Image courtesy of David Malamut (photo of Brandon Winokur)

TRANSACTIONS

In transaction news on Monday, the Wichita Wind Surge placed RHP John Stankiewicz on the 7-day injured list, while in Fort Myers right-handed pitchers Will Armbruester and Joel Garcia were assigned to the Mighty Mussels from the FCL Twins. The Twins also signed RHP Greidi Pina to a minor league contract and assigned him to the DSL Twins on Tuesday. Pina had signed with the New York Mets last season, but never played a game in the organization.

On Tuesday the Wind Surge got a boost to both their lineup and starting pitching staff, with the activation of top prospect OF Walker Jenkins and LHP Christian MacLeod, though neither played in their game.

Another top prospect, RHP Charlee Soto of the Cedar Rapids Kernels was transferred from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day with a right-triceps strain, and will be out for the foreseeable future.

With the Mighty Mussels OF Yasser Mercedes was activated from the 7-day injured list, and 3B Billy Amick was sent to Fort Myers on a rehab assignment from Cedar Rapids.

In the Florida Complex League, RHP Santiago Rojas was placed on the 60-day injured list, effectively ending his season. He had made just two appearances this season, walking one and striking out one in two total innings.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Toledo 9, St. Paul 8 (11 innings)
Box Score
Marco Raya took to the CHS Field mound on Tuesday night, and it started like you never want it to. He gave up a solo home run to the leadoff man on his fourth pitch of the night, and he labored a bit through his 3 2/3 total innings. In total he was charged with four runs (three earned) on six hits and a pair of walks. He struck out two but needed 82 pitches to record 11 outs, with just 46 of them going for strikes (56%).

Luckily for him, his Mud Hens starting counterpart didn’t fare much better. In the bottom of the first Payton Eeles reached base on an error, and trotted home on Edouard Julien’s third home run of the season with the Saints for a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the second a pair of singles and a pair of walks tied the game at three for the home team. Then in the fourth a two-out double from Yunior Severino and an RBI single from Anthony Prato knotted it back up at four.

Randy Dobnak came on to finish the fourth for Raya and went the next two innings. He had his trouble in the fifth as Toledo took advantage of a pair of walks to score a pair of runs. Dobnak pitched 2 1/3 total innings, and was charged with two runs (one earned) on one hit, three walks, and struck out three. 

The Saints again answered in the bottom half as a leadoff double from Mickey Gasper was followed by a walk from Julien, before Carson McCusker drove them both in with a double of his own to tie it up again.

The next three innings resulted in zeroes for both teams, as they headed to the ninth still tied at six. Kody Funderburk pitched the seventh and eighth innings, allowing two hits, a walk, and striking out four. 

Michael Tonkin came on for the top of the ninth and gave up a solo home run to put the Mud Hens out front. In the bottom of the inning, the first three Saints hitters drew walks to load the bases with nobody out, but an Eeles sac fly was the only run they could get across, sending the game to extra innings tied at seven.

Tonkin finished the 10th, but Toledo was able to score the extra runner to again go ahead in the game. Tonkin was charged with two runs (one earned) on two hits in his two innings. He struck out three.

In the bottom half the Mud Hens went with a peculiar strategy, bringing position player Riley Unroe in to pitch. But it took two pitches to know why it was actually brilliant. His first offering was a 40 MPH eephus that Edouard Julien made himself look like a fool on, swinging wildly and throwing his helmet off his head in the process. Then the next came in hot at 87 MPH…wait…what?!

Jose Miranda was able to connect well enough with one of the fast offerings to dribble a grounder up the middle that allowed the Saints to tie the game yet again, but they’d have no further luck in the 11th.

The Mud Hens again scored the extra runner with a double to go up by one against Anthony Misiewicz, but the Saints finally weren’t able to match it against the magic of Unroe’s eephus.

The loss extended the Saints season-long losing streak to six games. Despite the 17 runs combined between the teams it was a sloppy affair, with five errors and were just 8-for-40 with runners in scoring position on the night.

Anthony Prato was the only St. Paul hitter with multiple knocks, finishing 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, RBI, and two walks. Julien and McCusker each drove in two. Sabato picked up his first hit at CHS Field with a single in the bottom of the second.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 6, Arkansas 1
Box Score
Starter Darren Bowen and the rest of the Wind Surge pitching staff dominated the Travelers on Tuesday night. Combined they scattered seven hits and two walks over their nine innings.

Bowen went the first 3 2/3 innings, allowing the Travelers lone run of the game in the fourth. He gave up three hits and walked two, but did run up his pitch count a bit at 65 (with 33 going for strikes) and did not strike out a batter. 

With the score 1-0 Arkansas in the top of the fifth, Wichita finally pushed a run across after Ben Ross led off with a walk, and Jorel Ortega followed with a single. After a double-play ball moved Ross to third, Kyler Fedko brought him in with an RBI single to tie it up.

Relievers Michael Martinez (1 1/3 IP, H, K), Jacob Wosinski (W, 2 IP, H, 3 K), and Tanner Andrews (2 IP, 2 H, 2 K) kept the Travelers in check the rest of the way.

In the seventh the Wind Surge manufactured a two-out run to take the lead. Jake Rucker reached on a single, stole second base, and came around to score on another Fedko single.

They tacked on four insurance runs in the eighth when the first five hitters of the inning reached base. There were two hit-by-pitches, and four singles in the frame to push the lead to 6-1. Andrew Cossetti drove in two with his booming single, while Rubel Cespedes and Rucker drove in one with each of theirs.

