38-year old righty swinging catcher Mike Redmond wants to return to the Twins next season. He has played in 44 games this year for the Twins and he is 31 for 130 (.238 avg, .595 OPS) with 9 runs scored and 7 RBIs. Despite him playing well in the past for the Twins it’s hard to imagine the Twins going with him over the 26-year old switch hitting Jose Morales. Morales has played in 50 games for the Twins this season and he is 36 for 108 (.333 avg, .781 OPS) with 14 runs scored and 7 RBIs. Plus Morales will likely be playing a lot cheaper than Redmond would. It looks like Redmond will be in a different uniform next season.

27-year old lefty swinging DH/OF Jason Kubel had a great season for the Twins. He has played in 140 games for the Twins this season and he is 146 for 491 (.297 avg, .890 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 24 homers and 92 RBIs. Kubel did a fine job of giving Justin Morneau a lot of protection in the lineup. The Twins need him to finish strong if they are going to make the playoffs.

The Minnesota Twins played great today but they are still two games back of the Detroit Tigers after splitting a doubleheader with them.  The Twins won the first game 3-2 in extra innings, as Orlando Cabrera hit a RBI 10th inning single to put the Twins ahead.  The Twins had to rally late in the second game and had three runs in the last two innings.  It was not enough though and they fell 6-5.  The Twins are still putting the pressure on and have two games left in their series at Detroit, and both teams have five total games left in the season.  If the Twins are able to win these next two games it will take all the momentum and I think they will win the division.

The Twins are down 2 games in the American League Central and they are heading to Detroit to take on the Tigers in a four game series. The Twins have not been good at all on the road as they are 36-41 on the season and the Tigers are stout at home with a 48-26 record at Comerica Park. The Twins do appear to have some advantages in the pitching matchups. Tonight is Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.18) vs. Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.14). Blackburn has started 2 games against the Tigers this season and he is 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. Porcello has not pitched too bad against the Twins. He has started 3 games against them this season and he is 1-2 with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. This should be a really good baseball game tonight. Tomorrow it’s rookie lefty Brian Duensing (5-1, 3.33) against Justin Verlander (17-9, 3.41 ERA). This is not as bad as it looks as the Tigers have had some problems with lefties this season. Duensing has pitched in 3 games (1 start) against the Tigers this season and he is 1-0 with a 0.61 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. Justin Verlander has not pitched too well against the Twins this season. He has started 3 games against the Twins this season and he is 0-2 with a 5.49 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Wednesday the matchup is Carl Pavano (13-11, 4.86) vs. Eddie Bonine (0-1, 4.60 ERA). Carl Pavano is a Tiger Killer and that was part of the reason the Twins wanted him. He has started 5 games against the Tigers this season and he is 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. Bonine has not pitched against the Twins this season. You have to wonder if Bonine can handle the bright lights of the playoff hunt. In the final game of the series it’s Scott Baker (14-9, 4.48 ERA) vs. Nate Robertson (2-2, 5.56 ERA). Baker has been awful against the Tigers so far this season as he has started three games against them and he is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP. The Twins need him to step up in this game as they are not that good against lefty starting pitchers. Robertson has pitched in 2 games (1 start) against the Twins this season and he is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. This series will likely determine the winner of the American League Central so it will be very interesting to see who wants it more…….the Twins or the Tigers.

19-year old switch hitting outfielder Aaron Hicks was the Twins’ #1 rated prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. He played in 67 games in A-ball this year and he was 63 for 251 (.251 avg, .735 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 4 homers, 29 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Hicks is the kind of speed/defensive player that the Twins love to draft. They will likely take it slow with Hicks as they have a lot of depth in the outfield.