Seth Stohs

All four full-season Minnesota Twins affiliates found ways to win on Wednesday, each in a unique way. There were certainly some big-time performances on the mound and at the plate. And a whole bunch of 2023 draft picks and non-drafted free agents were assigned to a roster. Click to continue for much, much more. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Pierson Ohl) It was really a good day overall in the Twins organizations. The Saints got a big win in Ohio. The Wind Surge got a tremendous pitching performance, and a great all-around game from their catcher. Two Top 20 prospects on the Kernels powered the Kernels to another win. A 2023 draft pick helped lead the Mussels to another win, and a lefty signed from the independent leagues tossed six great innings in his fifth pro start. And there was a rarity in the FCL game played on Wednesday, something you likely will never see again... a complete game from a 17-year-old. Here are the records of the Twins and their six affiliates through games on Wednesday. Minnesota Twins: 55-54 St. Paul Saints: 60-43 Wichita Wind Surge: 41-56 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 60-38 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 47-51 FCL Twins: 17-22 DSL Twins: 9-30 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Lots of players were added to the FCL Twins roster for procedural purposes. When a player is signed, the organization has 15 days to add them to a roster. Several 2023 draft picks and non-drafted free agents were added to the FCL Twins roster on Wednesday. Some of them may start getting into game action soon. One name that you will notice has not been assigned is Walker Jenkins. He just signed a week ago, so they still have time to add him to the FCL Twins roster. Here is a look at the 2023 Twins draft picks, and players signed as undrafted free agents since then. 1st Round: OF Walker Jenkins (signed last week) Comp A: RHP Charlee Soto (will be assigned soon) 2nd Round: IF Luke Keaschall (assigned to FCL Twins on 7/27, promoted to Fort Myers on Monday) 3rd Round: OF Brandon Winokur (assigned to FCL Twins on 7/27) 4th Round: RHP Tanner Hall (assigned to FCL Twins) 5th Round: RHP Dylan Questad (assigned to FCL Twins) 6th Round: SS Jay Harry (assigned to FCL Twins on 7/27, promoted to Fort Myers on Monday) 7th Round: RHP Nolan Santos (assigned to FCL Twins) 8th Round: RHP Jace Stoffal (assigned to FCL Twins) 9th Round: RHP Jack Dougherty (assigned to FCL Twins) 10th Round: LHP Ross Dunn (assigned to FCL Twins) 11th Round: RHP Ty Langenberg (assigned to FCL Twins) 12th Round: RHP Paulshawn Pasqualotto (assigned to FCL Twins) 13th Round: RHP Jeremy Lee (assigned to FCL Twins) 14th Round: RHP Xander Hamilton (assigned to FCL Twins) 15th Round: RHP Spencer Bengard (assigned to FCL Twins) 16th Round: RHP Anthony Silvas (assigned to FCL Twins) 17th Round: LHP Kade Bragg (assigned to FCL Twins) 18th Round: RHP Hector Garcia Jr (assigned to FCL Twins) 19th Round: 1B Sam Parker - Did not sign. Heading to Chipola which means he could be a draft-and-follow before next year’s draft. 20th Round: OF Ashton Larson - Did not sign. He’s headed to LSU. Undrafted Free Agents RHP Devin Kirby (assigned to FCL Twins) RHP Jacob King (assigned to FCL Twins) RHP Liam Rocha (assigned to FCL Twins) C Cole Elvis C Ildefonso Poncho Ruiz (assigned to FCL Twins on Monday) SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Columbus 3 Box Score Depending on how you choose to look at it, you could see Simeon Woods Richardson’s start through a positive or negative lens. On one level, he was charged with only an unearned run on just one hit in four innings. He had four strikeouts. However, he went just four innings because he walked six batters. So, how about we just say he did a very nice job of limiting any damage. The bullpen did a nice job too and the offense came up with enough big hits. Kody Funderburk came on and tossed a very strong 2 2/3 innings. He gave up no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out five. Oliver Ortega got the next four outs, but he was charged with two unearned runs on just one hit. He had two strikeouts. Cole Sands struck out the side in the ninth for his first Save. The Saints got on the scoreboard first. Mark Contreras singled in Anthony Prato with the first run. It was followed by a Gilberto Celestino single that scored Trevor Larnach. The Clippers scored a run in the bottom of the inning. But Chris Williams responded in the top of the second with his 18th homer. The Saints added a run in the fourth when Austin Martin scored on an Ernie Yake double. In the fifth, they added their fifth (and final) run when Celestino “drove in” Trevor Larnach with a bases-loaded walk. Gilberto Celestino led the way. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI. Trevor Larnach walked twice. Austin Martin walked twice and then stole two bases. Anthony Prato added his 17th double. By the way, if you missed @Theo Tollefson's profile on Anthony Prato this week, please click here. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, Tulsa 0 Box Score The Wind Surge received a fantastic start from Pierson Ohl on Wednesday night. The right-hander from Grand Canyon University tossed six shutout innings. He gave up just three hits, walked one and struck out five batters. Not a bad outing considering he didn't think he had his best stuff. Following the outing, he said, "In all honesty, the stuff I was working with didn't feel that great, but I was able to make a few high-quality pitches in big spots." From his perspective, the best seat in the house, Patrick Winkel played a role in Ohl's performance, but gives the credit to his pitcher. "Oh was great. he knew how he wanted to attack each hitter and execute his plans. That's the biggest thing. He wasn't falling behind and was putting his pitches where he wanted to. When he does that, he's really, really tough on hitters." Taylor Floyd came on and walked two, but gave up no runs, in 1 2/3 innings. Alex Scherff got the final four outs without any further damage. Wichita took the early lead in the first inning when DaShawn Keirsey singled in Brooks Lee. Lee had led off with a single and stole second base. Later