Friday Night Minor League Notes

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A couple of weeks ago, LaVelle E. Neal posted a blog that mentioned that there was a good chance that minor league outfielder Angel Morales, infielder Estarlin de Los Santos and pitcher Miguel Munoz are having elbow problems and might have to have Tommy John surgery at some point. That point has still not come as each will continue to try to rehab in an attempt to avoid surgery. We know the timeline for return for a pitching coming back from Tommy John surgery is anywhere from 12-24 months, but there are fewer position plays who have had it done, and the timeline is quicker. Former Twin Matt Macri had Tommy John surgery in college. Shin-Soo Choo had the procedure done while he was in the minor leagues. Just a week ago, 2010 draft pick, pitcher Dallas Gallant went under the knife and had Tommy John surgery. He has already begun his rehab and says it is going well so far.

Oswaldo Arcia has had to has been the Beloit Snappers DH since the season started because he has both a sore elbow and shoulder. It hasn’t hurt his bat, but he is a very solid outfielder so hopefully he can return to playing defense soon.

Tom Stuifbergen is throwing pain-free again and will come off of the Miracle’s Disabled List on Monday. He was experiencing some shoulder tendonitis. It is likely that when he is activated, LHP Ryan Mullins will go on the DL, also with shoulder tendonitis. Tony Davis began the season on the Disabled List with some elbow pain, but he took is about to start appearing in some Extended Spring Training games, and could return to the Miracle by the middle of the month. Pat Dean has begun to make some starts for the Twins Extended Spring Training team and try to build up his arm strength before moving to a full-season team. Matt Bashore (Tommy John surgery a year ago) and Ben Tootle (Shoulder surgery a year ago) are trying to build up arm strength. It will still be time before they pitch in an Extended Spring game.

Earlier this week, the Yankees commented that they believe that Phil Hughes may be experiencing Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. That is the injury that cost Twins Australian minor league pitcher Brad Tippett most of his 2010 season. Tippett remains in Extended Spring Training now, trying to build back his arm strength.

In case you missed it on Monday night, David Bromberg has a broken ulna after he protected his face with his forearm in a game that night. He is expected to miss four weeks. I still am not certain who will replace him in the Rock Cats rotation.

That’s enough for today… what other questions about the Twins minor league system do you have? Feel free to ask.

Minor League Report

Friday SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Kyle Knudson, Beloit Snappers 

Friday SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Steve Hirschfeld, New Britain Rock Cats

Red Wings Ramblings

Friday – Red Wings 2, Buffalo 3 – Through Monday, Ben Revere was hitting .203/.239/.234. Since then, he is 9-11 and his now hitting .282/.325/.308. In this game, he went 3-4 and stole his sixth base. Yorman Bazardo started and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in three innings. Chuck James then came in and threw three shutout innings, striking out three. Anthony Slama gave up one run on two hits and two walks in two innings. Kyle Waldrop struck out two in a perfect ninth.   

Rock Cats Report

Friday – Rock Cats 1, New Hampshire 4 (12) – Steve Hirschfeld had another strong start. The right-hander gave up just one run on four hits. In seven innings, he walked one and struck out seven. Mike Tarsi went 1.1 innings and gave up no runs despite two hits and two walks. Spencer Steedley threw 2.2 shutout innings. Tyler Robertson gave up three unearned runs on two hits and a walk in the 12^th inning. The Rock Cats managed just six hits in this game. Yangervis Solarte and Deibinson Romero each hit a double.

Miracle Matters

Friday – Miracle 4, Palm Beach 3 – Dan Osterbrock appears to be back. The lefty gave up one run on five hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out four. Matt Tone gave up one run on two walks in 1.2 innings. Jhon Garcia then gave up one run on two hits in 1.1 innings. Dakota Watts recorded his fifth save by striking out two in a scoreless inning. James Beresford is now hitting .340 after a 3-4 game. Reggie Williams and Steve Liddle were each 2-4.  

Snappers Bites

Friday – Snappers 7, Peoria 2 – Adrian Salcedo posted another solid start and the Snappers got enough runs for a win. Salcedo gave up two runs (1 earned) on seven hits in 6.2 innings. He walked one and struck out four. Ryan O’Rourke got the next four outs. Matt Hauser struck out two in a scoreless inning. Kyle Knudson went 2-4 with his first double, first home run and three RBI. Michael Gonzalez went 2-4. Danny Ortiz drilled his fourth home run and drove in two runs.  

Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions or comments.

Bizarro SethSpeaks

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net

The Twins were just swept in a day-night double headers by the Tampa Bay Rays. They were swept in the two day, three game series by a combined score of 29-6. It was definitely not a good showing for the hometown nine.

But I have been absolutely amazed by the response by some Twins fans. My assumption (and hope) is that it is the loud minority that has gone a little over the edge. However, I have never seen or heard such irrationality in my eight years of blogging on the Twins. Was it 2006 or 2008 when the Twins went into Detroit early one season and were swept in a three-game series by a combined score that resembled 42-donut (for you Vikings fans out there, just to give you something to ponder today). As I recall, the Twins turned things around soon after that and ended up winning another division title that year.

Listen, I get that every game matters. Yes, the Twins have been in two Game 163s. I know that games in April matter as much as games in September when games are more under the microscope and scrutinized with an even finer comb. Yikes!

I was asked yesterday on twitter why I’m so calm through this rough patch for the Twins. Let me count the reasons. I love baseball and I love the Minnesota Twins, but I have a lot of other stresses in my life that actually do impact me. The Twins could go 1-161 and I would still watch every game that I could, go to games, etc. I am entertained by the game. I am entertained and amazed by the marathon that is a 162 game season. The peaks. The valleys. There are injuries and illnesses and day-to-day events that have to be overcome. In the last five or six years, no team has overcome that as much as the Twins. Generally there are a few. This year, it is all piling up at once which is an entirely different animal. I’m very curious if the Twins will overcome that. But frankly, between work and family and bills and taxes and pets and travel and gas prices and health and, well, I could go on and on, I do have enough other things going on that I will be OK even if the Twins struggle. Think the people in Alabama are too worried today about the Twins, or even the Tide? I hope that all the Elizabethton Twins fans in that area are OK after they experienced some devastating tornadoes in the past few days too. The biggest thing for me is that no matter how much I were to stress about it, I can’t do anything about it.

Is it frustrating? Of course. I want them to succeed and be successful. I think we all do. I say “I think” because I really think that there are some fans out there who want certain players or coaches or the manager to fail. I guess I don’t comprehend that.

I’ve also been asked if I really, truly believe that Ron Gardenhire is a great manager. My answer is now, as it was last year and the year before, that he is one of the best. I don’t know how to measure that. I think Joe Maddon is the best in my mind. Terry Francona is terrific. Mike Scioscia is very good. Gardenhire is clearly in the upper quarter of baseball managers. Sure, I don’t always like his lineup construction. There is his willingness to stand behind some of his ‘favorites’ longer than we would like, which also has been a positive for the Twins on several accounts. But I think that his style over 162 games is as good as anyone in the game.

But I know that there are several out there who seemingly want me to jump ship. They want me to call for the manager’s head. Every coach should be fired. They want me to think that the players are soft and that several should be released. So, here we go… here is a Bizarro SethSpeaks blog:

THE SKY IS FALLING

The Twins got crushed again on Thursday, not once, but twice. They are terrible, and there is no chance for them to turn it around. Sure, their top players, Joe Mauer and Delmon Young are on the DL. So what if the guys who missed a ton of time in 2010 due to injury (Nathan and Morneau) haven’t jumped back into their All-Star form in the first month of the 2011 season. Francisco Liriano is a terrible pitcher. They should have traded him to the Yankees for some peanuts, and if they didn’t take Brian Cashman’s offer of Ivan Nova and Ramiro Pena, someone in the front office should be fired. There is no hope….

