Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

Offense Explodes Against Brewers

By Aaron Ferguson
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota exploded for eight runs against Milwaukee after losing the first two games against them.

Aaron Hicks was key in last night's 8-3 win over the Brewers. Hicks had three hits, including two doubles last night. He also drove in two runs and scored a run of his own.

Chris Colabello went four-for-four as well and showed promise in his streaky offense. Colabello had a pair of doubles to go along with a pair of singles.

Rich Harden pitched well against the Brewers, allowing just three runs in five innings. His counterpart, Kyle Lohse, allowed five runs to the Twins in the same amount of frames.

The Twins bullpen pitched well, especially when they were in pressure situations. Ron Gardenhire has been impressed with his backend of the bullpen and is confident in them.

Minnesota will host the Brewers tonight in the final game of this four-game set. Mike Pelfrey will attempt to earn his eighth win of the season against Mark Rogers.

Milwaukee Brewers at Minnesota Twins
May 29, 2013	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Milwaukee (29-22)	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	3	12	0
Minnesota (28-24)	1	0	1	1	2	2	0	1	X	8	15	0
W: Rich Harden (4-4) L: Kyle Lohse (2-4)

Milwaukee Brewers
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
RF Norichika Aoki	5	1	3	0	0	0	.294
CF Carlos Gomez	4	0	2	1	1	1	.269
LF Ryan Braun	5	0	2	1	0	1	.301
1B Blake Lalli	5	0	1	0	0	0	.216
3B Aramis Ramirez	3	0	1	0	1	0	.287
C Jonathon LuCroy	4	0	0	0	0	3	.333
DH Martin Maldanado	4	0	1	0	0	0	.243
2B Rickie Weeks	4	0	0	0	0	2	.232
SS Yuniesky Betancourt	4	2	2	1	0	1	.284
TOTALS	38	3	12	3	2	8
BATTING HR: Betancourt (6) RBI: Braun (45), Gomez (21), Betancourt (29) GIDP: Lalli
BASERUNNING SB: Braun (4)

Milwaukee Brewers
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Kyle Lohse (L, 2-4)	5.0	7	5	5	0	2	4.54
Mike Gonzalez	1.0	4	2	2	0	0	4.68
Burke Badenhop	1.1	3	1	1	0	0	1.80
Jim Henderson	0.2	1	0	0	0	0	4.06
TOTALS	8.0	15	8	8	0	2

Minnesota Twins
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
2B Brian Dozier	2	0	0	2	0	0	.241
RF Chris Parmelee	4	0	0	0	0	0	.253
C Joe Mauer	3	2	2	0	0	0	.302
DH Justin Morneau	4	1	2	1	0	0	.314
3B Trevor Plouffe	4	1	2	0	0	1	.296
CF Aaron Hicks	4	1	3	2	0	0	.336
LF Josh Willingham	4	1	2	1	0	1	.315
1B Chris Colabello	4	2	4	1	0	0	.270
SS Freddy Sanchez	4	0	0	1	0	0	.182
TOTALS	33	8	15	8	0	2
BATTING 2B: Mauer (12,13), Hicks (8), Colabello (2,3), Plouffe (13,14) RBI: Hicks (28,29), Morneau (41), Sanchez (7), Dozier (17,18), Colabello (5), Willingham (27) HBP: Mauer SF: Dozier 2 GIDP: Morneau

Minnesota Twins
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Rich Harden (W, 4-4)	5.0	7	3	3	1	4	5.61
Michael Tonkin (H, 3)	1.2	2	0	0	0	1	2.32
Caleb Thielbar (H, 3)	1.1	2	0	0	0	2	1.35
Josh Roenicke	1.0	1	0	0	1	1	1.25
TOTALS	9.0	12	3	3	2	8

MLB Standings - Updated: May 29, 2013
AL CENTRAL	W	L	GB
Minnesota Twins	29	24	-
Detroit Tigers	28	24	0.5
Cleveland Indians	28	25	1.0
Kansas City Royals	24	28	4.5
Chicago White Sox	19	34	10.0

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

Twins Force Series Split

By Aaron Ferguson
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota and Milwaukee played a back-and-forth game in the final meeting between the teams this season.

