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It takes multiple seasons for a pitcher to make his way from the short-season leagues to the big leagues. The Twins hope some of these pitchers can impact the organization in the years ahead. Image courtesy of Instagram (graphics by Thieres Rabelo) Minnesota signed Miguel Olivares out of Venezuela in September 2021 which meant the 2022 season was his professional debut. The Twins used Olivares mainly as a starter, with eight of his 11 appearances coming in that role. He allowed two earned runs or fewer in every appearance, which helped him post a sub-1.70 ERA in every month of the season. Olivares didn’t allow a home run all season and posted a 9.7 K/9. In July, Olivares posted his strongest numbers of the season. He combined for a 1.35 ERA with a 0.85 WHIP with a 23-to-7 strikeout to walk ratio in 20 innings. For the season, he held batters to a .150/.272/.177 slash line as only three of his 23 hits allowed were for extra-bases. He didn’t allow an extra-base hit after July 26th. His numbers were strong as a starter and a reliever as he posted identical 9.6 K/9 totals, but he was better in a starting role. In eight starts (34 2/3 innings), he allowed four earned runs (1.04 ERA) with a 0.89 WHIP and a 37-to-13 strikeout to walk ratio. Nearly 78% of his plate appearances came against younger batters, so it will be interesting to track his development as he moves up the organizational ladder. His pitching coach in the DSL, DJ Engle, had this to say about Olivares: "Miguel is a talented young arm who is mature beyond his age. He did a great job this season of everything we asked of him, most of which was new to him, but he hit the ground running early on in camp. He always wanted to expand his game and would continue to work on the little things daily throughout the season. He turned in a great season, excited to continue to see him develop." Runner-Up: Cesar Lares, LHP DSL Stats (11 G): 2.93 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 71 K, 20 BB, 46 IP Minnesota signed Lares out of Venezuela in May 2022, and he made his professional debut a few weeks later. As an 18-year-old, Lares carved up hitters in the DSL with an eye-popping 13.9 K/9. He allowed more hits than one would like with 6.1 H/9, but he was able to get out of jams with his high strikeout rate. Nearly all his earned runs allowed came in two games at the start of the season. From July 2nd to August 20th, he posted a 1.87 ERA while batters hit .158/.235/.217 against the left-handed hurler. Nearly 68% of his plate appearances came against younger batters, which he held to a .193 BA and a .584 OPS. Second Runner-Up: Ledwin Tavares, RHP DSL Stats (10 G): 3.70 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 33 K, 10 BB, 41 1/3 IP In January 2022, the Twins signed Tavares as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic before assigning him to the DSL. All but six of his at-bats were against older batters, and he held them to a .596 OPS. Tavares won four consecutive decisions from June 15th through July 20th while posting a sub-2.00 ERA and holding batters to a .198 batting average. In three of his ten appearances, he allowed a home run, so that will be something to keep an eye on next season, especially as he comes stateside. Honorable Mentions: Cristian Jimenez, RHP (DSL): 3.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 49 K, 7 BB, 37 1/3 IP In his second stint in the DSL, Jimenez saw his strikeout numbers improve, and his walk rate dropped from 4.3 BB/9 to 1.7 BB/9. Cole Bellair, RHP (FCL): 1.61 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 20 K, 6 BB, 22 1/3 IP Bellair spent time in independent leagues before joining the Twins organization in 2021. As a 25-year-old, his number improved significantly in the FCL. Roger Duran, RHP (DSL): 2.22 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 23 K, 14 BB, 28 1/3 IP Last season, Duran allowed 29 earned runs in 23 2/3 innings (11.03 ERA). His 2022 season improved in nearly every statistical category as he repeated the DSL. Juan Rojas, RHP (FCL): 3.60 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 38 K, 4 BB, 30 IP Rojas came stateside in 2022 and pitched well for the FCL Twins before being included in the Jorge Lopez deal at the trade deadline. Which players will most likely impact the Twins down the road? Who would you vote as the short-season pitcher of the year? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. PREVIOUS WINNERS: 2016 - Huascar Ynoa 2017 - Jovani Moran 2018 - Andrew Cabezas 2019 - Cody Lawyerson 2021 - Samuel Perez View full article

