’s also why teams could show interest. Robbie Grossman - Another guy brought in on a minor league deal, Grossman took off right away for the Twins. He has cooled off and his playing time has lessened but if a team is looking for a fourth or fifth outfielder who can put together a quality plate appearance, maybe Grossman can be that guy. So there you have it, a list of Twins players that could still be moved in August. Some of course, are more likely to be traded than others. I would say that Suzuki and Kintzler are the two players most likely to get traded this month. In each case, the return would likely be a player that we have never heard of Click here to view the article

Rochester Democrat & Chronicle beat reporter Kevin Oklobzija reported first that Jose Berrios was summoned back to his manager Mike Quade's office late on Saturday night. Though there was no confirmation that Berrios was coming up, 1500ESPN's Darren Wolfson soon tweeted that he had heard that Berrios was coming up to the Twins. Soon after, the Star Tribune confirmed the Berrios will start for the Twins on Monday in Cleveland.So now the question remains, What will the other half of the transaction be? With the trade deadline set for Monday afternoon, the possibilities are endless. The Twins don't need to add Berrios to their 25-man roster until Monday after the trade deadline (and obviously before the game), so it could be another 24+ hours before we know the other half of the transaction. What are the possibilities? The easiest, most straightforward move would be for the Twins to call up Berrios and option Tyler Duffey to AAA Rochester. Duffey has really struggled over the last several starts. The 25-year-old hasn't been able to capture the magic that he showed in his final nine starts last year when he was the Twins top starter. Of course, the Twins could make a trade, and with that there are several more possibilities. If they are able to trade a starter, Berrios could take that pitchers spot in the rotation and the rest of the rotation would just adjust. The Twins could, more likely, trade a reliever and then move a starter into the bullpen. Tommy Milone gave up four runs in Saturday night's game and was unable to get out of the sixth inning. He has had a frustrating season, though he has been much better in July. He seems like a candidate for a trade in August. Ricky Nolasco? Well, he's got that contract, but maybe a team liked what they saw on Friday night when he gave up just one run over eight innings. The Twins would obviously need to be creative to make a move on Nolasco. Fernando Abad and Brandon Kintzler could be on the move in the next 36 hours. Duffey could move to the bullpen where many believe his future may put him anyway because he just has two pitches. Milone or Nolasco could be pushed to the bullpen. In other words, the Twins needed to make sure they had a starter for Monday night. They don't have to announce this transaction until right before then, so the possibilities are fairly endless right now. Secondly, newly acquired Adalberto Mejia will likely take Berrios's spot in the Red Wings rotation early next week. The key to this transaction, of course, if the return of JO Berrios. His first stint with the Twins was not good. We saw glimpses of what he could become in his four starts, but he posted an ERA over ten and a WHIP over two. He needed to return to Rochester. He has clearly made some adjustments and earned his way back to the big leagues. The 22-year-old has been particularly great his last seven starts. In that time, he is 5-3 with a 1.46 ERA. In 55.2 innings, he has given up 31 hits, walked 15 and struck out 60 batters. Opponents have hit just .165/.229/.255 (.485) against him. He's ready for this opportunity. Don't expect him to be perfect, but let's hope to see some of the adjustments he made in Rochester. We should see some improvements. The team needs to live with his ups and downs and let him work through things at the big league level the rest of the way, the same way they need to let Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler play and learn and adjust. And those names and others should make Twins fans excited to watch the final two months of the season. Click here to view the article

It was a sweep for the Minnesota Twins and their minor league affiliates on Wednesday night. Wins have been infrequent for the Twins, and on this night, it their bats that led to the win. In the minors, it was more about the traditional way to win, strong pitching. Looking at the four starting pitchers in the minors, they combined to give up three runs over 27 innings. The bullpens then combined for nine scoreless innings. Pitching wins, and on this night, the Twins affiliates got some great pitching! Continue reading if you would like more information from your Minor League Report. By the end of the day on Thursday, the Twins will have drafted five players they hope to sign. Keep up with everything related to the draft here at Twins Daily.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Buffalo 1 Box Score Tommy Milone put together another strong start for the Red Wings, and JT Chargois shut the door as the Red Wings improved to 35-25, the best record in the International League. Milone started and improved to 4-0 with a 1.94 ERA with seven strong innings. He gave up one run on eight hits and two walks. He struck out six. In the eighth inning, Mike Quade used three pitchers for one out apiece. David Martinez, Ryan O’Rourke and JT Chargois each got an out. Chargois pitched a clean ninth inning to record his fourth save. Buck Britton went 2-3 with a walk. John Ryan Murphy had the two biggest hits in the game. His fourth double drove in a run, and he also had an RBI single. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Jacksonville 2 Box Score Aaron Slegers was solid on the mound again and his battery mate provided some of the power. Slegers worked the first seven innings. He gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out two batters. Luke Westphal gave up a hit and a walk, but he pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Trevor Hildenberger pitched a quick, perfect ninth inning to record his eighth Lookouts save. Shannon Wilkerson led the offense. The outfielder went 3-4 with his fifth double. Travis Harrison added his 11th double and a walk. Leonardo Reginnato went 2-5. Stuart Turner added his third home run of the season. The first four runs (three earned) scored by the Lookouts came against former Twins minor leaguer, lefty Matt Tomshaw. He was a minor league Rule 5 pick of the Marlins following the 2014 season. The Lookouts are inching closer to that .500 mark at 29-30 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Brevard County 0 Box Score Tyler Jay may not have had his best stuff, but the results were terrific again. Jay gave up seven hits and walked two, but he threw six shutout innings. He struck out four. He has now thrown 15 consecutive shutout innings to drop his season ERA to 2.18. He was replaced by Luke Bard who struck out two over two scoreless innings. Yorman Landa worked the ninth to maintain the shutout and record his third save. Miracle pitchers were helped tremendously by five double plays. The pitching had little margin for error as the Brewers’ affiliate held the Miracle offense to just five hits and struck out 15. The lone run came in the fourth inning. With two outs, Edgar Corcino singled. Chris Paul doubled him in from first base. TJ White batted third in his return from Chattanooga. Joe Maloney played his first game for their Miracle. They batted third and fourth, respectively, and each had one hit. Maloney’s hit was a triple. For Brevard County, former Twins prospect Zack Jones made his first appearance of the year on a rehab assignment. The Rule 5 pick threw one inning. He walked one and struck out two. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Kane County 0 Box Score The reports coming out of Ft. Myers this spring indicated that Fernando Romero was throwing well, and throwing hard. He recently was promoted to the Kernels and has been fantastic ever since. On this night, the strong right-hander improved to 4-0 and dropped his ERA to 1.17 with seven shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out seven. Michael Cederoth worked the final two innings and kept the shutout. He walked one and struck out three. The Kernels got it going early. Zander Wiel had an RBI double. It was followed by a two-run blast off the bat of AJ Murray, his sixth homer of the year. In the seventh inning, the Kernels got RBI singles from JJ Fernandez and Luis Arraez, followed by an RBI double by Sean Miller. Arraez went 2-4 with a double. LaMonte Wade walked twice. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Fernando Romero, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Shannon Wilkerson, Chattanooga Lookouts THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (12:05 p.m. CST) - LHP Andrew Albers Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (10:15 am CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart Ft. Myers @ Brevard County (5:35 CST) – RHP Keaton Steele Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Miles Nordgren Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

I spent my evening at Target Field, and the guy behind me mentioned that Joe Mauer was the highest paid player on the team six different times. Once after each Mauer at-bat, and a couple times during the game when recently-promoted Max Kepler had base hits, despite not being the highest paid player on the team. And then this dude still managed to boo the Rays when they intentionally walked Mauer. This is the same Joe Mauer that is the reigning AL Player of the Week. Sheesh. Anyways, things had to be more positive in the minor leagues, right?Continue reading to find out more detail about Thursday in the Twins farm system: Transaction Log: The Twins signed outfielder Logan Schafer to a MiLB deal and assigned him to the Rochester Red Wings. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester @ Indianapolis Indians Box Score The Red Wings are now six games over .500 and tied with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders for first place in the International League North and just a half game behind the Columbus Clippers for the best record in the league. The Red Wings played to a 1-1 tie through the first three innings, but pulled ahead with a three-run fourth, and never looked back. Former Yankee catcher John Ryan Murphy (he of the Aaron Hicks trade) had a 1-3 night out of the 9-hole with a double and an RBI, but is hitting just .162 at AAA after a super disappointing start to the year in Minnesota. The Red Wings received multi-hit games from Wilfredo Tovar (2-4, 2 RBI, BB), James Beresford (2-5), and Eddie Rosario (2-5, HR, RBI). Rosario is now hitting .317 in AAA and likely a little pissed off that the Twins brought up Max Kepler to replace the injured Miguel Sano instead of him. Good on him, get to work and we'll see you back in a Twins uniform before too long. Tommy Milone (another Twins castoff, along with nearly 1/3 of this Red Wings roster) earned his third AAA win to move to 3-0 and has a 2.08 ERA on the year. He went 6.1 innings giving up 7 hits, one earned run, one walk, and he struck out a trio of Indians. J.T. Chargois came in and gave up a run in 1.2 innings, and his ERA climbed all the way to 0.90. He also struck out 3 of the 7 batters he faced. Alex Wimmers (couldn't hit a barn because he used to have the yips) pitched a perfect ninth, retiring all three batters he faced, recording a strikeout to boot. Final: Red Wings 5, Indians 2 LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Chattanooga Lookouts @ Birmingham Braves Box Score Despite giving up a run in the bottom of the first to fall behind 0-1, the Lookouts hung tough and took the lead after scoring runs in back-to-back-to-back innings to pull ahead 3-1 after six innings and then hung on for the victory. As a team the Lookouts struck out 12 times to go along with just 2 walks, but still managed to push enough runs across to win a game. Only two Chattanooga hitters had multi-hit games, Zach Granite and Daniel Palka who hit a pair of home runs for the second night in a row! Granite was 2-5 with a double and a strikeout from the leadoff position, while Palka provided a 2-4 night with a pair of solo home runs (and a pair of strikeouts). Palka now leads the Southern League with 11 dingers and is sixth in slugging. Palka, if you recall, was the return on the Chris Hermann to the Diamondbacks trade, completed in November of last year. David Hurlbut earned his third win of the year to even his record at 3-3 with 6.1 innings of seven hit, one run ball. He walked one and struck out two. He was replaced by Mason Melotakis who earned his fifth hold of the year by finishing the fifth. Luke Westphal earned a hold as well, his first of the year, despite giving up a run in the eighth. Jake Reed earned his second save of the year, closing out the game with a two-strikeout ninth. Final: Lookouts 4, Braves 2 MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1: St. Lucie Mets @ Fort Myers Miracle Box Score Luckily the Miracle had an opportunity to play two on Thursday night as they managed just a single hit in the first game of the double-dip, a Brian Olson single in the third inning. The rest of the squad, including first-round draftee Nick Gordon were a combined 0-20 with three strikeouts and no walks. Miracle starter Keaton Steele had a forgettable outing, going just 3.0 innings and giving up five runs (all earned) in a disaster start on the front end of a doubleheader. Brian Gilbert pitched 1.2 innings of less-than-stellar baseball, giving up two runs on three hits, three walks, and a home run. John Curtiss gave up a run over a four-out outing, and Luke Bard finished things respectably for the Miracle with a quick, scoreless, ninth inning. Final: Mets 8, Miracle 0 Game 2: St. Lucie Mets @ Fort Myers Miracle Box Score The Miracle used a Chris Paul walk-off single to win the second game of the double- header to earn a split. With one out and a runner on third, a Chris Paul singled scored Tanner Witt from third to win the game. After picking up just a single hit in the first game, the Miracle added eight in the second game, with a pair from Chris Paul, including the game winner, and three from Alex Real (3-3, with a double and 2 RBI). Felix Jorge pitched a complete game (seven innings) for the Miracle, saving the bullpen after the short start in Game 1, giving up seven hits, three runs (two earned) while walking no one and striking out four. He also gave up a home run. Jorge has a 1.83 ERA on the year to go along with a 4-3 record. Final: Mets 3, Miracle 4 KERNELS KORNER Cedar Rapids Kernels @ Beloit Snappers Box Score It is really