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Minnesota Twins Off To Disastrous Start

       May 16th, 2011
  • Minnesota-Twins-Off-To-Disastrous-Start

  • <p>I think it’s safe to say that not many people saw the Minnesota Twins 2011 season playing out this way. <br /> <br /> The Twins currently find themselves on an eight-game losing streak, and are a Major League-worst 12-26 on the season, 12.5 games behind the first-place Cleveland Indians in the AL Central. <br /> <br /> You wouldn’t expect to see this out of Minnesota. Over the past decade, the Twins have established themselves as one of baseball’s most consistent teams, usually doing so by overachieving with a smaller payroll. After winning the AL Central for the sixth time in the past nine years last season, the Twins were expected to compete for another division title this season with most of the team’s key pieces returning.<br /> <br /> But boy have things gone wrong. <br /> <br /> Injuries have taken their toll on a Twins offense that was expected to be among the league’s most potent. Key cogs in their lineup like catcher Joe Mauer, second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka, left fielder Delmon Young, and designated hitter Jim Thome have all missed significant time this year, and many fans have blamed the team’s struggles this season on the absences of those players. But to say that is the sole reason behind the Twins&rsquo; struggles is misleading. <br /> <br /> Even if those players had been in the lineup on a regular basis this season, I don’t think the Twins would be that much better off. <br /> <br /> Sure, in the wake of the injuries, Minnesota has been forced to put together a lineup that would be better suited for Triple-A Rochester, but they aren’t getting contributions from their remaining Major League regulars. They need to be a competitive team and there is no excuse for that. <br /> <br /> The Twins’ historic run producers, players like Delmon Young (.215/0/7), Michael Cuddyer (.248/4/6), Danny Valencia (.235/3/18) and Justin Morneau (.223/1/9), have badly underperformed this season, setting the tone for the Twins offense as a whole, an offense that has scored a league-worst 116 runs.<br /> <br /> And things aren’t going much better on the mound. Pitching was a major question for Minnesota coming into this season, and those doubts have so far been confirmed. <br /> <br /> The Twins’ staff ranks dead last in baseball with a 4.88 ERA, and also rank in the bottom ten in wins, hits allowed, runs allowed, home runs allowed, walks allowed, strikeouts, and batting average against. Their top two starters, Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano, have ERAs of 5.89 and 7.07 respectively, and their bullpen hasn’t been able to hold onto the rare lead that the team’s offense provides.<br /> <br /> It’s safe to say that nothing is going right for the Twins this season. A team that was expected to compete for another division title this season has instead looked next to inept through the season’s first month and a half. Many will blame the team’s many injuries for Minnesota’s poor play, but their problems are much deeper than that. <br /> <br /> With an offense that can’t score runs, and a pitching staff that can’t keep runs off the board, the Twins have found the perfect formula for Major League mediocrity. With the team well on its way to a 100-loss season, it&rsquo;s looking like it will be a long summer in the Twin Cities.</p>

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