Twinkie Town

Twins Place Ryan Doumit on 15-Day DL; Ben Revere Recalled

2012-05-17T04:32:12Z

The Minnesota Twins have placed Ryan Doumit on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right calf and will recall outfielder Ben Revere from AAA Rochester, according to the team:

#Twins place Doumit on 15-day DL with right calf strain. Will recall Ben Revere from AAA Rochester prior to tomorrow's game at Detroit.
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 17, 2012

Doumit, 31, was signed by the Twins to a one-year, $3 million deal back in November after seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Spending the majority of his time with the Twins as designated hitter, Doumit has also seen time as catcher, right fielder, and at first base. He's hitting .264/.328/.445, close to his career line of .270/.333/.442.

Revere, a 24 year-old center fielder, comes back to the club after hitting .278/.316/.333 in twenty plate appearances over six games earlier this season. He comes back from AAA Rochester, where he's hitting .322/.354/.333.

Game 37: Minnesota Twins @ Detroit Tigers

2012-05-16T22:05:02Z

First Pitch: 6:05 CT
TV: FSN
Radio: 1500 ESPN
Know Thine Enemy: Bless You Boys

Tonight, the 10-26 Twins head to Detroit to take on the 18-18 Tigers. Detroit is throwing the forever-20-year-old Rick Porcello on the mound, while Minnesota is throwing Nick Blackburn and his 7.18 ERA out there. One thing Twins fans can look forward to, however, is the return of Justin Morneau from the DL. He's missed the last 14 games due to a sore wrist, and his return to the lineup should provide at least a little boost to the offense. ...Right?

Pitchers

Minnesota

Nick Blackburn

#53 / Pitcher / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-4

Weight: 240

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Feb 24, 1982

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2012 - Nick Blackburn	1-4	6	6	0	0	0	0	31.1	40	25	25	7	11	17	7.18	1.63

Detroit

Rick Porcello

#48 / Pitcher / Detroit Tigers

Height: 6-5

Weight: 200

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Dec 27, 1988

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2012 - Rick Porcello	3-3	7	7	0	0	0	0	41.2	49	25	24	6	9	24	5.18	1.39

Lineups and such after the jump.

Minnesota

Lineups posted when available, or in the comments, as I'll be at work and likely unable to post. Thanks!

Detroit

Ditto.

Things to look for:
-Justin Morneau's return to the lineup.
-Chris Parmelee's return to AAA.
-How many HRs Nick Blackburn gives up in 5 innings this time.

Go Twins!

WAR Games: Twins WAR leaders (1987-Present)

2012-05-16T14:30:16Z

Still losing? Check.

Let's have some fun today. We had a few contests a while back, such as ranking Twins hurlers by fastball velocity and whatnot, but today, let's take a look at club leaders by fWAR (again, since I write for f) dating back to the first World Series champ club back in 1987.

Remember the rules? If not, let me refresh with the ones I ah, the ones I remember. I reserve the right to add new ones, by the way:

1. No CHEATING. (obviously)
2. No subsequent guesses. If Jesse guesses, he then must wait for another guess before he can enter a second one.
3. Guess must have year AND player.
4. Once guessed, I'll fill in the blanks with the guesser's log-in name.
5. I'll try keep up, but I'm also at my day job.

Sound like fun? Let's go:

2012 - Josh Willingham (1.2) - JPKK
2011 - Michael Cuddyer (3.1) - JPKK
2010 - Francisco Liriano (6.0) - nick5253
2009 - Joe Mauer (7.9) - nick5253
2008 - Joe Mauer (6.1) - DavidRF
2007 - Johan Santana (4.6) - nick5253
2006 - Johan Santana (7.3) - nick5253
2005 - Johan Santana (7.6) - nick5253
2004 - Johan Santana (7.7) - nick5253
2003 - __________ (5.0)
2002 - Jacque Jones (5.3) - nick5253
2001 - Corey Koskie (5.8) - BeefMaster
2000 - Brad Radke (5.1) - JPKK
1999 - Brad Radke (4.4) - JPKK
1998 - Brad Radke (5.0) - JPKK
1997 - Chuck Knoblauch (6.3) - DavidRF
1996 - Chuck Knoblauch (8.4) - DavidRF
1995 - Chuck Knoblauch (6.6) - JPKK
1994 - Chuck Knoblauch, Shane Mack, and Kevin Tapani (all tied at 3.9) - JPKK
1993 - Kevin Tapani (4.8) - amiller92
1992 - Kirby Puckett (6.4) - JPKK
1991 - Kevin Tapani (5.4) - meshuggen8r
1990 - __________ (4.0)
1989 - Kirby Puckett (5.2) - amiller92
1988 - Kirby Puckett (7.7) - JPKK
1987 - Frank Viola (6.2) - JPKK

Have at it, TwinkieTown nation!

Indians 5, Twins 0: Marquis Shaky in Another Game to Forget

2012-05-15T22:40:25Z

If today's Twins game had been televised , you would have seen starting pitcher Jason Marquis give up a double and RBI single in the second inning, and again in the third. You would have seen Marquis pitch a scoreless fourth inning and perhaps have thought the Twins still had a chance to win this game. Then the fifth inning would have rolled around, and you would have seen Marquis give up homeruns to Shin-Soo Choo, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Carlos Santana--the first time a Twins pitcher has given up three homeruns in one inning since 2010.

Luckily, this game was not televised and the vast majority of us did not witness these things. If you are extra lucky, you did not even realize today was a noon game and do not know this game even happened.

Indians ~~ace~~ third starter Derek Lowe mowed down the Twins, pitching his first complete game shutout since August 31, 2005. Lowe surrendered only six hits, three of them coming from last week's call-up Brian Dozier. The Twins did manage to load the bases in the bottom of the seventh--but we all know how that usually ends.

Now the good news: Justin Morneau was activated off the DL today, with Chris Parmelee sent to AAA to make room on the roster. Yay. Be still my heart.

Studs and duds after the jump.

Studs:

Brian Dozier: 3 for 4, 1 double.

Duds:

Joe Mauer: Everything is his fault. Everything. Fire him.

Game 36: Indians @ Twins

2012-05-15T15:39:03Z

TV: No! You don't have to watch this hot mess.

Radio: 1500 ESPN TRN

First Pitch: 12:10 PM

Know Thine Enemy: Let's Go Tribe!

Joe Mauer is batting second today!

Starting Pitchers

Jason Marquis

#21 / Pitcher / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-1

Weight: 210

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Aug 21, 1978

Starting for the ~~Washington Nationals~~ Minnesota Twins, Jason Marquis! Marquis is looking to improve from his last start, in which he gave up 5 ERs in 4 IP. Go an get 'em Jason!

Derek Lowe

#26 / Pitcher / Cleveland Indians

Height: 6-6

Weight: 230

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jun 01, 1973

Derek Lowe has gotten off to a nice start to far this season with the first-place Cleveland Indians. He apparently also has been pitching well during day games this year.

Lineups after the jump.

Indians
1. Shin-Soo Choo (L) RF
2. Jason Kipnis (L) 2B
3. Asdrubal Cabrera (S) SS
4. Carlos Santana (S) DH
5. Michael Brantley (L) CF
6. Jose Lopez (R) 3B
7. Johnny Damon (L) LF
8. Casey Kotchman (L) 1B
9. Lou Marson (R) C

Twins
1. Darin Mastroianni (R) CF
2. Joe Mauer (L) C
3. Josh Willingham (R) LF
4. Ryan Doumit (S) DH
5. Brian Dozier (R) SS
6. Chris Parmelee (L) 1B
7. Erik Komatsu (L) RF
8. Alexi Casilla (S) 2B
9. Jamey Carroll (R) 3B

Re-Visiting Two Frustrating Trades

2012-05-15T13:30:26Z

Quick show of hands: Who had Scott Diamond as the Twins leader for WAR among pitchers through the season's first six weeks? Easy enough to predict, right?

In what's been a brutal season thus far, Diamond has provided us with at least s fleeting breath of fresh air. Whether or not you're a believer in his ability to maintain success at the Major League level, it looks like the Twins can at the very least break even on the trade they made with the Braves to retain Diamond. That's a lot better than a lot of people thought at the time of the deal.

The Twins sent Billy Bullock to Atlanta to retain Diamond. Bullock, the Twins second-rounder in 2009, was widely considered to be the organization's top power arm prospect. The trade was frustrating on a number of levels. Then-GM Bill Smith had cited a desire for power arms when he traded J.J. Hardy for Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobsen, and then flipped the system's best one for a finesse lefty. The Twins could have kept Diamond for nothing by just giving him a roster spot for the entirety of the 2011 season, but optioned him to Triple-A in favor of guys like Jeff Manship. Manship pitched 3.1 innings before being sent down.

All of that was frustrating. But, just over a year later, it doesn't seem to matter. Bullock has been largely terrible for the Braves' top minor league affiliates. In 69.1 innings of work, he's 53 batters (including 19 in 19.2 this season) and also hit 10 men. Combined with his hits, he's allowed 35 percent of the batters he's faced to reach base. The 14+ K/9 he showed the Twins in Double-A has dropped to 10.6 overall, and just 7.3 thus far in 2012.

All told, the 14 brilliant innings Diamond has turned in so far this year may end up being more impressive than anything Bullock does if he can't corral the walks. I'm not rooting against the guy, but it'd be difficult to stomach if Bullock had developed (or does develop) into Craig Kimbrel 2.0.