hard to have nine hits and score just one run, while outhitting an opponent that scored seven runs on just eight hits, but the Kernels managed to do just that. LaMonte Wade remained hot with a 2-4 night, and A.J. Murray had a nice little night as well, going 2-4, including a double and a strike out. Jermaine Palacios was 3-4 out of the 8-hole with a double and a strike out, raising his average to .205. Kernels' starter Dereck Rodriguez gave up all seven Snappers runs over the first four innings, givng up up seven hits, a walk, and a home run while striking out just two. After four, D-Rod was lifted for Anthony McIver who went 2.0 innings and gave up just a single hit while striking out three. Sam Gibbons and Michael Theofanopoulos each pitched a scoreless inning to finish the game. Theofanopoulos now sports a nifty little 1.73 ERA. Final: Kernels 1, Snappers 7 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Daniel Palka - Chattanooga Lookouts Pitcher of the Day - Felix Jorge - Fort Myers Miracle FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester @ Louisville Bats (6:05pm) - Andrew Albers (3-1, 3.93) vs. Cody Reed Chattanooga @ Birmingham Braves (7:05pm) - Aaron Slegers (2-4, 4.08) vs. David Holmberg Daytona Flyers @ Fort Myers (6:05pm) - Tejay Antone vs. Randy Rosario (2-4, 3.53) Peoria Chiefs @ Cedar Rapids (6:35pm) - TBD vs. Miles Nordgren (2-1, 2.58) Please ask questions and discuss the Thursday games. -ERolf Click here to view the article

Yesterday, we announced Byron Buxton as our Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month for May. Today, we recognize the top starting pitchers in the Twins minor leagues. Determining this month’s top starter was the most difficult decision I’ve had to make for a monthly award. So, I went to some others to help vote. Even then, the vote was close. But you’ll have to keep reading to find out who we’re talking about. At the end, you can comment on who would get your vote.So before to our Top 5 starting pitchers for the month, here are a few others who deserve to be recognized for a strong month. LHP Andrew Albers (Rochester) - 5 GS, 3-1, 3.16 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 31.1 IP, 33 H, 10 BB, 22 KRHP DJ Baxendale (Chattanooga) - 6 GS, 4-2, 3.55 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 38.0 IP, 38 H, 6 BB, 25 KLHP Stephen Gonsalves (Ft. Myers) - 5 GS, 3-1, 2.51 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 23 H, 12 BB, 26 KRHP Felix Jorge (Ft. Myers) - 4 GS, 2-1, 2.05 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 24 H, 5 BB, 21 KTHE TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – RHP Miles Nordgren - 5 G, 4 GS, 1-1, 2.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 25 H, 5 BB, 35 K Nordgren was the Twins 23rd-round draft pick in 2014 out of Birmingham Southern. He has pitched in long relief and as a starter at various times since signing. He was with the Kernels briefly in 2015 and began the 2016 season in extended spring training. In 2016, he has made nine appearances. The four out of the bullpen were at least two innings. For the month, Nordgren held opponents to a .240/.275/.269 (.544). His 12.0 K/9 is the highest on this list of starting pitchers. In his most recent start, he struck out twelve batters in seven innings thanks to an improved slider. When asked if he throws 90 mph, following the game, Nordgren said, “on a good day.” Number 4 - Rochester – LHP Tommy Milone - 4 GS, 2-0, 2.22 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 28.1 IP, 23 H, 0 BB, 24 K In late April, the Twins moved Milone to their bullpen. He made one big league appearance in long relief at the beginning of May before being placed on waivers. When he went unclaimed, he was outrighted to Rochester. As he did a year ago when he was optioned to the Red Wings, he pitched great. Milone was a strike-throwing machine. Opponents hit just .219/.219/.371 off of him in his four starts. He throws strikes and he misses bats. Then again, there’s no surprise in his AAA success. Milone is clearly a big league pitcher who now is just waiting for another opportunity whether it is with the Twins or elsewhere. Number 3 – Rochester – LHP Jason Wheeler - 6 GS, 4-1, 1.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 39.2 IP, 28 H, 7 BB, 36 K A year ago, Jason Wheeler was on the 40-man roster and began the season in AAA. He really struggled with AAA. In 15 starts, he went 1-7 with a 6.58 ERA. He returned to AA and pitched well again. That’s where he started the 2016 season, with the Lookouts. In four starts, he posted a 1.88 ERA. He was brought back up to AAA and he has been fantastic. For the month, Wheeler allowed opponents to hit .194/.237/.278 (.515) against him. More surprising yet, he has struck out 7.5 batters per nine innings after posting a career K/9 rate of just 6.0. At 6-6 and 250 pounds, Wheeler doesn’t throw real hard, but he knows how to pitch. Number 2 - Cedar Rapids – RHP Randy LeBlanc - 5 GS, 4-0, 0.24 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 37.0 IP, 24 H, 6 BB, 21 K I would guess that with LeBlanc’s May, he would win the Starting Pitcher of the Month award in at least 95% of months. This month, he comes in a close second. LeBlanc gave up one run all month, in 37 innings. At one time, he had a run of 37 innings between runs allowed. The 24-year-old was the Twins 10th-round pick in 2014 out of Tulane. In May, opponents hit just .185/.232/.208 (.440) off of him. Seemingly any time he had a base runner, he was able to use his sinker to coax a double play. According to Kernels pitching coach JP Martinez, “He’s basically got a ground ball whenever he needs it with that sinker he’s got.” While he doesn’t throw real hard, hitting 92 at times with a sinker, he’s able to work the fastball on both sides of the plate. He’s got a plus-changeup, and a harder, mid-80s slider. He’s got another slider in the lower-80s that drops more. Per Martinez, he’s got good stuff but just needed to develop it over innings, “He’s got hard-sink in the low-90s, a good slider and a really good changeup. I think the only thing they wanted to work on coming back was putting guys away. I don’t think that they thought he didn’t have an out pitch but they wanted him to develop it more. He’s got a great idea how to attack hitters.” Following eight shutout innings on the last day of the month, he was finally promoted from the Kernels to Ft. Myers. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Ft. Myers – LHP Tyler Jay - 5 GS, 3-2, 0.84 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 32.1 IP, 20 H, 7 BB, 38 K For the second straight month, the choice for starting pitcher of the month is a left-hander from the Ft. Myers Miracle. In a very close vote, Jay was the selection over LeBlanc in large part due to his dominance. Ironically, Jay’s roommate with the Miracle is April’s SP of the Month, Stephen Gonsalves. The Twins top pick a year ago out of Illinois had a tremendous May, culminating with eight shutout innings on the final day of the month. While his overall numbers are very similar to LeBlanc’s, his strikeout tally is what puts him in that top spot. Opponents hit just .180/.229/.180 (.409) against him in the month. No extra-base hits. Blessed with a mid-90s fastball, Jay also has a devastating slider, a slower curveball and a change up. A reliever in college, Jay is making the transition to being a starter. With the exception for one start, and a couple of games with first inning struggles, Jay has made that transition smoothly. There was again several choices for starting pitcher performances in May, and two of them were very deserving of winning the award. Let’s discuss. Who would get your vote, Tyler Jay or Randy LeBlanc? And frankly, in most months, Jason Wheeler would win the award with the numbers he put up in May. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations these individuals on a terrific month. Congratulations to the May Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month for 2016, Tyler Jay. Click here to view the article

