David Youngs

In a month that saw a decrease in stellar pitching performances the bats were hopping across the Twins' farm system. After deep thought and consideration, see who we've selected as Minor League Hitter of the Month for June. Previous Hitters of the Month April Hitter of the Month: Christian Encarnacion-Strand May Hitter of the Month: Spencer Steer The 2022 minor-league season has passed its halfway point. Three full months have been played. In June, there were a lot of impressive offensive performances. So before we jump to our Top 5 Twins Hitters in the month, take a look at several players who have earned recognition. Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order) Tim Beckham (St. Paul Saints) - 17 G, 27-67, .403/.494/.597 (1.091), 11 R, 21 RBI, 4 2B, 3 HR, 9 BB, 2 SB Junior Del Valle (DSL Twins) - 15 G, 12-39, .308/.440/.462 (.902), 9 R, 4 RBI, 2 2B, HR, 7 BB, 3 SB Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids Kernels) - 22 G, 22-79, .278/.374/.506 (.880), 13 R, 16 RBI, 3 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 7 BB, SB Edouard Julien (Wichita Wind Surge) - 25 G, 27-90, .300/.417/.556 (.973), 14 R, 18 RBI, 5 2B, 6 HR, 18 BB, 4 SB Ricardo Olivar (FCL Twins) - 13 G, 13-26, .361/.432/.417 (.849), 2 R, 8 RBI, 2 2B, 4 BB, 2 BB Alexander Pena (FCL Twins) - 14 G, 19-51, .373/.389/.667 (1.056), 9 R, 11 RBI, 7 2B, 3B, 7 HR Emmanuel Rodriguez (Fort Myers Mighty Mussels) - 6 G, 6-15, .400/.583/1.067 (1.650), 4 R, 5 RBI, 5 2B, 4 BB (had knee surgery) Alerick Soularie (Cedar Rapids Kernels) - 22 G, 21-84, .250/.357/.488/ (.845), 16 R, 13 RBI, 6 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 13 BB, 5 SB Number Five: Rubel Cespedes (Fort Myers Mighty Mussels) - 22 G, 24-37, .312/.369/.403, 9 R, 9 RBI, 4 2B, HR, SB Promoted to the Mighty Mussels from the FCL Twins on June 3, Cespedes' hit the ground running in Fort Myers. A pure contact hitter, the 21-year-old hit safely in his first four games at the Low-A level and went on an electric 10-game hitting streak through the middle of the month. On a team known for dominant pitching, Cespedes and a hot Kala'i Rosario have the potential to craft an offensive identity for a team that often wins primarily on arms. Number Four: Michael Helman (St. Paul Saints) - 25 G, 25-89, .292/.376/.483 (.859), 21 R, 10 RBI, 5 2B, 4 HR, 10 BB, 2 SB Called up from Double-A Wichita at the end of May, Michael Helman made his first rodeo at Triple-A a good one. One of the top utility prospects in the organization, the Nebraska native served as a rock in the heart of the Saints' lineup and hit safely in 16 of 25 games played. Helman put together a nice six-game hit streak in the middle of the month that included three multi-hit games. Making the transition from Double-A to Triple-A is never easy and Helman navigated it like a true pro. After success in Cedar Rapids last year and a quick transition from Wichita to St. Paul this season, Helman is riding a career-high and is posed to have an exciting finish to the 2022 season with the Saints. Number Three: Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids Kernels) - 23 G, 27-94 .287/.368/.368/.702 (1.070), 19 R, 21 RBI, 12 2B, 9 HR, 9 BB, SB Our April Minor League Hitter of the Month continued to destroy the baseball in the month of June. After a lackluster May, Encarnacion-Strand compiled an electric month, touting a team-leading .287 batting average and whopping 20 extra-base hits. Nine of those extra-base hits were homers, one of which was a walk-off against West Michigan on June 25th. Unfortunately, his month ended a couple of days early. He was hit in the head by a pitch on Tuesday night and was placed on the Injured List with a concussion. The purest of power hitters, Encarnacion-Strand totaled an impressive 11 multi-hit games. Despite striking out 29 times, Encarnacion-Strand's rebound after a tough May shows hints of consistency. for the top-tier prospect. Like Wallner, expect the 22-year-old to level out his plate appearances as he strives to become a more complete hitter. Number Two: Jake Cave (St. Paul Saints) - 23 G, 29-89, .326/.417/,629 (1.046), 17 R, 10 RBI, 7 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 13 BB Any sour taste for Cave in the mouths of Twins fans should be gone after his monstrous June campaign in St. Paul. What's not to like about a guy who puts together a 44-game on-base streak? Cave hit safely in 20 of 23 games and is currently on an 11-game hit streak, including a beautiful triple in Thursday night's game. Consistency is a beautiful thing in baseball; it's even more beautiful when it occurs with a player who has struggled with it in the past. Barring injury, it's unlikely that Cave will appear with the Twins this season. Regardless, he's making a rock-solid case that he has what it takes to play at the MLB level. Twin Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month Matt Wallner (Wichita Wind Surge) - 27 G, 29-84, .345/.500/.714 (1.214), 24 R, 17 RBI, 5 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 24 BB, 4 SB Son of the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Southern Miss star. Destroyer of baseballs. While an influx of hitting performances provides light for the Twins organization, there was one prospect who made this month's decision a no-brainer. Forest Lake, Minnesota native Matt Wallner. Emerging as the face of offense power in the Twins' Minor League system, Wallner defied the nay-sayers by hitting for power and average while even stealing a base or two. Wallner's .345/.500/.714 (1.214) slash line speaks for itself. The outfielder's June OPS of 1.214 led all Twins' minor leaguers with at least 15 games and was second-best in the entire Texas League. His .714 SLG ranked fifth in the league and his 24 walks were the most in the Texas League through the month. The walk stat is important; known as a strikeout-privy hitter, Wallner's 24 walks show that pitchers are becoming wearier when throwing to Wallner. Tallying 12 walks in April and 16 in May, the trend demonstrates that Wallner isn't just the 'go big or go home' guy anymore. Wallner still struck out 33 times but recorded a whopping 29 hits, the most hits he's ever recorded in a month through his professional career. The versatility is growing, but the power is still there. Wallner roped five doubles, a triple, and six homers through the month. The force from Forest Lake recorded his third multi-homer game of the season on Thursday night's win. To top it off Wallner stole four bases in June and was only caught stealing once. To top it off, Wallner was named Minor League Player of the Week for the Twins Organization on June 27 for perhaps the finest week in baseball that the organization has seen this year. All signs are pointing towards Wallner having an incredible career in professional baseball. It's almost certain that he'll reach MLB play in the coming two years. While it's likely he'll stay in Wichita for the summer, a call-up to Triple-A St. Paul at some point wouldn't be shocking. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Any other players that you think are worthy of Hitter of the Month accolades? Discuss and comment below! View full article

