Matt Braun

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

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

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

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

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

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

Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images Box Score Joe Ryan: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Luke Keaschall (-.360), Victor Caratini (-.150), Matt Wallner (-.130) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The lefty menace continues. Aren’t southpaws an endangered species? Well, the Twins must exist in some sort of statistical oddity; lefties aplenty have been abound, as Minnesota manager Derek Shelton could carve “Buxton, Martin, Keaschall” into rock and make up the rest of his lineup later. No matter: the lineup has feasted on those deemed devilish in a previous time. Would Friday be more of the same? Joe Ryan took the mound for the Twins, and he was Joe Ryan-y from the get-go, perfectly dotting the outside corner to Matt McLain to highlight a 1-2-3 first frame. Then it was Brandon Williamson’s turn. He of a much less heralded nature—blame the reputation of Trimont for that—found his outs with less sex appeal; two of them were flyouts of 340+ feet. But, they were outs all the same. And our game was off and running. The first three frames flew by at an alarming rate, totaling perhaps all of 30 minutes. Rob Manfred, somewhere—likely a corporate meeting or stuffy shindig where everyone knows how to properly spell “hors d'oeuvres”—licked his lips and rubbed his hands. The only serious action occurred in the bottom of the third when Minnesota loaded the bases just for Luke Keaschall to strike out looking on a pitch that was a strike by a gnat’s eyelash. Even the robots couldn’t help our poor friend from Watsonville. Did the failed run-scoring attempt spook Ryan? It’s possible. He dazzled McLain once more before Elly De La Cruz got on top of one of his signature top-shelf fastballs and slammed the offering off the right field wall. The hit alone wouldn’t have been much of a problem if Sal Stewarter’s routine grounder to Ryan Kreidler didn’t result in the third baseman dirting the throw to first, forcing Josh Bell to awkwardly scoop, and accidently reject the throw with a reverse-snowcone. Eugenio Suarez then pounced on a lethargic breaker. The gapped double plated both runners. The fifth might exemplify Minnesota’s offensive struggles. Or maybe not. This author isn’t sure. He’s only in the seventh as of writing this sentence. In any case, the team’s first three batters walked, setting up Austin Martin to break the shutout with a sacrifice fly. Then Luke Keaschall hit into a double play. Both batters acted on the first pitch. A swift and unsatisfying ending to what appeared a promising inning, even if a run did score. The eighth came and went. No dice. A runner reached second. Matt Wallner lined out to center. So it goes. Emilio Pagán entered in the ninth. Hmm. He pitched a scoreless frame that ended with a Byron Buxton groundout. So that apparently goes as well. The out concluded what was a meager output by a lineup that had been prone to outbursts entering the game; hopefully, Saturday goes better. Notes: Austin Martin's .500 OBP leads the league (minimum 50 PA). Byron Buxton played in his 916th game as a Twin, tying Tom Brunansky for the 21st most in team history. He's 39 away from equaling Brian Dozier. Joe Ryan's six strikeouts give him 747 in his career, the 14th-most in team history. Scott Baker is next with 770. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Reds face off again on Saturday in a mid-day sojourn, with first pitch arriving at 1:10 PM. Taj Bradley will start opposite Andrew Abbott. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SUN MON TUE WED THUR FRI TOT Morris 67 0 0 0 0 0 67 Topa 12 0 0 13 0 11 36 Orze 0 23 0 12 0 0 35 Sands 0 0 15 0 0 20 35 Acton 0 33 0 0 0 0 33 Banda 0 0 0 24 0 0 24 Funderburk 0 0 0 14 0 8 22 Rogers 0 0 22 0 0 0 22 View full article

With an enormous amount of respect to Mr. Ross, whose athletic abilities dwarf mine by cartoonish magnitudes, he's in his third go-around at AA, and is almost 25 now. It's possible he figured something out. I would be skeptical, though.

