Matt Braun

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Box Score Connor Prielipp: 6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K Home Runs: Victor Caratini (5), Josh Bell (9), Royce Lewis (7) Bottom 3 WPA: Connor Prielipp (-.420), Travis Adams (-.110), Brooks Lee (-.080) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) What to make of these Twins? The ramshackle and dilapidated group, at one time—moons ago—the class of the AL, but for a moment; in more recent games, fallen into derelict as the flaws and pitfalls of their roster reared their ugly head, and causes losses to pile up. But have things changed? They swept the Rangers. They took a series from the Cardinals. Minor successes, yes—common for any team, in any year to claim such victories; as the ebbs and flows of a season, occasionally turgid, sometimes lean promise hope both false and real to any fan willing to watch. Would this stretch prove a mirage? We shall see. Early results portended… something. What exactly “it” was wasn’t clear, but it was obvious this force was nefarious. In the second at-bat of the game, Byron Buxton launched a liner off the left field wall, only to be thrown out at second thanks to an excellent relay by Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and a rare mild pace by Buxton before he rounded first. Then he sped things up. It was too late. Kody Clemens extended the inning with an infield single. Strange things abounded. The inning also ended up claiming Arizona starter Michael Soroka; he suffered an injury while warming up for the second inning, and left the game, and left manager Torey Lovullo suddenly relying on an impromptu bullpen game. The new hurler Taylor Clark coaxed two quick outs before allowing a mammoth solo homer to Victor Caratini. Chaos neither subsided or lessened; rather, it started to manifest in a ball suddenly unruly and impossible to glove. With Luke Keaschall on second, Clemens bounded a grounder the other way only for Nolan Arenado—the six-time Platinum Glove winner—to flub the play and allow Keaschall to score. The Diamondbacks responded with a run with no funny business attached, just for the Twins to strike back with a score in the fourth aided by a bouncing ball that just had to ricochet off the second base bag, and over the adroit Geraldo Perdomo who otherwise certainly would have made the play. Prielipp entered the fifth a workmanlike presence. Not dominant, he nonetheless had effectively contained the Diamondbacks offense, flipping his signature breaking stuff in and around the zone with the kind of ease that made him such a tantalizing prospect. That soft providence quickly turned. It started with a walk. Always dreadful. Then a flurry of hits, and an infield defense that could only stumble and fall over themselves turned a 3-1 advantage to a 5-3 deficit. Then a 6-3 one when Ketel Marte led off the sixth with a solo homer. Minnesota struck back once again; this time, homering twice in the eighth to draw them within one run. That was as close as they would get. Travis Adams labored in his second inning of work. Two hits and a walk loaded the bases. Suddenly Corbin Carroll was up with the bases loaded. No lefty? It was Adams' trouble to escape. On a 1-2 count, he tried to fool the superstar with a low and outside changeup, and Carroll softly lofted the pitch into right field, expertly guiding the liner as the bases emptied and Carroll, who always runs like the world is about to end, slid harmlessly into third base. The Twins went down quietly in the ninth. Notes: Josh Bell is slashing .400/.444/.720 is his last seven games. Royce Lewis is slashing .283/.333/.587 since re-joining the Twins on June 6th. Connor Prielipp has a 7.04 ERA in his last six starts, after posting a 2.88 mark in his first five outings. Byron Buxton's two hits give him 841 in his Twins career, the 22nd-most in team history. He's three away from tying Greg Gagne. Post-Game Interview: Social media accounts eschew a post-game interview on Apple TV games. What’s Next? The Twins and Diamondbacks will return to their ordinary TV broadcasts on Saturday yet will continue to start at unordinary times: first pitch is at 9:10 PM. Taj Bradley will start opposite Zac Gallen. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SUN MON TUE THU FRI TOT Adams 0 0 13 0 42 55 Laweryson 0 0 20 17 5 42 Morris 17 9 0 8 0 34 Orze 0 15 0 12 0 27 Gómez 10 15 0 0 0 25 Rogers 0 6 0 15 0 21 Lawrence 0 0 0 18 0 18 Banda 11 0 0 0 0 11 Paredes 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Nope, he stole two bases in the game. Fangraphs doesn't update box score stuff until the next day so don't rely on that. Houston stole third in the first inning then swiped second in the seventh.

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography (photo of Marek Houston) TRANSACTIONS LHP Kendry Rojas sent to AAA St. Paul on rehab. Saints Sentinel The 1952 film with Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds taught us that one can sing in the rain; however, the movie mentions nothing about the impossibility of playing baseball in it. Indeed, the Saints learned this the hard way, and will play a doubleheader on Thursday because of the precipitation. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 10, Springfield 9 Box Score SP: Cory Lewis: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K HR: Kala’i Rosario (11) Multi-hit games: Andrew Cossetti (3-for-4, 3B, R, 3 RBI, BB), Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB), Khadim Diaw (2-for-4, 2 R, BB) The Wind Surge won a thriller on Wednesday. The typical wasn’t cutting it, so why not try the atypical? Cory Lewis dabbled in effectively wild territory, walking three while allowing four hits. That’s almost a 2.00 WHIP—deadly endeavors for any pitcher. Yet, Lewis walked away without an earned run to his name and given the season he was having coming into the game, he’ll certainly take it. The “zero-earned runs” thing befalls a terrible truth of this game: the Wind Surge couldn’t field for squat. They committed four errors. A particularly brutal stretch occurred in the fifth when a Quinn McDaniel mishap added a second runner to the bases, a Jaime Ferrer botch scored a run and put men on the corners, and an Andrew Cossetti throwing error turned a double steal attempt into a run. That’s how poor Ruddy Gomez could only be credited with one earned run while five scored in the inning. Fortunately, the bats were ready to make up for what the gloves couldn’t do. Wichita was in a hitting mood. Shoot, they were in a walking mood, too. They collected 10 knocks and nine free passes; everyone outside Garrett Spain reached base at least once. Two touched home in the third off an Andrew Cossetti triple. A third arrived in the fifth when McDaniel cleverly dashed home on the front-end of a strikeout/double-steal attempt. Then the point became moot when Kala’i Rosario clobbered a homer one batter later. At least McDaniel has bragging rights. Springfield swapped pitchers and did nothing to stop the run avalanche started by the Wind Surge in the fifth. A lineup-wide flurry—the kind of piranha production that would make Ron Gardenhire smile—ambushed the new hurler for three more runs. RBIs went to McDaniel, Billy Amick, and Rosario. Unsatisfied and ravenous proved to be a Wichita lineup dead-set on swooning ERAs and bludgeoning pitcher egos: they once-again loaded the bases in the seventh and pushed a pair of runs across thanks to a hit by pitch and a walk. A good day indeed when a lineup plates a run four separate times without needing a hit. Khadim Diaw singled twice and walked in his AA debut. Springfield’s unique “switch-pitcher” started on Wednesday. Jurrangelo Cijntje, ranked as the 84th-best prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com, tossed 4 2/3 innings, allowing five earned runs. He only pitched right-handed. Life is often boring. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 8 Box Score Riley Quick: 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K HR: Miguel Briceno (5) Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 BB), Miguel Briceno (2-for-4, HR, R, RBI) The Kernels were solidly bested on Wednesday. Riley Quick’s regal dominance at Fort Myers has dissipated into an ordinary muck. The righty who once appeared incapable of allowing runs has not only surrendered them at consistent rate, but he’s also allowed free passes far more often than one would expect given his raw ability. These are the common traits of a player figuring things out, learning more about himself as an athlete. He’s less than 40 innings into his professional career, after all. It seems inevitable he’ll figure it out. Marek Houston has commanded his level. It’s too easy for him now. The 2025 first round pick is slashing an unbelievable .442/.561/.651 since June started with 13 walks to six strikeouts. That’s dominance. He also stole two bases. That’s dominance. He should be driving to Wichita soon. Miguel Briceno provided the lone big blast for Cedar Rapids, homering in the fourth. The infielder was a Minor League Rule-5 pick before the 2025 season, a fact you may need to know as he’s now slashing .324/.380/.577 with the Kernels. OF Brandon Compton slots in as the 12th-best prospect in the Marlins system, and he collected three hits, including two homers. Perhaps he’s ranked too low. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 9, Tampa 7 Box Score Justin Mitrovich: 4 1/3 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K HR: Quentin Young (7) Multi-hit games: Quentin Young (2-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI), Byron Chourio (2-for-4, 3B, 2R, RBI) The Mighty Mussels hit their way to a win on Wednesday. “It’s about scoring them in bunches,” espoused Fort Myers, probably. They only scored in three frames, but made them worth their while, plating a trio in the fifth thanks to a rally started by a Jayson Bass hit by pitch turned not-pickoff when the second baseman dropped the ball that should have nabbed the running Bass. So it goes. And so it be, sometimes. Byron Chourio and Ryan Sprock reaped the rewards with RBI knocks later in the inning. We do it again. This time in the seventh. Chourio tripled. Ricardo Pena walked. Dameury Pena singled. Two outs nearly neutered the rally. Then, an error on a Quentin Young batted ball. Floodgates and such. The error, a wild pitch, and oncoming singles by Luis Fragoza and Merphy Hernandez put a five-run capitalization on the matter. And, for good measure, Young returned in the ninth to pop an opposite-field moonball that may have punctured a cloud before returning to land. Callan Fang—which sounds like the name of a horror movie villain from the 90s—debuted for the Mighty Mussels, tossing 2 2/3 effective innings with zero earned runs and three strikeouts. He looks to join the fraternity of the 35 Harvard men who have become big leaguers. The Tarpons are an affiliate of the nefarious—yet undeniably awesome—Yankees farm system. They sent forward their ninth-ranked prospect, starter Thatcher Hurd, who racked up eight strikeouts across 4 1/3 innings while allowing just one earned run. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Cory Lewis Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Quentin Young PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 3 K #7 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 2-3, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 BB #8 – Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-3, 2 RBI #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 2-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI, 2 K #15 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 2-4, 2 R, BB MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (5:07 PM) - RHP Ricky Castro Omaha @ St. Paul (Game Two) - TBD Springfield @ Wichita (6:35 PM) - RHP Preston Johnon Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM) - LHP Cesar Lares Fort Myers @ Tampa (10:00 AM) - RHP Charlee Soto FCL Twins @ FCL Rays (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Arizona Red @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Walker Jenkins) Seth ran into trouble finishing up the minor league report for 6/13, so this will be a hybrid post including what he had written with minor amendments from me, and the report for 6/14. TRANSACTIONS 6/13: RHP Andrew Bash activated from development list (AAA) OF Hendry Mendez placed on 7-day IL with left shoulder impingement OF Walker Jenkins sent to A Fort Myers on rehab RHP Ruddy Gomez sent to FCL Twins on rehab RHP Jason Doktoczyk moved from 7-day IL to 60-day IL RHP Hendry Chivilli promoted to A Fort Myers 6/14: SS Harry Genth promoted to AAA St. Paul RHP Reed Moring placed on 7-day IL with right biceps tendinitis (A Fort Myers) OF Graham Brown promoted to AAA St. Paul Saints Sentinel 6/13: St. Paul 6, Toledo 1 Box Score Aaron Rozek: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: Matt Wallner (8) Multi-hit games: David Bañuelos (2-for-3, 2B, 2 R, BB) (Seth): The only innings that there were runs scored in this game were the third and fourth innings. The Saints scored three runs in the top of the third. The Mudhens scored one run in the bottom of the third inning. The Saints added three more runs in the top of the fourth inning. Besides those frames, nothing but zeroes. In the third inning, Matt Wallner hit his eighth Saints home run, a three-run blast. The top of the fourth inning began with walks to 7-8-9 hitters, Noah Cardenas, Henry Kusiak, and David Banuelos. Cardenas scored when Kaelen Culpepper reached on an error. Kusiak scored on a wild pitch. Banuelos scored on a Matt Wallner fielder's choice. Aaron Rozek did his part, putting together a Quality Start. The lefty from Burnsville tossed six innings of one-run ball. He gave up four hits, walked two and had five strikeouts. Marco Raya came on and threw two scoreless innings. Raul Brito pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Wallner went 1-for-5 but he hit his eighth home run and drove in four runs. David Banuelos was 2-for-3 with a walk and his second double. Noah Cardenas walked twice, and Kyler Fedko walked three times. (Matt): A call-up for Kaelen Culpepper? Not so. The shortstop was removed from the game early—prompting speculation and excitement—but it was because of glute tightness. Always watch out for your butts, kids. 6/14: St. Paul 14, Toledo 10 Box Score Ryan Gallagher: 3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: Graham Brown (1), Noah Cardenas (3) Multi-hit games: Ben Ross (2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB), Tanner Schobel (2-for-5, 2B, 2 R, BB), Noah Cardenas (3-for-5, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI), Henry Kusiak (3-for-5, 2B, 3 R, RBI), Graham Brown (3-for-3, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB) The Saints won in an offensive explosion on Sunday. The sixth. That was the only inning that didn’t see a run. What, did the Las Vegas series bleed out into all the other baseball played in the country? It was an “everyone get in here” kind of showing from the lineup: every batter in the lineup reached base at least once, and five players did so at least thrice; Graham Brown one-upped everybody by safely touching first all four times he stepped up to the plate. Did we mention this was his AAA debut? Or that he had never taken an at-bat above A-ball? Unfortunately, Ryan Gallagher struggled mightily in his start. Sunday was his second-straight start allowing seven earned runs, pushing his AAA ERA to a ghastly 8.00 mark across 36 innings. He’ll need to adjust somehow. The tricks that got him to the level are not cutting it. Matt Wallner has thoroughly enjoyed the month of June. He’s slashing .326/.367/.848 in the month with 10 of his 15 hits going for extra-bases. A sign that he found again what once made him an elite MLB hitter? The Royce Lewis secret sauce? Who knows. At least his confidence must be overflowing. One pitcher who avoided the run quagmire that bogged down other hurlers was C.J. Culpepper, who tossed his finest outing as a Saint, whiffing four across two shutout innings. He allowed no baserunners. With the big league squad desperate for bullpen help, the blonde California Baptist product could find himself in the majors soon, if he continues to pitch like this. Mud Hen Max Clark ranks as the seventh-best prospect in baseball, and he lived up to the billing, scattering three hits in four at-bats with a walk. Wind Surge Wisdom 6/13: Wichita 7, Tulsa 8 Box Score Preston Johnson: 4 ⅔ IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K HR: Billy Amick (16), Kala’i Rosario (10) Multi-hit games: Billy Amick (3-for-5, HR, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI) (Seth): This game was going quite well for the Wind Surge and their fans. They held a 