Cody Christie

The non-waiver trade deadline is closing in quickly and it is still tough to know what the Twins will do in the coming hours. Is Justin Morneau's Twins career over? Will Glen Perkins still be the guy at the back end of the bullpen? Can the Twins afford to part with Kevin Correia or Mike Pelfrey? There could be a lot of deals in the next couple days or there could be nothing but the sounds of crickets. During the offseason, the Twins made a lot of noise by dealing two of their starting centerfielders, Denard Span and Ben Revere. Minnesota wanted to bolster their pitching depth and shopping their team controlled outfielders seemed to bring back the biggest return. From a drafting and scouting perspective, the Twins were taking a different approach to their pitchers and this deal was supposed to be a step in the right direction. For those that don't remember, here's a timeline of the events that lead to both players being traded. The Nationals had been trying to work out a deal to acquire Span for multiple seasons. His concussion issues in 2011 might have held up a deal. On November 29th, the time was right and he was sent to Washington for former first round pick Alex Meyer. A hard throwing right-handed pitcher, Meyer looked to have the potential of a future top of the rotation starter. Within the next week, Terry Ryan went into Dave St. Peter's office and said there might be a chance to move Ben Revere. The Phillies had been interested in the newly named starting center fielder for the Twins. It turned out to be a deal the Twins couldn't refuse. Revere headed to Philadelphia and in return Vance Worley and Trevor May headed back to Minnesota. Worley was a young pitcher with some big league experience and May was a hard throwing minor league pitcher with some up side. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com All MLB teams have played over 100 games, which means their schedule is close to 65% complete. Let's look back at the parties involved in these offseason deals and see what the outcomes have been. Denard Span, CF - Washington Nationals MLB Stat Summary (99 Games): .266/.319/.370, 2 HR, 21 2B, 7 3B, 10 SB, 0.9 WAR Things haven't gotten off to a great start for Span in Washington DC. He is a career .282 hitter with a .352 OBP but he has struggled to reach those marks this season. The Nationals have even moved him out of the leadoff spot in their batting order because their team needed some kind of spark. Entering this past weekend, Span had yet to hit a home run in a Nationals uniform. He has now hit long balls in back-to-back games and maybe he can get things going on the offensive side of the ball. Overall, the transition to the National League has been a little rough and the Nats had to have been hoping for more from Span. Ben Revere, CF - Philadelphia Phillies MLB Stat Summary (88 Games): .305/.338/.352, 9 2B, 3 3B, 22 SB, 0.7 WAR Revere is currently on the disabled list after he broke his right foot from a foul ball. This was terrible news for the Phillies since Revere was in the midst of quite the hot streak at the plate. Over his last 15 games before the injury, Revere was hitting .431/.438/.538 with six extra-base hits. He was also in the middle of a 10-game hitting streak. It was looking like the Phillies were getting some of the best baseball out of Revere and now he will be on the bench for 6-8 weeks. Vance Worley, RHP - Minnesota Twins/Rochester Red Wings MLB Stat Summary (10 Games): 1-5 record, 7.21 ERA, 48.2 IP, 25 SO, 15 BB, 1.99 WHIP MiLB Stat Summary (9 Games): 6-3 record, 3.88 ERA, 58.0 IP, 34 SO, 17 BB, 1.41 WHIP Worley was suppose to be able to stick in the Twins rotation for a couple seasons while some of the younger pitching prospects made their way to the big leagues. This didn't work out the greatest as he struggled mightily with the transition from the National League to the American League. Things have gone better for him in Rochester but this should be expected from someone with over 300 MLB innings. There may be a chance in the second half for Worley to get back to the big leagues but he has been the biggest disappointment out of all of the trade pieces. Alex Meyer, RHP - New Britain Rock Cats MiLB Stat Summary (11 Games): 3-3 record, 3.69 ERA, 61.0 IP, 73 SO, 27 BB, 1.31 WHIP Meyer was off to a decent start to the year but a shoulder injury has held him off the field since June 1st. The Twins are being extra careful with Meyer since he could be a valuable part of the team's future. In many of the mid-season prospect ranking that have been released, Meyer has consistently been in the top-100 for all of baseball. A couple of weeks ago, it sounded like Meyer was getting close to being back on the mound. The minor league season ends in early September and the Twins are hopeful that Meyer will be able to get some more innings under his belt before that time. Trevor May, RHP - New Britain Rock Cats MiLB Stat Summary (20 Games): 6-7 record, 4.07 ERA, 112.2 IP, 113 SO, 50 BB, 1.40 WHIP May has been as advertised from his time in the Phillies organization. There are going to be some strikeouts from this power-throwing right-hander but there is also some control problems. He is averaging 2.5 walks per start and this translates to 4.0 BB/9. That total would match a minor league low for May so he is making strides in the right direction. He has also stayed healthy and on the field and this can hold value to an organization. It will be interesting to see how many innings the Twins let May pitch before the end of the year. The last two years he has been around 150 IP.

The non-waiver trade deadline is closing in quickly and it is still tough to know what the Twins will do in the coming hours. Is Justin Morneau's Twins career over? Will Glen Perkins still be the guy at the back end of the bullpen? Can the Twins afford to part with Kevin Correia or Mike Pelfrey? There could be a lot of deals in the next couple days or there could be nothing but the sounds of crickets. During the offseason, the Twins made a lot of noise by dealing two of their starting centerfielders, Denard Span and Ben Revere. Minnesota wanted to bolster their pitching depth and shopping their team controlled outfielders seemed to bring back the biggest return. From a drafting and scouting perspective, the Twins were taking a different approach to their pitchers and this deal was supposed to be a step in the right direction. For those that don't remember, here's a timeline of the events that lead to both players being traded. The Nationals had been trying to work out a deal to acquire Span for multiple seasons. His concussion issues in 2011 might have held up a deal. On November 29th, the time was right and he was sent to Washington for former first round pick Alex Meyer. A hard throwing right-handed pitcher, Meyer looked to have the potential of a future top of the rotation starter. Within the next week, Terry Ryan went into Dave St. Peter's office and said there might be a chance to move Ben Revere. The Phillies had been interested in the newly named starting center fielder for the Twins. It turned out to be a deal the Twins couldn't refuse. Revere headed to Philadelphia and in return Vance Worley and Trevor May headed back to Minnesota. Worley was a young pitcher with some big league experience and May was a hard throwing minor league pitcher with some up side. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com All MLB teams have played over 100 games, which means their schedule is close to 65% complete. Let's look back at the parties involved in these offseason deals and see what the outcomes have been. Denard Span, CF - Washington Nationals MLB Stat Summary (99 Games): .266/.319/.370, 2 HR, 21 2B, 7 3B, 10 SB, 0.9 WAR Things haven't gotten off to a great start for Span in Washington DC. He is a career .282 hitter with a .352 OBP but he has struggled to reach those marks this season. The Nationals have even moved him out of the leadoff spot in their batting order because their team needed some kind of spark. Entering this past weekend, Span had yet to hit a home run in a Nationals uniform. He has now hit long balls in back-to-back games and maybe he can get things going on the offensive side of the ball. Overall, the transition to the National League has been a little rough and the Nats had to have been hoping for more from Span. Ben Revere, CF - Philadelphia Phillies MLB Stat Summary (88 Games): .305/.338/.352, 9 2B, 3 3B, 22 SB, 0.7 WAR Revere is currently on the disabled list after he broke his right foot from a foul ball. This was terrible news for the Phillies since Revere was in the midst of quite the hot streak at the plate. Over his last 15 games before the injury, Revere was hitting .431/.438/.538 with six extra-base hits. He was also in the middle of a 10-game hitting streak. It was looking like the Phillies were getting some of the best baseball out of Revere and now he will be on the bench for 6-8 weeks. Vance Worley, RHP - Minnesota Twins/Rochester Red Wings MLB Stat Summary (10 Games): 1-5 record, 7.21 ERA, 48.2 IP, 25 SO, 15 BB, 1.99 WHIP MiLB Stat Summary (9 Games): 6-3 record, 3.88 ERA, 58.0 IP, 34 SO, 17 BB, 1.41 WHIP Worley was suppose to be able to stick in the Twins rotation for a couple seasons while some of the younger pitching prospects made their way to the big leagues. This didn't work out the greatest as he struggled mightily with the transition from the National League to the American League. Things have gone better for him in Rochester but this should be expected from someone with over 300 MLB innings. There may be a chance in the second half for Worley to get back to the big leagues but he has been the biggest disappointment out of all of the trade pieces. Alex Meyer, RHP - New Britain Rock Cats MiLB Stat Summary (11 Games): 3-3 record, 3.69 ERA, 61.0 IP, 73 SO, 27 BB, 1.31 WHIP Meyer was off to a decent start to the year but a shoulder injury has held him off the field since June 1st. The Twins are being extra careful with Meyer since he could be a valuable part of the team's future. In many of the mid-season prospect ranking that have been released, Meyer has consistently been in the top-100 for all of baseball. A couple of weeks ago, it sounded like Meyer was getting close to being back on the mound. The minor league season ends in early September and the Twins are hopeful that Meyer will be able to get some more innings under his belt before that time. Trevor May, RHP - New Britain Rock Cats MiLB Stat Summary (20 Games): 6-7 record, 4.07 ERA, 112.2 IP, 113 SO, 50 BB, 1.40 WHIP May has been as advertised from his time in the Phillies organization. There are going to be some strikeouts from this power-throwing right-hander but there is also some control problems. He is averaging 2.5 walks per start and this translates to 4.0 BB/9. That total would match a minor league low for May so he is making strides in the right direction. He has also stayed healthy and on the field and this can hold value to an organization. It will be interesting to see how many innings the Twins let May pitch before the end of the year. The last two years he has been around 150 IP.

