Terry Ryan Hands Over the Reigns: A Minnesota Twins Dynasty Report - Page 2

Mike Lowe · 11-12-2013, 05:45 PM

Game 67: Saturday, June 15, 2013
Boxscore
Twins Record: 29-39

Costly errors, lack of offense hinder Twins in loss to Tigers

Just as the headline reads, the Twins commit 2 errors in the first to go down 4-0, but it becomes moot as the team ends up scoring just 1 run to lose to Detroit, 6-1.

Verlander ended up getting hurt in the 6th inning and will miss about 2 weeks.

Mike Lowe · 11-12-2013, 06:04 PM

Game 68: Sunday, June 16, 2013
Boxscore
Twins Record: 30-39

Good News, Bad News: Oswalt dominates Tigers, lost for season with elbow ligament injury

Roy Oswalt pitched his best game as a Minnesota Twin, and it very likely will be his last. Oswalt pitched 7 innings giving up 7 hits, 2 ERs, had 0 walks, and had 2 strikeouts. On his 89th pitch of the game, Oswalt felt discomfort and immediately motioned to the dugout. He was taken out of the game and a day later was diagnosed as having significant damage to a ligament in his pitching elbow. Twins doctors have notified the team that Oswalt will need nearly 14 months for recovery, which will take him beyond the length of his one year contract.

GM Mike Lowe was asked to comment on whether or not Oswalt had thrown his last pitch as a Twin and said, "With Roy's age (36 when his contract expires, and likely 37 before he's healed), it's looking that way. It's too early to speculate completely, and no time table can really be established until Roy and his doctor knows how his injury has healed."

Closer Glen Perkins is also now listed as day-to-day with back spasms that he began experiencing after earning his 14th save of the season, striking out 2 batters in his one inning of work on Sunday's win over Detroit.

Ryan Doumit had a 3-hit game (2 RBIs) to continue his torrid 2013 season and is being rumored to be an All-Star for the American League next month.

Mike Pelfrey has reportedly voiced his desire to rejoin the starting rotation, which with Oswalt's injury may be perfect timing for both him and the Twins.
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Around MLB:
Houston Astros, Mets Agree to Trade: 29-year-old starting pitcher Bud Norris will now be playing for the New York Mets and 20-year-old minor league starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard and 24-year-old minor league starting pitcher Erik Goeddel will be suiting up for the Houston Astros. The trade was announced today at a press conference by club officials.

Over the season Norris has thrown 88 innings and dished out 73 strikeouts with a 6-5 mark and a 4.70 ERA.

Mike Lowe · 11-13-2013, 05:13 PM

Game 69: Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Boxscore
Twins Record: 31-39

Minnesota wins second in a row, Ubaldo Jimenez continues to look strong as Twin

It's the first time since June 2nd that the Minnesota Twins have won 2 games in a row, beating the Chicago White Sox Tuesday for their 2nd consecutive 4-2 victory.

C Joe Mauer had 3 hits (1 2B) and 2 RBIs to lead the Twins offense, and Ryan Doumit had another 2-hit game.

Ubaldo Jimenez continues to pitch well, having gone 7.2 innings, striking out 3, and having 1 walk. It was Liam Hendriks who came on for the save, filling in for the injured Glen Perkins.

Brian Dozier is now 8-8 in stolen base attempts on the season, while Darin Mastroianni swiped his 15th of the year.
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Around MLB:

buffalo_pete · 11-15-2013, 09:27 PM

I'm in the same situation with Morneau in my 2013 season: .308 average, .911 OPS, 15 home runs, and it's only June 23. Right now he's asking for seven years going from $10.9m to $21.1m in 2020(!)

Am I crazy for considering trying to re-sign him? Not for seven years, obviously...

buffalo_pete · 11-17-2013, 10:57 PM

Really enjoying this, Mike, keep 'em coming!