Is more change coming for the Twins rotation? Who might be lined up to step in next? And what should we make of a prospect's prodigious power display in Rochester? All are covered in today's Three-Bagger.* Five days after coming out of a strong outing against the Tigers with just 75 pitches thrown, Phil Hughes took the hill against the Blue Jays on Sunday and once again managed to navigate his way through a quality start, despite opponents hitting non-stop rockets. The righty deserves plenty of credit for gutting it out but his pitches are woefully ineffective right now, as illustrated by the amount of contact being made and the loudness of that contact. In his last two starts Hughes has struck out only one of the 48 batters he has faced. That simply isn't going to be a workable formula for him. Hughes doesn't rank atop the list of Paul Molitor's concerns in the rotation, though. Ricky Nolasco was shelled by the Royals on Monday, failing to make it through three innings while giving up six runs. The meltdown was made more irksome by Nolasco's apathetic postgame remarks: The injury issues that consistently marred Nolasco's first two seasons in Minnesota were essentially the only justification for his getting another shot this year despite wholly inadequate results. Now he's healthy by his own admission and once again getting raked, with an 8.14 ERA and 990 opponents' OPS in the month of May. For a player who was already nearing the end of his rope with this organization, a parting of ways can't be far off as the team endures another dreadful stretch of performances. Even with Kyle Gibson due to return soon, the Twins may find themselves turning to the minors for reinforcements in the rotation. * Who might be at the head of the line to step in should another spot open up? It's probably not Jose Berrios. In his first start back at Rochester following last week's demotion, Berrios issued five walks and required 104 pitches to get through five innings, a continuation of the inefficiency and command problems that got him sent down. The more likely candidate for a promotion is Tommy Milone, who has been on the opposite end of the control spectrum since heading to Triple-A. In three starts with the Red Wings, Milone has issued zero walks over 20 innings while striking out 17 and putting up a 2.18 ERA. Just like he did last summer when the Twins demoted him, the lefty has responded well and is doing everything necessary to earn a trip back. Milone may have a limited ceiling, but right now he looks like a preferable option to at least three members of the Twins rotation. The southpaw would need to be re-added to the 40-man in order to return, but placing Glen Perkins on the 60-day DL is a formality at this point. * Not since 1990 has a player on the Rochester Red Wings hit three home runs in a game. At least, that was the case until Saturday, when slugging prospect Adam Walker accomplished the feat by going deep in each of his first three at-bats against Durham. Walker is now tied for the International League lead with nine home runs on the season, but that's nothing new. He has led his league in homers every year since he joined the professional ranks. His power is the stuff of legend. Given that Walker, who ranked 11th on our list of top Twins prospects this spring, is now at Triple-A and already on the 40-man roster, one could surmise that a big-league debut may be looming this summer. Indeed, it would behoove Minnesota to get a look at the 24-year-old, and his promotion would stir some warranted excitement among fans who dig the long ball. Walker is capable of hitting them longer than almost anybody in the game, and that's no overstatement. Unfortunately, while his immense pop has translated to the highest level of the minors, so too has his greatest weakness – one that makes it excruciatingly difficult to see him developing into a successful MLB hitter. He has struck out in 65 of his 148 plate appearances for Rochester (44 percent). To put that in perspective, no qualified hitter in the majors has ever posted a K-rate above 37 percent. Chris Carter, who set that record in 2013 with the Astros, struck out in only 24 percent of his plate appearances at Triple-A. Can a player like Walker stay afloat offensively in the big leagues while whiffing in half of his plate appearances if he is obliterating the ball when he manages to make contact? Not likely. But I'm curious to see. Why not? Click here to view the article

Byron Buxton and Max Kepler were demoted to Rochester where the organization hoped for them to play everyday and start to build some confidence on the offensive side of the ball. Buxton has had quite the offensive stretch as he entered play on Tuesday hitting .352/.421/.676 so far in the month of May. This includes three home runs and a pair of doubles. Kepler's time in Rochester hadn't been as bold as Buxton. Since leaving Minnesota, he has hit .196/.300/.333 with four extra-base hits and six strikeouts. He has coaxed eight walks but his other offensive numbers are a little lower than most would like to see. Would Buxton continue his hot hitting? Could Kepler break out of his cold streak? Keep reading to find out.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 9, Gwinnett 3 Box Score Byron Buxton had multiple hits for the second consecutive game. It was his sixth time in the last nine game that he has more than one hit. Max Kepler had a three-hit night and reached base in four of his five at-bats. Kennys Vargas walked four time including twice in the team's huge seven-run fourth inning. Stephen Wickens was the only Red Wings player who didn't reach base and he struck out three times. Tommy Milone made his first appearance in Rochester after starting the season in the Twins rotation. He pitched into the sixth before running into a little bit of a jam and turning things over to the bullpen. Milone struck out five, walked none, and was charged with one earned run. J.T. Chargois made his Triple-A debut by striking out two and allowing a two-run double. Marcus Walden and Ryan O'Rourke didn't allow a base-runner in the last 2.2 innings. It was the fourth straight win for the Red Wings. James Beresford extended his on-base streak to 13 games. Rochester is now a game over .500 (17-16) and three games out of first in the International League North. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Pensacola 10 (11 Innings) Box Score In a crazy, back-and-forth game, the Lookouts had to score seven runs in the final three frames to come back and force extra-innings. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Ryan Walker singled to center. During the next at-bat, he stole second and the catcher threw the ball away. This allowed Walker to scamper all the way home and score the tying run. Walker had already scored an important run in the eighth inning after leading off the frame with a single. Chattanooga outhit the Blue Wahoos 18-14 but Pensacola cracked five home runs. Travis Harrison went 4-for-5 with a walk but he failed to collect an extra-base hit. DJ Hick drove in two as part of a three-hit night. Leonardo Reginatto went 3-for-6 with his seventh double. Nick Greenwood started and allowed five earned runs on nine hits including two home runs. Corey Williams relieved Greenwood and didn't fare much better as he was charged with three earned runs. Jake Reed had a roller coaster ride as he struck out three and walked three in two innings of work but only allowed one hit and one run. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Bradenton 6 Box Score The score might make the game look closer than it was as the Miracle were outhit 13 to 3 in this one. Kohl Stewart surrendered seven of the 13 hits as he collected an out in the seventh inning for the first time this year. He was charged with three runs, two earned, while striking out four and walking none across 6.1 innings but he left the game with his team up 2-1. Raul Fernandez finished the seventh and eighth as he allowed a solo home run. Yorman Landa struck out one and walked one as he gave up multiple earned runs for the first time this season. Trey Vavra picked up his sixth double of the season and scored a run. Alex Real doubled and was one of two Miracle players to reach base twice. Max Murphy was the other player to reach twice and he drove in one of the team's two runs. Overall, the club went 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base. With the loss, the Miracle drop to four games over .500 at 18-14. Over the club's last seven games, they are 5-2. Tomorrow night's game will be the third in this back-and-forth home-and-home series with Bradenton. Fort Myers is tied with Charlotte at the top of the Florida State League South. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Kane County 2 (7 Innings) Box Score Because of rain, the Kernels were forced to push back Monday's game and play it as part of a double-header on Tuesday evening. Cody Stashak pitched into the sixth inning for the fourth consecutive start and he hasn't allowed more than two earned runs during that stretch. In this game, he pitched six innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits with three strikeouts. His ERA dropped to 1.95 on the season but he still took the loss. Michael Cederoth allowed one one hit and struck out a pair during his inning of work. Offensively, there wasn't much to talk about. The Kernels reached base three times in the entire game. Luis Arraez went 1-for-3 out of the lead-off spot. LaMonte Wade is hitting .352 after a 1-for-3 game. Catcher Rafael Valera drew the team's only walk. It's hard for any team to score runs when they only get two chances to bat with runners in scoring position. Cedar Rapids 3, Kane County 2 (7 Innings) Box Score Miles Nordgren hadn't allowed an earned run in almost a month (April 17) but that streak came to an end on Tuesday. He still made quite the effort as he struck out nine and didn't walk any in five innings pitched. Two runs were scored against him but only one was earned. Michael Theofanopoulos was outstanding in relief as he struck out the side in the sixth. After struggling for any hits in the first game of the night, the Kernels had double-digit hits. A.J. Murray was 3-for-3 with a double and his first triple of the season. With two hits in this game, Luis Arraez finished the night 3-for-7 with a double and an RBI. Brian Olson scored a pair of runs and reached base twice. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day- Miles Nordgren, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day- Max Kepler, Rochester Red Wings WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester vs. Gwinnett (6:05 CST)- LHP Andrew Albers (0-0, 5.56 ERA) Chattanooga vs. Pensacola (6:15 CST)- LHP David Hurlbut (2-1, 6.59 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST)- LHP Tyler Jay (2-2, 3.86 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Kane County (12:05 CST)- RHP Randy LeBlanc (3-2, 1.16 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games. Click here to view the article

On Tuesday the Twins delivered some big news, announcing the long-awaited promotion of top pitching prospect Jose Berrios. He'll take the hill against the Indians on Wednesday night. A day earlier, another of the organization's most highly-rated young arms was promoted from Triple-A, albeit to much less fanfare. Despite a successful start to the season in Rochester's rotation, most believe that Alex Meyer will end up in the bullpen. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. But if he's going to get a chance to maximize his value in the majors, there's no better time than now to give him that opportunity.When the Twins sent Meyer to Triple-A in March, they decided they were going to give him one more shot as a starting pitcher. He spent the bulk of last year as a reliever and it appeared that might be his role going forward, but the promise he once showed as a starter has not totally been forgotten. Granted, it's two starts (and one long relief appearance), but Meyer went to Rochester and did absolutely everything that could have been asked of him. The big righty pitched to a 1.04 ERA in 17 1/3 innings, notching 19 strikeouts and – most importantly – only four walks. In each of his starts he worked at least into the seventh inning with good pitch economy. His sharp early performance draws a stark contrast against last year, when finding the strike zone was a constant challenge for Meyer from start to finish. Whether the 26-year-old has figured something out or is just on a nice run, it's worth taking a look. Finding room for Meyer to make at least a couple starts shouldn't be hard. Kyle Gibson and Ervin Santana were both placed on the disabled list Tuesday, and while Berrios and Tyler Duffey will fill their spots for now, there's another purportedly healthy starter in the rotation who could be bumped. Tommy Milone has failed to complete five innings in three of his four starts. Given his status as a 29-year-old with limited upside on a one-year contract, there isn't a whole lot to gain by continuing to run him out. Moving Milone to the bullpen as a long reliever would be prudent, especially with that unit taking a beating recently. Give Meyer a few starts and see what he can do. The 7-14 Twins don't have much to lose. If he catches on, and approximates what he was doing in the minors in any way, it could be crucial toward rallying Minnesota back into the mix, and it would also be a monumental development in the big picture. If he scuffles, then a return to the bullpen and a full commitment to that path would be in order. But why not run him out there and find out what you've got? At this point, defining the roles and true capabilities of the young incoming wave should be the top priority of 2016 for the Twins. Click here to view the article

