Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Minnesota Twins Opening Day Roster

Lineup:

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Name B P AVG HR SB R RBI OBA D. Span L CF .302 12 30 122 58 .377 J. Weeks S 2B .315 8 21 83 49 .383 D. Cooper L 1B .290 21 0 78 70 .385 T. Neal R LF .313 27 1 97 99 .447 C. Parmelee L DH .342 2 0 2 6 .432 C. Headley S 3B .278 11 3 45 45 .368 H. Pence R RF .268 19 6 61 76 .324 J. Hardy R SS .250 23 1 78 70 .315 K. Suzuki R C .306 10 5 63 56 .366

I think we've easily got one of the best line-ups 1-9 in the game. Everyone but Suzuki and Hardy are rated at least 86 (Suzuki is a 79 and Hardy is an 83). We've definitely got one of the best defensive teams in the business. No one in the starting line-up that plays the field has a fielding ratings below 80, and any one of them besides maybe Headley could realistically win a Gold Glove.

Bench:

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Name B P AVG HR SB R RBI OBA A. Casilla S IF .000 0 0 0 0 .000 J. Morales S C .232 2 1 18 11 .293 B. Dinkelman R 2B 1.000 1 0 1 3 1.000 T. Plouffe R IF .000 0 0 0 0 .000 N. Punto S IF .296 0 3 5 4 .406

Depth is an issue. We literally have no back-up outfielders, and if anyone goes down for an extended period of time, we're probably screwed.

Starting Rotation:

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Name T ERA IP K W L SV T. Lincecum R 2.38 227.0 271 22 5 0 Z. Greinke R 2.03 230.1 231 19 6 0 T. Hanson R 3.47 202.1 207 12 9 0 S. Baker R 4.00 201.1 150 16 7 0 N. Blackburn R 3.63 161.0 69 11 8 0

Definitely one of the best starting rotations in baseball. We have two of the top 3-5 pitchers in the game to start things off (both of whom won a Cy Young last year), and it doesn't fall off after that. Hanson could be a #1 on many teams, but instead he's the third starter for us, and Baker is a very capable #2 or #3 starter on most teams, but we've got him at #4. Even Blackburn has shown himself to be a reliable ML-starter, and the strength of the defense behind him should help him greatly.

Bullpen:

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Name T ERA IP K W L SV J. Mijares L 3.17 65.1 39 4 3 26 S. Romo R 4.65 81.1 87 8 5 3 M. Guerrier R 0.00 0.0 0 0 0 0 A. Burnett R 0.00 0.0 0 0 0 0 D. Farquhar R 2.61 10.1 12 0 0 0 F. Nieve R 5.05 87.1 64 2 2 2

The bullpen is definitely our greatest weakness. Mijares and Romo should be some-what reliable in the 8th and 9th innings, but after that it's gloomy. Burnett and Farquhar have the potential to be solid bullpen arms, but it's always a crapshoot with relievers. As long as the bullpen can be half-way decent we should be able to overcome it with the strength of the rest of the team.

Without looking at any of the others teams in the AL, I think we have the best team in the American League. The starting rotation is as good as it gets, and the offense packs a heavy punch, as well as being a sure-handed defensive club all-around. It's World Series or bust, in my opinion.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Wait...nonono.

You traded Mauer to the Blue Jays? Then this dynasty is over. It very clearly states: "Minnesota - The Mauer Years"

Now if you want to have "Toronto - The Mauer Years" or "Minnesota - The Lincenum Years" go right ahead, but this can't stand. ;)

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatKnight

Wait...nonono.

You traded Mauer to the Blue Jays? Then this dynasty is over. It very clearly states: "Minnesota - The Mauer Years"

Now if you want to have "Toronto - The Mauer Years" or "Minnesota - The Lincenum Years" go right ahead, but this can't stand. ;)

Haha. I actually would have Clay change it if I didn't think he had more important things to do with his time :p.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Aprl 5, 2012

Twins 8 - Rangers 7
WP - T. Lincecum (1-0), LP - T. Scheppers (0-1), SV - J. Mijares (1)
HR - TEX Max Ramirez (1), TEX Chris Davis (1)

The new off-season additions played a big role in our opening day win. Lincecum gave up three runs in six innings of work while striking out four, Farquhar gave up two homers and four runs and nearly gave the Rangers the game, and Headley, Cooper, and Suzuki combined for four runs driven in.

POTG - MIN C. Headley 2-5, 2 RBI

April 6, 2012

Twins 9 - Rangers 4
WP - A. Burnett (1-0), LP - J. Petterson (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (1), MIN T. Neal (1)

Greinke didn't have his finest start, allowing four runs in 5.1 innings on ten hits. The offense was there to pick it up, though, with Cooper and Neal both hitting homers, and the bullpen pitching 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball.

POTG - MIN D. Cooper 3-5, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI

April 7, 2012

Twins 3 - Rangers 1
WP - T. Hanson (1-0), LP - D. Holland (0-1), SV - J. Mijares (2)
HR - MIN T. Neal (2)

Hanson pitched us to victory. He went seven innings of one-run, three-hit baseball, with 7 K's.

POTG - MIN T. Hanson 7 IP, 3 H, BB, ER, 7 K

April 8, 2012

Twins 3 - Rangers 2
WP - S. Baker (1-0), LP - D. O'Day (0-1), SV - J. Mijares (3)
HR - J. Hardy (1), D. Span (1)

There's no better way to open the season than with a 4-game sweep, and on the road no-less! Kasey Kiker and Scott Baker both went seven innings while allowing only one earned run, but our bullpen was just barely able to outlast theirs.

POTG - MIN bullpen (S. Romo + J. Mijares) 2 IP, H, BB, 0 ER, 2 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 4-0
1.5 GA of Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

I can't think of a better way to open the season than with four-wins in a row. The top two of Lincecum and Greinke actually didn't pitch that well, and we were still able to win their starts. Hopefully that says something about the team going forward and isn't merely an anomaly.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Just use a 3 man rotation :P

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Quote:

Originally Posted by ewing6

Just use a 3 man rotation :P

I was actually considering going with a 4-man rotation.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

April 9, 2012

Twins 10 - White Sox 6 (in extras)
WP - S. Romo (1-0), LP - C. Santeliz (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (2), C. Headley (1), C. Parmelee (1), CHW G. Beckham (2), J. Danks (2)

Blackburn gave up five runs in just 1.1 innings, but our bullpen really stepped up and locked the White Sox down, allowing just one run over the remainder of the game. The game-winning hit came in the top of the 10th, when David Cooper homered with the bases-loaded off Clevelan Santeliz.

POTG - MIN D. Cooper 2-5, BB, game-winning grand-slam in 10th inning

April 10, 2012

Twins 2 - White Sox 3
WP - T. Pena (1-0), LP - J. Mijares (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN H. Pence (1), CHW R. Howard (3)

Now this is the Lincecum I was expecting when I gave him that enormous contract. Lincecum pitched seven innings, gave up just one run on four hits, and struck out nine. Hunter Pence hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to tie the game, but Brent Lillibridge hit an RBI-double to end it in the bottom of the 9th.

POTG - CHW J. Peavy 8.2 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 6 K

April 11, 2012

Twins 5 - White Sox 13
WP - K. Heckathorn (1-0), LP - Z. Greinke (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN H. Pence (2), CHW J. Phegley (2), R. Howard (4), A. Rios (2)

Greinke is not having a good start to the season. This time out he lasted only 3.2 innings before giving up six runs and getting pulled from the game. Greinke's ERA is currently an even 10.00, and his BAA is hovering near the .400 mark.

POTG - CHW A. Rios 2-5, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 5-2
0.5 GA of Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 12, 2012

Yankees 4 - Twins 5
WP - S. Romo (2-0), LP - Z. McAllister (0-2), SV - J. Mijares (4)
HR - NYY C. Granderson (1)

The Yankees struggles continue, as this loss drops them to 1-6 on the season.

POTG - MIN T. Plouffe 2-3, BB, 2B, 2 RBI

April 14, 2012

Yankees 14 - Tigers 4
WP - A. Brackman (2-0), LP - S. Baker (1-1), SV - N/A
HR - NYY R. Pena (1), C. Granderson (2)

Melky Mesa beat us almost single-handedly. Mesa hit a double, two triples, got five RBI's on his way to a 4-5 day.

POTG - NYY M. Mesa 4-5, 2B, 2 3B, 5 RBI

April 15, 2012

Yankees 1 - Twins 3
WP - T. Lincecum (2-0), LP - B. Lyon (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN T. Neal (3), H. Pence (3)

Hunter Pence sent us home the winner with a walk-off two run jack in the bottom of the 9th inning.

POTG - MIN T. Lincecum CG, ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 10 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 7-3
0.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
0.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 16, 2012

Tigers 7 - Twins 10
WP - Z. Greinke (1-1), LP - M. Scherzer (2-1), SV - J. Mijares (5)
HR - MIN H. Pence (4), J. Morales (1), DET R. Doumit (3)

Greinke still didn't have a great start, but at least we got a win this time. Pence hit his 4th homer of the season in this game. Pence is off to a white-hot start this season. His line currently rests at .405/.489/.865, and he's got 4 homers 10 RBI's in only 11 games.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 2-3, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

April 17, 2012

Tigers 7 - Twins 3
WP - J. Valverde (1-0), LP - F. Nieve (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN J. Weeks (1), DET A. Jackson (1), R. Streiby (4)

Fernando Nieve let up a grand-slam homer to Ryan Streiby in the top of the ninth for the killing blow of the game.

POTG - DET R. Streiby 2-4, GW grand-slam in 9th inning

April 18, 2012

Tigers 2 - Twins 5
WP - S. Romo (3-0), LP - P. Coke (0-1), SV - J. Mijares (6)
HR - DET R. Streiby (5)

Despite a solid outing by Scott Baker (7 IP, 2 ER, 5 K), it came down to the bullpens. Phil Coke's lack of control cost the Tigers the game, when we were able to score two runs on back-to-back-to-back wild pitches.

POTG - MIN S. Baker 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 9-4
0.5 GA of Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

9-4 to start the season beats the hell outta any start I've had since starting this dynasty. Lincecum is pitching like he's making 24.16 million dollars a year (2-0, 2.05 ERA, 23 K, 9 BB, 22 IP), but Greinke is not pitching like he's making 26 million a year (9.00 ERA in 15 IP). That needs to change, and I do expect it will sooner than later. If we can get him going, there's no telling where this team could end up.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

April 20, 2012

Indians 10 - Twins 2
WP - A. White (2-0), LP - T. Lincecum (2-1), SV - T. Sipp (1)
HR - MIN D. Cooper (3), CLE M. LaPorta (3), N. Weglarz (1)

To say that a late-inning meltdown cost us this game would be grossly understating the magnitude of what occured in the final 2 innings of the game. Lincecum allowed only two runs in 7.1 inning, but left trailing the game anyways, and after that the sh!t just hit the fan. Sergio Romo, Matt Guerrier, and Alex Burnett pitched the final 1.2 innings and allowed eight runs on six hits.

POTG - CLE A. White 7 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, ER, 5 K

April 21, 2012

WP - F. Nieve (1-1), LP - J. Smith (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (4), J. Weeks (2), C. Headley (2), T. Neal (4)

I still have yet to see the Cy Young Greinke this season after this start, only the Greinke that makes me want to cut off my own toes with bolt cutters. He allowed seven runs in only 3.1 innings this time before my manager had to pull the plug. However, due to some timely hitting we were still able to come out on top.

POTG - MIN T. Neal 2-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, go-ahead RBI double in 8th inning

April 22, 2012

Indians 2 - Twins 12
WP - T. Hanson (2-0), LP - A. Harang (1-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN J. Weeks (3), T. Neal (5)

David Cooper continues the ridiculously hot start to his Twins career with another multi-RBI game. In the 16 games Cooper has played in since the start of the season he has hit .343/.365/.600 with 4 homers and 19 RBI.

POTG - MIN J. Weeks 2-4, BB, 3 R, HR, 5 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 11-5
0.5 GA of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 23, 2012

Twins 3 - Tigers 8
WP - R. Porcello (2-1), LP - S. Baker (1-2), SV - S. Marshall (1)
HR - MIN D. Cooper (5), CLE W. Ramirez (3)

Our pitching is not performing nearly as well as I expected it to at the start of the season. Our team ERA is 5.71, and only two starters have ERA's that aren't completely atrocious (Lincecum's ERA is 2.15 and Hanson's is 2.42). That didn't change the slightest bit in this game, as Baker lasted only 3.2 innings before giving up six runs.

POTG - DET S. Marshall 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, K

April 24, 2012

Twins 6 -Tigers 10
WP - J. Verlander (2-0), LP - N. Blackburn (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (2), DET J. Bautista (4), G. Nunez (2), W. Ramirez (4), R. Raburn (5)

We mounted a 4-run rally in the top of the ninth to give Tigers fans, players, and management some minor indigestion, but ultimately we were in way too deep of a hole to have a realistic shot at coming all the way back.

POTG - DET J. Verlander 7 IP, 6 H, BB, 2 ER, 6 K

April 25, 2012

Twins 2 - Tigers 4
WP - J. Weaver (2-1), LP - T. Lincecum (2-2), SV - J. Valverde (4)
HR - MIN J. Weeks (4)

We started the game off on the right foot, with Jemile Weeks homering for two runs in top of the first. Lincecum was electric, registering 10 K's in the first 4 innings of the game, finishing with 12 in six innings of work. Despite that, we still couldn't avoid the sweep. We limp our way into KC for our last series of the month.

POTG - T. Lincecum 6 IP, 8 H, BB, 3 ER, 12 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 11-8
2.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
0.5 GB of Tampa Bay Rays for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 27, 2012

Twins 4 - Royals 2
WP - Z. Greinke (2-1), LP - A. Crow (1-2), SV - J. Mijares (7)
HR - MIN C. Headley (3), D. Span (2)

Greinke squared off against his former team and got the better of them in rather impressive fashion. He went seven innings, allowed just one earned run, and struck out four. The game also marks his first really good outing of the season. I'll admit that there were a couple instances where he had me covering my eyes, but all-in-all, a good start.

POTG - KCR A. Crow 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 8 K

April 28, 2012

Twins 11 - Royals 5
WP - A. Burnett (2-0), LP - V. Marte (1-3), SV - J. Mijares (8)
HR - MIN H. Pence 3 (7), KCR J. Gerut (3)

Jody Gerut provided the first big hit of the game, a three-run homer off Hanson in the second inning. Fortunately, though, it wasn't the last. Hunter Pence homered three times, including one in the seventh to cap a six-run rally. The other two came in the 6th and 9th, and all of them were of the two-run variety.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 3-5, 3 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI

April 29, 2012

Twins 2 - Royals 8
WP - D. Duffy (1-3), LP - S. Baker (1-3), SV - N/A
HR - D. Cooper (6)

We leave the bases loaded in the 9th and fall just short of a three game sweep.

POTG - KCR D. Duffy 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 4 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 13-9
4.0 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
0.5 GA of Tampa Bay Rays for first place in AL Wild Card (tied with Baltimore Orioles)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

With Detroit off to another one of their ridiculously hot start at 17-5 we're further back in the division than we should be. We're still off to a good start, however, and if the team continues it's trend of playing lights-out in the second half we'll be ending the season with a playoff berth.

