Search the Community

It was a tough day on the farm for the Minnesota Twins affiliates. Runs were at a premium and wins were nearly non-existent. The Saints came through with the drama. TRANSACTIONS There were no reported transactions today. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Indianapolis 2 (F/10) Box Score Veteran Matt Shoemaker continued his strong stretch with the Saints again in this one. He turned in seven strong allowing just two hits while striking out six and giving up just two walks. St. Paul scored first on a Keon Broxton solo shot in the bottom of the third inning. Jimmy Kerrigan then scored the second run on a wild pitch in the 7th. After an 8th inning homer knotted things up for Indianapolis, this one would see extras. In the 10th Tomas Telis drew a bases loaded walk allowing J.T. Riddle to waltz in for the game winning run. Kerrigan was joined by Jose Miranda as the lone batters to record two-hit games. WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 12, Wichita 1 Box Score Northwest Arkansas came out with bats ready to go from the jump. Bryan Sammons was blitzed early for a four run 2nd inning but did well to rebound and complete four for Wichita. The Wind Surge were down 11-0 by the 8th inning, and Spencer Steer’s solo shot only brough them back within 10. The Naturals responded with a run of their own in the bottom half, and the deficit ended at 11. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 4, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score Tyler Watson was great for the Kernels allowing just a single unearned run on four hits over five innings. He struck out two and walked just one on the evening. Cedar Rapids recorded 10 hits, including three from Wander Javier and two each from Michael Helman and Daniel Ozoria. They turned into just one run though, a Helman homer in the 9th. Trying to erase a four-run deficit, it just wasn’t enough. MUSSEL MATTERS Game 1: Clearwater 4, Fort Myers 2 (F/7) Box Score Brent Headrick took the ball for Fort Myers in the first game of their doubleheader today and worked four innings. He gave up four runs on four hits while striking out six and walking two. All four Threshers runs came in the 4th inning. Trailing going into the top half of the 5th, the Mighty Mussels pushed across their answer. Misael Urbina allowed Ruben Santana to score despite a double play, and then Nick Anderson drove in Justin Washington on a single. Both sides mustered just four hits on the day, and it was Anderson pinch hitting for Aaron Sabato that was the lone batter to record a multi-hit effort in this one. Game 2: Clearwater 3, Fort Myers 2 (F/8) Box Score Landon Leach was on the hill for game two and went four innings allowing two runs on four hits while walking one and punching out two. Fort Myers pushed across the game’s first run in the top half of the 1st. Charles Mack drove in Jeferson Morales with a liner to left and then Will Holland plated Mack with a single of his own. Unfortunately, and despite 11 hits in the game, that’s where the scoring ended for the Mighty Mussels. Things were even after the 3rd, and the Threshers pushed across the game winning run in the 8th. Mack and Jesus Feliz both recorded three-hit games in this one, while Ruben Santana had a pair of his own. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Pirates Black 9, FCL Twins 6 Box Score Giovahniey German made the start today for the Twins and went three innings allowing just a single hit and one walk while striking out three. The bullpen struggled giving up nine runs (eight earned) on seven hits. Alexander Pena drove in the game’s first run scoring Emmanuel Rodriguez on a first inning single. From there though, the Pirates added eight before the Twins answered in the 7th. A Malfrin Sosa single scored Yonardy Soto bringing the deficit to six. After giving up another Pirates run, the Twins added four in a 9th inning rally that ultimately came up short. Luis Baez scored Nelson Roberto on a single before Rodriguez drove in Rubel Cespedes on a sacrifice fly. A Kala’i Rosario single scored Baez and LaRon Smith singled to drive in Rodriguez. The Twins outhit the Pirates 10 to eight, but it wasn’t enough in the runs column. Baez, Rosario, and Cespedes all recorded two hits in the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day- Tyler Watson (Cedar Rapids) – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Hitter of the Day- Michael Helman (Cedar Rapids) – 2-4, R, RBI, HR(10) PROSPECT SUMMARY Take note that we have finished our midseason update, so there is a new list! Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for season (torn ACL) #2 – Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #3 – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) –Did not pitch #4 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 2-3, 2 BB #6 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – Did not play #7 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – No game #8 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #9 – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 0-0 (was removed in game one) #10 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, K #11 – Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #12 – Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – No game #13 – Cole Sands (Wichita) –Did not pitch #14 – Brent Rooker (Minnesota) – No game #15 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 0-7, BB #16 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 1-3, R, RBI, HR(8), BB, 2 K #17 – Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 3-4 #18 – Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (foot injury) #19 – Edwar Colina (Rehab) – Injured List (elbow) #20 – Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – Did not pitch FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – RHP Griffin Jax (4-1, 3.32 ERA) Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05PM CST) – RHP Jordan Balazovic (3-1, 2.74 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05PM CST) – RHP Ben Gross (4-0, 2.41 ERA) Fort Myers @ Clearwater (5:30 PM CST) – TBD View full article

Tonight, the Twins farm system saw a few key hitting performances as well as a pair of shutouts. No matter your preference for a game type, there was something for everyone. TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins place C Mitch Garver on the paternity list, recall C Ben Rortvedt from St. Paul Minnesota Twins trade DH Nelson Cruz and RHP Calvin Faucher to Tampa Bay for RHP Joe Ryan and RHP Drew Strotman OF Kyle Garlick removed from MLB rehab, will have surgery to repair a sports hernia. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Omaha 5 Box Score Big league veteran Matt Shoemaker made the start in this one. He’s also worked in relief for the Saints, but he went five innings allowing four runs on seven hits while punching out six and walking one. After getting behind 2-0 in the 1st, St. Paul answered with two of their own in the 3rd. Solo shots from Roberto Pena and Jose Miranda put the good guys on top. Down again in the 6th, Mark Contreras singled to score Brent Rooker before Keon Broxton scored Tomas Telis on a fielder’s choice. Now knotted up at four, it was a brand new ballgame. Again, trailing by a run in the 9th, St. Paul plated Drew Stankiewicz after his double was followed by one from Pena to even it up at five. After further clogging up the bases, the Saints continue to be comeback kids with Tomas Telis driving in Miranda and Jimmy Kerrigan on a single to give them a 7-5 lead. Ian Hamilton came on and worked a flawless 9th in order to wrap up his third save and lower his ERA to 1.13 on the season. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Arkansas 0 (F/8) Box Score Starting tonight for the Wind Surge, Chris Vallimont went six innings allowing just three hits and three walks while punching out eight. He was nothing short of dominant for Wichita. Spencer Steer launched his sixth homer of the year to kick off the scoring in the first inning, and things were silent until Roy Morales and B.J Boyd drove in and additional three runs on a single and double in the 8th. Aaron Whitefield then drove in Morales on a sacrifice fly to push across the fourth run of the frame. Leading 5-0 with two outs in the bottom of the 8th, this game was called official due to a weather delay. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Beloit 0 Box Score Jon Olsen recorded his first win of the season going 5 1/3 for the Kernels tonight. He struck out five and walked two while allowing zero runs on three hits. A fifth inning Michael Helman single drove in Seth Gray to score the game’s only run. Cedar Rapids batters combined for just five total hits in this one, and Alex Isola matched Gray as the only players to record extra-base hits, both on doubles. Breckin Williams and Zach Featherstone worked in relief to preserve the shutout. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Daytona 0 Box Score Brent Headrick was on the bump to start this one and turned in three scoreless innings allowing just two hits while punching out six. He did allow four walks on the evening, but no damage was done against him. Fort Myers got on the board early with Misael Urbina scoring on a Jeferson Morales single in the first and Yunior Severino driving in Morales with a single of his own. Charles Mack singled in the 6th to score Severino before a Justin Washington single plated Willie Joe Garry Jr. With the inning ending, the Mighty Mussels lead was 4-0. Keoni Cavaco padded the score with an RBI single in the 8th scoring Garry Jr. again and Fort Myers hung on for the shutout. Yunior Severino had three hits on the evening as the lone multi-hit batter, while Zaquiel Puentes and Denny Bentley combined to preserve the shutout. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Rays 9, FCL Twins 3 Box Score Develson Aria made the start and went three innings allowing just a single hit and punching out six. He was incredible in this one. Alexander Pena scored the game’s first run on a Rubel Cespedes force out in the 4th inning, but the Twins found themselves trailing 8-1 after the top half of the 6th inning. Gregory Duran drove in Luis Baez on a single in the 8th and Wander Valdez scored on a single from Frank Nigro in the 9th. The deficit was too much to overcome, however. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day- Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day- Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 2-4, 2 R, RBI, HR(6), K PROSPECT SUMMARY Take note that we have finished our midseason update, so there is a new list! Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for season (torn ACL) #2 – Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #3 – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #4 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 2-5, 2 R, RBI HR(7) #6 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 1-5, RBI, 2K #7 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 1-3, RBI #8 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #9 – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 1-4, BB, K #10 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, 2 K #11 – Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #12 – Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch #13 – Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #14 – Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-5, R, 2K #15 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 1-5, R, K #16 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 2-4, 2 R, RBI, HR(6), K #17 – Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, 2 K #18 – Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (foot injury) #19 – Edwar Colina (Rehab) – Injured List (elbow) #20 – Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (5-2, 3.88 ERA) Wichita @ Arkansas (7:10PM CST) – RHP Austin Schulfer (2-7, 4.38 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Tyler Watson (1-0, 1.88 ERA) Daytona @ Fort Myers- (6:00PM CST) – RHP Landon Leach (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! View full article

Yet another week of minor league baseball is in the books and it was yet another week in which I spent time breaking down video of some of the more intriguing arms in the Minnesota Twins’ farm system. Below are some takeaways on the performance and film of three pitchers that caught my eye in particular. Louie Varland (High-A Cedar Rapids) Twins Daily Ranking: Honorable Mention MLB Pipeline Ranking: N/a FanGraphs Ranking: N/a Weekly Stats: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K Varland made his well-earned High-A debut earlier this week after putting up some stellar numbers in Low-A. His 14.45 K/9 rate and 4.75 K:BB ratio in 47 ⅓ innings for the Mighty Mussels were not only among the best on the team, but the Twins’ system in general, which is not something that many expected for the team’s 15th-round pick in 2019. Varland owns a compact windup with repeatable mechanics and a three-quarter arm slot. Although he has primarily been utilized as a starter both in college - at NCAA Division II Concordia University, St. Paul - as well as in the minors, his pitch mix primarily consists of a fastball and curveball, which is typically better suited out of the bullpen. The fastball, which sits in the mid-90s, plays best up in the zone where it stays flat with a little bit of tailing action. However, as he moves it lower in the zone, the amount of sink increases and, along with it, a diminished command. The curveball has potential to be a plus second pitch if he can refine his command. While he unleashes it frequently to miss bats, his feel for the pitch is fairly average, highlighted by often leaving it hanging middle-middle, which is something he can get away with in A-ball but will get slapped around at higher levels. However, when he locates it low, it’s a very difficult ball to square up, especially when piggybacking off a fastball up in the zone. Varland’s lack of a third pitch, whether that be another off-speed offering or improved command of his fastball down, will likely limit him to a relief role should he make it to the majors. Regardless, his performance to date should get his name placed on the major Twins prospect ranking lists come the end of the season. Chris Vallimont (Double-A Wichita) Twins Daily Ranking: No. 20 MLB Pipeline Ranking: No. 18 FanGraphs Ranking: No. 18 Weekly Stats: 3 1/3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 7 K Chris Vallimont looks every bit the part of a major league pitcher. Standing at 6-foot-5-inches tall with an athletic frame and a left arm full of tattoos, Vallimont was acquired along with former Twin Sergio Romo from the Miami Marlins in exchange for minor league slugger Lewin Diaz. He shot up the Twins prospect rankings due in large part to his projectability and solid fastball/curve repertoire; he’ll also mix in the occasional changeup and slider, though his command, which isn’t necessarily anything to write home about to begin with, of the latter two pitches is pretty poor. However, since joining the system, he has been a bit of an enigma. Vallimont has always boasted huge strikeout numbers and that has continued this season. He currently is cutting down batters at an impressive 14.57 K/9 clip, which translates to 68 strikeouts in 42 innings at the Double-A level. However, the sheen of these numbers are muted a bit due to his propensity to dish out free passes (5.36 BB/9) and hard contact (9.1% HR:FB ratio). Making things even more murky is the fact that Vallimont’s standard and advanced statistics largely paint two distinct pictures. His 4.71 ERA is ugly, but his 3.24 FIP is much prettier, for example. He also is getting BABIP’d to death (.402), which is unsustainable. Basically, the beauty of Vallimont’s future is ultimately in the eye of the beholder, though as of now, he’s more likely to end up as a reliever than a starter in the long-term. Jordan Gore (Double-A Wichita) Twins Daily Ranking: N/a MLB Pipeline Ranking: N/a FanGraphs Ranking: N/a Weekly Stats: 3 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K The success of Jordan Gore is simply a good story. Taken in the 19th round of the 2017 draft as an infielder, Gore converted to relief pitching full-time this season after serving as a two-way player for the previous two. In 46 career innings across rookie ball, A-ball, and Double-A, Gore has struck out 62, walked 24, and allowed only two home runs. Much like the two other pitchers discussed above, Gore is a right-hander who primarily relies on his fastball and curveball. The fastball won’t necessarily blow anyone away, but the curve plays well off of it. If he continues to perform as he has to this point, he may find himself in the Twins’ bullpen at some point next summer. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

The name of the game was tight contests tonight on the farm. With Fort Myers postponed for the evening, two of the three contests player were barnburners. TRANSACTIONS It isn't an official transaction yet, but we can confirm that LHP Charlie Barnes will be called up to the Twins from St. Paul and make his MLB debut this weekend. Phil Miller (Star-Tribune) reported that he will start on Friday night. RHPs Luis Blanco and Carlos Velasquez and OF Fernando Vargas were released. The Twins released RHP Jordan Milbrath, the Minnesotan who was pitching for the Wichita Wind Surge. They signed RHP Mitchell Osnowitz and assigned him to Wichita. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 9, Columbus 8 Box Score Ian Hamilton worked as an opener for the Saints in this one and went three innings allowing a single run on just one hit. He fanned four and walked one. The lone run came on a solo shot. Following the Clippers lead in the 3rd, St. Paul came roaring back. Jimmy Kerrigan stayed hot driving his eighth homer, a two-run blast, in the bottom half of the 3rd inning. Brent Rooker followed up his big night with a sacrifice fly in his second at bat that pushed Keon Broxton across the plate. The Saints surrendered the lead in the top of the 4th, but Broxton singled in Damek Tomscha to knot things at four in the bottom half of the inning. A pair of homers put Columbus ahead 7-4 going into the bottom half, but the Saints weren’t done either. Broxton continued his heroics, this time with a solo blast. Jose Miranda followed with a dinger of his own, and Brent Rooker then left the yard for his 18th Saints homer. Three blasts had things all even at seven. Needing to break the tie, it was back to the longball, and this time from Drew Maggi. A two-run shot scored Tomscha and gave the Saints just enough breathing room to withstand a 9th inning Columbus run. The 12 hits for St. Paul were spread across the board with only Maggi and Broxton recording multi-hit games. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 9, Tulsa 3 Box Score While the final tally is noteworthy given the win secured for Wichita, a key takeaway in this one is that starter Cole Sands was back on the bump. After missing time due to injury, he pitched two innings and allowed just two hits and punched out three. Following his abbreviated return, recently-promoted Kody Funderburk made his Double-A debut. He went five innings allowing one unearned run on four hits. Funderburk struck out five and walked just two. Converted-infielder Jordan Gore also made his Double-A debut in relief for the Wind Surge. He went 1 2/3 innings and allowed one walk while recording a strikeout. Wichita got on the board early in this one. Andrew Bechtold drove in Trey Cabbage on a 2nd inning single before Jermaine Palacios plated Bechtold with a single of his own. Wilbis Santiago then doubled to score both Palacios and Chris Williams making it a four-run bottom half. After giving up a run in the top of the third, Wichita answered in a big way. A five-run bottom half was sparked by a Bechtold double, Palacios single, and Williams three-run blast. Tulsa tacked on two runs late, but the six-run cushion was enough to get a victory. Aaron Whitefield joined the aforementioned performers with a multi-hit effort of his own. KERNELS NUGGETS South Bend 8, Cedar Rapids 7 Box Score Tyler Beck got the start for Cedar Rapids and went five strong innings. He allowed just two runs on three hits while striking out six and walking one. Cedar Rapids scored first when Alex Isola blasted a solo shot as the second batter of the game. After allowing South Bend a one-run lead in the 2nd, Gabriel Maciel hit his second homer of the year for the Kernels to knot it at two. A balk then scored Edouard Julien in the 5th before the Cubs pushed across three in the 6th. Once again, some poor play afforded Cedar Rapids an opportunity, and Julien took advantage, racing home on a wild pitch. South Bend got the errant run back in the bottom of the 7th, but another wild pitch in the top of the 8th allowed Jair Camargo to score and brought the Kernels within one. Isola then stepped in and ripped his ninth double, plating both Michael Helman and Max Smith. Now leading 7-6, Cedar Rapids was ahead for the first time since the second batter of the game. The lead didn't last long as South Bend was able to draw even before the close of the 9th. After failing to plate the runner from second in the top half, Cedar Rapids gave up a bunt single allowing a run on a throwing error to take a tough luck loss in the bottom of the 10th. MUSSEL MATTERS Postponed - Rain COMPLEX CHRONICLES No game scheduled TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Ian Hamilton (St. Paul) – 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day – Keon Broxton (St. Paul) – 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K, HR(5) PROSPECT SUMMARY Take note that we have finished our midseason update, so there is a new list! Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for season (torn ACL) #2 – Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #3 – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #4 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 1-4, R, RBI, HR(5) #6 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – Postponed #7 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – All Star Break #8 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #9 – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – Postponed #10 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (wrist sprain) #11 – Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #12 – Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – All Star Break #13 – Cole Sands Cole Sands (Wichita) – 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K #14 – Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR(18) #15 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – Postponed #16 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – Did not play #17 – Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 0-5, 2 K #18 – Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (foot injury) #19 – Edwar Colina (Rehab) – Injured List (elbow) #20 – Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – Did not pitch THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – RHP Chandler Shepherd (3-4, 6.75 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – Jordan Balazovic (1-1, 3.56 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05PM CST) – RHP Louie Varland (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – LHP Aaron Rozek (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! View full article

Half of the Twins' minor league teams won and the other half lost and none of the games were particularly close. TRANSACTIONS None SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 15, St. Paul 2 Box Score Whew baby this one got ugly and fast! In his last start approximately one week ago, Saints pitcher Chandler Shepherd tossed five innings of two-hit shutout baseball against a stout Omaha Storm Chasers offense. Unfortunately, Friday night’s start did not go so smoothly. The I-Cubs touched Shepherd for five runs in the first inning and nine overall en route to clobbering the Saints. Offensively, Willians Astudillo went 2-for-4, while Damek Tomscha and Roberto Peña added doubles. But other than that, not much went St. Paul’s way tonight. It may be best to just pretend as if this game never happened... WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 10, Wichita 2 Box Score ...And it’s probably safe to do so with this one as well. The Wind Storm only mustered five hits all evening - two coming off the bat of outfielder Ernie De La Trinidad who was later replaced by Trey Cabbage; no word as to why - and did not score beyond the second inning. Leobaldo Cabrera drove in both runs with a double. Starting pitcher Jason Garcia was removed due to injury after 3 ⅓ innings, in which he walked four, struck out three, and allowed five runs, though only three were earned. Adam Lau tossed 3 ⅔ innings of scoreless ball in relief. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Peoria 8 Box Score Hey, this game went well!...At least it did until the ninth inning. The Kernels took an 8-3 lead into the final frame when the Chiefs scored five runs off Zach Featherstone, who had largely been untouchable to this point all season. However, Cedar Rapids quickly scored in the bottom of the inning after Seth Gray walked, Wander Javier was plunked, and DaShawn Keirsey doubled to deep center to end the game. Starting pitcher Kody Funderburk was on fire to start the game, throwing six innings, striking out six, walking one, and allowing two runs, neither earned. (This one went really late due to an extended rain delay, well, delaying the start of the game as well as the ninth inning chicanery.) You won’t find Funderburk’s name on any list of the Twins' top or even notable prospects, but his numbers - 3.18 ERA, 59 Ks in 45 ⅓ innings, 3.19 FIP - are pretty difficult to ignore at this point. His stuff won’t blow you away - I’d argue his slider is his best pitch - and would likely be best served as a reliever if/when he makes it to the major leagues, but thus far this season he has been more productive than many of the pitchers in the Twins system, which is pretty much all anyone can ask of him. Shortstop Wander Javier connected for his eighth home run of the season - and his second in as many days - en route to going 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. His batting average remains precariously near the Mendoza Line - it’s .217 as of this writing - but his OPS has finally soared north of .700 - if .702 can be considered "soaring - which is rather encouraging. (For reference, the average OPS in MLB is around .715.) Outfielder Max Smith also had himself a night, going 2-for-2 with a home run, double, two walks and two RBI. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 13, St. Lucie 5 Box Score This one wasn’t even as close as the scoreboard may suggest, which suggests that it was particularly close. Ft. Myers put the Mighty in Mussels tonight, scoring 13 runs on 10 hits, led primarily by Yunior Severino, who went 2-for-5 with a double, home run, and five RBI; he has been on a tear as of late, elevating his batting average to .249 and OPS to .771. While Severino has yet to live up to the significant level of hype he garnered when he signed with the Twins back in late 2017, his play lately has been more than encouraging. It’s easy to forget, but he’s only 21-years-old and had one season lost due to COVID and another marred by a controversy that was not of his doing. If anything, his level of play at the moment should be viewed as impressive and encouraging for the future. Speaking of impressive and encouraging, starting pitcher Louie Varland continued his run of dominance Friday night by striking out 10 batters across five innings while only walking one; his ERA stands at 2.09 after allowing two earned runs to score. At this point, Varland has done enough at the Low-A level to warrant a promotion and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him awarded one after the All-Star break. He has 76 strikeouts with a 4.8 K:BB ratio in 47 ⅓ innings! COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Red Sox 6, FCL Twins 1 Box Score Aaand back to the losing. 2017 second-round pick Landon Leach got the start tonight for the baby Twins and tossed three scoreless innings, but he walked two and was unable to pick up even a single strikeout. Luis Baez came off the bench, smacked a double, and later scored on a one of Alexander Pena’s two singles to score the team’s lone run. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – RHP Louie Varland (Ft. Myers): 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K Hitter of the Day – 2B Yunior Severino (Ft. Myers): 2-for-5, HR, 2B, 5 RBI Honorable Mention of the Day - LHP Kody Funderburk (Cedar Rapids): 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K PROSPECT SUMMARY Take note that we have finished our midseason update, so there is a new list! Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for season (torn ACL) #2 – Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #3 – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #4 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 1-for-4, 2 K #6 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 1-for-4, BB #7 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – Did not play #8 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #9 – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 0-for-2, RBI, 3 BB #10 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (hamate bone surgery) #11 – Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #12 – Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch #13 – Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #14 – Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-for-4 #15 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 1-for-3, RBI, BB #16 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 0-for-4, K #17 – Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI #18 – Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (foot injury) #19 – Edwar Colina (Rehab) – Injured List (elbow) #20 – Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – Did not pitch SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (7:08 PM CST) – (Beau Burrows: 1-1, 5.75 ERA) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05PM CST) – (Jordan Balazovic: 1-1, 4.44 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – (Jon Olsen: 0-3, 3.65 ERA) Fort Myers @ St. Lucie (5:10PM CST) – (Bobby Milacki: 0-0, 4.41 ERA) FCL Twins vs. FCL Red Sox (9:00AM CST) - (TBD) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

