***OFFICAL MINNESOTA TWINS 2010 THREAD*** (2 Viewers)

[Gopher State]

Great win today and a S W E E P of a very good Rangers team.Sox keep winning so the pressure is on the Twins.GO TWINS

Now, not saying that the Twinkies wouldn't have won that game, but the call that ended it was pretty wretched. The runner barely touched hands w/ the 3rd base coach. Yes, technically, they can not touch, but to make that call, out of the corner of his eye, in that spot?

I agree not a good call. But I still think the Twins would of won the game.

 

[Gopher State]

Series preview: Twins vs. Kansas City

THREE-GAME SERIES AT TARGET FIELD

Today, 1:10 p.m. • FSN, 1500ESPN

RHP Kevin Slowey (11-6, 4.39) vs. RHP Sean O'Sullivan (2-4, 5.50)

Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. • FSN, 1500ESPN

LHP Francisco Liriano (12-7, 3.27) vs. RHP Brian Bannister (7-11, 5.95)

Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. • FSN, 1500ESPN

LHP Brian Duensing (7-2, 2.09) vs. RHP Zack Greinke (8-11, 3.87)

TWINS UPDATE

The Twins are 9-3 against the Royals this season, outscoring them 98-53. That includes a 19-1 romp on July 26 in Kansas City. ... The Twins are on pace to finish 94-68. ... In 17 chances to sweep opponents, the Twins have pulled it off six times. ... Kevin Slowey (strained right triceps) will be activated from the 15-day disabled list on Monday in time to start against the Royals. Manager Ron Gardenhire said that he hopes Slowey can at least go five innings, "then we'll see how he feels," Gardenhire said. "We definitely won't push it." ... Danny Valencia is batting .542 (13-for-24) against the Royals this season. Joe Mauer is batting .529 with 10 extra-base hits and 17 RBI in 12 games against Kansas City.

ROYALS UPDATE

It's tryout season for the Royals. Only Yuniesky Betancourt is a sure thing in the infield next season, and the entire bullpen is up for grabs. ... Royals fans want to see super prospect Mike Moustakas in action, but the team will leave him in the minors and let him fight for a job in spring training. ... Josh Fields, once a big prospect with the White Sox, is now with the Royals and is one of their September call-ups. He has been hampered by hip surgery. ... Catcher Lucas May has been called up from Class AAA Omaha to help replace Jason Kendall, who is done for the season following rotator cuff surgery. ... Righthander Gil Meche opted to not have shoulder surgery and will pitch in relief the rest of the season.

LA VELLE E. NEAL III

Let's go Twins

 

[Bill Brasky]

Jim Thome's first home run sailed 449 feet. His second home run -- the one that moved him past Mark McGwire for ninth on the all-time list -- traveled 418 feet. Great win over the Rangers tonightT H O M E keeps on coming through for the TWINS

That first homer was a bomb. Will be a long time before someone puts one up there again.

 

[Bill Brasky]

Great win today and a S W E E P of a very good Rangers team.Sox keep winning so the pressure is on the Twins.GO TWINS

Now, not saying that the Twinkies wouldn't have won that game, but the call that ended it was pretty wretched. The runner barely touched hands w/ the 3rd base coach. Yes, technically, they can not touch, but to make that call, out of the corner of his eye, in that spot?

They never really showed a good look at the tag to see if he might have been out anyway. Really bothers me that the Twins have been having problems closing out games with comfortable leads lately.Oh well though, that call makes up for that bad call early in the year at Seattle that ended the game.

 

[Ehlers Estate]

Jim Thome's first home run sailed 449 feet. His second home run -- the one that moved him past Mark McGwire for ninth on the all-time list -- traveled 418 feet. Great win over the Rangers tonightT H O M E keeps on coming through for the TWINS

That first homer was a bomb. Will be a long time before someone puts one up there again.

Check out the home run Thome hit today

 

[Ehlers Estate]

Great win today and a S W E E P of a very good Rangers team.Sox keep winning so the pressure is on the Twins.GO TWINS

Now, not saying that the Twinkies wouldn't have won that game, but the call that ended it was pretty wretched. The runner barely touched hands w/ the 3rd base coach. Yes, technically, they can not touch, but to make that call, out of the corner of his eye, in that spot?

