David Youngs

Trademarked as a relief pitcher, Derek Law diced through the first three innings for the Saints on Thursday night against Toledo. Add in a timely homer and a lights-out bullpen performance and there was nothing the Mud Hens could do. MINOR LEAGUE END OF THE YEAR AWARDS There have been quite a few bright spots around the Twins' farm system throughout the 2021 season. Yet through all the ups, downs, wins, and losses there were a number of players who distinguished themselves as crowned jewels. Congrats to all of our 2021 Minor League Award winners! Twins Daily 2021 Minor League Hitter of the Year: Jose Miranda Twins Daily 2021 Starting Pitching of the Year: Louie Varland Twins Daily 2021 Relief Pitcher of the Year: Jovani Moran Short Season Awards Twins Daily 2021 Short Season Hitter of the Year: Kala'i Rosario Twins Daily 2021 Short Season Pitcher of the Year: Samuel Perez TRANSACTIONS The Saints placed catcher Ben Rortvedt on the IL with a concussion. SAINTS SENTINAL St. Paul 2, Toledo 0 Box Score A late-inning blast and dominant pitching led to a gutsy win for the Saints on Thursday night at Fifth Third Field. After six innings of a stalemate, the Saints struck the scoreboard in the top of the seventh. Leadoff man Jose Miranda reached on a hit by pitch and eventually moved his way to third on a groundout and wild pitch. He may as well stayed at first. Moments later, Mark Contreras launched a 1-0 pitch over the right field wall to give the Saints a 2-0 lead. The blast was Contreras' 18th on the year and fifth in September. Starting pitcher Derek Law was rock solid on the night, tossing three innings of scoreless ball. Law allowed three hits and two walks while striking out four. And while Law kicked off the party, the guest of honor title belonged to the St. Paul bullpen. The duo of Chandler Shepherd and Yennier Cano rattled off six innings of scoreless ball to hold the lead for the Saints. Shepherd was nearly perfect through four innings, giving up one hit, zero walks, and striking out three. Cano entered in the eighth and put the nail in the coffin for St. Paul. After a smooth eighth, Cano gave up a one-out double to Mud Hen shortstop Ryan Kreidler. It didn't matter. Cano regained the momentum and struck out the next two batters to seal the deal for the Saints. The Mud Hens outhit St. Paul 5-2, with a Jose Miranda single playing as the only other hit for the Saints in addition to Contreras' blast. Yet when it came to crunch time, Toledo couldn't convert, going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The Saints are now 5-2 in the Final Stretch of the season. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day: Mark Contreras (St. Paul)- 1-for-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, K Pitcher of the Day: Chandler Shepherd (St. Paul)- W, 4.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, H, 5 K PROSPECT SUMMARY #6- Jose Miranda (St. Paul)- 1-for-3, R #7- Joe Ryan (Minnesota)- Game in progress #13- Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul)- 0-for-4, K #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota)- Game in progress FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05PM CST) RHP Beau Burrows (4-5, 5.16 ERA) View full article

High-caliber starting pitchers are flourishing within the Twins' farm system. Yet perhaps the organization's finest-kept secret is a reliever from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, with a knack for strikeouts and a changeup that christens nostalgia from the days of Johan Santana. Relief pitchers often don't get the love, recognition, or credit that their colleagues at the front end of the pitching staff receive. Yet it's impossible to not love a guy with a 2.41 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and arguably the best changeup that the Twins' organization has seen since the days of franchise hall of famer Johan Santana. Meet southpaw reliever Jovani Moran. Drafted by the Twins in 2015 out of Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy, the 24-year-old has teetered with dominance since joining the organization nearly seven years ago. After starting six games in the GCL Twins' rotation in 2015 Moran was transitioned to the bullpen and has excelled since. After a rough rookie season Moran posted a 2.38 ERA in 71 appearances (a majority from the bullpen) between 2017-2019. That's good, but Moran has been great in 2021. For that, he's our Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. Despite his young age, Moran played the role of a rising journeyman this season, bouncing from club to club. Twenty of his 35 appearances came at Double-A Wichita, where he started the season. The Surge relied heavily on Moran through the months of May and June. Between the two months Moran appeared in 16 games and 28 2/3 innings, tossing 47 strikeouts, allowing only 11 hits and six earned runs, and touting a stellar 2.04 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. In that span opposing hitters hit a meager .118 when facing Moran. After a strong start, the month of July was just as fruitful for Moran. After four appearances that consisted of nine innings and 17 strikeouts Moran was promoted to Triple-A St. Paul. While his Triple-A stats weren't as eye-opening as his numbers with the Surge, they were still pretty darn good, especially for a guy pitching at that level for the first time. In 15 appearances and 29 2/3 innings, Moran posted a 3.03 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with opposing batters mustering a .140 average when facing him. Moran's success isn't attributed to a triple-digit fastball or 12-6 curveball. In fact, his fastball rarely surpasses 92-94 MPH. Yet similar to Caleb Thielbar, Moran's success can be attributed to the massive contrast between his fastball and breaking pitches. As mentioned, the changeup is Moran's off-speed weapon of choice, a pitch that he often uses as a strikeout dagger. The secret? Moran's arm delivery on the pitch resembles that of his fastball yet is 10-12 MPH slower. It is, perhaps, the largest reason why he touted a 41.8% strikeout rate in the minors this season. Twins Daily writer Lucas Seehafer broke down Moran's pitch arsenal earlier this season, check it out here. After finding success in Lowertown, Moran was called up by the Twins on September 11th. MLB competition hasn't been the flowers and roses for Moran like it was prior to his big league debut. Don't fret though. Moran will continue to grow and learn as he gets more repetitions at the big league level. Don't be surprised if he starts next season at Triple-A. However, his time will come given the dominance that he's shown over the past five months. Top Three In addition to Moran, Jordan Gore and Zach Featherstone also had outstanding seasons. Check out some of the accomplishments of this years' runner ups! 1. LHP Jovani Moran, Wichita/St. Paul (35 G, 2.41 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 67.1 IP, 28 H, 32 BB, 109 K) Check out this analysis of Moran and Jordan Gore made by Tom Froemming! 2. RHP Jordon Gore, Cedar Rapids/Wichita (39 G, 2.39 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 67.2 IP, 36 H, 28 BB, 88 K) A shortstop-turned-pitcher, 2021 presented Gore with his first full season on the bump. The 2017 draft pick did not disappoint, holding opposing hitters to just a .155 batting average through May and June in Cedar Rapids. Just three games into July, Gore was promoted to Double-A Wichita. Gore didn't tally as many innings with the Surge but was just as effective, posting a 1.61 ERA in 28 innings (20 games) with 30 strikeouts and six saves. It's unclear what Gore's long-term identity will be as a relief pitcher. All we know is that he has excelled in all corners of the bullpen and has done it consistently all season. That's pretty darn impressive for a guy that had only pitched in four professional baseball games prior to this season. 3. LHP Zach Featherstone, Cedar Rapids (40 G, 2.13 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 55 IP, 28 H, 42 BB, 93 K) Similar to Gore, Featherstone isn't a pitcher by trade, he's an outfielder. That didn't stop him from having an outstanding year on the hill for Cedar Rapids. After a rocky month of May, Featherstone was nearly perfect in June, surrendering zero earned runs, five hits, and ten walks while striking out 28 batters in 15 innings over nine appearances. That's right, a PERFECT earned run average for an entire month! Featherstone continued his dominance as the season continued, posting a 3.95 ERA in July, 2.31 ERA in August, and another perfect 0.00 ERA in September. Featherstone has a bit more pitching experience than Gore, but this was still his first full season pitching. He transitioned to the mound in 2017, had Tommy John surgery, rehabbed, and as he was ready to come back, COVID arrived. It's a great story, but he's also become a solid, hard-throwing lefty reliever. Kudos to him on an excellent year. HONORABLE MENTION LHP Denny Bentley, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids (36 G, 2.78 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 51.1 IP, 50 H, 33 BB, 87 K) RHP Ryan Mason, Wichita/St. Paul (38 G, 2.67 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 54 IP, 45 H, 28 BB, 63 K) RHP Ian Hamilton, St. Paul (37 G, 4.08 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 57.1 IP, 45 H, 38 BB, 83 K) RHP Osiris German, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids (38 G, 3.34 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 59.1 IP, 47 H, 24 BB, 90 K) RHP Hector Lujan, Wichita (18 G, 3.62 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 32.1 IP, 25 H, 9 BB, 33 K) RHP Melvi Acosta, Cedar Rapids/Wichita (38 G, 3.67 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 61.1 IP, 55 H, 18 BB, 69 K) RHP Derek Molina, Cedar Rapids (32 G, 4.65 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 62 IP, 51 H, 26 BB, 81 K) LHP Aaron Rozek, FCL Twins/Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids/Wichita (16 G, 2.40 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 56.1 IP, 42 H, 7 BB, 74 K) Past Winners of the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year Award 2019: Anthony Vizcaya 2018: Andrew Vasquez 2017: John Curtiss 2015 & 2016: Trevor Hildenberger Congrats to all of our 2021 Minor League Award winners! View full article

Some great stuff here. Like everyone else I had Varland in the top spot but struggled after that. Balazovic is indeed the 'top prospect' in regards to pitchers but his dominant outings were sometimes mudded with rocky starts. Other than dropping him a few spots on this list, I don't think this season reflects poorly on him as a prospect. Keep in mind, this was his first season at Double-A. I would imagine that he'll start the season in Wichita next year but wouldn't be surprised if he spends a bulk of the year in St. Paul and even higher if things go in the right direction. Consistency is key and Balazovic is on the cusp of being ready.

Minor League starting pitching was a beacon of light in a roller-coaster year for the Twins organization. It is only fitting that a product of the Land of 10,000 Lakes serves as the crowned jewel amongst a talented crop of pitching prospects. Louie Varland spent his childhood on the dirt of ballfields across the northeast sector of the Twin Cities. The Maplewood native turned his successful tenure at North St. Paul High School into an even better pitching career at Concordia-St. Paul. After that? A 15th round selection in the 2019 MLB Draft by his hometown Minnesota Twins. And after a sprinkle of 2019 games in rookie ball and just one full season of pro ball, Varland has distinguished himself as one of the most prolific pitchers in the entire Twins organization. For that, he's been voted as our 2021 Starting Pitcher of the Month. Varland started the 2021 season with Low-A Fort Myers where he posted a 4-2 record and 2.09 ERA in ten appearances (eight starts). In that span he struck out 76 men and opposing batters hit a meager .208 against Varland. Those numbers earned him a promotion to High-A Cedar Rapids, just four hours from home. With his family able to finally attend games, Varland did not disappoint, going 6-2 with a 2.10 ERA in ten starts with the Kernels. While he didn't post as many strikeouts as he did in Fort Myers, Varland was more efficient, posting a stellar 0.99 WHIP and only 14 walks while holding opponents to just a .202 batting average. Varland joined a talented Cedar Rapids rotation of Ben Gross and company upon being called up. That rotation was amplified towards the end of the season with Sawyer Gipson-Long, Cody Lawyerson, and Casey Legumina joining the rotation. Yet despite the addition of talented arms, Varland was the clear choice to start Game 1 of the High-A Central Championship Series against Quad Cities. Following a career-high 11 strikeout performance against Peoria on September 16, Varland dazzled in his postseason debut, tossing seven innings of six-hit, one-run ball while striking out four and walking one en route to a 2-1 Cedar Rapids victory. There's no doubt that Varland's 2021 stat line makes him a clear-cut selection for this award. A 10-4 record and 2.10 ERA is pretty darn great at any level. For a pitcher to tally those numbers in his first full season? Unbelievable. Prior to this season Varland only had three professional baseball appearances, all with the Elizabethton Twins in 2019. Varland only started one of those games and compiled a slim 8 2/3 innings in that three game span. With the 2020 minor league season scrapped due to COVID-19, it's truly incredible that Varland was able to trailblaze such an incredible 2021 season. Congrats, Louie! THE TOP SIX Varland wasn't the only pitcher in the Twins' farm system to have a standout season. In addition to Varland, these five pitchers round out the top six starting pitchers in 2021 per the Twins Daily Minor League staff. 1. RHP Louie Varland, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids (18 GS, 10-4, 2.10 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 103 IP, 82 H, 24 ER, 30 BB, 142 K) Check out Seth Stohs' interview with Louie prior to his electric season and other Twins Daily content on Varland! St Paul to Stardom: Louie Varland is the Real Deal Twins Prospect Varland Won't Stop at Pretty Good 2. RHP Cole Sands, Wichita (18 GS, 4-2, 2.46 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 80.1 IP, 59 H, 22 ER, 35 BB, 96 K) Despite loads of movement in the organization, Cole Sands was an absolute workhorse for the Wind Surge all season. While many of his starts did not surpass five innings, it wasn't because of poor performance. Sands was as efficient as could be, holding opposing hitters to a .203 average on the year and touting seven scoreless starts. Ironically enough, one of Sands' two losses came on August 14 against Tulsa in a start where he recorded a season-high ten strikeouts. 3. RHP Jordan Balazovic, Wichita (20 GS, 5-4, 3.62 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 97 IP, 98 H, 39 ER, 38 BB, 102 K) Arguably the most notable pitching prospect in the organization, Jordan Balazovic had a season full of ups and downs. When he's on, the 2016 5th round pick is unstoppable with his blazing fastball and deceptive off-speed pitches. We saw that on July 15th when the Ontario-native lit up the Tulsa Drillers with 11 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball. On the flipside, Balazovic has struggled with control, command, and pitch selection at times leading to a few bad outings that have deflated his stat line. It's clear that the talent is there, Balazovic will continue to hone in on consistency as he reflects on his first season of Double-A ball. 4. RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids (19 GS, 8-8, 4.55 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 97 IP, 99 H, 49 ER, 27 BB, 137 K) After a rocky month of May with Fort Myers, Sawyer Gipson-Long flipped a switch and was rock-solid through the summer, posting a combined 2.76 ERA in June, July, and August. That stellar summer in the Sunshine State earned Gipson-Long a promotion to High-A Cedar Rapids on August 9th. Gipson-Long has qualities that resemble both Balazovic and Varland. Similar to Balazovic, Gipson-Long had some incredible outings this season but also saw a few outings get out of hand. Like Varland, Gipson-Long was drafted in 2019 out of Mercer and had just a few opportunities to get his feet wet in pro ball that year. After his first full-season of pro ball, Gipson-Long should be happy with his quality performance. Yet like any other young pitcher, experience and innings on the mound will help garner the young pitcher's consistency. 5. RHP Josh Winder, Wichita/St. Paul (14 GS, 4-0, 2.63 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 72 IP, 55 H, 21 ER, 13 BB, 80 K) If it were not for injuries and bad luck, there's a good chance that Josh Winder would be higher on this list. After an amazing two months in Wichita, Winder was promoted to Triple-A St. Paul on June 28th. Winder dazzled in his first start with the Saints, throwing 5 2/3 innings of eight-strikeout ball while giving up one run. With all the momentum stacked his way, Winder was struck by a line drive in his next outing that removed him from the game. Two starts later, he was placed on the 7-Day IL for a shoulder injury and has not pitched since. It's likely that the Twins are taking the safe route when it comes to Winder's rehab. And why shouldn't they? The 2018 draft pick has been impressive each season since signing and will only continue to improve. If Winder continues his progress once healthy it wouldn't be shocking to see him at Target Field at some point next season. 6. RHP Ben Gross, Cedar Rapids/Wichita (17 GS, 5-4, 4.06 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 95.1 IP, 99 H, 43 ER, 32 BB, 122 K) Ben Gross closes out a talented crop of 2019 draft picks on this list. Gross was the heart and soul of the Kernels rotation prior to his late-summer promotion to Wichita. The 10th round pick has shown versatility on the mound with his pitch arsenal but also through how he retires hitters. Most of Gross' starts feature 4-8 strikeouts and a plethora of groundouts and pop flies. However, the 24-year-old diced on August 11th against Peoria when he struck out a career-high 13 batters. While there's certainly work to be done, Gross has shown that he can be a consistent starter day in and day out. If things continue the way they are, he'll have the opportunity to showcase that consistency at a higher level. HONORABLE MENTION RHP Tyler Beck, Cedar Rapids/Wichita (13 GS, 3-4, 3.00 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 84 IP, 64 H, 28 ER, 30 BB, 91 K) LHP Charlie Barnes, St. Paul (16 GS, 6-4, 3.79 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 76 IP, 73 H, 32 ER, 24 BB, 62 K) LHP Andrew Albers, St. Paul (16 GS, 7-4, 3.75 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 96 IP, 113 H, 40 ER, 11 BB, 85 K) RHP Austin Schulfer, Wichita (24 GS, 6-8, 4.34 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 110 IP, 109 H, 53 ER, 49 BB, 105 K) LHP Kody Funderburk, Cedar Rapids/Wichita (10 GS, 4-3, 2.55 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 67 IP, 46 H, 19 ER, 28 BB, 82 K) RHP Sean Mooney, Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids (12 GS, 0-2, 2.79 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 42 IP, 22 H, 13 ER, 23 BB, 71 K) Previous Starting Pitcher of the Year Winners: 2019 winner- Randy Dobnak 2018 winner - Tyler Wells 2017 winner - Stephen Gonsalves 2016 winner - Stephen Gonsalves 2015 winner - Jose Berrios 2014 winner - Jose Berrios 2013 winner - Taylor Rogers 2012 winner - BJ Hermsen Congrats to all those mentioned! Comment your thoughts below! View full article

Not sure, but he's been rock-solid all season. Strikes me as a AAAA guy but doesn't have the flashiness of some of the others who have seen time with the parent club. Tough to argue with his stats though.

While the Kernels and Wind Surge spent the day traveling and resting between playoff games, the St. Paul Saints claimed an incredible come-from-behind victory in Lowertown. Get a rundown of the Saints' electric win and previews of tomorrow's playoff games here! SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Iowa 5 Box Score After trailing early in the ballgame, the St. Paul Saints came roaring back, using the longball and solid relief pitching to earn a confidence-building victory over the Cubs. The I-Cubs jumped out to an early lead, plating four runs in the first three frames off of starting pitcher Bryan Sammons. In what looked to be a runaway game, B.J. Boyd ignited a flame for the Saints in the bottom of the third by crushing a line drive solo homer over the left field wall. St. Paul decreased the lead to one in the fifth when Jimmy Kerrigan led off with a triple that was followed up with a Ben Rortvedt homer in the next at-bat. Momentum continued to sway towards the Saints in the sixth. Jose Miranda led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball in the next at-bat. That at-bat belonged to Tomas Telis, who connected on a 2-2 pitch to punch an RBI single to center that scored Miranda and tied the game at 4. The draw wouldn't last for long. With Telis on base, Mark Contreras rocked a 3-1 pitch over the right field wall to give the Saints a 6-4 lead. The monumental home run was Contreras' 17th on the season. His 17 blasts trail only Brent Rooker (20) and Jimmy Kerrigan (19) for the Saints this season. Contreras leads the Saints with 58 runs and 59 RBI. After using the long ball early the Saints relied on small ball to scrap another run across in the sixth. B.J. Boyd led the inning off with a single and followed up by swiping second base. Drew Stankiewicz punched a fly ball deep enough to move Boyd to third in the next at-bat. After Jose Miranda reached on a hit-by-pitch Tomas Telis knocked an RBI single past the infield to score Boyd. After Sammons' rocky start Chandler Shepherd came in and dominated, pitching 3 2/3 innings of one-hit, scoreless ball, striking out four and walking one. Yennier Cano followed Shepherd with 1 1/3 innings of one-run, one-hit ball while striking out two, Cano faced adversity in the eighth after walking the first two batters and giving up a run. Yet with runners on base, Cano struck out the final batter to get out of the jam. Ryan Mason came into the game to shut the door in the ninth. After giving up a leadoff single to Ian Miller Mason diced, delivering with a strikeout, pop fly, and another strikeout to earn his seventh save of the season. St. Paul's win was sweet, yet the fact that the team tallied three home runs is even sweeter. On Wednesday the Saints announced that $50 would be donated to ACES4KIDS every time a Saints player hits a home run in the final ten games of the season. ACES (Athletes Committed to Educating Students) is a Twin Cities non-profit dedicated to tackling the academic opportunity gap and preparing young learners to succeed in school, career, and community. Tonight's three homers are the first for the Saints on the campaign, tallying $150. The partnership is part of the Triple-A "Homers that Help" initiative and MLB will donate an additional $5,000 to the charity of choice for whatever participating team hits the most homers in the stretch. WIND SURGE WISDOM Travel Day After dropping the first two games against NW Arkansas in a best-of-five series, the Surge head back to Wichita for game three of the Double-A Central Championship Series. Friday night's game will feature Austin Schulfer (6-8, 4.34 ERA) on the bump pitching against Drew Parrish (6-4, 2.83 ERA) of the Naturals. Parrish has faced the Surge three times this season, going 0-1 with a 5.27 ERA in 20 1/3 innings. In that span he gave up 15 hits and seven earned runs while striking up 24 and walking four. Likewise, Schulfer has faced the Naturals three times this season, going 1-1 with a 22.22 ERA in 10 2.3 innings. The Plover, Wisconsin native has given up 13 hits and 11 runs to NW Arkansas while striking out 15 and walking nine. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm CST. Tickets are still available and the game can be viewed on Milb.com. KERNELS NUGGETS Travel Day After winning game one thanks to a Jair Camargo homer the Kernels dropped game two at Quad Cities and come home for game three of the High-A Central Championship Series. Casey Legumina (4-2, 3.28 ERA, mostly in Ft. Myers) of Cedar Rapids will face off against Dante Biasi (5-2, 377 ERA) of Quad Cities. Legumina's start will be his first against the River Bandits after being called up to High-A from Ft. Myers on September 13th. Biasi has been a staple for Quad Cities all season and has faced the Kernels five times, going 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA. He's given up 11 hits and seven earned runs against Cedar Rapids while striking out 13 and walking 11. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30pm CST. Tickets are still available and the game can be viewed on Milb.com. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day: Chandler Shepherd (St. Paul)- 3.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, BB, 4 K Pitcher of the Day: B.J Boyd (St. Paul)- 3-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI, SB PROSPECT SUMMARY #6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, R #13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, 2 K #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, 2B, 2 R, BB, 2 K FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (7:05 PM CST) - LHP Charlie (6-4, 3.88 ERA) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Austin Schulfer (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CST) - RHP Casey Legumina (0-0, 0.00 ERA) View full article

There's been plenty of pomp and circumstance surrounding the marriage of the Minnesota Twins and St. Paul Saints. If there's any group that deserves more love in the relationship, it's the St. Paul Saints Grounds Crew. Mid-morning rays of the Minnesota sun christen the back of Marcus Campbell as he plays fetch with his dog Maverick. Birds are chirping, luscious green grass tickles the air with a carefree aroma, and there couldn’t be a worry in the world. A man, his dog, and... CHS Field. “Mav likes to run along the warning track with players. Last year he’d always run with Danny Coulombe, and he’s in the big leagues now,” Campbell chuckled while launching another saliva-glossed tennis ball towards the right-field corner of the Saints' ballpark. Maverick may serve as the unofficial conditioning coach for the Twins organization, Campbell serves as Director of Field Operations for the St. Paul Saints. And while fun moments with his shop dog make for moments of bliss and calm, Campbell and the hands of the Saints’ grounds crew have been nothing short of full in the inaugural season as Triple-A affiliates of the Minnesota Twins. Campbell, who has been with the Saints for a few years will tell you that this year has been pretty similar to prior years when St. Paul was an independent team. “I keep telling people that baseball is baseball. You might have better players but so does the other team. As far as operations go, not much has changed.” Don’t let the modest Minnesota-Crookston graduate fool you. This year has featured the most games, double-headers, and events that CHS Field has seen since its inception in 2015. Yet through all the late nights, early mornings, and constant demands, there couldn’t be a better team to garner CHS Field as one of the top facilities in all of professional baseball. Heck, they even have a bit of fun while doing it. Early to Bed, Early to Rise Walk through the back gates at CHS Field on a game day and you’ll catch nostalgia of a small town café crossed with a fully functioning hardware shop. A half pot of coffee sits on a counter below a TV with the news all in front of a lunch table filled with lunch bags, soft drinks...and more coffee. The caffeine is essential. After nights that keep Campbell and his team at the ballpark until unthinkable hours, the crew makes sure that 4-6 members are at CHS by 9:00 am the next morning to prep for that evening’s game. Day game? That’s a different story. "Turnaround games and doubleheaders are the most challenging days,” Campbell said. “We work all day for a 7 pm game, keep going until 2 am, and are back at 7 or 8 am for a 1 pm game. Lots of caffeine.” Regardless of the start time, the routine stays the same. Campbell’s right-hand man Cody Pamperin stirs a concoction of pearly-white paint that will be used to chalk the baselines. Cody and Marcus go back quite a ways. The two played college baseball together at Minnesota-Crookston and took different routes following graduation. A few years later Pamperin was on the job market and gave his old friend a call. “He had helped towards the end of season last year and was looking for work and I knew that he’d be a great addition to our team,” Campbell said. Campbell and Pamperin are short-staffed, as many of their interns have returned to college with the summer waning. The two and the rest of the full-time team start the day by patching both bullpens to mend the divots created by pitchers and catchers. When the clock strikes 10 am, Pamperin heads to the infield to garnish the mound with clay, a product that the crew purchased 40 pallets of last year. $11 per bag, you do the math. The top priority of every morning is keeping the grass lush and the infield moist; something that can be difficult during one of the driest summers in the past 30 years. “We’ve had to water quite a bit this season, even in our landscape areas,” Campbell said. “Normally we can get by with watering those just once a week but this summer it’s been 2-3 times a week.” Cody Pamperin waters the infield grass at CHS Field, something that is done every morning. (David Youngs) On top of keeping the field in top shape, the grounds crew also maintains all the flowers, plants, and greenery surrounding the ballpark. Not to mention the sidewalks, artscapes, and dog park that snuggle the boundaries of CHS Field. In fact, the acreage outside of the playing surface surpasses that of the field. After morning duties are completed, the mecca of ballparks takes place; mowing the outfield. After sharing childhood attempts to mow my backyard with the trademarked ‘crisscross outfield’ design (if you didn’t do this as a child you didn’t live) Marcus breaks down the process. And while the design was never mastered in my Fargo yard, Campbell delivers the process like he’s done it his whole life. “We change it up sometimes but it’s just a checkerboard,” Campbell said. “If you mow a pattern too much the ball will snake. We’ll test it sometimes by rolling a ball through the outfield. If the ball snakes, we‘ll change our pattern. The hallowed 'crisscross outfield' pattern. Often imitated, rarely duplicated. (David Youngs) In addition to mowing every day and testing the grass themselves, Campbell and his crew get constant feedback from Saints players on how the field is playing. "I’m posted in the dugout during the game so I communicate with the guys to see how the field is playing,” Campbell said. “We’ve changed things a few times from the feedback they’ve given us. There are certain things that I notice and things they notice because they’re the ones who are actually taking ground balls on the field.” As batting practice and first pitch approach the crew removes the tarp that covers home, still moist and freshly nourished from the night before. Tasks upon tasks keep the Saints crew busy until the last fan has left the stadium. Yet during the game, there’s one member of the staff that manages to make ‘fun good’ through 280 characters. For the Fans Field Operations Manager may be an official job title for Erik Franke. More importantly? He’s the heart and soul of the St. Paul Saints Grounds Crew Twitter. Inspired by his extensive background in fan relations and marketing Franke debuted one of the most interactive accounts in professional baseball earlier this season. Yet it isn’t just his experience in working social media and marketing at places like Harvard and UMass that prompted Franke to put pen to paper. It was a best practice for showcasing the work that his team does. After stints in collegiate athletics marketing and fan promotions, Field Operations Manager Erik Franke gets to channel his creativity through the St. Paul Saints Grounds Crew Twitter account. (David Youngs) “So much of working grounds crew revolves around creating and showcasing the best product possible,” Franke said. “What better way to do that than a Twitter account?” From interacting with fans to showcasing new machinery to flat-out stunning shots of a pristine ballpark, Franke keeps one thing in mind when running the account. Fun. “Fan relations portion is so important and it’s been so fun interaction with fans through Twitter,” Franke said. “Sometimes I’ll just search ‘St. Paul Saints’ to see who is at the game so I can thank them for coming.” A Child’s Game Bound by the ‘fun is good’ mantra, the joy of the St. Paul Saints is perhaps perfectly personified by the Saints grounds crew. A group that crafts their skill to perfection, has fun doing it, and genuinely cares about the people that get to enjoy baseball with them. Franke first experienced the ‘fun is good’ culture as a Gameday Operations Intern in 2013 during his college days at St. Cloud State. Eight years later, the phrase couldn’t ring more true. “I knew how much fun the Saints were from prior experiences and it turns out that is just as true for the grounds crew,” he said. That doesn’t take away from the grueling hours, nasty elements, and ever-changing tasks that the team endures. For Campbell, it’s the people in the organization that leave him fulfilled at the end of the day. Not just his team, but everyone from the top to bottom, regardless of status. “One day Nick Gordon showed up on an off day at the box office to buy a ticket for a game,” Campbell recalls. “He could have just walked through the back door but bought a ticket to go watch his boys play but that just speaks for the type of guys in this organization.” And at the end of the day, Franke and Campbell just enjoy the pureness of being able to spend their days and nights around America’s pastime. “Watching the players, playing baseball my whole life, it doesn’t seem like work when you’re around a child’s game,” Campbell said. “You get to watch guys play a game that they love. There’s something about that that makes our job fulfilling.” And as someone who’s been to the coast and back, Franke couldn’t be happier to work for an organization that values the people. “There’s not one thing that makes the Saints special but there are a whole lot of small things the organization does on all levels,” Franke said. “We’re putting out a good product but at the end of the day, there are fans coming to these games. They're spending their money, time, and energy to be here. To make that experience the best that it can be is something that everyone in this organization understands.” The Saints begin their final homestand tonight against the Iowa Cubs at 7:05 pm. Purchase tickets here! And be sure to follow @STPGroundsCrew on Twitter! View full article

A pitcher tossed five no-hit innings. A veteran made the first start of his minor league career and did great. A top prospect continued to power his team's offense. But with the regular season finishing this weekend, a couple of Twins affiliates played games with major playoff implications. TRANSACTIONS Wichita Wind Surge activated RHP Adam Lau from the temporarily inactive list. Cedar Rapids Kernels activated RHP Ryan Shreve from the 7-day injured list. Cedar Rapids Kernels placed RHP Steven Cruz on the 7-day injured list. RHPs Travis Adams and Johnathan Lavallee, both 2021 draft picks, were assigned to the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINAL St. Paul 8, Indianapolis 0 Box Score Jose Miranda had another big game for the Saints, but when a team tosses a two-hit shutout, we'll lead with that. Veteran Derek Law could have become a free agent when the Twins DFAd him for a second time this season recently. Instead, he accepted his assignment to the Saints and has been extended. In his career, he had pitched in 231 minor league games, all out of the bullpen. On this night, he made the start and worked a career-high four innings. He gave up just one hit, walked none and struck out six batters. Chandler Shepherd came on, and despite walking three batters and giving up a hit, he did not allow a run. Vinny Nittoli tossed two scoreless before Robinson Leyer completed the shutout with a perfect ninth inning. Back to Miranda because, let's be honest, that's what we're all here for. Miranda went 3-for-5 with his 19th Saints double, and his 15th Saints home run (28th overall). He drove in four of the team's runs. Jimmy Kerrigan was also 3-for-5 on the night. BJ Boyd drove in two runs with a double. Mark Contreras his his 25th double of the season. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Arkansas 2 Box Score Chris Vallimont has had his ups and downs this season, but on Thursday night, he was on the mound with the opportunity to put the Wind Surge in the playoffs. He put together a very solid start. He started with five scoreless innings before allowing a solo homer to Jack Larsen in the top of the sixth inning. Overall, he gave up just the one run in 5 2/3 innings. He gave up just two hits, walked four and struck out four batters. Down 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Ernie de la Trinidad gave the Wind Surge a 2-1 lead with a two-run single. Later in the inning, the Arkansas catcher tried to pick off Andrew Bechtold at third base, but he threw it away allowing Bechtold to score and put Wichita ahead by a score of 3-1. Erik Manoah got the final out of the sixth inning and then worked two more scoreless frames. He struck out four and walked none. Adam Lau came off the IL earlier in the day got the ninth inning. He got the first two outs, on a fly out and a strikeout. However, he walked the next batter. That brought up pinch hitter Joe Rizzo representing the game-tying run. Rizzo drove in a run to cut the lead to 3-2 with a bloop single to center. However, the next batter - another pinch hitter - popped out to center fielder Austin Martin to end the game and place the Wind Surge in the playoffs. Trey Cabbage and Jermaine Palacios each went 2-for-4 in the game. Palacios hit his 17th double. Stevie Berman not only caught a great game, but he went 2-for-3 at the plate with his sixth double. Congratulations to the Wichita Wind Surge on making the playoffs in their first season as a Twins affiliate! KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 1 Box Score Coming into this game, the Kernels were tied with Lake County for second place in the High-A Central League. They were one game ahead of Great Lakes. Just one of those teams will make the playoffs. The game was pretty quiet early. Through the sixth inning, the Kernels found themselves down by a score of 3-1. However, Edouard Julien came to the plate with the bases loaded and delivered a bases-clearing double to give Cedar Rapids a 4-3 lead. Aaron Sabato then drove in Julien with a sacrifice fly to give the Kernels a 5-3 lead. It was a lead that the Kernels bullpen was able to hold. It was an important win as both Lake County and Great Lakes won their games on Thursday as well. Each team has three games remaining on their schedules. Sean Mooney got the start for the Kernels. He worked the first five innings and did not give up a hit. He was charged with one run on two walks and a hit batter. He struck out seven hitters. Lefty Denny Bentley came in to start the sixth inning. He recorded just one out and was charged with two runs on four hits. Osiris German came on and gave up just one hit over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Zach Featherstone recorded the final out of the eighth inning before striking out the side in the ninth inning for the Save. All four outs he recorded came on strikeouts. Matt Wallner went 2-for-3 with a walk and drove in the team's first run with a single in the fourth inning. Jair Camargo was also 2-for-3 with a walk. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers, Tampa (Suspended in 1st inning) Box Score Rains have won the day most of the time in recent weeks down in Florida. On Thursday, night, right-hander Jackson Hicks made his Mussels debut, but after just seven pitches and a single to the one batter he faced, the game was suspended. It will be continued on Friday. Unfortunately, the second game of Thursday's doubleheader has simply been cancelled. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday night. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Rays 6, FCL Twins 4 Box Score Two extra-base hits from Endy Rodriguez wasn't enough to propel the FCL Twins to a win on Thursday afternoon in the Sunshine State. Rodriguez tallied two hits and two runs in the loss. The first of those hits came in the third inning when Rodriguez launched a triple to right field. He scored on the next at-bat thanks to a single from Noah Miller. After walking in the seventh, Rodriguez scored on a groundout fielder's choice from Kal'ai Rosario, who had a double on the day. Rodriguez also doubled with two outs in the ninth inning but did not score. Twins starter Travis Adams went 1 1/3 innings in his professional debut. He gave up three runs on two hits while walking two and striking out three batters. Jordan Carr came on and was charged with an unearned run in 1 2/3 innings. Johnathan Lavallee came on for his pro debut. He worked two innings. He gave up one run on two hits over two innings. He struck out three batters with no walks. Erasmo Moreno carried the bulk of the Twins bullpen, tossing four innings of one-run, two hit ball while striking out four hitters. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Derek Law (St. Paul) - 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 3-5, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Out for season (torn ACL) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-3, BB #3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - Did not pitch #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - Did not pitch #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 3-5, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI #7 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - Did not pitch #8 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (right elbow strain) #9 - Chase Petty (Complex) - Did not pitch #10 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - Temporarily Inactive List #11 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List (right shoulder impingement) #12 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 2-3, BB, RBI, K #13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 1-4, BB, K #14 - Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #15 - Noah Miller (Complex) - 1-4, R, RBI, BB, K #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - No Game (Paternity List) #17 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery) #18 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - Rained Out #19 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch #20 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 0-4 FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Indianapolis (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Jason Garcia (0-0, 14.40 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Cole Sands (3-2, 2.63 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Casey Legumina (First Kernels Start, 4-2, 3.02 ERA in Ft. Myers) Tampa @ Fort Myers, Game 1 (6:00 PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! View full article

Aaron Whitefield didn't play baseball until he was 17. He's now a key contributor to the winningest team in the 2021 Twins' organization and has no plans of stopping there. Dive into the life of an elite teenage baseball prospect, and you'd likely stumble across words like Division One offers, top club programs, and Perfect Game showcases. Perhaps you'd see their name at the top of recruiting websites, videos on Hudl, and maybe even a baseball card or two sprinkled in. For Twins' prospect Aaron Whitefield? Not so much. Born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, baseball wasn't a cornerstone in Whitefield's life the way it is for many boys who grow up to be pro ballplayers in the United States. "Occasionally, I'd watch Yankees and Red Sox when they were on TV when I was younger, but before that, there was nothing, no baseball," Whitefield said. In fact, Whitefield first picked up a baseball at age 17. You read that right. Not seven, but 17. Like many good parents, Whitefield's parents put him in various sports as a child to help him improve as an athlete and find his passion. The result was a young Aussie who played soccer, rugby, and fastpitch softball. The latter of those came as a byproduct of rugby injuries. "I started playing softball when I was going through some rugby injuries at 13 or 14," Whitefield said. "That eventually helped the conversion to baseball, but at the time, I still hadn't touched a baseball." That conversion took place when a Cincinnati Reds scout approached the 17-year-old Whitefield at a national fastpitch softball tournament. "I was at a national fastpitch softball tournament, and a scout who was there told me that I should try playing baseball for a year," Whitefield recalled. "Then I met a guy from my hometown who had already signed to play baseball in the US named Connor MacDonald." MacDonald and his family helped Aaron mold his softball skills to baseball, both on and off the field. "(The MacDonald's) are a beautiful family. They helped me to where I am today," Whitefield said. "Connor's dad helped me with not only the physical side of baseball but the mental side as well." In just a year after learning arguably one of the most complex sports out there, Aaron signed his first professional contract with the Minnesota Twins in 2015 at the ripe age of 18. Ups and Downs After a brief stint of games in 2015, Whitefield played his first full minor league baseball season in 2016 with the Gulf Coast League Twins. Whitefield game out with a bang, posting a .298/.370/.366 (.737) slash line in 51 games. 2017 was no different, with Whitefield slashing .262/.318/.414 (.732) in 151 games for Class A Cedar Rapids. After two successful seasons, Whitefield hit a rut in 2018 and 2019, posting just a .205 batting average with stints in Rookie Ball, Single-A, Double-A, and a brief tenure with the Twins. Not the greatest duo of years for an organization looking for outfielders that can also hit. Yet 2021 has been a beacon of light for Whitefield, who has been consistent at the plate all year. The Aussie slashed .306/.358/.458 in the month of May and,297/.381/.374 in June. The resurgence is something that Aaron credits to finding a routine, something he observed from his peers. "Watching guys that I've played with like (Alex) Kirilloff, (Trevor) Larnach, Travis Blankenhorn, I got to watch what made them successful, and it was sticking with their routine every day, whether they went 0-for-4 or 4-for-4," Whitefield said. "That was something that I hadn't done until this year." It's no secret that baseball is as mental of a sport as it is physical. The ability to stay grounded with a consistent approach to preparation and hitting has kept Whitefield sound through the good and bad. "The last couple of years in the minors, I feel like I'd do really well for a week or two, and then I'd hit a downfall and didn't know how to get out of that," he recalled. "Now, whether I have one, or two bad games, I'm gonna get back in there, reset, but the routine for every game is going to be the same. That's the biggest reason why I've been able to find success and be consistent this year. Baseball is a game of consistency, mental consistency as well." That routine consists of some of the old-fashioned tactics that are commonplace in professional ball; tee work, flips, angled flips, and other cage work. However, one thing differs for Whitefield; he doesn't take on-field batting practice before games unless he's playing at a new ballpark with an unfamiliar batter's eye. "I don't actually hit BP on the field so I can focus more on hitting low line drives," Whitefield said. "If I hit BP on the field, I tend to get a bit pull-happy." After referencing the similarities between his batting practice routine and Shohei Ohtani's, Whitefield chuckled back with, "Hopefully, I can hit as many homers as him someday." Whitefield may not be the Bomba-machine that Shohei is, but the guy knows how to get on base. His 11 doubles, four triples, and 30 stolen bases speak for themselves. Whitefield's commitment to his routine will prove critical as ever as the season nears an end. Despite a recent slump, Whitefield has posted hits in his last two games and looks to finish the season strong. Aussie Brethren Twins' fans know well that Whitefield isn't the only Aussie that has shown success in the organization. Names like Lewis Thorpe, Grant Balfour, Liam Hendricks, and Luke Hughes have become commonplace in recent franchise history. Whitefield credits players like Hughes in helping him develop as a pro ballplayer. Yet in a sport that idolizes names like Mantle, Mays, and Ruth, Whitefield's podium of heroes looks a bit different. Names like former Brewer David Nillson, who coached Whitefield and honed in on his mental game, pop up on his Mount Rushmore. Stefan Welch, a former St. Louis Cardinals organization player, and former Seattle pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith (a former Twins Rule 5 draft pick) serve as just a few names in Australian baseball lore that have inspired Whitefield. "I came into the game late, and I didn't know anything, so they were like the Derek Jeter's and David Ortiz's for me," Whitefield said. "They helped me become a baseball player a lot earlier than I should have been in the sense that guys begin playing this sport at age five. I was 15 years late." As Wichita dukes their way through the final six games of the year, Whitefield is excited for the Surge's quest towards a division title. Wichita sits three full games ahead of Frisco (Texas Rangers) as they head into their final series against Arkansas. And while the immediate goal revolves around winning games each night, Aaron has his sights set on reaching MLB play again. Whitefield knows that he doesn't have the extensive background that many of his peers have. That doesn't matter to him. "I think a lot of people forget how long that I've played baseball. My first two years, I was getting attention as a notable prospect, yet those were my first two years ever playing the sport," Whitefield said. "Then I had two bad years, and people were like 'ah this guy doesn't have it anymore.' This year is my sixth year of baseball, so kind of like coming out of playing high school and college. I want to show people that I can hit. My defense is there." Whitefield knows that he saw time with the Twins in 2019 because of his skills in the field and on the base path. Aaron knows the next step is proving that he can be a force at the plate, something he's confident he can accomplish through his new tactics. "I got up there because of my ability to base run and play defense; I need to show the Twins that I can be consistent at the plate, and my routine is huge for that." Check out more Twins Daily content on Aaron Whitefield! Get To Know: OF/2B Aaron Whitefield Aaron Whitefield: From Softball Diamonds to Diamond in the Rough Twins Spotlight: Aaron Whitefield View full article

Big bats and stellar pitching were a-plenty at Low-A Fort Myers and High-A Cedar Rapids. Read up on all the action across the Twins' farm! TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins recalled LHP Andrew Albers from St. Paul Saints. Fort Myers Mighty Mussels placed RHP Orlando Rodriguez on the temporarily inactive list. Fort Myers Mighty Mussels placed SS Keoni Cavaco on the temporarily inactive list SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 4, St. Paul 2 Box Score Gilberto Celestino put the Saints on the board with a crisp line drive homer (5) over the center field wall in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game at one. St. Paul scored their second run thanks to an RBI ground out from Tomas Telis that scored Damek Tomscha. Starting pitcher Beau Burrows lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on four hits while striking out six. Burrows' Achilles was the long ball, giving up three home runs on the evening. Burrows did enough to keep the game close and had a little help from his defense as well! Ryan Mason followed Burrows and was efficient, giving up no runs and zero hits while striking out three and walking two in 1 1/3 innings. Yennier Cano followed that up with two innings on the bump, giving up a run on two hits while striking out two. Edgar Garcia pitched the final inning for the Saints and escaped with a scoreless inning after walking two batters. WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 14, Wichita 7 Box Score After gaining an early 2-0 lead the Surge were unable to hang with the Naturals after giving up 10 runs in the second inning. Wichita got things going early when D.J. Burt laced an RBI double that scored Austin Martin in the first inning. After advancing on the previous play, Burt scored thanks to an RBI groundout from Roy Morales. Top Prospect and Olympic Silver Medalist Simeon Woods Richardson didn't have his stuff on the bump tonight. Woods Richardson lasted only 1 2/3 innings and gave up six runs and three walks on his short outing. Tyler Beck took the brunt of the relief work for the Surge, giving up six runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. Evan Sisk and Mitchell Osnowitz carried the caboose for the Wind Surge bullpen. tossing a combined two innings while giving up two runs and walking one. Sisk struck out one batter. Despite the surplus of scoring from the other dugout, Ernie De La Trinidad knocked his eighth homer of the year in the second inning. Jermaine Palacios plated the final run for Wichita when he struck a fourth inning RBI single to left field that scored Leobaldo Cabrera. Cabrera added to Wichita's run count in the eighth inning when he demolished a three-run homer (10) to left field, plating Burt and Morales. That would prove to be the final run for Wichita on a rare night where the team was outscored in a football-esque score. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 11, Wisconsin 4 Box Score On the opening night of the NFL the Cedar Rapids Kernels attempted to put up a football-like score...and succeeded. Cedar Rapids scored 11 runs in the first five innings to propel the Kernels to a 11-4 win on Thursday night. The offense was great, but Cedar Rapids starting pitcher and Minnesota native Louie Varland was just as solid. Varland didn't walk any hitters and struck out seven, giving up three runs on six hits. Varland is now 6-1 on the year and has been one of the brightest surprises in the Twins organization all season long. The Kernels offensive barrage began in the first inning when Edouard Julien led off the game with a single. Michael Helman followed suit with a triple (3) that scored Julien all the way from first. Helman's efforts were rewarded when he later scored on an RBI sac-fly from Aaron Sabato. The second innings was 'thrice' as fruitful for the Kernels. Cedar Rapids scored six runs in the inning to open the flood gates. To the eye, one would assume a six-run inning would consist of at least one extra base hit. Not the case. The Kernels recorded six walks (2 HBP) and singles from Deshawn Keirsey, Alex Isola, and Jeferson Morales to put up the crooked number on the inning. The Kernels DID see a pair of extra-base hits two innings later. Isola and Morales tallied back-to-back solo home runs to expand the Kernels lead to 10-0 after four innings of play. Julien added a homer of his own to inflate the lead to 11-1 in the fifth. After Varland exited the game, reliver Carlos Suniaga touted his own dominance on the mound with two innings of one run, one hit ball with one strikeout. Tyler Palm sealed the deal for the Kernels with a perfect ninth inning. The win puts Cedar Rapids a full game ahead of Great Lakes and Lake County for the second spot in their playoff race. The team has now won three straight! MUSSEL MATTERS Game 1 Fort Myers 7, Palm Beach 6 Box Score With weather postponing the completion of Wednesday's game, the Mussels showed up at Hammond Stadium for double the amount of baseball on Thursday. The squad didn't disappoint. After Palm Beach plated four runs in the seventh and eighth innings to tie the game at six, Fort Myers scored the go-ahead run to push the Mussels past the Cardinals' affiliate in game one of a double-header. The go-ahead run came courtesy of an home run from Alerick Soularie, who punished a 2-0 pitch over the left field wall to secure the lead for the Mussels. Soularie's late-inning blast wasn't the only time that the Tennessee Volunteer touched home plate in the game. Soularie scored a run in the fourth, one of four on the inning for Fort Myers. Willie Joe Garry Jr. led off the inning with a triple and scored on an RBI single from Mikey Perez. Soularie and Christian Encarnacion-Strand joined Perez on base thanks to a pair of walks. Patrick Winkel and Jake Rucker followed suit with a pair of back to back singles to score Perez, Soularie, and Encarnacion Strand. Fort Myers starting pitching John Stankiewicz lasted four innings, giving up five hits and two runs while walking two and striking out four. David Festa took the bulk of bullpen duties for the Mussels, pitching 2 2/3 innings of three strikeout ball, walking two and giving up two runs. Reliever A.J. Labas received one of the more unique stat lines on the night. Labas tossed 1 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and two-runs, including the game-tying run that tallied a blown save under his name. However, thanks to Soularie's blast, Labas also recorded the win (W, 1-2) on the game. Juan Pichardo cleaned up in the final inning and earned his fourth save of the season. Game Two Fort Myers 11, Palm Beach 2 Box Score Just like they relied on a big inning in the first game of the doubleheader, Fort Myers soared in game two thanks to a five-run third inning....and an absolutely electric outing from starting pitcher Casey Legumina. Legumina was stellar through 5 2/3 innings, striking out six while only giving up one run on one hit and a walk. The outing was the second outstanding appearance that Legumina has recorded in the month of September. The Dallas, Texas native went the same distance on the mound on September 2 against Dayton, giving up zero runs on three hits while striking out three and walking one. Yet dominant pitching is often a biproduct of dominant offense, something the Mussels did not lack in the third inning. Charlie Mack launched a three-run homer (7) followed by a Will Holland solo shot (10) to give Fort Myers a comfortable lead. Mikey Perez added to the scoring party with an RBI double in the inning, his first of the year. Holland continued his impressive night with an RBI single in the sixth inning that scored Encarnacion-Strand to put the Mussels up 11-1. After Legumina's masterpiece reliever Logan Campbell closed the door for the Mussels, tossing 1 1/3 innings of one-run ball while striking out one and walking none. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 4, FCL Pirates Gold 3 (10) Box Score A three-run fourth inning and a sac-fly walk-off from Rubel Cespedes powered the Twins to a victory against the Pirates on Thursday afternoon. Wander Valdez and Rubel Cespedes each tallied RBI singles to score runs in the Twins' dominant third inning. LaRon Smith also drew an RBI walk to score a run. Noah Miller, the Minnesota Twins' second pick in the 2021 draft tallied two hits on the day, including a single and a run in the fourth. Twins starting pitcher Erasmo Moreno was excellent, pitching three innings of scoreless baseball while striking out two and walking three. Jordan Carr followed Moreno with three innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out three. Similar to A.J. Labas of Cedar Rapids, Complex reliever Malik Barrington tallied a blown save but also the win (W, 1-1), thanks to Cespedes' walk-off sac-fly that scored Ka'lai Rosario. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Casey Legumina (Fort Myers) - (W, 4-2) 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day - Michael Helman (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Out for season (torn ACL) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-for-3, R, BB #3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - Did not pitch #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 1.2 IP, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 2-for-4 #7 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - Did not pitch #8 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (right elbow strain) #9 - Chase Petty (Complex) - Did not pitch #10 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - Did not play #11 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List (right shoulder impingement) #12 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, RBI, BB, 2 K #13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, HR, R, RBI #14 - Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #15 - Noah Miller (Complex) - Did not pitch #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, K #17 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery) #18 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - 2-for-2 #19 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch #20 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 1-for-4, 2 K FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:05 PM CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes (6-3, 3.93 ERA) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (4-4 3.61 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Sean Mooney (0-1, 11.25 ERA) Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - LHP Cade Povich (0-0, 3.00 ERA) Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Drop a comment below! View full article

A pair of losses didn't take away from an electric game from the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Read up on all the action from across the Twins' farm. TRANSACTIONS Cedar Rapids Kernels placed RHP Jon Olsen on the 7-day injured list. SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 8, St. Paul 1 Box Score In one of their few day games of the season, the Saints were only able to muster up one-run in a blowout loss to Columbus. St. Paul only recorded two hits on the afternoon and gave up a total of 15 hits to the Clippers. The Saints' hits came courtesy of Jose Miranda and Drew Maggi. Miranda punched a single in the fourth inning and Maggi lined a single to center field in the eighth. Maggi would score the Saints' lone run, when Drew Stankiewicz reached on a fielder's error that scored Maggi. St. Paul starter Chandler Shepherd (L, 6-6) lasted four innings, giving up eight hits, five runs, and two walks while striking out one. Ian Hamilton followed Shepherd with 1 2/3 innings of one-run, four hit ball, striking out three. Reliever Chris Nunn was the best Saints pitcher on the day, tossing 1 1/3 innings with three strikeouts, giving up only one hit. WIND SURGE WISDOM Arkansas 6, Wichita 0 Box Score The Wind Surge were victims to a combined-no hitter on Thursday against Arkansas. Roy Morales drew two walks and Spencer Steer drew a walk, registering as the only baserunners for Wichita in the game. Wichita starter Cole Sands tossed five innings, giving up three runs on four hits while striking out two. Cody Funderburk was the only reliever to see action for the Surge, giving up three runs on three hits while striking out one. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 10, Quad Cities 9 Box Score After giving up three runs in the first the Kernels soared back for a walk-off win against league-leading Quad Cities. Yunior Severino and Michael Helman each knocked homers for the Kernels, Helman now has 17 homers on the year and has emerged as an underrated star for Cedar Rapids. All nine of Cedar Rapids' runs came in the fourth and fifth innings. Those fourth inning runs came courtesy of a Severino grand slam. Helman knocked a three-run homer of his own in the fifth. The runs kept coming when Wander Javier punched a double to left field to score Matt Wallner and Aaron Sabato. Javier now has 15 doubles on the 2021 season. Cedar Rapids starter Cody Lawyerson had a rough first inning but settled in after that. Lawyerson tossed 5 2/3 innings of four-run ball, giving up six hits and two walks while striking out four. Reliever Zach Featherstone was as dominant as he's been all season. Featherstone tossed 2 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball, striking out three and giving up only one hit. Despite a pair of dominant innings, Quad Cities mounted a comeback to tie the game at nine in the ninth inning. That didn't matter. With runners on the pond, Yunior Severino reached on a fielder's choice to score Michael Helman in the ninth to walk the Kernels off. It was only fitting that Severino and Helman, the two most dominant hitters on the night, played a role in the winning play. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Daytona 1 (Suspended, Bottom of 3) Gameday Rain put a halt to Thursday evening's contest in the Sunshine State. Yet in the few innings that took place, the Mussels looked great. Kyler Fedko knocked an RBI single in the first inning that scored Christian Encarnacion-Strand to put the Mussels on the board. After Jesus Feliz scored another run in the second thanks to a wild pitch, Encarnacion-Strand laced a single to score Tennessee alum Alerick Soularie to put the Kernels up 3-1. Starting pitcher John Stankiewicz was solid through 2 1/3, giving up one run and two hits while striking out three. Fort Myers will complete the game as a part of a double header tomorrow. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Zach Featherstone, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2.1 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 K) Hitter of the Day - Michael Helman, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB,) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Out for season (torn ACL) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - Did not play #3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - Did not pitch #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - Did not pitch #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, K #7 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - No game #8 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (right elbow strain) #9 - Chase Petty (Complex) - Did not pitch #10 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - Game Suspended #11 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List (right shoulder impingement) #12 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, R, K #13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K) #14 - Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #15 - Noah Miller (Complex) - No game #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - No game #17 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery) #18 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - Game Suspended #19 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Game Suspended #20 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 0-for 3, BB, 3 K FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (6:05 PM CST)- RHP Drew Strotman (7-3, 4.55 ERA) Wichita @ Arkansas (7:10 PM CST) RHP Austin Schulffer (6-7, 4.38 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST)- RHP Sean Mooney (0-1, 1.24 ERA) Fort Myers @ Daytona (6:05 PM CST)- RHP Casey Legumina (2-2. 3.78 ERA) View full article

Thursday night had a little bit of everything across the Twins' farm. Read up on all the action! TRANSACTIONS RHP Hector Lujan was activated from the Wichita IL. 1B Gabe Snyder assigned to Wichita Wind Surge from Cedar Rapids Kernels SAINTS SENTINEL Toledo 9, St. Paul 8 (11 innings) Box Score Despite a solid rehab outing from Randy Dobnak and a total team performance from the St. Paul offense, the Saints dropped a tightly contested game in the Buckeye State on Thursday night. After giving up an early run in the third inning the Saints pounced back with a three runs in the fourth frame. Gilberto Celestino punched a double to right that scored Mark Contreras to put St. Paul on the board. Sherman Johnson followed suit with a single that scored Celestino from second. The most impressive hit of the inning and arguably the game came when Dreg Maggi crushed a triple to centerfield that scored Johnson all the way from first to put the Saints up 3-1. St. Paul punched two more runs in the fifth inning when Jimmy Kerrigan smacked a two-out single to score Jose Miranda and Trevor Larnach. Larnach tallied an RBI single of his own in the sixth inning that drove in JT Riddle. On his rehab journey back to the Twins, Randy Dobnak was solid on the bump against the Mud Hens. Dobnak pitched 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball while giving up five hits, four walks, and striking out two. The start marked Dobnak's second rehab start. The fan-favorite struck out five batters over three perfect frames at Low-A Fort Myers this past weekend. It's only a matter of time before he is back with the parent club! After Dobnak left the game, Ian Hamilton gave up three runs in 2/3 of an inning. Yet when it looked like Toledo would mount a comeback, Ryan Mason stepped in and shut down the Mud Hens, tossing 1 2/3 innings of one-hit scoreless baseball. Chandler Shepherd followed that with a perfect inning on the mound to put the Saints in a position to hold a 6-4 lead in the ninth. That didn't happen, as Toledo plated two runs in the inning to tie the game despite a valiant effort from reliver Nick Vincent. The Saints and Kernels played a game of cat and mouse in the 10th and 11th innings, with both teams scoring runs thanks to the extra-innings rule that puts a runner at second to start the inning. Unfortunately for St. Paul, Toledo managed to squeak out two runs in the 11th to secure the win. Despite the loss, every single player in the Saints starting lineup tallied a hit. Drew Maggi, Tomas Telis, and Gilberto Celestino all tallied two-hit games. Sherman Johnson had an impressive three-hit game with a run and RBI for the Saints. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 4, Wichita 2 Box Score A late-inning power display wasn't enough for the Wind Surge to push past a dominant pitching performance from Tulsa on Thursday at Riverfront Stadium. A team known for their offense, Wichita was only able to manage four hits on the night. Wichita failed to put any runs on the board until the bottom of the ninth inning. The dynamic duo of Trey Cabbage and Spencer Steer mounted a final-inning comeback attempt for the Surge. After Steer drew a walk, Cabbage launched his 16th homer with the Wind Surge (25th overall) over the wall to bring Wichita within two runs. Jordan Balazovic didn't have his strongest night of the year, giving up four runs on nine hits over six innings. However, the Wichita bullpen tandem of Mitchell Osnowitz and Adam Lau were rock-solid, tossing a combined three innings of scoreless ball. The two didn't give up any runs and surrendered only one walk while striking out three batters. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Beloit 0 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels have had moments of brilliance on both sides of the ball so far this season. Tonight, they combined all five tools of the game for a dominant 8-0 win over regional rival Beloit. The Kernels punched their first five runs thanks to the long ball. After Yunior Severino led off the inning with a single Wander Javier launched a home run (12) over the left field wall to give the Kernels a 2-0 lead. Two innings later the Kernels found themselves with runners on base thanks to a walk from Seth Gray and a single from Javier. Michael Helman followed with a three-run shot over the left field wall to break the game open for Cedar Rapids. Helman continued his stellar night in the seventh inning by leading off with a triple to the right field gap. He later scored thanks to an RBI single from Edouard Julien. That wasn't the final run of the inning. Following a Matt Wallner single and a pair of walks, Julien scored lucky number seven for Cedar Rapids. The offensive performance was one of the most dominant on the season for Cedar Rapids, who now have a +52 run differential overall. Cedar Rapids starter Sawyer Gipson-Long was absolutely brilliant in this one, posting arguably his best outing of the year. Gipson-Long (W, 2-1) tossed six scoreless innings while giving up six hits and striking out nine batters. It was the third time that the Lithia Springs, GA, native's has hit nine strikeouts this season, second to his season-best 11 K's on July 21. And while Gipson-Long's performance was incredible, reliever Tyler Palm was just as effective. Palm tossed two innings of one-hit ball while striking out three batters. The appearance was a well-needed cleanser for Palm, who gave up two runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings on last week against Wisconsin. Osiris German sealed the deal for the Kernels with a scoreless ninth inning to secure an important win for Cedar Rapids in the playoff race. The Kernels are now 55-44 are sit a full 2.5 games ahead of Great Lakes for second place in the High-A Central League. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 2 Box Score Despite an early deficit, the Mighty Mussels used dominant pitching and timely hitting to grind out a close game in the Sunshine State. After Bradenton scored two runs in the third inning, the Mussels responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning. After walking and stealing a base Jake Rucker scored courtesy of a Willie Joe Garry Jr. single. Rucker's momentum carried into the fourth inning. With runners on first and second, Rucker laced an RBI triple to right field to give Fort Myers a 3-2 lead. That lead would expand 4-2 when Rucker scored during the next at-bat thanks to a wild pitch. Fort Myers starter Sean Mooney was absolutely outstanding on the evening. Mooney tossed 4 2/3 innings of 10-strikeout ball, only surrendering a pair of runs on three hits and two walks. RHP Logan Campbell was just as dominant in his Mussels debut, throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and one hit. Zaquiel Puentes sealed the deal with his first save of the year, tossing 2 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Pirates Black 6, FCL Twins 3 Box Score A multi-hit game from Kala'i Rosario wasn't enough to push the FCL Twins to a victory against the Pirates on Thursday afternoon. The Pirates jumped on Twins' starter Giovahniey German early, plating four runs in the first three innings. German (L, 2-2) pitched three innings, giving up seven hits, four runs, and a walk while striking out five. Rosario's first hit was a single in the second inning. He followed that with a leadoff double in the sixth inning and was later driven in on an RBI single from Argenis Jimenez. 2021 Competitive Balance round pick and Twins Daily Top 20 Prospect Noah Miller knocked an RBI double (2) in the third inning to score the Twins' first run. Miller and Rosario are both having excellent seasons at the plate. Miller touts a .269 batting average and Rosario has a .290 average. After reliever Jordan Carr gave up three runs, LHP Elpidio Perez was excellent. Perez pitched three scoreless innings for the FCL Twins, giving up only one hit and two walks while striking out four. Despite the loss, the Twins' pitching staff managed to strike out 15 batters on the day. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY YOU decide! PROSPECT SUMMARY Our most recent (post deadline and draft) prospect rankings are up! Check them out here. #1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Out for season (torn ACL) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 2 K #3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - 6 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, BB, 5 K #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - Did not pitch #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 1-for-6, R, 3 K #7 - Joe Ryan (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #8 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #9 - Chase Petty (Complex) - Did not pitch #10 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, 4 K #11 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List (shoulder) #12 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, 3 K #13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2B R, RBI, BB, K #14 - Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #15 - Noah Miller (Complex) - 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, K #17 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery) #18 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, R #19 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch #20 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 1-for-5, R, 2B, BB FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05PM CST) – LHP Bryan Sammons (0-1, 5.32 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Chris Vallimont (5-5, 6.08 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35PM CST) – RHP Cody Lawyerson (1-4, 5.15 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers Game One: (3:30PM CST) – RHP John Stankiewicz (0-0, 3.86 ERA) Game Two: (30 minutes after game one) - LHP Zarion Sharpe (4-2, 3.59 ERA) View full article

The St. Paul Saints are one of the hottest teams across Minor League Baseball. They became even hotter when Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton walked through the doors of CHS Field on Friday night. Sticky air, high winds, and a foreboding forecast didn’t stop 8,209 baseball fans from coming out to CHS Field on Friday night to watch highly-touted prospect and Olympian Joe Ryan make his Twins organization debut. Even better? The game marked Byron Buxton’s highly-anticipated return after a lengthy stint on the IL from a hand injury he suffered on June 21st. Ryan was electric out of the gate, hitting 93, 94, and 95 MPH in his first matchup of the night, striking out former Twins outfielder Ian Miller on six pitches. The former Rays prospect carried his dominance through the first inning, striking out the side on a total of 15 pitches, 11 of those being strikes. After a perfect first inning, Ryan’s second inning was a carbon copy. The 6’2 gun-slinger needed just 18 pitches to fan the heart of the I-Cubs order. Six hitters, six strikeouts. After two innings of strikeouts, Ryan must’ve realized that it would be selfish not to get his fielders involved in the action. Ryan drew two groundouts to the middle infield and tossed in another strikeout, bringing his total to seven. One of Ryan’s few mistakes came in the fourth inning when he left a pitch up that Cubs’ outfielder Nick Martini hit over the right-field fence. Yet just as he showed in Tokyo, Ryan wasn't phased, striking out two of the next three batters to end the inning and a stellar first outing as a Minnesota Twin. In today’s game, it’s not uncommon to see managers take top prospects out of games early to protect arms and hone in on development. Given that Ryan hasn’t pitched since starting (and winning) the Olympic semifinals for Team USA on August 4th, it’s not shocking that Toby Gardenhire removed his starter after four dominant innings. The organization had developed a plan that included Ryan throwing 60-70 pitches on Friday night. Four innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts, one walk, and 49 strikes on 67 pitches. Not bad for a guy pitching in a new environment that hasn’t thrown in a Minor League game since July 18th. Twins fans knew that Joe Ryan was a talented pitcher when he was acquired in the trade that sent Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay. As a recent MLB Top 100 Prospect and two-game winner at the Olympics, Ryan’s numbers speak for themselves. Yet like so many other things in life, seeing is believing. Twins and Saints fans got to see arguably the strongest debut performance from a pitcher in the organization this year on Friday night. Here are three takeaways from Ryan’s debut in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Ryan’s velocity on his fastball ranged from 92-95 MPH all evening, and he was painting the corners of the strike zone. It’s no secret that the heater is Ryan’s pitch, but his ability to consistently nail his spots was impressive. Pitching with a lead is a pitcher’s best friend (Editor's note: It's right up there with the double play and dogs.). The Saints provided that to Ryan by scoring six runs in the first inning. It will be interesting to see how he handles tighter game situations. Perhaps the most impressive feat of the night for Ryan came after he gave up the mammoth homer over the right-field wall. For many, the situation could have been a slippery slope. Not for Ryan, who struck out the next batter, got a ground ball, and retired the final batter with another strikeout. Ryan’s confidence shows when he’s on the mound. The guy has swagger, and he’s not afraid to show it. Buxton Returns Buxton’s performance wasn’t as noteworthy as his last rehab debut with the Saints, when he went 2-for-3 with a triple on June 8th against Omaha (Royals). Buxton went 0-for-2 with an RBI sac-fly and a strikeout before being removed from the game after the fifth inning. Buxton’s sac fly was inches away from being a double but was caught by a sprawling Greg Deichmann in right field. (Editor's Note: Slo-motion replay showed that it likely was a trap, but with no replay in Triple-A, the call stood.) No, it wasn’t the April MVP-caliber Buxton that fans had hoped to see but just watching the organization’s centerpiece compete again was a treat for all. Buxton will likely stay with the Saints over the weekend and longer if needed. There’s no rush for the superstar. With the Twins out of playoff contention, it’s crystal clear that getting Buxton healthy is a priority of the organization. For more in-depth recaps from across the Twins minor league affiliates be sure to check out tonight's Minor League Report! View full article

Drew Maggi lit things up in the capital city and the Wichita offense continued to impress. Read up on all the action across the Twins farm system! TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins selected the contract of RHP Kyle Barraclough from St. Paul Saints. Minnesota Twins selected the contract of LHP Andrew Albers from St. Paul Saints. Minnesota Twins optioned RHP Edgar Garcia to St. Paul Saints. Minnesota Twins sent RHP Beau Burrows outright to St. Paul Saints. St. Paul Saints released CF Keon Broxton. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 9, Iowa 5 Box Score The St. Paul Saints found themselves in a hole on Thursday night at CHS Field, trailing 4-2 after the fifth inning with only four hits. That all changed with one swing from Drew Maggi in the bottom of the sixth inning. Maggi launched a bases-loaded 3-2 pitch over the left-field wall to give the Saints a lead they wouldn’t look back on. Maggi’s slam was put into motion by a pair of singles from Tomas Telis and Mark Contreras and a throwing error that put Sherman Johnson on base. From there, it was all “Maggic” Maggi’s homer (12) only kick-started that the St. Paul offense. Contreras punched an RBI single in the seventh to score Trevor Larnach, kicking off a three-run inning for the Saints. Johnson would later score two runs of his own, pushing a single up the gut that scored Ian Miller and Telis to put the Saints up 9-4. Contreras was brilliant on the evening. Not only did his mid and late-inning hits count, but he got the party started for the Saints in the first with a double and a run (courtesy of a Gilberto Celestino double). Beau Burrows and Andrew Vasquez gave up a combined four runs in the first five innings. After that, it was pure gold from the St. Paul bullpen. Ian Gibaut (W, 1-3), Yennier Cano, and Ian Hamilton were lights out for the remainder of the game, giving up two hits, three walks, and zero runs while striking out seven. Cano earned his fourth hold of the year, and Hamilton continued his dominant stretch, shaving his ERA down to 2.85 Playoff Watch Thursday’s win puts the Saints just 1.5 games behind first-place Toledo. St. Paul is now in sole place of second place in the Triple-A Central East Division. Triple-A postseason format can be viewed here. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 14, Springfield 6 Box Score The Wind Surge put up yet another football-like score on Thursday night, defeating Springfield by a score of 14-6. The Surge put up a total of 21 hits, including a four-hit night from BJ Boyd and three-hit evenings for Spencer Steer, Andrew Bechtold, and DJ Burt. Bechtold and Leobaldo Cabrera each launched homers for Wichita and Bechtold knocked his 20th double of the season. Starting pitcher Austin Schulffer (W, 4-7) was solid, going five innings and striking out five while giving up four runs on seven hits. The Wichita bullpen was even more stellar on the night. Alex Phillips, Zach Neff, and Adam Lau combined for three innings of two-run ball while striking out five. Playoff Watch Tonight's win puts Wichita atop the Double-A Central league! The Surge are 54-39, 0.5 games above Frisco (Texas). The top two teams in the Double-A Central League will compete in a five-game series for the league title. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Wisconsin 8 Box Score Down 8-4 going into the sixth inning, it looked like Cedar Rapids' winning streak would end at three games. Think again. After a three-run sixth inning, Edouard Julien, Wander Javier, and Yunior Severino tag-teamed for a two-run ninth to walk the Kernels off in their largest comeback of the season. Julien led off the inning with a single and stole second on a 2-2 count with Severino at the plate. His aggressive baserunning paid off. Severino lined the next pitch over the left fielder's head, advancing all the way to third and scoring Julien. The Iowa magic was capped off when Javier lined a single to right to score pinch-runner Daniel Ozoria for the winning run. "Baseball's unlike any other sport in the fact that their isn't a time clock," Skipper Brian Dinkleman said after his team's longest game of the season. "It was a true team win." In a battle that saw hits and runs throughout the course of the game, the Kernels saw different players step up at different times. The Kernels scored their first run in the first inning when Julien touched home on a fielder's choice from Wander Javier. Cedar Rapids would double their runs scored in the second inning. After a trio of walks, Julien punched a single to center to score Jeferson Morales and Michael Helman. Despite giving up eight runs in the first four innings, the Kernels continued to knock on the door. Yunior Severino worked some two-out magic in the fourth when he crushed a double to left that moved Julien to third. Julien scored two batters later, thanks to a single from Alex Isola. Trailing by four heading into the sixth, Cedar Rapids third basemen Seth Gray put the team on his back. After a single from Severino and a walk from Isola, Gray launched a three-run shot (9) to bring the Kernels within one. Cedar Rapids pitcher Tyler Watson pitched 2 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits while striking out two. Highly-touted reliever Derek Molina followed Watson on a night that wasn't his best. Molina lasted 2/3 of an inning, striking out one while giving up two earned runs. Osiris German and Denny Bentley came up next in the firing line of Kernels' pitchers. Both were magnificent, combining for 3 2/3 scoreless innings and striking out five. Playoff Watch Tonight's win puts the Kernels at 52-41, 9.5 games behind league leader Quad Cities (Kansas City). The victory placed Cedar Rapids a full two games ahead of third-place Lake County (Cleveland). For in-depth information on High-A playoff format, click here. MUSSEL MATTERS Game 1: Fort Myers 6, Dunedin 2 Box Score Two things are inevitable in the state of Florida: Jimmy Buffett is king It rains. A lot. The second of those halted Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jays in the fourth inning, with the Mussels leading 1-0. That game was resumed prior to Thursday’s scheduled game against Dunedin. Needless to say, it was worth the wait for Fort Myers. After the Jays scored two in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead, Fort Myers roared back with five unanswered runs to win the multi-day game 6-2. Four Mighty Mussels had multi-hit games, including Misael Urbina, who knocked a sixth-inning solo shot to ignite the late-inning scoring spree. On Wednesday, Jesus Feliz hit his own solo homer in the second inning to put Fort Myers on the board. Willie Joe Garry Jr. and Kyler Fedko also had multi-hit games. Fedko’s first hit of the night game in the seventh inning. The 2021 12th round pick out of Uconn punched a 1-0 pitch to right field to score Will Holland from second, giving the Mussels a 3-2 lead. Fort Myers clung to a 3-2 lead going into the top of the ninth. Yet like a heavy downpour, the Mussels offense washed away any chances of a Dunedin victory with a three-run inning. After leading off with a walk, Patrick Winkel advanced to second courtesy of a Garry Jr. single. Fedko then laced a single that advanced Garry Jr. to second. Winkel attempted to score on the play but was gunned out at home. But with two outs and runners at first and third, Tennessee Volunteer alum Alerick Soularie punched a single to left that would score Garry Jr. and advance Fedko to third. Soularie and Fedko would both score thanks to a single from Aaron Sabato. The Fort Myers pitching staff was excellent throughout the game. Starting pitcher Aaron Rozek tossed three scoreless innings while striking out four on Wednesday night. When the game resumed on Thursday, Bradley Hanner went 2 ⅓ innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out one. The real gem of the night was Matt Mullenbach (W, 1-0), who locked things down in the final 3 ⅓ innings, giving up no runs on three hits while striking out five and walking none. Game Two: Dunedin 2, Fort Myers 0 (7 innings) Box Score After one of their best offensive performances of the year, Fort Myers was shut down in game two thanks to quality Dunedin pitching. The Mussels were no-hit in the shortened-game format and drew three walks on the night. Dunedin pitcher Trent Palmer (W, 2-2) pitched the entire game for the Blue Jays. Palmer, a native of Rochester, MN and graduate of Anoka High School was pleased yet humble following his incredible outing. "Sometimes you have bad stuff and get outs. Sometimes you have good stuff and get hit and thankfully tonight it was right at our position players who were amazing!" Palmer said to Seth Stohs of Twins Daily. The fact that the Minnesota native pitched a no hitter against a Twins affiliate made it even more special. "It was even better than I could have imagined considering I grew up going to Twins games at the Dome and Target Field all the time!" Palmer was stellar, but Fort Myers starter Casey Legumina was nothing short of excellent. Legumina (L, 2-2) pitched four innings of one-run ball, striking out seven and walking none. The Gonzaga alum pounded the zone all night, with 43 of his 66 pitches called for strikes. Reliever Juan Pichardo was also rock-solid on the night. Pichardo followed Legumina by throwing two innings of one-hit, one-run ball while striking out five. The only hit he surrendered was a sixth-inning triple. The Fort Myers staff didn't give up a walk in the game. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Rays 4, FCL Twins 3 Box Score Four innings of scoreless pitching from Giovahniey German wasn’t enough to push the FCL Twins past the rays on Thursday afternoon. The FCL Rays scored four runs in the fifth inning off of FCL Twins pitcher Danny Moreno to seal the deal in a tightly contested ball game. The Twins struck first with two runs in the third inning. Rubel Cespedes launched a homer (2) over the right-field fence to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. Kala’i Rosario would later punch an RBI single into the outfield to score Zander Wiel. And even though the team lost, the most exciting play of the day (and arguably the season) came in the eighth inning when Wiel touched all four bags on an inside-the-park home run. Wiel has been on a rehab assignment at the complex following a quad injury. Twins Daily co-owner Seth Stohs chatted with Zander over the offseason. Give it a watch! After Moreno’s rocky fifth inning, the Twins’ bullpen locked in. Juan Mendez and Elpidio Perez combined for three innings of scoreless baseball. Mendez struck out four batters in his two innings on the bump. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily is all about community. YOU choose who tonight's (8/19) Hitter and Pitcher of the Day are! PROSPECT SUMMARY Our most recent (post deadline and draft) prospect rankings are up! Check them out here. #1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Injured List (ACL) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - Did not play #3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - Did not pitch #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - Did not pitch #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 0-for-5 #7 - Joe Ryan (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #8 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #9 - Chase Petty (Complex) - Did not pitch #10 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - Game 1: 0-for-5, 3 K Game 2: Did not play #11 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List (shoulder) #12 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - Did not play #13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, RBI, K #14 - Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #15 - Noah Miller (Complex) - Did not play #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - 0-for-1, K #17 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery) #18 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - Game 1: 2-for-4, HR, R, RBI, BB, K Game 2: 0-for-3, K #19 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch #20 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – RHP Joe Ryan (4-3 3.63 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (7:05PM CST) – RHP Cole Sands (2-1, 2.83 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-1, 7.20 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30PM CST) – RHP Sean Mooney (0-1, 0.84 ERA) View full article