stringer bell

Not much control for Pelfrey this inning.

I imagine there won't be much traffic on the game thread, what with it being a nice Saturday evening and the Purple playing at the same time.

Buck with more good defense. I hope he gets up this inning.

Lineup notes: Buxton to #9. Dozier back to leadoff. Esco stays @ #2 and Robinson gets a day off.

Pretty obviously, Arcia will be over two years service, but won't be eligible for arbitration as a "Super 2". The Twins will have four full years of control and he will be up for arbitration after next year.

Beating my own drum a bit, I wrote a blog entry about that issue. Since they are legitimately in a pennant race, I expect at least two and probably three relievers and a minimum of two position players (probably three) on Tuesday. IIRC, Hicks is eligible to return from the DL on Thursday.

It seems to me that it really doesn't matter how many left handers are in the bullpen. It matters whether they can get hitters out. Perkins looked good last night, Cotts is a veteran guy and Duensing has had a nice career and is pitching better late than he did early. O'Rourke is supposed to be a LOOGy and he had immediate success in that role. I guess I'd rather have a bench bat than O'Rourke, but with the use the bullpen has endured in the last two weeks, it makes some sense to keep an extra arm in the bullpen.

Yeah, we know, Steven Drew, not big bro JD. I, for one, wasn't in favor of signing Drew and I was right about that. Esco was a pretty good find for Terry Ryan. He can hit enough and play satisfactory defense. I'm thinking right now that the Twins biggest weaknesses in the first half have all ticked up in the late going. Although Jepsen made the ninth last night way too interesting, the realigned bullpen has been outstanding for the last 10 days, Suzuki has picked up his play lately (passed ball notwithstanding) and Escobar has more than stabilized shortstop.

September 1st is almost here. The Twins play Houston twice more and then they can have the luxury of an expanded roster going forward. They are certain to recall some players and a couple guys have earned a look with outstanding seasons. There are service time and 40-man roster considerations as well. This year, the Twins are in the wild card chase, so they won't recall young players just to get a look at them or grant playing time to see what they can do. The goal will be to recall players who will help them win games. Here's my thumbnail on the possible call-ups: Pitchers: The Twins probably need fortification of a overused bullpen, even though they already have eight guys pitching out of the bullpen. There are candidates for recall at Rochester. AJ Achter--He's had a good year in Rochester. He provided some innings when recalled by the Twins, although his numbers were skewed by his first couple of outings in blowouts. He's a near certainty to be recalled. Michael Tonkin--He has bounced between Rochester and the Twins, recording very good numbers in Triple A, but not doing enough to stay around with the major league club. Tonkin is a big hard-thrower who should provide strikeout potential. I'm sure he'll get yet another shot next month, but so far his development has been a disappointment. Alex Meyer--Bust? Maybe, but he has put together a pretty good stretch out of the bullpen for the last three weeks. Since August 1st, he has allowed only two runs in 16 innings, walking seven, while fanning 14. Meyer has a big fastball and potential to develop other plus pitches. If the Twins were out of the race, he probably would get a bunch of innings. As it is, he isn't certain of a recall--his overall numbers aren't very good. I think the Twins will recall him and see if maybe something has clicked for the big right hander. JO Berrios--Without question, his possible recall will be the most discussed on this site. Berrios is young, hard-working and has mastered two levels in 150+ innings of work in the minors. He has been exclusively a starting pitcher, but could be used as a key bullpen piece because of the number of innings his young arm has thrown. Business considerations are also present for Berrios. He isn't on the 40-man roster and adding service time now may cost the Twins money and a prime season from a guy who might become an ace. Finally, and this is my opinion, it would be nice to reward someone who has had a great minor league season, on the verge of dominant. I think the Twins will resist recalling Berrios for business and innings reasons, but if injury or ineffectiveness (I'm looking at you Ervin Santana!) present a clear role for him, they will call up their top pitching prospect. Position Players: The Twins have operated most of the second half with a three-man bench, hardly the optimum number of bench players. Certainly they will add a couple of hitters, looking for someone to provide a long ball or key pinch hit. Playing time on the field could be tough to get, especially with Aaron Hicks due to return from the disabled list on September 3rd. Kennys Vargas--Vargas has had a disappointing year, starting the season as the Twins' DH, but not holding the job. He has been demoted twice, the second time to AA. The numbers aren't dominant, but Vargas has done well since his second demotion. There is clearly a need for a pinch-hitter with power potential and Vargas would be the first candidate for that spot. Kennys would also be a near-lock to be on the 25-man roster if the Twins squeak into the playoffs. I expect Vargas on the bench for the Twins game on Tuesday vs. the White Sox. Oswaldo Arcia--Similar story to Vargas. He didn't set the world on fire or address his weaknesses while starting the season as the Twins' left fielder. Disabled, then demoted, he has failed to thrive. One hot streak has been overwhelmed by terrible offensive numbers. We don't know if the problem is physical or mental, but right now Arcia can't help the contending Twins to win games. I can't see him being recalled. Danny Santana--Yet another young Twins starting position player who disappointed if not outright failed for the major league team. Santana has been demoted twice and is more than holding his own as a Triple A player. He provides the Twins with some versatility (shortstop and center field) and a viable pinch running option. Santana should be back on September 1. Josmil Pinto--The sad story of 2015 just might have a better ending. Pinto was injured in spring training, optioned to Rochester to "get work" and then struggled and was injured. The problem was one or more concussions, which could spell the end of his career as a catcher. In the last month, Pinto has finally gotten on the field as a DH, rehabbed in the low minors and come back to Rochester. He hit a grand slam the other day and if his hitting has recovered, he could be another bench bat. I don't know if the Twins would consider him as a third catcher or not. Regardless, if the offensive part of his game is healthy, Pinto has shown he can be a big-league hitter. I'm guessing he gets recalled, but won't don the "tools of ignorance" unless there is an emergency. Jorge Polanco--Polanco has had a good year. He has spent the bulk of the season in Chattanooga and shown he can handle AA pitching. He competed well at Triple A and had another cup of coffee with the Twins. Polanco hasn't had a great year defensively. I don't think he profiles as a regular shortstop. As for recall, I don't think it would hurt to have him recalled, but probably only after the Lookouts finish their playoff run. Max Kepler--There is a case for him to be the Minor League Player of the Year for the Twins. He is leading the SL in several categories including the "saber triple crown" of OBP, Slugging and OPS. Kepler is on the 40-man roster and certainly will be looked at as an option in the outfield next year, especially with the implosion of Oswaldo Arcia. I think that he stays put until the Southern League playoffs are over. Depending on what has happened with the Twins in those couple weeks, perhaps he will get a look at the tail end of the season. As with Berrios, he has earned a promotion based on his performance on the field. To summarize, I think the Twins recall Vargas, Santana, Achter and Tonkin for sure. I think Meyer gets another shot and Pinto (if healthy) is added as well. Polanco and Kepler are added after the AA playoffs. Arcia goes home to heal whatever ails him and Berrios is on standby.

