Hurts So Good

It's going to be a short post for now, but I'll add more later. I'll cut to the chase though - Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune just reported (20 minutes ago) that Alexi Casilla tore a tendon in his thumb and could miss the rest of the year. He also stated that Casilla's injury is similar to that of Matt Tolbert, and as we know, he's still out.

It's got to feel weird for Adam Everett, who was designated for assignment, then called back and asked to report to Minneapolis for today's game. No real word on the long-term fix for Casilla's spot in the order, but it's extremely bad timing... Casilla had been batting .313 at the 2-hole since early May. The likely "fix" is to have Everett play a "utility" role while Punto plays second base with Harris still at short. That'll free up third base for Buscher (or an acquisition), who has a decent bat. 

The real good news is that the Twins won 6-5 tonight on the strength of a relatively painless bullpen performance and six gritty innings from Glen Perkins. Not to mention a timely three-run double from none other than Justin Morneau. Back within a 1/2 game... Livan Hernandez vs. Gavin Floyd.

Looks like the only real trade options for a third baseman are Adrian Beltre and Kevin Kouzmanoff as Hank Blalock went back on the DL last night with shoulder inflammation. He'll be eligible to return in mid-August, so any trade would have to go through waivers first. 

No great minor league notes from last night, other than the fact that both Eli Tintor (12-game hitting streak) and Jason Pridie (seven multi-hit games in his past 10 - BA is .395 over that stretch) each collected two hits for Elizabethton and Rochester, respectively.  

Afternoon edit... Looks like the Twins are dangling Boof Bonser to get Rich Aurilia in return from the Giants. I think they should just stay with Buscher if they're going to go that route.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy Game 3 of the Twins/White Sox tonight! Maybe I'll see ya there!