SB Nation - Luis Rivas

Cubs Minor League Wrap--April 15

Josh77 — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 07:26:47 -0000

It might have lacked the drama of the Big Z in Milwaukee last season, but the Cubs threw a no-hitter tonight!

Daytona Cubs (19-27)

When a team throws a no-hitter, even of the seven-inning variety, it gets the lead-off position. Tonight four Daytona Cubs pitchers combined to no-hit the Dunedin Blue Jays, 4-0 in the first game of a double-header. They lost 3-2 in the second game.

Craig Muschko started the game tonight and went the longest, going four innings. He walked one and struck out two.

Chris Siegfried pitched one inning and was awarded the win on the "Starter must go five" rule. Siegfried neither walked nor struck out anyone.

Oswaldo Martinez was just signed out of the Mexican League, and made his Cub debut part of a historic one. He pitched two-thirds of an inning and issued a walk and had a wild pitch. David Cales finished out the final 1.1 innings. He didn't walk or strike out anyone.

It was Daytona's first no-hitter in 13 years. Kerry Wood and two relievers threw that one.

Second baseman Nate Samson had a two-run home run and a two-run homer to provide all of the D-Cub offense. Samson also walked once.

In the second game, James Leverton started and took the loss, giving up three runs on three hits, including a two-run home run, over five innings. Leverton walked two and struck out three.

Nate Samson went 2 for 4 in the second game. First baseman Jake Opitz was 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored.

Iowa Cubs (61-59)

The Iowa Cubs summited the Tacoma Raniers, 7-4.

J.R. Mathes picked up the win to improve his record to 11-6. Mathes pitched five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits. One of the runs was unearned. Mathes walked one and struck out one.

Blake Parker got his 15th save, although he did allow a run on a solo home run. He pitched two innings, walked two and struck out three.

Second baseman Luis Rivas had three doubles in a 3 for 4 game. He scored twice. Catcher Steve Clevenger was 2 for 4 with a run scored and two RBI.

First baseman Micah Hoffpauir hit a solo home run in the ninth. Hoffpauir went 2 for 5.

Tennessee Smokies (25-25)

The Smokies eclipsed the Jacksonville Suns, 7-4.

Casey Coleman leads the organization in wins this season, and he picked up #13 tonight , although he really didn't pitch that well. Coleman went 5.1 innings and allowed four runs on four hits and four walks. He struck out four, of course.

Jayson Ruhlman was perfect over the final 1.2 innings for his fourth save.

Right fielder Tyler Colvin was 3 for 3 with a triple and a walk. He scored twice. Left fielder Ty Wright and third baseman Marquez Smith were both 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. One of Smith's his was a double.

Peoria Chiefs (28-20)

The Chiefs were robbed by the Quad Cities River Badits, 3-2 in ten innings.

Starter Aaron Shafer allowed two runs on eight hits over 5.2 innings. He didn't walk anyone and struck out three.

Kevin Kreier took the loss. He gave up a run on two hits and two walks over 1.2 innings.

Third baseman Ryan Flaherty hit home run #17 tonight to tie up the game in the eighth inning. Flaherty was 2 for 4 with the one RBI. First baseman Rebel Ridling had a double in a 2 for 4 game.

Boise Hawks (25-30)

It took 12 innings, but the Hawks beat the Everett Aqua Sox, 4-3.

Starter Robert Whitenack allowed two unearned runs over five innings. He gave up six hits, walked once and struck out four.

Second baseman Logan Watkins went 4 for 6 and scored the winning run in the 12th inning on shortstop George Matheus's single. Matheus was 2 for 6 with the one RBI and one run scored.

DH Jae-Hoon Ha was 3 for with a double and a run scored.

AZL Cubs

Beat the Dodgers, 10-4.

Cubs Minor League Wrap -- August 11

Josh77 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:21:36 -0000

Iowa Cubs

The I-Cubs uncovered the Las Vegas 51s, 4-2.

James Russell got the start and pitched out of some trouble, giving up eight hits but only one run in 4.2 innings. It helped that he didn't walk anyone, He struck out three.

Jon Gaub threw 2.2 innings of hitless relief. He allowed only one walk and struck out four. He would have been in line for the win, except that Vince Perkins vultured the win by allowing one run on one hit, one hit batsman and four walks over 1.2 innings.

Micah Hoffpauir hit was turned out to be the game-winning home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Hoffpauir was 1 for 3 with a walk, two RBI and two runs scored.

Second baseman Luis Rivas had a double and a triple in a 2 for 4 effort. He also scored once.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies were burned by the Jacksonville Suns, 9-0.

Starter Chris Carpenter got knocked around tonight for five runs in only 4.1 innings. Carpenter surrendered five hits, walked one and struck out three. One of the five runs Carpenter allowed was unearned.

Center fielder James Adduci was 2 for 4.

Daytona Cubs

The D-Cubs lost to the Tampa Yankees 8-3.

