With the early afternoon news of Boof Bonser being lost for the 2009 season, the fight for bullpen spots officially began tonight. There were some good looking performances and then there were some not so good performances by some.
Recently acquired Luis Ayala came into the game during the 5th inning allowing one hit in his only inning of work. He got two quick outs and looked very good. I think he will end up as the 7th inning guy or possibly the set-up man for Joe Nathan. But it’s way too early to give a final prediction as to what his role will be.
Justin Jones, the relief pitcher acquired in the Rule V Draft, had a rough night. He also pitched just one inning, as was the case with many pitchers, giving up one earned run on 2 hits. He also walked one batter and struck out another. Small outings like this may not seem like they are a big deal, but they add up quick and before you know it, you are on the outside looking in.
There were many good performances by some of the Twins hitters, but the one that stuck out the most to me tonight was the hitting by third baseman, Brian Buscher. With all the talk of Joe Crede and who would enter 2009 as the Twins starting third baseman, it might get in his head and affect his performance. Well tonight he was able to look past that and go 2-for-2 as well as scoring a run. Even though Buscher could very well start in Triple-A Rochester, having a strong Spring performance could get him a shot to stay at the Major League Level.
Minnesota will face Cincinnati today at 1:05 EST. Lineups to be released towards game time.
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