Nightly Notes: Game #66

How nice to write about a win for a change! After a 1-0 loss to start the series, the Twins put a W up on the board. Here are some notes:

1.) For the second night in a row, the Twins got a quality start. Including Glen Perkins 5.1 inning performance against the White Sox on Monday afternoon, that makes three solid starts in a row. Again, I expect that this is more the norm than the short-start fever we had been seeing. Blackburn did need 94 pitches to get through 6 innings, and I would have liked him to go a bit further, but I'm not going to nitpick right now; I'll take the 6 innings.

2.) I had a horrible feeling when Boof came in with the lead. After his 0.2 innings and Dennys Reyes' 6 pitches, the feeling proved to be justified. Thankfully Jesse Crain came in and held the Indians off in the 7th (and followed it up with a solid 8th), bridging the gap to Joe Nathan. When's the last time Nathan got a save, by the way? Feels like forever. Anyway, the disappointing thing is that Bonser couldn't be counted on even to hold a big lead. I think it's unlikely that he's in danger of being cut after tomorrow's game, but you never know.

3.) For once, the Twins had a number of potential offensive heroes tonight. Jason Kubel went 3-for-4 with a homer, driving in 2 runs. Justin Morneau doubled twice in five at-bats while driving in 3 runs. Carlos Gomez, meanwhile, went 2-for-5, scoring a couple of runs and stealing a base. It feels good to mention that more than one batter contributed to a win! The Twins have enough talent in the lineup that this shouldn't be a rare thing.

4.) Brendan Harris is hitting just .240 for the year, but that doesn't really tell the whole story. Harris is hitting just .200 in June, and he hit just .217 in May. The only reason his average isn't completely in the tank is because he had a .277 average in April. It would be great if Harris had been able to come in and give the Twins some offensive firepower at 2B, as was intended -- but it's starting to look more and more like that's just a pipe dream. I will be really curious to see how Harris is used once everyone (i.e. Nick Punto and Adam Everett, mostly) get healthy.

5.) The Twins are still expecting to make a roster move after tomorrow's game, but they are still keeping mum on what that move is likely to be. Either they still really don't know (possible, but unlikely) or they just don't want to announce it too early. I'm still on the "waive Rincon, call up Buscher" bandwagon, which the Twins website and the Strib have been saying is the most likely move. We'll find out tomorrow, and then I can stop talking about it!

6.) Interesting article on the Minor League Baseball website discussing Francisco Liriano. After yesterday's solid start for the Red Wings, the article suggests that Liriano could be back with the Twins sooner rather than later. The article also mentions that Liriano will be in the rotation if he returns, not in the bullpen. Who leaves the rotation if that happens? Livan Hernandez has been the least effective, I think, but it would probably be a bit surprising if the Twins ditched their sole veteran starter at this point. It will be an interesting story to follow over the next few weeks, as Liriano tries to prove that solid starts aren't a fluke.

7.) According to Jeremy, who posted in the comments to my previous post, the Twins have signed 6 picks from last weeks draft already: Tyler Ladendorf - IF (2nd round); Bobby Lanigan - RHP (3rd Round); Evan Bigley - OF (10th Round); Michael Harrington - OF (13th Round); Steve Blevins - RHP (21st Round); Alex Curry - RHP (25th Round). I haven't seen this confirmed anywhere else yet (it will probably be in the Strib tonight), but I have no reason to doubt Jeremy. More on this when I get confirmation, although I will say that all of these guys are college players, so it makes sense that they'd be amongst the first to sign.