Search the Community

Just four more games to go in the Twins minor league season. The Saints will play four more home games. The rest of the affiliates seasons are done. However, the Cedar Rapids Kernels season ended on Wednesday night in the best way a season can end... with a championship!! Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Before Wednesday’s morning game in Cincinnati, the Twins placed shortstop Carlos Correa on the Injured List. To take his spot on the Twins roster, the team called up outfielder Trevor Larnach. AWARDS Before they played their games on Wednesday, the Cedar Rapids Kernels learned that several of their players were recognized for their work in the Midwest League. Former Twins draft pick, prospect, infielder and outfielder Brian Dinkelman was named the league’s Manager of the Year. The Kernels had the best record in the league at 82-50. This is his fourth season as the Kernels’ manager after spending several seasons as the team’s hitting coach. Outfielder Kala’i Rosario led the Midwest League with 21 home runs and 94 RBI. He was named a league All-Star and the Midwest League’s MVP. His 94 RBI were 21 more than second on the list. He ranked among the Top 10 in the league in Slugging Percentage (.467), OPS (.831), Hits (112), Doubles (27), and Walks (75). In addition, he had 13 outfield assists from his right field position. This is the second straight year in which a member of the Kernels was named the league’s MVP. Last season, you may recall, Christian Encarnacion-Strand won the award. In addition to Rosario, the Kernels had three more players make the postseason All Star team. Outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez was named as the designated hitter. He hit .240/.400/.463 with 16 homers. He had 92 walks which was tied for best in the league. Infielder Tanner Schobel was named the All Star third baseman. He played 77 games for the Kernels before his promotion to Wichita. He was leading the league in home runs when he was promoted and still ranked in the top five in several other categories. Finally, Miguel Rodriguez was named the most dominant reliever. He also was promoted to Wichita but not until early August. He had a 2.85 ERA. He had 42 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 41 innings. He also had 14 Saves. On Tuesday, Fort Myers catcher/outfielder Ricardo Olivar was named to the Florida State League All Star team. In 100 games, the 22-year-old from Venezuela hit .285/.403/.452 (.855) with 28 doubles, 10 homers, 58 RBI and 59 walks. In nearly 650 innings split between catcher and the outfield, he had just four errors on the season. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Toledo 3 Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson started on Wednesday night for the Saints against the Tigers top affiliate. He gave up a run in the top of the first and two in the third inning, but he kept battling and completed 5 2/3 innings. He gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out four batters. Austin Brice recorded four outs. He gave up two hits, but no runs. Finally Cole Sands worked two scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit and struck out two batters. The Saints tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning when Brooks Lee’s eighth Saints double scored Austin Martin, who had doubled to lead off the inning. Down 3-1, the Saints mounted a rally in the bottom of the fourth inning. The inning started with walks by Gilberto Celestino and Anthony Prato. That brought Chris Williams to the plate and along with giving the Saints a lead, he also made a little Saints history. His 21st home run of the year placed him ahead of Brent Rooker who had 20 homers for the Saints in 2021, their first year as a Twins affiliate. Two batters later, Brooks Lee launched his fifth home run since joining the Saints to give the team a 5-3 lead. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the team got a little insurance. Lee led off with a walk. Yunior Severino was then hit by a pitch. After a ground out advanced both runners, DaShawn Keirsey singled to drive in Lee with the team’s sixth run. The Saints have just four more games remaining, but for those of you near the Twin Cities, all four games are at CHS Field. Check out a game or four this weekend. Click here to order tickets. And… be sure to watch The Saint of Second Chances on Netflix. Great documentary on former Saints owner Mike Veeck, his family’s history in the game, and how the Saints opportunity may have been the best thing for him. KERNELS NUGGETS MWL Championship Game 2 Cedar Rapids 4, Great Lakes 2 Box Score The teams got through four-and-a-half innings on Tuesday night before the rains came and the game was suspended. Righty Andrew Morris started the game and gave up one run on three hits over five innings. He had seven strikeouts with no walks. On Wednesday, the game continued. The Kernels immediately tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning when Carson McCusker singled in Luke Keaschall. In the top of the sixth, Mike Paredes came in and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in just a third of an inning. None of the singles were hit hard, but they were very well placed. John Klein came in for his first Kernels appearance in Cedar Rapids. He gave up one run on three hits over 2 2/3 innings. He had five strikeouts. AJ Labas worked a scoreless ninth inning. Down 4-1 going to the bottom of the ninth, the Kernels mounted an intriguing comeback. The inning started with back-to-back walks to Jose Salas and Carson McCusker. Noah Miller followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-2. The Loons manager, Daniel Nava, went to his closer, lefty Benony Robles. The southpaw got Emmanuel Rodriguez to strike out on three pitches. Kala’i Rosario came to the plate with chants of “MVP! MVP!” ringing through the stadium. He fell behind 1-2 but was able to work a walk to load the bases with one out. Unfortunately, an infield fly and a strikeout ended the game and sent this series to a winner-take-all Game 3. MWL Championship Series Game 3 Cedar Rapids 7, Great Lakes 6 Box Score Because of the suspended game, Game 3 was reduced to just a seven inning game. Despite jumping out to a big lead early, this game wasn’t decided until that 21st out landed in Emmanuel Rodriguez’s glove. The Kernels won their first Midwest League championship since 1994! In the bottom of the first inning, the Kernels got singles from Noah Miller and Kala’i Rosario. Miller scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Andrew Cossetti to give the team the 1-0 lead. Starting pitcher Cory Lewis had his second straight 1-2-3 inning in the top of the second, and the Kernels supported him in grand style in the bottom of the inning. Luke Keaschall and Noah Cardenas started the inning with walks. After a strikeout, Carson McCusker walked to load the bases. Following a pitching change, there was another strikeout. But Emmanuel Rodriguez came to the plate and launched his third home run of this three-game series, a grand slam to give the Kernels a 5-0 lead after two innings. Lewis gave up a leadoff single in the third inning, but the runner was quickly erased on a Miller-to-Keaschall-to-Ortega double play. So through three innings, Lewis faced nine batters. Lewis gave up a run in the fourth inning on a walk and later a single. However, the fifth inning did not go well for him. After a leadoff single, he got a fly out and a force out. Things were looking good. However, back-to-back singles gave the Loons a second run and ended Lewis’s game. Gabriel Yanez came with runners on the corners. Catcher Dalton Rushing, the top prospect in the Dodgers organization and a Top 50 prospect in the game, greeted him with a two-run double which cut the Kernels lead to 5-4. The Kernels responded well in the bottom of the fifth inning. Rodriguez led off with a walk, and Rosario followed with a single. A wild pitch advanced runners to second and third base. After one out, Jorel Ortega walked to load the bases. Luke Keaschall followed by working a walk that scored Rodriguez. Noah Cardenas then flew out to left field, deep enough to allow Rosario to score a second insurance run and make it 7-4 Kernels. Yanez remained in the game for the sixth inning. He got a groundout and a strikeout before giving up a double. Manager Brian Dinkelman went to his closer, John Stankiewicz, hoping for a four-out save. The right-hander recorded a strikeout to end the threat. The Kernels coaxed three more walks in the bottom of the sixth but were unable to add on. On to the top of the seventh inning, three outs from a championship… but it couldn’t just be easy, right? Stankiewicz started the inning with an infield pop out. However, the next batter was hit by a pitch. However, a ground ball to short meant a force out at second but no out at first base. That brought Rushing to the plate again. And, as you would expect, he launched a long home run to cut the Kernels lead to 7-6. Fortunately, after falling behind the next batter 2-0, Stankiewicz got a flyout to Emmanuel Rodriguez. He made the catch, and the celebration ensued! TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 2-for-3, 2B(8), HR(5), 2 R, 2 RBI, K Pitcher of the Day – John Klein (Cedar Rapids) - 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 45 pitches, 32 strikes (71.1%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B(8), HR(5), 2 R, 2 RBI, K. #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - Game 2 (1-for-4, BB, 3 K), Game 3 (1-for-2, 2 BB, HR(3), 2 R, 4 RBI) #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, 2B(11), R, 2 K #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - Game 2 (2-for-4, R, K), Game 3 (0-for-1, 2 BB, R, RBI) #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - Game 2 (0-for-4, BB, K), Game 3 (2-for-3, BB, R, SB, K). #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, BB, 2B(2), HBP #15 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 95 pitches, 61 strikes (64.2%) #19 - Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - Game 3 (4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 69 pitches, 45 strikes (65.2%)) THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Toledo @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (5-9, 5.31 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics!

It’s been an interesting few days, and it’s been awhile since I’ve updated these standings. The Twins minor-league affiliates have been playing really well of late. Here are the records of the Twins and their six affiliates through games on Friday. Check out the records of the Twins and their affiliates Minnesota Twins: 70-65 (5-3 in past eight games) St. Paul Saints: 75-54 (5-3 in past eight games) Wichita Wind Surge: 59-64 (6-2 in past eight games) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 79-45 (7-1 in past eight games) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 64-59 (7-0 in past seven games) Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. But before we get to the Twins minor league report, Congratulations to former Twins prospect and big leaguer Devin Smeltzer on his seven-inning no-hitter tonight for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp! TRANSACTIONS Friday marked the first day of September. For baseball fans, and prospect hounds, it is a special day. Or, at least it used to be. Now that rosters only expand by two players, it’s just not as much fun, and it isn’t a big deal. However, the Twins made it a big deal for two players on the Saints roster. LHP Brent Headrick was called up to take a spot in the bullpen. The other spot is a bit of a surprise and yet, incredibly deserved. The Twins selected the contract of veteran outfielder Andrew Stevenson who has clearly been the Saints most valuable player all season long. While he is left-handed, he can help the Twins in several ways. First, he has a good, professional approach at the plate. He takes walks. He’s got some pop in his bat, and he’s got great speed. If you’re been reading these minor league reports throughout the year, you can’t be completely surprised by the addition of Andrew Stevenson. His name appears in the daily game recaps nearly every day. In 106 games with the Saints, he hit .317/.395/.522 (.916) with 23 doubles, seven triples, and 16 home runs. He also had 44 stolen bases and was caught just five times. It will be interesting to see how the Twins use their 40-man roster and that shuttle between St. Paul and Minneapolis over the final month of the season. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Columbus 8 (11 innings) Box Score The Saints jumped to an early lead against an #OldFriend. Unfortunately, the bullpen gave up three runs in the eighth to tie the game. To extra innings, we go. We start with the positive in this one. Former Twins prospect Chris Vallimont made the start for the Clippers. In the first inning, the Saints took the first lead. DaShawn Keirsey singled and stole a base before a two-out, Trevor Larnach single drove him in. With one out in the second inning, Yunior Severino singled. It was followed by a double off the bat of Hernan Perez. After Jair Camargo walked, Gilberto Celestino doubled to drive in two runs. Trevor Larnach and Kyle Garlick started off the bottom of the third inning by hitting their 12th Saints homers. Vallimont got Severino to ground out before he was removed from the game. Unfortunately, that was when the bats went quiet. Hunter McMahon came in for his Triple-A debut. He tossed two scoreless innings. However, he went back out for the 10th inning and got two outs but gave up two runs. Having thrown 44 pitches, his night was done. Because of all of the roster changes, Toby Gardenhire brought in catcher Tony Wolters to pitch. He gave up a double to score the third run charged to McMahon. The Saints went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 11th inning. They finished the game 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. Hernan Perez went 2-for-3 with two walks and hit sixth and seventh doubles. Trevor Larnach was 2-for-4 with his 12th homer. DaShawn Keirsey went 2-for-5 with a walk and his fifth steal since joining the Saints and 36th overall. Alex Kirilloff didn’t play on Friday night after starting the two previous games. Byron Buxton batted third and was the DH. He was 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, San Antonio 0 (10 innings) Box Score Let’s jump straight to extra innings. Frankly, nothing really happened through the first nine innings, except some terrific pitching (which we’ll get to in just a minute). Aaron Sabato made the final out in the bottom of the ninth. So when the Surge came to the plate in a tie game in the bottom of the 10th frame, Sabato was set to be the Manfred Man at second base. Instead, Ramon Borrego sent speedster Will Holland in as a pinch runner. Unfortunately, the first two batters of the inning popped out in the infield without advancing Holland at all. It looked like the game was heading to the 11th inning. However, Willie Joe Garry, Jr launched the first pitch over the wall to end the game and give the Surge the win. Following the game, Garry Jr told Twins Daily, "Coming into the box, all I was thinking was 'Be on Time.' They beat me early in the game with some fastballs so I just wanted to catch something out front. He went breaking balls early to the few batters he faced before me, so I sat soft first pitch in hopes that he left something up in the zone." He was right. He got the breaking ball up, and he hit it well. "I haven't hit much on-field BP here, so I'm still not sure how the ball plays late in the game in this part, but I felt like I got enough of it to let the guys know it's time to go home." His mind was running in one focus as he was running from base to base. "Rounding the bases, I didn't think about much other than the fact that we got back in the Win column. The standings are close, so every game matters right now. I was just happy to help us get the win." Marco Raya has certainly struggled since joining the Wind Surge. In this game, he gave up two hits over four scoreless innings. He had two strikeouts and no walks. Taylor Floyd came into the game and got four outs. Then lefty Aaron Rozek pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Miguel Rodriguez pitched a perfect top of the 10th to be credited with the Win. It was a terrific night for the staff as they gave up just four hits and a walk over 10 scoreless innings. It was also a terrific game for their defense as they combined for just five strikeouts. The Kernels had seven hits in the game. Aside from Garry’s fourth homer, Tanner Schobel hit his sixth double since joining the team. Pat Winkel was the lone player to reach twice, with a single and a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 11, Lake County 7 Box Score The Kernels used a six-run fourth inning to take control of this game. Down 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning, the Kernels got back-to-back doubles from Emmanuel Rodriguez and Kala’i Rosario to get on the board. They added a second run in the third inning. Keoni Cavaco led off with a walk before Ben Ross doubled to score him. Down 5-2 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, the Kernels mounted their big inning. Jorel Ortega led off with a single and then stole second base. With one out, Carson McCusker drove him in with a single. Then, Jeferson Morales’s sixth home run tied the game at 5-5. Cavaco followed with a single and scored on Ben Ross’s 19th home run of the season. In a near-replay of the first inning, Emmanuel Rodriguez tripled and then scored on another Rosario double. The Kernels ended the inning with an 8-5 lead. Jose Salas single-handedly scored a run for the Kernels in the fifth inning. He stole second base. Then he stole third base and scored on a throwing error by the catcher. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Cedar Rapids got some needed insurance. The Kernels used a couple of errors to increase their lead to 11-5. Lake County scored two in the ninth inning, but there was no need for stress. Alejandro Hidalgo started and gave up three runs on five hits and three walks in three innings. Jarret Whorff came on and got two runs on one hit (a homer). He had three walks and three strikeouts. Matthew Swain came in and tossed two scoreless innings. A.J. Labas gave up two runs on four hits over the final two innings. He had three strikeouts. The Kernels got several strong performances. Emmanuel Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with his 12th and 13th doubles, and his eighth triple. Kala’i Rosario went 3-for-5 with his 26th and 27th doubles and three RBI. Ben Ross was 2-for-5 with his 25th double and his 19th home run. He had three RBI. Keoni Cavaco went 2-for-2 with two walks. He scored three runs. Jorel Ortega went 2-for-5 and stole his 10th base since joining the Kernels. After his back-to-back steals, Jose Salas now has 22 stolen bases this year. The Kernels won the division title in the first half and have a big lead in the second half as well. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers and Clearwater missed two straight days of game thanks to a hurricane. One of the games was simply canceled. On Friday, the two teams played a doubleheader, two seven-inning games. Fort Myers 11, Clearwater 5 Game 1 Box Score The Mussels jumped out to an early start and got big games from a couple of 2023 draft picks on their way to a Game 1 win. Jay Harry (6th round, Penn State) got things started with a leadoff double. Walker Jenkins (1st round) followed with an RBI single. Ricardo Olivar and Danny De Andrade followed with singles, the latter scoring the Twins second run. In copycat fashion, Rubel Cespedes singled in the third run. After that, the mode of run scoring changed, but they did add on. Alec Sayre walked. Then after the inning’s first out, Dillon Tatum challenged a called strike and was successful. Instead of a strikeout, he walked to score the fourth run. Then with two outs, Harry came up a second time and walked with the bases loaded to “drive in” the fifth run. The Mussels added runs in four of the remaining six innings to keep the pressure on which is good because the Threshers scored in four of their seven innings. Miguelangel Boadas started and worked the first three innings. He gave up two runs on three hits. He walked three and struck out three batters. Danny Moreno had a walk and a strikeout in a scoreless inning. Matt Gabbert worked the final three innings. He gave up three runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out three batters. Back to those 2023 draft picks. Jay Harry led off and played shortstop. In the game, he went 4-for-4 with a walk, his sixth double, and his first professional home run. Jenkins followed that homer with his first home run since joining the Mussels last week. Jenkins was 3-for-5. Both scored two runs. Harry had four RBI to Jenkins’ two. Kamron Willman added two hits, including a triple, in the game. He added his first stolen base. Alec Sayre walked three times and stole two bases. Fort Myers 3, Clearwater 1 Game 2 Box Score There was a little less offense in the second game. However, Walker Jenkins had two of the Mussels’ eight hits. The Mussels got a double from Yohander Martinez to drive in their first run. Danny De Andrade with the second run. Their third run scored on a sacrifice fly to score Nate Baez with the third run. However, that proved to be more than enough for 6-5, 21-year-old, Brooklyn Park native John Klein. The right-hander went all seven innings and needed just 90 pitches. He gave up one run in the first inning, but that was it. He gave up three hits, walked two, hit one and struck out four batters. While the Mussels have been playing well and have won seven games in a row, their elimination number is just one right now. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – John Klein (Fort Myers) - 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 90 pitches, 55 strikes (61.1%) Co-Hitter of the Day – Jay Harry (Fort Myers): 4-for-4, BB, 2B(6), HR(1), 2 R, 4 RBI Co-Hitter of the Day - Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers): 5-for-9, HR(1), 2 R, 2 RBI Co-Hitter of the Day - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-5, 2-2B(13), 3B(8), 3 R Co-Hitter of the Day - Kala'i Rosario (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-5, 2-2B(27), 3 RBI. Co-Hitter of the Day - Keoni Cavaco (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-2, 2 BB, 3 R Co-Hitter of the Day - Willie Joe Garry (Wichita): Extra-innings, walk-off homer. Co-Hitter of the Day - Hernan Perez (St. Paul): 2-for-3, 2 BB, 2-2B(7), R, SB(9) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #2 - Walker Jenkins (Ft. Myers) - Game 1: 3-for-5, HR(1), 2 R, 2 RBI; Game 2: 2-for-4 #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 2-2B(13), 3B(8), 3 R #4 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 48 pitches, 35 strikes (72.9%) #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-6, 3 K #8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-for-4, 2B(6), K #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 2-2B(27), 3 RBI #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, R, K #15 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 94 pitches, 62 strikes (66.0%) #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 2 WP, 44 pitches, 21 strikes (47.7%) #17 - Danny De Andrade (Fort Myers) - Game 1: 1-for-4, BB, R, RBI, K, SB(18); Game 2: 1-for-4, RBI, K, SB(19) #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 2-for-4, BB, 2 R. SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Columbus @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (4-7, 4.95 ERA) San Antonio @ Wichita (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (7-3, 3.06 ERA) Lake County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Kyle Jones (6-5, 4.23 ERA) vs LHP Steven Hajjar (#OldFriend) Fort Myers @ Clearwater (5:30 PM CST) - RHP Jose Olivares (2-4, 6.37 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics!