HTML Code:

ERA T. Lincecum 2.55 Wins S. Romo 3 Saves J. Mijares 8 AVG T. Neal .341 HR H. Pence 7 SB D. Span 3

Stats

Batting

Pitching

HTML Code:

Player Name Team Starts W L ERA IP K SV CG OBA Lincecum, Tim MIN 5 2 2 2.55 35.1 40 0 1 .229 Greinke, Zack MIN 5 2 1 8.17 25.1 21 0 0 .308 Hanson, Tommy MIN 5 2 0 3.81 26.0 24 0 0 .248 Baker, Scott MIN 5 1 3 6.41 26.2 22 0 0 .252 Blackburn, Nick MIN 2 0 1 17.36 4.2 0 0 0 .385 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 1 2.00 9.0 6 8 0 .265 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 3 0 3.46 13.0 19 0 0 .220 Guerrier, Matt MIN 0 0 0 8.68 9.1 6 0 0 .325 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 2 0 2.93 15.1 6 0 0 .224 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 0 0 8.16 14.1 14 0 0 .295 Nieve, Fernando MIN 0 1 1 9.42 14.1 14 0 0 .300 Player Name Team AB H HR RBI Avg OBP SLG SB CS Cooper, David MIN 96 28 6 23 .292 .317 .542 0 0 Span, Denard MIN 91 25 2 9 .275 .365 .363 3 0 Weeks, Jemile MIN 90 20 4 15 .222 .297 .378 2 0 Neal, Thomas MIN 88 30 5 13 .341 .420 .636 0 0 Hardy, J.J. MIN 86 26 1 7 .302 .315 .453 0 0 Parmelee, Chris MIN 82 26 2 10 .317 .411 .476 0 1 Headley, Chase MIN 80 23 3 13 .288 .313 .438 0 0 Pence, Hunter MIN 77 24 7 18 .312 .380 .662 0 0 Suzuki, Kurt MIN 57 15 0 4 .263 .344 .333 0 0 Morales, Jose MIN 19 6 1 6 .316 .350 .474 0 0 Plouffe, Trevor MIN 6 2 0 2 .333 .429 .500 0 0 Punto, Nick MIN 4 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Casilla, Alexi MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Dinkelman, Brian MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Lincecum, Tim MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Greinke, Zack MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Hanson, Tommy MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Baker, Scott MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Blackburn, Nick MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Guerrier, Matt MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Nieve, Fernando MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

April 30, 2012

Twins 0 - Indians 1
WP - K. De la Cruz (3-2), LP - N. Blackburn (0-2), SV - (2)
HR - N/A

Kelvin De la Cruz had us off-balance all night. Cruz pitched eight shutout innings with six K's. Blackburn had an impressive start of his own, allowing just one run over seven innings.

POTG - CLE K. De la Cruz 8 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 6 K

May 1, 2012

Twins 8 - Indians 5
WP - S. Romo (4-0), LP - C. Perez (0-2), SV - J. Mijares (9)
HR - MIN D. Cooper (7), C. Headley (4), T. Neal (6), CLE A. Cabrera (2), S. Choo (2)

We were able to score five runs in the final two innings of the game to score a come-back win. Pence put the exclamation mark on the come-back with a bases-loaded RBI in the ninth to score three runs.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 3-4, BB, 2 2B, 3 RBI

May 2, 2012

Twins 5 - Indians 0
WP - Z. Greinke (3-1), LP - H. Rondon (1-3), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Greinke may officially be back. He threw his first complete game and shutout of the season, allowing five hits and walking four over the nine innings with 11 punch-outs.

POTG - Z. Greinke CG, SHO, 5 H, 4 BB, 0 ER, 11 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 15-10
3.0 GB of Detriot Tigers for first place in AL Central
1.0 GA of Baltimore Orioles for first place in AL Wild Card (tied with Boston Red Sox)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 3, 2012

Royals 4 - Twins 5
WP - T. Hanson (3-0), LP - B. Bannister (0-1), SV - J. Mijares (10)
HR - MIN C. Headley (5), KCR B. Butler (2), S. Costa (1)

Hanson continues to pitch like he's in a contract year (which he is, by the way). After this 6.2 inning, 2 ER performance, his numbers for the year settle at 3-0, 3.58 ERA, 26 K, 14 BB, .240 BAA in 32.2 innings.

POTG - T. Hanson 6.2 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 2 ER, 2 K

May 4, 2012

Royals 10 - Twins 7
WP - D. Duffy (2-3), LP - A. Burnett (2-1), SV - L. Coleman (4)
HR - MIN J. Weeks (5), T. Neal (7), KCR S. Costa (2)

We were able to get to Duffy for three early runs, but he was able to settle in from there, and pitched a total of seven innings giving up three runs on seven hits. We put four runs on the board in the bottom of the ninth, but we were already in too deep of a hole to do anything but make the game look closer than it really was.

POTG - KCR S. Costa 2-5, HR, 4 RBI

May 5, 2012

Royals 0 - Twins 12
WP - N. Blackburn (1-2), LP - K. Davies (0-3), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Headley (6), H. Pence (8), C. Parmelee (3)

A great game for every one who stepped on the fielding wearing a Minnesota Twins uniform. Blackburn pitched a complete game shutout (somehow doing so without registering a single strikeout), meanwhile Span and Parmelee each drove in three runs. Everyone but Weeks and Neal got a hit, and Neal still reached base three times on walks.

POTG - MIN N. Blackburn CG, SHO, 6 H, 3 BB

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 17-11
2.0 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
0.5 GA of Tampa Bay Rays for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

We're on a pretty solid run right now. The pitching still isn't where I'd like to see it (5.12 team ERA), but we're winning in spite of that, and when that number inevitably comes down we should be able to keep winning. Our offense, however, is clicking even better than I had anticipated. We're third in the AL in runs scored with 162, 4th in homers with 40, and 3rd in batting average at .294.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

May 6, 2012

Orioles 1 - Twins 6
WP - T. Lincecum (3-2), LP - B. Bergensen (2-2), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (8), H. Pence (9), BAL N. Reimold (7)

Through the first several innings the game remained very close, but we were finally able to stretch the lead and five ourselves some breating room in the fifth inning when David Cooper hit a two-run homer. I'd also like to mention that Hunter Pence has hit more homers (9) in 29 games this season than he did in his stint with the Red Sox last season in 62 (8), and almost as many as he hit in 74 games with us to finish the season (11).

POTG - MIN D. Cooper 3-4, BB, R, HR, 4 RBI

May 7, 2012

Orioles 5 - Twins 3
WP - B. Matusz (5-2), LP - F. Nieve (1-2), SV - K. Mickolio (11)
HR - BAL J. Bell (9)

Greinke missed his scheduled start due to a fractured wrist, and will likely miss his next two starts as well. Nieve made the start in his place and lasted only 3 innings before giving up 4 runs and getting removed from the game. We had a chance to win it in the ninth, with two men on and David Cooper at the plate as the winning run, but we were unable to convert it into anything.

POTG - BAL Bullpen (A. Slama + B. Jacobson + K. Mickolio) 4 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 6 K

May 8, 2012

Orioles 6 - Twins 5
WP - B. Erbe (3-1), LP - S. Romo (4-1), SV - K. Mickolio (12)
HR - MIN C. Headley (7), H. Pence (10), BAL B. Roberts (3)

Kurt Suzuki hit a rope into center-field in the ninth inning that would have tied the game had it fallen in, but defensive whiz kid Adam Jones managed to track it down for the 27th out and give his team the win.

POTG - BAL B. Erbe 7 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 8 K

May 9, 2012

Orioles 1 - Twins 4
WP - S. Baker (2-3), LP - C. Tillman (0-5), SV - J. Mijares (11)
HR - N/A

We were able to bat around for 3 runs in the first inning, and it was pretty smooth sailing after that. Scott Baker pitched seven innings, gave up just one run on five hits, and struck out four for his second win of the season.

POTG - MIN S. Baker 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, ER, 4 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 19-13
2.0 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
0.5 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

The pitching seems to be picking it up lately, and although the offense is falling off it's torrid pace a bit it's still operating at a very high level. We're finishing up our homestand with a two-game series against the White Sox, which will be sandwiched in by off-days. After that we head on the road to play the Rays, Jays, and Yank's.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

May 11, 2012

White Sox 5 - Twins 6
WP - A. Burnett (3-1), LP - M. Thornton (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN H. Pence (11), CHW J. Phegly (6)

Hunter Pence bailed Chase Headley out big-time. Headley made two errors in the game, which led to all five of the White Sox runs. But lucky for Headley, Pence made his 11th home-run of the year a walk-off two-run bomb.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 1-3, walk-off 2-R HR

May 12, 2012

White Sox 2 - Twins 13
WP - F. Nieve (2-2), LP - J. Peavy (3-4), SV - N/A
HR - MIN K. Suzuki (1), D. Cooper (9), CHW R. Howard (12), G. Beckham (7)

Nieve's second start in place of Greinke was much better than his first. Nieve went seven innings and allowed just one run on six hits and four walks while striking out three. #9 hitter Kurt Suzuki hit his first homer of the year and drove in 5 runs. Meanwhile, Pence continued his MVP-esque start to the season, going 4-5 with three runs and an RBI.

POTG - MIN F. Nieve 7 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, ER, 3 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 21-13
2.0 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
1.0 GA of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 14, 2012

Twins 5 - Rays 2
WP - A. Burnett (4-1), LP - D. Price (1-3), SV - J. Mijares (12)
HR - TBR B. Upton (6)

Our bullpen performed admirably. They worked themselves into some jams, but were able to work themselves back out. In total, they (Burnett, Farquhar, Mijares) pitched 4.2 innings, gave up one hit, walked three, and struck out four, while getting a win and a save.

POTG - MIN bullpen (A. Burnett + D. Farquhar + J. Mijares) 4.2 IP, H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 4 K, W, SV

May 15, 2012

Twins 9 - Rays 5
WP - M. Guerrier (1-0), LP - D. Wheeler (1-1), SV - S. Romo (1)
HR - MIN J. Hardy (2), TBR S. Rodriguez 2 (9), M. Joyce (4)

J.J. Hardy hit only his second homer of the season. Where 2 homers at this point in May might normally mean Hardy was having a dismal offensive season, it actually doesn't this time. So far this season he's sacrificed home-runs (2) for batting average .290. It Hardy stays even remotely on his current batting average pace, he'll set a career-high in batting average.

POTG - MIN J. Hardy 3-5, R, HR, 3 RBI

May 16, 2012

WP - A. Torres (1-0), LP - T. Lincecum (3-3), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Both starters went the distance in the game. Torres pitched ever-so-slightly better than Linc' and earned the complete game, shutout win.

POTG - TBR A. Torres CG, SHO, 6 H, 2 BB, K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 23-14
1.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
1.0 GA of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 17, 2012

Twins 1 - Blue Jays 5
WP - A. Cashner (2-3), LP - F. Nieve (2-3), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

In Mauer's first game against us he delivered a bases-loaded, two RBI double for his only hit of the game. Andrew Cashner shut us down thoroughly, pitching seven innings of one-run ball while striking out nine. Greinke missed his third start in a row, but this should be the last start he misses.

POTG - TOR A. Cashner 7 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, ER, 9 K

May 18, 2012

Twins 5 - Blue Jays 6 (in extras)
WP - M. Belisle (3-0), LP - A. Burnett (4-2), SV - N/A
HR - TOR H. Blalock (3)

Trevor Plouffe's clutch pinch-hit RBI single in the 9th was for naught. Mijares blew the lead in the ninth, and then Burnett gave up the game-winning run on a sac fly in the 10th.

POTG - MIN T. Hanson 7 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 5 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 23-16
2.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
0.5 GA of Oakland A's for first place in AL Wild Card (tied with Boston Red Sox)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 19, 2012

Twins 1 - Yankees 0
WP - S. Romo (5-1), LP - C. Sabathia (2-5), SV - J. Mijares (13)
HR - MIN T. Neal (8)

An amazing pitching duel. Zack Greinke came back in a big way from his fractured wrist, pitching 7.1 innings of shutout baseball with 11 K's. He worked himself into a jam in the 8th inning, loading the bases with one out, but Romo was able to come out and get a 3-6-3 double play ball. Then the very next inning Thomas Neal came up and ended the 0-0 tie with a solo homer.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 7.1 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 11 K + T. Neal 3-4, game-winning solo homer

May 20, 2012

Twins 1 - Yankees 4
WP - A. Brackman (5-1), LP - N. Blackburn (1-3), SV - B. Lyon (9)
HR - MIN C. Headley (8), NYY M. Teixeira 2 (12)

Brackman is building an early case for the American League Cy Young. After this start, in which he pitched seven one-run innings with 10 K's, he's 5-1 with a 2.85 ERA.

POTG - NYY A. Brackman 7 IP, 6 H, BB, ER, 10 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 24-17
2.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
2.5 GA of Baltimore Orioles for first place in AL Wild Card (tied with Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

The line-up has definitely cooled off significantly, at least in terms of run production and driving in runs. Fortunately, though, it's not keeping us from staying close to the Tigers, and even making up a couple games over the past couple weeks.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

May 21, 2012

Astros 6 - Twins 2
WP - J. Lyles (2-0), LP - T. Lincecum (3-4), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Span (3)

Lincecum did not have his best stuff against the 'Stros. He gave up six runs in only four innings and saw his ERA balloon to 3.51. Denard Span provided our only runs with a two-run bomb in the fifth.

POTG - HOU J. Lyles 7 IP, 6 H, BB, 2 ER, 7 K

May 22, 2012

Astros 2 - Twins 9
WP - Z. Greinke (4-1), LP - R. Dempster (0-7), SV - N/A
HR - MIN J. Hardy (3), T. Neal 2 (10), C. Parmelee (4)

Thomas Neal had his best game at the plate in quite some time. He helped power us to the win by going 4-5 with three runs, two homers, and four RBI. Greinke also continued his string of impressive starts, pitching seven innings, allowing just one earned run, and striking out three, while allowing four hits and walking zero.

POTG - MIN T. Neal 4-5, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI

May 23, 2012

Astros 2 - Twins 1
WP - F. Abad (1-2), LP - T. Hanson (3-1), SV - L. Nunez (5)
HR - J. Towles (3)

A very well pitched game by all parties. Fernando Abad dominated all night, and after he came out we were unable to even get on-base against the Astros bullpen.

POTG - HOU F. Abad 7 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, ER, 6 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 25-19
3.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
2.5 GA of Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland for first place in AL Wild Card (tied with Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 25, 2012

Rays 6 - Twins 5
WP - D. Price (3-3), LP - S. Baker (2-4), SV - R. Soriano (15)
HR - MIN C. Headley (9), TBR E. Longoria (7), C. Crawford (10)

An error by Headley early in the game led to two unearned, which was ultimately the difference between a win and a loss on our side. Headley's defense, or lack thereof, is driving me completely crazy this season. He already has 7 errors this season, comparatively Beltre had 12 all of last season. Luckily for Headley and myself, he's hitting pretty well (.875 OPS, 9 HR, 28 RBI), otherwise he'd be riding the pine.

POTG - TBR E. Longoria 4-5, HR, RBI

May 26, 2012

Rays 3 - Twins 2
WP - A. Colome (6-1), LP - T. Lincecum (3-5), SV - R. Soriano (16)
HR - B. Upton (8)

Lincecum loses his second start in a row, failing to make it through the fifth inning once again. The bullpen was able to shutdown the opposing offense, but we couldn't break through and get any runs.

POTG - TBR A. Colome 7 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, 4 K

May 27, 2012

Rays 14 - Twins 6
WP - J. McGee (6-1), LP - Z. Greinke (4-2), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (10), J. Hardy (4), H. Pence (12), TBR S. Rodriguez (11), B. Zobrist (9), C. Crawford (11)

Greinke got torched, allowing seven earned runs in 2.2 innings. The rest of the bullpen, aside from Sergio Romo who pitched three scoreless innings, didn't do much better. We're really reeling, having lost 6 of our last 7 games.

