Twins Killings

Yankees' chances of winning #27 seems very good

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:26:10 +0000

When Joe Girardi took the job of replacing Joe Torre as Yankees manager couple of years ago, he decided to wear the #27 in the back of his uniform to indicate his team's goal was to get the Yankees to win their 27th World Series championship. The Yankees were several outs away from winning their 27th championship in 2001, but the Diamondbacks were able to scratch off some hits, and it was good enough to beat Mariano Rivera and the Yankees, which gave the Diamondbacks their first ever championship.

Since then, the Yankees have been on a championship drought, and Yankee haters have been getting a good laugh out of the Yankees' failures, which featured blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS and then, losing to a young Marlins team in the 2003 World Series.

Here's hoping Yankees haters enjoy those years because they could be in for a rude awakening this year. The Yankees have everything going for them in winning a championship this year because they finally have the pitching to go with their hitting.

The Yankees' starters are the best in baseball. When a team has five great starters that can be aces for the other team, that's a very good situation for them, and that's how a team wins championships.

We all thought CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett were going to wilt under pressure in NYC, but that has not been the case. In fact, those two have embraced pitching in NY by going out and performing quality starts, and they even go deep in games, which saves the bullpen.

Plus, add in Joba Chamberlain, Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte, and that results to a scary rotation come October.

Everyone thought the Yankees' bullpen was going to be a weakness, but that has been their strength all year. Girardi has put relievers such as Phil Coke, Alfredo Aceves, Jonathan Albaladejo and Phil Hughes in a position to succeed, and it has worked out well.

The Yankees have fielded a great lineup for the last few years, and this year is no different. Mark Teixeira is having a MVP season in his first full season in the Bronx, and he has the leadership in him to go out and do well whenever he is at the plate, which has rubbed off well on his teammates.

The offense has struggled in the postseason, but it has not helped the starters and the relievers have not done well enough to compete with the other team's starters so the hitters got exposed for what they are. This year is going to be different because the Yankees pitchers are much better equipped to match up well the other team's pitcher, and the Yankees' hitters are good enough to get at least some runs late in the game.

Yankees fans love to rip on Girardi for whatever reason, but all he has done is win and earn the respect of his players by having his team prepared every game and getting the most out of them. The Yankees play the game well, and that's a credit to what Girardi and his staff has done.

Girardi is a great tactician, which is something Joe Torre never was despite what Torre's sycophants think. All Torre had to do is give them specific roles to do, and hope for the best.

Girardi at least knows his players' strengths and weaknesses, and he knows when to use the right guys to hit and pitch, which is something Torre never grasp during his overrated tenure at the Bronx. Also unlike Torre, Girardi is not afraid to call out veterans or take them out of the game if they are struggling.

Girardi also knows how to get the trust of Alex Rodriguez, which is something Torre could not do. Torre could not stand Rodriguez to the point he would do anything to humiliate him such as batting his troubled start eighth in an elimination game against the Tigers in the 2006 ALDS.

A good manager and a great pitching staff will be the difference for the Yankees winning it all, and which team is good enough to beat the Yankees. The Red Sox and the Dodgers are two teams that can unseat the Yankees, but those two teams don't have that great of a starting pitching unlike the Yankees.

For folks that thought the Yankees were going to stop spending with George Steinbrenner out of the way, they were kidding themselves. The Yankees will always spend because they have the money, and they sure know how to do it right.

Plus, the organization has gotten much better in developing young talent and formulating a great farm system by taking a page of what the Red Sox did in the Theo Epstein era.

Yankee haters have enjoyed a nice time these last year, and it was a great experience, but successful teams just never die unless an owner suddenly has lost interest in winning like 49ers owner Dr. John York.

This year, it will be the Yankees that will be celebrating, and Girardi will wear #28 next season.

Ineffective Baker should be cause for concern

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:24:35 +0000

Prior to last night's start against the Yankees, Scott Baker boasted a 2-0 record in his two career starts against them because he pitched flawlessly by not allowing walks and hits. The Yankees were swinging at his pitches, and they were muttering stuff out of frustration when they were called out on strikes on both occasions.

In his third career start against the Yankees, Baker did not come close to what he did in his two starts. He had nothing with his pitches, and he was out of the game by the fourth inning with the Twins trailing 3-1 with the bases loaded. Not only was it a short night for him, but it was also for the Twins as they received a 10-2 beating by the Yankees.

What doomed Baker in this contest was his lack of control and lack of strikeouts. There was not much velocity with his pitches, and it sure looked like his pitches resembled Livan Hernandez's pitches with that slow motion mode.

He was giving up hits in three out of the four innings he pitched, and most of them were bloop hits.

It's hard to beat the Yankees let alone a Major League team when a starter does not have the stuff to pitch well, and with CC Sabathia on the mound, there was no way the Twins were going to win with the run support he got early in the game.

In the first inning, trouble brew early for Baker when he was struggling to get the ball to the plate against Derek Jeter, and Jeter predictably hit a single to start the inning. He had a hard time of pitching to Johnny Damon, and Baker was fortunate the home plate umpire called a strikeout to Damon when it was actually a ball.

Mark Teixiera's single put Jeter to third, and then Twins killer Hideki Matsui laced an easy single that scored Jeter to make it a 1-0 game.

