Twins Post-Slama Time

After tonights 10-4 beating from Cleveland the Twins selected the contract of RHP Anthony Slama from AAA-Rochester. To make room for Slama, the Twins have sent down RHP Alex Burnett. In his last 10 games, Burnett had an 0-1 record with a 11.74 ERA (10 ER, 16 H) in 7.2 IP. He clearly had warmed out his welcome here. Meanwhile, Slama was selected to this years MLB futures game and the AAA All Star Game. In 43 appearances with Rochester, Slama had a 1.71 ERA in 52.2 IP with 23 walks and 33 strikeouts. He served as their closer and recorded 17 saves. I've been reading up on some scouting reports on Slama and from what I got is: He won't overpower you. He uses his deceptive delivery to keep hitters off balance. His fastball tops off around 91-92 and also carries a changeup and a good slider. This a needed move for the Twins. No, it doesn't solve the three holes in the starting rotation, but it solidifies a pretty good bullpen. My guess is Slama won't be used in hot spots right away but if he performs well he could be a 7th or 8th inning reliever. He is expected to be in uniform for tomorrows game against Cleveland.

NOTES

• Since July 1st Jon Rauch has a 8.44 ERA (5.1 IP, 5 ER) in 6 games played. That also includes 10 hits and 5 walks. Time to sound an alarm?
• Joe Mauer has 17 GIDPs this season. To compare he had 16 all of last year, 21 in 2008, and 24 in 2006.
  
• Denard Span is hitting .344 at Target Field this year compared to just .198 on the road.
  

MLB Power Rankings-7/18

A lot has happened since my last rankings. The National League won an All Star Game, the Cliff Lee sweepstakes ended with Texas as the winner, the Yankees lost George Steinbrenner and Bob Sheppard, and through all of this the Red Sox continue to get hurt. It should be getting interesting with the trade deadline coming up and all division races having first place and second place decided by no more than 5 games. I'll dig into the deadline more next week. Rankings time.

Rank. (Previous Week) Team Record

1. (1) Yankees 58-33
2. (3) Rays 55-36
3. (4) Rangers 53-39
4. (5) Braves 54-38
5. (7) Padres 54-37
6. (2) Red Sox 52-40
7. (16) Rockies 50-41
8. (9) Cardinals 51-41
9. (6) Reds 51-42
10. (18) Giants 50-42
11. (15) White Sox 50-41
12. (12) Twins 49-43
13. (11) Tigers 49-43
14. (13) Angels 50-45
15. (14) Phillies 48-43
16. (8) Mets 49-43
17. (10) Dodgers 49-43
18. (17) Blue Jays 47-45
19. (19) Athletics 46-46
20. (20) Marlins 44-47
21. (22) Brewers 42-51
22. (21) Nationals 40-52
23. (24) Cubs 42-51
24. (23) Royals 39-52
25. (26) Indians 38-54
26. (27) Astros 37-55
27. (25) Mariners 36-56
28. (28) Diamondbacks 34-58
29. (29) Pirates 32-59
30. (30) Orioles 29-62

MLB Power Rankings-7/5

It's been a while. So i'm gonna skip comments and previous week, since that was three weeks ago. I should be able do be doing this regularly again.

1. Yankees (50-31)
2. Red Sox (49-33)
3. Rays (48-33)
4. Rangers (48-33)
5. Braves (48-34)
6. Reds (47-36)
7. Padres (49-33)
8. Mets (46-36)
9. Cardinals (45-37)
10. Dodgers (45-36)
11. Tigers (43-37)
12. Twins (44-38)
13. Angels (46-38)
14. Phillies (42-38)
15. White Sox (42-38)
16. Rockies (44-38)
17. Blue Jays (41-42)
18. Giants (41-40)
19. Athletics (41-42)
20. Marlins (38-43)
21. Nationals (36-47)
22. Brewers (37-45)
23. Royals (36-46)
24. Cubs (35-47)
25. Mariners (34-47)
26. Indians (32-49)
27. Astros (32-51)
28. Diamondbacks (32-50)
29. Pirates (30-52)
30. Orioles (25-56)

Twins Blog-At the halfway point

Technically, Saturday's game marked the halfway point in the Twins season. So forgive me if I continually use the halfway term. But as the Twins stand right now they are 44-38 and tied atop the AL Central with Detroit. They are on pace for an 88-74 record, and that will simply not cut it. The Twins have been plagued by inconsistent starting pitching, bad hitting in clutch spots, and very questionable managerial moves. They have shown they are not a contender yet as series vs the Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, and Braves have brought out the absolute worst in the ballclub. Lets all hope they can pull it together and make a great second half run.

TWINS MVP: Delmon Young-This may be shocking, but Young has kept the Twins afloat in the past month with his hot hitting and timely defense. Right now he holds a .298 average with 9 home runs and 55 runs batted in (tied for team lead). All of this while hitting in the 7 or 8 slot in the order. Delmon has been a slow starter in past seasons, but this year he showed up in better shape (30 pounds lighter) and has a much better attitude at the plate. Hopefully at some point Ron Gardenhire will move him up in the batting order while his hot streak continues. Look for Young to finish the season with 20 home runs and 100 RBI.

TWINS CY YOUNG: Carl Pavano-Pavano has been exactly what the Twins have needed from at least one of their starters this past month, a innings eater and their best pitcher. He leads the team in innings pitched (111.2), wins (9), and starters ERA (3.30). And not forgetting that his WHIP (1.05) is 5th best in all of Major League Baseball. Pavano has definitely shown he can still pitch in this league and has been worth every cent the Twins have paid him this season. He should finish with a record around 17-12 and a 3.50 ERA and should once again show that veteran poise down the stretch and hopefully into the postseason.

TEAM NEEDS: SP, RP-The bullpen took a beating this past weekend from Tampa Bay, but I still feel they need to bring in some new arms whether thats from outside or within the organization. Kyle Waldrop has been lights out at AAA Rochester with a 3-1 record and a 1.00 ERA in 36 games pitched. Anthony Slama has been equally impressive posting 16 saves with a 1.33 ERA in 38 appearances for the Wings. Should the Twins decide to go outside the organization for a bullpen arm, the logical choices would be Brandon League (SEA) or Minnesota Native Michael Wuertz (OAK). But the Twins most pressing need right now is a starting pitcher, more importantly, a staff ace. The Twins have been rumored to be one of the teams trying to acquire lefty Cliff Lee from Seattle. But the word from around the Twins is that they feel they can win with the staff they have. Wrong. Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey have been atrocious on the mound in the past month, and Scott Baker has been shaky as well. And with the way these playoff teams have fared against the Twins pitching, it's quite clear they need a starter. If they can't land Lee, they could try Roy Oswalt (HOU) or take a gamble on Dan Haren (ARZ). Oswalt has never pitched in the American League and Haren has been very shaky this season, but has pitched in the AL before. The Twins have a valuable chip in Wilson Ramos to acquire one of those pitchers. And they also have great depth in their farm system without crippling it to make a deal like this. But do I see them making a deal like this...no. But we will have to see.

HOW IT ENDS: Twins don't acquire a SP; win Central; lose in ALDS-The front office brings in a reliever before the July 31st trade deadline, but don't acquire a starter. The staff pulls it together enough to overcome the Tigers and White Sox to win the Central in 162 games. But they run into their foes from the east, the Yankees, and again go one and done in the postseason, losing the series 3 games to 1. That's how I see it ending, but lets hope for a different one.

Twins Blog-Making a run at Cliff Lee?

In the past few weeks most baseball insiders have been speculating as to where Seattle LHP Cliff Lee will end up prior to the July 31st trade deadline. With Seattle's nose dive in recent weeks, it has become no surprise that they will shop around the former Cy Young award winner. Those same insiders believe the Minnesota Twins are the most likely team to land Lee. Given the depth of the Twins farm system matching up with some of Seattle's immediate needs, a deal could easily be made. A likely package to offer Seattle would consist of C Wilson Ramos, either SP Scott Baker or SP Kevin Slowey, and another mid level pitching prospect. The Twins have great depth in their farm system, but do they use some of that depth to acquire a pitcher that would just be a "rental" player? Lee is a free agent this winter and would be recieving offers from the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox upon hitting the market, so any team that trades for him would only have him for the remainder of 2010, thus the "rental" tag. The most pressing issue for the Twins right now is the lack of an ace pitcher. Their starters, minus Liriano, have lacked serious consistency. They have a couple stellar outings followed by a couple of awful outings. And the inconsistency has shown when they have played playoff caliber teams (Yankees, Red Sox, Braves). And more than likely the Twins would run into the Yankees in October again should they get that far, and last I checked, the Twins can't solve the Yankees. And if you need reminding, look at the 2009 World Series and you will see Cliff Lee as the winning pitcher in Philadelphia's only two wins in that series. So Lee fills the "We can't run with the Yankees" void. Bringing Lee to Minnesota has alot of upside. He would make the Twins not just Central contenders but World Series contenders. But when push comes to shove, no, I can't see GM Bill Smith pulling the trigger on a deal like this. You can put your money on the Twins making a deal for a relief pitcher more than making a deal for Lee. And with free agency looming this winter for Lee, it makes it all the more easy to just say no. Even if they got Lee, the Twins would have a one in five chance of keeping him here past 2010. He would demand a contract around 15-20 million dollars per year. No one would be so sure Smith makes a trade period. Last year it took the Twins All Stars to convince him that they needed to trade for SS Orlando Cabrera. So one has to wonder what it would take to convince him they need Cliff Lee. Smith just doesn't give in to the big deals. But he has to see what we all see and that is a rotation without a leader and consistency. And teams that have rotations like that take a quick exit from postseason baseball. So, it's all on Smith now. Does he get Lee and push the Twins towards the top or does he settle for mediocrity pitching and take another ALDS sweep? The time is ticking. And he has 6 weeks and counting to decide.

