John Bonnes

To suggest that Hunter should be benched for Buxton is ... more than a little crazy. This team deserves every chance to either sink or swim for the rest of this year based on their results, I completely understand the frustration people are feeling after a 3-12 run. But that reaction seems to be people letting their frustration get the better of them. If, at the start of the season, I'd have told this group that the Twins would be one game under .500 on 8/10 and within a handful of games from the Wild Card, nobody would've suggested they look towards next year. If, instead of going 2-8 in their last 10 games, they went 8-2 but had the exact same record, exact same stats, exact same everything else, the perception would be totally different. Nobody would be saying "White Flag!". They's be saying "Look at the progress Hicks and Rosario and Sano are making! It's coming together!" The fact that there is no easy place for Buxton to play isn't an indictment against the Twins - it's deserves acclaim. So many positions are crowded with young talent (and with a 40-year-old free agent who is defying his age) that they can't find playing time for the top prospect that tore up AA for half the year so they're putting him in AAA for a few weeks. Terry Ryan should be putting on the top of his resume. I'm not denying that Twins have problems; I'll be happy to dive into how they've handled catcher, shortstop, DH (previously) and the bullpen. But criticism of this area makes me question the credibility of the criticizer. If you're not happy with the outfield situation, I don't know you can be happy with any baseball situation, ever.

Seth, are you saying if a player is sent down for less than 20 days to the minors, the option doesn't count? If so, I did not know that.

Minnesota Twins activate OF Byron Buxton from DL, option him to AAA-Rochester. I'm surprised there is any controversy about this whatsoever. But controversy there is. Buxton can only play in four positions – the three outfield spots and designated hitter - and three are filled with some of the best news of the Twins season. Those productive prospects need (and should be rewarded) at-bats right now. Surely we're not suggesting sitting Eddie Rosario (750 OPS, 23yo), Aaron Hicks (767 OPS, 25yo) or Miguel Sano(873 OPS, 22yo)?That leaves one spot, right field, which belongs to Torii Hunter, who is a top of the order hitter with the second most home runs on the team. Hunter needs his rest, but that’s two days per week. Nobody can think it makes sense to call up Buxton to play two days per week. I guess the argument is that the Twins could maybe sit Rosario and Hicks and Sano one day per week and Hunter two and shuffle people around a bit, but to what end? Playing every day seemingly isn’t hurting these young guys. We want to disrupt things so we can jam Buxton, coming off a thumb injury, into the majors without more than a dozen at-bats in AAA? That seems a little extreme. Not to mention, the Twins might have done him a favor here. He could have stayed at AAA rehabbing for 2-3 more weeks and they wouldn’t have had to burn the option year on him. They could have waited until the end of the month to make that decision when they knew whether or not they were really in this wild card race, kept him on the roster and saved that option year (although it would have cost them some service time). If anything, that's where I think the controversy would be. Hey, we all want our new toy. I get that. But we also sometimes need to wait for Christmas. For what its worth, my view is not a reflection on Buxton. He looks like he could be every bit as elite as we thought he was going to be. Rather, things have changed since his original callup. And while I’m still awfully hesitant to buy into Rosario’s 70:10 K:BB ratio, he deserves that chance to fail at this point and so does Aaron Hicks. That, by the way, is good news, not bad news. If we want to do some hand-wringing about not jamming Buxton onto the 25-man roster, let’s wait until the offseason. That’s when the real controversy should start. Click here to view the article

And an awful lot of hand-wringing lately. That should be par for the course, right? We come here because we are fans, right?.

Well, my point is that the June 1 date turns out to be misleading as it immediately precedes a stretch in which they went 2-9. If you go two weeks out or one week out from it either way, it's a different story. If you go one month from it either way, it's a different story too. Note that I'm not saying that Aaron used it to be misleading - the 1st is a normal number to use - it just ends up being that way. But if you choose other random numbers by which to do a month-long comparison, things look differently. For instance, if you choose the 15th (another normal number to use), the months look like this since may 15th: 15-12, 15-12, and 6-16. Or say we use the 9th, since that was yesterday and we count back a month at time. Then the months look like this: 16-11, 13-15, 9-16. I'm sure, alternately, that we could find a date that even looks worse than the first. Probably the 3rd, since that's when that June swoon started. I guess I'd say that right now, this is a .500 team, and as such, they've had some ups and downs, specifically one big up (May), one medium up (1st half of July), one big down (post All-Star break) and one medium down (beginning of June). As Aaron points out, the last 2.5 months, there have been more downs than ups. But the implication is that we might want to write off May as the only complete aberration, and I think that is a mistake. Either they're all aberrations or they're all not. Teams get hot/cold. Things go right/wrong. (It's just hard to be objective when things are going very, very wrong.)