6-1 lead and things were looking good. However, the Dodgers Double-A affiliate crossed home plate six times in the bottom of the sixth to take the 7-6 lead. That’s how the score remained until the ninth inning. Preston Johnson started and gave up one run on three hits. In 4 2/3 innings, he walked two and had seven strikeouts. Yehizon Sanchez came on to get the final out of the fifth inning. He quickly got the bases loaded and nobody out. Bengard got three outs, but not before all three inherited runners scored and one more run over his two ok (Matt): frames. That sixth inning proved a deadly endeavor: Wichita had plated six between the third and fourth innings thanks to a Garrett Spain double, and a fourth-frame skirmish capped by a Billy Amick three-run shot. And what a homer that was, huh? Amick barely budged, raising his left foot slightly as an 0-2 defense mechanism, then he reached down, nearly scraping the plate with his swing in an effort to catch the slider, and the whole ordeal resulted in a bomb. That’s just good hitting. The Drillers are, of course, a member of the famous Dodgers farm system. Though the names and faces change, the talent remains, always replenished, always impressive. This year they possess two top-20 prospects in Jose De Paula and Zyhir Hope. De Paula earned three hits while Hope singled once in four at-bats. 6/14: Wichita 10, Tulsa 21 Box Score Jose Olivares: ⅔ IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K HR: Poncho Ruiz (2), Caleb Roberts (3), Andrew Cossetti (6) Multi-hit games: Andrew Cossetti (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI), Garrett Spain (2-for-5, 2B), Poncho Ruiz (3-for-4, HR, 2B, 3 R, RBI, BB) The Wind Surge were clubbed on Sunday. A terrible day to be a man on the mound. Pitches went for nothing and the hits were free. No matter who walked out of the Wind Surge bullpen, one future stared at them with ferocity: pain. An ERA bump that would hurt. All six hurlers surrendered at least one run, and four of them suffered multi-run outings, and it’s best to leave what happened to Jose Olivares and William Fleming unspoken. Poncho Ruiz found the day inviting, at least, as he ripped three hits and walked in a game so potent it raised his season OPS by over .100 points. Perhaps some attention should go to Kala’i Rosario, who entered the series in Tulsa slugging a relatively meager .386, and who left the city with a more robust .459 mark. His second go-around at AA hadn’t yet evolved beyond the tepid; might this series propel him forward, potentially into St. Paul? The Two Towers prospects De Paula and Hope were once again effective, combining for five hits, four runs, and three RBIs. De Paula was especially excellent: the strapping 6’3” combines a powerful left-handed hack with unreal plate discipline, resulting in a .563 slugging percentage with more walks than strikeouts this year. He reached base five times on Sunday. Kernels Nuggets 6/13: Cedar Rapids 23, Lansing 15 Box Score Garrett Horn: 2 ⅔ IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K HR: Eduardo Tait (11), Khadim Diaw (5), Danny De Andrade 2 (5, 6), Yasser Mercedes (4), Miguel Briceno (4) Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (5-for-6, 2B, 4 R, RBI), Eduardo Tait (2-for-7, HR, R, 2 RBI), Khadim Diaw (3-for-7, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI), Jay Thomason (6-for-6, 3 R, RBI), Yasser Mercedes (4-for-6, HR, 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI), Miguel Briceno (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB), Danny De Andrade (4-for-6, 2 HR, 2 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI), Luis Hernandez (4-for-6, 3 R, RBI) (Seth): What a crazy game in Michigan on Saturday night. The Kernels scored in each of the first six innings. Lansing scored in six straight innings between the third and eighth innings. Fortunately, the Kernels scored 23 runs in their six-inning run while the Lugnuts “only” scored 15 runs in their six-inning run. The Kernels had innings in which they scored three runs twice, four once, and six twice. The Kernels had 30 hits in the game. Brandon Winokur has been playing really well the past 5-6 weeks, and I have to say that because he took an 0-for-7 in this game. He was the only Kernels hitter with less than two hits. First Baseman Jay Thomason went 6-for-6 with three runs scored. Shortstop Marek Houston went 5-for-6 with his 12th double, his 20th stolen base, and four runs scored. He is now hitting .326 with an .854 OPS. Second Baseman Danny De Andrade went 4-for-6 with his fourth and fifth doubles, his fifth and sixth home runs, three runs scored and four RBI. Right Fielder Yasser Mercedes went 4-for-6 with his seventh double, fourth home run, three runs scored and four RBI. Catcher Luis Hernandez went 4-for-6 with three runs scored. Center Fielder Khadim Diaw went 3-for-7 with his fifth home run, three runs and three RBI. He ended the day hitting .300 on the dot with an .859 OPS. Left Fielder Miguel Briceno went 2-for-5 with a walk and his fourth home run, and four RBI. Eduardo Tait DH’d and was 2-for-7 with his 11th home run. Garrett Horn started for the Kernels. He was charged with one run on four hits and three walks. In 2 2/3 innings, he had four strikeouts. MItch Mueller came on for his first Kernels outing. He gave up two runs on two hits in 1 1/3 innings. Brian Zeldin completed two innings and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. He also had two strikeouts. Eston Stull gave up one run in the seventh inning. He started the eighth inning, faced seven batters, and all of them reached base. He left the game with the bases loaded and four runs already on the board. Xavier Kolhosser came in and allowed all three inherited runners to score and two more runs in the nine-run eighth frame. Stull was charged with eight runs in one inning. Kolhosser pitched a scoreless ninth, so his line showed him giving up two runs on four hits in two innings. He had five strikeouts. (Matt): Sometimes you just have to stare in awe of a box score like this. I think my favorite stat is that the Kernels only walked once. This was an onslaught of hitters doing just that—hitting. 6/14: Rain cleared any chance of a sequel to Saturday’s bizarre adventure. The game was canceled and will not be made up at a later date. Mussel Matters 6/13: Fort Myers 5, Dunedin 15 Box Score Ramiro Villanueva: 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 3 K HR: Ryan Sprock (3), Walker Jenkins (1) Multi-hit games: Walker Jenkins (4-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI), Luis Fragoza (2-for-5, 2B, R) The Mighty Mussels were thoroughly bested on Saturday. Let’s skip to the shining good news beacon from this game: Walker Jenkins played baseball. Mighty good baseball, at that. The rehabbing 21-year-old cracked four hits including a double and an aesthetically gorgeous home run that streaked through the Fort Myers night like Halley’s Comet. Dunedin is an affiliate of the Blue Jays, and they are spearheaded by MLB’s 29th-ranked prospect, shortstop JoJo Parker. He collected four hits in six at-bats including a triple. 6/14: Unplayable field conditions ended matters on Sunday before they could begin. The game was canceled and will not be made up at a later date. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – C.J. Culpepper Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Poncho Ruiz PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed on Sunday: #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-3, 2 RBI #12 – Andrew Morris (Twins) - 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K #16 – Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - 3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K #17 – C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-4, 2B, R, BB MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (9:00 AM) - TBD FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (Game Two) - TBD DSL NYY Bombers @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article

To each their own. I'll admit the "good writing," philosophy I adhere to can occasionally run too dramatic even for my own liking. That being said, I still firmly believe in trying to describe a story beyond the plain details because, as others have said, anyone can do that, and the box score alone is an adequate tool. Also, no creative writing classes were taken in the making of these articles.

