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.

Since I've been gone...

First and foremost, I wanted to let everyone know that I'm finally done with my finals so hopefully things will be back to normal for the foreseeable future. I will be transferring schools in the fall, so things might get a little busy later this summer.

Now, on to the Twins (what's happened since last time I've posted):

The Twins were 3-2 in my absence. All three victories came against the defending champion Red Sox. The Twins scored 26 runs in the series, which averages out to be 6 1/2 runs per game. Not bad against a great team like the Red Sox. Of course, the Twins pitchers did allow 21 runs in the series as well (5.25 runs per game). It was a great series, and the Twins really played with a lot of heart and they came through when it was needed.

Game Balls!

Thursday
Joe Mauer - Catcher
Line: 2-3, double, walk, RBI

Friday
Mike Lamb - Third Base
Line: 1-2, 2 RBI (walk off 2-run single)

Saturday
Glen Perkins - Starting Pitcher
Line: 6 innings pitched, 9 hits, 3 runs, 0 BB, 3 K's, 3 HR's

Sunday
Craig Monroe - Designated Hitter
Line: 2-4, 2 runs, 2 HR's, 4 RBI

Monday
Delmon Young - Left Field
Line: 2-4, 2 RBI

Ramblings

• Former Twins third baseman, Terry Tiffee is currently hitting .439 with 21 doubles, 3 home runs and 33 RBI in 37 games.

• Delmon Young currently has just 4 extra base hits this season, and I believe the reason for that is the Twins trying to teach him how to hit the pitch the other way instead of pulling the ball which he'd probably be able to put into the stands. The Twins have always taught players to slap the ball to keep their method of "small ball" alive, but hopefully Young can move his legs a little bit which can open up his stance a little and can start driving the ball to left field. As much as I love seeing hitters take the ball to right field, if it's not working out, then do something different. I hope that he can get going soon and that the Rays minor league affiliates did not get the best of Delmon Young.

• Seth Stohs has a Q&A with pitching prospect Tyler Robertson.

• Aaron Gleeman gives us his thoughts on the Twins losing Pat Neshek.

• For a more indepth look at this weekends series against the Red Sox, head over to Sense from Center.

Injury Report

• Pat Neshek looks like he'll miss the rest of the season after he was diagnosed with an acute partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He wont throw for at least 3 months but as of right now it's not known if surgery will be needed. If surgery is needed, he'll likely miss the majority of the 2009 season as it'd likely be Tommy John Surgery that he'd need to fix his problem. It's unfortunate for Neshek who's such a valuable arm in the bullpen for the Twins. Hopefully his rehab goes good and can come into spring training 100% healthy.

• Scott Baker will be on the DL longer than expected as a sign of precaution from the Twins. The team wants to make sure that his strained right groin is 100% healthy before they decide to go any further with him.

• Nick Punto has been placed on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. He injured his hamstring in last weeks shalacking against the White Sox. Punto went 2-5 with 5 RBI in the Twins 13-1 victory. Alexi Casilla has been recalled from Rochester and will serve as a backup middle infielder while Punto is out.

• Delmon Young left yesterdays game right before the 9th inning after he rolled his left foot while running the basepaths in the 8th inning. He expects to be ready for tomorrow, but the Twins may decide to hold him out to be careful.

Down on the Farm!

If you'd like updates for each game that I did not cover, go to Seth Speaks to see his Minor League Updates. But here are a few more things worth noting:

• Luke Hughes has been sidelined since last Wednesday with a strained hamstring. In his previous 10 games before his injury, he was hitting .455 (20-44) with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs and 6 RBI. On the season, he's hitting .388/.448/.682 with 9 home runs and 20 RBI.

• Zach Day has decided to retire instead of continuing further rehab on his shoulder.

• Francisco Liriano's last start was his best of the season going 6 innings and giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits while walking just 2. He also fanned 5 and now has a 15/14 K/BB ratio. He still has a long ways to go, but at least it's a step in the right direction.
  