Hits were hard to come by on Tuesday for Minnesota Twins affiliates, much like their major-league team's efforts against the immortal Justin Verlander in Houston. This means it was 0-fer night for the organization. But a slugger in Triple-A went yard again, Randy Dobnak made a rehab appearance, and another pitcher set a career-high in strikeouts. TRANSACTIONS LHP Devin Smeltzer was optioned back to St. Paul, with Aaron Sanchez being added to the Twins roster in his place. To make room on the 40-man roster, Alex Kirilloff was placed on the 60-Day IL. Caleb Hamilton was also recalled as Byron Buxton was placed on the 10-day IL. After two appearances in the FCL, RHP Randy Dobnak was sent to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels to continue his rehab assignment. The Wichita Wind Surge sent RHP Tyler Beck on a rehab assignment to the FCL. RHP Sean Mooney was activated from the IL with Cedar Rapids. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 1, Iowa 7 Box Score The Saints were unable to muster much offense on Tuesday, falling 7-1 to the Cubs down in Des Moines, Iowa. Their lone run came in the sixth inning, courtesy of Chris Williams’ sixth home run in just 10 games with the Saints. It came on a fastball from Iowa reliever Danis Correa, who was hitting 100 MPH+ frequently (this one was 98), and was sent out to deep to dead center field. Saints hitters struck out thirteen times in the game, while drawing just three walks, so there weren’t many opportunities. As a team they were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, but that lone hit did not drive in any runs, and they left just five men on base. Braden Bishop added a double, while Matt Wallner, Mark Contreras, and David Banuelos picked up the other three hits. Dereck Rodriguez made the start and had to work for his five innings. He allowed four runs on seven hits, with the Cubs scoring a run in three of those innings. He also struck out seven compared to two walks. Jake Jewell threw two innings in relief, allowing three runs (two earned) on one hit and two walks, while striking out one. Austin Schulfer finished the game with a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Frisco 4 (10 innings) Box Score Making the start for the Wind Surge was lefty Brent Headrick, and he was able to limit damage over his four innings. He allowed two runs on four hits and a pair of walks, while striking out eight RoughRiders. He left the game with the score tied at two, as Wichita was able to scratch across a run in each of the third and fourth innings. In the third Austin Martin was hit by a pitch, then proceeded to steal his 30th base of the season to move into scoring position. A passed ball put him on third before Aaron Sabato was able to bring him in with a sac fly. Alex Isola led off the fourth with a double and moved to third on a Jair Camargo single, but again a sac fly was all they could manage, with Yunior Severino driving in the run this time. They took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on an RBI single from Isola, driving in Edouard Julien who had drawn a walk to lead off the inning. Relievers Andrew Cabezas (1 2/3 IP, BB), Bryan Sammons (1 IP, BB, 2 K), and Blayne Enlow (1 1/3 IP, 2 H, K) did their best to keep the Wind Surge in the lead, but Casey Legumina wasn’t as fortunate in the ninth. A single and walk put the winning run on base before he picked up a pair of strikeouts, but an RBI single would follow to tie the game and send it to extra innings. The Wind Surge went down one-two-three in the top of the tenth, and with Denny Bentley coming on the RoughRiders wasted no time, as the first batter clubbed a double down the line to walk it off. Isola was 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, and RBI to pace the offense. Severino chipped in a double, and although they didn’t get a hit, Martin and Julien did combine to draw five walks and steal four bases from the top of the lineup. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Lake County 7 Box Score Kernels starting pitcher Travis Adams set a career high in strikeouts in this one, picking up 11 in five innings, but still was saddled with a loss against the Captains. All three runs he allowed came in the second inning as the Captains strung together two singles and three doubles. He struck out multiple hitters in each frame, including all three outs in the first inning. Of his 81 pitches, 55 went for strikes (68%) and 19 of them were swinging. The Captains extended their lead to 6-0 in the sixth, as Tyler Palm (1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, K) was unable to keep runners off the bases. Matthew Swain came on to strike out two to end that threat, but allowed a run of his own in the seventh. All five of his outs came on K’s. Cedar Rapids was able to get on the scoreboard in the seventh when Lake County’s bullpen came into play. Pat Winkel clubbed a solo home run that was followed by a two-run shot from Dalton Shuffield two batters later. They closed the gap to 7-5 in the top of the ninth with an RBI groundout from Brooks Lee and sac fly from Jake Rucker, but Seth Gray would go down swinging to end the game. Jon Olsen finished the game for the Kernels by striking out two and walking one in a scoreless eighth. Shuffield reached base in all four of his plate appearances, leading the way with a 3-for-3 effort, drawing a walk, scoring two runs and driving in two with his first full-season homer. Lee was 