Steve Lein

I think this is becoming, in general, a plan to keep guys like Festa who should pitch in the majors this year, ready for longer. i.e.: available for more innings later in the season instead of using them up early. But, I think there are major detriments to this from a development standpoint as well. How do you know how they will handle and order the third time around, etc... if they never see it. I certainly would like a guy like him (who is older than Simeon Woods Richardson, as an example) to be pitching longer, but we'll see if this plan works out.

They talked about him, and several other injuries, for a minute on the Saints broadcast, but not much to share. Didn't sound like he has started any activities yet.

There was a pair of 1-0 games in the system on Tuesday night, but the big story was over in St. Paul as the Saints bats exploded against the Minnesota Twins’ former affiliate, and Jhoan Duran made his first appearance of the season at CHS Field. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of DaShawn Keirsey Jr.) TRANSACTIONS On Monday, the Twins optioned C Jair Camargo and Louie Varland back to triple-A, while selecting the contract of RHP Ronny Henriquez from the Saints. Jhoan Duran also began his rehab assignment in St. Paul. IF Dalton Shuffield was assigned back to Wichita, and LHP Brent Headrick was transferred from the 7-day IL to the 60-day, putting another potential rotation reinforcement out of commission for a bit longer. Down in Fort Myers the Mighty Mussels placed OF Byron Chourio on the 7-day injured list, along with being assigned RHP Kyle Bloor and C Matthew Clayton. SAINTS SENTINEL Rochester 9, St. Paul 15 Box Score The Saints got on the board first, and often, against the Twins former affiliate at CHS Field in St. Paul on Tuesday. In the first DaShawn Keirsey Jr. got the hitting started with a one-out triple and would score the game’s first run on a Jair Camargo single. In each of the next two innings they tacked on four more. Yunior Severino led off the second with a hard single off the center field wall. With two outs Will Holland drew a walk before Diego Castillo drove in one with a single. Anthony Prato followed with another walk and Keirsey Jr. sent a liner through the infield to score two more. Camargo added the fourth run with a broken bat RBI single to make it 5-0 after two. In the third, Severino and Tony Kemp started the inning with a pair of walks, and Yoyner Fajardo cashed them all in with his fourth home run of the young season. In interesting stats to me, last year with Wichita, Fajardo hit nine total home runs in 527 plate appearances. He’s had 64 plate appearances so far this season, which puts him on a pace to hit 33 home runs in the same number of plate appearances as last year. After his early triple, Keirsey Jr. also singled and doubled in his next two at-bats, putting himself a home run away from the cycle after just three innings. Big right-hander David Festa took to the CHS Field bump on Tuesday, looking to continue his early-season dominance. He kept it scoreless through the first three innings, working around a double in the first and a bases-loaded jam in the third. A leadoff home run in the fourth put a blemish on his night, but he struck out the next hitter to end his outing. In all, Festa finished 3 1/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk, while striking out five. He threw 64 pitches, with 46 going for strikes (72%), including 12 swinging, with eight of those coming on his slider. Ryan Jensen finished off the fourth inning, allowing one hit and striking out one in 2/3 of an inning, and that led to Jhoan Duran coming on for the fifth inning. While he recorded all three of his outs with K’s, Duran also gave up four hits, two earned runs, and threw 27 pitches in his first live outing of the season. He got five swings and misses, but all four hits left the bats of Red Wings hitters at scorching rates, including one at 113.0 MPH from Washington Nationals top prospect James Wood. Duran topped out at 99.0 MPH with his fastball while throwing primarily curveballs in his appearance. These are all signs of him working on some things after starting the year on the injured list. From there the Saints just kept on hitting. Matt Wallner clubbed a two-run double in the fifth, and Holland added an RBI triple in the sixth as the two big hits that pushed their lead to 14-3. The Saints bullpen couldn’t let it be that easy, however, as the Red Wings exploded for six runs in the seventh to draw this one out. Austin Schulfer (1 IP, H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) and Michael Boyle (1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (one earned), 2 BB, K) were the victims of that outburst. Hobie Harris put an end to the misery for both teams, finishing it out with two scoreless innings, allowing two hits, walking two, and striking out two. The only hitter in the Saints lineup to go hitless was newcomer Tony Kemp, but he also drew two walks and scored two runs. Holland scored four runs from the bottom of the order, while Keirsey Jr. (who couldn’t hit that homer), Fajardo, and Diego Castillo each had three RBI. Be sure to check out the box score to see all the strong offensive nights from Saints players! WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 0, San Antonio 1 Box Score It was a good