Mike Lowe · 11-18-2013, 12:12 AM

Thanks for chiming in guys! I've kept up simming, but haven't posted.

Here's a quick run down getting us caught up to speed:

I'ts now Saturday June 22nd, and the Twins followed up there most recently posted 2 wins with another 2, to get them their first 4 game winning streak since April 12th.

6-4 win vs White Sox
Big 9th inning rally!

7-6 win vs White Sox
Another thrilling win in the 9th

7-5 loss @ Cleveland

The biggest news for the Twins this week is that our 1st and 4th round picks have broken off negotiations and will reenter the draft. This is a huge blow as aside from my 2nd rounder, these guys were my top choices. I took a chance offering them just a bit below their asking, and they got pissed and walked. Damn! Luckily we have a nice farm system and will at least get a pick for the 1st rounder (although not a #4). These guys were young high school kids, so there are no guarantees they'd pan out.

I'll try and get through the Saturday and Sunday game tonight to get things caught up.

Thanks so much for following!

Mike Lowe · 11-18-2013, 12:34 AM

Twins beat Cleveland 11-5

Twins win again, 8-1 over Indians

Twins, 35-40, have now won 6 out of their last 7 games as the closer by committee role (or just because we keep having huge 9th innings) has worked quite well for Gardenhire.

Clete Thomas and Ubaldo Jimenez have been on a tear, and for the 2nd game in a row the Twins knock 3 2B's in the 9th inning to seal the deal.

Twins are now 8 games out of the Central Division lead, and 8.5 out of the AL Wildcard.

AAA CF Oswaldo Arcia's experimentation with CF will be put on hold for 6 weeks due to a strained oblique. Saturday, Twins 2B Jamie Carroll went down with an injury while running the baes that the Twins are still awaiting word on as to the severity of it. They have not placed Carroll on the DL as of yet. Twins are rumored to have taken a look at recently waived Los Angeles Dodger Skip Schumaker who could be claimed if Carroll's injury keeps him out for an extended period of time.

Mike Lowe · 11-20-2013, 09:49 AM

Game 76: Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Boxscore
Twins Record: 35-41

Twins lose 1-0 in 12 innings to Miami

Monday was an off-day, and apparently so was Tuesday evening for the Minnesota Twins hitters as they muster just 5 hits in 12 innings against Marlins starter Henderson Alvarez. SP Vance Worley had a nice game at least.

I need to make a decision ASAP on whether to claim Schumaker. I think I just might...got nothing to lose (aside from more games). No diagnosis yet on Carroll, and I think today is the last day to claim Schumaker.

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Around MLB:
Albert Pujols hits his 500th career HR
Mets have placed 3B David Wright on the Trading Block (FA after this season and Mets are 16 games out already)
International FA Signing Period is a week away

Mike Lowe · 11-20-2013, 10:51 AM

Carroll is out 6 months, so his career as a Twin is basically over.

Minnesota has put a claim in on Skip Schumaker.

Mike Lowe · 11-20-2013, 11:09 AM

Game 77: Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Boxscore
Twins Record: 35-42

Twins scoreless streak against Marlins hits 21 innings

The Twins were shutout, for the second day in a row against the Miami Marlins, this time 4-0 on the dominant pitching performance by Ricky Nolasco who set a Marlins team record with 12 strikeouts.

The waiver claim on Skip Schumaker was accepted, and Gardenhire has announced that he plans to start him at 2B with Escobar and Dozier splitting time 50/50 at SS.

Next up, the Twins head back to Minneapolis for a 4 game series against the 3rd place Royals (37-40).
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Around MLB:
Tigers' Doug Fister pitches 1-hitter against Angels
White Sox extend Adam Dunn for 2 years
Reds extend Homer Bailey for 2014 season

buffalo_pete · 11-20-2013, 04:19 PM

Brutal.

