Monday, August 20, 2007
Weekend Recap
Good Monday Morning everyone! I was again out of town this weekend, so today it will mainly just be a few Twins thoughts along with the minor league recaps from the whole weekend. I will be back tomorrow with something new.
As for the Twins, I was only able to listen to the game on Friday night. I watched several innings of the Saturday night game. Sunday, I listened to the whole game on the radio again. A few thoughts:
Normally I really struggle to listen to the Twins radio broadcast. John Gordon makes every fly ball sound as if it is going to be a long home run. Dan Gladden yields almost as many clichιs as Bert Blyleven. And Jack Morris sounds as though he did absolutely no preparations. I'm guessing that it is because he does no preparation. I also get frustrated because the they spend so much time telling meaningless stories that they forget to tell the listener how many outs, or the inning or the count. However, on this weekend, I thought that the stories and memories of the guests in the booth from the 1987 World Series championship reunion overwhelmed the game itself. And for once, I really didn't mind it at all. I enjoy hearing about the former players and what they are doing now.
That said, it was fun to follow the Johan Santana big strikeout day on the radio. I would have loved to have seen the dominance. 0-1. Then 0-2. And pretty soon, Strike Three. Crowd cheering! I am guessing the Aaron and the other Twins bloggers will write much more about Santana's performance, so be sure to check out the other Twins blogs for that..
The Twins won two of three over the weekend despite scoring just three total runs in the three games. Santana's incredible performance allowed Twins fans to forget the fact that the offense is really horrible right now. Thankfully Michael Cuddyer's solo homer in the 2nd inning was just enough.
If there is just one thing that I would like to mention about the Santana start was that aside from four sliders, he threw only fastballs and changeups. If you're under the age of 19 and are a pitcher, please remember that! You can be successful throwing and locating a fastball and a changeup.
Saturday night's pre-game ceremony was incredible. I am very glad that I didn't miss that. It was so much fun to see all of the players get introduced. It was nice to see that the Twins invited family members of the late Joe Niekro and Kirby Puckett. It was nice that they equally acknowledged the coaching staff. What was really neat was seeing the reaction that clubhouse guy Jim Weisner got big hugs from everyone. How great would a Q&A with him be? I bet he could tell some great stories. Of course, the fact that all the players seem to love him means that he probably wouldn't tell us anything!
It was also nice to see Mike Smithson recognized. I found it interesting that he paid his own way to Minneapolis for this weekend. Because he was removed from the active roster before the August 31st deadline, he was not on the active playoff roster. I think it is great that he wanted to be there. I just hope that the Twins will find a way to reimburse him.
Tommy Watkins is incredible. Seriously! I've always liked the guy, but he was a non-hitting utility infielder for the first eight-plus seasons of his Twins minor league career. And then he got a chance to move up to AAA Rochester and he was very good. And injuries meant that he got his first opportunity with the big club. And now, he is hitting .375! I realize it is just six singles in 16 at bats, but he has also walked three times and done a solid job with the glove. No, I don't expect this to continue, but maybe it is something that will give him a future as a utility man with the Twins!
I thought it was interesting to read the newspapers and such regarding Friday night's game. Nick Punto was made out to be a big hero of the game, and yet, what did he do? Well, he hit a bloop single, which we'll take, and Marlon Byrd booted it. Punto hustled his way to 3B. He then scored on a wild pitch that Matthew Lecroy and I could have scored on, and he was mobbed. The paper made it sound as though this was some sort of turning point. I see it as a .200 hitter will get a hit one in five at bats, and then bad defense and a bad pitch.
Finally Congratulations to Gary Gaetti on being added to the Twins Hall of Fame!
Any other thoughts on the 1987 World Series championship weekend celebration or the games? Send me your thoughts.
Twins and their Minor League Updates
Here are the game reports of their minor league affiliates. When you're done, be sure to check out Roger's weekly minor league update.
