Sherry Cerny

The Twins had a frustrating series against the Rays. They went against one of the best teams in baseball, the team with the best record and were swept. They fall below .500 for the first time this season. Bailey Ober was solid. The bullpen did a nice job. The offense hit several balls over 100 mph, but the Twins found another way to lose. Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck USA Today Box Score SP: Bailey Ober 5.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (88 pitches, 52 strikes (59%) Home Runs: Carlos Correa (8), Michael A. Taylor (7) Bottom 3 WPA: Bailey Ober (-.213), Royce Lewis (-.067), Donovan Solano (-.064) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Another Rough Start for the Club The Twins third and final game of the series against the Rays, started about as well as expected. Chirinos served up very hittable pitches and they were all hit hard. So hard that a hit off Jorge Polanco's bat and deflected off of the glove of Yonny Chirinos, hit the umpire and still managed to get out on a fielder's choice. While the umpires and pitchers were being checked on, so was Polanco, who was seen attempting to run off a limp, but was ultimately pulled from the game and pinch run by Donovan Solano. Polanco being injured and missing the remainder of the game is almost the icing on the cake for a difficult series. Polanco was just reinstated on June 1st after being on the IL since May 20th with a left hamstring injury, and left the game today for the same issue. Polanco has spent a considerable time on the IL last season and this season and the frustration is palpable for not only fans, but Polanco as well. Polanco is one of the anchors and reliable players on the field and in the batter's box. Even with injuries, Polanco is still hitting .252 and has 16 RBI on the season. Not the best, but certainly one of the most reliable players and his absence certainly affects the team. Ober and Out Bailey Ober continues to be impressive on the mound. Ober was able to get the Rays to swing at the hard-high fast balls and everything in between. He had six straight strikeouts in the second and third inning and worked through the Rays batting order by the end of the third. Ober was late to come out at the beginning of the fourth inning, according to Tampa’s broadcast, he was asked to wash his hands. After the wash, so was Ober’s fourth inning. Ober retired two and then gave up a walk to Randy Arozarena followed by a game-tying triple and then a home run by Harold Ramirez, giving the Rays a 3-1 lead. Ober came back out for the fifth inning, back to his usual 1-2-3, but leaving the mound, the frustration on his face could be seen as he slightly shook his head and pursed his lips. Ober had one more chance in the sixth to face Arozarena after the frustration of the fourth inning, but only got one good strike on him in a 3-0 count and walked him for a second time. Rocco Baldelli came to remove Ober, who threw down the rosin bag and left undoubtedly frustrated. Griffin Jax came in to replace a frustrated Ober. Before Jax could even begin his appearance, he took notice of his surroundings and with two on and one out, Jax noticed Wander Franco attempting to steal third. The Rays are extremely aggressive base running and they take every chance they can to steal and score. Jax stepped back to check Franco, but threw an errant ball and Franco scored pushing the Rays up 4-1. A frustrating start for Jax, but he struck out the next two batters to finish the inning. Clutch Correa The Twins didn’t play bad baseball, but the offense wasn't aggressive coming out of the gate, which was really unfortunate. Tampa Bay’s pitcher Chirino was serving up every opportunity for the Twins to capitalize and manufacture runs from the first inning. The offense was connecting with the ball, but were trying to hit the ball hard, not with energy to exploit Chirino’s flat pitching in the first three innings. Carlos Correa was hitting clean-up today and changed the tone of the game when he stepped into the box. Correa has had a long slump this season with lots of strikeouts, but that hasn’t changed who he is as a person and player. His confidence is second-to-none and it showed as he rocketed a solo-home run deep into left field with his first at-bat of the game, getting the Twins on the board first for the first time this series. The sixth inning gave the Twins a chance to catch up, with Alex Kirilloff leading the charge with a double looking to get more runs on the board before the Rays retired Chirino to bring in Jake Diekman, who stopped the Twins from getting on the board. Michael A. Taylor had been trying all game for that “hit” and it finally came in the seventh inning off of pitcher Colin Poche, to close the gap up 4-2. The Twins couldn't come back in the ninth, even with the power-hitters in the line-up, ending with being swept for the first time this season. What’s Next? The Twins head due north for a series with Toronto starting Friday night. Friday 7:07 pm: RHP Sonny Gray (4-1, 2.15) vs. Yusei Kikuchi (6-2, 4.40) Saturday 3:07 pm: RHP Joe Ryan (7-3, 2.76) vs. Bowden Francis (0-0, 0.00) Sunday 1:37 pm: RHP Louie Varland (3-2, 4.40) vs. Kevin Gausman (5-3, 2.63) Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

It was a rough night for the affiliates. There was a solid sweep across the teams as all the teams fell to their opponents. While the scores show the games in the loss column, it wasn't for lack of trying. Most of the frustration came from leaving players on base and the opponents working deep into the bullpens to run up the scores. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs Twins Daily TRANSACTIONS Infielder Elliot Soto activated from the 7-day IL Infielder Hernan Perez placed on the 7-day IL with right knee sprain Right Handed Pitcher Gianluca Dalatri has been placed on the 7-day IL with a right forearm strain Right Handed Pitcher Niklas Rimmel has been activated off the Development List and is available immediately Saints Sentinel St. Paul 1, Buffalo 4 Box Score The Saints offense came out strong right away in the first inning, loading the bases with no outs. Buffalo pitcher Zach Thompson started out the inning with a single from Jose Miranda and then a hit batter and a walk to load the bases. As promising as the inning looked, Thompson settled in and provided three quick outs to end the inning and keep the Saints from scoring. Randy Dobnak was on the bump for the Saints in game four of six against Buffalo in hopes of another win. In another Dobnak "bumpdate", he announced via Instagram that he and his wife are expecting a baby in December 2023. Congrats to Randy and Aerial! Dobnak struggled to get out of the first inning giving the Bisons a chance to work up his pitch count. The right-hander saw six batters in the first inning, giving up two hits and walking one. After the bases were loaded, he got out of the inning with a strikeout. The Bisons got on the board first with a solo home run from Tanner Morris in the third inning while the Saints continued to battle for a place on the board. Thompson kept the offense