East Lake Twins

All Star Game

2008-07-16T07:59:00.006-05:00

Wow, what a game. So many chances to win, but neither team could end it. Congrats to the American League for another win.

Twins (32-35) at Brewers (35-31)

2008-06-13T09:52:00.003-05:00

Matchups:
Fri 7:05 Slowey (2-6) vs Bush (2-6)
Sat 6:05 Perkins (2-2) vs. Suppan (4-4)
Sun 1:05 Baker (2-1) vs. McClung (3-3)

Oh, and like the Tube posted in his comment, Rincon is gone!

Twins (20-17) vs Blue Jays (18-22)

2008-05-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

Matchups:
Tue 7:10 Slowey (0-2) vs Litsch (4-1)
Wed 7:10 Bonser (2-4) vs. Halladay (3-5)
Thu 12:10 Perkins (0-1) vs. McGowan (2-3)

Twins (6-6) at Tigers (2-10)

2008-04-14T09:39:00.002-05:00

Well, who would have thought that they Tigers would struggle this much with the lineup they now have. Detroit will eventually turn it around, but I'm not sure the playoffs are a guarantee like we all assumed it would be.

The Twins on the other hand, are a very average team. They are 6-6 and have played a fairly normal schedule so far. This will be a big test for both teams. A Twins (2 game) sweep would be disasterous for the Tigers, while a Tigers sweep would be a big let down for the Twins. I'm guessing a split will be the outcome.

Mon 7:05 Blackburn (0-1) vs Bonderman (1-1)
Tue 7:05 Baker (2-0) vs Robertson (0-1)

Twins (4-5) at Royals (6-3)

2008-04-11T13:15:00.002-05:00

Minnesota makes it's first trip to Kansas City this weekend in what used to be a sure sweep. But this year looks to be much different, as the Royals swept Detroit in the first series of the year and just took two of three against the Yankees.

This is already the second series between these teams, Minnesota taking two of three in the first meeting at the Metrodome.

Kansas City is home to a out in Centhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifer Field. It's been called the World's largest HD scoreboard and it looks pretty awesome.

Fri 8:10 Meche (0-1) vs Hernández (2-0)
Sat 7:10 Tomko (1-0) vs Bonser (0-2)
Sun 2:10 Bannister (2-0) vs Blackburn (0-1)

Twins at White Sox

2008-04-07T12:12:00.002-05:00

Chicago (4-2) is coming off a sweep of lowly Detroit, scoring 26 runs in three games, while Minnesota (3-4) has only scored 19 runs in the 7 games they've played so far this season. So it looks like it will be more of the same against the high scoring White Sox.

But thankfully, Justin Morneau seems to have things on track as he hit two homeruns against KC. Gomez has continued to get on base and create scoring chances for the Twins.

Mon 3:05 Blackburn vs Vázquez
Wed 7:11 Baker vs Danks
Thu 7:11 Hernández vs Contreras

Here comes the Royals

2008-04-04T09:52:00.004-05:00

The 3-0 Royals are next up for the Twins team that had it's ups and downs during the first series of the year. While Kansas City swept the league favorite Detroit Tigers on the road, the Twins went 1-3 at home against another top team in the LA Angels.

The Twins learned that they are fast and still have a good bullpen, and that hitting will continue to be a problem. Justin Morneau is off to a slow start at 0-12, but did make an incredible defensive play at first base. Delmon Young hasn't shown the power yet, but he is batting .400 and has looked good at the plate. Carlos Gómez looked like a star player in the first game, but had troubles bunting in the next few games. Once he gets a handle on how to bunt on the turf at the dome, he will be even better.

The pitching was better then expected. Hernandez and Blackburn and even Slowey had great starts, while Boof struggled. I'm really looking forward to watching Baker take the mound tonight to see how he battles back from a small injury.

If the Twins can take 2-3 from the Royals, I will be very pleased, but even more important is that they do the little things well. It's way too early in the season to get down on this team, so seeing improvement from one series to the next is all we can go on.

On pace for 162 wins!!

2008-04-01T07:29:00.005-05:00

That Twins game was one of the most fun I can remember watching. I'm pissed that Kubel didn't start, but not as irate as Gleeman. His statistics are plenty compelling. But I'm going to let it go, because Gardy's "hunch" worked for him. And baseball, it turns out, is a hell of a lot more than statistics. That's certainly not an endorsement for Gardy, however.

