It's been reported during the game that RF Michael Cuddyer is heading to the Disabled List. He has a strained tendon in his left index finger. Cuddy spent some time on the DL earlier this year, but that was with a dislocated right index finger. So these injuries aren't at all related.
To take Cuddyer's place, OF Denard Span will be called up from Rochester. Many fans were excited with Span's performed during Cuddyer's last trip to the DL. If he can manage to play well while he's up, it will give the Front Office a tough choice to make: Send Span back down or release Craig Monroe? The decision to release Monroe will only get easier as he continues to struggle and the year continues to wind down. Unfortunately for the Red Wings, while Span recovered from a hand injury, the team really struggled. And unfortunately for Span, he was selected to participate in the All-Star Futures Game. It appears that with the promotion, he will probably still be with the Twins at the time of the game, and unable to participate. I believe that if Span can't play, the Twins will be able to send a different prospect. (Ben Revere?)
Twins prospects INF Luke Hughes was also selected to play in the game. He has played very well while healthy, but has been injured for a majority of the last few months. If he can stay healthy for a couple of months and continue to rake, he will be in line for a September call-up (or possibly earlier).
The Twins are currently leading behind a great start from Kevin Slowey. Let's hope they can keep it up.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
It appears all good things must come to an end...
At this moment, the Twins are in serious danger of having their winning streak snapped. No one has done much. (At least not well.) So I'm not going to say much about tonight's game.
Last night's game, however, was very exciting. I had the opportunity to be in attendance. I would definitely consider it one of the best three games I've seen in person. The other two are the games that 1) Koskie got hit in the chest running to first as the winning run scored from third and 2) the game that Jacque Jones scored the winning run on a wild pitch, he was on second base and I called that it would happen. Last night's game absolutely had the most action. (26 hits, 7 home runs.) It really felt like a game in October. It would be be cool if the Twins could play the Brewers in October, although it would really nullify home field advantage for both teams.
Oh, and I was on the JumboTron during "Living on a Prayer". Cool stuff.
Anway, a quick summary of the three stars of last night's 7-6 win.
Joe Mauer - 2 for 4, BB, 2 R, HR, RBI. Mauer's game winning HR in the 8th puts him atop this list.
Brian Bass - 2.1 IP, H, 2 K. As much as I don't really like Bass, he really came in and pitched well. It gave the offense a chance to get back in the game.
Delmon Young - 3 for 4, RBI. Although he didn't have a huge night offensively, it was important for him to play well after his 3-day break.
Other notes:
Michael Cuddyer and Alexi Casilla are both missing tonight's game with finger injuries. Neither appear to serious, but we'll stay tuned.
Let's hope the Twins can get back to their winning ways tomorrow night...
Last night's game, however, was very exciting. I had the opportunity to be in attendance. I would definitely consider it one of the best three games I've seen in person. The other two are the games that 1) Koskie got hit in the chest running to first as the winning run scored from third and 2) the game that Jacque Jones scored the winning run on a wild pitch, he was on second base and I called that it would happen. Last night's game absolutely had the most action. (26 hits, 7 home runs.) It really felt like a game in October. It would be be cool if the Twins could play the Brewers in October, although it would really nullify home field advantage for both teams.
Oh, and I was on the JumboTron during "Living on a Prayer". Cool stuff.
Anway, a quick summary of the three stars of last night's 7-6 win.
Joe Mauer - 2 for 4, BB, 2 R, HR, RBI. Mauer's game winning HR in the 8th puts him atop this list.
Brian Bass - 2.1 IP, H, 2 K. As much as I don't really like Bass, he really came in and pitched well. It gave the offense a chance to get back in the game.
Delmon Young - 3 for 4, RBI. Although he didn't have a huge night offensively, it was important for him to play well after his 3-day break.
Other notes:
Michael Cuddyer and Alexi Casilla are both missing tonight's game with finger injuries. Neither appear to serious, but we'll stay tuned.
Let's hope the Twins can get back to their winning ways tomorrow night...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Twins Streak Continues
The Twins completed their third straight sweep and ninth straight victory today.
Instead of naming stars, I'm just going to give you some information that I find important:
*Justin Morneau went 3 for 4 today with a HR and 3 RBI. He is now batting .310 on the year.
*Mike Redmond played today so Mauer could have a day off. He went 2 for 5 and is up to .286. That's not bad considering it took Redmond until the end of May to get to, and stay above .200.
*Carlos Gomez went 0 for 5 and is not batting .268. Does anyone else think that Gomez could use a day off?
*Delmon Young didn't play at all this series. Maybe he could have played a game for Cuddyer (2 for 13 this series) or Kubel (2 for 12). I think Delmon will get better. I would say that being benched for 3 games was unjustified.
*Brian Buscher is still getting it done (.386).
*In the winning streak, the starters have been 8-0. Only Slowey had a no decision, and he pitched very well.
The Brewers are coming to town tomorrow. They are playing well (8-2 in last 10), so expect some good games. I will be there tomorrow, so look for me.
The Timberwolves - as expected - drafted OJ Mayo. In a somewhat surprising move, they haven't traded him (yet). Not much has been made of the pick, so I'm going to assume they are keeping him. In my opinion, they 100% did the right thing.
In the 2nd round the Wolves had two picks. They took foreign C Nikola Pekovic from Montenegro and Kansas G Mario Chalmers. The analysts liked both picks. Apparently, Pekovic is under contract for a few years oversees, but was described as having "lottery talent." He likely won't make it to Minnesota for 3-4 years. I was a little surprised to see the Wolves take Chalmers. I don't doubt that he's going to be a decent player, but teams don't have a lot of room for 6-3 shooting guards... and the Wolves took two of them tonight. It wouldn't shock me if the Wolves night isn't over.
UPDATE 10:20 pm - The Wolves have traded Mario Chalmers to the Heat for a couple of 2nd round picks and cash. No word yet if Miami's pick this year is part of this deal. I would assume it would be, but who knows?
UPDATE 8:28 am - I actually went to bed last night thinking that OJ Mayo was going to stay a Timberwolf. Why wouldn't I? Hoiberg was telling us all that. Well, it turns out we were wrong. Mayo is heading to Memphis. I know a lot of Wolves fans are disappointed. This trade isn't going to help with fan-base. But I do think the Wolves will come out ok.
The deal: Mayo, Marko Jaric ($6.6m + 2 more years), Antoine Walker ($9.3m) and Greg Buckner ($3.8m +2 more years) for Kevin Love, Mike Miller ($9m + 1 more year), Brian Cardinal ($6.3m + 1 more year) and Jason Collins ($6.2m)
Contract-wise: The Wolves actually took more money back this year. Let's compare totals on a yearly basis - 08-09 gained approx. $1.8m. 09-10 gained approx. $5.4m. The deal will look good in 10-11 when this trade helps reduce the payroll by almost $12m. So over the life of these deals the Wolves salary will be reduced by close to $5 million. That doesn't include the fact that Love will sign for less money than Mayo.
Skill-wise: Mike Miller is going to lead the Wolves in scoring. He will fill a role that hasn't been properly filled since Sprewell left. He will start at a wing. Kevin Love will probably start at the 4, but will not be nearly as good as Mayo over their respective careers. The rest of the players are just bad contracts that won't play much. (Although I do wonder if the Wolves have room for both Mark Madsen and Brian Cardinal on their bench...?)
Fan-wise: I think a lot of Wolves fans were excited about Mayo. He probably would have helped sell tickets. As far as winning games, probably not likely in the beginning. Because of that, fans would stop coming. The Wolves, and Mike Miller, will be better in the long run. If they can start winning a few games, that will put fans in the seats.
Realistically: The Wolves win 25ish games and end up in the lottery with another high pick. They also will have Miami's pick if the Heat don't end up in the Top 10. If the Wolves finish with a decent record - and a pick outside of the Top 10 - they send their pick to the Clippers. Early money says that Wolves struggle all year and end up choosing between 7-0 C BJ Mullens of Ohio State or 7-3 Haseem Thabeet of UConn. Although there will be better players on the board. Why? Because that's how Kevin McHale rolls!
An early look at the roster:
PG - Sebastian Telfair (RFA) - If he leaves, Foye moves to point.
SG - Randy Foye - Let's hope he can stay healthy.
SF - Mike Miller - Will also play SG.
PF - Kevin Love - Athletic big man who should be perfect compliment to Big Al.
C - Al Jefferson - Should still get 20 and 10.
Res - Rashad McCants - Could start, but I envision him as a 6th man.
Res - Ryan Gomes (RFA) - Would probably start at SF if Telfair leaves.
Res - Corey Brewer - Will be asked to be defensive stopper.
Res - Craig Smith (RFA) - Will be part of big-man rotation.
Res - Jason Collins - Will probably start - ala Mark Blount, Michael Doleac - until Love is ready.
11th and 12th men - Brian Cardinal and Mark Madsen
Have a good night.
Instead of naming stars, I'm just going to give you some information that I find important:
*Justin Morneau went 3 for 4 today with a HR and 3 RBI. He is now batting .310 on the year.
*Mike Redmond played today so Mauer could have a day off. He went 2 for 5 and is up to .286. That's not bad considering it took Redmond until the end of May to get to, and stay above .200.
*Carlos Gomez went 0 for 5 and is not batting .268. Does anyone else think that Gomez could use a day off?
*Delmon Young didn't play at all this series. Maybe he could have played a game for Cuddyer (2 for 13 this series) or Kubel (2 for 12). I think Delmon will get better. I would say that being benched for 3 games was unjustified.
*Brian Buscher is still getting it done (.386).
*In the winning streak, the starters have been 8-0. Only Slowey had a no decision, and he pitched very well.
The Brewers are coming to town tomorrow. They are playing well (8-2 in last 10), so expect some good games. I will be there tomorrow, so look for me.
The Timberwolves - as expected - drafted OJ Mayo. In a somewhat surprising move, they haven't traded him (yet). Not much has been made of the pick, so I'm going to assume they are keeping him. In my opinion, they 100% did the right thing.
