stringer bell

Great job Chi-Town! I, too, am on vay-cay so I slept in until 7:30. That's what sleeping in is when you are ancient. Regarding Tommy Milone, I want to see him hit. He homered in his first at-bat as a National. Secondly, Milone has a small margin for error (so it seems for all the Twins starters), but when he's sharp, he can be very effective. I think the Twins will have better swings against Fiers than they did earlier this month. I am hoping Rosario breaks out with a multi-hit game, he is in a little snag. Let's hope the Twins win this series and on to Cincinnati.

Positives: #3 Promotion of top prospects. We've seen Meyer, Rosario, and Buxton. I suspect we'll see Sano at some point. #2 Rotation. While the peripherals still seem to say the Twins are outpitching their abilities, the expectation for the starters has been raised. We don't expect bad starts and we expect at least six innings. Expectations are most often being met or exceeded. #1 Brian Dozier. Dozier has moved close to elite, he is second among all second basemen in OPS and third in WAR (if you value that number). I thought he should have been club MVP the last two years. This year there is no doubt. Negatives: #3 Disappointments in young players. D Santana, Vargas, and Arcia haven't done well. In SSS, top prospects Meyer and Buxton haven't set the world on fire. #2 Bullpen. Perkins has been outstanding, Fien is okay as an 8th inning guy, but would fit better in the seventh, Boyer has been good, after that, mediocrity and worse. Leads don't feel safe until the ball is in Perkins' hand. #1 Mauer. As much as Dozier has improved, Mauer has slipped. The last week or two have offered a ray of hope, but he doesn't look anything like a batting champion. I'm disappointed, too, with his defense. He's been at first a year and a half and still is not close to making instinctual plays. Witness a recent non-throw to second for any easy force or cutting a ball that had a good chance of getting a runner at the plate.

As long as this team has a winning record (and barring injury), the place for Miguel Sano with the Twins is DH. Vargas hasn't done near enough to block a Top Ten prospect. Maybe Plouffe's paternity leave falls over the All-Star break? If not, sure, bring Sano up for a taste.

The PR guys at the Twins front office seem to have decided that Dozier should be on the All-Star team. The pre-game featured Dozier and every time he did something there was more praise. It's remindful of the way Hunter has been treated since he has come back to Minnesota. Dozier is All-Star worthy, but it's too late for him to win the vote. Why beat the drum for something that isn't going to happen? It is going to be in the hands of the AL manager and the league. I have been thinking about Dozier being an All-Star for weeks, but the best thing for him is eliminating unworthy or marginal candidates from winning the vote. I don't think he's a sure thing, but his recent surge makes his case better. The Twins late PR push really won't do anything.

You've got me hangin' Chief, what is the answer?

Also, Dozier's over .270? Less than a week ago, he had dropped into the .250s. Give that young man an All-Star berth!

I haven't seen much of the Twins in the last 3-4 days, but I'm sensing that Rosario is in a bit of a snag.

The bad outing puts a bulls-eye on May's back. If he is ineffective next time out, I would guess Santana will take his spot.

Just got home, looks like a pretty good outing for Gibson. It won't look that good if Boyer allows the guys on base to score. Anyway, Garza won't win today.

Well, this is one DVR I won't be watching. Actually, I'd like to see Meyer's first outing, rocky though it was.

Concur. You don't look old enough. Then again, any self-respecting gentleman would yield his seat to a woman.

What about Hicks? He's eligible to be off the DL in three days and before Buck's injury there was no obvious place for him to play.

Nice job RiverBrian. Enjoy the game on Saturday. BTW, will you be a regular when the Tigers host the Twins?

It won't surprise me to see Escobar in left, or Robinson in center. It also wouldn't surprise me to see Santana in center for the weekend. No controversy about leadoff, Dozier hits there. Let's hope that Hicks is ready to go Monday.

Hicks was disabled on a Sunday, so his 15 weeks would be over this Sunday. If he says he is ready and the Twins agree, he should be back in center field for the Reds series. I wouldn't mind seeing Rosario in center for a day or two, but Santana played center at Miller Park last year and Robinson is the far more experienced center fielder. If he and Rosario are starting then Robinson should probably be in center. Regarding Buxton, it is technique that got him injured, not the act of the headfirst slide. Almost every speedy runner uses the headfirst slide, for good reason. I suppose they will use rehab time for him and it will be no sure thing that he returns to Minnesota when his rehab is up. Comparing Hicks month+ to Buxton's two weeks--Hicks was just as good defensively and hit slightly better. Hicks was actually better on the bases, but he doesn't have game-changing speed like Buxton has.

