The Twins were looking good going into the bottom of the 7th, but we used 3 relief pitchers in that inning and they all gave up a run. If you want to get technical, Juan Rincon gave up all the runs; but he inherited a runner of Crain‘s and a runner of Reyes‘, so they got charged with an ER. After Rincon intentionally walked Angel Berroa to load the bases (for force outs), a ball slowly went between Mauer‘s glove and the ground. The play was very, very close at the plate, and I didn’t even make my own personal decision on whether he was safe or not. My initial thought was that he was out, because it looked like Rincon did a good job of protecting the plate with his foot, but he was safe and they could hav ended the game right there.
Boof Bonser was sent down to AAA Rochester last night. This can be viewed by some as a good thing, and others as a bad thing. Here’s the sides:
- This gives the Twins a chance to bring up Pat Neshek, who has been tearing up AAA. He can get some time in the bullpen, get experience, and be ready to start next season in the pen.
- This allows Kyle Lohse to get back in the starting rotation, who hasn’t been spectacular in the bullpen so far but he’s held his own. One theory is that they are putting Lohse in so they can flash him a tad and trade him while he’s worth a slight bit more than dirt.
- Another theory is that they will bring up Rondell White. .182 batting average, with 33 hits and 30 strikeouts. .209 OBP, .215 SLG, .425 OPS. Nick Punto, who is 4 inches shorter than White and weighs 39 pounds less, has a slugging percentage of .364. That’s the very small tip of the iceberg about Rondy this season. I can’t begin to describe how bad of a decision that would be.
No game today, so tomorrow’s post will be all about why the Twins should bring up Pat Neshek and why they shouldn’t bring up Rondy White.
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Minnesota Twins talk 
I think it would be a great idea if you had a link to the vote for “The Phenom”.