Justin Morneau's solo home run in the bottom of the fifth gave the Twins a 5-4 lead. They would never look back from there.

Caleb Thielbar was the difference maker in the seventh inning. Mike Pelfrey had pitched into a bases loaded jam with one out and Gardenhire made the move to bring Thielbar in. Thielbar got a pop up in foul territory and a strikeout to strand the bases loaded a preserve the lead.

Josh Roenicke and Glen Perkins took the reins from there and slammed the door shut in the Brewers' faces. Minnesota earned a series split with their rivals this year.

Looking forward, the Twins will host the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series before hitting the road again.

Milwaukee Brewers at Minnesota Twins
May 30, 2013	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Milwaukee (29-23)	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	4	13	1
Minnesota (29-24)	2	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	X	5	10	1
W: Mike Pelfrey (8-3) L: Mark Rogers (4-4) S: Glen Perkins (18)

Milwaukee Brewers
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
RF Norichika Aoki	5	1	1	0	0	0	.292
CF Carlos Gomez	5	1	1	0	0	1	.268
LF Ryan Braun	4	1	2	2	0	1	.305
1B Corey Hart	5	0	3	1	0	1	.302
3B Aramis Ramirez	5	0	2	0	0	0	.290
DH Martin Maldanado	4	1	0	0	1	2	.222
SS Yuniesky Betancourt	2	0	0	0	1	0	.238
PH Jonathon LuCroy	1	0	1	0	0	0	.340
SS Jean Segura
C Blake Lalli	4	0	1	1	0	1	.218
TOTALS	39	4	13	4	2	7
BATTING 2B: Weeks (10), LuCroy (4), Hart (14) HR: Braun (16) RBI: Braun (46,47), Lalli (7), Hart (34) HBP: Braun GIDP: Betancourt, Ramirez
BASERUNNING SB: Braun (5)
FIELDING E: Betancourt (4)

Milwaukee Brewers
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Mark Rogers (L, 4-4)	4.1	7	5	4	2	0	3.79
Tom Gorzelanny	2.2	3	0	0	0	1	4.82
Mike Gonzalez	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	4.54
TOTALS	8.0	10	5	4	2	2

Minnesota Twins
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
2B Brian Dozier	4	1	1	1	0	0	.242
LF Darin Mastroianni	4	1	0	0	0	1	.247
C Josmil Pinto	3	1	1	2	0	0	.247
DH Justin Morneau	4	1	2	2	0	0	.318
3B Trevor Plouffe	3	0	0	0	1	0	.291
CF Aaron Hicks	4	0	2	0	0	0	.340
1B Chris Colabello	3	1	2	0	1	0	.286
RF Chris Parmelee	4	0	1	0	0	0	.254
SS Pedro Florimon	4	0	1	0	0	1	.241
TOTALS	33	5	10	5	2	2
BATTING 2B: Parmelee (11) HR: Pinto (3), Morneau (17) RBI: Pinto (9,10), Morneau (42,43), Dozier (19) SF: Pinto, Dozier
BASERUNNING SB: Hicks (24)
FIELDING E: Colabello (3)

Minnesota Twins
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Mike Pelfrey (W, 8-3)	6.1	11	4	4	2	4	4.50
Caleb Thielbar (H, 4)	1.1	1	0	0	0	2	1.27
Josh Roenicke (H, 5)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	1.23
Glen Perkins (S, 18)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	2.79
TOTALS	9.0	13	4	4	2	7

MLB Standings - Updated: May 30, 2013
AL CENTRAL	W	L	GB
Minnesota Twins	30	24	-
Detroit Tigers	29	24	0.5
Cleveland Indians	28	26	2.0
Kansas City Royals	24	29	5.5
Chicago White Sox	20	34	10.0

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

Twins Call Up Buxton

By Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota has called up one of their top prospects, outfielder Byron Buxton.

The Twins want a faster outfield defensively and they also want more speed in their lineup. Buxton provides that speed for them. They 19-year old will make his Major League debut tonight against Seattle.

Buxton hit .293 at the triple-a level with 11 stolen bases in 14 attempts. Buxton's speed will be at the top of the lineup and manager Ron Gardenhire expects him to do well.

"He'll (Buxton) will do a great job for us," Gardenhire predicted. "We get an opportunity to get more speed in our lineup and defensively, which we've lacked."

