Twins beat Mariners 5-3; closer Capps gets first Twins save
[picappgallerysingle id="9459391"]I sure like that Matt Capps. Bellyache all you want, but getting Capps for Ramos was a pretty sweet deal.
Capps didn’t pitch a flawless ninth inning for the Twins last night, but he pitched a scoreless one, and that’s all that matters when you’re going for a save. Capps gave up a two-out single to Chone Figgins, but shut the rest of the Mariners down. If I do say so myself, the crowd at Target Field seemed pretty pleased.
And so was I.
Capps wasn’t the only awesome thing about last night’s game, even if he was the most exciting. My main man Jim Thome pounded a 353-foot home run into left field, driving in one of my other favorite dudes, Michael Cuddyer.
That’s Thome’s 577th career home run. He’s only seven home runs away from taking ninth place away from steroid-laden Mark McGwire. No reason he couldn’t get all seven this season; that would put Thome at 20 home runs on the year. If he does that, the Twins might even sign him again next year. Go Thome.
The Twins also had a homer (admittedly, by the skin of his teeth) from Alexi Casilla, who’s been terrific since he came off the DL and into the game for the injured Orlando Hudson. Hardy, Span, Young, Valencia, and Cuddyer all had hits on the evening.
Plus, the bullpen looked good last night. Crain, Mijares (with the exception of his runner-advancing wild pitch), and Guerrier all looked solid. Crain salvaged the sixth inning for Baker, and Guerrier was – as always – very good.
Baker had a scoreless first five innings, but ran out of steam in the sixth and gave up three runs before the Twins pulled him. That’s the thing with Baker; he throws great stuff and can get out of most jams, but if he’s off, he has one disastrous inning where he gives up a bunch of runs. Fortunately, that inning was the sixth, so the Twins could pull him and put in Crain. We’ll take it.
Tonight, it’s the Mariners’ masterful Felix Hernandez taking the mound opposite the Twins’ weakest link in the starting rotation, Kevin Slowey. A lot of folks are ragging on Baker right now, but I’m much more worried about Slowey. Let’s hope he’s not a disaster tonight.
Twins get closer Capps in trade with Nationals for Ramos
[picappgallerysingle id="9305637"]The Twins sent minor leaguer and top catching prospect Wilson Ramos to the Washington Nationals in a trade that netted them All Star closer Matt Capps yesterday. What a terrific move by the Twins. In addition, the Nationals also get Class A left-handed pitcher Joe Testa, while the Twins receive $500,000 in cash considerations.
I, personally, am very excited about this.
The 26-year-old Capps is 3-3 with an ERA of 2.74 and 26 saves in 30 chances in his first season with the Nationals. With the addition of Capps as the Twins new closer, the over-used Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier will get some much needed help from Jon Rauch, who will move back into a setup position in the bullpen.
According to the Pioneer Press, manager Ron Gardenhire said that Rauch took it well. After all, he was only so-so in the closing position, with only five “clean” saves this season.
So, I couldn’t be more thrilled. Plus, the Twins will have control of Capps next year as they ease Joe Nathan back into play after his Tommy John surgery. And Capps will be even more important if Nathan isn’t as good when he comes back to the mound as he was when he left it.
According to the Star Tribune, Capps was 22-22 with an ERA of 3.48 and 93 saves in his previous five seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Last season was a troubling one for him: in 54 1/3 innings, Capps went 4-8 with an ERA of 5.80, allowing 73 hits and ten home runs with 27 saves (five blown).
Yeah, well, everybody has a tough year. This season for the Nationals, Capps has pitched 46 innings, allowing 51 hits, nine walks, and striking out 38. Not only has Capps been terrific this year, he’s an All Star. I’ll take it.
There’s been a little concern because Wilson Ramos is such a terrific prospect – and the Twins’ top trading option. Despite having a mediocre .241 batting average at Triple A this season, Ramos, 22, was stellar last year when he came in for Joe Mauer, who was troubled by a heel injury. Ramos batted .296 in seven games, including a four-hit game as his major league debut.
But let’s face it; the Twins just don’t need a catcher for the foreseeable future, do they? And they need a closer right now – plus, they’ll need a closer even more next year if Nathan needs more time to recover.
So, I’m much happier with letting Ramos go for a two-year closer than I am for a two-month starting pitcher.
I think the Twins made a terrific move adjusting the starting rotation (Duensing for Blackburn) and letting it settle down, because I think that the starting rotation will be fine now (other than an errant game here and there by Slowey). The bullpen, however, has been falling apart, and adding Capps and moving Rauch back will be extremely effective.
