Ryan Gallagher gave the Saints exactly the kind of night they were looking for on Wednesday, and St. Paul backed it up with just enough offense in a 4-1 win over Louisville.
Gallagher was sharp from the jump. The right-hander worked a season-high six innings, held the Bats to three hits and one earned run, and piled up a season-best nine strikeouts.
He also generated 12 swing-and-misses over 80 pitches, a strong showing for a pitcher who came into the day with an ERA above 6 with St. Paul and left it at 5.99.
The Saints’ offense didn’t need to do much, but it did enough. Kaelen Culpepper sparked the scoring with a double off rehabbing big leaguer Nick Lodolo, and Gabriel Gonzalez followed with a single before Walker Jenkins’ double play brought home the first run.
After three scoreless innings, St. Paul added to the lead in the middle frames.
Culpepper struck again, this time lining another double off a low Lodolo changeup to drive in two. Cody Morissette later added a double of his own to score the Saints’ fourth run.
Ruddy Gomez, Marco Raya, and Julian Merryweather finished the job with three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Merryweather struck out three to earn the save.
Louisville’s top prospect on the day was infielder Leo Balcazar, ranked 16th in the Reds system, and he went 0-for-4.
Wichita pulled out one of the day’s wildest finishes, rallying late to beat Northwest Arkansas 7-6.
The Wind Surge trailed by two in the fifth before turning the game into a track meet. Marek Houston stole second, then stole again, and eventually made it to third safely.
Khadim Diaw walked, then stole second, while a wild pitch sent Houston home and moved Diaw to third. Brandon Winokur followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit.
Wichita tied it the next inning when Kyle DeBarge doubled and Jay Thomason singled. Northwest Arkansas answered right back, pushing across three runs on a homer and then adding another in the following inning, but the Wind Surge weren’t done.
Three walks loaded the bases in the decisive rally. After a pitching change, Zachary Cawyer issued one of the free passes before settling in against Graham Brown. Brown then jumped on a fastball and launched it to center for a grand slam, his first AA hit, and Wichita had the win.
Drew Beam, the Royals’ 12th-best prospect, started for the Naturals and allowed three earned runs in six innings.
The Kernels never got a full result Wednesday, with their game stopped in the bottom of the third tied 1-1 because of weather. It will be continued on August 6.
Fort Myers also won, and this time the Mighty Mussels did it with a cleaner, more controlled offensive approach than their Sunday outburst.
They turned six hits and six walks into four runs. Quentin Young singled, Charlie Scholvin was hit by a pitch, and a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position.
Yovanny Duran grounded out to bring Young home. Later, after two walks, Aidan Teel doubled in a run with a ball that came close to leaving the yard, and Bryce Fowler followed with a two-run single.
Fowler, an undrafted signee out of Alabama who signed over the weekend, drove in two. Callan Fang threw a season-high 63 pitches over 3 1/3 innings, giving up one earned run while striking out four and walking three. Michael Hilker closed it out with 2 1/3 scoreless innings and five strikeouts for the save.
Bradenton shortstop Wyatt Sanford, the Pirates’ fourth-best prospect, homered once in four at-bats.
The DSL Twins did not play after rain wiped out their game.
Among the Twins’ notable prospect lines, Kaelen Culpepper went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run, and two RBI, Gabriel Gonzalez finished 2-for-4, Khadim Diaw went 2-for-3 with a run and two walks, and Ryan Gallagher delivered the standout pitching line of the day.
In Other News...
Dean Kremers Twins Debut Exposed A Bigger Problem Than It Seemed
Dean Kremers first turn in a Twins uniform gave Minnesota a useful look at what he can offer, and at least on the surface it was steady enough. He held the Kansas City Royals to one run over five innings, worked with composure and looked comfortable enough handling the moment, which is no small thing for a pitcher arriving in a new setting and trying to make a quick impression.
The deeper read, though, is that the outing also showed how much Kremers value depends on the shape of his arsenal. When his splitter is snapping the way it usually does, it gives hitters a very different problem, but against Kansas City it played more like a pitch they could track, which made the rest of his approach easier to anticipate. Minnesota now has a pitch mix to consider going forward, and the question is whether a different look can give Kremer back some of the uncertainty that made him attractive in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Ryan's Sudden Return Raises A Bigger Twins Rotation Concern
Joe Ryan is back in Minnesota to be evaluated by the Twins head team physician after his latest stretch of uneven starts, a development that adds another layer of concern to a rotation already trying to steady itself. Manager Derek Shelton said Ryans condition is being reviewed after he dealt with back and glute issues, with the club trying to get a clearer read on what has been bothering him.
The timing matters because Ryan had already been scuffling since the All-Star break, giving up 17 runs in 15 1/3 innings while also working through discomfort earlier this season in his back and elbow. For the Twins, the bigger question now is not just how quickly Ryan can reset, but what his availability means for the immediate rotation picture as they wait on the teams evaluation. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Ryans Rough Stretch Just Took A Troubling Turn For Twins
Joe Ryans rough stretch went from concerning to more pointed Tuesday night, when he lasted 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the Royals and gave up five runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks. More notably for the Twins, his fastball sat at 92.2 mph, below his season norm, a sign that the issues around him have gone beyond a simple bad outing.
With the frustration building, Minnesota has decided to take a closer look at what might be going on. Ryan is headed back to be evaluated by the clubs head team physician, a step that suggests the Twins want more clarity before his next turn through the rotation. [Read more 🡒]