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The Wind Surge won and Ryan Jeffers late inning heroics helped push the Saints over Louisville. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints TRANSACTIONS OF Matt Wallner was assigned to the Minnesota Twins Taxi Squad C Ryan Jeffers assigned to the St. Paul Saints on Major League rehab INF Jorge Polanco assigned to the St. Paul Saints on Major League rehab RHP Randy Dobnak cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to the St. Paul Saints RHP Bailey Ober has completed his Major League rehab and returned to Minnesota Twins OF Mark Contreras recalled by Minnesota Twins Austin Martin, Edouard Julien Alex Isola, Denny Bentley, Francis Peguero, Jon Olsen, and Ryan Shreve to participate in Arizona Fall League SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Louisville 6, F/10 Box Score The Saints took down the Bats in dramatic fashion Friday evening after trailing for the vast majority of the game. Down 5-2 in the bottom of the eighth, Ryan Jeffers three-run home run tied the game up at 5-5. After failing to score with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and surrendering a run in the top of the 10th, St. Paul filled the bags again following a Dalton Shuffield (2-for-3, 2B, BB) double and a Chris Williams (0-for-2, 3 BB, HBP) hit by pitch. Andrew Bechtold (0-for-4, RBI, 2 BB) tied the game with a walk and Nash Knight (3-for-3, RBI, 3 BB) brought home the winning run on a walk-off single. In less fun news, Jorge Polanco exited the game after five innings. He was originally slated to play seven innings. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Midland 1 Box Score Daniel Gossett continued his strong season for the Wind Surge, shutting down the RockHounds to help his team pull off a close victory. He threw five innings and struck out seven while surrendering a single run. His ERA dropped to 2.26 on the year. Denny Bentley, Jordan Gore, Francis Peguero, and Alex Phillips pitched lights out from the pen, striking out two and allowing only a single Midland batter to reach base in four innings of work. Edouard Julien led the Wichita charge offensively, going 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI, and a walk. Austin Martin (2-for-4) was the only Wind Surge batter to register multiple hits. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== KERNELS NUGGETS South Bend 9, Cedar Rapids 3 Box Score The Kernels’ season came to a close Friday night as they fell to the Cubs, dropping the Division Series contest, 2-1. South Bend touched starter Orlando Rodriguez for four runs in the top of the first, a total that was ultimately enough to secure the win. Rodriguez recorded just one out in the game. He was followed by six more Kernels pitchers. Cedar Rapids managed only four hits on the night, all of them singles. Mikey Perez (1-for-3, 2 RBI) and Willie Joe Garry Jr. (1-for-3, RBI) plated the Kernels’ runs. MUSSEL MATTERS Game 3: Fort Myers vs. Dunedin, PPD Series tied 1-1 Darn rain. They plan to try to get it in on Saturday. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Daniel Gossett (Wichita): 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day – Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul): 2-for-6, HR, 3 RBI 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: #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 2-for-4, R #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul vs. Louisville (7:07 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez (7-4, 5.02 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (5:00 CST) - RHP Cody Laweryson (5-0, 0.82 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (TBD CST) - TBD Fort Myers vs. Dunedin (11:00 am CST) - TBD View full article

That's about where the good news ends, unfortunately. Though a couple of big Saints prospects had big nights. And, The Mighty Mussels played two games. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge TRANSACTIONS INF Seth Gray was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Wichita. INF Daniel Ozoria was sent to Cedar Rapids from Ft. Myers. C Andrew Cossetti was sent to Cedar Rapids from the Florida Complex. 1B Aaron Sabato placed on IL. He was hit by a 98 mph fastball in the hand and has a broken bone. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 9, Toledo 10 (10 Innings) Box Score Dereck Rodriguez: 5 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K HR: Matt Wallner (6) Multi-hit games: Matt Wallner (2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB), Cole Sturgeon (2-for-5, R, BB), Chris Williams (3-for-5, 2 2B, R, RBI), John Andreoli (2-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI) St. Paul lost an extra-inning heartbreaker on Saturday. It was a true barn-burner during all phases; there were just three innings where neither team plated a run and six instances where a team scored multiple times in a single frame. Pitchers found no quarter. Chris Williams and Matt Wallner, the typical culprits, led the offensive charge for St. Paul, dropping four extra-base hits and an equal total of RBIs. The Saints nabbed eight extra-base hits in total on Saturday. Mario Sanchez was the lone Saints pitcher to walk away without a run attached to his name; the righty acquired four outs and left before chaos could brew. The Mud Hens were led by Daz Cameron, the son of Mike Cameron. While no longer a prospect, Cameron is a highly-talented 25-year-old whom the Tigers acquired in the Justin Verlander trade. According to MLB.com, the highest-rated prospect playing for Toledo is Andre Lipcius, a third-baseman who walked twice on Saturday. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 3, NW Arkansas 2 Box Score Daniel Gossett: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Yunior Severino (2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB), Leobaldo Cabrera (2-for-4, R) The Wind Surge won on a walk-off on Saturday. Daniel Gossett established the tone early, allowing a sole earned run over five quality innings with five strikeouts. Gossett has bounced around the system, always needed somewhere else, and has pitched remarkably well, no matter the context. Wichita’s offense remained in neutral for the majority of the game, only breaking free in the 9th inning thanks to a bevy of walks and a Yunior Severino two-run, walk-off single. The team ended with seven walks on top of eight hits. Blayne Enlow collected three strikeouts over two scoreless innings. Tyler Gentry led the Naturals; the 9th-ranked prospect struck out three times in Saturday’s game. Kernels Nuggets The rain ended this game before it could start. Because the game is unnecessary for playoff standings, the Kernels will play just one game on Sunday. Mussel Matters Game 1: Fort Myers 2, St. Lucie 5 (7 Innings) Box Score Jordan Carr: 3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K HR: None Multi-hit games: None The Mighty Mussels experienced an offensive malaise on Saturday. Game 1 was sub-optimal; the team netted just three hits—all singles—with six walks and plenty of strikeouts to go around. Kala’i Rosario was probably the batter of the game, as he walked twice and scored a run. No Mighty Mussel batter knocked in a run with a hit. Jordan Carr’s start was tough; the lefty allowed five runs over three innings as the Mets BABIP’d him to death. Zebby Matthews stood out on the mound, striking out four over two clean frames to help bring the game to its silent conclusion. Kevin Parada—the 3rd ranked prospect in the Mets system and the 11th overall pick in the July draft— leads St. Lucie; the catcher singled and walked on Saturday. Game 2: Fort Myers 1, St. Lucie 3 Box Score Tomas Cleto: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Tanner Schobel (2-for-3, RBI) The Mighty Mussels continued their crisis of confidence in Game 2 on Saturday. Tanner Schobel ensured that someone could claim a multi-hit game; he singled twice. Fort Myers hitters walked more than they struck out (six to four) but failed to bring those free baserunners home beyond one run scored in the 5th inning. Tomas Cleto pitched well, punching out a trio of hitters with a single earned run over his four innings of work. Luis Baez swiped his 20th bag of the season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tomas Cleto, Ft. Myers Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Matt Wallner, St. Paul PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-3, 2 BB, K #7 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-2, 2 BB #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-4, R, BB #15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K #17 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - 3 ⅓ IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 1 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Ft. Myers) - 2-6, RBI, BB, K #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, R, 3 BB, K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (1:05 PM) - RHP Bailey Ober (rehab) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Cody Laweryson South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 PM) - TBD St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (12:00 PM) - TBD View full article

Wichita's Daniel Gossett tossed a no-no, while the Saints, Wind Surge, and Mighty Mussels all picked up wins. TRANSACTIONS None SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 3 Box Score Louie Varland had yet another solid outing for the Saints on Friday, striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings. Although he did surrender seven hits and three runs—only two earned—the RailRiders struggled to make consistent hard contact. Varland has now struck out 15 batters and walked two in 11 Triple-A innings. While two starts hardly provides definitive proof for upcoming sustained success, Varland’s immediate impact at the highest level of Minor League Baseball has to be appealing to the Minnesota Twins. He possesses a fastball that sits in the mid-90s with good ride and a slider with strong bite that would play well out of the Twins’ bullpen right now. His changeup remains a work in progress but when on, it has very similar shape to his fastball. He likely isn’t quite ready to make starts for the big-league club, but he could provide value out of the pen, particularly if Emilio Pagan continues to struggle or Trevor Megill turns into a pumpkin. Jermaine Palacios (3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) and Chris Williams (1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI) led the Saints offensively. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Tulsa 0 Box Score The home crowd was witness to history on Friday evening as righty Daniel Gossett tossed the first no-hitter in Wind Surge history. He needed 120 pitches to do so, striking out 10 and walking three (two in the 9th inning). The only other Driller to reach base did so via error. Gossett is a 29-year-old journeyman who was a second-round pick in 2014 out of Clemson and last appeared in the Majors in 2018 as a member of the Oakland Athletics; he started in 23 games across two seasons in the Bay and posted a 5.91 ERA. He entered the game with a 3.48 ERA and had not struck out more than seven batters in a game this season before shutting down Tulsa. Gossett was clearly fatigued in the final inning as he walked two straight batters with two outs before getting Andy Pages to bite on a curveball in the dirt. He was caught on camera shouting, “One more. One more.” into the Wind Surge dugout just prior to the strikeout, seemingly trying to convince manager Ramon Borrego to leave him in. Gossett’s accomplishment won’t make headlines around the internet nor will it likely make SportsCenter, but throwing a no-hitter at any level is a monumental task and his effort should be recognized. Anthony Prato (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and Alex Isola (1-for-3, RBI) each hit home runs to lead Wichita’s offense. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 5, Cedar Rapids 0 (Suspended) Box Score The Timber Rattlers jumped out to an early lead on the Kernels before the game was suspended in the bottom of the fourth inning due to rain. The two will resume play on Saturday. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 1 Box Score Fort Myers 8, Palm Beach 1 Box Score The Mighty Mussels offense could not be contained and their pitching staff was lights out on Friday evening against the Cardinals as they swept the double-header to improve their record to 61-47. Pierson Ohl glimmered on the mound in Game 1, striking out seven and allowing only two Palm Beach batters to reach base across seven shutout innings. The game had been suspended after two innings on Thursday night, so Ohl started the third frame and finished the game In Game 2, Jonathan Lavallee was awarded the win with four shutout innings out of the pen. Overall, the Fort Myers pitching staff struck out 19 batters, walked one, and surrendered two runs in 18 innings. Misael Urbina led the Mighty Mussels offensively, going 5-for-8 with a double and three RBI. Some of the former top prospect’s shine has faded this season, but the 20-year-old is suddenly hitting .301 with an .886 OPS in 31 games at Low-A. He hasn’t produced much in the way of home runs, but he has hit a whopping 14 doubles, suggesting a power boom is right around the corner. Mix in his defensive tools and it’s easy to see why many around baseball think highly of his long-term prospects. Unfortunately, visa issues meant that he was unable to come to the States until June. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 4, FCL Red Sox 3 Box Score Old friend Randy Dobnak started on the bound for the FCL Twins, striking out three and allowing four hits across two innings of work. Dobnak has missed the entire 2022 season to date as he rehabs from a finger injury suffered last season. Wilfri Castro had a great afternoon at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, home run, and two RBI. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Cubs Blue 3, DSL Twins 2 Box Score Yasser Mercedes continued to rain terror on the DSL on Friday, going 3-for-4 with a double and RBI. Mercedes—who is just 17 years old—is hitting .361 with a .990 OPS in 39 games. The Twins will keep their burgeoning prospect at the DSL level for the remainder of the season, but it will be interesting to see what they do with him next summer. He’s proven to be advanced for his age and could likely succeed at the FCL level right now. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Daniel Gossett (Wichita): 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 3 BB, 10 K Hitter of the Day – Misael Urbina (Fort Myers): 5-for-8, 2B, 3 RBI 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: #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, R, SB (25) #7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, RBI #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-for-1, 2 BB, R #12 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 5 2/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-for-2 #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 1-for-7, RBI #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, 2B, RBI SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (DH at 5:07 PM CST) - LHP Devin Smeltzer, RHP Juan Minaya in Game 2 Wichita vs. Tulsa (7:05 PM CST) - LHP Kody Funderburk Cedar Rapids vs. Wisconsin (DH at 5:15 PM CST) - Completion of Friday game, followed by regularly-scheduled game. Fort Myers @ Palm Beach (5:00 PM CST) - TBD View full article

Daniel Gossett had a magical night in Wichita, throwing a no-hitter for the Wild Surge. Here are highlights of every batter he faced along the way, including some beautiful defensive plays by Austin Martin and Anthony Prato. Tonight's recap also includes highlights of the Twins' 2-1 victory over Texas and a rundown of the Saints and Mighty Mussels games. View full video

