stringer bell

Now a chopper and a blooper.

I don't think it was the ump's fault that Hughes got lit up.

Holy cow. Who saw this coming?

Twins can't seem to stand prosperity.

"Escobar's job is to get the runner to third base". NO IT'S NOT. His job is to hit. That continues to irritate me. If he makes an out, it would be helpful to advance the runner, but it is far better to get on base.

Maybe, but I think it was a mistake.

Bad baserunning cost the team a run.

Walk, walk. Shades of April!

I think it is an issue of Suzuki playing very well. If he doesn't show some obvious sign of needing a day off, Gardy is going to ride the hot hand.

I have been a Brian Dozier fan since I chatted with him in Spring Training in 2012. He ttok the time to look me in the eye and take at least a passing interest in what I was saying. He signed a ball for me that year and again last year, again responding to me graciously, not as if he was dragged away from what he was doing. Dozier's performance on the field has made him both the team's most vital and best player for the last year. That is my opinion, but there are plenty of numbers to back it up. I think the Twins best player should be in the All-Star game and will be disappointed if he is denied. However, the competition at his position just about guarantees that a qualified player is not going to make the team. First of all, Robbie Cano (a legitimate All-Star) will be elected. He has led from beginning to end in the counting and he is having a fine year, although his Yankee Stadium-fueled power has been neutralized by playing in a far less favorable home park. Secondly, someone will be chosen by the players. It is my understanding that the player's choice is the top choice by the players who didn't win the fan vote. I have no idea who will win that vote, but the remaining four candidates to be All-Stars all figure to have a chance. Given the depth at second, the AL manager will almost certainly take a third second baseman, so in my mind there are four candidates for two positions and I think all of them are deserving. Ian Kinsler is hitting .289, has a .778 OPS, he has eight homers and seven steals. His WAR is 2.9 and his Tigers have reclaimed first place in the AL Central. Jose Altuve leads the AL with a .336 average. His OPS is up to .821 and he leads the AL with 26 stolen bases. Altuve has a WAR of 2.5. Dustin Pedroia of the defending World Champion Red Sox is hitting .266 with and .722 OPS. He is a gold glove winner and sports a WAR of 2.5. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Pedroia won the players' voting and was selected for the All-Star team. Finally, Dozier lags behind all other candidates in batting average, but he has more than double anyone else's homers--15, leads the league in runs scored, and is on the leader board in walks drawn. Dozier's OPS is third among second baseman at .804 and his 3.0 WAR is tops. If I'm picking All-Stars, I take Cano, Altuve, and Dozier. The players may pick either Kinsler or Pedroia and the manager may well take his own player (Pedroia). If Pedroia or Kinsler make the team, I don't think Dozier does. While I think Dozier will have a good career with the Twins, it wouldn't surprise me if this is really his only chance to perform as an All-Star.

Oops, forgot about Tolbert. I guess I didn't remember him playing short enough to be a three-position guy. I think of Tovar as an unassigned regular. For several years, he was in the lineup every day, including one year when he played 164 games. The nine positions thing was a stunt, but he played a lot of games at second, third, short and the outfield. I have been hoping the Twins would develop a super-utility guy like Tony Phillips was for the A's and the Tigers, a true starter who could move all over the diamond

I can't think of many reasons why Hicks would revisit switch-hitting on his injury rehab. The only legitimate answer would be if he felt some discomfort when swinging RH and wanted to see if there was the same pain hitting from the other side. I guess I won't comment further until there is more of an explanation from New Britain or the player.

I wanted to start a discussion on the status of Escobar as an everyday player. I decided to contrast and compare him with previous Twins' utility infielders. Due to the length of that comparison, I posted the entry as a blog entry http://twinsdaily.com/entry.php/5400-Twins-Utility-Infielders I hope this starts some conversation about the future roles on the Twins of Eduardo Escobar.

Now I am.

Not confident.

Has Perk just cost himself an All-Star spot?

Nice defense.

Parm is swinging better than most Twins right now.

It looks like Perk gets a crack at the top of the order.

Close for Arcia.

Do most left fielders catch Mauer's drive?

Wow, just a bouncer drives in a big run!

I believe that report is over a week old. The same day the article was in the strib, Doogy tweeted that Buxton had taken two straight days of swings with no problems IIRC.

That is fine, but the best overall shortstop is playing third base.

Look at those Rock Cats! They are fifth overall in the EL and four teams make the playoffs. After a miserable start, the club could make the postseason, especially if they get a young center fielder from Georgia in the lineup in the few weeks.