Twins Minor League Report (6/30): Saints Lose No-Hit Bid In 7th Inning, Wallner Keeps Mashing

[Seth Stohs]

The June schedule is now complete. It is hard to believe that three months of the season are already complete. The draft is just over a week away, and there are just a little over two months to go. The Saints reached double digits again. Big innings really helped both Wichita and  

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

The Twins offense showed up in Baltimore, ending a three-game losing streak. The Saints used another double-digit run scoring game with an interesting pitching performance. Wichita had a big first inning and held on for another win. Cedar Rapids just continues to find ways to win games, and they did so again on Friday. Things didn't go well for the Mussels, particularly their starting pitcher, but a rehabbing prospect had a strong game. The FCL Twins split a game at JetBlue Park, and the DSL Twins used a strong start and some power to win. It was a good day in the organization.

Keep reading to find out more specifics, and please feel free to fill up the Comments section with questions for me. I'll be happy to answer as many as I can. 

Here are the records of the six Twins affiliates through games on Friday. 

St. Paul Saints: 46-31 
Wichita Wind Surge: 31-40
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 44-28
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 37-35
FCL Twins: 10-9
DSL Twins: 6-13

Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. 

TRANSACTIONS
The Twins sent LHP Zach Neff to a rehab in the FCL on Saturday.
Catcher Duncan Hewitt was assigned to the FCL Twins.
OF Carson McCusker was assigned to the Mighty Mussels.
LHP Denny Bentley was activated from the Wichita injured list.
RHP Alex Phillips was released by the Twins. .  

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 10, Gwinnett 3
Box Score
The Saints scored early, and then the game went quiet, but then they added six runs in the sixth inning and later to have an easy win. 

But let’s start with Blayne Enlow. The right-hander tossed five innings of no-hit, no-run ball. He struck out three batters. The only negative was that he walked five batters. Just 44 of his 85 pitches went for strikes. It was his second straight solid outing following his rough Triple-A debut. 

Aaron Sanchez came on and gave up two runs on three hits and four walks over three innings. He struck out three. Finally Cody Laweryson gave up a solo homer in the ninth inning. 

It will likely surprise no one that Matt Wallner led the offense. He went 3-for-5 with his 19th double and third triple. Jair Camargo went 3-for-4 with his seventh double. Kyle Garlick went 2-for-4 with a walk and his fifth double. Anthony Prato had two singles. Gilberto Celestino went 1-for-2 with three walks. Andrew Stevenson had one hit and one walk. He also stole his 27th and 28th bases. 

The top eight hitters in the Saints lineup had at least one hit. Six different players drove in runs. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 5, NW Arkansas 4
Box Score
The Wind Surge scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and really held on from there. The lead was cut to 4-3 in the fifth. Wichita added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning which proved necessary because NW Arkansas scored one in the top of the ninth. 

In the first inning, Patrick Winkel singled to center to drive in Brooks Lee. Soon after, Aaron Sabato singled in Winkel. Seth Gray singled in Sabato eventually. Yoyner Fajardo scored the fourth run courtesy of a passed ball. 

No one had a huge game, but the Wind Surge got contributions from almost everyone. In the bottom of the eighth frame, Yunior Severino singled to center to drive in DaShawn Keirsey with what proved to be a very important run. 

The top seven batters had at least one hit. Fajardo went 2-for-4, the only multi-hit game for Wichita. Brooks Lee hit his 25th double, and that was the team’s lone extra base hit. No surprise. Keirsey stole his 26th base, and Fajardo stole his 22nd bag of the year. 

On the mound, it was Carlos Luna who made the start. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on three hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four batters. Alex Scherff came on with the bases loaded and allowed two inherited runners to score before getting the third out of the fifth inning. He worked a scoreless sixth inning. Taylor Floyd struck out three batters over 1 2/3 one-hit innings. Jordan Brink got the final out of the eighth inning. He gave up a solo homer in the ninth, but that was it, and he recorded his fifth save of the season. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 1
Box Score
Marco Raya gave up an unearned run on four hits and two walks over 2 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts. 35 of his 53 pitches were strikeouts. Kyle Jones came on and left two runners stranded to get out of the third inning. He went five more innings as well. Combined, he tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out five batters. Malik Barrington gave up two hits but no runs in the ninth inning to record his first save of the season. 

The Kernels only had five hits and three walks in the game. But it was just enough. In the top of the seventh inning, Jorel Ortega singled to score Tanner Schobel with the game-tying run. Next up was Noah Miller who singled to right that scored Ben Ross with the go-ahead, and eventually winning run. 

