What Would YOU Do? Joe Nathan Edition

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I honestly had already started the blog entry before the Friday night debacle because I do think that it is an interesting topic for discussion. I also think that it is important to step back from any one game in making these types of decision. Much as I don’t think that the Twins front office should decide what to do with Orlando Cabrera based on what he did in the final couple of weeks. The Twins should certainly not make any decisions based on Joe Nathan’s blown save in a must-win against the Yankees in the playoffs. So, here are some quick pros and cons:

Pros

• In his six years as Twins closer, he is 22-12 with a 1.87 ERA. His WHIP has been 0.93.
• 246 saves in six seasons.
• In 2009, he set a Twins record with 47 saves. He was 2-2 with a 2.10 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP.
• After his strikeout rate dropped to 9.7 and 9.8 in 2007 and 2008, it jumped back up to 11.7 in 2009.
• Has only pitched between 67.2 and 72.1 innings in any season with the Twins.
• Want a closer who dominates the AL Central. I would say that applies to Nathan:
  • Career vs. White Sox – .151/.212/.277 (.489), 3-2, 24 Saves, 2.06 ERA, 0.77 WHIP
  • Career vs. Tigers – .153/.248/.257 (504), 2-1, 30 Saves, 1.55 ERA, 0.96 WHIP
  • Career vs. Royals – .144/.204/.230 (.434), 3-0, 35 Saves, 0.85 ERA, 0.72 WHIP
  • Career vs. Indians – .201/.258/.360 (.618), 3-1, 26 Saves, 2.98 ERA, 1.02 WHIP
• Aside from the Yankees, the only team that Nathan has a career ERA of over 2.98 is the Texas Rangers (3.72).
• Called a leader in the clubhouse, and especially in the bullpen.
• Is quite active in the community.

Cons

• Will turn 35 years old in November. How many pitchers over the age of 34 continue to dominate the way Nathan has? I know, but Mariano Rivera is a freak!
• Will make $11.25 million in 2010, $11.25 million in 2011, and has a $13.0 million option for 2012 (with a $2 million buyout). The dollars aren’t a concern, but coupled with his age, it has to be at least mentioned.
• Career vs. New York Yankees (Reg. Season Only) –
  • .255/.333/.382 (.715), 0-3, 4 Saves, 4.20 ERA, 1.40 WHIP

I knew the Con list would be significantly shorter. Joe Nathan has been baseball’s best closer over the past six years. There is nothing about Joe Nathan, other than his ability to pitch well against the Yankees, to complain about.

So, in my mind, the big questions become:

1. Who takes over as the Twins closer?
2. What type of package could the Twins get for Joe Nathan?

Let’s start with the first. As you know, I think that any solid reliever who can dominate can be a quality closer. To expect anyone to be as good as Nathan has over the past six years is unrealistic. I do think that Jose Mijares has the stuff to get lefties and righties out (even though that wasn’t the case this year). Jesse Crain, if he is what he was in August and September, can certainly do the job. Jon Rauch? How about Anthony Slama? Or, could they bring in some hard thrower who had previously struggled as a starter to get the job done?

The second question is obviously much harder to project. Which teams need a closer, preferably National League teams. But for a dominant closer with a major track record who keeps himself in tremendous shape, you could expect to get two very solid prospects and maybe another player or two.

One philosophy that I can’t argue with is that it is better to trade a player too soon than too late. There is also a philosophy that says Joe Nathan is really, really good. Why would you trade him? Which side of the fence would you tend to lean toward? Obviously this is a no lose situation. If the Twins keep Joe Nathan, they continue to have one of baseball’s best. If they trade him, it would be for a package of players that would hopefully contribute to the Twins as long as Nathan has. To leave your thoughts, particularly additional Pros and Cons, please click here.

This is another of many, many decisions that the Twins General Manager Bill Smith will have to make after the Twins playoff run is complete (hopefully with their third World Series championship!). And when the Twins 2009 season does come to an end, the TwinsCentric group will give you a ton of great information to help you understand all of the decisions the Twins GM and present you with the opportunity to decide what you would do. (More details to come)

Uggh! Yankees 4, Twins 3

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Hey ya’ll, remember that I’m the positive Twins blogger, right? It’s been awhile since I’ve been as frustrated in a game as last night. If you listen to last night’s podcast, you will get to hear a couple of rants. That doesn’t happen too often. For 8 ½ innings, that was a great baseball game. It stayed a great baseball game, just not for Twins games, starting with the bottom of the 9^th:

Joe Nathan was named the Rolaids Relief Award winner earlier yesterday. The award goes to the top closer in the league based on some formula. Nathan had a team record 47 saves on the season. But is there anyone in Twins nation that had any confidence when Joe Nathan took the mound with a 3-1 lead for the 9^th inning in Yankees Stadium last night with Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui coming to the plate? My only confidence was this… I was so sure that Joe Nathan was going to blow the save, that I assumed I must be wrong, that just maybe Nathan would actually step up and get the final three outs without coughing up the lead. That’s right, my only confidence in Nathan was that I had no confidence in him, so maybe just this one time he would come through.

But instead, he started nibbling. Sliders just off the plate. Fastballs just off the plate. Falling behind because the Yankees hitters are disciplined enough not to swing at pitches that aren’t strikes. Here’s an idea for Joe Nathan. Hey, you throw 95-96 mph, try throwing one of those over the plate earlier in the count, not after you’ve nibbled your way into a 2-1 or 3-1 count. See, then they know a fastball is coming, and hitters like Alex Rodriguez… they like those kinds of pitches. Fastballs right down the middle travel a long ways. So really, I get that you’ve got like 14 pitches, and that they work for most of the league. But this isn’t most of the league. It is the Yankees, and this is the playoffs.

But again, it was no surprise to see Joe Nathan blow a save in Yankees Stadium. That’s what he does. The Little Engine That Could (as the media loves to portray the Twins) played a great game. They outplayed the Yankees. The Twins had 12 hits, seven walks and were hit by two pitches in the game. They were not overmatched. People can point to the play where Carlos Gomez ran past second base and was tagged out by Derek Jeter before Delmon Young scored. Not a good play by Gomez, obviously a mistake. But honest, if the Twins had a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the 9^th, that would only have meant that Nathan would have given up three runs instead of two. Twins fans can play the LF umpire for missing the Mauer should-have-been double in the 11^th, a ball that was clearly fair. But it never should have got there.

The Twins lost. The Twins did not choke. No, one player choked, and he’s been doing that in Yankees Stadium regularly since 2004. Some Twins fans look to Ron Gardenhire and his 5-27 record against the Yankees. Or they mention that the Twins are 0-9 against them this year. Well, that can’t all be put on him. Last night, he made all of the right decisions, including replacing Nathan with Jose Mijares in the 10^th.

It’s really unfortunate that the game turned out like it did because a lot of very good things happened in this game.

• Nick Blackburn was awesome!! He didn’t give up a hit until the fifth and pitched into the sixth. Had it been a normal regular season game, he would have lasted much longer, I’m sure. He got ahead (with this crazy thing called a fastball, even if it only was 89-91 mph!). He threw a lot of strikes. He had good movement on his pitches. He looked in control. Nick Blackburn again pitched big in a big game!
• The bullpen was good. Jon Rauch and Ron Mahay were terrific. Matt Guerrier had an excellent inning of work.
• Nick Punto was on base three times. He drove in a run with a single and walked twice.
• Brendan Harris will likely be the team’s 3B for the near future. He came in for Matt Tolbert at 3B and hit the big triple that gave the Twins as 1-0 lead. He also mad an incredible diving play at 3B, got up and made a good throw to 1B which Michael Cuddyer was able to pick up on the short hope for an out. Tolbert left the game with a strained oblique.
• Michael Cuddyer had three hits. Denard Span and Joe Mauer each had two. Mauer also walked twice. Nick Punto went 1-3 with two walks.

