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Unfortunately the Twins game decided to be really good and also really, really, really bad so the minor league report is brought to you with great sadness as my sad Spotify playlist plays in the background. The current track is Pearl Jam’s “Black” if you want to know how I am doing. Moving forward, there were many great hitting performances in the minor league system and one exceptional pitching performance especially, all that and more in this edition of the minor league report.TRANSACTIONS -Catcher Kyle Schmidt promoted from the GCL to Elizabethton. -GCL Twins activated Regi Grace from the IL. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Gwinnett 5 Box Score D.J. Baxendale: 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (opener for Devin Smeltzer) HR: None Multi-hit games: None A quiet game from the Red Wings that ended in a loss to the Gwinnett Stripers. Devin Smeltzer was the primary pitcher (or bulk pitcher, whatever you prefer) after D.J. Baxendale and he gave up four runs over his four innings of work. He struck out none and walked two batters. Fernando Romero came on in relief of Smeltzer and fired off two scoreless innings while allowing just one hit, walking one and striking out four. The Red Wings offense was stagnant all game as they put together just four hits with none going for extra bases while striking out eleven times. A rare off day for a typically great offense that is missing Brent Rooker’s presence in the lineup. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola postponed vs Mississippi The rain came in and made sure that no game would be played today which is great for my laziness but not great for the people who wanted a game to be played, shame. A doubleheader will be played tomorrow. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Florida 0 Box Score Lachlan Wells: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 72.9% strikes (62 of 85 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Royce Lewis (2-for-4, R, BB), Jacob Pearson (2-for-4) The Miracle played a well-rounded game this Saturday that ended in a win. Lachlan Wells was dominant but so were Calvin Faucher and Zach Neff who each pitched scoreless outings in relief of Wells. Combined, they gave up just three hits, walked just one hitter, and struck out ten hitters. A well-pitched game indeed by the Miracle. The Miracle bats didn’t want the pitching to steal the thunder as they smacked eight hits and walked more than they struck out on their way to scoring five runs. Both Ryan Jeffers and David Banuelos had two-run doubles and Jose Miranda had an RBI single following Ryan Jeffers’ double in the first. That was all the scoring that was done but hey, why score runs you don’t need? Royce Lewis continued his hot streak by knocking a pair of singles and taking a walk, a good sign for the top prospect who has had to work through a tougher season than most anticipated. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Fort Wayne 4 Box Score Kai-Wei Teng: 3 ⅔ IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 58.2% strikes (39 of 67 pitches) HR: Yeltsin Encarnacion (2) Multi-hit games: Spencer Steer (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI), Yeltsin Encarnacion (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI), Gilberto Celestino (3-for-5, 2 2B, RBI), Gabe Snyder (2-for-5), Daniel Ozoria (3-for-5) I made some snarky comment here about close games last week so the Kernels decided to spite me and actually have a close game, this one ended with another win for them so I guess we all can be happy. Spencer Steer has continued to just rake even after the promotion as his OPS with the Kernels is now .993 after another multi-hit game. Shoot, he might be major league ready already! Gilberto Celestino has also started to heat up recently as his OPS now sits at .680 after a slow start to the season. He had an OPS of .913 in July coming into the game and that will go up even higher thanks to his three-hit effort that came with a pair of doubles. Jose Ramirez relieved Teng and got ten outs without allowing a run. Rickey Ramirez received the save after he threw two scoreless innings that came with four strikeouts and just two hits. E-Town E-Notes Elizabethton 10, Bluefield 7 Box Score Prelander Berroa: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Willie Joe Garry Jr. (2), Kidany Salva (1), Seth Gray (5) Multi-hit games: Willie Joe Garry Jr. (2-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI), Max Smith (2-for-5, 3B, 2B, R), Charles Mack (3-for-5, R, RBI) It was quite the offensive game as both teams dropped twelve hits and a combined seventeen runs. The difference, however, was that Bluefield foolishly had only one hit of the extra-base variety while the intelligent Elizabethton Twins had five including three home runs. All but one Elizabethton batter had a hit. Willie Joe Garry Jr. and Max Smith played the part of the bash brothers as they combined for four extra-base hits and would have had a combined cycle had either of them bothered to get a single. Oh well, their slugging percent thanks them anyway. There wasn’t much to talk about on the pitching side of things but Dylan Thomas had a scoreless outing that included four outs and three strikeouts. GCL Twins Takes GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 5 Box Score Regi Grace: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Jim Caceres (2-for-4) The GCL Twins struck out 14 GCL Red Sox hitters on Saturday. I feel like I have noted something similar for both the GCL Twins and Elizabethton Twins every week so be happy that the Twins are punching tickets and taking names in the early stages of development. The