2025 Major League Baseball Thread

[Batman1980]

MINNEAPOLIS -- Brian Duensing has done it all on the mound for the Minnesota Twins except be their closer, a remarkable versatility that helped stabilize the rotation when it was needed most.

The Twins have seen a career track like this before -- by a certain two-time Cy Young Award winner.

Duensing pitched a three-hitter for his first career complete game, outdueling Trevor Cahill and leading the Twins past the Oakland Athletics 2-0 on Saturday.

"He saved our tails," manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Joe Mauer, batting an even .500 over his last seven games, had three more hits including an RBI single in the eighth to give Duensing a cushion he didn't need. The Twins, 18-5 in their last 23 games, stretched their lead over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central to two games.

Cahill (12-5) matched a modern major league record with his 20th straight start of five innings or more and allowing six hits or fewer. Nolan Ryan did the same in 1972-73 for the California Angels.

But Duensing was a step ahead of him, breezing through the light-hitting A's lineup after an inefficient start. He threw 104 pitches on a night when three right-handed relievers, including closer Matt Capps, were off limits except for emergency because their arms needed rest.

The third-round draft pick of the Twins in 2005, Duensing showed promise as a rookie -- spot starting as an injury replacement and handling the long role in the bullpen. This season he was a situational lefty who got more and more work in late-game jams as he showed his capability, before Nick Blackburn was sent to Triple-A and a spot opened in the rotation.

"I think it's more challenging physically for the arm, but a lot of that comes from being mental, too," Duensing said of the back and forth between starter and reliever. "If you can tell yourself your arm's ready, then it will be."

The Twins plan to bring Blackburn back, but Gardenhire insisted Duensing's spot is safe.

"We like to have too much pitching," the manager said.

Duensing had help from two double plays in the first three innings. He also got a pickoff at second base of Rajai Davis right after the speedy outfielder stole his 36th base. After going 2 for 20 with runners in scoring position the night before, the A's had only one man reach second base -- and that was Davis, who promptly lost his place.

"Didn't hit a whole heck of a lot of balls hard. When we did, they were right at people," A's manager Bob Geren said. "It was not a very good offensive performance. Not at all."

Duensing posted a 1.67 ERA in 39 appearances as a reliever. He is 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA in five starts since the switch, raising his career record as a starter to 8-1.

With a deceptive delivery and sharp breaking balls, Duensing can be more effective as a starter with the chance to mix up more of his pitches. That's the same situation Johan Santana was in, when the Twins finally moved him from the bullpen to the rotation in 2003, a year before he won his first Cy Young Award.

"Johan, that's probably a good guy to look at," Gardenhire said, making the comparison.

Though their offense is lacking a lot, pitching is not a problem for the A's with Cahill leading their rotation. He surrendered just one run on six hits and a walk in seven innings. Cahill struck out five, though his streak of 28 straight innings without an earned run ended when the Twins used a vintage manufacturing of a run in the third to take an early lead.

Alexi Casilla doubled and moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Denard Span. Orlando Hudson drove the first pitch he saw high and deep enough to left field to allow Casilla to jog home for the early lead.

But Cahill, the 22-year-old All-Star who has given the A's plenty of reasons to be excited in his second major league season, was in command throughout his outing.

"You could really see the power of his sinker up close," Geren said. "It's something special. It really is."

The win would have been nice, but matching Ryan's record was cool, too. "It's something kind of special. A record with Nolan Ryan? Yeah, I'd be glad to share it," Cahill said.

Game notes
Gardenhire said SS Nick Punto (hamstring) would probably be activated after Sunday's game. J.J. Hardy (wrist) is available to play, but the Twins would prefer to wait until Tuesday when they start another critical three-game series against the White Sox. ... Oakland rookie Chris Carter is still looking for his first major league hit. He's 0 for 16 with seven strikeouts.


Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

Source - ESPN

[Jellybeans]

Originally Posted by Wingman1977

Looks like he's getting hot at the right time.

Yup, let's hope it continues till the end of the season and in the playoffs!