How many times this year did I count the Twins out? I believe at last count, it was 49 times that I said the Twins 2009 season was over, that there was no way that the Twins could make the playoffs. The Twins backs are up against the wall again. This time, instead of playing another AL Central foe, they are taking on the best team in baseball. They are down two games to none in a best of five series. Things certainly look bleak.

And once again, I have to think, logic tells me, that this is over. Even though the Twins are coming home for Game 3. The effects of the Joe Nathan blown save can’t help but linger. That one was hard to swallow for Twins fans.

If you have any questions or comments, click here.

Thursday Morning Notes

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Good morning! Another nice Twins win. A sweep of the White Sox… in Chicago. Another Tigers win. Ten games to go. Twins have won nine of their last ten. If they can do that the rest of the season, they will win the division… probably. Here are some more thoughts, which will hopefully create some discussion. 

SethSpeaks.net NIGHTLY Minnesota Twins podcast

• On last night’s podcast, I was joined by Bill Ferris. Bill has been blogging on The Detroit Tigers at The Detroit Tigers Weblog since 2001! We spent the first part of the show talking about Wednesday night’s Tigers destruction of the Cleveland Indians, 11-3.We talked about the pennant race, last weekend’s Twins/Tigers series, and much more including his thoughts on Tigers legendary announcer Ernie Harwell who, despite his recent news, is still an inspiration to everyone around him. Again, you can download the podcast online or to your i-Pod.
• Tonight at 10:00 central time, there will be a new show, and I already have a couple of confirmed guests. One of the guests will be one of the Twins better prospects, so be sure to tune in for that. The Twins have an off day, but we will have a lot to talk about. The Tigers and Indians series finale. The upcoming Twins/Royals series, and the Tigers/White Sox series, and much more.  

 Twins 8, White Sox 6

• For the second straight night, the Twins were able to hold on for an 8-6 win over the Chicago White Sox. Again, the Twins jumped out to a quick lead. Going into the bottom of the 4^th, the Twins held a 5-0 lead. The White Sox cut the lead to 5-4, then added to their lead, then let the lead be cut in half late, but then held on.
• Brian Duensing went until there were two outs in the bottom of the fourth before allowing a run. It was the first run he had allowed in 17 innings. He went 5.2 innings and gave up four runs (3 earned) on nine hits and improved to 5-1.
• Bloggers speak so frequently of the term “Small Sample Size.” When talking about what the Twins needed to do over the last few weeks to succeed, I have said the same thing. You know basically what you are going to get from Mauer, Kubel, Cuddyer and Span (when he is able to get back in the lineup). But any production from the likes of Orlando Cabrera, Nick Punto, Matt Tolbert and Delmon Young, is a bonus that the team needs to take a step forward.

1.  
   1. Orlando Cabrera had an excellent series against his former teammates. He was 5-12 with a triple, a homer, six runs scored and five RBI.
   2. Matt Tolbert had two hits on Monday and the solo home run on Tuesday.
   3. Nick Punto went 4-10 with two walks, a double, four runs scored, four RBI and three stolen bases.
   4. Delmon Young went 5-8 over the last two games.

• Jesse Crain got one out and did not allow a run. He has now not allowed a run in his last 14 games which covers 14 innings.
• Joe Mauer went 1-4 to end the game hitting .371. Ichiro went 2-4 and is hitting .355.
• The Twins now get to enjoy an off day.
• The Twins remain 2.5 games behind the Tigers, who beat Cleveland 11-3 last night. Carlos Guillen had a big game. He was 3-4 with a walk, his eighth double, his 10^th and 11^th home runs and four RBI. Miguel Cabrera was 2-4 with a walk, his 31^st home runs and three RBI. Rick Porcello got his 14^th win, giving up one run in five innings. The Tigers play today, throwing Justin Verlander.

World Cup Update

• Canada beat Venezuela 9-2. Rene Tosoni was 2-4 with his fifth double, third triple, two runs scored and two RBI.
• Australia beat The Netherlands 5-2. Tom Stuifbergen started for the Netherlands team. He threw five shutout innings. He gave up two hits and walked two. Liam Hendriks started for Australia. He threw six shutout innings, allowing two hits, walking none and striking out four. Matt Williams got the final four outs to record the win. Luke Hughes was the offensive hero for Australia. He went 2-4 with his third and fourth home runs and four RBI. James Beresford was 1-4.
• Team USA beat Puerto Rico 3-0. Trevor Plouffe went 0-5.
• Cuba beat Chinese Taipei 8-0.
• On Thursday, USA plays against Cuba, Taipei takes on Puerto Rico, Canada plays The Netherlands and Venezuela plays Australia.
• On Friday, Cuba plays Canada, Venezuela plays Taipei, Australia plays Puerto Rico, and The Netherlands plays Team USA.
• Then on Saturday the fourth place teams in the two pools play (for 7^th place), the third place teams in each pool play (for 5^th place), and the second place team in each pool play (for third place).
• Finally on Sunday, the first place teams in each pool will play for the World Cup championship.

If you have any opinions, comments or updates, please leave them in the Comments section.

Twins Win Again

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On Wednesday afternoon, the Twins completed a three game sweep of the Cleveland Indians with a 7-3 win. Michael Cuddyer drove in a run in the 1^st inning, 5^th inning and 7^th inning on a single, a home run and a double to lead the way. Joe Mauer went 2-3 with a walk and drove in two runs. Nick Blackburn got the start and the win. He gave up two runs in the 7^th inning after six shutout innings. Joe Nathan recorded his 41^st save by getting the final two outs. The win temporarily cut the Twins deficit in the AL Central. 

• Joe Mauer, in his last four games, has gone 10-13 with three walks. It has raised his batting average from .363 to .374.
• In his last four games, Michael Cuddyer has gone 8-16 with two doubles and two home runs.
• Are we able to say, yet, that Jose Morales is the team’s backup catcher? In this game, he went 2-3 with two doubles.
• Matt Tolbert is apparently now the team’s 3B. But he went 2-4 in the game and plays a solid defense. In his last four games, he is 6-12.
• The Tigers beat the Royals 4-3 on Wednesday night to put their lead back to 4.5 games over the Twins.

World Cup Update:

• Wednesday
  • Nelvin Fuentes walked one and struck out one batter in his appearance for Puerto Rico.
  • Rene Tosoni went 2-4 with a double for Canada.

If you have any opinions, comments or updates, please leave them in the Comments section.

Are You Positive?

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I was watching the Twins game last night, happy with another win. Much credit for the win has to go to the bottom of the lineup for coming up with some big hits. Nick Punto had three hits. Brian Buscher had a big run-scoring hit. Orlando Cabrera hit a game-tying home run. Getting production from guys like that will be key down the stretch. The Twins have won three games in a row, all without Justin Morneau. They got good starting pitching, and the bullpen has been very good of late. Sure, Joe Nathan is fighting through struggles (on his way to another 40 save season, mind you!), but the rest of the bullpen has been much improved. Meanwhile, Detroit has been playing quite poorly of late. They have certainly left the door open, at least a little bit. Why am I not getting excited? I mean, the Twins are 4.5 games back of the Tigers with 17 games to go. The odds of the Twins making the playoffs are not good, something like 11%, but they are technically still alive.

