Twins rested after trip; face hot Tigers at Target Field
[picappgallerysingle id="9416471"]After a frustrating road trip (3-4) and a much-needed day off, the Minnesota Twins take on the Detroit Tigers tonight at Target Field. Lefty Brian Duensing will start for the Twins (and with a 2-0 record and .53 ERA at home, we’re cool with that), and pitcher Armando Galarraga (4-5, 4.04 ERA) will start for the Tigers.
That last Twins road trip was kind of a bummer, wasn’t it?
Shoulda split the series with the Rangers. Shoulda swept the series with the Mariners. Instead, the Twins end up 3-4 for the trip. Kinda stinky. I’m glad we’re back at home; the Twins trail only the Yankees for the best home record in the AL.
The Detroit Tigers, on the other hand, have won seven of their last ten games and appear to be on a bit of a hot streak. Not that it will save them in the race for the AL central, but it might give them enough momentum to make winning against them – even at home – a struggle for the Twins.
While Brian Duensing hasn’t faced the Tigers as a starter yet this season, Duensing has faced the Tigers as a Twins reliever, throwing nearly five scoreless innings. With that home record of 2-0 and ERA of .53, I’m betting Duensing’s going to have a good night.
And now that the Twins have given up that dog-and-pony show for a real, honest-to-goodness bullpen (with Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Brian Fuentes, Randy Flores, and Matt Capps), I don’t think the Twins will have a problem securing any lead that Duensing and the offense give us.
And the White Sox, back there in second place in the AL central? Well, they have Manny Ramirez. I’d take the Minnesota Twins offense and bullpen over the White Sox, Guillen, and Ramirez any day of the week.
So, Twins, let’s just go ahead and extend our lead. And the more games ahead, the merrier.
Twins injuries: who needs to get healthy for the post-season
[picappgallerysingle id="9305543"]While it’s true that things could certainly be worse, the Minnesota Twins do have a couple of injured or sensitive players that need to get healthy if the Twins want to be successful in the MLB post-season:
1) JustinMorneau. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Justin Morneau is one of the top five baseball players in the game right now, and the Minnesota Twins are limping without him.
The Twins have some terrific crutches in Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Joe Mauer, and Jim Thome, but they can only go without their team leader for so long before it catches up with them.
Justin Morneau was batting .345 with 18 home runs when he went down in early July, and Morneau would probably have given Josh Hamilton a run for his money as the AL MVP this season.
More importantly, because of his integral, central role to the Minnesota Twins, I’m not sure the Twins can make a serious post-season run without Justin Morneau. Not one that’s ultimately successful, anyway. So Morneau had better get healthy and symptom-free very, very soon.
2) J.J. Hardy. This seems a weird choice here, I know, but don’t underestimate the importance of J.J. Hardy to the Minnesota Twins – both on the field and in the lineup.
Hardy is batting .261 on the season, but has been significantly better than that since the All Star break. Hardy’s batting average was in the low .200s before he lifted it with consistent hitting for the Twins the second half of the season.
Another thing not to be underestimated: the severity of Hardy’s wrist injury. Why? Because even though Hardy spent time on the Twins’ disabled list to rest that wrist earlier this season, the same injury is nagging Hardy again. I don’t like an injury that won’t go away.
The Minnesota Twins need Hardy healthy – his playing quality diminishes significantly when that wrist is troubling him. Why not rest Hardy until he’s a little more stable?
3) Jim Thome. We all know why Jim Thome is so important to the Minnesota Twins, but in case you’ve forgotten, let me reiterate it.
According to Twins blogger Michael Rand of the Star Tribune, Thome has reached 18 home runs in 70 fewer at bats than Justin Morneau, and in 200 fewer at bats than Jason Kubel. Seriously – that s not a joke.
But right now, Jim Thome’s back is bothering him. I say rest him now, as much as I like seeing him play, and let that heal so Jim Thome can be a factor in the Minnesota Twins’ post-season campaign.
Because if Justin Morneau really is out for the rest of the season, and if the Twins really are going to continue letting Drew Butera catch for Carl Pavano (which means putting the barely .200 Butera in the lineup once every five days), the Twins are going to need some extra help on the days when Thome can play.
Blackburn, Fuentes awesome; Twins shut out Mariners 1-0
[picappgallerysingle id="9207057"]How about Nick Blackburn and Brian Fuentes pitching like a couple of aces last night to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 1-0 shut-out victory over the Seattle Mariners? Blackburn and Fuentes were like a nasty one-two punch that knocked the Mariners to the ground in last night’s game.
