Twins Sweep Pads as T-Wolves Mess Up Draft Again

Lets start with the Timberwolves. When I checked ESPN while out to eat last night, I noticed the Wolves had selected O.J. Mayo. I was happy, they had the 3rd pick and appeared to select the 3rd best player. Going into last night I was thinking the Wolves would get Mayo or Beasley, in case Miami changed their minds. So no matter what the result would be good. Mayo fit the wolves a talented gurad who could complement Randy Foye in the backcourt. But McHale did it again, he sent Mayo, Walker, Jaric and Buckner to Memphis for Kevin Love, Brian Cardnil, Mike Miller and Jason Collins. I personally hate the deal and I think the Wolves passed up on a great chance with O.J. Mayo. Lets look back to 2006, the Wolves selected Brandon Roy, who many thought was the best player in the draft. Then he was traded to Portland for their pick Foye and cash. Roy went on to be Rookie of the year and made the All-Star team in his second year. In the 90s the Wolves took Ray Allen before sendign him to Milwaukee for Marbury. I guess now we will have to wait in see, but something tells me Mayo will be a star someday and Love will not. In the meantime, I will not post anything about the Wolves or even pay attention to their games until Kevin McHale and or Glen Taylor are out of there.

Meanwhile, the best Minnesota franchise, the Twins are on a roll. The sweep of the Padres gives them 9 in a row. All the 2006 comparisons are coming now, but I disagree. This team is finally getting some power and depending on good qaulity starts from starting pitching. The 2006 team was based on dominating starts from Santana, Liriano and the small ball routine. But either way, the Twins should be lobbying to make a move to the National League, if so they may break the record for regular season wins. 9 games at home now and all very important, lets hope this team can keep it up.

Yesterday Matt Garza pitched a complete game 1 hitter for the Rays as they completed a sweep of Florida. He is now 6-4 this season with a 3.76 era. Clearly the Rays are getting the better of this deal so far. Maybe I should start comparing Garza to Brendan Harris instead of Delmon Young and I would feel better.

The Big Inning

The Twins did it again, the offense couldn't get going all game until the 5th were they scored 5 runs. It seems like a pattern lately especially in this series which they scored18 runs and 17 of them were scored in 3 separate innings in 3 different games. Either way it was an excellent sweep of a team definitely on the decline. The win puts the Twins at 40-36, 4 games over .500 for the first time this season, the sweep of the White Sox of the Cubs puts the Twins only 1.5 games back in the division. Just about 2 weeks ago, things looked awful as the White Sox were completing a 4 game sweep and the Twins found themselves 6.5 back. Now they are in the best position of the season.
Now to discuss the future of this team. Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune wrote a column about how none of the Twins offseason acquisitions are working out. Read it here:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/20645814.html?location_refer=Sports:highlightModules:1

I somewhat agree with him. The Twins do what they always do and go after the cheap veteran free agent who had his best year 3 years ago (Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, Craig Monroe). But does it ever work out? Remember Tony Batista? I agree that the young players should get the chance and the Twins should cut ties with Lamb and Everett if they can find anyone to take them. I also agree that they can't give up on Delmon Young, but his fielding mistakes are costing this team. Platooning Young with Span, Monroe or Kubel might be a good idea, until Young can get a hot bat going. I agree the Rays got the better of the Garza/Young trade, but the Twins have to be patient with young and maybe he will come around. As for Brendan Harris, I would like to see him keep starting at shortstop. Tolbert could be the future at that position but Harris is hot right now at the plate and hasn't made a lot of errors in the field. He is a perfect #9 hitter in the AL. Punto should be kept around to back up middle infield and 3rd when need be. But the Twins have built a good young core of talent and maybe they can shock some people.
By the way since the start of the Milwaukee series, Twins starters have provided 9 quality starts in a row. The rotation was in shambles 2 weeks ago. Lets hope they can keep it up. The Twins will be out west in San Diego for 3 before coming home for 9 more.

Big Unit, not so scary.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the Twins hitters get to Randy Johnson in the third inning last night. He is 44 years old but still is a presence on the mound like no other and still can get you with that nasty slider. But the Twins were able to pound him in the third and thank goodness for that because he pitched well the rest of the game, earning his first complete game of the season despite giving up 7 earned runs. Interesting by D-backs manager Bob Melvin to stick with one guy all game despite trailing. I guess if he would have given up 7 in the 5th or 6th it might have been different. Either way, the complete game by Johnson will enable to the D-backs to shorten today's game knowing they have a rested bull pen.
Micah Owings will pitch for AZ tonight against Blackburn. Owings is interesting, he is probably one of the best hitting pitchers of all time and he is often used in pinch hitting situations and they even talked about platooning him at first base on his off days. So it will actually be a disadvantage for the D-backs to be forced to use a DH tonight because Owings is one of their best hitters.
For everyone who complains about the DH rule in the American League, I think it's a great rule. I know its not the way the game was played 100 years ago, but it makes each inning more exciting. Nothing is worse than getting 2 on with out and seeing the pitcher walk up to the plate. I know there may be more strategy involved when your pitcher has to bat, but I would watch an American League game any day of the week before a National League game. Plus pitchers are paid millions to pitch and get guys out, not to hit and run the bases. But with that said I would not like to see the National League adopt the rule, because I think it's great that the 2 leagues have different rules and its fun to see American League teams adjust when there pitchers have to bat.
As far as interleague play, I like it as well. But I think it is put together all wrong. I would like to see more organization to it. I would like to see it kick off with every team playing there rivalry series in May. Then In June each team would play opponents from one division in the other league and this would alternate every 3 years. Then in the first weekend in July wrap it up with another rival series. The fact that the Twins are playing NL opponents from all 3 divisions doesn't make sense. So there should be 2 rival series and 2 home and 2 away series against ONE division. Now the problem is that not every team has a rival so i had to come up with them all myself here.

