Steve Lein

I mean, if option 1 were to be enough to get him, there is no way option 2 is even close. But the fact I'm saying an immediate yes to either of them, says they're not even in the ballpark. That said, I'd trade pretty much anybody on the planet, and any combination of them, for Paul Skenes.

The lineup is still not hitting well-enough to win a playoff series. They're in the bottom third of MLB for OPS, and well-below the league average overall. Pitching can get them there, and it's great to have what they do, but those teams will have good pitching, too. And probably better hitting. Buxton and Wallner will help, but I'm not convinced that will be quite enough yet.

Well, can certainly make an argument. The three hit game is nice, but Miranda definitely hasn't been knocking down the door recently. That's why I say it was perhaps a good sign, but I'd need to see much more of that, personally. I am not too versed on LaViolette, but have seen a few notes about him recently. Like his batting average this season is significantly below the averages of first round hitters in the last 20+ years. I would bet our own @Jamie Cameron would have some better intel, though!

Has been primarily playing CF thus far, but that is because Walker Jenkins isn't around. More of a corner outfielder profile, that can slide to center when needed.

That's in there. Definitely a good sign for him. Is there something further you're implying?

Image courtesy of Wichita Wind Surge (Kyler Fedko) TRANSACTIONS Early week transactions in the system included the Cedar Rapids Kernels activating IF Rayne Doncon from the 7-day injured list, while RHP Juan Mercedes was released. The St. Paul Saints also placed IF Will Holland on the 7-day injured list. The only move on Tuesday was RHP C.J. Culpepper being sent on a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins from the Wichita Wind Surge roster. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Omaha 7 Box Score The rehabbing Matt Wallner led off this one with a bang, taking the third pitch of the game deep down the line in right. The Saints would build a 4-0 lead after three innings, as Jeferson Morales added a solo home run in the second inning, and Mickey Gasper and Jose Miranda traded places with doubles in the third, along with a sac fly from Edouard Julien, to score two more. Starting pitcher Cory Lewis worked around some trouble in the first two innings before getting a one-two-three frame in the third on just seven pitches to keep the Storm Chasers off the scoreboard. But he lost his command in the fourth inning and was removed before it was over. In his 3 2/3 total innings, Lewis ended up charged with three earned runs on five hits and four walks, while striking out three. He threw 75 pitches, with 45 of them going for strikes (60%). Jacob Bosiokovic got the final out of the fourth, before Randy Dobnak came on to begin the fifth. He got knocked around a bit in his first inning, allowing four runs to put Omaha in front 7-5. Dobnak finished 2 2/3 innings, allowing those four runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out two. Kyle Bischoff got the final four outs for the Saints, allowing one hit and striking out two. St. Paul was only able to score one more run after the third inning, when Miranda scored Gasper with an RBI single in the fifth. Miranda was thrown out at second on the play to end the inning, but Gasper was able to touch home before he was tagged out. Wallner finished 1-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk in addition to the home run. Gasper (2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB, K) and Miranda (3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) had multiple hits. MLB.com’s #10 overall prospect, Jac Caglianone, was recently promoted to the Storm Chasers in the Kansas City Royals farm system, and came into this one with five home runs in his first six Triple-A games. Saints pitchers had his number in Round 1 of this series, however, as he finished 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 0, Wichita 11 Box Score The Wind Surge scored early and didn’t let up, riding the hot bat of an outfielder who leads the Texas League in home runs after this one, including passing that top prospect of the Royals mentioned above. Kyler Fedko is his name, and he got this blowout started for the Wind Surge in the bottom of the first. With a runner on first base, he launched his ninth home run of the season the opposite way to make it 2-0 early. He made it 10 on the season in the bottom of the third with a solo shot to put Wichita up by three. He and the Wind Surge weren’t done there, but the pitching staff of the home team wasn’t about to be forgotten. Lefty Aaron Rozek got the starting nod, and was fantastic for the first five innings. He scattered just three hits and two walks, while striking out three. Pierson Ohl then matched that effort with three scoreless innings, allowing three hits, walking one, and striking out six. By that time the home team’s lineup had blown the game open. They scored six runs in the fifth, including an RBI single from Fedko, but the big hit of that inning was Aaron Sabato’s fifth home run of the season, a three-run shot that made it 9-0. Ricardo Olivar also contributed a two-run single in the inning. They tacked on two more in the sixth to make the final, as Rubel Cespedes delivered an RBI single and Olivar brought in another on a bases loaded double-play ball. Fedko finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored, the two home runs, a walk, and four runs batted in. For comparison sake, to give you an idea of just how good Fedko has been, remember that top prospect from the Royals? He had nine home runs and a .947 OPS in 38 games in the Texas League before being promoted. After this one, Fedko now has 10 bombs in 39 games, and leads the league in OPS with a .966 mark. Absolutely scorching start to the 2025 season for the 25-year old Fedko. Lefty Jaylen Nowlin closed out the ninth with a scoreless inning to keep the shutout intact. He gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out one. In addition to Fedko’s outburst, Cespedes (3-for-5, R, RBI) and Olivar (2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, K, 2 SB) contributed multiple hits. Tanner Schobel was 1-for-3 with a pair of walks and scored two runs from the leadoff spot. Kala’i Rosario and Noah Cardenas each drew three walks. On the visitors side, #OldFriend Noah Miller went 2-for-4 for the Drillers. KERNELS NUGGETS Lake County 4, Cedar Rapids 3 Box Score Cedar Rapids got a quality start from right-hander Tanner Hall, but it wasn’t enough to give the Kernels a victory at home on Tuesday. Hall completed six innings, with the score being 3-2 Captains upon his exit. He gave up those three runs on nine hits, while walking none and striking out two. He threw 83 pitches in the game, with 56 going for strikes (67%). The Kernels got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second when Danny De Andrade delivered a two-out triple. Caden Kendle made it count with an RBI single that put them in front 1-0 early. In the bottom of the fourth De Andrade did one better, sending his fifth home run of the season out to center field to tie the game at two. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Jose Salas got a rally started with a one-out double. A wild pitch and throwing error from the catcher then allowed him to score the game-tying run. Reliever Wilker Reyes came on for the top of the seventh after Hall was done, and was able to work around three singles for a scoreless inning. Back out for the eighth after the Kernels tied it, a leadoff walk followed by an error ended his outing and left him on the hook for the go-ahead run. Eston Stull was the next reliever summoned and he got a strikeout before a balk put that run 90-feet away. A fielder’s choice out at home kept the game tied for another batter, but a walk and a wild pitch gave Lake County the lead. Reyes (1+ IP, 3 H, ER, BB, K), Stull (1 1/3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K), and Paulshawn Pasqualotto (2/3 IP, H, K) finished off the final three innings for the home team. The Kernels got to the top of their lineup up in the bottom of the ninth after a leadoff single from Kendle, but weren’t able to advance him past first base. Nate Baez (2-for-4, 2B), De Andrade (2-for-4, 2 R, 3B, HR, RBI), and Kendle (3-for-4, 2B, RBI, K) picked up multiple knocks in the loss. Kyle DeBarge was 1-for-5, but stole his Midwest League leading 25th base of the season in his 25th attempt. MUSSEL MATTERS Bradenton 3, Fort Myers 6 Box Score Lefty Michael Carpenter got the starting nod for the Mighty Mussels and pitched into the fourth inning. A pair of singles and a wild pitch led to a Marauders run in the first, then an error and a triple in the second plated two more. But that would be all Bradenton could manage the rest of the way. Carpenter pitched a scoreless third and recorded one out in the fourth before giving way to the bullpen. He was charged with all three runs (two earned) on seven hits, no walks, and struck out three. Fort Myers got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second thanks to the bat of the recently-signed Luke Napleton. His first professional home run made the score 3-2 after two. Relievers Jakob Hall (W, 3 1/3 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K) and Jacob Kisting (S, 2 1/3 IP, H, 2 K) combined to shut out the Marauders the rest of the way. The Mighty Mussels big inning came in the sixth once the Bradenton bullpen came into play. The rehabbing Payton Eeles got the hitting started with a one-out single, and he trotted home on a Jose Rodriguez homer, his sixth of the season. Miguel Briceno and Maddux Houghton followed by trading places with doubles, and Yohander Martinez scored their fourth run of the inning with an RBI single. Houghton (2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, K) and Napleton (4-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI) collected multiple hits in the win. Eeles batted second, played second base, reached base twice in four trips to the plate, and stole a base. COMPLEX CHRONICLES Monday: FCL Twins 1, FCL Pirates 2 (7 innings) Box Score The Twins outhit the Pirates 6-5 in their game on Monday, but the squad wearing yellow and black was the only one that had some go for extra bases, leading to a one-run win. Hendry Chivilli started the game for the Twins and pitched into the third inning. He allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks in his 2 1/3 innings, striking out one. Liam Rocha pitched the next 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. Leonardo Rondon went the final two innings and was hit with the loss after allowing one run on two hits and a walk, while striking out two. Twins hitters were led by Luis Fragoza, who finished 2-for-3. Bryan Acuna (1-for-3, BB, K), Ricardo Paez (1-for-3, R, K), Victor Leal (1-for-3), and Irvin Nunez (1-for-3, RBI) had the other hits. Nunez’s single in the fifth was the team's third in a row, leading to their lone run. Tuesday: Game 1 - FCL Orioles 2, FCL Twins 8 (7 innings) Box Score In their regularly scheduled contest on Tuesday, right-handed pitcher C.J. Culpepper made his first appearance of the season to begin his rehab assignment with the FCL Twins. He gave up a single to the first hitter he faced, then hit the second one with a pitch, but that pretty much got the nerves out of the way. He struck out the next four hitters he faced and finished two scoreless innings. Will Ambruester came on to begin the third inning, and went the next three. He allowed two earned runs on three hits, while striking out two to pick up the win. Sebastian Pulido went the final two innings to pick up the save, giving up one hit, walking two, and striking out three. The Twins scored a run in four of their six at bats, including multiple in three of those. Eduardo Beltre singled and stole second base in the first, before Daiber De Los Santos brought him in with a single for their first run. Three more singles in the third led to two more runs and a 3-1 lead. Multiple errors and three walks added two more in the fourth, before the Twins and capped the game with three runs in the sixth, punctuated by a two-run single from Isaac Pena. Beltre (2-for-3, 3 R, 2 SB) and De Los Santos (2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB) picked up multiple hits in the win. Game 2 - FCL Orioles 9, FCL Twins 8 (7 innings, makeup of 5/12) Box Score All four of the Twins pitchers in this one got hit around a bit, as the Orioles gave the Twins a bit of their own medicine from game one in the morning. Yoel Roque got the start and went the first 1 1/3 innings. He was charged with two earned runs on three hits and a walk, but did strike out three. Miguel Cordero went the next 2 2/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking out two. Anderson Ramos came into the game for the fifth with the Twins leading 5-4, but would get tagged with a blown save and the loss after recording only two outs. He surrendered four runs on three hits and a walk, but both of his outs did come via the K. Ruddy Gomez finished out the final 2 1/3 innings for the Twins, giving up just one run of his own on two hits and a walk. He struck out one. The Twins did score first in this one thanks to a two-run homer from Ricardo Pena in the first, his first of the season. They added a single run in the second thanks to an error, and took a 5-4 lead in the fourth thanks to three walks in the frame, an error, and a wild pitch. Down 9-5 going into their final at bat, the Twins did their best to mount a rally. A pair of two-out singles brought Carlos Silva to the plate, and he clubbed his first home run of the year to make it 9-8. But that was as close as they would get. Irvin Nunez (2-for-2, 3 R, 2 BB) and Silva (1-for-1, R, HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB) reached base in all four of their plate appearances in the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Pierson Ohl, Wichita Wind Surge (3 IP, 3 H, BB, 6 K) Hitter of the Day – Kyler Fedko, Wichita Wind Surge (3-for-4, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they performed on Tuesday. #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K #6 – Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, K #9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-3, BB, K #11 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, SB (25) #12 – Cory Lewis (St. Paul): 3 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K #14 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita): 0-for-4, 2 R, BB #15 – C.J. Culpepper (Rehab w/FCL Twins): 2 IP, 2 H, 4 K #16 – Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins): 2-for-5, 3 R, BB, K, 2 SB (7) (2 games) #17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita): 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, SB (5) #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, K, 2 SB (4) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Omaha (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (1-0, 1.50 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Ricky Castro (0-3, 6.04 ERA) Lake County @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Jose Olivares (0-1, 4.71 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Dylan Questad (1-2, 5.08 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

