Matt Braun

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

I would like to see more Kreidler at shortstop, please.

The Twins held a lead for one half inning the entire series. I would call that being dominated, yes.

As bad as the bullpen has been, I think they actually do deserve some credit for trying to fix it. They've added Andrew Morris and shuffled in Kendry Rojas and John Klein. They made a number of low wattage deals for lotto ticket guys, though Gomez is the only one who has worked out. Really, the issue is it was so obviously terrible going into the season that it would have required a total overhaul or multiple breakouts to avoid catastrophe.

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score Taj Bradley: 7+ IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K Home Runs: Kody Clemens (12), Brooks Lee (14) Top 3 WPA: Byron Buxton (.420), Andrew Morris (.310), Taj Bradley (.200) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Are the Dodgers gone? Thank God. Unalienable is the feeling of getting your (Butt) beat. Just thrashed. The brutal knowledge that your opponent is simply better; and that any success on your end is a fluke, a mirage occasionally fading into sight, just to turn sour eventually. And it will. Thus is the mandate when the Great matches up against the meager Just Fine. Fortunately, not every team is Great, and sometimes, another Just Fine rolls into town just in time for a beleaguered team to lick their wounds and move on. The Rockies entered town a common opponent; not particularly impressive in any facet—though probably better than their last three 100-loss efforts. They play baseball. Sometimes it’s good baseball. They command a few players of unordinary stature. But their purple and black hides very little: this is a doldrum team that could offer solace to a Twins squad in need of some mojo. And so it was early on Friday. The two teams could hardly exchange pleasant greetings before Kody Clemens stepped up to the plate with a man on and pounced on a Tomoyuki Sugano splitter, blasting the offering into the right-field overhang. Not to be one-upped, Brooks Lee did the exact same thing in the second. The Twins took a two inning break from their mayhem before returning for more in the fifth for a double-infested rally, manifest in acuity and action as the lineup turned what was a two-out situation into a three-run frame that would soon chase the starter Sugano from the game and turn what was a normal lead into the sort of advantage that can put even the most stringent manager at ease. Trevor Larnach hit the first double. Byron Buxton, the second. Then Clemens walked and Josh Bell sharply parted the left-center gap to cap the innings’ action. By his lack of appearance so far, Taj Bradley’s dominance should be self-evident. The Rockies had no answer. His fastball overwhelmed, and his breaking stuff befuddled; the innings melted into each as the outs piled up, slowly morphing a potentially good outing into an undeniably great one. He finished with seven innings pitched and just two earned runs allowed, and neither run scored while he was on the mound. Right. So. That was all from the Before Times. Well, between the eighth and ninth when a victory appeared imminent. And it should have been: the Twins entered the game's final frame the owners of a convincing 7-3 lead. It should have been enough. Not one soul in the stands, watching on TV, or standing in the Twins dugout could have believed the game to be in any serious danger. And yet! That's not how the ninth played out. A walk portended an RBI double. So be it. Then a homer. Alright, matters might be somewhat serious now. Backs straightened. A carefree tone and vigor in the dugout now altered, impacted by the sudden realization of what could be reality. Derek Shelton's decisions suddenly carry immense weight. He brought in Anthony Banda. A double. A homer. What was once a lead, eviscerated. One swing turning a fun romp into a disappointing disadvantage. But the Twins buckled down. Steeled up, Whatever. An Austin Martin blooper and Ryan Kreidler single put Minnesota back into business. They could save this situation. Buxton chopped a ball to Willi Castro at third and... the unexpected big hop ate up the third baseman. The ball was in left field. Martin was scrambling home. Andrew Morris stranded his Manfred Man in the tenth, and a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning moved Minnesota's rule-forced runner to third. With the infield in, Royce Lewis shot a grounder up the middle and safely into center field. The pinch-runner Kyler Fedko scampered home safely, and the Twins saved what could have been a tragic, inconceivable loss. Notes: Brooks Lee has 14 homers on the season, and he's two away from tying his career-high set in 16. Taj Bradley pitched seven innings for the first time since his April 29th outing against the Mariners. Royce Lewis is slashing .300/.348/.550 in his last 15 games. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Rockies meet once more in a Saturday evening showdown, pitting two namesakes against each other: the casual Mike Parades against the professional Michael Lorenzen. First pitch is at 6:10 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Rogers 17 38 0 0 0 55 Banda 0 0 24 0 11 35 Adams 0 30 0 0 0 30 Morris 15 0 7 0 6 22 Funderburk 0 0 0 0 20 20 Orze 11 0 0 0 14 11 Gómez 0 0 10 0 0 10 Raya 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Ryan Sprock) TRANSACTIONS LHP Kody Funderburk recalled by Twins RHP Marco Raya recalled by Twins LHP Kendry Rojas optioned to AAA St. Paul Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Louisville 3 Box Score Aaron Rozek: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Gabriel Gonzalez (2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI), Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, R), Tanner Schobel (2-for-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB) The Saints won by a slim margin on Wednesday. If there could be such a thing as a well-traveled minor leaguer, Aaron Rozek would fit the bill. Now 30, the Minnesota State, Mankato product started for the Saints for the 20th time in his career, becoming likely one of the rare few players to have 20+ starts in indy ball, at A+, AA, and AAA. If a nuclear apocalypse descends upon mankind, Rozek’s charred remains will remain on a mound in Minnesota, hunched over, looking at the catcher as he receives his signs. St. Paul scored one in the third off an unusual interference error on a pickoff attempt. Feeling that they needed to amend the score with runs scored by more ordinary means, Gabriel Gonzalez stepped to the plate with two on and bounded a chopper that hugged the third base line just enough; remaining fair as the Saints on base scrambled with vital urgency. Both runs scored. A fourth and final run arrived at home when Tanner Schobel fended off a single the other way to draw Cody Morissette in safely. Taylor Rashi earned a two-inning save. He surrendered a solo homer and a walk, but punched out three, including two in a row to strand the tying run at second to end the game. Louisville’s Héctor Rodríguez clocks in as sixth-best prospect in the Reds’ system; he homered once in three at-bats. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 4, Midland 8 Box Score Chris Vallimont: 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Quinn McDaniel (2-for-4) A disastrous fifth inning sunk the Wind Surge on Wednesday. Welcome back Chris Vallimont! The former Twins farmhand re-started for the Wind Surge on the 19th, but this author didn’t cover that day, and he does for this one. The righty found a groove, hurling three innings with one earned run, striking out four in the process. And what has Lewin Diaz done recently? (He’s in the KBO, actually). Vallimont’s success did not translate to Jose Olivares, who started his day with a 1-2-3 fourth inning before coming undone one frame later. It was a flurry. Singles, steals. The flea-like RockHounds rally wore down and baffled Olivares, who was helpless to stop the scuffle. Finally, a triple broke the dam, and, in fact, scored the batter on a Kyle DeBarge throwing error. Two more singles and a homer concluded the nightmare. The Wind Surge held a lead for a brief moment when Jay Thomason doubled in two in the fourth. He later scored on an error. You should recognize the “De Vries” in the box score, as that is indeed Leo De Vries, the uber-prospect traded by the Padres at the deadline last year, who now ranks as the second-best prospect in baseball. He singled and walked in five plate appearances. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 12 Box Score Riley Quick: 3 ⅔ IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K HR: Henry Kusiak (1), Brandon Winokur (9) Multi-hit games: Enrique Jimenez (3-for-4, 2 R), Brandon Winokur (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI), Caden Kendle (2-for-4, RBI), Yasser Mercedes (2-for-4), Henry Kusiak (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI) The Kernels were trashed on Wednesday. Perhaps the early-season dominance was bad for Riley Quick; as, instead of accepting his recent slide as the common ills of a youngster debuting in pro ball, it feels as if his regal excellence was a mere mirage. That pitcher is in there, somewhere, he may just need to dig through some A+ ball clunkers before it re-reveals itself. Nonetheless, the latest start ballooned his Cedar Rapids ERA to 4.86. Quick will always find little solace in the fact that every Cedar Rapids hurler biffed it on Wednesday. Not one escaped the game with a lower ERA. The bats were lively, with Enrique Jimenez and Brandon Winokur serving as the driving forces. Jimenez, as the hit-happy table-setter, and Winokur as the thunderous force. The latter doubled and hit a homer that didn’t leave the yard as much as it never returned to earth after scraping its atmosphere. Jimenez’s Kernels career has started with pure nitro; he’s slashing .350/.435/.700 in five games since being promoted. Yasser Mercedes likely thoroughly enjoyed his multi-hit showing, as he entered the day 1-16 in his previous four games. Wisconsin is, of course, an affiliate of the Brewers and their awesome farm system. Wednesday saw their ninth-ranked prospect, catcher Marco Dinges, homer twice in a three-hit outing. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 12, St. Lucie 8 Box Score Kolten Smith: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: Jayson Bass (9) Multi-hit games: Ryan Sprock (3-for-3, 2B, 2 R, RBI, 3 BB), Ramiro Dominguez (2-for-6, 2B, RBI), Jayson Bass (3-for-4, HR, 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB), Quentin Young (2-for-4, 3B, 2 R, RBI, BB), Irvin Nunez (3-for-5, R, 2 RBI) The Mighty Mussels rode an offensive explosion to victory on Wednesday. Ryan Sprock is on the mother of all heaters right now. He entered June slashing .262/.393/.338 and is currently at .325/.450/.455. He has 28 hits, 15 walks, and—of all the stats this is easily the funniest one—just three strikeouts. Three. In 61 at-bats. Call it scorching, torrid, or whatever synonym you prefer, the one thing few have called him is “out”. Fort Myers started with a pair in the 3rd, with Jayson Bass singling in one, and Quentin Young tripling in the one mentioned earlier in the sentence. Three crossed home plate in the fifth thanks to a run-scoring balk, and a two-run knock by Irvin Nunez. One each in the sixth and seventh have Fort Myers a slim 7-6 lead in what was obviously not a pitching duel sort of game. They fell down once more, but struck back with a vengeance, mighty and vigorous, plating five in the eighth to take a lead they would finally not relinquish. Jayson Bass started matters with a two-run homer—somehow their first long ball of the day—and two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Byron Chourio. The less heralded of the namesake ushered two home on a hit, though he was soon thrown out at second base in the fray. No problem. A hit by pitch and Sprock single totaled the 12th and final run of the game. The St. Lucie Mets are powered by the franchise’s sixth-ranked prospect, infielder Elian Peña, who singled once in five at-bats. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Rozek Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Brandon Winokur PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #5 – Marek Houston (Wichita) - 1-4, 2 K #6 – Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - 3 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, K #12 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI #13 – Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 2-5, RBI #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 2-4, 3B, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 K #18 – Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4 #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-4 THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 PM) - RHP Ty Langenberg Wichita @ Midland (7:00 PM) - RHP Sam Armstrong Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:40 PM) - LHP Cesar Lares St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM) - RHP Ramiro Villanueva FCL Twins @ FCL Braves (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Phillies (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Byron Chourio) TRANSACTIONS LHP Kendry Rojas returned to Twins Saints Sentinel St. Paul 12, Omaha 15 (12 Innings) Box Score Trent Baker: 1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K HR: Alan Roden 2 (6, 7), Matt Wallner (11), Orlando Arcia 2 (9, 10) Multi-hit games: Alan Roden (4-for-6, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI), Orlando Arcia (2-for-6, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI), Aaron Sabato (2-for-6, R), Ben Ross (2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB) The Saints lost a high-scoring affair on Sunday. You don’t see many games where a team with a nine-run inning loses. Then again, there was nothing ordinary about what occurred in this game. St. Paul racked up 12 runs across 15 hits, had two players crack two homers, and lost in the 12th after sending Tanner Schobel to the mound as a human white flag. Pitching in a game that was tied. These things happen in the minors. Alan Roden led off the game with a homer, which served as the team’s lone run until their vigorous fourth inning assault on Aaron Sanchez. And what a frame it was. Matt