Matt Braun

That's far too kind a compliment to be placed among those masters but I appreciate being appreciated.

It looks like he's getting a bunch of credit for the error in third inning. In WPA's view, he moved the runner to third and placed himself at first, turning a situation where a run was possible, but unlikely, into one where a run was extremely likely to score. Should he actually get credit for that? I don't think so. But that's the logic.

Image courtesy of David Banks-Imagn Images Box Score Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober – 5 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers (8) Top 3 WPA: Ryan Jeffers (.130), Bailey Ober (.090), Tristan Gray (.090) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Baseball has returned from its break. Even a sport needs a sojourn. The time off offered a reset—the kind of mental and physical break needed as players and coaches and executives gather their senses midway through the seasonal slog. In their foray into action rebooted, the Twins gathered at Wrigley Field to play against the Cubs. Bailey Ober took the mound, his first start in the hallowed grounds. With a shuttered sigh, he walked Pete Crow-Armstrong to start the game. Was anyone surprised when he immediately stole second? Then a second walk. Then an RBI single. Perhaps Ober should have considered himself lucky to escape the frame with just the lone run against him; he coaxed a strikeout from Alex Bregman and a double play off the bat of Ian Happ. The Twins responded with silence. If you choose not to decide, then you still have made a choice, of course. Colin Rea had them under his thumb. Alan Roden challenged a strike three obvious to the blind and dead. But it was a ruse; Minnesota had a plan after all. Luke Keaschall reached on an infield single in the third, and he made third while keeping Tristan Gray safe on a soft chopper with subtle acumen. The grounder found the second baseman, and the second baseman should have found the shortstop on a force play, but Keaschall blocked the line of sight—and slightly deflected the ball with an unruly, flailing arm—and caused the ball to smack Dansby Swanson square in the jaw, bloodying his square jaw. He would be fine. The Cubs lead would not be. Trevor Larnach slashed a single to left to score one. Then Ryan Jeffers swatted a sweeper that caught too much of the plate, sending the offering 369 feet out to left field for a short, yet potent three-run homer. The teams traded zeroes for two frames, with little resistance from either offense. Attempts were stifled. Balls in play found unforgiving gloves. It was a usual seesaw baseball streak; with scoreless innings and defeated hitters trudging back to the dugout after unsuccessful attempts to add on. The score changed but the deficit righted itself, as the Cubs plated a run on a wild pitch in sixth, and the Twins pushed across a run of their own thanks to a Ryan Kreidler pinch-hit single in the seventh. By now, the entering of the bullpens hadn’t changed either side’s fortune; matters were as they stood when the starters roamed the field. Andrew Morris gave way to Yoendrys Gómez and the lead remained true: Minnesota held still as the victors, besting the Cubs with only tepid resistance from the home team lineup. The Twins bullpen held them scoreless, a statement seemingly impossible in games past. Perhaps something has finally changed. Perhaps this iteration of the Twins have finally found themselves. We shall soon see. Post-Game Interview: Notes: Luke Keaschall is slashing .318/.436/.466 in his last 30 games. Bailey Ober has a 2.61 ERA in two starts since returning from the IL. Andrew Morris' scoreless streak extended to 18 innings. His ERA has dropped from 5.28 to 3.26. Ryan Jeffers' season wRC+ of 164 is the highest of his career and would be the highest mark for a qualified Twins catcher since 2009 Joe Mauer (170). What’s Next? The Twins and Cubs trek back to Wrigley Field on Saturday, with Taj Bradley set to start against Matt Boyd. First pitch arrives at 1:20 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THUR FRI TOT Nance 0 0 0 0 25 25 Gómez 0 0 0 0 22 22 Morris 0 0 0 0 14 14 Rogers 0 0 0 0 2 2 Rojas 0 0 0 0 0 0 Go 0 0 0 0 0 0 Adams 0 0 0 0 0 0 Funderburk 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

And I didn't think he deserved the promotion! Happy to be wrong

Correct. I misinterpreted his FanGraphs page, though the end result sentiment is the same.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (photo of Marek Houston) TRANSACTIONS No moves were made on Wednesday. State of the System With just one DSL game on the agenda today, it felt wrong to leave a dearth of unused report space here, unwritten and blank, with the lone match as the only discussion point. What fun is that? So, I thought I would shoot from the hip a bit about the state of the farm system, how the minor league season has gone, and how the draft class looks to affect matters. First, this year has been a little disappointing amongst the best in the system. Not bad, just a little disappointing. Perhaps no individual outcome so far has been worse than Emmanuel Rodriguez, who continues to be plagued by injuries, and is suddenly staring down the barrel of having three option seasons burned before he can even reach the majors (though he'll likely be granted a fourth-year option). That’s tough. Not just for Rodriguez’s development, but for the Twins, who could run into roster logistical issues trying to integrate him into the major league roster (assuming he stays healthy enough to even be able to play). So, thank the Lord for Marek Houston. What a season so far. He’s hit the ground running, and hitting, and fielding. He played his way to AA less than a month ago and has played essentially the same in a small sample; he remains a contact-oriented slick-fielding machine more akin to a shortstop in the aughts and throughout the 2000s before the position grew as powerful as any on the diamond (not that the 6’3” Houston doesn’t look the modern part). Between him and Kaelen Culpepper, it seems likely the Twins have a shortstop of the future currently residing in their farm system. The pitching is… in a strange place. It’s hard to say the group is weak considering Connor Prielipp and Andrew Morris graduated into major league contributors, which places them in an awkward “non-prospect youngster” tier. Still, matters aren’t ideal. Dasan Hill has struggled mightily. Charlee Soto is technically back but only has 2 2/3 innings under his belt. Riley Quick has struggled to throw strikes. Kendry Rojas has struggled to throw strikes. Adrian Bohorquez has struggled to throw strikes. Marco Raya and C.J. Culpepper are relievers. There’s no one yet like