Spring Training Roundup

A bad loss today (if there really is such a thing in Spring Training), 7-1 at the hands of the mighty Rays. Here are some thoughts:

1.) Of course, the biggest news today was that the Twins plan on having Livan Hernandez start on opening night. Frankly, I'm underwhelmed. Give the spot to one of the young guns like Scott Baker. Honestly, I understand the motivation behind giving Livan the start -- I'm sure opening night is a big deal for these guys, and it might mess with a youngsters mojo. Honestly, though, Livan? Anyway, Hernandez was pretty mediocre today, going 4 innings and giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk while picking up a K. But hey, he's a veteran so poor performances in the spring don't matter, right? RIGHT?!?

2.) Meanwhile, Glen Perkins was underwhelming again today, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits in 2 innings while striking out a batter. Considering that a number of the Twins young pitchers are starting to hit a solid groove, Perkins simply cannot afford to struggle like this. I don't think his chances of making the team have disappeared just yet, but he's quickly running out of time to turn things around.

3.) Remember when I thought Mariano Gomez would be amongst the first cuts of spring? Well, maybe he should have been -- he gave up 2 runs on 2 hits in 1 inning of work today, and has a 10.80 ERA. To my knowledge, he hasn't done anything to indicate that he would be a good addition to the big league club (other than throw the ball with his left arm). I'm thinking his time has run out, and wouldn't be surprised to see him cut as soon as tomorrow.

4.) Jason Pridie keeps getting an at-bat here and an at-bat there, and he's making the most of it. Today, he replaced Denard Span in center and went 1-for-1 to raise his spring average to .304. Say it with me -- "the sample size is small" -- but a decent batting average sure looks better than a bad one, fair or unfair. Span also picked up a hit, going 1-for-3 before leaving the game. Both are hitting much, much better than Carlos Gomez. This center field battle feels a bit like a see-saw, doesn't it? I'm still saying Gomez is the favorite, but we'll see how the rest of the week plays out.

5.) Doesn't Nick Punto realize that he could clinch the starting 2B job with just a little bit of offense? He went 0-for-2 again today, giving him a .077 batting average on the spring. Brendan Harris hasn't exactly been dashing either, but he's been at least a bit better than Punto with the stick. How disappointing, though, that neither of these guys have been getting it done. Meanwhile, fans are starting to call for Alexi Casilla -- and while I thought coming into the spring that there was essentially no chance of that happening, I have to admit that it's starting to look like an attractive possibility. If you're going to be bad at a position, why not be bad with youth?

6.) Craig Monroe went 2-for-3 and is hitting .375. Forget about it -- he's making the team. He's swinging the bat too well not to, and the Twins could use his veteran presence on the bench. Also, he at least seems to be somewhat versatile, and probably wouldn't completely embarrass the team if they had to use him in CF for a game or two. At this point, there's no reason not to give him a roster spot.

7.) Brian Buscher, who has been a bit of a cause celebre this spring, went 0-for-3 today and is now hitting .222 this spring. Time to write his obituary? Hardly. Remember, small sample size makes batting averages fairly meaningless, and the team has gone out of its way to praise Buscher's work ethic and performance. He may not make the team, but if he doesn't it won't be because of his batting average.

Spring Training Report: Game Thirty-One

And we're done. The Twins finished up the Spring schedule this afternoon with a nice 6-4 victory of the Pittsburgh Pirates to finish up the Grapefruit League season with a 14-17-1 record. Here are the notes from today's final game:

1.) It would have been nice if Sidney Ponson had pitched like Carlos Silva and Ramon Ortiz had the last couple of games, but it wasn't to be. He wasn't horrible, he just wasn't very good -- his line: 5 innings, 4 runs (3 earned), 10 hits, a walk, and 3 K's. Honestly, he looked pretty good through his first couple of batters, but he had a lot of hits fall in and got knocked around a little bit. Honestly, this is what it's going to be like with Sidney -- he wants teams to put the ball in play, and sometimes they'll hit it into the teeth of the defense, while other times they'll find holes and get hits. At least he kept the ball in the ballpark, and it looked like he threw some pretty solid sinkers. The big question now is whether he'll stay in line as the fourth starter, or whether Carlos Silva's solid performance on Thursday, coupled with Ponson's mild struggles today, will result in Ponson being moved into the fifth starter spot. I'm guessing that Silva will win the 4th starter spot.

2.) Somewhat surprisingly to me, Juan Rincon was the only member of the Major League bullpen to get into today's game. He pitched a perfect inning, striking out 2.

3.) Most of the starters only stayed in for about 4 innings before turning the game over to a host of minor leaguers. Rondell White and Jason Bartlett both went 2-for-2 today, and Bartlett also picked up a run scored and an RBI. Nick Punto and Joe Mauer both were in today's game, indicating that both will start the season with the team. There were some concerns, especially with Punto, that it might be necessary for them to start the season on the DL, but thankfully both healed quickly enough to get into today's game. Joe Mauer, meanwhile, had the biggest hit of the day for the starters, knocking a 3-run double to left center in the third inning. That's the swing I remember from last year . . .

4.) Brock Peterson had the best day amongst the minor leaguers who got in today's game, going 2-for-2 with a homer. Luke Hughes, Erik Lis, Josh Rabe, Matt Tolbert, Dave Gassner, Tim Lahey, and Eduardo Morlan all got into the game as well.

5.) The last bit of intrigue this weekend is whether or not Mike Venafro will accept a minor league assignment to the Red Wings. Despite popular opinion to the contrary, I actually think he will. It all depends on who offers him a job, and I don't think there are going to be great offers out there. He has until tonight to make the decision, so by mid-day tomorrow at the latest we should know what he's decided.

6.) An interesting tidbit from the Pirates announcers today: according to them, the minor league season can't start until 4 days after the first Major League game of the year. I'd never heard this before, but I don't doubt that it's true. Check the schedules out for yourself. You never know what you're going to hear when you tune into a game.

Today's Big Winner: Brock Peterson (way to make an impression!)
Runner-Up: Joe Mauer (nice to see him back in the lineup)

Today's Big Loser: Michael Cuddyer (only 0-for-3 amongst the starters
Runner-Up: Sidney Ponson (wasn't horrid, but not a good way to end the spring)

Spring Training Report: Game Thirty-One

Second to last game of the spring, and things were looking good until the bottom of the 8th. Pirates pick up the 5-3 win, and the same two teams will meet tomorrow in Ft. Myers to finish things up this spring. Here are today's notes:

1.) Ramon Ortiz had a short but effective final spring outing, going 4 innings and allowing just 1 hit while picking up a strikeout. He's on pace to start the third game of the season, against the Orioles, and by all accounts is ready to go for the season. Nice to see him recover from his last start, when he got knocked around a little.

