Ted Schwerzler

The Minnesota Twins are hanging on atop the AL Central, and while the pitching has paved the way, a few key hitters have helped to hold serve for the club. Who was named the Twins Hitter of the Month for May? Image courtesy of graphics by Thieres Rabelo As was the case for April, Rocco Baldelli has seen the Minnesota Twins remain in first place atop the AL Central largely due to an improved pitching staff. While the bullpen has had some hiccups, the starting rotation has been nothing short of exceptional. Even still, there have been a couple of batters doing some heavy lifting in order to keep the lineup afloat. Take a look. Honorable Mention #2: Willi Castro 24 G .319/.355/.500 (.855) 4 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI Arguably the last position player to make the Twins 26-man roster out of spring training, Castro has become an invaluable piece for Baldelli and the lineup construction. His utility has been used all over the field, and with Byron Buxton relegated to designated hitter duties, it has been Castro filling in behind Michael A. Taylor in centerfield. Coming into the month with playing time happening sporadically, Castro has forced Minnesota’s hand with his bat. Playing in 24 games and posting an .855 OPS, Castro has contributed more than just singles. He has four doubles to his credit, and a trio of dingers. Things have been even better the second half of May as Castro has a .908 OPS across his last 13 games. With Minnesota still working through health situations regarding Max Kepler, Joey Gallo, and Jorge Polanco, expecting Castro to fill in everywhere remains a good bet. Honorable Mention #1: Ryan Jeffers 19 G .263/.429/.474 (.903) 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI It has been somewhat of a mixed bag defensively for Jeffers this year, but he’s on the short side of a timeshare with Christian Vazquez at the moment. Should his bat continue to look like it did this month, that could change as the year goes on. After playing in just 12 games last month, Jeffers has pushed his usage up some during May. He’s still not hitting for a high average, but the OBP is impressive and his .903 OPS is beyond impressive and especially as a catcher. Jeffers has three extra-base hits this month, a pair of doubles (one which recently came with the bases loaded) and a pair of homers, and he’s rocking a strong 10/6 K/BB. The Twins drafted Jeffers early for his bat behind the dish. It has always been a question if he would stick defensively, and while he has, there are still going to be lumps that keep him from an every day starting role. For now though, the bat belongs in the lineup. Hitter of the Month: Alex Kirilloff 23 G .314/.448/.486 (.934) 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI When the Twins broke camp without Alex Kirilloff or Jorge Polanco, it was less than ideal. Returning on May 6 though, Kirilloff has done nothing but hit. He owns a .934 OPS through his first 23 games, and his plate discipline has been unbelievable out of the gate. Kirilloff announced his return to the lineup in a big way when he hit a pair of big flies on May 13 against the Cubs in just his seventh game back. His 22/14 K/BB has helped to put pressure on opposing pitchers, and he has often found himself in advantageous counts because of it. If there is a level of concern it’s that the exit velocities, hard hit rate, and barrel percentage are all down a bit from his career norms. Being able to hit for power, and without pain, is what the wrist injury directly impacted. If he can keep going like this and ease back into the corner slugging player he looked to be, Minnesota will have a middle-of-the-lineup fixture. Who do you think was the best hitter for the Minnesota Twins in May? Leave a comment below and start the conversation. View full article

Miranda could use that luck right now!

There were a pair of matinee games on the Twins farm on Wednesday, but nothing jumped out more than the brutality that Matt Wallner displayed on pitched baseballs for the Saints in New York. There was also a noteworthy pitching performance for Cedar Rapids. Read more within. Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports TRANSACTIONS INF Seth Gray promoted to St. Paul from Wichita RHP Jaylen Nowlin added to Development List for Cedar Rapids C Kyle Schmidt transferred from Cedar Rapids to Fort Myers SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Buffalo 2 Box Score Aaron Sanchez took the ball this afternoon for the St. Paul Saints, and while he was on the mound for the Matt Wallner show, there is no denying he put in a good day’s work on his own as well. Working five innings of one-run (unearned) baseball, Sanchez allowed just four hits while striking out and walking one a piece. The game got going with a bang when a Wallner single literally put a hole in the outfield fence. One batter later Kyle Garlick blasted his sixth homer of the year and St. Paul was up 2-0. In the fifth inning Jose Miranda added again when his broken bat flare just over shortstop, scored Alex De Goti. Buffalo answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the fifth inning, but Wallner erased that with his sixth home run, a seventh inning solo shot. Putting three balls in play today, each of them were absolutely demolished. Once again the Bisons added a run, this time in the seventh inning, but Miranda continued his solid effort with his first home run for the Saints this season. The two-run shot also brought in De Goti and made it a 6-2 final. Miranda had a much-needed strong game with a trio of hits, as did Wallner, while the pair combined to be the only batters with a couple of hits on the day. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 7, Tulsa 2 Box Score Carlos Luna took his turn tonight for the Wind Surge. Working four innings of two-run baseball, all of the damage came on a pair of solo shots. He danced around four hits and a walk while also striking out three. Wichita got behind after a Diego Cartaya solo home run in the second inning, but they quickly answered in the third inning with big production of their own. Yoyner Fajardo crushed his tenth double to drive in Armani Smith and Anthony Prato. Then, with the bases loaded. Yunior Severino clubbed home run number 12 in grand fashion. Fajardo, Brooks Lee, and Alex Isola all crossed the plate ahead of him. The Drillers answered by scoring a single run of their own in the fourth inning, but it hardly wiped away the damage that had been done. Smith then drove in DaShawn Keirsey Jr in the sixth inning to push the Wind Surge lead back to five. Keirsey Jr. was able to pick up a pair of hits tonight as did Smith before being lifted for Will Holland late. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Lansing 2 Box Score The Kernels turned to Kyle Jones for a matinee tilt in Lansing. He worked five innings and allowed just one run on two hits and a walk. The Cedar Rapids pitcher also struck out a trio of Lugnuts batters. After four innings of scoreless baseball the Kernels decided they had enough when the fifth inning struck. Keoni Cavaco blasted a solo shot for his third dinger of the year, and Tanner Schobel followed him with his fourth, another solo shot. Up 2-0, the Kernels were able to withstand the single Lansing run in the bottom half of the fifth inning. Kicking off the eighth inning, Jose Salas ripped his sixth double of the season which plated Noah Miller and made it a 3-1 game. Lansing again answered in the bottom half, but their lone run still left them one short. Schobel was joined by Kala’i Rosario with a pair of hits on the day. Rosario is now at an .870 OPS for the season. MUSSEL MATTERS Postponed Scheduled to play today, the Mighty Mussels were rained out and will be back in action tomorrow evening against St. Lucie. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Kyle Jones (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Hitter of the Day – Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 3-5, 2 R, RBI, HR(6) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-3, R, BB, K #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 0-5, BB, 3 K #9 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 3-5, 2 R, RBI, HR(6) #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, 2B(6) #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-4, R, 4 RBI, HR(12), K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Buffalo (10:05AM CST) - RHP Cody Laweryson Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - RHP Aaron Rozek Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - RHP Andrew Morris Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! View full article

This offseason the Minnesota Twins primary goal was to secure Carlos Correa’s services for the long haul. They needed some help from the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants to get it done, but ultimately he wound up staying for the future. After a slow start to his season, it appears the former World Series champion may be turning it on. Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports I don’t think you’d find anyone more disappointed in his 94 OPS+ than Carlos Correa. As we have seen during his time with the Twins, he is an analytical player and absolutely knows his numbers. Manager Rocco Baldelli needs more, teammate Byron Buxton needs more, and the Minnesota Twins as a whole need more. When April ended, Correa owned an abysmal .634 OPS. He was just two points north of the Mendoza line, and while his play in the field helped to mask some of his offensive woes, this wasn’t the production anyone signed up for. Not surprisingly though, Correa never should have been fazed. As May wraps up, Correa has begun to turn a corner. He’s not lighting the world on fire but a .232/.337/.439 slash line puts him well above league average. In just his last 14 games coming into Monday’s action, Correa has hit a new gear. He has an .874 OPS in that span and has racked up six doubles while locking in at the plate to the tune of a 15/11 K/BB. With more than 3,500 at-bats under his belt at this level, Correa has essentially seen it all. Knowing his numbers, it’s also likely not a surprise to him that a slow start could happen. April and March are statistically his worst months, even though he spent most of his career playing in the warmth of Houston, Texas. With a .787 OPS to start the season over the duration of his career, he’s needed to wait into the summer months for an uptick to take place. May has often been better with an .842 career OPS during the second month, but June has always been his launching pad. A .969 OPS during June is easily the best calendar turn every season, and building up towards that as he has this year should have Minnesota fans excited about what may come next. A season ago, Correa posted an ugly .633 OPS before May only to jump up to an .884 OPS in May and go bonkers with a 1.012 mark in June. He was equally bad to start this year and hasn’t quite been as good in May, but June is coming. The Twins need some heavy lifting from their superstar, and the calendar presents an opportunity for it to come at the most important time. Facing Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Milwaukee, and Atlanta all during June, the Twins will have their hands full. Looking to keep the rest of the AL Central at bay, the turnaround for a lineup needing it can come through the bat of Correa. Arguing against the Twins trading Luis Arraez for Pablo Lopez this offseason doesn’t impact much on the field for this lineup. Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray have helped to make Baldelli’s staff one of the best in baseball, and a lineup capable of supporting them is already in place. It should be a matter of when, not if, they turn it around and Correa can lead that charge. There is no denying that the Twins swing and miss too much. They’ve stunk with the bases loaded, and they have left opportunity unanswered more times than they’d like to count. Still, the ability for this collection to go on a run seems apparent, and Correa executing in his favorite month can be a catalyst for that. It hasn't been a great start to the week facing his former Houston teammates, but Correa gets to flip the calendar and can remind himself that June is here. No one across the organization wanted to see Correa paid only for him to slump. Everyone involved has seen this play out before though, and now we’ll get a look at where things go from here with warmer weather coming. View full article

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Twins turned to their closer in a game that they had well in hand. Despite a 7-1 lead, Jhoan Duran hadn’t pitched since the weekend and an off day was on the docket. With little to hold back, he uncorked a 104.8 mph fastball, the hardest throw of his career. That settled the debate, hitting a baseball is unfathomably hard. Image courtesy of Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports It was truly insane to see Jhoan Duran put 105 mph on the screen during the Bally Sports North broadcast. We have obviously grown accustomed to him hitting triple-digits, but anything north of 103 mph is going to raise eyebrows and jump a bit more off the page. When Rocco Baldelli called on his closer Wednesday, the 104.8 mph fastball was nothing short of exceptional. I have had this debate before, and that pitch seemed to spark it again. The beauty of sports is that while they do exist at the professional level, there are avenues for the regular person to routinely participate in them as well. Whether at a lower amateur level or in your backyard, being active through the lens of sports is a pastime that many can get on board with. Unfortunately for the everyday person, there is no athletic feat requiring more dexterity and difficulty