Opening Target Field In Style

The Twins finally play in a ballpark! It took 50 years, but Minnesota finally has a true ballpark for their major league baseball team! Their previous 2 homes were stadiums, not ballparks. This is a true ballpark.

I picked the wrong game to attend as I was at the 6-3 soggy loss on Wednesday but it didn't dampen my spirits one bit. What a facility! Just walking around and taking it all in was incredible. I can't wait to go back!

By the way, the Twins won ANOTHER series against a playoff caliber team! That 3 straight to start the season!

Game 1 with all the pageantry, was still a baseball game. Pavano was solid if not spectacular, as he worked out of early trouble, and the Twins were able to give him an early 3-0 lead with RBIs from Cuddyer (who hadn't been getting much in the way of RBIs before this series), Kubel, and Mauer with one of his trademark doubles. Mauer would get a little lucky with his 2nd RBI of the game when a grounder bound for the shortstop hit 2nd base and gave him an infield hit scoring Span for the 2nd time (2 BBs). Kubel got the first home run in Target Field with a solo rocket to right field in the 7th to finish the scoring for the Twins. Pavano lasted 6 giving up 1 run and Duensing allowed a sac fly by Pedroia. Rauch got his 5th save in as many chances.


Game 2 was all about clutch hitting. The Redsox got theirs from an unlikely source (#9 hitter) while the Twins didn't from one of their big boppers (Morneau). Slowely struggled to get any rhythm going on a soggy afternoon, but muddled through 5 innings managing to keep the damage down to 3 runs after allowing 4 walks which is very uncommon for Slowey, and 5 hits. He hasn't started the season that well, but he is still keeping the Twins in games. The bats were shutdown by the Redsox new big-money pitcher John Lackey. Hudson and Mauer got RBI singles off of him in the 3rd but that was it. So both starters were out and the score: 3-2 Redsox.

The Deciding inning (bottom 7, top 8)
Okajima came in to get Mauer and Morneau with 2 on, after awild pitch, Mauer was intentionally walked, and Morneau steps up with bases loaded 2 outs, Okajima gets him to pop out on the infield harmlessly. In the 8th with Jesse Crain pitching, He allows a single, and double, intentional walk, and gets a popout for the 2nd out. Jeremy Hermida, the Redsox #9 hitter, steps in and laces a double in the left-center gap scoring 3... ballgame. Cuddyer's solo homer was too little to late, it boiled down to clutch hitting, and on this day, the Redsox had it, and the Twins didn't.

Game 3 was the Liriano show. Fransisco Liriano got his first start at Target Field, and going by the result, I'd say he likes the new ballpark! The most encouraging thing about his start was how he worked out of first inning trouble, after a Pedrioa single and Martinez double it was 2nd and 3rd with one out, he settled down and got Youkilis on strikes and Beltre to ground out to 3rd. In the 2nd he had 2 on and 1 out again, and induced 2 ground outs to get out of the inning. After that he settled down and allowed only 1 hit and 1 walk the next 5 innings while striking out 6 for a total of 8 Ks and only 2 walks in 7 innings of shutout baseball. He was able to hit his spots with a good fastball (92-94 MPH) which he used to setup his nasty 82-85 MPH Slider and occasional changeup. He got offensive support from Span(2 -2B, 2 RBI), Cuddyer (HR, 3 RBI) and Punto (3 hits, 2 runs scored).


