Aaron Slegers and Jake Cave have been called up from Triple-A
by the Minnesota Twins three times apiece this
season
http://www.denverbroncosteamonline.com/dre_mont-jones-jersey ,
and the All-Star break is still more than one week away.
Their contributions to this struggling team on Thursday night were sure
worthy of a longer stay.
Slegers picked up his first major league win with six smooth innings, Cave
reached base all four times he batted, and the Twins stopped their six-game
losing streak by hanging on for a 5-2 victory over the lowly Baltimore
Orioles.
¡±I know that I think, and I know Slegers thinks the same thing, that we can
play big league baseball,¡± Cave said. ¡±We¡¯re ready to go anytime the team needs
us, and that¡¯s just kind of how you¡¯ve got to think of it.¡±
Logan Morrison homered and Cave drove in an eighth-inning insurance run with
one of his two doubles for the Twins, who turned to Fernando Rodney in the ninth
for his 18th save following two consecutive blown chances. Slegers (1-0) gave up
only one run, on the first of two homers by Jonathan Schoop.
¡±It¡¯s fun to have that in the stat column, to be a major league winner,¡±
Slegers said. ¡±I can say that for the rest of my life.¡±
With eight right-handers in the Orioles lineup, except for Chris Davis,
Slegers put his sinker to good use against the second-lowest scoring team in
MLB. The Orioles managed just three hits against the 6-foot-10 Slegers, who was
the latest to fill the recently revolving fifth spot in the rotation. Manager
Paul Molitor stopped short of a commitment, but he indicated Slegers earned
another turn after needing only 72 pitches to complete those six innings in his
first major league start this season.
¡±Sometimes you make tough decisions to protect those young guys when they¡¯ve
had good outings and make sure they feel good when they come out of the game,¡±
Molitor said.
The Orioles squandered another quality start by Andrew Cashner (2-9) and lost
for the 10th time in 11 games. They have the worst record in the major leagues
at 24-62, just the team the Twins needed to face to start a season-long 11-game
homestand after a pivotal 1-8 road trip.
Trailing AL Central-leading Cleveland by 11 1/2
games T.J.
Hockenson Jersey , Minnesota has become a probable seller before the
non-waiver trade deadline on July 31 with several accomplished players on
expiring contracts. Baltimore has essentially been in that boat since April,
with slugging shortstop Manny Machado widely considered the best asset on the
market this summer.
CASHED OUT
Cashner, one of the offseason acquisitions by the Orioles that suggested
their commitment to contending in the daunting AL East, has had more than three
runs scored for him in only one of his 17 starts this year. He gave up three
runs, two earned, and six hits.
¡±It¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t want to score for him,¡± Schoop said. ¡±I hope things
start changing.¡±
Orioles starters have received the least amount of run support in the major
leagues this season.
¡±I probably had the worst stuff I¡¯ve had this season, but I thought I just
grinded throughout the game,¡± Cashner said. ¡±When you¡¯re not scoring runs, I
feel like I keep my mind sharp on what I want to do out there and thinking pitch
to pitch.¡±
WHOOPS
Cashner was charged with an error in the third, when he was covering first
base on a chopper hit by Bobby Wilson to Davis and fumbled the relay toss to let
Cave score from second. Wilson eventually scored on a single by Eddie
Rosario.
WHIFFS
Rodney struck out Davis to start a perfect ninth, pushing the sputtering
slugger into a first-place tie on the Orioles list for strikeouts with 1,305. He
is tied with Cal Ripken Jr., who played 3,001 games for Baltimore. Davis has
appeared in 972 contests.
MAN, CAVE
Cave, who was recalled from Rochester last
week Justice
Hill Jersey , made a fully extended catch at the wall in right-center to
take a potential extra-base hit away from Davis in the fourth inning. Cave
doubled twice, driving in one run, to go with a single and an intentional
walk.
¡±He can really flash it out there,¡± Slegers said.
TRAINER¡¯S ROOM
Orioles: RHP Darren O¡¯Day (strained left hamstring) has been scheduled for
his season-ending surgery on July 12. He¡¯ll need six months to recover.
