The Twins have placed Kevin Slowey on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right biceps. Slowey only has started one game this season for the Twins and he is 0-1 with a 8.10 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. The Twins have recalled lefty Francisco Liriano from the minors to replace Slowey in the rotation. Slowey’s injury will also buy time for Nick Blackburn to prove whether or not he gets to stay with the big league club or not.

The Minnesota Twins have placed starting right fielder Michael Cuddyer on the 15-day disabled list with a dislocated right index finger. Cuddyer has played in 5 games so far this season and he was 5 for 18 (.278 avg, .556 OPS) with 1 RBI and 1 stolen base. The Twins have recalled outfielder Denard Span from the minors to take Cuddyer’s spot on the roster but he likely won’t get a lot of playing time. The Twins will likely start both Jason Kubel and Craig Monroe in the RF & DH spots until Cuddyer is ready to return. Kubel is off to a good start this season as he has played in 5 games and he is 4 for 14 (.286 avg, .904 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. Craig Monroe is off to a slow start however. Monroe has played in 4 games this season and he is 1 for 11 (.091 avg, .413 OPS) with 1 RBI.

The Twins have signed 34-year old righty Danny Graves to a minor league contract. He last pitched in the major leagues in 2006 with the Indians. Graves has pitched in 518 games (30 starts) in his major league career and he is 43-44 with 182 saves, a 4.05 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He could possibly help the Twins at some point in the 2008 season if he proves that he has something left in the minors.

The Minnesota Twins bullpen is outstanding and it’s all led by 33-year old righty closer Joe Nathan. Nathan pitched in 68 games (0 starts) for the Twins last season and he was 4-2 with 37 saves, a 1.88 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He also whiffed 77 batters in only 71.2 innings last season which shows how dominant his stuff really is. Nathan has now been with the Twins for 4 years and he has compiled a 19-8 record, with 160 saves, a 1.94 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He also has whiffed 355 batters in 282.1 innings as a Twin. Quite simply, Nathan is one of the very best closers in all of baseball.

27-year old righty Pat Neshek will be the #1 set-up man for the Twins this season and he is downright nasty. He pitched in 74 games for the Twins last season and he is 7-2 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Neshek only allowed 44 hits while whiffing 74 batters in only 70.1 innings which shows how dominating the the flame throwing side armer is.

29-year old righty Matt Guerrier had his best season ever and he appears set to be the Twins’ 7th inning man. He pitched in 73 games (0 starts) last season for the Twins and he was 2-4 with 1 save, a 2.35 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. Look for him to do a solid job again in 2008 for the Twins.

31-year old lefty Dennys Reyes will be the top lefty out of the bullpen for the Twins but he needs to pitch better than he did in 2007. Reyes pitched in 50 games (0 starts) last season for the Twins and he was 2-1 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP. Reyes was incredible in 2006 as he pitched in 66 games (0 starts) for the Twins and he was 5-0 with a 0.89 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. He likely will not be as good as he was in 2006 nor as bad as he was last season.

29-year old righty Juan Rincon almost became a Tampa Bay Ray in the off-season but he didn’t look healthy enough to them. So, Rincon returns to the Twins. He pitched in 63 games (0 starts) for the Twins last season and he was 3-3 with a 5.13 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. If Rincon is healthy he will pitch much better than he did last season.

26-year old righty Joe Crain is back this season after missing a lot of time in 2007 due to surgery. He pitched in 18 games (0 starts) for the Twins last season and he was 1-2 with a 5.51 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Crain has now pitched in 183 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 20-12 with 2 saves, a 3.16 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP.

26-year old righty Brian Bass will be the long man in the Twins bullpen this season. He pitched in 37 games (10 starts) in AAA ball last season and he was 7-3 with a 3.48 ERA. Bass has now pitched in 180 games (149 starts) in his minor league career and he is 45-53 with a 4.32 ERA.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A