Twins complete sweep

The Twins closed out the series with a convincing 5-1 victory over the Royals. It was a quick game (2:27) that I didn't get to see a whole lot of.

Three Stars:
Kevin Slowey - CG, 6 H, 1 ER, 6 K. With every game the pitching staff looks better. Tonight was no exception. Slowey was 1 out away from pitching his first major-league shutout. With Slowey's performance tonight and Blackburn's performance on Friday, along with Perkins's recent play, Hernandez making big money, and Baker's impending return, where and when does that leave room for the return of Francisco Liriano?
Carlos Gomez - 4 for 5, 2B, R, 2 RBI. Gomez has brought his average up to .293. Not bad for a guy that is supposed to be pretty raw.
Alexi Casilla - 3 for 4, BB, 2B. In Casilla's small sample, he's up to .326. Not bad for a guy that had no stick in AAA. I'm also pulling for Casilla to continue this strong run, because that should (hopefully) keep Punto's return light in playing time and at-bats.

Big series opens tomorrow against the Yanks.

Twins Come Back

Somehow the Twins were able to come back tonight. I'm really at a loss for words. From last season, I don't think the offense really improved that much. Plus, there is very little power. Statistically, they are almost identical (2007: 4.4 rpg, .264 BA; 2008: 4.5 rpg, .266 BA). It just seems like this year, the team is capable of scoring runs and coming-from-behind. Either way, I'll take it.

Three Stars:
Craig Monroe - Pinch Hit 3-run HR in the top of the 9th with 2 outs. Tim texts me, "WOW!" Sheryl texts me and says, "Oh my gosh!" I say, "Hell yeah!" One swing of the bat is enough to get noticed here. (PS: I never said the Twins shouldn't give Craig Monroe $3.82 million this year... ok, fine, I did... but I'm beginning to be ok with it.)
Justin Morneau - 1 for 5, go-ahead HR. Yeah, so 1-5 isn't great, but the "1" was the game-winner, so the hockey player from Canada gets a little recognition. (And with Mauer's 0-fer, Morneau is only 10 BA pts behind him.)
The Bullpen - 4 IP, 3 H. The collection of Rincon, Korecky, Reyes, Crain and Nathan deserves some credit. Livan hung the team out to dry, and all too often in those types of situations the bullpen doesn't stop the bleeding. Tonight it did. It just so happened that the offense got the team back into the game.

Kevin Slowey tomorrow night goes for the sweep.

Twins Win - Barely!

The Twins were cruising to a 3-0 lead before they hit a Delmon Young-sized speed bump in the 9th. They held on to win in 12 innings, but it was a hardly a feel-good win. I'm not going to be too critical of Delmon Young because he was trying to make a good play. Obviously, it wasn't necessary, but he's been ridden hard by lots of people and had he made the catch, it would have preserved the shutout. He learned a valuable lesson at 22, and the next time it won't just be excused.

Three Stars:
Nick Blackburn - 8.1 IP, 8 H, 2 ER (by Nathan), 4 K, 92 pitches and (most impressively) only 17 balls. The ending was unfortunate; but the performance was amazing. Based on his first 11 starts, don't we have to view him as a top-of-the-line starter?
Justin Morneau - 3 for 5, BB, R. The home-run numbers haven't been there, but slowly Morneau's batting average is becoming Mauer-like.
Alexi Casilla - 3 for 6, RBI, SB. Casilla has settled into the 2-hole nicely. He has become a table-setter from the lineup. When Gomez happens to get on, Casilla does a great job of getting him over. Does anyone else think that the lineup will eventually see Casilla leading off and Gomez batting 2nd?

Livan vs the Royals tonight.

Twins Prospect Ranking: 1-5

1. Deolis Guerra, RHP, 4/17/89, Ft. Myers (A+), The final piece of the Santana-trade puzzle. Considered one of the best young pitching prospects in baseball. Has a huge frame and big-time ability, but the stats don’t match. Youngest player (by almost a year) in Twins full-season leagues. Now with the Twins organization, will slowly climb through the organization. Will probably arrive in Minnesota as a mid-season call-up in 2011.

2. Ben Revere, OF, 5/3/88, Beloit (A-), Twins first-round pick in ’07. Many believed he was drafted way too high. Started season in EST, but was moved up to Beloit where he has been unreal. Batting over .400 and been a huge spark for the team. Projects as lead-off CF with little pop, but is a long ways away. An estimation of 2012 – with Gomez moving to LF (and 3rd in the order) and Young to RF – is as good of guess as any.

3. Tyler Robertson, LHP, 12/23/87, Ft. Myers (A+), Widely considered the top Twins prospect going into last offseason. Has statistically been similar to Guerra, with much better K numbers; ranked lower based on age/stat comparison. As left-handed arms are short in supply, Robertson may be able to scratch the major-league surface as soon as 2010.

