TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history. “History never looks like history when you are living through it” – John Gardner, former Secretary of Health
The Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays at Target Field in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series by a score of 3-1. Pablo López was the starter and winner, allowing one run on five hits in 5.2 innings pitched, with two walks and three strikeouts. Louie Varland (0.1 IP), Caleb Thielbar (1 IP) and Griffin Jax (1 IP) each earned a hold as Jhoan Duran earned the save with a scoreless ninth inning. The offense recorded five hits and walked six times. Royce Lewis was the hitting star going 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI. The paid attendance was 38,450, the second sellout of the season and largest since the Home Opener on April 7 vs. Houston – 38,465.
The Twins win was their first playoff victory since a 2-0 win at old Yankee Stadium in Game 1 of the ALDS on October 5, 2004 – a span of 6,397 days. The win snapped the longest playoff losing streak in baseball history. In that span, the Twins had lost 13 games to the Yankees, three to the A’s and two to the Astros. The Twins win was their first postseason win in Minnesota since a 2-1 victory over the Angels at the Metrodome in Game 1 of the 2002 ALCS on October 8.
Good pitching, stellar defense and two home runs by designated hitter Royce Lewis in his first two AB’s led the Twins to victory in front of a sellout home crowd that yelled and screamed and waived their Homer Hankies at every opportunity. Lewis who hasn’t played in 2 weeks due to a hamstring issue wasn’t even sure if he would be on the playoff roster since he is not 100%. Never-the-less he carried the Twins offense on his shoulders in this game. We may have to coin this the Royce Lewis game. You can’t write about the game without mentioning a stellar play by Carlos Correa throwing out a Blue Jays runner at the plate and two magnificent plays by Michael A. Taylor in center field, one a diving catch and the other a leaping grab at the fence.
If your a baseball fan that likes to sit back and enjoy the game, this would have been a tough game for you as the crowd was standing more than they were sitting. Playoff baseball at its best, unless you are a Blue Jays fan. The Twins are seeking the first postseason sweep in Twins/Senators franchise history.
TWINS GO ON THE OFFENSIVE AT JETBLUE: The Twins shutout the Red Sox last night at JetBlue Park by a score of 11-0, setting spring highs in runs and hits (15). Joe Ryan (1-1) was the starter and winner, pitching 5 shutout innings with two hits allowed, one walk and five strikeouts. Emilio Pagán and Cole Sands each pitched 2 scoreless innings as Sands struck out three of his eight batters faced. The offense recorded 15 hits, highlighted by Trevor Larnach, who went 4-for-4 with his third home run of the spring. Kyle Farmer added a home run, marking his third of the exhibition season. The Twins also recorded eight two-out RBI. Now that what I like to see, good pitching and good hitting.
SPRING FLING: Today the Twins will play the 26th of 32 scheduled Grapefruit League games. After today, two more games will be played at Hammond Stadium and four more games will be played on the road.
BUCK TRUCK GETTING REVVED UP:Byron Buxton is in the Twins’ starting lineup for the second time this spring, batting leadoff as the designated hitter. He made his official spring debut on Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay, going 1-for-3 with a leadoff double and run scored. Buck has spent most of spring training seeing live pitching on backfields at Hammond Stadium.
THE DURANTULA: Jhoan Duran is in his fourth spring training with the Twins. He is scheduled to make his sixth spring appearance today, having pitched 5 scoreless innings so far with two walks and seven strikeouts. Made the Twins Opening Day roster last season for first time in career and spent season in bullpen; used all season in high-leverage situations, ranked sixth among AL relievers in ERA (1.86) and 12th in baseball. Led baseball in pitches of at least 100 miles-per-hour with 392.
SPRING FLING: Today the Twins will play the 21st of 32 scheduled Grapefruit League games. Twins also played one World Baseball Classic exhibition against Team Dominican Republic March 9. After today, eleven spring training games remain to be played.
