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Another minor league season sent to the history books. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints TRANSACTIONS None Saints Sentinel St. Paul 3, Omaha 1 Box Score Randy Dobnak: 4 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Nash Knight (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI) The Saints won their final game of the season on Wednesday. It had been an inconsistent and bumpy year—one similar to the season their parent franchise underwent—but the team gathered their ability and sent the fans home happy with a triumphant ending. Randy Dobnak manned the mound; the righty sinkerball specialist—so used to harvesting command at will—found success through unpredictable chaos; he walked three but allowed a single hit against seven strikeouts. Dobnak missed a quality start by an out. The man known for his tremendous mustache may no longer reside on the 40-man roster, but he has an entire off-season to iron out deficiencies, and he could contribute positively to a future Twins team. St. Paul’s offense remained as dormant as their enemy; Saints batters continuously walked back to the dugout, befuddled at Alec Marsh’s stuff for inning after inning until the 5th frame. There—Nash Knight ripped a double down the right-field line, scoring Andrew Bechtold. The game remained quiet until Knight—yet again a thorn in Omaha’s side—dashed home on a wild pitch, adding a run to the lead. The inning did not end there, however; St. Paul nabbed a third and final run when Cole Sturgeon singled in Frank Nigro. Mario Sanchez worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Dobnak, striking out three while allowing a pair of hits and walks. The Saints end the year 74-75, tied for 4th in the IL West division; a slight step down from their 67-63 record in 2021, although in a different divisional context. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy Dobnak Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nash Knight PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #9 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 2-3, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS None! FEEDBACK Thank you for always being so supportive of the minor league report, as well as your participation in some great discussions in the comments. As you know, there will be a lot of minor league coverage here throughout the offseason. Next week, Twins Spotlight will return for its third Off(season). Let us know what more you would like to see. View full article

Good things come in two's, not three's, as Twins minor league teams found luck in, well, twins on Saturday. Read all about that and more in this edition of the minor league report. TRANSACTIONS RHP Casey Legumina activated from IL for Wichita RHP Hunter Wood placed on 7-day IL (right elbow strain) for St. Paul RHP Tyler Bashlor activated from 7-day IL and released RHP Ben Heller was removed from the development list and transferred to the FCL Twins While the Twins minor league teams continued their play on Saturday, two Twins prospects—Spencer Steer and Matt Wallner—participated in the Futures Game. In an exhibition against other well-regarded youngsters, Wallner flashed his legendary power; his 116 MPH annihilation of a homer probably violates some peace treaty. Saints Sentinel St. Paul 4, Toledo 3 (10 innings) Box Score Mario Sanchez: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K HR: Miguel Sanó 2 (2) Multi-hit games: Tim Beckham (3-for-4, RBI, BB), Miguel Sanó (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI), Jermaine Palacios (2-for-3, R, BB) The Saints won marginally on Saturday. Mario Sanchez guided his team with a steady hand (or arm, maybe). The righty avoided filling out the stat line, allowing one run off an equal assortment of hits and walks. It was the exact sort of start the Saints needed. Miguel Sano brought the lumber twice; the rehabbing slugger blasted a pair of solo homers in the 1st and 6th innings, respectively. His return to the lineup is imminent, and a showing like this is incredibly inspiring. The Saints appeared in control of this game, but a quick bolt of offense from the Mud Hens turned the tide; two runs off some shenanigans—a fielder’s choice and a run-scoring wild pitch—gave Toledo the lead. St. Paul tied it up before Tim Beckham sent the fans home happy with a walk-off single in the 10th inning. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 7, Arkansas 6 Box Score Casey Legumina: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K HR: Chris Williams (16), Edouard Julien (8) Multi-hit games: Cole Sturgeon (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R), Chris Williams (2-for-4, HR, R, 4 RBI), Anthony Prato (2-for-4, 2 2B, R) Wichita won on a walk-off on Saturday. Casey Legumina, fresh off an IL stint, took the mound for Wichita. Over two shaky innings, Legumina allowed an array of hits, unwillingly inviting three runners to cross the plate on his watch. Legumina was a false starter; Daniel Gossett relieved the original pitcher in the 3rd inning, tossing five more frames while allowing just one run. Gossett leaned on the almighty groundball, netting seven outs off balls unable to escape Earth’s gravity. Offensively, the story was almost entirely Chris Williams; he covered the introduction with a ridiculous two-run homer in the 4th inning before finishing his tale with a dual-run scoring double in the following frame. That somehow moved Williams’ RBI total in the series to 18, an impossible number to conceive. But the plot remained in motion; the Travelers pulled a fast one by scoring a pair of runs in the 9th inning, jumping ahead by two. It all seemed lost before Edouard Julien, with a few buddies on base, blasted a walk-off three-run homer. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 1 Box Score Brent Headrick: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Wander Javier (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) The Kernels won a quiet one on Saturday. Brent Headrick dominated, again. The lefty predictably stymied nearly all offense, letting one run get by him while halting all other scoring attempts. His season ERA now sits at a “hey, you should probably promote me” 2.34 clip. Cedar Rapids made sure that their starter had support early; the top-of-the-order united to plate two runs off a smattering of walks and singles; Wander Javier claimed both RBIs. Little action occurred after the 3rd inning; Beloit plated their lone run but fell to a dominant bullpen showing from Derek Molina and Hunter McMahon. Both teams scattered hits as the outs drained away, but nothing sparked a rally, and the game ended in the Kernels’ favor, 3-1. Mussel Matters Fort Myers 1, Clearwater 5 Box Score Pierson Ohl: 4 ⅔ IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Noah Cardenas (2-for-4, RBI) Fort Myers lost in short order on Saturday. Pierson Ohl cruised through his first three frames before Clearwater jumped on the righty in the 3rd inning, plating a run and drawing first blood. A second run proved fatal to Ohl; Leandro Pineda’s RBI double knocked the starter out of the game. Fort Myers failed to muster up a fight on offense, scoring a lone run off a Noah Cardenas single with the bases loaded; the next two hitters missed their shot to capitalize on their opportunity. The Threshers attacked relievers as well; John Wilson couldn’t escape their wrath, as, with some help from poor Mighty Mussels defense, Clearwater’s offense continued to one-up itself, plating runs in successive innings through the 7th frame. Misael Urbina hit his third double since joining the team a week ago. Complex Chronicles FCL Twins 3, FCL Red Sox 8 Box Score Brayan Medina: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K HR: None Multi-hit games: Andres Centeno (2-for-3, 3B, 2B, R) The FCL Twins lost convincingly on Saturday. Brayan Medina, a forgotten piece in the Taylor Rogers trade, pitched admirably, allowing an unearned run while punching out five; the righty did walk three batters, however. Andres Centeno alone powered the offense; the left-fielder tripled, doubled, and stole a base while only four teammates could net a hit. Dominican Dailies DSL Twins 10, DSL Cardinals 1 Box Score Cesar Lares: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K HR: Harold Grant (1) Multi-hit games: Yasser Mercedes (2-for-4, 2 R), Bryan Acuna (2-for-4, 2B, R, 3 RBI), Harold Grant (3-for-5, HR, R, 3 RBI) The DSL Twins destroyed their competition on Saturday. A consistent offense proved the winning formula; just one starter walked away from the game without a run scored, and that player still contributed an RBI. Cesar Lares continued his ridiculous strikeout streak, punching out nine hitters over four frames. The team as a whole whiffed 15. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Cesar Lares, DSL Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sanó, St. Paul Saints PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #6 - Spencer Steer (Futures Game) - 0-2, K #8 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 1-4 #12 - Matt Wallner (Futures Game) - 1-2, HR, R, 2 RBI, K #15 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 1-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB #16 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Wichita) - 0-4, K SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (2:07 PM) - RHP Josh Winder Arkansas @ Wichita (1:05 PM) - RHP Louie Varland Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (1:05 PM) - RHP John Stankiewicz Clearwater @ Fort Myers (12:00 PM) - TBD View full article

Matt Wallner hit a ball 116 mph for a home run at the Futures Game in Dodger Stadium. Jhoan Duran closed the door on a big Twins win over Chicago. Miguel Sanó hit two home runs for the Saints and Chris Williams hit his sixth homer in the last four games for the Wind Surge. View full video