He was getting bad calls in this one, too. This was the most egregious to me, but there were multiple others I noted as well.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Connor Prielipp) TRANSACTIONS There were no new transactions in the system on Tuesday ahead of the affiliates series opening games. SAINTS SENTINEL Norfolk @ St. Paul, Postponed (Rain) The opening game of their series against the Tides was postponed on Tuesday as the Minneapolis-St. Paul area was mired in rain. It is the 12th game the Saints have had postponed on the season. This one is scheduled to be made up as part of a doubleheader at CHS Field on Thursday. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, San Antonio 5 Box Score Top pitching prospect Connor Prielipp was tapped to start the series opener for the Wind Surge, and he looked every bit the part in his 3 2/3 innings. Prielipp has been on a strict pitch count of about 50 so far on the season, and reached exactly that number in this one. 36 of those went for strikes (72%), while by my count he induced 12 swings and misses and hit 97 MPH on the San Antonio radar gun. He struck out two Missions hitters in each of his first three innings, though the home team was able to get him for a run in the second with a double and a single for a 1-0 lead. The Wind Surge got that run back in the top of the third when the first three hitters of the inning reached base to load the bases. A Rubel Cespedes ground ball went for a double-play that limited the damage, but this did allow the tying run to score. In the bottom of the fourth Prielipp retired the first two hitters of the inning, but gave up a solo home run to end his day. In all, Prielipp allowed three hits, two earned runs, and struck out six. He gave way to John Klein who went the next 3 1/3 innings. He allowed a solo home run himself, two other hits, a walk, and struck out three. Down 2-1 to begin the seventh, Noah Cardenas led off with a single to put the tying run on base. A Ben Ross single and walk to Tanner Schobel loaded the bases, and with two outs Kyler Fedko cashed them in with a bases clearing double to put the Wind Surge out front 4-2 and stay hot. John Stankiewicz kept them in front with a one-two-three eighth inning, including two strikeouts, before Jarret Whorff was summoned to close it out in the bottom of the ninth. A pair of singles and a sac fly tied the game at four, but a flyout gave Whorff a chance to salvage extra innings. Instead, a double into the right-field corner walked it off for the Missions. The Wind Surge got three hits from Tanner Schobel batting in the leadoff spot, and he also scored two runs, drew a walk, and had an injury scare on a collision in shallow center, but stayed in the game. Ricardo Olivar drew three walks and stole a base. The visitors were just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, but had done enough to steal game one before the San Antonio rally. Gabriel Gonzalez went 1-for-4 in his first game in double-A. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Fort Wayne 1 (5 innings) Box Score The Kernels matchup with the TinCaps started with a delay, and ended after another one, but they made it through five innings so it was made official. After the initial delay, Kaelen Culpepper got it started with a bang, sending the first pitch of the game over the left-field fence for his fifth home run of the season. Tanner Hall made the start on the road, and worked around some trouble through four innings to pick up his second win of the season. He allowed one unearned run on three hits and three walks, striking out two. Samuel Perez came on for the fifth and worked a one-two-three inning, striking out two. The lineup for the Kernels extended their lead to five with a four run fourth inning. Brandon Winokur got it started with a 113.5 MPH triple and scored on an RBI single from Nate Baez. Khadim Diaw drew a walk before Caden Kendle brought in another run with a double. A walk from Jaime Ferrer loaded the bases, and a groundout and single from Culpepper would each bring in a run to put them out front 5-0. The TinCaps run versus Hall came in the bottom of the fourth and gave the final score before the rain cut things short after five innings were complete. Culpepper led the way for Cedar Rapids going 2-for-3 with the home run, two-RBI, and his eighth stolen base on the season out of the leadoff spot. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Lakeland 13 Box Score Right-hander Adrian Bohorquez took the pill for the Mighty Mussels on Tuesday, but unfortunately it was the wrong prescription. The Tigers bludgeoned him for eight earned runs in just 1 2/3 innings. He gave up four in the first, and four in the second on five hits and three walks. He struck out two. Jakob Hall came on in the second and stabilized things some, but it was already too little, too late. In his 4 1/3 innings, Hall was charged two earned runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out five. Tyler Stasiowski gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits in his lone inning of work. He struck out two. Fort Myers got on the scoreboard in the top of the second inning thanks in part to an error from Lakeland. Daniel Pena drew a walk, but was forced out on a grounder from Jose Rodriguez. The double-play throw from second went wide and Rodriguez moved to second, however. Miguel Briceno then brought him in with an RBI single that made it 4-1 at the time. They added two more runs in the fifth when the rehabbing Payton Eeles led off with a single. Two batters later Yasser Mercedes drilled a double into left to score Eeles, but Rodriguez would get run down trying to take third. Singles from Poncho Ruiz and Pena around a wild pitch scored the second run of the inning. That would be it for the Mighty Mussels offense. Despite matching the Tigers with 11 hits on the game, the home team was the only one that was able to string them together in bunches. Hunter Hoopes got the final inning and was the only one to come out unblemished. He retired the side in the eight, striking out two. Dameury Pena (2-for-5, K) and Ruiz (2-for-4, R, 2B, K) were the only Fort Myers hitters with multiple knocks. Maddux Houghton also contributed a double. Eeles played the first five innings in left field, and finished 1-for-2 with a run scored and a walk in the fourth game of his rehab assignment. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Braves 4, FCL Twins 5 Box Score The Braves ambushed Twins starter Yoel Roque in the top of the first, who was only able to record one out before they went reaching into their bullpen. The first batter was retired on a flyout, but the next four all reached base (three singles and a walk) for the first run of the game. Will Armbruester then came on and allowed all three inherited runners to score as the Braves went ahead 4-0 after the top half of the game. Armbruester went on to retire the next six hitters he faced to complete 2 2/3 innings. He allowed two hits in the first, but nothing else, and struck out two. Sebastian Pulido pitched the fourth inning and also set them down one-two-three, picking up a K in the process. In the bottom of the fifth the Twins lineup finally broke through after a leadoff double from Irvin Nunez. Bryan Acuna promptly brought him home with an RBI single to make it 4-1. Miguel Cordero came out of the bullpen to start the fifth inning and went the final three innings, retiring all nine hitters he faced to continue the trend. He struck out five and Ambruester, Pulido, and Cordero combined to set down the final 19 Braves hitters in the game after they scored four in the opening frame. The Twins took the lead in the sixth thanks to a two-out rally. Jayson Bass led off with a walk before Ricardo Pena and Ricardo Paez were both retired. Then Victor Leal was hit by a pitch and Nunez drew a walk to load the bases. A wild pitch scored the first run of the inning and Acuna drew another walk to reload the pond with ducks. Eduardo Beltre then cleared them with his first double of the season to put them up 5-4. Cordero picked up his first win of the season thanks to the late comeback. Acuna (1-for-3, R, RBI, BB), Pena (1-for-2, BB), and Nunez (1-for-2, R, 2B, BB) each reached base twice in the win. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Connor Prielipp, Wichita Wind Surge (3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 K) Miguel Cordero, FCL Twins (W, 3 IP, 5 K) Hitter of the Day – Kaelen Culpepper, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, SB) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Tuesday. #5 – Connor Prielipp (Wichita): 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 K #6 – Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-3, R, HR (5), 2 RBI, SB (8) #9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-3, R, 3B (1), K #11 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-3, 2 K #14 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita): 1-for-4 #16 – Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins): 1-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, K #18 – Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers): 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, K #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 0-for-2, 3 BB, 2 K, SB (2) WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLES Norfolk @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - RHP Cory Lewis (1-3, 9.27 ERA) Wichita @ San Antonio (7:05 PM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (2-1, 3.94 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Fort Wayne (5:35 PM CDT) - RHP Jose Olivares (0-1, 5.19 ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM CDT) - LHP Michael Carpenter (0-2, 7.45 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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MacLeod was injured to start the season, so his time in Fort Myers were rehab appearances. He made a spot start with the Saints last year, so he pitched at 3+ levels just like Matthews and Morris. Probably getting the bump here again to fill in for whatever is going on with Festa. I would expect he goes back to Wichita until at least the midsummer, unless he doesn't because of performance, haha. He's only thrown just over 50 innings in double-A. I had him in my "Dark Horse" section for making an MLB debut this year. I like what I've seen of MacLeod a lot, but he doesn't necessarily have the "stuff" that other guys have. He's only 88-92 with his fastball, which means he'll need to work a bit harder than others to improve his control and command where it needs to be.

