Search the Community

There were multiple shutouts from the pitching staffs of Minnesota Twins affiliates on Tuesday, including one in a triple-A doubleheader, and another down in Fort Myers that was started by a rehabbing Bailey Ober. TRANSACTIONS In Triple-A on Sunday, the St. Paul Saints activated RHP Brock Stewart, who had been down in Fort Myers working his way back. In addition, RHPs Ben Heller, Juan Minaya, and Tyler Thornburg were released. 2022 draft pick, OF Alec Sayre was placed on the 7-Day IL. The Wichita Wind Surge released LHP Bryan Sammons on Monday, and RHP Hunter McMahon was promoted to them from Cedar Rapids. They also transferred RHP Andrew Cabezas to the development list and received RHP Jordan Brink from the FCL Twins on Tuesday. RHP Malik Barrington was promoted from Fort Myers to Cedar Rapids along with RHP Regi Grace. In Fort Myers, RHP Anthony Escobar was released, while the Mighty Mussels received RHP Kyle Jones, LHP Develson Aria, and RHP Zebby Matthews from the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL Game 1: Toledo 1, St. Paul 2 (completion of game suspended July 17th) Box Score This game was suspended over a month ago in the first inning, so there were a lot of changes to the lineups for each team when it resumed on Tuesday. Cole Sands had started the game back then, and allowed one run while recording two outs. Ariel Jurado took over on this night, and got them through the fourth, allowing just one hit and striking out four in 3 1/3 innings. Devin Smeltzer was just as good for the next three innings, also allowing just one hit and striking out four, and would get the credit for the win. Michael Feliz picked up a hold with a one-two-three eighth, striking out two before Brad Peacock picked up his eighth save by striking out two in the ninth as well. Four consecutive singles in the bottom of the second led to the first run of the game for St. Paul, tying it at one. Mark Contreras tallied the third of those singles, driving in Michael Helman who had led off the frame with a base knock of his own. Chris Williams led off the fifth inning with a home run, which actually gets credited as his first of the season in Triple-A when looking at the box score, as well as the second game he played on this day. It is of course his ninth home run with St. Paul, and 27th of the season overall. That was enough to secure the victory as Saints pitching held the Mud Hens to just three hits in the game. Braden Bishop had two hits to lead the lineup, and also drew a walk. Game 2: St. Paul 1, Toledo 0 (7 innings) Box Score In Game 2, Saints pitching again held Toledo to just three hits, and with the result being a shutout the five hits of their own were enough to pull out another victory. Mario Sanchez made the start and went the first four innings. He gave up just one hit and struck out three. Drew Strotman pitched a one-two-three fifth to pick up the win, and Jharel Cotton picked up a two-inning save, allowing two hits, a walk, and striking out four. St. Paul scored the only run of the game in the top of the sixth after Mark Contreras drew a walk, moved into scoring position on an errant pickoff attempt, then scampered home on a single from Cole Sturgeon. Michael Helman added a single, a walk, and his 29th stolen base of the season. WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 5, Wichita 1 Box Score The Kansas City Royals #9 prospect (per MLB.com), outfielder Tyler Gentry, took the Wind Surge to task late on Tuesday, tallying all five of the Naturals' RBI thanks to a two-run homer in the eighth, and a bases-clearing double in the ninth. To that point, Wichita pitchers had been great, as Cody Laweryson made the start and allowed no runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out five in the first four innings. Michael Boyle, Osiris German, and Jordan Brink then were able to add a scoreless inning each, allowing two hits, a walk, and striking out three between them before the eighth. Hunter McMahon was the victim of the home run in the eighth before Blayne Enlow got tagged with the double in the ninth. McMahon gave up three hits and struck out one, while Enlow gave up three free passes in front of the double, but did strike out two as well. The Wind Surge’s lone run came in the bottom of the eighth when Yunior Severino delivered a bases loaded single to score Edouard Julien, who had led off the inning with a single of his own. With the bases still loaded and nobody out, a strikeout preceded an inning-ending double play ball to kill their late rally. Julien finished 2-for-5 with a run scored and stolen bases, Aaron Sabato chipped in a double, and Austin Martin was 1-for-4 with a walk and his 32nd