Twins-Brewers
Sox-Cubs
Indians-Reds
Royals-Cardinals

Yankess-Mets
Orioles-Nationals
Rays-Marlins

Angels-Dodgers
A's-Giants
Rangers-Astros


Ok so everyone has a rival in the AL except for the Tigers, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Mariners. There are 6 NL teams to choose from. Pirates, Phillies, Braves, Rockies, D-backs and Padres. So these teams will have to alternate with each other until some type of a rivalry develops. 2 NL teams will be left out.

A Much Needed Sweep

Well, the Twins were able to sweep the Nats and finally get their record back over 500 for the first time in over a week. Even though the Nats are the worst team in the National League, a sweep is still a sweep and I think the Twins will take it any day. After a game one close fight, the Twins were able to blow out the Nats in games 2 and 3 showing they were the better team. Kubel, Morneau, Mauer and Cuddyer are all swinging a hot bat right now and the pitching staff put together 3 quality starts in a row. So at least we have momentum going into a series with the D-backs.
I used to live in Arizona and somewhat followed the D-bakcs last year. They have a good young lineup and good pitching but have definitely fallen off from their hot start. The lineup isn't scary at all and its reasonable to think that the Twins starters could shut them down. Will the Twins be able to hit off the D-backs starters? Lefty Randy Johnson is on the hill tonight and I can predict the Twins lefty strong lineup will have some trouble with him. It should be an interesting series against a team the Twins have rarely ever faced.

Twins win Series vs Brew Crew but end on a sour note

Well everything appeared to be in order for the Twins as they had their Ace on the mound in Scott Baker to try to finish off a sweep of the Brewers. The Twins had pounded the Brewers on Friday night with a great performance from Kevin Slowey and last night's game was one of the most exciting MLB games of the season. I don't want to hear any whining from the Brewers fans, Prince Fielders hit was not a home run as it clearly showed it bouncing off the wall into the field. The Twins blew chances for a few innings before finally getting to Brewers revlievers in the 12th with a 5 run inning. A big hit by Buscher with the bases loaded paved the way for the Twins victory. I thought it was a good win, even though it was so close to being over 3 innings earlier. In an unrelated note, I think Ned Yost is one of the worst managers in baseball and I thank him for leaving Tavarez in there and helping the Twins win it.



Anyway all of that set the tone for the sweep attempt today. But the pesky Brewers would not allow it. You cant really blame the pitching even though the Twins had a lead in this one until Mike Cameron hit one out to make it 3-2. But the offense that was there the past two days was not today. I thought Baker pitched well if you take out the home run, but I was a little frustrated with throwing Boof out there in the 8th when the team is down one run. Going into the series i was thinking the Twins needed to sweep and they came close but will end the road trip on a downer.

A serious downer. The Twins went 3-7 on this road trip falling to 34-36 and 4.5 games out of first place. The Twins will play Washington at home this week, lets hope they can get back on track and pull out another series win.

The Misery is Over

An 8-5 victory tonight in Cleveland finally put an end to the Twins 6 game losing streak. The season appeared to hit a low point after losing all 4 to the first place Sox. But last night Scott Baker put up a great performance but was out-dueled by C.C. Sabathia who shut down the Twins in a 5 hit shutout. But at least the Twins could build on not allowing too many runs. Tonight's game the Twins set an aggressive tone early by swinging at first pitches and getting to Paul Byrd in the 3rd inning for 5 runs. The Tribe came back to withing one but the Twins got a couple of insurance runs in the 9th before Nathan shut the door. It was a good win and at least the Twins can now put the losing streak behind them and focus on the future. Kubel had another nice game going 3 for 4 including a 2 run homer.
Gomez and Cassilla also impressed me by there bunting and speed. I think this is a perfect top 2 of the order and defiantly will help get Mauer and Morneau some more RBIs.
The losing streak made me sick. But forget the last game against Baltimore and the first game against Cleveland, it was the Chicago games that really hurt. Chicago beat the Twins around like there were a minor league team and proved that they are the class of the division by far. As the Twins continued to hang around the division lead for May and June, things were looking good before the Sox series but after that many people will start to doubt the Twins. They don't have the starting pitching or bullpen or offense to compete in the American League and if they do continue to hang in there it will be a nice surprise.
It's good that the Twins appear to have found a new ace for the rotation to build around. That man is Scott Baker. I really like the way he finished last season and appears to be returning to form after the injury. After the other 4 starters got roughed up by Chicago he went out there and pitched a great game but couldn't get any offensive help and took a loss. Either way he is hands down the best pitcher on this young staff.

