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Rocco Baldelli has presided over some tough seasons in Twins Territory, including the pandemic that has impacted a majority of his managerial career. So, what grade would you give him following his first losing season? MLB managers have a direct impact on the game, from line-up construction to in-game decisions. However, a good manager can lose a lot of games if the talent on the field doesn’t perform. Players and the front office that compiles the roster have a more significant impact than the manager, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to point out about Rocco Baldelli this season. The Good The team didn’t quit, which would have been easy to do following a trade deadline where the team sold away veteran players. For most of the second half, the Twins rotation was composed of unproven players that weren’t expected to impact the 2021 big-league roster. Things didn’t go perfectly, but the team certainly didn’t fall apart. Minnesota went 29-28 (.509) following the trade deadline, which included going 8-4 to end the season and avoid 90-losses. There was little to play for in the season’s final months, but that’s when the Twins were playing their best baseball. If Baldelli gets some of the blame for the team’s early-season struggles, he should also get credit for the club not completely falling off the rails. The Bad Minnesota had a chance to have an incredible, feel-good story, but Baldelli didn’t put a player into the game. Drew Maggi was a 32-year old rookie having a career year at Triple-A. Minnesota called him up for a weekend series in Toronto and had him talk to the media before the game about being in the big leagues. Unfortunately, Baldelli never put him in a game. There were opportunities with Jake Cave, Rob Refsnyder, and Willians Astudillo all getting starts in the series. Even giving him a late-inning at-bat would have been enough. Instead, the Twins demoted him following the weekend series, and the team never recalled him. Minnesota was a bad team going nowhere in 2021, and Maggi should have gotten the opportunity to appear in a game. The Ugly There were a lot of ugly moments throughout the 2021 season, especially with expectations being so high entering the year. This year’s Twins were one of the most disappointing teams in franchise history, but how much of that falls on the manager. In April, the Twins dug a hole that was impossible to get out of with Alex Colome blowing multiple late-inning leads. It’s easy to point at the manager and say he left Colome in too long or stuck with Colome too far into the season. Matt Shoemaker and J.A. Happ pitched poorly and were allowed to continue starting games well into the season. Andrelton Simmons had a terrible offensive season, but he started at shortstop until the season’s final games. Some of these decisions came from the front office, and some rested squarely on Baldelli’s shoulders. Final Grade After the season’s first month, many fans would have given Baldelli an F grade. June and July were also tough as the team was eight games under .500 in those two months. In the end, baseball has a long season, and Baldelli was able to redeem himself in the final months. The team didn’t quit, and they helped to earn the manager a C-. What grade would you give Baldelli? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 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

Needing a win to stay close in the Triple-A Final Stretch race, the Saints fell on their face tonight. Find out what went wrong in tonight's Minor League Report. SAINTS SENTINEL Toledo 8, St. Paul 2 Box Score Saint Paul came into tonight’s game with a respectable 5-2 record in the Triple-A Final Stretch race, but with Durham sitting on a 7-0 mark, the Saints found themselves in must-win territory. Unfortunately, they got a lackluster start from Beau Burrows and it only got worse from there. They dropped this one 8-2 and with Durham winning tonight, they have been eliminated from Final Stretch contention. Burrows started out smooth with two scoreless innings, but he made a big mistake to Riley Greene in the third. The Mud Hen center fielder took him deep to center with a man on, giving Toledo a 2-0 lead. The Hens were back at it in the fourth, though they got some help from the Saints. On a first-and-third steal attempt, Saints catcher David Banuelos hesitated and threw the ball in center field, allowing Ryan Kreidler to scamper home. The Saints bats struggled early, but they grabbed Burrows a run of support in the top of the fifth on a Tomas Telis double. Drew Stankiewicz scored on the play, but Jose Miranda was thrown out at the plate trying to grab another run for St. Paul. Burrows was removed with one out in the fifth and replaced with Ian Hamilton. The Saints starter allowed three runs (two earned) in 4 1/3 innings. He only allowed four hits and struck out four, but walked three. Kreidler scored in another unusual way in the sixth. With one out in the inning and runners on first and third, Hamilton got a tailor-made double play ball to second, but Jacob Robson lured Drew Maggi into a rundown and kept the inning alive long enough for Kreidler to score to make it 4-1. Robinson Leyer took over for Hamilton to start the seventh and a bad situation got worse. Leyer allowed the first three men of the inning to reach and then gave up a grand slam to Aderlin Rodriguez that curled around the left field foul pole. Leyer was removed from the 8-1 ballgame having only gotten one out while allowing four runs. Bryan Sammons took over for Leyer and got the last five outs of the game without allowing a run, but the damage was done. The Saints grabbed a run in the ninth thanks to two Toledo errors, but that run only served to slightly obscure the troubles the offense had all night. They got six hits, but couldn’t string any rallies together. It certainly didn’t help that they struck out 14 times as a team, including eight combined K’s (and a combined 0-for-12) from the three, four, and five hitters. Telis and Maggi were the best of a bad bunch tonight as they both went 2-for-4 with Telis driving in a run and Maggi scoring one. The Saints lose 8-2 and drop to a 5-3 record in the Triple-A Final Stretch. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day: Tomas Telis (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB, K Pitcher of the Day: Bryan Sammons (St. Paul) - 1.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, BB, 3 K PROSPECT SUMMARY #6- Jose Miranda (St. Paul)- 1-for-5 #13- Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul)- 0-for-4, 3 K #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota)- 1-for-3 (In Progress) SATURDAY'S PROBABLE STARTER St. Paul @ Toledo (4:05PM CST) RHP Drew Strotman (10-4, 5.09 ERA) Feel free to comment and discuss tonight’s game! View full article

In a lost season for the Twins, you have to find some silver-linings and follow some good stories. On Saturday, the Twins placed Rob Refsnyder on the IL and called up utility man Drew Maggi. It is the 32-year-old's first big-league call up. The road has been long and windy for Drew Maggi. The Phoenix native was drafted out of Brophy College Prep by the hometown Diamondbacks in the 47th round of the 2008 draft. Two years later, he was the Pirates 15th round pick out of Arizona State. And that began his pro journey. Maggi spent five seasons with the Pirates organization. He reached Double-A in 2014. He posted a .606 OPS in 125 games for the Angels Double-A affiliate in Arkansas in 2015. In 2016, he went to the Dodgers organization and split the season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. There, he was a teammate of Twins minor league director Alex Hassan. He remained in Oklahoma City in 2017. In 2018, he played for Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate in Columbus. Then in 2019, he signed a minor league deal with the Twins. He began that season with 11 games at Double-A Pensacola. He then played 108 games with Triple-A Rochester and hit .258/.384/.405 (.788) with 19 doubles, four triples and 10 homers. In 2020, he was invited to Twins big-league spring training. As we know, the season was delayed and the minor league season was cancelled, but Maggi was invited and worked out at the Twins alternate site in St. Paul. This spring, he was again invited to big-league spring training. He has played in 86 