Saturday, May 31, 2008

Yankees vs. Twins - May 31

The final day in May. Hard to believe. Chien-Ming Wang looks to put the Yankees above .500 to end the month as he faces off against Boof Bonser. And yes, his given name really is Boof.

Chien-Ming Wang is 2-0, 1.71 in 3 career starts against the Twins. Delmon Young has done well against The Wanger, going 5-12 with a pair of RBI, but the same can't be said for Craig Monroe (1-11) or Michael Cuddyer (0-5).

Boof Bonser is 0-2, 9.31 in 2 career starts that have totaled only 9.2 innings. He was acquired in the same deal from the Giants that brought along Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano for A.J. Pierzynski. The Yankees are 14-42 (.333) against the Boofster. Melky Cabrera (4-5) and Robinson Cano (3-4) have enjoyed the experience of facing Bonser, while Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon have both taken him deep.

Here are tonight's lineups courtesy of Yahoo Sports.

Yankees

J. Damon lf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
H. Matsui dh
J. Giambi 1b
R. Cano 2b
J. Molina c
M. Cabrera cf

Twins

C. Gomez cf
A. Casilla 2b
J. Mauer c
J. Morneau 1b
M. Cuddyer rf
J. Kubel dh
D. Young lf
M. Lamb 3b
N. Punto ss

Yankees vs. Twins - May 31

The final day in May. Hard to believe. Chien-Ming Wang looks to put the Yankees above .500 to end the month as he faces off against Boof Bonser. And yes, his given name really is Boof.

Chien-Ming Wang is 2-0, 1.71 in 3 career starts against the Twins. Delmon Young has done well against The Wanger, going 5-12 with a pair of RBI, but the same can't be said for Craig Monroe (1-11) or Michael Cuddyer (0-5).

Boof Bonser is 0-2, 9.31 in 2 career starts that have totaled only 9.2 innings. He was acquired in the same deal from the Giants that brought along Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano for A.J. Pierzynski. The Yankees are 14-42 (.333) against the Boofster. Melky Cabrera (4-5) and Robinson Cano (3-4) have enjoyed the experience of facing Bonser, while Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon have both taken him deep.

Here are tonight's lineups courtesy of Yahoo Sports.

Yankees

J. Damon lf
D. Jeter ss
B. Abreu rf
A. Rodriguez 3b
H. Matsui dh
J. Giambi 1b
R. Cano 2b
J. Molina c
M. Cabrera cf

Twins

C. Gomez cf
A. Casilla 2b
J. Mauer c
J. Morneau 1b
M. Cuddyer rf
J. Kubel dh
D. Young lf
M. Lamb 3b
N. Punto ss

Junior Hits #599

Ken Griffey Jr. moved one step closer this afternoon to becoming the 5th player, the 4th legitimately, to reach 600 home runs. Junior hit a 1st inning, 2-run shot off of the Braves' Jair Jurrjens.

Junior Hits #599

Ken Griffey Jr. moved one step closer this afternoon to becoming the 5th player, the 4th legitimately, to reach 600 home runs. Junior hit a 1st inning, 2-run shot off of the Braves' Jair Jurrjens.

Minor League Recap - 5/31

Jason Stephens missed parts of the last 2 seasons with elbow surgery, but he's making a strong comeback this season for the Charleston RiverDogs. Last night he struck out 12 in 7 innings in the RiverDogs 5-0 win over the Hickory Crawdads. Stephens didn't walk a batter in improving to 2-2, 1.64. Austin Krum drove in 3 of the 5 River Dogs runs. Alan Friedman of mlb.com has more on Stephens' comeback.

The Tampa Yankees opened their 3-game series with the Ft. Myers Miracle on the wrong end of a 7-1 final score. Ivan Nova was lit up for 6 runs in 5 innings pitched. Jose Gil had 2 of the 6 Yankees hits and drove in their only run.

Al Aceves turned in another stellar start (7 IP 2 ER) for the Trenton Thunder, but the Thunder's bats were silent in a 2-1 loss to the New Britain Rock Cats. Despite some disciplinary problems once again involving Jose Tabata, he was in the starting lineup for the Thunder. Catcher Joe Muich drove in the lone Trenton run.

