Twins Minor League Week in Review (6/21-6/27): Pitching in the Sunshine State, Bats are Awake

TRANSACTIONS

• Minnesota Twins recalled LHP Jovani Moran from St. Paul Saints.
• OF Mark Contreras recalled by the Minnesota Twins
• RHP Josh Winder optioned to the St. Paul Saints after being activated from IL
• RHP Jake Faria released by the Minnesota Twins organization
• RHP Cody Laweryson promoted from Cedar Rapids to Wichita. 
• RHP Hunter McMahon promoted from Ft. Myers to Cedar Rapids. 
• RHP Jonathan Lavallee joined the Mighty Mussels from the Complex.

RESULTS
Previous: Week in Review (6/14-6/20): Wallner Continues to Rake
Tuesday, June 21: Matt Wallner is Surging
Wednesday, June 22: Gray Goes Deep, Winder Continues Return
Thursday, June 23: Saints Roll While Others Play Close
Friday, June 24: Nary A Win To Be Found
Saturday, June 25: Christian Encarnacion-Strand Blasts a Walk-Off Homer
Sunday, June 26: Quiet Bats, Stellar Arms, and Jake Cave Dominates Again

MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT
Identifying Prospects the Twins Could Move at the Trade Deadline
Are the Twins Brewing up Steals in the Minors?
Twins Daily Draft Coverage: A Lot of Mocks, A Lot of Directions
Royce Lewis Had ACL Surgery With a Twist

MONDAY'S SHORT SEASON RESULTS

FCL Twins 4, FCL Pirates 2 (10 Innings)
Box Score

Runs count, regardless of how you get them.

The FCL Twins relied on crafty baserunning and an excellent outing from the pitching staff to secure an extra-innings win against the FCL Pirates on Monday afternoon. 

The FCL Twins got on the board in a unique fashion in their opening frame at the plate. After drawing an opening walk, Misael Urbina advanced to second on a balk and eventually stole third base. With two outs and Yonardy Soto at the plate, FCL Pirates pitcher Alessandro Ercolani balked again, allowing Urbina to score and put the Twins on the board. 

Urbina would strike again. With Ismael Perez on base, Urbina squeaked an RBI double to left field to tie the game at two. And with the game tied at two in the tenth, Urbina would put the nail in the coffee with his speedy baserunning. Starting the inning on second, Urbina advanced to third on a ground ball and would later score on a wild pitch to give the FCL Twins a 3-2 lead. Moments later, Danny De Andrade scored on another wild pitch to add an insurance run. 

The real winner of the day was the Twins' pitching staff. Starter Develson Aria pitched a near-perfect two innings, striking out for batters and allowing just one hit. Fellow LHP Juan Rojas followed suit with four innings of one-run, two-hit ball while striking out six. Miguelangel Boadas took the next three innings, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out two. Boadas earned the rare win (2-0) and blown save (1) combo on the day. 

With a two-run lead, Isaiah Rivera closed the door in the tenth by striking out three of the four batters he faced. 

The FCL Twins are now 9-7 on the season. 

DSL Mariners 7, DSL Twins 5
Box Score

Bullpen blunders and ducks left on the pond plagued the DSL Twins in a 7-5 loss to the Mariners' Dominican Summer League team on Monday. The Twins left nine runners on base and were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position on the day. 

The Twins went with 'Johnny Wholestaff' on the bump, utilizing five different pitchers in incrementing amounts through seven innings. RHP Jeferson Lopez started the game strong by mowing down all three batters with strikeouts in the first. Juan Mercedes followed suit with a perfect second inning. Oscar Parades allowed one run on two hits in the third inning but did record all three outs with strikeouts.

The trouble began in the fourth. Orlando Rubio (L, 1-2) allowed four runs (three of which came in the fourth) on four hits and a walk through two innings. Leonardo Lugo surrendered a run in the sixth and seventh inning to cap off the rocky day for the bullpen. 

Daniel Pena was the only Twins player with multiple hits. Pena led off the sixth inning with a single and eventually scored on a fielding error. Pena singled again in the seventh inning but was thrown out at home to end the game. 

