| 21 May 2010
Lately, things haven't been looking too bright for the Minnesota Twins.
The East coast road trip that many saw as an opportunity for the Twins to assert themselves as a force in the American League didn't go too well. Dropping two of three to the Yankees, splitting with the Blue Jays, and being swept by the ailing Red Sox is hardly something a contending team does on a regular basis. In fact, outside from a three-game sweep of the Tigers, the entire month of May hasn't given the Twins much in terms of wins.
Through the last 13 games, the Twins have won just five games. A few members of the bullpen are well on their way to being demoted or released, and the fan-base appears on the verge of a (mental) breakdown. News flash: There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic heading into this upcoming nine-game home stand. Here are a few:
1. The starting rotation is still producing.
Despite some awful starts, the starting staff has generally been solid this year. In fact, Twins' starting pitchers have garnered eight quality starts in the last 13 games. While a quality start (at least six innings and under three earned runs) isn't the best means of evaluating a pitcher -- a 4.50 ERA is hardly something to aspire to, anyway -- the 62 quality-start percentage (the MLB average has hung around 48 percent for the past five years) over a rough patch shows that the rotation is hardly the Achille's heel it was made out to be at the start of the season.
2. Offense is showing good plate discipline.
The Twins have drawn a total of 171 walks in 2010, the 3rd-highest mark in the league. In fact, the Twins' team walk percentage -- 10.95 -- is the highest mark since the 1956 Senators. (Yeah, the team that went 59-95. So what?) Minnesota batters have struck out 225 times in 2010, also the 3rd-best in the league. Although the '56 squad is a hearty point to the contrary, when an offense's intangibles are in line, the wins will usually follow.
3. Three games against Milwaukee . . . Then an off-day!
On many levels, the Brewers are a struggling team in one of the worst divisions in baseball. They can't draw a walk, and they are striking out over 21 percent of the time. The Brewers just ended a nine-game losing streak, and their pitchers are getting walloped with a .338 BABIP that will eventually regress. But who's to say this stretch of bad luck won't continue through the next series? Minnesota's starting pitchers have been consistent, but the offense needs a couple of 10-run games to get back on track.
Also: The AL Central is still entirely winnable.
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