Twins Sign Jason Marquis to 1-Year Deal posted by Jeff Ponder

The Minnesota Twins are looking to improve their dismal starting rotation numbers in 2012.

Last season, the Twins starters combined to post the third-worst ERA (4.64), while also striking out just 617 batters in 961 innings-pitched.

The Twins have outsourced to fix this problem, signing veteran right-hander Jason Marquis to a one-year, $3 million contract. 

Marquis, 33, posted an 8-5 record with a 3.95 ERA as a member of the Washington Nationals last season.  He was then sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 30, where he was 0-1, posting a 9.53 ERA in just three starts.  Marquis missed the last month and a half of the 2011 season with a broken right fibula after being hit by a line drive. 

Marquis was a National League All-Star in 2009 as a member of the Colorado Rockies.  His best season came in 2004 when he posted a 15-7 record and recorded a 3.71 ERA as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Marquis has a career .455 ERA in 12 MLB seasons.  He has played for the Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Rockies, Nationals and Diamondbacks.

The righty will likely be the fourth or fifth starter as lefthander Brian Duensing is expected to be in the bullpen to start the season.

Almost Perfect Game for Stewart posted by Richard Kagan

Chicago White Sox pitcher Zach Stewart threw a 1-hitter in blanking the Minnesota Twins, 4-0 in the second game of a day-night doubleheader.  Stewart retired the first 21 batters he faced, a perfect game for 7 innings, until Danny Valencia hit a double to lead off the 8th inning for the Twins.  Stewart kept his composure and retired the next six hitters he faced for a 1 hitter in a terrific outing tonight.  Stewart was almost unhittable.  Where was that pitching in the Detroit series?

The White Sox got lambasted vs. Detroit and looked out-classed by a better team.  Then their pitching comes together and this team looks pretty good.  Stewart (2-3) struck out 9 and walked none in his first career complete game.  His effort was almost historic.  And, it was a night he won't forget. 

Sox Still Alive After Seattle Sweep posted by Richard Kagan

There is good news an bad news if you are a long-time Chicago White Sox fan.  The good news, the White Sox moved into 2nd place ahead of the Cleveland Indians by a half game when the Sox won and the Indians lost on Sunday.  Now, the bad news, the Sox face Minnesota Twins, who have the Sox's number in recent years.  The last time they played, the Sox swept the Twins in Minnesota.  The Twins will be seeking to return the favor.

The ChicSox got strong piching from Gavid Floyd who pitched into the 8th inning and left the game with a 9-2 lead.  Chicago got that lead courtesy of Dayan Viciendo's three-run blast, his first home runs as a member of the Sox.  Ty Flowers, the backup catcher to A.J. Pryzienski, hit his first grand slam over the walll in left field.  Chicago scored 6 runs in the inning to take a commanding 9-0 lead.  When you get good pitching and a productive offense, you will win games.  The problem is can the White Sox get enough run production against good teams? 

If they can, this may be a memorable September run.  If not, start looking for golf dates.  The Sox trail Detroit by 6 games and will face them 6 timed before the season ends.

Bluegrass and Arkansas 2011 posted by Johnny Matheis

Major preps for the Derby, one with a huge favorite, the other with many who could vie for the role.

11TH RACE OAKLAWN PARK 04/16/2011 1 1/8 GRADE 1 ARKANSAS DERBY

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH:

PROGRAM NUMBER-NAME OF RUNNER-PROBABLE ODDS-COMMENTS

11 JW BLUE 20-1 Overlooked, but has the best forward move, and worth a shot. If the favorite is truly class, the favorite will take it, but a fourth of the time this one will win this race, so worth a shot.