The loss puts the DSL Twins at 7-10 on the year.

WEEK IN REVIEW
Triple-A: St. Paul Saints
Week: 2-4, on the road against Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays affiliate)
Season: 35-36 overall

After entering the week one game over the .500 mark (33-32), the Saints roll back into St. Paul one game below the mark. Runs were scored against the streaking Buffalo Bisons (41-30); in fact, the Saints outscored the Bisons 28-23 in the six-game series in upstate New York. 

Sometimes in life, the cards just don't swing your way. 

That was the case for the Saints last week, falling short by just one run in each of their four losses. The trend wasn't unfamiliar. Two weeks ago against Columbus, five of six games were decided by one run with St. Paul losing two of those games en route to going 3-3 on the week (their third loss was a 10-1 blowout). The Saints were on the right side of a blowout this past, crunching the Bisons 7-1 on Wednesday thanks to a pair of homers from Spencer Steer and Caleb Hamilton and a total team effort from the St. Paul pitching staff. 

St. Paul won their other game of the week on Saturday by a score of 7-4 thanks to a two-homer rodeo by Michael Helman and a one-run, four-hit masterpiece from the Saints' bullpen. 

The four one-run losses weren't anyone's fault in particular. Late run innings plagued the Saints on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Friday, and the Saints' bats simply ran dry on Sunday in a 2-1 defeat. 

There was a boatload of highlights for the Saints throughout the week. 

• Michael Helman hit safely in three of six games and tallied six hits on the series, including a three-hit clinic with two homers on Saturday. Helman is now slashing .305/.394/.500 in the month of June and .284/.372/.350 on the season.  
• Despite his rocky 6.93 ERA, Jordan Balazovic pitched a stellar three innings of two-hit, scoreless ball while striking out three in Thursday's 7-1 victory. The bullpen was even more impressive, specifically, Derek  Rodríguez. D-Rod pitched four innings of scoreless relief while allowing just one hit and striking out three en route to his fifth win of the season. 
• Jake Cave hit safely in all five games that he played in the series against Buffalo. Tallying multi-hit games on Friday and Saturday, Cave mashed his fourth triple of the year on Thursday and notched a single in all five games. Cave struck his seventh homer of the year in Sunday's 2-1 loss. The former Twin is now slashing an impressive .312/.418/.584 through the month of June. 
• Shortstop Jermaine Palacios hit .357/.444/.643 over the past week with a homer, double, and four RBI

What’s Next? The Saints head home to CHS Field with a six-game series against the Omaha Storm Chasers (34-36). The Saints went 1-5 on a road series against the Storm Chasers in May. All six scheduled pitchers for the series are righties. 

Probable Pitchers: TBD, RHP Cole Sands, RHP Jordan Balazovic, RHP Ronny Henriquez, RHP Aaron Sanchez, RHP Ariel Jurado

Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge
Week: 2-4, hosting San Antonio (San Diego Padres affiliate)
Season: 35-33 overall

After going 1-6 the prior week against Tulsa, the Surge notched two wins in a tough series against the Padres Double-A affiliate. Despite getting blown out in two of the team's four losses, there was a myriad of positives from the week. Most notably, Matt Wallner was named Texas League Player of the Week after knocking nine hits, three homers, and six RBI over the past week. 

The Minnesota native slashed .429/.556/.952 over the past week and is hitting an incredible .285/.422/.992 on the season. Wallner was also named Minor League Player of the Week by the Twins organization. 

Here are some other highlights from the week for the Wind Surge.

• Shortstop Kevin Merrell slashed an incredible .400/.526/.533 on the week with six hits (two doubles) in 15 at-bats
• Sawyer Gipson-Long pitched ten innings throughout the course of the week, going 1-1 with eight strikeouts while allowing four runs on nine hits. 
• Minnesota-made pitcher Louie Varland had one of his poorer outings of the season (and it still wasn't that bad). Through five innings on Saturday, Varland allowed three runs on five hits while striking out four and walking three in a loss. Varland still touts a 3.42 ERA and 1.24 WHIP through 12 starts. The St. Paul native is 6-2 on the season. 
• Outfielder Cole Sturgeon racked up two homers and seven RBI on the week while slashing .296/.296/.511 on the week in 27 at-bats. 