The short bench is a fact of life with a 13-man pitching staff, which has been made necessary because of a succession of short starts. The addition of Cotts and Jepsen, plus (perhaps) a rejuvenated Boyer has helped greatly, but there aren't a lot of options in the organization for "bench bat". It could have been Arcia, but he has failed miserably at AAA. Vargas is swinging better, is a switch hitter and could run into a pitch now and then. He should be up as soon as the pitching staff allows or 9/1 if it doesn't.

Buxton looked totally out of it at the plate. I said yesterday that Molitor seemed to be in playoff mode managing and that would mean that development a player's egos are not a priority. It is too bad that seemingly 20 straight short starts have necessitated an eight-man bullpen leaving the Twins with poor and worse options to pinch-hit, but Buxton didn't look like he stood a chance against mediocre fastballs from Smyly, it seems pretty likely he would have had a noncompetitive at-bat vs. Boxberger.

I agree Chief. If May is a boss in the bullpen, it might be worth it. The Twins bullpen has gone much older since the trip began (adding Cotts and Boyer) and was better for it short-term. However, if they want a strong bullpen they need more than sketchy guys leading up to a closer and it seems to me that May and Jepsen fit that bill.

Not looking good early.

Looks like the Twins will need a win to hold their place--LAA have won, Texas is winning (than Hendriks!) and also Baltimore is behind the Royals.

Robinson for Rosario tonight. Less a fan of this than when Sugar Shane replaces Hunter.

I like Escobar. He plays hard, but with a smile on his face. His numbers are middle of the road, at least. I think I understand why there is reluctance to make him an everyday player. He is an average runner, with average range at a key defensive position. The third baseman of the present doesn't have great range and neither does the third baseman of the future. Santana will provide little extra value on the bases and he'll never be selective or a slugger. So, even at a young age, he's perceived as having reached his ceiling. Add to this the versatility he has provided and I can see why shortstop hasn't been handed to him. Having just said all of that, I think the job should be his until he loses it. He's fine hitting somewhere between 7 and 9, and he provides an occasional offensive spark while playing very dependable defense.

Another interesting game. Molitor is managing like these are playoff games. He went with the hot hand to close the game and when Boyer looked good he kept him in. The starters are not giving innings like they were earlier and this continues to keep the bench a hitter short, but everyone is compensating. Contributions from everyone two games in a row. I'll take Esco as the shortstop. He won't make many highlight reel defensive plays, but he turns outs into outs. Buxton's speed is impressive. Rosario's arm is outstanding. I still say put him in right and Hicks in left. Herrmann had a couple hits and got credit for nabbing a runner. I'd like to see Milone go seven tomorrow with May for the eighth and Perkins for the ninth (and a save). It would top off a real rags-to-riches road trip.

I figured this out finally. The Twins started their series in Baltimore (and their winning streak) on May 32nd!

Now the mlb.com site is giving the Twins a 14.4% chance, up significantly with the wins this weekend and last night. Tampa, despite being two games behind the Twins has a higher probability, but the Orioles have fallen behind. Angels and Rangers also have a higher projection than Minnesota.

The Twins MLB site reports that Boyer has been activated, with JR Graham on the DL for "shoulder inflammation". I don't know what this means for Graham making the team next year (I believe he'll have to be on the roster as many days as he was disabled) and I don't know what this means as far as spots on the playoff roster.

Eight straight in 2011, that was like 15% of their wins! Nice job, Brock. You might have a future, but again you might end up AAAA.

Thanks SSOO. I had forgotten that Graham finished the third and that Dozier untied the game for good after that. I guess Graham had to be the winning pitcher. That's his first win. Congratulations to him.

The baseball purist in me is a little upset that the win went to Graham.

It's not exactly the same, but Santana's season reminds me of the Morales signing. Morales started out decently and everyone marveled that he could hit without a spring training. He tailed off dramatically after that. Santana missed half a season, but three of his first four starts were outstanding. Now it seems like everything is catching up with him. Maybe, like Morales, he come back and be his former self next year. I also wonder how long he was using steroids and if his arm is recovering enough and there isn't as much life on his pitches, as witnessed by the poor strikeout rate.

yes, it is bad. Good thing they got a touchdown instead of settling for a field goal.