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Eduardo Beltre) TRANSACTIONS OF Caden Kendle transferred to Temporarily Inactive List (Cedar Rapids) RHP Travis Adams added to Fort Myers on Major League rehab RHP Billy Oldham transferred from 7-day IL to 60-day IL (Fort Myers) INF Bryan Acuña placed on 7-day IL with left hamstring strain (Fort Myers) INF Ramiro Dominguez promoted to Fort Myers Saints Sentinel St. Paul 9, Lehigh Valley 7 Box Score John Klein: 3 ⅓ IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K HR: Gabriel Gonzalez (3), Emmanuel Rodriguez (3) Multi-hit games: Kaelen Culpepper (3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI), Alan Roden (3-for-5, R, RBI), Emmanuel Rodriguez (2-for-3, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Tanner Schobel (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB) The Saints were victorious in a run-happy game on Wednesday. If John Klein was hoping to flush away the memories of the April 5th start that has bloated his early-season ERA, he’ll need to look towards next week for better luck. The Brooklyn Park native started powerfully, punching out five of the first six batters he saw. But the 96 that startled hitters at the start of the game slipped to the 94, 93 range—evidently the difference between dominance and hittability. Óscar Mercado took him yard in the third. Felix Reyes ended his night with a two-run bomb in the fourth. So it goes. St. Paul’s bats came to rumble, though, and fight they did: Tanner Schobel drew blood with an RBI double in the second, and Emmanuel Rodriguez drilled a frozen rope to left-center in the third to score a second run. Then, floodgates. Carnage. Schobel singled, Walker Jenkins wore a pitch, and Kaelen Culpepper doubled to score both men. Alan Roden dinked one between the wide swath of real estate between the third baseman and the shortstop, setting up Gabriel Gonzalez to hop all over a hanging curveball slapped with a sticky note that said “hit me” on it. Lehigh Valley clawed back with four runs stacked onto Dan Altavilla and Marco Raya—two hurlers who now have season ERAs above 10. But the IronPigs never took the lead. Rodriguez hammered a homer for insurance, and Drew Smith navigated around a few ninth-inning base runners to save the game. Nobody in Philadelphia’s top-30 prospect list played in the game. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 5, Springfield 3 Box Score Ryan Gallagher: 4 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K HR: Ben Ross 2 (2, 3), Kala’i Rosario (2), Jose Salas (1) Multi-hit games: Ben Ross (2-for-2, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB) Wichita bludgeoned four homers in a satisfactory win on Wednesday. Coming off a start where he was great, Ryan Gallagher was good. The righty surrendered a first-inning homer—perhaps setting the tone for the rest of the day—before settling into an even if not mildly inefficient rhythm. Runners reached in four of the five frames he appeared. He walked two. The UC Santa Barbara product walked off the mound needing 70 pitches to net 13 outs. The other pitcher netted in the Willi Castro trade, Sam Armstrong, relieved Gallagher, and was also acceptably, overwhelmingly competent. He allowed one run over 3 ⅔ frames, though matched walk and strikeout totals with two apiece. Now, the fun stuff: the homers. The Wind Surge were in a bopping mood on Wednesday. Ben Ross kicked off the slugfest with a lead-off shot, making sure a hanging slider landed where all lethargic breaking stuff should go to die. Then, Kala’i Rosario spotted an outside fastball that looked like it belonged in the opposing team’s bullpen; so that’s where he sent it. Ross returned in the third to smack an opposite-field shot in the direction of five fans who believed their minded business was safe in right field. They were wrong. Jose Salas also homered, but the mighty Powers That Be who control the Wichita Twitter account deemed his blast too boring to post. Poor guy. Aaron Rozek earned the save in his 126th career minor league game. He now has 465 ⅓ innings under his belt in the Twins organization, the 40th-most for the franchise dating back to 2006. Who’s the lucky hurler at the top of the mountain? Pat Dean with 866. Springfield sent the famous switch-pitcher, Jurrangelo Cijntje, to the mound on Wednesday. Ranked as baseball’s 82nd-best prospect—and standing as one of the only men we’ve ever seen who can capably throw with both hands, Cijntje pitched the entire game righty. The Cardinals should be tried for being boring sticks in the mud. Kernels Nuggets Weather intervened on the planned Kernels game; they will play a doubleheader on Thursday. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 4, Lakeland 3 (10 Innings) Box Score James Ellwanger: 4 ⅔ IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K HR: Eduardo Beltre (2) Multi-hit games: Dameury Pena (2-for-5), Quintin Young (2-for-5), Yasser Mercedes (2-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB), JP Smith II (2-for-5, R), Eduardo Beltre (2-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI) The Mighty Mussels won on a walk-off on Wednesday. One of these days, James Ellwanger will allow a run. Maybe. Perhaps not. The 3rd-round Dallas Baptist supernova has totaled 11 ⅔ pro innings now—not once has he seen a runner cross home. He may not know such a thing is possible. Wednesday also saw a no-hit outing, though at the expense of three walks. Unfortunately, the Mighty Mussels found Lakeland pitching to also be unfriendly. They racked up runners to no avail, only breaking through when their eighth man to reach base actually came around to score (a previous misadventure with Quinten Young and Yasser Mercedes resulted in the former being thrown out trying to score from second on an infield single.) That sixth inning score was your typical walk/steal/advance-on-a-flyball/run-plating wild pitch sequence. Mercedes was the protagonist. Lakeland realized that homers—especially with someone on base—are way more efficient than going to Station to Station with Bowie or a 21-year-old Latin ballplayer, so they crushed a two-run shot in the seventh. Fort Myers clawed back with an even more turgid progression, turning two singles, a walk, and a challenged (yet confirmed) walk into the game-tying score. In extras, Lakeland plated their customary Manfred Man, which would have won them the game if Eduardo Beltre didn’t sit on a 3-0 fastball and crush the offering out to left field to win the game. MLB’s 30th-ranked prospect, infielder Bryce Rainer, singled and walked in five plate appearances. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – James Ellwanger Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ben Ross PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 0-4, R, RBI #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 3-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 2-3, HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-5, HR, R, 2 RBI, K #14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 2-5, 3 K #15 – Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K #16 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 1-4, 2B #20 – James Ellwanger (Fort Myers) - 4 ⅔ IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ St. Paul (6:37 PM) - LHP Connor Prielipp Springfield @ Wichita (6:35 PM) - RHP Mike Paredes Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (4:30 PM) - LHP Dasan Hill Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (Game Two) - TBD Lakeland @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM) - RHP Riley Quick View full article

Image courtesy of Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson: 4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Home Runs: Ryan Jeffers, (1) Brooks Lee (1) Bottom 3 WPA: Simeon Woods Richardson (-0.37), Anthony Banda (-0.18), Josh Bell (-0.11) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Ah, the yearly foray into Canada. Everyone’s favorite trip. When the team travels to a strange and foreign land less than two hours away from Buffalo by car to play a squad also full of Americans and players of Latin descent. Apparently, their Heinz ketchup is made with Canadian tomatoes. That’s cool. Simeon Woods Richardson earned the start. His mound opponent, Patrick Corbin, was set to make his Blue Jays debut. The veteran—armed with a slew of off-speed tricks—labored lethargically in an unrelenting first. He surrendered singles to Austin Martin and Luke Keaschall before offering Ryan Jeffers a cookie: a cement-mixing cutter aimed directly down the middle of the plate. The catcher didn’t miss. His blast left the bat at 107.7 MPH and landed 419 feet away. Woods Richardson—in contrast—was effective. Not quite dominant, the righty nonetheless found outs as they came, limiting the Blue Jays to just a double and a walk in his first three innings of work. Brooks Lee homered to start the fourth. Minnesota’s win probability was nearly 90%. Martin slugged a double. Keaschall nearly blasted a home run out to dead center. Times were good. The team was in a rhythm tighter than Jeff Porcaro on Toto’s “Rosanna.” That groove dissipated immediately. Toronto slugged back-to-back doubles to start their half of the fourth, Davis Schneider struck yet another two-bagger (with help from a Matt Wallner misplay), and Andrés Giménez singled to bring the game within one. No matter. The backup catcher was hitting; certainly, he wouldn’t hit a go-ahead two-run homer, his first as a big-leaguer. Anthony Banda did little to stop the bleeding: Daulton Varsho cracked a solo shot off the reliever in the fifth, and even more doubles in the sixth pushed the Blue Jays’ run total to eight. Taylor Rogers came in; Toronto scored again. Justin Topa came in; Toronto scored again. All the while, Minnesota's once potent offense fell silent, as they only put a man in scoring position one time following their fourth and final run. Martin struck out looking to cap a loss that once appeared set to be a promising victory. Notes: Ryan Jeffers hit his 69th career home run, the fourth-most by a primary catcher in Twins history. He's seven behind Earl Battey. Taylor Rogers appeared in his 320th appearance as a Twin, the 11th-most in team history for a reliever. He's seven away from tying Al Worthington. Austin Martin's season OBP sits at .474. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Blue Jays return for a Saturday matinee, as Joe Ryan is scheduled to start opposite Eric Lauer. First pitch is at 2:07 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Yes, he is #7, I just erased him for some reason. Should be fixed now.