MLB Power Rankings-6/14

Its been a few weeks but i'm back with some power rankings. This past week saw baseball's best prospect, Stephen Straasburg, make his debut and interleague play resumed. I have a new number one atop the rankings this week. Those Yankees have been playing consistently and with Tampa Bay's struggles they had to be bumped down. I also have some teams making some big jumps in a couple of weeks. Here's the rankings:

Rank. (Previous Week) Team Record: Comment

1. (2) Yankees 40-23: Now firing on all cylinders.
2. (1) Rays 40-23: Pitching has been beaten lately.
3. (7) Braves 37-27: Has Troy Glaus gotten a second wind?
4. (10) Red Sox 37-28: Offense has come to life.
5. (9) Padres 37-26: Still holding their ground.
6. (3) Twins 36-27: Injuries have taken their toll.
7. (11) Dodgers 36-27: Swept by Angels. Not a good sign.
8. (5) Reds 36-28: Joey Votto is vastly overlooked.
9. (13) Giants 35-27: Matt Cain has been lights out.
10. (6) Cardinals 34-29: Matt Holliday needs to wake up.
11. (16) Mets 35-28: Suddenly into second place.
12. (17) Rangers 35-28: Pounded Milwaukee pitching.
13. (4) Phillies 32-29: Can they buy some runs?
14. (18) Angels 36-30: Where did they come from?
15. (8) Blue Jays 34-30: Another June flame out on the way.
16. (14) Rockies 33-30: Someone solved Jimenez...finally.
17. (12) Tigers 33-29: Miguel Cabrera is still rolling.
18. (15) A's 32-33: A very streaky team.
19. (19) Marlins 31-32: Josh Johnson is a big force.
20. (20) Nationals 31-33: Strasburg finally made it!
21. (22) White Sox 28-34: Ozzie's final days?
22. (22) Cubs 28-35: This team cannot find their bats.
23. (24) Royals 27-37: Zach Greinke got win #...2?
24. (23) Brewers 26-37: Randy Wolf has been awful.
25. (27) Mariners 24-39: Cliff Lee's final days there?
26. (26) Diamondbacks 26-38: Juston Upton is on fire.
27. (28) Indians 25-37: Carlos Santana looks good.
28. (29) Astros 25-39: Can Oswalt be traded already?
29. (25) Pirates 23-40: Nose dive!!!
30. (30) Orioles 17-46: Still down here!

MLB Blog-Ken Griffey Jr. Retires

Today George Kenneth Griffey Jr. officially closed the book on his storied 22 year Major League Career. And one can't help but think of that sweet swing that sent baseballs farther than horizon lines. Griffey was a rare breed. A 5 tool player that made the absolute most out of his talents. He finished his career hitting .284 with 630 home runs (5th all time) and 1836 runs batted in. But what Griffey should be most remembered for was saving the Seattle Mariner franchise. For most Seattle fans 1995 would be the year the Mariners were saved, as the M's made a improbable run to the ALCS thanks to a Edgar Martinez double, scoring the speedy Griffey. But, had Griffey not blossomed into that feared hitter, he never brings the respectability back to Seattle, and Seattle probably would of up and moved to a new city (The M's were pushing for a new stadium at the time). Griffey needed Seattle and Seattle needed Griffey. And when Griffey was traded to Cincinnati in 2000, it just seemed like the wrong fit for both sides. In Griffey's first 11 seasons with Seattle he was averaging 36 HR and 104 RBI per season, but after his trade to Cincinnati he just averaged 25 HR and 67 RBI in 8 and a half seasons there. And in four of his first seven seasons in Cincinatti Griffey missed at least 50 games due to injury. It was just never right watching Griffey play for someone not named Seattle. But he made one last right in his career by playing his final year and a quarter with Seattle. But as we saw Griffey was so worn by age that the Seattle magic he once had there was gone. And he chose to ride off into the sunset on his terms. Ken Griffey was this writer's baseball icon growing up. And you couldn't of picked a better one to have during the steroid era, when all the games greats had fallen out of respectability, with the exception of Junior himself. Our final shot of Junior will be in 2016 as he recieves his plaque in Cooperstown with that infamous ear to ear grin on his face(No doubt he will have Seattle on his cap). And he will go down as one of the best centerfielders in baseball history, rivaling Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Ty Cobb for that honor.