Friday SethSpeaks Player of the Day Eli Tintor, Beloit Snappers
Friday SethSpeaks Pitcher of the Day Tyler Robertson, Beloit SnappersSaturday SethSpeaks Player of the Day Brock Peterson, New Britain Rockcats
Saturday SethSpeaks Pitcher of the Day Julio DePaula, Rochester Red WingsSunday SethSpeaks Player of the Day Juan Portes, New Britain Rockcats
Sunday SethSpeaks Pitcher of the Day Liam Hendriks, GCL Twins
ROCHESTER
REPORT
Friday - Red Wings 2, Buffalo 7 Brian Duensing had a rough start, something he hasn't had too often in his time in Rochester. In five innings, he gave up six runs (5 earned) on eight hits, three of which were home runs. Jerome Williams gave up a run on three hits and three walks over the final three innings. Chris Heintz went 2-4. Lew Ford went 1-2 with a walk. Matt Macri played his first game with the Red Wings and batted fourth and played 3B. He hit a double.
Saturday - Red Wings 2, Scranton/Wilkes Barre (10) Brian Buscher played in the game, his first rehab appearance. He went 2-4 with his seventh homer as the DH. Glenn Williams hit his 16th double. The team had just four hits. Nick Blackburn started and gave up a run on seven hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. Julio DePaula improved to 12-5 with 3.2 shutout innings. Bobby Korecky got three outs for his 32nd save.
Sunday - Red Wings 4, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 5 Brian Bass started and went the first six innings. He gave up a run on five hits and two walks. Jerome Williams got two outs and walked one. Jason Miller came in and gave up a hit and an unearned run in just 1/3 of an inning. Bobby Korecky took the loss. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on four hits and three walks in 1.1 innings. Denard Span went 2-4 with his 17th double. In the ninth, Matt Macri hit a two out, two run homer that gave the Red Wings a brief lead.
NEW BRITAIN
NEWS
Friday - Rockcats 1, Portland 5 Oswaldo Sosa took his third AA loss. The righty went 6.2 innings and gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits. He walked three and struck out three. Angel Garcia got the final four outs, but not before he gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. Luke Hughes went 2-4 with his eighth home run. Brandon Roberts went 2-4.
Saturday - Game 1 - Rockcats 8, Portland 1 Glen Perkins made a rehab start and gave up one run on two hits in 2.1 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Tristan Crawford got the Win. He threw 2.1 shutout innings. Jose Mijares walked four and struck out four in 2.1 innings for his 7th save. Brock Peterson led the offense by going 3-4 with his 18th double. Felix Molina went 2-3 with two RBI. Drew Butera went 1-2 with his first triple and two walks.
Saturday - Game 2 - Rockcats 6, Portland 3 Brock Peterson hit again in the second game. He went 2-3 with an RBI. Felix Molina hit his eighth homer. Kyle Geiger hit his 13th double. Josh Hill started and gave up three runs (1 earned) on four hits in 4.1 innings. He walked two and struck out six. Armando Gabino struck out four in his 1.2 innings to gain the win. Tim Lahey recorded his 11th save despite two walks in his inning.
Sunday - Rockcats 4, Portland 3 Ryan Mullins had a solid start. In seven innings, he gave up a run on three hits. He walked four and struck out four. Armando Gabino gave up a hit and walked two in one inning, but did not allow a run. Tim Lahey recorded his 12th save despite giving up two runs in the 9th inning. Matt Moses went 3-5 with his 18th double. Brandon Roberts was 3-5. Trevor Plouffe went 2-4 with his ninth homer and two RBI. David Winfree went 2-4 and drove in two as well. Rashad Eldridge went 2-5, and Kyle Geiger went 2-4.
FT MYERS MEMOS
Friday - Miracle 9, Lakeland 4 Zach Ward has now won three straight starts. In six innings, he gave up four runs (2 earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out five. Danny Powers struck out four in two shutout innings. JP Martinez walked two in his inning, but did not allow a run. Brian Dinkelman went 3-5 with his sixth double and two RBI. Edward Ovalle went 3-3 with his 12th double. Johnny Woodard went 2-3. Steve Tolleson went 2-4. Erik Lis went 2-5.
