stringer bell

Dozier for Carroll. Basically sticking with what worked last night.

Terry Ryan told me that Wimmers would be on the same program that Gibson was on. I don't know at what level he will pitch late this summer, but it will be time for him to advance quickly if he has overcome the arm injury and Steve Blass disease.

I'll go with this: In alphabetical order--Berrios, Diamond, May, Meyer, Worley. I think Berrios will get here before one of Meyer or May (probably May) despite his tender years. Baxendale intrigues me as well and there is a chance that a current rotation member might stick around, as well.

I think Gibson and Meyer are in a different category than the plethora of candidates who will be in Rochester, or are already there. May might also work his way into top prospect status, as well. I have stated from the time Gibson was sent down that his performance would determine when he was recalled. When he proves he's ready, he should be on the Twins' roster. Conservatively, he may need one more start at Rochester to show he can bounce back from a long outing and show that he has the desired consistency. Hernandez is an interesting case. He pitched in relief in spring training and hasn't yet exceeded five innings. He's been effective against lefthanders, but hasn't had much success at all against RH hitters. The Twins could use an effective LH specialist and currently they have only Duensing from the left side (not counting Perkins).

In 2014, I can see Doumit gone (probably at the trade deadline this year) and both Pinto and Herrmann on the major league roster. Pinto has hit very well for a year plus. If he's decent defensively, he can earn himself a spot on the team. Herrmann's LH bat and versatility would make him an ideal 25th man. I don't think the Twins need to worry about Herrmann rotting on the bench. With a more compatible backup, Mauer might DH and play first more, especially if the big Canadian is playing for someone else.

Gibson for Fien, with Hernandez to the bullpen? Or just switch out Gibson for Hernandez? I do think the Twins like Hernandez and don't want to assign him the role of LOOGy at age 24. However, in terms of value to the club, he could help them by getting out lefthanded hitters right now. I like Gibson a lot. When I saw him pitch in spring training, he had command issues, yielded a run or two and then settled down to whiff a couple good hitters. I think it is time for him to earn his stripes in the majors.

It's a MLB trend--Perk, Gomes, Napoli.

Yep, you're right. Cuddy was trying to score from second on a wild pitch because "there's a lot of foul territory in Oakland".

I just checked the box score and I realize just how early it still is. Carroll was well over .300, but two hitless games put him under .250 (Carroll got a hit). Plouffe raised his OPS over .800, Doumit with two good games is up to .247 with an OPS of .720 and Hernandez has seen his ERA balloon to 5.96.

Plouffie with a very nice game. He's building that RBI total and none of them from a solo home run.

The Sox have a chance, if they score again, they'll have to decide whether they go for two.

I think it's time for Gibson to come up. He'll be 26 this year, he's well over a year removed from TJ surgery, and he's pitched well for Red Wings. The guy is a groundball pitcher who will benefit from major league defense and he misses bats.

I know the game isn't over, but if any pitcher earned a win when coming in with a 5-run lead, it is Pressly. Great job.

Starting pitching embarrassment of riches.

Chief, do you remember Chris Short, a pretty good pitcher for the Phillies in the 60s? He was famous for only lasting two hours, no matter how far the game had gone. In '64, in the last week when the Phils collapsed, Mauch twice went with Short too long and the Phils lost both of those games.

According to Gameday, Gibson has 11 ground ball outs and one out in the air.

Given they went 16 last night, Glynn really needed a long outing from Gibson.

I've thought for awhile that the only minor league pitcher that could force his way on to the major league roster is Gibson. I still think so. BTW, Gibson is through 8 with 101 pitches and three hits, no runs.

I posted the same thing in the minor league thread. I think it is time to call him up.

Gibson through 6--82 pitches, 2 hits, 2 walks, 6 Ks, no runs. Maybe it's time to call him up.

Following the box scores from New Britain: 1) Pinto is having an awesome spring--both power and reaching base. 2) I haven't heard much about Richardson, but he's been outstanding. Lots of stolen bases and he's gotten on a lot. 3) Danny Santana's bat has awakened. He's made far too many errors at short, but at least he's started hitting the ball with authority. 4) Daniel Ortiz has been all-around very good offensively.

It sure looked like that to me. Webster didn't have a very big zone either. However, a power pitcher might not need the corners the way Hernandez does. They can probably sent Hernandez down and replace him with Gibson. Rochester is not that far away.

Clete has been in center most of the time, but certainly Benson could be considered. Joe is hitting just a bit over .200 with an OPS of around .600. He has been much better of late, both hitting and getting more extra base hits. I would suggest that Benson would be a better defensive center fielder than Hicks has been to date.

That's the way you draw up the first inning. Doumit with a blast to the bullpen to cap it off.

On Hicks: The young man has struggled and, to me, the key is whether his disappointing defense is because of taking his at-bats to the field with him or not. If his offense is compromising his defense, he should grab a seat on the bench or on an airplane for upstate New York. I'm thinking Gardy was taking "the flip" in context with Hicks' displeasure for being pinch-hit for and also missing the cutoff man on Monday. On Gardenhire: I think the displeasure here with Gardy is a bit over the top. It is fair that he wasn't extended and if this team tanks, it will be fair to get someone new. He is certainly not the reason the club lost 195 games in the past two years, but he wasn't the only reason they won all those division championships.