The Twins have pushed their lead to a season-high six games. Read all about it in Nick’s Week in Review. WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Overall: 26-19 (3-3 last week) in the second half; In first place in the IL West by half a game; in fourth place in the International League. Overview: The Saints had a chance to separate themselves from Iowa, but struggled to a split with Indianapolis. 🔥: Yunior Severino had a big week, hitting three home runs among his seven hits. He's shown to have a ton of power this season, but the strikeouts are and will reman a problem. He struck out 10 times in 19 at-bats this week. 🔥: Simeon Woods Richardson (five innings, two runs, six strikeouts) and Joe Ryan (rehab, four innings, one run, seven strikeouts) both had really good starts. Blayne Enlow also struck out three in two perfect innings. 🔥: DaShawn Keirsey (seven hits, triple), Austin Martin (six hits, two home runs) and Andrew Stevenson (six hits, two doubles home runs.) all had good offensive weeks. It was also nice to see Gilberto Celestino (five hits, double, triple) get back on track. 🥶: Two starts for Randy Dobnak , but it was a rough week. He pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed 12 runs (10 earned) on 19 hits and five walks. He struck out seven. 🥶: Trevor Larnach struck out 11 times in 19 at-bats. He only had one hit. What's Next: The Saints head to Omaha, who is currently in last place in the IL West. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Overall: 24-21 (5-1 last week) in the second half with a half-game lead. Overview: The Wind Surge has won three straight series and been very hot since the promotions of their best three offensive players. 🔥: Pierson Ohl has been on fire. In two starts, he completed eleven innings and allowed only three runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out nine. 🔥: Alex Isola and David Banuelos had huge weeks. Isola had 12 hits in 23 at-bats. He had three home runs and scored eight runs while driving in six. Banuelos had nine hits, including three doubles and a home run. He drove in seven. 🔥: Travis Adams allowed a single run on two hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out two. He had a no-hitter through the first six innings. 🥶: Dalton Shuffield was 3-for-18. He did steal two bases though. 🥶: Carlos Luna allowed five runs on 11 hits this week. What's Next: The Wind Surge head to Arkansas (18-26), the first-half champion, to try to extend their lead in the Texas League North. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Overall: 31-17 (5-1 last week) in the second half, four games ahead of Peoria. The Kernels have clinched a postseason berth. Overview: The Kernels got some separation from Peoria with a huge week. 🔥: Noah Miller led the offensive charge with seven hits, including three doubles. 🔥: Kyle Jones made a scoreless four-inning start. C.J. Culpepper, Andrew Morris, and Zebby Matthews all allowed one earned run in their starts. 🔥: Kala'i Rosario had two home runs in his four hits and drew three walks. He did strike out seven times though. 🥶: This is usually where you get a weekly Misael Urbina and/or Jose Salas update. They could both be here... but people are more interested in Emmanuel Rodriguez , who went 4-for-18 with six strikeouts. 🥶: Cory Lewis gave up three earned runs in his start, tied for the most he's allowed with the Kernels. What's Next: The Kernels head to South Bend (19-28). It's a match-up of the hottest team in the league and one of the coldest teams in the league. Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Overall: 22-26 (4-2 last week) in the second half, 9.0 games out of first place. Overview: It's been a turnaround for Fort Myers, who have put up a +24 run differential in the second half, but still find themselves far behind Lakeland, Clearwater and Bradenton. 🔥: Danny De Andrade had another big week and jumped into the TwinsDaily Top 20 prospects. His two home runs led the team as did his six runs batted in and three stolen bases. 🔥: John Klein struck out eight over six one-hit, one-walk innings and earned his first victory of the season in his best start as a professional. 🔥: Jay Harry had a very successful week at the plate batting .522 (12-23). He also led the team with three doubles and walked and struck out twice. As most college hitters should - with the elimination of short-season rookie ball - he's proving that he may be too advanced for this level. 🥶: Miguelangel Boadas made a start, but couldn't make it out of the third inning before allowing eight runs on six hits, three hit batters and two walks. 🥶: Maddux Houghton and Gregory Duran were the only hitters to bat below .200 on the week. What's Next: Fort Myers will play host to Daytona (21-25). Rookie: FCL Twins Overall: 23-29 (2-2 last week) on the season. 6.5 games behind the FCL Pirates in the FCL South. 😍: Walker Jenkins didn't have a great week, but still had a very good week with some promising signs. Among his five hits, he doubled and hit a home run. Most encouraging though, is that he struck out and walked twice each. 🔥: Brandon Winokur continues to strike out too much (four times in eighteen at-bats is good for him), but he keeps swinging. He had seven hits including three doubles and a home run. 🔥: On a staff where only six pitchers threw more than two innings, Kyle Bischoff's week really stands out. In two appearances, he pitched seven innings. He allowed three hits and hit a batter, but surrendered no runs and struck out 10. 🤔: Devin Kirby made his professional debut with six strikeouts over three innings. Kirby is unique in that he throws a legit knuckleball. He's an undrafted free agent from Connecticut. 🥶: Bryan Acuna (1-9, 2 K) and Byron Chourio (1-7, 2 K) both struggled this week. Rookie: DSL Twins Overall: 14-36 (0-3 last week) on the season. 26.0 games back in the DSL South. 🔥: Javier Roman and Moises Lopez tied for the team lead in hits with four each. They both had a double as well. 🔥: Yency De Jesus seems to get an update every week. He struck out six in four innings and neither of the two runs he allowed were earned. He only gave up one hit, but the four walks were too much. 🥶: Hendry Chivilli had another lackluster week, collecting only two hits in 12 at-bats. One of those hits was a grand slam, but two-thirds of the at-bats resulted in strikeouts. PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker will be updated periodically throughout the season. Notice that these pages now include stats and splits, as well as past article links, video and more. Season-long stats will be in parenthesis. 20. Brent Headrick, RHP, St. Paul: 1-0, 9.00 ERA, 4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, HRA, BB, 4 K (1.39 WHIP, .267 BAA). 19. Cory Lewis, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 0-0, 6.23 ERA, 4.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (1.03 WHIP, .191 BAA). 18. Jose Rodriguez, OF, FCL Twins: 6-19, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 K, CS. (.257/.319/.410. .729 OPS) 17. Danny De Andrade, SS, Fort Myers: 5-19, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R, BB, 3 K, 3 SB, CS. (.242/.357/.398. .755 OPS), played 77 total games at shortstop and committed 13 errors in 278 chances and one game at third base and had no errors in four chances. 16. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, Minnesota. St. Paul: (1.60 WHIP, .261 BAA); recently optioned to St. Paul. 15. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 0-1, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, HRA, BB, 6 K (1.58 WHIP, .263 BAA); Minnesota: (1.85 WHIP, .313 BAA) 14. Yunior Severino, 3B, St. Paul: 7-19, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 5 R, BB, 10 K. (AA/AAA combined .286/.363/.566. .929 OPS). 13. Kala'i Rosario, OF, Cedar Rapids: 4-18, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K. (.260/.373/.478. .851 OPS). 12. Yasser Mercedes, OF, FCL Twins: Did not play. (.196/.248/.381. .629 OPS) 11. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: Prielipp underwent season-ending elbow surgery. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA) 10. Luke Keaschall, 2B, Fort Myers: 5-19, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 7 R, 3 BB, 5 K, 2 SB. (rookie/l-A combined .263/.430/.386. .816 OPS), played four games (13 total) at second base and committed no errors in 13 chances (one error in 33 total chances) and one game in centerfield (two total) and had no chances. Previously played one game at third base and committed one error in two chances. 9. Brandon Winokur, OF, FCL Twins: 7-18, 3 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 3 R, 4 K. (.288/.338/.545. .883 OPS), played one game at shortstop (nine total) and committed no errors in three chances (two errors in 34 total chances) and played three games (seven total) at centerfield and committed no errors in eight chances (no errors in 19 total chances). 8. Tanner Schobel, INF, Wichita: 5-21, 4 RBI, 3 R, 5 K, SB. (high-A/AA combined .263/.351/.436. .787 OPS), played four games (43 total) at second base and committed no errors in 14 chances (8 errors in 174 total chances), played one game (56 total) at third base and had no chances (four errors in 109 total chances). 7. Austin Martin, SS, St. Paul: 6-19, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K, CS. (rehab/AAA combined .268/.373/.415. .788 OPS), played three games (seven total) in centerfield and committed no errors in five chances (no errors in 14 total chances), played six games (27 total) at second base and committed two errors in 20 chances (two errors in 109 total chances), played three games (seven total) in left field and committed no errors in four chances (no errors in 14 total chances). (This must have not been updated last week, so these are two-week totals.) 6. David Festa, RHP, Wichita: On the Temporary Inactive List. (1.43 WHIP, .257 BAA) 5. Charlee Soto, RHP: Has not played in a professional game. 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, H, 3 K. (AA/Hi-A combined 1.17 WHIP, .210 BAA) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 4-18, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 K. (.227/.390/.441. .831 OPS) 2. Walker Jenkins, OF, FCL Twins: 5-18, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K, CS. (.340/.380/.574. .954 OPS) 1. Brooks Lee, SS, St. Paul: 6-20, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K. (AA/AAA combined .286/.355/.465. .820 OPS), played four games (92 total) at shortstop and committed one error in 22 chances (15 errors in 377 total chances) and played one game (three total) at third base and committed no errors in one chance (one error in seven chances total chances). PLAYERS OF THE WEEKHITTER - Alex Isola, Wichita PITCHER - Pierson Ohl, Wichita Old tweet; still plays:

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

TRANSACTIONS INF Jose Salas reinstated from development list, transferred to FCL Twins RHP John Klein transferred from FCL Twins to Low-A Fort Myers INF Kamron Willman placed on development list (Fort Myers) RHP Cole Sands reported and active (St. Paul) C Mark Kolozsvary transferred to development list (St. Paul) OF Ryan LaMarre released Saints Sentinel St. Paul 3, Toledo 7 Box Score Randy Dobnak: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Anthony Prato (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, BB, K), Trevor Larnach (2-for-3, R, BB) The Saints were pummeled on Saturday. Randy Dobnak was cromulent; the former major-leaguer finished off five innings, but not before surrendering three runs—two coming from a 4th inning homer. He avoided the brunt of the offensive focus, though, as Blayne Enlow was battered even harder, allowing four earned runs over 2 ⅔ frames before mercifully exiting the game in favor of Kody Funderburk. It’s a shame, because St. Paul once led this game, if for just a short while. Gilberto Celestino beckoned two home in the 1st on a single, and Kyle Garlick brought home a third score off a third inning sacrifice fly. The scoring ended, though. Balls found gloves, and the Saints couldn’t take full advantage of six free passes, as their rallies were curt and fruitless. There were still some notable performances: Anthony Prato continued to rake with two hits and a walk, improving his AAA OPS to 1.122, while Jair Camargo walked three times—the first time he had done so in a game since April 6th. Colt Keith, ranked as the 38th-best prospect in MLB, struck out twice in five trips to the plate. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 7, Frisco 6 Box Score Travis Adams: 4 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 1 K HR: Yunior Severino (23, 24) Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB) The Wind Surge won on a walk-off on Saturday. Yunior Severino is in the spotlight, and no one else can possibly take it from him. After setting Wichita’s season home run record the other day, Severino evidently felt unsatisfied, hungry; he blasted a pair of homers to give him even more records to claim. The first bomb—a 413 foot blast in the fifth—made it his fifth straight game with a homer; his second gave him his fifth multi-homer game of the season. That’s also a Wichita record. It’s July. Severino’s power was well-needed, because Travis Adams had nothing. Frisco jumped on him for inning-starting extra-base hits three times, eventually bouncing him from the game in the fourth when he walked the bases loaded following a double. Denny Bentley nearly escaped the mess, but he ended up allowing all three inherited baserunners to score. Aaron Rozek shut things down, though. Utilized as a reliever after struggling as a starter, the Burnsville lefty established the law, holding Frisco scoreless over three dominant innings, giving Wichita’s bats the support they needed to come back. He struck out five. The Wind Surge pushed forward in the ninth, as not one, but two hit by pitches sent a man to second base. Will Holland placed the sac bunt, but the RoughRiders’ pitcher—perhaps wanting to be the hero—tried to nail Seth Gray at third. He didn’t. Firing wildly, the ball rattled around in left field’s foul territory long enough to plate the winning run. Texas’ best prospect—the sixth-finest in MLB, outfielder Owen Carter—walked once in five plate appearances. The RoughRiders are named after the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, notable for their effort in the Spanish-American war of 1898. They were more notable, though, for their commander, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s bravery in the war turned him into a political icon in the states—and he would become President just three years following the war. Kernels Nuggets Game One: Cedar Rapids 3, Wisconsin 4 (10 Innings) Box Score Kyle Jones: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Andrew Cossetti (2-for-4, RBI) The Kernels lost their first game on Saturday, a match paused yesterday for dangerous weather. It went quickly; after finishing eight-and-a-half innings on Friday, the two teams were close to figuring out the winner. The Kernels threatened in the 10th—loading the bases off a pair of walks—but Jorel Ortega struck out, leaving the game in the hand of A.J. Labas. He issued two intentional walks in the frame, finally coaxing a matchup against Eduardo Garcia. A fielder’s choice won it. Game Two: Cedar Rapids 11, Wisconsin 3 Box Score Christian MacLeod: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Kala’i Rosario (15) Multi-hit games: Noah Miller (2-for-5, R, RBI, BB), Kala’i Rosario (2-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB), Jorel Ortega (2-for-3, 2 B, R, 2 RBI, BB) The Kernels pounded the Timber Rattlers in game two. It started early and never fell off; Jorel Ortega doubled home a run with Ben Ross singling home another one to kick off the first. Ortega may have been thrown out at home to halt the scoring at two, but that didn’t stop the Kernels, as they went on to have three more multi-run innings before the game ended. It was a sweet harmony, with Noah Miller and Emmanuel Rodriguez setting up Kala’i Rosario and Ortega with chances to score runs, and the sluggers doing exactly that. Rosario even left six men on base and still ended up with four RBIs—that’s a fruitful offensive explosion. And it was more than Christian MacLeod needed; the lefty coughed up three runs in the first, but settled down immediately, shutting down the Timber Rattlers four for innings following his gaff. Wisconsin lead-off man Robert Moore is Milwaukee’s eighth-best prospect; he singled and walked twice. Mussel Matters Ft. Myers 2, Palm Beach 9 Box Score John Klein: 2 2/3 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 0 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Ricardo Olivar (2-for-4, 2 2B, R), Gregory Duran (2-for-4, K) The Mighty Mussels were blown out on Saturday. Starter John Klein didn’t have it. The Brooklyn Park native made his first Low-A outing since a brief start on July 9th, and he probably wishes it were briefer; the Cardinals jumped all over him in the second and third, eventually totaling seven earned runs on his watch. The runs were more than Fort Myers’ hitters could handle; they put together two runs in the fourth, but that was all they could do, as the team could only get one hit with a runner in scoring position. Ricardo Olivar had an impressive individual performance, though, doubling twice to give him 20 on the season. Fort Myers’ bullpen—Wilker Reyes, Jackson Hicks, and Ricardo Velez—pieced together an excellent effort to support their starter; they combined for eight punchouts and just one earned run over 6 1/3 innings. Catcher Leonardo Bernal—going 2-for-4 with a walk—is the Cardinals’ seventh-best prospect. Complex Chronicles FCL Twins 2, FCL Red Sox 8 Box Score Carlos Gutierrez: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Daniel Pena (2-for-4, R) The FCL Twins also lost a resumed game on Saturday. Pitchers Matt Gabbert and Julio Bonilla were effective, perhaps both a little lucky and unlucky following the rain. They allowed just one combined earned run, but also allowed 10 hits over five frames, striking out eight to deliver the game to its conclusion. Recent draft picks Luke Keaschall and Brandon Winokur covered the middle infield on Saturday; they went hitless with three strikeouts in seven at-bats. Rehabbing former big leaguers Bradley Zimmer and Dan Altavilla appeared for the FCL Red Sox. Zimmer—once a top prospect for Cleveland—collected three hits, while Altavilla earned the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Dominican Dailies The DSL Twins did not play on Saturday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Rozek Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Yunior Severino PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 3B, 3 R, RBI, 2 BB #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-3, BB, K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-4, K #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-3, BB, 2 K #12 - Luke Keaschall (FCL Twins) - 0-3, BB, K #13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL Twins) - 0-4, 2 K #15 - Jordan Balazovic (Minnesota) - 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 2-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB, K #17 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB #20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 1-3, 2B, R, BB, K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ St. Paul (2:07 PM) - RHP Louie Varland Frisco @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (1:10 PM) - RHP Andrew Morris Palm Beach @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM) - RHP Jack Noble