Series Top Performers:

1. Liriano - 7 innings, 0 Runs, 8 Ks, 2 BB
2. Pavano - 6 innings, 1 Run, 4 Ks, 1 BB
   
3. Span - 3 for 9, 6 BBs, and 2 RBI
4. Cuddyer - 5 for 12, 2 HRs and 5 RBI
5. Young - 4 for 7, 2-2B, 1 Run
   
6. Punto - 4 for 11, 2-2B, 3 Runs
7. Kubel - 5 for 11, HR and 2 RBI
   

Muddling along

1. Morneau 4 for 13, 0 XBH, 1 RBI
2. Hudson 3 for 14, 3 runs, 1 RBI
3. Slowey 5 innings, 3 Runs, 5 Ks, 4 BB

Poor performances

1. Crain - .2 innings, 3 ER, 1 BB
2. Mijares - 1 inning, 2 hits, 0 Runs but got bailed out with bases loaded GIDP
   

7-3 to start the year with 7 of 10 games on the road against quality opponents. Great start! Now its time to beat up on our division as we play the Royals, Indians, and Tigers 2 series each from now through cinco de mayo.

Go Twins!

Good Division Baseball

Twins played 3 in Chi-town this weekend and managed to win 2 of the 3 from the south-siders.

Pitching

Theme of this weekend series: Clutch Pitching. Both teams had plenty and as a result. 3 1-run close ballgames where runs weren't easy to come by. Overall the pitching was good, but not great as there were many base runners for both teams all weekend. Thanks to either clutch pitching or bad hitting with RISP the games were played close to the vest.

Game 1

Liriano's debut was good if not great. He 3 runs in 6 innings with 3 Ks but he did have 5 BB. The bullpen was awesome in the first game giving us 5 shutout innings: 2 by Guerrier, 2 by Duensing, and the 11th inning save for Rauch, his first 1-run save.

Game 2

Baker's second start of the season was a definite improvement from his first. He scattered 5 hits over 7 innings and allowed 1 run in the 5th on a double by Pierzynski followed by a double by Teahan. Very solid, and the Twins managed just enough (2 runs) off of Garcia, who also pitched well. Mijares was beckoned in the 8th to get out 2 lefties, but he walked Teahan and then Pierre sacrificed him to 2nd. Crain came in and did a nice job cleaning it though, inducing a flyout by Beckham and getting Quentin to pop out to Mauer in foul ground. Rauch closed the door in the 9th again and took the major league lead with 4 saves.

Game 3

Blackburn was victimized by 3 home runs coughing up 4 runs and then left the game in the 8th with 2 runners on and 2 outs, Andrew Jones hit a seeing eye single off Mijares to score the 5th run. Overall I think this was a typical Blackburn outing, gave up some long-balls, which he will do when he leaves a ball up, but pitched efficiently and ate innings (7 2/3).

Way to Go:

• Rauch - 2 scoreless 1-inning saves in 1-run ballgames
• Duensing -- 2 scoreless innings in relief and the win.
• Baker - 7 strong innings only 1 run allowed. Good pitching, good win.
• Guerrier- 2 scoreless innings in relief of Liriano stretching the game to extras.
• Crain - 2/3 of an inning but with a runner on 2nd in a 1-run game, good hold.

Things to Build on:

• Liriano - 5 walks is too many, but he battled and didn't give up too many runs, giving the Twins a chance to win.

Needs to Improve:

• Mijares - 2 appearances and 2 dissappointments. Game 1: walk, sacrifice to start the 8th to leave a bit of a mess for Crain to clean up. Game 2: Gave up the game winning single (although he inherited the runners).

Lineup

The home runs hitting spree ended when we left Anaheim. The Twins bats were slowed by Chicago's pitching this weekend. Luckily our pitching did just enough to win the series.

Top of the Order Slowly waking up

Hudson's bat has woken up a little after a poor series in Anaheim as he was 4-13 with 1 run scored. Not great but he does have a 4 game hit streak going, hopefully his bat is starting to wake up. Span had similar numbers (3-12 with 2 BB and 2 runs scored), not great but slight improvement from 1st series.

Middle of Lineup is coming around

One week into the season, Mauer and Morneau are off to good starts, Cuddyer is hitting for average but finally got his first RBI. Kubel got the big hit on Saturday with his first home-run (a 2 run shot) of the season, and Thome is what we have expected, bring a powerful bat in small doses.

