Twins Minor League Report (6/19): Aaron Sabato, Alan Roden Provide the Power Before Matt Wallner Gave the Saints a Walkoff Win

[Seth Stohs]

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of JP Smith)

TRANSACTIONS   
Orlando Arcia was outrighted to St. Paul on Thursday but officially re-joined the roster on Friday. 

RHP Drew Smith was released by the organization. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 6, Omaha 5   
Box Score
CHS Field hosted a game with several storylines from the first inning through the walk-off winner in the bottom of the ninth. 

Minnesotan Aaron Rozek made the start for the Saints, and he has been terrific this season. The southpaw tossed four innings and gave up two runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out two batters. 

Starting for the Storm Chasers was long-time Twins and Saints pitcher Randy Dobnak. The veteran gave up three runs on six hits and a walk over the first 4 1/3 innings. He had five strikeouts. Dobnak was traded to the Tigers with Chris Paddack at last year’s trade deadline. He became a free agent when the Tigers declined his option for the 2026 season. Very early in the offseason, Dobnak signed a minor-league deal with the Seattle Mariners. Last week, he had an “upward mobility” clause in his contract. The Mariners worked out a trade that sent Dobnak to the Royals organization. 

In the bottom of the first inning, Alan Roden led off with a single. Gabriel Gonzalez followed with another single. Following a fielder’s choice, Aaron Sabato stepped to the plate and launched his 14th home run of the season to give the Saints a 3-0 lead. 

C.J. Culpepper came in for the fifth inning. He gave up an unearned run on two hits in the inning. He had a strikeout. Kody Funderburk and Taylor Rashi each pitched a scoreless inning. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Orlando Arcia singled. He stole second and went to third base on an errant throw. He scored on a Ben Ross sacrifice fly which gave the Saints the 4-3 lead. 

Lefty Jake Higginbotham pitched the eighth inning. He gave up a bunt single, and then Abraham Toro gave the Storm Chasers a 5-4 lead. The next batter doubled, and that was followed by a walk. Things could have gone really bad for Higginbotham and the Saints, but the southpaw stepped up. He got a pop up and then struck out the next two batters to limit the damage and keep the Saints within one run. 

Raul Brito worked a scoreless top of the ninth for the Saints. 

With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Alan Roden drilled a ball 108.3 mph at a 26-degree angle. It landed 411 feet away from home plate and when Roden touched the plate, the game was tied at 5-5. 

Gabriel Gonzalez followed with his 10th double. Harry Genth pinch ran for him. Matt Wallner came to the plate and lined a single to right field which allowed Genth to easily score the game-winning run.    

Roden went 3-for-5 with his fifth home run. Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with a walk and his 10th double. Sabato went 2-for-4 with his 14th home run and three RBI. Wallner went 2-for-4 with a walk, his eighth double, and the walk-off single. The top four batters in the Saints lineup accounted for nine of the team’s 11 hits, five of the six runs, five of the six RBI, two of three walks.   

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 4, Springfield 10
Box Score
Chris Vallimont originally came to the Twins in a 2019 trade deadline deal with Sergio Romo from the Marlins in exchange for Lewin Diaz. He stayed with the organization until May of 2022 when he was DFAd and claimed by the Orioles. About a year later, he received a call to the big leagues. He pitched in just one game and faced just two batters. He has been pitching in the Atlantic League the last couple of seasons. Last week, the Twins signed him. On Friday, he made his return to the Twins organization. 

Vallimont started and gave up one run on three hits, two walks, and a hit batter. Hunter Gregory came in and gave up four runs on five hits over 1 2/3 innings. Darren Bowen went two innings and was charged with three runs on five hits and a walk. Nick Mikolajchak worked the final two innings and gave up two runs on five hits. 

The Wind Surge scored four runs on five hits and seven walks. However, they were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Wichita was down 8-0 in the bottom of the seventh. Kala’i Rosario singled to lead off the inning. Garrett Spain followed with his 12th home run of the season. Spain also had two outfield assists. He threw out one batter at second and another at home.   

Andrew Cossetti hit his ninth home run to start the bottom of the eighth inning. 

Down 10-3 and with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Caleb Roberts was hit by a pitch, Cossetti walked, Khadim Diaw walked, and then Roberts scored when Billy Amick was hit by a pitch.  

