Twins 8, Phillies 4: Recap & Twins Roster Updates
by Jesse on Mar 27, 2010 5:45 PM EDT
in Game Recaps
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Nick Blackburn pitched decently today. He spotted the Phillies to a 2-0 lead in the second when he ran into some trouble, but after four innings two runs was all Philadelphia was able to put across. They collected six hits and a walk, but Blackburn did what he always does: rely on the batters putting the ball in play, and on his defense to convert those balls into outs. Blackburn struck out two, with his defense doing the rest.
The big story today was the offense, where nine different Twins landed at least one hit, and J.J. Hardy, who picked up his first two extra-base hits of the spring. Michael Cuddyer, Joe Mauer and Juan Portes also added doubles, while Jim Thome's second tater as a Twin was a two-run shot in the eighth that put the lid on the contest. Orlando Hudson was the final standout today, collecting a pair of singles and a walk in five plate appearances.
Sadlly, Delmon Young had a bad day. He did go 1-for-2 with a walk, but he also made two outs on the bases--Cole Hamles picked him off first, and Delmon was also caught running.
Roster Updates
Joe Christensen made a couple of Twitter updates this afternoon, reference in the FanShot below. Here's the run-down...
Jacque Jones: Re-assigned to AAA. But apparently he'll still play in the exhibition games at Target Field. This effectively puts to rest my Viva Jacque speculation from this morning.
Anthony Slama: Re-assigned to AAA. Not much of a surprise, but it definitely narrows the field for those final bullpen spots.
Mike Maroth, Ben Revere, Danny Lehmann: Assigned to minor league camp. Revere was 1-for-1 today, raising his spring average to .326.
Matt Tolbert: Optioned to AAA.
As TwinsTerritory mentions, this assures Alexi Casilla of that final bench spot as both Jones and Tolbert are out. Meanwhile, there's still some debate left over the remaining bullpen spots and the backup catcher competition. For more on that, don't miss Cmathewson's post below.
Merit Badges
J.J. Hardy (2-for-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, R)
Orlando Hudson (2-for-3, 2 R, BB)
Joe Mauer (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI)
Michael Cuddyer (1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI)
Jim Thome (1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R)
Juan Portes (1-for-1, 2B, RBI, R)
Anthony Slama (0.2 IP, BB)
Kyle Waldrop (1 IP, H)
Tough Game
Delmon Young (1-for-2, BB, PO, CS)
Nick Punto (0-for-3, K)
Mike Maroth (2.1 IP, 3 K, 2 BB, 2 H, R)
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Delmon only made one out on base...
He was picked off after his single in the fifth which gets counted as both a PO and a CS. Portes pinch-ran for him after his walk in the seventh.
So he was just bad, not double bad.
at least he took a walk
Even though getting picked off hurts, at this point I’m happy to see any indication that he might be improving his plate discipline. He’s got a .057 isolated discipline this spring (though only a .262 AVG). If he can keep walking during the season, maybe we’ll finally see the Delmon Young we’ve been hoping for.
by what_would_gil_thorp_do on Mar 27, 2010 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Still keeping us in suspense on the catcher.
Also, isn’t it sort of odd that there hasn’t been a closer named yet? I heard the speculation somewhere that not naming one from the internal options suggests they’re looking hard at external options, since if you had decided to just go with your guys, you’d figure out your man pretty quick and announce it.
I think they're still trying to get Frasor from the Jays
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Or Bell
Or somebody else, those these two names have been floated the most. That said, it isn’t worth over-paying for, so it’s totally up in the air whether this happens anytime soon. I’m sure we won’t get a definitive closer answer until probably right before the season. You don’t want to tell somebody he’s closing then pull the rug out from under him in a trade 2 days later.
I would guess they won’t bring anybody in before day one, and I’d wager a good deal of money that Rauch will get handed the bulk, or all, of the save chances if the don’t bring anybody in (though, there are some signs that Gardy might be mroe creative than originally thought with this, using Mijares creatively at the end, and Neshek seems to be gaining).
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
Alexi Cassila!!!!!!
He is Junk! I hope they trade him in any package with Glen Perkins for a closer or even some bullpen depth if we move someone within to the spot! Also Clay Condrey…..it seems like every time I have checked the box scores and he has pitched he has been rocked in 1 inning of work….JUNK get rid of this stain….I would rather have Maroth then that Sh@t Stain! Jacque should have made the team with his strong spring and he adds atleast a little defensive outfield depth! I’m still waiting for the Frasor deal also….I hope they don’t overspend….I still would welcome Smoltz anytime! Heath Bell would cost way to much and its not really worth it if its gonna cost any top prospects…..Glen Perkins and Cassila for Frasor sounds just good to me! PEACE!
Trade Perkins and Casilla
Yes, I think that may be at least partly the idea… though they’d never get Frasor for them… and it’s worth considering that the team has probably been trying to move these guys for all of ST, and maybe months now, so they apparently aren’t fetching much out there…
"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane
They won't fetch much
We are the only team that thinks Casilla could start some day. Value- Hi-A prospect If Casilla were on our prospect list were would you put him20-28. As for Perkins, he still has some value. The problem is other team know we are trying to trade him. So, his value is also low for now. In a month or two teams will know what the need and Perk’s value might go back up, but thats he worth? Were would he fit on our prospect list 10-15? Maybe we could get a AA second baseman?
by b1 on Mar 28, 2010 7:38 AM EDT up reply actions
I think there's always value for a servicable MLB lefty starter
I mean, he’s the type of guy you’d pull out the closet to face the Twins, e.g., since they have such a RHP-killing lineup, even if he’s generally no great shakes.
I guess the question for Perkins right now is whether he’s even servicable.
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