Hitter of the Day (5/12)
Denard Span - Center Field - Rochester Red Wings
Note: Prior to yesterday's game, Span had a total of 3 extra-base hits all season (all of them being doubles) for the Red Wings. Span went 3-5 yesterday with his fourth double of the season and his first home run of the season as well. He drove in two and came across to score twice. Span may not be the offensive player that Twins fans are looking for, which is a power hitter, but he gets on base and plays hard everyday and I find it hard to believe that he'll be in Rochester all season. Even with Craig Monroe playing well right now, I think we'll see Span up sometime in the not too distant future (hopefully it doesn't come at the expense of an injury though).

Pitcher of the Day (5/12)
Danny Graves - Starting Pitcher - Rochester Red Wings
Note: In his first start this season, Danny Graves went 4 scoreless innings and gave up just 2 hits while striking out two to get the no decision. Graves is a two time National League All-Star who has 182 career saves at the Major League level.

Touch 'Em All!

Rochester Red Wings: Denard Span (1), Chris Basak (3)
New Britain Rock Cats: None
Ft. Myers Miracle: None
Beloit Snappers: Ramon Santana (3)

Minor League Box Scores

Red Wings beat the Bisons, 5-1.
Rock Cats lost to the Fisher Cats, 11-4.
Miracle lost to the Reds, 7-2.
Snappers lost to the LumberKings, 6-5.

Twins Explode

One day after being shut out by the White Sox, nearly being no-hit, the Twins come back and get 16 hits to beat the White Sox 13-1.

Carlos Gomez's name went into the history books for the Twins. He is the first player in about 21 years to hit for the cycle. Kirby Puckett was the last Twins player to do it, and the 7th in Twins history and he did it against Oakland on August 1st, 1986 (I wasn't even born yet). After a nearly 2 hour rain delay, Gomez lead off the game with a home run on the 3rd pitch he saw. He then later hit a triple, double and finally a single in the 9th inning to complete the cycle in reverse. He also drove in 3 RBI's to bring his season total up to 11. In just 5 at bats, his average jumped from .261-.282 and his OPS jumped from .647 to .733. In his last 8 games, he is 13-30 with 2 home runs, 6 RBI's and 4 stolen bases. Hopefully he can continue to hit well, but I know that he'll be up and down all season. Nonetheless he's been very exciting to watch.

Besides Gomez having a good night at the plate, Nick Punto and Mike Redmond also had great nights. Redmond started in place of Joe Mauer who got the game off before tomorrow's day game and went 2-4 with 3 RBI's. Nick Punto went off and had a 5 RBI night with a 3-run double and a 2-run triple. Before the game, Punto had 2 RBI's and Redmond had zero.

Craig Monroe, Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer were 3-5 in the batting order and all went 2-5 and they combined for 4 runs scored. Both of Morneau's hits went to left field, which is a good thing to see from a left-handed batter. Delmon Young and Matt Tolbert both went 2-4 with 2 runs scored and Young drove in his 10th RBI as a Twin. Brendan Harris was the only player not to get a hit, but he did walk twice.

Pitching wise, Livan Hernandez was fantastic from the beginning to the end (with a hiccup in the 9th). It was his first time facing the White Sox and the big right-hander went 8 1/3 innings before giving up a home run to Jermaine Dye which was the only run of the game. He finished the inning for his first complete game since May 27th of last season. He is now sporting a very good 5-1 record with a 3.83 ERA. Since I criticized him here last Monday, he is now 2-0 and has allowed just 2 runs in the two starts (16 total innings). I'm glad he's (so far) proving me wrong, but I will eat my crow at the end of the season.

Today, the Twins play a 1:05 PM game. Kevin Slowey returns from the DL to face Javier Vazquez.

Game Ball
Carlos Gomez - Center Fielder
Line: 4-6, double, triple, home run, 3 RBI

Down on the Farm!

Hitter of the Day
Brock Peterson - Rock Cats - First Base
Note: Since none of the other minor league teams played yesterday, this was a pretty easy decision (and had they played, it probably still would've been Peterson nonetheless). Peterson got 4 hits and drove in 3 runs. He also doubled for the 11th time this season and now has driven in 31 batters in just 30 games. He is also hitting .385/.469/.615 with men in scoring position.

