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Kirsten Brown

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Everything posted by Kirsten Brown

  1. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog We're fully aware, now that the All-Star break is over, that the non-waiver trade deadline is looming (I hate the "looming" cliche -- it makes me think of a big shadow of a ghost looming with the players rumored to be traded cowering against the wall a la Scooby-Doo). Last season, the Twins did very little at the trade deadline. This year should be different; the Twins will most likely move a guy or two before the end of the month. What's different about this year: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There's a new (old) boss in town. Terry Ryan isn't historically known for making a ton of moves mid-season, but it seems like he's way more likely to let some guys go for a profit than Bill Smith was. I always got the sense that Smith made decisions with his emotions rather than his logic. There are new playoff rules. Now that there are two wild card teams in each league, there are more "on the bubble" teams vying for playoff spots. Many of those teams are just a good player or two away from making a nice September run. So there may be more interest than there was previously. There are new free agency rules. With the new collective bargaining agreement, the only way teams can receive a draft pick for losing a player in free agency is to offer him a one-year contract worth at least the average of the top 125 salaries in the MLB (which figures to be about $12 million this year). So the Twins may be more willing to trade pending free agents so that they can get something out of letting him go. 2011 happened. Last season at the end of July, the Twins were enjoying a nice little hot streak. Because they were only one year away from a playoff appearance, everyone was a little deluded into believing that they could turn things around. Well, we're all lucid now; we understand how bad things really are and that this team needs young help all up an down the organization. They can't afford to think about improving for 2012; they need to think about improving for 2013 and beyond. So, yeah, it really looks like we'll say goodbye to some of our guys in the next few weeks. It could be anybody, too -- Joe Mauer, who has a no-trade clause, and Ryan Doumit, who just signed an extension, are probably the only exceptions. It's important to realize that trading away anybody isn't likely to render huge immediate improvements; this would be all for strengthening the organization for the future. Let's hit a few of the top names: Fransisco Liriano (pending free agent). It seems bizarre that a team that so desperately needs quality starting pitching is willing to part with a guy who looks like he's found his mojo, but trading him actually makes sense if the situation is right. Offering him a $12 million contract (that he would have to decline) just so the Twins can get a draft pick might be a bit steep for their budget (because he just might accept it), so he's likely a goner anyway. The Twins may be able to net a nice prospect or two for him. Of course, this risk is that once he's gone, he'll turn into Cy Young. Matt Capps (pending free agent). Capps has been better than his reputation with Twins fans would suggest. He's freshly back from a minor shoulder injury, so he has a couple of weeks to shake off the rust and impress some scouts. Actually, he's back on the DL with shoulder soreness, and he's not due get off the DL until after the deadline, so never mind. Carl Pavano (pending free agent). Yeah, his shoulder injury must be pretty bad because after six weeks on the DL he has yet to throw off a mound. It really doesn't seem like he'll be back with the team before the deadline (although he could still be traded after July 31, but he would have to pass through waivers first). Considering his age, his injury history, and the extent of this most recent injury, it's unlikely that there will be any team interested. Denard Span (signed through 2014, team option in 2015) or Ben Revere (under team control through 2017). If there any teams out there looking for left-handed lead-off outfielders, the Twins have two. Span has the benefit of experience and has a little more power, and Revere has the benefit of youth and speed. Both also have the benefit of being contractually inexpensive, which would interest potential trade partners. However, the Twins have the upper hand in that there is no harm in keeping them the rest of the season to perhaps trade in the off-season, so they can ask for a lot in return. Of the two, it makes more sense to trade Span as he's 28 and has likely at or near his career peak; Revere is still valuable for the future. Justin Morneau (signed through 2013). About two weeks ago, it didn't seem like Morneau was a trade target at all with his inability to hit left-handed pitching and everything, but he's recently turned things around and is looking good. Teams may shy away from him due to his injury history and high salary. Again, there's no particular hurry to trade him yet this season, so the Twins will likely keep him. Josh Willingham (signed through 2014). Willingham has been one of the few bright spots in the Twins batting order this season, which would make him quite attractive to a number of teams. However, Terry Ryan has intimated in interviews that he's not particularly interested in trading Willingham. Of course, if someone calls and offers a huge haul of prospects for him, Ryan should listen. But it would have to be a haul to be worth it. There could be others, too. Ryan says they'll entertain offers for everyone. All this should make an interesting trade deadline. I just hope it's not a terribly sad one.
  2. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog We're fully aware, now that the All-Star break is over, that the non-waiver trade deadline is looming (I hate the "looming" cliche -- it makes me think of a big shadow of a ghost looming with the players rumored to be traded cowering against the wall a la Scooby Doo). Last season, the Twins did very little at the trade deadline. This year should be different; the Twins will most likely move a guy or two before the end of the month. What's different about this year: There's a new (old) boss in town. Terry Ryan isn't historically known for making a ton of moves mid-season, but it seems like he's way more likely to let some guys go for a profit than Bill Smith was. I always got the sense that Smith made decisions with his emotions rather than his logic. There are new playoff rules. Now that there are two wild card teams in each league, there are more "on the bubble" teams vying for playoff spots. Many of those teams are just a good player or two away from making a nice September run. So there may be more interest than there was previously. There are new free agency rules. With the new collective bargaining agreement, the only way teams can receive a draft pick for losing a player in free agency is to offer him a one-year contract worth at least the average of the top 125 salaries in the MLB (which figures to be about $12 million this year). So the Twins may be more willing to trade pending free agents so that they can get something out of letting him go. 2011 happened. Last season at the end of July, the Twins were enjoying a nice little hot streak. Because they were only one year away from a playoff appearance, everyone was a little deluded into believing that they could turn things around. Well, we're all lucid now; we understand how bad things really are and that this team needs young help all up an down the organization. They can't afford to think about improving for 2012; they need to think about improving for 2013 and beyond. So, yeah, it really looks like we'll say goodbye to some of our guys in the next few weeks. It could be anybody, too -- Joe Mauer, who has a no-trade clause, and Ryan Doumit, who just signed an extension, are probably the only exceptions. It's important to realize that trading away anybody isn't likely to render huge immediate improvements; this would be all for strengthening the organization for the future. Let's hit a few of the top names: Fransisco Liriano (pending free agent). It seems bizarre that a team that so desperately needs quality starting pitching is willing to part with a guy who looks like he's found his mojo, but trading him actually makes sense if the situation is right. Offering him a $12 million contract (that he would have to decline) just so the Twins can get a draft pick might be a bit steep for their budget (because he just might accept it), so he's likely a goner anyway. The Twins may be able to net a nice prospect or two for him. Of course, this risk is that once he's gone, he'll turn into Cy Young. Matt Capps (pending free agent). Capps has been better than his reputation with Twins fans would suggest. He's freshly back from a minor shoulder injury, so he has a couple of weeks to shake off the rust and impress some scouts. Actually, he's back on the DL with shoulder soreness, and he's not due get off the DL until after the deadline. Carl Pavano (pending free agent). Yeah, his shoulder injury must be pretty bad because after six weeks on the DL he has yet to throw off a mound. It really doesn't seem like he'll be back with the team before the deadline (although he could still be traded after July 31, but he would have to pass through waivers first). Considering his age, his injury history, and the extent of this most recent injury, it's unlikely that there will be any team interested. Denard Span (signed through 2014, team option in 2015) or Ben Revere (under team control through 2017). If there any teams out there looking for left-handed lead-off outfielders, the Twins have two. Span has the benefit of experience and has a little more power, and Revere has the benefit of youth and speed. Both also have the benefit of being contractually inexpensive, which would interest potential trade partners. However, the Twins have the upper hand in that there is no harm in keeping them the rest of the season to perhaps trade in the off-season, so they can ask for a lot in return. Of the two, it makes more sense to trade Span as he's 28 and has likely at or near his career peak; Revere is still valuable for the future. Justin Morneau (signed through 2013). About two weeks ago, it didn't seem like Morneau was a trade target at all with his inability to hit left-handed pitching and everything, but he's recently turned things around and is looking good. Teams may shy away from him due to his injury history and high salary. Again, there's no particular hurry to trade him yet this season, so the Twins will likely keep him. Josh Willingham (signed through 2014). Willingham has been one of the few bright spots in the Twins batting order this season, which would make him quite attractive to a number of teams. However, Terry Ryan has intimated in interviews that he's not particularly interested in trading Willingham. Of course, if someone calls and offers a huge haul of prospects for him, Ryan should listen. But it would have to be a haul to be worth it. There could be others, too. All this should make an interesting trade deadline. I just hope it's not a terribly sad one.