YESTERDAY’S RECAP: The Twins were shut out, 2-0, by the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday afternoon at Hammond Stadium. Joe Ryan was the starter and was saddled with the loss, allowing two runs on five hits (1 HR), with one walk and five strikeouts. Relievers Jeff Hoffman (1.0 IP, 2 K), Caleb Thielbar (1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K), Jhoan Duran (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K), Griffin Jax (1.0 IP, 1 K) and Jorge Alcala (1.0 IP, 1 BB, 2 K) combined for 5.0 scoreless innings in relief of Ryan. Kyle Garlick (1-for-3) and Nick Gordon (1-for-3) tallied the Twins’ two hits of the afternoon.
(BAD) LUCK OF THE IRISH: Since 2006, the Twins have gone 4-11-1 on St. Patrick’s Day. Make that 5-11-1 after they lost again today to the Orioles by a 5-3 score.
TO THE MAX:Max Kepler is in his 10th spring training, all with the Twins. He enters today hitting .409 (9-for-22) with three doubles, two home runs, three RBI, four walks, a .500 on-base percentage and a 1.318 OPS in nine games so far this spring. He leads Twins players in games since 2017 (721), and was the club’s 2022 Opening Day right fielder for sixth consecutive season. Hit third career grand slam May 23 vs. Detroit, off Elvin Rodriguez, it was also the 1,000th home run by a Twins player in Target Field history. Led team in defensive runs saved with nine, ranking ninth in baseball (per FanGraphs).
54 active players in camp (19 non-roster): 26 pitchers (7 non-roster) 6 catchers (4 non-roster) 10 infielders (4 non-roster) 12 outfielders (4 non-roster) 2 60-day Injured List
The Minnesota Twins announced after last night’s 13 inning 4-3 loss to the Tampa Rays that they have placed left-handed pitcher Caleb Thielbar on the bereavement list to attend the funeral of his grandmother.
The Twins recalled right-handed pitcher Michael Tonkin from Triple-A Rochester to replace Thielbar on the 25-man roster. The 6’7″ Tonkin is 23 years-old and was selected by the Twins in round 30 of the 2008 June amateur draft out of Palmdale High School in California and signed for an over slot $230,000 bonus. In his sixth season of pro ball, Tonkin has made stops at all the minor league levels and has a career 17-17 record with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 340.2 innings. Tonkin has a 9.1 SO/9 and a 2.4 BB/9. Tonkin became a full-time reliever in 2011 in Beloit and has not started any games since. Tonkin started 2013 in New Britain but was moved up to Rochester after 13 appearances.
Tonkin, who wears number 59 made his major league debut in Tropicana Field today a good one when he appeared in relief and pitched 1 and 1/3 scoreless innings with one strikeout (Evan Longoria) and no hits allowed. Tonkin threw just 12 pitches, 8 for strikes, unfortunately for Tonkin and the Twins, they lost their fifth straight game. Tonkin is the 37th player and 19th pitcher that the Twins have used this season.
Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar has not allowed a run yet this year. The rookie has appeared in 13 games pitching 14.2 scoreless innings allowing just five hits. According to the Twins Game Notes, the 26 year-old Minnesota native now holds the Twins record for consecutive appearances with zero runs allowed to start a MLB career as well as scoreless innings to start a Twins career. The MLB record is 29 appearances set by Brad Ziegler in 2008 with Oakland. Aaron Crow of the Royals was the last to do it when he started his career with 13 straight scoreless appearances in 2011. Thielbar is the first player named Caleb to appear in the major leagues since 2B/OF Caleb Johnson appeared in 16 games for the Cleveland Forest Citys in 1871
Congratulations to Twins prospects OF Byron Buxton (Team USA) and 3B Miguel Sano (World Team) for getting selected to play in the 2013 All-Star Futures Game. These two guys have garnered a lot of ink this year and they deserve it but I think a number of bloggers and fans have already made reservations to attend their Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. These gents are looking good but they are still in the minors and they have yet to face one big league pitch. Hopefully they will turn out to be half as good as we think they will be.
The Twins front office has recently stated that they are not sure if they should be “buyers or sellers” this year. My thoughts? They can’t be serious. This Twins team is not a .500 team much less a playoff team. The 2013 Twins will NOT be in the playoffs, As George Zimmer formerly of Men’s Warehouse would say, “I guarantee it!” If they were not sure before, maybe two losses to the worst team in baseball the last two days, the Miami Marlins will help to convince them.
Justin Morneau
There are numerous reports floating around that the New York Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira will be under going season-ending wrist surgery in the next few days. The Bronx Bombers are only 2.5 game out of the league lead, maybe Yankee GM Brian Cashman and Twins GM Terry Ryan can hook up on a deal for Justin Morneau that can help both teams. I have loved watching Morneau over the years but the Twins could help themselves and Justin by moving him to a pennant contender that needs a first baseman. Who knows, that short right field corner at Yankee Stadium might just wake up Morneau’s power swing. The Twins could solve some manpower issues by trading Morneau and making room for Chris Parmelee to play first base every day. I know that RHP Michael Pineda is on the Yankees 60 day DL right now but he sure would look good in a Twins uniform as a PTBNL. Probably just a pipe dream though.
Max Kepler
Max Kepler recently reported to Cedar Rapids after fighting an arm injury all year. Kepler has been chomping at the bit to play some baseball and the Twins couldn’t be happier to see him get healthy and on the field again. With Brian Buxton’s recent promotion to Ft. Myers, Kepler will fit right in the Kernels line-up. In 6 games he has 25 at bats and is hitting .320 with 5 runs scored, 4 doubles, 2 home runs and 6 RBI’s. I am not positive but I think he has at least one hit in every game but his first game there. It would be great to see Max have a big season in Cedar Rapids after a late start.
Kyle Gibson
Kyle Gibson was called up by the Twins on Monday and will make his major league debut on Saturday at Target Field against the Kansas City Royals. Everyone has waited for Gibson to arrive for a long time and now we finally get to see him pitch in the big leagues. It is a shame we won’t get to see that much of Gibson this year because he has that pitch limit hanging over his head due to his TJ surgery last year but at least he should get about 40 innings under his belt.
The trade deadline is just over a month away and teams are starting to get serious with their trade discussions. But almost every year that is all that happens, lots of talk and very little action. I know it takes two to tango but the Twins need to be aggressive this year and move some players to make room for some of those young prospects that are knocking on the door. The young guys need playing time if they are going to improve and learn how to play in the majors, Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire will be doing a disservice to those players and Twins fans if they sit on their hands and stay pat with their current roster. It is darkest before the dawn so let’s throw these young guys in the fire and see if they are major leaguers or just prospects. Players I would like to see moved would be Justin Morneau, Josh Willingham, Mike Pelfrey, Jamey Carroll, Trevor Plouffe and Ryan Doumit. Has anyone made more base running blunders this year then Ryan Doumit? You wonder sometimes if he has a clue on the base paths. If someone presents a nice offer for Kevin Correia I would listen. I know all these players won’t be moved in July but who knows, stranger things have happened.
Oswaldo Arcia
Oswaldo Arcia is going to be a very nice player and deserves full-time playing time for the rest of this season but one thing that drives me crazy with Arcia is that every time he hits a ball deep he stands at home plate and admires it instead of running. He has missed out on some opportunities to stretch singles into doubles because he stands around admiring his hits. Some of the Twins veterans should take care of this problem sooner than later.
Today was the first time this season I did not watch a single inning of the Twins game. My modem and router went on the blink and so I spent most of the day troubleshooting that issue and getting a replacement so I could get back on the internet.
The Twins lost in Atlanta today 8-3 and it marked their eighth loss in a row. The team is playing really poorly right now and it is hard to find any silver linings or moral victories. Moral victories are meaningless anyway, all that counts is wins and the Twins can’t find a win to save their life right now. The Twins starters keep allowing the opposition to score first and it just sucks the life out of the team and to be honest it really makes watching a Twins game a real chore. I love baseball and the Twins and I will keep watching but I want to see a team that is showing some life and making some progress towards being a competitive team and right now this bunch of players wearing the Twins uniform is doing nothing for me. These players realize they are not a very good team and they are playing to their expectations.
The Twins management stubbornly hangs on to their statement that the team is doing all it can to win but I think that management is starting to realize that a major rebuild is in order here. The other day they sent starter Pedro Hernandez down and brought up reliever Caleb Thielbar to help with all the extra innings the bullpen has had to throw. Reports are that Samuel Deduno will be brought up to start in Detroit on Friday and he will probably takes Vance Worley‘s spot on the roster since he was the second starter in the last few days to change his address to Rochester. The Twins will need to make another roster change in a couple of days to get a starter to pitch on Monday in Milwaukee and you have to think that Kyle Gibson might be the guy. Trevor Plouffe took a knee to his head on Tuesday night at second base, reminiscent to Morneau getting hurt in Toronto a couple of years ago and the Twins called up last weeks Twins minor league player of the week 1B/OF Chris Colabello to fill in for Plouffe while he recuperates on the 7 day concussion DL. You can sense that the Twins will be making roster changes frequently as the season approaches the 50 game mark in the next week.
I have always liked Ron Gardenhire as a manager and Terry Ryan as the GM but right now it appears to me that they have no plan and the Twins look like a “Chinese fire drill” and the team seems to be in a death spiral. Gardy appears to be grasping at straws and trying to go with who ever was hot the day before and making them a regular part of the line-up. Mr. Ryan seems to be missing in action when he should be leading the charge to make this team better. This team is going nowhere this year! Put the young guys in the line-up day in and day out and let them make their mistakes and learn the game until they get so sick of losing that they start playing the game the right way. Gardy keep pulling players like Chris Parmelee and Brian Dozier and putting them on the bench when they struggle and he would do the same with Aaron Hicks if he had anyone that could play center field. You only hurt the long-term future of the Twins when you don’t let these guys play every day. Jamey Carroll is a utility player and a good one but I should not be seeing his name in the line-up 3 or days in a row unless he is filling in for an injury like with Plouffe.
You won’t hurt fan interest by going with the young guys, everyone knows the team isn’t going anywhere so bring us the future and let’s see what and who we can look forward to watching in the next few years. I can take short-term pain for long-term gain but if major changes are not made to this team soon we are doomed to watching a team that has no wins, no hope and no future. You kill a fan base by taking away their hope, I hope that is not where the Twins are taking us.
No one said that running a baseball team was easy but that is what Gardy and Mr. Ryan signed up for and they get paid the big bucks to make the Twins a winning baseball team. I know these gents are up to the task, but we need to see some results soon boys!
The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have recalled left-handed pitcher Caleb Thielbar from Triple-A Rochester. Thielbar made 17 relief appearances for the Red Wings posting a 3.76 ERA (26.1 IP, 11 ER) with 34 strikeouts while allowing just eight walks. Thielbar was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in round 18 of the 2009 amateur draft. Thielbar, 26, was signed by the Twins as a minor league free agent on August 18, 2011 after pitching for the St. Paul Saints.
Thielbar joined the team in Atlanta this evening wearing uniform number 56 and wasted no time making his big league debut and becoming the 29th native Minnesotan to wear a Twins uniform. Gardy brought Thielbar in to pitch in the 7th inning and Thielbar gave up a hit to the first Braves batter but then retired the next six batters striking out three and allowing no runs in his two innings. Thielbar threw 25 pitches in his big league debut and 20 were strikes.
To make room for Thielbar on the 25-man roster, the Twins optioned left-handed pitcher Pedro Hernandez to Triple-A Rochester. Hernandez made eight appearances (six starts) for the Twins this season.
The Twins announced yesterday that they will have seven players going to the Arizona Fall League Peoria Javelinas this season. The players are catcher Chris Hermann, outfielders Evan Bigley and Nate Roberts along with pitchers Kyle Gibson, Caleb Thielbar, Logan Darnell and Michael Tonkin. Trainer Alan Rail will also be representing the Twins. 13 players on the current Twins roster have participated in the AFL in past years. The roots of the AFL go back to 1992 and that season the Twins participants were Derek Parks, Chip Hale, Jon Henry, Ray Ortiz, Rex Delanuez and Scott Ullger participated as a manager. The reason for the league was to have an easily accessible offseason league where players could be monitored closely and did not have to leave the country. The six clubs in the league are in close proximity to each other so not a lot of travel is required. The rules for participation have changed over the years but currently Major League clubs hold a position draft in August to determine the players who will go to Arizona, most are Double-A or Triple-A players but each club can also send one Single-A player if they wish.
A couple of days ago the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats announced that the team had three players named to the Eastern League Season Ending All-Star Team, first baseman/DH Chris Colabello, outfielder Aaron Hicks and third baseman Deibinson Romero were all named to the team which was announced from the Eastern League office. Congratulations to all three players.
Samuel Deduno
We went to the Twins /Mariners game yesterday and the Twins and Samuel Deduno won 10-0. It was a warm and muggy Wednesday evening game and my wife was playing Twingo and before the first inning was over all she needed was a “base on balls” to be a Twingo winner. With Jason Vargas pitching for Seattle with a 2.3 BB/9 and Samuel Deduno pitching for the Twins with a 7.9 BB/9 I thought that would be the least of her issues but it took her until the third inning before she finally got that BB when Vargas walked Trevor Plouffe in the bottom of the third and she became a Twingo winner for the second game in a row. Who would have thought it would be tough finding a walk with Deduno pitching? Samuel Deduno pitched a superb game last night going 7 innings only allowing 2 hits with no walks. 68 of his 98 pitches were strikes, an amazing number for Deduno. I enjoy watching Deduno pitch, he does not have the best command but he knows how to get out of trouble and I hope he keeps getting better.
Denard Span
Then there is outfielder Denard Span. I used to real enjoy watching Denard Span play baseball but now that Span has been in the big leagues for a couple of years I see him as a malingerer. Span is not making superstar money but he is making $3 million this year, and will make $4.75 million in 2013, $6.5 million in 2014, $9 million in 2015. For that kind of money I expect Span who is still only 28 years of age to play in at least 155 games per season and since he became the full-time center fielder in 2009 he has appeared in 145, 153, 70 games and so far this season in 108 games. That does not cut it for me, if you are my regular center fielder I expect your butt in the line-up day in and day out regardless if the team is winning or losing. You get paid to play, not to sit on the bench belly aching that you are not 100%. Who is ever feeling perfect day in and day out? No one. If you worked for me in a regular job Denard, you would have been put on notice a long time ago and if you didn’t starting showing up ready to work day after day you would find yourself on the unemployment line. If I was one of Span’s teammates I would be pretty unhappy with Span and his lack of desire to play. When he does play, I am not sure that Span is willing to do what it takes to win. In my opinion a player of Span’s ability and experience should be stealing at least 25-30 bases a year and yet when he is on base he stands there and waits for someone to knock him in. Is he afraid that he will get hurt if he tries to steal a base? If I was GM Terry Ryan I would trade Span in a heart beat. Now that I am reasonably sure that Ben Revere can play center field at the big league level I get what I can for Span. I trade Span before the rest of the baseball world realizes that Span only plays when he is feeling great and his team is winning. Denard Span is part of the problem on this Twins team, he is not part of the solution. If I am building a team I want players that want to play day after day, I don’t need someone with a low pain threshold that would rather sit than play if he is not feeling 100%. Now I see that the Twins have recalled Matt Carson and put Span on the DL and there is a chance Span is done for the season. What a shocker…..
Speaking of injuries, who is making the decisions for the Twins on who stays on the roster and who goes on the DL? For the second year in a row we have players that seem to be day-to-day for a week or more. Why should Gardy manage with one hand tied behind his back because he has players sitting on his bench that can’t play that day but claim they will be ready tomorrow? I am tired of tomorrow’s, either you play or you find yourself on the DL, it seems simple enough to me, what am I missing here.
