The biggest mystery of 2010 for Minnesota, though, has been their constant appearance at the top of the AL Central even after dealing with these problems. The reason for their continued success and staying power has been outfielder Delmon Young. Unheralded and unappreciated, he as been the answer in the Twins lineup and his monster season has carried Minnesota to within 1.5 games of the Central lead.

Advertised as a five-tool outfielder, the first pick of the 2003 draft had all the makings of becoming a superstar for the Tampa Bay Rays. Even after his 2007 rookie season, in which he finished second for ROY to Dustin Pedroia, Young had not yet tapped into his potential for Tampa.

Often cited for having an attitude problem after incidents in both the minor and the major leagues, Young was suspended for a bat-throwing incident in the minors during the 2006 season. Fed up with his off the field issues after uneven 2007, the Rays traded the former number one pick to the Twins for Matt Garza at the season’s end.

Incensed by the trade, Young proceeded to toil away in Minnesota for two seasons because of his lack of plate discipline and inability to adjust to the Twins offensive gameplan. With his game preparation absent along with his diminishing attitude, Delmon seemed to be giving into the naysayers who began to label him another first pick bust.

Invigorated by a torrid September, in which he batted .340 with 18 RBIs, Young received another confidence boost when Minnesota traded incumbent Carlos Gomez to the Brewers before the year began, insuring him a spot in the lineup. With renewed motivation and drive, Delmon shed 35 lbs and came into April at a lean 200 pounds and the best shape he’s been in during his major league career.

A watershed year for the former top prospect, 2010 has been a major resurgence for Young. Although he started off slow in April, the left fielder has not batted less then .313 in any full month and he exploded in July with a .434 batting average. With Morneau and Mauer missing extended time during the dog days of July, Young moved up in the lineup and helped the Twins stay in contention for the hotly contested AL Central crown.

By retooling his game to tone down his power output and focus on contact, Young has become an RBI machine and has seen the home runs come through his natural ability. Instead of the usual 100 strikeout seasons we became accustomed to, Delmon only has 44 through 103 games this year. Using his gap power in the spacious Target Field, Young has 34 doubles, his most since his rookie season and 4^th in the AL, and also ranks in the top 10 in both batting average and RBIs.

Although the surface statistics look good for Young, they only tell of some of his contributions to Minnesota. With the constant shuffling of the lineup, Young has bone from the number 7 hitter in April to the vaunted cleanup spot by August. This opportunity to drive in runs has helped Young capitalize with men on base, something he has excelled at all season.

With runners in scoring position, the Twins leftfielder is hitting an otherworldly .420 and has 64 of his current 82 RBIs in that spot. In situations that are defined as Late and Close (the 7th or later with the batting team tied, ahead by one, or the tying run at least on deck), Young is hitting .355 with 18 men batted in, while only striking out seven times in those 62 ABs.

“He’s had so many big hits, even hitting from the 7 or 8 hole,” Justin Morneau said. “He’s made adjustments. His preparation is really good. He has a plan for his at-bats.”

Even though Young still has lapses in plate discipline, he has been able to make contact on pitches out of the zone instead of swinging and missing. Although he will get himself out at times at the plate, the left fielder has been nothing short of amazing for Minnesota during the year. Only 24 years old, Young has the ability to form one of the best 3-4-5 lineups in baseball once Mauer and Morneau return to full health.

Having two former MVPs and another candidate for thee award this year in Young, Minnesota has the foundation to win now and for the future. With the heat turning up in the coming months, Young and the Twins should be prepared for the pressure that comes with a division race and beyond.

As part of the Pepsi Refresh Project, each (Pepsi) Club has outlined an idea – from creating Milwaukee’s first universally-accessible baseball league for those with a physical or mental disability to cultivating an urban garden that would grow fruits and vegetables to be donated to various local non-profit organizations to feed the hungry – that will vie for fan votes and an ultimate $200,000 Pepsi Refresh grant to fulfill the project. Launching today thru Tuesday, August 17 at 11:59 p.m. EDT, fans can cast their votes at www.mlb.com/PepsiRefresh or via text by typing the team’s name to 76462 (e.g. R-A-Y-S) for the ideas they believe should receive a grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project.

To lead off the promotion, the players will team up with Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, Jenny McCarthy, and local community representatives for a special Pepsi Refresh Project event in Anaheim, the site of the 2010 MLB All-Star Game.  In partnership with LA Commons, an organization which engages communities in artistic and cultural expression, participants will paint a mural that embodies the essence of the Pepsi Refresh Project. The mural, created by artist Roberto Del Hoyo will be constructed at El Salvador Community Center in Santa Ana, stand almost 10 feet high by 86 feet wide, take 500 hours to complete and leave a lasting legacy in the community. Additionally, today MLB All-Star FanFest will be Presented by Pepsi and feature player appearances and clinics.

“The Pepsi Refresh Project makes it easy for fans to make a difference in America’s communities,” said Gwynn. “We hope fans will get behind the team ideas and support them off the field as much as they do during each and every game to help make this project a huge success.”

A new television spot titled “Jocks” will break tonight during the All-Star Game broadcast on FOX highlighting the team ideas and player representatives which include:

* Arizona Diamondbacks/Justin Upton – Help Best Buddies program build social skills and increase independence of those with developmental disabilities
* Chicago Cubs/Geovany Soto – Allow hundreds of kids of all ages to participate in baseball through the Humbolt Park Little League
* Chicago White Sox/Gordon Beckham – Supply much-needed school supplies to participants of Chicago’s Inner City Youth Baseball Program
* Cleveland Indians/Grady Sizemore – Expand The Cleveland Baseball Federation, which provides 4,200 kids ages 5-19 with 20 minute sessions about personal responsibility, money management and college preparations
* Detroit Tigers/Johnny Damon – Work with Detroit Tigers Youth Baseball to Refresh Recess and fight childhood obesity by introducing the game of baseball to nearly 20,000 students in 40 elementary schools
* Kansas City Royals/Billy Butler – Restore 37 baseball/softball fields in small communities in the Midwest region with Royalty Fields
* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim/Torii Hunter – Partner with Orange County United Way to work toward the goal of graduating 100% of at-risk high school seniors who are four-year college eligible with a clear career path plan
* Milwaukee Brewers/Prince Fielder – Construct Milwaukee’s first universally-accessible baseball league for children with any physical or mental disability with the Miracle League of Milwaukee
* Minnesota Twins/Michael Cuddyer – Create a specialty softball field for Courage Center’s Rolling Twins softball wheelchair team
* New York Mets/Jeff Francoeur – Partner with City Year New York to improve educational outcomes for low-income communities by focusing on attendance, behavior, course performance and civic involvement
* New York Yankees/CC Sabathia – Work with Out2Play, Inc. to provide children throughout all regions of the New York City public school system with safe, fun and developmentally beneficial playspaces
* Oakland Athletics/Andrew Bailey – Build an adapted sports field and community park for differently-abled people with the Miracle League of the Alameda East Bay
* Pittsburgh Pirates/Andrew McCutchen – Partner with the City of Pittsburgh to plant and cultivate an urban garden that would grow fruits and vegetables to be donated to various local non-profit organizations to feed the hungry
* Seattle Mariners/Felix Hernandez – Team up with the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence to mentor young male athletes and promote positive messages of honor and respect
* Tampa Bay Rays/Evan Longoria – Work with the Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation to provide cancer education for kids

