Darin Mastroianni

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Minnesota Twins - INSIDE PITCH Josh Willingham has been getting sporadic duty recently. He has been in the lineup as a designated hitter more than playing left field of late. Inquiring minds want to know if he is...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Minnesota Twins - INSIDE PITCH Right fielder Chris Parmelee hit his second home run of the season on May 1 against Detroit. It was a clout to deep center and was his second hit of the game, helping the Twins to a 6-2...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Minnesota Twins - INSIDE PITCH Social media has really changed things for professional athletes. Putting aside for the moment the problems it has caused athletes who like to "tweet" their thoughts and emotions to the...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Minnesota Twins - INSIDE PITCH In baseball, fans pay more attention to players not on the roster than in any professional sport. In football, for instance, no one matters unless they are on the game-day roster and...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Minnesota Twins - INSIDE PITCH Joe Mauer's hitless streak finally ended. In the third inning of the second game of the road series against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, Mauer pulled a sharp single to right to halt...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Minnesota Twins - INSIDE PITCH Perhaps the most scrutinized player on the Twins roster is Aaron Hicks. The reduction of his batting average to .047 has been documented at length, and his high number of strikeouts --...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Minnesota Twins - INSIDE PITCH Twins manager Ron Gardenhire likes to get everyone on his roster into the games to keep them fresh -- so starters often get a rest from time to time. But he doesn't often have...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Minnesota Twins - INSIDE PITCH There are utility players and then there is Eduardo Escobar. Utility players are often listed as utility infielders or utility outfielders -- Escobar must be listed as a utility...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Minnesota Twins - INSIDE PITCH Former Minnesota closer Joe Nathan returned to Minneapolis, where he saved many a Twins game in years past. But now he is a Texas Ranger, and saving games for them against the Twins....

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Minnesota Twins - INSIDE PITCH The performance of relief pitchers is sometimes hard to quantify. Often their appearances are so short -- one batter long, even -- that you don't really see what they've done before...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Minnesota Twins - INSIDE PITCH The struggles of Twins' center fielder and leadoff hitter Aaron Hicks at the plate have led to some unexpected changes to the Minnesota lineup. In the second game against the Los...

The Sports Xchange MLB Team Report - Minnesota Twins - INSIDE PITCH Fans may need to get used to rookie call-up Oswaldo Arcia for a while. And given his game-winning three-run home run against the Miami Marlins at Target Field on Tuesday, that will be...