in the inning, Keirsey stole his sixth base. Things stayed quiet until the bottom of the fourth inning when Patrick Winkel drilled his sixth homer of the season. An inning later, Alerick Soularie crushed his seventh home run to give the Surge a 3-0 lead. Soularie went 2-for-3 with the homer. He also stole his 11th bag. Keirsey went 2-for-4 with his 17th double. Winkel led the offense. He went 3-for-3 in the game with a walk, his ninth and tenth doubles, and his sixth homer. Plus, he caught a shutout. What a night! Winkel says that he has been working a lot on his swing and timing. "Trying to eliminate the soft contact has been a big focus. I feel confident, and I think the swing and approach is in a really god place. We have a great coaching staff and having their input has helped a ton as well." His battery mate (Ohl) noted, "Winkel and I have found a great connection this year, and we really love working together. He is very easy to throw to because he does his homework, and he's a guy you can trust back there. Almost feels like he's on the mound with me." KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Lansing 3 Box Score Emmanuel Rodriguez was not traded at the deadline, and on Wednesday, he put together a great game. This game was scoreless through the first three innings. Lancaster got on the board with two runs in the fourth and a solo homer in the fifth frame. Zebby Matthews was very solid. He was charged with those three runs over five innings. He gave up six hits in total and had five strikeouts with any walks. The Kernels powered their way back into the game in the bottom of the fifth. With Noah Miller on base, Rodriguez hit his 12th homer of the season. Kala’i Rosario followed with his 16th homer to tie the game and 3-3. The Kernels added a run in the sixth inning to take the lead. Jeferson Morales scored on a Kyler Fedko single. Then Rodriguez finished the night’s scoring with his second homer of the game and 13th of the season. The bullpen came up big for the Kernels Malik Barrington improved to 5-0 by tossing two scoreless, one-hit innings. Then Jordan Carr earned a two-inning save with two scoreless, hitless innings. Emmanuel Rodriguez and Kala’i Rosario each had two hits. Rosario added his 23rd double to go with his 16th home run. Rodriguez also threw out a baserunner trying to advance to third base. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Dunedin 2 Box Score The Mussels scored two runs in the first and again in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. They added one more insurance run in the eighth inning and held on to a 5-2 win. Jarret Whorff made the start. The southpaw provided a very strong six innings of one-run ball. He gave up two hits, walked none and struck out a career-high nine batters. Wilker Reyes recorded four outs, two of them on strikeouts. Danny Moreno also got four outs, but he was charged with one run on one hit and two walks. He also had two strikeouts. Gabriel Yanez recorded his second save by striking out the one batter he faced to end the game. In the first inning, with a rehabbing-Hernan Perez at third base, Danny De Andrade grounded out but drove in the first run. Two batters later, a Nate Baez single drove in Luke Keaschall. In the third inning, Perez scored on Ricardo Olivar’s ninth home run. Olivar then scored the final run in the eighth inning on a wild pitch. In his second Mighty Mussels game, Keaschall went 2-for-3 with a walk with his second double. He also stole his second base in as many games. Ricardo Olivar went 2-for-3 with a walkalong with the home run. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA No Game Scheduled. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 0, DSL O’s 2 Box Score So the first thing you notice when looking through the DSL Twins box score is that a Twins pitcher tossed a complete game. Miguel Cordero, a 17-year-old from the Dominican Republic, is a really decent prospect. He pitched at the end of the DSL All-Star game on Sunday. How many pitches did he throw? It’s not like pitchers at this level are known for their control and limiting their pitch counts. The I saw it. This was the completion of a game that started on July 17th but was suspended by rain. Cordero started that game and worked until the game was suspended. Then on Wednesday, he came back and finished the rest of the game, and pitched well. In the game, he is credited with giving up two runs (1 earned) on nine hits in nine innings. He walked two and struck out seven batters. The two runs scored in the sixth inning which was in the transition. For the offense, well, there was no offense. Yilber Herrera had the team’s lone hit, a triple. I know I tweeted it on Sunday night, but the DSL All Star Game was on Sunday and three Twins prospects participated in the game. On Wednesday, the Twins Player Development account provided pictures. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Pat Winkel (Wichita) - 3-for-3, 2-2B(10), HR(6), BB, R, RBI Pitcher of the Day – Pierson Ohl (Wichita) - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 80 pitches, 49 strikes (61.3%). PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-4, R, RBI, SB(6) #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2-HR(13), 2 R, 3 RBI, K #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, BB, HR(6), R, 3 RBI, 2 K. #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, R, 2-SB(5). #12 - Luke Keaschall (Ft. Myers) - 3-for-4, 2B(2), R. #14 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 4 K, 76 pitches, 35 strikes (46.0%) #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B(23), HR(16), R, RBI, K #17 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 2 K THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Columbus (11:05 AM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (4-4, 4.26 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Carlos Luna (1-6, 5.50 ERA) Lansing @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Kyle Jones (5-4,4.28 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CST) - RHP Juan Mercedes (1-1, 11.12 ERA) FCL Rays @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Cardinals @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

