Mackey: Let’s face it, the next 162 games are a formality for Twins
March 31, 2011
When I was a kid, I used to play a lot of Super Mario Bros. games.
My favorite was Super Mario World for Super Nintendo, which if I recall correctly, had like 17 levels leading up to the final battle at Bowser's Castle.
Don't judge.
The annoying part was that sometimes you'd lose in Level 9, with those weird green switches, or maybe Level 11 -- the underwater level with sleeping blue fish -- or even that damn Star Road level. And each time you'd have to start all over at Level 1, no matter how close you came to beating the evil Bowser.
You'd literally...
Twins Daily: Toronto starter Ricky Romero coming off rocky spring
March 31, 2011
The Minnesota Twins were off on Thursday. The regular season begins on Friday at Toronto (6:07 p.m., 1500 ESPN).
The skinny
As expected, the Twins settled on a roster including 12 pitchers (five left-handers) and 13 position players.
Pitchers
30 Scott Baker R-R (6-4, 215) Age 29
53 Nick Blackburn R-R (6-4, 240) Age 29
55 Matt Capps R-R (6-2, 245) Age 27
52 Brian Duensing L-L (6-0, 205) Age 28
56 Dusty Hughes L-L (5-10, 185) Age 28
47 Francisco Liriano L-L (6-2, 215)...
Justin Morneau will be in Twins’ lineup for Friday’s opener at Toronto
March 31, 2011
The comeback will officially come full circle in Toronto on Friday.
Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters on Thursday that first baseman Justin Morneau will be in the starting lineup against the Blue Jays on Friday.
Morneau suffered a concussion after taking a knee to the head in Toronto on July 7 last season -- a blow that sidelined for the rest of the year.
Morneau said he was March 30, 2011 Jason Kubel and Brian Dinkelman each drove in a run in the eighth inning of the Minnesota Twins' 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Wednesday's exhibition finale at Turner Field.
The skinny Scott Baker threw five shutout innings and struck out four in his final tune-up. It was the first scoreless outing this spring for Baker, who allowed three hits and a walk. He finished spring with 20 strikeouts, five walks and a 2.66 earned-run average in 23 2/3 innings. Jason Repko doubled to lead off the... March 29, 2011 Matt Capps blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning with help from a Chase Lambin error, and Mauro Gomez homered off Chuck James in the 10th to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins in the opener of a two-game exhibition series on Tuesday at Turner Field. The skinny Nick Blackburn finished the spring on a high note with his second consecutive scoreless outing. The right-hander allowed a hit and a walk over four innings, throwing only 30 pitches (18 strikes). That followed a... March 28, 2011 FORT MYERS, Fla. -- That's a wrap. The Minnesota Twins boarded a flight from Fort Myers to Atlanta on Monday night, putting the Lee County Sports Complex in their rear view mirror. It sounds cliché, but the Twins accomplished an incredible amount in Fort Myers this spring, considering the long checklist presented on February 17 when pitchers and catchers first reported: A Japanese infielder, new to American culture and major-league competition, without a defined position on his new club. A concussed first baseman who hadn't played baseball since July... March 28, 2011 FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A rundown of the news, notes and quotes from Monday at Minnesota Twins spring training: Today's result Twins 4, Pirates 3 First baseman Justin Morneau went 1-for-3 with a single in Monday's spring-training finale, which marked the first time all spring he has played in four consecutive "A" games. With the Twins traveling to Atlanta for a two-game exhibition series against the Braves on Tuesday and Wednesday, Morneau says his goal remains to play on opening day, April 1,... March 28, 2011 FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Left-hander Scott Diamond's status is no longer in limbo. The Minnesota Twins have retained the Rule-5 draftee in a trade that sent right-hander Billy Bullock to the Atlanta Braves. Diamond's status with the Twins was in limbo over the last few days. Manager Ron Gardenhire made it clear that Diamond -- who missed two weeks with a blister on his thumb -- was not yet ready to be placed on the 25-man roster. By not placing Diamond... March 28, 2011 The Twins have retained Rule 5 pick Scott Diamond by working out a trade with the Braves, tweets MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. The Twins are sending righty relief prospect Billy Bullock to the Braves in the deal. Diamond was assigned outright to Triple-A, according to the Twins. Diamond, a 24-year-old southpaw, posted a 3.46 ERA, 7.0 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, and 0.3 HR/9 in 158 2/3 innings across 27 starts at Double and Triple-A last year. Baseball America ranked him 29th among Twins prospects, noting that his ceiling is as a fourth or fifth starter. Bullock, 23, put up a 3.53 ERA, 12.8 K/9, 5.2 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 74 relief innings for the Twins' High-A and Double-A clubs last year. BA ranked Bullock 15th among Twins prospects, praising his repertoire but questioning his command. Having swapped their #15 prospect for their 29th best, the Twins clearly don't agree with Baseball America's rankings in this case. March 27, 2011 Some links to browse through during your Sunday evening... MLBTR's Luke Adams & Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Twins Daily: Scott Baker throws five strong in team’s 20th spring win
Twins Daily: Nick Blackburn cruises, Matt Capps scuffles at Atlanta
Mackey: As camp breaks, Twins have answered all questions — for now
Live from Florida, Day 40: Morneau hopes to play in season opener
Twins retain LHP Scott Diamond, trade RHP Billy Bullock to Braves
Twins Retain Scott Diamond Through Trade
Quick Hits: Rangers, Angels, Indians, CBA, Slowey