Bottom of Lineup better than expected so far

Hardy & Young have been pleasant surprises so far, Harris has made the most of his chances, and Punto is.. well.. Punto, our weakest offensive regular.


Defense has been good with only 1 error in the first week.

Managing/Coaching? Well I have disagreed with Gardy on some decisions but overall can't complain, but Scotty Ulger's sending of Hardy on that last out on Sunday was a huge mistake, as Hardy was out by 4 steps!! It wasn't even close. Punto was the next hitter, with virtually no bench moves left (Casilla & Butera), but I would have liked to at least see Punto try.


It was a great opening road trip 5-2 is better than expected. Now lets break in Target field with some good baseball. I'll be there in person for Game 2.

Go Twins!

2010 Opening Series Summary

The long anticipated debut of the 2010 Minnesota Twins has come. The 4 game opening series is over. The result? First series win in Anaheim since 2002, as we lose the opener but win the last 3 games of the series.

Lets break it down.

Starting Pitching

1. Scott Baker struggled early with control and never really found a good groove. Gave up 4 runs and couldn't get through 5 innings giving up 4 runs. I'm sure the nerves were partly to blame early on. 92 pitches in 4 2/3 innings is high, something to keep an eye on as had problems finishing off hitters in '09 causing pitch count to get high early.
2. Nick Blackburn took the mound to start the game with a 3 run lead (thanks to Mauer & Young) and surprisingly had command issues early walking first 2 batters, but got out of that jam by getting double play off of Torii's bat. But that was the last time he got Torii out as he had RBI single and 2-run homer off Blackburn in the 3rd and 5th respectively. Luckily no other Angel hitter was able to break through against Blacky and he handed the ball over to the bullpen with a 5-3 lead after 6 2/3 innings ... officially a Quality Start. Overall he spread out 8 hits and 4 walks over 7 innings so it wasn't a great performance but he battled and kept the damage on the scoreboard to a minimum.
3. Carl Pavano pitched 7 solid innings, not dominant but only gave up 1 run, no walks (1 HBP), and 6 hits. He did battle out of a bases-loaded 1 out jam in the 2nd, and eventually gave up a 2 out RBI infield single to Rivera but both Matsui's double and Riveras single could have been outs, they weren't routine plays but I expect the Twins to usually make one of the two. That being his only blemish he pitched very solid and earned a nice win.
4. Kevin Slowey's line reads 5 1/3 innings, 1 run (earned), 2 walks, 3 Ks and 92 pitches. Similar to Blackburn, Slowey muddled through, not pitching great but battling to keep damage to a minimum. He had 2 on and less than 2 outs in the 1st, 2nd, and 5th. To Slowey's credit only 1 run allowed, on the downside 5.1 innings isn't ideal.
   

In summary, Pavano was very strong while Slowey and Blackburn minimized damage while having enough run support, and Baker's start wasn't horrible was below average without enough run support.

Bullpen

• Jon Rauch - 2 saves in 2 appearance both times he had a 3 run lead and only had 1 inning save required. So the conditions were optimal to start him off with some confidence. He allowed 1 run in the 2nd save but was very serviceable in his new role.
• Matt Guerrier - allowed only 1 hit in 2 innings of work in the middle games of the series. Very solid doing his job as 7th/8th inning setup guy.
• Jesse Crain - 2 appearances 2 very solid holds. Getting 5 big outs game 1 of series bridging the gap from Baker to Mijares nicely. In game 4 he struck out the side in his 1 inning of relief while allowing his first hit of the season.
• Jose Mijares - struggled in Game 1 giving up 3 hits including back to back home runs, the first of which was to Matsui a lefty which is odd for the left-handed Mijares who has history of dominance against left handed hitters. But he rebounded nicely in game 4 of the series getting 2 strikeouts and recording a 1-2-3 inning.
• Pat Neshek - His first regular season action in 1 1/2 seasons was mop up duty in the game 1 loss pitching the 8th. He allows 1 hit but got through the inning and got that much needed confidence that carried through to his appearance in Game 4 where he got 2 big outs with 2 men on and only 1 out in the 6th when the game was still just a 2-run lead.
• Brian Duensing - In game 2 came in as a lefty specialist after Mijares struggled the night before and got Matsui to ground out weakly to 2nd base with Hunter on 2nd in a 2 run ball game. Nice to see Gardy using Duensing in this role some, as I know he will also be used as a long man in the pen.
• Alex Burnett -- He came into the game in a perfect situation to make an MLB debut, no pressure, just mop up duty in the 9th with a 9 run lead. He got Izturi, Napoli, and Quinlan 1-2-3, so while he didn't have too tough of batters to face he did get the job done with 2 fly outs and a strikeout.

All 7 guys got action in this series, and all 7 made positive contributions. Other than Mijares giving up 2 HRs, and Rauch giving up a meaningless run, this bullpen pitched outstanding and are a huge reason for the 3 wins in this series, especially holding things down in game 1 and 4 after somewhat short starts by Baker and Slowey.

Lineup

Strong Opening series

• JJ Hardy -- great start as a Twin -- 1.040 OPS including 2 home runs and 5 hits.
• Justin Morneau -- after struggling this spring -- 1.240 OPS including 2 HR, 4 BB, and 6 runs scored.
• Delmon Young -- hopefully a sign of things to come - 1.141 OPS , 2 HR, 6 RBI, only 1 K
• Jim Thome -- only 9 AB but making his presence felt -- .967 OPS, HR, 2B, and 3 RBI
• Brendan Harris -- making a case for more starts -- only 5 PA but a huge 2-run HR and a walk
• Joe Mauer -- this is Joe being Joe -- 1.012 OPS, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 runs, 2 BB

Holding their Own

• Michael Cuddyer -- solid if not spectacular -- 6 for 16 but only 1 extra base hit (2B) , 1 run, and no RBI
• Nick Punto -- acceptable for #9 spot in order -- 2 for 8, triple, RBI, Run, & 1 steal

Struggled in this Series

• Denard Span -- out of sync with bat -- 1 for 16 with 1 walk and .111 OBP and no runs scored.
  
• Orlando Hudson -- slow start as Twin -- 3 for 17 with no walks and .222 OBP
  
• Jason Kubel -- yet to find his groove -- 1 for 9 with 3 Ks, but drew 3 walks
  

Alexi Casilla played very little and Drew Butera not at all in this series.

Its a great sign for the Twins to be able to score 25 runs in 4 games without getting much at all from top of the order table setter. The home run was our weapon this week hitting 9 homeruns in 4 games is awesome, but don't expect that pace to continue. We will need more from Hudson and Span to continue to produce offensively.

Series Summary

My impressions of this series are that we won this series because of the home run and a strong performance by the bullpen as well as Pavano, while the other starters were serviceable. The homerun's won't always be in this big of number, however the top of the lineup shouldn't struggle this badly over the long haul either allowing us to manufacture more runs in other ways. It was a great start to the season, and I hope we can carry it over to Chicago this weekend.

Go Twins!

Spring Training Review

I am a little late in issuing this as the Twins have already played 2 regular season games.

My plan for this blog is to post an entry for each series so I'll comment on the Angels series on Friday morning.

Spring Training Highlights

MLB Players

• Delmon Young had a great Spring and came to came having shed 30 pounds in the offseason. Looks like he has rededicated himself to having a breakthrough season. I can't help but wonder if the early offseason trade of Gomez spurred Delmon on, since the trade basically gave him the everyday left fielders job for 2010 (as long as he performs).
• Francisco Liriano had a great off-season some saying his trademark nasty slider from 2006 looks to be back. He carried over his play in Dominican Winter league into spring training and won the 5th starters role, hopefully he will soon move up the ladder and show he is a top of the rotation guy we all think he is capable of being.
  