That stinks!

So, what does this look like? People say it all the time, but what does it mean? "Held Accountable." What does that mean for Falvey? What does that mean for Levine? What does that mean for Baldelli and his coaches? What does that mean for the players? There has to be a way to hold people accountable without always jumping to firing people Falvey has completely altered the thinking of the organization. THey have focused on pitching. They've been to the playoffs half the time. Their records have been better overall than the previous years. The manager is an extension fof the manger and only can play the roster he's given. The manager can make all the right decisions and the coaches can say all the right things and the players still have to do it. Obviously they can't fire all the players... but what does holding players accountable mean? Benching them for not performing? Buxton was shutdown for a few games in a row. Last year, Celestino was benched for a couple of poor decisions. Playing time is about the only option, and when you've got 4 bench options, who are you going to play ahead of Correa when he doesn't hit?

We don't know what happened behind closed doors and over phone calls and messages, but with news that the Twins did nothing at the trade deadline, it's impossible not to have an opinion. Here is mine. Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports News came shortly after the 5:00 Central Time trade deadline that the Twins had done nothing. Made no moves. There were rumors about wanting a right-handed hitter, preferably an outfielder. When news broken that Tommy Pham had been traded, Twins fans had about a 10-minute window to get excited... ultimately learning he was traded to the Diamondbacks. Then we heard that the Twins and Cardinals were exchanging medical records on some players, so there was some thought that maybe the Twins would soon acquire Dylan Carlson or maybe even Jack Flaherty. Well, soon after, we learned that Flaherty was going to the Orioles. And then Twins beat reporters announced that they were told that the Twins didn't make a move. Deflating, right? I wasn't even excited about anyone that was being rumored to potentially be of interest to the Twins, probably other than David Bednar. But even I just had this weird sinking feeling when I read Do's tweet. But ultimately, I'm not upset. I'm not angry. I don't actually have a big problem with it at all. Yes, it would have been fun to add a player, and it's not like they sold. Is there a player that the Twins could have acquired that would have given the team or the fans confidence that they could truly be a competitive contender in a playoff series. The Twins team isn't one piece away. They aren't a journeyman right-handed outfielder who is considered bad in the clubhouse away. Not even adding a couple of veteran bullpen arms that other teams are trying to give away was going to do that. The reality is that this is a flawed team. If they want to truly be a contender for more than an AL Central title, today wasn't going to be the game changer. They weren't getting Verlander or Scherzer. They weren't going to get Goldschmidt. No, what this team needs (whether they added bit pieces or not) is for their own players to start playing like we know that they can. Or, that we know that they have in the past. They need Byron Buxton to hit like Byron Buxton did most of 2022. They need Carlos Correa to hit like Carlos Correa did most of his entire career. They need Sonny Gray to pitch like he did the first two or three months. They need their veteran starters to pitch like they did early. And they need their young players to keep playing. They have, in general, been the players to not only meet expectations but in many cases exceed them and be really good (see Edouardo Julien). The need Alex Kirilloff to only miss 10 days and then get back to his Player of the Week performance. They need Matt Wallner. They need Trevor Larnach. They need Royce Lewis. They need Joe Ryan to turn things back around. They need guys like Jordan Balazovic and Josh Winder to come up big out of the bullpen. They need to get Brock Stewart back... Oh wait, now this came out. Oh, and Alex Kirilloff had an MRI on his shoulder today too. And if all that goes well, the team should coast to the AL Central Division championship, and if all that happens, they should feel "OK" about playing the #3 Wild Card team. And most important, they can hopefully help us remove the 0-18 narrative. (PLEASE!) Oh, and if all those things would have happened up to this point in the season, the front office and ownership would have (and should have) felt much more obligated to make moves. Cleveland was a seller. They traded their best, healthy pitcher (Aaron Civale) and their DH (Josh Bell). Detroit tried to trade Edouardo Rodriguez. The Royals traded most of their bullpen. And the White Sox made all kinds of trades over the past week. What the Twins did at the Trade Deadline - which ultimate amounts to dealing Jorge Lopez for Dylan Floro - will have almost not impact on whether or not the team will win the division, or even run away with the division. We can be as upset as we want at the front office, and that's fair - sometimes trying to add something to breathe new life is good - but the focus needs to go to the players, especially the veterans that have been there and done that to step up. They don't - or shouldn't - need another player's only meeting. But, I get it, Twins fans. Trade Deadline Day is so much more fun when the team you follow is a buyer. Geez, it's more fun when they are a seller because you've likely accepted that decision being correct. Standing Pat is never exciting. That said, I personally don't have a huge problem with it. I mean, they were buyers last year, right? (insert comment here about Tyler Mahle and Jorge Lopez trades) Share your thoughts, y'all. We can listen. View full article

