The record certainly isn't what the Twins might have hoped it would be at this point in the trip. While there have been some disappointments during the trip -- including three walk-off wins for Twins opponents -- the club can't be too upset at where it sits following those tough losses.

Unfortunately the trip to the West Coast didn't go perfectly for me, either. Although my Michigan State Spartans were playing just down the road at Cal, they couldn't manage to pull off a victory in the season-opener, and with the game taking place at the same time as the Twins-A's contest on Saturday, I didn't get to see much of it. Well, maybe that was actually a good thing, considering the outcome.

All right, enough about college football and back to baseball. Before I get ready to enjoy a much-appreciated off-day following that long West Coast swing, let's dive into this week's edition of the mailbag and see what's on the minds of Twins fans.

What are the chances that Twins starting pitchers Nick Blackburn or Glen Perkins could win the AL Rookie of the Year? How do the two pitchers line up against other outstanding rookies such as Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays?
-- Chris B., Green Bay, Wis.

Although Perkins and Blackburn rank high in many of the rookie pitching stats, it's unlikely that either pitcher will be holding the AL Rookie of the Year trophy at the end of the season. Longoria has been the clear favorite with the type of season he's having in helping lead the Rays to their improbable run atop the AL East.

But that's not to say that Blackburn and Perkins shouldn't be in the running. The Twins have their share of impressive rookie candidates, including the two pitchers and outfielder Denard Span.

While Blackburn was one of the early surprises for the Twins, Perkins has perhaps been an even bigger story with his success. With the organization split during Spring Training as to whether Perkins should be a starter or a reliever, he's seemed to silence those on the bullpen side by emerging as a legitimate top-half-of-the-rotation starter.

Perkins has been on a tear since June 14, holding the highest winning percentage of any pitcher in the AL at .909 (10-1). His 10 wins also tie him for the most in that span along with Toronto right-hander A.J. Burnett. So there is a chance that if Perkins continues on his current run that he could make a push, since Longoria has been sidelined since Aug. 11 with an injury. But the likelihood of that is slim considering the numbers that Longoria put up before heading to the DL (.278 average, 22 home runs and 71 RBIs).

Have a question about the Twins? E-mail your query to MLB.com Twins beat reporter Kelly Thesier for possible inclusion in a future Inbox column. Letters may be edited for brevity, length and/or content. First Name, Last Initial: Hometown: Email Address: Question:

With the Twins picking up Eddie Guardado this past week, can you explain the player movement after the Trading Deadline and how it works? I thought players had to go through waivers and then be claimed. But it seems like there have been some big names passing through a lot of mediocre teams that could use them.
-- Brady G., Adlen, Minn.

After the July 31 non-waivers Trade Deadline, teams must pass players through waivers before they can trade them. But teams also have the option to complete a trade with the team that made the waiver claim on the player, as was the case with the Twins and Guardado.

The Twins made waiver claims on some other players in August -- like Seattle's left-hander Jarrod Washburn. But the Mariners chose not to work out a trade with Minnesota for Washburn and pulled him back off waivers. At this time of the year, teams can pull players back off waivers if they choose. Like in the case of Guardado, the Rangers could have decided to pull the left-hander back and not complete a trade with Minnesota if they were not happy with any of the trade offers within the 48-hour period after the claim is made. Instead, a deal was finalized and Guardado is now back in Minnesota.

What are the chances of Boof Bonser being around next year? He doesn't seem to have a role on the team.
-- Joe H., Sioux Falls, S.D.

Although Bonser was demoted from the starting rotation to the bullpen, his relief role has changed significantly in recent weeks. The hard-throwing right hander has gone from a long relief mop-up man to perhaps another late-inning option for Minnesota.

Early in his transition to the bullpen, Bonser struggled to get his arm to bounce back the day after pitching. But he has recently started to be used more frequently and in shorter stints, giving hope that perhaps Bonser is adapting better to the role. The Twins would love to have Bonser emerge as yet another solid late-inning option for a team that could use one. Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain and Guardado have all been considered as eighth-inning guys, but Bonser, whose fastball hit 96 and 97 mph on the radar gun in Oakland on Sunday, could give the team another solid seventh inning option

The Twins like Bonser's arm and his ability to throw hard consistently, especially now that he can let loose in the 'pen. The Twins are trying to see if Bonser can harness and command that powerful fastball in this relief role.

With the youth in the Twins' rotation, would the team consider adding Bonser or a pitcher such as callup Philip Humber either as a sixth man in the rotation or as an occasional spot starter to give some of the other starters fewer innings and save some arms for potential playoff games?
-- Christoph D., Wells, Minn.

The Twins have been paying close attention to their starters' pitch counts and any signs of fatigue. But the idea of making it a six-man rotation or using a spot starter has not yet been raised. It seems quite unlikely considering that the Twins are in the middle of a pennant chase and the consistently strong outings by their starters have been a big reason for that.

Should something go wrong with any one of the starters or one starts showing signs of dead arm, then perhaps the Twins might go to a spot starter for the time being to get the pitcher healthy. But as I mentioned above, Bonser seems an unlikely candidate for that role since he's now pitching in late-inning situations. So despite the fact that many of the starters are nearing career highs in innings for a season, none of those young hurlers have indicated that it's affected them physically. And it doesn't appear like the Twins will turn from any of them at this point in the season.

Is left-hander Brian Duensing being considered for a role in the bullpen in September?
- David H., Evesham, England

The Twins announced their September callups on Saturday night and Duensing was not one of the three pitchers selected to join the team. With Duensing having just returned from pitching in Beijing for Team USA and the Twins feeling like he was more suited for a starting role, the decision was made to call up left-hander Jose Mijares instead. Mijares, who broke his left elbow in a car accident in Venezuela in January, has been on the Twins radar for the past few seasons and caught the attention of Hall of Famer Paul Molitor during a stint at Class A Fort Myers. Now, the Twins will see how Mijares can do at the big league level.