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Fans who were frustrated by the lack of a competent multi-inning reliever in 2022, and also are bewildered that Emilio Pagán is still on the team, may want to look away from their screens. Image courtesy of J Cogbill Photograpy Gone are the days of Terry Mulholland. At least in Minnesota, you will rarely see a strange man sitting at the end of the bullpen bench who will, five times a month, run in to pitch four or five innings of low-leverage relief, only to retreat into the shadows until the next week, when his arm is needed again. The Twins tried to employ such a pitcher in 2021 when Randy Dobnak broke camp with the club as a long reliever. However, the team struggled to find him regular work, which had two adverse effects—it used a bullpen spot, and Dobnak (who was very much in their plans fresh off his five-year extension) could not continue to develop with the erratic schedule. That is not to say that the team doesn’t send guys out to eat innings occasionally; it simply works differently in the modern game. Instead of retreating to the end of the bench, they typically ride the green line back to St. Paul in favor of a fresh arm. The bullpen seems set in most people’s minds, with some hierarchy featuring Jhoan Durán, Jorge López, Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar, Emilio Pagán, Jorge Alcala, Jovani Moran, and Trevor Megill—each of whom has seen a good deal of Major League work. However, all are considered short relievers to one degree or another. This concentration of short relievers became a point of consternation in 2022, as the bullpen was stretched to cover four to six innings most nights. The team tried not to throw players on back-to-back games either, and you don’t need to be a math major to understand why that’s untenable with an eight-man bullpen. Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli doesn’t want to face that again this year, and a long reliever is a big part of that. “I personally think our best bullpen has, and always has, one option that can give you 50-75 pitches out of the bullpen. I’d like to carry someone like that at all times.”, Rocco said Friday to Twins Daily’s John Bonnes and the other Twins beat writers. “Is that going to be the case? No, we probably won’t be able to do that in all 162. But I think having someone like in the vast majority of our games will be very helpful. I also think we have those guys.” Given that, we may see the likes of Cole Sands, Josh Winder, Jordan Balazovic, Ronny Henriquez, or Brent Headrick called up to do something similar. Sands, Winder, Henriquez, and Headrick may be prime candidates, as they seem most likely to be relievers eventually (though Henriquez is also dealing with a sore elbow.). Calling a player up like this is more the exception than the rule when it comes to divvying up innings, though. Although the Twins could roster someone like Dobnak or Sands to be a-low leverage option, it’s debatable whether that will happen practically. I’m interested in speculating on how the Twins might get bulk work from this group—even if that doesn’t mean employing a true fulltime long reliever. I dug through 2022 usage patterns for Twins relievers with more than 15 innings and five relief appearances.Four types of usage profiles emerged in doing this. Short Relief The first is true short relief. Players like Joe Smith, Thielbar, López, and Michael Fulmer rarely threw more than an inning, and none had an appearance of two or more innings. They were also the most likely to be used on back-to-back days, with each over 20% of their appearances on zero days’ rest. Long Relief On the other side of the spectrum were pitchers predominantly used in long relief. There were two of those guys—Sands and Aaron Sanchez. Sanchez threw five relief outings, pitching 5, 3.1, 3, 3, and 1.2 innings. Had he been on the roster all season, he would have been a true long reliever, but he only filled this role in September after rosters were expanded. However, the Twins signed him as a minor league free agent this winter, so he is another option to fill this role at least partially. Multi-Inning Relief Then we get to the guys who were used somewhere in the middle, which is probably the modern version of a long reliever. Some of these guys were green line regulars, like Moran and Jharel Cotton. They threw more than one inning between 25% and 50% of the time, often when ahead by more than four runs or trailing. Although Moran and Cotton were sent down after multi-inning appearances several times, Trevor Megill remained on the roster after his initial call-up in 2022, despite having options remaining and throwing more than an inning 30% of the time. Megill’s usage was a bit all over the place in terms of leverage, and he may present the biggest question mark regarding his role for the 2023 bullpen, assuming he breaks camp with the team. Role Changers Finally, we have a group of pitchers that fluctuated between groups. The most pleasant surprises last year were Durán and Jax. Both players began the season as freshly-converted starters pitching multiple innings in the middle innings, but they transformed into predominantly one-inning guys. Both threw more than an inning about a quarter of the time, but most of those appearances came at the beginning of the year. For example, Jax recorded more than three outs just thrice in the last 100 games of the season. In the opposite direction, Emilio Pagán and Tyler Duffey began the season as single-inning options. They were converted into Cotton-esque innings-eaters by the end of the season due to performance reasons. Pagán, in particular, was an interesting case, as he took on more innings but was also relied on to throw in back-to-back games quite often. If there is one positive trait most can agree on, it’s that Pagán possesses a rubber arm. So What Will We