old-fashioned pitcher’s duel in San Antonio Tuesday evening, with the teams combining for just nine total hits on the game. Combined they were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base. Wind Surge starter Jarret Whorff went the first 3 2/3 innings, allowing the only run of the game on three hits while striking out five. That run came in the bottom of the first inning when a two-out double scored a run all the way from first. The Wichita offense threatened with multiple baserunners in the third and fourth innings, but they weren’t able get the big hit to push a run across. Their only extra-base hit of the game came off the bat of Emmanuel Rodriguez in the fifth but was later thrown out at home to end the inning. Lefty Aaron Rozek finished off the rest of the game after Whorff, going 4 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out two. Rodriguez finished 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot. Noah Cardenas finished 1-for-3 and drew a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Beloit 4, Cedar Rapids 5 Box Score Looking to get back on track after a five-run and ten-hit outing his last time out, Andrew Morris took the hill for Cedar Rapids at home. He recovered quite well, picking up his first win of the season with six shutout innings. He allowed five hits, walked one, and struck out five. The Kernels lineup struck first in the bottom of the fourth inning. A single from Danny De Andrade was followed by a hit-by-pitch to Jose Salas before they executed a double-steal, and a throwing error scored the first run of the game. Misael Urbina followed with an RBI, and it was 2-0 Cedar Rapids. In the bottom of the fifth Gabriel Gonzalez hit a double in front of the fourth home run of the season from Rubel Cespedes for a 4-0 lead. Later in the inning, De Andrade singled, stole another base, and scored on a Salas single for the five-run lead. The bullpen almost lost Morris his chance at a win, when Juan Mendez came in for the seventh. Before it was over, he was charged with four earned runs on three hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning. Gabriel Yanez escaped further damage and added a scoreless eighth inning. Ricardo Velez closed the door in the ninth to pick up his second save. Cespedes (2-for-4, R, HR (4), 2 RBI, BB), De Andrade (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 SB (4)), and Urbina (2-for-4, RBI, 2 K, 2 SB (4)) each had two hits in the win. Salas, De Andrade, and Urbina each had two stolen bases. MUSSEL MATTERS Palm Beach 0, Fort Myers 1 Box Score. This game was almost a carbon copy of Wichita’s game down in San Antonio, right down to the total time of game at two hours and six minutes. But at least in this one, the good guys came out on top. Both teams combined for just nine hits, went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position, and left 10 men on base. The Mighty Mussels got five dominant innings from left-hander Ross Dunn, who allowed just two hits, walked one, and struck out eight. 58 of his 77 pitches went for strikes (75%), including 15 swinging. Samuel Perez (2 IP, H, K) and Julio Bonilla (2 IP, H, K) each added two scoreless frames out of the bullpen. In the bottom of the fourth the Mighty Mussels did threaten after a two-out double from Jose Rodriguez, but he was thrown out at home on a single from Poncho Ruiz to keep the game tied. With the score still 0-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Brandon Winokur did whatever he could to give his team, and Ruiz, another chance. He led off the frame with a single, stole his fourth base of the season to put himself in scoring position, and Ruiz came through with another single to walk it off for Fort Myers. Ruiz finished 2-for-3 with a walk and the game winning RBI. Maddux Houghton added a double to the effort. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Ross Dunn, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (5 IP, 2 H, BB, 8 K) Hitter of the Day – The St. Paul Saints (13-for-34, 15 R, 3 2B, 2 3B, HR, 15 RBI, 10 BB, 8 K, 2 SB) PROSPECT SUMMARY #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) – 2-for-4, 2B, K #4 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-3, R, 2B (5), BB #6 – David Festa (St. Paul) – 3 1/3 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 5 K #7 – Austin Martin (Minnesota) – Scored the winning run (pinch ran in the 9th) #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, R, 2 K #11 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 0-for-4, K #12 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-3, BB, 3 K #13 – Kala’I Rosario (Wichita) – 1-for-4, 2 K #15 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 SB (4) #16 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K #19 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-4, 2 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CST) – RHP Joe Gunkel (0-2, 6.39 ERA) Wichita @ San Antonio (7:05 PM CST) – RHP Travis Adams (1-1, 7.71 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP John Klein (0-0, 3.75 ERA) Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – RHP Jeremy Lee (1-1, 2.63 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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I agree that this would actually be my argument around this topic, not that they are good or bad at developing.