stolen base to lead the offense, and also made an athletic tag at second on a steal attempt. KERNELS NUGGETS South Bend 6, Cedar Rapids 8 Box Score This one got crazy late, as a six-run inning from the Kernels almost wasn’t enough to hold off a five-run rally from the Cubs in a battle of teams who ended the night with identical 71-56 records on the season. While the Kernels took the West Division first-half title, South Bend looks poised to take the second-half, so this could be a playoff preview series. Orlando Rodriguez took the mound for Cedar Rapids and was fantastic for six innings. He allowed just one run on three hits and a walk, while punching out four Cubs. Matt Mullenbach pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two before the Kernels came to bat in the bottom of the eighth. With the score 2-1 in favor of the good guys at that point, the Kernels broke it open thanks to some wildness to start the inning (two walks and a hit-by-pitch), and loud contact to end it. With the bases loaded Willie Joe Garry Jr. clubbed a double to score two, Dylan Neuse delivered a two-RBI single, and Jake Rucker put the exclamation point on it with a two-run home run, making it 8-1 Cedar Rapids. Then it was time for Regi Grace’s Midwest League debut in the ninth, and it was one he’ll want to forget quickly. While recording two outs, he would be charged with four runs on three hits and walk, and Tyler Palm would be called upon to stop the bleeding. Palm also gave up two hits and a run of his own, but managed to keep the tying run off the basepaths to secure a win. Neuse led the way for the Kernels with three hits in four at-bats, scoring a run and driving in two. In addition to his double, Garry Jr. also drew a walk, scored a run, and stole a base. Brooks Lee was 1-for-5 and scored a run, while Mikey Perez scored two runs and stole two bases. MUSSEL MATTERS St. Lucie 0, Fort Myers 5 Box Score Bailey Ober made his second rehab appearance with the Mighty Mussels, and was in command for all four of his innings. He allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out three in the outing, and should be ready for St. Paul and/or the Minnesota Twins soon. Of his 52 pitches, 38 went for strikes (73%) in the game, and he faced just one hitter over the minimum in the outing. Develson Aria made his debut in full-season ball after Ober’s exit, and threw two scoreless frames, walking two and striking out three. Jackson Hicks then finished off the shutout with three scoreless innings to pick up his fifth win of the season. He allowed just one hit and struck out five Mets hitters, including all three in the ninth. Of note in this one is the 11th overall pick in this year's draft, catcher Kevin Parada, was 0-for-4 and struck out against each Mighty Mussels pitcher. Fort Myers did all their damage in the seventh inning, with the first two runs coming on Keoni Cavaco’s tenth home run of the year, and Noah Cardenas unloading the bases with a double for their final three. Cavaco was 2-for-4 on the night and also stole base in addition to his go-ahead homer. Tanner Schobel added a double, two walks, stolen base, and scored a run. Noah Miller finished 1-for-4 with a run scored, walk, and his 23rd stolen base of the year. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Jackson Hicks, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (W, 3 IP, H, 5 K) Hitter of the Day - Dylan Neuse, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-4, R, 2 RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, R, 2B, 2 K #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-for-4, BB, SB #7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 1-for-4, R, BB, SB #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-7, BB, K (2 games) #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 2-for-5, R, K, SB #15 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 1 IP, H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 1-for-2, R, 2B, 2 BB, SB #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, 3 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Minnesota Twins @ New York Yankees (2:05 PM CDT) - RHP Louie Varland (MLB Debut), Game 2 (Joe Ryan) St. Paul @ Toledo (5:35 PM CDT) - RHP Ronny Henriquez (2-4, 5.94 ERA) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - LHP Kody Funderburk (8-5, 3.24 ERA) South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP David Festa (7-3, 2.59 ERA) St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - RHP Pierson Ohl (6-7, 3.53 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