Mike Lowe · 11-25-2013, 05:26 PM

Game 78: Thursday, June 27, 2013
Boxscore
Twins Record: 36-42

Game 79: Friday, June 28, 2013
Boxscore
Twins Record: 37-42

Game 80: Saturday, June 29, 2013
Boxscore
Twins Record: 37-43

Game 81: Sunday, June 30, 2013
Boxscore
Twins Record: 38-43

Now that we're caught up on some box scores, let's talk about how the extended weekend went for the Twins.

In the 4 game set with the Royals, the Twins won 3 of 4, winning all 3 of their games by just one run, one of which was a 17 inning affair. All three of the wins were done so in walk off fashion, with the aforementioned extra-inning game seeing the Twins score 1 to win in the 17th, another game having 2 scored in the 9th to win, and finally, on Sunday, a 3 run outburst to bring the win home in the 9th. Mix in an 8-0 lose on Saturday, and you have a pretty solid weekend series for the Twins who now share the same record as the Royals and sit tied for 3rd in the AL Central division, 8.5 backs of the White Sox and 8 games back of a Wildcard berth.

With it now being July 1, this is a good time to take a look around at a few things.

Joe Mauer continues to put up MVP numbers, and is a lock to be the AL All-Star starting catcher on July 16th. Take a look for yourself at the league batting statistics, and how many times he appears.

Here are the league pitching leaders. Notice the HR/9 leaders are loaded with Twins. Thanks Target Field!

One thing I noticed while poking around was that the Twins are the only MLB team on pace to have a negative balance in projected budget room. This is something I'd like to address this month with the trade deadline just a few weeks away. Even with a nice string of wins, it's clear to me this team isn't doing much this year, so it's time to clear some money off the books.

Lastly, the International Amateur Free Agent signing period has begun. Here are some screens of the kids:

And the pitchers:

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Around MLB:
July 6th draft pick signing deadline approaching (Twins are done, 2 guys will renenter draft (picks 1 and 4).

Mike Lowe · 11-26-2013, 11:15 AM

Game 82: Monday, July 1, 2013
Boxscore
Twins Record: 39-43

Twins route Yankees, 4th win in 5 games

Justin Morneau and Skip Schumaker each had 3 hits, with Schumaker raising his AL average to .462 since joining the Twins last week, and Scott Diamond pitched 7 strong innings to lead the Twins to an 8-1 victory over the New York Yankees Monday.

The Twins reportedly have begun shopping Justin Morneau who's in the last year of his contract, as well as closer Glen Perkins. Even with the team playing well as of late, The front office feels it's better to deal these guys sooner rather than later to save some more cash, according to a team source.

The Twins have also extended offers to 4 international amateur free agents: SP Paddy Dethridge, 1B Bernardino Fedele, SP Nacho Lopez, and SP Octavio Macias. Not all are expected to sign, but the team is hoping to land either Dethridge for a $3M signing bonus, or the other players as a backup plan. The team said it is unlikely that all 4 players sign.
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Around MLB:

Mike Lowe · 11-26-2013, 04:33 PM

Twins are reportedly working out a deal which would send 1B Justin Morneau to the Texas Rangers. A young arm, possibly for bullpen, coming back to the Twins seems to be the focal point of the deal for Minnesota.

The "win now" Rangers lead the AL West by 4 games over the Los Angeles Angels.

Mike Lowe · 11-27-2013, 10:50 AM

Game 83: Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Boxscore
Twins Record: 39-44

Yankees even series, down Twins 6-1

Mark Teixeria drove in 4 runs, 3 of them coming on a homerun in the 9th to put the game out of reach for the Twins.

Twins pitcher Kevin Correia pitched 6 innings giving up 3 runs, and striking out 6 while walking 2 on 110 pitches, but was hit with the loss.

SS Eduardo Escobar is day-to-day with a thigh muscle strain, Ron Gardenhire mentioned during his post-game press conference.