The story of Miguel Sano's benching after a slow home run trot has certainly taken on a life of it's own. There have been multiple websites and media outlets that have picked up the tale. He wouldn't play again on Friday and it will be interesting to see when he gets back on the field. He can be a difference maker to the Rock Cats offense and the team wants to try and get back to the .500 mark. Sano can help to make that happen. Sano might be getting a lot of the attention for the Twins farm system but the guys actually on the field need some support as well. There were some great performances through multiple levels of the farm system on Friday night. It all starts in Triple-A with the man on the mound... Rochester Red Wings 5, Norfolk Tides 2 Box Score For the second time in his career, Andrew Albers tossed a complete game shutout and it helped propel the Red Wings into sole possession of the Wild Card lead. Before a leadoff homer by Luis Exposito in the 7th inning, Albers had stretched his scoreless streak to 13.1 innings and his earned run-less streak to 18.1 innings. He is the first Red Wings starter to win 11 games since Brian Duensing in 2007. Oswaldo Arcia continued his hot hitting since being sent down. He hit his third home run in eight games and he has hit safely in seven of those contests. He finished the night 2-for-4 and he is batting .478 (11-23) with three home runs, two doubles, and six RBI since his demotion. Deibinson Romero was in the middle of quite the run at the plate as well. He reached base safely in eight straight at-bats until a flyout in his last at-bat on Friday. During that streak, he went 5-for-5 with a home run, a double, and three walks. He was 3-for-4 on Friday with three singles. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Reading Fightin' Phillies 7 Box Score The Rock Cats out hit the Phillies on this night but a victory was still well out of reach. New Britain left nine men on base and the team went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The Phillies were also able to pound out three home runs against the Rock Cats pitching staff while New Britain only had one extra base hit. Miguel Sano was out of the line-up again after he "pimped" a home run earlier this week. This left the offense in the hands of the other men on the team. Danny Santana collected his sixth triple of the season. Eddie Rosario and Adam Pettersen each had two hits. Pat Dean took the loss in this game after throwing seven innings and giving up four runs. He struck out eight and walked one but he did give up two home runs. It was the third straight loss for Dean but it was the first time he has pitched more than four innings in his last three starts. Fort Myers Miracle 7, Clearwater Threshers 3 Box Score Byron Buxton showed why he considered by many to be the best prospect in baseball. He belted two triples on the way to 2-for-3 night at the plate. He scored a run and drove in two runners. Anderlin Mejia also helped out the offense and extended his hitting streak to 14-games. The bottom three in the Miracle batting order provided some offensive punch. J.D. Williams, Andy Leer, and Levi Michael each had a double and a run batted in. Jason Wheeler picked up his eighth win of the season by tossing five innings and allowing three runs on seven hits. Wheeler got into a little trouble in the sixth as he hit a batter and gave up three straight hits. The Threshers scored two runs and the bullpen took over from there. Nelvin Fuentes and Tyler Jones pitched four shutout innings to close the door on another Miracle victory. Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Peoria Chiefs 2 Box Score The Kernels used a six-run seventh inning to slip past the Chiefs on Wednesday night. It took awhile for the offense to wake up as the club had one hit through six frames. Niko Goodrum and Jorge Polanco led off the inning with back-to-back doubles. Adam Walker hit a sac fly to tie the game. Eventually, Joel Licon hit a two-out double to plate two more runs. Jonathan Murphy would cap the big inning with a two-run single. Kernels starter Brett Lee went five innings and allowed one earned run on six hits. He walked one and struck out four. Tim Shibuya earned the victory in relief by throwing two innings and giving up one hit with three strikeouts. It was the first victory of the year for Shibuya since he moved up from Elizabethton. David Hurlbut pitched two hitless innings to end the game. Elizabethton Twins 1, Johnson City 3 Box Score Hein Robb did his best to keep the E-Twins in this game but the offense wasn't there to back him up. He pitched into the eighth inning for the first time all season by scattering eight hits and three earned runs. He struck out eight batters and walked one but two home runs were tough to overcome. Andre Martinez recored the other two outs of the game on strikeouts. The E-Twins were held to five hits and the team struck out nine times. Rory Rhodes led the offense with a 2-for-4 night after being held hitless in his last four games. Stuart Turner, Romy Jimenez, and Tanner Vavra added the other hits of the game but they were all singles. Six runners were left on base and the team only batted with a runner in scoring position four times. GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 7 Box Score Jonathan Hinojosa was the lone member of the Twins to collect two hits in this game. He went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Engelb Vielma scored two runs out of the leadoff spot. Alex Swim and Joel Polanco each added their fourth doubles of the season. Plenty of pitchers saw action in this game. Leonel Zazueta started and went three innings by allowing one run on three hits. Luke Bard pitched in relief and he was only asked to get the first two outs of the fourth inning. Brandon Easton took his third loss of the season by giving up four runs on five hits in a little over an inning of work. Fernando Romero had some control issues as he walked four men over 2.2 innings.

The story of Miguel Sano's benching after a slow home run trot has certainly taken on a life of it's own. There have been multiple websites and media outlets that have picked up the tale. He wouldn't play again on Friday and it will be interesting to see when he gets back on the field. He can be a difference maker to the Rock Cats offense and the team wants to try and get back to the .500 mark. Sano can help to make that happen. Sano might be getting a lot of the attention for the Twins farm system but the guys actually on the field need some support as well. There were some great performances through multiple levels of the farm system on Friday night. It all starts in Triple-A with the man on the mound... Rochester Red Wings 5, Norfolk Tides 2 Box Score For the second time in his career, Andrew Albers tossed a complete game shutout and it helped propel the Red Wings into sole possession of the Wild Card lead. Before a leadoff homer by Luis Exposito in the 7th inning, Albers had stretched his scoreless streak to 13.1 innings and his earned run-less streak to 18.1 innings. He is the first Red Wings starter to win 11 games since Brian Duensing in 2007. Oswaldo Arcia continued his hot hitting since being sent down. He hit his third home run in eight games and he has hit safely in seven of those contests. He finished the night 2-for-4 and he is batting .478 (11-23) with three home runs, two doubles, and six RBI since his demotion. Deibinson Romero was in the middle of quite the run at the plate as well. He reached base safely in eight straight at-bats until a flyout in his last at-bat on Friday. During that streak, he went 5-for-5 with a home run, a double, and three walks. He was 3-for-4 on Friday with three singles. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Reading Fightin' Phillies 7 Box Score The Rock Cats out hit the Phillies on this night but a victory was still well out of reach. New Britain left nine men on base and the team went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The Phillies were also able to pound out three home runs against the Rock Cats pitching staff while New Britain only had one extra base hit. Miguel Sano was out of the line-up again after he "pimped" a home run earlier this week. This left the offense in the hands of the other men on the team. Danny Santana collected his sixth triple of the season. Eddie Rosario and Adam Pettersen each had two hits. Pat Dean took the loss in this game after throwing seven innings and giving up four runs. He struck out eight and walked one but he did give up two home runs. It was the third straight loss for Dean but it was the first time he has pitched more than four innings in his last three starts. Fort Myers Miracle 7, Clearwater Threshers 3 Box Score Byron Buxton showed why he considered by many to be the best prospect in baseball. He belted two triples on the way to 2-for-3 night at the plate. He scored a run and drove in two runners. Anderlin Mejia also helped out the offense and extended his hitting streak to 14-games. The bottom three in the Miracle batting order provided some offensive punch. J.D. Williams, Andy Leer, and Levi Michael each had a double and a run batted in. Jason Wheeler picked up his eighth win of the season by tossing five innings and allowing three runs on seven hits. Wheeler got into a little trouble in the sixth as he hit a batter and gave up three straight hits. The Threshers scored two runs and the bullpen took over from there. Nelvin Fuentes and Tyler Jones pitched four shutout innings to close the door on another Miracle victory. Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Peoria Chiefs 2 Box Score The Kernels used a six-run seventh inning to slip past the Chiefs on Wednesday night. It took awhile for the offense to wake up as the club had one hit through six frames. Niko Goodrum and Jorge Polanco led off the inning with back-to-back doubles. Adam Walker hit a sac fly to tie the game. Eventually, Joel Licon hit a two-out double to plate two more runs. Jonathan Murphy would cap the big inning with a two-run single. Kernels starter Brett Lee went five innings and allowed one earned run on six hits. He walked one and struck out four. Tim Shibuya earned the victory in relief by throwing two innings and giving up one hit with three strikeouts. It was the first victory of the year for Shibuya since he moved up from Elizabethton. David Hurlbut pitched two hitless innings to end the game. Elizabethton Twins 1, Johnson City 3 Box Score Hein Robb did his best to keep the E-Twins in this game but the offense wasn't there to back him up. He pitched into the eighth inning for the first time all season by scattering eight hits and three earned runs. He struck out eight batters and walked one but two home runs were tough to overcome. Andre Martinez recored the other two outs of the game on strikeouts. The E-Twins were held to five hits and the team struck out nine times. Rory Rhodes led the offense with a 2-for-4 night after being held hitless in his last four games. Stuart Turner, Romy Jimenez, and Tanner Vavra added the other hits of the game but they were all singles. Six runners were left on base and the team only batted with a runner in scoring position four times. GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 7 Box Score Jonathan Hinojosa was the lone member of the Twins to collect two hits in this game. He went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Engelb Vielma scored two runs out of the leadoff spot. Alex Swim and Joel Polanco each added their fourth doubles of the season. Plenty of pitchers saw action in this game. Leonel Zazueta started and went three innings by allowing one run on three hits. Luke Bard pitched in relief and he was only asked to get the first two outs of the fourth inning. Brandon Easton took his third loss of the season by giving up four runs on five hits in a little over an inning of work. Fernando Romero had some control issues as he walked four men over 2.2 innings.

Since the Twins were playing on the West Coast, their afternoon game with the Angels went into the early evening in the Central time zone. Minnesota won the first two games of the series before things got a little dicey on Wednesday. Jared Weaver was excellent on the mound but [URL="http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/07/24/isnt-this-why-we-have-an-infield-fly-rule/"]a bad infield fly call might have cost the Twins a chance to sweep the Angels[/URL]. [URL="http://www.nodaktwinsfan.com/2013/07/joe-mauer-welcomes-twin-girls.html"]With Joe Mauer on paternity leave for three days[/URL], Drew Butera was called up from Rochester. He has spent the entire season at Rochester where he is hitting .215/.247/.316 in 86 plate appearances. For a 29-year old with close to 500 MLB at-bats, these totals aren't very good. To take the place of Butera on Rochester's roster, Jario Rodriguez was moved up from Cedar Rapids. There were plenty of sights and sounds on Wednesday so let's go down on the pond for all the action.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] [B]Rochester Red Wings 6, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 2[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_07_24_lhvaaa_rocaaa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"][B]Box Score[/B][/URL] A wild bottom of the eighth inning helped Rochester separate themselves from the IronPigs. Three passed balls and one wild pitch resulted in five runs. July has been a very good month for the Red Wings: they are 14-7 since the calendar turned from June. The club is also a season high four games over the .500 mark. One of the hottest relief pitchers in the Twins system has been Edgar Ibarra. In his last 22 innings between New Britain and Rochester, he has not allowed an earned run. The last earned run he allowed was back on May 21st at the Double-A level. He was credited with his first Triple-A victory in this game, recording the last five outs. PJ Walters went 7.1 innings and allowed two runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Chris Parmelee hit his first home run since being sent back to Rochester. Oswaldo Arcia also helped the offense by going 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI. The Red Wings managed only four hits but all the wild pitching from the IronPigs bullpen helped the team finish on the right side. [B]New Britain Rock Cats 1, Portland Sea Dogs 3[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_07_24_prtaax_nbraax_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"][B]Box Score[/B][/URL] For the first time in three days, Miguel Sano didn't hit a home run. He didn't get the opportunity to hit as he was out of the line-up for the first time since he left the team for the MLB Futures Game. With their power-hitting third baseman out of the line-up, New Britain had a tough time getting the offense off the ground. Josmil Pinto continued his tremendous season with another multi-hit game. He provided the most offensive punch by going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Daniel Ortiz and Pinto are tied for the team lead with 23 doubles. Danny Santana went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. On the mound, New Britain needed only one pitcher for the entire game. Virgil Vasquez threw all nine innings while giving up three runs on seven hits. He struck out eight and walked one. It was his second complete game since joining the Rock Cats, both of them have coming against the Sea Dogs. [B]Fort Myers Miracle 3, Brevard County Manatees 2 (11 innings)[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_07_24_ftmafa_breafa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"][B]Box Score[/B][/URL] It took a couple big hits from Kennys Vargas and Mike Kvasnicka to help the Miracle stage a late inning comeback. In the ninth inning, with the Miracle down a run, Vargas launched his 15th home run of the season to tie the game. Kvasnicka then roped an RBI single in the top of the 11th inning to plate the winning run. It was his third hit of the night. Adrian Salcedo picked up his fifth win of the season in relief. He had to pitch around an error in the 11th inning. He threw both extra innings without allowing a hit or a run. Matt Tomshaw had a good start for the Miracle as he tossed seven innings of two-run ball. He struck out six and walked one but he didn't figure in the decision. Byron Buxton went 2-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts. Buxton was matched in the hits department by Aderlin Mejia. The shortstop finished the night 2-for-3 with two walks and a run scored. Dalton Hicks had his first double at the High-A level and his 32nd(!) double for the season. [B]Cedar Rapids Kernels 7, Peoria Chiefs 8 (10 Innings)[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_07_24_peoafx_cedafx_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"][B]Box Score[/B][/URL] Christian Powell ran into some rough moments in the early going. All nine Chiefs batters came to the plate in the first inning but he was able to limit the damage to three runs. The first inning was a harbinger of a rough night, though: he was pulled after 4.2 innings, having given up five runs on eight hits and five walks. Adam Walker continued his hot hitting as he had three hits for the second consecutive night. He is in the midst of a six game hitting streak and he is batting .340 in his last 10 games. Mike Gonzales hit his first home run for the Kernels and he is 5-for-12 since joining the team. Jorge Polanco had multiple hits for the third straight game including his 25th double. [B]Elizabethton Twins 2, Kingsport Mets 3[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_07_24_elirok_kptrok_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"][B]Box Score[/B][/URL] The E-Twins came back to tie the game in the top of the ninth, but the Mets found a way to push across a walk-off run in the bottom half of the frame. Mitch Garver had two hits including his 2nd home run of the season. It was the only extra-base hit for the Twins. Stuart Turner and Carlos Avila each had two hits. Josh Burris pitched 2.2 innings as the starter but there were control issues. He gave up six walks while limiting the Mets to three hits and one earned run. Brandon Bixler threw the most frames as he went 3.1 innings and didn't allow a run. Ethan Mildren got into trouble in the bottom of the ninth and was given his first professional loss. [B]GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 1[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_07_24_twirok_orirok_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"][B]Box Score[/B][/URL] The GCL Twins used a balanced offensive approach to win a close game with the GCL Orioles. Six of the nine starters for the Twins ended the game with a hit. Joel Polanco knocked in a run with his third double of the year. Jorge Fernandez hit a solo home run in the 7th inning. Overall, the team went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position; there were missed opportunities. Adonis Pacheco had an outfield assist, throwing out a runner at second. The pitching staff for the GCL Twins didn't allow an earned run. Sam Gibbons started the game and pitched four strong innings. He limited the Orioles to two hits and one unearned run. There were some control problems as he walked four and had a wild pitch. Lewis Thorpe earned his first professional win by throwing two shutout innings and striking out three. View full article

Since the Twins were playing on the West Coast, their afternoon game with the Angels went into the early evening in the Central time zone. Minnesota won the first two games of the series before things got a little dicey on Wednesday. Jared Weaver looked excellent on the mound but a bad infield fly call might have cost the Twins a chance to sweep the Angels. With Joe Mauer on paternity leave for three days, Drew Butera was called up from Rochester. He has spent the entire season at Rochester where he is hitting .215/.247/.316 in 86 plate appearances. For a 29-year old with close to 500 MLB at-bats, these totals aren't very good. To take the place of Butera on Rochester's roster, Jario Rodriguez was moved up from Cedar Rapids. There were plenty of sights and sounds on Wednesday so let's go down on the pond for all of the action. Rochester Red Wings 6, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 2 Box Score A wild bottom of the eighth inning helped Rochester to separate themselves from the IronPigs. Three passed balls and one wild pitch resulted in five runs. July has been a very good month for the Red Wings as they are 14-7 since the calendar turned from June. The club is also a season high four games over the .500 mark. One of the hottest relief pitchers in the Twins system has been Edgar Ibarra. In his last 22 innings between New Britain and Rochester, he has not allowed an earned run. The last earned run he allowed was back on May 21st at the Double-A level. He was credited with his first Triple-A victory in this game after recording the last five outs. PJ Walters went 7.1 innings and allowed two runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Chris Parmelee hit his first home run since being sent back to Rochester. Oswaldo Arcia also helped the offense by going 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI. The Red Wings only managed four hits but all of the wild pitching from the IronPigs bullpen helped the team to come out on the right side of this game. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Portland Sea Dogs 3 Box Score For the first time in three days, Miguel Sano didn't hit a home run for the Rock Cats. He didn't really get the opportunity to hit as he was out of the line-up for the first time since he left the team for the MLB Futures Game. With their power hitting third baseman out of the line-up, New Britain had a tough time getting the offense off the ground. Josmil Pinto continued his tremendous season with another multi-hit game. He provided the most offensive punch in the line-up by going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Daniel Ortiz and Pinto are tied for the team lead with 23 doubles. Danny Santana went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. On the mound, New Britain only needed one pitcher for the entire game. Virgil Vasquez threw all nine innings while giving up three runs on seven hits. He struck out eight and only walked one. It was his second complete game since joining the Rock Cats and both of them have come against the Sea Dogs. Fort Myers Miracle 3, Brevard County Manatees 2 (11 innings) Box Score It took a couple of big hits from Kennys Vargas and Mike Kvasnicka to help the Miracle to stage a late inning comeback. In the ninth inning with the Miracle down a run, Vargas launched his 15th home run of the season to tie the game. Kvasnicka would rope an RBI single in the top of the 11th inning to plate the winning run. It was his third hit of the night. Adrian Salcedo picked up his fifth win of the season in relief. He had to pitch around an error in the 11th inning. Overall, he threw both extra innings without allowing a hit or a run. Matt Tomshaw had a good start for the Miracle as he tossed seven innings of two-run ball. He struck out six and walked one but he wouldn't figure into the decision. Byron Buxton went 2-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts. Buxton was matched in the hits department by Aderlin Mejia. He finished the night 2-for-3 with two walks and a run scored. Dalton Hicks had his first double at the High-A level and his 32nd double for the season. Cedar Rapids Kernels 7, Peoria Chiefs 8 (10 Innings) Box Score Christian Powell ran into some rough moments in the early going of this game. All nine Chiefs batters came to the plate in the first inning but he was able to limit the damage to three runs. He wouldn't make it too deep into the game on the mound. He was pulled after 4.2 innings and giving up five runs on eight hits. His five walks really hurt him. Adam Walker continued his hot hitting as he had three hits for the second consecutive night. He is in the midst of a six game hitting streak and he is batting .340 in his last 10 games. Mike Gonzales hit his first home run for the Kernels and he is 5-for-12 since joining the team. Jorge Polanco had multiple hits for the third straight game including his 25th double. Elizabethton Twins 2, Kingsport Mets 3 Box Score The E-Twins did their best to come back and tie the game in the top of the ninth inning but the Mets found a way to push across a walk-off run in the bottom half of the frame. Mitch Garver had two hits including his 2nd home run of the season. It was the only extra-base hit for the Twins. Stuart Turner and Carlos Avila each had two hits. Josh Burris pitched 2.2 innings as the starter but there were some control issues. He allowed six walks while he did limit the Mets to three hits and one earned run. Brandon Bixler threw the most frames as he went 3.1 innings and didn't allow a run. Ethan Mildren got into trouble in the bottom of the ninth and he given his first professional loss. GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 1 Box Score The GCL Twins used a balanced offensive approach to win a close game with the GCL Orioles. Six of the nine starters for the Twins ended the game with a hit. Joel Polanco knocked in a run with his third double of the year. Jorge Fernandez hit a solo home run in the 7th inning. Overall, the team went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position so there were some opportunities that were missed. The pitching staff for the GCL Twins didn't allow an earned run. Sam Gibbons started the game and pitched four strong innings. He limited the Orioles to two hits and one unearned run. There were some control problems as he walked four men and had a wild pitch. Lewis Thorpe earned his first professional win by throwing two shutout innings and striking out three men.

Since the Twins were playing on the West Coast, their afternoon game with the Angels went into the early evening in the Central time zone. Minnesota won the first two games of the series before things got a little dicey on Wednesday. Jared Weaver looked excellent on the mound but a bad infield fly call might have cost the Twins a chance to sweep the Angels. With Joe Mauer on paternity leave for three days, Drew Butera was called up from Rochester. He has spent the entire season at Rochester where he is hitting .215/.247/.316 in 86 plate appearances. For a 29-year old with close to 500 MLB at-bats, these totals aren't very good. To take the place of Butera on Rochester's roster, Jario Rodriguez was moved up from Cedar Rapids. There were plenty of sights and sounds on Wednesday so let's go down on the pond for all of the action. Rochester Red Wings 6, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 2 Box Score A wild bottom of the eighth inning helped Rochester to separate themselves from the IronPigs. Three passed balls and one wild pitch resulted in five runs. July has been a very good month for the Red Wings as they are 14-7 since the calendar turned from June. The club is also a season high four games over the .500 mark. One of the hottest relief pitchers in the Twins system has been Edgar Ibarra. In his last 22 innings between New Britain and Rochester, he has not allowed an earned run. The last earned run he allowed was back on May 21st at the Double-A level. He was credited with his first Triple-A victory in this game after recording the last five outs. PJ Walters went 7.1 innings and allowed two runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Chris Parmelee hit his first home run since being sent back to Rochester. Oswaldo Arcia also helped the offense by going 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI. The Red Wings only managed four hits but all of the wild pitching from the IronPigs bullpen helped the team to come out on the right side of this game. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Portland Sea Dogs 3 Box Score For the first time in three days, Miguel Sano didn't hit a home run for the Rock Cats. He didn't really get the opportunity to hit as he was out of the line-up for the first time since he left the team for the MLB Futures Game. With their power hitting third baseman out of the line-up, New Britain had a tough time getting the offense off the ground. Josmil Pinto continued his tremendous season with another multi-hit game. He provided the most offensive punch in the line-up by going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Daniel Ortiz and Pinto are tied for the team lead with 23 doubles. Danny Santana went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. On the mound, New Britain only needed one pitcher for the entire game. Virgil Vasquez threw all nine innings while giving up three runs on seven hits. He struck out eight and only walked one. It was his second complete game since joining the Rock Cats and both of them have come against the Sea Dogs. Fort Myers Miracle 3, Brevard County Manatees 2 (11 innings) Box Score It took a couple of big hits from Kennys Vargas and Mike Kvasnicka to help the Miracle to stage a late inning comeback. In the ninth inning with the Miracle down a run, Vargas launched his 15th home run of the season to tie the game. Kvasnicka would rope an RBI single in the top of the 11th inning to plate the winning run. It was his third hit of the night. Adrian Salcedo picked up his fifth win of the season in relief. He had to pitch around an error in the 11th inning. Overall, he threw both extra innings without allowing a hit or a run. Matt Tomshaw had a good start for the Miracle as he tossed seven innings of two-run ball. He struck out six and walked one but he wouldn't figure into the decision. Byron Buxton went 2-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts. Buxton was matched in the hits department by Aderlin Mejia. He finished the night 2-for-3 with two walks and a run scored. Dalton Hicks had his first double at the High-A level and his 32nd double for the season. Cedar Rapids Kernels 7, Peoria Chiefs 8 (10 Innings) Box Score Christian Powell ran into some rough moments in the early going of this game. All nine Chiefs batters came to the plate in the first inning but he was able to limit the damage to three runs. He wouldn't make it too deep into the game on the mound. He was pulled after 4.2 innings and giving up five runs on eight hits. His five walks really hurt him. Adam Walker continued his hot hitting as he had three hits for the second consecutive night. He is in the midst of a six game hitting streak and he is batting .340 in his last 10 games. Mike Gonzales hit his first home run for the Kernels and he is 5-for-12 since joining the team. Jorge Polanco had multiple hits for the third straight game including his 25th double. Elizabethton Twins 2, Kingsport Mets 3 Box Score The E-Twins did their best to come back and tie the game in the top of the ninth inning but the Mets found a way to push across a walk-off run in the bottom half of the frame. Mitch Garver had two hits including his 2nd home run of the season. It was the only extra-base hit for the Twins. Stuart Turner and Carlos Avila each had two hits. Josh Burris pitched 2.2 innings as the starter but there were some control issues. He allowed six walks while he did limit the Mets to three hits and one earned run. Brandon Bixler threw the most frames as he went 3.1 innings and didn't allow a run. Ethan Mildren got into trouble in the bottom of the ninth and he given his first professional loss. GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 1 Box Score The GCL Twins used a balanced offensive approach to win a close game with the GCL Orioles. Six of the nine starters for the Twins ended the game with a hit. Joel Polanco knocked in a run with his third double of the year. Jorge Fernandez hit a solo home run in the 7th inning. Overall, the team went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position so there were some opportunities that were missed. The pitching staff for the GCL Twins didn't allow an earned run. Sam Gibbons started the game and pitched four strong innings. He limited the Orioles to two hits and one unearned run. There were some control problems as he walked four men and had a wild pitch. Lewis Thorpe earned his first professional win by throwing two shutout innings and striking out three men.

