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The Saints won in grand fashion with another impressive power performance. Wichita still has a chance to get to the playoffs. Cedar Rapids just keeps rolling. And the Mighty Mussels have won 13 of their past 16 games and ensured their ninth winning season in the past ten seasons. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints On Tuesday, Brooks Lee his a grand slam for the Saints. It was the team's 12th grand slam of the season which is more than any other team in professional baseball right now. On Wednesday, the Saints combined to hit five more homers including a 13th grand slam. And its timing couldn't have been better. It wasn't the only grand slam in the Twins minor leagues on Wednesday. Check out the records of the Twins and their affiliates: Minnesota Twins: 73-66 St. Paul Saints: 77-56 Wichita Wind Surge: 60-67 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 82-46 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 66-61 Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins had RHP Chris Paddack make his first rehab appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery early in the 2022 season. In addition, the Mussels put RHP Juan Mercedes on the Development List and activated LHP Develson Aria. photo by William Parmeter (Chris Paddack) SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 13, Louisville 8 Box Score The Saints scored one run from the second inning through the eighth inning. Yet somehow they scored 13 runs in the game.. Two big innings and some big home runs helped the Saints to their 77th win of the season. The Saints jumped to a big lead right away with five runs in the top of the first inning. Michael Helman led off the game with a home run, a sign of things to come. After one out, Brooks Lee singled and scored on Trevor Larnach’s 13th Saints homer to give them a 3-0 lead. Kyle Garlick was hit by a pitch. That was followed by Yunior Severino’s seventh Saints homer, and 31st homer overall. 5-0 Saints. As noted, the Saints offense didn’t do much again until the ninth inning. The lone exception was Austin Martin’s sixth home run which came in the fourth inning. So let’s jump to the pitching. David Festa started and gave up two runs on three hits over 4 2/3 innings. He had six strikeouts. However, he also had six strikeouts and six walks which drove up the pitch count. Michael Boyle walked two and struck out one over the next 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Alex Scherff came on and threw a scoreless seventh inning. However, he gave up one run in the bottom of the eighth inning before leaving the game with one out and two runners on base. Ronny Henriquez came into the game with a 6-3 lead. However, he allowed both of the inherited runners to score, and three more runs before getting the third out of the eighth inning. The Saints came to bat in the ninth inning down 8-6. #OldFriend Alan Busenitz, who has spent a couple of stints in the big leagues with the Reds this season, came in for the Bats. He spent parts of 2017 and 2018 with the Twins. He spent four seasons pitching for Rakuten in Japan. He returned to the States this year. With that as the backdrop, the Saints put together a huge inning. Busenitz struck out the first batters. However, Austin Martin and Gilberto Celestino singled to put runners on first and third. DaShawn Keirsey came in to pinch hit and walked to load the bases. Michael Helman singled to score Martin. Busenitz’s night was done, and Silvino Bracho came in. Alex Kirilloff came up and drove in two runs with a single to right field to give the Saints a 9-8 lead. Brooks Lee followed with a walk to load the bases again. That brought Trevor Larnach up, and he crushed the first grand slam of his professional career to give the Saints the 13-8 lead. The grand slam was the Saints’ 13th this season. Henriquez came back out for the bottom of the ninth inning. He walked the first batter but responded by coaxing a double play ball. After a two-out double, he was able to record the final out of the game. Larnach led the way with his two home runs and six RBI. Austin Martin went 2-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. Michael Helman went 2-for-5 with his fifth homer. Alex Kirilloff went 2-for-5. Gilberto Celestino went 2-for-4. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, Corpus Christi 10 Box Score The Wind Surge fell behind 5-0 through four innings. Sean Mooney made the start as an “opener” of sorts for Wichita. He walked one and struck out two batters in a scoreless first inning. Carlos Luna came in and was charged with five runs on six hits and a walk over 2 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts and allowed three home runs. Down 5-0, the Wind Surge put together a burst. With one out, Ben Ross and Jake Rucker hit back-to-back singles. After a ground out advanced them with a ground out. With two outs, there was a pitching change. Aaron Sabato walked to load the bases, and Seth Gray’s eighth homer of the season cut their deficit to 5-4. Unfortunately, the Gray grand slam was the end of the Wind Surge scoring for the evening. Taylor Floyd gave up two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts. Lefty