POTG - TBR C. Crawford 1-4, BB, 2 R, 4 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 25-22
4.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
2.0 GB of Texas Rangers for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 28, 2012

A's 3 - Twins 4
WP - A. Burnett (5-2), LP - C. Hamels (4-6), SV - J. Mijares (14)
HR - MIN C. Headley (10), T. Neal 2 (12), C. Parmelee (5)

We win our first game against the A's since our Game 5 loss in the ALDS last season. Neal rips two more homers, and Hanson pitches six innings, allowing three runs, and striking out eight.

POTG - MIN T. Hanson 6 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 ER, 8 K

May 29, 2012

A's 2 - Twins 10
WP - N. Blackburn (2-3), LP - D. Braden (5-3), SV - M. Guerrier (1)
HR - MIN K. Suzuki (2), C. Headley (11), T. Neal (13)

We roughed up ex-Twin reliever Jesse Crain for five runs when he came into the game in the 8th inning. Thomas Neal also continued his recent hot streak, hitting his team-best 13th home-run of the season. In his last ten games Neal is hitting .395/.452/.868 with six homers.

POTG - C. Headley 2-2, BB, R, HR, 4 RBI

May 30, 2012

A's 4 - Twins 2 (in extras)
WP - E. Ramirez (1-1), LP - M. Guerrier (1-1), SV - N/A
HR - OAK T. Buck (6)

Travis Buck and his propensity for clutch homers continue to plague me. Last season he got walk-off hits in games 1 and 5 of the ALDS, and tonight he hit the game-winning homer in the top of the 15th inning.

POTG - OAK T. Buck 1-6, game-winning 2-R HR in 15th inning

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 27-23
3.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
1.5 GB of Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

This season figures to be an exciting one, at this rate. At 25-26 Baltimore is still only 4 games out of the Wild Card, and Oakland, Texas, and Seattle are all within 1 games of each other out west. One thing that is surprising me, however, is the performance of the Blue Jays. They finished only a couple games out of a playoff spot last season, and I figured the addition of Joe Mauer would push them over the top. Instead, they're 19-33 and in last place in the American League East.

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ERA T. Lincecum 3.66 Wins S. Romo 5 Saves J. Mijares 14 AVG H. Pence .346 HR T. Neal 13 SB D. Span 8

Stats

Batting

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Player Name Team AB H HR RBI Avg OBP SLG SB CS Weeks, Jemile MIN 208 49 5 22 .236 .304 .346 2 1 Cooper, David MIN 207 55 10 41 .266 .335 .444 0 1 Span, Denard MIN 204 53 3 16 .260 .355 .343 8 1 Neal, Thomas MIN 195 61 13 31 .313 .403 .579 1 0 Hardy, J.J. MIN 190 50 4 20 .263 .302 .411 0 0 Headley, Chase MIN 185 59 11 35 .319 .366 .546 0 0 Parmelee, Chris MIN 181 47 5 21 .260 .350 .403 0 1 Pence, Hunter MIN 179 62 12 35 .346 .416 .626 4 3 Suzuki, Kurt MIN 145 34 2 20 .234 .302 .338 1 1 Morales, Jose MIN 31 9 1 7 .290 .324 .387 0 1 Casilla, Alexi MIN 10 3 0 0 .300 .364 .500 0 0 Plouffe, Trevor MIN 7 3 0 4 .429 .500 .571 0 0 Punto, Nick MIN 4 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Dinkelman, Brian MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Lincecum, Tim MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Greinke, Zack MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Hanson, Tommy MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Baker, Scott MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Blackburn, Nick MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Guerrier, Matt MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Nieve, Fernando MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0

Pitching

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Player Name Team Starts W L ERA IP K SV CG OBA Lincecum, Tim MIN 11 3 5 3.66 71.1 77 0 2 .261 Greinke, Zack MIN 9 4 2 5.44 51.1 49 0 1 .250 Hanson, Tommy MIN 11 3 1 3.66 64.0 57 0 0 .234 Baker, Scott MIN 9 2 4 5.29 47.2 40 0 0 .255 Blackburn, Nick MIN 7 2 3 4.03 38.0 10 0 1 .293 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 1 1.74 20.2 15 14 0 .237 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 5 1 2.65 34.0 41 1 0 .213 Guerrier, Matt MIN 0 1 1 5.13 26.1 17 1 0 .290 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 5 2 2.86 28.1 17 0 0 .236 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 0 0 6.39 31.0 26 0 0 .254 Nieve, Fernando MIN 3 2 3 7.20 35.0 32 0 0 .324

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Minnesota Twins 2012 Draft Review

Round #1 - CF Armando Reyna (67/84), 19 years old - Got some holes in his game. But he's got huge power potential, great speed, and good defensive potential. Also very advanced developmentally for his age.

Round #2 - RHSP John Bradford (56/85), 21 years old - Posted a 2.58 ERA in his last season of college ball. Good strikeout potential, along with good control, and two pitches that project to be very solid.

Round #3 - RHSP Gabe Thorington (54/82), 21 years old - Slightly less developed version of Bradford, also slightly lower peak. If pitching doesn't work out, potential exists for him to convert to a hitter.

Round #4 - RHSP Wade Klotz (51/81), 18 years old - Very healthy. Posted an ERA under 3.00 every year of high school after his freshman year. Similar vitals to Thorington and Bradford.

Round #5 - 3B Reggie Chakaryan (54/73), 17 years old - Could become a solid back-up third baseman at the major league level. At the very least, has good health so injuries shouldn't hinder development process.

Round #6 - LHSP Todd Pankey (50/72), 18 years old - Up and down high school career. Posted ERA of 6.79 freshman year, 2.26 sophomore, 3.94 junior, and 3.25 as a senior. Currently not much potential, but with four good pitches and solid vitals, that could change.

This draft was big for me. I needed to restock the farm system after trading so much of it to build the team I have now. The first round lacked prospects with massive potential at my pick, but I think I came out pretty well anyways. Got several good prospects into the system and started the process of rebuilding the farm from the ground up.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

May 31, 2012

Twins 2 - Mariners 3
WP - E. Bedard (6-1), LP - T. Lincecum (3-6), SV - D. Aardsma (16)
HR - SEA J. Guillen (5)

Lincecum pitched 6.2 innings, striking out 11, and allowing only three runs, but still gets his sixth loss of the season. He's pitched well almost everytime out this season, but we just can't get any runs for him. If we could get any runs for him, he could just as easily be 8-4 or 9-3 as he is 3-6.

POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 6.2 IP, 9 H, 0 BB, 3 ER, 11 K

June 1, 2012

Twins 4 - Mariners 1
WP - Z. Greinke (5-2), LP - F. Hernandez (2-5), SV - J. Mijares (15)
HR - MIN D. Cooper (11)

Three errors by the Mariners cost them the game. We got only one earned run off King Felix, but errors led to two more unearned runs, and negated his otherwise spectacular performance. Greinke was dynamite, himself, going seven innings, allowing one run, and striking out eight.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, ER, 8 K

June 2, 2012

Twins 1 - Mariners 7
WP - C. Lee (6-4), LP - T. Hanson (3-2), SV - N/A
HR - SEA J. Wilson (3), G. Halman (21)

What a sloppy game. Five errors combined between the two teams in the game, and errors led to five unearned runs scored by the Mariners against us.

POTG - SEA C. Lee 7 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, ER, 3 K

June 3, 2012

Twins 1 - Mariners 3
WP - M. Pineda (7-1), LP - S. Baker (2-5), SV - D. Aardsma (17)
HR - N/A

Errors, errors, errors! We committed two more errors in this game, leading to two unearned runs, which (wouldn't ya know it) was the difference in the game!

POTG - SEA M. Pineda 7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, ER, 3 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 28-26
4.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
4.0 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

June 4, 2012

Twins 0 - Angels 6
WP - T. Bell (1-3), LP - N. Blackburn (2-4), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Bell went 8.2 innings of shutout ball with 7 K's. Meanwhile, Blackburn couldn't even make it through 4 innings before being pulled from the game.

POTG - LAA T. Bell 8.2 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 7 K

June 5, 2012

Twins 2 - Angels 3
WP - F. Wright (1-3), LP - T. Lincecum (3-7), SV - K. Jepsen (9)
HR - MIN C. Headley (12)

Lincecum loses yet another game despite a very good start. This time out he goes 6.2 innings and allowing three runs on nine hits. We're playing like complete crap right now.

POTG - LAA F. Martinez 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

June 6, 2012

Twins 9 - Angels 0
WP - Z. Greinke (6-2), LP - W. Smith (3-6), SV - N/A
HR - MIN J. Weeks (6), C. Headley 2 (14), T. Neal (14), J. Morales (2)

Greinke helps us get off our losing streak with a fantastic performance. He throws the complete game shutout, dropping his ERA to 4.28, giving up just five hits, walking one, and striking out ten. This win prevented us from dipping under .500 on the season.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke CG, SHO, 5 H, BB, 10 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 29-28
6.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
5.0 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

We're on an epic cold streak. We're 6-14 in our last 20 games. I can't really point to one thing and say that it's the reason we're losing. We're just being terribly inconsistent right now. If we pitch we don't hit, if we hit we don't pitch, and we never play the field well. The team has proven itself to be a second-half team since I've taken over, and hopefully that holds true again this season. Luckily we haven't fallen too far back yet.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

we'll call it the curse of mauer

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

ewing: You have no idea how accurate that sounds right now....

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

June 8, 2012

Tigers 7 - Twins 3
WP - J. Verlander (6-2), LP - T. Hanson (3-3), SV - N/A
HR - DET R. Raburn (10)

Not the way I was hoping to start this series. This series is huge for us at this point in the season, and I'd really love to take 2 of 3.

POTG - DET R. Raburn 2-5, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI

June 9, 2012

Tigers 5 - Twins 3
WP - J. Turner (2-1), LP - S. Baker (2-6), SV - J. Valverde (16)
HR - DET J. Larish (5)

Well there goes 2 of 3. Hopefully we can salvage one game. Lincecum is going in the series finale, but that's never a guarantee with the run support we've gotten for him (or lack thereof).

POTG - DET bullpen (P. Coke + J. Valverde) 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, K

June 10, 2012

Tigers 7 - Twins 9
WP - D. Farquhar (1-0), LP - R. Perry (1-3), SV - J. Mijares (16)
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (6)

We just manage to avoid the sweep. Although The Tigers really gave us a run for our money, scoring three in the top of the ninth to make it interesting (and nauseating).

POTG - MIN K. Suzuki 1-3, BB, R, 2 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 30-30
7.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
5.0 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

June 11, 2012

Marlins 8 - Twins 2
WP - C. Volstad (7-4), LP - Z. Greinke (6-3), SV - N/A
HR - MIN H. Pence (13), FLA L. Morrison (7)

Zack Greinke made one crucial mistake in the game - allowing Logan Morrison to hit a three-run homer in the 6th inning on a hanging curve. This loss puts us under .500, and makes me extremely frustrated and angry with this team. This team is WAY too talented to be playing this poorly!

POTG - FLA L. Morrison 3-5, HR, 6 RBI

June 12, 2012

Marlins 10 - Twins 3
WP - M. Rosier (1-2), LP - (T. Hanson (3-4), SV - N/A
HR - FLA L. Morrison (8), H. Ramirez (7), G. Sanchez (3)

Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. How can a team with so much talent in every facet of the game play this poorly?! We have Gold Glove caliber fielders at almost every position, we have former Cy Young winners, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, and All-Star level players at almost every position! And we're 6-14 in our last 20 games and two games under .500!

POTG - FLA H. Ramirez 2-5, HR, 4 RBI

June 13, 2012

Marlins 5 - Twins 6
WP - F. Nieve (3-3), LP - C. Qualls (1-4), SV - N/A
HR - MIN H. Pence (14)

Holy crap - A WIN! Barely. We scored three in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings, and then we won in the tenth on an RBI double by Hunter Pence.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, GW 2 RBI 2B

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 31-32
8.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
5.0 GB of Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

June 15, 2012

D'Backs 2 - Twins 6
WP - T. Lincecum (4-7), LP - B. Webb (6-6), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Headley (15), ARI L. Scott (7)

Two wins in a row! And Lincecum even got a win! Is the sky falling!?

POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, ER, 8 K

June 16, 2012

D'Backs 0 - Twins 3
WP - Z. Greinke (7-3), LP - D. Haren (3-9), SV - J. Mijares (17)
HR - MIN T. Neal 2 (16)

Three in a row? Is this a sign that our cold streak is coming to an end, or the end of the world? I'm guessing the end of the world. Either way, Greinke narrowly missed out on another shutout, going 8.2 innings before getting pulled, and striking out 10.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 8.2 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 10 K

June 17, 2012

D'Backs 7 - Twins 8
WP - A. Burnett (6-2), LP - L. Cormier (1-3), SV - J. Mijares (18)
HR - MIN D. Cooper 2 (13), ARI C. Young (10), R. Wheeler (3)

A sweep? Be right back, I need to move my laptop into my bomb-shelter.

POTG - MIN D. Cooper 3-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 3B

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 34-32
8.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
5.0 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

Well, we won 4 in a row to close out the past couple weeks. We're still 8.5 back in the division, though. But hopefully this is the beginning of another one of those massive hot streaks we like to go on.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

The curse of Joe Mauer looms, OOOOOOO

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

June 18, 2012

Twins 3 - Nationals 4 (in extras)
WP - C. Carlson (1-4), LP - J. Mijares (0-2), SV - N/A
HR - WAS J. Flores (5)

We had no shortage of opportunities to break this game wide open, but double plays killed us everytime.

POTG - WAS bullpen (M. Capps + B. Jenks + J. Carlson) 4 IP, 3 H, BB, 0 ER, 2 K

June 19, 2012

Twins 10 - Nationals 5
WP - N. Blackburn (3-4), LP - J. Lannan (4-4), SV - D. Farquhar (1)
HR - MIN D. Cooper 2 (15), D. Span 2 (5)

Multi-homers game by both Denard Span and David Cooper powered us to our fifth win in six games.

POTG - MIN D. Span 3-5, 2B, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI

June 20, 2012

Twins 2 - Nationals 4
WP - S. Strasburg (7-3), LP - F. Nieve (3-4), SV - J. Carlson (19)
HR - WAS D. Espinosa (13)

Our first run-in with the infamous Stephen Strasburg went about how you'd probably except. We eked out one run against him over seven innings, and he racked up 7 K's. We managed to mount a small rally in the ninth, scoring once and putting the go-ahead run at the plate, but Jemile Weeks grounded out to end the game.

POTG - WAS S. Strasburg 7 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, ER, 7 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 35-34
9.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
5.0 GB of Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

June 22, 2012

Twins 2 - Astros 3
WP - L. Nunez (3-3), LP - J. Mijares (0-3), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Headley (16)

Greinke continued his hot pitching, going seven innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out eight. The game went to extra innings, though, and Lance Berkman singled home the winning run from second.

POTG - HOU L. Berkman 1-4, GW RBI

June 23, 2012

Twins 0 - Astros 2
WP - J. Lyles (6-1), LP - T. Hanson (3-5), SV - L. Nunez (11)
HR - HOU R. Kalism (5)

Jordan Lyles dominated us, plain and simple. He pitched eight shutout innings with eight K's. Hanson was a tough-luck-loser, as he pitched seven innings of two-run ball himself.

POTG - HOU J. Lyles 8 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 8 K

June 24, 2012

Twins 6 - Astros 3
WP - S. Romo (6-3), LP - S. Gervacio (2-3), SV - J. Mijares (19)
HR - MIN D. Span (6), HOU J. Keppinger (7), R. Kalish (6)

Denard Span saved us from the sweep. We trailed in the ninth inning, but we were able to load the bases in the inning, and then Span was able to unload them with a grand slam.