I’M BACK

No, I can’t do it. Hopefully you enjoyed my brief walk on the dark side, but that’s not me. If people want to stop reading my site because I’m too positive or not tough enough or won’t call for people’s heads, that’s fine. But I’ve got to be me, and that’s going to  be about staying positive and thinking big picture.

Joe Mauer will be back, and he will return to form. Justin Morneau may not jump to MVP caliber overnight, but it won’t be long until he is back to playing really well. Tsuyoshi Nishioka will be back in a month or so and it will be fun to watch him develop. Jason Kubel and Denard Span have started out well. They may not keep it up the full year, but they certainly could. Delmon Young will be back in a week. Michael Cuddyer will continue to be solid and do whatever the team asks of him. Shortstop will… well, OK, shortstop needs a change for sure. Hopefully that will happen soon. Just a hunch, but Francisco Liriano is not going to have a 9+ ERA for the full season. Carl Pavano will be solid. Brian Duensing has been good. Matt Capps and Glen Perkins have been very good. Jim Hoey might make people forget Jesse Crain. There are guys in the minor leagues who can help when needed. We’ve seen a bunch of them so far. Normally, they call up one or two at a time to help the veterans. They’ve made moves with Rochester like no season before. That’s not normal. Things will return to normal soon. And that means that the Twins will play better ball. There is far too much talent on this team to quit on them before May 1. If they’re playing sub-.400 ball in June 1, I’ll worry a little more. But not yet.

Not yet.

Young to DL; Tosoni Called Up

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If you missed yesterday’s blog, scroll down for A Look Back at the Capps/Ramos Trade.

Initially Delmon Young was set to be in the Twins lineup last night, but after being unable to get loose during batting practice, he took himself out of the lineup. Because Jim Thome (oblique) and Jason Repko (Quad) were unable to play for a bit, Gardy and GM Bill Smith had only one option, and that was to put Young on the Disabled List and get another body up here. For last night, the Twins could make do with Jason Kubel in left field. However, it also meant that Michael Cuddyer had to play right field, and that meant the Luke Hughes had to move from 2B to 1B. And that meant that Matt Tolbert had to play 2B. And that meant that Gardy’s bench consisted of… Steve Holm as his only available option.

Just after the game started, I got a message that Rene Tosoni was going to be called up from Rochester. My assumption was that meant Young would go to the Disabled List, but I wasn’t able to confirm that. I tweeted about Tosoni being called up. Many Twins writers in the press box retweeted it. However, they were unable to get any confirmation from Bill Smith or anyone with the Twins. I was very confident and comfortable with my source. However, when Francisco Liriano gave up five hits and four runs before getting an out, I got a little nervous. I tweeted, “Paging Anthony Swarzak! Anthony Swarzak, please report to Target Field.” If Eric Hacker had to be used early in this game, he would not be able to start on Saturday ,and if that’s the case, a pitcher would need to be promoted. Maybe that would alter the plan to promote Tosoni. Thankfully in the bottom of the 3^rd inning, the press box was informed that Tosoni was being promoted and Delmon Young had been put on the Disabled List. Uffdah! I was relieved. And soon after, Hacker was entering the game in the 4^th inning. Immediately it became clear what the next move was. Hacker would be sent down following the game, and someone would be called up. In the end, it was Anthony Swarzak, who will start the 2^nd game on Thursday on just three days of rest. So, he was on short rest, and to make Twins fans feel even better, in Swarzak’s most recent start, he gave up seven runs on eight hits and two walks in just 4.2 innings. We haven’t seen Swarzak with the Twins in the regular season since 2009. It’s good to see him get another chance… even if it is just for a day or two, until Kevin Slowey is activated.  

For more information on Rene Tosoni, here is what was written (by Josh Johnson) about him in the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011 which is still available:

Rene Tosoni – OF – (7/2/86)

Acquired: 36^th round pick in 2005 from Chipola JC

2010 Team(s): New Britain Rock Cats        

2010 Stats: .270/.369/.422, 8-2B, 4-3B, 4 HR, 24 RBI

Tosoni was drafted by the Twins in the 34th round of the 2004 draft and then again in the 2005 draft. Signed as a draft-and-follow, the Canadian outfielder attended Chipola Junior College before joining the Twins. Visa problems during the 2006 season delayed Tosoni’s debut until 2007. In his first season of pro ball, Tosoni helped lead Elizabethton to an Appalachian League title by hitting .301/.407/.428 with 20 extra-base hits and 13 stolen bases in 63 games. He played in two games for Beloit following Elizabethton’s season, but many figured he’d return to the Midwest League in 2008. But the Twins surprisingly had Tosoni skip Beloit in 2008 and instead he reported to Ft. Myers. He broke his leg in May and was only able to play in 42 games. Tosoni returned for just a handful of games, but he made his presence known. In game one of the 2008 divisional playoff series against Dunedin, Tosoni belted a two-run home run which proved to be the deciding factor in a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jays. In the end, Tosoni hit .300/.408/.414 with 11 extra-base hits and was also named to the Florida State League All-Star Roster (but was unable to play).

In 2009, Tosoni spent the entire season roaming the outfield in New Britain. Having had just five home runs heading into 2009, Tosoni belted three times that much in his first taste of the Eastern League. He hit .271/.360/.454 with 44 extra-base hits in 122 games. In July, Tosoni was selected to play in the 2009 Futures Game for the World team. He hit a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh (and final) inning, to give the World team the victory. He then left New Britain in August to play for Team Canada in the World Cup where he hit .357/.446/.714 with five doubles, three triples and three home runs in the tournament. He finally finished off the year by playing for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. 2010 figured to be a big season for the 24-year-old, but a logjam of outfielders in Rochester meant he’d be returning to the Eastern League. He had a sore shoulder at the beginning of the season and finally had to undergo labrum surgery in June. He spent time in the outfield, but spent the majority of the time as the Rock Cats designated hitter. He played in a total of 52 games in 2010, hitting .270/.369/.422 with 16 extra-base hits. Had he not been injured, he for sure would have finished the season in Rochester or Minnesota.

Tosoni has a very good approach at the plate and gets on-base a lot. He has a smooth left-handed swing that has good gap power. He’s not the fastest outfielder, but what he lacks in range he makes up for with a strong arm. He doesn’t hit left-handed pitchers very well, but he has a history of success against right-handers. He has a future in the major leagues, but with the Twins having a crowded outfield it might be hard for him to stick in Minnesota. JJ

As it is, Tosoni may only be with the Twins until next Wednesday when Young is eligible to come off of the Disabled List. Unless there is another injury, Tosoni will head back to Rochester where he is currently hitting .286/.329/.500 with six doubles, three homers and 16 RBI. For instance, if Jason Repko’s quad does not improve by then, he could be put on the DL.

Just to give you a little more, here is part of what I wrote about Tosoni in the 2010 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook:

Tosoni is most often referred to as a very complete player. Defensively, he has good range and a very strong, very accurate throwing arm. He has primarily played right field in his career, but he has done well when he has played centerfield as well. He has played just a handful of games in his career in left field, although it may make sense for him to get more time out there in 2010. Offensively, he will have the ability to hit for average as well as potentially being a 12-15 home run type of hitter. He is a very patient hitter, taking a lot of walks and consistently getting on base in nearly 10% of his plate appearances. He is a very good base runner despite not stealing a lot of bases. There is really just one negative to the game of Rene Tosoni to this point in his still-young career. He has not hit well against southpaws. For his career, he has hit .302/.387/.473 against right-handed pitching, but against lefties, he has hit just .231/.346/.343. In 2009, he hit .303/.386/.503 against righties. He hit just .183/.285/.302 against left-handers. Unless this trend is quickly corrected, Tosoni may be a lefty-hitting platoon option for the Twins, but if he can gain some confidence and do anything against left-handed pitching, he could be a very good performer across the board for the Twins. Clearly the Twins like him very much, enough to invite him to big league spring training.

