Player of the Week -
Whit Robbins, Beloit SnappersWednesday, July 5, 2006
JUNE GRADES
Good morning everybody! Thank you again for stopping by the site. I had a great, long weekend. It was a little strange not writing a blog entry for this long, but it was good. Today, I will be passing out my June Grades for all of the Twins players. It was a lot more fun grading the team in June than it had been the first two months of the season. I suppose some of you may want to see the minor league updates for all five days that I missed. Well, I just can't do that. That would be a lot! So, in the Minor League Report, I will just be highlighting last night's games. But plenty happened over the weekend, and I briefly discuss those things below too. We also have Roger's Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Week selections for last week. It is coming to you a little late. Normally I post that on Monday's, and Roger got me his choices on Sunday, so it is on me that it isn't there yet.
Q&A with Kevin Slowey - So, that is the quick look at what you'll find here today. But, before I get started, I have to remind you that today is the last day that you can send me questions for a Q&A with Kevin Slowey. If there is anything you would like to ask Mr. Slowey, please e-mail me, and I will be sure to pass the question along to him. I do have some questions that I have sent to him to respond to, but I would like to see more, so if you haven't yet, please e-mail me. It is possible that he will respond in time to post the Q&A on Friday, but in reality, it will likely be next week sometime.
By the way, in my Friday Update for the site, I mentioned appearing on the Minnesota Twins Fan Network on Monday, but that appearance has been delayed. I will be recording the segment tonight, and it should air either tomorrow or Friday. Check it out.
But anyway, let's just get to the grades, right?
THE PITCHERS
THE STARTERS
BOOF BONSER
(4 starts, 21.2 Innings Pitched, 1-1 with a 4.98 ERA, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts, 1.25 WHIP, .318 Opponent Average, 4.15 K/9)
Bonser was a little inconsistent in June, which certainly is not unusual for a rookie. His numbers were basically league average, but the one number that stands out are his home runs allowed. In his 21.2 innings, he gave up seven home runs. That's just too many. He isn't racking up strikeouts like he did in the minor leagues. He has shown that he does have the pitches and the stuff to be a solid starter.
June Grade: C-
May Grade: B+
FRANCISCO LIRIANO
(5 starts, 35.0 Innings Pitched, 4-1 with a 2.31 ERA, 7 walks, 35 strikeouts, 0.83 WHIP, .221 Opponent Average, 9.0 K/9)
The AL Rookie of the Month for June was also the runner-up (to Johan Santana) in the AL Pitcher of the Month voting. Those Santana comparisons are becoming very real at this point. Three absolutely dominant pitches. He doesn't give up many hits and he doesn't hurt himself with walks. He's able to work out of tough situations with strikeouts. The scary thing is that Liriano is just so far ahead of Santana in the learning curve. It is exciting to think about how good he could be in a year or two!
June Grade: A
May Grade: A
April Grade: A-
BRAD RADKE
(6 Starts, 38.2 Innings Pitched, 3-1 with a 2.09 ERA, 8 walk, 18 strikeouts, 1.22 WHIP, .303 Opponent Average, 4.19 K/9)
Now that's what I'm talking about. There was a reason that I had given up on Kyle Lohse and almost on Carlos Silva. It's about track record. Radke has always been a slightly above average starting pitcher in the American League. He has been for a decade. He is not old, so it's not like he wouldn't find himself again. He found himself in June. His walks were a little higher than normal, but that really is alright. He will still give up hits. But Radke is a consummate professional. It was really just a matter of time!
June Grade: B+
May Grade: D
April Grade: F
JOHAN SANTANA
(6 Starts, 43 Innings Pitched, 5-0 with a 1.05 ERA, 5 walks, 44 strikeouts, 0.67 WHIP, .186 Opponent Average, 9.21 K/9)
Santana is not quite ready to give up the "Best Pitcher" on the team (or in the league) status yet. Francisco Liriano came up with an amazing June, and Santana was even better. As you can see, he averaged over seven innings per start. He didn't give up hits and he didn't walk many. He allowed two base runners every three innings, which is incredible! The strikeouts are there. Santana deserved the Pitcher of the Month Award, and after starting the season 0-3, he is picking up the "Wins" now that should help him toward his second Cy Young Award.
June Grade: A
May Grade: A
April Grade: C-
CARLOS SILVA
(5 Starts, 31 Innings Pitched, 2-2 with a 4.06 ERA. 3 walk, 15 strikeouts, 1.29 WHIP, .313 Opponent Average, 4.35 K/9)
Back in the rotation, Silva has been a little bit better. I don't think any of us expect to get from Silva what we did in 2005. That's not realistic for a guy as hittable as Silva. But, if Silva can simply maintain an ERA around four, he should be just fine. His groundout to flyout ratio was still around 1 to 1, which isn't bad, but again, a sinker ball pitcher should give up significantly more grounders. He isn't there yet, but he is closer.
June Grade: B-
May Grade: D
April Grade: F
THE BULLPEN
JESSE CRAIN
(11 Games, 13.1 Innings Pitched, 1-1 with a 2.03 ERA, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, 0.98 WHIP, .245 Opponent Average, 5.40 K/9)
So, the strikeouts come back down, but the production is much better! Seems strange. A year ago, Crain was lights out, but we were all clamoring for him to strike more hitters out. During the season's first two months, Crain was getting a lot of strikeouts, but he was getting shelled. In June, his strikeouts were down, and he was excellent! The key may be that he did not walk many either. Hopefully he can keep it up and be the 7th inning guy that the Twins really need.
June Grade: B+
May Grade: D-
April Grade: D-
WILLIE EYRE
(8 Games, 8 Innings Pitched, 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts, 1.88 WHIP, .425 Opponent Average, 6.75 K/9)
Eyre just does not get a lot of innings, and when he does, it isn't really going that well. It's also important to note that he is not brought into high-leverage situations. It would be interesting to see how he would respond with consistent innings in key situations. But, in reality, each of Eyre's outings is high-leverage to him because he has to do well to get more innings. As I have mentioned before, I think that Eyre should rotate with Pat Neshek between Rochester and the Twins allowing each to get big league innings, but also for Eyre to get some more consistent innings.
June Grade: D
May Grade: D+
April Grade: C+
MATT GUERRIER
(3 Games, 2.1 Innings Pitched, 0-0, 7.71 ERA, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 2.67 WHIP, .462 Opponent Average, 7.71 K/9)
It really doesn't seem to make much sense to look at Guerrier's actual numbers. One bad outing at the beginning of the month makes this look bad because he had just three outings. He went on the Disabled List after being hit in the hand by a line drive. Therefore, I am not giving him a grade for the month.
June Grade: INJ
May Grade: A-
April Grade: F
KYLE LOHSE
(5 Games, 8.1 Innings Pitched, 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts, 1.68 WHIP, .395 Opponent Average, 8.64 K/9)
Lohse began the month in the Rochester rotation because of how poorly he was doing starting for the Twins. When Guerrier was hurt, we were all surprised that it was Lohse, and not Neshek, who was recalled. Lohse spent the month in the bullpen only. The one time he was put into a close situation, he was bad and got the loss. It wasn't a good month for Lohse, but if you really think about it, he has the stuff and the fastball to be successful for two or three innings if he throws like he doesn't have to go seven innings. Hopefully by next month we will be talking about the Kyle Lohse trade.
June Grade: D-
May Grade: F
April Grade: F
JOE NATHAN
(12 Games, 15 Innings Pitched, 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA, 7 Saves in 8 Chances, 2 walk, 21 strikeouts, 0.87 WHIP, .228 Opponent Average, 12.60 K/9)
I say it every month, but Joe Nathan really is the best closer in baseball. I have heard several radio shows saying that there just aren't any dominant closers any more. Sure, Jonathan Papelbon has been this year. Mariano Rivera has been for a long time, but he isn't doing as well as he has. Nathan's name never seems to come up in the discussion. He has now been doing it successfully for three years. And this year, he is throwing amazingly well. He did blow his first save, but he ended up with the Win in that game and struck out the side in his second inning. The strikeout to walk ratio is amazing. It seems like the only time he struggles is outside of save situations.
June Grade: A
May Grade: A
April Grade: A
DENNIS REYES
(11 Games, 8.2 Innings Pitched, 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, 0.92 WHIP, .258 Opponent Average, 5.19 K/9)
He may not be throwing a lot of innings, and that is good, but when he has been brought into a game, he has been very good. The lefty has frequently come in for a batter or two of late after throwing more innings previously. The strikeouts are a little low, but everything else is really excellent. So, should Twins fans expect Reyes to continue this success, or do we expect him to revert to being Dennys Reyes?
June Grade: A
May Grade: A-
April Grade: A+
JUAN RINCON
(10 Games, 12.2 Innings Pitched, 0-0 with a 2.13 ERA, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts, 0.87 WHIP, .245 Opponent Average, 8.53 K/9)
Rincon actually threw less in June than in previous months, and that isn't a bad thing. What it means is that the Twins starters were able to go longer and generally , Rincon only had to pitch the 8th inning. That should help keep his arm stronger throughout the year. When he did throw, he was very solid. He is talked about as one of the top relievers in baseball, and Twins fans have known that for years.
June Grade: A
May Grade: A-
April Grade: B-
THE HITTERS
JASON BARTLETT
(15 Games, 18-51, .353/.450/.431, 4-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 5-RBI, 1/3 SB, 6 BB, 12 K)
I don't even know what to say... About Time?! What took so long?! I told you so!? I don't know. I know that Bartlett's recall and insertion into the every day lineup is not the sole reason behind the Twins success. However, in business or in life, you are always looking for a quick fix. You want to be able to find obvious flaws and fix them as quickly as possible. How both Ron Gardenhire and Terry Ryan needed two months to determine that one of their flaws was at Shortstop is beyond me. Bartlett did nothing but hit at AAA for three years. His defense has been great with just one error. He also has far more range than Castro and a stronger arm. I'm just glad he came out and hit right away so that the team did not give him a quick hook.
June Grade: A
TONY BATISTA
(7 Games, 3-22, .136/.269/.182, 1-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 0-RBI, 0/0 SB, 3 BB, 4 K)
The T-Bat Era is over. It finished mid-month and it was none to soon. Of course, Gardy and Terry Ryan can say that they didn't get what they expected from him. In reality, he was performing about at the same level he has his whole career. No, he wasn't good in his few June spots, but overall, he was what we knew he would be. Low Average, Low on-base skills. A little bit of power. Solid glove, but no range.
June Grade: F
May Grade: D-
April Grade: C
LUIS CASTILLO
(23 Games, 21-102, .206/.250/.255, 3-2B, 1-3B, 0-HR, 9-RBI, 3/5 SB, 6 BB, 11 K)
A .505 OPS! Are you kidding me? That's horrible. It was actually the worst in all of baseball for the month! Castillo came to the Twins and had a very strong first month or even six weeks. He does play decent defense. But offensively, he has been just horrible! The other day, I was listening to the Ron Gardenhire Show on WCCO. Someone asked about Castillo and how poorly he was doing. In his response, Gardy used the phrase, "he turns the double play like very few others." I just laughed knowing that I said that same thing about Luis Rivas a lot!
June Grade: D-
May Grade: B-
April Grade: A-
JUAN CASTRO
(8 Games, 5-26, .192/.222/.269, 2-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 1-RBI, 0/0 SB, 1 BB, 5 K)
In the last month, former Twins assistant GM Wayne Krivsky has signed Joe Mays and traded for Juan Castro. He must feel that he owes Terry Ryan a lot because I can't imagine why he would want Castro. Of course, as with Batista, Castro gave the Twins exactly what was to be expected. Solid glove. Makes all the routine plays (which wasn't true this year either). Doesn't hit at all! I have to say that if you're looking for a second utility infielder, Castro is fine in that role. Not at a million dollars a year though.
June Grade: F
May Grade: C-
April Grade: D+
MICHAEL CUDDYER
(26 Games, 22-96, .229/.368/.406, 5-2B, 0-3B, 4-HR, 22-RBI, 0/0 SB, 19 BB, 26 K)
So, Cuddyer has been an every day player for two months now. In month number one, Cuddyer was solid with the power and the average. In Month two, the batting average was not good, but he had an excellent Isolated Discipline. He also continued to hit with extra base power and drove in a lot of runs. I still see too many called third strikes, but Cuddyer does a great job of taking a lot of pitches in that four hole and driving in runs. He led the team in the number of pitches seen in June with 489. In doing so, he led the team in both walks and strikeouts.
June Grade: B
May Grade: A
April Grade: B+
LEW FORD
(18 Games, 9/52, .173/.259/.250, 4-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 3-RBI, 1/2 SB, 5 BB, 12 K)
Another disappointing month for Ford. In most of his games played, he came in as a late inning defensive replacement. He just isn't hitting well at all. His swings and lands on his front knee way too much. He is off balanced. And for a speed guy, he strikes out way too much. I do still believe that given daily playing time and a chance to relax, Ford could still be a decent big leaguer. It's just hard to give him playing time right now with the outfield situation as it is.
June Grade: D
May Grade: C
April Grade: D+
TORII HUNTER
(25 Games, 23/90, .256/.364/.422, 3-2B, 4-HR, 13-RBI, 2/5 SB, 16 BB, 15 K)
Hunter had his big month in May, but he came back with a very strong June. No, the batting average wasn't great, but it was not much below his career average. What is most noticeable is his walks and Isolated Discipline. That is not Hunter-like, but it is a positive thing for the Twins. The defense was better in June. It will be a very interesting July for Hunter though. Will he stay or will he go?
June Grade: B
May Grade: A
April Grade: D-
JASON KUBEL
(22 Games, 27/81, .333/.365/.580, 5-2B, 5-HR, 16-RBI, 1/1 SB, 4 BB, 15 K)
Now that's what I'm talking about! It was good to see that Jason Kubel finally got a real shot at some consistent playing time. Given the chance, we were able to see him relax and just hit. We saw that he could hit righties or lefties, that he could hit to all fields, that he could hit for average and for some power, and that he could come up with big hits in big situations. He also showed that he can be a very solid defensive outfielder. The future of Jason Kubel is certainly high!
June Grade: A
May Grade: C-
April Grade: C-
JOE MAUER
(24 Games, 42-93, .452/.528/.624, 11-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 14-RBI, 3/3 SB, 15 BB, 8 K)
I gave Mauer an A last month and asked what more Mauer could do. Well, I think he showed us in June. What an amazing month! Mauer was the AL Player of the month. He led the Twins in batting average, on base percentage, OPS, doubles and triples. Who hits .452 for a month? I was listening to Charley Steiner on his XM Home Plate Network show The Baseball Beat. He saw the Twins when Mauer went 11 for 13. He was talking about how he had never seen such a display. He figured that of his eleven hits, three went to left, three to center and three to right, and that he hit each gap once as well. Twins fans know that is the type of hitter Mauer is. Sure, he could develop power, but I think a month like this should have us all incredibly excited.
June Grade: A
May Grade: A
April Grade: A-
JUSTIN MORNEAU
(26 Games, 36-99, .364/.400/.737, 7-2B, 0-3B, 10-HR, 29-RBI, 0/1 SB, 8 BB, 19 K)
Morneau finished second to Mauer in the AL Player of the Month voting. Again, in most months, he probably would have won it. He led the Twins in slugging percentage, homers, RBI, Total Bases and sacrifice flies. He was second on the Twins in runs, hits, doubles, average and OPS. Morneau increased his average from the .230s to its current standing in the .290s. He did so with power, but also with some solid opposite field singles to drive in more runs. He is second in the league in RBI. I suppose his detractors will point out the high number of strikeouts, but again, when you produce like he did, you don't even worry about it!
June Grade: A
May Grade: B
April Grade: D-
NICK PUNTO
(22 Games, 20-72, .278/.391/.361, 4-2B, 1-3B, 0-HR, 8-RBI, 4/5 SB, 14 BB, 11 K)
It was a good month for Punto as well. With Batista's release, Punto has been the primary 3B. He has also remained in the #2 slot in the order. I am very impressed by his on-base percentage, and Isolated Discipline. He got on and made things happen. Like others, you can not question his effort. I don't know if Punto can back up his solid month for another month, but that's not what we're grading anyway!
June Grade: B+
May Grade: A-
April Grade: C-
MIKE REDMOND
(8 Games, 11-33, .333/.333/.364, 1-2B, 0-HR, 4-RBI, 0/0 SB, 0 BB, 6 K)
Another solid month for the Twins backup backstop. He hit for solid batting average and generally was in the #3 spot when he played (unless Mauer was DHing). He definitely is hard to walk, but he does come through and continues to do a nice job behind the plate.
June Grade: B+
May Grade: A
April Grade: A
LUIS RODRIGUEZ
(6 Games, 3-10, .300/.364/.600, 0-2B, 1-HR, 1-RBI, 0/0 SB, 1 BB, 1 K)
Rodriguez had just 19 at bats in May, and it surprised me that that number was almost cut in half again for June. I figured Rodriguez would get some of the at bats at 3B. He had an 8th inning homer off of the Cubs Ryan Dempster that really helps his numbers for the month look better. It's just hard to judge/grade a player with this few at bats.
June Grade: B+
May Grade: F
April Grade: A
RUBEN SIERRA
(5 Games, 2-10, .200/.273/.200, 0-2B, 0-HR, 2-RBI, 0/0 SB, 1 BB, 2 K)
Sierra returned from the Disabled List. He has mainly just been a pinch hitter, but he does have a game or two at DH as well. I think that the Twins will hope to deal him this month as well as Terry Tiffee is actually getting most of the pinch hitting at bats these days. I still don't mind having a veteran like Sierra on the roster though, as long as he doesn't play too much.
June Grade: C-
April Grade: D+
SHANNON STEWART
(Did Not Play)
No surprise to anyone, I'm sure, that Stewart missed the entire month with his foot injury. He ended the month rehabbing in Rochester. Hopefully he can stay healthy and the Twins can get a decent prospect for him.
June Grade: INJ
May Grade: D+
April Grade: A-
TERRY TIFFEE
(15 Games, 9-34, .265/.342/.441, 0-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 6-RBI, 0/1 SB, 4 BB, 6 K)
Tiffee actually impressed me in June. He showed much more to me in his pinch hitting opportunities this month. His numbers aren't great, but from watching his at bats, he did have some good at bats and hit the ball hard. He showed some power. I think that Tiffee's big league role is as a pinch hitting/utility type, so it is good to see him do fairly well in that role.
June Grade: B
RONDELL WHITE
(8 Games, 1-17, .059/.200/.059, 0-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 1-RBI, 0/0 SB, 2 BB, 4 K)
I said last night that I thought that Gardy gave up on White just as he started hitting. But, in June, his playing time was greatly dimished and when he did bat, he did nothing. His lone RBI actually came on a walk. He is now on the Disabled List for a shoulder injury. But really it is mainly a technicality because he was sent to Rochester to "rehab." He started playing right away, so I wonder about the injury. That said, White is another guy with such a solid track record. I think that if he can get healthy, he could still help the Twins, or maybe show enough to get traded this month.
June Grade: F
May Grade: D
April Grade: F
So, there are my June Grades for the Minnesota Twins players. I would love to hear you thoughts or comments on any of them. Please feel free to agree or disagree and let me know why. Send me an e-mail.
While I was out... The Twins swept the Milwaukee Brewers. They also beat the Royals on Monday night to extend their winning streak to eleven. However, last night the Twins fell 7-2 to the Royals. Here are some random Twins Thoughts:
OK, although I don't think that I was surprised by it, I am incredibly impressed by how the Twins did in the monthly American League Awards. Joe Mauer was named the AL Player of the Month. Johan Santana was named the AL Pitcher of the Month. Francisco Liriano was named the AL Rookie of the Month. That has never happened before. But what makes it even more impressive is that Justin Morneau was the runner up for AL Player of the Month and Francisco Liriano was runner-up for AL Pitcher of the Month.
Speaking of Liriano, be sure to go to mlb.com and vote for Liriano as the 32nd man on the AL All-Star roster. It will be difficult because he is up against Travis Hafner, Ramon Hernandez and Justin Verlander (and AJ Pierzynski). However, the 9-1 with a 1.99 ERA numbers look incredible, and it doesn't even speak for just how dominant Liriano has been No, he wasn't a starter at the beginning of the season, but he dominated in his bullpen role before becoming a starter. He has done whatever has been asked of him. I have voted about 80 times so far and hope to vote at least another 70 times. I have too many e-mail addresses. Oh well! To vote 25 times may take five minutes, so it isn't a big deal.
Does Justin Morneau deserve to be on the AL All-Star roster? Absolutely, there is no question about it! It is just unfortunate that the game is being played in the NL without the DH. That means that David Ortiz will start at 1B. The backup 1B as selected by manager Ozzie Guillen were, amazingly, Jim Thome and Paul Konerko. Obviously, Thome deserves the spot. However, if you compare Morneau's numbers to Paul Konerko's, Morneau comes out on top. Of course, the top hitter in the American League statistically this season has been Travis Hafner, and he is not an All-Star yet either. And, don't forget that Jason Giambi is having a pretty incredible season so far. Morneau deserves it, but he is going up against a pretty impressive group of players. I have no problem with Morneau saying that he deserves to be an All-Star, but I don't think complaining about it would do anyone any good.
An interesting thing happened in the first two games of the Twins/Royals series. Shannon Stewart started both games in left field. Remember how Gardy had said that Jason Kubel would be the Twins LF even after Stewart came back. That lasted two games in the Metrodome. Away from the Dome's turf, Stewart is in LF. I wonder if that is something to worry about, or if it is just something that happened? I would not be surprised of Stewart said something to Gardy and that is why he is out there. All I know is that in last night's game, Stewart messed up at least two balls and showed off his horrible arm. Please, please trade him!
I always find it humorous when people are just shocked that a team like the Royals could possibly beat the Twins. Fact is, the Royals are the worst team in baseball. Anther fact is that they will probably win more than sixty games this season. They will probably beat most of the teams that they play this year, and will beat the other AL Central teams a time or two. These guys are professional, they are big leaguers and they can play ball. On any given night, anything can happen. They also have enough veterans that they just will win some games. So, don't take the loss to the Royals as a big deal at all!
Pat Neshek is running another contest on his site with the winner receiving a game-used Boof Bonser Red Wings hat.
Aaron Gleeman discusses his trip to the 2006 SABR Convention.
Jim Souhan of the Star-Tribune wrote a nice article on Michael Cuddyer's magic tricks!
According to Jim Mandelaro's Extra Bases, Francisco Liriano is the subject of a book called Throwing Bullets by Roy Rowan. It refers to his 2005 season.
Any other thoughts on the Twins? E-mail me, or leave some Comments below.
ROGER'S MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Throughout the year, our friend "Roger" will be keeping tabs of the Twins minor leaguers again. This year, he is coming up with a minor league hitter and pitcher each week. Feel free to comment! And don't forget to check out his weekly minor league update at Twinkie Town.
Player of the Week -
Whit Robbins, Beloit Snappers
Whit Robbins was the Twins fourth round pick in this years draft out of Georgia Tech. After playing with the Rambling Wreck in this year's College World Series, Robbins signed his Twins contract and was assigned to the Class-A Beloit Snappers early this week. In his first three games of professional ball, Robbins has been on fire.
Wednesday - 2ab 1 hit 2 bb 1 triple 0 runs scored 2 rbi
Thursday - 4ab 4 hits 0 bb 1 home run 1 run scored 4 rbi
Friday - 3ab 2 hits 1 bb 1 double 2 runs scored 2 rbi
Pitcher of the Week - Alex Burnett, Elizabethton Twins
Alex Burnett is a young prospect (Alex won't turn 19 till late July) who was a 12th round pick in the 2005 draft. Alex was the Twins opening day starter, pitching 6.0 shutout innings with 2 hits and 6K/0BB. He was even better this week when he pitched 7.0 shutout innings for a complete game in the first half of Thursday's double header, allowing only 2 hits with 6K/2BB.
2005 GCL Twins 4W-2L 48.1ip 13g 22er 33K 7bb 4.10era
Tuesday SethSpeaks Player of the Day - Alexi Casilla, Ft. Myers Miracle
Tuesday SethSpeaks Pitcher of the Day - Kevin Cameron, Rochester Red Wings
I just don't have it in my to do five days worth of updates today, so I am just going to review what happened with the Twins affiliates last night. Over the weekend, Matt Garza had a nice eight inning, two hit performance. Kevin Slowey threw seven quality innings in his second New Britain start. Whit Robbins continues to rake at Beloit in his week of play. David Winfree is back at Ft. Myers and playing well. So is Trevor Plouffe who has really been playing well the last couple of weeks. If you have any thoughts on the Twins system, please e-mail me.
ROCHESTER REPORT
Tuesday - Red Wings 10, Pawtucket 6 - It was a good all-around game for the Red Wings. Matt Ford started and gave up three runs on six hits and three walks in just four innings. But Beau Kemp came in and in 3.1 innings, he gave up three unearned runs on five hits and a walk. He improved to 6-1. Kevin Cameron got his fourth save with 1.2 shutout innings. Jason Tyner led the offense with a 3-4 day. He had his 12th double. Rondell White went 2-4. He is now 5-16 with the Red Wings. Tommy Watkins went 2-4 with his second homer and three RBI. Josh Rabe and Chris Heintz were also 2-4. Kevin West went 1-5, but he hit his fourth homer and drove in three runs.
NEW BRITAIN NEWS
Tuesday - Rockcats 3, New Hampshire 14 – The Rockcats continue to struggle. On this night, Errol Simonitsch fell to 5-9. In four innings, he gave up seven runs on nine hits (including three homers). He walked none and struck out three. Tristan Crawford gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and three walks. John Thomas went the final two innings and gave up five runs on four hits and five walks. Danny Matienzo went 3-4 with his 13th double. Doug Deeds went 2-3. Steve Lomanskey was 2-4. Denard Span had a triple, and Trent Oeltjen hit his eighth double.
FT MYERS MEMOS
Tuesday - Miracle 9, Tampa 5 – Alexi Casilla led the Miracle attack. He went 3-4 with a walk and his sixth triple. He stole two bases and now has 28 on the season. David Winfree went 2-4 with a walk. He hit his second homer and scored three runs. Brock Peterson and Justin Arneson were both 2-4. Korey Feiner went 2-5 with his first homer. Luke Hughes went 2-5 with two RBI. Josh Hill improved to 5-2. He gave up four runs on six hits and a walk over six innings. Colby Miller went two shutout innings. JP Martinez gave up a run, and struck out two, in his inning.
BELOIT BITS
Tuesday - Snappers 0, South Bend 2 – The Snappers offense just did not show up for this game. They had just four hits on the day. Whit Robbins went 1-4 with his fourth double. He is now hitting .500. Oswaldo Sosa got the loss. He gave up the two runs on four hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out six. Frank Mata went two shutout innings.
ELIZABETHTON UPDATE
Tuesday - E-Twins 3, Greenville 11 – Yancarlos Ortiz went 3-4 to increase his batting average from .100 to .208! Jeff Christy went 2-4 with two RBI. Daniel Berg went 2-5. Alex Burnett started and went 4.1 innings. He gave up six runs (5 earned) on 11 hits and a walk. Aaron Craig then got the next five batters out. Walter Patton got two outs and gave up five runs on four hits and three walks. Patrick Bryant went 1.1 shutout innings.
GCL TWINS REPORT
Tuesday - GCL Twins 12, GCL Reds 8 – Mark Dolenc led the offense. He went 4-6 with three runs and three RBI. Rodolpho Palacios went 2-4 with two walks and three runs. Starling De Los Santos went 2-5 with a walk. Chris Parmalee was 0-5 until the 9th inning when he hit his second homer of the year. Curt Leavitt started and gave up four runs on six hits and a walk over two innings. He struck out two. Bruno Sanchez went the next two innings for his first Win. In two innings, he gave up just an unearned run. Carlos Garcia gave up three runs on a hit and five walks over 4.2 innings. Brad Tippett came in to get the last out for his third Save.
Thanks again for stopping by this site. If you have any questions, comments or ideas for future postings, please e-mail me.