There have been some very strong performances throughout the Twins organization this week and all season. The Twins have been playing well. The Saints have struggled of late, but the three lower affiliates are all making a run for the playoffs and a first-half spot. Find out which players are playing well, and consider how the affiliates are playing so well. It has been a struggle for the Saints on the road these past two weeks. They return home this week, hoping to turn things back around. Tickets still available! The other Twins affiliates are in a good place to make a first-half playoff run. Wichita is just 1/2 game out of first place. Cedar Rapids is a game ahead of Wisconsin, and those two teams will be playing in Iowa this week. Tickets still available! The Mighty Mussels have the biggest lead, with a four-game cushion coming into play this week. If you missed it, read Nick's Twins Week in Review after you've read about the minor league week. TRANSACTIONS With no Monday Minor League Report, here are the transactions from later on Sunday and on Monday. Infielder Spencer Steer was promoted from Wichita to St. Paul. Infielder Kevin Merrell was sent back down to Wichita. RHP Matt Mullenbach was added back to the Ft. Myers roster from the Florida Complex. RESULTS Previous Week in Review (5/10-5/16): Tuesday: Alex Isola Goes Off Wednesday: Steer Walks It Off for Wichita, Four Hits for Kirilloff Thursday: Kernels Krush, Larnach and Lewis Launch Friday: Fort Myers Carries the Day Saturday: Cave, Saints Slam Storm Chasers Sunday: Mussels Win in 13 Innings, Wind Surge Win in Walkoff MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT Despite Great First Impression, Royce Lewis Optioned to St. Paul After Tuesday’s Game Devin Smeltzer Deserves a Longer Look Three Questions With… Kernels RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (VIDEO) Three Questions With… former Kernels RHP (Current Wisconsin coach) Patrick McGuff (VIDEO) WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints Week: 1-5, at Omaha Season: 16-24 overall, 9th place out of ten teams in the International League West. They are 12.5 games behind Nashville. The Saints are likely thrilled to get back to the friendly confines of CHS Field. They have been on the road the past two weeks and went 1-11. In Omaha, they ended their losing streak on Saturday with a 4-2 win, but that was it. They were outscored 25-45 by the Storm Chasers. Kevin Merrell was signed as a minor-league veteran after playing in the Royals organization since 2019. He played in 13 games with Omaha in 2021. He played all six games this week and went 7-for-17 and hit .412/.444/.765 (1.209) with two homers and four RBI. (and for his efforts, Merrell was sent down to Wichita on Monday) No one wanted to see Royce Lewis sent back to St. Paul, but he was, and he handled it well. He went 6-for-16, hitting .375/.444/.625 (1.069) with a double and a home run. He also stole bases. For those curious, he played two games at shortstop and one game at both third base and left field. Alex Kirilloff was the Twins' choice for hitter of the week. In six games, he went 9-for-25 and hit .360/.429/.520 (.949) with a double, a homer and five RBI. He also walked three times. Dereck Rodriguez made one start. In five innings, he gave up one run on three hits. He walked three and struck out nine batters. Chi Chi Gonzalez also went five innings in his start. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out six batters. It wasn’t a great week for all of the Saints starters. Jake Faria gave up four runs on four hits and three walks in three innings. Mario Sanchez gave up five runs (4 earned) on five hits and two walks in three innings. Ronny Henriquez made one start and one relief appearance. In 6 1/3 innings, he gave up nine runs on eight hits and four walks. Jordan Balazovic gave up six runs on six hits and a walk in four innings. What’s Next? The Saints return home for seven games against Indianapolis, starting at 11:07 on Tuesday morning with an Education Day special. The two teams will be playing two games on Wednesday night. Head to www.SaintsBaseball.com for tickets! Pitching Probables (RHP Cole Sands, (Wed DH: RHP Jordan Balazovic/LHP Devin Smeltzer ), RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez, RHP Dereck Rodriguez, RHP Ronny Henriquez, RHP Cole Sands) Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge Week: 4-2, hosting Springfield Season: 23-14 overall, 2nd place in the Texas League North Division with Tulsa. They are just 1/2 game behind Tulsa (24-14). It was a tightly contested week of games at Riverfront Stadium last week against Springfield. The Wind Surge outscored the Cardinals 36-35 for the week. Three games were decided by two runs. Three games were decided by just one run. Here are some of the top performances