TRANSACTIONS
No moves were made on Sunday.
Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 1, Gwinnett 12
Box Score
Connor Gillaspie: 3 ⅔ IP, 8 H, 9 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
HR: Patrick Winkel (6)
Multi-hit games: None
The Saints were crushed on Sunday.
Evidently, the team takes the day of rest a little too seriously: St. Paul is 1-6 in their last seven series finales and have been outscored 68-38 during those games (h/t Sean Aronson.) Few escaped the carnage unscathed. Or at least a little embarrassed. Starter Connor Gillespie was knocked around for nine runs, with a seven-run fourth serving as the damage’s zenith. It’s probably not your day when David Fletcher is hitting homers off you.
The bats didn’t do any better. They struck out 15 times. They went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. A seventh-inning solo shot from Patrick Winkel marked the only run they could push across.
Old friend Sandy León caught for the Stripers and went 0-for-5.
Erasmo Ramírez pitched his third scoreless inning for the Saints.
Gwinnett is an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Their habitual prospect fast-tracking has left their system thinner than usual; as a result, their best youngster on Sunday was reliever and 11th-ranked player, Jhancarlos Lara. He allowed a run in one inning of work.
Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 15, Tulsa 13
Box Score
John Klein: 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
HR: Kala’i Rosario (9), Ricardo Olivar (10)
Multi-hit games: Kaelen Culpepper (3-for-4, R, BB), Walker Jenkins (2-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB), Gabriel Gonzalez (2-for-3, 4 R, 2 BB), Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB), Ricardo Olivar (3-for-4, HR, 2B, R, 7 RBI), Nate Baez (2-for-5, 3B, R)
The Wind Surge won a blistering slugfest on Sunday.
You know, there was a time Wichita was losing 7-0. John Klein could not find anything that worked; even the “unearned” runs were a function of his own error, making him fully culpable for the onslaught. Aaron Rozek entered with two outs, allowed the inherited run to score, and then surrendered the sixth and seventh runs of the frame. When the Wind Surge started hitting, their win probability stood at 5.7%.
Here’s a short summary of the action: Wichita’s first five hitters in the lineup reached base at least three times. Here’s a longer summary of the action: fueled by a Kala’i Rosario grand slam, the Wind Surge started systematically chipping away at the lead, needing just two innings total to knot the game at eight. By the third, they were ahead.
The Drillers briefly retook an advantage before a final Wichita blitz sealed the game for good. Once again, Olivar provided a critical knock, as his sky-scraping fly ball to right-center fell safely and cleared the bases. Olivar ended the day with seven RBIs.
The game was the biggest comeback win in Wind Surge history.
The Drillers are, of course, an affiliate in the famous Dodgers minor league system. None of their top 30 prospects appeared in Sunday’s game.
Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 5
Box Score
Alejandro Hidalgo: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: None
The Kernels’ offense short-circuited on Sunday.
The River Bandits brought pressure first. Quad Cities jumped on starter Alejandro Hidalgo for three runs in the first, capped by a two-run shot by Carson Roccaforte, his third homer of the series. Kernels’ pitching celebrates his departure.
Cedar Rapids plated a run in response by turning a Billy Amick hit by pitch into a manufactured trip around the plate; he eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Then things turned lukewarm. Not quite cold. The Kernels found reaching first base easy; yet the journey beyond proved to be a difficult endeavor. Between the first and ninth frames, a Cedar Rapids runner reached second base just twice. No one touched third. By the time Kyle DeBarge and Amick worked to score two in the ninth, the team ran out of outs.
The aforementioned Roccaforte is the 21st-ranked prospect in the Royals system. He may need to jump a few spots.
Mussel Matters
Fort Myers 7, Bradenton 5
Box Score
Jason Doktorczyk: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
HR: Caleb McNeely (2)
Multi-hit games: Dameury Pena (2-for-5, R, RBI), Emmanuel Rodriguez (3-for-4, 2 RBI, BB), Peyton Carr (3-for-4, 2B, R)
The Mighty Mussels rallied for seven runs in the ninth to stun Bradenton on Sunday.
Let’s jump to the consequential inning. Daniel Pena walked, Peyton Carr singled, and Yohander Martinez was hit by a pitch. Angel Del Rosario’s flyball to center was too short to score a run, but Javier Roman pushed across Fort Myers’ first run by reaching on a fielding error. Dameury Pena singled. Emmanuel Rodriguez singled. Suddenly, the score stood at 5-4, and the offensive malaise that came before was long forgotten.
A new pitcher coaxed a groundout from Yasser Mercedes, yet he hung a breaker that Caleb McNeely leaned back and obliterated, sending the runners into a frenzy until everyone realized his hit had safely cleared the fences for a walk-off three-run homer.
It was the first walk-off homer for the Mighty Mussels since August 27th, 2024. Brandon Winokur supplied the blast.
Rehabbing minor leaguer Emmanuel Rodriguez singled thrice and walked while playing center field for all nine innings.
Marauders’ shortstop Wyatt Sanford is the 8th-ranked prospect in the Pirates system. He doubled and tripled in three at-bats.
TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pierson Ohl
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Ricardo Olivar
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#1 – Walker Jenkins (Wichita) – 2-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB
#3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Fort Myers) – 3-4, 2 RBI, BB, K
#4 – Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) – 3-4, R, BB
#9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, BB, K
#10 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) – 1-5, K
#12 – Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, R, RBI
#13 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita) – 2-3, 4 R, 2 BB
#18 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) – 3-4, HR, 2B, R, 7 RBI
#19 – Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) – 1-4, BB
#20 – Payton Eeles (St. Paul) – 1-4, 2B, 2 K
MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
FCL Twins @ FCL Orioles (9:00 AM) – TBD
DSL Twins @ DSL NYY Yankees (10:00 AM) – TBD
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!