For the last several weeks I’d been staring at decidedly long odds and almost liking what I saw. The math didn’t look very good, but it was starting to look like there was at least a possibility that it actually might eventually add up.
The Twins had played an unreal stretch of baseball. The pitching had come around (for the most part), the team was scoring runs, and there didn’t seem to be much chance of any extended losing streaks with Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano anchoring the rotation.
Then outfielders starting dropping like Dome doubles, and all of a sudden guys like Rondell White, who supposedly has a bum shoulder and was hitting .235 in a rehab assignment in Rochester, and Jason Tyner and Josh Rabe, two other Rochester outfielders with little or no Major League experience, were being forced into duty.
The team has continued to win, but at this point the margin for error is mighty slim. Last week Terry Ryan was talking about bolstering the pitching staff for a second-half push, but now what will happen? What are the Twins going to be looking for on the trade market, and what do they have to offer? Anybody have any creative ideas?
One thing is for certain: Minnesota has to pretty much kick the shit out of its division rivals the rest of the way to have any chance at a wildcard spot. At this point splits aren’t going to gain them any ground, and there’s already that embarrassing 12-21 record against Central teams to consider. Throw out those numbers and the Twins have gone 39-19 against everybody else.
It also would help, of course, if the team could bottle a little of its home magic (where they’re 34-11) for the road (17-29).
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