I mean, that's not what the math says if your numbers are correct above, but I'll agree the pace is "better."

Absolutely you can compare these seasons and the players in this way, but your originating statement is shown here to be quite a stretch to make. That was a great season for Severino. McCusker is certainly having a great one this year, and I would agree, even arguably better in some ways. But you can pretty much insert the Spiderman pointing at Spiderman meme here.

I mean, Severino led all of the minor leagues in home runs in 2023... 😉

Image courtesy of David Malamut (photo of Jose Salas) TRANSACTIONS The only move in the system on Tuesday was the Minnesota Twins sending RHP Michael Tonkin on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints. The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels were busy on Monday however, as C Luke Napleton and LHP Brennen Oxford were signed out of the Atlantic League and assigned to their roster. They joined RHP Ruddy Gomez who was promoted from the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Iowa 4 Box Score Jose Miranda led off this one with a single for his first hit since returning to the Saints lineup. He and Edouard Julien, who drew a walk, came around to score on a double from Mike Ford for an early 2-0 lead. Starter Andrew Morris promptly gave those runs back with three singles and a double in the bottom of the first, but like he has been doing so far on the season, went on to work around threats to limit damage in each of his next four innings. He did so by inducing three inning ending double-play balls, and in total was charged with three earned runs. This was somewhat miraculous as he gave up nine hits and two walks in his five innings, while striking out just one. The Saints added two runs in the top of the fifth after a Mickey Gasper single and Julien double brought up Carson McCusker. It wasn’t a(nother) home run, but his double off the center field wall was enough. They added single insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings to keep their lead intact. A walk to Emmanuel Rodriguez and his fourth stolen base put him in scoring position. Ryan Fitzgerald then brought him in with a double that made it 5-3 in the sixth. In the seventh it was a Julien double followed by a ball hit so high into the air by McCusker that the defense lost sight of it, and it fell harmlessly just outside the infield grass for an RBI single and three-run lead. That lead held up as the bullpen trio of Jacob Bosiokovic (IP, 2 K), Richard Lovelady (2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 3 K), and Brady Feigl (IP) held the Cubs to just one run over their four innings. Morris picked up his first win of the season, while Bosiokovic and Lovelady picked up holds, and Feigl his second save. The middle of the Saints lineup did most of the damage. Gasper (2-for-5, R, K), Julien (2-for-3, 3 R, 2 2B, 2 BB), McCusker (3-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI, K), and Ford (2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 K) collected nine of their 11 hits in the game. WIND SURGE WISDOM Arkansas 6, Wichita 5 Box Score The Wind Surge lineup got to work quickly in this one, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first for an early lead. Tanner Schobel led off with a double, and Ricardo Olivar promptly brought him in with an RBI single. After Olivar stole second base, Kala’i Rosario delivered a single to bring him home for a 2-0 lead. Starting the first game of their series with the Travelers at Equity Bank Park in Wichita, was right-hander Trent Baker. He faced the minimum through two innings thanks to a double-play ball in the second, but Arkansas got him for a two-run homer in the third to tie the game at two. Those were Baker’s only runs allowed, as he went on to finish five innings, exiting the game with the Wind Surge up 3-2. He gave up four hits, walked none, and struck out five. Wichita took that lead in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to catcher Noah Cardenas. He smoked a full-count pitch onto the berm in left field for a solo home run. They added a run in the seventh after Ben Ross led off with a single. He came around to score on a triple from Tyler Dearden to make it 4-2. Reliever Mike Paredes came on to start the sixth inning and delivered two scoreless frames. Back out for the eighth, it went sideways with two outs. A single, double, walk, and another single tied the game at four before he got out of it. In all, Paredes was charged with two runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out three. Wichita went back out front in the bottom of the frame after Rosario reached on a walk, moved to third on a Kyler Fedko single (and an error), and scored on a passed ball to make it 5-4. Joel Cesar was brought on to close it out in the top of the ninth, but fared similar to Paredes in the eighth. With two outs and a runner on first, an RBI double followed by an RBI single put the Travelers in front by one before he picked up the third out with a K. In the bottom of the ninth the Wind Surge went down one-two-three to fall into a 1st place tie with the Travelers in the Texas League North division. Arkansas outhit Wichita 10-7 on the game, and picked up one more hit when it mattered in the same amount of chances with runners in scoring position, to make up the difference and steal one late from the home team. KERNELS NUGGETS Peoria 13, Cedar Rapids 10 Box Score The Kernels lineup got a huge performance out of a forgotten prospect that should have led them to an easy victory on Tuesday, but then the eighth inning happened… Cedar Rapids took the first lead in the bottom of the second inning after a single from Nate Baez put a runner in scoring position. Jose Salas then delivered his first big hit of the night, an RBI single. Misael Urbina followed with an RBI single of his own to put them up by two. Getting the starting nod for Cedar Rapids was Alejandro Hidalgo and he went five innings in this one. He held Peoria scoreless for the first two, but then gave up four runs over his final three innings. In all he was charged with four earned runs on seven hits in his five innings, striking out six. Despite giving up those runs, Hidalgo was never behind on the scoreboard as the Kernels kept pace in the middle innings. In the bottom of the third Brandon Winokur reached base on an error to lead it off. He made Peoria pay by stealing second, his eighth swipe of the year, and