Steve Lein

In Tuesday’s action, a former major-league pitcher looked to continue his re-ascension in St. Paul, an up-and-comer shoved again for Wichita, and high school draft picks from earlier this summer stood out in Fort Myers. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Pierson Ohl) TRANSACTIONS After his brief promotion to Triple-A, RHP Carlos Luna was assigned back to the Wind Surge on Tuesday. C David Banuelos was activated from the injured list for Wichita, while C Frank Nigro was transferred to the development list. Down in Fort Myers, RHP Matt Gabbert was assigned to the Mighty Mussels from the FCL, and C Dillon Tatum was also activated. RHP Johnathan Lavallee was released. SAINTS SENTINEL Indianapolis 8, St. Paul 5 Box Score Randy Dobnak has been on quite a run for the Saints lately, and he looked to continue that this week in a pair of starts against Indianapolis. To say it didn’t go his way in this one, would be an understatement, but it was not because he was bad. What I want you to focus on if you click that box score, is the fact he made it through four innings, and not that he allowed 11 hits in them. Because those 11 hits were mostly full of complete garbage that just found hole after hole or open grass. Even when he broke multiple hitter’s bats, they ended up going for hits. It was kind of upsetting. All that said, it still led to the Saints being down 7-1 after his outing was finally finished. Six of those went in the book as earned runs. He also walked three batters and struck out four. The Saints scratched across a run in the first inning. Andrew Stevenson led off the game by drawing a walk and stole his 39th base of the season. Kyle Garlick drove him in with a double. In the bottom of the sixth, Brooks Lee sent a liner past the center fielder, and ended up with his first triple with the Saints. Trevor Larnach drove him in with a sacrifice fly. In the eighth inning, Lee added another sacrifice fly that made it 8-3. Out of the bullpen, the Saints got two scoreless innings from Austin Brice after Dobnak’s exit. He walked one and struck out one. Cody Laweryson (2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, K), Kody Funderburk (1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 K), and Austin Schulfer (1 IP, 1 H, K) completed the final three innings. In the bottom of the ninth, the Saints managed to get the tying run in the batter's box, but it wasn’t meant to be. Jair Camargo drew a one-out walk. Austin Martin sent his third home run with the Saints onto the berm in left field to make it 8-5. A pair of walks brought Lee to the plate, and he took a big hack to try and tie it up, but ended up grounding out to first before Trevor Larnach went down to end the game. The Saints cobbled together just five hits in the game. They were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and left only seven men on base. Stevenson reached base three times in five at-bats. Martin played in left field and had an outfield assist. WIND SURGE WISDOM Springfield 2, Wichita 5 Box Score Alex Isola and Patrick Winkel ambushed the Cardinals starter in the bottom of the first with back-to-back jacks for an early 2-0 lead. Isola’s blast was his third home run in his past four at-bats. Fresh off an eight-inning outing his last time out, starter Pierson Ohl was solid again in this one. He picked up his fifth win with a quality start. In six frames, he allowed two earned runs on just three hits and one walk. He punched out six. In three August outings, Ohl has a 1.35 ERA in 20 innings, going 3-0 and striking out 15 compared to just two walks. The Wind Surge added some insurance for their starter in the third inning with a two-out rally. The bash brothers from earlier, Isola and Winkel, started it by drawing a walk and knocking a single, respectively. Aaron Sabato then stepped in and launched his eighth home run of the season to make it 5-0 Wichita. Denny Bentley came on for the seventh inning and added two scoreless innings of relief. He allowed just one hit and struck out one. Miguel Rodriguez picked up his first save with a scoreless ninth. He worked around a pair of hits by striking out one. The three (Isola), four (Winkel), and five (Sabato) hitters for the Wind Surge combined to go 7-for-10 with all five runs scored, a double, three home runs, and all five RBI in this one. The rest of the lineup came up with just two hits in their 22 at-bats. Yoyner Fajardo stole his 41st base of the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 1, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score The Kernels got strong pitching performances from Kyle Jones and Jarret Whorff to keep the Timber Rattlers at bay most of the game. Jones got the starting nod and went the first four innings. He allowed just two hits, walked three, and struck out three in four scoreless innings. Whorff went the next three frames to pick up the win. He gave up just one hit, one walk, and struck out three. Cedar Rapids took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning thanks to Jorel Ortega’s seventh home run in the Midwest League, and 13th overall of the season. The home team made it 3-0 in the fifth after Carson McCusker’s fourth Kernels home run and an RBI groundout from Ben Ross. The Kernels finished off their scoring in the eighth when Noah Cardenas drew a walk with the bases loaded. They could have broken the game open then, as there were no outs and all four hitters had reached base, but the next three went down in order. Malik Barrington picked up his second save by finishing the final two innings. He allowed one run on three hits and struck out three. In the leadoff spot, Noah Miller went 2-for-4 with a double and scored a run. Ross drew two walks and scored a run. In addition to his home run, Ortega also drew two walks. Emmanuel Rodriguez and Midwest League RBI leader Kala’i Rosario both finished 1-for-4. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 9, Palm Beach 2 Box Score Starting pitcher Juan Mercedes delivered a solid five innings to pick up his second win of the season. He allowed no runs, scattered six hits, and struck out three in five scoreless innings. The Mighty Mussels took the lead in the top of the second thanks to Danny De Andrade, who led off with a single, stole second base, and scored on a single from Rubel Cespedes. They added a pair of runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to extend their lead to 5-0. Ricardo Olivar drove in two with a single in the fifth. Alec Sayre drove in one run with a bases loaded ground ball in the sixth, and Cespedes scored the second on a wild pitch. Wilker Reyes contributed three innings from the bullpen. He was charged with the Cardinals two runs on five hits, and struck out four. Ricardo Velez finished off the game with a scoreless ninth. He allowed one hit and struck out two. Fort Myers tacked on four runs in the ninth for an extra cushion. With the bases loaded, Nate Baez delivered a two-run single, and a third run scored on an error. Kyle Schmidt then drove in Baez to cap the scoring. Jay Harry (2-for-5, R, 2B, K), De Andrade (2-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 SB), and Baez (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K) each had multiple hits. Luke Keaschall added a double, a walk, and scored two runs in four at-bats. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 7, FCL Braves 11 Box Score The Braves jumped all over Twins pitching early, and put enough distance between them to hold off a comeback from the Twins. Starting pitcher Eduardo Soriano was only able to record three outs, pitching into the second inning but not recording an out. He surrendered five runs (four earned) on four hits, a walk, and struck out one. Julio Bonilla came on and recorded six outs, but didn’t fare much better on the scoreboard. He allowed four runs on three hits and four walks. He did strike out four. Down 9-0 heading into the sixth, the Twins finally broke through. An error and singles from Isaac Pena and Walker Jenkins loaded the bases for Brandon Winokur, and an RBI groundball got them on the board. Harold Grant then cashed in the other two runners with a single to make it 9-3. In the seventh. a pair of walks preceded a pair of doubles from Endy Rodriguez and Winokur that made it 9-6. In the top of the ninth Walker Jenkins blasted his second home run as a pro, a solo shot to give the Twins their final tally on the scoreboard. Relievers Sean Mooney (1 IP, 2 K), Jefferson Lopez (3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K), and Miguel Olivares (1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB) accounted for the rest of the innings from the pitching staff. Jenkins (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI), Winokur (2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI, K), and Grant (2-for-5, 2 RBI, K) led the way on offense with multiple hits. Winokur also had an outfield assist. Anderson Nova added a double. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Angels 7, DSL Twins 1 (7 innings) Box Score Right fielder Jayson Bass went yard for the Twins in the bottom of the fourth inning, but that was basically it for the offense on the day. They collected just four hits as a team, were 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position, and left only two men on base for the game. They also didn’t draw a single walk. If there was a positive, they struck out only five times, so they were putting the ball in play. Carlos Silva, Ewing Matos, and Javier Roman each had a single to account for all of their hits. On the mound Leonardo Lugo got ambushed in the first two innings, but pushed through to finish three frames with a one-two-three third inning. He was charged with six runs (five earned) on eight hits and a pair of walks. He struck out one. Reynel Garcia added two scoreless and hitless innings in relief of Lugo, then Eider Machuca (1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K) and Oscar Paredes (1/3 IP) finished off the shortened seven inning contest. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Pierson Ohl, Wichita Wind Surge (W, 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) Hitter of the Day - Aaron Sabato, Wichita Wind Surge (2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY We have again updated our top 20 prospect list. Check out the full list here and how they performed on Tuesday below! #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, R, 3B, RBI, K #2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL Twins) - 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (2), RBI #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, K #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, R, HR (3), 2 RBI #8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 2 K #9 - Brandon Winokur (FCL Twins) - 2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI, K #10 - Luke Keaschall (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, K #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2 K #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2 K #17 - Danny De Andrade (Fort Myers) - 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 SB (14) #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 1-for-5, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CDT) - RHP Louie Varland (7-0, 4.03 ERA) Springfield @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Travis Adams (2-8, 6.24 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Christian MacLeod (4-0, 3.86 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Ben Ethridge (2-5, 2.34 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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Walker JenkinsBrooks LeeEmmanuel RodriguezMarco RayaDavid FestaCharlee SotoAustin MartinConnor PrielippTanner SchobelLuke KeaschallBrandon WinokurYasser MercedesSimeon Woods RichardsonJordan BalazovicBrent HeadrickKala'i RosarioYunior SeverinoCory LewisMatt CanterinoNoah Miller

