John Bonnes

The Twins lost to the Orioles last night 6-3, but most of the day’s drama came earlier. There was a 5th starter battle on the minor league fields and we learned that other 5th starter candidate, Jose Berrios, was optioned to the minors. We also got some important injury news and a glimpse of another top pitching prospect. Let’s cover the highlights:Vargas “Hobbled” In Friday night’s game, recently returned designated hitter candidate Kennys Vargas fouled a pitch off his foot or shin. He stayed in the game, but when he hit a fly ball to the outfield, he pulled up limping halfway to first base and left the game. After the game, we were told that x-rays had turned up nothing and that he was day-to-day. Today the Twins were not as optimistic. Manager Paul Molitor described Vargas as “hobbled” and said the Twins might potentially have another look at the injury. Vargas isn’t in a cast, or even an air cast, but he was on crutches, said Molitor. After playing sparingly in the WBC competition, Vargas was already going to need to accumulate at-bats to secure the designated hitter role for which he was the leading candidate entering camp. With only five Grapefruit League games remaining after tonight’s tilt, his prospects look grim. Especially given that ByungHo Park has had such a strong camp. The Fifth Starter Competition Molitor addressed the media prior to the game about Berrios’ demotion and the starts by Adalberto Mejia and Tyler Duffey at the minor league complex this morning. While it was possible that Berrios might have been able to get his pitch count high enough in time for his first start, the Twins were worried about rushing that process. “I was of the opinion, and I think everyone was, that the lack of work and consistency of work ... to try and rush the buildup here in the last ten days to try and get him ready to try and be in that spot didn’t make a lot of sense to me,” said Molitor. It should be noted that according to Twins pitcher and Puerto Rico WBC teammate Hector Santiago, Berrios did work while playing with the Puerto Rican WBC team to try to build up his pitch count, including throwing a 55-pitch live batting practice session. “But I know it’s tough for [the Twins] on their side. They want to make sure he’s healthy and they don’t want to force him out there, run him out there and have something happen,” said Santiago, while lamenting the difficult decision. Meanwhile, Molitor said that he thought both Duffey and Mejia had good but not outstanding mornings. “It wasn’t a seperator day for me,” said Molitor. “We just kind of need to look at the whole thing and see how it fits.” It sounds like this was the last chance for both to make their case. Molitor said he’ll talk with pitching coaches Neil Allen and Eddie Guardado and they’ll make their decision before their next bullpen, which would be Monday. Santiago’s Return Hector Santiago made his first start since returning from the WBC and threw 77 pitches over four innings. If his next start is in five days, it would be Thursday, the last Grapefruit League game and he would be up to a pitch count of 90. It sounds like he’ll line up to pitch the second game of the season at Target Field on April 5th. Others at Twins Daily have analyzed Santiago, but this was my first time charting pitches for the left-hander, and he’s an interesting case. Pitch F/X says he throws a fastball over 60% of the time, and then a changeup 20% of the time and a mix of other stuff. But that’s not what he says, or at least not what he threw tonight. He didn’t mention a changeup today at all. He says he threw a lot of fastballs away but concentrated on three offspeed offerings: a slider (which would usually be used against lefties), a curveball (which he usually uses primarily against right-handers, and a screwball (which officially puts me out of my depth). He concentrated on the offspeed pitches tonight because he says he threw them so rarely in the WBC. According to Santiago, in his last outing he threw 68 pitches, and only four were not fastballs. That was his focus and probably explains why he only had 49 strikes in the 77 pitches he threw. His line was solid enough: three strikeouts in four innings pitched with a walk and four hits. Unfortunately, two of those hits went over the wall, but they were solo shots. Kohl Stewart Appearance Twins pitching prospect (and #4 overall draft choice from 2013 draft) Kohl Stewart was called over from the minor league complex and brought on the road game to make an appearance in relief. The good news is that he can say he struck out JJ Hardy and Hyun Soo Kim. He can also say he gave up a home run to Chris Davis, which is probably an even better story to tell his grandkids. It wasn’t a great outing; he had a lot of trouble throwing strikes, he walked a few guys and he gave up four runs in his two innings. And I hope he doesn’t care one bit. Tomorrow is a home game and it would not be surprising if there were some roster moves. Stay tuned…. Click here to view the article