See? At the beginning of the season, at least, the betting money would have to be on Megill, Moran, and Pagán being run out for multi-inning appearances. Suppose Pagán continues his improvements from late in the year (ironically in his new, low-leverage role). In that case, he may be in line for a hybrid role, lower on the bullpen hierarchy, but still trusted in some close games, depending on the rest status of other arms. Many fans are clamoring for Moran to be used as a second lefty rather than a long reliever, and if he develops control, he may be more suited for that role. Similarly, if Megill stops leaving balls middle-middle, he can ride his 100 MPH fastball a long way. Bulk innings may be given to whichever arm is freshest from that group, and if one emerges as a primary or secondary setup man, they may actually lead the bullpen in innings, taking the Griffin Jax path. There may be a rotating cast of waiver claims, semi-prospects, and minor league veterans at the end of the pen, soaking up innings before returning to St. Paul, or being jettisoned into the sun, never to be seen or heard from again. However, between Pagán, Moran, and Megill, the Twins may have a group who can fill multiple innings at a time while also seeing a moderate amount of medium-to-high-leverage innings. View full article

Bailey Ober and the Twins took on the Kansas City Royals tonight in game two of the three-game series. The Royals hosted not only the Twins, but Bark in the Park night, and needless to say, the Twins had another “ruff” night in Kansas City. Image courtesy of Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (85 pitches, 55 strikes (66%) Home Runs: Bottom 3 WPA: Jose Miranda (-.220), Gio Urshela (-.098), Jermaine Palacios (-0.095) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Pitching Coach Pete Maki had to come out early in the first inning after Ober had thrown 21 pitches and given up two runs. After the mound visit, Ober calmed down and got the next three hitters out, but not without running his pitch count up to 28. This was Ober’s second game back since coming off the 60-day IL with a groin injury that put him on the shelf on June 1st. Ober has been on restrictions since returning from the IL, but went five innings on September 16th and only allowed one hit and 70 pitches. This game was a little different for the starting pitcher. By the time he hit the third inning, he was up to 62 pitches and three runs allowed. Ober ended up with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings. He retired the remaining seven batters he faced before handing the game over to the bullpen. Aaron Sanchez came for Ober and kept things tight until the wind picked up. The Royals took advantage of mother nature and got another two runs in the seventh inning. Sanchez stayed in through the eighth inning, meaning it was a day off for the remainder of the bullpen. The Twins' offense showed up just as soon as the Royals did, but fell flat as soon as they fired up. In the 2nd inning, Gilberto Celestino got on base on an error which advanced Gary Sanchez to third base. Matt Wallner singled to left, scoring Sanchez and putting the Twins on the board. Wallner was also credited with driving in Nick Gordon in the fourth inning. Wallner has had a hit in all but one of his six games since joining the team and was responsible for two RBI in this game. Wallner has had a lot of fans since coming up. When he got his single to score Sanchez, in the dugout, Carlos Correa and Luis Arraez cheered on the rookie with goofy hand signs and smiles. Correa has been on fire lately at the plate. He has continually boosted his teammates, been a part of mound visits, and ensured that his teammates knew that he was there to help them grow. There have been many endearing moments of him with teammates, but the best relationship has been with fellow 2012 draftee, Byron Buxton. The top two picks that year had time to talk during the Midwest League All-Star Game in Dayton, Ohio in 2013. They played on the same Western Division squad and had time to share the same experiences bonding them for what would be ten years later. It’s hard to imagine that he won’t stay here when he fits in so well, on the field and off. The Twins continued to try and rally every inning getting guys on base, but getting outs just as quickly. The club remained scoreless the remainder of the game unable to overcome mother nature and goofy defensive plays that weren’t errors. The Twins had an opportunity and the upper hand through the fourth with Wallner’s double, but the bats fell asleep after that. Pitching for tomorrow’s game: Thursday 1:10pm CST: RHP Josh Winder (4-4, 4.17 ERA) v. RHP Jonathan Heasley (3-8, 5.09 ERA) Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Sanchez 0 49 0 0 0 41 90 Henriquez 0 0 0 73 0 0 73 López 0 32 0 34 0 0 66 Moran 40 15 5 0 0 0 60 Pagán 0 31 0 15 0 0 46 Fulmer 0 17 0 0 23 0 40 Thielbar 0 0 0 0 23 0 23 Jax 0 13 0 0 4 0 17 Duran 0 0 17 0 0 0 17 Megill 0 0 0 0 17 0 17 View full article

