The Twins finished the third week of the season with a 2-3 record putting them at 9-10 on the season. They are currently 4th place in the division.

Minnesota

IP

H

R

ER

BB

SO

HR

PC

ERA

WHIP

Scott Baker

4.2

10

6

6

1

2

3

92

11.56

2.36

Francisco Liriano

4.0

4

7

7

4

6

1

74

15.75

2.00

Nick Blackburn

7.0

6

1

1

0

4

0

99

1.29

0.86

Kevin Slowey

8.0

8

1

1

0

7

0

114

1.13

1.00

Glen Perkins

5.0

7

4

4

2

4

0

92

7.20

1.80

Totals:

28.2

35

19

19

7

23

4

 

5.96

1.46

Rotation Assessment:
Week 1: 5.40 ERA and 1.34 WHIP
Week 2: 4.23 ERA and 1.32 WHIP
Two good starts and three bad starts resulted in a [...]

The Twins won two of the three games in their series against the Cleveland Indians. Minnesota is now 9-10 and remains in 4th place in the division.
Friday 4/24
Matchup: Fausto Carmona vs. Nick Blackburn
The Twins needed an excellent start after Wednesday’s doubleheader debacle against the Red Sox.  Nick Blackburn was up to the task on Friday [...]

The Twins lost both games of the two game series against the Boston Red Sox.  Minnesota is now 7-9 and remains in 4th place in the division.
Tuesday 4/21
Game postponed until Wednesday due to weather.
Wednesday 4/22 (Game 1)
Matchup: Tim Wakefield vs. Scott Baker
Baker was again brutal.  He gave up 10 hits, 6 runs, 3 home runs, [...]

Joe Mauer quick hits:

On Monday in Fort Myers, Mauer went 1-3 with a double and 2 walks during a simulated game.
Yesterday Mauer went 2-6 in an extended spring training game.
Tomorrow he will play in the 1st of his 6 games with the Hi-A Fort Myers Miracle.
He remains on track to return to the Twins roster on May [...]

Now that I’ve broken down and ranked the individual components of each team in the division, it is time to tally the rankings, examine the teams as a whole, and think about what needs to go right for each team this season.

Rankings Recap:

 

MIN

KC

CWS

DET

CLE

C

1

5

3

4

2

1B

2

5

3

1

4

2B

4

2

5

1

3

3B

3

1

4

5

2

SS

4

1

2

5

3

OF

2

3

1

4

5

DH

2

3

4

1

5

Starters

1

3

2

4

5

Closer

1

2

4

5

3

Bullpen

3

1

2

4

5

Bench

1

4

5

3

2

Manager

3

5

2

1

4

Totals:

27

35

37

38

43

What these rankings and totals don’t show is the amount of separation within [...]

Part 2 of my AL Central preview focuses on the pitching staffs, benches and managers of each team. The staffs were broken down and ranked by starting rotation, closers, and the rest of the bullpen. I ranked them 1-5 with 1 being the best and 5 being the worst. For my 2009 stats I used [...]

The Twins finished the second week of the season with a 4-3 record putting them at 7-7 on the season.  They are currently 4th place in the division 1.0 game behind the Tigers, White Sox and Royals.

Minnesota

IP

H

R

ER

BB

SO

HR

PC

ERA

WHIP

Scott Baker

4.0

5

6

6

2

3

4

61

13.50

1.75

Francisco Liriano

6.0

7

2

1

1

5

0

104

1.50

1.33

Nick Blackburn

6.1

8

4

4

2

3

0

106

5.69

1.58

Kevin Slowey

5.1

13

5

5

1

2

2

88

 

 

 

7.0

6

2

2

1

5

1

114

5.11

1.70

Glen Perkins

8.0

7

2

2

1

4

0

107

 

 

 

8.0

4

1

1

1

4

0

84

1.69

0.81

Totals:

44.2

50

22

21

9

26

7

 

4.23

1.32

Scott Baker (0-1) pitched Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays and Scott Richmond.  Making [...]

On Monday, Jesse Crain was placed on the 15-day DL due to inflammation in his right shoulder.  The move was made retroactive to April 18th, making Crain eligible to come off of the DL on May 3rd.  The good news for Crain and the Twins is that his MRI did not reveal any structural damage.
To [...]