Walker JenkinsBrooks LeeEmmanuel RodriguezMarco RayaDavid FestaCharlee SotoAustin MartinConnor PrielippTanner SchobelLuke KeaschallBrandon WinokurYasser MercedesSimeon Woods RichardsonJordan BalazovicBrent HeadrickKala'i RosarioYunior SeverinoCory LewisMatt CanterinoNoah Miller

Winokur is going to be an interesting one to follow. He's a big kid already, and he's only 18 so I suspect he's going to get even taller. I like that he plays SS and the athleticism is definitely there, but in terms of the position, he's pretty much already outgrown it (think Oneil Cruz on the Pirates, the tallest SS in major league history at 6'7"). So a few of things he has no control over working against him there, but he's playing in the outfield already too. Definitely a great start!

He's been like that the entire season. Can definitely point to it as a contributor to struggles this season. This start was actually one where he was doing enough right for it not to matter, until they put him out for the sixth inning. I was watching the entire game and thought 100% he was, or should have been, done after the fifth. In that 6th he hung a couple changeups that went for the home runs.

R & B of MSP?!

Yup, wasn't saying it was great, and the more balls you allow to be put into play, the worse. But saying everything was "well hit" against Keuchel just wasn't true. Again, 4 of the Diamondbacks hits didn't even exceed 65 MPH. This is definitely who Keuchel is, but he's also been in the past, and so far with the Twins, one who succeeds despite this deficiency. If the Twins get this Keuchel more than they don't, it's a success, in my opinion.

To be quite blunt, looking at velocity only on the batted balls like this and using the data to say stuff was well struck, is not the reality. A line drive at 90 MPH is much different than a ground ball at 90 MPH. One is going to look good, the other is going to look routine. Launch angles play a role too, and is why there is this thing called "barrels" associated with exit velocity/launch angle. You point out 13 hits that you classify as "well hit," when in actuality, only 6 would be classified as barrels, while at least 10 of them would go into the "poorly hit" category. I'm not saying giving up 6 barrels is great, but it's a lot better than you're making it out to be. He also gave up four singles that didn't leave the bat at higher than 65 MPH. As a comparison in this game, Zac Gallen, arguably the far better pitcher, also gave up 4 barrels on 14 balls in play. This is my way of telling you each pitcher gave up the exact same percentage of barrels on ball in play.

I think the ABS system is playing a role in the hitters, for sure. For example, the average OPS in the league in 2022 was .750. This year it is .801 (The bats lead the league at .881, Saints are at .827). On-Base-Percentage is also up universally by about 20 points (.358). For comparison, average OPS and OBP in the majors this season is .733 and .320, respectively. So an "average" triple-A hitter this season is basically putting up All-Star numbers for the majors with how it has worked out. Hope Manfred is paying attention. If he wants more offense/action, this very likely is the way. At least should highly consider using the challenge-system version.

It took a lot for me to not mention what McAdoo did to their pitchers last night, so I'll add what the game summary from the Mussels said: "The performance marked the first time a Florida State League hitter notched six hits and drove in eight this year. Moreover, he set the Marauders franchise record for hits in a game." Absolutely monstrous performance!

Totally missed that. Has speed and the smarts too, apparently!

Not that anything was particularly difficult in the game yesterday, but Martin seemed to handle CF just fine. He has also only been playing the OF for the past few weeks.