It wasn't the prettiest month on the bump for Minor League starting pitchers in the Twins organization. Still, there were a handful of lights-out performances. See who we've selected as our Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month. Previous Minor League Starting Pitchers of the Month May Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month: Steve Hajjar April Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month: John Stankiewicz For an organization fished with trophy pitching prospects, there were surprisingly very few outstanding starting pitching performances through the month of June. The diagnosis doesn't solely lie on the shoulders of poor outings; top prospects Matt Canterino and Simeon Woods-Richardson have struggled with injuries while names like Jordan Balazovic and Blayne Enlow are easing their way back from significant injuries. Still, June presented an opportunity for some likely and unlikely names to steal the show on the mound. Here are our top five starting pitchers in the month of June. Number Five: RHP Mario Sanchez (St. Paul Saints) - 4 G, 2 GS, 21 2/3 IP, 1.66 ERA. 0.55 WHIP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Signed to a minor league contract at the beginning of the year after time in the Nationals organization, June was a breakout month for the 27-year-old righty. Coming off a lackluster May where opposing hitters cooked off of him (.258 AVG), Sanchez found his stride as both a starter and long reliever, with opposing hitters averaging a meager .144 AVG off of him. Sanchez's best start came actually came in a loss on May 26 against Buffalo when he allowed just two runs on three hits while striking out six through six innings. The journeyman's 0.22 BB/9 of .022 in June was a career-best and the veteran certainly knows how to eat up innings in an effective way. Number Four: RHP Cole Sands (St. Paul Saints) - 3 GS, 14 IP, 1.29 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 12 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 16 K After a less than perfect stint with the Twins, Sands returned to Triple-A St. Paul and returned to the consistency that makes him a great pitcher. Sands earned his first win of the season in a seven-strikeout masterpiece on June 29 against Omaha, allowing just one run on four hits and three walks through five innings. 2022 hasn't been a dreamy year from Sands. A talented pitcher who has seen the game's highest level, July could provide an opportunity for Sands to return both physically and mentally to the things that garner him an impressively high ceiling. Given bullpen struggles with the parent club, that is needed now more than ever. Number Three: RHP Louie Varland (Wichita Wind Surge) 5 GS, 26 1/3 IP, 3.08 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 24 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 8 BB, 35 K There's no doubt that Louie Varland has been the most exciting story in the Twins farm system over the past two years. A Minnesota kid with slight chances of 'making it,' Varland was absolutely brilliant in Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids last year and has been rock-solid for the Wind Surge in 2022. Now a top-tier prospect, the 24-year-old has come back down to earth after a few 'not bad, but not great' starts. Still, Varland wasn't shelled in any of his five starts and reached at least five innings in each one en route to a 2-1 record on the month. The pinnacle of that came on June 10 when Varland blew by Arkansas through six shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out nine. Varland has always been a strikeout pitcher and it appears that trend won't be going anywhere. Still on an excellent trajectory, expect Varland to dominate in Double-A the rest of the season and maybe even see a glimpse of St. Paul come August or September. Number Two: RHP David Festa (Cedar Rapids Kernels) 5 G, 4 GS, 27 2/3 IP, 2.28 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 22 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 9 BB, 28 K Our May pitcher of the month continued to dominate in June. Festa's 28 strikeouts led the Kernels and was second in the organization to Louie Varland's 35. Rozek went 2-0 on the month wins over Lansing on June 3 and Wisconsin on June 28. Yet Festa's best start came in a no-decision on June 9 against South Bend when he tossed six shutout innings with eight strikeouts while allowing just four hits and one walk. Festa keeps his walk numbers down for the most part, but even when he doesn't, the righty from Verona, NJ limits damage control. Despite giving up a season-high four walks on June 21 against West Michigan, Festa still allowed just one run and two hits through six innings. The versatility is beautiful and Festa is just getting started. Drafted by the Twins in the 13th round of the 2021 Draft, Festa's first full season in pro ball has been electric and the train shows no signs of stopping. It would be foolish to say that Festa won't be in Wichita by this time next season. Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month LHP Aaron Rozek (Cedar Rapids Kernels) - 4 GS, 18 2/3 IP, 1.45 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 16 K Velocity and flare win clicks, consistency wins baseball games. A son of Burnsville, MN, Rozek had as solid and steady of a month as anyone in the organization...and in minor league baseball. Despite only garnering one win on the month, Rozek put the Kernels in a position to win each time he took the mound. Even in his worst start of the month, Rozek limited damage, and the Kernels ended up beating Lansing 9-3 in dominating fashion. In that start, Rozek allowed three runs on three hits (two of which were homers) and one walk while striking out five. Rozek pounded the zone and only missed on three pitches that resulted in a single and two homers. Need more proof that it wasn't that bad? Rozek threw 41 of his 60 pitches for strikes. That's pretty damn good. Speaking of consistency, Rozek's strike percentages in each outing were 64%, 68%, 64.5%, and 69 %. The Burnsville Blaze alum's 0.80 WHIP not only led the Kernels but was only second to Mario Sanchez's 0.75 WHIP from Twins' minor league pitchers with over ten innings pitched. Rozek's best outing came against the Daytona Tortugas on June 17 when he pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings while allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out four. Rozek shut out his opponents in three of his four starts and averaged less than two walks in those three starts while giving up no homers. A graduate of Minnesota State, the undrafted Rozek signed a minor league contract with the Twins midway through the 2021 season. After bouncing between the FCL Twins, Wichita, and Fort Myers in 2021, Rozek seems to have found his stride with the Kernels in 2022. The 26-year-old is a prime example of an organization taking a chance on a player with quite a bit of uncertainty. After a lukewarm start to the season, it appears that Rozek has found his stride and his future looks bright. Think there are any other players deserving of Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month accolades? Converse and comment below! View full article

The Minnesota Twins tallied a series-clinching win over the Rockies Sunday thanks in part to a strong effort by the bullpen. Down on the farm, Mario Sanchez and Sawyer-Gipson Long delivered strong performances. There was also some news on Wes Johnson and Matt Canterino. View full video

Two Twins’ affiliates had huge offensive days. Christian Encarnacion-Strand continued his torrid season. Jake Cave had a big day. Spencer Steer reached base four times. Emmanuel Rodriguez suffered an injury. Let’s see what else happened this Wednesday in the Twins organization. TRANSACTIONS SS Carlos Correa activated from the Covid IL Twins designated RHP Juan Minaya for assignment Twins selected the contract of RHP Jharel Cotton from St. Paul Twins returned SS Jermaine Palacios to St. Paul Wichita placed RHP Matt Canterino on 7-day IL CF Kennie Taylor assigned to Wichita from Cedar Rapids C Kyle Schmidt assigned to Wichita from Fort Myers SAINTS (AAA) St. Paul 12, Rochester 2 Box Score In the battle of the Twins AAA affiliates, the Saints came out on top as they won 12-2 Wednesday night. Former All-Star Aaron Sanchez made his first start for the Saints after being signed to a minor-league deal on Tuesday. Sanchez threw well in the first inning, allowing a walk but striking out two en route to putting up a zero in his first inning as a Saint. The Saints' offense welcomed Sanchez with some great run support, as they had an eight-run first inning. The scoring started when Tim Beckham singled, scoring Spencer Steer. The next batter was Jake Cave, who roped a triple off the wall in left-center field, scoring Beckham and Alex Kirilloff. Mark Contreras singled in Cave, and Michael Helman doubled in Contreras to make it a five-run lead. Later in the inning, Steer singled in a run in his second plate appearance of the inning, and one more run scored on an error to make it an eight-run inning. Sanchez went three innings, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out four batters. Tyler Thornburg came on in relief of Sanchez and pitched two great innings, not allowing any runs while striking out three. Thornburg picked up his first win of the year in only his second appearance for the Saints. In the bottom of the fourth, Cave hit his sixth homer of the year and Caleb Hamilton singled in Contreras, who doubled, to give the Saints a 10-2 lead. One inning later, the Saints scored two more runs thanks to a couple of walks, an RBI groundout from Beckham, and a single from Cave. Mario Sanchez pitched the last four innings for St. Paul to earn the rare four-inning save, his first save of the year. Sanchez didn’t allow any hits and struck out six in his four innings of work. With the win, the Saints improve to 26-29 on the year. Cave and Contreras had three hits apiece to lead the offense, while Steer and Beckham had two apiece. WIND SURGE (AA) The Wichita-Arkansas game was postponed due to rain. The two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 5:05 PM CST on Thursday. KERNELS (HIGH-A) Cedar Rapids 12, South Bend 5 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels rode some hot bats en route to a 12-5 victory over the South Bend Cubs on Wednesday. They got three runs in the first inning thanks to a solo home run by Christian Encarnacion-Strand and a two-run shot by Seth Gray. Starting pitcher John Stankiewicz took the mound with a three-run lead and did his part to ensure that the lead stayed