later scoring on a groundout from Khadim Diaw. In the fourth Salas led off with his first home run of the season, and the game, to make it 4-2 Kernels at the time. Urbina followed with a triple, and Kaelen Culpepper an RBI double to go up by three. The home team made most of their hay in the bottom of the fifth. Diaw got it started with a one-out single. Then Baez drew a walk in front of an RBI single from Jaime Ferrer. That brought Salas to the plate, and he again clubbed a homer, this one of the three-run variety for a seemingly comfortable 9-4 Kernels lead. Bullpen stalwart Spencer Bengard came on for the sixth inning and was hit for an unearned run that made it 9-5. Another error in the sixth gave him some trouble, but he induced a double-play ball for a scoreless inning. But then came the eighth inning. Rather than recap the ludicrousness in its entirety, I’ll point you to Cedar Rapids Gazette reporter Jeff Johnson. After it was done the Chiefs led 13-9 and the air had been sucked out of the home crowd. Kade Bragg got the final two outs of the inning, but in between was charged with three earned runs on five hits of his own. Jose Mercedes pitched a one-two-three ninth. The lineup got one of those runs back in the bottom half, when Brandon Winokur launched a long homer to make it 13-10, but that’s as close as they could get. The teams combined for 31 hits on the game and finished 16-for-39 with runners in scoring position. They scored more runs than they left runners on base. Diaw (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI, K), Ferrer (2-for-5, R, K), and Urbina (2-for-2, R, RBI, 3 BB) chipped in with multiple hits. Salas’ 3-for-5 effort, including two homers and five RBI, was wasted. Winokur stole two bases in addition to his home run. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Jupiter 5 Box Score On the bump for Fort Myers on the road was righty Adrian Bohorquez, who hasn’t quite yet been able to match his success of last year. He pitched into the fourth inning in this one and struck out five, but also gave up three earned runs on five hits and a pair of walks. His ERA sits at 9.00 so far on the 2025 season. The Mighty Mussels did jump out to a 2-0 lead after the top of the second inning, where Poncho Ruiz led off with a double, and jogged home on Migeul Briceno’s second home run of the season. Cole Peschl came on in relief in the fourth, and finished the final 4 2/3 innings of the game. He was charged with the loss, but was solid by allowing just two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk. He struck out three. Just like the second inning, in the sixth Ruiz led off with his eighth double of the season. A walk to Briceno and hit-by-pitch on Luke Napleton loaded the bases with one out. An error off the bat of Peyton Carr allowed them to tie the game at three. Down 5-3 in the eighth, Briceno led off with a single, moved to second on a walk to Napleton, and they both moved up a base on a Carr groundout. Angel Del Rosario then delivered an RBI single to make it 5-4, but that was all they could get. In the top of the ninth Jay Thomason reached third base with just one out, but Briceno grounded into a double-play to end the game. Thomason (2-for-4, BB, K), Ruiz (2-for-3, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 BB), and Briceno (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K) each collected two hits in the loss, while the rest of the lineup finished 2-for-22. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Rays 7, FCL Twins 3 Box Score Right-hander Yoel Roque pitched the first inning for the Twins in one-two-three fashion as the opener. He gave way to Miguel Cordero to start the second inning, and he had some trouble keeping the Rays off the bases. In 2 2/3 innings he was charged with six runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks, striking out one. Leonardo Rondon was summoned in the fourth inning and got them through the seventh. He allowed one earned run on two hits, three walks, and struck out three. Aiberson Ventura got the final two frames and allowed two hits and a walk, but no more runs. The Twins offense wasn’t able to take advantage of their chances as well as the Rays, finishing 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and leaving nine men on base. The Rays went 4-for-15, and left only eight. The Twins scored single runs in each of the second, fifth, and sixth innings. Luis Fragoza drew a walk and came around to score thanks to a few wild pitches in the second. Murphy Hernandez clubbed a run-scoring double in the fifth, but they weren’t able to score any others despite having the bases loaded after with one out. In the sixth, Fragoza drew another walk, made it to third after a walk to Ricardo Pena and single from Irvin Nunez, and stole home for the teams third and final run. Hernandez (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, K, SB) led the way with a pair of hits. Daiber De Los Santos added a triple. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Trent Baker, Wichita Wind Surge (5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 K) Hitter of the Day – Jose Salas, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Tuesday. #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 0-for-3, R, BB, K, SB (4) #6 – Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB, K #8 – Andrew Morris (St. Paul): W, 5 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K #9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, 2 R, HR, RBI, 2 SB (9) #14 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, BB, K #16 – Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins): 0-for-5 #17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita): 1-for-4, R, 2B, BB #18 – Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers): 0-for-5 #19 – Carson McCusker (St. Paul): 3-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI, K #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 1-for-4, R, RBI, SB (1) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (12:08 PM CDT) - RHP Cory Lewis (1-2, 8.53 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (11:05 AM CDT) - LHP Connor Prielipp (0-2, 3.63 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Tanner Hall (1-2, 4.81 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Michael Ross (0-0, 2.70 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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It's the perfect example of "THE sound." 💥