Meanwhile, as much as we'd all just like to put the Johan Santana trade to bed, Deolis Guerra doesn't want to let us. He's struck out 25 hitters through 23.2 innings while walking only five between Double-A and Triple-A. Guerra's 1.14 ERA is likely a mirage, but he had an under-the-radar 3.72 FIP at Double-A in 2011. He's continued to strike batters out at a prolific rate while limiting the free passes since the beginning of 2011. There's hope yet that he could become a Major League contributor, perhaps even a high-leverage arm to pitch late in games for this team. While that's not much compensation for an elite starting pitcher, as fans Twins fans we know it only takes one desperate general manager to overpay for 25 innings of that bullpen arm he so desperately feels he needs. Maybe someday everything will balance out, and the Twins will get a team's No. 3 prospect in exchange for a few months of Guerra

I'd imagine at some point this season, we see Guerra in a Twins uniform. Who knows? He may even come in and take the ball from Diamond in the eighth inning following another solid performance, and for a really brief moment, relieve some frustration by providing a bright spot in an otherwise maddening season. It's not much to hang your hat on, but when the season's gone as it has so far, I'll take all of the positives, silver linings, and small victories I can get.

Twins Drop Series Opener to the Tribe 5-4.

2012-05-15T03:23:53Z

Well, that was fun for a minute.

Tonight's game started otut swimmingly enough for Carl Pavano as he started us off with three scoreless innings. The offense even caught a break, as Darin Mastroianni scored on a passed ball. But that would be it until the late innings. Pavano's luck also ran out, as he gave up a ground rule double to Asdrubal Cabrera, which moved Jason Kipnis to third. Kipnis would come around to score on Travis Hafner's ground ball to Mauer, and Cabrera would also score on Carlos Santana's sacrifice fly to left field. In the very next inning, Pavano would give up a double to Jose Lopez, and a home run to Casey Kotchman. At this point, the Indians were up 4-1. And that seemed like it was the game. Until the 8th inning.

It started very innocently. Denard Span walked, and Brian Dozier flew out after battling Indians reliever, Vinnie Pestano for 8 pitches. Up came Mauer, who forced Pestano to use 7 pitches before finally retiring him. Then came the thunder, so to speak. Josh Willingham came up, and promptly doubled home Span, who had stolen second on Mauer's strike out. Manny Acta came out replace Pestano with Nick Hagadone, who threw two balls to Doumit, before delivering a strike. A strike that Ryan Doumit sent 401 feet over the left field wall. We had a tied game!

But, again, in the very next inning, Matt Capps came in, and he gave up a single to Kotchman, who was ran for by Lou Marson. Capps threw a wild pitch to move him to second, and Shin-Soo Choo singled him home. 5-1 would be the final score, as Chris Perez picks up what had to be the easiest save of his career. He threw 12 pitches, and 7 of them were to Jamey Carroll.

Notes: Chris Parmelee looks so lost right now.

Studs and Duds after the jump.

Studs: Josh Willingham, Ryan Doumit, and Denard Span. All for their offensive prowess, and Brian Dozier for his web gem play tonight. Francisco Liriano.

Duds: Joe Mauer 0-4 with 5 men left on base. Matt Capps, Drew Butera, and Trevor Plouffe.

It could've been worse tonight, but it could've, and should've been much better. Good night! And remember, it's a day game tomorrow!

Game 35: Indians @ Twins

2012-05-14T22:50:42Z

TV: FS North

Radio: 1500 ESPN TRN

First Pitch: 7:10 PM

Know Thine Enemy: Let's Go Tribe!

Lots of cool things going on prior to tonight’s tilt with the Cleveland Indians. Firstly, Carl Pavano is pitching through pain, as per Mackey. Pavano did have an MRI, which showed no structural damage, which is a good thing.

and perhaps more importantly, Justin Morneau is taking live BP and is apparently destroying everything. Morneau is able to come off the DL on Wednesday, if he will or not has yet to be decided. And in case you didn’t see, Trevor Plouffe shaved off his hair after the Mother’s Day game, to donate. His mother, Diane is a breast cancer survivor. Twins pitchers are also taking BP, and apparently, Rhett Bollinger is impressed with the power of Jason Marquis. I would like to see him DH sometime this year.

Lineups after the jump!

TWINS

Span CF

Dozier SS

Mauer 1B

Willingham LF

Doumit DH

Plouffe 3B

Mastroianni RF

Butera C

Carroll SS

Pavano P

INDIANS

Choo RF

Kipnis 2B

Cabrera SS

Hafner DH

Santana C

Brantley CF

Lopez 3B

Duncan LF

Gomez P

Enjoy the game everybody!