So why am I not excited? Is it because they haven’t had that extended run that we all thought they were capable of? Well, in reality, they did. They won 12 out of 15 games. And, let’s be honest, if they can win twelve or thirteen out of their remaining games, there is a realistic chance that those games in the Dome on the final weekend will be bigger than just a farewell to a stadium.

It’s mid-September. The Twins are technically still in this thing. Help me out! Is there reason to be positive and excited? I think there are.

1.)    Those infamous seven games remaining with the Tigers provide an opportunity.

2.)    The Tigers have been bad. Their pitching situation is arguably worse than the Twins. Yes, they have Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson and Rick Porcello, but their bullpen has been a mess.

3.)    Maybe the Twins front office did know what they were doing in NOT acquiring Jarrod Washburn. We are so quick to be negative on the guys that got away that we often forget to say thank you for all the cases in which that is a good thing (See also, Joe Nelson, Juan Cruz, Eric Gagne and too many more to mention in this).

4.)    The Twins have Joe Mauer.

5.)    The Twins have Denard Span.

6.)    The Twins have Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel.

7.)    Scott Baker has been very good of late.

8.)    Carl Pavano has been as good as expected.

9.)    Nick Blackburn had his struggles, but he has also shown a propensity for pitching really well in really big games.

10.)                        Brian Duensing is still doing something to keep hitters off balance.

11.)                        The Bullpen is much improved, now making the 7^th through 9^th innings a little easier to breathe in.

So what else do you have? Let’s start being a little more positive! Why not? Worst case, we’re wrong, but we still get to enjoy only three more weeks of baseball before the long winter offseason. Are there other reasons to be positive about?

I have to be honest and ask, aren’t you (like me) tired of being negative? This is a .500 team, why can’t the positive at least equal the negative? I mean, I too can look at the bottom of the batting order and see Nick Punto in the lineup. Last night’s lineup had Buscher, Matt Tolbert and Punto at the bottom. That doesn’t create much excitement. But it is what it is. We can complain as much as we want about Danny Valencia (or Brock Peterson) not being up here right now, but that isn’t our decision, so no need for us to dwell on it. (No, I don’t get it either!) We can complain when Mike Redmond catches, as he likely will today, but we need to get over it. It’s easy to look at Michael Cuddyer’s WPA, but I prefer to look at the .270 with 25 homers.

Seriously, sometimes it’s much more fun to just step back and enjoy the baseball. I know I need to do that. Let’s just enjoy these final three weeks or before we know it, it’ll be gone. And then the offseason starts and we can all analyze away!!  

World Cup Update:

• Monday
  • Nelvin Fuentes pitched a scoreless inning for Mexico.
  • Luke Hughes hit a home run.
  • Matt Willams got a win for Australia. He went 1.2 innings and gave up an unearned run.
  • Rene Tosoni went 3-4 with his second homer and second steal of the tournament.
  • Trevor Plouffe went 2-3 with a walk, a double and a stolen base.
• Tuesday
  • Trevor Plouffe was 1-3 with a walk and another double.

NFL “Expert” Picks Update

            Although the page is still a work in progress, I have set up the 2009 FB Picks web page. It will include the bios, updated standings and the weekly picks. Our panel did well in week one. As a group, our selections went 13-3. Six participants went 14-2 (Jeff Manship, Phil Mackey, Nick Nelson, Parker Hageman, Josh Johnson, Brian Pietrzak and Andrew Kneeland). With no Thursday games this week, the Week 2 picks will be posted on Friday.

If you have any opinions, comments or updates, please leave them in the Comments section.

Sweep Complete! One More Day

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Alright, as you know, about a month ago, John Bonnes, Parker Hageman, Nick Nelson and I started a venture which on July 13^th turned into the TwinsCentric 2009 Trade Deadline Primer. We are pretty proud of the e-book and hope that those of you who did purchase it really enjoyed it and found it interesting, thought-provoking and entertaining. For a little over a month, the trade deadline has been a fairly consuming part of my life. Doing the research, writing the pages of the book and also on this blog, and the never-ending cycle of rumors are exhausting. And now here we are, one day away from the July 31^st non-waiver trade deadline, and I need sleep. But I suspect the rumors and predictions will only be stronger today and tomorrow, right up until Friday’s 3:00 central time deadline. It should be a lot of fun to see.

So where are we as Twins fans as it relates to the trade deadline? Just a month ago, the team had two alarming needs, in the middle infield and in the bullpen. Alexi Casilla, Matt Tolbert and Nick Punto were terrible. Jesse Crain had just been sent down. Sean Henn had been DFA’d, and the bullpen situation was horrible. Since then, the Twins have brought back Alexi Casilla and Jesse Crain and signed 2B Mark Grudzielanek to a minor league contract. And the Twins still have holes. The middle infield, both SS and 2B now, have holes. The bullpen still needs one or two arms. The bench is in need of upgrade. And now with Kevin Slowey out for the season, Francisco Liriano having forearm issues and pitching pretty poorly, Glen Perkins up and down starts, Nick Blackburn’s struggles since the All-Star break and Scott Baker’s inability to put hitters away quickly, this team could use a starting pitcher. This team is in need of change and improvement, and yet, we are at the end of July and they are just two games back of the Detroit Tigers after sweeping the White Sox tonight. 

That tells us two very different things. First, it is very much possible that this team could still win the AL Central division even if they don’t make a move. I don’t think it would happen, and I would still argue that their chances of finishing 3^rd would be as good as their chances of finishing 1^st. It also says that a couple of additions in key spots could be enough to put the Twins over the top in the division. And once you make the playoffs, you jus never know what could happen if the Twins are playing well then. 

I know many Twins fans are more than frustrated that Twins GM Bill Smith is yet to make a move. I admit, I have been too. The key to remember is that the trade deadline is July 31^st, not July 29^th or 27^th. From rumors we have heard, teams who have been in talks with the Twins about sending veterans to Minnesota have asked for a couple of names; Aaron Hicks and Danny Valencia. And why wouldn’t they? If they don’t start negotiations there, they should be fired. And on the same hand, if the Twins front office traded either of those players at this time, they should be fired. With time on their sides, the teams (like the Pirates or Blue Jays) have the right to ask for a bunch. But as that trade deadline approaches, some of that advantage is gone. If those teams want to add prospects and/or reduce payroll, they need to deal as much as the Twins or other teams in contention. So, it is very possible that asking prices could be down by waiting.

That said, the jewel of available middle infielders this July, Freddy Sanchez, is now not an option. He was traded by the Pirates to the San Francisco Giants for AA pitcher Tim Alderson. Keith Law ranked Alderson the 26^th best prospect in all of baseball. Don’t let the fact that he is generally ranked the 3^rd or 4^th best prospect in the Giants system fool you. They have Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner at the top of their list. The Twins don’t have a prospect in their system that is as highly thought of as Bumgarner or Posey. Aaron Hicks would be close. And I know I wouldn’t trade Aaron Hicks, or Danny Valencia, for anyone, including Freddy Sanchez. 

Cliff Lee was traded from Cleveland to Philadelphia. Last year’s Cy Young winner in the AL was exchanged for three solid AAA prospects and the jewel of that deal, Jason Knapp, who is still in A ball. A very nice haul for Mark Shipiro. Could the Twins have acquired Lee? Maybe, but it would require four top 10-12 prospects in the system, and how many of them would come back to bite the Twins over the next six to eight years that they are in the same division. 

The interesting thing is that none of the prospects in the Roy Halladay to the Phillies rumors were needed to acquire Lee. That means, in theory, that the Phillies could still get Roy Halladay too.