from making any progress toward closing the gap until the sixth inning when Kyle Garlick hit a homer to put the Saints on the board and within a run. The bullpen for the Saints was unsuccessful at keeping the Bisons at two runs. Austin Schulfer gave up a double to the Blue Jays 39th prospect, Cam Eden, and a ground rule double to Rafael Lantigua, that scored Eden to pull ahead again of the Saints. Despite their best efforts, the Saints were able to get on base, but were unable to overcome the Bisons defense, stranding six players on base. Jose Miranda went 2-for-4. In his first rehab game, Trevor Larnach went 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 1, Tulsa 9 Box Score The Wind Surge were in a rain delay as quickly as it started. Prior to the rain delay, Tulsa got on the board with two runs off of Travis Adams in the top of the first inning. Three batters into the bottom of the first inning, mother nature opened up the skies and rain delayed the game. The rain made way for the game to start again, and the Surge replaced their starting pitcher, Travis Adams with Hunter McMahon at the top of the second inning coming back from the delay. Tulsa scored one in the second inning and then scored three innings in the fifth and in the sixth inning to put the game out of reach. Four relievers worked a combined seven innings out of the bullpen. The in the top of the ninth, outfielder Will Holland came on and got three ground ball outs quickly. McMahon, Denny Bentley, Francis Peguero, and Michael Boyle. Boyle worked two scoreless innings. The offense did very little. Yoyner Fajardo had two-hits in the game including a ninth-inning,, two-out, RBI singled to score Alerick Soularie, Fajardo also stole his 16th and 17th bases. DaShawn Keirsey walked twice. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 2, Lansing 3 Box Score The Kernels started out game four against Lansing striking blood first. Kala’i Rosario hit a two-run home run to set the tone early in the game. After scoring 24 runs on Thursday night, the Kernels were hoping for a repeat performance to run up the score on Lansing. Starting pitcher Marco Raya pitched another three inning game. Raya’s outing was a good one, striking out four and only giving up a run after not giving up any during the month of May. Unfortunately, the one hit was a solo home run by Euribiel Angeles. Raya has been consistent in his appearances, continuing to improve after being on the IL early in the season with shoulder tightness. The tone of the game quickly went deaf when the Lugnuts went ahead in the third and fourth innings and stayed there through the end of the game. Alejandro Hidalgo replaced pitcher Marco Raya in the fourth inning. Brian Dinkelman also replaced Jose Salas, who left with an injury after his plate appearance, with Ernie Yake. Hidalgo came to the Twins as part of the Gio Urshela trade with the Angels. He has appeared in eight games for the Kernels, and Friday night marked his second loss. The 20-year-old prospect has only given up seven earned runs in his 27 1/3 innings this season. In this game, Hidalgo gave up one hit, but two earned runs with a two-run home run from Daniel Susac that scored Max Muncy, and gave the Lugnuts a one-run lead. Jordan Carr finished out the game, not allowing any more runs, but the damage was already done. The Kernels offense struggled to manufacture any runs after the first inning and fell to the Lugnuts 3-2. Kala'i Rosario had two of the team's four hits. Mussels Matters Fort Myers 0, St. Lucie 1 Game 1 A classic pitchers duel took place in the day's first game in St. Lucie. It certainly was not for lack of trying. Power hitter Jorel Ortega had one of two hits against St. Lucie on Friday night with his 16th double of the season. Luis Baez hit a line drive to left-field in the third inning and a stolen base gave hope to the Mussels, but that hope was quickly dashed with a pop-up to center field to end the inning. St. Lucie's Karell Paz put a ton of pressure on Mussels starter Andrew Morris, stealing two bases in a row and scored on a throwing error. Paz scored the lone run of the game. Morris had a good outing. He pitched five innings and only allowed the one run. He struck out four batters. Lefty Gabriel Yanez came in to relieve Morris and kept the game at 1-0. The Mussels had just two hits in the game. They weren't able to walk and struck out 12 times. Fort Myers 4, St. Lucie 9 Game 2 (Make up from 5/31) Cory Lewis started game two. Lewis struggled right away, walking three, giving up a run and only striking out one. Lewis was replaced with two outs and the bases loaded in the first inning by Danny Moreno who came in and managed more potential damage so early in the game. Lewis faced just six batters and needed 37 pitches. St. Lucie gave the Mussels a rough time in the third inning, running up the score with five runs to open up the score to 6-0. The Mussels were finally able to string together a few hits to at least get on the board to bring the game within a grand slam (6-2). With plenty of game left, it was on the pitching staff to control the remainder of the innings and give the offense a chance to generate more runs. Rubel Cespedes had a good game, knocking a two-run homer in the fifth inning. It brought the Mussels to within two, but the Mets immediately answered at the top of the next inning with three runs to drive the run differential to 9-4. The Mets worked their way through the Mussels bullpen exhausting six pitchers. The Mussels stranded 12 hitters on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Will Holland (Wichita Wind Surge) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB Hitter of the Day – Rubel Cespedes (Fort Myers Mighty Mussels) - 1-for-2, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K PROSPECT SUMMARY The Twins Prospect Tracker is the best way to see how each of the Twin's top prospects performed during their games, but in case you wanted a quick look, Here is how each of the top 20 performed today: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-for-5 #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 0-for-4 #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, R, K #4 - Edouard Julien (Saint Paul) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, K #6 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, 1 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2, K (left game with injury) #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-3, BB SATURDAY SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Buffalo (5:05 PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (0-5, 7.79 ERA) Drillers @ Wichita (6:35 PM CST): RHP Christian MacLeod (0-0, 27.00 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Christian MacLeod (0-0, 27.00 ERA) Fort Myers @ St. Lucie (5:00 PM CST) - TBD (as of 10:00pm 6/2) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday's games! 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Thank you for this preview! I am at the point where every time we play them I will get nervous from here on out lol, but after reading this and tonight, I am READY. OH MAN!

