Because of rain outs, there were nine games scheduled in the Twins minor leagues on Thursday. More rain caused Fort Myers to play about one inning, so those two games will results in doubleheaders later this week. 

For the leagues that play a first-half and a second-half, there a couple of Twins affiliates that are likely doing a little bit of scoreboard watching. Check out which affiliates are competing for a playoff spot right now. 

The Twins signed another player from an independent league, and the team that he was signed from currently has three former Minnesota Twins on their roster. It’s a fun jaunt down memory lane. 

Today’s report has a bit of variety. One team was swept, and one of the losses was a shutout. A Twins minor league pitcher tossed a seven-inning shutout. One team got some great pitching and an ugly big inning for a win. A young prospect hit a homer that, because of rain, essentially became the game-winner. And, the Rockies juggernaut beat the Twins in a close game on Thursday afternoon in the Dominican. 

Enjoy today’s minor-league report. But when you’re done, be sure to spend five to 10 minutes ranking your Top 20 Minnesota Twins prospects. It’s fun to see the results when we get a bunch of participation. Click here to rank your Top 20! 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 36-32 (2nd in AL Central, 8.0 games behind Detroit.)
St. Paul Saints: 31-33  (6th place in the International League West Division, 6.5 games behind Nashville.)
Wichita Wind Surge: 31-29 (Tied 2nd in Texas League North, 3.5 games behind Springfield.)
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 35-25 (Tied 1st place in the Midwest League’s West Division with Quad Cities.)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 27-31 (Tied with Bradenton for 5th place in the Florida State League’s West Division, 5.5 games behind Lakeland.)
FCL Twins: 17-11 (1st in FCL South, 0.5 games ahead of the FCL Rays.
DSL Twins: 1-7  

TRANSACTIONS
The Twins traded Jorge Alcala to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for infielder Andy Lugo. Lugo was assigned to the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

The Twins continued to work the independent leagues to give players an opportunity or another opportunity. On Thursday, they signed RHP Tanner Andrews to a minor-league deal and assigned him to the Wind Surge. The 29-year-old had pitched in 15 games for the Staten Island FerryHawks where he teams with Pablo Sandoval and a couple of former Twins in Adalberto Mejia, Mark Contreras and Drew Maggi. Recently the Twins signed LHP Brennen Oxford from the team and sent him to the Mighty Mussels.  

In his 15 games, he is 2-0 with three saves. In 13 2/3 innings, he has given up just five hits, walked two, and he has 25 strikeouts. 

A little more on Andrews, he pitched for Purdue from 2015-2018. That summer, he was the 10th round pick of the Miami Marlins. He spent four seasons with the Marlins. In 2022, he joined the Giants organization and has pitched at Triple-A Sacramento the past two seasons. As you would expect, the numbers in the PCL were not great, but he did stay healthy.  

SAINTS SENTINEL
Game 1: St. Paul 2, Indianapolis 6
Box Score
Morris Roughed Up by Pirates (Prospects) 
Andrew Morris may soon surface with the Twins if they need another starter in the near future. Maybe that’s why he was pushed to 97 pitches in this game. He gave up three runs in the first inning (on a Jack Suwinski homer), but then threw three zeroes on the board. He was charged with one run in the fifth as well. He left the game with two outs in the sixth inning and two runners on base. Jacob Bosiokovic came in and before getting a strikeout to end the inning, walked three batters and allowed both inherited runners to score. 

So the final line for Morris includes six runs on five hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings. He did have seven strikeouts

The Saints were kept scoreless until the fifth inning. Anthony Prato led off with a walk. After an out, Prato scored on a double by Tanner Schobel.     

Then in the top of the sixth, Edouard Julien led off with a single. He went to second on a one-out single by DaShawn Keirsey. Prato lined a single to center, but Julien was thrown out at home. However, Keirsey scored when Jeferson Morales reached on a fielding error. 

The Saints had six hits and two walks. Prato reached all three times, twice via a walk and once on a single. Schobel and Julien were both 2-for-3 with their fourth Saints double. Payton Eeles was hit by a pitch twice in this game. 

Game 2: St. Paul 0, Indianapolis 5
Box Score
Saints Blanked by Indianapolis Fellows 
The Saints did little on offense in Game 1, but Drake Fellows and two relievers shut out the Saints offense. They managed just three hits and three walks. They struck out 10 times. 

So, let’s start with the pitching. Randy Dobnak got the start. He was charged with four runs (3 earned) on four hits (including a home run) and two walks. He struck out four batters. Jarret Whorff followed and gave up only an unearned run over three innings. He gave up two hits. Ryan Jensen pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Both relievers had two strikeouts and no walks. 