What's Next? The Surge head to Illinois to take on Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis' Double-A affiliate). The Cardinals are 31-38 on the season and the Surge went 4-2 against the Cardinals in a series back in May. 

Probable Pitchers: RHP Daniel Gossett, RHP Casey Legumina, RHP Louie Varland, RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long, RHP Blayne Enlow, LHP Kody Funderburk

High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels
Week: 3-3, hosting Western Michigan (Detroit Tigers affiliate)
Season: 44-25 overall

A trio of tight victories led the Kernels to a solid week against the Whitecaps at home. Christian Encarnacion-Strand was certainly the highlight of the week, knocking an RBI double to spark Cedar Rapids' come-from-behind victory in the series opener last Tuesday. Encarnacion-Strand's biggest impact of the week came on Saturday when he launched a solo homer in the ninth to walk off the Kernels to a 6-5 victory. 

That wasn't the only big homer of the week. Wednesday's matchup was a pitching duel that saw Brent Headrick (W, 7-2) pitch beautifully. Yet the win wouldn't have happened without a monster two-run second-inning homer from Seth Gray that provided Headrick and the pitching staff the buffer that they needed. 

Headrick's masterpiece on Wednesday wasn't the only pitching clinic of the week. RHP John Stankiewicz allowed just one run on three hits while striking out three through six innings in his Sunday afternoon start. Unfortunately for the Kernels, the bats stayed dry throughout the course of the game and the Whitecaps were able to scrap enough runs off of the Cedar Rapids bullpen to pull off a 4-3 victory in ten innings. 

Some other notable performances from the week:

• Outfielder Kennie Taylor slashed an impressive .500/.538/.500 through 12 at-bats in four games, striking out just once. All six of Taylor's hits were singles. 
• Talented shortstop Wander Javier had his struggles, striking out eight times in 17 at-bats. However, Javier did notch a double, triple, and home run on the week. 
• Talented prospect and recent draft pick Cade Povich had a rough start in Friday's shootout, allowing seven runs (five earned) on eight hits through 4 2/3 innings. 
• Catcher Pat Winkel blasted his first homer since June 15 in Sunday's 4-3 extra-innings loss. The two-run shot tied the game in the eighth and allowed the Kernels the chance to compete in extras. 
• With a playoff birth already secured, the Kernels still hold a commanding 4.5-game lead in the West division of the Midwest League.

What's Next? The Kernels head to the Badger State to take on the Wisconsin Rattlers (Brewers affiliate), their biggest competition in the division. Wisconsin is sitting at 39-29 and the two teams split a six-game series in Cedar Rapids back in May. 

Probable Pitchers: Cedar Rapids has yet to release their starting pitchers for the upcoming series. 

Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels
Week: 3-2, at Lakeland (Detroit Tigers affiliate)
Season: 42-24 overall

Beaches, Jimmy Buffett, and Mighty Mussels baseball...oh, and rain. 

Florida's identity was on true display for the Mussels' series in Lakeland this past week. After getting through the first three games of the series, rain blanketed the Sunshine State skies on Friday and Saturday, resulting in the Mussels playing a double-header on Sunday afternoon and only getting five games in on the series. 

Yet the inclement weather didn't muddy the waters for the Fort Myers pitching staff throughout the course of the week. Fort Myers' starting pitching staff allowed just five earned runs and tallied a whopping 25 strikeouts through the course of the week. Perhaps the finest outing of the week came in game one of Sunday's double-header courtesy of reliever Mike Paredes. After top prospect, Marco Raya exited the game (for unknown reasons) after striking out the first two batters, Paredes pitched 4 1/3 innings of perfect baseball, striking out two hitters in the process. 