The St. Paul Saints came home to face the Louisville Bats and one of their top prospects on Tuesday. It was also the first time Brooks Lee, Yunior Severino, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. got to play in front of their home fans. They were joined by a former top prospect on a rehab assignment. They combined to bash the visiting team into submission. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis) Despite all that action in St. Paul, the Wind Surge also got perhaps their best starting pitching performance of the season, The Mighty Mussels racked up a bunch of hits, and a high school draftee went yard again in the FCL to lead his team to victory. Also, Chris Williams loves hitting on Tuesday’s… TRANSACTIONS After the big promotions last week from Wichita, the St. Paul Saints got even more star power for their lineup in the form of a rehabbing Royce Lewis. He batted second and played third base on Tuesday. SAINTS SENTINEL Louisville 4, St. Paul 14 Box Score While the story for the home town fans was certainly Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee suiting up for the Saints on Tuesday, they had a tall order in front of them from an on-paper perspective. That’s because they were facing the 2023 minor league strikeout leader and Cincinnati Reds number five prospect (according to MLB Pipeline), Connor Phillips. Promoted to Triple-A before July, Phillips had been lights out with the Louisville Bats in six starts, compiling a 1.95 ERA in 27 2/3 IP, including 32 strikeouts. He didn’t even finish the second inning. That’s because St. Paul's lineup made him work, tossing 52 pitches in his 1 1/3 innings, with just 25 for strikes. He recorded strikeouts on the first two hitters of the game, but like my eyes peeped watching on MiLB.tv (highly recommend if you’re still looking for a baseball fix, and/or are not able to watch the Twins), the lineup figured out he could only throw a slider with two-strikes and didn’t have command of his fastball to make anything else work. He ended up walking three, and allowing five earned runs on three hits, including allowing his first home run at Triple-A to Trevor Larnach in the second inning. It was Larnach's 10th with the Saints. Yunior Severino also launched his first Triple-A home run, and 25th of the season, in the third inning which made it 7-0 Saints early. Both home runs cleared the home run porch in right field, flying 460+ feet. (of note, the next time he came up Bats pitcher Randy Wynne quite obviously plunked Severino in retaliation and was ejected for it) Royce Lewis also had no intention of going unnoticed in the first game of his rehab assignment, launching his fifth Triple-A home run of the season in the fourth after a sac fly in the second. He finished 1-for-4 with two RBI. The Saints really broke it open in the fifth inning after the Wynne ejection and the bases became loaded. Austin Martin delivered an RBI single for one, before Chris Williams delivered a grand slam to make it 13-1. The Saints even got a solid outing from Simeon Woods Richardson, keeping the top hitting team in the International League at bay for most of his outing. Through five innings, Woods Richardson had allowed just one run on two hits and three walks, and maybe should have been pulled at that point with the big lead. Back out for the sixth, he recorded two more outs, but got tagged with two home runs to dampen his stat line. He struck out three in his 5 2/3 innings, picking up his fourth win of the year. Austin Schulfer delivered 1 1/3 scoreless relief innings, walking one and striking out two. Cole Sands finished off the final two frames, allowing two hits and notching four strikeouts. Martin finished 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, a double, RBI, walk, and his seventh stolen base. Williams was 2-for-4 with a walk and five RBI. Larnach also collected multiple hits and finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in addition to the homer. Anthony Prato clubbed a double in two at-bats, drew three walks, scored three runs, and drove in one. Brooks Lee picked up his first hit at CHS Field in front of the home fans and finished 1-for-5. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, NW Arkansas 2 Box Score The Wind Surge got a dominant effort from their starting pitcher, Pierson Ohl, on Tuesday, who very well could have gone the distance with 84 pitches (61 strikes) after his eight innings. He allowed just one run in the first inning, scattered seven hits, and struck out four on the night. Wichita pounced for two runs in the top of the first to give almost all the run support he would need to pick up his fourth win. Yoyner Fajardo led off the game with a single, stole his 35th and 36th bases, and scored the first run on a groundout from Alex Isola. A Seth Gray RBI single later scored Tanner Schobel, who drew a walk, for the early 2-0 lead. Dalton Shuffield added a sacrifice fly in the sixth, Fajardo an RBI double in the seventh, and Willie Joe Garry Jr. RBI triple in the eighth accounted for all five of the Wind Surge runs. Fajardo (2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI, 3 K), Aaron Sabato (2-for-3, R, 2B, BB, K), and Garry Jr. (2-for-4, 2 3B, RBI, 2 K) had multiple hits in the win. Miguel Rodriguez pitched the ninth inning, and surrendered one earned run on one hit. He struck out two batters. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Quad Cities 7 Box Score Cedar Rapids hit the road eastward to the Quad Cities area, renewing the in-state rivalry for their series this week. While the Kernels sit atop the Midwest League West Division standings and the River Bandits the bottom, you can usually throw any of that info out when these teams face off. Case in point, Tuesday’s shutout of the visiting team. The Kernels drew seven walks as a team, but combined those with just two hits in the game. They were both doubles (from Ben Ross and Kyler Fedko), but came with nobody on base. As a team they were just 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and left nine men on base. Zebby Matthews made the start for Cedar Rapids and made it through 4 1/3 innings. He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and a pair of walks. He struck out six batters. Two home runs allowed did most of that damage. The bullpen trio of Niklas Rimmel (1 IP, H, 2 ER, 3 BB, K), John Stankiewicz (1 2/3 IP, 3 K), and John Wilson (1 IP, H, K) worked the rest of the game. Emmanuel Rodriguez finished 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Jorel Ortega was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. In addition to his double, Kyler Fedko also drew two walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Bradenton 13, Fort Myers 9 Box Score The Mighty Mussels got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first on Danny De Andrade’s eighth home run of the season that made it 2-0. They went up 4-2 in the second after an RBI-double from Maddux Houghton and a wild pitch that later allowed him to scamper home. Unfortunately, that was the last lead they held the rest of the game. Fort Myers starter Jose Olivares finished the first four innings and got a lot of swings and misses, but was tagged for five runs (four earned) in his time on the mound. He gave up four hits, walked two, and struck out nine. Samuel Perez was charged with three earned runs on two hits and three walks in his 2/3 of an inning. Johnathan Lavallee (1 1/3 IP, H, 3 BB, K), Wilker Reyes (2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 4 K), and Develson Aria (1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K) finished out the game for the Mighty Mussels, with the same type of results as Olivares. The 18 K’s from the staff pitching were impressive, but paired with 10 walks and 13 hits, you end up with a result like this. The lineup added a pair of runs in the eighth inning when De Andrade led off with a single and advanced to second on an error. A groundout from Rubel Cespedes brought him home before Jay Harry’s second double of the season gave them six on the scoreboard. In the bottom of the ninth down 13-6, they added a few more runs but fell short of an epic comeback. A pair of walks preceded put runners on for De Andrade, who drove them both in with a double. Rafael Cruz then scored De Andrade with a single for the final score. De Andrade (3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) and Cruz (4-for-5, 2B, RBI) had multiple hits to lead the offense. Each other hitter had one knock, and they totaled 14 hits as a team in the loss. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Pirates 2, FCL Twins 3 Box Score Twins starter Eduardo Soriano delivered a scoreless first inning, but some walks caught up with him in the second. He finished 1 2/3 innings and was charged with two runs (one earned) on one hit and four walks. He struck out three. In the bottom of the second, the Twins put together a two-out rally thanks to some walks of their own. After loading the bases, Andres Centeno delivered a two-RBI single to tie the game. In the third, Brandon Winokur raced around the bases for an inside-the-park home run to make it 3-2. It was his second home run in nine games. That would be all the Twins needed, as the bullpen shut down the Pirates from there. Julio Bonilla (W, 3 1/3 IP, H, BB, K), Jeferson Lopez (H, 3 1/3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K), and Miguel Olivares (2/3 IP, BB, 2 K) all delivered scoreless outings and as a staff the Twins held the Pirates to just two hits in the game. Walker Jenkins followed Winokur’s blast with a single in the third and finished 1-for-3. Daniel Pena added the Twins' only other hit. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Giants Orange 6, DSL Twins 6 (suspended in the bottom of the fifth) Box Score The Giants and Twins were only able to get through four-plus innings on Tuesday before the game was suspended, but in that time there was a lot of action. Starting pitcher Reynel Garcia got the short end of the stick because of his defense in the first, being charged with three unearned runs on only one hit. Oscar Paredes had a one-two-three second inning, before Adrian Bohorquez gave the bulk of the pitching work. In 2 2/3 innings, he allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits. He also struck out five. Jose Ojo got the final out of the fifth before the game was suspended. The Twins scored two in the first after loading the bases on a Junior Del Valle two-run single. They added three more in the third on a Moises Lopez double to score Dameury Pena, Jesus Peraza ground ball to score Lopez, and a wild pitch that allowed Carlos Silva to score. They scored their sixth run in the fourth when Pena and Del Valle each clubbed a double. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Pierson Ohl, Wichita Wind Surge (W, 8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 4 K) Hitter of the Day - Chris Williams, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, 2 R, Grand Slam, 5 RBI, BB) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) -1-for-5, K #2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL) - 1-for-3 #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-for-4, 2 K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 3-for-3, 2 R, 2B (6), RBI, BB, SB (7) #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 K #12 - Luke Keaschall (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, R, BB, K #13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL) - 1-for-4, R, HR (2), RBI, K #14 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - W, 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 earned) 4 BB, 3 K #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, K #17 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 K #20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 0-for-3, 2 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - RHP Randy Dobnak (4-5, 4.33 ERA) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Carlos Luna (1-7, 5.54 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CDT) - RHP Kyle Jones (5-4, 4.52 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - TBD DSL Reds @ DSL Twins (makeup of 7/26 postponement) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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I would argue they have the perfect situation for him to make starts. Go 6-man, or have him pitch the days they skip someone. It's obvious to me the starting staff is wearing down at this point. Which is not uncommon, but what was their strength early isn't so much anymore.

I don't disagree, but it was a point of emphasis being made on the broadcast.

Good organizational depth. 24-year old getting his first action at the double-A level this year. He has stood out in a quite a few of my reports this year I feel like, hitting .300 with 30 steals, but is another lefty corner outfielder, lacking some thump.

It's definitely past time, in my opinion. Along those lines, the Dallas Keuchel thing just confuses me to no end.

While there were likely some jitters from prospects throughout the Minnesota Twins farm system as the MLB trade deadline loomed, especially looking back on last year, there ended up not being any drama to worry about. The Kernels broke off some lug nuts and Wichita didn’t get drilled in their home stadiums, but the Saints did get clipped on the road. A couple of 2023 draft picks also were promoted. Image courtesy of William Parmeter, MIghty Mussels (photo of Jorel Ortega) TRANSACTIONS 2023 Draftees, 2B Luke Keaschall and SS Jay Harry were assigned to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels from the FCL Twins, and made their Low-A debuts. RHP Devin Kirby, signed on July 27th, was assigned to the FCL Twins. The burly (5-10, 220 pounds) right-hander signed with the Twins after spending the past two seasons at the University of Connecticut. This season, he went 7-1 with a save and a 4.35 ERA in 25 relief appearances. In 49 2/3 innings, he walked 11 and struck out 43 batters. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Columbus 15 Box Score Andrew Stevenson led off the game with his 13th home run of the season, and Jair Camargo followed in the second with his 15th long ball. They also had left-hander Brent Headrick on the mound, so things were looking good early for the Saints on the road. In the bottom of the second, Headrick gave back that early lead as four hits and a sac fly tied the game at two, but it could have been worse. With the game still tied going into the bottom of the fifth, it got worse. The first nine hitters of the inning reached base, with Headrick being lifted after five of them. His game ended after four-plus innings pitched in which he allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and three walks. He struck out three. The Clippers ended up scoring eight total runs in the fifth to take a 10-2 lead, and it didn’t get much better from there. Relievers Austin Brice (1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K), Patrick Murphy (1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, K), and Cody Laweryson (1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER) all got tagged for runs as well. Austin Schulfer managed to finish the game with a scoreless inning. He gave up one hit, one walk, and struck out one. Down 15-2 in the ninth inning, the Saints did find some life, but it was too little too late. Anthony Prato drew a walk to start the frame, Trevor Larnach moved him to second with a single, and Kyle Garlick drove him in with a double. Mark Contreras added an RBI single in front of an RBI double from Austin Martin. Tony Wolters added a sac fly and Martin was able to score after an error to make the final of 15-7. Larnach was the only hitter in the lineup with multiple knocks, as he finished 2-for-5 with a run scored. As a team the Saints were 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position, but left only five men on base for the game. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 1, Wichita 3 Box Score David Festa took the bump for the Wind Surge in Tuesday’s series opener against the Tulsa Drillers, still building back up his stamina after appearing in the Future’s Game over All-Star Weekend. In the first, he worked around a pair of singles and a walk by striking out three batters. He tossed perfect innings in the second and third innings. In the fourth, a single and a walk around another strikeout put an end to his outing after 63 pitches. In total, he went 3 1/3 innings, gave up three hits, two walks, and punched out six. The Wichita lineup gave him some early run support, as a DaShawn Keirsey Jr. double in the first was followed by a Yunior Severino single for a 1-0 lead. In the second, Tanner Schobel led off with a walk before Yoyner Fajardo launched his fifth home run of the season. From there, it was all about the pitching from both sides. Isaac Mattson contributed 1 2/3 scoreless innings after Festa’s exit. He walked one and struck out two. Regi Grace was charged with one run (unearned) in his 1 2/3 innings. He gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out one. Denny Bentley struck out two in an inning of work, before Francis Peguero recorded the final four outs without allowing a run. Fajardo led the offense with a two-hit night, including the home run, while Brooks Lee contributed his Texas League leading 31st double of the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Lansing 9, Cedar Rapids 12 Box Score Both teams had big innings throughout the contest, but Cedar Rapids was really in control throughout. They built an 8-1 lead after two innings, and every time the Lugnuts got close, the Kernels had an answer. A Jorel Ortega double in the bottom of the first put them in front 2-0 early, and then they tacked on a bunch more in the second. Ben Ross had a two-run triple and Ortega added his fifth home run in the six-run frame. Starting pitcher C.J. Culpepper didn’t have his best outing, but the lineup had his back plenty. In four innings, he surrendered five runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks. He struck out four. Alejandro Hidalgo came on for the fifth and went the next 1 1/3 innings. He was hit for three earned runs on four hits and two walks, and struck out one. Mike Paredes (2 1/3 IP, H, ER, BB, 2 K) and Miguel Rodriguez (1 1/3 IP, H, BB, K) were then able to stabilize the later innings. Rodriguez picked up his 13th save. Cedar Rapids got a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run single from Noah Miller. He finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, three RBI, and a walk out of the leadoff spot. Joining him with multiple hits in the game were Ortega (2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, SB) and Misael Urbina (2-for-4, 3 R, 2B, BB). Ross, Andrew Cossetti, and Mikey Perez also each scored two runs. Emmanuel Rodriguez had a double, two walks, two RBI, and two stolen bases. It was a solid effort all around from the lineup that amassed 10 hits and 10 walks as a team. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Dunedin 4 Box Score The Mighty Mussels jumped out to an early lead against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, scoring three runs in the first two innings. Hernan Perez led off the game with a walk and moved to third base on a Danny De Andrade double. Luke Keaschall, making his Fort Myers debut, then gave them their first run with a sac fly. Later in the first, Rafael Cruz delivered an RBI single for a 2-0 lead. In the second, Perez singled, stole second base, and then scored on a Ricardo Olivar single. Keaschall added his first double in his next at-bat, but that was it for scoring on the game for the Mighty Mussels. Despite their 12 walks as a team, they finished just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 16 men on base. Starter Jose Olivares was solid for almost six frames, missing a quality effort by just one out, but as a consolation prize matched his career high longest outing. In his 5 2/3 IP, he allowed just two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk. He struck out four. After falling behind early, the Blue Jays chipped away all game, scoring single runs in each of the fourth, sixth, and seventh innings to tie it. Juan Mendez was hit with a blown save for his 1 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on one hit and one walk. Ricardo Velez came on for the eighth and struck out all three hitters he faced. Back out for the ninth, it was a leadoff walk that did him and the Mighty Mussels in. He got the next two outs, including another K, but a single was enough to bring that leadoff man in from second for a Dunedin walk-off. Olivar (2-for-4, RBI, BB) and Keaschall (2-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB, K, SB) had multiple hits in the losing effort. Dylan Neuse added a double. Jay Harry finished 0-for-3 with two walks in his Florida State League debut. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Orioles 6, FCL Twins 4 (7 innings) Box Score The Twins scored first in this one, thanks to the speed and hustle of Yasser Mercedes. Although he struck out to lead off the bottom of the first, the pitch got away from the catcher and he reached base. He then stole second, his sixth of the season, before Jose Rodriguez promptly drove him in with an RBI single and early 1-0 lead. The Twins starting pitcher, Eduardo Soriano, kept it that way until the fourth inning. He had retired nine in a row to that point, including five on strikeouts, before a walk to begin the top of the fourth. After a flyout, an error on shortstop Brandon Winokur opened the floodgates. A single, another walk, and six stolen bases later the Orioles had a 4-1 lead. Soriano came back out for the fifth, but another pair of walks put an end to his game after 4 1/3 innings. He ended up charged with all six Orioles runs (three earned) on one hit and four walks, and struck out six. The Twins added one run in the bottom of the fifth, and two in the sixth to make the final score, but couldn’t come all the way back. Daniel Pena and Cole Elvis delivered RBI doubles, and Poncho Ruiz added a sac fly. Pena (2-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB) and Andres Centeno (2-for-2, 2 BB) collected multiple hits. The bullpen duo of Kyle Bischoff (1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K) and Miguel Olivares (1 IP, K) finished the game for the Twins. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Twins 2, DSL Phillies Red 6 (7 innings) Box Score The Twins were ambushed by the Phillies Red squad and were never able to claw their way back into it. Starting pitcher Adrian Bohorquez was only able to finish one inning in this one, as the game was delayed by lightning before the top of the second. He was charged with two earned runs on three hits and a walk in his time on the mound. Eider Machuca took over when the game resumed and completed two innings. He allowed three runs (zero earned) on two hits and struck out four. Relievers Jose Betancourt (1 IP, 2 H, ER, K) and Luis Rincon (2 IP, H, BB, 2 K) finished off the final three innings. Heading into the seventh and final inning, the Twins lineup had just four singles and a walk to their ledger, but finally were able to put something together. Carlos Silva drew a one out walk and was followed by a double from Junior Del Valle to put runners on second and third. Javier Roman then delivered a two-RBI single to put them on the scoreboard. One out and a pair of walks later the Twins had the bases loaded with a slim chance to tie the game, but a pitching change put an end to their rally with a strikeout. Dameury Pena was the only hitter with multiple knocks, finishing 2-for-2. Moises Lopez stole his eighth base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Jose Olivares, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 earned) BB, 4 K) Hitter of the Day - Jorel Ortega, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, K, SB) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-4, 2B #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K, 2 SB #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, R, 2B #7 - David Festa (Wichita) - 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, K #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-for-1, R, 2 BB #11 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL) - 0-for-3, R, SB, K #12 - Luke Keaschall (Fort Myers) - 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB, K, SB #13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL) - 1-for-4, R, 2 K #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K #17 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, K #19 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - L, 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K #20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 1-for-5, RBI, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (3-5, 5.93 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Pierson Ohl Lansing @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Zebby Matthews (3-1, 4.74 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Jarret Whorff (2-2, 2.93 ERA) DSL Orioles Orange @ DSL Twins (completion of 7/17 suspended game) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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I'd look specifically at the Dodgers, without knowing if there's actually any success stories there off the top of my head. Despite all their winning (means not having high draft picks) and free-agent spending (meaning they also have been losing a lot of high draft picks, didn't pick until #36 this year), they consistently year-in and year-out still have one of the top farm systems (they also do really well internationally). Examples of what they did this year, as relevant to the discussion: Pick 190, SS Bryan Gonzalez from Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (HS), overslot by ~$100K Pick 250, OF Jaron Elkins, Goodpasture Christian School (HS), overslot by ~$210K Pick 550, LHP Sterling Patrick, South Hills HS, over"slot" by ~$200K For me, all of these guys are comparable to the two high-schoolers the Twins took with their last picks, in that they don't show up in any draft rankings, but are obviously liked by internal scouting departments. Even $400K can get these types to sign if you know your targets well enough.