TRANSACTIONS Dallas Keuchel decided to extend his opt out with the Twins to August 1. SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 5, St. Paul 4 Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson got the start on Friday for the Saints, and he went five strong innings. He allowed just two runs on five hits. His command was better in this game. He didn't give up a walk, and he still put away four Omaha hitters via strikeouts. The third inning saw Omaha plate two runs and take the lead, but St. Paul stormed backed in the fifth inning. Austin Martin singled home Ernie Yake before Kyle Garlick drew a bases loaded walk to bring in Alex De Goti. Gilberto Celestino then singled home Martin, and it was a 4-2 lead for the Saints. Unfortunately, they didn't add the rest of the game. Cody Laweryson struck out two batters over two scoreless innings. Michael Boyle tossed a scoreless eighth frame. Josh Winder came in for the bottom of the ninth inning to protect a two-run lead. He gave up three runs on three hits and two walks and recorded just one out. Andrew Stevenson was the lone Saints hitter to record a pair of hits on the evening. WIND SURGE WISDOM Amarillo 3, Wichita 2 Box Score The Wind Surge went with top pitching prospect Marco Raya on Friday night, and he twirled four strong innings. He gave up just a single run on two hits. Raya avoided free passes and punched out four in the process. After giving up a first-inning solo blast, the Sod Poodles didn't score again until they added a pair of runs in the seventh inning. Needing a rally to stay alive, David Banuelos homered for the seventh time to make it a 3-1 game in the eighth inning. Yoyner Fajardo continued to produce with a ninth-inning single, but no one followed Severino home. Tanner Schobel was left on third base. Severino had two singles in the game. Will Holland had two hits, including his eighth double of the season. Pierson Ohl gave up two runs on three hits and two walks (one intentional) in the final four innings. He had seven strikeouts. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Peoria 5 Box Score The Kernels gave Zebby Matthews the ball on Friday night, and he turned in five innings of three-run baseball. Matthews gave up five hits but walked no one and struck out six batters. After allowing an opening inning blast to Peoria, Cedar Rapids went to work if the bottom of the first. Kala'i Rosario launched his 13th dinger of the season which also drove in Noah Miller. That was followed by solo shots from Ben Ross (14th) and Jorel Ortega (4th) to make it a 4-1 game entering the second inning. In the fourth inning, Willie Joe Garry Jr. singled home Andrew Cossetti before Miller smacked his fifth big fly to make it a 7-1 game. Peoria tried to claw back in the sixth inning and drew within four, but Garry Jr. launched his third homer or the year in the bottom half to make it an 8-3 contest. Although Peoria again added in the eighth inning, the two runs weren't enough to make a difference. Miller led off and went 2-for-3 with a walk. He also stole his ninth base. Garry Jr. batted ninth. He was also 2-for-3. A.J. Labas gave up two runs on five hits and recorded three outs. Niklas Rimmel came into the game with the bases-loaded in the eighth frame. One run scored on a sacrifice fly, but Rimmel got all six batters he faced out, four on strikeouts. MUSSEL MATTERS Bradenton 11, Fort Myers 3 Box Score Jarret Whorff took the ball for Fort Myers and things went sideways early. He lasted just 2 1/3 innings and gave up five runs on six hits and four walks. Whorff struck out out four, but the damage had been done. Down 11-0 heading to the ninth inning, Fort Myers was essentially playing for pride. After Danny De Andrade was hit by a pitch and Kamron Willman walked, Rubel Cespedes singled home Danny De Andrade for the team's first run. It came on their first hit. Later, Yohander Martinez added a two-out single that drove in two runs and finish out the scoring. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 6, FCL Red Sox 3 (F/7) Box Score Zarion Sharpe drew the start for the Twins as his rehab continued. He gave up one run on two hits over two innings. He struck out a pair. Jacob Wosinski gave up two runs on four hits in one innings. Matt Gabbert came on and struck out four batters over the final four scoreless innings. The Red Sox and Twins matched tallies in the second and third innings. Getting down one, the Twins responded with Isaac Pena singling home Jose Rodriguez. Then getting down two in the third inning, Harold Grant doubled home both Yasser Mercedes and Byron Chourio. Rodriguez’s fifth inning homer, his fourth, provided the Twins with their first lead. Adding another pair in the sixth inning, the Twins saw Fredy Michel race home on a Giovanny Rivero groundout before Anderson Nova singled home Endy Rodriguez. That was enough to secure the victory in this one. Rodriguez doubled along with his homer on Friday, and his two hits represented the only Twins player recording a multi-hit effort. This was a seven-inning game because the teams also completed a previously-suspended game. Box Score here. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Phillies Red 4, DSL Twins 2 (F/7) Box Score The good news is that Friday the DSL Twins kept the opposition in single digits. The bad news is that they dropped another game and now are 7-24. Leonardo Lugo got the start and worked three innings allowing two runs (one earned) on a hit and two walks. He did strike out three. The Twins were down 2-0 after the first inning, but got on the board in the third inning when Dameury Pena singled home Angel Trinidad. The Phillies extended the lead to 4-1 in the fifth inning, and the Twins could only answer with one run in the seventh inning. Carlos Silvas was back in the lineup working behind the dish today, and Hendry Chivilli led off. Only Ewing Matos, who drove in Jesus Peraza for the second run, had a pair of hits today for the Twins. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Marco Raya (Wichita) - 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 47 pitches, 37 strikes, 78.7% Hitter of the Day – Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 2-4, 2B, HR(4), RBI, K 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) - 0-4, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, K #4 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 47 pitches, 37 strikes (78.7%) #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 1-3, R, BB, K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-5, R, RBI, K #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 0-3, BB #11 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL Twins) - 1-3, R #14 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER , 0 BB, 4 K #16 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR9(13) #17 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 2-4, R #20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 2-4, 2B, HR(4), RBI, K SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Omaha (7:05PM CST) - LHP Dallas Keuchel Wichita @ Amarillo (7:05PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Kyle Jones Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30PM CST) - RHP Andrew Morris Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games!

TRANSACTIONS OF Trevor Larnach optioned from Minnesota to St. Paul RHP Ronny Henriquez placed on 7-day IL for St. Paul with an oblique strain OF Ryan LaMarre placed on development list by St. Paul RHP Alex Scherff promoted from Wichita to St. Paul LHP Denny Bentley placed on development list by Wichita RHP Alex Phillips added by Wichita from FCL Twins RHP Taylor Floyd added by Wichita from Milwaukee Brewers organization SAINTS SENTINEL Louisville 6, St. Paul 3 Box Score As they have been doing for some time now, the St. Paul Saints had Jordan Balazovic working in a piggy back role behind Cody Laweryson. The latter turned in three innings of two-run ball on a pair of solo homers. He struck out two and walked one. Balazovic then came in and worked just a single inning while allowing two runs on three hits and a walk. He gave up a dinger while striking out just one. Kyle Garlick got the Saints on the board first with a sacrifice fly that scored Andrew Stevenson, but that was St. Paul’s only lead of the night. A rehabbing Joey Votto blasted a solo shot in the bottom of the first inning, and from there it was the Jason Vosler show for Louisville. Stevenson did hit a solo shot in the seventh inning to make it a 5-2 score, and Chris Williams continued to destroy baseballs with his 13th dinger in the eighth inning and sixth in his past three games. Down 5-3 though, that was as close as the Saints would get. Stevenson and Anthony Prato were the lone Saints to record a pair of hits. Former Twins prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand went 1-for-4 with an RBI. WIND SURGE WISDOM Midland 8, Wichita 7 Box Score It was Pierson Ohl’s turn for the Wind Surge, and he went six inning while allowing just two runs on four hits. Both runs scored on solo shots, and his six strikeouts came without walking a single batter. (Editor's Question: Did he walk any married players?) Wichita got on the board first when Aaron Sabato doubled in Brooks Lee during the first inning. That was quickly wiped away in the bottom half as Midland evened things up, but then there was a lull until the fifth inning. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. ripped his second triple of the season, scoring Will Holland to take the lead, and Lee singled in Keirsey Jr. to make it a 5-3 game. Pat Winkel then blasted his sixth double of the season to score Lee, and Sabato doubled for the second time on the evening to drive home Winkel. A four run inning was achieved and the score was 5-1 after the fifth. Adding in the sixth inning, Lee grabbed his 22nd double of the year to plate Keirsey Jr., and Wichita now led 6-1. Midland grabbed a run back in the bottom half before Holland drove in Sabato during the top of the seventh inning. Things went haywire for the Wind Surge in the eighth inning when they allowed three Midland runs to score and the lead was now wiped out. Not able to add in the top half of the ninth inning, Wichita needed to blank Midland in the bottom half. Instead the RockHounds grabbed a run on a throwing error by Lee and that was enough for the walk-off win. Both Keirsey Jr. and Lee had three hits. Winkel and Sabato each added a pair of their own. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, South Bend 5 (F/12) Box Score The Kernels went with Christian MacLeod tonight and he worked four innings allowing just a single run. Giving up five hits, MacLeod kept the bases clear by issuing no walks and striking out six on the evening. Both sides failed to reach the scoreboard until the fourth inning. After South Bend put up a run, Kala’i Rosario continued his strong season by blasting home run number eleven. The two-run tank brought home Emmanuel Rodriguez as well and put Cedar Rapids on top. After allowing South Bend to take the lead in the fifth inning, Tanner Schobel put the Kernels back even in the bottom half. His seventh double of the season scored Jose Salas and made it a 3-3 game. Working through nine innings neither side could find an advantage, and it wasn’t until the 10th inning that runs again came across. First South Bend scored their fourth run of the game and then Andrew Cossetti used a sacrifice fly to drive in Noah Miller to tie it again. Needing the 11th inning, it was South Bend driving in a run during the top half to take the 5-4 lead, but the Kernels answered when Kyler Fedko scored on a throwing error. Onto the 12th inning, Cedar Rapids held South Bend in the top half and then walked it off in the bottom half. Ernie Yake singled home Miller and that was enough to grab the victory. Racking up only five hits, no Kernels batters had multi-hit games. Despite striking out 11 times as a team, they did draw eight walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Bradenton 4 Box Score Andrew Morris made the start tonight for Fort Myers and he went six innings allowing only three runs on four hits and two walks. The Texas Tech product struck out six batters on the evening. The Mighty Mussels jumped out to an early lead when Rubel Cespedes blasted a solo shot for his sixth homer of the year. After giving up the lead in the second and seeing Bradenton add in the fourth inning, Fort Myers clawed back. Gregory Duran hit his first home run of the season to make it a 3-2 score in the fifth inning, and then Ricardo Olivar lifted a two-run shot, scoring Danny De Andrade to take a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning. After the Marauders evened things in the seventh inning, Rafael Cruz crushed his third home run of the year, and his three-run shot scored both Olivar and Cespedes to make it a 7-4 game. That’s where things ended, and Fort Myers grabbed the victory. With just six hits in the contest, no Mussels batters recorded more than a single hit in the contest. Zach Veen grabbed the win in relief. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 6, FCL Braves 2 Box Score Jack Noble got the start today for the FCL team and was sharp across five innings. He scattered six hits allowing just two runs and struck out seven while walking none. Daniel Pena started the scoring for the Twins with a two-run blast that scored Bryan Acuna in the bottom of the second inning. Isaac Pena then followed a Jose Rodriguez third inning double with one of his own to make it a 3-0 game. He later came around to score on a throwing error. Star prospect Yasser Mercedes clubbed his first home run of the year, a two-run blast scoring Giovanny Rivero, making it 6-0 through four innings. He also had a double. The Braves got two back in the fifth inning, but that’s where the shutdown happened. Andres Centeno wiped one out with a double scoring Mercedes, after a double of his own, in the bottom of the sixth and that 7-2 score held. Mercedes and Rodriguez both had a pair of hits on the day with Acuna joining them. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Phillies Red 15, DSL Twins 10 Box Score Things haven’t started great for the DSL Twins and that didn’t change today. With a 1-6 record coming into the game, they gave up an 11 spot to the DSL Phillies in the third inning. Cristian Hernandez was charged with nine runs across just 2 2/3 innings of work. Ariel Castro, the top international free agent signing for Minnesota, hit his first professional home run in this game. Fellow top signing, catcher Carlos Silva, was lifted for a pinch runner after being hit by a pitch. Jayson Bass and Moises Lopez both recorded hits for the Twins club in the sixth inning to put up a four spot. Down 15-7 at that point though, it was too little, too late. The Twins tried to extend their rally in the eighth inning with a wild pitch scoring Denyerbe Gervis and Javier Roman doubling in two, but 10 runs wasn’t going to get it done today. Both Moises Lopez and and Ricardo Pena grabbed three hits on the day while Gervis had a pair of his own. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Christian MacLeod (Cedar Rapids) - 4.0 IP, 5 H 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Yasser Mercedes (FCL) - 2-5, 2 R 2 RBI, 2B(2), HR(1), 2 K 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) - 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-4, R, 2 K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, BB, 2 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-3, BB, K #10 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL) - 2-5, 2 R 2 RBI, 2B(2), HR(1), 2 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, R, BB, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 R, BB #14 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, K #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 2-5, R, 2B(3) #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-5, 4 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (6:15PM CST) - RHP Kenta Maeda Wichita @ Midland (7:00PM CST) - RHP David Festa South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30PM CST) - RHP Jose Olivares Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games!

TRANSACTIONS With C Ricardo Olivar being activated from the 7-day injured list for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, they returned C Alex Rodriguez to the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 18, Louisville 7 Box Score The pregame conversation for this one could have focused on current Saints players facing off against a former teammate many Twins fans have been fretting over trading away last year, in Christian Encarnacion-Strand. One of those current Saints players, Chris Williams, perhaps took issue with this idea, remembering that when he played with CES, it was him showing the young guy what a slugger is. They played 13 games together before Encarnacion-Strand was traded to the Cincinnati Reds organization, but in that time Williams hit seven home runs, drove in 20, and amassed a 1.319 OPS compared to just five homers, 17 RBI, and a 1.085 OPS for his former teammate. With that in mind, Williams reminded his brief teammate and the Bats who’s the real boss in this one. His first home run of the game came in the second inning, a two-run shot for the Saints first runs of the game. Elliot Soto added an RBI single later in the inning to make it 3-0 Saints. With two outs in the third, Williams again connected like Encarnacion-Strand only wished he could, hitting his ninth home run of the season to make it 5-3 Saints. Tony Wolters extended the lead to three with an RBI single later in the frame. The fourth inning started with a walk from Matt Wallner and a single from Kyle Garlick, before Williams stepped into the box for the third time with one out. Watch for yourself: His third bomb of the game made it 10-3 Saints, and despite the Bats drawing 13 walks and collecting 10 hits, couldn’t match Williams and the Saints' 21 total hits. So in case you’re counting, Williams wasn’t the only one who went off. In fact, all nine hitters in the Saints lineup reached base multiple times, scored at least one run, and only one didn’t collect at least two hits in the game. Rather than recounting this insanity in full, I invite you to please click that box score link above, and scroll the @StPaulSaints Twitter feed today for all the highlights. Adding to the comparison above in the Chris Williams and Christian Encarnacion-Strand history after this one, in 14 total games played with or against each other: Williams: 18-for-50, 11 R, 2 2B, 10 HR, 27 RBI, 14 BB, 10 K vs. CES: 19-for-57, 11 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 6 BB, 15 K That acronym guy was even pinch-hit for to end this game…Psshh…Pathetic… Polite (or infuriating) reminder Encarnacion-Strand is second in the International League with 17 HR’s this season, and leads the league with a .734(!) slugging percentage after this game, so this is all in jest… On the pitching front, starter Aaron Sanchez went the first 3 1/3 innings, running into trouble in multiple innings due to some wildness ending up charged with seven earned runs on six hits and six walks, while striking out only one. He allowed a pair of home runs to former major leaguers Matt Reynolds and Wil Myers. Future Hall of Famer Joey Votto was also rehabbing with the Bats, finishing 0-for-3 with two walks and an RBI. Ronny Henriquez (W, 1 2/3 IP, H, 2 BB, K), Austin Brice (1 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K), Michael Boyle (1 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K), and Patrick Murphy (2 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K) produced a scoreless effort from the Saints bullpen to close it out. Gilberto Celestino (3-for-6, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, K) and Matt Wallner (2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, BB, 3 K) chipped in from the top two spots in the lineup. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 8, Midland 2 Box Score DaShawn Keirsey Jr. blasted the first pitch of the game for his seventh home run of the season and an early 1-0 lead, but it was a seven-run third inning that would end up smashing the RockHounds in this one. In the third, it was five consecutive singles to start the inning, an RBI double from Aaron Sabato, and then a three-run home run off the bat of Seth Gray that did the damage. In a somewhat odd occurrence, Alerick Soularie was both the first and last hitter of the inning. Starting pitcher Travis Adams picked up his second win of the season, finishing five innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits and a pair of walks while striking out three. Osiris German (1 2/3 IP, 3 H, BB, K) and Regi Grace (2 1/3 IP, H, BB, 2 K) finished off the final four scoreless innings. The Wind Surge got multiple hits from Keirsey Jr. (2-for-5, 2 R, HR, RBI, SB), Yunior Severino (3-for-5, R, RBI), Sabato (2-for-4, R, 2 2B, RBI), and Gray (2-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K) to lead the offense. Brooks Lee was 1-for-5 with a run scored and RBI out of the two-hole. As a team Wichita did not draw a single walk but made the most of their 12 hits by going 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position, leaving only four men on base for the game. KERNELS NUGGETS South Bend 2, Cedar Rapids 3 Box Score The Kernels got a solid start from Mike Paredes, and an even better piggy-back outing from Jordan Carr to take down the Cubs in their series opener. Cedar Rapids struck early in the bottom of the first, thanks in part to a pair of errors that extended the inning. Kala’i Rosario and Noah Cardenas made them hurt with consecutive RBI singles for the 2-0 lead. Paredes pitched the first four innings of the game, allowing two earned runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out five. He gave up a two-run homer in the top of the third to tie the game at two but otherwise was on point. Then came Carr. He struck out three, scattered one hit and three walks over the next five innings, and kept the game tied going into the bottom of the ninth, giving his team a chance to walk it off. In a flash, they did. Leading off, Ben Ross was hit by a pitch to put the winning run on base, then moved up to second on a wild pitch. This brought Rosario to the plate, and like he’s done so far this season, came through with a single up the middle to start the celebration. Both teams had just four hits in the game, but like Rosario’s, three of those came with runners in scoring position for the Kernels, compared to zero for the Cubs. Rosario finished 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead the way. Misael Urbina chipped in the other single, and Ross scored two runs and stole his fifth base of the season in the win. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 9, Bradenton 3 Box Score Mighty Mussels starter C.J. Culpepper was ambushed by solo home runs from the leadoff man in each of the first two innings, but after that the Marauders couldn’t find an answer for the Minnesota Twins 2022 13th-round draft pick. Those home runs were the only runs he would allow, settling in for three scoreless frames to end his outing after five. In all, he surrendered five hits, walked three, and struck out seven to pick up his third win of the season. Even when allowing those home runs, his lineup had his back by scoring runs in each of the first four innings. Ricardo Olivar had an RBI single in the first, Dillon Tatum an RBI single in the second, and Jorel Ortega’s homer in the third gave them the lead for good. They put up a crooked number in the fourth thanks to Tatum’s first home run of the season, a three-run shot making it 6-2 Fort Myers. In the seventh they tacked on some more insurance, with Dylan Neuse’s grounder to third leading to a run-scoring error, Ortega contributing an RBI groundout, and Danny De Andrade’s RBI single capping their scoring at nine. Relievers Jarret Whorff (2 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K) and Danny Moreno (2 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K) finished out the win for the Mighty Mussels. Ortega (3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), De Andrade (2-for-4, RBI, K), and Tatum (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI, BB, K) each had multiple hits. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 3, FCL Braves 7 Box Score The Twins fell behind early and weren’t able to recover against the Braves on Tuesday morning. Starting pitcher Jacob Wosinski recorded just one out in the first inning and ended up charged with four runs (three earned) on three hits before his exit. Relievers Owen Griffith (1 2/3 IP, 2 K) and 2022 DSL standout Miguel Olivares (2 IP, BB, 4 K) filled in admirably after Wosinski’s exit, before Carlos Gutierrez (3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 K) gave up a two-run homer in his second inning. Kyle Bischoff finished off the game for the Twins, allowing one earned run on two hits in his lone inning, striking out one. The lineup for the Twins managed a single run in each of the third, seventh, and ninth innings, and outhit the Braves 9-7 in the game, but had only one extra-base hit. Isaac Pena (3-for-5, 2 RBI, K) and Reynaldo Madrigal (1-for-3, 2 R, 2 K) led the way, with Jose Rodriguez (1-for-5, RBI, K), and Bryan Acuna (1-for-3, BB) also contributing. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Twins 8, DSL Astros Orange 7 (10 innings) Box Score The Twins took an early lead with two runs in the first inning, thanks to multiple balks and a wild pitch from the Astros pitchers. It stayed that way until the bottom of the fifth as starter Adrian Bohorquez was solid through the first four innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while picking up four strikeouts. In the fifth inning, however, he was out of gas and walked the first three hitters of the inning, putting an end to his outing. All three of those runners would end up crossing home plate to put the Astros in front. The good guys tied the game at three thanks to multiple wild pitches and an error in the top of the sixth, then took a 6-3 lead in the seventh thanks to a bases-loaded walk and two-run double from Dameury Pena. Relievers Leonardo Lugo (3 IP, 3 H, BB, 3 K), Jeicol Surumuy ( 2/3 IP, ER, 3 BB, K), and Jose Ojo (1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 K) got the team through the ninth inning, but the blown save from Ojo led them to extra innings. In the top of the tenth inning, two throwing errors from the Astros on a pop-out led to the ghost runner on second base scoring the go-ahead run, then after a pair of singles another wild pitch and an errant pickoff throw added another insurance run. The Astros were able to score their own ghost runner in the bottom half, but didn’t get another runner on base as Oscar Paredes shut the door to pick up the save. Pena (2-for-6, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI) and Jayson Bass (3-for-5, RBI) led the way with multiple hits. Lead-off man Yilber Herrera drew five walks, scored a run, and was credited with an RBI. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Jordan Carr, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 5 IP, H, 3 BB, 3 K) Hitter of the Day - Chris Williams, St. Paul Saints (3-for-5, 3 HR, 7 RBI, BB, 2 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-5, R, RBI #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, R, 3 K #4 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 2-for-4, R, 2B, BB, K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, BB, 3 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, K #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) - 1-for-5, RBI, K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 3-for-5, R, RBI WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (11:05 AM CDT) - RHP Randy Dobnak (2-3, 6.15 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (6:30 PM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-3, 7.11 ERA) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Cory Lewis (1-0, 0.00 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (11:00 AM CDT) - RHP Miguelangel Boadas (0-1, 1.80 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