The Twins went into Spring Training with one of the more interesting positional battles on their hands as they had three back-of-the-rotation starters -- Ricky Nolasco, Tyler Duffey, and Tommy Milone -- one of the top pitching prospects with a shot of making the majors this season in Jose Berrios, and just two spots in the rotation. The cost savings of starting him in the minors made if fairly likely that Berrios wasn’t going to break camp with the team, but he made the decision an easy one (and removed any chance of filing a grievance over service time the way Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant did last year) by looking fairly pedestrian during his time in big league camp and getting sent down well before last cuts. On the other end of the spectrum, Milone looked strong in his spring outings, solidifying his spot early, and leaving Duffey and Nolasco in a race for the last spot. Nolasco got the nod for a litany of reasons, but it wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that strictly on merit the spot could easily have easily gone to Duffey.Fast forward a month from Berrios’ demotion and two weeks from the end of spring training: How do the Twins’ decisions look? It would be an understatement to say simply that Nolasco has been better than expected. Outside of one bad inning against the Angels, which the Twins managed to work around, Nolasco has given up just two runs in his 20.1 innings of work. His groundball rate is over 50 percent, which would be a career best by a substantial margin if he could keep it up, and he’s dropped his walk rate by nearly a full walk per nine. It’s a bit worrisome that his strikeout rate is well down from his career average -- which wasn’t particularly high to begin with -- but if that’s the tradeoff for his career best soft-contact rate and the improvements in his walk and home run rates, the Twins will take it. He’s not yet to the point of being obvious trade bait, but the Twins don’t need him to be. By the time the team needs his roster spot more than they need his production, a destination may reveal itself. The terrible weather in upstate New York has jumbled the Rochester Red Wings’ schedule, but both Duffey and Berrios have gotten in three starts, though both were cut short in their first two outings. Duffey has been largely the same pitcher for the Red Wings so far that he was for the Twins last year: allowing more baserunners than one might like, but preventing them from scoring. By results, he still seems like a pitcher the Twins have tentatively penciled into their long term plan and are glad to have ready in case of injury, but he’s not forcing their hand yet. Berrios, on the other hand, is getting sharp. He’s racked up 20 strikeouts in his 17 innings so far, allowed less than a baserunner per inning, and hasn’t allowed more than a run in any of his three starts. The "Extra Year" deadline likely having already passed, Berrios could be called up at any point without the Twins risking losing him a year early, especially since it will be another week or so until he’s ready to start again following his seven-inning lockdown of the Pawsox on Thursday. The Twins weren’t just playing a service time game with Berrios, however, these starts were important for him to show that he was ready. He’ll need to look good again in his next outing, but assuming he does, he’s making a compelling case that he’s ready to help the major league team crawl back into contention. The question is: Is there a spot for him in the rotation? Ervin Santana and Phil Hughes aren’t going anywhere, which leaves just two theoretical spots, Kyle Gibson’s and Milone’s. Neither pitcher is sporting a positive fWAR so far this season, but it’s something of a blunt tool without a bit more data behind it. Gibson’s numbers don’t look great through three starts, but the Twins believe in him with good reason and while his first start was indeed a bomb, but the subsequent two have been much better. His spot’s safe unless he hits the All-Star break with about an 8.90 ERA and a WHIP that looks like a respectable high school GPA. So the timing of Berrios’ appearance in the majors likely depends on Milone. Though he earned his spot in camp before Nolasco did, Milone seems as though he may be pulled back into the fray if he can’t right his ship in the next few starts. The optics are admittedly bad: He’s made it out of the fifth inning just once, he has allowed four runs in each of his starts, and he has given up 17 hits in just 15.1 innings pitched despite a BABIP almost precisely at his career average. His lines would look a bit better if he had been pulled after six innings in his start against the Angels instead of allowed to face Albert Pujols and Kole Calhoun, who took him deep, but the core issues would still be there: He’s giving up way too much contact and when 35 percent of it is classified as hard contact, it’s not hard to see why he keeps ending up in trouble. Working against Milone is the fact that, even at his best, he’s something of a marginal starter. His lowest ERA in a season is 3.74, he doesn’t strike out a lot of hitters or generate a ton of groundballs; he gets by with timely outs and the occasional double play. He’s a survivor, an innings eater in the best of cases. It’s a profile the Twins have seen before in any number of other back-end-of-the-rotation guys, but their aspirations are higher this year than they’ve been in the recent past, making simply surviving a less desirable outcome, particularly when instead of eating innings, Milone is making extra work for the bullpen. Nick Nelson caught a quirk from Milone this year that’s worth mentioning: http://i.imgur.com/ZShbmL3.png His velocity isn’t changing much the second or third time he’s seeing hitters and his release point is dropping fractionally, but not enough to explain a 900 point increase in opponents’ OPS. Absent those things, which would point to either fatigue or injury, the easiest explanation is that hitters are simply getting a good sense of how his pitches look and/or how he wants to sequence them (Alternatively, Milone could be tipping his pitches, but there aren’t any other symptoms of that). If they know what to expect, they can prepare and punish even decently executed offerings. If it is the case that Milone is simply predictable, it’s liable to get worse before it gets better as advance scouts figure out how best to prepare their players for his patterns. If the Twins didn’t have Berrios in the minors and it was just Duffey who presented a serious threat to Milone’s spot, his leash would probably be longer than it is, but with the pitching staff needing a jump-start and Berrios seemingly ready to provide it, Milone’s general malaise surely hasn’t gone unnoticed. It’s good news for Berrios that it’s Milone who is struggling rather than Nolasco, as there are simply fewer ties that bind Milone to the majors. The Twins may not be looking for a reason to change Milone’s usage, but given how his season has gone, they’re also not keen to keep the status quo in place. All things considered, the date to circle is May 23. A month away, it gives the Twins a chance to see if there’s something fixable with Milone, be sure that Berrios is ready, and utilize off days for Rochester to line up the rotation they way they want to slot Berrios in with the big club when necessary. The 23rd is also the first time -- assuming the Twins’ rotation doesn’t change -- Milone will face a team for the second time this year. If the Royals show preternatural familiarity with Milone and beat him up, it may force the front office to make a change whether they had planned on it or not. Click here to view the article

