Twins lose 5-3

Despite pitching a good game, Kevin Slowey didn't get enough offense to keep him winless and as a result fell to 0-3 on the season. The 24-year-old right-hander went 5 2/3 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits. He walked two and struck out five before he left the game after giving up a home run to Matt Stairs. The home run came directly after Scott Rolen battled Slowey in a 15 pitch dual which resulted in the third baseman grounding out to Adam Everett at shortstop. The start was Slowey's 3rd of the season and it was also the third time that he failed to reach 6 innings while giving up 3 runs. He now has a 5.79 ERA and this start should encourage the team as he was really pitching well before giving up the home run to Stairs.

Slowey has always been a control pitcher with stuff reaching in the low-90's, and last night he improved his control despite issuing two walks, including his first of the season. Slowey threw 107 pitches and 72 of them crossed the plate as a strike. He has struggled a little with his control when he's pitched against Major League hitters, but last night it was definitely encouraging to see his control be top notch. Slowey should hopefully be able to build off of this start for his next start which is scheduled to come Sunday against the struggling N.L. Division Champion Colorado Rockies.

Carlos Gomez kick started the Twins offense with a home run in the bottom of the third inning to put the Twins up 1-0. It was Gomez's 3rd home run as a Twin and his 14th RBI. The speedster finished 2-4 with two strikeouts. Justin Morneau was litteraly about 3 feet from tying the game up in the 6th inning which would have given Slowey a no-decision, but instead Morneau had to settle for an RBI triple. That was Morneau's only hit of the game. Jason Kubel added a home run in the 8th inning when he came in to pinch hit for Adam Everett. It was Kubel's 5th home run and 19th RBI. It also almost surely means that his name will be in the starting lineup tonight for the first time in the last 3 games. The reason for this is because Craig Monroe went 0-4 with 3 K's last night while starting over Kubel at DH.

Game Ball

Carlos Gomez - Center Field
Line: 2-4, Home run, 1 RBI

Tonight, Roy Halladay will start for the Blue Jays against Boof Bonser for the Twins. Halladay has had a great career against the Twins, going 6-0 with a 2.66 ERA in 10 career games (8 starts). Whereas Bonser has struggled against the Blue Jays going 0-2 with a 6.17 ERA in 2 career starts. Hopefully Bonser can get back on the right page after two shaky starts in a row.

Worth Noting

• Jesse of TwinkieTown.com has a great interview with Assistant General Manager Rob Antony.
• Former Twins prospect Luis Maza has been promoted from Triple-A by the Dodgers after the team placed shortstop Rafael Furcal on the disabled list.
• Joe Christensen had this quote by Delmon Young regarding his early season struggles:

“It’s usually about 150 at-bats, about May 15, and that’s when I get going. I always have a timing issue with my rocking leg kick, and that’s why it takes a while to get going. And just getting used to the Dome, with the depth perception.”

Just yesterday, I was expressing my concern about Young's slow start, so hopefully his reasoning is legitimate and he does start turning it around.

Down on the Farm!

Hitter of the Day
Brian Buscher - Third Base - Rochester Red Wings
Note: Buscher along with Darnell McDonald and Denard Span have been the only bright spots for the Red Wings' offense this season. Last night, Buscher went off and had a 4-hit night and finished with 3 RBI, one of which came off of his 5th home run of the season. He is now hitting .324/.369/.500 with 5 home runs and 16 RBI including 5 in his last three games.

Pitcher of the Day
David Bromberg - Starting Pitcher - Beloit Snappers
Note: Bromberg has "won this honor" for his third start in a row. Last night, it was not nearly as good as his previous two, but still a solid start. The 20-year-old had a quality start giving up just 3 runs on 7 hits while going 6 innings. He struck out 9 while walking just two to bring his season K/BB ratio to 52/22 in just 42 innings. If Bromberg can continue to pitch well and if the rest of the team can start playing better (I guess a pretty general statement), the Snappers should be able to make up some ground in the Midwest League as they already sit 8.5 games back from first place.

Touch 'Em All!

• Rochester Red Wings: Denard Span (2), Brian Buscher (5)
• New Britain Rock Cats: None
• Ft. Myers Miracle: Danny Valencia (4), Rene Tosoni (1), Ed Ovalle (3)
• Beloit Snappers: None

Box Scores

• Red Wings lost to the Clippers, 7-5.
• Rock Cats lost to the Mets, 4-2.
• Miracle beat the Reds, 10-6.
• Snappers beat the LumberKings, 7-5.