4. Kevin Mulvey, RHP, 5/26/85, Rochester (AAA), Forgotten amongst Santana trade chips. His stats for ’08 are not very good (2-6, 1.63 WHIP, 24-23 K/BB), but let’s not forget about his age – he’s only a couple months older than Anthony Swarzak, who is considered a top prospect and pitching a level lower. Not on the 40-man roster, Mulvey, realistically, probably won’t contend for a spot on the big club until 2010.

5. Trevor Plouffe, SS, 6/15/86, New Britain (AA), It seems like Plouffe has been around forever, so languishing at AA must mean he’s been a bust. After doing some research I believe the opposite. Steadily climbing the organizational ladder, Plouffe is repeating AA. Offensively, Plouffe has always been just ok, even showing a little bit of power, and has been a little better this year. He needs to lower his Ks and Es, but the fact is, Plouffe is young for AA and would even be considered young if playing in Ft. Myers. Compares favorably to former-Twin Jason Bartlett. Could become utility backup by 2010.

Twins Take Series

The Twins rebounded from last night's disaster to put together a nice 6-1 win.

Three Stars:
Glen Perkins - 7.2 IP, 7 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HR. These are the types of games the Twins need from their starters. Of the 3 most often mentioned - Perkins, Bonser and Slowey - to be losing their spot when Baker returns, only Bonser had a (very) bad start. Perkins also has an advantage in that he is the only LHP in the rotation.
Jason Kubel - 2 for 3, HR (Grand Slam), BB, R, 4 RBI. Kubel came up with the bases loaded in a 1-1 game and blew it open with a grand slam. He hasn't had a great year to this point, but hopefully this can be the beginning of a turn-around.
Mike Lamb - 3 for 4, 2B. Lamb has quietly seen his average grow to .246. That is 64 points better than a month ago and Lamb was also 5 for 7 over the weekend. I believe that when the infield is competely healthy, Lamb will only be getting starts vs. RHP.

So coming into an off day on Memorial Day, the Twins are 25-25.

An interesting bit about Francisco Liriano, who has been pitching well for the Rochester Red Wings. When a player hits 6 years of major league service time, he can become a free agent. When a player hits 3 -- actually a little less than 3, but I won't get into that -- he enters his arbitration years. For those who enter arbitration before their 3 years (Super Two's), they go through 4 years of arbitration.
Coming into this season, Liriano had 2 years and 31 days of service. If he serves 141 days on the Major League Roster, he would have 3 years of service at the end of the year, enter arbitration, and be 3 years away from free agency. Most of us believed that he would easily reach that.
Well, after Liriano's unsucessful stint with the Twins, he was sent back down. He put in 13 days of service. That leaves him 128 days short of 3 years. (Note: The numbers aren't official, so I may be off a couple.) Starting at the end of the season, which I believe is considered September 30, and counting back 128 days we end on Monday, May 26. If my math is on, it appears that Liriano's free agency has been delayed by a season. He will still hit arbitration at the end of the season, but still stands to lose millions. Tough break, 'Cisco.

Yikes! Twins get destroyed

I wasn't going to be home for the game tonight, so I decided to DVR it and watch it when I got home. The Twins got down early, but were playing a decent game. At some point in the 4th inning, I decided I would check my email. I didn't expect to open my internet browser (my home page is ESPN) and see "Tigers score 19" as a headline. Let's just say I didn't need to pay much attention to the rest of the game.

To reiterate what I said earlier today, Juan Rincon needs to be designated for assignment. He wasn't any worse than usual tonight, and compared to Bonser and Bass, he was good. But it's gotten to the point where you know the guy isn't going to get people out without giving up walks, hits and runs. And that's not good for a guy in the bullpen (making a couple million dollars).

I'm going to change my guess. When Scott Baker comes back, it will be Boof Bonser, and not Kevin Slowey, that loses his spot in the rotation. At this point, I'm ready to move on without Boof. I'm not 100% sure how the "waiver-wire" works, but I think the Twins could put him on waivers and if he gets claimed, pull him back or trade him. If he doesn't get claimed, he could be sent down to AAA. Regardless, I don't like Boof in the bullpen. If they could get ANYTHING for him, they should trade him. If they can send him down, I'd be ok with that. But having him in the bullpen just wouldn't benefit anyone... especially the fans.

Finally, I think Brian Bass's roster spot might be in jeopardy. I think the Twins are content with Danny Graves and might just have found an opportunity to make the change.

In short, after a 19-3 loss, something has to be done.

I guess I won't name "three stars" tonight, because I just named "three un-stars".