GCL offense was sporadic as only two hitters reached base multiple times and they only reached base nine times all day. The end result was three runs, all of which scored in the fourth inning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Lachlan Wells Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Willie Joe Garry Jr. PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, R, BB #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Postponed game #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Postponed game #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - Postponed game #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - Did not play #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - 0-for-2, 2 BB #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured list #9 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Did not play #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI, K #14 - Luis Arraez (Twins) - 0-for-3 #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 K #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Postponed game #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Out for year with Tommy John surgery #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Postponed game #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - 0-for-5 #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - Postponed game SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Gwinnett (12:05 A.M.) - RHP Sean Poppen Pensacola @ Mississippi (5:05 P.M.) - RHP Jorge Alcala Fort Myers @ Florida (11:00 P.M.) - RHP Bailey Ober Cedar Rapids @ Fort Wayne (12:05 P.M.) - RHP Austin Schulfer Elizabethton @ Bluefield (4:30 P.M.) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article

It’s fair to say that The Debut of Stephen Gonsalves didn’t go as well as he would have liked. Debuts rarely do. But for the rest of his life, he can be called a big leaguer. And that’s what every player in the minor leagues dreams of. Monday in the minor leagues, both Rochester and Ft. Myers got a rare day off. But there was some terrific pitching and powerful hitting for Chattanooga. They also added a former big leaguer to their roster. Cedar Rapids scored a dozen and got a great relief appearance. Elizabethton played neighboring Johnson City in a doubleheader. And the GCL Twins got to face first-round pick Matthew Libertore for the third time.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Monday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Chattanooga put RHP Omar Bencomo (foot) and infielder Chris Paul finger) on the disabled list. Catcher Brian Olson was activated. Also, the Twins signed RHP Austin Adams from the Sugar Land Skeeters and placed him on the Lookouts roster. Adams is 31-years-old and pitched in 53 games for Cleveland between 2014 and 2016.RED WINGS REPORTRochester Box Score The Red Wings enjoyed a rare night off to watch the Stephen Gonsalves MLB debut. OK, it was a scheduled off-day, but still… Brian Rapp started and gave up two runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four. Pedro Garcia came on and did well. He threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings. In the extra innings, both the eighth and the ninth, he was able to leave the bases loaded and keep the game tied. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out four. Casanova led the way. He went 2-3 with a sacrifice fly to give him two of the three RBIs. The other run scored on a pinch-hit single by Chris Williams. Roberto Molina also had two hits. Gilberto Celestino went 1-for-3 with two walks. GCL TWINS TALK GCL Twins 0, GCL Rays 6 Box Score The Twins again had the opportunity to try to hit against Rays pitching prospect and 2018 first-round pick Matthew Libertore. It is the third time in the last few weeks that the Twins have faced the lefty. On this day, Libertore gave up three hits over five shutout innings. He struck out eight without issuing a walk. In the three starts combined, he has thrown 14 2/3 scoreless innings. He’s given up six hits, walked none and struck out 19. Shane Carrier led the offense with a 2-for-4 game. Erick Rivera added his fourth double. Andriu Marin started. He gave up two runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings. He walked one, hit one and struck out five. Dylan Stowell gave up two unearned runs on one hit and two walks in his 1 1/3 innings. He struck out three. Erik Cha recorded the next four outs. He struck out one and didn’t allow a base runner. Niklas Rimmel gave up two runs on four hits over the final two innings. He struck out two. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Gabriel Maciel, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, 3B(2), 3 R). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Johan Quezada, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Minnesota) - 1.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K #6 - Trevor Larnach (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, BB, 2B(5), 3 R, RBI, K #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - Did not play #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - Did not play #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - No Game Scheduled #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - 2-4, 2 RBI, R, K | 1-5, R, 2 K #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Out for the season (wrist) #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) - 3-5, 3 R #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - 0-5, 2 K, SB(6) #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - 0-3, BB, R, K #21 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - No Game Scheduled *Since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05 CST, completion of a suspended game + regularly scheduled game) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (0-1, 4.26 ERA), RHP Michael Pineda (rehab) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (6:35 CST) - TBD Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30 CST) - RHP Clark Beeker (4-7, 4.73 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00 CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (8-5, 3.35 ERA) Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - Luis Rijo (4-1, 2.06 ERA) GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (9:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