The Twins and Guardians met for the second series this season, and amid all the flying cotton in the air, the two teams began the four-day series. Both teams are coming off series wins and roller coaster months of May and while this series doesn’t determine the season, it does give a contentious feel to the start of June. The Twins lost several key players during the game, but Willi Castro came up clutch and gave the Twins their fourth walk-off win and his first career walk. What a way to start the series off with a bang! Image courtesy of Lowres USA Today 2023 Box Score SP: Jorge Lopez: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (88 pitches, 67 strikes (76%) Home Runs: Royce Lewis (2), Michael A. Taylor (6) Top 3 WPA: Royce Lewis (.257), Jorge Polanco (.146), Donovan Solano (.144) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Everything happens in three's Byron Buxton was a topic of the game. From the booth, Eric Perkins touched a little bit Buxton not in center-field and those have also been echoed by some Twins fans on Twitter. Buxton, while improving, is not a life-long designated hitter and seems to hit better, and is more alive when he is in the outfield. So when will Buxton get back to center field? Probably not anytime soon. He has played in 90% of the games to start this season. However, he is missed in center field. All this was spoken about before he was drilled in the ribs by a Tanner Bibee fastball. He remained in the game and reached third base, but when his spot came up again, Donovan Solano batted. Max Kepler continues to work on bringing up his batting average, and it seems to help for him to be playing against the Guardians. Kepler could be in a slump, and stepping up to bat against the Guardians somehow energizes him and brings out the best baseball in him. In his first at-bat, Kepler singled, but was ultimately stranded. Later, he ripped a ball into right field scoring Kirilloff, tying the game. But, ultimately was replaced by Willi Castro, leaving the game with a migraine. An issue he hasn't really battled before, or at least has been mentioned. Either way, his presence tonight before leaving was vital to the outcome of the game. Carlos Correa made ball contact tonight, but left the game with re-aggravated plantar fasciitis. He was replaced by Kyle Farmer, who had five at-bats but wasn't able to produce anything. Plenty of Offense to go around Pablo Lopez started out strong in his 12th start with the Twins, his sixth start at Target Field. With the exception of the one run in the second inning, Lopez was able to control the game through five innings. The Twins offense answered in the fourth getting a run of their own to tie up the game and then continued to get runs in the fifth inning. One of the bright spots of the night was Michael A. Taylor's home run into left center field pulling the Twins ahead 2-1. Taylor doesn't have the best offensive numbers, but he continues to come in clutch. Christian Vasquez got a double with only one out on the inning and the infield came in for Alex Kirilloff, thinking they would be able to stop him. It did the Guardians no good, Kirilloff hit a high line drive above the head of second baseman Andres Gimenez to score Vasquez. The Twins were up 3-1, but that all changed with a walk from Myles Straw. Lopez was really struggling to get out of the inning, his command waivered and the Guardians took advantage. They scored five runs in the inning to take a 6-3 with two outs. Lopez was replaced by Emilio Pagan to finish out the inning with no additional damage. Pagan added a smooth seventh inning, with a little assistance from Joey Gallo who robbed Steven Kwan of a base hit diving after the ball in superman fashion for the first out of the inning and then catching a fly ball from Ramirez. The eighth inning was touch-and-go for Pagan and the Twins defense, the Guardians certainly threatened by putting two guys on, but they were left stranded. The Twins battled back in the eighth inning with another single from Willi Castro (replaced Kepler) giving way to Donovan Solano (replaced Buxton) to double and score Castro to get the game within two runs. With Solano on base and an 0-for-3 count on the night, Royce Lewis stepped up to the plate and on a 1-1 count, timed a perfect swing hitting a 421 foot homerun to tie up the game. Griffin Jax held the Guardians to six runs, and Vasquez and the Twins brought the funk and the noise in the ninth inning. Not in the mood for extra innings, the Twins decided to clean up in the ninth inning. Jorge Polanco had a night like Lewis, came up to the plate with 0-for-4 count and ripped a ball into right field down the first base line putting the Twins in a position to generate runs. With no outs, the Guardians who had seen enough of Kirilloff and his bat for the night, walked him to load the bases in hopes of a double play. But Castro ruined their plans. On a change-up, Castro hit a sac fly deep into center field, sending Jeffers (pinch runner for Vasquez) home to walk-off the Guardians. The first walk off win for Castro and the first win of the series for the Twins. What’s Next? The Twins will spend the weekend in a match with the Guardians before taking on the other first place team, Tampa Bay Rays starting Tuesday. Friday 7:10 pm: RHP Bailey Ober (3-2, 2.68 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Civale (1-1, 2.84ERA) Saturday 6:15 pm: RHP Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.94 ERA) vs. LHP L.T. Allen (2-2, 2.72 ERA) Sunday 2:10 pm: RHP Joe Ryan (7-2, 2.77 ERA) vs. TBD (not posted as of 6/1/23) Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

The Minnesota Twins affiliates pitching had some good outings on Friday night, but the offenses left much to be desired. As the organization gets deeper into the season, there is becoming a clear showing of players who are leaders on the mound and in the batters box. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Rafael Cruz) TRANSACTIONS Wind Surge activate RHP Francis Peguero from 7-day injured list Mussels OF Luis Baez reinstated from the development list. Mussels INF Yohander Martinez (right groin strain) placed on the 7-day injured list. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Omaha 6 Box Score Omaha worked quickly to get on the board in the first inning with two runs off starting pitcher (aka, The Opener) Connor Sadzeck. Sadzeck was replaced by Jordan Balazovic, who also gave up two runs in the second inning to give Omaha a 4-0 lead. Balazovic went 3 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out three batters. The Saints offense was smothered by Omaha's Drew Parrish and couldn’t come up for air. Parrish only struck out one batter in four innings, but he only allowed two hits and no runs.. The few times that the Saints were able to get on base, they were unable to manufacture any runs and left ducks on the pond. Omaha continued to control the game from the mound and in the batter's box. The Storm Chasers got another run in the fifth inning after another series of walks and singles to push Omaha ahead 5-0. Austin Schulfer provided 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Kody Funderburk gave up one run on one hit and one walk over the final 2 2/3 innings. He also had two throwing errors. Tyler White hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning, and the Saints added single runs in the eighth and ninth innings but fell short in this game. White, Mark Contreras, and Hernan Perez each had two hits. The Saints had eight hits and seven walks, but they went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 0, Springfield 1 Box Score There was a pitching duel in Springfield on Friday night between Wind Surge starter Aaron Rozek and Springfield’s Wilfredo Pereira and went deep into the game. Only one run was given up during the battle. Unfortunately, it was allotted to Springfield after a walk and a few singles, but Rozek reclaimed control and made it through seven innings. Rozek struck out five hitters and only allowed three hits and the one earned run. The Wichita offense fell victim to Pereira’s accurate assault of the strike zone (10 strikeouts over five innings). They only recorded four hits and were shut out. It wasn’t for lack of trying. The offense was able to string together hits but were either groundouts, or flyouts. The few that got on base due to a walk or a single, were stranded on base. Shortstop Brooks Lee was stranded three times on base and left fielder Alerick Soularie stranded four times. It was an uphill battle all night for the offense, and one they couldn’t win. The Surge tried their best to bring in runs in the ninth inning. Yunior Severino reached on an error, and Will Holland pinch ran for him. After a strikeout, Aaron Sabato walked, and Anthony Prato ran for him. DaShawn Keirsey ripped a line drive to center, but Holland was thrown out at the plate. The next batter grounded out and the game was over. Sabato played in his first game since going on the IL after breaking a bone in his wrist on a hit-by-pitch on April 11th. He had a single and the walk. Severino knocked his first triple of the season earlier in the game but was unable to score. Keirsey had a single and a walk. The team had just five hits and three walks, but they also struck out 14 times in the game. Following Rozek’s strong seven-inning performance, Michael Boyle tossed a perfect eighth frame. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 1 Box Score The Kernels snapped their losing streak and got a win under their belt on Friday night. The Kernels offense started the night on a steady pace scoring three runs by the fourth inning to take a 3-0 lead over Wisconsin. Cameron Wagoner made the start for Wisconsin. The Kernels scored three runs (2 earned) on nine hits and a walk. In the fourth inning, there was an interesting plate appearance between Kernels infielder Ben Ross and Wagoner. They battled through a 16-pitch at-bat with Wagoner ultimately getting the “W” when Ross popped out. However, it forced the Rattlers to make a pitching change. Luis Amaya was brought in to close out the inning. Kernels starter Marco Raya had another wonderful outing. Since Raya’s start on April 21st this season, his ERA has continued to drop from 6.75 to 3.07, and he hasn’t given up an earned run during the entire month of May. Raya struck out five batters in three innings and only threw 40 pitches. The 20-year-old prospect gave up no runs, hits or walks in his appearance, giving the Kernels a comfortable start to the game. Raya was replaced by lefty Jordan Carr in the fourth inning and he worked six innings to finish the game. Carr kept the Rattlers from making any progress in his six innings pitched. Carr struck out six batters, and he gave up only an unearned run. Kyler Fedko led the offense. He went 2-for-4 and hit his second homer of the season in the sixth inning. Andrew Cossetti had two doubles in three at-bats. He was also hit by a pitch. Emmanuel Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with his second double. Mussels Matters GAME 1 - Fort Myers 8, Dunedin 4 Box Score The Mussels had a full day Friday against the Dunedin Blue Jays. They began by completing the game that started on Thursday night but was suspended due to weather. When there is a scheduled doubleheader, both are seven-inning games. However, when a game is suspended, that game is played first and played to nine innings. The regularly-scheduled game is then a seven-inning game. C.J. Culpepper gave up one run on one hit and one walk over the first two innings. Andrew Morris ‘started’ when the game resumed on Friday. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out three batters. Jarret Whorff recorded the save with three innings of one-run ball. He gave up two hits and three walks. The bats got hot early in the game and never slowed down in the first of two games on Friday. The Mussels came out strong in the third inning running. The inning started when Alec Sayre and Dillon Tatum were both hit by pitches. Proving that they were OK, they were successful on a double steal. So when Jorel Ortega grounded out, he got an RBI. Danny De Andrade came to bat next and singled to score their second run of the inning. (This is when the game ended on Thursday and where it began on Friday.) A new pitcher entered, but Ricardo Olivar and Dalton Shuffield added back-to-back singles to bring De Andrade home. Tatum doubled to score Sayre with the team’s fourth run in the fourth inning. Dunedin scored twice in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the Mussels’ lead to 4-3. However, Rubel Cespedes’s second homer of the season gave Ft. Myers a 5-3 lead in the sixth inning. The Blue Jays got a run back in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Cespedes drove in a run in the eighth frame on a fielder’s choice. The Mussels added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning. Ortega singled in Sayre, and Olivar singled in Ortega. Sayre had two singles, and Tatum had two doubles. Ricardo Olivar led the offense. He went 4-for-5. He also stole his seventh base of the season. And just for fun, he threw out a runner at home from his position in left field. GAME 2 - Fort Myers 0, Dunedin 2 Box Score Fort Myers bats were cold throughout Game 2 of the double-header. Mussels starter Cory Lewis allowed a double and a home run in the first inning, which allowed Dunedin to go ahead 2-0, but unlike Game 1, the Mussels’ bats couldn’t get anything going. Third baseman Jorel Ortega provided most of the offense. In the first inning, he singled and stole second and later third base but was left stranded. He went 2-for-3 in the game to boost his batting average to .301. His second hit of the game was his 15th double of the season. The Mussels continued to threaten throughout the night, even stringing together hits (Dylan Neuse and Sayre hit back-to-back singles) in the second inning, but all the gas was out of the line-up and carried through on the mound from the Blue Jays whose pitching staff only allowed four hits total and struck out 12 batters. Lewis and the bullpen didn’t give up any further runs throughout the remainder of Game 2, but the damage was done. The right-hander gave up two runs on four hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out seven batters. Zach Veen gave up a hit and a walk in the sixth, but no runs. The bats were unable to create any runs to close the gap, and Lewis fell to 4-2 on the season. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Marco Raya (3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5K, 40 pitches, 26 strikes) Hitter of the Day – Ricardo Olivar (Fort Myers Mighty Mussels) - 4-for-5, R, RBI, K PROSPECT SUMMARY The Twins Prospect Tracker is the best way to see how each of the Twin's top prospects performed during their games, but in case you wanted a quick look, Here is how each of the top 20 performed today: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-4, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab-St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, R, K. #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2B(2), R #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - #6 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5K #9 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 3 K #14 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-4, 3B(1), K SATURDAY SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE STARTERS: Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (1-1, 5.45 ERA) Surge @ Springfield (6:35 PM CST): RHP Travis Adams (1-4, 7.01 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-1, 2.33 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:00 PM CST) - Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday's games! 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The affiliates had a rough night in some of their games, but Royce Lewis got two home runs to solidify that he's ready to return to the big leagues. Image courtesy of Kim Klement USA Today TRANSACTIONS Shortstop Royce Lewis continues to rehab in St. Paul Outfielder Kyle Garlick, recalled by the Twins RHP Andrew Morris is reinstated from the 7-day IL after a bicep strain Infielder Keoni Cavaco has been activated from the 7-day IL Ernie Yake has been placed on the Development List Saints Sentinel St. Paul 8, Columbus 1 Box Score The Saints struck first blood tonight in Columbus with a solo home run from Chris Williams to go up 1-0 on the Clippers. The Clippers answered in like, but the Saint offense continued to give Clippers starting pitcher Zach Plesac a difficult time with another solo home run from Royce Lewis, who has been rehabbing with the Saints the past week. The Saints continued to take advantage of Plesac's pitching, scoring 4-1 by the fourth. Lewis continues to not only improve after missing time for an ACL injury, but his bat has been a considerable contributor to the Saint's run count since coming up. Lewis has less than 20 days left on his rehab assignment, and Twins fans are clamoring for the shortstop to make his appearance at the club level with all the injuries mounting in Minneapolis. Lewis has a .400 BA and is responsible for five RBI in four games. Saints starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez struggled early on, allowing three walks and loading the bases but got himself out of a jam, only allowing one of those to turn into a run. He settled down after a rough inning and stayed in the game for five innings, keeping tight control of the strike zone and the Clipper's runs. Sanchez and the bullpen didn't allow any more runs throughout the game, giving the offense free reign to create more chaos, and what do you know? Lewis took advantage of that, getting his second home run of the night and his third since returning to St. Paul, extending the lead to 5-1. The Saints got three more insurance runs (two at the top of the ninth) before the game ended to gave Sanchez his second win. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 10, Arkansas 14 Box Score Wichita and Arkansas battled a long game throughout the late evening on Friday. Going pitch-for-pitch and hit-for-hit, the two teams stayed in sync for the first three innings with a score of 0-0, 2-2, and 4-4. Wichita starting pitcher David Festa had a rough night on the mound. Only staying in for 2.1 IP, Festa gave up five runs, only walked one, and had one strikeout. Right-hander Seth Nordin came in to clean up the inning and minimize the damage but walked three and allowed one run. Festa and Nordin gave up six earned runs together and only had one strike, giving the Travelers every opportunity to run up the score. The Surge was not alone, though, in their pitching woes. The offense got the same opportunity due to Arkansas' starting pitcher Emerson Hancock, who, like Festas, rarely struggles on the mound. Hancock could not strike out any of the Surge line-ups, walking five and giving up six runs to the Surge. Two of those runs from Alex Isola, who has reached base now in 16 consecutive games and has a seven-game hit streak. One of Isola's runs came in the fourth inning to break the tie-game giving the Surge a one-run lead. The Surge and Travelers game did not move swiftly. Each team had a considerable amount of hits, but as many hits as they had, both teams also left 32 players on base between the two of them. The pitch clock was not able to save this game’s time. The Travelers 11 hits and left 20 on base by the top of the seventh inning, but somehow managed a three run lead (11-8) over the Surge. The Surge bullpen simply couldn’t hold it together. The Travelers dug deep into the Surge bullpen and just exploited them at every opportunity, running up the score with the Surge unable to catch up. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 8, Peoria 4 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels are stacked with talent. Seven of the twenty Twins Daily prospects are in Cedar Rapids, which shows. The starting pitcher, Twins Daily #4 prospect Marcus Raya put on another clinic tonight in Peoria with three clean innings, not allowing any runs and striking out two. Raya only threw 61 pitches before being replaced by RHP Kyle Jones in the fourth. Jones allowed one earned run in the fifth, a run from a series of unfortunate events on a fielding error by Kernel's third baseman, Ben Ross, allowing him to make it to first and secure second. However, Jones controlled the damage with routine outs to end the inning. The Kernels took advantage of the opportunity to get on the board in the fourth inning, earning four runs and forcing Peoria to pull their starting pitcher. Four of the Twins Daily top 20 prospects, Tanner Schobel, Misuel Urbina, Noah Miller, and Jose Salas, took turns securing runs for the Kernels, generating five of the seven RBI throughout Friday's game. The Kernels went up on the Chiefs, scoring four earned runs in the second and the fourth innings. The Chiefs weren't willing to go down without a fight and came out swinging in the eighth inning with a pair of singles and then took Jones for three runs on a wild pitch closing the gap 4-8. Right fielder Kal'ai Rosario has been a huge part of the offensive results for the Kernels throughout May. Rosario ended April with over 20 strikeouts, straddling the Mendoza line with a .215 BA and .311 OBS. Fast forward to the later part of May, as of Friday night's game, the Hawaii native still has a high strikeout ratio, but his batting average has increased to .393 BA and his OBS to .507. In Friday night's game against the Chiefs, Rosario earned two runs and drove in two RBI to help secure the win for the Kernels. Mussels Matters Fort Myers 6, Lakeland 7 Box Score The Mussel's pitching struggled tonight after a solid win in Lakeland on Thursday night. By the third inning, the Mussels starting pitcher Andrew Morris allowed three earned runs in one shot on a three-run home run from Lakeland's Peyton Graham, pulling ahead of the Mussels 3-2. A.J. Labas came in for Morris in the bottom of the third to minimize the damage but had his struggles coming into the fourth inning, allowing three earned runs himself. Two stolen bases from Peyton Graham and Luke Gold were compounded by fielding errors that allowed Lakeland to run the score up to 6-3. The two pitchers combined gave up six runs in the third and fourth inning, nullifying Mussel's three earned runs over the last three innings. The Mussels offense couldn't generate runs and was stifled throughout the six innings, only getting four hits total, leaving 14 on base. In the act of mercy, mother nature intervened to help the Mussels out with a temporary rain delay to gather themselves. Returning from the rain delay, the Mussels' Carlos Aguiar cleared the bases with a sharp line drive to right field, tying up the score to level the playing field. The Mussels fought back hard, and it looked like the game may have gone into extra innings, but Lakeland had just enough left in them to generate one more run to pull ahead and stay there to beat the Mussels 7-6. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Sanchez (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day – Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 3-for-4, 2 R (both home runs), 1K, 2 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY The Twins Prospect Tracker is the best way to see how each of the Twin's top prospects performed during their games, but in case you wanted a quick look, Here is how each of the top 20 performed today: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - Did Not Play #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 3-for-4, 2 RBI #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 1 RBI,1 BB,1 K #4 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 2K #5 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 1-for-1, RBI, 1 BB, K #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #7 - Connor Prielipp (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 1 RBI, BB, 1 K #9 - Louie Varland (Minnesota) - SP 4/22/23 #10 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - Injured List #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, RBI, BB, 1K #12 - Yasser Mercedes (Extended Spring Training) #13 - David Festa (Wichita) - 2.1 IP, 5H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 1 RBI,1 BB, K #15 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - Injured List #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - SP 5/20/23 #17 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul ) - Did Not Pitch #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-5, RBI, BB, 2 K #19 - Jose Rodriguez (Extended Spring Training) - #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 1 RBI, BB, 1K SATURDAY SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE STARTERS: St. Paul @ Columbus (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-1, 2.89ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05 PM CST): RH Aaron Rozek (0-1, 8.10ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:35 PM CST) - Jordan Carr (1-1, 2.25ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:00 PM CST) - Cory Lewis (4-1, 2.43ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss today's game! 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After a much needed day off, the Twins continue their California campaign in Anaheim and see former teammate Gio Urshela for the first time since his trade. Image courtesy of Michael McLoone USA TODAY The Twin's offense heads south to Anaheim and will face a couple of lefties, whose presence could neutralize three of the Twins’ left-handed power hitters: Joey Gallo who has been on a tear since the series against the Cubs, Trevor Larnach, and Alex Kirilloff, who has made himself very comfortable in the line-up with his first career walk-off win and two home runs. With the potential of Jorge Polanco out with a hamstring injury and Nick Gordon out with a fractured shin, the lineup is going to have to dig deep and generate runs. Interesting Fact: Two Twins legends, Rod Carew and Torii Hunter, took deals with the Angels after a long battle with the front office over salaries. While they were a part of very competitive Angels teams, they never won a World Series. Weather Factor: Sunny, slight wind, no rain. Not sure what else we’d expect! Pitching Probables Game 1 – Friday, May 19, 2023 – 8:38 pm CDT – For the first game of the series, the Twins send Joe Ryan (6-1, 2.16 ERA) to the mound and hope to set the tone for the series. Ryan's last appearance against the Cubs was one of his best performances (0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K). Ryan's fastball is the most effective in his arsenal, and he uses it 60% of the time. In his only other start against the Angels, he struck out five hitters in four innings but still allowed three earned runs, which came off the bats of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Angels southpaw starting pitcher Reid Detmers (0-3, 4.89ERA) has yet to record a win this year. His closest look at a win was last week, when he left the game with a lead after pitching 5+ innings, before the bullpen lost that game to the Guardians. Detmers has allowed 19 runs in 35 IP, but he also has a FIP of 3.91 and a K/9 of 10.5. Meanwhile, the Twins have the third-highest strikeout rate in the league. If he throws strikes, gets guys to chase, and get run support, he could keep the Twins from producing a lot of damage and potentially get his first win. Game 2 – Saturday, May 20, 2023 – 9:07 pm CDT - Louie Varland has settled into the Twins rotation nicely and his confidence appears to be growing. Varland got his first win of the season against the Cubs and he brought his K/9 up to 10.57. He also leaves guys stranded 86.7% of the time, and fans have seen him get out of some sticky situations which will be an asset against this lineup. The Angels lineup ranks fourth in the AL in runs per game, with players like Ohtani, Trout, Hunter Renfroe and former Twin, Gio Urshela. Varland is going to have to be consistent to get out ahead of the Angels and minimize their ability to get on base or bring guys home. The Twins will face another left-handed starter, Patrick Sandoval (3-2. 3.22 ERA). He has come out strong early in games - opposing batters have a .450 OPS the first time they face him in a game - but then seems to fall off. Sandoval gives up a lot of walks (BB/9 3.22) and doesn’t strike out many batters (K/9 6.25). But the Twins have a heavy lefty line-up and will likely sit several of their hotter bats. If the Twins offense can get through Sandoval quickly and get to the bullpen, they can bring in the big guns to finish out the game. Game 3 - Sunday, May 21, 2023 – 3:07 pm CDT - Pablo Lopez (2-2, 3.47ERA) returns after a rough start against the Dodgers on Monday night in Los Angeles. Twins fans know that Lopez misses bats (11 K/9, fifth in the AL). He also has the advantage of never having faced the Angels in his career. The Angels will likely send Shohei Ohtani (5-1, 2.74ERA) to close out the series' last game. In his last outing, Ohtani appeared uncomfortable on the mound from neck pain so he is being monitored this week, but he has played since as a designated hitter. Ohtani has faced the Twins twice. Both times he stifled the offense, allowing only three earned runs combined and striking out 18 hitters. Prediction Time! What's your prediction for this series? Will Pablo Lopez have redemption in California? Will the Twins let off the gas during this series after the Dodgers? Who do you see being the biggest impact player in this series? Let us know in the comments! Go, Twins! View full article

I had finally just calmed down before reading this. ha ha. This is really well written, and it fires me up all over again. With the Umpires getting ready for their own contract coming up, I'm nervous that the robo umps are coming. Nervous because I love the human element of the game and I don't want to lose that - but honest to GOD something has to be done, because there is just no excuse for some of the calls that are being made. I am one of those that feels like they are screwing up on purpose which is completely unfair to the teams who work so hard.

he is. thank god!

listen........yes.

This is such a great post - from both of you. I agree fully. I saw the grazing of the shirt last night and I held my breath for him. I am not saying that he won't develop that fear over time (like you said) but I can only hope that his resliency helps him. I felt so bad that it happened so soon, but I also loved the reactionary home run and how good that had to feel for him. I wanted to deep dive into it in the article, it just wasn't the place. He is an OUTSTANDING human and I was glad to cover his comeback homer.

I think with Smyly :) out of the way, the other two games will be good. That being said, the Cubs aren't doing that great, but if they can get runs, they will. So We need our pitching to be better than theirs and we have a shot!

I could not agree more with this. I really want to keep capitalizing where we can against national teams. I think it will help me feel better about moving towards the post season.

After covering the minor league games I could not agree more. I really get antsy if nothing HUGE happens. Aside from the Kernels game tonight, the Surge and Mussels had 12 runs respectively and it was SO awesome to see. AND both had break out innings, which was fun!

Would you be shocked if I told you I think Headricks will be next?? He's been up once already, and back at STP doing well....I dunno. Our pitching is so wonky this year, but at least we have some. It is really bizzare!

Those are some AMAZING seats!!!!! I was happy to take the series win. I just hope that the Cubs give us a shot!

All four affiliates ended up in the Win column on Friday night with some savage offense and outstanding pitching. Saints fans got a great opportunity to see heavy hitters like Jose Miranda, Kyle Garlick and Trevor Larnach, Yunior Severino and the Surge powered past the competition with 12 runs. The Mussels extended their win streak. The Kernels threw a shutout. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily TRANSACTIONS Infielder Michael Helman placed on the 7-day IL with left shoulder dislocation Infielder Hernán Pérez moved to the active roster from the developmental list Pitcher Ronny Henriquez was activated by the Twins and optioned to St. Paul Outfielder Ryan LaMarre has been placed on the Saints development list Infielder Keoni Cavaco has been placed on the 7-day IL with a concussion. Outfielder Kyler Fedko has been activated off the Development List for Cedar Rapids Saints Sentinel Box Score St. Paul 2, Indianapolis 1 The Friday night lineup for the Saints was power packed. Trevor Larnach and Jose Miranda, along with Matt Wallner, put the pressure on Indianapolis, scoring two runs right away in the top of the first. Wallner continues to be a force of nature for the Saints. In Friday night's game against Indianapolis, Wallner knocked in his 13th run. The Saints only had eight hits and two runs, but it was enough to carry a lead throughout the game. Saint starting pitcher Brent Headrick began this appearance with a 1-2-3 first inning, striking out the first batter, Nick Gonzales, to set the tone. The lefty only allowed one earned run - on a solo homer by Malcolm Nunez - and that was the only run that Indianapolis scored. Headrick struck out six batters. Austin Schulfer tossed a scoreless sixth inning, and Randy Dobnak recorded a three-inning save to close it out. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 13, Frisco 5 Box Score Blayne Enlow made his sixth start of the season on Friday night in Frisco. He ran a smooth first three innings, striking out four batters and keeping the RoughRiders scoreless. Then came the fourth inning. Frisco was able to capitalize on a couple of singles and a walk that loaded up the bases. Unfortunately, Enlow gave up a grand slam to tie the game. But there would be just one more run for Frisco. Surge reliever Hunter McMahon came in out of the bullpen to keep the RoughRiders at bay, holding them to one run in his four innings pitched. The Surge continued their thrashing In the sixth inning with a pair of doubles from Armani Smith and David Banuelos, and Jake Rucker pushed the Surge lead to 9-4 with a three-run home run. Yunior Severino also loaded up the scoreboard. Severino added to his 8th and 9th home runs of the season. He hit a two-run home run early in the game and a solo home run in the seventh that helped widen the lead to 11-4. The Surge got two more runs in for good measure ending the night at 13-5 and winning their fourth game in a row. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 0 Box Score There was a pitcher’s duel in Davenport on Friday night. Fortunately, the Kernels came out on the ‘right’ side of a 1-0 ballgame. Twins Daily’s #4 prospect, Marco Raya, made the start for Cedar Rapids and tossed three scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit and struck out four batters. Lefty Jaylen Nowlin came on and worked the next five innings, holding the shutout with seven strikeouts. Right-hander John Stankiewicz made things interesting in the ninth inning, allowing the bases to be loaded on a hit and two walks, but he closed the door to record his first save of the season. The Kernels offense was pretty quiet throughout the night as well. In fact, the lone run of the game came on Gonzaga alum Ernie Yake who hit his first homer of the season. Cedar Rapids had only five other hits, and two walks, in the game. Noah Cardenas had two hits. Tanner Schobel had a single and a walk. Kala’i Rosario had the only other extra-base hit, a triple. Mussels Matters Fort Myers 12, Tampa 1 Box Score Mussels starter C.J. Culpepper pitched very well and was the beneficiary of a huge night from the offense. The 2022 draft pick gave up just one run on four hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. Jarret Whorff was added to the Mussels roster on Tuesday after signing with the Twins out of an independent league on Monday. The lefty recorded five outs without allowing a run or a hit. Juan Mendez struck out three batters over two scoreless, hitless innings. The Mussels fell behind 1-0 after a half-inning but responded immediately thanks to a string of hits from Jorel Ortega, Danny De Andrade, and Ricardo Olivar who all scored when Rafael Cruz hit a double on a sharp line drive to left. The party continued as Dalton Shuffield singled to right field to score Cruz. He advanced to second on an error. In scoring position, he scored on a wild pitch to give the Mussels a 5-1 lead through just one inning. Rafael Cruz, the younger brother of Pirates shortstop O’Neil Cruz, was promoted from Extended Spring earlier this week. The 19-year-old from the Dominican Republic had a fantastic night. He drove in five runs. He got things going early with a bases-clearing double. Then he had an RBI double. Finally, he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for a likely-more-painful RBI. The Mussels broke the game wide open in the sixth inning when they had their second five-run inning. The Mussels scored after two hit batters and a wild pitch giving the Mussels another five runs and the score 12-1. Culpepper gets his first win of the season and the Mussels continue their wins extending it to four after Friday night's game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Rafael Cruz (Fort Myers) - 2-for-5, 2-2B, 2 R, 2K, 5 RBI. PROSPECT SUMMARY The Twins Prospect Tracker is the best way to see how each of the Twins top prospects performed during their games; but in case you wanted a quick look, Here is how each of the top 20 performed today: #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - *expected to play Saturday (SS, 7 innings) and Sunday (3B, 5 innings) #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) -1-4, 3K #4 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. 38 pitches, 24 strikes. #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 2-3, HBP #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-4, RBI, K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 3 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, RBI, BB #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, K SATURDAY SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE STARTERS: Indianapolis @ St. Paul (2:07 PM CST) - RHP Aaron Sanchez (1-3, 5.61 ERA) Surge @ Frisco (7:05 PM CST): RH David Festa (1-2, 5.40 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CST) - RHP Kyle Jones (1-2, 3.70 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:30 PM CST) - LHP Wilker Reyes (1-0, 6.55 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss today’s game! 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The Cubs are competing in the NL Central, but have struggled recently, losing three of their last four series versus some of the worst teams teams (Washington, Miami, St. Louis) in the National League. Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Thanks to the new MLB schedule, the Twins and Cubs will face off for the first time in two seasons. The Cubs and Twins have some of the best starting pitching in their leagues and both bullpens have been capable, too. The lineups for both sides will need to perform, especially with runners in scoring position. Fun Fact: The Twins and Cubs have only met 37 times. September of 1997 was their first series ever. The Cubs have won 20 of those 37 games. Weather Factor: There’s a chance of rain throughout the series, but hopefully it doesn’t put a damper on things and the series can go on without delay or postponement. Pitching Probables Game 1 – Thursday, May 12, 2023 – 7:10 pm CDT – The Twins Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.35 ERA) takes the mound for the series' first game facing the Cubs and their LHP Drew Smyly (3-1, 3.05 ERA). Gray is no stranger to the Cubs, having previously played with Cincinnati. In the 10 games he has pitched against them, he is 4-3 with a 3.13 ERA. Southpaw Smyly has been effective in the pitching rotation, including pitching five innings or more in five of seven games this season. However, in his last game, he lasted only 3.1 innings, after needing 83 pitches to record 10 outs. Expect a Twins lineup to be stacked with right-handed bats to try and grab and grab an early leads and keep that pitch count high. Game 2 – Friday, May 13, 2023 – 2:10 pm CDT - For the second game of the series, the Twins send Joe Ryan (5-1, 2.45 ERA) to face off against Cubs RHP Hayden Wesneski (2-1, 3.93 ERA). Wesneski's numbers do not show the effectiveness of this pitcher. The 25-year-old has a 1.28 WHIP, with 23:8 K:BB over 34.1 innings. But over his last three starts, he’s given up just three runs over 17 innings. The Cub's offense will need to overcome Twins pitcher Ryan. Ryan has a 6:44 BB:K ratio and shown complete control of his strike zone. His first four starts he gave up a home run, but hasn’t surrendered one over his last three outings. Game 3 - Saturday, May 14, 2023 – 2:10 pm CDT - The Cubs send their ace RHP Marcus Stroman (2-3, 2.28 ERA) to face off against Twins Rookie Louie Varland (0-0, 4.32 ERA). Stroman struggled a bit last season after a shoulder injury and a bout with Covid, but the 32-year-old has put in the work and returned strong. His peripheral numbers aren’t as impressive as his ERA - over the past 47.1 innings, he has given 17 walks and has 44 strikeouts – but teams have only 33 hits against him. This will be Minnesota Twins rookie pitcher Louie Varland's fourth game for the club and he is still in search of his first win. In his last outing against San Diego, he stayed in for six innings, only allowing one earned run and tallied six strikeouts, his best of the season thus far. Varland's biggest struggle has been giving up home runs, with four in 16.2 innings pitched. He’ll need to keep the ball in the ballpark. Prediction Time! What's your prediction for this series? Who will have the easiest time getting players home in scoring position? Will the Twin's starting pitching outlast the Cubs? Can the Twins hand the Cubs another series loss? Let us know in the comments! Go, Twins! View full article