4 THE FACTOR 7-5 Anything higher is betable, anything lower is an underlay, but the obvious class here.

1A ALTERNATION 6-1 Solid, but reaching the boundaries of his endurance, as 49er is a sprint breeder

1 CALEB'S POSSE 6-1 Solid as other part of entry

9 ARCHARCHARCH 10-1 One of many who look solid for part

2 NEHRO 10-1 My pick in Rebel had his shot, and is still solid.

3 ELITE ALEX 20-1 another in the group of "solids" that are hard to seperate 

6 SWAY AWAY 15-1 actually ran better than I thought he would at underlay price last out. Finishes out the contenders

7 TRUMAN'S COMMANDER 30-1 Zito is one of the best, but this would be a surprise 

8 DANCE CITY 20-1 worth a look as it is fourth lifetime start for hard trainer

5 BRETHREN 30-1 would be a surprise 

12 SARATOGA RED 20-1 Never know when Lukas has one ready

10 J P'S GUSTO 30-1 Outgunned here.

BETS: WPS on 11: Exacta box on 1-4-11, Trifecta Box on 1-4-9-11, Superfecta Box on 1-2-4-9-11, Superfecta Wheel 4,11 with 4,11 with 1,2,3,6,9 with 1,2,3,6,7,9.

A new champion is crowned posted by David

Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants, who are World Champions for the first time since moving to the west coast more than 50 years ago.  Their last title in New York came in 1954, when Willie Mays made “the catch” that will be played on highlight reels forever.  The Giants came unbelievably close to not even making the playoffs this year, but the fans who claimed that watching their team was “torture” are now the happiest fans in baseball.

How ‘bout that?

How about Matt Cain?  The San Francisco hurler was nearly untouchable throughout the playoffs, outshining staff ace Tim Lincecum, who had a bad outing in Game 1 of the Fall Classic.  In three postseason starts, Cain allowed only an unearned run over 21.1 innings of work, going at least 6.2 innings in each outing and providing a huge boost to his team’s hunt for glory.  He might be the best #2 starter in the majors, but Matt Cain looked like the second coming of Cy Young when it mattered most for the Giants.

How about Brian Wilson?  The flamethrower’s postseason numbers included six saves (in seven chances) and a win in 11.2 innings pitched, allowing just an unearned run.  Additionally, Wilson allowed no more than one hit per appearance while anchoring the San Francisco bullpen.  Wilson gave Bruce Bochy the confidence this postseason usually reserved for Mariano Rivera’s manager when handing his closer the ball in October (or November).

How about the fantastic class of rookies in the postseason?  Stephen Strasburg wasn’t among them, but Jason Heyward (Braves), Buster Posey (Giants), Aroldis Chapman (Reds), Danny Valencia (Twins), Wade Davis (Rays), Neftali Feliz and Mitch Moreland (both Rangers) would make an incredible young team if they all played together.  In fact, even top prospect Domonic Brown, who compiled just 62 regular-season at-bats, was on the Phillies’ playoff roster.  Expectations will be high for this talented group, and here’s hoping none of them experiences too much of a sophomore slump.

Longer series are good for ball posted by David

Postseason sweeps are great if your team comes out victorious, but for the fan who just wants to see a good series because his team is already done for the year, sweeps make October less exciting.  The Phillies and Yankees outplayed their first-round opponents so it was no surprise that the Reds and Twins failed to win a single game, but the other two division series were more fun to watch.  Additionally, the League Championship Series in both the AL and NL will last a minimum of six games, which is how it should be.  A postseason series that features one team in complete control over the other is like a boxing match in which one fighter KO’s the other in the first round, but then fights him again the next night and does it all over again.  A series that goes the distance (or a game shy of it), on the other hand, is good for ball.

How ‘bout that?

How about Cody Ross?  The Giants outfielder hit two home runs against Roy Halladay in Game 1 of the NLCS and added one off Roy Oswalt in Game 2 to provide San Francisco with its only run of the game.  This feat of power against two of the league’s best pitchers comes after Ross hit only three long balls in 33 games after coming over in a trade from the Marlins.  Though closer Brian Wilson has struck out six in 3.1 scoreless innings of work, Ross’s .375/.474/1.063 line as an everyday player makes him the favorite for the series MVP should his team eliminate the two-time defending NL Champs and play in the Fall Classic for the first time since 2002.