than hitting a baseball. Sure, I can understand that the best players are considered elite when succeeding just 30% of the time, and while that’s not the talking point I’m out to make here, it probably only furthers the point on the surface. Here’s the deal, this isn’t about whether or not a regular person can compete at the highest level or compete against the best players. Boiled down simply, it stands to reason there is nothing more difficult than hitting a baseball. It can be thrown at triple-digits by players not in the majors, and then also bent and manipulated to twist and turn through the zone at substantially slower speeds. Making a hitter look silly is something that happens all across the sport. Certainly it’s fair to argue that playing a PGA-quality course and scoring well would be difficult, but there is nothing hard about swinging an oversized club to hit a stationary ball (especially when everyone must be quiet for you). The regular person can walk onto a basketball court and attempt a shot, however ugly, and likely see it go in with some regularity. Catching a pass or throwing a football is not all that difficult in and of itself, but instead is determinant of those opposing you. That isn’t all inclusive of sports as a whole, and I could hear arguments for those I am not thinking of. It seems difficult to hit a cricket ball in that it comes quickly and bounces across the ground, but I’m certainly not well versed enough to make a determination there. A regular person isn’t going to pin an monster in wrestling, but the act of it could be accomplished against someone else. At the end of the day, we keep coming back to baseball. Swinging a bat through the zone, with a competent swing, is not a normal motion for anyone. Even settling into a level of training in which you feel comfortable only leads you to the pitches themselves being brought through the zone. This isn’t just a Duran thing either. At the highest level, a look at Rob Friedman’s Twitter account on any given night should bring pause. The good news is that the regular person will never need to step in against Duran or any other Major League pitcher. While the regular person could run through their local sporting goods store and grab a bat, there is a decent chance that contact will evade them against any reasonable level of opposition. It shouldn’t deter someone from getting into the sport, however. There are probably arguments to be made, and nothing opinionated is ever a hard and fast stop. That said, hitting a baseball is something that truly should be revered among feats accomplished by the common man. View full article

Noah Cardenas went off for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and Royce Lewis was off for the St. Paul Saints as he needed to catch a flight for the Minnesota Twins. Image courtesy of Cedar Rapids Kernels TRANSACTIONS OF Willie Joe Garry Jr. place on the injured list with an oblique strain for High-A Cedar Rapids C Kyle Schmidt had been activated off the injured list for High-A Cedar Rapids RHP Zebby Matthews promoted from Low-A Fort Myers to High-A Cedar Rapids RHP Jose Olivares reinstated from the development list for Low-A Fort Myers LHP Wilker Reyes reinstated from the injured list for Low-A Fort Myers SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 10, Omaha 6 Box Score Royce Lewis was given the day off today for the Saints. He will fly to Texas and is expected to be reinstated to the Minnesota Twins roster tomorrow. The Saints turned to Simeon Woods Richardson and things again went poorly. Across just four innings, Woods Richardson gave up four runs on six hits while allowing a pair to reach on walks. He struck out just a single batter. Trailing 4-0 after the top of the third inning, St. Paul finally found an opportunity to answer. Andrew Stevenson continued his ability for heavy lifting with a single that scored Jair Camargo. No longer were the good guys being blanked, and we had a 4-1 game. In the fifth inning, things got worse for the Saints. Samad Taylor stole his 26th base and then scored on a throwing error from Tony Walters attempting to nab him at third base. A C.J. Alexander single then drove in Nate Eaton and the deficit grew. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Camargo looked to make things interesting. With the bases loaded, he hit a grand slam for his fifth dinger of the season. Scoring Chris Williams, Hernan Perez, and Ryan LaMarre, St. Paul was only down by a run. Former star prospect for the Royals, Jackson Kowar was on for Omaha and the wheels fell off. Andrew Stevenson crushed his eighth double of the year to score Tony Wolters, and Jose Miranda scored Stevenson on a single to Brewer Hicklen. Hernan Perez then went deep for the fourth time this season scoring both Miranda and Williams to make it a 10-6 game. That's where things ended and Stevenson was matched by Perez and Camargo four multi-hit games. WIND SURGE WISDOM Springfield 10,Wichita 5 Box Score Chad Donato was on the bump and his coal was to shut down the opposite. Unfortunately, he allowed five earned runs on four hits across just two innings, and his 2/1 K/BB was rendered virtually useless. The Cardinals put up a five-spot against Donato in the bottom of the second inning and it became an uphill battle from there for Wichita. Jacob Buchberger ripped his 8th home run of the season for the Cardinals and Springfield stretched their lead to 6-0 in the third inning. Anthony Prato did bring Alex Isola home on a fielding error in the fourth inning, but the Wind Surge allowed a Noah Medlinger homer in the bottom half of the inning to make it 9-1. Extended to 10-1 in the fifth inning, the deficit just got worse. Looking for some sort of a rebound, Prato triple for the first time this season and scored Isola. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. then drove in Prato on a single and Will Holland scored Keirsey Jr. on his third double of the season. With it 10-4 going into the seventh inning, Wichita was trying to rally. Keirsey Jr. singled in Yoyner Fajardo to make it 10-5 in the eighth inning, but that's as close as the good guys got. Isola recorded two hits as did Prato and Keirsey Jr. Working for something better next week is now the goal. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Wisconsin 6 Box Score Coming off the injured list, Christian MacLeod made the start for Cedar Rapids. He pitched only a single inning while giving up three runs on two hits and a walk. Wisconsin raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Joe Gray Jr. blasted a three-run homer, his third of the year, to put the Timber Rattlers on the board. Trying to immediately answer, Noah Miller singled in Tanner Schobel making it a 3-1 game. Gray Jr. blasted a two-run shot in the third inning to make it 5-1 before Cedar Rapids went to work. Noah Cardenas roped his ninth double of the season to score Emmanuel Rodriguez and shorten the lead. Miller’s fourth double then brought the Kernels within two before the inning ended. During the fourth inning, Schobel singled in Jose Salas and the Kernels found themselves within a run at 5-4. Without being able to even it first, Gray Jr. doubled and put Wisconsin back up 6-4. The Kernels answered in a big way during the fifth inning. Misael Urbana singled in Cardenas before a Jose Salas sacrifice fly scored Miller to tie the game. The Kernels looked to be back in command at that point. In the sixth inning, Cedar Rapids decided to call game. Cardenas singled in both Schobel and Ben Ross. Then Urbina plated Cardenas and the lead had been stretched to 9-6. Both Schobel and Cardenas opted for a pair of hits on the day. Urbina decided to join them while Miller grabbed three of his own. MUSSEL MATTERS Dunedin 7, Fort Myers 1 (Game 1/F/7) Box Score Looking to play a pair today, the Mighty Mussels sent Jose Olivares to the mound in Game 1. He worked 3 2/3 innings while allowing seven runs on six hits. The disastrous day only included a single strikeout and walk apiece. Dunedin raced out to a 7-0 lead by the fourth inning, and the Mighty Mussels never flexed anything. Dylan Neuse recorded his fourth double in the seventh inning to make it 7-1, but the game was well in hand at that point. Fort Myers 6, Dunedin 4 (Final/7) Box Score Wilker Reyes was on the bump for Game 2 as the Mighty Mussels twirled a pair. He worked 2 2/3 innings allowing two runs on two hits with three walks and no strikeouts. Fort Myers jumped on the board first when Dalton Shuffield scored Jorel Ortega and Ricardo Oliver on a first-inning single. Rubel Cespedes then launched a two-run shot to right field, scoring himself and Shuffield, making it a 4-0 lead. Dunedin added single runs in both the second and third innings before the Mighty Mussels responded. Mikey Perez ripped a single that scored Cespedes to make it 5-2 and that helped to preserve a lead when Dunedin added another. Jorel Ortega homered for the fourth time this year when he went deep in the seventh, and that was plenty to hold the lead after a Blue Jays run in the seventh inning. Fort Myers held on for the victory. Ortega was joined by Cespedes for two hits on the day. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Juan Mendez (Fort Myers) - 2.1 IP, 1 H 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day – Noah Cardenas (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB, 2B PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, BB, 3 K #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 0-3, BB, 2 K #7 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 4.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K #9 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 2-2, 2 BB #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, R, RBI, 2B, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 3-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-0, BB SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Buffalo (5:05PM CST) - TBD Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - LHP Blayne Enlow Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (5:00PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games! View full article

Royce Lewis wasn’t in the Saints starting lineup. He got a day off for St. Paul, but Aaron Sanchez started and twirled a beauty. Wichita won while Fort Myers got suspended. Catch up on all of the action. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson - St. Paul Saints SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 8, Omaha 6 Box Score A veteran on the bump for St. Paul, Aaron Sanchez took the pill and was lights out. He worked six innings of scoreless baseball. Sanchez did give up five hits and a walk, but he struck out two and never allowed damage. Dropping his ERA to 4.17 in the process, he’s again looking like an option for Minnesota should they need him. Royce Lewis was given the night off after back-to-back work, but the Saints went to battle without him. Attacking right away in the first inning, Chris Williams singled to center and drove in Andrew Stevenson in the process. Looking for some separation, breathing room came in the fifth inning. An error allowed Mark Contreras to not only reach base, but Stevenson to score for a second time. Williams then singled again and drove in Contreras, pushing the lead to 3-0. St. Paul got a bit more cushion in the sixth inning when Andrew Bechtold lifted off for his fourth homer of the year. It was just a solo shot, but the game was now 4-0. Tucker Bradley quickly responded with a seventh inning double to put Omaha on the board, but the 4-1 lead still seemed safe. Quickly evaporating, Cody Laweryson’s runners all scored after he allowed a three-run blast to Nick Loftin. What was once a lead was now a new game in the seventh inning. From there, things went crazy. First, the Storm Chasers put up a pair on a Samad Taylor single in the eighth inning. Seemingly in the driver’s seat, they would be unbuckled when Stevenson ripped his second triple of the year. In the bottom of the eighth, the Saints outfielder cleared the bases and scored himself on a throwing error. Hernan Perez, Ryan LaMarre, and Tyler White all came home. The four runs put St. Paul back up 8-6 and that’s where this one ended. Stevenson recorded a pair of hits on the evening as did Williams, White, and Perez. Jose Miranda continues to struggle and went 0-for-4 with a walk. Despite giving up two runs and again struggling in relief, Ronny Henriquez got the win. WIND SURGE WISDOM Springfield 5, Wichita 4 Box Score Twins prospect David Festa needed a bounce back start tonight and he got one. Despite it being short, just three innings, he allowed only a single unearned run on one hit. Festa walked three on his 68 pitches, but picked up five strikeouts in the process. Springfield got on the board first with a second-inning run, but the Wind Surge answered in a big way during the fourth inning. Alex Isola blasted his sixth dinger of the year, a three-run shot scoring Brooks Lee and Jake Rucker, to put Wichita up 3-1. Springfield made it interesting with a sixth inning run closing the deficit to one, but a seventh inning Will Holland run scored on a wild pitch and pushed things back to two. The Cardinals again answered in their half of the seventh inning, and the run tightened things up just just a one-run contest. Scoring again in the eighth inning, Springfield evened things at four. Wichita couldn’t answer in the ninth inning and Noah Medlinger’s single walked off the Wind Surge. Brooks Lee and Jake Rucker both had a pair of hits on the evening, but it wasn’t enough to wind up on top. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 8, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score Kyle Jones went tonight for Cedar Rapids and despite coming in with solid numbers, it just wasn’t his night. Making it through only one inning, Jones allowed six runs on six hits. He walked just one and struck out two. His 3.62 ERA ballooned to 5.13 on the season. Early on, things looked ok for the Kernels. Despite getting down 2-0 in the first inning, Kala’i Rosario continued his strong season and blasted his fifth home run, a two-run shot also driving in Emmanuel Rodriguez. That’s where the good news ended though. Two runs scored in the second inning without an out recorded, and both inherited runners for Orlando Rodriguez crossed the plate as well. Down 6-2 by the end of the frame, things didn’t look pretty. Before the Kernels could answer, Wisconsin drove in another pair during the sixth inning and the 8-2 rout was on. Cedar Rapids needed to make things interesting, so Keoni Cavaco blasted his second dinger of the season. Recently back from the injured list, his two-run shot scored Andrew Cossetti and had the Kernels back within a grand slam. Cossetti’s single was his first hit at High-A after recently being promoted. Unfortunately, that’s where this one ended, and Tanner Schobel was the only Kernels player to record a multi-hit effort. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Dunedin 1 (Susp 3) Box Score It was C.J. Culpepper’s night for the Mighty Mussels, but Mother Nature decided to intervene before he could really get going. Working two innings of one-run ball while striking out two, the weather came and caused a third inning suspension. Dunedin plated a run in the second inning, but Fort Myers answered in the third inning. A Jorel Ortega groundout allowed Alec Sayre to score and knot things up. Danny De Andrade then singled to drive in Dillon Tatum and put the good guys on top. What started with lightning also brought rain and the game was called. Stopped with De Andrade on first base in the third inning and just the one out, both sides will pick this up tomorrow. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Sanchez (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Hitter of the Day – Andrew Stevenson (St. Paul) - 2-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB, 2B(6), 3B(2) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-4, R #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - Day off #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, K #8 - David Festa (Wichita) - 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, BB, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-4, 2 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Springfield (7:05PM CST) - RHP Aaron Rozek Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya Fort Myers @ Dunedin (4:00PM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! View full article

Royce Lewis has not played much baseball over the past handful of seasons, but watching him produce, you’d be pretty shocked by that revelation. He’s eligible to come off the injured list at the end of the month, and it’s worth wondering if he’ll ever head to the farm again. Image courtesy of Image courtesy of William Parmeter Last May, less than one year ago, Royce Lewis crashed into the centerfield wall at Target Field. He went down in a heap, and days later it was confirmed he had re-torn his ACL. After slipping on ice in Texas the year prior, it was another fluke that was going to cause him a significant amount of time on the shelf. As he has always done, Lewis attacked the circumstances with positivity and maturity, putting himself in position to play for Minnesota again at light speed. Talking to Lewis in March during spring training, he felt ready to go at that point. He appreciated the Twins being cautious knowing the future was more important than rushing back into things, but it also seems he couldn’t have been more right. Recently beginning a rehab assignment scheduled to end on May 31, Lewis has played in five games on the farm. He is 8-for-18 with four extra-base hits, of which three have been homers. He went yard twice in a game, played in back-to-back contests, and is pushing towards an activation that will have him in the Twins lineup. Where he would be inserted was unclear earlier this season, but it seems like opportunity will continue to present itself. For now Jose Miranda is at Triple-A and looks like a shell of the player he flashed last season. Carlos Correa is the starting shortstop, but Jorge Polanco just went on the injured list with a hamstring issue leaving second base to Edouard Julien. Byron Buxton is again a consistent question mark from a health perspective, and the entirety of the roster always has a potential to be in flux. Playing for Toby Gardenhire with St. Paul, Lewis has focused on shortstop and the hot corner. His big league role would appear to be third base, which could push Kyle Farmer back to second base or more into a utility role. Julien will need to show a bit more development to stick in the majors, but his lacking defensive abilities should continue to give Lewis a leg up. It’s not as though Lewis has a lengthy track record of health or production, but he has done nothing to slow the hype train while in action since 2022. Lewis put on a show during his 12-game cameo with Minnesota last year, and it will undoubtedly bring out his beaming smile when he emerges from the Target Field dugout again this year. Sometimes prospects need trips back to the minors in order to figure things out. Miranda is going through it, and Trevor Larnach was sent on that path as well. Nothing was straightforward about Byron Buxton’s development, and even Mike Trout wasn’t an all-time great from the start. That said, Lewis’ development even while shelved has been phenomenal. He has tweaked his approach, honed in his production, and succeeded through every opportunity. Considering where Miranda is from a development perspective, that Polanco is in the final guaranteed year of his contract (though the Twins have two option years), and that Buxton remains as unlikely to play centerfield as he ever has, Lewis should find ample runway to stick. The Twins offense has been anemic at times this season, and inserting Lewis on a daily basis could be the boost this club needs for the rest of the year. By 2024 there should be no reason why Lewis isn’t considered a regular, and how quickly he takes to that reality following his rehab assignment could go a long way for the 2023 team. It shouldn’t be counted as failure if Lewis goes through a dry spell at some point, but he’s now writing a story that may have him as among the best Twins development narratives in quite some time. Fans will continue to hope that the promotion comes sooner rather than later, even if it isn’t possible until June 1. Once he gets the call this year though, it could be his last trip across town for the duration of his professional career. View full article

To be fair, last year was .716 OPS and 2021 was .573. The latter is truly terrible, and yet we're dealing with sub .300 at this point.