Josh Willingham will move to the designated hitter spot, Aaron Hicks will move to right field and Darin Mastroianni to left. Willingham will still start in the outfield from time-to-time, but the goal is to have as much speed out there as they can.

Chris Parmelee was optioned to triple-a and will start for Rochester.

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

Games 55-57
20-34 vs. 30-24

May 31, 7:10 CT
Game 55

Danny Hultzen 4-5 5.93 ERA | Alex Meyer 1-0 2.49 ERA

June 1, 12:10 CT
Game 56

Felix Hernandez 5-3 3.53 ERA | TBD

June 2, 1:10 CT
Game 57

Erasmo Ramirez 2-7 5.84 ERA | Cole De Vries 2-5 6.30 ERA

Players to Watch

C Jesus Montero
.256 AVG 4 HR 21 RBI
-Jesus Montero holds a .327 on base percentage, which is a bright spot to a struggling Mariners offense.


RF Michael Saunders
.264 AVG 7 HR 26 RBI
-Michael Saunders has provided the most pop in the M's lineup this year and is well above his career average.


CF Byron Buxton
Major League Debut
-Byron Buxton will be making his Major League Debut this weekend at the age of 19.

Series Notes
-Minnesota enters with a 30-24 record and is first in the AL Central.
-Seattle enters with a 20-34 record and is 15.5 games behind the Angels in the AL West.
-Byron Buxton will be making his Major League Debut this weekend.
-Seattle will look to jump start their offense against a struggling Twins pitching staff.
-Aaron Hicks will try to continue to stay hot as he's hitting .340 with 7 home runs and 24 stolen bases.

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

Meyer Exits Early, Twins Walk-Off

By Aaron Ferguson
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota and Seattle played a back-and-forth game that ended in dramatic fashion.

Alex Meyer left the game in the second inning after throwing a pitch. He felt discomfort in his throwing arm and was removed from the game. He is set to undergo tests today.

The Twins did all they could to get a win. Byron Buxton won Player of the Game honors in his Major League debut. Buxton went 3-5 while driving in two runs and stealing a base. Buxton displayed all of his talent in the win over the Mariners.

"He's a great talent and he proved it last night," veteran catcher Joe Mauer said.

Felix Hernandez will pitch for the Mariners this afternoon as the Twins are likely to throw Kevin Correia. Vance Worley will miss his second start due to an incident a couple weeks ago.

Seattle Mariners at Minnesota Twins
May 31, 2013	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle (20-34)	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	4	12	2
Minnesota (30-24)	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	0	1	5	11	2
W: Glen Perkins (3-1) L: Aaron Harang (0-1)

Seattle Mariners
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
2B Robert Andino	5	1	1	0	0	3	.243
DH Brendan Ryan	5	0	2	0	0	0	.205
1B Kendrys Morales	4	1	0	0	1	2	.225
C Jesus Montero	5	1	2	0	0	1	.259
PR Travis Ard							.352
C Henry Blanco							.230
3B Kyle Seagar	5	1	2	2	0	2	.200
LF Raul Ibanez	5	0	2	1	0	0	.262
RF Michael Saunders	4	0	2	1	0	2	.270
CF Franklin Gutierrez	4	0	0	0	0	1	.257
SS Jack Marder	3	0	1	0	1	1	.237
TOTALS	40	4	12	4	2	12
BATTING 2B: Saunders (8) RBI: Sseagar (8,9), Ibanez (26), Saunders (27) GIDP: Gutierrez
FIELDING E: Perez (1), Seagar (3)

Seattle Mariners
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Danny Hultzen	6.0	8	3	3	1	0	5.78
Oliver Perez (BS, 2)	0.0	2	1	1	0	0	5.06
Charlie Furbush	1.0	0	0	0	1	0	3.52
Aaron Harang (L, 0-1)	1.2	1	1	0	0	0	4.18
TOTALS	8.2	11	5	4	2	0

