The Minnesota Twins continued to clear space on their 40-man roster on Thursday by outrighting infielder/outfielder Brian Dinkelman

--Tom Pellisserroo, 1500ESPN.com

Twins fans have been through a lot over the years.  The premature end to Kirby Puckett's career.  September 1984.  The Mike Maksudian Era.  But nothing could prepare them for the body blow that was landed yesterday, as beloved Twin Brian Dinkelman was let go to make room on the Twins' 40-man roster.  As we deal with our collective loss, let's look back at some of the moments that "The Dink" provided us over the years:

• June 4, 2011: Dinkelman makes his MLB debut.  He gets hit by a pitch, collects a single, draws an intentional walk and makes a terrific diving catch.  The DinkelSlam, as it came to be known, was the talk of Twins Territory.
• September 11, 2011: Dinkelman fails to advance baserunners twice in one game.  As much as we criticize players, chances are, if we were in their shoes, we would fail miserably.  Dinkelman showed us what would happen if some internet comment jerk had a bat in his or her hand.  It was a valuable lesson, one that needed to be taught.
• September 17-18, 2011: Dinkelman, burning white with the heat of a thousand suns, goes 7-for-9 over the course of two games.  The DinkelMonster, as he came to be known, had been loosed on the American League.  

Last night, Australian hurler Liam Hendriks made his Major League debut for the Minnesota Twins, throwing seven innings of three-run baseball. He allowed just four hits and three walks while striking out four, flashing a few good breaking balls and generally having good command of his fastball. It was a good night for him, even if his offense wasn't able to give him any support.

After the jump we'll take a look at his strategies last night, which he carried out with the support of Rene Rivera, including a few numbers you won't see in the box score and a breakdown of his pitch selections and locations.

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Since the double-A New Britain Rock Cats just missed making the playoffs this season, both Joe Benson and Chris Parmelee will be joining the Twins tonight. Both guys are two of the bigger names in the Minnesota farm system, having been considered top prospects for the last couple of seasons. While neither player is considered one of the blue chip or "can't miss" variety of prospect, both players have certain skills that make them more interesting than a few of the more lack luster September callups we've had in recent years.

Player comparisons aren't always the best or most accurate way of looking into the crystal ball to determine a player's future. But they are one of the easiest ways to create some baseline comprehension of what kind of player a guy is. With that caveat, we'll make just a few comps after the jump.

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I haven't done the research on this, so let me ask you: how often does the Player To Be Named Later turn out to be more interesting than what you might call the primary return? It's probably not too much of a stretch to answer: not very often. But I mentioned on Sunday that I thought Lester Oliveros has potential to be a bigger contributor to the Twins than Cole Nelson.

Oliveros, who was signed by the Tigers as an undrafted free agent in 2005 at age 17, is a hard-throwing, three-pitch right hander from Maracay, Venezuela. He's about to appear in his second stint in the Majors, following nine appearances with Detroit in July.

Debuting with the shared foreign rookie team for the Tigers and Marlins in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2006 (posting the fourth-best opponent average in the league that season at .188), he appeared in 20 contests and started in two (the only two starts on his minor league career), setting a tone that would be reflected in the coming years. He retired 46 batters on strikes in just 39.2 innings, but he also walked 20. Those walks were off-set by low hit rates, but it's all a common thread.

More on the history of Oliveros, and a scouting report, after the jump.

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Many Twins fans, frustrated at both a season gone wrong and their team's continued playoff failures at the hands of the New York Yankees, will no doubt be tempted to lustily boo the visiting team this weekend.  Some of the Yankees, though, are more deserving of your ire and invective than others.  Below is a guide to how you, the fan, should act when this player is introduced or comes to the plate.

Derek Jeter

#2 / Short Stop / New York Yankees

Height: 6-3

Weight: 195

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jun 26, 1974

 

 

Bad enough at defense now to play SS for the Twins (Nishioka ZING!), Jeter is a troublesome case for you, the prospective jeer-er.  On one hand, the Jeter worship from the New York and national media is hardly his fault, but on the other hand, you probably aren't going to be able to boo Mike Lupica in person unless you run into him buying sweaters "for a nephew" at the Rosedale Gymboree.  VERDICT:  yes, you may boo Jeter, but try to follow it up with a "but this is more meant for the media's slavish deification of you than anything you've done" caveat.  He'll appreciate the distinction.  

Alex Rodriguez

#13 / Third Base / New York Yankees

Height: 6-3

Weight: 230

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jul 27, 1975

 

 

He's expected to play at some point during the series.  Obviously, the extent to which you care about the steroids issue will dictate how loudly you boo him and what names you will call him, and I leave that to your own level of righteous indignation.  For those who don't plan to boo him, I understand, but would ask that you look at this picture first and reconsider your quietude.  VERDICT: boo with great conviction; ask him if the mirror is aging better than Cameron Diaz.

Curtis Granderson

#14 / Center Field / New York Yankees

Height: 6-1

Weight: 185

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Mar 16, 1981

 

 

An MVP candidate.  Has had the Twins' number for years.  (Did you know, during Game 163, that he was on base the entire game?)  Is referred to as "The Grandy Man" by Yankees' broadcast shill John Sterling.  The last reason is the only real reason to give him any heat, but it's enough.  VERDICT: boo, but with just the right amount of self-disgust because you'd kill for him to play for the Twins.

CC Sabathia

#52 / Pitcher / New York Yankees

Height: 6-7

Weight: 290

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Jul 21, 1980

 

 

Surly.  Never wears his hat right.  Hates when people bunt on him because then that pudgy dingus might actually have to break a goddamn sweat.  Baggiest uniform in baseball.  Fantastic, durable pitcher.  VERDICT: oh, yes, boo. [REDACTED] that guy.

Mariano Rivera

#42 / Pitcher / New York Yankees

Height: 6-2

Weight: 185

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Nov 29, 1969

 

 

Greatest closer of all time.  Vulnerable (maybe) to the inevitability of age, professional hitters w/beards. VERDICT: don't boo.  He's awesome.  You will never see another one like him.

Ivan Nova

#47 / Pitcher / New York Yankees

Height: 6-4

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jan 12, 1987

 

 

He has a cool name, but might be a stealth Russkie.  Rocky Balboa didn't hand Drago his ass just for a paycheck, comrade.  He did it for AMERICA.  VERDICT: boo, but only if you remember the Cold War.

Mark Teixeira

#25 / First Base / New York Yankees

Height: 6-3

Weight: 220

Bats: B

Throws: R

Born: Apr 11, 1980

 

 

Is there a more bland superstar in baseball?  I don't think so.  I just forgot who I was writing about.  Chris Chambliss?  Hey, I had his baseball card!   (FACT: If the "X" in Teixeira was pronounced as "ecks," people would like him more.)  VERDICT: you can boo, I guess, but if you need to go to the rest room or grab a bite to eat, do that instead.  He'll either fly out or hit a double, probably.

A.J. Burnett

#34 / Pitcher / New York Yankees

Height: 6-4

Weight: 230

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jan 03, 1977

 

 

Handsomely compensated starting pitcher who everyone in New York wants to run out of town.  VERDICT: go ahead and boo, but use it to gauge your anti-Bombers fervor.  There will probably be a Yankees fan or two in your section.  They hate Burnett more than you do, and will no doubt make this known loudly and indelicately. Can you match this fan in volume and vulgarity?  If you make nearby parents with kids complain to the usher, you've done your job.

When Joe Mauer stepped into the batter's box the first time after his months on the disabled list, he was hitting an abysmal .235 with an equally disappointing .556 OPS. He singled in his first at-bat, which was exciting to see. But he then went 2-for-24, and that average dropped to .186 with a jaw-dropping .454 OPS.

Mauer would finish the month of June by collecting a hit in each of the last five games, but his overall line was still significantly worse than it was when he hit the DL.

Since then it's fair to say something has changed. Most likely Joe is feeling a bit more like Joe. Maybe a little more of that strength is coming back and he's feeling better in himself, but timing Major League stuff takes a little while. In Joe's case, it took those first 25 at-bats over seven games. Hell, maybe it took him all 12 games he played in June and all 41 at-bats.

Once the calendar turned to July, however, there's been no doubt that Mauer has started to find his stride. His triple slash for the month is .380/.463/.408, including a .457 average over his last ten games (yes, that includes his 0-for-4 last night).

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Since July 1, Tsuyoshi Nishioka has turned in a much-improved performance. It's certainly an arbitrary date, yes, but in the month of July he's hit .278/.350/.296. While there's certainly no power (just one double as his only extra-base hit this month), he's 15-for-54 in this period with six walks and just seven strikeouts. From the number eight or nine batter, power isn't a necessary trait, either. It's been great to see him doing better.

One of the things he's still struggling with is hitting left-handed pitching. It was a popular question about Nishioka when he came to Major League Baseball: how he would fare against the best pitchers on the planet while continuing to hit both ways?

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At first, it appeared too good to be true.

Through the first seven weeks of the season, Alexi Casilla was a disaster.  An absolute disaster.  Between April 1 and May 23, Casilla played in 39 games, coming to bat a total of 112 times.  In those plate appearances, he posted a horrific .188/.252/.248 batting line, with just four extra-base hits and four runs batted in. 

Then something funny happened.  Casilla started hitting.  In the final week of May, Casilla batted .400 with four extra-base hits in those seven games alone.  Casilla would up hitting .288/.351/.424 for the month, though the vast majority of his production came from just his last 30 plate appearances.

Like I said, it initially appeared too good to be true.  Near the end of May Jesse wrote a piece entitled "Alexi Casilla is Going Streaking." It was a good column.  In it, Jesse cautioned against putting too much weight in Casilla's seven-game hot streak, considering it was immediately preceded by seven weeks of sheer futility.  While the column was hopeful - we were all praying Casilla could hold down one of the middle infield positions, especially considering the lack of viable alternatives in the organization - it also contained a justifiable amount of skepticism. 

As it turns out, Alexi Casilla's late-May turnaround was just a sign of things to come.  From the end of May through the All-Star Break, Casilla has been one of the better offensive middle infielders in the game. 

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