Playoff newcomers show the baseball world what they’ve got posted by David

While the fans in Cincinnati, Atlanta, and St. Petersburg may not have appreciated it, nearly every game played so far this postseason has featured a dominant pitching performance.  Roy Halladay no-hit the Reds, Tim Lincecum shut out the Braves on just two hits while striking out 14, and C.J. Wilson and Cliff Lee combined to hold the Rays to one run in 13.1 innings.  Lee displayed his talents during last year’s World Series, earning both of the Phillies’ wins over the Yankees, but Halladay, Lincecum and Wilson were all making their postseason debuts, and not one of them showed any sign of butterflies.

How ‘bout that?

How about Félix Hernández?  Despite a 13-12 record, King Felix deserves the American League Cy Young Award for his outstanding season on the mound.  He led the majors in ERA (2.27) and finished just one strikeout behind Jered Weaver’s 233 and one inning pitched shy of Halladay’s 250.2 – both of which led all big league pitchers.  The Venezuelan workhorse threw six innings or more in 32 of 34 starts, allowing three earned runs or fewer in 30 of them.  Had he played for any team other than the Mariners, whose lack of offense cost all of their pitchers, Hernández would almost certainly have won 20 games or more.

How about Danny Valencia?  Following a promotion to the big leagues in June, the Twins’ third baseman hit .311 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs in 85 games. Valencia was most productive during the month of September, hitting five homers and driving in 17 runs in 22 games.  Had he spent the entire season in the big leagues, Valencia would be a strong candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year; as is he will probably be voted third behind Neftali Feliz and Austin Jackson.  Minnesota fans, however, should be happy to have a promising young hitter who will occupy the hot corner for years to come.

ChiSox Losing to Twins and Hopes Fade posted by Richard Kagan

The Minnesota Twins are on the verge on taking their second straight game against the Chicago White Sox and their win will put them in a commanding lead in the AL Central.  The Twins are winning 8-2 late in the game, and with the victory, the Twins will take an 8 game lead.  The Twins are red hot and the Sox are not.  Chicago had their chances in recent weeks but lack of hitting in key situations and the failure of starting pitching, one of the Sox's strengths earlier this season, combined to send Chicago packing.  The final two weeks of the seaon are an after-thought.  And, there may be some fall-out or shakeups in the Sox roster. 

One thing for sure is Paul Konerko has had a great season.  He is in his walk year.  He'll be a free-agent in the off-season and will definitely have teams knocking on his door.  He's hit near .320, among leaders in home runs with 36 and has over 100 rbi's.  He has been great offensively and his slugging percentage is near .600.  He is the bright spot for the White Sox this season.

It Looks Tough For White Sox posted by Richard Kagan

The Minnesota Twins came to town and roughed up starter John Danks and were leading the Chicago White Sox late, 5-3 tonight.  It doesn't look good.  Chicago trails the Twins by six games and basically need a sweep to have a fighting chance down the stretch of the season.  If the Sox come out of this trailing by more than six, you can wave goodbye to any post-season chances.  Let's face it, the Twins may be the better team.  The Sox are good but the Twins are better.

They get hits, get the outs when they need them.  Their catcher, Joe Mauer, is terrific in the clutch.  Cuddyer kills the Sox with big hits.  Orlando Wilson has hurt them too.  This season, the Twins seem to own the Sox, and you can't win a division against the top team that you can't beat.  Danks, who has pitched well for Chicago, has been off his last 3 starts.

Tonight he got tagged for extra base hits, and wasn't as sharp as he was mid July.  This was a must win game for Chicago.  Perhaps they can pull off some magic in the 9th inning.

Pair of Triple Crown candidates duel it out posted by David

Albert Pujols and Joey Votto are having monster seasons.  Not only are the sluggers leading their teams in the playoff hunt – the Cardinals are 1.5 games back in the Wild Card race while the Reds lead the NL Central – but Pujols (.321, 34 HR, 93 RBI) and Votto (.326, 31 HR, 90 RBI) are the top two National Leaguers in each of the Triple Crown categories.  Both have strong cases for the MVP award, but if either one wins the first Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, it would be awfully hard for the voters not to choose him as the league’s Most Valuable Player.