games for the St. Paul Saints. He has hit .261/.364/.486 (.850) with 12 doubles, two triples and 16 home runs. On Saturday morning, he was officially called up to the Twins. Now I know many will ask why I get excited for feel-good stories like this? Many will ask why Maggi instead of top hitting prospect Jose Miranda. I understand that. I initially wondered the same thing, but that dissipated pretty quickly for me. I love feel-good stories. The Twins have done it in the past. All teams have, and I think it's great. Remember five years ago when the Twins called up James Beresford for September. It gave him a chance to make big-league money for a month, but it was also a Thank You from the organization that he called home for ten years. Maggi has only been in the Twins organization for three seasons, but he's been in the game a long time. He's a good player. He's displayed power. He has played wherever he's been asked. He can play all four infield spots and even has spent some time in the outfield. He may rarely play with the Twins. Or, he could come up and get a shot and have a great two-week stretch. Maggi will likely be DFAd at season's end, and that's fine, but forever, he will be able to call himself a big leaguer. From the Twins perspective they have called up several players that they had signed to minor league contracts this year. And, a story like this isn't going to get lost on minor league free agents this offseason, or next offseason. Jose Miranda is a part of the future. He's going to contribute to the Twins for years to come. Drew Maggi is probably playing the final two weeks of his professional career, or maybe he'll be thrilled to come back to the Twins next year because he knows that they have done right by him and others. In a bad season, a dark season, we do need to find the positives. We should be excited for the person, and we should hope for good from Drew Maggi. I know I am happy for him! As mentioned Rob Refsnyder was placed on the Injured List to make room for Maggi on the 28-man roster. Taylor Rogers was placed on the 60-Day IL to make room for Maggi on the 40-man roster. View full article

Minnesota Twins minor leaguer Drew Maggi finally got the call. After 11 seasons in the minor leagues, more than 1,000 games played, the 32-year-old was promoted to the Twins. Stick around to the end of this video to see some of his introductory press session. Also featured in this video are Brent Rooker, Josh Donaldson, Austin Martin, Edouard Julien, Aaron Sabato and Sawyer Gipson-Long. There's also an update on a trio of 2021 draftees, including Chase Petty. View full video

The Wichita Wind Surge came from behind to win in extra innings and the Fort Myers Might Mussels won one of two. The other games didn't go so hot. TRANSACTIONS St. Paul Saints place OF Trevor Larnach (left-hand contusion) on the 7-day injured list RHP Carlos Suniaga was promoted from Low-A Fort Myers to High-A Cedar Rapids C Kyle Schmidt was sent from Triple-A St. Paul to High-A Cedar Rapids C Caleb Hamilton was promoted from Double-A Wichita to Triple-A St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 7, St. Paul 6 Box Score The Saints dropped yet another game to the Clippers on Friday evening due in large part to poor pitching. Drew Strotman started on the bump for St. Paul and while his overall numbers weren’t great — five innings, five runs, seven hits, six strikeouts — he was *this close* to producing a truly great start. Strotman’s lack of command has been his biggest bugaboo since arriving in the Twins’ farm system. However, Friday night was his second start all season in which he did not walk anyone. (The other came on May 18 when he struck out eight batters in six innings.) His command still wasn’t great — when he missed, he missed pretty badly; more on that in a second — but allowing zero walks in five innings is a step in the right direction. Of Strotman’s misses, at least four were left in the exact spot a pitcher never wants to miss: middle-middle. Three misplaced fastballs were launched for two doubles and a home run and an errant curveball was blasted well over 400-feet to dead center for another round-tripper. If he places those pitches elsewhere, there’s a good chance that he and the Saints would have walked away with the win. Strotman’s future role and success are predicated on improving his command. He has the raw stuff and number of pitches to be a starter long-term, but he will likely be relegated to a bullpen role if he is unable to hone his ability to spot his offerings. Reliever Jovani Moran took the loss after he walked in the deciding run in the bottom of the ninth. He finished the night with one earned run in 1 1/3 innings to go along with two walks and two strikeouts. Moran is an exciting relief prospect who will likely find his way onto the Twins’ roster before the end of the season. He possesses the best changeup in the system — perhaps the team’s best since Johan Santana — and racks up the strikeouts. However, his biggest wart at this time is his walk rate. Entering Friday night, Moran owned a 4.78 BB/9, which translates to a 13.2% BB%. As long as his walks remain at their current level, Moran will always be susceptible to nights like Friday, though his overall dominance more than outweighs that risk. Luke Farrell and Nick Vincent also made appearances for St. Paul and combined to allow one earned run over their two innings. Drew Maggi was the Saints’ primary contributor offensively as he went 2-for-4 with four RBI at the plate, with one of his hits being his 14th home run of the season. Maggi owns a .848 OPS this season and provides some versatility defensively. At 32, he likely isn’t long for the franchise, but it would be nice to see the Twins reward his strong play, particularly as of late, with a promotion. Jose Miranda went 1-for-4 with a walk, while Mark Contreras and Jimmy Kerrigan drove in the team’s two other runs. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Arkansas 5, F/10 Box Score The Wind Surge came from behind to win an exciting affair in Arkansas on Friday evening despite picking up only four hits. Recent addition Stevie Berman — whom the Twins acquired from the Dodgers in exchange for pitcher Andrew Vasquez — pulled a grand slam to left field to tie the game at 4-4 in the seventh inning. However, the tie was short-lived as the Travelers reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the seventh. Aaron Whitefield knotted the game up at 5 with a sacrifice fly in the ninth before Spencer Steer drove in the game-winning run in the 10th with a sac fly of his own. D.J. Burt and Berman each contributed two hits. On the mound, the Wind Surge were led by potential future Twins Ben Gross and Jordan Gore, who combined to throw six innings in the relief. The two struck out 11 batters, walked three, and surrendered only a single run. Austin Schulfer started and struck out five in four innings of work. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 9, Cedar Rapids 5 Box Score The good news is that the Kernels pitching staff — Sean Mooney, Osiris German, and Andrew Cabezas — struck out 10 batters and only issued a single walk during the game’s nine innings. The bad news is that the River Bandits roughed them up for nine runs, five doubles, and a home run. At the plate, Seth Gray led the way by going 2-for-3 with a double, triple, and three runs scored. Daniel Ozoria registered his first home run — a two-run shot — in a Cedar Rapids uniform out of the nine-hole, and Jeferson Morales drove in two runs on 3-for-4 hitting; the catcher is hitting .323 with a .922 OPS since being promoted to the Kernels in early August. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Daytona 1 (completion of game from Thursday) Daytona 5, Fort Myers 2, F/7 Box score 1 Box score 2 The Mighty Mussels and Tortugas began their evening of ball by wrapping up the game that was suspended on Thursday due to rain. Fort Myers — who led 3-1 at the time of suspension — added two more runs in the fifth inning and did not surrender any en route to picking up the win. Casey Legumina earned the win after tossing 5 2/3 shutout innings. He struck out five, walked one, and surrendered three hits, two of which were doubles. Bradley Hanner threw the final innings, striking out one and setting the side down in order. Alerick Soularie went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks. Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Jesus Feliz each contributed three hits. Patrick Winkel went 2-for-5 with a double. Fort Myers followed their win with a loss in seven innings. The Mighty Mussels bats did not wake up until the top of the seventh when they scored both of their runs. Encarnacion-Strand and Misael Urbina contributed doubles and Will Holland added a triple. In total, Fort Myers was only able to muster four hits. Miguel Rodriguez, Juan Pichardo, and Logan Campbell combined to throw seven innings for the Mighty Mussels, striking out nine and walking five. FCL COMPLEX REPORT FCL Twins vs. FCL Red Sox postponed due to rain TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day — Casey Legumina, Fort Myers: 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day — Drew Maggi, St. Paul: 2-for-4, 2B, HR (14), 4 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Out for season (torn ACL) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - Did not play #3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - Did not pitch #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - Did not pitch #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB #7 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - Did not pitch #8 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List (right elbow strain) #9 - Chase Petty (Complex) - No game #10 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - Did not play #11 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List (right shoulder impingement) #12 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 4 K #13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 0-for-4 #14 - Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 6 K #15 - Noah Miller (Complex) - No game #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - 0-for-1, K #17 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery) #18 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - 2-for-3, 2B #19 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch #20 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, game-winning RBI SATURDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (3:05 PM CST) - RHP Beau Burrows (2-3, 5.98 ERA) St. Paul @ Columbus (approx. 7:05 PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Arkansas (6:10 PM CST) - TBD Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-1, 6.14 ERA) Fort Myers @ Daytona (6:05 PM CST) - LHP Cade Povich (Debut) Feel free to ask questions and discuss. 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Drew Maggi lit things up in the capital city and the Wichita offense continued to impress. Read up on all the action across the Twins farm system! TRANSACTIONS Minnesota Twins selected the contract of RHP Kyle Barraclough from St. Paul Saints. Minnesota Twins selected the contract of LHP Andrew Albers from St. Paul Saints. Minnesota Twins optioned RHP Edgar Garcia to St. Paul Saints. Minnesota Twins sent RHP Beau Burrows outright to St. Paul Saints. St. Paul Saints released CF Keon Broxton. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 9, Iowa 5 Box Score The St. Paul Saints found themselves in a hole on Thursday night at CHS Field, trailing 4-2 after the fifth inning with only four hits. That all changed with one swing from Drew Maggi in the bottom of the sixth inning. Maggi launched a bases-loaded 3-2 pitch over the left-field wall to give the Saints a lead they wouldn’t look back on. Maggi’s slam was put into motion by a pair of singles from Tomas Telis and Mark Contreras and a throwing error that put Sherman Johnson on base. From there, it was all “Maggic” Maggi’s homer (12) only kick-started that the St. Paul offense. Contreras punched an RBI single in the seventh to score Trevor Larnach, kicking off a three-run inning for the Saints. Johnson would later score two runs of his own, pushing a single up the gut that scored Ian Miller and Telis to put the Saints up 9-4. Contreras was brilliant on the evening. Not only did his mid and late-inning hits count, but he got the party started for the Saints in the first with a double and a run (courtesy of a Gilberto Celestino double). Beau Burrows and Andrew Vasquez gave up a combined four runs in the first five innings. After that, it was pure gold from the St. Paul bullpen. Ian Gibaut (W, 1-3), Yennier Cano, and Ian Hamilton were lights out for the remainder of the game, giving up two hits, three walks, and zero runs while striking out seven. Cano earned his fourth hold of the year, and Hamilton continued his dominant stretch, shaving his ERA down to 2.85 Playoff Watch Thursday’s win puts the Saints just 1.5 games behind first-place Toledo. St. Paul is now in sole place of second place in the Triple-A Central East Division. Triple-A postseason format can be viewed here. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 14, Springfield 6 Box Score The Wind Surge put up yet another football-like score on Thursday night, defeating Springfield by a score of 14-6. The Surge put up a total of 21 hits, including a four-hit night from BJ Boyd and three-hit evenings for Spencer Steer, Andrew Bechtold, and DJ Burt. Bechtold and Leobaldo Cabrera each launched homers for Wichita and Bechtold knocked his 20th double of the season. Starting pitcher Austin Schulffer (W, 4-7) was solid, going five innings and striking out five while giving up four runs on seven hits. The Wichita bullpen was even more stellar on the night. Alex Phillips, Zach Neff, and Adam Lau combined for three innings of two-run ball while striking out five. Playoff Watch Tonight's win puts Wichita atop the Double-A Central league! The Surge are 54-39, 0.5 games above Frisco (Texas). The top two teams in the Double-A Central League will compete in a five-game series for the league title. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Wisconsin 8 Box Score Down 8-4 going into the sixth inning, it looked like Cedar Rapids' winning streak would end at three games. Think again. After a three-run sixth inning, Edouard Julien, Wander Javier, and Yunior Severino tag-teamed for a two-run ninth to walk the Kernels off in their largest comeback of the season. Julien led off the inning with a single and stole second on a 2-2 count with Severino at the plate. His aggressive baserunning paid off. Severino lined the next pitch over the left fielder's head, advancing all the way to third and scoring Julien. The Iowa magic was capped off when Javier lined a single to right to score pinch-runner Daniel Ozoria for the winning run. "Baseball's unlike any other sport in the fact that their isn't a time clock," Skipper Brian Dinkleman said after his team's longest game of the season. "It was a true team win." In a battle that saw hits and runs throughout the course of the game, the Kernels saw different players step up at different times. The Kernels scored their first run in the first inning when Julien touched home on a fielder's choice from Wander Javier. Cedar Rapids would double their runs scored in the second inning. After a trio of walks, Julien punched a single to center to score Jeferson Morales and Michael Helman. Despite giving up eight runs in the first four innings, the Kernels continued to knock on the door. Yunior Severino worked some two-out magic in the fourth when he crushed a double to left that moved Julien to third. Julien scored two batters later, thanks to a single from Alex Isola. Trailing by four heading into the sixth, Cedar Rapids third basemen Seth Gray put the team on his back. After a single from Severino and a walk from Isola, Gray launched a three-run shot (9) to bring the Kernels within one. Cedar Rapids pitcher Tyler Watson pitched 2 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits while striking out two. Highly-touted reliever Derek Molina followed Watson on a night that wasn't his best. Molina lasted 2/3 of an inning, striking out one while giving up two earned runs. Osiris German and Denny Bentley came up next in the firing line of Kernels' pitchers. Both were magnificent, combining for 3 2/3 scoreless innings and striking out five. Playoff Watch Tonight's win puts the Kernels at 52-41, 9.5 games behind league leader Quad Cities (Kansas City). The victory placed Cedar Rapids a full two games ahead of third-place Lake County (Cleveland). For in-depth information on High-A playoff format, click here. MUSSEL MATTERS Game 1: Fort Myers 6, Dunedin 2 Box Score Two