Pitcher of the Day
Armando Gabino - Rock Cats - Relief Pitcher
Note: Gabino came into the game in the 9th inning and gave the Rock Cats two innings of scoreless relief and picked up his 3rd win of the season. He is now 3-1 with a .095 ERA. He also has a 13/2 K/BB ratio.

Touch 'Em All!

• Rochester Red Wings: None
• New Britain Rock Cats: Steven Tolleson (3)
• Ft. Myers Miracle: None
• Beloit Snappers: None
  

Minor League Box Scores

• Red Wings-Clippers game was postponed.
• Rock Cats beat the Baysox, 7-6 in 10 innings.
• Miracle had an Off-Day.
• Snappers had an Off-Day.
  

And now back to your regularly scheduled programing

The Twins swept the Detroit Tigers over the weekend at the Metrodome. The series started off with the Twins beating the Tigers by a combined score of 15-2 in the first two games. Then in game three, the Twins overcame a 6-0 deficit after the first inning to beat the Tigers 7-6.

Friday's Game Ball
Livan Hernandez - Starting Pitcher
Line: 7 innings pitched, 8 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 4 K's, win
Saturday's Game Ball
Craig Monroe - Center Fielder
Line: 2-3, 2-run home run

Sunday's Game Ball
Joe Mauer - Catcher
Line: 2-4, double, 2 RBI

Injury Report: Scott Baker left his start against the Tigers early on Saturday after he re-aggravated his strained right groin and now will head to the DL. His scheduled start on Thursday will be pitched by Kevin Slowey (after being activated from the DL). The Twins plan on bringing up Glen Perkins on Saturday for a spot start against the Boston Red Sox. Carlos Gomez left Friday's game early after he was hit in the head by a throw from Ivan Rodriguez while stealing 2nd base. On top of that, he also hit his head into Placido Polanco's knee which occured on the same play. He sat out Saturday, but was back in the lineup Sunday.

Twins-Sox Game 1

Last night, the Twins offense could not carry any steam that they had at the Metrodome. After 34 combined hits in the previous 3 games, the Twins only collected one hit in the game which came off of a Joe Mauer Double in the 9th inning. Gavin Floyd pitched an absolute gem and it really looked as if he was going to go all the way, but Mauer took a pitch the other way and it just kept carrying into the gap in left center field, just out of the reach of the diving Nick Swisher.

Despite allowing just one hit, Floyd did give up a run in the game. After a walk and an error, Jason Kubel hit a sac fly in the fourth inning to drive in Mauer from third. Unfortunately, the Twins pitchers were not nearly as good. Nick Blackburn gave up 4 runs (3 earned) in 6 innings of work. He gave up 6 hits and 3 walks while only striking out 1. I will say that I thought that Dana Demuth's strike zone was a tad small, but although there would be times more inconsistent for one team than another, I think it all evened out in the end. Jesse Crain and Bobby Korecky both were shaky in their outings as well. Crain gave up 3 hits and a walk while 2 runs crossed the plate (1 was earned) in his only inning he pitched. Korecky also gave up a run in his lone inning of work.

Tonight, Livan Hernandez and Mark Buehrle will face each other in game two.

Game Ball
Joe Mauer - Catcher
Line: 1-2, double, 2 walks, (broke up the no-no in the 9th)

Down on the Farm

Hitter of the Day
Matt Moses - Rock Cats - Left Field
Note: Although he's just 23-years-old, many have lost hope in Moses after he has failed to produce in anything above High-A ball since he was drafted with the 21st pick in the first round of the 2003 draft. This season, Moses has been moved to the outfield and it seems to be making him more comfortable at the plate. Yesterday, he went 2-3 with an RBI single, an RBI double and a walk. He's now hitting .288 with a respectable .762 OPS. He's been a double machine, as 11 of his 32 hits have gone for two baggies. But still, you'd like to see his .414 SLG% go up. I doubt anyone jumps on the "Matt Moses Bandwagon" anytime soon, as he still has work to do before people start backing him again. However I think that he still has the ability to drive the ball to the point that it might not take a ton more before people start remembering the potential he had after he hit .306/.376/.453 with 7 home runs as a 20-year-old in just 265 AB's in High-A. We'll see, he's definitely off to a good start.

