NOOOOO!!!!

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

The struggles of the newspaper business took more victims today, local victims, and Twins fans should be upset about this one. I happened to see on Aaron Gleeman’s blog that MinnPost’s David Brauer is reporting that the St. Paul Pioneer Press has laid off Twins beat writer Phil Miller. This is just horrible news not only because Miller is a tremendous person who has taken time several times to call in to the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast, but also because he is a terrific writer who has his own style that is very enjoyable to read. I wish there was something that we could do as a Twins fan community to make the Pioneer Press reconsider their decision. Maybe an online petition or something! I’d happily put my name on that list. Until then, I obviously wish Phil Miller well as he looks to his next career endeavor.    

Any thoughts? Leave your Comments here.

Monday Game Reports

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

I was gone at the lake again for the weekend and even took an extra day. I know I didn’t blog, but that isn’t to say there wasn’t plenty of writing going on! Be sure to check back in the next week or so for more information. However, although I did review all of the weekend minor league box scores, I will just post the Monday game reports rather than filling up pages with old box scores.

The Twins were a game above .500, and then they lost to the Kansas City Royals last night, 4-2. They had plenty of opportunities against a wild Luke Hochevar early in the game but were unable to take advantage. At some point, things clicked for Hochevar and he was very good. Nick Blackburn wasn’t as good as he typically is, but he worked out of some tough situations. Until the 6^th inning that is, when he gave up back to back home runs to Alberto Callaspo and Miguel Olivo. Justin Morneau did hit a two run homer later, but it wasn’t enough.

I may not write much today, but if you are interested in my thoughts on a ton of Twins topics, you will certainly want to read through the transcript of yesterday’s SethSpeaks.net Live Twins Chat. Here are a couple of questions with my responses:

2:49	[Comment From Guest] Hi Seth, it is all quiet on the Mauer extension front. Any idea why?
2:50	Two potential reasons: 1.) They’re not talking about it at all yet (possible), and 2.) they are talking about it, but wisely keeping the media out of it. My hope is that it is done very quietly and just one day we hear that it is done.

 

2:56

[Comment From J-Mike] Who from the Twins will be making an All Star appearance this year?

2:58

I would say Mauer and Morneau have a pretty good shot. I think Joe Nathan makes it (or should). I think if it were in an AL park, that Jason Kubel would warrant the DH spot. (but it’s not, so he won’t) I think the Wins will get Kevin Slowey’s name brought up, but i don’t think he’ll make it. I think Nick Blackburn deserves it, but I think his lack of wins to this point probably means that he won’t make it.

 

3:12	[Comment From will] Would you be excited if the Twins sign Miguel Angel Sano? And do you think they really will?

 

3:39

I think that the Twins and Pirates are the two teams that seem to have the best shot, so yes, I do think that there is a decent chance that he signs with the Twins. He is apparently looking for a signing bonus of up to or around $3 million. I’ve said all along that I don’t care if the Twins use shared revenue on big league contracts as long as it is being used elsewhere. Scouting all over the world is one way to do that, and spending this significantly on someone believed to be this good would say a lot to me.

 

4:11

[Comment From darnell] it would be nice if a few more of the twins top prospects were higher than A ball.

4:13

I don’t disagree… but for the most part, the Twins have weaknesses at 2B, RP. They have guys like Tolleson and Dinkelman (and Casilla) as options at 2B. They have Delaney and Slama and Burnett at at least AA for hte bullpen. THey’ll need a 3B next year, and Valencia is in AAA. Martin and Tosoni are OF options at at least AA. Their top catching prospect, Wilson Ramos is at AA. And Mulvey and Swarzak and maybe even Duensing could come up and start if needed. So there is still some depth.

 

And if you’ve got head phones, be sure to listen to last night’s episode of the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast. We were joined by John Bonnes (aka The Twins Geek) who was at the stadium in Kansas City, part of his baseball trip that has taken him to the Field of Dreams in Dyersburg, Iowa, to Clinton, Iowa, where he saw them playing the Beloit Snappers. He and TVOR then went to St. Louis to see the Twins and Cardinals play on Sunday before heading to Kansas City on Monday night. They will visit the Negro League Hall of Fame before heading home. So, that was a fun conversation. Next, I got a phone call from a listener with some questions and comments. That was unexpected and yet very fun. Then Phil Mackey came on and we talked baseball for awhile. He can be found at www.PhilMackey.com, is the host of Twins Weekly on KFAN, and one of the key contributors to the Minnesota Poker Magazine. Finally, Travis Aune and I discussed the Minor League affiliates for the final 15 minutes. It was a very good show.

