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The Saints were the only Twins affiliate playing Monday night as they began the first of their final three games of the season. Simeon Woods Richardson was on the mound making his final start of the season while Ryan Jeffers continued his rehab assignment. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints TRANSACTIONS None SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 10, Omaha 6 Box score Woods Richardson Dominates Simeon Woods Richardson made his final start with the Saints Monday night, and he went all out with one of his best performances of the season. Woods Richardson dominated the Royals Triple-A hitters as he threw six innings of one-hit shutout baseball allowing only three walks and striking out seven on 91 pitches and 56 strikes. Having seven starts with the Saints for the season, Woods Richardson’s final numbers in Triple-A for the season include a 2.21 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and 10 walks in 36 2/3 innings of work. In total, Woods-Richardson posted a 2.76 ERA and has thrown 107 1/3 innings of work in 21 starts and one relief appearance for the 2022 Minor League season at both Double-A and Triple-A. Rehab Updates Only one of the three Twins hitters on the Saints roster for rehab assignments was in the lineup Monday night, and that was Ryan Jeffers. Jeffers played well. He went 3-4 and hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat to put the Saints up 2-0 in the first inning. Jeffers's double in the bottom of the seventh put the Saints up 6-0. Jeffers’s only mistake in the game was a fielding error in the top of the seventh which allowed Storm Chasers designated hitter Jackson Reetz to reach first base. With a healthy game for Jeffers Monday night, it is very likely he could be returning to the Twins lineup as early as Tuesday night. Trevor Larnach and Jorge Polanco were both off Monday night. Saints Bats Keep Up with Woods Richardson Jeffers was not the only hitter at the plate delivering for the Saints Monday night. Elliot Soto also went 2-for-3 with two doubles and drove in the Saints' fifth run of the game. Runs three and four came courtesy of an Andrew Bechtold two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth. Bechtold had just hit a homer in the Saints game on Friday night against Indianapolis, making it his second home run in just three games. Just when it looked as if the Saints were done scoring in the seventh, they put up five more runs on the Storm Chasers with Jeffers double and a grand slam from Cole Sturgeon to give the Saints a 10-0 lead. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Simeon Woods Richardson 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K (91 pitches, 56 strikes (61.5 strike %)) Hitter of the Day – Ryan Jeffers - 3-for-4, 2-Run HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI. PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K What’s next? The Saints play the second of their final three games on the season tomorrow against the Omaha Storm Chasers. First pitch is at 7:07 p.m. CT with Jordan Balazovic on the mound for the Saints against Angel Zerpa of the Storm Chasers. View full article

With both the Cedar Rapids Kernels and Fort Myers Mighty Mussels dealing with a day off before resuming their championship series action at home, the St. Paul Saints were the lone team in action thanks to a Wichita Wind Surge rain out. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints TRANSACTIONS Catcher David Banuelos placed on the 7-day IL retroactive to September 13 (concussion) SAINTS SENTINEL Louisville 5, St. Paul 1 Box Score Simeon Woods Richardson made the start tonight for the St. Paul Saints and was dominant. He worked six scoreless innings allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out four. He kept Louisville off the scoreboard. Lifted after six strong innings for reliever Drew Strotman, the Saints allowed a run after their new pitcher gave up a hit and a walk. The 7th inning Louisville single broke up the scoreless tie. Answering in the bottom of the 7th inning, Nash Knight ripped a line drive single to drive in Mark Contreras and even the score at one. Unfortunately, the Saints couldn’t hold the tie and in the 8th inning, a Bats single from Cristian Santana drove in two putting the good guys behind 3-1. Louisville then added another two runs in the 9th inning and pushed the lead up to 5-1. WIND SURGE WISDOM Postponed Due to inclement weather, Wichita and Midland were postponed tonight. KERNELS NUGGETS No Game The Kernels are off tonight as they prepare for game two of the Midwest League Championship Series. They trail 1-0 and Travis Adams will start tomorrow night at home. MUSSEL MATTERS No Game The Mighty Mussels are off tonight as they prepare for game two of the Florida State League Championship Series. They trail 1-0 and Marco Raya will start tomorrow night at home. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER,1 BB, 4 K Hitter of the Day – Nash Knight (St. Paul) - 2-4, RBI, K PROSPECT SUMMARY We will 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 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER,1 BB, 4 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-3, BB THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ St. Paul (7:07PM CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic Wichita @ Midland (7:00PM CST) - RHP Brent Headrick South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams Dunedin @ 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 back and playing. View full article