For a couple of months, the Cedar Rapids Kernels were the team with the Twins top three prospects. With promotions, the Twins top three prospects (Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Brusdar Graterol) are all now with the Ft. Myers Miracle, and all three played a major role in Friday night’s Miracle win. As Nick wrote days ago, All Eyes are in Ft. Myers, though Miguel Sano was a big part of that story. Miguel Sano returned from the Dominican and was promoted to Rochester to continue his work. It was a full, fun night in the Twins minor league organization.Bailey Ober continued his remarkable run. Jose Miranda continued to rake and provide big hits for the Kernels. Brent Rooker went back-to-back in a couple of ways in the Chattanooga game. The teammate who homered ahead of him, homered late in the game to put it out of reach. Ervin Santana made what may be his final rehab appearance for the Red Wings. And let the discussion begin… Who will start for the Twins on Monday in Toronto? Littell? Mejia? Gonsalves?Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Friday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Fernando Romero was optioned by the Twins on Sunday, before the All- Star Game. On Friday, they announced that infielder Taylor Motter will take his spot on the roster.Miguel Sano has returned from the Dominican Republic and has been moved up to Rochester to continue his work.Ryan Eades was placed on the Chattanooga disabled list.LHP Bryan Sammons was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers.RHP Derek Molina was promoted from Elizabethton to Cedar Rapids.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 2, Norfolk 7 Box Score Ervin Santana is getting close. Dan Hayes noted that the plan for this start was for him to work six innings or 90 pitches. Well, the right-hander went six innings and only needed 66 pitches. He gave up just one run on two hits. One of the hits was a solo home off the bat of Mike Yastrzemski. He walked three and struck out one. Luke Bard came on and was able to record just two outs. He was charged with five runs on four hits, a walk and a hit batter. He did strike out one. Jake Reed came on and gave up one run on three hits over the final 2 1/3 innings. Juan Graterol led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with his third Red Wings double. Gregorio Petit went 1-for-2 and walked three times. Alex Perez came into the game having gone 0-for-4 over his first two Red Wings games. In this one, he went 3-for-5. Edgar Corcino added his second Rochester home run. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 9, Mobile 2 Box Score When you look at the final score, it might be hard to believe that this was a 3-2 ball game entering the eighth inning. The Lookouts responded with a six-run eighth inning to make it a laugher. Zander Wiel led the way. He got the Lookouts going with his fifth home run of the year. The next batter, Brent Rooker, followed with his 17th home run of the season. Wiel had the big blow of the eighth inning too as he knocked a grand slam to put the game out of reach. It was his sixth homer of the year and gave him five RBIs in this game. Brian Navarreto had the big hit in the eighth frame. His two-run double gave the Lookouts a 5-2 lead before the grand slam. Paco Rodriguez, a reliever, made his second start of the week. He worked a scoreless first inning. Sean Poppen then came in and gave up just one run over the next 5 1/3 innings. He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out four. Todd Van Steensel came on and recorded just one out. He walked two batters. Of his 14 pitches, just three of them were strikes. Williams Ramirez came on and allowed two of three inherited runners to score before getting the final out. Ryne Harper came on and threw two zeroes on the board. Wiel continues his impressive, breakout season. He went 2-for-5 with his fifth and sixth homers and five RBI. Brent Rooker went 1-for-3 with two walks and his 17th home run. Mitchell Kranson went 2-for-4 with a walk and his third and fourth Lookout doubles. Jordan Gore went 1-for-2 with two walks. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 11, Lakeland 6 Box Score The Miracle fell behind 4-0 after three innings,but a seven-run fourth was followed with a four-run fifth, and the Miracle came away with a nice win. Of course, the Twins top three prospects were very much involved in this game. Fair to say that Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff have adjusted well to the Florida State League and on this night both contributed mightily. Brusdar Graterol started and gave up four runs in the first three innings, but he gave up only those four runs over his six innings on the night. He gave up five hits, walked three and struck out seven. Colton Davis gave up an unearned run in his two innings, and Alex Robinson finished the ninth by giving up a run on a couple of hits. Having already scored four in their half of the fourth inning, a new pitcher was brought in and Royce Lewis greeted him with his first Miracle home run, a