Twins open 2nd half with win

The Twins cruised to a 6-0 victory tonight over the Texas Rangers.

Three Stars:
Glen Perkins - 6 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 1 K, 98 pitches. With this performance, Perkins's ERA drops to 3.84. That is a pretty encouraging number for a guy that started the year in the AAA rotation and was viewed as a possible reliever. Although the 3 walks, with only 1 strikeout, isn't great; the fact that Perkins was able to hold a big-time offense to 3 hits - and 6 innings of shutout baseball - is a feat in itself. (This is the first game of the year that the Rangers haven't scored, I believe.) I think it should be pointed out that Perkins has never pitched more than 134 innings in a year as a professional. He is at 117.2 right now. So basically, when the calendar turns to August, Perkins will be in unchartered waters when it comes to innings pitched. I don't think it would be crazy for the Twins to limit his innings, especially coming off a shoulder injury, but at 7-2 and cruising, it would be tough to shut him down for any amount of time. Although, I do think the Twins might have a guy that could step in for a start or two...
Delmon Young - 4 for 4, RBI, SB. Don't look now, but D-Young is batting .294. I know the power numbers aren't there, but he's batting 30 points higher than Jason Kubel. And with tonight's game, he will be somewhere are the Top 20 in batting average in the AL. His slugging percentage on the other hand... four singles don't really help that.
Justin Morneau - 1 for 3, 2 R, BB, 2B. No let-down after the All-Star game. Tonight's scoring started after Morneau was able to reach with a double in the 4th. I think Morneau is officially on the radar when it comes to AL MVP.

Livan Hernandez will be on the hill tomorrow night. It is also Delmon Young bobblehead night. Hopefully, I will be able to snag a nodder or two from the "haters" that will be in the stands. I'm still a big fan of the guy; even though he hasn't performed as many of us had hoped. And his defense remains shaky. We'll see what happens with him.

On a side note, I wouldn't mind the Twins looking into making a deal with the Nationals to get Delmon's brother, Dmitri Young. He's relatively cheap ($5m this year and next) and would be a great mentor to little brother. He also still has some ability and could provide the team with a player much like Craig Monroe, only as a guy who could play a little 1B. The Nationals have the worst record in baseball, so they probably wouldn't hesitate to sell. Other guys on their roster that may generate some interest with the Twins:
-SS Cristian Guzman - .312/.341/.423. He's been (by far) the Nationals' best player. But his contract ($4.2m) expires at the end of the year and by trading him, the Nationals guarantee a return.
-RP John Rauch - 2.85 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 17 SV. If the Twins are actually looking for an 8th inning guy, this could be an answer. Rauch's contract is also affordable: $1.2m in '08; $2m in '09; $2.9m option in '10.

Of course, those names are all just curiousity/specualtion, but interesting as well. There is also that other rumor involving a Gold-Glove 3B. But at this point, with the team playing so well, why make a move?