There were a couple of gaudy box scores on the farm tonight for the Twins, but it was down in Cedar Rapids where a walkoff blast from Wander Javier that the highlight of the evening came from. TRANSACTIONS Twins traded cash considerations with Rangers for RHP Joe Kuzia and assigned him to Wichita SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 10, Iowa 3 Box Score Charlie Barnes toed the rubber for the Saints tonight and went 5 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs on five hits and struck out four. Thanks to the lineup putting up 10 prior to his departure, St. Paul was well in the lead. The Saints did all over their damage in the 3rd and 4th innings. Willians Astudillo kicked off the scoring with a double as St. Paul had the bases loaded. A Mark Contreras triple then plated Astudillo before Damek Tomscha drove in Contreras with a single, and Jimmy Kerrigan cleared the bases with his 7th homer. In the 4th the Saints got a pair of homers from Drew Maggi (a two-run shot plating Jose Miranda) and Astudillo on a solo blast. Miranda keeps hitting and nabbed a two-hit night out of the leadoff spot while he was joined by Astudillo, Contreras, and Tomscha with two hits apiece. Ian Hamilton and Kyle Barraclough combined to finish the final 3 2/3 innings allowing just a single hit and punching out four. WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 10, Wichita 1 Box Score This one wasn’t pretty for Wichita as they surrendered a six spot in the top half of the first inning. Austin Schulfer has had better outings, and he allowed six runs (four earned) while recording just three outs. Wichita scored their lone run on an Aaron Whitefield double, his eighth, in the 4th inning. Jermain Palacios scored and that was the extent of the offense with Wichita generating just a grand total of two hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 1 Box Score Tyler Beck got the start for Cedar Rapids tonight and turned in 2 2/3 innings of scoreless ball allowing just two hits. Derek Molina followed him for 2 1/3 innings allowing a single hit and punching out four. This one stayed even at 0-0 through nine complete innings. Peoria pushed across their free runner in the 10th prior to Michael Helman driving in Seth Gray in the bottom half. Ryan Shreve then blanked the Chiefs in the 11th and allowed Cedar Rapids an opportunity to win it. Shortstop Wander Javier stepped in with Jair Camargo and Gray both on base, he then blasted his 7th homer of the season to walk it off for the home team. Helman was the only Kernels batter to record two hits on the evening. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 9, St. Lucie 6 Box Score Sawyer Gipson-Long began this one on the bump for Fort Myers, but unfortunately, he lasted just 2 2/3 innings giving up six runs on five hits. The bullpen came in and slammed the door however, with three different pitchers combining to allow just a single run. Aaron Sabato opened the scoring for the Mighty Mussels with a solo homer, his fourth longball of the season. Then after getting behind 6-1 in the 3rd, Fort Myers went to work. Charles Mack swatted a three run bomb before Misael Urbina drove in Willie Joe Garry Jr. on a sac fly. Jeferson Morales then collected his 14th double allowing Keoni Cavaco to score and the game was even at six headed to the bottom of the 7th. In the 8th Cavaco recorded his 4th double of the year scoring Mack, and Morales sped around the bases for an inside-the-park homer in the 9th. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 11, FCL Orioles Orange 8 Box Score Kala’I Rosario just keeps crushing for the FCL squad. He had another two-hit effort today and now owns a 1.029 OPS on the season. Emmanuel Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with his second homer and tallied four RBI to drive the victory home. Shortstop Luis Gomez tallied three hits on the afternoon, and the trio of Wilfri Castro, Rubel Cespedes, and Luis Baez all picked up a pair of hits on their own. Castro and Baez both collected triples today. On the bump, Develson Aria picked up the victory working 1 2/3 scoreless in relief while punching out four. Matt Mullenbach worked 2 1/3 scoreless while striking out three, and Ramon Pineda grabbed his second save of the season working 1 2/3 innings. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Derek Molina (Cedar Rapids) 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 2-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2B PROSPECT SUMMARY Take note that we have finished our midseason update, so there is a new list! Here is a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 – Royce Lewis (Rehab) – Out for season (torn ACL) #2 – Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #3 – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #4 – Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #5 – Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 2-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K, 2 2B #6 – Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 2-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2B #7 – Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 0-3, R, K #8 – Josh Winder (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #9 – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 2-5, R, RBI, K, HR(4) #10 – Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (hamate bone surgery) #11 – Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #12 – Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did not pitch #13 – Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #14 – Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-4, R, BB, 2 K #15 – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 1-3, RBI, BB #16 – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 0-4, K #17 – Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) – 1-5, R, 3 RBI, K, HR(7) #18 – Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (foot injury) #19 – Edwar Colina (Rehab) – Injured List (elbow) #20 – Chris Vallimont (Wichita) – Did not pitch FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (7:08 PM CST) – RHP Chandler Shepherd (3-3, 5.85 ERA) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Jason Garcia (1-1, 4.82 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – LHP Kody Funderburk (1-3, 3.66 ERA) Fort Myers @ St. Lucie (5:10PM CST) – RHP Louie Varland (3-2, 1.91 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Red Sox (11:00AM CST)- TBD Feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games View full article

Last night was the Jose Miranda show on the farm, and tonight pitching took center stage as top prospect Jordan Balazovic took his turn and twirled a gem for Wichita. TRANSACTIONS INF Drew Stankiewicz signed by Twins and assigned to St. Paul RHP Jonathan Cheshire placed on 7-day IL by Cedar Rapids (forearm strain) SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Omaha 4 Box Score Lefty Andrew Albers went six innings for Saint Paul and picked up six strikeouts while walking none. He did allow three runs on seven hits before turning the ball over to the bullpen. Although last night was all about Jose Miranda, there’s still plenty of firepower in this Saints lineup. Brent Rooker crushed his 13th homer to open the game in the bottom of the first, and the two-run shot scoring J.T. Riddle put the good guys on top. Mark Contreras hit his 6th home run, a two-run bomb in the 3rd, giving St. Paul a 5-0 lead. Miranda followed up his big night at the plate with a stellar defensive play at the hot corner this evening. Former Tigers prospect Beau Burrows also made his Saints debut in this one. Drew Stankiewicz got the start at second base in his return to a familiar team, now as an affiliated pro player. After allowing the Storm Chasers to draw within two, Stankiewicz made his mark with a bases loaded walk, drawing an RBI. Willians Astudillo, who stole a base earlier in this one, singled in the 8th to drive in J.T. Riddle. The breathing room was nice a Omaha tried to make things interesting in the final half inning before Nick Vincent closed the door. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 8, Amarillo 1 Box Score Twins star pitching prospect Jordan Balazovic was on the bump for Wichita in this one, and he posted an encouraging outing in every sense of the word. Working five and two-thirds, he allowed just two base runners, both on walks. Balazovic punched out six and threw 87 pitches on the evening. Recently promoted to Double-A, Trey Cabbage made his mark picking up his first double in the top half of the first inning to plate Spencer Steer. B.J. Boyd lifted his third homer of the season, a solo shot in the 2nd, to put Wichita ahead 2-0. The first crooked number of the night came on Steer’s first Double-A homer, a three run shot that was absolutely demolished. Widening the lead further, Boyd doubles in D.J. Burt before Chris Williams tripled to score Boyd adding two more in the 6th. Cabbage picked up his second double in the game, scoring Steer again, and continuing his strong evening. As big of an offensive night that Wichita had, the real story was on the mound. Yes, Balazovic was great, but so too was the bullpen in relief. Alex Phillips recorded four outs without a hit, punching out three, before Jhonleider Salinas worked a hitless inning of relief on his own. Salinas then got the first out in the 9th, two away from a combined no-hitter, before Luis Alejandro Basabe lifted a solo shot to right field. The no-hitter came up two outs short, and the shutout was gone with it. Adam Lau recorded the final two outs on what was a great night for the arms. Both of the recently promoted prospects, Steer and Cabbage, posted multi-hit nights, and were joined by B.J. Boyd to make it a trio. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 9, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score Ben Gross was on the bump for Cedar Rapids and turned in five strong innings of work tonight. He allowed just a single run, on two hits and two walks, while also picking up five strikeouts. After making his High-A debut last night, Edouard Julien announced his presence today with a leadoff homer. Alex Isola then went yard, his fifth of the season, to put the Kernels ahead 2-1 in the 4th. Unfortunately, things got ugly for Cedar Rapids from there. Quad Cities tied the game in the 6th, and then pushed across six in the 7th and another in the 8th. Outfielder Max Smith came on to work the final inning for the Kernels. He got through his inning while recording one strikeout. Facing a massive deficit late, Seth Gray wasn’t ready to quit as his double drove in Daniel Ozoria to add a third run for Cedar Rapids. The Kernels had two runners on with just one out in the 9th, and Allante Hall drove in Gray on a groundout, but that’s where the rally ended. MUSSEL MATTERS Postponed (Rain) COMPLEX CHRONICLES No game TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 5.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Spencer Steer (Wichita) – 2-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, HR, BB, K PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 1-4, 2 K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-4, 2 K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – Did not play #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 5.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – Injured List (concussion) #8 - Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – Postponed #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (arm strain) #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Out for Season (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 1-1, R, RBI, HR(2) #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 2-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR(13), 2 BB #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (wrist sprain) #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – Postponed #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 0-3 #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) – 1-5, K #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – 3.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 3 HR THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (3-2, 3.94 ERA) Wichita @ Amarillo (7:05PM CST) – RHP Bryan Sammons (0-3, 6.45 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) – RHP Cody Lawyerson (0-0, 3.00 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games View full article

Like the big league club, there was a rainout tonight on the farm. That didn’t stop Mark Contreras from having a big night for the Saints, or Misael Urbina driving in two for the Mighty Mussels. TRANSACTIONS DaShawn Keirsey Jr. activated from 7 day injury list by Cedar Rapids Kernels SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Columbus 4 (F/10) Box Score Bryan Sammons took the ball for St. Paul to start this one and worked five strong innings. He allowed just one earned run on two hits. He did walk four but also struck out three batters. The bullpen was up to start the 6th inning. Jimmy Kerrigan kicked off the scoring for the Saints with his fifth homer of the year, a two-run shot that put St. Paul ahead 2-0 in the 4th frame. After giving a run back, Mark Contreras extended the lead with a solo blast of his own in the 6th inning. St. Paul allowed Columbus to tie things at three in the bottom of the 6th before distancing themselves for good in extras. Brent Rooker scored after J.T Riddle put the ball in play during the top of the 10th inning. Following that out, Roberto Pena drove in both Kerrigan and Willians Astudillo to give the good guys a three-run advantage. That held up as St. Paul allowed just one in the bottom half Pena was joined by Drew Maggi (2) and Contreras (3) as the batters to record multiple hits on the night. Andrew Vasquez got the win, his third, working two scoreless while recording two strikeouts. WIND SURGE WISDOM Postponed KERNELS NUGGETS Lansing 5, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score Making the start in this one for Cedar Rapids was Tyler Beck. He went four innings and allowed just two hits. He was dominant, giving up a single free pass and punching out seven batters. Trey Cabbage started the scoring for Cedar Rapids with a fourth inning sacrifice fly that allowed Wander Javier to scamper home. With Lansing leading 2-1 in the 6th inning, Jair Camargo knotted things at two with an RBI single scoring Javier for a second time. Cedar Rapids then took their first lead in the 7th with a double from Spencer Steer and a single from Seth Gray. The Lugnuts evened the game at four in the 9th. A full inning of additional rules was completed before Lansing pushed one across in the 11th. A Zach Featherstone wild pitch was enough to give up the lead, and the 5-4 tally was where things finished. Steer and Gray were joined by Gabriel Maciel for two-hit evenings. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Palm Beach 1 Box Score Sawyer Gipson-Long started this one for the Mighty Mussels and was sharp. He allowed only a single earned run on six hits over six innings. Gipson-Long gave up zero free passes and punched out five batters on the afternoon. Ft. Myers opened the scoring when Jeferson Morales singled in the 4th inning to score Aaron Sabato. They would add one run in the fifth inning when Morales drew an RBI by way of a hit-by-pitch, and Yunior Severino ripped his 10th double of the season. Up 5-0 heading into the 6th frame, Misael Urbina drove in Willie Joe Garry Jr. on a single to right field and the 6-0 lead would only be added to when Urbina pushed Justin Washington across with a sacrifice fly in the 8th inning. The Mighty Mussels allowed a lone Palm Beach run on the evening, and they tallied seven of their own without the benefit of a multi-hit game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Beck (Cedar Rapids) 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day – Mark Contreras (St. Paul) 3-5, HR(4), 2 R, RBI, 2 K PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – Postponed #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – Postponed #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – Postponed #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 7-day IL (elbow strain) #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – IL (Concussion) #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 2B #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – IL (elbow) #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – IL (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – Postponed #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-3, R, 2 K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – IL (hamate bone) #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 1-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – 7-day IL (undisclosed) #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Postponed #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – Postponed #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Postponed SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (1:05PM CST) – RHP Chandler Shepherd (2-2, 6.48 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (2:00PM CST) – TBD Lansing @ Cedar Rapids (2:05PM CST) – RHP Kody Funderburk (1-2, 4.15 ERA) Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (11:00AM CST) – RHP Louie Varland (3-1, 1.99 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

The big league club was off tonight, but that didn't stop the farm system from nearly coming up with a clean sweep. There were lots of great offensive performers again tonight, but Josh Winder may have stolen the show with his performance on the mound. TRANSACTIONS: RHP Nick Vincent signed by Minnesota and assigned to Saints SAINTS SENTINEL Clippers 7, Saints 6 Box Score Rob Whalen took the ball to start this one and was unfortunately only able to record eight outs. He gave up seven earned runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out one. Hand it to the bullpen, a group of Juan Minaya, Andrew Vasquez, and Yennier Cano that gave up no runs, just two hits, and struck out nine. St. Paul did everything they could to get their starter off the hook in this one. Brent Rooker continued his hot hitting with his fourth double allowing Tomas Telis to score the Saints first run in the 3rd inning. Down 7-1 by the 5th, J.T. Riddle got into the chipping action as he drove Rooker in on a sac fly. Mark Contreras homered for the second consecutive night, and his two-run shot brought the deficit to just three. In the 6th inning St. Paul went back to chipping away as Telis drove in Keon Broxton with a single, and Willians Astudillo allowed Sherman Johnson to score despite grounding into a double play. That’s where the action ended though, and the rally fell just a run short. Telis, Astudillo, and Rooker all had multi-hit nights for the Saints. Each of Rooker's three hits were doubles and he now has a blistering .923 OPS on the campaign. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wind Surge 8, RockHounds 4 Box Score It was a Josh Winder start for the Wind Surge, and man was it a good one. He worked seven complete innings and gave up just a single run on four hits. Winder also struck out seven and walked none while recording 18 consecutive outs at one point. His ERA on the year is down to 1.98 and a bump to Triple-A may be necessary soon. Generating some run support for Winder came in the 4th inning of this one. Yeltsin Encarnacion drew a bases-loaded walk to score B.J. Boyd before David Banuelos ripped a single scoring both Andrew Bechtold and Aaron Whitefield. Wichita then doubled up in the fifth with RBI from Bechtold (single), Whitefield (walk), and Banuelos (walk). Making sure the six-run lead would hold up, Bechtold wasn’t done for the Wind Surge tonight. His fifth homer left the game in the 7th inning, and Encarnacion followed up with an RBI single of his own. Up 8-0 with just three at bats left for Midland, this one seemed all but in hand. The Rockhounds got a run back in the bottom half of the 7th inning, and they loaded the bases in the final frame, but the rally ended with just three runs crossing and the lead built by Wichita was enough to withstand the comeback effort. KERNELS NUGGETS Kernels 4, Lugnuts 0 (F/7, game 1) Box Score Cedar Rapids sent Jon Olsen to the mound for game one of the two game set, making up for last night’s rainout. He went five innings allowing just a single hit with two walks and four strikeouts. Jordan Gore worked the final two innings allowing no hits with two walks and hits. He picked up the win, his fourth. There was no offense to speak of in this one and extras were becoming