Tuesday saw the return of a pair of top pitching prospects in Double-A, but it was power from the lineups for Cedar Rapids and Wichita that led their teams to victories. TRANSACTIONS There were a slew of transactions in the system leading into Tuesday’s games. RHP Tyler Viza was released from the St. Paul Saints roster, and RHP Daniel Gosset was assigned from the Wind Surge in his place.. In Double-A, RHP Francis Peguero was assigned to Wichita from Cedar Rapids, RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, and RHP Blayne Enlow were activated from the injured list. SS Kevin Merrell was released, and RHP Melvi Acosta was placed on the development list. In Fort Myers, LHP Ryan Horstman was sent on a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins, and LHP Jesus Toledo was released. SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 6, St. Paul 2 Box Score Devin Smeltzer took the hill for the Saints on Tuesday and was solid through his five innings. He allowed just one run on four hits and a walk while punching out six Cubs hitters. Despite that effort, he wasn’t in line for a win as his offense struggled just as much against the opposing pitchers. They did manage to tie the game at one in the bottom of the fifth by stringing together three singles, the third of which was the RBI variety off the bat of Tim Beckham. Drew Strotman was summoned for the sixth inning and allowed a hit, a walk, and an unearned run for the Cubs to retake the lead. Juan Minaya came on for the seventh and delivered a scoreless inning. In the bottom half, the Saints put together a two-out rally, started by a Spencer Steer walk. Jake Cave then brought him home with a double to tie the game at two. Back out for the eighth, Minaya ran into trouble and a fielders choice grounder allowed another go-ahead run to score for the Cubs. Minaya finished 1 1/3, striking out one. With rain and lightning rearing its head by this point, the game was at risk of being suspended at any point. They made it into the top of the ninth inning and Evan Sisk had recorded three outs by that point, including two K’s, but a single and a walk in the ninth came before being delayed. When play resumed, Wladamir Pinto was brought in to pitch, and it didn’t go well. A double, walk, and sac fly resulted in three more runs for the Cubs, and a 6-2 lead. A pair of walks to start the bottom of the ninth gave some good vibes, but they were quickly erased by a double-play ball from Steer, and a strikeout from Cave to end the game. The Saints got multi-hit efforts from Beckham (2-for-4, RBI, K) and Jermaine Palacios (2-for-4, 2 K). As a team, they were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 3, Wichita 9 Box Score Wichita took the lead early and never looked back in this one, putting it well out of reach late. Blayne Enlow was given the start after being activated from the injured list and pitched the first two innings. He faced the minimum and allowed just a walk, and struck out one. Simeon Woods Richardson joined him on the return from the IL, and went the next two innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. The Wind Surge had taken a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-run home run from Chris Williams, his 18th of the season. The game was relatively quiet from there until the seventh, when Wichita extended their lead to 5-0 thanks to a three-run bomb from Cole Sturgeon. They tacked on four more in the eighth thanks to a two-run single from Christian Encarnacion-Strand, sac fly from Williams, and RBI double from Andrew Bechtold. After Enlow and Woods Richardson were done, Cody Laweryson (3 IP, 4 H, BB, 2 K), Alex Phillips (2/3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, K), and Denny Bentley (1 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, K) finished off the win for Wichita. Encarnacion-Strand (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, K), Sturgeon (2-for-3, R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Bechtold (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB, K), and Nash Knight (2-for-3, R, BB, K) each had two hits in the win. Out of the leadoff spot, Edouard Julien went 1-for-4, scored two runs, and drew a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 10, Wisconsin 4 Box Score The Kernels fell behind 4-1 through four innings in this one but came back big late to take care of the Timber Rattlers. John Stankiewicz made the start and completed three innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out two. While warming up for the fourth inning, he appeared to suffer an injury and had to leave the game. Tyler Palm replaced him and went the next two innings. He allowed two runs of his own on two hits and two walks. Cedar Rapids got on the scoreboard first in the opening frame, when Yunior Severino doubled, and a relay throw got away from the shortstop allowing Aaron Sabato, who had drawn a walk, to scamper home. They didn’t score again until the sixth, and that’s when the tides began to turn. They closed the gap to 4-3 thanks to a Severino two-run homer. They tied it at four in the seventh on a sac fly from Will Holland to score Wander Javier, who had led off the inning with a double. They took a 5-4 lead in the eighth when, you guessed it, Severino added another RBI double to his ledger. Orlando Rodriguez (2 IP, 3 H, 2 K), Hunter McMahon (1 IP, 2 K), and Jon Olsen (1 IP, 2 K) combined to shutout Wisconsin after the fourth inning. In the ninth, the Kernels blew it wide open thanks to some wild pitching, and a big blast from one of their sluggers. Javier led off with a single, then a pair of walks and a hit by pitch scored the first run, and left the bases loaded for Sabato. He cleared them on a 3-1 pitch, sending a 436-foot blast out of the stadium in dead center to put an exclamation on the win. Sabato finished 1-for-3, but reached base three times and scored three runs, in addition to the grand slam. Severino drove in four with his 3-for-5 night, including two doubles and a home run of his own. Javier also chipped in two hits, including a double, drew a walk, and scored two runs (don’t look now, but Javier has an .870 OPS since the start of June). MUSSEL MATTERS Tampa 7, Fort Myers 2 (10 innings) Box Score Jaylen Nowlin took the mound for the Mighty Mussels and was solid over his five innings. He allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five. Both runs came in the third inning, in which he allowed three singles. Jackson Hicks pitched two scoreless innings of relief, walking one and striking out three. He was followed by John Wilson who got them to extra innings with two scoreless frames. Back out for the tenth, however, he was charged with three earned runs on two hits and two walks, striking out one in his 2 2/3 innings. The Fort Myers lineup was actually being no-hit through six innings, but Noah Miller finally led off the seventh with a single to end that bid. He was caught stealing during the next at-bat, but Keoni Cavaco added a single of his own and two players were hit by pitches to load the bases, but they weren’t able to cash in. In the bottom of the ninth, it was again Miller getting a rally started, as he drew a leadoff walk. Cavaco and Kala’i Rosario then each followed with a single to get the Mighty Mussels on the board, before a pair of groundouts were enough to get Cavaco home to tie the game and send it to extra innings. But it unraveled pretty quickly for Wilson on the mound, and Johnathan Lavallee wasn’t able to limit the damage either, allowing two hits, a walk, and two runs (one earned) of his own as they fell behind 7-2. Cavaco’s two hits led the offense, who had just four hits on the night as a team. They were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left only six men on base for the game. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Braves 2, FCL Twins 5 (6+ innings) Box Score There were several games in the Florida Complex League on Tuesday that were affected by rain, and the Twins game was called official after being suspended in the top of the seventh. Brayan Medina pitched the first four innings, allowing two runs on a homer in the first inning, but didn’t allow any other damage after that, retiring 11 to finish his outing. He walked none and struck out four. Ryan Horstman (1 IP, K), Zaquiel Puentes (1 IP, 2 BB), and Yon Landaeta (2 BB) made appearances out of the bullpen. The Twins tied the game in the second inning, thanks to a two-run double from Ismael Perez. In the third, Danny De Andrade put them in front for good with a solo home run, his second of the season. Perez added another RBI double in the fourth, then a sac fly in the sixth to cap the scoring before the game was called. Perez (2-for-2, 2 2B, 4 RBI) and Gregory Duran (2-for-2, R, BB) each had two hits in the win. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Twins 3, DSL Colorado 6 Box Score The Twins got a solid start from right-hander Miguel Olivares, who finished five scoreless innings and left with his team-leading 3-0. He allowed just one hit, walked two, and struck out three. Relievers Oscar Paredes (2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, K) and Leonardo Lugo (2/3 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, K) combined to allow six runs and Colorado to come back. Jose Brito got the last out of the game for the Twins. Leading the lineup was Jose Rodriguez, who went 2-for-4 including a two-run home run, his ninth of the season. Bryan Acuna also had two hits, including a double, and stole a base. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Devin Smeltzer, St. Paul Saints (5 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 6 K) Hitter of the Day - Yunior Severino, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-5, R, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 2 IP, H, 2 K #6 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, R, BB #8 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 1-for-3, R, BB, K #12 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2 K #13 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 2 IP, BB, K #15 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-for-4, 2 R, BB #16 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Wichita) - 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - RHP Aaron Sanchez (3-1, 4.50 ERA) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Casey Legumina Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (12:10 PM CDT) - TBD Tampa @ Fort Myers, Game 1 (3:30 PM CDT) - RHP Pierson Ohl (4-5, 4.37 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers, Game 2 - TBD DSL Cardinals @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CDT) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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St. Paul surrendered runs in the final three innings of the game, dooming them to a loss. Cedar Rapids cruised to a win over Dayton, while an ill-fated home run cost Wichita the