How did Tyler Duffey's 2016 debut go? Are struggling starting pitchers on the hot seat? Did the Twins make their worst roster move of the year this weekend? All covered below.* It came a bit later than expected, and might be a little more short-lived than expected (for now), but Tyler Duffey made his 2016 Twins debut on Sunday, starting in place of Ervin Santana who was sidelined by a sore back. Duffey drew the tough assignment of silencing a red-hot Nationals lineup as the Twins looked for just their second road win in 11 tries. The Doof did his part. He wasn't always hitting his spots, and batters were showing more of a penchant for laying off his curveball compared to what we typically law last year, but the right-hander nevertheless turned in a fine outing. He pitched into the fifth inning with only one run allowed before a comeback liner from Matt den Dekker nailed him in the pitching shoulder and forced him out of the ballgame. Duffey didn't appear to be in great pain and his removal was said to be precautionary. Hopefully that's the case because he definitely made an impression. * Duffey looked like he belongs. That, along with the resounding success of Jose Berrios and Alex Meyer in Triple-A, means that two Twins starters who might otherwise have lengthier ropes to work through early struggles could be on the hot seat. The poor performances of both Kyle Gibson and Tommy Milone over the first few weeks have been troubling, but less worrisome when you look at their track records. Gibson, who is 0-3 with a 6.10 ERA through four turns, has issued 12 walks with 11 strikeouts over his first four turns. That's horrible, obviously, but not really out of character for him in the first month of the season: April 2014: 29 IP, 15 K, 14 BB April 2015: 22.1 IP, 6 K, 12 BB April 2016: 20.1 IP, 11 K, 12 BB In 2014, he rebounded from the poor start to finish with solid overall numbers, and last year he ended up being Minnesota's best starter. It's not really an excuse, just a fact: Gibson has routinely displayed poor command early on for the Twins and has routinely figured it out. Milone's issues this year have conversely been extremely uncharacteristic. He has typically fared roughly the same against opposing lineups his first, second and third times through – one thing that makes him better suited for starting than relief. That has not been the case this year, to say the least. Tommy Milone, career 1st time through lineup: .270/.325/.443 2nd time through lineup: .265/.306/.417 3rd time through lineup: .270/.309/.433 Tommy Milone, 2016 1st time through lineup: .111/.111/.111 2nd time through lineup: .400/.423/.720 3rd time through lineup: .571/.700/1.571 Given the extreme nature of his splits in a small sample this month, and his career-long trends, I'm inclined to chalk this up as a fluke over three starts. It's reasonable to expect that both Gibson and Milone will get on track quickly. But the Twins don't have the luxury of being all that patient given their awful start, not to mention the presence of rotation reinforcements in Rochester that are proving to be ready. * We have our early favorite for most inexplicable Twins roster decision of 2016. Over the weekend, the team outrighted catcher John Hicks, presumably to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for an impending David Murphy call-up. Hicks was quickly claimed by the Tigers, so he's gone. Murphy was cut by the Red Sox in spring training and hasn't done anything at Rochester since signing a minor league deal a couple of weeks ago. If the Twins want a veteran outfielder on the roster, that's fine. The question is why on earth they would whittle down what little catching depth they have in order to make room. Hicks, claimed off waivers from the Mariners in the offseason, is a somewhat intriguing player. He's 26, has a good defensive rep, and has shown offensive potential at times. He was also the only backstop on the Twins' 40-man other than Kurt Suzuki and John Ryan Murphy. With neither of those players looking remotely good right now, it's befuddling to say the least that the Twins would let Hicks go when they have far more expendable 40-man players like Pat Dean, who is fifth in line among lefty relievers. Maybe other moves are coming that will make this one a bit easier to understand. I hope so. But as the Twins and many other teams have learned, catching talent is tough to come by these days. Click here to view the article

The Twins went into Spring Training with one of the more interesting positional battles on their hands as they had three back-of-the-rotation starters -- Ricky Nolasco, Tyler Duffey, and Tommy Milone -- one of the top pitching prospects with a shot of making the majors this season in Jose Berrios, and just two spots in the rotation. The cost savings of starting him in the minors made if fairly likely that Berrios wasn’t going to break camp with the team, but he made the decision an easy one (and removed any chance of filing a grievance over service time the way Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant did last year) by looking fairly pedestrian during his time in big league camp and getting sent down well before last cuts. On the other end of the spectrum, Milone looked strong in his spring outings, solidifying his spot early, and leaving Duffey and Nolasco in a race for the last spot. Nolasco got the nod for a litany of reasons, but it wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that strictly on merit the spot could easily have easily gone to Duffey. Fast forward a month from Berrios’ demotion and two weeks from the end of spring training: How do the Twins’ decisions look? It would be an understatement to say simply that Nolasco has been better than expected. Outside of one bad inning against the Angels, which the Twins managed to work around, Nolasco has given up just two runs in his 20.1 innings of work. His groundball rate is over 50 percent, which would be a career best by a substantial margin if he could keep it up, and he’s dropped his walk rate by nearly a full walk per nine. It’s a bit worrisome that his strikeout rate is well down from his career average -- which wasn’t particularly high to begin with -- but if that’s the tradeoff for his career best soft-contact rate and the improvements in his walk and home run rates, the Twins will take it. He’s not yet to the point of being obvious trade bait, but the Twins don’t need him to be. By the time the team needs his roster spot more than they need his production, a destination may reveal itself. The terrible weather in upstate New York has jumbled the Rochester Red Wings’ schedule, but both Duffey and Berrios have gotten in three starts, though both were cut short in their first two outings. Duffey has been largely the same pitcher for the Red Wings so far that he was for the Twins last year: allowing more baserunners than one might like, but preventing them from scoring. By results, he still seems like a pitcher the Twins have tentatively penciled into their long term plan and are glad to have ready in case of injury, but he’s not forcing their hand yet. Berrios, on the other hand, is getting sharp. He’s racked up 20 strikeouts in his 17 innings so far, allowed less than a baserunner per inning, and hasn’t allowed more than a run in any of his three starts. The Super Two deadline likely having already passed, Berrios could be called up at any point without the Twins risking an extra year of arbitration, especially since it will be another week or so until he’s ready to start again following his