Baker Performs Well in Win

I wasn't super happy to see the Twins lose to the Red Sox on Monday. I know, its spring training and these games are indicative of the season, but I'm a sore loser.

Yesterday, however, the Twins beat the Rays 3-2. That game is indicative of the season. I play by my own rules.

Scott Baker pitched two hitless innings in his spring debut. Baker went 8-6 with a 3.14 ERA for the Twins before a season-ending injury to his elbow. That being said, Baker had a great outing.

I'm sure Twins fans everywhere appreciate his good health. At least we have one player not contemplating retirement should his injuries persist. Ahem.

Casilla also performed well. He had two hits for the Twinkies, bringing his spring batting average up to .556.

The Rays are winless in their four exhibition games, three of the losses are against Minnesota. Boom, baby.

Scott Baker Heads to Disabled List

Scott Baker has been placed on the disabled list and the Twins will call up Kevin Slowey from Triple A to start for the Twins this Sunday against the Cleveland Indians. Baker was placed on the disabled list because of a strained flexor muscle. This is the same injury that forced him to be on the disabled list in July. He won't throw a baseball until the Twins return from their next road trip on August 18th.

Slowey will be making his first major league start since September of 2010. Ron Gardenhire thought it would be better to have Slowey start than have Anthony Swarzak take Baker's place in the rotation.

"Honestly, when you've got a pitcher down there like Slowey, who's throwing the ball well and healthy ... this is the right thing," Gardenhire said. "Just bring Slowey up, slide him into the rotation, keep Swarzy where he's done really well."

Twins Looking to Take 3 of 4 from Texas

The Minnesota Twins will be trying to win this series in Arlington, Texas tonight by winning 3 of 4 games. Well, they have the perfect guy to do it tonight. Scott Baker is pitching tonight for the Minnesota Twins. Baker has won his last five decisions and says he is feeling much better after sitting out with elbow soreness before the All Star break.

Baker will face a loaded Texas Ranger lineup and his pitching counter part is Matt Harrison. Harrison is having a very solid season. He is 8-7 with a 3.05 ERA. Thankfullly Scott Baker is coming off a stretch where he is 6-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his last seven starts.

Baker only threw 82 pitches in his last outing against Detroit in which he last 5 innings and gave up no runs.

Matt Harrison is 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA in two starts against Minnesota.

Very Cool Twins Game Tonight, Matchup of Aces

Scott Baker is 6-5 with a 3.15 ERA heading into this match up against the Tampa Bay Rays. Thankfully for the Twins, Baker has pitched extremely well at home as of late and more importantly, he has pitched extremely well versus the Tampa Bay Rays. Baker has a 1.89 ERA at Target Field and has won four of his five starts at Target Field. Baker is looking to help the Twins stay hot after a 7-0 win yesterday against the Rays in which Duensing threw a six hitter. Minnesota Twins manager had this to say about Bakers recent success:

"He's confident and he's attacking," Gardenhire said. "I don't think he worries about too much out there. He just goes and attacks.

He'll need to keep that up tonight if he wants to beat the Rays. He's going up against All Star James Shields who is having an amazing season. He has a 2.45 ERA and is 8-5.

Hopefully Baker gets going tonight and the Twins win! Buy Twins tickets with Ticket King!

Scott Baker Turning into a True Ace for the Twins

Baker turned in another gem on Thursday. He threw 7 1/3 innings of shutout baseball as the Twins beat the poor Dodgers 1-0, a nice birthday present to Nathan Johnson. With this performance, Baker lowered his season ERA to 3.15. The reason? His command of his pitches has been so much better. Remember when Baker was throwing meat balls right down the middle of the plate last year? Yeah he is not doing that anymore.

The interesting part of this for me is: does this make Liriano expendable? I think the answer to that question is yes but it's tough to tell if the Twins believe that. They love Liriano, but he doesn't really pitch like how they like their pitchers to pitch. The Twins want guys who pound the strike zone and don't walk anyone. Liriano's command has been really shaky ever since Tommy John surgery.