I would trade Larnach for a rental in a heartbeat. The facts are, Larnach has had many opportunities, and never been able to run with it. Sure, you can blame a couple of injuries, but that doesn't change the fact that Matt Wallner has now surpassed him. He's redundant no matter what you think of his remaining potential to break out. Would love to get Hader for him. But I don't think Larnach alone gets that done either. The other idea I've kicked around is wondering if the Angels need a LHH. Swap Larnach for Jo Adell (but is injured at the moment).

Jenkins hasn't really been assigned anywhere yet, but I'd expect him to get at least 100 at-bats somewhere, starting perhaps next month. It almost assuredly will be on the FCL squad, as well as any of the other high school bats. The Twins haven't really sent HS pitchers to play much in the summer they are drafted, so I wouldn't necessarily expect Charlee Soto to make an appearance. Chase Petty pitched in 2 games after he was drafted, for a total of five innings. Most of the college draftees will get some run with the FCL squad to get acclimated, before moving onto Fort Myers or Cedar Rapids, depending mostly on their age and experience.

I was at spring training for an extended period before that season, and spent over a week watching games on the back fields. He was playing with the Beloit roster that included Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Kennys Vargas. It was a stacked lineup, and Sano and Rosario had battled for the Appalachian League home run title the year before and Kepler was on that team too. While I watched (think it was 5 games total),Kepler was, far and away, the best player on the team, and on the diamond period, every game while I was there. I still have my notebook around here somewhere. He clubbed line drives to all fields, ran like a deer, and was fantastic in the outfield. He made everyone else look slow. Then he didn't even play for Beloit that season, instead relegated back to Elizabethton where he broke out.