There were glimpses of stellar moments at the plate for the Mussels. Outfielder Nelson Roberto cranked a 10th-inning two-run homer to propel Fort Myers to an extra-innings victory on Thursday. Keoni Cavaco hit his first triple since May 25 in the series opener, scoring the game's first run and one that would prove to be the difference in a 3-2 win. A team that is certainly grounded in outstanding pitching, the Mussels have begun to flex their muscles at the plate in important situations.

The fire at the plate and ice on the mound certainly shows in the results; on pace to tout a top seed in the playoffs, the Mussels hold a dominant seven-game lead in the West division of the Florida State League. 

Some more notable observations from the past week:

• Dillon Tatum may have only played in two of the five games, but he made them count. In seven plate appearances, Tatum noticed a single, double, and two walks; a .571 OBP for the week? Not too shabby.
• Talented prospect Noah Miller slashed .250/.286/.300 through 21 plate appearances on the week. 
• RHP Pierson Ohl arguably had the most dominant start of the series. Ohl cruised to eight strikeouts while allowing just one run and one walk through six innings en route to the team's 6-4 win. Ohl now has a 4.70 ERA and 1.39 WHIP on the season. 
• LHP Jaylen Nowlin got the most bang for his buck on the bump amongst Fort Myers starters. Nowlin struck out seven batters and kept the Flying Tigers from scoring through 3 2/3 innings in Sunday's second game.

What's Next? The Mighty Mussels head home to Hammond Stadium to host Dunedin (Blue Jays affiliate) in a six-game series. The two teams split a six-game series in Dunedin back in April.

Probable Pitchers: RHP Travis Adams, RHP Pierson Ohl, TBD, TBD, TBD 

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Hitter of the Week: Matt Wallner, Wichita Wind Surge

He may have won this last week but it's tough not to award a guy who slashed .426/.556/.952 (1.508) over his last six games. Wallner has emerged as one of the organization's elite offensive prospects and the Forest Lake native hit safely in all six games against San Antonio, including two multi-hit games.

Wallner's three home runs against San Antonio are the most he's hit in one series in his professional baseball career. Leading the Wind Surge with his .286 batting average, the 2022 season looks as if be Wallner's breakout year (despite being pretty darn good last year). There's certainly validity in keeping Wallner where he's at but if continues to hit the way he is, the only way forward is up. 

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Pierson Ohl, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
There's no shortage of depth on the Fort Myers pitching staff. Yet amongst a flurry of talented prospects, Pierson Ohl's name can sometimes be forgotten. 

Not this week. 

Ohl tossed a beauty of a game for the Mussels last Thursday, striking out eight while allowing just one run on three hits and a walk. A 14th-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, Ohl has a 3-3 record along with a 4.70 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in his first full season. In his past three starts, the Grand Canyon University alum has decreased the number of hits he's given up while increasing the length of each start. Things look like they're headed in the right direction for this talented arm that could serve as a 'sleeper prospect' in a talented farm system.

PROSPECT SUMMARY
This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week and this season. 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.  

#1 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - Out for Season (ACL)
#1 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - Out of Season (ACL)
#2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 6 G, 6-for-14 (.316), 0-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K (Season: 51 G, .242/.366/.309 (.675), 8-2B, 2-3B, 1-HR, 42 R, 15 RBI, 28 BB, 39 K, 22 SB, 3 CS)
#3 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) -  (Season: 40 G, .229/.268/.492 (.551), 9-2B, 4-HR, 10 R, 16 RBI, 6 BB, 31 K)
#4 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (Season: 7 GS, 22.0 IP, 22 R, 17 ER, 33 H, 12 BB, 21 K, 0-2, 6.93 ERA, 1.99 WHIP, 5.11 BB/9, 8.03 K/9)
#5 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - Injured list (Season: 11 GS, 53.0 IP, 21 R, 20 ER, 41 H, 19 BB, 53 K, 2-3, 3.40 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9, 9.0 K/9)