Sebastian Walcott not a part of this deal. He is out of today's lineup for disciplinary reasons, so for the trade. But, now they are just waiting on Scherzer's approval.

I thought this was an interesting one. It has to be relatively close. It sounds like the Mets just have to get Scherzer to waive his no-trade clause. A few minutes before the news broke that the Rangers and Mets were close, Rangers beat writer Evan Grant tweeted the following: Someone else tweeted that if Scherzer's getting dealt, then the White Sox aren't doing a service to themselves if they don't make Dylan Cease available. And, maybe it should mean that the Twins consider dealing a starter? View full rumor

Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Dodgers and White Sox are nearing a deal that would send Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Dodgers. If that deal would happen, it would be the second such deal where they traded one of their starters and a triple-digit reliever. They dealt Lucas Giolito and Renaldo Lopez to the Angels last week. The White Sox doing their part for the Los Angeles baseball market. Also, for those interested, it presumably means no need to worry about a Joe Kelly/Carlos Correa issue! (Presumably because obviously a deal is not yet complete and may or may not be imminent as Jon Heyman tweeted.) Who else do you think the White Sox will deal? View full rumor

Can absolutely call guys up from AA if they're deemed ready and better than the options playing there now. I don't know that I see a 40-man roster player that I would drop to add Prato. I'm sure there are pitchers or something, but not position players. I'm not saying Farmer is 'the right guy' there. He's a very nice utility guy. Same with Castro. Both are better than Lee defensively there now. Offensively, It's probably close. But we also assume Lewis will come back. Maybe Miranda's still in the picture. I'd be fine with them calling up Lee. I'd be very excited. Would be fun to see what he could do. I'm just not sure why that would be the move right now.

Martin has played 2B, LF and CF this year.

Absolutely, but St. Paul currently has Larnach, Contreras, Garlick, Stevenson in the Outfield.

Prato in 2023: Games Played by Position (can be more than one position per game): 1B: 2 (both in AA) 2B: 36 3B: 11 (10 in AAA) SS: 13 LF: 12 (all in AA) RF: 5 (all in AA) Prato is a nice player, a potential utility guy in the big leagues (assuming he hits like he has in AAA, not AA this year). But as for a trade piece, he's the third or fourth chip in any deal.

What? We want Prato at 3B instead of Castro or Farmer? Which position players on the 40-man roster would you drop to add Prato? And Larnach was up because of paternity listing Buxton. Now he'll head back down. Larnach is a future piece. Prato is maybe a utility guy going forward. (which isn't a bad thing) And Lee has only been crushing Double-A pitching for about two weeks. I can definitely see moving Lee and Severino to Triple-A, but not the big leagues yet.

Pretty much means that Shohei Ohtani isn't getting traded, right? Baseball Trade Values sure seems to think that the White Sox did very well in this deal. Lopez has always had great stuff ,and I'd love to see what Pete Maki and crew could do with him. Giolito's going to have more good years. He's basically heading home and maybe that gives him an idea of if he would want to stay there.

