Monday, April, 19th

Twins Talk
Royals 10 Twins 5 (9-4)

• The Twins could not complete the three game sweep over the Royals as the pitching staff let the team down and on offense they left too many guys on base to win. Carl Pavano had been so good the first two starts of the year that you knew one of these stinkers was coming because that is what Carl Pavano is all about. He will look good for 3-4 starts and then he will have a stinker which is the reason his era is so high. However, in my mind I will put up with the 1 out of 4 bad starts if he keeps making the three out of four good ones. Carl Pavano started and like I said he was not very good in this one as he gave up seven runs on a bad eleven hits including a three run homerun by Royals second baseman Alberto Callaspo. Pavano only lasted 3.1 innings and dropped his record to 2-1 on the year and raised his era to 4.96 after starting the day at 1.38. The bright spot of the day for the Twins had to be the outing out of rookie Alex Burnett who was just recalled after Jose Mijares went on the disabled list with an elbow strain. Burnett pitched 2.2 innings of shutout ball and allowed the offense to get back in the game for a while. Burnett only gave up two hits along with four strikeouts on the day. Ron Mahey then follwed and he was very good as well for the Twins. Mahey went two scoreless innings on only one hit along with three strikeouts. Jesse Crain followed and was not very good giving up a three run shot also to Callaspo to put the game out of reach. In Crain's one inning of work he gave up three runs on two hits along with a walk to balloon his era to a hefty 10.80. Overall the bullpen saw some encouraging things out of Burnett and Mahey as they both appear to be in line with sizeable roles with the Twins with Mahey taking over for Mijares and Burnett possibly taking over Crain's role if he keeps it up.

• Yesterday, the theme for the Twins were missed opprotunities as they left eleven guys on base and in fact had the bases loaded three times and without any runs scoring. Joe Mauer appears on one of his hot streaks after going 0-7 to start this series finished 5-9 to go 5-16 in the series. Mauer in this one went 3-4 at the plate to raise his average on the year to .378. Denard Span is rebounding after a slow start and went 2-5 with his fourth double to bring his average up to .245 and his on base percentage is sitting at a very good .377. Talking about on base percentage Orlando Hudson went 0-2 at the plate, but walked three times to bring his on base percentage up to .356. Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and Brendan Harris each contributed a base hit in the losing cause for the Twins.

• The Twins have today off before finishing off their homestand with a three game series with the Cleveland Indians Tuesday night at Target Field.

Rochester Wrap

Pawtucket 6 Rochester 3 (4-6)

• The Red Wings had a real chance to win this game and get back to .500, but their defense would not allow it as they committed a season high four errors which led to four Pawtucket unearned runs. Mike Maroth got the start for Rochester and was good enough to throw the shutout, but his defense let him down and gave up three unearned runs. Maroth went 3.2 innings and gave up three runs on five hits along with four strikeouts and has still not given up an earned run this season. Tim Lahey then came on and was not very good giving up two runs on three hits in 2.1 innings of work to bring his era up to 5.40. Matt Fox then came in and threw two shutout innings along with two walks and a strikeout to lower his era on the year to 2.25. Rob Delaney then came on in the ninth and pitched a scoreless inning on one hit to lower his era to 3.38.

• In this one the Red Wings were not able to solve the Pawtucket pitching staff as they were only able to get three runs on six hits against five Pawtucket pitchers. Dustin Martin led the offense going 2-3 at the plate with his second homerun of the year to bring his average up to .381. Dustin Martin was a guy many did not expect much of and he has really forced his way onto the field in the early going. Hopefully he can keep it going as he has quite a bit of talent. Wilson Ramos went 1-4 with his first homerun and first and second rbi's to bring his average up to .212. Luke Hughes went 1-4 with his seventh double on the young year to bring his average up to .258. Matt Tolbert and Jacque Jones each contributed a base hit in the losing cause.

• Today, the Red Wings continue their series with Pawtucket as Glen Perkins gets the start for Rochester. Gametime is at 5:35 at Frontier Field.

New Britain Business

New Britain 4 (3-7) Harrisburg 3

• The Rockcats continued their winning ways yesterday with a 4-3 victory over Harrisburg to win their third straight victory. David Bromberg got the start and once again proved that he is a man among boys and the ace of this pitching staff. Bromberg went six innings and gave up a run on only two hits along with a walk and six strikeouts to lower his miniscule era on the year to 0.82. Joe Testa then came on and gave up a run on a hit along with two walks and a strikeout in 2/3 of an inning to bring his era up to 16.62. Chris Province then came on and pitched the last 2.1 innings to pick up his second save of the year and gave up a run on two hits along with a walk and two strikeouts to bring his era to 6.23.

• In a pitchers duel the Rockcats got just enough offense as they put up four runs on seven hits along with drawing four walks. The Cats were led by Rene Tosoni who went 3-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .364. Mark Dolenc went 1-4 at the plate with his third and fourth rbi's of the year. Chris Parmelee, Juan Portes, and Yancarlos Ortiz each contributed a base hit in the winning cause for the Rockcats.

• Today, the Rockcats continue their roadtrip as they travel to a new Eastern League city in Richmond as Carlos Gutierrez gets the start for New Britain. Gametime is at 6:05 in Richmond.

Fort Myers Minutes

• The Miracle had their game with Palm Beach rained out last night and will begin a series against Port Charlotte as staff ace Kyle Gibson gets the start. Gametime is at 6:05pm in Fort Myers.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 3 (6-5) Clinton 0

• The Snappers saw their early season success continue with a mastpiece by Liam Hendriks and Edgar Ibarra in a 3-0 victory over Clinton yesterday. Liam Hendriks got the start for Beloit and was awesome going six shutout innings on only four hits along with eight strikeouts. Hendriks has now not given up a run in 17 innings so far this year. Edgar Ibarra then came on and did wonderful pitching three shutout innings to pick up his second win of the year. Ibarra went three innings and gave up no runs along with three strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 5.40.

• In a pitchers duel like this it is not about how many hits or runs you get its about when you get them because all they needed was one run on this day, but they were able to get three runs on five hits. Anderson Hidalgo led the way going 3-3 at the plate to bring his average up to .435 on the year. Brian Dozier went 1-4 at the plate with his second rbi of the year. Steve Liddle went 0-4 with his fourth rbi. Angel Morales also added a base hit in the winning cause for Beloit.

• Today, the Snappers have an early morning game with Clinton as Dan Osterbrock is scheduled to pitch. Gametime is at 11am in Beloit

• Don't forget to join me tonight for the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight at 9pm. I have a starstudded guest lineup this week and you don't want to miss this show. I have Aaron Gleeman of http://aarongleeman.com and http://nbcsports.com. After Gleeman I will have the Twins Geek John Bonnes on and we will talk everything Twins as I havent had him on in quite a while so it will be nice talking to John again so don't miss tonights show. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Sunday, April, 18th

Twins Talk
Twins 6 (9-3) Royals 5

• The Twins continued their hot start with their fourth consecutive series win which is the first time in Twins history they were able to accomplish this. This one was not as pretty as Friday night as Nick Blackburn struggled, but the offense bailed him out in a 6-5 Twins victory yesterday afternoon at sun splashed Target Field. Nick Blackburn got the start, but was not very effective in this one. Blackburn made it five innings and gave up five runs on seven hits including two Rick Ankiel homeruns along with a walk and three strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 6.05. Brian Duensing then came on and did a very good job throwing two shutout innings on a hit along with a strikeout to pick up his second win along with no defeats. With the two shutout innings Duensings era is at 2.84. Matt Guerrier then came in and pitched a scoreless 8th inning on a walk. Jon Rauch finished the game in the ninth even though like usual he put guys on base. In his inning he gave up a hit and a walk along with a game ending strikeout. It was his sixth save in six attempts to lead the American League. With the shutout inning Rauch's era on the year is now sitting at 1.50 so far.

• Offensively the Twins continue to score runs in bunches as they put up six runs on nine hits and took five walks and have taken 21 walks in the last three games. The Twins were led by Orlando Hudson who stepped to the plate in the seventh inning in a 5-5 tie and belted a homerun off the facing of the upperdeck to put the Twins up 6-5. Hudson went 2-3 with a walk. He hit his first homerun of the year and rounded the bases as quick as he could as not to show up the other time. With the two hits Hudson is now hitting .280 on the year. Joe Mauer broke out of a 0-10 streak by going 2-4 with his ninth and tenth rbi's of the year and brought his average back up to .341. J.J. Hardy went 1-4 at the plate with his first double of the year. Justin Morneau went 1-3 with his rare and i mean rare first triple of the year.

• The Twins have been stung by the injury bug lately. To start out with Nick Punto has missed the last couple games with a groin injury, but he should be back on Tuesday. Jose Mijares has a elbow strain and was put on the disabled list with Alex Burnett returning to the Twins after spending one day in Rochester. Pat Neshek had a cortisone shot in his pitching middle finger and the Twins will know by Tuesday whether he can come back or if they need to put him on the disabled list. Finally, Nick Blackburn was suffering with discomfort in the back of the forearm so he will be pushed back a day to get this taken care of.