things are inevitable in the state of Florida: Jimmy Buffett is king It rains. A lot. The second of those halted Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jays in the fourth inning, with the Mussels leading 1-0. That game was resumed prior to Thursday’s scheduled game against Dunedin. Needless to say, it was worth the wait for Fort Myers. After the Jays scored two in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead, Fort Myers roared back with five unanswered runs to win the multi-day game 6-2. Four Mighty Mussels had multi-hit games, including Misael Urbina, who knocked a sixth-inning solo shot to ignite the late-inning scoring spree. On Wednesday, Jesus Feliz hit his own solo homer in the second inning to put Fort Myers on the board. Willie Joe Garry Jr. and Kyler Fedko also had multi-hit games. Fedko’s first hit of the night game in the seventh inning. The 2021 12th round pick out of Uconn punched a 1-0 pitch to right field to score Will Holland from second, giving the Mussels a 3-2 lead. Fort Myers clung to a 3-2 lead going into the top of the ninth. Yet like a heavy downpour, the Mussels offense washed away any chances of a Dunedin victory with a three-run inning. After leading off with a walk, Patrick Winkel advanced to second courtesy of a Garry Jr. single. Fedko then laced a single that advanced Garry Jr. to second. Winkel attempted to score on the play but was gunned out at home. But with two outs and runners at first and third, Tennessee Volunteer alum Alerick Soularie punched a single to left that would score Garry Jr. and advance Fedko to third. Soularie and Fedko would both score thanks to a single from Aaron Sabato. The Fort Myers pitching staff was excellent throughout the game. Starting pitcher Aaron Rozek tossed three scoreless innings while striking out four on Wednesday night. When the game resumed on Thursday, Bradley Hanner went 2 ⅓ innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out one. The real gem of the night was Matt Mullenbach (W, 1-0), who locked things down in the final 3 ⅓ innings, giving up no runs on three hits while striking out five and walking none. Game Two: Dunedin 2, Fort Myers 0 (7 innings) Box Score After one of their best offensive performances of the year, Fort Myers was shut down in game two thanks to quality Dunedin pitching. The Mussels were no-hit in the shortened-game format and drew three walks on the night. Dunedin pitcher Trent Palmer (W, 2-2) pitched the entire game for the Blue Jays. Palmer, a native of Rochester, MN and graduate of Anoka High School was pleased yet humble following his incredible outing. "Sometimes you have bad stuff and get outs. Sometimes you have good stuff and get hit and thankfully tonight it was right at our position players who were amazing!" Palmer said to Seth Stohs of Twins Daily. The fact that the Minnesota native pitched a no hitter against a Twins affiliate made it even more special. "It was even better than I could have imagined considering I grew up going to Twins games at the Dome and Target Field all the time!" Palmer was stellar, but Fort Myers starter Casey Legumina was nothing short of excellent. Legumina (L, 2-2) pitched four innings of one-run ball, striking out seven and walking none. The Gonzaga alum pounded the zone all night, with 43 of his 66 pitches called for strikes. Reliever Juan Pichardo was also rock-solid on the night. Pichardo followed Legumina by throwing two innings of one-hit, one-run ball while striking out five. The only hit he surrendered was a sixth-inning triple. The Fort Myers staff didn't give up a walk in the game. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Rays 4, FCL Twins 3 Box Score Four innings of scoreless pitching from Giovahniey German wasn’t enough to push the FCL Twins past the rays on Thursday afternoon. The FCL Rays scored four runs in the fifth inning off of FCL Twins pitcher Danny Moreno to seal the deal in a tightly contested ball game. The Twins struck first with two runs in the third inning. Rubel Cespedes launched a homer (2) over the right-field fence to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. Kala’i Rosario would later punch an RBI single into the outfield to score Zander Wiel. And even though the team lost, the most exciting play of the day (and arguably the season) came in the eighth inning when Wiel touched all four bags on an inside-the-park home run. Wiel has been on a rehab assignment at the complex following a quad injury. Twins Daily co-owner Seth Stohs chatted with Zander over the offseason. Give it a watch! After Moreno’s rocky fifth inning, the Twins’ bullpen locked in. Juan Mendez and Elpidio Perez combined for three innings of scoreless baseball. Mendez struck out four batters in his two innings on the bump. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily is all about community. YOU choose who tonight's (8/19) Hitter and Pitcher of the Day are! PROSPECT SUMMARY Our most recent (post deadline and draft) prospect rankings are up! Check them out here. #1 - Royce Lewis (rehab) - Injured List (ACL) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - Did not play #3 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) - Did not pitch #4 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - Did not pitch #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) - Injured List (elbow strain) #6 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 0-for-5 #7 - Joe Ryan (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #8 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #9 - Chase Petty (Complex) - Did not pitch #10 - Keoni Cavaco (Fort Myers) - Game 1: 0-for-5, 3 K Game 2: Did not play #11 - Josh Winder (St. Paul) - Injured List (shoulder) #12 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) - Did not play #13 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, RBI, K #14 - Drew Strotman (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #15 - Noah Miller (Complex) - Did not play #16 - Brent Rooker (Minnesota) - 0-for-1, K #17 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Out for season (Tommy John surgery) #18 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) - Game 1: 2-for-4, HR, R, RBI, BB, K Game 2: 0-for-3, K #19 - Cole Sands (Wichita) - Did not pitch #20 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Iowa @ St. Paul (7:05PM CST) – RHP Joe Ryan (4-3 3.63 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (7:05PM CST) – RHP Cole Sands (2-1, 2.83 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-1, 7.20 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30PM CST) – RHP Sean Mooney (0-1, 0.84 ERA) View full article

The trade deadline has passed, and so has the third month of the minor league season. Today, we start handing out awards by discussing the top hitters in the Twins minor leagues this month. Here are the top four hitters for the month of July, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION OF Keon Broxton - St. Paul Saints - 19-68, .279/.383/.618 (1.000) with 2 doubles, 7 home runs, 11 BB, 24 K. IF Andrew Bechtold - Wichita Wind Surge - 21-78, .269/.374/.577 (.951) with 6 doubles, 6 home runs, 12 BB, 31 K. OF Max Smith - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 16-65, .246/.398/.538 (.936) with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 17 BB, 30 K. C Charlie Mack - Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels - 19-55, .345/.419/.491 (.910) with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 7 BB, 11 K. OF Luis Baez - FCL Twins - 18-49, .367/.466/.551 (1.017) with 3 doubles, 3 triples, 5 BB, 11 K. C Alexander Pena - FCL Twins - 21-50, .420/.473/.520 (.993) with 5 doubles, 4 BB, 13 K. OF Kala’i Rosario - FCL Twins - 26-80, .325/.360/.563 (.923) with 5 doubles, 4 triples, 2 home runs, 5 BB, 20 K. THE TOP FOUR HITTERS Number 4 - Cedar Rapids Kernels - UT Michael Helman - 29-94, .309/.404/.521 (.925) with 6 doubles, 1 triples, 4 home runs, 14 BB, 20 K. Michael Helman was the Twins 11th round pick in 2018 after one season at Texas A&M. Previously, he had put up monster numbers at Hutchinson CC. His pro career started out well with 12 games in Elizabethton before playing 27 games at Cedar Rapids. Combined, he hit .361/.409/.510 with six doubles, two triples and four homers. He jumped to High-A Ft. Myers, but he hit just .197 in 82 before an injury ended his season. After a missed 2020 season, Helman began the