Leading the lineup was Cossetti who picked up three hits in four at bats while scoring a run and driving in two. Fedko (2-for-5, 2 RBI, K), Kala’i Rosario (2-for-5, R, 2B, 2 K), and Rucker (2-for-4, R, RBI, K, SB) also had multiple hit efforts. As a team they racked up 12 hits and finished 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position compared to 1-for-9 the Travelers.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 5, Beloit 4 (10 innings)
Box Score
Right-hander Ty Langenberg took the bump for the Kernels in Beloit, WI and delivered a quality effort. He went the first six innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits and three walks, while punching out five.

He left the game with a 3-1 lead as the Cedar Rapids lineup put up a three-spot in the top of the fifth inning. Newcomer Andy Lugo led off the frame with his first home run in a Kernels uniform, tying the game at one. Misael Urbina followed with a double and after a groundout, Caden Kendle traded places with him to put them in front. Kaelen Culpepper followed with a single and stole second base, before Kyle DeBarge brought in Kendle with a grounder for their third run. Debarge then stole his 36th base of the season (in 37 attempts), which leads the Midwest League. 

Unfortunately for the Kernels and Langenberg, after his exit the Sky Carp were able to break through in the seventh. Gabriel Yanez finished the frame, but before it was over Beloit had three runs of their own to retake the lead 4-3. Yanez was charged with a blown save and three earned runs on three hits, including a homer. He struck out one.

Brandon Winokur wasn’t about to let that be the story, however. He led off the top of the eighth with his eighth home run of the season to tie the game back up. It was crushed to dead center field off the batter’s eye.

Hunter Hoopes pitched the eighth and ninth innings, keeping the Sky Carp off the scoreboard to send this one to extra innings. In those two frames he allowed one hit, walked two, and struck out two.

In the top of the 10th Kendle started the inning on second base, and with two outs Winokur came through again. He sent a liner into right field to score the ghost runner and the Kernels were up by one.

In the bottom half of the extra frame Samuel Perez was summoned from the bullpen and got the job done. He struck out the leadoff man, induced a shallow pop-up, and got an easy ground ball to end the game as lightning threatened the area.

Hoopes was credited with the win, his first of the season, while Perez picked up his first save.

Culpepper (2-for-4, BB, SB), Winokur (2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, SB), Lugo (2-for-3, R, HR, RBI, BB, 2 SB), and Kendle (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, K, SB) paced the lineup with two hits apiece and caused havoc on the basepaths, stealing six bases amongst them.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Lakeland 5, Fort Myers 1 (Suspended in 3rd inning)
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels and Flying Tigers weren’t able to complete even three innings at Hammond Stadium on Tuesday, as rain in the area all day just wouldn’t go away. This one will be completed as a nine-inning contest starting tomorrow at 11:05 AM CDT, with a seven-inning game two following.

To this point, starting pitcher Christian Becerra was hit for five earned runs on six hits and three walks in his 2 2/3 innings. He struck out one. Zander Sechrist recorded the final out of the third before the suspension.

Byron Chourio had two hits in two at-bats out of the leadoff spot. Yasser Mercedes had a double in his return to the lineup. The Mighty Mussels lone run scored came on the second home run of the season from Daniel Pena. Billy Amick singled in his lone at-bat to start his rehab assignment.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
Monday: FCL Twins @ FCL Orioles (Postponed, rain)
Tuesday: FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (Postponed, rain)
Each of the FCL Twins games versus the Orioles early this week were postponed by rain in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida region. The Twins currently lead the FCL South Division by one game with a 19-11 record.

DOMINICAN DAILIES
Monday: DSL Twins 4, DSL NYY Bombers 1 (Suspended in 4th inning)
Box Score
The Twins game against the Bombers was suspended before the fourth inning got underway down in the Dominican on Monday.

They will resume play with a 4-1 lead, thanks to an RBI groundout from Carlos Taveras, a wild pitch, and RBI singles from Darwin Almanzar and Jamesson Val in the top of the first.

Omar Montano pitched all three completed innings for the Twins, allowing one run on one hit and a walk, while striking out three.

Tuesday: DSL Rockies 9, DSL Twins 4
Box Score
Starting pitcher Diego Rosal got ambushed by the Rockies lineup, and didn’t make it out of the first inning. He was charged with five earned runs on three hits and two walks while recording just two outs, though both came via the K.

The bullpen trio of Agustin Campusano (3 1/3 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K), Jeicol Surumay (3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 4 K), and Rey Pacheco (2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K) finished off the final 8 1/3 innings of the game.

The Twins lineup scored two runs in each of the sixth and ninth innings to make the final score. Pablo Castillo (2-for-4, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, K) led the way for the offense, clubbing his first home run as a professional in the ninth.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Ty Langenberg, Cedar Rapids Kernels (6 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 5 K)
Hitter of the Day – Brandon Winokur, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, SB)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they performed on Tuesday.

#6 – Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, BB, SB (15)
#7 – Marco Raya (St. Paul): 3 2/3 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 earned), 2 BB, 3 K
#9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, R, HR (8), 2 RBI, BB, SB (16)
#11 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-5, RBI, SB (36)
#13 – Billy Amick (Rehab w/Fort Myers): 1-for-1
#14 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita): 1-for-4, R
#18 – Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers): 1-for-2, 2B, K
#19 – Carson McCusker (St. Paul): 1-for-6, 2B, RBI, 2 K
#20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 0-for-4, R

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Toledo @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CDT) – RHP Andrew Morris (2-4, 4.40 ERA)
Wichita @ Arkansas (4:35 PM CDT) – TBD
Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:35 PM CDT) – RHP Chase Chaney (4-1, 3.19 ERA)
Lakeland @ Fort Myers (11:05 AM CDT) – RHP Jason Doktorczyk (2-3, 5.26 ERA)

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

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