Twins just sent down Casilla

[not_nuf_time]

Its about time, give Harris and Tolbert a chance to get some hits and drive in some runs with runners in scoring position. I was getting tired of seeing Gomez and Casilla come to bat late in the game with runners on and do nothing. Especially the other night in extra innings nobody out, runners on first and second and Gomez can't even get the sac bunt down to move them over. Instead he tries for the base hit bunt right down third base line. Foul. we never score and lose. Gardy just doesn't seem to get on them about bad baseball fundamentals. It'll be nice to see if Harris and Tolbert can do it on a daily basis.

[Jim Uran]

I think he does get on them, The Twins are built on fundamentals. But if there is no execution of them, bye bye.

[CALVINIST]

Gomez should be next turkey to get sent down.

[nofishfisherman]

I'm guessing Gardy gets on them for poor fundamentals but we just don't see it on camera. Laying into a guy during a game infront of teammates and cameras probably isn't the most effective management style.

But I bet if you see them in the Clubhouse or during practice they'll get an hear full as Gardy brings up how they stunk up the joint in the last game.

[IFallsRon]

AC belongs on the farm until he figures out how to hit again. No doubt he's good with a glove but he can't hit anymore and seemingly doesn't have his head in the game all the time.

[riverrat56]

Any idea who they are bringing up?

[Willy]

He needs a wakeup call, that is for sure. Kid has talent, but doesn't look like he puts in much effort. Hope he doesn't or isn't turning into the next Luis Rivas.

[nofishfisherman]

I believe its Tolbert coming up. He's had a couple good games in a row latley in AAA but he hasn't been hitting much down there either.

[zamboni]

AC belongs on the farm until he figures out how to hit again. No doubt he's good with a glove but he can't hit anymore and seemingly doesn't have his head in the game all the time.

His glove has even been bad lately. Booted a routine grounder that cost us that KC game and then gets the cutoff from Cuddy and stands there with the ball while the guy rounds third and scores. Bad decision makings his downfall this time, not just his awesome batting average

[bucketmouth64]

Gomez should be next turkey to get sent down.

He should have been sent down with Casilla and bring up one of the relief pitchers. Maybe Ayala or Breslow could be demoted too...that's if they can be. We have enough outfielders to cover all three positions. Gardy is doing the right thing in trying to shake things up in the lineup.

[Jarrod32]

This article was on the Twins HSOforum a few days ago:

MINNEAPOLIS -- It's not just the offensive struggles of Alexi Casilla that currently have Twins manager Ron Gardenhire concerned about his second baseman. Rather, it's Casilla's tendency to carry those poor at-bats into the field, affecting his play defensively.

Casilla, who is batting .160 in 21 games this season, was given the day off on Sunday, and Gardenhire said that he planned to talk to Casilla about his recent mental lapses in the field.

The second baseman made an untimely error in the eighth inning of Saturday night's loss, booting a routine grounder with two outs in the inning that allowed the Royals to score a run and break a 6-6 tie. But that error is something Gardenhire said he can brush aside.

It's the other mistakes -- like Casilla not covering second base during a steal attempt Friday-- that Gardenhire stressed can't keep happening.

"He just gets a little sloppy at times," Gardenhire said. "Too much thought process and too much worry about one side of the game. The other [part of the game] can't falter. You can't let [the defense] be affected. You have a job to do. Missing a ball, everybody misses a ball. But not being there on a steal, things like that, you can't afford them. We'll talk to him."

Brendan Harris got the start at second base in place of Casilla on Sunday. He's batting .356 in 17 games this season and entered Sunday's contest hitting .500 (5-for-10) during the club's current homestand.

But Gardenhire reiterated on Sunday that he doesn't view Harris as a permanent solution at second should Casilla continue to struggle. The Twins manager prefers Harris on the left side of the infield, although he said that he doesn't want to flip-flop shortstop Nick Punto and Harris at the two positions either.