season in Cedar Rapids, now the High-A affiliate. In 70 games, he is hitting .233/.332/.421 (.753) with 13 doubles and ten home runs. He’s also got 11 stolen bases. The increased power and his ability to play at least seven positions on the diamond have moved him back up prospect rankings. Number 3 – St. Paul Saints - IF Drew Maggi - 21-81, .259/.355/.667 (1.022) with 6 doubles, 9 homers, 8 BB, 27 K. 32-year-old Drew Maggi is in his third season in the Twins organization. His pro career began in 2010 when he was the 15th round pick of the Pirates. Since then, he also has played in the Dodgers and Cleveland’s system. After splitting 2019 between Pensacola and Rochester, he spent the 2020 season in St. Paul at the Twins alternate site. In 56 games with the Saints this year, he has hit .238/.336/.481 (.818) with ten doubles and 11 homers, nine of which came in July. He had homers in the first four Saints games of July and seven in the first 12 games. Number 2 - St. Paul Saints – IF Jose Miranda - 37-112, .330/.402/.571 (.973) with 9 doubles, 6 home runs, 13 BB. 22 K. Jose Miranda was the Twins Daily choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month in both May and June. This month, his first full month with the Saints, he drops to second on the list despite putting up another great performance in July. Miranda was the 73rd overall pick in the 2016 draft, one spot ahead of Akil Baddoo. Like Baddoo, Miranda was left exposed to the Rule 5 draft. Unlike Baddoo, Miranda was not selected. He spent two months in Double-A to start the season and was promoted to the Saints where he has played 29 games now. Combined, he is hitting .347/.410/.612 (1.022) with 18 doubles, 22 homers and 62 RBI. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: St. Paul Saints – OF Jimmy Kerrigan - 25-68, .368/.436/.735 (1.171), 4 doubles, 7 home runs, 9 BB, 23 K. A Philadelphia native, Kerrigan stayed home and went to Temple University where he played two seasons. Then the school dropped its baseball program. He went to Virginia Commonwealth where he played well for two years but went undrafted. He played in the independent Frontier League before the Twins signed him midway through the 2017 season and played in Cedar Rapids. In both 2018 and 2019, he spent most of the seasons in Double-A with some time in Triple-A. He began the 2021 season at Double-A Wichita, but after just two games, he was promoted to the Saints. In 62 games, he has hit .261/.353/.495 (.848) with eight doubles and 12 home runs. He also can play all three outfield positions well, and has a very strong arm. We would like to congratulate St. Paul outfielder Jimmy Kerrigan, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for July 2021. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions. View full article

We know you were waiting for it, but the timing had to be right. This week, we completed our Midseason Top 40 Twins Prospect rankings, and so now our Prospect Summary below has also been updated. Another terrific pitching performance for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Tuesday, led by Charlie Barnes. Another three-hit game for Tomas Telis for the Red Wings who faced an old friend. But the story of the Twins minor league day happened in the afternoon in Ft. Myers. A 2019 draft pick recorded six hits and completed the cycle. Find out more below.Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Tuesday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS Lewis Thorpe was optioned to Rochester following his MLB debut on Sunday.Ronald Torreyes was DFAd, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Rochester.Gabriel Moya cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Red Wings.Adalberto Mejia was reinstated from the Injured List.Wilin Rosario went on the IL with an ankle injury.Ricky De La Torre was activated from the Kernels Injured List.Bailey Ober and Dakota Chalmers began rehab assignments with the GCL Twins.According to Baseball America, the Twins have agreed to terms with several international free agents.Emmanuel Rodriguez, of, Dominican Republic (video) - $2.5 millionMalfrin Sosa, of, Dominican Republic (video)Yonardy Soto, ss, Dominican Republic (video)Argenis Jimenez, of, VenezuelaGregory Duran, of, Dominican RepublicIn addition, they have signed Miguelangel Boadas, Breilin Ramirez, and Amilcar Vasquez. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 18, GCL Rays 14 Box Score Maybe you were expecting a pitcher’s duel in the GCL on Tuesday. Nope! This one exhibited some good hitting, and a lot of not-so-good pitching. Do we start with the good news (hitting) or the bad news (pitching)? Let’s start with the pitching. Sometimes there is good news within bad news. For instance, the GCL Twins starting pitcher was Dakota Chalmers, making his first appearance on the mound since having Tommy John surgery last May. In the first inning, he struck out the side. In the second inning, gave up six runs (five earned) on two hits, a walk and two hit batters. He recorded one out, on a strikeout. Jesus Toledo came on and got the final two outs of the second frame. He gave up the inherited runs and two more on two hits and a walk. Bailey Ober pitched in his first game since the end of April. He gave up only an unearned run on four hits over four innings.He struck out five batters. Ricky Ramirez struck out three batters over two scoreless innings as he continued his rehab. Rogelio Reyes gave up five runs (four earned) on three hits and three walks in his inning. Now to the hitting… Parker Phillips was the star of this game. The Twins 27th-round pick out of Austin Peay this year had a huge game. He went 6-for-7 and completed the cycle. He hit his first home run, triple and double in the game. He scored four runs and drove in three runs. A nice day at the office. But to score 18 runs, it obviously wasn’t just Phillips. Victor Heredia went 3-for-6 with a walk. Wander Valdez was 3-for-6 also. Jeferson Morales went 1-for-2 with three walks. Jake Hirabayashi went 2-for-3 with two walks and a double. Kyle Schmidt went 2-for-5 with a double and five RBI. Luis Milla went 2-for-6. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Charlie Barnes, Pensacola Blue Wahoos Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Parker Phillips, GCL Twins PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 2-5, 2B(14), 2 R, 2 K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 2-3, BB #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 2-3, BB, R, RBI, SB(4) #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 3K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) -Did Not Pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - Did Not Play. #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 1-3, BB, HBP, RBI, 2K #9 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (69 pitches, 41 strikes) #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 1-4, BB, 2B(18), 2 R, RBI #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, 2B(10), R, 2 RBI, K #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - (in progress, currently 1-1) #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 1-4, BB, 2B(1), 2K, #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 0-4, K #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - 2-3, 2 BB, 2B(7), SB(10), R #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 1-4, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Chase De Jong (0-4, 10.06 ERA) Mississippi @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) - RHP Jorge Alcala (5-5, 5.81 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Clearwater (6:00 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina (3-2, 3.09 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) - RHP Tyler Palm (1-4, 4.73 ERA) Elizabethton @ Pulaski (5:30 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Braves(11:00 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games or any other minor league topics you would like. Click here to view the article