How ‘bout that?

How about Billy Wagner?  The 39-year-old anchor of the Atlanta bullpen has saved 30 games, holds a 1.68 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP, and did not give up a run in the entire month of June (11.1 innings, six hits, five walks, 17 strikeouts).  Wagner plans to retire at season’s end, and with the Braves currently leading the NL East, he’s looking for his first crack at the World Series and the opportunity to go out on top.

How about Carlos Gonzalez?  The Venezuelan outfielder is enjoying a fine year in his first full season as a big leaguer, hitting .320 with 26 homers, 84 RBI’s, and 20 stolen bases.  His batting average, .569 slugging percentage, and .922 OPS put him behind only Pujols and Votto in the National League.  Rockies fans can look forward to many years of watching Gonzalez display his talents at Coors Field.  At 24, he has a very promising career ahead of him.

How about the Twins?  Despite almost getting no-hit and losing three of four to the Rangers earlier this week, the Twinkies are 27-13 since the All-Star break, and hold a three-and-a-half game lead over the White Sox in the AL Central.  After losing cleanup man Justin Morneau to injury the week before the All-Star break, several Minnesota players have stepped up to the plate.  Since the break, birthday boy Jim Thome (now 40) is slugging .651, Delmon Young and Jason Kubel have driven in 33 and 32 runs, respectively, in 39 games, and Joe Mauer has raked to a line of .399/.476/.594 with 32 RBI’s in 36 games.

Cleveland Indians’Highs and Lows Against the Minnesota Twins, May 14-15: A Fan’s

The Cleveland Indians, after an embarrassing four-game series against the Boston Red Sox, needed a chance to recover. The Minnesota Twins provided that relief as the Indians swept their short two-game series 2-0. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Liriano to bullpen; Valencia demoted

The struggling Minnesota Twins are shaking things up, movingFrancisco Liriano to the bullpen and optioning third baseman DannyValencia to Triple-A Rochester. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for MLB

The Juice: Bryce Harper (batting third!) hits key double, Morrow three-hits Angels (Big

The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights. This kid: In the span of five major-league games, Bryce Harper has gone from curiosity to essential for the Washington Nationals. Manager Davey Johnson batted the 19-year-old rookie third in the order Thursday night and Harper came through with a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning of Washington's 2-1 victory against Arizona. Harper had batted seventh in his first four games. He's 6 for 16 with four doubles so far. ''He's a baseball player,'' teammate Jayson Werth said. ''When you're a baseball player, you can be 15 or you can be 50. If you know how to play the game you can play.'' Can't top this ( du, du-du-du ): Anything that Jered Weaver can do, Brandon Morrow can do ... almost as well. A day after Weaver no-hit the Minnesota Twins, Morrow tossed a three-hit shutout at the Los Angeles Angels. Also backed by J.P. Arencibia's three-run homer, the Toronto Blue Jays won 5-0. It was Morrow's second career shutout, his other coming in 2010 when he struck out 17 against the Rays. That day, in Dave Stieb-like fashion , Morrow had a no-no broken up by Evan Longoria with two outs in the ninth. "I missed more bats that night, but I think I pitched better tonight,'' Morrow said. ''My fastball command was really what did it for me. That's probably the best I've ever been with that. I mean, I felt like I could have hit that down-and-away strike with my eyes closed. I probably could have thrown all fastballs the way I was locating.'' Damn: In case you missed it, Mariano Rivera tore the ACL in his right knee shagging a fly ball during batting practice. He's probably out for the season. Perhaps for good. Rivera's loss also overshadowed a 4-3 loss by the New York Yankees at Kansas City. Mike Moustakas homered and drove in three runs, and Royals left-hander Danny Duffy was a tad better than Yanks rookie David Phelps. Miami: A sound machine after all?: [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

The Juice: Bryce Harper (batting third!) hits key double, Morrow three-hits Angels (Big