  3. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog We're fully aware, now that the All-Star break is over, that the non-waiver trade deadline is looming (I hate the "looming" cliche -- it makes me think of a big shadow of a ghost looming with the players rumored to be traded cowering against the wall a la Scooby Doo). Last season, the Twins did very little at the trade deadline. This year should be different; the Twins will most likely move a guy or two before the end of the month. What's different about this year: There's a new (old) boss in town. Terry Ryan isn't historically known for making a ton of moves mid-season, but it seems like he's way more likely to let some guys go for a profit than Bill Smith was. I always got the sense that Smith made decisions with his emotions rather than his logic. There are new playoff rules. Now that there are two wild card teams in each league, there are more "on the bubble" teams vying for playoff spots. Many of those teams are just a good player or two away from making a nice September run. So there may be more interest than there was previously. There are new free agency rules. With the new collective bargaining agreement, the only way teams can receive a draft pick for losing a player in free agency is to offer him a one-year contract worth at least the average of the top 125 salaries in the MLB (which figures to be about $12 million this year). So the Twins may be more willing to trade pending free agents so that they can get something out of letting him go. 2011 happened. Last season at the end of July, the Twins were enjoying a nice little hot streak. Because they were only one year away from a playoff appearance, everyone was a little deluded into believing that they could turn things around. Well, we're all lucid now; we understand how bad things really are and that this team needs young help all up an down the organization. They can't afford to think about improving for 2012; they need to think about improving for 2013 and beyond. So, yeah, it really looks like we'll say goodbye to some of our guys in the next few weeks. It could be anybody, too -- Joe Mauer, who has a no-trade clause, and Ryan Doumit, who just signed an extension, are probably the only exceptions. It's important to realize that trading away anybody isn't likely to render huge immediate improvements; this would be all for strengthening the organization for the future. Let's hit a few of the top names: Fransisco Liriano (pending free agent). It seems bizarre that a team that so desperately needs quality starting pitching is willing to part with a guy who looks like he's found his mojo, but trading him actually makes sense if the situation is right. Offering him a $12 million contract (that he would have to decline) just so the Twins can get a draft pick might be a bit steep for their budget (because he just might accept it), so he's likely a goner anyway. The Twins may be able to net a nice prospect or two for him. Of course, this risk is that once he's gone, he'll turn into Cy Young. Matt Capps (pending free agent). Capps has been better than his reputation with Twins fans would suggest. He's freshly back from a minor shoulder injury, so he has a couple of weeks to shake off the rust and impress some scouts. Actually, he's back on the DL with shoulder soreness, and he's not due get off the DL until after the deadline. Carl Pavano (pending free agent). Yeah, his shoulder injury must be pretty bad because after six weeks on the DL he has yet to throw off a mound. It really doesn't seem like he'll be back with the team before the deadline (although he could still be traded after July 31, but he would have to pass through waivers first). Considering his age, his injury history, and the extent of this most recent injury, it's unlikely that there will be any team interested. Denard Span (signed through 2014, team option in 2015) or Ben Revere (under team control through 2017). If there any teams out there looking for left-handed lead-off outfielders, the Twins have two. Span has the benefit of experience and has a little more power, and Revere has the benefit of youth and speed. Both also have the benefit of being contractually inexpensive, which would interest potential trade partners. However, the Twins have the upper hand in that there is no harm in keeping them the rest of the season to perhaps trade in the off-season, so they can ask for a lot in return. Of the two, it makes more sense to trade Span as he's 28 and has likely at or near his career peak; Revere is still valuable for the future. Justin Morneau (signed through 2013). About two weeks ago, it didn't seem like Morneau was a trade target at all with his inability to hit left-handed pitching and everything, but he's recently turned things around and is looking good. Teams may shy away from him due to his injury history and high salary. Again, there's no particular hurry to trade him yet this season, so the Twins will likely keep him. Josh Willingham (signed through 2014). Willingham has been one of the few bright spots in the Twins batting order this season, which would make him quite attractive to a number of teams. However, Terry Ryan has intimated in interviews that he's not particularly interested in trading Willingham. Of course, if someone calls and offers a huge haul of prospects for him, Ryan should listen. But it would have to be a haul to be worth it. There could be others, too. All this should make an interesting trade deadline. I just hope it's not a terribly sad one.
  4. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ceNibDT2jXU/UASyUE-2juI/AAAAAAAACAQ/wzgG81RJeLE/s200/waterballoons.PNG I was listening to the news Sunday night as I was getting ready for bed, and between brushing my teeth and putting moisturizer around my eyes, I heard the sports guy talking about how glum the Twins clubhouse is lately. He said something about the mood there being the worse its ever been and that everyone is just demoralized. It's hard to blame them. All this losing is hard for me to take sitting here in my comfy living room; I can't imagine what it's like for the guys who actually want to take pride in their profession. I imagine that they're all cranky and secretly trying to figure out ways to throw stuff at each other. The hitters are thinking mean thoughts about the pitchers, and the pitchers are thinking mean thoughts about the defenders. All these repressed feelings are likely to cause a lot of clinched jaws and stress headaches. Also factor in this awful heat. These guys are wearing polyester clothes (with long pants, undershirts, and socks) and doing physical activity in air that feels like nacho cheese in a crock pot. Ick. These guys need something to cheer them up right quick. The fans won't have any fun unless the players have some fun. I propose that we line up all the guys out in the outfield, arm each one with a super-soaker squirt gun and a bucket of water balloons, and tell them to have at it. Francisco Liriano can nail Denard Span and Josh Willingham can shoot Brian Duensing to get things going, and there you have it. Aggressions will be released. Tempers, and bodies, will be cooled. Fun will be had. Outfield grass will be watered. Win win. They should sell tickets; I'd buy one. Or...they could do what they did Monday night and score seven runs in the first inning of a game that counts. But, like, every day.
  5. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ceNibDT2jXU/UASyUE-2juI/AAAAAAAACAQ/wzgG81RJeLE/s200/waterballoons.PNG I was listening to the news Sunday night as I was getting ready for bed, and between brushing my teeth and putting moisturizer around my eyes, I heard the sports guy talking about how glum the Twins clubhouse is lately. He said something about the mood there being the worse its ever been and that everyone is just demoralized. It's hard to blame them. All this losing is hard for me to take sitting here in my comfy living room; I can't imagine what it's like for the guys who actually want to take pride in their profession. I imagine that they're all cranky and secretly trying to figure out ways to throw stuff at each other. The hitters are thinking mean thoughts about the pitchers, and the pitchers are thinking mean thoughts about the defenders. All these repressed feelings are likely to cause a lot of clinched jaws and stress headaches. Also factor in this awful heat. These guys are wearing polyester clothes (with long pants, undershirts, and socks) and doing physical activity in air that feels like nacho cheese in a crock pot. Ick. These guys need something to cheer them up right quick. The fans won't have any fun unless the players have some fun. I propose that we line up all the guys out in the outfield, arm each one with a super-soaker squirt gun and a bucket of water balloons, and tell them to have at it. Francisco Liriano can nail Denard Span and Josh Willingham can shoot Brian Duensing to get things going, and there you have it. Aggressions will be released. Tempers, and bodies, will be cooled. Fun will be had. Outfield grass will be watered. Win win. They should sell tickets; I'd buy one. Or...they could do what they did Monday night and score seven runs in the first inning of a game that counts. But, like, every day.
  6. Kirsten Brown
    @ glunn and JB -- Thanks for the compliments. @ Peanuts -- Hahaha! Do it...DOOOOO IIIIT! If you create that photoshop, I'll put it on the post, give you tons of credit, and give you a virtual k-bro brownie!
  7. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog We all know how crazy the Twins starting rotation has been this season. The club keeps moving guys around hoping to replace those who are hurt or ineffective. And it keeps happening because guys who are given a chance aren't always making the best of it. All these moves remind me of a metaphor that TwinsGeek John Bonnes likes to use: moving deck chairs on the Titanic. It's an intriguing phrase that perfectly describes the frustrating situation. I wondered what exactly that would look like. So here is my graphical schematic of the Twins moving deck chairs: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2KKPozBdpNY/T_ug6rmJkjI/AAAAAAAAB_c/uOYPJ9hTn_I/s640/titanicchairs.PNG Look again at Cole De Vries. Poor guy -- started in AAA, called up 5/22, sent down 6/7, back up 6/30, back down 7/1, back up 7/3. I wonder if he even bothers to unpack his suitcase.
  8. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog We all know how crazy the Twins starting rotation has been this season. The club keeps moving guys around hoping to replace those who are hurt or ineffective. And it keeps happening because guys who are given a chance aren't always making the best of it. All these moves remind me of a metaphor that TwinsGeek John Bonnes likes to use: moving deck chairs on the Titanic. It's an intriguing phrase that perfectly describes the frustrating situation. I wondered what exactly that would look like. So here is my graphical schematic of the Twins moving deck chairs: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2KKPozBdpNY/T_ug6rmJkjI/AAAAAAAAB_c/uOYPJ9hTn_I/s640/titanicchairs.PNG Look again at Cole De Vries. Poor guy -- started in AAA, called up 5/22, sent down 6/7, back up 6/30, back down 7/1, back up 7/3. I wonder if he even bothers to unpack his suitcase.
  9. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TxaYgroHa88/T_Dv3YH237I/AAAAAAAAB8c/-UCGY6CQlR0/s200/photo%2812%29.JPG The family and I took a nice little vacation to Beloit, WI, to catch some minor-league ball and get a glimpse of some future Twins. We attended games on two steamy evenings, Friday and Saturday. The Snappers, the Twins Class A affiliate, are a pretty typical minor-league team. There are several features of the experience that are common throughout the minor leagues, and these features are what makes the minor league experience great. There are always the couple of uber-fans who show up first to every game, know every thing about every player, and keep score of every play in their own scorebooks. There is also the guy who brings a trombone so he can play a tiny ovation for each player as he's announced. Every minor-league park also features an auto-glass message for every foul ball that leaves the park (the parks are small, so the risk of a foul ball actually breaking a car windshield is pretty significant). There are always between-inning sponsored games and hijinks where fans actually get to go on the field and compete for coupons or tickets to future games. Also, every employee you see holds four or five jobs (the roving announcer for the hijinks is also on the grounds crew). Oh, and don't forget the scouts -- the entire section behind home plate is filled with men, dressed in business casual attire, armed with notebooks, iPads, and radar guns. The atmosphere is cozy, fun, laid back, and a little goofy. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VEGQ0qDHfTY/T_D0fE-EjCI/AAAAAAAAB9M/IrNKB5hqqYY/s400/photo%2810%29.JPG [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]The best seats in the house are only $7.50 and beers are only $3.50 [/TD] [/TABLE] The Snappers hosted the Clinton Lumberkings, the Seattle Mariners single-A club. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NjpD14ex-xQ/T_D4YqEX23I/AAAAAAAAB98/Of4PHZVP8wU/s320/photo%2811%29.JPG [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Friday's lineup [/TD] [/TABLE] On Friday, Steven Liddle (nephew of Twins 3rd-base coach) homered to start the scoring, but the Snappers fell 6-3 in the drizzly rain. Saturday's game was a defensive umm... challenge... for the Snappers, and despite a rally in the ninth, they lost 10-5. But the fireworks afterwards were nicely done. Of course, I was most interested in scouting the Twins top prospect, Miguel Sano. It's easy to tell that he's special. The ball just sounds different coming off his bat; when he gets a hold of one, he gets a hold of one. He homered on Saturday, and the ball cleared not only the fence, but also the scoreboard. Wow. But, as good and special as he is, I can also see why the Twins haven't promoted him to Fort Myers yet. He simply isn't ready. He strikes out a lot, and his defense isn't there yet. They shouldn't promote him until he dominates this level, and he's not far, but not quite there. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yd2_XIWvrl4/T_EBG4NvtBI/AAAAAAAAB-s/gy8FlpviqpM/s400/photo%289%29.JPG [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Sano on deck [/TD] [/TABLE] All in all, despite the losing, the Snappers gave us a great time, and we all felt it was worth the drive. ~~~ If you happen to travel to Beloit to catch the Snappers, I also recommend you visit Historic Auto Attractions museum in nearby Roscoe, IL. It's so much more than a car museum; it's more of a collection great historic artifacts. It includes a large presidential exhibit, with a special area for the Kennedys. There are also a bunch of cool cars. It's in the middle of nowhere, but it really cool. http://historicautoattractions.com/ (Note: I mention this because I liked it; they didn't give me a discount or anything to blog about it.)
  10. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TxaYgroHa88/T_Dv3YH237I/AAAAAAAAB8c/-UCGY6CQlR0/s200/photo%2812%29.JPG The family and I took a nice little vacation to Beloit, WI, to catch some minor-league ball and get a glimpse of some future Twins. We attended games on two steamy evenings, Friday and Saturday. The Snappers, the Twins Class A affiliate, are a pretty typical minor-league team. There are several features of the experience that are common throughout the minor leagues, and these features are what makes the minor league experience great. There are always the couple of uber-fans who show up first to every game, know every thing about every player, and keep score of every play in their own scorebooks. There is also the guy who brings a trombone so he can play a tiny ovation for each player as he's announced. Every minor-league park also features an auto-glass message for every foul ball that leaves the park (the parks are small, so the risk of a foul ball actually breaking a car windshield is pretty significant). There are always between-inning sponsored games and hijinks where fans actually get to go on the field and compete for coupons or tickets to future games. Also, every employee you see holds four or five jobs (the roving announcer for the hijinks is also on the grounds crew). Oh, and don't forget the scouts -- the entire section behind home plate is filled with men, dressed in business casual attire, armed with notebooks, iPads, and radar guns. The atmosphere is cozy, fun, laid back, and a little goofy. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VEGQ0qDHfTY/T_D0fE-EjCI/AAAAAAAAB9M/IrNKB5hqqYY/s400/photo%2810%29.JPG [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]The best seats in the house are only $7.50 and beers are only $3.50 [/TD] [/TABLE] The Snappers hosted the Clinton Lumberkings, the Seattle Mariners single-A club. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NjpD14ex-xQ/T_D4YqEX23I/AAAAAAAAB98/Of4PHZVP8wU/s320/photo%2811%29.JPG [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Friday's lineup [/TD] [/TABLE] On Friday, Steven Liddle (nephew of Twins 3rd-base coach) homered to start the scoring, but the Snappers fell 6-3 in the drizzly rain. Saturday's game was a defensive umm... challenge... for the Snappers, and despite a rally in the ninth, they lost 10-5. But the fireworks afterwards were nicely done. Of course, I was most interested in scouting the Twins top prospect, Miguel Sano. It's easy to tell that he's special. The ball just sounds different coming off his bat; when he gets a hold of one, he gets a hold of one. He homered on Saturday, and the ball cleared not only the fence, but also the scoreboard. Wow. But, as good and special as he is, I can also see why the Twins haven't promoted him to Fort Myers yet. He simply isn't ready. He strikes out a lot, and his defense isn't there yet. They shouldn't promote him until he dominates this level, and he's not far, but not quite there. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yd2_XIWvrl4/T_EBG4NvtBI/AAAAAAAAB-s/gy8FlpviqpM/s400/photo%289%29.JPG [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Sano on deck [/TD] [/TABLE] All in all, despite the losing, the Snappers gave us a great time, and we all felt it was worth the drive. ~~~ If you happen to travel to Beloit to catch the Snappers, I also recommend you visit Historic Auto Attractions museum in nearby Roscoe, IL. It's so much more than a car museum; it's more of a collection great historic artifacts. It includes a large presidential exhibit, with a special area for the Kennedys. There are also a bunch of cool cars. It's in the middle of nowhere, but it really cool. http://historicautoattractions.com/ (Note: I mention this because I liked it; they didn't give me a discount or anything to blog about it.)
  11. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VhO3HOnh3Ek/T-kRGZaRzsI/AAAAAAAAB7s/1X1Bs0Em1Y4/s400/cappsshoulder.PNG The Twins have placed RHP Matt Capps on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation. He had a MRI on Monday, which indicated that there is no damage, just inflammation, and it sounds like he's going to have a cortisone shot this week. Left-handed pitcher Tyler Robertson was recalled to take Capps' roster spot. Gardy said that he will use LHP Glen Perkins and RHP Jared Burton, as matchups dictate, as the closers. With lefty Brian Duensing now in the rotation, Robertson will be used as the LOOGY (lefty one out guy). So, let's recap Capps' last week or so. He pitched on June 15th against the Brewers in a tie game and lost the game, though it was on an unearned run. The next day, he mentioned that his shoulder was sore, so the Twins shut him down for a week to let it heal. Then, about Friday or so, it sounded like he was getting kind of impatient with the resting thing. Actually, the way I read it, it seemed like he was getting kind of snippy. Then, he backed off and said he understood. Then, the Twins found a nice, low-pressure situation on Saturday. He looked horrible, but he said he was only rusty, and he was pretty encouraged with the outing. Then he woke up Sunday morning, and it hurt again. Finally, the Twins got serious and put him on the DL. The whole idea of the DL -- its entire reason for existence -- is for the team to get a replacement man while the injured player heals. It's completely intended to protect the team so that all 25 men on the roster are truly available as needed. Sure, giving a banged up guy a day or two rest is pretty common, and totally expected. But if a team is committed to giving a guy a full week's rest, it may as well fill out the paperwork, make a phone call to the AAA club, and do it right. It takes pressure off the injured player to try to get out there before he's ready, and it takes pressure off his teammates who have to fill his void. So, the Twins unwillingness to put Capps on the DL when he first experienced the inflammation is beyond me. And because they let him try to pitch on Saturday, the whole "retroactive to June 15th" thing is gone. So now the earliest he can come back is July 9. What's going on here? Did Capps under-report the extent of his pain? Probably. Do the Twins over-value being gutty and playing through the pain? No doubt. Did the medical staff mess up? Well, ... It's frustrating that not only are so many players getting hurt, but the Twins also don't seem to be able to handle the ones who do correctly. Also, I really don't believe Gardy will stick with the "closer by committee" scheme for more than a game or two. He's too in love with the idea of having an assigned closer.
  12. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VhO3HOnh3Ek/T-kRGZaRzsI/AAAAAAAAB7s/1X1Bs0Em1Y4/s400/cappsshoulder.PNG The Twins have placed RHP Matt Capps on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation. He had a MRI on Monday, which indicated that there is no damage, just inflammation, and it sounds like he's going to have a cortisone shot this week. Left-handed pitcher Tyler Robertson was recalled to take Capps' roster spot. Gardy said that he will use LHP Glen Perkins and RHP Jared Burton, as matchups dictate, as the closers. With lefty Brian Duensing now in the rotation, Robertson will be used as the LOOGY (lefty one out guy). So, let's recap Capps' last week or so. He pitched on June 15th against the Brewers in a tie game and lost the game, though it was on an unearned run. The next day, he mentioned that his shoulder was sore, so the Twins shut him down for a week to let it heal. Then, about Friday or so, it sounded like he was getting kind of impatient with the resting thing. Actually, the way I read it, it seemed like he was getting kind of snippy. Then, he backed off and said he understood. Then, the Twins found a nice, low-pressure situation on Saturday. He looked horrible, but he said he was only rusty, and he was pretty encouraged with the outing. Then he woke up Sunday morning, and it hurt again. Finally, the Twins got serious and put him on the DL. The whole idea of the DL -- its entire reason for existence -- is for the team to get a replacement man while the injured player heals. It's completely intended to protect the team so that all 25 men on the roster are truly available as needed. Sure, giving a banged up guy a day or two rest is pretty common, and totally expected. But if a team is committed to giving a guy a full week's rest, it may as well fill out the paperwork, make a phone call to the AAA club, and do it right. It takes pressure off the injured player to try to get out there before he's ready, and it takes pressure off his teammates who have to fill his void. So, the Twins unwillingness to put Capps on the DL when he first experienced the inflammation is beyond me. And because they let him try to pitch on Saturday, the whole "retroactive to June 15th" thing is gone. So now the earliest he can come back is July 9. What's going on here? Did Capps under-report the extent of his pain? Probably. Do the Twins over-value being gutty and playing through the pain? No doubt. Did the medical staff mess up? Well, ... It's frustrating that not only are so many players getting hurt, but the Twins also don't seem to be able to handle the ones who do correctly. Also, I really don't believe Gardy will stick with the "closer by committee" scheme for more than a game or two. He's too in love with the idea of having an assigned closer.
  13. Kirsten Brown
    I'm a fan of the ESPN Baseball Today podcast, so I was thrilled to hear Mark Simon mention Twins Daily by name on Friday's episode. He was digging in to his previous, and turns out wrongly-held, notion that Trevor Plouffe was the worst player in baseball. He referenced an article by Parker that broke down Plouffe's swing from the beginning of the season and now. Here is a link to the ESPN Podcast Archive page: http://espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=2386164 The episode is from Friday, June 22, and the segment starts about 25 minutes in. I thought it was cool that Simon just kind said "Twins Daily site" as if everybody should know about it. Congrats Twins Daily and Parker!
  14. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog Hi. It's been a while. Nothing like a busy-at-work-busy-at-home lifestyle to put a dent in one's blogging ambitions. But anyhoo... I have a few thoughts. My thoughts on Ben Revere How much fun has Benny been to watch lately? The plays in the outfield, the improved hitting, the smiling, the adorableness, the little chicken wing thing he does in the batting box, the plays in the outfield ... I was excited about him last year, but this year I'm even more so. This is his year, and he's blossomed into a full-fledged big leaguer. Sure, his throwing arm still isn't stellar, but his outstanding range pretty much makes that issue moot. Nobody's perfect. The thing is, every time Benny shows off how capable he is at being big-league outfielder, the closer Twins fans are to trading Denard Span. Denard's value as centerfielder and lead-off man is at an all time high. And there are plenty of contending teams that could use his services to help them toward the playoffs. This season is already lost for the Twins, and they have many needs to begin a rebuilding project. And as much as I would hate to see him go, Denard could fetch some much-needed pitching prospects. Benny gives the Twins the confidence to move forward with that plan. My thoughts on Brian Dozier After a nice hot spell, Brian has cooled off -- both offensively and defensively. Ok, he's a rookie, and other teams probably have started figuring him out. It happens. The Twins seem content to just let him be and figure it out on his own. I'm ok with that. But it does make me wonder: why am I ok with Dozier hanging around until he works out the kinks, but last year I had run out of patience with Nishioka quite quickly? I don't really have a good answer. Maybe it's because Dozier has been a little better (.247 ba/ .263 obp/ .340 slug) through 37 games than Nishi (.228/ .291/ .260), but he's not recovering from a devastating injury either. And Dozier's fielding percentage through 37 games (.956) is worse than Nishioka's for 66 games (.961) (I couldn't find defensive game splits, so I couldn't see how Nishi was doing at 37 games). So, really, Dozier isn't a super huge improvement. But why was I so quick to ship out Nishioka, but I'm still rooting for Dozier? I guess perception is a lot of it -- Nishi just looked lost and confused but Dozier has continued to look confident even while struggling. Also, Dozier did show some flashes of brilliance while I don't really remember seeing that with Nishioka. It could be that my patience was worn so thin last year that my standards are lower this year. I don't know. But I believe Dozier will work things out and get back to that awesome player I saw a few weeks ago. I hope it happens soon. ~~~ Injury and Transaction Updates http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VQQzG1Z6hW4/T9_uq2jufRI/AAAAAAAAB64/7oHo-PTJ1r8/s400/waltersshoulder12.PNG 6/14 -- The Twins placed RHP JP Walters on the DL with shoulder inflammation. No further word on his recovery timetable. Lester Oliveros was recalled to take Walters' roster spot. 6/16 -- Lester Oliveros was optioned to AAA Rochester and Liam Hendriks was recalled. I hope Lester didn't pack a whole lot.
  15. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog Hi. It's been a while. Nothing like a busy-at-work-busy-at-home lifestyle to put a dent in one's blogging ambitions. But anyhoo... I have a few thoughts. My thoughts on Ben Revere How much fun has Benny been to watch lately? The plays in the outfield, the improved hitting, the smiling, the adorableness, the little chicken wing thing he does in the batting box, the plays in the outfield ... I was excited about him last year, but this year I'm even more so. This is his year, and he's blossomed into a full-fledged big leaguer. Sure, his throwing arm still isn't stellar, but his outstanding range pretty much makes that issue moot. Nobody's perfect. The thing is, every time Benny shows off how capable he is at being big-league outfielder, the closer Twins fans are to trading Denard Span. Denard's value as centerfielder and lead-off man is at an all time high. And there are plenty of contending teams that could use his services to help them toward the playoffs. This season is already lost for the Twins, and they have many needs to begin a rebuilding project. And as much as I would hate to see him go, Denard could fetch some much-needed pitching prospects. Benny gives the Twins the confidence to move forward with that plan. My thoughts on Brian Dozier After a nice hot spell, Brian has cooled off -- both offensively and defensively. Ok, he's a rookie, and other teams probably have started figuring him out. It happens. The Twins seem content to just let him be and figure it out on his own. I'm ok with that. But it does make me wonder: why am I ok with Dozier hanging around until he works out the kinks, but last year I had run out of patience with Nishioka quite quickly? I don't really have a good answer. Maybe it's because Dozier has been a little better (.247 ba/ .263 obp/ .340 slug) through 37 games than Nishi (.228/ .291/ .260), but he's not recovering from a devastating injury either. And Dozier's fielding percentage through 37 games (.956) is worse than Nishioka's for 66 games (.961) (I couldn't find defensive game splits, so I couldn't see how Nishi was doing at 37 games). So, really, Dozier isn't a super huge improvement. But why was I so quick to ship out Nishioka, but I'm still rooting for Dozier? I guess perception is a lot of it -- Nishi just looked lost and confused but Dozier has continued to look confident even while struggling. Also, Dozier did show some flashes of brilliance while I don't really remember seeing that with Nishioka. It could be that my patience was worn so thin last year that my standards are lower this year. I don't know. But I believe Dozier will work things out and get back to that awesome player I saw a few weeks ago. I hope it happens soon. ~~~ Injury and Transaction Updates http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VQQzG1Z6hW4/T9_uq2jufRI/AAAAAAAAB64/7oHo-PTJ1r8/s400/waltersshoulder12.PNG 6/14 -- The Twins placed RHP JP Walters on the DL with shoulder inflammation. No further word on his recovery timetable. Lester Oliveros was recalled to take Walters' roster spot. 6/16 -- Lester Oliveros was optioned to AAA Rochester and Liam Hendriks was recalled. I hope Lester didn't pack a whole lot.
  16. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog So, I didn't really get a chance to pay much attention to this series. I was kind of busy with the "having a life" thing -- watching my kid play baseball, improving my golf game (this is a hilarious statement if you've ever seen me golf), etc. But I was able to check in from time to time, so I'm not completely lost Some notes: Seems to me that the best starting pitching performance of the series (Liriano's) was the one that resulted in a loss. But it was good to seen Frankie pitching better. I think Jared Burton wants us to love him. ~~~ http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h8BzHIhGLEE/T9FUXCVPq5I/AAAAAAAAB6I/fc8jsuDowjE/s400/pavanoshoulder.PNG The Twins have placed RHP Carl Pavano on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 2 with what they're calling a right anterior capsular strain. Wow, that's a mouthful; let's break it down. Right means, well...your other left? Anterior means front. The capsule is a static group of ligaments in the shoulder that stabilize the joint. I guess strain means that it hurts. Pavano's been bothered by this most of the season, and the Twins have decided to shut him down for a little while to let it heal, and have him start a throwing program sometime in the future. I've tried to do some reading on the injury, but I can't really get a sense of how long he'll be out. Nick Blackburn was activated off the DL (quad strain) to take Pavano's roster spot. ~~~ When Baseball and Bad Spelling Collide I haven't done this little segment in a long time. In fact, it's been so long that I kind of forgot I used to do it. Until I saw this from Wednesday's game: http://c0014334.r32.cf1.rackcdn.com/x2_cd07faf Oh, poor Jeff Manship. It's not like it's a hard name like Mastroianni or even Parmelee. And according to Rhett Bollinger from MLB.com: Manship said he had no clue his jersey was misspelled when he went out to the mound. #Twins — Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) June 7, 2012 and Manship added guys were laughing at him when he was warming up in the bullpen but he didn't know why. Burton said they all knew. #Twins — Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) June 7, 2012 It seems like Mr. Mansihp ... er, Manship, has some getting even to do. ~~~ On Thursday, the Twins optioned pitcher Cole De Vries to AAA Rochester and recalled first baseman Chris Parmelee. Due to a favorable line up of off-days, the Twins don't need a 5-man rotation for a while, so this gives De Vries a chance to hone his skills at a more appropriate level. And Parmelee has been smacking the ball around in AAA, so it's time to give him another chance in the bigs.
  17. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog So, I didn't really get a chance to pay much attention to this series. I was kind of busy with the "having a life" thing -- watching my kid play baseball, improving my golf game (this is a hilarious statement if you've ever seen me golf), etc. But I was able to check in from time to time, so I'm not completely lost Some notes: Seems to me that the best starting pitching performance of the series (Liriano's) was the one that resulted in a loss. But it was good to seen Frankie pitching better. I think Jared Burton wants us to love him. ~~~ http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h8BzHIhGLEE/T9FUXCVPq5I/AAAAAAAAB6I/fc8jsuDowjE/s400/pavanoshoulder.PNG The Twins have placed RHP Carl Pavano on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 2 with what they're calling a right anterior capsular strain. Wow, that's a mouthful; let's break it down. Right means, well...your other left? Anterior means front. The capsule is a static group of ligaments in the shoulder that stabilize the joint. I guess strain means that it hurts. Pavano's been bothered by this most of the season, and the Twins have decided to shut him down for a little while to let it heal, and have him start a throwing program sometime in the future. I've tried to do some reading on the injury, but I can't really get a sense of how long he'll be out. Nick Blackburn was activated off the DL (quad strain) to take Pavano's roster spot. ~~~ When Baseball and Bad Spelling Collide I haven't done this little segment in a long time. In fact, it's been so long that I kind of forgot I used to do it. Until I saw this from Wednesday's game: http://c0014334.r32.cf1.rackcdn.com/x2_cd07faf Oh, poor Jeff Manship. It's not like it's a hard name like Mastroianni or even Parmelee. And according to Rhett Bollinger from MLB.com: Manship said he had no clue his jersey was misspelled when he went out to the mound. #Twins — Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) June 7, 2012 and Manship added guys were laughing at him when he was warming up in the bullpen but he didn't know why. Burton said they all knew. #Twins — Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) June 7, 2012 It seems like Mr. Mansihp ... er, Manship, has some getting even to do. ~~~ On Thursday, the Twins optioned pitcher Cole De Vries to AAA Rochester and recalled first baseman Chris Parmelee. Due to a favorable line up of off-days, the Twins don't need a 5-man rotation for a while, so this gives De Vries a chance to hone his skills at a more appropriate level. And Parmelee has been smacking the ball around in AAA, so it's time to give him another chance in the bigs.
  18. Kirsten Brown
    When I adopted Brian Dinkelman, I didn't realize at the time that he was injured. I just picked him because I took a liking to him when he was up with the Twins last season (probably because of the funny name). He's been hurt since mid-April with a sprain to his right hand (I can't seem to find out how he sprained his hand, but it seems to me that he got hit by a pitch -- I'll try to verify). However, he was activated back to Rochester today.
  19. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog Another series win! We all could get used this, right? There's nothing like winning to make everyone all confident and happy. A couple of notes: I think that my buddy Brian Dozier needs a day or two off to clear his head a little. It seems like he's scuffling a bit, especially with his glove. I think he'll be fine, though. Did you see that sick Ben Revere catch on Saturday? That perfect somersault in the outfield with a catch in the middle of it? I was impressed that he held on to the ball and perfectly tucked in his head. He almost stuck the landing, too. I really like watching Glen Perkins pitch. I'm also beginning to warm up to Matt Capps' pitching, too. We still need to work on that whole trust thing, but we're getting there. ~~~ It's really nice to see Scott Diamond succeeding. The Twins really need to have some stability in the rotation, and he's been a nice cornerstone. The rotation has been weakest part of the Twins season. The offense usually does enough to win most games, and the bullpen has actually been a pleasant surprise. But, oy, the rotation... When many baseball analysts and columnists talk about pitchers, they refer to them as a "number one starter," "number two starter," etc. on down the line to "number five starters." A number one starter is generally considered an "ace" (think Verlander, Sabathia, or Gonzalez), and a number five starter is generally considered to be just good enough to keep his job as a starter. Some analysts use the stat WAR (wins above replacement) to make that determination. WAR is a long, convoluted formula, and there is even disagreement over which formula is more accurate (two respected statistical websites, Baseball-Reference.com and Fangraphs.com, each have their own definitions), but "replacement" level (a player with a WAR of 0) is generally considered a good AAA player who is ready to break into the big leagues. A positive WAR means a guy is helping his team win; a negative WAR means he's costing his team wins. So I decided that I wanted to suffer a little and look up the WAR values for the Twins current rotation (I use B-R.com's). First, let's take a peek at the aforementioned Verlander (+3.2), Sabathia (+2.0), and Gonzalez (+2.4). This is what aces look like. This is what the Twins look like: Carl Pavano: -0.9 Francisco Liriano: -1.1 Scott Diamond: +0.7 PJ Walters: +0.5 Cole De Vries: -0.1 So, yeah, at slightly above replacement level, or a number five starter on any other team, Scott Diamond is currently the ace of the staff. ~~~ MLB's Rule 4 amateur draft is Monday evening. The Twins have the second overall pick; they haven't picked this high since they drafted Joe Mauer in 2001. They also have six of the top 100 picks. Needless to say, this is an important draft, and the Twins had better get it right. I haven't really been following any of the draft prospect, so I have no insight or legitimate opinion on the matter. But I am interested to see how it goes. A lot of the experts have been saying that this draft class isn't as spectacular as recent years; there are no Stephen Strasburgs or Bryce Harpers this year. But there are two guys that the experts keep talking about: RHP Mark Appel from Stanford University and OF Byron Buxton from Appling County, HS (in Georgia). All the rumors on Twitter indicate that the Astros will take Appel with the first pick, so he probably won't be available for the Twins. I googled Buxton, and he seems pretty cool -- five tool guy: speed, throwing, fielding, hitting, and hitting with power. Plus, his nickname is Buck. So, I'm going to go ahead and hope the Twins pick him. I know that the Twins already have an abundance of outfielders, and they really could use more pitching, but the key to a good draft is to choose the best available player, not necessarily the player the team needs most. Besides, some decent pitchers will probably fall to the later picks. No matter what, I hope the Twins don't mess it up. The problem is: we won't know how well it went for, like, four years or so. ~~~ Injury Watch and Updates Carl Pavano left Friday's game early, clearly suffering some more discomfort in his shoulder. He has returned to Minneapolis and is scheduled to have another MRI on Monday. Things don't sound hopeful that he'll be able to avoid the DL. Joe Mauer left Sunday's game a bit early because he slightly sprained his thumb. He insisted after the game that it's no big deal and he'll be fine. Kyle Waldrop, who was put on the DL at the end of spring training, was activated as assigned to AAA Rochester.
  20. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog Another series win! We all could get used this, right? There's nothing like winning to make everyone all confident and happy. A couple of notes: I think that my buddy Brian Dozier needs a day or two off to clear his head a little. It seems like he's scuffling a bit, especially with his glove. I think he'll be fine, though. Did you see that sick Ben Revere catch on Saturday? That perfect somersault in the outfield with a catch in the middle of it? I was impressed that he held on to the ball and perfectly tucked in his head. He almost stuck the landing, too. I really like watching Glen Perkins pitch. I'm also beginning to warm up to Matt Capps' pitching, too. We still need to work on that whole trust thing, but we're getting there. ~~~ It's really nice to see Scott Diamond succeeding. The Twins really need to have some stability in the rotation, and he's been a nice cornerstone. The rotation has been weakest part of the Twins season. The offense usually does enough to win most games, and the bullpen has actually been a pleasant surprise. But, oy, the rotation... When many baseball analysts and columnists talk about pitchers, they refer to them as a "number one starter," "number two starter," etc. on down the line to "number five starters." A number one starter is generally considered an "ace" (think Verlander, Sabathia, or Gonzalez), and a number five starter is generally considered to be just good enough to keep his job as a starter. Some analysts use the stat WAR (wins above replacement) to make that determination. WAR is a long, convoluted formula, and there is even disagreement over which formula is more accurate (two respected statistical websites, Baseball-Reference.com and Fangraphs.com, each have their own definitions), but "replacement" level (a player with a WAR of 0) is generally considered a good AAA player who is ready to break into the big leagues. A positive WAR means a guy is helping his team win; a negative WAR means he's costing his team wins. So I decided that I wanted to suffer a little and look up the WAR values for the Twins current rotation (I use B-R.com's). First, let's take a peek at the aforementioned Verlander (+3.2), Sabathia (+2.0), and Gonzalez (+2.4). This is what aces look like. This is what the Twins look like: Carl Pavano: -0.9 Francisco Liriano: -1.1 Scott Diamond: +0.7 PJ Walters: +0.5 Cole De Vries: -0.1 So, yeah, at slightly above replacement level, or a number five starter on any other team, Scott Diamond is currently the ace of the staff. ~~~ MLB's Rule 4 amateur draft is Monday evening. The Twins have the second overall pick; they haven't picked this high since they drafted Joe Mauer in 2001. They also have six of the top 100 picks. Needless to say, this is an important draft, and the Twins had better get it right. I haven't really been following any of the draft prospect, so I have no insight or legitimate opinion on the matter. But I am interested to see how it goes. A lot of the experts have been saying that this draft class isn't as spectacular as recent years; there are no Stephen Strasburgs or Bryce Harpers this year. But there are two guys that the experts keep talking about: RHP Mark Appel from Stanford University and OF Byron Buxton from Appling County, HS (in Georgia). All the rumors on Twitter indicate that the Astros will take Appel with the first pick, so he probably won't be available for the Twins. I googled Buxton, and he seems pretty cool -- five tool guy: speed, throwing, fielding, hitting, and hitting with power. Plus, his nickname is Buck. So, I'm going to go ahead and hope the Twins pick him. I know that the Twins already have an abundance of outfielders, and they really could use more pitching, but the key to a good draft is to choose the best available player, not necessarily the player the team needs most. Besides, some decent pitchers will probably fall to the later picks. No matter what, I hope the Twins don't mess it up. The problem is: we won't know how well it went for, like, four years or so. ~~~ Injury Watch and Updates Carl Pavano left Friday's game early, clearly suffering some more discomfort in his shoulder. He has returned to Minneapolis and is scheduled to have another MRI on Monday. Things don't sound hopeful that he'll be able to avoid the DL. Joe Mauer left Sunday's game a bit early because he slightly sprained his thumb. He insisted after the game that it's no big deal and he'll be fine. Kyle Waldrop, who was put on the DL at the end of spring training, was activated as assigned to AAA Rochester.
  21. Kirsten Brown
    Hi, Shane. Oh, yeah, I'm a big believer in the importance of OBP...you can't score runs if you don't get on base. And, as cool as home runs are, I do appreciate the high on-base guys. I just saw humor in the irony of that one fluky game.
  22. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog A SWEEP! A real, honest to goodness, three-game sweep! A fun come-from-behind win! An even funner walk-off win! And a strong-pitching-performance win! Yay, winning! http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/images/history/y2010/120x120_logo_1987_m.jpg And all these wins came with the classic "M" caps. So you know that we'll be seeing more of them. I like the "M" logo and all (even though I still prefer the "TC" logo), but I do worry about unilaterally embracing a throwback item; last year was the old cream uniforms, and we all know how that went. But, as Crash Davis said, "respect the streak," so they may as well go with it for a while. A couple notes: Josh Willingham wants each and every one of us to love him. A note to Mr. Revere: Benny, honey, every one already pretty much loves you because you're fast, and scrappy, and smiley and all, but really, you need to work on that bunting thing. Seriously. I know bunting is hard, but dude... If I were to give this series a title, it would be "Building Pitchers' Confidence" ~~~ In the movie Moneyball, Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) said something like (I'm paraphrasing here, I don't really remember the quote word for word, and I tried to look it up on IMDb, but I couldn't find it, and I don't feel like putting the DVD in and waiting to hear it again, and it might have really been said by Jonah Hill's completely fictional character, so just go with me here)... "How do you win ballgames? By scoring runs. How do you score runs? By getting on base." Ha! So on Tuesday, Cole De Vries allowed a bijillion A's to get on base. Not one of them scored runs. And ultimately, they didn't win the game. So there. Ok, I know, that game was more of a fluke-fest than a commentary on on-base percentage, but it also demonstrates how truly bad Oakland's offense really is. I suppose I shouldn't get too gloat-y about the sweep, huh? ~~~ Notes Jason Marquis signed with the San Diego Padres. Erik Komatsu cleared waivers has been returned to the Washington Nationals. Phil Dumatrait, who has spent the season in AAA Rochester, has decided to retire. He's been battling a shoulder injury all year. The Twins released him rather than have him complete retirement papers so he can sign with another team if he changes his mind after a while.
