stringer bell

This is about his abrasive personality on a losing team, no? When last I looked, AJ was hitting satisfactorily for a catcher.

It would fit to have him start in Denver on Friday. He's 29. It is probably time for him (and Pino) to see if they can consistently get major league hitters out.

The recall of Herrmann and disabling of Nolasco seem to me to be temporary. There is no verified starter for Friday, the Twins will be playing with NL rules on the weekend, and the All-Star break follows the weekend. Santana is eligible to be reinstated on Sunday and Mauer would be eligible to return on Friday, the first day of action after the break. It seems certain that some moves will be made in the next week. Here is my stab at transactions: I think the Twins will start Kris Johnson on Friday. They have three catchers so they can option Fryer. Next, they can activate Santana on Sunday. The obvious move would be to option Johnson unless he would wow them in Denver (doubtful). Another scenario would be to option Pino after his start on Thursday since he wouldn't be needed until four or five days after the break. The problem with all of this is that there really is no one to call up on the 40-man roster. Pinto is yet another catcher and he hasn't played in about two weeks. The team doesn't need another infielder and the only OFs on the roster are Hicks and Kepler. Kennys Vargas is on the 40-man, but he is tending to the birth of a child, has slumped lately and is in the Future's Game. If Mauer is activated on Friday, the 18th, the club can stand to be a starter short until Tuesday, the 22nd. The timing would be great to claim a player who has been DFAed. The Florimon spot on the 40-man is available for any player who can help the team.

Cuddyer is my all-time favorite player for many more reasons than his performance on the field. That said, I am pretty meh on a reunion with him. The price and years would have to be right.

Dick says there's not much difference lefty-righty for Cano. Yes, he's hitting over .300 vs. lefties (.302 vs. .332 against RH). The OPS difference is .872 to .754, not exactly "no difference".

Keep him in the park, Casey.

Way to go Dozier.

How about a crooked number?

Oh snap! Now the Miracle is rained out tonight. When can I get my Buxton fix!

I am planning on being there. I would really like to put a face with some of these avatars.

Good, after a week to ten day (after the All-Star break), he should be good to go.

Accentuate the positive! I don't think Pinto is that bad at all. He works hard, is pretty good at blocking pitches and his throwing problems really aren't due to his arm strength. Learning on the job from August 1st would be fine. Trying to find a defense-first receiver would be a top priority this off-season if it is deemed that Pinto is that far away. I suspect the verdict will be that he still needs work, but with better than average hitting would translate to an acceptable first string catcher.

I'll take a stab: C-Pinto, Herrmann INF-Mauer, Dozier, Nuñez, Escobar, Santana, Plouffe OF--Fuld, Parmelee, Arcia, Rosario DH--Colabello SP--Hughes, Gibson, Nolasco, May, K Johnson RP-Pino, Swarzak, Deduno, Thielbar, A Thompson, Tonkin, Perkins This would mean that the following have been moved: Suzuki, Willingham, Morales, Correia, Duensing, Burton, Fien. In actuality, if that many guys are moved, I would expect some of the players received in return to be on the roster.

Herrmann's having a good year at Rochester. He's on the 40-man and healthy. That he provides a third catcher is nice, but I really don't think it's the only reason why he got promoted. Hopefully, Santana and Mauer will be ready to go after the break. I expect many roster moves to be made, again especially if Mauer and Santana are ready to go.

Great take! I can't be quite as forgiving of the Twins, though. There is a thin line and I think the Twins have missed the mark, for whatever reason, too often. I think losing changes things, too.

Very good article. There is so much to this. First, there is the player. Has Ricky Nolasco pitched through worse tightness and pain than he was pitching with this season? I wouldn't doubt it. Since he has had elbow tightness all season, when would be the proper time to report the injury? Granted, Nolasco has the security of a long-term contract, but he is new to the Twins, with a rep of being durable, taking the ball every five days. That particular trait probably made him millions of dollars, separating him from many, many other hurlers with similar stuff. The manager--I don't think it's his role to ask 25 players about their nicks and aches. It is true that he appreciates gamers and guys that he can count on. You can hear the eye roll when he says "Joe needs another day" or "Nuñez couldn't go today" and disruptions to the rotation have always troubled him. The double standard has been there for a long time--play with an injury but once the injury is reported, treat it with kid gloves or ultimate caution. Different players are different. I believe Suzuki has played through bumps and aches that would have sidelined Mauer, for instance. Some are purebreds and some are standardbreds. The team, like every other major league team, spews spin all the time. They relish how tough players are and turn on their heel and excuse substandard play because of injuries. Certainly the club wants their players healthy and playing. Finally, the medical staff. The goal is to get and keep your best talent on the field. I don't know if the trainers are trying to help players or not, I do know they work for the team. Certainly, relative value matters. Would the club risk Mauer's career for him to play in September of a losing year? Would they do the same for Chris Colabello or Matt Guerrier? I do know that we have had two veteran pitchers pitch ineffectively and only after prodding was it revealed that they had injuries holding them back. I see a lot of problems and not many clear-cut solutions.

Short benches. Didn't want to waste a player this early and that makes sense. When they got him to third, they wanted someone who could score on a fly ball short of the track.

That is probably their only good chance.

I can hear Chi-Town "Keee-rap".

Anybody else scores.

At least they are getting better hitting counts.

Correia's trade value inches higher.

I am occasionally checking in on the game, have the Twins even come close to scoring?

Has there been news on Nolasco?

Chris Parmelee with RISP: 0-28 w/ 4 RBI.