Twins GM Bill Smith: Pitching staff performs well

Some media members don't think the Twins have enough pitching to go beyond winning the AL Central Division.

It has been suggested the club take a look at Astros ace Roy Oswalt, who has requested a trade.

But General Manager Bill Smith said he believes the Twins' current staff is one of the best the team has had in several seasons and will take the team a long way.

The Twins received great starting pitching in their first two victories over Texas, with Kevin Slowey pitching 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball Friday and Carl Pavano throwing seven innings and giving up two runs to win Saturday. Scott Baker had a quality start Sunday night, giving up three runs in six innings to cap the sweep.

Nick Blackburn also had a great performance in an 8-2 victory against the Yankees on Thursday, pitching seven innings and giving up two runs. In the past four games, Twins starters are 4-0 and have a 2.36 ERA over 26 2/3 innings.

"We've got a good staff," Smith said. "I know some people are saying [the Twins need] somebody like Yankees ace CC Sabathia or somebody [like him]. But our staff, one to five, is very, very good. Slowey has pitched well. Pavano has pitched well and he's had two tough losses. I think Pavano has the lowest run support among our starters. [Francisco] Liriano had a great April, Blackburn's had a great May. [Scott] Baker is another one.

"They are all good pitchers, and we like our rotation."

Smith said he believes the bullpen is solid, especially after Jose Mijares came back from a strained left elbow. He has pitched 7 1/3 innings, given up one run, struck out six and compiled a 1.23 ERA since he came off the disabled list May 12.

Smith is also convinced Pat Neshek, now on the disabled list because of an inflamed right middle finger, will get healthy and be a big asset to the bullpen before long. Closer Jon Rauch has converted 11 of 13 save opportunities.

"We're going to need all of them," Smith said. "Jon Rauch has done a great job at the end of the game. He's blown two saves and we have won both of those games.

"We've got a good group of guys. We like it. It's a long season and one of the things that you have to be careful of is you can't overreact to one or two losses."

The one negative is that the Twins can't afford any injuries to their starters because unlike other years, most of the starting pitchers at Class AAA Rochester are struggling and the Red Wings don't have anybody who could move into the starting rotation here.

Getting healthy helped The Gophers baseball team was 14-23 on April 20 after a 12-11 loss to South Dakota State. Nobody expected John Anderson could be a miracle man and coach the team to a 16-5 record down the stretch, win the Big Ten regular- season and tournament titles and earn a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Anderson blames the poor start on the fact that Justin Gominsky, who was a Big Ten All-Freshman team selection last year, missed a lot of the earlier part of the season after having knee surgery, and that catcher Kyle Knudson got his game back in shape and was one big reason the pitching staff came around to a point where it probably was the best in the Big Ten.

"Knudson does a tremendous job behind the plate," Anderson said. "He calls the game, he handles the pitching staff, and he's our four-hole hitter and has gotten a lot of big hits for us down the stretch."

Anderson's multiyear contract will expire after this season is over, and next year he will be on a one-year deal.

Jottings Speaking of the lack of strong pitching at Rochester, Deolis Guerra, who was acquired in the Johan Santana trade with the Mets, is 0-3 for the Twins farm team with a 6.26 ERA. On Sunday, Guerra allowed four home runs and six runs in six innings in a 6-0 loss to Durham. However, Guerra is only 20 years old. He was 6-3 with a 4.17 ERA for Class AA New Britain last season.

Two former Twins are having banner seasons. Pitcher Carlos Silva is 7-0 for the Cubs and is tied for second in victories in the National League. Ex-Twins shortstop Cristian Guzman of the Nationals is second in hitting in the National League with a .321 average. ... Another former Twins pitcher, Livan Hernandez, is the ace of the Nationals staff with a 4-3 record and 2.15 ERA.

The Howard Pulley Panthers Under-17 team is 15-1 this year after playing one of the most competitive schedules in the country. They are 8-1 in Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League. Two of their leading scorers have been Joe Coleman and Marvin Singleton of Hopkins.

The Vikings will host a Punt, Pass and Kick clinic for Special Olympics athletes at Winter Park on June 2, after the athletes watch Vikings practice from 11:30 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.

The NCAA recently reversed its earlier decision regarding Gophers wrestler Jake Deitchler receiving some compensation while competing in the Olympics. The Anoka athlete will have four years of eligibility but will lose part of next season. He will not lose an entire year as previously ruled by the NCAA.

Kevin Noreen, who was named Mr. Basketball in Minnesota this past season and de-committed to Boston College because of a coaching change there, has taken four official visits to Providence, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Boston College. Noreen, who averaged 36.5 points per game last year for Minnesota Transitions, said he will make his final visit to either Washington or Oregon and then decide where he will go. There is a chance he will stay with his original commitment to Boston College. As for the Gophers, Noreen said: "Coach [Tubby] Smith hasn't offered me a scholarship, so I'm not really holding my breath for them." But he said he would consider Minnesota if Smith offered him a scholarship.

Ex-Bloomington Jefferson pitcher Steve Edlefsen, who attended Nebraska, is now 4-0 with a 1.17 ERA for Fresno, the Giants' Class AAA club.

Gophers baseball recruit Bobby Juan had two doubles and two home runs and drove in eight runs to lead La Crosse (Wis.) Central to a doubleheader sweep of Wisconsin Rapids on Thursday. Juan also threw a five-inning one-hitter in the 14-1 victory in the first game. Juan, a third baseman, has 13 home runs on the season for Central, which is 20-4.

On Friday, the Purdue Board of Trustees approved the construction of a baseball stadium on campus. The stadium, which is expected to cost $21 million, is expected to be ready for the start of the 2012 season.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. • shartman@startribune.com