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Carson McCusker) TRANSACTIONS In Triple-A with the St. Paul Saints, C Diego Cartaya was transferred to the development list, while OF Austin Martin was activated from the injured list and started in left field (more on that to come…). Down in the Florida State League IF Dameury Pena was activated from the injured list, and in a corresponding move the Mighty Mussels sent RHP Xavier Kolhosser back to the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL Buffalo 2, St. Paul 6 Box Score In the words of Sean Aronson on the Saints broadcast, “Carson McCrusher” needs to be on a t-shirt. And probably trademarked. By somebody. Not me. Maybe. But somebody. We’ll see… That’s because Carson McCusker finished this one 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs to give him nine on the season, ranking second in the International League. And my goodness, the first one was absolutely obliterated (make sure you turn the sound up): The broadcast was adamant this ball cleared the roof of the Cub-a-Cabana out in right field. If you’ve been to CHS Field, you know that this party area is not particularly close to the field. Just to show how much power he has in his six-foot eight-inch tall frame, he went the opposite way for his second home run in the eighth inning. But I digress, because we also need to talk about David Festa. For the second game in a row the lanky right-hander cruised through his opposition. Last Tuesday he needed just 68 pitches to get through six innings, and punched out seven. In this one they didn’t quite let him finish six, but he again punched out seven and needed just 72 pitches, with 50 going for strikes (69%). In his 5 2/3 innings he gave up just three hits, and was removed from the game with two outs and a runner on second base. Travis Adams was brought on and promptly gave up an RBI single, leading to an earned run on Festa’s ledger and a no-decision in the scorebook. If it were me, I’d have let Festa at least finish that one batter one way or the other (and he wanted to), but it didn’t really end up making much of a difference thanks to McCusker. Adams went on to complete 2 1/3 innings of his own, allowing no runs on three hits while striking out four. Jacob Bosiokovic finished out the ninth inning with the Saints up by five. He gave up one run on two hits and a pair of walks and struck out two. Besides McCusker, Mickey Gasper finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and his third home run in five games with the Saints. Jeferson Morales added a double. Austin Martin returned from the injured list and started this game in left field. He led off the game for the Saints with a single, and along with McCusker executed a double-steal for the game’s first run. However, Martin pulled up injured before reaching home and the only reason he did score is the throw got away from the catcher. He was removed for Anthony Prato to start the second inning. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, NW Arkansas 5 Box Score The Wind Surge took an early lead in this one as leadoff man Tanner Schobel started the game by reaching base on an error. Two outs later Rubel Cespedes drove him in with an RBI double for a 1-0 lead. Taking the bump for Wichita was Darren Bowen and he would get the first three innings. He delivered a one-two-three first inning including a strikeout, but lost his control in the second. Four walks led to a tie game, and he also allowed a solo home run in the third that made it 3-2. The Wind Surge had that lead as in the top of the third Jake Rucker and Schobel traded places with back-to-back doubles to start the inning, and Kala’i Rosario drove in Schobel with a single two batters later that put them in front 3-1. They added their fourth run in the sixth inning after a Kyler Fedko double and two walks loaded the bases, before Rucker brought a run in with a groundout. Righty Pierson Ohl came on to start the fourth inning and went the next two scoreless frames, giving up just two hits to keep Wichita in front. John Klein delivered a scoreless sixth inning, but ran into trouble in the seventh and eighth. A three-run homer in the seventh put the Naturals in front, then a pair of two out singles in the eighth ended Klein’s outing. He finished with three earned runs on six hits and a walk in his 2 2/3 innings pitched, while striking out three. Cody Laweryson got the final out of the game for the Wind Surge. Down 5-4 in the ninth, the Wichita lineup went down one-two-three to fall to 15-13 on the season. Aaron Sabato (2-for-3, BB) led the way with multiple hits. Schobel scored two runs from the top of the lineup. Five of their nine hits as a team were doubles, but the Naturals' big blast was enough to overcome the Wind Surge’s warning track power in this one. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Beloit 0 Box Score The Kernels blanked the Minnesota Twins former Midwest League Affiliate on Tuesday behind a stellar effort from their pitching staff and taking advantage of Snappers miscues. Chase Chaney made the start and was excellent. He did not allow a run or issue a walk, scattering seven hits over six shutout innings. He threw 90 pitches, with 60 going for strikes (67%), and punching out six. He retired the first eight hitters of the game before giving up a single in the third inning. The lineup scored all the runs they would need in the top of the first inning, after Brandon Winokur reached base on an infield single, and advanced to second on a throwing error. Danny De Andrade followed with an RBI single that made it 1-0. They added a single run in the third when Kaelen Culpepper led off with a double, moved to third on another error (off the bat of Winokur), and was brought in to score on a De Andrade groundout. The Kernels lineup did most of their damage in the fifth inning. Caden Kendle led off with a double. Two more consecutive errors loaded the bases before Winokur drove in two with a single. Another De Andrade groundout scored another, before Khadim Diaw brought in the fourth run of the inning with an RBI single to make it 6-0. The bullpen duo of Samuel Perez (2 IP, 2 H, 2 K) and Jacob Wosinski (IP, K) closed out the final three innings in scoreless fashion to complete the shutout. Chaney picked up his first win