In the 2nd round the Wolves had two picks. They took foreign C Nikola Pekovic from Montenegro and Kansas G Mario Chalmers. The analysts liked both picks. Apparently, Pekovic is under contract for a few years oversees, but was described as having "lottery talent." He likely won't make it to Minnesota for 3-4 years. I was a little surprised to see the Wolves take Chalmers. I don't doubt that he's going to be a decent player, but teams don't have a lot of room for 6-3 shooting guards... and the Wolves took two of them tonight. It wouldn't shock me if the Wolves night isn't over.
UPDATE 10:20 pm - The Wolves have traded Mario Chalmers to the Heat for a couple of 2nd round picks and cash. No word yet if Miami's pick this year is part of this deal. I would assume it would be, but who knows?
UPDATE 8:28 am - I actually went to bed last night thinking that OJ Mayo was going to stay a Timberwolf. Why wouldn't I? Hoiberg was telling us all that. Well, it turns out we were wrong. Mayo is heading to Memphis. I know a lot of Wolves fans are disappointed. This trade isn't going to help with fan-base. But I do think the Wolves will come out ok.
The deal: Mayo, Marko Jaric ($6.6m + 2 more years), Antoine Walker ($9.3m) and Greg Buckner ($3.8m +2 more years) for Kevin Love, Mike Miller ($9m + 1 more year), Brian Cardinal ($6.3m + 1 more year) and Jason Collins ($6.2m)
Contract-wise: The Wolves actually took more money back this year. Let's compare totals on a yearly basis - 08-09 gained approx. $1.8m. 09-10 gained approx. $5.4m. The deal will look good in 10-11 when this trade helps reduce the payroll by almost $12m. So over the life of these deals the Wolves salary will be reduced by close to $5 million. That doesn't include the fact that Love will sign for less money than Mayo.
Skill-wise: Mike Miller is going to lead the Wolves in scoring. He will fill a role that hasn't been properly filled since Sprewell left. He will start at a wing. Kevin Love will probably start at the 4, but will not be nearly as good as Mayo over their respective careers. The rest of the players are just bad contracts that won't play much. (Although I do wonder if the Wolves have room for both Mark Madsen and Brian Cardinal on their bench...?)
Fan-wise: I think a lot of Wolves fans were excited about Mayo. He probably would have helped sell tickets. As far as winning games, probably not likely in the beginning. Because of that, fans would stop coming. The Wolves, and Mike Miller, will be better in the long run. If they can start winning a few games, that will put fans in the seats.
Realistically: The Wolves win 25ish games and end up in the lottery with another high pick. They also will have Miami's pick if the Heat don't end up in the Top 10. If the Wolves finish with a decent record - and a pick outside of the Top 10 - they send their pick to the Clippers. Early money says that Wolves struggle all year and end up choosing between 7-0 C BJ Mullens of Ohio State or 7-3 Haseem Thabeet of UConn. Although there will be better players on the board. Why? Because that's how Kevin McHale rolls!
An early look at the roster:
PG - Sebastian Telfair (RFA) - If he leaves, Foye moves to point.
SG - Randy Foye - Let's hope he can stay healthy.
SF - Mike Miller - Will also play SG.
PF - Kevin Love - Athletic big man who should be perfect compliment to Big Al.
C - Al Jefferson - Should still get 20 and 10.
Res - Rashad McCants - Could start, but I envision him as a 6th man.
Res - Ryan Gomes (RFA) - Would probably start at SF if Telfair leaves.
Res - Corey Brewer - Will be asked to be defensive stopper.
Res - Craig Smith (RFA) - Will be part of big-man rotation.
Res - Jason Collins - Will probably start - ala Mark Blount, Michael Doleac - until Love is ready.
11th and 12th men - Brian Cardinal and Mark Madsen
Have a good night.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
NBA Draft Preview
The NBA Draft is tomorrow night. The Timberwolves hold the #3 pick. Unfortunately, if used, #3 will only net one player. If the Wolves are able to trade down, they may be able to fill additional holes. The Timberwolves have multiple holes to fill (in no particular order):
- A big man to compliment Al Jefferson. I believe that Jefferson is a true Power Forward (or a 4). An ideal big man would be a true center. I don't know that they exist anymore - and if they do they are extremely rare. The closest thing to a true center is Brook Lopez, Kosta Koufos and Roy Hibbert. Lopez would be a stretch at #3, but would be a possibility later in the lottery. I would view the other two as mid- to late 1st rounders.
-A guard to compliment Randy Foye (and to a lesser extent Rashad McCants). Personally, I think the Wolves need to view Foye as a PG and they need to draft a SG. OJ Mayo fits this mold perfectly, or if the Wolves trade down - Eric Gordon. The toughest part is determining how these guards can match up with the Tracy McGradys of the world.
Because the Timberwolves were so bad last year, the solution isn't nearly as simple as I may have made it sound. They need a lot of help. Here's how I hope it shakes down tomorrow:
At #1 the Bulls take PG Derrick Rose.
At #2 the Heat take F Michael Beasley. They are going to trade him. I think they would like the Wolves to offer #3 and Corey Brewer and/or the pick the Heat owe them. I don't think it will happen. For now, Beasley stays...
At #3 the Wolves take OJ Mayo. Immediately, the will begin working the phones. They will talk to the Heat. They will talk to the Grizzlies and Knicks... and other teams down lower. I don't think there will be any announced trades at this point.
At #4 the Sonics will take the guy they want the most. I just can't determine who they think it is. At this time, I'm leaning towards Arizona PG Jerryd Bayless. Regardless, this pick is the first domino.
At #5 the Grizzlies are going to be trying to move up. They are offering SF Mike Miller and PG Kyle Lowry as incentive. I really think the Heat will take the bait and move down to #5. I don't know who they'll take. If Bayless is available, they go that direction. If not, it's anyone's guess.
At #6 the Knicks will be trying to make a move to get OJ Mayo. The key for the Wolves is that Kevin Love is still on the board. I don't think they like anyone else enough to get rid of Mayo. If Love is on the board, I would be ok if the Wolves made this trade:
OJ Mayo, Marko Jaric ($6.5m) and Greg Buckner ($3.8m) for Kevin Love, F David Lee ($1.8m), 6-6 PG Mardy Collins ($1m), the expiring contract of F Malik Rose ($7.6m) and a draft pick (either a protected 1st next year or something like that).
If the Knicks blink, keep Mayo. I really don't think Mayo is the next Jordan, but I think he'll be a very good player. He will be an all-star and he will sell tickets. I don't feel the same about Kevin Love, but I do think he'll be pretty good.
Other trade partner possibilities:
Clippers at #7: Corey Maggette and Al Thornton would be ok to obtain in a trade.
Bucks at #8: Rumor has it that Charlie Villanueva and Yi are possibly on the move. Michael Redd may also be on his way out - not to Minnesota - so a 3-way is possible.
Bobcats at #9: Adam Morrison has been rumored. That's not going to happen. The Bobcats just did acquire another 1st rounder, so #9, #20 and a player like Jared Dudley and/or Sean May makes sense.
Nets at #10. Mayo seems like a Jay-Z type of guy. The Nets have lots of picks in the bank and guys like Sean Williams, Marcus Williams and Adam Boone are all decent young players.
I could go on like this forever... but I won't.
Either way, we will see what happens tomorrow night.
I'm going to take the night off of making a Twins post. They did win again last night, and they are winning again tonight, so we'll hope it continues...
Have a good night!
- A big man to compliment Al Jefferson. I believe that Jefferson is a true Power Forward (or a 4). An ideal big man would be a true center. I don't know that they exist anymore - and if they do they are extremely rare. The closest thing to a true center is Brook Lopez, Kosta Koufos and Roy Hibbert. Lopez would be a stretch at #3, but would be a possibility later in the lottery. I would view the other two as mid- to late 1st rounders.
-A guard to compliment Randy Foye (and to a lesser extent Rashad McCants). Personally, I think the Wolves need to view Foye as a PG and they need to draft a SG. OJ Mayo fits this mold perfectly, or if the Wolves trade down - Eric Gordon. The toughest part is determining how these guards can match up with the Tracy McGradys of the world.
Because the Timberwolves were so bad last year, the solution isn't nearly as simple as I may have made it sound. They need a lot of help. Here's how I hope it shakes down tomorrow:
At #1 the Bulls take PG Derrick Rose.
At #2 the Heat take F Michael Beasley. They are going to trade him. I think they would like the Wolves to offer #3 and Corey Brewer and/or the pick the Heat owe them. I don't think it will happen. For now, Beasley stays...
At #3 the Wolves take OJ Mayo. Immediately, the will begin working the phones. They will talk to the Heat. They will talk to the Grizzlies and Knicks... and other teams down lower. I don't think there will be any announced trades at this point.
At #4 the Sonics will take the guy they want the most. I just can't determine who they think it is. At this time, I'm leaning towards Arizona PG Jerryd Bayless. Regardless, this pick is the first domino.
At #5 the Grizzlies are going to be trying to move up. They are offering SF Mike Miller and PG Kyle Lowry as incentive. I really think the Heat will take the bait and move down to #5. I don't know who they'll take. If Bayless is available, they go that direction. If not, it's anyone's guess.
At #6 the Knicks will be trying to make a move to get OJ Mayo. The key for the Wolves is that Kevin Love is still on the board. I don't think they like anyone else enough to get rid of Mayo. If Love is on the board, I would be ok if the Wolves made this trade:
OJ Mayo, Marko Jaric ($6.5m) and Greg Buckner ($3.8m) for Kevin Love, F David Lee ($1.8m), 6-6 PG Mardy Collins ($1m), the expiring contract of F Malik Rose ($7.6m) and a draft pick (either a protected 1st next year or something like that).
If the Knicks blink, keep Mayo. I really don't think Mayo is the next Jordan, but I think he'll be a very good player. He will be an all-star and he will sell tickets. I don't feel the same about Kevin Love, but I do think he'll be pretty good.
Other trade partner possibilities:
Clippers at #7: Corey Maggette and Al Thornton would be ok to obtain in a trade.
Bucks at #8: Rumor has it that Charlie Villanueva and Yi are possibly on the move. Michael Redd may also be on his way out - not to Minnesota - so a 3-way is possible.