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Monday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Chris Herrmann, Elizabethton Twins

Monday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – David Bromberg, Ft. Myers Miracle – Blayne Weller, GCL Twins

NOTES AND ANOTHER TRANSACTION

• Travis has been quite busy since I last posted. He posted his choices for the Twins #2 prospect, and the Twins #1 prospect. He also posted a very good Q&A with Tyler Robertson. 
• Aaron Gleeman wrote a good article, What Happened to All the Bunt Hits? He mentioned that last year the Twins tied an MLB record for more bunt hits and this year, they likely won’t have half as many.
• Pat Neshek posted an update on his blog. He basically said that everything is going well, but he talks about several other topics as well.   

ROCHESTER REPORT

Monday – Game 1 – Rochester 0, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 4 – Philip Humber got the game one start. He went all six innings and gave up five runs on eight hits. He didn’t walk any and struck out four. The Red Wings managed just two hits. Matt Macri hit his 15^th double.

Monday – Game 2 – Rochester 1, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 3 – Jason Jones went the distance in this game. He went all six innings and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out four. The Red Wings had seven hits, three walks and two doubles in seven innings and still managed just one run.   

ROCKCAT RECAP

Monday –New Britain 3, Connecticut 6 – Carlos Gutierrez is being limited to the number of innings he can pitch. The Twins want to keep his innings down. In this game, he went four innings, but because of the first inning, he probably threw more pitches than they would want. In the first inning, he gave up four runs on six hits. All told, in his four innings, he gave up five runs on ten hits and a walk. He struck out two. Jay Rainville gave up a run in his inning. Then Kyle Waldrop, Jose Lugo and Frank Mata combined for four scoreless innings. Whit Robbins went 3-5 with his 17^th double. Erik Lis and Brian Dinkelman each went 2-4.     

MIRACLE MEMOS

Monday – Ft. Myers 5, Lakeland 1 – David Bromberg got the win in this game with a strong 6.1 innings. He gave up a run on five hits and a walk. He struck out three. Spencer Steedley got the save with 2.2 scoreless innings. Nick Romero went 2-4 with his second and third doubles. Chris Parmelee was 2-4 with his 13^th double. Jair Fernandez went 2-4 with his seventh double. Deibinson Romero was also 2-4. 

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Monday – Beloit – No Game Scheduled.  

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Monday – Elizabethton 11, Bristol 5 – The E-Twins got back in the win column in this game thanks to their bats. Chris Herrmann had a big game. He went 4-5 with his second and third doubles, and his first home run. Tyler Ladendorf was 3-5 with his second double. Herbert Lara went 3-5. Danny Rams hit his second and third home runs. Anderson Hidalgo went 3-4 with his first two doubles. Michael Gonzalez went 2-4 with his first double. Liam Hendriks got the start in this game. He went six innings and gave up four runs on eight hits and a walk. He struck out four. Kyle Carr gave up a run in two innings, striking out three. Billy Bullock threw another scoreless inning.    

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Monday – GCL Twins 2, GCL Orioles 2 (game postponed in bottom of 9^th, but I probably won’t go back and check the box score tomorrow!) – Blayne Weller gave up only an unearned run on two hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out five. Nelvin Fuentes struck out four in two innings. He gave up a run on two hits. Eliecer Cardenas struck out two in two scoreless innings. Hyeong-rok Choi went 2-4 with his second double. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-4 with his first double.   

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

SethSpeaks.net Live Twins Chat at 2:30

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

The Twins won 2 out of 3 from the top team in the NL Central. There should be plenty to talk about. So, let’s have a chat. Starting at 2:30 this afternoon, I will be answering your Twins, minor league, or general baseball questions. You can ask about other things too, if you like.

So, Click Here, and sign up for a reminder, or watch/participate in the chat, or read the transcript later.

I will open up the chat room about 2:00 for you to get your questions, and assuming I”m home by then, I will start answering questions a little early.

Thursday Game Notes

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

The Twins were able to beat the Brewers 6-4 on Thursday afternoon. Scott Baker was excellent through five innings. He did not allow a run and gave up two hits and two walks. Then came the sixth inning where he walked another batter and then gave up two home runs that cut the lead to 4-3. Fortunately the Twins were able to score two runs in then next half inning to increase the lead to 6-3. Ryan Braun homered in the 8^th inning, but that was it for the scoring.