• Today, the Twins try to complete a three game sweep with the Royals as Carl Pavano tries to build off two good start for the Twins going against Royals pitcher Luke Hochevar. Gametime is at 1:10 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 6 (4-5) Pawtucket 5

• The Red Wings had their home opener yesterday and pulled out a 6-5 victory thanks to a Luke Hughes rbi double in the bottom of the 8th to win the game for the Wings. Yoslan Herrera got the start for Rochester and was very good once again. Herrera went five innings and gave up two runs on four hits along with two walks and three strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 3.12. Kyle Waldrop then came on and had a rough outing for the Wings. Waldrop gave up two runs on three hits in one inning of work to raise his era to 1.50. Jose Lugo then came on and faced two batters and got both of them out. Rob Delaney then came on and gave up a run on a hit along with a walk and a strikeout to pick up the win. Delaney is now 1-1 and saw his era run up to 4.15 on the young season. Anthony Slama pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his third save of the year. In his inning he gave up one hit along with a strikeout to lower his era to 3.00

• The Red Wings continued their success offensively as they put up six runs on nine hits along with drawing eight walks in this game. The Wings were led by Luke Hughes who went 3-4 at the plate with that game winning double along with his fourth, fifth, and sixth doubles of the year and drove in four runs to bring his season total to four. With the three hits Hughes is now hitting .250 as Luke Hughes appears to be coming out of a early inning hitting slump. Dustin Martin went 1-3 at the plate with his first triple of the year and brought his average up to .333. Brian Dinkelman, Trevor Plouffe, Wilson Ramos, and Erik Lis each contributed a hit apiece in the winning cause.

• Today, the Red Wings continue their series with Pawtucket as Mike Maroth gets the start for Rochester. Gametime is at 12:05 at Frontier Field.

New Britain Business

New Britain 5 (2-7) Harrisburg 3

• Break up the Rockcats as they won their second consecutive game over Harrisburg after losing their first seven as they got good pitching from Deolis Guerra and timely hitting in a 5-3 Cats win. Deolis Guerra got the start in this one and really rebounded from a tough start his first time through the rotation. In this start Guerra went six innings and only gave up two runs on six hits along with four strikeouts to pick up his first win of the year and lowered his era to 4.91 on the year. Cole Devries then came on and pitched three innings and gave up a run on a hit along with a walk and two strikeouts to pick up his first save of the year and lower his era to 2.00 on the year.

• The Rockcats really came out of their hitting slump with a season high 15 hits and scored five runs. It would have been more if not for the nine guys left on base in this game. Offensively the Twins were led by Joe Benson in this one as he went 2-5 with his first homerun and second rbi along with his third and fourth stolen bases to bring his average up to .276. Mark Dolenc went 2-4 with his first homerun of the year and his first and second rbi's of the year. Steve Singleton went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .286. Rene Tosoni went 2-5 to bring his average up to .310 on the season. Juan Portes went 2-5 with his 2nd double of the year to bring his average up to .152. Esterlin De Los Santos went 2-4 at the plate along with his second double to bring average up to .179. Danny Lehman went 2-3 at the plate and is now hitting .409 on the young season.

• Today, the Rockcats continue their series with Harrisburg as David Bromberg gets the start for New Britain as they try to extend their winning streak to three games. Gametime is at 2:05 in Harrisburg.

Fort Myers Minutes

Palm Beach 7 Fort Myers 2 (2-7)

• The Miracle suffered their third straight loss last night to Palm Beach and are in danger of going into last place after a 7-2 loss last night. Bruce Pugh got the start for the Miracle and was not real great in this one. Pugh worked 4.2 innings and gave up six runs on seven hits along with two walks and five strikeouts to pick up the loss and drop his record to 0-2 and raised his era to 9.39. Tony Davis then came on and worked 2.1 innings and gave up no runs on one hit along with two walks and two strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 1.50. Shooter Hunt then came on and saw his control issues continue as he worked one inning and gave up a run on a hit with two walks and two strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 16.20.

• The Miracle continued their season long hitting slump as they were only able to score two runs on nine hits and drew two walks. The Miracle were led by Yangervis Solarte who continued his early season start going 2-4 with his third rbi of the year and brought his average up to .370. Ramon Santana went 2-4 to bring his average up to .194 after getting off to a slow start. Chris Cates is another guy who got off to a slow start, but is coming around as last night he went 2-4 to bring his average up to .174. Chris Hermann went 1-4 at the plate with his second double of the year. Drew Thompson and Jair Fernandez also contributed a base hit each.

• Tonight, the Miracle finish off their series with Palm Beach and try to salvage a game as they send out ace Kyle Gibson to the mound. Gametime is at 4:05pm in Palm Beach.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 4 (5-5) Clinton 3 11 innings

• The Snappers won their second consecutive game with a eleven inning 4-3 victory over Clinton thanks to Aaron Hicks heads up baserunning. Hicks led off with a walk and then stole second and went to third on the throw and scored on a wild pitch. Tom Stuifbergen got the start and was excellent once again. Stuifbergen went six innings without giving up a run on five hits along with two walks and seven strikeouts. Ben Tootle then came on and got drilled again. In one inning Tootle gave up three runs on two hits along with three walks and a strikeout to raise his era on the year to 14.73. Dakota Watts then came on and pitched two shutout innings on one hit along with a strikeout. Matt Tone then came and pitched two shutout innings on no hits along with two walks and a strikeout to pick up his first win of the year to lower his era to 5.14.

• The Snappers had an ok offensive night as they scored four runs on seven hits along with drawing a walk. Offensively they were led by Aaron Hicks who went 1-4 at the plate with his first homerun of the year and his second rbi along with his first stolen base. Hicks is now 2-34 on the year after the hit and hopefully this is what it is going to be the start of a revival because he is way too talented for the slump to continue. Angel Morales is another guy trying to come out of a slump went 1-4 with his first homerun of the year and his third and fourth rbi's to bring his average up to .258. Tobias Streich went 1-4 at the plate with his first triple of the year. Brian Dozier went 1-5 at the plate with his first triple of the year to bring his average to .371. Steve Liddle, Michael Gonzalez, Anderson Hidalgo, and Josmil Pinto each contributed a hit also in the winning cause.

• Today, the Snappers continue their series with Clinton as staff ace Liam Hendricks gets the start for Beloit. Gametime is at 2pm in Beloit.

NFL Mock Draft 2.0

With the 2010 NFL draft less than a week away I thought it was time to update my mock draft and see if anyone disagrees. Let me know what you think as you don't have to agree with my picks. The Vikings pick 30th and could go in a few different directions in this one. So either leave a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

1. St. Louis Rams- Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma

2. Detroit Lions- Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska

3. Tampa Bay Bucs- Gerald Mccoy DT Oklahoma

4. Washington Redskins- Russell Okung OT Oklahoma St.

5. Kansas City Chiefs- Bryan Bulaga OT Iowa

6. Seattle Seahawks- Trent Williams OT Oklahoma

7. Cleveland Browns- Eric Berry S Tennessee

8. Oakland Raiders- Bruce Campbell OT Maryland

9. Buffalo Bills- Anthony Davis OT Rutgers

10. Jacksonville Jaguars- C.J. Spiller RB Clemson

11. Denver Broncos- Rolando Mcclain LB Alabama

12. Miami Dolphins- Dan Williams DT Tennessee

13. San Francisco 49ers- Joe Haden CB Florida

14. Seattle Seahawks- Derrick Morgan DE Georgia Tech

15. New York Giants- Mike Iupati OG Idaho

16. Tennessee Titans- Jason Pierre-Paul DE S. Florida

17. San Francisco 49ers- Jimmy Clausen QB Notre Dame

18. Pittsburgh Steelers- Maurkice Pouncey OL Florida

19. Atlanta Falcolns- Brandon Graham DE Michigan

20. Houston Texans- Kyle Wilson CB Boise State

21. Cincinnati Bengals- Dez Bryant WR Oklahoma St.

22. New England Patriots- Sergio Kindle DE Texas

23. Green Bay Packers- Charles Brown OT USC

24. Philadelphia Eagles- Earl Thomas S Texas

25. Baltimore Ravens- Demaryius Thomas WR Georgia Tech

26. Arizona Cardinals- Jermaine Gresham TE Oklahoma

27. Dallas Cowboys- Taylor Mays S USC

28. San Diego Chargers- Ryan Matthews RB Fresno State

29. New York Jets- Eversen Griffen DE USC

30. Minnesota Vikings- Kareem Jackson CB Alabama

31. Indianapolis Colts- Jared Odrick DT Penn State

32. New Orleans Saints- Sean Weatherspoon LB Missouri

Saturday, April 17th

Twins Talk

Twins 10 (8-3) Royals 3

• The Twins won their second consecutive game last night as Scott Baker outdueled reigning Cy Young award pitcher Zack Grienke by a score of 10-3. Scott Baker got the start and was very good for his second consecutive start after struggling on opening night. Baker went 7 strong innings and only gave up two runs on seven hits along with six strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 3.37 and up his record to 2-1. If you would have told me that Scott Baker would look more like the Cy Young Award winner than Zack Grienke I would have called you a liar. However, that is exactly what Baker did is outpitch Zack Grienke and if you have been reading my blog for a long time you know that I am a big Scott Baker fan so I am so glad that he is pitching so well. With the score going into the 8th inning being 5-2 the Twins brought in eigth inning reliever Matt Guerrier and he did not disappoint as he threw a shutout inning. After the Twins tacked on five more runs in the eighth inning the Twins turned to long man Brian Duensing to pitch the ninth. Duensing gave up a run on two hits along with a strikeout to raise his era on the year to 4.15 for the Twins.