Minnesota just handled Seattle all across the board last night – in both baseball and football.
Nick Blackburn, in only his second game since having been called up from the minors by the Minnesota Twins, pitched 8 and 2/3 innings, allowing only two hits and no runs. That’s incredible. Blackburn’s sinker was sinking, his confidence was there, and Blackburn was an unstoppable force on the mound for the Minnesota Twins.
Watch out, Kevin Slowey. You’re both pretty good, but Nick Blackburn’s hot right now. The Twins aren’t going to pull Blackburn out of the starting rotation while he’s on fire.
Why is it so incredible, what Nick Blackburn did for the Minnesota Twins last night? Because Blackburn has an ERA of 6.49, and he’s been down in the minors trying to fix his pitching – that’s why.
I guess he’s been working pretty hard. And it paid off.
Speaking of pitchers, Elias Sports Bureau reports that the Twins’ newly acquired lefty reliever Brian Fuentes is the first player in major league baseball history to record a save in his first appearance with a new team when the score is 1-0. Right now, I’m sure the Minnesota Twins are in love with Brian Fuentes.
And here’s a nice surprise: Denard Span, mister .212 batting average on the road this season, is responsible for the Minnesota Twins’ lone run. Span hit an RBI single in the third inning, scoring Danny Valencia. Danny Valencia’s been having a terrific road trip.
This afternoon, the Minnesota Twins will take on the Seattle Mariners in the series closer; the Twins are up two games to one. Twins starting pitcher Carl Pavano looks for his 16th win this season; Mariners starting pitcher Luke French looks for his third.
Twins acquire left-handed reliever Fuentes from Angels
[picappgallerysingle id="3225665"]With the acquisition of four-time All-Star Brian Fuentes from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Minnesota Twins show that they’re serious about this year’s pennant race.
Scott Baker guided the Minnesota Twins to a 6-3 win over the Seattle Mariners in last night’s game, but recently acquired left-handed reliever Randy Flores was less than impressive in his Twins debut.
Flores got out of the seventh inning, but loaded the bases in the eighth. Matt Guerrier got the Twins out of that mess, retaining the lead for the Twins. Good thing we have Brian Fuentes on the way.
The St. Cloud Times reports that Brian Fuentes, who was acquired by the Twins for an as-yet unnamed player, is 4-1 with an ERA of 3.52 for the Angels this season. Fuentes also has 23 saves for 27 chances.
Perhaps we’ll occasionally see him in for Twins closer Matt Capps, in the event that Capps gets worn out.
Brian Fuentes will join the Minnesota Twins in Seattle today, and will be available to pitch against the Seattle Mariners in tonight’s match-up.
Can Baker pull 5th win tonight? Twins v. Mariners, Thome 40th birthday
[picappgallerysingle id="9415697"]Tonight at Safeco Field, Scott Baker looks for 5-0 as the Minnesota Twins face the Seattle Mariners. In his last six outings, Scott Baker has gone 4-0 and the Twins have won all six games. The Minnesota Twins are 4-3 against the Seattle Mariners so far this season. Scott Baker will face Mariners starter Jason Vargas.
While Scott Baker has struggled this season for the Twins, his last six starts have been impressive. Baker has commented recently that instead of worrying about the pitch, he’s now focused on the mechanics of throwing. Baker credits his current winning streak to his changed way of thinking about pitching.
Sure, great. Whatever works. I like what Baker’s been doing lately, so that’s fine by me.
In Scott Baker’s last outing for the Minnesota Twins, he threw seven scoreless innings, racking up only five hits. That’s pretty impressive. I’m hoping we’ll get a repeat performance late tonight against the Seattle Mariners, as the Twins and Mariners open their three-game series at Safeco Field.
In other news, left-hander Randy Flores (recently picked up by the Twins to take the pressure off of unstable Glen Perkins in the bullpen) is ready to rock and roll.
Also, today is Jim Thome’s 40th birthday. I think that a really, really good present to himself (and the rest of us) would be tying Mark McGwire’s ninth-place, 583-home-run record on the all time home run list. I think Thome should do that tonight against the Mariners. I’m just saying.
Remember, folks, it’s a late game tonight between the Minnesota Twins and the Seattle Mariners, starting at 9:10pm CT.
P.S. Manny Ramirez has reportedly been claimed by multiple teams on the waiver wire. Think there’s any chance Chicago will get him?
