The Minnesota Twins made what one might classify in an alternate universe as a… [t]elling move… about intentions heading into the trade deadline, by claiming off waivers C Jhonny Pereda from the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday. He was immediately optioned to the Saints and gives the Twins a catcher with some recent MLB experience in reserve. To make room on the 40-man roster, fellow catcher Jair Camargo was designated for assignment. Or maybe for some reason they just wanted a guy who has proven he can strike out Shohei Ohtani?! (shrug)
On Monday the Wichita Wind Surge placed RHP Tanner Andrews on the 7-day injured list, and in his place received LHP Kade Bragg from the Cedar Rapids Kernels.
In Fort Myers, the Mighty Mussels activated RHP Anthony Narvaez from the 60-day injured list where he had resided the entire season thus far, and after multiple rehab assignments in the FCL.
SAINTS SENTINEL
Worcester 11, St. Paul 2
Box Score
The Red Sox came to CHS Field and blew the Saints out of their own building on Tuesday night.
Veteran Randy Dobnak made the start and certainly got his work in, but it was under duress. He finished four innings, but Worcester got him for two runs in each of the first, second, and third innings before he finished his night with a one-two-three fourth. He allowed five hits, including two home runs, and walked three while striking out none. Trent Baker came on in relief and had it even worse allowing five earned runs on six hits, including two more home runs, and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. He managed to strike out three.
Mop up duty came from Kyle Bischoff (1 1/3 IP, 2 K), newcomer Noah Davis (1 IP, BB, K), and Michael Tonkin (1 IP, K).
The Saints four hits in the game came from Luke Keaschall (single), Austin Martin (single), Edouard Julien (single) and Noah Cardenas (double). Martin scored on an error in the bottom of the first after his single, and Cardenas’ double in the second drove in Anthony Prato, who had drawn a walk. As a team the Saints had only two at-bats with runners in scoring position, and left five men on base.
Luke Keaschall served as the designated hitter in the leadoff spot, and finished 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
WIND SURGE WISDOM
Frisco 5, Wichita 12
Box Score
In a reverse of fortune from their triple-A club, the Wind Surge put on a home run derby against the Roughriders at home. They put together a season-high 18 hits, tied their franchise high with seven home runs, and added five doubles among that hit tally for their game.
The only batters to not collect a hit, or multiple, for Wichita were Walker Jenkins (0-for-4, HBP) and Rubel Cespedes (0-for-5, 4 K).
Kaelen Culpepper was the leadoff man and finished 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. His blast was his 5th in 20 games with the Wind Surge and for the month of July has 22 hits in 50 at-bats (.440).
The also scorching-hot Gabriel Gonzalez finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored, an opposite-field home run, and two RBI. Texas League home run leader Kyler Fedko clubbed his 19th and 20th bombs of the season, giving him the first 20-20 season in Wind Surge history. Kala’i Rosario also hit two out of the park, giving him 12 on the season and he and Fedko sit atop the league leaderboard for RBI’s on the season. Jake Rucker accounted for the seventh home run of the game and added a double for good measure. Not to be outdone, Ricardo Olivar finished 3-for-4 with three doubles. It was an absolute onslaught with two separate back-to-back jack sequences.
As far as the pitching went, if Mike Paredes enters the game you know you’re going to win anyway, but the offense left little doubt. Darren Bowen went the first four innings. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out five. Jacob Wosinski gave up three earned runs on two hits and three walks in his lone inning. Then came Paredes, who pitched three scoreless to improve to 10-0 on the season, which is tied for the lead in wins in all of minor league baseball despite him making the start in only 2 of his 25 appearances. John Stankiewicz then got the final three outs.
KERNELS NUGGETS
Fort Wayne 4, Cedar Rapids 2
Box Score
Chase Chaney was the starting pitcher for the Kernels on Tuesday and finished the first three innings in Cedar Rapids. He allowed one run on three hits while striking out four. The TinCaps tacked on two more runs against Gabriel Yanez, who pitched the next 1 1/3 innings. He gave up two hits, two walks, and struck out three.
Down 4-0 in the bottom of the seventh, the Kernels offense finally put together a rally. Danny De Andrade led off with a double. Kyle Hess drew a one-out walk. With two outs, Maddux Houghton delivered an RBI single to get them on the board. After a pitching change, the Kernels executed a double-steal to make it 4-2, but Houghton also was caught for the third out in a rundown on the play. That would be it for their scoring.