• On offense the thing that has impressed me the most this season is their patience at the plate as they took nine Kansas City walks after walking seven times on Thursday. They also hit the ball well as they scored ten runs on eleven hits. They left ten guys on base again so that just shows you how much talent they have offensively as they could have scored 20 runs if they would have executed. The Twins were led by Orlando Hudson who went 2-3 at the plate with his fourth double and his second and third rbi's to bring his average up to .255. Denard Span went 2-3 at the plate and has now reaches base 13 out of his last 20 plate appearances to raise his average to .225. Michael Cuddyer went 2-5 at the plate with his second double and three rbi's to bring his total up to nine. With the two hits Cuddyer is now hitting .348. J.J. Hardy went 2-5 with his fifth and sixth rbi's and brought his average up to .267. Brendan Harris went 2-3 to bring his average up to .250. Stop the presses Joe Mauer is 0-10 the last 2 and a half games.

• Today, the Twins continue their series with Kansas City as Nick Blackburn gets the start for the Twins and Gil Meche starts for the Royals. Gametime is at 12:10 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 1 Lehigh Valley 1 Suspended

• The Red Wings had their game against Lehigh Valley suspended in the second inning and will be made up at a later date.


• Today, the Red Wings have their home opener as they welcome in Pawtucket as Yoslan Herrera gets the start for Rochester. Gametime is at 3:05 in Rochester

New Britain Business

New Britain 2 (1-7) Harrisburg 1

• Someone break up the Rockcats as they finally got onto the winning side of things. The Rockcats sat through a two and a half hour rain delay to pull out a 2-1 victory over Harrisburg last night. The pitching matchup of Tyler Robertson vs Stephen Strasburg never materialized as both were lifted after the second inning because of a rain delay. Robertson worked two innings and gave up a run on two hits along with a strikeout to lower his era on the year to 5.40. After the rain delay Henry Arias came on to pitch and had his best outing of the year. Arias went three shutout innings and gave up two hits along with a strikeout. Spencer Steedley then came on and worked 3.1 scoreless innings on two hits along with four strikeouts to pick his first win of the year. Chris Province got the last two outs to pick up his first save in the Twins organization and lowered his era to 7.11 on the year.

• The Rockcats offense took a step back in this one as they were only able to put two runs on the board on only seven hits. However, the biggest hit came long before the end of the game and it may not be a big deal for the Rockcats but I am sure it brought a smile to the face of Juan Portes. If Portes never makes it to the bigs and if Strasburg becomes as good as some are saying he will be then that will be a day Juan Portes never forgets. In the second inning of a 1-0 Harrisburg lead Juan Portes came up with a runner aboard and smashed a Strasburg fastball for an rbi double. Steve Singleton led the offense going 2-4 with his third double and first triple of the year to bring his average up to .250. Joe Benson went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .250 as well. Rene Tosoni went 1-3 at the plate with his first triple of the year.

• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their series with Harrisburg as Deolis Guerra tries to rebound from a so so start the first time around. Gametime is at 6:00 in Harrisburg.

Fort Myers Minutes

Palm Beach 4 Fort Myers 2 10inn (2-5)

• The Miracle suffered another tough to take loss last night as they took a 2-1 lead going into the ninth inning against their good closer Billy Bulluck. You would think that would be game over and a win for the Miracle right. Well you would be wrong as Bulluck gave up a run in the ninth and then two more in the 10th in a 4-2 Palm Beach victory over the Fort Myers Miracle last night. On a more positive note Brad Tippett made his first start of the year for the Miracle and was very good. Tippett went 4.1 innings and gave up one run on four hits along with a strikeout to lower his era on the year t0 5.40. Matt Williams also made his season debut in this one and worked 3.1 innings and did not give up a run on only four hits along with a walk and three strikeouts. Billy Bulluck then came on and like I said earlier he did not have a good day as he went 2 innings and gave up three runs on five hits along with two walks and two strikeouts to pick up the loss and raised his era to 4.50. Billy Bulluck is a good relief prospect and I am not too concerned about him as he will have outings like this few and far between.

• The Miracle offense continued their struggles offensively as they were only able to score two runs on seven hits. The Miracle were led by Michael Harrington who went 2-4 with his first and second doubles to bring his average up to .273. Chris Hermann broke out of a little slump by going 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .217. Ramon Santana added his third double of the year.

• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with Palm Beach as Bruce Pugh gets the start for the Miracle. Gametime is at 6:05 in Palm Beach.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 6 (4-5) Kane County 0

• The Snappers turned a good pitching performance by Brad Stillings and some late power to turn it into a nice 6-0 win for the Snappers over Kane County. Brad Stillings got the start and did very well once again as this was his second consecutive good start for the Snappers. Stillings went 4.2 shutout innings on only four hits along with two walks and four strikeouts to lower his era to a minute 0.93. Kane Holbrooks then came in and pitched three shutout innings to even his record at one. Holbrooks only gave up one hit along with four strikeouts. When Steve Blevins came into the game in the eighth inning it was a 1-0 game so he earned his third save of the year. Blevins worked 1.1 innings and gave up a hit along with a walk and two strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 1.69.

• For eight innings it looked like another ho hum bad hitting night for the Snappers, but Michael Gonzalez and Josmil Pinto hit homeruns in the ninth inning to put the game away and making the Snappers feel better about their offense. Brian Dozier continued his early season success by going 3-5 with his first double to bring his average up to .400. Danny Rams went 2-4 with his fourth double of the year and brought his average up to .214. Angel Morales went 2-4 with his 3rd double to bring his average up to .259. Then of course Gonzalez homered in his second consecutive game and his third overall, while Pinto added his first of the year.

• The Snappers begin a series today with Clinton as Tom Stuifbergen tries to build off his last start. Gametime is at 4pm in Beloit

Friday, April, 16th

Twins Talk

Twins 8 (7-3) Red Sox 0

• Thursday afternoons game could be best titled "Return of the Franchise" as Francisco Liriano was dominant in the Twins 8-0 victory over the Red Sox which clinched their third straight series win in as many chances. Liriano went seven shutout innings on only four hits along with two walks and eight strikeouts to lower his era to 2.08 and improve his record to 1-0 on the young season. Yesterday was very encouraging as Twins fans have been waiting for years for Liriano to return to his 2006 form and if just for one start he was. He got ahead with the fastball and then put them away with his untouchable slider darting down and in on the right handing hitters. The question is can he follow it up with another good start his next time out that is the big question. However, it was a very encouraging sign for Twins fans because when Francisco Liriano pitchs like "The Francise" the Twins go from a good team to a special team and a team capable of going to the World Series. Jose Mijares then came on in the eighth inning and although he struggled falling behind every hitter while giving up two hits and walking a batter he still was able to get the double play to get out of the inning unscathed. With the one shutout inning Mijares lowered his era on the year to 6.00. Ron Mahey then came on and made his season debut for the Twins pitching a 1-2-3 inning to seal the shutout for the Twins.

• The Twins showed what they can do to pitching staffs this year as they battered Tim Wakefield and company with eight runs on 15 hits. It could have been much worse as the Twins left 11 guys on base and believe it or not of the 15 hits Joe Mauer did not collect any as he went 0-4 at the plate with a walk. Believe it or not the hitting star in this one was Nick Punto who went 3-4 at the plate and scored 2 runs to raise his average on the year to .269. If Punto could hit .260-.270 it would be good enough as his defense is superior so he doesn't have to do alot to justify putting him in the lineup. Justin Morneau went 3-5 at the dish along with his seventh rbi of the year to raise his average to .342. Denard Span went 2-5 at the plate with his second and third doubles of the year to bring his average up to .189. Michael Cuddyer went 2-3 with his second homerun in as many days and three rbi's to bring his total up to six. Jason Kubel went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .286. Orlando Hudson also added his third double of the year in the winning cause for the Twins.