I think Meyer will get his feet wet in a mop-up role. Once he is past the nerves of throwing his first pitch, getting his first strikeout etc., the role is undetermined. It would be great if Meyer shows enough to join Fien, Boyer and Perkins at the back end of the bullpen. I doubt that will happen, but time will tell.

While the Twins are still in position to make the playoffs, they have had a poor month of June. They are 9-14 despite playing most of their games at home so far this month. The fault has fallen almost totally on the offense. Starting pitching and the back of the bullpen have been good, and defense has improved. The Twins first face the Brewers, cellar dwellers in the NL Central, then the Reds, also below .500, before facing the Royals for four in KC. They won't have the DH for the next week, but they will have a tall reinforcement in their bullpen. Alex Meyer will make his big league debut sometime in the next week I am sure. The Brewer series is interesting. The Twins will face the same three starters they saw earlier in Minneapolis for this weekend. None of them are having outstanding seasons. However, they were good enough to win two of three in Minnesota in the first weekend of the month. Milwaukee has a decent lineup when everybody is healthy, with quite a bit of right handed power. I expect youngsters Buxton and Rosario to make a big impact in the series, while the veteran core of the lineup also produces. It will be on to Cincinnati from there. I haven't seen much of the Reds, but I do remember the park as being a bandbox. Home runs will be hit, and the Twins must hit their share. The Reds host the All-Star game, so Perkins and Dozier probably will be looking at making return trips soon after they play there. Finally, a trip to Kansas City in July. Odds are good that it will be hot. Odds are slightly less good that the Twins will be within sight of the Royals by that time so that the series could be a battle for first place. The Twins will need to make their hits count early in the game because KC's bullpen remains dominant. Twins pitchers will need to hold the seven (or eight or nine) Royals All-Stars in check. The Twins certainly are in the race right now with June winding down. A 5-5 or better roadie will keep them there. If the trip is disappointing, we might be seeing proof that they really aren't in the race despite a record that says they are. Day to day, we fans complain that no action is being taken, but eventually things happen. Top prospects Rosario, Buxton and now Meyer have been recalled, nobody is going to remember two years from now who started the season in center field and the other premium reinforcements might be on their way before the leaves are turning. It has been fun and there is hope for more fun in the summer of 2015.

Good news for Dozier's All-Star prospects--Pedroia will be on the Disabled List almost until the All-Star Game. Dozier holds an overall statistical edge over him anyway, but with the injury Dozier will have the edge in all the counting numbers. If three second basemen make the club, it will be the winner of the votes (perhaps Altuve) plus Kipnis and Dozier should be a third pick. I think he's one of the top 30 players in the AL.

It looks to me like any of the bottom half of the bully could be released/optioned--Thompson, Duensing, Meyer.

I read somewhere that Hicks is not guaranteed a call-up after his rehab. I was about to start a separate thread entitled "Hicks or Buxton?" because it still looks like if Hicks is playing for the Twins it will be in center field. Back on topic, I guess nothing would surprise me and a Bernier call-up won't enrage me. I guess, all in all, I most want to see Meyer because the bullpen is where the biggest problem is.

The bullpen is fully rested, the Twins currently have four bench players (Herrmann, Escobar, Robinson, Vargas) ready to pinch hit or fill in and will have a rested starting rotation after the off day. They have two straight series in NL parks so it could be anyone. Santana is off the suspended list in 10 days, so whoever is called up could be returned.

In the minor league transactions, it says Oliveros was suspended for hitting someone. Probably is appealing, but will have to serve the suspension. He isn't getting anyone out now anyway. He won't be recalled now.

Arcia isn't in the Red Wings lineup tonight, Santana is back at shortstop. Rogers is starting for Rochester.

I hope somebody tweets that they're coming to the Twins. I hate not knowing.

I guess it won't be Hicks, the Twins website says he is going to Rochester for rehab. I really would like the team to add another hitter. Something that seems to work against Tonkin is that he doesn't go more than an inning, while Pressly (and Graham for that matter) have gone multiple innings. The LH portion of the bullpen, not counting Perkins, is the weak link of the bullpen.