The place to be this morning for Twins baseball nerds was Boston’s minor league fields to see Tyler Duffey and Adalberto Mejia, both battling for a shot at the fifth starters role, pitched in AA and AAA games respectively. This afternoon, we learned that the matchup meant even more than we thought as leading fifth starter candidate, Jose Berrios, was optioned to the minors.The baseball nerds swarmed this morning; just ask Twins CBO Derek Falvey, Manager Paul Molitor, Director of Baseball Research Jack Goin, scouts, players, most of the Twins Cities baseball media nerds and several Twins Daily supporters. They were almost all huddled around picnic tables behind the backstop with notebooks and radar guns. Then, this afternoon, we found out that Jose Berrios, who had spent most of his time this March with the Puerto Rico WBC baseball team, was optioned to the minors. He just wasn’t going to be able to get the pitch counts in that he needed to be ready for the regular season. Jumping between minor league games that were all of 20 yards from each other was fun, and I'll give more details, but let’s jump to the results. Duffey had a helluva game versus those AA hitters. He went 6 innings on (by my count) 82 pitches, struck out ten, walked one, gave up four hits and one unearned run. (I’m counting a long fly ball that hit the left fielder's glove an E7. Others saw it as a wind-aided double. That would be fifth hit and an earned run.) I didn’t see much of Adalberto Mejia, and I don’t have final numbers. I do know that he had a rough second inning that was described as “flukey.” He gave up four runs in that inning, including a home run that was described as “wind aided”. I should note, for the most part, Duffey’s batters were hitting into the wind today and Mejia’s had it at their back. I should however also note that Duffey's fourth inning started with a double and a single both of which were easy fly balls if not for the wind blowing them towards the foul line. Mejia, however, struck out six of the first eight batters he faced. He also hit 94 a few times in the later innings. It was a decent outing, and showed why people are starting to get excited to see what Mejia can do this year. Both starters sounded very satisfied with their outings and I don't think either one disqualified themselves from another start. It remains to be seen if the Twins will/can find innings for them both in one more spring training start. Personally, I'd love to see it. Feel free to give your initial reaction below. We’ll be back later tonight with a detailed breakdown of what I learned (and what is still confusing ) from watching Duffey’s start this morning. Click here to view the article

It should never come as a surprise when Twins news focuses on pitching, but even by that standard we have a lot. Today included a surprise demotion, the return of the Twins ace, a twist in the fifth starter competition and some news on Glen Perkins. Dig in.A Surprise Demotion The big news of the day was that right-handed reliever JT Chargois, who most people expected to make the 25-man roster prior to camp, was optioned to the minors. Mike Berardino has Twins’ manager Paul Molitor’s quotes on the move from before tonight’s game. I hate this move to the point where it is disheartening. I’ll make some acknowledgments first. First, the Opening Day roster is not all that important. Second, Chargois didn’t have a great camp. Third, it’s clear they still believe in him and expect him back soon. Fourth, I’m sure that some of the aspects of his game can be worked on in the minors, and he might even have more of a chance to work on them there than he would in a low-leverage role in the majors. I also have only seen him pitch once since I arrived (and it didn’t go well). Finally, I’ll acknowledge that the bullpen is an all-hands-on-deck situation; there isn’t enough talent to hide non-contributors for very long. But to change course on the reliever with the highest upside because of a middling spring training performance is either short-sighted or a flawed philosophy. The hamstrung bullpen is exactly why a team should place a player with Chargois’ upside in a low-leverage role. Sooner or later (with this group, sooner) there is going to be an injury or a rough spot for Brandon Kintzler or Ryan Pressly or Matt Belisle. And when that happens, the team is going to want someone ready to plug into those high-leverage roles. That player isn’t going to be Alex Wimmer or Justin Haley, at least not long-term. (I suppose it’s possible it could be Michael Tonkin, but we’ve been saying that for several years and right now it’s very possible he is outside looking in for a spot. Tonight he gave up a home run on his second pitch, which might not be a big deal if that wasn’t his biggest issue last year as a Twins reliever. He gave up 13 home runs in 71 innings, about 50% more than the average major league pitcher. It’s hard to trust a homer-prone reliever in the late innings of a game.) I think the team’s motivations are correct. They are rewarding pitchers who do well with a roster spot. They are evaluating based on results. They are responding to those players who look more “ready” based on that criterion. But I also think that plugging low upside players into low leverage roles is a sound strategy in the short-term and suicidal in the long-term. We’ve been down this path for two years under Molitor, and we know that sometime in June it all starts falling apart. Return of Santana The Twins tied the Orioles 5-5 as Ervin Santana returned to the mound and gave up one