27-year old righty swinging 1B/OF Aaron Bates is hitting well in the minors for the Twins so far this year. Bates has played in 45 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 54 for 163 (.331 avg, .872 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 3 homers, 18 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Bates has 5 games of major league experience. It came back in 2009 with the Red Sox when he was 4 for 11 (.364 avg, .962 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 0 homers and 2 RBIs. If the Twins continue to struggle hitting the ball, they might give Bates a chance to help them at some point in 2011.

The Twins have placed starting LF Delmon Young on the 15-day disabled list due to a sprained right ankle. Young has played in 55 games for the Twins this year and he was 53 for 207 (.256 avg, .605 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 2 homers, 20 RBIs and 1 stolen base. The Twins have recalled 24-year old lefty swinging outfielder Rene Tosoni to take Young’s roster spot. Tosoni played in 17 games earlier this year for the Twins and he was 8 for 43 (.186 avg, .534 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer, 4 RBIs and 14 whiffs. The Twins hope that Tosoni is better for them this time around.

Lefty swinging outfielder Lyman Bostock had a very solid, but short, career with the Twins. He had a monster year with the Twins in 1977. In 1977, Bostock played in 153 games for the Twins in which he was 199 for 593 (.336 avg, .897 OPS) with 104 runs scored, 14 homers, 90 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Bostock also had 36 doubles and 12 triples in 1977 as he finished 27th in the voting to the A.L. MVP Award that year. Bostock played in 379 games in three years with the Twins and he was 456 of 1,436 (.318 avg, .812 OPS) with 231 runs scored, 18 homers, 179 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. Bostock signed on with the California Angels for the 1978 season. On September 23rd, 1978, Bostock was 2 for 4 with a double, walk and a run scored in a day game that the Angels lost 5-4 to the White Sox. Later that night, Bostock was shot in the temple in a car by a jealous husband who was aiming at his wife and missed. Bostock died two hours later.

29-year old righty starting pitcher Nick Blackburn has been on fire lately for the Twins. In his last three starts, Blackburn is 2-0 with a 1.77 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Blackburn has now started 14 games for the Twins so far this year and he is 6-4 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He has given up 96 hits in 91 innings this year but he has limited the damage by attacking the strikezone as he has only walked 24 batters so far this year. Blackburn has been the Twins’ best starter so far this year and that has been a complete surprise.

The Twins have signed 28-year old righty starter/reliever Thomas Diamond to a minor league deal. Diamond pitched in 14 games (5 starts) in AAA-ball earlier this year for the Cubs and he was 1-3 with a 8.66 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP. He got his first taste of the majors last year with the Cubs. He pitched in 16 games (3 starts) for the Cubs last year and he was 1-3 with a 6.83 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. Diamond was once one of the best prospects in baseball before he was injured. The Twins won’t give him a shot to join the team unless he really steps up in the minors.