Gomez surprised the hell out of me. This was really the first time I've been able to see the "game-changing" speed. And it was game-changing. If this kid can just take a simple approach in his at-bats, I don't think it's going to be too difficult for him to get on base. The beauty of him being on base so much last night, is that he virtually eliminates the potential for Mauer to hit into the DP.
We love that.

Kudos to Hernandez too, for making Angels batters look silly at times, but mostly just confused. He's going to get rocked this year, but at least we see that he will keep the ball in play and let the defense bail him out. There is some truth to all of this "guile" talk.

I was giddy watching Neshek and Nathan seal the win. Wathching Nathan strike Torii out was maybe the highlight of the game for me.

I heartily endorse the reported siging of Barry Bonds. ;)

WTF????

2007-12-04T08:28:00.000-06:00

From LEN3

"Around 2 a.m. I contacted someone with knowledge of the negotiations. That person had heard that the deal was for four players: Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie and Justin Masterson. Notice that Jacoby Ellsbury is not part of the deal.

I didn’t run with it then because I really wanted to be sure. But I want to let you know this morning that’s what I’m hearing."

If the Twins actually pull the trigger on this Cy-tana for the PuPuPlatter trade I am going to be livid. It's bad enough that this would perpetuate the Minneapolis-->Boston SuperStar Express, but any trade to the Sox that doesn't involve Ellsbury and Lester/Buchholz is completely unacceptable.

Calling BS

2007-11-27T22:04:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'm sick of it.
I'm calling "bull shit."
I'm really tired of all of the talk about Theo Epstein being a genius, prodigy, wunderkind, whatever.
Y'know if I had the luxury of a payroll north of $143 million dollars, I could probably find a way to make a significant improvements to my team and bring in some impact players to add to a solid core. To his credit, he's done a nice job with the farm system, giving Boston some sustainability outside of their big paychecks. And it must be nice to come off a WS Championship and have a couple of guys in Shilling and Lowell willing to give the home town discount. Admittedly I'm a little jealous that Beantown gets spoiled like this, and of their seemingly endless resources.
But I don't think a fat checkbook and some luck warrant the praises that Theo is being lavished with. And none of this is to say that Theo is not a good GM. He is, even if he gave Nancy Drew a ridiculous $70 M/5 year contract. But despite his shortcomings in the last couple of years, I think Terry Ryan had a MUCH more difficult job and excelled with real constraints.
But where does this leave me as a fan? My frustration overfloweth.
It pains me to think that because of the vast inequality of different baseball markets, that the Twins will be forced to deal marquee faces of their franchise, because they command too great a percentage of the overall payroll. It's sad when you can't retain the talent that you have developed because of the market. Then they are swept away by the rich kids, artificially inflating even the mediocre players' worth because, as Torii says, "the market is up, it's way up."

MLB Playoffs: AL vs NL

2007-10-02T10:30:00.000-05:00

How great is it that the NL is so up for grabs each year? Who had any idea that the four playoff teams would be the Cubs, Phillies, Diamondbacks and Rockies? While the AL is the same each year, Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and whatever team from AL Central (Indians this time around). Sure, the NL sucks overall and should be relegated to AAAA, but at least the playoff race is exciting to watch.

Hopefully enough people were paying attention to the amazing season ending run made by the Colorado Rockies this year, ending with a dramatic 13 inning win over the San Diego Padres in a tiebreaker game to see who would make it to the playoffs. The Padres scored two runs in the top of the inning with a 2-run HR by Scott Hairston, but the Rockies rallied back with 3 runs in the bottom of the inning to cap their unbelievable finish, winning 14 of 15. Oh, and the winning pitcher for the Rockies, Ramon Ortiz.

And just as dramatic was the historic collapse by the NY Mets, losing the division to the Philadelphia Phillies in the last week after having control of the division all year long. Game 2 starting pitcher for the Phillies, Kyle Lohse.

Paging Steve Bartman? The Cubs are in the playoffs again and I bet they want to make sure you are no where near Wrigley Stadium. And as for Arizona, I really have no idea what to expect from them. Do they still have Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling?