Saturday brought another doubleheader for the Twins against Cleveland on the road for the second time this season. As Forest Lake native Matt Wallner made his MLB debut during the first game of the Twins doubleheader, the Twins needed a big victory to keep their postseason hopes alive. Could they manage to rebound from Friday night’s loss? Image courtesy of Ken Blaze, USA Today Sports Box Score SP: Louie Varland 5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (91 pitches, 60 strikes (65.9 strike %)) Home Runs: Matt Wallner (1) Bottom 3 WPA: Louie Varland -.185, Jose Miranda -.091, Luis Arraez -.057 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Minnesota Debuts Making his second big-league start for the Twins was North St. Paul native Louie Varland. Alongside him making his Major League debut in right field was Forest Lake native Matt Wallner. Varland and Wallner became a part of a unique club in MLB history in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader. The two are the second pair of Minnesota-born players to make their debuts back to back on the same team. The only other Minnesota-born players in this club are Carl Thomas and Dick Stigman who debuted three days apart in April of 1960 with the Cleveland Indians. Wallner ended up going 1-3 with a home run to make his mark in the Big Leagues. All Blues, No Rock N’ Roll for Varland Varland’s quickness on the mound was one of the few things the Twins had going for them all afternoon. Varland surrendered a home run to Jose Ramirez in the first inning to put Cleveland up 1-0. The third inning for the Twins' defense was very costly for them. After a lead-off walk to Myles Straw, Steven Kwan hit into what looked like a double play but after missing the second base bag and Jose Miranda fumbling at first with the throw from Nick Gordon. It advanced Straw to third and allowed Cleveland to get the game's second run. The Guardians lit up Varland once more in the bottom of the fourth as they tagged two more runs on thanks to three hits leading off the inning to make it 4-0. Varland pitched through the fifth without giving up any additional runs but still saw struggles giving up to singles and an intentional walk to Andres Gimenez. Varland’s afternoon was over after the fifth as he tallied 91 pitches and 60 strikes to get through his second MLB start. Big Hitting Woes Carlos Correa and Gio Urshela were the only hitters that had a hit through the first six innings of the game for the Twins. Gordon managed a single in the seventh but Bieber dominated the Twins through seven and kept Cleveland’s bullpen well rested ahead of Game 2. Fortunately for the Twins, the hitting woes ended in the top of the eighth as Wallner hit his first MLB home run to put the Twins on the board. They were still down 5-1 but Wallner’s homer made him the 12th Twin in history to hit a home run for his first MLB hit. Bieber did not pitch past the eighth but the Twins had to go up against Emmanuel Clause once again in the ninth to try and revive their hitting. The Twins had hit .188 and scored only one run off Clase before Saturday’s appearance. The hitting numbers decreased by the minimum as Clause closed out the victory for Cleveland. What’s Next? Twins will start game two of this doubleheader at 6:10 p.m. CT tonight with Josh Winder going against Konnor Pilkington of the Guardians. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Sheet View full article

After a late night arrival from the East Coast and a rain delay, the Twins and Guardians started their three game series; emotions were high, bats were on fire, coaches were heated and it’s only game one. Image courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, USA Today Box Score SP: Dylan Bundy 4.2 IP, 12 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (94 pitches, 64 strikes (68%)) Home Runs: Carlos Correa (19) Top 3 WPA: Carlos Correa (.224), Jose Miranda (.35), Jovani Moran (.33) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Dylan Bundy started out facing off against Steven Kwan. Kwan hit a high fly ball towards left and Nick Gordon, tracking the ball, slid on his back as he crossed the third base line to catch the ball and get the energy rocking in Target Field to start the game. With such an electric start, the remainder of the first inning proved that the game was going to be contentious, as well as, most likely the rest of the series. As Bundy tried to work around a one-out start, Amed Rosario and Jose Ramirez got on base and a rip from Josh Naylor to left field got Rosario waved around to home to get the Guardians on the board first. The Guardians quickly showed Bundy and the Twins that they were ready to play and did not care that the Twins were running on fumes from the four-game series and a long night traveling home from New York. The seriousness of the game set in immediately as the Guardians went up 4-0 with a three-run homerun Oscar Gonzalez before the end of the inning and again in the fifth, pushing the score 0-7. With the bar being set by the Guardians early in the game, pitcher Cal Quantrill matched his offense's energy and the Guardians managed to dominate the Twins in both offense and defense. Mishaps from the Guardians and an overturned call in the second almost sucked the wind out of the team's sails, but they fought back and rebounded. In the fifth inning, the Twins were on a roll starting with a great hit from Correa who has been relentless in his pursuit of getting on base all night. Correa hit his third homerun in three days and his 900th hit tonight keeping the team in contention. The entirety of the Twins line-up took turns making magic happen tonight. Sandy Leon had a phenomenal night. Leon ended up being a huge part in the Twins getting runs on the board tonight in both opportunities in both the fifth and the sixth innings. Leon started the game with a strikeout and ended up with a single and a walk, and got home both times thanks to Correa’s hits. The Twins did not make this win easy on the Guardians, even with all the murky start to the game. The Starting pitching has been struggling to keep the runs down in the last few series and tonight was no exception. Starting Pitching Woes Dylan Bundy gave up a career-high 12 hits and seven earned runs. This far into the season, the starting pitching can not afford situations like they have had. In the past 13 games the Twins have only averaged 3.1 runs a game and through the past eight games when Twins Starters have given up runs first, they were unable to fight back and get the win. Last time we had a seven-run comeback was against Cleveland in 2009. Bundy was pulled after only 4 ⅓ innings, replaced by Aaron Sanchez who stayed in through the eighth inning, and didn’t allow another Guardians