Aaron Rozek recorded two outs. He gave up three runs on three hits (including two homers). Isaac Mattson came in and struck out five batters over two perfect innings. Ben Ross went 2-for-4 with a walk. Yoyner Fajardo hit his sixth triple. Aaron Sabato had a single and two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 1 Box Score The Kernels jumped ahead 3-0 after two innings and it held up as they recorded their 82nd win of the year. Cedar Rapids got some help from their hosts in Appleton. Noah Miller reached first base on an error. After an Emmanuel Rodriguez single, a passed ball put runners on second and third. Soon after, Miller scored on a wild pitch. That was it, though. The second inning started completely the opposite. Rehabbing lefty Aaron Ashby got a groundout and a strikeout to start the inning before issuing a walk. That ended his appearance and Brewer Fanatic’s starting pitcher of the month of August, Cameron Wagoner, entered. After a Keoni Cavaco single and a Noah Miller walk loaded the bases, Emmanuel Rodriguez drilled a two-run single up the middle to give the Kernels a 3-0 lead. That was it for the Kernels’ scoring until the top of the ninth inning when Jose Salas hit his fourth homer of the season. The Kernels had five hits with Rodriguez having two of them. He also stole his 20th base of the season. Noah Miller hit his fifth triple and a walk. The offense did their part, but the pitching staff was the big story on Wednesday afternoon. Cory Lewis was fantastic. He improved to 5-1 on the season thanks to five shutout innings. He gave up just one hit. He walked two and struck out three to drop his ERA with the Kernels to 2.32. Mike Paredes came in and got one out before giving up a single to Brock Wilken. Then the rains came. The game was delayed for just over 100 minutes. When the game continued, Ricardo Velez came in. He gave up a hit to allow the Paredes runner to score, but he gave up just two hits over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He walked none and struck out one. Jarret Whorff got the final four outs, two on strikeouts, to record his third save. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 5 Box Score The game went back and forth throughout the game. Fortunately, the Mussels scored last and held on. It was 3-3 through four innings, and then it was 5-5 through seven innings. But first, the Mussels were able to use a guy with 21 career wins in the big leagues as their starting pitcher. Chris Paddack came to the Twins on Opening Day 2022. After just a handful of starts, his elbow blew out and soon after, he had his second Tommy John surgery. On Wednesday night in Fort Myers, he returned to the mound for his first rehab appearance. The raw numbers won’t jump out to anyone. In 2 2/3 innings, he gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. He had four strikeouts. Most impressive, at least to me, was that he was able to (or allowed to) throw 52 pitches. No real surprise that just 27 of those pitches were strikes. But, the stuff looks good. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Down 3-0 going to the bottom of the fourth inning, Danny De Andrade and Rubel Cespedes started the inning with walks. Nate Baez followed with a three-run homer to tie the game. Then in the bottom of the fifth, the innings started with singles by Jay Harry and Walker Jenkins. Jenkins stole second. Soon after, Harry scored on a wild pitch. Jenkins scored on a groundout by De Andrade to make it 5-3. However, the Marauders tied it with two runs in the top of the seventh frame. When Paddack was done, Jack Noble came in as the ‘Bulk’ pitcher and worked the next 5 1/3 innings. He gave up three runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out five batters. He was really only hurt by two home run balls. In the bottom of the eighth, the Mussels started with Rubel Cespedes and Nate Baez walks. Maddux Houghton pinch-ran for Cespedes. Alec Sayre grounded back to the pitcher who got the out at second but Sayre beat the throw to first. Houghton advanced to third base. That brought up catcher Kyle Schmidt came up and grounded to shortstop. They recorded the out at second but Schmidt’s hustle beat the throw and allowed Houghton to score the go-ahead run. With the one-run lead, lefty Samuel Perez came in and worked a one-two-three ninth inning to record his second save of the year. Jay Harry went 2-for-4. Walker Jenkins was 2-for-4 with his second stolen base.. Nate Baez’s home run was his second of the season. He also walked twice. Rubel Cespedes was 1-for-1 with three walks and stole his third base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day – Trevor Larnach (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 2-HR(14), 2 R, 6 RBI, K. Pitcher of the Day – Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 69 pitches, 45 strikes (61.1%) Blooper of the Day - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - Great catch, but forgetting how many outs there are is always funny the next day when it gets on blooper reels. 