three-run shot. In the following inning, Lewis’s two-run single was the big hit. Lewis went 2-for-5 in the game with the home run and five RBIs. #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - 2-5, 2-2B(8), R, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 7 K, (82 pitches, 49 strikes) #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 0-5 #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Did not pitch. #6 - Trevor Larnach (Elizabethton) - 2-4, 2 BB, 2 RBI, K #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-3, 2 BB, HR(17), R, RBI, K #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch. #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch. #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 0-3, 2 BB #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, BB, R, 2 K #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - Did not pitch. #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 2-4, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI, K #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - 1-4, 2 BB, 2 R #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Did not play. #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Elizabethton) - 3-5, BB, R, RBI, K #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - 0-3, BB, K, RBI #21 - Jose Miranda (Cedar Rapids) - 2-3, BB, 2B(21), RBI *I figured that since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Norfolk @ Rochester (5:05 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero (2-1, 2.04 ERA) Chattanooga @ Mobile (7:05 CST) - LHP Dietrich Enns (0-4, 6.00 ERA) Lakeland @ Ft.. Myers (5:00 CST) - RHP Andro Cutura (3-4, 4.28 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05 CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (1-2, 3.49 ERA) Princeton @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Friday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. 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There was more than a full slate of action on Tuesday, as all six affiliates were in action, with one of them playing a doubleheader after their rain out yesterday. There were some solid pitching performances among them, as three games ended in shutouts for the good guys. There was also perhaps what I would call the most bizarre sequence of plays I’ve ever seen in a baseball game, but that’s only if I hadn’t played in, watched, and taken the scorebook for a ton of baseball in Minnesota’s amateur town ball league’s back in my day (bad, bad, defense and pitching). The good thing was, it was an epic collapse of the bad guys that led to a come-from-behind victory.To understand just how bad I’m talking about, you’re going to have to keep reading! You wouldn't even be able to read the notes on my scorebook (I'm going to let you try, though). Also be sure to discuss all the other performances in the system on Tuesday in the comments! TRANSACTIONS There were a some transactions before a few of the games, with the MLB team shuffling a few pitchers at Triple A: -The Red Wings activated catcher Jordan Pacheco from the seven-day disabled list, then had Zack Littell returned from the Twins while sending Gabriel Moya back up to the Minnesota Twins. -In the Appalachian League, left-handed pitcher and 2018 31st round draft choice out of Mississippe State, Zach Neff was assigned to Elizabethton. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Pawtucket 1 Box Score After leading off yesterday’s game with a home run, Byron Buxton got this one started with a double. He scored on a Gregorio Petit single for a 1-0 lead. In the second inning Chris Carter led off with a double and later scored on an RBI single from Leonardo Reginatto. Fernando Romero took it from there and was effectively wild to keep the Red Sox off the scoreboard. In 5 2/3 innings he allowed just three hits but walked five. He also struck out eight, but after a single to load the bases in the sixth and him at 98 pitches, Tyler Duffey was summoned from the ‘pen. He escaped the jam and would finish two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one. Alan Busenitz came on for Duffey with two outs and two runners on in the eighth and also got the final out without a runner scoring. He remained in the game for the ninth and made it somewhat interesting by giving up a solo home run but got all three other hitters out, including a K, to pick up his fourth save of the year. Petit finished with three hits including a double in five trips to the plate, and Edgar Corcino (2-for-4, K) and Reginatto (2-for-4, RBI) also had multiple hits to pace the lineup. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Tennessee 5 Box Score This game was tied at three through six innings, but the Smokies were able to get to reliever Ryan Eades in the seventh, pushing two across for the game’s final score. The Lookouts got multiple hit efforts from Alex Perez (2-for-5, R), Brent Rooker (2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, K), and Mitchell Kranson (2-for-4, 2B, RBI). Rooker’s double in the third inning was of the two-RBIs variety and he has nine RBIs in his last ten games along with four homers as he continues coming on in AA. As a team Chattanooga was 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Omar Bencomo gets credit for a quality start, as he finished the first six innings and allowed three runs. Those came on nine hits and two walks and he struck out three along the way. Eades finished the game with a scoreless eighth, getting the next three hitters out including a pair of K’s after a leadoff double. He allowed four hits total and struck out three. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Charlotte 1 Box Score The Miracle faced off against the Tampa Bay Rays ace on Tuesday night, with Chris Archer taking the hill in his first rehab start since going on the major league disabled list in early June. He held Fort Myers hitless through his four innings, walking only Luis Arreaz in the first while striking out seven. Fortunately for the good guys, Clark Beeker matched him in the run allowed column for those same innings. He allowed only an unearned run in 5 1/3 innings after an error in the fifth, and allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out one. Alex Robinson threw two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing a hit and walk with three strikeouts. Tom Hackimer got their final two outs, striking out both hitters he faced. Alex Kirilloff finally got a hit for Fort Myers in the seventh inning on a bloop single to center, but also got caught attempting to steal second. Caleb Hamilton added a single in the eighth and that was all the offense could muster. With the score still 1-0 in the top of the ninth, they went down one-two-three to fall to 35-45 on the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 0 Box Score Cedar Rapids got a fantastic start from right-hander Randy Dobnak and used a three-run second inning to take control of the game in a shutout of Wisconsin. Dobnak went 7 2/3 innings to improve his record to 6-2 on the season. He allowed six hits (five singles), walked none, and struck out seven. Thanks to some help from his defense and Timber Rattlers base running, he had only faced the minimum through 17 hitters. At 90 pitches (66 for strikes) and after allowing a two-out single in the eighth, Jovani Moran came up for the final out of the inning and would also finish the game. Twins Daily’s MiLB Relief Pitcher of the Month for June started off his July by striking out all four hitters he faced. In their three-run second inning, the Kernels got singles from Robby Rinn and Trey Cabbage, as well as doubles from Andrew Bechtold and Jordan Gore. Bechtold’s drove in one runner while Gore’s drove in two. They added an insurance run in the seventh on a sac fly from Jose Miranda. Royce Lewis (2-for-5, 2B), Rinn (3-for-4, R, 2 2B, K), and Gore (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB) collected multiple hits for Cedar Rapids. E-TWINS E-NOTES Game 1: Elizabethton 4, Princeton 5 (7 innings) Box Score In game one of their doubleheader, the E-Twins squandered an early 3-1 lead and fell to Princeton 5-4 in seven innings. DaShawn Keirsey drew a walk to lead off the game and would score the game’s first run on a Ryan Jeffers single later for a 1-0 lead. They extended that to 3-1 after two thanks to a two-run from Colton Burns. Starter Kyle Funderbunk went the first 2 1/3 innings for Elizabethton, where he allowed one earned run on two hits and three walks while striking out two. Seth Pinkerton went the next 1 1/3 and was on the mound to start the fifth, but two home runs and a walk put the Twins behind 4-3 before he could record another out. Johan Quezada finished the final two innings, allowing the go-ahead run in the sixth after a double and two pitches that got by the catcher. In the top of the sixth Elizabethton tied the game at four on an RBI groundout from Alex Robles, but they would strand a runner on third via a double-play ball and couldn’t push a run across in the seventh. Trevor Casanova reached base every time he came up, finishing 2-for-2 with a double, run scored, and a walk. Game 2: Elizabethton 10, Princeton 6 (7 innings) Box Score In game two Elizabethton found themselves down 6-2 heading into the shortened game's final inning but would capitalize on pitching and defensive miscues galore to storm back and take this one in the seven innings. Pedro Garcia got the start for the Twins and went just two innings. He allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out three. Moises Gomez got them through the fifth, allowing one run on two hits along with picking up two K’s. Assigned after inking his pro contract, Zach Neff picked up the win with two scoreless frames to finish the game. He waked one and struck out two. In the top of the seventh, fourteen hitters stepped into the batter’s box for Elizabethton, and only one player produced any hits (two singles), but they still put up eight runs thanks to an epic collapse from the Rays defense and bullpen. Two walks led off the frame before DaShawn Keirsey singled to load the bases. The arm that came out of the Rays bullpen next had this sequence in your scorebook (bear with me, it’s ridiculous): HBP (RBI) SF-9, RBI, (1 out) WP-BB/PB (unearned run) K (2 out) K/WP/E-3 (unearned run) E-5 (unearned run) E-3/BB BB Since that’s hard to decipher but still doesn’t tell the whole story, here’s how bad that sequence was in words: Hit-by-pitch, RBI sac fly, wild pitch to advance a runner before the at-bat ended in a passed ball for ball four that allowed a run to score, strikeout, strikeout on a wild pitch combined with a missed catch error on the throw to the first baseman (would have been third out), error on ground ball to third, dropped ball error in foul territory on first baseman that ended as another walk, walk. Needless to say it was over after that, but after a new pitcher was sacrificed, Keirsey delivered his second hit of the inning that brought in two more. Unfortunately, they weren’t RBI’s, as this single was of the infield variety and included another error on the shortstop. Neff ended the Rays suffering with a double-play ball and strikeout in the bottom half of the seventh. The Twins had just five hits as a team, with Keirsey picking up three of them total (3-for-5, R, RBI). Ariel Montesino and Albee Weiss added doubles. Andrew Cosgrove drew three walks. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Orioles 0, GCL Twins 4 Box Score The Twins got some fantastic pitching throughout their staff on Tuesday, as four pitchers combined on a shutout, allowing just two hits and striking out eight. Andriu Marin picked up his second win in three starts by going the first five innings. He allowed only one hit and struck out five. Tanner Howell got the next two innings, allowing the other hit and striking out one. Petru Balan and Frandy Torres each pitched scoreless innings to close out the game. They each struck out one, with Balan giving up a walk and Torres having a runner reach on an error. On offense, the Twins racked up ten hits as a team led by Yeltsin Encarnacion who finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a solo home run to lead off the game. Gabe Snyder had two hits in four trips and Augustin Marte drove in two with a single in the fifth. The Twins improve to 8-5 in Gulf Coast League play, tied for first in the South Division. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Randy Dobnak, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 7.2 IP, 6 H, 7 K) GS: 81 Twins Daily Hitter of the Day – Yeltsin Encarnacion, GCL Twins (3-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY 1. Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-5, 2B (21) 2. Fernando Romero (Rochester) – (W, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 8 K) 3. Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 0-for-5, K 4. Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) – Did not pitch. 5. Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 1-for-3 6. Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – Out for season with injury. 7. Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 2-for-4, 2 2B (20), 2 RBI, K 8. Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch. 9. Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch. 10. Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, 2B (14), BB, 2 K 11. Zack Littell (Rochester) – Did not pitch. 12. Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 13. Lewin Diaz (Fort Myers) – 0-for-3 14. LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 1-for-4, 2 K 15. Mitch Garver (Minnesota) – Did not play. 16. Ben Rortvedt (Fort Myers) – Did not play. 17. Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, 2 K 18. Yunior Severino (Elizabethton Twins) – 0-for-3, RBI, K 19. Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) – Did not pitch. 20. Felix Jorge (Rochester) – Did not pitch. WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves (5-3, 4.30 ERA) Chattanooga @ Birmingham (5:15PM CST) – TBD Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (3-4, 3.15 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (5:05PM CST) – RHP Edwar Colina (3-2, 3.24 ERA) Kingsport @ Elizabethton (6:00PM CST) – RHP Tyler Palm (1-1, 11.57 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (9:00AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! Click here to view the article

On Monday, the GCL Twins began their 2018 season with a win against the GCL Orioles. After previewing the Elizabethton Twinsyesterday, today we preview the Gulf Coast League Twins.After seven seasons of managing the GCL Twins (and Extended Spring Training), Ramon Borrego moved up to manager of the Ft. Myers Miracle this year. The Twins brought in Dan Ramsey as their new manager. He had been the coach at Whitworth University in Washington. He had led his team to the national Division III tournament three times. Ramsey is joined by two pitching coaches. Richard Salazar is in his first season on the job. He was drafted in 2001 and played pro ball right up through the 2017 season. Frank Jagoda joins the organization in 2018 as another pitching coach. He’s had a variety of roles in recent years including coaching at Patrick Henry Community College in Virginia and USA Baseball the last couple of summers. The Twins also hired a couple of new hitting coaches for the GCL. Luis Rodriguez originally signed as a player with the Twins in 1997. He worked his way up and spent time with the Twins for parts of 2005 through 2007. He spent parts of three more season in the big leagues. This is his first coaching opportunity. Also, Matt Borgschulte comes to the Twins organization after coaching in the Cardinals system in 2017. Prospects To Watch While none of the GCL Twins ranked among the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects coming into the season, this is a very talented group. Landon Leach is a very hard-throwing pitcher who will do well when he’s activated. Tyler Benninghoff was another high-ceiling prep pick from the 2016 draft who has a chance to jump up prospect rankings this year. The pitcher from the DSL that gets talked about the most is Michael Montero. Willie Joe Garry has a ton of potential, but he’s very raw. He may take a few years to get going, but has a very high ceiling. RHP Regi Grace also signed for significantly over slot value in the 10th round forgoing a scholarship to Mississippi State. While he wasn't on the roster yet, he obviously will appear soon, and he's got a ton of potential. THE ROSTER The Pitchers LHP Petru Balan (22) - signed November 2016 from Moldova RHP Tyler Benninghoff (20) - 11th round pick in 2016 from high school in Missouri RHP Prelander Berroa (18) - signed July 2016 out of the Dominican Republic RHP Donny Breek (18) - signed September 2017 from the Netherlands RHP Amilcar Cruz (22) - signed May 2016 from the Dominican Republic RHP Steven Cruz (19) - signed March 2017 from the Dominican Republic RHP Osiris German (19) - signed July 2016 out of the Dominican Republic RHP Tanner Howell (23) - 35th round pick in 2018 from Dixie State (Utah) RHP Landon