a Zebby Matthews or David Festa from years before who breaks out as a late-round college pitcher the team develops into a major league arm. Finally, I’m beyond excited for Vahn Lackey. What a dynamo. The Twins found themselves in a situation like 2023, with an opportunity to take one of the few blue-chip guys in the draft, and Lackey was their reward. He’ll add a solid injection into what is already a thoroughly talented system, and—like with Houston and Culpepper—Minnesota now likely has a long-term fixture at catcher in their organization, whether it be Lackey or Eduardo Tait. Dominican Daily DSL Twins 7, DSL Rangers Red 8 Box Score Yolcar Garcia: 3 2/3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Juan Holmann (2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB), Anibal Beltre (2-for-5, 2B, R) The DSL Twins lost on a walk-off on Wednesday. This was a DSL game through and through, with hits and walks aplenty, and unearned runs costing the Twins badly. Anibal Beltre led the charge offensively: the 17-year-old stroked a double, and singled. The lineup as a whole flourished, with every batter sans Emmanuel Merlo reaching base safely, and only the aforementioned Merlo and Jeferson Abreu failed to get a hit. Alam Soriano was perhaps the best pitcher of the day, though Arthur De La Cruz flashed quality until the ninth collapsed on him. Soriano covered 3 1/3 innings, allowing a run when Carlos Done tripled for the second time of the day and scored on a sacrifice fly. De La Cruz breezed through the eighth before an error greeted him in the ninth. Faced with trouble, De La Cruz surrendered a single, struck out two, walked two, then watched helplessly as Wisarly Rosario gave up the game-winning knock. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Alam Soriano Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Anibal Beltre PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Pirates @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (photo of Marek Houston) TRANSACTIONS RHP Jack Anderson claimed and optioned to AAA St. Paul Saints Sentinel St. Paul 5, Iowa 4 Box Score Aaron Rozek: 4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K HR: Kyler Fedko (16), Ben Ross (8) Multi-hit games: Kyler Fedko (2-for-5, HR, R, RBI), Aaron Sabato (3-for-5, R), Ben Ross (2-for-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB) The Saints eked out a win on Sunday. The Cubs struck first, with James Triantos jumping on an Aaron Rozek fastball in the second, launching the pitch above the elevated wall in left field. St. Paul was in a responding mood, however, as the Cubs could only celebrate having the lead for five batters before they suddenly were at a disadvantage. How? A Matt Wallner hit by pitch—shocker—an Aaron Sabato single, and an Orlando Arcia double smoked down the left field line. One inning later, Ian Daugherty extended the lead with his first AAA hit. Moisés Ballesteros struck back with a solo homer—these Cubs seem to favor the long ball—which perhaps gave Kyler Fedko a wild idea. Why doesn’t he homer, too? Brilliant. Seeing some logic in this thinking, Ben Ross, too, homered, giving St. Paul their fifth and final run of the day. Iowa struck for two in the ninth, but Trent Baker steeled himself, remained resolute, and whiffed Christian Betancourt on three pitches to end the game. The aforementioned Triantos ranks as the seventh-best prospect in the Cubs system, and he added a double in a 2-4 day. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 8, NW Arkansas 5 Box Score Chris Vallimont: 3 ⅔ IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K HR: Jaime Ferrer (3), Marek Houston (2) Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (3-for-4, HR, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB), Jaime Ferrer (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI) The Wind Surge rode an explosive offense to victory on Sunday. Someone let Marek Houston know that Twins Daily writers are running out of superlatives to shower him with. His supernova season remains shining and dominant: on Sunday, he collected three hits—two for extra bases—and took a walk, his first time reaching base four times in a game at AA. Watch him uncork one over the berm and into the scattered fans in left field: Art. Further down the lineup, Jaime Ferrer also had a potent day at the ballpark. He actually preceded Houston’s bomb with a tank out to right-center—a blast self-evidently impressive yet accentuated even further by the fact that he scored a direct hit onto the bouncy house beyond the outfield wall. Ruddy Gomez dominated the game’s final two frames, striking out three without allowing a run. His season ERA sits at 2.30. Billy Amick’s 61 RBIs are good for sixth-most in the Texas League. The outfielder Carson Roccaforte is the 16th-ranked player in the Royals system. He tripled once in five trips to the plate. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 2, Iowa 5 Box Score Dasan Hill: 2 2/3 IP, 0 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Jose Salas (3) Multi-hit games: None The Kernels struggled to get their bats going on Wednesday. Four hits. Two walks. Hey, at least half of their knocks went for extra-bases! They plated two, at least, as Jose Salas blasted a solo homer and Henry Kusiak drove in the aforementioned Salas with a double socked into the left-center gap. Pitching wise, Dasan Hill put forth one of the strangest pitching lines you’ll ever see. No hits? Two earned runs? Spread across two innings? The first score came on a walk, balk advancement, stolen base, and RBI grounder sequence, while the second arrived on a walk, two steals, and run-scoring wild pitch progression. Both unusual events. Occurring in back-to-back frames. It’s been that kind of season for the young lefty. Yasser Mercedes stole his 36th base of the season, the 21st most of all qualified batters across all of MiLB, which totals 1,321 players. Kane Kepley, the fifth-ranked prospect in the Cubs system, tripled once in three at-bats on Sunday. His alliterative name remains exceedingly pleasant to write. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 2, Bradenton 5 Box Score Merit Jones: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Luis Fragoza (10) Multi-hit games: Luis Fragoza (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI) The Mighty Mussels found little offense and lost on Sunday. Though most of the bats oscillated between cold and tepid, Luis Fragoza continued to be a right-handed firecracker. The 19-year-old blasted one way out to left-center, not quite hammered enough to cause the outfielders to remain stationary yet crushed enough that they realized how feeble their efforts were before they could even touch the warning track. He also doubled in the ninth. Fragoza might be the breakout Twins hitter of the low minors. He’s slashing a robust .343/.392/.650 in 137 at-bats for the Mighty Mussels this season, again, as a 19-year-old in his first taste of pro ball above the rookie levels. On the mound, Merit Jones enjoyed arguably his best start of the season, going five shutout innings with four strikeouts to lower his season ERA below “4”. He threw 58 pitches and earned eight swings-and-misses. The Marauders are, naturally, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, though this author must note a "marauder" sounds far more intimidating than a pirate, even if the words are synonymous. Anyways, their best prospect was the 21st team-ranked Edgleen Perez, who went 1-4 from the catcher position. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Merit Jones Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Marek Houston PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - DNP (went 0-2 with two walks in the Futures Game) #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #5 – Marek Houston (Wichita) - 3-4, HR, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB #8 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 0-4, 2 K #12 – Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 0-2, 2 BB #13 – Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 1-4, BB #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 1-4, K #18 – Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4 #19 – Billy Amick (Wichita) - 1-2, R, RBI, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Twins @ FCL Braves (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Rangers Red (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score Zebby Matthews: 6 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Kody Clemens (-.340), Zebby Matthews (-.190), Luke Keaschall (-.150) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The feeling can be fleeting. The hope and belief in a team. We follow these men—nearly every day, 162 games stretched across three of our four seasons—and want to judge them as right. A collection better than the typical. Sometimes we’re right. Sometimes we’re not. That’s the magic in the game: we get to see the players at every stage in their journey, with every rise and fall in play acutely observed and understood. Are these Twins capable? Is their recent solid streak an omen? Do we need to know more? Adorned in the lake-blue uniforms that mark a Friday home game, our heroes took the field with Zebby Matthews on the mound. Square-jawed and apparently fine after an injury scare in his last outing, the righty was fine in the first, if not a little inefficient, as he surrendered a single and worked deep counts in an otherwise scoreless frame. His opponent, Grayson Rodriguez, started matters differently. He saw an action-oriented frame. The Twins were ready to swing. And swing they did. Trevor Larnach doubled. Ryan Jeffers advanced him to second on a fly ball. Kody Clemens drove him home on a sacrifice fly. Josh Bell swatted a double of his own. Rodriguez had only thrown eight pitches. Beauregard’s bruisers wait for no one. A Royce Lewis lineout ended the frame with a prescient portend of Minnesota’s next few innings. They had opportunities—the runners were in place; the hard-hit balls were had—but the final product failed to match the sum of its parts, as the initial exciting strike devolved into a cold reminder of an inability to add on. Suddenly, after the fifth inning, those who care about such things like runs scored looked up and realized the home team still hadn’t done more. All the while, the Angels had taken advantage of a Matthews who looked hittable. The first inning was no mistake; Matthews worked through quiet second and third innings before the Angels rattled him in the fourth. Vaughn Grissom pelted a fastball into the stands for a solo homer, and Jorge Soler pummeled a double into the left-center gap. He advanced to third. And Matthews was so outside himself, he attempted to pitch from the stretch before switching to the windup in the same at-bat, which the third base umpire easily spotted and sent Soler home on a balk. The fifth mirrored the fourth. Something in Matthews took him out of his game. Los Angeles shot line drive singles around the ballpark, loading the bases with no one out. Nolan Schanuel scored one on yet another liner, and Grissom ushered in a fourth run with a sacrifice fly. Matthews limited the damage somewhat by coaxing a double play from Soler, but the Angels still led 4-1 against a Twins team trudging through the game. Perhaps the team realized they were running low on time, or perhaps Derek Shelton told them “fellas, respectfully, it’s the Angels,” because the bats finally whipped into shape. The struck with precision in the sixth, with Bell doubling, Lewis singling, and Brooks Lee breaking through with a double smacked into the left field corner. Austin Martin grounded out productively; he allowed Lewis to scamper home safely. It felt like a changing tide, the jump-start the offense would smoothly ride into the all-important rally that would shoot the Twins into the lead. The seventh flirted with a run but never finished the deed. The eighth only saw a base runner. Larnach doubled in the ninth. Finally! This must be it. And here it comes: Clemens smokes a ball destined to rattle around the right field corner, knotting the game in dramatic fashion. One problem. Schanuel, the Angels first baseman, leapt and stole the ball from its rightful home in the outfield grass. For out number 27 in the game. That's all. Try again tomorrow. Notes: Andrew Morris last allowed an earned run on June 10th. He's dropped his season ERA from 5.28 to 3.48. Three batters, Trevor Larnach, Josh Bell, and Brooks Lee, doubled twice on Friday. Lee is 13 RBIs and six runs away from tying single-season career-highs in those categories. Ryan Jeffers returned to the Twins lineup with a single and a walk in five plate appearances. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Angels return to Target Field on Saturday for an early-afternoon meeting, with Joe Ryan set to start opposite Ryan Johnson. First pitch is at 1:10 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Rojas 0 0 0 47 0 47 Morris 0 13 0 0 25 38 Rogers 0 17 15 0 0 32 Adams 0 0 20 0 12 32 Funderburk 0 0 20 10 0 30 Gómez 0 3 19 0 0 22 Go 0 0 0 18 0 18 Orze 0 0 16 0 0 16 View full article

