Month: May 2015

Twins minor league player of the week

Credit: Linwood Ferguson - Fort Myers Miracle
Credit: Linwood Ferguson – Fort Myers Miracle

Ft. Myers (High A) right-handed pitcher Aaron Slegers is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. Slegers made one start for the Miracle, tossing a complete game shutout on May 24 vs. Brevard County, allowing three hits, no walks and nine strikeouts, earning the win. The 6-foot-10, 245-pounder has made eight starts for the Miracle, going 3-2, 2.59 ERA (48.2 IP, 14 ER). The 6’10” workhorse has pitched seven innings or more in three of his last five starts, going 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA over that stretch. Slegers has limited opponents to a .204 average with 18 strikeouts in 26 innings this month. The Scottsdale, Arizona native was drafted by the Twins in the fifth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Indiana University and signed for a reported $380,000.

Former Hooiser standing tall in major leagues

Slegers gets cold celebration after shutout

Previous winners of Twins POW this season are right-handed pitcher Tyler Duffey, left-handed pitcher Stephen Gonsalves, outfielder Byron Buxton, infielder Trey Vavra, infielder Miguel Sano and first baseman/outfielder Max Kepler.

 Twins Minor League Report 05312015

According to ELIAS

Mark Buehrle 2015The Twins ended Mark Buehrle‘s streak of 35 consecutive innings without allowing Minnesota an earned run early and with emphasis last night, scoring four runs, all earned, in the first inning. But then Buehrle slipped back into form, the Blue Jays pecked away and the veteran left-hander wound up going the distance to earn a 6-4 victory. Only two major-league pitchers over the last 30 years have earned a complete-game win, going nine or more innings, after having allowed four or more runs in the first inning¿and even they were long ago. In 1995, Seattle’s Tim Belcher downed Cleveland, 11-5, after allowing four in the first, and in 1986, Fernando Valenzuela went the route after yielding four in the first to help the Dodgers top the Phillies, 11-4.

Sam McDowellBuehrle’s streak, crafted over five games dating back to 2011, was the longest by any big-league pitcher against an opposing team since Zack Greinke held Seattle without an earned run over 38 innings from 2008 to 2010. It was the longest such streak crafted by a starting pitcher against the Twins since Sudden Sam McDowell sailed through 48 innings without allowing the Twins an earned run over 1968 and 1969. Source: ELIAS

According to ELIAS

Hicks snaps RBI drought

Aaron Hicks 2015Aaron Hicks hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning in the Twins’ 6-4 win over the Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon. Hicks entered the contest on a streak of 71 consecutive plate appearances without driving in a run, which was the third longest current streak for any major-league position player entering Wednesday’s action, behind Mike Baxter (103) and Coco Crisp (72). Source: ELIAS

On the flip side, Kirby Puckett holds the Twins longest streak of getting one or more RBI in a game with 11 games from September 15-25 in 1988. During his RBI streak Puckett hit .479 in 48 at bats and had a total of 15 RBI. source: Baseball-Reference Play Index

This Day in Twins History – May 27, 1964 – Hall beaned

Jimmie Hall

Bo Belinsky
Bo Belinsky

In the first game of a doubleheader at Dodger Stadium against the Los Angeles Angels Twins center fielder Jimmie Hall is beaned by Angel lefty Bo Belinsky as Hall leads off the top of the fifth inning. The Twins end up losing the game 4-1 but come back to win the second game 4-3. Hall ends up with a concussion and tries to come back on May 31st as a pinch-hitter but ends up striking out. Hall sits out several more games and gets back in the line-up on June 4th. Hall hit 33 home runs as a rookie in 1963 but is never really the same player after this beaning. The Star Tribune write-up about the incident.

Historically bad starts by Twins pitchers

With the Twins on a roll and their starting pitchers pitching well this might not be a good time to bring back bad memories but I couldn’t help myself after seeing that the New York Yankees were not good hosts to the Kansas City Royals and Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie yesterday when they pounded the Royals 14-1 and sent Guthrie to the showers after he had retired just 3 batters and allowed 9 hits, 3 walks and 11 earned runs. A tough day for Guthrie and for those fantasy players that had Guthrie in their line-up yesterday.

So of course that got me wondering what Twins pitchers over the years had rough outings like this. Turns out that the most earned runs given up by a Twins pitcher is 10, here are the pitchers that made the list. Note that some of the pitchers on this list pitched in relief.

Reed, Rick

Rk Player Date Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit BF ERA
1 Rick Reed 2003-04-21 NYY L 1-15 GS-5, L 4.1 10 11 10 3 4 2 95 26 20.77
2 Pat Mahomes 1993-04-24 DET L 1-17 GS-3, L 2.2 11 10 10 1 3 3 70 20 33.75
3 Willie Banks 1992-08-04 CHW L 11-19 3-4 1.2 8 10 10 4 1 1 56 17 54.00
4 Geoff Zahn 1980-07-21 (2) BAL L 5-12 GS-6, L 5.2 11 10 10 5 2 3 32 15.88
5 Joe Decker 1976-05-12 KCR L 5-17 GS-2, L 1.0 8 10 10 3 2 0 14 90.00
6 Vic Albury 1974-08-06 KCR L 3-17 3-7 5.0 12 10 10 5 2 1 33 18.00
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/26/2015.

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Joe Decker The worst Twins start probably belongs to Joe Decker who lasted just one inning and allowed 10 earnies to the Kansas City Royals back on May 12, 1976 at Royals Stadium. I should note however; that the most runs that a Twins hurler has ever given up in a game is 11 by Rick Reed in that April 21, 2003 loss to the Yankees by a 15-1 score at the Metrodome. Two Twins starters, Frank Viola on May 20, 1986 and Ray Corbin June 30, 1975 allowed 6 earned runs without retiring a single out before they were asked to hand over the baseball and leave the pitching mound.

So what Twins starter gave up the most earned runs and still won the game? That would be Jim Kaat who pitched a complete nine inning game on July 2, 1964 and beat the Red Sox 15-9 at Fenway Park while giving up nine earned runs.

According to ELIAS

Ricky Nolasco 2015Ricky Nolasco earned career win #100 in the Twins’ win over the Red Sox. Nolasco is the 14th pitcher to earn career win #100 while wearing a Twins uniform, and ten of them did it in a home game. Some notable pitchers whose 100th career win came as a Minnesota Twins player are Camilo Pascual (1963), Mudcat Grant (1966), Jim Kaat (1967), Dean Chance (1968), Jim Perry (1968) and Frank Viola (1988). Source: ELIAS

According to ELIAS

Brian Dozier 2015Brian Dozier homered to lead off yesterday’s game and he added a three-run shot in the seventh inning to close the scoring in the Twins’ 8-1 victory over the White Sox. It was the ninth first-inning leadoff home run of Dozier’s career, all since 2013 (the second-most in the majors over that span, behind Shin-Soo Choo‘s 11), but it was the first of those nine games in which Dozier homered again in a subsequent at-bat. Source: ELIAS

Dozier is hitting .294 (15-for-51) with two doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 10 RBI and 12 runs scored in his last 13 games (since May 9), in that span, only Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion has more home runs in all of baseball with eight.

Twins minor league player of the week

Max Kepler
Max Kepler

Chattanooga (AA) 1B/outfielder Max Kepler is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. Kepler played in seven games for the Lookouts, hitting .500 (12-for-24) with three doubles, two home runs, nine RBI, four walks and a .571 on-base percentage. Kepler who throws and bats left-handed is only 22 years old but is in his sixth season of baseball in the Twins system.

Kepler started 2015 with the Ft. Myers Miracle after a Flexor Pronator Strain in his throwing arm this past March delayed his preparation for 2015. Kepler was bumped up to Chattanooga after just 6 games with the Miracle. Max who splits time between 1B and they outfield where he can play all three positions has been tearing the cover off the ball this year, in 28 games and 113 plate appearances Kepler is hitting a team leading .349 with a .946 OPS and has six steals in seven attempts. Kepler knows how to run the bases and has nice speed for a guy that goes about 6’4″ and 220. Kepler was signed by the Twins as an undrafted free agent out of Germany in 2009. Congratulations to my favorite player in the Twins minor league system.

Berlin-born Max Kepler enjoying early success with Chattanooga Lookouts | Times Free Press

Everyone expected the Chattanooga team to be strong this season and now three out of the last four weeks a Lookouts player has been the Twins player of the week. Previous winners of Twins POW this season are right-handed pitcher Tyler Duffey, left-handed pitcher Stephen Gonsalves, outfielder Byron Buxton, infielder Trey Vavra and infielder Miguel Sano.

Twins Minor League Report 05232015

According to ELIAS

Hunter ablaze in May

Torii HunterTorii Hunter and Eduardo Nunez reached Chris Sale for second-inning home runs and the Twins were never headed in their 4-3 victory yesterday in Chicago. Hunter, who will turn 40 this summer, is having quite a month, batting .351 and slugging .623, with six homers and 18 RBIs in 19 games. Since the team moved to Minnesota in 1961, only one 39-or-older Twins player has ever had a month of at least 75 at-bats in which he batted .350 or better while slugging .600 or better; in July of 1993, 41-year-old Dave Winfield batted .355 and slugged .710. Source: ELIAS

Today’s Twins Notes has this to say about Torii today: Torii Hunter hit his 199th career home run in a Twins uniform yesterday to reach 200. The last to do it was Justin Morneau (221 total home runs with Twins) who did it in 2012. Gary Gaetti is next on the list with 201 all-time, Kirby Puckett finished his Twins career with 207 home runs.

According to ELIAS

Finally some Mauer power

Joe Mauer 2015Joe Mauer was homerless in 154 at-bats this season before his game-winning round-tripper against the Pirates in the 13th inning at PNC Park last night. Mauer is the first major-league player since Jim Gantner in 1992 to connect for a game-winning homer in the 13th inning or later after having not hit a four-bagger in 150 or more at-bats to that point in the season. Gantner had not gone deep for the Brewers in 209 at-bats that year when he hit a walkoff home run in the 13th inning off Boston’s Jeff Reardon at Milwaukee County Stadium. Source: ELIAS