Mid Season Grades: Offense

With a series of bad loses to the Tigers and Rangers, the Twins closed out the first half of 2012 on a low note. The team currently sits at 36-49, and is last place in the AL Central, 11 games back of the first place White Sox.

On a whole, we could easily grade this squad as a ‘D’. The 2012 Twins are underachieving their true potential. We’ve seen flashes of a talented baseball team, but most games this season have seen a team that simply can’t put all the pieces together to earn a win.

Since this is the half way point of the 2012 MLB season, I thought we’d take a moment to look back at the opening day roster and grade how each player’s season has gone so far.

Position Players:

C: Joe Mauer

Season Stats: .326 AVG / .865 OPS / 5 HR / 41 RBI

Mauer has bounced back from a disastrous 2011 campaign that saw him miss half of the season. Outside of a brief 5 game stretch where he sat out due to a strained hamstring and knee bruise, Mauer has remained healthy in 2012. As such, he’s appeared in 77 games and is only 11 plate appearances shy of his 2011 total. Mauer has been the player the Twins expect him to be – he gets on base, drives in runs and is a solid defensive player at both 1B and C.

Mid-Season Grade: A

1B: Chris Parmelee

Season Stats: .194 AVG / .443 OBP / 2HR / 14 RBI

Parmelee hit the ball well in spring training and forced his way on to the roster due to his great early season play. With the jury still out on Justin Morneau, Parmelee was tabbed to be the full time 1B while Morneau was set to DH. Morneau found that he was more comfortable at 1B and Doumit was a better DH. After a trial in the outfield, Parmelee was relegated to the bench. After being sent to AAA in May, Parmelee crushed the ball and earned another promotion. Ron Gardenhire rewarded him by…letting him rot on the bench. Parmelee was sent back to AAA prior to the Rangers series, supposedly to gain more playing time. Parmelee has potential, but he’s not getting opportunities with the club as of yet.

Mid-Season Grade: C-

2B: Alexi Casilla

Season Stats: .236 AVG / .273 OBP / 0 HR / 14 RBI

Casilla was tabbed to be the starting 2B by default coming into the regular season. After a slow start, the Twins decided to give Brian Dozier, who had played well in spring training, a chance at playing everyday in the big leagues. Dozier has been shaky, but solid enough to keep the SS job. Meanwhile, Jamey Carroll has been reliable and relatively error free – relegating Casilla to a platoon / bench job. With numbers like Casilla currently has, and given that he’s no longer an everyday starter, you’d have to think Casilla is disappointed with how this season has progressed.

Mid-Season Grade: D

3B: Danny Valencia

Season Stats:  .190 AVG / .204 OBP / 1 HR / 11 RBI

Valencia was given the starting 3B gig out of desperation. The Twins didn’t have anyone else who could cover that position and Valencia’s shaky defense was tolerable so long as he kept swinging a decent bat. That decent bat never came around, however, as Valencia struggled at the plate so mightily that the Twins sent him down to AAA in May so he could work on his swing. At the time, it looked like Valencia would get a week or two in AAA before being recalled. The team worked with a platoon of Jamey Carroll, Alexi Casilla and Brian Dozier at 3B as a temporary fix. It wasn’t until Trevor Plouffe was moved to 3B that Valencia’s fate was sealed. Plouffe’s bat became red hot and his defense was solid, relegating Valencia to AAA purgatory.

Mid-Season Grade: F

SS: Jamey Carroll

Season Stats: .234 AVG / .318 OBP / 0 HR / 25 RBI

Carroll was signed as a solution to the Tsuyoshi Nishioka problem. Essentially, Carroll was a short term solution at shortstop until the team could trade for / sign / develop their own SS. Funny thing is – Carroll has been outstanding holding down the middle infield for the Twins. His great plate disciple allows him to reach base on a regular basis and his solid defense has fixed one of the most glaring errors of the 2011 Twins. While he’s more of a 2B now than a SS, Carroll has been a bright spot for the Twins this season.

Mid-Season Grade: B

LF: Josh Willingham

Season Stats: .261 AVG / .376 OBP / 19 HR / 60 RBI

Willingham had a tough task coming into 2012. He had to fill the shoes of the fan favorite Michael Cuddyer – a task that he has lived up to and possibly even surpassed. Willingham is built to hit at Target Field, with a short porch in left field giving Willingham a frequent opportunity to smash home runs into the seats.  Willingham’s defense is nothing to write home about, but it certainly is better than anything Delmon Young was putting out there last season. With a reasonable, team friendly contract and a likeable attitude, Twins fans have adopted Willingham as an instant fan favorite.

