Twins Minor League Report (6/25): Keuchel Debuts, Mussels Flex

TRANSACTIONS

• RHP Josh Winder recalled by Twins from Triple-A St. Paul
• OF Kyle Garlick cleared waivers and accepted assignment to Triple-A St. Paul

SAINTS SENTINEL 
Toledo 7, St. Paul 3
Box Score

After signing with the Twins on a minor league deal recently, Dallas Keuchel made his 2023 professional debut. He worked four innings and allowed just a single run. The lefty gave up four hits, and the lone run came on a solo blast. He struck out four batters. Keuchel got 11 whiffs on 54 pitches and his velocity topped out at 88.1 mph. He worked predominantly with his sinker, changeup, and cutter.

St. Paul gave Keuchel some run support in the second inning when Elliot Soto and Andrew Stevenson both singled in runs. Mark Contreras and Anthony Prato came around to score making it a 2-0 game.

After an Andrew Knapp home run put the Mud Hens on the board, Anthony Prato took a bases loaded walk to push Chris Williams across the plate. That’s when the Saints scoring ended, and a six-run inning for Toledo in the sixth did them in. With the rain coming, and it being getaway day, this one ended after the inning.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Arkansas 3, Wichita 1
Box Score
The Wind Surge went with Travis Adams to start this game, and he worked 4 1/3 innings. Adams allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits and a walk. He struck out four batters during his outing.

With Arkansas scoring single runs in the first and second innings, Wichita answered during the bottom of the second. Ernie Yake hit his first Double-A double of 2023 and drove in Alerick Soularie in the process.

Down by one until the fifth inning, the Wind Surge continued to keep things close. Arkansas added another tally in the fifth inning and a comeback was going to be necessary. Unfortunately for Wichita, the hits never came and the one run on seven hits were all the could muster for the day.

Soularie and Yake led the club with a pair of hits each.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 6, Beloit 0
Box Score
These two teams got together for some extended action on Sunday afternoon. Picking up their suspended game from Saturday, Cedar Rapids was able to reel off a 10-6 victory. With some brief downtime in between, Mike Paredes was ready to go for the regularly scheduled tilt.

Orlando Rodriguez started the shortened second game and worked five scoreless innings. He allowed only two hits with no walks while striking out a pair.

Neither side got on the board in the first two frames, but Tanner Schobel changed that in the third inning. His single brought home Kyler Fedko before Jorel Ortega doubled to drive in Emmanuel Rodriguez and Schobel. Ortega later came around to score on a Misael Urbina single and the Kernels had a 4-0 lead.

Continuing to make his mark on this one, Schobel blasted his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot scoring Fedko, and Cedar Rapids led 6-0.

In the sixth inning, Urbina reached on a throwing error which allowed both Ben Ross and Ortega to come home. Up 8-0, the three runs Beloit pushed across in the seventh inning wound up being inconsequential.

Schobel, Ortega, and Fedko all recorded two hits.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 9, Tampa 1
Box Score
C.J. Culpepper was on the bump for the Mighty Mussels on Sunday afternoon, and he did not disappoint. Allowing just a single hit across six innings, Culpepper didn’t give up a walk and was nearly perfect. He struck out five batters and dropped his ERA to 2.33 on the season.

Ricardo Olivar scored the game’s first run on a wild pitch from Baron Stuart in the third inning. With the bases loaded, Dylan Neuse drew a walk to bring Danny De Andrade home and make it a 2-0 lead early. In the fifth inning Neuse found a pitch he liked and clubbed his third homer of the season. A two-run shot, Rubel Cespedes also came home on the big fly.

Adding again in the sixth inning it was De Andrade recording his eighth double of the year. Coming through with the bases loaded, his big hit brought Gregory Duran, Luis Baez, and Olivar all across the plate. Now up 7-0, this one had been blown open. With the inning still going, Cespedes hit his ninth home run of the year and scored De Andrade to make it a 9-0 lead.

Tampa added a single run in the ninth, but it was nothing close to threatening an actual comeback. Cespedes put up a three-hit day while Olivar, De Andrade, and Duran all had two hits of their own.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – C.J. Culpepper (Fort Myers) - 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Hitter of the Day – Rubel Cespedes (Fort Myers) - 3-4, 2B(13), HR(8), 2 R, 2 RBI, K

PROSPECT SUMMARY
We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed:

#2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 3-4, 2 R, RBI, BB
#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, 2 BB, K
#4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 2-4, 2B(8), BB, K
#9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-3
#12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, 2 BB
#13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K
#14 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 0.2 IP, H, BB, K
#15 - Brent Headrick (Minnesota) - 0.1 IP, K

Each full season affiliate is off until Wednesday this week. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games!