intact. Stankiewicz went four innings for the Kernels, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five batters. In the top of the second, the Kernels continued their hot hitting as Dylan Neuse launched his first homer as a Kernel to give them a four-run lead. Two batters later, Encarnacion-Strand hit his second homer in as many innings to give them a six-run lead. After two scoreless innings for the Kernels, Wander Javier hit an RBI single in the top of the fifth and Charles Mack followed with a three-run homer to give the Kernels an eight-run lead. Cody Laweryson came on in relief of Stankiewicz and pitched two scoreless innings, skating around three hits while striking out two. Jeferson Morales hit a two-run bomb in the seventh to give the Kernels a ten-run advantage, his fourth of the year. After they took a ten-run lead, the Kernels put in Tyler Palm who threw an inning in relief, allowing two runs. After that, they called on Orlando Rodriguez to finish the game and he threw the eighth and ninth innings, allowing only one run. With the win, the Kernels improved to 35-18 on the year. Encarnacion-Strand and Gray each finished with two-hit games and combined to score five runs as they paced the offense in the victory. MIGHTY MUSSELS (LOW-A) Fort Myers 3, Daytona 2 Box Score Unlike the Saints and the Kernels, the Mighty Mussels won a low-scoring affair on Wednesday. Jaylen Nowlin got the start for the Mighty Mussels and was very good, throwing three scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out six. He now has 41 strikeouts in 24 and ⅔ innings this year. Jackson Hicks relieved him, throwing two scoreless innings while striking out two. The game was deadlocked at 0-0 until the top of the sixth when Rubel Cespedes reached on an error by the shortstop, scoring Noah Cardenas and Kala’i Rosario. The bigger news that inning happened when TwinsDaily’s #8 prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez sustained a lower-body injury attempting to advance to third on a dirt ball. He was taken out of the game and the trainer was seen transporting crutches to the dugout. After Hicks exited, the Mighty Mussels put in Regi Grace for the bottom of the sixth and he pitched out of a jam in the sixth but allowed two two-out runs in the bottom of the seventh. A third run was prevented from scoring when Noah Miller threw a runner out at the plate. The Mighty Mussels retook the lead for good in the top of the eighth when Rosario doubled in Mikey Perez, who doubled. Malik Barrington pitched the last two innings and dominated, striking out four while not allowing a baserunner. The Mighty Mussels improved to 35-17 on the year with the win. Rosario led the offense going 2-for-4 with two doubles, and Cardenas reached base three times in the win. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Mario Sanchez (St. Paul) - 4 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 6 K, Save(1) Hitter of the Day – Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2 HR (12), 2 R, 3 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins' top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #3 - Jose Miranda (Minnesota) - 3-for-4, R, 2B (7), 3 RBI #7 - Spencer Steer (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2B (4), R, RBI, 2 BB #8 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-1, 2 BB #9 - Noah Miller (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-4 #18 - Christian Encarnacion-Strand (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2 HR (12), 2 R, 3 RBI THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ St. Paul (7:07 CST) - RHP Ronny Henriquez (0-2, 8.07 ERA) Game 1: Wichita @ Arkansas (5:05 CST) - RHP Casey Legumina (0-2, 8.82 ERA) Game 2: Wichita @ Arkansas (TBD) - Pitcher TBD; will be updated Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 PM CST) - RHP David Festa (3-0, 2.63 ERA) Fort Myers @ Daytona (6:05 PM CST) - LHP Jordan Carr (0-0, 3.00 ERA) (First start with Ft. Myers) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Thank you for reading, and Go Twins! View full article

While it is only one game, as every league besides the Triple-A level doesn’t start until Friday, this is always one of my favorite days of the year, even more so than the actual Major League opener. Find out how the St. Paul Saints did on Tuesday night. Tuesday evening saw the St. Paul Saints kick off their season against the Louisville Bats down in Kentucky, and it’s hard not to drool at the top of their lineup that started with Jose Miranda, Royce Lewis, and Trevor Larnach. They've got pitching too, with Jordan Balazovic (though he's on the IL to start the year), Cole Sands, Jovani Moran, and Drew Strotman some of the names to watch or that you already know. The biggest story in this one is, without a doubt, the return of Lewis to official game action. The last time he was seen on a minor-league diamond, was all the way back in 2019 when he ended the year mashing in the Arizona Fall League to the tune of a Most Valuable Player award. He definitely made his presence known in this one, and in each phase of the game, which we will get to. TRANSACTIONS With it being Opening Day in Triple-A and the other affiliates kicking off their seasons on Friday, there will likely be a lot of roster movement in the next few days, so be sure to check out this section moving forward. Outfielder Elijah Greene, who was signed this spring, was released. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Louisville 2 Box Score Taking the mound for the Saints to start the year, was offseason signee Mario Sanchez and he was solid for the first four innings, allowing just one hit, one walk, and striking out one. He threw 59 pitches, with a whopping 42 of them going for strikes (71%). Up to that point he was matched by Bats starter Ben Lively, who had held the St. Paul lineup hitless through the first four frames. Outfielder Derek Fisher changed that with a leadoff double to start the fifth inning and would later score the first run of the season for Twins affiliates on an RBI groundout from catcher David Banuelos. After a nice play at shortstop to end a threat from the Bats in the bottom of the inning, Lewis led off the top of the sixth with a single through the hole into left field. After a Trevor Larnach flyout, Lewis then demonstrated he still has his speed, taking second base for his first steal of the season. He would then come around to score on a Jake Cave single and 2-0 lead for the Saints. Wladimir Pinto was the first reliever for St. Paul, pitching the fifth and sixth innings. He gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out four. Trevor Megill then came on and worked around a leadoff single for a scoreless seventh inning, before serving up a home run to JT Riddle in the bottom of the eighth to make the score 2-1 and before it was said and done Yennier Cano would be summoned to end a two-out threat to tie the score. He got a flyout to keep the Saints out front heading into the ninth. Megill went 1 2/3 innings total, allowing three hits, walking one, and striking out two. In the top of the ninth, catcher David Banuelos added a needed insurance run with the first home run of the 2022 season, a 431-foot blast to left-center: Cano stayed in the game with a chance at his first save of the year, and it got interesting. A check swing led to a leadoff infield single and was followed by a double into the right-field corner that put the tying run in scoring position. An awkward passed ball led to a run (I could swear it was a foul tip, and Cano complained about it…), before he got a big strikeout and a lineout into left field for two outs. With the game on the line, Louisville brought on a pinch hitter, and Jose Miranda proceeded to make a game-saving play diving to his left to get the final out, and secure the first win of the 2022 minor league season! The Saints lineup managed just five hits, were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and left eight men on base for the game. Miranda went 0-for-5 with a pair of strikeouts, Trevor Larnach was 0-for-3 with a walk and one K, and as a team, they struck out twelve times. In his first action since the 2019 season, Royce Lewis finished 1-for-4 with a single, walk, run scored, and a stolen base. He also struck out twice, but what stood out to me was there are no ill-effects from his knee surgery. He made a couple of nice plays in the field, showed his speed on the base paths, and there wasn’t any type of leg kick I’d call even remotely excessive in his swing. Most of all, I am sure it felt great for him to be back in action! Be sure to take a look at the Saints Roster Preview. WIND SURGE WISDOM The Wind Surge will begin their season on Friday at home against the Tulsa Drillers. While the Wind Surge have yet to name their opening day starter, the Tulsa Drillers have a prospect named Gus Varland scheduled for them. This is notable, as he’s the older brother of Twins Daily’s #14 Prospect Louie Varland, who is on the Wind Surge roster to start the year. If Wichita and Twins brass know what’s good for them, they’ll make this brotherly battle happen to start the year! In the meantime, be sure to check out the Wind Surge roster preview. KERNELS NUGGETS The Kernels open their season at home as well, facing off against a former Twins affiliate, the Beloit Snappers. You can also get a look at the Cedar Rapids roster in advance of their opener on Friday. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers hits the road to Clearwater to open their 2022 season against the Threshers on Friday. There should be quite a few of the Twins 2021 draft picks on their roster, which has yet to be officially announced. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Wladimir Pinto, St. Paul Saints (W, 2 IP, H, BB, 4 K) Hitter of the Day - David Banuelos, St. Paul Saints (1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB) PROSPECT SUMMARY #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, R, BB, SB (1), 2 K #3 - Jose Miranda (St. Paul) - 0-for-5, 2 K #4 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - Injured List (knee strain) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 PM CST) - RHP Daniel Gossett Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s game! View full article