2.) Matt Guerrier pitched two perfect innings and Juan Rincon contributed a perfect inning of his own, as the Major Leaguers in the bullpen continued solid performances. I'm guessing we'll see Dennys Reyes, Joe Nathan, and possibly Jesse Crain tomorrow for final tuneups.

3.) The only starters in the game today were Jason Bartlett at SS, and arguably Jason Kubel in LF (although he'll be a part-time starter at DH rather than in LF). As a result, it's probably not that surprising that the Twins only picked up 5 hits as a team -- although what may be surprising is that 3 of those 5 hits were contributed by minor leaguers.

4.) David Shinskie and Kyle Waldrop were the two minor league pitchers in today's game, and Shinskie didn't exactly have a great day -- he gave up 5 runs (3 earned) 5 hits in 1/3 of an innings. Ouch. Waldrop replaced Shinskie and pitched a perfect 2/3 of an inning.

5.) Matt Moses (possibly the starting third baseman for the Twins by the end of 2008) and David Winfree started today's game at 3B and 1B respectively. Winfree went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Moses went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Brandon Roberts, Felix Molina, Josh Rabe, Jose Morales, Trent Oeltjen, Doug Deeds, and Trevor Plouffe all got into the game as replacements.

There were also some good notes from yesterday's Live from Ft. Myers section in yesterday's Strib that I wanted to cover, and this seemed like a good place to do it, so here goes:

6.) Alejandro Machado won't be able to get the necessary service time with the Twins this season in order to shed his Rule 5 status. While a player can stay on the roster all season by being on the disabled list and so not have to be offered back to his original team, that player still needs to be on an active roster for 90 days. The Twins are hoping that Machado recovers from his surgery in enough time to rehab in August and possibly contribute once rosters expand in September. He'll also get a shot next spring to make the team. Incidentally, with Machado out until at least late August, he could be transferred to the 60-day DL at any time if the Twins need to open up a roster spot.

7.) Here's a quote from Francisco Liriano that has to make any Twins fan's heart jump up into your throat: "It feels weird, like it's my first time playing baseball." Oh my . . . let's hope that feeling starts to go away as Liriano rehabs his elbow throughout the summer, and that by the time Spring Training 2008 rolls around, he'll be feeling like he did in, oh, let's say early June of 2006.

Today's Big Winner: Ramon Ortiz (Looks ready to go for April 4)
Runner-Up: David Winfree (Hit .400 in Grapefruit League games this spring)

Today's Big Loser: David Shinskie (Not a good way to make a first impression)
Runner-Up: Jason Kubel (only 0-for-4 on the day for the Twins)

Spring Training Report: Game Thirty

The Twins offense ignited tonight, and they picked up a nice 10-2 victory of the Cincinnati Reds. Here are tonight's notes:

1.) I doubt that it's going to hush many of the protesting voices, but Carlos Silva had a great outing today as he finished up his spring, going 5 scoreless innings and allowing just 2 hits while striking out 2. He also got 9 groundball outs to 4 fly ball outs, which indicates that his sinker was working pretty effectively. I'm most definitely NOT saying that this one performance should make everybody forget the rest of the spring, in which Silva was terrible. What I AM saying is that perhaps we should cut the Twins a little bit of slack and see if Rick Anderson (who has been saying that Silva looks great in bullpen sessions, and just isn't translating that into his performances in games) is actually right. The Twins deserve the benefit of the doubt on this, and can fix the problem quickly if/when Silva struggles during the season. I'm also just going to throw this out there -- is it possible that by sending down Garza before Silva made his last start, thus guaranteeing Silva a roster spot, calmed Silva down enough to perform effectively tonight? I have no idea, and I take no position on whether having a pitcher whose performance is so largely determined by mental state would be a good thing or a bad thing. Instead, I just leave it as something to ponder, or to discuss in the comments.

2.) Jesse Crain gave up a monster 2 run homerun tonight, but other than that the relievers looked solid and ready to go. That's especially welcome with Pat Neshek, who was great early in the spring before struggling a bit the last few times out. He walked a guy today, but didn't allow a hit and picked up a strikeout. In other words, he's fine. Joe Nathan was his usual sterling self, and if he doesn't pitch again this spring then he'll wrap up his spring with a 0.00 ERA.

3.) Luis Castillo must have gotten sick of seeing his batting average falling, so he put up a 2-for-3 night tonight to up his batting average to a sick .444. Michael Cuddyer (2-for-5; .364) and Rondell White (2-for-3; .312) also bumped up the averages in today's game.

4.) Chris Heintz made the team today, but didn't play. Josh Rabe got cut, and played anyway -- he went 1-for-1 with a run scored in a pinch hit appearance. Funny how spring training works. Incidentally, if you've been reading that Rabe was optioned to AAA, that's not the case; Rabe is not on the 40-man roster, and was in fact reassigned to minor league camp. He'll officially be joining the Red Wings after minor league camp ends. Had he in fact been optioned, he wouldn't have been eligible to play in any more Grapefruit League games this spring.

5.) A ton of minor leaguers got a chance to play in today's game, and some of them did very well. Jeff Manship pitched a perfect inning of relief, and my favorite sub-AAA player, Erik Lis, picked up a solid pinch hit 2 RBI single. Matt Tolbert (who pinch ran and walked in the game, and managed to score 2 runs), Matt Betsill, Eli Tintor, and Luke Hughes also got into the action. John Gordon and Dan Gladden suggested that the Twins will be taking NINE minor leaguers with them to tomorrow's game against the Pirates, and Matt Moses and David Winfree are expected to be included on the trip.

Today's Big Winner: Carlos Silva (Great boost for the old confidence level)
Runner-Up: Jeff Cirillo (2-for-3 with 2 RBI)

Today's Big Loser: Jesse Crain (Gave up the only 2 runs of the game on a mammoth HR)
Runner-Up: Justin Morneau (Only 0-for-3 on the team today)

Spring Training Report: Game Twenty-Nine

Egad . . . the Twins have lost the Mayor's Cup. This is a truly tragic day in Twins fandom. Nevertheless, the show must go on, so here are today's notes:

1.) Santana wasn't too sharp today, giving up 4 ER's on 8 hits and 2 walks. At least he picked up 6 K's, and the change-up looked to be in midseason form. Really, this performance shouldn't worry anybody overly much -- he'll be fine once the season gets going.

2.) The bullpen was pretty solid tonight, with the only run allowed being given up by a minor leaguer (Zach Ward) who was up for the night. Dennys Reyes was spectacular, striking out the side in his inning of work, and Matt Guerrier and Joe Nathan were both solid as well. Of course, nobody should be worrying about the bullpen when there are perfectly legitimate concerns over the starting rotation.