Despite Jose Miranda's clutch double and Tyler Duffey's reemergence, the Twins found another way to lose a game in the series finale against Cleveland on Thursday. Box Score SP: Chris Archer 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 2 K (90 pitches, 45 strikes 50%) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Jose Miranda (.233), Tyler Duffey (.215), Chris Archer (0.92) Bottom 3 WPA: Tyler Thornburg (-.715), Alex Kirilloff (-.114), Byron Buxton, Gilberto Celestino (-.89) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) If you feel like you've seen this movie before, it's because you have. The names may have changed, but a late-inning bullpen implosion occurred yet again on Thursday afternoon in Cleveland. In fact, the Twins lost three games in this five-game series, all because of late-inning bullpen implosions. What could have been a nine-game lead and a sweep is now a one-game lead. Let's jump right to it. The Twins carried a 3-1 lead into the eighth inning. Tyler Thornburg, who had not pitched since Saturday, was finally used. The former Brewers' closer really struggled. He loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batter before an infield single coupled with Carlos Correa's second error of the game tied the game at three after eight innings. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== Left with few options, Thornburg was back for the ninth frame. He walked Jose Ramirez to lead off the inning. A ground out to second advanced him to second base and brought Andrew Gimenez to the plate. On a 3-2 pitch, he launched a walkoff homer for the Guardians. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== The Twins hit former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber hard in the first two innings but were unable to come away with a run. That changed in the third frame. After failing to convert with a runner in scoring position in the first inning, José Miranda delivered. Just a day after his 24th birthday, the rookie laced a two-out, bases-clearing double to the right-field gap to put the Twins on the board and give them a 3-1 lead. Miranda continues to impress after a rough start with the Twins, batting safely in all five games of the series against the Guardians. Chris Archer showed both mountains and valleys in his four-inning outing on Thursday. Despite allowing just one run and one hit, Archer walked a season-high six batters. Four of those came in the second inning. After recording the first two outs of the inning, Archer walked four consecutive batters to put the Guardians on the board. Archer allowed two more walks in the third inning but escaped the inning with no runs. The outing was uncharacteristic for Archer; the electric righty allowed just three walks in his past three starts and has only walked four-plus batters once this season prior to Thursday. And while the damage wasn't brutal, Archer sat at 90 pitches after four innings. the highest number he's thrown all year. With the Twins monitoring his pitch count adamantly given prior injuries, there was no shot that Archer could go longer. A seasoned veteran and talented arm, Thursday's outing was likely just a spur in the road for Archer. Expect the 33-year-old to make some adjustments and come back strong in his next start. LHP Jovani Moran followed Archer with a 1-2-3 fifth inning with two strikeouts. After Carlos Correa booted a ground ball to lead off the bottom of the sixth, Moran struck out a batter followed by a walk, prompting Rocco Baldelli to bring in Tyler Duffey. Few players have been ridiculed as much as Duffey has in recent weeks. Yet despite the noise, Duffey prevailed in the sixth with runners on first and second, striking out Myles Straw and drawing groundout from Steven Kwan to escape the inning. It got better in the seventh. Facing the top of the Cleveland lineup, Duffey struck out the Amed Rosario, Jose Ramirez, and Josh Naylor, getting ahead of the hitter in all three at-bats. Then came the eighth inning, and we already talked about that and don't want to talk about it any more. Luis Arraez recorded two on the day, bringing his batting average up to .340, just one point behind league leader Paul Goldschmidt. Correa, Max Kepler, and Gilberto Celestino also tallied singles in the game. What's Next? The Twins head home for the Fourth of July weekend against the Orioles. Despite being in the cellar of the AL East, the Orioles just posted their first winning month since 2017 and are playing competitive baseball in the league's strongest division. Coming off a win over the Rockies, RHP Joe Ryan (6-3, 3.20 ERA) will face off against RHP Spenser Watkins (1-1, 5.14 ERA) in tomorrow night's tilt. First pitch at Target Field is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CST. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Pagan 22 0 22 14 0 58 Duffey 15 0 12 0 28 55 Moran 0 0 34 0 20 54 Duran 18 0 0 33 0 51 Thornburg 0 0 0 0 48 48 Theilbar 19 0 10 11 0 40 Jax 0 0 21 16 0 37 Cotton 0 24 0 8 0 32 View full article

From stellar pitching from the Mighty Mussels to Matt Wallner's three-homer series for the Wind Surge, there was a myriad of action across the Twins Minor League system over the past week. Catch up on all the details and get prepared for the final set of series' before the Fourth of July! 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! View full article

Despite some quality pitching performances, there was a farm-wide drought at the plate across the Twins Minor League System on Sunday. That didn't stop Jake Cave from another impressive performance and the Mighty Mussels from getting a shutout win! TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins recalled LHP Jovani Moran from St. Paul Saints. SAINTS SENTINAL Buffalo 2, St. Paul 1 Box Score Despite a solid outing from Mario Sanchez, the Saints lost their series finale against Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. Sanchez (L, 4-2) struck out six through six innings while allowing two runs on only three hits. The 27-year-old now has a 3.00 ERA and 0.84 WHIP through 12 games and six starts. The Saints scored their lone run on a Jake Cave solo home run (7) in the first inning. Cave has now hit safely in his last eight games and has a monstrous 41-game on-base streak! Cave also singled in the sixth inning to bring his batting average up to .270 and OPS to .831. Curtis Terry and Tim Beckham each knocked two singles, accounting for the only other four hits the Saints tallied all day. WIND SURGE WISDOM San Antonio 2, Wichita 1 Box Score Out-hitting the opposition and a solid start from Sawyer Gipson-Long wasn't enough to propel the Wind Surge to a win against the Missions on Sunday. In a pitching showdown, the Surge tallied six hits but left four baserunners in scoring position and were only able to plate one run on the day. That run came in the second inning when Leobaldo Cabrera drilled an RBI double (3) to center field to score DaShawn Keirsey from second. Keirsey was the only Wichita player to record multiple hits with a pair of singles in the second and fourth innings. Keirsey is now slashing .231/.300/.659 on the season and Sunday's singles were his first hits since the series opener on June 22. A staple for the Surge all season, Sawyer Gipson-Long was solid through five innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out five. The bullpen tandem of Jordan Gore, Bryan Sammons, and Denny Bentley were even more impressive, pitching four combined shutout innings while allowing just two hits. At the end of the day, the Surge just weren't able to get the bats going. KERNELS NUGGETS West Michigan 4, Cedar Rapids 3 (10 Innings) Box Score A pair of extra-inning runs kept the Kernels from the win column on Sunday afternoon in Cedar Rapids. Similar to the Saints and Wind Surge, the Kernels' pitching staff was rock-solid but the team ultimately fell short due to dry bats at the plate. Starting pitcher John Stankiewicz allowed one run on three hits while striking out three through six innings. After Stankiewicz's masterpiece, Derek Molina tossed two innings of one-run ball, allowing just three hits. Bradley Hanner (L, 4-2) pitched a scoreless ninth inning but surrendered two runs in the 10th, ultimately taking the loss. Cedar Rapids scored its first two runs in the 8th inning thanks to a two-run homer from Pat Winkel (3). The Kernels added another run in their final frame when Dylan Neuse punched an RBI single that scored Wander Javier. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Lakeland 0 Box Score A two-hit beauty from the pitching staff and a pair of timely runs drove the Mussels to a shutout victory on Sunday in the Sunshine State. Things didn't look promising right away; after striking out the first two batters of the game prized prospect Marco Raya left the game for undisclosed reasons. That didn't matter to RHP Mike Paredes. Coming in on short notice, the 21-year-old pitched 4 1/3 of perfect baseball, allowing no walks or hits while striking out two. Paredes (W, 3-2) has been stellar all season for the Mussels and now touts an impressive 2.29 ERA and 0.86 WHIP through 13 appearances. Following Paredes' showcase, Josh Wilson (H, 3) and Niklas Rimmel combined for two stellar innings to finish the game, each allowing only one hit. Fort Myers scored their first run in the opening frame when Noah Cardenas grounded into a double play with two men on that allowed Jake Rucker to score. In the fourth inning, Mikey Perez laced his 16th double of the season to left field. Perez would then advance to third on a wild pitch and scored on a failed pick-off attempt to give Fort Myers its second and final run. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day: Jake Cave (St. Paul)- 2-4, HR, R, RBI, K Pitcher of the Day: Mike Paredes (Fort Myers)- 4.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-1, BB #7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 0-3 BB #9 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, K #10 - Marco Raya (Ft. Myers) - 0.2 IP, 2 K #15 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 1-4, K #16 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-3, K #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, K TOMORROW'S STARTERS Mondays are off for the Minor Leaguers! Be sure to check out our Minor League Week in Review tomorrow! View full article

Despite a spread of quality pitching performances, the farm only saw one on Wednesday. Read up on Cedar Rapids' quality victory and much more! TRANSACTIONS No transactions today within the Minnesota Twins minor league system! SAINTS SENTINAL Buffalo 3, St. Paul 2 Box Score Leading for eight innings, the Saints fell just short on Wednesday courtesy of a pair of runs in the ninth inning runs by Buffalo. After two solid innings of work, reliever Ariel Jurado gave up a pair of hits and struck a batter to allow the Bison to walk off St. Paul in the final frame of the game. The Saints scored their two runs in the fourth and seventh innings. With Jake Cave on second base, Mark Contreras laced his 11th double of the season to right field to get the Saints on the board. The red-hot first-baseman now has six hits and four runs in his last three games. Roy Morales followed the trend in the seventh inning with a double (4) to center field that scored Contreras from second. Inching his way back to full strength, starting pitcher Josh Winder was excellent for the Saints through four, striking out three while allowing just one run on one hit and two walks. Wednesday was the longest of three starts that Winder has made since returning from the 15-day Injured List with a shoulder injury. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wind Surge 2, San Antonio 1 SUSPENDED IN THE 4TH Wednesday night's game against San Antonio was suspended due to inclement weather in Wichita. The game will pick up tomorrow as part of a double-header. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, West Michigan 2 Box Score A third-inning bomba from Seth Gray and a stellar outing from Brent Headrick propelled the Kernels to a 4-2 victory on Wednesday afternoon in Cedar Rapids. Already leading 1-0 thanks to an RBI single from Kennie Taylor, Gray took an 0-1 pitch to the moon over the right-field wall in the third innings to give Cedar Rapids a lead that they wouldn't surrender. Gray now has eight homers on the year and is slashing .235/.362/.772. The Kernels added an insurance run in the fourth when Alerick Soularie smoked his seventh double of the year to center field, scoring Charles Mack. Already off to a blazing start on the season, starting pitcher Brent Headrick continued his dominance, striking out four batters while allowing just one run on three hits through five innings. Headrick is now an impressive 7-2 on the year with a 2.48 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. Pretty darn impressive. Don't be surprised if Headrick gets the call to Kansas in the near future. Leading in a tight game, the Kernels' bullpen was rock solid through four innings. Miguel Rodriguez (H, 5) and Cody Lawyerson (S, 1) allowed just one run and were able to work their way out of multiple jams to keep Cedar Rapids afloat. The Kernels are now 43-22 on the season. MUSSEL MATTERS Lakeland 3, Fort Myers 1 Box Score The bats ran dry on a cloudy day in Lakeland as the Mussels fell short to the Flying Tigers on Wednesday. Carlos Aguilar drove in the Mussels' only run on a second-inning double that scored Dillon Tatum. Fort Myers only tallied three hits on the day, two of which were doubles. In addition to Aguilar's double, Tatum also doubled to kick off the second inning. Starting pitcher Travis Adams (L. 4-3) allowed three runs on seven hits through four innings while striking out three and walking one. Two of Adams' runs allowed came from a two-out fourth-inning homer. It was only the fourth homer that Adams has surrendered this season and the 23-year-old touts a 3.23 ERA and 0.91 WHIP through 11 starts. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Braves 3, DSL Twins 2 (7 innings) Box Score The DSL Twins lost a tight one to the Atlanta Braves' Dominican Summer League team on Wednesday afternoon. The Twins jumped out to an early lead in the second inning when Junior Del Valle launched a two-run homer over the left-field wall. The home run was Del Valle's first of the season and the Venezuelan is now slashing an impressive .345/.429/.946 through 29 at-bats so for this season. Del Valle also lined a single to left in the fourth inning and was the only Twins player to record multiple hits on the day. The two runs from Del Valle's bomb would be the only two on the day. Twins starting pitcher Ledwin Taveras was excellent through five innings, allowing only two runs (one earned) on five hits with one walk while striking out three. Through three starts Taveras is 1-0 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Reliever Oscar Paredes was solid in relief, failing to allow a hit and striking out three through two innings. However, Paredes ran into trouble with walks and a throwing error in the seventh that led to the Braves scoring the go-ahead run. The DSL Twins are now 6-7 on the year. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day: Seth Gray (Cedar Rapids)- 2-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 K Pitcher of the Day: Brent Headrick (Cedar Rapids) W (7-2), 5 IP, 3 H, R, ER, BB, 4 K TWINS DAILY PROSPECT SUMMARY #7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, 2 K #9 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, K #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2 K THURSDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Buffalo (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-2, 7.89 ERA) San Antonio @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Blayne Enlow (0-2, 5.31 ERA) West Michigan @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (6-2, 3.70 ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Pierson Ohl (3-3,5.21 ERA) FCL Pirates @ FCL Twins (12:00 PM CDT) - TBD DSL Braves @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CDT) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

