Following the departure of third base coach Al Newman, the Minnesota Twins have announced their new coaching staff for 2006, including a new hitting coach. Taking over as hitting coach for the Twins will be Joe Vavra, who had been the team's Minor League field coordinator. He'll face the daunting task of reviving an offense that was the difference between third-place and a potential World Series title. Former hitting coach Scott Ullger will remain with the club, replacing Newman at third base, while the rest of the team's staff from 2005 will remain the same. Manager Ron Gardenhire will take over Newman's role of working with infielders.

» Twins name Vavra new hitting coach [twinsbaseball.com]

Hall-of-Fame former Twin, Brewer, and Blue Jay Paul Molitor has decided to pass on the opportunity to become the new hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins. With Al Newman's departure to join the staff of the Arizona Diamondbacks, a spot opened up in the Twins coaching staff. Should Molitor have accepted an offer from the Twins, it was speculated that he would have taken over as hitting coach, while current hitting coach Scott Ullger would have taken over Newman's former duties as third base coach. Molitor cited wanting flexibility in his schedule and more time to spend with his family as reasons for passing on the job.

» Molitor says no to coaching job [Minneapolis StarTribune]

A week after announcing that outfielder Jason Tyner had been outrighted to Class-AAA Rochester, the Twins announced today that Tyner has been signed to a Minor League contract. The team is still expected to invite the outfielder to spring training with the Major League club in 2006.

The team also announced that outfielder Jason Kubel and pitcher Grant Balfour have been reinstated on the big-league team's 40-man roster. Both players missed all of the 2005 season due to injury.

» Twins sign Tyner to Minor League deal [twinsbaseball.com]

The Chicago White Sox just completed a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS. After the game ended, former pitcher Rick Sutcliffe - doing color commentary for ESPN - said the stupidest thing I've heard a baseball telecaster say all year: He said that they learned something new - that Chicago has the deepest bullpen of the postseason teams. WHAT?! You just learned this?! Where have you been for the last six months? Sut, buddy, welcome to 2005. Jesus.

The Minnesota Twins made four more roster moves today, as they announced that designated hitter Matthew LeCroy, outfielder Jason Tyner, and third basemann Glenn Williams were all outrighted to Triple-A Rochester, while they also decided against picking up their 2006 option on pitcher Joe Mays and bought out his contract. The Twins are expected to invite Tyner and Williams to spring training if they don't sign elsewhere.

LeCroy started his career as a catcher, but a weak throwing arm made him a bit of a liability behind the plate, and he was mostly considered a back-up first baseman and designated hitter. He came up with the occasional clutch hit, but more often than not was streaky rather than consistent. Although we wish only the best for Mattie, one only hopes that he doesn't go on to be another David Ortiz, who sucked donkey dick while he was with the Twins, but has hit 72 homeruns and driven in 240 in the last two years for the Red Sox.

Joe Mays was an All-Star in 2001 when he won 17 games and finished with a 3.16 ERA in 34 starts, but he was signed to a big contract at the end of the season and never lived up to the expectations. In the three seasons since (he missed half of 2002 with injuries and all of 2004 after Tommy John surgery), he has only 18 wins combined (and 26 losses), with a 5.81 ERA in 79 appearances (64 starts). He lost his spot in the rotation this season after a series of poor performances, and operated out of the bullpen until injury concerns (and elimination from postseason contention) sidelined Carlos Silva and Brad Radke for the rest of the season.

Truthfully, outrighting Tyner and Williams was probably the most surprising of the roster moves made today. Glenn Williams was called up from Rochester in June and batted .425 - with a hit in all thirteen games he played - before dislocating shoulder and being put on the disabled list. Similarly, Tyner batted .321 in eighteen games as a September call-up, including a twelve-game hit streak at one point, and was an able replacement both offensively and defensively for Shannon Stewart when he injured his shoulder.