It was quite interesting that R.A. Dickey was brought in to the game in the 7^th inning. Travis and I talked about that on the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast on Tuesday night and both agreed that Dickey had earned the 7^th inning with how well he has done. Bobby Keppel can now be the long man. We both also agreed that Dickey needs to be brought in to start an inning. Matt Guerrier got the 8^th, a spot he has earned all season. And Joe Nathan recorded the save.

I think we were reminded of the value of Denard Span and what he can bring to the top of the batting order. He went 1-2 with three walks, a triple and three runs scored. What a tremendous comeback game! He did everything you can ask of a leadoff hitter. He took a ton of pitches, got on base and scored runs! Brendan Harris, Joe Mauer and (astonishingly) Matt Tolbert each had two hits.

For more on the game, be sure to read Parker’s Game Recap at BaseballDigest.com.

Nick Punto was sent back to Minneapolis to have an MRI on his ribs. Is it wrong that I hope he goes on the DL and that Steve Tolleson comes up and takes over 2B from Matt Tolbert??   

The Twins are now at 37-37, back to .500. Can they get over that hump? Well, they are now in St. Louis ready for three games against Albert Pujols and the Cardinals. Here are the pitching matchups for the series:

• Friday night – 7:15 – Glen Perkins (2-4, 5.10, 1.33, .277) vs Adam Wainwright (8-4, 3.58, 1.33, .251)
• Saturday afternoon – 12:10 – Kevin Slowey (10-2, 4.04, 1.37, .302) vs Todd Wellemeyer (6-7, 5.53, 1.66, .316)
• Sunday afternoon – 1:15 – Francisco Liriano (3-8, 5.88, 1.57, .280) vs Joel Pineiro (6-8, 3.40, 1.18, .276)

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Thursday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Deibinson Romero, Ft. Myers Miracle – Justin Huber, Rochester Red Wings

Thursday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Jeff Manship, Rochester Red Wings – Martire Garcia, GCL Twins

NOTES AND ANOTHER TRANSACTION

• Deibinson Romero was the SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day for the second straight day.
• Travis has posted his choices for the Twins #3 prospect, and the Twins #4 prospect.

ROCHESTER REPORT

Thursday –Rochester 8, Columbus 7 – Jeff Manship made his AAA debut on Thursday afternoon. I’m certain he wanted a mulligan on the first inning, but he recovered well. He got a strikeout to the first batter he faced. After a hit, he got a second strikeout. But then he gave up four runs on five hits in the first inning. After that, however, he threw five shutout innings. All told, he went six innings and gave up four runs (3 earned) on ten hits. He walked two and struck out six. Jesse Crain came in and gave up two earned runs on two walks in 0.2 innings. Juan Morillo got four outs, but gave up a run on two hits and two walks. Rob Delaney is credited with the win after pitching a scoreless inning. Justin Huber went 3-5 with his eighth double and his 8^th and 9^th home runs. Danny Valencia and Alexi Casilla were both 3-5. Valencia hit his first home run for the Red Wings. Tommy Watkins went 3-6. Dustin Martin was 2-4 with a walk, his 10^th double and 17^th home run. Justin Murphy, who writes for the Twins page at BaseballDigest.com, was at the game and posted a Game Recap with much more detail.   

ROCKCAT RECAP

Thursday –New Britain 8, Harrisburg 5 – Rene Tosoni had a great day. He was named as the representative of the Twins and a representative of Canada in the Futures Game next month in St. Louis. Then he went out and went 2-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Brian Dinkelman hit his fourth homer and drove in two runs. Matt Moses hit his sixth homer and drove in two as well. Ryan Mullins picked up his fourth win of the year. The lefty gave up three runs on seven hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out five. Jay Rainville threw two shutout innings with three strikeouts, but in the ninth, he gave up three hits to start the inning. Two of them scored. Anthony Slama came in and got the final three outs for the save, his 15^th of the year.     

MIRACLE MEMOS

Thursday – Ft. Myers 6, Daytona 4 – Deibinson Romero was the hitting hero again in this game. He went 4-4 with two doubles (his 14^th and 15^th), his first triple and drove in three runs. Tyler Robertson improved to 5-3 with a 3.48 ERA. He gave up four runs (just one earned) on seven hits and two walks in six innings. Loek Van Mil threw two shutout innings. Blair Erickson struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his eighth save.

