Avoiding 100 Losses, Fixing Third-Base Defense, and Other Twins Notes

It's always a better morning after a Twins win. Here are some more links and tidbits for your enjoyment:

• Having a bad day? Here's something to cheer you up: FSN's Tyler Mason points out that that, after last weekend's sweep by the Mariners, the Twins actually have a worse record than last year, and will have to try even harder to avoid 100 losses. After last night's win, the Twins will have to go 12-29 to avoid that mark.
• John Shipley of the Pioneer Press wrote a piece about Trevor Plouffe's defensive struggles since returning from the DL. Gardenhire explained the problem: "You've got to bend over. It's the same thing Danny Valencia was doing, standing straight up, and if you're an infielder, ground balls are normally on the ground. And if you're standing straight up, that's a long ways to get to them, especially on the hot corner."
• Keith Law of ESPN recently praised Twins top-prospect Miguel Sano, saying he had "elite-pop" in his bat--but rather lackluster defense for a third baseman (stop me if you've heard this one before).
• Yesterday, the Twins took both Nick Blackburn and Tsuyoshi Nishioka off the Twins 40-man roster. ESPN 1500 interviewed GM Terry Ryan about the moves last night, and had some interesting things to say about what he saw of Nishi during his recent trip to Rochester. Also, when asked about whether Aaron Hicks would be a possible September call up, Ryan responded, "Maybe."
• Denard Span, who hurt his shoulder last Sunday a week from last Sunday, is still sore.
• The Twins extended their minor league deal with the Rochester Red Wings through the 2014 season.
• The Star Tribune's Joe Christensen notes the current opinions on recent call-ups Matt Carson and Pedro Florimon (spoiler: Carson has a great arm and Florimon provides stability as a shortstop).
• As you've probably already had jammed down your throat heard, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder visited the Twins clubhouse last weekend in Seattle on an invitation from Ron Coomer. The visit was apparently of special delight to pitcher Jared Burton, who called Vedder his hero and had even watched a Pearl Jam documentary on the flight from Minneapolis. "It was right up there with the coolest things ever," fan-boy Burton said. Anyway, here's a picture of Vedder and a bunch of giddy Twins in the clubhouse.