for the Wind Surge this past week: Seven Wind Surge relievers did not allow an earned run last week. Five of them pitched twice. Austin Schulfer continues to make his case that he should be in Triple-A. In three innings, he gave up no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out four batters. Lefty Bryan Sammons struck out four batters over 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits and walked none. Matt Canterino had 12 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. Chris Williams played in five games. He went 9-for-17 and hit .529/.652/.588 (1.240) with a double. He also walked six times. In five games, Spencer Steer went 6-for-17. He hit .353/.389/.824 (1.213) with two doubles and two home runs. Matt Wallner went 7-for-22 last week. He hit .318/.444/.500 (.944) with a double, a homer, and five RBI. He also walked five times, and he played a little defense too. Alex Isola went 6-for-20 in five games. He hit .300/.364/.550 (.944) with two doubles and a home run. Austin Martin went 6-for-18 in five games and hit .333/.500/.333 (.833) with three walks. Also, minor league uniforms can be fun, or something... What’s Next? The Wind Surge will be traveling down to Texas to take on Corpus Christi. . Pitching Probables (RHP Louie Varland, RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Blayne Enlow, RHP Matt Canterino, RHP Casey Legumina, RHP Louie Varland) High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels Week: 2-4, hosting Lake County Season: 26-13 overall, 1st place in the Midwest League West Division, 1.0 games ahead of Wisconsin (25-14), who they play in Cedar Rapids this week. In the two games that the Kernels won last week, they outscored Lake County 18-3. However, in the four losses, they were outscored 8-26. Ten Kernels pitchers did not allow an earned run last week, including three starting pitchers. Cade Povich went 5 1/3 innings in his start. He gave up two hits, walked one, and struck out five batters. The Twins named him their pitcher of the week. Sean Mooney went five scoreless innings in his start. He gave up just one hit, walked three, and struck out six batters. On Sunday, Brent Headrick started and threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and walked one batter. He was replaced by David Festa, making his first Kernels appearance. He went the rest of the way. He gave up one run on three hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out six batters without issuing a walk. Brad Hanner has made big strides in 2022. The right-hander worked three innings over two games. He gave up no runs, just one hit, walked none, and struck out five batters. John Stankiewicz had his first rough start of the year. He gave up six runs on seven hits, two walks, and a hit batter in 3 2/3 innings. After a slow start, Will Holland has been much improved in the season’s second month. In five games, he went 5-for-16 and hit .313/.421/.688 (1.109) with a double, triple, home run, and four RBI. He walked three times and had two stolen bases. In five games, Willie Joe Garry, Jr., went 4-for-15 and hit .267/.353/.733 (1.086) with two triples and a home run. Christian Encarnacion-Strand had two doubles and two home runs. On the other side, Anthony Prato has been terrific atop the order for the Kernels, but last week, he went 2-for-20 (.100). Wander Javier went 2-for-18 (.111). What’s Next? The Kernels will be home for the second straight week. They will be hosting the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in a series of the top two teams in the division. The Rattlers have a development coach in former Kernels pitcher Patrick McGuff. In a Three Questions With… interview on Brewer Fanatic, I asked McGuff about his time with the Twins, his transition from player to coach, and about the very talented Wisconsin team that is coming to Memorial Stadium this week. Click here to watch. Pitching Probables (Aaron Rozek, LHP Cade Povich, RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long, RHP John Stankiewicz, LHP Brent Headrick, RHP Sean Mooney) Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels Week: 5-3, hosting Clearwater Season: 25-13 overall, 1st place in the Florida State League West, 4.0 games ahead of Clearwater (21-17). The week began by completing a suspended game on Tuesday. They played eight games and had doubleheaders on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Ignoring the continuation of the suspended game, the Mighty Mussels outscored the Threshers 29-26. Lefty Steve Hajjar went five shutout innings in his start. He gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out six batters. Mike Paredes made another start and went four scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked none, and struck out three batters. Malik Barrington made his first start and went three innings. Then he came back a couple of days later and pitched up a save in the 13-inning game. In four innings, he gave up only an unearned run and two hits. He struck out three batters. Since returning from the Injured List, Niklas Rimmel pitched twice. He worked four relief innings over two games. He gave up an unearned run on two hits and two walks. He struck out five. Matthew Swain’s incredible season continued. In four innings over two games, he gave up one hit, walked two (both intentional), and struck out four. Lefty John Wilson worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings over two games. He gave up three hits and hit a batter. Regi Grace gave up one earned run over 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out eight batters. In five games, Noah Cardenas played in five games. He went 6-for-17 and hit .353/.476/.706 (1.182) with three doubles and a home run. He walked four times as well. Dylan Neuse played in six games. He went 6-for-16 and hit .375/.474/.625 (1.099) with a double and a home run. Mikey Perez played in seven games and went 6-for-24. He hit .250/.321/.583 (.904) with two doubles, two homers and seven RBI. Emmanuel Rodriguez played in six games. He went 0-for-12, but he walked ten times to post a .478 on-base percentage. What’s Next? The Mighty Mussels will travel to Bradenton (19-20) for a “normal” six-game series this week. Pitching Probables (RHP Pierson Ohl, RHP Mike Paredes, LHP Steve Hajjar, RHP Marco Raya, TB D, RHP Travis Adams) PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker was updated on May 1 and will be updated on the first of each month throughout the season. #1 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 4 G, 6-for-16 (.375), 1-2B, 1-HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K (Season: 28 G, .320/.432/.573 (1.005), 12-2B, 1-3B, 4-HR, 24 R, 12 RBI, 18 BB, 25 K) #1 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 1 G, 2-for-4 (.500), 1-2B, 1-HR, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K (Season: 11 G, .308/.325/.564 (.889), 4-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 5 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K) #2 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 5 G, 6-for-18 (.333), 0-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K (Season: 35 G, .257/.386/.338 (.724), 6-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 26 R, 12 RBI, 20 BB, 22 K, 18 SB, 2 CS) #3 - Joe Ryan (Minnesota) - 1 GS, 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K (Season: 8 GS, 43.1 IP, 11 R, 29 H, 14 BB, 42 K, 5-2, 2.28 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 8.7 K/9) #4 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - In MLB (Season: 21 G, .256/.295/.442 (.737), 10-2B, 2-HR, 10 R, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 14 K) #4 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - Week: 4 G, 2-for-12 (.167), 1-2B, 0-HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 4 K (Season: 16 G, .117/.159/.217 (.375), 3-2B, 1-HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 13 K) #5 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K (Season: 3 GS, 9.2 IP, 13 R, 9 ER, 19 H, 5 BB, 9 K, 0-1, 8.38 ERA, 2.48 WHIP, 4.7 BB/9, 8.4 K/9) #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K (Season: 7 GS, 37.2 IP, 11 R, 10 ER, 23 H, 19 BB, 36 K, 2-1, 2.39 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, 8.6 K/9) #7 - Josh Winder (Minnesota) - 1 G, 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 1 K (Season: 7 G, 3 GS, 29.1 IP, 14 R, 12 ER, 27 H, 9 BB, 23 K, 2-2, 3.68 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 7.1 K/9) #8 - Jhoan Duran (Minnesota) - 3 G, 3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K (Season: 15 G, 20.1 IP, 6 R, 12 H, 3 BB, 31 K, 0-1, 3 Saves, 2.66 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9, 13.7 K/9) #9 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - 2 G, 1 GS, 7.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 12 K (Season: 9 G, 8 GS, 28.1 IP, 7 R, 14 H, 14 BB, 40 K, 0-1, 2.