I could still see the Twins making a move for a lefty in the bullpen, since Mijares has been so woefully poor of late. The Twins could make good on their flirtations with the Toronto Blue Jays and acquire left-hander Scott Downs for the bullpen. It’s possible.
Plus, according to the Pioneer Press, Gardenhire says the Twins may pick up a starter after the trade deadline has passed. That’s how they acquired Carl Pavano from Cleveland last year. So, those of you clamoring for a starting pitcher, it’s not over yet.
Tonight, expect to see Capps in a Twins uniform, ready to go against the Seattle Mariners in his first game with the Twins at Target Field. I hope we get a chance to see him shine (especially with his tricky mid-90s fastball), because I’m pretty excited.
Twins awesome, sweep Royals, end road trip 6-1
[picappgallerysingle id="9207019"]Now, this is more like it. The Twins are awesome right now, sweeping the Royals and ending their road trip 6-1.
I’ve always loved the Twins. But as a die-hard fan, I came to baseball late in life, so I’m a little bit spoiled. I’m used to having five-or-so guys who can hit 20-30 home runs a season. I’m used to having several guys who can drive in 80-100 RBIs a season. That seems normal to me – even though I’ve learned recently that it’s not. Normal, that is. That it hasn’t always been like that for the Twins.
So, you see, this 6-1 road trip for the Twins felt like coming home to me. It felt familiar, like a comfortable old shoe that I found at the back of my closet (though, with my penchant for stilettos, I seldom wear a comfortable shoe). It was like moving back home after you’ve been away for a few years – familiar. Comfortable. The way that things are supposed to be.
Like I said, I’ve been spoiled.
Granted, the Twins faced maybe the two worst teams in baseball on this road trip; the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals. But still, we seem to have bandaged our pitching problem (though I’m still uncertain about Slowey, despite his improvements). And the Twins are on fire at the plate. Even with our best slugger out (Morneau) and another top guy sidelined (Hudson), we won three games with a score of 10 runs or more.
That, as I’ve come to understand things, is pretty awesome.
Since the All Star break, the Twins are batting .350, according to the Pioneer Press, and we’re averaging 6.93 runs per game. That’s pretty sweet. And then there are strange little things, like Michael Cuddyer lighting up every time he replaces Morneau at first base. We just need him to carry that hitting back to right field once Morneau is back.
Speaking of Cuddyer, what a player. The guy can do just about anything without breaking a sweat. What would the Twins do without him? It’s turned into a sort of blasé, “Oh, Cuddyer’s at first. Oh, now he’s at third. Wait, now he’s in right field.” That’s pretty amazing. Who else could do that? What a terrific player.
And of course, no article would be complete without mentioning the awesomeness of Delmon Young.
Anyway, maybe it’s lofty, but now, I expect the Twins to handle our next several series the same way we handled the Orioles and the Royals. I know that the Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays are actually good teams – especially the Rays – but we’ve got some momentum now. And my hopes are up. We’re back in the groove, right?
Speaking of which, tomorrow at Target Field, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Doug Fister (3-6) will face off against Scott Baker (8-9) in the first game of the Twins-Mariners series. I expect the Twins to win, and to win big. We’re at home. We’re on a roll.
Carry on, gentlemen. Continue to spoil me, please.
Twins trade rumors: deal with Blue Jays close?
[picappgallerysingle id="9418564"]Tom Pelissero of ESPN 1500 is holding steady with the report that the Twins are close to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. The purported deal would give the Twins some pitching help – either in the bullpen, or in the starting rotation – in return for a prospect. Given the recent performances from Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, and Brian Duensing, I think that a trade for a reliever is more likely than for a starting pitcher – but you never can tell.
The pitchers available from the Blue Jays include starter Shaun Marcum, and relief pitchers Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg, and Jason Frasor.
Frasor, 33, is the least likely of the three relievers to go to the Twins, with an ERA of 4.66. Frasor was replaced as the Blue Jays’ closer by Gregg, 32, who has an ERA of 3.72 and 23 saves on the year in 39 appearances, according to ESPN. Frasor had a terrific July up until the doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers, with an ERA of 1.13 for the month; however, Frasor finished June with an ERA of 6.75. Frasor salary is currently $2.65 million; Gregg’s is $2 million.
It seems that 34-year-old Downs, a left hander (which the Twins need in the bullpen after shifting Duensing to the starting rotation), is the front runner right now. According to ESPN, Downs has a 2.41 ERA and 33 strikeouts under his belt so far this season. Downs can be a free agent next year (as can Frasor), and his salary is currently a cool $4 million.