The Twins have disposed of seven players, along with third base coach Al Newman, since the close of the season. Additionally, outfielder Jacque Jones and pitcher Kyle Lohse are likely to test the free agent waters this offseason. Either Terry Ryan is going to be pretty active in free agency this year or the Twins are planning on getting even cheaper and younger than they were in 2005.

» Twins cut Mays, LeCroy loose [twinsbaseball.com]

Minnesota Twins third base coach Al Newman is the latest member of the team to part ways with the organization. Newman is on his way out to be an advance scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It is being said that Newman is not being made a scapegoat for the team having fallen short of making the postseason for the fourth-consecutive season, but rather just that he had some philosophical differences with manager Ron Gardenhire and others in the organization.

Frankly, if any coach should be on the way out, it's hitting coach Scott Ullger, since the number one reason the Twins are sitting at home right now is because of their inability to hit. I have no personal issues with Scotty, but it was abundantly clear the entire season what the team's foremost deficiency was. Instead of being fired, it's being rumored that Ullger could possibly take over Newman's spot at third base, in which case he would be replaced as hitting coach by the likes of former Twin and Hall-of-Famer Paul Molitor or Triple-A Rochester hitting coach Bill Springman.

» Al Newman leaves for Diamondbacks [Minneapolis StarTribune]

NEWS
The Minnesota Twins made their first offseason moves toward rebuilding for next season on Tuesday when they outrighted Luis Rivas, Michael Ryan, and Brent Abernathy to Triple-A Rochester. Rivas was the final member of the starting infield from the Twins teams that won back-to-back-to-back AL Central titles in 2002-2004. After a couple season bouncing back-and-forth between the Majors and Triple-A, Michael Ryan spent a good portion of this season with the Twins (especially after Torii Hunter was lost for the season), but was used mostly as a pinch-hitter and to spell the starting outfield tandem of Jacque Jones, Lew Ford, and Shannon Stewart. Twins GM Terry Ryan suggested that Abernathy could be brought back to the Twins if a new deal can be worked out.

OUR VIEW
Rivas has struggled recently both offensively and defensively. While he used to have good mobility at second base, and could turn a double-play like nobody's business, at only 26 he seems to have lost any chance he had of living up to the hype. Ryan was another of the many, many outfielders who have risen through the ranks of the minors for the Twins in recent seasons but been unable to catch in Minnesota due to the dependability of Hunter and Jones. Even if Double-J does depart in free agency, the chances of Ryan winning the starting spot in right field were slim. Abernathy has been serviceable as a utility infielder on a roster loaded down with utility infielders. He played well in left field filling in for the injured Stewart late in the season, but isn't likely to be viewed as a long term solution for the aging Stewart. With Luis Rodriguez, Nick Punto, and Juan Castro likely to be back next year, the Twins are really in need of an everyday second baseman, not another utility infielder. In all likelihood, none of the three will be back in 2006.

» Twins sever ties with Rivas, others [twinsbaseball.com]

Here we are folks - game number 162. The Minnesota Twins play their final game of the 2005 season today in Minneapolis against the Detroit Tigers. Minnesota's 3-0 win over Detroit last night was win number 82, which guaranteed the Twins a winning record for the season. In today's final game, they'll look to close out the season with a sweep of the Tigers.

There's more to look forward to in today's game - especially as concerns starting pitcher Johan Santana. With Padres pitcher Jake Peavy being rested in preparation for the postseason, Santana is virtually guaranteed to be the first pitcher in team history to lead the majors in strikeouts. He has 229 on the season entering play today, with Peavy second at 216.

Santana will also aim to lead the American League in ERA. He is currently second in the league at 2.92 behind Kevin Millwood of the Indians, who has an ERA of 2.86. To lower his ERA below that of Millwood, he has to pitch at least 5-1/3 innings without giving up an earned run. Should he give up one earned run, he'd have to pitch at least 8-1/3 innings total giving up no more than that one earned run.

The game has started, so here we go....