"Walks will Haunt." So do home runs, and errors and several other things. Wednesday was a tough afternoon for pitchers throughout the Twins organization. But several hitters had huge days. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of DaShawn Keirsey) You may notice a theme throughout the Twins organization. First, they all played Wednesday afternoon games which is unusual. But more so, I’m referring to the fact that pitching was not a strength for Twins pitchers on Wednesday. The Twins gave up a ton of runs. And the affiliates gave up a bunch of runs too. Here are the records of the Twins and their six affiliates through games on Wednesday. Minnesota Twins: 54-50 St. Paul Saints: 57-40 Wichita Wind Surge: 37-54 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 57-35 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 45-47 FCL Twins: 16-19 DSL Twins: 8-26 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins optioned RHP Oliver Ortega and recalled Josh Winder. The Saints activated catcher Mark Kolozsvary from the Developmental List. Infielder Dalton Shuffield was activated from the Fort Myers Injured List and assigned to Cedar Rapids. Following their Wednesday afternoon game, the Twins made a trade. They sent RHP Jorge Lopez to the Miami Marlins in exchange for RH RP Dylan Floro . SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 9, Toledo 7 Box Score Brent Headrick made the start in this game. He gave up three runs in the top of the first inning and another in the third. In total, he gave up four runs on three hits. All three hits were home runs. He also walked four batters and struck out two. Patrick Murphy came on and gave up one run on five hits and a walk over 2 1/3 innings. He struck out two batters. Austin Brice got four outs, all on strikeouts. Ronny Henriquez got four outs, but he gave up two runs on two hits and a walk. The Saints found themselves down 4-1 heading to the bottom of the sixth inning. In that inning, Andrew Stevenson, Jorge Polanco, and Kyle Garlick singled, the third driving in the inning’s first run. Next, Chris Williams doubled to score two more runs. After two outs, Williams scored on an Anthony Prato single to give the Saints a 5-4 lead. However, the Mudhens tied it in the top of the seventh inning. The bottom of the seventh inning started with walks to Alex De Goti and Andrew Stevenson. Jorge Polanco singled to load the bases. Kyle Garlick followed with a grand slam to give the Saints a 9-5 lead. Tyler Nevin hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth. Henriquez then hit a batter and gave up a double to put runners on second and third base. However, a hard-hit line drive was caught in center field by Mark Contreras to end the game. Garlick went 3-for-4 with five RBI. He hit his 11th double and 10th home run. Stevenson went 3-for-4 with a walk and his 17th double. Polanco has two hits in five at-bats. Anthony Prato was 2-for-4. He also stole his eighth base. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 10, Frisco 19 Box Score With winds blowing out early in the game, runs piled up quickly. And they just kept piling up, higher, and higher, and high… you get the picture. In the top of the first inning, David Festa gave up a two-run homer to Thomas Saggese. The bottom of the first started with singles from Brooks Lee and DaShawn Keirsey, the latter driving in the former to put the Wind Surge on the scoreboard. Two batters later, the second run scored on a Patrick Winkel sacrifice fly. Then Jake Rucker connected for his seventh homer of the season to give the Surge a 3-2 lead after one frame. Unfortunately, the second inning didn’t go well for Festa at all. He gave up a grand slam to Evan Carter. Wind may have been a factor, but two walks before it didn’t help either. Things went quiet in the bottom of the second and the top of the third. But in the bottom of the third, Keirsey hit his 13th homer of the year and cut the deficit to 6-4. Festa went just 2 2/3 innings and was charged with six runs on seven hits and two walks. He had four strikeouts and all six runs came on the two homers he allowed. Hunter McMahon was next up for the Wind Surge. He was charged with five runs (4 earned) on four hits and a walk. Isaac Mattson gave up an unearned run over 1 1/3 innings. Taylor Floyd tossed three scoreless innings. Things had kind of settled down. In the ninth, catcher David Banuelos came on to pitch. It didn’t go well. He gave up seven runs on six hits and a walk. Four of the hits were home runs. He got just two outs. Will Holland got the third out. The top two batters in the Wind Surge lineup provided most of the offense. Brooks Lee went 4-for-6 with three runs scored. He hit his 11th home run of the season, a two-run blast, in the ninth inning. DaShawn Keirsey went 5-for-6 with three runs scored. He hit his fifth triple and the 13th home run of his season in the game. Third-place hitter, Yunior Severino, became the first player in the Twins organization to his 20 home runs this season. Holland went 2-for-4 with a walk and his ninth double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Wisconsin 8 Box Score Speaking of strong first innings, the Kernels jumped on the Timber Rattlers with a six-run top of the first inning. With one out, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Kala’i Rosario walked before Jorel Ortega hit an infield single to load the bases. Misael Urbina walked in a run. Next, Andrew Cossetti cleared the bases with his 10th double since joining the Kernels. Following a strikeout, there was a pitching change. Jeferson Morales welcomed Miguel Guerrero with a two-run homer to make it 6-0. In the top of the second, Emmanuel Rodriguez lined to right field, but an error allowed him to reach third base. Kala’i Rosario drove him in with a sacrifice fly to make it 7-0. With C.J. Culpepper on the mound, one could think that would be enough run support. However, with some really rough defense in the bottom of the second inning, Wisconsin scored five runs, and just one of them was earned. There were two Catcher’s Interference calls, and one what could have been a double play, a throwing error meant three additional runs scored. CJ Culpepper’s day ended after just 1 1/3 innings. He gave up five runs (1 earned) on four hits and two walks. Matthew Swain came in and gave up a run on two hits over 1 2/3 innings. Alejandro Hidalgo came in to start the fourth inning. He gave up one run on two hits over 2 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out four batters. Niklas Rimmel walked three batters but gave up no runs on no hits over the next 1 2/3 innings. John Wilson gave up one run on one hit, one walk and one hit batter in the eighth inning to take the loss. Andrew Cossetti led the offense. He went 2-for-4 with his 10th double and three RBI. Jorel Ortega went 2-for-4 and was hit by a pitch. Kala’i Rosario and Emmanuel Rodriguez each walked twice. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Palm Beach 5 (10 innings) Box Score Through four innings in this game, the score was just 1-1. However, in the top of the fifth frame, Palm Beach scored three runs. Things stayed quiet until the bottom of the ninth. Down 4-1, Kyle Schmidt was hit by a pitch to lead off the ninth. Yohander Martinez ran for him. With one out, Alec Sayre reached on an error. Then Gregory Duran ripped a double down the right field line to score two runs. He went to third on a throwing error. Maddux Houston lifted a ball to center field, deep enough to drive in Duran and tie the game. Unfortunately, Palm Beach scored three runs in the top of the 10th inning. Jose Olivares started for the Mussels. In 4 2/3 innings, he gave up four runs on six hits and a walk. He had five strikeouts. Ricardo Velez came on and gave up just one hit over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Wilker Reyes came in and put zeros on the board in the eighth and ninth. He started the 10th inning but gave up two runs (1 earned, the other the Manfred Man) on two hits and a walk. Gabriel Yanez came on and allowed an inherited runner to score and one more run on three hits before getting the three outs in the 10th inning. The Mussels scored one run on a passed ball in the bottom of the 10th, but that was it as they fell 7-5 in this game. Gregory Duran went 2-for-4 with his ninth double and three RBI. Kyle Schmidt went 2-for-3 with his fourth double and was hit by a pitch. Ricardo Olivar added his 18th double. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins, DSL Reds The DSL Twins were supposed to be making up a game that was supposed to be played two weeks ago. It was again postponed due to weather. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Co-Hitter of the Day – DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. (Wichita) - 5-for-6, 3B(5), HR(13) 3 R, 2 RBI, K. Pitcher of the Day – Taylor Floyd (Wichita) - 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 4-for-6, HR(11), 3 R, 2 RBI #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R, RBI, K. #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 2-for-4, 2-HR(4), 2 RBI, K #7 - David Festa (Wichita) - 2 2/3 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 64 pitches, 37 strikes (57.8%) #15 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K, 32 pitches, 19 strikes (59.4%) #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, R, RBI, SF, K #17 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-5, BB, HR(20), R, 2 RBI, K, CS(4) #19 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K (3 HR), 72 pitches, 43 strikes (59.7%) THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Toledo @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (3-5, 6.18 ERA) Frisco @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (1-3, 4.89 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:40 PM CST) - RHP Zebby Matthews (3-1,5.02 ERA) vs rehabbing Brandon Woodruff Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - LHP Jarret Whorff (2-1, 2.54 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Braves (11:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Dodgers @ DSL Twins(10:00 AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! 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Looking at the return, seems like a package of maybe Josh Winder and Austin Schulfer?