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) - 1-for-4, BB, 2 R, K #2 - Walker Jenkins (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, R, SB(2) #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2 RBI, K, SB(20) #6 - David Festa (St. Paul) - 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 6 K, 91 pitches, 43 strikes (47.3%) #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 2-for-3, HBP, HR(6), 2 R, RBI #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4 #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 3 K #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, HR(7, 31), R, 2 RBI, 3 K #17 - Danny De Andrade (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3, BB, R, RBI #19 - Cory Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 69 pitches, 45 strikes (65.2%) WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (5-6, 5.29 ERA) Wichita @ Corpus Christi (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (7-3, 2.95 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:40 PM CST) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (2-1, 3.58 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - RHP John Klein (2-1, 2.97 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! View full article

Mayhaps someone needs to find a lost shaker of salt. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (Image is of Trevor Larnach) TRANSACTIONS RHP Austin Schulfer activated from 7-day IL (St. Paul) RHP Alex Scherff transferred from AA Wichita to AAA St. Paul RHP Francis Peguero transferred from AAA St. Paul to AA Wichita Saints Sentinel St. Paul 1, Columbus 4 Box Score Randy Dobnak: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K HR: Alex Kirilloff (4) Multi-hit games: DaShawn Keirsey Jr . (2-for-4) The Saints’ meek offense doomed them on Saturday. The bats couldn’t do much; in total, they collected just six hits, taking four walks while going 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. The only score came when Alex Kirilloff blasted a very Kirilloffian homer out to left field. It’s a shame, because Randy Dobnak pitched excellently, allowing a pair of solo homers across six stellar innings. Perhaps most important to the sinker-baller: he only walked one batter. He threw 62 of 92 pitches for strikes, earning five strikeouts for his troubles. Trevor Larnach reached base three times, singling and walking twice. Kyle Manzardo was the return for Cleveland when they dealt Aaron Civale to the Rays; he, the 60th best prospect in MLB, doubled twice and walked. Brayan Rocchio is ranked 49th and he singled while striking out twice. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 3, San Antonio 5 Box Score Pierson Ohl: 5 ⅔ IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yoyner Fajardo (2-for-5, 2B), Michael Helman (2-for-5), Tanner Schobel (2-for-4), Alex Isola (2-for-4, 2B, R), Willie Joe Garry Jr. (2-for-4, RBI) The Wind Surge came up short against the Missions on Saturday. Pierson Ohl, fresh off being named our Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month, was on his game again. He was one out short of a quality start, but still made a massive impact, allowing just one lone run in his outing. He struck out just one. Perhaps he wanted his defense to get in on the fun as well. His bats had his back; Willie Joe Garry Jr. knocked in a run in the 2nd and Jake Rucker blasted a triple in the 6th to plate a second run. A wild pitch soon plated Rucker. But, fortune soon changed for Wichita, as Regi Grace and Jordan Carr threw the ball all-around the backstop, leading to four runs off a hit by pitch, three walks, and a back-breaking double. The Wind Surge attempted a comeback—Yoyner Fajardo led the effort with a pair of knocks—but could not mount anything worthwhile, eventually falling to San Antonio with a double play. The 9th prospect in MLB, Jackson Merrill, hit the critical double, but went hitless in his other at-bats. Number 5 prospect—17-year-old (that’s right) catcher Ethan Salas—started but left the game in the 3rd. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 3, Lake County 8 Box Score Kyle Jones: 5 ⅔ IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K HR: Emmanuel Rodriguez (16) Multi-hit games: Keoni Cavaco (2-for-5) The Kernels melted late, dropping a rare game on Saturday. Although Khalil Watson isn’t the prospect he once was when the Marlins drafted him, he still flexed his power chops in the 1st, blasting a two-run shot to give the Captains a lead. He ranks as Cleveland’s 16th prospect. In response, Emmanuel Rodriguez lasered a solo shot off technically old friend Steve Hajjar. Rodriguez has actually hit lefties better than righties in 2023 (.894 OPS vs a .847 OPS). Wait, wasn’t Hajjar dealt to the Reds? Yes, but he was announced as the PTBNL in the deal that sent OF Will Benson to Cincinnati. Starter Kyle Jones recovered well, striking out seven before exiting in the 6th; he allowed just one more run. Staring at the maw of the late-innings, the Kernels folded. Malik Barrington coughed up two runs and Jackson Hicks one-upped him, totaling five runs in the final two frames to place the game firmly out of reach. A late 9th inning rally loaded the bases and led to two runs, but Cedar Rapids could do no more, and Rodriguez’s final whiff ended the game for good. Kernels hitters walked 12 times on Saturday. Mussel Matters Ft. Myers 6, Clearwater 1 Box Score Jose