#6 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - Injured List (Season: 11 G, 10 GS, 34.1 IP, 8 R, 7 ER, 17 H, 22 BB, 50 K, 0-1, 1.83 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 5.8 BB/9, 13.1 K/9)
#7 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - (Season: 35 G, .307/.385/.591 (.976), 13-2B, 1-3B, 8-HR, 27 R, 30 RBI, 14 BB, 23 K)
#7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 6 G, 5-for-23 (.217), 1-2B, 2-HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, SB (Season: 28 G, .244/.336/.571 (.907), 6-2B, 0-3B, 11-HR, 25 R, 28 RBI, 14 BB, 27 K)
#8 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - Injured List (Season: 47 G, .272/.493/.552 (1.044), 5-2B, 3-3B, 9-HR, 35 R, 25 RBI, 57 BB, 52 K)
#9 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 5 G, 5-for-20 (.250), 1-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 1 RBI, BB, 7 K, SB (Season: 59 G, .240/.370/.323 (.693), 8-2B, 2-3B, 2 HR, 38 R, 14 RBI, 43 BB, 68 K)
#10 - Marco Raya (Ft. Myers) - 1 GS, 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (Season: 10 G, 9 GS, 36 IP, 15 R, 12 ER, 26 H, 13 BB, 42 K, 3-1, 3.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 3.25 BB/9, 10.5 K/9) 

#11 - Cade Povich (Cedar Rapids) - 1 GS, 4.2 IP, 7 R, 5 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 5 K (Season: 11 GS, 52.2 IP, 29 R, 23 ER, 45 H, 19 BB, 73 K, 5-4, 3.93 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 3.25 BB/9, 12.47 K/9) 
#12 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K  (Season: 13 G, 12 GS, 68.1 IP, 29 R, 26 ER, 57 H, 28 BB, 79 K, 6-2, 3.42 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 3.7 BB/9, 10.4 K/9)
#13 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K (Season: 11 G, 8 GS, 44.0 IP, 34 R, 51 H, 18 BB, 46 K, 0-3, 6.95 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 3.68 BB/9, 9.41 K/9)
#14 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 1 G, 3.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K (Season: 7 G, 6 GS, 24 IP, 17 R, 14 ER, 24 H, 13 BB, 28 K, 0-2, 5.25 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 4.9 BB/9, 10.5 K/9) 
#15 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 6 G, 9-for-21 (.429), 2-2B, 0-3B, 3-HR, 6 RBI, 6 BB, 7 K (Season: 65 G, .285/.422/.570 (.922), 13-2B, 1-3B, 16-HR, 48 R, 49 RBI, 50 BB, 92 K) 

#16 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 5 G, 5-for-18 (.278), 1-2B, 0-HR, 2 R, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 5 K (Season: 47 G, .273/.421/.409 (.830), 7-2B, 1-3B, 4-HR, 24 R, 20 RBI, 41 BB, 53 K) 
#17 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 3 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 6 K (Season: 8 G, 7 GS, 27.2 IP, 19 R, 31 H, 8 BB, 30 K, 0-4, 5.20 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9, 9.76 K/9)
#18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 6 G, 6-for-24 (.250), 2-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K (Season: 66 G, .291/.357/.567 (.924), 20-2B, 3-3B, 16-HR, 43 R, 58 RBI, 25 BB, 78 K)
#19 - Steve Hajjar (Ft. Myers) - On Injured List (Season: 9 GS, 35.1 IP, 10 R, 8 ER, 17 H, 19 BB, 59 K, 2-1, 2.04 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 4.8 BB/9, 15.0 K/9)
#20 - David Festa (Ft. Myers) - (Season: 2 G, 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K, (Season: 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 0.0 BB/9, 13.5 K/9)
#20 - David Festa (Cedar Rapids) - 1 GS, 6 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 4 BB, 3 K (Season: 6 G, 4 GS, 30.2 IP, 7 ER, 22 H, 8 BB, 30 K, 3-0, 2.05 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 2.35 BB/9, 8.8 K/9)

What's your takeaway from the past week across the farm? Be sure to comment and discuss below!