A couple of weeks ago, I tweeted about going to a local convenience store. The cashier, the guy standing in line behind me, and the person in the working in the deli did not know who Janet Jackson is. I was in awe. While I find those types of scenarios hilarious when they happen to other people, but it made me feel really old. 

When trying to think of an introduction to this article, my first thought was The Festrunk Brothers, the “Wild and Crazy Guys” from the 1970s skit on Saturday Night Live. I didn’t actually watch them in the ’70s but am old enough to know who they are since I became an SNL fan in the early ’90s. But I do apologize to those reading this who just don’t get the reference because I’m old. 

Here we go… 

On Sunday afternoon, the Twins had an easy win against the Tigers. When it comes to the minor-league affiliates of the Twins and their games, all four of them were wild and crazy. They were regular-season games, but each was filled with dramatic swings, clutch performances, offenses that refused to give up. There were a couple of multi-homer games. There were late-inning rallies. 

TRANSACTIONS
OF Alan Roden was transferred from the 7-Day to the 60-Day Injured List. That allowed the Twins to add LHP Genesis Cabrera to the 40-man roster. They did that because he was also called up to the 26-man roster. To make room for him there, the Twins optioned RHP Travis Adams. 

Kernels RHP Spencer Bengard, who last pitched in late May, began a rehab assignment with the Mighty Mussels on Sunday afternoon. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 11, Omaha 12
Box Score
Sabato and Winkel Shine, but Saints Slip in Slugfest 

You will notice a theme as you go through these game recaps. Lead changes. Big innings. Wild plays. Quick responses. Games decided late. 

In this game, the Saints scored first, but Omaha responded in the bottom of the first. The Saints jumped ahead 5-1, but then Omaha made it 5-4, and the 5-6. Then the Saints scored three in the fifth inning to tie the game at 8-8. An inning later, St. Paul scored three runs in the top of the sixth to give them an 11-8 lead. That was where the game stayed until the bottom of the eighth when the Storm Chasers caught up and reclaimed the lead with a four-run inning. 

The Saints scored first when Payton Eeles scored from first on a dropped fly ball off the bat of Gabriel Gonzalez. 

In the second inning, Patrick Winkel lined a double off of the wall in right field. When the right fielder bobbled the ball, Jonah Bride raced home with the second run. 

The third inning began with back-to-back doubles by DaShawn Keirsey and Gabriel Gonzalez. With one out, Aaron Sabato hit a two-run homer that gave the Saints a 5-1 lead and ended John Gant’s start.   

Taj Bradley started and gave up five runs on five hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. He had eight strikeouts but gave up two home runs. He gave up one in the first, three in the third inning, and one in the fourth inning. Noah Davis replaced him and immediately gave up a home run to Harold Castro. 

Aaron Sabato hit his second home run of the game with two outs in the top of the fifth which tied the game at 6-6. 

Then the Saints added another run on singles from Jonah Bride, Jose Miranda, Patrick Winkel (RBI), and Payton Eeles (RBI) to give the Saints the 8-6 lead

Davis also worked the bottom of the fifth inning and gave up two more runs to tie the game again, this time at 8-8. In total, he gave up three runs on two hits (both homers) and a walk. 

Next up was Christian MacLeod. He gave up zero runs in the sixth and seventh innings. 

In the top of the sixth inning, Gabriel Gonzalez led off by being hit by a pitch. He left the game for a pinch runner, Will Holland. With one out, Sabato walked. Jonah Bride doubled to drive in Holland and give the Saints the 9-8 lead. With two outs, Winkel singled to right field to drive in two more runs and make it 11-8. 

MacLeod came back out for the bottom of the eighth, but it started with a walk. After a fly out, Harold Castro hit his second home run of the game. Jac Caglianone doubled, and that’s when Trent Baker came into the game. The first batter he faced was Carter Jensen who hit another home run. This one gave them Omaha the 12-11 lead. 

The Saints went 1-2-3 in the ninth inning. They scored 11 runs on 14 hits and nine walks. Two more batters were hit. 

Patrick Winkel went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, and three RBI. Sabato went 2-for-4 with a walk, two home runs, and three RBI. Eeles reached base his first five times, twice with singles and three times with walks. Gonzalez was 2-for-3 with his second double before leaving the game after being hit by a pitch. Bride went 2-for-4 with a walk and his sixth double. Jose Miranda went 2-for-5 with his 11th double. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 7, Springfield 4
Box Score
Salas Homers Twice, Wichita Wins with Ninth-Inning Blitz  

The game was scoreless through three innings. Springfield took a one-run lead in the bottom of the fourth. The Wind Surge took a one-run lead in the top of the fifth, but the Cardinals reclaimed a one-run lead in the bottom of that inning. Wichita tied the game in the top of the sixth inning, but Springfield took back a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth. That’s where the score remained until the top of the ninth when the Wind Surge scored four runs to take the lead and the game. 

Down 1-0 through four, Ben Ross led off the top of the fifth inning with an infield single. Jose Salas came to the plate and launched his second Double-A homer to give the Surge the 2-1 lead. 

Down 3-2 through five innings, Salas homered again with two outs to tie the game at three. 

Jumping ahead to the top of the ninth, Wichita was down 4-3. With one out, Kaelen Culpepper singled. Kala’i Rosario singled him to second. Then Hendry Mendez singled off the pitcher to load the bases. At that point, the Surge doubled their pleasure. Nate Baez drove in two runs with a double to make it 5-4 Wichita. Rubel Cespedes followed with his 20th double of the season which drove in two more runs and gave the Wind Surge the lead they held onto in the bottom of the ninth. 

C.J. Culpepper started and tossed a season-high five innings. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on three hits and a walk. He also hit two batters. He had three strikeouts and now has a 2.52 ERA. Gabriel Yanez came up and gave up one run on two hits over two innings. Michael Martinez pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Hunter Hoopes followed suit in the ninth to earn his first Surge Save. 

Wichita scored their seven runs on 10 hits and five walks. Eight of the nine batters had at least one hit. The top four in the lineup accounted for all five walks. 

Jose Salas was the lone Wichita batter with more than one hit. He went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI. Rosario went 1-for-3 with two walks. Culpepper and Mendez each had a single and a walk. Nate Baez hit a double and walked. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 3
Box Score
DeBarge’s Four-Hit Day Leads Kernels to Win

Like the Wind Surge game, this ballgame was scoreless through the first three innings. The Kernels grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. The River Bandits tied the game in the top of the fifth. The Kernels scored two in the bottom of the fifth, but Quad Cities rescinded with two runs in the top of the sixth to make it 3-3. Cedar Rapids scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 6-3 lead. Quad Cities followed with three scoreless innings and the Kernels took the win. 

It always starts with starting pitching. Chase Chaney started the game with four scoreless innings. He had three hits, walked none and had four strikeouts. Matt Mikulski came on and got one out, but he walked two guys and hit another. Ivran Romero came in with the bases loaded and just one out in the fifth, but he allowed just one inherited runner to score. Romero also pitched the sixth. In that inning, he gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. Julio Bonilla came on and had three strikeouts over two, one-hit innings. Paulshawn Pasqualotto picked up his ninth save with a scoreless ninth inning. 

The Kernels got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Kyle Hess tripled and scored on a Jaime Ferrer double.

Tied at one going to the bottom of the fifth, Caden Kendle got things going with a double. Kyle DeBarge followed with a double to give the Kernels the lead. Two batters later, DeBarge scored on a Brandon Winokur single that made it 3-1. 

Going to the bottom of the sixth, the game was again tied, this time at 3-3. The first two batters struck out. Jefferson Valladares was hit by a pitch. Kendle walked. A wild pitch put runners on second and third. DeBarge singled to left which drove in Valladares and Kendle. 

He advanced to second on the throw. Eduardo Tait followed with a single to center that drove in DeBarge with the team’s sixth run. 

DeBarge had a big game. He went 4-for-4 with his 22nd and 23rd doubles. He scored twice and drove in three runs. He also stole his 61st and 62nd bases of the season.

Winokur went 2-for-4 and added his 23rd stolen base. Hess was 2-for-4 with his third triple of the season.   

Congratulations to Jon Jon on his 25 years with the Kernels!! 

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 7, Daytona 8
Box Score
Mussels Ride the Rollercoaster; Tortugas Walk it Off in Ninth

Like the other affiliates, the Mussels played a game that went back and forth, right from the start, and this one wasn’t decided until the final at-bat. Of course, when your team is on the road, having the winning run be a walk off is never a good thing. 

The Mussels got things going right away in this game. Marek Houston led off the game with his fourth double. He scored on a Dameury Pena single. 

Spencer Bengard made his first in-game appearance since late May, making a rehab start for the Mussels. He also started the game by allowing a double. But he struck out the next two batters. Unfortunately, he threw two wild pitches which allowed the runner to score before striking out his third batter of the inning. 

Bengard, who was the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2024, gave up one run on one hit over two innings. 18 of his 28 pitches were strikes, and he had four strikeouts. 

The Mussels scored the next two runs of the game. In the third inning, Houston singled, stole second, stole third, and scored on a single from Dameury Pena. Then in the fourth inning, Ryan Sprock led off with a walk. He went to second on a Yasser Mercedes single. Bryan Acuna walked to load the bases. After a pop out, Houston came to the plate and grounded out to second base, but Sprock scored and the other runners advanced. 

Christian Bacerra worked the third, fourth and fifth innings. He put two zeroes on the board, but then gave up three runs in the fifth inning which gave the Tortugas a 4-3 lead. 

In the top of the sixth, Ian Daugherty scored on a single by Enrique Jimenez to tie things up at 4-4. 

With one out in the eighth inning, JP Smith, Jimenez and Eduardo Beltre walked consecutively to load the bases. Ryan Sprock singled in two runs, and a third run scored on a wild pitch. The Mussels had a three-run lead. 

Based on other games in the organization on Sunday, you won’t be surprised to learn that Daytona responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth. Jonathan Stevens worked two scoreless innings, the sixth and seventh frames. However, he came out for the eighth inning and gave up a bloop single, a walk, and a three-run homer that tied the game at 7-7. 

Will Armbruester came in and got the next three batters out. In the top of the ninth, the Mussels got two runners on base but were unable to score. Armbruester started the bottom of the ninth with a strikeout. But then he issued a walk, a stolen base, and another walk. Jakob Hall came into the game and gave up a single to center that drove in both runners and gave the Mussels their 66th loss of the season.   

Ryan Sprock went 3-for-4 with two walks. Houston went 2-for-5 with a walk and his fourth double. He also stole his fifth and sixth bases.. Dameury Pena went 2-for-4 with two walks and two RBI. He stole his 24th base. Yasser Mercedes went 2-for-4 with his 33rd steal. Ian Daugherty had a walk and his first double. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 4-for-4, 2-2B(23), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2-SB(62)
Payton Eeles (St. Paul): 2-for-3, 3 BB, R, RBI, K
Aaron Sabato (St. Paul): 2-for-4, BB, 2-HR(9), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 K
Patrick Winkel (St. Paul): 3-for-4, BB, 2B(6), 3 RBI
Jose Salas (Wichita): 3-for-4, 2-HR(3), 2 R, 3 RBI, K
Ryan Sprock (Fort Myers): 3-for-3, 2 BB, R, 2 RBI 

Pitcher of the Day 
Chase Chaney (Cedar Rapids): 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 57 pitches, 37 strikes (64.9%)

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

#2 – Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) – 1-for-4, R, CS(2) (played 2B)
#3 – Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) – 1-for-4, BB, R, K (DHd)
#5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, RBI, K (DHd)
#11 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) – 2-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI (played RF)
#13 – Marek Houston (Fort Myers) – 2-for-5, BB, 2 R, RBI, K, 2-SB(6) (played SS)
#14 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-4, RBI, SB(23) (played 3B)
#17 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) – 4-for-4, 2-2B(23), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2-SB(62) (played SS)
#18 – C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) – 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HBP, 69 pitches, 42 strikes (60.9%)
#20 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita) – 1-for-4, BB, R, K

What’s Next?
Monday:
DSL Phillies @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CT) – TBD
Tuesday:
Oakland @ Minnesota (6:40 PM CT) – RHP Joe Ryan (12-5, 3.30 ERA)
Round Rock @ St. Paul (6:05 PM CT) –
Wichita @ Midland (6:30 PM CT) –
Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 PM CT) – 
Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CT) – 
DSL Mets@ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CT) –

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 58-66
St. Paul Saints: 54-64
Wichita Wind Surge: 60-54
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 64-50
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 45-66
FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs)
DSL Twins: 23-31

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

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!

View Twins Top Prospects