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 4.4 BB/9, 12.7 K/9) #10 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 6 G, 0-for-12 (.00), 0-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 0 RBI, 10 BB, 6 K (Season: 35 G, .235/.466/.441 (.907), 5-2B, 2-3B, 10-HR, 26 R, 14 RBI, 41 BB, 41 K) #11 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 6 G, 5-for-25 (.200), 1-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 2 BB, 7 K (Season: 34 G, .279/.410/.381 (.791), 4-2B, 2-3B, 2 HR, 25 R, 8 RBI, 28 BB, 39 K) #12 - Louie Varland (Wichita) - 1 GS, 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 K (Season: 7 G, 6 GS, 37.2 IP, 18 R, 15 ER, 30 H, 13 BB, 43 K, 4-1, 3.58 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 10.3K/9) #13 - Cole Sands (St. Paul) - Injured List (Season: 5 G, 4 GS, 15.2 IP, 15 R, 22 H, 5 BB, 18 K, 0-4, 8.62 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 10.3 K/9) #13 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - (Season: 2 G, 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 0.0 BB/9, 13.5 K/9) #14 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 2 G, 1 GS, 6.1 IP, 9 ER, 8 H, 4 BB, 4 K (Season: 6 G, 4 GS, 20.0 IP, 16 R, 20 H, 11 BB, 17 K, 0-1, 7.20 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 5.0 BB/9, 7.7 K/9) #15 - Marco Raya (Ft. Myers) - 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K, (Season: 6 G, 5 GS, 24.0 IP, 9 R, 7 ER, 19 H, 8 BB, 24 K, 2-1, 2.63 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9, 9.0 K/9) #16 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 5 G, 6-for-17 (.353), 2-2B, 2-HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K (Season: 35 G, .307/.385/.558 (.976), 13-2B, 1-3B, 8-HR, 27 R, 30 RBI, 14 BB, 23 K) #17 - Cade Povich (Cedar Rapids) - 1 GS, 5.1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K (Season: 6 GS, 27.2 IP, 14 R, 10 ER, 24 H, 7 BB, 37 K, 3-2, 3.25 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9, 12.0 K/9) #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 6 G, 5-for-22 (.227), 2-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K (Season: 37 G, .320/.384/.544 (.928), 8-2B, 2-3B, 7-HR, 23 R, 34 RBI, 15 BB, 42 K) #19 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1 G, 1-for-2 (.500), 0-2B, 0-HR, 1 BB, 1 K (Season: 23 G, .274/.439/.397 (.836), 4-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 14 R, 10 RBI, 23 BB, 21 K) #20 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 6 K (Season: 2 GS, 7.2 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 12 K, 0-0, 4.70 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 0.00 BB/9, 14.1 K/9) PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Hitter of the Week: Infielder Spencer Steer, Wichita Wind Surge Steer just hasn’t found himself touted on prospect lists over his still-young career, but he clearly is highly regarded within the Twins organization. Now after exactly 100 games at Double-A Wichita, he is heading to St. Paul and will make his Triple-A debut this week at CHS Field. In five games last week, Steer went 6-for-17 and hit .353/.389/.824 (1.213) with two doubles, two homers, and five RBI. He missed one game after fouling a ball off of his lower leg. On Wednesday, the Surge were down by one in the 11th inning. Two runners were on base. Steer did this... In 35 games with the Wind Surge this year, he has hit .307/.385/.591(.976) with 13 doubles, eight homers, and 30 RBI. Steer was the Twins' third-round pick in 2019 out of the University of Oregon where he was a three-year starter. He spent a little time in Elizabethton before joining the Kernels late that season. After the lost 2020 season, he split 2021 between now-High-A Kernels and Wichita. Combined, he hit .254/.348/.484 (.833) with 18 doubles, three triples, and 24 home runs. Defensively, Steer is solid all around the infield. He’s mostly played third base the last couple of seasons. This year, he has started at third base 16 times, shortstop nine times, and second base six times. With the Twins wanting Royce Lewis to play all over, Steer may do the same thing, giving the Saints plenty of defensive flexibility, and also giving them another prospect to be excited about. Pitcher of the Week: LHP Cade Povich, Cedar Rapids Kernels Povich is certainly one of the top young Twins pitching prospects. The hard-throwing lefty had a strong start last week. He tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits, walked one, and struck out five batters. Reports showed that he was hitting 97 consistently with his fastball and his other pitches are coming along very well too. Povich was the Twins' third-round pick in 2021 out of the University of Nebraska where he had gone 6-1 with a 3.11 ERA over 15 starts. After signing, he pitched in one game in the FCL and three games with the Mighty Mussels. Combined, he worked ten innings. He gave up one earned run on seven hits. He walked two and struck out 19 batters. Reports of his increased velocity were frequent coming out of Instructional League after the season. The Twins have pushed Povich, challenging him by having him jump up to Cedar Rapids to start this season. In total, he has made six starts so far. He is 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA. In 27 2/3 innings, he has seven walks and 37 strikeouts. ---------------------------------------------------- It was an exciting week throughout the Twins organization, from the big leagues to the eight-game series for the Low-A Mighty Mussels. The coming week will present more storylines, the most exciting at this point could take place in Cedar Rapids where there’ll be a battle for positioning atop the Midwest League West Division. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the players and the teams in the COMMENTS below. View full article