Looking at the offensive side of the game, they were far from great. Some highlights:

• Alexi Casilla hit his 2nd HR of the year. I have a hard time believing that he will get sent back down this year. I think he has settled in as the everyday 2B (or whatever middle infield position Punto doesn't start at).
• Matt Macri had a memorable debut. He finished the game 2 for 3 with an RBI, R, BB and K. When Punto comes back, I think it makes sense for Macri to head back to Rochester, but with games like this, it will make the decision anything but easy.
• Joe Mauer kept his average at an AL-leading .338.
• Justin Morneau moved his average up to .311, which is top 10 in the AL.
• Delmon Young, although hitless, took 2 more walks. He's taken 14 this year, he only took 26 all of last year. Now, if we could just figure out the HRs...
• The problem was the other 4 batters who combined to go 1 for 17.

Tomorrow afternoon the Twins will try to take the series. Let's hope it's not a repeat performance of tonight.

Transactions -- I wish...

If you follow the Twins Minor League teams at all, I'm sure there are some moves you're hoping are made soon. I'm going to start at the top and move down the ranks with all the moves I'd like to see.

First of all, Nick Punto and Scott Baker will be coming off the DL soon. The team will then need to free up two roster spots. Obviously, I think INF Matt Macri's stay with the team will be short, so there is one spot. The other move I would like to see is designating Juan Rincon for assignment. The bullpen needs to be shaken up. The Twins would then have 10 days to trade Rincon or release him. Either way, that is a transaction I wish I would read in the paper.

Moving down in the organization, you would notice that AAA Rochester is not getting much help from the Twins. The Twins have left the cupboard pretty empty down there and haven't given the Red Wings much help from within the organizaion. (They signed light-hitting SS Sergio Santos and called up light-hitting 2B Felix Molina from AA.) They have left their best AA players in New Britain.

First of all, I would release guys that aren't going to ever help the Twins.

• 1B/DH Randy Ruiz (.253, 53/7 SO/K ratio, 3 HR, 30 years old) is supposed to be their power guy, he's been junk.
• UTIL Chris Basak (.237) is 29-years-old. When is he going to help?
• SS Sergio Santos is younger (24) but is batting .202. Not exactly deserving of a major-league job.
• P Heath Totten has been ok and has made some decent spot-starts, but at 29, he's not going to be a difference-maker either.
• You might be familar with 1B/OF Garrett Jones. He's batting .184. 'Nuff said!

This would open 5 spots in Rochester. And they have an open spot already. Macri would take one spot and Denard Span would take a spot when he returns. That leaves 4 spots. I'll give you 3 names that need to be moved up from New Britain.

• 1B Brock Peterson would take Ruiz's spot. Peterson is 24 and has some power (15 HR in AA last year, 4 this year). This move would only seem logical.
• 3B/UTIL Luke Hughes has been the best hitter in the Twins organization this year. With 10 HR and a .348 average, what else is left to prove? He has been mentioned as a major-league call-up, but I think it would serve him best to get some time in AAA.
• SS Trevor Plouffe has re-emerged on major prospect lists. The youngest player on the AA roster (by almost a year) has been hitting .283 and (from what I've read) playing pretty good defense.

Obviously making these moves would leave New Britain very light in the infield. Erik Lis would make the switch from the OF to 1B. And, luckily, there are two infielders (and a pitcher) ready to make the move to AA.

• 3B Danny Valencia is batting .346 with 23 extra base hits.
• 2B Brian Dinkleman is batting .316 with 18 extra base hits.
• P Jeff Manship is 5-2 with a WHIP of 1.25.

With 3 spots open in Ft. Myers, some guys will be heading south from Beloit. OF Ben Revere (.408) is most deserving of a promotion, but he won't be getting the call. The following three guys make sense, based not only on their stats, but also their age and experience.

• 2B Steven Singleton is batting .333.
• 3B Garrett Olson is batting .267 in his second year at Beloit.
• RP Loek Van Mil has a 2.01 ERA in 22 innings with a WHIP slightly over 1.

These opens the door for 3 more guys to come up from EST.

• SS Esartlin De Los Santos - Chris Cates could slide to second for the Snappers.
• 1B Rene Leveret - Chris Parmelee can move back to the OF.
• P Danny Rondon - Was a closer last year, could help in the bullpen.

I think as we approach the middle of June, some of these things will happen. I'm just hoping Smith and Rantz make these calls sooner rather than later.

Twins Drill Tigers

The Twins took the opener in Detroit tonight with a 9-4 victory. Detroit had been on a roll lately, so this was nice - and to most, unexpected. Let's hope the Twins keep it going on the road.