Minnesota Twins
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
CF Byron Buxton	5	0	3	2	0	0	.600
LF Darin Mastroianni	4	0	1	1	0	0	.246
C Joe Mauer	3	0	0	0	1	0	.297
1B Justin Morneau	4	1	1	0	0	0	.316
RF Josh Willingham	4	1	2	1	0	0	.319
3B Trevor Plouffe	4	0	1	1	0	0	.290
DH Chris Colabello	3	1	2	0	1	0	.300
2B Pedro Florimon	4	1	1	0	0	0	.241
SS Freddy Sanchez	4	0	0	0	0	0	.174
PR Aaron Hicks	0	1	0	0	0	0	.340
TOTALS	35	5	11	5	2	0
BATTING 2B: Buxton (1), Morneau (7) HR: Willingham (11) RBI: Buxton (1,2), Plouffe (35), Willingham (28), Mastroianni (13) SF: Mastroianni GIDP: Morneau
BASERUNNING SB: Buxton (1)
FIELDING E: Plouffe (3), Fien (1)

Minnesota Twins
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Alex Meyer	1.1	2	1	0	0	3	2.34
Sam Deduno	3.2	7	3	3	2	4	3.60
Jared Burton	2.0	1	0	0	0	3	3.78
Casey Fien	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	4.83
Glen Perkins (W, 3-1)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	2.65
TOTALS	9.0	12	4	3	2	12

MLB Standings - Updated: May 31, 2013
AL CENTRAL	W	L	GB
Minnesota Twins	31	24	-
Detroit Tigers	30	24	0.5
Cleveland Indians	28	27	3.0
Kansas City Royals	24	30	6.5
Chicago White Sox	20	35	11.0

[Guccilafluer]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

Cool to see Bux got the call up man. Looking good. Now what about Sano?

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

Cool to see Bux got the call up man. Looking good. Now what about Sano?

Buxton played great in his first game, hopefully he continues to play well. We'll see. His time will come at some point. Thanks for checking in.

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

May Monthly Update

Minnesota Twins
31-24 1st in AL Central
.282 AVG .314 OBP 4.79 ERA .991 FLD
265 RS 275 RA
16-6 vs. AL Central
17-10 Home 14-14 Away
12-10 Day 19-14 Night

Offensive MVP - May

OF Aaron Hicks
.340 AVG 7 HR 29 RBI 24 SB
-Aaron Hicks leads the American League in Rookie of the Year polls.
-Hicks is second among American League Center Fielders in All-Star Votes.
-Hicks is fifth in the league in average and first in stolen bases.

Pitching MVP - May

SP Mike Pelfrey
8-3 4.50 ERA 39K/15BB
-Mike Pelfrey is tied for the American League lead in wins.
-Pelfrey has been the most consistent pitcher this season.
-This is Pelfrey's best statistical year in his sixth season in the majors.

Prospects to Watch
3B Miguel Sano
.262 AVG .333 OBP
5 HR 14 RBI

2B Eduardo Escobar
.270 AVG .367 OBP
3 HR 16 RBI

1B Kennys Vargas
.275 AVG .327 OBP
3 HR 11 RBI

UTIL Travis Harrison
.284 AVG .361 OBP
5 HR 14 RBI

OF Oswaldo Arcia
.263 AVG .357 OBP
6 HR 23 RBI

2B Eddie Rosario
.375 AVG .440 OBP
2 HR 15 RBI

RHP Kohl Stewart
4-3 3.60 ERA 65 K
1.26 WHIP .257 BAA

RHP Jose Berrios
6-1 2.86 ERA 60 K
1.23 WHIP .229 BAA

LHP Jason Wheeler
6-1 5.86 ERA 49 K
1.77 WHIP .336 BAA

LHP Mason Melatokis
1-3 2 S 1.94 ERA 41 K
1.10 WHIP .199 BAA

RHP Bruce Pugh
1-2 18 S 5.19 ERA 26 K
1.42 WHIP .260 BAA

League Leaders/Disabled List

MLB League Leaders - Updated: Jun 1, 2013
Batting Average		AVG	Home Runs		HR
	1. Mike Trout	.361		1. Miguel Cabrera	25
	2. Miguel Cabrera	.355		2. Prince Fielder	21
	3. Ian Kinsler	.351		3. Justin Morneau	17
	4. Matt Carpenter	.346		4. Jason Heyward	17
	5. 2 Tied	.343		5. 3 Tied	16
Runs Batted In		RBI	Stolen Bases		SB
	1. Miguel Cabrera	61		1. Aaron Hicks	24
	2. Prince Fielder	53		2. Jarrod Dyson	18
	3. Jason Heyward	49		3. Norichika Aoki	18
	4. Ian Kinsler	47		4. Eric Young Jr.	17
	5. Ryan Braun	47		5. 3 Tied	17
Wins		W	Saves		S
	1. Alexi Ogando	8		1. Sergio Romo	20
	2. Mike Pelfrey	8		2. Craig Kimbrel	19
	3. Chris Carpenter	7		3. Fernando Rodney	18
	4. Tim Lincecum	7		4. Glen Perkins	18
	5. Jon Lester	7		5. 2 Tied	18
Earned Run Average		ERA	Strikeouts		K
	1. Alexi Ogando	1.41		1. Stephen Strasburg	82
	2. Brandon Beachy	2.32		2. Jose Fernandez	79
	3. Clayton Kershaw	2.43		3. Clayton Kershaw	78
	4. Tommy Hanson	2.45		4. Matt Harvey	73
	5. Chris Carpenter	2.47		5. 2 Tied	72

Minnesota Twins - June 1, 2013
Pos	Player	Injury Note
SS	Harold Garcia	Torn Finger Ligament, 15-Day DL
RF	Adam Walker	Broken Forearm, 15-Day DL
SP	Alex Wimmers	Torn Pectoral, 15-Day DL
SP	Scott Diamond	Dislocated Shoulder, 60-Day DL
C	Ryan Doumit	Dislocated Ankle, 60-Day DL (Out for Season)
LF	Max Kepler	Broken Arm, 60-Day DL

Rochester Red Wings
35-21 1st Place IL North
.276 AVG .351 OBP 3.65 ERA .987 FLD
253 RS 211 RA
22-13 vs. IL North
20-10 Home 15-11 Road
14-4 Day 21-17 Night


New Britain Rock Cats
33-23 3rd Place EL Eastern (8.0 GB)
.301 AVG .364 OBP 4.18 ERA .985 FLD
308 RS 256 RA
20-15 vs. EL Eastern
19-10 Home 14-13 Road
12-4 Day 21-19 Away

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

Twins Comeback Falls Short

By Aaron Ferguson
MINNEAPOLIS - Seattle's offense had two big bursts, but they were enough to defeat Minnesota after several comeback efforts.

Felix Hernandez dominated the Twins offense all day long. It wasn't until the eighth inning that the Twins started to produce a rally off of the star pitcher.

Kevin Correia was disappointing in a spot start. As a starter, Correia has disappointed in general and it could cost him a roster spot. There are speculations that he will be moved or used strictly in the bullpen.

Byron Buxton continued his good start by going 2-5 and adding another run batted in to his total. Buxton has looked very impressive in his first two games at the plate.

Aaron Hicks extended his hitting streak to 15 games with an infield single in the ninth. He'd score on a Josh Willingham two-run homer, but it wasn't enough as the Twins fell short.

Minnesota and Seattle will play the rubber match of the series this afternoon. Minnesota will be rewarded with a day off following the game after playing in 17 consecutive games.

Seattle Mariners at Minnesota Twins
Jun 1, 2013	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle (20-35)	4	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	7	8	1
Minnesota (31-24)	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	2	5	12	1
W: Felix Hernandez (6-3) L: Kevin Correia (2-4) S: Tom Wilhelmsen (10)

Seattle Mariners
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
3B Kyle Seager	4	1	1	1	0	0	.202
SS Brendan Ryan	3	0	0	0	1	0	.201
LF Mike Morse	4	1	1	0	0	0	.345
1B Kendrys Morales	4	1	1	1	0	0	.225
C Jesus Montero	4	1	1	1	0	0	.259
DH Raul Ibanez	4	2	3	2	0	0	.272
RF Michael Saunders	4	1	1	2	0	0	.270
CF Endy Chavez	4	0	0	0	0	2	.237
2B Robert Andino	4	0	0	0	0	1	.236
TOTALS	35	7	8	7	1	3
BATTING 2B: Morse (6), Ibanez (7) HR: Morales (5), Seager (3), Ibanez (7), Saunders (8) RBI: Morales (17), Montero (22), Seager (10), Ibanez (27,28), Saunders (28,29)
BASERUNNING SB: Ryan (3)
FIELDING E: Andino (3)

Seattle Mariners
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Felix Hernandez (W, 6-3)	8.0	9	3	3	0	1	3.51
Hector Noesi	0.0	2	2	2	0	0	3.24
Joe Saunders (H, 1)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	6.75
Tom Wilhelmsen (S, 10)	0.2	1	0	0	0	0	0.00
TOTALS	9.0	12	5	5	0	1

Minnesota Twins
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
CF Byron Buxton	5	1	2	1	0	0	.500
LF Darin Mastroianni	4	0	2	0	0	0	.253
C Joe Mauer	4	1	3	0	0	0	.307
1B Justin Morneau	4	0	1	0	0	0	.316
RF Aaron Hicks	3	1	1	1	0	0	.340
DH Josh Willingham	4	1	1	2	0	1	.318
3B Freddy Sanchez	4	0	0	0	0	0	.167
SS Pedro Florimon	4	1	2	0	0	0	.250
2B Brian Dozier	4	0	0	0	0	0	.236
TOTALS	36	5	12	4	0	1
BATTING 2B: Morneau (8) HR: Willingham (12) RBI: Buxton (3), Hicks (30), Willingham (29,30) SF: Hicks GIDP: Mauer, Morneau
BASERUNNING SB: Buxton (2), Hicks (25)
FIELDING E: Mastroianni (1)

Minnesota Twins
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Kevin Correia (L, 2-4)	8.0	7	7	6	1	2	5.93
Michael Tonkin	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	2.21
TOTALS	9.0	8	7	6	1	3

MLB Standings - Updated: Jun 2, 2013
AL CENTRAL	W	L	GB
Detroit Tigers	31	24	-
Minnesota Twins	31	25	0.5
Cleveland Indians	29	27	2.5
Kansas City Royals	24	31	7.0
Chicago White Sox	20	36	11.5

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

M's Win in 11 Innings

By Aaron Ferguson
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota falls in the rubber match of the series to Seattle because of poor management.

Twin manager, Ron Gardenhire took full blame for the loss in extra inning.

"It's on me this time," Gardenhire stated. "I was trying to get more out of my relievers because we didn't have many available today."

Glen Perkins allowed two runs to score for the first time since April. However, Caleb Thielbar and Josh Roenicke also allowed runs. The bullpen had been a strong point to this team, but they struggled this afternoon.

Trevor Plouffe forced extra inning when he hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to tie the game. He hit two home runs and two doubles on the afternoon and played well defensively.

Minnesota will get an off day tomorrow for the first time in nearly three weeks. They played 17 consecutive games and have been exhausted at every position. The Twins will then go on the road for six games before returning home.

Seattle Mariners at Minnesota Twins
Jun 3, 2013	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Extras	R	H	E
Seattle (21-35)	0	0	1	0	0	2	1	1	0	02	7	16	1
Minnesota (31-25)	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	00	5	13	1
W: Blake Beaven (3-1) L: Glen Perkins (3-2) S: Tom Wilhelmsen (11)

Seattle Mariners
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
3B Kyle Seager	6	1	2	0	0	3	.211
SS Brendan Ryan	6	1	3	2	0	1	.213
LF Mike Morse	5	1	2	0	0	0	.350
PH/LF Franklin Gutierrez	1	1	1	1	0	0	.262
C Jesus Montero	5	0	1	1	0	0	.258
DH Raul Ibanez	6	1	1	0	0	1	.269
RF Michael Saunders	5	0	1	1	0	2	.268
1B Taylor Ard	5	0	0	0	0	1	.273
CF Endy Chavez	5	2	3	1	0	0	.247
2B Robert Andino	5	0	2	1	0	1	.242
TOTALS	49	7	16	7	0	9
BATTING 2B: Montero (8), Seager (3), Ryan (7), Andino (5,6) 3B: Morse (1), Seager (1) RBI: Chavez (15), Montero (23), Ryan (16,17), Andino (20), Gutierrez (18), Saunders (30) HBP: Montero GIDP: Ibanez
FIELDING E: Seager (4)

Seattle Mariners
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Erasmo Ramirez	7.0	8	2	2	1	5	5.50
Charlie Furbush (BS, 2)	0.2	2	3	0	0	0	3.42
Blake Beaven (W, 3-1)	2.1	2	0	0	0	2	2.08
Tom Wilhelmsen (S, 11)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0.00
TOTALS	11.0	13	5	2	1	8
PITCHING WP: Ramirez (1)

Minnesota Twins
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
CF Byron Buxton	5	0	2	0	0	2	.467
LF Darin Mastroianni	5	0	0	0	0	0	.245
C Josmil Pinto	4	0	0	0	1	1	.234
1B Chris Colabello	5	1	3	0	0	0	.318
RF Aaron Hicks	5	0	2	0	0	0	.341
DH Josh Willingham	5	2	1	1	0	2	.315
3B Trevor Plouffe	5	2	4	4	0	1	.304
SS Freddy Sanchez	4	0	0	0	0	2	.160
PH Joe Mauer	1	0	0	0	0	0	.305
2B Brian Dozier	4	0	1	0	0	0	.236
PH Justin Morneau	1	0	0	0	0	0	.314
TOTALS	44	5	13	5	1	8
BATTING 2B: Plouffe (15,16) HR: Plouffe (14,15), Willingham (13) RBI: Plouffe (36,37,38,39), Willingham (31) GIDP: Hicks, Willingham, Mastroianni
BASERUNNING CS: Hicks (3)
FIELDING E: Hicks (3)

Minnesota Twins
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Cole De Vries	6.0	8	3	3	0	5	6.14
Caleb Thielbar	1.1	2	1	1	0	1	1.59
Josh Roenicke	1.2	3	1	1	0	1	1.65
Glen Perkins (L, 3-2)	1.2	3	2	2	0	1	3.27
Casey Fien	0.1	0	0	0	0	1	4.76
TOTALS	11.0	16	7	7	0	9

MLB Standings - Updated: Jun 3, 2013
AL CENTRAL	W	L	GB
Detroit Tigers	31	25	-
Minnesota Twins	31	26	0.5
Cleveland Indians	30	27	1.5
Kansas City Royals	24	32	7.0
Chicago White Sox	21	36	10.5

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

Twins Exploring Options at Shortstop

By Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Twins are exploring options for their shortstop position after platooning guys and seeing struggles in the offense. The Twins are unhappy with the way their bottom half of the lineup is producing, in part because of the inconsistency of the shortstop position.

Jamey Carroll, Freddy Sanchez and Pedro Florimon have all played the position this year. Carroll started for a month, Sanchez has started for a month and Florimon has filled in as well. None of the three players have proved that they belong in the starting lineup.

Minnesota has plenty of options right now within the organization and current trade options. We hope to take a look at the different scenarios for their starting job.

First off, we expect Freddy Sanchez and Pedro Florimon to maintain the duties throughout the next week. But we think they will look within the organization at several options.

Travis Harrison is a third baseman, but he has been playing shortstop in Rochester because of Miguel Sano starting at third base. Both these players could be called up to join the Twins. If Harrison is called up, he'll be expected to play shortstop and there won't be a large change in the lineup. The other option is to call up Sano and that would force the Twins to move third baseman Trevor Plouffe to play shortstop.

We don't think these options are good for their team down the road. The Twins already have two rookies in their starting lineup, one was just called up a few days ago. Hicks and Buxton are both rookies that are playing outfield, but both have proved their talents so far. There are also two rookies on the bench, which is unfavorable to add a fifth rookie into the offensive flow.

There are several trade options on the market that the Twins could try to acquire. The San Diego Padres have Pedro Ciriaco on the trade block, a potential option for the Twins. Ciriaco is a player with good speed and someone who can put the ball in play. Ciriaco, 27, is the oldest option for the Twins right now, but may be the best option.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have 21-year old shortstop Dee Gordon on the trade block. Gordon is one of the fastest players in the league, but doesn't have the greatest glovework or offensive skills. Gordon may be a last resort option for the Twins based on the flaws Gordon currently has, even though he has plenty of time to develop his skills.

Minnesota may not make any moves in the near future, but we could see them make a move to acquire a shortstop by the trade deadline.

[bibibanax]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

What are your sliders. Great to see a team ERA over 3.00

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

What are your sliders. Great to see a team ERA over 3.00

I actually don't do custom sliders, I keep it at default. I find that I don't dominate many games and they're all pretty competitive. Thanks for checking in!

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

Games 58-60
31-26 vs. 24-32

June 5, 7:10 CT
Game 58

Rich Harden 4-4 5.61 ERA | Ervin Santana 4-3 2.87 ERA

June 6, 7:10 CT
Game 59

Mike Pelfrey 8-3 4.50 ERA | Luke Hochevar 2-5 4.77 ERA

June 7, 7:10 CT
Game 60

Alex Meyer 1-0 2.35 ERA | Felipe Paulino 2-5 6.19 ERA

Players to Watch

1B Billy Butler
.260 AVG 9 HR 25 RBI
Butler is hitting well below is career .298 clip but his power numbers are consistent.


LF Alex Gordon
.337 AVG 7 HR 34 RBI
Gordon's average has continued to soar through the years, but his power numbers are also up.


DH Eric Hosmer
.287 AVG 8 HR 31 RBI
Hosmer's average is up 21 points over his career average, while also seeing his power numbers up.

Series Notes
-Minnesota enters play with a 31-26 record, second in the AL Central
-Kansas City enters with a 24-32 record, third in the AL Central
-Minnesota is having problems offensively at shortstop and hope to correct them
-Kansas City is cold and has lost 5 straight to fall 7.0 games back in the division
-Minnesota's Aaron Hicks leads the team in batting average at .341

[beamerball811]

Re: Crossing The Bridge | Minnesota Twins

Twins Fall to Cold Royals

Key Plays
4th Inning: Ervin Santana pitches out of a one-out jam stranding runners at 2nd and 3rd to keep the game tied 1-1.

7th Inning: Mike Moustakas hits a two-run homer to give the Royals a 3-1 lead.

9th Inning: Greg Holland gives up a leadoff double to Justin Morneau, but retires the next three hitters to preserve the win.

Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals
Jun 5, 2013	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Minnesota (31-26)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	8	0
Kansas City (24-32)	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	X	3	8	0
W: Ervin Santana (5-3) L: Rich Harden (4-5) S: Greg Holland (8)

Minnesota Twins
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
CF Byron Buxton	4	0	0	0	0	0	.368
LF Darin Mastroianni	4	0	3	0	0	0	.257
C Joe Mauer	4	0	1	1	0	0	.304
1B Justin Morneau	4	0	2	0	0	0	.318
RF Aaron Hicks	4	0	0	0	0	0	.335
DH Josh Willingham	4	0	1	0	0	0	.313
3B Trevor Plouffe	4	0	0	0	0	2	.298
SS Freddy Sanchez	3	1	1	0	0	0	.165
2B Brian Dozier	3	0	0	0	0	1	.232
TOTALS	34	1	8	1	0	3
BATTING 2B: Morneau (9), Willingham (7) RBI: Mauer (18)

Minnesota Twins
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Rich Harden (L, 4-5)	7.0	7	3	3	1	4	5.40
Jared Burton	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	3.60
TOTALS	8.0	8	3	3	1	5

Kansas City Royals
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
2B Irving Falu	4	0	1	0	0	1	.262
SS Chris Getz	4	0	1	0	0	0	.234
1B Billy Butler	3	0	2	0	1	1	.265
LF Alex Gordon	4	0	0	0	0	2	.330
C Salvador Perez	3	1	1	0	0	0	.264
DH Eric Hosmer	3	1	1	0	0	1	.288
3B Mike Moustakas	2	1	2	3	0	0	.282
CF Lorenzo Cain	3	0	0	0	0	0	.211
RF David Lough	3	0	0	0	0	0	.216
TOTALS	29	3	8	3	1	5
BATTING 2B: Hosmer (11), Butler (9), Falu (7) HR: Moustakas (4) RBI: Moustaka (19,20,21) SF: Moustakas
BASERUNNING SB: Hosmer (8), Getz (6) CS: Moustakas (1)

Kansas City Royals
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Ervin Santana (W, 5-3)	8.0	7	1	1	0	2	2.71
Greg Holland (S, 8)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0.00
TOTALS	9.0	8	1	1	0	3