Relievers Logan Whitaker (1 2/3 IP, H, K), Nick Trabacchi (1 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, K), and Paulshawn Pasqualotto (2 IP, BB, K) finished off the game for the Kernels.
Billy Amick (2-for-4, 2B, K) and De Andrade (2-for-4, R, 2B, K) each had two hits. The Kernels managed just six hits as a team, finished 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and left only four men on base.
MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 3, Lakeland 7
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels got on the scoreboard first in this one after Angel Del Rosario delivered a one-out single in the top of the second. Blaze O’Saben followed with an RBI double for a 1-0 lead.
Right-hander Eli Jones made the start, and pitched into the third inning. Before reaching his pitch count, he finished 2 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit, walking two, and striking out three. Jakob Hall came on in relief and managed to strand the runner who led off with a triple against Jones in the third but had some two-out trouble in the fourth. The Flying Tigers strung together a double and two singles to go up 2-1 and added another in the fifth to go up by two. Hall finished 1 2/3 innings and was charged with two earned runs on three hits while striking out two.
In his 2025 Florida State League debut, Anthony Narvaez went two innings, allowing one run on one hit and one walk, along with striking out one.
Fort Myers was able to tie the game at three in the top of the sixth, thanks to a two-run homer from Peyton Carr, but that would be all of their offense for the game. I’ll note that Carr has quite the unique timing setup:
After Narvaez was done, Ivran Romero finished off the final two innings, but in the process took the loss. He was charged with four runs (two earned) on five hits.
Carr led the way for the offense with two hits in four at-bats, including the home run. Yasser Mercedes stole his 28th base of the season.
COMPLEX CHRONICLES
Monday: FCL Pirates 0, FCL Twins 4 (7 innings)
Box Score
The teams combined for just seven hits in the game, but the Twins were able to finish 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position while the Pirates went 0-for-9.
Juan Cota made the start for the home team and was excellent over four innings. He allowed just one hit, walked none, and struck out five. Andrew Huffman added two scoreless innings after Cota’s exit, giving up one hit, one walk, and striking out three to pick up his fifth FCL win of the season. Aiberson Ventura got the final inning and gave up a leadoff double, but retired the next three in order, including a strikeout, to close out the game.
The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning thanks to an RBI double from Jayson Bass to drive in Eduardo Beltre, who led off with a single and then stole his 18th base of the season. They added three more in the fourth behind an RBI double from Ricardo Paez and bases-loaded walks from Jay Thomason and Ramiro Dominguez.
Tuesday:
Game 1: FCL Twins 1, FCL Orioles 0 (8 innings)
Box Score
With a doubleheader on the docket on Tuesday, this one actually remained scoreless through the scheduled seven innings.
Joel Garcia made the start for the Twins, and held the Orioles in check for the first 5 1/3 innings. It was a little odd as Garcia faced just one hitter in the sixth, so it wasn’t because he finally got into some trouble, but in total he allowed no runs on just three hits and one walk, while striking out two. Will Armbruester would finish the final 2 2/3 innings, including the “extra” eighth inning, where he retired all three hitters he faced to earn the win.
The Twins got that victory thanks to the extra runner to begin the top of the eighth. With Merphy Hernandez starting the inning on second base, two groundouts were able to get him to third before Ricardo Pael delivered what would be the game-winning RBI double. Each team had just four hits, but because of that the Twins were the only one able to get a base-knock with runners in scoring position.
Game 2: FCL Twins 3, FCL Orioles 9 (7 innings)
Box Score
The Orioles got a bit of revenge in game two, which was a makeup of their postponement from last Wednesday. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead before the Twins were able to put together any offense of their own.
Liam Roque started on the mound and made it through just 1 1/3 innings. He was charged with four earned runs on two hits and three walks. He struck out two. Teague Conrad went the next three innings, but had trouble of his own. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out just one. Leonardo Rondon finished off the final 1 2/3 frames, and gave up two earned runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out two.
The Twins scored all three of their runs in the top of the sixth, with Irvin Nunez’s RBI double driving in two to get them on the board. Isaac Pena later added a sac fly to make it 7-3, but that was it for the Twins offense. Ramiro Dominguez chipped in his 15th double of the season, which ranks top three in the Florida Complex League.