Counterpoint, a high batting average guy could be a better going Miranda where he makes contact because he can and then induces a double play. With the bases loaded, I want someone not afraid of deep counts, taking walks, and the ability to make contact. At its core, the problem is largely related to whiff rates though.

The Minnesota Twins are leading the AL Central in 2023 and arguably have the best roster in the division. They should be seen as the favorites to hang a divisional banner, but if they aspire to do more, continuing to be this bad or unlucky with the bases loaded has to change. Image courtesy of © Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Despite owning a 25-21 record, Rocco Baldelli’s team is seen to be even better by using the Pythagorean win-loss evaluation. With 217 runs scored and 172 runs allowed, their record could be as strong as 28-18, which would put them comfortably ahead of the competition. Although that evaluation is reflective of only actual results, it’s hard to overlook the missed opportunities for Minnesota. A season ago it seemed that the Twins struggled mightily with runners in scoring position. They had a slash line of .244/.319/.385 which produced a .704 OPS. That came in nearly 40 points lower than the league average .741 OPS and was a big reason why the club could seemingly never came back from deficits. They weren’t much better with the bases loaded, producing a .716 OPS in comparison to the .758 league average, but they’d beg for those numbers in 2023. Through the first 47 games this season, the Twins are an astounding 5-for-43 with the bases loaded, and have produced a paltry .289 OPS in those spots. Not a single batter has recorded an extra-base hit, and Twins hitters have an 13/4 K/BB in those spots. With a league average .737 OPS when the bases are loaded, it’s hard to quantify just how terrible Minnesota has been. What makes things a bit more puzzling is that Minnesota’s struggle seem to be isolated just to when the sacks are full. If there are runners in scoring position, essentially keeping first base free, the Twins shine. Their .871 OPS in those scenarios is more than 100 points better than the .749 league average. Converting runners on second and third base is how teams build leads, but the Twins apparently don’t want to just blow things open. When discussing high leverage the term clutch is often mentioned. That’s a difficult term to put into numbers, but Baseball Reference does so by looking into win probability added and assessing situations. With two outs and runners in scoring position the Twins have a ridiculous .952 OPS this year. They have clubbed 25 extra-base hits in those spots with 12 of them being home runs. That number is more than 200 points above the league average .735 OPS and shows they can get the job done when an inning is on the line. It’s hard to believe just how bad Minnesota is with an extra runner on, and it’s worth wondering if the pitcher is more locked in with nowhere to put the batter. The Twins are even worse when they have more leeway afforded to themselves. With no outs and the bases full, they are a stunning 0-for-7. With one out they are 2-for-12, and with two outs they are just 3-for-24. At some point it would stand to reason that positive regression can come from Minnesota. After all, it’s unlikely that a good team performs so poorly in key spots over the course of a full season. What is concerning though, is that the approach for many Twins batters trends towards a negative outcome in big spots. Only the Giants and Mariners strike out at a higher clip than Minnesota, and the Twins 12.8% whiff rate is the highest in baseball. If pitchers know they can get the ball by Baldelli’s hitters when it matters most, avoiding damage is easier to do. Clearly manufacturing runs is not the problem for Minnesota given their results with runners in scoring position. They shouldn’t be looking to chip away at bases loaded opportunities by opting for sacrifice bunts. Instead, players that come up have to be looking for an opportunity to put the ball in play and generate action rather than clearing the bases altogether. There is no greater opportunity to blow a game open than when you have an opposing pitcher on the ropes. This season we have watched Minnesota allow the opposition to escape jams and keep games close more times than anyone wants to count. Flipping more of those scenarios in a positive manner will undoubtedly lead to tallies in the win column, and if it’s a trend that can be ended quickly, there’s still plenty of runway to benefit for the rest of the year. View full article

Royce Lewis was back in the lineup for St. Paul today but didn’t have the same amount of success. Cedar Rapids got a lift from their bullpen, and Pat Winkel did the heavy lifting for Wichta. Image courtesy of Wichita Wind Surge SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 7, St. Paul 3 Box Score It was Randy Dobnak’s turn on the mound today to close out the series against the Columbus Clippers. Unfortunately the stuff wasn’t there and while he didn’t walk or strikeout anyone, Dobnak gave up five earned runs on five hits while only getting three outs. He was followed by Ronny Henriquez, and his two innings of work came with another two runs on a pair of walks and a base hit. Jose Miranda did start the scoring with a first inning sacrifice fly that scored Andrew Stevenson, but that was the only lead the Saints had. After the five-run outburst in the bottom half, and two more in the second inning, the seven runs were more than enough to withstand St. Paul’s two additional tallies. Jair Camargo hit his fourth home run of the season on a solo shot in the third inning, and Chris Williams went deep for the fifth time on a seventh inning longball. Royce Lewis did play third base and bat second in this one, but struck out three times in four at bats. Making his Twins organization debut, Austin Brice worked a scoreless inning of relief with a pair of strikeouts. Austin Schulfer continues to impress as well and lowered his ERA to 2.45 with a scoreless frame. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, Arkansas 3 Box Score Grabbing a series split with Arkansas, it was Travis Adams who made the start. Working four innings allowing just one run on a solo shot, it was a nice start with four strikeouts and just a single walk. Andrew Cabezas got his first win of the season in relief. After a pair of Jonatan Clase home runs put Arkansas in the lead, the Wind Surge went to work in the fifth inning. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. singled in Anthony Prato before Brooks Lee plated Pat Winkel on a line drive. Winkel continued his good game with a sixth inning double that scored Pratop, and it gave the Wind Surge a 4-3 lead. Arkansas attempted to claw back in the ninth inning but Riley Unroe’s RBI single was the only run they could muster. Winkel’s two-hit effort was the deciding factor on the day. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 2 Box Score Alejandro Hidalgo looked to keep a strong season going but lost his command early. Working just 1 1/3 innings after allowing six base runners to reach via a walk, he did work around damage by allowing only two runs to cross. The Kernels bullpen responded with 7 2/3 innings of perfect baseball. They allowed no hits or walks while punching out eight. Responding to the first inning runs, Kala’i Rosario put Cedar Rapids on the board despite grounding into a double play. Ben Ross scored and the good guys were on the board. Rosario was recently named the Twins minor league hitter of the week. In the fifth inning Tanner Schobel crushed his fifth double of the season to drive in both Willie Joe Garry Jr. and Jeferson Morales. The Kernels had their first lead of the game. It was then Schobel again lifting a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning that scored Garry Jr. again and giving us the final tally of 4-2. Schobel and Garry Jr. both grabbed a pair of hits in the contest for Cedar Rapids. MUSSEL MATTERS Lakeland 6, Fort Myers 5 Box Score Zebby Matthews has been impressive this season for the Mighty Mussels and that followed suit today. Although he did give up four runs, only one was earned and he struck out nine while walking none. Matthews worked 4 2/3 innings before turning things over to the bullpen. Fort Myers scored first when Carlos Aguiar sent a sacrifice fly deep enough into right field for Andrew Cossetti to race home. That lead was wiped out in the bottom half, but Danny De Andrade put the Mighty Mussels back up 3-2 in the fifth inning. His sixth double scored both Maddux Houghton and Jorel Ortega. The back and forth continued with Lakeland retaking the lead 4-3 in the fifth inning, and extended it in the sixth winning with a solo shot. Aguiar then tripled for the sixth time this season in the seventh inning, which allowed both De Andrade and Cossetti to score and tie the game. A ninth inning solo home run from Sergio Tapia walked things off, and Fort Myers had to go home empty. De Andrade and Cossetti both recorded a pair of hits in the game. Cossetti picked up his first triple of the season. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Kernels Bullpen (Cedar Rapids) - 7.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 8 K Hitter of the Day – Patrick Winkel (Wichita) - 2-3, 2B(5), R, RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-4, 2 R, K #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 0-4, 3 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-3, 3 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-4, K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (11:07AM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Springfield (6:355PM CST) - TBD Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - BTD Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games! View full article

It was a good night on the farm for the Twins affiliates, and Blayne Enlow continues to impress. Keeping him in the organization has worked out well this year, and seeing Emmanuel Rodriguez return from the IL has been a promising development as well. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Blayne Enlow) TRANSACTIONS Alex De Gotti reinstated from Development List for Triple-A Ryan LaMarre reinstated from Development List for Triple-A Elliot Soto placed on IL for Triple-A with right thigh strain Alerick Soularie placed on Temporary Inactive List SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 2, St. Paul 1 Box Score Brent Headrick took the ball tonight for the Saints, and having gotten work for the Twins already this season, his goal was to hold serve and show he belonged. Working six innings of two-run baseball, Headrick did just that. He gave up only four hits while walking none and striking out seven on the evening. Ronny Henriquez, who was recently optioned following a rehab assignment, worked two hitless innings with four strikeouts and didn’t allow a walk. After getting behind on a second inning double, the Saints answered with a Hernan Perez sac fly that drove in Andrew Stevenson. Making it a 2-1 game, that’s as close as the good guys would get. Rehabbing Royce Lewis went 0-for-3 with a strikeout on the evening. Only Edouard Julien was able to pick up a pair of hits. With Kyle Garlick kept off of the lineup card, it stands to reason he’ll be called up for Minnesota in place on Nick Gordon on Friday. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Arkansas 2 Box Score Making another start for the Wind Surge, Blayne Enlow was again dominant. Lasting 5 1/3 innings, the right-hander allowed only a single run on six hits while punching out ten. The run came on a solo blast and he dropped his ERA to 3.28 in the process. Anthony Prato put Wichita on the board in the third inning with a two run blast that scored Will Holland. Robbie Tenerowicz made things interesting in the 4th inning with a solo blast, but from there the Wind Surge ran and hid. David Banuelos blasted his third homer of the season in the fifth inning to make it 3-1, and then he drew a bases loaded walk in the sixth inning to plate Alex Isola and make it 4-1. Jake Rucker lifted a seventh-inning sacrifice fly to make it 5-1 and Wichita was able to weather an eighth inning solo blast by Jonatan Clase. Banuelos was again involved in run production when his eight-inning double play pushed DaShawn Keirsey Jr. across the plate. Not necessarily needing the breathing room, it was 6-2 Wichita. Yunior Severino grabbed a pair of hits on the evening and his lone multi-hit effort was enough to get it done. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Peoria 4 Box Score The Kernels turned to Jaylen Nowlin tonight and he gave them six innings of solid work. Allowing just three runs on six hits, the Cedar Rapids starter issued no free passes while punching out four. All of the Peoria runs off of Nowling came in the first inning. Getting behind 3-0 in the opening frame, he had work to do. Buckling down, Nowlin allowed the offense to pick him up. In the bottom of the second inning Jose Salas singled in Kala’i Rosario to get on the scoreboard. Then Willie Joe Garry Jr. plated Noah Miller on a groundout before Jeferson Morales singled in Salas to bring Cedar Rapids even. Having scuffled since being activated from the injured list, Emmanuel Rodriguez made his presence known with a solo blast that put the good guys ahead. An inning later, in the bottom of the fourth inning, Tanner Schobel singled to drive in Morales and make it a 5-3 lead. Ben Ross scored on a sixth inning wild pitch, and while Cedar Rapids gave a run back in the seventh inning, they still led by enough to make this one predictable. Rodriguez grabbed a pair of hits on the evening and he was joined by Rosario in that column. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Lakeland 1 Box Score C.J. Culpepper started tonight’s game for the Mighty Mussels but he went just a single inning while allowing no baserunners and punching out one. Ricky Mineo then came in and pitched 2 2/3 innings while allowing just a single run on four hits. He struck out three and the one run came on a solo shot from Lakeland’s Mike Rothenberg. It took a bit for the Mighty Mussels to answer but Mikey Perez singled in Alec Sayre in the sixth inning to even things up. Perez then showed up again in the eighth inning with a sacrifice fly that plated Maddux Houghton and Fort Myers found themselves ahead. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 5.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K Hitter of the Day – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, R, RBI, HR(4), BB PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-3, BB, K #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 0-3, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, R, RBI, HR(4), BB #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 2-4, 2B, 2 K #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, RBI, K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 3-4, K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, K #17 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 2.0 IP, 4 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, RBI, BB FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (6:05PM CST) - RHP Aaron Sanchez Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - RHP David Festa Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! View full article

Last season the Minnesota Twins were looking for bullpen help at the trade deadline, and they found it by acquiring All Star Jorge Lopez from the Baltimore Orioles. Now with Yennier Cano dominating in 2023, did both organizations come out looking rosy? Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports When the Twins and Orioles got together last year for their deal, it took some time for the pieces to settle in, but things are looking good for all involved at this point. Derek Falvey thought Rocco Baldelli needed high-leverage bullpen help alongside Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax. Emilio Pagan wasn’t cutting it, and Taylor Rogers was long gone. Jorge Lopez was brought in having made his first All-Star game, and he looked like one of the best closers in baseball through the first half. Needing to part with talent to acquire him (and the 2+ seasons remaining of team control), the Twins opted to send third-round draft pick Cade Povich along with interesting relief prospect, 28-year-old Yennier Cano. Povich was certainly seen as a prized arm in the Minnesota system, and he has fared well at Double-A for Baltimore thus far. Cano dominated in Double-A and Triple-A but struggled in his very brief big-league debut. He was seen, by some fans, as something of a throw-in. Fast-forward to 2023, and it’s Cano that is immediately paying dividends for a good Orioles team. Through his first 17 games, Cano has yet to allow a single run or walk while striking out 25 batters and giving up just four hits. The early-season run has been nothing short of exceptional, and his dominance is a large part of why the Orioles have been able to hang onto games late. For the Twins, the re-emergence of Lopez has helped to substantiate their position on the deal as well. After joining Minnesota last year, things fell off for Lopez. He lost his opportunity to work in the closer role after generating just four saves, and he posted a 4.37 ERA across 22 2/3 innings. The walks were up and the strikeouts were down. As a whole, it was a perfect storm of imperfect results. Coming into 2023 as a late-inning reliever that would see his teammate Duran get most of the 9th inning work, Lopez has settled in. Through 20 games and 19 2/3 innings this year, Lopez owns a 1.37 ERA and has a 17/7 K/BB. It isn’t ideal that the strikeouts aren’t where they were last year with the Orioles, but he has allowed only 11 hits during his work thus far, and keeping traffic off the base paths has allowed a much more straightforward path to success. Because Lopez toiled as a starter for so long, the Twins acquired him knowing they could use him for a good amount of time. Wanting to overhaul both the rotation and the bullpen, creating a stable of solid and competitive arms was a must. Making just over $3.5 million this season, Lopez shouldn’t get expensive in 2024 either, and he’ll remain under team control up until he’s a free agent after the 2024 season. The Twins gave away a significant amount of future value in the form of Cano and Povich. That could have been disastrous should Lopez’s brief amount of work last season been reflective of his future. Instead, the Orioles have made it work with a guy on his way out of Minnesota, and Lopez helping the team win now is something they needed more than future potential contributions from a prospect. Minnesota has built the start of their 2023 success on the back of their pitching staff, and the hope is that it would continue due to the front office building in high-quality depth in both the rotation and bullpen. Lopez has been a key part of the equation, and seeing him contribute in more than just the months immediately following his acquisition is something everyone can get behind. View full article