Cedar Rapids did not play on Wednesday due to poor weather. The three other Twins affiliates played tight, one-run games. A couple of Top 20 pitchers had big games. A couple of Top 10 hitters have multi-hit games. Read all about them and more in Wednesday's Minor League Report. Weather was a factor in just one of the Twins’ affiliates today. The Cedar Rapids Kernels game was postponed. They hope to play a doubleheader tomorrow. The Wind Surge hosted a whole bunch of students in an afternoon game. They got to see a couple of big innings, an extra inning and plenty of excitement. Ft. Myers saw one of its players knock their first professional home run, and it proved large in a one-run game. In addition, along with being named the Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Week, Mighty Mussels righty John Stankiewicz was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week. Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins announced that RHP Jharel Cotton has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to St. Paul. The Saints placed RHP Ian Hamilton on the 7-Day IL with a right groin strain. Ft. Myers placed RHPs Marco Raya and Niklas Rimmel on the 7-Day IL. Rimmel is out with a right shoulder impingement. Raya is getting his wisdom teeth removed. RHP Logan Campbell joins the Mighty Mussels. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Toledo 3 Box Score The Saints used one big inning and it was just enough for the pitching staff to hold on for the win. Mario Sanchez started and gave up one run on one hit (a solo homer). He walked two and struck out six batters. Dereck Rodriguez came on and completed three innings. He was charged with two unearned runs on two hits. He struck out five batters without any walks. Yennier Cano pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Juan Minaya came on and struck out two batters in a perfect ninth inning to record his third save. In the top of the third inning, Elliot Soto walked and advanced to third base on a Jose Miranda double. With Royce Lewis batting, Chase Anderson threw a wild pitch to score Soto. Lewis followed with a single to center to score Miranda. Later in the half-inning, Daniel Robertson singled in Jake Cave and Curtis Terry to give the Saints a 4-1 lead. Royce Lewis went 2-for-3 with a walk and his seventh double. Jose Miranda hit his fifth and sixth doubles. They combined for four of the Saints’ six hits, but they added six walks as well. The Saints are now 9-4. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 9, Midland 8 (10 innings) Box Score Things got a little wild in Wichita on Wednesday. First and foremost, we have to talk about Simeon Woods Richardson. The young right-hander tossed six scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked none and struck out six batters. Overall, he is up to 16 2/3 innings without giving up an earned run. Ben Gross came on and tossed scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth. The Wind Surge offense came in the third inning. Michael Helman singled in Alex Isola to get the Surge on the board. DaShawn Keirsey then scored on a wild pitch. First baseman Dennis Ortega drilled a triple to right-center which scored Spencer Steer and Helman. Matt Wallner followed by hitting a sacrifice fly to center field. New pitcher came in, and he was greeted by Kevin Merrell who hit his first Wichita homer and gave the team a 7-0 lead. That lead carried to the top of the ninth inning. Steven Cruz came on and was consistently sitting 98-100 mph with his fastball. However, the one issue he has had over his career has been control. He walked the leadoff batter, then hit the next guy. Austin Martin made another diving play at second base to get the first out at first base. But then Cruz walked another guy to load the bases. Then the 21-year-old made a mental error. Logan Davidson (former Twins outfielder Mark Davidson’s son) hit a bounding ball to first base. Dennis Ortego made the play, turned toward the bag, and no one was there. Cruz had forgotten to cover the base. Shutout over. And then a