If he barely touched or they held hands, it doesn't matter, that is the rule.First inning, fifth inning, or ninth inning doesn't matter. I don't see what is the problem with him making the call is.

 

[Gopher State]

Thome 21 home runs so far. I didn't think he had that much left in the tank, but I was wrong.

Sox keeping the pressure on the Twins this race should go down to the wire

GO TWINS

 

[fasteddie_21]

Great win today and a S W E E P of a very good Rangers team.

Sox keep winning so the pressure is on the Twins.

GO TWINS

Now, not saying that the Twinkies wouldn't have won that game, but the call that ended it was pretty wretched. The runner barely touched hands w/ the 3rd base coach. Yes, technically, they can not touch, but to make that call, out of the corner of his eye, in that spot?

If he barely touched or they held hands, it doesn't matter, that is the rule.First inning, fifth inning, or ninth inning doesn't matter. I don't see what is the problem with him making the call is.

Actually, you're 100% incorrect. That isn't the rule. Here is the rule:

Rule 7.09(h) of the MLB Rule Book: "It is interference when, in the judgment of the umpire, the base coach at third base or first base, by touching or holding the runner, physically assists him in returning to or leaving third base or first base."

In no way, shape, or form was the coach assisting him in returning to the base.

 

[inca911]

BTW, Thome's home run has been estimated at 480ft.

 

[Ehlers Estate]

Great win today and a S W E E P of a very good Rangers team.

Sox keep winning so the pressure is on the Twins.

GO TWINS

Now, not saying that the Twinkies wouldn't have won that game, but the call that ended it was pretty wretched. The runner barely touched hands w/ the 3rd base coach. Yes, technically, they can not touch, but to make that call, out of the corner of his eye, in that spot?

If he barely touched or they held hands, it doesn't matter, that is the rule.First inning, fifth inning, or ninth inning doesn't matter. I don't see what is the problem with him making the call is.

Actually, you're 100% incorrect. That isn't the rule. Here is the rule:

Rule 7.09(h) of the MLB Rule Book: "It is interference when, in the judgment of the umpire, the base coach at third base or first base, by touching or holding the runner, physically assists him in returning to or leaving third base or first base."

In no way, shape, or form was the coach assisting him in returning to the base.

The key words of the rule are "physically assists." Since the word "assist" can be broadly interpreted, coaches can be nailed for the slightest tampering.Notice the word "touch" is also part of the rule's language. Therefore, the rule is liberally interpreted without much room for plea bargaining from the offensive team.

 

[Gopher State]

The Twins have the majors' best record since the All-Star break, at 34-15.

 

[Gopher State]

The story inside Thome's 585th blast

Posted by Joe Christensen

Thome calls it Cat and Mouse, this mind game or chess match between the batter and the pitcher. Seems appropriate because as any mouse will tell you, when you make a mistake, cats usually don't miss.

They swallow you whole.

In the fifth inning Monday, Royals righthander Sean O'Sullivan faced Thome for the third time of the afternoon, and quickly got ahead in the count, 0-2, with a slider and a change-up before missing with two pitches -- a sinker and a slider -- to make it 2-2.

"It was one of those things," Thome explained later. "He had been throwing me change-ups all day. My first at-bat, I had a couple change-ups that he had thrown that I had missed, I fouled them off. And then that at-bat, as that sequence had gone on, he had thrown me a breaking ball before, so I was kind of in the middle of him throwing a fastball and or a change-up."

O'Sullivan, who served up Thome's 560th career homer on Aug. 5, 2009, and Royals pitching coach Bob McClure had spoken about the importance of mixing his pitches against this lefthanded hitting brute. "We didn’t throw the same pitch twice to that guy," O'Sullivan said.

But by this third at-bat, Thome had seen everything in O'Sullivan's arsenal. He had set the trap. O'Sullivan threw a 77-mph change-up below the knees.

"You look at the tape, it was down," O'Sullivan said. "He just took his driver out and gave someone a souvenir downtown.”

The Twins at first gave an estimated distance of 464 feet, using their intricate diagram in the press box. Of course, everyone howled that the estimate was too short. "Maybe they meant 464 yards," one media member joked. After all, if that ball hadn't hit the flag pole, it probably would have bounced through Target Plaza. The Twins came back with a new estimate -- 480 feet, the longest in Target Field's brief history.

