Gomez to the minors?

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Joe Christensen blogs today suggesting the Twins putting Carlos Gomez in Class AAA to refine his skills. One thing I definitely agree with Christensen about is that Denard Span should stay with the big team when Michael Cuddyer comes back from the DL. Span deserves the chance to stay in the majors and prove himself. It's time for the Twins to see what they've got with Span. He needs to show the Twins if he is a big leaguer or a big disappointment -- not Gomez. Gomez will be a major league player for several years and (given his age) has time to work on hitting in the minors.

Gomez is a major disruption on the basepaths. If he can get on base, he can alter games single-handedly. If he can get a bunt down, he can change defensive coverages. The ifs there are pretty important.

The other night Gomez struggled to even foul off a sacrifice bunt attempt when needed. That's a fundamental. In this sense, then, I agree with Christensen. Send Gomez down for a few weeks to work on a few things.

Conversely, can the Twins keep hovering near .500 without Gomez? His nine stolen bases lead the American League. His defense is reminiscent of Torii Hunter thus far. He looks like he has a lot of fun and seems well-liked by his teammates. Gomez is, if nothing, not crushing under the psychological pressure of filling the HUGE shoes of the Hunter/Puckett eras. Gomez reminds me of a young, pre-steriod Mike Cameron (who had to step in for Seattle after Ken Griffey Jr. was traded).

What to do? Here's a way to wrap our brains around Christensen's query:

• If Gomez goes to the minors, who will bat leadoff?
• Why not drop Gomez in the order and put that person at leadoff and see what happens first?
• Span isn't exactly Bob Allison out there in the field, so how much does defense matter?
• Gomez is hitting .230.
• Cuddyer comes back Friday
• Brian Buscher has four at bats
• Forget Frank Thomas -- the Twins (surprise) don't want him (idiots! Why would we even think the Twins would consider? Will we ever learn that all we get is washed up Ruben Sierras and Sydney Ponsons?)
• Jason Kubel is hitting .292 with 3 HR and 13 RBI

I'll go out on a limb and propose Buscher goes back to the minors, the Twins keep both Span and Gomez and let them duke it out for playing time, and pray the Twins were bluffing on Frank Thomas (they're not).

Big Hurt? Big Yes!

Frank Thomas was released from the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday and the time is now to replace Craig Craproe with the Big Hurt. The Twins could sure use the possible offense Thomas would bring to the team. Sure he was hitting .167 (10-for-60) with three home runs and 11 RBI in 16 games, but come on, this is Frank Thomas. He hit 26 homers last year with 95 RBI (.277 average). He has 516 career home runs.

The Blue Jays are locked into paying him $8 million for this season no matter who he signs with. Worth a shot? Not even worth discussing.

Thomas would take the place currently occupied by Craig Monroe. In addition, his signing would allow the Twins a real, viable solution to backup Justin Morneau at first base. The backup is currently Mike Lamb. Mike Lamb? Yep, Mike Lamb.

Some numbers:
Thomas: 40 years old, .167 BA, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 516 career HR, .302 career BA, .420 career OBA, 1,625 career RBI
Monroe: 31 years old, .231 BA (6-for-26), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 104 career HR, 391 career RBI, .256 career BA, .303 career OBA.

Those numbers don't compare. It's time to give the Big Hurt a shot. Heck, even if they have to move Kubel to right field and send Span down, it's time to take a chance.

Still Can't Smell 'Em

A loss to Tampa Bay, another to Cleveland and a nice win over the Indians again show the Twins' major lack of run production. With just 69 runs scored over 18 games (8-10 record), the Twin-towners are averaging 3.8 runs per game. That puts Minnesota at 25th in runs in the Major Leagues (KC is the only AL team with worse run production).

It goes without saying, but the bullpen hasn't been very good either. The lone exception is Joe Nathan, who has been outstanding. When the runs do come, the bullpen tends to blow the lead. It's hard to blame just the relievers when they've been out on the mound far more than usual. Starting pitchers are struggling to get past five or six innings in their outings.

The good news? With these obvious holes, the Twins are still just 2.5 out of first and two games short of .500. Fran Liriano's arm will do one of two things in the near future -- build arm strength and control or injure it again and go on the DL. Boof is clearly a middle reliever posing as a starter. Blackburn's latest game was sweet and he's been consistent. Baker and Hernandez are giving what the Twins expect, but hopefully will show much better form in May.

The lack of runs may help that starting pitching (and in effect the relievers too). Time to start smelling them again.

The solution is reallly quite simple. Time for Mike Redmond to strip down and run around naked some more to inspire the lads. Can you smell it? I figured you could.

Trip to Detroit creates new trends

Blowing a lead in Detroit
shows the Twins of '08
By The Bullpen Catcher

In the blowing the lead department in losing to the suddenly terrible Tigers, the Twins demonstrated their new trends of 2008:

Neshek is the new Ron Davis; Kubel is the new Cuddy; Mauer is the new Punto; Span is the new Gomez. Ugh.

Boof's hot in the cold, but is a cold Liriano a good idea?

Both Livan and Boofie pitched pretty good games against the hapless Royals (is this really the same team that swept the Tigers?). Cue-ball has three homeruns (one fewer than Torii Hunter), Carlos Gomez, Matt Tolbert and Denard Span continue to each play well. A lot of things are going well for the now 6-5, second-place Twins.




But is bringing Francisco Liriano back in the cold afternoon Spring of Kansas City testing Minnesota's luck? Liriano, who had Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery in November 2006, is making his first Major League appearance this season. The 24-year-old left-hander will start today's game at Kaufman Stadium. According to the National Weather Service the weather in KC is a forecast of snow tapering off to a possible late afternoon high of 46 degrees (Fahrenheit, not Celsius). With Liriano's recovering arm, is it the best spot to put him back in the rotation? I'm worried Oli may be right with his pool on when Liriano first goes on the DL. Let's hope he doesn't, because if he can start putting in some real innings the team could continue some sort of hunt for the division.

Stats of the day

• Kansas City 6-5
• Twins 6-5
• Detroit 2-9 (worst record in MLB)
• Baltimore 7-4 (leading AL East)
• Livan Hernandez leads the Majors in wins at 3-0 W/L record, 2.57 ERA, 21 IP
• "El Duque" Orlando Hernandez, on DL all season so far
• Carlos Silva, Seattle, 3.27 ERA, 2-1 W/L record, 22 IP
• Dontrelle Willis, Detroit, 7.20 ERA, 0-0 record, 5 IP, 2 games started, injured knee
• David Ortiz, Boston, batting .070 (3-for-43)
• Derek Jeter, NY Yankees, batting .208 (5-for-24) and injured
• Torii Hunter, LA Angels of Calif., USA, batting .298 with 4 HR
• Johan Santana, NY Mets, 3.05 ERA, 1-2 W/L record, $23 million
• Jon Lester, Boston, 4.50 ERA, 1-2 W/L record, 1.77 WHIP
• Carlos Gomez, Twins, batting .292 (14-for-48), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 5 SB
• Melky Cabrera, NY Yankees, batting .267 (8-for-30) with 2 HR and 5 RBI
• Phil Hughes, NY Yankees, 5.00 ERA, 1-0 W/L record, 1.78 WHIP, 6 SO
• Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston, batting .250 (5-for-20) with 1 HR, 3 RBI
• Coco Crisp, Boston, batting .296 (8-for-27) with 2 runs scored, 0 SB
• Adam Everett, Twins, batting .095 (2-for-21)
• Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay, batting .171 (6-for-35)
• Matt Garza, Tampa Bay, 9.00 ERA, 0-0 (2 starts), on DL with sore shoulder
• Luis Castillo, NY Mets, batting .160 (4-for-25) with 1 SB
• Matt Tolbert, Twins, batting .455 (10-for-22) with 1 SB
• Nick Punto, Twins, batting .500 (3-for-6) with 1 SB
• Cristian Guzman, Washington, batting .321 (18-for-56) with .536 slugging percentage, 2 HR, and 6 RBI
• Luis Rivas, Pittsburgh (playing shortstop!), batting .241 (7-for-29) with 1 SB
• Boof Bonser, Twins, 2.84 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 30 pounds lighter
• Joe Mauer, Twins, .250 (10-for-40) with 5 SO, 2 BB and 5 RBI
• Pudge Rodriguez, Detroit, batting .195 (8-for-41) with 0 HR
• Alphonso Soriano, Cubs, Cubs, batting .176 (9-for-51) with 2 HR, 5 RBI, 11 SO
• 150 games left in the regular season

