• As if you haven’t heard, the Twins made a ton of moves on Wednesday. The most exciting to me is obviously the Jeff Manship promotion. Manship will be taking over for Glen Perkins in the bullpen and will likely remain in the long-relief role for the immediate future. He’s one of the better pitching prospects in the organization and can hopefully be a reliable arm that can give the Twins multiple innings per appearance. With the way our bullpen has been this season, we really need it.

• This move was just the beginning of an entire chain of moves throughout the Minor Leagues. Most notably, Anthony Slama finally got the promotion Twins fans have been calling for all season. He’s taking Manship’s spot on the Red Wings pitching staff. Slama lead the Eastern league in both appearances and saves prior to the promotion. But at 25-years-old, the reluctance to promote him both this season and last season has made Twins fans go crazy and I personally don’t blame them for voicing their displeasure on this one. I usually don’t question many of the organizations philosophies, and I understand that they want a player to go through the ups and downs at each stop, but it’s almost as though they’ve completely neglecting the fact that he went to college. They moved him quickly at first and slammed on the breaks when he got in Ft. Myers where he posted nearly identical numbers that he posted in Beloit where he only spent about a 1/3 of the time.

• Taking Slama’s spot on the Rock Cats roster is Loek Van Mil. Yes, the 7′1” Van Mil. He needs to be added to the 40-man roster this off-season to protect him from the Rule V Draft and the Twins probably wanted to see him get a few innings in Double-A to justify their decision. Van Mil definitely deserved this promotion. He’s posted solid numbers throughout his Minor League career but struggles with his control quite a bit. He’s still considered a ‘work in progress’ but he’s definitely got potential. Hopefully he continues to put up good numbers while cutting back on the walks.

• With an open roster spot on the Miracle roster, Bobby Lanigan got the promotion to Ft. Myers. Lanigan has been very inconsistent this season but has good control and gets a lot of ground ball outs. I think this is a good promotion, but a case could certainly have been made for Brad Tippett who has been the best pitcher for the Snappers all season, which isn’t saying much but at the same time it still is.

• And the Twins weren’t done. Brad Stillings took Lanigan’s roster spot in Beloit and both Kelvin Mota and Jhon Garcia were promoted from the Gulf Coast League to the Appalachian League.

• Aaron Gleeman posted a video of Nick Nelson rapping to ‘Swee Home Alabama’ like Eminem did in ‘8 Mile’. One word, priceless. And for those wondering, yes, bloggers are that cool.

• Seth Stohs posted his updated Top 50 Twins Prospects list. It’s awesome looking at prospect lists and Seth’s has a lot of interesting names. Most notably, a guy most Twins fans still haven’t heard of is Adrian Salcedo who cracked his top 10.

• Brian Pietrzak wrote a great book review for Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain by Marty Appel. The book sounds great and it’s now on my list of books that I’ll be looking to read this fall. But tops on that list is still Joe Posnanski’s The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stoppping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds.

• And make sure to head over to A Voice From Twins Territory to read a great interview with Kyle Gibson.

• And for more on Gibson, make sure to read the Star-Tribune’s article by Joe Christensen. Stohs also updates us on a few other unsigned players. He also informs us that former first round pick Jay Rainville has decided to retire from professional baseball. Sad news.

• Finally, here’s my Quote of the Day:

“Was that catching or missing? He’s the third catcher. He says he can do it, and I believe him because he’d be faster running back and picking it up at the backstop than anybody else.”

- – Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on Carlos Gomez catching for Jesse Crain and Jose Mijares in the bullpen.

Earlier this week we learned that the A’s had asked for top prospect Danny Valencia in return for Cabrera which the Twins rightfully scoffed at. Valencia, as it turns out, has been a popular name thrown out by other teams this week with the Pittsburgh Pirates also asking for the talented third baseman in a trade for All-Star second baseman Freddy Sanchez. Sanchez is a far better player than Cabrera, so if the Twins refused to include Valencia in a trade for Sanchez, I doubt they’d finally feel compelled to include him in a deal for Cabrera. At least, that’s my hope.

The more likely scenario is that the A’s have lowered their asking price for Cabrera. On Thursday morning, Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal reported that the Boston Red Sox turned down an offer for Cabrera which would have sent a 27-year-old minor league reliever in Fernando Cabrera and 26-year-old first baseman/outfielder Chris Carter to Oakland in exchange for (Orlando) Cabrera. While both (Fernando) Cabrera and Carter aren’t terrible players, they do have less value than Valencia.

If it’s the right deal, Cabrera might be a solid pickup. While I do see him as a slight upgrade (again, I want to put emphasis on the word slight), I don’t see him playing a huge difference on the overall outcome of the season.

With potential suitors looking unlikely to deal top talent for Cabrera, the A’s now sound as though they’re at the point that they’ll ‘take anything they can get’ for Cabrera. While that’s probably a little misleading, as the Twins will probably still have to surrender a quality prospect to get Cabrera in return, but it certainly sounds as though their ‘top prospects’ are off-limits, which they should be.

One intersting thing to note is that the Twins have also been linked to Oakland reliever Michael Wuertz and Adam Kennedy. Wuertz is believed to be staying in Oakland while Kennedy is a free agent after the season and has recently been linked to the Twins.

The A’s want to keep Kennedy, but I’m sure if the right deal came along, they would trade him too. Unfortunately, the A’s ask for top talent in return for their players so my hopes of the Twins nabbing both Kennedy and Cabrera is more or less a pipedream.

I’ll try to update anything that happens throughout the day. The deadline for non-waiver trades is 3:00 PM CT this afternoon. Stay tuned.

Alexi Casilla had an outstanding first half to the 2008 season but he leveled off and got injured in the second-half and never looked the same afterward. He was given a huge vote of confidence in the off-season when manager Ron Gardenhire laughed off any media outlet who questioned if Casilla would start the season at second base or if he was in danger of losing his spot. Casilla looked to be back on track in Spring Training when he hit .306/.354/.361 while playing steady defense at second base. But all of that unraveled once the season started.