Leach (18) - 2nd round pick in 2017 (37th overall) from high school in Canada RHP Andriu Marin (19) - signed November 2014 from Venezuela RHP Michael Montero (18) - signed July 2016 from Venezuela RHP Junior Navas (18) - signed July 2016 from Venezuela RHP Joe Record (23) - 28th round in 2017 from UC-Santa Barbara RHP Niklas Rimmel (18) - signed September 2017 from Germany LHP Fredderi Soto (19) - signed January 2015 from the Dominican Republic RHP Dylan Stowell (23) - 34th round pick in 2018 from California Baptist RHP Kai-Wei Teng (19) - signed October 2017 from Taiwan RHP Frandy Torres (22) - signed May 2016 from the Dominican Republic As I noted yesterday, it’s hard to always know the roles of the pitchers. Because of innings limits and innings already thrown in Extended Spring Training, as well as giving people opportunities, roles can shift throughout the short-season. Joe Record missed the entire 2017 season with Tommy John surgery and will likely not pitch in 2018 either. Soto is also on the 60-Day Disabled List. Meanwhile, Landon Leach and Junior Lavas will also begin the season on the 7-Day Disabled List. Tyler Benninghoff came back late last year to pitch a couple of innings in the GCL. Drafted in 2016, he immediately had Tommy John surgery. He has a chance to really step it up in 2018. The GCL Twins is a melting pot. As you can see, it has players from six different countries. This rotation consists of several players that performed very well in the Dominican Summer League. Steven Cruz went 4-0 with a 3.68 ERA in 29 1/3 innings. Andriu Marin went 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA in 47 1/3 innings. Michael Montero went 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA in 58 1/3 innings. Junior Navas went 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 18 2/3 innings. Fredderi Soto was 1-1 with a 1.34 ERA in 53 2/3 innings. Frandy Torres went 6-0 with a 0.72 ERA in 37 2/3 innings. Along with 2018 draft picks Tanner Howell and Dylan Stowell, Donny Breek, Niklas Rimmel and Kai-Wei Teng will make their professional debuts the first time they step on the mound in a game. The Catchers Yeremi De La Cruz (20) - signed September 2015 from the Dominican Republic Yeison Perez (22) - signed May 2016 out of the Dominican Republic Kidany Salva (19) - 17th round in 2016 out of high school in Texas (via Puerto Rico) Janigson Villalobos (21) - acquired in trade with San Diego Padres in May 2018 Villalobos came to the Twins organization last month as part of the trade that sent Phil Hughes to the Padres. This is Salva’s third season in the GCL yet remains younger than the two catchers who came to the States from the DSL. De La Cruz hit .286 with an .811 OPS a year ago. The Infielders Yeltsin Encarnacion (19) - signed in February 2015 from the Dominican Republic Edgar Herrera (21) - signed July 2013 out of Venezuela Agustin Marte (19) - signed February 2016 from the Dominican Republic Emmanuel Morel (21) - signed July 2013 out of the Dominican Republic Gabe Snyder (23) - 21st round in 2018 from Wright State Victor Tademo (18) - signed September 2015 out of Venezuela Estamy Urena (19) - signed July 2016 from the Dominican Republic Victor Tademo is the one player in this group that spent the 2017 season in the GCL. He was one of the youngest players in the league, and he still will be in 2018. Herrera and Morel were actually both eligible for the Rule 5 draft this year, and last year, but they have fought injuries. Morel is on the DL to start this season again. Herrera missed a lot of time last year with a hamate bone injury. Gabe Snyder was a big bat in the middle of the Wright State lineup. The three players who are making their Stateside debut this year all are intriguing. Encarnacion hit .318/.408/.523 (.931) with nine doubles, eight triples and two homers. Agustin Marte hit .299/.366/.419 (.785) with 11 doubles, three triples and a homer. Estamy Urena hit .306/.369/.434 (.802) with seven doubles, three triples and three homers. Outfielders Willie Joe Garry (18) - 9th round draft pick in 2018 from high school in Mississippi Alberoni Nunez (19) - signed July 2016 out of the Dominican Republic Samuel Vasquez (21) - signed October 2015 from the Dominican Republic Tyler Webb (22) - 40th round draft pick in 2018 out of Memphis The Twins went over slot to sign Willie Joe Garry and keep him from college. Tyler Webb was the team’s final draft pick this year. He was the centerfielder and third hitter for Memphis this season. Alberoni Nunez hit .352/.420/.545 (.965) in the DSL last year with nine doubles, seven triples and three homers. Vasquez hit .301/.396/.398 (.793) with four doubles, three triples and two homers. So there you have it, the Opening Day roster of the Gulf Coast League Twins. There are 30 players listed above, and as mentioned, more will likely be added in coming days as more players (hopefully Charlie Mack, at least) sign. For more information on the 2018 Twins draft picks, please click here (links at bottom of article). Click here to view the article