Wallner and Orlando Arcia bombed back-to-back, and Ben Ross drove in two with a single. A short two-out sequence threatened to cut the rally short, yet the Saints continued to clobber, as Gabriel Gonzalez plated two more with a double before Arcia concluded things with a three-run homer, his second long ball of the inning. That proved to be the zenith of the game. The Saints’ pitching simply couldn’t hold up. Five of the team’s “pitchers”—we’re air-quoting the word because it includes Tanner Schobel’s gift of an outing—allowed at least two runs, as St. Paul’s lead slowly whittled away until it became Omaha’s lead. Roden cracked a second homer in the eighth off former Saint Dan Altavilla. He’s slashing .333/.463/.632 at AAA this year. Storm Chaser Abraham Toro hit for the cycle in the game. No member of the Royals’ Top 20 prospects (per Royals Keep) list played in the game. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 2, Springfield 5 Box Score Cory Lewis: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K HR: Jaime Ferrer (2) Multi-hit games: Khadim Diaw (2-for-5, RBI), Jaime Ferrer (2-for-3, HR, 2B, R, RBI) The Wind Surge failed to find much offense on Sunday. Jaime Ferrer collected the only two extra-base hits for the team, a double in the fifth, and a homer in the ninth. That’s quite the opposite-field shot; even Ferrer was probably surprised that left the field. Has Cory Lewis figured something out? The righty owns a 2.25 ERA in the month of June, though that comes with a 1.40 WHIP, fueled in part by 12 walks in 20 innings. The sustainability of a stretch like this is perhaps dubious, but the deflated ERA after being pulverized to start the season is probably a nice respite. Jose Olivares collected two scoreless innings in his second appearance out of the Wichita bullpen this season. 2026 has been a struggle for him. The walk bugaboo that has followed him throughout his career morphed into a full-blown walk monster; he’s offered 28 free passes over 33 2/3 innings with the Wind Surge this year. No walks were offered on Sunday, though. The Cardinals played MLB’s 22nd-ranked prospect, catcher Rainel Rodriguez. He singled once in five at-bats. Kernels Nuggets Rain follows where Walker Jenkins goes. Why Mother Nature has beef with the top Twins prospect is unclear. The Kernels will make up this game on July 18th. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 13, Tampa 3 Box Score Hendry Chivilli: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: Jayson Bass (8), Luis Fragoza (6), Byron Chourio (3) Multi-hit games: Ryan Sprock (2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), Quentin Young (2-for-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB), Luis Fragoza (2-for-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB), Byron Chourio (4-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI) Inspired by the parent club, the Mighty Mussels rode a fifth-inning crooked number to a blowout win. And what a frame it was. Fort Myers entered with two already on the board. A Byron Chourio single and a Merphy Hernandez hit by pitch started the onslaught. Innocuous enough. Ryan Sprock cracked a long double to center to score both men. The Mighty Mussels then loaded the bases and pushed across their fifth run when Quintin Young took four pitches outside the zone for the easiest RBI of his life. At this point, the DNA of this rally was of an ordinary ilk. Simply a few runs. Nothing unusual in the context—especially in the minors where momentum and avalanches are commonplace. But then, Luis Fragoza stepped to the plate, took a mighty hack, and walloped a hanging slider for a grand slam. Oh, and Chourio tacked on a solo shot. Oh, and they concluded the inning with a final run scored off a double steal/throwing error combo. Hendry Chivilli enjoyed his best outing as a Mighty Mussel, tossing four shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts, a mammoth improvement over his woeful appearances on May 23rd and June 16th. Chivilli might be the most unique story in the Twins system this year: Minnesota handed him over $2 million as a part of their international haul in 2023, and after a pair of dreadful seasons at the plate, moved him to the mound where he has pitched shockingly well. He carries a 3.77 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in 28 2/3 innings this year. The Tarpons are a part of the vaunted Yankees farm system. A talented bunch, they did not reveal so in this game, as no member of their Top 30 prospect list appeared in the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Hendry Chivilli Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Alan Roden PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-5, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB #13 – Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 