Starter Ryan Searle lasted 4.1 innings tonight. He gave up five runs on six hits, although two of the runs were unearned. Searle walked three and struck out two.

Left fielder Jonathan Wyatt hit his second home run of the season with a man on in the ninth inning. Wyatt went 1 for 3 with a walk.

First baseman Jake Opitz had two doubles and a run scored in a 2 for 4 game. Second baseman Nate Samson was also 2 for 4.

Peoria Chiefs

The sloppy play continued tonight as the Chiefs made four errors en route to getting stung by the Burlington Bees, 4-2.

Justin Bristow pitched the first 3.2 innings and allowed all four runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out four. Only one of the runs was unearned though, despite the four errors.

Jeffry Beliveau pitched the final 5.1 innings of the game without allowing a run. He did give up four hits and one walk. Beliveau only struck out one.

Center fielder Brett Jackson was 2 for 5. Shortstop Junior Lake committed three of the four Chief errors. Lake was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Boise Hawks

The Hawks washed out the Everett Aqua Sox, 13-7.

He didn't get the win, but Yohan Gonzalez did pitch 2.2 innings of no-hit relief tonight. He only walked one and struck out two.

Catcher Richard Jones had a double and a home run to pace the Hawks tonight. His home run was a three-run shot in the sixth, and he had four RBI total. Left fielder Derrick Fitzgerald also hit a two-run homer in a 1 for 5 game.

Shortstop Hak-Ju Lee and second baseman Logan Watkins were both 2 for 6 with an RBI and two runs scored. One of Lee's hits was a triple. DH Greg Rohan and third baseman Robert Wagner both had three hits tonight, including a double for each of them.

AZL Cubs

Beat the Angels, 5-4.

Cubs Lose 11-5, Fall Two Games Out - But Cubs Win, Too! (Iowa Cubs, That Is)

Al — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:46:14 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Sorry, Randy. It just wasn't your day.

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Most of what I'm going to write about today's game is going to be from the boxscore and a bit of following along by cellphone while I was at Wrigley Field watching the Iowa Cubs defeat the Las Vegas 51's 5-4.

Let me first praise Milton Bradley for having perhaps the best day he's had in a Cubs uniform -- 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI, raising his average to .266 and his OBA to .401. In seven August games he's now hitting .450/.571/.550 -- and I think he's now in the perfect spot in the batting order for him, second. Clearly, he puts too much pressure on himself to produce when he's hitting in a RBI spot (fifth, much of the year), and batting him second gives him a real chance to be on base, as we have seen, more than half the time this month (after posting a .457 OBA in July). He's playing good defense and running the bases well.

It's not exactly what Jim Hendry had hoped for when he signed Bradley last offseason, but this type of production is something we haven't seen from many -- or really, any -- Cubs players over the last ten years or so.

I won't pin today's loss on Randy Wells, either, though he struggled and allowed seven runs (five earned) in 5.1 innings. His defense deserted him and the Cubs made three errors in all, and Jeff Stevens got hit pretty hard in his inning-plus of work, putting the game, which resulted in an 11-5 Cubs loss, out of reach. Combined with the Cardinals' come-from-behind win over a really bad Pirates team (thankfully, the Cubs get to play them next weekend), the Cubs now sit two games behind St. Louis.

Mostly, I'm going to pin this loss on the offense, which generated 17 hits, including six extra-base hits, but couldn't get many of them home. The Cubs left RISP in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th and 9th innings -- ridiculous, in my opinion, and left 13 on base all told. It was clear that Lou Piniella had no interest in watching this mess -- he got himself tossed in the second inning.

There's still a chance for the Cubs to split the series (and road trip) against a very good Rockies team tomorrow night... so, look forward to that, and below the fold is my recap of the Iowa/Las Vegas game.

Travis Snider is the guy I was hoping the Cubs would select in the first round of the 2006 draft. Instead, they selected Tyler Colvin; he's been dissected many times on this site, and after seeing Snider pound out a pair of homers at Wrigley today, I'm holding to my position that passing on Snider (who was picked by the Blue Jays with the pick right after the Cubs) was a mistake. Snider, who is only 21 (three years younger than Colvin), has already had a couple of cups o' coffee in the major leagues (posting a .736 OPS with 5 HR in 172 AB) and will likely be in the Blue Jays' starting outfield by 2011 at the latest, perhaps even next year.

That was the parlor game to play today, given that this, unlike last year's "Road To Wrigley" game, was a Triple-A game: "How many players in today's game have played at Wrigley before?" Snider wasn't one of them, but I counted no fewer than six (Buck Coats, Marty McLeary, So Taguchi, Luis Rivas, Bobby Scales, and Micah Hoffpauir), seven if you want to count Justin Berg, who was on the Cubs' 25-man roster briefly last month, warmed up a couple of times, but didn't get into a game. Howie Clark, a 35-year-old veteran of six major league seasons, has also played against the Cubs and former Cub minor leaguer Brian Dopirak has surfaced again in the Blue Jays organization.