No more news on the potential Justin Morneau trade, although reports indicate that the Rangers had rejected a previous offer from the Twins. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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Around MLB:

Mike Lowe · 11-27-2013, 11:45 AM

Breaking, Associated Press: Minnesota Twins, Rangers Agree to Trade

Fans in Minnesota woke up this morning to learn that their team had traded 32-year-old first baseman Justin Morneau, 31-year-old closer Glen Perkins and 29-year-old center fielder Clete Thomas to the Texas Rangers. In return, the Twins will receive 22-year-old minor league reliever Joe Ortiz, 27-year-old first baseman Mitch Moreland and 21-year-old minor league starting pitcher Cody Buckel.

This season Morneau is hitting at a .288 pace with 11 home runs, 49 RBIs and has scored 35 times.

This year Moreland is batting .274 with 15 home runs and 43 RBIs. In 75 games he has scored 37 times.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Twins get two guys they liked a lot from Texas plus a replacement 1B, and the Rangers bulk up big time for a playoff run.

First the Rangers: Morneau looks to be a huge upgrade for them over Moreland at 1B, and the Twins even help out by taking Moreland back (plus, we don't really have an option at 1B otherwise). Morneau is now the Rangers new cleanup hitter, so this is an impactful move for them. Perkins has struggled as a closer, but is dominant against lefties (see below). The Rangers had just one lefty in the bullpen (he's since been sent to the minors), and Perkins is slotted now as their lefty setup man. Clete Thomas gives the Rangers some needed depth in the OF, although he was sent to the minors for the time being.

For the Twins, on the surface we swap a 1B and lefty bullpen guy, for another 1B and a lefty bullpen guy. Ortiz is just 22, and will join the MLB club. Moreland, also a lefty, will step right in and fill in for Morneau as he's surprisingly kept pace with Morneau statistically, at a much cheaper rate (he's arbitration eligible at $539k). Moreland will bat 5th in Gardenhire's lineup. Finally, the Twins get 21 year old starting pitcher Cody Buckel, who's always performed well on his ascention to AA ball this year.

The Twins go from being scheduled to end 2013 with a -$1.5M balance, to having a profit of over $6.3M.

Mike Lowe · 11-27-2013, 04:48 PM

I'll post the box score etc. later, but thought it'd be interesting to note that Morneau went 2/2 with 2 HR's and 2 BB's his first game as a Ranger, a game in which Texas won 4-2.

Mitch Moreland had a fielding error, and another ball go over his head (SS error). He went 0-4 with 2 K's as the Twins lost to the Yankees 6-5.

Joe Ortiz took the loss and registered his first blown save of the season after entering the game in the 6th. He pitched 1.2 and gave up 2 ER, striking out 2 and walking 3.

Great trade so far!

buffalo_pete · 11-28-2013, 02:20 AM

Bold!

Mike Lowe · 11-28-2013, 04:04 PM

Game 84: Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Boxscore
Twins Record: 39-45

2 unearned runs, Yankees beat Twins 6-5

Annoying game...comments in previous post. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Around MLB:
Phillies Send Bastardo to St. Louis: The Phillies and Cardinals confirmed this afternoon that a trade had been agreed upon. In the deal, Philadelphia will get 23-year-old minor league right fielder James Ramsey and 21-year-old minor league first baseman Luis Perez, while St. Louis will receive 27-year-old reliever Antonio Bastardo.

For the season Bastardo is 0-and-2 with 3 saves and a 3.45 ERA. He has given up 25 hits in 31.1 innings with 48 strikeouts.

buffalo_pete · 11-28-2013, 04:23 PM

Happy Thanksgiving, Mike! Thanks for keeping this up, this has been great to read!

11-12-2013, 05:45 PM	#21
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Game 67: Saturday, June 15, 2013 Boxscore Twins Record: 29-39 Costly errors, lack of offense hinder Twins in loss to Tigers Just as the headline reads, the Twins commit 2 errors in the first to go down 4-0, but it becomes moot as the team ends up scoring just 1 run to lose to Detroit, 6-1. Verlander ended up getting hurt in the 6th inning and will miss about 2 weeks. Last edited by Mike Lowe; 11-12-2013 at 06:05 PM.