of the year and completed six innings for the second straight game. The offense tacked on two more runs in the top of the eighth thanks to an RBI double from Kevin Maitan and a Nate Baez sac fly to make the final score. Winokur was the only Kernels batter with multiple hits, finishing 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. De Andrade had just one hit in five trips to the plate, but drove in three. MUSSEL MATTERS Dunedin 12, Fort Myers 13 (11 innings) Box Score Fans at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers were treated to an extra-inning barn-burner on Tuesday, as a big early lead turned into a tied up affair late and headed to extra-innings. The Mighty Mussels ambushed Blue Jays starter Austin Cates, who wasn’t able to make it out of the first inning. Byron Chourio got him first with a solo home run. Then a sequence of single, walk, single, single knocked him from the game with Fort Myers up 3-0. They tacked on three more in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a thousand cuts approach, as singles from Demeury Pena, Chourio, Yasser Mercedes, and Jay Thomason built their lead to six. Starting for the Mighty Mussels was Michael Ross, and he pitched the first three innings, retiring the first seven hitters he faced before allowing a one-out triple in the third. That runner ended up scoring on a wild pitch, but Ross also struck out the final two hitters he faced. In total, Ross allowed one earned run on one hit, while striking out four. Then it got weird for Fort Myers and pitcher Jason Doktorczyk. While he did work the next three-plus innings, he was also kept in the game while giving up nine hits (including three home runs), eight runs (seven earned), and walking two. He did punch out four but by the time the Mighty Mussels made another call to the bullpen the game was tied at nine. Hunter Hoopes pitched a scoreless and hitless 1 2/3 innings, striking out one. Ivran Romero came in for the ninth and kept the game tied to head to extras. Back out for the 10th the ghost runner did come around to score on a double, but one run wouldn’t be enough. In the bottom half an RBI single from Yohander Martinez tied it up again, and they got the winning run to third before Chourio went down swinging. Tyler Stasiowski was brought in for the top of the eleventh, and again the Blue Jays were able to take advantage, as a two-run homer put them up 12-10. The visiting team couldn’t close it out, however. A walk to Mercedes and a single from Thomason loaded the bases with nobody out. An error brought the home squad within one, a wild-pitch tied it back up, and a sac fly from Jefferson Valladeres walked it off for those who stuck it out. Five of the starting nine hitters had multiple hits in the win. Martinez (3-for-5, 2 RBI) and Thomason (3-for-5, 3 R, RBI, BB, 2 K, 2 SB) each had three to lead the way. As a team the Mighty Mussels racked up sixteen hits (though only two went for extra bases), and they finished 8-for-17 with runners in scoring position. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Pirates 3, FCL Twins 7 (7 innings) Box Score The Twins lineup scored runs in five of their six turns at bat, taking advantage of 10 walks as a team in the game. Daiber De Los Santos led off the bottom of the first with a triple and scored on a groundout from Eduardo Beltre to get it started. In the second it was a pair of walks, a wild pitch, and a sac fly from Victor Leal. In the next two innings they scored two runs each, with those coming thanks to those walks and a sac fly in the third, and an extra out in the fourth. De Los Santos reached base on a passed ball strikeout in the fourth, which allowed Bryan Acuna (double) and Jayson Bass (single) to take advantage with RBI hits. Three more walks and a sac fly from Beltre in the fifth capped their scoring. Right-hander Miguel Cordero made the start and pitched into the fourth inning. He allowed three earned runs on four hits in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out three. Ruddy Gomez finished the fourth and fifth innings by facing four hitters, and striking out all of them to earn his first professional win. Will Armbruester closed out the final two innings, allowing one hit, walking one, and striking out two. The Twins had just three hits on the game, compared to five from the Pirates, but they took advantage of their extra opportunities. Beltre (0-for-2, 2 R, 2 RBI) drove in two and scored two runs without recording a hit or walk. Acuna (1-for-2, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB) and Bass (1-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB) each drew a pair of walks in addition to their hits. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – David Festa, St. Paul Saints (5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K) Hitter of the Day – Carson McCusker, St. Paul Saints (3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Tuesday. (Seth Note: We found that Twins Daily writers rankings were not included in the recent vote. The rankings have now been updated to include those votes. There were a few players that moved up or down 1-3 spots.) #3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 1-for-3, BB, K #6 – Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, 2 R, 2B #9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI #11 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, R, BB, K #16 - Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins): 0-for-2, 2 R, 2 RBI. HBP, SF #17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita): 1-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 K #18 – Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers): 1-for-5, 2 R, RBI, BB, 3 K #19 – Carson McCusker (St. Paul): 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (9), 3 RBI, K, SB (1) #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 1-for-3. WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - RHP Andrew Morris (0-1, 4.57 ERA) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Trent Baker (1-2, 2.49 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (11:10 AM CDT) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-0, 6.00 ERA) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Adrian Bohorquez (0-1, 6.75 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

Nothing I don't already know. The WHIP is a good and basic comparison indicator to the guys I mentioned. However, when I say he'd be top 20, organizationally that isn't actually all that high for starting pitchers. It would be around 10th for me, so I read this as assuming quite a bit more than what I'm actually saying. He should be in such a conversation. He's not.

MacLeod is a lot further under the radar than he should be, IMO. He pitched at three levels in the minors last season, just like Zebby and Morris did. While he only made a spot start in triple-A, he had a K-rate pretty much equal to Zebby on the year. I don't have him in my top 20 yet, but I really wanted to slot him in there in our current vote. If he continues to perform he will be.

The St. Paul Saints were scheduled for a doubleheader on the road on Tuesday, but David Festa sent the Columbus Clippers to the seafloor in game one before rain cut their battle short. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of David Festa) TRANSACTIONS LHP Aaron Rozek was assigned to the Wichita Wind Surge from the St. Paul Saints. Also in the Texas League with Wichita, OF Allan Cerda was transferred to the development list. The Cedar Rapids Kernels placed top pitching prospect RHP Charlee Soto on the 7-day injured list with a right triceps strain. Soto did not make an appearance for the Kernels last week and so far on the season had made three starts with a 1.38 ERA, 15 K’s, and just four walks in 13 total innings. Down in Florida RHP Adrian Bohorquez was assigned to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels from the FCL Twins roster. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Columbus 2 (7 innings) Box Score The Saints and Clippers were meant to play a doubleheader today, but the same rain that delayed the Twins game in Cleveland hit Columbus a bit harder, so they only got in one. In his first start after being sent back down to Triple-A right-hander David Festa was excellent. After striking out the first two hitters of the game, he allowed a bloop and a blast for an early 2-0 Columbus lead, but was locked in after that. He allowed just one other hit, and retired the last 11 hitters he faced. In total, he was charged with two earned runs on three hits, no walks, and punched out seven. He did so on just 68 pitches, with 49 going for strikes (72%), and included an astonishing 18 swings and misses. Pure dominance from the lanky righty. It took until the fourth inning for the Saints to put a run on the scoreboard, and they did so thanks to Carson McCusker. He launched his seventh home run of the season down the line the opposite way. Anthony Prato joined him with a solo blast leading off the fifth inning to tie the game at two. It was Prato’s second home run of the season. They took the lead for good in the sixth after a one-out single from McCusker put him on base for the big Mike Ford. He clubbed the team's third home run of the game to make it 4-2. That would be the final score as Richard Lovelady closed out the seven-inning contest with a one-two-three frame for his first save of the season, striking out the final hitter of the game. Festa improved to 2-1 in his three starts with the Saints. McCusker (2-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, K) and Prato (2-for-3, R, RBI) led the way with two hits apiece. Armando Alvarez added a double to the effort. Royce Lewis finished 0-for-3 as the designated hitter. The Saints were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left only three men on base, but thanks to the long ball they were able to take the series opener on the road. Per Sean Aronson of the Saints, Game 2 that was rained out will be made up later this week. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Frisco 4 Box Score Southpaw starting pitcher Christian MacLeod had yet to give up a run on the season in two games of a rehab assignment with Fort Myers, and his first start with Wichita a week ago. That is still a true statement after three shutout innings to start this one. MacLeod walked two consecutive batters in the second inning, but otherwise retired every other hitter he faced, going one-two-three in each of the first and third frames. He threw just 45 pitches as he’s still being eased in (26 for strikes), but also struck out two. The Wind Surge struck first in the top of the fourth after Ricardo Olivar led off with a double. Rubel Cespedes moved him to third on a groundout, and Kala’i Rosario brought him home with a sacrifice fly for the 1-0 lead. After MacLeod was done, Angel Macuare went the next two innings. He allowed one earned run on three hits and a walk in his two innings before giving way to Jarett Whorff to start the sixth. He went the next three innings, allowing a solo home run for his lone hit allowed, but also struck out three. In the top of the seventh the offense loaded the bases for Olivar, who delivered a two-run single to put Wichita back out front 3-1. They tacked on two additional insurance runs in the eighth when Ben Ross delivered an RBI double and came around to score himself on an RBI single from Kyler Fedko to make it 5-1. They needed each of those runs, as Whorff’s home run allowed came in the bottom of the eighth before Cody Laweryson had some trouble closing out the game in the ninth. A two-out two-run single brought the RoughRiders within one, but he clamped down to strike out the final hitter of the frame and pick up his third save of the season. Whorff picked up his first win to improve to 1-1 on the season. Olivar (2-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, K) was the only Wind Surge hitter with multiple hits. As a team they went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. KERNELS NUGGETS South Bend 4, Cedar Rapids 10 Box Score The Kernels struck early and late to take down the Cubs in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday night. They took a 4-0 lead after one thanks to a barrage of hits, including a big blast, to set the tone. Kyle DeBarge started the rally with a single. Brandon Winokur and Billy Amick followed with doubles to score the first two runs, before Danny De Andrade hit a two-run homer, his second of the season. Starter Ty Langenberg was solid for the first three scoreless innings, striking out four, but ran into trouble in the fourth. Before it was over he was out of the game and the scoreboard was tied at four. In all, Langenberg finished 3 2/3 innings and was charged with four earned runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out six. Cedar Rapids went back out front in the bottom of the fifth when Gabriel Gonzalez led off with a single. Two batters later Khadim Diaw brought him in with a double to make it 5-4. The offense tacked on five more runs in the seventh as they sent all nine hitters to the plate. Amick led off with a walk and trotted home on a Gonzalez homer. De Andrade continued the hitting with a triple off the wall in right, and scored on a single from Kevin Maitan. After a pitching change Kyle DeBarge snuck one past the third baseman for a two-run double to cap the scoring. After Langenberg’s exit the Bullpen trio of Gabriel Yanez (W, 1 1/3 IP, 2 BB, K), Logan Whitaker (2 IP, H, BB, 3 K), and Paulshawn Pasqualotto (2 IP, 2 H, BB) blanked the Cubs the rest of the way. DeBarge (2-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, K), Gonzalez (3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), and De Andrade (3-for-5, 2 R, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, K) had multiple hits to lead the onslaught. On defense the Kernels turned five double-plays on the night to end any South Bend rally’s before they started. MUSSEL MATTERS Jupiter 14, Fort Myers 1 Box Score The Mighty Mussels scored their lone run of this one in the bottom of the second inning. It came from the bat of Jay Thomason, who launched his Florida State League leading sixth home run of the year. Unfortunately, that was pretty much it for the Hammond Stadium faithful. They had just two other hits as a team, which were singles from Jose Salas (1-for-3, 2 K, SB) and Daniel Pena (1-for-3, K). Byron Chourio and Thomason each drew a pair of walks. There were only two at-bats with runners in scoring position and five men left on base for the game. Eli Jones made the start and pitched into the third inning. He was charged with three earned runs on four hits and three walks, while striking out two. Jacob Kisting stabilized it a bit into the sixth, allowing one earned run on three hits and striking out three in 2 2/3 innings. Hunter Hoopes got them through the seventh with 1 2/3 scoreless innings and the score 4-1 Hammerheads. Then it went pear-shaped in the eighth, as Jupiter batted around and scored eight runs to make it 12-1. Tyler Stasiowski (1/3 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, BB, 2 HBP) and Liam Rocha (H, 3 ER, 2 BB) were only able to record one out before the Mighty Mussels went to the position-player-pitching well. Outfielder Maddux Houghton got the final five outs, but was also tagged for a home run to make the 14-1 final. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – David Festa, St. Paul Saints (W, 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 7 K) Hitter of the Day – Danny De Andrade, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-5, 2 R, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Tuesday. #7 – Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, 2 K #8 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, R, 2B, BB, K #13 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, K #17 – Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K #18 – Kala’i Rosario (Wichita): 0-for-2, R, RBI, BB, K #19 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR (2), 2 RBI, BB #20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 2-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (5:35 PM CDT) - RHP Cory Lewis (1-1, 9.00 ERA) Wichita @ Frisco (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Trent Baker (0-2, 3.24 ERA) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Chase Chaney (0-0, 7.20 ERA) Jupiter @ Fort Myers (11:05 AM CDT) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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Tough to find a spot for McCusker with the OF and DH spots covered. I'd love to see it though. When he hit his home run yesterday it tied him for the International League lead.