Matt Braun

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Taj Bradley) TRANSACTIONS Twins RHPs Taj Bradley and Cody Laweryson were both sent to start their rehab assignments with the Saints in Columbus. Fort Myers placed infielder Bruin Agbayani on the 7-Day Injured List. Previously, he had missed about a month with a thumb injury. RHP Dylan Questad began his rehab assignment with the FCL Twins. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 2, Columbus 3 Box Score Taj Bradley: 1 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Hendry Mendez (2-for-5, RBI), Aaron Sabato (2-for-4, 2B) The Saints lost a frustrating endeavor on Sunday. Runners left on base—the ire of players, coaches, and fans alike. That mysterious curse struck the Saints once more on Sunday, as the team went just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, and only plated two runs, despite putting a runner on base to start a frame in six of their nine innings. On-base madness took a backseat to the starter. Taj Bradley pitched for the first time since his May 5th outing in Washington. With his pectoral injury evidently under control, the righty worked 1 2/3 inefficient innings, walking two while allowing a pair of hits. He threw 42 pitches and topped out at 97.8 MPH with his fastball. Hendry Mendez continues to wallop AAA pitching, as his two hits pushed his batting average at the level to .395. Perhaps even more fascinating has been the lefty’s ability to walk more than strikeout (currently at a nine-to-eight rate). He completed this trick across all of 2025; can he repeat it at the highest level of the minors? So far, the results have been encouraging. And he won’t turn 23 until after the season ends. The Clippers are an affiliate in the Guardians system. Known to specialize in switch-hitting middle-infielders, Cleveland once again claims a youngster with such skills: Angel Genoa. The 47th-overall prospect in MLB singled once in four at-bats. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 6, San Antonio 3 Box Score Eli Jones: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: Garrett Spain (10) Multi-hit games: None The Wind Surge needed just four hits to win on Sunday. You, the attentive reader, may wonder how they did so, while scoring six runs along the way. Here’s how: walks and errors. Nine and three of them, respectively. Evidently, one of San Antonio’s Missions was not to play clean, orderly baseball. Jhony Brito started for San Antonio on MLB rehab. He breezed through three clean frames before starting trouble in the fourth. A pair of walks begat a run-scoring fielding error, which was soon worsened when Brito threw away a pickoff attempt, scoring a second unearned run. Should a pitcher’s fielding error count as an earned run? The argument both ways makes sense. We’re digging deep into the technicalities of what “earned” should mean in this context, yet it does feel right that a pitcher should be penalized for a mistake under his control. Garrett Spain homered in the eighth to put a third run on the board; Andrew Cossetti doubled in Jorel Ortega to quickly make it a fourth score. The final two runs score in the ninth when wunderkind prospect Ethan Salas fired a ball wildly into left field in an attempt to nab Spain stealing third. Instead, both Spain and the trailing runner, Caleb Roberts, safely trotted home. The aforementioned Salas is not the uber-prospect he once was, but he still ranks as the 52nd-best youngster in baseball, according to MLB.com. He singled twice in five plate appearances. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 8, Fort Wayne 11 Box Score Miguelangel Boadas: 2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Brandon Winokur (5), Yasser Mercedes (1) Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (3-for-4, 2B, 2 R, BB), Brandon Winokur (2-for-5, HR, R, 5 RBI), Yasser Mercedes (2-for-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI) The Kernels lost a high-scoring affair on Sunday. Brandon Winokur continued his hot-hitting ways with a two-run homer in the first. The 21-year-old hit a paltry .198/.323/.358 in April before exploding to hit .364/.453/.564 in May, with just three hitless days in the month. That’ll play. Cedar Rapids’ second homer of the day off the certainly not Nominative Determinist Jamie Hitt, was a three-run shot by Yasser Mercedes, his first as a Kernel. Mercedes has actually improved his OPS since his promotion, jumping from 1.081 as a Mighty Mussel to 1.198 as a Kernel. It’s been a tremendous season for the 21-year-old in his 40-man decision year. On a day not for faint-hearted hurlers, Paulshawn Pasqualotto authored a fantastic relief outing. The righty whiffed four across 2 ⅓ scoreless innings. His season ERA is now 1.59. A.J. Preller’s dealing ways have left the Padres’ system weak on talent. As a result, the best prospect in the game for the TinCaps was Kavares Tears, ranked 26th in their system. He doubled and singled in four trips to the plate. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 9, Bradenton 2 Box Score Justin Mitrovich: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K HR: Jayson Bass (4) Multi-hit games: Quinn McDaniel (2-for-5, 2B, R, RBI), Bryan Acuña (2-for-4, RBI) The Kernels erupted in the ninth to win on Sunday. Quinn McDaniel, hitting machine, scored the first run with a double cracked into the right-center gap. Then? Nothing. Perhaps an odd baserunner. A rain delay. Bradenton took the lead in what felt like one of those times a team simply ran out of gas before they could repeat their scoring ways. Their first hit since McDaniel’s double didn't arrive until the ninth inning. But what an inning it was. JP Smith II singled and was pinch-run for by Jayson Bass—remember this. Ramiro Dominguez sent Bass to third but was thrown out at second attempting to stretch his hit as far as possible. No matter: Ryan Sprock walked, Irvin Nunez singled, Quentin Young walked, and Bryan Acuña singled to give Fort Myers the lead. A Harry Genth walk and Dameury Pena single made it a 5-2 game. That ushered Bass to the plate with the bases loaded. He was brought in for his legs, but he made the biggest impact with his bat: the lefty demolished one so thoroughly that even the pitcher had no choice but to stand on the mound and watch in pained awe as the ball flew over the fence. Marauders’ third baseman Murf Gray is ranked as the Pirates’ 17th-best prospect. He singled once in three at-bats. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Paulshawn Pasqualotto Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Yasser Mercedes PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-1, K #7 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 3-4, 2B, 2 R, BB, K #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-4, BB, 2 K #12 – Andrew Morris (Twins) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K #13 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 2-5, RBI, K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 0-3, R, BB, K #15 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-5, HR, R, 5 RBI #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 2B, K #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-4, 2 K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Braves @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Box Score Joe Ryan: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Andrew Morris (-.500), Josh Bell (-.340), Luke Keaschall (-.100) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The border battle. The Midwestern rivalry. The matchup of two teams in two separate leagues, whose effect on each other is minimal beyond the outcomes of the few games they play every year. Whatever description you favor. We here at Twins Daily don’t judge. Joe Ryan started for the Twins. The eccentric righty shook off his elbow problems from two starts ago to put forth a Joe Ryan-y outing in Cleveland, working around the typically plucky Guardians for one earned run spread across six innings. Friday should be more of the same. A pitcher named Coleman Crow started for the Brewers. Though his name is more in line with a 90’s singer-songwriter, the righty possesses some spunk; he allowed just two earned runs over 5 ⅓ innings in his previous start. The game started inconspicuously for Minnesota, with Jackson Chourio jumping on a first-pitch fastball—how rude of him—for a double to center. He soon scored on an infield single deflected into the outfield by a diving Brooks Lee. The 25-year-old Crow proved an impressive force for the Twins’ batters. His finesse was overwhelming; soft contact and easy outs abounded, as batter after batter failed to reach base. Minnesota didn’t earn their first base hit until the fifth inning—and even he was quickly erased in an attempt to steal second. But runs did appear, even if the early efforts were meager. James Outman and Austin Martin singled off Crow to start the sixth; the lead-running Outman reached third. That was enough to call Pat Murphy from the dugout to change pitchers. The new hurler, Aaron Ashby, coaxed Brooks Lee into a run-scoring double play to tie the game, a bittersweet outcome for the Twins. Minnesota then took the lead outright in the seventh on an RBI single by Royce Lewis, possibly aided by Kody Clemens distracting the infield into cutting off the throw to home. Then, the drama. No, not the recent Robert Pattinson movie; rather, this drama was confusing and unresolved. With runners on second and third, William Contreras grounded a ball to short. Lee fielded and threw to Royce Lewis, as the runner had hesitated a step, allowing for a possible out. So it was. Lee nabbed the runner. Until the umpires conspired and sent the runner home on an obstruction call, believing that Lewis had blocked the bag with his foot in an unfair manner. Derek Shelton lasted about 10 seconds before being ejected. Was the call correct? That’s your call. Milwaukee added on with an RBI double by Jake Bauers to take the lead. The sudden change of fate proved deflating for the Twins, who succumbed to Abner Uribe in the eighth before coming up empty against Trevor Megill in the ninth to lose the game. Notes: Joe Ryan's seven strikeouts give him 771 in his Twins career, good for the 13th-most in team history. He's eight behind José Berríos. Taylor Rogers appeared in his 337th game as a Twin, the ninth-most in team history. He's 10 behind Caleb Thielbar. Every batter reached base at least once except for Josh Bell, who's slashing .171/.211/.205 in his last 30 games. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Brewers play again on Saturday at 6:10 PM, with Logan Henderson set to pitch against Connor Prielipp. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Rojas 0 0 0 0 41 41 Topa 0 0 35 0 0 35 Adams 0 0 29 0 0 29 Morris 0 0 0 0 24 24 Rogers 0 0 0 0 23 23 Garcia 0 0 18 0 0 18 Banda 0 0 0 0 8 8 Gómez 0 0 0 0 7 7 Orze 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Deb Cram / USA TODAY NETWORK TRANSACTIONS RHP Sam Armstrong activated from 7-day IL (AA Wichita) Saints Sentinel St. Paul 3, Columbus 8 Box Score Trent Baker: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Ryan Kre5dler (2-for-5, 2B, RBI), Orlando Arcia (2-for-4, R), Hendry Mendez (3-for-4, 2B, R, RBI) The Saints let one slip by them on Wednesday. Everything began wonderfully. Starter Trent Baker was in a deep groove, allowing just one hit in his three innings—a knock that was later erased by a double play. He struck out four. St. Paul also found three runs. Hendry Mendrez drove a double to center to plate the game’s first run, and Aaron Sabato quickly singled in his friend to push the lead to two. A Ryan Kreidler screaming double in the following frame brought in a third score. Unfortunately, the Saints' bullpen struggled in the matchup, as the three hurlers following Baker all allowed multiple runs. That successive—or, rather, unsuccessful—streak turned what was a 3-0 advantage into an 8-3 deficit the Saints could never recover from. Daniel Espino pitched in relief for the Clippers on Wednesday. Some of you more avid prospect followers may remember Espino as Cleveland’s first-round pick in the 2019 draft. He was the One With the Golden Arm: the type of talented youngster apparently blessed by the gods with the ability to throw a baseball unlike anyone his age. He struck out 152 across 91 2/3 innings in 2021. That was his final remotely full season: Espino suffered chronic shoulder problems not long after 2022 started and missed all of 2023 and 2024. He’s back, but the magic is gone. A tragedy of the limitations of the human body. Clippers shortstop Angel Genoa ranks as the 47th-best prospect in MLB. He singled once in four trips to the plate. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 3, San Antonio 4 Box Score Eli Jones: 5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K HR: Billy Amick (10) Multi-hit games: Maddux Houghton (2-for-4, 2B, R) The Wind Surge were walked off on Wednesday. Tough luck for Eli Jones. The righty was excellent, striking out four in a hyper-efficient outing. Yet, his catcher—someone he’s supposed to be in cahoots with—committed a throwing error on back-to-back plays in the third, turning what could have been a ho-hum frame into a two-run quagmire that soiled an otherwise outstanding start. Wichita matched the runs with a gargantuan blast off Billy Amick’s bat in the bottom of the third. Good luck trying to see where the ball lands. Amick earned another RBI with a bases-loaded walk in the seventh, but San Antonio tied the game in the eighth. The ninth went no better. A walk begat a stolen base, which begat a sacrifice bunt, which begat a sacrifice fly to cap the rare no-hit run. Once again, this author is urging the good readers of this report to take notice of Alejandro Hidalgo. Yes, his ERA on the season is 6.75. So what. He now has 33 strikeouts in just 18 2/3 innings. That’s Hader-ish. There’s something happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear. But it sure is fascinating. Though the Missions are the team of uber-prospect Ethan Salas, the best youngster in this match was outfielder Braedon Karpathios, ranked 10th in the system. He walked once in four plate appearances. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 4, Fort Wayne 3 Box Score Miguelangel Boadas: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Kernels inexplicably won on Wednesday. Inexplicable in that the team was thoroughly outhit; struck out 11 times while taking just one walk; and only enjoyed six opportunities with runners in scoring position while their opponent had 19 such tries. In all likelihood, they should have lost. Yet, runs aren’t theoretical, and the nerds with their algorithms and abacuses sometimes suffer while watching the chaos of competition overrule the conceptual. Cedar Rapids scored their first two runs off a Jay Thomason double in the second. Fort Wayne answered with a run in the fifth, then struck again in the eighth to plate a pair and take the lead. Khadim Diaw reached on an error to start the ninth, which ushered in the frame that would win the game for the Kernels. Yasser Mercedes hit a mild grounder beyond the grasp of the TinCaps first baseman—an RBI single for all players, a two-bagger for the electric Mercedes. Then, a bizzarity. TinCaps pitcher Clay Edmonson, a sidewinder, fooled two people with his pitch: the batter, Rayne Doncon, who struck out looking; and his catcher, Lamar King Jr., who expected a different pitch, and whose attempt to adjust to the unexpected offering resulted in a ricochet into no man’s land. And that’s how a backwards K results in a man standing on first (Mercedes also advanced to third.) Miguel Briceno sent a sacrifice fly to right to win the game. The aforementioned King Jr. ranks as the 14th-best prospect in the Padres system; he collected two hits in five at-bats, tripling once. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 10, Bradenton 6 Box Score Merit Jones: 4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K HR: Quentin Young (4), Quinn McDaniel (1) Multi-hit games: Quinn McDaniel (3-for-5, HR, 2 3B, 3 R, 5 RBI), Jayson Bass (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB), Bryan Acuña (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB) The Mighty Mussels smothered the Murauders on Wednesday. The Twins added Quinn McDaniel to their organization on Sunday; on Wednesday, he authored one of the finest hitting performances we’re likely to see from a player this season. He tripled in the third off the wall (and the center fielder’s head). Then he tripled again in the sixth. And, finally, he homered in the ninth (albeit off a position player). That’s one way to make an impression on your new teammates. Though McDaniel enjoyed the better night, perhaps the single best swing came from Quentin Young, who obliterated a 111 MPH liner off the beer stand in center field. You don’t see many 23-degree launch angle shots to that part of any ballpark. Fort Myers pitchers struck out 14 in the game. Merit Jones whiffed five, then Jake Murray K’d two, Mitch Mueller beguiled four, and Mike McKenna ended matters by mowing down the side in the ninth. The Murauders are members of the Pirates system. Though Seth Hernandez sits one level higher, the team nonetheless offered their 17th-ranked prospect on Wednesday, third baseman Murf Gray. He singled once in five at-bats. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Eli Jones Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Quinn McDaniel PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K #5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2B, 3 K #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-5, 3 K #13 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 3-4, 2B, R, RBI #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 1-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 K #15 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 3 K #17 – C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K #18 – James Ellwanger (Fort Myers) - DNP #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, K #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-3, K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (6:37 PM) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Wichita @ San Antonio (7:05 PM) - RHP Sam Armstrong Fort Wayne @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM) - RHP Ivran Romero Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM) - Ramiro Villanueva (0-0, 0.90 ERA) FCL Rays @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography (photo of Rayne Doncon) TRANSACTIONS LHP Kody Funderburk optioned to AAA St. Paul LHP Kendry Rojas recalled INF Quinn McDaniel signed* Another Indy Ball Star? On Sunday, news broke that the Twins plucked Quinn McDaniel from the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. A 5th-round 2023 draftee, McDaniel spent two forgettable seasons in Eugene, Oregon, for the Giants' A+ ball squad before striking a path to indy ball. He obliterated the competition. McDaniel was hitting the days in the year, .365 in 14 games before the Twins handed him a minor-league contract. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Las Vegas 2 Box Score Ryan Gallagher: 3 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K HR: David Bañuelos (1) Multi-hit games: Kaelen Culpepper (2-for-5, 3 RBI), Ryan Kreidler (2-for-3, 2B, BB), Ben Ross (2-for-4, 2B, R) “This is bat country.” Perhaps, Mr. Thompson, but the bats of this series aren’t from the hallucinations of a drug-fueled madman: rather, the Saints’ wooden cylinders were as real and potent as the mescaline favored by Raoul Duke and his associate. And no one in this story made a beast of himself (except for maybe Aaron Sabato on Tuesday.) Ryan Gallagher earned the start for the Saints. Though the high-flying ways of the PCL clipped the wings of others before him, the UC Santa Barbara product proved to possess a steeled mettle: he overcame a minor kerfuffle in the first to give his team 3 ⅔ effective frames, punching out six. He threw 74 pitches. St. Paul supported their hurler early, scoring three in the second inning. Every run came off a rare bases-clearing single from Kaelen Culpepper. Credit goes to Harry Genth for busting it from first with a speed and vigor unseen outside a Mint 400 Motorcycle race. Because no Saints game can exist without a blast these days, David Bañuelos shot one over the left-center wall in the ninth off former Twin Who Got Away, Nick Anderson. It’s a mystery what Brian Schales is up to these days. The Aviators are an affiliate of the Team Formerly Known as the Oakland Athletics. Their fifth-ranked prospect, Henry Bolte, singled once in four at-bats, a notable outcome given he entered the day 12 for his last 12 with nine extra-base-hits, five of them homers. Wind Surge Wisdom Unending rain canceled the Wichita game on Sunday. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 10, Quad Cities 5 Box Score Dasan Hill: 3 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K HR: Rayne Doncon 2 (4, 5), Jay Thomason (4), Jaime Ferrer (9), Brandon Winokur (3) Multi-hit games: Brandon Winokur (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), Miguel Briceno (2-for-4, R), Rayne Doncon (2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI) The Kernels bashed their way to victory on Sunday. Rayne Doncon started matters with a second-inning blast, soon followed by Jay Thomason, whose homer was so powerful it emitted an “outfielder stopper” 15 feet away from the track. A confused fisherman will find the ball in the coming days. Jaime Ferrer’s three-run blast in the third gave Cedar Rapids a 5-0 advantage. The Kernels allowed the River Bandits to tie the game—how generous of them—before unleashing a second barrage upon their pitchers. Brandon Winokur joined the fun with his third homer of the season, before Doncon gave the left-field children another souvenir. Christman-born starter Dasan Hill put forth his best start of the season. The talented lefty suffered a dreadful April, allowing 15 runs in 16 innings, but evidently remained sanguine. On Sunday, he earned seven of his 11 outs on whiffs in his first scoreless outing of the year, though control remained an issue, as he walked three. The start was nonetheless a positive outcome for the youngster from Grapevine. Catcher Blake Mitchell is ranked as the 58th-best prospect in MLB, according to the league’s website. He went 0-3, with three strikeouts, a sacrifice fly, and a walk. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 5, Tampa 3 Box Score Matthew Dalquist: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Dameury Pena (2-for-4, R, 2 RBI), Jayson Bass (2-for-3, R, RBI), Byron Chourio (2-for-4) The Mighty Mussels took an early lead and never looked back on Sunday. Has Matthew Dalquist turned a corner? The 18th-round righty found April cold, chilly, and unforgiving; his ERA in the month sat at 5.40, and his WHIP neared 2.00. Through two May starts, though, he has allowed just two runs across nine frames, pushing his ERA down to a serviceable 4.03 mark. That’ll do just fine. Fort Myers’ offense started immediately. Dameury Pena—after taking a strike on a pitch timer violation—chopped an infield single, and Bruin Agbayani walked. A Ramiro Dominguez flyout did nothing to stop the momentum: Hungry Kusiak shot a single into left field to draw Pena home. Agbayani then scored on a wild pitch. Pena proved to be a magnet for scoring runs, as he singled in another score the following frame. Spoiler: Pena earned a second RBI on a fielder’s choice in the fourth. Even Rickey Henderson would have been impressed by his leadoff production (he also stole a base!) A middle-innings Tampa skirmish brought the score within one, yet Fort Myers plated an insurance run in the eighth off a Jayson Bass sacrifice fly. The Tarpons never scored again. The Tarpons are a part of the Great Yankees Talent Machine, the development system that pumps out major leaguers with brutal efficiency. On Sunday, they sent forth lefty Henry Lalane, their 14th-ranked prospect. He surrendered four earned runs in 3 ⅓ innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dasan Hill Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Rayne Doncon PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 2-5, 3 RBI #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-2, K #6 – Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - 3 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-4 #8 – Kendry Rojas (Twins) - 3 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K #9 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, K #12 – Andrew Morris (Twins) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K #13 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 0-4, 2 K #18 – C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 0-0 #20 – James Ellwanger (Fort Myers) - IL MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Twins @ FCL Orioles (11:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of © Ken Blaze | 2026 May 8 Box Score Connor Prielipp: 5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Home Runs: Byron Buxton (12) Bottom 3 WPA: Connor Prielipp (-.240), Ryan Jeffers (-.190), Matt Wallner (-.160) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Ah, the first Apple TV game of the year. How well did you do in finding a way to watch the game? This author—who is 27 years old, by the way—struggled to use their fiancé’s email to sign up for a free trial solely for this game. The process took ten minutes. We needed her face ID three times. The dinosaurs feel more relatable with each passing day. At least we were rewarded with baseball played by the 2026 Twins. Byron Buxton doubled to lead off the game—a false hope, as he remained at the base, cursed to watch his teammates fail to even advance him to third. In poetic juxtaposition, the Guardians scored their first baserunner—and many more (man, two em dashes so early seem a little aggressive, but we’ll work with it). Steven Kwan singled, and Connor Prielipp doinked a slider off Angel Martínez’s foot. José Ramírez chopped a grounder that should have netted at least one out, yet Luke Keaschall positioned himself too close to the dashing Martínez, who blinded the young second baseman, allowing the ball to escape him entirely and roll softly, harmlessly into the outfield, scoring one. Rhys Hoskins added on with a sacrifice fly. The damage would have been rationalized if Travis Bazzana didn’t soon clobber a hanging Prielipp slider to make the first an Officially Disastrous frame™. Cleveland led 4-0. And Cleveland starter Parker Messick was in no mood to relinquish that advantage. The 25-year-old Mark Buehrle impersonator tore through the Twins lineup. No runner again reached second base until the sixth; he simply didn’t allow it. Rather, the lefty worked at his accelerated pace, changed speeds, and kept Minnesota’s batters guessing, often incorrectly. But fortune changed in the sixth. Austin Martin “doubled” on a 56-degree chip shot over the first baseman’s head, enabling Ryan Jeffers to shoot an RBI single to right field. Impossibly, the Twins totaled three more consecutive hits without scoring another run; the lethargic Jeffers was thrown out at home following a Keaschall knock. “You know how to avoid getting thrown out at home? By blasting one out of the park?” -Byron Buxton, probably. The homer brought the game within one. Which was as close as things would get. Cleveland added on in the seventh and eighth to stretch things to a 6-3 advantage over the Twins. Minnesota put men on the corners with no one out in the ninth to spice matters up late, but a Jeffers double play neutered the rally. They fell one batter later. Notes: Byron Buxton is tied for fourth in the AL with 12 homers. Over his last 15 games, Buxton is slashing .284/.324/.687. Austin Martin's .464 OBP leads the AL (min. 110 plate appearances). Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Guardians will meet on standard TV for an early-evening Saturday affair. Joe Ryan is scheduled to start opposite Tanner Bibbee. First pitch is at 5:10 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Banda 0 19 0 20 22 61 Funderburk 0 0 17 0 22 39 Orze 0 16 0 0 16 32 Topa 0 0 32 0 0 32 Klein 0 0 0 31 0 31 Garcia 0 13 14 0 0 27 Rogers 0 0 0 26 0 26 Morris 0 0 14 0 0 14 Gómez 0 0 0 0 2 2 View full article

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Yasser Mercedes) TRANSACTIONS RHP Sam Armstrong placed on 7-day IL (AA Wichita) RHP Grant Hartwig activated from development list (AAA St. Paul) OF Emmanuel Rodriguez placed on 7-day IL (AAA St. Paul) INF Harry Genth promoted from A Fort Myers to AAA St. Paul RHP Christian Roa DFA’d Saints Sentinel St. Paul 11, Las Vegas 2 Box Score SP: Mike Paredes: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: Orlando Arcia (6), Ben Ross (2), Aaron Sabato (6) Multi-hit games: Orlando Arcia (2-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI), Aaron Sabato (2-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI) They say the PCL is a hitter’s paradise. Well, this amorphous “they” might be on to something. The Saints scored in three consecutive innings, as Orlando Arcia homered, Ben Ross homered, and Aaron Sabato… singled, giving St. Paul a trio of runs early. Then, the floodgates. All that was dammed and protected broke free in a furious seventh. Sabato started the frame with a homer—because the power-hungry first baseman had gone all of a few hours without doing so and felt a need to punish—before a Ben Ross walk started the sequence. A Kaelen Culpepper walk, and a Ryan Kriedler single stuffed the bags full. Gabriel Gonzalez brought in a run on a walk. Arcia doubled. Hendry Mendez and Alex Jackson brought the run total to 10; Ross then capped the flurry by reaching on an error. The Saints bullpen pitched five shutout innings with six strikeouts and one hit allowed. They did not walk a batter. Sabato entered the game with a .679 slugging percentage on the season. Hendry Mendez reached base three times in his Triple-A debut. The tremendously named Henry Bolte is the Athletics' fifth-ranked prospect. He homered once in five at-bats. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 1, Amarillo 3 Box Score SP: Ty Langenberg: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Wind Surge struggled mightily on offense on Wednesday. They actually took the first lead, plating a run in the second with the aid of a Sod Poodles error. That was it. If a Wichita Lineman were listening in the wires for another score, he would be disappointed. Maybe he should take that small vacation, after all. Instead, Wind Surge hitters suffered through a whiff-fest that would eventually grow to 17 punchouts. They had two hits and walked twice. Once again, this author finds himself fascinated by Alejandro Hidalgo. He’s allowed an unfathomable six homers in his 14 ⅔ innings in 2026, yet he’s also struck out 27 batters. Once the home run rate stabilizes, we could be looking at a breakout for the 22-year-old. Sod Poodles third baseman Jansel Luis ranks as the 13th-best prospect in the Diamondbacks system. He singled once in three at-bats. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 4 Box Score SP: Riley Quick: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Brandon Winokur (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) The Kernels couldn’t pull themselves out of a deficit on Wednesday. So, Riley Quick is human, after all. The righty entered the game with a 0.00 ERA, perhaps believing he may never allow a run again. The leadoff hitter sent his second pitch out of the park. So, it goes. Quick surrendered another score in the second. His season ERA is now 1.13. Unforgivable. The Kernels’ first run of the game arrived in the fifth, when Eduardo Tait and Brandon Winokur smacked back-to-back doubles. The sixth-frame run was a Jacob McCombs special: the outfielder singled, stole second, then stole third and trotted home when catcher Blake Mitchell presumably fired the ball wildly into center field attempting to nab Rayne Doncon running for second (this author can’t speak for certain, as the highlight only shows a camera statically stuck on McCombs trotting home with ease.) The aforementioned Mitchell is ranked as the 63rd-best prospect in MLB. He walked twice in four plate appearances. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 3, Tampa 4 Box Score SP: Matthew Dalquist: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K HR: Yasser Mercedes (5) Multi-hit games: Dameury Pena (2-for-4, RBI, BB), (Ryan Sprock 2-for-2, R, 2 BB) The Mighty Mussels stumbled late on Wednesday. Starter Matthew Dalquist had his best start in the Twins system. The 5’10” hurler danced through five quality innings, whiffing four while allowing just one run. The start chopped almost a full run off his season ERA and dropped his WHIP from 1.80 to 1.53. The vibes were great for the 18th-rounder out of UC San Diego. Fort Myers started quickly with a rocket off Yasser Mercedes’ bat, his fifth homer of the season. Returning in the fourth, Dameury Pena singled to left, plating Ryan Sprock before Mercedes took over the game once more. He warped the entire fabric of the match around his speed. The outfielder stole second, swiped third (without a throw), then broke for home and slid in safely, even allowing Sprock to reach second on the play. That’s four bases, and a run he created with just his speed and madman baserunning. Players went 0-4 on ABS challenges in the game. Starter Mac Heuer is the 24th-best prospect in the Yankees system; he went 2 ⅔ innings with one earned run. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Matthew Dalquist Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Yasser Mercedes PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 0-4, R, 2 BB, K #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2B, R, 2 K #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-4, R, RBI, BB, K #11 – Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K #12 – Andrew Morris (Twins) - ⅔ IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, K #13 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, 2B, RBI, K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 0-3, BB, K #15 – Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K #16 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K #17 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-3, BB, 2 K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 3 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Las Vegas (9:05 PM) - RHP Andrew Bash Wichita @ Amarillo (6:35 PM) - RHP Jose Olivares Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM) - RHP Jason Doktorczyk Tampa @ Fort Myers (5:35 PM) - RHP Merit Jones FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of CJ Culpepper) TRANSACTIONS INF Murphy Stehly assigned to Double-A Wichita Saints Sentinel St. Paul 8, Iowa 7 Box Score SP: Andrew Bash: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K HR: Ben Ross (1), Ryan Kreidler (4) Multi-hit games: Ryan Kreidler (2-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB), Orlando Arcia (3-for-5, 2B, R, RBI), Alex Jackson (2-for-4, 2B, R) The Saints hung on in a wild one on Sunday. Andrew Bash was magnificent in his start. The righty authored his finest appearance as a Saint, collecting six strikeouts across three innings with just a hit and a walk earned against him. Even the walk ended up not mattering; Bash immediately picked off the runner. Evidently, the Saints felt inspired by their starter’s dominance, as they scored a flurry of runs in the game’s opening act. Ryan Kreidler and Orlando Arcia collected RBI knocks in the first, then—in an effort to diversify their offensive ability—St. Paul flexed some power. Rather, Ben Ross popped his biceps; the shortstop sent a three-run homer over the elevated right-center wall, his first AAA blast. Aaron Sabato then tripled (!?!?) with the help of an odd carom, and scored off a Tanner Schobel sacrifice fly. That’s six runs across three innings. Times were good, and vibes were great until disaster struck in the sixth: while making an excellent running catch, Walker Jenkins collided with the outfield wall. He was pinch-hit for the next half-inning. The injury must have caused a dire grief to fall upon the Saints, as they nearly blew their tremendous lead. St. Paul pitchers coughed up runs in every inning from the sixth through the ninth, resulting in Grant Hartwig standing on the mound in the ninth with the bases loaded and two outs in a one-run game. St. Paul was once up 7-1. Hartwig ran the count full to Eric Yang—of course—before blowing a 93 MPH sinker past the batter for the game’s final out. There’s no such thing as an easy win. Cubs prospect Kevin Alcántara ranks third in their system; the 23-year-old outfielder homered once in five at-bats. The lanky outfielder homered for the third straight game and hit one in four of the five games he played this week. He leads the International League with 12 homers. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 4, Arkansas 8 Box Score C.J. Culpepper: 2 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: Murphy Stehly (1), Ricardo Olivar (7) Multi-hit games: Ricardo Olivar (3-for-4, HR, R, RBI), Jorel Ortega (2-for-3, R, BB) The Wind Surge were bested on Sunday. Lazaro Montes followed up his three-homer decimation of the Wichita pitching staff with a first-inning two-run shot. Perhaps C.J. Culpepper’s wisest option was to flash four fingers and move on with his day. While the Wind Surge answered back with three unanswered runs to take the lead—thanks to a Murphy Stehly solo shot, and a two-run single by Hendry Mendez—the Travelers fought back with a furious vengeance (or, they should be referred to as the “Mad Mallards,” as that was the name the team took on for the day. No reason was given for why the waterfowls were so upset.) Aaron Rozek took over for the blonde hurler but surrendered two runs in as many innings. Darren Bowen allowed a score as well. Jarrett Whorff escaped unharmed, but Luis Quiñones and Kyle Bischoff couldn’t say the same. By the time the dust settled, the Mad Mallards had crossed home plate eight times off the strength of 15 hits. The aforementioned Montes is the 37th-ranked prospect in MLB, thanks in large part to his titanic power, which—as Wichita pitchers now know—can be game-breaking. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 6, West Michigan 5 (10 Innings) Box Score SP: Ivran Romero: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K HR: Miguel Briceno (3), Eduardo Tait (5) Multi-hit games: None The Kernels won on a walk-off on Sunday. So, they did on Wednesday as well; something about this author possesses Cedar Rapids to be victorious in dramatic fashion. For a time, it appeared this outcome was out of reach for our heroic ears of corn. They entered the ninth down 4-1, as a Miguel Briceno solo shot provided the team’s only run. Yet, the team rallied, coming alive for three runs in a do-or-die scenario, merely three outs away from failure. Eduardo Tait homered. Then Brandon Winokur singled, Jacob McCombs did the same, and a stolen base/throwing error combo allowed Winokur to cut the deficit to one with the trailing runner advancing to third. A simple Rayne Doncon infield hit completed the comeback. The Whitecaps plated their complimentary Manfred runner but did no more—a missed opportunity for the away team as Cole Peschl’s wildness could have portended more. Cedar Rapids’ rally in the 10th was furious. Marek Houston was hit by a pitch, and Tait chopped a grounder the opposite way, pushing the third baseman to “oley” the game-tying run. Danny De Andrade singled in the winning run two batters later. MLB’s 30th-ranked prospect played for the Whitecaps on Sunday. Shortstop Bryce Rainer was Detroit’s first-round pick in 2024; he’s developed into one of the finest infield youngsters the sport has to offer. He doubled once in five at-bats. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 2, Daytona 5 Box Score SP: Justin Mitrovich: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Ryan Sprock (2-for-4, 2 R), Quentin Young (4-for-4, 2B) The Mighty Mussels struggled to find offense on Sunday. “Not I,” said Quentin Young, probably. The 19-year-old collected a career-high four hits, totaling half of the team’s knocks on the day. The outburst was a nice pick-me-up for the youngster, as he entered the day slashing .184/.263/.276 on the season. Unfortunately, the bottom third of the Fort Myers lineup couldn’t take advantage of the clogged bases; they went a combined 1-for-11 on the day, which is somehow better than the first five hitters, as they put up a 1-for-16 mark. Justin Mitrovich made his Twins system debut. The 2025 ninth rounder out of Elon posted an impressive Freshman season in 2023, holding a 3.68 ERA across 63 ⅔ innings with 66 strikeouts. His next two years were forgettable—and his 2024 summer league foray was dreadful—but the Twins still saw enough in the righty out of Trenton to select him in last year’s draft. Our scouting report on him can be found here. You can also see his 45-minute Twins Spotlight interview here. And in his first start, he was great. Mitrovich scattered three singles and two walks across his four frames, punching out five with just 60 pitches. He never allowed a baserunner to reach third. Ryan Sprock, Fort Myers’ DH in the game, was a teammate of Mitrovich's in college, and the Twins selected him one round before the hurler. Cincinnati’s ninth-ranked prospect, pitcher Sheng-En Lin, entered as a reliever and tossed four innings while allowing one run. He struck out four. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Justin Mitrovich Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ricardo Olivar PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-2, R, BB #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, HR, R, RBI #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-2, K #9 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, K #12 – Andrew Morris (Twins) - 3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K #13 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, R, 2 K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 4-4, 2B #16 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 1-3, 2 RBI #18 – C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - 2 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 0-0, R MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Pirates @ FCL Twins (11:00 am CT): TBD View full article

Cheap punching bag. Don't take it too seriously. Meant to be in the vein of Bert's "California math."

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson: 4 ⅔ IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Home Runs: Byron Buxton (9) Bottom 3 WPA: Simeon Woods Richardson (-0.410), Ryan Jeffers (-0.090), Josh Bell (-0.090) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) One day after the Great Night in Minnesota Sports, life went on. The Twins - by far the least glorious member of the previous day’s winning association - returned to Target Field to play the Blue Jays. Champagne and celebrations occurred elsewhere; at the ballpark, it was business as usual. That business was spearheaded by Simeon Woods Richardson, owner of the starting rotation’s most ghastly ERA. 2026 hasn’t been kind to him: the young righty has seen his swing-and-miss ability plummet while his earned runs have ballooned. He entered the day with 15 strikeouts. All season. Across 30 innings. Even a product of the public education system could see he had issues. Would they continue on Friday? The two teams exchanged a gentleman’s shutout first inning before Toronto struck in the second. Two singles and a wild pitch placed runners at second and third. A chopper hit to Josh Bell should have cut off the runner to home. It did not. Bell unleashed a Tyler Rogers sinker that grew wings and flew beyond the grasp of catcher Victor Caratini, forcing the poor backstop into a Daulton Varsho collision as the ball caromed out of bounds, allowing the trailing runner to score as well. The blunder gave the Blue Jays the early advantage, but Minnesota had a trick up its sleeve: Byron Buxton. Although considering his name was on the lineup hours before the game started, precisely how tricky his appearance was appears dubious. In any case, Buxton stepped up to the plate in the third, correctly guessed how a Patrick Corbin breaker would spin, and blasted the low-and-inside offering just over the left field wall, scoring two. The good news ends there. For a time. The Blue Jays flocked with two more in the fourth, two in the fifth, and… one in the seventh. Kazuma Okamoto homered twice. Woods Richardson tried in vain to find an offering that would fool Toronto’s hitters, yet hard contact followed him with each selection. He continued to stumble with two outs in the fourth before Derek Shelton called it a day for the hurler and went to his bullpen. Meanwhile, Twins hitters could do little. Not nothing, but only a little. Corbin proved too tricky on Friday. As did Toronto’s onslaught of relievers—Minnesota did load the bases against Jeff Hoffman in the eighth, but a sacrifice fly served as the only run they could net off the struggling former closer. They probably should have done more. Toronto sent Louis Varland out for the ninth. They didn't just rub salt in the wound: they widened the gash before dropping enough sodium to salt McDonald's French Fries for the next decade. Despite a pair of baserunners, Minnesota couldn't get a rally going, and they fell to the Blue Jays in a sloppy contest. Notes: Byron Buxton collected his 800th career MLB hit on Saturday. He has the 24th-most in Twins history. Austin Martin's .484 OBP leads MLB (min. 90 PA) Brooks Lee is slashing .296/.345/.556 over his last seven games. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Blue Jays continue their Great Northern Battle with a mid-day foray on Saturday. Connor Prielipp starts opposite Dylan Cease. First pitch is at 1:10 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUES WED THUR FRI TOT Orze 0 0 28 0 33 61 Morris 40 0 0 19 0 59 Banda 0 0 22 14 0 36 Rogers 14 0 13 0 8 35 Garcia 0 23 0 0 9 32 Funderburk 0 15 0 0 0 15 Sands 0 13 0 0 0 13 Topa 0 0 0 12 0 12 View full article

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Riley Quick) TRANSACTIONS The Twins signed utility man Henry Kusiak away from Lew Ford and the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. In a Ducks press release, Ford said, "Henry was outstanding both at the plate and in the field during the season's first week. He has earned this opportunity, and we wish him the best of luck int he Twins organization. In the first five games of his season, Kusiak hit .474 with a 1.395 OPS. He hit two home runs including one that traveled 419 feet. He has two doubles and two stolen bases. While he has played all around the diamond, the 25-year-old was playing right field in a game earlier this week and made a diving catch in Trevor Bauer's no-hitter. Kusiak played at Missouri Southern from 2020-2024. He played 77 more games in 2024 for Windy City of the Frontier League. In 2025, he was named the Rookie Hitter of the Year in the American Association and a league All Star when he hit .309/.377/.481 (.858) with 16 doubles and 12 home runs. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Iowa 11 Box Score Sam Gallagher: 3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K HR: Kyler Fedko (7), Aaron Sabato (2) Multi-hit games: Ryan Kreidler (2-for-4, 2B, R) This author wrote “it was all bad” for last week’s Saints game. Well, this one was only slightly better. Ryan Armstrong found the AAA confines unfriendly and cold; he was roughed up for three runs across three frames as he battled his command. The struggles were passed to Marco Raya, who coughed up a trio of runs across two innings. Travis Adams, Dan Altavilla—both additions to the list of those victimized by Iowa hitters. Grant Hartwig was the only pitcher not to allow a run, and even he walked a pair. The Saints did lead at one point. Ryan Kreidler doubled to start the second, and Emmanuel Rodriguez singled him home. Then, Kyler Fedko stepped up to the plate and smoked his seventh home run of the season. Aaron Sabato connected on a long ball in the seventh, yet all he did was cut the deficit from eight to seven. The Cubs don’t boast an especially powerful farm system, but they did send one of their finer products to the field in Kevin Alcántara. The outfielder singled and walked in four plate appearances. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 5, Arkansas 1 Box Score Aaron Rozek: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Kyle DeBarge (2-for-4, R) An explosive sixth inning led the Wind Surge to victory on Wednesday. Ron Gardenhire would have been proud of the offensive showing. Three singles and a walk scored the first run. Two RBI groundouts brought the total to three—the latter of which existed only because of Kyle DeBarge’s madman dash home as seen below. One more walk then begat a two-run single by Jorel Ortega. That’s five runs scored with just singles, free passes, and grit. Alejandro Hidalgo might be up to something this season. In 11 ⅔ innings out of the bullpen, the righty has 23 strikeouts, an unbelievable rate even over a short sample. Four gopher balls have ballooned his ERA to 5.40, but the radical whiff increase is something to keep an eye on. The Travelers are a part of the juggernaut Mariners farm system. A constant stream of talent, Arkansas claims two Top 100 players in Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo. The former went 0-4 while the latter went 1-for-3 with a walk. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 4, West Michigan 3 Box Score Riley Quick: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K HR: Jay Thomason (2) Multi-hit games: Khadim Diaw (4-for-4, 2B, R, RBI) The Kernels won on a walk-off home run on Wednesday. Do you think Riley Quick is bored? What with the immediate, outright dominance and all that. “I thought pro-ball was supposed to be difficult,” he demurs while twisting a hitter into knots with a breaker. Perhaps even the lone allowed baserunner was a gift; he was erased with a double play one batter later, anyway. The righty out of Alabama has now tossed 12 innings in the Twins system. He has relinquished two hits, walked three, and has struck out 18. Cedar Rapids plated two in the fourth on a Rayne Doncon double before adding on with a Khadim Diaw RBI knock in the sixth. It was part of an incredible day for Diaw: the catcher went 4-for-4 at the plate with a double and three singles. He alone collected half of the Kernels’ hits in the game. One of those non-Diaw knocks was also the game’s biggest: pinch-hitter Jay Thomason stepped up to the plate in the ninth with the score tied. He fell down 0-2. A foul kept him alive, and two balls pushed the count even. One more foul begat the golden swing. Thomason smacked a hanging breaking ball deep to right field, hitting the pitch just hard enough to clear the wall for a walk-off homer. Bryce Rainer is ranked as the 30th-best prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. He reached base all four times, collecting two hits while walking twice. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 6, Daytona 12 Box Score Eric Hammond: 2 ⅓ IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yasser Mercedes (2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB) Fort Myers jumped out to an early lead, plating three in the second. Ian Daughtery provided the initial RBI knock, before he, too, touched home—along with Byron Chourio—after a Yasser Mercedes single. The Mighty Mussels’ Twitter account hints toward future endeavors. This was their last post until announcing the game’s end. Daytona bludgeoned Eric Hammond for four runs (three earned) in the second, then returned for another four-run frame, this time almost entirely credited to poor Adam Falinski. In fact, the first four Fort Myers hurlers of the night left the game with more earned runs than they started with. Runs in the fourth and sixth helped pretty the lipstick on this metaphorical pig, but the inevitable result remained unchanged. Byron Chourio and Bryan Acuña were on-base fiends at the end of the lineup, combining to reach base six times with five runs scored. Chourio also stole his seventh base of the season. Cincinnati’s second-round pick in 2024, infielder Tyson Lewis, is their third-ranked prospect, and he singled once in four at-bats. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Riley Quick Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Khadim Diaw PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-4, K #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 0-5, 2 K #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-4, R, RBI, 3 K #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-3, BB, K #9 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #11 – Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K #13 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, 3 K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 0-5, 3 K #15 – Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K #16 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 1-4, R, K #17 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 2-4, R #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 4-4, 2B, R, RBI THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (6:37 PM) - RHP Matt Bowman vs #OldFriend LHP Charlie Barnes Arkansas @ Wichita (6:35 PM) - RHP Sam Armstrong West Michigan @ Cedar Rapids (6:05 PM) - RHP Eli Jones Fort Myers @ Daytona (5:35 PM) - RHP Matthew Dalquist View full article

Image courtesy of © Pablo Robles-Imagn Images Box Score Taj Bradley: 6 1/3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K Home Runs: Brooks Lee (4), Royce Lewis (3) Bottom 3 WPA: Taj Bradley (-0.180), Byron Buxton (-0.140), Victor Caratini (-0.120) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Hey, it’s Tropicana Field again. The stadium with the ambience of an aquarium-themed bowling alley. Oh how we missed ye. Hemingway himself would turn silent in the presence of such architecture. Absent the quality of their arena, the Rays offer an always-competent opponent, especially with Drew Rasmussen on the mound. Will the Twins eschew their post-Mets blues? We shall see. We start with a commentator's curse: Cory Provus—otherwise a quality voice of Minnesota ball—tempted fate and creation with an utterance; that Taj Bradley had faced the most batters in the big leagues in 2026 without allowing a homer. Junior Caminero was at bat. Bryan Woo was the second-place hurler. When the 2-1 fastball finally landed, the Seattle starter was the leader. That’s a kangaroo court fine in any society. The homer dampered what was perhaps an emotional start for Bradley, given that he took the Tampa Bay mound as an opponent for the first time in his career. Oh well. Sentimentality is for the arts. Indeed, Bradley found his former home cold and unforgiving: a Tropicana-special chopped grounder in the third scooted into left field, portending a trip around the bases, a second run for the Rays. Jonathan Aranda then homered in the fourth. Brooks Lee answered with a solo shot in the fifth, but that dastardly Aranda sent a ball flying into the right field bleachers once more—this time off a curveball. Perhaps flashing four fingers is the best way to pitch to him. Camerino too. Rush taught us that choosing not to decide is still a choice; well, opting to send a man to first for free is a method of pitching as well. Yet, it wasn’t one Bradley opted for. Instead, the dynamic bat-speed maniac manning third for Tampa Bay obliterated a ball a mere 435 feet in the seventh, a good five yards shorter than the homer he previously blasted. In about four more flyballs, Minnesota will have him kept in the yard. Royce Lewis sent one caroming off the left field foul pole in the ninth, but the rally was too little, too late: Minnesota couldn't overcome the deficit they built, falling to the Rays 6-2 to start the series. Notes: Brooks Lee is slashing .308/.400/.462 in his last seven games. Austin Martin's .514 OBP is the highest in MLB (min 70 PA). Royce Lewis' 49 homers since the start of 2022 are the fifth-most on the Twins. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Rays will meet at Tropicana Field once more for a 3:10 battle, with Bailey Over set to start opposite Shane McClanahan. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Morris 47 0 0 0 37 0 84 Banda 0 0 18 0 9 7 34 Topa 0 0 17 17 0 0 34 Acton 29 0 0 0 0 0 29 Sands 0 0 23 0 0 0 23 Orze 0 0 0 11 0 10 21 Rogers 8 0 0 12 0 0 20 Funderburk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of Kason Huckabay, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Kala'i Rosario) TRANSACTIONS RHP Travis Adams transferred to AAA St. Paul on rehab RHP Raul Brito moved to the Development List. RHP Luis García signed and sent to AAA St. Paul OF/INF Ryan Kreidler optioned to AAA St. Paul LHP Connor Prielipp recalled by Twins RHP James Ellwanger placed on 60-day IL with a right elbow sprain RHP Jose Olivares returned to AA Wichita Saints Sentinel St. Paul 0, Indianapolis 12 Box Score Andrew Bash: 2 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Aaron Sabato (2-for-3, 2B) It was all bad. Baseball is a genteel game ripe for purple prose and rosy words, yet sometimes someone just gets waxed. That was the Saints’ fate on Wednesday. Starter Andrew Bash was harassed early. So was reliever Grant Hartwig. By the time Travis Adams entered for his ritual butt-kicking, the scoreboard sang for nine runs—a sour tune turned even uglier by three runs dashed onto the rehabbing righty. Only Aaron Rozek found Wednesday’s matters pleasant. The lefty tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. As for St. Paul’s hitters, Walker Jenkins reached base twice, a walk and his second double of the year, Aaron Sabato collected a pair of hits including his third double, and little else of note occurred. The 1984 presidential election held more drama. Part of the Saints’ struggles may be explained by their opponent: MLB’s 84th-ranked prospect, Hunter Barco. The former second-round hurler tossed five shutout innings with just 64 pitches. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 9, NW Arkansas 7 Box Score Ty Langenberg: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K HR: Ricardo Olivar 2 (2, 3), Kala’i Rosario (4) Multi-hit games: Hendry Mendez (2-for-3 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB), Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI), Ricardo Olivar (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI) The Wind Surge won a high-scoring affair on Wednesday. Good things happen when you score five runs in the first inning. Earl Weaver may have said that once. Ben Ross and Hendry Mendez drilled RBI doubles in the opening frame before Ricardo Olivar blasted a three-run homer to left-center. Three batters walked. Former seventh-overall pick, Frank Mozzicato was down big, early. Though the runs would satiate most teams, the Wind Surge continued to add on. Kala’i Rosario singled in a run in the second before smacking a two-run blast in the fifth. It’s hard to find a more non-chalant homer than this one. Olivar homered once more in the eighth. Perhaps Naturals' pitchers should have stopped throwing him strikes. NW Arkansas doesn’t claim a major top prospect. Their best player, center fielder Carson Roccaforte, reached base three times in the game. He’s their 17th-ranked prospect. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 5 Box Score Dasan Hill: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (3-for-5, 2B, R) The Kernels suffered an ordinary loss on Wednesday. Dasan Hill Nolan McLean-ed it; that is to say, he looked incredible through the game’s first three frames before unwinding in the fourth. The first third of the game? Near immaculate. The lefty racked up seven strikeouts, appearing to be the next coming of Randy Johnson, if the Big Unit had been a slender prep Texan. But, that fourth. Hill allowed four hits, the final of which a three-run shot that soiled what was once a great start. So it goes. Offensively, the Kernels signaled a tepid performance with a third-inning RBI double by Jacob McCombs before concluding their outburst with an Eduardo Tait two-bagger in the seventh; a Marek Houston single in the ninth was their final base runner of the day. Rainiel Rodriguez, the 32nd-ranked prospect in baseball, caught for the Chiefs and walked once in four plate appearances. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 2, Dunedin 0 Box Score Riley Quick: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Dameury Pena (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Eduardo Beltre (2-for-4) The Mighty Mussels pitched a shutout on Wednesday. Riley Quick started. That no one scored is no surprise. The Blue Jays started the game with an infield single, then—perhaps in a rage spurned by such insolence—Quick retired the next batters he faced. The rage of the mighty is powerful and us mere mortals are helpless to act in its wake. Facing off against Quick was one “Berríos.” Of course, that accented “i” gives away the game: José, the former longtime Twin, started for Dunedin on a rehab assignment. The 31-year-old fired four shutout innings with five strikeouts. He also probably bought his teammates BBQ or something before the game. Once the Mighty Mussels were done struggling against a literal big leaguer, they found the runs needed to win the game. Two walks and a hit by pitch in the seventh loaded the bases. Yilber Herrera whiffed on three straight heaters. Dameury Pena did not. He smacked the first pitch he saw into right field, scoring the only two runs of the ballgame for either squad. 2025 first-rounder, JoJo Parker, played shortstop for Dunedin, singling and walking in five plate appearances. He is the 39th-best prospect in MLB according to MLB.com. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Riley Quick Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ricardo Olivar PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-3 2B, BB #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-3 2K #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5 2B, RBI, K #5 – Connor Prielipp (Twins) - 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K #6 – Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-4 #8 – Kendry Rojas (Twins) - 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 K #9 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 3-5, 2B, R #11 – Riley Quick (Fort Myers) - 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K #13 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 3 K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 1-3, BB, 2 K #16 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 2-3, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB #17 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-5, R, 2B, K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Indianapolis (10:05 AM) - RHP John Klein Wichita NW Arkansas (7:05 PM) - RHP C.J. Culpepper Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 PM) - RHP Jason Doktorczyk Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM) - RHP Matthew Dalquist View full article

Keaschall left the population of Macedonia stranded on base, yet people are complaining about Wallner? Fascinating.