Gibson’s Gem

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Normally here at SethSpeaks.net, I am able to post things every day, but last night, I was exhausted, so I went to bed a little after 9:00 p.m. I know nobody really cares about that, but for me, it was likely three to four hours earlier than normal. And although many of you tell me that it is OK for me to occasionally take a day off, I happen to think that the performance of Kyle Gibson yesterday afternoon warrants mention, so although this may not be a real long posting, it is something.

April has been a struggle for most of the Twins minor league affiliates. That is true in Ft. Myers as well, but the final April start for Kyle Gibson has to be the team’s highlight. Morning games are fairly unusual, but that is exactly what the Miracle were up against. So, on a high level, the Gibson outing looks very impressive. Nine innings. Zero runs. One hit. One walk. Six Strikeouts.

A complete game shutout at any level is impressive, but a few more things:

• Gibson was perfect through five innings.
• The one hit, was an infield hit. The Isaac Galloway single was a grounder back to Gibson that tipped off of his glove. Nick Romero made an attempt to bare-hand the ball, but the hitter was safe.
• How did Gibson respond? He picked Galloway off of 1B.
• He then walked the next hitter, but he induced a ground ball double play to end the 6^th inning.
• That was it for base runners, meaning that he faced just 27 batters, the minimum number possible. It was the first time in his life he has done that.
• Speaking of ground balls, Gibson recorded 16 ground balls in the game.
• Two of his four ‘fly-outs’ were actually liners to infielders.

In other words, Gibson pitched a pretty incredible game. Did I mention that he also got a Win as the Miracle beat Jupiter 2-0. Nick Romero was 3-4. Evan Bigley went 2-3 with a walk. And Gibson’s catcher on the day was Dan Rohlfing. Rohlfing went 1-2 with a walk and a double as well as helping Gibson to such a strong pitching effort.  

Rohlfing later told me, “Gibson was absolutely dealing. He threw all his pitches with good command and was hitting his spots. It was a real fun game to catch. The hitters had no idea what was coming all game.”

Other Minor Notes

New Britain and Beloit each had scheduled days off on Thursday. Rochester lost 5-3 to Lehigh Valley. Glen Perkins had his best start of the year. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on nine hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out six. Kyle Waldrop gave up one run on one hit in an inning. He struck out two. Tim Lahey and Anthony Slama each pitched a scoreless inning. Dustin Martin went 3-4 with a double and two RBI. Jason Repko and Trevor Plouffe each went 2-4 with a double. Matt Tolbert went 2-5 with a double.

The Twins start a three game series in Cleveland. Joe Christensen reported yesterday that Nick Blackburn was leaving the team for a bit for family reasons and missing a start. Obviously we hope that everything is alright with him and his family. Any questions? Leave your comments here.

See. Wuh. Ha. Happened.

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Before jumping into today’s blog entry, I wanted to mention that I will be on KFAN (and KFAN.com) with Paul Allen again today during the 11:00 hour. Be sure to tune in, listen live or podcast it after the fact.

So, the Twins scored two runs in the top of the first inning on a two-run homer by Jim Thome. Then Luke Hughes hit a home run in the top of the 3^rd inning, in his very first at bat. Then they scored three more runs. It was 6-1. It was the fourth inning. But then Scott Baker was the definition of non-clutch in the bottom of the fourth, giving up four runs which cut the lead to 6-5. A double into the bottom of the 5^th inning and Baker was gone. Alex Burnett came in and did very well to get out of that mess. Then came the sixth. Burnett gave up a base runner, so he was taken out of the game. Ron Mahay came in to face Johnny Damon and got him to fly out on a great catch by Denard Span, who seemingly outran the ball to the left center field gap. After the catch, Span took two or three steps, spun to throw and the ball fell from his glove. The umpire inexplicably calls it a drop. Ron Gardenhire captured his first ejection of the year, and rightfully so. Pat Neshek came in with runners on 2^nd and 3^rd and just one out. He walked Magglio Ordonez before hitting Miguel Cabrera in the arm to allow a run. Then Jesse Crain came in and two swings of the bat later, the game was over, for all intents and purposes. Here are some of my thoughts:

• If you read many Twins fans on Twitter, you might think that this is the worst 14-7 team in baseball history!
• Did you know? That it is a 162 game season, and that each team will lose from time to time. In fact, the Twins may, at some point, maybe as early as today, lose (gasp) two games in a row.  Sorry, but a little bit of perspective is needed here. Every team will lose 60 games. Every team will win 60 games. Of those 60+ losses, some of them won’t be pretty or fun-filled losses. Games like this happen. That said…
• At the end of the year, Scott Baker is going to have some very good numbers. I think my projections had him winning about 16 games, and finishing with an ERA in the upper threes. However, I have always agreed that the moniker “Big Spot Scott” has never been earned. In big games, you can count on him not being very good. Most of the time his calm demeanor is beneficial, but there is a difference between calm and cool, and calm and shaking on the inside. This was anything but a big game, but with a 6-1 lead, it would be nice to see just a little toughness. Again, he has never claimed to be an ace. He signed the long-term, very fair contract a year ago, and the dollars were very fair for a young #3 pitcher with #2, Brad Radke like upside. Personally, I think that he can be a better pitcher than Radke. But the point doesn’t change, Baker is not a big game pitcher.
• Jim Thome needs to play more. I think we all agree with that. But Jason Kubel needs to play most every day. Delmon Young needs to play most every day. Michael Cuddyer needs to play every day. This is a great problem to have, but it is tough and will create plenty of second guessing, no matter which player does not start.
• I have been Jesse Crain’s biggest supporter. I always say, he has a fastball at 96 (which actually moved at times earlier in the season), slider at 88 and that slow curve at 76. I definitely thought it was the right decision to give Crain another year. I much prefer working with the guys you’ve got with upside, than sign free agents. Crain was rocked when he came in with the bases loaded. I don’t blame the manager for bringing him in with the bases loaded in the 6^th. I mean, Pat Neshek had come in and walked a guy and hit another guy. I would bet that he would not call it his best performance and probably would have taken himself out. He was fooling nobody. It is also important to note that he also pitched the 7^th and 8^th innings, when he could start the inning himself, and he was dominant. That said, another few weeks of this from Crain, and even I will be supporting the need for a Change of Scenery for Crain. He is out of options, so he can’t be sent to Rochester. Plenty of teams would claim him, and he would be lost. At that stage, I probably will be able to be convinced that that would be just fine. I would like to see him go to Colorado or somewhere in the NL because I still believe that he can be very good. The other side of this discussion remains… Anthony Slama is more than ready and has earned the opportunity.
  • Some may call out the Twins front office for signing Crain after offering him arbitration this offseason. I 100% agreed with that decision. Like I said, I am getting to the point where I am going to fully admit that I was wrong, and should they decide to let him go, they will be admitting it as well. But it is hard to be too disappointed in the Twins front office. Of course, there are misses, as there are with every team. But I again have to ask the readers here a few questions. Raise your hand if you thought that the Twins should have signed Juan Cruz to that 2 year $8 million deal a year ago. In doing so, they would have given up their 2009 #1 pick which turned out to be Kyle Gibson. I thought the price was fair for Cruz. I was wrong. How many of you wanted the Twins to trade for Freddy Sanchez last July and keep him around for 2010? How would that look right now? How many were disappointed when the Twins didn’t sign Eric Gagne a year ago? My point here isn’t to say that the Twins front office is a bunch of geniuses who never get one wrong. They wouldn’t say that. It’s more to say that if we ran things, we would have hits and misses too. I like admitting when I’m wrong. I prefer to be wrong, like I was wrong on Denard Span a couple of years ago.
• In his post-game press conference, Ron Gardenhire said that the umpires told him that Denard Span ‘caught the ball’ and when he spun to throw, they didn’t see what happened. They were blocked somehow. Clearly as he was turning to throw and reached into his glove, the ball popped out. It was ruled an error, and manager Ron Gardenhire, after hearing the pathetic excuse, was finally ejected. I rarely agree with Gardy getting ejected, but this one was worth it. But that call is not why the Twins lost. Who knows what would have happened after that play. Maybe there would have been another quick groundout and the game is still 6-5 Twins. But very soon, the Twins were down 11-6.
• Personally, I thought there was a little bit of over-managing in the 6^th inning. Alex Burnett had done well. When Johnny Damon came up, you could understand Gardy going to the lefty, Ron Mahay. However, with Ordonez and Cabrera coming up, you knew another pitching change would be required. It’s easy in hindsight to say that maybe keeping Burnett in would have meant more, but with Burnett, his development is important as well. Would Gardy and Rick Anderson have wanted Burnett pitching to Ordonez and Cabrera anyway? With his stuff, I think I would have taken that chance. But who knows? That wasn’t what caused the loss.
• It was good to see Jason Kubel get three hits and raise his batting average another .035 to .212. 
• With Justin Morneau out, Ron Gardenhire’s lineup remained the same with the exception that Jim Thome was slotted into the Number Four spot in the lineup. No real argument with that. However, it does make me wonder about this whole idea of (and I haven’t heard this anywhere, but it may come into play) Michael Cuddyer is comfortable hitting fifth, and Jason Kubel is comfortable batting 6^th. I think that it is annoying to think that the bullpen pitchers can feel better pitching in the 8^th inning than the 6^th or in the 7^th instead of the 9^th. A reliever’s job is to come into whatever situation, in whatever inning they are called upon and get hitters out. Likewise, if you are batting anywhere from #3 to #8 in a lineup, your job each at bat does not change. In other words, if the #4 hitter comes up with a runner on 2B, his job is to have a good at bat and ideally drive in the runner from second. Likewise, if a #5 hitter comes up with a runner on 2B, his job is to have a good at bat, and ideally drive in the runner from 2B. If a #7 hitter comes up with a runner on 2B, his job is to take a good at bat and preferably drive that runner in from second. In fact, whatever the lineup position, the job of the hitter is to put together a quality at bat, look for a pitch that he can hit hard, and if he doesn’t get strikes, take the walk and get on base. The only possible exception would be the leadoff hitter in the first at bat or two each game when, they should take a couple of extra pitches just to give the rest of the lineup an idea of what the pitcher may throw, but even the goal of the leadoff hitter is to have a good at bat, and get on base, and if there are runners on base, if he gets a pitch, drive them in.
• Admittedly, I just made too big of a statement on the value of lineup construction and roles for someone who doesn’t believe that it makes too big of a deal. The only possible exception would be the leadoff hitter in the first at bat or two each game when, they should take a couple of extra pitches just to give the rest of the lineup an idea of what the pitcher may throw, but even the goal of the leadoff hitter is to have a good at bat, and get on base, and if there are runners on base, if he gets a pitch, drive them in.
  • Admittedly, I just made too big of a statement on the value of lineup construction and roles for someone who doesn’t believe that it makes too big of a deal. Yes, I want on-base guys in the #1 and #2 spots, I want the best hitter batting third. Then I want to line up as many good hitters as I can throughout the rest of the lineup. Like I said, I don’t know if Ron Gardenhire made the comment that he prefers to keep Cuddyer in the #5 spot, or anything like that, but I happen to think that Cuddyer could handle hitting 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, or 8^th.
• I feel that with more activity  and more people in social media, that I have had to utter the phrase “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” a lot. It’s amazing to me that people somehow forget that there is a 162 game season, not a one game series or a best two out of three series. The big picture is the 162 game season. I think it is becoming clear that several Twins players need a day off. In my mind, Orlando Hudson is at the top of that list. Watching JJ Hardy run to 2B on a double made it very clear that his knee or quad or calf or something is not right. He may need a day or two off. Giving Justin Morneau these days off may be a blessing in disguise. And yes, Joe Mauer needs to get days off from time to time. The key point being that the results of the 162 game season is far more important than the results of any one game. And, please, that does not minimize the value of every game. The last two seasons, each ending with a Game 163, have proven that.
• It is hard to believe, but with a 14-7 record, the season is almost 1/8^th complete already. It is amazing how quickly it goes.

SethSpeaks Wednesday Minor League Hitter of the Day – Reggie Williams – Beloit Snappers, Jason Repko – Rochester Red Wings

SethSpeaks Wednesday Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Bruce Pugh – Ft. Myers Miracle

Red Wings Report   

Wednesday – Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 4 – Allan de San Miguel had never caught a knuckleball pitcher. He told me after the game, “I thought it would be a lot harder. I was really happy with how it went.” Charlie Zink made his first start for the Red Wings. He went five innings and gave up two runs on four hits. In strange stat of the night, Zink walked six batters and struck out none. Jose Lugo came in and gave up two runs on two hits in two innings. Rob Delaney came in and gave up two hits, but no runs in two innings. He also struck out four. Jason Repko had a big game. He went 3-4 with a walk, a double and his second home run. Brian Dinkelman went 2-4 with a walk. Danny Valencia hit a game winning double in the 8^th inning.

New Britain Notes

Wednesday – New Britain 3, Richmond 5 – Another day, another blown save and another loss for the Rockcats. Santos Arias entered the game in the 8^th inning with a one run lead. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning, but gave up three runs in the ninth for the loss, his fourth. Cole DeVries made his first start of the season. He gave up two runs on five hits and a walk in just four innings. He struck out three. Spencer Steedley came in and continued to pitch great. He threw three shutout innings, giving up just one hit and walking one. The Rockcats again managed just five hits in the game. Joe Benson was 1-3 with a walk and his third double. Estarlin de Los Santos had a two run double.

Miracle Matters

Wednesday – Ft. Myers 0, Jupiter 3 – Bruce Pugh has incredible potential. He throws 94 and is working on other pitches. Tonight, his stuff really came together. The right-hander threw seven shutout innings. He gave up just four hits, walked one and struck out 12 opponent batters. Tony Davis came in and pitched a perfect eighth inning. Billy Bullock came in for the ninth inning and recorded his third save. He gave up no runs on one hit and struck out two. The Miracle bats again managed just five hits. Drew Thompson was 1-3 with a walk and a double. Deibinson Romero and Evan Bigley were each 1-3 with a walk.    

Snappers Snippets

Wednesday – Beloit 11, Burlington 1 – Tom Stuifbergen continues to impress. The Dutch right-hander gave up one run on five hits. He walked three (high for him) and struck out five. Kane Holbrooks and Dakota Watts each pitched a scoreless inning. Reggie Williams had a big game. He went 3-4 with a home run and a stolen base. The incredible streak of Aaron Hicks continued. He was 2-4 with a walk, his third home run, four runs scored and his fifth stolen base. James Beresford was 2-3 with a walk and his third stolen base. Steve Liddle hit his third homer.  

Do you have any thoughts on the 14-7 Minnesota Twins, or their minor league system? Leave your comments here.

Hughes Homers in 1st At Bat

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Luke Hughes came to the plate in the top of the 2^nd inning with a runner on 2B and two outs. However, on a 2-1 pitch (that was a ball), Delmon Young was caught trying to steal 3B. Why he went? Who knows. So, Hughes came to the plate to start the top of the 3^rd frame, and he made the most of it. Luke Hughes hit an opposite field home run in his first Major league at bat. The pitcher? Max Scherzer.

There is quite a bit of history to that. The last to do it was OF Andre David in 1984. A few years earlier, Gary Gaetti accomplished the same feat. David never hit another homer. Gaetti hit a bunch. Luke Hughes likely will be somewhere in between. And for tonight, who cares? Can you even imagine the feelings going through his head? Can you imagine how exciting things were at 7:45 a.m. in Perth, Australia, Hughes home town, when the ball left the field? What a moment! Congratulations to Luke Hughes.  Leave your comments here.

Oh My Goodness!

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The Twins beat the Tigers 2-0 on Tuesday night. That was a great baseball game. I know everyone likes to see a lot of runs scored, but I love a good pitching duel. Francisco Liriano was incredible again. Justin Verlander was dominant, as usual. But the patience that the Twins lineup has clearly made a focus this season paid off. Even though Verlander is allowed to throw 120 pitches most times out, those 120 pitches last night came in just 5.1 innings. That allowed the Twins to get to the Tigers bullpen. Now, they added just one more run off of their bullpen, but the bigger picture tells us that the earlier they can get a starter out of the game matters. Several relievers had to pitch last night, and they may tire earlier tomorrow night. In the long run, this patient approach is going to pay off. Denard Span led off one inning with a stand-up triple. Orlando Hudson popped up. Joe Mauer grounded weakly to shortstop. Justin Morneau struck out (again). Another situation of a runner left on base? Of course it was. That said, with Verlander throwing like he was, it’s not like the batter has terribly much control. Verlander was still in control.

The other thing to remember is that when there are runners in scoring position and two outs… there are still two outs. It means that a hit is likely required to extend the inning and score some runs. Remember that the league average is less than .270. So no, you’re not going to score very often, even with a runner on 3B with two outs.

But the story of the game was Francisco Liriano, again. The lefty extended his scoreless streak to 23 innings with eight more shutout frames. He gave up just four hits. He walked just one (and that runner was eliminated when the next batter grounded into a double play) and struck out ten. He got nine groundball outs to four fly outs. He was throwing 94-96 with the fastball. His slider and changeups were both anywhere from 84-88 mph. He had great control. Here is what I tweeted and put on my facebook page: “Francisco Liriano “may never get back to 2006 form.” At what point do we all start saying that he just might? 25 scoreless innings? 30? 50? Yikes!”

It’s at this point that it starts becoming fair to ask that question. As some have said, it will take more than four starts, for sure. But as others have said, his stuff and velocity are back, but now he probably understands the art of pitching better, so maybe he can be even better. That is a scary thought!

Jon Rauch came in for the 9^th inning, and another save opportunity. This would be his most difficult opportunity, facing the Tigers 2-3-4 hitters. Johnny Damon got a hit, but he was forced out at second by a nice play by JJ Hardy. He then got Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez for the final outs. He recorded his 7^th save of the year. And as I told several people, it’s just another three outs. And Rauch is proving that. As long as he can maintain that attitude, he will be just fine.

 What were your thoughts of the game and the Liriano performance?

Last night, I was the host of this week’s edition of Twins Minor League Weekly. Co-host Travis Aune had some other priorities, college-related, which take priority. I was joined by Justin Murphy who writes at Seamheads.com and at Auburnpub.com. He goes to school at Syracuse, so he took in a couple of the Rochester Red Wings games in Syracuse over the weekend. Then Joe Testa of the New Britain Rockcats called in and talked about things with that team. Later, Chris Herrmann of the Ft. Myers Miracle called in to talk about several topics with that team. It was a fun show. I shared Travis’s choice for Who’s Hot and Who’s Not for each of the affiliates. Hopefully you have a chance to listen.  

SethSpeaks Monday Minor League Hitter of the Day – Evan Bigley – Ft. Myers Miracle

SethSpeaks Monday Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Mike McCardell – New Britain Rockcats

 

Red Wings Report   

Monday – Rochester 3, Lehigh Valley 6 – Yoslan Herrera made another start for the Red Wings. The Cuban righty went the first five innings. He gave up three runs on nine hits. He walked two and struck out three. Tim Lahey gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in an inning. Matt Fox walked two and struck out three in two scoreless innings. The offense managed just five hits. Erik Lis hit his second home run, and Trevor Plouffe hit his third triple.  

New Britain Notes

Monday – Game 1 – New Britain 1, Richmond 3 – The Rockcats managed just three hits in the first game. Steve Singleton and Rene Tosoni each hit a double. Tosoni drove in the lone run with his. Ben Revere singles and stole his fourth base. Joe Benson walked twice. Tyler Robertson gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks in 5.1 innings. Chris Province gave up a run on three hits and recorded the final five outs.  

Monday – Game 2 – New Britain 0, Richmond 2 – The Rockcats managed just three hits in the second game. No, that is not just copying the first sentence from the first game. They really did have just three hits, again. Ben Revere hit a double. Mike McCardell went the distance for New Britain. The right-handed gave up two runs on five hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out five.

Miracle Matters

Monday – Ft. Myers 2, Jupiter 6 – Brad Tippett struck out nine batters and walked none in six innings. But he gets the loss because he gave up four runs (3 earned) on eight hits. Michael Allen came in and, in two innings, he gave up two runs on four hits. Yangervis Solarte went 2-4 with a walk and double. He also committed three throwing errors at 2B. Evan Bigley was 2-4 with an RBI double. Deibinson Romero and Chris Cates were each 2-4 as well.  

Snappers Snippets

Monday – Beloit 3, Burlington 13 – This game just got out of control in a hurry. Starter Brad Stillings gave up eight runs (6 earned) on eight hits and a walk in just two innings. Ben Tootle then gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in three innings. Peter Kennelly gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in his two innings. Edgar Ibarra pitched a perfect inning. Brian Dozier went 2-5. Aaron Hicks went 1-3 with two walks. Angel Morales was 1-3 with a walk and his eighth stolen base. Danny Rams walked twice.  

Do you have any thoughts on Francisco Liriano, the Twins, or their minor league system? Leave your comments here.

Twins Sign Zink for Red Wings

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In need of an innings eater, the Twins have signed 30 year old, knuckleballer Charlie Zink to a minor league contract and assigned him to AAA Rochester. There was an open spot on the roster.

In 2008, Zink was the International League Pitcher of the Year. He went 14-6 with a 2.84 ERA in 174 innings. He even got one start with the Boston Red Sox, the organization he had played for since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2002. 2009 was not a good year for the knuckler. He went 6-15 with a 5.59 ERA.

The Red Wings definitely need someone who can eat some innings for them. Zink can do that. I know some will be disappointed that they didn’t promote anyone from New Britain to fill a role, but in reality, there isn’t anyone with the Rockcats that is ready for Rochester. David Bromberg has been excellent through three starts, but he is much too good of a prospect to push too quickly. The same can be said for all of the Rockcats starters. And, with innings-filler being a need, you don’t want to promote a one or two inning guy from AA either. So, I think this signing makes a lot of sense.

Any thoughts? Leave your comments here.

Tuesday Morning Tidbits

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First of all, I wrote this week’s Twins Minor League Notebook as my blog entry at the TwinsCentric blog at StarTribune.com.

Also, at 10:00 central tonight, you can listen to this week’s edition of Twins Minor League Weekly. The guest list is still being worked on, but to learn everything you would want to know about the Twins farm system, listen in. But also participate. The chat room will be open and there is also a call-in number.

Any Joe Mauer fans out there? If you want, at 6:00 tonight on ESPN’s E:60, Jeremy Schaap comes to Minnesota to learn more about the Twins $180 million man. It’ll be different than the Homecoming episode from a few weeks ago, yet it will be a similar look back at Mauer’s neighborhood, growing up and more. There are quotes on the show from Cal Ripken, Terry Ryan, Justin Morneau, and most important, Joe’s grandpa Jake. If you have a chance, you’ll certainly want to watch.

And right after that, you’ll certainly want to watch the Twins take on the Tigers in Detroit. It will be Francisco Liriano against the struggling Justin Verlander tonight at 6:30 central time. Miguel Cabrera is again one of baseball’s top hitters. Johnny Damon is hitting over .300. So is Austin Jackson who also notched his first home run on Sunday night. He also leads baseball in strikeouts. And the combination of Jose Valverde and Joel Zumaya is dominating the end of games. This is a very good team and the Twins will have to play well to beat them.    

SethSpeaks Monday Minor League Hitter of the Day – Danny Valencia – Rochester Red Wings

SethSpeaks Monday Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Bobby Lanigan – Ft. Myers Miracle

 

Red Wings Report   

Monday – Rochester 9, Syracuse 6 – I think it is fair to say (and certainly not at all biased) that Jeff Manship and Danny Valencia are a couple of my favorite Twins prospects. Both were drafted out of college in 2006, later than they should have been Manship was selected in the 14^th round out of Notre Dame and Valencia was taken in the 19^th round. Both have done very well throughout their minor league careers. Manship played a role in the Twins comeback of 2009, and both of these guys are back in Rochester to start the 2010 season. On this day, the duo helped lead the Red Wings to an matinee win. Manship started the season 0-2, but with six strong innings in this game, he is now 2-2. He gave up three runs on eight hits and two walks. Jose Lugo got just one out and gave up a run on three hits. Matt Fox got the inning’s final two outs. Kyle Waldrop then came in and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in one innings. Anthony Slama pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save. Valencia led the offense. He went 4-5 with two doubles and has raised his batting average almost .100 points in the past three games. Dustin Martin continues to surprise and impress. He was 3-5 with a stolen base. Matt Tolbert had a double and a triple in five at bats. Brian Dinkelman was also 2-5. Wilson Ramos hit his third home run, and Brock Peterson hit his second.   

New Britain Notes

Monday – New Britain, Richmond – Postponed by Rain.

Miracle Matters

Monday – Ft. Myers 4, Palm Beach 8 (10 innings) – Bobby Lanigan put together another very strong start for the Miracle. The righty gave up an unearned run on four hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out six. Matt Williams came in and gave up three runs on three hits (including two home runs) in two innings. He struck out three. Shooter Hunt was excellent through two shutout innings, but he went out for the tenth inning and gave up four runs on five hits to take the loss. He struck out three, and most important, he walked none. Ramon Santana led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth double. Chris Herrmann had two hits. Nick Romero hit his first home of the season. Deibinson Romero had a two-run triple. Jonathan Goncalves made his Miracle debut and went 2-4 with a double. Goncalves was in Ft. Myers, in Extended Spring Training. The Miracle had a need in CF and the speedy outfielder moved across the parking lot to play for the Miracle. Likely when the team deems Aaron Hicks or Angel Morales ready for Ft. Myers, Goncalves will likely head to  Beloit, or even back to play for Elizabethton.

Snappers Snippets

Monday – Beloit 6, Burlington 4 – Immediately following a rain delay, the Snappers scored three runs in the top of the 9^th to beat Burlington. An Angel Morales walk and stolen base, followed by a Josmil Pinto double, followed by a Wang-Wei Lin walk, a passed ball, a James Beresford single and an Aaron Hicks walk, and that’s how the Snappers won the game. Of course, the inning ended when Brian Dozier was called out on strikes and got her and his manager, Nelson Prada, ejected from the game which meant several position changes on the fly just to make it interesting. But Steve Blevins pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save. Miguel Munoz started the game for the Snappers. He gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out eight. Dakota Watts pitched a scoreless inning. Matt Tone came in and got two outs. Unfortunately he walked three and one came in to score. Kane Holbrooks gave up the run-scoring hit, but got the final out of the inning. Angel Morales went 2-3 with a walk and a double. Aaron Hicks was 2-4 with a walk.  

Any thoughts on the Twins or their minor league system? Leave your comments here. 

First of all, I wrote this week’s Twins Minor League Notebook as my blog entry at the TwinsCentric blog at StarTribune.com.

Also, at 10:00 central tonight, you can listen to this week’s edition of Twins Minor League Weekly. The guest list is still being worked on, but to learn everything you would want to know about the Twins farm system, listen in. But also participate. The chat room will be open and there is also a call-in number.

Any Joe Mauer fans out there? If you want, at 6:00 tonight on ESPN’s E:60, Jeremy Schaap comes to Minnesota to learn more about the Twins $180 million man. It’ll be different than the Homecoming episode from a few weeks ago, yet it will be a similar look back at Mauer’s neighborhood, growing up and more. There are quotes on the show from Cal Ripken, Terry Ryan, Justin Morneau, and most important, Joe’s grandpa Jake. If you have a chance, you’ll certainly want to watch.

And right after that, you’ll certainly want to watch the Twins take on the Tigers in Detroit. It will be Francisco Liriano against the struggling Justin Verlander tonight at 6:30 central time. Miguel Cabrera is again one of baseball’s top hitters. Johnny Damon is hitting over .300. So is Austin Jackson who also notched his first home run on Sunday night. He also leads baseball in strikeouts. And the combination of Jose Valverde and Joel Zumaya is dominating the end of games. This is a very good team and the Twins will have to play well to beat them.    

SethSpeaks Monday Minor League Hitter of the Day – Danny Valencia – Rochester Red Wings

SethSpeaks Monday Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Bobby Lanigan – Ft. Myers Miracle

 

Red Wings Report   

Monday – Rochester 9, Syracuse 6 – I think it is fair to say (and certainly not at all biased) that Jeff Manship and Danny Valencia are a couple of my favorite Twins prospects. Both were drafted out of college in 2006, later than they should have been Manship was selected in the 14^th round out of Notre Dame and Valencia was taken in the 19^th round. Both have done very well throughout their minor league careers. Manship played a role in the Twins comeback of 2009, and both of these guys are back in Rochester to start the 2010 season. On this day, the duo helped lead the Red Wings to an matinee win. Manship started the season 0-2, but with six strong innings in this game, he is now 2-2. He gave up three runs on eight hits and two walks. Jose Lugo got just one out and gave up a run on three hits. Matt Fox got the inning’s final two outs. Kyle Waldrop then came in and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in one innings. Anthony Slama pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save. Valencia led the offense. He went 4-5 with two doubles and has raised his batting average almost .100 points in the past three games. Dustin Martin continues to surprise and impress. He was 3-5 with a stolen base. Matt Tolbert had a double and a triple in five at bats. Brian Dinkelman was also 2-5. Wilson Ramos hit his third home run, and Brock Peterson hit his second.   

New Britain Notes

Monday – New Britain, Richmond – Postponed by Rain.

Miracle Matters

Monday – Ft. Myers 4, Palm Beach 8 (10 innings) – Bobby Lanigan put together another very strong start for the Miracle. The righty gave up an unearned run on four hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out six. Matt Williams came in and gave up three runs on three hits (including two home runs) in two innings. He struck out three. Shooter Hunt was excellent through two shutout innings, but he went out for the tenth inning and gave up four runs on five hits to take the loss. He struck out three, and most important, he walked none. Ramon Santana led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth double. Chris Herrmann had two hits. Nick Romero hit his first home of the season. Deibinson Romero had a two-run triple. Jonathan Goncalves made his Miracle debut and went 2-4 with a double. Goncalves was in Ft. Myers, in Extended Spring Training. The Miracle had a need in CF and the speedy outfielder moved across the parking lot to play for the Miracle. Likely when the team deems Aaron Hicks or Angel Morales ready for Ft. Myers, Goncalves will likely head to  Beloit, or even back to play for Elizabethton.

Snappers Snippets

Monday – Beloit 6, Burlington 4 – Immediately following a rain delay, the Snappers scored three runs in the top of the 9^th to beat Burlington. An Angel Morales walk and stolen base, followed by a Josmil Pinto double, followed by a Wang-Wei Lin walk, a passed ball, a James Beresford single and an Aaron Hicks walk, and that’s how the Snappers won the game. Of course, the inning ended when Brian Dozier was called out on strikes and got her and his manager, Nelson Prada, ejected from the game which meant several position changes on the fly just to make it interesting. But Steve Blevins pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save. Miguel Munoz started the game for the Snappers. He gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out eight. Dakota Watts pitched a scoreless inning. Matt Tone came in and got two outs. Unfortunately he walked three and one came in to score. Kane Holbrooks gave up the run-scoring hit, but got the final out of the inning. Angel Morales went 2-3 with a walk and a double. Aaron Hicks was 2-4 with a walk.  

Any thoughts on the Twins or their minor league system? Leave your comments here.

Twins Podcast Tonight at 9!

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Tonight at 9:00 p.m., there will be a new episode of the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast, and the guests are pretty confirmed. Here is the tentative agenda:

• 9:00 – 9:05 – Introduction
• 9:05 – 9:16 – Craig Brown, Royals Blogger (Royals Authority)
• 9:16 – 9:22 – Scott Povolny, Twins Train
• 9:22 – 9:35 – Lee Panas, Tigers Blogger (Tiger Tales, author of Beyond Batting Average).
• 9:35 – 9:46 – David Bromberg, Twins Pitching Prospect
• 9:46 – 10:00 – Twins Topics, your questions, calls, etc. Call-in numbers (347-202-0548).

And before that, you should listen and watch Twins MVB Live with John Meyer starting at 7:30.   

Also, on Monday at 3:00, I will again be a guest on Fox9.com’s Sports on Demand, talking Twins, so that will be fun.

Sunday Game Notes

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

The Twins continue a disturbing trend of losing on Sundays and losing the final games of series. Twins fans can’t say that they played a perceived “B lineup.” Even after catching 12 innings in rain and cold on Saturday night, Joe Mauer was again in the lineup, something I don’t understand. The only change in the lineup was Jim Thome replacing Jason Kubel. Simply put, the team just didn’t show up. Maybe it would have been good to play a couple of the extras, the guys that didn’t play on Saturday night, in order to add some energy. The Twins trend of leaving a lot of runners on base remained as they left 12 on base today. Typically, this high number of runners left on base hasn’t been an issue because the team is still scoring six or more runs. There will be a higher number of runners left on base when there are more runners on base. It’s the days when the team scores just three runs and needs just one more to keep the game going that it can be quite frustrating.

That said, it is also important to remember that there were a lot of good things that happened in this game. Delmon Young had two more hits, including a double, and continued to play well all-around. Orlando Hudson, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau each had two hits in the game. Mauer had a double. Morneau drilled a long home run, his third of the year.

Denard Span went 1-12 in the last two games and is 3-20 (.150). Brendan Harris is 7-35 over the last 11 games.

Kevin Slowey was not himself on this day. Maybe it was because he was not getting the corners, but he was unable to consistently hit the corners. He managed to get one out in the sixth inning, but with a pitch count of 104, it was time for him to come out. He was hurt particularly by the bottom of the order, by the guys that refuse to strikeout and foul off a bunch of pitches. To their credit, the Royals hitters they battled and didn’t try to do too much. Of course, the hanging curveball to Jose Guillen was met by a thunderous swing that sent the ball well over the left field fence. Ron Mahay came in and was terrific, getting both batters he faced out. Alex Burnett came in and after a walk and a hit, he got a ground ball double play and pitched a 1-2-3 eighth frame.

On this day, the Royals bullpen came through for them. Dusty Hughes and Josh Rupe did not allow a run in relief of starter Brian Bannister. Surprisingly, the one run that the Twins scored off of the Royals’ bullpen came against Joakim Soria. A single by Joe Mauer followed by a double by Justin Morneau cut the Twins deficit to just one. Unfortunately, Soria returned to his normal self and got Michael Cuddyer on a nasty slider before blowing fastballs past Jim Thome for the final out.  

Tonight at 9:00 p.m., there will be a new episode of the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast, complete with a few guests. We’ll talk Twins, AL Central, minor leagues and much more.  

And before that, be sure to listen and watch Twins MVB Live with John Meyer starting at 7:30.   

Please feel free to leave your comments here.

SethSpeaks Sunday Minor League Hitter of the Day – Drew Thompson – Beloit Snappers

SethSpeaks Sunday Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ryan Mullins – Rochester Red Wings

Red Wings Report   

Sunday – Rochester 2, Syracuse 4 (13 innings) – This game was getting long, so Red Wings manager Tom Nieto decided to put Tim Lahey into the game to start the bottom of the 13^th inning. Three batters later, the game ended on a two run homer. Until that point, this game had been an excellent pitcher’s duel. Ryan Mullins started and gave up one run on four hits and a walk in six innings. Matt Fox got one out. Anthony Slama came in and threw 2.1 innings of hitless baseball. He walked two. Rob Delaney then pitched two innings of hitless relief. And then Lahey came in and gave up a single, got Kevin Mench to fly out, and then Josh Whitesell hit the game-ending, walk-off homer. Matt Tolbert, Danny Valencia and Jason Repko were each 2-5 with a walk. Valencia and Repko had the two RBI. Valencia had a double, the lone extra base hits for the Red Wings.  

New Britain Notes

Sunday – New Britain, Harrisburg – Postponed by Rain.

Miracle Matters

Sunday – Ft. Myers 3, Palm Beach 10 – Drew Thompson was 3-5 with a double. Nick Romero and Nathan Hanson each went 2-4. That was about it for highlights in this game. Michael Tarsi started and thanks to a couple of errors, he gave up six runs (just two earned) in five innings. He gave up eight hits, but he walked just one. In two innings, Blake Martin gave up two unearned runs. Tony Davis gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in one inning. Billy Bullock pitched a scoreless ninth frame.  

Snappers Snippets

Sunday – Beloit, Wisconsin – Postponed by Rain.

Any thoughts on the Twins or their minor league system? Leave your comments here. 

Saturday in the Park

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

The Twins improved to 13-5 on Saturday night with some extra work despite a poor starting pitching effort, an early deficit and a blown save.

Nick Blackburn had his start pushed back a day due to some elbow soreness. When he struggled early in the game, the easy response was to think that he was hurt. The harder reality was that he just wasn’t very good. The first two innings, not only was the ball up, but he had no offspeed pitch and his fastball was not really moving. That could also be from being a little too strong. By the third inning, the fastball was moving a little more. Some thought that Blackburn should have been removed in the second inning. And had it been any worse, I would not have disagreed. But as long as he was healthy and not aggravating an injury, you have to stick with him. There have been plenty of examples of a starter giving up some early runs and still getting the team through several more innings. Although not good, by Blackburn getting into the fifth inning, that saved at least one or two pitchers from being overextended. Ron Mahay got three outs. Then Pat Neshek made his first appearance in ten games, and he was lights out for two batters. Jesse Crain looked strong again for four outs, and Brian Duensing got the final two outs of the 8^th inning. Matt Guerrier threw two shutout innings. Jon Rauch finally blew a save in the 11^th inning, but he worked out of major issues that inning to keep the game going. The Twins got two in the top of the 12^th and Rauch stayed in the ball game and got the final three outs.

The other thing to remember, when the Twins get down 4-0 early, is that this team scores a ton of runs. The thought that they need to score six or seven runs to win against the Royals should not be considered unachievable. That is especially true thanks to the excellent hitting of the Twins 3-4-5 hitters. That was true in this game as well. Joe Mauer went 5-6 with a sacrifice fly. He had a double and a triple. Justin Morneau had a hustle double that led to a couple of runs, and then late in the game, his two-run homer tied the game in the 7^th inning. He also walked two more times and now had 19 walks with just 11 strikeouts. Michael Cuddyer went 2-5 as well, with a walk and a sacrifice fly in the 11^th inning that gave the Twins their first lead of the game. Denard Span was 0-6 before his infield in, pop up that landed in shallow center field for the game-winning RBI. Orlando Hudson was just 1-7. Jason Kubel’s struggles continue. JJ Hardy was 0-5 and it is becoming clear that he still has not turned his offensive struggles around. In other words, this team is 13-5 (tied with Tampa Bay for best record in baseball) and could be playing a lot better. They could be better, and that is scary and exciting.

Another guy that deserves a ton of credit is Delmon Young He is a completely different player in 2010 than we have seen from him the last two years. The loss of 30 pounds is great, and showed tremendous commitment. Just as important seems to be the smile on his face. He truly seems to be having a great time with this team and teammates. His defense still is not exactly smooth, but his increased speed is noticeable in improved range. His arm is still tremendous. But to see him nearly beat out a ground ball to the left side of the infield? To see him nearly beat a force out play at 2B? Delmon Young’s effort level has never been this high. And yeah, he’s barely hitting .220, but we have all seen that he has been robbed of at least six of seven line drive extra base hits. Yes, others can say that too, and it is part of the game, but he is hitting the ball better and more authoritatively than ever. He is pulling the ball. He is taking extra bases. Who knows what the numbers will say at the end of the day, but at least three weeks into the season, I am very optimistic.

For a Sunday afternoon game, I think that Joe Mauer needs to not catch. I would like to see him DH, but I think Jim Thome needs to be in the lineup too. I also think that it would be good to get Luke Hughes a start at 2B. Jason Kubel should probably get a day off. But we shall see.

Tonight at 9:00 p.m., there will be a new episode of the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast, complete with a few guests. We’ll talk Twins, AL Central, minor leagues and much more.

Please feel free to leave your comments here.

SethSpeaks Saturday Minor League Hitter of the Day – Aaron Hicks – Beloit Snappers

SethSpeaks Saturday Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dan Osterbrock – Beloit Snappers

Red Wings Report   

Saturday – Rochester 3, Syracuse 6 – Matt Macri came off the Disabled List, and in his first game back, he had a great day. He played left field and went 2-3 with two walks and a double. Trevor Plouffe his now hitting .317 after going 3-5. Jason Repko and Danny Valencia each had two hits. However, thanks to another bad start from Glen Perkins. The lefty went just 3.2 innings and gave up five runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out four. Kyle Waldrop came in and gave up just one hit over the next 2.1 innings. Rob Delaney gave up a solo home run in the seventh inning, but struck out two. Anthony Slama pitched a perfect ninth inning.

New Britain Notes

Saturday – New Britain 5, Harrisburg 15 – Carlos Gutierrez told me on Friday night that his arm was feeling great. On Saturday night, he had a rough start. In the first inning, he gave up seven runs on six hits and a walk. Yet, he ended up going four innings. In total, he allowed eight runs on ten hits. He walked one, hit one and struck out three. Joe Testa then gave up three runs (1 earned) on four hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out four. Henry Arias gave up four runs on five hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. Cole Devries came in and got the final four outs, three on strikeouts. Ben Revere went 2-3 with two walks. Mark Dolenc went 2-4 with two RBI.  

Miracle Matters

Saturday – Ft. Myers 2, Palm Beach 5 – Yangervis Solarte just continues to hit. In this game, he went 3-4 with his fourth double. Chris Herrmann hit his fifth double. But the Miracle had just five hits in the game. Kyle Gibson started. The righty went the first five innings. He gave up one run on four hits. He walked three and struck out four. Tony Davis went the next 1.1 innings. He gave up a run on one hit and three walks. Michael Allen then pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, issuing two walks and striking out three. Billy Bullock entered a tie game in the ninth, but he gave up three runs on two hits and two walks in the inning to take the loss.  

Snappers Snippets

Saturday – Beloit 7, Wisconsin 5 – Aaron Hicks is on a tear. He went 4-5 with a walk and his second home run in this game. Since starting the season 1-31 (.032), he has gone 14-25 (.480) and is now hitting .268. It has been a slow start for Josmil Pinto this year, but in this game, he was 4-5 with two doubles. Tobias Streich went 2-4 with his second double. Angel Morales  hit his third home run. James Beresford went 2-5, including the game-winning RBI. Dan Osterbrock had a very good start. In seven innings, he gave up two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out eight. He recorded nine groundouts to just one fly out. Peter Kennelly got just two outs and gave up three runs on two hits and a walk. Steve Blevins issued two walks and gave up a hit and got just two outs in a blown save. But he got the win thanks to Beresford and the offense, and Edgar Ibarra got the final two outs for the save.  

Any thoughts on the Twins or their minor league system? Leave your comments here.

Friday Night Notes

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

On Friday night the Twins improved to12-5 with an 8-3 win in Kansas City against the Royals. As you would expect, it all started with the starting pitching. Just five days after he lost to the Royals, Carl Pavano gave up just two runs on four hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out five. Matt Guerrier had his first bad outing of the year (spring training included). He gave up one run on one hit and one walk, but clearly he was not himself. After the Twins scored two runs in the top of the 9^th, Brian Duensing came in and pitched a scoreless ninth frame. The Twins jumped out to an early lead thanks to some sketchy pitching by Gil Meche. In just 3.1 innings, Meche threw just 43 strikes. He gave up four runs on four hits and five walks. In other words, it could have been even worse. The Twins worked seven more walks in this game. The ability to work counts and take walks is so important, and something Twins fans haven’t seen in a long time, not until sometime in 2009 really. It is a trait that most good teams have, and another reason why the Twins are a good team. Orlando Hudson had three hits and a walk in the game. Jim Thome was making his second straight start, and he hit a solo home runs and a two-run double in the game. Justin Morneau was 1-3 and added two more walks to his AL-leading walk total. JJ Hardy hit his third home run.

The big news of Friday was that Nick Punto was heading to the Disabled List. After missing six games, it was decided to be cautious and put him on the Disabled List. The Twins also recalled Luke Hughes who will be in Kansas City on Saturday. Now I have been asked about Hughes and why he was the one promoted instead of Matt Tolbert or Danny Valencia. I’ll start with the latter. Valencia is struggling early and Brendan Harris has been playing adequately. The Twins want Valencia to continue to play most days, and right now, they are going with Harris at 3B. Hardy is the shortstop and Hudson is the 2B, so The promoted player would be a bench player. Hughes provides good power from the right side for the Twins bench, something they really don’t have most days. As for why Hughes over Tolbert? Well, Tolbert is a replication of Casilla and wouldn’t play at all. He has zero purpose as a bench option with Casilla already able to play all three infield spots. And again, Hughes can actually hit a little bit. So, this is certainly the right move right now. I do think that if Orlando Hudson needs a day off, and I think it would be good, that Hughes should get a start at 2B.  In a corresponding move, the Rochester Red Wings activated Matt Macri from their Disabled List.

Please feel free to leave your comments here.

SethSpeaks Friday Minor League Hitter of the Day – Reggie Williams – Beloit Snappers

SethSpeaks Friday Minor League Pitcher of the Day – David Bromberg – New Britain Rockcats

Red Wings Report   

Friday – Rochester 3, Syracuse 8 – Mike Maroth started for the Red Wings. He gave up four runs (2 earned) on five hits. He walked none and struck out four. Tim Lahey gave up three runs on four hits and three walks in 2.1 innings. Matt Fox gave up only an unearned run in 1.2 innings. Brian Dinkelman went 2-4. Trevor Plouffe hit a two-run triple. But the Red Wings managed just four hits. Dustin Martin had two fielding errors in the outfield.  

New Britain Notes

Friday – New Britain 1, Harrisburg 2 – David Bromberg started his third game and pitched his third gem. In seven innings he gave up just one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out nine. Santos Arias fell to 0-3 as he gave up a run on three hits over two innings. The Rockcats managed just four hits. Rene Tosoni went 2-3 with a walk and the lone RBI. Estarlin de Los Santos was 1-2 with a walk.  

Miracle Matters

Friday – Ft. Myers 1, Bradenton 3 – Bruce Pugh recorded his first Quality Start of the season. He gave up three runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out three. Shooter Hunt came in and struck out three in two perfect innings. Like the Red Wings and the Rockcats, the Miracle had just four hits in this game. Chris Herrmann and Dan Rohlfing each hit a double. Brandon Roberts was on a rehab assignment from Rochester. He was 1-3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Snappers Snippets

Friday – Beloit 7, Wisconsin 1 – Liam Hendriks actually gave up a run in this game, but he also picked up his first win of the year. In five innings, he gave up just the one run on one hit. He walked one and struck out six. Ben Tootle gave up one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two. Kane Holbrooks threw two shutout innings, and he struck out two. Reggie Williams went 2-3 with a double and four RBI. Steve Liddle was 1-4 with a walk and an RBI double. Aaron Hicks was 1-3 with two walks and his third stolen base.  

Any thoughts on the Twins or their minor league system? Leave your comments here.