Monday update: Three off-day Twins nuggets
Posted on July 6th, 2009 – 12:14 PMBy Joe Christensen
1. Twins pitcher Kevin Slowey is scheduled to have his strained right wrist examined today in Baltimore. He likely will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam, and if there is an update to pass along today, we’ll have it here.
2. Besides Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan, the American League All-Star Team includes former Twins Torii Hunter and Jason Bartlett, and the National League squad includes Johan Santana.
“Jason’s a good friend of mine; I was excited to hear about that,” Mauer said. “Torii’s been there a couple times. I was really excited to hear about Bartlett. He’s earned it. He’s having a great season.”
Indeed, Bartlett is batting .358 with a .401 on-base percentage and a .562 slugging percentage. That .963 OPS is almost Mauer-like, though Joe is at 1.113.
3. Had a note in my game story from Baseball-Reference.com about Nick Blackburn’s nine consecutive quality starts. That’s the longest such active streak in the AL. Cliff Lee reeled off 10 consecutive quality starts for Cleveland earlier this year. Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke also had nine consecutive quality starts earlier this year.
40 Responses to "Monday update: Three off-day Twins nuggets"
I’m happy for Bart, but looking at T’s lineup at 8:41 AM, it struck me as kind of a weak All-Star team for the AL this year.
Does anyone know if the team is close to signing Blake Dean?
I disagree, Shaun. It’s a younger AL team, but it’s not weak. Plus the ability of so many AL players to play multiple positions gives the AL a distinct advantage. The NL has some nice power hitters… but they all seem to play first base. Without the DH, only one of them can be in the lineup at a time.
I’ll be surprised if the AL doesn’t win this game relatively easily.
My biggest concern about this year’s ASG is that each team elected to only have two catchers. Apparently learning nothing from the last year’s situation.
Thankfully Mauer’s starting, so he’ll likely get 4-5 innings worth of game time before giving way to the backup.
Also, depending on Hamilton’s situation it’s very likely that Hunter could wind up a starter. That’d be pretty cool. I always felt he got ripped off by only getting one actual start in the ASG OF.
Here’s hoping for the best for Slowey. Thank God this injury didn’t flare up a month ago. Now, with Bake and F-Bomb lighting it up, the Twins should give Slowey all the time he needs to get better. Lookin strong for the 2nd half.
Oh, to put my lineup in perspective…here was last years:
Suzuki
Jeter
Hamilton
Rodriguez, A.
Ramirez, M.
Bradley
Youkilis
Mauer
Pedroia
So I guess something simliar this year. Though I really think you want the guy leading the league in hitting to bat higher than 8th.
Who is Blake Dean?
YGTBKM: Twins’ 11th round pick outta LSU. Was really mashing at the college world series this year. Can’t field worth nothing, though, hence his 11th round status.
“Can’t field worth nothing”
Is that better than CAN field worth nothing?
or can’t field worth something?
or can field worth something?
or can’t field A-tall?
Sorry, Grammar Police.
You have the right to not answer.
No harm intended.
Hats off to Bartlett.
But someone should have told him that Piranha’s can’t have .963 OPS’s…
T,
While I agree with your assessment that Mauer should be batting higher in the order for the ASG, but wasn’t he leading the league in batting at this point last year as well?
“Can’t field worth nothing” = Can’t field; worth nothing defensively.
Those damn semicolons.
right chin, when bart was here he couldn’t hit worth nothin’
These next two series before the All-Star break are crucial. Twins gotta take two out of three from both of them. Wish Blackburn could make two of the starts in that span - timing just didn’t work out.
These six games - and the ones right after the break - could really help the Twins put pressure on Detroit and Chicago.
I think health and injuries are going to decide the division race this year, more so that other years. We’re gonna find out how tough our players are - our starters are going to have to play tired and with owies. Compared to Detroit and Chicago player reputations - I like our chances in any war of attrition.
Bartlett’s had a helluva 1st half. If he keeps hitting like he has, he (not Garza) will be the star of that unfortunate trade.
Absolutely right, Obie. I just don’t quite believe he will and am unsure about an All Star birth for someone who’s had three good months of baseball.