Liriano Photo from Minnesota Twins official website

Now that's how you kick ass!

Tonight was quite the night for Jason Cue-ball, who drove in six runs. It looked like winter in Chicago, but the Twins looked strong all over. Just when you start thinking the Twins rotation is bad, look at the White Sox pitching corps. 12-5: Now that's how you kick butt.

Did you notice the blurp about Matt Garza going on the DL for the Tampa Bay Rays? Garza's claiming he was injured at the end of last season ... time for the conspiracy theorists to arise and make a mess out of this thing.

Twins lose opener in Chicago

Pat Neshek was throwing the pitches too flat in the Twins loss at the White Sox Monday and my prior comments about him looking more seasoned and strong this year are on the back burner.

Nick Blackburn was again serviceable as a starter, going five innings, but he still allowed seven hits, two walks and two earned runs. It's not a surprise by any means that the young Twins pitchers are praised when they get into the sixth inning, but the relief crew is going to become overworked at this rate.

News from Rochester tonight wasn't great, either. It was also expected news to those of us in the Bullpen: Francisco Liriano had a rough outing. I've predicted Liriano won't be with the Twins for several weeks because pitchers just don't come back from major arm tendon surgery quickly. He needs to build arm strength and endurance. It doesn't even matter the quality of his outings so long as he throws 80 pitches in game situations.

So no miracles in Class AAA, but it's good news everyday the kid isn't back on the DL. If he can possibly recover enough to make the Twins again, it'll be as a middle reliever first. Of course, true to my optimistic demeanor, I don't think Liriano will be a true big league pitcher until 2009 and I'm not that sure about it then.

Back to .500

Friday and Saturday's wins over the Royals put the Twins back at .500 (3-3) and exposed some items of promise:

• Justin Morneau is beginning to look like he's getting his swing back. The three-run homer he hit Saturday shows that if he keeps swinging hard, good things eventually will happen and he'll get himself back on track at the plate.



• Michael Cuddyer's injury isn't exactly a good thing, but it does allow Denard Span to show off his stuff at the major league level -- something he's definitely earned after a strong Spring Training. My guess is Span will see time in the outfield with Jason Kubel going back into his DH platoon role. Span, Delmon Young and Carlos Gomez would be a fun (and speedy) outfield to watch, even if just for a game.




• If Span can do much of anything, maybe it will place the Twins in a position to ponder releasing Craig Monroe and keeping Span with the team: a nice thought considering how atrocious Monroe looks at the plate.




• Spaz Neshek looks dominating as he did the first half of last year, yet somehow he's looking smarter with pitch selection and working counts than he did as a rookie. Neshek and Joe Nathan have been lights out -- a tandem so many teams in the league would love to have ... just ask Detroit or Seattle.




• Small ball may be the wave for this team. Playing National League baseball with all this youth and speed (did you see the suicide bunt play on Friday?) makes for excitement when the long ball is so very elusive.




• Beating Kansas City when they should beat Kansas City is a must for a team that wants to stay ahead of .500 and be considered a playoff contender. The Twins did just that twice.




• Livan Hernandez has gone two straight games of doing what you'd expect or hope. He's eating up innings, keeping the team in the game, and not getting shelled beyond belief. In short, he's better than a Cuban Sidney Ponson. The longer he can do this allows more time for the young arms to develop and find their niche.




• Detroit has been terrible. The Tigers won't stay unbeaten forever, but going 0-for-5 to start the season sure makes you feel good to be a Twins fan. When we were sitting around all winter asking why we didn't trade for the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis or even to get back former Twin/Cub Jacque Jones (hey, I'd rather have Jacque Jones than Monroe, wouldn't you?), the Tigers were spending away. Cabrera's hitting .125. Willis has a 5.40 ERA. The longer the Twins can keep a few games ahead of the Tigers and Indians the better.




• Finally, Carlos Gomez has gone nearly a full week of playing well. Friday's win was sparked by Gomez's electricity on the field. When he gets on base, things happen. Even if he goes 0-fer again in Sunday's series finale, his confidence has to be on the upswing. Confidence and comfort are keys to his development. The more he can feel like a big league ballplayer, the better the chances are he'll be able to continue to progress.

At least we're not in Detroit

Though the Angels are supposed to be one of the elite teams of the American League, it's no "moral" victory to come out of the opening home stand losing three of four games.

Overwhelmingly, the heart of the Twins lineup failed with runners in scoring position. Cuddyer did it twice today, Morneau has been anemic at the plate, Mauer hasn't been doing much more than moving runners over with outs, and the only power has come from Jason Cue-ball.

It's early. I get that. But it may be time to fiddle with the order. Cuddyer had a couple chances to win the game today but didn't come through. Morneau looks like a broomball player sliding around in an NHL game.

How many times are you going to get great outings from Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey-relief crew and Boofie?

So here's my thinking:

1. Gomez CF
2. Harris/Tolbert 2B
3. Mauer C
4. Young LF
5. Cuddyer RF
6. Morneau 1B
7. Kubel/Monroe DH
8. Lamb/Punto 3B
9. Everett SS

Stats of the day:

• The Twins have hit into one less double-play (6) than they have extra-base hits (7).
• Young and Gomez have thus far combined to hit .387 (12-for-31). Mauer, Cuddyer and Morneau are .175 (7-for-40).
• Four games, one home run (Kubel).
• Detroit Tigers 0-3. Minnesota Twins 1-3. Kansas City 3-0. Yep, Kansas City.

Blackburn strong, but bats weak

Nick Blackburn gave about all you can expect of him and even Matt Grrrr worked himself out of trouble in relief, but the Twins bats have less hits in them than Taylor Hicks.

The Twins remain the lone team in Major League Baseball without a homerun. How 'bout that new, more powerful top of the lineup? If not for Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young putting the ball in play, there's not much to brag about across the batting order.

It's impressive that Blackburn held off that Angels lineup. They may be one of the top four hitting teams in baseball. When a kid gives you an effort like this you've got to provide a run or two. Here's hoping Morneau makes contact in the series finale so the team can earn a split.

Separated at Birth: Boof and Tim Medvetz

Here are some Twins twins. Last year, LA biker/rebel Tim Medvetz nearly died on Mount Everest on the best show on TV, the Discovery Channel's Everest: Beyond the Limit. Medvetz summited in season two despite pissing off everyone in Nepal and Tibet. Boof Bonser is equally as stubborn and pissed everyone off from Fargo to Winona. Boof's baseball career nearly died last year on Twins: Beyond the Playoffs.

Medvetz may be the better pitcher of the two.

And so it begins

Boof. Crain. Rookie. Rincon. 9-1.

Get used to it. I heard a guy on KSTP on the postgame actually say Boof had a nice outing. He didn't, you idiot. None of the Twins did.

This is how a good team kicks the shit out of a mediocre team built for 2010.