While the Rochester Red Wings had the day off, and the Chattanooga Lookouts and Cedar Rapids Kernels started their All-Star breaks, today we post our first short-season game summary. The GCL Twins played their first game of the 2018 season and gave new manager Dan Ramsey his first win as a professional manager.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Saturday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. But first, be sure to check out the 2018 Elizabethton Twins Roster Preview. TRANSACTIONS Rochester announced that infielder Taylor Featherston has been released. They also announced that catcher Jordan Pacheco has begun his rehab in the GCL.Ft. Myers officially added Miguel Sano to their roster.While you would notice it in the GCL Twins Roster Preview and the Elizabethton Twins Roster Preview, Baseball Americanoted that the Twins released several players from extended spring training as the short-season leagues get started. They are catchers Kerby Camacho and Darling Cuestro, 1B Kolton Kendrick, 2B Carson Crites, and outfielders TJ Dixon and Humberto Maldonado.RED WINGS REPORTRochester Box Score The Red Wings have a scheduled off day. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga Box Score The Lookouts began their All-Star break on Monday. OFs LaMonte Wade and Zander Wiel were named to the All-Star team. Wade has since been promoted to AAA. Wiel is currently on the disabled list. So is RH SP Randy LeBlanc who was named to the roster. Representing the Lookouts will be RHPs Omar Bencomo, Williams Ramirez and Todd Van Steensel, and LHP Ryne Harper. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Tampa 5 Box Score The big story in this game was the return of Miguel Sano to the Miracle lineup. The Miracle returned to the diamond on Thursday night, their first game back from their All-Star break. Sano batted third and played third base. His inclusion in the lineup pushed Travis Blankenhorn out to left field. Sano would factor into the end of this game. The story early in the game was the pitching performance of Andro Cutura. He gave up just one run and struck out eight over the first five innings. He struggled in the sixth inning and ended up giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out nine. Hector Lujan got the next four outs and was charged with an unearned run. He struck out two. Alex Robinson got all six batters that he faced out, including two on strikeouts. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Miguel Sano came to the plate with one out. Sano drilled a double down the left field line. Taylor Grzelakowski walked. Then Jaylin Davis played hero, driving in Sano with a single. Sano went 2-for-4 on the night. He walked in his first plate appearance. That was followed by a single, a double play grounder, a ground out and then the double. Luis Arraez remains on fire. He went 4-for-5 in this game. In his past 11 games, he has hit .500 (24-28) with five doubles and three triples. It took him awhile to get going after missing all but the first three games of the 2017 season with knee surgery. Lewin Diaz went 2-for-4 with his ninth double. Taylor Grzelakowski went 1-for-3 with two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids Box Score The Kernels began their All Star break on Monday. OF Alex Kirilloff, SS Royce Lewis, and RHPs Brusdar Graterol and Jared Finkel are the representatives. Although… GCL TWINS TALK GCL Twins 7, GCL Orioles 5 Box Score Congratulations to manager Dan Ramsey, hitting coaches Matt Borgschulte and Luis Rodriguez, and pitching coaches Richard Salazar and Frank Jagoda on their first wins as coaches in the Twins organization. Shortstop Yeltsin Encarnacion led off and led the way for the Twins. He went 3-for-4 with a single, double and triple. He scored three runs. DH Kidany Salva went 2-for-4 with three RBI in the game. Center fielder Alberoni Nunez also went 2-for-4. Catcher Jordan Pacheco was making his first rehab appearance. He went 0-for-2 with two RBI. He was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and also had a sacrifice fly. Andriu Marin was tasked with starting the opener. He gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk in four innings. He struck out three. Amilcar Cruz came on and threw three shutout innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. 35th- round pick (from Dixie State) Tanner Howell picked up his first career save in his first pro outing. He worked two perfect inning and struck out three. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Luis Arraez, Ft. Myers Miracle (4-5) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Tanner Howell, GCL Twins (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, first career appearance, first career save) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - All-Star break #2 - Fernando Romero (Minnesota) - Did not pitch #3 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - No game scheduled #4 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - No game scheduled #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - All-Star break #6 - Wander Javier - out of for the season #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - All-Star break #8 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - All-Star break #9 - Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) - All-Star break #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - All-Star break #11 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - No game scheduled #12 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - All-Star break #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 2-4, 2B(9) #14 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - No game scheduled #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, 2 K #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, BB, R, K #18 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton Twins) - Did not play #19 - Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) - All-Star break #20 - Felix Jorge (Chattanooga) - Disabled list, still no official timetable for return. TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP Dietrich Enns (4-6, 5.30 ERA) Chattanooga - Southern League All Star Game Tampa @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (0-0, 1.98 ERA) Cedar Rapids - Midwest League All Star Game Burlington @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article