bases-loaded walk made it 7-2. Cruz then got a fly out to left field, which scored the third run, but also gave them two outs. However, another single to left scored a run and now it was 7-4. That was the end for Cruz. He was replaced by Argenis Angulo. He gave up a three-run homer to the first batter he faced. Tie game. He walked another, but then he got a strikeout to end the top of the ninth. The Wind Surge went scoreless in the bottom of the ninth and we had extra innings. Angulo started the 10th. With a runner on second base, a single moved him to third. A walk loaded the bases, and Davidson singled in the go-ahead run. Bases still loaded, just one out, but someone Angulo got out of the inning with a strikeout, a force out and another strikeout to end the threat. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Michael Helman started on second base. Ortega singled him to third. Wallner hit another sacrifice fly, scoring Helman and tying the game. However, the throw to the plate was cut off and a throw was made to first base. It got by and went down the line Ortega hustled to third base. Two batters were intentionally walked to load the bases. Alex Isola came up and on a 1-2 pitch, he drilled a line drive to the left-center field gap. Normally it would have been a double, but as soon as Ortega touched home plate, and Isola touched first base, the Wind Surge won in a walk-off. This was definitely a unique way to pick up the team’s sixth straight win. After starting 0-5, they are now 6-5. Isola and Keirsey each had two hits in the game. Spencer Steer had a double and two walks. Dennis Ortega had four hits. The minor-league veteran catcher (who has also played some at first base) went 4-for-5 and drove in two runs. He had a triple, a double, and a couple of singles in a game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids, Peoria (Postponed) Box Score Wednesday’s game was postponed due to inclement weather. The plan is for these teams to play two, seven-inning games on Thursday, starting at 5:30. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Dunedin 3 Box Score Down 2-0 heading into the sixth inning, the Mighty Mussels got on the board with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Emmanuel Rodriguez. Then in the top of the seventh inning, Mikey Perez doubled in Kyle Schmidt. Later, Dylan Neuse hit his first professional home run, a two-run shot that gave the Mussels a 4-2 lead. They gave up one run in the bottom of the eighth inning but held on to the lead for the win. Kyler Fedko continued to rake. He went 2-for-4 and is hitting .432. Our choice for Minor League Hitter of the Week last week was Emmanuel Rodriguez. Along with three homers, he also had 12 walks to go with just six strikeouts. A night after Marco Raya struck out ten batters in his second pro start, Steven Hajjar made his second pro start. He also struck out ten batters. In 4 1/3 innings, he gave up an unearned run. He gave up no hits and walked two batters. Regi Grace came on and got the next five outs, but not before giving up an unearned run on three hits and two walks. Sam Perez was also charged with an unearned run. Matthew Swain recorded his second save with one strikeout in a perfect ninth inning. The Mighty Mussels are now an impressive 9-2 on the season. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K Hitter of the Day – Dennis Ortega (Wichita) - 4-5, 2B, 3B, 2 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: #1 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 1-5, 2B (4), K #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 2-3, BB, 2B (7), RBI #3 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 2-5, R, 2-2B (6), K #8 - Simeon Woods Richardson (Wichita) - 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (65 pitched, 45 strikes) #10 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, K #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) - 0-1, HBP #12 - Matt Wallner (Wichita) - 0-3, 2 RBI (2-SF), 1 K #15 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, SF RBI, 3 K #18 - Spencer Steer (Wichita) - 1-3, 2 BB, 2B (5), R. #20 - Steve Hajjar (Ft. Myers) - 4.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K (73 pitches, 47 strikes) THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (5:35PM CST) - LHP Devin Smeltzer (1-0, 0.00 ERA) Midland @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - RHP Chris Vallimont (0-1, 21.00 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (DH @ 5:30 PM CST) - LHP Brent Headrick (1-0, 2.00 ERA), RHP Sean Mooney (0-0, 6.00 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (0-0, 15.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! View full article