DOMINICAN DAILIES
Monday: DSL Twins 14, DSL Rangers Red 13 (10 innings)
Box Score
A beer-league softball game broke out in the DSL on Monday, with each team scoring three or more runs in frame twice, and the game ultimately going into extra innings thanks to a Twins comeback.
The Rangers were ahead 10-5 after the fourth, as Twins pitching had trouble recording outs early. Starter Omar Montano was charged with five earned runs in 2 2/3 innings thanks to four hits and five walks. He struck out two. Marlon Mirabal didn’t have any better luck, allowing five earned runs himself in 1 1/3 innings on five hits and one walk, while striking out one.
But the Twins lineup fought back and took an 11-10 lead after the top of the sixth where they plated five runs. Three singles, an error, a double, and a triple led to that lead change, and the game went into the final three innings within one run.
Reliever Agustin Campusano stabilized the game for the Twins, putting up four middle innings of one-run ball. He gave up two hits, one walk, and struck out four. Brandy Ceballos took them into the extra innings, and did just enough to get the infamous blown-save-and-win scenario.
Tied at 12 after nine innings, the Twins almost went down without a fight in extras. The first two hitters of the inning struck out, before Jose Barrios delivered an RBI single to put them up by one. Teilon Serrano followed with an RBI single of his own to give them the needed breathing room. The Rangers scored the ghost runner in the bottom half, but weren’t able to tie it back up.
Every batter in the Twins lineup reached base multiple times in the game, with five of nine batters picking up two or more hits. Their 16 hits on the game included just two extra-base hits, with Aaron Salazar delivering a double, and Barrios a triple. They also stole eight bases as a team and finished 9-for-22 with runners in scoring position.
Tuesday: DSL Twins 12, DSL NYY Yankees 7
Box Score
The Twins started the ninth inning of this one down 7-6 but exercised the parent club’s demons to the tune of six runs to steal this one from the empire.
Jeicol Surumay got the starting nod and completed the first three innings. He allowed four earned runs on five hits and two walks, while punching out four. Juan Quinones was the first reliever, and allowed three of his own on two hits and two walks, striking out three in 1 1/3 innings. The bullpen trio of Juan Figaro (2/3 IP, 2 BB), Rey Pacheco (3 IP, H, BB, 5 K), and Nestor Cafe (1 IP, H, BB, K) combined to shut the Yankees down the final four-plus innings to give the lineup a chance.
Down 7-4 to start the eighth, the Twins closed it to a one run lead after Yovanny Duran led off with a single. He advanced to second on a balk before an RBI double from Darwin Almanzar, and a couple of wild pitches allowed him to scamper home to make it 7-6. In the top of the ninth a pair of singles put the go-ahead runs on base, but a strikeout and flyout put the Twins down to their last out. Almanzar delivered another double to put them out front and it cascaded into three consecutive errors along with a walk and RBI single from Santiago Leon to put the Twins ahead 12-7.
Teilon Serrano (2-for-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB), Haritzon Castillo (4-for-5, R, 2B, BB), and Almanzar (3-for-5, 3 R, 3 2B, 3 RBI) all had multiple hits to key the comeback win. Jamesson Val added a triple, stolen base, and scored three runs.
TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Mike Paredes, Wichita Wind Surge (W, 3 IP, 2 H, 3 K)
Hitter of the Day – Kyler Fedko, Wichita Wind Surge (2-for-3, 4 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 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.
#1 – Walker Jenkins (Wichita): 0-for-4, HBP
#2 – Luke Keaschall (Rehab w/St. Paul): 1-for-4, K
#4 – Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita): 4-for-5, R, HR (5), 2 RBI
#9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, 2 K
#10 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-3, BB, K
#12 – Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, 2B, K
#13 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita): 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (3), 2 RBI
#15 – Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins): 1-for-9, R, 3 BB, 2 K, SB (3 games)
#18 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 3-for-4, 3 2B, BB
#19 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, R, 2B, K
WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Worcester @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) – RHP Connor Gillispie (4-1, 6.35 ERA)
Frisco @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) – LHP Christian MacLeod (0-2, 2.25 ERA)
Fort Wayne @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) – RHP Tanner Hall (3-3, 5.05 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM CDT) – RHP Christian Becerra (2-1, 2.63 ERA)
FCL Orioles @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CDT) – TBD (makeup of 7/3 postponement)
Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!
Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins’ top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!