They let his pitch count get up to 70 his last time out, but he didn't get more innings than the prior two starts (where his pitch count was 50) because he walked a bunch of hitters. If all goes well he can certainly get to 5 or more moving forward.

Definitely a bad night for the system. But I think this take is a bit unfair from a global perspective. Ronny Henriquez, Matt Bowman, and Ryan Jensen have been good. There is David Festa (a 13th round draft pick) and Brent Headrick (9th round) who are having success thus far. Randy needs to get back some consistency, for sure. That was his calling card when he first came up. It was something like 250 innings between giving up more than 4 runs in any game. I know you are looking for bigger success story than these, but they have gotten results (at times) from players like Randy Dobnak, Louie Varland, Bailey Ober, etc... and despite the perception, none of these guys were drafted nearly as high or had the same initial talent that those guys you're thinking of from the Guardians. The Twins have Joe Ryan (7th round), Ober (12th round), and Varland (15th round) in their rotation right now. The Guardians beginning of the year rotation had a fifth rounder (Tanner Bibee), second rounder (Logan Allen), round 1 CB (Triston McKenzie), and a fourth rounder (Shane Bieber, now injured) included. I don't view this as the same type of success or failure.

Chris Paddack being roughed up in the majors for the Minnesota Twins was a bad omen for the entirety of the system on Tuesday night. Of the 12 pitchers who made an appearance in the minors, just three of them went unscathed. Only a rainout in Wisconsin was able to limit the damage. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily (photo of Will Holland) TRANSACTIONS The Minnesota Twins recalled OF Trevor Larnach from the St. Paul Saints before he even appeared in a game for them after rehabbing with Fort Myers. In somewhat demoralizing news, he swapped roster spots with that OF Matt Wallner, who was optioned to make the room. The Saints also activated RHP Austin Schulfer, who made his first appearance of the season in Indianapolis. Down in the Midwest League, the Cedar Rapids Kernels transferred RHP Alejandro Hidalgo from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day. Hopefully that doesn’t signal the end of his season as he deals with a shoulder injury. The Mighty Mussels placed SS Yohander Martinez on the 7-day IL, and were assigned RHP Julio Bonilla from the FCL roster in his place. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Indianapolis 10 Box Score The Saints jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a half-inning as Diego A. Castillo led off the game with a triple, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. followed with a triple of his own. Right-hander Randy Dobnak got the starting nod and surrendered the tying run in his first inning. He ended up finishing four innings and was charged with five earned runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out three. He ran up a high pitch count, throwing 79 with just 45 going for strikes (57%). Before Indianapolis’ three-run third inning, the Saints went back ahead in the top of the second after Anthony Prato led off with a single, moved to third on an errant pickoff attempt, and scored on a sac fly from Tanner Morris. They tied the game at four in the fourth thanks to RBI singles from Will Holland and Keirsey Jr. The offense added two more runs in the sixth for their final total, when Holland drilled his second home run of the season. Relievers Michael Boyle (1 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB) and Josh Staumont (1 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 K) also got roughed up a bit by the Indianapolis offense. Scott Blewett (1/3 IP, 2 H, K) and Austin Schulfer (1 IP, K) finished off the game for the Saints. Castillo (3-for-4, R, 3B, SB), Keirsey Jr. (2-for-5, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 K), Morris (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB) and Holland (2-for-3, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, BB, SB) had multiple hits in the loss. Anthony Prato finished 1-for-4 with a run scored and another walk, giving him 13 in 12 games so far this season, as his OBP sits at .490 thus far. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 15, Wichita 4 Box Score Rafael Marcano made the start for the Wind Surge and made himself work a bit for his results for the first three innings, which included just one run allowed but also four walks and a few errant pitches. It caught up to him in the fourth, when he was lifted after walking the first two hitters of the frame. They both came around to score, leaving him charged with three earned runs in three-plus innings. He allowed one hit, walked six, and struck out four. Wichita took a 2-1 lead after the third inning after Jake Rucker led off with his first home run of the season. Alerick Soularie followed with a walk, stole second base, and advanced to third on a throwing error from the catcher. Two batters later Ben Ross brought him in with a sac fly. The offense went cold in the middle innings, as the Wind Surge fell behind 9-2 through seven. Those other six runs were charged to