Twins need a win today

Pablo Lopez

After snapping their 18 game postseason losing streak in the recent ALWC series against the Toronto Blue Jays and going on the sweep the Blue Jays two games to none the Twins find themselves in the Bayou City playing the defending champions.

Game 1 against Justin Verlander did not go well even though they had him on the ropes early in the game. They fell behind 5-0 but came back with four of their own in the seventh but that was as close as they would get before losing to the Astros 6-4.

Game 2 is a game the Twins need to win, no it is not an elimination game, but it is a game in which they have their ace pitcher Pablo Lopez pitching and they need to win a game on the road in Houston. This would be the ideal game to do so and go home for two games tied at 1-1. More importantly, this is a game that the Twins need to show what they are made of, they need to take a step forward and show that they don’t let a loss to the defending champs let the air out of their balloon. The Astros are not unbeatable, the Twins need to show that they have the gumption to come back from being down one game to none and make the flight back home a happy one. I fully expect the Twins to do so.

Game of the other three Division Series have not exactly gone as planned either, with the Orioles, Braves, and Dodgers all losing at home. An unusual start to the ALDS and NLDS.

Twins 18 game postseason losing streak dead and buried

The Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays at Target Field in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series by a score of 3-1. Pablo López was the starter and winner, allowing one run on five hits in 5.2 innings pitched, with two walks and three strikeouts. Louie Varland (0.1 IP), Caleb Thielbar (1 IP) and Griffin Jax (1 IP) each earned a hold as Jhoan Duran earned the save with a scoreless ninth inning. The offense recorded five hits and walked six times. Royce Lewis was the hitting star going 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI. The paid attendance was 38,450, the second sellout of the season and largest since the Home Opener on April 7 vs. Houston – 38,465.

The Twins win was their first playoff victory since a 2-0 win at old Yankee Stadium in Game 1 of the ALDS on October 5, 2004 – a span of 6,397 days. The win snapped the longest playoff losing streak in baseball history. In that span, the Twins had lost 13 games to the Yankees, three to the A’s and two to the Astros. The Twins win was their first postseason win in Minnesota since a 2-1 victory over the Angels at the Metrodome in Game 1 of the 2002 ALCS on October 8.

Good pitching, stellar defense and two home runs by designated hitter Royce Lewis in his first two AB’s led the Twins to victory in front of a sellout home crowd that yelled and screamed and waived their Homer Hankies at every opportunity. Lewis who hasn’t played in 2 weeks due to a hamstring issue wasn’t even sure if he would be on the playoff roster since he is not 100%. Never-the-less he carried the Twins offense on his shoulders in this game. We may have to coin this the Royce Lewis game. You can’t write about the game without mentioning a stellar play by Carlos Correa throwing out a Blue Jays runner at the plate and two magnificent plays by Michael A. Taylor in center field, one a diving catch and the other a leaping grab at the fence.

If your a baseball fan that likes to sit back and enjoy the game, this would have been a tough game for you as the crowd was standing more than they were sitting. Playoff baseball at its best, unless you are a Blue Jays fan. The Twins are seeking the first postseason sweep in Twins/Senators franchise history.

Twins minor league players of the week are Rodriguez and Morris

The Minnesota Twins have announced that High-A Cedar Rapids right-handed pitcher Andrew Morris and outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez have been named the final minor league Pitcher and Player of the Week for the Twins organization in 2023. Both players helped lead the Kernels to their first Midwest League Championship since 1994 with a win over Great Lakes on Wednesday night.

Emmanuel Rodriguez a Santiago, Dominican Republic native was signed by the Minnesota Twins as an undrafted free agent on July 2, 2019. Rodriguez was a top 10 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 international prospects list for 2019-20 when the signing period opened up in July of 2019. The Twins were all in, giving the toolsy outfielder $2.75 million to sign. MLB Pipeline currently has Rodriguez rated as the 48th best prospect overall and has Rodriguez as the Twins 3rd best prospect behind Walker Jenkins and Brooks Lee. You can learn more about Rodriguez here. Rodriguez has won this award four times earlier this season and he seems to be another in the long line of Twins left-handed sluggers.

Rodriguez hit a second-inning grand slam in the deciding Game 3, finishing the evening 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored. Slash line for the season is .240/.400/.463.

Andrew Morris was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft from Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX). Morris signed with Minnesota for a reported signing bonus of $500K. MLB Pipeline now has Morris rated at the Twins 30th best prospect. You can read more about Morris here.

Morris started Game 2, allowing one run on three hits in 5 innings pitched, with no walks and seven strikeouts. On the season (between low A and High A) Morris pitched 84.1 innings allowing 86 hits with 70 strikeouts while posting a 8-2 record with a nifty 2.88 ERA and a 1.048 WHIP.

TITLETOWN! Cedar Rapids Kernels win Midwest League championship

Twins-Minor-League-Report-9-15-23-1.PDF


Twins minor league players of the week are Cardenas & Culpepper

The Minnesota Twins have announced that High-A Cedar Rapids catcher Noah Cardenas and Cedar Rapids right-handed pitcher C.J. Culpepper have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week for week 24.

C. J. Culpepper was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft from California Baptist University (Riverside, CA). According to Jim Callis, Culpepper signed with Minnesota for $125,000. This is the third time this season Culpepper has won this award. MLB currently has C. J. rated as the Twins 14th best prospect on MLB Pipeline and you can read more about Culpepper there.

Culpepper, 21, made the start for Kernels on Friday against Peoria in the decisive Game 3 of the Midwest League West Division Series, allowing one run on four hits in 5 innings
pitched, with one walk and eight strikeouts. Splitting his time between Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids in 2023, Culpepper was 6-5 with a 3.56 ERA over 86 innings in which he had 89 strikeouts and allowing just 4 home runs.

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Twins minor league players of the week are Woods-Richardson & Rodriguez

The Minnesota Twins have announced that Triple-A St. Paul right-handed pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson and High-A Cedar Rapids outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez have been named Twins minor league Pitcher and Player of the week for week 23.

Emmanuel Rodriguez a Santiago, Dominican Republic native was signed by the Minnesota Twins as an undrafted free agent on July 2, 2019. Rodriguez was a top 10 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 international prospects list for 2019-20 when the signing period opened up in July of 2019. The Twins were all in, giving the toolsy outfielder $2.75 million to sign. MLB Pipeline currently has Rodriguez rated as the 48th best prospect overall and has Rodriguez as the Twins 3rd best prospect behind Walker Jenkins and Brooks Lee. You can learn more about Rodriguez here. Rodriguez has won this award three times earlier this season and he seems to be another in the long line of Twins left-handed sluggers.

Rodriguez, 20, played in four games for the Kernels, hitting .333 (3-for-9) with one triple, three RBI, six walks, a .600 on-base percentage, a .556 slugging percentage and a 1.156 OPS. On the season he is slashing .240/.400/.463. Although he does have 134 strikeouts in 455 PA’s he also has 16 home runs, 55 RBI and 20 Stolen bases.

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Twins minor league players of the week are Festa and Jenkins

The Minnesota Twins have announced that Triple-A St. Paul right-handed pitcher David Festa and Low-A Fort Myers outfielder Walker Jenkins have been named Twins minor league Pitcher and Player of the Week for week 22.

David Festa a New Jersey native was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft from Seton Hall University (South Orange, NJ). Festa signed with the Twins for a $125,000 signing bonus. MLB Pipeline currently has Festa rated as the Twins 9th best prospect. Read more about Festa here. Festa is getting to be a regular here, I wonder if they will give him a late season call-up as a reward.

Festa, 23, made his Triple-A debut on Wednesday night for the Saints against Columbus, allowing one run on four hits in 5 innings pitched, with one walk and seven strikeouts.

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Twins minor league players of the week are Keirsey Jr. & Festa

The Minnesota Twins have announced that Triple-A St. Paul outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Double-A Wichita right-handed pitcher David Festa have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week for week 21.

DaShawn Keirsey was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT). Signing bonus is reported as $600K which is considerably over his slot value.

Keirsey was promoted from Wichita to St. Paul in early August. Keirsey, 26, played in five games for the Saints, hitting .412 (7-for-17) with one double one triple, one home run, five RBI, four walks and a 1.289 OPS. His 2023 slash line is .306/373/.485 and has played all three outfield positions but plays mainly center field.

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Twins minor league players of the week are Morris & Martin

The Minnesota Twins have announced that Triple-A St. Paul outfielder/infielder Austin Martin and High-A Cedar Rapids RHP Andrew Morris have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week for week 20.

Andrew Morris was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft from Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX). Morris signed with Minnesota for a reported signing bonus of $500K.

Morris, 21, made one start for the Kernels on Thursday versus Wisconsin, allowing two runs (1 earned) on six hits in 5 innings pitched, with no walks and seven strikeouts, earning his sixth victory of the season. Morris promoted to the Cedar Rapids Kernels from Fort Myers Mighty Mussels on July 24. on the season Morris has 14 starts with 69.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 65 hits (4 HR’s) and struck out 72 with a nice 1.105 WHIP.

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Twins minor league players of the week are De Andrade & Varland

The Minnesota Twins have announced that Low-A Fort Myers infielder Danny De Andrade and Triple-A St. Paul right-handed pitcher Louie Varland have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week for week 19.

According to sources, the Minnesota Twins have signed (6/21/20) and agreed to pay shortstop Danny De Andrade of Venezuela, number 14 on MLB Pipeline’s 2020 Top 30 International Prospects List, a $2.2 million signing bonus. De Andrade is tall and lean and projects to be a middle-of-the-order hitter. He’s slotted in at shortstop now, but there’s a chance he moves to third because of his size, and his skill set might fit better at the hot corner. He has a chance to be an above-average defender at either position. For more info on De Andrade see here. He is currently rated by MLB as the Twins 10th best prospect.

De Andrade, 19, hit .462 (6-for-13) with two doubles, one home run, six RBI, one walk, six runs scored and a 1.380 OPS for the Mighty Mussels. Currently playing his third year of pro ball.

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Twins minor league players of the week are Ohl & Rodriguez

The Minnesota Twins have announced that Double-A pitcher Wichita Pierson Ohl and High-A Cedar Rapids outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez have been named Twins minor league Pitcher and Player of the Week for week 18.

Pierson Ohl was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 14th round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft from Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, AZ). Reports have Ohl receiving a signing bonus of $100,000 to sign with Minnesota. According to Twins Daily, Ohl’s pre-draft scouting report cited a fastball that operated in the high 80s and low 90s, with plus command. Ohl, a 6’1″ right-hander carries a curve-ball and an above-average change-up which serves as his best secondary offering.

Ohl, 23, made one start for the Wind Surge on Wednesday vs. Tulsa, pitching 6.0 shutout innings, with three hits allowed, one walk and five strikeouts, earning the win. Ohl started the season with Cedar Rapids and moved up to Wichita in early June. Ohl is pitching better in Wichita than he did with Cedar Rapids. In AA Wichita Ohl has a 3-3 record in seven starts. He has allowed 41 hits in 46 innings while striking out 43 batters. His 1.087 WHIP indicates the good control he has.

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