Olivares: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K HR: Nate Baez (1) Multi-hit games: Jay Harry (2-for-5, 2B, R), Ricardo Olivar (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI), Rubel Cespedes (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB), Alec Sayre (2-for-5) The Mighty Mussels smoked the Threshers on Saturday. Jose Olivares followed up his decent five inning start last week with… five more innings, improving his numbers almost across the board. He allowed a run in the 1st, but quickly settled down, allowing a few runners to reach base before escaping unmarked every time. He gave way to Ty Langenberg and Xander Hamilton—two 2023 draftees who combined for four scoreless frames. Fort Myers’ bats were potent as well. They plated two in the 3rd with a Ricardo Olivar double and a Rubel Cespedes single. They waited a little to score again—perhaps looking to build drama—before exploding with three in the 7th. All three runs scored on Nate Baez’s first homer of the season. He added a sacrifice fly in the 9th for good measure. Another 2023 draftee, Jay Harry, collected a pair of hits to push his Fort Myers slashline to .351/.440/.481. Walker Jenkins did not play after starting both games of Friday’s doubleheader—an act of mercy for Clearwater’s pitchers. Philadelphia’s first-round pick in 2023—shortstop Aidan Miller—singled and struck out in four at-bats. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jose Olivares Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nate Baez PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 0-4 #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, HR, R, RBI, BB, 2 K #5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-4, R, BB, 2 K #8 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-4, 2 K #10 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 2-4, K #19 - Brent Headrick (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, W (3-0) SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ St. Paul (5:07 PM) - RHP Patrick Murphy San Antonio @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Travis Adams Lake County @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM) - LHP Christian MacLeod Fort Myers @ Clearwater (11:00 AM) - RHP Ben Ethridge View full article

The regular season ended for two Twins affiliates. They will both start their playoff runs on Tuesday. Two other affiliates have another week. Wichita has one more week of games before the playoffs. St. Paul has two weeks remaining in their season. As for Sunday, you're going to want to see how Cody Laweryson did, and how he has done since joining the Wind Surge. And Nate Baez had a powerful day at the plate. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins recalled 2018 seventh-round pick RHP Josh Winder, and optioned 2018 fifth-round pick RHP Cole Sands to St. Paul. The Twins also selected the contract of RHP Jharel Cotton from St. Paul (again) and placed RHP Chris Archer on the IL. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 1, Toledo 6 Box Score Through six innings, this game was tied at 1-1. Unfortunately, the Saints allowed five runs over the next two innings and weren’t able to account for any of it. Bailey Ober continued his rehab with his first start with the Saints. He gave up one run on one hit over 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out six batters. Austin Schulfer came on and got the final out of the fifth inning. Randy Dobnak threw a scoreless sixth inning, but he then was charged with two runs and got just one out in the seventh inning. He gave up two hits and a walk. Jake Jewell came on and allowed an inherited runner to score, but finished the inning. Brock Stewart gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits in the eighth inning. Jewell and Stewart each hit a batter. The Saints had just one hit in the game, a solo homer from John Andreoli. Ober threw 66 pitches and 44 of them were strikes. Could he be ready to make a start for the Twins next weekend in Cleveland? WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 1, NW Arkansas 0 Box Score On Saturday, the Wind Surge won on a walk-off. On Sunday afternoon, they won another one-run game, this one thanks to some masterful pitching from a guy who has been great since joining Wichita. Cody Laweryson went to the Fall League last year and then returned to Cedar Rapids to start this season. After 16 games, and just two starts, he was promoted to Wichita. With the Wind Surge, he has now made 18 appearances and Sunday was his seventh start. On this day, Laweryson tossed seven shutout innings. He gave up just one hit and struck out eight batters without issuing a walk. He improved to 5-0 and dropped his Double-A ERA to 0.82. He has given up just five earned runs in 54 2/3 innings. He’s got 64 strikeouts in that time. Denny Bentley came in for the eighth inning and got one out. Casey Legumina came on and got the final five outs to record his second save of the season. The Wind Surge scored just one run despite ten hits. Then went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base. Only one hit produced a run. Seth Gray hit his first Double-A homer. He was 1-for-2 with two walks. Anthony Prato went 3-for-4 with a triple. DaShawn Keirsey was 2-for-4. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, South Bend 9 Box Score After being rained out on Saturday night, the Kernels ended their regular season on Sunday with a loss. With the playoffs set to start on Tuesday, the Kernels went with lefty Samuel Perez to start. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. Malik Barrington came on and gave up four runs on five hits over two innings. Matthew Swain worked the next 2 2/3 innings and gave up just one run. He struck out three batters. Regi Grace gave up an unearned run in his inning. Then Tyler Palm gave up one run on two hits in the ninth inning. Kyler Fedko led the offense. He went 3-for- 4. Brooks Lee also reached three times on walks. Jake Rucker drove in back runs with a four-inning double. Wander Javier was hit by a pitch in the helmet in the second inning. He was able to walk off the field, with help. The Kernels ended their season with a 73-58 record. On Tuesday, they’ll play in South Bend. Games 2 and 3 (if needed) will be in Cedar Rapids on Thursday and Friday. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 9, St. Lucie 1 Box Score The Mussels closed out their regular season with a nice, big win. Nate Baez led the way. He hit his second and third home run and drove in five runs. Fellow 2022 draft pick, Ben Ross, went 2-for-5 with his fifth double and three RBI. Rubel Cespedes, Keoni Cavaco and Ricardo Olivar each had two hits. Cespedes hit his 15th double. Misael Urbina went 1-for-3 with two walks. Niklas Rimmel made the start and continued to pitch very well. He tossed three shutout innings. He gave up one hit and struck out four batters. Johnathan Lavallee worked a scoreless inning. John Wilson struck out three over two scoreless frames. Zaquiel Puentes gave up a solo homer over his two innings. Develson Aria made his Mussels debut and the lefty struck out one in a perfect inning. The Mussels ended their season with an overall record of 69-59. On Tuesday, they will begin a Best-of-3 playoff series against Dunedin. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Cody Laweryson (Wichita) - 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day – Nate Baez (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-5, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR (2, 3) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Sunday. #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2, 3 BB #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-for-4 (DH) #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, 2 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-for-4, K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, K #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, K UPCOMING SCHEDULE No Games on Monday. Tuesday: Louisville @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Ariel Jurado (0-2, 4.58 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (6:30 PM CST) - TBD Playoffs Game 1: Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 PM CST) - RHP David Festa Playoffs Game 1: Dunedin @ Fort Myers (5:30 PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games! View full article

I mean, was Matt Wallner not going to hit? TRANSACTIONS OF Carlos Aguiar reinstated from 7-day IL at Ft. Myers Cedar Rapids placed RHP Luis Rijo on 7-day IL LHP Jovani Moran optioned to St. Paul Saints Sentinel St. Paul 9, Omaha 4 Box Score Jordan Balazovic: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K HR: Chris Williams (8) Multi-hit games: Matt Wallner (3-for-4, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI, 1 BB), Cole Sturgeon (3-for-4, 2 R, RBI, BB) St. Paul won decisively on Saturday. It was an all-around offensive breakout; eight batters scored a run in an 11-hit, seven-walk effort. Matt Wallner may have collected the most RBIs, but this was a democratic affair; the lone hitter to not score a run drove one in. Chris Williams swatted a solo home run. Jordan Balazovic pitched arguably his best outing on Saturday; the righty struck out six while allowing a lone run over his four innings of work. It may not be the most impressive start ever, but a step in the right direction is always welcome. Michael Feliz netted four outs with one strikeout; Williams’ AAA OPS is now over 1.000. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 2, Springfield 8 Box Score Brent Headrick: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-4), Anthony Prato (2-for-4, 2B) Wichita played a game to forget on Saturday. The defense was the major bugaboo; the team committed five errors, with two blunders attributed to Yunior Severino and three stemming from Jair Camargo. It’s difficult to win many games with that sort of performance. Brent Headrick worked around his fielders in admirable fashion, allowing two earned runs over five innings with seven strikeouts. The lefty has 42 strikeouts over 29 innings since the beginning of August. Both runs scored late as Ernie Yake singled home a runner in the 7th, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. brought one in with a 9th inning sacrifice fly. Keirsey also sto le two bases, giving him 37 on the season. Blayne Enlow struck out four over two innings; Anthony Prato’s double was the sole extra-base hit. Kernels Nuggets The rain ended this game before it could start; the Kernels will play a doubleheader on Sunday. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 6, Bradenton 3 Box Score Tomas Cleto: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K HR: Nate Baez (1) Multi-hit games: Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, 2 R), Nate Baez (2-for-4, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI) The Mighty Mussels won a tame game on Saturday. Nate Baez dominated the story; the catcher cracked a double and blasted a homer on his way to three RBIs. He hasn’t played much this year—the 2022 draft pick has just 47 at-bats—but more games like this could set the foundation for a phenomenal 2023 season. Kala’i Rosario was the Robin to Baez’s Batman, drumming a double and scoring a pair of runs in Saturday’s effort. Tomas Cleto was effectively wild. The starter allowed a single hit but walked four in his scoreless outing, perhaps even flummoxing himself regarding pitch location. It was no matter; Cleto walked away with a sparkling ERA, and that is all the Mighty Mussels could ask for. Noah Miller tripled for the 4th time this season; Niklas Rimmel pitched two scoreless innings to end the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brent Headrick Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Matt Wallner PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-4 #7 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 3B, K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 3-for-4, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI, 1 BB #11 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-3, BB, 2 K #15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4, 2 R SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (5:07 PM) - RHP Josh Winder Wichita @ Springfield (6:05 PM) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (12:09 PM) - TBD Fort Myers @ Bradenton (11:00 AM) - LHP Jordan Carr View full article

The Minnesota Twins zoned in on collegiate players through the first 10 rounds of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. They didn’t deviate from that decision with either of the next two picks, but they went back-to-back with catchers and took Arizona State’s Nate Baez in Round 12. Nate Baez began starting in 2021 for the Sun Devils, and then drew starts in 55 of 57 games last season. He slashed .319/.403/.562 last season, and while the home run total jumped just from eight to ten, Baez pushed his doubles total from three to 21 last season. He’s seen as a decent receiver, and he has played some second base as well. Minnesota would certainly love to see him stick behind the dish, and catcher depth is something the system can use. Baez took the time to answer a few questions following his selection by the Twins. Twins Daily: Having worked a little on the infield and corner outfield, the Twins drafted you as a catcher and that's probably where you'd like to stick. What is your process and game behind the plate? What are some of your biggest strengths? Nate Baez: My game behind the plate is to do everything I can to help my pitchers succeed. Their success is my success. My biggest strengths behind the plate are my presence and toughness. Whatever I do I like to go all out and catching is no different. TD: With electronic strike zones still at least a few years away, what would you say about your game as a framer and receiver? Minnesota has been influential when it comes to a knee-down stance, is there something that makes you most comfortable behind the dish? NB: Framing and receiving are the better part of my game. Coming from the infield, the quickness of my hands has helped me to transition and have success early. I like doing a little of everything when it comes to what stance I’m in. The situation will dictate it but there are times when one knee is best and times when it’s not. I am open to everything. TD: At the plate, it seems like you tapped into more power this season. Was that intentional? How did you go about tweaking your swing? NB: I am always looking to add more power to my swing. I just need to do it with less swing and miss. I worked a lot on pitch selection and plate discipline which helped me to hit better overall, and in turn, added to my power. I didn’t really tweak my swing. I tweak my mentality and game plan when I hit. TD: What has been your process in the box? You've done a great job limiting swing and miss issues. Are you a big video or analytics guy? NB: This past year I worked completely off of feel. I never really looked at video or analytics. I know how my swing works and what it needs to feel like to be good. I do like watching video, It just wasn’t really something I did this past year. TD: What do you know about the Minnesota Twins? Have you ever been to Target Field? NB: I do not know much about the Twins, but I do know that they have a very good organization with great development and I’m honored to be a part of it. Never been to Target Field, or even Minnesota. TD: If there's something you want Twins Territory to know about you as a person or player, what would it be? NB: I'm just a kid from Tucson, Arizona, having fun, playing the game I love. View full article