Tosoni’s Prospect Rankings

Tosoni has certainly been a prospect since signing with the Twins. Here is where I ranked him each of the past four years:

• 2008 – 29
• 2009 – 15
• 2010 – 9
• 2011 – 32

I think it is safe to say that I factored Tosoni’s injury and surgery in 2010, along with his age. I also assumed that the lost time would mean that he would return to New Britain rather than move up to Rochester to start the season.

So hopefully with all of that, you have plenty of information on Rene Tosoni for his five or six days in the big leagues for now. Don’t worry, though, he will be around for a long time.

Minor League Report

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Steve Singleton, New Britain Rock Cats 

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – BJ Hermsen, Beloit Snappers

Red Wings Ramblings

Wednesday – Red Wings 3, Buffalo 2 – Scott Diamond recorded the win with a very good start. The lefty went the first six innings and gave up two runs on two hits. He walked one and struck out three. Anthony Slama came in and gave up three hits and a walk, but no runs, in 1.1 innings. Phil Dumatrait pitched an inning, and then Alex Burnett got the final two outs for the save. Both came via the strikeout. Matt Brown went 2-4 with his third double and second home run. Brandon Roberts went 2-5 with his first double. Dustin Martin was 1-2 with two walks. Ben Revere went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth stolen base.  

Rock Cats Report

Wednesday – Rock Cats 5, New Hampshire 11 – Deolis Guerra had a rough one. He gave up nine runs on nine hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. He struck out two. Three of the hits were home runs. Brett Jacobson went 2.1 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and two walks. Michael Tarsi gave up a solo homer in his inning, but he struck out two. Santos Arias gave up a run on two hits and a walk. Steve Singleton went 3-5 with his eighth double, second home run, and he is now hitting .313. Allan de San Miguel went 2-4. Mark Dolenc hit a triple.

Miracle Matters

Wednesday – Miracle 4, Charlotte 3 – Matt Schuld went five innings in this start. He gave up three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four. Andrew Albers threw two scoreless innings. Bruce Pugh got the first five batters out. He struck out three. But with two outs in the bottom of the 9^th, he gave up a walk-off home run. Danny Rams again led the offense. He went 2-4 with his fourth double. He is now hitting .367. The team had just five hits. Anderson Hidalgo went 1-3 with a walk.  

Snappers Bites

Wednesday – Snappers 10, Burlington 2 – BJ Hermsen picked up his first win of the year. He went seven innings and gave up just one run on four hits. He walked one and struck out seven. Michael Tonkin then gave up a run on a hit in his inning. Martire Garcia walked two, but didn’t give up a run in his inning. There were lots of contributions from the offense. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-4 with his second double, first home run and three RBI. Oswaldo Arcia was 2-4 with a walk and his fourth home run (3^rd in last two games). Danny Santana was 2-4 with a walk and his third triple. Derek McCallum hit his first two doubles. Jamaal Hawkins was 2-3. Danny Ortiz was 2-4 with a walk and his seventh double.  

Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions or comments.

A Look Back: The Capps/Ramos Trade

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Be sure to check out last night’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast here.

At the end of July last year, it was clear to Twins fans that Jon Rauch was really struggling in the closer’s role. One two game stretch pushed his season ERA from 2.38 to 3.31. He was throwing a ton of pitches and walking more than he was striking out. The outs he was getting were hit really hard. The Twins felt the need to improve their overall bullpen by going out and acquiring a “proven closer.”

I was in the process of packing up and moving myself when I heard a rumor that Wilson Ramos had been removed from the Rochester Red Wings lineup. Soon after, there was a rumor that said the Twins had dealt Ramos to Washington for Matt Capps. I thought that was just crazy. Trade a top prospect, and a top catching prospect at that, for one of the league’s least intimidating closers, a guy whose numbers were not much different than Rauch’s? Unfortunately, it was not long before the rumors were confirmed. The Twins had traded Wilson Ramos and Joe Testa (left-handed reliever) for Matt Capps. I sunk. How disappointing! I wrote, “I was in awe, shocked that the Twins would give up their most expendable trade prospect for a reliever that, frankly, isn’t any better than current closer Jon Rauch.”

I did acknowledge that adding Capps made the Twins better in 2010. Torii Hunter and Johan Santana always whined about how the Twins always were looking to the future, but when would they go for it and stop worrying about prospects. This move did that, for sure. The Twins gave up Ramos, a top 4 Twins prospect, for a solid relief pitcher.

I don’t think anyone was or is any higher on Wilson Ramos than me. I ranked him as the Twins #2 prospect before the 2010 season. I saw him as a good defensive catcher who could hit for average and future power. There were several times that I outlined a scenario for Ramos and Joe Mauer to co-exist. Since Mauer will be around for most of the next decade, it is understandable that Ramos was expendable. However, I proposed a scenario where Joe Mauer caught 100 games a year and then DHed another 50-55 games. Wilson Ramos would catch 50-60 games and then DH 80-100 games a year. The Twins don’t have a ton of right-handed power in their lineup, and Ramos could have been that. In that scenario, you have your starting catcher and DH, and could still have a 3^rd catcher to be there for emergency.

Instead, without Ramos, the Twins are left with a lot of great-defense, little-bat options at catcher in the minor leagues. Guys like Steve Holm, Rene Rivera and Danny Lehmann can be solid big league backup catchers. Chris Herrmann is a great athlete who can catch but primarily plays in the outfield. Danny Rams is a terrific prospect with power potential, but he is still playing in A ball. Jose Morales was traded because he was out of options and would not have made the team and would have been claimed and lost for nothing.

Losing Ramos is a huge loss, no matter how the Twins want to spin it. In his previous four games, he was just 2-16, but after his 3-4 game last night which included two home runs, he is now hitting .378/.440/.578 for the Nationals. His OPS is 1.018. Of course, by season’s end, his OPS will most likely be shy of .800, but he could be a very good player.

However, to say that it was a horrible trade is 100% wrong. And it is wrong on several levels. First, Matt Capps is still just 27 years old. He throws a good fastball. He throws a couple of pitches. He has good control, gets the occasional strikeout. He definitely can make things interesting at times, like most closers. However, the Twins wanted him to solidify their 2010 bullpen, and he definitely did that. He posted a 2.00 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 27 innings over 27 games in helping the Twins to the playoffs. He saved 16 games. Another reason that the Twins wanted Capps was because he would remain with the team for 2011 and serve as insurance for Joe Nathan in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Well, it is just a couple of weeks into the season, and Capps is clearly the Twins best reliever and has taken over the closer’s role from Nathan. He has a 3.75 ERA, but his WHIP is just 0.83. Yes, it’s hard to believe he has just five strikeouts.

So, since the Twins acquired Capps, he has pitched in 38 games. He has gone 3-1 with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He has recorded 20 saves. He also has all of those intangibles that the Twins and the players really appreciate.  

This isn’t Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio. It’s not even Larry Anderson for Jeff Bagwell. Frankly, this isn’t Casey Blake for Carlos Santana.