UPDATE: One-two-three top-of-the-first, including a strikeout of Brandon Inge to add to his strikeout lead. Strikeouts: 230 / ERA: 2.91

UPDATE: Minnesota's starting lineup for today's season finale: Jason Tyner leading off and playing left field, Luis Rodriguez second and playing third base, then Joe Mauer at catcher, and Matthew LeCroy hitting cleanup as the designated hitter. He's followed by Michael Cuddyer (right field), Justin Morneau (first base), Lew Ford (center field), Luis Rivas (second base), and Jason Bartlett (shortstop).

UPDATE: Santana got some early run support thanks to Matthew LeCroy. Tyner and Rodriguez led off with back-to-back singles. Mauer reached on a fielder's choice, Tyner moved to third, Rodriguez out at second. LeCroy followed with a three-run homerun to left, putting Minnesota up 3-0. Cuddyer followed with a 5-3 groundout, and Morneau struckout to end the inning. End of the first, 3-0 Twins.

UPDATE: Santana struck out the side. Strikeouts of Marcus Thames, Carlos Pena, and Omar Infante. Strikeouts: 233 / ERA: 2.90

UPDATE: Lew Ford led off the bottom-of-the-second with a single, but Rivas flied out to center and Bartlett grounded into a 5-4-3 double-play. End of the second, Twins still lead 3-0.

UPDATE: No strikeouts in the third for Santana, but he got some help from his defense. Vance Wilson hit a chopper up the middle, but Bartlett was able to field and throw him out 6-3. John McDonald hit a line drive to right that Cuddyer caught on the run. Nook Logan fouled out to Morneau. Striketous: 233 / ERA: 2.89

UPDATE: Looking around baseball at the Wild Card races, White Sox lead Cleveland 3-0 in the fifth, while Boston and the Yankees are tied 0-0 in the second. In the National League, Houston leads the Cubbies 2-0, while Philadelphia leads Washington 4-0 in the sixth.

UPDATE: Twins go down in order in the third. Tyner grounded out to the pitcher 1-3, Rodriguez flied out to right, and Mauer grounded out to first. Mauer is virtually guaranteed to come up short now in his bid to hit .300 on the season. At the end of three, Twins lead 3-0.

UPDATE: How anyone can say Santana doesn't deserve another Cy Young is beyond me. After falling behind Granderson 3-0, Santana came back with three straight strikes. He followed it up by striking out both Inge and Shelton. For those of you playing along at home, that's seven K's through four perfect innings. Strikeouts: 236 / ERA: 2.87

UPDATE: After a tough first inning, Robertson has settled down for Detroit. He struckout LeCroy and Cuddyer and got Morneau to lineout to short. Twins lead 3-0 through four.

UPDATE: The perfect-game bid is gone and Santana's hopes of winning the ERA title were seriously damaged in the fifth. After getting Thames to ground out 5-3, Carlos Pena homered to deep center. Infante then grounded out 5-3, and Vance Wilson flied out to right to end the top-of-the-fifth. Santana is pretty much going to have to pitch a complete game now without giving up any more earned runs. Strikeouts: 236 / ERA: 2.90

UPDATE: The Twins got a little help from the Tigers in the fifth. Lew Ford led off with a double when the Tigers lost Ford's fly to left-center. Rivas followed with a bunt single down the first-base line when Pena fielded a ball he should have let roll foul. Bartlett struckout, but Rivas stole second on the called third strike. A base hit by Tyner to right scored Lew and moved Rivas to third. Rodriguez followed with a single to left, which scored Rivas and moved Tyner to second. Mauer flied out to right and Robertson hit LeCroy on the back foot, which loaded the bases with two outs, but Cuddyer flied out to right on a 3-1 pitch to end the threat. End of the fifth, Twins lead 5-1.

UPDATE: Scoring update in the Wild Card races. Chicago leads Cleveland in the seventh 3-1, while Boston leads New York in the fourth 1-0. Houston leads Chicago 3-2 in the fifth, and Philadelphia leads Washington 5-3 in the seventh.

