Monday, August
24, 2009
Weekend Update
Good Monday Morning to
everyone! I certainly hope you had a great weekend! I really did. Maybe it was
because I only watched a few innings of Twins baseball. I watched very little
of the Friday night game, and no, it was not due to watching the Vikings, I only watched the first series of that game. That
was enough of that. All I know is that E.J.
Henderson could quickly become my favorite Vikings player this year!
Saturday was a busy but very fun day. It started with a long walk throughout
the Dodge Nature Center. Then it was to the Minnesota Zoo for a couple of hours
before watching some 3D Dinosaur movie at the IMAX theatre. I did watch the
first seven innings on Saturday night. Then decided that
sleep was good. On Sunday, it was church, followed by a great time at a
50th anniversary party. Stopped at an apple orchard on 169 on the
way home, and that was my weekend.
So, although the Twins had a
much-needed sweep of the Royals in Kansas City this weekend, I didn’t see much
of it. Apparently I much-needed some time away. How do I know? How about this
dream scenario from one night this weekend:
So, I’m back in my home town, which is about three hours from the Twin
Cities. I’m just walking around the town when out of a building walks Twins
manager Ron Gardenhire.
I’m close enough to him to overhear him tell someone, “Well, they’re getting
rid of me too.” I grabbed for my cell phone and was trying to Tweet the
breaking news. I was just shaking!
So seriously, that was a good
sign that taking a step back might be necessary for me right now. Just another
reminder, especially to Thrylos,
that the above was just a dream! Ron Gardenhire is still the Twins manager!
So, let me ask you this:
Does the Twins sweep of the
Royals in Kansas City have you all excited about the team again, or even the
team’s chances of making the playoffs? Is this the biggest week of the season
for the Twins?
THE KEYS
·
The Twins will be
playing host to the Baltimore Orioles for three games starting tonight.
Meanwhile, the Tigers will be in Anaheim, taking on the Angels. The White Sox
will be playing the Red Sox. Now, how many times will we hear that the Twins
have a favorable schedule? The Twins were bad on their most recent home stand,
and then they went 5-2 on the road this past week. So…
·
The just have to
be consistent. I fully am aware that all of these teams are comprised of major
league players that can beat anyone on any given day. But the Twins have to
find a way to start beating the teams that they should beat.
·
They need to get
Justin Morneau back as quickly as possible. The clean up hitter, a former MVP, a player who is in the top
ten in most statistical categories in the American League… you don’t just
replace a guy like that in any lineup.
·
But the Twins
have tried. Michael Cuddyer has done a nice job at
first base defensively. He has also really picked up his offense in the last
week with four doubles and three home runs.
·
Also, it has
meant that both Delmon Young and Carlos Gomez are in
the lineup every day. Delmon Young had a rough series
in Kansas City, but he has been hitting the ball well, including home runs. And
Gomez has been playing better as well. So again, you can’t replace Justin Morneau, but as long the other players don’t try to do too
much, but everyone does a little bit, they can survive.
·
The biggest key
continues to be the starting pitching, and consistency of the starting
pitching. Scott Baker has been very good in the second half. Nick Blackburn has
been very non-good in the second half (after an amazing first half). Carl Pavano had another very strong start on Sunday. Brian Duensing would apparently get another start after five
difficult yet successful innings on Saturday night.
·
So, the fifth
starter becomes a big question mark. After Saturday’s game, the Twins sent
Anthony Swarzak back to Rochester and summoned
Armando Gabino to the Twins. Now, I have been saying
for a couple of weeks that Gabino is deserving of
this promotion. When guys like Jeff Manship and
Philip Humber were promoted, it was, in part, due to timing that it was not Gabino called up. In each case, he had just pitched and
would not have been able to pitch in the role the Twins would have wanted. Gabino was added to the Twins 40 man roster shortly after
the 2008 season finished. He has primarily been pitching out of the bullpen in
his time with the Twins, but due to inconsistency in the Rochester rotation, he
has made several starts as well. And he has pitched well in whatever role he is
in. He deserves this opportunity, but I don’t believe that starting is where
his big league career will go. I think he can be a good long reliever and spot
starter. I personally think that Jeff Manship could
or should be starting long term. For the short term, Kevin Mulvey
is an option who should get more opportunities. Philip Humber is also on the
roster, so maybe a start would be good for him.
·
And then comes the question of what to do with Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins. Liriano
will apparently be out a little longer than initially planned. Personally, I
would shut down both of these lefties for the rest of the season.
·
Speaking of
questions, do you give Orlando Cabrera any credit for the improved play of
Carlos Gomez and especially Alexi Casilla? I
sometimes think that those types of intangibles can be overblown. But honestly,
whatever works, right?
·
September
Call-Ups – It’s a big topic every year, and Bill Smith said that they would be
making these types of decisions in the next week. It is always interesting to
see who comes up. As I noted last week, the Twins could wait until September 8th
to promote from AAA since the Red Wings season will end after their game on
Labor Day night. On his Inside Twins radio show yesterday, Bill Smith said that
they typically like to promote an infielder, an outfielder, a catcher and a
couple of pitchers. Although I wrote about it a couple of weeks ago, here are
my more current thoughts on the subject:
o
Matt Tolbert –
There is no way that Gardy doesn’t get his second
favorite no-hit, no-field utility infielder up to the Twins.
o
Jose Morales –
Yes, I am to the point where I have no idea why Mike Redmond wasn’t replaced
awhile back. But Morales will certainly be promoted.
o
Anthony Swarzak – He’ll be back.
o
Kevin Mulvey – He should be back.
o
Juan Morillo – He may have to be back. I get that he throws in
the upper 90s and has 76 strikeouts in 58.1 innings. But he also has 41 walks (And
allowed 49 hits) in 58.1 innings. That’s really bad.
o
Rob Delaney – he’s
struggled in his last few outings and may need the rest. That said, he will be
added to the 40 man roster after the season, so I would still like to see him
promoted, even if he only pitches a couple of innings.
o
Anthony Slama – He had the one really bad outing, but he’s fine.
Like Delaney, Slama will be added after the season,
and he could quickly become a trustworthy late inning option.
o
Danny Valencia – Yes,
he went on a slump, but just recently, he went 2-4 in four straight games and
seems to have made an adjustment which is exactly what you want to see from a
player. With Joe Crede again sidelined, I think it would
be good to get Valencia a few games at 3B in September. And again, he will have
to be added to the 40 man roster after the season anyway.
o
Justin Huber – I think
if the Twins had to put Justin Morneau, Huber might
be an option to replace him on the active roster. He’s had another very good
AAA season, including 19 home runs.
o
David Winfree – would be the second option.
·
Arizona Fall
League – This topic is not at all a key to Twins 2009 season, but a lot of
people are curious about who the Twins will send to the Arizona Fall League
this year. That announcement will likely come out in the next week or two.
Typically, each team will send six or seven players to the Fall League. Those
players can’t be from countries that have Winter Leagues. In other words,
players like Wilson Ramos are ineligible for the Arizona Fall League because he
can go play in Venezuela. Generally, each team will send three hitters and
three pitchers. Players are typically from AA or AAA, or have some time in the
big leagues, but occasionally players from Hi-A ball can play as well. I’m sure
there is more, but here are the six players that I would likely send to the
Arizona Fall League:
o
Alex Burnett –
his transition to the bullpen could not be going any better. He has been
terrific.
o
Kyle Waldrop – He
has stayed healthy all year after missing all of the 2008 season.
o
Mike McCardell – he has pitched very well since his AA debut. It
would be a good challenge for him.
o
Rene Tosoni – I think it would be good to see him get consistent
at bats against top competition.
o
Steve Singleton –
he’s been able to play both 2B and SS for the Rockcats,
and he’s crushed the ball as well.
o
Brian Dinkelman – He probably should have gone a year ago, but he
was injured at the end of the season. He’s returned with a strong AA season. He
could be the Dan Uggla of this year’s AFL/Rule 5
draft!
o
Others – They need
catchers in the AFL, so I can certainly see Jeff Christy getting the
opportunity to go. Kevin Mulvey or Anthony Swarzak could benefit from getting another 30-40 innings.
o
Last year –
Generally speaking, the Twins haven’t sent players twice, at least not in
consecutive seasons. Last year the Twins sent Jeff Manship,
Rob Delaney, Anthony Slama, Tim Lahey,
Danny Valencia, Dustin Martin and Steve Tolleson.
So, there is a lot of
information for discussion. Please
feel free to give your thoughts on these or other Twins topics.
MINOR LEAGUE REPORT
Friday -
SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Brandon Roberts, New Britain Rockcats
Friday -
SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Steve Hirschfeld,
Ft. Myers Miracle
Saturday -
SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Paul-Michael Klingsberg,
Elizabethton Twins
Saturday -
SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Liam Hendriks, Beloit
Snappers
Sunday -
SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Danny Rams, Beloit Snappers
Sunday -
SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Edgar Ibarra, Elizabethton Twins
ROCHESTER REPORT
Friday – Rochester 1, Pawtucket 2 – Armando Gabino made the start in this game,
but he was held to just three innings for bigger and better reasons. In those
three innings, he gave up no runs on one hit and two walks. Following the game,
he was told that he will be headed to Minnesota to make a start on Tuesday
night against the Orioles. Juan Morillo came in and
gave up two runs on three hits and three walks in just one inning. Tim Lahey then threw four shutout innings, giving up just two
hits and one walk. He struck out three. The Red Wings managed just three hits
in the game. Justin Huber went 1-2 with a walk and his 19th home
run. Brock Peterson went 1-2 with a walk.
Saturday – Rochester 5, Norfolk 4 – The Red Wings scored four runs in the bottom of the 9th to
record the come-from-behind win. Kevin Mulvey went the
first seven innings and gave up just two unearned runs. He gave up four hits
and two walks. Sean Henn struck out two in a perfect
eighth frame. Rob Delaney gave up two runs on three hits in the 9th
inning, but he gets the win because of the comeback. Matt Tolbert went 3-5 with
his third homer and two RBI. Dustin Martin and Brock Peterson each went 2-4.
Danny Valencia hit his 17th double.
Sunday – Rochester 6, Norfolk 2 – Back-to-back homers by Dustin Martin and Brock Peterson got things
going. Later Matt Tolbert hit a bases-clearing, two out triple (his fifth of
the season) to give the Red Wings a more comfortable lead. Martin went 2-3 with
a walk and his fourth homer. Peterson was 2-4 and the homer was his eighth.
Matt Macri hit his 21st and 22nd
doubles in the game. Reid Santos threw well in the start. He gave up a run on
four hits in six innings. Sean Henn threw a scoreless
seventh. Rob Delaney gave up a run on a hit and a walk in 0.2 innings. Anthony Slama got the final four outs.
ROCKCAT RECAP
Friday – New Britain 6, Reading 3 – Matt Fox won for the 9th time this season. He gave up two
runs on four hits and a walk in 5.1 innings. He struck out seven. Carlos
Gutierrez gave up a run on a walk in 1.2 innings. Spencer Steedley
gave up a run and got two outs. Alex Burnett recorded his 5th save
by getting the final four outs, three of them on strikeouts. Get used to
reading about Mr. Burnett in this update! Brandon Roberts went 3-5 with his 17th
double and his 17th and 18th stolen bases. Luke Hughes
was 2-4 with his 10th double and fifth home run. Steve Singleton
went 2-4.
Saturday – New Britain 3, Reading 2 – Mike McCardell continues to
impress since his AA debut. In seven innings, he gave up a run on six hits. He
walked none and struck out two. Kyle Waldrop got two outs, but left after
giving up a walk and a hit. Alex Burnett came in and got the final four outs,
three of them on strikeouts, for his sixth save. He gave up a run on a hit and
a walk. Brandon Roberts went 2-4 with his second triple. Steve Singleton went
3-4 with his ninth double. Juan Portes hit his sixth
home run.
Sunday – New Britain 5, Reading 4 – Erik Lis doesn’t have as many doubles as a
year ago, but he is still a doubles machine. In this game, he hit his 24th
and 25th doubles. Juan Portes hit his 17th
and 18th doubles. Luke Hughes was 2-4 with his 11th
double. Rene Tosoni hit his 15th home run
of the year. Cole DeVries gave up four runs on nine
hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out five. Loek
Van Mil and Spencer Steedley each threw a scoreless inning.
And then Alex Burnett came in and got the final three outs to record his
seventh save, and his third in three days!
MIRACLE MEMOS
Friday – Ft. Myers 7, Charlotte 1 – Steve Hirschfeld
was impressive yet again. In this game, he threw seven shutout innings. He gave
up five hits, walked two and struck out five. Bobby Lanigan
struck out two in a perfect inning. Michael Allen gave up one run in the ninth.
Chris Cates went 3-4. Mark Dolenc went 2-4 with his
17th double. Chris Parmelee walked once
and hit his 16th home run.
Saturday – Ft. Myers 5, Charlotte 3 (10 innings) – Michael Tarsi
pitched well again. He gave up two runs on three hits and three walks in seven
innings. He struck out six. Joe Testa gave up an
unearned run on one hits and two walks in two innings.
He struck out three. Blair Erickson then pitched a scoreless inning. Ben Revere
was 3-6. Mark Dolenc went 2-5 with his 23rd
stolen base. Joe Benson was 2-5.
Sunday – Ft. Myers 5, Charlotte 3 – It was All Romero All the Time in this game. Deibinson
Romero went 3-4 with his third triple. Nick Romero was 2-4 with his third
triple and fourth home run. Bobby Lanigan made the
start and went the first five innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits and
a walk. Matt Williams struck out four in two scoreless innings. Henry Arias also
worked two scoreless frames.
SNAPPERS SNIPPETS
Friday – Beloit 9, Kane County 6 – Jeff Lanning drove in four runs on hit his second home of the year to
lead the offense in this game. He was 2-4 in the game. Nathan Hansen went 3-4.
Angel Morales went 2-4 with his 14th and 15th stolen
bases and two runs driven in. Dan Osterbrock gave up
an unearned run on three hits over 5.2 innings. He walked two and struck out
six. Kyle Carr got the next four outs. Brad Stillings
came in for the eighth. He gave up two hits and a walk, and all three scored.
He didn’t record an out. Billy Bullock gave up two runs on four hits and a walk
in his inning. Dan Berlind pitched a perfect ninth.
Saturday – Beloit 4, Kane County 0 – Liam Hendriks was terrific again. He threw
seven shutout innings. He gave up just one hits and
walked one while striking out five. Thomas Wright got five outs and gave up
three hits and two walks, but somehow did not allow a run. Billy Bullock came
on and struck out the lone batter he faced. James Beresford went 2-4. Angel
Morales went 1-3 with a walk, his 12th home run, two runs driven in
and his 16th stolen base.
Sunday – Beloit 2, Kane County 3 – Danny Rams had a nice game on offense, but it wasn’t enough on this
day. He went 3-3 with a walk and his 13th and 14th
doubles. Angel Morales went 2-4 with his 20th double. Drew Thompson
hit his second home run. Brad Tippett started and
went six innings. He gave up three runs on six this and two walks. He struck
out five. Kyle Carr threw two scoreless innings ,before
Dan Berlind gave up nothing in the ninth.
E-TWINS EXTRAS
Friday – Game 1 – Elizabethton 5, Pulaski 4 – Brian Dozier again led the offense. He went 2-3 with
a walk and his 15th double. Josmil Pinto
was 2-4 with his 10th home run. Paul-Michael Klingsberg
went 2-3 with his 8th double. Dan Rohlfing
was 2-3 with his second triple. Jon Goncalves hit his
fourth home run. Martire Garcia went just 4.1
innings. He gave up three runs on five hits and two walks. Dakota Watts gave up
a run on one hits and one walk in 1.2 innings. Tony Davis struck out two in a
scoreless inning.
Friday – Game 2 – Elizabethton 9, Pulaski 3 – Michael Gonzalez went 2-3 with a walk, his 11th
double, his sixth home run and three RBI. Chris Herrmann went 2-3 with a walk, his 12th double and
three RBI. Josmil Pinto and Steve Liddle
each went 2-4. Angelo Sanchez started and gave up three runs on six hits and
two walks. He struck out seven. Jhon Garcia went two
shutout innings.
Saturday – Elizabethton 6, Pulaski 5 (13 innings) – Tom Stuifbergen gave up
three runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out seven.
Ramon Acosta threw two shutout innings. Kelvin Mota
gave up two runs on two hits in three innings. He walked none and struck out
five. Peter Kennelly got the win by striking out four in two shutout innings. Anderson
Hidalgo singled in Steve Liddle with what proved to
be the winning run in the 13th inning. It was Hidalgo’s third hit of
the game. Chris Herrmann went 3-6 with his 13th double. Paul-Michael
Klingsberg was 3-5 with a walk, his ninth double and
first home run. Liddle went 2-3 with three walks.
Michael Gonzalez and Derek McCallum each had two hits.
Sunday – Elizabethton 9, Greeneville 1 – Edgar Ibarra improved to 6-2. He gave up one run on
three hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out ten. Kane Holbrook struck
out four in two one-hit innings. All nine E-Twins hitters had one hit. Derek
McCallum hit his third home run and four RBI. Anderson Hidalgo went 1-2 with
three walks and his 13th double. Herbert Lara went 1-2 with two
walks.
GCL TWINS GOINGS ON
Saturday – GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 3 – Michael Tonkin gave up just an unearned run in the first six innings.
He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out five. Oswaldo
Sosa gave up an unearned run on two hits and a walk in two innings.
Jan Rehacek gave up an unearned run but struck out
two in an inning. Oswaldo Arcia
went 2-4 with his eighth double and fourth home run. As you would expect based
on the word “unearned” uttered so frequently in this paragraph, it wasn’t a
great day for the Twins defense. The team had seven errors.
Sunday – GCL Twins 1, GCL Orioles 5 – BJ Hermsen lost for just the second time
this season. In four innings, he gave up four runs on five hits. He walked none
and struck out three. Edison Alvarez threw two shutout innings. Jean Mijares gave up a run on a hit and three walks in two
innings. Hyeong-rok Choi
went 2-5 with his fifth double. Oswaldo Arcia hit his ninth and 10th doubles in four at
bats.
Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave
your questions or comments here.