[Batman1980]

Brian Duensing, Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano, hoping one of our farm pitchers will join that bunch soon and give us 4 pitchers that can win consistently next year.

[fatediesel]

Today is the deadline for draft picks (with remaining college eligibility) to sign their contracts. Any picks not signed by midnight will re-enter the draft next year and their teams will receive a compensatory pick. Top pick Bryce Harper is still unsigned and it's unknown how close the Nationals are to signing him. Harper is advised by Scott Boras (as was Strasburg last year) and it's likely Boras will try and get Harper more money than Strasburg. It would be incredibly stupid for Harper to not sign, as his stock can only go down and it's possible there will be a wage scale next year.

When the Dodgers drafted Zach Lee they were criticized for being cheap by drafting someone they knew they couldn't sign, and it appears that will be true. Lee plays quarterback at LSU and made it known before the draft that he was unlikely to sign and it would take a massive bonus (reportedly $5 million) for him to consider signing. The Dodgers are reportedly offering $3 million and it doesn't sound like that will be enough to get Lee to sign.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

It would be incredibly stupid for Harper to not sign, as his stock can only go down and it's possible there will be a wage scale next year.

Yep, which is why I fully expect a deal to be done. If he couldn't work something out and chose to forgo the Majors, it would only add to the question about his character.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by supersix4

Yep, which is why I fully expect a deal to be done. If he couldn't work something out and chose to forgo the Majors, it would only add to the question about his character.

Listings aren't telling me who we'll see tomorrow, hoping we get the White Sox and the Twins.

[fatediesel]

Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb. He suffered the injury last week when he punched his girlfriends father in the Mets clubhouse.

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/m...ory?id=5468863

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb. He suffered the injury last week when he punched his girlfriends father in the Mets clubhouse.

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/m...ory?id=5468863

Karma is definitely pwning that idiot.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Karma is definitely pwning that idiot.

LOL! Unreal how things just work out for the better sometimes.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb. He suffered the injury last week when he punched his girlfriends father in the Mets clubhouse.

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/m...ory?id=5468863

It really is incredible the difference between management of the Yankees and Mets. I know the Yankees have always been (outside of the mid to late 80's) the dominant NY MLB team but there's no excuse for the nonsense that goes on with that team. The Mets still have one of the highest payrolls in baseball. They should at least be competitive. It seems like every move they make only makes the team chemistry worse. They really need to demolish that team and build it back up from scratch.

[Hi-Def Steve]

Dodgers have yet another meltdown in the 9th. I wish the season would just end already. I'm really starting to hate this team and I honestly can't remember ever feeling that way about them ever since I was a kid.

[Hi-Def Steve]

Apparently the Dodgers have signed the untouchable Zach Lee draftee.

[Sabotage]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb. He suffered the injury last week when he punched his girlfriends father in the Mets clubhouse.

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/m...ory?id=5468863

Amazing how downhill his career has gone since leaving Anaheim. That's what he gets for joining a team like the Mets.

[Dexter Morgan]

Well the Nationals did end up signing Bryce Harper within the last few seconds of the deadline. The contract is a five-year $9.9M deal.

Here are some of the specifics taken from espn.com...

"Harper's contract calls for a signing bonus of $6.25 million in five equal payments of $1.25 million: 30 days after approval and each July 1 from 2011 through 2014. He receives salaries of $500,000 each in 2011 and 2012, $750,000 in 2013, $900,000 in 2014 and $1 million in 2015.

There are roster bonuses that could raise the total value of the deal to $10.9 million. Harper can earn up to an extra $500,000 in each of the last two years of the contract, getting $125,000 each year if he spends 30, 60, 90 and 120 days on the active major league roster.

The Nationals also agreed to pay for eight semesters of college."

[Jellybeans]

Yanks lost two in a row

I hope the Yanks go back to winning!

Yanks and Rays are tied for 1st in AL East

[Dexter Morgan]

Originally Posted by Jellybeans

Yanks lost two in a row

I hope the Yanks go back to winning!

