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.)