right-hander Scott Engler (2 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K) and Taylor Floyd (2 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 3 BB) in those innings. The Wind Surge offense added two runs in the eighth after Emmanuel Rodriguez led off with a walk before Andrew Cossetti and Kala’i Rosario clubbed back-to-back doubles to make it 9-4. Miguel Rodriguez couldn’t escape a drilling either, allowing six runs (3 earned) on six hits to finish off the game’s final two innings. He struck out two. Wichita’s lineup was led by Rucker, who collected two other hits in the game in addition to his homer. Emmanuel Rodriguez drew two walks in five at-bats and scored a run. He has reached base in every game so far this season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (Postponed – Rain) Another week, another series being played at a stadium I’ve had the pleasure of visiting in my minor league baseball watching travels. Unfortunately, the Kernels series opening matchup with the Timber Rattlers on Tuesday was postponed due to the same rainstorms that hit the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The game will be made up tomorrow as part of a doubleheader beginning at 12:10 PM with Andrew Morris scheduled to be on the bump in Game 1, followed by Zebby Matthews in Game 2. MUSSEL MATTERS Jupiter 7, Fort Myers 4 Box Score The Mighty Mussels defense had a big of a rough day, committing three errors that led to three unearned runs, all of which were charged to starting pitcher Ty Langenberg. Other than that, Langenberg was solid enough, finishing five innings and allowing two earned runs in addition on three hits and one walk, while striking out four. Fort Myers scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning when Isaac Pena singled and came around on a double from Rayne Doncon that made it 3-1 Hammerheads. The bullpen duo of Samuel Perez (2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H BB, 2 K) and Danny Moreno (2 IP, H, 3 K) finished out the game for the Mighty Mussels. Down 7-1 in the seventh, Maddux Houghton led off the inning with a single, then three batters later scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Pena. That was Pena’s only plate appearance in this one that didn’t result in a hit or walk, but he still reached base in each at-bat after starting the season in a 1-for-23 slump. In the eighth inning, the offense added two more runs to their final tally after Brandon Winokur led off the inning with a double, scored on a Poncho Ruiz groundout, and later a wild pitch allowed Rafael Cruz to scamper home. Pena (3-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB), Doncon (2-for-5, 2B, RBI, K), and Houghton (2-for-3, R, 2B) each had two hits in the loss. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Danny Moreno, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (2 IP, 1 H, 3 K) Hitter of the Day – Will Holland, St. Paul Saints (2-for-3, 2 R, HR (2), 3 RBI, BB, SB (3)) PROSPECT SUMMARY #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) – 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 1-for-5, R, 2B, 2 K #13 – Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) – 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K #16 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 1-for-5, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Indianapolis (11:05 AM CST) – RHP David Festa (0-0, 2.16 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (12:05 PM CST) – RHP Jarret Whorff (0-0, 2.25 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (Game 1: 12:10 PM CST) – RHP Andrew Morris (0-0, 0.90 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (Game 2) – RHP Zebby Matthews (1-0, 1.80 ERA) Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CST) – LHP Ross Dunn (0-0, 2.57 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

This was a really good performance. You are not wrong with your observations. BaseballSavant is very fun to look at for this outing. 13 swings and misses total, and threw only 11 pitches it tracked as true 4-seamers, that averaged 95.6 MPH. (other FB varieties included sinkers and cutters) Biggest one for me, was the 16 changeups that induced 9 swings and misses 👀

"On the weekends in Triple-A, they do the ABS Challenge system, which I really like. If a batter, catcher or pitcher question a call (usually by tapping their helmet). I was told in Friday night’s game only one pitch was challenged. On Saturday afternoon, there were 13 pitches challenged. Once, three consecutive pitches were challenged. However, the review is so quick that is hardly slows down the game." Was there Saturday, too. And I also loved how this works, as it was the first time I'd seen it in-person. With that being said, this was a really rough one for the umpire. In the third inning Saints hitters and the Cubs catcher were basically trading challenges on every pitch 🤣 There were 4 challenges while the Saints were up, 2 from each. All four calls were overturned. Our count got up to 6 pitch challenges in a row that were all overturned. The teams clearly knew the umpire had a terrible zone and were taking advantage of it, because there were several scenarios where I was thinking "why would you even bother challenging that pitch?"