Jhoan Duran had another great start, Brent Rooker, Travis Blankenhorn, Lewin Diaz and Jose Miranda all hit home runs, Drew Maggi mashed a pair of taters and the Cedar Rapids bullpen provided seven no-hit innings. Come see what else happened down on the farm Friday night.TRANSACTIONS -LHP Devin Smeltzer was optioned back to Rochester. -C Trevor Casanova joined Fort Myers from extended spring. -OF/1B Trey Cabbage also re-joined Fort Myers from the suspended list. RED WINGS REPORT Game 1: Rochester 19, Pawtucket 4 (7 innings) Box Score Kohl Stewart: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 58.5% strikes (55 of 94 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Luis Arraez (3-for-4, 2B, BB), Wilin Rosario (3-for-5, 2B), Nick Gordon (2-for-6, 2B), Zander Wiel (2-for-3, BB, HBP), Jake Cave (2-for-5, 2 2B), Wynston Sawyer (2-for-5, 2B) How do you score 19 runs in a seven-inning game without the benefit of a home run? Well, drawing nine walks helps. So does going 12-for-19 with runners in scoring position. Every single hitter in Rochester’s lineup reached base at least twice. Luis Arraez and Wilin Rosario both tallied three hits. Arraez drove in five runs from the leadoff spot while Rosario had four RBIs. Drew Maggi reached safely in four of his five plate appearances, hitting a double to go with three walks, and score three runs. Zander Wiel also reached base in four of his five plate appearances (two singles, a walk and a hit by pitch). Brent Rooker scored three runs … lots of crooked numbers. Kohl Stewart, the beneficiary of all that run support, improved to 5-3 on the year. Game 2: Rochester 7, Pawtucket 4 (7 innings) Box Score Zack Littell: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 81.1% strikes (30 of 37 pitches) HR: Drew Maggi 2 (5), Rooker (7) Multi-hit games: Cave (2-for-4, 2B), Maggi (2-for-3, 2 HR) The Wings trailed 4-2 entering the final inning, but Drew Maggi hit a game-tying home run, his second of the game, and Brent Rooker blasted a three-run homer to push Rochester ahead. Duran held Jupiter to one run on six hits over seven innings and struck out four. In his last three starts, Duran’s surrendered just 10 hits and three earned runs over 20 innings. Jose Miranda hit his third homer of the year, drew a walk and scored twice. Trey Cabbage hit a double and drove in a pair of runs in his return to the Miracle. Royce Lewis got a single, stole his 11th base of the season and scored a run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Peoria 3 Box Score Tyler Palm: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 61.7% strikes (37 of 60 pitches) HR: None Multi-hit games: Yeltsin Encarnacion (2-for-5), Gabriel Maciel (2-for-4) Cedar Rapids stumbled a bit out of the gates, falling behind 3-0 after the first three innings, but they sure did finish strong. Carlos Suniaga, Jose Martinez and Moises Gomez combined to no-hit Peoria over the final seven innings of this game. Suniaga, the first man out of the bullpen, struck out five batters over his three innings. Martinez also delivered three innings before Gomez came in for the save in the ninth. The bats had a nice rally in the fourth inning to get rolling. With one out, Jared Akins and Chris Williams drew back-to-back walks. Jacob Pearson hit an RBI single before Andrew Bechtold provided a run-scoring ground out. Gabriel Maciel tied the game with an RBI single. Things stayed knotted up until the eighth inning. Gilberto Celestino hit a leadoff double and was driven home on a Williams triple. Celestino also helped provide an insurance run in the ninth, hitting a sacrifice fly. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Jhoan Duran, Fort Myers Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Drew Maggi, Rochester TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed 1. Royce Lewis (FM): 1-for-4, R, SB, K 4. Trevor Larnach (FM): 1-for-4, 2B, R, K 6. Brent Rooker (ROC): 2-for-6, HR (7), 3 BB, 4 R, 5 RBI, K, HBP 7. Jhoan Duran (FM): Jhoan Duran: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 65.9% strikes (60 of 91 pitches) 11. Nick Gordon (ROC): 3-for-10, 2B, 4 R, 2 RBI, 3 SB 13. Ryan Jeffers (FM): 0-for-2, K 14. Ben Rortvedt (PNS): 0-for-4, K 16. Gilberto Celestino (CR): 1-for-4, 2B, R, RBI 17. Zack Littell (ROC): 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 81.1% strikes (30 of 37 pitches) 18. LaMonte Wade (ROC): 2-for-6, 3 BB 20. Jose Miranda (FM): 1-for-3, HR (3), BB, 2 R, RBI SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester at Pawtucket, 5:15 pm CT (Randy Dobnak) Pensacola at Biloxi, 6:35 pm CT (Charlie Barnes) Fort Myers vs. Jupiter, 5:00 pm CT (Cole Sands) Cedar Rapids at Peoria, 6:35 pm CT (Josh Winder) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the games. Click here to view the article

Fan favorite La Tortuga stole the headlines yesterday when he was optioned to Triple- A after the Twins win. The move wasn’t surprising to most, and was necessary for expanding the bullpen to make room for another reliever (who was later revealed to be Ryan Eades), but sending down the man who refuses to strike out was not the easiest of decisions. How Astudillo did in his first game in the minors in 2019, some more dingers hit by some of the usual suspects, a homer that was especially grand, and much more in this edition of the minor league report.TRANSACTIONS C Willians Astudillo optioned to AAA Rochester RHP Ryan Eades contract selected by Minnesota RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Pawtucket 2 Box Score Randy Dobnak: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 61.1% strikes (55 of 90 pitches) HR: Drew Maggi (6), Wilin Rosario (7) Multi-hit games: Willians Astudillo (3-for-4, RBI, BB), Wilin Rosario (2-for-3, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB), Drew Maggi (2-for-2, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB) The Red Wings pushed their win streak to six games thanks to a consistent offensive attack and a great start from Randy Dobnak who now holds a 2.55 ERA in his time at AAA. Fan favorite Willians Astudillo was demoted to AAA yesterday and apparently took the news in stride as he collected three hits and somehow walked in his first game back in the minors. Four Red Wings hitters (Astudillo, Rooker, Rosario, Maggi) reached base multiple times and all but three hitters reached base at least once during the game. Trevor Hildenberger was called on in the ninth to end the game and gave up a homer in his sole inning of work. His AAA ERA now sits at 8.44 and I truly hope that he can put it back together soon as he has shown that he can be a dominating reliever in the majors. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 2, Biloxi 5 Box Score Charlie Barnes: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 60.3% strikes (44 of 73 pitches) HR: Jaylin Davis (9) Multi-hit games: Michael Davis (2-for-4, 2B) Despite great showings from the Davis brothers (note: Michael and Jaylin are not actual brothers to the best of my knowledge), the Blue Wahoos fell to the Shuckers by a score of 5-2. It was a close 2-1 affair until the Shuckers were able to break through with three runs off Jeff Ames in the bottom of the eighth inning. A Travis Blankenhorn RBI double in the top of the ninth would trim the lead to just three, but the Blue Wahoos were unable to score again by the time their outs ran out. Side-arming reliever Tom Hackimer came into the game in relief of Charlie Barnes and threw a pair of scoreless innings to bring his AA ERA down to a microscopic 1.08. In the end, the Blue Wahoos' inability to get a hit with RISP helped do them in as they went a combined 1-for-8 in opportunities where a man was in scoring position. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Jupiter 2 Box Score Cole Sands: 5 ⅓ IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 62.2% strikes (51 of 82 pitches) HR: Lewin Diaz (13), Jose Miranda (4), Trey Cabbage (2) Multi-hit games: Lewin Diaz (2-for-3, HR, R, RBI, BB), Trevor Larnach (2-for-4), David Banuelos (2-for-4, RBI) Lewin Diaz continued to make an absolute mockery of the very concept of A+ by launching his 13th homer of the year in support of yet another multi-hit game for the slugging first baseman. The only reason why he hasn’t been promoted to AA is because his bus ticket to Pensacola was lost in the mail (or probably some actual legit reason, who knows). Perhaps the Twins want to give Alex Kirilloff that playing time at first base. In any case, it seems like Diaz will be moving up sooner rather than later because A+ pitchers cannot stop him, they can only hope to contain him. Not to be outdone by Diaz, the baby bombas, Jose Miranda and Trey Cabbage, both launched home runs of their own as every Miracle run came off a hot, fresh, and piping tater. Cole Sands was dealing early in the game but was removed after the first out in the sixth because of a cut in his pitching hand. Hopefully it is more precautionary than anything and Sands can get back out there soon. Aaron Whitefield swiped his 19th base of the season which puts him just behind Vidal Brujan for the FSL lead (Brujan has 21 steals). You also may or may not be surprised by this little tidbit from Marshall Kelner: KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Peoria 7 (10 innings) Box Score Josh Winder: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 63.6% strikes (63 of 99 pitches) HR: Wander Javier (2) Multi-hit games: Andrew Bechtold (3-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB), Gabe Snyder (2-for-5, 2B, R), Estamy Urena (2-for-3, RBI) The Kernels won quite the game this Saturday that took an extra inning to end and went berserk in the bottom of the eighth. Josh Winder was nothing short of outstanding in his start as he went seven full innings without surrendering so much as an extra-base hit, much less a run. The game was a seemingly normal 2-0 affair heading into the bottom half of the eighth but the Chiefs took advantage of Brian Rapp’s wildness by scratching four runs across thanks in part to a hit-by-pitch, walks, and some singles. All seemed lost heading into the ninth but the Kernels were able to put some men on before Gabriel Maciel singled one of them home, giving the Kernels a deficit of just one run. Jacob Pearson struck out, Gilberto Celestino walked, and the bases were loaded for Wander Javier. What did Wander Javier do with those loaded bases? He unloaded them along with himself as he blasted a grand slam to give the Kernels a 7-4 lead. But, the baseball gods were not done as the Chiefs took advantage of some wildness this time from Alex Schick in the bottom of the ninth and tied the game right back. The 10th started with a man on second base and the Kernels were able to take advantage thanks to an Andrew Bechtold RBI single. The Chiefs were not able to capitalize like the Kernels did as Derek Molina slammed the door shut and ended the inning without even allowing the free runner to advance. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Josh Winder Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Drew Maggi PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4 #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Injured list #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured list #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-4 #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB, K #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 1-for-3, 2B, R, 2 BB, K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did not pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Tommy John surgery, out for year #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Did not play #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured list #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 1-for-3, 2B, BB, 2 K #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured list #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, R, BB #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - With the Twins-did not pitch #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - Did not play #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket: (12:05 P.M.) - RHP Chase De Jong Pensacola @ Tennessee (2:35 P.M.) - RHP Jorge Alcala Fort Myers @ Lakeland (12:00 P.M.) - RHP Edwar Colina Peoria @ Cedar Rapids Game 1 (1:00 P.M.) - RHP Andrew Cabezas Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article

A couple of Twins minor league sluggers did some impressive slugging on Thursday night. One prospect has started hitting homers since a promotion. The other doubled his home runs production on the season. And a birthday boy put together about as good a series as a player can.Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS RHP Austin Adams was added to the Twins 40-man roster and their 25-man roster and joined the team in Seattle. He signed with the Twins late last season from the Sugar Land Skeeters. He spent parts of 2014-16 with Cleveland. Fair to say that his daughter is pretty proud of her dad. Luke Raley and Brent Rooker each doubled. Luis Arraez had a single and has hit in all three of his games for the Red Wings, though for the first time it wasn’t a multi-hit game. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 4, Mobile 5 (10 innings) Box Score Travis Blankenhorn got things going right for the Blue Wahoos in this game. He led off the game with his fourth home run. Later, he added his fifth homer in 20 games since his promotion to Pensacola. He had one homer in 15 games for Ft. Myers to start the season. Joe Cronin added his second home run. Jaylin Davis added his fifth double. Griffin Jax started and gave up three runs on seven hits (and a hit batter) over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four batters. Tyler Jay came on and was charged with one run on one hit in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out four, though he also hit two batters. Alex Phillips was next, and he struck out three batters over two scoreless innings. Tom Hackimer got to pitch the 10th inning, and he gave up an unearned run (the runner that started the inning scored) on one hit. He struck out two. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 13, Bradenton 7 Box Score This game was tied at seven after six innings, but the Miracle scored six runs over the final three innings to ease toward the win. The hitting hero of the game was Lewin Diaz. He came into the game with three home runs for the year, and he doubled that total in this game. He went 4-for-5 with a single and his fourth, fifth and sixth home runs. He drove in five runs. He became the first player in Miracle history to hit three home runs in a game. Ryan Jeffers went 3-for-4 with a walk and his sixth and seventh doubles. Jose Miranda added his ninth and tenth doubles of the season. Trevor Larnach added a triple. Aaron Whitefield added his third home run. Royce Lewis added his ninth double. He now has six doubles in his last six games. And there was this... (please click the below link to see Lewis's double, some push ups and some unwritten rules and ejection and a good old argument. I don't know why the twitter page isn't popping up.) https://twitter.com/...266915980009472 Charlie Barnes started for the Miracle. The lefty gave up six runs on five hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out eight batters. Calvin Faucher came on and worked two innings. He gave up a run on three hits and a walk. He struck out two batters. Anthony Vizcaya came on and got the final eight outs, five of them on strikeouts. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Clinton 4 Box Score Blayne Enlow’s 2019 season has been filled with ups and downs. Thursday night was definitely in the “up” category. The right-hander from Louisiana tossed seven innings of two-run ball. He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out six batters to improve to 4-3 on the season. The Kernels offense got started in a hurry. Outfielder Jared Akins came to bat with two runners on and drilled a three-run homer. It was his second homer in three games since being promoted to the Kernels earlier in the week. Ben Rodriguez went 2-for-4 and added his second home run. Gilberto Celestino reached base three times in the game with a single and two walks. He stole his seventh bag of the year. Carlos Suniaga worked the final two innings. He was charged with two runs on two hits and a walk. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Blayne Enlow, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Lewin Diaz, Ft. Myer Miracle PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 2B(9), 2 R, 2 K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 0-5, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch. #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 3B(1), R, RBI, 3 K #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - Injured, return...unknown #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 1-4, 2B(5) R, 3 K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch. #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch. #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (86 pitches, 58 strikes) #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured List #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (adductor) #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List, late-May return possible #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 3-4, BB, 2-2B(7), R, RBI #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Did Not Play. #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-2, 2 BB, SB(7) #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch. #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - Did Not Play. #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 2-5, 2-2B(10), 2 R, RBI FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Durham (6:05 CST) - LHP Devin Smeltzer (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Mobile @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (2-2, 3.27 ERA) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (5:30 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (1-4, 5.46 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 CST) - RHP Tyler Palm (1-3, 4.43 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday’s games. Click here to view the article