POTG - MIN D. Span 1-5, GW grand slam

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 36-36
9.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
6.0 GB of Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

June 25, 2012

Twins 1 - Phillies 0
WP - N. Blackburn (4-4), LP - M. Buehrle (3-8), SV - J. Mijares (20)
HR - N/A

Helluva pitching duel between Nick Blackburn and Mark Buehrle. Blackburn pitched 8.2 innings before getting relieved in favor of Jose Mijares, who recorded his 20th save of the season. Buehrle allowed just one run over seven innings. The only run of the game came via a double play with no outs and the bases loaded.

POTG - MIN N. Blackburn 8.2 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

June 26, 2012

Twins 5 - Phillies 3
WP - T. Lincecum (5-7), LP - J. Ramirez (1-3), SV - J. Mijares (21)
HR - MIN T. Neal (17)

Lincecum won his second start in a row - narrowly. We scored two runs in the top of the ninth on Thomas Neal's two-run homer. Those runs proved crucial, as the Phillies scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 8.2 IP, 6 H, BB, 2 ER, 8 K

June 27, 2012

Twins 9 - Phillies 0
WP - Z. Greinke (8-3), LP - A. Bastardo (2-6), SV - N/A
HR - MIN J. Hardy (5), D. Span (7)

I think it's safe to say Greinke is officially back to the Greinke that won the Cy Young last season. He threw his third complete game shutout of the season, striking out ten in the process, and lowering his ERA to 3.40.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke CG, SHO, 6 H, BB, 10 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 39-36
9.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
5.0 GB of Seattle Mariners for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

June 28, 2012

Royals 11 - Twins 2
WP - A. Crow (6-4), LP - T. Hanson (3-6), SV - N/A
HR - KCR B. Butler 2 (9), J. Giavotella (2), A. Gordon (11), G. Gross (4), B. Pena (1)

The Royals had a field day with our pitchers. Hanson allowed seven runs in 4 innings and gave up three homers. Former Twins farmhand Aaron Hicks batted third in the game and went 3-5 with a run and a steal.

POTG - KCR A. Crow 7 IP, 8 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, 3 K

June 29, 2012

Royals 4 - Twins 7
WP - S. Romo (7-1), LP - S. Burnett (0-4), SV - J. Mijares (22)
HR - MIN K. Suzuki (3), C. Parmelee (7), KCR G. Gross (5)

Chris Parmelee put the game in our hands with his three-run homer in the 8th inning to break a 4-4 tie.

POTG - MIN C. Parmelee 2-4, GW 3-R HR

June 30, 2012

Royals 7 - Twins 3
WP - K. Gibson (6-5), LP - N. Blackburn (4-5), SV - N/A
HR - KCR B. Butler (10), A. Gordon 2 (13)

The Royals again beat us with one of our former top prospects. Kyle Gibson pitched 7 innings of three runs. Aaron Hicks also went 1-4, scoring two runs and driving in another.

POTG - KCR K. Gibson 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 40-38
11.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
4.5 GB of Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

The Tigers are really trying to put the division away early. I'd say they've succeeded at that, if not for the run we made at them last season, going from 9 or 10 games back around the ASB to staying hot on their heels all the way to the last week of the season. If we can get the bats hitting again, we should be able to make another run at the playoffs, as this year's pitching staff is even better than last year's.

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ERA Z. Greinke 3.40 Wins Z. Greinke 8 Saves J. Mijares 22 AVG C. Headley .332 HR T. Neal 17 SB D. Span 12

Stats

Batting

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Player Name Team AB H HR RBI Avg OBP SLG SB CS Weeks, Jemile MIN 322 79 6 31 .245 .318 .348 5 2 Span, Denard MIN 322 87 7 28 .270 .353 .379 12 6 Cooper, David MIN 318 80 15 51 .252 .325 .434 0 3 Neal, Thomas MIN 294 86 17 40 .293 .394 .524 1 0 Hardy, J.J. MIN 293 68 5 30 .232 .269 .348 0 0 Headley, Chase MIN 286 95 16 55 .332 .385 .587 0 1 Pence, Hunter MIN 274 89 14 46 .325 .394 .558 5 3 Parmelee, Chris MIN 250 63 7 31 .252 .342 .388 2 1 Suzuki, Kurt MIN 224 47 3 28 .210 .263 .304 2 1 Morales, Jose MIN 54 16 2 9 .296 .316 .407 0 1 Casilla, Alexi MIN 15 5 0 1 .333 .375 .467 0 0 Greinke, Zack MIN 7 2 0 0 .286 .286 .429 0 0 Blackburn, Nick MIN 5 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Lincecum, Tim MIN 4 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Baker, Scott MIN 4 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Hanson, Tommy MIN 3 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Nieve, Fernando MIN 2 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Burke, Chris MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Salazar, Oscar MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 1.000 .000 0 0 Ross, Cody MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Guerrier, Matt MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0

Pitching

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Player Name Team Starts W L ERA IP K SV CG OBA Greinke, Zack MIN 15 8 3 3.40 98.0 100 0 3 .216 Blackburn, Nick MIN 11 4 5 4.50 58.0 18 0 1 .312 Lincecum, Tim MIN 16 5 7 3.51 105.0 115 0 2 .264 Baker, Scott MIN 15 2 6 5.14 77.0 57 0 0 .270 Hanson, Tommy MIN 16 3 6 5.33 82.2 74 0 0 .259 Nieve, Fernando MIN 5 3 4 5.40 61.2 49 0 0 .290 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 1 0 5.29 47.2 41 1 0 .222 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 3 1.88 28.2 24 22 0 .259 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 7 1 1.99 49.2 54 1 0 .203 Guerrier, Matt MIN 0 1 1 4.95 40.0 30 1 0 .292 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 6 2 4.30 46.0 30 0 0 .250

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

July 1, 2012

Red Sox 1 - Twins 4
WP - T. Lincecum (6-7), LP - J. Lester (7-3), SV - J. Mijares (23)
HR - MIN C. Headley (17)

We kicked off this big series with a big win. Lincecum showed us why we blew up the team to bring him in, as he pitched seven innings and allowed just one run on one hit, while walking three and striking out nine. Headley also continued his excellent hitting, hitting his team-leading 17th homer of the season and driving in two runs.

POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 7 IP, H, 3 BB, ER, 9 K

July 2, 2012

Red Sox 5 - Twins 4 (in extras)
WP - F. Doubront (1-0), LP - F. Nieve (3-5), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (8), BOS D. Pedroia (8), J. Gaston (11)

This game was so frustrating and heart-wrenching it isn't even funny. We came back from down 4-3 in the 11th inning to tie it at 4-4, but we just couldn't get any offense after that. We really need to win these next two games against the Red Sox. It would go miles at helping us in the Wild Card chase.

POTG - BOS J. Gaston GW HR in 15th

July 3, 2012

Red Sox 4 - Twins 0
WP - J. Beckett (4-7), LP - T. Hanson (3-7), SV - N/A
HR - BOS K. Youkilis (9)

This season has been beyond frustrating so far. How the HELL are we only 41-40?!

POTG - BOS J. Beckett CG, SHO, 2 H, 3 BB, 9 K

July 4, 2012

Red Sox 4 - Twins 1
WP - K. Slowey (7-7), LP - N. Blackburn (4-6), SV - J. Papelbon (22)
HR - BOS J. Gaston (12)

Beaten by a former Twin again. Slowey went 7.1 innings and allowed just one run with 11 K's, and lowered his ERA to 3.08. The guy couldn't even get his BAA as low as .308 when he was with us.

POTG - BOS K. Slowey 7.1 IP, 8 H, 0 BB, ER, 11 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 41-41
14.0 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
6.5 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

July 6, 2012

Twins 9 - Blue Jays 10
WP - B. Cecil (4-6), LP - T. Lincecum (6-8), SV - J. Gobble (19)
HR - TOR W. Aybar (13)

We can't even beat the Blue Jays? Seriously, this is preposterous. We're 41-42. So much for World Series or bust....

POTG - TOR W. Aybar 2-4, BB, 3 R, HR, 2B, 2 RBI

July 7, 2012

Twins 5 - Blue Jays 11
WP - C. Jenkins (1-7), LP - Z. Greinke (8-4), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

A guy who was previously winless won a start against Zack Greinke, one of the best pitchers in the league. Just a microcosm of how poorly this season has gone for us. Thank God the All-Star Break is less than a week away.

POTG - TOR C. Jenkins 7 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, ER, K

July 8, 2012

Twins 13 - Blue Jays 9
WP - F. Nieve (4-5), LP - M. Belisle (7-2), SV - N/A
HR - MIN T. Neal (18), TOR J. Cust (2)

We had to score 4 runs in the top of the ninth just to get into extra innings just so we had a CHANCE to win this game. I'm wondering if it would be such a bad idea to just tank the rest of the season and go for the high draft pick next year.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 4-6, 3 R, 2 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 42-43
14.0 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
7.0 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

July 9, 2012

Twins 2 - Royals 6
WP - K. Davies (6-7), LP - N. Blackburn (4-7), SV - S. Burnett (1)
HR - KCR I. Desmond (4)

How are we so continuously able to underperform our talent and lose to teams that have absolutely no business beating us?

POTG - KCR K. Davies 6.1 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 3 K

July 10, 2012

Twins 2 - Royals 1
WP - S. Romo (8-1), LP - C. Rosa (0-2), SV - M. Guerrier (2)
HR - N/A

Lincecum goes 8.1 innings giving up only one run and striking out 10 and still can't get a win. What in God's name is going on here?

POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 8.1 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, ER, 10 K

July 11, 2012

Twins 1 - Royals 2
WP - N. Arguelles (3-2), LP - (8-5), SV - L. Coleman (16)
HR - N/A

Thank God for the All-Star Break....

POTG - KCR N. Arguelles 7 IP, 6 H, BB, ER, 2 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 43-45
15.0 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
9.0 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

ASB coming up.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

told you, should have let the Tigers get Lincecum :)

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Quote:

Originally Posted by jshaw

told you, should have let the Tigers get Lincecum :)

I shudder at the thought of where the Tigers would be if I had let them sign Lincecum.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Minnesota Twins First Half Review

High Points

Our top two starters are performing as well as we could have hoped for

Tim Lincecum - 6-8 W-L, 3.33 ERA, 124.1 IP, 140 K, 38 BB, .251 BAA
Zack Greinke - 8-5 W-L, 3.53 ERA, 112.1 IP, 112 K, 40 BB, .220 BAA
Some individual players are having excellent offensive seasons

3B Chase Headley - .317/.370/.552, 17 HR, 61 RBI
RF Hunter Pence - .313/.379/.516, 14 HR, 52 RBI
LF Thomas Neal - .293/.387/.512, 18 HR, 54 RBI
Chris Parmelee has been a pleasant surprise

1B Chris Parmelee - .256/.350/.404, 8 HR, 38 RBI
Jose Mijares and Sergio Romo have been deadly at the end of the game

CL Jose Mijares - 34 G, 36 IP, 2.25 ERA, 9 BB, 31 K, .255 BAA, 23 SV, 1 BS
SU Sergio Romo - 49 G, 57 IP, 1.89 ERA, 18 BB, 64 K, .206 BAA

Low Points

We're vastly under-performing my expectations
After a red-hot start to the season, David Cooper has hit a wall

1B David Cooper - .246/.320/.417, 15 HR, 56 RBI
Everyone not named Hunter Pence, Thomas Neal, or Chase Headley is having a pretty awful year

CF Denard Span - .714 OPS
2B Jemile Weeks - .646 OPS
C Kurt Suzuki - .596 OPS
SS J.J. Hardy - .619 OPS
The bottom three starters in the rotation all have ERA's North of 5.00

Tommy Hanson - ERA 5.64
Scott Baker - ERA 5.14
Nick Blackburn - ERA 5.07

Thoughts

Pa-effing-thetic. I don't see how this team has managed to perform this poorly, especially the pitchers. Hanson, Baker, and Blackburn are all extremely talented guys, and the defense behind them is good, if not great. Despite that they're still posting ERA's that are ridiculously high. I just don't get it. If I'm still out of it leading up to the deadline I may trade off Hanson and Baker and get what I can for them, since their contracts are expiring anyways. I have no intention of blowing the team up, but I'm definitely gonna look at what's out there for guys I think are replaceable.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

American League Leaders

Wins

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R. Porcello (DET) 11 A. Colome (TBR) 11 B. Anderson (OAK) 11

ERA

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B. Erbe (BAL) 2.73 D. Gutierrez (TEX) 2.92 R. Porcello (DET) 2.95

Strikeouts

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T. Lincecum (MIN) 140 N. Hagadone (CLE) 121 Z. Greinke (MIN) 112

Innings Pitched

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T. Lincecum (MIN) 124.1 B. Anderson (OAK) 121.2 K. Gibson (KCR) 121.1

Batting Average

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B. Butler (KCR) .331 B. Wallace (TOR) .331 J. Borbon (TEX) .330

Home-runs

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R. Howard (CHW) 28 G. Halman (SEA) 28 D. Viciedo (CHW) 23

RBI

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M. Cabrera (DET) 78 B. Butler (KCR) 69 M. Sweeney (TBR) 69

Steals

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J. Ellsbury (BOS) 36 E. Andrus (TEX) 35 G. Nunez (DET) 33

National League Leaders

Wins

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C. Billingsley (LAD) 15 C. Kershaw (LAD) 10 Y. Gallardo (MIL) 10

ERA

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C. Billingsley (LAD) 2.56 E. Arnett (MIL) 2.61 W. Pelzer (SDP) 2.62

Strikeouts

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C. Kershaw (LAD) 147 W. Pelzer (SDP) 134 Y. Gallardo (MIL) 131

Innings Pitched

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P. Maholm (PIT) 130.1 J. Garland (SDP) 129.2 C. Billingsley (LAD) 126.2

Batting Average

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B. Revere (SFG) .355 S. Marte (PIT) .335 E. Burriss (SFG) .329

Home-runs

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B. Jackson (CHC) 25 P. Alvarez (PIT) 25 M. Jacobs (ATL) 21

RBI

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P. Alvarez (PIT) 74 R. Braun (MIL) 73 R. Zimmerman (WAS) 69

Steals

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C. Gomez (MIL) 38 B. Revere (SFG) 38 R. Davis (WAS) 35

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

League-wide Standings at the ASB

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/7...eenhunter7.jpg

http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/4...eenhunter8.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/8...enhunter9w.jpg

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

National League ends All-Star Game losing Skid!

The National League was finally able to halt it's long-standing losing streak in the Midsummer Classic! Works for me, since it means the Tigers won't be getting home-field advantage when they eventually make it there.

The Twins had 3B Chase Headley named to the team as the starting third baseman. Additionally we had starters Zack Greinke and Tim Lincecum elected to the squad, and reliever Sergio Romo. Headley went 0-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in his first All-Star appearance, Greinke pitched two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, and Romo pitched 0.2 innings and allowed two runs on three hits, getting the loss in the game. Lincecum did not appear in the game.

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National League National League at American League American League July 13, 2012 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + R H E National League (NL) 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 5 13 1 American League (AL) 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 0 NATIONAL LEAGUE ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg Eric Young (2B) 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .295 Chris Volstad (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Brandon Webb (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Pablo Sandoval (P) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .312 Zack Braddock (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Jimmy Rollins (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .246 Brett Jackson (RF) 5 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 .246 Pedro Alvarez (DH) 5 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 .325 Albert Pujols (1B) 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .307 Ryan Braun (LF) 4 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 .287 Brian McCann (C) 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .305 Buster Posey (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .303 David Wright (3B) 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .310 Danny Espinosa (SS) 4 2 0 2 1 2 1 0 .257 Matt Kemp (CF) 4 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .320 TOTALS 39 13 1 5 2 5 7 0 2B: Matt Kemp 2, Brett Jackson HR: Danny Espinosa, Pedro Alvarez DP: Albert Pujols, Eric Young, Danny Espinosa E: Brian McCann ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA Chad Billingsley 2.2 3 1 0 3 1 7 66 2.56 Chris Volstad 2.1 3 0 0 0 0 2 32 3.72 Brandon Webb 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 26 3.78 Zack Braddock 2.0 0 1 0 0 0 1 30 1.58 TOTALS 9.0 6 2 0 3 1 12 154 AMERICAN LEAGUE ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg Gustavo Nunez (SS) 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 .301 Brandon Erbe (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Zack Greinke (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Brandon Erbe (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Henry Rodriguez (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Sergio Romo (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Danny Gutierrez (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Wilkin Ramirez (LF) 3 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 .314 Joe Mauer (C) 4 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .310 Miguel Cabrera (DH) 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .304 Matt LaPorta (1B) 4 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 .327 Greg Halman (CF) 3 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 .304 Chase Headley (3B) 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 .317 Aaron Hill (2B) 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .302 Austin Jackson (RF) 4 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 .319 TOTALS 31 6 2 3 0 3 12 1 HBP: Wilkin Ramirez GDP: Miguel Cabrera ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA Rafael Soriano 1.0 2 0 1 1 1 1 16 1.70 Brandon Erbe 3.0 3 1 0 1 1 4 59 2.73 Zack Greinke 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 2 36 3.53 Henry Rodriguez 1.0 3 0 1 1 1 0 25 1.74 Sergio Romo 0.2 3 0 0 2 2 0 14 1.89 Danny Gutierrez 1.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 19 2.92 TOTALS 9.0 13 1 2 5 5 7 169 WP: Brandon Webb LP: Sergio Romo SV: Zack Braddock Temperature: 94F Wind: 2 MPH (left to right) Attendance: 50,000 Time: 3:14

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

A Look Back.....

Two seasons ago on this day, July 14th, we made a massive deal, acquiring Zack Greinke from the Royals in exchange for some of our top prospects. Now I'd like to take a look back at that and see how the deal panned out for both teams.

It's obvious how it panned out for us. In Greinke's first half-season with us in 2010 he posted an 8-4 record with a 2.92 ERA, and helped propel us to the playoffs. The next season, in 2011, he posted some of the best numbers we've seen from a pitcher in recent memory on his way to winning the Cy Young Award, going 19-6 with a 2.03 ERA and striking out 231 in 230.1 innings, while walking only 45 and holding his opponents to a .206 batting average. This season hasn't been quite as magical as last, but it has been very good despite that. He's 8-5 in 18 starts and is sporting an ERA of 3.53, and has struck out 112 to 40 walks in 112.1 innings, as well as posting a .220 batting average against. Other accolades include making the All-Star team both this year and last year as a Twin, winning the 2011 American League Cy Young award and pitcher's Gold Glove, and throwing 7 complete game shutouts as a Twin. We got an absolute stud out of the deal.

The Royals didn't do too bad for themselves either, though.

One of the centerpieces of the deal was starting pitcher Kyle Gibson. Gibson has become an excellent starter for the KC Royals. Rated at 90, the 24-year old Gibson is 23-20 in 61 career starts, sports a 3.58 ERA, 334 K's to 74 walks in 382 innings, and a .251 opposing batting average. Additionally he has made the All-Star team in both of his full seasons with the Royals.

One of the other players we sent to the Royals was highly-touted pitching prospect Carlos Gutierrez. Carlos hasn't panned out nearly as well, appearing in only 4 major league games and peaking out at 73 at the age of 25. He appears to be a career minor leaguer.

The second biggest name in the deal was CF prospect Aaron Hicks. Hicks is rated at 82/94 and is only 22 years old. Although he has only had a cup of coffee in the bigs, he didn't do too bad in that cup of coffee, posting a line of .266/.357/.367 with a homer, 12 RBI's, and 14 steals. His minor league numbers suggest he should become nothing less than an All-Star in the major leagues. Last year in A-ball he posted a line of .331/.414/.610 with 23 homers, 108 RBI, and 31 steals, and this season in Double-A, before getting called up to the bigs due to an injury for the Royals, he was hitting .341/.415/.514 with two homers, 35 RBI, and 17 steals. Not only is Hicks a force at the plate, but he swallows up fly balls in center-field like a vacuum and has a cannon for an arm. The jury is still out on Hicks, but all indications are that he will be a very, very good major league player.

The last player the Royals got was catcher Wilson Ramos. Ramos hasn't panned out as well as I thought he would, but he should still have a solid major league career ahead of him. Rated at 81, Ramos talent definitely lies at the plate, not behind it. Last season in AA Ramos hit .330/.379/.514 with 10 homers and 69 RBI's, and in 338 ML at-bats over the past couple of years he's hit .287/.328/.426 with 9 homers and 39 RBI. Not eye-popping numbers at the major league level, but he'll definitely have a career as a catcher in this league. He is a liability defensively, however. His arm is decent, and he has good range as a catcher, but he is not known for his ability to call a game.

Although it's still a bit early to tell how this side will turn out for the Royals, I think it's safe to say that this trade will be mostly fair in the end. Even if Hicks doesn't turn out to be a star, Gibson already has, and they got a guy who can be a solid major league catcher for a few years. If Hicks does turn out to be great, well then, the Royals will look back on this trade pretty fondly. I can't say I'm disappointed with the rewards I have reaped either. Although it appears I've paid a heavy price in prospects, I've gotten a perennial All-Star and Cy Young contender.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Twins announce tandem of Deals

We were able to agree to one deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and another with the St. Louis Cardinals, following the All-Star Game.

The deal with the Dodgers will send shortstop J.J. Hardy 83 to LA. In exchange, we acquire starting pitching John Maine 81. After starting off the year pretty well, Hardy has cooled off to the tune of a .619 OPS. John Maine has been enjoying a moderately successful season. He's collected 7 wins against 3 losses, and posted a 3.69 ERA in 102.1 innings. He's also struck out 103 to 49 walks, and has maintained an impressive BAA of .226. Although Maine's numbers for the year are appetizing, the main reason I chose to acquire the 31-year old righty is due to his expiring contract. The move frees me up to either re-sign him if I so choose (unlikely), or let him go at the end of the season and see if I can sign another starting pitcher.

The next deal, with the Cardinals, sends struggling starters Tommy Hanson 83 and Scott Baker 83 to St. Louis for 23-year old shortstop Pete Kozma 85/87. Both Hanson and Baker's contracts expire at the end of the year, so the Cardinals can choose to re-sign them if they perform well for them, or let them go and allocate the money elsewhere. We, on the other hand, get a very young, very talented shortstop (something the Cardinals had a large surplus of). Kozma, like Hardy, is a defensive stud, and has the potential to win multiple Gold Gloves in his career. However, unlike Hardy, Kozma possesses a little something called plate discipline and contact ability. Kozma in the minor leagues never had a season above A-ball in which he batter under .321, and this season at AAA he was hitting a ridiculous .421/.481/.607 in 45 games. He'll jump right into the starting line-up to replace Hardy, and likely do a very good job at it.

The moves leave me a little dry in the starting rotation, where after Lincecum and Greinke at #1 and #2 will be Maine 80, Blackburn 75, and Luke Hochevar 69 in that order. However I had no intention of re-signing either Hanson or Baker at season's end, and the return of Kozma is way better than anything I thought I would be able to get. Acquiring Maine fills up one of those openings left by Hanson and Baker with a fairly successful major league pitcher, and allows me to do just as I had planned to do with Hanson and Baker - release him at the end of the season and target someone else in free agency.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

July 15, 2012

White Sox 3 - Twins 0
WP - D. Hudson (4-11), LP - J. Maine (7-4), SV - M. Thornton (12)
HR - N/A

John Maine's first start as a Twin went very well, our line-up just couldn't muster any offense. Maine went six innings and allowed only three runs on six hits while striking out four.

POTG - CHW D. Hudson 6.2 IP, 4 H, 6 BB, 0 ER, K

July 16, 2012

White Sox 0 - Twins 8
WP - N. Blackburn (5-7), LP - J. Peavy (4-12), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

I don't understand Nick Blackburn. He either throws eight innings and allows somewhere between zero and three runs, or he just gets lit up. This time he did the first one, tossing a complete game, 4-hit, shutout.

POTG - MIN N. Blackburn CG, SHO, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K

July 17, 2012

White Sox 0 - Twins 6
WP - T. Lincecum (7-8), LP - G. Floyd (4-8), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Headley (18)

Lincecum made his first start since before the All-Star Break, and what a start it was. Lincecum went 8.2 innings of shutout baseball, gave up only four hits and four walks, and struck out ten. The game also lowered his ERA to 3.11.

POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 8.2 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 0 ER, 10 K

July 18, 2012

White Sox 2 - Twins 7
WP - Z. Greinke (9-5), LP - S. Baker (2-7), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (16)

I'm not exactly sure how Baker ended up on the White Sox so soon after we traded him to the Cardinals, but he did what he's done all season - suck. He went only 1.1 innings before giving up four runs and getting yanked from the game. Conversely, Greinke lasted seven innings and gave up only one run on six hits and struck out seven. The offense had a field day, collecting 15 hits, drawing 7 walks, and scoring 7 runs.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 7 IP, 6 H, 0 BB, ER, 7 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 46-46
15.5 GB of Detorit Tigers for first place in AL Central
8.5 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

July 19, 2012

Indians 5 - Twins 7
WP - W. Ohman (1-0), LP - D. Davidson (1-3), SV - J. Mijares (24)
HR - MIN C. Headley (19)

4 wins in a row is never a bad thing, but at the game time I don't want to get my hopes up.

POTG - MIN C. Headley 2-4, BB, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI

July 20, 2012

Indians 3 - Twins 1
WP - K. De la Cruz (9-5), LP - F. Nieve (4-6), SV - C. Perez (19)
HR - MIN T. Neal (19), CLE M. LaPorta (22)

Nieve pitched a good game, allowing only two runs over six innings, but De la Cruz just did him one better.

POTG - CLE K. De la Cruz 7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, ER, 5 K

July 21, 2012

Indians 3 - Twins 8
WP - L. Hochevar (1-0), LP - J. Masterson (4-3), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Span (8), CLE N. Weglarz (3)

Hopefully Hochevar just showed us a sign of things to come. The former Royal went 6.1 innings and allowed only three runs to earn his first win as a Twin.

POTG - MIN L. Hochevar 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 6 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 48-47
15.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
7.5 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

July 22, 2012

Twins 5 - Orioles 7
WP - B. Jacobson (4-4), LP - W. Ohman (1-1), SV - K. Mickolio (25)
HR - MIN C. Headley (20), BAL B. Roberts (11)

Will Ohman undid some solid work by Tim Lincecum, allowing a three-run homer in just 0.1 innings of work - a home-run that ultimately made the difference.

POTG - BAL B. Robert 1-4, GW 3-R HR

July 23, 2012

Twins 3 - Orioles 1
WP - Z. Greinke (10-5), LP - B. Jacobson (4-5), SV - J. Mijares (25)
HR - N/A

Greinke gets double-digit wins for the 5th season in a row after winning this start against the O's. I hate to think of where we'd be if not for Greinke and Lincecum leading our rotation.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 7 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, ER, 6 K

July 24, 2012

Twins 4 - Orioles 10
WP - B. Jacobson (5-5), LP - A. Burnett (6-3), SV - N/A
HR - BAL N. Reimold (25), N. Markakis (15)

Just about everyone we sent to the mound got knocked around like a pinata. Maine started the game poorly, allowing four runs in three innings, but ultimately it was the bullpen that got saddled with the loss. Burnett allowed two earned runs in just 1.1 innings, while Farquhar allowed two runs without even recording an out. Even Mijares allowed a run in 1.2 innings at the end of the game.

POTG - BAL N. Reimold 3-5, 2 R, HR, RBI

July 25, 2012

Twins 8 - Orioles 3
WP - N. Blackburn (6-7), LP - B. Matusz (7-9), SV - D. Farquhar (2)
HR - MIN H. Pence (15), BAL S. Moore (1)

We earned a series split with the Orioles thanks to some strong pitching by Blackburn and Farquhar. Farquhar pitched three innings of relief, allowing just a single hit over the three innings, and Blackburn allowed three runs over six innings of work. Hunter Pence had a phenomenal game at the plate, going 5-5 with a homer and 2 RBI.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 5-5, HR, 2 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 50-49
16.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
8.0 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

July 26, 2012

Twins 5 - Tigers 2
WP - L. Hochevar (2-0), LP - J. Weaver (6-7), SV - J. Mijares (26)
HR - MIN J. Weeks (7), DET A. Jackson (13)

Hochevar had his second quality start in as many starts with us, throwing seven innings and allowing only two runs. However it was Jemile's three-run homer in the second that ultimately made the difference on the scoreboard.

POTG - MIN J. Weeks 1-3, 3-R HR in 2nd inning

July 27, 2012

Twins 6 - Tigers 4
WP - F. Nieve (5-6), LP - R. Porcello (11-5), SV - J. Mijares (27)
HR - MIN J. Weeks (8), D. Span (9), C. Parmelee (9), DET. R. Strieby (20)

We were able to win inspite of Lincecum's failure to make it through the 3rd inning of the game. Nieve pitched five excellent innings of relief, and got a lot of help from the offense.

POTG - MIN F. Nieve 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 4 K

July 28, 2012

Twins 4 - Tigers 5
WP - J. Verlander (11-2), LP - Z. Greinke (10-6), SV - J. Soria (5)
HR - MIN D. Span (10), H. Pence (16), DET M. Cabrera (22)

The Tigers narrowly avoid getting swept by us, and I do mean narrowly. Greinke, like Lincecum the day before, failed to make it through the third inning before getting pulled from the game. If we had gotten anything close to what we can normally rely on from Greinke, we probably win this game.

POTG - DET J. Verlander 7 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 3 ER, 5 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 52-50
15.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
8.0 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

July 30, 2012

Mariners 3 - Twins 1
WP - E. Bedard (10-2), LP - J. Maine (7-5), SV - D. Aardsma (29)
HR - N/A

Maine remains winless as a Twin, despite a few quality starts. Meanwhile Bedard was dominant, giving up just one run (on an RBI single to the #9 hitter) over seven innings.

POTG - E. Bedard 7 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, ER, 6 K

July 31, 2012

Mariners 6 - Twins 7
WP - D. Farquhar (2-0), LP - M. Pineda (9-4), SV - J. Mijares (28)
HR - MIN T. Neal (20), SEA J. Cantu (11), D. Ackley (12), G. Halman (31), A. Liddi (2)

Neither starter had a particularly good outing, as both went only 4.1 innings and allowed five or more runs. We gave up a lot of homers (4 to be exact), but we managed to keep them to solo and two-run homers and minimize the damage.

POTG - MIN T. Neal 1-4, 2-R HR

August 1, 2012

Mariners 5 - Twins 1
WP - C. Lee (8-7), LP - T. Lincecum (7-9), SV - M. Robles (1)
HR - M. Saunders 2 (12)

Saunders drove in three runs on two homers to power his team to a win.

POTG - SEA M. Saunders 3-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 53-52
15.0 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
8.5 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

We're actually playing pretty well right now. Even so, I still think we're in way too deep a hole to crawl back up and make the playoffs. I'm about ready to mail it on this season and start to get prepared for the off-season.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

HTML Code:

ERA T. Lincecum 3.47 Wins Z. Greinke 10 Saves J. Mijares 28 AVG C. Headley .316 HR C. Headley 20 SB D. Span 18

Stats

Batting

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Player Name Team AB H HR RBI Avg OBP SLG SB CS Weeks, Jemile MIN 435 112 8 40 .257 .324 .363 6 3 Span, Denard MIN 434 117 10 38 .270 .352 .382 18 6 Neal, Thomas MIN 397 109 20 53 .275 .377 .479 1 0 Headley, Chase MIN 392 124 20 75 .316 .373 .548 2 1 Pence, Hunter MIN 388 120 16 61 .309 .377 .503 8 3 Cooper, David MIN 374 96 16 64 .257 .336 .436 0 4 Parmelee, Chris MIN 320 81 9 45 .253 .358 .397 3 1 Suzuki, Kurt MIN 302 72 3 36 .238 .287 .325 3 1 Kozma, Pete MIN 82 19 0 4 .232 .297 .293 1 0 Morales, Jose MIN 74 17 2 11 .230 .289 .311 0 1 Salazar, Oscar MIN 34 5 0 2 .147 .256 .147 0 0 Casilla, Alexi MIN 33 9 0 2 .273 .333 .364 1 0 Maine, John MIN 32 2 0 3 .063 .118 .094 0 0 Punto, Nick MIN 21 2 0 3 .095 .231 .143 1 0 Greinke, Zack MIN 7 2 0 0 .286 .286 .429 0 0 Ross, Cody MIN 6 1 0 1 .167 .286 .333 0 0 Blackburn, Nick MIN 5 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Lincecum, Tim MIN 4 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Nieve, Fernando MIN 2 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Hochevar, Luke MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Ohman, Will MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0

Pitching

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Player Name Team Starts W L ERA IP K SV CG OBA Maine, John MIN 21 7 5 3.93 123.2 120 0 0 .235 Greinke, Zack MIN 21 10 6 3.50 128.2 126 0 3 .219 Blackburn, Nick MIN 16 6 7 4.87 85.0 29 0 2 .320 Lincecum, Tim MIN 23 7 9 3.47 148.0 160 0 2 .252 Nieve, Fernando MIN 6 5 6 5.18 80.0 60 0 0 .297 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 2 0 4.70 67.0 55 2 0 .230 Hochevar, Luke MIN 2 2 0 3.38 13.1 11 0 0 .245 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 3 2.22 44.2 36 28 0 .243 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 8 1 1.69 64.0 76 1 0 .209 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 6 3 3.73 62.2 46 0 0 .223 Ohman, Will MIN 0 1 1 4.82 9.1 4 0 0 .278

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

End of Season

So, due to my frustration with the way the season had gone, combined with the expectations I had before the season started, and my anxiousness to get to the off-season and start to build for next season (since I obviously wasn't going anywhere this season), I decided to sim through to the end of the season.

We actually made a fairly legitimate run at the post season over the final two months, and finished at 85-77. That tied us with Cleveland for second in the AL Central, 12 games behind the Detroit Tigers, and 10 games behind the Red Sox in the Wild Card.

Pitching

Greinke finished the season phenomenally, leading the AL in wins (18), and ERA (2.89) and giving himself a pretty good shot at his second consecutive American League Cy Young Award. He also finished with 227 K's in 218 innings, and a .212 BAA. Our big off-season acquisition of Tim Lincecum panned out pretty well in the end, too. Lincecum finished at 14-9 with a 3.41 ERA and 238 K's in 222.0 innings. Jose Mijares finished the year with a career high 40 saves and an ERA of 3.42. Sergio Romo had a superb year setting up for Mijares, appearing in 77 games and posting an ERA of 1.69 while holding opposing batters to a .197 batting average. The rest of the pitching staff pretty much blew ass, and that's probably why we didn't make the playoffs, but I can't say I'm surprised.

Hitting

Overall, our offense finished very strong. Thomas Neal set a new career high in homers at 33, although his rate stats did drop a touch, going from .313/.447/.523 his rookie season to .293/.401/.529 this season. Chase Headley had his best season as a major leaguer, hitting career high's in homers (28), RBI (108), batting average (.316), OBP (.378), slugging (.551), and OPS (.929). Hunter Pence also had a career year, hitting .300/.356/.491 with 25 homers and 94 RBI's. Cooper's numbers came back up after a relatively poor first half of the season, and he finished at .286/.366/.462 with 24 homers and 106 RBI. Parmelee enjoyed moderate success as a rookie, finishing the year with a line of .253/.379/.449 with 20 homers and 75 RBI. There were a couple guys who played like crap, though. Span and Weeks posted sub-.700 OPS figures, after having OPS numbers over .800 last year. Suzuki was equally poor at the plate, but I wasn't expecting much offense from him, certainly not as much as I was from Span and Weeks.

On the Farm

We had some interesting developments on the farm over the end of the season, as well. Former first rounder Kevin Watson's peak dropped below 80, to 78. However, two of our draft picks from this year, John Bradford and Gabe Thorington, experienced nice spikes in peak, going to 87 and 89 respectively. Pitcher turned outfielder Juan Lizardi posted absolutely monster numbers in A-ball this year, hitting .369/.451/.686 with 38 homers and 128 RBI. He's still only rated at 68/77 and his defense is so bad that it doesn't really surprise me, but he could still be an asset to a major league team in a few seasons.

Around the rest of the League

Oakland finished with the best record in the American League, at 101-61, while the Dodgers finished with the best record in the National League (and all of baseball) at 110-52. The Dodgers success was due in large part to a ridiculously talented pitching staff. Their staff featured 2 starters (Billingsley and Kershaw) with ERA's under 3.00, and no one else that pitched more than 150 innings finished with an ERA higher than 3.92. The bullpen was equally good. Broxton posted a 1.33 ERA with 48 saves, and no one in the 'pen had an ERA higher than 4.87. I may have to look into breaking up the Dodgers a little for the sake of competitive balance this off-season, but I also may not because arguably their best pitcher may hit the free agent market, in Chad Billingsley. If he does so, you can bet I'll be on that like white on rice. The rest of the playoff teams were:

AL East - Tampa Bay Rays
AL Central - Detroit Tigers
AL West - Oakland A's
AL Wild Card - Boston Red Sox

NL East - Washington Nationals
NL Central - Milwaukee Brewers
NL West - LA Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Colorado Rockies

The World Series

The World Series pitted the defending champion A's against the ML-best Dodgers. The Dodgers handled the A's with seemingly no problem, beating them in five games. Prior to winning the World Series, the Dodgers were actually given a run for their money by the Washington Nationals, going 5 games with them in the NLDS. They handled business with Colorado easily, sweeping them in four games. The A's had an easier run to the World Series, losing only two games combined between the LDS and LCS, but they got slaughtered in the Series and failed to win back-to-back titles.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Minnesota Twins Offseason Review

Twins re-sign Mijares and Romo

We were able to re-sign our two best relievers to excellent deals. Mijares agreed to a 3-year contract extension worth 3.3 million dollars per year, while we agreed to pay Sergio Romo 9 million dollars for this season through arbitration. Mijares is coming of a 40 save, 3.42 ERA season, and Romo posted a 1.69 ERA in 85.1 innings out of the 'pen last season.

Weeks sent to division rival Chicago for Pitching

With this off-season's free agent market almost completely barren of pitching talent, we went 2B Jemile Weeks 86 to the Chicago White Sox for one Jake Peavy 84. Although Peavy is coming off a poor season in which he went 8-15 with an ERA over 5, his vitals are still solid, and he's only making 4.2 million dollars a year through 2015. I see this as a low-risk, potentially high-reward move.

Twins address 'pen, sign pair of Righties

The Twins were finally able to address a weakness that has plagued them for the past several seasons this offseason - the bullpen. They came to terms with former Padre Luke Gregerson 80 on a 2-year deal worth 6.35 million dollars a year, and with Neftali Feliz 79 on a 2-year deal worth 3.9 million dollars per year.

Twins send Punto, Zubiri to Toronto for Chad Christopher

Lacking a fifth starter, we sent Nick Punto 72 and Victor Zubiri 62/81 to the Toronto Blue Jays for 23-year old Chad Christopher 77. Christopher isn't exactly the greatest pitcher, but he does have good control, along with an excellent fastball and knucklecurve, and he should provide us with a consistent 5th starter.

Twins sign former Mariner Jose Lopez

In need of a new second baseman, we signed Mariners third baseman Jose Lopez and converted him to second base. Lopez has a solid reputation with both the glove and the bat, and should at least be able to replicate Weeks' production from the past couple of years.

Zack Grienke wins 2nd consecutive Cy Young Award

Zack Greinke won his second consecutive Cy Young Award, and his 3rd in the past 4 years. Greinke lead the league in ERA with a 2.89 mark, wins with 18, and finished in the top 10 in K's again.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Minnesota Twins 2013 Season Preview

Can you tell I have sleeping problems?

Anyways, 2012 was a disappointing season for us. We went into the season with expectations sky-high, and we crashed and burned like the Challenger space shuttle. I even used the phrase "World Series or bust" and we couldn't even make the playoffs, for the first time since I took over at the start of the 2010 season. Hopefully this season will be another story.

Pitching

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SP#1 Zack Greinke - 18-7 2.89 ERA 218.0 IP 227 K SP#2 Tim Lincecum - 14-9 3.41 ERA 222.0 IP 238 K SP#3 Jake Peavy - 8-15 5.64 ERA 169.0 IP 138 K SP#4 Nick Blackburn - 9-15 4.73 ERA 158.0 IP 58 K SP#5 Chad Christopher - 1-3 3.99 ERA 29.1 IP 19 K

The top two speak for themselves. They have a combined 6 Cy Young Awards and 9 All-Star Game appearances between them, and they're both under 30 years old. It gets a little hazy after that though. Peavy still has the stuff to be good, and with a solid defense behind him like the one here in Minnesota I think he will be. He played on a pretty bad Chicago team last season, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. Blackburn is usually a good bet for 10-12 wins and an ERA in the mid-4.00 range, so I'm not too worried about what I'll get from him. C.C., as I've gotten used to calling him, is a real wild card here. He's got pretty solid vitals from top to bottom, especially his control, but he's a bit of an injury risk. If he is able to pitch well as the #5 we should do just fine.

Overall, I see this as a strength.

Bullpen

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CL Jose Mijares - 2-8 3.42 ERA 68.1 IP 51 K 40 SV SU Sergio Romo - 9-1 1.69 ERA 85.1 IP 94 K 2 SV MR Alex Burnett - 10-3 2.90 ERA 90.0 IP 62 K 0 SV MR Luke Gregerson - 4-4 3.48 ERA 64.2 IP 55 K 3 SV MR Neftali Feliz - 1-2 4.14 ERA 100.0 IP 89 K 4 SV LR Daniel Farquhar - 2-1 4.30 ERA 92.0 IP 73 K 2 SV

Mijares, Romo, and Burnett all had excellent seasons for us out of the 'pen last year, and Farquhar wasn't too shabby either. Then I went out and spent a lot of money improving it even more in the off-season. At the very least, this shouldn't be as much of a weakness as it has been in recent years.

Starting Line-up

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CF Denard Span - .250/.331/.347 10 HR 51 RBI 23 SB SS Pete Kozma - .277/.363/.425 8 HR 36 RBI 4 SB RF Hunter Pence - .300/.356/.491 25 HR 95 RBI 11 SB LF Thomas Neal - .293/.401/.529 33 HR 83 RBI 2 SB 3B Chase Headley - .316/.378/.551 28 HR 108 RBI 2 SB DH Chris Parmelee - .254/.379/.449 20 HR 75 RBI 3 SB 1B David Cooper - .286/.366/.462 24 HR 106 RBI 0 SB 2B Jose Lopez - .278/.305/.454 13 HR 64 RBI 2 SB C Kurt Suzuki - .239/.288/.366 11 HR 56 RBI 4 SB

I think our line-up should be great. Thomas Neal has had two very, very good seasons to start his career, and he should be just about ready for a really big, breakout season. The rest of the line-up around him is very good as well. Pence and Headley are coming off career-years, Parmelee should get better following a good rookie campaign, as should Cooper, and Span has shown in the past that he can put up an .800 OPS and hopefully he'll do it again this season.

Definite strength of the team.

Bench

OF Oscar Salazar
C Jose Morales
OF Cody Ross
IF Alexi Casilla
IF Trevor Plouffe

No stats because most of them don't have much to speak of for stats. I think we have pretty solid depth. Salazar will DH in place of Parmelee against lefties, and Morales will continue to be Greinke's personal catcher.

Season Expectations

Detroit took some serious steps back this off-season, as they lost Ryan Raburn, Wilkin Ramirez, and Max Scherzer, so I wouldn't expect another high-90 win season out of them. Cleveland probably stayed about the same. Chicago has a good hitting ball-club, but they lack pitching and they're very, very young. Kansas City is definitely a possible contender this year, though. They have some good young pitching, along with a solid core of position players. I think they'll give me a run for my money. I (again) think I have the best team in the division, but this time I actually looked around at the other teams in my division, and I don't see a team that's as well balanced as I am. I've got a great line-up from top to bottom, solid depth, a great 1-2 punch of Greinke and Lincecum with solid arms behind them, and a potentially great bullpen.

Projected W-L for AL Central Division

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Minnesota Twins 96-66 Cleveland Indians 85-77 Kansas City Royals 81-81 Detroit Tigers 79-83 Chicago White Sox 65-97

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

April 5, 2013

Twins 3 - White Sox 10
WP - G. Floyd (1-0), LP - Z. Greinke (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Headley (1), CHW J. Phegley 2 (2), R. Howard (1), J. Weeks (1)

Gavin Floyd had it working tonight. He no-hit us through the first four innings of the game, and finished the game with a line of 8.1 IP, 5 H, BB, 2 ER, and 6 K. Of course, it helped that their offense had a field day too, but that is neither here nor there.

POTG - CHW Gavin Floyd 8.1 IP, 5 H, BB, 2 ER, 6 K

April 7, 2013

Twins 6 - White Sox 7
WP - T. Pena (1-0), LP - J. Mijares (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Span (1)

Okay, Mijares, whose paying your salary? Me or the White Sox? Because I could've sworn it was me, but the way you just blew that save makes me think it's the White Sox.

POTG - CHW R. Howard 2-4, walk-off double

April 8, 2013

Twins 5 - White Sox 11
WP - S. Rodriguez (1-0), LP - J. Peavy (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - CHW S. Santos (1), D. Viciedo 3 (3), A. Rios (1)

Well the first few innings of the first episode of 'The Jake Peavy Experiment' went well, but it kinda got outta control after Dayan Viciedo started smacking homers left and right. Peavy pitched 4.1 innings and allowed five runs on two homers. Viciedo hit three homers and drove in 7 runs for the opposition.

POTG - CHW D. Viciedo 3-4, 3 HR, 7 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 0-3
3.0 GB of Chicago White Sox for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 9, 2013

Royals 3 - Twins 8
WP - N. Blackburn (1-0), LP - T. Melville (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Blackburn had one of those starts where he's just untouchable, as he went 8.1 innings and allowed only three runs. Pence, Neal, and Headley combined to drive in all 8 of the team's runs.

POTG - MIN N. Blackburn 8.1 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 ER, 4 K

April 10, 2013

Royals 3 - Twins 13
WP - C. Christopher (1-0), LP - K. Gibson (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN H. Pence (1), KCR B. Butler 2 (4)

The Chad Christopher era got off to a nice start, with C.C. pitching seven innings of two-run ball. The offense was firing on all cylinders as well. Everyone but Jose Lopez got a hit. Neal and Headley each had three hits and 4 RBI, while Kozma and Pence each had 4 hits and 4 runs.

POTG - MIN T. Neal 3-4, 2 2B, R, 4 RBI

April 11, 2013

Royals 1 - Twins 4
WP - Z. Greinke (1-1), LP - D. Duffy (0-1), SV - J. Mijares (1)
HR - N/A

Greinke showed why he's the two time defending AL Cy Young Award winner, going 7.2 innings and allowing only one run on three hits while striking out eight.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 7.2 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, ER, 8 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 3-3
2.0 GB of Chicago White Sox for first place in AL Central
1.0 GB of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 12, 2013

White Sox 1 - Twins 9
WP - T. Lincecum (1-0), LP - N. Griffith (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN H. Pence (2)

Lincecum fell an out short of a complete game, but still struck out 12 batters. Pence provided most of the game's offense, doubling and hitting a homer on his way to 3 RBI.

POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 8.2 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, ER, 12 K

April 13, 2013

White Sox 2 - Twins 3
WP - J. Peavy (1-1), LP - W. Font (0-1), SV - J. Mijares (2)
HR - CHW R. Howard (3), D. Viciedo (6)

Peavy pitched 7 innings of one run ball against his former team for his first Twins win. Interestingly, both his starts this season have come against his former team, the White Sox.

POTG - MIN J. Peavy 7 IP, 8 H, BB, ER, 4 K

April 14, 2013

White Sox 0 - Twins 9
WP - N. Blackburn (2-0), LP - D. Hudson (1-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (1)

Blackburn goes the distance for a complete game shutout, dropping his ERA through the first two starts of the season to 1.56. Another great game for the offense, too, as we collect 12 hits and score 9 times.

POTG - MIN N. Blackburn CG, SHO, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 6-3
1.0 GA of Chicago White Sox for first place in AL Central (tied with Cleveland Indians)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

Awesome start to the season. Only a week and a half in, but still very encouraging. I like what I'm seeing from the offense - a lot of high average and OBP numbers. The power is lacking a bit so far, but that's okay. The pitching has been phenomenal as well.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Wow, Dayan Viciedo 6 home runs in 5 games!

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Francouerstein - The White Sox are actually leading all of baseball in homers by a long-shot with 45. No one else has more than 33.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 16, 2013

Twins 2 - Angels 0
WP - Z. Greinke (2-1), LP - W. Smith (1-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN T. Neal (1)

I think Greinke wants another Cy Young. He threw his first shutout of the season, his 11th in 3 1/2 seasons as a Twin. Neal hit his first home-run of the season in the 4th off Will Smith for the only runs of the game.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke CG, SHO, 4 H, 10 K

April 17, 2013

Twins 5 - Angels 3
WP - T. Lincecum (2-0), LP - A. Oliver (0-3), SV - J. Mijares (3)
HR - MIN T. Neal (2), J. Lopez 2 (2)

Jose Lopez hit the first home-runs in his Twins career, going 2-4 with 2 homers and two RBI.

POTG - MIN J. Lopez 2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI

April 18, 2013

Twins 13 - Angels 1
WP - J. Peavy (2-1), LP - M. Scherzer (1-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (2), H. Pence (3)

We complete the sweep over the Angels with a blowout win. Everyone in the line-up got at least one hit, and everyone but Suzuki and Parmelee drove in a run.

POTG - MIN J. Peavy 7 IP, 4 H, ER, 8 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 9-3
2.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 19, 2013

Twins 6 - A's 3
WP - N. Blackburn (3-0), LP - F. De Los Santos (1-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Headley (2), T. Neal (3), OAK C. Brown (1)

Blackburn continued his ridiculous start to the season, pitching seven innings of two-run ball and striking out six. Thomas Neal hit his third homer of the year; he appears to be on course for a break-out season and possibly his first All-Star appearance.

POTG - MIN N. Blackburn 7 IP, 7 H, BB, 2 ER, 6 K

April 20, 2013

Twins 7 - A's 4
WP - N. Feliz (1-0), LP - J. Devine (0-3), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (3)

CC had a rough start, lasting only 4.1 innings. But a 7 run sixth inning, capped off by David Cooper's grandslam, gets him off the hook and extends our winning streak to 11.

POTG - MIN D. Cooper 2-3, 2 BB, HR, 5 RBI

April 21, 2013

Twins 2 - A's 4
WP - T. Cahill (1-1), LP - Z. Greinke (2-2), SV - J. Crain (6)
HR - OAK C. Carter (2)

Our winning streak comes to an end at the hands of Trevor Cahill and the A's.

POTG - OAK T. Cahill 7 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 3 K

April 22, 2013

Twins 7 - A's 3
WP - T. Lincecum (3-0), LP - C. Hamles (1-2), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Headley drives in three runs on two hits. Lincecum wins his third game in 4 starts this season.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 12-4
3.5 GA of Kansas City Royals for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 23, 2013

Twins 10 - Rangers 0
WP - J. Peavy (3-1), LP - T. Scheppers (2-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (4), C. Headley (3), J. Lopez (3)

Jake Peavy is proving to be a great off-season pickup so far. He threw 8.1 innings and allowed no runs this time out. He's 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA and 21 K's in 26.2 innings (4 starts).

POTG - MIN J. Peavy 8.1 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, 0 ER, 4 K

April 24, 2013

Twins 2 - Rangers 5
WP - R. Ross (1-2), LP - N. Feliz (1-1), SV - M. Corpas (4)
HR - N/A

Justin Smoak ripped a three-run double in the 7th to end the 2-2 tie. The runs proved to be the difference.

POTG - TEX J. Smoak 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI

April 25, 2013

Twins 4 - Rangers 3
WP - C. Christopher (2-0), LP - D. Holland (0-3), SV - J. Mijares (4)
HR - MIN H. Pence 2 (5), C. Ross (1), TEX T. Mendonca (2), C. Young (5)

Christopher continues the trend of excellent pitching set by the rest of our starters. Our team ERA is a miniscule 3.46, with no starter sporting an ERA over CC's 3.66.

POTG - MIN C. Christopher 8.1 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 3 K

April 26, 2013

Twins 1 - Rangers 3
WP - K. Kiker (2-0), LP - Z. Greinke (2-3), SV - M. Corpas (5)
HR - N/A

The Rangers manage to earn the split with us on the strength of Kasey Kiker's eight inning masterpiece.

POTG - TEX K. Kiker 8 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 0 ER (1 R), 6 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 14-6
2.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 27, 2013

Tigers 2 - Twins 6
WP - D. Farquhar (1-0), LP - J. Verlander (1-2), SV - J. Mijares (5)
HR - DET M. Cabrera (5)

Farquhar filled in amicably for Tim Lincecum, who sat out with a bruised hand.

POTG - MIN K. Suzuki 2-2, 2 BB, R, 2 RBI

April 28, 2013

Tigers 7 - Twins 2
WP - R. Porcello (3-1), LP - J. Peavy (3-2), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Errors by Chase Headley and Jose Lopez led to five unearned runs scored by the Tigers.

POTG - DET S. Sizemore 2-4, BB, 2B, 3 RBI

April 29, 2013

Tigers 8 - Twins 0
WP - J. Turner (1-2), LP - N. Blackburn (3-1), SV - N/A
HR - DET R. Doumit (4), B. Hall (6)

I hate the Tigers. I don't even care that I'm 3.5 up on them in the division and that I still lead the division by 2.5 games, I just always want to beat the Tigers. Okay, the part about me not caring about my division lead isn't true, but you get the picture.

POTG - DET J. Turner CG, SHO, 5 H, 2 BB, 7 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 15-8
2.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

15-8 is a great way to start the season. Hopefully we can keep it up this time around, unlike last season. On another note, Hunter Pence's contract expires at the end of the season, and his performance up to this point in this season combined with his performance last season is making it look like I won't be able to keep him. His current contract demands are 4 years at 33 million per year with a NTC, which I am simply not willing to give anyone, let alone a 30 year-old outfielder. I don't think I'd bring him back for anymore than 8-9 million a year.

HTML Code:

ERA J. Peavy 2.20 Wins T. Lincecum 3 Saves J. Mijares 5 AVG H. Pence .371 HR H. Pence 5 SB D. Span 4

Stats

Batting

HTML Code:

Player Name Team AB H HR RBI Avg OBP SLG SB CS Span, Denard MIN 98 28 1 7 .286 .346 .378 4 3 Kozma, Pete MIN 98 30 0 4 .306 .370 .347 1 0 Pence, Hunter MIN 97 36 5 24 .371 .398 .639 1 0 Lopez, Jose MIN 91 18 3 11 .198 .240 .341 0 0 Headley, Chase MIN 84 28 3 23 .333 .408 .536 0 2 Cooper, David MIN 83 24 4 16 .289 .388 .494 0 0 Neal, Thomas MIN 75 22 3 18 .293 .407 .507 0 0 Suzuki, Kurt MIN 66 17 0 8 .258 .324 .318 0 0 Parmelee, Chris MIN 50 13 0 4 .260 .367 .300 0 0 Salazar, Oscar MIN 31 7 0 4 .226 .242 .226 0 0 Morales, Jose MIN 16 4 0 0 .250 .250 .313 0 0 Ross, Cody MIN 8 4 1 1 .500 .500 1.000 0 0 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Feliz, Neftali MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Gregerson, Luke MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Christopher, Chad MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Blackburn, Nick MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Peavy, Jake MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Lincecum, Tim MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Greinke, Zack MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Plouffe, Trevor MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Casilla, Alexi MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0

Pitching

HTML Code:

Player Name Team Starts W L ERA IP K SV CG OBA Greinke, Zack MIN 5 2 3 3.34 35.0 42 0 1 .211 Peavy, Jake MIN 5 3 2 2.20 32.2 23 0 0 .222 Blackburn, Nick MIN 5 3 1 3.34 32.1 17 0 1 .259 Lincecum, Tim MIN 4 3 0 3.10 29.0 37 0 0 .170 Christopher, Chad MIN 3 2 0 3.66 19.2 14 0 0 .250 Feliz, Neftali MIN 0 1 1 5.82 17.0 18 0 0 .250 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 0 0 3.38 10.2 10 0 0 .214 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 1 1 0 6.75 9.1 7 0 0 .316 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 1 4.50 6.0 8 5 0 .269 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 0 0 1.80 5.0 2 0 0 .167 Gregerson, Luke MIN 0 0 0 3.86 4.2 4 0 0 .364

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

April 30, 2013

A's 10 - Twins 6
WP - B. Anderson (2-1), LP - C. Christopher (2-1), SV - A. Bailey (3)
HR - OAK C. Carter (4), K. Kouzmanoff (3), R. Sweeney (3)

CC and Farquhar combined to allow six runs in the second inning, and dig us into a hole that was too deep to climb out of.

POTG - OAK R. Sweeney 2-5, HR, 3 RBI

May 1, 2013

A's 1 - Twins 2
WP - Z. Greinke (3-3), LP - T. Cahill (1-3), SV - J. Mijares (6)
HR - N/A

The A's scored their only run on an error by Zack Greinke, whom aside from the error was brilliant.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 7 IP, 4 H, BB, 0 ER (1 R), 7 K

May 2, 2013

A's 3 - Twins 4
WP - A. Burnett (1-0), LP - A. Bailey (0-2), SV - N/A
HR - MIN J. Lopez (4)

We were trailing 2-3 going into the bottom of the ninth, but Jose Lopez came through with a man on base and hit a walk-off home-run to give us the series win.

POTG - MIN J. Lopez 2-4, walk-off home-run

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 17-9
3.0 GA of Kansas City Royals for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 3, 2013

Twins 0 - Tigers 5
WP - R. Porcello (4-1), LP - J. Peavy (3-3), SV - N/A
HR - DET S. Sizemore (3)

I hate the Tigers. I hate, hate, HATE the Tigers.

POTG - DET R. Porcello CG, SHO, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K

May 4, 2013

Twins 2 - Tigers 0
WP - N. Blackburn (4-1), LP - J. Turner (1-3), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (1)

Both starters pitched complete game, but Blackburn pitched just a little bit better and got the shutout. The shutout is Blackburn's second of the season; prior to the start of the season, Blackburn had three in the first six years of his career.

POTG - MIN N. Blackburn CG, SHO, 7 H, 5 K

May 5, 2013

Twins 6 - Tigers 5
WP - A. Burnett (2-0), LP - J. Soria (1-3), SV - J. Mijares (7)
HR - MIN K. Suzuki (1), T. Neal (4), C. Parmelee (2), DET M. Cabrera (7), G. Nunez (4)

Chad Christopher didn't have the greatest start of his life, but it was good enough for us to get revenge for the Tigers taking 2 of 3 from us at home last month.

POTG - MIN D. Span 2-3, 2 BB, SB

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 19-10
2.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 7, 2013

Twins 2 - Royals 0
WP - Z. Greinke (4-3), LP - K. Gibson (2-3), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (3)

Parmelee hit his third homer in as many games to support Greinke in his second complete game shutout of the season.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke CG, SHO, 6 H, BB, 8 K

May 8, 2013

Twins 2 - Royals 3
WP - A. Reifer (2-0), LP - S. Romo (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Aaron Hicks sac-fly in the ninth send the Royals home the winner.

POTG - KCR A. Hicks GW sac-fly

May 9, 2013

Twins 3 - Royals 2
WP - J. Peavy (4-3), LP - N. Arguelles (1-4), SV - J. Mijares (8)
HR - MIN T. Neal (5), H. Pence (6), KCR M. Moustakas (2)

This series may have shown that KC's time is not quite here yet, but they're definitely a force to be reckoned with and they'll be a serious contender in coming seasons.

POTG - MIN T. Neal 3-4, 2B, HR, RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 21-11
3.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

We're still playing well. I wish we could have put some more ground between ourselves and the rest of the division, though. I'd rather not have a nail-biter going through the season like I did a couple seasons ago.

The draft is coming up in a couple weeks and we'll be picking the highest we've picked under my reign at #19. It'll be a welcome change of pace. Unfortunately, though, This draft is probably one of the weakest I've seen since taking over. There are only three players peaked above 90, and the draft is plagued with injury-prone players. Regardless, some of the guys I have my eye on now are:

1B Chuck Standish 67/87 21 years old - Massive power potential
SS Franky Haughey 66/88 19 years old - Good all-around player
1B Dave Dommett 65/86 20 years old - Big power and excellent glove

That list is sure to change by draft day, but that's where we stand right now.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

May 10, 2013

Red Sox 2 - Twins 3
WP - N. Blackburn (5-1), LP - J. Lester (1-3), SV - J. Mijares (9)
HR - N/A

Not that I mind, but I think Nick Blackburn forgot who he is, because he's been pitching like Cy Young all season. Probably has something to do with the expiring contract.

POTG - MIN N. Blackburn 7 IP, 3 H, BB, ER, 3 K

May 11, 2013

Red Sox 4 - Twins 5
WP - A. Burnett (3-0), LP - J. Beckett (1-4), SV - J. Mijares (10)
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (4), K. Suzuki (2)

Parmelee's 433-foot moonshot in the second inning marked his 4th bomb of the season. Alex Burnett struck out four of the five batters he faced out of the 'pen, en route to getting his third win of the season in relief of CC.

POTG - MIN A. Burnett 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K

May 12, 2013

Red Sox 8 - Twins 13
WP - Z. Greinke (5-3), LP - K. Slowey (3-2), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Headley (4), C. Parmelee (5), BOS J. Lowrie (5), J. Gaston (6)

Well, Greinke's performance certainly wasn't record-breaking (6.1 IP, 5 ER), but the offense showed up to play and helped him get his fifth win of the season in spite of the poor performance.

POTG - MIN C. Parmelee 3-5, BB, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI

May 13, 2013

Red Sox 4 - Twins 1
WP - C. Buchholz (3-2), LP - T. Lincecum (3-1), SV - J. Papelbon (7)
HR - N/A

Thanks to a good effort by Buchholz, we were unable to complete the four-game sweep over our cross-division rival Boston Red Sox.

POTG - BOS C. Buchholz 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, ER, K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 24-12
5.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 14, 2013

Blue Jays 1 - Twins 7
WP - D. Farquhar (2-0), LP - B. Mills (2-2), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Headley (5), TOR B. Wallace (3)

Peavy missed his start with a strained back, but Farquhar made a solid start in place of him, going five innings and allowing only one run. Headley helped out greatly, going 3-4 with a double, a home-run, and 4 RBI.

POTG - MIN 3B C. Headley 3-4, 2 R, HR, 2B, 4 RBI

May 15, 2013

Blue Jays 2 - Twins 7
WP - N. Blackburn (6-1), LP - H. Alvarez (3-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Headley (6), H. Pence (7), J. Lopez (5), C. Parmelee (6)

Four home-runs out of the offense, along with Blackburn's on-going case of mistaken identity, power us to our second win in a row.

POTG - MIN N. Blackburn 8.1 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, K

May 16, 2013

Blue Jays 6 - Twins 3
WP - A. Cashner (4-3), LP - C. Christopher (2-2), SV - C. Meredith (2)
HR - N/A

Cashner must love pitching against us, as he always seems to kill us, preventing us from completing the sweep.

POTG - TOR A. Cashner 7 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 3 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 26-13
4.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 17, 2013

Indians 6 - Twins 1
WP - N. Hagadone (4-0), LP - Z. Greinke (5-4), SV - N/A
HR - CLE G. Sizemore 2 (5)

A Trevor Plouffe error led to four unearned runs being scored off Greinke and to Greinke being pulled after only 3.2 innings. Neftali Feliz pitched well in relief, shutting out the Indians for the final 5.1 innings, but Cleveland starter Nick Hagadone shut us down, like he always does.

POTG - CLE N. Hagadone 7 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 0 ER (1 R), 8 K

May 18, 2013

Indians 2 - Twins 3
WP - T. Lincecum (4-1), LP - H. Rondon (2-4), SV - J. Mijares (11)
HR - MIN D. Span (2), CLE N. Weglarz (7)

We're able to earn a split in this two-game series against the Indians, thanks to a strong performance by Lincecum and the 'pen combo of Romo and Mijares.

POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 7 IP, 6 H, BB, 2 ER, 7 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 27-14
4.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 19, 2013

Twins 10 - Mariners 3
WP - J. Peavy (5-3), LP - R. Rowland-Smith (1-8), SV - L. Gregerson (1)
HR - MIN D. Cooper (5), D. Span (3), O. Salazar (1)

A six run sixth inning, that included home-runs off the bats of Cooper, Span, and Salazar, highlighted the scoring in this game. Denard Span also fell a double short of hitting for the cycle.

POTG - MIN O. Salazar 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI

May 20, 2013

Twins 0 - Mariners 5
WP - M. Pineda (4-2), LP - N. Blackburn (6-2), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Mariners ace Mike Pineda pitched the shutout, and Blackburn seemed to remember who he is (for this start anyways), as he lasted only two innings before giving up five runs.

POTG - SEA M. Pineda CG, SHO, 5 H, 7 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 28-15
5.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 21, 2013

Twins 1 - D'Backs 2
WP - M. Belfiore (3-3), LP - N. Feliz (1-2), SV - C. Zavada (4)
HR - N/A

Feliz made the spot-start in place of the injured CC. CC's injury is not expected to cause him to miss anymore starts.

POTG - ARI M. Belfiore 7 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 0 ER (1 R), 2 K

May 22, 2013

Twins 4 - D'Backs 3
WP - L. Gregerson (1-0), LP - M. Atkinson (1-2), SV - J. Mijares (12)
HR - MIN H. Pence (8), ARI J. Upton (12)

Both starters (Zack Greinke and Martin Perez) went 6+ innings and allowed two earned runs, but it came down to the bullpens. Without revamped bullpen, we were finally able to win a bullpen battle, and should be able to do so on a consistent basis this season.

POTG - MIN bullpen (L. Gregerson + S. Romo + J. Mijares) 3 IP, 4 H, BB, ER, 6 K, W, SV

May 23, 2013

Twins 4 - D'Backs 0
WP - T. Lincecum (5-1), LP - J. Parker (0-4), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Lincecum had the best start since signing with us last off-season. He allowed only two hits and two walks to the Diamondbacks over this complete game shutout, while also striking out 14 batters.

POTG - MIN T. Lincecum CG, SHO, 2 H, 2 BB, 14 K

Injury notice: After this game it was revealed that one of our free agent acquisitions of this off-season, Neftali Feliz, is going to miss 28 days with a broken wrist. Feliz had a 4.86 ERA with a 1-2 record in 13 games and 33.1 innings. He had logged 31 K's to only seven walks out of the 'pen in that timeframe as well. We signed Kerry Wood to a one-year deal to take his place on the roster until he's healthy again.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 30-16
5.0 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 25, 2013

Twins 4 - Angels 5
WP - N. Masset (2-3), LP - K. Wood (0-1), SV - H. Bell (7)
HR - MIN H. Pence (9)

Kerry Wood made his presence felt in his first game after being signed. He went 2.2 innings out of the 'pen and allowed only one run, but unfortunately that run was the game deciding run.

POTG - LAA bullpen (J. Bachanov + N. Masset + H. Bell) 4 IP, 3 H, BB, 0 ER, 2 K, W, SV

May 26, 2013

Twins 3 - Angels 2
WP - N. Blackburn (7-2), LP - A. Oliver (0-9), SV - N/A
HR - MIN T. Neal (6), LAA D. DeJesus (5)

Blackburn wins his seventh game of the season with another Cy Young performance. Right now Blackburn is asking for a 2-year deal with 14+ million per season, and I can't say I blame him with the way he's pitching, but the chances of him getting that kind of money from me are about the same as winning the lottery.

POTG - MIN N. Blackburn CG, 3 H, BB, 2 ER, 3 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 31-17
6.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Stupid 10K limit....

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 28, 2013

Mariners 3 - Twins 1
WP - M. Robles (3-4), LP - S. Romo (0-2), SV - M. Lowe (1)
HR - N/A

Zack Greinke went seven innings and allowed only one run while striking out 12, but Sergio Romo gave up runs on back-to-back bases loaded hits by Brandon Allen and Greg Halman.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 7 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, ER, 12 K

May 29, 2013

Mariners 9 - Twins 10 (in extras)
WP - S. Romo (1-2), LP - B. League (1-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Headley (7), T. Neal (7), SEA G. Halman (8)

Lincecum had what I can only assume is the shortest start of his career, as he lasted only 0.1 innings before getting pulled after giving up five runs on six hits. The bullpen held it together pretty well after that and allowed us to get into extras and win the game. We are gonna need a long effort by Peavy tomorrow, though, as we were forced to use every bullpen arm available to us.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 3-6, BB, R, 4 RBI

Injury notice: The next one to go down is another off-season FA acquisition - Luke Gregerson. His injury is to the rotator cuff and will keep him out for roughly one month. In 16 innings Gregerson had an ERA of just 1.13. We signed former Orioles closer Jorge Julio to come up in his place.

May 30, 2013

Mariners 10 - Twins 5
WP - R. Rowland-Smith (2-9), LP - J. Peavy (5-4), SV - D. Cortes (1)
HR - MIN C. Headley (8)

Peavy did not give us that long start we needed, lasting only 3.1 innings. Defense was spotty in this one, as 5 of the 10 runs the Mariners scored were unearned.

POTG - SEA A. Liddi 3-5, R, 4 RBI

May 31, 2013

Mariners 5 - Twins 6
WP - J. Mijares (1-1), LP - N. Hill (1-3), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (7)

Chris Parmelee picked a good time for his 7th homer of the season, hitting the walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth with the game tied at 5-5.

POTG - MIN C. Parmelee 2-2, 3 BB, walk-off HR

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 33-19
6.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

We finished May with an 18-10 record and managed to put some ground between us and the rest of the division. The lack of power, but abundance of balance in my line-up right now is intriguing. The team-leader in home-runs is Pence with 9, but aside from Suzuki (2), Span (3), and Kozma (0) everyone has at least 5.

HTML Code:

ERA Z. Greinke 2.80 Wins N. Blackburn 7 Saves J. Mijares 12 AVG C. Headley .325 HR H. Pence 9 SB D. Span 8

Stats

Batting

HTML Code:

Player Name Team AB H HR RBI Avg OBP SLG SB CS Span, Denard MIN 217 62 3 15 .286 .346 .392 8 7 Pence, Hunter MIN 217 67 9 40 .309 .348 .521 1 1 Kozma, Pete MIN 212 54 0 12 .255 .339 .288 1 0 Headley, Chase MIN 191 62 8 44 .325 .377 .545 0 2 Lopez, Jose MIN 187 36 5 21 .193 .221 .321 1 0 Cooper, David MIN 183 47 5 29 .257 .355 .410 0 0 Neal, Thomas MIN 175 55 7 30 .314 .437 .509 1 0 Suzuki, Kurt MIN 147 36 2 14 .245 .298 .340 2 0 Parmelee, Chris MIN 103 32 7 15 .311 .392 .553 0 0 Salazar, Oscar MIN 77 18 1 9 .234 .247 .338 0 0 Morales, Jose MIN 37 11 0 1 .297 .316 .405 0 0 Ross, Cody MIN 13 5 1 2 .385 .385 .769 0 0 Casilla, Alexi MIN 11 3 0 1 .273 .333 .273 0 0 Lincecum, Tim MIN 3 2 0 1 .667 .667 .667 0 0 Greinke, Zack MIN 2 1 0 0 .500 .500 .500 0 0 Green, Taylor MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Peavy, Jake MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Blackburn, Nick MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Christopher, Chad MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Julio, Jorge MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Wood, Kerry MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0

Pitching

HTML Code:

Player Name Team Starts W L ERA IP K SV CG OBA Lincecum, Tim MIN 10 5 1 3.11 66.2 78 0 1 .185 Greinke, Zack MIN 11 5 4 2.80 74.0 87 0 2 .217 Peavy, Jake MIN 10 5 4 4.20 55.2 40 0 0 .278 Blackburn, Nick MIN 11 7 2 3.21 73.0 32 0 3 .241 Christopher, Chad MIN 7 2 2 5.87 38.1 27 0 0 .286 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 1 1 3.32 19.0 18 12 0 .276 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 1 2 2.70 26.2 29 0 0 .219 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 3 0 0.71 25.1 18 0 0 .148 Julio, Jorge MIN 0 0 0 3.00 3.0 2 0 0 .222 Wood, Kerry MIN 0 0 1 9.82 3.2 4 0 0 .333 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 2 2 0 3.81 26.0 23 0 0 .242

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Minnesota Twins 2013 Draft Review

Round #1 - SP Ralph Leclaire (51/92), 17 years old - Major upside. Only good season in high school was senior year (2.89 ERA), prior to that never posted a sub-4.00 ERA.

Round #2 - 2B Luis Feliciano (62/79), 19 years old - Healthy. Well-rounded offensive game, especially for a second baseman.

Round #3 - 3B Angel Rodriguez (61/76), 21 years old - Big power. Poor eye.

Round #4 - LF Victor Llull (57/74), 17 years old - Good glove. Fast. Well balanced offensively. Switch hitter.

Round #5 - RP Ivan Vargos (52/77), 20 years old - Consistent throughout college and high school. Healthy.

Round #6 - RP Will Vereen (47/77), 21 years old - Behind developmentally. If pitching doesn't work out could convert to position player due to strong bat, ala Matt Bush and Rick Ankiel.

Well, none of the guys I mentioned as targets were left at my pick in the first, so I just went with the highest peak available. Leclaire could be very good in the future, but the fact that he only had one season of above-average pitching in high school concerns me. Prior to his senior year of a 2.89 ERA he posted ERA's of 5.11 his freshman year, 4.42 sophomore, and 4.09 junior year. Though I suppose it is equally encouraging that he improved every year. The rest of the draft went pretty well. We got some hitters with good/great potential, and some relievers with good potential as well.

In next year's draft we should have more picks, as I plan on instituting a rudimentary FA compensation system with my dynasty, and with Pence and Blackburn's contracts expiring and both having excellent seasons, they should get me a couple good picks.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Retirements

This season has seen the retirements of a number of players that were great in their prime, players we are all familiar with. Let's do a rundown.

3B/1B/DH Jim Thome

Jim Thome played 21 seasons with the Indians, Phillies, White Sox, and ended his career with the Twins. He fell just two homers shy of the 600 club and finished with a line of .276/.400/.548, 2302 hits, 1575 runs, 1664 RBI. A sure-fire Hall of Famer to say the least.

OF Johnny Damon

Damon played 18 seasons with the Royals, A's, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, and Indians, meaning that the only AL Central team he didn't play for was the Twins. Known best for being the "cave man" that helped the Red Sox win their first championship in 86 years in 2004, before defecting to the rival New York Yankees after the 2005 season. He was also well known for his complete lack of a throwing arm, drawing comparisons to the mothers and grandmothers of millions of baseball fans the world over. The mothers and grandmothers were likely offended by this notion. Damon finished his career with 2510 hits, 218 homers, 387 steals, and a .788 OPS.

SS Orlando Cabrera

Also known for his contributions to Boston's 2004 World Championship team, Cabrera played 16 MLB seasons. Cabrera won Gold Gloves in 2001 and 2007 and finished his career with 2121 hits, 1005 runs, a .704 OPS, and 217 stolen bases. Cabrera played for the Montreal Expos (now Washington Nationals), Boston Red Sox, LA Angels, White Sox, A's, Minnesota Twins, and Reds, before finally finishing his career by playing two more seasons with the Angels.

SP Chris Young

Formerly of the Rangers, Padres, and Orioles. Young is best known for his time in San Diego. He pitched five seasons for the Padres, winning 43 games and posting an ERA of 3.20. For his career he compiled a 59-47 record, posted a 3.87 ERA, struck out 804, had a BAA of .218, and pitched 936.1 innings.

SP Bronson Arroyo

Arroyo pitched 12 seasons, six with Cincy, three with Boston, and three with Pittsburgh. Although the majority of his career was with the Reds, he is probably best known for his time with the Red Sox. He too contributed to the 2004 championship team, going 10-9 with a 4.03 ERA in '04. He won 108 games to 105 losses in his career, had a 4.28 ERA, pitched 1769.1 innings, and struck out 1199 batters.

OF Ryan Ludwick

Ludwick didn't start playing like he actually belonged in the majors until he was almost 30. His best season came in '08 with the Cardinals when he 37 homers, drove in 113 runs, and posted an OPS of .966. He retires with 113 career home-runs, 408 RBI, 616 hits, and an .802 OPS.

1B Carlos Pena

Pena played 12 seasons with the Rangers, A's, Tigers, Red Sox, Rays, and Mets. Pena was part of the Rays teams that stormed the league at the end of decade, hitting over 100 of his 219 career homers in his four seasons with them. He was a staple in their line-up for four years before signing with the Mets following the 2010 season. He finishes his career with 219 homers, 849 hits, a line of .242/.350/.490/.840, and 637 RBI.

SP Roy Oswalt

Oswalt pitched 12 seasons in the Major Leagues, 10 of which came with the Houston Astros. Oswalt was the ace of the great Astros teams of the mid-2000's. He finishes his career with a legitimate shot at the Hall of Fame, with 166 wins, 92 losses, a 3.40 ERA, 2249.0 innings pitched, 1800 K's, and only 530 walks.