3.) After getting hit in the head earlier this spring, Torii Hunter promised that he would never again start in a night game in Ft. Myers because the lighting is so horrible. He lived up to that promise tonight by staying out of the game.

4.) Felix Molina, Doug Deeds, Brock Peterson, Garrett Guzman, Trevor Plouffe, and Zach Ward all got into the game today while visiting from the minor league camp. Peterson went 2-for-2 with 2 RBI's and a run score (and a TRIPLE!) to have, without a doubt, the best performance of the night amongst the minor leaguers.

5.) Chris Heintz went 1-for-1 and is now hitting .333 this spring. Josh Rabe, his main competition for the 25th roster spot, went 0-for-2 with a K and 2 left on base. It makes more and more sense to keep Heintz on the roster when the Twins break camp, and that decision could come as early as tonight or tomorrow morning.

Today's Big Winner: Brock Peterson (Not bad for a one day call-up)
Runner-Up: Dennys Reyes (3 batters, 3 strikeouts)

Today's Big Loser: Josh Rabe (Didn't help his cause tonight)
Runner-Up: Johan Santana (Sorry guys, but it's true -- he struggled a bit tonight)

Spring Training Report: Game Twenty-Eight

A Gardenhire was responsible for the Twins win today, but it wasn't Ron -- read on for today's notes on the Twins 4-3 victory of the New York Yankees:

1.) Boof Bonser gave up a couple of solo homeruns today, but overall looked very solid and comfortable against the Yankees. There is still no word on when he's going to next start, but I suspect that the Twins are going to have him open on the second day of the season against the Orioles rather than having him wait until Game 4 against the White Sox. It's just much easier to move Bonser around than to have to move around 3 out of the 5 starters.

2.) Josh Rabe went 1-for-4 and left 4 guys on base today, but still has an excellent shot of making the roster after Mike Venafro and Matt LeCroy were cut this morning (see posts below). Frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing him on the roster -- I'll just be a little sad that J.D. Durbin couldn't pan out.

3.) Toby Gardenhire, Trent Oeltjen, Matt Tolbert, Jose Morales, David Winfree, and Brandon Roberts all got into today's game. Tolbert delivered a solid single to center that scored Jason Tyner to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, and then scored on a ball up the middle off the bat of Toby Gardenhire that was bobbled by the Yankee 2nd baseman. Nice to see the minor leaguers contributing to a win. By the way, did anyone else think that Tolbert and Gardenhire looked like they were wearing helmets about 4 times too large? They looked like little leaguers, and I wouldn't be surprised if they had trouble seeing out from underneath the helmets . . .

4.) Johan pitches tomorrow in his last tuneup for the spring. I'm looking for him to go 6 solid innings. Carlos Silva is probably in line to start on Thursday so that nobody else has to move around, but he's unlikely to start again until April 8. Ramon Ortiz (Friday) and Sidney Ponson (Saturday) are then likely to start the last two games of the spring.

Today's Big Winner: Matt Tolbert (game tying hit, game winning run)
Runner-Up: Boof Bonser (ready to go)

Today's Big Loser: Justin Morneau (0-3 on a day when no one was that bad)
Runner-Up: Torii Hunter (0-2 with a walk)

Spring Training Report: Game Twenty-Seven

There was a little bit of good and a little bit of bad in today's 5-3 loss to the Orioles. Here are today's notes:

1.) The most encouraging thing by far to come out of today's game was the performance of Sidney Ponson. Considering the horrid performances by Carlos Silva and Ramon Ortiz over the last couple of days, the Twins needed Ponson to pitch well in order to alleviate some concerns over the rotation. He responded by going 6 innings and allowing just 5 hits (and no walks) while striking out 3. There were a few troublesome things -- he gave up a couple of booming doubles deep in the outfield -- but the fact is he was mostly effective and looks to be in surprisingly good shape for the start of the season, considering that before today he had pitched just 10 innings this spring in Grapefruit League games. If there was any question about whether Ponson would make the rotation coming into today (and really, I don't think there was), it was settled today. The only question left is when he'll get his first start, and in my book that should come on Wednesday against the Orioles.

2.) The bad news today came from the performance of J.D. Durbin, who pitched an inning of relief and got absolutely hammered, giving up 4 ER's on 5 hits and a walk. That's two poor performances in a row, and his Spring ERA is now at 12.38. I still think he's in the running for a roster spot because the Twins don't want to lose him, but it's clear that he wouldn't be adding much to the team. I hate to say this, but it's looking more and more like this will be a repeat of the Michael Restovich situation of a couple of year's ago, where the Twins were forced to give up a promising young player because he was out of options. Just to rub some salt in the wound, Mike Venafro came in and had another solid inning of work today. The contrast couldn't have been more striking.

3.) Josh Rabe didn't help his argument that he deserves to win the 25th spot on the Twins roster today -- he went 0-for-4 as the starting left fielder. Matt LeCroy didn't play in the game.

4.) Luis Rodriguez has quietly turned his spring around a little bit, and with today's single (in his only at-bat) he's now hitting .275. He may not be fast, he may not be a natural shortstop, and he may not be a very good bunter -- but he's going to win a roster spot typically calling for all three of those skills by default.

5.) David Winfree and Doug Deeds were with the Twins today rather than in minor league camp, and both contributed to the cause, with Deeds hitting an RBI single and Winfree getting an RBI on a sac fly.

Today's Big Winner: Sidney Ponson (surprisingly, looks ready for the season to start)
Runner-Up: Mike Venafro (may have won a job today)

Today's Big Loser: J.D. Durbin (may have lost a job today)
Runner-Up: Josh Rabe (Did himself no favors with an 0-4 day)

Spring Training Report: Game Twenty-Six

All of a sudden, the Twins can't buy a win . . . or a good performance by a starting pitcher. Here are the notes on today's 10-2 loss to the Phillies in Clearwater:

1.) Ramon Ortiz finally had the kind of outing that many Twins fans have been expecting him to have . . . in other words, not good. He went 4.1 innings, giving up 6 ER's on 9 hits. On the plus side, he didn't walk anybody and he struck out 5. This isn't what the Twins were hoping to see, however, with Carlos Silva self-destructing and Sidney Ponson yet to have a very good outing in a Grapefruit League game. Ortiz is safe, but let's hope his last start of the Spring is better than this one.

2.) Matt Garza knew coming into today's game that he was going to relieve Ramon Ortiz, and that a good outing could put him in the driver's seat for Carlos Silva's spot in the rotation. He was solid today, but probably not solid enough to win the job unless Silva is terrible in his last spring start on Thursday. Garza went 3 innings, giving up 1 ER on 4 hits and a walk. Three perfect innings might well have won him the job; today's performance just keeps him in line in case Carlos struggles.