• Tonight, the Twins play their first game under the lights as they welcome in the Kansas City Royals as Scott Baker gets the start tonight against Royals ace and reigning Cy Young Award winner Zach Grienke. Gametime is at 7:10 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Rochester Wrap

Lehigh Valley 4 Rochester 1 (3-5)

• The Red Wings saw their two game winning streak with a hard fought 4-1 loss to Lehigh Valley last night. Jeff Manship got the start for the Wings and was ok except the three homeruns that he allowed. Manship pitches to contact and there are going to be days when the contact is 400 feet from home plate and last night was one of those nights. However, don't be fooled it was not like he gave up 10 runs he only gave up 4 runs and on most nights that will be good enough to get you a win. Manship worked five innings and gave up four runs on seven hits including the three homeruns along with five strikeouts. With the four runs allowed Manship's era on the young season is at 5.19. Matt Fox then came on and did wonderful pitching three shutout innings of relief on only one hit along with a strikeout to lower his era to 3.00.

• Offensively, the Wings could not do much against Lehigh Valley starter Nate Bump as they were only able to get an unearned run off of him. Granted two of the best hitters on the Wings team Wilson Ramos and Danny Valencia got the day off. However, the Wings were only able to get seven hits off Lehigh Valley pitching. The Wings were led by Brock Peterson and Dustin Martin who each went 2-4 at the plate in this one for the Wings. With the two hits Peterson is hitting .318 while Martin is hitting .333. Trevor Plouffe, Brian Dinkelman, and Allan De San Miguel each contributed a base hit in the losing cause for the Red Wings.

• Tonight, the Red Wings finish off their opening nine game roadtrip as Glen Perkins gets the start as the Wings attempt to finish the road trip off with a win and a 4-5 road trip. Gametime is at 6:05 in Lehigh Valley.

New Britain Business

Harrisburg 6 New Britain 5 (0-7)

• The Rockcats found another way to lose a game as Harrisburg scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Rockcats 6-5. After New Britain took a 5-3 lead in the eighth inning they saw three consecutive runs scored by Harrisburg in the last two frames to lose their seventh consecutive game. Mike Mccardell got the start for New Britain and worked 5.2 innings and gave up three runs on six hits along with two walks and four strikeouts to bring his era to 4.66. Chris Province then came in and did an ok job as he worked 1.2 innings and gave up a run on two hits to bring his era down to 7.94 on the year. Province got off to a rocky start to the season, but lately he has been getting a little bit better each outing and I think he will be just fine. Joe Testa saw his struggles at the AA level continue in this one as he worked one inning and gave up two runs on two hits along with two walks and a strikeout to pick up the loss and go to 0-2 on the year and saw his era jump to 17.18. To be fair though when he left the game their were runners on first and second and the Rockcats had a 5-4 lead. Santos Arias came on and blew the save and let the two inherited runners score.

• To be all honest the Rockcats had their best offensive night of the year so far in that they scored five runs on 10 hits. The eight runners left on base really hurt, but you should look at it as a step in the right direction as there is too much talent on this team for them not to score runs. The guy who is not struggling at the plate at all early in the season is Danny Lehmann who has taken the catching job and ran with it. Last night Lehmann went 2-2 at the plate with his first triple of the year along with a sacrifice fly for his second rbi of the year. With the two hits he is now hitting a robust .368 already. Another guy who is hitting the ball early is Chris Parmelee who went 2-4 with his third double and fifth rbi to bring his average up to .321. Whit Robbins is possibly coming out of his early season slump as he went 2-5 with his first double of the year. Joe Benson and Steve Singleton each contributed their second doubles of the year too.

• Tonight, the Rockcats have a major task in front of them. They continue their series with Harrisburg and face Super prospect Steven Strasburg. Tyler Robertson gets the assignment for New Britain with first pitch at 6:00 in Harrisburg.

Fort Myers Minutes

Port Charlotte 7 Fort Myers 0 (2-5)

• The Miracle ran into a buzz saw in Port Charlotte starting pitcher Nick Barnese who shut the Miracles offense down to three hits in seven innings in the Miracles 7-0 loss to rival Port Charlotte. Bobby Lanigan got the start and was ok, but was let down by his defense as they allowed two unearned runs. Lanigan went 4.2 innings giving up three runs although only one of them was earned on three hits along with two walks and five strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 0.84. Lanigan has gotten off to the kind of start you want out of him so here is hoping that he can keep it up. Michael Allen then followed Lanigan and gave up a run on one hit along with one walk and two strikeouts in 1.1 innings of work. Blake Martin then came on and was not very effective. Martin worked two innings and gave up three runs on four hits along with two walks and a strikeout to bring his era on the year to 8.44.

• Last night was one of those nights that the hitters just have to tip their hats to the pitching as it was excellent as the Miracle only managed four hits in this one. The funny thing about this one is three of the four hits were extra base hits. Dan Rohlfing got his first double, Evan Bigley got his second, and Drew Thompson also got his second double of the year. Yangervis Solarte also added a single in the losing cause for the Miracle in this one. In other news Paul Kelly has missed a couple games due to a mildly sprained ankle so look for him to get back in there any day now. It is a good thing it was not more serious as early on he has been one of the best hitters on the Miracle.

• Tonight, the Miracle begin a series with Palm Beach as Bruce Pugh gets the start for Fort Myers. Gametime is scheduled for 6:05 in Palm Beach.

Beloit Beat

Kane County 5 Beloit 4 (3-5)

• The Snappers suffered a tough to take 5-4 loss to Kane County last night as the Cougars rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth off relievers Matthew Tone and Kane Holbrooks to get the win. Miguel Munoz got the start for Beloit and was excellent in this one as he went five shutout innings on only three hits along with three walks and three strikeouts to lower his era to 0.90. Peter Kennelly then came on and was not very good for the Snappers giving up two runs on two hits along with two walks in only 1/3 of an inning for Beloit. Edgar Ibarra then came on and was very good going 1.2 innings and only giving up one hit along with a walk and three strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 9.82. Matt Tone then came on and was betrayed by his control as he gave up three runs on no hits along with three walks and three strikeouts to take the loss. Kane Holbrooks was not blameless either after Tone walked the bases loaded as he gave up a bases clearing double that turned a 4-2 lead into a 5-4 loss.

• The Snappers offensively had a pretty nice night as they put up 10 hits and showed some really good at bats. The Snappers were led by Brian Dozier who has shown early on that he is probably playing a level too low for him as he continues to dominate the Midwest League. Dozier went 3-5 at the plate to bring his average up to .360. Derek Mccallum had a good game going 2-5 at the plate along with his third rbi. Michael Gonzalez connected on his second homerun of the year. Danny Rams and Angel Morales each contributed a double with it being Rams third double of the year and Morales' second. Steve Liddle went 1-3 and also added his second and third stolen bases of the year.

• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Kane County as Brad Stillings is scheduled to pitch for Beloit. Gametime is at 6:30 in Kane County.

• I want to remind everyone that Monday night I have a very special edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast Monday at 9pm. I will have Aaron Gleeman of aarongleeman.com and also of nbcsports.com on the podcast at nine. I also should have another guest that I can not quite announce at this time, but tune in it should be a fun show.

Wednesday, April 15th

Twins Talk
Red Sox 6 Twins 3 (6-3)

• The Twins suffered a hard fought loss to the Red Sox yesterday losing a tough 6-3 game yesterday afternoon. Kevin Slowey got the start for the Twins and really struggled with not only his control, but also struggled with the elements as every other pitch he would walk around the mound and clean his cleats instead of concentrating on the hitter. The more disconcerting thing was his control which is a concern because he does not have the stuff to walk a lot of guys. I am not concerned at all because say what you want about Slowey but he throws strikes. Slowey went five innings and gave up three runs on five hits along with a season high four walks along with five strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 3.48 and even his record at 1-1. Pat Neshek then came on and pitched two great innings of relief for the Twins. In 2 innings Neshek did not give up a hit along with only one walk and two strikeouts. Jesse Crain then came on and had his first really bad outing of the year. In 2/3 of an inning Crain gave up 3 runs on 3 hits along with a walk and a strikeout to raise his era on the year to 6.75. Crain has looked good this year so he needs to put this outing behind him and come back next time and pitch like we know he can pitch. Alex Burnett then came on and made his last outing before being optioned to Rochester. Burnett worked 1.1 inning and gave up two hits, but no runs along with two strikeouts.

• The Twins hit enought offensively you would think as they put up nine hits, but the reason that they only got three runs because they left eleven guys on base in this one. The Twins offense is so good that they are going to have chance after chance, but there are gonig to be days that they can't take advantage and yesterday was one of those days. Delmon Young led the attack going 3-4 at the plate to raise his average to .346 on the year. It is nice for Young to get off to a good start as he has been a habitual slow starter so its a good thing he has gotten off to a good start. Michael Cuddyer went 2-5 at the plate with his first homerun of the year and his third rbi to bring his average up to .316.

