Hi Twins Fans. Welcome to the second half of the season. It looks like the Twins, Tigers and White Sox are going to go right down to the wire to decide the Central Division Champion. Will the Twins win the title? Well, that’s a good question that will be answered probably in the final week of the season. The Twins close out the season with a 10 game road trip, starting in Chicago. Then the Twins travel to Kansas City for a three game trip, and finally close out the 10 game "roadie" with a four game series vs. the Detroit Tigers. I think we will all agree that the title could be decided in those final 10 games. The Twins finally close out the regular season with a three game series versus Kansas City, and that series will have a lot of meaning, the final three regular season games in the Metrodome before the Twins move into their new home, Target Field, in 2010.
But that final two weeks of the regular season is a long way away, and now the Twins have to concentrate on a tough ten game road trip to Texas, Oakland and Anaheim to play the Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers and Angels are the top two teams in the West, and the Athletics, although in last place in the West, always seem to battle the Twins hard. The Twins and A’s split a four game series in June and the Twins were fortunate to come out with two wins.
What’s the key for the Twins in the second half? For me it’s going to be starting pitching. Nick Blackburn has been the Twins best pitcher and there’s no reason to believe he won’t continue to be the Twins best starter in the second half. Now the question marks come. Will Glen Perkins be more consistent than he was in the first half? Scott Baker has won 5 of his last 6 decisions, but some of the wins have been shaky. Will Baker emerge as the Twins number one starter like many expected him to be at the beginning of the year? And what about Francisco Liriano? As yet, the Twins lefty hasn’t won three decisions in a row and his ERA is still above 5.00. Liriano needs to be more consistent. And lastly, there’s Kevin Slowey. Yes, he’s the Twins winningest pitcher (10 wins), but now he’s on the disabled list and who knows if his right wrist injury is going to keep him on the shelf and for how long? The Twins need Slowey and hopefully he will be able to rejoin the starting rotation when the Twins return home on the 27th of July to face the Chicago White Sox. Meanwhile the Twins will plug in Anthony Swarzak, the rookie righthander who is up for the second time from Rochester.
No matter, the second half is going to be fun, and let’s hope the Twins can hang in there and make a run at the Tigers (and beat out the White Sox) in the final two and a half months of the season.
Touch’em All!
John Gordon