Scranton doubled up the Rochester Red Wings 6-3 as Jeff Marquez improved to 4-6. Marquez allowed 1 earned run in 6 innings before turning things over to the bullpen. J.B. Cox (8.1 IP, 7 games) has still not allowed a run at the Triple-A level and Scott Patterson notched his 3rd save. Eric Duncan had 3 hits, including a home run, and drove in 3.

Minor League Recap - 5/31

Jason Stephens missed parts of the last 2 seasons with elbow surgery, but he's making a strong comeback this season for the Charleston RiverDogs. Last night he struck out 12 in 7 innings in the RiverDogs 5-0 win over the Hickory Crawdads. Stephens didn't walk a batter in improving to 2-2, 1.64. Austin Krum drove in 3 of the 5 River Dogs runs. Alan Friedman of mlb.com has more on Stephens' comeback.

The Tampa Yankees opened their 3-game series with the Ft. Myers Miracle on the wrong end of a 7-1 final score. Ivan Nova was lit up for 6 runs in 5 innings pitched. Jose Gil had 2 of the 6 Yankees hits and drove in their only run.

Al Aceves turned in another stellar start (7 IP 2 ER) for the Trenton Thunder, but the Thunder's bats were silent in a 2-1 loss to the New Britain Rock Cats. Despite some disciplinary problems once again involving Jose Tabata, he was in the starting lineup for the Thunder. Catcher Joe Muich drove in the lone Trenton run.

Scranton doubled up the Rochester Red Wings 6-3 as Jeff Marquez improved to 4-6. Marquez allowed 1 earned run in 6 innings before turning things over to the bullpen. J.B. Cox (8.1 IP, 7 games) has still not allowed a run at the Triple-A level and Scott Patterson notched his 3rd save. Eric Duncan had 3 hits, including a home run, and drove in 3.

Yankees Lost, Then Found

If last night's Yankees-Twins game was an episode of LOST, Mike Mussina would have been Desmond Hume. His mind stuck in 2 places, the present, and a week ago in Baltimore. Just like that game in the crab cake capital, a 1st inning Yankees error lead to a big Twins inning. But this time Desmond Mussina realized that Jose Molina was his "constant" (if you don't watch LOST, then you really are lost right now) and made it out of the 1st inning this time, down 4-1.

Mussina bounced back and the Yankees offense smacked around rookie Glen Perkins en route to a 6-5 escape from the island win. Trailing 4-2 in the 4th, Melky Cabrera's 2-run single tied the game in the 4th and Alex Rodriguez's RBI single put the Yankees ahead for good in the 5th.

The 1st inning showed just how much the Yankees need a defensive minded 1st Baseman. Neither Jason Giambi or Shelley Duncan can provide adequate defense at the position, and just like Giambi, Duncan's inability to make an accurate throw cost the Yankees.

With runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out, Justin Morneau hit a potential double play grounder to Duncan. But the big 1st Baseman's throw pulled Derek Jeter off the 2nd Base bag to load the bases. Consecutive singles by Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and Delmon Young put the Twins up 3-1 and they added a 4th run on Mike Lamb's ground out. Mussina finally retired Brendan Harris on a comebacker to end the inning.

But Perkins, who entered the game with a 2.77 ERA struggled throughout. Bobb Abreu lead off the 3rd with a triple and came home on A-Rod's single to cut the lead in half. In the 4th, Duncan walked and Robinson Cano singled through the left side. Jose Molina's sacrifice successfully moved the runners up a base and they came home on Cabrera's single to center for a 4-4 game.

Abreu singled to lead off the 5th and scored all the way from 1st on A-Rod's double. It also knocked Perkins out of the game. Abreu tripled again in the 7th and came home two batters later on Hideki Matsui's single for a big insurance run. The red hot Matsui, the AL's leading hitter, was 3-4 to raise his average to .339.

That 6th run was huge, because as usual Kyle Farnsworth gave up a run in the 8th. This time it was Morneau's 10th home run of the season. But just as undependable as Farnsworth is, Mariano Rivera is that dependable. The Yankees closer made it 14-14 in save opportunities with a relatively easy 9th inning. He issued his 2nd walk of the season with 1 out, but struck out Carlos Gomez and Craig Monroe to end the game.