However, Pelissero describes starter Shaun Marcum, 28, as the “dark horse” in this deal, which would reportedly send a prospect to the Blue Jays. Given all the noise about giving up a prospect for Cliff Lee earlier this season, I’m not sure that this deal will, in fact, happen if the Blue Jays want a prospect for a pitcher.
That said, Marcum – after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2008 – has an impressive 9-4 record this season, with an ERA of 3.36 and 97 strikeouts. Plus, according to ESPN, Marcum is only making $850,000 and has two years left before free agency. Also, in his recent game against Detroit, Marcum held the Tigers to 2 runs and threw 64 strikes in 97 pitches. That sounds pretty good to me.
So, if the Twins and Blue Jays are indeed close to a deal, it sounds as though that deal would send either Downs or Marcum to the Twins in exchange for a prospect.
That’s all for now. The details are hazy, but Pelissero thinks the Twins-Blue Jays deal could happen very quickly.
And to see my latest update on the Minnesota Vikings, click here.
Twins on fire, destroy Royals 19-1; Valencia, Mauer, Liriano unbelievable
[picappgallerysingle id="9338335"]Wow. The Twins destroyed the Royals last night. 19-1. And we made mincemeat out of reigning Cy Young winner and Royals ace Zack Grienke. Poor guy. Tee hee.
The Twins are on fire right now, and it doesn’t seem to matter who’s playing; the A team, the B team, or a combination of both. Last night it was both, and a huge night for a everybody. But there are three guys who deserve special recognition: Danny Valencia, Joe Mauer, and Francisco Liriano.
Danny Valencia. Who is this guy? Valencia went 4 for 4 last night at the plate, but his first hit was the really special one. Not only was it a grand slam for the Twins third baseman, but it was the first major league home run of his career and he hit it off the reigning Cy Young champion. Doesn’t get much better than that, does it?
Oh, wait. Yes it does. Valencia was only a triple short of the cycle, drove in the first four runs in a 19-1 division victory on the road, and went into the record books as the first Minnesota Twins player to hit a grand slam as his first major league home run. Oh, and he’s currently batting .376. That leads the team, by the way.
But, you know, no big deal. Just another day at work.
And Joe Mauer…well, I’ve been pretty brutal to Mauer lately (even though I love the guy), and he sure showed me last night against the Royals. Mauer also had a perfect night at bat, going 5 for 5 with a three-run homer (his sixth home run of the season) and driving in a career-high seven runs in last night’s game.
That’s the Mauer everyone’s come to know and love, and I’m only especially hard on him because of the innate greatness he has. Even so, he’s only gone 5 for 5 at bat four times in his career after last night. It was pretty cool to watch.
A lot of other Twins players were awesome last night, not the least of whom was Delmon Young. According to ESPN, the guy is batting .427 in the month of July. Who is he kidding? .427? That’s unbelievable. People out there really think we should trade him? Are they nuts? Young had four hits with two RBIs last night. How about we keep him with the Twins? Sure, he’s not the best at fielding, but he sure can hit.
And then you’ve got the rest of the Twins: Alexi Casilla (in for Orlando Hudson), who had three RBIs and three runs on the night, and Jason Repko, J.J Hardy, Jason Kubel…well, pretty much everybody was a rock star last night. Even Ron Mahay escaped unscathed.
Can’t say the same for a let-down turn from relief pitcher Anthony Slama, poor kid, but what can you do? He only gave up one run, but it was a little bit of a disappointment not to get the shutout, I have to admit. Like his ‘stache, though – that’s a step in the right direction. And they let Slama work it out up there, which is good for him.
And no, I haven’t forgotten about the fabulous Francisco Liriano. The Twins starting pitcher was phenomenal last night, tossing seven complete shutout innings. Liriano allowed only three hits, didn’t walk anyone, and had six strikeouts. It was one of his best games this season.
And as a side note, I think I saw pinch runner and hitter Jose Morales point the bat at the pitcher. I’m pretty sure. If so, he becomes my second favorite baseball player of all time – second only to Jim Thome, who Morales came in for. Sweet.
Tonight, the Twins hope to do it all over again with ace Carl Pavano (12-6) on the mound. They’ll be facing Royals starting pitcher Bruce Chen. Pavano is 7-0 in his last nine starts with a 2.40 ERA. On the other hand, according to ESPN, Chen is 0-2 in his last three starts with a 7.20 ERA. I like how that looks.
And to close out this little love-fest, congratulations on your no-hitter, Matt Garza. But I’m happy to be stuck with Delmon Young.
Boy, it’s fun when they win, isn’t it?