run before turning the game over to Jovani Moran. The bullpen got a much-needed break to continue to the battle this weekend and the offense has the momentum to still claim the division, if they want it badly enough. Injuries cost on and off the field The series comes down to who really wants it more. There are of course injuries to take into account. The Twins have 17 players on the IL as of today, most of those being day one guys on the 40-man. The 17 players have an accumulative 1,411 days of missed games and the cost of those players not being played is $11, 745, 225. The Twins are tied with the Reds for the most players currently on the IL, but the salaries are a $2 mill difference. When looking at September baseball, those numbers not only cost a lot on the books, but also in the standings. The one asset the Twins have is that they have a deep farm system and the players that have been brought up from AAA have really held their own, but are they going to be able to be what we need to get into the postseason? Pitching Preview Match-Up Cleveland Series: Saturday 6:15pm CST: Chris Archer (2-7, 4.47 ERA) vs. RHP Tristan McKenzie (9-11, 3.18 ERA) Sunday 1:10pm CST: TBD vs. RHP Shane Bieber (9-8, 2.96 ERA) Postgame Interview Coming soon. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was ejected by the umpiring crew in Houston after there was a misunderstanding over what was counted as a mound visit. Rocco left the dugout after a benches-clearing incident, was credited as having made a mound visit and not made aware of that fact. Later in the inning, Twins pitching coach Pete Maki went out for a visit and the Twins were forced to remove starter Aaron Sanchez because it was technically their second visit of the inning. Ooof. Down in the minors, Chris Williams continued to mash for the Saints and Austin Martin was running wild for the Wind Surge. All that and more in tonight's recap. View full video

Justin Verlander no-hit the Twins through six innings as the Twins were dominated by the Astros. Rocco Baldelli was ejected, Byron Buxton hit the IL, and Cole Sands exited the game after being hit by a comebacker on a rough day for Minnesota. Box Score Starting Pitcher: Aaron Sanchez 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO (75-50) Homeruns: None Bottom 3 WPA: Jake Cave -.246, Aaron Sanchez A -.104, Gary Sanchez G -,092 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Life comes are you fast. A week ago, the Twins were in the midst of a 9-0 demolition of the Royals, at the mid-point of an optimism catalyzing four-game win streak. Today, they are spiraling. A series in Houston was never going to be appetizing, no matter the form or health of the roster. The Minnesota Twins’ stars, however, have aligned in a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions, with the illusive ‘TBD’ pitcher to face Justin Verlander being named as Aaron Sanchez. Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer are slated to start game two and three respectively. Inhale, exhale, puke. The Twins star-crossed roster was also reeling from the news that Byron Buxton hit the IL for the first time in 2022 with a hip strain on Tuesday afternoon. Before any twitter bots with binary code in their handles get to say ‘I told you so’, let’s take a moment to commend the Twins on their plan to maximize Buxton’s time on the field so far in 2022. He’s played 92 games in 2022 (100 combined in 2020 and 2021) and has been worth 4.0 fWAR thus far on the season. Get well soon, Byron. Twins Offense Late to Ballpark, Arrives at Minute Maid in the Seventh Inning Carlos Correa singled in the top of the seventh inning. Max Kepler and Gio Urshela had back to back hits in the top of the eighth. No runners scored. The Twins offense finally delivered 'something' in the ninth inning, a walk and three hits plating Luis Arraez and Jorge Polanco to score their first runs of the game. This concludes all relevant updates on the Twins offense in game one of their series in Houston. Baldelli Ejected in Fifth Inning Following Bench Clearance Aaron Sanchez performed solidly against one of the best teams in baseball in his first four innings. He surrendered two runs on a Mauricio Dubon single in the second inning, and back-to-back doubles from Kyle Tucker and Trey Mancini in the fourth, the latter of which Nick Gordon seemed to slightly misjudge in center field. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Jose Altuve was hit by a pitch. Altuve and Sanchez exchanged words, leading to a pedestrian bench clearance. The clearance was apparently designated as a mound visit by home plate umpire Rob Drake. When Pete Maki came out to visit with Sanchez after a Yuli Gurriel walk, the umpires designated it the second visit of the inning, mandating that Sanchez be removed from the game. Rocco Baldelli lost it, and was ejected in the subsequent argument, giving Cole Sands plenty of time to warm up in long relief. Twins Offense Less Futile, Still Pretty Futile Against Astros Pen With eyes on loftier goals, the Astros removed Verlander after six no-hit innings and 10 strikeouts. On another day, I’d be more inclined to compliment the longevity and dominance of one of the best pitchers of his generation, tonight, I was just baffled by how inept the Twins offense looked. Cole Sands, who had pitched effectively in relief, exited the game in the seventh inning after being struck in the arm by a comebacker. Trevor Megill relieved Sands and surrendered a two-run homer to Alex Bregman, extended the Astros lead to 4-0. After a couple of wobbles, the Astros bullpen saw off the Twins for the final three innings. Under normal circumstances, surrendering just four runs away at Houston would give an effective offense a good chance to win a tricky road test. This Twins offense however, is just not effective. Four runs was more than enough, and the Twins fell to 62-59 on the season, losing their fourth game in a row. Bullpen Usage Chart FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Pagán 0 0 39 0 14 53 Megill 24 0 15 0 8 47 Thielbar 17 11 0 12 0 40 Sands 0 0 0 0 38 38 López 20 9 0 0 0 29 Jax 0 11 0 14 0 25 Fulmer 0 0 0 12 0 12 Duran 10 0 0 0 0 10 Next Up On Wednesday, the Twins will continue their series against Houston. Dylan Bundy goes for the Twins against Framber Valdez for the Astros. First pitch is 7:10pm CT Postgame Interviews View full article