Young was the best player of that draft because of  his ability to hit home runs. He was compared to Albert Belle for his swing. In his first two years in the Rays minor league system, he lived up to the expectations by homering frequently. Some baseball people thought he was ready to play in the majors.

When Young was promoted to Triple-A Durham, things unraveled on him. Everyone saw the video of Young throwing the bat at the umpire, and he was suspended for 50 games. He also complained about the organization not calling him up to the majors because they were too cheap to pay his service time. He gained a reputation for being a troublemaker after those two incidents.

The Tampa Bay baseball franchise was run under new ownership and new management to start the 2006 season. It would have been easy for new owner Stuart Sternberg and new president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman to dump Young based on past incidents, but they decided to have an open mind and see what he does under new management.

Young was called up in the summer of 2006, and he played well by hitting the ball. Young did have couple of issues that had to be addressed. For one thing, he refused to be taught. Second of all, he sometimes did not hustle.

When Young did not hustle to first in the final weekend of the 2007 season, his Devil Rays career was over. New management needed to make an impression by changing the roster after two years of losing under their regime.

Not only did the management change the name of the team, but they made a move by trading Young, Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie for Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and Edudardo Morlan. At the time, everyone raved at the Twins for taking a chance on a potential star while they were indifferent about what the Rays received in return.

When the 2008 season started, the Rays received contributions by Garza and Bartlett. Those two played a role in leading the Rays to the playoffs, and Garza performed great in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.

Young struggled in his first year with the Twins. The Twins pondered about sending him to the minors that year, but he refused to go there. He felt he could figure out how to hit in the majors.

Everyone declared the Rays as the winner in that trade. Never mind, it takes years until a young player pans out.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire struggled to get through to Young in Young’s first season, and the Twins reportedly tried to trade the ex-Devil Ray with no takers. There was a rumor about the Rays wanting him back, but that never materialized. It’s hard to believe Rays manager Joe Maddon wanted to manage him again after two trying years with the mercurial outfielder.

Young’s second season was not better. He struggled to the point Gardenhire batted him eighth in the lineup during one stretch. Then, he dealt with the unfortunate death of his mother, who died of cancer.

Understandably, Young was miserable. He did not want to be in the ballpark for good reason. It was hard for him to play while grieving, and it affected his work defensively and offensively.

At a certain point, a player recognizes things have to change for him to get better. Twins hitting coach Joe Vavra tried to tell Young he was swinging at first pitches rather than taking smart at-bats, but Young ignored him. It did not turn out well, and he finally realized that in the offseason.

Young made couple of changes in the offseason. He lost weight, and he spent time with Vavra. Now, the results are finally paying off for Young. For the Twins, they couldn’t be any happier after the way Garza and Bartlett played for the Rays.

Young is finally hitting the ball rather than swinging for the fences. He is driving in runs with men on base. With his new approach, the home runs started to come after that.

Prior to Friday night’s game, he hit 9 home runs and drove in 53 runs. He is on pace to hit at least 26 home runs and drive in 95 runs this year. This is what the Twins envisioned when they acquired him. With the way he is playing, he could have a great second half and be a MVP candidate.

To show how good he is playing, he might be the reason why the Twins are afloat in the standings. Most of their hitters have been scuffling this month.

The Rays played the Twins Thursday night for a four-game series. There’s no question Young wanted to prove to his old team that he is matured and smarter than he was with the Rays. He wanted to show them that the Rays did not pull a heist on the Twins.

He’s not going to say it publicly. He never opens up to any one in the media. When one watches his interviews, he says something by saying nothing with him being guarded with his words.

Young is a proud man though. He has been hearing it for a long time from his current team to the Twin Cities media. He knows he hasn’t done anything to earn any respect. This was an opportunity for him to show something to his old team.

So far, it has been a good series for him. On Thursday night, he homered off Jeff Niemann to tie the game at three in the seventh inning. He did it again on Friday night when he tied the game at one after his double scored Jason Kubel. He scored the go-ahead run on a Danny Valencia’s single, giving the Twins a 2-1 victory over the Rays.

What we’re seeing is a guy that has confidence in himself. Anytime a young player struggles, it wears on that player. He overanalyzes after he is out, and then it affects him at the plate with doubts creeping into his head.

Again, Young is not going to say it was affecting him, but his actions said it differently.

There’s also something to be said about patience. A Minnesota scribe mentioned to this writer about how folks want immediate gratification these days in sports. They don’t want to hear about how a player is learning into his job. For them, it’s about contributions along with wins and losses. Truth of the matter is, players needs to learn how to fail before they can be successful.

Justin Morneau struggled in his first full season with the Twins in 2005. Everyone complained about Morneau’s attitude and smarts. Torii Hunter tried to punch Morneau in the final week of the season because he was exasperated
with Morneau not understanding what he takes to be a good player.

Next year, Morneau rebounded by having a MVP season in 2006, and now, he’s become a perennial All-Star.

One can parallel Morneau’s struggles and success to Young’s struggles and success. Both have to work hard to where they are as players today.

This is something to keep in mind next year when the Rays promote Desmond Jennings to the majors. Jennings will likely be Carl Crawford’s replacement when Crawford likely leaves the Rays for free agency.

The Rays don’t have to regret about trading Young. Their World Series appearance without Young speaks for itself. It was time for a change for Young and the Rays.

With that said, it’s time to stop saying the trade is one-sided.

The promotion was in conjunction with the annual Holland Herring Festival at the iconic Manhattan seafood eatery and a Heineken Salute to Dutch Sportsmen, which was launched last week. Dutch herring from the Netherlands is air-expressed to New York for a two week period at the Oyster Bar.  You could say that Blyleven “caught the big fish.”

