“Everyday Eddie,” who was acquired for Single A pitcher Mark Hamburger, is having a solid rebound season after a couple of injury plauged years. The lefty is 3-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 55 appearances and will hopefully provide some stability and leadership to a shaky bullpen that has blown too many leads this past month. Guardado, 37, brings playoff experience and pressure pitching which have earned him 187 career saves, 116 of those with the Twins.
The move surprised me as it seems we were stuck with the guys we had in the bullpen for the remainder of the year. Guardado is certainly not the same pitcher as the 2002 and 2003 Minnesota Twins All-Star, but I think he could end up being a very key addition. He adds another option for Ron Gardenhire and will certainly never say no to taking the ball and entering the game in an important situation.
As I write this blog and watch the game, Guardado has just entered the game to pitch the 8th inning. Gardy never proclaimed Eddie has the setup man today but this is a clear sign of how the Twins hope things work in the final month of the season. Eddie pitched a 3-up, 3-down 8th and right now Joe Nathan is entering to pitch the 9th.
Even more surprising, to clear a roster spot for Guardado the Twins have designated Mike Lamb for assignment which means they have 10 days to trade the veteran 3B or he becomes a free agent. I’m not surprised that Gardy and the Twins no longer have interest in Lamb, but because he signed a 2-year $6.6 million deal this offseason I thought we were stuck with him as a bench player in 2009. Unless we are able to move Lamb, we will still owe him roughly $3.8 million but the move shows the Twins confidence in rookie Brian Buscher.
Hopefully Eddie can be the final piece of the Twins puzzle to take this team into the playoffs. It certainly will be fun to see the dynamic Guardado trot out to the mound in his same number 18 jersey. So today the Twins move a Hamburger and return an Everyday!
The Twins pulled of an amazing come from behind victory in the bottom of the ninth inning last night against the Red Sox thanks to Mike Lamb’s 2 RBI single. Here’s the game winning hit.
It was great to see such a good win against a team like Boston. Mike Lamb came up with the big hit that will hopefully get the struggling third baseman going at the plate. Carlos Gomez showed surprising patience at the plate drawing a big two-out walk and then stealing second base for his 15th stolen base of the season which leads the American League.
However, despite the good news, on this particular day I think I would have rather taken a loss than the bad news the Twins received. Relief pitcher, Pat Neshek, got his MRI results on Friday revealing an acute partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. What does that mean you ask? Well, I’m not doctor, but it means that Neshek will very likely miss the rest of the season. A disaster for the Twins bullpen.
Neshek, who had the started the season slowly, was just returning to his usual self and was playing a big role for the Twins bullpen. For this young Twins team it was crucial having Neshek in the 8th inning and Joe Nathan in the 9th inning to close out victories. Not only will Neshek be missed on the field, but he’s one of my personal favorite players to watch and a local fan favorite from Twin Cities suburb, Brooklyn Park.
The injury is certainly hard to swallow especially since the Twins bullpen is a team strenght. Hopefully Dennys Reyes can continue his hot streak and the trio of righthanders: Matt Guerrier, Juan Rincon, and Jesse Crain will have to step it up.
Another local favorite, University of Minnesota grad Glen Perkins, makes his first appearance of 2008 as he starts against Dice-K tonight. Should be a great game and let’s hope the Twins can keep up their hot streak.
Not only did the Twins sign the shortstop of the Houston Astros, Adam Everett, but a day after they signed Everett they signed the third baseman, Mike Lamb, from the Houston Astros.
Last year in a 3B platoon, Lamb hit .289 with 11 HRs and 40 RBIs in 311 at bats. In the past three seasons the Twins have started the season with a different player at the hot corner (Michael Cuddyer ‘05, Tony Batista ‘06, and Nick Punto ‘07). Simply put, third base has been a problem for the Twins. Cuddyer couldn’t field as well as the Twins liked, Punto couldn’t hit last year, and well… Tony Batista couldn’t really do anything. The hope is that this year Lamb will be a solid combination of the two.
The Twins signed Lamb, 32, to a two-year deal worth $6.6 million and a club option for 2010. So the Twins are certainly investing in Lamb and hoping he will solve their problems in the past at third. Lamb has spent his entire career as a platoon player splitting his time between 1B and 3B. The Twins believe if Lamb has a solidified position day-in and day-out he will only improve on his career averages of .280 with 12 HRs.
I’m not completely convinced on Lamb’s ability to be an everyday player, especially since he has shown some vulnerability to facing left-handed pitching. However, I’m ready for the Twins to try this experiment and any move that puts Nick Punto back as a utility player is a good move in my mind. With the infield stocked with options between Punto, Brendan Harris, and Alexi Casilla I feel confident that someone will emerge.
Although I have my doubts, I’m going to go ahead and make big expectations for Lamb in 2008. He is the most prototypical 3B the Twins have had in years. He’ll bring a solid bat and an average glove, and with Astros teammate Everett playing along side him I think the infield defense will be just fine.
Hi Twins fans, I apologize for the post delay as this weekend was a travel weekend. Nonetheless, the Twins continue to make news this offseason in what is becoming the busiest Twins’ offseason I can remember.
Friday afternoon, the day after the Twins signed SS Adam Everett from the Houston Astros, they again reached to the Houston organization and signed free agent third baseman Mike Lamb. The left side of the 2007 Astro’s infield has now essentially become the left side of the 2008 Twins’ infield. Lamb is a traditional Twins signing as he comes with some questions marks at an affordable price tag, but is full of potential. Lamb has never had the opportunity to play full time as a starter and he should get that chance to earn the role for the Twins come spring training. In a backup/platoon role last year, Lamb hit .289 with 11 homeruns and 40 RBIs. Lamb is a left handed hitter, 32 years old, with a career batting average of .281, and a solid (but not great) defensive glove.
Based on what I’ve read, sources say Lamb and Everett will take over the left side of the infield with newly acquired Brendan Harris defending 2nd base. This will put Nick Punto back into his former utility role. This infield along with 1B Justin Morneau will be much better offensively then last years squad and I believe Nick Punto needs to be a utility player and not an everyday starter.
In Santana news, it has been reported that the New York Yankees jumped back into trade discussions with the Twins regarding the Twins ace. The Yankees had set a deadline during the winter meetings to trade for Santana and when that deadline passed they claimed to be “done”. Not surprising after the Yankees said they were never going to sign A-Rod after he opted out of his contract…and look what happened. With the trade of Oakland A’s ace Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks last Friday, the Yankees’ options for acquiring a frontline starter are diminishing which may make them more desperate to give up players for Santana.
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“Everyday Eddie,” who was acquired for Single A pitcher Mark Hamburger, is having a solid rebound season after a couple of injury plauged years. The lefty is 3-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 55 appearances and will hopefully provide some stability and leadership to a shaky bullpen that has blown too many leads this past month. Guardado, 37, brings playoff experience and pressure pitching which have earned him 187 career saves, 116 of those with the Twins.
The move surprised me as it seems we were stuck with the guys we had in the bullpen for the remainder of the year. Guardado is certainly not the same pitcher as the 2002 and 2003 Minnesota Twins All-Star, but I think he could end up being a very key addition. He adds another option for Ron Gardenhire and will certainly never say no to taking the ball and entering the game in an important situation.