3.) Rondell White hit a solo shot in the 2nd inning, and Luis Castillo (!) hit one in the 3rd. That was, sadly, the extent of the Twins runs, as hits in general were hard to come by today.

4.) Luis Rodriguez got a chance to start at short today with Jason Bartlett hurting. So far, I haven't heard any major complaints about his performance there, so that should make the Twins feel a little more comfortable about the idea of taking him north as the backup middle infielder.

5.) The Josh Rabe v. Matt LeCroy throwdown for position players who could make the roster out of camp continued today, with Rabe going 1-for-3 and LeCroy going 0-for-1 in a pinch hitting appearance. Rabe seems to have passed LeCroy in that regard, but I still expect Mike Venafro or J.D. Durbin to win the 25th roster spot.

6.) Steve Tolleson, Matt Tolbert, Brandon Roberts, Trent Oeltjen, Gil Velazquez, and Jose Morales all got a chance to travel with the big squad rather than spend the day in minor league camp. Trent Oeltjen went 1-for-2, the only minor leaguer to get a hit in today's game.

Today's Big Winner: Matt Garza (stayin' alive)
Runner-Up: Rondell White (1-for-2 with a nice homerun)

Today's Big Loser: Ramon Ortiz (maybe turning into a pumpkin?)
Runner-Up: Matt LeCroy (running out of time to impress)

Spring Training Report: Game Twenty-Five

Oh my. That wasn't very pretty at all. Twins lose, 13-7, and I imagine there are a few rather concerned coaches wondering about what the next move is. Here are today's notes:

1.) Well, what is there to say about Carlos Silva's performance? It started with a monster homerun given up to Brad Eldred (and what's with Dan Gladden's pushing for the Twins to trade for Eldred at every opportunity? It was strange), and just got worse from there. His line: 3.1 innings, 9 ER's, 11 hits, 2 K's. At least he didn't walk anyone. I was really hoping that Carlos would put it together in time for the start of the season, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. He should have one more start this spring, on Thursday. If he struggles in that game as well, the Twins will at least have to consider not taking him north. I was in favor of picking up his option, I've been pulling for him all spring, but man is that position becoming harder and harder to support. I still think the Twins will give him a shot in April -- but the temptation to take Perkins or Garza north instead of Silva has to be tremendous.

2.) Speaking of Glen Perkins, he followed up his last, very poor, outing with a reasonable performance today. He gave up an early 2 run homer (although one of those runs was charged to Silva), and then buckled down to go 2.2 innings without allowing another hit and striking out three. It wasn't a definitive statement, but it was a pretty solid performance that should keep him in consideration in case the Twins decide they just can't go with Silva and/or Ponson.

3.) Mike Venafro had another shutout inning today, although he gave up a hit and walked two. It's going to be hard to deny him a spot on the roster should the Twins decide to go with 12 pitchers. But is there really an appetite amongst Twins execs to lose J.D. Durbin? Incidentally, if Venafro makes the team, he'll take Durbin's place on the 40-man roster, because Durbin would have been placed on waivers.

4.) Scary situation with Jason Bartlett being hit on the hand by a sharp line drive, but according to everyone involved in the situation, he should be fine and ready to play very quickly. This does mean, however, that 3 out of 8 starting position players are injured at the moment, and while all are expected to be ready by the start of the season, I bet the Twins would rather not be dealing with the injuries at all.

5.) Felix Molina, Trevor Plouffe, Doug Deeds, and Anthony Swarzak all got a chance to come over from the minor league camp and play in today's game. Swarzak's inning of work (in which he allowed only a walk) was the best performance by the minor leaguers.

6.) The last week of spring training begins tomorrow, and the Twins have 7 games left on the schedule this spring. That should mean the last starts go in the regular rotation order: Sun @ Philadelphia (Ramon Ortiz), Mon vs. Baltimore (Sidney Ponson), Tue vs. New York Yankees (Boof Bonser), Wed vs. Boston (Johan Santana), Thu @ Cincinnati (Carlos Silva), Fri @ Pittsburgh (Ramon Ortiz), Sat vs. Pittsburgh (Sidney Ponson).

Today's Big Winner: Torii Hunter (2-3, run scored)
Runner-Up: Michael Cuddyer (2-3, run scored)

Today's Big Loser: Carlos Silva (worst performance of the spring for anyone)
Runner-Up: Jesse Crain (1 inning, 2 runs, 4 hits and a walk)

Spring Training Report: Game Twenty-Three

Twins almost swiped a win in St. Petersburg against the Devil Rays today, but couldn't quite pull it out, losing 6-5 in 10 innings. Here are tonight's notes:

1.) Boof Bonser was solid if unspectacular tonight, going 4 innings and and giving up 2 ER's on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. That's more than sufficient to keep him in line to make the rotation (and there never should have been any question about that). Scott Baker also got a chance to pitch tonight, but was only allowed to go 1 inning. While he did fine, giving up just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 2, the fact that he only went 1 inning makes it very clear that he is not going to make the Twins rotation. In fact, it might be tough for him to build up the arm strength necessary to pitch more than 4 or 5 innings in his starts for Rochester when the season starts.

2.) Mike Venafro got another solid inning of work in tonight, giving up just 1 hit. I've made it quite clear that my preference is for the Twins to keep J.D. Durbin on the roster, and I'm going to reiterate that position here shortly. However, the Twins appear to still be undecided; I can't think of any other reason to send Randy Choate to the minor league camp. I assume the Twins are thinking that if Venafro makes the team, there will be an opening for Choate in Rochester, so why not keep him around and see what happens? While the Twins might be hesitating on Durbin, I wouldn't be. First, he's worth more long term than Venafro is for the Twins. Durbin could still turn into a solid player down the road for the Twins, while Venafro seems like more of a one year rental. Further, with the Twins starting rotation, having a guy like Durbin who could go 3 or 4 innings as needed is an advantage. Matt Guerrier can do a bit of that, but it would be nice to have another option. We'll see what the Twins end up deciding, but I legitimately think this is up in the air at this point.

3.) I always report when he has a bad day, so equal time tonight for Matt LeCroy, who went 2-for-4 and didn't strike out. Maybe if it had been against a team other than Tampa, I'd be more impressed . . .

4.) Josh Rabe is doing his darndest to force his way into the 25th man competition, going 2-for-5 tonight. I was mystified when the Twins took Rabe off the 40-man roster, and think he has a future at the Major League level. However, as I mentioned above I prefer to keep Durbin on the roster to avoid losing him. There are no such concerns with Rabe. By the end of the year, though, I would be very surprised if he weren't back on the 40-man roster.