Saturday - Miracle 2, Lakeland 5 Erik Lis, like the rest of the Ft. Myers team, got off to a slow start, but he has been hitting very well of late. In this game, he had two doubles in four at bats. He now has 31 doubles. Danny Valencia went 2-4. Steve Tolleson went 1-3 with a walk and his 26th stolen base. Jay Rainville started and gave up five runs (2 earned) on seven hits in just 4.2 innings. He walked two and struck out five. David Shinskie then struck out three in 2.1 innings. Kyle Aselton struck out two in a perfect inning.
Sunday
- Miracle 11, Lakeland 4
What a day for Juan Portes! He went 3-4 with his 23rd
double, his 10th and 11th home runs, a walk, four runs scored and
five RBI. Erik Lis went 2-5 with a walk and his 32nd double.
Dwayne White went 2-5. Dustin Martin went 1-3 with two
walks. Errol Simonitsch improved to 3-0. He gave up four runs
(2 earned) on eight hits. He walked none and struck out six. JP
Martinez pitched a scoreless 7th. Eddie Morlan struck out
two in two shutout innings.
BELOIT
BITS
Friday - Snappers 6, Burlington 1 Eli Tintor led the way by going 3-4 with his 12th double. Steve Singleton went 2-4 with his 15th double. Wilson Ramos went 2-4. Chris Parmelee hit his 15th homer while Garrett Olson hit his sixth home run. Tyler Robertson improved to 8-3. He gave up one run on five hits over five innings. He walked none and struck out eight. Aaron Craig threw three shutout innings. Anthony Slama pitched one perfect inning.
Saturday - Snappers 5, Kane County 6 (11) Anthony Slama got to enter the game with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th. He proceeded to walk in the winning run. Dan Leatherman took the loss. In 2.1 innings, he gave up a run on two hits and four walks. Cole DeVries started and gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in five innings. Jose Lugo gave up two runs in two innings. Danny Vais struck out one in his inning. Joe Benson went 2-4 with a walk and his 17th stolen base. Garrett Olson went 1-3 with a walk, his 17th double and three RBI.
Sunday - Snappers/Kane County Postponed by Rain.
E-TWINS REPORT
Friday - E-Twins 5, Johnson City 4 Michael Tarsi started and gave up four unearned runs on five hits in 5.2 innings. He walked two and struck out five. Brad Tippett improved to 7-1 with three strikeouts in 2.1 innings. Blair Erickson threw a perfect ninth. Ozzie Lewis went 2-4 with a walk and his 16th double. Mark Dolenc went 2-4 with his first triple.
Saturday - E-Twins 2, Bristol 3 Jose Castillo went the first five innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He walked none and struck out four. Michael Rogers went two shutout innings. Spencer Steedley took the loss. He gave up a run in two innings. He struck out four.
Sunday - E-Twins 5, Bristol 4 (10) Deibinson Romero had a spectacular game. He went 3-4 with a walk, his 15th double, first triple and three RBI. Estarlin de los Santos went 3-5 with his 26th stolen base. Michael McCardell gave up four runs (3 earned) on five hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out nine. Steve Hirschfeld struck out one in his shutout inning. Caleb Moore threw two shutout innings. Curt Leavitt struck out three in his inning to improve to 2-0.
GCL TWINS REPORT
Friday - GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 3 Santiago Arias improved to 3-3 with strong solid innings. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits. He walked three and struck out nine. Charles Nolte got two outs, then Danny Rondon saved his 11th game by getting the final four outs, two on strikeouts. Nick Biagini went 2-4. Dan Rohlfing hit his first double. Ramon Santiago hit his third double and then was promoted to Beloit.
Saturday - GCL Twins No Game Scheduled
Sunday - GCL Twins 5, GCL Pirates 1 Liam Hendriks improved to 4-1 with a 1.13 ERA. He gave up just one hit, walked one and struck out 11 in six innings. Jakob Toufar gave up a run on two hits in one inning. Yangervis Solarte went 2-3.
Do you have any further thoughts on any Twins prospects, minor leaguers, or these summaries? E-mail me, or also feel free to leave comments below.
That is it for today. Have a great day and a great week!
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