Yanks and Rays are tied for 1st in AL East

The Yankees and Rays are so much alike this year in terms of their streaky play. They can light up the scoreboard with their hitting, but then go 4-5 games without scoring more than two runs. Pitching for both teams can be electric for a week straight, but both are susceptible to being blown up for a few games in a row as well.

I hope that both teams stay healthy and continue to battle it out for the AL East crown in what should be a really hard-fought race.

[Jellybeans]

Originally Posted by Dexter Morgan

The Yankees and Rays are so much alike this year in terms of their streaky play. They can light up the scoreboard with their hitting, but then go 4-5 games without scoring more than two runs. Pitching for both teams can be electric for a week straight, but both are susceptible to being blown up for a few games in a row as well.

I hope that both teams stay healthy and continue to battle it out for the AL East crown in what should be a really hard-fought race.

Do you see the Yanks making more changes ? August 31th is approching

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by Hi-Def Steve

Apparently the Dodgers have signed the untouchable Zach Lee draftee.

The Dodgers proved those saying they were cheap wrong by giving Lee a $5.25 signing bonus, although it will be paid over 5 years. Everything Lee had said indicated he wasn't considering giving up football, but this was apparently too good a deal to pass on. LSU should be fine, they still have juniors Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson, but Zach Lee was considered the quarterback of the future.

Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker agreed to a $1.4 million signing bonus with the Rockies, but his contract will allow him to continue playing football. Parker was reportedly offered a $3 million bonus to choose to leave football and concentrate on baseball full time.

3 first round picks didn't sign. #6 pick Barrett Loux failed his physical with the Diamondbacks. Loux was found to have serious arm problems after the draft and the Diamondbacks chose not to sign him. #14 pick Dylan Covey chose not to sign with the Brewers after learning he had type 1 diabetes and choosing to stay close to home and play collegiately at San Diego. #9 pick Karston Whitson didn't sign with the Padres, and it appears it's due to money. The Padres offered more than the recommended slot but Whitson declined. As a high school senior Whitson won't be eligible for the draft again until 2013, when there will almost certainly be a fixed rookie scale.

[Dexter Morgan]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

The Dodgers proved those saying they were cheap wrong by giving Lee a $5.25 signing bonus, although it will be paid over 5 years. Everything Lee had said indicated he wasn't considering giving up football, but this was apparently too good a deal to pass on. LSU should be fine, they still have juniors Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson, but Zach Lee was considered the quarterback of the future.

Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker agreed to a $1.4 million signing bonus with the Rockies, but his contract will allow him to continue playing football. Parker was reportedly offered a $3 million bonus to choose to leave football and concentrate on baseball full time.

3 first round picks didn't sign. #6 pick Barrett Loux failed his physical with the Diamondbacks. Loux was found to have serious arm problems after the draft and the Diamondbacks chose not to sign him. #14 pick Dylan Covey chose not to sign with the Brewers after learning he had type 1 diabetes and choosing to stay close to home and play collegiately at San Diego. #9 pick Karston Whitson didn't sign with the Padres, and it appears it's due to money. The Padres offered more than the recommended slot but Whitson declined. As a high school senior Whitson won't be eligible for the draft again until 2013, when there will almost certainly be a fixed rookie scale.

Foolish (non) move on his part if he actually wants to play baseball. A lot can happen in three years.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by Jellybeans

Do you see the Yanks making more changes ? August 31th is approching

I've heard rumors of Manny Ramirez coming to the Yankees. It's a near-certainty Manny will be put on waivers, and if he's claimed the Dodgers would let likely him go. It's possible other teams would consider Manny though. The Rays could use him, as well as the White Sox and Rangers. Manny is not the player he used to be but if he can get healthy he could be a short-term contributor, and he'd likely be on his best behavior since he's a free agent after the season.

Originally Posted by Dexter Morgan

Foolish (non) move on his part if he actually wants to play baseball. A lot can happen in three years.

It seems especially foolish because Whitson is a pitcher and San Diego has one of the best parks for pitchers. Maybe he has his own reasons for not signing though.