How weird must it have been for Micah Hoffpauir, who was in the major leagues with the Cubs all year till Friday, to return to Wrigley as an Iowa Cub? (He got loud ovations every time his name was announced.) His average shown on the scoreboard was blank, which means today was his first minor league game of the year (if he had any AB without hits, it would have shown as .000). I suspect when the Cubs sent him down, they probably told him simply to go to Chicago and wait for the Iowa team to meet him there. Hoffpauir had a bloop double in four at-bats and played both first base and right field. Iowa hitting stars were John-Ford Griffin, who homered onto Sheffield (I was surprised there weren't more homers, with the temperature a stifling, humid 87 degrees and the wind howling out to CF at what was reported at 11 MPH, but it had to be at least twice that), and Darwin Barney, who had a pair of hits.

John Gaub, who has put up gaudy numbers since being promoted, was called on in the seventh, issued a walk and struck out Howie Clark, and then was yanked -- couldn't possibly let him face a right-handed hitter, right? (Granted, it was Randy Ruiz, who has 106 RBI in 113 Triple-A games this year.) Vince Perkins came on and retired Ruiz on a fly to center.

The game is played at just a slightly slower pace than a major league game. You can clearly see why certain players are at that level and can't get any higher, or, as in the case of guys like Clark, Ruiz, Coats and Taguchi, are hanging on, trying to get one more shot at a major league game. The Las Vegas third baseman, Kevin Howard, who got into some of the antics with the "Zooperstars" mascots who appeared today, is in his seventh year in the minors with his seventh organization and you could see why today -- he made two throwing errors on routine ground balls which led to a couple of Iowa runs.

Blake Parker closed the game for his 13th save, but not before allowing a home run to Angel Sanchez. Attendance was 16,280, about half of what the Cubs drew for the minor league game featuring the Peoria Chiefs last year -- possible reasons: a Sunday afternoon isn't going to draw as well as a Tuesday night; it's a lot farther to Des Moines than it is to Peoria, meaning fewer people would follow the team (although a few busloads from Iowa were dropped off on Waveland), and the heat may have kept a few people from walking up on the day of the game. Ran into BCB reader Damen Jackson today; he had a seat near the photographer's bay and hopefully, will have some pictures to post here later on.

We will no doubt see Hoffpauir returning to the Cubs after September 1, and Scales may also be brought up. Apart from that, I don't see anyone who was in today's game who looks like a "hot prospect", nor will be back in Chicago this year (with the possible exception of Justin Berg). The real Cub prospects are at the lower levels of the organization. Perhaps we'll see some of them at Wrigley in the near future.

Ronny Cedeno Breaks Up Yusmeiro Petit's No-Hit Bid in 8th

Charlie — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:52:01 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

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Not the best night for the Pirates, who nearly were no-hit by Yusmeiro Petit. I only caught the last few innings, when Petit was obviously tired and it was hard to tell how even the Pirates failed to get a hit. Petit only struck out four for the game, while walking three, so you can probably chalk up his near-no-hitter more as offensive incompetence by the Pirates than as amazing pitching on his part.

A couple of observations:

-I hated Luis Rivas' gray sneakers, but I love Lastings Milledge's yellow laces.

-When did Mark Reynolds turn into the new Ryan Howard? Reynolds didn't do anything crazy tonight, but he looked great, driving his foul balls about a million miles. If you make any sort of mistake to him, watch out.

And some links:

MLB - Chicago Cubs/Cincinnati Reds Box Score Tuesday August 4, 2009
Tom Gorzelanny was not just good but excellent in his debut with the Cubs, striking out six, walking one and allowing just three hits in 7.3 innings. Gulp. I can't believe he's really changed that much in one start, but it'll say something pretty awful about the Pirates' coaching if the Cubs are able to fix him in short order. I was fine with the Gorzelanny trade in part because I figured his arm was fried and in part because I wasn't that impressed with his AAA numbers. Not that they weren't good, but you expect a veteran pitcher to succeed in AAA. I'd would have rather have taken a shot on someone new, someone who wouldn't be eligible for arbitration soon, rather than worry much about Gorzelanny, who hasn't pitched well in the bigs for a couple of years. I'm not sure how fair that was of me, but that's what I thought at the time. I'm not sure how much I should change that now. In the comments, though, Maguro has a really good point: the Reds lineup Gorzelanny faced today was horrible:

Taveras CF
Rosales 3B
Votto 1B
Phillips 2B
Gomes RF
Balentien LF
Gonzalez SS
Hanigan C
Cueto P

Basically, that's Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and a AAA team. You could make a case for Jonny Gomes and Ryan Hanigan being a bit better than that, based on their stats this year, but it wouldn't be a very compelling one, based on their careers as a whole. I'd like to see Gorzelanny mow down a couple of real big league lineups before I worry too much about the Pirates misjudging him.

Patriot-News: Mazeroski Supports Pirates' Overhaul
Bill Mazeroski comes out in support of the Pirates' recent flurry of trades, which is quite the 180 since last year, when he ranted after the Xavier Nady trade that "We just traded two of our best players for four guys I never heard of."

Minor League Baseball: Indianapolis vs. Durham
Daniel McCutchen was awesome through 6.3 innings tonight, striking out seven and walking none. This McCutchen has fallen off the radar this year a little, but he probably now should be considered a viable option for the last spot in the rotation. Earlier this year, I'd worried that he'd allow too many homers as a big league starter, but he's now allowed only three (including one tonight) since the end of May.

Minor League Baseball: Altoona vs. Portland
Pedro Alvarez, Gorkys Hernandez and Brian Friday all had big nights against Boston's AA affiliate. Alvarez went 3-for-6 with a homer and two doubles.

Minor League Baseball: Kannapolis vs. West Virginia
Starling Marte, Robbie Grossman and Quincy Latimore have contributed two hits apiece tonight against Kannapolis. A couple days ago, someone in the comments asked why Latimore doesn't receive more attention. It's a fair question, and the answer probably has something to do with the facts that people (understandably) don't trust Dave Littlefield's draft picks, and that Latimore hasn't posted a really dominant season yet. But he's always been fairly young for his levels, and this year he's batting .283 with good power. I'm a little bit wary of him because his control of the strike zone has been atrocious, but he's definitely a prospect.

Cubs Minor League Wrap -- July 6

Josh77 — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:25:09 -0000

I'm pretty sure that Oneri Fleita hates me.

Ryne Sandberg was suspended three games for bumping an umpire. No, that's not why I think Fleita hates me.

Iowa Cubs

Four Cub pitchers combined to shut out the New Orleans Zephyrs, 1-0.

Jose Ascanio threw the first three innings and while he only allowed two hits, he did have some control problems. Ascanio walked four and hit one batter. He struck out three.

Jeremy Papelbon pitched the next 1.1 innings. He allowed two hits and struck out one. Papelbon was followed by Vince Perkins, who was awarded the win with 2.2 innings pitched, also allowing two hits and striking out one.

Finally, Jeff Stevens pitched two perfect innings to pick up his second save. Stevens struck out two.

Second baseman Luis Rivas was 2 for 4 with an RBI double. Left fielder Jason Dubois was 2 for 2 with a walk.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies three-game winning streak came to an end as they were swamped by the Carolina Mudcats, 8-1.

Hung-Wen Chen took the loss tonight as he allowed four runs, three of which were earned, in six innings. He gave up ten hits, including one home run. He only walked one and struck out three.

Third baseman Marquez Smith was 1 for 2 with two walks. He scored the lone Smokies run.

Daytona Cubs

The D-Cubs scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to demoralize the Dunedin Blue Jays, 4-3.

Ryan Searle has his best start in almost a month as he allowed only one run on three hits over five innings. Searle walked one and struck out three.

Craig Muschko pitched the final four innings and picked up the win. He allowed two runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out one.

Right fielder Brandon Guyer went 4 for 5 tonight with the walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. Guyer also scored once and stole a base.

Shortstop Starlin Castro had a double in a 3 for 5 game. Castro had two RBI and scored the winning run on Guyer's single.

DH Jake Opitz was 2 for 5. Marwin Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with an RBI.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs extinguished the Beloit Snappers, 7-2.

Justin Bristow pitched the first five and allowed only one run on two hits. He walked two and struck out one.

See, here's why I think Fleita hates me. Jim Hendry goes and trades away my nemisis, Alberto Alburquerque. So what does Fleita do? He goes and signs Austin Bibens-Dirkx out of the independent Golden Baseball League. I don't know, maybe Fleita didn't sign him--maybe Hendry did that too. Or Randy Bush. But it had to have been Fleita who sent him to Peoria. Anway, ABD (as he's going to be known around here) got the win by pitching four innings or relief, allowing one run on four hits. He walked one and struck out one.

Third baseman Josh Harrison was 4 for 5 with a triple. Harrison stole two bases, scored twice and had three RBI. He also has an easy name to spell.

First baseman Rebel Ridling was 2 for 4 with two RBI. Second baseman Derrick Fitzgerald was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Catcher Mario Mercedes was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Boise Hawks

It's two in a row for the Hawks as they polished off the Eugene Emeralds, 5-4.

Robert Hernandez had a good start tonight, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings. The best news was that he struck out six and didn't walk anyone.

Josh Lansford got the win with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. He surrendered one hit and one walk while striking out one--although that batter reached first on a wild pitch.

Mike Perconte got his second save with two innings of perfect relief. Perconte struck out three.