Despite a pair of stellar pitching outings and hits-a-plenty, the Twins managed just three wins on the wild west road trip this past week. The talent is there, yet there seemed to be a piece missing from the puzzle too many times. Last Week's Game Results: Game 63 | MIN 3, SEA 2: Buxton's Early Bomb Proves Decisive Game 64 | SEA 5, MIN 0: Ryan Rocked in Return, Bats Blanked Game 65 | MIN 5, SEA 0: Offense Surges Late to Clinch Series Game 66 | AZ 7, MIN 2: Twins Drop Series Opener to Diamondbacks Game 67 | MIN 11, AZ 1: Dylan Bundy Shines, Offense Explodes as Twins Win Game 68 | AZ 7, MIN 1: Punished by Long Ball, Drop Rubber Game Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 6/13 through Sun, 6/19 *** Record Last Week: 3-3 (Overall: 38-30) Run Differential Last Week: Even (Overall: +25) Standing: First Place in AL Central (1 GA) NEWS & NOTES For the first time this season the Twins headed west for a week in Seattle and Phoenix against two sub-par teams. Sitting in fourth and dead last in their respective divisions, the past week provided an opportunity to create some distance between the Twins and streaking Guardians. At the end of the day, that didn't happen. The Twins squeaked out a series win against the Mariners but fell in a disappointing series to the Diamondbacks that included two blowout losses. For the first time in his career, Jorge Polanco was placed on the Injured List for lower back tightness on Thursday. Off to an adequate start, Polanco was slashing .245/.340/.729 with ten doubles and 33 RBI prior to the announcement. Placed on the 10-day IL, Jorge's presence as a core member of the middle part of the lineup was noticed. On the flipside, the Polanco move opened the door for Alex Kirilloff to make his way back to Target Field, a move that many in the Twins community were calling for. You can't blame the people. After a lackluster first stint with the Twins this year, Kirilloff tore the cover off the ball at Triple-A St. Paul over the past month and made as solid a case as there is that he belongs at Target Field. Perhaps the most notable news of the week came from the return of starting pitchers Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray. Arguably the top two pitchers in the rotation, Ryan and Gray's return adds depth to a pitching rotation with a tank that was close to empty. Returning from the extended Covid List, Ryan made his first start since May 21 on Tuesday night against the Mariners while Gray returned on Wednesday night following a stint on the 15-day IL with a pectoral strain. Given the return of Ryan and Gray, the Twins DFA'd RHP Chi Chi González this past Sunday. González was scooped up by the Milwaukee Brewers just two days later. Signed to a minor league contract prior to the start of the season, González made two starts for the Twins, giving up six runs on 12 hits in seven combined innings. HIGHLIGHTS Despite the .500 result on the week, there was a flurry of excellent endeavors for the Minnesota Twins this past week. Coming off an extended stint on the IL is never easy, especially for a starting pitcher. Sonny Gray kicked that norm to the curb on Wednesday night with arguably his best start of the year in a shutout win over the Mariners. Through five scoreless innings, Gray allowed just three hits and no runs while striking out three in one hell of a comeback campaign. Anticipated by many to be the club's ace upon his signing, Gray's numbers are trending in the right direction. Gray has given up just three runs in his last four starts and opposing hitters batted a meager .182 against Gray in May (versus .208) in June. Obviously, it's a small sample size, but the numbers are looking great and Gray's experience will continue to prove valuable for a rotation this continues to be fluid. Ace or not, Sonny Gray will be a valuable asset for the Twins as the season grows deep. Speaking of consistency, Luis Arraez has continued his monstrous hitting campaign and currently sits at a lead-leading .361 batting average. Arraez holds a healthy lead over Paul Goldschmidt (.344 AVG) and has sat atop the leader board for over a week. Batting .386 in the month of June, Arraez hit safely in five of six games this week, including three multi-hit games. It's no secret that Arraez deserves to be an MLB All-Star, yet his greatest strength is certainly his versatility at the plate. Well-known as a contact hitter, Arraez has shown his potential for power throughout the season while maintaining his incredible consistency for putting the ball in play. Here's Rocco speaking about his stellar hitting approach. Perhaps the finest pitching outing of the week took place on Saturday night when Dylan Bundy mowed down the Diamondbacks through eight full innings. Coming off of a rough start against the Yankees, Bundy allowed just one run on no hits and struck out seven in his clear-cut best start of the year. Unlike Arraez, Bundy has lacked consistency this year but Saturday's masterpiece against the Diamondbacks was a true display of how high Bundy's ceiling can be. Hopefully, it instills confidence in the veteran and leads to more quality starts when it matters most. Carlos Correa has continued to trend in the directions that Twins fans hoped he would. Traditionally a slow starter, Correa is now statistically playing the best June baseball of his career and is batting .341 so far this month. Corea's season-long average of .293 ranks second amongst everyday starters (only behind Arraez) and is sure to climb even higher. Correa did go hitless in two of three games against the Diamondbacks but did knock in an RBI in the middle game along with hitting safely in each game in Seattle. And on top of those, Alex Kirilloff's return to Major League play on Saturday night was excellent. With the game still competitive, Kirilloff crushed a third-inning two-out RBI two-run double to open up the flood gates for the rest of the crew. LOWLIGHTS A club that should win a majority of games (and certainly series) against bottom-feeder teams, this week's 50-50 split came as a result of dry bats, and rocky pitching...sometimes at the same time. Sunday's loss to Arizona was a prime example. Through four innings, Chris Archer allowed two runs (both homers) on three total hits while striking out three; not a great outing, but certainly not a game-ruiner. While not his finest rodeo, Griffin Jax kept the game within reach, allowing just one run (on another homer) in the fifth inning. The floodgates unfortunately opened in the sixth, with Caleb Thielbar allowing four runs on three hits (one homer) and a walk in just 2/3 of an inning. The blunder was uncharacteristic for Thielbar, who had previously allowed just one run in the month of June. Thielbar touted an impressive 2.08 ERA through 13 innings in May and will hopefully get past this road bump. Yet through the misfires on the bump, the Twins' offense wasn't able to get much going minus a Luis Arraez run in the first. The Twins managed just five hits in the series finale against the D-Backs, a large contrast from 14 the night before and 10 on Friday. Just a few days earlier, the team tallied just four hits in their series-opening loss to the Mariners on Tuesday. The highs and lows of this team's hitting will eventually land somewhere on a plateau alongside the mountain. Ryan Jeffers looks to be escaping from his hitting slump and young talent Jose Miranda seems to have found a groove. There aren't necessarily sole names at fault for the occasional offensive lapses, the problem seems to just be a team-wide consistency gap in occasional 'should-win games.' After finally hitting his stride, LHP Devin Smeltzer suffered his first poor outing of the season in the series opener against Arizona. Smeltzer allowed seven runs on nine hits through 4 1/3 against the Diamondbacks, the most runs and hits he's given up through seven starts this