Don’t forget to read Nick’s Week in Review (written by Nash Walker) to catch up on the Twins week. TRANSACTIONS RHP Miguelangel Boadus promoted from FCL Twins to low-A Fort Myers. RHP Cory Lewis promoted from low-A Fort Myers to high-A Cedar Rapids. RHP Orlando Rodriguez activated from development list for high-A Cedar Rapids. RHP Pierson Ohl promoted from high-A Cedar Rapids to AA Wichita. RHP Regi Grace promoted from high-A Cedar Rapids to AA Wichita. RHP Chad Donato placed on AA Wichita's development list. RHP Seth Norlin released from the organization. RESULTS Tuesday (5/30): Major Leaguers Pitch and Hit Saints to Victory Wednesday (5/31): Wallner Wallops the Baseball Thursday (6/1): Saints March In, Cedar Rapids Did What? Friday (6/2): Affiliates Struggle Saturday (6/3): Schobel Racks Up Four Hits in Average Night on the Farm Sunday (6/4): Zebby Deals and Schmidt Rakes MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT Minnesota Twins 2019 Draft Retrospective: Late-Round Steals Edouard Julien Has a Blueprint to Work On Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month - May 2023 Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month - May 2023 Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month - May 2023 Minnesota Twins 2020 Draft Retrospective: Raya Sunshine TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (7:07PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ San Antonio (7:05PM CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:05PM CST) - TBD Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - TBD FCL Twins @ FCL Rays (11:00AM CST) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Phillies Red (10:00AM CST) - TBD WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints (Week: 5-1) Overall: 32-23, 0.5 game ahead in the International League West. Overview: An excellent week for the Saints took them from second-place into the lead and they’ll look to extend that league this week. 🔥: Matt Wallner has been on fire since being sent down. He had eight extra-base hits (with three home runs) with 10 RBIs among his 11 hits. 🔥: Brent Headrick pitched ten innings across two starts, with 11 strikeouts and four walks. He allowed three runs on 10 hits. 🥶: Mark Contreras struck out 11 times and went 5-23. 🥶: Randy Dobnak made a start and threw 4 1/3 innings allowing seven hits and four walks. He struck out two. What's Next: The Saints host the Iowa Cubs (31-23) in a battle for a first-place in the division. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge (Week: 1-5) Overall: 21-29, 13.5 games back in the Texas League North. Overview: A rough week for the Wind Surge dropped them four games further back in the standings. 🔥: Curtis Taylor pitched 4 1/3 perfect innings over two relief appearances. 🔥: DaShawn Keirsey led the team with seven hits and four stolen bases. Yunior Severino and Alex Isola both hit two home runs. 🥶: Aaron Rozek, Travis Adams and Chad Donato all struggled in their starts this week. Donato lasted five innings, but gave up six runs. Rozek gave up four runs in 2 2/3 and Adams gave up two runs in one inning. 🥶: Seth Gray got a hit in a one-game mid-week cameo for St. Paul, but went 0-11 for the Wind Surge this week. He struck out six times. What's Next: Wichita will head to San Antonio (27-24) who sits a top of the South Division. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels (Week: 4-2) Overall: 29-22, 2.0 games up in the Midwest League West. Overview: A four-win week - highlighted by a 24-run performance on Thursday - keeps the Kernels in first place. 🔥: Kala’i Rosario keeps crushing it for the Kernels. He had four home runs on eight hits and drove in nine runs. 🔥: Tanner Schobel deserves his own fire emoji too. He had 14(!) hits in 29 at-bats this week, including two home runs. He drove in 10 and scored seven runs. 🔥: Zebby Matthews made his first start at High-A and was great. He struck out six in six innings, only allowing three hits and one run (on a home run). 🥶: Misael Urbina went 1-for-19. He appears to have been a victim of BABIP, as only three of his 18 outs came via strikeout. 🥶: Christian MacLeod gave up four hits and four walks in four innings. He only allowed one earned run (a home run), but putting two runners on per inning is not a recipe for success. What's Next: The Kernels travel to Dayton (26-25). Dayton is 8-2 in their last ten, so it will be a battle of two of the hottest teams in the league. Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels (Week: 3-3) Overall: 28-23, 8.5 games behind Clearwater in the Florida State League West. Overview: The Mighty Mussels split with St. Lucie, but lost two games in the standings. 🔥: C.J. Culpepper threw five shutout, hitless innings and struck out six. He did walk three. 🔥: Kyle Schmidt led the team with six hits (in only 12 at-bats) and five RBIs. He had three extra-base hits as well. 🥶: Cory Lewis walked three and only recorded two outs in his lone start of the week. 🥶: Danny De Andrade, Carlos Aguiar and Jorel Ortega combined to go 5-51 with a double, two home runs, four RBIs, 11 walks and 22 strikeouts. Hopefully it’s a better week ahead for this young trio. What's Next: Clearwater (36-14) will come to Ft. Myers. Hopefully the mussels are mighty against the top team in the league. PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker will be updated on the first of each month throughout the season. Notice that these pages now include stats and splits, as well as past article links, video and more. (Season-long stats will be in parenthesis.) 20. Michael Helman, UTIL, St. Paul: On the Injured List with a dislocated shoulder. (.333/.434/.711. 1.145 OPS) 19. Yunior Severino, 3B, Wichita: 6-20, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K. (.282/.359/.540. .899 OPS). 18. Jose Rodriguez, OF: Extended Spring Training 17. Blayne Enlow, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 4.91 ERA, 7.1 IP (two games), 4 H, 7 R (4 ER), HRA, HB, 3 BB, 13 K. (1.10 WHIP, .225 BAA) 16. Matt Canterino, RHP: Still recovering from Tommy John surgery. 15. Brent Headrick, RHP, St. Paul: 2-0, 2.70 ERA, 10 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 11 K. (1.41 WHIP, .285 BAA) 14. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 13.5 ERA, 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, HB, 5 K. (1.41 WHIP, .243 BAA) 13. Noah Miller, SS, Cedar Rapids: 2-19, 2 R, BB, K. (.204/.279/.282. .561 OPS), played shortstop in five games (40 total) and committed no errors in 15 chances (four errors in 166 total chances); played no games (six total) at second base (no errors in 16 total chances). 12. Jose Salas, INF, Cedar Rapids: 4-18, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB, 4 K, SB. (.162/.240/.223. .463 OPS), played one game at shortstop (10 total) and committed no errors in four chances (three errors in 33 chances total), played one game (10 total) at third base no chances (three errors in 22 total chances). He played three games (21 total) at second base with no errors in 12 chances (one error in 84 total chances). 11. Austin Martin, SS: Martin has an arm injury, but is expected to resume playing shortly.. 10. Yasser Mercedes, OF: Extended Spring Training 9. Matt Wallner , OF, St. Paul: 11-26, 4 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 9 R, BB, 5 K. (.299/.405/.577. 982 OPS); Minnesota: (.368/.520/.579. 1.099 OPS) 8. David Festa, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 4.91 ERA, 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, HRA, 3 K. (1.45 WHIP, .262 BAA) 7. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 4.15 ERA, 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K (1.88 WHIP, .329 BAA); Minnesota: (1.85 WHIP, .313 BAA) 6. Marco Raya, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 2 H, ER, HRA, 4 K. (0.73 WHIP, .145 BAA) 5. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: On the injured list, but expected to resume throwing. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA) 4. Edouard Julien, 2B, St. Paul: 4-11, 2 2B, HR, 7 RBI, R, 3 BB, 3 K. (.294/.447/.513. .960 OPS), has played all 30 games at second base and has committed two errors in 140 chances; Minnesota: (.210/.296/.435. .731 OPS) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 5-19, HR, 5 RBI, 5 R, 6 BB, 7 K, 2 SB. (.177/.338/.372. 710 OPS) 2. Royce Lewis, SS: (.333/.395/.692. 1.087 OPS), played one game (four total) at shortstop and committed no errors in four chances (no errors in 12 total chances). Lewis played one game (four total) at third base and committed one error in five chances (one error in eight total chances); Minnesota: 5-25, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R, 8 K (.200/.200/.480. .680 OPS), played five games at 3B (five total) and had no errors in 16 chances. 1. Brooks Lee, SS, Wichita: 5-18, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 4 R, 4 BB, 6 K, SB. (.262/.341/.415. .756 OPS), played five games (43 total) at shortstop and committed one errors in 18 chances (four errors in 179 total chances). Lee has committed one error in three chances in one game at third base this season. PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (as voted on by fans on Twitter) PITCHER - Brent Headrick, St. Paul (Headrick 50%, Matthews 22%, Culpepper 17%, Taylor 11%): I don't think Headrick is who I would have voted for, but it's nice to see that despite the injuries and the lack of progress from other AAA arms, that the Twins still do have some stater-depth in St. Paul. HITTER - Matt Wallner, St. Paul (Wallner 90%, Rosario 6%, Schmidt 3%, Keirsey 1%): Wallner is on one of the best runs of a hitter in recent memory. After reaching base eight straight times with the Twins before being demoted, he handled the step down by absolutely crushing AAA pitching. Considering all the Kirilloff/Larnach talk coming into the season, it's now fair to say that Matt Waller deserves just as much publicity as anyone. Who would have been your picks? Any early season surprises or disappointments? Ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects in the COMMENTS below.

Major League Baseball's 2023 Draft is scheduled to start on July 9, 2023. Each team prepares for the draft with a specific plan, and sometimes those plans play out better than others. To prepare fans for the upcoming draft, this series will examine recent Twins drafts and how those players have performed so far in their professional careers. First Round: Aaron Sabato The Twins were drafting at the end of the first round (27th overall) after a strong 2019 season. The pandemic wiped out nearly the entire college and high school season leading into the draft, making evaluating talent even more challenging. Only five first-round picks from 2020 have provided positive WAR so far in their big-league careers. Sabato was an interesting pick by the Twins because he was a slugging college bat with little defensive value. Players must provide exceptional offensive value with this specific skill set during their minor league career. Last season, Sabato showed flashes of his potential by posting a .799 OPS with 30 extra-base hits in 80 High-A games. His OPS dropped over 100 points after being promoted to Double-A, but he was over a year younger than the average age of the competition at that level. His 2023 season started late due to injury, so the sample size needs to be more significant to make substantial evaluations. Second Round: Alerick Soularie Soularie spent parts of two college seasons at the University of Tennessee and posted a 1.034 OPS in 76 games. At the time of the draft, evaluators viewed him as a toolsy college outfielder with the potential to improve on both sides of the ball. His college power numbers have yet to follow him to his professional career. In 2021, he posted a .668 OPS at Low-A and improved by 48 points during last season at High-A. Soularie has played the 2023 campaign at Double-A, where he is over a year and a half younger than the average age of the competition at his level. He has hit .220/.365/.300 (.665) with two extra-base hits in 19 games. Last year, he split time between second base and the outfield, but he has only played corner outfield in 2023. The Twins surrendered their third-round pick after signing Josh Donaldson leading into the 2020 season. Atlanta gave him the qualifying offer, but he declined it to test free agent waters. At the time, teams that received revenue-sharing money, like the Twins, lost their third-highest unprotected selection in the next draft for signing a free agent that rejected a qualifying offer. In a draft with limited picks, there could have been value in still having a third-round selection. Fourth Round: Marco Raya Raya is the Twins' highest-ranked prospect from the 2020 MLB Draft, and he looks like a steal in the fourth round. His small stature likely caused him to drop on some team's draft boards, but he has been fantastic during his professional career. In 2022, he posted a 3.05 ERA with a 1.077 WHIP and a 76-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio at Low-A. The 19-year-old was three years younger than the average age of the competition and faced older batters in over 82% of his plate appearances. Baseball Prospectus ranked him the 53rd-best prospect in the pre-2023 top-100 rankings. Minnesota pushed Raya to Cedar Rapids this season, and he has built off his strong 2022 season. In his first seven starts (20 2/3 innings), he allowed six earned runs on ten hits with 24 strikeouts and five walks. It will be interesting to see if he starts getting more national attention as he continues to produce in the lower minors. Fifth Round: Kala'i Rosario The Twins selected Rosario as an outfielder out of high school in Hawaii. He made his professional debut in the 2021 season for the FCL Twins, where he hit .277/.341/.452 (.793) with ten doubles, four triples, and five home runs. Last season, he played over 100 games for Fort Myers with a .727 OPS while setting career highs in home runs (12) and doubles (21). He's off to a tremendous start at High-A during the 2022 season. In 46 games, he has hit .292/.398/.526 (.924) with 12 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, and 27 walks. He's faced older batters in all but four plate appearances, so that makes his performance even more impressive. OTHER POSTS IN THE SERIES -2019 Draft Retrospective -2018 Draft Retrospective -2017 Draft Retrospective -2016 Draft Retrospective What are your impressions of the 2020 draft class? Who will have the most significant impact at the big-league level? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Earlier in the week, we announced the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher and Relief Pitcher for the month of May. Today, we conclude the series by posting our minor league hitter of the month. There were several good choices, and several St. Paul Saints showed up on the honorable mention list. They would likely be higher in the rankings if not for big-league promotions during the month which meant less minor-league opportunities. I do factor games played when I rank these players, but I always like to promote the honorable mention guys. You will notice that a couple of catchers are mentioned. They play just every other game, and in some cases, every third game. They can only perform when they are placed in the lineup, and a couple backstops played really well in May. Honorable Mention Edouard Julien (St. Paul): 16 G, 18-54, .333/.471/.537 (1.008), 5-2B, 2-HR, 12 R, 6 RBI, 12 BB, 13 K David Banuelos (Wichita): 11 G, 9-35, .257/.381/.600 (.981), 1-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 7 R, 11 RBI, 6 BB, 11 K. Hernan Perez (St. Paul): 15 G, 18-51, .353/.414/.549 (.963), 3-2B, 2-3B, 1-HR, 8 R, 13 RBI, 6 BB, 12 K, 4-SB Matt Wallner (St. Paul): 16 G, 21-65, .323/.348/.615 (.963), 5-2B, 1-3B, 4-HR, 10 R, 11 RBI, 3 BB, 28 K. Jair Camargo (St. Paul): 11 G, 15-49, .306/.343/.592 (.925), 2-2B, 4-HR, 10 R, 10 RBI, 1 BB, 22 K. Hitter of the Month Number 4: Andrew Cossetti (Fort Myers/Cedar Rapids) 20 G, 20-68, .294/.437/.485 (.922), 5-2B, 1-3B, 2-HR, 9 R, 13 RBI, 13 BB, 17 K. Cossetti was the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month in April when he hit .327 with a 1.124 OPS, five doubles and four home runs for the month. He walked as much as he struck out. He spent the first two-third of May with the Mighty Mussels before ending the month with a handful of games in Cedar Rapids. The 2022 11th round pick from St. Joseph’s has made a strong first impression in the organization. The promotion to High-A has been challenging early in his time there. However, with Cossetti and Noah Cardenas (2022 TD Minor League All Star) team to form a pretty strong 1-2 punch for Brian Dinkelman to get good production regardless of which one is playing. Hitter of the Month Number 3: Jorel Ortega (Fort Myers) 24 G, 28-95, .295/.374/.537 (.915), 8-2B, 3-3B, 3-HR, 23 R, 17 RBI, 11 BB, 29 K. Ortega is certainly an intriguing prospect. The Puerto Rico native was the Twins sixth-round draft pick in 2022 out of the University of Tennessee. He played in one game for the Mussels last season but after an RBI single in his first at-bat, he broke his wrist and his season was over. He was an Honorable Mention choice in April when he hit .265 with an .837 OPS. In April, he walked 18 times and struck out 16 times. In May, he appears to have made an adjustment, more willing to be more aggressive and strike out more in an attempt to add power. And for the month, that was successful. He led the organization with 14 extra base hits in the month. Hitter of the Month Number 2: Yunior Severino (Wichita) 21 G, 29-97, .299/.358/.557 (.915), 5-2B, 1-3B, 6-HR, 16 R, 17 RBI, 9 BB, 34 K For the second straight month, Severino comes in second in our hitter rankings. He has generally been pretty consistent all season. He hit six home runs in both months. However, he added more doubles and a triple in May. As you can see, he will certainly strike out quite a bit, but his prospect status should be rising. A promotion to Triple-A could be in his future, although he’s at a point now where he simply needs to be in the lineup most every day. Hitter Number 1: Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) 24 G, 31-93, .333/.441/.591 (1.032), 7-2B, 1-3B, 5-HR, 14 R, 16 RBI, 15 BB, 29 K. Rosario was the Twins fifth-round pick in the five-round 202 MLB Draft. He had made a name for himself as one of the most powerful high school hitters in his draft class. His career began in 2021 with the GCL Twins, and he spent 2022 with the Mighty Mussels. Like several of the young prospects who made the jump to High-A Cedar Rapids this season, it was not an easy decision. It wasn’t an obvious choice. However, Rosario has been terrific throughout most of the season’s first two months, and it all came together in May when he hit for average, was willing to take walks and showed terrific doubles and home run power. Yes, there are still strikeouts and that’s something he will need to continue working on, but it’s been a very nice showing for Rosario this season, and his prospect status should be on the rise. What do you think of the choices made for the top four Twins minor-league hitters? Discuss these prospects and their potential impacts.