Hey, I’m all in favor of the Twins dealing from their stable of prospects. I fully understand the you have to give up something to get something. My opinion is simply that it has to make sense. Yes, it has to make sense for 2009. But it also has to make sense for 2010, and beyond. If the Twins literally had just one hole to fill, I’d be willing to give up a little more, maybe, but this team si likely more than one player away from being a good baseball team, not just a good AL Central team. But each trade needs to be judged on its own merit. And it has to make sense.

David Eckstein – not going to make a difference. I think I’d rather wait for Grudzielanek. My guess is that the Twins will still try to make a move for a bullpen arm. It will be seen as minor, and probably will be. But that is a need. They could use a starting pitcher. Maybe Arizona would be willing to move Jon Garland or Doug Davis for a lesser package? Starting pitching is at such a premium, and as much as some of the Twins young starters have struggled, there is tremendous value in keeping them.

 

Any thoughts as the deadline approaches? What do you think?   

TWINS 3, WHITE SOX 2

I went to last night’s game with my parents, who were celebrating their 37^th wedding anniversary, my sister and my daughter. So that was a lot of fun, and thankfully the Twins no only won the game, but it wasn’t too long. A few notes:

• Brian Duensing found out just a few hours before the game that he would be starting in place of Francisco Liriano who was experiencing some swelling in his left forearm. Then he went out and pitched a very good game. He went five innings and gave up just two runs. The first was on a solo home run to Jayson Nix that was just out of the reach of Denard Span in left. The second was a no-doubter to dead center by Carlos Quentin. He gave up just one more hit, a single, and he walked just one. The team had to be thrilled with getting that from Duensing.
• Then Jesse Crain came in, which I’m sure still makes a lot of Twins fans nervous. But he did just fine too. He gave up a single to the first batter he faced, but got out of that inning. He gave up another single the next inning and was able to get a double play ball to end that inning. The Metrodome radar board showed him hitting 95 a few times. If he can come back and be what he was from 2004 until his injury in 2007, the Twins will be thrilled.
• Matt Guerrier was excellent again in the 8^th inning. He had a perfect inning which dropped his ERA to 1.99 and his WHIP to 0.85. I know he doesn’t profile as the dominant 8^th inning type that we all want, but he’s been incredible.
• And Joe Nathan got the 9^th. He certainly made things interesting as it took him two or three batters to find any control. Gordon Beckham got ahead in the count and laced a single to left. Then after striking out Jermaine Dye looking, he walked Paul Konerko. He was able to strike out Chris Getz on a slider in the dirt, but in doing so, the two runners advanced to 2^nd and 3^rd. Bobby Jenks was now warming up. Mark Kotsay, who just arrived with the team that day, came up and on the first pitch hit a hard line drive that Michael Cuddyer did not have to move for at all to end the game and give Nathan his 29^th save. After a cheap, one-out save the night before, Nathan had to work for this one!
• The Twins jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 2^nd when Alexi Casilla knocked an RBI ground-rule double to the left centerfield gap. The second run scored on a ground out by Denard Span. Then with two outs in the bottom of the 6^th inning, Casilla lined a soft single into centerfield that scored Joe Crede from second base with the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run.
• Casilla needed that. He was 2-3 with two important RBI. He also added a stolen base and advanced to 3B. His average is at .171, and like with Crain, if Casilla can go on a run the last two months, he could be very important. I don’t think any of us expect him to hit .300 the rest of the way, but if he can hit .270, play good, smart defense and run a little, he could be decent at the bottom of the order. And again, Mark Grudzielanek is putting his work in and could be ready in a couple weeks.
• Denard Span did a nice job of being a leadoff hitter again. He was on base three times, with two singles and a walk. You can’t ask for much more than that.
• The Twins managed just two other hits in the game. Jason Kubel singled in the first. Carlos Gomez had a single and a stolen base in the game.
• The Twins have a much-needed off day at home today. They have now won four straight games and are 52-50, one game ahead of the White Sox, and two games behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central

Now a couple of other baseball game etiquette notes:

• I think people here know about how dumb I think that The Wave is, right? Well, sitting near the left-field foul pole, I now have a new-found dislike for the beach ball. I just don’t get that thing at all. After the first out of the 4^th inning last night, people in the left field upper deck must have agreed to something ahead of time because as soon as the first out was recorded, about 40 beach balls were knocked into the air. Some would fall to the lower level. A couple fell onto the field. Explain this to me. First, why is that fun? Second, watch the game. Third, because some people then don’t watch the game, anything can happen. As this was happening, a White Sox batter lined a foul ball into the bleachers behind the Twins bullpen. Someone got hit in the head and needed assistance. Now yes, that can happen any time, but it could also be not paying attention. And finally, it’s inevitable that one or more will fall onto the playing field, and that means that a ball boy has to run out there and pick it up. It delays the flow of the game. Anyway, there is my game rant of the day.
• Secondly, do people at games realize there is a reason that ushers generally ask fans to wait until the end of an at bat before letting people go back to their seats? It’s so that people can watch the game and see. I don’t know how many times people were asking people to stand up and let them through to their seat mid-at bat. Maybe that’s a left-field thing? But that is annoying.

Any other thoughts on the Twins sweep of the White Sox or what they need to do by tomorrow at 3? Leave your thoughts here.

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Wednesday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Deibinson Romero, Ft. Myers Miracle – Aaron Hicks, Beloit Snappers

Wednesday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Santos Arias, Ft. Myers Miracle – BJ Hermsen, GCL Twins

ROCHESTER REPORT

Wednesday –Rochester 4, Gwinnett 4 – Reid Santos got the start in this game. He gave up four runs on ten hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out two. Juan Morillo came in and struck out two in a perfect eighth inning. Trevor Plouffe went 2-4 with his 15^th double. Steve Tolleson was also 2-4.  

ROCKCAT RECAP

Wednesday – New Britain 4, New Hampshire 5 – The struggles of Matt Fox continued in this game. He fell to 6-7 on the year after giving up five runs on five hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out three. Frank Mata pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Anthony Slama walked one and struck out two in a shutout inning. Erik Lis provided the offense. He went 2-4 with his 13^th home run.    

MIRACLE MEMOS

Wednesday – Ft. Myers 4, Brevard County 2 – Deibinson Romero had a great day at the plate, and Santos Arias was excellent on the mound in the Miracle win. Romero went 2-2 with two walks and his fourth home run. Evan Bigley knocked his 15^th double. Estarlin de Los Santos went 1-3 with two walks and his fifth stolen base. Arias improved to 5-1 with seven shutout innings. He gave up just five hits, walked one and struck out three. Blair Erickson got the next five outs, but he left the game in the 9^th with the bases loaded. Loek Van Mil came in and allowed two inherited runners to score on a hit before recording the final out and his third save.   

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Wednesday – Beloit 2, Great Lakes 4 – Aaron Hicks and Angel Morales both had good games at the plate, but it wasn’t enough for the Snappers on this night. Hicks went 2-3 with two walks, his second triple and fourth stolen base. Angel Morales was 2-4 with his 13^th double. Dan Berlind got his 10^th loss of the season. In five innings, he gave up four runs on five hits and three walks. Kyle Carr struck out two in 1.2 scoreless innings. Bruce Pugh struck out the only guy he faced. Billy Bullock pitched another scoreless inning.   

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Wednesday – Elizabethton, Johnson City – Postponed by Rain again.