Mid-Season Grade: A

CF: Denard Span

Season Stats: .270 AVG / .334 OBP / 3 HR / 24 RBI

Span, much like Mauer, has had a much improved 2012 in comparison to 2011. Span only appeared in 70 games in 2011, a mark he has already surpassed by the mid point of 2012. As far as table setters go, the Twins have a valuable one in Span. He hits for average, draws walks and is a threat to steal once he’s on the base path. In fact, his value is so high that he could be one of the pieces the Twins trade away in the coming weeks. As a Twin, Span has been solid this season.

Mid-Season Grade: B

RF: Trevor Ploufee

Season Stats: .253 AVG / .325 OBP / 19 HR / 36 RBI

It’s almost comical to look back now and see the Twins trying Plouffe in the outfield. You can understand their thought process, but it was one of those ideas that simply make you shake your head. Plouffe struggled mightily in the outfield, barely hitting his weight in the first few months of the season. At one point, Plouffe looked like he was headed for the DFA list. He was given one last chance, a fill in position for Danny Valencia at 3B. That’s when everything changed. From mid June through the All-Star break, Plouffe has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. He’s tied for the team lead in home runs, has played very solid defense at 3B and is one of the more dangerous batters in the Twins lineup. From off the team, to one of the best bats on the team – Plouffe’s 2012 has been eventful.

Mid-Season Grade: B

DH: Justin Morneau

Season Stats: .246 AVG / .312 OBP / 11 HR / 38 RBI

Morneau’s health was a large concern entering 2012 given that he had only been able to play in 81 games in 2010 and 69 in 2011 due to concussion and wrist / back problems. So far, Morneau’s 2012 has been major injury free. He’s played in 65 games and has quickly regained the power that he was famous for in his prime. While he has struggled against left handed pitching this season, Morneau had made some adjustments in the final two weeks of the season that saw him hitting southpaws slightly better. He’s a possible trade candidate for the Twins – and that’s only because of the solid season he’s had so far.

Mid-Season Grade: B-

Bench:

Ryan Doumit

Season Stats: .286 AVG / .343 OBP / 7 HR / 36 RBI

Doumit was signed to a 1 year deal and look to be emergency depth for Mauer while (hopefully) putting up numbers similar to the departing Jason Kubel’s. Doumit has flourished with the Twins, acting as a respectable catcher and reliable DH. He’s also stayed healthy, appearing in 67 games so far this season, which is only 10 shy of his total for 2011 with Pittsburgh. The Twins have resigned Doumit to a 2 year extension, so it looks like the man some fans have lovingly nicknamed “The Butcher” is here to stay.

Mid-Season Grade: B

Ben Revere:

Season Stats: .316 AVG / .350 OBP / 0 HR / 11 RBI / 18 Steals

Revere looked to be the odd man out at the beginning of 2012. He didn’t see much playing time before being sent to AAA. He was called up briefly in May, played well, and then was immediately demoted once again. When he was called up a second time, and given a chance to start everyday in RF, he made sure the opportunity was going to stick. Revere has been one of the best and most consistent hitters on the team. When he does reach base, Revere becomes a stealing machine. He’s swiped 18 bags so far this season and his defensive range is something to behold. He might have a weak arm, and he’ll never hit for power, but with his other intangibles, Revere is a solid player.

Mid-Season Grade: B+

Luke Hughes

Designated for assignment in May. No longer in the Twins system.

Mid-Season Grade: F

Sean Burroughs

Designated for assignment in May. In AAA Rochester.

Mid-Season Grade: F

In Season Promotions:

While these players were not on the opening day roster, they have been called up or on the current roster long enough to earn a mid-season grade.

Brian Dozier

Season Stats: .242 AVG / .267 OBP / 3 HR / 22 RBI

Dozier looks like the Twins’ future shortstop and has played relatively well since being called up in May. His bat has cooled since being promoted, which is to be expected with any young player, but he still has the potential to be a scrappy singles hitter. His defense needs work, but will likely improve with experience. With very few better options, the Twins are simply letting Dozier learn on the job. He’s not perfect now, but there’s potential there for the coming seasons.

Mid-Season Grade: C

Darin Mastroianni

Season Stats: .269 AVG / .355 OBP / 1 HR / 8 RBI / 9 Steals

Mastroianni has been an ideal 4^th outfielder for the Twins this season. His offense is solid and his defense is above average. His speed, however, is what makes him truly dangerous. Once Mastroianni reaches base, teams have to be careful not to ignore him or he’ll quickly steal his way to third. If trade deadline moves see Denard Span or Josh Willingham depart Minnesota, Mastroianni will step into an everyday starting role. It’s only because the Twins’ outfield is so loaded that he is not an everyday starter already. Because of his 4^th outfielder status, you have to drop his grade slightly – but expect big things from Mastroianni in the future.

Mid-Season Grade: C+

When you break it down, the Twins’ roster has:

2 A’s

6 B’s

3 C’s

1 D

3 F’s

It’s pretty clear, it’s a roster with two nice pieces, 9 solid players and 4 disastrous players. All things considered, this offense isn’t too bad. Most teams would kill to 11 ‘solid’ guys on their offense. So, why is this team struggling along on the bottom of the AL Central?

The pitching.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the pitching grades – and you can imagine just how those are going to look. Somebody’s parents are gonna get a phone call after tomorrow’s report card…

Twins win 5th straight, Verlander stops the streak

The Twins extended their winning streak to 5 with an 8-6 victory over the Tigers on Tuesday night, but ran into Justin Verlander on Wednesday night and dropped 5-1 decision, ending their streak. We’ll look into both games in some quick recaps below.

Tuesday: Twins 8 – Tigers 6

WP: Gray  LP: Villarreal

Duane Below made his starting debut for the Tigers on Tuesday night and the Twins’ offense made sure it was going to be a rough one. Below lasted only 2.2 innings yet still managed to yield 5 hits and 5 runs, although only 1 of those runs was actually earned.

In fact, the Tigers’ defense may have been the best player on the Twins offense, committing two key errors that allowed innings to continue. The most painful error occurred in the 3^rd inning off of a Joe Mauer ground ball. Ramon Santiago misplayed the ball, allowing Mauer to reach on what should have been an easy – inning ending – out.

Josh Willingham, who is in a private home run contest with Trevor Plouffe, took advantage of the situation by blasting a 2 run home run (his 18^th – tying Plouffe) and giving the Twins a 4-3 lead.

After a Justin Morneau single, Below was pulled for Jose Ortega. Trevor Plouffe, not to be outdone by Willingham’s homer, decided he needed to hit a 2 run shot as well. Plouffe’s 19^th home run this season put the Twins up 6-3 and they looked to be in control of the game.

Unfortunately, Nick Blackburn was on the mound for the Twins and he was less than effective (once again). The Tigers homered twice off of Blackburn in the 4^th to tie the game at 6. Thankfully, the Twins bullpen took things over in the 5^th inning and managed to hold the Tigers scoreless the rest of the way. Jeff Gray, Kyle Waldrop, Tyler Robinson and Glen Perkins combined to close out the game without allowing another run.

The Twins offense meanwhile pushed across 1 run in the 7^th on a Ryan Doumit sac-fly (following a double by Mauer and Willingham) and Joe Mauer added an insurance run in the 9^th with a solo shot to left field to make the score 8-6. Perkins shut the door in the 9^th, pushing the Twins to win #5 in a row.

Wednesday: Tigers 5 – Twins 1

WP: Verlander  LP:  Duensing

Brian Duensing had his best start of the year on Wednesday night, holding the Tigers to 4 hits and 2 runs in 4.1 innings of work. Duensing was pulled from the game in the 5^th due to injury after a Alex Avila ground ball struck Duensing in the leg. Duensing looks to be okay, suffering what the team is simply calling a bruise. After seeing Andy Pettite fracture his fibula earlier this season, many Twins fans expected the worst when Duensing hit the ground in pain. Thankfully it looks like Duensing will be okay for his next start.

Kyle Waldrop entered in relief of Duensing and pitched a solid 1.2 innings allowing only 3 hits and one run to score. Cole De Vries relieved Waldrop and finished off the games’ last 2 innings by allowing 3 hits and 2 more runs to score.

The Twins’ offense was stymied by Justin Verlander, who threw his 5^th complete game of the year and picked up his 9^th win. Outside of a Chris Parmelee blast in the 5^th inning (he crushed the ball to right field), the Twins offense simply couldn’t get anything going.

Movers and Shakers:

Following another disastrous start, the Twins decided that Nick Blackburn needed some time in the minors, demoting him on Wednesday while calling up Casey Fien.

Blackburn has been largely ineffective this season, posting an 8.10 ERA and a 4-5 record in 13 starts. Clearly something is wrong with Blackburn’s mechanics or delivery as he has struggled greatly since June of 2011. During that 13 month span, Blackburn has an ERA of 7.61. In his first 15 starts of 2011, Blackburn’s ERA was a respectable 3.15 – a clear indicator that something has changed with the veteran right hander.

The Twin hope that by spending some time in AAA, Blackburn will be able to find and fix whatever that change is; even with as devastated as this starting pitching staff has been, there’s still no room for players to perform as poorly as Blackburn has been this season.

Casey Fien, meanwhile, comes up to Minnesota after posting a 4.30 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 14 walks in 46 innings of work with Rochester. This isn’t Fien’s first big league appearance; he worked 14 innings for the Tigers between 2009 and 2010. During that span, Fien posted an ERA of 8.36, proving him to be something of an AAAA pitcher. He has been throwing well in the minors lately, and with the state of the Twins’ starting rotation, that simple fact is enough to get you a shot at the big leagues.

Looking Forward:

The Twins close out the series in Detorit tonight with Scott Diamond (7-3 2.63 ERA) taking the mound against Rick Porcello (6-5 4.35 ERA). Following that, the Twins travel to Texas for 3 games with the Rangers before the All-Star break.

Twins Top Tigers (G,B,U Recap)

The Good: The Twins extended their winning streak to 4 games with a 6-4 win over the Tigers in Detroit. This is only the 2^nd time this season the Twins have won 4 straight games. Liam Hendriks took the mound for the Twins and look sharp for the first 4 innings. Hendriks still wasn’t at his best, he struggled with control early and was allowing the Tigers to reach base – but he managed his situations and kept the Tigers to 1 run on 3 hits through the first 4 innings. Given the state of the rotation and Hendriks last few starts, a strong start to the ballgame is a great sign.

The Twins offense also deserves a mention as they got after Doug Fister early and often. Ryan Doumit was the star of the show, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances. Ben Revere was 2 for 4 and accounted for 2 of the Twins 6 runs. Joe Mauer, Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe also had nice nights at the plate, helping the Twins push across runs early and often.

After going stagnant during the end of interleague play and against the White Sox, the Twins offense has now, once again, become red hot. They’ve scored 28 runs in their past 4 games.

The Bad: Liam Hendriks 5^th inning was bad, very bad. Hendriks started the inning by battling Austin Jackson in an elongated at bat, working the count full before giving up a single to left field.

Hendriks seemed to unravel after this at bat – much like Bruce Chen did with the Royals on Sunday after Jamey Carroll fought off 11 pitches to earn a walk. Henriks quickly walked Quintin Berry before giving up a double to Miguel Cabrera. Prince Fielder was walked after that and Hendriks’ night was over.

After starting strong, Hendriks 5^th inning line was 0 outs, 2 hits, 2 walks and 2 earned runs. Anthony Swarzak gave up one more of Henriks’ runners, bumping his total to 3 earned runs in the 5^th. 4.0 innings of solid work were nearly unraveled by one very bad inning. I’m not sure why Hendriks seems to give up innings like this with each start. It can likely be chalked up to inexperience and youth – and as Hendriks develops he may learn what is going wrong in these situations to prevent them from happening again. For this season, however, fans have to hold their breath with each inning Hendriks pitches – hoping that this isn’t the inning he implodes.

The Ugly: Doug Fister’s final line: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO  The Twins got to Fister early and made him pay for leaving the ball over the plate. The Twins seem to have Fister’s number as they are one of the few teams that knock him around the diamond almost on command. Fister’s 1-6 record doesn’t reflect this, but he has been one of the better pitchers for the Tigers this season – for whatever reason, that success does not translate when he pitches against Minnesota.

In this case, last night’s “ugly” was very good for the Twins.

Looking Forward:

Nick Blackburn (4-5 7.45 ERA) takes the mound tonight for the Twins against Duane Below (2-1, 2.70 ERA) in his first start of the season. Below has performed well for the Tigers this year out of the bullpen, but hopefully the Twins will be able to get to him as he fatigues in the middle innings.

Injury News:

Matt Capps’ rehab effort seems to be progressing nicely. The Twins have indicated that Capps will likely make a few rehab appearances in Fort Meyers during the All-Star break and could rejoin the team as early as July 13^th. Here’s hoping Capps comes back healthy and ready to throw – the Twins need him to be 100% by the end of July as his value for the team is in the potential prospects he’ll bring in a trade.

Accolades:

Congratulations to Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire on career win 900 last night.

Non Twins Post: Old School VS New School

On Sunday, Major League Baseball announced the starting and reserve players for the 2012 All-Star Game to be played in Kansas City. The list was populated with a multitude of Rangers and Yankees in the AL and Giants and Nationals in the NL. The other ‘usual’ suspects are on the team as well, including Minnesota’s own Joe Mauer.

While there are always some snubs, some questionable selections and some downright head scratchers (how did Brandon Crawford ALMOST make it into the game?) there really wasn’t anything too exciting about the final roster – it mostly consists of the guys you’d expect to be on the team. Don’t mistake that for a complaint – it’s not – but in terms of excitement, you’d have better luck elsewhere.

MLB has a little runoff after the AL & NL teams are selected called the “Final Vote”. This process pits 5 players from each league who almost made the All-Star game against each other in a fan vote.

This twist is a nice addition to the game and usually makes for a good talking point in the days leading up to the game – but this year has an extra special twist that’s worth examining a little more.

On the NL side, two interesting players are squaring off in a battle that reveals which type of baseball fan you really are.

In all fairness, Michael Bourne, David Freese, Aaron Hill, Chipper Jones & Bryce Harper are all in the ‘Final Vote’ for the NL side, but it feels like it’s a two way runoff of Harper vs. Jones.

Chipper Jones announced prior to the 2012 season that this would be his last year. Jones has been on an elongated ‘farewell tour’ of sorts as he travels across the country this year, receiving appreciative ovations from opposing fans and taking in (well deserved) accolades. After Jones retires, he’ll have five short years to wait before he’s inducted into the Hall Of Fame – it’s not a question, it’s almost a fact at this point in time.

Jones’ numbers this year have been solid. He’s hitting a respectable .292 with 6 home runs, 29 RBI and a .830 OPS. They’re not elite numbers – and if Jones wasn’t on his farewell tour, they likely wouldn’t be enough to make the All-Star Game. However, they are good enough to let fans look the other way and vote Chipper in “one last time”.

On the other hand you have Bryce Harper, the 19 year old phenomenon who is taking Major League Baseball by storm. Harper is the definition of must see TV, his hustle and energy on the field are fun to watch – not too mention, this kid is pretty good.

Harper’s numbers this season are almost dead even with Jones. .274 batting average, 8 home runs, 22 RBI and an .819 OPS. Harper gained a great deal of votes simply because he’s the young future of baseball. He’s a player you want to see – so fans are willing to look past his ‘good but not great’ numbers and try to put him in the game.

There in lies the divide. Old school baseball fans want to see Chipper get one last call for the All-Star game. Nostalgia and great moments run these fans perceptions and they feel like old timers like Jones deserve their final bow on the stage.

The new age fan looks at Bryce Harper and sees the future of baseball. Young superstar Mike Trout made the AL squad, and the new age fans would love to see his rookie NL counterpart make the game as well. Harper is the future, he’s fun to watch and fans want to watch him. Put him in the game.

Personally, I’m voting for Bryce Harper because I enjoy watching exciting players at the All-Star Game. I have nothing on Chipper Jones, he’s had a great career and deserves his swan song as he walks away from the game. That being said, given a choice between watching a guy fade into the background or watching a new star burst on the scene, I’m taking the star.

Lost in all of this is Michael Bourne, who is actually have the best season of any of the four nominations. Bourne his hitting .306 with 7 home runs, 28 RBI and an OPS of .787. When you factor in Bourne’s outstanding defense, he actually should be the clear favorite but due to the high profile vote between old-school and new-school, he’ll likely lose out.

You can cast your Jones vs. Harper vote (and for 1 of the AL players – Jonathan Broxton, Yu Darvish, Ernesto Frieri, Jason Hammel and Jake Peavy) at mlb.com/vote. Voting is open until July 5^th.

Twins Win 3 of 4

The Twins finished their final homestand of the first half of this season by topping the Royals in an offensive slugfest. Sunday’s final score ended up being a little closer than it needed to be, thanks to some shaky pitching from Glen Perkins, but the Twins 10-8 victory won the series against Royals, and allowed them to finish their 7 game homestand with a 4-3 record.

Friday: Brian Duensing  VS Luis Mendoza

Royals 4 : Twins 3

WP: Mendoza   LP: Duensing

Brian Duensing once again took a spot start to aid the Twins’ beleaguered rotation. Immediately from the first pitch, you could see that Duensing was struggling with location. He wasn’t missing the zone – quite the opposite in fact, it looked like he was hitting too much of the zone – and the Royals made him pay. Duensing lasted a brief 4.0 innings, giving up 8 hits, 3 earned runs and only striking out 1.

On the opposite side of the coin was Luis Mendoza, who had complete control of his full repertoire of pitches and was simply shutting down the Twins offense. Mendoza held the Twins to 5 hits and 1 earned run over 8 innings of work and left the game in the 9^th holding a 4-1 lead.

The Twins tried to make it interesting in the bottom of the 9^th off of Royals closer Jonathan Broxton. Denard Span started the inning with a walk and was advanced to 2^nd off of Ben Revere single. Joe Mauer then doubled to plate Span and advance Revere to 3^rd. Josh Willingham grounded out – scoring Revere and putting the Twins within one run. After Justin Morneau’s flyout to advance Mauer to third, hot hitting Trevor Plouffe stepped up with a chance to tie the game – to no avail, however, as Plouffe popped a ball into foul territory and ended the rally.

Saturday: Scott Diamond VS Jonathan Sanchez

Twins 7 : Royals 2

WP: Diamond   LP: Sanchez

Scott Diamond continues to be the Twins best starter this season. Saturday’s early game saw Diamond go 8.0 innings, holding the Royals to 6 hits and 2 earned runs. Diamond’s progression this season has been impressive – he has improved his groundball rate to around 62%, up from 46% last season. Simply put, 6/10 balls that are put in play against Diamond are on the ground and are usually easy outs. If he can continue to show solid command and maintain that high of a ground ball rate – Diamond will be the Twins #1 starter for years to come.

Much like Friday’s game, the opposing pitcher was the complete opposite of the Twins starter. Thankfully, this meant that Jonathan Sanchez was going to have a poor game. Sanchez struggled with his control early and often, giving up 6 walks and 10 hits over 4.1 innings. Adding to the pain was Sanchez’s failure to keep an eye on the Twins base runners who tallied up 5 steals against the Royals (Casilla had 2, Span, Mastroianni and Dozier each had 1).

The Twins offense finally woke from their long slumber and pushed across 7 runs. Trevor Plouffe was the star of the show, pushing across an RBI on a double in the 3^rd, as well as blasting a solo homer in the 8^th.

Saturday: (Game 2) Cole DeVries VS Luke Hochevar

Twins 5 : Royals 1

WP: DeVries   LP: Hochevar

The Twins took advantage of the newly created 26 man rule, which allows a team playing in a double header to call up one additional player without having to send another player down. In need of a starter, the Twins called up Cole DeVries – who was demoted from the rotation due to inconsistent pitching just a few weeks ago.

DeVries proved the move to be a wise one, however, pitching 6.0 innings holding the Royals to 5 hits and 1 earned run. DeVries pitched well enough to cause some Twins’ writers (and fans) to ask who would get sent down following the game – Nick Blackburn (who was blown up in his previous start) or DeVries? Unfortunately for DeVries, his solid outing was enough to earn his 2^nd major league win – but not enough to keep his roster spot – the Twins sent him back to Rochester immediately following the game.

Continuing the trend of the first two games, the opposing starter was exactly the opposite of the Twins starter. Hochevar, who had been the Royals hottest starter, was knocked around the field by the Twins offense. Hochevar lasted 6.0 innings, giving up 8 hits and 5 earned runs.

Josh Wilingham and Trevor Plouffe have entered their own private home run contest – each vying to be the team’s home run leader. Willingham pulled even with Plouffe’s 16 home runs by blasting a 2 run shot in the first inning to put the Twins ahead early.

Chris Parmelee (who FINALLY got some playing time!) absolutely crushed his first home run of the year (into Target Plaza) to put the Twins up 3-1 in the 2^nd, and Joe Mauer (!) got just enough of a ball hit to left field to join the home run party in the 3^rd, putting the Twins up 4-1. A Mastroianni single in the 6^th would add the final run and the Twins would cruise to an easy 5-1 win and a double header sweep.

In 3 previous doubleheaders, the Twins had been swept each time – the day / night sweep of the Royals finally put an end to that dubious streak.

Sunday: Francisco Liriano VS Bruce Chen

Twins 10 : Royals 8

WP: Gray  LP: Chen

The stars were aligned on Sunday for the Royals. The Twins most inconsistent pitcher was on the mound and was not throwing his best stuff. Conversely, Bruce Chen – who seems to be Twins kryptonite, was pitching an absolute gem.

By the time the Royals chased Liriano from the game in the 6th, they had taken a 3-1 lead that looked to be safe behind Chen’s dominate outing. Jeff Gray entered in relief of Liriano and promptly allowed both inherited runners to score. At 5-1, the Twins looked to be buried behind an insurmountable lead.

Baseball’s a funny game though. With the Twins down 5-1 and Bruce Chen throwing the lights out – you could have easily called this game over and moved on to something else to fill your Sunday afternoon. If you did – you would have missed the Twins suddenly surging back to life.

The bottom of the 6^th started with a Brian Dozier triple. Span scored Dozier on a sac-bunt to close the gap to 5-2. Jamey Carroll then fought an epic battle with Chen, forcing him to throw 11 pitches before eventually drawing a walk. This protracted faceoff must have broken Chen, as the wheels absolutely fell off for the Royals after this at bat.

Joe Mauer sharply singled to advance Carroll to 2^nd, brining Josh Willingham to the plate. Willingham decided that it was time to take the home run lead back from Trevor Plouffe (who hit his 17th homer in the 3^rd to tie the game) and blasted a 3 run shot to left center field that tied the game.

After a Justin Morneau strikeout, Trevor Plouffe stepped up and took the home run lead right back from Willingham, launching his 18^th homer of the season to the left field bleachers.

The Twins pushed across another run in the 7^th on a Denard Span single and 3 more in the 8^th on a Drew Butera home run to left field. (You know you’re having a bad day when Drew Butera nails a 3-run home run…sorry Royals fans).

Butera’s blast originally looked like extra padding on an easy Twins win – but ended up being needed insurance as the Royals tagged Glen Perkins for 3 (2 out) runs in the top of the 9^th. Perkins rallied, however, and earned the final out – sealing the Twins victory.

Looking Forward:

The Twins begin a 4 game series in Detroit, before wrapping up the first half of the season with 3 games in Texas against the Rangers.

Where Things Stand

The team currently sits 12 games under .500, and is somehow only 8.5 back of first place. With this piecemeal rotation, it’s hard to see the Twins making any serious run at the division title, however, leading many experts to speculate the Twins as sellers after the All-Star game.

Twins GM Terry Ryan recently said that no player was “untouchable” on the current roster. That’s a wise statement, given this team’s recent performance. Recent speculation has focused on Glen Perkins and Jared Burton as potential trade targets. Burton has been a pleasant surprise for the Twins this season, pitching 33.0 innings with a 2.73 ERA and 31 strikeouts.

Glen Perkins signed a 3 year contract extension early in the year that looked like a ‘closer in waiting’ type of agreement with the team. With Matt Capps likely to be dealt by the trading deadline and with Perkins’ dominate pitching in 2011, the Twins thought they had their next closer on the roster. However, Perkins’ 2012 numbers have been a little less stellar. While he has not been bad by any stretch – he has been a little more hittable than last season. In 33.2 innings of work, Perkins has a 3.46 ERA and has struck out 41.

Their great numbers lead experts to believe the Twins will shop them come July 31^st – I’m inclined to believe the opposite. The Twins know they likely have their future closer and set-up man already in place. With a roster full of holes and question marks – the Twins bullpen has been one of the few bright spots. I don’t see the team moving these two assets without requiring a hefty haul in return.

Twins Close To Extending Doumit

The Twins are close to signing Ryan Doumit to a two year contract extension, according to Darren Wolfson and ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. The details of the contract have yet to be announced, but it sounds like the deal is essentially done and could be signed as early as this evening.

Doumit was originally signed on a 1 year deal that looked beneficial for both parties. The Twins got a stop gap player to help with their catching depth, and Doumit got a chance to play regularly and show that he can remain healthy for a full season.

Doumit has played well with the Twins this season, hitting .271 with 7 home runs, 32 RBI while keeping an OPS of .775. His bat has added some much needed ‘bite’ to the Twins’ offense. Even more valuable is Doumit’s defense. Doumit is a solid defensive catcher, which allows the Twins to flex Joe Mauer between 1B and DH in order to keep him healthy.

The Twins’ decision on Doumit was going to come down to his willingness to sign a contract extension. If the team felt like he was unwilling to sign a long term deal prior to the trade deadline, they had intended to take offers for him.

Instead, it looks like Doumit intends to stay in Minnesota for at least the next two seasons. In a season without much to cheer for, the resigning of Doumit gives something for the fans to look forward to in the coming season.

Twins Drop Series To White Sox

The Twins dropped a 12-5 decision to the White Sox yesterday to lose their 4^th series in the last 5 tries. We’ll take a (thankfully) quick look at each contest and then put this series in the rearview mirror.

Tuesday: White Sox 3 – Twins 2 (Losing pitcher: Liam Hendriks)

Liam Hendriks took to the mound Tuesday night and did everything necessary to earn his first big league win. Hendriks went 6.1 innings, giving up only 5 hits and 3 earned runs while striking out 5. After back to back to back to back (dating back to the start of the season) poor outings, it was nice to see Hendriks show the elite stuff he’s been throwing in AAA.

Also worth a ‘hat tip’ is Tyler Robertson’s major league debut. Robinson entered the game in the 7^th and faced 3 batters – all of which he struck out. Striking out the side in your first major league appearance? That deserves some accolades. Hopefully Robinson continues to yield this strikeout ability and will get to hang around the big leagues for a long while.

All of this positive pitching was wasted, however, thanks to the offense’s inability to push across runs in scoring situations. The Twins tacked on two 9^th inning runs that made the game, and overall final score, look better than it really was. Prior to that, the Twins squandered scoring attempts in the 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th and 6^th innings. You can’t leave that many runs on base and expect to win a game. Chalk this one up as yet another game the Twins should have won – but couldn’t get it done when it counted.

Wednesday: White Sox 12 – Twins 5 (Losing pitcher: Nick Blackburn)

You’ll get games like Wednesday’s 12-5 beating every now and again from Nick Blackburn. Sometimes, he’ll take to the mound and look like a dominant pitcher – inducing ground balls and keeping runners off the bases (see: Nick Blackburn’s previous two starts) other times he’ll look like he did yesterday – his pitches stay up in the zone and get smashed all over the yard.

There’s not much else to add about yesterday’s loss. You’ll get these games from a #5 starter like Blackburn (the fact that he’s the Twins’ #3 is irrelevant here…at least that’s what I’m telling myself to feel better).

Looking Forward:

The Twins start a 4 game series with the Royals on Friday that includes a double header on Saturday. Brian Duensing (1-3 3.82 ERA) will get his second start of the year on Friday against Luis Mendoza (2-4 4.95 ERA). Game one Saturday will be Scott Diamond (6-3 2.67 ERA) against Jonathan Sanchez (1-3 6.21 ERA) while game two will feature a yet-to-be-determined Twins starter against Luke Hochevar (5-7 5.07 ERA). The final game of the series on Sunday has Francisco Liriano (2-7 5.30 ERA) facing off with Bruce Chen (7-4 4.53 ERA).

On paper, the Twins should be at an advantage with each of these matchups (outside of Sunday’s game against “Twin killer” Bruce Chen), however, the Royals are coming off of a 3 game sweep of Tampa Bay and have been playing better baseball of late. With the inconsistent offense and pitching, there’s no telling which Twins team will take to the field on any given day.

These Twins / Royals matchups have a little excitement as they are the battle to stay out of last place in a very bad AL Central…so…there’s that.

Developing Market For Liriano?

Yesterday was not a good day to be a New York Yankees fan. The day started with the Yankees putting CC Sabathia on the DL due to a groin strain. It ended with Andy Pettite being lost for 4 to 6 weeks after he took a ground ball off of his leg – and BROKE HIS FIBULA (Insert old man / broken bone joke here – I’m partial to “At his age, he’s lucky it wasn’t a hip!” or “Luckily, he had Life Alert and received medical care quickly”)

This leaves the Yankees desperate for pitching (one could argue they were desperate before – as they had to pull Andy Pettite out of retirement to fill holes in their rotation) and the Twins holding a nice ‘fix’ in Francisco Liriano. This is what we’d like to call a “seller’s market”.

Also potentially in the pitching market are the Texas Rangers, who have had to put 3 starting pitchers on the DL over the past month. Neither situation is ideal for Liriano as the Rangers play in a hitter’s park and Liriano could struggle with the pressure of New York; but with two very high profile teams suddenly in the market for pitching, you’d have to believe the Twins are on the phone and letting them know that Franky is available.

The one downside to this market is that the Twins are not the only sellers. The Cubs, at a major league worst 26-49 are letting it be known that both Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza are available for the right price.

Even the most hardcore Twins fan could admit that both Garza and Dempster are better pitchers (currently) than Liriano. With the Cubs clearly in sell mode, the Twins may need to act fast and move Liriano while the price is at its highest point.

Movers & Shakers

The Twins announced after Wednesday’s game that they were demoting reliever Jeff Manship and calling right handed reliever Kyle Waldrop to the majors. Manship struggled mightly during his brief stint in the big leagues and Wednesday’s 6^th inning effort (5 hits, 3 runs) was likely the final straw for Twins’ management.

Waldrop looked to be a candidate to make the roster out of spring training, but ended up on the DL due to a strained elbow. Waldrop was then optioned to AAA to get his arm strength back and get regular appearances while rehabbing. In 9 appearances with Rochester, Waldrop only yielded 5 walks and struck out 5 all while posting a 1.26 ERA. Waldrop looked lights out in spring training, so he’s likely here to stay as a middle reliever.