Diaw was 1-for-2 with three walks. Cossetti was 1-for-2 with two walks and his ninth home run. 

KERNELS CHRONICLE 
Cedar Rapids 2, Beloit 12
Box Score
In the bottom of the first inning, Marek Houston led off with a walk. He stole second, his 24th steal of the season, and scored on a Walker Jenkins single. 

It was all Sky Carp after that. 

Garrett Horn started and gave up three runs on one hit (a homer) over the first two innings. He walked two batters, hit one, and had three strikeouts. Nick Trabacchi came in and gave up three runs on four hits, two walks and hit a batter in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out three batters. Brian Zeldin gave up three runs on one hit, three walks, and hit a batter in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two batters. Adam Falinski gave up one run on one hit and two walks in one inning. Sam Rochard gave up two runs on three hits and a walk over the final two innings. 

The Kernels managed just two runs on four hits, although they also walked six times. Jenkins went 2-for-3. Eduardo Tait hit his 12th double. Enrique Jimenez had the second RBI on a bases-loaded walk. Marek Houston had three walks in the game. 

MIGHTY MATTERS
Ft. Myers 7, Tampa 8
Box Score  
The Mussels scored four runs in the top of the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. Tampa scored two in the bottom of the fifth inning and three more in the bottom of the seventh to take the 6-4 lead. Fort Myers cut the deficit to 6-5 with a run in the top of the eighth inning. But the Tarpons scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the 8-5 lead. The Mussels made a comeback in the top of the ninth inning. However, they fell just one run short. 

Ramiro Villanueva made the start for Fort Myers. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on three hits and a walk over 4 1/3 innings. He had six strikeouts. 

Jake Murray came on and allowed both inherited runners to score. He was also charged with two runs on one hit in 1 2/3 innings. He walked two and had two strikeouts. Dylan Questad allowed both of his inherited runners to score and gave up one run in the seventh inning on a solo homer. Mike McKenna came in and gave up two runs on three hits in the eighth inning.

With two outs in the top of the third inning, Dameury Pena singled. Ryan Sprock followed with a single, and Ramiro Dominguez walked to load the bases. JP Smith came to the plate and drilled his eighth home run of the season, a grand slam that turned a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead. 

The Mussels were down 6-4 through seven innings. In the top of the eighth, Sprock and Dominguez walked, and Smith reached on an infield single. Sprock scored on a double play ball. Another ground ball and the inning was over with the Mussels still down by a run. 

Going to the ninth, the Mussels were trailing 8-5. With one out, Merphy Hernandez reached on a bunt single. He stole second and went to third base on a wild pitch. Ricardo Pena was hit by a pitch. Jayson Bass pinch ran for him and stole second. Dameury Pena drove in Hernandez with a sacrifice fly. After a wild pitch, Sprock doubled to drive in Bass and cut the deficit to 8-7. Unfortunately, that’s as close as they got. 

JP Smith was 2-for-4 with his eighth homer and four RBI. Ramiro Dominguez walked three times. Ryan Sprock was 3-for-3 with two walks and his seventh double. As impressive, he was 6-for-6 in pitch challenges in the game too. (five as a catcher, one as a hitter)   

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 3, FCL Red Sox 11
Box Score  
Putting crooked numbers on the scoreboard is very good. In this game, both teams scored in three innings. The Twins scored one in the third, one in the fourth, and one in the sixth inning. The Red Sox scored four in the first, two in the second, and five in the fourth inning. 

Down 6-0, the Twins got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Daiber De Los Santos led off with a walk. De Los Santos stole second. Carlos Taveras drove him in with his first triple. 

In the fourth, the Twins were down 11-1. With one out, Darwin Almanzar walked. He moved to second on a ground out. He stole third base and scored on a single by Jose Barrios. 

Carlos Taveras led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk. He went to second on a balk and then went to third on a passed ball. Later, he scored the team’s third and final run on a wild pitch. 

Veteran Eduardo Salazar made his second rehab appearance. He gave up four runs on four hits and recorded just two outs. Santiago Rojas came on and gave up seven runs (6 earned) on seven hits in three innings. He walked two and struck out two batters. Four of the seven hits were home run balls. Jack Walker came in and struck out four batters over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up no hits and just one walk. Infielder Yilber Herrera came on and walked one batter in a scoreless, hitless inning. 