News and Notes

Jorge Posada continued his throwing program and there's an outside chance he could re-join the team as early as next week. More likely it will be the following week.

Though the Yankees don't need another left-handed hitter, they do need to bring Ben Broussard up from Scranton to be a defensive replacement at 1st Base.

May 30, 2008

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
NY Yankees
1 0 1 2 1 0 1 0 0
6 16 1
Minnesota
4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
5 7 0


NY YankeesABRHRBIBBSOLOBAVG
Jeter, SS5000013.272
Abreu, RF4430100.296
Rodriguez, 3B4032001.291
Matsui, LF4032101.339
Damon, LF0000000.288
Giambi, DH5010017.243
Duncan, S, 1B1100100.161
a-Betemit, PH-1B3000016.265
Cano, 2B4110002.219
Molina, C3020010.219
Cabrera, CF4032001.266
Totals3761663421

a-Struck out for Duncan, S in the 5th.

BATTING
2B: Rodriguez 2 (11, Perkins, Guerrier).
3B: Abreu 2 (3, Perkins, Bass).
TB: Abreu 7; Rodriguez 5; Matsui 3; Giambi; Cano; Molina 2; Cabrera 3.
RBI: Matsui 2 (26), Rodriguez 2 (19), Cabrera 2 (23).
2-out RBI: Matsui.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Jeter; Cano; Betemit.
S: Molina.
GIDP: Matsui.
Team LOB: 9.

BASERUNNING
SB: Abreu (4, 2nd base off Perkins/Mauer).
CS: Cabrera (1, 2nd base by Perkins/Mauer).
PO: Cabrera (1st base by Perkins).

FIELDING
E: Duncan, S (3, throw).

MinnesotaABRHRBIBBSOLOBAVG
Gomez, CF5000022.286
Casilla, 2B4120001.340
a-Monroe, PH1000011.235
Mauer, C3100102.318
Morneau, 1B4221001.309
Cuddyer, RF4111011.228
Kubel, DH4011020.250
Young, LF4011000.257
Lamb, 3B4001002.245
Harris, SS2000202.253
Totals355753612

a-Struck out for Casilla in the 9th.

BATTING
2B: Casilla (3, Mussina).
HR: Morneau (10, 8th inning off Farnsworth, 0 on, 0 out).
TB: Casilla 3; Morneau 5; Cuddyer; Kubel; Young.
RBI: Cuddyer (20), Kubel (27), Young (15), Lamb (23), Morneau (41).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Harris; Morneau; Mauer.
Team LOB: 6.

FIELDING
Outfield assists: Cuddyer 2 (Giambi at 2nd base, Rodriguez at 2nd base).
DP: 3 (Casilla-Harris-Morneau, Casilla-Morneau, Cuddyer-Harris).
Pickoffs: Perkins (Cabrera at 1st base).

NY YankeesIPHRERBBSOHRERA
Mussina (W, 8-4)6.06421404.26
Veras (H, 1)0.10001004.35
Ramirez (H, 1)0.20000000.00
Farnsworth (H, 5)1.01110014.44
Rivera (S, 14)1.00001200.38

MinnesotaIPHRERBBSOHRERA
Perkins (L, 2-2)4.010552003.90
Bass 2.03110205.67
Reyes 1.22000202.70
Guerrier 1.11001003.19

Perkins pitched to 2 batters in the 5th.
Bass pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.

IBB: Matsui (by Guerrier).
HBP: Rodriguez (by Bass).
Pitches-strikes: Mussina 109-73, Veras 9-3, Ramirez 5-5,
Farnsworth 11-9, Rivera 15-10, Perkins 78-52, Bass 25-19,
Reyes 19-11, Guerrier 18-8.
Ground outs-fly outs: Mussina 4-10, Veras 1-0, Ramirez 0-2,
Farnsworth 3-0, Rivera 1-0, Perkins 6-4, Bass 2-1, Reyes 0-2, Guerrier 1-3.
Batters faced: Mussina 26, Veras 2, Ramirez 2, Farnsworth 4, Rivera 4,
Perkins 21, Bass 9, Reyes 6, Guerrier 6.
Inherited runners-scored: Ramirez 1-0, Bass 1-0, Reyes 2-1, Guerrier 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Jerry Meals. 1B: Bill Miller. 2B: Chris Tiller. 3B: Gary Darling.
Weather: 68 degrees, dome.
Wind: Indoors.
T: 3:04.
Att: 30,188.