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Thursday – Beloit 2, Clinton 7 – The only Twins team to lose on this day was the Snappers, but that probably isn’t a surprise to those who have followed the Twins affiliates. Dan Berlind fell to 2-8. He gave up six runs (2 earned) on nine hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. Blake Martin and Michael Allen combined for 3.1 innings out of the ‘pen. Tom Wright came in and gave up a run on two hits in his inning. James Beresford was the only Snapper player with a multi-hit game. He went 2-4.   

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Thursday – Elizabethton 8, Bluefield 2 – Martire Garcia was the top pitcher in the GCL a year ago, and his first start for E-Town this year gives hope that he will be solid again in 2009. In five innings, he gave up one run on three hits and three walks. Ramon Acosta came in and gave up a run on two hits over two innings. That is noteworthy because last year in the Dominican Summer League, he went 5-0 with a 0.00 ERA in nine starts. Winston Marquez missed all of 2008 with injury. He pitched a perfect eighth inning. Billy Bullock made his pro debut and struck out two in a perfect inning. Jonathan Goncalves went 2-3 with a walk and his first steal. Chris Hermann went 2-4 with a walk. Tyler Ladendorf went 2-5 with a double, a homer and two RBI.    

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Thursday – GCL Twins 5, GCL Reds 3 (10 innings) – Shooter Hunt did get another start this year. He resurfaced in the GCL. He started this game and went four shutout innings. He gave up three hits. Most important was that he walked none. He struck out just one, but that will come back as he gains confidence in his ability to throw strikes with all of his pitches. Michael Tonkin, Jason Kubel’s brother-in-law, went the next four innings. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on three hits and a walk. He struck out four. Edison Alvarez threw two perfect innings to get the win. Taiwanese 1B Wang-Wei Lin’s hot start continued in this game. He went 4-6 with three RBI. Jhonatan Arias, from the Dominican Republic, went 2-5 with a double. In Kyun Kang, from South Korea, went 2-4 with a walk. Brian Bistagne, from Tennessee, went 2-5 with a walk.   

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Tosoni to Play in Futures Game

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

AA New Britain outfielder Rene Tosoni will compete in this year’s Futures Game in St. Louis on July 12th. The left-handed hitting outfielder from Canada will play for the World Team.

Tosoni, who will turn 23 ten days before the game, has been pushed quickly through the Twins system. On the year, he is hitting .266/.375/.477 with 12 doubles, three triples and nine home runs. Earlier this month, I named him the Twins #10 prospect.

Did That Just Happen? And A No-Hitter!

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Nick Blackburn was excellent again on Wednesday night. He threw a complete game for the second straight start. Unfortunately, his own error meant that it was only an eight inning, complete game loss. For more on the Twins 4-3 loss, check out my Game Recap at BaseballDigest.com. After the game, Denard Span was activated and Jason Pridie was shipped back to Rochester.

In the finale this afternoon, it will be Scott Baker (4-6, 5.22, 1.12, .249) going against Mike Burns who will be making his first start of the year for the Crew.

Last night, I participated on the Universal Cardinals Bloggers Radio Hour podcast to talk about the Twins in preparation for the weekend series in St. Louis, so if you have a chance, check that out.

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Wednesday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Deibinson Romero, Ft. Myers Miracle

Wednesday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – BJ Hermsen, GCL Twins

NOTES AND ANOTHER TRANSACTION

• Another night, another transaction… this time, Joe Testa was promoted from Beloit to Ft. Myers.
• LaVelle posted some mid-week minor league notes. Joe Christensen blogged on the promotions of Manship and Valencia.
• Nick Nelson discussed Danny Valencia’s potential and future.     

ROCHESTER REPORT

Wednesday –Rochester 5, Columbus 9 – Phil Humber was coming off of his best start of the season. And this was another bad start. In just 3.1 innings, he gave up six runs (4 earned) on nine hits and a walk. Tim Lahey gave up a run on two hits and a walk in 2.2 innings. Armando Gabino then gave up a run in hit two innings. Reid Santos gave up a run on three hits in his inning. Tommy Watkins went 3-5 with his sixth double. Drew Butera was 2-4 with his first home run. Brock Peterson went 2-4 with his seventh double.  

ROCKCAT RECAP

Wednesday –New Britain 3, Harrisburg 5 – Carlos Gutierrez has had two good starts for New Britain and two rough starts. This was definitely a good start for him. In five innings, he gave up one run on two hits. He walked none and struck out four. Kyle Waldrop and Jose Lugo each threw a scoreless inning. Alex Burnett came in for the 8^th inning and gave up four runs on four hits and a walk while getting just two outs. Frank Mata got the final four outs, two on strikeouts. Whit Robbins went 2-3 with a walk. Rene Tosoni went 2-4 with a walk and his 12^th double. Brandon Roberts was 2-5 with his eighth double.   

MIRACLE MEMOS

Wednesday – Ft. Myers 9, Jupiter 6 – Deibinson Romero saved the best for last. With the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, he came to the plate with two runners on base. He hit a three run, walk off homer, to win the ball game. Romero went 2-3 with a walk and had four RBI in the game. Nick Romero went 2-3. Chris Parmelee went 3-3 with a walk. David Bromberg got roughed up a little bit. In 5.1 innings, he gave up five runs on eight hits. He walked just one while striking out seven. Henry Arias went the next 2.2 innings and gave up only an unearned run. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out three. Blair Erickson recorded the Win as he struck out three in a scoreless inning.   

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Wednesday – Beloit – No Game Scheduled. Play resumes on Thursday.  

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Wednesday – Elizabethton 4, Bluefield 1 – Liam Hendriks got the start in this game and was excellent. Like Tom Stuifbergen who pitched the team’s first game, Hendriks miss all of 2008 with injury. In this game, he went six shutout innings and gave up just three hits. He walked none and struck out six. Edgar Ibarra came in and gave up a run on two hits and a walk in his inning. He struck out two and got credit with the Win. Kane Holbrooks pitched a scoreless inning. Tony Davis got the Save by striking out three in a perfect inning. Dan Rohlfing played in RF and went 2-3 with a walk. Reggie Williams had a double and two RBI. Tyler Ladendorf went 0-2 but had two walks.   

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Wednesday – GCL Twins 5, GCL Orioles 0 – BJ Hermsen made his professional baseball debut, and it was rather memorable. Hermsen went the first six innings without allowing a run, or a hit, or a walk. He struck out three. Dakota Watts came in and went the next two innings. He gave up no runs, and no hits. Unfortunately, he did walk a batter. Eliecer Cardenas pitched the ninth inning without allowing a hit. So the GCL Twins had a three pitcher no-hitter which is pretty impressive and exciting. Brian Bistagne went 2-5. Nick Tindall went 2-3 with a double.  

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Testa Promoted to Ft. Myers

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Another day. Another promotion. Travis from Travis Talks is reporting that Joe Testa has been promoted to Ft. Myers. The news comes just one day after he pitched in the Midwest League All-Star game. He faced two batters and got two outs. He told me this afternoon that he threw just three pitches. I asked him this afternoon if he had heard anything, but said he hadn’t. We looked at the Miracle roster and saw they were actually down to just 10 pitchers, so I figured it was just a matter of time. And again, according to Travis, the time was this evening. Testa has been excellent out of the Snappers bullpen all season. In 45.2 innings, he had 63 strikeouts. He also had 23 walks. He was 0-2 with a 2.56 ERA. He has recorded seven saves. You recall that Testa signed with the Twins out of Wagner University last year after the draft and pitched for the GCL Twins. When the Miracle needed a left-handed pitcher, Testa walked across the parking lot and performed well until an injury cut short his season. He has definitely earned this promotion.

Again, I don’t know of any subsequent moves that may be necessary, but I will try to keep you updated. Let me know what you think.

First Complete Organization Game Reports

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

It was Opening Day for the Twins two short-season affiliates, so for the first time this year, we have a very full game report. The Twins and six minor league affiliates are now in their season. So we will get to that.

ANOTHER TRANSACTION – For the second straight night, I was able to announce a promotion to Rochester. Monday night, it was Danny Valencia heading to AAA. Last night, It was Jeff Manship that received the news that he was headed to the Red Wings. Congratulations to both!

Also, be sure to listen to last night’s episode of the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast. The show was co-hosted by Travis from Travis Talks. We talked about a lot of Twins topics, and went through each minor league level. A lot of information was shared. We got a few questions in the chat room that we were able to answer. At the very end, we talked about the Joe Mauer contract situation, including our thoughts on years and dollars. So be sure to listen to it all. We were joined for a segment in the middle by Daniel Shoptaw of C70 At the Bat, a St. Louis Cardinals blog. With him, we talked about this weekend’s series in Busch Stadium.

In one of the worst ball games to watch ever, the Twins got a 7-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. I don’t know how the Twins defense made any plays behind Francisco Liriano. Liriano threw almost 120 pitches in just five innings. I think I may have fallen asleep on the field if I was out there. But Liriano was the recipient of plenty of run support and with the Twins 7-3 win, Liriano got a win for the first time in six weeks. R.A. Dickey came in and threw two shutout innings. Matt Guerrier and Joe Nathan each pitched an inning as well. Carlos Gomez had hits in his first three at bats. Joe Crede was 2-5 including a three run double in the top of the first frame. It came after Michael Cuddyer struck out on a horrible pitch in the dirt that got away from the catcher and allowed the inning to continue. Justin Morneau went 2-4 with a walk.

Did you notice? Joe Mauer went 0-5, and is now hitting “JUST” .395!   

Here are the remaining pitching matchups for the next two games in Milwaukee:

• Wednesday – 7:05 – Nick Blackburn (6-2, 3.09, 1.25, .258) vs Braden Looper (5-4, 5.21, 1.39, .281)
• Thursday – 1:05 – Scott Baker (4-6, 5.22, 1.12, .249) vs Dave Bush (3-4, 5.67, 1.35, .272)

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Tuesday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Steve Singleton, Ft. Myers Miracle – Tyler Ladendorf/Danny Rams, Elizabethton Twins

Tuesday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Tom Stuifbergen, Elizabethton Twins

NOTES

• Travis posted his choices for Twins #5 prospect. See who got that spot, and then follow him through his top five each day.

ROCHESTER REPORT

Tuesday –Rochester 7, Toledo 8 (10 innings) – Danny Valencia drove from New Britain, CT, to Rochester, NY, on Tuesday morning. He was in the lineup for the Red Wings on Tuesday night. He went 3-5 with a double. Not a bad debut! Dustin Martin and Steve Tolleson were also 3-5. Martin hit his third triple while Tolleson knocked his second home run. Anthony Swarzak got the start. He gave up just one run on five hits and no walks in the first seven innings. In the 8^th, he got an out, gave up a single and a walk, and was replaced by Rob Delaney. Delaney gave up a bloop single, got a fielder’s choice and then gave up an infield single. None of those balls were hit hard. However, he then gave up a two run homer followed by a solo home run by Andy Marte before getting the final out. Delaney threw just 16 pitches, and 12 of them were strikes. But in that short time, he allowed two inherited runners to score, and four runs of his own. Juan Morillo pitched a scoreless ninth, but then in the 10^th inning, he gave up a run and the Wolves lost.

ROCKCAT RECAP

Tuesday –New Britain 5, Harrisburg 4 (13 innings) – Matt Fox had his first rough start of the season. In just 4.1 innings, he gave up 11 hits, and yet somehow gave up just four runs. Jay Rainville came out of the bullpen and struck out two in 1.2 perfect innings. Kyle Waldrop threw a scoreless inning for New Britain in his first appearance for the Rockcats sine 2007. Alex Burnett and Anthony Slama each threw two shutout innings. Yohan Pino got the win after striking out five in three perfect innings. Erik Lis led the offense by going 3-6 with his first triple. Matt Moses entered the game as a pinch hitter, but he went 2-4 including the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 13^th. Rene Tosoni went 2-5 with his fourth stolen base. Brian Dinkelman went 2-6 with his 17^th double.  

MIRACLE MEMOS

Tuesday – Ft. Myers 7, Jupiter 6 – Deolis Guerra recorded his fifth win of the year. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out three. Loek Van Mil gave up a run for the first time this season. He gave up a run on a hit and three walks in his inning. Spencer Steedley recorded his third save. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and a walk in two innings. Steve Singleton led the offense. He went 4-5 with his 12^th double and fourth home run. Rene Leveret went 2-2 with two walks. Chris Parmelee, who won the FSL All Star Home Run Derby, hit his ninth home run. Ben Revere hit his second home run. Of the three home runs, Revere was clearly the longest, and he also flew out to the fence in right in another at bat.  

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Tuesday – Beloit – Joe Testa pitched in the Midwest League All Star game on Tuesday night. He faced two batters and got them both out.

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Tuesday – Elizabethton 8, Bluefield 2 – Tom Stuifbergen got the Opening Night nod and pitched quite well. In six innings, he gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits. He walked none and struck out ten. Kyle Carr got the save by striking out four in three perfect innings. Tyler Ladendorf went 4-4 with a walk and stolen base. Danny Rams went 3-3 with a walk and two doubles. Josmil Pinto hit a home run.  

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Tuesday – GCL Twins 4, GCL Rays 1 – Adrian Salcedo proved in this outing how good he can be. The 18 year old threw four shutout innings. He gave up just two hits and no walks while striking out five. Jose Gonzalez gave up an unearned run over the next three innings. Andrei Lobanoz struck out five in two perfect innings for his first save of the year. Daniel Santana went 2-4 with his first double and stolen base. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-4 with a home run. Matej Hejma was 2-4. Oswaldo Arcia hit a triple. Rory Rhodes hit a double.

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Manship Promoted to Rochester

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

One night after Danny Valencia was promoted to AAA Rochester (where he went 3-4 with a double in his debut), another top Twins prospect was promoted to the Red Wings. On this night, starter Jeff Manship was told by his manager, Tom Nieto, that he was being promoted to AAA.

The 24 year old Manship is 6-4 with a 4.28 ERA on the season. However, in his last five starts, he has thrown 35 innings and has given up just 25 hits and seven walks. He is 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA in those games. Like Valencia, Manship was promoted to New Britain about this time one year ago. He is ready and excited for this opportunity.

Other moves are not known at this time, but I will try to find out and keep you updated. Let me know what you think.

Quick Update

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Not much to write about tonight that hasn’t been posted in its own entry. So here today, you’ll find pitching matchups for the Twins/Brewers series in Milwaukee as well as reports from the two affiliates that did play. Don’t forget that the Elizabethton Twins and GCL Twins who play their first games today.

Also, be sure to listen in tonight to the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast. A couple of guests are still being approached, but be sure to check it out at 9:00 tonight.

Here are the pitching matchups for this week’s series in Milwaukee:

• Tuesday – 7:05 – Francisco Liriano (2-8, 5.91, 1.52, .278) vs Jeff Suppan (5-4, 4.48, 1.59, .299)
• Wednesday – 7:05 – Nick Blackburn (6-2, 3.09, 1.25, .258) vs Braden Looper (5-4, 5.21, 1.39, .281)
• Thursday – 1:05 – Scott Baker (4-6, 5.22, 1.12, .249) vs Dave Bush (3-4, 5.67, 1.35, .272)

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Monday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Danny Berg, New Britain Rockcats

Monday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Steve Hirschfeld, Ft. Myers Miracle

TRANSACTIONS AND NOTES

• I assume everyone read heard already that Danny Valencia has been promoted to Rochester?
• Travis posted his choices for Twins #6 prospect. See who got that spot, and then follow him through his top ten.

ROCHESTER REPORT

Monday –Rochester 4, Toledo 9 – Denard Span went 1-4 with a walk and a double in his first rehab game for the Red Wings. He was also caught stealing once. Dustin Martin was 2-4 with his ninth double. Matt Macri was 2-4 with his second triple. Trevor Plouffe was 2-5. Jason Jones started and gave up five runs in five innings. He allowed eight hits, walked three and struck out three. Reid Santos gave up four runs (2 earned) on four hits (two homers). He walked two and struck out two. Jesse Crain gave up a hit, but struck out two in a scoreless inning. Armando Gabino then threw a scoreless inning.  

ROCKCAT RECAP

Monday –New Britain – No Game Scheduled.

MIRACLE MEMOS

Monday – Ft. Myers 3, Jupiter 4 – The Miracle returned to the field following their All-Star break. As they already clinched the first half title, the Miracle were able to give their all-star representatives this day off, with a couple of exceptions. Steve Hirschfeld, who pitched on Saturday, got the start in this game. He threw 5.1 shutout innings. He gave up six hits, walked two and struck out three. Santos Arias went two innings and gave up three runs on five hits. Blair Erickson got the final five outs, but he took the loss by giving up a run on two hits. Danny Berg went 2-4 with his second triple and two RBI. Jair Fernandez was also 2-4.  

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Monday – Beloit – No Game Scheduled. All-Star Game on Tuesday.

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