GCL TWINS GOINGS ON

Wednesday – GCL Twins 4, GCL Rays 0 – BJ Hermsen continues to impress. He improved to 5-1 and reduced his ERA to 1.05. He threw six shutout innings and allowed just four hits and a walk in six innings. Zach See threw two scoreless innings before Jean Mijares pitched a perfect ninth. Brian Bistagne went 2-3. Mark Grudzielanek went 1-3. Oswaldo Arcia went 1-3 with a walk, his fifth double and sixth stolen base.  

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Wednesday Morning Updates

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Please note that The Stick & Ball Guy convention has been moved from this Saturday (8/1) to Saturday, August 15^th. I don’t know my schedule for certain, but hope to be there and would love to meet any of you there as well.

THE MANDATORY FAVRE/VIKINGS STUFF

As you know, I’m been mainly annoyed by the on-going Brett Favre/Vikings courtship. Basically, I was just certain that Favre would sign with the Vikings. It only made sense. Well, he surprised me and most of Vikings and NFL fans by saying that he was staying retired. Alright, I’m four sentences into a paragraph on Favre, and I’m already bored with it. However, it was my StarTribune.com/YourVoices blog last night was about the Brett Favre situation, but it was mainly about the 2009 Vikings season. Check it out and feel free to comment there.  

COMMENTS ON THE ALL-TIME METRODOME TEAM

Last night, the Twins announced their All Metrodome team before the game against the White Sox. The vote was conducted with fans able to vote online and then media and front office personnel also factoring into the decision. For the most part, the choices were fairly easy to make, but there are still a couple of comments: 

Manager – Tom Kelly  

No Question. That is an easy choice. Two World Series championships and being the manager for 15 of the 28 seasons in the Dome. 

Starting Pitchers – Bert Blyleven, Frank Viola, Brad Radke and Johan Santana

Again, hard to argue with any of these selections. I don’t think anyone else really even should be considered.

Relief Pitchers – Rick Aguilera and Joe Nathan

Again, very easy selections, and no one else to really even consider, at least if they were limited to two. 

Catcher – Joe Mauer  

I mean, who could have even finished 2^nd? Brian Harper? 

DH– Paul Molitor  

Another pretty easy selection. He had three amazing seasons with the Twins. Now, if this was done a couple of years from now, Jason Kubel has to be in the conversation. 

Infield – Kent Hrbek, Justin Morneau, Chuck Knoblauch, Greg Gagne and Gary Gaetti

Could you make a decent argument for Corey Koskie? Probably. Other than that though, these selections were easy as well. Hrbek had to make the team, and Morneau is an MVP who finished 2^nd once and will likely be in the Top 3 again this year. 

Outfield – Kirby Puckett, Torii Hunter, Tom Brunansky and Dan Gladden

OK, I guess there really would only be one player on the All-Metrodome team that is even questionable. I realize he is now part of the media, but how is Dan Gladden on this list. Yes, he was on both World Series teams. I get that. He was the team’s leadoff hitter in both championship teams, but wow, was he not good. In his five seasons with the Twins, his on-base percentage was just .318. It was never higher than .331. In 1991, his OBP was just .306! That’s horrible. So, the next question you may ask is for me to name a player that should be on the All-Metrodome team in place of Gladden. I’ve got five players (including Gladden) for you to consider:

	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	2B	3B	HR
Dan Gladden	0.268	0.318	0.382	0.700	117	26	38
Michael Cuddyer	0.269	0.345	0.450	0.795	160	27	92
Jacque Jones	0.279	0.327	0.455	0.782	189	15	132
Matt Lawton	0.277	0.379	0.428	0.808	163	13	72
Shane Mack	0.309	0.375	0.479	0.854	119	24	67

Gladden spent five seasons with the Twins. Shane Mack spent five seasons with the Twins. Matt Lawton spent parts of seven seasons being incredibly underrated with the Twins. Jacque Jones spent seven seasons in a Twins uniform. Michael Cuddyer has been with the Twins since 2001. So, there are three players who are clearly much better options for the All-Metrodome team than Gladden. If you want, I’d be happy to add Randy Bush as another option who could be better. He spent 12 seasons with the Twins.

Obviously this isn’t some life-altering decision, but it makes no sense. But if one name out of 17 is bad, that’s not too bad at all. What do you think? 

TWINS 5, WHITE SOX 3

Alright, I’m right up there with other Twins fans that just do not like Mark Buehrle. However, sometimes you have to just give a little respect, and what Buehrle did over his last two starts is simply incredible. First of all, he had the perfect game which is amazing. It was only the 18^th in Major League Baseball’s history. And then last night, he started out by getting the first 17 Twins hitters out. He carried another perfect game into the 6^th inning. Like him or not, that is absolutely remarkable.

That said, I felt just fine when he walked Alexi Casilla. I was also glad that Denard Span lined a clean single up the middle for the first hit. I would have hated to see one of the Twins players bunt for a hit to break up the string, and even more, I would have hated to see a questionable hit/error decide it. You know, a play like the next one, when Joe Mauer hit a ‘double’ to left field that really should have been caught by Scott Podsednik. But within three batters, Buehrle lost the perfect game, the no-hitter and then the shutout. Then in the 7^th inning, the Twins scored four more runs. Brendan Harris drove in a run to give the Twins the lead. Two batters later, Nick Punto slapped a single to right field to drive in two. Then Octavio Dotel came in and walked three, including Justin Morneau with the bases loaded that gave the Twins the 5-1 lead. 

Scott Baker was good. He gave up one run on just four hits over the first six innings. His performance was unfortunately overshadowed by Buehrle, but he was good. He walked none and struck out six. Jose Mijares then got five outs. Bobby Keppel got out of the 8^th inning, and then gave up two runs in the 9^th inning, doing just enough to create a save situation for Joe Nathan who only had to get the final out. 

Tonight, I will be in attendance to see Francisco Liriano and the Twins take on Bartolo Colon and the White Sox, hoping to see the Twins complete the sweep! 

Any thoughts?
MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Tuesday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Steve Tolleson, Rochester Red Wings

Tuesday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Philip Humber, Rochester Red Wings  

ROCHESTER REPORT

Tuesday –Rochester 7, Gwinnett 1  – Philip Humber got some run support and did well with it. He gave up just one run on four hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out four. Armando Gabino threw two shutout innings. Steve Tolleson went 2-3 with a walk. Matt Macri went 2-4 with his 19^th double. Justin Huber was 2-5 with his 15^th double. Jose Morales was 2-5. Danny Valencia was back in the lineup and had a double.      

ROCKCAT RECAP

Tuesday – New Britain 1, New Hampshire 5 – The Rockcats played two games on this day because of a power outage in New Hampshire. It would be safe to say that the Rockcats had no offensive fire power on this day. In the first game, they managed just five hits. Whit Robbins went 2-3 with his 18^th double. Ryan Mullins started and gave up five runs (1 earned) on six hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out six. Alex Burnett came in and got the final four outs.  

Tuesday – New Britain 0, New Hampshire 5 – In the second game, the bats managed just three hits. Brian Dinkelman hit his 26^th double. Deolis Guerra got the start. He did alright through two innings, but then he faced six batters in the third inning and got none of them out. All told, he gave up five runs on six hits and a walk. Kyle Waldrop then threw two more shutout innings. Carlos Gutierrez gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning. He struck out two. Spencer Steedley walked two in a scoreless inning.             

MIRACLE MEMOS

Tuesday – Ft. Myers 1, Brevard County 4 – The Miracle were held to just four hits in this game. Mark Dolenc and Evan Bigley each hit a double. Tyler Robertson started and gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk in seven innings. Henry Arias came in and gave up a run on two hits and a walk in his inning. Loek Van Mil struck out one in his perfect inning.  