Yankees Lost, Then Found

If last night's Yankees-Twins game was an episode of LOST, Mike Mussina would have been Desmond Hume. His mind stuck in 2 places, the present, and a week ago in Baltimore. Just like that game in the crab cake capital, a 1st inning Yankees error lead to a big Twins inning. But this time Desmond Mussina realized that Jose Molina was his "constant" (if you don't watch LOST, then you really are lost right now) and made it out of the 1st inning this time, down 4-1.

Mussina bounced back and the Yankees offense smacked around rookie Glen Perkins en route to a 6-5 escape from the island win. Trailing 4-2 in the 4th, Melky Cabrera's 2-run single tied the game in the 4th and Alex Rodriguez's RBI single put the Yankees ahead for good in the 5th.

The 1st inning showed just how much the Yankees need a defensive minded 1st Baseman. Neither Jason Giambi or Shelley Duncan can provide adequate defense at the position, and just like Giambi, Duncan's inability to make an accurate throw cost the Yankees.

With runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out, Justin Morneau hit a potential double play grounder to Duncan. But the big 1st Baseman's throw pulled Derek Jeter off the 2nd Base bag to load the bases. Consecutive singles by Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and Delmon Young put the Twins up 3-1 and they added a 4th run on Mike Lamb's ground out. Mussina finally retired Brendan Harris on a comebacker to end the inning.

But Perkins, who entered the game with a 2.77 ERA struggled throughout. Bobb Abreu lead off the 3rd with a triple and came home on A-Rod's single to cut the lead in half. In the 4th, Duncan walked and Robinson Cano singled through the left side. Jose Molina's sacrifice successfully moved the runners up a base and they came home on Cabrera's single to center for a 4-4 game.

Abreu singled to lead off the 5th and scored all the way from 1st on A-Rod's double. It also knocked Perkins out of the game. Abreu tripled again in the 7th and came home two batters later on Hideki Matsui's single for a big insurance run. The red hot Matsui, the AL's leading hitter, was 3-4 to raise his average to .339.

That 6th run was huge, because as usual Kyle Farnsworth gave up a run in the 8th. This time it was Morneau's 10th home run of the season. But just as undependable as Farnsworth is, Mariano Rivera is that dependable. The Yankees closer made it 14-14 in save opportunities with a relatively easy 9th inning. He issued his 2nd walk of the season with 1 out, but struck out Carlos Gomez and Craig Monroe to end the game.

News and Notes

Jorge Posada continued his throwing program and there's an outside chance he could re-join the team as early as next week. More likely it will be the following week.

Though the Yankees don't need another left-handed hitter, they do need to bring Ben Broussard up from Scranton to be a defensive replacement at 1st Base.

May 30, 2008

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
NY Yankees
1 0 1 2 1 0 1 0 0
6 16 1
Minnesota
4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
5 7 0


NY YankeesABRHRBIBBSOLOBAVG
Jeter, SS5000013.272
Abreu, RF4430100.296
Rodriguez, 3B4032001.291
Matsui, LF4032101.339
Damon, LF0000000.288
Giambi, DH5010017.243
Duncan, S, 1B1100100.161
a-Betemit, PH-1B3000016.265
Cano, 2B4110002.219
Molina, C3020010.219
Cabrera, CF4032001.266
Totals3761663421

a-Struck out for Duncan, S in the 5th.

BATTING
2B: Rodriguez 2 (11, Perkins, Guerrier).
3B: Abreu 2 (3, Perkins, Bass).
TB: Abreu 7; Rodriguez 5; Matsui 3; Giambi; Cano; Molina 2; Cabrera 3.
RBI: Matsui 2 (26), Rodriguez 2 (19), Cabrera 2 (23).
2-out RBI: Matsui.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Jeter; Cano; Betemit.
S: Molina.
GIDP: Matsui.
Team LOB: 9.

BASERUNNING
SB: Abreu (4, 2nd base off Perkins/Mauer).
CS: Cabrera (1, 2nd base by Perkins/Mauer).
PO: Cabrera (1st base by Perkins).