Did I like the trade at the time? Not at all. Do I like the trade in retrospect? Not really, I still don’t like it. But Matt Capps has been tremendous and everything that the Twins and Twins fans could have hoped for and more. In fact, would anyone be surprised if the Twins locked him up for the next 3-4 years to be their closer through the rest of his 20s? I wouldn’t. And I don’t think it would be a terrible thing at all. Forget the dollars. $7 million is not outrageous for what he has done for the Twins and in his career. Take away that 2009 season, and he has had a terrific career, and there is no reason to believe that he can’t remain very good. In a bullpen with so many question marks and so much uncertainty, Capps has been valuable for the Twins.

Ramos’s fast start this season, and the Joe Mauer early-season Disabled List visit certainly bring the trade back to the forefront. Those things are hard to ignore, but don’t ignore the impact that Capps has had for the Twins.

Note – The Nationals kept the left-handed Testa in Extended Spring Training and are asking him to work on throwing side-arm to maximize movement on his pitches.

Any thoughts?

Minor League Report

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Oswaldo Arcia, Beloit Snappers 

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kyle Gibson, Rochester Red Wings

Red Wings Ramblings

Tuesday – Red Wings 0, Buffalo 5 – Kyle Gibson put together his second straight quality start. In six innings, he gave up one run on four hits. He walked two and struck out eight. Jeff Manship came in and gave up three runs on four hits (including two home runs). Chuck James got the final four outs and gave up a run on two hits (including a homer). Brian Dinkelman and Rene Tosoni each went 2-4. Jeff Bailey went 0-3 and is now 0-26 in his past nine games.  

Rock Cats Report

Tuesday – Rock Cats 5, New Hampshire 6 (10) – David Bromberg put together his best start of the year, and unfortunately, he wasn’t able to see it through. In 5.1 innings, he gave up one run on five hits. He walked one and struck out seven. He got 6 groundball outs and no fly outs. He was on top of his game. Until, that is, a line drive came right back toward his face. He raised his hand up to protect his face, and broke his ulna bone. He is likely to be out at least the next four weeks. Obviously we wish him the best and a speedy recovery!

Spencer Steedley came in and gave up a run on two hits in 1.1 innings. He struck out two. Tyler Robertson came in and gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in 2.1 innings. Jake Stevens got the final out, but he gave up a run on a hit and a walk.

Sidenote – in the comments section yesterday, someone asked why Tyler Robertson would pitch a third inning, and not just one inning at a time. It is a fair question and a very good question. I would say this. In the minor leagues, players are prepared for the big leagues. Tyler Robertson is likely not going to be a one-inning, 8^th or 9^th inning guy in the big leagues. He may be a LOOGY. He may be a long reliever. So although he has recorded a couple of saves for the Rock Cats already, there is no negative in stretching him out a little bit too. Should they have gone to Jake Stevens sooner? Based on the results of the game, that case could be made. But again, the minor leagues are (and should be) first and foremost, about development.

Steve Singleton remains hot. He had two more hits. Yangervis Solarte hit his 7^th double. Joe Benson hit his 8^th double.  

Miracle Matters

Tuesday – Miracle 12, Charlotte 10 – It was all about the big inning for the Miracle in this high-scoring affair. The team scored six runs in the fifth inning, and then scored five runs in the 7^th inning. Chris Herrmann led the way. He was 2-3 with two walks. James Beresford also had two hits. Anderson Hidalgo drove in two with a double. Brian Dozier added a triple and a walk. Brad Stillings started and gave up six runs on 10 hits and a walk in five innings. Blake Martin gave up one run on a hit and three walks in his inning. Jhon Garcia gave up three runs on six hits in two innings. Dakota Watts pitched a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the year.  

Snappers Bites

Tuesday – Snappers 6, Burlington 4 – Oswaldo Arcia can flat-out hit! In this game, he went 4-4 with his sixth double and his second and third home runs of the season. He drove in three runs. The Snappers managed just six hits in the game. Danny Ortiz drove his sixth double as well. Manuel Soliman started and gave up three runs on four hits and three walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out seven. Blayne Weller threw 2.1 scoreless innings. Matt Hauser gave up a run on a hit and three walks in 1.2 innings, but Jose Gonzalez came in and struck out the lone batter he faced for his third save.  

Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions or comments.

Minor Trending

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

The Twins had a much-needed off day on Monday, so today, let’s spend a little time talking about the Twins minor league system. We notice at the big league level which players get off to a hot or a cold start. It is the same thing in the minor leagues. Here are a few notes on the starts of players from the Twins affiliates:

Rochester Red Wings:

• Trevor Plouffe has been able to start off very well. He is hitting .300 with three doubles, a triple and five home runs.
• Kyle Gibson is again on the mound on Tuesday for the Red Wings. In his most recent start, he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He was named the Red Wings most recent player of the week.
• Ben Revere is currently hitting just .203/.239/.234. Of course, he will be fine. However, in his past nine games, he has just four hits in 35 at bats.
• Matt Brown has not played in the past four days. His batting average is down to .162 after he went 0-11 in his previous four games.
• Jeff Bailey played well in spring training, and he has a game-winning, walk-off homer for the Red Wings, but he is struggling. His last hit was 11 days ago (April 15). In his past eight games, he is 0-23.

New Britain Rock Cats

• Danny Lehmann made a strong impression on the big league staff in spring training, again. He began the season in Double-A and went 6-13 (.462) with a double. He moved up to Rochester recently where he has gone 5-14 (.357) with a double and a home run.
• After being named the organization’s top minor league hitter in 2010, it’s great to see Joe Benson off to a fast start. He is hitting .379/.446/.638 with seven doubles, one triple and two home runs. One of his issues had been strikeouts. Through last night’s games, he has 13 strikeouts in 65 plate appearances. The one strikeout every five at bat ratio would be a great number for Benson. In fact, with Ben Revere and Brandon Roberts struggling in Rochester, and Rene Tosoni cooling off, is it possible that if Delmon Young needs to go on the DL for four or five days that they could call up Benson now for a week?  In his past six games, Benson is 9-23 with three doubles, a triple and a home run.
• Yangervis Solarte is hitting .356 (with a .367 OBP) with six doubles, a triple and a home run. He has six hits in his past ten at bats.
• Steve Singleton had 43 doubles for the Rock Cats in 2010 (along with four triples and seven home runs). With three doubles on Monday night, he now has seven doubles on this season with a home run. How he is still at Double-A is beyond me.
• Cole DeVries amazing start to his 2011 season continues. In five games, he has 12.1 innings thrown. He has given up just two hits, one walk, and he has struck out 18 batters.
• After a fast start, Ray Chang has four hits in his last 26 at bats.
• Another veteran that the team signed was Michael Holliman. He played for the Detroit Tigers in 2008. After playing in independent league ball in 2010, the Twins signed him. He played very well in spring. He homered in his first regular season game with the Rock Cats. Since then, it’s been a struggle for him. He has three hits in 42 at bats this season, an .071 average.

Ft. Myers Miracle

• Chris Herrmann’s nine-game hitting streak came to an end in a game that he went 0-1 with two walks. He started a new hitting streak last night. He is now hitting .355/.425/.516.
• Minnesotan Nate Hanson ‘s 12 game hitting streak came to an end over the weekend. Since then he has gone 1-13 and is now hitting .296 with three homers. David Dorsey of the Ft. Myers News Press wrote a nice article on the First Baseman.
• Danny Rams played well in spring camp too. He has started the season by hitting. 357/.419/.536 with three doubles, two triples and a home run. He is 8-17 in his past five games, and 14-33 over his past nine games. Like Benson, strikeouts will be worth watching with Rams. So far, he has 18 strikeouts in 62 plate appearances.
• Through 11.1 innings, Shooter Hunt is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He has 12 strikeouts to go with nine walks. Still a lot of walks, but he has been able to have enough control for those walks not to come back to haunt him.
• Steve Liddle is struggling. He is hitting just .136 on the young season, but he is also 2-21 in his past 7 games. It is surprising because the nephew of the Twins 3B coach had a terrific college career at baseball power Vanderbilt.
• Aaron Hicks had a good first week, but in his last seven games, he has gone 4-27 and is now hitting .232.

Beloit Snappers

• Danny Ortiz was my choice for Breakout Hitter of the Year for the Twins throughout the offseason. Through 15 games, he .360/.411/.680 with 5 doubles, a triple and three home runs. He has been remarkably consistent. In his first 25 at bats, he had nine hits. In his past 25 at bats, he has nine hits.
• Oswaldo Arcia broke out last year as the Appalachian League MVP. He got off to a fast start, then recently went 1-14 to drop below .300. However, last night he went 2-4 to return to the .300 level.
• Early in the year, Ortiz and Arcia were joined by Gunner Glad as the guys carrying this offense, but Glad has really struggled of late. He has just two hits in his last 19 at bats and is now hitting .222.
• Glad’s University of Kentucky teammate Lance Ray, the Twins 8^th round pick a year ago, has just three hits in his last 25 at bats. He is hitting .184. It is surprising because after signing last year, he played very well at Elizabethton and was promoted to Beloit. In 47 games with the Snappers, he hit .279/.377/.418 with 14 doubles and three home runs. In other words, he will get it turned around at some point.
• Derek McCallum was the Twins 4^th round choice in 2009 out of the University of Minnesota. He was in Beloit last year but was limited to just 47 games by two separate injuries. He hit just .228 last year, and due to the limited playing time, he returned to the Snappers this year. He’s been healthy, but he is hitting just .135 (5-37) He has three hits in his last 21 at bats which is a .143 average. That means he was 2-16 (.125) to start the season. It has been a struggle, and the 2B also is now playing a lot of left field.

Draft Notes – The draft experts at Baseball America put together their first mock draft, and with the 30^th pick, their choice for the Twins was RHP John Stilson from Texas A&M University. The Twins drafted Stilson out of Texarcana Junior College two years ago, but did not reach an agreement with him at the time. In fact, on the deadline day in August of 2009, he and his American Legion team were in Fargo, playing in the American Legion World Series. Had he signed with the Twins, he would have been unable to play in the championship game. As you recall, the Twins went right up to the deadline that year to sign their first-round pick, Kyle Gibson.

Kolten Wong is a 2B from the University of Hawaii who has risen up draft boards. In the same mock draft, they have him going 27^th to the Cincinnati Reds. Wong was the Twins 16^th round pick in 2008 out of high school as a catcher.

There is a quick glance at who is hot and who is not with the Twins four full-season affiliates. It is important to remember that the season is still very young, that most of the players have played less than 15 games and have less than 50 plate appearances. The weather has made conditions difficult and rain/snow outs make it hard to get into a routine. As the weather improves, they will play every day and it will be interesting to see where some of these players are in another 300 or 400 plate appearances. But it is fun to follow.

Below is a quick minor league report. It is something that I do most days at SethSpeaks.net. It is a look at the highlights from the games of the night before, a hitter and pitcher of the year and some additional links when appropriate. Today, I have also included the team’s standings as play starts today.

Minor League Report

Be sure to check out last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly podcast here.

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Steve Singleton, New Britain Rock Cats  

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Cole DeVries, New Britain Rock Cats

Red Wings Ramblings

Monday – Red Wings, Pawtucket – Another day, another rain delay. Kyle Gibson will pitch on Tuesday night against Buffalo. The Red Wings are currently 7-10.

Rock Cats Report

Monday – Rock Cats 9, New Hampshire 2 – Each of Liam Hendriks’ scheduled starts had been affected by rain. In fact, he was supposed to start on Saturday for the Rock Cats, but with the rainout, he was pushed back to Monday. With this start, he recorded his first win of the year. In six innings, he gave up two runs on four hits. He walked one, hit one and struck out three. He got eight groundballs to just two fly outs. Cole DeVries incredible start to his season continued. He recorded his second three-inning save pitching three more perfect innings and striking out six. Yangervis Solarte got the Rock Cats on the board with a home run. He was 3-5 in the game. Steve Singleton went 3-5 with three doubles. Joe Benson went 1-3 with two walks and his second home run.  The Rock Cats are now 9-6 and just 1.5 games out of first place.

Miracle Matters

Monday – Miracle 5, Charlotte 11 – The Miracle had been the Twins’ affiliate that you could count on for a game. On this night, their game was delayed by the rains, but they did get it in. Ryan Mullins started and gave up four runs on three hits and two walks in just one inning. Matt Tone gave up four runs on four hits and two walks in two innings. Edgar Ibarra threw four shutout innings before giving up three runs in the 8^th inning. Shooter Hunt got the final five outs. He walked two and hit one but did not allow a run. Danny Rams went 2-4. Chris Herrmann went 1-3 with a walk.  The Miracle are now 10-8, a very solid start. They are in second place, but they are already 6.5 games behind the St. Lucie Mets, who are 17-2.

Snappers Bites

Monday – Snappers 3, Burlington 7 – Andrei Lobanov started and the Moscow-native gave up six runs (5 earned) on three hits and three walks in 4.2 innings. Clinton Dempster got all four batters he faced out. Ryan O’Rourke gave up one run on three hits in two innings. Martire Garcia struck out two in his scoreless frame. Danny Ortiz remains on fire. He hit his fourth and fifth doubles in four at bats. Oswaldo Arcia went 2-4 with his second stolen base. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-4 with his first double.  The Snappers are 8-7 and 4.5 games back in the division.

Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions or comments

Podcast and Sleep

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The Twins won their two-game series against Cleveland. After getting rained out on Friday night, the Twins crushed Cleveland 10-3 on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, it was a reversed home run call on Michael Brantley that proved to be the difference. That, and a big two-run double by Jason Kubel off of lefty Rafael Perez.

Either way, after a week of weeping and gnashing of teeth, it is important to note that the Twins are 5-2 in their last seven games and playing much better. They aren’t playing perfect, but you can see some improvements. It’s great to see Justin Morneau back in the lineup and contributing. It will be good to get Delmon Young back as well.

After a busy weekend with too much driving and too much working, I am exhausted, or not feeling well, or both. So, I’m going to get some sleep. Please be sure to check out the SethSpeaks.net Sunday Night Twins Podcast, especially if you haven’t before. In it, I discuss a ton of Twins-related topics like the past week, winning, the upcoming week, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Nathan and much, much more. Let me know what you think. I appreciate any and all feedback. Let me know what you’d like from these shows.

Also, Tonight (Monday) is another Twins Minor League Weekly at 10:00. Tuesday nights are the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast, and then Thursday night is another Twins Minor League Weekly episode.  

Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions or comments.

Big Spot Scott Pitches Big

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The Twins offense has certainly struggled. They haven’t hit, haven’t walked, haven’t hit for power, having scored a lot of runs. What did this team need more than anything? How about another seven shutout innings from Scott Baker? That was exactly what the team needed. Yes, it was nice to get the early lead on Jim Thome’s 591^st home run. Getting another run of support (also thanks to Thome who singled in Alexi Casilla in to give the Twins a 2-0 lead) in the 6^th inning was helpful. Michael Cuddyer’s second home run gave the Twins a 3-0 lead as well. But Baker was the story in this game, and he is the example for what the Twins need to do as they head home. Seven solid innings by a starter can work miracles for any team.

Baker got his first win of the year, but he dropped his season ERA to just 3.24 with the seven shutout innings. He gave up just four walks. He didn’t make his defense help him. He walked just one and got nine punch-outs! When the Twins defense is as questionable as it can be, strikeouts are a wonderful thing.

And now the Twins get to go home after starting the season with 14 of 19 games on the road (would have been 20, but that Yankees game got postponed until September).

The Twins will now take on the Cleveland Indians, surprisingly the team atop the AL Central. Hopefully we get good news on Delmon Young’s morning MRI, and hopefully being at home and playing against the division will turn things around. Keep hope alive! It would be great to see the Twins win two out of three… sweeps are good too! J Here are the pitching matchups:

• Friday – Fausto Carmona (1-2, 4.74) vs Brian Duensing (1-0, 3.60)
• Saturday – Carlos Carrasco (1-1, 4.85) vs Francisco Liriano (1-3, 7.40)
• Sunday – Jeanmar Gomez (0-1, 10.38) vs Carl Pavano (1-2, 5.47)

Oh, and if you want to read some sky-is-falling, blame the manager, blame everyone, call everyone wimpy insight on the Twins, be sure to read yesterday’s comments section.

Minor League Report

Be sure to check out last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly podcast here.

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Trevor Plouffe, Rochester Red Wings

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kyle Gibson, Rochester Red Wings

Red Wings Ramblings

Thursday – Red Wings 2, Buffalo 4 (10)  – The weather conditions were still quite cold in Buffalo, but the two teams got their two games in. Kyle Gibson gave the fans a lot to watch in the first game. The Twins 2009 top pick went six innings without giving up a hit. Unfortunately, he gave up a leadoff home run in the 7^th inning to lose the no-hit bid and the shutout. Unfortunately due to a lack of offensive supportive, the game was also tied. Gibson was taken out of the game after the homer with 83 pitches thrown. He walked none and struck out six. The Red Wings grabbed a one run lead again in the 8^th, but Alex Burnett (who got five outs) coughed up that lead. Phil Dumatrait went the next 1.2 innings without allowing a run. Kyle Waldrop started the bottom of the 10^th with a walk and then gave up a walk-off home run that ended the game. Chase Lambin had three hits for the Red Wings.    

Thursday – Red Wings 1, Buffalo 4  – In the second game, the Red Wings got another terrific start. Scott Diamond threw five innings and gave up just one run. He gave up a walk and a single and got one out in the sixth when he was replaced by Carlos Gutierrez. The Twins 2008 first-round pick walked the first batter he faced to load up the bases, and then gave up a two-run double followed by a sacrifice fly. Again, the bats were silent although Trevor Plouffe did go 3-3 with a walk, his third double and first triple.

Rock Cats Report

Thursday – Rock Cats 1, Portland 5 – The Rock Cats made the trip to Maine and despite some cool conditions got their game in too. The bats remained relatively cool, managing just five hits in the game. Steve Singleton was 2-4 with his fourth double. Joe Benson hit his fifth double. Chris Parmelee provided the lone run of the game with his second home run of the year. Bobby Lanigan started and gave up five runs (4 earned) on eight hits and three walks in just four innings. Brett Jacobson came in and went two scoreless innings despite giving up three walks. Mike Tarsi gave up a hit but no runs in his two innings of relief.  

Miracle Matters

Thursday – Miracle 5, Bradenton 4 – The Miracle got just enough offense and pitching to win this game. Anderson Hidalgo led the offense by going 3-3. Danny Rams went 1-2 with two walks. Brian Dozier had a two run double and his sixth stolen base. Nick Romero had two hits, including a 7^th inning single that scored Hidalgo with what proved to be the winning run. Matt Schuld started. In five innings, he gave up four runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out three. Shooter Hunt threw three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk. He got the win and is now 2-0. Dakota Watts got all three outs in the ninth inning for his third save.  

Snappers Bites

Thursday – Snappers 4, Peoria 5 (7 innings, rain) – The weather again affected the Snappers in this game. After 7 innings, the game ended with the Snappers a run behind. BJ Hermsen started and gave up five runs (4 earned) on six hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. Michael Tonkin came in and threw two scoreless innings before the rains came. Daniel Santana had a two run triple (And two more errors). Andy Leer was 1-2 with a walk and a double.

Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions or comments.

Excuses or Reality?

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• At about 10:20 today, I’ll be on KFAN with Paul Allen to talk about the Twins. Listen on am1130 in the Twin Cities, or on one of their affiliates, or even at www. KFAN.com.

The Twins lost 5-4 last night to the Baltimore Orioles. Nick Blackburn gave up five runs on seven hits and a walk in seven innings. Take away the two big home runs (to Matt Weiters and Vlad Guerrero) and he pitched well. Offensively, the Twins scored four runs. The first came on a Michael Cuddyer home run. It was his first home run and first RBI of the year. Danny Valencia drove in three runs. Two on a single up the middle with runners on 2^nd and 3^rd, and one later in the game on an 0-2 pitch that he singled sharply into left field.

With the loss, the Twins are now 6-12 on the early season. We expected the team to struggle early in the season. The bullpen was expected to take awhile to mesh. The middle infield was new. They had to play just five of their first 20 games at home. So, it is no surprise that the team is not playing great baseball right now. However, if they were 9-9 right now, it would probably have been a little better than expected.

Things that could not have been assumed were that the bullpen would be completed altered this early in the season. The two bright spots have been Matt Capps and Glen Perkins. Alex Burnett, Jim Hoey and Eric Hacker have already been called up. No surprise that Tsuyoshi Nishioka didn’t look great early in the season, but it is unfortunate that he broke his fibula and lost that development time. As much as most Twins fans didn’t believe in Alexi Casilla, I don’t think anyone could have anticipated he would be this terrible.

Joe Mauer is already on the disabled list with a virus that has made him lose a dozen pounds. Justin Morneau’s flu has cost him the last four games. Delmon Young has now missed two games with the flu and an injury to his side which hopefully is not an oblique injury because that would mean he would go on the disabled list too.

And, it’s normal for some players to get off to a slow start at the plate. It’s normal for guys to go through slumps throughout the season. But for pretty much everyone but Denard Span and Jason Kubel to be hitting can’t be expected.

I hear people talking about this stuff being the fault of the manager. I say that is crazy. Look at the lineups the last three or four games and consider the guys who were able to play that were on the bench? The manager doesn’t have many choices right now. After the games, some people don’t like that he says that we need to get some guys back. I think that’s a fair statement.

In my opinion, it is a testament to Ron Gardenhire that this team is even 6-12 right now. There were concerns that many wanted the front office to address this offseason, and all of these injuries and illnesses are really speaking volumes to the team’s lack of depth. However, the team basically has the same bench as it had last year. It just never had to go through a stretch like this.

When a team loses its opening day 2, 3, 4 and 5 hitters, and they’re being replaced by the likes of Jason Repko, Drew Butera, Steve Holm, Matt Tolbert and Luke Hughes, there is no surprise that they aren’t putting together wins. People can say that the Mauers and Morneaus and Youngs weren’t hitting anyway. That is true, but based on their track records, they will. No worries about that.

Imagine how the Red Sox would be doing if they had to go a week without Carl Crawford, Kevin Youklis, David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez. Imagine the Yankees lineup if it didn’t have Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano for a week. The Tigers lost Victor Martinez to the DL, but imagine if they also lost, well, whoever their 2-3-4-5 hitters are. No team in baseball would be able to win consistently with that against them.

Are those excuses? Sure. Of course. But they are, right now unfortunately also the reality. The team struggled for the first few games of the season with some of those players. Take them away, and frankly, this isn’t a very good baseball team. The starting pitching has probably been a little better than I expected. And, the bullpen, for all its transitions, really hasn’t cost the team more than a couple of games to this point.

Like I said, I think that the manager deserves a lot of credit right now for this team even being 6-12 because he doesn’t have much to work with.

Feel free to comment.