TRANSACTIONS OF Kyle Garlick recalled by Minnesota. Joey Gallo went on the Injured List. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 8, Buffalo 3 Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson: 4 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K HR: Trevor Larnach (3) Multi-hit games: Edouard Julien (2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI) The Saints won easily on Saturday. You don’t see too many eight-run outbursts fueled by only one multi-hit effort; that was just the kind of democratic, balanced offensive attack the Saints elected to employ; every batter reached base except for Andrew Stevenson, the lead-off man. The innings of note were the 5th and 8th when Edouard Julien emptied the bases with a wind-aided double, and Alex De Gotti and Trevor Larnach slugged their way to three bonus runs. Simeon Woods Richardson was off again. The 22-year-old couldn’t figure out his mechanics, frantically spraying balls around the plate to the tune of five walks—the most free passes he’s handed out in one game since joining the Twins. We all hope Woods Richardson’s turned corner appears soon, but tonight was not it. The Saints’ bullpen was nails, though, working 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball to bring the game to a quiet close. Oliver Ortega struck out four, Patrick Murphy earned six clean outs, and Josh Winder wrapped business up with a relatively boring 9th frame. Both Ortega and Murphy have ERAs under 2.00 on the season. Technically old friend Luke Bard allowed five hits and three earned runs out of Buffalo’s bullpen. The Bisons’ best prospect, Hayden Juenger—ranked 10th in the system by MLB.com—pitched an excellent inning of work, punching out two in a scoreless frame. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 1, Tulsa 8 Box Score Chad Donato: 5 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, K HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Wind Surge fell down early and never recovered against Tulsa on Saturday. It’s never ideal to spot the other team five runs in the first; it’s even less ideal to do so against the pitching force known as Emmet Sheehan. The next man in the Dodgers’ Great Pitching Machine, Sheehan entered the day third in all of MiLB in strikeouts, aided by a carrying fastball that seems to elevate into eternity, always slipping above hitters’ bats. Sheehan and the rest of Tulsa’s pitching staff turned Wichita’s bats dull. All the Wind Surge could offer was three singles and just as many walks; amazingly, they strung two of those knocks together in the sixth to plate their first—and only—run of the night. Brooks Lee was the RBI earner. Chad Donato suffered no such fortune. His evening began single, single, walk, grand slam, effectively ending any chance he had at a normal start before an out could even be had. Eddys Leonard followed up with a solo homer to drown Donato’s wound in sodium. Curtis Taylor—an arm signed a month ago by the Twins—was the only pitcher to escape with an unperturbed ERA; he tossed a pair of scoreless innings with two strikeouts. The Drillers are loaded with prospect talent, and the current king of the system, catcher Diego Cartaya, singled once in five trips to the plate. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 6, Lansing 3 Box Score Christian MacLeod: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K HR: Kala’i Rosario (8), Ben Ross (7) Multi-hit games: Tanner Schobel (4-for-5, R, 3 RBI) Cedar Rapids came from behind to win on Saturday. It was an unusual offensive method utilized by the Kernels; the six runs appear flashy, but dissecting the lineup reveals the soul of scoring stemming from an absurd four-hit day by Tanner Schobel and homers from Kala’i Rosario and Ben Ross. Hardly an even approach, but it was an effective one. Speaking of effective—this one of the “-ly wild” variety—Christian MacLeod claims an atypical pitching line for the day. The lefty walked four batters, but Lansing could only swing cement when those batters reached base, allowing MacLeod to escape with a single earned run and nothing else. Regi Grace continued his tremendous start to the season with two scoreless frames and four punchouts. In more irregular baseball, Lugnuts outfielder Brayan Buelvas stole four bases on Saturday; he entered the day with just one in 45 games. It’s somewhat shocking that Noah Cardenas didn’t rip out his hair. Catcher Daniel Susac—Oakland’s 4th best prospect, according to MLB.com—earned three hits, including a double on Saturday. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 8, St. Lucie 10 Box Score Jose Olivares: 3 1/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K HR: Dylan Neuse (2) Multi-hit games: Rafael Cruz (2-for-5, 2 RBI), Dylan Neuse (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), Alec Sayre (2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, BB), Dillon Tatum (3-for-4, 2B, R, RBI) Fort Myers lost a high-scoring affair on Saturday. With 23 hits and 13 walks combined between the two teams, pitching was at a premium? Non-existent? Whichever you prefer, remember to say a quick prayer for any arm who had the unfortunate task of finding normality on the mound. Jose Olivares was one such casualty. The righty earned a pair of scoreless frames before unwinding in the third, allowing a trio of two-out runs to flip the lead. Fort Myers handed him a fresh advantage, but the fourth proved painful like the inning before it, and following an RBI knock to bring the game within one, Olivares mercifully exited the game. That only placed the pain of handling this match onto someone else. Samuel Perez was a phenomenal stopper, acquiring seven outs while somehow avoiding an earned run, but Ben Ethridge was caught with the ticking time bomb hitting 0:00; he allowed five runs to put the game out of reach. Fort Myers’ bats nearly saved their arms, though, as the back end of their lineup harassed Mets’ pitchers to the tune of eight hits from the 6-9 batters. Every hitter in the lineup reached base at least once. MLB.com sees shortstop Jett Williams as the Mets’ third-best prospect, and he played like it, walking three times and singling while scoring a trio of runs. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Christian MacLeod Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tanner Schobel PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-3, RBI, BB, 2 K #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1-4, K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, BB, 2 K #4 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 2-5, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K #7 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 4 ⅓ IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-3, 2B, 2 R, BB #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Buffalo (12:05 PM) - RHP Kenta Maeda (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Blayne Enlow (2-1, 3.13 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (12:05 PM) - RHP Zebby Matthews (0-0, -.-- ERA) St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM) - LHP Wilker Reyes (1-0, 5.74 ERA)

TRANSACTIONS Shortstop Royce Lewis continues to rehab in St. Paul Outfielder Kyle Garlick, recalled by the Twins RHP Andrew Morris is reinstated from the 7-day IL after a bicep strain Infielder Keoni Cavaco has been activated from the 7-day IL Ernie Yake has been placed on the Development List Saints Sentinel St. Paul 8, Columbus 1 Box Score The Saints struck first blood tonight in Columbus with a solo home run from Chris Williams to go up 1-0 on the Clippers. The Clippers answered in like, but the Saint offense continued to give Clippers starting pitcher Zach Plesac a difficult time with another solo home run from Royce Lewis, who has been rehabbing with the Saints the past week. The Saints continued to take advantage of Plesac's pitching, scoring 4-1 by the fourth. Lewis continues to not only improve after missing time for an ACL injury, but his bat has been a considerable contributor to the Saint's run count since coming up. Lewis has less than 20 days left on his rehab assignment, and Twins fans are clamoring for the shortstop to make his appearance at the club level with all the injuries mounting in Minneapolis. Lewis has a .400 BA and is responsible for five RBI in four games. Saints starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez struggled early on, allowing three walks and loading the bases but got himself out of a jam, only allowing one of those to turn into a run. He settled down after a rough inning and stayed in the game for five innings, keeping tight control of the strike zone and the Clipper's runs. Sanchez and the bullpen didn't allow any more runs throughout the game, giving the offense free reign to create more chaos, and what do you know? Lewis took advantage of that, getting his second home run of the night and his third since returning to St. Paul, extending the lead to 5-1. The Saints got three more insurance runs (two at the top of the ninth) before the game ended to gave Sanchez his second win. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 10, Arkansas 14 Box Score Wichita and Arkansas battled a long game throughout the late evening on Friday. Going pitch-for-pitch and hit-for-hit, the two teams stayed in sync for the first three innings with a score of 0-0, 2-2, and 4-4. Wichita starting pitcher David Festa had a rough night on the mound. Only staying in for 2.1 IP, Festa gave up five runs, only walked one, and had one strikeout. Right-hander Seth Nordin came in to clean up the inning and minimize the damage but walked three and allowed one run. Festa and Nordin gave up six earned runs together and only had one strike, giving the Travelers every opportunity to run up the score. The Surge was not alone, though, in their pitching woes. The offense got the same opportunity due to Arkansas' starting pitcher Emerson Hancock, who, like Festas, rarely struggles on the mound. Hancock could not strike out any of the Surge line-ups, walking five and giving up six runs to the Surge. Two of those runs from Alex Isola, who has reached base now in 16 consecutive games and has a seven-game hit streak. One of Isola's runs came in the fourth inning to break the tie-game giving the Surge a one-run lead. The Surge and Travelers game did not move swiftly. Each team had a considerable amount of hits, but as many hits as they had, both teams also left 32 players on base between the two of them. The pitch clock was not able to save this game’s time. The Travelers 11 hits and left 20 on base by the top of the seventh inning, but somehow managed a three run lead (11-8) over the Surge. The Surge bullpen simply couldn’t hold it together. The Travelers dug deep into the Surge bullpen and just exploited them at every opportunity, running up the score with the Surge unable to catch up. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 8, Peoria 4 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels are stacked with talent. Seven of the twenty Twins Daily prospects are in Cedar Rapids, which shows. The starting pitcher, Twins Daily #4 prospect Marcus Raya put on another clinic tonight in Peoria with three clean innings, not allowing any runs and striking out two. Raya only threw 61 pitches before being replaced by RHP Kyle Jones in the fourth. Jones allowed one earned run in the fifth, a run from a series of unfortunate events on a fielding error by Kernel's third baseman, Ben Ross, allowing him to make it to first and secure second. However, Jones controlled the damage with routine outs to end the inning. The Kernels took advantage of the opportunity to get on the board in the fourth inning, earning four runs and forcing Peoria to pull their starting pitcher. Four of the Twins Daily top 20 prospects, Tanner Schobel, Misuel Urbina, Noah Miller, and Jose Salas, took turns securing runs for the Kernels, generating five of the seven RBI throughout Friday's game. The Kernels went up on the Chiefs, scoring four earned runs in the second and the fourth innings. The Chiefs weren't willing to go down without a fight and came out swinging in the eighth inning with a pair of singles and then took Jones for three runs on a wild pitch closing the gap 4-8. Right fielder Kal'ai Rosario has been a huge part of the offensive results for the Kernels throughout May. Rosario ended April with over 20 strikeouts, straddling the Mendoza line with a .215 BA and .311 OBS. Fast forward to the later part of May, as of Friday night's game, the Hawaii native still has a high strikeout ratio, but his batting average has increased to .393 BA and his OBS to .507. In Friday night's game against the Chiefs, Rosario earned two runs and drove in two RBI to help secure the win for the Kernels. Mussels Matters Fort Myers 6, Lakeland 7 Box Score The Mussel's pitching struggled tonight after a solid win in Lakeland on Thursday night. By the third inning, the Mussels starting pitcher Andrew Morris allowed three earned runs in one shot on a three-run home run from Lakeland's Peyton Graham, pulling ahead of the Mussels 3-2. A.J. Labas came in for Morris in the bottom of the third to minimize the damage but had his struggles coming into the fourth inning, allowing three earned runs himself. Two stolen bases from Peyton Graham and Luke Gold were compounded by fielding errors that allowed Lakeland to run the score up to 6-3. The two pitchers combined gave up six runs in the third and fourth inning, nullifying Mussel's three earned runs over the last three innings. The Mussels offense couldn't generate runs and was stifled throughout the six innings, only getting four hits total, leaving 14 on base. In the act of mercy, mother nature intervened to help the Mussels out with a temporary rain delay to gather themselves. Returning from the rain delay, the Mussels' Carlos Aguiar cleared the bases with a sharp line drive to right field, tying up the score to level the playing field. The Mussels fought back hard, and it looked like the game may have gone into extra innings, but Lakeland had just enough left in them to generate one more run to pull ahead and stay there to beat the Mussels 7-6. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Sanchez (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day – Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 3-for-4, 2 R (both home runs), 1K, 2 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY The Twins Prospect Tracker is the best way to see how each of the Twin's top prospects performed during their games, but in case you wanted a quick look, Here is how each of the top 20 performed today: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - Did Not Play #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 3-for-4, 2 RBI #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 1 RBI,1 BB,1 K #4 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 2K #5 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 1-for-1, RBI, 1 BB, K #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #7 - Connor Prielipp (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 1 RBI, BB, 1 K #9 - Louie Varland (Minnesota) - SP 4/22/23 #10 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - Injured List #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, RBI, BB, 1K #12 - Yasser Mercedes (Extended Spring Training) #13 - David Festa (Wichita) - 2.1 IP, 5H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 1 RBI,1 BB, K #15 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - Injured List #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - SP 5/20/23 #17 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul ) - Did Not Pitch #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-5, RBI, BB, 2 K #19 - Jose Rodriguez (Extended Spring Training) - #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 1 RBI, BB, 1K SATURDAY SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE STARTERS: St. Paul @ Columbus (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-1, 2.89ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05 PM CST): RH Aaron Rozek (0-1, 8.10ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:35 PM CST) - Jordan Carr (1-1, 2.25ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:00 PM CST) - Cory Lewis (4-1, 2.43ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss today's game!

As you all know, Wins and Losses are not as important in affiliated, minor-league baseball as player development. So, the fact that all four affiliates lost on Wednesday night doesn't matter at all in the big pitcher. Of course, you also like to think that part of the development process is learning how to win, and that development and improvement could lead to more Wins over time. There have been several days when all four affiliates have won. And, three of the four Twins affiliates have winning records. St. Paul Saints: 22-17 Wichita Wind Surge: 16-18 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 19-16 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 20-15 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS No transactions on Wednesday. However, three Twins players left their Wednesday afternoon game in Los Angeles. Nick Gordon has a fractured shin. Jorge Polanco has a “minor” hamstring strain. And, Joey Gallo left after being hit in the foot with a foul ball. In other words, the Twins have an off day on Thursday, but expect them to make some moves before their Friday night game in Anaheim, and you'll want to watch the Saints and Wind Surge lineups on Thursday. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Columbus 4 Box Score The Saints fell behind 2-0 in the second inning. Both runs were unearned after a throwing error by starter Simeon Woods Richardson. The Clippers added a third run in the third inning. The Saints scored one in the fourth and one in the sixth inning to cut the lead to just one. Columbus scored a run in the bottom of the sixth inning. So when the Saints added one more run in the top of the seventh, it only cut the deficit to one, and that is where the score remained. Woods Richardson has had a tough start to his season. In this game, he went five innings and was charged with all four runs (two earned). He gave up six hits, walked four and struck out three batters. Connor Sadzeck, who has spent big-league time with the Rangers, Mariners and Brewers, came in and allowed an inherited runner to score. However, he worked two innings and gave up just one hit. Josh Winder pitched a scoreless eighth inning. He walked one and struck out one. He also had two pitch-clock violations. On the offensive side, the Saints got two hits from Andrew Stevenson, Jose Miranda, and Mark Contreras. Contreras, Chris Williams, and Andrew Bechtold each hit a double. Elliot Soto had to leave the game in the second inning because of injury. Manager Toby Gardenhire was told to leave the game in the fifth inning by the umpire for disagreeing with the call on a double play. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 1, Arkansas 2 Box Score Carlos Luna made his sixth start of the season for the Wind Surge. He gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. Unfortunately, the runs scored in the fifth inning on a Connor Hoover two-run home run that put Arkansas ahead 2-1. Unfortunately, that was the end of the scoring in the game. Luna got one more out in the sixth inning before Alex Scherff came in to replace him. He gave up two hits, but he recorded five outs, four of them on strikeouts. Michael Boyle gave up four hits, but no runs in 1 1/3 innings. Hunter McMahon came on and walked two before getting the final two outs in the ninth. Wichita had plenty of opportunities in the game. They had nine hits and two walks, but they went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. Yoyner Fajardo continues to rake. The minor-league Rule 5 pick from the Pirates is now hitting .315 after going 2-for-4 with a walk in this game. He also stole his 13th base. Alex Isola went 2-for-4 and his fourth-inning, solo home run scored the lone run on the day. Pat Winkel had a single and a walk, and Seth Gray hit a double. As with the Saints game, the Wind Surge manager didn’t get to see the end of the game from the home-team’s dugout. He was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing a call at first base. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 6 Box Score Pierson Ohl had his first tough start of the season for the Kernels. He gave up five runs (4 earned) on six hits over four innings. However, it won’t surprise you to hear that he had five strikeouts and no walks. In 30 innings this season, he now had 31 strikeouts… and just two walks. John Stankiewicz worked two scoreless innings and gave up only one hit. Malik Barrington worked 1 1/3 innings. He gave up one run on three hits and two walks. Niklas Rimmel got the final five outs, two on strikeouts. He gave up just one hit. Kala’i Rosario had two of the team’s seven hits in the game including his 10th double. Misael Urbina and Jose Salas each had a double. Kyler Fedko mashed his first home run of the season. Tanner Schobel had a single and a walk. Unfortunately, the Kernels also had 14 strikeouts in the game. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Lakeland 7 Box Score A short start with minimal offensive production is not a great means to victory in baseball at any level. The Mussels have been playing well of late, but not so much on this night. Lefty Develson Aria was on the mound to start and tossed a scoreless first inning. However, the southpaw gave up five runs on three hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. Jackson Hicks came on and got out of that second inning, but he gave up two runs on two hits in the third frame. He recorded four outs, all four on strikeouts. The Mussels were down 7-0 after three innings, but if you’re looking for positives, the pitching over their final five innings was good. Danny Moreno, just added to the roster, tossed three scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit, walked three, and struck out two batters. Then Juan Mendez struck out three batters over two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and one walk. Fort Myers managed just five hits in the game and walked twice. Dylan Neuse went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. They went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base. Fun with Statcast (Here are the reports on the four Mighty Mussels pitchers in this game. If not interested, scroll down to the Hitter and Pitcher of the Day.) Lefty Develson Aria wasn’t in the game long. He threw 47 pitches and 22 of them were four-seam fastballs. He got 12 swings on that pitch including seven whiffs. His fastball ranged between 91.4 mph and 94.2 mph. It averaged 93.2 mph. His next most-used pitch was his changeup, with 17 of them. The velocity on those pitches were between 87.9 mph and 91.1 mph with an average of 89.7. One of two things is going on there. First, it’s possible they were being recorded wrong and maybe should have been called ‘sinkers.’ However, if those were in-fact changeups, then one thing to work on is throwing that about 7-10 mph slower to keep the hitters off balance. He threw six sliders that averaged 80.3 mph. Jackson Hicks threw 23 pitchers, 14 of them were sliders. He got 12 swings on the slider including nine whiffs! The slider’s average velocity was 83.4 mph. He threw just five fastballs which averaged 90.7 mph. Danny Moreno is one of those names that we’ve seen in the Twins organization for quite some time. He signed with the Twins way back in July of 2017. He pitched in the DSL in 2018. He worked two games in the GCL in 2019 before the arm injuries started. He also pitched out of the GCL Twins’ bullpen in 2021 and 2022. Wednesday night was his first game of the year. So why keep the 23-year-old around? Well, 39 of his 57 pitches were designed as sinkers. Those pitches were clocked between 92.6 and 96.4, with an average of 94.6. He also threw some sliders, changeups and a slower curveball. Finally, Juan Mendez came in. Of his 36 pitches, 16 were four-seam fastballs, and 14 were sliders. Those fastballs were thrown between 95.1 mph and 98.5 mph. Three of the pitches were over 98.0 mph. He got just two whiffs on that pitch. However, he got whiffs on six of the 14 sliders he threw, especially good when he only got nine swings on it. The slider was between 81.9 and 84.4 mph. He also threw five cutters, which could have been sliders and called-out differently. The pitches act very similarly, but the velocity separation is really solid. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Danny Moreno (Fort Myers Mighty Mussels) - 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 3 BB, 2 K. 57 pitches, 30 strikes. Hitter of the Day – Alex Isola (Wichita Wind Surge) - 2-for-4, HR(5), R, RBI, 2 K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-for-4, K #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul-on Rehab) - Scheduled Day Off. #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 3 K. #4 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, K #7 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 5.0 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 3 K (87 pitches, 52 strikes) #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, 4 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2B(4), R, RBI. #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4. #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 1-for-4, K. THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Columbus (6:05 PM CST) - LHP Brent Headrick (1-0, 5.60 ERA) vs RHP Aaron Civale. Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (0-1, 3.56 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin (1-3, 3.96 ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM CST) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (1-2, 3.09 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games!