The Red Sox aren't going anywhere this season. On Tuesday afternoon, reports came out that Boston has traded the veteran SS/2B/CF to the Dodgers. At this time, there was no mention of what the return would be. It won't be much. Hernandez has a sub-.300 OBP. I do admit that I was starting to wonder if the Twins might have interest in Hernandez. While players like Dylan Carlson would have more upside, and he's got multiple years of pre-free agency remaining, so the price would be high. Hernandez, a native of Puerto Rico, might fit well with the Twins with his ability to play several positions. Is he better than Willi Castro? Honestly, he may not be. Are there other similar players that might be available at the deadline? Update: The Red Sox receive: RHP Nick Robertson and RHP Justin Hagenman. Robertson just turned 25. He is on their 40 man roster. He was a 7th round pick in 2019. Made his MLB debut on June 7. He pitched 10 1/3 innings over nine games. He has a 6.10 ERA, a 2.03 WHIP. Four walks, 13 strikeouts. In 27 Triple-A games, he has a 2.54 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 28 1/3 innings. Nine walks, 42 strikeouts. Hagenman is 26, a 23rd round pick in 2018 out of Penn State. In 25 games (5 games) this season, he is 4-0 with a 2.78 ERA. In 55 innings, he has given up 48 hits, walked 11 and struck out 60 batters. View full rumor