Hanson Provides Miracle Walk Off

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• At about 10:20 today, I’ll be on KFAN with Paul Allen to talk about the Twins. Listen on am1130 in the Twin Cities, or on one of their affiliates, or even at www. KFAN.com.

The Ft. Myers Miracle scored three runs in the bottom of the 5^th inning, and going into the eighth frame, they held a one run lead. Bruce Pugh blew his first save of the season. The teams went into the bottom of the 9^th inning tied at five. With the bases loaded, Minnesota native Nate Hanson stepped to the plate and ended the game in style. Sure, all he needed was a walk or a single, but he ended the game by launching a walk-off grand slam giving the Miracle a 9-5 win over Bradenton.

No one is hotter at the plate right now than Hanson right now. In his last seven games played, he has six multi-hit games. He is 13-29 over that stretch (.448). On the season, he is now hitting .352/.390/.574 with three doubles and three home runs.

Hanson was the subject of an article in my Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011. Although he was born in California, his family moved to Minnesota when he was young. He went to Eden Prairie High School and the University of Minnesota before the Twins drafted him in the 28^th round of the 2008 draft. He spend 2010 with the Miracle as well and hit .254/.324/.385 with 18 doubles and 11 home runs. He probably could be up at Double-A New Britain, but with Chris Parmelee playing 1B there every day, Hanson finds himself back in the Florida State League. He is making the most of the opportunity and the everyday spot in the middle of the lineup.

Another former Gopher is off to a terrific start as well. 2010 was a frustrating season for the professorial right-hander. He split time between New Britain and Rochester and between being a starter and a bullpen arm. In all, he was 1-8 with a 5.79 ERA. He is working out of the bullpen now for the Rock Cats. He has thrown 9.1 innings in four games and is yet to allow an earned run. He has given up just two hits, walked one and has 12 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .065 against him. Another Eden Prairie high school alum, the 26 year old hopes to continue his success and get back to Triple-A. Not bad for a player who was not drafted and signed with the Twins in 2006.

The Twins drafted catcher Kyle Knudson out of the University of Minnesota in the 9^th round of the 2010 draft. Right now, he is splitting time with two other catchers at Beloit. He is hitting .313 (5-16) in the early season. Derek McCallum, the Twins fourth round pick in 2009 has really struggled to stay healthy since signing. He is back in Beloit this year playing 2B and some in the outfield. He is off to a slow start, hitting just .148 through his first 27 at  bats.

The Twins generally have a few Minnesota Gophers on their roster. Since the MLB draft starting in 1965, the Twins have drafted 35 Gophers.

Ya’ll, I’m so far behind on the minor league updates, so today is going to be very much just highlights from the past few games, just to get caught up. If you ever have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, etc., please feel free to e-mail me.

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Nate Hanson, Ft. Myers Miracle.

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Albers, Ft. Myers Miracle

Red Wings Ramblings

Wednesday – Red Wings  – Kyle Gibson will take the mound in Game 1 of a Thursday doubleheader. He was set to start on Wednesday until the game was postponed by rain, snow and freezing conditions.  

Rock Cats Report

Wednesday – Rock Cats 2, New Hampshire 6 – Deolis Guerra had his first rough start of the year. He gave up six runs on nine hits in three innings. Cole DeVries still hasn’t given up a run this year. He struck out two in two scoreless innings. Jake Stevens hasn’t either after two more shutout frames. Tyler Robertson struck out two in his two scoreless innings. Joe Benson and Evan Bigley were each 2-4.  

Miracle Matters

Wednesday – Miracle 9, Bradenton 5 – If you’re reading this far into the blog, you know how this game finished up. Nate Hanson walked off with a grand slam in the bottom of the 9^th to give the Miracle the 9-5 win. Hanson was 2-3 with two walks and it was his third home run of the year. Brian Dozier went 3-4 with a walk and three stolen bases. Danny Rams went 2-4 with his second triple and three RBI. Brad Stillings got the start for the Miracle and gave up four runs (2 earned) on three hits. He walked four and struck out three. Andrew Albers went 2.1 scoreless. Bruce Pugh gave up one run on five hits and a walk in his inning, so he gets the blown save. But he also gets the win thanks to that big, walk-off grand slam by Nate Hanson.

Snappers Bites

Wednesday – Snappers, Wisconsin – The conditions were bad enough that Wednesday night’s game was postponed already on Tuesday afternoon. The Snappers will resume play on Thursday in Peoria.  

Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions or comments.

Catching Up

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A couple of quick notes before we start:

• At about 12:20 today, I’ll be on The Jack Michaels Show on 740 The Fan in Fargo.
• A huge Congratulations to good friend Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN who yesterday was named the Best Sports Talk Radio Host for 2011 by City Pages. Quite an honor! Phil, along with Doogie Wolfson, were the first guys to get me on the radio in the Twin Cities following the release of my first book.

Hey ya’ll, it’s been awhile since I blogged here, and I feel bad about that. The last two days, I have posted at the StarTribune.com TwinsCentric blog. On Monday, I wrote some random Twins Notes. I wrote about Delmon Young’s improved defense (even before learning that the 2011 UZR numbers had come out and so far he is the #2 defensively left fielder in the league), about Rene Tosoni and Eric Hacker and more. Yesterday, I posted the Joe Mauer Birthday Rap and a Get to Know ‘Em on Eric Hacker.

The Twins got crushed, 11-0, by the Orioles. Michael Cuddyer was 2-3 with a walk. The only other bright spot for the Twins was two shutout innings from Eric Hacker in his first appearance in the big leagues for the Twins and his first for anyone since the three games for the Pirates in 2009. It is definitely one that the Twins need to forget in a hurry.

We knew before the season started that the first twenty games would be incredibly challenging. They started with games against the potent offenses of the Yankees and Blue Jays, and played many games against the AL East. A team with several question marks and areas where they would need to figure things out (middle infield, bullpen) takes a little time to gel. Plus, there were just five home games in the first twenty. In addition to the scheduling difficulties, there have been the injuries and illnesses. Their big offseason acquisition, Tsuyoshi Nishioka was the team’s 2B and second hitter for a few games, before breaking his fibula. He will be out for another four to six weeks, at least. Joe Mauer had weak legs, was put on the DL and then they realized he had a virus and was just really sick. He has apparently lost more than ten pounds with this illness. Now Justin Morneau got the flu and he has missed three straight games. On Tuesday, Delmon Young was out with the flu, but more worrisome, some side/rib soreness. When I first read the report that his side was sore, my fear was that it was an oblique injury, and if that’s the case, he is going to be out for awhile. The Twins have already called up five players from Rochester. If Young went on the DL, who would come up? Ben Revere? He’s hitting .238. Rene Tosoni? He’s hitting over .300 and probably deserves it, but does the team need another left-handed hitter? Jeff Bailey? He could DH, pinch hit, maybe play some left field (while Jason Kubel plays there more). Add to all that the fact that some people (as happens every year) are off to slow starts, and I think that the Twins are lucky to be 6-11 at this time.

Although there are many reasons for optimism, there are as many (and probably more) question marks now than even before the season. The middle infield lack of depth is going to remain an issue. The bullpen has been changed significantly 15 games into the season, and likely will be altered a few more times throughout the season. Starting pitching remains a question mark, even if the starters that we were worried about have been solid while those with higher expectations have struggled. The bullpen will continue to be a work in progress.

But, I’m optimistic, and I will choose to remain so!

SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast – Last night’s podcast was really full, but it was a lot of fun. I was joined by Scott Povolny, the man behind Twins Train. We talked about Twins topics and he informed us about the two Twins Train trips that are coming up (one to Milwaukee in late June, and one to Chicago in early July). Then we talked to Craig Brown, a Royals blogger at Royals Authority (who also does some work on fantasy baseball for Baseball Prospectus). Finally, I spoke with James Erickson, one of the Original Birthday Boys, the guys behind the Joe Mauer Birthday Rap. It was a very fun show, so hopefully you will enjoy it. Check it out here.   

• Nick Nelson looks at the Return on Investment the Twins have had from their high-priced talent in a terrific article.
• NoDak Twins Fan takes a look at how his Top 5 Twins Prospects are faring so far this year.
• Brandon Warne asks a question that is very interesting to me… Should the Twins be interested in Brandon Wood (who was DFAd by the Angels yesterday)? I’m intrigued. I think I would claim him. The Twins have a 40 man roster spot available. I would then DFA him again, and hope that no one else claims him so the Twins can send him to AAA… or AA. Imagine 4-5 years ago if someone would have said that Trevor Plouffe has done more in the big leagues than Brandon Wood. People would have thought you were crazy. But to this point, I think Plouffe has been much more successful in the big leagues… which says a lot about Wood.

MINOR LEAGUE UPDATES

Ya’ll, I’m so far behind on the minor league updates, so today is going to be very much just highlights from the past few games, just to get caught up. If you ever have any questions on the Twins minor league system, players, etc., please feel free to e-mail me.

SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day and Pitcher of the Day –

• Saturday – Hitter – Brian Dozier, Ft. Myers Miracle – Pitcher – Bruce Pugh, Ft. Myers Miracle
• Sunday – Hitter – Rene Tosoni, Rochester Red Wings – Pitcher – Andy Baldwin, Rochester Red Wings
• Monday – Hitter – Danny Rams, Ft. Myers Miracle – Pitcher – Manuel Soliman, Beloit Snappers
• Tuesday – Hitter – Chris Herrmann, Ft. Myers Miracle – Pitcher – Anthony Swarzak, Rochester Red Wings

Red Wings Ramblings

Saturday – Red Wings – Snowed out.  

Sunday – Red Wings 6, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 3 – Andy Baldwin got to face the Yankees again (after giving up ten runs to them a week earlier) and this time it went better. He gave up three runs on four hits in seven innings for the win. Yorman Bazardo and Phil Dumatrait each pitched a scoreless inning. Rene Tosoni had a big game. He was 2-4 with a walk, his fourth doubles, third home run and three RBI. Brian Dinkelman was 3-5 with two stolen bases. Chase Lambin was 2-4 with a walk and his second double. Danny Lehmann went 2-4.

Monday – Red Wings – Snowed out.

Tuesday – Game 1 – Red Wings 3 Buffalo 1 – Anthony Swarzak gave up one run on four hits and a walk in seven innings for the complete game win. Dustin Martin and Brandon Roberts went 2-3. The Red Wings got four walks in the first inning, and Rene Tosoni hit his fifth double to drive in two runs. The lone run for the Bisons came on a Jason Pridie home run.

Tuesday – Game 2 – Red Wings 2, Buffalo 0 – Ben Revere led off with a single. Trevor Plouffe hit a two run home run (his fourth of the year). The Twins held a 2-0 lead, and that was it for the game. Yorman Bazardo started and threw three shutout innings. He gave up two hits and a walk. Jeff Manship pitched two shutout innings and got the win. Chuck James, Anthony Slama and Phil Dumatrait combined to pitch the sixth and seventh innings.

Rock Cats Report

Saturday – Rock Cats – Snowed out.

Sunday – Rock Cats 6, Portland 11 – Liam Hendriks went five innings and four of them were scoreless. He gave up five runs on five hits in the other inning. Brett Jacobson then gave up three runs in two innings. Mike Tarsi threw a scoreless inning, but then Santos Arias gave up three runs on four hits in the ninth. Chris Parmelee went 3-5 with his first home run. Joe Benson was 2-4 with a walk and a triple. Yangervis Solarte hit his fourth and fifth doubles. Steve Singleton had two hits, including his third double. Mark Dolenc went 2-4 with a walk.

Monday – Rock Cats 3, New Hampshire 7 – David Bromberg started and gave up five runs on seven hits and a walk (and two hit batters) in seven innings. All five runs came in the third inning. Spencer Steedley then gave up two runs on four hits in two innings. He struck out four. Evan Bigley went 2-4 with his second double. Allan de San Miguel hit his second double.

Tuesday – Rock Cats – Snowed out.   

Miracle Matters

Saturday – Miracle 9, Bradenton 6 – Brian Dozier was 3-4 with a triple. James Beresford was 3-5 with a double. Nate Hanson went 2-4 with a walk and his second homer. Danny Rams was 2-4 with a walk and his first home run. Aaron Hicks went 2-5. Nick Romero drove in three. Matt Schuld started and gave up four runs (3 earned) on six hits and a walk (and a hit batter) in three innings. Jhon Garcia gave up an unearned run in two scoreless. Shooter Hunt struck out five and walked three in two innings of one unearned run bal. Bruce Pugh recorded his third save with two scoreless innings and three strikeouts.

Sunday – Miracle 1, Bradenton 4 – Kane Holbrooks gave up three runs (2 earned) in seven innings, but the Miracle bats were quiet. They managed just four hits. The offensive start was Nick Romero… who was 0-2 with two walks.  

Monday – Miracle 6, St. Lucie 4 – Dan Osterbrock made his second start and in five innings, he gave up three runs (2 earned) on five hits. Andrew Albers got the win. He gave up a run in 1.1 innings. Jhon Garcia got two outs. Blake Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Danny Rams went 2-3 with a walk and his second double. Nate Hanson went 2-5. Nick Romero, Chris Herrmann and James Beresford each hit a double.   

Tuesday – Miracle 2, St. Lucie 11 – Jason Bay went 4-4 with a walk and two home runs to lead the Mets to the big win. Ryan Mullins started for the Miracle and gave up five runs (4 earned) on six hits in three innings. He gave up both Bay homers. Matt Tone gave up two in his three innings. Shooter Hunt pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, and no walks. Edgar Ibarra gave up four runs on six hits and a walk in the final inning. Chris Herrmann went 3-4 with his fourth double. Aaron Hicks went 2-5 with his second triple. Nate Hanson went 2-4.   

Snappers Bites

Saturday – Snappers, Cedar Rapids – Snowed out.

Sunday – Game 1 – Snappers 3, Cedar Rapids 5 – Adrian Salcedo gave up four runs (3 earned) on five hits and four walks in 4.2 innings. Oswaldo Arcia went 2-3 with a walk and his first home run. Danny Ortiz went 2-4 with his second and third doubles. Michael Gonzalez hit his first home run.

Sunday – Game 2 – Snappers 9, Cedar Rapids 1 – Josmil Pinto went 2-3 with two RBI. Derek McCallum went 2-3. Michael Gonzalez hit his second homer. Jamaal Hawkins got his first Midwest League hit, a double. Andrei Lobanov gave up one run on six hits and a walk in four innings. He struck out five. Martire Garcia struck out three in two scoreless innings. Jose Gonzalez threw a scoreless inning.  

Monday – Snappers 4, Wisconsin 2 – The Snappers entered the 9^th inning down 2-0. Lance Ray doubled and scored on a Oswaldo Arcia double. Michael Gonzalez singled in Arcia. Kyle Knudson singled in Gonzalez, and then Andy Leer singled in Knudson. Knudson went 2-4. Manuel Soliman gave up two runs on five hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out seven. Clinton Dempster and Blayne Weller each pitched a scoreless inning. Matt Hauser went 1.2 innings of scoreless relief for the win, and Jose Gonzalez picked up his second save by striking out the game’s final batter.  

Tuesday – Snappers – Snowed out for Tuesday and Wednesday already!

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