Bobcats at #9: Adam Morrison has been rumored. That's not going to happen. The Bobcats just did acquire another 1st rounder, so #9, #20 and a player like Jared Dudley and/or Sean May makes sense.
Nets at #10. Mayo seems like a Jay-Z type of guy. The Nets have lots of picks in the bank and guys like Sean Williams, Marcus Williams and Adam Boone are all decent young players.
I could go on like this forever... but I won't.
Either way, we will see what happens tomorrow night.
I'm going to take the night off of making a Twins post. They did win again last night, and they are winning again tonight, so we'll hope it continues...
Have a good night!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Twins add another win
Today has been a very busy day, so I'm not going to post much at all.
The Twins won 5-3 today to complete their sweep over Arizona. Luckily, LeAnne and I were able to attend. We sat 12 rows up from Arizona's on-deck circle. They were pretty sweet seats.
After the game, we picked Marin up and brought her to her first movie - Kung Fu Panda. She liked it, but doesn't really understand what the theater is all about. She doesn't sit still and comments on everything. Good thing there were only two other people there.
So that brings us to back to the game...
Funny, but it's more of the same - seven with hits, five with runs, (only) three with RBIs.
Brian Buscher continues to get it done - 2 for 4, 2 RBI, R. He did come up with the bases loaded and fail to knock anyone in... that was different.
Livan Hernandez continues to do what he does - give up lots of hits (9) in lots - but less - innings (7), yet only allows 1 earned run (2 unearned) and collect his team-leading 8th win.
Jesse Crain is filthy. He only pitched one inning and didn't strike anyone out, but it was easy to see. (Maybe because we were sitting so close.) It was funny to see a guy come in and start throwing some pitches 3o mph faster than the guy he replaced. LeAnne also noticed that after one fastball, Mauer took off his glove and flexed his hand, like "man, that hurt."
Joe Nathan is the best closer in baseball... even with the twitch.
The Twins announced after the game that they'll be activating Nick Punto and option Matt Macri back to Rochester. Rochester fans should be happy. I would expect Macri, Sergio Santos and Trevor Plouffe to man 2B, 3B and SS in some combination. Macri has been playing well, so I'm sure it wasn't easy to send him down. Wait, "easy" could mean different things. It was easy in that it it had to be Macri or Buscher. It wasn't easy in that Macri has been performing better than other (higher-paid) veterans.
I'm not going to suggest any moves at this point. I will just list a few guys that I think need to step it up or risk being let go (sooner or later):
SOONER:
Brian Bass - this was probably "sooner" a month ago, but Bass has faired well lately. If there ever is a need for another pitcher and no one with options becomes likely to go down, Bass will be released.
Mike Lamb and Boof Bonser - I'm lumping these two together because I think the Twins should be actively shopping them. If the Twins decide to become sellers, Lamb could be moved to a contender looking for a left-handed bat. He could be had for a low-class low-to-mid-prospect. Bonser could be moved either way. If there is a NL team looking for a decent pitcher, I'm sure the Twins would be willing to part with Boof. I could see Bonser netting a high-class mid-prospect who maybe has a little pop. I don't have any possible partners... just thinking.
LATER:
Adam Everett - right now he's safe, but only because he's not taking up an active roster spot. For all I care, he could stay there for the rest of the year
Craig Monroe - he probably has a little time, but if Denard Span continues to play so well at AAA, there is no reason to keep Monroe around. Ok, there is 1: he has a little power.
Anyway, the Twins have a day off tomorrow before starting a series with the Padres. That should be fun. Don't get a case of the "Mondays"!
The Twins won 5-3 today to complete their sweep over Arizona. Luckily, LeAnne and I were able to attend. We sat 12 rows up from Arizona's on-deck circle. They were pretty sweet seats.
After the game, we picked Marin up and brought her to her first movie - Kung Fu Panda. She liked it, but doesn't really understand what the theater is all about. She doesn't sit still and comments on everything. Good thing there were only two other people there.
So that brings us to back to the game...
Funny, but it's more of the same - seven with hits, five with runs, (only) three with RBIs.
Brian Buscher continues to get it done - 2 for 4, 2 RBI, R. He did come up with the bases loaded and fail to knock anyone in... that was different.
Livan Hernandez continues to do what he does - give up lots of hits (9) in lots - but less - innings (7), yet only allows 1 earned run (2 unearned) and collect his team-leading 8th win.
Jesse Crain is filthy. He only pitched one inning and didn't strike anyone out, but it was easy to see. (Maybe because we were sitting so close.) It was funny to see a guy come in and start throwing some pitches 3o mph faster than the guy he replaced. LeAnne also noticed that after one fastball, Mauer took off his glove and flexed his hand, like "man, that hurt."
Joe Nathan is the best closer in baseball... even with the twitch.
The Twins announced after the game that they'll be activating Nick Punto and option Matt Macri back to Rochester. Rochester fans should be happy. I would expect Macri, Sergio Santos and Trevor Plouffe to man 2B, 3B and SS in some combination. Macri has been playing well, so I'm sure it wasn't easy to send him down. Wait, "easy" could mean different things. It was easy in that it it had to be Macri or Buscher. It wasn't easy in that Macri has been performing better than other (higher-paid) veterans.
I'm not going to suggest any moves at this point. I will just list a few guys that I think need to step it up or risk being let go (sooner or later):
SOONER:
Brian Bass - this was probably "sooner" a month ago, but Bass has faired well lately. If there ever is a need for another pitcher and no one with options becomes likely to go down, Bass will be released.
Mike Lamb and Boof Bonser - I'm lumping these two together because I think the Twins should be actively shopping them. If the Twins decide to become sellers, Lamb could be moved to a contender looking for a left-handed bat. He could be had for a low-class low-to-mid-prospect. Bonser could be moved either way. If there is a NL team looking for a decent pitcher, I'm sure the Twins would be willing to part with Boof. I could see Bonser netting a high-class mid-prospect who maybe has a little pop. I don't have any possible partners... just thinking.
LATER:
Adam Everett - right now he's safe, but only because he's not taking up an active roster spot. For all I care, he could stay there for the rest of the year
Craig Monroe - he probably has a little time, but if Denard Span continues to play so well at AAA, there is no reason to keep Monroe around. Ok, there is 1: he has a little power.
Anyway, the Twins have a day off tomorrow before starting a series with the Padres. That should be fun. Don't get a case of the "Mondays"!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Five in a row!
The Twins rode a big inning for the second night in a row to pull out a 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks. It was a game very similar to last night's game. Six different players scored, eight players got hits and five players knocked in runs. Sound similar to something you read about last night?
The Stars:
Nick Blackburn - 7 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 K, 89 pitches. For a majority of the night, it looked like a great start by Blackburn would be wasted. Regardless of what that offense (finally) did (or didn't do), it doesn't take anything away from this performance. The knock on Blackburn was always about his low strikeout rate. Forget about it. He's not going to strike many guys out, sure. But he's also got great control and doesn't allow a lot of hits. This isn't Livan we're talking about. Blackburn will continue to figure into the rotation-equation for a long time.
The hitters of the 7th inning - 7 for 10, BB, 3 2B, 6 R/RBI. The inning was started with Mauer's bunt single. Of course, all the hitters batted, not all contributed with runs, but this was a great inning to watch.
The Twins have now pulled within 2.5 games of the first-place White Sox. This is a half-game better than when they started their series in Chicago. But before we get too excited, let's remember that the Twins will be facing Brandon Webb on Sunday and Jake Peavy on Tuesday; they are two of the best pitchers in the National League.
Let's hope for another good game tomorrow!
The Stars:
Nick Blackburn - 7 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 K, 89 pitches. For a majority of the night, it looked like a great start by Blackburn would be wasted. Regardless of what that offense (finally) did (or didn't do), it doesn't take anything away from this performance. The knock on Blackburn was always about his low strikeout rate. Forget about it. He's not going to strike many guys out, sure. But he's also got great control and doesn't allow a lot of hits. This isn't Livan we're talking about. Blackburn will continue to figure into the rotation-equation for a long time.
The hitters of the 7th inning - 7 for 10, BB, 3 2B, 6 R/RBI. The inning was started with Mauer's bunt single. Of course, all the hitters batted, not all contributed with runs, but this was a great inning to watch.
The Twins have now pulled within 2.5 games of the first-place White Sox. This is a half-game better than when they started their series in Chicago. But before we get too excited, let's remember that the Twins will be facing Brandon Webb on Sunday and Jake Peavy on Tuesday; they are two of the best pitchers in the National League.
Let's hope for another good game tomorrow!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Twins beat Big Unit
The Twins beat Arizona 7-2 tonight on Dan Gladden Bobblehead Day.
Let me tell you about the Bobblehead first. Tim, a college buddy of mine, and I had discussed when we should arrive at the Dome. We used our previous five ventures as a guide and we decided that last year's Friday night bobblehead game - Joe Mauer - was going to be a little more popular than Gladden. I think we got to Mauer's at 10:00 (or before) and we were about 30 feet back leaning on the yellow posts. This year, we figured if we got there at 1:00, we should be in good shape. I guess you could say we were right. We got there a little bit before one, and there were about a dozen people at the gate we wait at. I think by about 3:30 our line had made it to the yellow posts. Needless to say, we didn't need to get there as early as we did. I'm also fairly certain that people that arrived at the Dome at 6:30 got the bobblehead. Oh well, I guess.
After watching the game and looking at the box score, I really think that tonight was a total team effort. Eight players got hits, six players scored runs and five players knocked in runs. Without giving you stats, I'd say Craig Monroe, Matt Macri and Scott Baker all had performances that stood out. And that's not even fair because Macri only played three innings.
Anyway, on my way home I ended up on a road that was unfamilar to me. It took me much longer to get home than it should have. So I'm tired and going to bed.
Have a good night!