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Jayson Bass) TRANSACTIONS RHP Matt Bowman signed and sent to AAA St. Paul OF Caleb Roberts was placed on the Wichita Injured List. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 1, Iowa 3 Box Score Aaron Rozek: 4 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Saints found little offense on Wednesday. Years in the future, when the woes and misdeeds of people of the present have dissipated, turned to a fine sand and silt, returned to the Earth and settled, others will look back upon these times with questions. Some inquisitions will be more serious than others. “How did they live?” “Were they a perfect people?” Certainly not, though they tried. “And who was that pitching all those games for the Twins minor league system?” Oh, that’s just Aaron Rozek. He’s up to 527 2/3 innings since the start of 2021. Travis Adams is in second with 416 1/3. Lethargic they may have been, the Saints got out to a quick start, with a spanked Walker Jenkins double kicking off the game; he soon scored on a sacrifice fly. They never scored again. The Cubs were not biting on Rozek’s hook. Both in a real and metaphorical sense. His adroit fisherman sense proved lackluster, and he suffered an ultimate humiliation in the second with a Cristian Betancourt three-run homer. Iowa also never scored again. The Saints’ bullpen—an effort on Wednesday composed of Raul Brito, Cody Laweryson, and Alejandro Hidalgo—was excellent. They combined for five shutout innings with six strikeouts and one hit allowed. Rehabbing big leaguer Ryan Jeffers went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Cubs left fielder Jonathan Long is a player of note. He ranks as the franchise’s sixth-best prospect and went 0-for-3, with a walk and a strikeout. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 5, NW Arkansas 7 Box Score Chris Vallimont: 4 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K HR: Brandon Winokur (1), Garrett Spain (14) Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (2-for-5, RBI), Garrett Spain (3-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI) A late Wind Surge comeback fell short on Wednesday. Scoreboards are expensive, Mr. Winokur; don’t expect this reckless insolence to be forgotten, whether it be your first AA homer or not. And look at the confused children that could have been hurt! After Winokur established what a pro-ball homer could look like, Garrett Spain expanded on the topic, taking an uppercut swing that could only be described as “ferocious” given his 5’9” 180 pound body. The ball might argue the man’s stature makes no difference; it was tattooed with a mighty force. What is there left to say about Marek Houston? Minnesota’s first round pick in 2025 has been a savant, with brilliance at shortstop and a contact, scrappy offensive profile that might satisfy the Nick Punto hole left in all of our hearts. On Wednesday he collected two hits, stole two bases, and made a dazzling play on the diamond. Houston is slashing .302/.367/.415 in 13 games with the Wind Surge. Drew Beam—a sentence an architect might say when talking about their day—is the 10th-ranked prospect in the Royals system. The right-hander pitched seven innings with three earned runs, striking out seven. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 3, Iowa 2 Box Score Riley Quick: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K HR: Yasser Mercedes (6) Multi-hit games: Yasser Mercedes (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) Yasser Mercedes led the Kernels to victory on Wednesday. It started like a lamb and ended like a lion: the spry Mercedes first reveled in his quickness, knocking an infield single to start the game before swiping second base. He arrived at third on a groundout and reached home on a fielding error. A journey unique only to speedsters. But only a speedster, he is not. Mercedes is a man of dimensions, though he chose not to reveal this fact until late in the game. He grounded out twice and stepped up to the plate once more in the eighth inning. To his right, the game-tying run on first. Only one out. Simply pass the buck? No. Mercedes uncorked a mighty hack and blasted a shot to left-center, clearing the outfield wall while slingshotting the Kernels into the lead. Riley Quick. Four walks? A man of your talents? The righty was otherwise excellent, allowing just one earned run over four frames, with one hit. He struck out five. And reliever Ivran Romero was even better. He hadn’t touched five innings in over a month, despite the fact that 10 of his last 11 appearances were starts. No matter. The San Diego product buzz sawed through the Cubs lineup, setting down the final 10 batters in order for the game’s well-deserved win. He also struck out five with just one earned run against him. The wonderfully alliterative Kane Kepley stands as the fifth-ranked prospect in the Cubs’ system. The outfielder went 0-for-5. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 5, Bradenton 6 Box Score Jason Reitz: 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K HR: Jayson Bass 2 (11, 12), Byron Chourio (6) Multi-hit games: Jayson Bass (2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI), Luis Fragoza (2-for-4), Byron Chourio (2-for-2, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB) The Mighty Mussels came up just short on Wednesday. A day for sons of J. The starter—with the traditional spelling—accrued 3 ⅓ innings, allowing a lone run while whiffing three. His season ERA with Fort Myers now sits at 2.84. The one who garnishes the name with a flavorful “y” had a power stroke and a hunger for homers. His first, a liner that landed nowhere near any creature with a pulse; the second a more traditional fly ball that once again eluded a carbon-based lifeform and had to settle for the dull thud of a cold, empty chair. Sandwiched between the Bass blasts was a rally that had, for a time, given the Mighty Mussels a lead. Byron Chourio observed that homering was fun, and decided to do so himself for the sixth time this season. Ricardo Pena followed with a walk, Merphy Hernandez tripled into the right-center gap, and Miguel Briceno squeezed a grounder hit just hard enough beyond the second baseman to plate Hernandez. Unfortunately, the Fort Myers bullpen—and some horrid defense—doomed our protagonists. The team’s third and final error of the game preceded a lengthy rain delay, forcing the players to ponder their defensive miscues knowing that two runners on base lurked in their future whenever Mother Nature was finished pausing the match. Play resumed. The first batter struck out. The second plated two unearned runs. So it goes. Edgleen Perez, Bradenton’s catcher, is ranked as the 20th-best prospect in the Pirates’ system. He singled once in five trips to the plate. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ivran Romero Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jayson Bass PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-4, 2B, R #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, K #5 – Marek Houston (Wichita) - 2-5, RBI #6 – Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K #8 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 0-3, BB, 3 K #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-4 #12 – Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 1-4, HR, R, RBI, 2 K #13 – Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 0-3, BB #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 0-4, 2 K #18 – Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI #19 – Billy Amick (Wichita) - 0-3, BB, 2 K #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-4, 2 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (6:38 PM) - RHP Ryan Gallagher NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM) - RHP Sam Armstrong South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM) - RHP Kolten Smith Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM) - RHP Reed Moring FCL Twins @ FCL Rays (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL NYY Bombers (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Right rotator cuff strain. Placed on the IL after the game on the 27th of June.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (photo of Wichita walkoff) TRANSACTIONS No moves were made on Sunday Saints Sentinel St. Paul 3, Buffalo 8 Box Score Ty Langenberg: ⅔ IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: Matt Wallner (15) Multi-hit games: None The Saints fell behind early and never recovered on Sunday. Ty Langenberg’s fourth pitch left the field of play. He should have quit while he was ahead (or not as far behind as he would soon be). The initial strike devolved into an elongated, laborious frame with base runners galore, and three runs across home plate. He threw 39 pitches to net two outs. Trent Baker mercifully ended Langenberg’s day. He netted the final out of the inning with one pitch. Baseball sometimes has a sense of humor. A Ben Ross sacrifice fly broke the shutout against St. Paul in the fifth. A Walker Jenkins single claimed a second run. A Matt Wallner clobber shot in the ninth put a beautiful shade of lipstick on this swine. Might Wallner be fixed? He slashed .315/.390/.730 in June and is off to a .333/.500/.933 mark in July. Like Royce Lewis before him, beating the brains out of AAA pitching teaches us nothing about him as a ballplayer. At some point, the Twins will need to bring him back to Minneapolis to see if he can return to his status as Paul Bunyan in the left-handed batter’s box. He even stole a base on Sunday. Rehabbing big leaguer Ryan Jeffers went 1-4 as the DH. Bison starter Jake Bloss is ranked as the eighth-best prospect in the Blue Jays system by MLB.com. He allowed one run across 4 ⅓ innings. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 9, Tulsa 8 (10 Innings) Box Score Cory Lewis: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K HR: Andrew Cossetti (14), Billy Amick (20) Multi-hit games: Khadim Diaw (2-for-3, 2 R, RBI), Garrett Spain (2-for-4, 3B, 2 R, BB), Kyle DeBarge (3-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB) The Wind Surge walked off their opponents on Sunday. Woe onto whomever attempts to predict a minor league baseball game. Cory Lewis entered the game on the heels of a ghastly eight run performance against these same Drillers earlier in the week… and, so, he naturally had one his better starts of the season. Though the WHIP wasn’t pretty, the baserunners were the price he paid for an unruly effectiveness, as Tulsa hitters had even less of a clue where his knuckleball was going than he did. The result was four shutout innings and a season-high matching seven strikeouts. Wichita kicked off the scoring in the third with yet another Andrew Cossetti blast, his fifth in his last five games. Two more runs touched home in the inning when Marek Houston stole his way around the diamond and Khadim Diaw knocked him in, and when the RBI-hitting Diaw trotted home off a Kyle DeBarge double. Tulsa racked up five runs, giving them a short lead until Billy Amick blasted a skyrocket that scraped one of Jupiter’s moons before returning to Earth. Matching scores pushed the game to extras, where the Drillers jumped on reliever Sam Ryan to push forth not just the Manfred runner, but an all-important second run to give them an 8-6 advantage. A death knell? Evidently not. The Wind Surge were in a rebellious mood. Rather than letting Tulsa end the day happy, they got to work building up another rally. A DeBarge single advanced the man on second to third, and a Jaime Ferrer hit brought him home. Then, Jose Salas swung an 0-2 count to his team’s favor by wearing an errant pitch off his foot. With the bases loaded—no room for anything but action of some sort—Quinn McDaniel shot a single beyond the first baseman, easily plating one, then two runs as a dashing Ferrer snuck in before the relay could get him. The Drillers are spearheaded by MLB’s fourth-ranked prospect, outfielder Josue De Paula. He singled twice in six trips to the plate. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 8 Box Score Michael Ross: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K HR: Enrique Jimenez (3) Multi-hit games: Enrique Jimenez (2-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB), Luis Hernandez (2-for-2, 3B, R) The Kernels squandered an initial lead on Sunday. The Mississippi River is the second longest river in the North American continent, flowing around 2,350 miles from its source at Lake Itasca in Minnesota through the continental US, discharging nearly 600,000 cubic feet of water. At least 260 species of fish—around a quarter of all fish species found in North America—call the river their home. And, after Sunday, it also claims an Enrique Jimenez home run ball. Unfortunately, neither the river or its tributaries could stop Quad Cities from striking back with a vigorous vengeance. They plated two in the first, third, fourth, and eighth innings to give them a clean rally for this author to efficiently describe with just one sentence. Cedar Rapids jabbed back with a run in each the fourth and the sixth; the former off a Dameury Pena single, the latter a Caden Kendle knock. Quad Cities—an affiliate of the Royals—sent the franchise’s seventh-ranked prospect to the ballpark on Sunday, catcher Ramon Ramirez. He doubled twice in five trips to the plate. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 2, Clearwater 6 Box Score Justin Mitrovich: 4 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Irvin Nunez (3) Multi-hit games: Quentin Young (2-for-4) The Mighty Mussels were thwarted by the only team ahead of them in the FSL standings. The first set the tone for the game. With hopes and sparkling dreams in their eyes, Fort Myers suffered a rough three-spot defensively, as a single, a walk, a hit by pitch, three stolen bases, and a bases-clearing double gave the Threshers a lead they would not relinquish. They didn't even steal another base all day. It was as if they were satisfied with simply revealing once what they were fully capable of. After three empty frames, Fort Myers offered a mild rebuttal of Clearwater’s thesis with a solo shot by Irvin Nunez, and a run-scoring groundout the next inning by Merphy Hernandez. A rough day for Fort Myers pitchers, Kolten Smith nonetheless put forward a respectable performance, hurling two shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts. Lefty James Tallon ranks as the 19th-best prospect in the Phillies system, and he pitched an inning out of the bullpen on Sunday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Cory Lewis Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Enrique Jimenez PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-4, RBI, K #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, R, 2 K #5 – Marek Houston (Wichita) - 1-4, R, BB #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-4 #13 – Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 2-3, 2 R, RBI #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 2-4, 2 K #18 – Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, BB, K #19 – Billy Amick (Wichita) - 1-5, HR, R, 2 RBI #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 3-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL White Sox (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-Imagn Images Box Score Mike Paredes: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K Home Runs: Kody Clemens (15) Bottom 3 WPA: Brooks Lee (-.150), Mike Paredes (-.140), Eric Orze (-.130) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) 249 years and 364 days ago, the Continental Congress - a group of men, some famous, some unfamiliar - signed in agreement with the 33-year-old Thomas Jefferson’s writing that men are created equal, and should be bound by the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In dissolving from British rule, they invited a fight. Indeed, a war waged brutally and bloody, nearly sapped the fledgling nation of the power and inertia of its boisterous political declarations. They won, and the spirit of the Revolution lives in this year, and every year since that great document was put forth. Though the precise meaning of the words of the men who enlightened and debated sparks disagreements to this day, their spirit remains firmly entrenched. A war was fought over these beliefs. Amendments to their words have passed. Yet, through it all, as the country faced challenges, obstacles, and obstructions, the calcified thoughts of our forefathers hover over every endeavor. Their beliefs, like a blanket all-encompassing and warming, remind us of what America was meant to be and what it could become with proper nurturing. So, baseball. The most American of inventions, next to apple pie and jazz. The Twins entered Yankee Stadium on Friday with strange momentum: they won four of their previous five series, yet that one loss was a drumming at the hands of the far superior Dodgers. Where does that leave our Minnesota heroes? Good enough to best the league’s average offerings, but a clear step below the best of the best? How brutal. A cursed lifestyle. We must see better before we can declare this team worthy of the playoff presents gifted to the worthy squads. And with Mike Paredes set to start against Gerrit Cole , fortune did not favor the Twins, at least in this game. The veteran Cole - armed with lethal stuff and pinpoint control - against the unheralded 25-year-old. The advantage was clear from the beginning. Yet the Twins found the first lead. Cole diced up Trevor Larnach to start the game and elicited a groundout from Brooks Lee to summon Kody Clemens to the plate with two out and no one on. He got ahead 1-2 before hanging a curveball a touch too high, allowing the hot-swinging lefty to blast the pitch 403 feet out to left-center. Good stuff. Excellent hitting. Can anyone believe Clemens was a random waiver claim over a year ago? Short-lived is the grace and wonder of the underdog. Minnesota may have struck first, but this is the Yankees—the boogieman of nightmares for all across the 32nd state. They can, and will, return the favor with prejudice. And so they did, with Trent Grisham smoothly sailing a solo homer into the right-field bombast. Tie game. Zeroes were traded until rain disrupted the switch between the top and bottom of the third inning. The precipitation continued to affect the game even after play was re-declared. Play again they did, though, and the Yankees quickly put a man on base in front of Ben Rice, who jumped all over a lethargic Paredes fastball for a two-run homer. The Twins answered with a run off a professional Victor Caratini single that split the infield and safely beckoned a dashing Clemens home. The fifth and sixth passed silently as Kody Funderburk held the Bombers bombless. The seventh was not as quiet. Eric Orze proved eminently hittable, as the Yankees rallied for two off the reliever, doubling, singling, stealing second, sacrifice bunting, and finally sacrifice-flying to cap their two-run add-on. Action stalled. A bases-loaded frame for the Twins in the eighth churned nothing. The ninth didn't even bother with the hope and potential for runs. So it goes. Notes: For tomorrow's game, the Yankees had intended to start Carlos Rodon, but he was placed on the IL today with heavy inflammation in his elbow. Byron Buxton missed his fourth straight game for the Twins due to a right hip impingement. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Yankees meet on the fourth for a 12:35 PM matinee as Zebby Matthews is set to pitch against the temperamental and mercurial TBD. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THUR FRI P Orze 0 23 0 0 28 51 Adams 35 0 0 0 0 35 Raya 0 25 0 0 0 25 Gómez 7 0 18 0 0 25 Laweryson 0 0 23 0 0 23 Funderburk 0 0 0 0 21 21 Morris 0 0 17 0 0 17 Rogers 0 0 15 0 0 15 View full article

I think it is weaker on the pitching side since the heyday of the team's magic with hitting on college arms late like Zebby and David Festa. It doesn't help, too, that two of their better pitchers graduated (Prielipp and Morris) and arguably the two best pitching prospects at the moment (Hill and Soto) are high school guys navigating the hurdles common for most prep arms.

Eh, back-end of the first round probably has more misses than you would think. The year before the Brewers took Josh Knoth there and he missed 2025 and is now outside their top-20. At that point you're just hoping for a guy good enough to simply make the big leagues. Anything else is gravy.