11-12-2013, 06:04 PM	#22
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Game 68: Sunday, June 16, 2013 Boxscore Twins Record: 30-39 Good News, Bad News: Oswalt dominates Tigers, lost for season with elbow ligament injury Roy Oswalt pitched his best game as a Minnesota Twin, and it very likely will be his last. Oswalt pitched 7 innings giving up 7 hits, 2 ERs, had 0 walks, and had 2 strikeouts. On his 89th pitch of the game, Oswalt felt discomfort and immediately motioned to the dugout. He was taken out of the game and a day later was diagnosed as having significant damage to a ligament in his pitching elbow. Twins doctors have notified the team that Oswalt will need nearly 14 months for recovery, which will take him beyond the length of his one year contract. GM Mike Lowe was asked to comment on whether or not Oswalt had thrown his last pitch as a Twin and said, "With Roy's age (36 when his contract expires, and likely 37 before he's healed), it's looking that way. It's too early to speculate completely, and no time table can really be established until Roy and his doctor knows how his injury has healed." Closer Glen Perkins is also now listed as day-to-day with back spasms that he began experiencing after earning his 14th save of the season, striking out 2 batters in his one inning of work on Sunday's win over Detroit. Ryan Doumit had a 3-hit game (2 RBIs) to continue his torrid 2013 season and is being rumored to be an All-Star for the American League next month. Mike Pelfrey has reportedly voiced his desire to rejoin the starting rotation, which with Oswalt's injury may be perfect timing for both him and the Twins. ----------------------------------------- Around MLB: Houston Astros, Mets Agree to Trade: 29-year-old starting pitcher Bud Norris will now be playing for the New York Mets and 20-year-old minor league starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard and 24-year-old minor league starting pitcher Erik Goeddel will be suiting up for the Houston Astros. The trade was announced today at a press conference by club officials. Over the season Norris has thrown 88 innings and dished out 73 strikeouts with a 6-5 mark and a 4.70 ERA. Last edited by Mike Lowe; 11-12-2013 at 06:08 PM.

11-13-2013, 05:13 PM	#23
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Game 69: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 Boxscore Twins Record: 31-39 Minnesota wins second in a row, Ubaldo Jimenez continues to look strong as Twin It's the first time since June 2nd that the Minnesota Twins have won 2 games in a row, beating the Chicago White Sox Tuesday for their 2nd consecutive 4-2 victory. C Joe Mauer had 3 hits (1 2B) and 2 RBIs to lead the Twins offense, and Ryan Doumit had another 2-hit game. Ubaldo Jimenez continues to pitch well, having gone 7.2 innings, striking out 3, and having 1 walk. It was Liam Hendriks who came on for the save, filling in for the injured Glen Perkins. Brian Dozier is now 8-8 in stolen base attempts on the season, while Darin Mastroianni swiped his 15th of the year. ----------------------------------------- Around MLB: Last edited by Mike Lowe; 11-13-2013 at 05:15 PM.

11-18-2013, 12:34 AM	#27
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Twins beat Cleveland 11-5 Twins win again, 8-1 over Indians Twins, 35-40, have now won 6 out of their last 7 games as the closer by committee role (or just because we keep having huge 9th innings) has worked quite well for Gardenhire. Clete Thomas and Ubaldo Jimenez have been on a tear, and for the 2nd game in a row the Twins knock 3 2B's in the 9th inning to seal the deal. Twins are now 8 games out of the Central Division lead, and 8.5 out of the AL Wildcard. AAA CF Oswaldo Arcia's experimentation with CF will be put on hold for 6 weeks due to a strained oblique. Saturday, Twins 2B Jamie Carroll went down with an injury while running the baes that the Twins are still awaiting word on as to the severity of it. They have not placed Carroll on the DL as of yet. Twins are rumored to have taken a look at recently waived Los Angeles Dodger Skip Schumaker who could be claimed if Carroll's injury keeps him out for an extended period of time. Last edited by Mike Lowe; 11-18-2013 at 12:39 AM.