game. Fort Myers hung on to victory by the skin of their teeth. TRANSACTIONS OF Braden Bishop signed to MiLB deal and assigned to St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 4, St. Paul 3 Box Score The bats started off hot for the Saints though they ultimately fizzled out after the third inning. Kyle Garlick (2-for-3, RBI) mashed a solo home run in the first inning and Caleb Hamilton (1-for-4) followed two batters later with an RBI double to give St. Paul a 2-0 lead in the opening frame. Spencer Steer (1-for-5, RBI) added another run in the third inning with a solo home run, his ninth in 21 Triple-A games. However, the Saints were unable to garner a single hit outside of the first five batters in the lineup and did not score after Steer’s jack. Cole Sands pitched admirably to open the game, striking out three and allowing only one earned run in four innings. J.C. Ramirez, Yennier Cano, and Juan Minaya all surrendered one run during their seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, respectively, which ultimately sank the Saints. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 2, Wichita 1 Box Score Cole Sturgeon's (1-for-4) solo home run was the only run the Wind Surge were able to muster against the Drillers on Saturday, despite connecting for seven hits, drawing four walks, and stealing three bases; they struck out 16 times collectively and left 16 runners on base. Daniel Gossett was tremendous to start the game, striking out five and allowing only three hits in five innings of scoreless ball. Osiris German was ultimately saddled with the loss after serving up a two-run home run in the seventh inning. Bryan Sammons and Jordan Gore each threw a scoreless inning in relief. Austin Martin was given a second-straight night off. He has not been in the lineup in four of the past six games. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Dayton 5 Box Score Five of the Kernels 10 hits against the Dragons went for extra bases as they cruised to their 40th win. Christian Encarnacion-Strand led all batters with three hits in five at-bats, including his 18th double of the season. Yunior Severino (1-for-5, 2 RBI) and Will Holland (1-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB) also smacked doubles. Wander Javier (2-for-5, 2 RBI) and Alerick Soularie (2-for-4, RBI) each launched solo home runs, their fifth and sixth, respectively. Cade Povich was lights out on the mound as he struck out 11 and allowed two earned runs across five innings of work. He now has 68 strikeouts in 48 innings to go along with a solid 3.38 ERA. Orlando and Miguel Rodriguez combined to strike out six and allow three runs across the game's final four innings. With the win, the Kernels clinched a playoff berth by winning the first-half division title, joining the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels as Twins affiliates that will be in their league's playoffs at the end of the season. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Bradenton 4 Box Score The Mighty Mussels hung on to take down the Marauders in Fort Myers on Saturday. Kala'i Rosario's (1-for-3, BB) two-run home run in the fourth inning was ultimately the deciding factor in the Mighty Mussels' win. Jake Rucker (2-for-4) and Luis Baez (2-for-3) each drove in an RBI. Marco Raya tossed the first 2 2/3 innings for Fort Myers, striking out five of the nine batters he faced. Matt Mullenbach, Niklas Rimmel, Regi Grace, and John Wilson combined to strikeout 10 batters, walk two, and give up four runs, three of them earned. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 6, FCL Red Sox 5 Box Score The baby Twins’ bats were scorching on Saturday, outhitting the Red Sox 14-7 with six—including Fredy Michel’s first home run of the season—going for extra bases. Ismael Perez led the Twins offense going 2-for-5 with a double, three RBI, and two runs scored. Jose Olivares started on the bump for the Twins, striking out six and surrendering two runs in four innings of work. Danny Moreno picked up a three-inning save, striking out two and along only one batter to reach base (via walk). DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL D-backs 6, DSL Twins 3 Box Score The Twins were held scoreless until the seventh inning when they plated all three of their runs. Jose Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with an RBI, all three hits being singles. Cesar Lares got the start and gave up five earned runs across 4 ⅓ innings, though he did strike out seven and only walk one. Anthony Narvaez tossed the final 1 ⅔, striking out one and surrendering one run. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – LHP Cade Povich (Cedar Rapids): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 11 K Hitter of the Day – Alerick Soularie (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, HR, RBI, BB, 2 R 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: #7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, HR, RBI #9 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-3, BB #15 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 0-for-1, 3 BB #16 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 3 K #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (12:05 PM CST) - RHP Jake Faria (1-2, 6.48 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (1:05 PM CST) - RHP Casey Legumina (1-2, 6.59 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Dayton (2:05 PM CST) - RHP Sean Mooney (2-2, 2.23 ERA) Fort Myers vs Bradenton (12:00 PM CST) - TBD View full article