Nick Gordon started the year on the injured list, but he was off to a hot start since returning to Rochester. In eight games, he had gone 12-for-34 with five doubles, five RBI, and three stolen bases. Unfortunately, he ended up back on the injured list with a left adductor strain. It’s an important season for Gordon, so it’s tough to see him back on the IL. There were lots of other transactions on Tuesday including some prominent players in the organization.TRANSACTIONS INF Nick Gordon placed on 7-day IL with Rochester (left adductor strain). RHP Chase De Jong placed on 7-day IL with Rochester (left quad strain). INF Luis Arraez promoted to Rochester. C Ben Rortvedt promoted to Pensacola. C David Banuelos promoted to Fort Myers. OF Akil Baddoo placed on 7-day IL with Fort Myers (left elbow strain). OF DaShawn Keirsey on 7-day IL with Cedar Rapids (left shoulder strain). OF Jared Akins promoted to Cedar Rapids. OF Jean Carlos Arias promoted to Cedar Rapids. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Charlotte 13 Box Score Rochester found themselves in an early hole as Zack Littell allowed five runs in the third inning. This included three home runs. He was able to reign it in a little from there as he pitched five innings and struck out six while walking one. Addison Reed continued to struggle out of the Red Wings bullpen. His fastball topped out in the high 80’s and he just doesn’t look like the pitcher Minnesota signed prior to the 2018 campaign. He allowed two runs, both solo home runs, on three hits. Nick Gordon’s injury allowed Luis Arraez made his Triple-A debut. He batted lead-off and played second base. Miguel Sano was also in the line-up and playing third. Both players ended the night 2-for-5 and Arraez scored a run. Tomas Telis and LaMonte Wade both cracked solo home runs to keep the game in reach. Drew Maggi had one of the biggest hits of the night, a two-run bomb in the top of the eighth inning to bring Rochester within one at 7-6. Rochester tied it on a Jake Cave single but that’s as close as it got. Charlotte answered quickly with six runs in the bottom of the eighth. Zack Weiss took the brunt of the attack as he was charged with four earned runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings. Fernando Romero gave up a pair of home runs in 2/3 of an inning. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 3, Chattanooga 0 Box Score Top pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol was on the mound for Pensacola and he had most of his stuff working on this night. He limited the Lookouts to no runs on three hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked two. It was his second straight appearance allowed no runs and he has allowed two runs or fewer in his last four appearances. The Blue Wahoos offense didn’t wake-up until the fifth inning. Mark Contreras doubled to score Joe Cronin and put Pensacola up 1-0. In the eighth inning, the club loaded the bases with nobody out. Mitchell Kranson drove in a run on a ground out to second. Cronin followed with a sacrifice fly. Tom Hackimer tossed two scoreless innings for his second hold in as many appearances at Double-A. Cody Stashak earned his third save by pitching two perfect frames. He struck out two and lowered his season ERA to 1.42. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 8, Bradenton 1 Box Score Fort Myers put up a five spot in the top of the third inning and the pitching staff was able to take over from there. Ryan Costello lead off that inning with his fifth home run. With one out, Michael Helman singled and Royce Lewis drove him in with his seventh double of the season. Jose Miranda drove in Lewis with a two-out RBI single to push the lead to 3-0. The inning continued with Lewin Diaz matching Lewis with his seventh double of the season. He moved to third on the throw as Miranda scored. Trey Cabbage brought Diaz in with his first triple. The Miracle had a 5-0 lead thanks to four extra-base hits in the inning. Costello got things started again in the sixth frame. He led off with a walk before moving to second on a single from Helman. Lewis pushed the lead to 6-1 with his second double of the game. Trevor Larnach used a ground out to push across the second run of the inning. On the mound, Edwar Colina bounced back nicely after struggling in his last appearance. He allowed one run on four hits over six innings. Colina struck out 10 and walked three. He also became the third Miracle pitcher to hit triple digits on the radar gun this season. Hector Lujan and Melvi Acosta combined for three shutout innings to end the game. Lujan piled up four strikeouts in two perfect innings. Acosta walked one in his inning of work. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 11 Box Score Luis Rijo got knocked around in this one as he allowed a season high seven runs (six earned) on nine hits. He didn’t make it out of the fifth inning for the first time since April 24. He struck out three and walked four. Things didn’t go much better for Brian Rapp. He was charged with three runs on four hits. He pitched 2 1/3 innings and struck out one. Zach Neff pitched two innings and allowed one run on two hits. He struck out two and walked one. Jacob Pearson drove in the first run of the game for the Kernels. His single in the second brought in Andrew Bechtold. On the same play, Gabriel Maciel was thrown out at the plate. Gabe Snyder had one of the team’s two extra-base hits, a double. Chris Williams added a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth, but it was a little too late for a Kernels comeback. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY TD Pitcher of the Day- Edwar Colina, Fort Myers (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 10 K, 3 BB) TD Hitter of the Day- Drew Maggi, Rochester (4-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) – 2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) – 0-5, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 3 K, 2 BB #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) – 1-5, RBI, K #5 - Wander Javier (EST) – Injured, early May return #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) – Did not play #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) – Did not pitch #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) – Did not pitch #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) – Injured List #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) – 0-5, 2 K #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) – 1-3, BB #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) – Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not play #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 6 K, BB #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 1-5, RBI, R, 3 K #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) – Did not pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) – 1-5, RBI, R WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (6:04 CST) – TBD Pensacola @ Chattanooga (10:15 AM CST) – RHP Randy Dobnak (4-0, 0.84 ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – LHP Bryan Sammons (4-0, 0.66 ERA) Cedar Rapids vs. Quad Cities (12:05 CST) – RHP Andrew Cabezas (0-3, 4.21 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday’s games. Click here to view the article