• Today, the Twins finish off their first series of the year at Target Field as they finish off their series with Boston. Francisco Liriano gets the start for the Twins against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield with gametime at 12:10 at Target Field.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 5 (3-4) Lehigh Valley 2

• The Red Wings got some good news and then some bad news on this night. The bad news is the Wings lost Anthony Swarzak for 4-6 weeks because of a broken foot after taking a line drive during his start on Tuesday night. The good news is the guy taking Swarzak's spot in the rotation Ryan Mullins had a good start for the Wings. In his first start of the season Mullins went five innings and gave up one run on only three hits along with one walk and six strikeouts. With the one run allowed he lowered his era to 7.56 on the year and got his first victory. Tim Lahey then came on and gave up a run on four hits in one inning of work to raise his era on the year to 4.50. Kyle Waldrop then came on and pitched a shutout inning of relief. Rob Delaney follwed Waldrop and pitched a scoreless inning on two strikeouts to lower his era to 3.00. Anthony Slama worked a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his second save of year along with a walk and three strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 3.60.

• The Red Wings did very well offensively in this game as they scored five runs on eleven hits to pick up the win. Dustin Martin led the attack going 2-4 with a three run homerun to give the Wings some breathing room. Erik Lis went 2-4 with his first double of the year to bring his average up to .320. Jacque Jones also went 2-3 at the plate with his second double of the year to bring his average to .353. Luke Hughes went 1-3 at the plate along with his third double. Matt Tolbert also went 1-5 at the plate with his first double of the year.

• Tonight, the Wings continue their series with Lehigh Valley as Jeff Manship gets the start with gametime at 6:05 in Lehigh Valley.

New Britain Business

Portland 3 New Britain 1 (0-6)

• The Rockcats had their season opening six game losing streak continue with a tough 3-1 loss to Portland yesterday morning. Carlos Gutierrez got the start for the Rockcats and was much better than in his first start. Gutierrez went five strong innings and only gave up one run on five hits along with a walk and five strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 5.00. Spencer Steedley then came on and pitched two shutout innings innings along with three strikeouts. Cole Devries then came on and was not very effective as he worked two innings and gave up two runs on two hits along with a walk and two strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 1.50 and lower his record on the season to 0-2.

• The Rockcats had their season long hitting slump continue as five out of the nine starters are hitting under .200. In this one the Rockcats were only able to muster one run on only six hits. Chris Parmelee led the attack going 2-4 at the plate with his second double of the year and his fourth rbi of the year to raise his average on the year to .292. Rene Tosoni went 1-3 with his second double of the year. Yancarlos Ortiz went 1-3 with his first double of the year in the losing cause.

• The Rockcats begin a series with Harrisburg tonight as Mike Mccardell makes his season debut. Gametime is at 6pm in New Britain.

Fort Myers Minutes

Fort Myers 2 (2-4) Port Charlotte 1

• The Miracle collected their season high second consecutive win with a well pitched 2-1 victory over Port Charlotte last night. Michael Tarsi got the start for the Miracle and man was he effective throwing six shutout innings on only four hits allowed along with one walk and two strikeouts to even his record on the year at 1-1. With the no runs allowed Tarsi lowered his era on the year to 3.60. Tony Davis followed him and gave up a run on three hits in 1.2 innings to raise his era on the year to 2.45. Shooter Hunt then came on and continued his comeback from control issues to pitch 1.1 shutout innings on two walks and one strikeout. With the no runs allowed Hunt lowered his era on the year to 19.29. Shooter Hunt is a guy to watch this season because if he can solve his control issues he has top of the rotation type of stuff. All Twins fans are pulling for him because he is a heck of a nice guy and an unbelievable talent.

• The Miracle's hitting slump continued in this one and if it were not for the good pitching they may have lost this one. The Miracle only managed two runs on five hits in this one . The Miracle were led by Yangervis Solarte who continued his hot start going 1-4 with his second double of the early year. He is now hitting a robust .467 on the year after the hit. Drew Thompson went 1-3 at the plate with his first double of the year and raise his average on the year to .333. Evan Bigly picked up his first hit of the season a double so that is a positive for the native Texan.

• Tonight, the Miracle finish off their series with Port Charlotte as Bobby Lanigan tries to build off a good opening start. Gametime is at 6:05 in Port Charlotte.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 6 (3-4) Kane County 5

• The Snappers were the comeback kids in this one coming back from a 5-3 deficit going into the ninth inning to pick up a 6-5 victory. After James Beresford scored on a wild pitch to put the Snappers on top Steve Blevins made the lead stick. Dan Osterbrock got the start for the Snappers and was ok in this one. Osterbrock went 4.2 innings and gave up two runs on five hits along with one walk and six strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 6.43. Ben Tootle then came in and had a forgetable outing as he gave up three runs on two hits along with two walks in only 2/3 of an inning. With the three runs allowed Tootle raised his era on the year to 10.13 Dakota Watts then came on and pitched very well going 2.1 innings and not giving up a run along with two walks and five strikeouts. Edgar Ibarra got an out to pick up the win and even his record on the year to 1-1. Steve Blevins pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his second save of the year.

• The Snappers were not able to do much offensively until the ninth inning when they scored three runs to get the win. Overall they got 6 runs on only eight hits along with taking seven walks. The Snappers were led by Steve Liddle who went 2-3 at the plate with his third rbi of the year and raised his average to .360. Derek Mccallum went 2-5 with his third double of the year to raise his average up to .250. Michael Gonzalez hit his first homerun of the year also in the winning cause.

• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Kane County as Miguel Munoz is scheduled to pitch for the Snappers. Gametime is at 6:05 in Kane County.

Wednesday, April, 14th

Twins Talk
6-2 tied for first place

• The Twins had yesterday off and will continue their series with Boston today as Kevin Slowey makes his second start of the season today against Red Sox hurler John Lacky with gametime at 12:10 at Target Field in Minneapolis

Rochester Wrap

Scranton 4 Rochester 3 (2-4)

• The Red Wings for the second consecutive day had a heartbreaking loss to the Barons as they took a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning only to see Scranton score two runs in the bottom of the eighth to lose the game 4-3. Anthony Swarzak got the start for Rochester and was much better than he was on opening day as he worked six innings and only gave up two runs on only five hits along with a walk and two strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 7.00 on the year. Jose Lugo then came on and did well in the 7th, but fell apart in the 8th inning. Lugo worked two innings and gave up two runs on four hits along with a walk and three strikeouts to raise his era on the young season to 4.15. His record dropped to 0-1 on the year.

• The Red Wings had another solid day offensively, but couldn't get many runs across because they left seven guys on base. Wilson Ramos led the offense going 2-4 at the plate to bring his average on the young season to .263. Trevor Plouffe had a good game going 1-4 at the plate with his first homerun of the year, a two run shot that gave the Twins a short lived 3-2 lead in the 8th inning. He also drove in his fifth and sixth runs of the year and brought his average up to .280 on the young season. Erik Lis, Matt Tolbert, Luke Hughes, Jacque Jones, and Danny Valencia each contributed a hit in the game. Valencia also drove in his second run of the year for the Red Wings.

• Tonight, the Red Wings begin a series with Lehigh Valley as Ryan Mullins is scheduled to get the start tonight for Rochester. Gametime is at 6:05 in Lehigh Valley.

New Britian Business

Portland 8 New Britain 0 (0-5)

• The Rockcats continued their struggles in the young season with yet another lopsided loss this time to Portland by a score of 8-0. The game started off so well as David Bromberg made his season debut and was very good in this one. Bromberg went the first five innings without giving up a run on only three hits along with two walks and two strikeouts. It was a very encouraging start for Bromberg who has really jumped up the prospect charts the last year plus who some thought might struggle with the new level of competion and we shall see,, but it was a good start to the season for Bromberg. Joe Testa then came on for the Rockcats and it did not go so well for him. Testa went one inning and gave up five runs on four hits to raise his era on the year to 16.88 on the year. Steve Hirschfeld then came on and did not fare very well either. Hirschfeld worked 1.2 innings and gave up three runs on three hits along with a walk to raise his era to 4.91. Santos Arias pitched a scoreless inning for relief along with a walk.

• Even though the relief pitching let the Rockcats down in this one it would not have mattered as New Britain was only able to muster six hits in this one and could not push a run across. Danny Lehman led the hitting going 2-4 at the plate to bring his average on the year to .357. Mark Dolenc also went 2-4 at the plate to raise his average to .286 on the year. Esterlin De Los Santos added his first hit of the year a double to raise his average to a unsightly .067. Chris Parmelee also added a single along with Ben Revere and Joe Benson each stealing their second bases of the year.