Casilla all of a sudden could get a hit and lost complete awareness of the strike zone. Despite swinging at 6% more pitches this season, his BABIP dropped .081 points while his batting average dropped .101 points from a year ago. The once patient Casilla now started to swing at nearly 10% more pitches outside of the strike zone than he did a year ago, which is no wonder why his strikeout rate rose 7.2% from 2008. All of this without even mentioning his shaky defense were reasons enough to be demoted to Triple-A. But defense ultimately cost Casilla his roster spot and was the main factor why he ended up in Gardenhire’s “doghouse.”

To replace Casilla, the Twins have used a rotation of Nick Punto, Matt Tolbert and Brendan Harris. Harris has played second base, shortstop and third base, but the Twins believe that second base is his weakest position and if we’re looking at the small sample size, they’re right. According to UZR/150, Harris has played much better defense both at shortstop and third base this season compared to second base. Harris is labeled as a “natural shortstop” and Gardenhire just doesn’t believe he fits right at second base, which is evident with his poor footwork when turning a double play. He also features a very strong arm, which is better suited for shortstop.

Punto and Tolbert are about the same player offensively, although Punto’s defense is far and away superior to Tolbert’s. But both player’s combined are hitting .204 with eight extra-base hits in 269 at-bats. Tolbert is one of Gardenhire’s favorite players due to his ability to run out a ball and play “on his toes.” Unfortunately, Tolbert has played in 40 of 78 games and continues to get starts on a semi-regular basis. It’s been time for his demotion to Rochester for a couple months now and while he and Punto continue to look absolutely worthless offensively, a player in the Minor Leagues looks to be primed to make his Major League debut.

Steven Tolleson has looked outstanding in Rochester, although his defense too has been shaky at times, but more on that in a minute. Tolleson was promoted to Rochester in late May, but has carried an .828 OPS with him through his first 31 games and has maintained steady plate discipline. The former South Carolina Gamecock has just about gone from rags to riches in the last year-and-a-half. A once unknown prospect is now becoming one of the most talked-about prospects in the Twins system, although most of that is due to his counterparts at the Major League level playing so poorly. But nonetheless, he’s on just about everyone’s radar right now.

Tolleson’s defense has never been stellar, but his natural position is believed to be second base. He has found himself playing second, shortstop, third base and left and center field as well. For that reason, I’m not surprised by his 12 errors this season. Although 12 is a little excessive, I’m confident that Tolleson will be able to handle the position better defensively than Tolbert or Casilla. His track record at second base suggests that he could be league average at the position, which is better than what either Tolbert or Casilla can say.

Punto is better defensively, but he doesn’t hit like Tolleson which is where he separates himself from everyone else. Tolleson has hit .298 with 64 extra-base hits including 13 home runs since the start of the ‘08 season. He’s also walked 73 times and has had an on-base percentage of .370, which is something the Twins want from their “piranhas.”

Tolleson’s time in Rochester look more and more numbered every time Tolbert comes to bat. With the trade deadline coming up, and the Twins sitting just four games behind the Tigers, the Twins will need to upgrade second base somehow and what better way to do it from within?

Coming into the game, Twins starter Nick Blackburn had thrown at least seven innings in 10 of his 15 starts. And even more impressively, he was going for his third-straight complete game. But unfortunately, things didn’t go necessarily as planned and Blackburn struggled through six innings while giving up ten hits and three runs although only two were earned. Despite throwing 65% of his 103 pitches over the plate for strikes, he struggled with his command and was all over the zone, leaving pitches up and making himself even more hittable than he already is. Thankfully, the Royals’ putrid offense only took limited advantage against him because if Blackburn was facing an even league-average lineup (such as the division leading Detroit Tigers), they probably would have done a lot more damage.

Regardless if Blackburn threw great, the offense was of no help. Royals starter Luke Hochevar walked the lead-off man Denard Span in the first inning and struggled with walks throughout the start. Unfortunately, like in the first inning with Span – where Brendan Harris failed to bunt him over, instead bunting the ball back to Hochevar making it an easy play to throw out Span at second – the Twins never capitalized on Hochevar’s mistakes and only got two hits off of the 2006 first overall draft pick. Hochevar blanked the Twins through seven innings, giving up only two hits and four walks while striking out two.

The Twins’ offense finally got going a bit in the eigth inning. Span reached on a bunt single (which should please Aaron Gleeman) with Harris following him up with a single of his own. With good ‘ole reliable Joe Mauer coming up to bat, Twins fans started getting on their feet, despite being down by four runs. Mauer then shocked everyone by beating the first ball he sees into the ground, grounding into his sixth double play of the season and his third in the last eight games. He finished the game 0-4.

With Span advancing to third base, my first thought was that the Royals would walk Justin Morneau and take their chances with Jason Kubel. Kubel was involved earlier in the game with a bad call by the home plate umpire which lead to manager Ron Gardenhire’s third ejection of the season. The umpire called Kubel out after not running to first base when he believed a ball hit off of the plate (or in the dirt, whichever). Kubel, Gardenhire and all of us watching the replays saw the ball hit off of his foot, which should have lead to a foul ball. Gardenhire and Kubel’s protest were to no avail and while Gardenhire was thrown out of the game, Kubel was out on a ground ball to first base. Fearing Kubel’s revenge, Morneau made the Royals pay for not walking him by working the count and eventually pulling  a 71 mph slider into the Royals bullpen for his 18th home run of the season.

But that was all the offense the Twins could get before Royals closer Joakim Soria closed the door on the Twins for good to pick up his 10th save of the season.

Tonight, the Twins will try to even-out the series with Scott Baker (5-6, 5.17) facing fellow right-hander Brian Bannister (5-5, 4.17). Hopefully the Twins can stay on the north side of .500 ball.

And although each case may be different, it certainly seemed to be the case for Twins third base prospect Danny Valencia. Valencia was promoted to New Britain almost exactly a year ago, and at that time, I was a strong believer that Valencia’s promotion was long overdue. A year later, I have the same feeling. Although I believe the Twins’ lethargic approach of moving Valencia through the organization is justified, I still would have wished this was done sooner rather than later. But regardless, the move has come and it’s great to see him finally get another step closer to reaching the Major Leagues.

And although each case may be different, it certainly seemed to be the case for Twins third base prospect Danny Valencia. Valencia was promoted to New Britain almost exactly a year ago, and at that time, I was a strong believer that Valencia’s promotion was long overdue. A year later, I have the same feeling. Although I believe the Twins’ lethargic approach of moving Valencia through the organization is justified, I still would have wished this was done sooner rather than later. But regardless, the move has come and it’s great to see him finally get another step closer to reaching the Major Leagues.

Valencia is considered to be the “complete package” at third base, combining a good all-around bat and outstanding defensive abilities to a position the Twins lack depth at. The Twins have been priming Valencia to be ready to take over third base for the 2010 season, and with his promotion to Triple-A, that seems to certainly be what the Twins are aiming for.

Joe Crede signed a one-year $2.5 million deal with the Twins at the beginning of Spring Training, giving the Twins one year of quality play at third base, something the ball club hasn’t seen in the past few years. Although Crede’s signing was full of questions, one thing that was seemed to be a certainty was that it was only a one-year deal, with seemingly no possibility of any extension after the season. Crede would benefit from proving to other teams that he was healthy, while the Twins would benefit by signing him to a low-risk, high-reward contract and filling the third base void for a year prior to another player stepping forward and claiming the position.

The Twins really had two options to claim it, Luke Hughes and Valencia. Hughes abruptly emerged onto the Top Prospect ranks with an outstanding 2008 campaign where his slash line was .309/.369/.524 with 44 extra-base hits including 18 home runs while splitting time between New Britain and Rochester. Unfortunately, his defense could not follow suit and after given full reign to third base in Rochester, he never played good enough defense to even be considered a possibility to handle the position at the Major League level, leaving Valencia as the true one and only possibility.

Thankfully, Valencia’s defense has been great, despite a fair amount of errors at each level. Still, Valencia is a ‘true’ third baseman, while Hughes’ ‘true position’ is still an unknown as he’s his fair share of troubles while playing each position. He seems destined to be a corner outfielder in my mind, while I have little doubts over Valencia’s ability to handle the hot corner. I’ve only seen Valencia play one time (on MiLB.tv), but he looked ‘natural’ at that position, as cliché as it may sound.

Valencia began the ‘09 campaign hitting .269/.395/.463 through April before crushing the ball in May with a .373/.443/.667 hitting line. He made one adjustment in his swing, allowing him to hit the ball off the ground a bit more, which resulted in 15% less ground balls, 9% more line drives and 10% less infield fly-balls. It also helped him hit twice as many home runs as the previous month. Unfortunately, the success didn’t continue as he got off to a terrible start in June hitting .115 until last week. Then, all of a sudden, something started clicking again and Valencia quickly broke out of his 6/51 slump and was 10 for his last 24 with two doubles and a home run before his promotion.

Although the Twins obviously look at the big picture, Valencia breaking out of that slump showed great things in his character which finally resulted in his promotion. Hard work goes a long way, and the Twins want to see players work hard for a long time and not to just be a ‘flash in the pan.’

Valencia will now be the everyday third baseman in Rochester, where the Red Wings could certainly use the help with the Twins tapping into the Triple-A depth (or lack thereof) early and often this season. Valencia will join Steven Tolleson as the second Rock Cat infielder to make the jump from Double-A to Triple-A, and they may not be the last.

Brian Dinkelman has been Valencia’s teammate in each level throughout their professional careers, generally being called-up at the same time. Dinkelman has also had a good ‘09 season, but unlike Valencia, he has yet to get out of his June slump. But I’m sure as soon as he does, he’ll join Valencia in what’s expected to be a very crowded, yet talented Rochester infield.

Another move I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Twins make is the promotion of Whit Robbins, who’s having an outstanding season in Double-A, while releasing either Brock Peterson or Matt Macri. Macri currently holds a spot on the 40-man roster, whereas Valencia does not. Although Valencia doesn’t figure to make it to the Big Leagues anytime this summer, other players such as Juan Morillo, Rob Delaney, David Winfree or even Kevin Mulvey do seem to be possible call-ups this summer and could certainly use a spot on the 40-man while Macri probably won’t make it back to the Majors with the Twins.

One thing to note over the next couple of days is this, Twins General Manager Bill Smith is currently in Rochester watching and evaluating the Red Wings. This move probably had a lot to do with that, which could allow Valencia to make a great impression. It could also make other moves more and more likely as Smith gets a better look at a team three games under .500.

While many moves are expected to happen in the next few days, none may be as big as this.

• Tonight, the Twins play host to the Houston Astros. The Astros currently sit at the bottom of the National League Central standings and will send Roy Oswalt to the mound against Kevin Slowey. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm (CT).

• Seth Stohs posted his most recent post at the Your Voices page on the Minneapolis Star-Tribune website has to do with Bert Blyleven and Bingo. Stohs did leave off two which quite frankly are my most irritating Bertisms: Uppercut Swing and Tim Wakefield. Blyleven has a tendancy to mention Tim Wakefield and his “much slower knuckleball” at least 10-30 times whenever R.A. Dickey is pitching. Drives me nuts! I guess cat-like instincts would be up there too, but he’s gotten away from that just a bit. But regardless, it was a very creative post and I think it will be a hit!

• Thrylos from The tenth inning stretch takes a look at whether or not the Twins pitching staff has improved and uses the Pitching Effectiveness formula that he created to take a more in-depth look at both the bullpen and rotation from month-to-month.

• The Fort Myers Miracle clinched the first-half of the Florida State League and will make another trip to the FSL playoffs later this summer. After the Florida State All-Star game, which is this weekend, the Twins will likely be making a few roster moves, likely moving a few players around. Perhaps Ben Revere (who’s hitting .325/.398/.375 with 27 stolen bases) or David Bromberg (who is 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 69 innings) could be among the players that make the move from the FSL to the Eastern League? I know it’s a long shot, but both have played exceptionally well. But they’ll more than likely have to wait until next season to get a shot at Double-A.

• Speaking of minor league roster moves, quite possibly the biggest move of the season so far was announced yesterday. Twins 2008 first-round pick Aaron Hicks has been placed on the Beloit Snappers roster, despite spending all of this season in Extended Spring Training. The original plan was for Hicks to play in Elizabethton this season, meaning he’d have to wait until 2010 to make it to the Midwest League. Hicks, however, forced the Twins’ hands and with the Snapper’s playing attrociously bad, they finally felt the time was right to bring Hicks up from Ft. Myers. Hicks will (for the most part) luck out on any bad whether in Wisconsin, which I’m sure will make the California boy happy.

• Seth Stohs and Josh Johnson both take a look at Hicks’ promotion.

• Finally, Dave Cameron from FanGraphs.com (and U.S.S. Mariner) takes a looksie at the decision to plug Brendan Harris into shortstop, when Nick Punto is the more quality defender. Although I think that from a defensive standpoint, this makes sense it’s kind of like “jamming a  square peg into a round hole” but Gardenhire has stated numerous times that Harris is a more “natural” at shortstop than he is at second base, despite not having the range to handle the position effectively. Harris also doesn’t seem to be as comfortable at second base, as he is at shortstop, which he’s carried over with him offensively.

Instead, the Twins made a surprise move by optioning struggling relief pitcher Jesse Crain to Triple-A Rochester. Crain is in his 6th year with the Twins, which made people question whether or not he had any minor league options remaining. Obviously he did and will now try to get back on track in the minor leagues.

Crain was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2002 draft. He spent the majority of his time in the minor leagues as a closer, as he was primed to be the ‘closer of the future’ after Eddie Guardado’s tenure with the Twins was finished. Joe Nathan derailed those hopes and dreams, but Crain successfully found himself as one of the more reliable Twins relievers and was an integral piece to a respected Twins bullpen.

Crain’s career took a big hit in 2007 after he was diagnosed with a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff. The surgery to repair these injuries has been regarded as the death to pitchers, as it has a very, very low recovery rate. Crain missed moss of the ‘07 season, but surprisingly returned in ‘08 and put up fairly successful numbers.

Everything was looking great for Crain this Spring, he was primed to breakout and rightfully claim the 8th-inning setup-man duties. Unfortunately, he was never consistent and continuously found himself in trouble, trouble that he created himself, not the kind of trouble he was used to handling when coming into the game in a high-pressure situation.

Some have given their thoughts on Crain, some think he’s injured, while other’s just think he’s lost his approach to retire left-handed hitters,  but the Twins are hoping Crain’s just in need of a wake-up call, something they’re currently going through with infielder Alexi Casilla. With Crain’s slight drop in velocity this season, it’s hard not to wonder if he’s injured. But it can also be him just not trusting his stuff, which has effected his performance, which has effected his confidence. Confidence could also be his problem when facing left-handed hitters, which is something he’ll definitely work on with Bobby Cuellar in Rochester.

Denard Span has been an extremely valuable player for the Twins this season. Span not only has been hitting great from the lead-off spot, he’s also been able to give the Twins versatility by playing any of the three outfield spots on a whim. That’s why the Twins are taking extra-precaution with Span who has been dealing with dizziness over the last month or so. After missing a few games in May, the Twins (and Span) thought that his thyroid problems (which is believed to be causing his dizziness problems) were behind him. Unfortunately, Span left Tuesday’s game after the dizziness reoccuured. Durring his last at-bat, Span claimed he coulding even see the pitch.

Nick Punto is set to come off the disabled list on Friday but who will be sent down in his place is the mystery. Joe Christensen speculates that Alexi Casilla’s absense from the lineup could be a “telling sign.” Matt Tolbert is starting to heat up at just the right time, something he did right before Punto landed on the D.L. in Triple-A. He hit .356 with two doubles and two triples with seven RBI in his last ten Triple-A games. Over his last three games, Tolbert is 3-10 with three runs scored, a double and two RBI. Although those numbers don’t stand out very much, Tolbert’s average has jumped .014 points while his OPS has jumped .044 points during that span. He’s also started all three games of the Oakland series while Casilla has only started in one.

The Twins have been selecting collegiate players at a very high level during the first two days of the draft, to see who they have taken, make sure to check here.

Joe Posnanski gave this little nugget on his site the other day:

Joe Mauer’s first 18 games this year: .397/..494/.750
Joe Mauer’s second 18 games this year: .435/.506/.806

Joe Mauer has been absolutely phenomenal this season and is hitting .415/.497/.763 with 22 extra-base hits including 12 home runs, 36 RBI and 24 walks in 135 at-bats.

Despite carrying a .244/.279/.282 hitting line on the season, Delmon Young is hitting .333 with three runs scored, a double and three RBI in his last five games. Obviously that’s a small sample size, and while he still continues to strike out a lot (5 K’s in that same span), he is still finding holes and having better at-bats.

Parker Hageman mentioned on Monday that the Twins could take a look at Houston Astro’s reliever LaTroy Hawkins at some point before the trade deadline. Charley Walters yesterday ‘reported’ that the Twins are supposedly interested in trading for the former Twin. Perhaps Parker should mention that the Twins should take a look at Freddy Sanchez or better yet Howie Kendrick who is now in the Angels doghouse. While Kendrick likely won’t be traded, Sancehz is a name being tossed around in the rumor mill and could help the Twins while not only filling in at second base but also the 2-hole in the lineup.

The Twins got another quality start from struggling southpaw Francisco Liriano. Liriano threw six innings for the Twins on 98 pitches. He allowed three runs on five hits but also induced ten ground ball outs opposed to just one flyball out. He was pounding the bottom of  the strike zone, which was a great turn of events from his past outings. He reached up to 94 miles per hour with his fastball, a few mph faster than his season average of 91.5. His slider and change-up also experienced a slight raise in velocity. Hopefully it’s a sign of greener pastures for Liriano who’s still trying to work his way back to consistency after missing all of the 2007 with Tommy John surgery.

Down 3-2 in the 8th inning, Jason Kubel pinch hit for Carlos Gomez despite there not being a backup center fielder currently with the team. Kubel delivered a big home run to tie the game up. Michael Cuddyer slid over to center field while Kubel and Delmon Young manned the corners  to give the Twins quite possibly the worse defensive outfield (at least in terms of range) in the majors, at least for two innings.

In the ninth, Joe Crede lead off the inning with a triple to center field. Two batters later Young hit a single up the middle to produce the game-winning run. After Mike Redmond moved Young to second, two wild pitches allowed Young to score to give the Twins a 2-run lead. Kubel was then intentionally walked and Brendan Harris gave the Twins a 3-run cushion with a single up the middle, scoring Matt Tolbert from home plate.

Matt Guerrier, who threw only five pitches, got his third win of the season. Joe Nathan also picked up his second consecutive save, giving him 13 on the season.

Today, Nick Blackburn will face 21-year-old Trevor Cahill in an afternoon game. The Twins will then fly to Chicago where they’ll begin a big three-game series against the Cubs on Friday.

Luis Ayala came into the game and got the Twins out of the fourth inning. The Twins needed 37 pitches for eight A’s hitters to get out of the inning. The fourth inning was actually productive (offensively) for both teams. Before the pitching struggled in the bottom of the inning, Gomez drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in the first run of the game. Matt Tolbert then took the first fastball he saw and drove it to right field, driving in two to give the Twins a 3-0 lead. That was until Swarzak surrendered that lead.

Ayala gave up a solo home run to Jack Cust in the fifth inning, which was all the offense the A’s needed. Sean Henn and Matt Guerrier combined for three perfect innings of relief, but the offense just couldn’t get anything going. Joe Mauer went 2-4 to bring his batting average back up to .413.

Tonight, Scott Baker will try to give the Twins another good start while he faces 21-year-old southpaw Brett Anderson. Hopefully the offense can get more than four hits off of this left-hander.

Mark Healey from Baseball Digest Live had Twins blogger (and Twins content editor at Baseball Digest) Seth Stohs on yesterday’s segment. The two talked Twins for a while including all of the hot topics so make sure to check it out.

Stohs had a busy day. He also…

• He was the first (at least I believe he was) to report that the Twins have promoted two pitching prospects in Alex Burnett and Carlos Gutierrez to New Britain.
• He then posted his second segment of his updated Top 50 Prospect list. Click here for the first segment.
• Hosted a live chat during the Twins-Indians game which started at 7:30 and didn’t officially close until after midnight.

Cyril Morong from Cybermetrics compares Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau to some past “M&M Boy’s.” Morong compares the highly-powered Minnesota duo to the Giants Willie McCovey and Willie Mays as well as the Yankees Mickey Mantle and Roger Marris. Meanwhile, Phil Miller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press compares the two to Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent.

Here’s a little information on the two newest Rock Cat pitchers. Carlos Gutierrez was drafted in the first round of the 2008 draft. Much like in 2007 when the Twins drafted Ben Revere, many questioned the move on the Twins’ behalf. But again, like in 2007 those same doubters have been quieted by the strong play by Gutierrez. The 22-year-old former Miami Hurricane was 2-3 with a 1.32 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) in the Florida State League. He features one of the best fastballs all of the minor leagues which helped him induce 103 ground balls opposed to only 23 flyball outs. Click here to read more on Gutierrez and on Alex Burnett.

Glen Perkins will make his first rehab start since landing on the disabled list with ‘slight elbow soreness.’ Perkins will be limited to 70 pitches. If everything goes well, he’ll make another rehab start before coming off of the disabled list. That should give Anthony Swarzak at least two more turns in the rotation. Or maybe it’s Francisco Liriano who will get two more turns.

The New Britain Rock Cats saved the Twins organization from getting swept on Wednesday. And to add more drama, they came back from being one-hit through eight innings to win the game in the 9th inning. The teams combined for eight runs (including both Snappers games). Eight runs, six games played? Not the best night for the Minnesota Twins and their Minor League affiliates.  Here are the following scores from around the Twins Minor Leagues:

• Rochester Red Wings 1, Gwinnett Braves 10.
• New Britain Rock Cats 2, Connecticut Defenders 1.
• Ft. Myers Miracle 1, Clearwater Threshers 2.
• Beloit Snappers 2, Peoria Cheifs 3. (Completion of game from June 2nd)
• Beloit Snappers 1, Peoria Cheifs 2.

Jim Mandelaro writes about Brian Duensing and a ‘little trick’ Red Wings manager Stan Cliburn told him to do to help with his first inning pitching problems. The trick hasn’t worked as Duensing continues to struggle in the first inning.

This is one feature at Target Field that I am really excited about. Is it possible to be any more excited than I am right now about 2010?

Tangotiger from Inside The Book takes a look at Joe Mauer’s predicted home run totals for the remainder of the 2009 season.

Thrylos from The tenth inning stretch has given us some Twins draft thoughts over the last couple days. Make sure to check out both posts here and here. And for some draftee interviews, make sure to check out The Baseball Analysts where they have interviews with many players including St. Paul Saints pitcher Tanner Scheppers. And for more draft coverage, make sure to check out Baseball America.

And finally, the Minnesota Twins have begun campaigning for both Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer making the All-Star game. “Speak Softly & Carry Big Sticks” is the slogan. According to MLB.com, Mauer leads catchers with 769,320 votes (Jason Varitek is second with 406,788 votes). Meanwhile, Morneau is battling with Kevin Youkilis (600,175), Mark Teixeira (506,399) and Miguel Cabrera (444,492). Morneau is in third place with 483,226 votes. Make sure to vote! And make sure to write Denard Span in.

The move to promote Delaney is just one of many that fans feel should be done. Obviously we likely have no (or little) say in what goes on, at least in the Minor Leagues, but Delaney is not the only player fans are calling for to be moved up.

Danny Valencia has been said to be ‘the complete package’ and the likely future third baseman of the Minnesota Twins. Unfortunately, that same bid of confidence has put Valencia’s development on the back burner to Luke Hughes who’s experiment at third base has been a disaster up to this point. Valencia is hitting .317/.420/.559 with six home runs, 24 RBI and has displayed great plate discipline with a 26/27 BB/K ratio. Last year, hit .289/.334/.485 with ten home runs but displayed a poor approach at the plate with an 18/70 BB/K ratio. Many people, including myself, didn’t mind Valencia starting the season in Double-A, but after two months of making Eastern League pitchers look silly, the time has come for Valencia to attempt Triple-A pitching.

Hughes has displayed little promise as a third baseman and should really be relegated to the outfield. The Red Wings outfielders all have potential, but none of them are performing at a very high level. Although Hughes isn’t either, he’s certainly a better option as an outfielder at this point than he is as a third baseman.

Valencia’s teammate Brian Dinkelman is another player who although should have started the season in Double-A, is also ready for Triple-A action. Dinkelman is playing second base for the New Britain Rock Cats while hitting second in the order. He’s hitting .337/.425/.482 with 16 extra-base hits and has 23 walks opposed to just 21 strikeouts. Dinkleman’s future with the Twins seems to get brighter by the day. The Twins don’t have an influx of ML-caliber middle-infielders in the Minor Leagues and with their season-long struggles at second base, Dinkelman could one day claim that as his own.

The reason many fans are voicing their opinions now more than ever is because as they become more aware of the Minor League system, which seems to be the case league-wide (that fans are becoming more and more interested in their team’s minor league affiliates), the fans with the Twins don’t see many options that the Twins could call-upon in case of an injury, at least not in the bullpen or position player area. The Twins have a good foundation of players at the Major League level but they still aren’t a Championship team. Although nobody is saying that any of these prospects will give them that boost, it certainly won’t hurt the team’s chances at competing.

So while Delaney is the first ‘big prospect’ to get a promotion, he won’t be the last. With the MLB draft and short-season leagues starting within the next few weeks, look for other players to be on the move.

Today, Twins rookie Anthony Swarzak makes his second start of his career against Josh Beckett and the Red Sox. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 PM (CT) and will be televised on Fox Sports North if you’re within the area.

Both Nick Nelson and Josh Johnson discuss Francisco Liriano’s struggles this season.

Parker Hageman looks at Denard Span’s abilities from the lead-off spot. In the midst of Steve Philips calling Span a “seventh hitter,” he’s now hitting .316 after a 4-4 night. Since May 18th, Span is hitting .483 with two home runs with four RBI and a 5/1 BB/K ratio. He’s also swiped two bases as well. Yeah, those look like “seventh hitter” numbers.

Thrylos gives us another volume of Who is hot in the minors.

Brian Pietrzak gives us another update on St. Paul Saints pitcher Tyler Scheppers.

Seth Stohs asks you for your top three first basemen in the American League. Andrew Kneeland also delves into the question. My picks: Mark Teixeira, Justin Morneau, Miguel Cabrera (in that order).

John Bonnes gives us his thoughts on Mauer as DH and Carlos Gomez’s improvements.

And finally, make sure check out some of the latest Twins content here at BaseballDigest.com:

• Upstate Update by Justin Murphy
• Joe Crede, Our Savior by Josh Johnson
• This Week in Twins History: May 24-May 30 by Justin Murphy

Have a great Thursday!

There’s no doubt that Crede was signed primarily for his defense. His glove has drawn great reviews over the years, and yet it may be better now than ever. His 33.4 UZR/150 is best in the league out of any position. Nyjer Morgan of the Pittsburgh Pirates is second with a 33.2 UZR/150. Out of third basemen, Adrian Beltre is second with an 11.6 run difference from Crede. Add that with his just one error (tied for fewest in the American League) it makes people in Minnesota smile to see a capable third baseman play on the tough turf in the Metrodome. All said, Crede could be the most valuable defensive third baseman in all of baseball up to this point. That alone has made his $2.5 million that he signed shortly after Spring Training began seem like robbery.

His offense hasn’t been terrible either. While nobody ever expected him to have a high average or get on base at a high clip, his power production or the other reason the Twins signed him are on pace for career highs. His 2009 projections (based on what he’s done up to this point) are .240/.304/.488 with 31 doubles, 36 home runs, 93 RBI and a 49/89 K/BB ratio.

A .240 average and .304 on-base percentages are obviously pretty horrid, but they’re really not too far off of his career average of .256 and career on-base percentage of .306. Still his overall 110 OPS+ is 17 points higher than his career average. His projected 36 home runs would be a career high. But to be fair, so would his projection of 155 games.

The reason for debating this is the lack of production both offensively and defensively from Buscher and to a point, Harris as well. Buscher’s .666 OPS is .19 points higher than Harris’ .647 OPS. While having a combined 32 more plate appearances than Crede, they have four less hits than Crede while chipping in five less extra-base hits than the ‘All-Star’.

Harris hit .350/.372/.475 in April while he’s floundered in May hitting .194/.242/.274. What’s alarming is that he has hit (significantly) worse in May while receiving more playing time. He now sits at .255/.294/.353 on the season with two home runs. Thankfully, he’s making up for it by playing acceptable defense from the left-side of the infield, his defense from the right side is another story that we won’t dive into at this time. He has a 16.3 UZR/150 at third base this season, which if he qualified would put him at fifth best in the majors. Disclaimer: In no way am I saying that UZR/150 is the only indicatoro for evaluating defensive value, but I do think it is one of the strongest.

Buscher overall has been even worse. While his bat has a slightly better OPS, his .200 batting average and -12.6 UZR/150 are significantly worse. What’s the hardest to explain has been Buscher’s inability to hit right-handed pitchers this season. In the platoon, Harris would have obviously handled left-handed pitching while Buscher would have handled right-handed pitching. Harris would at least be (relatively) holding up his end of the deal as he’s hitting a (better) .300/.333/.350 against right-handers opposed to .226/.269/.355 against the other. Buscher on the other hand, is not hitting right-handed pitching even at a respectable level. While he’s hit a triple and a home run against a right-hander, his .170/308/.264 hitting line is completely unacceptable and really can warrant the question, is he worth keeping on the roster? If the Twins won’t throw play him against southpaw’s (6 at-bats this season against lefties opposed to 53 at-bats against righties), and if he’s completely incapable of hitting right-handed pitching (at the time), does he warrant a demotion to Triple-A? I personally believe so, but that’s a whole different story.

In retrospect, here are some numbers from a few other names (while I’ve left off a few) that were at one point mentioned as a possible acquisition for third base in the off-season.

Adrian Beltre – .215/.246/.322, 10 doubles, 3 home runs, 19 RBI, 7 errors, 21.8 UZR/150
Garrett Atkins – .190/.275/.296, 6 doubles, 3 home runs, 14 RBI, 4 errors, -14.6 URZ/150
Ty Wigginton – .215/.254/.326, 6 doubles, 3 home runs, 15 RBI, 1 error, -18.8 UZR/150

Although some still believe it might be a pipe dream to believe that Crede will play 155 games, he still is proving to be better than anything else the Twins would have potentially put at the hot corner up to this point. While paying him just $2.5 million and adding the fact that the Twins didn’t have to trade a prospect (or three) to acquire him, it makes it all the better.

Francisco Liriano struggled through four innings en route to his second straight loss. The young left-hander gave up five runs on 11 hits but did manage to strike out seven Red Sox. He fortunately did not give up any walks, and did throw 68% of his 84 pitches for strikes. What got Liriano was that he was so afraid of walking a batter that he generally clipped too much of the plate while not hitting his spots. That in turn allowed the hitters to get good wood on the ball. It was Liriano’s second start against the Red Sox on the season, and in his career.

R.A. Dickey matched Liriano with four innings pitched, but the knuckleballer only allowed one batter to score which was an eigth inning home run to Jeff Bailey. Luis Ayala got the Twins into trouble in the 9th before Sean Henn came in and left runners on first and third base to get out of the inning.

Michael Cuddyer got the Twins on the board in the second inning with his 8th home run of the season. This tape measure blast was Cuddyer’s fifth in his last eight games. Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel both chipped in an RBI apiece in the sixth inning to pull the Twins back within one run. Then in the ninth, Joe Mauer made things interesting. Kubel lead off the inning with a single. Cuddyer then struck out before Brian Buscher flied out to right. Then Mauer came in to pinch hit for Mike Redmond. After falling to 1-2 in the count, Mauer took a 94 MPH inside fastball from Jonathan Papelbon and launched it into the seats in right-center field for his 10th home run of the season.

Unfortunately it was to no avail as Delmon Young flied out to right field two pitches later.

The Twins will get a nice 22 1/2 hour break before facing Jon Lester tomorrow night. Nick Blackburn is set to make another start at home, where he’s been very successful in his career. Meanwhile, Lester has faired far worse on the road this season, so the Twins could have the advantage.

The Twins made a roster move yesterday. A day after recalling Sean Henn from Triple-A, the Twins released Criag Breslow who was later claimed off of waivers by the Oakland Athletics. Breslow was 1-2 with a 6.28 ERA this season after having a lot of success last season. The Twins called-up Anthony Swarzak to take his place on the roster and to make a start on Saturday. Josh Johnson, Aaron Gleeman, Alex Halsted and Jesse Lund all give their takes on the matter.

The MRI results on Glen Perkins are in, and the results are good. While Perkins is reportedly being diagnosed with “irritation of the ulnar nerve and mild swelling” the MRI did not show any structural damage, which is what most feared. Had their been any structural damage, Perkins’ season could have been in jeopardy. Right now, there’s no timetable for his return, but it doesn’t figure to be too long.

After missing three weeks with an ankle injury, Ramon Santana’s bat is continuing where it left off. In three games since his return, Santana is 5-10 with 3 walks, 5 RBI and two extra-base hits. Yesterday, Santana belted his fourth home run of the season. Santana was named the Twins Minor League Player of the Month of April.

Infielder Nick Romero has been promoted from Single-A Beloit to Advanced-A Ft. Myers. Despite carrying a .640 OPS and is tied with Luke Hughes and Deibinson Romero for an organizational worse with 8 errors. The Snappers have also placed pitcher Shooter Hunt on the disabled list with a strained groin muscle while releasing Henry Reyes. Taking their places on the roster, pitchers Mike Tarsi, Blake Martin and Curtis Leavitt have all been activated from the D.L.

Parker Hageman of Over The Baggy posted another Award Context article. This one is Rod Carew’s 1977 MVP. It’s another great piece that everyone should check out.

Since starting  1-1 with a 1.50 ERA in 24 innings (3 starts), Perkins has gone 0-2 with a 9.39 ERA in his last 23 innings (5 starts). Perkins hasn’t seen a huge loss in velocity, but his location has been scattered in his recent starts which has resulted in him giving up six home runs (he didn’t give up a single home run in his first 24 innings).

Taking his spot on the roster will be Sean Henn who has been Rochester’s best reliever thus far this season. Henn posted a 1.13 ERA in 24 innings (15 appearances) while serving as the Red Wings’ primary closer. Henn has a fastball that reaches 95 mph and will give the Twins a third left-handed option in their bullpen.

The move to add a reliever instead of a starter may be puzzling to some, but after the bullpen combined for 14 innings through the last four games and with no off-day scheduled until June, the bullpen could use some new arms to help prevent such injuries to other valuable arms.

The Twins will make a decision later this week on who will take Perkins rotation spot. His next scheduled start is Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers, and the most likely move that I see the Twins making is just moving R.A. Dickey into his spot. Dickey threw 4 1/3 innings yesterday, replacing Perkins in the first inning, which would put him on track to take Perkins next start without having too little or too much time off.

If the Twins choose to promote a player from Triple-A, a player will then have to be moved to do so, which has been speculated lately. But in Triple-A, Anthony Swarzak seems to be the most logical of choices to take Perkins’ spot. Swarzak features a great fastball that has hit the upper-90’s but generally sits around 94 mph. He also has a great curveball and change-up that compliment his fastball.

Swarzak has seen his share of ups and downs. After being drafted in the second round of the 2004 draft he was making his way through the Twins minor league ranks before being suspended for 50 games in the 2007 season for violation of the Drugs of Use and Abuse program. He then struggled in 2008 at Double-A before being promoted (which was thought to be undeserving) to Triple-A. He has again begun to quite his doubters and through 14 Triple-A starts, he has an 8-4 record to go along with a 1.81 ERA. He has also averaged 7+ innings per start.

We’ll see if that’s enough to warrant a look at the Major League Level. Brian Duensing pitched great yesterday and already has seen time with the Twins, he could also be a consideration. At least the Twins have a couple viable options. Although it’s still not the situation the Twins wanted to see themselves in this soon into the season.

Last night, the Twins hit two home runs, but starter Glen Perkins was mistaking the game for batting practice and was charged with six earned runs in just 2/3 of an inning pitched. That obviously meant that the bullpen, which in this series had struggled with an 8.22 ERA while taking the first  three losses, would have even more work to do. But this time, the bullpen threw 8 1/3 innings and gave up only one earned run.

Unfortunately, the Twins couldn’t score more runs while leaving 19 men on base. Four hitters had at least two hits, including Justin Morneau who had four. Denard Span and Michael Cuddyer delivered a home run apiece. But what hurt the Twins’ offense were the big holes in the 5th and 6th spots of the lineup. Joe Crede and Jason Kubel combined to go 0-8 with 8 LOB.

The Twins were in a catch-up effort all game after Perkins surrendered six runs in the first inning, including two home runs. Alex Rodriguez added a solo home run after Mark Teixeira hit a two-run home run. Teixeira added another home run in the seventh inning off of Luis Ayala which proved to be the game winning run. Craig Breslow and Jesse Crain both gave perfect relief appearances, but it was to no avail.

Tonight, Scott Baker takes the mound against Mark Buehrle and the Chicago White Sox. Including last night, the Twins will be facing three left-handed starters in a row. Prior to yesterday (which be advised, these numbers would be higher), the Twins are hitting .259/.321/.392 against southpaws.

Bigley is taking the roster spot of Joe Benson who broke his hand after losing a battle with a wall on Monday. Benson was having a great start to the season after spending the last two years in Beloit. He went 2-4 last night before becoming extremely frustrated after an out. He is set to miss 4-5 weeks.

Despite a great stint in the Gulf Coast League last season, Hicks has spent the start of the 2009 season in Extended Spring Training. Revere began the 2008 season in EST as well but injuries pilled up and the Snappers really had no other choice than to call him up. Hicks is not quite as fortunate, at least not yet.

According to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Hicks won’t head to Beloit yet as the roster spot left by Bigley is going to be given to Ramon Santana. Santana was recently named the Minnesota Twins Minor League Player of the Month of April. He has been on the 7-day disabled list after injuring his ankle late last month.

Hicks has been said to be more advanced than Revere when both were coming out of High School, but at this point in time the Twins feel more comfortable having the 19-year-old Hicks spend more time in Extended Spring Training to continue his development. The planned scenario would then be for Hicks to head to Elizabethton in June to begin his 2009 season in the Appalachian League.

But I don’t see this lasting for that much longer. The Snappers now have four outfielders, three of which are struggling to hit over .203. Those same three, which include Angel Morales, Michael Harrington and Adan Severino also have OPS’ lower than .600. If these struggling three don’t start helping Ozzie Lewis with production from the Outfield, Hicks may be called upon sooner rather than later.

• A day after suggesting that Alexi Casilla should be sent to the minor leagues, the Twins made it official after arriving at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Casilla will head to Rochester infielder Matt Tolbert takes his place on the Twins roster. Tolbert was hitting .260/.324/.375 through 23 games (96 AB’s) with the Red Wings.

• With Casilla now gone, Seth Stohs wonders are there more moves to be made? The bullpen is likely the next area the team will address.

• Justin Murphy posted his “Upstate Update” which highlights what is going on with the Twins Triple-A affiliate the Rochester Red Wings. Hopefully (much like the Twins) their pitching and offense can improve enough to get over the .500 mark.

• And speaking of the Rochester Red Wings, I recommend everyone to check out a new blog called ‘R Red Wings.

• After missing a few games, Josh Johnson updates his Game Balls standings.

Here are the scores throughout the Twins Minor League system from Wednesday:

• Rochester Red Wings beat the Louisville Bats, 5-2.

• New Britain Rock Cats beat the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 2-0 in Game 1. And then won 5-3 in Game 2.

• Ft. Myers Miracle lost to the Sarasota Reds, 6-5.

• Beloit Snappers lost to the West Michigan Whitecaps, 3-0.