Second baseman Logan Watkins had two doubles and a walk in four trips to the plate. Watkins scored once.

Center fielder Brett Jackson was 2 for 4 with a triple. Jackson scored once and had two RBI.

AZL Cubs

Lost to the Giants, 5-3.

Cubs Minor League Wrap -- July 3

Josh77 — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:35:01 -0000

After ten hours on the road, here I am in Boise bringing you the recap of tonight's exciting minor league action.

But you'll have to forgive me if it's somewhat incoherent, After driving for ten hours, I'm seeing two computer screens and two keyboards.

Some guy named Ramirez played for Peoria.

Oh, Ryne Sandberg had an interesting night too.

Iowa Cubs

The I-Cubs blasted the Oklahoma City RedHawks, 7-1.

Angel Guzman started and faced six batters and threw 25 pitches, 15 for strikes. He allowed a hit and a walk in 1.1 innings and struck out one.

Casey Fossum made his Cub organizational debut after that and picked up the win, going 4.2 innings and allowing one run on four hits and two walks. The run scored on a solo home run. Fossum struck out five for a pretty impressive I-Cub debut.

See, that's how you get a starting pitcher the win despite not going five innings. Have a rehabbing reliever pitch the first inning.

Third baseman Nate Spears had 3 hits in 4 ABs tonight. Spears scored once and had one RBI.

Second baseman Luis Rivas had a double in a 2 for 4 game. Rivas had two RBI and scored once. Shortstop Darwin Barney was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Catcher Steve Clevenger was 2 for 5 with a stolen base.

I didn't even notice that first baseman Matt Craig rejoined the Cub organization a couple of days ago. Craig was 2 for 5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Craig had been playing for the Marlins this season after spending seven seasons in the Cub organization.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies eclipsed the Huntsville Stars, 5-3.

After a horrible start to the season, Marcos Mateo is starting to right the ship in Tennessee with his third straight start allowing only one run. Tonight he pitched six innings and surrendered only the one run on three hits and a walk. Mateo fanned five.

The ninth inning was when things got interesting. Brian Schlitter came in for the save and walked four while grabbing only two outs. But Ryno didn't think the calls were very good and asked the umpire where the pitches were. After his questions were ignored, Sandberg went ballistic and bumped the home plate umpire in a heated argument. This was Sandberg's third ejection in the past seven games and his sixth of the season. Sandberg is certain to be suspended for this one as contact was made with the umpire "multiple times" according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Jayson Ruhlman walked in another run in the ninth but got the final out and the save after that.

Third baseman Marquez Smith was 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Center fielder James Adduci was 2 for 4 with a run scored and a stolen base. Shortstop Nate Samson, recently promoted from Daytona to replace Darwin Barney, was 2 for 5 with a stolen base.

Daytona Cubs

The D-Cubs lost to the Brevard County Manatees, 4-2.

James Leverton, who was taken in the draft last season one round before Jay Jackson, saw his record fall to 5-8 by allowing three runs on five hits in only three innings. Leverton walked one and struck out one.

Second baseman Jake Opitz was 2 for 2 with a triple and two walks. Opitz scored once and had one RBI.

Josh Vitters had a rough night: 0 for 4 with two errors. He did have an RBI on a ground out though.

Right fielder Brandon Guyer was 2 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base. Guyer also scored once.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs hunted down the Kane County Cougars, 7-1.

Jeff Beliveau has got to be opening some eyes down in Peoria this season. Tonight he allowed only one run on three hits over five innings. He walked only one and struck out six. So far this season, he's struck out 78 batters in 58 innings. He's walked 28, which while that's not good, it's acceptable for someone who has struck out so many and has held opposing hitters to a .207 average. He's also only allowed two home runs so far, and that's excellent.

Aramis Ramirez started his rehab and went 1 for 2 with a double and a walk. He scored twice and had two RBI. He played four innings of third base before exiting the game.

Right fielder Kyler Burke was 2 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base. He scored twice and had two RBI. First baseman Rebel Ridling went 2 for 5 with a double and three RBI.

Boise Hawks

Lost to the Tri-City Dust Devils, 12-0.

The less said about this game, the better.

AZL Cubs

Beat the Dodgers, 6-5 in ten innings.

What to do with second base?

cmathewson — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:17 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

"What? Am I supposed to pick this up?" Minnesota Twins second baseman Nick Punto (8) watches a ground ball off the bat of Kansas City Royals' Mark Teahen during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Kansas City, Mo., Monday, June 29, 2009. Teahen was safe at first. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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With Alexi Casilla's banishment to Upstate New York, the Twins are faced with a tough decision.

We all thought Casilla was the second baseman of the future until he caught Luis Rivas disease and Gardy, who suffered through years of Rivas, has no patience left for lackadaisical play. Add to that the last things Casilla said to Gardy on his way out the door. It's not published, but you can read something like this between the lines.

Gardy: You go down there and learn to play with more consistent focus and awareness. When the scouts say you're ready, I'll bring you back up.

Casiila: I don't need more tine in the minors Man. I'n ready right now to be the guy.

Gardy: No you're not.

Casilla: I'n the best second baseman in this system.

Gardy: Not right now you're not.

Casilla: You don't know jack.

Gardy: Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out of my office.

So Casilla might never be back with this team as long as Gardy is manager. What do the Twins do in the post-Casilla era?

Internal options

Nick Punto: Punto is the guy of the present. But he is no long-term solution. He's brutally inconsistent with the bat. One week he'll be right on the ball, taking pitchers pitches, hitting hitters pitches on a line. Then he'll get Nicked up and spend a week on the non-DL. When he returns, he's back to the strike-out prone, pop-up machine he's been through the majority of his career. And that's just with the bat. On the bases, he's a train wreck. In the field, he's nothing if his range is limited because his freewheeling ways make him very error prone. But his UZR/150 numbers this year (and in past years at second) are horrible (-17.4). The sooner this guy lands on the bench everyday, the better off the Twins will be. He might be going on the DL anyway with a back injury after Jose Guillen's dirty slide spilled him yesterday.

Matt Tolbert: I don't want to waste keystorkes on this guy.187/.279/.236/.514 -27.7 UZR/150.

Michael Cuddyer: Don't laugh. Gardy has actually brought his name up as a possibility. That indicates how desperate he is for a solution at second. Cuddyer at second would solve the outfield log jam. And he hits like a competent second baseman. But judging from his three errors in just four games at first base and -47.7 UZR/150 in the infield this year, he's not a serious option for second. At first, at least he has the line to constrain his range. At second, he'd be range challenged in two directions.

Luke Hughes: Scouts and numbers say his bat is ready now. But his defense is nowhere near ready. Second base is his best position by the numbers (just using errors by position in the minors). Still, the Twins have been trying to convert him to third base because of organizational need. With Danny Valencia passing him on the depth chart at third, he could move back to second, but he would need a half season of reps over there before he might be ready. The Twins don't have a half season.

Steven Tolleson: Tolleson is the best hitting second base prosect the Twins have had since Todd Walker. He's hitting .320/.385/.443/.828 for Rochester, splitting time between second base and left field. If he was anywhere near Knoblauch in the field, he'd be up here. He's always had high error totals throughout the minors. And his range is said to be average. Still, he's worth a 15-day tryout whle Punto rests his back and bruised ribs. If he shows promise in the field, he could be the guy.

The problem is, the Twins are reluctant to trust the position to a rookie during a pennant race. They might be forced to do it if Punto needs to go on the DL. But my sense is Punto will keep telling Gardy he's ready and Gardy will keep running him out there. And Punto will continue to go 0-fer with Ks, DPs and pop-ups. That would be a shame because, at 25, Tolleson deserves a shot sooner rather than later.

External Options

Freddy Sanchez: A career .302/.338/.424/.762 hitter in eight seasons at the majors, mostly for Pittsburgh, Sanchez is the kind of player the Twins need if they're to make a run for a pennant. The Twins are great at the top of the order and horrible at the bottom. Second base is the chief cause of the suckitude. Casilla (.467 OPS), Tolbert (.514), and Punto (.543) have combined to be the worst hitting second base position in the league.

If you upgrade to Sanchez, you could drop Brendan Harris down to the bottom of the order where he belongs. Harry's a good hitter, but he's not top-of-the-order material in a perfect world. Sanchez, on the other hand, is an ideal number two hitter. He has excellent contact skills and an inside-out approach that tends to confound defenses and move runners along.

In the field, Sanchez has average range by the numbers with an excellent arm and good footwork around the bag. He'd be an upgrade defensively over any of the players in the system.

What it would take to get him is an open question. The Pirates are rebuilding around speed, so it seems Casilla is one piece in a two- or three-piece move. If a two-piece move, I could see a pitcher such as Anthony Swarzak or Kevin Mulvey being the other piece. If a three-piece move, it could include a couple of fringe prospects such as Philip Humber and Jason Pridie. The contract is not really an issue for a team that is well under budget this year. He's set to make $6.1 million this year, $3 million prorated. And this is no one-year rental. There is an $8 million club option with a $600,000 buyout. Even if the Twins decided to buy him out, he's a likely Type A free agent.

Felipe Lopez: Lopez is another good contact hitter who could fit in nicely in the number 2 hole and at second base. He's currently hitting .304/.358/.413/.771 for Arizona. Those are career year numbers for him, so I wouldn't expect him to keep up this clip for the whole season. In the field, he would be an upgrade over every other bat in the system (4.4 UZR 150). From a contract perspective, He's strictly a one-year rental at about $1.75 million for the rest of the year, whereupon he should become a Type B free agent.

I think Lopez should be Plan B in case they can't work out a deal for Sanchez. He's having a career year, which indicates regression, especially at his age (29). For this reason, acquiring him would be easier than Sanchez. Perhaps Casilla and a fringe pitcher would do.

Poll

Who should be the Twins second baseman in the second half this year?

Nick Punto

47 votes

Matt Tolbert

16 votes

Steven Tolleson

100 votes

Freddy Sanchez

282 votes

Felipe Lopez

21 votes

466 votes | Poll has closed

Cubs Minor League Wrap -- June 28

Josh77 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:03:34 -0000

Anyone else want to just chuck the whole major league team and start over? Let's see the lineup: 1. Thomas 2B 2. Castro SS 3. Vitters 3B 4. Fox 1B (We'll count him as a minor leaguer) 5.Colvin LF 6. Clevenger C 7. Burke CF 8. Guyer RF 9. Jackson SP. OK, they'd lose 120 games. But they'd at least be interesting. And we'd get Bryce Harper next year.

Iowa Cubs

The I-Cubs were stopped by the Round Rock Express 8-4.

Greg Reinhard started and took the loss, giving up five runs in only three innings. Reinhard surrendered eight hits and a walk while fanning four.

Right fielder So Taguchi led off the game with his first home run of the year. It was his only hit in five trips to the plate.

Second baseman Luis Rivas went 2 for 4.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies were eclipsed by the Huntsville Stars, 3-2.

Marcos Mateo pitched well, allowing only one run on five hits in his five inning start. The one run scored on a solo home run. Mateo didn't walk anyone and struck out two. He did hit two batters.

Jake Muyco took the loss in relief when he allowed a solo home run in the ninth. Muyco pitched one inning and allowed only that one home run. He struck out two.

Right fielder Doug Deeds was 2 for 4 and scored a run.

Daytona Cubs

The D-Cubs denied the Fort Myers Miracle, 5-1.

Andrew Cashner continues to put up zeros on the scoreboard, pitching another four innings today, allowing no runs on two hits. Cashner walked three and struck out three. He has now not allowed a run in his last three starts, which spanned 12 innings.

Dustin Sasser got the win because Cashner didn't go five. He pitched three innings and allowed one unearned run on two hits and a walk. Sasser struck out four.

Second baseman Nate Samson had a big day. He went 4 for 5 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs rode a nine-run eighth inning to skin the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 15-6.

Starter Aaron Shafer had a rough game, allowing five runs on six hits over five innings. Shafer walked two and struck out two.

Jeffrey Beliveau is putting up some ridiculous numbers for Peoria this season. Today he pitched four innings and allowed one run on two hits and two walks. The ridiculous part was that he struck out eight. Beliveau has now struck out 72 batters in only 53 innings this season.

The Chiefs banged out 17 hits today, led by Drew Rundle, who was 4 for 5 with a double. Rundle scored three times and had one RBI.

Josh Vitters, Ryan Flaherty and Rebel Ridling each went 2 for 5 with a run scored. Vitters had one RBI, Flaherty two and Ridling three. Both of Ridling's hits were doubles.

Right fielder Nelson Perez was 2 for 6 with two RBI and a run scored. We're also past the MWL All-Star Break and I don't think I've called him Nelson Cruz yet, which is something of a miracle. Not only do they have similar names, they're similar players.

Boise Hawks

The Hawks came home today and managed to defeat the Yakima Bears, 3-2.

Jeffry Antigua got the win with four innings of shutout relief. He gave up three hits and a walk while striking out three.

Second baseman Logan Watkins was 2 for 4. Catcher Alvaro Sosa went 2 for 3.

AZL Cubs

Lost to the Giants, 11-3.

Cubs Minor League Wrap -- June 26

Josh77 — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 08:32:46 -0000

Josh Vitters hit his first home run this month tonight after a torrid May when he couldn't do anything but hit homers.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs zipped past the New Orleans Zephyrs, 7-3.

Jeff Samardzija picked up his fifth win tonight with seven solid innings. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out five.

The I-Cubs had ten hits, all singles. Bobby Scales and Luis Rivas were both 2 for 4 with a run scored. Rivas added in an RBI. So Taguchi went 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI. Matt Camp had a walk, an RBI and a stolen base in a 2 for 3 game.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies lost to the Montgomery Biscuits, 4-2.

Starter Jeremy Papelbon took the loss, allowing all four runs in only 3.2 innings. Papelbon was tagged for seven hits, including two home runs. He walked two and fanned three.

First baseman Doug Deeds went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run. Deeds scored twice.

Daytona Cubs

The D-Cubs transformed the hometown cheers for the Fort Myers Miracle into whine, 8-6.

Starter Craig Muschko threw four innings, allowing only one run on three hits. He walked two and struck out five.

Henry Williamson pitched very poorly, but got the win anyway when the offense scored for him. Williamson pitched two innings and gave up four runs on five hits and two walks. He didn't strike anyone out.