Pitcher of the Day
David Bromberg - Snappers - Starting Pitcher
Note: For two starts in a row, Bromberg has made the "Pitcher of the Day." And ironically both of the outings had nearly the exact same lines. After giving up just 1 run on 2 hits through 6 innings last Thursday, he gave up just 1 run on 3 hits through 6 innings yesterday. And like last Thursday's start, he also walked 3 batters while striking out 9. His command seems to be getting a little better, but it's still alarming that he's walked 20 in just 36 innings of work. A positive though is his 43 K's thus far.

Touch 'Em All!

• Rochester Red Wings: None
• New Britain Rock Cats: None
• Ft. Myers Miracle: None
• Beloit Snappers: Mark Dolenc (1)
  

Minor League Box Scores

• Red Wings lost to the Clippers, 3-1.
• Rock Cats beat the Baysox, 5-3.
• Miracle beat the cubs, 4-2.
• Snappers beat the Lugnuts, 6-2.
  

Sorry

Sorry everyone, I got back yesterday and I am definitely behind on studying/homework. I'll try to get something up later but don't count on it. I will probably get something out there for Wednesday though as the bulk of my work should be done by then. Hope everyone had a great weekend and how bout them Twins, huh?

Maybe my non-posting was the reason for their winning? And if that were the case, as much as I love the blog and enjoy everyone's comments, I'd probably have to "take one for the team" and step aside as the team marched into October. Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself? Haha maybe we'll see...

Have a great day!

Weekend Preview

Adam Everett has been activated from the disabled list. To make room on the roster, the Twins sent Brian Buscher back to Triple-A Rochester. Everett has been out with a strained right shoulder since April 14th (he wasn't placed on the D.L. until the 19th). Prior to him hitting the DL, he was hitting .185 with just 1 extra-base hit in 28 at bats. He also committed 3 errors which was correlated with his bum shoulder, making horrible throws to first base.

Buscher, did not get to play very much. Just appearing in 3 games and going 2-8 at the plate. It would have been nice to see him in the lineup more often, especially with Mike Lamb struggling and they did take him from the struggling Red Wings, but it doesn't surprise me that he didn't play very often. The Twins seem to do that more often than not with their prospects that they promote, they get them up here, play them in a couple games and if they don't go 4-4 every game, they see their playing time diminish. They did that last year with Alexi Casilla and Garrett Jones.

Twins-Tigers Preview

The Twins open a 3-game series against the Tigers at the dome tonight. After starting the season 2-10, the Tigers are now 12-5 after they were awaken by the Twins in a two-game series in which they came back in the 8th inning to win in both. The Twins' bullpen has pitched very well since then, so hopefully they can keep the Tigers to limited damage throughout the next 3 games. Unfortunately, I think that Detroit's lineup is so powerful that if the bullpen can hold them to zero runs in the series, that it will be considered a miracle.

Friday: RHP Armando Galarraga (2-0, 1.50) vs. RHP Scott Baker (2-0, 4.50)
Saturday: RHP Justin Verlander (1-4, 6.50) vs. Livan Hernandez (3-1, 5.05)
Sunday: LHP Kenny Rogers (2-3, 6.75) vs. Boof Bonser (2-4, 3.75)

Down on the Farm

Hitter of the Day
Luke Hughes - Rock Cats - Designated Hitter
Note: I think that I've talked enough about Hughes in the last few weeks to know that he's completely raking in New Britain thus far. Last night, he went 4-5 and was just a double away from hitting for the cycle. He went deep for the 9th time this season in just 104 at bats, he had 9 in 315 at bats last season. Hughes came around to score a total of 4 times in the game and stole his 4th base of the season. He now has driven in 19 runs, while mostly hitting from the leadoff spot and now has a .375 average. Too bad the Red Wings have a plethora of older infielders with not a lot of upside because it probably has delayed Hughes' arrival in Rochester where they'd welcome his bat to help their dismal offense.