Jim Kaat, another outstanding hurler for the Twins, and the Mixed Martial Arts legend Bas Rutten finished in a deadlock for second place, but accumulated just half the number of votes of the leader. During a major league career that spanned three decades, the right-handed Blyleven amassed 287 victories and 3,701 strikeouts during a 23-year major league career that included two stints in Minnesota, and stops in Texas, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Anaheim.  Known for his outstanding curveball, Blyleven was American League Rookie of the Year in 1970, and hurled a no-hitter for the Angels in 1977. Blyleven is now the color analyst on Twins television broadcasts.

Johnny Vander Meer

Johnny “Double No-Hit” Vander Meer, track and field greats Fanny Blankers-Koen and Cornelius Warmerdam, soccer legend Johan Cruyff and basketball sharpshooter Kiki Vandeweghe finished in a five-way tie for fourth.

Pitcher Curt Schilling, former Indiana Pacer center Rik Smits, U.S. Open tennis champion Tom Okker, tennis standout Richard Krajicek, the Dutch kickboxer Semmy Schilt, Olympic gold medalist Anton Geesink, and three time Stanley Cup champion Joe Nieuwendyk also received votes. In two somewhat odd ballots, former Jets wide receiver Wayne Chrebet, because he was a “Flying Dutchman” as a collegiate player at Hofstra University, and the Yonkers Raceway harness driver Brett Holland, because of his last name, both received single votes.

It in fact turned out to be the perfect title, but not for the original reason I expected. Sometime during the 3 o’clock hour on Sunday, there was a blood curdling scream heard throughout the Metropolitan area. You know, the kind of scream you hear in movies. The kind of scream that scares all of the pigeons from their perches in Central Park.

The kind of scream you hear from Yankees fans when Mariano Rivera gives up the rarest of rares, a game losing grand slam. Rivera may have been screaming inside, but he did his best not to show it. Working for only the third time since April 30, Rivera was asked to protect a 3-1 lead by recording the final four outs of the game.

But after the Twins loaded the bases with two outs against Joba Chamberlain, Rivera walked pinch-hitter Jim Thome to force in the tying run. While fans and the media scrambled to figure out when it was that it had last occured, Jason Kubel then became the first major leaguer since Bill Selby (in 2002) to go deep against the Yankees closer with the bases loaded. A sure fire Yankees win turned into a 6-3 defeat before a stunned Bat Day crowd.

It was the Twins first win in the Bronx since 2007. Oh, for the record, May 6, 2005 was the last time Rivera issued a bases loaded walk. The A’s Keith Ginter was the lucky recipient on that day.

By now the pigeons should be back in the park.

Twins prospect Bobby Lanigan is hoping to add his family’s name to that list, because he’s the great-nephew of Gloria Cordes-Elliott, a three-time All-Star pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL).

You can read Part 1 of this series here and Part 2 here

Lanigan, for his part, has gotten his professional career off to an impressive start—following a standout collegiate career at Adelphi University.

After being selected by the Minnesota Twins in the Third Round of the 2008 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft with the 92nd overall pick, Lanigan spent most of 2009 with the Beloit Snappers of the Midwest League (A). His success with Beloit (10-7 with 102 strikeouts in 123.1 innings) enabled the hurler to be promoted to the Advanced-A Ft. Myers Miracle of the Florida State League in mid-August.

“Last season I learned a lot about myself and a lot about the game,” Lanigan said. “I was able to get a full season under my belt, I know what it feels like, and I know I can handle that as a pitcher both mentally and physically.”

The 2010 campaign has started off extremely well for Lanigan, who is 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. The young pitcher has been working more with his changeup this season, and is happy with the way that the new pitch is progressing.

The author and Lanigan appeared on a recent “Baseball Digest LIVE”, which you can listen to here.

“It’s another weapon, different from my slider which gives hitters a different look,” said Lanigan, who has 28 strikeouts and just 4 walks in 30.1 innings. “It gives me a chance to change speeds.”

While Lanigan and Cordes-Elliott are separated by two generations, the right-hander makes sure he keeps his Great Aunt as a part of his daily routine.

“My aunt had sent me one of her baseball cards and I put it up in my locker,” Lanigan said. “It’s part of home and it’s really cool. How many people can say that have a connection like that?”

It’s a connection that Lanigan hopes to extend beyond the storyline of middle-school and college journalism papers. For the young pitcher, his great aunt serves as the ultimate inspiration.

“She didn’t just get a uniform, she was an impact player,” Lanigan said. “At the end of the day, she played at the highest level there was for her sport and that’s the same dream I have.”

The author and Lanigan appeared on a recent “Baseball Digest LIVE”, which you can listen to here.

Debuting in 1950 with the Kalamazoo Lassies, Lanigan’s great aunt Gloria Cordes-Elliott, saw her career improve drastically in 1952 when she was traded to the Racine Belles. There, she was moved into the starting rotation and posted a 16-8 record and 1.44 ERA.

In 1953, she was 13-11, with a 1.98 ERA. Overall, Cordes was 49-51 during her career, with a 2.82 ERA. She was an All-Star from 1952-54.

“I have very fond memories,” Cordes-Elliott said. “I was just in awe of these other women who were playing. I never saw women playing baseball. And then I just became one of them. It was really different for me to be away from home. Being one of 11 children, I was always around someone. I was homesick in the beginning, but got over that quickly.”

These days, Cordes-Elliott roots for her great-nephew. There’s a mutual respect between the two family members—the two pitchers—that extends well beyond the mound.

“He has a very good work ethic and I am very proud of him,” Cordes-Elliott said. “I know how he feels about what he has the ability to do. As long as he continues doing what he’s doing, he can really go somewhere.”

For Lanigan, the baseball legacy that his great aunt has earned provides added inspiration for him to make it to the big leagues.

“We’re a baseball family,” said Lanigan, who is 2-1 with a 2.22 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and has 25 Ks in 28.1 innings with the Class A Fort Myers Miracle. “I can remember writing papers on her from the time I was in middle school. And when I was younger I remember throwing the ball around with her.”

Read more about Bobby Lanigan and his great aunt, Gloria Cordes-Elliott—and get an update on how Lanigan’s season is going—next week in Part 3!

Staten Island native Bobby Lanigan decided to show up in person to hand in his paper. “I like this writing thing,” he joked. “That’s because you’re really good at it,” the professor responded.

When the spring semester began, however, Lanigan was not enrolled in any classes. Writing—it turns out—is not the only thing the 22-year-old is really good at. Lanigan had to go back to his day job as a pitcher in the Minnesota Twins’ organization.

And so far in 2010, so good.