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

There was a myriad of rock-solid starting pitching performances through the month of July across the Twins' farm system. That couldn't be more timely as we enter the dog days of the minor league calendar. Through all the strikeouts, groundouts, and shutouts, here's who we've selected as our Starting Pitchers of the Month. Previous Minor League Starting Pitchers of the Month June Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month: Aaron Rozek May Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month: Steve Hajjar April Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month: John Stankiewicz Honorable Mention III - Kody Funderburk (Double-A Wichita Wind Surge) The definition of steady-eddy development, the lefty from Mesa, AZ had another rock-solid month in July. Through four starts (and an additional long relief appearance), Funderburk touted a 2.57 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 20 strikeouts and just five walks through 21 innings in July. Funderburk allowed just one run in three of his starts and shutout Northwest Arkansas in 3 2/3 innings of relief following Louie Varland's start on July 29. At 25 years old and coming off an incredible season in Cedar Rapids, Funderburk has found his stride with Double-A Wichita this season. His yearlong 7-4 record, 2.82 ERA, and 1.39 WHIP are rock solid, yet Funderburk's greatest strength is his versatility. A proven success as a starter and as a reliever, Funderburk serves as a the 'jack-of-all-trades yes man' for the Twins organization as they move forward. Honorable Mention II - Aaron Sanchez (Triple-A St. Paul Saints) Once a reliable rock on the MLB pitching scene, Sanchez fell short to unfortunate injuries that led to inconstancies in the mid to late 2010's. Signed to a minor league contract prior to the 2022 season, it looks like Sanchez has found his footing. Called up to the Twins towards the end of July, the 30-year-old cruised to consistency in St. Paul for a majority of the month. Through four starts and 22 2/3 innings, Sanchez recorded 3.18 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in July along with 13 strikeouts. His most impressive stat? Sanchez faced 68 batters in July for the Saints. He walked just one of them. Promoted to Target Field to face the Tigers on August 1, Sanchez dealt, striking out eight Detroit batters through five innings. Unfortunately for Sanchez, the acquisition of Michael Fulmer mean that that space on the roster was needed, resulting in Sanchez being DFA'd. Baseball is a business and it's unfortunate to see Sanchez go after things were seemingly going his way. Regardless of where his next start takes place, he's trending in the right direction. HONORABLE MENTION I - Marco Raya (Low-A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels) One of the most prized arms in the Twins organization, the Laredo, TX native continued his dominant 2022 campaign with a stellar July. In four starts and 17 innings, the 19-year-old tallied a 2.65 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while striking out 17 and walking just five batters. A fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft, Raya has continued to dazzle with his electric fastball and rock-solid slider, two things that aren't necessarily new for the righty. Long starts are a rarity at the Low-A level and Raya is no exception. All four of his starts in July were five innings or less and his season-long is six innings. That's not a reflection of Raya's performance, but merely a developmental precaution used to mold young, talented arms. The consistency and flare are there and it will be fascinating to see how Raya performs when his innings are increased as he scales the Twins' farm system. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE STARTING PITCHER OF THE MONTH - Mike Paredes (Low-A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels) On a team known for it's lights-out pitching, Mike Paredes was an absolute joy to watch through the month of July. Drafted in the 18th round of the 2021 Draft, Paredes has made a name for himself in his first full season of professional baseball. This past month was no exception. Through five games and four starts spanning 26 1/3 innings, Paredes recorded a 4-0 record, 2.05 ERA, and 1.06 WHIP while striking out 15 batters and walking just four. A heavy groundout/flyout pitcher, Parades kept runs off the board, allowing just one run in three of his four starts and allowing just one home run against 79 batters faced. Even on 'off days,' Parades was dominant. Despite giving up seven hits on July 2 against Dunedin, the 22-year-old allowed just one run through six innings to propel the Mussels to victory. Paredes has the potential to be the ultimate Twins pitcher; a consistent workhorse who may not rely heavily on speed and strikeouts, but more so on accuracy and pitch selection. An out's an out no matter how it takes place and Paredes sure knows how to get them. At 22 years old, the Twins have time to work with the San Diego State alum. And while he may not have the name recognition of other arms within the organization, expect Paredes to make more and more noise and he climbs the organization in years to come. View full article