Remembering KG

KG and the Celtics will play game 2 of the NBA finals today against the Lakers. I am rooting for Kevin Garnett because he definitely deserves a chance at a title. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves front office wasn't smart enough to give him the help he needed to bring a title to Minnesota. Before KG came to town, the T-wolves were a laughing stock, picking in the top 5 of the lottery every year. They were just a team other teams would beat up on, sort of the Bobcats of that time period. KG made the Wolves relevant as he led them to 8 straight playoff appearances and one Western Conference Final. What a waste it was for the Timberwolves to have one of the best players in the league for all those years and not take advantage of it. They never made the move or brought in the guy who could be second option. One year after going out and getting Cassell and Sprewell and making a long playoff run, the Wolves fell apart completely. 4 straight years without the playoffs, hiring a coach with no trakc record and continuing to employ Kevin McHale has turned this team back into a laughing stock again. Watching KG in the finals had made me really despise what Glen Taylor and Kevin McHale have done to this franchise and it's going to be hard to follow and root for the T-Wolves ever again. Let's hope the Celts can pull this out for KG.

Pitching Staff in Shambles

I believe it was a couple weeks ago when myself and others had decided that the Twins had a nice young pitching staff with a lot of potential and a great future. Hey, with the return of Baker looming, things were looking pretty good. Baker had a decent return, but every other start since then has been awful. So far in the series with the White Sox Blackburn, Hernandez and Slowey have all been beat up on by the slugging sox. Not to mention the bullpen has now been overworked as Gardy has been unable to get a quality start by any of his guys. What to do now, there isn't exactly a lot of pitching talent waiting in the minors. This was supposed to be the group. The Twins have now lost 5 of 6 and have practically joined Detroit and Clevend in the AL Central cellar. Meanwhile the Sox continue to put ground between themselves and the rest of the division. I have to give it the Sox, they made a lot of smart moves this off season and have put together what looks like a serious AL contender. They have a lineup that I could only pray the Twins would have someday. Swisher, Crede, Konerko, Thome and Quenten can all mash with the best of em. I like this team's chances.
Well, where do the Twins go from here? They need a win badly at this point and with one more game remaining against the Sox they could find themselves 6.5 games back by Monday afternoon. Lets hope they can get out of this rut, remember it is a long season.

Sox jump all over Twins

Things were looking good early but the Sox jumped all over the Twins in the 5th with a 6 run inning. The Twins had plenty of chances to come back and score runs but were unable to get that big hit. Tough loss to swallow as they now fall back 3.5 games to the Sox. Good news is everyone else in the Central continues to suck, so it looks like the Sox will be the only competition for now.
Anyways it got me thinking about the season so far and where I think things will go. On some nights the Twins really impress me with there timely hitting and good pitching and I think this team compete with anybody, but other nights I wonder what is going on. The truth is I think they will continue to stick around that .500 mark for a while and stay within shouting distance of the playoffs. But the real question is come September will people in Minnesota still be talking Twins baseball or will it be all Vikings from that point on?
Interesting point about the game. The Twins homered 3 times in this one but still lost. The homers came from Gomez, Cuddyer and Cassilla. The home runs only produced 4 runs. It would have been nice if Gomez and Cassilla got there big hit in the 6th when the Twins had the bases loaded and they both proceeded to make outs with no runs coming in. Either way you can't really blame the offense fully because they did produce 6 runs. Blackburn got in really big trouble in the 5th and Rincon couldn't bail him out, so pitching deserves most of the blame. Twins will try to bounce back tonight with Livan Hernandez on the hill.

Way to go Boof

Boof Bonser experienced his first bullpen role on Wednesday night. He pitched 2.2 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts to pick up a win. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come, Bonser can be electric at times and could be great asset to the Twins bull pen. Perkins had his second rough outing in a row and Boof and the Twins offense bailed him out. Maybe Perkins needs some pressure to perform well. His last two starts have been rough since the Twins have decided to keep him in the rotation while demoting Boof to the pen. Anyway it is nice to see the Twins get back on track with a win after a loss.
My favorite thing about the game was the 2 for 1 sacrifice fly. This is why love Gomez, he is one of few players that can go from second to home on sacrifice fly. I am really glad he is on the Twins. Just think about the criticism of the Santana trade many people, thought the Yankees package with Hughes and Cabrera was better. I am really glad that didn't happen. Gomez is becoming one of my favorite players and he really fits in perfectly in Minnesota.

