CURRENT W-L Records

Minnesota Twins: 37-39
St. Paul Saints: 32-40
Wichita Wind Surge: 37-31
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 41-27
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 29-37
FCL Twins: 23-11
DSL Twins: 3-11

TRANSACTIONS

The Twins sent Austin Martin and Emmanuel Rodriguez to the rookie-level Florida State League on rehab assignments. Martin has missed most of the first three months after injuring and then re-injuring his hamstring. Rodriguez has been sidelined for about three weeks with a hip injury. Both players have a chance to factor in for the Twins at the big-league level in the second half. Check out the Complex Chronicles recap below to find out how each did in their first game back on Saturday.

Connor Prielipp, who spent a short while on the injured list to let a blister heal, was activated by the Wichita Wind Surge, returning to a shiny 3.13 ERA. He started for Wichita and we’ll let you know how that went shortly. Wichita also transferred RHP Angel Macuare to the Development List.

It wasn’t all gains today though. In a tough development for the Twins’ pitching depth, Andrew Morris was placed on the injured list at Triple-A with a forearm strain. He joins Pablo López and Zebby Matthews in being unavailable for the foreseeable future.

SAINTS SENTINEL
Toledo 9, St. Paul 4
Box Score

Cory Lewis has struggled to find a rhythm this season and tonight was no different. He labored through a 35-pitch first inning before ultimately needing 76 to get through three frames. Lewis allowed two runs on two hits and four walks, with seven of his nine outs recorded coming by strikeout. 

 

The Saints were up 3-2 when Lewis exited in the third, but the game got away under Randy Dobnak, who surrendered six runs in three innings. Justyn-Henry Malloy‘s three-run homer in the fourth turned the tides for good. 

Ryan Fitzgerald starred on offense for St. Paul, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Edouard Julien stayed hot with a couple hits. Aaron Sabato was 1-for-3, drew a bases-loaded walk and hit a towering blast down the left field line in the eighth that was JUST foul. Carson McCusker wore the golden sombrero with strikeouts in all four of his at-bats. McCusker is batting .155 in 19 games since returning form the majors.

 

Of note: Mickey Gasper exited this game after two at-bats, and no one seemed sure as to why. There was no readily apparent injury suffered. It would be odd for Gasper to be pulled midway through a game for a promotion when the Twins were already finished before the Saints game started, but that is possible. Stay tuned.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 7, Arkansas 2
Box Score

Kaelen Culpepper led off in his Double-A debut, catalyzing a formidable top of the order for the Wind Surge: Culpepper, Gabriel Gonzalez, Walker Jenkins, Kala’i Rosario. All four are renowned hitters on the top-prospect radar for the organization, including their last two first-round picks. Fun stuff.

Culpepper struck out in his first at-bat, but singled in his second and went 2-for-4 on the day. He added another single and scored in the eighth as part of a late rally that fell short. Kyler Fedko hit a two-run homer as part of the flurry, and finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Gonzalez added two hits and a double. 

 

Prielipp had a bit of a rocky re-entry, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits in 2 â…“ innings, but to say he was plagued by poor batted ball luck would be an understatement. He gave up several unauthoritative hits, including a grounder up the middle that deflected first off Prielipp, then second base, scoring two runs. He was in the zone and seemed healthy so that’s what matters.

Aaron Rozek relieved Prielipp and allowed just one run over three innings, striking out eight (!).

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 9, Beloit 3
Box Score

The Kernels struck big early, with home runs from Brandon Winokur and Danny De Andrade powering a six-run outburst in the second inning that held up behind an excellent start from Jose Olivares. The 22-year-old righty struck out nine and walked none over six frames – breakthroughs on multiple fronts from a pitcher who hadn’t thrown more than five innings in 10 previous starts, and was averaging 6.7 BB/9.

 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 5, Lakeland 2
Box Score

Fort Myers fell behind 2-0 in the third with Dasan Hill struggling to find the strike zone – he issued four walks in a second straight start, throwing 33 of 61 pitches for strikes. But the Mighty Mussels broke through in the fifth thanks to a fielding error, a bunt single, a wild pitch, and three straight run-producing plate appearances. RBI hits from Yasser Mercedes and Caleb McNeely sandwiched a game-tying walk from Bryan Acuña, who reached base three times on the night.

Blaze O’Saben doubled to lead off the sixth and came around to score on a wild pitch, adding insurance. Dylan Questad and Ruddy Gomez combined for five scoreless innings in relief, racking up seven strikeouts while holding Lakeland to just two hits over that span. 

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 6, FCL Red Sox 5
Box Score

Austin Martin and Emmanuel Rodriguez batted first and second as both kicked off rehab stints in the FCL. Martin started at second and went 0-for-3 with a bases-loaded walk before being replaced defensively late. Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a go-ahead RBI single.

The FCL Twins erased an early three-run deficit and capitalized on defensive miscues to edge out the Red Sox, 6–5. After Avinson Pinto homered and doubled to help put the Sox up 3-0, the Twins responded in the bottom of the second with a patient, opportunistic rally. A bases-loaded walk, wild pitch, and Rodriguez’s RBI single flipped the score, giving the Twins a 4-3 lead. The Red Sox briefly reclaimed the advantage in the third, but a fielding error in the fourth allowed Minnesota to tie it at 5-5.

In the sixth, Eduardo Beltre stole third and came home on a throwing error, providing the eventual winning run. The Twins’ bullpen made it stand, working around a leadoff walk in the seventh and sealing the win with back-to-back strikeouts. 

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 5, DSL Colorado 3
Box Score

The DSL Twins rallied late to secure a 5-3 win over DSL Colorado in a back-and-forth contest marked by timely hits and costly miscues. Colorado took an early lead in the first, but the Twins answered in the second with back-to-back extra-base hits from Jhomnardo Reyes and Darwin Almanzar. Another triple, this time from Haritzon Castillo in the sixth, tied the game at 2-2 before a wild pitch in the eighth briefly gave Colorado the lead again.

In the bottom of the eighth, Almanzar sparked the rally with his second double of the day, and Cristian Bonifacio delivered the go-ahead two-run single to put the Twins on top. A sharp defensive double play in the ninth sealed the win, capping off a strong all-around effort that showcased the Twins’ resilience and opportunism.

The 17-year-old Almanzar has been on a tear and is now batting .308 with a 1.079 OPS through nine games in his first DSL foray.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY 

Pitcher of the Day: Jose Olivares, Cedar Rapids (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K)

Hitter of the Day: Ryan Fitzgerald, St. Paul (3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI)

PROSPECT SUMMARY

Check out the Prospect Tracker for more. 

1. Walker Jenkins (Wichita): 0-for-4, RBI
3. Emmanuel Rodriguez (rehabbing with FCL): 1-for-3, BB, RBI
4. Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita debut): 2-for-4
5. Connor Prielipp (Wichita): 2.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
6. Dasan Hill (Fort Myers): 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
9. Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB
10. Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-6, 3B
12. Billy Amick (rehabbing with Fort Myers): 0-for-3, BB
13. Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita): 2-for-4, 2B
15. Eduardo Beltre (FCL): 2-for-4, 2B, SB
17. Cory Lewis (St. Paul): 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
19. Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, HR, RBI, BB

TOMORROW’S PROBABLE STARTERS

St. Paul vs. Toledo, 2:07 pm CT: Marco Raya
Wichita at Arkansas, 6:05 pm CT: TBD
Cedar Rapids at Beloit, 6:35 pm CT: Cole Peschl
Fort Myers vs. Lakeland, 5:05 pm CT: Eli Jones