My Picks:
Chicago Cubs vs Arizona Diamondbacks - Cubs in 5
Colorado Rockies vs Philadelphia Phillies - Phillies in 4

As for the American League, the Yankees were able to fight back from a horrible start and middle to the season, but once they started winning consistently, I think we all knew where they'd be in October. And as long as the pitching holds up and Mariano Rivera is as good as we know he can be, the Yankees are always a threat in the postseason. But how would a third straight first round defeat be dealt with?

Also in the East, the Red Sox were able to win their first division championship since 1995, but it nearly got ugly out in Boston. As long as Beckett and Matsuzaka have quality starts, and Papelbon is steady in closing out games, it could be a good playoffs for the Sox.

As much as I hate the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and their obnoxious fans, I really like their team, always have. Vlad is one of my favorite players, and it seems like the guys are always having fun. Of course, playing out west is about as easy as it gets, so we will have to see if they really are that good when facing the best.

Last season, the Indians were 78-84, good for fourth place in the AL Central, but with the young guys they had, everyone knew they would be a threat this year. They matched the Red Sox for the best record in the league, and were able to control the league when it looked like it was falling apart (sweeping the Twins twice in Aug/Sep definitely helped that). The Indians have the pitching and the hitting, but for some reason, it feels like they are coming in under the radar, which is probably great for them.

My Picks:
Los Angels Angels vs Boston Red Sox - Angels in 5
New York Yankees vs Cleveland Indians - Indians in 4

Santana and the K

2007-09-26T20:09:00.000-05:00

Well, this sucks, but because of the rain out tonight in Detroit, Johan's season is over. He does still have five more strikeouts then Tampa's Scott Kazmir, who faces the Yankees on Thursday. It will be a shame if Scott passes him and wins the race, but not much you can about it. And even so, Kazmir has thrown less innings, so he probably deserves it, but it would be nice for the Twins to win at least one award this year.

Santana Staying in MN

2007-09-20T17:22:00.000-05:00

Well, according my cousin and ESPN, Johan is about to buy a multi million dollar home in the Twin Cities. Does this mean he is going to get a contract extension? Not definitely, but I like seeing that he is making a semi-permanent decision to remain here. Hopefully this means something good for the Twins.

Oh, and what does my cousin have to do with it? Johan's new house is a few houses down from his!

Hopefully I can meet Johan sometime so I can tell him about our trip to Colombia, and the Venezuelan band that we listed to at dinner one night. They noticed my Twins cap, told me that he wasn't a Minnesotan but from Venezuela, and Go Twins!

Minnesota (72-77) vs. Texas (70-79) (Who Cares)

2007-09-17T13:35:00.000-05:00

Mon 7:10: E. Volquez (2-1, 4.24) vs K. Slowey (3-0, 5.44)
Tue 7:10: K. Millwood (9-12, 5.51) vs C. Silva (11-14, 4.44)
Wed 7:10: K. Gabbard (6-1, 4.65) vs M. Garza (3-6, 3.93)

I think the goal of this series should simply be to maintain a better record than Texas. Period.

Twins (72-74) vs Tigers (80-67)

2007-09-14T16:42:00.000-05:00

Friday 7:10: Garza (3-5, 3.71) vs. Robertson (7-11. 5.04)
Saturday 6:10: Santana (15-11, 3.09) vs. Rogers (3-2, 4.50)
Sunday 1:10: Bonser (7-12, 4.91) vs. Jurrjens (2-1, 3.15)

Go Twins.

Though I do like the idea of Detroit coming back and making a race in the A.L. Central. Cleveland has been playing very well, but are there two better players in the division then Magglio Ordóñez and Curtis Granderson, who became the third player ever to have at least 20 stolen bases, 20 doubles, 20 triples, and 20 home runs in the same season. That's amazing.

Individual Leaders:
     MINNESOTA              DETROIT
AVG  Hunter - .291          Ordóñez - .358
HR   Morneau - 29           Ordóñez - 27
RBI  Morneau - 105          Ordóñez - 132
R    Hunter - 87            Granderson - 113

A.L. Central Standings
Cleveland   85-61  --
Detroit     80-67  5.5
Minnesota   72-74  13.0
Kansas City 63-82  21.5
Chicago WS  62-84  23.0

Terry Ryan stepping down

2007-09-13T11:53:00.000-05:00

It appears that Terry Ryan's tenure as the Twins' general manager is coming to an end today, leaving assistant GM Bill Smith in his stead. I'm not quite sure how to feel about this as it presents as many opportunities as obstacles. Maybe the philosophy in the front office will move away from the extreme conservatism it's shown and start taking some bigger risks. That's one thing I would hope for. But then again, maybe it's a step backward as TR has proved to be one of the shrewdest GMs in Baseball. It's difficult news, but I'm going to try and stay optimistic. Besides, it sounds like TR will stay on in some capacity, working with scouting perhaps. What are your thoughts/hopes for the future?

Twins (70-73) vs Royals (62-80)

2007-09-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

Monday 7:10: Bonser (6-12, 4.95) vs Buckner (0-0, 5.40)
Tuesday 7:10: Baker (8-7, 4.14) vs Davies (6-12, 5.81)
Wednesday 1:10: Silva (11-13, 4.34) vs Mecha (7-12, 3.82)

The Twins are currently 11 games behind the Yankees in the Wild Card race, so if we are going to make our move, this is it. Just kidding. Our only point of playing these days is to get back to .500 by the end of the year. The Twins have lost 10 of its last 13 games and are tied for the majors' second-worst record since Aug. 27.

That's about all I have to say about this.

Team Stats (A.L. Rank):
     MINNESOTA              KANSAS CITY
HR   106 (13th)             93 (14rd)
R    649 (10th)             645 (13th)
AVG  .268 (9th)             .263 (10th)
SLG  .395 (13th)            .391 (14th)

Individual Leaders:
     MINNESOTA              KANSAS CITY
AVG  Hunter - .290          Teahen - .285
HR   Morneau - 29           Buck - 18
RBI  Morneau - 102          Brown - 57
R    Hunter - 84            DeJesus - 95

A.L. Central Standings
Cleveland   83-60  --
Detroit     77-66  6.0
Minnesota   70-73  13.0
Kansas City 62-80  20.5
Chicago WS  61-82  22.0

Twins (69-71) @ White Sox (59-81)

2007-09-07T08:42:00.000-05:00

Friday 7:11: Silva (11-13, 4.34) vs. Vázquez (11-8, 3.91)
Saturday 2:55: Garza (3-5, 3.49) vs. Contreras (8-16, 5.86)
Sunday 1:05: Santana (14-11, 3.15) vs Garland (9-10, 4.75)

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse to be a Twins fan, they head to Chicago where we are reminded of the Bitch Sox, a team that has completely fallen apart this season. They are currently in last place (even below the Royals) and the Twins should want nothing more then to leave Chicago with that still true. The rivalry of the last few years as all but disappeared this season, with both teams failing to keep up with the Indians and the Tigers.

Though the amazing thing about the White Sox, is that they actually have a winning record against the division (28-25), which is second best. The Indians have an unheard of record of 39-21, while the Twins are back at 23-34. Back in 2004, the Twins went 46-30 against the A.L. Central to put that in perspective.

I really like our pitching match-ups this weekend, but then again, any weekend without Bonser pitching is a good think lately. Hopefully Santana can shut them down and get back on track.

Team Stats (A.L. Rank):
     MINNESOTA              CHICAGO WS
HR   102 (13th)             157 (3rd)
R    627 (13th)             581 (14th)
AVG  .267 (9th)             .243 (14th)
SLG  .393 (14th)            .394 (12th)

Individual Leaders:
     MINNESOTA              CHICAGO WS
AVG  Hunter - .291          Pierzynski - .266
HR   Morneau - 29           Konerko - 27
RBI  Morneau - 99           Konerko - 75
R    Hunter - 82            Dye - 63

A.L. Central Standings
Cleveland   81-59  --
Detroit     75-65  6.0
Minnesota   69-71  12.0
Kansas City 62-77  18.5
Chicago WS  59-81  22.0

I Just Want to Have Fun

2007-09-05T15:59:00.000-05:00

I'm okay with not making the playoffs this year, most teams won't, even some of the really good teams. I'm fine with the horrible year Nick Punto has had batting, and the injuries to Mauer and everyone else this year. I don't mind losing games we should have won, because I understand how lucky you have to be in baseball. But what has really frustrated me this year is that it just hasn't been fun to watch. Everyone is depressed.

Hunter, who is having a great year, can't keep his mouth shut about playing for other teams, or contract BS, or ripping other players for not playing hurt. Mauer, who should be the face of the franchise, can't seem to ever smile or be somewhat excited. Morneau, the reigning MVP, doesn't seem to give a crap if he pops out to shallow left in key situations. Santana, the best pitcher in baseball would rather piss and moan about trading Castillo, rather then get excited about the young guy Casilla. And the piranhas aren't worth a crap if they aren't being fun to watch.

Last year's feel good stories, guys like Punto and Redmon, just haven't played as well. Last year ended up being one of the best years for Twins fans, with the "Smell Em" mentality, and the feeling that you just knew we would hold on to the games when winning, and would come back if we were losing. The piranhas would find a way. And if they couldn't, Santana would shut them down, or Mauer/Morneau/Hunter combo would get it done.

That just hasn't happened this year, and it's bringing everyone down. Twins fans kept hoping for the month long hot streak that would resurrect the season, and why not, it's happened before. But as the season winds down, we are left with nothing but questions and no answers as to why the season has sucked so much to watch.

We can all question Gardy and his decision to play Punto everyday while he's shown no promise at the plate. And we can be upset with Ryan for not making some move to upgrade the offense when we so desperately need it.

But for me, it all comes to entertainment, and this year just hasn't been entertaining. Everyday it's the same thing. Another failure to win a game we needed to win, and games we do win are followed by another disappointing loss.

I think this season is as bad as it gets for Twins fans. At least I hope it is, because this has been the most depressing season I've ever had as a fan. Changes need to be made for next year.

Twins (69-68) vs Indians (78-58)

2007-09-03T07:38:00.000-05:00

Oh goodie, Cleveland is coming to town, just what we need. They are probably the hottest team in baseball and the team we just haven't been able to beat. I always hope that maybe this will be the beginning of what could be a month ending hot streak, but if we couldn't do it against KC, there is little chance against Cleveland.

Cleveland has continued to play well, winning 2 of 3 against Chicago, while Minnesota kept up with their .500 baseball by splitting the 4 games against Kansas City. The Twins are 4 games behind the second place Tigers.

The highlights of the series will at least be our pitching, with Santana facing Sabathia today in a rematch of last weeks game where Santana gave up 4 runs in the first inning. And on Wednesday, Scott Baker makes his first start after his outstanding 1 hitter and near perfect game last week.

In the second game, Kevin Slowey makes his return to the big leagues after winning the International League Pitcher of the Year Award. Kevin's record is 3-0 (4 no decisions), but he's given up 13 HR and 27 runs in just 37 innings so it hasn't been easy for him.

Joe Mauer continues to sit on the bench with a sore hamstring.

Match-Ups:
Monday: Santana (14-10, 3.06) vs Sabathia (15-7. 3.37)
Tuesday 7:10: Slowey (3-0, 5.84) vs Laffey (2-1, 5.01)
Wednesday 12:10: Baker (8-6, 4.09) vs Carmona (14-8, 3.31)

Individual Leaders
MINNESOTA
AVG - Hunter - .294
HR - Morneau - 29
RBI - Hunter - 96
R - Hunter - 81

CLEVELAND
AVG - Martínez - .304
HR - Sizemore - 23
RBI - Martínez - 96
R - Sizemore - 102

A.L. Central Standings

Cleveland   78-58  -- 
Detroit     73-64  5.5 
Minnesota   69-68  9.5 
Kansas City 61-75  17.0 
Chicago WS  58-79  20.5

Twins (67-66) vs Royals (59-73)

2007-08-31T08:02:00.000-05:00

I don't have a whole lot to say about the games against Kansas City this weekend. I think it's sweet that they are playing a day/night doubleheader, but it could create double the depression if the Twins continue to lose!

But I'm all about positivity here at East Lake Twins, so I'm looking forward and winning this series will help our race against the Detroit Tigers for second place in the A.L. Central. And it could also help our record against the division, which is currently 21-29, and a primary reason we are out of the playoff race.

Joe Mauer looks to be out again this weekend with his left hamstring injury and could be out for another week.

The Royals find themselves out of last place this late in the season for the first time (just a guess) since 2003. Having a wife from KC, means that the Royals are my second favorite A.L. Central team, so it's nice to have them playing better, and I do hope to see them be more of a factor in the next few years.

Match-Ups
Friday 1:10: Garza (3-4, 3.16) vs Davies (5-11, 6.10)
Friday 7:10: Baker (7-6, 4.42) vs Meche (7-11, 3.85)
Saturday 11:10: Silva (10-13, 4.33) vs De La Rosa (8-11, 5.46)
Sunday 1:10: Bonser (6-11, 4.72) vs Bannister (11-7, 3.27)

Individual Leaders
MINNESOTA
AVG - Hunter - .300
HR - Morneau - 29
RBI - Morneau - 95
R - Hunter - 80

KANSAS CITY
AVG - Teahen - .284
HR - Buck - 16
RBI - Brown - 53
R - DeJesús - 89

A.L. Central Standings

Cleveland   76-57  --
Detroit     72-62  4.5
Minnesota   67-66  9.0
Kansas City 59-73  16.5
Chicago WS  57-77  19.5

Day Off: Links and Comments

2007-08-30T08:34:00.000-05:00

So of course the talk around town is how the season is basically over, how after going into the huge series with Cleveland only 5.5 games back, the Twins got swept and are now 8.5 games out, and have to play Cleveland again next week after the Royals come to town for four games.

In the comments section of the Cleveland series, Jamie and I talked about Johan Santana and what should be done with him. I took the knee jerk reaction after his loss and said we need to trade him this off-season. I just don't think the Twins should be paying $20m for a pitcher, which the market value would be. That said, I'd still love to see Johan sign a contract extension this year for what would hopefully a little less then market value. Whether that happens or not, we'll just have to wait and see.

Torii Hunter is another player that we have to decide on very soon. Torii's comments this season have really pissed me off, but you can't knock the guys effort. He is still the marketable face of the team and I really hope we can resign him. But again, it will all depend on if he wants to stay a Twin, or if he wants to try playing baseball for a different team and to maximize his value while he still can. That is totally understandable, so I'm okay with whatever happens with Torii. And with Torii's comments today about not attending the new stadium groundbreaking, makes it feel like he's sending a message of some sort.

Having said that, if we do happen to resign both players, I would have to think that it basically removes any chance of us signing a free agent, or anyone that can help this team offensively. Carlos Silva who will probably and hopefully be gone at the end of year, will have his salary replaced by the resigning of Johan and Torii.

Justin Morneau better be on this team when we open the new stadium and that's all I'm going to say about that. IMO, he and Joe Mauer are the two most important players going forward.

Obviously we need to cut the cord on Nick Punto, or at least he should never be more then just a utility infielder to come on when needed in the field. I think it's also time for guys like Lew Ford, Luis Rodriguez, and Rondell White to move on.

As always, Seth covers this a lot better then I ever could in his post - So... Now What? 40 Man Roster Thoughts

Nick N. at Nick & Nick's Twins Blog is fed up with Gardy - Managing to Lose

Jon Marthaler over at Twinkie Town is starting to think that maybe Torii Hunter is kind of a jerk

Aaron Gleeman - The End

Twins (67-63) vs Indians (72-57)

2007-08-26T15:28:00.000-05:00

After the Minnesota sweep in Baltimore, and Cleveland just barely winning two games in Kansas City, the Twins now find themselves 5 games behind the Indians, which means that this series will almost all but decide our fate. Win and we are right in the thick of the A.L. Central race. Lose and the season is basically over (again).

I don't want to get my hopes up, especially since it seems that the Twins have struggled against the Indians this year, going 4-8 - but they are 3-3 since the All Star Break. Like Minnesota and Detroit, Cleveland has struggled since the Break, allowing the Central division to be a lot closer then it should be.

Match-ups:
Monday 6:05: Silva (10-12, 4.10) vs Byrd (12-5, 4.61)
Tuesday 6:05: Bonser (6-10, 4.76) vs Westbrook (4-7, 4.40)
Wednesday 6:05: Santana (14-9, 2.97) vs Sabathia (14-7, 3.38)

Individual Leaders:
MINNESOTA
AVG - Hunter - .302
HR - Morneau - 29
RBI - Morneau - 94
R - Hunter - 80

CLEVELAND
AVG - Garko - .304
HR - Sizemore - 22
RBI - Martínez - 90
R - Sizemore - 95

A.L. Central Standings

Cleveland  72  57  .558  --
Detroit    70  60  .538  2.5
Minnesota  67  63  .515  5.5

Twins (63-63) @ Orioles (58-67)

2007-08-23T11:56:00.000-05:00

Minnesota started the season by sweeping Baltimore, scoring 17 runs in 3 games, which has not a common outcome for the Twins this season. We all know they have struggled to score this year, while occasionally coming up with a huge offensive outburst like they did yesterday against Seattle.

Baltimore was the laughing stock of baseball yesterday, when they gave up 30 runs to Texas in the first game of a doubleheader, and 9 more runs in the second game. I would think that the O's would be a little tired for today's game, so the Twins really need to step it up right away and not let Baltimore get into a groove.

Joe Mauer is still under .300 and Justin Morneau is still in his HR-less streak, though he did have a huge shot the other day that hit the top of the baggie and would have gone out in every other park.

Bonser needs to have a good outing, and I will assume he is on a short leash, especially with reports coming out that his weight is becoming an issue, with the fact that he is rarely able to get into the 6th inning. Santana follows his record breaking 17 strikeout performance on Friday against ~~Arlo~~ ~~Woody~~ Jeremy Guthrie. Matt Garza hopes to get back on track on Saturday after giving up 7 runs last week. Orioles pitcher Erik Bedard will go for his 14th win on Sunday against Scott Baker.

Cleveland and Detroit are playing today to end that series. Cleveland then plays KC, while Detroit hosts the Yankees, so this is another must win series (they all are at this point).

Match-ups:
Thursday 6:05: Bonser (5-10, 4.93) vs Trachsel (6-7, 4.81)
Friday 6:05: Santana (13-9, 2.88) vs Guthrie (7-4, 3.44)
Saturday 6:05: Garza (2-4, 3.30) vs TBD
Sunday 12:35: Baker (6-6, 4.50) vs Bedard (13-4, 2.97)

Individual Leaders:
MINNESOTA
AVG - Hunter - .299
HR - Morneau - 28
RBI - Morneau - 92
R - Hunter - 75

BALTIMORE
AVG - Roberts - .312
HR - Mora - 13
RBI - Markakis - 78
R - Roberts - 84

Twins (62-61) vs Mariners (69-52)

2007-08-20T10:20:00.000-05:00

Minnesota leads the season series 5-1 after winning the last two in Seattle last week. Obviously the question is which Twins team will show up? The team that scored 20 runs in 3 games against Seattle, or the one that scored 3 runs in 3 games against Texas. Will it be the team that is barely staying above .500, or the one that is still somehow in the A.L. Central race.

My hope for the series is that Mauer will get his average back up above .300, Morneau will hit his first HR since 7/23, and that the young pitchers (Garza and Baker) will continue to pitch well.

Joe Mauer is hitless in his past 15 at-bats, and his average has fallen to .295. Justin Morneau's 92-at-bat streak without a home run is the longest of his career. Michael Cuddyer's home run Sunday was his 12th of the season and only his second since the All-Star break. The other middle-order hitters have not produced as much as hoped recently, but Torii Hunter, who has a six-game hitting streak, is batting .354 for August. via Joe Christensen

Match-ups:
Monday 7:10: Garza (2-3, 2.05) vs Ramirez (7-4, 7.38)
Tuesday 7:10: Baker (6-5, 4.53) vs Washburn (8-10, 4.16)
Wednesday 1:10: Silva (9-12, 4.17) vs Batista (13-8, 4.14)

Individual Leaders:
MINNESOTA
AVG - Hunter - .298
HR - Morneau - 28
RBI - Morneau - 91
R - Hunter - 72

SEATTLE
AVG - Suzuki - .347
HR - Sexson - 19
RBI - Ibañez - 78
R - Suzuki - 90