The Minnesota Twins got a solid start from journeyman Aaron Sanchez. The bats were quiet most of the night, but they came alive in the late innings and ended it in the 10th frame with the exclamation point coming from the happy new dad, Gio Urshela. Box Score SP: Aaron Sanchez: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K (81 pitches, 51 strikes (62.9%)) Home Runs: Gio Urshela (10) Top 3 WPA: Jose Miranda (.536), Gio Urshela (.231), Jharel Cotton (.089) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Minnesota Twins returned home on trade deadline eve to face off against the Tigers. While the hope was that the Twins may have acquired some pitching help via trade by this point in time, the reality is they were forced to turn to recent minor-league signing Aaron Sanchez for the start Monday evening. Since joining the Twins organization, Sanchez has made eight starts for the St. Paul Saints while sporting a 4.26 ERA with 11 walks and 26 strikeouts over 38 innings. Sanchez’s time in the majors this season came with the Washington Nationals, where he struggled to an 8.33 ERA in seven starts this season. Tigers Strike First The second inning may have quickly been giving Sanchez flashbacks to how his season began in Washington. A walk and then a single quickly put runners on the corners with one out. Then facing Tucker Barnhardt, a ground out to the right side of the infield was able to score Jeimer Candelario to give the Tigers the early 1-0 lead. The positive to that second inning is that with a runner still in scoring position, Sanchez bounced back and struck out Akil Baddoo to end the inning and minimize the damage. Free baserunners came back to haunt Sanchez again in the 4th inning. A walk to Miguel Cabrera and hitting Willi Castro with a pitch set Barnhart up for his second RBI of the night. The catcher took advantage of that opportunity by lining a single to center field to bring Cabrera home and extend the lead to 2-0. Even though the free passes hurt Sanchez, he did limit the damage by striking out Baddoo again to end the inning. Garlick exits game Kyle Garlick, who was in the game to try and fulfill his customary role as lefty masher, exited the game early with what the team has called rib inflammation. Alex Kirilloff came off the bench to replace him, but there is lots of concern on whether or not Kirilloff should have been in the game himself. He still suffers from pain in his wrist while he swings the bat. With Max Kepler still out due to his toe and Gilberto Celestino on the paternity list, options became limited fast, with the only other outfielder available being Byron Buxton. Buxton was on a scheduled rest day Monday evening. In the eighth inning, Tim Beckham pinch hit for Kirilloff and took over in leftfield, which gave relief to the concerns. Sanchez with solid outing There was plenty of speculation around what exactly the Twins would get out of Sanchez in his first start for his new team. The one-time dominant starter has not looked like that for some time. Monday evening, he provided a lift to a banged-up Twins rotation that needed it. Sanchez made it through five innings. He struck out eight Tiger batters and induced 14 swings and misses while allowing two runs. Bats finally come alive in the eighth For most of the night, the Twins bats were quiet. Outside of what Nick Gordon was able to do, it felt like the bats were lifeless. That was until the eighth inning when Michael Fulmer took the mound. Jorge Polanco got the hit parade started. Consecutive hits by Polanco, Carlos Correa, Luis Arraez, and a two-run single from Jose Miranda put the Twins on the scoreboard. Miranda’s single evened the score at two. Base-running error shuts down the ninth The Twins looked to be making a bid to walk off the ball game in the ninth inning. Gordon provided some more spark to start the inning and was on third base with Correa up to bat with two outs. Correa worked a walk, but on ball four, the ball kicked away from Tigers catcher, Tucker Barnhardt. Gordon started to move toward home. Two steps in changed his mind, but he couldn’t make it back to third in time before being thrown out. Luis Arraez would have been up with the bases loaded and two outs. Instead, the Twins took the field as the game went into extra innings. What will certainly also be questioned about the ninth inning is why didn’t Buxton pinch-hit for Mark Contreras. On to the tenth Griffin Jax was given the tenth inning, with Willi Castro standing on second. After a diving catch by Contreras in right field off the bat of Eric Haase that moved Castro to third base, Baddoo, who had struck in each of his three previous at-bats, hit the ball up the middle, past the drawn-in infield to score Castro and give the Tigers the lead. Urshela walks it off The Twins weren't ready to return to the field for the eleventh inning. With one out, Jose Miranda came up big again with an RBI single to tie the game. With two outs, Gio Urshela walked up to the plate with Miranda on second and made sure there was no doubt the winning run would cross the plate. Urshela, fresh off the paternity list, hit his tenth home run of the season to give the Twins the win. The injuries and their effect on the team were again evident Monday night. Also, once again, the Twins figured out a way to scrape together the win. Hopefully, through tomorrow the Twins will add via the trade deadline, but for tonight Aaron Sanchez looked like he wants to be one of those deadline additions to help the Twins down the stretch. What’s Next? The Twins will look to right the ship tomorrow against the Tigers. This time they will send right-hander Chris Archer to the mound for his 18th start of the 2022 season. The Tigers will send right-hander Matt Manning to the mound. It will only be Manning’s third start of 2022. After eight total innings in his previous two starts, Manning currently sits at a 2.25 ERA. The hope will be that the Twins bats will bump that up by the end of Tuesday evening. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet MON FRI SAT SUN SUN TOT Moran 0 25 0 16 0 41 Cotton 0 13 0 0 27 40 Pagan 0 0 20 20 0 40 Jax 0 0 11 0 20 31 Megill 0 0 7 23 0 30 Duffey 0 0 28 0 0 28 Duran 0 0 11 0 10 21 Smith 0 0 0 0 3 3 Cano 0 0 0 0 0 0 View full article