year. The crafty lefty gave up two homers in his outing and has given up seven in June after giving up none through three starts in May. That's certainly not a good trend, but Smeltzer has proven he can limit damage and keep opposing hitters' numbers low. While there is surely uncertainty given his fairly young track record, hopefully, Friday's shelling was just a rare bad day at the office. And finally, Joe Ryan's highly anticipated return to the bump on Tuesday night in Seattle didn't exactly go as planned. After three stellar innings, Ryan left just a few pitches up which led to the Mariners scoring two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. All in all the outing was horrific, it just wasn't "Joe-Cool-esque." Not shockingly, Ryan's velocity was down quite a bit from prior to landing on the Covid list. Ryan's bland start shouldn't provide a huge concern for worry, as the star rookie has proven his consistency throughout the course of the season. This week's start against Cleveland should prove as a true test for the club's ace. TRENDING STORYLINE The Twins did not meet or exceed their own expectations this past week. While there were certainly moments of brilliance the club lacked consistency against two very sweep-able ball clubs. Contending teams find ways to take care of business against clubs that they're clearly better than and the Twins simply played down to the level Mariners and Diamondbacks too many times. Are the Twins still contenders? Absolutely. It would be foolish to foster deep concern following a .500 week at this point in the season, especially with key players returning to health. Yet the Twins do need to find consistency both at the plate and from the bump...and they need it to coincide. Losing Jorge Polanco is certainly a blow, but unlikely heroes like Jose Miranda are beginning to get hot, and veterans Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez have shown the ability to be major contributors. The 'A-B-C' crew of Arraez, Buxton, and Correa continue to anchor this offense and all signs are pointing toward them all trending in the right direction. Despite a trio of over-par starts, the Twins bullpen is in a decent place with Gray and Ryan back on the mound. Given Dylan Bundy's electric start in Arizona along with 'not-normal' outings from Smeltzer and Archer, the Twins truly control their destiny for the near future. The reality of that begins on Tuesday. With red-hot Cleveland (8-2 in last ten games) coming to town, Minnesota will have the chance to beat a solid team that they're still probably better than. Following Sunday's loss, the Guardians are just one game behind the Twins for first place in the AL Central and are one of the most surprising stories of the year (along with the Twins). Joe Ryan will have a chance to redeem himself on the bump and all signs are pointing towards an electric series at Target Field. LOOKING AHEAD With some toasty weather and first place in the division on the line, Target Field will be the place to be this week as Cleveland comes to town. Following that the Twins will have a chance to sweep the struggling Rockies over the weekend. TUESDAY, 6/21: GUARDIANS @ TWINS - RHP Joe Ryan v. TBD WEDNESDAY, 6/22: GUARDIANS @ TWINS- RHP Sonny Gray vs. RHP Triston McKenzie THURSDAY, 6/23: GUARDIANS @ TWINS- LHP Devin Smeltzer vs. RHP Zac Plesac FRIDAY, 6/24: ROCKIES @ TWINS- TBD v. TBD SATURDAY, 6/25: ROCKIES @ TWINS TBD v. TBD SUNDAY, 6/26: ROCKIES @ TWINS TBD v. TBD View full article

The Kernels walked it off thanks to an unlikely hero and the Saints got the last laugh in an offensive shootout against Dayton. Read about all the action from the across the farm on Sunday! TRANSACTIONS No transactions across the organization today! SAINTS SENTINEL St Paul 11, Columbus 10 Box Score Despite losing Alex Kirilloff to the parent club a few days ago, the St. Paul offense didn't miss a beat on Sunday afternoon. A monster day at the plate, the Saints used 12 hits to plate 11 runs and sneak past the Clippers in a Father's Day shootout in Columbus. The scoring wasn't isolated; St. Paul scored in six of nine innings and touted multi-run frames in the first, second, third, fifth, and seventh innings. Even better, the scoring didn't come from one player. Led by a four-hit showing from Mark Contreras, seven Saints recorded hits and five tallied RBI on the day. Michael Helman and Mark Contreras got the party started in the top of the first with a pair of key hits to put the Saints on the board. With Caleb Hamilton on the pond, Helman laced a single to the first run of the game. Since being promoted to Triple-A at the end of May, Helman has been red hot, hitting safely in seven of his last eight games and touting a team-leading .423 batting average. Just two batters later, Contreras notched his first of four singles of the day to score Helman (who advanced to second on a fielding error) to put the Saints up 2-0. It was rinse and repeat for St. Paul in the second and third inning. Following John Andreoli walk and Elliot Soto double (9), Spencer Steer smothered a liner to center-field to score both runners and double the lead. Curtis Terry kicked off the third inning with a solo homer (7) to left and was followed by a pair of singles from Contreras and Jermaine Palacios. Contreras would eventually score thanks to a double-play groundout from Roy Morales. And while the RBI didn't count for Morales, he would score two runners in the fifth inning on a beautifully struck double that clipped the third-base bag. Given the run support, St. Paul starter Aaron Sanchez was solid on the day, pitching 4 1/3 innings of three-run (two earned), five-hit ball while striking out four and walking two. Austin Schulfer cleaned up the final two outs of the fifth inning and earned the win on the day for St. Paul. In what looked like a blowout, the Clippers mounted a massive seventh inning off of St. Paul reliever Jake Faria. In 1 2/3 innings, Faria allowed six runs on four hits, including a grand slam. Luckily for the Saints, Mark Contreras added an insurance run in the top of the eighth with an RBI single that scored Curtis Terry. Sunday's Father's Day win was especially special for Saints skipper Toby Gardenhire. On paternity leave for the birth of his first child Bodie, Sunday marked Gardenhire's 100th win as manager of the St. Paul Saints. Congrats to Toby on the feat but more importantly, to him and his wife Sarah and the birth of their first child! WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 3, Wichita 2 (10) Box Score Despite a solid pitching performance from the Wichita staff, the Wind Surge fell just short in an extra-inning heartbreaker to Tulsa. Wichita outhit the Drillers but failed to convert, leaving 12 men on base and going 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Cole Sturgeon and Edouard Julien both tallied multi-hit games and Sturgeon recorded one of Wichita's two RBI on the day. With two outs in the third, Sturgeon knocked a single to center field to score Matt Wallner from second and put the Surge on the board. Wichita plated its only other run in the sixth inning when Deshawn Keirsey Jr. scored from third on a groundout from Anthony Prato. Wichita starting pitcher Casey Legumina was solid through 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two. Limiting the damage himself, the Surge bullpen did everything they could to follow Legumina's adequate outing. Andrew Cabezas pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts and was followed by 2 1/3 scoreless innings from Denny Bentley and Jordon Gore. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Dayton 3 Box Score Assigned from the FCL Twins to Cedar Rapids on Friday, there's a good chance most Twins fans don't know the name Frank Nigro. They should now. Knotted at three in the bottom of the ninth, Nigro punched a 2-2 pitch to right field to score Kennie Taylor and walk the Kernels off to a league-leading 41-22 record. In his first game with Cedar Rapids, Nigro's walk-off single would have sufficed just fine on its own. Yet on top of the game-winner, Nigro laced a single in the second inning and was one of two Cedar Rapids players to record a multi-hit game. The Kernels scored their first run in the first inning. Following an Alerick Soularie double (6), Yunior Severino reached out a fielding error that allowed Soularie to score from second. The Kernels would strike again in the second thanks to an RBI single from Kyler Mack that scored Kennie Tayor. After a few innings of silence, Alerick Soularie notched his second hit of the game in the seventh with an RBI single that scored Taylor. The Cedar Rapids pitching staff was stellar from the game's first pitch to its last. Starter Sean Mooney was dominant through five, striking out six while allowing just two runs on five hits. The combo of Bobby Milacki and Matthew Swain took the bulk of relief, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out a combined four batters through 3 2/3 innings. Ryan Shreve (W, 1-0) pitched the final out for the Kernels and earned his first win of the year. MUSSEL MATTERS CANCELLED Turns out it rains (a lot) in Florida. Due to inclement weather, Sunday's game was canceled. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day: Mark Contreras (St. Paul)- 4-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB Pitcher of the Day: Sean Mooney (Cedar Rapids)- 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 K, 2 BB PROSPECT SUMMARY Take a look at how our Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects did today! For a weekly recap of prospects and the entire farm system, check out Seth's Minor League Week in Review! Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 3 RBI, 3 K #15 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, 2 K #16 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 2-for-5, K UP NEXT Mondays are off for minor leaguers, get prepared for a full slate of games on Tuesday! View full article

A few bad breaks on the bump and a dry spell at the plate plagued the Twins in a 5-0 loss to the Mariners on Tuesday night in Seattle. Here's what you need to know about game two of the series. Box Score SP: Joe Ryan: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (75 pitches, 45 strikes (60%)) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Joe Ryan (-0.181), Max Kepler (-0.176), Luis Arraez (-0.071) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Making his first start since May 21, Joe Ryan hoped to mow down the Mariners in a late-night game on the west coast. A pair of middle-inning mistakes and lack of run support stopped that from happening. The Twins managed a meager four hits and were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position in a shutout loss to Seattle in Ryan's return. Ryan had moments of brilliance early on and was far from bad, but paid for a pair of poor pitches in the fourth and fifth innings. After 3 1/3 scoreless innings, the Mariners were able to get to Ryan. Following a double by Julio Rodriguez, Eugenio Suarez launched a 3-1 pitch over the left-field wall to put the Mariners up 2-0. Just an inning later, Ty France put a ball over the left-field wall to double Seattle's lead and end Ryan's night. All in all, Ryan's night was not as bad as the final score may indicate. The star rookie did an excellent job pounding the zone throughout the night, pitching to contact with an occasional strikeout. His only major blunders came on a few poor pitches in the fourth, ultimately leading to the Mariners' first four runs. Despite his velocity being down, expect Joe Cool to come back hot in his next outing as he eases his way back into the rotation as the team's ace. Trevor Megill was rock solid in relief, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout. It's his second consecutive scoreless appearance and Megill has only allowed two runs through four outings in the month of June. Jovani Moran followed Megill in the bullpen and pitched two innings of one-run ball with two strikeouts and a walk. After struggling to find the zone in the seventh Moran locked in and pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning. Celestino Hits on Anniversary Despite the loss, center-fielder Gilberto Celestino tallied a multi-hit game on the one-year anniversary of his first MLB home run (which he hit off Mariners pitcher Marco Gonzales at T-Mobile Park). Celestino punched singles in the third and sixth innings and is now hitting .333 on the season. For a fourth outfielder that sees a fair amount of action due to Byron Buxton's frequency at DH, the 23-year-old has gone above and behind. Carlos Correa also notched a multi-hit game, singling in the fourth and sixth inning. Correa has hit safely in all six games that he's played in June and is now hitting .309 on the season. What’s Next? The Twins square off against the Mariners in the series finale tomorrow afternoon at 3:10 pm CST. After returning from the IL, Sonny Gray (3-1, 2.41 ERA) will make his first start since May 29, squaring off against LHP Marco Gonzales (3-6, 3.63 ERA). Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Just hours after pitching in a win against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Minnesota Twins designated starting pitcher Chi Chi Gonzales for assignment. 48 hours later the Milwaukee Brewers selected the veteran righty's contract. Here's why the Twins made the move and why the 30-year-old could be valuable for the ballclub on the other side of the river. After just two Major League starts in a Minnesota Twins uniform, veteran pitcher Chi Chi González is out the door and headed to The Badger State to pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers. Just minutes after his June 11 start against the Rays, the Twins designated González for assignment. Just two days later, the struggling Brewers signed Gonzalez off of waivers and elevated the right-handed pitcher to the 40-man roster. Gonzalez's tenure in the Twins organization was short, and at times, sweet. Signed to a minor-league contract in March, González pitched eight games for Triple-A St. Paul (five starts) along with two starting pitching appearances for the Twins. There were moments of brilliance for González in St. Paul, finishing his Saints tenure with a 2-2 record and 3.44 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings. Starting the season in the bullpen, González notched both his wins as a long-distance reliever in April with solid appearances against Louisville (4 2/3 innings) and Indianapolis (3 innings). From there he started five games for the Saints, highlighted by a six-inning, no-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and four walks against Columbus on May 11. First called up on June 3 due to a myriad of injuries at the parent club, González tossed three innings of three-run, four-hit ball against the Blue Jays en route to a 9-3 Twins win. Called up under similar circumstances last week, González pitched four innings against the Rays on Friday, giving up three runs on eight hits while striking out three. Minnesota won the game 6-5 and Trevor Megill earned the win for the Twins. So that is correct, the Twins were 2-0 in games started by Chi Chi Gonzalez. The Twins did win both games (against talented opponents) in the pair of games that González started. However, it was not solely because of him. González tabbed a -0.18 WPA (Win Probability Added) in his most recent start and -0.15 WPA in his Twins debut against the Blue Jays; not great. The brutal reality is that there is no space for González on a semi-healthy Minnesota Twins roster. Given