Valencia for Cabrera? Seriously?

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Before jumping into a couple of Twins topics, I do want to mention that Twins first round pick Kyle Gibson joined me again on the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast last night and updated us on his arm, his negotiations, his golf game and much more. It was a lot of fun. I had a listener call in and talk about a few Twins topics and then just answer question from the chat room the remainder of the show.  

DON’T BUY IT!

In Joe Christensen’s postgame blog, he wrote that the Oakalnd A’s were asking for Danny Valencia in return for Orlando Cabrera. Seriously? Does anyone believe that Billy Beane would insult the Twins front office enough to really ask for Valencia? Here’s how that conversation would go:

Bill Smith: Hey Billy, any update on the Moneyball movie?

Billy Beane: Nope!

Bill Smith: So, I’d really like Orlando Cabrera as my team’s SS. What do you want?

Billy Beane: How about Valencia? … And how about Hicks too? … And, throw in Baker… Ha Ha Ha!

(Smith had hung up after Valencia was mentioned, not realizing that Beane was joking. Beane just kept talking, not noticing that Smith had hung up.)

Do people really believe that Billy Beane would insult the Twins intelligence by requesting Valencia for Orlando Cabrera? Cabrera doesn’t have much value. The A’s know that they messed up by signing him. They aren’t expecting a top prospect for him, much less a team’s top, most major league ready prospect. But from the Twins perspective, letting their fan base think that Valencia was requested allows them to look smart when they don’t acquire Cabrera (although I would argue that anything involving acquiring Cabrera can’t be deemed terribly smart). They have the built-in excuse about Valencia being requested. Or, when the Twins give up a mid-range prospect for Cabrera, and many of us think that it’s still too much, they can say that they were able to talk them down from Valencia.

Earlier, Joe C had Tweeted that the Twins had called the Blue Jays about Roy Halladay and were told that they were not on his list of teams he would agree to be traded to. I can understand that. Minnesota isn’t necessarily the top destination for many players. However, I think that if Joe Nathan, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer contacted him, he would have to consider. Opportunity for the playoffs these next two years, and to play in the new stadium next year. Minneapolis is a quick flight from Colorado. I think that the Twins could talk Halladay into changing his mind. Now, that said, if the alleged rumors of who the Blue Jays are turning down is any indication, the Twins do not have the prospects to make such a deal a reality. All along, we knew that Halladay was only a dream. I only asked that the phone call be made and just see if there was a possible match.

PIRATES SCAVAGING

If the Twins or another team had a player sent to AAA, and that player proceeded to go 2-2 with a 0.96 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, an opponent batting average of just .209 and 48 strikeouts in 37.1 innings, we would be pretty excited, wouldn’t we? Well, that is what Ian Snell of the Pirates has done since he was demoted to AAA. He certainly fell out of favor in Pittsburgh with poor performance and questionable attitude. He might be the definition of a player who needs a change of scenery. People talk about his contract being overwhelming, but that isn’t really the case. He is making $3 million in 2009, and $4.25 million in 2010. Beyond that, he has two years of club options. In 2011, he could be signed for $6.5 million. And then in 2012, he could make $9.25 million.

In my fantasy leagues this weekend, I was checking on Snell’s availability. Apparently the Yankees have had scouts watching him of late. When Dave Mona, host of The Sports Huddle with Sid and Dave, e-mailed me yesterday and asked me why no one was talking about Snell being someone that the Twins should consider, I couldn’t find a reason why they shouldn’t. Talent-wise, Snell is blessed. Those strikeout numbers in AAA are not a fluke. He has great stuff. Simply, he needs a change of scenery and could blossom. He is still just 27 years old. And the contract is not bad at all. It’d be only about $1 million for this year, and $4.25 million for next year. If he pitches well, the 2010 option at $6.25 million will make a lot of sense, and same thing in 2011.

As much as I would like the Twins to make a move to acquire any combination of Freddy Sanchez, Matt Capps and John Grabow, I hope they are also inquiring about the availability of Ian Snell.  

TWINS 4, WHITE SOX 3

After a really rough previous start in Oakland when he gave up eight runs and got just three outs, Glen Perkins needed to come back with another good start. Perkins went the first seven innings and gave up just three runs. He gave up six hits and walked one. All three runs he allowed came via the home run, first a solo homer to Gordon Beckham and then a two run homer to Paul Konerko. Then Matt Guerrier pitched a perfect 8^th inning. Joe Nathan had a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 27^th save. The first out came on a double-saving leaping catch by Denard Span in left field. But that is the intended, ideal situation for the Twins. Starter gives them seven innings, Guerrier in the 8^th, Nathan in the 9^th.  

The offense wasn’t exactly hitting on all cylinders. They managed just six hits in the game. Nick Punto had one of the hits and was then picked off. They were helped by a couple of early unearned runs. But then down 3-2, Michael Cuddyer provided the Twins with a huge hit, a long, two run homer that gave the Twins the 4-3 lead. It was hit 17^th homer of the season.

It was a much needed start by Perkins personally, I’m sure. But it was also a much needed quality start for the Twins on a day in which they announced that Kevin Slowey will have surgery on his wrist and likely miss the rest of the season. That is horrible news for the Twins, but the emergence of Anthony Swarzak helps sooth that some. Tonight, it will be Scott Baker headed to the mound against Mark Buehrle who will be attempting to throw his second straight perfect game.

Here are some more Twins-related articles for you to peruse:

• Could the Twins provide A September to Remember? Check out Doogie Wolfson’s most recent Your Voices blog.
• Over the Baggy dissects Identifying Francisco Liriano’s Problem.
• Nick Nelson says that the Blue Jays Brandon League is a guy the Twins should look at.  

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Monday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Ramon Santana, Beloit Snappers

Monday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Jeff Manship, Rochester Red Wings – David Bromberg, Ft. Myers Miracle 

ROCHESTER REPORT

Monday –Rochester 2, Charlotte 3  – Jeff Manship pitched great! In eight innings, he gave up two runs (1 earned) on seven hits and three walks. He left that game with a 2-2 tie. Tim Lahey came in and the first batter he faced homered to end the game. David Winfree went 2-3 with a walk and his 25^th double. The Red Wings managed just three hits total in the game. For Charlotte, Michael Restovich went 2-3 with a walk and his 26^th double.     

ROCKCAT RECAP

Monday – New Britain/New Hampshire– Postponed due to a power outage.      

MIRACLE MEMOS

Monday – Ft. Myers 1, Brevard County 0 – David Bromberg continues to impress. He improved to 9-1 and reduced his ERA to 2.69 with 6.2 shutout innings. He gave up eight hits, walked one and struck out eight. Joe Testa came in and gave up just one hit in 2.1 innings for his first save. He struck out three. The Miracle had just six hits. Jair Fernandez hit his third home run.   

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Monday – Beloit 1, Lansing 10 – Liam Hendriks gave up six runs (5 earned) on 11 hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out six. Kyle Carr gave up three runs on three hits (2 home runs) in his inning. Michael Allen gave up a run in his inning. Thomas Wright then pitched a scoreless ninth frame. The Snappers managed just four hits. Ramon Santana went 3-4 with his 21^st double.          

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Monday – Elizabethton 2, Johnson City 5 – Josmil Pinto (7^th) and Derek McCallum (2^nd) each hit solo home runs for the E-Twins, but that was it for the E-Twins scoring. Anderson Hidalgo went 2-4. Miguel Munoz gave up four runs on nine hits and a walk in four innings. Edgar Ibarra went the final five innings. He gave up a run on four hits. He walked one and struck out seven.       

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

SethSpeaks.net Top Ten Twins Prospects

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

After looking at Twins prospects 36-50 Tuesday, and 21-35 Wednesday, and Prospects 11-20 yesterday, it is time to look at my choices for the Top 10 Twins Prospects. Again, let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy this and again, please feel free to comment.  

What is a prospect and how do I rank them? First of all, prospect ranking is far from an exact science. The top prospects do not always pan out, and frequently other players seemingly come out of nowhere. I do this as much to recognize players as anything else. But I also have been following the Twins minor league system for several years now and have tried to learn what I can about how they operate, and what is needed for promotions, and what skills are important. I have not included players from the Dominican Summer League in these rankings because they need about 7 promotions before they would get to the big leagues. I daily review box scores from the games. I keep up with stats and some trends. For hitters, I like to look at OBP and SLG, but specifically at 2B and 3B coupled with body type to try to determine if HR are in their future. For pitchers, I will look at WHIP and innings and consistency and opponent’s batting average. One of the key stats I look at for both hitters and pitchers are walks and strikeouts which I think tell a lot about a player.