Who knows how the Minnesota Twins handle their catching situation the rest of the way. Maybe the infield becomes the most unpredictable group in baseball. No matter what, they need to add and the time is now, Let's go! TRANSACTIONS C Dillon Tatum reinstated from the IL by Single-A Fort Myers C Frank Nigro transferred to FCL Twins RHP Luis Rijo transferred to Single-A Cedar Rapids RHP Sean Mooney placed on IL with a right neck strain SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 9, Iowa 5 Box Score On Wednesday afternoon, the Saints turned to veteran Aaron Sanchez. He worked around six hits and while two runs crossed the plate, neither were earned. Sanchez also struck out three batters and walked just one. The scoring started in the 2nd inning when catcher David Banuelos launched a no-doubter to left-center bringing in Roy Morales as well. Iowa evened things in the top of the third inning, but Mark Contreras plated Tim Beckham on a 3rd inning groundout. Following up his earlier big fly, Banuelos stepped in during the 4th inning and blasted a second longball, his 6th of the season. This one was of the solo variety. Michael Helman struggled mightily at shortstop early in this one, but he made up for it at the dish when he doubled to drive in Matt Wallner in the 5th inning. Wallner got on with a walk after just missing what looked like his first Triple-A home run. In the 6th inning, Spencer Steer lifted a sacrifice fly to score Elliot Soto, and then Jake Cave launched a two-run oppo-taco scoring Banuelos. Generating breathing room, St. Paul was now up 8-2. After Austin Schulfer allowed a three-run bomb, the Saints picked their pitcher up when Soto doubled to drive in Morales and make it 9-5. Ian Hamilton came on and slammed the door working 1 2/3 hitless innings and punching out three. Five different Saints hitters had multi-hit games including Cave, Helman, Soto, Banuelos, and Tim Beckham. WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 5, Wichita 0 Box Score The Wind Surge went with Casey Legumina tonight on the bump and he turned in just three innings of work. Allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, Legumina also struck out two but gave up three free passes. A solo shot in the 4th inning ultimately did him in. Northwest Arkansas continued adding in the 6th inning and by the end of the frame, Wichita was down 5-0 while being outhit 11-1. The Wind Surge put runners on first and second in the bottom of the 9th inning without recording a hit, and then DaShawn Keirsey Jr stepped in. He singled to center loading the bases, but Nash Knight was called out on strikes to end the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Wisconsin 4 Box Score Luis Rijo was returned to the Kernels today after working back from injury, but his start could’ve gone much better. Allowing three runs on four hits, Rijo walked one and didn’t record a strikeout on the day. Cedar Rapids didn’t wait around to start the scoring today, and Kyler Fedko announced his presence in a big way when he launched a solo shot to lead things off. Seth Gray then made it back-to-back jacks with his 11th of the season. Before the first three outs were recorded, Yunior Severino drove in Aaron Sabato with a single to r After seeing their lead erased by the bottom of the 2nd inning, Cedar Rapids then went back to work. Charles Mack ripped a double in the 5th inning allowing Dylan Neuse to scamper home. In the 6th inning Jake Rucker stepped up with a double to plate Severino before a Jeferson Morales sacrifice fly brought Wander Javier in. Neuse then contributed at the dish with a groundout to drive in Rucker. Wisconsin tried to go on a run and close the gap, but all they’d get was a run in the 7th inning. Both clubs recorded eight hits, but no one on the Kernels saw two on the day. Matthew Swain got the win working 2 2/3 innings allowing just two hits. Derek Molina recorded his 4th save. MUSSEL MATTERS Game 1: Tampa 3, Fort Myers 2 (F/7) Box Score Pierson Ohl took the ball for game one of the twin bill. He turned in five solid innings of work allowing three runs on six hits while walking just one and fanning six. It wasn’t enough for the win, but Ohl kept the Mighty Mussels competitive this afternoon. Two runs against Fort Myers came in the 1st inning while the third was tallied in the 2nd. Fort Myers responded on a Misael Urbina double in the 3rd inning, and their last run was plated on a Luis Baez 5th inning single. Both squads recorded six hits in game one, and Tampa actually committed two errors, but the Tarpons got the necessary third run to grab the victory. Urbina was the lone Mighty Mussels hitter to grab multiple hits in the first game today. Game 2: Fort Myers , Tampa (F/7) Tampa 7, Fort Myers 1 Box Score Jordan Carr drew the start in game two. He went four scoreless allowing just one hit and punching out four. Carr gave up a walk, but that was the extent of the Tarpons opportunities in the nightcap. After a tough game one, Keoni Cavaco singled in the 3rd inning to plate Urbina and Fort Myers grabbed the lead. Unfortunately Anthony Escobar went belly up to the tune of six earned runs without recording an out. Despite Juan Mendez working the final two innings, all of the damage had already been done, COMPLEX CHRONICLES No Game DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Cardinals 5, DSL Twins 3 (Suspended/5) Box Score Today’s tilt was suspended in the 5th inning with the bases loaded due to lightning. Bryan Acuna continues to trend upwards however and added two more hits in the early innings for the Twins. 