Only the two short-season affiliates played games on Monday, but we have pitching probables, a bunch of transactions, and our encouragement to get out to a minor-league ballpark and see the Twins affiliates this week if you are able to. As we jump into another week of six-game series, here are the records of the six Twins affiliates through games on Monday. St. Paul Saints: 55-40 Wichita Wind Surge: 37-52 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 56-34 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 45-45 FCL Twins: 16-18 DSL Twins: 8-25 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Byron Buxton was placed in the paternity list on Monday. Trevor Larnach was called up from St. Paul to take Buxton’s roster spot. LHP Jaylen Nowlin was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Double-A Wichita. RHP Andrew Morris was promoted from Fort Myers to High-A Cedar Rapids. Catcher Nate Baez, a 2022 draft pick, began his rehab assignment. His season has been altered by a broken hamate bone. OF Argenis Jimenez was released by the Twins. He had been on the FCL Twins roster. RHP Alejandro Crisostomo was assigned to the DSL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL Weekly Matchup - St. Paul, Toledo The Saints will be hosting the Detroit Tigers Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mudhens this week at CHS Field. Tuesday: RHP Louie Varland Wednesday: LHP Brent Headrick Thursday: RHP Simeon Woods Richardson Friday: LHP Dallas Keuchel Saturday: RHP Randy Dobnak Sunday: RHP Louie Varland Tuesday they will be celebrating Christmas in July (sponsored by Hamline University). Wednesday is Play Hooky Day, with a 1:07 game time! Cory Cove, Chris Hawkey and “Meatsauce” Paul Lambert from the Power Trip Morning Show on KFAN will be there. Thursday is Irish Night (presented by Cub). Friday night will have Fireworks (sponsored by Xcel Energy) with music from bands that are no longer together, and everyone in attendance will get an LED light bulb when they leave the ballpark! Saturday will be Hottest Day of the Year (presented by the Minnesota Corn Growers Association). Did you know that the highest temperature recorded in Minnesota history is 114.5 degrees? The Saints are celebrating and the first 2,000 fans will receive a blanket! Sunday is Copa de la Diversion dia numero dos (presented by Corona Hard Seltzer. This is the second of three nights that the Saints will celebrate the state’s Latino history. The “Saints” will become the “Santos de San Pablo” and wear specialty uniforms. If you’re able to, head over to CHS Field this week. Watch the Saints and have a lot of fun. Check out SaintsBaseball.com for more information and tickets. WIND SURGE WISDOM Weekly Matchup - Wichita, Frisco Tuesday: RHP Chad Donato Wednesday: RHP David Festa Thursday: RHP Pierson Ohl Friday: RHPs Marco Raya and Travis Adams piggyback Saturday: TBD (could this be the Double-A debut of Jaylen Nowlin?) Sunday: RHP Carlos Luna KERNELS NUGGETS Weekly Matchup - Cedar Rapids, Wisconsin For those interested, and able, you can head over to Appleton, Wisconsin, to check out the Kernels this week. You can also get us scouting reports on Brewers prospects for Brewer Fanatic. Tuesday: RHP Cory Lewis Wednesday: RHP C.J. Culpepper Thursday: RHP Zebby Matthews Friday: RHP Kyle Jones Saturday: LHP Christian MacLeod Sunday: RHP Andrew Morris With the addition of Andrew Morris, the Twins 2022 draft class is well represented in the Kernels starting rotation. RHP Kyle Jones (7th round) RHP Zebby Matthews (8th round) RHP Cory Lewis (9th round) RHP C.J. Culpepper (13th round) RHP Andrew Morris (4th round) LHP Connor Prielipp (2nd round) - Unfortunately, he is back on the Injured List. In addition, fellow 2022 draft picks infielders Ben Ross (5th round) and Jorel Ortega (6th round), and catcher Andrew Cossetti (11th round) are with the Kernels. Obviously first-round pick Brooks Lee has been in Double-A Wichita all season, but Competitive Balance pick Tanner Schobel was just promoted to Double-A as well. The lefty in the rotation is 2021 fifth-round pick Christian MacLeod. He missed the full 2022 season after having Tommy John and has done a nice job in his return. MUSSEL MATTERS Weekly Matchup: Fort Myers, Palm Beach Tuesday: RHP Miguelangel Boadas Wednesday: RHP Jose Olivares Thursday: LHP Jarret Whorff Friday: RHP Juan Mercedes Saturday: RHP Ben Ethridge Sunday: TBD COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA FCL Twins 6, FCL Pirates 5 Box Score The Twins fell behind early but had just enough two-run innings to pull out a win in the end. Lefty Cesar Lares started and gave up four first-inning runs. However, he settled in and gave the team five innings. Overall, he gave up five runs (four earned) on three hits (two homers) and a walk. He notched eight strikeouts. Jacob Wosinski came in and struck out three batters over two perfect innings. Yon Landaeta gave up a hit and walked two over the final two innings, but he allowed no runs to score and struck out three batters. Already down four runs when they came to the plate in the bottom of the first, the Twins responded with two runs. A rehabbing Dalton Shuffield led off with a walk. Next up was another rehabber. 2022 draft pick Nate Baez has been out all season. This was his first game, and in his first at-bat, he drilled a double that sent Shuffield to third base. Yasser Mercedes walked to load the bases. Shuffield scored the first run on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Baez scored on a Byron Chourio ground out. The Twins tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Isaac Pena scored on a Daniel Pena sacrifice fly. Later, Endy Rodriguez scored on a passed ball. They fell behind 5-4 in the top of the fifth, but as you know, that was all the team allowed. In the bottom of the eighth, the Twins had their third and final two-run inning to take the lead. Again, the runs scored weren’t anything exciting, but they count just the same. They tied the game when Daniel Pena knocked in Byron Chourio with his second sacrifice fly of the game. Then Jankel Ortiz gave the team the lead on a sacrifice fly that drove in Isaac Pena. Dalton Shuffield led off and played second base. He went 1-for-3 with two walks. Nate Baez batted second and played behind the plate the first seven innings. The Twins had just four hits, but they were patient and took 10 walks in the game. Byron Chourio went 1-for-3 with a walk and his second double. Endy Rodriguez hit his fourth double and walked twice. Isaac Pena and Yasser Mercedes each walked twice. COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA DSL Twins 10, DSL Braves 9 Box Score While the FCL Twins fought back to grab a one-run win in the late innings, the DSL Twins jumped out to a big lead in the middle innings and held on for a one-run win. After two innings, the score was tied 1-1. After four innings, they were tied 4-4. The Twins responded with a four-run fifth inning and two more in the sixth frame to take a 10-5 lead. The Braves fought back with two in the eight and two more in the ninth, but ultimately, the Twins finished out a 10-9 win. Yilber Herrera provided several key hits for the Twins. He drove in a run in the second inning with a double. In the third frame, he drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. In the fifth inning, his 10th double of the season drove in two more runs and gave the Twins a 6-5 lead in the fifth. Later that inning, he scored on a balk. In the game, he went 3-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI. Moises Lopez went 4-for-4 at the plate (and was hit by a pitch) with three runs scored. He had two stolen bases. In the third inning, he had a two-run single. Jayson Bass went 2-for-3, was hit by a pitch, and scored twice. Ewing Matos went 2-for-3 as well. Dameury Pena went 2-for-3 with a walk and his eighth double> He also stole his ninth base.. Ariel Castro went 1-for-4 with his second triple. The pitching side of the ledger wasn’t quite as impressive in this game. Miguel Cordero started and gave up three runs (2 earned) on four hits and two walks. In three innings, he had four strikeouts. Jose Vasquez gave up two runs on one hit and three walks over two innings. Luis Rincon walked one and struck one batter out in a scoreless sixth inning. Alejandro Crisostomo made his Twins debut. He pitched a scoreless seventh inning. He left the game with two runners on in the eighth. Jose Ojo came in and allowed both inherited runners to score. He then gave up two runs of his own in the ninth but got the 27th out on a strikeout with the tying run standing at third base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Co-Hitter of the Day – Yilber Herrera (DSL Twins) - 3-for-4, 2-2B(10), 1 R, 4 RBI. Co-Hitter of the Day – Moises Lopez (DSL Twins) - 4-for-4, HBP, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB(5). Pitcher of the Day – Jacob Wosinski (FCL Twins) - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-for-4, BB,K. E(5) #11 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL Twins) - 0-for-2, 2 BB. #15 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. #20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 0-for-4 TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Toledo @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Louie Varland (3-1, 3.81 ERA) Frisco @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Chad Donato (1-5, 8.59 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:40 PM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis (3-0, 2.20 ERA) vs Minnesota native Nate Peterson, making his first High-A start. Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (5:30 PM CST) - RHP Miguelangel Boadas (0-2, 7.56 ERA) FCL Braves @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Mariners (10:00 AM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Monday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

