Twins Minor League Report (8/25): Perez Again, Jenkins Walks it Off

TRANSACTIONS

• UTIL Willi Castro begins rehab assignment with St. Paul
• RHP Alex Scherff transferred to St. Paul from Wichita

SAINTS SENTINEL 
St. Paul 10, Omaha 7
Box Score
Looking to get off the injured list after dealing with an oblique issue, Willi Castro started for the Saints on Friday night batting second as the designated hitter. Simeon Woods Richardson made the start and turned in six innings of three-run baseball. He allowed five hits and three walks while striking out three.

Omaha got up by a pair in the first inning, and added a third in the third inning. The Saints came out for the fourth inning and started to chip away. Jair Camargo singled home both Austin Martin and Willi Castro to draw within one. In the fifth inning, Hernan Perez blasted his sixth home run to score Gilberto Celestino and take the lead. Martin then stole third base and came home when the ball got away. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. kept things going with a double that brought Castro home and all of a sudden it was a 6-3 lead. 

After a 5-for-5 game last night, Perez made his mark on this one with his second homer of the game. A three-run shot in the sixth inning scored Yunior Severino and Celestino. St. Paul now had a comfortable 9-3 lead.

Castro is down with the Saints working to return for Minnesota, but with an option remaining, it’s curious if the Twins would opt for Martin instead. The key piece acquired for Jose Berrios has been on fire of late, and he’s a legitimate outfield option at all three spots. Although the Twins have returning players that will probably take September roster spots, Martin continues to prove his worth.

Ronny Henriquez and Kody Funderburk combined for three scoreless innings to close out the win. Martin was joined by Celestino and Perez with two hits on the evening.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 11, Arkansas 1
Box Score
Despite his innings now being limited, Marco Raya took the ball to start for Wichita on Friday. He worked 2 2/3 innings allowing one run on two hits. Raya walked two and struck out just one.

Arkansas grabbed a first inning run, but the WInd Surge took a lead in the third inning. Jake Rucker singled home Yoyner Fajardo and Tanner Schobel to grab a 2-1 cushion.

The Wind Surge put up runs in a big way during the fourth inning. Rucker singled again, this time with the bases loaded, and he brought home Alerick Soularie and Ernie Yake. Not wanting to leave anyone on the bases, Alex Isola blasted his 18th home run. Fajardo and Rucker scored on the big fly and it was suddenly a 7-1 game.

In the fifth inning Wichita exploded again. This time they came up with four runs and made it an 11-1 game. Fajardo singled home Soularie before Schobel’s single brought home both Fajardo and Yake. Isola then added a single to drive in Schobel and the rout was on. Unfortunately, a ten-run rule wasn’t in action Friday.

Fajardo, Rucker, and Isola all recorded three hits apiece. Schobel added two of his own on Friday night.

KERNELS NUGGETS
South Bend 18, Cedar Rapids 2
Box Score
After the Kernels put up 14 on Thursday night, it was South Bend’s turn for a big outing on Friday. C.J. Culpepper was chased after just three outs. He allowed five runs on seven hits, one of which left the yard. Culpepper didn’t give up a walk, but struck out two.

Cedar Rapids was down after the first inning thanks to a five-spot by the Cubs. Kyle Fedko did triple in the second inning to score Misael Urbina but the run was quickly wiped out. South Bend added a pair in the second, third, fourth, and sixth innings. The Kernels sprinkled one more in during their portion of the sixth inning on a passed ball that allowed Noah Cardenas to score.

From there, the Cubs added another seven and made Friday night’s contest a complete laugher. It only counts as one win, but it was an ugly loss. Cedar Rapids finished with just four hits and no one recorded more than one.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 3, Daytona 2 (F/10)
Box Score
John Klein started Friday night for the Mighty Mussels and he was nothing short of electric. Throwing six innings of one-hit baseball, Klein didn’t give up a run. He did allow three walks, but punched out nine on the evening.

Similar to Thursday night, scoring was at a premium for Daytona and Fort Myers. The Mighty Mussels notched the first tally with a fifth inning single from Gregory Duran. Three throwing errors on the play by the Tortuga’s allowed Duran to come around for a little league homer. In the fifth Walker Jenkins picked up his first Single-A hit, a single, as well.

Nolan Santos uncorked a wild pitch in the seventh inning to give Daytona their first run, and a second came around to take the lead before the frame was over. Jenkins recorded his first Single-A extra-base hit on a seventh inning double, and with Luke Keaschall crossing the plate, he tied the game.

After going 0-for-4 last night, Jenkins stepped in with the game on the line. He picked up his third hit and drove in Alec Sayre to walk it off for the Mighty Mussels. His 3-for-6 effort was the only multi-hit appearance for Fort Myers.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – John Klein (Fort Myers) - 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
Hitter of the Day – Hernan Perez (St. Paul) - 2-4, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR(7)

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:

#1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 1-5, 2 K
#2 - Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers) - 3-6, 2 RBI, 2B(1), K
#4 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
#7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 2-5, 2 R, 2B(7), SB(11)
#8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
#10 - Luke Keaschall (Fort Myers) - 1-4, BB, 2B(6), 2 K
#14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-4, R, 2 K
#15 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
#17 - Danny De Andrade (Fort Myers) - 1-5, 2 K

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Omaha (6:35PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak
Wichita @ Arkansas (7:05PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl
Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05PM CST) - RHP Zebby Matthews
Dayton @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - RHP Jose Olivares

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games! 

Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!