The Kernels had no extra base hits. No one had more than one hit. The only player to reach twice was Noah Cardenas with two walks. But as they have done all year, the Kernels just found another way to win a game. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 2, Lakeland 7  
Box Score 
Fair to say that Develson Aria’s 2023 season has been rather inconsistent. He’s either been really good and looked almost dominant, or he has had a forgettable performance. This game fits into the latter category. The southpaw faced six batters. He gave up a single and five walks. Four eventually came around to score. Without getting an out, he threw 31 pitches and just 10 of them were strikes. 

Jarret Whorff came on and completed four innings. He was charged with an unearned run on one hit and one walk. He struck out four batters. Wilker Reyes gave up one run on four hits over 2 1/3 innings. He struck out five batters. Zach Veen gave up a run on a hit and a walk in 1 1/3 innings. He struck out two batters. Johnathan Lavallee gave up two hits over 1 1/3 scoreless innings, though an inherited runner scored. 

Austin Martin’s rehab continued. He batted second and DHd in this game. He went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and he stole a base. Ricardo Olivar led off. He went 1-for-3 with two walks and his 10th double. Kamron Willman had the other hit and drove in the other run. Maddux Houghton walked twice and stole his 10th base. 

COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA
Game 1: FCL Twins 6, Red Sox 1  
Box Score
In the first game of this doubleheader, the Red Sox were the home team. The Twins scored five runs in the second inning and that was all they really needed thanks to some really strong pitching. 

And that’s where we will start. Brayan Medina gave up only an unearned run on three hits over the first six innings. He struck out three and didn’t hurt himself with any walks. He did hit one batter. Zach Neff came on and worked a perfect inning including one strikeout. 

In that second frame, Andres Centeno started the scoring with his second homer of the season. Omari Daniel drove in Bryan Acuna and Anderson Nova on a bases-loaded ground-rule double. Isaac Pena grounded out to shortstop, but both Frank Nigro and Daniel scored on an error. Pena grounded out to third base in the sixth inning to drive in the team’s sixth run. 

Nova was the lone Twins batter with multiple hits. He was 2-for-3 and hit his third double. 

Game 2: FCL Twins 2, Red Sox 8  
Box Score
Despite the second game also being played at JetBlue Park, the Twins were the home team. They actually took a 1-0 lead after one, but then the Sox scored six runs in the second and that was about it. 

Matt Gabbert made the start. He was charged with those six, second-inning runs. He completed four innings and gave up ‘just’ those six runs on 11 hits and a walk. He struck out four batters. Cleiber Maldonado came on and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in two innings. Yon Landaeta struck out two batters in a scoreless seventh frame. 

The Twins managed just two hits in the second game. Andres Centeno had a single and a walk. Jankel Ortiz had a single and a walk and scored one of the two runs. Nova had two walks, and he had an outfield assist. 

COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA
DSL Twins 10, DSL Yankees 7
Box Score
The Twins jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first. They increased that lead to 8-0 with a four-run fourth. The Yankees tried to come back, but the Twins added single runs in the eighth and the ninth innings. 

After a sacrifice fly by Jayson Bass scored Ariel Castro with the game’s first run, Carlos Silva singled to score Dameury Pena. Moises Lopez then launched his first home run of the season to give them a 4-0 lead. In the fourth frame, it was Castro who doubled to score Juan Hernandez and Angel Trinidad. Yilber Herrera then hit his first homer, another two-run shot. 

Miguel Cordero earned his first Win of the season with five solid innings. He gave up two runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out five batters. Juan Cota came on and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. Joel Garcia came in and went the final 2 1/3 innings. He gave up two runs on two solo homers. He had five strikeouts. 

Herrera went 2-for-3 with the homer and two RBI. Dameury Pena went 2-for-4 with a walk. In addition to his home run, Lopez also walked twice. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitters of the Day – Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 3-for-5, 2B(19), 3B(3), 3 R, 2 RBI, K.

Co-Pitcher of the Day – Blayne Enlow (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 3 K, 85 pitches, 44 strikes (62.5%).
Co-Pitcher of the Day – Kyle Jones (Cedar Rapids) - 5 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 64 pitches, 40 strikes (62.5%).
Co-Pitcher of the Day – Brayan Medina (FCL Twins) - 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. (Note - our next prospect rankings update will come after the draft.)

#1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-3, BB, 2B(25), BB, K.
#2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 3-for-5, RBI, K
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K.
#4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 0-for-2, 2 K
#6 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 53 pitches, 35 strikes (66.0%) 
#9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 3-for-5, 2B(19), 3B(3), 3 R, 2 RBI, K.  
#11 - Austin Martin (Rehab Ft. Myers) - 3-for-5, RBI, SB(1)
#12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, K, SB(14), CS(7)
#13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, RBI, 3 K
#14 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 9 pitches, 6 strikes (66.7%). 
#17 - Blayne Enlow (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 3 K, 85 pitches, 44 strikes (51.8%)
#18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 0-for-6, R, BB, 5 K
#19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K. 