5.) Trent Oeltjen, Doug Deeds, Matt Tolbert, Yohan Pino, and Angel Garcia all got into the game today. At this point in the Spring, it's not unusual for traveling teams to be filled out with minor leaguers so that the big names don't have to take the bus trip. Pino did the best, pitching a perfect inning of relief. Garcia was the worst, taking the loss in the 10th inning after giving up 2 runs and not recording an out.

Today's Big Winner: Josh Rabe (2-for-5; making a case for being on the roster)
Runner-Up: Matt LeCroy (2-for-4; trying to show he can still play)

Today's Big Loser: Angel Garcia (this isn't really fair . . . he isn't even officially in camp)
Runner-Up: Mike Redmond (0-3 with a K; .167 for the spring)

Spring Training Report: Game Twenty-Two

The Twins must have decided that losing yesterday wasn't fun. They won today's game against the Reds 5-3 to keep their recent hot streak alive and well. Here are today's notes:

1.) Sidney Ponson's final line wasn't that good - 3 runs, 7 hits, a walk and a strikeout in 4 innings. Objectively, that doesn't look like a very good outing -- but the Twins website suggests that Ponson is "rounding into early-season form," and pitched better than the stats would indicate. His sinker also is seemingly working well. Matt Garza relieved him with a 3 inning, 1 hit performance that probably puts him right back in line with Glen Perkins as the first alternate, and if Ponson struggles again in his next start there is at least a possibility that one of the young guns could still make the rotation.

2.) Luis Castillo: 3-4, .529 batting average this spring. Matt LeCroy: 0-1 with a K, .212 batting average this spring. One is ready for the season to start, and another is . . . well . . . not.

3.) I'm expecting the Twins to make some tough decisions in the next couple of days and cut some more players. Alexi Casilla should be sent down if the Twins honestly have no intention of keeping him at the Major League level. Give those at-bats to Luis Rodriguez, who seems poised to make the roster. Randy Choate should also be let go. And honestly, why is Scott Baker still in Major League camp? Who is that benefiting? Some of the most difficult decisions -- who to keep between J.D. Durbin, Mike Venafro, Josh Rabe, Matt LeCroy, et al -- likely won't be made until the final weekend; that doesn't mean that other players who have no shot should be kept around for little reason.

4.) In case you were wondering, there are no significant difficulties with the 40-man roster heading into the start of the season. The roster currently stands at 40 players, with the Twins needing to add Sidney Ponson, Mike Venafro, Matt LeCroy, or Josh Rabe if any of them make the team. The Twins will have one easy fix, however: Francisco Liriano will soon be placed on the 60-Day Disabled List, which means that he won't count against the limit of 40 players. Sidney Ponson is almost certain to be placed on the roster to fill the opening. If the Twins wanted to carry Venafro, LeCroy, or Rabe in addition to Ponson, however, they would have to clear space. Since J.D. Durbin would be left off the roster if any of those three were added, there would be another opening for one of these players to fill. Another opening might show up if the Twins decide not to rehab Alejandro Machado and return him to Washington, but it's hard to see any scenario in which the Twins would need to add 3 players to the roster before the start of the season.

Today's Big Winner: Michael Cuddyer (3-for-3; 2 R, 3 RBI, HR - .378 this spring)
Runner-Up: Matt Garza (Could still win a spot in the rotation)

Today's Big Loser: Sidney Ponson (Not a good outing, and not on solid ground)
Runner-Up: Matt LeCroy (three straight strikeouts over 2 games - the bat looks really slow)

Spring Training Report: Game Twenty-One

I hope you all had a chance to watch the game tonight. It wasn't great early, but there was so much good information and so many interesting things going on that it was a great introduction to where the Twins are at right now, and perfectly set up the last week and a half of Spring. Here are tonight's notes:

1.) I'm going to crow a little bit about the Twins stadium situation, which I've been saying for the last month or more wasn't going to be a problem. There was simply too much at stake for the impasse not to be resolved, and Jerry Bell suggested tonight that it has been taken care of and the Twins are moving forward. Honestly, I considered this a non-story from the moment I read it (which explains why I've barely mentioned it on the blog) - bumps in the road happen all the time with major projects, and they rarely cause the project to collapse. This was that kind of situation, and thankfully we shouldn't have to hear much more about it.

2.) Glen Perkins presumably had one last shot tonight to demonstrate to the Twins that he didn't just deserve a spot in the rotation, but simply could not be left off the roster. To do that, he would have needed to blow away the Red Sox, and THEN he would have had to hope that Sidney Ponson struggled tomorrow. That's now a moot point, however, as Perkins just never got it together and gave up 4 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks (with no strikeouts) in 2 innings. Perkins is likely still the first alternate in case somebody gets hurt or struggles mightily over the last week and a half of camp, but his hopes of winning a job outright likely just disappeared.

3.) J.D. Durbin looked fantastic tonight. His fastball was popping tonight, he got a couple of people to screw themselves into the ground trying to go after fastballs up and in, and I liked his curve. For me, Durbin has to be kept around, and I'm glad to hear that the Twins seem to be thinking along the same lines. I like Mike Venafro a lot, but keeping him on the roster and giving up on Durbin would be a shame.

4.) Luis Castillo went 2-for-3 and is now hitting .500 for the Spring. Seriously, .500. Good lord!

5.) Great commentary by Dick & Bert tonight discussing how Rondell White got some help from Harmon Killebrew this spring, and is working on keeping both hands on the bat when he swings. Right after they mentioned this, White put a great swing on a ball and doubled down the line, setting up the Twins comeback attempt. Hopefully, that's the swing we'll see a lot of this spring.

6.) Matt LeCroy: 0-for-2, 2 strikeouts. Enough said.

7.) Brad King got in the game today, and officially went 0-for-1. But this being Brad King, it was unthinkable that he wouldn't get on base -- which he did by drawing a walk in his first plate appearance. On. Base. Machine.

8.) I can't believe this didn't make it on the list until eighth. Alejandro Machado is out indefinitely with a torn labrum. He's reportedly seeking a second opinion, but the news is likely not going to change. This means he should end up on the disabled list at the start of the season, but it also means the Twins are going to give a couple guys a chance at SS. Luis Rodriguez, who the Twins have said all spring is NOT a shortstop, nonetheless played there tonight and looked alright. They're also mentioning using Jeff Cirillo there. And, in perhaps the best news, there are signs that Ron Gardenhire's insistence that Nick Punto would be exclusively a third-baseman seems to have thawed, and Punto is now likely to get some at-bats at SS this spring as well. Bottom Line: Luis Rodriguez is now a virtual lock to make the team out of Spring Training.