“I’m very happy with the way my season has started,” said Lanigan, who (at press time) is 1-1 with a 0.81 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with the Class A Fort Myers Miracle. “My main goal this year was to improve my changeup and gain confidence in it. And I feel I’ve been doing that.”

While attempting to reach the majors is a longshot for any young ballplayer, Lanigan may have an advantage over others—he has a pedigree. In fact, he has a Hall of Fame pedigree. But it’s not one that you might expect.

Lanigan’s great aunt—Gloria Cordes-Elliott—was not only a three-time All-Star pitcher, but is enshrined in Cooperstown. That’s right, his great aunt—also a Staten Island native—was a pitcher for five seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Her career got off to an unlikely start, however.

“I had no idea there was a women’s league,” said Cordes-Elliott, who used to play with her five brothers. “There was an article in a local paper that said two teams from the Girls Professional Baseball League were touring the East Coast. They came to Staten Island and a couple of friends and I went to watch. During the game they announced that anyone interested in playing should come down on the field. Me and a few of my friends went down.

“They asked if anyone had ever pitched, and I had, so they took me aside and wanted to watch me throw. Four months later, I received a contract in the mail asking me to come to South Bend, Indiana, for a tryout.”

Read more about Bobby Lanigan and his great aunt, Gloria Cordes-Elliott—and get an update on how Lanigan’s season is going—next week in Part 2!

So, if Joe Mauer has been inked to the deal he has, is their any bearing on what sort of money it will take St. Louis to lock up Albert Pujols? If you use the fangraph websites calculations on WAR (Wins Above Replacement), you will find that Pujols’ win value is consistently in the 8 wins a season range.  At the free agent going rate of $4.5 M per win in 2008, you would see that Pujols could be paid in the $40M range a year on a new contract.  Obviously, $40M is not the number it will take to sign him, this just gives us an idea of what the market is like.  (If you are new to these statistics, head on over to www.fangraphs.com’s glossary by clicking here and go nuts.) You can compare Albert, the reigning NL MVP to the reigning AL MVP Mauer and see that Joe, like Albert, was in the 8 win value last year but has no where near the consistency that Albert has produced.  Albert has been in the high 7’s to low 9’s in Win Value most of his career.  Mauer is younger but even at the same ages Pujols is leaps and bounds above Mauer, with the exception maybe of Mauer’s slightly higher batting average.

I’d say one of the best conclusions we can take away from the Mauer signing is that we have a better idea of where the Cardinals stand than what we might have had before.  Albert and Joe are alike on many levels.  They are basically the same build.  Albert is 3 years older.  They both play in mid-market cities.  Both teams have a loyal fan-base.  Both men could sign large free agent contracts if they were to hit the open market.  When I say large, I’m talking record-breaking deals.  Both players are home grown.  Joe was selected with the first overall choice in the 2001 draft.  Albert was taken in the 13^th round in 1999.  The fan base of each team will revolt if either player dons another jersey.  The only marked difference is their position.  Albert plays the easiest position at first base; Mauer plays the toughest defensive position behind the plate.  Both are excellent at what they do.  Some even speculate that due to his height, Mauer will end up at 1B in a few years.

So, what can we tell?  Many people wonder where Pujols will land.  Some estimate it will take $30M a year to retain his services.  His last deal was the largest in Cards history at the time at 7 years $100M which will be 8/$111 after the Redbirds pick up his $16M 2011 option.  Holliday just signed to something bigger in his new 7/$120M contract.  For the record, Holliday was just under 6 in Win Value last year which makes his contract about $3M per win, lower than the going rate. We know we’ll see something bigger than Holliday, but what will that number be?

One of the first things you should know about Albert is that he’s not about money, and the most important thing to him is not baseball.  The most important thing to him is his faith in God.  He wants to help others.  He uses his platform to do that, but we seldom hear about it.  He spends his down time helping his home country (DR).  He also has the Pujols Family Foundation.  This man is perhaps the ideal example of someone who uses his influence for good (2008 Roberto Clemente Award).  The reason he does not comment on a contract is because he’d rather spend time talking about his faith.  No one really wants to read a story about that.  (You might be checking out on this paragraph too.)  So it’s not often reported.  I had a chance to sit in a crowd of St. Louis area faith leaders last Christmas season and hear this man share about what is most important to him during that time of year.  I’ve never been more impressed with an athlete on a personal off-field level than I am with Albert.

I’d say Albert could pull down anywhere from $25M to $30M a year for a 6-8 year deal.  He wants to win championships.  He’s smart enough to know he can do so in St. Louis.  He’s smart enough to not cripple a team’s chances to resign Wainwright or Carpenter when their deals expire in 2014 and 2013 respectively.  The key factor on whether the Cardinals will remain legit contenders in the middle and end of this decade is how well they develop the farm system.  The good news is that they have done a nice job drafting as of late and have traded that talent to land some key pieces in a run in ’09.  What they do in the next 2-3 drafts will be vital to the organization as long as they remain in the $100M/year budget range.

Will Albert resign with the Cardinals?  He’ll give them every chance to do so.  He’ll sign a deal worth more than Big Joe in Minnesota; he’s the best player in the game.  Will we hear him talk about it?  No.  When we see the Twins lock up a born and raised player to a deal that will keep him there for what seems to be the remainder of his career, it gives the Redbird fans all the more encouragement that if this kind of deal can happen once, it can happen again.

Matt Wilson checks in with BaseballDigest.com every Saturday with his commentary on Fantasy Baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals.  Follow Matt on Twitter!

Post some chatter on The Bleachers about Albert and his possible contract by clicking here.

1960 Leaf #66 – Earl Battey

This is my first foray into 1960 Leaf. It arrived on Thursday. I had never actually seen any of these cards in person, so I was in for a little culture shock when it arrived. The card is ever so slightly under the standard size.

Whenever I would see a picture of 1960 Leaf cards, the design always made me think of the fifties and sixties team promos that were 5×7 or 4×6. Something in my brain made me think that the 1960 Leaf cards were exactly the same. I can see how foolish I actually was, now that I have my first card in hand.

This was around a time where cards came in all sorts of shapes and sizes. My thinking wasn’t out of line. It was just flawed without seeing an example in hand.

This is one of my first cards of Earl Battey too. Earl was a great catcher that was blocked by Sherm Lollar in the Sox organization. His sporadic starts did nothing for his average. He was a lifetime .209 hitter with the White Sox. When he was shipped off to the Senators, he blossomed into a great overall player, winning three gold gloves. By the time that the Senators moved to Minnesota and dubbed the Twins, Earl was a star.