It's a Split

If you were a fan wanting to attend a Twins game this season and you were waiting for a good one to come along, this was it. If you missed it, I'm sorry. This game had everything a Twins fan could hope for. Yes, the Twins won the game and salvaged a split with the Yanks after losing the first two. But the really encouraging thing about tonight's game is the performance of Delmon Young and Micheal Cuddyer. Cuddyer went 3 for 4 and scored 3 times. Each time Young drove him in, Young also went 3 for 4 with 3 doubles. I felt really good for Young, I hope this will help his confidence a little moving forward. Cuddyer had an outstanding series and appear to be seeing the ball much better.
If that wasn't enough we all got to see something we have been waiting for all year. Joe Mauer finally hit his first home run. Mauer is an average hitting machine, but it's nice to see him go deep every now and then when the Twins need it. It came in a big spot too, the Twins were down one run with 2 outs in the 7th. Overall it was a great exciting game and a big win for the Twins.

Looking back on the series with the Yankees, I am happy to be able to get a split out of it. The Twins are still 3 games over .500 and are now only .5 games behind Chicago. The offense looked good in the whole series scoring 5,6,5 and 6. The Twins competed in every game and coudl have very easily took all four. I saw a lot of improvements from Cuddyer this series and hopefully the improvements will continue with him and Young. We need these guys to produce.

Nothing against Nick Punto. I like the guy, but I don't see a need for him in the lineup or on the field. Would this guy even make any other Major League roster? I like Harris at SS, Casilla at 2nd and Lamb or Marci at 3rd. Punto could be a utility guy, but his lack of offense makes playing him so wrong. Every time he comes up, it just seems like a sure out. But you better believe he will slide into first and give it his all. Nick Punto's a hard worker and a tough player but the Twins are doing better without him.

Next up is Baltimore, lets hope this isn't a let down series like the Toronto series a few weeks ago. Let's also not look ahead to the big 4 game series against the White Sox in Chicago this weekend. Oops, I think I just did. Ah well.

Weekend in Review

It was a pretty busy weekend for me so I did not have a chance to watch all of these games. Friday and Saturday were tough ones to swallow as the Twins had chances in both games but ended up losing by one run in both contests.
Nick Blackburn is really turning into a great pitcher. He has had all kinds of bad luck in his last two games though. Tuesday night in KC he was working on a complete game shutout when things went bad in the 9th and he ended up with a no decision. Sunday he was handling the Yankees for the most part when a line drive off the bat of Abreau struck him in the face. It looks like he will be ok, just have to deal with a lot of swelling. Anyways Blackburn is really becoming the most reliable Twins starter right now.
With that being said, I am really optimistic about the future of the Twins rotation. Scott Baker could be an Ace when healthy, Blackburn is a good number 2 guy, Perkins seems to be a middle of the road guy who can be great at times and Slowey is starting to pitch better as well. Throw in the possibility of Liriano joined the troops late this year or next and you have a nice set of starters. The good news none of these guys are making 130 million dollars.
Santana is doing well for the Mets at 7-3 with a 3.20 ERA but hey the Mets are 28-27, one game worse than the Twins are 29-27.
By the way, there is one more game against the Yankees tonight. It's on ESPN tonight, Andy "HGH" Pettite takes on Livan Hernandez at the dome. Twins can salvage a split with a win and will be looking for their 30th win. Also to note the White Sox lost 3 in a row to Tampa Bay leaving them only 1 game ahead of the 2nd place Twins in the Central. The White Sox are off tonight.

Slowey Goes the Distance, Twins Sweep

What a performance by Kevin Slowey. A complete game is just what the Twins needed going into the weekend. What an end to a very successful 6 game road trip in which the Twins went 5-1. I also commend Ron Gardenhire for finally sitting Delmon Young on the bench last night. The time had definitely come for this. Young seemed to take the benching well and hopefully he will bounce back and hit some balls over the fence sometime this year. Carlos Gomez had another great game at the plate, despite being caught stealing twice and I am really starting to like the play of Alexi Cassilla at 2nd. It appears the Twins have found a good short/second combo in Harris and Cassilla. Everything appears to be coming together, lets see if the Twins can keep it going against the Yankees, this weekend at the dome.

It's good that Slowey pitched to all of the Royals hitters last night, because the Twins will definitely need their bullpen against the Yankees line up. I know the Yankees are under .500 and in last place but they are still the Yankees. They still have Jeter, Matsui, Posada and others. The Twins will definitely need to keep their offensive production going. Glen Perkins goes against Mussina tonight for the opener. I think Glen will do well, he seems to remain calm out there and seems to like the big stage. Mussina has a strong track record against the Twins, although he did take the loss in game 1 of the 2004 divisional playoffs.

For now I am happy, the Twins are 28-25 only 2 games behind the White Sox who continue to keep on winning. The good news is that Cleveland and Detroit don't seem like they are ever are going to get it together. Have a good weekend people.

The Comeback Crew

Last night the Twins trailed 8-3 in the ninth inning with 2 men out. Everyone in KC was up and cheering for the final out which would end the Royals 9 game losing streak. The celebration never happened. The Twins produced a rally that I have never seen from them before. It was capped by Craig Monroe's 3 run pinch hit shot to tie it at 8. Justin Morneau capped it off in the 10th with a lead off solo shot. The Royals were forced to use the "B" bullpen because of overuse of Soria and Gobble the night before. I feel for the Royals but the Twins needed this after the near collapse on Tuesday night. 27-25 and a chance to sweep the Royals tonight before a big home series with the Yankees.

Delmon Young once again put up a pitiful performance going 0-3 and making two costly errors in the field. A day after going 0-6 and causing an inside the park home run it is a wonder why he continues to be in the lineup everyday. I know he is the future of the team and could possibly be one of the best hitters in the game someday but right now he needs a wake up call. His consecutive game streak is not important to anyone but him. Monroe and Kubel continue to produce better power and one base numbers and should jump into a rotation in left field. Young will never learn if he keeps getting to play every night. In 2006 Justin Morneau was slumping early in the season. Gardy benched him for a couple games that were played in Seattle (where his family was in the stands). This appeared to motivate Morneau as he jumped out of the slump and went on to an MVP season and led his team to an AL Central crown. I think the same type of benching could help Young get back on track.

Livan had a tough night but the defense didn't do much to help him out. Fortunately they bailed him out at the end giving him a no decision. Joe Nathan was able to bounce back and get the save after his blown save of the season on Tuesday. Kevin Slowey takes the mound tonight as Twins try for the sweep.

Perkins, Kubel Shine as Twins Bounce Back to Take Series

Sunday's game was one for the ages. It was the ultimate pitcher's duel up until the 8th inning. Justin Verlander of the Tigers had one of his best performances of the season only allowing 1 run through 7. Perkins had done the same for the Twins. Int the 8th the Twins managed to load the bases with one out. Cuddyer struck out which brought Jason Kubel to the plate on his 26th birthday. He got what he wanted from Tigers releiver Fransisco Crucetta a 3-1 fastball that he drove over the right field fence for a grand slam. Twins win it 6-1.

Perkins is now 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA. I keep saying this but he has to stay in the rotation. In his 4 starts he has given the Twins a chance to win in every one.
Kubel is still not consistent but has become one of the better power threats in the Twins lineup with 6 home runsa and RBIs.
Gomez continues to have good at bats, getting on base twice today, getting a stolen base and 2 runs.

Twins get a much needed day of rest today before starting another 20 game stretch. Kansas City has lost 7 in a row, but they should never be taken lightly. Twins went 9-11 in the first half of the 40 games in 41 days marathon. Lets hope they get off to a good start with a win or sweep agaisnt the Royals.

Boof, pitching staff crumbles as Twins suffer worst loss of season.

Last night the pitching staff put up their most awful performance of the season. Losing 19-3 to those hated Tigers. Boof Bonser seems to be in way over his head. I know he has been up and down throughout his short Major League career but I think it's now time for a change of scenery for him. No, I am not talking about sending him down to Rochester. I am talking about the bull pen. Think about it, the Twins bull pen has struggled this year outside of Nathan and with Nehshek gone they need help out there. Scott Baker will be back in the rotation soon so it means somebody has to go. Instead of sending someone down to Rochester put Boof in the pen and keep Perkins and Slowey in the rotation. Boof has shown that he can have nasty stuff at times and can shut down teams for long stretches at a time, but he always has that big inning. I think Boof may be able to come in as a mop up guy or late innings and get 3-6 outs. It's up to Gardy to decide what should happen but I have no faith in Bonser anymore as a starter.

There we're a few positives in the game. Alexi Casilla hit another home run. Gives him 2 more than Delmon Young or Joe Mauer. He has 9 RBIs in his short time with the team. Half as many as Young has in a whole season. Matt Marci made his MLB debut at 3rd and went 2 for 3. He maybe we found a 3rd baseman. Yea.

Tonight Glen Perkins has to stop the bleeding in the rubber match. Important for the Twins so they can avoid falling 2 games under .500. Verlander who is 2-7 goes for the Grrrs. Day game after night game so expect to see some kind of "B" lineup from Gardy. Monday is a much needed day off for the Twins though. Finally.

Twins look to stick it Tigers this weekend

All we heard about this off season was how good the Tigers were going to be. How great the lineup would be and how many runs they would score. Well the Tigers are sitting dead last in the struggling AL Central despite just scoring 30 runs in a 3 game sweep of the Mariners. Friday night the Twins bats jumped all over the Grrrs with a 9 run performance. Mike Lamb even got a home run, his first in almost a year. Hooray! Last time the Tigers looked to be turning things around the Twins swept 'em in Minnesota. I know the Twins aren;t anything to brag about but it's nice to see a team that spent a lot and is built to win struggle like this. Meanwhile while the Tigers continue to blow and the Twins play around .500. The White Sox are red hot. The currently own a 2.5 game lead over Minnesota. Tonight look for the Grrrs to jump on Boof Bonser as he likes to allow at least 4 runs in the first inning. Look for the Twins lefties like Morneau and Mauer to struggle against left handed starter Robertson. I have a feeling this one could be ugly, but theres always hope.

Hits keep coming as Twins rout Rangers

Perkins pitched solid and I think may keep a spot in the rotation even when Baker comes back. I believe Slowey will be the odd man out or maybe even Boof. No home runs in this one just alot of hits. The Twins did a much better job of getting guys in as the were able to get 11 runs on 13 hits. So thats 18 runs in 2 games for the Twins. Cuddyer was even able to get a double in this one and Delmong Young had another triple. They have taken the first 2 of this 4 game set with Texas and still have 2 more to go. Tonite former Twin Sidney Ponson comes in with the Rangers to face Blackburn. Lets hope this offensive trend continues. Ponson is actually 2-0 in 5 starts this season with a 3.52 ERA.

Wolves to pick 3rd in NBA draft.

We should have known, that if the draft included 2 can't miss NBA ready players at the top that the Wolves would end up picking 3rd. Well I guess it's there own fault for winning too many games last year and not giving themselves a better chance. This is the reason why I hate the draft lottery. Chicago ends up with the number one pick despite having the 9th worst record in the league. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I guess if you just did the draft by record only, there would be a lot more tanking games at the end of seasons, but I have a new idea. How about you take the 5 worst teams and only give them a shot at the number 1 pick. That would be more fair. You could come up with a system where depending on how you finished the season and where you had a chance to pick. Lets say a team finished with the 8th worst record, they could pick no higher than 3rd and now lower than 10. The number 1 worst team would be guaranteed in the top 3 and still have the best chance at 1. That way you wouldn't have a team from the middle jumping up like Chicago. Either way you can't complain about the Wolves because they are picking where they are supposed to be, Brook Lopez seems like a logical choice, can't go wrong with a 7 footer, right?

Timberwolves Post: Wolves have 13.8 percent chance at number 1 pick.

The T-wolves rarely made any news this past season. The post Kevin Garnett era brought them their worst season in 10 years. Young talent is all we have been told about this team. The wolves will have another chance to add a piece in this years NBA draft. They hold the third highest chance at that number one pick. A slot in the top 2 would guarantee them a chance at Micheal Beasley or Derek Rose. After that there is a significant drop off. The Wolves have never held the number one pick, in fact the highest pick they have had was 3. Chritian Laetner in 1992. They had the worst record that year and missed out on Shaq, even though they had the best chance to get him. Last year the lottery was weird the Blazers won it despite having the 7th best chance so anything is possible. The Heat have the best chance at 25% followed by the Sonics at 19% and the Wolves at 13.8%. Luck has not been on the Wolves side in the lottery ever, so lets hope that changes tonite.

Twins use all they've got to beat Rangers in 12

There weren't many people there to see it, but is was quite the crazy night. It took every available player the Twins had to knock off the hot of late Rangers and get the Twins back to .500.

Lets start from the top. Alexi Cassilla hit his first major league home run to give the Twins a 4-2 lead. That's right Casilla. Things were looking good in the 7th for Boof when with one out he threw away a potential double play to end it by throwing the ball into center. 2 runs would later score until Guerrier had to come in to bail him out. Dennis Reyes tried to hold off the Rangers in the 8th but couldn't do it giving up the lead after a couple straight hits. That set the tone for the Twins to trail 6-5 entering the 9th. The Twins put together a little rally and Joe Mauer managed a bloop single to tie the game. Onto the 11th were veteran bull pen pitcher Rincon walked 2 to load the bases. Fans booed as he left and in came Bobby Korecky. He forced Bradley to pop out and faced Micheal Young with the bases loaded. Korecky struck out Young to get them out. If that wasn't crazy enough Korecky had to bat the next inning because of a double switch pulled earlier and he even got a hit. The Twins had a great chance to win it in the 11th, bases loaded 1 out, Morneau stikes out, Cuddyer grounds out. But in the 12th another unlikely hero came through as Howie Clark hit a double over Hamilton's head to drive in Gomez to win the game. Whew!

Thoughts

Cuddyer is really slumping right now, he left 9 runners on base in this one. Maybe its time to give Kubel or Monroe some time out there. Rincon has really lost it, he and Crain have become very unreliable. This win should help moral in the clubhouse but there is still a lot of holes in the Twins lineup, rotation and bullpen that need to be addressed before this team competes for real.

Twins lose 2 of 3 in first ever series at Coors Field

I really thought the sweep of the Twins by the Blue Jays would be a wake up call to this team. They came out Friday night and played a pretty solid game to snap the losing streak and lost in extras on Saturday. Sunday's game was a complete and utter disaster. The Twins played like a team with no heart. Dropping pop ups, committing errors all over the field, failing to get runners over, this is not Twins baseball. The Twins have always built there success over the past 6 years around decent pitching, excellent defense, aggressive base running and timely hitting. Right now the Twins are doing none of that. Something will have to change for the Twins and soon. Losing 5 of 6 like this can quickly put you out of the race in what will be a competitive American League Central. I don't have much else to say today. Another bad team coming into the Metrodome tonite as the Rangers come into town. Twins are in desperate need of a win here tonite. Boof will be on the hill tonite so lets hope he can get through the first inning with out allowing 4 or more runs.