Payton Eeles had a single. Tanner Schobel hit a single. DaShawn Keirsey hit his fourth double since joining the Saints recently. Jose Miranda walked twice, and Diego Cartaya walked once. That is the complete Saints offensive report, well, I did already mention the 10 strikeouts too, right? They were also 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 5, Corpus Christi 1
Box Score
Four-Run Fourth Frame Fuels Surge to a Win in Texas 
The credit in this game has to go to the Wind Surge pitching. Five pitchers combined to give up just one run on four hits over nine innings. A big inning pushed the team to a win. 

Minnesotan John Klein made the start in this game. In four innings, he gave up one run on three hits. He walked one and had four strikeouts. Lefty Jaylen Nowlin came in and tossed two scoreless innings. He issued one walk and had four strikeouts. Michael Martinez tossed two scoreless innings, and John Stankiewicz and Cole Percival combined to toss a scoreless ninth inning and preserve the win. 

The Surge scored four runs in the fourth inning, but it wasn’t pretty. Kala’i Rosario walked and stole second. Rubel Cespedes singled him to third. Ricardo Olivar walked to load the bases. Andrew Cossetti drove in the team’s first run, but taking one for the team. Tyler Dearden followed with a single to left that drove in two more runs. Following a Ben Ross single, the fourth run scored on a double play ball.   

The fifth inning insurance run wasn’t any prettier. With two outs, Cespedes walked. Olivar had an infield single, and Cespedes scored on a throwing error. Not exciting, but they all count the same. 

Dearden led the offense. He had two of the team’s five base hits and drove in two runs. Wichita also had six walks. Rosario walked twice. Cespedes singled and walked twice. 

By the way, Rosario stole his 12th base of the season. That matches the total number of stolen bases he had over the past three years. He had seven in 2022 in Fort Myers. He had just two steals when he was the Midwest League MVP in 2023 with the Kernels. Last year, he had three steals with the Wind Surge. Rosario also increased his on-base streak to 16 games on Thursday.     

KERNELS NUGGETS
Game 1: Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 0 
Box Score
Chaney Throws Complete Game Shutout
Right-hander Chase Chaney delivered a dominant complete-game effort, tossing seven scoreless innings in Cedar Rapids’ 3–0 victory over Peoria. Chaney allowed just three hits, walked two, and struck out five to improve to 4–1 with a 3.19 ERA on the season.

Designated hitter for Game 1 was Brandon Winokur, and he provided the biggest swing of the game, launching his seventh home run in the fourth inning. Winokur has 37 RBIs and a .706 OPS. Jaime Ferrer drove in runs with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly, raising his RBI total to 12.

Left fielder Jay Thomason sparked the offense with two hits (a single and a double) and two stolen bases, and he scored twice. Thomason now has three stolen bases since joining the Kernels on June 4th. Kaelen Culpepper also recorded a multi-hit game, 2-for- 3, pushing his average to .305 with an .892 OPS.

Defensively, the Kernels turned a double play and committed no errors. They were efficient offensively, converting one of three opportunities with runners in scoring position and stranding just four. Chaney faced only three batters over the minimum in the seven inning complete game shutout. .

Cedar Rapids continues to lead with strong pitching performances and steady contributions from the middle of the order.

Game 2: Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 4
Box Score
Late Push Not Enough in Kernels’ Loss
Cedar Rapids dropped a tight 4–3 contest to Peoria despite a late-inning rally and strong relief work. Starter Jeremy Lee was charged with four runs (two earned) in 2 2/3 innings, giving up a two-run homer to Miguel Villarroel and an RBI single later in the third. He walked three and struck out one batter.

Jaime Ferrer doubled and walked, while Kyle Hess delivered a triple and an RBI single in a 2-for-2 effort before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth inning. Misael Urbina added his third home run of the season, a solo shot in the fifth frame. Urbina reached base twice and raised his OPS to .789.

Cedar Rapids’ bullpen was solid. Samuel Perez and Wilker Reyes combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts and one hit allowed. At the plate, the Kernels went just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left five runners on base.

Danny De Andrade and Justin Connell also scored runs for the Kernels, who pulled within one after a wild pitch in the top of the sixth. However, the offense couldn’t capitalize in the final innings. The loss moves Lee to 4–3 with a 6.82 ERA.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Game 1: Fort Myers 0, Dunedin 1 (Game Suspended bottom 1)  
Box Score
I’m sure they meant well, thinking maybe they could get one of the two games of their doubleheader in before the rains came. But not. Four Mussels came to the plate. Three got out, but Walker Jenkins got hit by a pitch. The game will continue where it left off, with Blue Jays runners on second and third and two outs in the bottom of the first inning.  

Game 2 will (hopefully) be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday, June 15th. 

And if you happen to be traveling to Fort Myers in a week or so, you might be able to get a Walker Jenkins bobblehead.     

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 4, FCL Pirates 3 (6 innings)
Box Score
Beltre Blast Gives Twins Win and First Place in the Division
The FCL Twins continued on their winning ways. After falling behind early, the Twins scored later, and then the game ended a little early due to the weather. 