Just one of those games, then!

General consensus I have gotten as well, though he apparently has a really good arm. I was watching the Wichita game last night, so I didn't see any of these plays, but wonder if he airmailed it on the throws trying to do a bit too much.

I wanna say it was in April, and I don't remember Gallen or Arozarena in any game I went to. Jack Flaherty was one of the other pitchers I remember at some point, though! Edit: this would have been in 2017, but I also went there for extended periods in the years prior, too. If they were in town I'd try to go to 1 or 2 games a trip if it worked out. I see now one of my favorite places to stop after the game, Ebbets Field Sports Bar, is closed ☹️ Was a pretty cool place, which was a house transformed into a bar smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood a few blocks from the stadium and my hotel (University Plaza, for anyone curious). That last year I had been there they had upgraded to add a sweet patio in the "backyard." Springfield Brewing and Mothers Brewing are still around, though! 😊

Just one affiliate was able to pick up a victory on Tuesday night, but hitters you should recognize in St. Paul, Wichita, and Fort Myers had big hits in their games. The Kernels played at home for the first time this year, with Twins Daily’s Seth Stohs in attendance. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Jair Camargo) TRANSACTIONS The Twins sent LHP Caleb Thielbar and RHP Josh Staumont on rehab assignments with the St. Paul Saints. In other organizational moves yesterday that included LHP Brent Headrick being placed on the 7-day IL with a forearm strain and the recalling of IF Jose Miranda to the Twins, OF Walker Jenkins was also placed on the 7-day IL with a hamstring strain down in Fort Myers. I don’t know if that’s better or worse than something caused by running into the wall, but I digress (sigh). SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 9, St. Paul 7 Box Score Right-hander Caleb Boushley made his second start of the season for the Saints on Tuesday, and unfortunately, the Cubs were ready for him. Consecutive doubles opened the game to start the scoring, and they added another run for a 2-0 lead after a half-inning. Back out for the second, the visiting team continued their onslaught with three home runs and four more tallies on the scoreboard for a 6-0 lead. Boushley settled down a bit with two scoreless frames after that, and his offense picked him up a bit in the fourth. Michael Helman led off the bottom of the fourth with his first home run of the season to put the Saints on the board. Patrick Winkel followed with a walk before Jair Camargo cashed both of them in with a home run of his own, his second of the season. This one left his bat at 103.5 MPH and travelled 405 feet. Not to be outdone, Yunior Severino decided to then go back-to-back, launching his first bomb of the season and the Saints were back in it at 6-4. Boushley came back out for the fifth inning and allowed a leadoff double and an RBI single, but did record two outs before reaching his pitch count. Michael Boyle was the first reliever summoned, and he promptly gave up a two-run homer for a 9-4 Iowa lead. Boushley’s final line included eight earned runs on 10 hits, while striking out seven. The rehabbing Caleb Thielbar pitched a scoreless sixth inning, allowing one hit, walking one, and striking out one. Josh Staumont walked one in a scoreless seventh and topped out at 98.0 MPH, before Ronny Henriquez finished off the game for St. Paul with two scoreless innings, including two strikeouts. Not to go quietly into the night, the Saints did get a rally going in the ninth. Yoyner Fajardo led off with a single and moved to second on a single from Helman two batters later. My “Tuesday-Hero,” Chris Williams was then summoned to pinch hit, but went down swinging. Camargo plated a pair with a single of his own to make it 9-7 and bring the tying run to the plate, but last year’s minor league home run champ, Severino, grounded out to end the game. Camargo (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI, BB, 2 K) and Helman (2-for-5, 2 R, HR, RBI, K) led the way for the offense with multiple hits. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Springfield 6 Box Score Always love when the Wind Surge visit Springfield, as I long for the days in my past when my job brought me there quite regularly. The hotel I would stay at was just two blocks away from Hammons Field, and if I wasn’t already at the ballpark, could get limited views of the action out my room’s window (yes, I made sure to switch rooms if mine wasn’t facing that way, or enough floors up, hah!). Got to watch Sandy Alcantara pitch there once, before he really was the next “big thing” or thought of as a future Cy Young contender. I remember the Cardinals losing that game. Thanks for letting me reminisce, but onto this one. Left-hander Jaylen Nowlin got the nod for the Wind Surge and as per usual, was a bit effectively wild. He completed five innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and a pair of walks, while striking out three. Of his 80 pitches, just 45 went for strikes. Wichita took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning after Jake Rucker reached base on an error and Emmanuel Rodriguez launched his first home run of the season to dead center with a flick of his wrists. Seriously, this swing is incredible to me that he got this much behind it. Unfortunately for the Wind Surge, they had to deal with the rehabbing St. Louis Cardinals fan favorite, Lars Nootbaar in this one. In the bottom of the sixth, his two-run single (that also got away from right-fielder Carson McCusker due to its velocity) gave the home team more insurance runs than they would need, going ahead 5-2. Nootbaar finished just 1-for-4, but scored two runs in addition to that hit to break the game open. Reliever Sheldon Reed was on the receiving end of that Nootbaar hit, as well as one other run, allowing three total (two earned) on four hits and one walk in his two innings. He struck out three. Taylor Floyd finished the game for Wichita with a scoreless eighth, walking one and striking out one. Rodriguez led the way out of the leadoff spot with two hits in four at-bats. Kala’i Rosario added a double to the effort. As a team the Wind Surge had only five hits, and just one at-bat with runners in scoring position on the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Dayton 7, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score Darren Bowen got the starting nod for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in their 2024 home opener, and he and the home crowd were greeted with a leadoff home run after a long at-bat to start the game. Such a buzzkill. In the bottom half of the first however, his lineup got it back for him. Ricardo Olivar drew a two-out walk and was able to score from first on a Danny De Andrade double to tie the game at one. Bowen delivered a scoreless second inning before running into bigger trouble in the third. Top 100 prospect Cam Collier of the Reds organization singled into right field to score one, and a throwing error allowed him to reach second base before a triple drove in two more for a 4-1 Dragons lead. Bowen would finish 2 1/3 innings, allowing five earned runs on four hits and one walk, while striking out two. Brian Dinkelman, the reigning Minor League Manager of the Year, said of his starter, "He's got some good stuff. He gave up that leadoff home run after a long at-bat, but then he settled in nicely. He ran into a little trouble in the third with the walk and hit by pitch, a couple hits after that. First start, probably get some nerves out of the way, probably a little nervous, new organization too. I think his stuff looks like it'll play. He'll get some guys out. We'll get him back out there next week and go back at it." The Kernels closed the lead to one in the bottom of the fifth when a Misael Urbina single was followed by the first home run of the season from Rubel Cespedes to make it 4-3, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the way. Relievers Jack Noble (1 2/3 IP, BB, K), Juan Mercedes (1 2/3 IP, H, ER, BB, K), Gabriel Yanez (1 1/3 IP, H, BB, 2 K), Jacob Wosinski (1 IP, H, R, K), and