run over four innings. This morning we studied his pitching styleand a lot of our analysis held water. Santana does primarily rely on his fastball. His secondary pitch was his slider, and he relied on it versus right-handers (because it breaks away from them). And he used his changeup versus left-handers (because it move slightly away from them), most noticeably to strike out left-handed hitting Hyun Soo Kim looking to end a 10-pitch at-bat and the third inning. Tonight, however, in the third or fourth innings, Santana relied more on his offspeed slider and changeup than he usually did. He said it was mostly situational, but that he was also trying to get a better feel for his changeup. “It was working pretty good today,” he said after the game. One of the mysteries yesterday was that Pitch F/X listed about 1% of his pitches as a “cutter,” which he doesn’t throw. I don’t know if this is just because he fastball has a little more movement than most, or if his changeup is a little faster than most. Tonight he had a few changeups that were 87 or 88 mph, so perhaps that was what was being tracked. Finally, after watching him, I’m of the opinion that he has been successful because his fastball and his slider are both just very good pitches. What contact was made tonight was made on his fastball, but batters mostly have a very defensive reaction to both of those pitches. If he can rely on that changeup (he even used it a couple times versus right-handers tonight, despite it moving towards them), he could have another very good season. A Twist In The Fifth Starter Competition The fifth starter competition will take an unanticipated twist tomorrow. A few days ago I wrote about how innings are becoming scarce for players like Tyler Duffey and Adalberto Mejia who are trying to win the fifth spot in the rotation. Tomorrow was their turn in the rotation, but Hector Santiago is back and starting vs the Orioles tomorrow night. So at 10 AM, Duffey and Mejia will be facing the Red Sox AAA and AA teams along with their battery mates John Ryan Murphy and Chris Giminez. Perkins And Twins Meet Finally, we also got some news on Glen Perkins. He met with the Twins and they talked about developing a plan for him that doesn’t include throwing in any games this spring. Exactly what that plan is - whether it means putting him on the 60-day DL or whether he will continue working through his injury in Minnesota or Fort Myers - is not yet determined. But when asked if the Twins and Perkins see eye-to-eye on things, CBO Derek Falvey said “That was the best part of the meeting the other day. We went into it asking how he felt. He said he feels good; he’s progressing. So we feel on the same page, with respect to the plan. I’m not concerned about that at all.” Click here to view the article

Ervin Santana was comparatively fantastic last year. His 3.38 ERA might not seem remarkable, until you realize that the rest of the Twins’ rotation’s combined ERA was 5.91. Blink. Blink. That is such a stunning number, I’ll repeat it: the combined ERA of the starting staff last year, not including Ervin Santana, was close to 6.So, it might make a little sense to study Ervin Santana, especially given that he should be returning to the Twins spring training rotation soon, if not today. The problem with that is that I’m no expert when it comes to pitching. I get all mixed up about which way a 2-seam fastball moves versus a 4-seam fastball, or a slider versus a sinker versus a cutter. So I’m going to rely heavily on FanGraphs to provide some basic data and be transparent about what I know and don’t know. Maybe you, dear reader, can fill in the blanks in the section below. I’m not ashamed to groupthink this stuff. Indeed, that’s the point of the site. Per Fan Graph’s high level Pitch F/X data on Santana, he relies a great deal on two pitches with a third thrown in occasionally. Last year, he threw: His fastball 53% of the time, which is a little less than he has in his career (56%).His slider 39% of the time, which is a little more than he has in his career (36%).His changeup 8% of the time, which is about what he’s done in his career, but a little less than the last two years.So over 90% of the time he’s relying on his fastball and his slider and only rarely going to his changeup. I found that interesting, because many starting pitchers are criticized for being “only two-pitch pitchers.” For instance, that’s the narrative on Tyler Duffey, who relies on a fastball (53% in 2016), a curveball (39%) and worked to mix in a changeup (7%). Those ratios, including the changeup, nearly match Santana’s. So let’s see what those pitches do. From FanGraph’s excellent Pitch F/X Game Charts view, here is the movement. Blue = Fastball Orange also = fastball (officially a 2-seam vs a 4-seam) Green = Changeup Black = Slider Download attachment: Santana movement chart.png The 0,0 mark is where the ball would end up if it was thrown without any spin. So the fastball (blue/orange) drifts a little left and stays a little higher (because it has some upspin) than it would than if it had no spin at all. The changeup does the same thing, which is handy when it looks like a fastball, but again, Santana doesn’t throw it very often. The slider moves to the right, maybe up a little, but not nearly as much