2-5, RBI #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 2-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K #19 – Billy Amick (Wichita) - 0-3, BB, K #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-4, 3 K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Rays @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Miami @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of William Parmeter It’s nearly the end of the month, making this the perfect time to reveal our updated prospect rankings for the site. No, you’re a little late. As a reminder, our list can be found here, and it currently reflects the voting from the early days of May. Updating on a monthly basis is our way of remaining on the pulse; players will improve or recede in play, suffer injuries that cause them to stagnate, or exhaust their prospect eligibility due to major league playing time (which is what happened to Connor Prielipp and Andrew Morris who are no longer “prospects,” under this technical definition). With that out of the way, let’s get to the list proper: Walker Jenkins OF, AAA (Previously #1) Kaelen Culpepper SS, AAA (Previously #2) Emmanuel Rodriguez OF, AAA (Previously #3) Eduardo Tait C, A+ (Previously #5) Marek Houston SS, A+ (Previously #7) Riley Quick RHP, A+ (Previously #8) Kendry Rojas LHP, MLB (Previously #9) Hendry Mendez OF, AAA (Previously #13) Dasan Hill LHP, A+ (Previously #6) Gabriel Gonzalez OF, AAA (Previously #10) Charlee Soto RHP, A+ (Previously #11) Brandon Winokur INF/OF, A+ (Previously #15) Khadim Diaw OF/C, AA (Previously #19) Quentin Young INF, A (Previously #14) Ryan Gallagher RHP, AAA (Previously #16) James Ellwanger RHP, A (Previously #18) C.J. Culpepper RHP, AAA (Previously #17) Yasser Mercedes OF, A+ (Previously Unranked) Billy Amick INF, AA (Previously Unranked) Kyle DeBarge INF, AA (Previously #20) An Unchanged Top 3 Voters kept the Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper, and Emmanuel Rodriguez triumvirate intact, despite all three players hitting the IL since our last update (Jenkins has since started a rehab assignment). Clearly, their talent remains triumphant—and no one has yet usurped any of them, even as health frustrations remain a nuisance for the two outfielders in the group. Two Hitting Hot Streaks Marek Houston entered June with a merely solid hitting season, and launched into supernova territory, terrorizing A+ ball pitchers with a .408/.545/.592 slashline with 16 walks to seven strikeouts. He’s reached base in every game he’s played in the month. Paired with his already adroit defense at shortstop, Houston—Minnesota’s first-round pick in 2025—appears an obvious candidate to break through and become the next name that populates one of the top three spots on this list. We knew Hendry Mendez could hit, but did anyone know he could hit like this? The young outfielder nabbed as part of the Harrison Bader return from last year's deadline is something of a throwback hitter; someone who could walk more than they strike out while hovering around that coveted “.300” batting average mark. He hit a relative rough patch in June, and is now on the IL, but was so dominant in May that he jumped five spots and cracked our top 10. A Talented Lefty Drops There’s no way to supercoat it: Dasan Hill has been dreadful this year. He made waves with an impressive teenage showing in 2025, and has struggled mightily with control this season, walking nearly a batter an inning on average. Unsurprisingly, his ERA is near 7. Voters opted not to be too harsh on the 20-year-old, as his stuff remains incredible, and his lankiness may, more so than most hurlers his age, make command difficult as he matures into his body. Hello There, Khadim Diaw All he does is hit. The Senegalese super utility man holds an .850 OPS during his time in the Twins system, as his prescient sense of the strike zone, and hit by pitch abilities, has buoyed an OBP above .420. It appears he may have to Daulton Varsho it, and discard the tools of ignorance behind the plate in favor of letting his athleticism fly in center field, which is a perfectly fine outcome: the system is light on healthy and adept center fielders. Two Newcomers A pair of graduations necessitates a pair of elevations, and the lucky two this month were Yasser Mercedes and Billy Amick. Mercedes, a one-time big-time international get, has been famous for years now, even as his pro career has rollercoaster-ed between brilliance and struggles. This year, he pummeled A-ball but cooled off in Cedar Rapids. Billy Amick is here to hit home runs and strike out. He has 17 bombs in 61 games at AA, and is punching out at a 30% rate. He’s one of the bigger “boom or bust” candidates on this list, but the tantalizing power of a potential boom keeps him as a back-end name. View full article