11-20-2013, 11:09 AM	#30
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Game 77: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 Boxscore Twins Record: 35-42 Twins scoreless streak against Marlins hits 21 innings The Twins were shutout, for the second day in a row against the Miami Marlins, this time 4-0 on the dominant pitching performance by Ricky Nolasco who set a Marlins team record with 12 strikeouts. The waiver claim on Skip Schumaker was accepted, and Gardenhire has announced that he plans to start him at 2B with Escobar and Dozier splitting time 50/50 at SS. Next up, the Twins head back to Minneapolis for a 4 game series against the 3rd place Royals (37-40). ----------------------------------------- Around MLB: Tigers' Doug Fister pitches 1-hitter against Angels White Sox extend Adam Dunn for 2 years Reds extend Homer Bailey for 2014 season Last edited by Mike Lowe; 11-20-2013 at 11:10 AM.

11-15-2013, 09:27 PM	#24
buffalo_pete Minors (Single A) Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: The City, MN Posts: 65	I'm in the same situation with Morneau in my 2013 season: .308 average, .911 OPS, 15 home runs, and it's only June 23. Right now he's asking for seven years going from $10.9m to $21.1m in 2020(!) Am I crazy for considering trying to re-sign him? Not for seven years, obviously...

11-17-2013, 10:57 PM	#25
buffalo_pete Minors (Single A) Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: The City, MN Posts: 65	Really enjoying this, Mike, keep 'em coming!

11-18-2013, 12:12 AM	#26
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Thanks for chiming in guys! I've kept up simming, but haven't posted. Here's a quick run down getting us caught up to speed: I'ts now Saturday June 22nd, and the Twins followed up there most recently posted 2 wins with another 2, to get them their first 4 game winning streak since April 12th. 6-4 win vs White Sox Big 9th inning rally! 7-6 win vs White Sox Another thrilling win in the 9th 7-5 loss @ Cleveland The biggest news for the Twins this week is that our 1st and 4th round picks have broken off negotiations and will reenter the draft. This is a huge blow as aside from my 2nd rounder, these guys were my top choices. I took a chance offering them just a bit below their asking, and they got pissed and walked. Damn! Luckily we have a nice farm system and will at least get a pick for the 1st rounder (although not a #4). These guys were young high school kids, so there are no guarantees they'd pan out. I'll try and get through the Saturday and Sunday game tonight to get things caught up. Thanks so much for following!

11-20-2013, 09:49 AM	#28
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Game 76: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 Boxscore Twins Record: 35-41 Twins lose 1-0 in 12 innings to Miami Monday was an off-day, and apparently so was Tuesday evening for the Minnesota Twins hitters as they muster just 5 hits in 12 innings against Marlins starter Henderson Alvarez. SP Vance Worley had a nice game at least. I need to make a decision ASAP on whether to claim Schumaker. I think I just might...got nothing to lose (aside from more games). No diagnosis yet on Carroll, and I think today is the last day to claim Schumaker. ----------------------------------------- Around MLB: Albert Pujols hits his 500th career HR Mets have placed 3B David Wright on the Trading Block (FA after this season and Mets are 16 games out already) International FA Signing Period is a week away

11-20-2013, 10:51 AM	#29
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Carroll is out 6 months, so his career as a Twin is basically over. Minnesota has put a claim in on Skip Schumaker.

11-20-2013, 04:19 PM	#31
buffalo_pete Minors (Single A) Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: The City, MN Posts: 65	Brutal.

11-25-2013, 05:26 PM	#32
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Game 78: Thursday, June 27, 2013 Boxscore Twins Record: 36-42 Game 79: Friday, June 28, 2013 Boxscore Twins Record: 37-42 Game 80: Saturday, June 29, 2013 Boxscore Twins Record: 37-43 Game 81: Sunday, June 30, 2013 Boxscore Twins Record: 38-43 Now that we're caught up on some box scores, let's talk about how the extended weekend went for the Twins. In the 4 game set with the Royals, the Twins won 3 of 4, winning all 3 of their games by just one run, one of which was a 17 inning affair. All three of the wins were done so in walk off fashion, with the aforementioned extra-inning game seeing the Twins score 1 to win in the 17th, another game having 2 scored in the 9th to win, and finally, on Sunday, a 3 run outburst to bring the win home in the 9th. Mix in an 8-0 lose on Saturday, and you have a pretty solid weekend series for the Twins who now share the same record as the Royals and sit tied for 3rd in the AL Central division, 8.5 backs of the White Sox and 8 games back of a Wildcard berth. With it now being July 1, this is a good time to take a look around at a few things. Joe Mauer continues to put up MVP numbers, and is a lock to be the AL All-Star starting catcher on July 16th. Take a look for yourself at the league batting statistics, and how many times he appears. Here are the league pitching leaders. Notice the HR/9 leaders are loaded with Twins. Thanks Target Field! One thing I noticed while poking around was that the Twins are the only MLB team on pace to have a negative balance in projected budget room. This is something I'd like to address this month with the trade deadline just a few weeks away. Even with a nice string of wins, it's clear to me this team isn't doing much this year, so it's time to clear some money off the books. Lastly, the International Amateur Free Agent signing period has begun. Here are some screens of the kids: And the pitchers: ----------------------------------------- Around MLB: July 6th draft pick signing deadline approaching (Twins are done, 2 guys will renenter draft (picks 1 and 4).

11-26-2013, 11:15 AM	#33
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Game 82: Monday, July 1, 2013 Boxscore Twins Record: 39-43 Twins route Yankees, 4th win in 5 games Justin Morneau and Skip Schumaker each had 3 hits, with Schumaker raising his AL average to .462 since joining the Twins last week, and Scott Diamond pitched 7 strong innings to lead the Twins to an 8-1 victory over the New York Yankees Monday. The Twins reportedly have begun shopping Justin Morneau who's in the last year of his contract, as well as closer Glen Perkins. Even with the team playing well as of late, The front office feels it's better to deal these guys sooner rather than later to save some more cash, according to a team source. The Twins have also extended offers to 4 international amateur free agents: SP Paddy Dethridge, 1B Bernardino Fedele, SP Nacho Lopez, and SP Octavio Macias. Not all are expected to sign, but the team is hoping to land either Dethridge for a $3M signing bonus, or the other players as a backup plan. The team said it is unlikely that all 4 players sign. ----------------------------------------- Around MLB:

11-26-2013, 04:33 PM	#34
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Twins are reportedly working out a deal which would send 1B Justin Morneau to the Texas Rangers. A young arm, possibly for bullpen, coming back to the Twins seems to be the focal point of the deal for Minnesota. The "win now" Rangers lead the AL West by 4 games over the Los Angeles Angels. Last edited by Mike Lowe; 11-26-2013 at 04:34 PM.

11-27-2013, 10:50 AM	#35
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Game 83: Tuesday, July 2, 2013 Boxscore Twins Record: 39-44 Yankees even series, down Twins 6-1 Mark Teixeria drove in 4 runs, 3 of them coming on a homerun in the 9th to put the game out of reach for the Twins. Twins pitcher Kevin Correia pitched 6 innings giving up 3 runs, and striking out 6 while walking 2 on 110 pitches, but was hit with the loss. SS Eduardo Escobar is day-to-day with a thigh muscle strain, Ron Gardenhire mentioned during his post-game press conference. No more news on the potential Justin Morneau trade, although reports indicate that the Rangers had rejected a previous offer from the Twins. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ----------------------------------------- Around MLB: Last edited by Mike Lowe; 11-28-2013 at 04:05 PM.