In the second inning, the Yankees were hitting Baker around, and it gave them two more runs in that inning.

Baker settled down in the third inning after Michael Cuddyer's home run cut the Twins' deficit to 3-1, but in the fourth inning, he gave up a single and two consecutive walks, and Ron Gardenhire saw enough so he had Brian Duensing relieve Baker.

Gardenhire was not a happy camper all night from observing him in the dugout. If anything, he seemed annoyed at how Baker was approaching the Yankees by as if he was a softball pitcher.

Gardenhire also had a good reason to be annoyed at his starter. The last thing a manager needs his starter begging to be taken out of the game because he did not have it in him to beat the other team, and that was the case with Baker who was taking his cap off and looking around to see if he is going to be relieved.

The last Twins starter that showed this type of approach was Kyle Lohse, who often was frustrated if nothing was working for him. It's surprising because Baker does not seem like a pitcher who would be frustrated, but that was the case last night.

What has to be alarming about Baker's performance was that it was the second straight start, which he had a high pitch count. He threw 110 pitches in the fifth inning in his last start, and last night, he threw 86 pitches in the fourth inning.

This says his stuff is not to par in getting hitters out, and that teams are figuring out how to hit all of his pitches. Just looking at his pitching performance from this year to last year, it's different.

He hasn't been effective often, and his ERA continues to skyrocket in each passing start. Right now, he has to be a concern for Gardenhire and Rick Anderson.

The Twins need him to figure out how he can get on a roll by getting out of the inning quickly, and go on a streak which he can get consecutive outs like he did last year. He needs to pinpoint his control too.

These last two starts have resembled Baker's starts from 2006, and if Baker struggles for several starts, he goes on a long funk that would make him lose his confidence altogether.

It was thought Baker straightened himself out last month after pitching several quality starts and getting victories out of it, but now that is not the case anymore.

Right now, he stinks.

Twins' trio should be All-Stars every year

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:32:10 +0000

What makes a playoff contender in baseball year after year?

When a team has many All-Stars that are always in the midsummer classic, and that's what the Twins have in Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer and Joe Nathan.

For the second straight year, those three players will be playing in the All-Star Game at St. Louis after the rosters were announced prior to yesterday afternoon's contest between the Twins and the Tigers.

Joe Mauer was voted by the fans at his position as catcher while Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan were selected by their peers and AL Manager Joe Maddon. It's a selection that was well-earned, and quite frankly, those three should always be in the All-Star Game every year for what they do for the Twins because without those three, the Twins might as well be the Royals.

Justin Morneau had a breakout season in 2006, and since then, he has been consistent in driving in runs and hitting the ball out of the park. He makes the Twins go, and it's no coincidence when he homers, the Twins win most of their games.

Morneau showed the casual baseball fans the type of player he is during the Home Run Derby contest at Yankee Stadium last year. Josh Hamilton started out well as he was hitting every pitch that his coach was throwing, but in the end, Hamilton went on a funk, and Morneau seized the opportunity by hitting home runs late in the contest, and that made him winner of the contest.

Of course, ESPN and everyone fell in love with Hamilton so much that they forgot all about Morneau, and odds are if anyone ask who won that contest, seven out of nine non-Twins fans would say Hamilton won it. It does not taint what Morneau did, and the highlights show he is a great player.

He is a MVP candidate year after year because of his ability to win games with the swing of his bat, and that's why he will always be selected to the All-Star Game. Unfortunately, he will never be voted in as a starter because Yankees and Red Sox fans will stuff their ballots to get their player at first base, and Morneau is okay with it.

Mauer is the best catcher in baseball right now, and no one comes close to what he is doing. Everyone knows about his hitting ability, but there's more than just him hitting the ball.

Mauer does a great job of calling a ballgame with his pitchers by getting efficient performance out of them, and he has a great arm of throwing runners out, which is runners rarely ever steal bases when he is at home plate.

A playoff team always has a good closer, and the Twins have had good closers over the years in Jeff Reardon, Rick Aguilera, Latroy Hawkins, Eddie Guardado and now Joe Nathan.

Nathan has played a role in getting the Twins to the playoffs in two of his six years with the team, and if he did not have a shaky September last year, he was going to make his third playoff appearance.

He is one of the best closers in the game, and when he is on the mound in the ninth inning, it's game over basically, which is why he is an All-Star every year. His save record against AL Central teams stand out the most, which he rarely blows any games against the Tigers, White Sox, Indians and Royals.

The Twins made a right business decision in giving him an extension last year even if the deal goes to his late 30s. Just exactly who is going to replace him if he left? As good as Matt Guerrier, Jose Mijares, Pat Neshek, and others are, they are more good at the roles they currently are than being a closer.

Being a closer is not exactly as it looks. There is always pressure to save games after a starter and several others relievers do a good enough job to keep a slim lead, and it takes a strong-minded closer with great stuff to finish the game.

Some closers are overwhelmed at that role, and that results to failure. Nathan is not one of those, and the Twins are fortunate to have a guy that is a lock 97% of the time in ending the game.

Mauer, Morneau, and Nathan have been playing at a high level for years, and they have set the standard of excellence for years.

This is why they are All-Stars now and for years to come.

Time is right for Morneau to shine

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:51:21 +0000

Kevin Slowey put the Twins in a bad situation on Friday night when the Tigers were hitting all of his pitches, and as a result, the Tigers scored three each in the second and third innings. The Twins managed to come back and tie the game at seven, and they tied the game again in the 14th inning after the Tigers took an 8-7 lead, but then the Tigers took the lead in the 16th inning by scoring three runs off a tired R.A. Dickey, and it resulted to a tough loss for the Twins.

The Twins needed a boost after what happened Friday night, and they got it from Justin Morneau yesterday afternoon. Morneau went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in the Twins' 4-3 victory over the Tigers at the Metrodome, and he was a triple short of a cycle.

Morneau is doing well at a time the Twins need him to play at his best. In the last six games, he has hit .440 with four home runs and nine RBIs to show for it.

The Twins have to be excited in seeing him display his home run prowess right now because they need him to lead the way in this homestand. Yesterday was a great example of why he is the best player on the team not Joe Mauer.

Mauer often gets too much credit for what he has done especially with that blazing start he had when he was activated from the disabled list in May, but in recent weeks, he has struggled, which was to be expected since he was not going to keep hitting at that torrid pace for the entire season.

Everyone has been campaigning for Mauer to be the AL MVP when he had that great start even though it was too early in a long season to nominate any player for that award, but let's face it. The true Twins MVP is and always will be Morneau.

While Mauer has been hitting home runs in May, he is not a home run hitter, and he will never be one. He is a hitter that hits for doubles, and eventually, his home run surge was going to run out, which is what we're seeing now.

Morneau is a different story. He is built to hit home runs with that swing of his so he will always be a threat to opposing pitchers when he is at the plate, and that itself is why he will always be a MVP candidate every year.

This year is going to be no different. The Twins are going to need him to perform not only on this homestand, but throughout the second half especially in September when the Twins play most of its road games after playing most of the first half at the Dome.

He won the MVP in 2006 because he led the Twins in winning games with his home runs and base hits in almost every game. He could have won the MVP last year, but he didn't because he did not perform well in September, and that probably was because he was playing hurt at the time.

Morneau could make amends on a bad September last year based on what he is doing right now. A good homestand by him could be a fuel for what could be an exciting second half.

It should be expected that he performs when it matters. He has known how to perform in this type of situation for several years now, and once a star figures it out, this comes naturally so it wasn't surprising he paved the way to a Twins' victory yesterday.

Right now, the Twins and the opposition haven't seen anything yet from Morneau.

He's just getting started.

.

Forget All-Star appearance for Slowey

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:30:38 +0000

The All-Star selection will be made on Sunday, and there has been a debate on Kevin Slowey being an All-Star when baseball wonks talk about him for All-Star consideration.

After last night's performance, Slowey does not have to worry about his chances of being an All-Star because he is not going to be selected after his two recent poor performances. Last night, the Tigers hit him hard, and he was out of the game by the third inning.

The Twins eventually bailed him out by tying the game at 7, and the game lasted for 16 innings. It was a good comeback, but in the end, the Twins lost this game 11-9.

It was a disappointing performance by Slowey to say the least. For one thing, he was pitching in a game the Twins needed to win, and they were hoping he would set the tone. Second of all, he had a chance to make a good impression to Joe Maddon, who is managing the AL All-Stars.

The Twins were banking on him to pitch well and give them a chance to take the first game of the series against the Tigers in an AL Central showdown. Slowey started the night well by striking out the side in the first inning, but that was his best moment of the night because from there, everything went downhill.

Slowey gave up a single to Don Kelly, and hit Brandon Inge to put two men on base in the second inning. Josh Anderson hit a triple to score Kelly and Inge, and the Tigers took a 2-0 lead.

The Tigers scored one more run in that second inning, and they would score three more runs off Slowey in the third inning to make it a 6-0 game. That would be the end of the night for Slowey, who was relieved by Brian Duensing in the fourth inning.

Slowey's gave up five runs and six hits in three innings, and he gave up his obligatory home run to Marcus Thames of all people.

For whatever reason, Slowey lost it in the second inning. He did not have the command of his pitches, and he was serving up pitches that was easy for a Tigers hitter to hit, which is why the game got away from him.

The Twins should hope Slowey is not pitching with an injury because it sure looked like he was a different pitcher after looking good in the first inning.

This silly writer campaigned for him to be an All-Star, and he cited the wins. He probably let his fanboy pride get in the way, and not realizing as good as Slowey is, other starters have more polished stats when it comes to ERA and WHIP.

Zach Grienke, Roy Halladay and Felix Hernandez are going to be in the All-Star game so it will come down to others who will fight it out.

Slowey is competing with starters like Jered Weaver, Kevin Milwood, Edwin Jackson, Justin Verlander, Tim Wakefield and Mark Buehrle. Figure Weaver and Verlander are going to be there.

So it comes down to Milwood, Jackson, Wakefield and Buerhle. Milwood is the Rangers' ace, and he is having a great year so he should be in the AL roster. Jackson is having a good season for the Tigers in forming a 1-2 duo for the Tigers starting pitching so he will be there.

Maddon is going to add several relievers in there to fill out the rest of the spot so Slowey, Wakefield and Buehrle are going to be the odd men out. Critics have a gripe on Buerhle, but they don't have one in Slowey and Wakefield.

Wakefield has benefited from run support all season, and it can be said the same for Slowey. Still, Slowey has done good enough to warrant consideration, but he needed to ratchet up many wins from June till Selection Sunday.

Slowey failed to do that in his start against St. Louis, and now last night against Detroit. Not only he did not win, but he was not good either in the process.

Slowey can look at the bright side though.

He can rest his arm and his body after being on the 15-day disabled list after the game.

Winning homestand can go long way for Twins

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:51:27 +0000

Tonight, the Twins start a nine-game homestand to complete the pre-All-Star break. This homestand should bring out the best out of the home team and its fans with the Tigers, Yankees and the White Sox being the opposition.

There is no question this is going to be a challenge with all three teams playing well right now, and this should be a good barometer to where the Twins stand in the first half and for the rest of the season.

The Tigers will be the first opponent in this homestand, and there is a lot at stake in this weekend's AL Central showdown. The Twins have an opportunity to be two games or tied for first place if they can win or sweep the Tigers, and if they can accomplish that, this can set the tone for next week.

The Tigers have overachieved so far thanks to their starting pitching. They roll out three starters, who can give quality starts in Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson and Nick Porcello.

The Twins will be facing a rookie pitcher in Lucas French tonight, but then the next two games will be a tough task as they will face Jackson and Porcello. With that said, take the Twins this weekend if anyone wants to bet on this series.

The Twins will have their two good starters on the mound with Kevin Slowey (tonight's starter) and Nick Blackburn (Sunday). Plus, the Tigers have a history of doing bad at the Metrodome, and we have seen that couple of times this year when the Twins won after overcoming a deficit.

Then, the big bad Yankees come to town, and those games are always interesting at the Dome. With that said, the Twins have proven in the last few years that they can beat the Yankees at Minneapolis, and considering how those three out of four games were a tough contest between both clubs in May, one has to think the odds will favor the Twins being at home.

There is a reason for optimism this time around. The Yankees will not be playing Alex Rodriguez at least for one game out of this series, and with the way the Twins starters approach Rodriguez as if he is Babe Ruth, this should be a welcome respite.

The Twins bullpen is much better than it was in May, and the role players will fare much better hitting at the turf rather than playing at the new Yankee Stadium. Bet on the Twins starters to match up well against the Yankees starters like last time so the Twins should win that series.

The White Sox will wrap up this homestand for a weekend set. Like the Twins, they are playing much better than they had the last two months thanks to their starting pitching, bullpen, and now their hitting.

For anyone that thought the White Sox were going to fade away for good, they had another thing coming. Chicago has too much talent to keep playing bad all season.

The White Sox have had their way with the Twins this year for couple of reasons. The Twins' starting pitching hasn't evolved as well as it is now, and the Twins have not fared well at U.S. Cellular Field since last year.

On the flip side, the Southsiders never fare well at the Metrodome, and it showed in their final series with the Twins at the Dome last year, which the Twins swept them to stay alive in the pennant race. It's no wonder White Sox fans are counting down the days when the Twins play outdoors next year.

With the Twins being the home team, look for the Twins to exact some revenge and win a series or even get a sweep against the White Sox.

This should be an opportunity for the Twins to go out and get some victories here when one look at the matchups and the way the Twins are playing. The Yankees could give the Twins problems, but even then the Twins have shown they can play with them so winning a series should be a must.

The Tigers and the White Sox should be beatable.

Bottom line is anything worse than a 6-3 homestand would be a disappointment.

This first half has been disappointing, but the Twins can atone for it by finishing off well.

Many reasons why this win was huge

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:19:07 +0000

The Twins were playing the rubber game of a three-game set against the woebegone Royals yesterday afternoon. It was a game the Twins needed to win, and they accomplished their objective with a 5-1 victory to finish off a nine-game road trip in nine days.

During the course of the season, there are wins that stand out the most, and yesterday was one of those days. This victory was significant in many ways:

Winning Series

This outcome gave the Twins their third straight series victory. At this time of the year, teams need to start playing better by winning many series as they can with the All-Star break approaching soon.

The best way to be in first place is to win series after series, and it looks like the Twins are starting to get a grasp on that with what they have done against the Brewers, Cardinals and the Royals. This is good enough for them to be 3 games back of the Tigers for first place with an opportunity to be within striking distance of first place depending on how the Twins fare against the Tigers in a weekend AL Central showdown.

Road Warriors

The Twins have now won four straight road series. Talk about small incremental steps. This team couldn't hit or pitch away from the Metrodome for the first two months of the season, and it sure seemed like the guys were expecting to lose once they got on the field so it's a good sign of growth right there.

High Mark

The Twins are now two games above .500 for the first time this season. This is an example of how they have underachieved all season. With the talent the Twins have in that roster, there is no reason for them to be two games above .500 in June let alone the first time this season.

At least, they achieved that elusive goal, and hopefully, this is the last time we will talk about a team being two games above .500 for this year at least.

Avoiding losing consequences

The Royals stink, and it showed in this performance. The fact the Twins have to struggle to beat the Royals can not be a good thing, but at least they won the series because it's sure better than the alternative.

It would have been a bad plane ride back home had the team lost that series against a team that is not only hurting, but playing bad in the process to the point Royals fans are calling for Royals manager Trey Hillman to be fired.

Good vibes

The Twins are entering a crucial homestand that precedes the All-Star Game, and it starts with their series against the Tigers this weekend. The Twins needed to face Detroit with a series victory, which is another reason why yesterday's game was huge.

Add to the fact the White Sox are starting to play much better, and the fact they have an easy schedule from now till their series with the Twins, the Twins can't be letting up against a team like the Royals.

Price to be paid

Of course, not everything is all rosy. The Twins may have paid a price for the victory with Justin Morneau injuring his groin, and Morneau had to leave the game with precautions.

The Twins better hope this is not serious. Morneau may play through the pain, but as the Twins witness last year, Morneau was playing hurt in September, and he couldn't produce, which is why the Twins could not win anything last September.

With that said, teams should just enjoy today, and then worry about Morneau the next day.

Today's day off should be a chance for the coaches and the players to enjoy yesterday's victory.

Keppel could be key figure in relief

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:15:38 +0000

Last night, the Royals were fouling off most of Scott Baker's pitches the entire night, and as a result, his pitch count was at 111 by the fifth inning so his night was done. The Twins were going to go with a reliever who was going to either keep the game tied at 1 or protect a slim lead.

The Twins were batting in the sixth inning, and they got it going by getting couple of runners on base thanks to a wild throw by Billy Butler, who had an opportunity to create a double play. Michael Cuddyer hit a sacrifice fly that scored Joe Mauer, and the Twins took a 2-1 lead.

Ron Gardenhire inserted Bobby Keppel to pitch in the sixth inning, and it was the right move to make. R.A. Dickey was unavailable after pitching Monday night, and Sean Henn is only pitching in mopup roles.

At some point, Keppel has to pitch in this type of situation, which is why he was called up in the first place.

Keppel made Gardenhire look smart for using him. He pitched well for 2 1/3 innings, and he was the reason why the Twins were able to hold on to a 2-1 victory with the help of Jose Mijares, Matt Guerrier and Joe Nathan.

Keppel made it flawless by getting his groundouts to get out of the inning. He was good in the sixth inning, and he got bailed out on a good catch by Brendan Harris to get out of the inning. Then, he was great in the seventh inning and for the first out of the eighth inning.

It was important for him to pass this test for couple of reasons. The Twins could not afford to lose this game after Monday night's awful loss with the White Sox winning their game against the Indians for the second straight time and the Tigers beating the Athletics, and Keppel has to give a reason for Gardenhire to use him in situations like last night.

We celebrated the departure of Luis Ayala because Gardenhire had no use for him, and despite a good stretch in May, odds are Ayala was going to revert to what he was doing in April. The problem is who was going to replace Ayala.

The Twins are banking on Keppel to be an upgrade over Ayala. They need him for games when Guerrier, Dickey and Mijares are unavailable, and if he fails in that role, then Ayala's departure becomes a topic that fans can moan about.

Plus, there is a good chance Rob Delaney could be dealt if the Twins make a move in improving their situation at second base so the Twins are going to need Keepel to show he is capable to go out and pitch well when he is called to do a job.

So far so good for Keppel, but he needs good sample of work before he can be considered a success, and that's why it was good for him to pitch in last night's game.

The Twins have to hope Keppel's couple of sterling apperances are not a mirage.

Twins should seek someone at second

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:57:44 +0000

Mark DeRosa was available in the offseason yet the Twins never made an attempt to get him via trade for whatever reason. DeRosa would have done more offensively than what Joe Crede has given to the Twins.

DeRosa could have even helped them at second base, but the Twins thought Alexi Casilla proved himself as an everyday player at that position so there was no need to get a replacement there.

The Twins did not know Casilla would end up being a bust, and his poor performance sent him back to Rochester earlier this season. The Twins called him back during the West Coast trip, but Casilla did not show the desire to stay with his lackluster performance so he went back to Rochester as soon as Punto was activated from the disabled list.

Forget about Casilla coming back to the Twins anytime soon, and it will be a surprise if he even shows up in September when teams call up minor leaguers to expand the team's roster. Gardenhire mentioned to Star-Tribune columnist Jim Souhan few weeks ago about Casilla's lack of attention span so that's a sign he won't be around for awhile.

Right now, Nick Punto and Matt Tolbert are manning the position at second, and it's an experiment that needs to end soon.

Punto and Tolbert are fringe players that should only be starting once or twice a week not everyday. When they play everyday, their hitting deficiencies are exposed.

Punto has demonstrated that when he was the everyday player in 2007, and now, he is showing that again. In last night's Twins/Royals game, he had an opportunity to give his team the lead, and then tie the game, but he failed on both opportunities.

The Twins could have taken the lead by scoring the first run of the game in the second inning with Michael Cuddyer at second and Brian Buscher at first, but Punto flied out to end the Twins' threat.

When the Twins had a chance to tie the game at 1 in the fifth inning with Cuddyer at second, Punto flied out again for the final out.

Tolbert is a carbon copy of Punto. He either strikes out or ground out.

Clearly, the Twins have to look for someone who can produce from that position, and they have to get one from a trade. There are many options out there.

How about getting Adam Kennedy? He is likely going to be available with the Athletics being out of the AL West race, and it's hard to believe they are going to ask much for him.

Kennedy has beaten the Twins in his entire career going back to the 2002 American League Championship Series so maybe he can do them a favor by making their offense even better.

Freddy Sanchez would be another option, and the Pirates have proven they can give away talent such as Aramis Ramirez and Jason Bay and get nothing in return for them.

Brian Roberts is a great choice, but the Orioles are committed to him as their core player to build around.

David Eckstein would not only make the offense even better, but he would do a good job on defense, and he is the type of player Smith should make an attempt to go after with San Diego likely going on a fire sale.

Eckstein and Kennedy are couple of guys that should be feasible to get, but does Bill Smith have what it takes to get either of them to come here? Who knows, but that's why he is being paid to do some due diligence.

Those two are not making much money so the Twins can afford to have their salary under their budget.

After watching last night's performance from Punto, Smith has to feel like he needs to beat his competitors in getting what he wants.

He can get ahead by making a call today.

Guerrier puts last year's failures behind him

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:30:13 +0000

Matt Guerrier suffered through a difficult stretch starting from the summer all the way to September. Opposing teams were hitting all of his pitches, and then the Twins would blow leads away under Guerrier's watch.

To be fair to Guerrier, he wasn't the only reliever who was having a hard time on the mound. It was guys like Jesse Crain, Dennys Reyes, Eddie Guardado and Joe Nathan that took victories away from the Twins during the pennant race.

Someone has to be the face of failure when things go bad in professional sports because that's just the way it is so Guerrier took the brunt of abuse from frustrated fans, and there was criticism of him several times in this site last year.

What we didn't realize is Guerrier was pitching hurt in that stretch. He was pitching with a tired arm, but he had no choice since he was the only guy that Ron Gardenhire trusted.

This year, there was no expectations on Guerrier because everyone thought he was finished after years of overuse. He led the Twins in appearances in recent years so who knew how much he had left especially when one looks at many Twins relievers being destroyed by Gardenhire as a byproduct of protecting the starters over the years.

Guerrier has proven everyone wrong so far this season. He is the Twins' third best reliever after Joe Nathan and Jose Mijares, and he is the guy Gardenhire gives the ball to in the seventh or even eighth inning.

In yesterday's ballgame, Guerrier was in a jam against the Cardinals in the eighth inning. With two outs, he gave up a double to Albert Pujols and then walked newly acquired Mark DeRosa.

The Cardinals were a hit away to cut the 5-2 deficit into a one-run game, and they were a home run away for the game to be tied. Guerrier did not have his best stuff as he was behind the count in his appearance.

Was this the game Guerrier was going to blow it? Maybe next time. He got Ryan Ludwick out to end the inning, and that was the end of the Cardinals' threat for the game.

When the season started, it was hard to believe he would step up in that type of situation.

The trick is to have Guerrier fresh come September, and Gardenhire is doing his best to make it happen. It helps the starters are finally learning how to pitch through seven innings or in the case of Nick Blackburn, eighth innings so the relievers are rarely used everyday.

Last year, the pitchers barely got through the sixth inning, and Gardenhire would start using Guerrier in that inning to protect the lead too often, and that's where it took its toll on him in the end.

There is a good chance there won't be the same episode this fall with the way things are looking. If Guerrier is used on back-to-back, it will be only to get an out, and then Gardenhire will do his mix-and-match relief like he did on Friday when he used Guerrier for an out in the eighth inning, and then have Mijares to get the final two outs, which he got in getting a double play.

No question the Twins have to be happy to get the reliable Guerrier back considering how hard it is to get a reliever these days. They were hoping Ayala would have helped them, but that marriage never worked out.

After seeing what Guerrier is doing, be happy for him after what he went through last year. This is a reliever who never made any alibis when he could had last year. He took the ball, and he was accountable for his mistakes.

If anyone wants to look at a feel-good story on the Twins this season, look at Guerrier.

Watching Pujols play ought to be mesmerizing

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:33:06 +0000

On Friday night, Albert Pujols was facing Joe Nathan with a runner on base. There was no room for error because if Nathan gives up an one-out home run, then the game would have been tied, and maybe the Cardinals would have had a walk-off victory after that.

Nathan always relished in throwing the high heat to great hitters so it was on between Pujols and him. Nathan won the battle by striking Pujols out for the second out, and then finishing off Mike Ludwick to earn his 18th save of the season.

Pujols got even in a big way on Saturday afternoon by homering twice off Kevin Slowey to lead the Cardinals to a 5-3 victory at Busch Stadium.

The Twins probably had a bad feeling that Pujols was going to get back at them after what happened to him on Friday night. He is too good to be shut down on back-to-back games, and he was facing Slowey, who gives up home runs like someone that gives out free candy to young kids.

The loss may have hurt for the fans, and maybe it was not fun watching Pujols displaying his talent against their favorite team, but if they were watching this game, they grudgingly had to respect his heroics especially since they rarely watch him face the Twins.

It's not just his talent that makes him the player he is, but his competitive drive and his interest in being a better player year after year has defined him into being an elite player since he broke into the scene in 2001. It's hard to teach that to players because either the players are interested in improving or they are happy to collect their paycheck and going through the motions of being a professional athlete.

He is a pleasure to watch because he makes hitting look simple, and he puts on a show by hitting home runs every week. His batting stance is the sweetest swing in baseball.

It's hard to get him out, which is why teams always walk him whenever he is batting especially when a team is in jam. The Twins should be commended for pitching to him despite what he did to them on Saturday because that's the only way their young starters are going to get better by going after the hitters rather than shrinking in fear.

There is more than just him hitting home runs. He steals bases, and he draws walk often. Plus, his defense is very good, and there was a good evidence of that when he made a nice catch from the ground to throw a Twin out in the late inning of the game on Friday night.

He has showed a canny ability to perform in the postseason, which is not easy to do with players facing elite pitchers in the postseason. It takes a special gift for a player to do that.

Watching him in this series, he ought to be watched even more just for the sake of watching a good show. Everyone expects him to go out and perform, and he does that almost every game.

It's rare to see him go on slumps or have a bad day at the plate. Even when Nathan and Glen Perkins did a good job of getting Pujols out on Friday night, the Cardinals slugger stroke a double off Perkins that looked like a single in the first inning.

If anyone compares many elite hitters in baseball, how does anyone not say Pujols is the best player in baseball? Sure there are good hitters out there, but unlike Pujols, they strike out often and they go through funks.

The best part about Pujols is that he does not come off as a diva like Alex Rodriguez. He does his job, and let his performance create headlines instead of attracting attention like Rodriguez often does.

Minnesotans love to show their provincial pride when one of theirs do well in sports like Joe Mauer is doing right now, but they even have to admit one thing even if it hurts to say it.

They would say Pujols is a better hitter than Mauer.

Don't write Perkins off just yet

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:07:56 +0000

When the Twins sent Anthony Swarzak back to Rochester couple of weekends ago after pitching a shutout against the Cubs, this decision was questioned in this site, and for good reason. Glen Perkins hasn't exactly been stellar prior to him being in the disabled list while Swarzak has proven he can be reliable.

The thought was Swarzak would be better off in the starting rotation while Perkins handle a role in relief, which makes sense since the Twins would strengthen their starting rotation with Swarzak and their bullpen with Perkins.

Perkins has started three times since coming off the disabled list, and so far, he has proven this particular critic wrong. Last night, he continued his stretch of good performances by throwing a shutout for six innings, and it got him a 3-1 victory against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

One can say it's too early to start proclaiming Perkins as a quality starter, but seeing his three starts, it's fair to say he is a different pitcher than what he has showed from last year to April.

Last night's start exemplified why he is a different pitcher now than he was before.

He retired 10 Cardinals in a row after giving up a double to Albert Pujols in the first inning, which is a trend that he has been doing in his three starts. Typically, he will do well in one inning, and in the next inning, he will struggle with his mechanics to the point the other team gets hits and runs off him.

He is working at a faster rate rather than taking his time to pitch off a mound. It seemed like in the fourth inning, he was able to get out of the inning in 7 minutes because the Cardinals had no idea what they were doing in their second turn of facing him.

His pitch count has been economical in each of his three starts, and last night, he was working at 52 pitches in the middle of the fifth inning, and he finished the game by throwing 82 pitches. That's not the Perkins that the Twins are used to seeing.

He hasn't given up a home run, which is always a plus, and last night was no different. The Twins can always bet on Perkins to give up a home run or two when he is out there.

It looks like he may be figuring out, but it's too early to proclaim him as a starter that is growing up. A good sample of ten starts will determine if Perkins has turned his season and his career around, but right now, the Twins have to like what they are seeing.

It's no secret Perkins is pitching for his job especially after what Swarzak has done, and Perkins knows it so it's no coincidence he had to figure it out quickly. It could have been easy for Perkins to just show up and accept getting beat when he is out there, and then embrace the relief role.

But anyone that knows Perkins realizes he is not that guy. He wasn't going to accept his new role without proving to Ron Gardenhire that he is capable of starting, and that type of trait is what endears him to the Twins manager.

Right now, the Twins starter who should be worrying about his starting role is Francisco Liriano.

The reemergence of the starting five

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:32:39 +0000

I touched on this within the last couple of days, but while I sit here watching the Twins cling to a two run lead through five innings in St. Louis, I couldn't help but notice how strong Glen Perkins has looked to this point.

Perkins, who is seeing his second start after coming off the DL, is cruising through the Cardinal line-up, and looks strong going deeper into this game. But Perkins' strong performance is the only Twins pitcher who has looked sharp. It seems the Twins starting rotation- and feel free to exclude Francisco Liriano from this, has become a very solid force for this Twins ball club. With out a legitimate 'ace' or number one guy, we have four young arms gunning for the opportunity to carry the rotation.

Scott Baker has looked even better with each game, and Kevin Slowey and Nick Blackburn have looked the part all season it seems. Slowey has what seems to be a deceptively high ERA- but the guy is 10-2. Even so, Blackburn has a very respectable 3.11 ERA, and over his last 9 starts has averaged just about 7.2 innings a game. As we all know, the best cure for a weakness is to avoid it all entirely; see: bullpen.

Of course, The questions still remain. Can this team manage to keep the starting rotation playing at this level? If not, is the line-up strong enough to support a bad outing? Do we try to acquire an arm mid season? I know there has been plenty of talk about Seattle looking to move starting pitcher Jarrod Washburn- but it doesn't look like the Twins are seriously considering it at this point, and the Twins are up 3-0 in the 7th with Perkins cruising, maybe they won't have to.

Healthy Span results to good performance

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:55:32 +0000

All eyes were on Joe Mauer when he played for the first time this season in May after going through a kidney surgery which made him miss most of spring training and April. It was like the start of a new season with Mauer being activated from the disabled list.

Yesterday afternoon, Denard Span did not receive much fanfare that Mauer got for coming off the disabled list, which is understandable when comparing the stature of Span and Mauer. With that said, don't underestimate the value of Span returning to the team.

Span may not have the season he had last year so far to this date, but there was a reason for it. He started off well in April, but then he had an ear infection that caused him to be ineffective for a month.

In yesterday's Twins' 6-4 victory over the Brewers at Miller Park, Span showed how effective he can be when he is healthy, and why he has earned the role of being a leadoff man. He received three walks, scored three runs, and hit a triple.

This was more like it, and this is what the Twins are used to with Span.

In the first inning, Span did what he does best which is drawing a leadoff walk to start the game. He wisely knew Brewers rookie starter Mike Burns were throwing pitches that were not close to the plate so he did not hack at any of the pitches.

In the fourth inning, Burns was ahead of the count when he was facing Span, but then Span fouled off couple of pitches, and Burns threw couple of balls that looked like strikes.

That inning showed Span's ability to have a good at-bat and having a good eye of the pitches that Burns was throwing. This is the type of at-bat that Carlos Gomez should be paying attention to and taking notes while he is at it.

It was good enough for Span to score the Twins' first run of the game on Morneau's base hit.

Span's big hit of the game came in the fifth inning when he laced a one-out triple at right field, and he scored the third run of the game on Brendan Harris' sacrifice fly.

In his final at-bat, Span took a walk, and scored again.

Span also made couple of good plays on defense to top off a great day.

This is what a role player should be doing to win games. All season, the Twins have been pining for a guy that would get on base, and create havoc on the basepaths especially in light of Span's injury.

Mauer will benefit from Span's presence with the Twins catcher having a shot to get RBIs with Span batting before him, and that's why Mauer batting second in the lineup makes sense.

Span showed why he is valuable to the team, and he gave the Twins the spark they needed after Wednesday night's victory being taken away from them on NIck Blackburn's bad eighth inning.

Span may not have Mauer's star status, but the Twins know what his presence means in the lineup.

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The case for a second half push

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:37:55 +0000

With the 2009 All Star break looming, teams are looking for things to build on in hopes of putting together a strong second half of the season. A spark could come from anywhere, and as many Twins fans already know, anything can happen in the last 81 games between the chalk lines.

Looking forward a few weeks to the middle of July, the Twins have shown some steady signs of improvement and look to build on it into the post season.

On the hill:
I'm sure this hasn't been lost on many, but the starting pitching has looked pretty darn sharp. The team ERA is still above the American League average- yet I feel as if we've seen these pitchers have started to throw some quality games. Even more-so, the Twins are just outside the top ten in earned runs, and in typical Twins fashion, they lead MLB with the fewest walks allowed- these two factors could really contribute to strong play down the stretch. If the Twins pitchers can continue to limit walks and bring the ERA down, we could rely less on the bullpen, an obvious weakness at this point in the season.

4-7:
The middle of the line-up, spots 4-7, is showing some serious potential. At this point, the Twins have 5 players with ten or more HR's. This is a relatively new feature of Minnesota Twins baseball. With 78 HR's already through this week in June, the Twins rank 12th in MLB with the long ball. No, this is not the same bunt for a hit, steal a base type ballclub. Instead, we have a team with a .272 batting average- 6th in MLB, 351 runs scored- 9th in MLB, and a .429 slugging percentage- 8th in MLB. When I first saw these numbers, I did a double take. This is not the traditional Twins line-up. Jason Kubel has 8 HR's in just the month of June, and Cuddyer is really proving himself, again. This type of production will only give more protection for Justin Morneau, who has slowed down as of late, and needs to keep his production up during the second half of the season.

Flirting with .400:
Joe Mauer is a freak. He is having a horrible series against the Brewers, and his average has actually dropped below .400- but do we think this will be the end of it? No. A few weeks ago, in the last week of May, I heard someone on ESPN radio say that there was no way Mauer/Morneau would have the same June as they did May. Rightfully so. Mauer has slowed down a bit. I saw a clip of video on ESPN displaying the all the abuse Mauer takes as a catcher. It was unbelievable. The knee, shin, wrist, finger, mask...he was getting drilled left and right. As much as I do believe Mauer is one of, if not the best hitters in baseball, all the factors of playing catcher will eventually catch up with him. If, and it's a BIG if, Mauer can continue to hit the ball as well as he has- it would be a huge contributing factor to Twins success.

Where's the spark?
There could be several players who could serve as the 'spark' for the Twins. Joe Crede could catch fire and start racking up RBI's. Carlos Gomez could turn a new page and add yet another dangerous dimension for the team. With Nick Punto under some health issues, again, the Twins could sure use some extra speed in their line-up. Span is great as the lead-off man, but with Castilla long gone, and Punto always banged up, the Twins need another thread ont he basepaths. Yet, I think our teams spark may come from the bullpen. Jose Mijares could prove to be a steady force in relief, and could help lock down some late inning W's.