• Michael Cuddyer scorched the ball this spring leading the team in batting average throughout spring. Hopefully he continues to deliver from the right side of the plate.

Prospects

• Anthony Slama had a very impressive spring and I believe will be called up sometime this season to help in the bullpen.
  
• Wilson Ramos impressed everyone with his offense and defense and is a better catcher that Drew Butera but it was determined he needs to play everyday and get more experience in AAA. With Jose Morales, Butera, and Ramos behind Joe Mauer the Twins have no shortage of catching depth in their organization.
• Danny Velencia was the best everyday third baseman offensively in camp. He will most certainly get a chance in Minnesota if Punto, Harris, or Casilla get injured or flounder.
  

Spring Training Lowlights

With the good there is always the bad.

• Losing Joe Nathan for the season is by far and away the biggest lowlight of the 2010 Spring training for the Twins. It is impossible to fill his shoes but hopefully the depth in the bullpen will help us fill the void. Jon Rauch was named his replacement after it was initially said we were to do the "closer by committee" approach. Everyone in the bullpen has to step it up and see it as an opportunity to have a bigger role for the team.
• Jose Morales had to have wrist surgery shortly before camp opened. He was slated to be the backup to Joe Mauer for the Twins this year, but missing Spring training and at least the first few weeks of the season is not the way Jose wanted to start the season. Luckily the afore mentioned catching depth will fill the gap in the short term, lets all hope he comes back and plays well backing up Joe.

Clearly there is more in-depth analysis of more prospects and other players who I could cover in detail, however many of the Twins blogs out there have covered it all in detail. This is just a rough overview of players I think will/could impact the success of the 2010 Twins.

Nathan is a big blow, but no other injuries to major players is a good sign. We know each year there will be injury challenges to overcome. Hopefully our depth within the organization will get us through whatever other things come up as the season progresses.

2010 Opening Day Roster

The big league lineup is the best I have ever seen a Twins lineup:

1. Denard Span
2. Orlando Hudson
3. Joe Mauer
4. Justin Morneau
5. Michael Cuddyer
6. Jason Kubel
7. Delmon Young
8. J.J. Hardy
9. Nick Punto

Top quality table setters in 1 & 2 ... and 3 - 8 can all hit for power. Punto is the weak link, but its an even year and he seems to play better on even years. Clearly the most promising looking lineup I've seen the Twins have since... well... since I've been watching (since '85)!

Staring Rotation is solid if not spectacular:

1. Scott Baker
2. Nick Blackburn
3. Carl Pavano
4. Kevin Slowey
5. Francisco Liriano

Baker is probably a #2 or #3 but will start the season as the Twins Ace. Blackburn, Slowey and Pavano are #3 or #4 quality starters going by their numbers. Liriano is the wildcard, if he can show some semblance of the slider he threw pre-surgery, he could become the Ace, but he could also be the Liriano who looked lost in 2009 and be demoted to the bullpen.

Bullpen

Closer: Jon Rauch
7/8th inning RH: Matt Guerrier
7/8th inning LH: Jose Mijares
6/7th inning: Jesse Crain
6/7th inning: Pat Neshek
Long man and LH specialist: Brian Duensing
Long man RH: Alex Burnett

A strength coming into camp looks a lot shakier without Nathan, however still looks very serviceable. Crain and Neschek will be the key to keeping Guerrier from being over used. Mijares is the wildcard here. If he can demonstrate an ability to get out right handed hitters his role will become bigger and more valuable than just a lefty specialist.

Bench:

Jim Thome - PH/DH and emergency 1st basemen
Drew Butera - Backup Catcher (until Morales returns)
Alexi Casilla - Middle infielder
Brendan Harris - Utility infielder (could platoon against lefties at 3B with Punto)

Thome is the clear upgrade from years past. We finally have a legitimate pinch hitter off the bench that can scare some people, we haven't had that since, well... I'm not sure, maybe Randy Bush? Brendan Harris is our next best bat off the bench and is a right handed to compliment to the left handedness of Thome.