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Tuesday – Beloit 5, Great Lakes 8 – Brad Tippett has been, by far, the top pitcher for the Snappers this season. He was due for a rough start. In this game, he gave up seven runs (3 earned) on eight hits and a walk in just 4.2 innings. Blake Martin gave up a run in 1.2 innings. He struck out three. Steve Blevins then was perfect threw 1.2 innings. James Beresford went 2-5 with his sixth double. Nate Hanson went 2-4. Michael Harrington hit his 27^th double. Aaron Hicks hit his seventh double.   

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Tuesday – Elizabethton, Johnson City – Postponed by Rain.

GCL TWINS GOINGS ON

Tuesday – GCL Twins 2, GCL Rays 2 – This game was called as well in the 10^th inning and will be completed next week. I likely won’t think to look back, so I figured I would show some highlights already. Rory Rhodes and Hyun-wook Choi each went 2-4. Rhodes hit his fifth double. Choi stole his second base. Mark Grudzielanek went 1-3 with a double. Adrian Salcedo had another strong start. In six innings, he gave up two runs on eight hits. He walked none and struck out five. Nelvin Fuentes struck out three in two shutout frames. Eliecer Cardenas struck out the six in the 9^th inning.  

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In-Weekend Updates

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

I thought a mid-weekend update would make a lot of sense. As the next couple of weeks will be consumed with trade rumors, determining whether teams are buyers or sellers and then finally the deadline, I thought it appropriate not to get too far behind. So, here is a quick Notes and Game Recap edition, be sure to leave your comments below. Again, as the Trade Deadline is now less than two weeks away, please consider picking up a copy of the TwinsCentric 2009 Trade Deadline Primer for just $9.95.

TWINS WIN TWO IN TEXAS

The Twins won the first two games of their series in Arlington against the Rangers. They completed the Texas two step and on Friday will go for the sweep.

On Friday night, the Twins won 5-3. Glen Perkins went five innings for the win. Bobby Keppel again pitched well for two innings. Jose Mijares and Matt Guerrier completed the eighth inning before Joe Nathan recorded his 24^th save. Jason Kubel knocked his 15^th home run of the season in the game. It was a three run homer that scored Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Carlos Gomez went 2-3 and drove in the two other runs with a triple. Joe Crede joined Gomez, Morneau and Kubel with two hits in the game.

On Saturday night, the Twins won 4-1. It was all about Scott Baker and Michael Cuddyer. Baker went eight strong innings. He gave up a just one run on six hits and two walks. He struck out eight for his 8^th win of the year. Joe Nathan struck out two in the ninth for his 25^th save. Cuddyer hit a run-scoring double in the 2^nd inning, and later came around to score on a Carlos Gomez single. In the 5^th inning, Cuddyer hit his 15^th home run of the season. Cuddyer, Morneau and Gomez each had two hits.

TWINS NOTES

• Over the Baggy asks, Do the Twins Need Julio Lugo?
• First of all, congratulations to Stick & Ball Guy whose terrific site (so terrific, in fact, that it is The World’s Greatest Online Magazine!) recently celebrated its 5^th Birthday!
• Another exciting note from Stick & Ball Guy. He will be hosting the 3^rd Annual SBG Convention on August 1^st. It will again be at Minnehaha Falls, in the park. I went last year and it was a great time. I currently plan to be there again this year, so if you’re able to make it, it’s always fun, so check here for details.
• Jesse from Twinkie Town participated in an AL Central Roundtable with other SB Nation bloggers in the division.
• It seems like the Twins have turned and hit into a lot of double plays this season. But Coffeyville Whirlwind reminds us of a game in 1990 when the Twins and Red Sox combined for the most double plays in a single game.
• Apparently Miguel Angel Sano passed a pretty important test. MLB had been investigating if he was actually 16 years old, and their report indicates that he is 16 years old. With that announcement, Sano is free to sign. Now, the Twins were rumored to have offered him a deal pending this investigation, but in recent weeks, the rumor became that the Twins were kind of taking themselves out of the running. However, now it is suggested that Twins Director of Player Personnel, Mike Radcliff, traveled to the Dominican Republic himself to check on Sano. So, will they re-enter the negotiations, or will they stay out of it. Well, we shall see.   

Any other Twins thoughts or stories? If you see a Twins-related story that you think readers would be interested in, please e-mail me the link. Let us know what you think.

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Friday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Steve Singleton, New Britain Rockcats

Friday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Edgar Ibarra, Elizabethton Twins

Saturday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Brandon Roberts, New Britain Rockcats

Saturday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Blayne Weller, GCL Twins  

MINOR LEAGUE NOTES AND TRANSACTIONS

• LaVelle informed us yesterday that Yohan Pino had been promoted to AAA Rochester. Also some interesting stuff on Max Kepler coming to America from Germany with his mom to scout out high schools in Ft. Myers.
• I learned later in the day that Michael McCardell has been promoted to AA New Britain to take Pino’s spot.
• Heard a little later that Jeff Christy has been sent back to New Britain, but I have not heard if there have been any further catcher transactions. Currently in New Britain include Danny Lehmann and Allan de San Miguel.
• On Friday, Josh Johnson posted another excellent interview. Be sure to check out his Q&A with David Bromberg.
• Be sure to check out Roger’s Minor League Update from yesterday. Who was his player of the week?
• Jesse also asked the question, Who is Joe Testa?

ROCHESTER REPORT

Friday – Rochester, Lehigh Valley – Game postponed by Rain.

Saturday – Game 1 – Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 7 – Philip Humber started this game and gave up six runs on seven hits and two walks in 3.2 innings. All six runs scored against him in the fourth inning. Jesse Crain struck out two and got four outs. Juan Morillo gave up a run on two hits in his inning. He walked none and struck out two. Matt Macri went 2-3. Danny Valencia hit his fourth home run. David Winfree hit his 11^th homer.

Saturday – Game 2 – Rochester 3, Lehigh Valley 6 – The second game was almost a copy cat of the first game. Jason Jones started and threw three shutout innings before he gave up six runs in the fourth inning. Tim Lahey and Sean Henn each pitched a scoreless inning. The offense came from the same two people as well. Danny Valencia hit a two run homer, his fifth of the season. David Winfree came to the plate next and hit his 12^th homer.     

ROCKCAT RECAP

Friday – New Britain 6, Reading 4 – Steve Singleton was strong again in his second AA game. The 2B went 3-4 with his third double and first triple. Matt Moses went 2-4 with his 10^th double and first triple. Erik Lis hit his 11^th home run. Cole Devries picked up his sixth win. In five innings, he gave up three runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out five. Frank Mata gave up two hits and a walk in an inning, but no runs scored. Carlos Gutierrez gave up two hits and a walk in 1.1 innings, but no runs scored. Jose Lugo gave up a run in 2/3 of an inning. Alex Burnett came in for the ninth and recorded his second save.  

Saturday – New Britain 11, Reading 3 – Deolis Guerra improved to 2-0 with a win in this game. In 6.1 innings, he gave up three runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out three. Kyle Waldrop threw 2.2 scoreless innings. Brandon Roberts went 4-6 with his 14^th double. Steve Singleton went 3-5 (so his batting average dropped!) with his fourth double and first stolen base. Toby Gardenhire went 2-4 with a walk and his seventh double. Juan Portes went 1-3 with three walks and his fifth home run. Erik Lis was 1-2 with two walks and his 12^th home run.     

MIRACLE MEMOS

Friday – Ft. Myers 2, Sarasota 3 – David Bromberg took a loss for the first time this season. He is now 7-1 (with a 2.97 ERA) after giving up three runs on seven hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out six. Santos Arias and Henry Arias each pitched a scoreless inning. Mark Dolenc went 2-3 with a walk, his 13^th double and third home run. Rene Leveret went 2-4 with a triple.

Saturday – Ft. Myers 2, Dunedin 4 – Chris Parmelee went 2-4 with his 13^th home run, but it wasn’t enough. Tyler Robertson took the loss. He gave up four runs on four hits and four walks over seven innings. He struck out five. Joe Testa struck out three in two scoreless frames. Evan Bigley went 3-4 on the night. Ben Revere went 2-5.       

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Friday – Beloit 9, Burlington 3 – Dan Berlind improved to 3-9 with five innings in this game. He gave up three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three. Michael Allen and Steve Blevins each two scoreless innings. Tyler Ladendorf went 3-5. Drew Thompson went 2-4 with a walk and his 11^th double. Ramon Santana went 2-5 with his second triple.

Saturday – Beloit 4, Dayton 6 – Aaron Hicks hit his first home run of the season. Drew Thompson went 2-4 with his third stolen base. Ramon Santana was 2-3 with a walk and his seventh home run. Dan Osterbrock gave up five runs (4 earned) on seven hits and two walks in 6.1 innings. He struck out six. Bruce Pugh gave up a run on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings.  

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Friday – Elizabethton 4, Danville 5 – As is tradition, Danville brings a team that matches up well with the E-Twins. In this game, Miguel Munoz made the start. He gave up five runs (4 earned) on eight hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out five. Edgar Ibarra came in and threw three shutout innings. Dan Rohlfing went 2-3 with a walk. Brian Dozier was 2-4 with his third double. Josmil Pinto went 1-2 with three walks. Derek McCallum went 1-3 with two walks.   

Saturday – Elizabethton 4, Burlington 3 – Martire Garcia made his best start of the season. The young lefty gave up two runs on four hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out four. Matt Bashore came in and gave up three hits, but no runs, in two innings. He struck out two. Kyle Carr gave up an unearned run on one hit in two innings. He struck out two. Derek McCallum went 2-3 with a walk and his seventh double. Jonathan Goncalves hit his second home run and stole his fourth and fifth bases. Tobias Streich hit his fifth home run.     

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Saturday –GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 1 – Blayne Weller had another very strong start. He threw seven shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out five. Jean Mijares gave up an unearned run on a hit and a walk in his inning. Kelvin Mota gave up two hits, but no runs, in his inning. Jhonatan Arias went 2-4 with his second and third doubles. Daniel Santana went 2-5 with his third double.

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

Twins Notes

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The Twins enjoyed their off day on Thursday. It was the first time this season that they have been two games above .500. Now, the players may have rested on the off day, but the front office was plenty busy.

First, the Twins released reliever Luis Ayala. Ten days earlier, the Twins had designated him for assignment. Although a couple of teams, namely Pittsburgh and Florida, expressed interest, but a trade was not able to be worked out. He was released, and later in the day, he signed a contract with the Florida Marlins.

In a second transaction, the Twins outrighted Sean Henn to AAA Rochester and promoted Brian Duensing. Henn, being out of options, had to clear waivers to be sent back to Rochester. He did, and remains in the Twins organization. The promotion of Duensing is somewhat surprising. Being left-handed, he does give Ron Gardenhire a second left-hander in the bullpen. You could argue that Anthony Swarzak was much more deserving of promotion as he has been superb for the Red Wings since his demotion in mid-June. Of course, Swarzak was just named as the Red Wings lone representative in the AAA All-Star Game.

LaVelle E. Neal reports that the Twins have offered a contract to Dominican 16 year old SS Miguel Angel Sano. However, the contract is contingent upon an investigation by Major League Baseball into weather Sano is actually 16 years old. The Twins, Pirates and Baltimore Orioles are the three teams said to be most interested. The Twins and Pirates apparently have a very strong relationship with him. The contract is rumored to be anywhere from $2.5 million to over $4.25 million.

Travis Talks provides his June Awards for the Twins. Joe Nathan had an incredible month. In 11.2 innings (12 games), he gave up no runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out 18. But he wasn’t the only bullpen arm to impress. R. A. Dickey’s ERA for June was 0.67. Matt Guerrier’s was 0.86. Jason Kubel was the easy choice for Twins Player of the Month in June.

Josh Johnson provides a review of all six Twins minor league affiliates, including a selection for hitter and pitcher of the month for each team. Nick Nelson looked back at his preseason Top 10 Twins Prospects to see how they are performing through June.

Consistent release point is important to all pitchers, but Over the Baggy’s Parker Hageman shows us why and how release point is important for Scott Baker.

Brian, at the Twins Examiner site, tracks the young career of Aaron Hicks.

At Jim Mandelaro’s Extra Bases blog, he takes a look into the Life of a GM, through the eyes of Twins GM Bill Smith, who has lost 40 pounds since February.

Baseball Intellect takes a look at the Mechanics of Kevin Slowey to determine why he is able to pitch with so much control.

Slowey will take the mound on Friday night for the Twins as they start a three game series at the Metrodome against the division-leading Detroit Tigers.    

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Wednesday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Tyler Ladendorf & Danny Rams, Elizabethton Twins

Wednesday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Mike McCardell, Ft. Myers Miracle

ROCHESTER REPORT

Wednesday – Rochester, Buffalo – Game Postponed by Rain. The Red Wings are set to send Jeff Manship to the mound against Oliver Perez in a game that is expecting over 20,000 fans in attendance. What a great atmosphere!

ROCKCAT RECAP

Wednesday – New Britain, Portland – Game Postponed by Rain.

MIRACLE MEMOS

Wednesday – Game 1 – Ft. Myers 3, Lakeland 1 – Tyler Robertson started this game and threw two shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out two. But during the top of the third inning, there was a rain delay. When play resumed, Joe Testa came in and struck out five in two scoreless innings to get the Win. Loek Van Mil threw two shutout innings. Blair Erickson recorded his ninth save. He struck out two and gave up an unearned run in the seventh. The offense managed just six hits. Steve Singleton hit his fifth home run. Deibinson Romero hit his 16^th double.  

Wednesday – Game 2 – Ft. Myers 4, Lakeland 1 – Mike McCardell started and finished the second game. The righty gave up one run on seven hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out nine to improve to 8-5. Steve Singleton was 2-4 with his fourth steal. Mark Dolenc went 2-3. Chris Parmelee hit his 10^th home run, a two run homer in the 8^th that gave the team a two run lead. In the ninth, Nick Romero extended the lead with a solo home run, his third of the year.     

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Wednesday – Beloit 1, Cedar Rapids 5 – The Snappers managed just two hits in this game. James Beresford had a double. Dominic de La Osa went 0-1 with two walks and his third stolen base. Dan Osterbrock started and gave up three runs on ten hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out five. Curtis Leavitt went two innings and gave up one run on one hit. He walked one and struck out three. Matt Williams gave up an unearned run over the final two innings.

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Wednesday – Elizabethton 12, Bristol 4 – The E-Twins improved to 9-1 in this game. Tyler Ladendorf and Danny Rams were the hitting stories again, both going 3-5. Ladendorf knocked his fourth and fifth doubles. Rams hit his fifth home run. Tobias Streich hit his second homer, and Josmil Pinto hit his fourth homer. Reggie Williams went 2-4. Angelo Sanchez got his second win. In six innings, he gave up two runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out six. Ramon Acosta gave up two unearned runs on two hits in two innings. Tony Davis struck out two in his inning.