The star-studded St. Paul Saints continued their hot start to the 2022 season on Wednesday evening. Read up on highlights from game and updates from around the Twins farm system! Once again, the St. Paul Saints were the only Twins minor league team in action on Wednesday. That didn't stop them from putting on an offensive clinic. The Wind Surge, Kernels, and Mussels will all kick off their season on Friday. That's when the Twins will play their first game as well after it was postponed from Thursday. TRANSACTIONS The Twins placed LHP Lewis Thorpe, RHP Ronny Henriquez, and RHP Jake Petricka on Developmental List. SAINTS SENTINAL St. Paul 7, Louisville 4 Box Score Fresh off their first W of the season, the Saints were the true bearers of lumber against the Louisville Bats on Thursday evening. The Saints got the party started with a three-run first inning and never looked back, notching their second win of the young season. The hype around the talented Saints roster has been exponentially leading up to the 2022 season. Wednesday evening showed why. On the third pitch of the game, Jose Miranda launched a 2-0 pitch over the left-field wall to give the Saints a 1-0 lead. The MLB.com Top 100 prospect launched 30 homers between AA Wichita and AAA St. Paul last season and his Wednesday dinger will likely be the first of many. 2017 first-round pick Royce Lewis followed suit with a double to center on an 0-2 pitch to keep the momentum going. Lewis recorded his first hit of the season last night in the season opener and it’s safe to say that all of Twins Territory is thrilled to see Lewis’ play and personality back on the diamond. Touted for his impressive speed, Lewis followed suit by stealing third base (2) and was eventually driven in alongside Mark Contreras by a Jake Cave double (1) to give the Saints a 3-0 lead. Miranda continued his solid evening by knocking in Curtis Terry on an RBI single in the fourth inning. Jermaine Palacios also scored in the first thanks to a catching error by Louisville first basemen Jake Bauers. St. Paul tacked on two more runs in the seventh. After an infield single by Lewis, Contreras launched an 0-1 pitch over the right-field wall to give the Saints a 7-3 lead. The shot was Contreras’ first of the young season. The Goose is Loose A former member of the Red Sox organization, RHP Daniel “Goose” Gossett was rock-solid in his first outing for the Saints. Despite a rocky third inning, Gossett gave up no runs on one hit in the first two innings and retired the first two batters in the fourth inning before being removed. Newcomer JC Ramirez (W, 1-0) came in after Gossett and was rock solid for 2.1 innings. The Managua, Nicaragua native struck allowed no runs on three hits with three strikeouts, allowing the Saints offensive opportunities to pad their lead. The tandem of Jovani Moran and Juan Minaya (S, 1) tackled the final seven outs, allowing only two combined hits. Minaya struck out four batters to earn his first save of the year. Larnach Out Just hours before first pitch, the Saints announced that top prospect Trevor Larnach had been removed from the lineup and replaced by Mark Contreras (who had a stellar evening). Pre-game, Saints manager Toby Gardenhire told broadcaster Sean Aronson that he had some muscle tightness and with the wet field conditions (both of the first two games have been delayed), they removed him from the lineup. That didn't stop Twitter from being curious. Then Ken Rosenthal tweeted out during the Saints game that the Twins were working on acquiring San Diego starting pitcher Chris Paddack. And while some believe Larnach could be headed to Southern California, Rosenthal followed up by saying that the Padres are interested in Twins reliever Taylor Rogers. Will Larnach's promising future remain in Minnesota? It seems likely, but only time will tell. WIND SURGE WISDOM The Wind Surge will begin their season on Friday at home against the Tulsa Drillers. The Surge will send top prospect Matt Canterino to the mound for the season opener. Canterino was 1-0 with a 0.78 ERA in 2021 before being sidelined with an elbow injury. The return of one of the most exciting pitchers in the Twins organization should be electric. In the meantime, be sure to check out the Wind Surge roster preview. KERNELS NUGGETS The Kernels announced on Wednesday that LHP and Burnsville, MN native Aaron Rozek will take the bump for Cedar Rapids' opener on Friday against Beloit. Signed to a minor-league contract last season, Rozek went 3-2 with a 2.40 ERA between Fort Myers, Cedar Rapids, and Wichita in 2021. Be sure to take a look at the Cedar Rapids roster in advance of their opener on Friday. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers hits the road to Clearwater to open their 2022 season against the Threshers on Friday. There should be quite a few of the Twins 2021 draft picks on their roster, which has yet to be officially announced. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - JC Ramirez, St. Paul Saints (W, 2.1 IP, 3 H, BB, 3 K) Hitter of the Day - Jose Miranda, St. Paul Saints (2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 SB (3), 2 K #3 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K #11 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 0-for-5, 2 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 PM CST) - RHP Cole Sands View full article