TRANSACTIONS No moves were made on Wednesday. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Toledo 3 (12 Innings) Box Score Matt Bowman: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K HR: Gabriel Gonzalez (2) Multi-hit games: None It was a bullpen game for the Saints. Matt Bowman “started”—something he’s only done once in the big leagues—and passed the ball down the line after two shutout innings. Raul Brito covered the next three frames with cromulent professionalism; he allowed one run with four strikeouts. A remarkably beardless John Brebbia added a pair of scoreless innings to the mix, which begat Marco Raya who—wouldn’t you know—pitched two empty frames. By the time Dan Altavilla entered, the path from the bullpen to the mound was a trench. Despite the heroic efforts by the hodgepodge of relievers, Saints hitters couldn’t adequately support the cause. They slogged. Toledo pitchers earned whiffs in bunches. For about two turns of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” a Gabriel Gonzalez RBI groundout in the first stood as their only run. Early extras Manfred runners did nothing to incite offense in either team. Toledo loaded the bases with no one out in the 10th, but Altavilla wriggled out of the situation with the tie intact. The two squads exchanged runs in the 12th before Gabriel Gonzalez finally pushed forth a vigorous offense outburst, slamming a hanging breaker just inside the foul pole. The Mud Hens fired back with a run, but the single score was all they had left in them; Trent Baker allowed no further damage and locked down the victory for the Saints. Two former Twins farmhands pitched for the Mud Hens: Sawyer Gipson-Long, and Bryan Sammons. The Saints struck out 20 times and recorded just five hits. Max Clark—MLB’s eighth-best prospect—played center field for Toledo, collecting three hits and a walk. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 2, Arkansas 1 Box Score Ryan Gallagher: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None Wichita squeaked out a win on Wednesday. Arkansas batters were putty in Ryan Gallagher’s hands; the UC Santa Barbara product surrendered just one hit across five shutout frames, punching out six in what was one of his finest starts since joining the Twins organization last July. The righty only allowed a runner to reach scoring position twice. Ty Langenberg followed suit with even more overwhelming stuff, earning six of his eight outs via the K. In total, Wichita hurlers earned 15 strikeouts on Wednesday. The Wind Surge plated their two runs with a fifth-inning rally. With one out, Maddux Houghton doubled, and Kyle DeBarge walked to set up Ben Ross with an opportunity to put Wichita on the board. He came through, singling to left to plate Houghton, as DeBarge scampered to third. Hendry Mendez then summoned DeBarge home with a sacrifice fly. Wichita stole three bases on Wednesday, pushing their season total to 12, good for the 2nd-most in the Texas League. Kyle DeBarge walked three times. His season OBP is .458. The Travelers are an affiliate in the juggernaut Mariners farm system. Always a talented group, Arkansas put forth a pair of top-100 prospects: Lazaro Montes, ranked 40th; and Michael Arroyo, ranked 63rd. Montes went 0-3, with a walk and three strikeouts, while Arroyo also fell hitless in three at-bats, though was hit by a pitch. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 6, Beloit 9 Box Score Brent Francisco: 2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K HR: Rayne Doncon (1), Jaime Ferrer (1) Multi-hit games: None Matters started poorly. Starlyn Caba clubbed a first-pitch homer off starter Brent Francisco, portending a trio of runs allowed in the second, and a ghastly five-run endeavor smeared on reliever Sam Rochard. That’s nine earned runs before some fans could even finish their first beer. Fortunately, Kernels hitters had some fight in them. Rayne Doncon pre-empted the five-run disaster with a three-run blast. Khadim Diaw singled in a run in the fourth, and Caden Kendle drove in another in the fifth. The bats started to lose juice, though, eventually tiring as a Jaime Ferrer solo shot in the eighth marked the team’s final run. Every hitter in the Kernels lineup outside of Marek Houston reached base at least once. The Sky Carp are an affiliate of the Miami Marlins. Their seventh-ranked prospect, Starlyn Caba, played shortstop, going 2-4 with a homer, two runs, two RBIs, and a walk. Mussel Matters The Mighty Mussels were postponed due to rain. They will play a doubleheader on Thursday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ryan Gallagher Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kyle DeBarge 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, K #4 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, R, BB #7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-6, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3 K #9 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 0-5, 3 K #13 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, R, BB, 2 K #15 – Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K #16 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 0-2, RBI, K #17 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-2, R, 3 BB, K #19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, RBI, 2 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (5:35 PM) - RHP John Klein Wichita @ Arkansas (6:35 PM) - RHP C.J. Culpepper Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:05 PM) - LHP Dasan Hill Fort Myers @ Jupiter (3:00 PM) - RHP James Ellwanger Fort Myers @ Jupiter (Game 2) - RHP Riley Quick View full article