17-year-old Ricardo Pena crushed his 2nd home run of his career. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Sanchez (St. Paul) - 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 K Hitter of the Day – David Banuelos (St. Paul) - 3-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR(6) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #6 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 0-3, RBI, BB, K #8 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, 2 K #12 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-4, R, BB, 2 K #16 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Wichita) - 0-4, 2 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (7:07PM CST) - TBD NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:40PM CST) - RHP Aaron Rozek Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! It sure is exciting to have all four Twins full-season affiliates and the two Complex Season affiliates back and playing. View full article

There was no lack of excitement across the farm on the Sunday before the Fourth of July. Check out all the fireworks from across the Twins Minor League organization! SAINTS SENTINAL St. Paul 10, Omaha 2 Box Score In front of a season-high crown the St. Paul Saints turned on the bats in a 10-2 beatdown over division foe Omaha. The Saints' approach at the plate was versatile, using three doubles, six singles, and a Tim Beckham homer to plate the most runs scored since a June 19th extra-innings victory over Columbus. The offense wasn't the only storyline; starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez (W, 3-0) was dominant, tossing six innings of one-run, three-hit baseball while striking out two. For the third time this season, Sanchez didn't allow a single walk. The bullpen trio of Jake Petricka, Hunter Wood, and Ian Hamilton was equally impressive, pitching a combined three innings of no-hit ball while striking out three. Beckham, Mark Contreras, Jose Godoy, and Braden Bishop all tallied multi-hit games for the Saints and combined for nine of ten hits recorded by the team. Contreras is off to a hot start in July, hitting safely in all three games with two doubles, a homer, and four RBI. Emerging as the face of the Saints' offense, Contreras is slashing .244/.340/.434 (.744) on the season with 13 doubles, eight homers, and 34 RBI. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 10, Springfield 9 Box Score There have been a number of mountains and unfortunately some valleys for the Wind Surge in a 2022 season filled with highs and lows. Winning extra-inning games isn't one of those lows. Following a two-hour rain delay, the Surge used a Kyle Schmidt two-run homer in the eighth inning to secure the win in a game that was scheduled for seven innings. The win now puts the Surge at 6-2 in extra-inning games in the 2022 season. Assigned to Wichita on June 17 from High-A Cedar Rapids, Schmidt punched a 3-2 pitch over the left-center field wall to score Edouard Julien from second and give the Surge a 10-8 lead. The blast was Schmidt's first at the Double-A level. Anthony Prato and Kevin Merrell gave the Surge an early lead with back-to-back homers in the second inning to give Wichita a 3-0 lead. Chris Williams also homered, punching a fourth-inning fastball over the left-field wall for his eighth home run of the season. Prato had the strongest day at the plate for the Wind Surge, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a single along with his home run. Starting pitcher Kody Funderburk allowed four runs on four hits with a walk while striking out three through 3 1/3 innings. And while it wasn't his strongest outing, Funderburk still outs a 3.06 ERA and 1.46 WHIP on the year through 19 games and five starts. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 5, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score Despite a four-hit game from Alerick Soularie the Kernels dropped a one-run contest to the Timber Rattlers on Sunday afternoon. The Kernels have now lost five in a row. An honorable mention recipient for our Minor League Hitter of the Month, Soularie punched four singles and stole a base in the series finale against Wisconsin. Soularie is heating up as of recent and is now slashing .217/.315/.371 (.701) on the season. After a rough start from Pierce Banks, reliever Tyler Palm settled in, pitching three innings of no-run, one-hit ball while striking out for and walking one. Matthew Swain followed Palm and was solid, but gave up a pair of two-out hits in the eighth inning that allowed the Timber Rattlers to take the lead. In addition to Soularie, Kyler Fedko and Wander Javier tallied multi-game hits. Will Holland recorded his fifth homer of the season when he launched a three-run bomb over the left-field wall in the third inning. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers, Dunedin POSTPONED Sunday's tilt against the Blue Jays was postponed due to severe weather and will be made up as part of a double-header when the two teams face off in a July 22-24 series. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day: Alerick Soularie (Cedar Rapids) - 4-for-5, SB Pitcher of the Day: Aaron Sanchez (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 3 H, R, 2 K PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Tuesday. With the turning of the calendar to July, Twins Daily has updated its Top 20 Prospect rankings. #6 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2 R, BB #12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 0-for-2, RBI, BB, K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 2-for-5, R SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (6:40 PM CST) - RHP Josh Winder (0-0, 4.50 ERA) Amarillo @ Wichita (6:35 PM CST) - RHP Daniel Gossett (0-1, 2.03 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - TBD Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30 PM CST) - TBD View full article