The 3-2 pitch Three observations …

Hopefully this is not the end for righthander Bartolo Colon, above, who was designated for assignment on Thursday. The second half of his career definitely has been more entertaining than the first half, as he found ways to get hitters out into his mid-40s.

You think the Twins need pitching help before the trade deadline? Baltimore's staff posted a 6.30 ERA in June, worst in baseball. The Orioles are lucky to be just a handful of games out of first place.

The Twins in August will play Milwaukee in a pair of two-game series. MLB needs to stop this. Interleague rival series should always be three games at home, then three on the road.

… and two predictions

The Cubs will lead the NL Central by four games by the end of July.

The Twins will go 5-2 on their upcoming homestand.