Interesting Note – We often wonder why the Twins draft so many catchers, and what they will do with all of them. Well, of the nine players in the E-Twins starting lineup, four of them were drafted as catchers. Danny Rams was the Twins 2^nd round pick in 2007. He played 1B in this game. Josmil Pinto was the DH in this game. Chris Hermann played LF in this game. And Tobias Streich actually was the catcher.  

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Wednesday – GCL Twins – No Game Scheduled.

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

Wednesday Night Notes

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

TWO TICKETS – Before getting too far, I have two tickets to the Saturday, July 4^th Twins/Tigers game for sale, below the face value. If you are interested and able to go to the game and want more information, please e-mail me.

SETHSPEAKS on the Radio – At 10:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, I will appear on am710 KXMR, Bismarck-Mandan’s ESPN radio affiliate. I will be on with Jack Michaels. If you are in North Dakota, or close, you may be able to tune it in, but if you’re not, they do have a Listen Live option, so you can listen to it at your desk. 

 From my Game Recap at BaseballDigest.com:

On Wednesday, the Twins beat the Royals 5-1 to take the series two games to one. The win gave the Twins a record of 6-3 on this road trip. Known for their road woes, the Twins have actually gone 10-5 in their last 15 games away from the Metrodome. With the win, the Twins also reached two games over .500 for the first time all season.

Glen Perkins made the start for the Twins. The lefty gave up one run on ten hits (but no walks) over seven innings. He was able to get three inning-ending double plays to help his cause.  It was his third straight seven inning outing since his six inning return from the Disabled List. R.A. Dickey threw the 8th inning, and got the first two outs in the 9th inning before Joe Nathan got the final out to secure his 21st save and the Twins win.

Joe Mauer led the offense. He went 3-3 with two walks to raise his average to .392. Michael Cuddyer gave the Twins a 1-0 lead when he hit his 12th home run of the season, a solo shot in the top of the 2nd inning. He would walk twice later in the game. Denard Span went 2-5.

The game was not without its concerns. Mike Redmond was hurt in the arm/wrist area by a foul tip and had to leave the game. He was replaced by Jose Morales behind the plate. Nick Punto finished a double play but was taken out hard and landed with a sore back. He was replaced by Brendan Harris at SS. The biggest concern was that Justin Morneau was replaced by Brian Buscher late in the game. Morneau left with a tight groin.  

The Twins will now enjoy a day off on Thursday before starting a three game home stand over the weekend against the division leading Detroit Tigers.

Now, a couple of thoughts beyond the game story:

1. One thing to consider based on this game is, what would the Twins do at 1B if Justin Morneau had to go on  the 15 Day Disabled List? Hopefully he was removed solely for precautionary reasons. But I do think it begs the question. I am fine with Brian Buscher being an emergency 1B. I know that Michael Cuddyer would do just fine if he had to take over the position for a couple of weeks. But would that be idea? That would basically mean that Delmon Young and Carlos Gomez would be in the lineup most games. Would the Twins add Justin Huber to the 40 man roster and promote him? Could Danny Valencia play 1B for a couple of weeks? Whit Robbins has done a nice job all year for AA New Britain, but could he even be an option? Brock Peterson was better in June. What would they do?
2. Could this be what it takes to get Nick Punto on the Disabled List, and Steve Tolleson playing 2B for the Twins most days? I know, Gardy would probably keep playing Tolbert!
3. Mike Redmond was replaced by Jose Morales in the middle innings after taking a foul tip off of his arm. Could this be what it takes to get him put on the Disabled List so that Jose Morales can stay with the big league club and actually get some playing time? In early May, I was more than happy to say that Redmond deserved the opportunity to get healthy and see what he can do. Well, he isn’t able to hit and can’t really throw, and time hasn’t helped that at all. Redmond deserves to stick around, but maybe the DL allows that to happen?
4. On Tuesday, the Pirates traded Eric Hinske to the Yankees and Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett to the Nationals. In a subsequent move, they added former Twin Garrett Jones to their roster and called him up.
5. Speaking of the Pirates, they are the other team, along with the Twins, rumored to be the front runners to sign Miguel Sano today when 16 year old international free agents can be signed. His signing bonus could go as high as $4 million. The linked article quotes a major league executive who has scouted Sano as saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 16-year-old who could hit like that. It’s just a smooth, fluid swing and the ball jumps off his bat. There are a lot of major-league players right now who would kill for his swing and his hitting ability. The rest of his game is good, too.”
6. Is Joe Mauer really a ‘cross between Vanilla Ice and Cypress Hill’, as Denard Span guesses? Check out this Yahoo Sports Article on Mauer.  

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Wednesday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Tyler Ladendorf, Elizabethton Twins

Wednesday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Miguel Munoz, Elizabethton Twins

NOTES AND ANOTHER TRANSACTION

• As I posted earlier on Wednesday, the Eastern League named its All-Star teams. Five Rockcats were named All Stars.
• Also at the Twins Page at BaseballDigest.com, be sure to read Justin Murphy’s Upstate Update, a review of the goings on with the Red Wings.  

ROCHESTER REPORT

Wednesday – Rochester – No Game Scheduled.

ROCKCAT RECAP

Wednesday – Game 1 – New Britain 3, Portland 1 – Game 1 was a bullpen game for the Rockcats. Frank Mata got the start and did quite well. He gave up one run on two hits over the first 3.2 innings. He walked none and struck out two. Jose Lugo got the win as he threw 2.1 hitless innings. He walked one and struck out two. Anthony Slama recorded his 16^th save with a scoreless inning. Toby Gardenhire went 2-3. Brandon Roberts (10), Brian Dinkelman (19) and Erik Lis (12) each hit a double.  

Wednesday – Game 2 – New Britain 3, Portland 1 – The second game had the same score and the same story. It was a bullpen game, and it was very well pitched. Yohan Pino made the start. He gave up one run on five this and a walk in four innings. He struck out six. Kyle Waldrop came in and gave up just one hit over 2.2 scoreless innings. Alex Burnett got his first save by coming in and getting the final out. Rene Tosoni went 2-3 with his 16^th double. Whit Robbins singled in the first two runs. Yancarlos Ortiz gave the team a little insurance with an RBI double. 

MIRACLE MEMOS

Wednesday – Ft. Myers, Lakeland – Doubleheader called due to rain. One game was postponed, the other game was cancelled.      

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Wednesday – Beloit 2, Cedar Rapids 8 – This was not a good game for the Snappers. Dan Berlind got the start, and the loss. He gave up four runs on five hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. Blake Martin then struck out four in 2.1 perfect innings. Thomas Wright gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and two walks in his inning. Michael Allen pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Bruce Pugh threw the ninth inning and gave up two runs on four hits. The Snappers managed just six hits in the game. The top four hitters (Hicks, Beresford, Santana and Lewis) combined to go 0-15 in the game. Jeff Lanning went 2-4 with his fourth double and his second stolen base. Buddy Munroe went 2-4.

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Wednesday – Elizabethton 8, Bristol 3 – Tyler Ladendorf’s fast start continued with yet another strong game. In this game he was 3-5 with his third double, third home run and four RBI. Derek McCallum went 2-3 with a walk. Anderson Hidalgo was 1-2 with two walks. Miguel Munoz threw 5.2 strong innings. He gave up one run on five hits. He didn’t walk any, and struck out four. Kyle Carr allowed one hit and one walk over the next 2.1 innings. He struck out four. Winston Marquez gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in his inning.  

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Wednesday – GCL Twins, GCL Red Sox – Doubleheader postponed by rain.

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