Losing Nathan is a blow, but this team is too good to let that change the outlook. I have high hopes that this team could win the division again, and more importantly do damage in the post-season.

Go Twins!

Offseason for the ages

I decided to take the winter off and have this one post summarizing the Twins offseason as we approach the season.

By my account this has been the best offseason in my memory (which goes back to the mid-80's) for the Twins! Here are the highlights:

1. In early November (wasting little time after the season) the Twins make a bold move by trading Carlos "Go-Go" Gomez to the Brewers for J.J. Hardy to stablize the revolving door at shortstop. Go-Go was a fan favorite, including my 5-year old daughters favorite since she got to sit on his lap at Twins Fest 2009 for a photo. This trade does 2 things, it gives us a shortstop for hopefully at least a couple of years that is slightly above average defensively and potentially a very good power threat at the plate. It also solidifies roles in the outfield... no more 4 outfielders for 3 spots, Young became full time LF, Span in CF, and Cuddyer in RF.
2. Offering arbitration to Carl Pavano, which was eventually accepted. This solidified the starting rotation as Pavano was a good middle-of-rotation guy for the Twins after the mid-season acquisition last year. This also keeps a veteran presence in the starting pitcher fraternity.
   
3. In early February, the twins signed Orlando Hudson to a 1-year contract to finish the makeover of our middle infield and giving us a solid hitter to fill a much needed gap in the lineup... the #2 hole between Span and Mauer. This signing surprised many Twins fans as many believed they would continue to be conservative and try to fill the role internally.
   
4. One day after O-dog signed, the Twins signed future hall-of-fame slugger Jim Thome to a 1 year contract to give us depth on our bench and more options at DH/Outfield should Young struggle again Kubel can play LF and Thome can DH. Another surprise move, that isn't a perfect fit as a right handed power bat off the bench would have been more ideal, you can't argue that its a great upgrade to our bench which in recent history has been pretty pathetic in terms of offense.
5. The biggest most anticipated move came later than most Twins fans were expecting but most importantly it happened. the Twins extended Joe Mauer for 8 more years after 2010, keeping him a Minnesota Twin through 2018! This signing was monumental for the Twins, not only inking the 4th richest contract in MLB history, but also because Mauer is the face of this franchise and a native Minnesotan, and arguably the biggest fan favorite of all time.

What a great off season for the Twins! I tip my hat to Jim Pohlad for spending some of the money that new ballpark is sure to generate, and to Bill Smith for using that money wisely.

Hopefully this is a sign of how the Twins wills operate in this new era of outdoor Twins baseball.

Spring Training summary to come later this week.

Game 163... I have 1 word: Unbelievable!

I was there! Me, my wife, and 3 boys (ages 7, 10, & 12). It was the greatest baseball game I ever attended! I was at last years big comeback win versus the Whitesox to tie them for the division on game 159, that game was a big comeback that was very dramatic and fun, but this game was a see-saw of emotion, my 7 year old was emotionally spent by the 10th innning, I was getting there. Our seats weren't very good 21 rows up in upper deck Center field, but it didn't matter! That was a game I will never forget!

Big Moments in the game:

1. Cabrera's homer to give Tiger lead 3-0. The crowd was deflated, but getting the 1 run back the next inning gave everyone some hope.
2. Kubel's solo homer to make it 3-2. This got the crowd really going again. He absolutely crushed that pitch!
3. O Cabrera's 2-run homer to give the Twins a 4-3 lead! I have been at playoff games and I never heard the dome that loud! Crazy, my 7 year old had to cover his ears!
4. Ordonez's game tying home-run... as loud as it was the previous half inning it was equally quiet after that hit.
5. Nathan getting out of the Jam in the Top of the Ninth with unlikely strikeout and then the line-out double play! His fist pump was awesome!
6. Brandon Inge's double in the Top of the 10th. After getting out of major jams the previous 2 innings, a runner on first with 2 outs and Inge at the plate didn't seem like a big deal until it was 5-4. My 10 year old said, "I didn't come here and stay this long to see them lose!"
7. Micheal Cuddyer's leadoff "triple" that was badly misplayed by not 1 but 2 Detroit outfielders! After that I felt the entire dome thought this was our game, and we would win it this inning!
8. Tolbert's game-tying single! I still can't believe that ball made it through the infield, but when Casilla made it to 3rd with 1 out and the game tied, I thought we were gonna win!
9. Rayburn's awesome double play. Casilla's tag-up gaffe helped a little but it still took an outstanding throw by Rayburn to get him out at the plate.
10. Punto's throw home with 1 out and bases loaded on a chopper to 2nd! What a smart play knowing the double play was unlikely, but how lucky are the Twins that it was slow footed Cabrera trying to score from 3rd?
    
11. Keppel's strikeout of Laird. After falling behind 3-1 I began to accept in my mind that he was gonna walk in the go-ahead run, and I was hoping it would only be a 1-run deficit going into the bottom of the 12th with a tiring Rodney. But Bobby got a foul strike 2 and then for some reason Laird chase a ball below his knees and whiffed for strike 3!
12. Gomez's single to lead off the bottom of the 12th. I felt with his speed on the bases and no-one out we should be able to get him home. Then Cuddyer moves him over on a groudout to 3rd and they intentionally walk Delmon, I realized with 1 out it will be up to Casilla/Tolbert/Punto to get it done and I was worried.
13. Casilla, the hero in that epic Whitesox game 159 last year, singles on a bouncer in the hole between 1st and 2nd, Gomez bellyflops home and slides across the plate, and Casilla is the hero yet again! Twins win! Twins win!

There are other more minor but equally important moments, in the game like the luck that the Ump missed that Inge's jersey was brushed by a pitch with the bases loaded in the top of the 12th and Baker pitching around a lead-off double in the 2nd, just to name a few.

What a game. Thanks Twins for that memory with my family at the ballpark, I will cherish it. How they celebrated with the fans on the field afterwards, and the energy in the city as everyone eventually spilled out of the dome into the streets, it was a magical, memorable night!

The most unlikely road to the Division championship ever, even more so than the way they won it on the last game in 2006, because 3/5ths of the rotation falls apart in August, they lose both of their corner infielders for the season in early/mid September and yet somehow they finish the last 21 games 17-4.

One word: Unbelievable!

Make a major move or see everything crumble

Ok. The All-Star break analysis from everyone under the sun is about done. Twins are about to start the second half with a game in Texas to start a 10-game road trip. Here is my take.

The next 2 weeks could make or break the next 3-4 seasons of the Minnesota Twins organization.

Seem a bit over the top? Let me explain.

This time of year, the Twins have been in the hunt for a division title every year since the M&M boys started playing together and even a few years before that. Every year they have glaring weaknesses that could be fixed with a trade or two before the non-waiver deadline. Every year they have done nothing or even worse given up players (Luis Castillo).

If your an all-world catcher with your contract year just a little over a year away... what makes you stay? Ok he is a local kid, so there is that angle, not a huge incentive. Year after year you see your organization waste chances at some postseason success.

There comes a time when you just want to feel like you can play with the big boys (Yankees, Red Sox, Angels). Joe wants more than just to make the postseason he wants to win the whole thing. The way this team has operated to date since Joe has been here, he has no reason to believe they will change.

Bill Smith, and Jim Pohlad if your smart you make a deal in the next 2 weeks, go get a impact player like Sanchez or Tejada. Trade a few of our prospects... win now, or see Joe leave after next season... with Mauer gone... Morneau will be soon to follow. Now your young nucleus is gone because you refused to trade a few "prospects"????

Please I beg you, make something happen....make us believe you want to win, and more importantly make Joe Mauer believe it too.