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' collapse, rotation ugliness, Jose Berrios' timetable, Byron Buxton's rehab, Aaron Hicks' extreme splits, Tyler Duffey's rough debut, Chris Herrmann vs. Eric Fryer, Carlos Correa being a superstar already, the Tigers firing Dave Dombrowski, and reviewing Lollapalooza as a 70-year-old. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

She would likely say that's exactly what I deserve. :-)

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' ugly series loss to the Yankees, trade deadline targets big and small, Trevor May moving into a setup role, Byron Buxton being out longer than expected, Johnny Cueto coming to the AL Central, why Danny Santana is getting so much leeway, Yankees-loving girlfriends, Ervin Santana missing the playoffs, and being naked and cold. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

How the F can Duffey have only given up ONE home run in 123 innings this year?!? That's just nuts. Nineteen starts and one home run? On the one hand, I think that's the very definition of unsustainable, especially because he gave up 17 last year. And it almost certainly a driving force for that 2ish ERA. On the other hand, I just need to see this. Does he throw a medicine ball up there?

Aaron and John get together for a midweek, podcast-only episode to talk about the Twins lusting after Troy Tulowitzki, the ups and downs of midseason trades since 2000, making your face look good with Harry's razors, which prospects have the potential to make everyone sad, misremembering Doug Mientkiewicz, having beer on the rooftop patio at LynLake Brewery, and mailbag questions from listeners. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' rough start to the second half, Miguel Sano's ankle injury, Glen Perkins' imperfection, potential trade deadline targets, the appeal of fixing from within, where to bat Brian Dozier in the lineup, what to do with a struggling Kurt Suzuki, television ratings, and being confident in not collapsing. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

Another St. Paul Saints home stand, another couple of series victories for the home team. It's almost becoming repetitive to talk about how good this team is - almost. At 36-10, following five victories out of seven games to start July at CHS Field, the boys are starting to boarder on ridiculousness - if they haven't passed that threshold already.The first three games of the home stand were played against the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks starting Friday, July 3rd. The Saints won two of three using great starting pitching performances to take the first and last games of the series, extending their winning streak to thirteen straight series to start the year. In the first game, Kramer Sneed went 7.2 innings allowing only two runs while striking out six in route to a 4-2 victory. Two days later Pedro Hernandez sung , leading the Saints to a 3-2 victory by tossing 8.2 innings allowing two runs and mowing down nine Redhawks. Ben Szeremeta writes about the Saints regularly at SaintsTrain.com The second half of the homestand saw the Ottawa Champions visit St. Paul for the first time to play a four game set. Once again the Saints won the series taking three of the four games. Fourteen series victories in row! This time it was the Saints offense that carried the team to victory. In the first game Alonzo Harris put on a show going 4-6 with two runs scored, four RBI, and a home run. In the final two wins Angelo Songco put the team on his back going a combined 6-7 with four runs, two doubles, two RBI, and a go ahead two run blast in Wednesday's 5-3 win. The bomb to right was Songco's 100th career professional home run. Congrats Angelo! My MVP for the series is the entire Saints team. I know this sounds like a cop out to pick the whole team. But really, with the way they played there is no way to pick one MVP and feel good about everyone you left out. During the home stand there was outstanding starting pitching, shutdown bullpen work, and big time clutch hitting from a number of different players. Even though I now need to invest in a bigger home stand MVP trophy to fit all the names on it. It's a team game and the team won. I feel good about it. On the entertainment side of the ball the week long home stand had plenty of fun to satisfy everyone. Back-to-back firework shows started the weekend. The first night being the Saints regular Friday night show, and the second being the City of St. Paul's 4th of July super show. Prior to the big show starting Saturday night, which was late due to an extra inning game, there was a very large crowd gathering outside the ballpark to get a seat for the festivities. It was amazing to see so many people on the streets awaiting the start. Once they did get going they did not disappoint any of the almost 10,000 people in the park or the estimated 3,000 more outside. Back to the Future's 30th Anniversary night brought us some of the best in between inning entertainment ever. The Saints staged a three-part Kinky Spin the Bottle contest that followed the story of the movie. It was a hilarious way to pay homage to a classic. From Biff picking on George, to Marty seeing siblings disappear from his picture, and finally George decking Biff and kissing his wife to restore the picture. It was great. For us, the fun at the ballpark was everywhere this time around. Literally, everywhere. We started off in the Saints picnic area Friday at the Twins Daily BFF party, and then watched fireworks from the "Crowley Perch", an open area next to the suites where Saints organist Andrew Crowley plays. We also tok pictures from the photographer corner in the visitors’ dugout during a game and then we even sat in our seats for three-quarters of a game. Once again it was a great time at the ballpark watching our favorite team continue to win, and our favorite entertainers continue to make us laugh and smile. The Saints immediately left CHS field to start their next road trip the following night in Winnipeg. The Goldeyes proved to be a worthy foe in the four game series, halting the Saints fourteen series winning streak by splitting the games two apiece. Even with the split the Saints still have not lost a series all season. Again, they have not lost a series through the entire first half of the season. As of Tuesday, July 14th the Saints have a 16 game lead over Sioux Falls in the North Division. They also own the best record in the league at 38-12(!) Next up on the team's travels is a stop in Sioux Falls. The Saints and Canaries are set to play four games starting Wednesday the 15th. Let's start another series winning streak and get the division lead up to 20 guys! The boys of summer return to Lowertown this weekend, July 19th, to start a long Sunday to Sunday eight game home stand. The Winnipeg Goldeyes and Lincoln Saltdogs both visit CHS Field for four games each. Mid-July is one of our favorite times of the year. This is because our friends that live in Mexico come to town for a couple weeks. And of course, we always go to a Saints game. Last year their two boys were even able to run in an in between inning race. I can't wait to see what fun we all get into this year. Go Saints!!! TRAIN! Click here to view the article