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Box Score Joe Ryan: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K Home Runs: Byron Buxton (21), Kody Clemens (10), Royce Lewis (5), Brooks Lee (11) Top 3 WPA: Kody Clemens (.410), Royce Lewis (.320), Byron Buxton (.200) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) 1987. Michael Jackson returned from the biggest album ever with Bad. Guns N’ Roses debuted with Appetite for Destruction. The highest grossing film was… Three Men and a Baby? Ok. The music zeitgeist was clearly more stimulated than the film one. And in the midst—amongst the dramatic, modernic turns subtle in a decade often revered for its eccentricities—the Minnesota Twins defeated the St. Louis Cardinals to claim their first World Series victory since moving to the state in 1961. Oh, and Prince released Sign O’ The Times. Man, were the movie-makers even trying this year? Back to the present. Though the men on the field laboring, working, fighting for their respective organizations were not alive during that critical World Series, they survive as living monuments to the legacy of that sequence of games. Joe Ryan took the mound. The ace of the Twins. Anointed and donning the lake-blue attire too reminiscent of a soccer kit for its own good. The maestro with fastball adroit and dangerous staggered out of the gate, perhaps in pre-anticipation of the rain delay soon to befall the game: he surrendered a truly gargantuan home run to Alec Burleson before returning to labor through a single-centric second inning. Two runs scored. The newly-minted 30-year-old appeared perplexed. Fortunately, he was not alone in his fight. Byron Buxton remained in a flow state. He found a first-pitch outside slider to his liking and blasted the offering deep to center, depositing the ball amongst where there once was shrubbery, but now only rests a tame and ordinary grass, and a green batters-eye wall. The run, while mighty, was merely a lone scratch for the Twins. A single etch. Their only blood drawn against starter Kyle Leahy as the innings blurred into each other, and as the rain—later to be an intermittent nuisance—delayed the game for some time. Rather than muddy the quagmire at hand, the weather evidently cleansed the Twins of whatever nagging ailment rendered them mediocre. Royce Lewis singled to start the fifth, and Victor Caratini slugged a double into right-center to send his teammate to third. A Brooks Lee flyball was a tad too short in Lewis’ estimation, but a Tristan Gray infield single one batter later did the deed instead. Though only one run, the effort pushed Minnesota’s offense even further in the sixth, as a Buxton double begat a Josh Bell double thudded off the jutted wall in right field, tying the game until Lewis broke his team into the lead with a sacrifice fly. Given the lead for the first time, the Twins found themselves unsure what to do with themselves, and so given the choice, they reverted back to their standard operating procedure: they squandered it. Taylor Rogers and Eric Orze danced around the conclusion, seeming for a moment to only allow the game to be tied again, before finalizing the sudden direness of matters when Jordan Walker cleared the bases with a solidly-stroked double down the left-field line. A fraught day for pitchers indeed. Sullen-eyed and lethargic, any hurler who trudged to the mound looked; knowing their fate and the swollen ERAs that will soon follow with their entrance into the game. A rank curse. To see so clearly what awaits one yet to be helpless to stop the terribleness. At least they have a pile of money to cry into. Gordon Graceffo and Ryne Stanek were the next two pitchers to find this out; the prior for walking two batters; the latter for hanging a splitter that Kody Clemens swatted into the right-field seats for a game-tying three-run homer. The Cardinals scored again in the eighth but did you think that would mean anything? What with how this game has gone? Have you paid any attention? Were you actually watching? The tenor of the moment and the shifts of the night spoke to a predictable outcome: a mammoth Lewis homer to tie the game. Though perhaps surprising was Brooks Lee’s go-ahead blast just two batters later. Somehow, that proved enough: Andrew Morris entered to lock down the game in the ninth and did exactly that, exterminating the St. Louis threat with shocking efficiency to quietly end what had been a chaotic and unruly game. All hail the over-the-top hurling righty from Texas Tech for taming this crazed beast, Notes: Byron Buxton is slugging .917 in his last seven games. Royce Lewis is slashing .364/.400/.682 since re-joining the Twins on June 6th. Joe Ryan's eight strikeouts give him 811 in his Twins career, the 11th-most in team history. He's 34 away from tying Kyle Gibson. Every batter in the starting Twins lineup outside of Trevor Larnach reached base safely at least once. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Cardinals match up once for what may be a normal game of baseball on Saturday with first pitch coming at 1:10 PM. Connor Prielipp will start opposite Matthew Liberatore. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Paredes 0 0 58 0 0 58 Rogers 0 17 14 0 22 53 Morris 0 0 39 0 9 48 Laweryson 0 12 0 32 0 44 Gómez 0 0 27 0 15 42 Orze 0 23 0 0 16 39 Banda 0 0 30 0 9 39 Adams 0 0 31 0 0 31 Lawrence 0 26 0 0 0 26 View full article

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Mick Abel) TRANSACTIONS RHP Mick Abel sent to AAA St. Paul on rehab RHP Andrew Bash transferred to development list (AAA St. Paul) RHP Taylor Rashi reported to AAA St. Paul Saints Sentinel St. Paul 12, Toledo 1 Box Score Mick Abel: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K HR: Aaron Sabato (12), Kyler Fedko (15), Matt Wallner (6), Gabriel Gonzalez (9) Multi-hit games: Kyler Fedko (2-for-3, HR, 3 R, RBI, BB), Matt Wallner (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI), Gabriel Gonzalez (3-for-5, HR, 2B, 3 R, RBI), Aaron Sabato (3-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI) The Saints dominated their opponent on Wednesday. Mick Abel vs Justin Verlander. For the price of a AAA ticket? Toledo hadn’t seen such entertainment since Art Tatum’s piano playing in the late 20s and early 30s. The youngster clearly bested the elder in the matchup of generations: Abel pounded the zone and flashed healthy-looking stuff, topping out at 97.9 while punching out five. He tossed three shutout innings. Verlander, on the other hand, couldn’t escape the gopher ball. Aaron Sabato got him in the second off a hanging slider, and Kyler Fedko also pounced on the Hall-of-Famer’s signature strikeout pitch for a homer in the third. Verlander settled in for a time before Matt Wallner and Gabriel Gonzalez went back-to-back in the sixth. That’s four home runs off a pitcher who will one day remain forever alive in the walls of Cooperstown. The Mud Hens weren’t done sending former All-Stars to the mound, as Kenley Jansen entered in the seventh. He, too, didn’t phase the Saints. Three straight baserunners chased the owner of the third-most saves in MLB history, starting an assembly line of runs that concluded with six on the board, and 10 in the game for St. Paul. They tacked on two more for good measure in the eighth. The Mud Hens roster Max Clark, the seventh-ranked prospect in MLB. He singled once in four at-bats. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 2, Wichita 5 Box Score Jose Olivares: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Kyle DeBarge (2-for-3, 2B, R, BB) The Wind Surge came up short on Wednesday. It's possible the game’s opening inning cursed Wichita: Jose Olivares walked the leadoff batter—a sin in the eyes of the baseball gods—and the Olivares/Poncho Ruiz battery allowed the runner to steal second, an insolent act made worse by a throwing error that sent him to third. The baseball gods look unfavorably on poor fundamentals, and the Wind Surge soon learned this. Matters settled into a Cold War stalemate for a few frames before Kyle DeBarge lurched us into modernity with a cracked double to start the fifth. Jaime Ferrer then knocked him home with a single up the middle. The Drillers responded with two runs, and when Wichita scored in the sixth, Tulsa clubbed on two more runs to emphasize their point. It was taken. The Wind Surge didn’t score the rest of the game. DeBarge enjoyed one his best games of the season; the infielder doubled, singled, walked, and stole his 17th base on the year. It was his first multi-hit game since May 26th. That anonymous leadoff man from before was actually Josue De Paula, the eighth-best prospect in baseball according to MLB.com. He doubled and walked twice. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 8, Lansing 9 (10 Innings) Box Score Michael Ross: 3 ⅔ IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: Quinn McDaniel (1), Eduardo Tait (10) Multi-hit games: Yasser Mercedes (2-for-5, 2B, 2R), Quinn McDaniel (2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI), Danny De Andrade (2-for-5, 3B, 2 R, RBI) The Kernels lost in extras on Wednesday. Quinn McDaniel continues to be a revelation for the Twins organization, as he launched his first A+ ball homer and added a double to give him six total bases in the game. He’s hitting .333/.406/.517 in 16 games with Cedar Rapids. Wichita may be in his near future. Eduardo Tait smashed a three-run shot in the seventh for his tenth home run of the year. Though the catcher endured a slower start to the season, he’s slugging .563 in seven games to start the month of June. That’s more in the line with the production the team expected when they traded for him last year. Every batter for the Kernels reached base at least once, and every batter outside Tait and Khadim Diaw reached base at least twice. No player in the Athletics’ top 30 prospect list played in Wednesday’s game. Mussel Matters The Mighty Mussels met the one thing mightier than them: mother nature. And what a temperamental gal is she. They will attempt to play a doubleheader on Thursday, June 11th. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Mick Abel Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Gabriel Gonzalez PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1-5, R, BB #5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, HR, R, 3 RBI, K #7 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, RBI, 2 BB, #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 3-5, HR, 2B, 3 R, RBI #12 – Andrew Morris (Twins) - 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K #15 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, K #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 2-3, 2B, R, BB THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05 PM) - RHP Austin Voth Wichita @ Tulsa (7:00 PM) - RHP Sam Armstrong Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05 PM) - RHP Riley Quick Dunedin @ Fort Myers (3:35 PM) - RHP Eli Jones Dunedin @ Fort Myers (Game Two) - TBD FCL Twins @ FCL Pirates (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL NYY Yankees (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of Zach Del Bello (photo of Jorel Ortega) TRANSACTIONS No moves were made on Sunday. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 3, Indianapolis 0 Box Score John Klein: 2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Kyler Fedko (2-for-4, 2B, R), Tanner Schobel (2-for-4) The Saints shut out their opponent on Sunday. It was a surprisingly tame match for International League standards. Indianapolis simply never got anything going against St. Paul’s litany of pitchers. John Klein? Effective, if not wildly so with three hits and three walks against him. Ty Langenberg? The star of the show. The one who delivered 2 1/3 efficient frames in arguably his best showing in a Saints uniform. Marco Raya? Even more efficient by netting two shutout frames with just 13 pitches. Then Kody Funderburk and C.J. Culpepper finished the job, with both hurlers needing fewer than 10 pitches to do so. St. Paul as a whole threw 110 pitches. It was as if the entire Indianapolis lineup had a tee time to make. The pitching success rendered St. Paul’s relatively meager offensive showing more than enough to claim the win. Tanner Schobel brought in a run in the fourth off an infield single—and though the lineup could have napped at the plate the rest of the game and still won—they tacked on thanks to a two-run single by Aaron Sabato in the fifth. Sabato ended play with a .975 OPS on the season, the eighth-best mark in the International League. Third-ranked Pirates prospect Hunter Barco provided bulk innings for Indianapolis, tossing four frames while surrendering three earned runs. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 4, San Antonio 7 Box Score Cory Lewis: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: Billy Amick (14), Jorel Ortega (2) Multi-hit games: Jorel Ortega (2-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI) The team soon to be formerly known as the Wind Surge came up short on Sunday. Donning the moniker “Turbo Tubs” that will eventually become the team’s permanent name, Wichita didn’t appear especially turbo-ed, though they had chances (whatever that means). They plated a trio of runs off starter Ian Koenig, yet are likely kicking themselves for not scoring more, as the righty walked five in a scattershot outing. Instead, all the Wind Surge could muster against the starter was one run in the second, and two in the fifth. That’s Billy Amick in there somewhere amongst the rain haze, we promise. Amick now has 14 homers on the season, as he’s now tripled what was his career long ball total at the season’s start. His meager .212 batting average betrays a healthy .341 OBP and a robust .475 slugging percentage, giving him a prototypical slashline for a slugging corner infielder. Jorel Ortega added on in the sixth with a solo homer, his second shot of the season. Only former Volunteers could go long on Sunday, evidently. Unfortunately, Wichita pitching matched the sloppiness of the endured weather. Cory Lewis continued to struggle in his attempt to rebound from a disastrous 2025 season; his AA ERA this year sits at 5.60, a disappointing number given his mark across 66 innings with the team two years ago was 2.59. Sam Ryan coughed up three runs in his lone inning of work. Then Nick Mikolajchak became the third pitcher to fail in shutting out the Missions. Zach Vennaro and Paulshawn Pasqualotto finally delivered zeroes, but by then, it was too late. Uber prospect turned ordinary top-100 guy, Ethan Salas, caught for the Missions, collecting two hits in five at-bats. Kernels Nuggets The Kernels started play on Sunday before rain quickly squashed any hopes of completing nine innings. The game was canceled and will not be made up later. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 3, Lakeland 5 Box Score Ramiro Villanueva: 3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Ryan Sprock (2-for-3, 3B, R, 2 RBI), Graham Brown (2-for-4, RBI), Luis Fragoza (2-for-4) The Mighty Mussels were bested late on Sunday. Perhaps the second inning best portends how the game was to go: Ryan Sprock led off the frame with a triple, only to be stranded as his next two friends went down whiffing, and the third flew out. Then pitcher Ramiro Villanueva walked two—and nearly escaped the inning without allowing a run—only for a single to plate both runners. Villanueva also balked. It didn’t end up mattering. But a balk always foretells grave matters. And if it wasn’t for Sprock, the Mighty Mussels would have walked away from Sunday embarrassed instead of merely beat. The DH lived up to the position’s namesake: he added a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and drove in another run with a single in the eighth. Then he stole second. That’s a lot of bases, and a significant amount of runs, given that Fort Myers only scored thrice, credited to just one player. Graham Brown added on with a game-tying single, yet the Mighty Mussels pitching that bent all game finally broke for good, surrendering two in the bottom half of the frame in what became the game’s deciding effort. Dameury Pena stole his 17th base of the season, tying him for the 10th-most in the Florida State League. Lakeland DH Nick Dumesnil ranks as the Tigers’ 23rd-best prospect. He walked twice in four plate appearances. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ty Langenberg Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jorel Ortega PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #4 – Connor Prielipp (Twins) - 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-2, R, 2 BB #12 – Andrew Morris (Twins) - 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K #13 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-4, K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 0-4, 3 K #17 – C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-4, BB, K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Braves @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Mets Orange (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Box Score SP: Zebby Matthews: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K Home Runs: Brooks Lee (9) Top 3 WPA: Zebby Matthews (.130), Brooks Lee (.120), Orlando Arcia (.120) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) There was rain. Or maybe there wasn’t. Well, there was supposed to be rain. Those who should know told us, anyways. And it might be back there in the distance somewhere. We’ll push this game back an hour and a half. It’ll build character. And then we’ll make them get an Apple TV subscription again. That’ll also build character. Are you tired of all the character? Nestled in Minneapolis—on the outskirts of the skyscrapers and man-made institutions that inspire awe and assert dominance—sits the stadium that contained the baseball played on Friday. The field, a beautiful arrangement of limestone, greenery, and screens, gave way to a classic back-and-forther on Thursday, the kind of game that could entertain even the most arduous baseball hater, though it ended in a loss for the protagonist Twins. And this is where we find our heroes: lauded and mired in the common traps and pitfalls of a team that simply may not be good. Not bad. Just not good. The Lord would spit them from his mouth if given the opportunity. Zebby Matthews certainly didn’t begin his start well. Fresh off the vague, esoteric rain delay, the square-jawed hurler found the terrain unfamiliar and rude. Kansas City crushed his offerings. A Bobby Witt Jr. walk portended a stolen base, placing the dynamic speedster in scoring position for any hitter. Vinnie Pasquantino made the point moot with a double cracked into right field. Jac Caglianone brought home his Italian-American brethren with a double off the Jericho wall in right-center. The instant offense paralyzed the Twins. Their bats remained dormant for two innings. The clever finesse veteran Michael Wacha knew which buttons to press and selected them with the acumen of a hurler 14 years into his major league career. Finally, matters turned in favor of Minnesota—ironically after they lost their best player, Byron Buxton, who exited following a failed encounter with the center field wall. Alex Jackson singled, and pinch-hitter Tristan Gray reached first on a bunt, sending the leading runner to third in the process. Brooks Lee grounded out to conclude the manufactured run. At this point, Matthews was settled in, comfortable. The Royals found him more troublesome than before—though thanks in part to Austin Martin throwing out a would-be runner at home in the fourth. A pitcher can sometimes only be as good as his defense, after all. Sitting at a 2-1 stalemate in the sixth, the Twins trudged to the batter’s box draped in the typical misfortune of an offense that couldn’t get going. They needed a hit to fuel things, yet the only fuel for such an endeavors is a hit. Quite the pickle. So, Lee simplified the situation by blasting a solo home run. “Homers kill rallies,” say some. In this case, they ignite them. Minnesota's bats became a flurry. Doubles by Kody Clemens and Josh Bell shot the Twins into the lead, and Orlando Arcia added on with an RBI knock into right field. Back-to-back wild pitches coaxed the scampering Arcia home safely. Suddenly, it was 5-2 Twins, and the Royals were no longer the aggressors in the game; they hadn’t flashed teeth since the first; they still couldn’t stop running into outs at home; Martin remained an armed terror manning right field with a vigor unseen since the cathedral was raised (outside of Max Kepler, but he never threw runners out quite like this). Matthews ended his night after seven innings, ushering in the bullpen to end what the youngster had brilliantly started. Anthony Banda did so drama-less. Travis Adams did so with a soft tepid feeling of uneasiness, but he never devolved into worse territory, eventually closing the game with a soft pop-up off Kyle Isbel's bat. Notes: Byron Buxton officially left the game with a shoulder injury, the same one he hurt earlier in the season, and manager Derek Shelton removed him from the game before his next at-bat. More updates will arrive later. Kody Clemens is slashing .321/.345/.786 in his last seven games. Zebby Matthews threw seven innings for the second time in 2026. He's averaging more than six innings a start. Anthony Banda has not allowed an earned run since May 8th. Post-Game Interview: Twitter accounts do not post an interview after an Apple TV game. What’s Next? The Twins and Royals return to the Target Field confines Saturday for an early afternoon melee, sparring Joe Ryan against Luinder Avila. First pitch is at 1:10 PM. Maybe. An estimation of rain could soil the start time. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Morris 0 18 0 48 0 66 Paredes 0 0 0 50 0 50 Gómez 15 15 0 18 0 48 Lawrence 0 0 19 24 0 43 Orze 0 0 26 16 0 42 Banda 0 20 0 8 14 42 Adams 19 0 0 0 16 35 Laweryson 0 0 26 0 0 26 Rogers 0 0 12 11 0 23 View full article

Yes neither the FCL or the DSL Twins teams play on Wednesday (or Sunday, for that matter).

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Ryan Gallagher) TRANSACTIONS RHP Nolan Santos activated from 7-day IL (Cedar Rapids) 3B Murphy Stehly retired (AA Wichita) RHP Charlee Soto sent to A Fort Myers on MiLB rehab RHP Hunter Gregory signed to a minor league contract Hunter Gregory? Yes, the Twins dipped into independent reserves once more. This time, they looked to the mound: former Blue Jays farmhand Hunter Gregory inked a deal to join Minnesota’s farm system. Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported he’ll join the Wichita Wing Surge. Gregory was a four-year player at Old Dominion between 2018-2021, starting the majority of his senior season to great results (a 2.95 ERA over 79 1/3 innings with more strikeouts than frames). Following that year, Toronto selected him in the 8th-round. He reached AAA in 2025, but was roughed up, and the franchise decided that a 26-year-old who walked more batters than he struck out wasn’t worth a roster spot. The York Revolution came calling, and he has been excellent for them: hitters who talk about destruction were counted (called) out, as he racked up 20 strikeouts across 13 2/3 innings. We shall see what he can do in the Twins system. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 10, Indianapolis 1 Box Score Ryan Gallagher: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K HR: Hendry Mendez (4), Matt Wallner (2), Royce Lewis (10) Multi-hit games: Kaelen Culpepper (2-for-4, 3 R, BB), Hendry Mendez (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI), Royce Lewis (3-for-5, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI), Matt Wallner (2-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB) The St. Paul Royce Lewis’s stomped their opponent on Wednesday. At some point, it actually becomes difficult to capture a performance like this in writing: purple prose and exasperation isn’t a happy combination. Lewis is a supernova. He’s played 11 games with the Saints since being demoted and has eight homers. His AAA OPS in 2026 is literally nearly triple his major league mark. And Wednesday’s blast was of the ilk that made him a once-foreseen superstar many moons ago—a grand slam. What he’s doing in St. Paul is unbelievable. He wasn’t the only Saint in a hitting mood on Wednesday, as everyone in the lineup accrued a base knock. More blasts came from Hendry Mendez, who smoked a gorgeous shot to center with a slight fade, and Matt Wallner, who thundered a signature mutant flyball that refused to return to earth. Ryan Gallagher authored five shutout frames on the mound, occasionally giving in to temptation with a walk or two—or four, but who’s counting—yet never budging from his goal to stop Indianapolis from scoring. In fact, only twice did a runner even reach second base. Indianapolis’ leadoff man Termarr Johnson likely caught your eye. The fourth overall pick in 2022, Johnson earned overtures for being unusually “hitterish” at such a young age; his time in the minors has been beset by more ordinary play and a jump in strikeouts (and walks). He’s no longer a top 100 guy, but he’s Pittsburgh’s fifth-ranked prospect, and he singled and walked in five plate appearances. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 7, San Antonio 6 Box Score Cory Lewis: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K HR: Andrew Cossetti 2 (4, 5), Multi-hit games: Andrew Cossetti (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI) The Wind Surge eked out a win on Wednesday. It’s good to have a big dude who can hit the ball far. Just ask Earl Weaver. That’s what Andrew Cossetti is here for. He stepped up to the plate in his first at-bat with the bases loaded—an ultimate chance to give his team an early advantage—and walloped a mammoth 452 foot grand slam to spearhead a five-run frame before returning in the seventh to blast a two-run shot that catapulted the Wind Surge back into the lead. That’s also, by the way, how a team can score seven runs despite going 1-5 with runners in scoring position. Sometimes, home plate is scoring position. The Missions started Ethan Salas at DH on Wednesday. MLB.com’s 51st-ranked player walked twice in five plate appearances. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 10 Box Score Dasan Hill: 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K HR: Yasser Mercedes (3) Multi-hit games: Eduardo Tait (2-for-4, 2B, BB, R), Khadim Diaw (2-for-4, R), Yasser Mercedes (3-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI) The Kernels were out-slugged on Wednesday. All remains unruly in Dasan Hill’s 2026 season. He struggled to find the strike zone consistently, walking three as just 42 of his 70 pitches went for strikes. He surrendered four hits. The young lefty has flashed tantalizing ability at times, yet an affliction remains that causes the strike zone to often appear like a mustard seed. Hopefully he can figure things out soon. Yasser Mercedes continued to be a dual-threat menace, smacking a three-run homer while stealing his 12th base of the season. He was joined by Brandon Winokur and Jay Thomason, who also swiped a bag for the 12th time on the year. Strange happenings. It was a good, not awe-inspiring line, but Eduardo Tait reaching base thrice without a strikeout was an encouraging sight. He hit a poor .174/.245/.315 in May, so this game could be the positive augur the young catcher was undoubtedly looking for. The Timber Rattlers are an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, and they are the home of their most recent first-round pick, Andrew Fischer. He manned third and reached base three times in five trips to the plate. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 5, Lakeland 11 Box Score Charlee Soto: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: JP Smith II (7) Multi-hit games: None An explosive eighth sunk the Mighty Mussels on Wednesday. Charlee Soto is back! More than a year after not pitching in a competitive game, Soto took the mound and… looked like someone who hadn’t pitched in a competitive game in more than a year. Which is fine. His stuff looked good, and he topped out at 99.9 (they don’t round in Florida). Jason Reitz entered once the Soto fanfare died down to deliver his finest outing since joining the Twins organization, whiffing three in a trio of extraordinarily efficient innings. He didn’t even reach a three-ball count. JP Smith hit the lone homer for Fort Myers—yet it was one of the inside-the-park variety. And it was hit to the pull-side. How is that possible? Well, the left-fielder decided that running the wall flailing would be better than playing the ricochet. He was wrong. And as a result, a rotund man had to run the bases with a vigor likely foreign to him. But what a sight it was! Tigers’ seventh-ranked prospect, Jordan Yost, played shortstop and reached base three times, once each via a hit, walk, and hit by pitch. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ryan Gallagher Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Andrew Cossetti PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 2-4, 3 R, BB #5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, 2B, R, BB #6 – Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K #7 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-4, BB, 2 K #11 – Charlee Soto (Fort Myers) - 1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K #13 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 2-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 0-3, RBI, 2 K #15 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, BB, 2 K #16 – Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, R #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-4, R, BB, K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (7:07 PM) - RHP John Klein San Antonio @ Wichita (6:35 PM) - RHP Preston Johnson Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM) - RHP Michael Ross Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM) - RHP Justin Mitrovich FCL Twins @ FCL Braves (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Colorado (9:00 AM) - TBD View full article

Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Welcome to the May edition of our minor league pitcher of the month series. Things are a little different this year: as an acknowledgement of patterns in minor league pitcher usage, we’ve collapsed the “reliever” into the “starter” one. Because teams are in a constant struggle to get players work, they often become “out-getters,” entering whenever the manager deems the situation acceptable, regardless of the typical roles accepted in our shared baseball understanding. This puts short-inning hurlers at a disadvantage for a list like this, but if one was especially efficient in a month, they’ll receive consideration. This author has been writing these pieces for years, and this month was one of the weakest he can remember. The list of candidates was slim. Most of the best pitching talent in the system is on the major-league squad, incapacitated, or underperforming. Of the top seven hurlers on MLB.com’s prospect list for the Twins, four are on the IL, and one—Charlee Soto—hasn’t pitched since Carlos Correa, Jhoan Duran, and everyone else was moved during the Great Firesale of 2025. So, times are strange. Anyway, here’s the list, starting with the honorable mentions: Dasan Hill - A+ Cedar Rapids - 3.18 ERA, 11 ⅓ IP, 3.18 FIP, 34 K% Hill was well on his way to making the list proper, before he blew up in spectacular fashion on May 28, walking six while recording just two outs. Command has proved to be a bugaboo for the prep lefty in 2026: he’s walked 24 across 27 ⅓ frames. If he can tighten that up even a little bit, he’ll be back to doing great things. Yehizon Sanchez, A+ Cedar Rapids - 1.50 ERA, 12 IP, 2.77 FIP, 27.7 K% The efficiency comment from before was aimed squarely at Sanchez, who dominated hitters in May with impressive acumen. Only twice did he allow a run. Both times were limited to just one score. That’s a nearly impossible rate of consistency from a position so often given to the swells of blow-ups and meltdowns—but he also only pitched 12 innings. Darren Bowen, AA Wichita - 3.00 ERA, 15 IP, 4.18 FIP, 19.7 K% The days of Darren Bowen as a starter are over, but as a bullpen arm, he could carve out a longer future in the organization. He has struck out batters at a higher rate while walking fewer of them in his second go-around at AA. That’ll play. John Klein, AAA St. Paul - 3.65 ERA, 12 ⅓ IP, 3.20 FIP, 34 K% A standard solid pitching month. John Klein allowed just six hits for the Saints in May, but his run-suppressing ability was a touch too weak. Hendry Chivilli, FCL Twins - 1.38 ERA, 13 IP, 3.09 FIP, 23.5 K% Hendry Chivilli? The position player? Yes, the former big international player saw some success after moving to the mound last year; he’s off to a great start in 2026. 5. Garrett Horn, FCL Twins/A+ Cedar Rapids - 0.75 ERA, 12 IP, 3.27 FIP, 28.6 K% The lefty from Liberty starts us off. Acquired from the Rangers last year for Danny Coulombe, Horn was cromulent (if a bit walk-happy) in his initial foray with the Kernels. In a new year, Horn put forth one of the finest pitching months in the Twins system, allowing one run and three hits across 12 innings equally split between Cedar Rapids and the FCL. “He’s a vertically-oriented lefty who was 92-95 in his most recent ACL outing prior to list publication,” wrote Eric Longenhagen and James Fegan in their 2025 writeup of the Rangers system. Indeed, Horn’s exaggerated slot helps generate unique ride on his fastball, turning the offering into a vertical-breaking monster coveted by major-league teams these days. Self-evidently, hitters have a difficult time hitting his heat. Early results are promising for Horn. Now let’s see him sustain it at A+ ball. 4. Michael Hilker, A Fort Myers - 2.51 ERA, 14 ⅓ IP, 1.97 FIP, 27.9 K% An honorable mention last month, Hilker improved his play enough to make the list proper in May. A 2025 20th-round draftee, Hilker left his college in Tucson, Ariz. for some Florida waves; he moonlighted for two innings last year with the Mighty Mussels before returning for a full go-around in 2026. Once again, we’re dealing with a fastball known to grow wings and take off when it reaches the plate; Hilker’s heater averaged 22.6 inches of induced vertical break, which would be the highest in MLB this year by almost a full inch (Alex Vesia is at 21.7). (We should note, in the interest of fairness, that IVB is higher in Florida than just about anywhere else, due to a combination of humidity and low elevation. Still, he's at the top end of the scale.) Armed with that special heater, Hilker made fools of A-ball hitters in May, whiffing them at an elite rate while keeping the walks at bay, offering just three free passes. He could be an under-the-radar relief arm to keep tabs on. 3. Paulshawn Pasqualotto, A+ Cedar Rapids - 2.19 ERA, 12 ⅓ IP, 2.56 FIP, 42.9 K% Paulshawn Pasqualotto just casually had one of the most efficient relief months you’ll ever see. The Cal, Berkeley product decided to become Goose Gossage, gobbling batters—often in multi-inning outings—with outstanding strikeout ability. In four appearances, he struck out at least four hitters. That’s simply electric no matter the level of play. A twin himself, Pasqualotto has already almost matched his strikeout total over 51 ⅓ innings with the Kernels last season, an impossible task given he’s totaled just 18 frames so far this year. His fastball/changeup combination drives his profile; the cambio remains his favored off-speed offering, though he continues to refine his breaking stuff. The 25-year-old saw a cup of coffee with Wichita at the end of April; he’ll probably return to Kansas soon if he continues to pitch like this. 2. Mike Paredes, AAA St. Paul - 2.70 ERA, 23 ⅓ IP, 3.39 FIP, 26.9 K% The newest Twin, Mike Paredes flourished at AAA in the month of May before earning his call to the majors. The righty never allowed more than two earned runs in an outing all month. He swept, and swept, and swept some more, as his arching breaking ball came into sharp focus in May, helping usher Paredes to the big leagues—and hitters back to the dugout. Cody Christie penned a full piece on Paredes and his story. It’s worth emphasizing: Paredes is a former 18th-round pick with a 5.28 ERA coming out of San Diego State in 2021. And now he’s a big leaguer. What an outcome for Paredes (and the Twins organization). With the rash of pitching injuries cursing the team, there’s a real chance Paredes gets an extended look on the Target Field mound. That probably doesn’t happen without his excellent month of May with the Saints. 1. Justin Mitrovich, A Fort Myers - 1.15 ERA, 15 ⅔ IP, 2.05 FIP, 35.5 K% Fun fact: before taking Ryan Sprock in the 8th round in the 2025 draft, the last Elon product the Twins drafted was catcher Alex Swim in 2013. They then drafted Justin Mitrovich one round later. Go figure. What a pick it may be. Mitrovich debuted in the Twins system on May 3rd and has been awesome, striking out 22 batters across 15 ⅔ frames, while allowing two earned runs. Two. Clearly, there’s some deception in his “oops, all ligaments” delivery, which flings arms and legs in various directions before sending the ball hurling at the hitter upwards of 95 MPH. Mitrovich could soon become the latest in the line of Twins college hurlers who shot through the minors and became top prospects and/or big leaguers. So far, though, he’ll have to settle for being the Twins Daily minor league pitcher of the month for May. View full article

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of CJ Culpepper) TRANSACTIONS RHP Travis Adams recalled by Twins RHP Ricky Castro promoted to AAA St. Paul RHP Mike Paredes selected by Twins Saints Sentinel St. Paul 3, Louisville 0 Box Score Trent Baker: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K HR: Matt Wallner (1) Multi-hit games: Matt Wallner (2-for-5, HR, R, RBI) The Saints pitched a combined shutout on Sunday. Though Trent Baker appeared first, he was a false starter: indeed, C.J. Culpepper and Ricky Castro teamed up to provide bulk frames in this match. The day was a triumph for both pitchers; for Culpepper, as it was easily his best appearance as a Saint; and for Castro, who performed better for St. Paul than he did during his substitute teaching foray in late April. Combined, they totaled six shutout innings with eight strikeouts. The big blast in the game came from Matt Wallner, who popped his first longball since his demotion. And it was a vintage sight: a fastball coming in at 98 that left the bat with screaming, evil intentions. Héctor Rodríguez, who doubled twice and singled once on Sunday, ranks as the Reds’ fifth-best prospect, according to MLB.com. Wind Surge Wisdom Game One: Wichita 3, Springfield 4 (8 innings) Box Score Cory Lewis: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K HR: Andrew Cossetti (3), Jose Salas (5) Multi-hit games: Andrew Cossetti (2-for-2, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB) This was a continuation of Saturday’s game, which was suspended after six innings. Perhaps matters should have been forgotten about entirely: Wichita returned to the field and found the grass unfriendly and the dirt cruel. The squandered an opportunity with two men in scoring position in the eighth, before losing outright when third baseman Murphy Stehl airmailed his toss to second in an effort to turn two. Fun stuff. Game Two: Wichita 5, Springfield 6 Box Score Jose Olivares: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K HR: Caleb Roberts (2) Multi-hit games: Garrett Spain (2-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB), Caleb Roberts (2-for-3, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB) The Wind Surge were walked off on Sunday. You don’t see many shutout outings with more balls than strikes, yet that’s exactly what Jose Olivares delivered, shutting out the Cardinals for four frames despite having 29 of his 56 pitches fall safely outside the strike zone. “Effectively wild,” you may call it. The Wind Surge offense laid dormant for six innings, putting men on in nearly every frame without successfully advancing anyone home. Ironically, the seventh seemed like it would be more of the same, as a leadoff single was erased by a double play. Back-to-back walks returned hope, and singles from Garrett Spain and Kala’i Rosario placed two runs on the board. That broke the dam: Caleb Roberts cracked a solo homer in the eighth, and Kyle DeBarge drew two more home with a double later in the inning. The Wind Surge led 5-1. Such a lead ordinarily should have been safe, but the bottom of the ninth proved to be no ordinary inning, as a flurry of singles, and a sacrifice fly suddenly cut the deficit in half. No matter. Jarrett Whorff needed just one more out to escape the inning—and the game—with the lead. He reared back and fired a slider—one of the cement mixing variety—and Miguel Ugueto blasted the offering out to left field to catapult the Cardinals into the lead. An imminent win turned sour in seconds. Springfield catcher Rainel Rodriguez clocks in as the game’s 24th-best prospect. He went 0-4. Rehabbing big leaguer Lars Nootbaar DH’d for Springfield, walking twice in five plate appearances. That sounds like Lars Nootbaar, alright. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 8, Quad Cities 1 Box Score Garrett Horn: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), Quinn McDaniel (2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB) The Kernels crushed their opponent on Sunday. Marek Houston established the game’s story immediately, walking and on five pitches before reaching third on a pair of wild pitches. He finished his hero’s journey around the bases thanks to a Khadim Diaw sacrifice fly. And he wasn’t done: the shortstop stepped to the plate in the second with two one, and he brought both home with a sharp double into the left field corner. Seven of Cedar Rapids’ nine batters reached base on Sunday. Quinn McDaniel continues to be a force in the Twins organization. He’s played just 15 games but has collected 26 hits—that’s as many as Cal Raleigh across his 41 major league games this year. The indy-ball signing rapidly earned a promotion to Cedar Rapids; a ticket to Wichita may arrive in no time. On Sunday, he singled twice and walked. Garrett Horn made his second start for the Kernels since returning from injury, and he was once again extremely effective, whiffing five over three innings. He allowed one run. Including his rehab outings, the lefty allowed just one earned run and three hits across 12 frames in May. Catcher Blake Mitchell ranks as the 54th-best prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. He went 0-4 on Sunday with a pair of strikeouts. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 5, Jupiter 4 Box Score Reed Moring: 3 ⅔ IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K HR: Quentin Young (5) Multi-hit games: Graham Brown (2-for-3, 2 R, RBI) The Mighty Mussels scored five unanswered to win on Sunday. As always, disaster started with Nixon. Chirinos, in this case. The Hammerheads catcher may not be a crook, but he helped Jupiter steal three runs in the second, when a walk portended a Henry Kusiak throwing error, which portended a pair of run-scoring hits. Jupiter was playing chess while Fort Myers was stuck with checkers. The gaffe snapped the Mighty Mussels back into focus. Quentin Young got the team on the board with a skyscraping opposite-field blast in the third, and Luis Fragoza slugged in a pair on a double two innings later. Suddenly, Fort Myers was only down by one. Suddenly, Jupiter looked meek. A Yilber Herrera sacrifice fly in the seventh evened the score—and Graham Brown snuck one up the middle one frame later to complete the comeback. Michael Hilker and Mike McKenna combined to retire 15 consecutive Hammerheads to end the game. Andrew Salas—brother of Padres prospect, Ethan, and Wind Surge, Jose—ranks as the Marlins’ 11th-best prospect. He went 1-for-4 with a double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – C.J. Culpepper Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Caleb Roberts PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1-3, 2 BB, K #5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-5, K #7 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB #10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-2, 2B #13 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 0-4, BB, K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 1-3, HR, R, RBI, BB, K #15 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, R, BB, K #17 – C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-2, R, 2 RBI, BB #20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-8, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS FCL Rays @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM) - TBD DSL Rangers Red @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM) - TBD View full article