Minor League Report (7/3): Big Bats in St. Paul, Barnburner for Surge

[David Youngs]

There was no lack of excitement across the farm on the Sunday before the Fourth of July. Check out all the fireworks from across the Twins Minor League organization!

 

 

 

SAINTS SENTINAL
St. Paul 10, Omaha 2
Box Score

In front of a season-high crown the St. Paul Saints turned on the bats in a 10-2 beatdown over division foe Omaha. The Saints' approach at the plate was versatile, using three doubles, six singles, and a Tim Beckham homer to plate the most runs scored since a June 19th extra-innings victory over Columbus. 

The offense wasn't the only storyline; starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez (W, 3-0) was dominant, tossing six innings of one-run, three-hit baseball while striking out two. For the third time this season, Sanchez didn't allow a single walk.  

The bullpen trio of Jake Petricka, Hunter Wood, and Ian Hamilton was equally impressive, pitching a combined three innings of no-hit ball while striking out three. 

Beckham, Mark Contreras, Jose Godoy, and Braden Bishop all tallied multi-hit games for the Saints and combined for nine of ten hits recorded by the team. Contreras is off to a hot start in July, hitting safely in all three games with two doubles, a homer, and four RBI. Emerging as the face of the Saints' offense, Contreras is slashing .244/.340/.434 (.744) on the season with 13 doubles, eight homers, and 34 RBI. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 10, Springfield 9
Box Score

There have been a number of mountains and unfortunately some valleys for the Wind Surge in a 2022 season filled with highs and lows. 

Winning extra-inning games isn't one of those lows. 

Following a two-hour rain delay, the Surge used a Kyle Schmidt two-run homer in the eighth inning to secure the win in a game that was scheduled for seven innings. The win now puts the Surge at 6-2 in extra-inning games in the 2022 season. 

Assigned to Wichita on June 17 from High-A Cedar Rapids, Schmidt punched a 3-2 pitch over the left-center field wall to score Edouard Julien from second and give the Surge a 10-8 lead. The blast was Schmidt's first at the Double-A level. 

Anthony Prato and Kevin Merrell gave the Surge an early lead with back-to-back homers in the second inning to give Wichita a 3-0 lead. Chris Williams also homered, punching a fourth-inning fastball over the left-field wall for his eighth home run of the season. 

Prato had the strongest day at the plate for the Wind Surge, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a single along with his home run. 

Starting pitcher Kody Funderburk allowed four runs on four hits with a walk while striking out three through 3 1/3 innings. And while it wasn't his strongest outing, Funderburk still outs a 3.06 ERA and 1.46 WHIP on the year through 19 games and five starts. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Wisconsin 5, Cedar Rapids 4
Box Score

Despite a four-hit game from Alerick Soularie the Kernels dropped a one-run contest to the Timber Rattlers on Sunday afternoon. The Kernels have now lost five in a row. 

An honorable mention recipient for our Minor League Hitter of the Month, Soularie punched four singles and stole a base in the series finale against Wisconsin. Soularie is heating up as of recent and is now slashing .217/.315/.371 (.701) on the season. 

After a rough start from Pierce Banks, reliever Tyler Palm settled in, pitching three innings of no-run, one-hit ball while striking out for and walking one. Matthew Swain followed Palm and was solid, but gave up a pair of two-out hits in the eighth inning that allowed the Timber Rattlers to take the lead. 

In addition to Soularie, Kyler Fedko and Wander Javier tallied multi-game hits. Will Holland recorded his fifth homer of the season when he launched a three-run bomb over the left-field wall in the third inning. 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers, Dunedin
POSTPONED

Sunday's tilt against the Blue Jays was postponed due to severe weather and will be made up as part of a double-header when the two teams face off in a July 22-24 series. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day: Alerick Soularie (Cedar Rapids) - 4-for-5, SB
Pitcher of the Day: Aaron Sanchez (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 3 H, R, 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 Tuesday. With the turning of the calendar to July, Twins Daily has updated its Top 20 Prospect rankings. 

#6 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2 R, BB 
#12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 0-for-2, RBI, BB, K
#14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 2-for-5, R

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Louisville (6:40 PM CST) - RHP Josh Winder (0-0, 4.50 ERA)
Amarillo @ Wichita (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Daniel Gossett (0-1, 2.03 ERA)
Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - TBD 
Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30 PM CST) - TBD 

 

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[Dman]

It sure seems likes Beckham belongs in MLB. Hopefully he keeps that OPS in the 1.000 range through July and he might be trade bait.

Jullien just short of a .900 OPS right now.  He is another very talented bat in this system.  Good eye at the plate and good power.  He is right there with Steer with the bat but not as good as Steer defensively.  The Twins have a lot of very good utility type infielders in the system right now.

Wander Javier keeps getting hits.  I am keeping my eye on him again.  Hoping he can still be a solution for this team.