  23. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog A SWEEP! A real, honest to goodness, three-game sweep! A fun come-from-behind win! An even funner walk-off win! And a strong-pitching-performance win! Yay, winning! http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/images/history/y2010/120x120_logo_1987_m.jpg And all these wins came with the classic "M" caps. So you know that we'll be seeing more of them. I like the "M" logo and all (even though I still prefer the "TC" logo), but I do worry about unilaterally embracing a throwback item; last year was the old cream uniforms, and we all know how that went. But, as Crash Davis said, "respect the streak," so they may as well go with it for a while. A couple notes: Josh Willingham wants each and every one of us to love him. A note to Mr. Revere: Benny, honey, every one already pretty much loves you because you're fast, and scrappy, and smiley and all, but really, you need to work on that bunting thing. Seriously. I know bunting is hard, but dude... If I were to give this series a title, it would be "Building Pitchers' Confidence" ~~~ In the movie Moneyball, Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) said something like (I'm paraphrasing here, I don't really remember the quote word for word, and I tried to look it up on IMDb, but I couldn't find it, and I don't feel like putting the DVD in and waiting to hear it again, and it might have really been said by Jonah Hill's completely fictional character, so just go with me here)... "How do you win ballgames? By scoring runs. How do you score runs? By getting on base." Ha! So on Tuesday, Cole De Vries allowed a bijillion A's to get on base. Not one of them scored runs. And ultimately, they didn't win the game. So there. Ok, I know, that game was more of a fluke-fest than a commentary on on-base percentage, but it also demonstrates how truly bad Oakland's offense really is. I suppose I shouldn't get too gloat-y about the sweep, huh? ~~~ Notes Jason Marquis signed with the San Diego Padres. Erik Komatsu cleared waivers has been returned to the Washington Nationals. Phil Dumatrait, who has spent the season in AAA Rochester, has decided to retire. He's been battling a shoulder injury all year. The Twins released him rather than have him complete retirement papers so he can sign with another team if he changes his mind after a while.
  24. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog On Friday when the Twins were beating up on the Brewers, for as much as I was enjoying the production, I was thinking to myself that they should save some of their hits for another day when they needed them. It's a cliched joke, I know, but considering how shaky this season has been, I worry about such things. But I'm reasonably pleased that the Twins still took the series, and things have been looking less glum. And, yeah, Sunday was pretty ugly; fortunately it only counts as one loss. A few notes about the series: After the game on Mother's Day, Trevor Plouffe cut off his flowing long hair for charity. It's a great story. Before then, he hadn't hit any homeruns; since then he's hit three, including the game-winner in extra innings on Saturday. Maybe his bangs were in his eyes. Maybe all that hair made his helmet too tight. Maybe he's more aerodynamic now. Whatever -- keep it up, Trev. I think Matt Capps's new pitch -- it's a splitter / chageup combo that he calls a "splange" -- is flirting with me. I think it's kind of sexy. I thought it would have been safe to take a nap on Sunday afternoon when the Twins were down 11-2. I was more than a little annoyed that no one woke me up when Drew Butera pitched the bottom of the 8th. I don't think Jason Marquis wants any of us to love him. ~~~ The Twins are sure handcuffed when it comes to dealing with their struggling pitchers. Hendriks was sent down to Rochester, Liriano was sent to the bullpen, and Blackburn was placed on the DL. Pavano has been fighting discomfort in his shoulder, and even though he looked pretty good on Saturday, the Twins would like to push his next start back a day. And then there's Marquis. The Twins are running out of options to fill in while the starters get on track. Swarzak could have made a spot start on Thursday to allow Pavano an extra day, but he pitched a ton on Sunday in relief of Marquis. Duensing could do it too, but it seems like he's been used a lot out of the pen lately. So, the Twins are stuck praying that batters haven't figured out Diamond and Walters yet, and then, after that, who knows? Liriano? Duensing? Call up Hendriks again? Someone else? Oh, and there still isn't anyone to replace Blackburn. Gardy said earlier this season that he can't replace the whole starting staff. But, man, he might have to. It's a bummer that it's come to this. ~~~ Injury updates: Carl Pavano received some extra treatment on his shoulder earlier this week, and was able to make his start on Saturday. He was pretty effective, and his velocity seemed better that it had been. The Twins still want to push his next start to Friday to let his shoulder get back to normal. According to Sports Illustrated, Ryan Doumit tweaked his calf muscle last week by leaping in the air celebrating a win. I didn't know that's how it happened. Anyway, I think he'll be fine. By resting for the most part during National League play (he did make a pitch-hitting appearance on Saturday, walked and got pulled for a pitch runner), plus the off day on Monday, he should be good to go again soon. It was good to see Denard Span back in the lineup. ~~~ Tweet of the series: We've all seen Drew Butera make strong throws from behind the plate. I guess he carries that skill to the other side of the battery as well. From blogger, and noted stat-head, Parker Hageman: @drewbutera hit 94.4 mph on the radar gun today pitching. Sick nasty filth. brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/pfx.php?… — Parker Hageman (@OverTheBaggy) May 20, 2012 He links to the Brooksbaseball.net site that tracks Drew's pitching performance. Cool stuff.
  25. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog On Friday when the Twins were beating up on the Brewers, for as much as I was enjoying the production, I was thinking to myself that they should save some of their hits for another day when they needed them. It's a cliched joke, I know, but considering how shaky this season has been, I worry about such things. But I'm reasonably pleased that the Twins still took the series, and things have been looking less glum. And, yeah, Sunday was pretty ugly; fortunately it only counts as one loss. A few notes about the series: After the game on Mother's Day, Trevor Plouffe cut off his flowing long hair for charity. It's a great story. Before then, he hadn't hit any homeruns; since then he's hit three, including the game-winner in extra innings on Saturday. Maybe his bangs were in his eyes. Maybe all that hair made his helmet too tight. Maybe he's more aerodynamic now. Whatever -- keep it up, Trev. I think Matt Capps's new pitch -- it's a splitter / chageup combo that he calls a "splange" -- is flirting with me. I think it's kind of sexy. I thought it would have been safe to take a nap on Sunday afternoon when the Twins were down 11-2. I was more than a little annoyed that no one woke me up when Drew Butera pitched the bottom of the 8th. I don't think Jason Marquis wants any of us to love him. ~~~ The Twins are sure handcuffed when it comes to dealing with their struggling pitchers. Hendriks was sent down to Rochester, Liriano was sent to the bullpen, and Blackburn was placed on the DL. Pavano has been fighting discomfort in his shoulder, and even though he looked pretty good on Saturday, the Twins would like to push his next start back a day. And then there's Marquis. The Twins are running out of options to fill in while the starters get on track. Swarzak could have made a spot start on Thursday to allow Pavano an extra day, but he pitched a ton on Sunday in relief of Marquis. Duensing could do it too, but it seems like he's been used a lot out of the pen lately. So, the Twins are stuck praying that batters haven't figured out Diamond and Walters yet, and then, after that, who knows? Liriano? Duensing? Call up Hendriks again? Someone else? Oh, and there still isn't anyone to replace Blackburn. Gardy said earlier this season that he can't replace the whole starting staff. But, man, he might have to. It's a bummer that it's come to this. ~~~ Injury updates: Carl Pavano received some extra treatment on his shoulder earlier this week, and was able to make his start on Saturday. He was pretty effective, and his velocity seemed better that it had been. The Twins still want to push his next start to Friday to let his shoulder get back to normal. According to Sports Illustrated, Ryan Doumit tweaked his calf muscle last week by leaping in the air celebrating a win. I didn't know that's how it happened. Anyway, I think he'll be fine. By resting for the most part during National League play (he did make a pitch-hitting appearance on Saturday, walked and got pulled for a pitch runner), plus the off day on Monday, he should be good to go again soon. It was good to see Denard Span back in the lineup. ~~~ Tweet of the series: We've all seen Drew Butera make strong throws from behind the plate. I guess he carries that skill to the other side of the battery as well. From blogger, and noted stat-head, Parker Hageman: @drewbutera hit 94.4 mph on the radar gun today pitching. Sick nasty filth. brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/pfx.php?… — Parker Hageman (@OverTheBaggy) May 20, 2012 He links to the Brooksbaseball.net site that tracks Drew's pitching performance. Cool stuff.
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