Now, sitting in Minnesota, I have little opportunity to actually see many of these players play. When it comes to prospects, you have to try to look beyond the stats. I have developed sources in and around the Twins farm system to try to get a closer perspective on the players, what their skills are, what they need to work on. I think it is vital to look beyond the stats to try to give a fair perspective. You also have to consider age and level of competition. You have to weigh potential ceiling with likelihood of reaching that ceiling.

With that, I am curious your thoughts on my top ten Twins prospects, or any of the top 50. Who is missing? (Note – I made a concerted effort not to include Jose Mijares just because I think he is now pretty established as a big leaguer.) In the comments, share your top 10, top 20, or whatever you like.

And again, to read much more on all ten of these players, go to www.SethSpeaks.net.

#10 – Rene Tosoni – OF – 22 (7/2/86) 

#9 – Kevin Mulvey – RHP – 23 (5/26/84) 

#8 – David Bromberg – RHP – 21 (9/14/87 

#7 – Carlos Gutierrez – RHP – 22 (9/22/86)

#6 – Anthony Swarzak – RHP – 23 (9/10/85)

 #5 – Angel Morales – OF – 19 (11/24/89) 

#4 – Wilson Ramos – C – 21 (8/10/87)

#3 – Danny Valencia – 3B – 24 (9/19/84)

#2 – Ben Revere – OF – 21 (5/3/88)

#1 – Aaron Hicks – OF – 19 (10/2/89)

So there you have it, my selections for the Top 10 Twins Prospects. What do you think? I would love your feedback and input. Who did I have too high, or too low? If you have any comments, opinions or suggestions, please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Sunday Stream of Consciousness

also avilable at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Watching the Twins lose six in a row on the road earlier in the month was rather frustrating. Then they won 20-1 in Chicago before winning five of seven at home. Then they went back on the road and lost their first two games to the Rays. But more important than anything else, on Sunday, they were able to beat Matt Garza and that makes everything right with the world again. It was great seeing Brendan Harris touch him up for a home run. It was great to see Delmon Young come in to face him and get a single.

In the end, we see over and over and over again, whether at the Metrodome or on the road, that the key to a team’s success starts with that day’s starting pitcher. I know. It’s boring and sounds so cliché, but sometimes it’s important to remember how clichés got to become clichés! You’re only as good as your next day’s starter, right? Tom Kelly used to say that all the time, and well, it is one of baseball’s great truths. Friday night, it was Scott Baker giving up a three run homer to Evan Longoria. On Saturday, it was Francisco Liriano looking pretty clueless. On Sunday, it was Nick Blackburn looking pretty much in control the whole game with the exception of two solo home runs. Garza looked pretty good though and for awhile it looked like that would be enough for the Rays to sweep the Twins, but single runs in the 6^th and 7^th innings gave the Twins a 3-2 win. Sean Henn, Matt Guerrier, Jose Mijares and Joe Nathan finished the final three innings without allowing a run to preserve a win for Blackburn.

Why was the offense able to score in the 6^th and 7^th? Did they wear out Garza? I don’t know about that, but I know I did my part by leaving the house and going to watch the cartoon Up at the theatre. What as excellent movie, one of the best feature cartoon movies that I have seen! That’s right! I quit watching them and decided to enjoy the weekend! So, you’re welcome!

Plenty of topics to discuss, and as you can see, I am just rambling. That’s the beauty of titling something a Stream of Consciousness blog. I can ramble and that’s the purpose! That’s what I am going to do today, trying to touch on several Twins-related topics. I’ll write for awhile and just see where it takes us, so please enjoy and certainly feel free to comment.

As I have said, starting pitching is the key to everything. Right now, it seems that the Twins can count on Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey to give them decent starts and a chance to win. Anthony Swarzak came up to replace the injured Glen Perkins and has since made two very good starts. Perkins had really struggled for several starts before going on the Disabled List, so I am not certain if the struggles were related to the arm, or what. But I do know that I agree with the theory that a player should not lose his spot to an injury. That is why, after his rehab stint at Rochester, I believe that Glen Perkins should be given a couple of starts before possibly being shifted back to the bullpen if that is what needs to be done.

The problem is that Swarzak is a good pitching prospect, but nothing in his minor league numbers indicate that he will be able to sustain this level of excellence over a long period of time. As one who believes in minor league track record being an indicator of big league success, I also understand that there are exceptions to every rule. So of course you just run with Swarzak while he is the hot hand and just hope . The problem is that Swarzak could stay in the rotation because one of the two guys that we all counted on heading into the season, Francisco Liriano, has been horrific of late. He looks completely lost on the mound. It’s all about control of the fastball, and from pitch to pitch, he does not seem to know where the ball is going. It’s as if he still thinks he’s a dominant pitcher and he’s fighting himself so hard to get there again and overdoing everything. I really do not know what is best for him. He does have an option left, so he could be sent to Rochester, but I don’t necessarily think that is the best idea. He could be sent to the bullpen for awhile too, but who would he replace? R.A. Dickey continues to do great out of the bullpen. Sean Henn and Jose Mijares have been solid as lefty relievers. I guess this could be the opportunity to let go of Luis Ayala and see how Liriano responds. What do you think?

Scott Baker continues to get hurt by the big inning and/or the big home run. Friday, it was the three run blast by Longoria that essentially ended that game. Baker has really been very good most of his innings, but in each start he has had that one bad inning where he can not control the damage. Instead of giving up one or two, he gives up three to six. A team can come back from one or two, but it really puts you behind the eight ball when you’re always down by a handful of runs.

It is all so frustrating to me because the Twins are playing so inconsistently and average despite getting amazing production from Denard Span, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel all season. In May, Michael Cuddyer stepped up his game big time while Joe Crede showed the power that he can have from the right side. This team is too talented to be playing like this and to not think that a division title is in reach. But what happens when three-fifths of the season-opening starting staff is not performing to expectations? Swarzak is already up. Kevin Mulvey could probably come up and be a solid back of the rotation type. What if Liriano can’t get things figured out? What if Glen Perkins then struggles? What if Baker doesn’t stop giving up huge innings? If you go through the season’s second half with two rookie pitchers in your rotation, that isn’t necessarily good. Brian Duensing and Philip Humber do not appear to be big league starter material and none of the starters at AA New Britain look ready.

We have spent the last couple of years wondering why the Twins would go after pitchers like Livan Hernandez, Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson. Why did they insist on bringing in veterans who were not good instead of just trusting their own young players? Well, maybe now we are seeing why. And yet, I can’t be mad at the front office for not getting a veteran. All five starting pitchers showed enough last year that there was no need for a veteran starter. The starting pitching was supposed to be a sure-thing, the thing that would lead the Twins to a division title. Pedro Martinez, anyone?

The bullpen has actually been much better of late. The reason? Well, when Slowey, Blackburn and Swarzak have pitched, they have been able to go seven innings. Bill Smith is not above criticism for not going out and getting a bullpen arm to solidify the back end of the bullpen, and yet, I agreed with him that they didn’t need to prioritize it too high. We knew Joe Nathan would be fine, and he has been. Many assumed Jose Mijares would be solid, and since returning he has been good. I believed Matt Guerrier would be fine, and he has been. I thought Jesse Crain would take another step forward, to get back to what he was the first three years of his career, but since his disabled list stint, he has been non-trustable. Luis Ayala was a reasonable, cheap risk, but he has not been good at all. R.A. Dickey, as I have stated several times, has been just fine in the role that he was brought in to fill, so no arguments there. Again, the key is the starting pitching, but the bullpen arms are not above criticism either. Now, Juan Cruz has been alright for Kansas City. Nothing spectacular by any means, and I fully understand not giving up a first round pick to acquire him (although when I saw the dollars and years that he signed for, I thought that it made sense). But Cruz walks a ton and moving to the American League never seems to be a good thing for a relief pitcher. Other names that fans wanted at various times included Eric Gagne, Russ Springer, Joe Nelson, Brandon Lyon and others, and none of them have done well either. So again, I don’t blame the Twins in not being big players in the free agency market because free agents rarely have an impact worthy of the contract they sign.

(Meanwhile, Rob Delaney and Anthony Slama sit in AA, just waiting for a promotion. I agree with the thought that a player who dominates in AA is ready for the big leagues and could be promoted if necessary. But at some point, those two players should be moved up somewhere, whether it is to Rochester or to the Twins. I don’t pretend to know if they are ready to help the Twins today. I know their numbers indicate that they could probably both be pretty good. Slama needs to throw more strikes, and Delaney could give up some hits. But both have done enough at the AA level to move forward.)

(The one prospect that I believe is ready to play at the big league level offensively and defensively is Danny Valencia, and as long as Joe Crede is healthy, there is no reason to call him up. Could he be at Rochester? Certainly, and I think he would do well there, but Luke Hughes needs at bats too.)

The Twins understand that building from within is the best way to develop a team over the long haul. It is a philosophy that has been very successful for the organization. But then that success is dependent upon the players developing as they need to. The Twins have developed some very good players (Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Cuddyer, Span, Slowey, Blackburn, Baker, etc.). They were able to stare down Scott Boras and get Joe Crede for a very fair market deal. But the player development right now is kind of a question mark.

Look at the AAA roster. How many players there do you think will be contributors to the Twins at the big league level? More important, how many of them could help the Twins right now, today? Jose Morales could, and yet, I think Twins fans need to look at his track record and realize that he is not a .350 hitter. At the big league level, he could possibly hit .280/.310/.310, which frankly, isn’t terribly exciting. But he is one guy who could contribute on some level. Luke Hughes and Dustin Martin are two others that I think could contribute for the Twins if called upon, but neither of them is star caliber and I don’t know that either of them is really starter caliber. I still hold out hope for Trevor Plouffe to be a future Twins SS, but again, his batting average doesn’t indicate that he would be much better than Nick Punto at SS.

Which brings me to my next point… when the Twins locked up Nick Punto last winter for two years and $8.5 million, it didn’t bother me too much. I looked at the other free agents on the market at SS and none of them seemed to be much better than Punto, particularly for the price tag that they would insist upon. Edgar Renteria had already signed with the Giants for two years and $18 million, and he is no better than Punto. We heard rumors for players like JJ Hardy and Yunel Escobar, but the price tags in terms of players were so high that those options didn’t make sense. So although I would have preferred to go into this season with Punto not on the team, I understood that he was probably the best option available and the dollars and years that he got were certainly fair market value (in December, before free agent dollars seemed to completely disappear). My caveat to being comfortable with Punto was that he not return to 2007 form and just give 2006 or 2008-like performances. Again, that’s not to say he was good during those two years, but as a nine-hitter it would be acceptable. Well, to this point in the season, Punto has been even worse than he was in 2007, and worst yet, his defense has taken a major step backward. I always thought it was a bit overrated (because of the constant web gems), but he now has very little range and no arm.

The biggest problem with the SS situation is that there isn’t anyone close to ready to take the position from him. Brendan Harris will do just fine in replacing him. He is a far better option, so that is actually an upgrade right now. But I have noticed, as Gardy has said, that Harris does not do as well when he plays too much. But again, Plouffe isn’t ready. Steve Tolleson just got promoted to AAA this week, but I don’t think he would be ready to step in today (but maybe in a month?). There are not other options in the system right now.

It’s a good think that Justin Morneau has been incredible this year and Joe Crede has been everything that could be expected because Punto, Alexi Casilla, Matt Tolbert and Brian Buscher have been terrible. Casilla has been somewhat disappointing. Tolbert is what he is, as I have said all along,  he is a better version of utility player than Punto is. He’s a little better offensively (which doesn’t say much) and he’s not quite as good defensively (which does). I said that Buscher is a solid left-handed bat off the bench, a guy who takes good at bats and generally does what the situation calls for. I don’t think we have seen that this year, and his defense has never been real solid. I’m not certain how much value he provides to the team. In fact, that would be the one way right now that I could see the Twins bringing Jose Morales back to the roster. Morales could be the new left-handed bench bat, occasionally get some time behind the plate, and give Gardy the confidence to keep Joe Mauer in the lineup most games. Again, I feel it necessary to temper the expectations people seem to have for Morales, but I do think it is fair to say that he could contribute as much with the bat (and maybe the glove) as Buscher.

Watching Mike Redmond play baseball is painful. In years past, it was because he seemingly was always getting beat up behind the plate and yet still finding a way to hit .300 or higher while providing excellent defense and leadership from the backup catcher position. This year has been painful for a couple of new reasons. First, he simply can not throw any more. I don’t know how hurt he still is, but that has not improved over the season’s first couple of months. Secondly, if I’m an opposing defense and Redmond is up, I bring all the outfielders in to about 200 feet and swing the CF toward the gap in right center. You could almost put on a left-handed batter shift for him too. In the past, it was almost “cute” as told to us by Dick Bremer when he flails singles to right field or barely throw the hole on the right side. This year, those balls are being hit even softer. I don’t know how he continues to get any hits (and he has). I have no problem with keeping Redmond around for the rest of the season. I just sincerely hope that this is the end of the line.

Gardy-led teams are known for being overachievers. That is always the case when the expectations are low. But what about in those years when the Twins have come into the season with expectation? They have not played well. This year may be the biggest visual of that. This team has way too much talent to be flailing around .500. But to be fair, I don’t know if this team has ever had this many holes either. A broken bullpen. A horrific middle infield. Two 23 year old outfielders that need playing time to get better but provide so little to helping the team win. And now starting pitching problems that were not expected. I don’t think that can be pinned on a manager, and yet in some organizations, it is. I personally agree with the ideas of longevity, and we all know that Gardy and his coaching staff aren’t going anywhere, so it’s not worth worrying about.

In the end, it comes down to the players and making plays. It’s the players that will turn the season around, or they won’t.

Now I know, I don’t whine too often on here, and one thing that you can almost certainly not get from here that you can get most places is the seemingly sophomoric need to say the same thing every day. Could I write about Brian Buscher or Nick Punto being bad every day Sure. But why? What good is that? Why pile on?? I could write about being wrong about Delmon Young and Carlos Gomez daily, but why? What good comes from that? I prefer to write more often about being completely wrong about Denard Span and Nick Blackburn! So many of these above topics, you may not read here again until something happens. There are enough other topics that can be covered and a lot more positives. There is an entire minor league system of players dreaming of getting to the big leagues that is worth talking about.       

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Saturday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Danny Valencia, New Britain Rockcats

Saturday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – David Bromberg, Ft. Myers Miracle

Sunday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Whit Robbins, New Britain Rockcats

Sunday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Robertson, Ft. Myers Miracle

ROCHESTER REPORT

Saturday –Rochester 6, Lehigh Valley 3 – Jason Jones picked up his first win in the Twins organization in this game. The righty went 5.2 innings and gave up three runs. He allowed six hits (two homers), walked one and struck out four. Jason Pridie went 3-5 with his 13^th and 14^th stolen bases. Jose Morales went 2-4 with his fourth double. In his first AAA game, Steve Tolleson went 2-3 with a walk and a double.

Sunday –Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 5 – Kevin Mulvey started this game for the Red Wings. He gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out six. Tim Lahey pitched a scoreless inning. The Red Wings managed just four hits. David Winfree hit his eighth home run.

ROCKCAT RECAP

Saturday – New Britain 6, Binghamton 5 – The Rockcats got a couple of big home runs and the second win of the season by Jay Rainville. Rainville gave up five runs on seven hits and two walks in 5.2 innings. Frank Mata came in and gave up two hits and a walk before getting the final out of the sixth. Rob Delaney struck out four in two shutout innings. Anthony Slama recorded his 10^th save with a scoreless ninth. Danny Valencia went 2-3 with his sixth homer and two RBI. Rene Tosoni was 2-4 with his seventh home run and three RBI. Whit Robbins went 1-2 with two walks.

Sunday – New Britain 15, Binghamton 7 – It was a big offensive game for the Rockcats, with nearly the entire lineup contributing. Whit Robbins led the way by going 4-6 with his 11^th double. Brandon Roberts was 3-5 with a walk and his third homer. Erik Lis was 3-5 with his seventh double. Rene Tosoni went 2-5 with his eighth double and eighth home run. Matt Moses went 2-4 with a walk and three RBI. Brian Dinkelman went 2-4 with two walks. Yancarlos Ortiz went 2-5 with a double. Danny Valencia was 1-2 with two walks. Ryan Mullins was the beneficiary of the offensive explosion. He gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings. Yohan Pino gave up two runs on three hits and two walks in two inning. Zach Ward pitched a scoreless inning.  

MIRACLE MEMOS

Saturday – Ft. Myers 7, Brevard County 1 – David Bromberg has continued to pitch well this season despite not getting as many strikeouts this year. This game was a little different. Bromberg went six innings and gave up just one run on six hits and a walk. He struck out 12 to improve to 5-0 and reduce his ERA to 1.94. Kyle Waldrop picked up his first save of the season by throwing three shutout innings. Chris Cates went 3-5. Mark Dolenc went 3-4 with his ninth double and ninth stolen base. Rene Leveret went 2-5 with his first stolen base. Deibinson Romero was 2-5 with his 11^th double.

Sunday – Ft. Myers 2, Brevard County 0 – Tyler Robertson improved to 3-2 in this game. He threw six shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out six. Santos Arias, Spencer Steedley and Blair Erickson combined to throw three shutout innings. The Miracle managed just five hits. Ben Revere hit his sixth double. Rene Leveret hit his seventh double.  

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Saturday – Beloit 2, Kane County 5 – Michael Allen fell to 0-7 in this game, but he really has been pitching a little better as the season has progressed. In this game, he gave up four runs (3 earned) on eight hits and a walk. He struck out six in six innings of work. Bruce Pugh gave up a run on two hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out four. Michael Tarsi gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. The Snappers managed just six hits in this game. Nathan Hanson hit his seventh double.

Saturday – Beloit 4, Kane County 11 – Dan Berlind gave up five runs (4 earned) on six hits and three walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out five. Joe Testa gave up three runs (1 earned) on two hits in two innings. He struck out three. Matt Williams went 0.2 innings and gave up just a hit. Curtis Leavitt gave up three runs on five hits in one inning. He struck out two. Jeff Lanning went 2-4. Angel Morales went 1-2 with two walks and his sixth homer. Ramon Santana hit his fifth home run and Michael Harrington got his first homer.   

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

Twins Crush Crew; Cuddyer Captures Cycle

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

A day after putting up twenty runs against the Chicago White Sox, the Twins bats continued to roll. The Twins scored three in the first inning on a Michael Cuddyer home run. They added four in the fourth inning. They scored in five of the first six innings, and ran away with a second consecutive easy win.  I was up in section 226, in the 8^th row. It is just to the third base side of home plate, so very good seats really. There were some Brewers fans around, but happily it was primarily Twins fans. Here are some of my observations and some highlights from my scorecard:

• Obviously Michael Cuddyer was again the story in this game. In his first at bat, he hit a LONG three run homer, well into the bleachers in left center field. In his second at bat, he hit the first pitch to the gap in left center for a ground rule double. In the fourth inning, he welcomed Mike Difelice to the game with a single up the middle to drive in a run. In his third at bat, a broken bat liner down the 3B line turned into a triple. As he was rounding second, the crowd figured out what was going on and that was a very neat scene. Following that at bat, his batting average was up to .293. For the game, hew as 4-5 with two runs scored and five driven in. When he came to bat in the eighth inning, the game was out of reach, so we were trying to figure out the benefit of him even batting there. Maybe have his name introduced by as he stepped into the batters box, Gardy could have put in a pinch hitter so that he could have left to another ovation.
• More Cuddyer Tidbits – That was his second straight four-hit game. He has homered in three straight games, and four of his last five. He is on pace to hit .291 with 34 doubles, 11 triples, 26 homers and 113 RBI. And to think he got off to such a rough start in April.
• A Quick Aside on the Cycle – Cuddyer’s triple was very exciting. What made it exciting? The fact that Ryan Braun pretty much looks like he could care less out in left field. He barely jogged to go retrieve the ball in the corner that Cuddyer hit. People can say all they want about Delmon Young being a bad defensive outfielder, but from what I saw tonight, Braun is not a guy who should be out there. Seriously, if I was Ken Macha, I may have made a mid-inning defensively change and got him out of there.
• I was almost surprised when I was going through my box score after the game to see that Justin Morneau was 3-5. He scored three runs and drove in two. His triple was nearly a three run homer, but the other hits were just nice singles. He is such a well-rounded hitter.
• Joe Mauer’s 14 game hitting streak came to an end, but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t productive. He hit a sacrifice fly in his second plate appearance. He also walked twice. When he came up in the 8^th inning, knowing it was his final at bat to get a hit, he still didn’t go outside the strike zone. I think that is pretty impressive.
• Denard Span had a strong game too. He went 2-4 and also added a walk. He took a lot of pitches early in the game, and I think that is often overlooked. He hit a long home run off of left-handed reliever RJ Swindle.
• The top four in the lineup combined to go 9-16 with nine runs scored and 10 RBI. The bottom five in the lineup went a combined 3-18 with two runs and an RBI. And that includes Brendan Harris who went 2-4 with an RBI.
• Kevin Slowey got great run support again, but he really pitched well, even better than his line score might indicate. In 7.1 innings, he gave up three runs (2 earned) on eight hits. He, of course, walked none and struck out four. He is now 6-1. He has four walks and 39 strikeouts in his 55.1 innings pitched. In this game, he was really able to keep his pitch count low. Looking at the pitch count on the board, he threw just 27 pitches (21 strikes) through the first three innings. He had 41 pitches through four innings, 53 pitches through five, and 65 pitches through six innings. Four mid-inning pitching changes for the Brewers between the fourth and seventh innings had to catch up with Slowey a little bit.
• Sean Henn got the final five outs. He looked very good against lefties Prince Fielder (jammed him and got a double play) and Jody Gerut (strikeout). Mat Gamel did double off of him, but Gamel looks to be a pretty legit hitting prospect. That isn’t a surprise to those of us that follow prospects, as he was highly regarded. I was somewhat surprised he didn’t start the season with the Brewers. With Casey McGehee getting the start tonight at 3B, and Gamel on the roster, Billy Hall can’t be feeling too strongly about his future with the Brewers
• Of course, tomorrow is a new day. It was very important that the Twins were able to use just two pitchers in this game. With Anthony Swarzak set to make his big league debut, it will be nice to have everyone else in the bullpen ready to go at any time! Swarzak will face the Brewers’ Braden Looper at 6:10 at the Dome.      

 With that, here are some more Twins-related articles or stories for you to peruse while downing your Friday morning cup of coffee:

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Friday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Nathan Hanson, Beloit Snappers

Friday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Cole Devries, New Britain Rockcats

ROCHESTER REPORT

Friday –Rochester 3, Norfolk 4 – The Red Wings managed just three hits in this game. Luke Hughes was 1-3 with a walk to raise his average to .261. The first seven batters in the Red Wings lineup had at least two strikeouts in the game. Reid Santos made the start. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on seven hits in four innings. He walked three and struck out two. Armando Gabino came in and worked two scoreless innings. Juan Morillo gave up a run on three hits and no walks in two innings to take the loss.  

ROCKCAT RECAP

Friday – New Britain 3, Binghampton 1 – Cole Devries got back on track with a great start. In seven innings, he gave up a run on seven hits. He walked none and struck out four to lower his ERA to 2.86. Rob Delaney came in, and with runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with one out, he struck out the next two batters to get out of that inning. Anthony Slama came on and struck out two in a perfect ninth for his ninth save. Brandon Roberts went 2-5 with his second homer and two of the RBI. Danny Valencia hit his fourth triple.  

Be sure to read Travis Talks where he compares and contrasts Delaney and Slama.

MIRACLE MEMOS

Friday – Ft. Myers 3, St. Lucie 1 – Carlos Gutierrez was back on the mound in this game. In five innings, he gave up only an unearned run on two hits. He walked four and struck out four. Spencer Steedley continues to impress. In 2.2 innings, he gave up just one hit. He improves to 3-0 and his ERA drops to 0.83. Blair Erickson got the final four outs, two via strikeout. Chris Parmelee and Jair Fernandez each went 2-3 with a walk. Ben Revere was 1-2 with a walk. He also stole his 17^th and 18^th bases.  

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Friday – Beloit 7, Peoria 13 – The defense let the team down in this one. Dan Osterbrock gave up eight runs in just 2.1 innings, but just one of the runs was earned. He gave up five hits, and walked two as well. Bruce Pugh came in and gave up two runs on four hits (2 HR) in 2.2 innings. Steve Blevins worked two scoreless innings. Blake Martin pitched the final two innings and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk. Former Gopher Nathan Hanson went 3-5 in the game. He hit his second triple and second home run. Ozzie Lewis was 2-3 with two walks and his seventh double. Michael Harrington is hitting just .215, but in this game, he notched his 13^th and 14^th doubles. James Beresford and Dominic de La Osa each had two hits. Jonathan Waltenbury was ejected late in the game for calmly questioning a called strike.   

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

Friday Morning Twins Notes

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The Twins losing streak ended at six games. And, it ended in style. The Twins beat the White Sox on Thursday afternoon by a score of 20-1! Normally I am not a fan of those types of games, but I really think that the Twins needed a game like that. As great as the offense was, I choose to start with the start of Nick Blackburn. He has been the Twins top starter much of the season. In this game, he threw just 83 pitches over seven shutout innings. He gave up just four hits and walked three.

But everyone wants to talk about the offense, and rightfully so. The first thing that should be mentioned is that Ron Gardenhire finally put Joe Mauer in the #2 spot in the lineup. He has always been a prototypical #2 hitter, the team’s top on-base percentage guy, but he was also the team’s best overall hitter, so it made sense for him to bat third. Now, he is proving himself to be a prototypical #3 hitter, adding power, and he is moved to the #2 spot. But it’s hard to argue because putting out-makers like Alexi Casilla and Matt Tolbert into the second spot makes no sense. Also, Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel have proven that they are worthy of hitting #3 and #4. Michael Cuddyer has been on a tear for a month now and fits into the #5 spot. Joe Crede has added some power, so he is ready to fill that #6 spot. Sure, the bottom of the lineup is pretty weak still, but at least they bat less than the top guys. It will be interesting to see if Gardenhire would use four left handed batters at the top of the order against a left-handed starter. (We will find out tonight when the Brewers send Manny Parra to the mound to face the Twins.)

As Nick Nelson said on the MNGameNight.com podcast on Thursday night, “as long as the Twins average 20 runs a game with Mauer in the two-spot in the lineup, they might as well stick with it.” Hard to disagree with that logic!

• How did Joe Mauer do in that #2 spot of the lineup? Not too bad. He went 3-4 to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. He hit two doubles and a grand slam. Adding a sacrifice fly earlier in the game, and he drove in six runs. Not a bad day at all.
• Michael Cuddyer had another big game. He went 4-6 with his eighth double, sixth home run and three RBI.
• Matt Tolbert hit his first home run of his big league career in the 7^th inning. It gave the Twins a 20-0 lead. He had three hits and four RBI on the game.
• Jose Morales had three more hits. He also walked twice. The time he got out, he flew out to the fence in right field. For his efforts, he was returned to AAA Rochester after the game. The move was obvious as Delmon Young had to be taken off of the Family Emergency list before Friday’s game.
• Joe Crede hit his sixth home run, a long shot following the Cuddyer three-run homer.
• Jason Kubel went 3-4 before being replaced by Carlos Gomez, who add another hit.

Now of course, we need to see what the team does to respond. The offense certainly has not been the Twins problem of late. Nick Blackburn has not been a problem at all. So, each game is very much dependent on that night’s starting pitcher. On Friday night, Kevin Slowey and his 4 walk to 35 strikeout ratio will attempt to keep the Brewers offense down. On Saturday, Anthony Swarzak will make his big league debut. On Sunday night’s Game of the Week, Scott Baker will try to put together a strong start. The Twins offense will face lefty Manny Parra, followed by righties Braden Looper and Dave Bush.

If you happen to be going to any of the Twins/Brewers game at the Metrodome this weekend, be sure to pick up a copy (or 13/14 copies) of the Twins scorecard. In it, you will be able to read the Twins Dugout Splinters. I wrote the Twins splinters for the weekend series. Also, if you are able to attend the Twins Autograph Party on Saturday morning, I would recommend it. It is a nice, fun event. You can get autographs if you want, check out some very interesting and fun memorabilia at the auctions, and even meet some players. It’s also just fun to people watch!

With that, here are some more Twins-related articles or stories for you to peruse while downing your Friday morning cup of coffee:

• Parker Hageman wrote another excellent Award Context article, this one on Rod Carew’s 1977 MVP season. It is well worth the read!
• There is plenty of talk online about the debut of Anthony Swarzak on Saturday for the Twins. Aaron Gleeman, Travis Aune and Josh Johnson each talked about his promotion as well as the loss of Craig Breslow earlier this week.
• Take a minute to read Travis Aune’s thoughts on the Delmon Young situation. It is hard to disagree with his sentiment. By saying that the Twins have to play short-handed the next few days until Young returns from his mother’s funeral is basically like telling him that his mom waited too long to die. I understand that MLB’s current currents dictate that a player can be gone a minimum of three days and a maximum of seven days, and the Twins have to respond to that. Hopefully the league will look at a situation like this and show some leniency in the future, maybe altering the rule to say a minimum of three days, without a maximum.
• Be sure to add the Minnesota Twins page at Examiner.com to your list of must-read Twins sites.
• During the Twins/Brewers series, check out Al’s Ramblings, an excellent blog that discusses the Brewers.
• Coffeyville Whirlwind takes a look at the May 21, 1999, trade of Rick Aguilera to the Chicago Cubs with some great research.
• Andrew Kneeland continues The Carlos Gomez Debate with a well thought out posting at Twins Fix.
• At his StarTribune.com/yourvoices blog, Doogie Wolfson graded the Twins at the one-quarter mark of the season.    

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Thursday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Nick Romero, Ft. Myers Miracle

Thursday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Kevin Mulvey, Rochester Red Wings

ROCHESTER REPORT

Thursday –Rochester 5, Norfolk 4 (12 innings) – The Red Wings enjoyed their off day, and came back with a little overtime effort. Kevin Mulvey started and had a lead going into the 9^th. He got two outs but couldn’t get the third without the game being tied. All told, he went 8.2 innings. He gave up three runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out three. Mike Gosling improved to 5-1 with 2.1 scoreless innings. He struck out four. Bobby Keppel recorded his first save of the year. He gave up an unearned run in the bottom of the 12^th. Alexi Casilla went 3-5 with his third triple. He is now hitting .353. Justin Huber went 2-5 with his third home run. Matt Macri went 3-5. David Winfree led of the top of the 12^th with his sixth home run.  

ROCKCAT RECAP

Thursday – New Britain 7, Reading 1 – Ryan Mullins has been much better of late. In this game, he got his second win with six strong innings of work. He gave up one run on five hits. He walked one and struck out four. Frank Mata got four outs, allowing just a walk. Jose Lugo got the next four outs without a run scoring, but he did give up a hit and walked two. Yohan Pino got the final out. Brian Dinkelman went 2-5 with his third homer. Erik Lis was 2-4 with his third homer. Steve Tolleson and Brandon Roberts were each 2-5 with a stolen base. Jeff Christy was 2-4. Danny Valencia hit his fifth homer, and Rene Tosoni hit his sixth home run.  

MIRACLE MEMOS

Thursday – Ft. Myers 2, St. Lucie 1 – Nick Romero made his Florida State League debut, and had a memorable game. He played at 2B and went 2-3 with a walk. His final hit came in the bottom of the ninth inning, a single that scored the game-winning run. Chris Parmelee went 2-4. Mike McCardell started and gave up just one run on four hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out seven. Alex Burnett got the win by pitching three shutout innings. He gave up one hit and walked one.

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Thursday – Beloit 5, Peoria 7 – The Snappers scored five runs in the 8^th inning to cut their deficit to 6-5, but it wasn’t enough. Dan Berlind started and gave up three runs on six hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out seven. Michael Tarsi made his first appearance of the year. He gave up a run on two hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out three. Curtis Leavitt came in for his Midwest League debut. He gave up two runs on a hit and two walks. But he did strike out three. Matt Williams gave up a run on two hits and a walk in his inning. Drew Thompson went 2-3 with a walk. Ramon Santana went 2-4 with his seventh double. Jonathan Waltenbury and James Beresford each had two hits in the loss.   

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

What Would I Do?

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NEW – I posted a new Star Tribune blog last night. I have a paragraph about sports in it!

The losing streak is at six games now. Hopefully the Twins can salvage one win on this road trip this afternoon. But then they return to the Dome to start a three game border battle with the Brewers on Friday night. I will be at the Anthony Swarzak debut on Saturday night. Before that game, the Twins will be honoring Corey Koskie, so that should be good to see too.

Yesterday I talked about how I’m not worried, but within that, I also subtly commented that this is the time to start making some changes as well. Since as bloggers and blog commenters we want to think we have all the answers, I guess I better explain some of my thoughts on what they should do, besides listen to Bobby McFerrin and Bob Marley. Craig Breslow is now gone. He’ll be with Oakland.  

• Luis Ayala may have bought himself a little bit of time with last night’s performance. He will need to prove that was not a fluke over the next two weeks. If it was lightning in a bottle, there are some moves that could be made that would cause a trickle effect through the system. If the Twins were to release Ayala, they could promote Rob Delaney to the big leagues from New Britain. I’m not convinced he is ready yet, but he does have potential and seems smart enough and strong enough to learn and adjust. At that same time, I would move Anthony Slama up to AAA. Spencer Steedley and Blair Erickson would then move up to New Britain. Joe Testa is more than ready to move up to Ft. Myers, and Danny Rondon or Matt Williams could join him. Shooter Hunt could come off of the DL in Beloit, or someone like Tom Stuifbergen or Liam Hendiks could move up to Beloit.
• As we have discussed for a couple months, if not longer, I would send Carlos Gomez back to Rochester and promote Dustin Martin. I would have Denard Span play daily in CF with Delmon Young and Martin platooning in LF.
• The Twins decided in the offseason, and we all agreed, that they did not need a veteran starting pitcher this year, as they have added in the past. The five young starters would be a strength of the team and the least of their worries. Right now, even more so than the bullpen, the starters are the weakest link. Let’s see how Anthony Swarzak does over his 2-3 starts. If he does well enough, could the Twins bring Glen Perkins back in the bullpen?

I guess my main point would be that there aren’t a lot of things that the Twins can do. I know people don’t like hearing it, but this truly is a young team. The players that are playing need to play. The pitchers that are struggling and inconsistent need to pitch innings. Obviously the core of the lineup is still young and needs to play. Could the Twins look to trade a veteran, such as Nick Punto? Sure, but I don’t think they would do that. Could Mike Redmond bring back a Hi-A middle infielder? First, this is no time to wave the white flag, and second, there is just too much talent on this roster to not eventually work through it.

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Wednesday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Steve Tolleson, New Britain Rockcats, Alexander Soto/Ramon Santana, Beloit Snappers

Wednesday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – David Bromberg, Ft. Myers Miracle

TRANSACTIONS – Infielder Nick Romero was promoted from Beloit to Ft. Myers. The Miracle put Estarlin de Los Santos on the Disabled List.

ROCHESTER REPORT

Wednesday –Rochester– After playing for 18 straight days, the Red Wings finally got a much-needed day off. 

ROCKCAT RECAP

Wednesday – New Britain 6, Reading 4 – Steve Tolleson was hitting .180 a week ago. In his last six games, he has gone 12-23 and is now hitting .244. In this game, he was 2-3 with two walks and his second homer. Danny Valencia was 3-5 and is hitting .327. Brian Dinkelman and Yancarlos Ortiz each had two hits. Following two rough starts, Jay Rainville had a very good start in this game. He gave up two runs on five hits over six innings. He walked none and struck out five. Jose Lugo came in for the 7^th and hit the batter he faced. Rob Delaney came in and gave up an unearned run on three hits in 1.1 innings. Zach Ward got the final two outs of the 8^th. Anthony Slama picked up his eighth save with two strikeouts in an inning.   

MIRACLE MEMOS

Wednesday – Ft. Myers 2, St. Lucie 5 – Tyler Robertson pitched well but fell to 2-1 on the season. The young lefty worked the first six innings. Have gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits and three walks. Kyle Waldrop threw two scoreless innings. Santos Arias gave up two runs on four hits over his inning. Ben Revere went 2-4. Chris Parmelee went 1-3 with a walk.

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Wednesday – Beloit 14, Peoria 9 – The bats were certainly out for the Snappers in this game. Ramon Santana is back, and didn’t miss a beat. In this game, he was 3-4 with a walk, his fourth home run and four RBI. Alexander Soto is really playing well too. He went 3-5 with two homers. He has four on the season. Michael Harrington went 3-5 with a double. Jonathan Waltenbury, Angel Morales and James Beresford each went 2-5. Michael Allen made the start. He gave up five runs on five hits in 5.2 innings. He walked three and struck out seven. Blake Martin gave up a run on two hits and a walk in 0.1 innings in his season debut. Danny Rondon came in and gave up two runs in two innings. He struck out four. Joe Testa worked a scoreless inning as well.  

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

Perkins to DL; Henn to Twins

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No, I’m not quite back yet, but I did think that the Perkins story and what it means is noteworthy and deserves comment. After giving up six runs in just 2/3 of an inning last night against the Yankees, the Twins put Glen Perkins on the 15 day disabled list with elbow inflammation. They don’t seem too worried, but anytime you’re talking ‘elbow’ or ‘nerves’ you can’t help but wish for the best.

The Twins added 28 year old lefty reliever Sean Henn to the 40 man roster and called him up. Henn is definitely deserving as he has pitched very well at Rochester. In 15 games, he is 0-0 with a 1.13 ERA while recording six saves for the Red Wings. In 24 innings pitched, he has given up 17 hits and walked ten, but he has struck out 32.

However, the Twins will need a starting pitcher on Saturday to face the Brewers and to fill Perkins’ spot in the rotation. Luis Ayala is likely a little nervous. With Henn being left-handed, you also have to assume the Craig Breslow is getting a little bit nervous too. He has not pitched well in 2009. The Twins would likely hope that he would pass through waivers and keep him in the organization because he was so impressive in 2008 and his previous minor league numbers indicate he must be better than what we have seen for two months. If it is Ayala that they let go, I think they would likely just let him go. Of course, the other possibility is that the Twins decide to end the three catcher set up and send Jose Morales back to Rochester. With the bullpen burned out, that is probably the best option for right now.

So who would start on Saturday? How can you not go with Anthony Swarzak to fill the rotation spot? Swarzak, a 2^nd round pick in 2004 out of high school in Florida is off to a great start. Although he is just 2-3, his 2.25 ERA is very strong. The 22 year old righty has made seven starts and got 44 innings. He has given up 40 hits, walked 11 and struck out 32. Is he ready? I’m not necessarily certain of that, but he is the best option for the team right now. It certainly has been an interesting couple of years for Swarzak. He was one of the team’s top pitching prospects until his 2007 50 game suspension for a drug of abuse. He struggled after hit comeback that season but ended strong in AA. That’s where his 2008 season began and he was horrible. But inexplicably the Twins rewarded him with a AAA promotion near the end of the season. And he went 5-0. He has continued to thrive in AAA this season, and again, would be very deserving of the big league promotion, should he receive it.   

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

Saturday Night Lights

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Be sure to tune in live to tonight’s MNGameNight.com podcast. The Twins Geek will be hosting the show tonight. I will not be on the show as I am taking a couple of days away from blogging, unless of course, there is any breaking news. There will also not be a new SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast on Monday night. During Saturday afternoon’s Twins telecast on FSN, I hosted a Live Chat. There weren’t a ton of questions, which is fine, but you can read the transcript by clicking here.

By the way, I did go to see Angels & Demons on Saturday night. I don’t know if it was quite as good as The Da Vinci Code, but obviously Tom Hanks was excellent, and it was very good and interesting.

TWINS 4, YANKEES 6 (11 Innings)

For the second straight game, the Twins lost to the Yankees on the Bombers’ final at bat. Friday night is was Melky Cabrera with a well-place soft line drive. On Saturday afternoon, it was an A-Bomb, from A-Rod. Rodriguez hit it high and he hit one far, a two run homer off of Craig Breslow with nobody out in the bottom of the 11^th inning. Here are some other notes:

• Nick Blackburn was excellent. If not for Mark Teixeira, his day would have been wonderful. In 7.2 innings, Blackburn gave up four runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out four. Then remember that Teixeira went 4-4 against him with four RBI, three on a home run, and see just how good Blackburn was against everyone else.
• Gardy decided to leave him out there for the 8^th inning. It was absolutely the right decision. Gardy decided to let him pitch to Teixeira with a runner on third and two outs that inning. It probably was the right move. I mean, you could walk him and have him pitch to A-Rod. There just really isn’t a right answer in that situation.
• Denard Span and Brendan Harris, the team’s top two hitters on the day, combined to go 0-11.
• #3 hitter, Joe Mauer, had a hit and a walk. The hit was a long home run, his sixth of the year already. He has five home runs in his last seven games.
• #4 hitter, Justin Morneau, went 2-3 with two walks. One of his hits was a home run, his 12^th of the year. He has six home runs in his last eight games.
• #5 hitter, Jason Kubel, went 2-5. He has now had four straight multi-hit games. He is 10-19 in his last five games to raise his average to .341 on the season.
• Matt Guerrier finally got a day off on Friday, but he was right back in there on Saturday afternoon. So, he has now pitched in six out of seven games. He threw two hitless innings, walked one and struck out two.
• Craig Breslow got the final out of the 10^th inning, coaxing a pop up out of Johnny Damon. He was about the only option to pitch the 11^th, and it was really an impossible situation for him. He walked Teixeira before serving up the game-winning homer to Alex Rodriguez.
• Sunday, Kevin Slowey gets his opportunity against the Yankees on Sunday afternoon when he faces off against AJ Burnett.  

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Saturday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Juan Portes, New Britain Rockcats

Saturday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Dan Berlind, Beloit Snappers

ROCHESTER REPORT

Saturday –Rochester 3, Durham 4 – Anthony Swarzak threw a lot of strikes in this game. 70 of his 106 pitches were strikes. Unfortunately, many of those strikes were hit well. Swarzak gave up four runs on 11 hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out four. Juan Morillo then struck out one in a perfect inning. David Winfree went 2-4 with his tenth double. Jason Pridie was 2-5 with his tenth stolen base.       

ROCKCAT RECAP

Saturday – Game 1 – New Britain 4, Portland 5 – Cole Devries started this game and gave up five runs on ten hits (2 HR) and two walks. Jose Lugo then got the next four outs. Rob Delaney struck out two in a perfect relief inning. Juan Portes went 2-2 with a walk and his third stolen base. Steve Tolleson went 1-2 with a walk.  

Saturday – Game 2 – New Britain 4, Portland 1 – Juan Portes had a second good game on this day. In this game, he was 2-2 with a walk. Rene Tosoni was also 2-2 with a walk. Zach Ward made the start for the Rockcats. He threw three no-hit innings. He walked two and struck out two. Frank Mata came in and gave up a run on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Anthony Slama recorded his sixth save with 2.1 no-hit innings. He walked two and struck out three.  

MIRACLE MEMOS

Saturday –Ft. Myers 11, St. Lucie 9 (13 innings) – Carlos Gutierrez started this game and gave up four runs in five innings. None of the runs were earned. He gave up four hits, walked three and struck out three. David Bromberg entered in relief and gave up three runs (1 earned) on a hit and a walk in just 0.2 innings. Steve Hirschfeld gave up a run on two hits in 1.1 innings. Henry Arias came in and struck out three in two scoreless innings. Kyle Waldrop gave up a run to blow the save, but in all, he went three innings and gave up just the one run. Santos Arias struck one out in his inning. Danny Berg went 3-6. Danny Rams made his first start and it went quite well. He went 2-4 with a double and two RBI. Late in the game, Ben Revere pinch hit for him and stayed in the game. He went 2-2 with a walk. Evan Bigley went 2-5 with two walks and his first double. Steve Singleton was 2-5. Juan Richardson went 2-7, but his two run single in the 13^th gave the Miracle the win.     

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Saturday – Beloit 5, Peoria 6 – Angel Morales keeps giving glimpses that he is ready to bust out. In this game, the young outfielder went 2-3 with a walk and two doubles. Ozzie Lewis went 2-5. Dan Berlind made the start. In six innings, he gave up four hits and one walk while striking out six. Bruce Pugh gave up two runs on two hits and a walk and got just one out. Joe Testa came in and gave up two runs on a hit and a walk in 1.1 innings. He struck out two. Matt Williams allowed the losing runs to score in the 8^th. He gave up two hits in 1.1 innings.   

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

Quick Notes

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

It’s going to be a quick update. Things, as you can tell from yesterday’s bullet points, and from today’s as well, are really busy, and the next two days will be as well.  The Twins had an off day on Monday, so I don’t feel too bad writing a little less.

• First, for a ton of new Twins content, be sure to listen to last night’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast. The guests were Twins pitching prospect, Liam Hendriks, who was excellent. We discussed Australians in the Twins system, playing in the WBC, Extended Spring Training and more. He answered several questions from the chat room. And then Travis Aune or Travis Talks came on and did a great job. We talked for quite some time about Twins topics and many minor league thoughts. So, I thought it was a very good show. I would appreciate any input you would have on it. Thanks!
• Those of you who have listened to the most recent SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast or Sunday night’s MNGameNight.com podcast, you already heard this. If you are going to be at the Twins games on either Tuesday or Wednesday nights, I will be selling copies of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009 out on the Metrodome’s plaza from about 5:30 until game time. I will be selling the books that I have remaining for $10. Some of the funds from book sales will be donated to the Twins Community Fund. Even if you’ve already got a copy of the book, feel free to just stop by and introduce yourself. It would be fun to meet some people.
• Nick Nelson has a very interesting look at the patience of the Twins hitters. It isn’t something that the Twins are known for, but given some thought, it appears to be something that the Twins are finding!
• You definitely will not read about hockey terribly often on this site, but this is exciting because of this!

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Monday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Chris Parmelee, Ft. Myers Miracle & Danny Valencia, New Britain Rockcats

Monday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Anthony Swarzak, Rochester Red Wings, Carlos Gutierrez, Ft. Myers Miracle

ROCHESTER REPORT

Monday –Rochester 6, Charlotte 0 – Anthony Swarzak was again impressive. He improved to 3-3 and his ERA dropped to 1.70. He threw six shutout innings and gave up just six hits. He walked three and struck out five. Bobby Keppel struck out two in two scoreless innings. Armando Gabino pitched a scoreless ninth inning. The Red Wings managed just five hits. Alexi Casilla went 1-3 with a walk and his second triple. Jose Morales went 1-2 with two more walks. Trevor Plouffe drove in three runs. Dustin Martin knocked a double. Luke Hughes committed two more errors at 3B.   

ROCKCAT RECAP

Monday – New Britain 1, Connecticut 5 – Danny Valencia was back in the lineup, and picked up where he left off. He went 3-4 with his sixth double. Yancarlos Ortiz went 2-3 with his first triple of the year. Cole Devries went seven innings and gave up two runs, both unearned. He gave up six hits and walked one while striking out six. Jose Lugo came in for the 8^th frame. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on two hits and a walk and got just one out. Rob Delaney came in and had a throwing error, but he did get the two outs to get out of the inning. Yohan Pino pitched a scoreless ninth.   

MIRACLE MEMOS

Monday –Ft. Myers 6, Sarasota 5 – Chris Parmelee had another good game. In this one, he went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth home run. Chris Cates was 2-3 with a walk. Mark Dolenc and Joe Benson were both 2-4. Carlos Gutierrez was incredible again. He won his second game with six shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out five. Steve Hirschfeld came in and pitched a perfect seventh. Henry Arias started the 8^th innings. He got just one out and gave up four runs on two hits and two walks. Santos Arias came in and gave up a hit, but got the final two outs. Blair Erickson gave up a run on three hits in the 9^th inning, but it was still enough to record the save.   

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Monday – Beloit  – No Game Scheduled. 

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

More Moves to be Made?

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

HELP – I need your help for a blog posting for tomorrow. I want to encourage everyone to send me a few True/False Statements, or Over/Under scenarios. For instance, e-mail me and say, “True or False, Danny Valencia will be the Twins opening day 3B when the team opens up Target Field next year.” Or “Over/Under – Joe Mauer’s Batting Average – .320.” Send up to five, and I will answer them on this site tomorrow. I think it could be a lot of fun, so please take a minute and e-mail me your questions. I appreciate your help.

YOUR VOICES – Last night, I wrote up and posted my StarTribune.com/yourvoices article on a topic that, as you would guess, is already annoying to me. But it’s timely and it is regional, so it kind of makes sense. Please check it out and be sure to leave you comments. Then be sure to read the article on the same topic that Darren “Doogie” Wolfson wrote there.

On Wednesday, the Twins made a roster move by shipping Alexi Casilla back down the AAA Rochester. They promoted Matt Tolbert back to the big leagues. Could more moves be on the horizon?

If you think that Alexi Casilla was the team’s biggest problem, you might be in for some major disappointment. Clearly, the biggest issue on this team right now it pitching. Entering the season, the assumption was that the starting five would be a cornerstone of the team. Through the first month their top pitcher, Scott Baker, is 0-4 with a 9.15 ERA. The #2 starter, Francisco Liriano, is 1-4 with a 5.30 ERA. Kevin Slowey is 4-1, but his ERA is 5.50. Nick Blackburn is 2-2 with a 5.19 ERA. Glen Perkins has been the team’s top starter so far this season, and he is 1-2 with a 3.34 ERA.

None of the five are currently in jeopardy of losing their starting jobs. In reality, I don’t think that they should even consider a move of one of the five starters for at least another month.

So, let’s get to the bullpen. Joe Nathan had one blown save, but overall, he continues to be one of the best closers in the game. I think we can say that Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier and Jose Mijares have pretty secure jobs. Brian Duensing, Philip Humber and Juan Morillo have already been shipped back to Rochester. Luis Ayala has been quite disappointing in a late-inning role. He has given up 20 hits and three walks in 13.1 innings. Craig Breslow was being counted on as a lefty out of the bullpen, and he has not been good at all. In 9.2 innings, he has given up seven hits and walked ten hitters. His two innings tonight actually significantly improved his overall performance. R.A. Dickey was brought in to be a long reliever. When he has pitched in that role, and in his one start, he was just fine. But when put into more difficult situations, it hasn’t gone well.  

So, I think it is fair to say that Luis Ayala, Craig Breslow and R.A. Dickey are three guys who will be watched a little more closely in the coming weeks. Let’s look at some pitchers in the upper minor leagues who could be considered for a promotion:

• Sean Henn – The Twins signed the now-28 year old lefty this offseason. He is currently the default closer for the Red Wings. Last year with the Padres, he gave up 11 hits and walked nine in 9.1 innings. So far this year with Rochester, he has thrown 17.1 innings out of the bullpen. His ERA is 1.04 and he has struck out 23 batters. He has given up 11 hits, but he has walked ten batters. As good as he has been, the walk rate is a little alarming.
• Brian Duensing – Since returning to the Red Wings, he has made three starts. He has thrown just 13 innings, and is 1-1 with a 6.23 ERA. He has given up 16 hits, walked six and struck out just seven. He certainly hasn’t warranted a promotion at this point and can use the work at AAA.
• Mike Gosling – The 28 year old lefty is working out of the Red Wings bullpen. He is 3-1 with a 4.96 ERA. In 16.1 innings, he has given up 16 hits. He has walked seven and struck out 21. The hit rate is OK. The walk rate is slightly high. Together, that is a WHIP of just over 1.40. He’s probably just a notch behind Henn at this point.
• Philip Humber/Juan Morillo – Both recently were sent down to the Red Wings. Both have done well in very limited time there and just need to get more work in.
• Anthony Swarzak – the 22 year old has started out great for Rochester. He is 2-3 with a 2.03 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. In 31 innings, he has given up 23 hits and walked just six while striking out 23. He’s allowed just one home run. Swarzak is young and he’s a starter. I think he needs to just keep working and starting at AAA for now. Let’s see how he is doing in four to six weeks.
• Anthony Slama – So many seem to think that the 25 year old is too good for his level. He certainly was last year. This year at AA New Britain, he is 2-0 with five saves. His ERA is just 2.63. In 13.1 innings, he has 22 strikeouts. However, he also has nine walks and 12 hits allowed, so his AA WHIP is at 1.54. That doesn’t scream “Promotion” to me!
• Rob Delaney – 24 year old Delaney spent half of the 2008 season in New Britain and did great. He is back there to start this season. He is 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA. In 18.2 innings, he has given up 21 hits, but he has walked just two while striking out 22. His WHIP is 1.22. He’s been good, and that K:BB ratio is amazing. I think he should be moved up to Rochester in the next month, and then see how he is doing at that time.  

So, in reality, these are the options for promotion to the Twins, especially since Duensing and Swarzak are the only ones on the 40 man roster. None of them present a significant improvement over Ayala, Breslow or Dickey. So, in my mind, there is zero reason to make a move at this time. Again, we should probably re-evaluate these names and their numbers in another three or four weeks to see where things are.

The Twins Geek tells us that Carlos Gomez has nine at bats over the teams past twelve games.  I believe that we all believe that his ceiling is still very high, but he has a lot to learn. To learn, he needs to play. He needs consistent at bats. He needs time in the outfield, and he needs bunting opportunities and situations and such. Right now, his role with the Twins has been to start about one in four games, and do some pinch running and late inning defense.

To play more, and improve himself as a player, I believe Gomez should go to AAA. But if he goes down to AAA, I think that the Twins need to replace him with another outfielder. The three outfielders will need to start, and Jason Kubel will be the DH, so they will still need a backup outfield. That player should be a guy who can run, play good defense at all three outfield positions and at least be adequate at the plate. Here are the options:

• Jason Pridie – The 25 year old outfielder can play three outfield positions very well. He can run very well. He can hit at the top of an order, but also has enough pop to hit some extra base hits. He strikeouts a ton. He just ended a 16 game hitting streak, and is hitting .255/.279/.292 in 106 at bats.
• Dustin Martin – Although Martin just turned 25, the organization seems to look at him as a potential starting outfielder, so he should play every day. He can play CF, but may have enough bat to play the corners as well. He really impressed last year at New Britain, then in the Arizona Fall League, and then during training camp. At Rochester, he is hitting .308/.366/.374 with nine steals.
• David Winfree – he is still just 23 years old and in his first season at AAA. He is hitting .272/.277/.457. Ten of his 22 hits have been for extra bases. He has one walk and 18 strikeouts, but he is a right-handed bat that could provide some pop off the bench. Can only play RF, and not necessarily very well.
• Luke Hughes – Although he has only played 3B this season for the Red Wings, he spent plenty of time in LF and CF last year. Another right handed bat with some pop, Hughes is hitting .293/.392/.573 with 11 extra base hits.

Dustin Martin and Luke Hughes have futures as everyday types of players. Those guys should not be playing just once or twice a week, not until September. David Winfree is a right handed bat with pop, but he doesn’t fill the need for the role (defense/speed). Martin and Winfree are not on the 40 man roster at this time. Jason Pridie really fits the role of fourth or fifth outfielder perfectly. He’s got talent. He’s proven in the past that he can hit a little bit. He’s very fast. He’s very good defensively, and he can play all three outfield positions. If Gomez is actually only going to be a role player with the Twins at this early point in the season, he needs to go to AAA, and if he does, I would promote Jason Pridie.

So, as much as we may want to overreact and make a few more transactions just to make them, they do have to make sense. I don’t think it makes any sense to make any moves with the pitching staff quite yet, but that situation needs to continue to be closely monitored. I do believe that Carlos Gomez should go back to AAA and play every day, leading off and playing CF. I would then promote Jason Pridie to fill the role of fourth outfielder.

What are your thoughts? What would you do if you were Bill Smith? Leave your questions or comments here  

GAME RECAPS

TWINS 1, ORIOLES 4 (Called in 6^th inning due to rain)

Tuesday night’s game was horrible because of the Twins play on the field. Wednesday night’s game was horrible because of the rain on the field. The game was delayed at the onset, and then three rain delays later, they finally called it. Unfortunately, the game was through five innings, making it an official game. The Twins were behind 4-1 at the time, so they get the loss and fall to 13-16.

Kevin Slowey got off to a bad start. In the first inning, he gave up three runs on four hits. The biggest blow as a Nick Markakis two run homer. He gave up two more hits, but no more runs, over two more innings before the game was delayed the first time. When the game started up again, Craig Breslow entered the game. He gave up a solo homer to Luke Scott. He gave up just one other hit, and most important, he did not walk a batter in two innings. Mark Hendrickson started for the Orioles and gave up just one hit over three scoreless innings. After the rain delay, former Twin Brian Bass came in. He went the final 2.2 innings and gave up a run on four hits and a walk. He struck out four. None of the Twins hits off of him were hit hard.

Mike Redmond had two of the Twins five hits.

On Thursday, Glen Perkins will face Brad Bergesen.   

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Angel Morales, Beloit Snappers

SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Anthony Swarzak, Rochester Red Wings & Cole Devries, New Britain Rockcats

ROCHESTER REPORT

Wednesday –Rochester 5, Louisville 2 – Anthony Swarzak had another strong start and picked up his second win. He gave up just one run on five hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out six. Sean Henn went the final two innings. He gave up a run on a Jonny Gomes home run. He struck out three in two innings. Drew Butera went 3-4 with two RBI. Luke Hughes had just one hit, but it was his fifth home run. David Winfree went 2-4 with a triple. Dustin Martin was 2-4 with a walk and his ninth stolen base.  

• By the way, be sure to bookmark a new blog on the Rochester Red Wings called ‘R Red Wings.

ROCKCAT RECAP

Wednesday – Game 1 – New Britain 2, New Hampshire 0 – Cole Devries was very strong again for his second win. He went five shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out two. Rob Delaney pitched a scoreless sixth frame. Anthony Slama recorded his fourth save with a scoreless seventh inning. He struck out one. The Rockcats managed just four hits in this game. Erik Lis scored both runs. He hit a solo home run. He also scored on a Juan Portes double. Portes had two doubles in the game.

Wednesday – Game 2 – New Britain 5, New Hampshire 3 – Matt Fox made the start in the second game. He went 5.1 innings and gave up two runs on two hits. He walked three and struck out four. Jose Lugo gets credit for the Win as he got the last two outs on the sixth inning. Anthony Slama recorded his second save of the day despite giving up a run on two hits and a walk in his inning. Brian Dinkelman went 2-3 with his fifth double and two RBI. Rene Tosoni scored three runs in this game. He was 2-2 as well as got hit by a pitch. Brandon Roberts was 2-2 with his fourth double.

INJURY REPORT – Juan Portes played 3B in both of these games as Danny Valencia rested a sore wrist.    

MIRACLE MEMOS

Wednesday –Ft. Myers 5, Sarasota 6 – Deolis Guerra had his first rough start of the season. The 20 year old righty gave up six run on 11 hits and two walks in just four innings. Steve Hirschfeld threw three scoreless relief innings. Alex Burnett pitched a scoreless eighth. The Miracle managed just five hits, no one had more than one. Danny Berg was 0-2, but he walked three times. Deibinson Romero walked twice. Ben Revere stole his 14^th base. 

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Wednesday – Beloit 0, West Michigan 3 – Dan Berlind made the start for the Snappers in place of Shooter Hunt. (No word on what the team is going to do with Hunt; skip a start, move him to the bullpen, etc.) Berlind went 4.2 innings and gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits. He walked two and struck out three. Joe Testa came in and went 2.1 scoreless innings. Matt Williams pitched a scoreless inning. The Snappers had just four hits. Angel Morales hit his third double and third triple.  

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