FIELDING
E: Duncan, S (3, throw).

MinnesotaABRHRBIBBSOLOBAVG
Gomez, CF5000022.286
Casilla, 2B4120001.340
a-Monroe, PH1000011.235
Mauer, C3100102.318
Morneau, 1B4221001.309
Cuddyer, RF4111011.228
Kubel, DH4011020.250
Young, LF4011000.257
Lamb, 3B4001002.245
Harris, SS2000202.253
Totals355753612

a-Struck out for Casilla in the 9th.

BATTING
2B: Casilla (3, Mussina).
HR: Morneau (10, 8th inning off Farnsworth, 0 on, 0 out).
TB: Casilla 3; Morneau 5; Cuddyer; Kubel; Young.
RBI: Cuddyer (20), Kubel (27), Young (15), Lamb (23), Morneau (41).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Harris; Morneau; Mauer.
Team LOB: 6.

FIELDING
Outfield assists: Cuddyer 2 (Giambi at 2nd base, Rodriguez at 2nd base).
DP: 3 (Casilla-Harris-Morneau, Casilla-Morneau, Cuddyer-Harris).
Pickoffs: Perkins (Cabrera at 1st base).

NY YankeesIPHRERBBSOHRERA
Mussina (W, 8-4)6.06421404.26
Veras (H, 1)0.10001004.35
Ramirez (H, 1)0.20000000.00
Farnsworth (H, 5)1.01110014.44
Rivera (S, 14)1.00001200.38

MinnesotaIPHRERBBSOHRERA
Perkins (L, 2-2)4.010552003.90
Bass 2.03110205.67
Reyes 1.22000202.70
Guerrier 1.11001003.19

Perkins pitched to 2 batters in the 5th.
Bass pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.

IBB: Matsui (by Guerrier).
HBP: Rodriguez (by Bass).
Pitches-strikes: Mussina 109-73, Veras 9-3, Ramirez 5-5,
Farnsworth 11-9, Rivera 15-10, Perkins 78-52, Bass 25-19,
Reyes 19-11, Guerrier 18-8.
Ground outs-fly outs: Mussina 4-10, Veras 1-0, Ramirez 0-2,
Farnsworth 3-0, Rivera 1-0, Perkins 6-4, Bass 2-1, Reyes 0-2, Guerrier 1-3.
Batters faced: Mussina 26, Veras 2, Ramirez 2, Farnsworth 4, Rivera 4,
Perkins 21, Bass 9, Reyes 6, Guerrier 6.
Inherited runners-scored: Ramirez 1-0, Bass 1-0, Reyes 2-1, Guerrier 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Jerry Meals. 1B: Bill Miller. 2B: Chris Tiller. 3B: Gary Darling.
Weather: 68 degrees, dome.
Wind: Indoors.
T: 3:04.
Att: 30,188.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Yankees vs. Twins - May 30

The Yankees open a 4-game series tonight with the Minnesota Twins in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes". It's the first time the Yankees have faced the Twins, who have changed quite a bit since the last time the two teams met, this season.

Johan Santana is across the Hudson at Shea, Francisco Liriano is working his way back from Tommy John surgery in the minors, and the heart and soul of the team, Torii Hunter, is in Anaheim/LA. But the Twins are known for developing good players and that continues this year.

The Twins don't have scoring power, but their starting pitching and bullpen have helped them to a 28-25 record, 2 games behind the even more surprising Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. The starting rotation has one veteran, Livan Hernandez, and a bunch of kids.

El Duque's kid brother started out like a house afire, going 6-2, 3.88, but he's been pounded in his last 2 starts, both no decisions, against the Royals and Rangers.

Rookie right-hander Nick Blackburn tops the team in ERA, 3.39, while posting a 4-3 record. He's walked just 11 hitters in 71.2 innings.

Glen Perkins, tonight's starter, was worked in as a reliever for his first 23 big league appearances over the last 2 years, but he's back as a full-time starter now. Perkins was called up due to injuries and has been the goods thus far, going 2-1, 2.77 with 16 strikeouts and 4 walks in 26 innings.

Kevin Slowey returned from the DL last night to record his first complete game. He's only 2-4 despite a 3.38 ERA. Slowey is another Twins starter with a great K/BB ratio of 4:1.