Box Score Bailey Ober: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Home Runs: Tristan Gray (1) Top 3 WPA: Trevor Larnach (.023), Josh Bell (.022), Eric Orze (.014) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) A power outage. Perhaps a bit on the nose, huh? The Twins, fresh off an encouraging getaway day victory in Kansas City, entered Friday looking to start their home residency with success. Matters so far had been unclear. Much as the Kansas City weather was foggy, the team hadn’t yet displayed brilliance, nor outright terribleness. Their quality was hazy. A positive vision existed only In bits and spurts, occasionally overwhelmed by some truly horrendous relief pitching and woeful hitting against southpaws. Would they reveal their true nature on Friday? Bailey Ober earned the nod. Between him and his piggyback-ee, Mick Abel, manager Derek Shelton preferred his veteran, even if his declining velocity exceeded ordinary concern. It appeared a mistake early: Ober ran into trouble early, eventually surrendering a pair of runs when Nick Fortes smacked a lethargic fastball just above Tristan Gray’s head, easily scoring the two runners who were already on base. Tampa Bay would later tack on with a Ben Williamson RBI double in the fourth. The Twins' offense lay dormant for a few frames, evidently vexed by starter Joe Boyle’s awesome stuff. The Missouri native standing just one inch shorter than his counterpart—a rarity for someone as tall as Jayson Tatum (Shelton joked pregame that the contest would begin with a jump ball to determine last ups)—hustled high-90s heat and dastardly sliders with cutting efficiency. He may have walked a man or two, but he didn’t care; he would simply strike out the next guy. The luxuries of a pitcher with swing-and-miss stuff. Minnesota finally found a rally in the fourth. Luke Keaschall singled and stole second. Josh Bell stepped to the plate and softly served a parachute double into right; the ball didn’t cross 70 MPH—safely below speeding ticket-territory on every highway in the union—but landed perfectly in no-man’s land, allowing Keaschall to score the team’s first run. The Twins weren’t done. Ryan Jeffers plopped another ducksnort into right to advance Bell to third, and Trevor Larnach walked to load the bases for Royce Lewis—perhaps the worst hitter to load the bases for. Armed with his Grand Slam aura, Lewis… grounded to short. Carson Williams muffed the ball, though. Every runner advanced a base, and a second run scored. The rally concluded with a Gray sacrifice fly. Two innings came and went. So began the seventh. The one inning to rule them all. Byron Buxton started the rally with a hit by pitch (he would be pinch-run for by James Outman). The new runner swiped second, and Keaschall singled. Bell—unsatisfied with just one RBI knock—stroked a single into center to give Minnesota their first lead of the day. The action did not end there. Jeffers reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. The next two batters moved the assembly line with walks. Then, Tristan Gray did the damn thing, shooting a screaming liner just above the elevated wall in right field, clearing the bases with a Grand Slam. Suddenly, the Twins led 10-3. Rain started to fall on the field after the slam. Even Mother Nature knows when a game is over. Tampa Bay scratched across a run for window-dressing; Cody Laweryson closed matters in a now pounding precipitation with an easy 1-2-3 frame, giving the Twins a win in their 2026 home debut. Notes: Byron Buxton exited the game with a right forearm contusion. X-rays were negative. Tristian Gray's five RBIs are a single-game career-high; he entered the game with 13 MLB RBIs. Minnesota's six steals on the season are the fifth-most amongst AL teams. Trevor Larnach has walked five times and struck out just once in 13 plate appearances. Post-Game Interview: What’s Next? The Twins and Rays meet again for a Saturday evening match, with Mick Abel slated to start his first game of the year opposite the veteran southpaw, Steven Matz. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 PM. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Kent 0 0 47 0 0 47 Laweryson 0 0 36 0 10 46 Funderburk 26 0 0 15 2 43 Topa 10 0 0 13 17 40 Orze 0 0 0 0 37 37 Banda 0 0 12 0 17 29 Rogers 14 0 0 4 0 18 Sands 0 0 0 11 0 11 Abel 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Image courtesy of © Mike Watters-Imagn Images TRANSACTIONS No moves were made on Wednesday. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Worcester 5 Box Score Andrew Bash: 4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: Emmanuel Rodriguez (1) Multi-hit games: Orlando Arcia (2-for-3, BB), Alex Jackson (2-for-4, R) An early lead dissipated for the Saints on Wednesday. Walks need not appear: one day after walking a ghastly affiliate-record 20 men, the Saints found grace in the right shoulder and arm of Andrew Bash, who didn’t offer a free pass to the Red Sox in his four innings of work. His immediate relief—John Brebbia—didn’t walk a batter either. Manager Brian Dinkelman must have been euphoric in the dugout. Two scoreless innings begat a third-inning skirmish. Alex Jackson singled, Tanner Schobel struck out, Walker Jenkins cracked a hit to right, Kaelen Culpepper flew out, and Alan Roden walked to set up Emmanuel Rodriguez with the bases loaded and two men out. He spat on a slider in the dirt before unleashing a hellacious hack at a hanging breaker, crushing the offering deep to right-center for a grand slam, his first since 2024. Worcester responded with a run the following half-inning, a premonition of things to come. Two empty middle-inning frames melted into a shaky seventh inning, in which Grant Hartwig labored on his way towards allowing a run—a fine outcome given that the righty allowed three walks and a hit. Drew Smith wasn’t much better. He surrendered a third Red Sox run in a game that was suddenly uncomfortably close. Another quiet frame from St. Paul’s hitters ushered in Marco Raya in a critical save situation. He netted an easy first out before running into trouble. Allan Castro walked, and Matt Lloyd sent a single up the middle to send Castro to third. Sensing a chance to tie the game, Tsung-Che Cheng dropped a perfect bunt, far enough to force Raya to make the play, yet close enough to home to make the throw awkward. Castro slid home safely. Matt Thaiss sharply singled to right to give Worcester the lead. The Saints fell 1-2-3 in the ninth. Catcher Alex Jackson overturned three balls in the game. Alan Roden holds a .542 OBP through 24 plate appearances. Boston’s 13th-ranked prospect, Mikey Romero, collected three hits in five at-bats. Wind Surge Wisdom The Wind Surge will play their first game on Thursday, April 2nd. Kernels Nuggets The Kernels start their season on Friday, April 3rd. Mussel Matters The Mighty Mussels are scheduled to open their season on Thursday, April 2nd. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – John Brebbia Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Emmanuel Rodriguez PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-5 R, K #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 0-4, BB #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB #15 – Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K View full article

Image courtesy of Peyton Vogel/Peyton Pics TRANSACTIONS No moves were made on Wednesday. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Worcester 5 Box Score Andrew Bash: 4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K HR: Emmanuel Rodriguez (1) Multi-hit games: Orlando Arcia (2-for-3, BB), Alex Jackson (2-for-4, R) An early lead dissipated for the Saints on Wednesday. Walks need not appear: one day after walking a ghastly affiliate-record 20 men, the Saints found grace in the right shoulder and arm of Andrew Bash, who didn’t offer a free pass to the Red Sox in his four innings of work. His immediate relief—John Brebbia—didn’t walk a batter either. Manager Brian Dinkelman must have been euphoric in the dugout. Two scoreless innings begat a third-inning skirmish. Alex Jackson singled, Tanner Schobel struck out, Walker Jenkins cracked a hit to right, Kaelen Culpepper flew out, and Alan Roden walked to set up Emmanuel Rodriguez with the bases loaded and two men out. He spat on a slider in the dirt before unleashing a hellacious hack at a hanging breaker, crushing the offering deep to right-center for a grand slam, his first since 2024. Worcester responded with a run the following half-inning, a premonition of things to come. Two empty middle-inning frames melted into a shaky seventh inning, in which Grant Hartwig labored on his way towards allowing a run—a fine outcome given that the righty allowed three walks and a hit. Drew Smith wasn’t much better. He surrendered a third Red Sox run in a game that was suddenly uncomfortably close. Another quiet frame from St. Paul’s hitters ushered in Marco Raya in a critical save situation. He netted an easy first out before running into trouble. Allan Castro walked, and Matt Lloyd sent a single up the middle to send Castro to third. Sensing a chance to tie the game, Tsung-Che Cheng dropped a perfect bunt, far enough to force Raya to make the play, yet close enough to home to make the throw awkward. Castro slid home safely. Matt Thaiss sharply singled to right to give Worcester the lead. The Saints fell 1-2-3 in the ninth. Catcher Alex Jackson overturned three balls in the game. Alan Roden holds a .542 OBP through 24 plate appearances. Boston’s 13th-ranked prospect, Mikey Romero, collected three hits in five at-bats. Wind Surge Wisdom The Wind Surge will play their first game on Thursday, April 2nd. Kernels Nuggets The Kernels start their season on Friday, April 3rd. Mussel Matters The Mighty Mussels are scheduled to open their season on Thursday, April 2nd. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – John Brebbia Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Emmanuel Rodriguez PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-5 R, K #2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 0-4, BB #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB #15 – Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K View full article