So if Hunter does start we will see 4 Twins or former Twins that would be cool.
Glad to see Mauer now has enough plate appearances to qualify for the league leadership in batting categories. Nice to see him at #1 in batting, slugging, on-base, and of course OPS!
BC: Morneau and Bartlett won’t be in the starting lineup unless something happens to both Jeter and Tex.
Who ironically enough will both be at the Dome for three days starting tomorrow.
…Not that I’m suggetsing anything.
Glanzer….I don’t think quite yet for Mauer, what was stated on another blog is that he needs 5 appearances on Tuesday to be there. Please correct me if I am wrong. Thanks.
T:::::”"”…Not that I’m suggesting anything.”"”
Oh, no you aren’t…. 
Don: That sounds about right. According to DnB he needed 5 PAs yesterday and only got 4. So he’d need to pick up the 1 he has left and then the three from tomorrow’s game once it starts.
So that’d be like 4-5. He’s on pace to be elligible by the end of the Yankees series.
Anyone picked up Luis Alaya yet,not to sure on the spelling. OPS!!!!!!!
Marlins picked up Ayala
spelling doesn’t count of twin’s blogs richard. especially “all-star births”
Shaun, both of my children were “all-star births”!!!!!
I can see the ASG for Bartlett, but I doubt he can keep up this pace. With regard to his HRs, he’s got a couple 370- and a Yankee stadium (RF) jack, so a bit lucky. What’s out of this world is Bartlett that ~29% of the balls that come off of his bat are line drives. Far and away the most among players with 200+ PAs. I’d guess this is Bartlett’s peak and he should be rewarded as such. I sure hope he isn’t the 2nd coming of Garciaparra (of the top of my head).
http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=200&type=2&season=2009&month=0
http://www.hittrackeronline.com/detail.php?id=2009_232&type=hitter
I can see the ASG for Bartlett, but I doubt he can keep up this pace. With regard to his HRs, he’s got a couple 370- and a Yankee stadium (RF) jack, so a bit lucky. What’s out of this world is Bartlett that ~29% of the balls that come off of his bat are line drives. Far and away the most among players with 200+ PAs. I’d guess this is Bartlett’s peak and he should be rewarded as such. I sure hope he isn’t the 2nd coming of Garciaparra (of the top of my head).
I just don’t quite believe he will and am unsure about an All Star birth for someone who’s had three good months of baseball.
You don’t think that the All-Star rosters should be composed of players that are performing the best, all around” at their respective positions for the present year?
I agree that he won’t keep up his sweet numbers through the end of the seaon…but “right now”, Bartlett is the best or second-best SS in the AL and worthy of the All-Star nod regardless of how he performs the rest of the season.
The fan’s want to see the biggest stars of the era in the All-Star game. Sometimes fan voting doesn’t indicate that. Not that sportwriter’s voting did either. Maybe ought to go by baseball card sales.
Wouldn’t the fan voting be the best indication of what the fans want?
Not that most of them actually know what they’re talking about most of the time. I mean seriously…Josh Hamilton goes on the DL in June and Hunter STILL can’t bump him out of the #3 OF spot?
T, who said some of the bloggers and fan voters have common sense? You ought to know that just from following the Strib Blogs and trish’s blog…..
I heard fans stuff the ballot box.
I’m not saying, I’m just saying.
Shaun, fans would never, ever, not in a million years, do that.
I can’t believe Punto got snubbed? He fought through a groin and rib injury and just battled all 1st half?
Check the next blog, Dandy. Martin Prado.
Yeap, you guessed it. Snubbed.
Just some idle speculation.
Assuming JoeM plays all six games until the all-star break (4 as catcher, 2 @DH) and current tpa/at bats ratio stays current. He will have 284 plate appearances and 239 at bats by the break. He would need 96 hits to be batting .400 at the all star game. this will require going 12 for 23 over the next week -any takers? Mornaeu just went 12/25.
I’m still worried about those damn cranes and their humane removal from Target Field. I hope it isn’t botched as who would want to see anything horrible happen to such beautiful birds.
And yet with all of that Blackburn is not on the All star roster. It’s not right!