increasingly likely as the Kernels entered the bottom half of the final frame with a 0-0 game. Gabriel Maciel then stepped in with the bases chucked and launched his first homer of the year, a walk off grand slam. Trey Cabbage was the only other batter to record a hit on the evening, a pair of them, both doubles. Kernels 1, Lugnuts 0 (F/7, game 2) Box Score Andrew Cabezas made the start in game two and dazzled for five strong. He gave up just four hits while striking out six and walking two. Owen Griffith worked two scoreless in relief, without allowing a base runner, and striking out three on his own. These two clubs combined for just seven hits on the nightcap, and only one run was scored. Fortunately for the home team, it was Cedar Rapids that plated Spencer Steer with Alex Isola grounding into a fielder's choice. Seth Gray, Max Smith, and Daniel Ozoria were the only Kernels to record a hit, and Smith's double was the lone multi-base effort of the evening. MUSSEL MATTERS Mussels 3, Cardinals 2 (F/10) Box Score Miguel Rodriguez made the start for Fort Myers and worked 4 2/3 innings before giving way to Steven Cruz. He gave up seven hits, two runs, one earned, while striking out three and walking one. Ruben Santana recorded his second double of the season, this one coming in the 3rd inning, to plate the game’s first run. After Willie Joe Garry Jr crossed home in the 3rd, it wasn’t until the 9th that Fort Myers scored again. A balk with Garry Jr. at the dish scored Yunior Severino and tied the game at two. In extras, Jeferson Morales ripped his 9th double and scored Edouard Julien to take the lead for the Mighty Mussels. Denny Bentley slammed the door in the bottom half and Fort Myers completed the comeback. Seven hits were scattered across the Mussels lineup with no player recording multiple. That's eight straight victories for Fort Myers. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Josh Winder (Wichita) 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Andrew Bechtold (Wichita) 2-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR(5), BB, K PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – No game #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – No game #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – No game #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 7-day injured list (elbow strain) #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – IL (concussion) #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-3, BB, 2 K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – IL (right elbow strain) #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – IL (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – No game #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 3-4, R, RBI, 3 2B, BB, K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – IL (wrist sprain) #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-5, K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – IL #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – No game #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 0-3, 2 BB, K #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – No game THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (6:05PM CST) – RHP Andrew Albers (2-2, 5.93 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (7:00PM CST) – RHP Jason Garcia (0-0, 3.38 ERA) Lansing @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Ben Gross (1-0, 3.23 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30PM CST) – RHP Brent Headrick (3-2, 2.76 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

The Twins farm system was highlighted by the Cedar Rapids Kernels tonight, and with the big league club off, there was no need for transactions across the entirety of the system. SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 12, St. Paul 2 Box Score Rob Whalen started in this one, and he wore it for the Saints. Allowing nine runs on ten hits, across just 3 1/3 innings, this was a start he’ll look to forget. Yennier Cano was the first reliever on, and he made his Triple-A debut in this one. Only place to go from here is up for him as he allowed a walk and grand slam before escaping the inning. By the time Saint Paul batted in the bottom of the 4th inning they trailed 12-0. Damek Tomscha plated the first run for the home team on a ground out that scored Drew Maggi in the 4th. Daniel Descalso hit a homer in the 7th, his second of the season, to give the Saints their only other run of the evening. Both Ian Giabault (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) and Andrew Vasquez (2.0 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 3 K, nevermind that he needed a 9th inning triple play to escape the inning) worked scoreless relief efforts to stop the bleeding for Saint Paul. Only Descalso would finish with a multi-hit effort in this one. WIND SURGE WISDOM Springfield 5, Wichita 3 Box Score Austin Schulfer took the ball in this one and twirled six scoreless innings for the Wind Surge. He surrendered just six hits and struck out four while walking none. It was a strong effort from the righty starter. Wichita took the lead in the 6th inning after Roy Morales drove in both Jermaine Palacios and Caleb Hamilton on a single. Then Aaron Whitefield ripped his 5th double of the season to score Andrew Bechtold. Unfortunately, the lead was squashed in the next half inning and the clubs would stay tied until the 9th. Ryan Mason came on in the 8th inning and nearly made it through a scoreless 9th before Delvin Perez beat him for a two-run homer to make it 5-3. That’s where the final would stand in this one, but multi-hit efforts came from Jose Miranda (2-for-5) and Andrew Bechtold (2-for-3). KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 12, South Bend 4 Box Score Starting this one for Cedar Rapids, Andrew Cabezas worked 5 1/3 innings allowing four runs on four hits and two walks. He punched out four and gave up a single homer. Cedar Rapids trailed 3-0 after the first inning as South Bend jumped out to an early lead. In the 5th, Seth Grady plated Spencer Steer on a double to score the Kernels first run. Gabe Snyder then drove in Gray on a single of his own, and last night’s hero Michael Helman used a sac fly to score Wander Javier. Through five everything was even. It was the 6th inning where Cedar Rapids would do more damage. Facing a one-run deficit, Gray walked in a run before Gabriel Maciel scored on a wild pitch. Javier then drove a sac fly to score Steer again and the Kernels pushed their lead to 6-4. In the 7th Cedar Rapids added again. Maciel singled to drive in Helman and Steer continued his torrid stretch with homer number nine on the season. Spencer plated three on the bomb and the score was now 10-4. He’s now got an .855 OPS on the year for the Kernels. Cedar Rapids wasn’t done and Max Smith continuing his hot streak wasn’t unexpected. He singled in the 8th to score both Javier and Helman en route to a 12-4 final tally. Wander finished with two hits on the evening, and Smith completed a ridiculous 5-for-5 effort to propel the Kernels to a win. Asking manager Brian Dinkelman about Wander Javier specifically he said, "Confidence is part of it. He had a really good series up in Beloit last week. He can do damage on a lot of pitchers. Another good night for him.." Asking about Spencer Steer's approach and where he's at this season Dinkelman said, "Spencer always gives us good at bat. He controls the strike zone. He's a good table setter for us." MUSSEL MATTERS Game 1: Fort Myers 3, Lakeland 1 (F/7) Box Score Sean Mooney got the start in this one but was lifted after recording just a single out. He gave up one run on one hit and a walk during his outing. Denny Bentley came on in relief to strike out five across 3 1/3, while allowing no hits and a single walk. He picked up the win. Steven Cruz followed Bentley and nearly matched him identically. He too went three and one-third but allowed a lone hit instead of a walk. The length earned him his first save of the season. Getting behind 1-0 in the first, Fort Myers then did their damage on with the longball. Misael Urbina hit his first stateside homer in the 3rd inning, a two-run shot, to put the Mighty Mussels in the lead. Charles Mack then spanked a dinger on a liner in the 4th, and the 3-1 tally would be enough to get the victory in this one. Yunior Severino was the lone batter to record two hits for Fort Myers in this one. Game 2: Fort Myers 6, Lakeland 4 (6/Suspended) Box Score Miguel Rodriguez took the ball in game two as Fort Myers played a twin bill after yesterday’s postponement. He allowed four earned on five hits in five innings. Rodriguez also punched out seven while issuing no free passes. The Mighty Mussels opened up an early 3-0 lead in the 1st on the nightcap thanks to RBI by Edouard Julien, Yunior Severino, and Aaron Sabato. Jeferson Morales then doubled in the 2nd to extend things by another run before Misael Urbina plated Morales on a fielder’s choice. After giving back four runs and squandering most of the lead, Fort Myers got another jolt when Julien went deep for the third time in 2021. His 5th inning dinger put them ahead 6-4. Weather got this one again however, and action was suspended before the bottom of the 6th inning could get underway. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day- Austin Schulfer (Wichita) 6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day- Max Smith (Cedar Rapids) 5-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – No Game #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – No Game #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – No Game #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – Injured list (concussion) #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-5, RBI, BB, K (2 games) #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Underwent Tommy John surgery #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – No game #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-3, K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (Hamate bone) #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 1-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, K (2 games) #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not Pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – No game #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 2-for-4 #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – No Game FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – LHP Andrew Albers (2-2, 7.03 ERA) Springfield @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Josh Winder (2-0, 2.16 ERA) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Ben Gross (3.86 ERA) Lakeland at Ft. Myers (Game 1: 3:30PM CST) – RHP Brent Headrick (2-2, 3.04 ERA) View full article