• This Morning the Rockcats finish their series off with Portland as they play a early afternoon game. Carlos Gutierrez gets the start for the Rockcats with gametime being at 10:35am today in New Britain.

Fort Myers Minutes

Fort Myers 2 (1-4) Port Charlotte 0

• The Miracle finally got in the winning column after losing the first four games of the year. The reason they were able to get the win was the pitching of uberprospect Kyle Gibson who was trying to make people forget about his less than stellar start on opening day. In this one Gibson showed everything that has the Twins so excited about. Gibson worked 6 innings and gave up no runs on only 4 hits along with 6 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 2.79. That is the kind of start that Twins fans will be hoping to see out of Gibson next season when he is possibly pitching for the Twins. Veteran Ron Mahey then came on as he tries to round into shape and pitched a perfect 7th inning to lower his era with the Miracle to 1.93. Billy Bulluck then came on and blew away Charlotte in two shutout innings to pick up his first save as a member of the Miracle. Bulluck pitched two perfect innings along with four strikeouts in this one.

• It was a good thing that the pitching staff took care of business in this one as the hitters did not help much as they only collected five hits, but were able to push two of those hitters across for runs. The Miracle were led offensively by Yangervis Solarte who went 2-3 at the plate and drove in both runs to bring his rbi total up to two and collected his first double of the year to bring his average up to .545 on the young season. Drew Thompson also went 2-3 at the plate to bring his average up to .333. Nick Romero also added a single for the Miracle.

• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with Port Charlotte as Michael Tarsi is scheduled to pitch for the Miracle with gametime at 6:00 in Port Charlotte.

Beloit Beat

Peoria 1 Beloit 0 (2-3)

• The Snappers wasted another great pitching performance from Liam Hendriks as they went down last night to Peoria by a score of 1-0. Liam Hendriks got the start and pitched 6 shutout innings on only one hit along with a walk and five strikeouts. Hendricks has not allowed a run in 11 innings so far this season. If he continues to pitch like this he won't be in Beloit for very long as he appears ready for a promotion, but we shall see as it is only two starts in. Kane Holbrooks then came on and gave up an unearned run along with three hits in two innings of work to take the loss. Matthew Tone then came on and pitched a scoreless inning of relief on two hits along with three strikeouts for the Snappers.

• The Snappers season long hitting slump continued in this one as they were only able to five hits in this one and waste the great pitching performance from Hendriks. Steve Liddle led the offense going 2-4 at the plate to raise his average on the year to .318. Brian Dozier, Anderson Hidalgo, and James Beresford each contributed a single for the Snappers in this one. However, that was not enough to get the job done for the Snappers in this one as they continue to struggle with the bats.

• Tonight, the Snappers start a series with Kane County as Dan Osterbrock is scheduled to pitch for the Snappers. Gametime is at 6pm in Kane County.

• I hope everyone heard the second edition of the Twins Minor League Weekly podcast as we had Fort Myers catcher Dan Rohlfing on the show. Seth Stohs and I talked about all the affiliates and what we expected out of everyone in the organization. If you missed it you can download it at http://blogtalkradio.com/twinsminorleagueweekly and make sure you tune in next Tuesday night for another edition of the Twins Minor League Weekly podcast with your hosts Travis Aune and Seth Stohs.

Tuesday, April, 13th

Twins Talk
Twins 5 Red Sox 2
WP: Pavano 2-0 LP: Lester Save: Rauch (5)

• Before we get into the game I thought I had to talk a little bit about Target Field and my impressions watching on television. I thought Target Field was as good as advertised as the beauty was breathtaking. The people walking around on a bright sunshine filled afternoon is something to behold. I really can't wait till this summer when I get down there and can get the sights and the sounds along with the smells and the tastes. I can't wait to try one of those Murray's Steak Sandwhiches because everything that I have heard is they are awesome. The dimensions of the park also I find very interesting as they hitter friendly to left field and right field. However, if you plan on hitting a homerun to centerfield you better pack a lunch because you have to totally crush the ball to go out especially to left center just ask Mike Cameron.

• Now onto the game as the Twins put together a very solid effort in their opener to pull out a 5-2 victory over the Red Sox at Target Field. Carl Pavano got the start for the Twins and man was he good. Pavano went 6 innings and only gave up a run on 4 hits along with one walk and four strikeouts to lower his era to a very good 1.38. Pavano kept the Red Sox off balance all game as he got ahead and stayed ahead with plenty of strikes. Brian Duensing came in and gave up a run on two hits along with two strikeouts in two innings to raise his era to 2.70. Matt Guerrier then came on and after allowing a hit got three straight outs. Jon Rauch is quickly quieting the naysayers who said he could not be an effective closer by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning to pick up his fifth save in as many chances.

• The Twins hit Jon Lester all over the park yesterday and I was shocked it was only five runs that were scored. The main reason was even though they had 12 hits they left 11 guys on base. That is something that has been a recurring theme early in the season and something they are going to have fix quick. Jason Kubel led the attack going 3-4 with his 2nd homerun of the season and what happened to be the first homerun ever hit at Target Field. Kubel also added two rbi's to bring his total to five on the season. Joe Mauer had what you would call a Joe Mauer day going 3-5 at the plate with his forth and fifth doubles of the year. He also contributed his fifth and sixth rbi's of the year to bring his average up to .423 on the young season.

• The Twins have their first off day of the year today and will continue their series with the Red Sox tommorrow afternoon with Kevin Slowey getting the start against John Lackey for the Red Sox. Gametime is at 12:10 at Target Field.

Rochester Wrap

Scranton 6 Rochester 5 (2-3)

• The Rochester Red Wings suffered what was a norm last season and that was a heartbreaking loss. Hopefully this does not become a regular occurance because they have the talent to be players in the International League. Anthony Slama came on in the 9th with a two run lead and after a leadoff walk gave up a two run homerun to tie the score. Rob Delaney gave it up in the 11th to get the loss. Veteran Mike Maroth made his first start for the Red Wings and did fairly well. Maroth went 3.1 innings and only gave up an unearned run on two hits along with three walks and three strikeouts. Jose Lugo then came on and got hit hard but found a way to not give up any runs in 1.2 innings on 4 hits. Matt Fox then came on and was not very effective giving up two runs on two hits along with a walk and a strikeout in his inning of work. Kyle Waldrop then came on and pitched two shutout innings on only one hit along with a walk and a strikeout. Anthony Slama then came on a gave up two runs on one hit along with a walk and four strikeouts in two innings of work. Rob Delaney then came on and gave a run along with a walk in only 1/3 of an inning to move his record to 0-1 on the season.

• The Wings had plenty of hits in this one, but what is becoming a recurring problem early in the season is leaving guys on base. The Wings had 15 hits in this one, but also left 10 guys on base. Trevor Plouffe led the offense going 3-5 with his first and second doubles of the year and his third and fourth rbi's. Brian Dinkelman went 3-6 at the plate with his first double of the year and his 2nd rbi. Wilson Ramos went 2-5 at the plate with his first double of the year. Erik Lis went 2-5 at the plate. Danny Valencia and Jason Repko each contributed two hits apiece. Repko collected his first rbi and his first sb as a wing as well.

• Tonight, the Wings continue their series with Scranton as Anthony Swarzak gets the start for Rochester. Gametime is at 6:05 in Scranton.

New Britain Business

Portland 8 New Britain 2 (0-4)

• The Rockcats continued their rough start to the season with their fourth consecutive loss this one to Portland as their record dropped to 0-4 on the season. Deolis Guerra made his season debut and if you take away his first inning it was a pretty solid start, but you can't do it so his line doesn't look so good. Guerra went 5 innings and gave up four earned runs all in the first inning on six hits along with two strikeouts to drop his record on the year to 0-1. Chris Province then came in and got drilled giving up three runs on two hits along with three walks and three strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Spencer Steedley then came on and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings on one hit along with a walk and two strikeouts. Steve Hirschfeld then came on and pitched a perfect inning along with a strikeout.

• Offensively, the Rockcats continued their struggles swinging the bat as they were only able to put up seven hits in the game and only score two runs. Joe Benson led the attack going 2-3 at the plate along with a walk. Steve Singleton went 2-4 at the plate to raise his average on the year to .231. Chris Parmelee added his second homerun of the year and drove in his third rbi of the year.

• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their series with Portland as David Bromberg makes his 2010 debut for New Britain. Gametime is at 5:35pm in New Britian

Fort Myers Minutes

Bradenton 6 Fort Myers 2 (0-4)

• The Miracle continued their season long struggles as they lost their fourth straight game to Bradenton to complete the four game sweep over the Miracle. Bruce Pugh got the start for the Miracle and did ok. Pugh went three innings and gave up two runs on five hits along with three walks and also three strikeouts. Blake Martin then came on and went two innings and gave up a run on two hits along with two strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 5.40. Ron Mahey then came on and pitched a perfect inning of relief along with a strikeout. Henry Arias finished the game and to be all honest he really struggled. Arias worked two innings and gave up three unearned runs on two hits along with a walk and two strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 21.00.