seven-inning lockdown of the Pawsox on Thursday. The Twins weren’t just playing a service time game with Berrios, however, these starts were important for him to show that he was ready. He’ll need to look good again in his next outing, but assuming he does, he’s making a compelling case that he’s ready to help the major league team crawl back into contention. The question is: Is there a spot for him in the rotation? Ervin Santana and Phil Hughes aren’t going anywhere, which leaves just two theoretical spots, Kyle Gibson’s and Milone’s. Neither pitcher is sporting a positive fWAR so far this season, but it’s something of a blunt tool without a bit more data behind it. Gibson’s numbers don’t look great through three starts, but the Twins believe in him with good reason and while his first start was indeed a bomb, but the subsequent two have been much better. His spot’s safe unless he hits the All-Star break with about an 8.90 ERA and a WHIP that looks like a respectable high school GPA. So the timing of Berrios’ appearance in the majors likely depends on Milone. Though he earned his spot in camp before Nolasco did, Milone seems as though he may be pulled back into the fray if he can’t right his ship in the next few starts. The optics are admittedly bad: He’s made it out of the fifth inning just once, he has allowed four runs in each of his starts, and he has given up 17 hits in just 15.1 innings pitched despite a BABIP almost precisely at his career average. His lines would look a bit better if he had been pulled after six innings in his start against the Angels instead of allowed to face Albert Pujols and Kole Calhoun, who took him deep, but the core issues would still be there: He’s giving up way too much contact and when 35 percent of it is classified as hard contact, it’s not hard to see why he keeps ending up in trouble. Working against Milone is the fact that, even at his best, he’s something of a marginal starter. His lowest ERA in a season is 3.74, he doesn’t strike out a lot of hitters or generate a ton of groundballs; he gets by with timely outs and the occasional double play. He’s a survivor, an innings eater in the best of cases. It’s a profile the Twins have seen before in any number of other back-end-of-the-rotation guys, but their aspirations are higher this year than they’ve been in the recent past, making simply surviving a less desirable outcome, particularly when instead of eating innings, Milone is making extra work for the bullpen. Nick Nelson caught a quirk from Milone this year that’s worth mentioning: http://i.imgur.com/ZShbmL3.png His velocity isn’t changing much the second or third time he’s seeing hitters and his release point is dropping fractionally, but not enough to explain a 900 point increase in opponents’ OPS. Absent those things, which would point to either fatigue or injury, the easiest explanation is that hitters are simply getting a good sense of how his pitches look and/or how he wants to sequence them (Alternatively, Milone could be tipping his pitches, but there aren’t any other symptoms of that). If they know what to expect, they can prepare and punish even decently executed offerings. If it is the case that Milone is simply predictable, it’s liable to get worse before it gets better as advance scouts figure out how best to prepare their players for his patterns. If the Twins didn’t have Berrios in the minors and it was just Duffey that presented a serious threat to Milone’s spot, his leash would probably be longer than it is, but with the pitching staff needing a jumpstart and Berrios seemingly ready to provide it, Milone’s general malaise surely hasn’t gone unnoticed. It’s good news for Berrios that it’s Milone who is struggling rather than Nolasco, as there are simply fewer ties that bind Milone to the majors. The Twins may not be looking for a reason to change Milone’s usage, but given how his season has gone, they’re also not keen to keep the status quo in place. All things considered, the date to circle is May 23. A month away, it gives the Twins a chance to see if there’s something fixable with Milone, be sure that Berrios is ready, and utilize off days for Rochester to line up the rotation they way they want to slot Berrios in with the big club when necessary. The 23rd is also the first time -- assuming the Twins’ rotation doesn’t change -- Milone will face a team for the second time this year. If the Royals show preternatural familiarity with Milone and beat him up, it may force the front office to make a change whether they had planned on it or not.

If there's one thing last season taught us, it's that we shouldn't put too much stock into rough beginnings. As we all remember, the 2015 Twins lost six of their first seven games, getting outscored 45-16 in the process. By the end of May, they were in first place. Still, given that Minnesota ended up finishing so close to a postseason spot, one can't help but wonder how differently things might have played out if they'd gotten off to a slightly less disastrous start. This weekend, they head to Kauffman Stadium with a chance to avoid another extended early-April swoon.The Twins know that their path to the the top of the AL Central goes through Kansas City and the defending World Series champs. Last year, the Twins went 7-12 against the Royals, and a dominating sweep that took place at Target Field on the final weekend put the nail in the coffin for their season. Obviously, it would be a big boost if the Twins could make a statement over the next three days. It would be especially important because of the starters that will be taking the hill for Minnesota. Ervin Santana, whose outing was cut short by rain on Opening Day, figures to get his first real start of the season in a ballpark with which he's quite familiar; of course, he played for the Royals in 2013, and had one of his better seasons. Then we get our first looks at the fourth and fifth starters, Tommy Milone and Ricky Nolasco. The makeup of the Twins rotation, which lacks elite talent at the top, means that the team needs to get quality production from the bottom half in order to have a shot. So the early success (or lack thereof) for Milone and Nolasco could loom large. Milone sort of is what he is at this point: solid, not great, but very consistently so. He had a nice spring marked by sharp command. The key for him will be spotting his pitches with precision and working inside against an extremely aggressive Kansas City lineup. With Nolasco, who knows what to expect. He's got as much to prove as anyone on the roster, and he'll get his first chance on Sunday. If he's commanding his fastball he can certainly get people out, and that would be big. From my view, the best-case scenario for the Twins is that Nolasco performs well over the first couple months and entices an SP-needy team to pick up a good portion of his remaining salary, opening the door for a higher-upside alternative such as Tyler Duffey or Jose Berrios. Heck, maybe Minnesota could even get a decent little prospect back in such a scenario, though I wouldn't hold my breath. Either way, I'm intrigued to see what these two back-end starters, who both have plenty of doubters, can do here in an early-season series that carries plenty of redemptive storylines. Which pitcher will prove the most this weekend? And will the offense rebound after striking out (figuratively and literally) in Baltimore? Click here to view the article