TRANSACTIONS My poor Eminem lyric-rework aside, there were several transactions in advance of Tuesday’s games, including SS Royce Lewis's rehab assignment officially being transferred to the St. Paul Saints. His rehab window is 20 days, and the end of that is also when he is eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list, FYI. The Saints also were assigned RHP Jose Bravo from the Wichita Wind Surge, as the Minnesota Twins selected the contract of RHP Jose De Leon to replace RHP Jorge Alcala, who was put on the 15-day injured list. De Leon was scheduled to start tonight's game for St. Paul. In Wichita, the Wind Surge activated LHP Denny Bentley from the IL, sending down C Kyle Schmidt to Cedar Rapids to make room. The Kernels released RHP Matt Mullenbach, and transferred RHP Owen Griffith from the 7-day IL to the 60-day. Finally, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels were assigned RHP Danny Moreno from the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Columbus 5 (10 innings) Box Score It didn’t take long for Royce Lewis to make an impact in his first game back with the St. Paul Saints since tearing his ACL for the second time. He was slotted number three in the batting order by manager Toby Gardenhire, and he shot the fifth pitch he saw through the left side of the infield for a single in his first at-bat. The Saints loaded the bases in the first but weren’t able to push a run across. They got two in the second, and you’d be right if you thought Lewis played a part in that. After a Tony Wolters double put runners on second and third, Jose Miranda brought in the first run with a sac fly, and Lewis followed an Edouard Julien walk with and RBI single the opposite way to make it 2-0 St. Paul. With scheduled starter Jose De Leon being called up by the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, it was right-hander Randy Dobnak who took the mound in his stead for the Saints. He allowed three runs (zero earned) on four hits and a walk in his three innings, striking out three Clippers. All three runs scored in the bottom of the second, after the first batter reached on an error by center fielder Andrew Stevenson. It could have been worse, but Matt Wallner cut down a runner at home to end the inning with a perfect and strong throw from right field for the assist. Cody Laweryson came on in the fourth and delivered three strong innings. He allowed no hits, walked two, and struck out four. With the score 3-2 Clippers in the top of the seventh, the top of the Saints lineup again got things cooking. Miranda led off with a single and Julien drew his third walk of the game to tee it up for Lewis, who drove it over the wall in center for a three-run homer and a 5-3 lead for the Saints. That lead didn’t last long, however, as Kody Funderburk had trouble in the bottom half of the inning. He surrendered two singles and two doubles that led to a pair of runs and tied the game at five before getting out of the inning. He did strike out two in his lone inning but the Saints still had work to do. Patrick Murphy then delivered two scoreless innings to get them into extra innings. In the top of the tenth with Mark Contreras starting on second base, Kyle Garlick led off the inning with a single to move him to third base, and Andrew Stevenson atoned for his error earlier in the game (I might have ruled it a hit, anyway…) with an RBI single and a 6-5 lead. Oliver Ortega then slammed the door on another comeback, getting a pair of flyouts to Stevenson in center field that weren’t deep enough to move the runner over, and first baseman Tyler White nabbed a liner to end the game. WIND SURGE WISDOM Arkansas 4, Wichita 6 Box Score Wichita got a big night from their top prospect, opening their series by surging past the Arkansas Travelers at home in Riverfront Stadium. Starting pitcher Travis Adams allowed a two-run homer in the top of the first, but after that stifled the Travelers for 3 2/3 total innings. He allowed three hits, walked three, and struck out one. In the fourth inning, he was replaced by Osiris German after his second walk of the inning, and German got the final out with a grounder to third base. The Wind Surge had taken the lead at that point thanks to an RBI single from Alerick Soularie in the second that followed a David Banuelos triple, and a two-run homer from Alex Isola in the third, his fourth of the season. Although Wichita fell behind 4-3 after the top of the fifth, Brooks Lee wasn’t about to let them stay there. Will Holland led off the frame with a single, and Lee cashed them both in with his third home run of the season, putting the home team back in front for good 5-4. Chad Donato came out of the bullpen to start the fifth inning and allowed two runs on four hits and a pair of walks over 3 1/3 innings pitched. He struck out three. Jordan Brink closed out the game with 1 2/3 perfect innings, striking out one. The offense tacked on an insurance run in the eighth when Lee led off with a single and was driven in by a Jake Rucker double a few batters later. Lee finished the night 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in addition to the homer. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. joined him with multiple hits in the game (2-for-4) and stole two bases, giving him 16 stolen bases on the year, which ranks second in the Texas League. Will Holland was 1-for-1 with a pair of walks and scored two runs. KERNELS NUGGETS Peoria 5, Cedar Rapids 6 Box Score The Kernels rode a four-run seventh inning to victory on Tuesday at home in Cedar Rapids, holding off the Chief's late rallies. Orlando Rodriguez made the start for the home team and scattered five hits and two walks over five innings. Although he did not strike out a single batter, he did allow only one run, and the Kernels held a 2-1 lead when he left the game. The lineup pounced in the bottom of the first inning with two outs, as a hit-batter preceded a two-run home run from Kala’i Rosario, his second of the season. Reliever Mike Paredes held it down for the next two innings after Rodriguez’s exit, delivering two scoreless. He allowed two hits, walked none, and also struck out none. Noah Miller led off the bottom of the seventh with his second home run of the year, kickstarting the four-run inning. Misael Urbina followed with a triple and was driven in by a sac fly from Jose Salas. Willie Joe Garry Jr. then had an interesting trip around the bases, reaching on an error, and advancing all the way home on two wild pitches that followed. A couple of walks then led to an RBI single from Rosario to cap the Kernels scoring. Peoria did their best to make a comeback, getting a pair of runs off both Regi Grace in the eighth and John Wilson in the ninth. Grace allowed those runs on three hits and got the only strikeout of the game for the pitching staff. Wilson’s runs also came on three hits. Rosario finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI. Urbina was the only other hitter with multiple knocks, going 2-for-4. Emmanuel Rodriguez drew two walks and scored a run. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Lakeland 5 Box Score Mighty Mussels starter Christian MacLeod was making just his second start after returning from Tommy John surgery and was fantastic in this one over four innings. He allowed just one run on one hit and two walks, while punching out seven Flying Tigers. He threw 62 pitches, with 38 going for strikes (61%), including ten swinging. He didn’t allow a hit until his final inning, but it came after a walk and a wild pitch, leading to his earned run allowed. Fort Myers took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third when a bases-loaded wild pitch was followed by a two-RBI triple from Jorel Ortega. The lineup added single runs in the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings, accounting for their six runs. In the fourth, it was an RBI triple from Dylan Neuse, a sac fly off the bat of Ricardo Olivar in the fifth, and an Andrew Cossetti RBI double in the seventh. Right-hander Jose Olivares came on for MacLeod to start the fifth and contributed four solid innings of his own. He allowed two earned runs on four hits and one walk, while striking out four. His two runs allowed came on solo home runs, but the score was 6-3 when his game was done. Fort Myers called upon Johnathan Lavallee to close out the game, and I’m sure he was thankful his team had added some insurance runs for him. A single, consecutive doubles, and a wild pitch left the tying runner on third with just one out before he buckled down. He picked up a strikeout and got a lineout to end the game, picking up his second save of the season in the process. The lineup got multiple hits in the game from Ortega (2-for-5, R, 3B, 2 RBI, K), Alec Sayre (2-for-4, 2 R, 3B), and Neuse (3-for-4, R, 3B, RBI). TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Christian MacLeod, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (4 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, 7 K) Hitter of the Day - Royce Lewis, St. Paul Saints (3-for-5, R, HR, 4 RBI, SB) PROSPECT SUMMARY With about a month and a half of the season in the books, Twins Daily has your first Top 20 Prospect List update of the year. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 3-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab-St. Paul) - 3-for-5, R, HR, 4 RBI, SB #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2, R, 2 BB #4 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, R, 3 BB, K #5 - Connor Prielipp (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #6 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #7 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #8 - David Festa (Wichita) - Did not pitch #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, 3 K #10 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL) #11 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - Injured List #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, RBI, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, R, HR, RBI, BB #14 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #15 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #16 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - Injured List #17 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - Did not pitch #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 3 K #20 - Michael Helman (St. Paul) - Injured List WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (11:05 AM CDT) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (0-3, 7.17 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Carlos Luna (0-1, 5.64 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Pierson Ohl (2-2, 2.77 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - LHP Develson Aria (1-0, 3.38 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

TRANSACTIONS None to report SAINTS SENTINEL Nashville 10, St. Paul 8 (F/10) Box Score Brent Headrick, recently back from his debut with the Minnesota Twins, made the start tonight for St. Paul. He worked 3 2/3 innings, scattering seven hits that turned into four runs. Headrick did strike out nine while allowing no free passes. The Saints jumped out to an early lead with a four-spot in the 1st inning. Kyle Garlick singled allowing both Edouard Julien and Michael Helman to score before Ryan LaMarre drove in Garlick with a single of his own. Chris Williams finished the frame with his third double of the season to score LaMarre, and the good guys were off and running. After allowing six Nashville runs to cross the plate, St. Paul got back to work. Julien crushed his third homer of the season to draw within one, and then his single in the 6th inning plated Williams and Elliot Soto to regain the lead. Ryan LaMarre crushed his third homer of the season to provide a bit of additional insurance, and it was needed in the 9th inning. Former Twins prospect Brian Navarreto singled off of Kody Funderburk to pull Nashville within one. Rather than grab his second Triple-A save, Funderburk allowed the tying run to score on a Payton Henry single. With Connor Sadzeck on in the 10th inning, Nashville went back to work and added a pair of runs to put themselves back in the lead. With St. Paul unable to answer in the 10th, that's where this one would end. Although he is no longer rehabbing, Alex Kirilloff continues to produce for the Saints. Tonight he was 1-for-4 with a double. Kyle Farmer had the night off. The Saints picked up a franchise record 19 strikeouts on the evening. WIND SURGE WISDOM Scheduled to square off against NW Arkansas after their 3-1 victory last night, the Wichita Wind Surge saw the action tonight get banged. With the contest canceled due to weather, the clubs will play a doubleheader tomorrow night. Carlos Luna is expected to start game one for Wichita. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, South Bend 1 Box Score The Kernels turned to Orlando Rodriguez for the start this evening and he was nothing short of extraordinary. Working five innings allowing only a single unearned run, Rodriguez worked around five hits while punching out six and ceded no free passes. The dominant effort on the mound was more than enough on a night where the lineup did heavy lifting on its own. Cedar Rapids quickly gave Rodriguez a lead when Jose Salas singled in Ben Ross during the opening frame. After things were evened up in the bottom half, Kala’i Rosario singled in the 5th inning to plate both Ernie Yake and Noah Cardenas. The 6th inning turned the game into a blowout. Keoni Cavaco brought in Jeferson Morales with a double, and then Yake sent Cavaco home with a triple of his own. Ross found a way on thanks to a throwing error that allowed Yake to score, and Cardenas then doubled to bring him home. When the dust settled it was a four-run inning that led to a 7-1 lead. Rosario contributed again on a line drive in the 8th inning to score Ross, and the 8-1 lead held up as a final tally. Rosario posted a three-hit game on the evening with both Cavaco and Yake grabbing a pair of their own. MUSSEL MATTERS Dunedin 6, Fort Myers 5 Box Score Zebby Matthews was on the mound tonight for Fort Myers and while he continued to rack up strikeouts, he did give up some traffic on the evening. Across four innings of work, Matthews allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits. His eight strikeouts came with only one walk. Dunedin jumped out to an early lead scoring on an RBI single in the 1st inning. Rubel Cespedes did answer things for the Mighty Mussels when he singled in Andrew Cossetti during the bottom half however. From there, it was largely Dunedin’s ballgame. They plated two more in the 3rd inning, and a double steal of Ricardo Olivar and Jorel Ortega saw the latter swipe home. Trailing 6-2 entering their final at bats of the night, Ortega again came through as he ripped his 9th double of the season, scoring Yohander Martinez, Fort Myers was within three. Fort Myers made things even more interesting after a Carlos Aguiar single brough in Ortega, and then Cossetti singled to drive him in. Down one with runners on second and third, that's where the rally ended. Ultimately, the 15 hits by Dunedin were too much to overcome. Ortega was the lone hitter to record multiple hits on the evening, but Cossetti was given his due earlier in the day being named the Florida State League player of the month. During April he slashed an incredible .339/.474/.678 and tallied a league-best 20 RBI. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Orlando Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR(3), 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: #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR(3), BB #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, RBI, K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-5, 3 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, BB #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 0-5 FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Nashville @ St. Paul (6:37PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson Wichita @ NW Arkansas (5:00PM CST) - RHP Carlos Luna Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - LHP Develson Aria Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games!

Before we get started with the daily minor-league update, we're trying to come up with as many Minnesotans in pro baseball there are. Click here to see what players we have, and let us know in those comments if we missed someone. TRANSACTIONS While we knew it was coming, the Twins officially placed RHP Tyler Mahle on the Injured List and recalled RHP Louie Varland. RHP Ronny Henriquez was sent to Fort Myers to start his rehab assignment. RHP Alex Phillips was placed on the 7-Day IL by Wichita. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Nashville 3 Box Score While it wasn’t perfect, Jordan Balazovic made his first start of the season. He went 3 1/3 innings and was charged with one run on one hit. He walked three and struck out six batters. Things looked much better after three innings. He walked the first two batters he faced in the fourth frame before getting a ground out and handing things over to Jose De Leon who allowed one of the inherited runners to score. De Leon worked 3 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. He was charged with two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out two batters. Jorge Alcala pitched the eighth inning and got the first two outs of the ninth frame. He walked leadoff man, Maple Grove’s Isaac Collins, to start the ninth. Then he struck out Monte Harrison and Blake Perkins. However, Eddy Alvarez walked, bringing up slugger Jon Singleton as the go-ahead run. Toby Gardenhire went to newly-promoted southpaw Kody Funderburk. On three pitches, the former two-way player at Dallas Baptist got a strikeout to end the threat and the game. Alcala gets the Win, and Funderburk recorded his first Triple-A save. Following the game, Funderburk told Twins Daily that tried to keep it simple in the big moment. "It was a really exciting experience to come into that situation. (I) just tried to focus on doing my job and getting the lefty out." The Saints took the lead in the third inning. Elliot Soto doubled, and Edouard Julien followed by switching places with him. Soon after, Alex Kirilloff singled in Julien and the Saints had the 2-0 lead. However, the Saints were down 3-2 going into the bottom of the eighth inning. Kirilloff singled, and Kyle Garlick walked. Andrew Stevenson pinch ran for him. Matt Wallner came to the plate and came through with a two-run double. Soon after, Wallner took off for third base on a Lucas Erceg wild pitch. Catcher Payton Henry threw the ball away and Wallner scored with the fifth run of the game. Kyle Farmer went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in his second rehab game with the Saints. Kirilloff went 2-for-4. Michael Helman went 3-for-4 and is now hitting .348 since his return to St. Paul. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Northwest Arkansas 1 Box Score Last week, the Wind Surge gave up 53 runs over the final five games of the week against Springfield. So what the pitching staff did in this game is greatly appreciated. Lefty Aaron Rozek had his best game of the season. He gave up one run on four hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out two, but he walked none. The performance was good for him him, but it was also good for his younger brother! Back to Aaron Rozek's performance... after the game, he told Twins Daily a little bit about what was working for him. "Cutter was the go-to pitch tonight for sure. (I) was able to use that in any count. Think the biggest thing for me was being able to just go deeper into the game to allow our bullpen to relax a bit, and ultimately just giving our team a chance to win." The Burnsville native continued, regarding his early-season struggles and what he needed to focus on in the game on Wednesday. "No huge adjustments were made, just fine-tuning, I think. Being able to throw pitches in better locations... obviously not going to blow guys away with velocity, so have to move the ball around more than others would." Next, Tyler Beck worked 2 1/3 innings of one-hit ball and was credited with the Win to improve to 3-0. Alex Scherff recorded his second save of the season. He gave up a hit and a walk, and another batter reached on an error. However, Scherff got a double play - the Wind Surge’s third of the game - and ended the game with the score at 3-1. The Wind Surge tied the game at one in the second innings when Yoyner Fajardo singled to score Pat Winkel. Then in the seventh inning, the Wind Surge took the lead. Brooks Lee led off with a single. He advanced to second when DaShawn Keirsey reached on an error by the shortstop. However, the next two batters got out. Winkel walked to load the bases, and then Anthony Prato came through with a huge hit. He lined a single to center that scored Lee and Keirsey and gave the Wind Surge a lead that they didn’t relinquish. Lee led the way by reaching base four times. He was 3-for-4 with a walk and a double. Prato went 2-for-4 with a walk and clearly the biggest hit of the day. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, South Bend 5 Box Score The Kernels had an afternoon game in South Bend against the Cubs. The game was scoreless through the first five innings, but then the two teams combined for 14 runs over the final four innings, and fortunately, the Kernels scored nine of them. Let’s start with the pitching. Alejandro Hidalgo made the start. The 19-year-old acquired in the Gio Urshela trade struck out nine batters over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just three hits and one walk. The outing dropped his season ERA to just 1.29. Most important, since his Kernels/Twins debut when he gave up six walks in just 1 2/3 innings, he has just four walks in 12 1/3 innings over his next three outings. On the other side, Brandon Birdsell tossed five shutout innings for the Cubs. He gave up just three hits and two walks, and he struck out five Kernels. Why does the Birdsell name sound familiar? Maybe you follow Texas Tech baseball really closely? Or, maybe you remember that the Twins selected him in the 11th round of the 2021 draft and offered him as much as they had available above slot but within their allotted amount. Instead, he went back to school and the Cubs made him their fifth-round pick a year ago. He didn’t debut until this season. He has now made five starts for South Bend and is 1-0 with a 0.44 ERA. In 20 2/3 innings, he has given up one run on seven hits. He’s walked eight and struck out 18 batters. And then came the runs. The Kernels scored first with two runs in the sixth inning. Kala’i Rosario hit his first home run of the year, and it was followed by Jose Salas’s first home run as a member of the Twins organization. In the seventh frame, Charles Mack picked up his first hit of the season, a double that drove in Keoni Cavaco (who had reached on a double). John Wilson walked two but got the final two outs of the sixth inning while he maintained the shutout. Unfortunately, in the seventh inning, he faced three batters and all three singled. Niklas Rimmel came in and got the first out on a ground out. However, Scott McKeon tripled to drive in two runs to tie the game at three. Rimmel got the next two batters out without allowing McKeon to score. He then worked a perfect eighth frame. That sent us to the ninth inning, and the Kernels busted out. It started out simple enough. Cavaco walked. Ernie Yake came in to run for him. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third base, and scored the go-ahead run on a Mack sacrifice fly. Noah Miller struck out for the second out. Then the real fun began. Ben Ross and Tanner Schobel singled. Rosario singled to score Ross. Jose Salas walked to load the bases. Kyle Fedko drove a bases-clearing double to open things up. A wild pitch and a Willie Joe Garry single scored another run and the Kernels had a 9-2 lead. And they needed it. Miguel Rodriguez came in for the ninth and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk, but the Kernels held on to work to a 9-5 win. Rosario led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with the homer and two RBI. Tanner Schobel and Ben Ross each went 2-for-5. For the Northside Cubs readers, Scott McKeon went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Fabian Pertuz and Jacob Wetzel each had two hits. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Dunedin 5 Box Score For six innings, the Mussels offense did nothing. Down 4-0 going to the seventh-inning stretch, Ft. Myers scored one run in the bottom of the seventh. A Dalton Shuffield single scored Ricardo Olivar. In the bottom of the eighth frame, a run double off the bat of Jorel Ortega scored Alec Sayre with the second run. Ortega advanced to third base on the play and scored when the Dunedin catcher tried to pick him off. The Blue Jays added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, but the Mussels made it very interesting in the bottom of the ninth inning. With one out, Shuffield walked. Dylan Neuse singled, and Mikey Perez walked to load the bases. Sayre struck out for the inning’s second out. But Twins Daily’s Minor League Hitter of the Month, Andrew Cossetti, came up and walked on five pitches that weren’t near the strike zone. After a pitching change, Ortega came up but struck out to end the game. Young Jose Olivares started and was charged with three runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out four batters. Ronny Henriquez came on for the sixth and gave up a run. He started the seventh inning and got two more outs before being replaced by AJ Labas who got out of the seventh and worked a scoreless eighth inning. Juan Mendez gave up the ninth inning insurance run when he walked two and gave up a hit. Henriquez looked solid in his first rehab appearance of the year. Sure, he gave up a run on a hit and two walks in 1 2/3 innings, but that isn’t terribly important. How he looked, how his pitches looked, and then how he responds tomorrow physically is what really is important to the process. His stuff sure looked like it did last year. His fastball sat between 94.4 and 96.3 mph. His slider was between 84.4 and 87.9 mph. His changeup was between 86.8 and 89.6 mph. His slider and changeup both got really good vertical movement, and his changeup had a nice horizontal drop. With how much time he has missed this spring, I would expect his rehab to be very close to the 30 day maximum, and even at that point, I would expect he would be activated and optioned to St. Paul to continue the work. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Alejandro Hidalgo (Cedar Rapids) - 5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K. Hitter of the Day – Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-4, BB, HR(1), 2 R, 2 RBI. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 3-for-4, BB, 2B(9), R, SB(2), E(3) #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, BB, 2B, R, RBI. #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, BB, HR(1), 2 R, RBI, K. #9 - Louie Varland (Minnesota) - 4 2/3 innings, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 87 pitches, 59 strikes. #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2B(6), R, 2 RBI, 2 K. #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, BB, SB, 2 K. #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 3 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 6 K, 60 pitches, 32 strikes. #17 - Ronny Henriquez (Ft. Myers-Rehab) - 1.2 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 K, 33 pitches, 22 Strikes. #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, R. THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Nashville @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CST) - LHP Brent Headrick (0-0, 6.00 ERA) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Chad Donato (0-2, 12.54 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 PM CST) - RHP Orlando Rodriguez (2-1, 1.59 ERA) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (5:35 PM CST) - RHP Zebby Matthews (3-0, 3.10 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games!

TRANSACTIONS C Charles Mack activated from IL for Cedar Rapids C Wilfri Castro transferred to FCL SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Scranton/WB 3 Box Score Toby Gardenhire turned to Jose De Leon for the start tonight, and he was nothing short of spectacular. Working four scoreless innings, De Leon allowed just two hits and two walks while punching out five. He once was dangled as a trade chip for Brian Dozier, and is now pushing for a debut with the Twins. The scoring started and ended in the third inning for the Saints. Rehabbing Twins first baseman Alex Kirilloff doubled to score both Elliot Soto and Matt Wallner. It was Soto's double that set up the additional runs. Mark Contreras continued his hot hitting with a double of his own to plate Kirilloff and Kyle Garlick. St. Paul had put up a four spot in the third inning and jumped out ahead. Scranton clawed back with runs in the fifth inning, seventh inning, and eighth inning, but ultimately they fell just short. Hernan Perez clubbed his second hit of the night, a solo shot in the eighth inning, to give St. Paul a bit of breathing room. Kirilloff finished his night going 2-for-3 while also being hit by a pitch. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 3, Wichita 0 Box Score Making the start for Wichita was Travis Adams. He lasted four innings and allowed just a pair of runs on four hits. Adams walked a pair, but also struck out four batters. The pair of runs came on a solo homer and a wild pitch. Jonny DeLuca led off the game for the Drillers with a solo blast in the bottom of the first inning. Adams buckled down, and while he did allow Diego Cartaya to score on a second inning wild pitch, no other damage mounted. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. made an amazing catch in centerfield to rob additional runs, but that didn't spark a Wichita comeback. The Wind Surge tallied just three hits on the evening, and Brooks Lee finally went without a hit (ending his 10-game hitting streak), though he did reach on a walk. With the lineup stalling out, a comeback was never in the works. KERNELS NUGGETS Beloit 3, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score The Kernels turned to Jordan Carr for the start on Thursday, and he worked around six hits during his 4 1/3 innings of work. While two runs came across, only one was earned. Carr allowed a walk and struck out three. Cedar Rapids scored first when Kala’i Rosario tripled to drive in Noah Miller as the third batter of the game. It was the start of what would wind up being an impressive night for the outfielder. After giving the run back in the bottom of the second inning, and seeing another tacked on in the fifth inning, the sixth inning saw Cedar Rapids get even. Third baseman Ben Ross smacked his second home run of the season, and his blistering start to his 2023 season continued. Unfortunately, the Sky Carp’s Yiddi Cappe singled for the second time on the night in the seventh inning, and his RBI was the difference in this one. Adding a run, the Kernels never rallied and that hit was the difference. Rosario was the lone Kernels batter to post multiple hits, but he was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and triple. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 11, Jupiter 1 Box Score Cory Lewis was on the bump for Fort Myers on Thursday, and he continued to rack up strikeouts. Working five innings, he allowed just a single run on a solo shot. It was the only hit against him, and while he walked a pair, Lewis also racked up six strikeouts. Although Lewis kept Jupiter down in the game, he was also given immediate breathing room. Andrew Cossetti stepped in with Michael Helman, Jorel Ortega, and Ricardo Olivar all on base. He drilled his fourth homer of the year, a grand slam, and put the Mighty Mussels up early. It’s been an impressive week for the slugger. After the solo blast against Lewis, Fort Myers immediately answered. Cossetti came through again, this time with a bases-clearing double. Ortega, Danny De Andrade, and Olivar all came across the plate. Maddux Houghton followed up with a fielder’s choice to score Cossetti, and it was an 8-1 lead when the bottom of the fifth inning concluded. Looking for more insurance runs, Houghton hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to bring Carlos Aguiar home. The Mighty Mussels plated nine runs on just six hits. Both Cossetti and De Andrade recorded a pair of hits on the evening. Helman played shortstop and led off as he is rehabbing before returning to St. Paul. He did draw a pair of walks. Capping off the scoring, Dalton Shuffield tripled in the eighth inning to score Mikey Perez and Dylan Neuse. A 10-run rule could have been enforced, but the ninth inning didn’t change the score either. Fort Myers did a great job continuing to add runs all night long. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cory Lewis (Fort Myers) - 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Andrew Cossetti (Fort Myers) - 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR(4), 7 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top 20 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 #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-2, R, 2 BB, K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, R, BB, K #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, BB, 2 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/WB @ St. Paul (6:37PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05PM CST) - LHP Aaron Rozek Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35PM CST) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - RHP Jose Olivares Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games!

Baseball is entering an unprecede nted time when it comes to prospect development. The pandemic caused the 2020 MLB Draft to be limited to five rounds because high school and college seasons were truncated. Another wrinkle was the fact that the 2020 international free agent class couldn’t officially sign until January 2021. Over the next three seasons, these players will be entering their 40-man roster evaluation year. College players taken in the 2020 Draft must be added to their club’s 40-man roster next winter to be exempt from the Rule 5 Draft. Most high school players taken in that draft will have their Rule 5 decisions made following the 2024 season. International players signed in January 2021 need to be added prior to the 2025 Rule 5 Draft. Baseball America expects there to be a lack of eligible players for upcoming Rule 5 Drafts because of the shortened draft and the canceled international signing period. Minnesota’s 2020 Draft Results The Twins took Aaron Sabato with the 27th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. In 103 games last season, he hit .215/.336/.438 with 17 doubles and 22 home runs. He struck out 142 times in 372 at-bats between High- and Double-A. Many evaluators don’t consider him one of the team’s top prospects, because his bat hasn’t developed as quickly as expected. Unless Sabato has a huge 2023 season, Minnesota is unlikely to add him to the 40-man roster next winter. In the second round, the Twins took Alerick Soularie from the University of Tennessee. Over the last two seasons, he has been limited to 125 games while hitting .231/.343/.376 (.719). During the 2022 season, he combined for 28 extra-base hits in 91 games. He was slightly younger than the average age of the competition in the Midwest League this year. The 2022 season will be critical to show he can find success in the minors’ upper levels. Marco Raya is Minnesota’s highest ranked prospect from the 2022 Draft. Last season, he made his professional debut as a 19-year-old in the Florida State League. In 19 games (65 IP), he posted a 3.05 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and 10.5 K/9. Raya has a chance to develop into one of the best starting pitching prospects to come through the organization in quite some time. With his limited professional innings, it will be interesting to see how the Twins handle his workload in 2023 and beyond. Kala’i Rosario was the Twins’ final pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. In 2022, he played the entire season in Fort Myers where he was over two years younger than the average age of the competition. In 109 games, he hit .239/.320/.408 (.727) with 36 extra-base hits. Since he was a high school draft pick, the Twins get two more seasons to decide if he should be added to the 40-man roster. International Signing Period (January 2021) Danny De Andrade and Fredy Michel were the highest ranking international free agents signed by the Twins in January 2021. Last season, De Andrade came stateside and played 48 games in the Florida Complex League. In 178 at-bats, he hit .242/.333/.371 (.704) with nine doubles and four home runs. De Andrade will likely get his first taste of full-season action with Fort Myers in 2023. Michel is following a similar development path to De Andrade with his first season in the Dominican Summer League before playing 2022 in the FCL. Last season, he hit .163/.317/.233 (.549) with five extra-base hits in 40 games. When he signed, Baseball America compared him to a “young Eduardo Escobar,” so there is still hope for him to develop in the coming years. It seems likely for him to repeat the FCL in 2022. It’s clear there are going to be fewer options for teams in upcoming Rule 5 Drafts. The players listed above have important seasons facing them over the next three years. Raya is the lone 2020 pick that looks like an easy decision to add to the 40-man roster. Other players need to show some growth before the team adds them into the organization’s long-term plans. Do you think any of these players can take the next step in 2022? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

TRANSACTIONS LHP Jovani Moran recalled by Minnesota Twins RHP Ben Heller released by organization RHP Juan Minaya released by organization RHP Tyler Thornburg released by organization SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 4, St. Paul 2 Box Score Josh Winder continues his return from the injured list now pitching for the Saints. He’s said to be in play for a bullpen role this month with Minnesota, and he was letting it fly knowing the outing would be shorter. His fastball sat 95-96 mph throughout his outing, and he touched 97 mph as well. Winder finished four innings allowing just a single hit and an unearned run. He struck out three. The Saints got on the board first, scoring in the 2nd inning on a pair of back-to-back jacks. John Andreoli nearly wore a pitch and then went way out to left center for his 12th of the season. Braden Bishop followed with a blast to left as well, and St. Paul was up 2-0. After an unearned run brought Omaha within one, a solo shot off Randy Dobnak in the 5th inning tied it up. Dobnak touched 94 mph with his fastball, and did get a nice strikeout on his offspeed to the second batter he saw. The Saints and Storm Chasers were knotted at two with two hits apiece when rehabbing Twins pitcher Cole Sands took over in the 7th inning. Omaha was able to manufacture a run in the 8th inning to take the lead and then tagged Sands for another in the 9th inning to double up the Saints. Down to their final at bat, St. Paul sent Chris Williams, Andreoli, and pinch hitter Michael Helman to the dish. Unfortunately they went down in order and that's how this one ended. WIND SURGE WISDOM Springfield 4, Wichita 3 (F/10) Box Score The Wind Surge had Daniel Gossett up tonight. He was great going five scoreless innings allowing just two hits and three walks. Gossett also struck out a trio of batters. After two scoreless frames to begin the game, Wichita got on the board with a three-run 3rd inning. Jair Camargo stepped in and blasted a three-run shot to centerfield. It was his 11th of the season and brought in both Austin Martin and Edouard Julien. Neither side could push anything else across through the 5th inning and the score stayed close. After Gossett exited in the 6th inning, Springfield immediately came to life. Three runs scored and the game was all tied heading to the 7th inning. Neither side could push across the go-ahead tally until extra. Springfield scored their runner from second base and completed the walk-off comeback. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 1: Dayton 8 Cedar Rapids 7 (F/7) Box Score Playing a twin bill today, Cedar Rapids began the afternoon starting Jaylen Nowlin. He went 3 1/3 innings allowing three runs on six hits. Bowling also struck out five while walking three. Cedar Rapids raced out to an early lead scoring three in the 1st inning. Brooks Lee scored on a fielder’s choice from Kyler Fedko before a Seth Gray single drove in Pat Winkel. Wander Javier capped off the three-run inning with a sacrifice fly to plate Fedko. After giving two back in the bottom of the 1st inning, Cedar Rapids let in another four in the 4th inning, and two more in the 5th inning. Facing a five run deficit, they looked to rally in the top of the 7th inning. Jake Rucker roped his 15th double to drive in Dylan Neuse, and Lee then crushed his 4th homer for the Kernels. Gray hit his 16th home run of the season a few batters later, but the one run deficit still remained and was where this one ended. Game 2: Dayton 7, Cedar Rapids 0 Box Score Jon Olsen took the ball for Cedar Rapids in game two but was chased after just 1 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits. Olsen fanned one and allowed one free pass. Both teams matched zeroes during the 1st inning during the nightcap, but the Dragons exploded for five runs in the 2nd inning. A pair of singles and a double gave them all the run production they’d need, despite adding a two-run blast in the 6th inning for good measure. Former Twins prospect Chase Petty made the start for Dayton in game two and went five scoreless allowing just two hits and striking out two. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 11, Bradenton 2 Box Score The Mighty Mussels turned to righty Jordan Carr this afternoon and he turned in five scoreless innings. Carr allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out four Marauders. Fort Myers didn’t wait long to get on the board this afternoon. In the 2nd inning Keoni Cavaco roped his 18th double to score Rubel Cespedes. He then came home on Dillon Tatum’s 6th dinger of the season. In the 3rd inning Carlos Aguiar recorded his 9th double of the season, plating both Noah Cardenas and Ben Ross. The lead extended to 5-0 now, Fort Myers went scoreless in the 4th inning. They weren’t done adding however, and in the 5th inning Cespedes drove in Cardenas with a sacrifice fly. Looking to continue the run scoring, Kala’i Rosario stayed hot and singled in the top of the 6th inning with Tanner Schobel racing home. Cardenas then recorded his 17th double to drive in Rosario from third base. Misael Urbina got into the action with a 7th inning sacrifice fly before Daniel Ozoria hit his first homer in the 9th inning. The two run shot erased runs by Bradenton in the bottom of the 8th inning. Ozoria was playing in his 299th professional game, and the dinger was just the third of his career. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Josh Winder (St. Paul) - 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K Hitter of the Day – Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 3-7, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR(4) 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: #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 3-7, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR(4) #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-3, R, 3 BB, 2B #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-1, BB, 2 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-3, R, 2 BB, K #17 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - Rehab with St. Paul - 2.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 1-4, 2 R, 2 BB #19 - Alerick Soularie (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3 #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 2-4, R, RBI TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (5:35PM CST) - RHP Ariel Jurado NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - TBD South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - TBD St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games! It sure is exciting to have all four Twins full-season affiliates back and playing.

TRANSACTIONS Pitcher Cole Sands began a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 5, St. Paul 1 Box Score Louie Varland has been among the best pitchers in the Twins system this season and was on the bump for St. Paul tonight. He worked 4 1/3 innings giving up two runs on four hits. He didn’t allow a walk and struck out three. Matt Wallner has drawn plenty of excitement with his bat this year, but it was a sliding catch in the second inning that saved extra bases. The Storm Chasers got a run in the 4th inning on a sacrifice fly before a 5th inning solo shot ended Varland’s night. St. Paul found themselves halving the lead in the 6th inning when a passed ball allowed him to scamper home. Omaha added one in the 7th inning and two in the 8th inning to pull away, however, and the Saints never had a rally in them. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Springfield 4 Box Score The Wind Surge gave the pill to Cody Laweryson tonight in Springfield. Wichita’s starter went 4 2/3 allowing just a single run on five hits. Laweryson punched out six and didn’t surrender a walk. His ERA is now down to 1.03. Bryan Sammons took over in the 5th inning, and after recording the final out of that frame, he gave up a three-run dinger in the 6th inning. The Cardinals found themselves with breathing room up 4-0. In the 7th inning, it became time for the Wind Surge to answer. Leobaldo Cabrera stepped in and singled home Yunior Severino. Star prospect Austin Martin then roped his third triple of the season to bring home both Anthony Prato and Cabrera. All of a sudden it was a one-run game. The Wind Surge weren’t going to go out quietly, and walks from Prato and Will Holland to start the 9th inning gave them a chance. Edouard Julien then stepped up and ripped a line drive single to score both runners and take the lead. KERNELS NUGGETS Dayton 9, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score Cedar Rapids turned to Luis Rijo in this one and it was an outing he’d rather forget. Rijo didn’t record an out and gave up five runs on just one hit. The bugaboo was three walks in the inning. Two of the runs against Rijo came on bases-loaded walks. Down 6-0 by the bottom of the 2nd inning, the Kernels got on the board when Dylan Neuse singled in Seth Gray during the 4th inning. In the 6th inning, Cedar Rapids continued to claw away. A balk brought in Gray before Jake Rucker singled to score Jeferson Morales and Willie Joe Garry Jr. Unfortunately for the Kernels, Dayton plated three more runs to pull away, and that was where this one ended. MUSSEL MATTERS Bradenton 8, Fort Myers 7 Box Score Pierson Ohl took the ball this afternoon for the Mighty Mussels and turned in five solid innings while working around seven hits. He did give up three runs, but limited additional damage allowing just one walk and striking out two. Fort Myers scored first, right in the opening salvo, when Kala’i Rosario singled to drive in Tanner Schobel. Unfortunately, that was the only lead they’d have in this one. By the time the Mighty Mussels came up in the top of the 6th inning they trailed 3-1. Rosario once again was ready to do damage and launched a homer, his 11th of the year, to score Ben Ross and tie things up. The Marauders wound up adding in the 6th and 7th innings to jump ahead 8-3. Heading into the 9th inning, Fort Myers saw an uphill battle, but they were ready to work. Luis Baez triples to drive in Keoni Cavaco and Alec Sayre. He then came home during the next at-bat on a passed ball. Down just two, Rosario continued his good day with another single, scoring Ross and bringing the good guys within one. That’s where the rally ended, however, and this was a tough one-run defeat. Fort Myers managed just five hits on the day but definitely made this one interesting. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cody Laweryson (Wichita) - 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 3-5, R, 4 RBI, HR(11) 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. #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, BB #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-5, 2 RBI, 3B, 2 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-4, R, 2B, 2 BB #12 - Louie Varland (St. Paul) - 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 2-4, 2 RBI, BB, K #17 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 1-4, R, BB, 2 K, 2B #20 - Kala'i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 3-5, R, 4 RBI, HR(11) THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07PM CST) - RHP Ronny Henriquez Wichita @ Springfield (6:35PM CST) - RHP Kody Funderburk Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:05PM CST) - RHP David Festa Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Monday’s games! It sure is exciting to have all four Twins full-season affiliates back and playing.

TRANSACTIONS No transactions on Sunday within the organization! SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 5, St. Paul 3 (10) Box Score Extra innings, man. Per Saints broadcaster and Vice President Sean Aronson, St. Paul has played more extra-inning games than any professional baseball team in their 2022 campaign. In their 17th extra-inning game of the season, the Saints dropped a 5-3 contest to Columbus on Sunday afternoon. St. Paul scored their runs on a pair of solo homers from Mark Contreras (12) and Chris Williams (1) alongside a sac-fly from John Andreoli that scored Caleb Hamilton. St. Paul starter Aaron Sanchez was magnificent, pitching five scoreless innings with striking out four, allowing just three hits and one walk. Sanchez shined in his one appearance with the Twins earlier this summer and it's great to see him continue to shine with St. Paul. Saints' relievers Tyler Thornburg and Jharel Cotton were solid on the day; Thornburg was perfect in the sixth inning, striking one one while Cotton was solid on the back end, pitching 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball between the eighth and ninth innings. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 10, Corpus Christi 4 Box Score The bats were buzzing in Kansas. An inside-the-park homer from Will Holland led the Surge to a dominant win on Sunday afternoon at Riverfront Stadium in Wichita. Holland's homer took place in the second inning and was truly a spectacular sight. Holland also tallied an RBI single in the seventh inning and his inside-the-parker was the first in franchise history. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. also had a stellar day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and a towering solo home run in the third inning. The Surge were just as electric on the bump; starter Kody Funderburk (W, 8-4) tossed five shutout innings, striking out four and allowing zero walks. Cody (with a C) Lawyerson followed suit with a scoreless sixth inning. Highly-touted prospect Blayne Enlow was effective in relief as well, tossing a scoreless eighth inning. The win continues a hot streak for the Surge. Wichita has one nine of its last ten and 15 of its last 18 games. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 6, Cedar Rapids 5 Box Score A pair of ninth-inning runs from Quad Cities kept the Kernels out of the win column on Sunday afternoon. Despite the loss, there were a myriad of standout performances. Recent first-round pick Brooks Lee continued his impressive debut in pro ball, tallying four singles on the day. Alerick Soularie and Seth Gray each had rock-solid days at the office; Soularie launched a two-run homer along with an RBI single and Gray laced an RBI double along with a single. Starting pitcher Ryan Shreve was excellent, tossing three shutout innings and striking out two while walking none. MUSSEL MATTERS Jupiter 9, Fort Myers 4 Box Score After surrendering four runs in the first inning, Fort Myers mustered together some momentum with a four-run response in the second, all of which came with two outs. Unfortunately, that would be the only noise that the Mussels would make at the plate in a 9-4 loss on Sunday afternoon. Despite the loss, the second-inning frenzy was a beauty. Rubel Cespedes led off the inning with a four-pitch walk and advanced to second on a single from Kal’ai Rosario. Following a pair of fly outs, Daniel Ozoria laced a 3-1 pitch for a single into center to score Cespedes and move Rosario to third. The party started in the next at-bat; with Luis Baez at the plate, Rosario and Ozoria whipped up a double-steal, scoring Rosario and moving Ozoria to second. Ozoria would later score on a passed ball and Baez would eventually cross home as well thanks to a walk. Small ball at its finest. Fort Myers relievers Regi Grace and Anthony Escobar were outstanding for the Mussels. After a rocky two-thirds of an inning from starter Tomas Cleto, Grace went 2 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out four. Escobar followed with two innings of perfect baseball, striking out one. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day: Will Holland (Wichita) - 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, K Pitcher of the Day: Kody Funderburk (Wichita) - 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 4-for-5, R # 7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, BB, 2 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 3-for-5, R, RBI, K #15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K #19 - Alerick Soularie (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI #20 - Kala'i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 2-for-4, R, SB, K MONDAY'S GAMES FCL Twins @ FCL Braves (11:00am CST) DSL Twins @ DSL Nationals (11:00am AST)

Transactions: OF Cole Sturgeon promoted from Double-A Wichita to Triple-A St. Paul INF Ernie Yake promoted from Single-A Fort Myers to Triple-A St. Paul OF Jake Cave placed on temporary inactive list (paternity leave) SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Iowa 3 Box Score It was Chi Chi Gonzalez making the start tonight for St. Paul and he turned in five innings of three-run ball. Avoiding extra damage while giving up nine hits, Gonzalez walked just one and fanned two. Iowa took an early lead with a run in the third inning, and then they added single tallies in the 4th and 5th innings as well. As the game got late, the Saints came alive. Jermaine Palacios opened the scoring for the good guys in the 7th inning. A ground out to third base scored Mark Contreras and the Saints made their way into the run column. Jose Godoy then singled to drive in Elliot Soto and drew the home team within one. Still trailing by one in the 8th inning, Curtis Terry ripped his 8th double of the season to score Royce Lewis and knot the game at three. With the bases loaded, Soto brought everyone home on his first triple of the season and the 6-3 lead would hold through the final frame. Contreras and Godoy were the lone hitters with multi-hit evenings. Alex Kirilloff may have been playing in his final rehab game, and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Daniel Gossett was amazing in relief working three innings of no-hit baseball while punching out four and walking just one. WIND SURGE WISDOM Postponed For the third straight night Wichita saw the matchup with the Varland brothers be postponed. Now set to face off for a doubleheader on Friday, the hope would be that Mother Nature finally cooperates. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 3 Box Score Sean Mooney took the ball to start this one and worked three innings while giving up three unearned runs. He walked and struck out four batters apiece. Recently promoted John Stankiewicz came on in relief and was dominant. Pitching five scoreless, Stankiewicz gave up just a single hit and no walks while striking out seven. Quad Cities plated a first inning run to take the lead, but Cedar Rapids had a quick answer. Seth Gray drove in Christian Encarnacion-Strand with a single and the score was even after one. The Kernels then jumped ahead in the second with Wander Javier scoring on a fielding error. Battling back from a two-run third inning that put the River Bandits back on top, Cedar Rapids plated a pair of their own on an Aaron Sabato ground out and another error. With just a one-run lead after the third inning, Sabato gave the Kernels more breathing room when he blasted a solo shot to left field for his third dinger of the season. Anthony Prato contributed two hits out of the leadoff spot tonight, and he was joined by both Sabato and Gray. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Lakeland 6 Box Score Fort Myers gave the ball to Travis Adams tonight and he turned in a solid performance allowing just two runs on three hits over five innings. Adams recorded four strikeouts and walked none. The Mighty Mussels scored the first run of the evening on a Noah Cardenas ground out. A throwing error by Lakeland allowed Noah Miller to scamper home. After getting behind in the 2nd inning, Emmanuel Rodriguez ripped a single in the third inning allowing Jake Rucker to score. Stretching the lead further, Keoni Cavaco roped a 4th inning double driving in Kyle Schmidt before Mikey Perez homered in the 6th inning plating Kala’i Rosario on the two-run shot. Lakeland drew back within two on a homer of their own, but Schmidt erased it scoring Rodriguez on a 7th inning sacrifice fly. The game got way too dicey when the Flying Tigers tied things in the 8th inning, and neither team could push across a run in the 9th. Utilizing the runner on second in the 10th inning, Rosario ripped his second double of the season to score Cavaco and give Fort Myers the lead they’d need to hold onto. Fort Myers tallied 11 hits on the evening and Noah Miller accounted for four of them going 4-for-4. Rosario was the only other batter to join him with a multi-hit effort. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – John Stankiewicz (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day – Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 4-4, R, 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: #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 1-3, R, BB, K #3 - Jose Miranda (Minnesotal) - 1-3, K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Minnesota) - 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K #10 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 4-4, R, BB, 2B #15 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 1-2, R, RBI, 3 BB FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (6:37PM CST) - RHP Jacob Faria Tulsa @ Wichita (5:05PM CST) Game 2 TBD - RHP Louie Varland/RHP Matt Canterino Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Aaron Rozek Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! It sure is exciting to have all four Twins full-season affiliates back and playing.

SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 7, St. Paul 3 Box Score Left-hander Devin Smeltzer was on the mound for the Saints, looking to continue his early season run of success against Iowa. Unfortunately, the Cubs ambushed him early and the Saints weren’t able to recover. The first three hitters of the game singled, before a sac fly got the scoring started for the visiting team. That was followed by a two-RBI double and RBI single to make it 4-0 before St. Paul had an at-bat. The Cubs tacked on two more in the second inning to end Smeltzer’s night. The home team did also score runs in each of the first two innings, but they weren’t crooked numbers like their opponent’s. Jake Cave drew a walk and came around to score on a Curtis Terry double in the first, and Elliot Soto drove in a runner with a single in the second that made it 6-2. Jake Petricka was summoned to begin the third and went two innings, allowing one run of his own on one hit and one walk, while striking out four. Ian Hamilton (2 IP, BB, 2 K) and Tyler Bashlor (2 IP, BB) then combined for four scoreless innings, before Yennier Cano (1 IP, H, BB, K) finished it off for the Saints with a scoreless ninth. The Saints closed the gap to 7-3 in the bottom of the fifth, when Alex Kirilloff delivered an RBI single to score Royce Lewis, who had drawn a walk and stolen his sixth base of the season in front of him. Mark Contreras (2-for-3, BB) and Jose Godoy (2-for-4, R, K) had multiple hits in the effort for the Saints. As a team they were 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position, but Terry’s double was their only extra-base hit, resulting in nine men being left on base for the game. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa @ Wichita - Postponed, Rain The Wind Surge versus Drillers series opener was postponed on Tuesday due to rain. Right-hander Louie Varland was scheduled to start this one against his brother Gus, a matchup that will likely will just be moved back a day. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 3, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score The Kernels got a solid start out of Cody Laweryson, who went the first four scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits and struck out four, needing only 49 pitches (34 for strikes) to do so. Bobby Milacki (2 IP, 3 K) and Melvi Acosta (2 IP, H, BB, K) then followed him with four more scoreless innings to keep their team in line for a win against their in-state rivals. The home team took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth when Jair Camargo led off the inning with a single. Wander Javier followed with a double for their first run, and would later score the second on another double courtesy of Willie Joe Garry, Jr. It stayed that way until the top of the ninth when Cedar Rapids sent out reliever Derek Molina, who has been excellent thus far on the season with a 1.29 ERA and sub 1.00 WHIP, looking for his second save of the year. It didn’t go as planned, and he was replaced after walking the first two hitters to put the tying runner on base. Denny Bentley was then summoned and promptly allowed an RBI double, and then a two-RBI single, that put the Kernels behind 3-2. They were unable to mount a rally in the bottom half and fell to a still excellent 15-7 on the season. Each team had just five hits in the game, but the River Bandits got them when they counted late and were able to steal one. Christian Encarnacion-Strand finished this one 1-for-3 with a base on balls, and Seth Gray reached base twice via a walk to lead the lineup. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Lakeland 2 (5 innings, Rain) Box Score In his last time on the mound before getting his wisdom teeth pulled, right-hander Marco Raya introduced himself as a prospect with a one-hit effort over six innings. He struck out 10 while facing the minimum against the Dunedin Blue Jays. This game started out just as good, with a quick one-two-three first inning on just eight pitches in his return to action. But in the second, an error on a groundball from the first hitter sent things off the rails. Before it was over Raya had thrown 35 pitches in the frame, collecting only two outs around a single and three walks that brought in two runs, before being removed from the game. Hunter McMahon came on for the final out of the second and also completed the next two innings. He allowed one hit, one walk, and struck out one to stabilize the game after Raya's early exit. The Mighty Mussels were able to put a run on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth thanks to the third home run of the season from Kala’i Rosario to make it 2-1, but the weather put an end to any further comeback attempt. John Wilson came on to start the bottom of the fifth inning and got two outs before thunderstorms ended the game early with the home team at-bat and leading. Fort Myers’ only other hit of the game, was a Mikey Perez single after the Rosario homer, and he proceeded to steal his fourth base of the season. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Bobby Milacki, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2 IP, 3 K) Hitter of the Day - Kala’i Rosario, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (1-for-2, R, HR, RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, R, BB #3 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - 4.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K #4 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - 1-for-5, 2B, RBI (first MLB hit) #11 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-2, K #15 - Marco Raya (Fort Myers) - L, 1.2 IP, H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, K #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, BB WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - RHP Ronny Henriquez (0-1, 6.35 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Louie Varland (2-1, 3.05 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CDT) - LHP Brent Headrick (2-1, 2.55 ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP David Festa (1-1, 1.93 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

SAINTS SENTINEL Nashville 6, St. Paul 2 Box Score Minnesota acquired Ronny Henriquez in the Mitch Garver trade with the Texas Rangers and tonight he worked as the St. Paul Saints starter. Lasting just 2 2/3 innings, Henriquez gave up four earned runs on three hits and four walks. Two big flies were sent out of the park against him. Brewers star prospect Brice Turang opened the scoring with a first-inning bomb before Nashville extended things to a 3-0 lead in the 3rd inning. Jake Cave put the Saints on the board with an RBI single scoring Royce Lewis in the bottom half but the three-run deficit is as close as they’d cut it. After giving up another Sounds run on a Jon Singleton homer in the 5th inning, St. Paul drew within three again on a Derek Fisher 6th inning double. Jose Miranda scored but Curtis Terry was thrown out at third base on the play. The deficit was pushed back to four after the second Weston Wilson home run of the game in the 8th inning and that’s where things wound up. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Arkansas 0 Box Score Stud pitching prospect Simeon Woods-Richardson was on the bump tonight for the Wind Surge. Working five scoreless innings, he’s now recorded 21 2/3 scoreless innings to start the season. He punched out four while walking three and owns an 18/7 K/BB thus far. After a weird season with an Olympics break thrown in, he looks like an incredible addition from the Toronto Blue Jays. Arkansas stifled the Wind Surge offense for the most part as well. Only four Wichita hits were recorded and single runs came in the 4th and 8th innings. Cole Sturgeon scored the first run on an Andrew Bechtold ground out while Spencer Steer was plated on a Michael Helman single. In a game that was largely devoid of offense, Wichita produced when needed. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 0 Box Score Looking for continued dominance the Cedar Rapids Kernels gave the ball to Brent Headrick tonight and he handled business. Working five scoreless innings, Headrick allowed just three hits while punching out seven and giving up no free passes. The bullpen came on to shut it down and preserve a shutout as the Kernels improved to a staggering 15-3 on the year. On the offensive side of things, the Kernels were largely held in check. Only two batters recorded base hits prior to the final frame. In the 9th inning Jeferson Morales started things off with a single before advancing to 2nd base on a wild pitch. Wander Javier then drew a walk before a Charles Mack double drove in two. The Kernels closed things out in the bottom half and it’s been nothing short of an amazing start to the season. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Clearwater 2 Box Score John Stankiewicz has been nothing short of dominant to start 2022 for the Mighty Mussels and he continued that streak tonight. Working 5 2/3 innings, the Fort Myers hurler gave up just a single unearned run on five hits. Stankiewicz also added three strikeouts with just one walk while lowering his season ERA to 0.83. After getting behind in the first inning, Fort Myers remained resilient and broke through in the 5th inning. A Jesus Feliz double drove in Noah Cardenas before Kala’i Rosario left the building for his second big fly of the season. Although Clearwater came within on during the bottom of the 7th inning, that’s as close as they’d get in this one. Cardenas was the lone Mighty Mussels batter to record a two-hit night, and he’s pushed his season OPS to .843. Mike Paredes worked 2 1/3 innings of relief for Stankiewicz allowing just a single run on four hits while recording five strikeouts and allowing no free passes. Matthew Swain then came on to close it out in the 9th inning. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Simeon Woods-Richardson (Wichita) 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day – Charles Mack (Cedar Rapids) 2-4, 2 RBI, 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: #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 1-4, R, K #3 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 1-4, R #4 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - IL #8 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K #10 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, BB, K #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) - 2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B #12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 0-2, 2 BB, K #15 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, 2 K #16 - Ronny Hendriquez (St. Paul) - 2.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, K #18 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 1-3, R, 2B #19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-5, 3 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Nashville @ St. Paul (6:37PM CST) - RHP Chi-Chi Gonzalez Wichita @ Arkansas (7:05PM CST) - RHP Matt Canterino Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35PM CST) - RHP Sean Mooney Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - RHP David Festa Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! It sure is exciting to have all four Twins full-season affiliates back and playing.