• The Miracle's offense was again offensive as they were only able to put up two runs on eight hits and against that offense it wasn't nearly enough. Michael Harrington led the attack going 2-4 at the plate with his third rbi of the year to raise his batting average to .333 on the young season. Yangervis Solarte also went 2-4 at the plate to increase his average to .500 on the year. Chris Hermann drove in his second run of the young season for the Miracle. A bright spot early on has been Paul Kelly after missing two years because of injuries went 1-5 at the plate to bring his average to .462 on the young season.

• Tonight, the Miracle begin a series in Port Charlotte as Kyle Gibson makes his second minor league start as he tries to rebound from a rough opening start for the Miracle. Gametime is at 6:05 in Port Charlotte.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 3 Peoria 0

• The Snappers broke out of a three game losing streak with a nice and clean 3-0 victory over Peoria last night. After making an appearance out of the bullpen on opening day Tom Stuifbergen got his first start of the year for the Snappers. Stuifbergen showed the form that we got used to seeing out of him last year in Elizabethton. Stuifbergen went six innings without giving up a run on only four hits along with five strikeouts in the excellent outing for the Snappers. Peter Kennelly then came on for the Snappers and worked 1.2 scoreless innings on only one hit along with a walk and three strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 2.25. Edgar Ibarra then came on and got one out along with a hit to lower his era to 21.60. Steve Blevins worked the ninth to pick up his first save of the year. In his inning of work he gave up two hits and no runs along with a strikeout to lower his era on the year to 3.00.

• The Snappers continued their season long slump offensively as they only were able to score three runs even though they had 11 hits. The main reason they were unable to score more runs is they left seven guys on base. Anderson Hidalgo led the attack going 2-3 with his first and second doubles of the year. Steve Liddle went 2-4 at the plate with his first homerun of the year. Brian Dozier also went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .308 on the year. Derek Mccallum went 1-3 at the plate with his second double and first rbi of the year. Aaron Hicks continued his struggles going 0-3 and is now 1-17 on the young season.

• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Peoria as Liam Hendriks will try to build on his very good start he had on opening day where he threw five shutout innings. Gametime is at 6:30 in Beloit.

• Join Seth Stohs and myself for the second edition of the Twins Minor League Weekly podcast tonight at 10pm. We will be joined by Fort Myers catcher Dan Rohlfing and we will talk about all the affiliates.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

I will be bringing you another action packed edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight at 9pm central. I will be having on Fanatic Jack Steal and we will talk about the Twins home opener. We will take your questions in the chat room or you can call in with your questions. So join us tonight at 9pm for another edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Monday, April 12th

Well today is the day that Twins fans have been waitiing to see for almost 3 years. Ever since it was announced that there would be a new stadium most Twins fans have been clamoring for this day. Well the day is here and if mother nature allows it today will be on of the most anticipated days in not only Twins history, but also in Minnesota sports history. Today, April 12th 2010 is the day that Target Field opens and the days under the metrodome roof are over. As a Twins fan I am beyond excited and can't wait for this summer when I will be able experience it first hand. So until that happens I will talk about the things that are happening on the field with the Twins and all their affiliates.

Twins Talk

Chicago 5 Minnesota 4(5-2 0.5 games back)

• The Twins continued their stellar play offensively and pitching wise, but on this day it was not quite enough as they lost the finale to the White Sox 5-4. However, it was a good road trip as they went 5-2 and won both series from the Angels and White Sox. Nick Blackburn got the start in this one going 7.2 innings and giving up 5 runs on 8 hits to take the loss his first of the year. The game was 4-4 when Blackburn left the game after back to back singles by Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko. Blackburn pitched a pretty good game expect the three homeruns that he allowed made it look not so good. Jose Mijares came on to face Andruw Jones and gave up the go ahead hit to put the White Sox up 5-4. Matt Guerrier then came on and got the last out for the Twins.

• Offensively, the Twins did enough that you would think they would be able to get the win especially against a pitcher like Mark Buerhle as they scored 4 runs on 10 hits. They left four guys on base. Joe Mauer led the attack going 2-4 with his 2nd and 3rd doubles of the year and drove in his fourth rbi of the year. Orlando Hudson seemed to be coming out of his early slump going 2-4 also to bring his average to .233. Justin Morneau went 1-4 with his 5th and 6th rbi's of the year as he has put the end of last year behind him. Michael Cuddyer went 2-4 with his 1st rbi of the year, but he is hitting .310 in the early going.

• Much has been said and will be said about third base coach Scott Ullger decision to send J.J. Hardy on a Jim Thome double against White Sox closer Bobby Jenks. He probably shouldn't of done it but I can see why he did. It took a heads up play by White Sox 3rd baseman Mark Teahan to go cut the ball off and a perfect carem for Juan Pierre to get him out. Also if you hold him I don't like the Twins chances against Jenks with Nick Punto coming up with only Casilla and Butera left on the bench. So maybe Ulger was thinking this was their best chance to tie the game and I probably wouldn't disagree with him.

• Today, the Twins open up Target field as Carl Pavano gets the start for the Twins against the Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester. Gametime is at 3pm central.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 4 Pawtucket 3

• The Red Wings after losing their first two games evened their record with a nice late inning comeback to beat the Paw Sox. Yoslan Herrera got the start for the Wings and was effective except he walked 5 batters in only 3.2 innings of work. Herrera gave up a run on only 3 hits and without all the walks he could have went longer in the game. Ryan Mullins then came on and had his second consecutive rough outing as he gave up 2 runs and 3 hits along with a strikeout in his one inning of work. Tim Lahey then came on and really saved the game pitching 3.1 great innings on only one walk and two strikeouts to pick up his first win of the year. Kyle Waldrop worked the 9th for his first save as a Red Wing on only one hit.

• The Red Wings were led by of all people in this game by Matt Tolbert who went 3-4 at the plate with his first double of the year. The big hit though was brought by Erik Lis who came to the plate in the 8th inning with the Wings trailing by a score of 3-2. With a runner on Lis connected for his first homerun of the year to put the Wings ahead 4-3. Brian Dinkelman also went 2-3 at the plate with a walk to bring his average up to .400 on the young season. Trevor Plouffe went 1-4 with his first two rbi's of the year.

• Tonight, the Wings head to Scranton-Wilkes Bare to take on the Yankees. Mike Maroth makes his first start as a Red Wing tonight with gametime at 6:05 in Scranton.

New Britain Business

New Hampshire 7 New Britain 4

• The Rockcats suffered their third straight loss to start the season with a tough to swallow 7-4 loss to New Hampshire yesterday. Tyler Robertson got his first AA start yesterday and was decent going 4.2 innings and giving up 3 runs on 7 hits along with a walk and a strikeout. Cole Devries then came on and pitched an effective 2.1 innings of relief giving up an unearned run on two hits along with 2 strikeouts. Santos Arias then came on and things did not go well for him. In two innings of work he gave up three unearned runs on two hits along with a walk and a strikeout. The rough part was he gave up a three run homerun that turned a 4-4 tie into a 7-4 New Hampshire lead. The Rockcats need to tighten things up as they had two errors which led to four unearned runs.

• The Rockcats offense continued to struggle as they were only able to put 4 runs on the board even though they had 9 hits. The main culprit was leaving 10 guys on base and your not going to win many games when you leave 10 on base and give up 4 unearned runs. The Cats were led by Rene Tosoni who went 2-5 with his first double of the year. Chris Parmalee went 1-4 at the plate with a walk and his first stolen base. Danny Lehman and Yancarlos Ortiz each added an rbi apiece.

• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their homestand as they welcome in Portland as Deolis Guerra gets his first start of the year. Gametime is at 5:35pm in New Britain.

Fort Myers Minutes

• The Miracle had yesterday off before continuing their series with Bradenton as they try to get their first win of the year. Bruce Pugh gets the start for Fort Myers with gametime at 6pm in Bradenton.

Beloit Beat

Peoria 2 Beloit 0

• The Snappers after getting off the season with a win lost their third straight Midwest League game. Brad Stillings got the start for Beloit and was very good in this one even though he ended up taking the loss. Stillings went 5 innings and gave up a run on only 3 hits along with one walk and a strikeout. Matthew Tone then came on and worked an inning and gave up one run on three hits along with a walk and three strikeouts. Dakota Watts then came on and pitched two shutout innings on only one hit. Ben Tootle pitched a perfect inning in relief. The pitching has n ot been the problem this year as they have done their job most of the time so far this year.