1960 Leaf is strange for many reasons. This was the first Leaf baseball set since the forties and the last until the eighties. There are variations that zoom in on just the face, if you didn’t think the mugshot bust shots weren’t creepy enough. The set was packaged in a wrapper with marbles. Yes, those round little objects that kids used to play with in a circle (before they played video games) were packaged with these cards.

This is also one of the last cards of Earl Battey in a White Sox uniform. By the time this card came out, he had already went to Washington.

This move will put Gomez in the lead off role for 2010 and signals the end of Mike Cameron’s reign in Milwaukee.  Alcides Escobar will now take over the everyday shortstop role in Miller Park for years to come and will likely hit in front of Ryan Braun in the lineup.

Gomez, 23, has 59 stolen bases in just over 1,000 career at-bats. He was the prize possession in a deal that sent Johan Santana to the New York Mets before the 2008 season, who has yet to hit for consistent contact.

The Crew has also declined David Weathers’ $3.7 million option for 2010, costing the team $400,000.  It appears they would rather spend their money in the free agency market which is stock full of some decent arms.

Tomorrow, I’ll go over the five moves that the Brewers must make this off-season.

The Yankees and Andy Pettitte trailed Carl Pavano and the Twins 1-0 after six innings.  That’s right, the former “American Idle” had blanked the Bombers on just two hits up to that point.  Pettitte was nearly Pavano’s equal, having not allowed a base runner through four innings, and just one earned run and three hits.  That’s when the Yankees newest Mr. October, at least for round one round of the playoffs, struck.

Alex Rodriguez came to the plate with out in the 7th and drilled a 3-2 fastball high atop the wall in right-center field for a game tying home run.  In seven career post season game against the Twins, Rodriguez has now driven in nine runs. Pavano bounced back to strike out Hideki Matsui for the inning’s second out, but Jorge Posada went the opposite way for a solo home run to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

The Yankees bullpen then took over as Pettitte exited with one out in the bottom of the 7th. Joba Chamberalin allowed a double to Delmon Young, but retired Brendan Harris and Jose Morales to preserve the lead.  Phil Hughes would need a little luck in the 8th inning to do the same.

Nick Punto doubled to lead off the inning and Denard Span followed with a bouncer back up the middle.  Derek Jeter cut the ball off, but had no play on Span at first.  But the Captain alertly spun and threw home to keep Punto at third.  He did more than just that.  Punto had gone half way down the line and was now caught in between.  He scurried back to third but Posada’s throw beat him to the bag and A-Rod applied the rally crushing tag.  Instead of runners on the corners with no one out, the Twins merely had a man on first with one out.  Ron Gardenhire, hands a top his head in frustration, looked on in exasperation, his team having run themselves out of another potential big inning.

Hughes retired Orlando Cabrera for the second out and Joe Girardi sent for Mariano Rivera to face Joe Mauer.  Rivera shattered Mauer’s bat as the soon to be AL MVP grounded out meekly to Mark Teixeira for the final out of the inning.

Posada and Robinson Cano added RBI singles in the 9th and, after allowing a lead off single to Michael Cuddyer, Rivera retired the next three batters for a four-out save and sent the Yankees back to the ALCS for the first time since 2004.

Series Notes

Alex Rodriguez was 5-11 (.455) with 2 home runs and 6 RBI in the series.

The Yankees three starting pitchers – CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte combined to allow three earned runs in 19 innings.

Johnny Damon was just 1-12 in the series and swung and missed his way to the “Golden Sombrero” in Game 3.  It comes on the heels of a 22-89 (.247) last month of the season.

Andy Pettitte tied John Smoltz for the most career post season wins with 15.

Joe Mauer was 5-12 (.417) with two walks, but his RBI in Game 3 was his only one in the series.

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the 9th, Mark Teixeira reached base with his first hit of the series.  Alex Rodriguez then hit a deep drive off Twins’ closer Joe Nathan that landed well beyond the fence in center field for a game tying home run.  Seconds after the ball left his bat, A-Rod looked over at his teammates and pumped his fist.  It was a “jump on my back boys” moment for a player who won’t be hearing about post-season slumps any time soon.  Oh, and A-Rod drove in the Yankees first run too.

Then after escaping a bases loaded, no out jam in the top of the 11th, the Yankees celebration began when Teixeira hit a bullet off left-hander Jose Mijares down towards the left field corner.  The ball hit the top of the wall and ricocheted into the stands for a game winning homer.  And yes, A.J. delivered hiscompensatory pie.

The victory ended a wild night at the new digs and put the Yankees up a commanding two games to none in the best of five series.  Starters A.J. Burnett and Nick Blackburn got into a good ol’ fashioned pitcher’s duel before the Twins broke a scoreless tie in the 6th.  Burnett, who walked five on the night, issued a one out free pass to Delmon Young, who stole 2nd base as Carlos Gomez struck out for the second out of the inning.

Ron Gardenhire sent light hitting Brendan Harris up to pinch-hit for Matt Tolbert, who had to leave the game with a strained oblique.  Harris came through with a deep drive to left-center that eluded Johnny Damon and then caromed past Melky Cabrera for an RBI triple.  Burnett got out of further trouble by getting Nick Punto to ground out to end the inning.

The Yankees, who didn’t have a hit until Robinson Cano’s single in the 5th, came right back in the home half of the 6th.  Derek Jeter reached on a one out ground rule double and Damon followed with a walk.  Blackburn retired Teixiera on a pop up for the second out, but A-Rod singled to left to even the game at a run apiece.

The bottom of the Twins order had a big night and they came through in the clutch against Phil Hughes in the top of the 8th.  Gomez reached on a two out walk and moved to 3rd on Harris’ single to right.  Punto’s single to center put the Twins up 2-1 and knocked Hughes from the game.  Denard Span showed the top of the Twins order could be productive too when the lead off man singled off of Mariano Rivera for a 3-1 Minnesota lead.  Rivera kept it a two run game with a strike out of Orlando Cabrera.

Both teams blew big opportunities in the game due to base running mistakes.   Burnett hit both Young and Gomez with two outs in the 4th and Tolbert singled to right field. But Gomez rounded 2nd base too far and Nick Swisher alertly threw behind him to an awaiting Jeter, who applied the tag before Young could score.  A very “Timo Perez” moment in New York.

The Yankees had their own snafu as they appeared ready to win the game in the 10th.  Jorge Posada reached on a one out single and was replaced on the bases by Brett Gardner.  The Yankees top base stealing threat easily swiped 2nd base and then moved to 3rd when Nathan’s errant pick off throw sailed in center field.  Gardenhire elected to walk Jeter to set up the double play and the Yankees unwittingly obliged.

Damon hit a line drive that ticked off Nathan’s glove towards Cabrera at short.  Gardner misread the ball and took off for home.  Cabrera snagged the line drive and easily doubled Gardner off the 3rd as the Twins finally got a break.  But it was a break they couldn’t take advantage of, thanks in part to left field umpire Phil Cuzzi (pronounced Cuz-zee; and you know people in Minnesota will realize what that rhymes with).

Mauer sliced a fly ball down the left field line off of Damaso Marte and just out of the reach of Melky Cabrera, who had moved over from center field at the start of the inning.  The ball clearly landed several inches in fair territory before bouncing into the stands for what should have been a ground rule double.  But Cuzzi emphatically ruled it foul. Without a good angle to see it, no one from the Twins argued the call.

It seemed like it wouldn’t matter when Mauer and Jason Kubel stroked back to back singles, and David Robertson gave up another base hit to Michael Cuddyer to load the bases with no one out.  But with the infield playing in, Teixiera gloved Young’s hot smash for the first out.  Gomez then swung at the first pitch, as did Young, and grounded to Teixeira, who threw home for the force out.  Robertson and the Yankees were then able to breath again when Harris flew out to Gardner in center field for the final out of the inning.

And then the players took their roles and Yankees Stadium witnessed its’ 16th walk-off victory of the season.

A-Rod had a pair of RBI singles and the New York Yankees spanked the Minnesota Twins, 7-2 to take a 1-0 lead in the best of five series. A-Rod wasn’t alone though in getting off to a good post-season start.

Derek Jeter reached safely in all four at-bats and belted the first playoff home run in the new Yankee Stadium. It tied the game at two apiece in the 3rd inning and fired up the home crowd that had been temporarily silenced when the Twins took a 2-0 lead.

Nick Swisher doubled in the 4th scored Robinson Cano all the way from first base to give the Yankees their first lead of the night. A-Rod’s RBI single off of rookie starter Brian Duensing an inning later put the Bombers ahead by two and the next hitter, Hideki Matsui, hit a long home run to straight away center field off lefty Francisco Liriano for a 6-2 Yankees lead.

CC Sabathia wasn’t spectacular, but was very good. He threw 113 pitches in 6 2-3 innings and allowed one earned run. The Twins put two runs on the board against him with two outs in the 3rd. Orlando Cabrera singled and Joe Mauer followed with a double to the gap in left-center. Michael Cuddyer’s single to right brought home one run and Mauer scored when Jorge Posada couldn’t handle Sabathia’s delivery for a passed ball.
Sabathia passed an immediate test in the 1st inning when Denard Span reached 3rd base with less than two outs. But the Yankees ace struck out Mauer and retired Cuddyer on a fly out to center. He exited with two on and two out in the 7th, but Phil Hughes stranded the runners when he struck out Cabrera.

Game Notes

Even with Hideki Matsui on deck, odd decision by Ron Gardnehire to pitch to Alex Rodriguez with Derek Jeter on 3rd base in the 7th. A-Rod delivered his second RBI single, this time off of Jon Rauch.

Admiral Eric Olson threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Derek Jeter’s home run was the 18th of his post-season career.

Mariano Rivera pitched the 9th inning, allowing a 2-out walk and a single before retiring Cabrera to end the game.

Jorge Posada had the dubious distinction of committing two passed balls.

2nd Base

Now, onto the postseason! My predictions should be taken with a grain of salt, and considered an optimistic piece by an unabashed Red Sox fan.  For what it’s worth, I said the New York Yankees would finish in third place and that Joe Girardi would be fired by the 4th of July. So, really, my predictions are subject(and likely) to be completely inaccurate. It’s the postseason, and who doesn’t love a little guessing game.

I picked the Philadelphia Phillies over the Colorado Rockies, 3 games to 1. I think the Rockies are underrated, and could shock the Phillies. However, the Phillies have the arms that are likely to play very well, especially Cole Hamels. He’s had a mixed bag of a season, but he’s thrown a few gems this year. Cliff Lee was a huge pickup for them and Joe Blanton’s been up & down this year, but I think he’s beaten a number of quality lineups this season and should be ok. Pedro Martinez & Jamie Moyer will be big components to their wins  throughout the postseason.

I picked the LA Dodgers over the St. Louis Cardinals, 3 games to 2.  I think Joe Torre’s handling of his roster will win this series. The Dodgers have a few starting pitchers with questions, but when Juan Pierre is a 4th outfielder and could easily be a starter on any other team, that’s a tremendous advantage, in my opinion. Ramirez, Ethier and Kemp are big home run hitters, and Pierre’s speed off the bench will be trouble for anyone. As you may guess, I’m picking Juan Pierre to play a big part in the Dodgers success due to his revitalized 2009 season.

I picked the Red Sox over the Angels 3 games to 1.  This one could go either way, I think. It may even go 5 games. The Angels could very well win this. I’m picking 4 games, though, for the Sox. I’m crossing my fingers and saying Buchholz and Lester will rise to the occasion and that Beckett will provide the solid veteran postseason presence. With Victor Martinez behind the plate and in the lineup, I think they have a real good chance to dominate. I suspect we’ll see Jason Varitek start at catcher at least once.

I picked the Yankees over the Twins with a 3 game sweep.  In a short series, I think the Yanks can smash their way offensively. They may even look impressive.  I believe the Yankees pitching staff has a lot of questions(is C.C. due to rebound when it matters? Is Pettitte’s age a factor? How will Burnett react to his first taste of October?) that will be answered one way or the other in the postseason. It’s possible I’m way off base and the 103 Win Yankees are the real deal.
I picked the Phillies over the Dodgers in the NLCS, 4 games to 2. Pedro won’t be the MVP, but he’ll be a big piece of their win. It’ll come down to pitching, and I think the Phils have a slight advantage. My theory is it takes pitching, ultimately, to win in the postseason, and the Phils may be better equipped to make it to the World Series. They seem to have more options.

Naturally, I picked the Red Sox over the Yankees in the ALCS, but it will go 7 games and the Sox will take it 4 games to 3.  My surprise pick is that Tim Wakefield gets put on the roster, pitches a few innings in a lopsided loss, early in the series. I also believe that Billy Wagner, Alex Gonzalez, and Victor Martinez will shine in the series and put a spotlight on the great pickups during the season.

I chose the Red Sox over the Phillies in the World Series, 4 games to 1.  I think Pedro Martinez will get a standing ovation at Fenway and then fails to make it through 5 innings. A Sox fan can hope, right?

What are your picks?

On September 1, 2004, 40-year-old Terry Mulholland got the start against Baltimore and threw six innings in a Twins victory. His catcher was newly acquired Pat Borders, who was even older, at 41. It was the first time since 1945 that a pitching battery featured two men of 40+ years. That game was the 1,042nd of Borders’ career; for Mulholland, it was appearance 626.

Borders is the oldest Twin to ever don the tools of ignorance, but Mulholland still has some elders to look up to. Chief among them is Jesse Orosco, who closed out his 24-season career on the Metrodome mound in 2003, at age 46. Steve Carlton and Joe Niekro both pitched at age 43; the oldest position player was Dave Winfield, who appeared in 77 games at age 42 in 1994.

Kirby Puckett’s career may not have lasted long enough, but on August 30, 1987, he had plenty to smile about. On that day, he went 6-6 with two home runs and four RBIs in a 10-6 victory over the Brewers. That came a day after he went 4-5 with another two long balls. It was one of two six-hit games in his career; no other Twin has accomplished that.

The opposite honor goes to Bob Allison. On September 2, 1965, in a game against the Tigers, Allison came to the plate five times and was retired on strikes as many times. It’s the only time a Minnesota player has struck out in all five at-bats in a game. Three other Twins have struck out five times in a game, but with more plate appearances: Sandy Valdespino in 1967, Bobby Darwin in 1972, and Roy Smalley in 1976.

In 1991, Chuck Knoblauch made his major league debut on April 9, but after 120 games, he still hadn’t hit a home run. That changed on August 31 in a game against the Orioles. With the score tied in the bottom of the sixth inning, Knoblauch stepped to the plate with one out and hit a solo shot off Orioles starter Mike Mussina, spurring a Twins victory. He went on to hit 98 career home runs, with a high of 18 for the Yankees in 1999.

September 4 is the 29th birthday of Twins reliever Pat Neshek. The sidewinder’s career WHIP is .961; the only active pitcher with a lower career mark (minimum 100 innings pitched) is Joakim Soria. Armando Gabino made his own relief debut with the Twins on August 25; he’ll turn 26 on August 31.

Rob Wilfong (56 on September 1) played second base for Minnesota from 1977 to 1982, when he and Doug Corbett were traded to the Angels for Tom Brunansky and pitcher Mike Walters. His best season came in 1979, when he hit .313/.352/.458. Teammate Roger Erickson (53 on August 30) won 14 games as a 21-year-old for the Twins in 1978.

Former Twins second baseman Luis Rivas (30 on August 30) played on three playoff teams, from 2002-2004. He stole 31 bases in 2001, his rookie season. David West (45 on September 1) came to the Twins in the Frank Viola trade in July 1989. He made 15 appearances for the 1991 champions, then was traded in 1992 for Mike Hartley, the Phillies’ right-handed reliever. Hartley turns 48 on August 31.

Until next week, Twins fans.

Kralick’s came first, on August 26, 1962 against Kansas City. His only baserunner came on a walk to George Alusik in the ninth inning. Unfortunately, his teammates were having nearly as much difficulty posting a run against Bill Fischer, the Athletics’ starter. After leaving men in scoring position in each of the first four innings, the Twins were blanked until the seventh, when Lenny Green hit a two-out sacrifice fly to bring home Bernie Allen with the game’s only run.

That game was the first no-hitter in Twins history, and the first for the franchise since Bobby Burke did it in 1931. Kralick went 12-11 in 1962, one of a few productive seasons in Minnesota before he was traded to Cleveland in 1963 for Jim Perry.

In early August 1967, Chance had a perfect game going through five innings, but the contest was called due to rain. Unperturbed, Chance retook the mound in Cleveland on August 25. The Indians struck first, getting a run in the top of the first inning on two walks, an error and a wild pitch. The Twins tied it in next half inning, though, and went ahead in the sixth when Tribe pitcher Sonny Siebert balked with the bases loaded.

Chance walked five men in the game, but was helped with two double plays. Along with Kralick’s no-no five years previous, these were the only two Twins no-hitters with a one run margin of victory; it was also the only one to happen on the road. Incidentally, Chance had thrown a one-hitter against the Twins in 1962 as a member of the Angels; Zoilo Versalles broke up that no-hit bid with an eighth inning single.

On August 27, 1975, Twins first baseman Craig Kusick had an entirely different problem in facing the Brewers’ Bill Travers. In the second, sixth and eleventh innings of a tight pitchers’ duel, Travers plunked Kusick, tying a major league record for the most times a batter has been hit in a game. After the last beaning, both Travers and Kusick were removed from the game. The pinch-runner, Steve Brye, scored the winning run when Tony Oliva singled off reliever Tom Murphy.

Another, longer extra-inning affair was August 26, 1978. The Twins and Yankees were knotted at four runs apiece through 19 innings before New York’s Mickey Rivers singled in a run to win it for the home team. Minnesota’s starting pitcher, Pete Redfern, failed to get the victory on his birthday.

Two years later on the same day, the umpires struck for a day, creating problems across the schedule. Most teams called upon amateur arbiters, but the Twins and Blue Jays hit upon the novel solution of using coaches to umpire. The Twins’ Jerry Zimmerman joined Toronto’s Don Leppert in helping two amateurs call the game; it was the first time since 1941 that active coaches or players had umpired. The Blue Jays won, 7-3.

On August 24, 1981, Minnesota first baseman Danny Goodwin slid into the designated hitter’s spot, thereby allowing 21-year-old Minneapolis native Kent Hrbek to make his major league debut. Batting in the eighth spot, Hrbek recorded his first hit in the fifth inning with an RBI single off the Yankees’ Tommy John. In the 12th inning, with the score tied at 2, Hrbek came through again, bopping a leadoff homer to win the game for the visiting Twins. He would go on to hit 292 more home runs in 1747 career games.

August 26 marks the 29th birthday of Twins infielder Brendan Harris. He was originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2001 draft by the Cubs, two picks ahead of Ryan Howard and 137 behind Joe Mauer. He joined the Twins in the Delmon Young trade, and has gone 203-766 for the Twins in two seasons.

Other Twins with birthdays this week: Stan Perzanowski (59 on August 25); Joe McCabe (69 on August 27); Marty Martinez (68 on August 23); and Randy St. Claire (49 on August 23).

Hyeong Rok-Choi, a South Korean catcher with the GCL Twins, will be 20 on August 23. This season, he has an on-base percentage of .374.

Until next week, Twins fans.

On that day, all nine Minnesota batters recorded at least two hits off Cleveland pitchers. It was the first time that had ever happened in the majors. Eric Raich started for the Tribe, but was pulled in the second inning after allowing six runs on eight hits. Reliever Jackie Brown went the remainder of the game. He allowed only three runs, but did so on 12 hits. For the Twins, Dan Ford and Phil Roof both had three base knocks, and Roof also homered. Jim Hughes, the Twins’ starting pitcher, had an easy night; the Twins won 9-1.

On August 19, 1961, the pitchers chipped in a bit more. In a victory over the Angels, both starter Jack Kralick and reliever Al Schroll homered in a 9-7 victory. It had never happened before in the American League, and isn’t likely to happen again as long as the designated hitter rule is in place. In his career, Kralick hit four home runs, while Scholl only had the one. That season, their staff mate Pedro Ramos knocked three balls out of the yard.

On August 22, 1975, Dave McKay hit an equally auspicious home run—in his first big league at-bat. That homer, off the Tigers’ Vern Ruhle, made McKay one of four Twins to go yard in his first at-bat. The others are Gary Gaetti, Andre David, and Rick Renick. In 645 career games over 8 seasons, McKay hit 21 total home runs. Gaetti turns 51 on August 19.

Another interesting Twins debut came on August 21, 1990. Minnesota’s Paul Abbott took the mound for the very first time in his career. His opponent: the Royals’ Jim Campbell, who was also making his first appearance in the bigs. Campbell and the Royals won, and Abbott went 0-5 that year before finally notching his first victory in 1991.

In 1997, Roberto Kelly was in his second season with the Twins, and had cooled off slightly after hitting .323/.357/.457 in 1996. He was, however, 32 years old, and GM Terry Ryan saw fit to package him off to Seattle on August 20 for a player to be named later. That player became Joe Mays, a 21-year-old pitching in High-A Lancaster. In 1998, though, he shot through the Twins system and debuted the following year. His best year was 2001, when he won 17 games with a 3.13 ERA. Kelly was 36-121 for the Mariners, but they lost to Baltimore in the ALDS, and he was gone in the winter.

Besides Gaetti, fellow late-‘80s Twin Tom Brunansky (49 on August 20) has a birthday this week. In 1987, Brunansky tied a career-high with 32 homers and slugged .489. Mid-‘70s utility man Luis Gomez (58 on August 19) had 1251 career at-bats without a home run; since 1920, only four non-pitchers had more homerless at-bats.

There have been 13 players who scored a run for the Twins without ever getting a hit, and seven of them–Jason Pridie (three runs), Boof Bonser, Danny Morris, Bert Cueto, Ed Palmquist and Bucky Guth) never had a hit in their careers. Guth, whose career spanned three games in 1972, turns 62 on August 18.

Paul Molitor, the St. Paul native who ended his Hall of Fame career in Minnesota, is 53 on August 22. He’s currently a coach in the Twins’ system. Another coach, Rochester’s Bobby Cuellar, turns 57 on August 20. His big-league career consisted of 6.2 innings in 1977 with the Rangers.

Graig Nettles started his long career with the Twins, playing in 121 games from 1967-69 before being included in a trade with the Indians. He went on to play in 2700 games, mostly with the Yankees. Rick Reed (45 on August 16) won 15 games for the Twins in 2002 after coming over in a trade for Matt Lawton. Alex Cole (44 on August 17) stole 29 bases in 1994 as the everyday centerfielder.

Until next week, Twins fans.

Pino shades to the stocky side at 6’0”, 190 pounds. In his delivery, he brings the ball straight up from behind him and releases it rapidly, with little extension of the arm. Because of this, his release point is low, and he whips his arm very fast in bringing the ball up to deliver it. His delivery with a man on base has a noticeable hitch to it; actually, you wouldn’t call his stretch motion smooth, either.

His fastball sits around 89-90 MPH, and he seems more comfortable throwing it than his off-speed pitches. From this amateur scout’s seat in the upper deck, it was hard to differentiate Pino’s off-speed pitches, but he seemed to throw a changeup and a slider.

In the first inning, Pino relied mostly on fastballs, hitting 90 several times. Most of his off-speed offerings were out of the strike zone. With two outs and two men on, he challenged veteran Daryle Ward with several consecutive high fastballs before finally inducing a groundball with one.

Pino walked the leadoff batter in the second, and the runner came around to score on a groundout. He was missing with his fastball and throwing fewer breaking balls. Pino did, however, make a very nice play on a dribbler to the third base side of the mound. He wasn’t fast in getting to it, but made a barehanded pickup and a strong, accurate throw.

In the third inning, Pino began throwing his breaking ball earlier in the count. He gave up a hard hit on a slider, but otherwise escaped damage thanks to a double play.

Ward came up again in the fourth. Again Pino got him into a 0-2 count, and again he challenged with a fastball. This time, though, Ward was waiting for it, and slammed it into the right-center gap. Steve Tolleson made a superb running catch; the ball would have left the park in any other part of the outfield. Throughout the inning, Pino was pumping fastballs. He retired the side in order in both the fourth and fifth innings.

Through five innings, Pino had allowed one run on four hits. In the sixth, though, he ran into trouble, giving up four straight singles, and was pulled for Juan Morillo. His overall line was 5.2 innings, eight hits, two earned runs, a walk and four strikeouts. He threw 91 pitches, 59 of them for strikes (65%).

I personally was not very impressed with Pino. His breaking pitches were ineffective, and his fastball didn’t have enough movement to compensate. He was helped by a few nice defensive plays, especially Tolleson’s, and the double play. On the other hand, through five innings he was extremely strong. That made for a tremendous pitching duel between him and Nationals prospect Ross Detwiler.

Detwiler is a tall drink of water at 6’5”, 185 pounds. He’s spent time in Washington this year, but got knocked around in his last start before Friday. On this night, however, in front of over 12,000 fans, he was on his game. His fastball hit 93 MPH and his changeup was baffling. Compared to Pino, he looked majestic on the mound, throwing straight over the top like a windmill. Both pitchers worked at a quick pace.

Detwiler also threw a loopy curveball about 15 times. In general, it wasn’t very effective, and he missed the strike zone with it often, but he did get twos strikeouts with it, against Tolleson and Jose Morales. Mostly, though, he stuck with inside fastballs, and he hit his spots extremely well.

After the starters exited, Syracuse tacked on two more runs and withstood a series of Rochester rallies, winning 4-3. Matt Tolbert had three hits; the Wings left 10 men on base. Pino dropped to 1-2 in Triple-A.