1-for-4 with a double and drew a walk. MUSSEL MATTERS Lakeland 4, Fort Myers 2 Box Score Right-hander Randy Dobnak continued his trek through a rehab assignment, this time coming with the Mighty Mussels instead of in the FCL. He pitched the first two innings, allowing a double in the second, but nothing else. He threw just 20 pitches, needing 10 in each inning to record three outs. His offense gave him a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Misael Urbina and Noah Miller drew walks to start the frame, before Noah Cardenas drove in one with a single. They’d retake the lead 2-1 in the third when Cardenas hit a one-out double, and was driven in by a single from Keoni Cavaco two batters later. After Dobnak’s appearance, the game was turned over to Jordan Carr who went the next five innings. He took his first loss of the year, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk. He struck out four. Niklas Rimmel threw two scoreless frames to finish the game, allowing one hit, walking one, and striking out one. The Mighty Mussels offense wasn’t able to muster much from the fourth inning onward. They collected just five hits as a team, led by a three-hit effort from Cardenas, who also drew a walk. As a team they did work eight free passes, but finished just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position, leaving 12 men on base for the game. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 0, FCL Red Sox 4 Box Score The Twins did not record a hit until there were two outs in the eighth inning, so not much to recap from that perspective. Andres Centeno and Isaac Pena collected singles. As a team, they struck out 17 times, walked just once, and had only two at-bats in the game with runners in scoring position. Starting pitcher Brock Stewart threw two innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits while striking out two, and after that six other pitchers made appearances in the game. Michael Boyle struck out two in two scoreless innings. Tyler Beck pitched a scoreless fifth inning, striking out one, and then Rafael Feliz a scoreless sixth with two punch outs. Brayan Medina came on for the seventh but got just two outs, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks. Elpidio Perez got the final out of the seventh before Danny Moreno finished off the game with a scoreless eighth, striking out one. DOMINICAN DAILIES Game 1: DSL Twins 0, DSL Giants Black 1 (Completion of game suspended on July 21, 7 innings) Box Score The first game of the day for the DSL Twins was the completion of a game that was suspended a month ago. The Twins outhit the Giants 6-to-4 in this one, but the big hit came for the Giants in the fifth inning, when a triple scored the only run of the game. The Twins had threats in multiple innings but weren’t able to push a run across. Daniel Pena contributed a double to the effort, but that was the only extra-base hit for the good guys. As a team they were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. On the flip side, the pitching was excellent, with Roger Duran functioning as an opener, walking one and striking out one in the first. DSL standout Miguel Olivares then pitched the final five innings, allowing just one run on four hits, while striking out six. His ERA is 1.59 on the season, with a WHIP below 1.00, and 54 K’s on the year in 50 innings pitched. Game 2: DSL Twins 3, DSL Giants Black 6 (7 innings) Box Score In their regularly scheduled contest, the Twins were able to take a 3-0 lead into the fifth, but a big inning from the Giants would end up sinking them. In the second inning, the Twins loaded the bases for Luis Rodriguez, who delivered a two-run double for their first lead. In the fourth, it was a pair of singles that put a runner on third, before Jesus Peraza delivered a sac fly to make the score 3-0. Starter Oscar Paredes went the first three innings for the Twins, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out two. Eider Machuca pitched a scoreless fourth, before Leonardo Lugo (0 IP, H, 4 ER) and Jeferson Lopez (1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 K) lost control of it in the fifth. If you think the pitching line for Lugo looks odd, it’s because it is. He hit three batters and allowed a double before Lopez was brought on. Jose Ojo finished off the game for the Twins with a scoreless sixth inning. Junior Marino led the lineup with three hits in three at-bats, stealing a base and scoring a run as well. Junior Del Valle added a single, reached on an error, and scored two runs. Anderson Nova contributed a double. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Miguel Olivares, DSL Twins (5 IP, 4 H, ER, 6 K) Hitter of the Day - Dalton Shuffield, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-3, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, SB) PROSPECT SUMMARY #2 - Brooks Lee (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K #4 - Austin Martin (Wichita) - 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, K, 3 SB #7 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, BB, 3 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2 K #14 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 0-for-2, R, 3 BB, K, SB #17 - Cole Sands (Minnesota) - 2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 K (left game after being hit by a liner) #18 - Tanner Schobel (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, BB, K #20 - Kala’i Rosario (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, BB, 2 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowal (12:08 PM CDT) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-5, 9.26 ERA) Wichita @ Frisco (7:05 PM CDT) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Lake County (5:35 PM CDT) - RHP Orlando Rodriguez (3-1, 3.20 ERA) Lakeland @ Fort Myers (Game 1: 3:30 PM CDT) - TBD Fort Myers @ Lakeland (Game 2, makeup of June 25th PPD) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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It was the MLB trade deadline on Tuesday, and the Minnesota Twins were one of the most aggressive buyers throughout the day. They acquired three MLB pitchers and a depth catcher, and in doing so parted with the #6, #10, #16, #19, and #20 prospects in their system per our own rankings—which will be receiving an update with a lot of changes tomorrow—as well as several other minor leaguers. TRANSACTIONS By acquiring MLB talent and giving up nothing but prospects, there was a lot to follow when it comes to transactions in the minors. Try to keep up… Trade #1: Twins acquire RHP Jorge Lopez from the Baltimore Orioles, sending off Cedar Rapids’ LHP Cade Povich (#10 TD prospect), RHP Yennier Cano (St. Paul), RHP Juan Nunez (DSL), and LHP Juan Rojas (FCL) in the deal. Trade #2: Twins acquire RHP Tyler Mahle from the Cincinnati Reds, trading away St. Paul IF Spencer Steer (#6 TD Prospect), Wichita slugger Christian Encarnacion-Strand (#16 TD Prospect), and Fort Myers LHP Steve Hajjar (#19 TD prospect) in the swap. Trade #3: In a depth trade between division rivals, the Twins sent RHP Ian Hamilton to the Cleveland Guardians for C Sandy Leon. Leon was assigned to triple-A after the move. Trade #4: Twins acquire RHP Michael Fulmer from the Detroit Tigers, parting with Wichita RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (#20 TD prospect) to get Fulmer to swap clubhouses at Target Field. To cover the exiting players and corresponding moves with the Twins (IL: Miguel Sano (60 Day), Alex Kirilloff (10 Day); Paternity: Gilberto Celestino; DFA: Jharel Cotton, Aaron Sanchez), the St. Paul Saints received RHP Ben Heller and C Frank Nigro from the Florida Complex, as well as IF Mikey Perez from Fort Myers. OF Jake Cave also had his contract selected by the Twins. In Double-A, the Wind Surge transferred C Dennis Ortega from the IL to the Development List. For the Mighty Mussels, RHP Zaquiel Puentes was assigned from the FCL, and RHP Regi Grace was activated from the injured list. Did I miss any?! Probably… SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 13, Omaha 4 Box Score If you were worried that the St. Paul Saints would lose some firepower sending off their top-hitting prospect earlier in the day, you would have been wrong. Very Wrong. Saints starter Devin Smeltzer was spotted a big lead before he ever took the mound, and his lineup continued to provide him breathing room as the game went on. The first three hitters of the game reached base for St. Paul, with Matt Wallner’s double scoring two before John Andreoli clubbed the team’s first home run of the game, making it 4-0 after a half-inning. Smeltzer was able to battle through five innings, surrendering four runs of his own on five hits and a walk, but also struck out six Storm Chasers. Of his 79 pitches, 54 went for strikes (68%) including 12 swinging. The Saints used the long ball to extend their lead throughout the rest of the game, with Michael Helman blasting a pair of homers, including a two-run blast in the fourth and solo shot in the eighth, with David Banuelos adding another two-run dinger in the sixth. Helman, in fact, was electric in every at-bat, becoming the second player in affiliated franchise history to ever collect five hits in a game, joining Jose Miranda who did the same in his triple-A debut last year on his 23rd birthday. Relievers Juan Minaya and Drew Strotman combined to hold the Storm Chasers scoreless over the final four innings. Minaya was nearly perfect, hitting the first batter he faced with a pitch but retiring the next six in a row, including one strikeout. Strotman worked around one hit allowed and three walks in the final two frames by inducing two inning-ending double play balls. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, San Antonio 4 Box Score The Missions jumped on Wichita starter Casey Legumina in the first two innings, and Wichita needed to claw their way back the rest of the game. Legumina got the first two hitters of the game, but a single and a walk were followed by a two-run triple and an RBI double that put them ahead 3-0 early. An error against the leadoff man in the second led to their fourth run a few batters later. In all, Legumina finished four innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk. He struck out two. The Wind Surge got their first run of the game in the top of third after DaShawn Keirsey Jr. led off the inning with a single. He advanced to second on a groundout, then third on a balk, before scoring on another groundout off the bat of Ernie Yake. The bullpen trio of Bryan Sammons (2 IP, H, 3 K), Steven Cruz (1 IP, 2 K), and Denny Bentley (1 IP, BB, K) kept the Missions off the board and gave Wichita a chance the rest of the way. In the eighth, the Wind Surge had the bases loaded with no outs, but a sac fly and RBI groundout were all they could muster after a pitching change, getting within one heading to the ninth. They went down one-two-three and fall to 51-45 on the season, but still lead the North division with a 16-12 record in the second half. Julien (2-for-4, R, K) and Nash Knight (2-for-4, K) had multiple hits. The Wind Surge did not have an RBI come from a hit in the scorebook, were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, and left six men on base for the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Beloit 11, Cedar Rapids 6 Box Score Luis Rijo took the mound for the Kernels and his outing was predictive of how it would go for their pitchers as a whole, and not in a good way. In his 3 2/3 innings, Rijo ended up surrendering four earned runs on six hits and a pair of walks, while only picking up one strikeout. Bradley Hanner got them through the fourth, allowing one inherited runner to score, but allowed four straight hits to open the fifth, culminated by a grand slam that put the Sky Carp in front 8-3. Matt Mullenbach finished the fifth and added a scoreless sixth before he too, ran into some trouble in the seventh. While both his runs allowed were unearned due to an error, it was 10-3 after seven. Jon Olsen (1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K) and Ryan Shreve (1 IP) finished off the game for the Cedar Rapids pitching staff. The Kernels did have a lead after the third inning, thanks to an RBI single from Yunior Severino in the first that he followed up with a two-run homer in the third that made it 3-2. This continues a scorching hot start to the second half of the season for the infielder. While they did rack up 13 hits as a team, they were just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, compared to 15 hits and a 6-for-16 effort from Beloit to account for the scoring discrepancy. Kyler Fedko (3-for-5, 2 R, 2B), Rucker (2-for-5, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, K), Severino (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, K), Gray (2-for-5, RBI, K), and Will Holland (2-for-4) all had multiple hits in the loss. MUSSEL MATTERS Bradenton 2, Fort Myers 1 (7 innings) Box Score After a two-hour delayed start, the Mighty Mussels game on Tuesday would only go seven innings. Fort Myers probably would have liked to have those two more. Right-hander Pierson Ohl took the bump and was fantastic over his five innings. He allowed no runs, scattered five hits, and struck out seven Marauders, including all three in the fourth inning. He left the game with a 1-0 lead, but it could have been more, as the Mighty Mussels managed to only scratch one run across the plate in the second inning after having the bases loaded with no outs. That run came in the form of a sac fly from Daniel Ozoria to score Dillon Tatum, who had drawn a walk to lead off the frame. They loaded the bases again in the third but were unable this time to score any runs, as hits were hard to come by for the home team. They had just three singles in the game, were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and left only five men on base. After Ohl’s game was done, Malik Barrington came on for the sixth and Bradenton took advantage of two consecutive walks and a wild pitch to start the inning. Barrington would record just two outs, allowing the go-ahead runs on a flyout and single before being replaced by Zaquiel Puentes. Puentes finished the final 1 1/3 innings, striking out two in his first Mighty Mussels game of the season. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Orioles 1, FCL Twins 7 (7 innings) Box Score The Twins used a five-run fifth inning to pull away from the Orioles, and kept them in check the rest of the way to secure the victory. Veteran Ryan Horstman started on the mound and struck out all three hitters he faced in the first. Develson Aria then went the next three innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out six. Leyner Ponce (1 IP, 2 BB, K), Cole Bellair (1 IP, H, K), and Ricardo Velez (1 IP, K) each tacked on a scoreless inning. With the bases loaded in the fifth, the Twins got a 2-run single from Andres Centeno, which was followed by a two-run double off the bat of Gregory Duran that made the score 6-1. Willie Joe Garry Jr. tacked on an RBI single to cap the scoring. Garry Jr. (2-for-4, RBI) and Duran (2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB) each had two hits, and Jefferson De La Cruz added a 2-RBI triple in the fourth. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Twins 4, DSL Miami 0 (7+ innings) Box Score The Twins pitching staff held Miami to just four hits in the game, which was called official in the bottom of the seventh inning. DSL standout Miguel Olivares picked up his first win of the year by finishing five innings. He allowed three hits, walked one, and punched out five, lowering his ERA in 39 total innings to just 1.15. Leonardo Lugo picked up his first save by going 1+ innings, allowing one hit, one walk, and striking out one. The offense was led by two hits from Brayan Acuna (2-for-4, RBI) and Anderson Nova (2-for-3), and got a triple from Yasser Mercedes, and two-run homer from Ricardo Pena. Mercedes also stole two bases, giving him 20 on the season in 30 games. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Pierson Ohl, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 7 K) Hitter of the Day - Michael Helman, St. Paul Saints (5-for-5, 4 R, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY #8 - Noah Miller (Fort Myers) - 0-for-3 #12 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K #15 - Edouard Julien (Wichita) - 2-for-4, R, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Omaha (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Ronny Henriquez (1-4, 5.71 ERA) Wichita @ San Antonio (7:05 PM CDT) - TBD (Sawyer Gipson-Long had been scheduled) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (7-4, 4.35 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin (3-3, 4.24 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

Despite a couple of days off, the Dominican Summer League Twins won Wednesday with an offensive explosion. Two Twins’ affiliate catchers won player-of-the-week awards in their respective leagues. Read about this and more in Wednesday’s Minor League Report! The only game Wednesday was the DSL Twins, who were victorious over the Dominican Summer League White Sox. The FCL Twins will be back in action Thursday against the FCL Rays. The rest of the Twins affiliates will be back in action on Friday Pair of Catchers Named Player of the Week Wichita Wind Surge (AA) catcher/first baseman Chris Williams was named the Texas League Player of the Week on Tuesday for his historic week. Over the last week, Williams was 12-for-26 (.462) with three doubles, six homers, and 20 RBI. He slashed .462/.500/1.269 (1.769) over the week. Williams is now hitting .297/.383/.599 (.982) with 14 doubles and 16 home runs across 58 games for Wichita this year. His .982 OPS ranks fifth in the Texas League this year among all qualified hitters. His 16 homers are tied for sixth, and his .599 slugging percentage ranks fourth. Another catcher who won Player of the Week for his league was Fort Myers (Low-A) catcher Noah Cardenas. Cardenas was 9-for-25 (.360) with two doubles, three homers, six runs, and five RBI. Cardenas slashed .360/.440/.800 (1.240) over the week. Cardenas is hitting .236/.410/.387 (.797) for Fort Myers this year as a 22-year-old. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL Twins 11, DSL White Sox 7 Box Score Starting Pitcher: Miguel Olivares (5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K) Winning Pitcher: Ledwin Taveras (3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 K) Multi-Hit Games: Yasser Mercedes (3-for-5), Anderson Nova (2-for-5), Harold Grant (2-for-4) 2B: Jose Rodriguez (11), Mercedes (6), Grant (5)S SB: Rafael Cruz (5) TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Miguel Olivares (DSL Twins) - 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K Hitter of the Day – Yasser Mercedes (DSL Twins) - 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B (6), K UPCOMING GAMES St. Paul @ Indianapolis (6:05 PM CST Friday) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:05 PM CST Friday) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CST Friday) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CST Friday) FCL Rays @ FCL Twins (12:00 PM CST Thursday) DSL Twins @ DSL Giants Black (11:00 AM CST Thursday) I hope you all are surviving well with a few days off from baseball! Thank you for reading, and Go Twins! View full article

