The predominant story in the Twins’ organization this season has been the rapid rise through the system of starting pitchers.

On the heels of David Festa and Zebby Matthews joining the Twins this season, right-hander Andrew Morris has climbed from Class-A Cedar Rapids to Double-A Wichita to the Saints this season, and has shown the same type of promise that led to Festa and Matthews reaching the big leagues.

The 22-year-old Morris, a fourth-round draft pick by the Twins out of Texas Tech in 2022, is a combined 17-6 with an earned-run average of 2.46 since turning professional. He’ll make his third start for the Saints on Saturday, with the first two leading to no decisions.

A newlywed in March, Morris said it has been a pretty good year to date.

“Just trying to get better each week out,” Morris said of his approach this season. “It’s been a fun year development-wise and figuring out who I am as a pitcher.”

Morris’ repertoire includes a change-up, curveball, slider, cutter and a fastball that he says tops out at 98 miles per hour.  He considers the fastball to be his best pitch. Overall, he has registered 111 strikeouts in 108 1/3 innings this season.

Morris said he has been encouraged by seeing the other pitchers move their way up through the system. Left-hander Christian MacLeod also was promoted to the Saints earlier this month after beginning the season in High Class-A, but he has since been returned to Wichita.

“I’ve been kind of chasing Zebby everywhere all year,” Morris said. “That was awesome to see him get up there and make his first start against the Royals and strike out Bobby Witt. But yeah, we’ve come up together, and I definitely think that could be me.

“But we’ve got some work to do, obviously.”

Morris will be looking for a bit of a bounce back after allowing three runs in three innings in his last start against Indianapolis. He also gave up four walks.

“Any kind of failure I think is such a good learning experience,” he said. “That is the closest thing I’ve seen to a big-league lineup in my career. I have to be better than walking four dudes.”

Morris was born on September 1, 2001, in New York but his family moved to Oregon when he was an infant. He also spent some time in Alaska before the family settled in Colorado. He pitched one season for Texas Tech after spending three years at Colorado Mesa University.

The Saints are hosting the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A team of the New York Yankees, at CHS Field this week, and Morris said he grew up a Yankees fan. His dream of one day playing for them lasted until the day he was drafted by the Twins.

“Obviously, super pumped to be here,” Morris said.

The Saints entered Tuesday night’s game looking to snap a nine-game losing streak, but things unraveled early. They trailed 9-0 before DaShawn Keirsey Jr. hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning.

The Saints trailed 9-3 in the top of the eighth inning when this edition of the Pioneer Press went to press.

The RailRiders scored four runs against Saints starter Aaron Rozek in the first inning, which included a two-run home run. The RailRiders added single runs off of Rozek in the second and third.

Briefly

Louie Varland (4-8) starts Game 2 of the series for the Saints on Wednesday.

The Saints’ franchise record for consecutive losses is 11, set from May 8-20 in 2022.

Related Articles

St. Paul Saints’ losing streak grows to nine games with walk-off loss to Indianapolis

Indianapolis’ Thomas Harrington, two relievers shut out Saints and send them to eighth straight loss

Caleb Boushley delivers strong start but St. Paul Saints lose seventh straight

Powered by 11 singles, Indianapolis edges Saints 6-4

Impressive Triple-A debut for Andrew Morris, but Saints lose to Indians

SAN DIEGO — The Twins are moving closer to getting both star shortstop Carlos Correa and standout center fielder Byron Buxton back from the injured list, though they haven’t publicly laid out timelines for either player.

Head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta did not rule out a Friday return for Buxton, who is on the IL with hip inflammation, but he said they will need to assess Buxton on Thursday’s off day before knowing if that might be possible. A potential rehab assignment for Buxton, Paparesta said, would be at his discretion.

“He has been hitting in the cage, throwing, doing outfield work,” Paparesta said. “Things are going well, progressing along nicely.”

Buxton’s magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound came back clean, and the Twins were holding out hope that he could come on the current road trip before eventually placing him on the injured list on Aug. 15. Buxton received a cortisone shot, and Paparesta previously said they believed that this might be some scar tissue from a previous issue that started causing this inflammation.

Correa, meanwhile, has been out since before the all-star break with plantar fasciitis but has been hitting, throwing and taking groundballs, as well as running.

“We’re just kind of in a little bit of a pain management situation with Carlos, trying to make sure that we can keep him comfortable, see how each day goes,” Paparesta said.

Paparesta said Correa stated that he felt better running on Tuesday than he had even a couple of days ago. Correa has not run the bases yet and is still reporting feeling discomfort in his right foot.

“As cliché as it sounds, it’s truly day to day on how he’s going to do and what we can do with him,” Paparesta said.

In other injury news, infielder Brooks Lee, sidelined with biceps tendinitis, has been throwing pain-free and has been hitting from both sides of the plate. Due to recent concerts at Target Field, Paparesta said they haven’t been able to get him out on the field at home, but the Twins plan on having him head over to St. Paul to work out with the Saints on Thursday.

Alex Kirilloff, out since June 13 with a back injury, was about to go on a rehab assignment last week before he sprained his ankle doing a change-of-direction drill. He will run the bases in the next couple of days.

“He has been able to swing and do his activities that he’s been needing to do,” Paparesta said. “He should be heading out soon.”

Reliever Kody Funderburk is finishing up his long toss program, and the Twins hope to get him off the mound this weekend when they get home, while fellow reliever Justin Topa is on hold because of elbow inflammation.

Lastly, starting pitcher Chris Paddack is also on hold from throwing until he gets magnetic resonance imaging done on Tuesday and Dr. Keith Meister, who performed his Tommy John surgery a couple of years ago, takes a look at it and clears him. Paddack has been on the injured list for a month with a forearm strain.

There was a particular stretch last week that perfectly encapsulated the summer receiver Trishton Jackson has had. After hauling in a touchdown reception during joint practices between the Vikings and Cleveland Browns, Jackson celebrated with his teammates in the end zone. Then he had some fun with a fan who had been trash-talking him on the sideline.

The exchange made superstar receiver Justin Jefferson laugh.

“That’s always,” Jefferson said. “That’s no surprise.”

It was no surprise, because Jackson loves to trash talk. It was also no surprise because Jackson has lived in the end zone throughout training camp at TCO Performance Center.

“I love it,” Jefferson said. “He’s making tremendous plays for us.”

Indeed. You’d struggle to find somebody on the Vikings who has performed better than Jackson over the past few weeks.

Whether it was his long touchdown reception in the preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders where he beat his defender deep, or his short touchdown reception in the preseason game against the Browns where he showcased tremendous body control to keep his feet in bounds, Jackson clearly has an incredible feel for how to play the position.

All of it should be enough for Jackson to make the team, regardless of what happens this weekend in the preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Just don’t tell him that. He’s trying not to think about the roster bubble.

“I can only control what I can control,” Jackson said. “Just trying to go out there with a good mindset every day and have fun with it.”

Tonyan returns to practice

After missing the past few weeks with back spasms, veteran tight end Robert Tonyan was at practice on Tuesday afternoon. He was a limited participant. He partook in most of the individual drills before watching team drills from the sideline.

Though it’s a good sign that Tonyan is back in the mix, he might have an uphill climb to make the team as fellow tight end Nick Muse has performed well in his absence.

That’s a significant change, as Tonyan was seemingly in position to make the team without much question after performing so well in organized team activities.

Reichard continues his excellence

It’s hard to crown rookie kicker Will Reichard before he lines up for a field-goal attempt that actually matters. That said, Reichard has done more than enough in training camp for the fan base to feel excited about him.

To this point in his career, Reichard has been nearly automatic, with his only notable miss coming against the Raiders when nearly half the offensive line fell down after the ball was snapped.

Maybe his most impressive showing to date came on Tuesday afternoon as he closed out practice by going 8 for 8 on field-goal attempts.

Briefly

There was no sign of receiver Jordan Addison at practice as he continues to recover from an ankle injury he suffered last week.

Related Articles

After criticism from Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa, Vikings’ Brian Flores says he’s trying to learn and evolve

Why veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore chose to play for the Vikings

Ryan Wright wins punting competition as Vikings part ways with Seth Vernon

Who’s in? Who’s out? Here’s our latest 53-man roster projection for the Vikings

Source: Vikings agree to deal with veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore

CHICAGO — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has been across the country since he was tapped as a running mate to Vice President Kamala Harris two weeks ago, but the vice presidential hopeful is preparing for what could be one of his most important speeches yet: An address to the Democratic National Convention.

With a keynote speaking slot scheduled at Chicago’s United Center on Wednesday evening, Walz will be speaking before a huge  audience, including the former presidents and presidential candidates, notable Democrats, celebrities and thousands of news media members and Democratic guests.

Ken Martin is the longest-serving chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, currently in the middle of his fifth consecutive term. He’s also serving as a vice chair of the DNC.

He said he wasn’t surprised, but was surely excited, when he learned that Walz had been called upon to run alongside Harris.

“I was just ecstatic. Governor Walz, I think, has been one of the most successful governors in the country in terms of what he’s been able to do to help improve people’s lives — the legislation he passed during the past couple legislative sessions,” Martin said. “It’s an important value for our party in Minnesota, but also certainly for the governor, that every person should have an opportunity, not just to survive, but to thrive and to get ahead.”

Although he doesn’t know exactly what Walz’s speech will consist of, Martin offered some insight as to what he expects to hear.

“I haven’t been privy to his speech at this point, so I don’t know what he’s going to say, but what you’ll probably hear is some broad themes focused on what he was able to accomplish, both in Congress and in his time as governor,” Martin said. “And again, a focus on not letting politics get in the way of good governance.”

Martin touted Walz’s ability to pass progressive policy through a one-seat majority in the state Senate (though the June resignation of Sen. Kelly Morrison, DFL-Deephaven, who is making a run for Congress, leaves the chamber evenly balanced until a November special election).

“I don’t need to recount all the different pieces of legislation … but the point being, (Walz) was really focused on helping working people and helping families get ahead instead of just getting by, and I think that’s really key,” Martin said.

More on Walz’s biography and a little bit more about who he is as a person — not just a governor — is something else Martin said those watching the DNC are likely to hear.

“He was a teacher for 20-plus years, he is a veteran, a hunter, a gun owner. He served 12 years in Congress in a tough district in southern Minnesota, he’s a small town guy, as he likes to say,” Martin said. “And probably most importantly, he’s genuine and authentic, right? … He’s more comfortable in a baseball cap and a T-shirt than a suit. He’s more comfortable in a deer stand or a fishing boat. He’s just a really down-to-earth guy.”

Martin believes that Walz’s Midwestern personality “adds a lot” to the Democratic ticket.

Delegate and Minneapolis lawyer Charlie Nauen shared many of Martin’s sentiments.

“(Walz) always speaks from his heart, he’s a genuine guy,” he said. “He leads the state with his heart and with compassion for people.”

But what Nauen is really looking forward to is an explanation about how Walz’s progressive agenda for Minnesota could be applied across the rest of the United States.

“I want to hear (Walz) talk about his vision for the United States, and how his experience in Congress for 12 years and his experience as governor for six-plus years is going to translate to helping people nationwide,” Nauen explained. “I got goosebumps just thinking about it.”

The nation’s youngest Democratic delegate — 17-year-old Isaac Winkler, of Golden Valley — said he’s looking for Walz to emphasize bringing Americans together.

“I’m hoping to hear a message of unity. I think that America needs a candidate right now that can bring people together. Regardless of anyone’s individual preference, Tim Walz and Kamala Harris can say they’ve never incited violence to protect their office and power,” Winkler said. “That’s the most important thing. They’re both very good people and they’re here for all Americans.”

It’s a message that Winkler believes Walz has been effectively communicating.

“He’s been very good at trying to reach a broad band of voters,” said Winkler, whose father is former state Rep. Ryan Winkler.

Related Articles

Trump campaigns to ‘make America safe again’ as Democratic convention zeroes in on his felony record

On track to be first trans member, Sarah McBride has hope for Congress

State lawmakers eye promise, pitfalls of AI ahead of November elections

Obama made his DNC debut 20 years ago. He’s returning to make the case for Kamala Harris

Democrats turn toward Harris at party’s convention as Obamas, Emhoff take center stage