Melvin Rodriguez made the start. He gave up three first-inning runs, but responded by posting four zeroes on the scoreboard. In his five innings, he gave up the three runs on six hits and no walks. He also had five strikeouts. Newcomer Sam Rochard worked the sixth inning. He gave up one hit and struck out three in his first appearance. The 24-year-old is getting some work before he likely heads to a full-season affiliate. 

The Twins hitters went scoreless through the first four innings. The fifth inning started out with two strikeouts. Daiber De Los Santos ripped a double and scored on a single by Irvin Nunez. 

Still down 3-1, the Twins started the bottom of the sixth inning with a single by Isaac Pena. A bunt advanced him to second, and then he stole third base. Yandro Hernandez walked. Pena scored on a fielder’s choice by the rehabbing Yasser Mercedes who hustled to avoid an inning-ending double play. He proceeded to steal second base. And then Eduardo Beltre followed with his second home run of the season to give the Twins a 4-3 lead. That is when the rains came and after a delay, the Twins had another win. 

Mercedes went 2-for 4. De Los Santos went 2-for-4 with his fourth double of the season. Nunez went 2-for-2 with a walk and his third double. Ramiro Dominguez walked and added his seventh double. 

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 5, DSL Rockies 7
Box Score
Twins Use Efficient Offense, but Fall Short to the Soaring Rockies 
Sure, the MLB version of the Colorado Rockies is off to an historically bad start, but their DSL affiliate is now 6-1 after taking the late lead from the 1-7 DSL Twins. 

The Twins offense was pretty efficient. They scored their five runs on just three hits and four walks. 

Down 4-0 through four innings, Darwin Almanzar’s first pro homer put the team on the scoreboard. 

The Twins were especially efficient in the top of the seventh. With the bases loaded, Jhomnardo Reyes hit a single to right field to drive in three runs. Reyes got caught in a rundown that involved enough throws to allow all three runs to score and tie the game at 4-4. That was the team’s lone at-bat with runners in scoring position. Reyes is 17 years old and with this 1-for-4 game, he is still hitting .435 with an OPS over 1.215. 

In the top of the eighth, the Twins took the lead when Jamesson Val scored on a sacrifice fly by Gerardo Cardona. It was short-lived though as the Rockies scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the 7-5 that carried through the ninth inning. 

Jensi Infante started and toss two scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit and had two strikeouts. Eli Urena came on for the third inning. He recorded one out but walked four batters. Three of them eventually scored, two while Aaron Carranza finished out that inning. Carranza was charged with one run of his own over his 2 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts. Finally Marlon Mirabal worked the final three innings. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on four hits and a walk. He did record four strikeouts. 

Haritzon Castillo was the lone Twins batter to have both a single and a walk in the game. He is also hitting .435 with an OPS of 1.263. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Tanner Schobel (St. Paul):  3-for-6, 2B(4), RBI, 2 K

Pitcher of the Day 
Chase Chaney (Cedar Rapids): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 90 pitches, 58 strikes (64.4%)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday.  Reminder: You can vote and rank your top 20 Twins prospects and help us update the Twins Daily Top 20 prospects. Click here.

#1– Walker Jenkins (Wichita) – rehab in FM, 0-for-0, HBP (DHd)
#6 – Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) – Game 1 (2-for-3, played SS), Game 2 (0-for-4, K, DHd)
#8 – Andrew Morris (St. Paul) – Game 1: 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, 97 pitches, 62 strikes (63.9%)
#9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) – Game 1 (1-for-3, HR(7), R, RBI, K, DHd), Game 2 (0-for-3, K, played SS).
#11 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) – Game 1 (0-for-3, played 2B), Game 2 (0-for-3, BB, 2 K, played 2B)
#14 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita) – 0-for-4, K (DHd)
#16 – Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins) – 1-for-4, HR(2), R, 2 RBI, K.
#17 – Tanner Schobel (St. Paul) – Game 1: 2-for-3, 2B(4), RBI, K, (played 3B) Game 2: 1-for-3, K (played SS)
#18 – Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) – rehab in FCL (2-for-4, R, RBI, K, SB, CS)
#19 – Carson McCusker (St. Paul) – Game 1: 0-for-3, K  (DHd), Game 2: 0-for-3, 2 K (played RF)
#20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) – 1-for-3, BB, R (catcher) 

FRIDAY PITCHING PROBABLES
Minnesota @ Houston (6:10 PM CT) – RHP Chris Paddack (2-5, 3.53 ERA)
St. Paul @ Indianapolis (6:05 PM CT) – RHP Trent Baker (first Saints start) 
Corpus Christi @ Wichita (7:05 PM CT) – RHP Ricky Castro (0-3, 6.31 ERA) 
Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CT) – RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-1, 5.71 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Dunedin (DH @ 3:00 PM CT) – TBD for suspended game, Game 2: RHP Adrian Bohorquez (1-3, 9.68 ERA)
FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CT) – TBD
DSL Phillies @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CT) – TBD 

Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss Thursday’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related!

 

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