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES
Gwinnett @ St. Paul (6:07 PM CST) - LHP Dallas Keuchel (0-0, 2.25 ERA)
NW Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Jose Bravo (2-3, 6.46 ERA) 
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 PM CST) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (first MWL start)
Lakeland @ Fort Myers (5:00 PM CST) - RHP Jack Noble (first FSL start)
FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (9:00 AM CST) - TBD 
DSL Angels @ DSL Twins (10:00AM CST) - TBD

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics!

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[mikelink45]

I disagree on Enlow. Five walks in 5 innings and a struggle to throw strikes is not make him good enough to be a pitcher of the day

[Blyleven2011]

Thanks Seth  ...

Enlow's pitching has been good this year except control still might have aways to go , he can get hitters out  , he most likely will be protected from the rule 5 draft and might even get a look in September with the twins  ...

Every team needs pitching  ...

Wallner keeps hitting  so he is consistent in AAA   Has his defense improved ???

[Guest]

Enlow's strike percentage was 51.8% if he threw 44 of 85 pitches for strikes.  It needs to be 62.5%, but the kid's come from a long way back.

[Clear Lake Twinsfan]

Both Lewis and Julien will likely have exceeded Rookie status before the next prospect update, so we will see some changes near the top of the list. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming first round pick will be placed.

[TopGunn#22]

I went with Medina.  Longest outing (over 6 innings) zero walks, 5 K's and one run.  

When will the Twins promote Brooks Lee to St. Paul??  Just before or just after the All Star break?  It's time to move him up a level and see how he adjusts to AAA.  

[Nashvilletwin]

Sorry Matt, Max and Joey hit dingers last night.  That gives each of them another month of leeway. You will just need to keep raking in St. Paul at least into August. 

[PDX Twin]

Quote

35 of his 53 pitches were strikeouts.

I'm curious how this would work...

[terrydactyls]

2 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I disagree on Enlow. Five blocks in 5 innings and a struggle to throw strikes is not make him good enough to be a picture of the day

"Blocks" and "picture"?

[terrydactyls]

To The Minor League Recap Staff

Please stop highlighting Wallner's achievements in the headlines.  It is so depressing to see that day after day while the Twins' keep trotting out .200 batters.

It's great to see all the SBs in the minors.  Hopefully some of that reaches the Twins.

[Dave Borton]

1 hour ago, Clear Lake Twinsfan said:

Both Lewis and Julien will likely have exceeded Rookie status before the next prospect update...

What is that magic number, 25 games in The Show.?I have never seen that defined. What is the number?

[mac098]

1 hour ago, davidborton said:

What is that magic number, 25 games in The Show.?I have never seen that defined. What is the number?

Rookies definitions are stated at the link. Julien is really close and Lewis is starting to approach that range of send him to AAA or make him everyday starter. 

[mikelink45]

3 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

"Blocks" and "picture"?

My spell checker really turns on me at times.  Thanks.  

[D.C Twins]

Free Wallner!

[roger]

Great article about Bechtold in today’s Strib, Seth.  Talks a lot about a recent decision to have him begin pitching out of the pen.  Said he is throwing 97.

[Seth Stohs]

8 hours ago, Clear Lake Twinsfan said:

Both Lewis and Julien will likely have exceeded Rookie status before the next prospect update, so we will see some changes near the top of the list. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming first round pick will be placed.

Very true... though if the 5th overall pick in the draft isn't either #1 or #2, that would be shocking. 

[gman]

Anybody familiar with Carson McCusker?

[Seth Stohs]

6 hours ago, davidborton said:

What is that magic number, 25 games in The Show.?I have never seen that defined. What is the number?

We go with the real rules, the Rookie designation. That is: 130 at bats for hitters and 50 innings for pitchers. And there there is a service time one too... maybe 45days or something. That's basically how relieves get past 'prospect' status

[Althebum82]

McCusker was in his third season with the Tri-City Valleycats (Troy NY) playing independent ball for former MLB star Pete Incaviglia.  This year he has been chasing the league's triple crown leading the Frontier League in HR, RBI. and BA.  He graduated in 2021 from Oklahoma State but was undrafted.  Supposedly the Twins had visited with him after his freshman year at Folsom Lake (CA) Junior College but things fizzled out when he decided to continue on with his college education and career.

A native of Sparks, NV he is reportedly 6'8" and 250 pounds.