Pitcher of the Day
David Bromberg - Snappers - Starting Pitcher
Note: Bromberg has definitely had an up and down season in the Midwest League thus far after he dominated the Appalachian League last season for the Elizabethton Snappers. But yesterday he had his best game of the season, holding the Great Lakes Loons to just 1 run on 2 hits over 6 innings. He did walk 3, but he also struck out 9 to bring his season total to 34 K's in 30 innings. He still has control problems, but hopefully this is the kind of start that can get him going and hopefully become the pitcher for the Snappers like the one that played an integral role in Elizabethton's quest to win the Appy League.

Touch 'Em All!

• Rochester Red Wings: None
• New Britain Rock Cats: Hughes (9)
• Ft. Myers Miracle: None
• Beloit Snappers: None
  

Minor League Box Scores

• Red Wings lost to the Mud Hens, 5-1.
• Rock Cats beat the Mets, 7-4.
• Miracle beat the Threshers, 11-6.
• Snappers beat the Loons, 5-2 in 10 innings.
  

Blackburn & Gomez Shine

First and foremost, I want to just apologize for my inconsistent updates over the last week or so. To my disliking, it will likely continue over the span of the next few weeks as finals are approaching quickly and I just don't seem to be able to make room for posting and studying at the same time. I'm also going to be out of town for the weekend, so tomorrow's post will be the last until late Sunday/early Monday. And now, onto the Twins.

The Twins swept the White Sox in a two-game series, outscoring the division leaders 7-4 in the 18 innings played. On Tuesday, Boof Bonser was spot on the entire night. Jason Kubel provided a two-run home run to start a 3-run 4th inning. Nick Nelson has more analysis on Bonser's performance.

Game Ball
Boof Bonser - Starting Pitcher
Line: 7 innings pitched, 6 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 8 K's (win)

Then yesterday, Nick Blackburn gave the Twins another strong performance. The 26-year-old rookie went 7 strong innings giving up just 3 runs on 8 hits while walking 2 and striking out 4. He could have pitched the 8th inning, as he threw only 88 pitches, but the Twins turned it over the the bullpen and it worked out well. This start for Blackburn comes 5 days after his last start against the Texas Rangers when he gave up 5 runs on 11 hits in just 6 innings of work. This start was one of his best on the season, and he now sits at 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA.

Blackburn owes all of his success to his great control. Although he's given up a team high 47 hits in his (also team leading) 38 1/3 innings, he has only walked 6 hitters. For comparison, Matt Guerrier and Brian Bass have also walked 6 hitters apiece, but neither have pitched over 17 1/3 innings. His control has been great, and despite his opposition hitting .309 against him, he gave up his first home run of the season yesterday. Again, for comparison, Juan Rincon and Jesse Crain have both given up 2 and neither have cracked 10 innings pitched. I know that comparing him to mediocre (at least so far) relievers isn't the best way to get the point across, I'm just trying to stress that he's been great this season besides being very hittable.

The offense came alive enough yesterday to score 4 runs. Carlos Gomez lead the way with a great game all around. He went 3-4 at the plate with an RBI double and scored twice. He also stole his 11th base of the season and threw out Jim Thome at third base in the first inning. Justin Morneau also had an RBI double while going 2-4 at the plate. Michael Cuddyer got the Twins on the board in the first inning with an RBI single. Brendan Harris was credited with the other RBI.

Those guys were great, but Jason Kubel, Delmon Young and Mike Lamb all had games they wished they could forget. The 3 combined for 7 strikeouts and 7 men left on base (albeit 7 of the men LOB were from Kubel.) Hopefully they can all get hot for this weekends series against the Detroit Tigers.

Game Ball
Carlos Gomez - Center Field
Line: 3-4, 2 runs scored, RBI double, stolen base, outfield assist

Down on the Farm

For details on Tuesday's (and Monday's for that matter) Minor League recaps, Check out Seth Stohs' "Minor League Update."

Hitter of the Day
Steven Tolleson - Rock Cats - 2nd Base
Note: Really, it came down to Tolleson and Luke Hughes. Hughes drove in one more run than Tolleson, but Tolleson collected 2 more hits than Hughes. Tolleson had a great day at the plate. The 24-year-old second baseman went 4-5 with 2 runs scored with an RBI double and an RBI walk. Tolleson drew a bases loaded walk in the 5th inning and his RBI double came in the 9th inning, directly after Hughes' 3-run triple. Tolleson also stole his 2nd base of the season.

Pitcher of the Day
Santos Arias - Snappers - Starting Pitcher
Note: In just his first game since joining the Snappers earlier this week, Arias had a great game for the Snappers. The 21-year-old right-hander out of the Dominican Republic threw 6 innings of two hit ball while he struck out 5. He didn't allow a run or a walk in his masterpiece.

Touch 'Em All!

• Rochester Red Wings: None
• New Britain Rock Cats: None
• Ft. Myers Miracle: None
• Beloit Snappers: Ramon Santana (2)
  

Minor League Box Scores

• Red Wings lost to the Red Sox, 4-3.
• Rock Cats beat the Mets, 11-2.
• Miracle beat the Threshers, 4-2.
• Snappers beat the Silver Hawks, 4-2.
  

Revere promoted to Beloit

Yesterday morning it was announced that the Minnesota Twins promoted top 2007 draft pick, Ben Revere to Single-A Beloit, after spending all of April in Extended Spring Training. Revere, a speedy outfielder, took the roster spot of injured third baseman Deibinson Romero who's likely to be out for 3-4 weeks after having surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus.

Revere debuted at # 7 in my "Top 55 Twins Prospects" rankings. Here's what I had to say about him:

Ben Revere was taken by the Twins in the first round of the 2007 draft. Many people were skeptical of the pick, as many thought there were definitely better players available and that the Twins shouldn't be adding more speedy outfielders with low power potential. However, Ben shut a lot of those critics up(at least for the time being) and now many think (at least, so far) that it may have been a great pick for the Twins. Of course, it's really too soon to tell. In 191 AB's, Ben hit .325/.388/.461 with zero home runs. That's right, a .461 slugging percentage without a home run. The reason for this is that Ben possesses amazing speed which allowed him to hit 16 extra-base hits, 10 of which were triples. He also stole 21 bases in 50 games and displayed solid plate discipline as well. He projects as a potentially great left-handed lead-off hitter with great defense. Right now, again it's probably too soon to compare him, but I'd say he's a potential Jacoby Ellsbury clone. Ben should be in Beloit this season, and will likely spend the entire season there, sink or swim.

He obviously did not start in Beloit, but my optimism regarding his potential remains. He likely will never hit more than a couple home runs per season, however his speed and aggression on the base paths will make him an exciting prospect to watch.

After starting the season in EST, Revere has now arrived in Beloit.

He debuted for the Snappers last night, and had a rough first game. He went went 0-3 with a walk and two strikeouts at the plate, while committing an error on defense while playing left field. It will be interesting to see who the Snappers play in center field each night as Joe Benson has played there for much of the last year.

Revere was not the only player promoted however, Bradley Tippett and Santos Arias also joined him in Beloit out of EST. Arias is a 21-year-old starting pitcher from the Dominican Republic. He had an impressive 2007 season for the GCL Twins in which he went 3-4 in 11 games (10 started) with a 2.96 ERA. He also fanned 46 batters in just over 54 innings.

Tippett, 20, is a 2006 non-drafted free agent out of Australia. I ranked him as the 52nd top Twins prospect for 2008, here's what I had to say:

Brad Tippett is a non-drafted free agent who signed on January 4th, 2006 out of Australia. He has been a reliever through both levels of rookie league, and has faired well in both. He allowed only 4 walks through 38 innings while striking out 51 in '07. He had a sub 1.00 ERA as well and allowed only 1 home run on 20 total hits. He will most likely be a reliever through his career, however he's been known to pitch 2 or 3 innings at a time while holding other teams to minimal damage. He's only 20 years old, so the Twins will not rush him at all through the minors. He'll likely be in Beloit this season, but could move up fairly quickly if he continues to dominate his opponents.

