stringer bell

A blip doesn't mean the guy is going to become 2010 Justin Morneau again. If anyone claims Morneau, the Twins can send him to the "blocker". If someone wants Justin, I think they can have him.

The team should probably trade someone from the 'pen, if not in August then in the offseaon. They have one too many guys there already and Tonkin (despite a poor outing his last time out) looks like he's ready to move up. My on-the-fly list of expendability would be: 1) Roenicke 2) Duensing 3) Burton 4) Fien and then Perkins.

On the down side, I see Hicks was pulled from the game in Rochester in the 8th. I don't know if it's injury, attitude or what.

Good thing it's past the kids' bedtime.

Dozier with a homer and an RBI single tonight. Both show why I have to like what he is doing. 1) Dozier was down 0-2, worked the count full and than cracked a "middle-in" fastball into the bullpen. He has shown pretty good power, all of his homers have been pulled IIRC. That he was able to work the count full against a good pitcher was pretty impressive. 2) Dozier was fooled by a pitch, but made contact and served it into right for an RBI single. Very similar to one of his big hits in the Houston series. I still like him better at the bottom of the order, but he's been the best that the Twins have right now to lead off.

Left.

Sorry, just trying to catch up all at once!

BTW, Diamond pitched pretty well outside of that dreadful inning. He went six, allowed only three hits and one additional walk. It is very unDiamond-like to walk three guys in one inning, but outside of that he was pretty good. I hope he's the playoff hero for the Red Wings and has a couple of good outings for the Twins in September.

Pretty good game thread and with the Twins surprising the Royals so far, it makes it more fun. I am just catching up and will comment on many things all at once--Colabello can hit homers, but he needs to make contact more. Albers has been very impressive (reminds me of one Scott Diamond when he was recalled in 2012) and the makeshift lineup has put up 5 already on a really good pitcher. My wife is half Filipino, so I guess I understand some of the magic of Asians. I've been married for longer than most of you have been alive, probably in part because of laundry and food. Patty Blyleven's broadside is the ultimate in sour grapes, but I wouldn't doubt that it was true. Not a big fan of B-dub, but I like BBQ. Players on the 40-man become free agents after six years completed in the majors. However, if they complete a certain number of years in the minors, they can become minor league FAs. Also, minor leaguers are protected from being buried by the Rule 5 draft and the limited number of options. Finally, I am totally behind Morneau being traded in August. I hope his recent power surge will garner some interest and somebody is going to lose a first baseman or DH in the next couple of weeks.

My best friend from high school and me stay in touch but seldom see each other. We decided we would attend a game sometime this summer and he called me last week telling me that he had tickets given to him to see the Astros--yes! The Astros--today. We met and had lunch and then attended the game. The weather was pleasant (mid 70s and mostly cloudy) and the Twins should certainly have had a chance since they were playing the worst team in mlb. The Twins did prevail 3-2 and the crowd was again pretty good (over 34,000) and they appreciated the positive moments that occurred during the game. There really weren't many positive moments. Pelfrey was his struggling self, pitching into and out of trouble in almost every inning. Except for two big flies, the Twins' offense did next to nothing. There weren't many good fielding plays or long fly balls, except for the two that cleared the fence. Some observations: Carroll started at third and looks .......really old. He doesn't have much zip on his throws (I noticed he's played almost no SS this year), his ABs were pretty poor. Morneau had a couple good rips besides his homer. I'll let others at TD debate whether today was a blip on the radar or something else. When I looked at the lineup and the Twins bottom of the order, I saw Thomas (minor leaguer), Carroll (should be retired) and Bernier (minor leaguer) with Herrmann and Colabello also on the roster and I'm thinking not good thought about Minnesota's GM. Arcia hit a couple balls right on the nose including the game winner and the major difference between the Twins and Astros is that the Twins have a decent, functional bullpen. I listened to more espn1500 this morning than I have in months. I heard Jim Souhan call out Trevor Plouffe and say that someone in the Twins' FO told him that nobody wanted any of the Twins available at the deadline. I don't hold out much hope for the club for the rest of the year. I think an August trade would be helpful, but unless somebody starts hitting or pitching better, I don't think that will happen. The roster is relatively old with a lot of guys that have zero upside. Oh, well. The Twins won a game and I got to see an old friend. And Target Field is a really nice venue.