• The Snappers offensive slump continued in this one as they were only able to get five hits off Peoria pitching. Danny Rams went 1-4 at the plate with his second double of the year. Aaron Hicks got his first hit of the year going 1-4 to bring his average up to .071. James Beresford continued his struggles going 0-3 with a walk and still does not have a hit. Beresford and Hicks two of the best players on the Snappers team have started out very very slow. Between the two of them they are 1-29 at the plate a .034 average. I am not worried at all about them but it would be nice to get those guys going as soon as possible because they are key guys for the Snappers.

• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Peoria as Tom Stuifbergen gets his first start of the season tonight with gametime at 6:35.

Travis Talks NFL Mock Draft 1.0

As anyone that has followed this site the last couple years know I am a huge football fan as well as a baseball fan. I like to follow the NFL draft and try to pick the draft and see how close I get. So I welcome your comments either in an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com or in the comment box if you think i am way off or close on. The draft is still a couple weeks away and I will be bringing a few more of these so I hope you like it.

• 1. St. Louis Rams- Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma

• 2. Detroit Lions- Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska

• 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Gerald Mccoy DT Oklahoma

• 4. Washington Redskins- Russell Okung OT Oklahoma St.

• 5. Kansas City Chiefs- Eric Berry S Tennessee

• 6. Seattle Seahawks- Trent Williams OT Oklahoma

• 7. Cleveland Browns- Dez Bryant WR Oklahoma St.

• 8. Oakland Raiders- Bryan Bulaga OT Iowa

• 9. Buffalo Bills- Anthony Davis OT Rutgers

• 10. Jacksonville Jaguars- C.J. Spiller RB Clemson

• 11. Denver Broncos- Earl Thomas S Texas

• 12. Miami Dolphins- Dan Williams DT Tennessee

• 13. San Francisco 49ers- Joe Haden CB Florida

• 14. Seattle Seahawks- Jimmy Clausen QB Notre Dame

• 15. New York Giants- Rolando Mcclain LB Alabama

• 16. Tennessee Titans- Derrick Morgan DE Georgia Tech

• 17. San Francisco 49ers- Mike Iupati OG Idaho

• 18. Pittsburgh Steelers- Maurkice Pouncey C/G Florida

• 19. Atlanta Falcons- Jason Pierre-Paul DE South Florida

• 20. Houston Texans- Kyle Wilson CB Boise St.

• 21. Cincinnati Bengals- Jermaine Grisham TE Oklahoma

• 22. New England Patriots- Sergio Kindle DE Texas

• 23. Green Bay Packers- Charles Brown OT USC

• 24. Philadelphia Eagles- Kareem Jackson CB Alabama

• 25. Baltimore Ravens- Demaryius Thomas WR Georgia Tech

• 26. Arizona Cardinals- Sean Weatherspoon LB Missouri

• 27. Dallas Cowboys- Taylor Mays S USC

• 28. San Diego Chargers- Ryan Matthews RB Fresno St.

• 29. New York Jets- Jared Odrick DE Penn State

• 30. Minnesota- Terrance Cody DT Alabama

• 31. Indianapolis- Jerry Hughes DE TCU

• 32. New Orleans Saints- Everson Griffen DE USC

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast

Happy opening day everyone hope all are enjoying some baseball today. After a one week hiatus due to a family emergency I am returning tonight with a jam packed show of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast. Due to the Twins starting at 9 tonight for opening day I am having a one time only start time of 7pm central tonight. I will first be joined by DW The Great and we will talk about all things twins. Then I will be joined by Seth Stohs and we will get some minor league baseball talk in. Also you don't want to miss it as I will have a very special announcement at the end of the show tonight so you definatly don't want to miss tonights show so tune in at 7pm central. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Liriano a starter or closer

First off I want to get something off my chest about the Twins media reporting. I want to give a disclaimer about this though. Lavelle E. Neal III is a good beat reporter for the Twins and I enjoy reading his column everyday to find out Twins information and lineups. However, after reading his column this morning I am a little disappointed in him. In a regular article in the Star Tribune website today Lavelle promotes the Twins using Francisco Liriano as the closer for the Twins. That is after Ron Gardenhire explicitely said that Liriano is a starter and that they will run the closer role by committee. That is pretty clear that Liriano is not going to be a closer so that is what caught me off guard about the piece. Seems to me the only person still toughting Liriano as a closer is Lavelle. Honestly, that is not the job of a beat reporter as his job is to report the news that happens. If this had been in his blog I would have less of a problem with it because people want to hear his opinion in there, but not in a regular article. In a regular article I don't want to see the word I in any article not written by guys like Patrick Reusse or Jim Souhan who are paid to give their opinions. If he wants to give his opinions on this Lavelle should of done it in his blog and not in a regular article that is all I am saying. Now that I am off my soapbox the question begins should Liriano be a closer or starter.

There is no doubt in my mind that Francisco Liriano has the stuff to be an effective closer for the Twins. However, I think it would be a waste of talent as Liriano has the ability to be an ace of the staff as a starter. I think the Twins would rather have someone pitch 180-200 good innings than have a guy pitch 60-70. I really think with his line of 2 walks and 26 strikeouts this spring that his control is back along with his wicked slider. What the Twins need just as bad as a closer is an ace that you can hand the ball to who will dominate. The Twins havea bunch of number 2's and 3's in their rotation, but what they are lacking is a dominate ace that the Twins' competitors like Justin Verlander and Jake Peavy have. I think guys like Matt Guerrier and Jon Rauch can do the job until Pat Neshek is ready to take the job and run with it midseason so I think it would be a huge mistake for the Twins to force Liriano into the closers role as he obviously would rather start. Here is hoping that the Twins do the right thing with a guy that could be the ace in the hole for the Twins division winning formula.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

Tonight, I will be bringing you another jam packed edition of the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports podcast. I will have 2 guests on tonight as first I will be having Shawn Berg from the excellent blog http://ontheroadwithshawn.blogspot.com. We will talk Twins topics everything to the Mauer signing to position battles to the injury to Joe Nathan. Following Shawn will be Seth Stohs of http://sethspeaks.net where we will talk about one of my favorite topics and that is the minor league system for the Twins. Tune in tonight for another great show that we should be in store for. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

Please join me for the return of the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast as I have a jam packed show as I welcome a regular contributer to the podcast in Seth Stohs. You can read his awesome blog at http://sethspeaks.net. He also is part of the Twins Centric group that did the Twins annual for the Maple Street Press. They also have a daily column on Startribune.com and you can't forget his 2010 Seth Speaks Minnesota Twins prospect handbook that I have had the pleasure of reading and it is wonderful and I insist that if you have not gotten your copy of the handbook get it now. You can order your copy over at Seth's website. So tonight is going to be a fun night so i welcome everyone that reads Seth's site or listens to my podcast to tune into tonight should be fun. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast cancelled for tonight

Due to Mid Term exams I will not be able to have the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight. However, expect a big show next Monday as I try to make up for not being on tonight. So come back next Monday, the 15th for the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

Tonight at 9pm I will be bringing you another jam packed edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast. I will begin the show with up and coming minor league relief pitcher Joe Testa which should be very exciting. Following Joe I will be bringing back the godfather of podcasting the Twins Geek himself John Bonnes and we will talk about the twins and get you ready for the exhibition season on Thursday. You can read John's every popular blog along with reading him on the star tribune page. Here is John's blog. http://twinsgeek.blogspot.com. So be sure to tune in tonight at 9pm. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast Tonight at 9

Tonight I will be bringing you a very special edition of the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast at 9:00 pm. It will be a jampacked show tonight as I will have another minor leauger that I think you all will enjoy in Matt Fox. Matt Fox has overcome quite a bit to become a very good starting pitcher in the organization. After Matt I will have Jack Steal on and our very differing opinions on the Twins will be on stage. You can find Fanatic Jack's interesting blog at http://fanaticjacktalkstwins.blogspot.com. So join us tonight at 9 pm for another great edition of the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

I am very excited to have another jam packed edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight at 9pm. I will start out the show with the very well respected Twins blogger Seth Stohs of the ever popular website Seth Speaks that you can find at http://sethspeaks.net. We will be discussing the Minnesota Twins offseason as I continue my look at the American League Central. Following Seth I have a very special guest in Twins minor league pitcher Steve Blevins. He is one of the nicest guys your ever going to meet and I am priviledged to have him on the podcast tonight. So I invite everyone to listen to the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight at 9pm. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

In one of the biggest Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast in history I have a huge show planned for tonight at 9 so you don't want to miss out. I will start with Will Mcdonald who does a very good Kansas City Blog and we will talk about everything Royals as I continue my look at the American League Central. Followed by him is a very highly thought of prospect in the Twins minor league system. I will be joined by Starting Pitcher Tyler Robertson and we will talk about how he has gotten to this point and what he looks for going forward. I really invite everyone to tune in because I think its going to be a phenomenal show tonight and I really hope you tune whether you listen every week or if this is your first time visting my blog I really hope you will give me a shot tonight because you won't be disappointed. If you want to listen to the show just go to this site. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk