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The Twins' freshly traded prospects haven't taken the field for their minor league teams yet, but there was still plenty of intrigue to go around. Check it out in tonight's Minor League Report: TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins trade RHP Jose Berríos to Toronto Blue Jays for SS Austin Martin and RHP Simeon Woods- Richardson Minnesota Twins trade LHP J.A. Happ and cash to St. Louis Cardinals for RHP John Gant and LHP Evan Sisk. Minnesota Twins trade RHP Hansel Robles to Boston Red Sox for RHP Alex Scherff Minnesota Twins claim RHP Edgar Garcia off waivers from Cincinnati Reds, optioned to Triple-A St. Paul Minnesota Twins recall LHP Charlie Barnes from Triple-A St. Paul Minnesota Twins recall RHP Griffin Jax from Triple-A St. Paul Minnesota Twins activate RHP John Gant SAINTS SENTINEL Indianapolis 8, St. Paul 4 Box Score The Saints trailed for virtually all of this game thanks to mediocre pitching and rather poor defense. They drop this one 8-4. The Indianapolis offense got started a big blow early, scoring four runs in the top of the first. They made use of four first-inning hits and a Saints error to score those runs, with an RBI each credited to Colin Moran, Cole Tucker, Bligh Madris, and Hunter Owen. The Saints had an opportunity to get right back into the game, though, when they loaded the bases with no out in the second. They capitalized. Sherman Johnson singled to drive in two, then Roberto Peña nearly hit one out, but settled for an RBI sac fly. The Saints couldn’t push any more across, but went to the third having cut the lead to 4-3. Unfortunately, Indianapolis got three more of their own in the fourth, in part due to botched pop-up. Peña fell over backwards and missed T.J. Rivera’s short pop to right, allowing two runs to score. Rivera, who ended up on second, scored the next at-bat on Anthony Alford’s double to make the score 7-3. The teams traded runs in the fifth, but those would be the last runs of the game, as Indianapolis held their four-run lead to the finish off this one. Andrew Albers got the start on the mound for St. Paul and was roughed up, though he wasn’t helped by his defense. Albers went six innings and allowed all eight runs, though only three were earned. He allowed 11 hits, no walks, and struck out five. Robinson Leyer (7th and 8th) and Rob Whalen (9th) took care of the remaining three innings, and didn’t allow a run. Rob Refsnyder and Jimmy Kerrigan had multi-hit games for St. Paul. The Saints defense, with four errors on the night, was pretty gross overall, but this play from Jose Miranda provided a highlight: WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 9, Wichita 1 Box Score Jordan Balazovic, Twins Daily’s third-ranked prospect, got the start for Wichita tonight and he was far from his usual self, leading to a second-straight blowout loss to Northwest Arkansas. The Naturals got off to a good start against Balazovic, signaling bigger things to come. Clay Dungan hit Jordan’s first offering of the night for a double, then scored four batters later on a fielding error by Caleb Hamilton. NW Arkansas really started to beat up on Balazovic in the third with a pair of two-run homers. M.J. Melendez, the minor league home run leader, got the first one, and Freddy Fermin matched him three hitters later. Then, to start the fourth, Balazovic loaded the bases with a walk and two singles, allowed an RBI sac fly, and loaded the bases again with another walk. At that point, he was removed from the game. One of his inherited runners scored on a groundout, bringing Balazovic’s final line to a less than impressive 3.1 IP, 7 R, 6 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 3 K. On offense, Wichita got their only run in the third and it actually tied the game at the time. Aaron Whitefield singled and advanced to third on a stolen base and throwing error. Then, Roy Morales drove in the Surge center fielder with a sharp single. The Naturals added another two-run homer in the fifth, this one coming off the bat of Blake Perkins. That run was the last of the game and only served to change the final score. The Surge lose 9-1. After Balazovic’s tough start, Mitchell Osnowitz took over with 2 2/3 innings of work and allowed two runs on the fifth inning homer. Chris Nunn finished the game with two scoreless innings, adding four strikeouts. Morales had the only multi-hit game for Wichita. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 5 (F/11) Box Score Ben Gross was excellent in his start for Cedar Rapids tonight, but a sluggish offense and leaky bullpen squandered the lead late. Still, extra-inning heroics and a little bit of help from the Wisconsin defense allowed the Kernels to grab this one in eleven innings. Edouard Julien got the game going right away for Cedar Rapids with a leadoff homer to center. It was Julien’s seventh homer in just 27 games for Cedar Rapids. The game stayed at 1-0 until the sixth, when Julien got involved again with the Kernels’ second run. He led off the inning with a double to the right center field gap and scored on a Wander Javier single. A few batters later, Javier scored as well on a bloop single from Seth Gray. However, after keeping the Wisconsin offense off the board for five innings, Gross was chased from the game in the sixth. The Cedar Rapids starter gave up a swinging-bunt single, then an RBI triple from David Hamilton that broke up the shutout and ended Gross’s night. Zach Featherstone came in and allowed an RBI single from Joe Gray Jr. that cut the Kernels’ lead to 3-2. On the play, Gray Jr. was thrown out trying to take second on what was a questionable out call, and Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson was invited to leave after a spirited argument with the umpires. The Kernels loaded the bases in the eighth, looking for insurance runs. They found one on a Max Smith sac fly, but that’s all they would get. They could’ve used one more, as Wisconsin got one of their own in the bottom of the inning, on a Gray Jr. sac fly, and had luck on their side in the ninth. After two quick groundouts, the Rattlers got a single. Then Nick Kahle placed a high pop-up just behind the infielders and in front of the pushed-back outfield. The ball was in the air long enough to allow the runner, who was running on contact, to score from first to extend the game. Both teams got their free runner across in the tenth, but neither side could get more and the game headed to the 11th tied at five. After having the lead for most of the game (and taking it briefly in the tenth), Cedar Rapids took another lead in the 11th, when free runner Daniel Ozoria scored on an error by third baseman Korry Howell. This time, the lead stuck. Erik Manoah Jr. struck out the side in the 11th to put the game away for good. Kernels win 6-5. Gross ended up going 5 2/3 innings, and allowed two earned runs while striking out seven. He gave way to Zach Featherstone, who allowed an inherited run and got one out. Luis Rijo took the seventh and eighth and allowed one earned run on three hits and a walk. Acosta took the ninth and tenth and blew a one-run lead both times, though the run allowed in extras was unearned. Manoah Jr. earns the save with a perfect three-strikeout 11th. Julien, Camargo, and Michael Helman all had multi-hit games for Cedar Rapids. MUSSEL MATTERS Tonight’s Mighty Mussels game against Clearwater was postponed due to a COVID-19 situation within the Clearwater team. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Red Sox 8, FCL Twins 7 Box Score It’s a weekend, so you already know what that means. Yes, the Complex League Twins lost to the Complex League Red Sox again, this time by a score of 8-7. The Twins took an early lead with two runs in the top of the first and, though they allowed five runs over innings four, five, and six, they kept pace with five runs of their own over that stretch and took 7-5 lead into the late innings. However, the Red Sox scored three in the bottom of the ninth on Juan Montero’s double to win the game in walk-off fashion. Emmanuel Rodriguez was the star man on offense for the Twins, going 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBI. On the mound, Erasmo Moreno was excellent in his start for the FCL Twins, going three scoreless with five strikeouts and one hit allowed. He did issue three free passes. Rafael Feliz took over from there and allowed five earned runs in two innings of work. The last two of his runs were inherited runners that scored after he was taken out with no outs in the sixth. Ramon Pineda went three innings and allowed only those inherited runs, while striking out four. Matt Mullenbach got two outs in the ninth before allowing the game-deciding three run double. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Ben Gross (Cedar Rapids) – 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day - Edouard Julien (Cedar Rapids) – 2-6, 2 R, RBI, HR(7), K PROSPECT SUMMARY Take note that we have finished our midseason update, so there is a new list! Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for season (torn ACL) #2 – Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #3 – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 3.1 IP, 7 R, 6 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 3 K #4 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 1-5, 3 K #6 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – Game postponed #7 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – Did not play #8 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #9 – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – Game postponed #10 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 1-6, 4 K #11 – Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #12 – Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – No game #13 – Cole Sands (Wichita) –Did not pitch #14 – Brent Rooker (Minnesota) – 0-4 K #15 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – Game postponed #16 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 0-3, K #17 – Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 1-6, R, RBI, 2 K #18 – Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (foot injury) #19 – Edwar Colina (Rehab) – Injured List (elbow) #20 – Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – Did not pitch SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – RHP Drew Strotman (7-2, 3.39 ERA, Saints Debut) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (6:05PM CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05PM CST) – RHP Cody Laweryson (0-2, 4.01 ERA)Fort Myers @ Clearwater (5:30 PM CST pending COVID-19 situation) – TBD MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Two of the four Twins affiliates faced off against teams named after turtles tonight, and that somehow wasn't the most interesting thing that happened. Check out tonight's Minor League Report to see what was! TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins recall OF Brent Rooker from Triple-A St. Paul Minnesota Twins transfer RHP Cole Bellair to Low-A Ft. Myers from Twins Complex SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 5, St. Paul 3 Box Score The Saints only managed four hits on the night but they were in this game late. Still, two late runs were too much to overcome and Omaha gets the win, 5-3. The Storm Chasers took an early lead in the first when Lucius Fox came to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded and beat out an infield single to drive in a run. Royals prospect Nick Pratto added to that Omaha lead with a two-run homer in the third, his first in Triple-A. In the top of the fifth, though, Keon Broxton got the Saints back into it with a two-run shot of his own, driving in himself and Damek Tomscha to make the score 3-2. The score stayed at 3-2 until the bottom of the eighth, when Omaha added a couple of insurance runs. They started off the inning with four straight batters reaching and scored two runs (RBI to Sebastian Rivero and Anderson Miller), to bring the Storm Chasers’ lead to 5-2. The Saints got one of those runs back, but fell short of a third straight ninth-inning comeback, losing this one 5-3. Charlie Barnes was the Saints’ starting pitcher tonight and he was average at best over 4.2 innings. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits and three walks, and struck out three. Andrew Vasquez pitched a scoreless inning and had two strikeouts in the process. Yennier Cano went 1.2 innings but allowed the two late runs, both earned. Robinson Leyer took over for Cano to finish out the eighth, and got two outs without any additional damage. Tomscha had the only multi-hit game for St. Paul. WIND SURGE WISDOM Arkansas 4, Wichita 3 Box Score The Surge led most of this game, but blew it in the ninth, allowing Arkansas to walk off as 4-3 victors. The first inning went by without much drama, but Jermaine Palacios led off the second inning by putting the ball over the fence to break the deadlock. Wichita built on their lead in the third with two runs through an RBI single from Roy Morales and a Trey Cabbage RBI sac fly. The Travelers had an answer in the bottom of the inning, though, with two runs of their own. A walk, a single, and a double allowed runs to score on two different productive outs: a forceout from Dom Thompson-Williams and a sac fly off the bat of Josh Morgan. This game went scoreless for five innings, but it sprang back to life in the bottom of the ninth. Connor Kopach singled with one out, then Stephen Wrenn doubled to the gap to score Kopach and tie the game. Wrenn, representing the winning run, advanced to third on a throwing error from the outfield. One seeing-eye single later, and Wrenn was streaking home while Josh Morgan, the walk-off hero, took a Gatorade bucket shower at first base. Austin Schulfer got the start on the mound for Wichita tonight and allowed two earned over 5.2 innings. He allowed three hits, walked three, and struck out three. Alex Phillips pitched in with 1.1 innings of scoreless work and gave the ball to Jordan Gore to get the six-out save. That didn’t go as planned, obviously. Gore got through a scoreless eighth, but gave up the two runs in the ninth; he gets the loss. Roy Morales and Jermaine Palacios had multi-hit games for the Surge. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Beloit 1 Box Score Tyler Watson was excellent in his start for the Kernels, the bullpen followed suit, and the Cedar Rapids bats did just enough to secure a 2-1 victory. Bats were quiet for both teams through two innings, but the Snappers took the lead in the third in unusual fashion. Connor Scott hit a deep drive to right center that forced Gabriel Maciel to slam into the wall to make the catch. This allowed Ricky Aracena to tag up and score from second to give Beloit the first run of the ballgame. The Kernels’ two runs were delivered in a more typical way, as Alex Isola ripped a single through the left side to score Kyle Schmidt and Edouard Julien and give the Cedar Rapids a 2-1 lead going into the fourth. Thanks to continued dominance from Watson and good deliveries from relievers Tyler Palm and Derek Molina, those two runs would be all Cedar Rapids needed to secure the win. Thomas Jones doubled and advanced to third for the Snappers in the ninth, but Beloit couldn’t bring him in and the game ended 2-1 Kernels. Watson went a total of five innings and allowed one run on three hits and two walks. He struck out four. Palm took the sixth and seventh, struck out three, and didn’t allow a hit. Molina closed out the evening by stranding the runner at third; he had two scoreless and allowed two hits. Alex Isola had the only multi-hit game for the Kernels. MUSSEL MATTERS Daytona 7, Fort Myers 5 (F/11) Box Score Fort Myers starter Landon Leach made his Single-A debut tonight and kept the Mussels in it, allowing for a late comeback that took this one to extras. However, the additional frames went Daytona’s way, and the Mussels lost 7-5 in 11 innings. The Tortugas got a run in the top of the first when an Elly De La Cruz groundout scored Austin Hendrick. In the second, Daniel Vellojin roped a double to center that scored another. The Mussels got those two runs back in the bottom of the second though, with a Jesus Feliz RBI single and a Misael Urbina RBI sac fly. Fort Myers kept the offense going in the fourth, when they loaded the bases with one out. They managed a run on a wild pitch but strikeouts from top prospects Keoni Cavaco and Aaron Sabato ended the rally. The Mussels would pay for their wastefulness as Vellojin and Hendrick struck again in the top of the fifth. This time, Vellojin walked and Hendrick homered to steal the lead back for the Tortugas. The Fighting Willians Astudillos added another run in the seventh through a Wendell Marrero RBI double. That run gave Daytona a 5-3 lead and that deficit would hold up until the ninth inning. Then the Mussels made their move. Willie Joe Garry Jr. and Urbina walked and singled respectively to put men on first and third with one out. Cavaco answered the bell this time, tripling in both runs to tie the game at five, and bringing himself (as the winning run) within 90 feet of home. Unfortunately, Sabato struck out again (he had four K's on the night) and Jeferson Morales was a victim of the K as well, sending this game to extras. After a quiet tenth inning for both sides, the Tortugas snapped in the 11th. The leadoff hitter struck out, but Garrett Wolforth and Brandon Leyton rattled off back-to-back triples to take a commanding two-run lead to the bottom of the 11th. The Mussels went down in order at that point, sealing the 7-5 loss. Leach went four full innings and allowed two runs (one earned) and struck out four. Casey Legumina took the fifth and allowed two runs in just one inning of work. Bradley Hanner pitched three full innings and struck out four, but did allow the seventh inning run. Carlos Suniaga took the ninth, tenth, and eleventh, and allowed the two decisive runs. He gets the loss. Jesus Feliz had the only multi-hit game for Fort Myers. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Red Sox 9, FCL Twins 1 Box Score The Complex League Twins lost another one to the FCL Red Sox today and it wasn’t close. The Red Sox used a three-run third inning and a four-run fifth to break the game open, then added one each in the eighth and ninth. On offense, the FCL Twins had seven hits but were 1-11 with men in scoring position, and thus only scored one run. That run came in the third, when Argenis Jimenez hit a solo homer to right. They got men to first and third with no outs in the seventh, but a successful pickoff attempt and back-to-back strikeouts from Endy Rodriguez Kala’i Rosario ended the threat. Luis Baez and Yonardy Soto each had two hits. On the mound, Rafael Feliz got the start and went 2 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and striking out three. He surrendered the rubber to Sean Gilmartin, who fared much worse. Gilmartin allowed five runs in 1 1/3 innings pitched. Ramon Pineda had the only scoreless outing of the game for the Twins, as he kept the Red Sox off the board in his 2 2/3 innings. John Wilson finished the game with 2 1/3 innings and allowed two runs. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Tyler Watson (Cedar Rapids) – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day - Jermaine Palacios (Wichita) – 3-4, R, RBI, HR(11), K PROSPECT SUMMARY Take note that we have finished our midseason update, so there is a new list! Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for season (torn ACL) #2 – Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #3 – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #4 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 0-4, K #6 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 1-6, 2 RBI, 4 K #7 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – Did not play #8 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #9 – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 0-4, BB, 4 K #10 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Did not play #11 – Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #12 – Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch #13 – Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #14 – Brent Rooker (Minnesota) – 0-4, K #15 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 1-3, R, RBI, BB #16 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 0-4, 2 K #17 – Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, 3 K #18 – Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (foot injury) #19 – Edwar Colina (Rehab) – Injured List (elbow) #20 – Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – Did not pitch SATURDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – LHP Andrew Albers (4-3, 4.70 ERA) Wichita @ Arkansas (6:10PM CST) – LHP Kody Funderburk (1-0, 0.00 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Ben Gross (4-0, 2.65 ERA) Daytona @ Fort Myers- (6:00PM CST) – RHP Orlando Rodriguez (1-0, 1.29 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

The Kernels lost a third straight game in walk-off fashion tonight, a top prospect was on the mound for the Saints and the Wind Surge bats came to play. Check out all this and more in tonight's Minor League Report: TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins promote LHP Jovani Moran to Triple-A St. Paul from Double-A Wichita SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 5, St. Paul 3 Box Score Josh Winder, fresh off his MLB Futures Game appearance, had a good outing, but the Clippers came back against the bullpen late to take this game 5-3. The Saints got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning. Willians Astudillo legged out an antics-laden double and advanced to third on a Mark Contreras groundout. Then, Tomas Telis came to the plate, and one catcher drove in the other to give the Saints a 1-0 lead. Drew Maggi added to the lead in the fourth inning with a two-run homer into the bullpen in left. The blast was Maggi’s seventh (!) of July. Josh Winder went into the game knowing he was on a pitch count, but he cruised through four innings, blanking the Clippers. Twins Daily’s #8 prospect really only made one mistake in this one, allowing a two-run homer to Ryan Lavarnway that chased him from the game in the fifth. In 4 1/3 innings, he gave up two runs on five hits. He struck out two and didn't walk a batter. Lavarnway’s blast made the score 3-2. However, Winder’s replacement, Joe Harvey, fared no better, and immediately allowed a solo homer to Connor Marabell and the game was tied. The game stayed at three-all until the eighth. Columbus took their first lead with a run each on a sacrifice fly and a seeing-eye single to bring the score to the decisive 5-3. After Winder came out, Harvey allowed one run and got two outs, but left the game with an apparent injury. Toby Gardenhire was likely counting on multiple innings from Harvey, so that early exit put the Saints’ already-thin bullpen in a tough spot. Ian Gibaut managed to go three innings for St. Paul and allowed two earned runs. Nick Vincent covered the ninth with an inning of scoreless work. Jose Miranda got his typical two hits in this one and Tomas Telis also had a multi-hit game. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 7, Tulsa 2 Box Score Bryan Sammons was solid on the bump for the Surge, and the bats were just as solid, leading Wichita to a comfortable 7-2 victory. On a night in which – spoiler alert – slow starts will become a theme, both teams failed to score in the first three innings of this one. Tulsa grabbed the first two runs of the game in the top of the fourth with an RBI double from Carlos Rincon and a RBI single from Romer Cuadrado. The Surge got one back in their half of the fourth on a solo shot from Andrew Bechtold, his 11th of the season. The Wichita bats came alive again in the fifth when they loaded the bases with no outs. After a short flyout, Spencer Steer ripped a single into left to drive in two runs. Then, with men on first and third, Steer took off towards second with the pitch. Tulsa catcher Stevie Berman faked a throw toward second, and whipped the ball towards third to keep Aaron Whitefield there. Unfortunately for Berman, the Tulsa third baseman wasn’t there and the ball bounded down the left field line, allowing both Whitefield and Steer to score, 5-2. The Surge loaded the bases again in the sixth inning. Tulsa pitcher Aaron Ochsenbein buckled down to strikeout Aaron Whitefield, but Berman allowed a passed ball on the third strike which allowed B.J. Boyd to score the sixth run for Wichita. Ochsenbein buckled down again and struck out Ernie De La Trinidad to get out of the inning and limit the damage to one run. The Surge added one more run in the seventh on a B.J. Boyd single to make the final score 7-2. KERNELS NUGGETS South Bend 6, Cedar Rapids 5 (10) Box Score The Kernels will be checking the calendar to make sure Groundhog’s Day is still in February as they’ve seemingly repeated three days in a row. They lost another game in 10 innings on a walkoff from the South Bend Cubs. The first time through the order went quietly for both teams in this one and the first three innings went by with no score. In the fourth inning, the Kernels finally put one on the board when DaShawn Kiersey led off the inning with a triple and scored on a Jair Camargo single in the next at-bat. South Bend’s offense stayed quiet against Kernels starter Jon Olsen until the fifth, but when they broke through, they did so in a big way. After a double and a walk put two runners on base, D.J. Artis took Olsen deep to steal the lead for South Bend, 3-1. The Kernels surged back in the seventh inning, when the first three batters of the inning reached and two runs came in. The RBIs went to Max Smith on a double and Daniel Ozoria on a groundout that scored the tying run. South Bend took the lead back with a two-run inning of their own in their half of the seventh. After a fielding error and a single, Tyler Durna drove in a run with a groundout and Nelson Velazquez doubled in another to make the score 5-3 Cubs. In the top of the ninth, with the score still at 5-3, Edouard Julien came to the plate with a man on and two men down. With a 3-2 count, Julien curled a drive around the foul pole in right to bring Cedar Rapids back from the death and tie the game at five. Unfortunately, after the Kernels threatened but failed to score in the top of the tenth, Ryan Reynolds drove in D.J. Artis on a bloop single to earn a third-straight walk-off win for South Bend. MUSSEL MATTERS Jupiter 9, Fort Myers 1 Box Score Bobby Milacki was decent to start this game for Fort Myers, but that’s about all that went well for the Mussels tonight. Both Milacki and his Jupiter counterpart, Yeremin Lara, won the vast majority of their early matchups in this one, and the game stayed scoreless until the top of the fifth, when Jupiter got a couple up on the board. The Hammerheads got three straight singles off Milacki, allowing Marcus Chiu to score on a Jan Mercado knock. Then they took a 2-0 lead when Yunior Severino couldn’t handle a ground ball, allowing Nasim Nunez to score. Jupiter added another in the sixth on a Javeon Cody RBI single. With Milacki gone after the sixth, it only got worse. The Hammerheads got three more in the seventh and another three in the ninth. All six runs came off Bradley Hanner. Jesus Feliz kept the Mussels from getting shut out with his solo homer in the eighth, his first in Single-A ball. That homer is likely more important to Feliz’s career than it was in this game; the Mussels lose a blowout, 9-1. Milacki’s final line is solid. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on eight hits over six innings. He struck out four without issuing a walk. Hanner went 2 1/3 innings and allowed six earned on five hits and three walks. He did have four strikeouts. Matthew Swain got two uneventful outs to close out the ninth. The Mussels were barely a multi-hit team tonight (they had two), so there were no multi-hit players. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Red Sox 6, FCL Twins 3 Box Score The FCL Twins did a good job turning their hits into runs, but they only managed four base knocks and lost to the FCL Red Sox 6-3, to drop to a 4-9 record on the season. The Twins struck first in the fourth inning and took a two-run lead off two pitches to the backstop from Red Sox hurler Henry Nunez. Kala’i Rosario and Wander Valdez scored the runs. However, the Red Sox struck back with a run in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, then put up three runs in the seventh inning on a bases-clearing double from Jonathan Diaz. The Twins had added a run in the top of the seventh on an Alexander Pena RBI groundout that tied the game at the time, But, Diaz’s clutch hitting deemed that run all but irrelevant. On the bump, Landon Leach started the game for the FCL Twins and pitched three scoreless while adding three strikeouts. He gave way to Sean Gilmartin, who allowed a run in his only inning of work. Rafael Feliz fared much worse, however, as he pitched 2 2/3 innings and allowed the remaining five earned runs of the games. He struck out three batters but allowed five hits and walked four. John Wilson took over for Feliz in the seventh and got final four scoreless outs. The FCL Twins only had four hits so, unsurprisingly, no hitters had a multi-hit game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Bryan Sammons (Wichita) 5 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day - B.J. Boyd (Wichita) 3-for-4, R, RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY Take note that we have finished our midseason update, so there is a new list! Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for season (torn ACL) #2 – Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #3 – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #4 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 2-for-4 #6 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – Did not play #7 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – Games Postponed #8 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) – 4.1 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 2 K #9 – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, 2 K #10 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (wrist sprain) #11 – Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #12 – Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Games Postponed #13 – Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #14 – Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, 2 K #15 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4 #16 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K #17 – Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-5, 3 K #18 – Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (foot injury) #19 – Edwar Colina (Rehab) – Injured List (elbow) #20 – Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – Did not pitch SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – RHP Matt Shoemaker (0-0 0.00 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Chris Vallimont (2-4 3.96 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05PM CST) – TBD Jupiter @ Fort Myers- (6:00PM CST) – RHP Miguel Rodriguez (2-2, 3.62 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Josh Winder made the second impressive Triple-A debut of the week, there was walk-off drama in Fort Myers, and much more across the system. Check out tonight's Minor League Report: TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins sign free agent RHP Joe Harvey to a minor league contract, Harvey assigned to Triple-A St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Omaha 3 Box Score Fresh off being named Twins Daily’s Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month, rising pitching prospect Josh Winder made his Triple-A debut tonight, starting the game for the Saints. Winder exceeded expectations, hurling a debut performance that rivals that of his fellow Triple-A call-up Jose Miranda. Facing one of the best offenses in the minor leagues, Winder had a no-hitter into the sixth and finished with the following line: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. The one run on his line was an inherited runner that stood on first base when Winder left the game. Robinson Leyer promptly allowed a two-run homer to score that runner and give Winder an undeserved blemish on his line. Nevertheless, Winder was dominant. The tall righty looked just as comfortable on the Triple-A stage as he had all year in Wichita. He mixed up his pitches effectively and missed bats and barrels throughout the outing. He was efficient, too, needing only 71 pitches (51 strikes) to get within an out of six full innings. In the batter’s box, the Saints got the scoring going early with a Drew Maggi solo homer in the first. Then, Keon Broxton added on in the second with a homer of his own that counted for two. Broxton’s blast came with two outs in the inning, and it was somehow just the beginning. David Banuelos struck for a single and Miranda continued the two-out hitting and ripped a two-out RBI double to bring the score to 4-0. That was followed by a double for Maggi, which scored Miranda to make it 5-0. The Saints were retired in the next at-bat, but totaled four runs in the second, all with two outs. Broxton was involved again in the fourth. The Saints center fielder singled to center and the ball was mishandled by Kyle Isbel, allowing Jimmy Kerrigan to score and Broxton to take second. Then, Broxton stole third, putting him in position to score on a sac fly from Miranda, 7-0. The homer off Leyer made the game 7-2, and Omaha added another run off Leyer in the seventh, but that was all they got and the Saints took this one, 7-3. After Winder, Leyer pitched an inning and allowed three runs, but one was inherited (credited to Winder officially) and one was unearned. Yennier Cano got four scoreless outs (3 of which were strikeouts), and Andrew Vasquez delivered a hitless ninth. Four Saints had multi-hit games: Miranda, Maggi, Kerrigan, and Broxton. WIND SURGE WISDOM Amarillo 9, Wichita 5 Box Score A seven-run seventh inning propelled Amarillo to a 9-5 win. Chris Vallimont has been effective for the Wind Surge so far this season, but he didn’t have his best stuff in tonight’s start. Still, he managed his way through 3.1 IP, only allowing one run. The Sod Poodles scored their run off Vallimont in the first on a bloop single from Renae Martinez. Then, in the second, Vallimont walked three to load the bases with only one out. The Surge starter buckled down though, getting a lineout and a strikeout to get out of the inning unscathed. Vallimont got through a scoreless third and got an out in the fourth, but his five walks on the night had his pitch count up and he was taken out of the game at that point. Unfortunately, Vallimont didn’t get much early support from his offense, as Amarillo starter Tommy Henry allowed no runs and only two hits through four. However, Leobaldo Cabrera got a big solo homer in the fifth to tie the game for Wichita. Stone Garrett would answer with a solo homer for Amarillo, though, and the Sod Poodles took a 2-1 lead. The Sod Poodles broke it open in the seventh. They loaded the bases with one out through two walks and a hit batter. Unlike Vallimont, Adam Lau could not get out of the inning without significant damage. A run scored on a groundout, then, after another hit batter, Mikey Reynolds curled a fly ball around the foul pole in left for a grand slam. Despite the bases-clearing homer, Amarillo added two more to make it 9-1. Sheesh. The Surge got four back in the ninth (3 on a Trey Cabbage blast), but it only served to make the score line slightly more attractive for Wichita. Vallimont allowed one run in 3.1 IP, struck out six, and walked five. Calvin Faucher came on and allowed two earned over 2.2 IP. Adam Lau was primarily responsible for the seventh inning debacle and allowed six earned in 0.2 innings pitched. Jordan Milbrath was better, with 1.1 innings of scoreless work. No Wichita batters had a multi-hit game. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 3, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score The Cedar Rapids bats never got going in this one, and the second-place Kernels fall to the division-leading River Bandits, 3-1. This game stayed scoreless through the first three innings, with Tyler Beck and Quad Cities starter A.J. Block both pitching well. The Kernels did get one in the fourth, though, on a solo shot from Alex Isola. Beck also ran into trouble in the fourth, as the River Bandits loaded the bases without recording an out. Quad Cities ended up scoring three in the inning, with one run each coming in on an Isola fielding error, a Kyle Schmidt throwing error, and an infield single that bounced off Seth Gray at third base. Those three runs proved to be enough for the River Bandits as the Kernels offense was shut down for the rest of the night. Cedar Rapids barely posed a threat against relievers Peyton Gray and Garrett Davila, and ended the game with only four hits. Beck finished with 4.2 innings pitched and just the three runs (only one earned) allowed. He struck out three. Erik Manoah Jr. (2 IP) and Zach Featherstone (1.1 IP) finished out the game and allowed no runs and only two hits between them. Isola and Max Smith were the only Kernels with hits on the night, but each had two. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Bradenton 4 (Game 1) Box Score The Mussels were out-hit 7-6 in the first game of their doubleheader today, but made use of Marauder mistakes and a timely hitting to take Bradenton in the run column, 7-4. Fort Myers did their damage early, scoring two in the first and four in the second. The Mussels only needed two hits in the first to get their two runs, with men coming home on a wild pitch and a Misael Urbina single. It was more of the same in the second, when Fort Myers turned three hits into four runs. Willie Joe Garry Jr. led off the inning and reached on a fielding error, then scored after singles from Justin Washington and Ruben Santana. Later, with two outs and two on, Yunior Severino made sure not to strand runners and belted a three-run blast to right center to bring the score to 6-0. The Marauders got a run back in both the third and fourth, but Fort Myers added one in their half of the fourth as well, on a ground-ball double play from Yunior Severino. Bradenton loaded the bases and scored two more in the top of the 7th, but Juan Pichardo wriggled out of trouble well enough to secure the 7-4 win for Fort Myers. Zarion Sharpe got the start for Fort Myers and went 3.2, allowing two unearned runs and striking out three. He gave way to Matt Swain, who hurled two innings of scoreless ball. Pichardo added some drama to the proceedings, but closed the game; he pitched 1.1 innings and allowed two earned. No Mussels hitters had a multi-hit game. Fort Myers 5, Bradenton 4 (Game 2) Box Score The Mussels blew a seventh-inning lead in this one, but it only set the stage for walk-off drama. Fort Myers sweeps the doubleheader, winning Game 2, 5-4. Bradenton took an early lead in the second game, scoring two on a first-inning homer from Endy Rodriguez. Fort Myers had an answer, though. The Mussels scored three in their half of the first, through an RBI sac fly from Severino and a two run bomb from Will Holland. Fort Myers added another in the fourth on an RBI triple from Nick Anderson, making the score 4-2. That score would last until the seventh, when Bradenton again posed a late threat. The Marauders loaded the bases with no outs, making use of two singles and a walk to populate the sacks. This time they completed the comeback, with runs scoring on a bases-loaded walk and a run-scoring double play, 4-4. In the bottom of the seventh though, Willie Joe Garry Jr. singled to center, stole second, and advanced to third on a groundout, setting the stage for Jeferson Morales to dig in with the winning run 90 feet away with two outs. Morales drew a full count, then ripped a single to center to score Garry Jr. and walk off the game for Fort Myers. Sawyer Gipson-Long got the start for Fort Myers and was excellent, going six full innings and allowing only one earned run on four hits. He struck out nine and walked none. Bradley Hanner took over to close out the seventh and blew the save, allowing two earned. Thanks to Morales’ heroics, Hanner gets the win. Only Morales had a multi-hit game. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 17, FCL Red Sox 7 Box Score Pitching and defense were hard to come by in the complex game today, as the FCL Twins outslugged their Red Sox counterparts 17-7. The Twins outhit their opponents 15-5 and scored multiple runs in all but three innings. Notable offensive contributions came from 2020 fifth round pick Kala’i Rosario (4-for-6, 3 R, 7 RBI, HR), Jesus Feliz (3-for-5, 4 R, 2 RBI, HR), and LaRon Smith (2-for-6, R, 2 RBI, HR). Four other hitters drove in at least one run (just check out the box score!). On the mound, Elpidio Perez got the start and pitched three full innings, striking out two and only allowing one earned run. Matt Mullenbach took over with three scoreless innings of his own, striking out three in his outing. Cole Bellair was not as effective, allowing six runs (five earned) in the last three runs of the game. This was the Twins Complex team’s first win of the season, bringing their record to 1-2. They take on the Red Sox again tomorrow. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Josh Winder (St. Paul)- 5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day - Drew Maggi (St. Paul)- 3-for-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, K PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 2-for-4, RBI, 2 K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 2-for-5, R, RBI, 2 K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – Did not play #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 7-day IL (elbow strain) #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Complex) – 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, K #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – Game 1: 1-for-2, R, BB, K Game 2: 0-for-3, K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – IL (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – Did not play #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – IL (wrist sprain) #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – Game 1: 1-1, RBI, 2 BB Game 2: 0-for-2, R, BB, K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 0-for-3, BB #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, K #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (3-2 3.94 ERA) Wichita @ Amarillo (7:05PM CST) – RHP Austin Schulfer (2-3, 3.33 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:00PM CST) – LHP Kody Funderburk (1-2, 3.67 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Louie Varland (3-1, 1.98 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Many days this season, the minor league affiliates have offered a welcome distraction from the disappointments of the big league club. Today was not one of those days, and not only because the Twins won. TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins place RHP Cody Stashak on the 60-day injured list (back) Minnesota Twins place RHP Luke Farrell on the 10-day injured list (right oblique strain) Minnesota Twins select the contract of LHP Danny Coulombe from Triple-A St. Paul Minnesota Twins and Cedar Rapids Kernels place RHP Andrew Cabezas on 7-day injured list (right shoulder strain) Minnesota Twins add C Allante Hall to Double-A Cedar Rapids roster from Twins complex SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 7, St. Paul 2 Box Score Saint Paul allowed a crooked number early and never recovered, losing a non-competitive contest, 7-2. Columbus landed the decisive blows of this one in the second inning. The inning got started with a massive solo homer from Daniel Johnson and continued when the Clippers loaded the bases with two infield singles and a walk, all with no outs. Then, a bases-loaded hit batter, an equally bases-loaded walk, and a bases-clearing, three-run double from Andres Gimenez made the score 6-0, just like that. Columbus added another in the third on a Gavin Collins single. The Saints got on the board for two in the fourth on a J.T Riddle single, but those would be their only runs. The Saint Paul bats were silenced by the combination of Cam Hill, Francisco Perez, and Kyle Dowdy and the Clippers closed out a comfortable victory. Charlie Barnes got the start for St. Paul and allowed all seven runs in his five innings of work. Ian Hamilton and Derek Law took over for the three remaining innings (Hamilton: 6th and 7th, Law: 8th) and did not allow a hit between them. Only Mark Contreras had a multi-hit game for the Saints. WIND SURGE WISDOM Midland 4, Wichita 3 Box Score Twins Daily’s #6 prospect, Jordan Balazovic, took the mound for Wichita tonight and his swing-and-miss stuff was on full display. Balazovic was regularly hitting mid- to high-90s on the gun and mixed in some nasty breaking stuff en route to eight strikeouts in the outing. Unfortunately, Balazovic also allowed nine hits and left the game without completing five innings. Weirdly, of the 24 batters the 22-year-old faced, nine got hits, eight struck out, and (if my math is correct) only seven got out by other means. Balazovic only allowed two runs, though, one on a Jermaine Palacios throwing error and the other on a clutch Kyle McCann single, but the Wind Surge offense didn’t back him up much and, when he left in the fifth, he was on the hook for the loss, trailing 2-1. That Wichita run came in on a Wilbis Santiago RBI double in the third, scoring David Banuelos. That run gave the Surge a 1-0 lead, but they fell behind to the two runs scored off Balazovic. However, Wichita made use of two infield singles and an Aaron Whitefield RBI single to tie it up in the seventh at 2-2. Midland got the lead back in the bottom of the seventh off an error from the Wichita right fielder, Caleb Hamilton, but the Surge tied it up again in the eighth. B.J. Boyd walked after a battle of an at-bat and moved to third on two straight productive outs. Then Boyd scored on a Peter Mooney single to make it 3-3. With both teams clearly unable to score more than one run at a time, Midland took a one-run lead again in the bottom of the eighth. This lead would finally be enough and the Wind Surge fell after an uneventful ninth. Other than Balazovic, Brandon Koch went 1.1 innings with one unearned run and Zach Neff went two and allowed the winning run. Jose Miranda (big surprise) and Santiago had multi-hit games for Wichita. KERNELS NUGGETS Lansing 5, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score This game was close until late, when a surge from Lansing cost Cedar Rapids the game, 5-2. The Kernels fell behind in this game immediately, as Max Schueman took the fifth pitch of the game over the left field wall for a leadoff homer for Lansing. The Lugnuts added another later in the inning on an RBI groundout from Shane Selman. Cedar Rapids got a solo homer of their own in the second, a no-doubter off the bat of Jair Camargo. And, in the fifth, Cedar Rapids tied it up due in large part to Gabriel Maciel. Maciel singled and advanced to third on a Spencer Steer base knock. Then, Maciel’s happy feet down the third base line caused pitcher Dalton Sawyer to get happy feet of his own, and Maciel scored on a balk: 2-2. After going dormant during innings 2-7, the Lansing offense came back to life in the eighth. They loaded the bases, then scored a run each on a wild pitch, a throwing error and a RBI groundout to take a 5-2 lead that would hold for the remainder of the game. Cody Laweryson got the start for Cedar Rapids and, after the first inning, was excellent: Jonathan Cheshire allowed the other three runs in his 1.1 innings of work, but only one was earned. Both Melvi Acosta (1.2 IP) and Tyler Watson (1.0 IP) had scoreless outings. Only Maciel had a multi-hit game for Cedar Rapids. MUSSEL MATTERS Palm Beach 5, Fort Myers 1 Box Score This game looked set to be a pitcher’s duel early, but Palm Beach took advantage of the Fort Myers bullpen to take this one 5-1. This game featured a showdown of excellent starting pitching between Fort Myers starter Bobby Milacki and his Palm Beach counterpart, Jose Moreno. Both pitchers went five full innings and they allowed one earned run each. Moreno had Milacki beat in the hits column (3 to 5) but the Mussels’ pitcher had the edge in strikeouts (6 to 5). Most importantly, though each man exited the game with a one in the run column for their team. Palm Beach got their run off Milacki with an RBI single from Tommy Jew in the second. That lead lasted until the sixth when Edouard Julien drew a walk off Moreno and chased him from the game. Julien later scored on a Yunior Severino single. Palm Beach seemed pleased to see Milacki go as they struck for three in their half of the sixth off reliever Carlos Suniaga. Jew drove in two with a triple, then scored on the next pitch on a Franklin Soto single. They then added another in the seventh off a Jacob Buchberger sac fly to extend their lead to 5-1. Fort Myers couldn’t take advantage of the Palm Beach bullpen in a similar way as their sixth inning run turned out to be their only of the game. Will Guay and Sean Kealey shut down the Mussels bats in the closing innings to finish out the win for the Cardinals. Suniaga ended up allowing three earned in one inning of work and Denny Bentley went two for Fort Myers, allowing one run and striking out three. Jeferson Morales and Willie Joe Garry Jr. had multi-hit games for the Mussels. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Bobby Milacki (Fort Myers)- 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6K Hitter of the Day - Gabriel Maciel (Cedar Rapids)- 2-for-2, R, BB PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – Did not play #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 0-for-4, 2 K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 7-day IL (elbow strain) #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 4.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – Did not play #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-4 #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – IL (elbow) #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – IL (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – Did not play #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-3, BB, K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – IL (hamate bone) #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-4 #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – 7-day IL (undisclosed) #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 2-for-5, 2 K #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (6:05PM CST) – LHP Bryan Sammons (0-1, 7.11 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (7:00PM CST) – RHP Chris Vallimont (1-3, 4.56 ERA) Lansing @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Tyler Beck (1-0, 2.63 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30PM CST) – RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (3-2, 6.37 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

The games came down to the wire across the organization tonight. Find out who celebrated a close win and who walked away disappointed in tonight's Minor League Report. SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 6, St. Paul 5 Box Score The Saints got out to a 5-1 lead in this one, but ugly bullpen performances and an even uglier tenth inning led to a brutal 6-5 loss. Tomás Telis got the night started for the Saints with a first-inning shot into the bullpen in left field, his sixth homer of the year. Iowa answered with a solo homer of their own in the second. The Saints struck with two more in the fourth. The first came when Damek Tomscha doubled and later scored on a David Bañuelos double. Two wild pitches later, Bañuelos scored himself to make the game 3-1. The bats stayed hot for St. Paul in the fifth, as J.T. Riddle and Tomscha both ripped solo homers off reliever Ryan Meisinger. The homers were the fifth of the year for both hitters and gave the Saints a 5-1 lead. While the Saints' bats were raking, Andrew Albers was dealing on the mound for St. Paul. Albers allowed only four hits and the one run on the big fly in six full innings. Albers has never been a huge strikeout guy, but he got four in this one and pitched to contact effectively throughout the outing. Unfortunately, Robinson Leyer wasn’t as effective, and allowed a three-run home run to Tony Wolters in the first post-Albers inning of the game. Thankfully, Danny Coulombe got out the seventh and spun a scoreless eighth. But, there was more trouble in the ninth. With two outs and only a man on first, Abiatal Avelino lined a single to left. Then, with men on the corners, Derek Law, who came in for the save, booted a dribbler up the line allowing Wolters to reach safely and the runner to score from third to extend the game. St. Paul couldn’t manage any runs in their half of the ninth, and Juan Minaya took the mound to start extras. After a sacrifice and a strikeout, Minaya bounced one to the backstop, allowing the free runner to score from third to give the Cubs their first lead of the game. In the bottom of the tenth, a lead-off single from Tomscha and a beautifully-worked walk from Daniel Descalso loaded the bases with no outs and put the winning run on second. Then the beauty ended. Bañuelos struck out, Sherman Johnson struck out, and Drew Maggi popped out weakly to second. The Saints stranded all three runners and lost an absolute heartbreaker, 6-5. Telis and Tomscha had the only two multi-hit games for the Saints. WIND SURGE WISDOM Springfield 3, Wichita 1 Box Score This game looked set to be a pitcher’s duel before it started as both Wichita starter Josh Winder and Springfield starter Andre Pallante came into this one in the Top 5 in in the Double-A Central ERA rankings. Neither pitcher disappointed. The Surge did touch Pallante early for a couple hits and a run in the first, though they got help from an error by the Cardinals center fielder. Jose Miranda, who singled and advanced on the error, scored on this Ernie De La Trinidad single. Even with the rocky start, Pallante was as advertised. The Springfield ace allowed only two hits after the first, struck out seven Wind Surge batters, and exited after six with only that first inning run on the board for Wichita. Unfortunately for Pallante, Winder was just as good, going six himself and also only allowing one run. Winder literally one-upped his counterpart in the strikeout column, tallying eight. The Cardinals' one run against Winder came in the fifth and fit the definition of “scratching one across.” Delvin Perez singled with one out in the inning, advanced to second on a bunt single, then stole third and home to tie the game for Springfield. It was the first steal of home plate in Riverfront Stadium history. Despite a bases-loaded opportunity for Wichita in the seventh, the game remained tied at one until the ninth. After a single and a double to start the inning, Springfield scored one when Roy Morales mishandled a throw to the plate on an Ivan Morales ground ball. Then, Alec Burleson singled home Delvin Perez to bring the score to 3-1. The Wichita bats went down quietly in the bottom of the ninth and the Surge fell in a tough one, 3-1. After Winder, Adam Lau went 1.2 scoreless in the seventh and eighth. Alex Phillips got the last out in the eighth, but allowed the two runs in the ninth and gets saddled with the loss. Only Ernie De La Trinidad managed a multi-hit game for the Surge tonight. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, South Bend 2 Box Score Cedar Rapids pitching was effective all night and the offense flashed late to give the Kernels the only comfortable win of the night. The first runs in this one came in the third, when Cedar Rapids grabbed a 3-0 lead. The Kernels scored on three straight at-bats: a Seth Gray single, a Wander Javier RBI forceout (in which he beat out the double play), and Trey Cabbage double. South Bend got one back in the fourth when they put a couple men on base and got a run on a double from Caleb Knight. Then, partially thanks to an Alex Isola throwing error on a stolen base attempt, the Cubs grabbed another on an RBI groundout from Tyler Durna. The Kernels bats answered back in the seventh and eighth innings, though. Wander Javier brought in one with a single in the seventh and a Seth Gray bases-loaded single scored two more in the eighth to bring the Cedar Rapids lead to the eventual final score of 6-2. Ben Gross started the game for Cedar Rapids and pitched five full innings, allowing only two unearned runs. Melvi Acosta delivered two scoreless in the sixth and seventh and Zach Featherstone got a scoreless and hitless six out save. Four Kernels hitters had multi-hit games: Spencer Steer, Seth Gray, Trey Cabbage, and Gabriel Maciel. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Lakeland 2 Box Score The Mussels had put two runs across before even recording an out in the bottom of the first and ended up striking for three runs in the initial frame that would win them the game. Misael Urbina led off the game with a single and Edouard Julien followed him with a walk. Then, both men scored on a Yunior Severino double. Severino later scored on a Jeferson Morales sac fly and the Mussels took a 3-0 lead. Lakeland got one back in the third with a solo homer off the bat of Kingston Liniak, but the game remained mostly offense-free until late thanks to great deliveries from Brent Headrick and a quick recovery from Flying Tigers starter Gio Arriera. Headrick allowed only the one run and three hits, and struck out six in his outing, and Arriera struck out seven in his night and didn’t allow a run or a hit after his rough first inning. Both men pitched six full innings. The offense finally returned in the top of the eighth, when Lakeland put men on the corners with only one out. They managed to cut the lead to 3-2 on a Gage Workman RBI single, but couldn’t tie the game up. Lakeland got another chance in the ninth, when a hit batter, a single, and a walk loaded the bases with two outs. Then Danny Woodrow came to bat, facing Juan Pichardo with the game on the line. Pichardo won out for Fort Myers, though, and got Woodrow to ground out to end the game. Other than Headrick, Bradley Hanner handled the seventh and eighth, allowing one run and striking out one while effectively limiting damage in the eighth, and Juan Pichardo managed his way through an eventful ninth, allowing no runs and one hit. No Mussels batter managed a multi-hit game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day- Josh Winder (Wichita) 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day- Damek Tomscha (Cedar Rapids) 4-for-5, 2 R, RBI, HR PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, RBI, BB #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB, 3 K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, 2 RBI, BB, K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – Injured list (concussion) #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-2, BB, K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Underwent Tommy John surgery #11 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) – Did not play #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, BB, 2 K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (Hamate bone) #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, R, K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 1-for-3, R, BB #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (2-1, 3.53 ERA) Springfield @ Wichita (6:05PM CST) – RHP Cole Sands (0-0, 2.84 ERA) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Cody Laweryson (0-0 2.25 ERA) Lakeland @ Ft. Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Bobby Milacki (0-0, 0.00 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

A late-inning homer outburst gave Cedar Rapids a win that highlighted an otherwise disappointing night on the Twins farm. Let's get right to it in tonight's Minor League Report: TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins IF Luis Arraez to Triple-A St. Paul on rehab assignment Minnesota Twins place SS Keoni Cavaco on 7-day Injured List (concussion) SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 6, St. Paul 4 Box Score The St. Paul Saints hung tough with the best team in the Triple-A East tonight, but walk away losers to 6-4 scoreline. Omaha got off to a hot start, posting two runs in the top of the first off a Kyle Isbel RBI groundout and a solo homer from Ryan O’Hearn. The Storm Chasers added one in the second on a Angelo Castellano single that scored Alcides Escobar. St. Paul got a couple back in the bottom of the second, though, making use of three straight hits to start the inning. The runs scored on a Jimmy Kerrigan double and a Roberto Peña groundout. After a rocky start, Rob Whalen settled down as the game moved into the middle innings and retired nine men in a row at one point before allowing an infield single and giving way to Juan Minaya with two outs in the fifth. Unfortunately, Minaya promptly allowed an RBI double to Kyle Isbel, making the score 4-2 and adding an earned run to Whalen’s line for the night. Ryan McBroom added another run for Omaha in the sixth with a towering solo homer to left field off Minaya. The Saints got one back on a solo no-doubter to left center from Brent Rooker and added another in the seventh to make the score 5-4 that, according to the Saints social media team, really lit up Statcast: Unfortunately, Omaha answered with a run of their own, on a RBI double from Meibrys Viloria, to stretch the lead to 6-4. That 6-4 lead held for the Storm Chasers and, as if to rub it in, former Twin Anthony Swarzak got the save with a 1-2-3 ninth. Arraez Returns to Field: Luis Arraez returned to the diamond tonight in his first game of a rehab stint with St. Paul. Arraez played his scheduled seven innings without incident and got a single and an RBI groundout in four at-bats. Arraez is scheduled to play the full nine-inning game tomorrow and Byron Buxton will return to the Saints lineup as well. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 5, Wichita 1 Box Score Chris Vallimont pitched well in his start for Wichita tonight, but didn’t get support from his offense or bullpen and the Surge dropped this one, 5-1 The Wind Surge and Drillers traded runs in the second to open the scoring; Yeltsin Encarnacion drove in Wichita’s run on a ground ball single up the middle and Tulsa grabbed theirs on a Vallimont wild pitch, allowing Ryan Noda to score from third. The teams then traded zeroes in the third and fourth and it looked like the fifth would be scoreless too, but a two-out rally led to a Jeren Kendall RBI single and the Drillers chased Vallimont out of the game. Tulsa touched up the Wichita bullpen with two more in the sixth and one in the seventh. Their sixth inning runs came on a wild pitch and a ground ball that led to a close play at the plate, and a Yeltsin Encarnacion throwing error led to the run in the seventh. That 5-1 lead held up for Wichita as the Surge were scoreless from the third inning on and fall to the Drillers. Drillers Honor Negro Leagues with Special Jerseys: The Surge’s opponent are taking the field in unique “T-Town Clowns” uniforms this weekend to honor Tulsa’s historic negro league side. Check it out here: KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Beloit 5 Box Score The Kernels were held in check early, but exploded late with the long ball to take this one in dramatic fashion, 7-5. Cedar Rapids scored the first run of the game in the top of the third when Michael Helman scampered home on a first-and-third steal play executed with Gabriel Maciel swiping second. Things went sideways for Cedar Rapids in the bottom of the inning, though, as Andrew Cabezas lost the zone and walked three to load the bases. A fielding error and a Kameron Misner single later, the Snappers took a 3-1 lead to the fourth. The Snappers added a run each in the fourth and fifth on solo shots from Troy Johnston and Connor Scott, respectively. Save for their early run, Cedar Rapids had no answer for Beloit starter Zach McCambley, as he shut the Kernels down over six full innings. McCambley allowed only three hits and the one run in his start, and added 10 strikeouts. The Kernels bats immediately broke out once McCambley left, though. They touched new pitcher Andrew Nardi for two quick singles and a big Alex Isola three-run homer to get the Kernels back in the game. Then, in the eighth, Spencer Steer continued the onslaught on Nardi with a homer of his own to tie the game at 5-5. The big fly served the Kernels well again in the ninth. Trey Cabbage came to bat with one out and blasted a go-ahead shot to right field. Then, Jair Camargo joined in on the fun with a solo bomb of his own. The back-to-back homers gave Cedar Rapids a 7-5 lead. Owen Griffith struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth, and the Kernels closed out a dramatic win. MUSSELS MATTERS Jupiter 4, Fort Myers 1 Box Score Starter Miguel Rodriguez was solid again tonight for Fort Myers, but was outdueled by his Jupiter counterpart, George Soriano. Rodriguez allowed three runs over 4.2 innings, but only one was earned and the Mussels hurler got eight Hammerheads to strike out. That’s a great outing, but Soriano outdid him with 10 strikeouts and only two hits allowed in five full innings of one-run work. Jupiter got their first run off Rodriguez in the second, with help from a Jeferson Morales throwing error on a stolen base attempt. The score remained at 1-0 through four innings. In the top of the fifth, after not registering a hit through four frames, the Mussels finally got some good swings off against Soriano. Justin Washington singled to lead off the inning and later scored on a Misael Urbina double. Soriano recovered, though and got through the fifth with only the one run in. Jupiter answered in the bottom of the inning by loading the bases and chasing Rodriguez before scoring three on a fielding error from third baseman Yunior Severino. The score remained at 4-1 until the ninth, with good deliveries from Josan Mendez and Jefry Yan keeping the Mussels in check. Fort Myers got two base runners in the ninth, but couldn’t string together the big hits necessary to rally back and extend the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Owen Griffith (Cedar Rapids) 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day – Alex Isola (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR(4) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-for-4, 2 K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 0-for-4, K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – Injured List (concussion) #8 - Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, 4 K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 1-for-3, 2B, K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB, K, HR(9) #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (wrist sprain) #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, 3 K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) – 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – Did not play #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – 5 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 7 K, BB, 52 strikes on 73 pitches SATURDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – LHP Andrew Albers (1-2, 7.11 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05PM CST) – RHP Austin Schulfer (1-3, 5.55 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35PM CST) – RHP Ben Gross (0-0, 4.57 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30PM CST) – LHP Brent Headrick (2-2, 3.74 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

If you tuned in to tonight's minor league games after switching off the Twins in disgust, you witnessed close competitive contest across the system. Let's dive into tonight's Minor League Report. TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins transfer LHP John Wilson from development complex to Low-A Fort Myers SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 2, Louisville 1 (Game 1) Box Score Chandler Shepherd only struck out one Louisville batter in 5.2 innings of work but was effective nonetheless, allowing only one run on two hits in his outing. Shepherd got the Bats to hit ground ball after ground ball, allowing him to be remarkably efficient; he only needed 48 pitches (39 strikes) to get within one out of six full innings pitched. Tony Santillan took a different approach to his dominance. The Louisville starter had 13 strikeouts in his seven full innings (a complete game due to the doubleheader). Santillan capped off his night by striking out the side in both the sixth and seventh innings, thoroughly bewildering the middle of the Saints lineup. Unfortunately, for Santillan and the Bats, his two early mistakes were the difference in this game, and he gets saddled with the loss. J.T. Riddle got it started for the Saints from the very first pitch of the game, taking Santillan’s first offering over the right field wall for a leadoff homer. Sherman Johnson copied Riddle’s approach to lead off the second, blasting a first-pitch triple off the left-centerfield wall. Johnson later scored on a wild pitch to give the Saints a 2-0 lead. Bats right fielder Narciso Crook hit a leadoff big fly of his own to cut the St. Paul lead in half in the bottom of the sixth, but there would be no more scoring and the Saints took the first game 2-1. St. Paul 4, Louisville 1 (Game 2) Box Score Saints pitchers dominated in the second half of the doubleheader, allowing only one hit over the seven-inning ballgame. Rob Whalen got the start for the Saints in the second game and was excellent over three innings. He walked three but did not allow a hit and struck out three in his outing. Unfortunately, the Saints bats were equally stymied by Bats starter Reiver Sanmartin and Whalen left a scoreless game after three. The deadlock lasted until the top of the fifth, when the Saints broke through. Drew Maggi started the offense with a one-out double. Then a couple walks, and RBI singles from Keon Broxton, Tomas Telis, and Brent Rooker gave the Saints a commanding 4-0 lead. Danny Coulombe, who took over for Whalen to start the fourth, followed the starter’s lead with 2.1 no-hit innings of his own. Ian Hamilton was brought in with one out in the sixth, though, and promptly gave up the first hit of the ballgame for the Bats. The first Bats run followed shortly after, due to a Damek Tomscha fielding error and a wild pitch from Hamilton. That run would prove to be the last of the game and Hamilton helped the Saints finish off the doubleheader sweep, winning the second game 4-1. Worth noting: Joey Votto will likely spend a lot of time on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot once he retires from the game, but he did not spend any time on base tonight. Votto, who is playing for the Bats on a rehab stint, was 0-6 with a strikeout over the two halves of tonight’s doubleheader. His presence in the Triple-A lineup was no doubt exciting for the Bats fans in attendance, but that’s about all he provided. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 8, Arkansas 5 Box Score Wichita followed up last night’s walk-off win with another walkoff tonight, this time on a massive three run homer off the bat of Jose Miranda. The game didn’t always look as promising though. Cole Sands was not in his usual form in his start tonight as he struggled through 4.1 innings. Sands, Twins Daily’s #15 prospect, didn’t have his usual command and control and missed a lot of his spots over the middle of the plate and outside the zone. Sands battled, though, and kept the Surge in the game into the fifth inning. His stuff shone through at times, too, as six of the thirteen outs he got were via strikeout. The Surge, like the rest of the Twins’ affiliates, got the offense going early in this one, as an Ernie De La Trinidad double scored B.J. Boyd to give Wichita an early 1-0 lead. Arkansas struck back in the second, when a Dom Thompson-Williams single and error from De La Trinidad allowed the Travelers to score two and take a lead of their own. Sands ran into big trouble in the third, allowing four straight hits and a HBP to start the inning. However, with the bases loaded and two runs already in on the inning, Sands found his good stuff, striking out two and getting a soft lineout to end the inning. De La Trinidad added to his first inning RBI (and made up for his second inning error) with a two-run shot to right in the bottom of the third to cut the Travelers’ lead to 4-3. But, Arkansas answered back with a homer of their own in the top of the fourth, a solo shot from Jake Scheiner. Peter Mooney made this play at second base to save a run in the sixth… ...and it mattered because the Surge got two runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game. Andrew Bechtold and Caleb Hamilton each drove in one on sacrifice flies in an inning when Arkansas pitcher Jack Anderson walked three and hit two. The team traded threats in the eighth and ninth, but this game headed to extras tied at five runs apiece. After an eventful top of the tenth that included a close out at the plate, Aaron Whitefield singled to lead off the bottom of the inning, moving free runner Caleb Hamilton to third. After a Yeltsin Encarnacion strikeout, Jose Miranda came to the plate just trying to put the ball in play and get Hamilton in from third. Instead, Miranda hit the ball nearly 500 feet into the Wichita night. The Wind Surge are walk-off winners in a wild one, with a final score of 8-5. KERNELS NUGGETS Fort Wayne 4, Cedar Rapids 3 Box Score The Kernels out hit their opponents 9-5 in this one but squandered opportunities where the TinCaps capitalized on them, finishing behind Fort Wayne 4-3 in the part of the box score that matters. After a single and a double to lead off the bottom of the first, Wander Javier got the scoring started for the Kernels with an RBI groundout, scoring Spencer Steer. Javier was involved again in the top of the fourth, when he ripped a triple off the wall to lead off the inning. Jair Camargo drove Javier in with a double in the next at-bat to stretch the Kernels lead to two. Fort Wayne got one back in the fifth thanks to poor control from Kernels starter Jon Olsen. Olsen walked and hit a batter, allowing two Fort Wayne to plate a runner with two groundouts and no hits in the inning. Beyond that, though, Olsen was great in this one, allowing only two hits and that one run in five full innings. Olsen gave way to Zach Featherstone to start the sixth with the Kernels holding a slim 2-1 lead. Unfortunately, that lead didn’t last and Fort Wayne tied the ballgame with a two-out Justin Lopez RBI single. The Kernels had a chance for a big inning in the seventh when they loaded the bases with only one out. Javier drew a walk to bring in the go-ahead run, but his walk was sandwiched between two strikeouts and Cedar Rapids managed only the one run. Fort Wayne made them pay for stranding the bases loaded by tying the game in the next half inning. Luis Almanza led off the inning with a triple and scored on a fielder’s choice to make it 3-3. Then, in the eighth, the TinCaps taught a masterclass on situational baseball. A walk, a sac bunt, a steal of third, and a sac fly allowed pinch runner Jawuan Harris to score to give Fort Wayne their decisive 4-3 lead. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, St. Lucie 2 Box Score The Fort Myers pitching staff has been dominating over the past week and that continued today in a 3-2 victory. Sean Mooney got the night started with five strikeouts over four scoreless innings. Zarion Sharpe took over from there and allowed two over three innings, but didn’t get hit hard. Denny Bentley finished the game off with a six out save, striking out four and allowing only one baserunner. Edouard Julien continued his hot start to the season with a first-inning solo shot to right field. The Mighty Mussels added a run in the third with three consecutive singles including an RBI knock from Yunior Severino that scored Aaron Sabato. St. Lucie grabbed a run back in the fifth on a catcher’s interference that scored Brandon Fryman and the Mets added another to tie the ballgame in the seventh, on an RBI single from Joe Suozzi that scored Fryman. The game didn’t stay tied for long, though, as a Willie Joe Garry Jr. triple and a Julien single took the lead back for Fort Myers in the bottom of the seventh. That run was all the pitching staff needed to secure a win, and the Mighty Mussels took this pitcher’s duel 3-2. Best of all though, Meredith Palmer was in Fort Myers for the Mussel’s Office Night: I wonder if the Twins organization needs any help in supplier relations. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Chandler Shepherd: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 48 pitches, 39 strikes Hitter of the Day - Jose Miranda: 2-for-6, 3 RBI, 1 R, Walk-off HR (7) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 1-for-5, RBI, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 2-for-3, BB, R #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – Did not play #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-4, K #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-3, BB, K, R #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (elbow) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 0-for-4, K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – Game 1: 1-for-3, 2 K – Game 2: 1-for-2, RBI #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (wrist) #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-3, BB, K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – 4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 6 K, 3 BB #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 0-for-4, 2 K #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 1-for-3 #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (6:00PM CST) – RHP Griffin Jax (3-1, 3.33 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05PM CST) – RHP Jordan Balazovic (2021 Debut) Cedar Rapids @ Fort Wayne (5:35PM CST) – RHP Andrew Cabezas (1-1, 3.12 ERA) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Miguel Rodriguez (1-0, 0.00 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Games were close across the Twins' system tonight, but heart-wrenching defeats were the norm. Still, top pitching prospects showed off their stuff. Check that out and more in tonight's Minor League Report: TRANSACTIONS Twins option C Ben Rortvedt to Triple-A St. Paul Twins activate OF Alex Kirilloff Twins recall RHP Randy Dobnak from Triple-A St. Paul Twins option RHP Bailey Ober to Triple-A St. Paul Twins promote RHP Rob Whalen to Triple-A St. Paul from Double-A Wichita SAINTS SENTINEL Indianapolis 6, St. Paul 4 Box Score St. Paul fell victim to the bad extra inning play that has plagued Twin Cities baseball teams all year, as they dropped this one 6-4 in ten innings. Indianapolis jumped on Charlie Barnes in the first frame, as both Chris Sharpe and Kevin Kramer doubled and scored to take a 2-0 lead. The Saints built a sizable threat of their own in their half of the first, loading the bases with one out. They only managed one run though, off a J.T. Riddle sacrifice fly. After his troublesome first, Charlie Barnes was effective the rest of his night, allowing no runs and spreading five hits over his next 32/3 innings. Barnes, with only two strikeouts on the night, was far from overwhelming and he needed 90 pitches to get through four innings and change. But he got out of trouble effectively and pitched to soft contact well to keep the Saints’ slumbering offense in the game. The game stayed 2-1 until the sixth, when a Joe Hudson RBI double stretched Indiana’s lead to two. The Saints loaded the bases with one out again in the bottom of the sixth, but again failed to capitalize on the opportunity, this time stranding all three runners after a Damek Tomscha strikeout and a Jimmy Kerrigan groundout. Indianapolis stretched the lead to 4-1 in the top of the eighth, but a single from Brent Rooker, a double from J.T. Riddle and a massive two-run home run from Kerrigan erased that lead seemingly in an instant and the game went to the ninth tied at four runs apiece. However, despite a game-saving diving catch from Kerrigan in the ninth, Kramer blasted a monster two-run shot over the right field wall to give Indianapolis a 6-4 lead that, after a 1-2-3 bottom of the tenth, proved to be decisive. Bullpen Intrigue The Saints gave the seventh to Ian Hamilton, and he worked around two walks to pitch a scoreless frame, but that’s not the interesting part. Hamilton touched 100 MPH on his third pitch of the night, and lived in the upper 90s throughout his outing. Hamilton has walked too many guys this season for St. Paul and it happened again tonight, but, after his laundry list of injuries, it’s good to see the flamethrower provide some excitement, even if it is on a hot radar gun (an Indianapolis pitcher recorded a bewildering 103 later in the game). Tom Hackimer made his Triple-A debut when he came into the game in the eighth. Unfortunately, the sidewinder’s night didn’t go as planned, as he loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batter. Hackimer rebounded to strike out the next two, but then walked in a run and was replaced by Rob Whalen. Walks were not an issue for Hackimer in Wichita, so you could chalk his struggles tonight up to nerves, and the strikeouts show us that his stuff definitely plays at the Triple-A level. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 4, Wichita 3 Box Score The Wind Surge were unlucky losers tonight, as a struggling offense and late-inning heroics from Tulsa spoiled a gem of a Cole Sands start. Sands, Twins Daily’s #15 prospect, struck out the side to start the game in a first inning that would be a sign of things to come. Sands showed excellent command of the corners early and often, and he used this precision to avoid heavy contact all night. He ended his night with nine strikeouts over 52/3 innings and, of the four hits he allowed, none were hit well. Tulsa starter Gerardo Carrillo was equally as effective, but weirdly, he hit Jose Miranda with a pitch in both his first two at-bats. There didn’t seem to be any reason for Carrillo to target Miranda, but the “Driller” pitcher failed to throw a pitch to Miranda that didn’t at least buzz his tower. And, after his second plunking, Miranda was clearly peeved. Regardless, Carrillo would have to pay, as Miranda came around to score on a Mark Contreras single to break the 0-0 third inning tie. Clearly, though, karma was not at play in Tulsa tonight, as Sands (who was dealing and didn’t hit anybody) was touched for two runs in the bottom of the fourth off a couple bloop singles and a throwing error. Those were the only runs Sands allowed, and he gave way to Dakota Chalmers with two outs in the sixth. Wichita didn’t have much joy on offense to start this one, but that turned around somewhat in the sixth. The Wind Surge loaded the bases with a single and two walks, then scored two on a bases-loaded walk and a Gilberto Celestino infield hit that was generously ruled as not a throwing error. These runs gave Wichita a 3-2 lead, but the Drillers tied it up in the seventh on a Devin Mann RBI sac fly. The game stayed at 3-3 until the bottom of the ninth, when Hector Lujan gave up a seemingly harmless two-out walk to Mann. That free pass proved to be deadly, however, as Stevie Berman belted a double to the warning track in the next at-bat. Mann scored from first and the Drillers dog-piled around Berman in short left field as walk-off winners. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Beloit 1 Box Score Like Cole Sands, Matt Canterino struck out the side in the first and continued to dominate from there. The Twins’ ninth-ranked prospect stymied the Snappers with his swing-and-miss stuff and pretty impressive command. After three, Canterino had already struck out six Beloit batters. However, Beloit starter Zach King was just as effective and the game entered the fourth inning scoreless. Kameron Misner broke the deadlock for the Snappers with a solo homer hit just over the right field wall in the fourth. Cedar Rapids answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, when a Trey Cabbage groundout plated Matt Wallner. Then, Wallner helped the Kernels take the lead in the fifth, when he rapped a groundball through the shift to score Leobaldo Cabrera. Canterino was replaced by Jordan Gore to start the seventh. His final line was an impressive six innings pitched with one earned run on two hits. He struck out 10 and walked none. King ended his outing with two earned runs on five hits over six innings with eight strikeouts and three walks. Following Canterino’s lead, Gore was excellent in relief, striking out four in two scoreless innings. Then Melvi Acosta struck out two of his own in the ninth to preserve a 2-1 lead and secure the win for Cedar Rapids. MUSSEL MATTERS Tampa 9, Fort Myers 7 Box Score The Mussels lost in a heartbreaker tonight, as Tampa walked off as 9-7 winners. Fort Myers grabbed an early lead in the top of the second off a Willie Joe Garry Jr. RBI single. The Mussels exploded for four more runs in the third, capitalizing on two walks and two hit batters from Tampa pitcher Ryan Anderson. The biggest hit of the inning was an RBI double off the bat of Kyle Schmidt. Sawyer Gipson-Long couldn’t preserve that 5-0 lead for Fort Myers, though, as he allowed three walks and two doubles to start the home half of the third, leading to four Tampa runs. Gipson-Long settled it down after that, getting out of the third and through two more innings. When he left the game after the fifth, he had a 5-4 lead. Unfortunately, that lead was short-lived, as reliever Ryan Shreve allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in the sixth, allowing Tampa to take a 6-5 lead. Shreve allowed another in the seventh, off a Jake Stanford solo homer. Offensively, the Mussels were quiet after the third until they broke through in dramatic fashion in the ninth. Edouard Julien walked to lead off the inning and stole second base. Then, singles from Jeferson Morales, Anthony Prato, and Garry Jr. brought the score to a game-extending tie at 7-7. However, the last dramatic flourish would belong to the Tarpons, as a Pat DeMarco two-run homer off Matthew Swain made Tampa walk-off winners in the bottom of the ninth. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day: Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - 6 IP, 2 H, ER, 10K, 0 BB Hitter of the Day: Willie Joe Garry Jr. (Fort Myers) - 2-for-4, 3 RBI, 2 K PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-for-3, 2 BB, R, RBI #4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 2-for-5 #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-4, BB, 2 K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 10 K, 0 BB #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – 3-for-4, RBI, BB #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-for-5, R, K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-4, R, RBI, K #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 0-for-5, BB, R, K, #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – 5.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 9 K, 0 BB #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (St. Paul) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 0-2, 2 HBP, BB, R #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – RHP Jhoan Duran (2021 Debut) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05PM CST) – RHP Chris Vallimont (0-0, 0.00 ERA in one start at Fort Myers) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Andrew Cabezas (1-0, 1.00 ERA) Fort Meyers @ Tampa (5:30PM CST) – RHP Louie Varland (2-0, 2.16 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

The Twins affiliates' opponents didn't score much tonight, as there were solid pitching performances across the system. Check this out and more in tonight's Minor League Report. Saints Sentinel Iowa 3, St. Paul 4 Box Score Andrew Albers staved off a rocky start to fire a solid six innings and set the Saints up to win in a close one. Albers allowed two runs off hard-hit balls early, but settled down to post a final line of 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 5 K, 1 BB. Iowa grabbed a run in the first when Keon Broxton dove well short of a P.J. Higgins drive to left-center, allowing Rafael Ortega to score from first and Higgins to take third for a triple. They doubled their advantage in the second, on a solo home run from Taylor Gushue. The Saints had men on first and third with two out in the third, but a strikeout from new addition Daniel Descalso ended that threat. Abiatal Abelino was potentially robbed of a homer in the top of the fifth as his blast to right seemed to bounce off the fence on top of the wall in right, before bouncing over the wall in foul territory. With no replay to consult, Abelino was awarded second base and the inning ended in the next at-bat when Tomás Telis (catcher by trade) made a marvelous diving play at first base for the third out. Nick Gordon’s shot in the bottom of the fifth, however, left no doubt. The Saints shortstop lit a fire under St. Paul’s sputtering offense with a three-run to take the lead 3-2. And in the very next at-bat, Brent Rooker hit a bomb of his own, this one to left. That 4-2 lead lasted until the eighth, when Ian Hamilton came into the ballgame with a man on first and two out. Hamilton made a mess of his appearance, walking the only three batters he faced, including a bases-loaded walk to Andrew Romine that cut the lead to 4-3. Danny Coulombe cleaned up Hamilton’s mess as he got Sergio Alcantara to fly out to Rooker to end the inning. Coulombe came back out for the ninth and, though a Trayce Thompson single and a Ryan Jeffers passed ball caused a moment or two of panic, he got three outs to secure a four-out save and, more importantly, a win for the Saints. Descalso Yet to Find His Swing The Twins signed infield journeyman Daniel Descalso to a minor league contract Thursday and put him right into the middle of the Saints lineup. In two starts, he’s 0-6 with three strikeouts and a walk. Not Great. Obviously it’s only six at-bats, but as a 34-year-old who hit .173 in his most recent time in the majors, it’s unclear if the Twins have much here. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 4, Amarillo 0 Box Score Josh Winder was on for the Wind Surge tonight as he made the offense’s job easy by setting the tone for a combined shutout with his dominant outing. Winder went 52/3 and allowed zero runs on only three hits with eight strikeouts. The big righthander had Sod Poodles lost, hitting mid to high 90s throughout the night, and missing bats with regularity. With the help of a few generous calls from the home plate umpire, got a few guys looking as well. As for the offense, Aaron Whitefield picked up where he left off, ripping a triple off the center field wall to lead off the Wind Surge offense. He scored on the next at-bat on a Peter Mooney single. Whitefield drove in a run of his own in the third, on a groundout, after Ernie De La Trinidad was hit by a pitch and advanced from first to third on an errant pickoff attempt. The Surge left the bases loaded in the fifth when Mark Contreras struck out and stranded Whitefield, Mooney, and Jose Miranda, who all singled. The Surge added two runs in the bottom of the eighth off a wild pitch and an Andrew Bechtold single. They proved inconsequential as Yennier Cano pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the game. Whitefield Stays Hot Fresh off of being awarded Double-A Central Hitter of the Week, Aaron Whitefield showed us why again tonight. The speedy Surge center fielder was 2-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored and the only time he didn’t reach base, he drove in a run. Whitefield is now slashing .372/.438/.651 through 10 games to start the season. With his speed and power, Whitefield is the type of player who is worth the price of admission by himself, as evidence by his electric triple in the first. Whitefield has filled in with the big club before and, though there are multiple guys above him in the center field depth chart, he may be the most exciting as long as Byron Buxton remains hurt. And, with a team as bad as the Twins look right now, excitement is about all you can hope for. Kernels Nuggets Quad Cities 2, Cedar Rapids 6 Box Score Solid pitching and hitting across the board gave Cedar Rapids a win that, save for a few worrisome moments, was pretty comfortable. Matt Wallner gave the Kernels the lead in the first frame with an RBI single through the left side. That lead did last long, however, as a Vinnie Pasquantino sac fly scored Nathan Eaton to tie the score for the River Bandits in the bottom of the frame. Cedar Rapids didn’t seem to like that too much as they took the lead back in the second, scoring two off a passed ball and a Spencer Steer sacrifice fly. Kody Funderburk left after three; he was uneven at times tonight, allowing four hits and two walks in his three innings, but his five strikeouts helped him work around his mistakes to the tune of only one run allowed. Derek Molina took over in the fourth and spun three scoreless with five strikeouts. Spencer Steer added to the Kernels lead in the top of the fifth, with his first homer of the year, a solo shot to left. Then, after a walk and a single, Gabe Snyder doubled, scoring Seth Gray and bringing the Cedar Rapids lead to 5-1. Gray got an RBI of his own in the sixth, when his single scored Gabriel Maciel. After lying dormant for much of the game, the River Bandits offense was given some life when a walk, an error, and a hit batter allowed them to load the bases with one out. Jordan Gore then walked in a run, but after a mound visit (that included the trainer), he recovered to strike out two to end the inning. After that misadventure, Gore fired a scoreless eighth and Zach Featherstone pitched an equally scoreless ninth to secure a well-deserved win for the Kernels. Mussel Matters Clearwater 6, Fort Myers 3 Box Score Fort Myers just couldn’t stay out of their own way in this one, as four errors, eight walks, and two wild pitches contributed to Clearwater’s six runs in a big way. The Threshers struck first in the top of the second with an RBI single from Carlos De La Cruz, but the Mussels got that run right back when Edouard Julien and Willie Joe Garry Jr. executed a first and third double steal that allowed Julien to swipe home. Then, birthday boy Jeferson Morales bopped a solo homer to left in the home half of the fourth to give Fort Myers their first lead, 2-1. The Threshers loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth and scored one off a Steven Cruz wild pitch, but a ground-ball double play and a comebacker to the mound ended the inning and kept the damage to a minimum. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Aaron Sabato decided he didn’t need anyone on base to score a run, as he hit his first professional home run to give the Mussels a 3-2 lead. However, there was more trouble for the Mussels in the top of the seventh, as Clearwater used three singles and a throwing error to score two and grab the lead for themselves, at 4-3. The Threshers had the bases full yet again in the eighth (off three walks from Donny Breek) and again stranded all three runners as Juan Pichardo came in and got a fly out to end the inning. Unfortunately, Fort Myers shot themselves in the foot in the top of the ninth and allowed Luis Garcia to make an entire trip around the bases off of throwing errors on back-to-back plays. Clearwater would add another in the ninth, off a Baron Radcliff groundout, to build a 6-3 lead that proved to be insurmountable. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day- Josh Winder (Wichita)- 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day- Nick Gordon (St. Paul)- 2-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – Injured List (wrist) #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-4 #4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 1-4 #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did Not Pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, 2 K #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-4, solo HR, 3 K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did Not Pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did Not Pitch #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – Did Not Play #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-4, solo HR, K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 1-4, BB, RBI, K #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 0-3, BB #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did Pot Pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 1-2, K #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 2-4, R #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did Not Pitch FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (1-0, 5.40 ERA) Amarillo @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – LHP Bryan Sammons (0-0, 6.23 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) – RHP Matt Canterino (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-1, 189.00 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

On a positive Friday night around the Twins' system, two hitters' career nights stole the show. Read about all four farm games in tonight's minor league report. Transactions Minnesota Twins place CF Byron Buxton on 10-day IL (right hip strain) Minnesota Twins designate LHP Brandon Waddell for assignment Minnesota Twins select contract of OF Trevor Larnach from St. Paul Saints Sentinel St. Paul 2, Omaha 4 Box Score Starter Griffin Jax was solid in his first outing of the 2021 season. The 26-year-old righty allowed a run on four hits over five innings, walking three and striking out two. Jax threw 50 strikes out of 82 pitches. Ronald Bolaños was nearly as effective for the Storm Chasers, allowing two earned over his five innings. The teams traded isolated runs through the middle innings of this game, with St. Paul scoring one each in the third and fifth and Omaha putting up one of their own in the fifth. In the bottom of the seventh, though, with the Saints leading 2-1, the Storm Chasers turned two hits into four runs. They got help from a hit batter from Juan Minaya and two shaky moments in the field from the Saints pitcher, scored as an error each for Minaya and first baseman Travis Blankenhorn. These runs proved to decisive as the Saints offense had nothing on Omaha pitcher Jace Vines in the eighth and ninth. Big League Options Struggle The Minnesota Twins’ big league club’s struggles have been well-documented, so Twins fans (and Twins Daily writers) have been begging for reinforcements from the Triple-A club. Both Ryan Jeffers and Brent Rooker have spent significant time at Target Field so far this year and certainly could be used on the Twins if they start hitting (see Trevor Larnach). However, both were hitless today, continuing their struggles to start their minor league seasons. Encouragingly though, Keon Broxton was 2-for-4 with a double tonight and seems like a nice option to fill a hole (or a Cave, if you will) in the Twins’ outfield. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 11, Springfield 7 Box Score The runs came thick and fast in this one as the Wind Surge out-slugged Springfield 11-7. The Surge jumped on Springfield in the top of the first, scoring three on a two-run homer from Jose Miranda and an RBI single from Roy Morales. Springfield answered with firepower of their own in the bottom of the inning, though, scoring four runs on four hits off starter Austin Schulfer, including an Iván Herrera homer. The Cardinals threatened again in the third as they loaded the bases with only one out. However, Jovani Moran (who took over for Schulfer to start the second) got two swinging strikeouts to keep the score at 4-3. Wichita capitalized on Moran’s clutch deliveries, scoring two runs their next time up to take the lead 5-4. Coincidentally, one of those runs scored on a bases loaded walk. Then, in the fifth, an Ernie De La Trinidad triple and a Peter Mooney homer added three more. The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out again in the fifth but came up empty yet again as Wichita righty Tom Hackimer got a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning. And, yet again, the Surge made those crucial outs count as they added a run each in the sixth, seventh, and eighth. By the time Springfield managed to push three runs across in the eighth, the game was essentially out of reach. Jose Miranda Goes Deep Twice Wichita third baseman Jose Miranda was 3-for-5 tonight with two massive home runs. Miranda, Twins Daily’s nineteenth-ranked prospect, has always shown a good contact-hitting tool, but the power has been a bit of a question mark. Tonight’s performance, then is certainly encouraging for his further development and climb up that prospect list. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 9, Peoria 3 Box Score A hit batter and an error by second baseman Yeltsin Encarnacion allowed the Chiefs to scratch across two runs in the top of the second. However, the Kernels got those runs right back in the bottom of the inning with a three-run shot to right from Trey Cabbage, and it was all Cedar Rapids (and Cabbage) from there. The Kernels offense exploded in the middle innings of this one, scoring three (and sending nine men to the plate) in the fourth, two in the fifth, and another run in the sixth. The bats were certainly working, but Kernels hitters benefited from a lot of walks from Peoria pitchers, including five from Jacob Shlesener. Peoria got a run back in their half of the seventh on a ground ball to a slipping Spencer Steer, but it will serve as little consolation considering the drubbing doled out by the Kernels offense. On the mound, Tyler Watson, Tyler Beck, and Melvi Acosta were all effective for the Kernels, combining to allow just five hits and one earned run. They also combined for 12 strikeouts in a fairly comfortable day for the Kernels pitching staff. Cabbage Explodes, Camargo and Wallner Struggle Trey Cabbage was unstoppable for Cedar Rapids tonight, going 4-for-4 with a homer, a triple, and a walk. Cabbage, batting out of the seventh spot, drove in five runs, scored three himself, and fell just a double shy of the cycle. A cycle which, had his eighth-inning single caught just a touch more of the gap in right-center, he would’ve completed. Cabbage’s homer was the softest contact of any of his four hits, at a mere 103 MPH exit velocity. On a less positive note, Matt Wallner and Jair Camargo, the Kernels’ third and fourth hitters, combined to go 0-for-9 with eight strikeouts between the two of them. They also combined to strand five runners in scoring position. Wallner’s struggles tonight are especially surprising, as he’s been mashing High A pitching to start the season. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 2, Bradenton 1 Box Score The Mussels survived a ninth-inning Bradenton rally to edge out the Marauders 2-1. Ryan Shreve entered the ninth for Fort Myers with a two run lead after a scoreless eighth inning but, a single and three walks later, faced loaded bases with one out and a run already in. However, Shreve found the strike zone and struck out Maikol Escotto and Jasiah Dixon to secure the win for the Mussels, and the six-out save for himself. Offense was at a premium for much of this game, as Fort Myers won the contest with only three hits and were mostly shut down by a combination of Domingo Gonzalez, Alex Aquino and J.C Flowers. The Mussels had to make use of Marauder mistakes for their runs, as two errors, a walk, and a balk contributed to their two-run fourth inning. Mussels starter Brent Headrick was dominant in his own right, going four innings while allowing just two hits and striking out seven in his 2021 debut. He threw 38 strikes out of 61 pitches One of the Marauders' only moments of excitement prior to the ninth inning came in the bottom of the seventh, when Escotto hit a deep fly ball to left-center that evaded the dives of both Willie Joe Garry Jr. and Anthony Prato. Escotto may have had an inside-the-park homer if not for an excellent throw and relay from Garry and the shortstop Holland, but that’s exactly what happened and the Bradenton shortstop slid into home just late for the final out of the inning. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Brent Headrick (4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 7 K) Hitter of the Day - Trey Cabbage (4-4, HR, 3B, BB, 5 RBI, 3 R) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – Injured List (wrist) #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – Did not play #4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 0-4, K, RBI #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, K #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-4, 2 K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – Did not play #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-3, 2 BB, RBI, K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, 4 K, BB, RBI #14 - Misael Urbina (Complex) – N/A #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 0-1 #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 3-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch Saturday's Probable Starters St. Paul @ Omaha (7:05PM CST) – RHP Bailey Ober Wichita @ Springfield (6:05PM CST) – RHP Dakota Chalmers Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Jon Olsen Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:05PM CST) – RHP Steven Cruz View full article

The Mariners scratched across runs in the eighth and 10th innings Saturday to hand the Twins their third loss of the season, all three of which have come in extra innings. Read more about the game in today’s recap.Box Score Pineda: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Home Runs: Cruz (4) Bottom 3 WPA: Polanco -.331, Colomé -.181, Garver -.177 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: chart.png Twins, Mariners in Lockstep All Afternoon Today’s game seemed predestined for an extra innings crapshoot all day, as the Twins and Mariners matched blows all game long. Seattle struck first in the top of the third with two homers off two Michael Pineda mistakes. Big Mike, who had excellent command for most of his start, gave Taylor Trammell his first big league homer in the form of a center-cut fastball, and left Mitch Haniger a hanging slider for a big fly of his own later in the inning. The Twins answered in the bottom of the inning, though, when Nelson Cruz bopped his fourth home run of the year, scoring himself and new fan-favorite Kyle Garlick. And, though it didn’t lead to a run, Byron Buxton’s at-bat in the third reminded us of the unique weapon that he is, even when he isn’t mashing the ball: Both Pineda and Seattle starter Yusei Kikuchi exited after six strong innings and the game became a bullpen battle, tied 2-2. Each pitcher allowed two earned runs and struck out six, though Pineda was more efficient with 75 pitches thrown, to Kikuchi’s 94. The teams matched runs again in the eighth inning. A Kyle Seager RBI single off Alexander Colomé gave Seattle their second lead of the day, but a wild outing from reliever Rafael Montero (2 BB, HBP, wild pitch) allowed the Twins to tie it up again, when Jake Cave (pinch running for Cruz) scored on a wild pitch. Extra Inning Heartbreak That brings us to the 10th inning (sigh). Taylor Rogers started the inning on the bump for the Twins after pitching a hyper-efficient ninth, but mishandled a Ben Bishop bunt, allowing Bishop to reach safely and Trammell, Seattle’s free runner, to advance to third. Two batters later, Mitch Haniger hit a sacrifice fly to left and the Mariners took their decisive 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the inning, with Polanco on second as the Twins free runner, Kenyan Middleton shut the Twins down to save the game for the Mariners. Astudillo (pinch-hitting for Garlick) and Cave popped out meekly in the infield and Buxton grounded out to shortstop. Rocco Baldelli opted not to bunt, likely operating under the assumption that a hit to the outfield would score Polanco. Unfortunately, that hit never came. Baseball’s new extra inning rule has been a hot topic among Twins fans, and that debate will likely rage on further, as only a mishandled bunt and a sac fly cost the Twins this game Buxton’s Speed Kills The Twins’ toolsy center fielder has already caught some MVP buzz because of his massive slugging numbers to start the season, but today, he reminded us what being the fastest man in baseball can mean for his team. As mentioned before, Buxton beat out and infield single and forced a misthrow because of his speed, meaning he ended up at second on a play where most guys are walking back to the dugout. Then, in the eighth inning, he got from first to second on a ground ball to the left side so fast that Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager didn’t even think about turning an inning ending double play, opting instead for the safe out at first. Buxton’s speed kept the inning alive, and Cave scored on a wild pitch the very next at-bat. Nelson Cruz Accepts Silver Slugger Award The Twins’ ageless designated hitter was honored before this afternoon’s game as the 2020 Silver Slugger Award winner for the DH position. Cruz slashed .303/.397/.595 with 16 homers to be crowned as the hardest-hitting DH for 2020, and is off to an even better start to his 2021 campaign. After a homer, a single, and a walk today, Cruz is hitting .458/.481/1.000 with four homers and nine runs driven in. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Download attachment: Bullpen10.png Click here to view the article

It was a sorrowful day in Twins Territory and around baseball, as Twins bench coach Mike Bell passed away this afternoon. On the field, the Twins dropped a close one to Atlanta. Mike Bell, 1974-2021 The Twins announced today in an official statement that bench coach Mike Bell passed away this afternoon at the age of 46 after a six-week battle with kidney cancer. Bell spent 28 years in and around Major League Baseball as a player, coach, and player development expert. Bell’s tenure with the Twins was short – he joined the team prior to the 2020 season – but, by all accounts, he became a valuable and well-loved member of the coaching staff immediately. Dave St. Peter, Derek Falvey, and Rocco Baldelli each spoke of Bell’s importance to the club today. Mike Bell was from one of America’s greatest baseball families with his grandfather Gus, father Buddy, and brother David all having lengthy careers around the game. Mike was a baseball lifer in his own right, and surely would have contributed a lot more to the sport had cancer not taken his life so early. Tonight’s Spring Training game went forward as scheduled at the request of the Bell family and in honor of Mike. Both teams stood on the foul lines for a moment of silence before the game, and Bell’s #36 Twins jerseys were hung up in the Twins’ dugout. Also, Miguel Sanó, who was especially touched by Bell, was one of a few players to write his own tribute on the side of his hat: We at Twins Daily join the Twins organization and the baseball world in offering our condolences to the Bell family and all that were close to Mike. Final: Twins 6, Braves 7 Box Score ǀ Savant Twins Takeaways Standout Pitcher: Kenta Maeda (4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 K) Standout Hitter: Miguel Sanó (1-2, BB, 1 very large HR) Fastest Pitch: Tyler Duffey (92.4 MPH) Max Exit Velocity: Miguel Sanó (110.7 MPH) Twins Blast Five Solo Homers, Ninth Inning Rally Comes Up Short If the Twins had any runners on for tonight’s five home runs this game would’ve been a blowout victory. But they didn’t, so they lost in a close one. Kyle Garlick, Willians Astudillo, Sanó, Jose Miranda, and David Banuelos each had a solo shot, and, until Aaron Sabato’s RBI single in the ninth, the homers represented all of the Twins’ runs. Sanó’s dinger was especially impressive as it traveled 458 feat and left the bat at a whopping 110.7 MPH. In the bottom of the ninth, after the Braves were erroneously given an insurance run on a tight play at the plate, the Twins, with one run already in, had the bases loaded with two out and Banuelos at the plate. However, 22-year-old Freddy Tarnok pumped three 96+ MPH fastballs past the young Twins catcher to finish the game with a resounding strikeout. Maeda Effective, Happ Much Less So With less than a week until he takes the mound on Opening Day, Kenta Maeda left little doubt that he’s locked in. Last season’s Cy Young runner-up sprinkled three hits over four scoreless innings and struck out four Braves. With his spring work likely finished, Maeda Grapefruit League numbers are a sight to behold – he’s allowed only one run on only eight hits in 18 1/3 innings with 22 strikeouts. It’s safe to say the Twins’ ace is ready to go. However, with just over a week until J.A. Happ is scheduled to make his first start, the Twins’ fourth starter got roughed up. Happ allowed five earned runs over 3 2/3 innings and had trouble avoiding hard contact throughout his outing. Happ entered spring camp late due to his bout with COVID-19 and has struggled on the mound. If the Twins decide he isn’t quite ready to go next week, Randy Dobnak should have no problem taking his spot for this first time through the rotation. Tomorrow: Rays at Twins, 12:05 CST, Glasnow vs. Thorpe Around the League Casey Mize, baseball’s 11th best prospect according to MLB.com, will make the Opening Day rotation with the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers won’t be good or particularly interesting in 2021, but every fifth day, it’ll be worth tuning in to watch Mize. Two-time All Star Todd Frazier opted out of his deal with the Pirates and will become a free agent. The corner infielder produced at a high level this spring and will look for a better deal elsewhere. MLB’s COVID-19 testing remains good. This weeks round of tests saw four new positive tests out of 13,978 tests for a 0.03% positive rate. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article