We're still waiting for Hit Tracker to give an update with its precision estimates. The Royals had seen this before. On July 3, 1999, Thome hit a home run off then-Royal Don Wengert that traveled an estimated 511 feet. It remains the longest on record at Cleveland's Progressive Field.

Everyone wanted Thome's reaction to this blast, his 21st homer of the season and 585th of his career.

"He threw a change-up, and I was fortunate to square it up; it felt very good," Thome said. "Any time you hit a big home run and it goes that distance, it feels very good."

O'Sullivan can commiserate with scores of other pitchers who've lost this Cat and Mouse game against Thome, including Rick Reed (nine homers allowed vs. Thome), Roger Clemens (eight) and Justin Verlander (seven).

“For anybody else, it was a good pitch," Royals catcher Brayan Pena said. "For Thome, it was in his nitro zone."

Thome=

 

[Bill Brasky]

Thome with another mammoth shot last night. Guy is on fire.

 

[Gopher State]

Nice to see Hardy getting it going, in 50 games since returning from the DL on July 3, Hardy has batted .303 with two homers and 21 RBI.

Twins go for the Sweep today

Lets go TWINS

 

[the moops]

Nice to see Hardy getting it going, in 50 games since returning from the DL on July 3, Hardy has batted .303 with two homers and 21 RBI. Twins go for the Sweep todayLets go TWINS

2 HR and 21 RBI in 50 games is getting it going?

 

[Gopher State]

Nice to see Hardy getting it going, in 50 games since returning from the DL on July 3, Hardy has batted .303 with two homers and 21 RBI. Twins go for the Sweep todayLets go TWINS

2 HR and 21 RBI in 50 games is getting it going?

303 is a sweet average for a SS

 

[Gopher State]

DH Jim Thome hit a 452-foot solo home run in the seventh inning Tuesday, his fourth homer in three games, and the 586th of his career, tying him with Frank Robinson for eighth place on the all-time list. He leads the team with 22 home runs in just 241 at-bats, an average of one every 10.9 at-bats. Toronto OF Jose Bautista, who leads the majors with 43 homers, has hit one every 11.2 at-bats.

Lost of Thome love in Minny

 

[Ehlers Estate]

DH Jim Thome hit a 452-foot solo home run in the seventh inning Tuesday, his fourth homer in three games, and the 586th of his career, tying him with Frank Robinson for eighth place on the all-time list. He leads the team with 22 home runs in just 241 at-bats, an average of one every 10.9 at-bats. Toronto OF Jose Bautista, who leads the majors with 43 homers, has hit one every 11.2 at-bats.

Lost of Thome love in Minny

Isn't that a b-side song for Air Supply?

 

[Gopher State]

Hardy, who is 8-for-18 with eight RBI and seven runs scored in his past six games, added a home run in the seventh. It was his sixth homer of the season and first at Target Field. Go Hardy.

Great home stand 8-1

KEEP WINNING TWINS

 

[urbanhack]

Congrats on winning the Central.

Hope you get swept in the playoffs.

 

[Gopher State]

6 games ahead of the Sox

Magic number 17

woooooooooooooo woooooooooooooooooo

Lets go TWINS

 

[Mr. Pickles]

Congrats on winning the Central.Hope you get swept in the playoffs.

It's a good thing you're not bitter.

 

[Gopher State]

LHP Brian Duensing improved to 10-3 in 18 major league starts in a 4-3 victory over Kansas City on Wednesday. In his past two starts, Duensing is 1-0 with an 0.61 ERA (14 1/3 innings, one earned run).

Bright future for Duensing

 

[Gopher State]

UPDATES, UPDATES, UPDATES

Nick Punto has been activated from the disabled list but is still limited by his left hamstring. Pinch running is out, but he could be a late-inning defensive replacement.

Brian Fuentes played catch today and felt much better, He's going to throw in the bullpen tomorrow and could be available by the end of the weekend.

Jose Mijares threw to Punto and Jerry White and looked very good, pitching coach Rich Anderson said. He'll probably be activated tomorrow.

Jim Thome, slowed by a strained abdominal muscle, is better and should be in the lineup tomorrow.

Jason Repko has rejoined the team after the birth of his daughter.

Class AA New Britain manager Jeff Smith has joined the staff as an extra coach.

 

[the moops]

Nick Punto has been activated from the disabled list but is still limited by his left hamstring. Pinch running is out, but he could be a late-inning defensive replacement.

Those are the only 2 things he should ever be doing on a major league baseball team.

 

[Hov34]

Jim Thome is a ####### man.

 

[Gopher State]

Thome's home run, the 587th of his career, moved Thome past Frank Robinson and into sole possession of eighth place on the all-time home run list. It also moved the Twins back to a six-game lead over the White Sox in the AL Central after Chicago lost to Kansas City on Saturday.

Thome I wonder if he has found the fountain of yougth

GO T W I N S

 

[Gopher State]

Twins win their 8 game in their last nine today vs the Indians

Now it's white sox time

Go Twins

 

[Bill Brasky]

Jim Thome is a ####### man.

 

[Bill Brasky]

Only a couple games back of the Yanks now. Home field is in sight.

 

[Gopher State]

Only a couple games back of the Yanks now. Home field is in sight.

 

[Gopher State]

Big win tonight 9-3 over the sox

Lets keep it going TWINS

 

[Gopher State]

Liriano pitched six innings last night to improve to 14-7 and is 8-0 since the All-Star break. We need Liriano to stay hot for the Twins to keep rolling.

Game 2 vs the Sox on tap

GO Twins

 

[Gopher State]

After checkered pasts, Twins' Young, Pavano hit their strides

By Matthew Emmons, US Presswire

Carl Pavano was called "American Idle" during his injury-riddled stint with the Yankees. "That drives me every day," Pavano says.

Minnesota teammates say Delmon Young, who once had a 50-game suspension, is the Twins' MVP.

MINNEAPOLIS — They were baseball's bad boys. Dumped, scorned, ridiculed and vilified.

Right-hander Carl Pavano was responsible for the New York Yankees' World Series drought, and outfielder Delmon Young personified the Tampa Bay Rays' futility.

Now Pavano and Young are two of the most-liked players in Minnesota and primary reasons why the Twins are on the brink of winning the American League Central for the second season in a row.

The Twins, with a major league-best 40-16 record since the All-Star break, have a seven-game lead on the Chicago White Sox after they opened a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field with a 9-3 victory Tuesday.

"I don't know where we'd be without those guys," Twins first baseman Michael Cuddyer says. "Well, actually I do know. I know we wouldn't be in the race."

Pavano, who created more back-page headlines as a result of his injuries than his pitching in three seasons with the Yankees, has emerged as the Twins' first genuine ace since two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana was traded before the 2008 season.

At 16-11 with a 3.47 ERA, Pavano, 34, has the most wins in a season since Santana went 19-6 in 2006 and is tied for the league lead with seven complete games. Just as important, pitching coach Rick Anderson says, he has become a leader.

"He's exactly how a lot of guys here want to be," Twins starter Kevin Slowey says. "When he talks to us about our struggles, he's very quick to point out that he's been through them. He knows what it's like. He can relate. Really, he's priceless to us."

Young, who became infamous in 2006 when he received a 50-game minor league suspension for throwing a bat that hit the home-plate umpire, is the Twins' MVP, his teammates say.

He is hitting .298 with a career-high 17 home runs and 99 RBI, prompting Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland to ask if Young has been the best player in the league the last 12 months. Young, who batted .370 over the final three weeks last season, is hitting .306 with 21 home runs and 116 RBI since last September.

"He's such a humble kid," says Twins DH Jim Thome, who has 587 career homers. "He genuinely wants to ask questions, he processes, and he listens."

Together, these castoffs epitomize the Twins organization, outperforming expectations while quietly winning.

"I've been through it all and have seen so many things." Pavano says, "That's what makes this so special. Really, for both Delmon and myself.

"This is an organization that gives guys second chances. Well, we got that chance, and now we're making the most of it."

Pavano's Yankees nightmare

Pavano and Young, who are close friends, have a chance to lead the Twins to their first World Series since 1991 and in the process bulldoze the hopes of the teams they left behind: the Rays and Yankees, one of whom will probably be Minnesota's first-round opponent.

Young, selected first overall by Tampa Bay in the 2003 draft, doesn't understand why he is still booed there since he never asked to be traded. But he was, in November 2007, for right-hander Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett, keys to the Rays' success the last three years.

"I hear the boos, but it doesn't bother me," says Young, who turned 25 on Tuesday. "They should be pretty happy. Look at the guys they got."

The Yankees got nothing in return for Pavano. He signed with them in December 2004 for four years and $39.95 million and went 9-8 in 26 starts, being set free when his contract expired.

Pavano was a popular source of tabloid humor, called "American Idle" for his disabled list stints and surgeries, including his shoulder, elbow, ribs and even buttocks.

"What started as a dream come true," says his father, Carmen Pavano, whose family grew up die-hard Yankees fans in Connecticut, "became a living nightmare."

Pavano still bristles at his New York memories. He can't forget manager Joe Torre writing in his book, TheYankee Years, that everyone hated Pavano. "Torre crushed me," he says.

But Pavano also remembers general manager Brian Cashman standing by his side.

"The easy thing was to pile on," Cashman says. "Carl didn't steal money from us. It just didn't work out. He was hurt. Those weren't fake injuries. He just broke down.

"I never left him, because he never stopped trying. He worked his tail off."

If he were healthy in New York, it might have been different, Pavano says. The Yankees made the playoffs in three of his four years, but Pavano never pitched in the postseason because of injuries or ineffectiveness and the team failed to advance beyond the AL Division Series.

"I hurt the Yankees and that starting rotation for four years," he says. "I look back on those days when I woke up in the morning, knowing I wasn't pitching, and that I was hurting my team. I don't want to let anyone down ever again.

"That drives me every day."

Young's mind, body makeover

Young also battled critics and expectations.

He made his major league debut for Tampa Bay at 20 in August 2006 and became the first player since Willie McCovey in 1959 to produce eight hits in his first three major league games. The following season he batted .288 with 13 home runs and 93 RBI and finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year Award balloting.

Two months later, he was gone. Tampa Bay traded him, wanting more power and maturity. Young hit .288 and averaged 11 home runs and 64 RBI in his first two seasons with the Twins, who became frustrated like the Rays and let teams know last winter he was available for trade.

Young, though, went to work, training with Marcus Elliott, director of the Peak Performance Project in Santa Barbara, Calif. He lost 25 pounds, mostly body fat, Elliott says.

"People underestimated Delmon's resolve to get better," Elliott says. "When I had my baseball symposium during the winter, I had four GMs, a few managers and scouts, and I told them that Delmon was going to have a breakout year with a lot of power. I remember a manager and pitching coach laughing in my face."

Young, who came to spring training without a starting job, stunned the Twins with his new body. He played so well the first two months that manager Ron Gardenhire had no choice but to put him in the lineup.

"You can lose weight and look like a GQ model all you want," Young says, "but if you're not swinging the bat, you won't be in the big leagues."

It's not just the hard work that has resulted in Young's breakout season but also a clear mind. Just when he was starting to feel comfortable with his new teammates and coaching staff last year, his life flipped upside down when his mother, Bonnie, died of cancer.

"I don't think people had any idea how it affected Delmon," says Dmitri Young, Delmon's older brother and a former big-league player. "Basically, he shut down. He would stay in his room. It was hard on the whole family, but particularly my brother.

"This year, you could just see the difference. This is the first time in a long time he's actually smiling again. It's like our mom is out there playing left field with him."

Shedding weight, baggage

Pavano, so fatigued down the stretch last season that he stopped throwing on the side between starts, also sought offseason conditioning help, working out with physical therapist and strength coach Brett Fischer.

"He was so stiff before, there were limitations everywhere," Fischer says. "That's why he was always hurt. You look at him now, and he's in the best shape he's ever been in."

The numbers prove it. Pavano has pitched 205 innings — 17 shy of his career high — and his seven complete games match his career total entering the season.

Add it up, and Pavano could again be a hot commodity on the free agent market this winter, though he says his preference is to stay in Minnesota, and the Twins do not want him going anywhere.

"You can spend your whole career looking for a place like this and never finding it," Pavano says. "I know they're counting on me. I know they're counting on Delmon, too. I can't tell you how good it feels to be counted on again."

Feel good story about Pavano and Young

 

[Ehlers Estate]

Twins with another pounding of the Sux tonight.

 

[Gopher State]

The Twins now lead Chicago by a whopping eight games in the division, are 12-5 against them this season and have won 10 of their past 12 games at The Cell. Their magic number to clinch the division title is now 10.

:(

 

[Gopher State]

The Twins have won 10 of 11 and have baseball's best record since the All-Star break at 41-16. They improved to 6-2 in Chicago.