Tonight's Three Stars (Welcome back!):
Mike Lamb - 2 for 3, HR, 3B, 2 BB, RBI, 4 R (one away from tying franchise record). It was nice to see Lamb have a good game, both with the bat and glove. He's batting only .232 for the year, so he has a ways to go before the "disappointment" tag is dropped. It looks more and more like his everyday job is going to become a platoon.
Kevin Slowey - 6 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 105 pitches. Coming into the game with something like a 19-3 K/BB Ratio, it's a little surprising that Slowely walked 3 guys. To me, it looked like he was hitting his spots. It would make sense that because of this Tigers lineup, Slowey threw more pitches out of the strike zone though. Regardless, whenever you get your first win of the year (after multiple losses) it's a relief. Basic math shows that when Scott Baker is healthy, there are going to be 6 guys for 5 spots. Slowey is one of those guys on the bubble. (My guess: Slowey heads back to Rochester.)
M&M Boys (Mauer and Morneau) - 4 for 9, 2 BB, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI. When the future is 25 and 27-years old, it's bright. Personally, I don't like Mauer batting 3rd. But it works, and who am I to argue.

Boof Bonser gets a start tomorrow. If he gets off to a slow start, he might punch his own ticket to the bullpen.

Look for Matt Macri to make his Twins debut tomorrow. He was called up to replace Adam Everett and will probably get a start at third base.

Have a good Friday night!

Twins Split

I wish I had more time to do this, but it's getting late and I'm getting tired.

The Twins lost in 10-innings to the Rangers today. After winning the first two, they drop the last two. They now find themselves 23-24 on the season.

Some thoughts:

The offense appears to be better this than in the past. Without doing any statistical research, I'm throwing this out there based on the simple fact that this year's Twins sometimes score 7 or 8 runs in a single game. The Twins of last year sometimes got lucky if they scored 8 runs over a 3-day period.

With that being said, I'm not sure how. Obviously, Mauer is still Mauer. He's hitting around .330, but he's still without a HR. Morneau has been pretty good as well, hitting for power - though we'd like more - and a decent average. After that, the production fades.

Carlos Gomez is sneaking up on the .300 mark, and has 4 HR and a bunch of SBs. He also has nights where he is completely overmatched. If he were consistant, it'd be great... but he's not. He sure is fun to watch though!

Delmon Young has not lived up to expectations. I had high hopes for him and thought he would more than fill Hunter's shoes offensively. Wrong. He's batting about .275, which isn't horrible, but he lacks power. I think eventually he'll be ok - this year even - I'm just hoping for more.

Michael Cuddyer has not been very good. He can't hit .225 and justify the contract he just signed. It's gotta get better though right?

Brendan Harris has shown flashes offensively... but where is he going to end up? Shortstop, Second Base? My guess is as a utility infielder.

The rest of the offensive has been sub-par, so I really don't feel like talking about them.

Another issue is with the defense. The team just isn't doing the little things right. Simple things - hitting the cut-off man, throwing the ball accurately to the base, catching the ball at the base. It's getting frustrating; there are just too many errors.

The last issue is with the bullpen. It's simply been junk.

I'm hoping that when the injuries subside, the team will be able to get rolling. I'm just not sure if that's the possible.


PS - How about my call on David Cook? And my preliminary call on the Wolves: They take the European guy that is ranked highly. Danilo somethingrather. If not him, Brook Lopez.

Twins lose big

The Twins got beat by Sidney Ponson tonight. Is there much else to say?

Monday's game was fun to watch and interesting, to boot. Last night was also a good win. However, tonight was a mess.

Tomorrow's game is at noon and not on TV. I hope we miss a good one.

Idol

I've sort of gotten away from posting my American Idol thoughts, but I thought I'd make one final prediction. For those of us that watched the show last night, I think we'd agree that David Archuleta out-performed David Cook. It's clear the judges favored him (and I think we all are aware of the fact that the show producers favor Lil' David as well). So, in theory, it should be a pretty anti-climatic finale. HOWEVER, I think we're in for a surprise. I have a feeling that Rocker David is going to take the crown. At this point, I really don't think it matters who wins, they're both going to make lots of money. Unfortunately, if Rocker David wins, it's really going to limit his ability to make his own music. But that's what I think is going to happen.

We'll find out in a couple of hours.

Issues

As the Twins are about to blow this one to the Rangers, I'm going to discuss some of the issues I'm having with the team. Mostly, my problems are with managerial and front office decisions.

Here are some steps to right the ship:
Designate Adam Everett for assignment. He isn't hitting, and from what I can tell, he's not much in the field either. What's the point of keeping him around?
Trade Juan Rincon. And if there are no takers, cut him.
Bench Mike Lamb. He's never been anything better than a good bench player. I'd rather have a "good bench player" than a "bad starter".

Eventually Nick Punto will be healthy. Although I'm not a huge Punto guy, I think he deserves to get a few more opportunities. I'm not calling for him to the be "everyday 3B", but he is a decent third baseman. Alexi Casilla becoms the starting SS and leadoff hitter. Gomez moves down a spot.

When Scott Baker is healthy, he needs to be in the rotation. Although I'd like to see Glen Perkins remain in the rotation, I think he would be good in the bullpen. When push comes to shove, either Perkins or Boof Bonser should take Juan Rincon's place in the bullpen.

Other business to tend to:
Have you checked out the Rochester squad lately? Remember Garrett Jones? Well, he should be cut tomorrow or tonight or sometime soon. He's batting .185 and only has 3 HRs. Sergio Santos, recently claimed from Toronto, and taking up a spot on the 40-man roster, should be let go too. He's batting .177. Those two guys fit squarely in the category of "non-prospect". Kevin Mulvey, after starting strong, has fizzled.

On the bright side, both Denard Span and Brian Buscher deserve a shot if a spot becomes available. Danny Graves may also find himself in the Twins' bullpen in the near-future.

In AA, Luke Hughes, who's played 2B/3B/OF, has been amazing. He missed some time with a hamstring injury, but is currently batting .356. If the roster starts to shake, he just may find himself in the big leagues.

In low-A ball, 2007 1st round pick, Ben Revere, is batting .432. From what I've read, it's been rare for the Twins to move a 19-year-old up to high-A ball, but, seriously, what else does Revere have to prove?

Anyway, it's getting late and the Twins are threatening in the 11th. (Thanks to Bobby Korecky?!?) Let's hope for a win!

Twins Lose Another

The last time I posted anything in length, the Twins were fresh off of taking 3 of 4 from the defending World Series Champion. Five days later, they'd dropped 4 of 5 to two teams that sit near the bottom of the standings. Welcome to reality.

The Twins are a team that can compete with any other team in the league. Although, they lack top-of-the-line pitching and seem to be light with the stick (still), they have a very good defensive outfield and have been batting well with runners in scoring position. The term "able to compete" isn't really a phrase used to describe world series teams though, so winning the division might not be a reasonable goal, even though they sit only half a game back after a quarter of the season.

I will take a look at some of the key things that have happened in the last five games tomorrow. I'm too tired to do it tonight.

Site Update

I have been really busy lately and when the Twins are getting beat - swept - by the Blue Jays, it's even harder to find time. I hope that I can find some time tomorrow to post.

Either way, enjoy your weekend!

Twins Take Another

I really enjoyed watching another Twins game on ESPN. It's definately got something to do with the HD, but also having competant announcers makes it better too. Either way, compound those with a 7-3 come-from-behind win, and it's all very sweet.

The game started rough, with Hernandez giving up three first-inning runs. I thought it was going to be a long night. However, the Twins followed that up with 2 in the first, 2 in the third and 3 in the fifth, knocking Clay Buchholz out of the game. That ended the scoring as the Twins held on for the win. I would have been happy with a split, I'm jacked about taking 3 of 4 from the BoSox.

Three Stars:
Joe Mauer - 1 for 2, 2 BB, 3 R. Steve Phillips suggested the Twins would be smart to bat Mauer leadoff. It'll never happen, but it makes sense. In fact, if he were to bat leadoff, his average and OBP would both increase -- and they're already pretty high (.333/.419). Regardless, it was clear that the announcers were all Mauer fans - both offensively and defensively.
Delmon Young - 2 for 4, 2 RBI. Although Young still hasn't come around with the extra base hits, he still hit the ball well tonight. Unfortunately, he tripped running the bases and left the game with an apparent ankle injury. If it were my call, this would be a good opportunity to give him tomorrow off. I hope it's nothing serious, the club can't afford any more injuries.
Craig Monroe - 1 for 2, 2 BB, 2 RBI, R. Monroe is doing everything the club needs, but for a little less than $4 million, he should be. To be clear though, it never hurts to have a bat in the lineup that can get it done... even if it is only for a few days.

The Twins open a 3-game series tomorrow against Toronto. It just so happens that Toronto is in the middle of a dry spell. If they can keep the bats going, this could be a very good series.

Have a good night!

Twins Win a Close One

It got a little tense, but we were all able to let out a sigh of relief when Manny Ramirez grounded out to Adam Everett to end the game.

Just a quick report, it's getting late.

Three Stars: (You gotta love when your 6-9 batter knock in 8 runs!)
Craig Monroe - 2 for 4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R. The DH job appears open after Kubel has been a let down. Games like this help Monroe's chances.
Adam Everett - 1 for 4, HR, 2 RBI, R. He showed some unexpected power, but also played great defensively. I will lay off my "Cut Adam Everett" campaign for the time-being.
Justin Morneau - 3 for 3, 2 R, BB. The guys in front of him weren't getting on, so instead of Morneau going up trying to knock runners in, he was trying to get on base. And that's what he did - OBP of 100%.

The Twins will end their Red Sox series tomorrow. Three of four would be great.

Saturday's Game and Notes

The Twins lost 5-2 to the Red Sox Saturday night. It marked Glen Perkins's first start in the big leagues. Although his performance started well, it declined, but, overall, was still a good start. (Details below.)

I'm not going to name three stars, but instead focus on Perkins's start:
6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 98 pitches.

In my opinion, Perkins performed better than expected. Many would say it could have been much better, but it also could have been much worse. I think many of us would have been pleased if we were told he was going to go 6 innings and give up 3 runs. And that was his line. We don't need to focus on the 3 HRs. Although that could have been much more troublesome. I think we need to remember that Perkins is coming off of a shoulder injury and is really just getting stretched out to last that long. Had he been taken out with his pitch count in the 80s, we would be talking about 5 innings pitched and 1 earned run. To summarize, I think Perkins still faces an uphill battle to stick in the rotation when all the regulars are healthy, but I don't think he's the first on the list to get sent down when a roster spot is needed.


In other news, Francisco Liriano pitched for Rochester and made positive progress. He ended up going 6 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 runs (both earned), striking out 5 and only walking 2. He threw 58 strikes in 91 pitches.

Rochester also called up Danny Graves to replace Glen Perkins on the AAA roster. His name may sound familiar because he was a NL All-Star for the Reds as a closer in 2000 and 2004. He started 2005 poorly and was released after making an obscene gesture to a fan who was yelling racial slurs at him. It turns out that Graves is the first and only Vietnamese-born player in major league history. What isn't clear to me is what was said that was so offensive...? Regardless, after his release from Cincinnati, he bounced around before signing with the Twins this spring. I think the big news is that he's scheduled to make a start for the Red Wings on Monday. If he can put together a few good games in AAA, it wouldn't shock me if the Twins tried to use him out of the bullpen at some point this year. Just a thought...

The Twins sent INF Little Nicky Punto to the DL and recalled 2B/SS Alexi Casilla from Rochester. Casilla started off the year very poorly, but has been playing better recently. He's hitting .219 on the year, but over his last 7 games he batted 7 for 18 (.389). I don't think his promotion is a huge surprise, because he provides an additional player who can play the middle infield.

Twins take opener

The big news for most of the today was yesterday's injury to set-up specialist Pat Neshek. Initially, the diagnosis was an elbow strain; I think most of us were expecting worse. News came tonight that Neshek has a partial tear to the ulnar collateral ligament. If that ligament sounds familiar, it's because the UCL is what Tommy John needed replaced during his playing days. A surgery now reffered to as "Tommy John Surgery." And those are probably the 3 ugliest words a pitcher could ever hear. At this point, it's not known whether or not Neshek is going to need that surgery, but it's clear that he won't return until at the least the all-star break, if at all this season. It's a tough blow to the bullpen, but not one that the team can't overcome.

Onto some better news...

The Twins blew two leads tonight, but were able to come back in the bottom of the ninth against Jonathan Papelbon to win the series opener 7-6. It was nice to see the team come up with some offense, because the pitchers sure didn't get it done tonight.

Three Stars:
Mike Lamb - 1 for 2, game-winning 2 RBI. Getting this big hit is hopefully the way Lamb is going to break out for the season. He hasn't been seeing regular playing time lately, and that's understandable seeing that he's batting .213.
Delmon Young - 2 for 4, game-tying R, SB. Got thrown out at home on to tie the game, but redeemed himself by singling and later scoring in the ninth. Hopefully the singles will turn into doubles and Young will stop being such a disappointment.
Carlos Gomez - 1 for 4, RBI, R, 2 SB, BB, game-winning run. Go-Go drew a huge walk in the ninth. (Did anyone see that coming?) And he eventually scored the winning run.

That's all for tonight.

Gomez makes history; Twins lose series

As I mentioned last night, Carlos Gomez had a chance to make history with a single in the ninth. And he was able to complete it. There have been a few times recently that I wish I had a DVD burner, and this was one of them. At some point in the next couple of years, I want to have the capability to be able to record a game and immediately burn it to DVD, and have a collection of games. I think "Carlos Gomez hits for first cylce in 22 years" would have been a good place to start.

Quick summaries of each of the last two games:
Thursday afternoon the Twins jumped out to an early lead, but Slowey couldn't hold it. The bullpen didn't help much as the Twins lose the rubber match 6-2.
Three Stars:
Joe Mauer - 2 for 3, RBI, BB. It seems like I mention Mauer after every game he plays. He's got his average up to .346, so he probably deserves it.
Matt Tolbert -1 for 4, RBI. Tolbert has seemed to do enough to take time away from Mike Lamb. At the very least, it appears that Tolbert will replace Nick Punto as the team's utility reserve at season's end.
Kevin Slowey - 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 83 pitches. Although he was given a lead and failed to hold onto it, I really think this start shows some promise. He demonstrated great control with no walks and only allowed 4 baserunners in 5 IP. Granted, two of those baserunners hit home runs. I really think this is a step in the right direction.

As for the Wednesday night game, I'm only going to name two stars, the guys who stole the show:
Carlos Gomez - 4 for 6, 2B, 3B, HR (CYCLE!), 3 RBI, 2 R. What else needs to be said? Gomez hits for the cycle in a 13-1 rout. That's enough for me.
Livan Hernandez - 9 IP (CG), 9 H, BB, 1 ER, 3 K. The Twins got their first complete game of the year, and it was almost a shut-out.

I'd like to honorably mention Little Nicky Putno who added 5 RBI on 2 hits from the 9-hole. His 3-run double in the sixth really blew this one open.

More tomorrow...

Twins Escape No-Hitter

*As I type this, Carlos Gomez is a single away from hitting for the cycle. The last Twins cycle was in 1986 by a guy named Kirby. More importantly, the Twins currently lead 7-0 and Livan Hernandez has been pitching really well. I won't have time to write about this game tonight, but here's to hoping they can hold on.*

There really isn't much to say from a Twins Fan perspective. Thanks to Joe Mauer's 1-out double in the ninth, they were able to escape MLB history. They instead snap their winning streak with 1 hit against Gavin Floyd. Although Floyd hasn't done much in the Bigs, he was a highly-touted Phillie prospect who never lived up to the hype. As the 4th overall pick in the 2001 draft (the Mauer draft), he may finally be turning the corner... which is great for the White Sox; not the Twins.

Because it would be tough for me to pick Three Stars - one hit, pitching not great - I'm not going to. I'm instead going to turn my focus to an event that is slowly getting bigger - The MLB First Year Player Draft.

The rules regarding the draft seem to often change, and since college (and high-school) baseball lacks the popularity of football and basketball, we seem to know less about the baseball prospects. However, thanks to the internet, there is a wealth of information out there.

Here's how the baseball draft works: The order is determined by reversed order based on last year's record. Teams can't trade picks, but clubs may lose a pick to another team if they sign a stud free agent. (For example, the Twins acquired the Angels first round pick when the Angels signed Hunter.) There also is a sandwich round after the first round for these singings. (So even though the Twins got "nothing" when Hunter left, they actually got two first-round picks.)

Eligibility for the draft is cloudier than other leagues, but still managable. All players are eligible when they graduate from high school (as long as they are from a US territory or Canada). If a HS player is drafted and enrolls in a 4 year college, he is no longer property of his drafting team, and is not eligible to be drafted again until after his third year in college (or turns 21 - whatever comes first). It is not uncommon for top prep players to enroll in Junior Colleges. They do this because they are eligible to be drafted after their first JC season. Players from the Dominican Republic, Japan, etc are never eligible to be drafted... that is why they often sign as free agents at a young age.

Last year the Twins drafted towards the end of the first round. They used their pick on a 5-9 HS prospect out of Lexington, Kentucky: Ben Revere. Revere was considered a reach. In fact, a few scouting servies said the Twins would have had "multiple other" chances to select Revere. The MLB draft has just as much to do with money as it does with talent. That is why last year's 27th pick (Rick Porcello, DET) was considered by many to be one of top prospects. He said he would go to college if he didn't get a huge signing bonus - and many teams believed him.

Anyway, Ben Revere made his debut with the short-season rookie-level GCL Twins and performed very well. He recently was called up to low-A affiliate Beloit and has been tearing it up with the Snappers. In my opinion, he has leap-froged Top 5 prospect Joe Benson. (The current CF in Beloit.)

So looking at this year's draft, the Twins have 3 of the top 31 picks. They should be able to acquire some good prospects.
The Twins' Mideast scouting director is located in Lexington, and two of this year's top prep pitchers are from that area. I anticipate both of these guys getting a long look:
Nick Maronde: 6-3, 195, LHP. He can hit the low-90s with his fastball and should be able to develop two other pitches. High School teammate of Ben Revere. He may be gone when the Twins draft at 14.
Robbie Ross: 6-0, 170, LHP. Has a smaller frame than Maronde, but is just as powerful. His scouting report reminds me of a poor man's Tim Lincecum. Although he may not last long enough, I could see the Twins giving him a long look at 27 or 31.
*Regardless, I'm sure both of these guys have been scouted very heavily by the Twins staff.

Here are some other guys I hope get a look:
Chris Dominguez: 6-5, 235, 3B, Louisville. I know the Twins have 3B prospects, but this guy is worth a look. Has a huge body and projects as power guy. He also has a good enough glove to make it in the field. Is described as an "enigma", so it's hard to say how far he'll fall or how high he'll get the call.
Kyle Long: 6-8, 285, LHP/1B, HS. Another son of Howie going in the first round of a professional draft. He's throwing a mid-80s fastball and is raw at the plate. In my opinion, he'd be an interesting prospect. I think he'd be perfect at pick 31.
Jamile Weeks: 5-9, 180, 2B, U of Miami. Not the prospect his brother, Rickie, was. He doesn't project to have much power, but is a line-drive hitter who runs well. (Do the Twins like that?) Although I don't think he'd be as highly regarded if it weren't for his brother, I can see the Twins calling Weeks with pick 27.
Brett Lawrie: 6-0, 190, HS. May project as a top-flight catcher. As of now, doesn't have a true position. Guys like this can be of great value to a team with lots of holes throughout the organization.