"If you get forced into situations, you get forced into them," Gardenhire said. "I like Nick as my shortstop. I think [Harris] is a role guy. I use him as one of my role guys around here that can play everywhere. ... Now just to say because he's swinging good that he's an everyday guy, there is a reason why you use him as a role guy. That's not knocking him a bit. I like him in the role he's in."

Gardenhire was asked about the possibility of bringing up infielder Matt Tolbert, who was the last cut during the spring, should Casilla's problems continue. But with Tolbert batting .225 in 20 games for Triple-A Rochester, Gardenhire didn't believe that was the right solution either.

Besides, Gardenhire said he isn't looking for a way to replace Casilla in the lineup long-term -- at least not yet.

"We're 24 games into the season here and I think if you start one way, you give it a little bit of time here," Gardenhire said. "We've got to get Lexi to play better, not just ship him to somebody else because he's not right. My job is to get Lexi to play better, to get into the game a little better all the way around. That's my job and my coaching staff's job. We're going to work on that part of it."

While it's been a slow start for Casilla at the plate and his defensive lapses have been reminiscent of his play during the second half of the 2007 season, Gardenhire believes that things can get turned around. He points to Casilla's performance last season -- a .281 batting average with a .333 on-base percentage -- as an example of why he's waiting to see if Casilla can get righted before looking elsewhere.

[fishin58]

Happy 1 year anniversary to gogo for the cycle last year!

Carlos Gomez(notes) became the first Minnesota player to hit for the cycle in 22 years in a 13-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Gomez homered off Mark Buehrle(notes) on the game’s third pitch. He added an RBI triple in the fifth, doubled in a run in the sixth and completed the cycle with an infield single to lead off a six-run ninth.

[Neighbor_guy]

If Tolbert can keep up what he has going at the plate, good luck in AAA to cassia. That is the kind of ball we were missing so far this season.

[zamboni]

If Tolbert can keep up what he has going at the plate, good luck in AAA to cassia. That is the kind of ball we were missing so far this season.

Yeah with both Tolbert, Harris and Punto out there, Cassilla maybe gone for good. Harris and Tolbert have been good at the plate, and all 3 have been excellent in the field.

[bassNspear]

do you ever think they will bring him back up? The guy looked horrible this year so far?

[nofishfisherman]

But he looked great last year. I think it will depend on what Casilla shows up from here on out. I think he'll get at least one more look with the big boy team but if it doesn't go well and Tolbert remains effective we might be at the end of the Casilla run.

The problem is Casilla is young still. Its pretty common for a young player to play above and below his actual potential for stretches. It takes some time to figure out what kind of player he actually is, thats why I think he'll get another look yet. They need to figure out if he is just in a slump now and is really capable of playing like he did last year. Or if last year was just a fluke and he's really just a .200 hitter with average defense.

Time will tell.

[zamboni]

But he looked great last year.

Kind of. He was both hurt and sent down last year as well. He looked good after they recalled him- maybe it was a good wake up call, maybe sending him down again will be another one. However- do we have room now? Tolberts been good and so has Harris

[nofishfisherman]

We have a lot of young guys on the roster, sooner or later one of them will start to slump making room for Casilla (assuming he's playing well enough to get the call).

[UdeLakeTom]

Sometime in July or August, Nick or Crede will come down with an injury...hope not, but one of the infielders will need to be put on the DL...when that happens, Casilla will get another chance, just like last year. Even if it is an outfielder, they could use that option, as Tolbert and Kubel can play the outfield, if the need is required.

[zamboni]

Punto will never get sent down, and I don't think Harris will either. It would have to be Tolbert.

[UdeLakeTom]

Didn't say they would be sent down, somebody sometime this year will go out with an injury and Casilla will most like be the one to be recalled.

[pinkfloyd4ever]

I don't know, may like Punto's glove, but his bat definately needs to be sent to the minors

[UdeLakeTom]

I fairly certain that Punto cannot be sent to the minors anymore..and he is still a valuable bench player.

[mrklean]

haha its funny how after he hit the cycle we thought he was going to save the twins and who cares about santana, now look

[ANYFISH2]

Mrklean

I think you may be referring to Carlos Gomez, the talk is about Alexi Casilla.