Juan Mendez (1 IP, H, K) all pitched at least one inning to finish out the game. The manager said, "Early in the season, you're just trying to get guys into games. All those guys who threw tonight, it was their first outing of the season. Try to get them into a game, get their feet underneath them, not let them sit there too long. Get them all in the game. Keep them fresh. Now they can think about it and get ready for their next outing. In the bottom of the ninth Jay Harry hit a solo home run to make the final of 7-4. "Fastball up and in. Right into his barrel and he drilled it out of here. Good swing by Jay. He grinds at the plate, that's for sure, and makes it tough on pitchers. That's good to see." Cespedes led the way with three hits in four at-bats, including a double, a homer, two RBI, and a run scored. "He put together some good at-bats together and the ball comes off of his bat pretty good." Urbina reached base twice in for plate appearances. The Kernels will look to pick up their first win of the season tomorrow with 2023 standout Zebby Matthews on the hill. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Clearwater 4 Box Score No Walker Jenkins. No problem for the Mighty Mussels as they improved to 3-1 on the season with a series opening victory in Clearwater. Starter Cesar Lares went the first 4 2/3 innings, being charged with three earned runs on four hits, a pair of walks, and five strikeouts. Down 1-0 in the top of the third, Rafael Cruz got the inning started with his first double of the year. Angel Del Rosario moved him to third with a single before stealing his first base of the season. Cruz scored on a Byron Chourio ground out, before Rayne Doncon put the Mussels out front 2-1 with a sac fly. Over the next two innings the Threshers got those runs back plus one against Lares and reliever Nolan Santos (1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) to take a 4-2 lead, but the bullpen shut them down from there. Danny Moreno picked up the win with two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out two. Kade Bragg picked up his first career save with a one-two-three ninth, including a strikeout. Those pitchers were able to show up in the box score like that thanks to a two-run triple from Brandon Winokur in the sixth inning and the go-ahead sac fly from Doncon, his second of the game, in the eighth. Del Rosario scored two runs and stole two bases from the nine-spot in the lineup, while leadoff man Chourio scored a run, drove in one, and drew two walks. Taking a queue from their MLB parent club, the Mighty Mussels struck out 16 times in the game, but at least put the bat on the ball when it mattered to pull out the victory. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Ronny Henriquez, St. Paul Saints (2 IP, 2 K, retired all six hitters) Hitter of the Day – Jair Camargo, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, 2 R, HR (2), 4 RBI, BB, 2 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) – 2-for-4, R, HR (1), 2 RBI, K #4 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, 3 errors #7 – Austin Martin (Minnesota) – 2-for-3, 2 2B #10 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI, 3 K #11 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 0-for-4 #12 – Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-4, 3 K #13 – Kala’I Rosario (Wichita) – 1-for-4, 2B, 2 K #15 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, K #16 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 1-for-4, R, HR (1), RBI, BB, K #19 – Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-3, R, BB, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CST) – RHP Randy Dobnak (1-0, 2.35 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Jarret Whorff (0-0, -.-- ERA) Dayton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Zebby Matthews (0-0, -.-- ERA) Fort Myers @ Clearwater (5:30 PM CST) – RHP Ty Langenberg (0-0, -.-- ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! In addition, if you have questions about the Kernels roster, Seth has been to a whole one game, so he'd be happy to answer with some initial thoughts. View full article