The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights. This kid: In the span of five major league games, Bryce Harper has gone from curiosity to essential for the Washington Nationals. Manager Davey Johnson batted the 19-year-old rookie third in the order Thursday night and Harper came through with a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning of Washington's 2-1 victory against Arizona. Harper had batted seventh in his first four games. He's 6 for 16 with four doubles so far. ''He's a baseball player,'' teammate Jayson Werth said. ''When you're a baseball player, you can be 15 or you can be 50. If you know how to play the game you can play.'' Can't top this ( du, du-du-du ): Anything that Jered Weaver can do, Brandon Morrow can do ... almost as well. A day after Weaver no-hit the Minnesota Twins, Morrow tossed a three-hit shutout at the Los Angeles Angels. Also backed by J.P. Arencibia's three-run homer, the Toronto Blue Jays won 5-0. It was Morrow's second career shutout, his other coming in 2010 when he struck out 17 against the Rays. That day, in Dave Stieb-like fashion , Morrow had a no-no broken up by Evan Longoria with two outs in the ninth. "I missed more bats that night, but I think I pitched better tonight,'' Morrow said. ''My fastball command was really what did it for me. That's probably the best I've ever been with that. I mean, I felt like I could have hit that down-and-away strike with my eyes closed. I probably could have thrown all fastballs the way I was locating.'' Damn: In case you missed it, Mariano Rivera tore the ACL in his right knee shagging a fly ball during batting practice. He's probably out for the season. Perhaps for good. Rivera's loss also overshadowed a 4-3 loss by the New York Yankees at Kansas City. Mike Moustakas homered and drove in three runs, and Royals left-hander Danny Duffy was a tad better than Yanks rookie David Phelps. Miami: A sound machine after all?: [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Bobby Valentine files wrong lineup after researching opposing pitcher on cell phone (Big League St

When planning his team's lineup for Wednesday night, Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine whipped out his mobile phone to look up Minnesota Twins pitcher Liam Hendriks. He filled out a lineup card accordingly and posted it, perhaps 3 1/2 hours before the first pitch. A few minutes later, Valentine re-posted Boston's lineup and it included several changes. Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Sweeney were in, Kelly Shoppach and Darnell McDonald were out. And a few other guys had been moved around. So, what changed his mind? Valentine finally realized that Hendriks pitched with his right hand —and not his left. Granted that Hendriks is a 23-year-old rookie with 35 career innings coming into Wednesday. But c'mon, Bobby, really? As reporter Gordon Edes of ESPN writes, yep: "I looked on this thing," Valentine said, gesturing to his cellphone, "and there was no history on him. It had his name, and 'against left-handed hitting.' My fault. That's why you make these lineups out early enough." Valentine said Saltalamacchia was the one who discovered the error. "It was kind of funny," the manager said. "I talked to him yesterday about him not playing, and I thought I alluded to the fact that he could get two days in a row with a left-hander (Wednesday). So I kind of locked into right, right, left." This reminds me of when Terry Bevington was manager of the White Sox and, one time, he got confused with umpires as to which side of an argument he needed to make. Really: So, it could have been worse, because Valentine fixed his mistake (or his top catcher fixed it for him) and the Red Sox scored seven runs and beat the Twins. No harm done, right? None at all, except to Valentine's reputation, and the confidence his team (and fans, for whatever it's worth) have in him. He owned up to the mistake, which is what he probably should do, though was it necessary to give all of the details as to why he messed up? Here we are, still in the first month of the regular season and that's the best Valentine can do as far as research and preparation for his lineup? Checking his cell phone? Also: Why would one assume that any pitcher is left-handed? Most are right-handed. Is it because Hendriks' first name is Liam, which starts with an "L"? Is it because Hendriks is from Australia, where they do everything backward because it's Down Under and the water drains counter-clockwise and the platypus? That assumes Valentine even knows where Hendriks is from. Did he question why Hendriks spells his last name like that? Of course none of that went through Bobby's head because, like we've all been trained to do, he just looked at his phone to see who was playing that day. Love baseball? Even like it a little? Follow @AnswerDave , @bigleaguestew , @KevinKaduk on Twitter, along with the BLS Facebook page ! More MLB news from Yahoo! Sports: [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports