Minnesota Twins MLB News - Twins Baseball Blog

Jason Kubel has been solid again for the Minnesota Twins in 2010

chinmusic — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:49:14 +0000

28-year old lefty swinging OF/DH Jason Kubel has been solid for the Twins again in 2010. Kubel has played in 121 games for the Twins this year and he is 112 of 432 (.259 avg, .783 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 18 homers and 81 RBIs. He is tied for the team lead in homers (18) with Jim Thome and Justin Morneau and he’s second on the team in RBIs. Kubel has really been a unsung hero on the Twins the last couple of years as he has produced despite not getting a lot of ink like Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau get.

The Minnesota Twins DFA Loek Van Mil

chinmusic — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:44:19 +0000

The Twins have designated 25-year old righty reliever Loek Van Mil for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Brian Fuentes. Mil pitched in 26 games (0 starts) in A+AA-ball this year and he was 1-3 with a 6.15 ERA and a 1.96 WHIP. He had control issues as he walked 22 batters in only 33 2/3 innings this year. Part of the problem is that Mil is 7′1″.

UPDATE: (9/1/2010) - The Twins have sent Loek Van Mil to the Angels to complete the Brian Fuentes trade.

The Minnesota Twins acquire Brian Fuentes from the Angels

chinmusic — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:34:00 +0000

The Twins have acquired 34-year old lefty reliever Brian Fuentes from the Angels for a player to be named later. Fuentes pitched in 39 games (0 starts) for the Angels this year and he was 4-1 with 23 saves, a 3.52 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He has now pitched in 542 games (0 starts) in 10 years in the majors and he is 22-33 with 186 saves, a 3.48 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. This was a great move for the Twins as Fuentes will likely serve as a set-up man to Matt Capps and he’s death to lefty hitters because of his delivery.

The Minnesota Twins claim Randy Flores off waivers

chinmusic — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:35:39 +0000

The Twins have claimed 35-year old lefty reliever Randy Flores off waivers from the Rockies. Flores pitched in 47 games (0 starts) for the Rockies this year and he is 2-0 with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He has now pitched in 339 games (3 starts) in his major league career and he is 11-5 with 4 saves, a 4.60 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. The Twins were smart to pick up Flores with Mahay and Mijares injured and they didn’t have to give anything up to get him.

Jesse Crain is really pitching well for the Minnesota Twins in 2010

chinmusic — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:51:02 +0000

28-year old righty reliever Jesse Crain looks finally healthy and he’s pitching his best baseball since the 2005 season. Crain has pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Twins this year and he is 1-0 with 1 save, a 2.70 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He has only given up 41 hits while whiffing 47 batters in 53 1/3 innings this year. Don’t be surprised if Crain works his way into the set-up man role for the Twins if he keeps pitching like he is right now because Matt Guerrier and Jon Rauch have not been sharp as of late.

The Minnesota Twins place Ron Mahay on the D.L.

chinmusic — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:30:07 +0000

The Twins have placed 39-year old lefty reliever Ron Mahay on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right shoulder. Mahay has pitched in 41 games (0 starts) for the Twins this year and he is 1-1 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. The Twins have recalled 26-year old righty reliever Anthony Slama to replace Mahay in the pen. Slama has pitched in 5 games (0 starts) earlier this year for the Twins and he was 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA and a 2.36 WHIP. Hopefully Slama will pitch better for the Twins this time around.

UPDATE: (8/24/2010) - The Twins will be without Ron Mahay for the rest of the season due to a torn rotator cuff. The Twins need to get back into the trade market for a lefty reliever with Jose Mijares also out of action due to injury.

The Minnesota Twins place Kevin Slowey on the D.L.

chinmusic — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:26:45 +0000

The Twins have placed 26-year old righty starting pitcher Kevin Slowey on the 15-day disabled list with strained right triceps. Slowey has pitched in 25 games (24 starts) for the Twins this year and he is 11-6 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. The Twins have recalled 28-year old righty Nick Blackburn to replace Slowey in the starting rotation. Blackburn has pitched in 19 games (18 starts) for the Twins this year and he is 7-7 with a 6.66 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. He has given up 148 hits (19 homers) this year for the Twins in only 104 innings! Maybe Blackburn will get back on track for the Twins as he looked good in AAA after his demotion. Blackburn started 4 games in AAA-ball and he was 1-0 with a 2.49 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.

The Minnesota Twins place Nick Punto on the D.L.

chinmusic — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 16:50:24 +0000

The Twins have placed infielder Nick Punto on the D.L. with a strained left hamstring. Punto has played in 81 games for the Twins this year and he is 59 of 233 (.253 avg, .645 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 1 homer, 20 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. The Twins have recalled infielder Matt Tolbert to take his place. Tolbert has played in 23 games for the Twins this year and he is 10 of 46 (.217 avg, .615 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer and 8 RBIs. Punto and Tolbert are a lot alike in style of play so the Twins should be o.k.

Jim Thome has been a lifesaver for the Minnesota Twins

chinmusic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 02:25:07 +0000

When 39-year old lefty swinging DH Jim Thome signed with the Twins I thought he was nuts because it appeared that he wouldn’t get much P.T. But due to the injury to Justin Morneau, Thome has pretty much been a regular as of late. He has played in 80 games for the Twins this year and he is 54 of 204 (.265 avg, .966 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 16 homers and 41 RBIs. Thome is still moving up the all-time charts in major league history as he now has 580 homers (#10) and 1,606 RBIs (#31). He is only three homers behind Mark McGwire and six homers behind Frank Robinson.

The Minnesota Twins place Jose Mijares on the D.L.

chinmusic — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:41:07 +0000

The Twins have placed 25-year old lefty reliever Jose Mijares on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left knee. Mijares has pitched in 37 games (0 starts) for the Twins this year and he is 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. The Twins have recalled 25-year old righty reliever/starter Jeff Manship to replace Mijares in the pen. Manship has pitched in 5 games (1 start) for the Twins this year and he is 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. Manship will likely do a solid job for the Twins but they will miss Mijares because he’s a quality lefty.

UPDATE: (8/13/2010) - Mijares needs surgery on his right knee which will cause him to miss around 1 month.