Let me tell you about the Bobblehead first. Tim, a college buddy of mine, and I had discussed when we should arrive at the Dome. We used our previous five ventures as a guide and we decided that last year's Friday night bobblehead game - Joe Mauer - was going to be a little more popular than Gladden. I think we got to Mauer's at 10:00 (or before) and we were about 30 feet back leaning on the yellow posts. This year, we figured if we got there at 1:00, we should be in good shape. I guess you could say we were right. We got there a little bit before one, and there were about a dozen people at the gate we wait at. I think by about 3:30 our line had made it to the yellow posts. Needless to say, we didn't need to get there as early as we did. I'm also fairly certain that people that arrived at the Dome at 6:30 got the bobblehead. Oh well, I guess.
After watching the game and looking at the box score, I really think that tonight was a total team effort. Eight players got hits, six players scored runs and five players knocked in runs. Without giving you stats, I'd say Craig Monroe, Matt Macri and Scott Baker all had performances that stood out. And that's not even fair because Macri only played three innings.
Anyway, on my way home I ended up on a road that was unfamilar to me. It took me much longer to get home than it should have. So I'm tired and going to bed.
Have a good night!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Twins Sweep Nats!
First of all, in some minor Twins news, AAA IF Chris Basak wasn't on the Rochester roster when I looked at it today. He hasn't been very good this year -- or really ever -- and isn't considered a prospect. I couldn't find out what happened to him; all I knew is that he appears on the Yankees AAA roster.
I invite you to read this blog: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/blogs/extrabases/
It explains Basak's "sale" and goes on to complain about how the Twins have handled things this with their Triple-A affiliate this year. You should also read the comments. I, not afraid of confrontation, chimed in with some thoughts. I have to say that turned my early night into a semi-late one; but it was well worth it.
Onto the team that really matters:
THE TWINS!
Yeah, the Twins pulled off a sweep off the Nationals today. It was an afternoon game, and I haven't seen any highlights, so I'm going to name my three stars based on the play-by-play update that I followed on the internet:
Michael Cuddyer - 2 for 2, 2 BB, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI. Fill 'er up, Cuddy! Enough with the trade Cuddyer talks, he's starting to swing a hot bat again. And I like his rocket-arm. My mom has always been a huge Cuddy fan -- even back when all he did was strike out and ground out to the second baseman. Me, I took a while... but for now, Cuddy, you're ok with me!
Glen Perkins - 8 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K, 106 pitches. How can I not talk about the former Pony? This is the second good start in a row; and the longest of his career. Too many hits, but a win is a win... most of the time anyway.
Brian Buscher - 2 for 3, R, 2 RBI. That "ticking" you hear is the clock on Mike Lamb's career as a Twin winding down. I still think it's a ways off, but it's easier to justify releasing $6.6 million than it is to never play $6.6 million... in my opinion anyways.
The Twins open their series with the D-backs tomorrow night. I will be heading their early to add to my bobblehead collection. I'm also pretty excited to see Scott Baker face off with future-Hall-of-Famer Randy "Big Unit" Johnson. I saw Johnson pitch once before (with the M's -- who had Griffey and A-Rod at the time) and he's only a sliver of what he used to be. But it will still be fun.
Anyway, let's all keep our fingers crossed that my wife doesn't go into labor in the next 24 hours.
In other big blog news -- I've now officially seen a link to my blog show up on a blog roll. And a pretty popular blog at that. If you head over to Taylor's Twins Talk, you will see a link to my blog... and I'm not even at the very bottom! Good times.
Have a good night!
I invite you to read this blog: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/blogs/extrabases/
It explains Basak's "sale" and goes on to complain about how the Twins have handled things this with their Triple-A affiliate this year. You should also read the comments. I, not afraid of confrontation, chimed in with some thoughts. I have to say that turned my early night into a semi-late one; but it was well worth it.
Onto the team that really matters:
THE TWINS!
Yeah, the Twins pulled off a sweep off the Nationals today. It was an afternoon game, and I haven't seen any highlights, so I'm going to name my three stars based on the play-by-play update that I followed on the internet:
Michael Cuddyer - 2 for 2, 2 BB, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI. Fill 'er up, Cuddy! Enough with the trade Cuddyer talks, he's starting to swing a hot bat again. And I like his rocket-arm. My mom has always been a huge Cuddy fan -- even back when all he did was strike out and ground out to the second baseman. Me, I took a while... but for now, Cuddy, you're ok with me!
Glen Perkins - 8 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K, 106 pitches. How can I not talk about the former Pony? This is the second good start in a row; and the longest of his career. Too many hits, but a win is a win... most of the time anyway.
Brian Buscher - 2 for 3, R, 2 RBI. That "ticking" you hear is the clock on Mike Lamb's career as a Twin winding down. I still think it's a ways off, but it's easier to justify releasing $6.6 million than it is to never play $6.6 million... in my opinion anyways.
The Twins open their series with the D-backs tomorrow night. I will be heading their early to add to my bobblehead collection. I'm also pretty excited to see Scott Baker face off with future-Hall-of-Famer Randy "Big Unit" Johnson. I saw Johnson pitch once before (with the M's -- who had Griffey and A-Rod at the time) and he's only a sliver of what he used to be. But it will still be fun.
Anyway, let's all keep our fingers crossed that my wife doesn't go into labor in the next 24 hours.
In other big blog news -- I've now officially seen a link to my blog show up on a blog roll. And a pretty popular blog at that. If you head over to Taylor's Twins Talk, you will see a link to my blog... and I'm not even at the very bottom! Good times.
Have a good night!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Twins win again...
The Twins blew this one open late and coasted to 11-2 victory. They will go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon.
An additional note - I will be heading to the Dome for Dan Gladden Bobblehead Day on Friday and get to see Randy Johnson pitch... good times.
Three Stars:
Carlos Gomez - 3 for 5, 2 R, RBI, 2 K. The game takes on a whole new life when Gomez gets on. It was actually quite comical when Gomez said during spring training that when Mauer and Morneau are batting, and Gomez is on base, the pitcher will be thinking "Gomez, Gomez", but now I see what he means. He's a thorn in the opposing teams' sides. He's obviously still overmatched in some (2 Ks tonight) at-bats. But when he gets on, good things are going to happen.
Kevin Slowey - 6 IP, 7 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 90 pitches. Slowey had good stuff tonight; not great. A WHIP of 1.5 isn't especially good (unless we're comparing him to Livan). However, he was given 3 runs in support and that was enough for him.
Jesse Crain - IP, BB, 2 K. Crain came in with 2 inherited runners on, nobody out and a 3-1 lead. He was able to protect this lead; something that the bullpen has really struggled to do. Because it was so long ago, I can only vaugely remember the pre-injury Crain, but from my understanding, he is slowly getting back to that form.
Honorable Mentions: Justin Morneau (3 RBI), Brendan Harris (2B and 3B), Delmon Young and Brian Buscher (2 RBI each)
Notable: How about the near-triple-play in the 8th inning? If you didn't see it, I'll give you a recap: Brian Bass allows two hits to start the inning. The next batter bounces it to Buscher at third, who touches the bag and throws to Casilla at second. The throw is a little wide, so Casilla stretches to catch it and throws it to first, beating the runner. It turns out the 2nd base umpire believed that Casilla, while stretching to catch the throw, pulled his foot from the bag. So, instead of a 5-4-3 triple play, it will end up a 5-4-3 double play, narrowly missing becoming the first Twins triple play since May 27, 2006 when Luis Castillo, Morneau and Tony Batista combined for one against the Mariners. (The Twins still remain the only team to ever record two triple-plays in the same game. The accomplished the feat July 17, 1990 against the Red Sox. I believe they lost the game 1-0. Forgive me if my memory is off. I remember watching the game, but I was only 7 at the time.)
I also am becoming more and more in favor of a 3B platoon of Brian Buscher and Matt Macri. That leaves Mike Lamb in the cold. Personally, I was neither for or against the signing, because I knew very little of him. (Unlike Adam Everett; I was totally against that signing.) And also unlike Everett, Lamb's is a multi-year deal. So there would be a price to releasing him. There really are 3 options: keep him and pay him, release him and pay him, and trade him and get him off the books. Personally, I don't think they could unload him in a trade (at least not without taking on a similar bad contract). So what's it going to be? If it were my call, I am going to pay him either way, so why not just get it over with and let him go? I don't know. I think Lamb seems like a decent guy, and he probably is good in the locker room. I know he never was a full-time guy before, so being on the bench a bunch probably isn't a huge adjustment for him. Either way, I don't think there is a definite right answer (like with Rincon), but if there is ever a roster crunch and a spot is needed, I wouldn't question releasing him. (Of course, it's not my $6.6 million we're talking about either.)
An additional note - I will be heading to the Dome for Dan Gladden Bobblehead Day on Friday and get to see Randy Johnson pitch... good times.
Three Stars:
Carlos Gomez - 3 for 5, 2 R, RBI, 2 K. The game takes on a whole new life when Gomez gets on. It was actually quite comical when Gomez said during spring training that when Mauer and Morneau are batting, and Gomez is on base, the pitcher will be thinking "Gomez, Gomez", but now I see what he means. He's a thorn in the opposing teams' sides. He's obviously still overmatched in some (2 Ks tonight) at-bats. But when he gets on, good things are going to happen.
Kevin Slowey - 6 IP, 7 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 90 pitches. Slowey had good stuff tonight; not great. A WHIP of 1.5 isn't especially good (unless we're comparing him to Livan). However, he was given 3 runs in support and that was enough for him.
Jesse Crain - IP, BB, 2 K. Crain came in with 2 inherited runners on, nobody out and a 3-1 lead. He was able to protect this lead; something that the bullpen has really struggled to do. Because it was so long ago, I can only vaugely remember the pre-injury Crain, but from my understanding, he is slowly getting back to that form.
Honorable Mentions: Justin Morneau (3 RBI), Brendan Harris (2B and 3B), Delmon Young and Brian Buscher (2 RBI each)
Notable: How about the near-triple-play in the 8th inning? If you didn't see it, I'll give you a recap: Brian Bass allows two hits to start the inning. The next batter bounces it to Buscher at third, who touches the bag and throws to Casilla at second. The throw is a little wide, so Casilla stretches to catch it and throws it to first, beating the runner. It turns out the 2nd base umpire believed that Casilla, while stretching to catch the throw, pulled his foot from the bag. So, instead of a 5-4-3 triple play, it will end up a 5-4-3 double play, narrowly missing becoming the first Twins triple play since May 27, 2006 when Luis Castillo, Morneau and Tony Batista combined for one against the Mariners. (The Twins still remain the only team to ever record two triple-plays in the same game. The accomplished the feat July 17, 1990 against the Red Sox. I believe they lost the game 1-0. Forgive me if my memory is off. I remember watching the game, but I was only 7 at the time.)
I also am becoming more and more in favor of a 3B platoon of Brian Buscher and Matt Macri. That leaves Mike Lamb in the cold. Personally, I was neither for or against the signing, because I knew very little of him. (Unlike Adam Everett; I was totally against that signing.) And also unlike Everett, Lamb's is a multi-year deal. So there would be a price to releasing him. There really are 3 options: keep him and pay him, release him and pay him, and trade him and get him off the books. Personally, I don't think they could unload him in a trade (at least not without taking on a similar bad contract). So what's it going to be? If it were my call, I am going to pay him either way, so why not just get it over with and let him go? I don't know. I think Lamb seems like a decent guy, and he probably is good in the locker room. I know he never was a full-time guy before, so being on the bench a bunch probably isn't a huge adjustment for him. Either way, I don't think there is a definite right answer (like with Rincon), but if there is ever a roster crunch and a spot is needed, I wouldn't question releasing him. (Of course, it's not my $6.6 million we're talking about either.)
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Twins Win Quickly
The Twins pull out a 2-1 victory over the Nationals tonight in a game that only took 1 hour and 59 minutes. There really wasn't much action, so I'm not going to say much.
Three Stars:
Livan Hernandez - 7 IP, 5 H, ER, K, 77 pitches. Livan's performance was the big news tonight. Obviously, the coaching staff doesn't have a ton of confidence in him, because he was pulled after only 77 pitches. Luckily, the bullpen was able to keep this one under control, so Livan takes the win.
Justin Morneau - 1 for 4, HR, 2 RBI, R. Morneau accounted for all the runs batted in tonight for the Twins... and the home run was a blast.
Joe Mauer - 2 for 3, BB, R. Mauer assumed his table-setter role once again. In a night full of not much, this was the only other player that stood out.
In minor league news:
There have been a lot of transactions in the past week. You can go to either Taylor's Twins Talk or LaVelle's blog on my sidebar and view the transactions. The other news is one of the Twins roookie-league teams, the Elizabethton Twins, started off their short-season tonight with a convincing 12-6 victory. (Last year's 2nd round pick, Danny Rams, started his season with 6 RBI.)
Three Stars:
Livan Hernandez - 7 IP, 5 H, ER, K, 77 pitches. Livan's performance was the big news tonight. Obviously, the coaching staff doesn't have a ton of confidence in him, because he was pulled after only 77 pitches. Luckily, the bullpen was able to keep this one under control, so Livan takes the win.
Justin Morneau - 1 for 4, HR, 2 RBI, R. Morneau accounted for all the runs batted in tonight for the Twins... and the home run was a blast.
Joe Mauer - 2 for 3, BB, R. Mauer assumed his table-setter role once again. In a night full of not much, this was the only other player that stood out.
In minor league news:
There have been a lot of transactions in the past week. You can go to either Taylor's Twins Talk or LaVelle's blog on my sidebar and view the transactions. The other news is one of the Twins roookie-league teams, the Elizabethton Twins, started off their short-season tonight with a convincing 12-6 victory. (Last year's 2nd round pick, Danny Rams, started his season with 6 RBI.)
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Twins Win Thriller
I would like to post a lot on tonight's 9-4 12-inning win, but the TV is talking about some big storms that are coming, so I should probably find something better to do than ignore that.
Three Stars:
Brian Buscher - 3 for 5, 2 R, 3 RBI. He got it done. Offensively and defensively. Buscher far and away deserves the game ball for this one. As a left-handed 3B, he is stuck behind Mike Lamb, which is unfortunate. More games like this and it will be hard to not play him.
Glen Perkins - 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 6 K, BB, HR, 93 pitches. Coming into this season, I wasn't a big fan of Perkins. The more I watch him, the more my fan-dom grows. He's never going to dominate, but he will be a solid middle-of-the-rotation type of guy for a long time. He just needs to keep doing what he's doing, even though tonight wasn't great... he did enough to give the Twins a chance to win.
Michael Cuddyer - 1 for 1, 3B, 2 RBI. I'm taking Cuddyer, even though his hit wasn't a game-winner, because after the play, every one was jacked.
Storms here... gotta go.
Three Stars:
Brian Buscher - 3 for 5, 2 R, 3 RBI. He got it done. Offensively and defensively. Buscher far and away deserves the game ball for this one. As a left-handed 3B, he is stuck behind Mike Lamb, which is unfortunate. More games like this and it will be hard to not play him.
Glen Perkins - 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 6 K, BB, HR, 93 pitches. Coming into this season, I wasn't a big fan of Perkins. The more I watch him, the more my fan-dom grows. He's never going to dominate, but he will be a solid middle-of-the-rotation type of guy for a long time. He just needs to keep doing what he's doing, even though tonight wasn't great... he did enough to give the Twins a chance to win.
Michael Cuddyer - 1 for 1, 3B, 2 RBI. I'm taking Cuddyer, even though his hit wasn't a game-winner, because after the play, every one was jacked.
Storms here... gotta go.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Twins whack Brew Crew
I'm not going to get too optimistic after Friday night's 10-2 win in Milwaukee. But I'll tell you what, watching the offense score some runs and having the pitching staff hold a lead makes you feel good about the team, if only for a night.
Three Stars:
Kevin Slowey - 8 IP, 5 H, 5 K, 2 ER, 2 for 4, 2B, R, 2 RBI. For as bad as his last game was, this one was amazing. He was under control and hitting his corners. He avoided dangerous innings. He even helped himself out with a couple of big hits. Obviously, I think it benefitted Slowey that he hadn't faced many of the Brewers before, and if he had it was only a couple of at-bats. If these guys saw him regularly, it would become a different story. But they don't, so it's not. Great way to start the weekend - the bullpen is still fresh!
Now it gets a little tougher...
Six guys with multi-hit games, 2 guys with 3 RBI...
Alexi Casilla - 2 for 5, 2B, R, 3 RBI. I'm taking Casilla because he was part of the big 5th inning. In fact, if it weren't for a single play he made, that inning wouldn't have happened. Gomez led off the inning with a bunt single. Casilla followed with a bunt single. Mauer followed that up with a tailor-made double play ball. However, Casilla's hard slide into 2nd broke up that opportunity. The next batter, Morneau, was able to hit a 2-run 3B. Had it not been for Casilla's slide, the inning - and probably game - would have taken on a whole new look. Adding to that, Casilla also had a 3-run double in the 5-run 7th inning.
Delmon Young - 3 for 4, R, RBI. The big thing here is that Young was on the bench to start the game. When Cuddyer took a ball to the hand in the 1st inning and left the game later, Young had to step in; and step in he did. Mentally, a player usually has all day to prepare for a game (or a day off) and usually, on off days, a player is not likely to be called upon until later. However, Young was able to step in early and produce. Granted, it wasn't extra base hits and lots of runs batted in, but a 3-hit game when you're supposed to be on the bench is a good thing.
Pre-game big news: Twins first-round pick OF Aaron Hicks signed a contract. I believe the signing bonus was $1.78 million. Not bad for a guy who graduated earlier in the day. Here's your diploma... here's almost two million dollars. He is expected to play in the GCL, just as Ben Revere did last year. (Speaking of Ben Revere, he went 3 for 5 today and is batting .411. I know there is no reason to hurry the kid - and his defense is brutal - but how about a shot at high-A ball?)
Now onto the other stuff:
A lot has been made about AAA-affiliate Rochester only having eight healthy position players last night. How the Twins stiffed them and all that. Yeah, the Twins lacked the necessary foresight. The Red Wings won anyway, and the next day relief came from New Britain. I'm not going to make anything more of it; it's over and I doubt it will happen again.
Getting their first promotions to AAA were C Jeff Christy and SS/3B Trevor Plouffe.
Christy was a 6th round pick in 2006 out of Nebraska. Although, he's not a high-rated prospect, he would appear the next-ready to play besides the 4 above him. Personally, I don't think he'll ever wear a big-league Twins jersey, but what do I know?
Plouffe is a former 1st round draft pick. The Twins top choice in 2004, I rated him as the #5 prospect in the organization. That is higher than most other places have rated him, but he is still very young. In fact, he is over 5 years younger (22 tomorrow) than the Red Wings average age (27 and a month). With that being said, he wasn't performing so great that he needed to get the call. Honestly, there were other infielders in New Britain who were probably more deserving. (Plouffe was 0-3 in his debut.)
With 2 players leaving New Britain, there is going to be some ripple-effect felt between there and Ft. Myers. The report is that 4 players will be promoted after their all-star game tomorrow night. (There has been one already.)
Most likely, we will be seeing 3B Danny Valencia, 2B Brian Dinkelman, SP Jeff Manship and CLR Robert Delaney make the move to play every day in AA. (C Rodolfo Palacios was already promoted, but he doesn't figure as a top prospect.)
Valencia will be replacing Luke Hughes, who, when healthy, should head to Rochester. Valencia has been tearing it up and has wiggled his way from "3B of the Future" to "3B of 2010" to "3B of 2009...?" to "Can he be ready by September?" As good as he's been (.336/.402/.518), there is no way he heads North until September of 2009 (at the earliest).
Dinkelman hasn't been quite as good as Valencia (.293/.399/.414), but he's still putting up pretty good numbers. The issue is that New Britain already has a pretty good 2B, Steve Tolleson. Should he be getting the call to move up soon too?
Manship will step right into the rotation and continue as a top-level prospect; Delaney will probably assume a position as a set-up guy. While Manship may one day crack the big-league rotation, Delaney will be nothing more than a middle-reliever if he can continue his climb upward.
With that, I'm going to close up shop. I look forward to seeing what other move are made and let's all hope for Perkins to come up big tomorrow night, so we can go for the sweep on Sunday!
Three Stars:
Kevin Slowey - 8 IP, 5 H, 5 K, 2 ER, 2 for 4, 2B, R, 2 RBI. For as bad as his last game was, this one was amazing. He was under control and hitting his corners. He avoided dangerous innings. He even helped himself out with a couple of big hits. Obviously, I think it benefitted Slowey that he hadn't faced many of the Brewers before, and if he had it was only a couple of at-bats. If these guys saw him regularly, it would become a different story. But they don't, so it's not. Great way to start the weekend - the bullpen is still fresh!
Now it gets a little tougher...
Six guys with multi-hit games, 2 guys with 3 RBI...
Alexi Casilla - 2 for 5, 2B, R, 3 RBI. I'm taking Casilla because he was part of the big 5th inning. In fact, if it weren't for a single play he made, that inning wouldn't have happened. Gomez led off the inning with a bunt single. Casilla followed with a bunt single. Mauer followed that up with a tailor-made double play ball. However, Casilla's hard slide into 2nd broke up that opportunity. The next batter, Morneau, was able to hit a 2-run 3B. Had it not been for Casilla's slide, the inning - and probably game - would have taken on a whole new look. Adding to that, Casilla also had a 3-run double in the 5-run 7th inning.
Delmon Young - 3 for 4, R, RBI. The big thing here is that Young was on the bench to start the game. When Cuddyer took a ball to the hand in the 1st inning and left the game later, Young had to step in; and step in he did. Mentally, a player usually has all day to prepare for a game (or a day off) and usually, on off days, a player is not likely to be called upon until later. However, Young was able to step in early and produce. Granted, it wasn't extra base hits and lots of runs batted in, but a 3-hit game when you're supposed to be on the bench is a good thing.
Pre-game big news: Twins first-round pick OF Aaron Hicks signed a contract. I believe the signing bonus was $1.78 million. Not bad for a guy who graduated earlier in the day. Here's your diploma... here's almost two million dollars. He is expected to play in the GCL, just as Ben Revere did last year. (Speaking of Ben Revere, he went 3 for 5 today and is batting .411. I know there is no reason to hurry the kid - and his defense is brutal - but how about a shot at high-A ball?)
Now onto the other stuff:
A lot has been made about AAA-affiliate Rochester only having eight healthy position players last night. How the Twins stiffed them and all that. Yeah, the Twins lacked the necessary foresight. The Red Wings won anyway, and the next day relief came from New Britain. I'm not going to make anything more of it; it's over and I doubt it will happen again.
Getting their first promotions to AAA were C Jeff Christy and SS/3B Trevor Plouffe.
Christy was a 6th round pick in 2006 out of Nebraska. Although, he's not a high-rated prospect, he would appear the next-ready to play besides the 4 above him. Personally, I don't think he'll ever wear a big-league Twins jersey, but what do I know?
Plouffe is a former 1st round draft pick. The Twins top choice in 2004, I rated him as the #5 prospect in the organization. That is higher than most other places have rated him, but he is still very young. In fact, he is over 5 years younger (22 tomorrow) than the Red Wings average age (27 and a month). With that being said, he wasn't performing so great that he needed to get the call. Honestly, there were other infielders in New Britain who were probably more deserving. (Plouffe was 0-3 in his debut.)
With 2 players leaving New Britain, there is going to be some ripple-effect felt between there and Ft. Myers. The report is that 4 players will be promoted after their all-star game tomorrow night. (There has been one already.)
Most likely, we will be seeing 3B Danny Valencia, 2B Brian Dinkelman, SP Jeff Manship and CLR Robert Delaney make the move to play every day in AA. (C Rodolfo Palacios was already promoted, but he doesn't figure as a top prospect.)
Valencia will be replacing Luke Hughes, who, when healthy, should head to Rochester. Valencia has been tearing it up and has wiggled his way from "3B of the Future" to "3B of 2010" to "3B of 2009...?" to "Can he be ready by September?" As good as he's been (.336/.402/.518), there is no way he heads North until September of 2009 (at the earliest).
Dinkelman hasn't been quite as good as Valencia (.293/.399/.414), but he's still putting up pretty good numbers. The issue is that New Britain already has a pretty good 2B, Steve Tolleson. Should he be getting the call to move up soon too?
Manship will step right into the rotation and continue as a top-level prospect; Delaney will probably assume a position as a set-up guy. While Manship may one day crack the big-league rotation, Delaney will be nothing more than a middle-reliever if he can continue his climb upward.
With that, I'm going to close up shop. I look forward to seeing what other move are made and let's all hope for Perkins to come up big tomorrow night, so we can go for the sweep on Sunday!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Thursday Update
In case you haven't noticed, my posts are becoming fewer and farther between. This is partially by design and partially forced. By design, I have a hard time posting after the Twins lose. It's easy to get frustrated and fly off the handle. On the other hand, even though I don't work during the summer, my days only seem to get busier. In conclusion, I do plan to post my "three stars" after the Twins win. There will be no "stars" after a loss, but I may post.
I will post on transactions.
Speaking of transactions, the Twins FINALLY ended their tenure with Juan Rincon. If you check my archive, you will see I first suggested the Twins should release Juan Rincon on April 13. It's been a long time comin'. To take Rincon's spot, Brian Buscher was recalled. That has left Rochester especially short - they only had 8 healthy position players, so their pitchers had to bat today.
Although the Twins are in the midst of a losing skid, they did manage to win yesterday's game. Here are the three stars:
Jason Kubel - 3 for 4, HR, 2 RBI. Kubel doesn't seem to show up every night. He did last night and helped the Twins to a win. Nights like this can keep Kubel in the lineup, but those nights may become fewer.
Nick Blackburn - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 5 K, BB, HR. First quality start in a loooong time. And no line drives off the face.
Jesse Crain - 1.1 IP, 3 K, BB. We like contributions from the bullpen.
I won't be posting anything about tonights game - besides Livan was junk and Macri hit his first career HR - but let's hope I can post for the next three nights!
Go Twins!
I will post on transactions.
Speaking of transactions, the Twins FINALLY ended their tenure with Juan Rincon. If you check my archive, you will see I first suggested the Twins should release Juan Rincon on April 13. It's been a long time comin'. To take Rincon's spot, Brian Buscher was recalled. That has left Rochester especially short - they only had 8 healthy position players, so their pitchers had to bat today.
Although the Twins are in the midst of a losing skid, they did manage to win yesterday's game. Here are the three stars:
Jason Kubel - 3 for 4, HR, 2 RBI. Kubel doesn't seem to show up every night. He did last night and helped the Twins to a win. Nights like this can keep Kubel in the lineup, but those nights may become fewer.
Nick Blackburn - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 5 K, BB, HR. First quality start in a loooong time. And no line drives off the face.
Jesse Crain - 1.1 IP, 3 K, BB. We like contributions from the bullpen.
I won't be posting anything about tonights game - besides Livan was junk and Macri hit his first career HR - but let's hope I can post for the next three nights!
Go Twins!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Twins Skid Continues...
Does anyone else think that Ron Gardenhire continues to pitch Juan Rincon - knowing that he'll get rocked - in hopes that Bill Smith will eventually notice how bad he is and release him?
I'm not even going to go into detail about what happened last night and this afternoon.
I should have more to say tomorrow afternoon.
Did anyone else see the monkey actually come off Delmon Young's back last night after he crossed home plate?
I'm not even going to go into detail about what happened last night and this afternoon.
I should have more to say tomorrow afternoon.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Friday Update
The Twins didn't have a great series against the Orioles, but they still go into Chicago only 2.5 games back.
Some (kind of) big news is that UTIL Nick Punto had to go back on the DL with a hamstring injury. So 3B Matt Macri was called back up before actually getting back down to Rochester. This leaves the Twins thin on the bench, with only 3 bench players - Monroe, Redmond and Macri. With Punto, at least, the bench was had a little flexibility; now, it's limited. As an example, P Kevin Slowey had to pinch-run.
The other Twins news of yesterday and today is the draft. Over the course of it, the Twins selected 52 players. If last year is any indication, they will probably sign 20-25 of them. A few will sign too late to play at all this year. The deadline to sign these players - or lose their rights - is August 15.
The Twins had 3 of the first 31 picks. Their first pick was 14. The three guys that I narrowed it down to were all still on the board. The ended up selecting Prep OF Aaron Hicks. They should be able to sign him and I would expect him to play for the GCL Twins, which is the same path that last year's first pick, Ben Revere, took.
With their second pick, 27 overall, the Twins selected RHP Carlos Gutierrez from Miami. It came as a shock to the experts; I hadn't heard the name before. He is currently a closer, but the Twins are expected to make him a starter. As of now, he only has one pitch - a fastball with sink, but projects as a "fast-track" guy. Could he end up in Beloit or Ft. Myers this year? We'll have to stay tuned to see how this turns out...
At 31, the Twins took RHP Shooter Hunt from Tulane. I had seen Hunt as high as 12 in some mocks recently, so he was a surprise to fall so far. He projects as a back-of-the-rotation type of guy. He has two pitches right now - a fastball and a curve - that grade high. His changeup isn't used often, but is a projectable pitch. The knock on Hunt is his command. I would assume that when Hunt signs, he'll be shipped out to Elizabethton.
The Twins 2nd round pick, and last pick I'm going to talk about, is SS Tyler Ladendorf. This is the 3rd time that Ladendorf has been drafted. Right now he is a shortstop, but most project a move in his future. I expect he'll start as a SS, probably with the Gulf Coast team, unless Estarlin De Los Santos gets moved up from Elizabethton to Beloit.
Of course, it all depends on who signs when. Last year's rookie teams went 87-37, so hopefully this year's guys can play just as well.
Some (kind of) big news is that UTIL Nick Punto had to go back on the DL with a hamstring injury. So 3B Matt Macri was called back up before actually getting back down to Rochester. This leaves the Twins thin on the bench, with only 3 bench players - Monroe, Redmond and Macri. With Punto, at least, the bench was had a little flexibility; now, it's limited. As an example, P Kevin Slowey had to pinch-run.
The other Twins news of yesterday and today is the draft. Over the course of it, the Twins selected 52 players. If last year is any indication, they will probably sign 20-25 of them. A few will sign too late to play at all this year. The deadline to sign these players - or lose their rights - is August 15.
The Twins had 3 of the first 31 picks. Their first pick was 14. The three guys that I narrowed it down to were all still on the board. The ended up selecting Prep OF Aaron Hicks. They should be able to sign him and I would expect him to play for the GCL Twins, which is the same path that last year's first pick, Ben Revere, took.
With their second pick, 27 overall, the Twins selected RHP Carlos Gutierrez from Miami. It came as a shock to the experts; I hadn't heard the name before. He is currently a closer, but the Twins are expected to make him a starter. As of now, he only has one pitch - a fastball with sink, but projects as a "fast-track" guy. Could he end up in Beloit or Ft. Myers this year? We'll have to stay tuned to see how this turns out...
At 31, the Twins took RHP Shooter Hunt from Tulane. I had seen Hunt as high as 12 in some mocks recently, so he was a surprise to fall so far. He projects as a back-of-the-rotation type of guy. He has two pitches right now - a fastball and a curve - that grade high. His changeup isn't used often, but is a projectable pitch. The knock on Hunt is his command. I would assume that when Hunt signs, he'll be shipped out to Elizabethton.
The Twins 2nd round pick, and last pick I'm going to talk about, is SS Tyler Ladendorf. This is the 3rd time that Ladendorf has been drafted. Right now he is a shortstop, but most project a move in his future. I expect he'll start as a SS, probably with the Gulf Coast team, unless Estarlin De Los Santos gets moved up from Elizabethton to Beloit.
Of course, it all depends on who signs when. Last year's rookie teams went 87-37, so hopefully this year's guys can play just as well.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Baseball Draft
I'm not exactly sure why, but I love sports drafts.
I consider the NFL the greatest sport, and follow college football closely, so I always have interest in the NFL draft. It doesn't matter what team is drafting where, I follow it. For some reason, I would say that I followed the NFL draft less this year than any other of the previous 10-15 drafts.
I'm not a big fan of the NBA. In the last 5 years, I've probably watched less than a dozen NBA games start to finish. This year, I watched the T'wolves opener, that was it. I usually catch a few playoff games, this year I haven't. I do, however, have interest in the this year's finals. I could see myself watching a few of those. My interest in the NBA peaks near the end of June during the NBA draft. I will watch that closely... too closely. But it seems like my interest in the league will simmer within a week of the draft.
I think the great thing about these drafts is that every team believes they will take "the guy" that will make them instant contenders. They'll be making huge amounts of money, and the pressure, from Day 1, is on.
Tomorrow marks the first day of the MLB first-player draft. Last year was the first year it was televised. The fact that it is not a huge television event is just one of many differences between this and the other drafts.
The eligibility rules are different. Foreign players are free-agents. Can you imagine the NBA if all the foreign players were free agents?
Another big difference with this draft is whether or not certain players are "signable". If a player in the NBA (Steve Francis) or NFL (Eli Manning) is drafted by a team that isn't desirable, there aren't a lot of options for the player; the team is still going to take them. Eventually, the player will get traded, but the drafting team will make a haul. Not the case in baseball. Unless a player is a college senior, they have options - like going back to school. Only seniors are lame-ducks, but in their cases, they've probably been drafted twice (or more) before. When you can re-enter the draft a number of times, you have a little power.
Finally - and what I consider the biggest difference - comes the fact that players who are taken in tomorrow's draft won't become household names until 2010 0r 2011 at the soonest. There is no immediate help. There are very few players whose names you'll recognize from watching SportsCenter.
Thinking about these things left me wondering what I should post about the draft. Should I create a mock draft? Pointless. I decided I'm just going to take some names that I hear the Twins have interest in and post some things I've heard/read about them. That way, if any of these guys become Twins, you'll have some idea about them.
(Players are listed in the order that I prefer)
Zach Collier, OF, Chino Hills HS (CA) - Only 17, considered a "toolsy" outfielder. As much uncertainty as there is with players at the lower levels, I would have a hard time adding another OF to the stable that already includes a lot of young guys, including Joe Benson and Ben Revere at low-A. With that being said, the system lacks a lot of power and Collier projects as a power-hitting corner OF. There is definitely a lack of players with that "power" quality.
I consider the NFL the greatest sport, and follow college football closely, so I always have interest in the NFL draft. It doesn't matter what team is drafting where, I follow it. For some reason, I would say that I followed the NFL draft less this year than any other of the previous 10-15 drafts.
I'm not a big fan of the NBA. In the last 5 years, I've probably watched less than a dozen NBA games start to finish. This year, I watched the T'wolves opener, that was it. I usually catch a few playoff games, this year I haven't. I do, however, have interest in the this year's finals. I could see myself watching a few of those. My interest in the NBA peaks near the end of June during the NBA draft. I will watch that closely... too closely. But it seems like my interest in the league will simmer within a week of the draft.
I think the great thing about these drafts is that every team believes they will take "the guy" that will make them instant contenders. They'll be making huge amounts of money, and the pressure, from Day 1, is on.
Tomorrow marks the first day of the MLB first-player draft. Last year was the first year it was televised. The fact that it is not a huge television event is just one of many differences between this and the other drafts.
The eligibility rules are different. Foreign players are free-agents. Can you imagine the NBA if all the foreign players were free agents?
Another big difference with this draft is whether or not certain players are "signable". If a player in the NBA (Steve Francis) or NFL (Eli Manning) is drafted by a team that isn't desirable, there aren't a lot of options for the player; the team is still going to take them. Eventually, the player will get traded, but the drafting team will make a haul. Not the case in baseball. Unless a player is a college senior, they have options - like going back to school. Only seniors are lame-ducks, but in their cases, they've probably been drafted twice (or more) before. When you can re-enter the draft a number of times, you have a little power.
Finally - and what I consider the biggest difference - comes the fact that players who are taken in tomorrow's draft won't become household names until 2010 0r 2011 at the soonest. There is no immediate help. There are very few players whose names you'll recognize from watching SportsCenter.
Thinking about these things left me wondering what I should post about the draft. Should I create a mock draft? Pointless. I decided I'm just going to take some names that I hear the Twins have interest in and post some things I've heard/read about them. That way, if any of these guys become Twins, you'll have some idea about them.
(Players are listed in the order that I prefer)
Zach Collier, OF, Chino Hills HS (CA) - Only 17, considered a "toolsy" outfielder. As much uncertainty as there is with players at the lower levels, I would have a hard time adding another OF to the stable that already includes a lot of young guys, including Joe Benson and Ben Revere at low-A. With that being said, the system lacks a lot of power and Collier projects as a power-hitting corner OF. There is definitely a lack of players with that "power" quality.
Brett Lawrie, C/3B, Brookswood SS (B.C.) - Doesn't have a true position, but is a power hitter. The Twins have been good with Canadien players (Koskie, Morneau). Lawrie has moved up and around on draft boards - mentioned as high as #7. If both him and Collier are there at 14, I hope they take one of them. Either would be okay with me, I'm keeping Collier above because he has a projectable position.
Aaron Hicks, OF/RHP, Woodrow Wilson HS (CA) - Many teams have reportedly shied off because Hicks refuses to sign as a pitcher. The Twins, alledgedly, want him as an OF. I hope he's gone by 14, so it's not considered. However, if Lawrie and Collier continue to rise and are gone, Hicks wouldn't be a reach.
Ethan Martin, 3B/RHP, Stevens County (CA) - Another 2-way player. I could really see the Twins making Martin their guy as either a 3B or a P. At this point, he's not super high on my list because I don't know if I should view him as a P or 3B (although indications are that he, too, only wants to be a position player).
Brett DeVall, LHP, Niceville HS (FL) - Big, strong lefty. The Twins really like players described in those three words. Not overly powerful, but has command and the ability to develop a few more pitches. I would assume that Twins will take DeVall at 27 or 31.
Isaac Galloway, OF, Los Osos HS (CA) - Similar to Collier, only a lower ceiling. If the Twins are dead-set on adding an OF and Collier is gone at 14, Galloway would make sense at 27 or 31.
Christian Friedrich, LHP, Eastern Kentucky - Considered the 2nd-best college LHP available. Although he's probably the most talented guy on this list, I'm not a big fan. He would fall right into the age range that is stacked with pitching prospects in the system. Unless the Twins consider him a #1, I hope they pass at 14. He should be gone by 27.
Anthony Hewitt, SS, The Salisbury School (CT) - I've heard a lot of teams between 14 and 27 are hot on Hewitt. I'm not. He's a SS now, but will need to be moved to CF. As a MIF, I'm listening, but a move to OF? Has a lot of "raw" talent. For me, only if he's available at 31.
Isaac Galloway, OF, Los Osos HS (CA) - Similar to Collier, only a lower ceiling. If the Twins are dead-set on adding an OF and Collier is gone at 14, Galloway would make sense at 27 or 31.
Christian Friedrich, LHP, Eastern Kentucky - Considered the 2nd-best college LHP available. Although he's probably the most talented guy on this list, I'm not a big fan. He would fall right into the age range that is stacked with pitching prospects in the system. Unless the Twins consider him a #1, I hope they pass at 14. He should be gone by 27.
Anthony Hewitt, SS, The Salisbury School (CT) - I've heard a lot of teams between 14 and 27 are hot on Hewitt. I'm not. He's a SS now, but will need to be moved to CF. As a MIF, I'm listening, but a move to OF? Has a lot of "raw" talent. For me, only if he's available at 31.
Jemile Weeks, 2B, Miami - I cringe when I read a guy is a "table-setter" because that's what Weeks is, and that's what the Twins like. I'm hoping the combination of Casilla having a good year and Rickie Weeks having a bad year will be enough to scare the Twins off Weeks. Plus, you can only "set the table" so much before someone else needs to take care of it.
Brad Hand, LHP, Chaska HS (MN) - A local prep lefty. The Twins have always felt the need to protect their backyard. Could be considered at 27 or 31, more likely to be taken in the 2nd round.
Brad Hand, LHP, Chaska HS (MN) - A local prep lefty. The Twins have always felt the need to protect their backyard. Could be considered at 27 or 31, more likely to be taken in the 2nd round.
My Twins projections: Ethan Martin at 14; Brett DeVall at 27; Brad Hand at 31.
My ideal Twins draft: Zack Collier at 14; Brett Lawrie (somehow) falls to 27; Brett DeVall or Brad Hand at 31.
That's all I have, tune into ESPN2 tomorrow at 1pm to see what happens. I'm thinking the Twins should be drafting around 2:15, 3:30 and 4:00, but that all depends on how long teams take. They can't trade picks, so it could move much faster... so don't schedule your draft-watching around my times.
That's all I have, tune into ESPN2 tomorrow at 1pm to see what happens. I'm thinking the Twins should be drafting around 2:15, 3:30 and 4:00, but that all depends on how long teams take. They can't trade picks, so it could move much faster... so don't schedule your draft-watching around my times.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Twins Notes
The Twins pulled off quite a victory last night over the Yankees. Some notable things happened:
-Livan Hernandez was not very good.
-Joe Mauer hit his first home-run.
-Delmon Young had 3 doubles and 3 RBI.
-Michael Cuddyer continued his hot streak.
With the win, the Twins improve to 30-27. They currently sit half of a game behind the White Sox.
Some other tidbits of information:
-The First-Year player draft is Thursday afternoon. I don't have anything specific in mind for what I plan to post here, but I will be posting some sort of preview tomorrow night. The Twins have 3 of the first 31 picks.
-Boof Bonser has been moved to the bullpen. That means that Matt Macri will head back to Rochester (and the Twins will have only 3 batters on the bench - Redmond, Punto, Monroe).
-Apparently (and unfortunately) Juan Rincon will be remain on the roster... for now anyway.
-The Giants designated Erick Threets for assignmanet. Threets is a big, young lefty. From what I've heard about him, he used to throw in the high-90s, had some shoulder problems, and lost some velocity. He also comes with a "wicked" slider. Obviously, the Twins just signed Craig Breslow, who's pitched well, as another lefty option out of the bullpen. I think the Twins should put in a claim for Threets; chances are they wouldn't get him. If they happened to acquire him, they could DFA Rincon; and if Threets pans out, they'd also effectively replace Dennys Reyes, who is a free agent at the end of the season. Of course, odds are that Threets will be claimed by a team with a worse record and this is all moot... just something to keep your eye on.
As I write this the Twins trail the Orioles 5-3 in the 8th. What a let down after two good wins against the Yankees.
-Livan Hernandez was not very good.
-Joe Mauer hit his first home-run.
-Delmon Young had 3 doubles and 3 RBI.
-Michael Cuddyer continued his hot streak.
With the win, the Twins improve to 30-27. They currently sit half of a game behind the White Sox.
Some other tidbits of information:
-The First-Year player draft is Thursday afternoon. I don't have anything specific in mind for what I plan to post here, but I will be posting some sort of preview tomorrow night. The Twins have 3 of the first 31 picks.
-Boof Bonser has been moved to the bullpen. That means that Matt Macri will head back to Rochester (and the Twins will have only 3 batters on the bench - Redmond, Punto, Monroe).
-Apparently (and unfortunately) Juan Rincon will be remain on the roster... for now anyway.
-The Giants designated Erick Threets for assignmanet. Threets is a big, young lefty. From what I've heard about him, he used to throw in the high-90s, had some shoulder problems, and lost some velocity. He also comes with a "wicked" slider. Obviously, the Twins just signed Craig Breslow, who's pitched well, as another lefty option out of the bullpen. I think the Twins should put in a claim for Threets; chances are they wouldn't get him. If they happened to acquire him, they could DFA Rincon; and if Threets pans out, they'd also effectively replace Dennys Reyes, who is a free agent at the end of the season. Of course, odds are that Threets will be claimed by a team with a worse record and this is all moot... just something to keep your eye on.
As I write this the Twins trail the Orioles 5-3 in the 8th. What a let down after two good wins against the Yankees.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Twins win one, drop two to Yankees
The Twins were able to escape the weekend with a win on Sunday afternoon. This came after dropping the first two games of the weekend. They will finish their Yankee series tomorrow night.
The Twins made two transactions over the weekend. The claimed LHRP Craig Breslow from Cleveland and activated UTIL Nick Punto from the DL. To make room for these two they optioned RHRP Bobby Korecky to Rochester and designated UTIL Howie Clark for assignment. More than likely, Clark will clear waivers and accept an assignment to Rochester. The Red Wings will, in turn, have to free up a roster spot. Chances are they will send MIF Felix Molina back to New Britain. Also, it should be noted that with the 40-man roster full, the Twins transferred Pat Neshek to the 60-man DL. This freed up a roster spot for Breslow. Additionally, by DFAing Clark, the Twins freed up another spot; their 40-man roster now sits at 39.
Now, onto the real stuff...
Friday night: The Twins jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the 1st inning, but then the bats went silent. The Yankees chipped away at the lead, finally going ahead 5-4 in the 5th before adding an insurance run in the 7th. The Twins were able to get one run back in the 8th, but couldn't get any more. The game finished in a 6-5 loss.
Justin Morneau hit his 10th HR of the season and Alexi Casilla continues to swing a hot stick (2-4, 2B. BA up to .340). Glen Perkins only went 4 innings and gave up 10 hits, 2 BB and 5 runs. He didn't strike out any. I would have said the Perkins was a bullpen candidate based on the sole fact that Reyes was the lone LHRP. However, with the addition of Breslow, it appears that Perkins should stay in the rotation.
Saturday night: The game went 12-innings and eventually Juan Rincon got the loss. This overshadowed an otherwise good performance by the bullpen (especially Craig Breslow, who struck out 3 and retired 5 straight). I do wonder why Joe Nathan is only capable of pitching one inning (and I'm not alone). Boof Bonser started and wasn't very good - 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 2 K. Nick Punto made his return and committed a costly fielding error that resulted in 3 unearned runs in the 3rd inning. Isn't he around because of his defense? I see Brendan Harris make the same routine play all the time. Offensively, Michael Cuddyer, Mike Lamb and Delmon Young all contributed multi-hit games. Cuddyer hit his 2nd HR of the season. Lamb also narrowly missed hitting a walk-off HR at one point in the extra innings. Also of note, Alexi Casilla hit only 1 for 3, but walked 3 times. There is no way this guy loses his job anytime in the near future.
Sunday afternoon: Nick Blackburn was cruising until he took a Bobby Abreu line-drive off the kisser. I guess he's ok, but it really must have hurt. He finished with 4.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB and 3 K. The bullpen (Bass/Crain/Nathan) came in and did a great job closing out a 5-1 win. On the offensively side, Michael Cuddyer has really started to get his stuff together. He was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI. His average is up to .245, .20 points higher than a week ago. But still a ways to go before it's respectable. Justin Morneau pounded the ball twice for 2 hits, a double and a triple. Due to an error on the triple, he was able to score.
It really seems like most of the hitters are finding their grooves. Their numbers don't show it yet, but they all seem to be hitting the ball more consistantly than before.
One more against the Yankees and then the Orioles come to town for a 3-game series.
The Twins made two transactions over the weekend. The claimed LHRP Craig Breslow from Cleveland and activated UTIL Nick Punto from the DL. To make room for these two they optioned RHRP Bobby Korecky to Rochester and designated UTIL Howie Clark for assignment. More than likely, Clark will clear waivers and accept an assignment to Rochester. The Red Wings will, in turn, have to free up a roster spot. Chances are they will send MIF Felix Molina back to New Britain. Also, it should be noted that with the 40-man roster full, the Twins transferred Pat Neshek to the 60-man DL. This freed up a roster spot for Breslow. Additionally, by DFAing Clark, the Twins freed up another spot; their 40-man roster now sits at 39.
Now, onto the real stuff...
Friday night: The Twins jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the 1st inning, but then the bats went silent. The Yankees chipped away at the lead, finally going ahead 5-4 in the 5th before adding an insurance run in the 7th. The Twins were able to get one run back in the 8th, but couldn't get any more. The game finished in a 6-5 loss.
Justin Morneau hit his 10th HR of the season and Alexi Casilla continues to swing a hot stick (2-4, 2B. BA up to .340). Glen Perkins only went 4 innings and gave up 10 hits, 2 BB and 5 runs. He didn't strike out any. I would have said the Perkins was a bullpen candidate based on the sole fact that Reyes was the lone LHRP. However, with the addition of Breslow, it appears that Perkins should stay in the rotation.
Saturday night: The game went 12-innings and eventually Juan Rincon got the loss. This overshadowed an otherwise good performance by the bullpen (especially Craig Breslow, who struck out 3 and retired 5 straight). I do wonder why Joe Nathan is only capable of pitching one inning (and I'm not alone). Boof Bonser started and wasn't very good - 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 2 K. Nick Punto made his return and committed a costly fielding error that resulted in 3 unearned runs in the 3rd inning. Isn't he around because of his defense? I see Brendan Harris make the same routine play all the time. Offensively, Michael Cuddyer, Mike Lamb and Delmon Young all contributed multi-hit games. Cuddyer hit his 2nd HR of the season. Lamb also narrowly missed hitting a walk-off HR at one point in the extra innings. Also of note, Alexi Casilla hit only 1 for 3, but walked 3 times. There is no way this guy loses his job anytime in the near future.
Sunday afternoon: Nick Blackburn was cruising until he took a Bobby Abreu line-drive off the kisser. I guess he's ok, but it really must have hurt. He finished with 4.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB and 3 K. The bullpen (Bass/Crain/Nathan) came in and did a great job closing out a 5-1 win. On the offensively side, Michael Cuddyer has really started to get his stuff together. He was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI. His average is up to .245, .20 points higher than a week ago. But still a ways to go before it's respectable. Justin Morneau pounded the ball twice for 2 hits, a double and a triple. Due to an error on the triple, he was able to score.
It really seems like most of the hitters are finding their grooves. Their numbers don't show it yet, but they all seem to be hitting the ball more consistantly than before.
One more against the Yankees and then the Orioles come to town for a 3-game series.
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