Today's Big Winner: Luis Rodriguez (Got a hit, but more importantly won a roster spot)
Runner-Up: Luis Castillo (Hitting .500 this late in the spring . . . priceless)

Today's Big Loser: Glen Perkins (Here comes Rochester . . . )
Runner-Up: Matt LeCroy (0-2; 2 strikeouts)

Spring Training Report: Game Twenty

Another day, another win. Ho-hum. Here are today's notes:

1.) Johan Santana became the first Twins starter to go five innings today, and looked fantastic. Other than with his arm strength, I'd say he's close to midseason form already, and that should be a scary thought for AL hitters. He looks poised to have another amazing season, and I can't wait until April 2 to see him kick things off against the Orioles. Santana has just two starts to go this spring, and I'd guess he'll go 5 innings again later this week, maybe pushing up to 6 in his last start of the spring.

2.) Kevin Slowey got into the game today and finally showed he's human, by giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk while striking out 2. To be fair to Slowey, most of the hits were bloopers that fell in, but he did give up a couple of legitimate shots. This was probably Slowey's last start of the Spring, and I would guess that he'll be sent to the minor league camp tomorrow or Tuesday.

3.) Mike Venafro and Randy Choate pitched an inning each today, and both were pretty solid. I've suggested before that Choate was probably going to be cut soon, and despite today's performance I still expect that to happen tomorrow or Tuesday. I think that Mike Venafro will stick around camp for awhile, but J.D. Durbin has emerged as the favorite to get the 25th roster spot because he's out of options.

4.) Luis Castillo has quietly put up a great spring when he's been healthy, as his 3-for-3 day put his batting average up to .481. Michael Cuddyer went 0-for-3 but is still hitting .350. Justin Morneau has hit homeruns in back-to-back games, and is now hitting .343 for the spring. Torii Hunter is hitting .333, Rondell White is hitting .300, Jason Bartlett is hitting .303 . . . honestly, the only regular starters who aren't doing a lot with the stick are Joe Mauer (.226) and Nick Punto (.216) - but I think they'll be fine once the season starts. Mauer had a particularly rough day today, leaving eight runners on base.

5.) Off day tomorrow - and if I remember right, these are usually legitimate off days, with the players told to stay away from camp and relax. I would expect Ron Gardenhire, Terry Ryan, and the coaches to huddle tomorrow and make some decisions on cuts, with announcements coming either tomorrow or Tuesday.

Today's Big Winner: Johan Santana (5 innings, 1 hit - he's ready for Opening Day)
Runner-Up: Justin Morneau (2 homers in 2 days)

Today's Big Loser: Kevin Slowey (First bad outing of the spring is probably his last)
Runner-Up: Joe Mauer (8 men left on base - yikes!)

Spring Training Report: Game Nineteen

Alright, Twins fans. We're starting to get spoiled with all these wins. A week ago people were still complaining about the spring record and wondering what it meant. I say it means about as much as the current win streak means -- absolutely nothing. A week is simply too small a sample size to draw any conclusions from, and you should know by now what I think of drawing conclusions from spring generally. Anyway, the wins are still nice. Here are today's notes:

1.) Boof had to work out of some jams today, as he gave up 7 hits in 4 innings of work. Still, he struck out 5, and worked out of every jam that he worked into, so no harm, no foul. Ron Gardenhire has said that Bonser is, in fact, a lock for the rotation, and there's no reason to think that Terry Ryan thinks differently. A couple of days ago I read a story suggesting that Bonser was on track to be the fifth starter (I think it was on the Twins website, but I'm too lazy to look up the link right now). Such a thought is absurd - Bonser should be 2 or 3, hands down. There's still time for the Twins to adjust his starting day to get him in line for another position, and I fully expect them to do so. Besides, I think whoever wrote the article miscounted anyway - if you figure four days rest from here on out for Bonser, he'd logically be in line to pitch on April 6 in Chicago - the Twins fourth game of the year. While I think he should get a start earlier against the Orioles, I'm fine with saving him up for that White Sox game.

2.) Scott Baker decided to keep things interesting in the battle for the fifth starter by going 2 scoreless innings and giving up 2 hits and a walk while striking out one. Baker is far behind Garza, Perkins, and Ponson in this fight, but it's still nice to see him continue his recent streak of solid performances. Jeremy Cummings, who is about as likely as Kevin Slowey to win the fifth starter job (in other words . . . NOT), finally stumbled a little bit, giving up a run on 1 hit and a hit batter. Still, one run isn't going to hurt that badly, and Cummings has still had a great spring.

3.) Kelly Thesier at the Twins website has suggested two things about the Twins roster situation that I've suspected all spring, but that I hadn't seen anybody actually say in print just yet: (1) Ron Gardenhire would prefer 11 pitchers rather than 12, and (2) J.D. Durbin is at the top of the list of options should the Twins carry 12 pitchers because he's out of options and the Twins don't want to lose him. Considering that Matt LeCroy is the last standing likely possibility to be a 14th position player, and considering that the Twins really don't want to lose Durbin, it's looking extremely likely that I'll get my wish of having Durbin make the roster, at least to start the season.

4.) The regulars are all starting or continuing to hit this spring. I'd say they're getting close to ready, with just over 2 weeks to go. Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter both hit big blasts today, and Michael Cuddyer came awfully close (darned wind). There's no reason to think that the Twins offense is going to be a problem; I'm very excited to see them when the season starts.

5.) I expect the next round of cuts to come on Monday (the Twins only off-day of the Spring) or Tuesday morning. Unlike the previous cuts, which mostly involved players who had no chance of making the roster, I expect the next round of cuts to include players like Randy Choate and Carmen Cali, who came into the spring with at least a chance to win a job.

6.) It's not baseball related, but if you're into the NCAA tourney, hasn't it been nice to see some great games today after what seemed an awfully boring first round? The Ohio State - Xavier game was absolutely fantastic (although I was pulling for the upset), and Texas A&M - Louisville was a lot of fun as well. Now, as long as my Pitt Panthers avoid pulling a Duke against VCU, I should be able to look forward to a Sweet Sixteen grudge match against UCLA and former Pitt head coach Ben Howland.

Today's Big Winner: Justin Morneau (3-3, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR)
Runner-Up: Boof Bonser (cemented his spot in the rotation, if it wasn't already)

Today's Big Loser: Carmen Cali (1 inning, 3 hits, 2 ER in possibly his last appearance)
Runner-Up: Mike Redmond (0-3, hitting .190 this spring)

Spring Training Report: Game Eighteen

Apparently there's a mercy rule in Spring Training games - the Twins beat the Orioles 16-2 today, and the game ended after 7.5 innings. Guess there was no reason to prolong the pain. Alright, so it was rain-shortened, I just found out. The mercy rule explanation was a whole lot more fun. Here are today's notes:

1.) Alright, so Sidney Ponson didn't want to give up a place in the rotation so easily. His 4 inning performance was pretty solid, as he allowed just 3 hits and 1 unearned run while walking 1 and striking out 2. I know that most fans probably don't want to hear this, but I would assume that this puts him back in the driver's seat for the last spot in the rotation, despite the fact that Matt Garza put up 2 solid innings today as well, allowing just 2 hits. I just expect that the Twins are going to give Sidney a chance at the Major League level before they discard him. File it under "sad, but true."