Shortstop Starlin Castro had a huge game, collecting five RBI with a double and a triple in a 2 for 4 night. Castro also walked once and scored once.

Third baseman Marwin Gonzalez was 3 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored. Center fielder Tony Campana went 2 for 5 with two runs scored. Left fielder Jonathan Wyatt went 2 for 4 with a run scored. First baseman Jovan Rosa was 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored.

Right fielder Brandon Guyer had a double and an RBI in a 2 for 4 game. Guyer is now hitting .396 in 13 games in High-A. If the Cubs hadn't jumped him all the way to AA this season, I don't think anyone would be disappointed in his numbers at Daytona so far.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs bullpen broke down and the Chiefs fell to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 3-2.

Starter Chris Archer had a no-hitter going when he got pulled after five innings. The only problem was that he had probably thrown a lot of pitches considering he had walked five batters in that time, although none of them scored. Archer struck out four.

Chris Huseby blew his first save of the season, taking the loss as he allowed one run on four hits in one inning. He also allowed an inherited runner to score in the eighth inning. Huseby struck out one.

Josh Vitters hit his first home run this month, going 2 for 4 with two RBI. As hot as Vitters was in May, he's been cold in June. Perhaps this is a sign he's breaking out of his slump.

Center fielder David Macias was 2 for 4.

Boise Hawks

The carnage continued as the Hawks were blown up by the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, 11-1.

Robert Hernandez got beat up for four runs on five hits and two walks over four innings. He walked two and struck out five. One of the runs was unearned.

Catcher Alvaro Sosa was 1 for 3 with his first home run of the season.

AZL Cubs

Lost to the Angels, 7-5.

Cubs Minor League Wrap -- June 24

Josh77 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:29:14 -0000

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were beaten by the New Orleans Zephyrs, 5-2.

Starter Esmailin Caridad was very effective for four shutout innings, surrendering only one hit and one walk. Caridad fanned five.

Since being sent down to the minors, Neal Cotts had been pitching very effectively, at least until tonight when the Neal Cotts who can't find the plate resurfaced. Cotts walked in a run when he entered the game with the bases loaded in the eighth and then allowed a three-run home run in the ninth. Overall, Cotts was credited with allowing three runs on three hits and a three walks over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one.

Right fielder So Taguchi was 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI. Luis Rivas was 2 for 4 and scored a run.

Ryan Freel finished his rehabbing by going 2 for 4 with a double. He was also caught stealing.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies burnt the Montgomery Biscuits, 6-0.

Casey Coleman improved his season record to 7-3 with six innings, allowing only four hits and a walk. Coleman struck out four.

Left fielder Tyler Colvin hit his sixth home run in only 69 AA at-bats tonight. Colvin went 3 for 4 with the solo home run in the sixth inning. Colvin scored three times.

Right fielder Doug Deeds hit his first AA HR in a 2 for 4 night. Deeds had two RBI and also walked once.

Third baseman Marquez Smith was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

Daytona Cubs

Daytona split a double-header with the Lakeland Flying Tigers, winning the first 3-2 in eight innings and dropping the second, 6-5.

Rafael Dolis started the first game. He allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over 3.2 innings. He struck out three.

Todd Blackford got the win with two shutout innings. He gave up two hits and a walk and struck out one.

Right fielder Brandon Guyer was 2 for 4 with two doubles and a run scored. Center fielder Tony Campana went 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. He stole one base and was thrown out another time.

Marwin Gonzalez had a double and a run scored in a 2 for 3 game.

In the second game, Dan McDaniel just hasn't been right since his injury earlier in the season. McDaniel gave up six runs on eight hits and three walks in only 3.2 innings. He also hit two batters. Two of the runs were unearned, however. McDaniel only had one strikeout.

Third baseman Jake Opitz was 2 for 4 with a home run. Opitz scored twice and had two RBI. Left fielder Jonathan Wyatt was 2 for 3 with two doubles and a run scored.

Guyer had another big game in the nightcap, going 3 for 4 with a stolen base.

Catcher Luis Flores was 2 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI. First baseman Ryan Keedy went 2 for 3 with an RBI.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs are still on the All-Star Break. They finished the first half at 38-31, which was fourth place but only 2.5 games out of first.

Boise Hawks

The Hawks losing ways continued as they were drowned in magma by the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, 5-3.

Larry Suarez pitched in his first game above the rookie ball tonight and didn't last very long. Suarez gave up three runs, two earned, in 1.1 inning. Suarez gave up two hits, walked three and struck out two. Despite having signed with the Cubs back in 1989, Suarez is still only 19 years old. (Just kidding. Suarez signed to much fanfare in 2006.)

Catcher Matt Cerda was 2 for 4. SS Hak-Ju Lee was 1 for 3 with a walk, extending his hitting streak to start his professional career to five games.

AZL Cubs

Crushed the Brewers, 12-6.