11-27-2013, 11:45 AM	#36
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Breaking, Associated Press: Minnesota Twins, Rangers Agree to Trade Fans in Minnesota woke up this morning to learn that their team had traded 32-year-old first baseman Justin Morneau, 31-year-old closer Glen Perkins and 29-year-old center fielder Clete Thomas to the Texas Rangers. In return, the Twins will receive 22-year-old minor league reliever Joe Ortiz, 27-year-old first baseman Mitch Moreland and 21-year-old minor league starting pitcher Cody Buckel. This season Morneau is hitting at a .288 pace with 11 home runs, 49 RBIs and has scored 35 times. This year Moreland is batting .274 with 15 home runs and 43 RBIs. In 75 games he has scored 37 times. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Twins get two guys they liked a lot from Texas plus a replacement 1B, and the Rangers bulk up big time for a playoff run. First the Rangers: Morneau looks to be a huge upgrade for them over Moreland at 1B, and the Twins even help out by taking Moreland back (plus, we don't really have an option at 1B otherwise). Morneau is now the Rangers new cleanup hitter, so this is an impactful move for them. Perkins has struggled as a closer, but is dominant against lefties (see below). The Rangers had just one lefty in the bullpen (he's since been sent to the minors), and Perkins is slotted now as their lefty setup man. Clete Thomas gives the Rangers some needed depth in the OF, although he was sent to the minors for the time being. For the Twins, on the surface we swap a 1B and lefty bullpen guy, for another 1B and a lefty bullpen guy. Ortiz is just 22, and will join the MLB club. Moreland, also a lefty, will step right in and fill in for Morneau as he's surprisingly kept pace with Morneau statistically, at a much cheaper rate (he's arbitration eligible at $539k). Moreland will bat 5th in Gardenhire's lineup. Finally, the Twins get 21 year old starting pitcher Cody Buckel, who's always performed well on his ascention to AA ball this year. The Twins go from being scheduled to end 2013 with a -$1.5M balance, to having a profit of over $6.3M. Last edited by Mike Lowe; 11-27-2013 at 11:48 AM.

11-27-2013, 04:48 PM	#37
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	I'll post the box score etc. later, but thought it'd be interesting to note that Morneau went 2/2 with 2 HR's and 2 BB's his first game as a Ranger, a game in which Texas won 4-2. Mitch Moreland had a fielding error, and another ball go over his head (SS error). He went 0-4 with 2 K's as the Twins lost to the Yankees 6-5. Joe Ortiz took the loss and registered his first blown save of the season after entering the game in the 6th. He pitched 1.2 and gave up 2 ER, striking out 2 and walking 3. Great trade so far!

11-28-2013, 02:20 AM	#38
buffalo_pete Minors (Single A) Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: The City, MN Posts: 65	Bold!

11-28-2013, 04:04 PM	#39
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,169	Game 84: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 Boxscore Twins Record: 39-45 2 unearned runs, Yankees beat Twins 6-5 Annoying game...comments in previous post. Happy Thanksgiving! ----------------------------------------- Around MLB: Phillies Send Bastardo to St. Louis: The Phillies and Cardinals confirmed this afternoon that a trade had been agreed upon. In the deal, Philadelphia will get 23-year-old minor league right fielder James Ramsey and 21-year-old minor league first baseman Luis Perez, while St. Louis will receive 27-year-old reliever Antonio Bastardo. For the season Bastardo is 0-and-2 with 3 saves and a 3.45 ERA. He has given up 25 hits in 31.1 innings with 48 strikeouts.

11-28-2013, 04:23 PM	#40
buffalo_pete Minors (Single A) Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: The City, MN Posts: 65	Happy Thanksgiving, Mike! Thanks for keeping this up, this has been great to read!