I hope they don't trade Liriano, but with Baker looking like an ace it becomes a distinct possibility. With the Twins falling out of contention, it looks more and more likely that they'll trade some veterans. Liriano is going to be a free agent next year, as is Cuddyer which means those two would be the most likely to go. Others who could go are: Thome, Kubel, and Young

Sorry I Think I Jinxed the Minnesota Twins

Every since I started talking about how well the Twins are playing, they have started to slide a little. From now on, I'll just give normal previews so that they stop losing. It's only a two game losing streak but it's significant nonetheless.

To recap last night: Tim Lincecum was back to his normal dominating self last night. I feel like I'm entirely responsible for that because I said that he was pitching poorly as of late. Of course he throws a gem right after I say that. The Twins didn't score any runs against Lincecum as threw 7 shutout innings. The Twins only got four hits on the night and scored their one run in the ninth inning.

Twins are now in Milwaukee and will be looking to redeem themselves. Hopefully they'll get back to their normal selves. Scott Baker will be pitching against Randy Wolf. Baker is 5-4 with a 3.24 ERa and randy Wolf is 5-4 with a 3.15 ERA. Baker has been pitching really well lately and they need him to stop this mini losing streak that we're on. Go Twins!!

Minnesota Twins at Boston Red Sox

The Minnesota Twins have won 2 games in a row - hey we need anything positive. They are in Boston to take on the Red Sox for a 4 game series starting tonight. This is a big series for the Minnesota Twins, they sit at 11-18 and need to start taking 3 and 4 game series. It's only May, but it's time to get the ball rolling. Scott Baker, Brian Duensing, Carl Pavano, and Francisco Liriano will take the mound. Let's go Twins!

Tampa Bay Rays Take 3 of 4 From the Minnesota Twins

It wasn't the way the Minnesota Twins had hoped it would go, but at least we finished on a strong note. The Minnesota Twins let 2 victories slip out of their hands and Johnny Damon made them pay. Matt Capps and Joe Nathan both struggled as Carl Pavano and Scott Baker threw gems. Capps has now replaced Nathan for the time being as the Minnesota Twins closer. So, were 15 games in and sitting at 5-10. We have some work to do, but at least we're not the Boston Red Sox.

Next up is a 4 game series at the Baltimore Orioles. Starts tonight. Let's go Twins.

Will Scott Baker or Kevin Slowey Be Traded?

It was reported last week that Scott Baker or Kevin Slowey may be moved to another team in a trade. The Twins currently have 6 guys for 5 spots as well as two nice pitching prospects in Kyle Gibson and Alex Wimmers. It was speculated that the Toronto Blue Jays are interested in Kevin Slowey, so that's something to pay attention to. The rotation currently features Carl Pavano, Brian Duensing, Francisco Liriano, and Nick Blackburn. I have always liked having an extra starter in case someone gets injured, but I guess it's up to the front office if they believe the salary is worth holding on to. It's something to pay attention to.

Minnesota Twins drop New York Mets Series, Opener to Detroit Tigers

In a disappointing weekend, the Minnesota Twins lost 2 of 3 to the New York Mets at Citi Field. The Minnesota Twins dropped the opener 5-2 with Kevin Slowey responsible for the loss. They bounced back on Saturday defeating old Minnesota Twin ace Johan Santana 6-0. Carl Pavano pitched his 2nd consecutive complete game and has easily established himself as the Twins ace right now, allowing 3 hits over 9 innings. In an ironic fashion, the Twins were then beat 6-0 on Sunday by the New York Mets with starter Scott Baker getting roughed up. That left the Twins 1-5 in their last 6 games.

The brightside was that the 9 game road trip was over and the team would return to Target Field. However, the homestand did not start the way they hoped. The Minnesota Twins lost 7-5 to the Detroit Tigers in the first game of the three game series. Starting pitcher Francisco Liriano surrendered 4 runs in the 1st inning and Minnesota was never able to recover. The Minnesota Twins have the next 6 games at home and will need to fix their problems quickly, as the Tampa Bay Rays are up next after the Tigers. Nick Blackburn gets the nod tonight as starting pitcher. Blackburn is winless in his last 5 starts.