Makes my Stomach Turn!

Theres no better way to start a home stand than taking 3 of 4 from the World champs. There is no better way to end one by losing 3 in a row to the Blue Jays. Meanwhile division rival Cleveland was completed a sweep of the A's to strengthen their lead on the AL central. The Jays somehow brought out all of the Twin's flaws in this series and exposed them for what they are.

Lets face it, the Twins are a mediocre team as far as talent wise. Most people picked them to finish 4th in the division or even last. So we should be happy that they made to the 1st quarter mark at .500 and in second place. But I think a lot of Twins fans keep thinking what could have been.

But since the Twins have hit the 1st quarter mark, I will go through my 1st quarter review.

1st quarter review

3 good things.

1. Livan Hernandez
This is turning out to be a great signing for the Twins so far. He has put up a 6-1 record with one complete game. The Twins have also one 8 of his starts. So he has come in and been a rotation ace and hopefully a losing streak stopper.
2. Carlos Gomez
I know he isn't putting up stellar numbers or anything, but I really like this kid. His speed alone makes him such a weapon. If only he could raise that OBP and get on base more to do more damage. His fielding needs some work too, but I think he could be a star in a couple years. Plus he has given the Twins something to feel good about after losing Santana.
3. Nathan
I can't say enough good things about Joe Nathan. Re-signing him was the best move by Bill Smith so far. He is very important to the teams success. In 12 save opportunities he has 12 saves and no losses. If for some reason the season falls apart, he is valuable trade bait as well.

3 disappointments

1. Liriano
This has to be the most disappointing thin for the Twins season by far. Such high hopes for this guy and it appears his confidence is gone. Just think 2 years ago we were looking at 2 plus years with Liriano and Santana topping the rotation. Liriano gets hurt and everything changes. I really feel for the guy and I hope he can bounce back sometime down the road, but the rotation will not be the same without him.
2. The Delmon Young Trade
Well I have to say this trade is a failure so far. Delmon Young may turn out to be a hall of famer some day but for now the Rays seem to have gotten the better deal. Bartlett is still a below average hitter but I think Garza is going to be a big part of their rotation. and will be missed by the Twins. The worst thing is that young has no HRs and only 4 extra base hits. He was supposed to provide some power and replace Hunters production. The Twins took a gamble and lost a good young starter and haven't seen any rewards yet.
3. Fundamentals
It seems the Twins aren't playing like the Twins of old. Poor fielding, slow double play turns, misjudging fly balls, throwing errors and horrible base running. These mistakes have been going on all year and were especially present in the Jays series. This is not Twins baseball, the Twins used to be the highlight of web gems every night now they are a laughing stock.

Bottom Line
OK so I am not satisfied with .500 at this point because I know it could have been better. I would like to see a few things happen in the next quarter.
1. Young's production go way up.
2. Tolbert becomes an everyday second baseman.
3. Gomez draws more walks.

Those are just a few things that could help the team but they need a lot of work. Next up is the Rockies in Colorado. The defending N.L. champs have struggled this year to a 15-26 record and have lost 5 in a row. Lets hope the Twins streak is the one that ends tonight as Blackburn 3-2 (3.93) takes on Jimenez 1-4 (5.53).

Mistakes, Mistakes, Mistakes Twins lost second in a row to Jays.

After getting all Twins fans excited by taking 3 of 4 from the Red Sox, the Twins have now disappointed us by losing the first two to the last place Toronto Blue Jays. Uncharacteristically fielding blunders have been a big part of the losses. I won't go into detail, but slow double play turns, misjudged balls off the wall have led to extra base runners and extra runs. Last night Crain had caught Rolen trying to steal 3rd in the 8th, in stead of running at him, he fired the ball to 3rd where Mike Lamb couldn't get it and the ball sailed into right and Rolen scored an important insurance run. If that play doesn't happen Kubel's double in the 8th ties it. By the way Kubel is a guy I would like to see get more at bats. He has about 30 less at bats than Delmon Young and has produced 5 more home runs and 9 more RBI, young has 4 extra base hits and Kubel has 10. I know Young is a fighter and wants to play every day, but I just think you need to send a message to him. He was brought her for power and offensive production, his average is going up but his power is not. Singles are great but when you have Lamb and Everett hitting behind you they wont do much good.

Boof Bonser once again struggled in the first giving up a grand slam to Matt Stairs (who has been very hot lately). The Twins found themselves in a 4-0 hole early. Boof managed to only give up one more run during the next 5 innings but he has got to settle down in the first so the Twins aren't in such a hole.

Well the bad news is the loss dropped the Twins out of first place, so the week and half run is over for the time being. Perkins will be on the mound today for his second career start against Dustin MocGowan as the Jays go for the sweep. Hopefully the Twins can get a fire in them and get a big win today to avoid this sweep. The Twins need momentum for the weekend series in Colorado against the Rockies.