He obviously had a very impressive '07 season, but the Twins decided to keep him in EST to start the '08 season. A lanky right-hander, Tippett pitched as a reliever last season, although sometimes pitching 3-4-sometimes 5 innings in a game. He'll likely stay in the bullpen in Beloit, but he may be an option to start down the line.

To make room for Tippett and Arias, the Snappers placed Michael McCardell on the 7-day DL with bone chips in his elbow. They Snappers also announced that they have released right-handed reliever Dominique Rodgers. Rodgers, 23, was a 36th round draft pick last season out of Kent State. I haven't been able to find a reasoning for his release.

It's great to see these guys get promoted, but it's definitely unfortunate that they had to come at the expense of injuries and being released.

Hitter of the Day
Darnell McDonald - Red Wings - Right Field
Note: McDonald tried to carry the load for the Red Wings, offensively, but it wasn't enough. Despite going 2-5 with 3 runs scored, a double, and a grand slam, the Red Wings still fell 8-6 to the Pawtucket Red Sox. McDonald now has 10 RBI's in 14 games for the Red Wings.

Pitcher of the Day
Tyler Robertson - Miracle - Starting Pitcher
Note: Robertson had a good start for the Miracle last night, unfortunately the runs came late which resulted in Robertson picking up a no-decision, his fourth of the season. Robertson went 6 strong innings, giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits. He walked 3 but struck out 6. Robertson now sits at 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA and a 27/12 K/BB ratio in 25 1/3 innings pitched. In '07, he gave up just one home run about every 34 innings, and this year he still has not allowed an opposing batter to hit a ball over the fence.

Touch 'Em All!

• Red Wings: McDonald (2)
• Rock Cats: None (Off-Day)
• Miracle: None
• Snappers: None
  

Minor League Box Scores

• Red Wings lost to the Red Sox, 8-6.
• Rock Cats had the day off
• Miracle beat the Flying Tigers, 4-3.
• Snappers lost to the Silver Hawks, 7-1.
  

Livan Hernandez, this seasons version of Ramon Ortiz?

The Twins were clobbered yesterday, 10-0 against the futile Texas Rangers. Just one day after recording 12 runs on 16 hits on Saturday, the Twins failed to score anyone on 7 hits on Sunday.

Livan Hernandez started the game with a 3-0 record and a very respectable 3.55 ERA. And in just 2 2/3 innings, Hernandez now sits at 3-1 with a 5.05 ERA. The 33-year-old Cuban now has an 8.55 ERA over his last three starts while going 0-1, after he began the season with a 2.57 ERA in his first three starts, winning all of them.

This is starting to sound like déjà vu for many that remember the Twins signing of Ramon Ortiz last season. Ortiz was 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA after his first 5 starts. He then went onto lose 3 straight decisions and had a 10.97 ERA over the course of his next 5 starts.

For a while, Hernandez looked to be a great signing and looked to have regained his old form after his down 2007 in which he had a 4.93 ERA and a .500 record for the Arizona Diamondbacks. I know I'm probably going overboard with this, as it's really his first horrific outing, but you can't deny that Ortiz and Hernandez are comparable at this point.

I hope Hernandez gets back on track, and since his track record is much better than Ortiz's, I'm still a little optimistic that he will. I don't know anyone who's expecting him to put up Cy Young numbers, but giving up 6 runs to an inferior team like the Rangers is definitely alarming.

Saturday's Game Ball
Mike Lamb - Third Base
Line: 3-4, 1 Run, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Sunday's Game Ball
Brendan Harris
Line: 2-2, walk

Down on the Farm

I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to have to cut it short. For Minor League updates for both Saturday and Sunday including the players of the day, head over to Seth Speaks.

Organization Swept On Friday

Justin Morneau looked very MVP-like last night against the Texas Rangers, going 3-4 with a grand slam. He finished the game with 5 RBI, the most since last year against the White Sox when he drove in 6 in the 2nd game of a day-night double header. Morneau now has 6 home runs and 21 RBI's on the season. His season's average also took a big jump, hitting .254 before the game and ending at .280. Hopefully he can continue his hot hand and continue to rake tomorrow in game two.

Joe Mauer also had a solid game, going 2-3 with 2 walks. His double in the 5th inning hit off the top of the left field wall, missing by just 5-10 feet of being his first home run of the season. Michael Cuddyer went 1-5 with a single. His timing is a bit off, which was evident with his multiple infield pop-ups.

Carlos Gomez lead off the game with a bunt single, he stole second base and later came in to score on Morneau's RBI single. The next time up he reached on another bunt single, this time coming home to score on Morneau's grand slam. The third time up he bunted it to the pitcher, and Kevin Millwood made a great play to get him out at first. That wasn't the bad part though, after hitting the bag at first base, Gomez came up lame, holding his left calf. He has been diagnosed with a left-calf strain and is considered day-to-day. I'd be fairly surprised if he plays tomorrow, but hopefully it doesn't keep him out of the lineup for long, but the team needs to be careful with him as his legs (speed) is the biggest tool he has. Craig Monroe replaced him in center field, and immediately tried diving for a ball that fell just under his glove.

Four of Morneau's five RBI came off of his first grand slam of the season.

The Twins went with a different lineup than many (including myself) expected. Instead of inserting Cuddyer right back into the middle of the M&M Boys, Gardenhire kept Mauer and Morneau hitting 3rd and 4th while putting Cuddyer 5th, Jason Kubel 6th and dropping Delmon Young to 7th. Young hit well against the A's, going 5-12 with a double, but he's been dreadful at the plate with RISP. This (hopefully) won't last, but it's definitely getting frustrating watching him whale at absolutely everything while not being able to hit more than a long double.

Nick Blackburn started for the Twins, and it was not a pretty one. After the Twins gave him a 5-0 lead to begin the game, Blackburn allowed 5 Rangers to cross the plate in the third inning. It could have been more, but after Jason Botts doubles to right field, Cuddyer comes up throwing to home (it was cut off by Punto) and they got Hank Blalock out at home plate, then Mauer threw to third to get Botts trying to advance another base. Great play, and Cuddyer was credited with two outfield assists on the same play. The Rangers (Frank Catalanotto) were also called out at home in the 6th inning as well.

Blackburn settled down after the third, and didn't allow another runner to score. His sinker was being left up and the Rangers drilled him for 5 runs on 11 hits in 6 innings of work. The bullpen was solid until the 11th inning when Juan Rincon allows a double to Blalock and then walks Botts. Then with two-outs and a runner at second, he gave up a game winning single over Delmon Young's head in left center.

The win stopped a 7-game winning streak for the Rangers and it prolonged a losing streak for the Twins which is now at three games.

Tomorrow the Twins will send Scott Baker to the mound, only he doesn't know who he'll be pitching against. Bert Blylevin and Dick Bremer were speculating about Sidney Ponson possibly starting for the Rangers. If this proves to be true, hopefully the Twins can do to Ponson what he allowed teams to do to him last year as a member of the Twins.

Game Ball
Justin Morneau - First Base
Line: 3-4, grand slam, 5 RBI

Down on the Farm

Hitter of the Day
Toby Gardenhire - Miracle - 2nd Base
Note: Gardenhire went 3-4 with two doubles last night for the Miracle. Unfortunately his teammates could not drive him in a single time and the team lost 3-2. Gardenhire is now hitting .314 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI's in 35 AB's.

Pitcher of the Day
Jeff Manship - Miracle - Starting Pitcher
Note: Manship turned in his best performance of the season last night. The 23-year-old right-hander went 7 innings and gave up just one run on 3 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 6 to bring his season total to 23. He now sports a 3.38 ERA through 5 starts for the Miracle.

Touch 'Em All!

• Rochester Red Wings: None
  
• New Britain Rock Cats: Luke Hughes (7)
  
• Ft. Myers Miracle: None
• Beloit Snappers: No Game (postponed)
  

Minor League Box Scores:

• Red Wings lose to the IronPigs, 6-2.
• Rock Cats lose to the Thunder, 8-3
• Miracle lose to the Yankees, 3-2.
• Snappers game was postponed.