DOZIER¡¯S DAY
Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, who has started 80 of 84 games and
appeared in all but one this season, went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He¡¯s
batting .218.
UP NEXT
Orioles: RHP Dylan Bundy (6-7, 3.75 ERA) will come off the DL to start Friday
night. Bundy has been sidelined by a sprained left ankle.
Twins: RHP Lance Lynn (5-7, 5.49 ERA) will take the mound in the second game
of the series, coming off his worst turn of the season. He gave up seven runs in
Chicago to the Cubs in just 1 2/3 innings.
¡ª
CINCINNATI (AP) ¡ª Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick looked around the locker room on
the first day of the Bengals¡® voluntary workouts and noted that not all that
much had changed.¡°Certain new faces, but it¡¯s still kind of the same team,¡±
Kirkpatrick said.A third straight losing season prompted the Bengals to finally
end coach Marvin Lewis¡¯ run at 16 seasons without a playoff victory. Zac Taylor
and a youthful coaching staff were brought aboard and handed a team closely
resembling the one that finished at the bottom of the AFC North last season.The
draft will be an important chance to fill some big holes overall, and maybe even
pull a big surprise in the first round when the Bengals pick No. 11
overall.Cincinnati¡¯s needs are obvious. With Vontaze Burfict gone after a subpar
season, the Bengals have to get a starting linebacker. They also could use an
offensive tackle and a defensive end early in the draft. At some point, they¡¯ll
get a tight end, a running back and yes, another quarterback for depth behind
Andy Dalton, who¡¯s entering his ninth season.Unless the Bengals pull a surprise
and take a quarterback in the first
round http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/ben-powers-jersey-cheap ,
their draft will be more about filling holes than going in a different direction
with the roster. Most of the changes will be in the playbooks, not on the depth
chart.¡°We¡¯re going on a new journey,¡± Kirkpatrick said.Some things to watch with
the Bengals during the three days of the draft:QB INTRIGUEWhen Lewis became head
coach in 2003, the Bengals took Carson Palmer first overall and let him learn
behind Jon Kitna for a season. While it¡¯s unlikely the Bengals will have a
chance for one of the top quarterbacks at No. 11, it will be interesting to see
what owner Mike Brown decides if, say, Ohio State¡¯s Dwayne Haskins is still
available at that spot. Most likely, the Bengals will end up taking a
quarterback on the third day of the draft for depth behind Dalton and Jeff
Driskel.BURFICT¡¯S REPLACEMENTCincinnati¡¯s most noteworthy offseason move was
releasing its most volatile player. Burfict had another suspension, more
injuries and a subpar seventh season. Preston Brown and Nick Vigil return, but
the Bengals need another linebacker.Either LSU¡¯s Devin White or Michigan¡¯s Devin
Bush could move into a starting role immediately, and at least one of them will
likely be available at the No. 11 pick.OH THAT LINEThe Bengals gave right tackle
Bobby Hart a three-year deal and added guard John Miller from the Bills, but the
offensive line still needs work. They¡¯ll look for a tackle in the early rounds.
They¡¯re also in the market for another defensive end. The line struggled to get
consistent pressure last season, when the defense finished among the worst in
franchise history .TIGHT END TIPPING POINTThe Bengals have been at their best
offensively when Tyler Eifert is healthy. He set a club record for tight ends
with 13 touchdown catches in 2015, the most recent time Cincinnati reached the
playoffs. He¡¯s been limited to 14 games the past three years by various back and
ankle injuries.Eifert returns on a one-year deal, and C.J. Uzomah got a
three-year deal after leading Cincinnati¡¯s tight ends last season. The Bengals
will add another tight end at some point.TAYLOR¡¯S TIMEThe Bengals lean heavily
on their coaching staff to scout draft picks. They had to assemble a coaching
staff late because Taylor was with the Rams through the Super Bowl. The draft
will provide some insights into how the new coaching staff evaluates players and
how it¡¯s moving ahead with new coordinators on both offense and
defense.