In a scheduling quirk with the new minor league realignments and the holiday, all four of the Minnesota Twins full-season affiliates had the day off on Tuesday after their 4th of July contests that were played on their normal day off. Both rookie league teams were in action with one of them providing a firework-worthy celebration of their own down in the Dominican Republic. TRANSACTIONS The Minnesota Twins officially recalled RHP Josh Winder to start tonight’s game with Chris Archer being scratched, after he had joined their taxi-squad yesterday. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Braves 4, FCL Twins 2 Box Score Despite outhitting their opponents 9-to-5 on the game, The Twins came out on the short end of this one as the Braves got the big home run to steal a victory. Jose Olivares made the start for the home team and went the first four innings. It was the last one that finally put a dent on his appearance, as a pair of walks preceded a three-run blast that put the Braves up by two. Before then, Olivares had allowed just two other hits and was in command. His final line would include three earned runs on three hits, the two walks that came back to bite him, and struck out four. The FCL Twins got two innings of perfect rehab work from Jon Olsen, who struck out two in the process, then got a pair of one-two-three innings from Francis Peguero (2 K) and Miguelangel Boadas to get them to the ninth down 3-1. Boadas came back out for the ninth and would finish the game, but allowed an insurance run thanks to a single and a triple. He struck out two in his two innings. Danny De Andrade put the FCL Twins on the scoreboard first in the third inning, with his first home run of the year, a solo shot. But the Twins weren’t able to push any more runs across until the bottom of the ninth when Andres Centeno led off the inning with a double, moved to third on a single from Amilcar Vasquez, and then scored on a Misael Urbina double, where Centeno was thrown out at home for the innings first out. The tying run was then in the batter's box, but Alexander Pena and De Andrade weren’t able to keep it going, falling 4-2 to the Braves. Urbina led the offense with a three-hit effort in four at-bats, also drawing a walk. De Andrade had two hits including the home run, and Centeno’s double accounted for their three extra-base hits in the game. Second baseman Fredy Michel also drew three walks, but wasn’t able to score any runs as the team finished just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position, and left 10 men on base in total. DOMINICAN DAILIES DSL KC Stewart 5, DSL Twins 6 Box Score The DSL Twins scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning en route to building an early 5-1 lead, but then let their Kansas City Royals-based opponents back into the game late. Would they be able to hold them off? The Twins got on the scoreboard first in the second inning as Anderson Nova, Isaac Pena, and Ricardo Pena all notched singles in the frame, with the last of those driving in a run. They had a chance for more as a walk loaded the bases with two outs, but would have to wait until the next inning to really cash in. They did so when Bryan Acuna and Jose Rodriguez started the third with consecutive singles, before all three of them trotted the bases thanks to a Rafael Cruz home run, his first of the season. Nova followed with his first triple of the year and scored the fourth run of the inning on an error to the next hitter. They remained in the lead until the ninth inning thanks to the collective efforts of Jose Ojo (1 IP, BB, K), Bianger Liendo (1 IP, BB, 2 K), and Eduardo Soriano (1 IP, 2 H, R) to start the game. Miguel Olivares then did the heavy lifting, pitching five innings from the fourth through the eighth. He allowed one earned run on two hits and three walks, while striking out six. With the score 5-2 entering the top of the ninth, the Twins brought Eider Machuca out of the bullpen for the save opportunity and he retired the first two hitters he faced. Then the wheels fell off. A pair of walks was followed by a three-run home run to tie the game at five, and he then walked the next batter to bring an end to his outing with a blown save. He was bailed out as the Royals attempted a steal with new pitcher Orlando Rubio on the mound, and catcher Javier Roman cut them down at second base for the third out. The Twins lineup wasn’t fazed, and remained patient against a new pitcher in the bottom half of the inning, with Luis Rodriguez drawing a leadoff walk. He was advanced to second with a sacrifice bunt before the next two hitters drew walks of their own to load the bases, the second of which was intentional to Yasser Mercedes. After a pop-out from Acuna, Jose Rodriguez delivered the walk-off fireworks with a single to left field to secure the 6-5 win. Jose Rodriguez (2-for-5, R, RBI, K), Nova (2-for-4, 2 R, 3B), and Isaac Pena (2-for-4) each had two-hit nights to support the big blast from Cruz. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Miguel Olivares, DSL Twins (H, 5 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 6 K) Hitter of the Day - Rafael Cruz, DSL Twins (1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY With the full-season affiliates enjoying their day off, there were no Twins Daily top prospects in action on Tuesday. WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Cole Sands (1-4, 4.68 ERA) Amarillo @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Louie Varland (6-2, 3.42 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CDT) - TBD Fort Myers @ Tampa (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Marco Raya (3-1, 2.77 ERA) DSL Cardinals @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CDT) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article