I have often been more on the side of having the human element, but we are getting to the point now with the technology where we can see the negative impacts on games. I still don't think the ABS system is reliable enough, and from articles I've read talking with MLB executives and the companies that make the technology they acknowledge this to be the case (i.e.: it's not more accurate than umpires are), but it is getting closer and closer. I am actually a big fan of one of the challenge systems that has been used in some leagues (I don't think triple-A is using this version, yet. The Futures Game had it), which is the hitter or catcher makes an immediate challenge. This doesn't slow the game down at all. The ump has to wait like 5 seconds for confirmation, and off they go again. I think they are allowing 3 challenges per game, but I'd rather see something like 3 strikes (incorrect challenges) and you're out (I actually think 2 would be a better number for this, but it doesn't fit my my baseball-themed description 🤣).

Isola was the DH in this one. Agree that it's fun to see development paying off, though I'd rather see this on the pitching side when it comes to triple-A!

Simeon Woods Richardson took the mound for the St. Paul Saints in their series opener against the Nashville Sounds, with a tornado watch looming in the background. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Simeon Woods Richardson) TRANSACTIONS At Triple-A, the Saints activated SS Tanner Morris, and in a corresponding move assigned SS Dalton Shuffield to Wichita. As an injury update, IF Luke Keaschall will begin the season in a limited role for Cedar Rapids: SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Nashville 5 Box Score After a bit of rough 2023 season that saw Simeon Woods Richardson be one of the Twins’ first callups to make a start on April 22, only to never make another one as his velocity backed up, Tuesday’s start for the righthander was the turning of a page on his development. Still just 23 years old, it is foolhardy to completely give up on him (David Festa is 24, as an example), but it is important for him to get back the stuff that once made him a top-100 prospect. So far, so good. Woods Richardson held the Nashville Sounds scoreless through five innings, allowing three hits, walking two, and striking out four. He kept his pitch count down through the first four frames, but then ran into a bit of trouble in the fifth after starting with a pair of strikeouts. He ended up throwing 73 pitches, with 46 of them going for strikes (63%), including a healthy 14 swinging. But most importantly, his fastball sat 92-94 MPH, topping out at 95.1, which is quite an improvement from last year when he was consistently throwing below 90. I’ll be keen to keep an eye on this moving forward and as he is on the 40-man roster, he is one of the top options for the Twins to recall when a need pops up. The Saints lineup was kept off-balance for the first five innings by Aaron Ashby, who has made 23 starts in the bigs with the Brewers, though he did not pitch for them in 2023 as he dealt with a torn labrum that required surgery. They finally got to him in the sixth. Will Holland led off the frame with a walk, stole his first base of the season, then was driven in by a single off the bat of leadoff man Michael Helman for a 1-0 lead. José Miranda followed with a single of his own, his second knock of the game, before the thunderstorm halted their momentum and put the game into a delay. When play resumed over an hour later, Jair Camargo made it 2-0 with an RBI single, and DaShawn Keirsey followed a few batters later with an RBI single of his own. Before the inning was over, Alex Isola added a sacrifice fly and the Saints had a 4-0 lead. Jordan Balazovic came on in relief of Woods Richardson for the bottom of the sixth, and quickly gave back two of those runs. He allowed two hits and two walks in his lone inning. Hobie Harris came on for the seventh and worked a scoreless frame, striking out two. Back out for the eighth, things went off the rails. A leadoff single was followed by his third strikeout, before a walk put the go-ahead runner in the batter's box and they ended his appearance with a three-run homer for a 5-4 Nashville lead. Scott Blewett came on and retired the next two hitters to end the inning and the Saints needed a comeback. Keirsey led off the inning, but went down via strikeout. Pat Winkel pinch-hit for Isola and fared the same. Down to Yoyner Fajardo, he, too, couldn't catch up with the 95+ MPH fastballs they were facing, also striking out to end the game. Miranda led the way for the offense with two hits in four at-bats and a run scored. Keirsey added a single and stole his second base of the season. As a team the Saints did not have an extra-base hit, went 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position, and left four men on base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Simeon Woods Richardson, St. Pail Saints (5 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K) Hitter of the Day – José Miranda, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, R, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #7 – Austin Martin (Minnesota) – Pinch ran for Carlos Correa in the 9th. #16 – Yunior Severino (St. Paul) – 0-for-3, BB, 2 K #20 – Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) – 5 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Nashville (6:35 PM CST) – RHP Caleb Boushley (0-0, -.—ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

Wondering if an old Town Team teammate of mine has seen this, as he is now the Director of Gameday Experience for the Twins. 🤣

10+ years after my own ACL, surgery, and there is still a very noticeable difference in my quad muscle on my good leg vs that one. However, I am not a professional athlete nor a gym person, so that's perfectly explainable 🤣 Rehabbing got it to a point where it wasn't noticeable in function, so I say whatever. I don't play the outfield or without my knee brace in softball anymore though, just in case, hah.

Love all the thoughts in this comment, but I just wanted to single this one out, because it is one I think rings true. A little bit more aggressiveness I think could pay off for Rodriguez. I'd definitely call him a passive hitter, and while that's led to incredible walk numbers, it is also the reason the strikeouts remain high. Will be interesting to follow this season for sure!

Camargo has been, historically, very good at controlling running games, with a 40% caught stealing percentage while in the Twins system. He's certainly not Christian Vasquez when it comes to defense/framing/etc... (also remember, triple-A has been using ABS), who you ignore is on the Twins with the last comment and was very good defensively last year, but Camargo is a perfectly fine option for a 3rd catcher.

Definitely this. In last years I predicted there wouldn't be very many, as the year before had 13 debuts!!! BUT, Lewis and Wallner actually debuted in 2022. They just got a lot more run in 2023. My interesting stat: WAR of 2022 debuts (13 players): 2.7 WAR of 2023 debuts (4 players): 3.1