2.) J.D. Durbin gave up a run on two hits in his 1 inning today. That's not enough to keep him from getting the 25th spot on the roster if the Twins want to give it to him, but it also doesn't do him any favors. I'd call it a neutral performance, with the Twins likely much more concerned about how he actually looked on the mound than with his giving up a run. Besides . . . it's one run . . . it happens.

3.) On a day when the Twins put up 16 runs, and the Orioles pitching obviously wasn't that good, Matt LeCroy went 0-3 with a walk and an RBI. Garrett Jones, on the other hand, who has no chance of making the team, finally got sick of being made fun of for his low, low batting average and went 4-5 with 4 RBI's and 4 runs scored. Brad King got into the game as well, and in typical Brad King style he got hit by a pitch in his lone plate appearance. Seriously, the man gets on base. A lot. In any way possible.

4.) Sometime in the next couple of days I'll post something on who the Twins would remove from the 40-man roster if they carry Sidney Ponson and/or Mike Venafro, who would have to be added.

Today's Big Winner: Sidney Ponson (The 5th starter position keeps getting more complicated)
Runner-Up: Garrett Jones (Look at that line! Great game for Jones)

Today's Big Loser: Matt LeCroy (0-3 doesn't cut it when the opposing pitchers were bad)
Runner-Up: Josh Rabe (0-2, 4 men left on)

Spring Training Report: Game Seventeen

This winning thing is starting to become a regular occurrence, with the Twins rattling off wins in five of their last six ballgames. While I still believe that spring training wins are meaningless, it at least is nice to look at a winning box score. Here are today's notes:

1.) Ramon Ortiz gave up entirely too many hits in his first inning of work, but he wasn't helped at all by Tommy Watkins' and Alexi Casilla's errors. His last three innings were very solid, however, and he continues to churn out workman-like performances that have to encourage Twins fans (not to mention the coaching staff and Terry Ryan). Really, at this point, I'm just looking for him to stretch out to five and maybe six innings so that he's fully ready to go when he makes his first regular season start. If he keeps pitching like this, that could end up being on the second day of the season.

2.) How awesome is it that all of the young guys fighting for a spot on the roster keep stepping up and delivering? Glen Perkins seized another opportunity to prove himself by pitching 2 innings of relief and facing the minimum, striking out three. It will be very interesting to see Matt Garza and Sidney Ponson the next time out - and both are slated to pitch tomorrow. Another bad outing from Ponson probably dooms him, and would really make things interesting as the young guns battle for that precious fifth spot in the rotation.

3.) Randy Choate didn't allow any runs today, but he did give up 2 hits in his inning of work. I don't think that's good enough - he's so far behind Mike Venafro and J.D. Durbin that I expect him to be cut by Monday.

4.) A miracle occurred today in Ft. Myers . . . Jason Tyner entered the day hitting .143 (4-for-28), and Garrett Jones entered the game hitting a woeful .061 (2-for-33). BOTH got a hit today, however, and Jones even picked up a couple of RBI's off his double. Now, if only Tommy Watkins (2-for-18) had pitched in . . .

5.) I'm still reading that Alejandro Machado is just a couple of days away from getting into some games. Assuming that actually happens, he has to be the hands-down favorite to win the backup middle infielder job. No one else has stepped up and won it outright (well, ok, maybe Alexi Casilla - but you all know my preference, and seemingly Terry Ryan's preference, is to have him in AAA playing every day), and Machado just fits much better than the other options. Frankly, I couldn't care less if Machado can hit - as long as he plays a solid SS, I say keep him around.

6.) This is completely unimportant, but how weird is it to see Jeff Cirillo, as the DH, lead off? There are just so many things wrong with that . . .

7.) Brad King has a batting average of .000 halfway through the spring, but he has just two official at-bats. He has, however, drawn 3 walks and scored a couple of runs. Whether the Twins choose to offer him a minor league contract is debatable, but he seems to have good plate discipline and must be an adequate receiver if they've kept him around this long.

Today's Big Winner: Glen Perkins (Deserves a roster spot . . . doesn't mean he'll get one)
Runner-Up: Josh Rabe (3-3 day, .316 for the spring - guess the back is healthy)

Today's Big Loser: Jeff Cirillo (0-3, 2 K's)
Runner-Up: Alexi Casilla (0-3 - not many other candidates)

Spring Training Report: Game Sixteen

Another game against the Yankees in Tampa, another loss - and another bad performance from Carlos Silva. Yar - notes ahoy!

1.) Here's the deal - Carlos has pitched well just once in four games, but the Twins still believe in Silva (or so I think). They aren't going to want to just cut him loose, or send him to the minor leagues. They will give him absolutely every chance to succeed. That means, to me, that unless his arm falls off sometime between now and early April, he will absolutely be on the 25-man roster, and he will likely be given at least a month to find his groove. At this point, with so many great young options available, that may look foolish - but I just about guarantee you that is what will happen. But, there is hope: Silva has 3 more weeks to work with Rick Anderson and figure things out, and most importantly he won't have to face the Yankees every time he pitches. It's a little bit frightening, though, that he seems to determined to test my "Silva is a lock for a roster spot" hypothesis . . .

2.) How about that Kevin Slowey! Seven innings, just 5 hits allowed, 8 strikeouts this spring. I knew he was good, but his spring performance has been amazing. If there weren't more experienced candidates ahead of him who were also having solid springs, I would have to think that he was in position to win a roster spot. As it is, I expect him to go to AAA and dominate, before making his Major League debut sometime this summer.

3.) Just when I started saying good things about Matt LeCroy, he turns in an 0-4, 2 K performance. Maybe I just shouldn't mention him at all . . . Speaking of bad performances, Garrett Jones continues to be terrible at the plate. He's now an incredible 2-for-33 this spring. That comes out to an .061 batting average. Blech.

4.) Four more games before the lone off-day of the Spring. I would guess that that will be the next cut day, so it's an important four days for guys like Randy Choate to make a final push for a spot on the roster. Probably too late for that push to do much good, but a guy can try . . .

Today's Big Winner: Kevin Slowey (Could he? Really? Maybe . . . )
Runner-Up: Chris Heintz (Really, there are no good options for this tonight . . .)

Today's Big Loser: Carlos Silva (Badly needs a good performance)
Runner-Up: Matt LeCroy (Needs to finish very strong to have any hope of making the team)

Spring Training Report: Game Fifteen

Another day, another win, and a bunch more hits. Nice to the see the Twins winning with more regularity than early in the spring, although I still contend that victories in the spring are not particularly important. Here are today's notes . . .

1.) Another solid start for Johan, as he gave up 2 hits and 2 walks in 4 innings while striking out 4. Not such a good performance for Dennys Reyes, who gave up 2 ER's in 1 inning on 2 hits. He's in no danger of giving up his roster spot, however, so this was just an inning of work that didn't go as well as it could have. Finally, there was Scott Baker, who got just 1 inning of work in and gave up 2 hits. Using Baker for just 1 inning seems odd - a guy competing for a starting role would normally get more time on the mound. Of course, as the starters stretch themselves out, there are fewer innings available for a second starter to pitch on the same day.

2.) The top two contenders for the 25th and final roster spot, Mike Venafro and J.D. Durbin, both pitched an inning today. Venafro gave up a hit but was otherwise solid. Durbin walked a batter but was otherwise solid. In other words, we didn't find much out - however, it was more important for Durbin to do well; Venafro has already established that he'd be a nice addition to the bullpen, and the only questions left are (1) do the Twins want to carry a 12th pitcher, and (2) will J.D. Durbin pitch well enough to justify placing him on the roster in order to avoid losing him through a waiver claim. The more games like this that Durbin has, the more likely he makes the roster over Venafro.

3.) Matt LeCroy got another at bat today . . . and got another hit. He's now hitting .318 for the spring. While batting averages don't mean a lot in spring, it sure looks better to have a high one than a low one. With Ken Harvey battling a pesky injury, LeCroy is at the head of the line in terms of hitters who could claim the 25th roster spot. I still think both Durbin and Venafro are ahead of him, but if LeCroy starts swinging a hot stick, the Twins might be tempted to give him a shot (but would keeping LeCroy really be worth losing J.D. Durbin?)

4.) Alexi Casilla went 1-3 with 2 RBI's. Please, Alexi, stop making this difficult . . .

5.) Carlos Silva is scheduled to start tomorrow . . . against the Yankees . . . in Tampa. Sound familiar? Silva's first start of the spring was in Tampa, and he got rocked. Then he had a good start before being rocked again his third time out. I'm not very optimistic about Round 2 in the battle against the Yankees this spring, and with so many young arms pitching so well, it's at least worth wondering whether a third poor performance this spring could force Silva into a competition for his spot in the rotation.

Today's Big Winner: Justin Morneau (2-4 day should calm some unnecessarily worried fans)
Runner-Up: J.D. Durbin (Every good performance makes a roster spot more likely)

Today's Big Loser: Dennys Reyes (Not going to hurt him, but not a good outing)
Runner-Up: Jason Tyner (Another 0-1 in the box score)

Spring Training Report: Game Fourteen

Wow - somebody put some zip in the Twinkies today, as shown by their explosive 9 run, 18 hit performance. Dontrelle Willis was undoubtedly spinning by the time things finished up. Here are today's notes:

1.) Great, great start for Boof today. If there was any question about whether he was going to get a spot in the rotation -- and there shouldn't have been -- it was likely answered for good today. Matt Garza also made a triumphant return to the mound, recording an out for the first time since Game 1 of the spring. He went 2 solid innings, giving up 1 hit and walking 2. Now he just needs to build up his arm strength.

2.) Entering the game, Nick Punto was hitting .130; he left it hitting .222, after a 3-4 performance. Why is this significant? Because with such a small sample size of at-bats, you should take those averages you see to be pretty much insignificant. Far more important is the fact that a guy is getting his work in, working on his timing, things like that that aren't going to directly show up in box scores.

3.) Ken Harvey returned to the lineup today for the first time in just about forever. He went 1-2 with a double as the DH. Matt LeCroy followed him, going 2-2 with a double of his own. LeCroy is probably ahead of Harvey on the depth chart right now, but to make the team he's going to need to keep hitting well, and hope that J.D. Durbin is terrible the rest of the spring.

4.) Alexi Casilla got another hit today after taking over for Jason Bartlett at SS. There's no question that he's the most talented potential backup middle infielder on the team, but I remain convinced that it would be folly to give him a roster spot. Let him play everyday at Rochester so that he can develop into an everyday second-baseman in time to take over for Luis Castillo either at the trade deadline or to start the 2008 season.

5.) If you haven't checked it out yet, the first list of cuts is directly below this post. No big surprises, unless you think that 3 catchers being cut from camp in the first go-round was a surprise.

Today's Big Winner: Boof Bonser (Spot on the roster is absolutely secure)
Runner-Up: Matthew LeCroy (2-2 and a .286 batting average . . . seriously?)

Today's Big Loser: Garrett Jones (0-2 day puts him at .069 for the spring)
Runner-Up: Jason Tyner (Slump continues unabated - plus there weren't many options)

Spring Training Report: Game Thirteen

A nice offensive performance today in a nice win for the Twins. Here are the notes:

1.) Glen Perkins went 3 solid innings, giving up just 1 unearned run and striking out 2. This outing should put Perkins right back in the middle of the battle to become the fifth starter. Matt Garza was supposed to pitch today as well, but has pushed back to tomorrow. That start will be very, very interesting, since Garza is still the most likely guy not named Ponson to win that job. Speaking of Ponson, he's not going to get into a game again until next Friday for some reason. Considering that he's coming off a poor performance, the delay in getting onto the mound again has to be considered good sign for those who are trying to pass him up.

2.) Randy Choate was already slipping out of the competition for the 12th pitcher's slot, but today he probably fell off the cliff entirely. Choate lasted just 2/3 of an inning, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. Mike Venafro, meanwhile, pitched a solid inning. This race is now down to Venafro and Durbin - and, a couple of hitters who are extremely unlikely to make the team.

3.) Luis Rodriguez is starting to make a solid case for making the team, but I still think he's unlikely to get the roster spot unless the Twins commit to using Nick Punto at short once in awhile. Tommy Watkins, who I think is a legitimate contender for the backup infielder roster spot, didn't get an official at bat today, but he helped his cause by drawing a walk, stealing a base, and scoring a run.

4.) Matthew LeCroy got four at-bats today, got one hit, and struck out once. His batting average is sitting at .211, and Dan Gladden suggested that he's just not getting in very many good swings. This is good news for Mike Venafro and J.D. Durbin.

5.) I've been saying this for a couple of days now, but it's time for the first cuts of the spring to be announced. I'll make a bold prediction that by tomorrow, a couple of cuts will be announced. There's just no reason at this point to keep so many pitchers and catchers around.

Today's Big Winner: Glen Perkins (right back in the starter competition)
Runner-Up: Mike Venafro (in great shape to win a roster spot)

Today's Big Loser: Randy Choate (NOT in great shape to win a roster spot)
Runner-Up: Garrett Jones (0-2 today, .074 in spring)