as the fastball. You can see why it would be a pretty good complementary pitch to the fastball. Let’s go back to the fastball and changeup, which end up with about the same movement. Here is another chart from that FanGraph’s page that shows the movement horizontally, but the velocity is on the vertical axis. Download attachment: Santana velocity movement chart.png Yup, the changeup ends up in about the same movement, but seven miles per hour slower. Incidentally, the slider has about the same velocity, but moves the other direction from it. I can’t find any breakdown of when Santana likes to throw these pitches. I’d be particularly interested to see how often he throws each against left-handed hitters versus right-handed hitters. Just from the data, I suspect the changeup is used a lot more versus left-handed hitters, who had a slightly lower OPS against the right-handed Santana last year than right-handed hitters. Is any of this what makes Santana successful? My best guess is he just has a pretty good fastball and two pitches that vary enough to give hitters that split second of hesitation. But it’ll be more fun to watch his next outing and see if I can see what he’s trying to do. Click here to view the article

"Have we heard that Justin Haley isn't an option for the bullpen? He hasn't pitched well, but he is still the pitcher that the current front office believes can be a potential MLB starter, they may want to keep him around. Right or wrong, that's the nature of the Rule 5. " Seth, he's primarily who I'm thinking will join from the 5th starter candidates (though I think he's only nominally included in that list). I'll try to ask Molitor about bringing a swing man north like Haley.

We may still have individual tickets to the specific events; we've never tried this before, so maybe many can't do more than one. We tried to price it so it's still a good deal at three and probably passable if you can make only two. Or, you might try splitting a package with someone in town? If we do have individual tickets, they'll go on sale the day after Opening Day, so check back then.

Doh! I even had it right earlier! Fixing it. Thanks for the heads up.

Each spring training, teams reach a point when the supply/demand ratio regarding pitchers’ innings is reversed. That time has come. Early on, pitch counts for the starters are kept low, leaving lots of innings in which to try out the Double-A prospect or the non-roster invitee. But eventually starters need to be stretched to 75 or 90 pitches, and managers want to see those final 20 pitches against major league competition, not in the bullpen.Squeezing The Rotation That squeeze has started and yesterday we saw its first victim when Ryan Vogelsong was granted his release following a conversation with the Twins. There simply is no longer room for the 8th or 9th rotation candidate to throw 75 pitches. “We felt that right now we had a few people in front of him in terms of that rotation situation,” said Twins manager Paul Molitor. Of course, he’s right. Games are grouped in sets of five, since the starting pitchers are on a five-day rotation. One game goes to each Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson. With Ervin Santana returning this week, that leaves only two games available in this set, and Tyler Duffey, Adalberto Mejia and Justin Haley have youth, performance and a Rule 5 decision on their side. Having three Twins pitchers in the WBC has been a blessing and a curse for pitchers competing for a rotation spot. On the one hand, it probably gave Haley, Vogelsong, Duffey and Mejia a few starts they might not have had the past couple of weeks. Puerto Rico’s semifinal win bought a little more time, as it delays Jose Berrios and Hector Santiago rejoining the team. But on the other hand, when the WBC guys return, the Twins are going to want to give them innings versus major league competition. That’s important because to free up some innings, some teams will opt to have an established starter throw a game against a AAA team rather than a spring training game. That doesn’t seem like the best option for the worst rotation in MLB last year. Plus, the Twins will have three guys coming back from the WBC and Phil Hughes trying to come back from surgery and Kyle Gibson trying to work a new delivery. Don’t you want these guys pitching versus major league hitters? But I expect we’ll see the Twins try to give a couple more chances to Duffey, Mejia, Haley and Berrios. Squeezing The Bullpen There is a crunch in the bullpen, too, as starters eat more innings. And that crunch is exacerbated by a starting pitching competition as we saw on Monday. Duffey and Mejia both threw about 70 pitches back-to-back, leaving zero innings for the scheduled relievers, JT Chargois and Buddy Boshers. Watching how the Twins manage their limited relief innings gives some indications on the bullpen competition. Like the starters, some of the more established relievers throw in minor league games. Also, the innings early in the game, when major league competition is still playing for the opposition, are more valuable. In the last few days: Right-handers Brandon Kintzler and Matt Belisle pitched in AAA games yesterday. They’re safely in.Left-hander Taylor Rogers pitched in a AAA game last week and was the first reliever in the game yesterday. He’s safe.Left-hander Craig Breslow was added to the 40-man roster today when Trevor May was added to the 60-day DL, pitched in AAA today and was the first guy off the bench on Saturday to face major leaguers. He’s in.Left-hander Boshers was scheduled to be used in Monday’s game but didn’t get in. Then he was scheduled for yesterday’s game but didn’t pitch until the ninth. And then he got beat up pretty bad, albeit while facing a string of right-handed hitters. For now, he looks “out”, especially because the bullpen looks like it already has two left-handers.Right-hander Ryan Pressly is presumed “in” given his performance this spring. He will likely be scheduled to pitch tomorrow, so we’ll see how he’s used.Right-hander Chargois was also scheduled to be in Monday’s game, came into the eighth inning, got into a little trouble, set himself up to work out of it, got drilled by a Howie Kendrick hit ball, and struggled after staying in the game after that. I think he’s the leading candidate for one of the last two spots, but I’ll list him as “on the bubble”. It’s possible that Haley, Duffey or Berrios end up pushing him out of the bullpen.Right-handers Michael Tonkin and Alex Wimmers were the only serious bullpen candidates to be sentenced to the three-hour road trip across the state for today’s game. I also see that Wimmers got in the game before Tonkin. We’ll list them both as “fringe”.So five of the seven spots are likely taken: Kintzler will close, with Belisle and Pressly as right-handers and Rogers and Breslow as left-handers. That leaves two spots, with Chargois as still the leading candidate, Tonkin and Wimmers as other candidates, and any of the losing starting pitchers as possible swing men. Decisions will be made as to the final spots over the next week, but while you’re waiting, look for the smaller decisions. Pay attention to whom the club is giving their limited innings. Those choices will naturally lead to the bigger decisions. Click here to view the article

A Triple-A slugfest broke out in the late innings of the Twins 9-5 loss to the Phillies, but the first half of the game was more palatable. It provided a couple of tastes of the upcoming season and we learned of a departure after the game.Gibson Steady Twins starting pitcher Kyle Gibson was efficient, which is sometimes code for “not overpowering”, but I mean it in a good way. He was not overpowering, but he mostly controlled the at-bats frequently dictating the counts to the batters. He faced a little adversity in the first inning when, with no outs and a runner on first base, Max Kepler had a pair of gaffes on a single play that added a runner to second base. But a strikeout helped Gibson get out of that jam and coast through the next two innings on just 18 pitches. The middle of the Phillies order made him work a bit more in the fourth inning, but a double play brought that inning to a merciful end. He pretty clearly tired in the fifth, but Jorge Polanco ranging for a ground ball deep into the hole and making a strong enough throw to first base got him through his planned innings and pitches. Not bad for a guy who is trying to rework his delivery to better improve his health. “It’s getting there,” he said after the game. “I’m still doing stuff in between starts and and before I play catch to try and keep ingraining it in my mind a little bit, but it’s getting there.” A five inning outing in spring training with includes two strikeouts is hardly the stuff of which dreams are made, but it helps quell some of the nightmares of last season. And with three other members of the rotation still not back from the WBC, it demonstrates a little stability in an evolving situation. Polanco’s Throw The play by Jorge Polanco was nice to see. Unlike Buxton’s catch yesterday, this was not a “I can’t believe my eyes” moment. Rather, it was a play that stretches an average shortstop, and potentially stretches a shortstop with Polanco’s arm too far. It didn’t, and just barely. He ranged far to his right, gloved the ball in the hole and relied on a quick release and a one-hop catch by Joe Mauer to beat the runner to the bag. It showed Polanco’s strengths - his range and quickness - as well as his biggest weakness: his average arm strength. It also likely showed us the edge of what we can expect, but that border looked far enough, provided the consistency is there. Kepler’s Defense On the other hand, that first inning misplay by Max Kepler was reminiscent of some of the baffling miscues we saw in Target Field last year. Kepler came up short on a shallow fly ball, but the runner on first base didn’t recognize that there was going to be an issue, so a force out at second base was still available. But Kepler panicked and rushed a bad throw to second base that pulled Polanco off the bag, so everyone was safe. Yesterday Molitor talked a little about how he has been treating the infield as a unit so they get used to each other defensively. It’s worth noting that it appears he has been doing the same with Byron Buxton and Kepler. Since March 4th, they’ve started 10 games together and in the other seven games, neither has played without the other. While it’s certainly less important for outfielders to work together defensively than infielders, it appears the Twins are trying to proactively smooth over some of last year’s gaffes. Roster Moves After a discussion with the Twins this morning, Ryan Vogelsong asked for his release and the Twins are going to grant it. “I can’t say enough about what he brought to the camp,” said Twins Manager Paul Molitor. “I’ve had multiple players come in here and tell me that being around him and [Matt] Belisle for some of those people made their camp. He did a lot of good things here. We felt that right now we had a few people in front of him in terms of that rotation situation.” Vogelsong had an opt-out in his contract which he could exercise later in camp, but with players returning from the WBC, the Twins weren’t going to be able to provide him any more opportunities to start this spring. Leaving the team now, everyone hopes, gives him a better chance to catch on with a another club as a pitcher. The Twins also sent Raul Fernandez and Jake Reed down to the minor league camp. Tomorrow’s Game If you’re a Twins fan in West Palm Beach and excited to see your team tomorrow, you might want to adjust expectations a bit. The Twins are in the midst of a stretch that includes three of their longest road trips of the spring crammed into four days. As such, a lot of the starting position players are staying behind to practice in Fort Myers, though Phil Hughes will be making the three-hour bus trip to get in his scheduled start. Click here to view the article

Old friend Francisco Liriano baffled some of the Twins more promising but less-experienced hitters early in yesterday's game. Whether it speaks to their learning curve, their talent, or pep talks from coaches, several contributed to the Twins 8-2 win later in the game.ByungHo Park ByungHo Park struck out in his first at-bat versus Liriano, though he extended the at-bat seven pitches. It ended on a 93 mph fastball that was called a high-outside corner-catching strike. But the next time Liriano threw a fastball (this one 92 mph and considerably closer to the middle of the plate), Park crushed it to straightaway center field, a no-doubter. Park’s spring has impressed his manager, and that goes beyond what he sees in games. “You watch how he takes [batting practice] and you see that he has a pretty good idea on how he likes to prepare,” said Molitor after the game. “But you don’t see the long homers, because he’s working on his swing. But when he catches one, it’s impressive.” Miguel Sano Miguel Sano also struck out in his first at-bat, and on only three pitches, the last of which was a questionable called strike. He also struck out quickly in his second at-bat versus Liriano on a called check swing, and looked visibly frustrated (and a little baffled) both times. But to start his third at-bat, lefty JP Howell threw Sano a second straight offspeed pitch and Sano channeled those frustrations into a blast over the trees behind the left field wall. After the game, Molitor talked a little about how Sano refocused - and about his reactions to the first two at-bats. “He didn’t get the benefit of the call in the first inning; we all kinda agreed on that. The next one, well I talked to him. I said ‘The first one I’ll defend you in the regular season, but that last one you probably went.’ And he agreed. And I said ‘Just get ready for your next at-bat.’ That’s kind of how you have to go with him.” I suspect everyone would feel a lot better about that home run (his second of the spring) if it didn’t come with 15 strikeouts (and just two walks) so far. But the blast was a pleasant reminder of the promise that the Twins and Sano are working towards. Byron Buxton Finally, Byron Buxton also struck out the two times he faced Liriano. His at-bats lasted longer and were more competitive, though Molitor noted after the game that Buxton chased some pitches. However, in the fifth inning Buxton made a CGI-like defensive play; the kind of play that feels like it requires special effects. Human beings are not supposed to travel at the speed that Buxton achieved sprinting into the left field gap. They are also supposed to have enough common sense not to dive at that speed, back-handing a catch as they slam into the warning track. And while I mean that sentence as praise, it could also be read as the start of a very scary situation, which it was when Buxton didn’t get up immediately. After catching his wind, he did get up, gave a thumbs up to the dugout before Molitor and the Twins trainer got halfway to him, and stayed in the game and made another catch in center field. But the play was impressive enough and scary enough that when the inning ended and he came back to the dugout, he got a standing ovation from visiting Twins fans and a handshake from Paul Molitor, who also took the opportunity to check on his health. The Infield If there was any doubt as to the roles in the Twins infield on Opening Day, it has long since dissolved. Since March 10th, the infield of Brian Dozier (2B), Jorge Polanco (SS) and Miguel Sano (3B) have started as a unit six times. In the other four games, none has played without the others. They are being treated as one defensive team by Molitor and he confirmed today why. “I think the intention is to try to get guys that most likely have a chance to be playing together to play as a unit. ….The people that are making plays together in combinations; you try to get those guys as comfortable as you can with each other.” The Rotation The Twins have already announced that Ervin Santana will be the Opening Day starter, but beyond that, the order of the rotation remains pure speculation. Based on the dates players have pitched so far, it appears Kyle Gibson would follow Santana, and Phil Hughes would complete the Twins homestand on the 6th. Hector Santiago would presumably pitch the opening game on the road on the 7th. But I should repeat: I’m speculating. I asked Phil Hughes if he had any idea where he might slot in once the season starts and it's pretty clearly hasn’t looked that far ahead. In fact, it might be impossible to tell yet, with three of the Twins starting pitchers still not back from their WBC stints. “With Ervin being gone and Santiago, we’re just trying to piece together who is pitching in spring training,” replied Hughes. Click here to view the article

“All the world’s a stage' - As You Like It, Act 2 The Twins 8-2 victory over the Blue Jays teased Twins fans with a play within a play. While the Twins battled the Blue Jays, Twins pitcher Tyler Duffey would start but turn the spotlight over to Adalberto Mejia, as both are competing for the last spot in the Twins rotation with Jose Berrios. Both performed well, but Duffey spoiled any drama by refusing to yield the mound through five scoreless innings.Duffey’s final numbers were not eye-popping, but the right-hander’s stuff has rarely been described as eye-popping, unless that particular eye appreciates a knee-buckling curveball. But this afternoon, Duffey’s fastball placement kept the Blue Jays hitters honest - and guessing. Whether it was a generous outside corner or unexpected movement inside, the mostly right-handed hitting Blue Jays watched a lot of strikes. Duffey took advantage of the fortunate counts, limiting a lineup topped with Troy Tulowitski, Russell Martin, Josh Donaldson and Kendrys Morales to four hits over five innings. Five days ago, it had been Mejia’s turn to impress while Duffey pitched in a minor league game. Mejia’s eight strikeouts in 3.2 innings certainly raised some eyebrows. Five days before that, each had thrown three innings versus Miami with Duffey getting the start. The same rotation spot comes up two more times in spring training, but a third (and possibly the favorite) candidate, Berrios, should return from pitching in the WBC for at least one and possibly two of those starts. As such, it is becoming more urgent for Mejia, with the least MLB experience, to show what he can do. He was impressive enough; he touched 95 on the radar gun and got through four innings with three strikeouts, but he had to wait for his grand entrance until the lineup was filled with Blue Jays backups. He also gave up back-to-back home runs to Justin Smoak (no shame in that, 106 career home runs) and Ryan McBroom (um, less impressive). That didn’t bother his manager. “He was kinda cuttin' loose a little bit,” summarized Paul Molitor. “I don’t know if he was playing to the scoreboard, but he kept challenging people with the fastball. … He gave up a couple of home runs. [Justin] Smoak had a good at-bat, but [Mejia] came right back and attacked the next guy. But he got him too. I’ve got no complaints about his day either.” Still, today Duffey played the leading role, and was efficient enough to demand more time on the stage. He completed his five scoreless innings in (by my count) 59 pitches and so he had to throw 15 more in the bullpen. He confided that most of those bullpen pitches were practicing his developing changeup, but he admitted he only threw a few of the much-talked-about-addition during the game. (And they weren’t particularly effective.) Instead it was his fastball command about which both he and his manager talked. Duffey credited his work on his “sinker.” “I tried to make a point of getting inside more often. Not to say I’m only going there, but to get me both sides of the plate, which is huge for me. Not being a 97-98 [miles per hour] guy, I gotta work a little bit. It’s been good so far.” His manager agreed. “I think what he settled into was good fastball command,” said Molitor. “Anybody who can throw 60 pitches in five innings is getting ahead and doing those kind of things.” That command also seemed to get better as the game went on; Duffey finished his final inning on just 10 pitches. For what it’s worth, it doesn’t sound like this play is over. It’s questionable if anyone has even been eliminated. Molitor referred, albeit theoretically, to another start by Mejia to see how his velocity is maintained when he gets over 70 pitches. But Duffey reminded everyone what he can do and how he has developed, and he did so when it may have mattered most this spring. That would seem to bode well, but uneasy is the head that wears the crown. There are still a few more tryouts before the final role is determined. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John are at Northgate Brewery to announce their Tuesday Taproom Tour, preview the AL Central (and Twins) using Vegas' Over-Under projections, delve into the legality of sports betting, review the Twins latest spring training cuts, and release the last keyword for kernelnation.com' free Twins tickets. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link.http://traffic.libsy...3?dest-id=74590 Click here to view the article

We are very sorry (but also very excited) to announce that the Tuesday Taproom Tour is sold out. We promise, Twins Daily and Gleeman & The Geek will continue to work on more events. (Might want to keep July 14th open ... shhhh....) At each event, participants will get our Gleeman and the Geek Tap Handle pint glasses (pictured), two craft beers at a local taproom, and prizes while watching a Twins road game with Aaron and John as they record a podcast in which you can participate. And all four events cost just $40. Your friends can also get in on the action at TuesdayTaproomTour.com. But there are only 85 tickets available, so get them now Here are the details:The Events Join a limited group of 100 fellow Twins fans listening to a special podcast and watching a Twins road game at one of John and Aaron’s favorite local craft beer taprooms with Gleeman and the Geek! Honestly, how many great things are in that last sentence? And it gets better - at each taproom: You’ll receive a free pint glass with the Gleeman and Geek Tuesday Taproom Tour logo (our own tap handle!) on one side and the brewery’s logo on the other. And each taproom’s glass will be a different color. (You need to attend the event to get the glass. We cannot mail them.)You’ll get a free craft beer.You’ll get another free craft beer for a future visit.There will be a giveaway at first pitch, last out and during the game.Aaron and John will talk Twins and answer questions during the game to the assembled crowd and it will all be on a special release podcast. Your question could be featured on the podcast.Download attachment: COLLAGE W LOGOS.jpg The Tour We’ll be attending four of our favorite taprooms that you’ve heard on the show. All four dates are Tuesday nights: 4/25 – 7:00 – 10:00 at Northgate Brewing (vs Texas Rangers)5/23 – 6:05 – 9:00 at 612 Brew (vs Baltimore Orioles)6/27 – 6:05 – 9:00 at Tin Whiskers (vs Boston Red Sox)8/22 – 7:05 – 10:00 at Fair State Coop (vs Chicago White Sox)TicketsUnfortunately, you can’t just arrive at the door, as we expect to sell out and these taprooms have a limited capacity. You’ll be able to get tickets right here by going to TuesdayTaproomTour.com (which will take you right back here) on the 24th at 8AM. If the season pass does not sell out, individual event tickets will be sold for $15 and will go on sale the day after Opening Day, which is 4/3, provided any are still available.However, you can buy tickets to all four events for just $40. These go on sale at 8:00 on Friday March 24th and are the only way to get tickets to the events through Opening Day. We have less than 100 tickets available, so it is very possible they sell out and we are unable to offer individual tickets.LocationsNorthgate Brewery is in NE Minneapolis, at 783 Harding St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413. They specialize in British inspired beers.612 Brew is in NE Minneapolis at 945 Broadway St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413. Their taproom is in an iconic NE Mpls warehouse, and features art on the walls and coming out of the taps.Tin Whiskers is located in Lowertown at 125 9th St E, St. Paul, MN 55101. Started by electrical engineers, it features beer with twists on traditional favorites.Fair State Brewing is located in NE Minneapolis at 2506 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418. Their evolving beer lineup features traditional styles as well as an array of sours.Contact your friends or significant other or siblings or parents or whoever, but get a group together and join us. We've very excited to try putting together a series of events that brings together the Gleeman and the Geek and Twins Daily community on a regular basis. We would love to have you there. Click here to view the article

We do start a thread for each story we publish in the newsletter. You'll get a link to it along with the link to the newsletter. As for why not, it may allow us some future flexibility as far as content. The site has some built-in restrictions regarding what we can do with format and type of content. It could also lead to exclusive, in-depth content, similar to the Offseason Handbook, but in a form that allows us to update the information as time passes, as opposed to quickly growing stale. And one last edit to my post: since the word "pay wall" came up, Twins Daily was started specifically to avoid a pay wall. I should probably "never say never" but ... I don't ever see that happening. It runs counter to our DNA. That said, we do offer some exclusive content like the Handbook (though recently, we changed that to a free-will donation) so I can see some additional exclusive content especially for community members that want to further support the community's writing and growth efforts.

John and Aaron eat awesome exotic Japanese food at Kyatchi, evaluate Trevor May's injury on the Twins season, reveal the new keyword to win a 20-game Twins season ticket package at kernelnation.com and preview the 2017 season for the AL East using Vegas' over-under bets. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link.http://traffic.libsy...3?dest-id=74590 Click here to view the article