Atlanta's bullpen has been solid much of the season, but they are looking to bolster it with a couple of fairly minor moves on Monday. Do these moves tell us anything about the trade market for relievers? They received RHP Pierce Johnson from the Rockies in exchange for RHPs Victor Vodnik and Tanner Gordon. Johnson was terrible after being named the Rockies closer, but he's been pretty solid since moving out of that role. He was good for a few years in San Diego previously. The cost? A Double-A reliever (Vodnik) and a AA/AAA starter (Gordon). Vodnik is 23 and has 25 walks and 56 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings at AA. Gordon is 25 and has split the season between AA and AAA. At AA, he's 4-5 with a 4.61 ERA. He has 15 walks to go with 55 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings. In 6 games (5 starts) in AAA, he's 1-4 with a 8.28 ERA. He has 10 walks and 21 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings. In the second deal, the Braves acquired lefty Taylor Hearn (former Twins draft pick) from the Texas Rangers in exchange for cash considerations. Hearn is 28 and was in his 5th season with the Rangers. He has just four appearances with Texas this year and has been pitching at Triple-A. He has shown some glimpses at times of some pretty good stuff, but he's walked over 4 batters per nine innings in his career. This comes the day after the Braves claimed RHP Yonny Chirinos off of waivers from the Rays. He's been a starter and a reliever for Tampa this season and can be solid. These are both pretty minor deals, but it shows that teams are looking to create depth on the mound and in the bullpen. What does this mean for the Twins? Probably nothing, but who knows? Dereck Rodriguez was DFAd by Atlanta to make room for Hearn, so they could bring him back again. I think the return on Johnson is more indicative of what the Twins might be willing to give up for a decent set up man. The Hearn deal just says that there are some intriguing arms out there who have had their flaws that you can try to get for little and then have depth. View full rumor