Thursday, June 29, 2006
Q&A UPDATE - Today, I got the OK from Kevin Slowey to do a fan-interactive Q&A with him. It will be just like what we did with Pat Neshek last Friday. If you have any questions for Kevin Slowey, please e-mail me. I will be taking questions for a couple of days, and then I will send questions to Mr. Slowey. We should then have his responses posted sometime next week. So again, please e-mail me with your questions for top Twins pitching prospect Kevin Slowey. Note - please try to limit yourself to three questions. Thank you!
Short Blurbs
Good morning to everyone!
I will be on a plane and in the Twin Cities by the time most of you read this in the morning, so today, I will again only have some brief thoughts on the Twins and their minor league system. Please be sure to send me your questions for Twins top pitching prospect Kevin Slowey.
Q&A UPDATE - I got the OK from Kevin Slowey to do a fan-interactive Q&A with him. It will be just like what we did with Pat Neshek last Friday. If you have any questions for Kevin Slowey, please e-mail me. I will be taking questions for a couple of days, and then I will send questions to Mr. Slowey. We should then have his responses posted sometime next week. So again, please e-mail me with your questions for top Twins pitching prospect Kevin Slowey. Note - please try to limit yourself to three questions. Thank you!
By the way, the Phillies may be playing very poorly, but Chris Coste is really doing well with the bat of late. As you remember, he began his big league career with an 0-13 streak. With his 2-4 game last night, he has eight hits in his last fourteen at bats (.571). His batting average is all the way up to .296!
And before I get into the Twins and Minor League Thoughts today, I would like to encourage you to use the Comments section below. We are approaching July, and at the end of the month is the trade deadline. Since the Twins are still 11 games behind the Tigers, should they be a seller? Should they be a buyer? Post a trade proposal or two for us to consider. Who should the Twins be looking to deal with? Who should be traded? Who should be untouchable? Let's get some good (but clean) dialogue going. If you prefer, please feel free to e-mail me.
The Twins completed another sweep yesterday when they beat the LA Dodgers again behind a strong Johan Santana pitching performance. Here are some thoughts on the game and series:
I really enjoy reading box scores and game logs of the players. You can find some really interesting things.
For instance, Joe Mauer went 11 for 13 in this series. That is an .826 batting average. However, if you consider that for his career, Mauer is now 15-20 against the Dodgers, you wonder why they even pitch to him.
Mauer is also now 19-30 when he is playing as the DH. That means that when he is catching (or pinch hitting), he is just 83-230. That is just a .361 average. Maybe he should be their every day DH! I am completely kidding. You are welcome to e-mail me any time, but know that this is just a joke as I also believe that Mauer is the best defensive catcher in the league!
Justin Morneau went 3-4 yesterday with two doubles. He now has a seven game hitting streak during which time he is 13-26 (.500). On a bigger scale, he has hit in 18 out of 19 games. During that time, he is 32-76 which is a .421 average. He has hit eight homers and driven in 26 runs in that time.
The Twins loaded the bases with three singles in the first inning. With Torii Hunter coming to the plate, I was asking myself if there was another team that needed a fourth hit just to score a run in an inning. Then on a 1-2 pitch, Hunter hit a grand slam off of Odalis Perez. No wonder Perez has been removed from the rotation. With two strikes, why would anyone throw Hunter a strike?!
Mike Redmond (.376) and Jason Bartlett (.375) were each 2-4 in the game yesterday. Not bad for your 7th and 9th hitters. Of course, isn't Mike Redmond a #3 hitter?
Johan Santana went seven shutout innings yesterday. He gave up just two hits and three walks while he struck out nine.
As a starter, Francisco Liriano has gone 6-1 with a 1.64 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP and a K/9 of 8.6 in eight starts. In Johan Santana's last eight starts now, he is 5-0 with a 1.89 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP and a K/9 of 8.5. Not a bad 1-2 punch. In Santana's last six starts, he is 5-0 with a 1.05 ERA, a 0.67 WHIP and a K/9 of 9.2.
Joe Nathan is the best closer in baseball. I know, that may be controversial. However, does anyone outside of Minnesota even bring up his name in that discussion? Not really. But put his numbers (not those dumb, overrated Saves , but the numbers that actually discuss how well a pitcher is pitching) up against anyone, and he is right there!
Did you see that Jason Bartlett had the #2 Play of the Day on SportsCenter last night. He had a diving play up the middle and threw out Russell Martin at 1B with a strong, accurate throw. Not sure if it showed any leadership, but I know I prefer the range and the arm anyway!
And, just to keep us down. The Twins have won 9 of their last 10. The Tigers have won 9 of their last 10. The White Sox have won 9 of their last 10. AL Central, the best division in baseball without question!
Do you have any thoughts on the Twins, the Dodgers, or anything else? If so, send me an e-mail, or post some Comments below.
SethSpeaks Player of the Day - Caleb Moore, Beloit Snappers
SethSpeaks Pitcher of the Day - David Shinskie, Beloit Snappers
If you have any thoughts on the Twins system, please e-mail me.
ROCHESTER REPORT
Wednesday - Red Wings 2, Indianapolis 5 (7 - Rain) – Shannon Stewart seems to be ready to return to the Twins. He went 2-4 with a double. Josh Rabe went 2-3 with a walk, his 18th double and his sixth stolen base. Glenn Williams was 1-2 with a walk. Pete Munro fell to 5-8. He went five innings and gave up five runs on twelve hits. Henry Bonilla and Kevin Cameron combined on 1.2 shutout innings.
NEW BRITAIN NEWS
Wednesday - Rockcats 5, Portland 7 – Glen Perkins falls to 2-8 on the season. The lefty gave up five runs on eight hits and two walks in just 4.2 innings. Tristan Crawford gave up four runs on one hit but four walks over 2.2 innings. Nick Blackburn has moved to the bullpen and he gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning. John Thomas gave up a run in his inning. Doug Deeds went 2-4 with his 18th double and two RBI. Denard Span was 2-5. Matt Tolbert hit his second Rockcat home run.
FT MYERS MEMOS
Wednesday - Miracle 0, Tampa 5 - Trevor Plouffe is on a bit of a streak of late. In this game, he went 2-2. Deacon Burns had a double. Brandon Roberts stole his 27th base. Anthony Swarzak started and went six innings. He gave up five runs, but just one was earned, on nine hits and a walk. Jose Mijares struck out three in two shutout innings.
BELOIT BITS
Wednesday - Snappers 11, Kane County 3 – Caleb Moore had a nice day. The catcher went 3-5 with his 11th double and his first stolen base. Erik Lis went 2-4 with his first triple and three RBI. Whit Robbins made his pro debut and went 1-2 with a triple, two RBI, two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Mark Robinson went 2-4. Alexander Smit got his first start of the year. He went 4.1 innings and gave up two runs on five hits. He struck out four, and allowed five hits. The most important number was zero walks. David Shinskie went 2-2 shutout innings and struck out four. Jose Cordero gave up a run in two innings.
ELIZABETHTON UPDATE
Wednesday - Game 1 - E-Twins 4, Bluefield 0 – Josh Land went 3-4 with an RBIand a stolen base. Sean Land started and gave up no runs in four innings. He walked four and struck out four. Matt Williams then went two shutout innings. Danny Hernandez went one shutout inning. William Luque went 2-3 with a walk. Danny Santiesteban had a double and a stolen base.
Wednesday - Game 2 - E-Twins 1, Bluefield 6 – In Game Two, E-Town managed just three hits. Richard Sojo had a double. Henry Sanchez went 1-3 with the lone RBI. Armando Gabino started and gave up a run in four innings. Brandon McConnell took the loss. He gave up five runs (3 earned) on three hits and three walks.
GCL TWINS REPORT
Wednesday - GCL Twins 6, GCL Reds 7 – Curt Leavitt started and gave up four runs (2 earned) on four hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out nine! Bruno Sanchez then gave up a run on a hit and two walks in his inning. Justin Staatz gave up an unearned run in two innings. He struck out four. Brad Tippett took the loss as he gave up an unearned run and got just one out in the bottom of the 9th.
Do you have any further thoughts on any Twins prospects, minor leaguers, or these summaries? I would love any input, or ideas to make it better. Thanks! E-mail me, or also feel free to leave comments below.
Let me know what you think. Send me an e-mail, or let's talk about it in the Comments here. That is it for today!
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