his experience, González served as an adequate filler for a starting rotation that has struggled with injuries to five of its six starting pitchers. Yet with Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray back on the bump, the filler role has been eliminated and González's minor league numbers aren't consistent enough to create a need for the Twins. Consider the roster crunch that's about to happen. Last week, the Twins DFAd Gonzalez and Juan Minaya. A day after adding Elliot Soto to the 40-man roster, he was DFAd to add Joe Ryan back to the roster. Someone will have to be optioned or DFAd to bring Sonny Gray off of the Injured List on Wednesday. The life of the journeyman is certainly not always easy. Yet when one door closes, another may open. The Brewers are 2-8 in their last ten games and starting pitchers Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta are on the Injured List along with a number of relievers. With experience as a starting pitcher as well as a reliever, González could serve as a valuable patch for a Milwaukee club that is in a tight battle with St. Louis for top dog in the NL Central. Noted as a great person and clubhouse guy, hopefully, this new opportunity presents González the chance to find his groove in a cutthroat industry that is less than forgiving. View full article

Some stellar offensive performances combined with a pair of dominant pitching outings highlighted the action from across the farm on Sunday. Get the latest updates from the Twins minor league system! TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins selected the contract of RHP Tyler Thornburg from the St. Paul Saints. RHP Hunter Wood assigned to St. Paul Saints from FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Rochester 1 Box Score Coming into a series against former Triple-A affiliate Rochester, the St. Paul Saints were sitting with a bleak record of 24-29. Yet after five straight wins over the Red Wings, the Saints broke out the brooms for some Sunday cleaning with a 5-1 win and a series sweep over Rochester. Alex Kirilloff led the Saints with two hits, including a first-inning home run to bring the Saints to 30-29 on the year. On a full count in the first, Kirilloff crushed a ball over the right-center field wall to give the Saints a 1-0 lead. St. Paul added two more runs in the second inning thanks to an RBI double from David Banuelos (4) and an RBI single from Kirilloff. Banuelos' double scored Elliot Soto, who has served as a rock for the Saints' clubhouse this season. Twins Daily's Theo Tollefson wrote about Soto's valuable role recently, check it out! The Saints would strike again in the fifth inning. With two runners on, Jermaine Palacios tallied a two-run RBI single to score Jake Cave and Mark Contreras to give St. Paul a 5-1 lead that held to the final pitch. Starting pitcher Jake Faria (W, 1-2) was excellent for St. Paul, allowing just one run on five hits through five innings while striking out two. Following his departure, the bullpen crew of Hunter Wood, JC Ramirez, Drew Strotman, and Yennier Cano were stellar, tossing four innings of scoreless ball with a combined five strikeouts and just one hit. WIND SURGE WISDOM Arkansas 6, Wichita 1 Box Score Slated up against a Texas League foe, Wichita fell short in the series finale against Arkansas on Sunday afternoon. Despite knotting the game at one early on, the Surge left seven runners on base and succumbed to two breakout innings from the Travelers. Wichita scored their only run in the second inning thanks to an RBI single from Dennis Ortega. The Valencia, Venezuela native now has 23 RBI on the year and four hits in his last two games. Starting pitcher Blayne Enlow (L, 0-1) didn't have his best day at the office, giving up three runs (1 earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out two through 3 1/3 innings. Enlow has struggled with an elbow injury and Sunday was his first start since May 31. While the results weren't there, expect Enlow to ease his way back into his dominant self in weeks to come. The Wind Surge are still in excellent shape despite the loss. Wichita sits at 32-23 and atop the North division of the Texas League with a game-and-a-half lead over Tulsa. Arkansas (31-26) is just half a game behind Tulsa. The Wind Surge will head to Tulsa to take on the Drillers in a six-game series starting on Tuesday. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9 South Bend 3 Box Score Like Tom Cruise in a fighter jet, the Cedar Rapids Kernels hit early, often, and everywhere on Sunday afternoon in a dominant victory over South Bend. Combined with a lights-out performance from Cade Povich on the bump, the Kernels used four extra-base hits, three singles, and eight walks to pummel the Cubs and move to 37-20 on the 2022 season. Cedar Rapids got the party started with a pair of two-run innings in the opening two frames. With Aaron Sabato on first, Seth Gray launched a 1-1 pitch over the left-field wall to give the Kernels a 2-0 lead in the first. Gray's homer was his sixth of the season and second of the series against the Cubs. Just an inning later the Kernels mounted a two-out rally to double their lead. Will Holland kicked off the campaign by lacing his seventh double of the year to left field. In the next at-bat, Dylan Neuse punched a single to the left side of the infield that allowed Holland to score thanks to a fielding error. The Cubbies would pay for the error. On the very next pitch, Alerick Soularie doubled to right field and scored Neuse all the way from first base. The former Tennessee Volunteer now has four doubles on the season and three in the month of June. The red-hot Kernels weren't done yet. With the bases loaded and one out, Christian Encarnacion-Strand put the nail in the coffin with a grand slam over the left-field wall to give Cedar Rapids an 8-1 lead. Incredible would be an understatement to describe Encarnacion-Strand's 2022 campaign. The Twins Daily Top 20 Prospect now has 13 homers on the young season and is slashing .298/.389/.769 in the month of June. It wouldn't be shocking to see the 22-year-old get the call up to Wichita sooner rather than later! And while the bats will certainly get the storyline, Kernels starting pitcher Cade Povich was stellar on the afternoon, earning his fourth win of the season. Povich allowed just one run on four hits through six innings while striking out five batters. Walking just two batters, Sunday's matinee masterpiece was the Nebraska Cornhusker's longest outing of the season. MUSSEL MATTERS Game One Daytona 11, Fort Myers 4 Box Score Despite a pair of second run innings the Mussels dropped the first of two games against the Tortugas on Sunday afternoon in the Sunshine State. Trailing 2-0 in the second with a runner on first, Nelson Roberto launched his first homer of the year over the left-center field wall to put Fort Myers on the board and tie the game at two. The Mussels would score on the long ball again in the fourth thanks to a solo shot from Carlos Aguiar (1) that would bring Fort Myers within one run. The Tortugas broke it open in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs followed by two more in the fifth and one more in the sixth. After a lengthy weather delay, the Mussels hoped to wane the deficit but were only able to plate one more run thanks to an RBI walk from Rubel Cespedes in the top of the seventh. Fort Myers starter Pierson Ohl (L, 2-3) gave up five runs (three earned runs) on five hits while striking out four through three innings. Anthony Escobar and Samuel Perez were the only two Fort Myers pitchers that didn't give up a run, each pitching 2/3 of an inning. Game Two Daytona 3, Fort Myers 1 Box Score After a blowout loss in game one, the Mussels played the Tortugas tight in game two of the Sunday afternoon doubleheader. Unfortunately the Fort Myers bats' ran dry and a solid pitching outing from Mike Paredes wasn't enough to propel the Mussels to a win. Starting pitcher Mike Paredes lasted 3 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two. Paredes is now 2-2 with a 2.57 ERA on the year. Relievers Jackson Hicks and Malik Barrington pitched well enough to keep Fort Myers in the game but the Mussels' offense failed to prevail. Despite tallying only four hits in the game, Fort Myers left a whopping 12 runners on base and were 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The team's lone run came on an RBI single in the fifth inning from LaRon Smith that scored Rubel Cespedes. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day: Christian Encarnacion Strand (Cedar Rapids)- 1-for-4, HR (Grand Slam), 4 RBI Pitcher of the Day: Cade Povich (Cedar Rapids)- W, 6 IP, 4 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 5 K PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins' Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Sunday. #10 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-5, 2 BB, K #15 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 0-for-3, K #16 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-for-3, BB, 2 K #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, Grand Slam, 4 RBI View full article

A gem at the plate and in the field, Nick Gordon's spectacular display on Thursday wasn't enough to propel the struggling Twins to a victory against Detroit on Thursday at Comerica Park. Here's what you need to know. Box Score SP: Chris Archer: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (57 pitches, 35 strikes (61.4%)) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Emilio Pagan (-0.556), Luis Arraez (-0.146), Max Kepler (-0.123) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Despite a solid outing from Chris Archer and a stellar day from Nick Gordon the Twins were unable to ignite the ignition in the Motor City, dropping the series finale against the Tigers 3-2. Coming off a lackluster performance against the Royals, Chris Archer was rock-solid against Detroit, giving up only one run on three hits while striking out three over five innings on the bump. Jhoan Duran continued his impressive rookie season with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out three batters. Through 18 appearances (24 ⅓ innings), Duran has a 2.22 ERA and 0.74 WHIP alongside 35 strikeouts. The Twins scored their first run in the third inning. After a Nick Gordon single, Gio Urshela laced a double to left field that scored Gordon from first to put the Twins on the board. Just an inning later, Gordon returned the favor with a double to center field that scored Trevor Larnach from first. In addition to being the only Twin to record a multi-hit game, Gordon flashed the leather in the field with an incredible catch in the eighth inning and a stellar throw to gun out Spencer Torkelson in the fourth. Gordon also added his fifth stolen base on the year in the sixth inning. A single, double, walk, stolen base on top of two incredible defensive plays? Not a bad day at the office. All systems were pointing towards a win until the eighth inning, After getting the first out (thanks to Gordon's catch), Emilio Pagan gave up a single and a home run that would give Detroit the lead. Pagan took the loss and is now 1-2 on the year with a 3.00 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. What’s Next? The Twins head north of the border tomorrow evening to kick off a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Veteran Chi Chi Gonzalez will make his first Major League start of the season, facing off against LHP Yusei Kikuchi (2-1, 3.48 ERA). First pitch is slated for 6:07 pm CST. Postgame Interview Coming Soon Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

An incredible outing on the bump from Devin Smeltzer wasn't enough to propel the Twins to a series-opener victory against the Royals. Get all the details on Thursday night's game. Box Score SP: Devin Smeltzer: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (80 pitches, 52 strikes (65.0%)) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Tyler Duffey (-0.590), Max Kepler (-0.208), Nick Gordon (-0.197) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Despite a ninth-inning rally and a stellar outing from Devin Smeltzer, the Twins fell short to Kansas City by a score of 3-2 on Thursday night. The Twins outhit the Royals 12 to 6 and left 12 runners on base but ultimately fell short thanks to a three-run eighth inning from Kansas City. And while the loss was a tough one, starting pitcher Devin Smeltzer was an incredible icing on the cake for the Twins on the night. Called up from St. Paul to start for Joe Ryan (who was placed on the Covid IL), Smeltzer wasn’t just a replacement; he provided one of the strongest pitching outings the Twins have seen all year. After a quarter of the season spent flirting between Triple-A St. Paul and the Twins, Thursday evening proved that Smeltzer deserves a permanent spot on the Major League Roster. Smeltzer pitched seven innings of shutout ball while only allowing two hits and one walk, striking out six. The crafty lefty has started three games for the parent club this season and has passed the test with flying colors. Through those three games, Smeltzer has a 1.74 ERA in 17 ⅓ innings while only allowing two runs. Keep the man up. The Twins plated their first run in the second inning when Ryan Jeffers laced an RBI single to left field that scored Luis Arraez from second base. Originally perceived as a downgrade from Mitch Garver, Jeffers has been absolutely rock-solid all season. Thursday’s RBI was his fourth in his last three games and the Raleigh, NC native sits in the 95th percentile for pitch framing behind the plate. Not too shabby. The Twins struck again in the fourth inning. Jose Miranda put his recent slump in the rearview with a leadoff double (5) and was later scored by a Gilberto Celestino line-drive single to right field to put the Twins up 2-0. As highly-touted a prospect there is, Miranda’s woes at the plate drew attention from Twins Territory. Yet the 23-year-old rookie has excelled recently. Miranda notched a second-inning single in addition to his double on Thursday and has recorded two multi-hit games in the past week. There’s still a ways to go, but it’s relieving to see the young slugger find his footing. Following Smeltzer’s stellar outing, Tyler Duffey struggled in the bullpen, allowing three runs on four hits in the top of the eighth inning to give Kansas City the lead. The Twins mounted a rally in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a string of singles from Gary Sanchez, Gio Urshela, and Arraez. Yet with the bases loaded, the Twins were unable to plate a run. Rookie Yennier Cano had his first solid outing of the season, pitching the top of the ninth inning. After giving up a leadoff walk, Cano retired the next three batters to keep the Twins within a run going into the ninth inning. After a ninth-inning infield single from Byron Buxton, the Twins fell just short due to a pair of Fielders Choices and a sharply hit ball by Gary Sanchez that found the glove of Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Gio with the Glove Despite the loss, Gio Urshela made one of the finest plays the league has seen all season in the second inning. Web gem! What’s Next? The Twins continue their Memorial Day weekend series against the Royals tomorrow night at 6:40 p.m. CST at Target Field. Young talent Bailey Ober (1-1, 2.85 ERA) will face off against Brad Kelly (1-4, 3.40 ERA) on what is supposed to be a gorgeous night in Minneapolis. You can buy tickets to tomorrow night's game here. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article