The second half of the minor league season is well under way. Some of the Twins affiliates are trying to find their way into the playoff race. A few of the farm teams are trying to fight through some injuries and keep players on the field. It will be an interesting couple of months leading up to the playoffs. Earlier on Tuesday, a roster move had to be made to fit Nick Blackburn into the rotation for Rochester. His promotion from Double-A meant another pitcher had to go the opposite direction. LHP Blake Martin made the trek from the International League back to the Eastern League. In 12 games, he had a 4.02 ERA and 25 strikeouts. Let's see how Blackburn did in his first start back at Triple-A. Plus there were some fireworks from Sano and Buxton on this night. Rochester Red Wings 1, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 8 Box Score Nick Blackburn made his 2013 debut at Triple-A and things went rocky to say the least. He gave up six earned runs off of 10 hits and he barely made it through five innings. It was the most runs he has ever allowed in his 32 starts for the Red Wings. It was the first time the IronPigs had won at Frontier Field since August of last season. An eighth inning double by Chris Parmelee scored the lone run of the game. On the night, Parmelee went 2-for-3 with that double and an RBI. Oswaldo Arcia had been ripping the cover off the ball since being demoted before the All-Star break. He had gone 7-for-11 with two home runs but he was pulled in the second inning tonight after going 0-1 with a strike out. New Britain Rock Cats 7, Portland Sea Dogs 8 Box Score The Rock Cats got out to an early 5-0 lead after multiple run innings in the first and second. Portland came back with a big five-run top of the fourth to tie the game. This would turn into a battle of the bullpens and the Sea Dogs had a little more bark in them. Miguel Sano continued to be hot as he hit a home run for the second consecutive night. He also has homered in four of his last six games. He smacked a double in the earlier innings to help him finish 2-for-4 with two RBI. Josmil Pinto added his 14th home run of the season, a two-run shot. Former MLB pitcher Kyle Davies made his Rock Cats debut on the mound. He got knocked around for nine hits and five earned runs in 3.1 innings. On a more positive note, he did strikeout six batters and he didn't give up any walks. Fort Myers Miracle 4, Brevard County Manatees 10 Box Score Byron Buxton hit a home run, legged out a triple, and scored three runs but it still wasn't enough. It was the first over-the-wall home run for Buxton at this level. Overall, Buxton went 3-for-4 and he added his fourth stolen base at this level. Dalton Hicks, Matt Koch, and Stephen Wickens all had two-hit games but none were for extra-bases. Miracle starter Taylor Rogers had a tough time getting out of the middle innings. The Manatees plated six runs in the fourth and fifth frames including one inning where eight batters made it to the plate. He went five innings and gave up six runs on eight hits with three strikeouts. Chad Rodgers got pounded for four runs in his one inning of relief work. Elizabethton Twins 4, Kingsport Mets 5 Box Score The E-Twins did their best to come back in this game by scoring four runs in the eighth inning to take a one run lead. Unfortunately, the Mets had different plans as they would storm back to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth and come out victorious. Romy Jimenez and Javier Pimentel both went 2-for-4 with a double. It was the seventh double of the year for Pimentel. Zach Granite also had two hits and an RBI. Starter Felix Jorge went five innings and gave up three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts. Brandon Peterson was saddled with the loss after giving up both runs in the bottom of the ninth. GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 3 Box Score Four defensive errors didn't help the GCL Twins on this day. Only one earned run was scored by the GCL Rays and that made the difference in the final score. Jonatan Hinojosa had two fielding errors at shortstop, second baseman Will Hurt had a throwing error, and first baseman Chad Christensen added an error on a pickoff. Defensive mistakes will haunt a team. Hurt tried to make up for his throwing error with a good day at the plate. He went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Amaurys Minier had the only extra-base hit, his fourth double of the season. Damian Defrank started the game and scattered three hits over four shutout innings. He struck out four and walked one. Stephen Gonsalves also pitched 3.1 scoreless innings in relief.

The second half of the minor league season is well under way. Some of the Twins affiliates are trying to find their way into the playoff race. A few of the farm teams are trying to fight through some injuries and keep players on the field. It will be an interesting couple of months leading up to the playoffs. Earlier on Tuesday, a roster move had to be made to fit Nick Blackburn into the rotation for Rochester. His promotion from Double-A meant another pitcher had to go the opposite direction. LHP Blake Martin made the trek from the International League back to the Eastern League. In 12 games, he had a 4.02 ERA and 25 strikeouts. Let's see how Blackburn did in his first start back at Triple-A. Plus there were some fireworks from Sano and Buxton on this night. Rochester Red Wings 1, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 8 Box Score Nick Blackburn made his 2013 debut at Triple-A and things went rocky to say the least. He gave up six earned runs off of 10 hits and he barely made it through five innings. It was the most runs he has ever allowed in his 32 starts for the Red Wings. It was the first time the IronPigs had won at Frontier Field since August of last season. An eighth inning double by Chris Parmelee scored the lone run of the game. On the night, Parmelee went 2-for-3 with that double and an RBI. Oswaldo Arcia had been ripping the cover off the ball since being demoted before the All-Star break. He had gone 7-for-11 with two home runs but he was pulled in the second inning tonight after going 0-1 with a strike out. New Britain Rock Cats 7, Portland Sea Dogs 8 Box Score The Rock Cats got out to an early 5-0 lead after multiple run innings in the first and second. Portland came back with a big five-run top of the fourth to tie the game. This would turn into a battle of the bullpens and the Sea Dogs had a little more bark in them. Miguel Sano continued to be hot as he hit a home run for the second consecutive night. He also has homered in four of his last six games. He smacked a double in the earlier innings to help him finish 2-for-4 with two RBI. Josmil Pinto added his 14th home run of the season, a two-run shot. Former MLB pitcher Kyle Davies made his Rock Cats debut on the mound. He got knocked around for nine hits and five earned runs in 3.1 innings. On a more positive note, he did strikeout six batters and he didn't give up any walks. Fort Myers Miracle 4, Brevard County Manatees 10 Box Score Byron Buxton hit a home run, legged out a triple, and scored three runs but it still wasn't enough. It was the first over-the-wall home run for Buxton at this level. Overall, Buxton went 3-for-4 and he added his fourth stolen base at this level. Dalton Hicks, Matt Koch, and Stephen Wickens all had two-hit games but none were for extra-bases. Miracle starter Taylor Rogers had a tough time getting out of the middle innings. The Manatees plated six runs in the fourth and fifth frames including one inning where eight batters made it to the plate. He went five innings and gave up six runs on eight hits with three strikeouts. Chad Rodgers got pounded for four runs in his one inning of relief work. Elizabethton Twins 4, Kingsport Mets 5 Box Score The E-Twins did their best to come back in this game by scoring four runs in the eighth inning to take a one run lead. Unfortunately, the Mets had different plans as they would storm back to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth and come out victorious. Romy Jimenez and Javier Pimentel both went 2-for-4 with a double. It was the seventh double of the year for Pimentel. Zach Granite also had two hits and an RBI. Starter Felix Jorge went five innings and gave up three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts. Brandon Peterson was saddled with the loss after giving up both runs in the bottom of the ninth. GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 3 Box Score Four defensive errors didn't help the GCL Twins on this day. Only one earned run was scored by the GCL Rays and that made the difference in the final score. Jonatan Hinojosa had two fielding errors at shortstop, second baseman Will Hurt had a throwing error, and first baseman Chad Christensen added an error on a pickoff. Defensive mistakes will haunt a team. Hurt tried to make up for his throwing error with a good day at the plate. He went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Amaurys Minier had the only extra-base hit, his fourth double of the season. Damian Defrank started the game and scattered three hits over four shutout innings. He struck out four and walked one. Stephen Gonsalves also pitched 3.1 scoreless innings in relief.

Something isn't right with Scott Diamond. The man who was supposed to be a calming force in the Twins starting rotation has become a punching bag for opponents. He hasn't won a game since June 20th and he gave up four runs in a little over five innings in that start. A sophomore slump has hit Diamond hard and it's tough to know what the Twins can do about it. Since June 9th, Diamond has struggled mightily on mound. In his eight starts during that stretch, he has failed to make it into the fifth inning in four of them including the last three. He's given up 30 earned runs in 40 innings for a robust 6.75 ERA. Overall, opponents are hitting .312/.369/.547 against him and he has given up more than a home run per game in his last eight starts. These numbers are tough to look at but it might have been easy to predict that there would be some struggles. There were signs of something wrong at the end of last season. Diamond was terrific in the first half by posting a 7-3 record and a 2.62 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP. There was some talk of Diamond making the All-Star team because of his strong pitching performance. The second half didn't go so smooth. His record dropped to 5-6 and his ERA expanded to 4.31 while his WHIP went up to 1.30. The end of his rookie season couldn't get there fast enough. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com One interesting statistic to look at for Diamond is his batting average on balls in play (BABIP). If you aren't familiar with this statistic, here is a brief introduction lesson. BABIP tells us how many hits a pitcher is giving up when the ball is put in play. In this case, "put in play" means the ball stays fair and in the ballpark, rather than the play resulting in a walk, home run, hit by pitch or error. Last season, opponents had a .292 BABIP versus Diamond. This mark ranked him in the top 20 in the American League. So far this season, Diamond's BABIP has risen to .319, the 43rd best mark in the AL. The only qualified AL pitchers with a worse BABIP are Bud Norris, Corey Kluber, Justin Verlander, and Joe Blanton. Most fans might think it's good for a pitcher to be on the same leader board as Verlander but that's not the case in this situation. Another area where Diamond has struggled has been his ability to limit damage when runners get on base. In 2012, Diamond was able to leave runners on base at a 73.3% mark. This ranked him 16th among AL starting pitchers and ahead of players like CC Sabathia, Yu Darvish, and Matt Moore. So far in 2013, Diamond has the third worst LOB% in the AL at 67.4%. The only pitchers with a worse mark are Jerome Williams and Rick Porcello. Let's take a closer look at the last two starts from Diamond and try and find where some of his struggles might have originated. Take a look at the strikezone plot map from Diamond's start on Sunday versus Cleveland. As you can see, there are a lot of pitches in the zone and a lot of balls left up. This looks a lot different compared to his previous start in New York. Against the Yankees, Diamond seemed to have a different game plan or he was continuing to struggle with his control. Most of his pitches were well out of the zone and it's hard to believe he got anyone out with this kind of control. He might have been trying to avoid batter's hitting it into the short porch at Yankee Stadium but this might also show why he was only able to last 3.1 innings. The Twins need to do something with Diamond. A trip to Rochester might be in order to get his head and control back where it needs to be. Fellow Canadian left-hander Andrew Albers also started on Sunday for the Rochester Red Wings. It could make sense to flip-flop these two men for their next few starts. Albers has a 10-4 record on the season and a 2.97 ERA. Diamond needs to get fixed and this might be the right time for him to be demoted.

Something isn't right with Scott Diamond. The man who was supposed to be a calming force in the Twins starting rotation has become a punching bag for opponents. He hasn't won a game since June 20th and he gave up four runs in a little over five innings in that start. A sophomore slump has hit Diamond hard and it's tough to know what the Twins can do about it. Since June 9th, Diamond has struggled mightily on mound. In his eight starts during that stretch, he has failed to make it into the fifth inning in four of them including the last three. He's given up 30 earned runs in 40 innings for a robust 6.75 ERA. Overall, opponents are hitting .312/.369/.547 against him and he has given up more than a home run per game in his last eight starts. These numbers are tough to look at but it might have been easy to predict that there would be some struggles. There were signs of something wrong at the end of last season. Diamond was terrific in the first half by posting a 7-3 record and a 2.62 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP. There was some talk of Diamond making the All-Star team because of his strong pitching performance. The second half didn't go so smooth. His record dropped to 5-6 and his ERA expanded to 4.31 while his WHIP went up to 1.30. The end of his rookie season couldn't get there fast enough. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com One interesting statistic to look at for Diamond is his batting average on balls in play (BABIP). If you aren't familiar with this statistic, here is a brief introduction lesson. BABIP tells us how many hits a pitcher is giving up when the ball is put in play. In this case, "put in play" means the ball stays fair and in the ballpark, rather than the play resulting in a walk, home run, hit by pitch or error. Last season, opponents had a .292 BABIP versus Diamond. This mark ranked him in the top 20 in the American League. So far this season, Diamond's BABIP has risen to .319, the 43rd best mark in the AL. The only qualified AL pitchers with a worse BABIP are Bud Norris, Corey Kluber, Justin Verlander, and Joe Blanton. Most fans might think it's good for a pitcher to be on the same leader board as Verlander but that's not the case in this situation. Another area where Diamond has struggled has been his ability to limit damage when runners get on base. In 2012, Diamond was able to leave runners on base at a 73.3% mark. This ranked him 16th among AL starting pitchers and ahead of players like CC Sabathia, Yu Darvish, and Matt Moore. So far in 2013, Diamond has the third worst LOB% in the AL at 67.4%. The only pitchers with a worse mark are Jerome Williams and Rick Porcello. Let's take a closer look at the last two starts from Diamond and try and find where some of his struggles might have originated. Take a look at the strikezone plot map from Diamond's start on Sunday versus Cleveland. As you can see, there are a lot of pitches in the zone and a lot of balls left up. This looks a lot different compared to his previous start in New York. Against the Yankees, Diamond seemed to have a different game plan or he was continuing to struggle with his control. Most of his pitches were well out of the zone and it's hard to believe he got anyone out with this kind of control. He might have been trying to avoid batter's hitting it into the short porch at Yankee Stadium but this might also show why he was only able to last 3.1 innings. The Twins need to do something with Diamond. A trip to Rochester might be in order to get his head and control back where it needs to be. Fellow Canadian left-hander Andrew Albers also started on Sunday for the Rochester Red Wings. It could make sense to flip-flop these two men for their next few starts. Albers has a 10-4 record on the season and a 2.97 ERA. Diamond needs to get fixed and this might be the right time for him to be demoted.

At the beginning of the season, I devoted an entire week to make predictions about the upcoming MLB season. These predictions can be fun especially with all of the surprises that surround the game of baseball. I had the Toronto Blue Jays winning the AL East... oops. There are going to be a few swings and misses. With the All-Star Game over and done with, let's take a look back at the first half of the season and see who's in line for each of NoDak Twins Fan's end of the season awards. There are some easy choices and some tough choices at this point in the season. Luckily there is the entire second half for the best players to separate themselves. Each of the awards below has been named after someone that optimizes that award for the Twins organization. There are some legends from the past and even one current MLB player but all have had a significant place in Twins lore. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com Harmon Killebrew MVP: Joe Mauer, C Preseason Pick: Joe Mauer, C Previous Winners: Josh Willingham (2012), Michael Cuddyer (2011), Joe Mauer (2010) Josh Willingham has been banged up. Justin Morneau hasn't been hitting for much power. This leaves one clear option for the first half MVP. Joe Mauer was selected as the starting catcher for the American League All-Stars and he is one of the best hitters in baseball. His 4.0 WAR ranks him 9th among position players and he is the highest catcher on the list. On the Twins, the next closest WAR marks are Pedro Florimon (2.0 WAR) and Brian Dozier (1.7 WAR). Barring any injury to the face of the franchise, Mauer should walk away with the team's MVP award. Johan Santana Pitcher of the Year: Glen Perkins, LHP Preseason Pick: Vance Worley, RHP Previous Winners: Scott Diamond (2012), Carl Pavano (2011), Carl Pavano (2010) The starters for the Twins have been rough to watch and this makes it hard to consider one of them as the top pitcher. There is a lot of baseball left in the season so someone like Sam Deduno or Kyle Gibson could continue to pitch well and take over this award. For now, the first half honor goes to Glen Perkins. He got elected to his first All-Star Game and he has the highest WAR among the pitchers on the staff. His 21 saves are the 9th most in baseball and he has posted a very good 0.808 WHIP. If the Twins find the right deal, Perkins could end up on another team before the deadline. Rick Aguilera Relief Pitcher of the Year: Glen Perkins, LHP Preseason Pick: Brian Duensing, LHP Previous Winners: Jared Burton (2012), Glen Perkins (2011), Jesse Crain (2010) One of the biggest positives this year has been the bullpen. There have been surprise performances from players like Casey Fien and Caleb Thielbar. After a breakout season in 2012, Jared Burton has run into some rough times this year. It shouldn't be any surprise with Perkins being named the winner for the first half. He has been consistent at the back end of the bullpen and fans have grown accustom to "Perk" being a shutdown closer. The lone player with a chance to catch Perkins might be Thielbar especially with the way he has thrown the ball in the last month. For now, Perkins gets the nod as the best bullpen arm for the Twins. Rod Carew Rookie of the Year: Oswaldo Arcia, OF Preseason Pick: Aaron Hicks, OF Previous Winners: Scott Diamond (2012), Ben Revere (2011), Danny Valencia (2010) This could turn out to be a pretty good two-man battle but the first half award has to go to Arcia. Hicks was the logical choice at the beginning of the year since he had earned the starting job in center field. A horrific start to the season left some wondering if Hicks would be sent to Rochester. He suffered an injury that cost him a couple weeks and he has been on fire as of late. This could mean he has a chance to catch Arcia by the end of the year. A couple of weeks ago, it looked like Arcia might have a chance to be the AL Rookie of the Year. Things turned south quickly and he now finds himself at Triple-A. He is still near the top of the leader board in a variety of categories for rookies so he gets my vote. Now it's your turn. What would your ballot look like for the top awards in the Twins organization for 2013? Leave a COMMENT and start the debate.

At the beginning of the season, I devoted an entire week to make predictions about the upcoming MLB season. These predictions can be fun especially with all of the surprises that surround the game of baseball. I had the Toronto Blue Jays winning the AL East... oops. There are going to be a few swings and misses. With the All-Star Game over and done with, let's take a look back at the first half of the season and see who's in line for each of NoDak Twins Fan's end of the season awards. There are some easy choices and some tough choices at this point in the season. Luckily there is the entire second half for the best players to separate themselves. Each of the awards below has been named after someone that optimizes that award for the Twins organization. There are some legends from the past and even one current MLB player but all have had a significant place in Twins lore. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com Harmon Killebrew MVP: Joe Mauer, C Preseason Pick: Joe Mauer, C Previous Winners: Josh Willingham (2012), Michael Cuddyer (2011), Joe Mauer (2010) Josh Willingham has been banged up. Justin Morneau hasn't been hitting for much power. This leaves one clear option for the first half MVP. Joe Mauer was selected as the starting catcher for the American League All-Stars and he is one of the best hitters in baseball. His 4.0 WAR ranks him 9th among position players and he is the highest catcher on the list. On the Twins, the next closest WAR marks are Pedro Florimon (2.0 WAR) and Brian Dozier (1.7 WAR). Barring any injury to the face of the franchise, Mauer should walk away with the team's MVP award. Johan Santana Pitcher of the Year: Glen Perkins, LHP Preseason Pick: Vance Worley, RHP Previous Winners: Scott Diamond (2012), Carl Pavano (2011), Carl Pavano (2010) The starters for the Twins have been rough to watch and this makes it hard to consider one of them as the top pitcher. There is a lot of baseball left in the season so someone like Sam Deduno or Kyle Gibson could continue to pitch well and take over this award. For now, the first half honor goes to Glen Perkins. He got elected to his first All-Star Game and he has the highest WAR among the pitchers on the staff. His 21 saves are the 9th most in baseball and he has posted a very good 0.808 WHIP. If the Twins find the right deal, Perkins could end up on another team before the deadline. Rick Aguilera Relief Pitcher of the Year: Glen Perkins, LHP Preseason Pick: Brian Duensing, LHP Previous Winners: Jared Burton (2012), Glen Perkins (2011), Jesse Crain (2010) One of the biggest positives this year has been the bullpen. There have been surprise performances from players like Casey Fien and Caleb Thielbar. After a breakout season in 2012, Jared Burton has run into some rough times this year. It shouldn't be any surprise with Perkins being named the winner for the first half. He has been consistent at the back end of the bullpen and fans have grown accustom to "Perk" being a shutdown closer. The lone player with a chance to catch Perkins might be Thielbar especially with the way he has thrown the ball in the last month. For now, Perkins gets the nod as the best bullpen arm for the Twins. Rod Carew Rookie of the Year: Oswaldo Arcia, OF Preseason Pick: Aaron Hicks, OF Previous Winners: Scott Diamond (2012), Ben Revere (2011), Danny Valencia (2010) This could turn out to be a pretty good two-man battle but the first half award has to go to Arcia. Hicks was the logical choice at the beginning of the year since he had earned the starting job in center field. A horrific start to the season left some wondering if Hicks would be sent to Rochester. He suffered an injury that cost him a couple weeks and he has been on fire as of late. This could mean he has a chance to catch Arcia by the end of the year. A couple of weeks ago, it looked like Arcia might have a chance to be the AL Rookie of the Year. Things turned south quickly and he now finds himself at Triple-A. He is still near the top of the leader board in a variety of categories for rookies so he gets my vote. Now it's your turn. What would your ballot look like for the top awards in the Twins organization for 2013? Leave a COMMENT and start the debate.

Much like the Major League squads, the best players at the Triple-A level gathered for their All-Star Game on Wednesday evening. The Rochester Red Wings had two representatives, Chris Colabello and Andrew Albers, and they both played roles in different parts of the game. Colabello was the starting first baseman for the International League team and he batted in the third spot in the order. After not hitting any home runs in the Triple-A Home Run Derby, Colabello looked to make some noise with his bat. He actually got the scoring started with an RBI double in the top of the first. He would end the night going 1-for-3. Albers pitched the fourth inning and things didn't go exactly perfect. The first two batters reached on singles and a passed ball moved both men into scoring position. He coaxed a ground out for the next batter but that meant a run crossed the plate. With a runner on third and one out, Albers struck out the next batter for out number two. The final batter of the inning was able to hit a ball hard but it was right at the center fielder. New Britain Rock Cats 4, Harrisburg Senators 3 Box Score The Rock Cats pounded out 11 hits to squeak out a one-run victory over the Senators. The win brought New Britain to within two games of the .500 mark. Since the All-Star Game last Wednesday, the club has posted a 3-4 record. Tomorrow marks the start of an important eight-game home stand over the next seven days. DJ Baxendale did admirably on the mound by pitching 5.2 innings and limiting the Senators to two runs. He gave up five hits and struck out two batters while walking one. After starting the year 7-0 with the Miracle, his victory on Wednesday put him with a 3-3 record at Double-A. He's allowed two earned runs or less in his last three outings. Eddie Rosario has been on a tear lately. He's in the midst of a seven-game hit streak and in his last 10 games he is batting .366/.409/.561. In this afternoon's contest, he went 3-for-5 with half of the team's RBI. Rosario is hitting .306/.374/.494 with 12 extra-base hits in his 31 games since being promoted. Danny Santana did a good job of setting the table ahead of Rosario. He went 2-for-4 in the game with his 16th double and he scored two runs out of the leadoff spot. Santana has a nice five-game hitting streak of his own so he and Rosario are doing a fine job at the top of the line-up. Fort Myers Miracle 6, Dunedin Blue Jays 4 Box Score Kennys Vargas came up with a big two-run double in the top of the ninth inning to stop the Miracle's losing streak at six games. Recent games had Vargas deep in a 1-for-18 slump and he had already gone 0-2 in the game with two strikeouts. The big hit from Vargas wasn't the only story line to follow from this game. DJ Hicks, in his Florida State League debut, got the Miracle on the board early with a two-run home run. Byron Buxton helped to add to the lead when he hit a flyball that got lost in the lights. He would end up at third base and he eventually came in to score. Aderlin Mejia, Matt Koch, and JD Williams each added two hits. Tyler Duffey was excellent on the mound but he ended up with a no decision. He lasted seven innings shutout innings while allowing one hit. Throughout the game, he had to work around four walks but it helped that he was able to strikeout seven men. The Miracle had been winning in the eighth inning before a rough night from Nelvin Fuentes. He gave up four hits including the go-ahead grand slam. After the Vargas double, Zach Jones game in to earn his tenth save of the season with only one base runner reaching on a walk. Cedar Rapids Kernels 7, Lake County Captains 6 Box Score This game would continue long into the night as neither club could gain the advantage. Both teams managed big four run innings in the early portion of the game before reaching a stalemate in extra-innings. Christian Powell was on the mound to start the game and he made it through five innings after a rough fourth. Overall, he gave up five runs on seven hits including two long balls. He wouldn't be around for the end of this game as it turned into a battle of the bullpens. Dallas Gallant was asked to record five outs and he did so by striking out all five of those men. There were some wild moments in between as he had a couple of wild pitches and base runners were on in both frames that he worked. David Hurlbut also struck out five batters and he had to come into a tough situation with a runner at third base. One unearned run was scored against him but he only allowed one hit in over two innings of work. The Kernels struck out 19 men with the help of two strikeouts apiece for Alex Muren and Tim Shibuya in the last two innings. Jorge Polanco helped to stop what seemed like an endless game. His RBI single in the top of the 12th inning was the first run for the Kernels since the sixth inning. Earlier in the game Jeremias Pineda hit his second home run of the year, a three-run shot. He ended the night 3-for-5 with four runs scored. Niko Goodrum was 4-5 with two walks in the game. GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 4 Box Score The bullpen for the GCL Twins gave up three runs in the final three innings to cough up the lead. The Rays took an early lead by scoring in the bottom of the first. The Twins would come back and score three runs in the fourth and fifth frames to take back the lead. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last and the team dropped one game under .500 and 2.5 games out of first place. Zach Larson powered the offense with two hits including his fourth home run of the year. Chad Christensen had the only other extra-base hit with a triple and he would come around to score. Alex Swim has a five-game hitting streak after going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Alex Wimmers continued his comeback from Tommy John surgery. He pitched two innings and gave up one earned run. He was able to strikeout three batters but he did walk a couple of men. Stephen Gonsalves tossed three innings, struck out three, and gave up his first run of the year. Daniel Sattler was charged with the loss after giving up two runs on four hits in one inning.

Much like the Major League squads, the best players at the Triple-A level gathered for their All-Star Game on Wednesday evening. The Rochester Red Wings had two representatives, Chris Colabello and Andrew Albers, and they both played roles in different parts of the game. Colabello was the starting first baseman for the International League team and he batted in the third spot in the order. After not hitting any home runs in the Triple-A Home Run Derby, Colabello looked to make some noise with his bat. He actually got the scoring started with an RBI double in the top of the first. He would end the night going 1-for-3. Albers pitched the fourth inning and things didn't go exactly perfect. The first two batters reached on singles and a passed ball moved both men into scoring position. He coaxed a ground out for the next batter but that meant a run crossed the plate. With a runner on third and one out, Albers struck out the next batter for out number two. The final batter of the inning was able to hit a ball hard but it was right at the center fielder. New Britain Rock Cats 4, Harrisburg Senators 3 Box Score The Rock Cats pounded out 11 hits to squeak out a one-run victory over the Senators. The win brought New Britain to within two games of the .500 mark. Since the All-Star Game last Wednesday, the club has posted a 3-4 record. Tomorrow marks the start of an important eight-game home stand over the next seven days. DJ Baxendale did admirably on the mound by pitching 5.2 innings and limiting the Senators to two runs. He gave up five hits and struck out two batters while walking one. After starting the year 7-0 with the Miracle, his victory on Wednesday put him with a 3-3 record at Double-A. He's allowed two earned runs or less in his last three outings. Eddie Rosario has been on a tear lately. He's in the midst of a seven-game hit streak and in his last 10 games he is batting .366/.409/.561. In this afternoon's contest, he went 3-for-5 with half of the team's RBI. Rosario is hitting .306/.374/.494 with 12 extra-base hits in his 31 games since being promoted. Danny Santana did a good job of setting the table ahead of Rosario. He went 2-for-4 in the game with his 16th double and he scored two runs out of the leadoff spot. Santana has a nice five-game hitting streak of his own so he and Rosario are doing a fine job at the top of the line-up. Fort Myers Miracle 6, Dunedin Blue Jays 4 Box Score Kennys Vargas came up with a big two-run double in the top of the ninth inning to stop the Miracle's losing streak at six games. Recent games had Vargas deep in a 1-for-18 slump and he had already gone 0-2 in the game with two strikeouts. The big hit from Vargas wasn't the only story line to follow from this game. DJ Hicks, in his Florida State League debut, got the Miracle on the board early with a two-run home run. Byron Buxton helped to add to the lead when he hit a flyball that got lost in the lights. He would end up at third base and he eventually came in to score. Aderlin Mejia, Matt Koch, and JD Williams each added two hits. Tyler Duffey was excellent on the mound but he ended up with a no decision. He lasted seven innings shutout innings while allowing one hit. Throughout the game, he had to work around four walks but it helped that he was able to strikeout seven men. The Miracle had been winning in the eighth inning before a rough night from Nelvin Fuentes. He gave up four hits including the go-ahead grand slam. After the Vargas double, Zach Jones game in to earn his tenth save of the season with only one base runner reaching on a walk. Cedar Rapids Kernels 7, Lake County Captains 6 Box Score This game would continue long into the night as neither club could gain the advantage. Both teams managed big four run innings in the early portion of the game before reaching a stalemate in extra-innings. Christian Powell was on the mound to start the game and he made it through five innings after a rough fourth. Overall, he gave up five runs on seven hits including two long balls. He wouldn't be around for the end of this game as it turned into a battle of the bullpens. Dallas Gallant was asked to record five outs and he did so by striking out all five of those men. There were some wild moments in between as he had a couple of wild pitches and base runners were on in both frames that he worked. David Hurlbut also struck out five batters and he had to come into a tough situation with a runner at third base. One unearned run was scored against him but he only allowed one hit in over two innings of work. The Kernels struck out 19 men with the help of two strikeouts apiece for Alex Muren and Tim Shibuya in the last two innings. Jorge Polanco helped to stop what seemed like an endless game. His RBI single in the top of the 12th inning was the first run for the Kernels since the sixth inning. Earlier in the game Jeremias Pineda hit his second home run of the year, a three-run shot. He ended the night 3-for-5 with four runs scored. Niko Goodrum was 4-5 with two walks in the game. GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 4 Box Score The bullpen for the GCL Twins gave up three runs in the final three innings to cough up the lead. The Rays took an early lead by scoring in the bottom of the first. The Twins would come back and score three runs in the fourth and fifth frames to take back the lead. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last and the team dropped one game under .500 and 2.5 games out of first place. Zach Larson powered the offense with two hits including his fourth home run of the year. Chad Christensen had the only other extra-base hit with a triple and he would come around to score. Alex Swim has a five-game hitting streak after going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Alex Wimmers continued his comeback from Tommy John surgery. He pitched two innings and gave up one earned run. He was able to strikeout three batters but he did walk a couple of men. Stephen Gonsalves tossed three innings, struck out three, and gave up his first run of the year. Daniel Sattler was charged with the loss after giving up two runs on four hits in one inning.

The Twins needed to make some kind of change during the All-Star break because the team scuffled in the week's leading up to the Mid-Summer Classic. There was going to be some players sent packing to Rochester and some fresh faces on the Twins roster. It had to happen and there were going to be some surprising names that would come up in the discussion for demotion. There is pressure on multiple people in the Twins organization to find a way to be respectable in 2013. Ron Gardenhire is in the last year of his contract and he needs to show the organization something so they will renew his contract for next year. Terry Ryan had a hand in putting together this roster and he needs to see some of the talent translated onto the field. Coming out of the All-Star break there will be some new names on the bench and in the line-up. Maybe these new faces will help the team to win a few more games. Overall, this wasn't a team that was going to be fighting for a World Series crown so all of their moves need to be focused on the future. Here is a look at each of the players that was demoted and what the future might hold for each of them. Oswaldo Arcia Season (59 Games): .257/.317/.408, 6 HR, 11 2B, 25 RBI, 63 SO Last Month (22 Games): .262/.319/.676, 2 HR, 2 2B, 10 RBI, 26 SO The Future: Just a few weeks ago, it looked like Arcia was one of the front-runners for the American League Rookie of the Year Award. A lot has changed in the last couple weeks. Over that time, he hit .108/.132/.108 with 16 strikeouts in 37 at-bats. There was no power from Arcia and one had to wonder if there was some kind of injury bothering him or maybe he was embarrassed about taking a pop-fly to the face. He is too valuable to the club to be at the big league level and not getting consistent at-bats. Something had to be done to get him focused in at the plate. Arcia is still only 22-years old and he only has a little over 100 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. It might be good for him to get a month or so in the minors. This can give him a chance to get his head back on straight because the Twins need him for the next few years. Chris Herrmann will get some of the at-bats vacated by Arcia and he figures to also be in the Twins rebuilding plans. This gives the club a chance to see a little more of Herrmann at the big league level. Arcia's power hitting ability should be a staple in the Twins line-up as the team tries to rebuild but something just wasn't right going into the All-Star break. Eduardo Escobar Season (55 Games): .214/.268/.328, 3 HR, 2 2B, 9 RBI, 23 SO Last Month (11 Games): .120/.154/.240, 1 HR, 0 2B, 1 RBI, 7 SO The Future: Escobar surprised a lot of people with his performance in the first month of the season. He wasn't an everyday starter but he hit .378/.395/.541 with three extra-base hits in 38 plate appearances. Minnesota has struggled at different points of the first half to find production from the shortstop role. Pedro Florimon had a rough start to the season and Escobar did a decent job filling in when he was asked to do so. The Twins are basically swapping out the 24-year old Escobar for 33-year old infielder Doug Bernier. In 92 games for Rochester, Bernier was hitting .295/.370/.407 with 15 doubles. It seems like there is more of a chance for Escobar to have a long-term role as a utility man for the Twins. He is younger than Bernier by almost a decade but age didn't stop the Twins from making the move. This move might allow Escobar to get more playing time at Rochester and then the Twins can see where he fits into their plans. Now the Twins will have aging veterans Jamey Carroll and Bernier as their back-up infielders. Maybe they can swap "back in my day" stories on the bench. Chris Parmelee Season (83 Games): .223/.303/.372, 8 HR, 12 2B, 20 RBI, 66 SO Last Month (22 Games): .222/.306/.444, 3 HR, 5 2B, 6 RBI, 20 SO The Future: This was suppose to be a make it or break it season for Parmelee. Things aren't really working out in his favor in 2013. He has struggled to make consistent contact at the plate and the power he showed in the minors hasn't translated to the big leagues. Some of his struggles might be from the fact he is playing most of his games in the outfield after being used more as a first baseman in the upper levels of the minors. The Twins still gave him plenty of time to figure out his position and some of his challenges in the batter's box. Maybe a couple weeks at Triple-A will wake up his swing since he had an OPS of 1.102 last season in Rochester. Since it seems likely for Justin Morneau to be in a different uniform by the end of the month, one would think Parmelee could be the man to take over first base. It now seems more likely for Chris Colabello to be the man to get more playing time at the corner infield spot. Colabello got a brief taste of the big leagues earlier this year but he continues to be a force in the minors. Last year he was one of the top five players in the Eastern League and this season he is in the discussion for the best player in the International League. His batting line of .354/.432/.652 with 24 home runs and 24 doubles look like video game numbers.