DSL Twins 4, DSL Blue Jays 3
Box Score  
The Twins scored three runs in the top of the first inning. They added a run in the fourth and then hung on for a 4-3 win.

With one out in the top of the first, Juan Holmann walked. He stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Enmanuel Merlo walked. Another wild pitch allowed Holmann to score and Merlo advanced to second. Merlo went to third base on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, Merlo scored. Guess how? Whoa! You’re good! Yes, he scored the inning’s second run on a wild pitch. 

Luis Duarte walked and went to second on a wild pitch. Luis Suarez walked. Runners advanced to second and third base on a balk. The team’s third run of the innings came … on a wild pitch. 

In the fourth inning, Suarez led off with a double. He advanced to third base on a balk. With one out, guess how he scored. 

Wrong! Ashwar Sprok lined a single to right field to drive in the team’s fourth run. 

16-year-old Adrian Martinez made the start for the Twins. Coming into the game, he had thrown a combined 4 2/3 innings in his first two starts. On Friday, he more than doubled his career innings. He tossed five innings and gave up just two runs. He allowed five hits, hit a batter and walked two. Martinez earned his first win as a professional. 

Herkyn Taveras just turned 17 earlier this month. On Friday, he had his best outing to date. He tossed two innings and gave up only an unearned run on one hit and one hit batter. He had two strikeouts. Taveras earned his first career save. 

The Twins had just four hits and six walks. Three of the hits went for extra bases. Luis Suarez hit his second double. He also walked once. Misael Rodriguez hit his third double of the season. Anibal Beltre hit his first triple. Luis Duarte walked twice. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter(s) of the Day  
Alan Roden (St. Paul): 3-for-5, HR(5), R, RBI, K
Matt Wallner (St. Paul): 2-for-4, BB, 2B(8), R, GW RBI, K
Aaron Sabato (St. Paul): 2-for-4, HR(14), R, 3 RBI, K.
Ryan Sprock (Fort Myers): 3-for-3, 2 BB, 2B(7), 2 R, RBI.
JP Smith II (Fort Myers): 2-for-4, HR(8), 4 RBI, R, K. 

Pitcher(s) of the Day 
Adrian Martinez (DSL Twins): 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K, first pro Win. 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today.

#1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - Rehab in CR: 2-for-3, RBI (batted second, played CF) 
#4 - LHP Connor Prielipp (Minnesota) - 6 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 97 pitches, 63 strikes (64.9%)
#5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2B(12) (batted fourth, played C).
#7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-1, 3 BB, R, SB(24), CS(2) (batted first, played SS)
#10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, BB, 2B(10), R, (batted second, played LF) 
#17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 17 pitches, 11 strikes (64.7%)
#19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 1-for-2, 3 BB (batted second, played DH)

UPCOMING PROBABLES
Saturday, June 20
Omaha @ St. Paul (6:37 pm CT) - RHP Ryan Gallagher (2-0, 8.00 ERA)
Springfield @ Wichita (6:05 pm CT) - RHP Sam Armstrong (1-5, 5.02 ERA)
Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - RHP Eston Stull (1-0, 6.75 ERA)  
Ft. Myers @ Tampa (5:30 pm CT) - RHP Merit Jones (2-1, 2.86 ERA)
FCL Twins @ FCL Red Sox (9:00 am CT) - 
DSL Twins @ DSL Rockies (9:00 am CT) -  

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 36-41 (3rd place (of 5) in AL Central, 4.5 GB))
St. Paul Saints: 41-31 (3rd place (of 10) in IL West Division, 4.5 GB))
Wichita Wind Surge: 25-40 (5th place (of 5) in TL North Division, 18.0 GB))
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 31-34 (4th place (of 6) in MWL West Division, 9.0 GB))
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 37-29 (2nd place (of 6) in FSL West Division, 2.5 GB))
FCL Twins: 19-16 (2nd place (of 6) in FCL South Division, 2.0 GB))
DSL Twins: 5-9 (5th place (of 7) in DSL East Division, 4.0 GB)) 

Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! 

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