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography (photo of Riley Quick) TRANSACTIONS RHP Christian Becerra activated from 7-day IL (A+ Cedar Rapids) RHP Eston Stull placed on 7-day IL with right elbow injury (A+ Cedar Rapids) SS Kaelen Culpepper added to Future’s Game roster Saints Sentinel St. Paul 2, Buffalo 3 Box Score Ty Langenberg: 4 IP, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: Cody Morissette 2 (4, 5) Multi-hit games: Cody Morissette (2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) The Saints fell in a close match on Wednesday. You ought to know Cody Morrissette, perhaps. The St. Paul second baseman blasted two homers, the only runs of the day for the Saints. The Boston College product joined Minnesota’s organization this season after his fifth season in the Marlins system appeared to be going nowhere in particular. Might his luck be better with the Saints? We shall see. Sure, it’s not like rain on your wedding day, but there has to be some sort of irony in his two homers looking near identical. From the pitch location, to the swing, to the ball’s final resting place. Ty Langenberg enjoyed his third straight game walking two while striking out three. How unusual. The bizarre streak must bring some good luck: Langenberg has allowed just two earned runs over the 15 1/3 innings that make up his last four starts. Buffalo infielder Josh Kasevich is the 11th-ranked prospect in the Blue Jays system. He went 0-for-3, with a walk. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 3, Tulsa 10 Box Score Cory Lewis: 3 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: Andrew Cossetti (10) Multi-hit games: Khadim Diaw (2-for-5, 3B, R, RBI), Andrew Cossetti (2-for-4, HR, 2B, R, RBI) The Wind Surge were thumped on Wednesday. Whatever warlocks Cory Lewis entered into covenant with to keep his ERA low either deserted or tricked the young righty; he found no fortune or solace in any events on Wednesday. He allowed eight hits and an equal total of earned runs. Josue De Paula alone smoked three hits—a triple short of the cycle—off the hurler. Andrew Cossetti blasted a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth. The other notable extra-base hit came in the fifth, when Khadim Diaw smacked a deep fly ball to center that became a triple when the center fielder decided to see how soft the warning track dirt was. The aforementioned De Paula is the fourth-best prospect in baseball. Solely as a hitter, he might be the most frightening: a strapping 6’3” lefty with power, contact, and the good sense to know when—and how—he should unleash his mighty stroke. He ended the day with four hits, two of them homers. Oh, and he’s only 21. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 9, Quad Cities 7 Box Score Riley Quick: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K HR: Caden Kendle (5), Graham Brown (3) Multi-hit games: Brandon Winokur (2-for-4, RBI), Yasser Mercedes (2-for-4, R, RBI) The Kernels won an offensive flurry on Wednesday. Hey, it finally happened. Riley Quick found his rebound. The righty elicited consternation and nerves—the worries that his early-season success was a fluke—but took a mighty step towards dashing those anxieties, whiffing seven over four innings with no earned runs. It was his first start since April 29th without allowing an earned run. The Kernels offense was here, there, and everywhere, plating runs in five separate innings. The scoring started with a two-run Caden Kendle shot in the second before lying dormant for some time. The third and fourth passed silently, laying the foundation for the rally to come. In the fifth, Brandon Winokur coaxed home a run on a sacrifice fly and Dameury Pena slapped an RBI single to center. That ended scoring matters until Graham Brown stepped to the plate in the seventh and walloped a two-run shot over the berm in left. That sent the bats into overdrive. Or at least it spurned a three-inning run of… runs that gave the Kernels the lead. And it was more piranha-ball: the first eighth inning run came off an Enrique Jimenez walk, a wild pitch, a passed ball, and an RBI groundout. Kendle—who walked after Jimenez—touched home later off a Yasser Mercedes single. The final run arrived with a Brown walk, Winokur single, a double steal, and an Eduardo Tait sacrifice fly. All in all, Cedar Rapids went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position yet plated nine runs. The secret? Two-run homers and run-scoring non-hits. River Bandits DH Blake Mitchell is the third-ranked prospect in the Royals’ system. He collected two hits in four at-bats. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 1, Clearwater 6 Box Score Ramiro Villanueva: 3 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: Quentin Young (10) Multi-hit games: Ramiro Dominguez (2-for-4, 2B) The Mighty Mussels were thoroughly bested on Wednesday. Quentin Young homered in the fourth. This concludes the offensive portion of the evening. Mike McKenna provided two quality innings of relief, punching out a pair without allowing a run. Brent Francisco put forth an admirable effort too, yet—like the starter Ramiro Villanueva found out—poor defense would portend unearned runs, with four of them scoring in the game. Clearwater’s starter Matthew Fisher ranks as the 10th-best prospect in the Phillies’ system; he allowed one earned run in four frames on Wednesday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Riley Quick Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Cody Morissette PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-4 #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, RBI, 3 K #5 – Marek Houston (Wichita) - 1-3, RBI, BB, K #6 – Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K #8 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 0-4, K #12 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-5, RBI, 2 K #13 – Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 2-5, 3B, R, RBI, K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 1-2, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB, K #17 – C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K #18 – Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, R, RBI, 2 K #19 – Billy Amick (Wichita) - 0-4, 2 K #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-4, 2 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ St. Paul (7:07 PM) - RHP John Klein Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM) - RHP Preston Johnson Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM) - RHP Ivran Romero Fort Myers @ Clearwater (5:30 PM) - RHP Jason Reitz FCL Twins @ FCL Orioles (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Angels @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (photo of Kyle DeBarge) TRANSACTIONS SS Kaelen Culpepper activated from 7-day IL (St. Paul) RHP Bailey Ober sent to A+ Cedar Rapids on rehab Saints Sentinel St. Paul 0, Louisville 3 Box Score Kendry Rojas: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Saints were shut out on Sunday. “Two hits??” Well, you know the rest of the line. The outcome was perhaps unsurprising given that the Bats saw 7 1/3 of their innings come from rehabbing big leaguers: the first 6 1/3 from a Hunter Greene who looked quite healthy, according to the poor souls in the Saints’ lineup, with one more frame coming from old friend Emilio Pagán. To their credit, St. Paul’s