News: Minnesota Twins News & Analysis

Josmil Pinto and Enabling Ron Gardenhire

Thu, 20 Mar 2014 20:36:00 +0000

http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/03/8351650-590x900.jpg To begin, I like Ron Gardenhire. A lot of it stems from nostalgia, but I appreciate his candor, as well as his general stewardship of the Twins during his tenure with the team. Like many, I have been confused and befud...

Finding Offense

Thu, 20 Mar 2014 14:31:00 +0000

The vibe down here in Ft. Myers is that the pitching will definitely improve this year. Although Vance Worley's ugly outing on Tuesday may still be fresh in your mind, various coaches and media types have commented on how sharp guys like Phil Hughes, Mike Pelfrey and Ricky Nolasco have looked. Kyle...

Wednesday Notes From Ft. Myers

Wed, 19 Mar 2014 22:45:00 +0000

* The Twins' lineup on Tuesday looked an awful lot like one we might see in the regular season, and that makes sense since we're less than two weeks from Opening Day and everyone was rested following a rainout on Monday. I asked Ron Gardenhire after the game if we should make anything out of Alex Pr...

Hughes Could Be Huge For Twins

Wed, 19 Mar 2014 18:30:00 +0000

It was only a minor-league start against Single-A hitters, but still the reviews of Phil Hughes on Tuesday were glowing. "I thought he looked really good, really sharp," said assistant GM Rob Antony. "Hughesy threw the [expletive] out of the ball," said Ron Gardenhire. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There's a...

Out of Answers

Wed, 19 Mar 2014 05:50:00 +0000

There's really no way to put a positive spin on Vance Worley's start Tuesday night. With his chance of making the team very much on the line after back-to-back clunkers, the righty came out and delivered the worst outing of this spring -- for him or any other Twins starter. The final line: 2.2 IP, 7...

An Unexpected Twist

Wed, 19 Mar 2014 01:34:00 +0000

I awake with sore hands and forearms, worry and stress cause me to clench my fists while I sleep- an outward manifestation of an inward feeling. My body tenses up in reaction to the stresses of life. The only way I am able to defend against my stress reaction is through letting go, through surrender...

Tuesday Notes From Ft. Myers

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 20:47:00 +0000

Overcast skies in the morning gave way to a bright sun, and this Tuesday has turned into a beautiful one here in Ft. Myers, where the Twins are getting set to face off against the Rays in a couple hours. To tide you over until then, here are a few notes gathered from wandering around the complex th...

Overvaluing Suzuki behind the plate?

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 17:58:00 +0000

The starting catcher’s job: it is almost a forgone conclusion that the position belongs to Kurt Suzuki to start the year. Josmil Pinto, with his impressive September campaign, will be in the passenger’s seat when the season begins on March 31 in Chicago. 1500ESPN.com’s Phil Mackey outlines a few o...

Twins Hangouts: Tuesday, March 18

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 12:42:00 +0000

Join us tonight at 8:30 to talk Twins Baseball. Seth is back home, so he should be less tired (in theory). Ask us lots of Twins and Twins minor league questions. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ...

Spring Training Report - 3/16/2014: Dueling Aces and MILB games

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 12:14:00 +0000

Sunday was Minnesota Day at Hammond Stadium, which apparently means that a whole bunch of people get early at the ballpark to tailgate at the parking lot and is a pain to find parking spots. I arrived just in time for the two intrasquad games[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] (AAA vs AA) and (A+ vs A) at Fiel...

Red-Seamed, Rose-Colored, Heart-Shaped Glasses

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 11:54:00 +0000

Bummed Darin Mastroianni got sent to minor league camp. My unpleasant mood has nothing to do with strategy or intellect. I am bummed because my friends who got autographs from him said he was a great guy. Mostly, I am bummed because I liked to pretend he was secretly a stubbly private investigator i...

Escobar Impressing at SS

Mon, 17 Mar 2014 04:32:00 +0000

From the beginning, there was never really any doubt that Eduardo Escobar was going to make the 25-man roster out of spring training. The intriguing young infield talent is out of options and the Twins, short on infield help, were not going to let him slip away. That hasn't stopped the 25-year-old f...