Aaron and John review the Detroit Tigers series and breakdown the Twins remarkable first half of the season. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

This looks like the most compelling home series the Twins have played in five years. Is it the worst possible time to play the Tigers, or the best? On the one hand, the Tigers offense is clicking, they’ve won four of their last five series, and they’re 7-2 already this season versus Twins, the team they need to catch if they want to return to the postseason. On the other hand, the Tigers are barely above .500, they just lost their star player, their pitching has been abysmal, and a losing series (or, god forbid, a sweep) could make them re-evaluate their status at the trade deadline.The Tigers' road to their fifth straight divisional Central Division championship has been bumpy. After averaging 92 wins per year for the last four years, the Tigers have been struggling to clear .500. Their offense has been their savior; ranking third in the American League in runs scored. However, a lot of that was fueled by Miguel Cabrera and his 1.034 OPS, and he’s not going to be around for this series – or for this month. Cabrera has a Grade 3 calf strain and is expected to be sidelined for six weeks, meaning the Tigers won’t have him back until mid-August, two weeks after the trade deadline. However, his absence hasn’t significantly slowed down the potent Tigers lineup. In the five games he’s been out, they’ve still averaged more than seven runs per game. Manager Brad Ausmus can still write high-powered names in the lineup, like J.D. Martinez (24 HR), Yoenis Cespedes (800+ OPS) and Viktor Martinez, who has a 1.111 OPS since Cabrera was put on the disabled list. The Tigers enter today’s game 2.5 games behind the Twins, meaning a series win would put them right back in the mix for the Wild Card race. On the other hand, a series loss would put them back down to .500 and 4.5 games back. If they fall much further, the Tigers are going to need to make a tough decision. That’s because a few of their best players - starting pitcher David Price, closer Joakim Soria, and Cespedes - will become free agents at the end of the year. As General Manager Dave Dombrowski found out this summer with Max Scherzer, losing players like that for nothing can really hurt the future of a team. He’ll need to at least entertain the idea of swapping those players for players that can help them in 2016, when perhaps pitcher Justin Verlander (6.75 ERA) returns to form and Cabrera is again healthy. For those reasons, it’s hard to know for which team this is a bigger series. But make no mistake – it’s big. Let’s look at the pitching matchups. Thursday – 7:10 – David Price (8-2, 2.54) vs Mike Pelfrey (5-5, 3.94) Mike Pelfrey might be looking forward to a restful All-Star break more than most; he’s had three bad starts of his last five. Price, meanwhile, has a 1.90 ERA since June 1. The Tigers have a great opportunity to reassert their season-long dominance in the first game of this series. Friday – 7:10 – Justin Verlander (0-2, 6.75) vs Ervin Santana (0-0, 2.25) Both teams’ destinies are tied closely to these two starters who have been out most of the season. Verlander missed time with a triceps strain and had been inconsistent in his four starts since. Santana faced an 80-game suspension for PED use but was dominant in his first start last Sunday. Saturday – 3:05 – TBA, but probably Alfredo Simon (8-5, 4.18) vs. Phil Hughes (7-6, 4.19) Those stats couldn’t be much closer for these two, but the expectations couldn’t be much further apart. Hughes is supposed to be the Twins workhorse, and has been with 111.2 IP, but a slow start and WAY too many home runs have hurt his overall numbers. Simon has been hanging on to the Tigers’ back of the rotation for well over a year. Sunday – 1:10 – TBA, but probably Shane Greene (4-6, 5.82 ERA) vs. Kyle Gibson (7-6, 3.04) Greene is in the minors, but looks to be the likely callup. He was in Detroit’s rotation until he was demoted to Toledo in the beginning of June. Gibson has looked increasingly dominant each month of the season; his K/9 rate by month: April – 2.4, May – 5.4, June – 8.2, July – 9.0. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins calling up Miguel Sano for his MLB debut, Ervin Santana joining the rotation after an 80-game suspension, demoting Trevor May to the bullpen instead of Mike Pelfrey or Tommy Milone, reviewing the St. Paul Saints' new ballpark, Alex Meyer's quick return to Triple-A, Jose Berrios and Jorge Polanco moving one step closer, and why singing on a podcast is generally a bad idea. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article