On the farm tonight for the Twins, multiple affiliates were involved in games with gaudy numbers while there were a couple of standout pitching and hitting performances. This was a night with plenty to offer. TRANSACTIONS RHP Luis Rijo activated from inactive list for Cedar Rapids OF Leobaldo Cabrera promoted to Double-A Wichita RHP Jason Garcia signed by Twins as a FA and assigned to Double-A Wichita SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 16, St. Paul 9 Box Score Byron Buxton being back in the lineup was the story for this one, but veteran Chandler Shepherd wore a tough outing. Giving up 11 runs on 14 hits and coming an out shy of four complete innings, this was one to forget for the Saints starter. On the flip side, Buxton was playing tonight after wet conditions earned him a scratch last night. He went 2-for-3 with five RBI and two dingers on the evening. If there was any question about him being ready for a return to the Twins, they’ve been answered. Down 5-0 before they stepped in, Buxton’s first brough St. Paul back in the sense of a 5-2 deficit. Trailing 10-2 when they batted again, both Keon Broxton and Buxton went deep to close the deficit by a 10-6 tally. Buxton then added a sac fly to drive in a run and make it 11-7 in the 4th, but Omaha went on to blow things open. Brent Rooker roped his 8th homer of the year, this one in the 7th, to make it 16-8, but the game was all but decided. Drew Maggi homered for the first time in 2021 to draw the deficit a bit closer, but Omaha was able to secure a final out. Maggi and David Banuelos joined Buxton in the multi-hit category with the catcher adding three for his night. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 12, Wichita 10 Box Score Twins top pitching prospect Jordan Balazovic got the start in this one and was chased after just two innings. Throwing 53 pitches, he allowed four runs on four hits while walking two and striking out three. Hector Lujan came on in immediate relief and his four strikeouts in 3.1 IP of hitless baseball may have been the difference. Ernie De La Trinidad kept up his hot hitting while ripping a first inning dinger. B.J. Boyd then followed up with a homer that left the stadium entirely. After leading 3-0 through one, De La Trinidad took a HBP in the 2nd that scored another. Tulsa drew back even after the 2nd, but Jermaine Palacios added a two-run blast in the 4th before Caleb Hamilton went yard on a solo shot in the 5th. Hamilton then plated a pair in the 6th on a single and Andrew Bechtold ripped his 3rd homer of the year in the 7th. Cedar Rapids held a commanding 10-4 lead heading into the bottom half of the 7th inning. With two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Tulsa watched Carlos Rincon step in and blast a three-run shot to center that tied this one up. Calvin Faucher was tagged for five runs in the effort and Ryan Mason came on to force extras. While Mason was able to extend it to the 10th, Jeren Kendall got hit for a two-run homer that completed the comeback for the Drillers. Hamilton, Bechtold, and Morales all recorded two hits on the evening for Wichita. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 10, Beloit 7 Box Score Taking the ball to start this one, Jon Olsen lasted just one out into the fourth inning. He gave up four runs on five hits while walking three and fanning four. It was a tough go, but Cedar Rapids battled and was well positioned late. After trailing 1-0 to start this one, Trey Cabbage ripped a bases clearing single that put Cedar Rapids ahead 4-1 in the 3rd inning. Beloit knotted things up and took the lead in the 4th, while Griffin Conine used his 9th homer of the season extending things to 7-4 by the bottom of the 5th. From there the Kernels came answering back. Michael Helman went deep on a two-run shot in the 6th, before Trey Cabbage blasted his 5th dinger in the 7th to put Cedar Rapids back out ahead. Ryan Shreve recorded seven outs for Cedar Rapids in relief, and while allowing zero hits and a single walk, he punched out five. Alex Isola ripped his third homer of the season in the 9th and scored Gabe Snyder, to put the final tally at 10-7. Cabbage and Helman were the long Cedar Rapids hitters to grab two tallies in the hit column. Melvi Acosta picked up his third saved while recording five outs and punching out three. MUSSELS MATTERS Fort Myers 19, Jupiter 3 Box Score Sean Mooney was great tonight for Fort Myers, but with 19 runs, he certainly didn’t need to be. At any rate, he blanked Jupiter across four hitless innings allowing just a single walk. He struck out seven and exited with an ERA that now stands at 0.57. The offense came early and often in this one. Aaron Sabato started his big night with a first inning double that scored the game’s first run. Kyle Schmidt then reached on a fielder’s choice that plated two more with an error. Jeferson Morales made it hurt with his fourth homer extending the lead to 5-0. In the 5th, Schmidt singled plating recently signed Nick Anderson, and Edouard Julien kept up his hot hitting with a double that scored Sabato. In the 6th Anderson singled on a play that plated two, and Sabato drove in both Misael Urbina and Anderson on his own. Up 11-0 before Jupiter scored in the top of the 7th, Fort Myers had this one in the bag. Sabato capped off his impressive night with the third homer of his season, coming in the 8th inning. Morales doubled plating Yunior Severino and then Severino would drive in Sabato on a double of his own in the 9th. When the dust settled on the final inning the Mighty Mussels added another three and had scored in six of nine innings. Every Fort Myers batter recorded a hit in this one (save for Cavaco who walked prior to being lifted), and six batters had multi-hit efforts. It was every bit the rout you’d expect in a 19-run effort. Sabato had a three hit night and was joined by Edouard Julien (3), Severino (3), Morales (2), Justin Washington (4), and Ruben Santana (2) with multi-hit efforts. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Sean Mooney (Fort Myers) 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day – Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 3-for-4, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 2B, HR(3) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) –1-for-1 (left with ankle injury) #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 1-for-3, BB #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – Did not play #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 0-for-0, R, BB #8 - Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 3-for-4, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 2B, HR(3) #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (Tommy John surgery) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 1-for-4 #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-for-4, R, RBI, BB, K, HR(8) #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (wrist sprain) #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 1-for-6, 2 R, BB, 3 K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 0-for-2, K #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 0-for-4, 2 R, BB, K #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did Not Pitch FRIDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – RHP Rob Whalen (0-1, 1.08 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05PM CST) – RHP Chase Vallimont (0-2, 5.63 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35PM CST) – RHP Andrew Cabezas (2-1, 2.42 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30PM CST) – RHP Miguel Rodriguez (1-0, 1.35 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! View full article

Starting for Wichita and Fort Myers today, Cole Sands and Louie Varland turned in a pair of dominant performances. Both clubs ended up on the short end of the stick, but day game baseball was highlighted by pitching performances. TRANSACTIONS OF Gilberto Celestino recalled from Saints by Twins RHP Erik Manoah Jr. signed by Twins and assigned to Fort Myers OF Anthony Prato placed on IL with left hamate fracture SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 5, St. Paul 2 Box Score Kenta Maeda was the headliner tonight for St. Paul making a rehab start in his journey back to the Twins. He allowed just a single hit, one that left the yard, but punched out five while walking just one in four innings. Top pitching prospect Jhoan Duran came on in relief and went 4.1 innings on his own. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks. He did strike out six on the evening. Byron Buxton was intending to play the field in this one but did not make the start (due to the wet conditions that led to a delayed start time). The game was tied at two going into the 9th before a throwing error and triple gave Omaha a 5-2 lead. #OldFriend Anthony Swarzak struck out the side for Omaha in the bottom of the ninth inning. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 1, Wichita 0 Box Score Cole Sands took the mound to start this one and turned in a great performance. He worked into the sixth inning, recording one out, and blanked the Drillers allowing just one hit and three walks. He punched out eight on the day and lowered his ERA to 2.84. Jose Miranda kept hitting, and he was joined by Caleb Hamilton in picking up a multi-hit effort in this one. Nothing was strung together for the Wind Surge though, and they entered the bottom of the 9th locked in a 0-0 contest. After Jovani Moran worked 1.2 scoreless, Yennier Cano came in to record the final six outs. He came up one short though after a bases loaded single with two outs plated the game’s only run, and the game-winner for Tulsa. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Beloit 2 Box Score Kody Funderburk toed the rubber in this one to start, and he nabbed his first win of 2021 for the Kernels. Turning in five innings of two-run baseball, the Cedar Rapids starter gave up just three hits and a walk while punching out 12. Cedar Rapids jumped out to a lead on the game’s first at bat. The hot hitting Spencer Steer ripped his first of two homers on the night. He’d finish 3-for-5 with two runs and four RBI. After Steers second homer, coming in the third, Cedar Rapids added three more in the fourth inning. Gabriel Maciel plated Michael Helman on a sac fly before Steer’s double scored Leobaldo Cabrera and Chris Williams. Providing additional distance, Alex Isola homered in the 7th, and Wander Javier continued his nice stretch with a solo shot in the 9th. Isola joined Steer as the only other hitter with a multi-hit effort, grabbing two on the evening. Jordan Gore was incredible in relief throwing three scoreless without a hit or walk and punching out eight. Zach Featherstone then worked a scoreless 9th to close this one out. MUSSELS MATTERS Jupiter 4, Fort Myers 3 Box Score In the middle of May Louie Varland put up a stinker for the Mighty Mussels. Since then, he’s been nails and was so again today. Throwing six innings of shutout work, the 2019 draft pick allowed just two hits and two walks while punching out 11. His ERA is down to 2.42 on the year, and the 23-year-old could soon be looking for a new challenge. Keoni Cavaco scored the game’s first run on a triple from Yunior Severino in the 4th inning. Cavaco had a great day for himself going 3-for-4 with a double at the dish. Jeferson Morales joined him as the only other Mighty Mussels batter to record a multi-hit game. Morales scored on Severino’s triple as well, and that gave Fort Myers the early lead. After tallying his third hit of the day, all singles, Morales came around to score on an error in the 9th. Steven Cruz had plunked a batter with the bases loaded earlier allowing Jupiter a run, but Morales got it back and pushed the lead back up to 3-1. Unfortunately, it was a tough outing for Mighty Mussels reliever Bradley Hanner. Taking over for Cruz to start the 9th, he walked the bases loaded before a single tied the game at three. Things got wonky with two outs. Hanner got a strikeout on a 2-2 count, but the wild pitch allowed Jupiter batter Aquimedes Cumana to reach first base anyways. Nasim Nunez then walked, Hanner’s 5th of the day, and Fort Myers lost on a walk off walk. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Louie Varland (Ft. Myers) 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 K Hitter of the Day – Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) 3-for-4, R, 2B PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 2-for-4, R, 3B #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, 2 K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 0-for-4, 2 K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Did not pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 3-for-4, 2B, R #8 - Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 0-for-4, 2 K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain - to have Tommy John surgery) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, R (first MLB hit) #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-for-4, K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (wrist sprain) #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 0-for-3 #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did Not Play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 2-for-3, BB, K #20 - Bailey Ober (Minnesota) – Did Not Pitch THURSDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – RHP Chandler Shepherd (1-1, 3.86 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05PM CST) – RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35PM CST) – RHP Jon Olsen (0-3, 3.86 ERA) Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30PM CST) – RHP Sean Mooney (0-1, 0.77 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! View full article

Fort Myers wound up being the lone affiliate to take a victory tonight, and the Saints had a seven game win streak snapped. There were more than a few standout performances however, and a couple of key prospects were on the move. TRANSACTIONS C Ryan Jeffers and OF Gilberto Celestino promoted to Twins OF Mark Contreras and C David Banuelos promoted to Triple-A St. Paul C Nick Garland transferred from Low-A Fort Myers to Double-A Wichita SAINTS SENTINEL Louisville 6, St. Paul 2 Box Score It was a busy day for the St. Paul Saints, but for a handful of reasons off the field. Both Ryan Jeffers and Gilberto Celestino were activated by the Twins in the wake of injuries to Mitch Garver and Rob Refsnyder. Playing without a key lineup fixture, and the recently promoted outfielder, the ball was Charlie Barnes’ tonight. He was excellent turning in six scoreless while punching out six and walking just three. The middle of the Saints lineup did all of the damage, but hits didn’t turn into runs. Brent Rooker launched his sixth homer of the year, and the 3-4-5-6 batters accounted for five of the team’s seven total hits. After being up 2-0 through five, the wheels fell off. Lewis Thorpe entered in relief and allowed five runs on just three hits while walking two. He’s going to likely called upon by the injury-laden Twins again this year, but it’s been a tough go of late. These two clubs will play a twin ball tomorrow after a rainout on Tuesday. St. Paul will look to start another win streak with the seven gamer snapped tonight. WIND SURGE WISDOM Arkansas 5, Wichita 2 Box Score Austin Schulfer got the start for the Wind Surge in this one and he kept the home club in it while dancing around danger for the better part of four innings. Allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits, Schulfer struck out six and walked three. He left with Wichita trailing 4-0, but the lineup picked him up quickly. A brief rain delay also through a wrench in this one. One of Wichita’s best hitters this season, Jermaine Palacios, came through with his fourth double. Driving in B.J. Boyd, the Wind Surge were on the board. An Ernie De La Trinidad single later in the inning brought Palacios around and cut the lead in half, a 4-2 score. He joined Palacios in a multi-hit effort. The circus started a bit in the 9th as a Ryan Mason wild pitch combined with a Roy Morales throwing error allowed the Travelers to plate their fifth run. Unfortunately, Wichita couldn’t muster a comeback late and that’s where this one ended. Another multi-hit night for Palacios has his average up to .320 on the season, and his OPS at .890 is begging to be reckoned with. KERNELS NUGGETS Fort Wayne 6, Cedar Rapids 1 Box Score Kody Funderburk made the start in this one for Cedar Rapids. He came just one out shy from completing five innings, but his line was both confusing and dominant. Although three runs scored, none of them were earned, and he gave up just five hits and a single walk while striking out nine battings across the 14 outs recorded. Cedar Rapids faced a 3-0 deficit in the 6th inning when they plated their first run. Spencer Steer has had a nice start to 2021 and a sac fly allowed Max Smith to scamper home. Unfortunately for the Kernels, that was the only run they’d tally all night. Fort Wayne answered in the bottom half of the inning with a bases clearing single that plated three. The 6-1 result would hold through the 9th and give the Tin Caps a victory. Only Smith was able to join Steer in the hit column on the evening for Cedar Rapids. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 8, St. Lucie 4 Box Score If you’re looking for a minor league player of the day, Sawyer Gipson-Long made a pretty strong case with his outing. Coming one out shy of six full innings, he punched out 11 while walking none. Four runners scored on six hits, but only two were earned. In a game that the Mighty Mussels put up runs, he kept the Mets in check. Rain kept this one from starting on time, but it didn't cool the bats. Down 2-0 early, Jeferson Morales ripped the first of his two doubles on the night. This one plated Aaron Sabato and Yunior Severino in the 4th to knot the game at 2. Trailing again in the 5th, Fort Myers went to work. Misael Urbina wore a hit by pitch to pick up an RBI before Charles Mack singled and Morales doubled. When the dust settled, muscles were flexed, and the home team lead 7-3. Recently re-entered into the lineup, Keoni Cavaco made up for a throwing error that allowed a run in the 6th by driving in Edouard Julien during the bottom half of the frame. Fort Myers saw their top three hitters account for seven of the 12 hits in this contest. Morales had a two hit night, but his four RBI proved to be the difference. It’s also worth noting that Osiris German closed this one out for the Mighty Mussels grabbing 10 outs. Of those, he fanned eight and allowed just a single hit. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Charlie Barnes (St. Paul) – 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Jeferson Morales (Fort Myers) 2-for-4, 4 RBI, K, 2 2B PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 0-for-3, BB, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, 2 K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, K, HR(1) #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) – 2-for-5, R, RBI, 3 K #8 - Aaron Sabato (Fort Myers) – 2-for-5, 2 R, K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (right elbow strain) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 0-for-2, K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 1-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, K, HR(6) #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List (wrist sprain) #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 0-for-3, R, RBI, K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 0-for-4, K #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (4:30PM CST) – RHP Jhoan Duran (0-0, 1.29 ERA)/G2 RHP Chandler Shepherd (0-1, 5.06 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Josh Winder (1-0, 1.48 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Fort Wayne (6:05PM CST) – TBD St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Louie Varland (2-1, 4.50 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! View full article