Smoken HOT

GO TWINS

 

[Gopher State]

TWINS S W E E P the white sox

9 games up

magic number 8 woooooooooooooooo woooooooooooooooooooo

GO TWINS

 

[Gopher State]

With Chicago's 9-2 loss to Detroit lowered the Twins' magic number to clinch the American League Central to seven.

woooooooooooooooo woooooooooooooooooooo

Thank you tigers and GO TWINS

 

[Gopher State]

Valencia's homer powers Twins over Athletics

Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS - Danny Valencia is hardly looking like a rookie for the Minnesota Twins.

Valencia delivered another key hit, launching a tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth inning that sent Kevin Slowey and the AL Central-leading Twins over the Oakland Athletics 4-2 Saturday.

The Twins cut their magic number for clinching the division to six. Minnesota began the day with a nine-game lead over second-place Chicago.

"You see all these situations coming up in the minor leagues," Valencia said. "Obviously everything is magnified up here, but it's still the same game and you've just got to go with it."

Valencia, Michael Cuddyer and Jason Repko each had two hits for the Twins.

Slowey (13-6) set a career high for wins, giving up two runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. Matt Capps earned his 40th save and 13th in 15 chances since coming to Minnesota.

Landon Powell homered and doubled for Oakland. Rookie Chris Carter kept struggling, going 0 for 2 with a pair of strikeouts — he is 0 for 29 with 13 whiffs since making his major league debut this season.

Carter also came up short on a line drive hit down the left-field line which led to the Twins' first run in the fifth.

"It's a ball that I think he'd catch more often than he wouldn't," Athletics manager Bob Geren said. "If he had to do it again, I think he'd catch that eight or nine out of 10 times. He just didn't catch that one."

A stark contrast to Carter, Valencia has been right in the middle of the Twins ascension during his rookie year. Since arriving at the start of June, Valencia has hit .340 with 33 RBIs and taken control of third base, a rotating spot for Minnesota the past several seasons.

"I've been more impressed with his defense than any other part of his game because he's worked really hard at catching the ball," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "And he knows how much that means to us. I thought he had a heck of a spring for us in the short time he was there. And he's probably going above what we thought he would do his first year up here. He's really playing well."

Dallas Braden (9-13) went six innings for Oakland, allowing four runs on eight hits and four walks.

Valencia connected for the second straight game, his fourth home run this season snapping a 1-all tie in the sixth.

The Twins have seen Valencia deliver in the clutch as he's hit .431 with runners in scoring position. He's done damage at Target Field, hitting .456 for the best home batting average in the majors.

"You want to come out, being a first-year guy, and you want to perform," Valencia said. "Luckily, I've caught a bunch of breaks since I've been here. Things couldn't have gone much better for me than they are right now."

Slowey, meanwhile, is trying to put himself in position for a potential starting spot in the playoffs.

Since a trip to the disabled list with a right triceps strain at the end of August, Slowey is 2-0 and has allowed four earned runs over 15 2-3 innings in his last three starts.

Slowey gave up just one hit — Powell's solo home run in the second — through the first four innings.

"I think part of it is just time," Slowey said. "Time and repetition coming back from the DL and starting to trust your stuff a little bit more."

Braden, who had allowed just five earned runs over his last five road starts, cruised before the Twins scored in the fifth to tie it.

"I'm 20 innings past my career max at any level," Braden said. "This is uncharted territory as far as what my body feels like and how to maintain and bounce back. But that's something you learn and benefit from, going through these ups and downs at this point of the season."

Notes: Minnesota CF Denard Span missed his second straight game with what is classified as a bruised rotator cuff in his right shoulder, an injury that occurred in Thursday's finale in Chicago while diving for a sinking line drive. Span said he felt better Saturday after receiving treatment on the shoulder and was available for defense or pinch-running duties. He was unsure when he would return to the lineup full-time. ... Geren said 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff is improving, but is still considered day to day. Kouzmanoff has been out since Sept. 6 with back spasms. ... Gardenhire said there is a "good chance" that Scott Baker starts on Tuesday to give the rest of the team's starters and extra day of rest. Baker threw a successful bullpen session before the game. ... Ben Revere got his first career RBI with a groundout in the fifth, scoring J.J. Hardy.

MAGIC NUMBER S I X

Lets go T W I N S <_<

 

[Gopher State]

Patrick Reusse: Baker, Slowey are on bubble for playoff spot

The Twins plan to have 11 pitchers on their postseason roster, and others in established roles could leave one of them as odd man out.

By PATRICK REUSSE, Star Tribune

The Twins required 12 innings and eight pitchers to defeat Detroit 6-5 in Game 163 of the 2009 regular season. One night later, they would open the playoffs in New York against the Yankees.

The playoff roster was due at 10 a.m. that day, meaning any final decision on the 25 players would be made on the charter flight to New York.

This was the Twins' fifth playoff appearance in the decade and they went with 12 pitchers for the first time. This was not a reaction to that long extra game with the Tigers, but rather this fact:

There wasn't another position player the Twins wanted to add to the bench, other than infielders Alexi Casilla and Brendan Harris and catchers Mike Redmond and Jose Morales.

"That's not the preferred situation," manager Ron Gardenhire said Saturday. "Really, I haven't looked at it [for the 2010 playoffs] -- haven't even written the names down on a piece of paper. We're not going to worry about it until we clinch something.

"But, yes, the way we would like to go when possible is 11 [pitchers] and 14 [position players]. And I do know that this year there are some options for a fifth guy on the bench."

Prior to last October, the Twins went with 11 pitchers in 2002, 10 in 2003 and 2004, and 11 in 2006. These were the starting situations:

2002: Brad Radke, Joe Mays, Eric Milton and Rick Reed made 10 starts in two playoff rounds. Kyle Lohse (31 starts during season) and Johan Santana (14 starts) pitched out of the bullpen.

2003: Santana made two of the four starts vs. the Yankees, with Radke and Lohse getting the others. Kenny Rogers was in bullpen, and not happy about it.

2004: Santana again made two starts against the Yankees, with Radke and Carlos Silva making one apiece. Lohse again was in the bullpen.

2006: Santana, Boof Bonser and Radke (with a stress fracture in his right shoulder) made the three starts in an Oakland sweep. Silva was the remaining option with his 5.94 ERA.

2009: Scott Baker started Game 163 and was set to pitch a fourth game against the Yankees. The Twins didn't get there, getting swept with rookie Brian Duensing, Nick Blackburn and Carl Pavano as the starters.

This time, the options figure to be better than at any time since Gardenhire's first playoff go-round in 2002, when he went with four starters and still had Santana and Lohse in reserve.

Certainly, there isn't a Johan of 2003-07 vintage in this year's group, but there is this intriguing situation:

Kevin Slowey improved his record to 13-6 and lowered his ERA to 4.18 in Saturday's 4-2 victory over Oakland. Scott Baker, 12-9 this season and with 38 victories over the past three seasons, tested his right elbow with another bullpen session and is expected to get a start Tuesday.

Gardenhire would have cried tears of joy to have pitchers with these résumés to pitch Games 2 and 3 in '06, rather than Bonser and a damaged Radke. And he would have repeated that reaction to have Slowey (lost because of a wrist injury) rather than the then-inexperienced Duensing to open against the Yankees last fall.

Now, barring injuries elsewhere, it is unlikely Slowey or Baker will get a playoff start, and more unlikely that both will make an 11-pitcher staff for the playoffs.

The best hint available Saturday was the Twins will go with four starters: Pavano, Francisco Liriano, Blackburn and Duensing. For now, Blackburn's name could be written in pencil, requiring that he add a couple more solid starts to his rebound since late August to retain that spot.

With Blackburn in, that would leave one opening for a long reliever -- meaning either Slowey or Baker. Again, based on health, the other six relievers are set:

Closer Matt Capps, righthanders Jesse Crain, Jon Rauch and Matt Guerrier and lefthanders Brian Fuentes and Jose Mijares.

There have been years when pitchers such as Jeff Manship, Glen Perkins, Randy Flores and Pat Neshek would have slid onto the playoff roster. That won't be the case in an October when either a current 13-game winner (Slowey) or 12-game winner (Baker) could be waiting around to see if there was an ALCS for which he might be needed.

GO TWINS

 

[Gopher State]

Thank you Tigers for the SWEEP over the sox. The Twins are so far ahead in the division they can clinch by watching the White Sox lose games.

 

[Gopher State]

Twins WIN 9-3. Now we need the A's to beat the Sox

GO TWINS

 

[the moops]

Man, was it awesomely nice out tonight. Was cold and rainy this morning, got some tickets from a friend who didnt want to go. Ended up being 70 degrees all night.

I hope the Twins get the Yankees is the first round.

 

[Gopher State]

Twins still packing them in as clincher nears

The Twins had another full house on hand to witness a comfortable victory over Cleveland.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

The 3 millionth fan of the season will pass through Target Field's turnstiles Tuesday, leaving the Twins with five regular-season home games to shatter their franchise attendance record of 3,032,672, set in 1988.

They reached 2,983,608 on Monday. It was a school night, but the seats looked as full as ever, with an announced 39,228 on hand for the team's 72nd consecutive sellout.

The AL Central race has become a landslide, and this series with Cleveland feels like another postseason warm-up act, but the fans won't stay away.

The draw isn't one individual player. Justin Morneau has been out since July 7, and Joe Mauer missed Monday's game because of a sore knee. But the Twins are loaded with other important pieces, and several were on display in Monday's 9-3 victory.

Brian Duensing (10-2) gave up three runs in six innings, becoming the team's fifth pitcher to notch 10 victories, joining Carl Pavano (17-11), Francisco Liriano (14-9), Kevin Slowey (13-6) and Scott Baker (12-9).

It's the third time in the Twins' 50-year history they have had five pitchers reach 10 victories (also 1970 and 2008). They have never had six reach double figures, but that could happen soon, as Nick Blackburn, Wednesday's scheduled starter, is 9-10.

Duensing is 7-1 with a 2.43 ERA in 12 starts since moving into the rotation on July 23 and has posted a 1.59 ERA combined as a starter and reliever at Target Field.

Duensing's offense gave him plenty of support again, with all nine of their RBI coming with two outs.

Danny Valencia connected for his third home run in four games, a fourth-inning blast into left field's second deck. The rookie third baseman is now batting .436 at Target Field.

Delmon Young went 2-for-3 with two RBI, giving him a team-high 104 RBI for the season. His run-scoring single off Indians starter Jeanmar Gomez (3-5) made it 4-1 in the fifth inning.

Cleveland scored two runs in the sixth, trimming Minnesota's lead to 4-3, and Duensing had to limit the damage. With the bases loaded, Duensing struck out Lou Marson on a 3-2 pitch when first base umpire Gerry Davis said Marson's bat went too far. When Michael Brantley lined to Valencia at third base to end the inning, Duensing muttered into his glove.

But the Twins broke the game open with four more runs in the bottom of the inning on another two-out rally. Denard Span (triple), Orlando Hudson (single) and Michael Cuddyer (two-run homer) brought home the runs.

Span added an RBI single in the seventh inning, and the bullpen (a scoreless inning each for Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier and Glen Perkins) did the rest.

The magic number for the Twins to win the AL Central sat at three, with the White Sox playing a late game in Oakland. The Twins remained one game behind the Yankees for the best record in the AL after New York beat Tampa Bay 8-6.

And the Twins improved to 50-25 at Target Field. No wonder the fans keep coming back.

MAGIC NUMBER 3 Wooooooooooooooo Wooooooooooo

GO TWINS

 

[griff321]

Your 2010 AL Central Champion Minnesota Twins!

What a great ride and I hope it doesn't end until we hoist that trophy.

 

[Gopher State]

Twins rally and a White Sox collapse meant for some after-hours celebrating and a sixth AL Central title in nine years.



WAY TO GO TWINS

 

[Wooderson]

Twins rally and a White Sox collapse meant for some after-hours celebrating and a sixth AL Central title in nine years. :( WAY TO GO TWINS

All together now!!! We're going to win TwinsWe're going to scoreWe're going to win TwinsWatch that baseball soarCrack out a home runShout a hip-ho-raeCheer for the Minnesota Twins today

 

[Limp Ditka]

F U and your t shirts



congrats.

 

[griff321]

F U and your t shirtscongrats.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!Is it any wonder that the CWS collapsed in the final few weeks? Nothing is more demoralizing then going on amazing win streaks only to gain zero ground in the standings. Here's hoping that the Twins can make the central proud and finally take it to the East. Out of all the years that Gardy has been here, I really think this is the very best playoff team that we've ever had. Let's just hope that pitching shows up.