pitchers matched the electric Greene, at least for a time. Kendry Rojas kicked off matters with three wonderfully efficient innings, striking out three while not walking a batter for just the second time this year. 24 of his 33 pitches went for strikes. Glorious. Ryan Gallagher attempted to continue the effort, though it was apparent from the start that his outing would be shakier than his predecessor’s. He allowed three straight hits to load the bases, only escaping on a force play at home and a strikeout. An ordinary fifth gave way to a sagging sixth, in which Gallagher’s command abandoned him altogether, turning into a three-walk, one hit by pitch quagmire that brought in the game’s first run. There was good news on Sunday. Kaelen Culpepper played for the first time in over two weeks, going 0-for-4 as the DH. With Walker Jenkins also in the lineup, this marked the first time the two top prospects played in the same game since May 2nd. The Bats are led, prospect-wise, by Héctor Rodríguez, the fifth-ranked player in the Reds’ system. The outfielder collected two hits and a walk in four plate appearances. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 5, Midland 10 Box Score Chris Vallimont: 3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: Kyle DeBarge (8) Multi-hit games: Garrett Spain (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI), Kyle DeBarge (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI), Jay Thomason (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI) The Wind Surge were thumped on Sunday. Fortunate favored neither squad initially. An early RockHounds lead was erased with a three-run third, the result of a rally that saw run-scoring doubles by Garrett Spain and Kyle DeBarge, and an RBI single from Jay Thomason. That lead, in turn, lasted one half-inning, and the new Midland advantage held all the way until the sixth when DeBarge cleared the center field wall for his eighth homer of the season. The dam finally broke not long after. A ridiculously good Ruddy Gomez outing gave way to a Kyle Bischoff appearance he would likely prefer to forget, as he was pounced for four runs across four hits. Jaylen Nowlin fared little better as he oversaw two more runs that gave Midland a double-digit total on the day. By total bases, it was DeBarge’s best day since his May 21st game against Tulsa in which he homered, doubled, and singled. The game was a nice respite for the infielder, as he has slashed a tepid .189/.277/.324 in June. The Rockhounds are an affiliate of the franchise formerly known as the Oakland Athletics (now just the Athletics as MLB would like us to forget that place and city is an integral part of a team’s culture). Superstar prospect Leo De Vries didn’t play, leaving seventh-ranked Devin Taylor the best youngster on the field for Midland. The outfielder singled twice and walked once in five plate appearances. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 8 Box Score Bailey Ober: 3 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K HR: Graham Brown (2) Multi-hit games: Brandon Winokur (2-for-5, 2 R), Danny De Andrade (3-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB), Miguel Briceno (2-for-4, 2B) The Kernels were walked off on Sunday. But before that—Bailey Ober! He’s back! The big righty took the mound in an organized game for the first time since May 30th. And he looked… rusty. Drenched on cobwebs and slowed by whatever mixed metaphors you prefer. Wisconsin’s leadoff hitter took him deep, and the lineup never let up on the rehabber, nailing him for seven hits across his 3 1/3 innings of work. He threw 57 pitches. One must imagine it won’t be long before he’s back with the Twins. Cedar Rapids was cursed by a lineup that wasn’t the sum of its parts: every batter outside of Yasser Mercedes reached base at least once, yet they could only total four runs. The culprit? A dreadful 3-for-16 showing with runners in scoring position. One of those hits was this Graham Brown screamer, though. A mention should go to Danny De Andrade for breaking free from a horrendous 3-for-29 slump over his last nine games in a 3-for-4 outing with a double and a walk. The Timber Rattlers are spearheaded by the 16th-best prospect in baseball, infielder Luis Peña, who went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 5 Box Score Merit Jones: 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: Luis Fragoza 2 (7, 8) Multi-hit games: Ramiro Dominguez (2-for-4, 2 R), Jayson Bass (2-for-4, R, RBI), Luis Fragoza (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI) The Mighty Mussels slipped through with a win on Sunday. Mercy for any who finds themselves opposing Luis Fragoza these days. He is a force. The right-hander has taken exception to the concept of pitching as a fundamental; he is slugging .615 in June, an impressive feat for any player at any level, let alone a 19-year-old who first donned a Fort Myers jersey on May 20th. Sunday was the zenith of his brutality: he blasted a pair of homers onto the left-field berm. The first landing between four youths who wisely dispersed in respects for the incoming ballistic; the latter a shot that safely cleared the greenery and only offered a threat to the stationary fence and man-made objects who had no choice but to accept the punishment. Another hero from the day was Ryan Sprock, which should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with his work since May ended. He’s been a maestro at the plate. The righty is slashing .417/.543/.625 in June with 19 walks to four strikeouts. Real grown man against kids' stuff. His 18-game hitting streak snapped the game before, but he still holds 30 knocks in the month. Entering Sunday, Rhys Hoskins in 234 plate appearances has 33 hits all year! This will go down as a historic month for the Twins prospect. Once more, this author would like to spotlight the position-player-turned-pitcher, Hendry Chivilli, who provided three more than respectable innings of one-run ball on Sunday, striking out three in his second straight successful outing, a step towards flushing away his disastrous June 16th adventure on the mound. He holds a 3.69 ERA stretched across 31 2/3 innings between the FCL and A-ball. Shortstop Antonio Jimenez ranks as the 15th-best prospect in the Mets system. He went 0-for-5 for St. Lucie on Sunday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kendry Rojas Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Luis Fragoza PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 0-3, K #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 0-4, K #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 2 K #5 – Marek Houston (Wichita) - 1-3, R, 2 BB, K #7 – Kendry Rojas (St. Paul) - 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K #8 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-3, K #12 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-5, 2 R, K #13 – Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 1-4, RBI, K #15 – Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K #18 – Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 0-5, 3 K #19 – Billy Amick (Wichita) - 0-5, 2 K #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 2-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Twins @ FCL Pirates (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL NYY Yankees (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article