UPDATE: Another scoreless inning for Santana. After striking out McDonald, he walked Nook Logan, but Granderson flied out to Tyner in deep left and Inge grounded into a 6-4 force at second. Striketouts: 237 / ERA: 2.89

UPDATE: Morneau and Ford each grounded out 5-3 before Rivas singled to center, but Bartlett flied out to center to end the inning. Through six, Twins lead 5-1.

UPDATE: Santana escapes a huge one. After giving up back-to-back singles to Shelton and Thames to open the inning, both moved up on a wild pitch to Pena. Santana won a nine-pitch battle with Pena with his ninth strikeout of the game. After issuing a four-pitch walk to Infante, Gardy came out to the mound, and it looked like Santana's day might be over, but he left Johan in, and Santana got Vance Wilson to ground into a 5-4-3 double-play. Strikeouts: 238 / ERA: 2.87

UPDATE: Tyner flied out to center, followed by Rodriguez's third single of the afternoon. Mauer then hit a liner that deflected off of pitcher Robertson. Inge snagged it in the air, flipped to McDonald at second, who threw over to first to double off Rivas and end the inning. Twins lead 5-1 through seven.

UPDATE: They've gone final in Cleveland - White Sox win 3-1. The season is over for the Indians, as Boston will win the AL Wild Card.

UPDATE: Jesse Crain replaced Santana to begin the eighth inning, meaning that Johan will fall short of winning the ERA title by 0.0154. Santana finishes the season with 238 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.87.

UPDATE: Tigers opened with three singles by McDonald, Logan, and Granderson. Inge grounded into a 6-4-3 double-play, but McDonald scored and Logan moved to third on the play. Chris Shelton followed then with a two-run homerun to left, cutting Minnesota's lead to 5-4. Crain has now been lifted with two outs in the eighth and Juan Rincon takes over.

UPDATE: Rincon struck out Thames on three pitches to end the inning. Twins lead now 5-4.

UPDATE: The final home attendance total for the Twins at the Metrodome this year is 2,034,243. It's the first time since 1993 that the Twins have had over 2 million fans in attendance. Corey and I account for 2 of those 2,034,243.

UPDATE: LeCroy walked to open the bottom-of-the-eighth, and Gardy sent Nick Punto on to pinch-run. Punto moved to second on a 5-3 groundout by Cuddyer. Tigers reliever Fernando Rodney should have picked Punto off of second, but his pickoff toss to second was well offline and sailed into center field, which allowed Punto to run all the way around and score. Morneau followed with a double to right, but Lew struckout and Rivas grounded out 6-3 to end the inning. Twins lead is now 6-4 at the end of the eighth, and for the final time this year, it's Joe Nathan Time in Minneapolis. Nathan is looking to pick up his 43rd save of the year.

UPDATE: Nathan struckout Pena and Infante, and then got Vance Wilson to fly out to Lew Ford in center to end the game and the season. Santana picks up his 16th win to finish 16-7 on the year with a 2.87 ERA. Nathan picks up his 43rd save on the year, which ties him for second in the American League with Mariano Rivera. Bob Wickman of the Indians finished at the top with 45. With the sweep of Detroit, Minnesota finishes the season at 83-79 - their fifth-straight winning season.

Things were tenuous in Houston, but with two on and two out in the ninth, Astros closer Brad Lidge got Jose Macias to line out to second to end the ballgame. Houston wins the NL Wild Card with a 6-4 victory over the Cubs. The 2005 postseason teams are now set. In the National League, Houston will face Atlanta, while San Diego will play St. Louis. In the American League, Boston will play Chicago, while New York will play the Angels. The Angels beat Texas, so if Boston holds on to beat the Yankees, the Angels will have home-field advantage in that series.

UPDATE: Boston leads 10-1 in the seventh over the Yankees at Fenway, and both teams have pulled almost all their starters. Only Jon Olerud and Trot Nixon are still in the lineup for Boston, while only Ruben Sierra remains in the lineup for New York. Barring a dramatic comeback by New York's benchwarmers, they'll be opening the postseason in Anaheim.