What? Yes that's right the Twins play the Rockies this weekend? I don't get it either, why are they not playing the Brewers? Why are the St. Louis Cardinals playing Tampa Bay? Why are the White Sox playing the Giants? The Yankees are playing the Mets, so why not all the other rivalry series at the same time? I don't get it at all. Either way, I think it will be the first time for the Twins in Coors field. Preview of this series to come.

Timely hitting leads to series win over Sox

Timely hitting. Its such an important factor in baseball. Getting those big hits with runners on base. This is what the Twins will have to do this season in order to compete and this is what they did last night. Monreau, Monroe and Young all had big hits with runners on to provide the Twins with seven runs in the game. The Twins have now averages 6.4 runs per game in May compared to 3 or so in April. The win gives the Twins win number 20 and Livan Hernandez win number 6 on the season.
The adventure continues tonite as the Twins start a 3 game set against the Blue Jays. The Jays have had good pitching as of late so lets hope the Twins can keep up their offensive momentum and get another series win.

Offense comes alive, Nathan barely holds off Sox in ninth for the win

What a game, what a finish! In yesterdays post I mentioned that the offense would have to come alive to get wins against this Red Sox team and sunday night it did. Monroe hit 2 bombs and even Adam Everett hit one. The Twins had scored enough runs to be ahead of the Sox 9-6 entering the ninth. Then came the drama. J.D. Drew had just doubled in a run and the Sox had 2nd and 3rd with one out. Crisp hit one off Nathan onto the turf, Nathan alertly got Drew trying for third and only one run scored and now there was two outs. Manny pinch hit for the Sox and grounded out to Everett to finally put this one in the books. Whew! Nathan had his 12th save of the season.

The win kept the Twins in first for at least one more day and clinchedy at least a split in the 4 game series with the Red Sox. I was very happy with the Twins ability to score runs early and finally get some home runs on the board as well. What worries me is the bullpen. With Nehshek out the road to Nathan is not looking very good. Nick Blackburn put up a decent showing allowing 4 runs in 6.

Tonite 6:10 Clay Bucholz 2-2 at Livan Hernandez 5-1

Livan is coming off his perfect game last week. The Red Sox have very good hitters so hopefully Livan can change speeds and get them to produce lot of ground outs. Once again the Twins will need a lot of offense to win. Lineup changes inlcude Redmond at catcher Mauer at DH, Monroe in left, Harris at 2nd and Casilla at short. Twins loooking for win number 20 and a series win over the Sox.

Solo shots spoil Perkins Debut

Glen Perkins shined for 6 innings in his major league starting debut, giving up just one solo home run to Kevin Youkilus in the 2nd inning. The Twins held a 2 run lead heading into the 7th. Perkins came out to start the 7th and gave up back to back jacks to the Red Sox number 8 and 9 hitters, Crisp and Lowrie. The Twins would not score again for the rest of the game and end up losing 5-2. Tough loss as it would have been nice to see Perkins get a win in his first start.

Perkins was pitching well but it may have been a mistake to send him out there to start inning number seven. Six innings and only 1 run is great for a first start and seven may have been pushing it. Sending out Rincon/Reyes to get to Nathan might have been a better idea. Either way the Twins still did not provide the offense to beat the powerful Sox. The left the bases loaded in second and only got one run. Carlos Gomez did a great job by drawing a walk. Cuddyer also hit into a double play in the 5th to kill a Twins rally. The Twins will have to find a way to get their offense going if the hope to take one of the two remaining games in the series.

Tonite 7:05 ESPN Red Sox vs. Twins

Tim Wakefield 3-1 vs Nick Blackburn 2-2.

Old Veteran vs the young rookie in Blackburn. Twins will need to get into a groove offensively and score more than 2 runs to win this one. Should be interesting to watch how the Twins perform on the national stage in another battle of first place teams.

Lamb's big hit gives Twins big win

After losing 2 of 3 to the White Sox, the Twins now seemed in trouble as they faced 3 games against a very good Red Sox team. After giving up two separte leads in the game, the Twins had a big chance in the 8th inning as Everett doubled off the wall and Delmon Young attempted to score from first. If safe he would have tied the game but a great throw by Pedroia got him and the Red Sox held on to a 6-5 lead. Then came the bottom of the 9th. The twins looked over matched as their 7,8,9 hitters were comming to the plate against on of the game's best closers. Delmon Young singled and was sacraficed to third by Tolbert. Everett popped out and Young stole thrid as Gomez walked and proceeded to steal second on the first pitch. Lamb was caught in an 1-2 hole before he hit a beauty to left scoring Young and Gomez for the win.

This was a big win for the Twins. They beat one of the better teams in baseball and remain in first place and over .500 for at least on more day. Who knows how they will fare in the next 3 games of the series but at least there wont be a sweep.

Tonite's game will feature Matsuzaka against Glen Perkins. Perkins will be making his first start of the season. Matsuzaka ia 5-0 with a 2.43 era. Good luck Twins!