My best friend from high school and me stay in touch but seldom see each other. We decided we would attend a game sometime this summer and he called me last week telling me that he had tickets given to him to see the Astros--yes! The Astros--today. We met and had lunch and then attended the game. The weather was pleasant (mid 70s and mostly cloudy) and the Twins should certainly have had a chance since they were playing the worst team in mlb. The Twins did prevail 3-2 and the crowd was again pretty good (over 34,000) and they appreciated the positive moments that occurred during the game. There really weren't many positive moments. Pelfrey was his struggling self, pitching into and out of trouble in almost every inning. Except for two big flies, the Twins' offense did next to nothing. There weren't many good fielding plays or long fly balls, except for the two that cleared the fence. Some observations: Carroll started at third and looks .......really old. He doesn't have much zip on his throws (I noticed he's played almost no SS this year), his ABs were pretty poor. Morneau had a couple good rips besides his homer. I'll let others at TD debate whether today was a blip on the radar or something else. When I looked at the lineup and the Twins bottom of the order, I saw Thomas (minor leaguer), Carroll (should be retired) and Bernier (minor leaguer) with Herrmann and Colabello also on the roster and I'm thinking not good thought about Minnesota's GM. Arcia hit a couple balls right on the nose including the game winner and the major difference between the Twins and Astros is that the Twins have a decent, functional bullpen. I listened to more espn1500 this morning than I have in months. I heard Jim Souhan call out Trevor Plouffe and say that someone in the Twins' FO told him that nobody wanted any of the Twins available at the deadline. I don't hold out much hope for the club for the rest of the year. I think an August trade would be helpful, but unless somebody starts hitting or pitching better, I don't think that will happen. The roster is relatively old with a lot of guys that have zero upside. Oh, well. The Twins won a game and I got to see an old friend. And Target Field is a really nice venue.

Well, I was there so it fits!

Dozier--replacement level.

After his nice game yesterday, I figured Dozier's stats wouldn't be too horrible to look at and I see a pretty decent major league second baseman. I have said for weeks that I think Dozier's "D" has been top-tier and his offensive numbers are not too bad. The OPS is at .695 and he has been pretty good since the end of May. His splits show he's good at home and good against lefties. He has performed the best of all Twins' leadoff hitters, hitting .245 with a .718 OPS. Since the end of May, he has shown more power and patience, making his offense since then a small positive. Dozier's adequacy makes rushing Eddie Rosario a non-issue. Perhaps he becomes a trade chip when Eddie is ready, perhaps he tries again at shortstop or becomes a backup middle infielder. I think he has earned a starting spot for next year to start the season.

One hit per game (no more, no less) for Dozier!

Pinto with his first AAA hit(s), two singles and a double. Please--Doumit on waivers today!

There seems to be a special aversion to paying the price for quality pitching. While it makes sense to be skeptical (there are always plenty of busts among free agent pitcher signings), that doesn't mean the Twins should totally avoid the top half of available FA pitchers, as they have year after year.

If, as you say, "they suck at drafting and developing players, and that is their entire strategy", how do you explain that the Twins aren't the Pirates or the Royals? Those teams have been losers since the last century. The team has done something right. That said, I hope they explore other options rather than just waiting for their promising farm products to develop. This is especially true of the pitchers.

Hicks hasn't quite "found it". I thought that when he had that four hit game he would turn the corner, but it didn't happen. He fell back again in July10-63 since his 4-hit game vs. Tampa. He has shown flashes, but a month of Rochester time won't hurt and will give the Twins another year of control, I think. Diamond isn't that bad, but he can't seem to get over the hump. I guess expectations for him going forward will be realistic and probably pessimistic. Diamond seems like a good competitor and I think he'll find a way to be a decent starter again.

Good for Pinto! He's certainly earned his promotion. I hope he sees some major league time this year.

I agree with almost everything above. However, I think whoever can be found to be an effective pitcher should stick around (Pelfrey & Correia perhaps). Besides Albers, who is thought to have mediocre stuff, no one is knocking on the door to join the rotation. Also, while I think he has a bright future, it might help Aaron Hicks to spend a month plus the playoffs in Rochester (with the added benefit of one more year of team control). This would give the Twins a chance to look at a couple more fourth outfielder alternatives (Richardson and Mastro).

Jorgen, do you really want to see players who have no chance to be regulars take the playing time for the last third of the season? With Dozier injured, I have two players left that I'm following closely--Hicks and Plouffe--I know Mauer will be good, and the rest of the guys aren't part of the future. I am so disinterested I can't work up a good g. d. when somebody fails. On the topic of Arcia's D, he looked pretty shaky either in left or right, but I think he has the skills to be an okay corner guy. I thought his arm looked good this spring.

Ok, the deadline is over, it is time to do what is right for all the guys on this team. Parmelee, Arcia, and Escobar have gotten some at-bats, they should all return to the Twins. Clete Thomas shouldn't be playing instead of either Arcia or Parmelee. Doug Bernier should be in the minor leagues. While I have said from the beginning of the season that Morneau should be gone by now--play him three or four times a week and see what Colabello and Parmelee can do. Doumit should also only play on occasion and as long as Doumit is around, there is no need for Herrmann. Perhaps someone will give the Twins something for one of their older players during the waiver period, but if not, they should sit. I am not totally opposed to Hicks being optioned. He is still below the Mendoza line and his numbers for July weren't good. Perhaps he can help Rochester win.

For the "Twins' Way", "Battling your Tail Off", and "getting after it" now that Son of Sal is going to be wearing Dodger blue? My vote goes to futility infielder Jamey Carroll, whose small tool kit skills have eroded to the point that hustle is all that he provides.

Addition by subtraction, I guess. It frees a spot on the 40-man and now several of us will have to find a new scapegoat.