Boof Bonser is the lone Twins starter to struggle, so it would seem he would be the likely casualty when Scott Baker comes back from the DL. Bonser has 2-6, 6.16

The Twins still have one of the best closers in the business in Joe Nathan, but they lost super set up man Pat Neshak for the season.

Offensively, the Twins still rely on their two big JM's, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer, and Michael Cuddyer. Morneau is on pace for his usual type of season, .305-9-40, but although Mauer is hitting .324, he has just 21 RBI and has yet to hit a home run. Cuddyer is hitting just .228-1-19 and spent some time on the DL.

Carlos Gomez, acquired in the Santana trade, is the spark plug at the top of the lineup. He's hitting .293-4-22 with 31 runs scored, 9 doubles, 3 triples, and 17 steals in 22 attempts. Earlier this season he became the first Twins player since Kirby Puckett to hit for the cycle.

Delmon Young, acquired for Matt Garza, started out strongly, but has been treading water since, hitting just .258 with no home runs and 14 RBI.


Pitching Probables for the Series

Friday: Mike Mussina (7-4, 4.39) vs. Glen Perkins (2-1, 2.77)
Saturday: Chien-Ming Wang (6-2, 3.82) vs. Boof Bonser (2-6, 6.16)
Sunday: Darrell Rasner (3-1, 1.80) vs. Nick Blackburn (4-3, 3.39)
Monday: Andy Pettitte vs. Livan Hernandez (6-2, 4.60)


Mike Mussina is looking to get back on path after 2 straight rough outings, one of which he won. He's 20-6, 3.18 in 30 career starts against the Twins.

Twins vs. Mussina

Casilla 1-1
Clark 1-3
Cuddyer 2-13 1 RBI
Harris 1-4 1 RBI
Kubel 1-7 1 HR 2 RBI
Lamb 6-16 1 HR 3 RBI
Mauer 0-6
Monroe 2-8
Morneau 4-11 1 RBI
Punto 0-2
Young 2-11

Glen Perkins will be facing the Yankees for the first time.

UPDATE 5:57 PM EDT

Tonight's lineups

Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Giambi DH
Duncan 1B
Cano 2B
Molina C
Cabrera CF

Yankees vs. Twins - May 30

The Yankees open a 4-game series tonight with the Minnesota Twins in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes". It's the first time the Yankees have faced the Twins, who have changed quite a bit since the last time the two teams met, this season.

Johan Santana is across the Hudson at Shea, Francisco Liriano is working his way back from Tommy John surgery in the minors, and the heart and soul of the team, Torii Hunter, is in Anaheim/LA. But the Twins are known for developing good players and that continues this year.

The Twins don't have scoring power, but their starting pitching and bullpen have helped them to a 28-25 record, 2 games behind the even more surprising Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. The starting rotation has one veteran, Livan Hernandez, and a bunch of kids.

El Duque's kid brother started out like a house afire, going 6-2, 3.88, but he's been pounded in his last 2 starts, both no decisions, against the Royals and Rangers.

Rookie right-hander Nick Blackburn tops the team in ERA, 3.39, while posting a 4-3 record. He's walked just 11 hitters in 71.2 innings.

Glen Perkins, tonight's starter, was worked in as a reliever for his first 23 big league appearances over the last 2 years, but he's back as a full-time starter now. Perkins was called up due to injuries and has been the goods thus far, going 2-1, 2.77 with 16 strikeouts and 4 walks in 26 innings.

Kevin Slowey returned from the DL last night to record his first complete game. He's only 2-4 despite a 3.38 ERA. Slowey is another Twins starter with a great K/BB ratio of 4:1.

Boof Bonser is the lone Twins starter to struggle, so it would seem he would be the likely casualty when Scott Baker comes back from the DL. Bonser has 2-6, 6.16

The Twins still have one of the best closers in the business in Joe Nathan, but they lost super set up man Pat Neshak for the season.

Offensively, the Twins still rely on their two big JM's, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer, and Michael Cuddyer. Morneau is on pace for his usual type of season, .305-9-40, but although Mauer is hitting .324, he has just 21 RBI and has yet to hit a home run. Cuddyer is hitting just .228-1-19 and spent some time on the DL.

Carlos Gomez, acquired in the Santana trade, is the spark plug at the top of the lineup. He's hitting .293-4-22 with 31 runs scored, 9 doubles, 3 triples, and 17 steals in 22 attempts. Earlier this season he became the first Twins player since Kirby Puckett to hit for the cycle.

Delmon Young, acquired for Matt Garza, started out strongly, but has been treading water since, hitting just .258 with no home runs and 14 RBI.


Pitching Probables for the Series

Friday: Mike Mussina (7-4, 4.39) vs. Glen Perkins (2-1, 2.77)
Saturday: Chien-Ming Wang (6-2, 3.82) vs. Boof Bonser (2-6, 6.16)
Sunday: Darrell Rasner (3-1, 1.80) vs. Nick Blackburn (4-3, 3.39)
Monday: Andy Pettitte vs. Livan Hernandez (6-2, 4.60)


Mike Mussina is looking to get back on path after 2 straight rough outings, one of which he won. He's 20-6, 3.18 in 30 career starts against the Twins.

Twins vs. Mussina

Casilla 1-1
Clark 1-3
Cuddyer 2-13 1 RBI
Harris 1-4 1 RBI
Kubel 1-7 1 HR 2 RBI
Lamb 6-16 1 HR 3 RBI
Mauer 0-6
Monroe 2-8
Morneau 4-11 1 RBI
Punto 0-2
Young 2-11

Glen Perkins will be facing the Yankees for the first time.

UPDATE 5:57 PM EDT

Tonight's lineups

Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Giambi DH
Duncan 1B
Cano 2B
Molina C
Cabrera CF

Around the Horn - 5/30

Joe Torre was back in the city so nice they named it twice. But it wasn't at Yankee Stadium and the Yankees weren't playing. Torre took his Dodger blue to Shea and got pummeled by David Wright and the Mets, 8-4. Wright belted a couple of home runs off of Brad Penny to help the Mets win their 3rd. Jose Reyes has reached base safely in 29 straight games.

The Giants completed a very unexpected 3-game sweep of the Diamondbacks with a 4-3 win. The Giants tied the game in the 8th on Fred Lewis' bases loaded walk and went ahead for good in the top of the 9th on Randy Winn's home run. Barry Zito came up with arguably his best start of the season (6 IP 3 ER 6 H 3 BB 5 K) while Randy Johnson allowed 2 runs and struck out 9 in 7 innings.

The Pirates pounded the Reds 7-2 behind a big night from starter Phil Dumatrait. The lefty allowed 1 unearned run, 2 hits, and struck out 9 in 7 innings.

Kyle Lohse out pitched Roy Oswalt in the Cardinals 3-2 win over the Astros. Albert Pujols belted his 13th home run for the Cards while Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman went deep for Houston. Berkman's home run tied him with Chase Utley for the major's lead with 17.

Jody Gerut's 3-run home run in the bottom of the 8th gave the Padres a 5-2 win over the Nationals. Padres pitcher Chris Young, who was hit in the head by a liner off the bat of Albert Pujols last week, will need surgery on his septum and there is concern about a small skull fracture he suffered.

The Cubs 4th straight win sent the Rockies to their 4th straight loss. Derek Lee homered for the 2nd straight night to help the Cubs to an 8-4 victory.

The Braves pounded the Brewers 8-1. Mark Texeira homered and drove in 4 and Jose Campillo won his 2nd big league game. He also drove in 2 runs. Rafael Soriano returned to the Braves bullpen after 45 days on the DL.

Jesse Litsch has been flying under the radar for much of the season, but certainly not in Toronto. The Blue Jays starter improved to 7-1, 3.18 in the Jays 12-0 trouncing of the A's. Rod Barajas, who will be getting the bulk of playing time with Greg Zaun on the DL, capitalized on his chances with a 3-hit, 3 RBI day.

John Danks improved to 4-4 in the White Sox 5-1 win over the Rays. Joe Crede and Paul Konerko homered in a battle between division leaders.

Kevin Slowey pitched a complete game as the Twins sent the Royals down to their 11th straight loss, 5-1. Carlos Gomez was 4-5 with 2 RBI.

Around the Horn - 5/30

Joe Torre was back in the city so nice they named it twice. But it wasn't at Yankee Stadium and the Yankees weren't playing. Torre took his Dodger blue to Shea and got pummeled by David Wright and the Mets, 8-4. Wright belted a couple of home runs off of Brad Penny to help the Mets win their 3rd. Jose Reyes has reached base safely in 29 straight games.

The Giants completed a very unexpected 3-game sweep of the Diamondbacks with a 4-3 win. The Giants tied the game in the 8th on Fred Lewis' bases loaded walk and went ahead for good in the top of the 9th on Randy Winn's home run. Barry Zito came up with arguably his best start of the season (6 IP 3 ER 6 H 3 BB 5 K) while Randy Johnson allowed 2 runs and struck out 9 in 7 innings.

The Pirates pounded the Reds 7-2 behind a big night from starter Phil Dumatrait. The lefty allowed 1 unearned run, 2 hits, and struck out 9 in 7 innings.

Kyle Lohse out pitched Roy Oswalt in the Cardinals 3-2 win over the Astros. Albert Pujols belted his 13th home run for the Cards while Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman went deep for Houston. Berkman's home run tied him with Chase Utley for the major's lead with 17.

Jody Gerut's 3-run home run in the bottom of the 8th gave the Padres a 5-2 win over the Nationals. Padres pitcher Chris Young, who was hit in the head by a liner off the bat of Albert Pujols last week, will need surgery on his septum and there is concern about a small skull fracture he suffered.

The Cubs 4th straight win sent the Rockies to their 4th straight loss. Derek Lee homered for the 2nd straight night to help the Cubs to an 8-4 victory.

The Braves pounded the Brewers 8-1. Mark Texeira homered and drove in 4 and Jose Campillo won his 2nd big league game. He also drove in 2 runs. Rafael Soriano returned to the Braves bullpen after 45 days on the DL.

Jesse Litsch has been flying under the radar for much of the season, but certainly not in Toronto. The Blue Jays starter improved to 7-1, 3.18 in the Jays 12-0 trouncing of the A's. Rod Barajas, who will be getting the bulk of playing time with Greg Zaun on the DL, capitalized on his chances with a 3-hit, 3 RBI day.

John Danks improved to 4-4 in the White Sox 5-1 win over the Rays. Joe Crede and Paul Konerko homered in a battle between division leaders.

Kevin Slowey pitched a complete game as the Twins sent the Royals down to their 11th straight loss, 5-1. Carlos Gomez was 4-5 with 2 RBI.

Minor League Recap - 5/30

Abe Almonte's return from a 3 week stint on the DL was a successful one tonight for the Charleston River Dogs. The centerfielder hit his 5th home run of the season in the 6th inning to snap a 1-1 tie and beat the Hickory Crawdads 2-1. Justin Snyder added his 3rd home run while Noel Castillo went 6 innings for his 5th victory and Jonathan Ortiz picked up his 15th save.

The RiverDogs closer has been quite phenomenal this season - 24.1 IP 20 H 5 ER 4 27 K. Ortiz has successfully built off last season, spent primarily at Staten Island, when he recorded 53 strikeouts in just 32.2 innings pitched.

The Tampa Yankees blew a 4-1 lead, but Tim Battle's 9th inning infield single drove in Josue Calzado with the go ahead run, and the Yankees held on 5-4 over the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Trenton salvaged the finale of their 4-game series with New Hampshire by scoring 4 runs in the 8th inning for a 7-4 win. Kevin Russo tripled in the tying run and scored what proved to be the game winner on Reegie Corona's single. Cody Ehlers, who drove in 3 runs for the game, capped the inning with a 2-run double. Colin Curtis had a 3-hit, 2 RBI night that included his 4th home run.

The Thunder had built a 3-0 lead behind the second straight strong outing by George Kontos, but the Fisher Cats rallied against him and Zach Kroenke to take a 4-3 lead. Mike Gardner picked up the win.

Jose Tabata was apparently pulled during the game for failing to back up Austin Jackson on a ball hit between them. Mike Ashmore has more on another Tabata disciplinary action.

Justin Masterson out pitched Dan McCutchen in the Pawtucket Red Sox 5-2 win over the Scranton Yankees. McCutchen, making his second Triple-A start, was charged with 3 earned runs in 4.2 innings, with all 3 runs coming on a pair of home runs.