I think that's enough to chew on for tonight.

Twins Sweep Tigers

It was quite the come-from-behind victory today at the Dome. After the 6-run Tiger first, I considered going home. I had two Gardenhire bobbleheads in hand (one thanks to the people in front of me), but thought I'd give it a chance. I'm glad I stayed.

My first observation today was seeing Matt Tolbert taking grounders at third. I thought that was a little surprising because Little Nicky Punto was also in the lineup today. Tolbert has played a lot of short and Punto has played a lot of third. What might that switch mean? It's purely speculation, but maybe we'll see the Adam Everett Experiment soon come to an end and see LNP become the everyday shortstop. Both Punto's bat and glove have been better than Everett so far this year. I don't know...

Sunday's Three Stars:
Joe Mauer - 2 for 4, 2 RBI, R. He's hit his stride and as he stepped up to bat with two on and down a run, I knew he was going to get the job done. His average continues to climb (.333); and I have to admit that my Mauer "Fan-dom" may be reaching an all-time high.
LNP - 1 for 3, 2B, 2 RBI, R. Punto's become a servicable major leaguer. I don't know how long it will last, but it's nice to see him perform. He got a huge hit that turned the tides today. I'll take it... as long he continues to hit.
Boof Bonser - 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 5 K, 0 BB, 99 pitches, no decision. I didn't think Boof was going to make it out of the first, let alone pitch 6 innings. Boy I was wrong. After the first inning debacle, I believe Boof was able to get through the next five innings with 2 hits and about 50 pitches. He was also able t0 stay composed, which is great in itself. There were (and still are) many questions about the rotation, but Bonser has solidified his spot.

Saturday's Three Stars:
Brian Bass - 4 IP, 3 H, W. Bass was able to pick up his first win by pitching four shutout innings after Baker left early with a groin strain. Games like this will keep him on the roster and get him a job (elsewhere in the league) next year.
Craig Monroe - 2 for 3, R, 2-run HR. With Gomez getting a day off (headaches), Monroe got a spot start in center. He contributed offensively by getting his 2nd HR, and with Kubel struggling, Monroe might find himself DH'ing more. (He did Sunday.) I guess we'll see...
Joe Mauer - 3 for 4, 2B. He's got his bat going.

It's appears that Kevin Slowey will come up from Rochester and make Scott Baker's start on Thursday. That will give the Twins two extra days to decide if Baker can start on Saturday, or if a trip to the DL is necessary. In any case where you injure, and immediately re-injure, the same muscle, a 15-day break is in line. I'm all for that, we need Baker to be a healthy contributor.

Twins in First

Twins won their 4th in a row tonight. Unfortunately, I don't have time to say much about it. I will post on both games tomorrow when I return.

Twins Tame Tigers

The Twins got back to .500 tonight with their third straight victory. They really poured it on the Tigers, beating them 11-1. Luckily, I got to witness the offensive barrage in person. (In fact, a BP home run ball went about two feet over my head. I may have had a chance to catch it, but I was struggling to get my glove on. I guess that teaches me not to read the Twins Record Book while watching BP.)

Three Stars:
Livan Hernandez - 7 IP, 8 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 Ks, 102 pitches. It was nice to see Livan have a good game after three not-so-good outings. His lone run was a solo HR by Ordonez, and it was a shot. Cabrera followed that with a double and Guillen with a single, but Hernandez was able to avoid further damage by getting a double play ball to end the inning. I don't think we've come to expect performances like this, but hey, we'll take them!
(Before naming any hitters, I want to point out that all 9 starters got at least one hit.)
Joe Mauer - 2 for 3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB. Mauer has settled into the 3rd spot and become a cadalyst for the offense. I can be a little hard on #7 from time to time, but when he's swinging well, the whole offense goes. I'm hopeful that eventually it will work out to bat Mauer after Gomez, but as long as this is working out, I'm on board.
Michael Cuddyer - 2 for 5, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI. He also played well in the field and was smart on the basepaths. So much has been going right, did it all start when Cuddyer came back? It's hard to say, but it's nice having our right-fielder back.

Other news:
Carlos Gomez took a shot to the head while stealing second base. I wasn't able to see exactly what happen, but it didn't look good. Go-Go spent a few minutes lying face down and not moving. Eventually, he got up and sat on the cart which took him away. I don't believe any additional tests were done. My guess is that he'll play tomorrow if he doesn't have a splitting headache... but who knows?
Carlos Gomes led off the game with a walk! A pleasant sight!
Delmon Young has quietly got his batting average up to .271. This is 35 points higher than 2 weeks ago. He also has 6 SBs. Now, if we could only get a HR.
Brendan Harris knocked out his second HR of the year.

Twins going for #4 tomorrow night! Bobblehead game on Sunday.