Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Minnesota Twins Opening Day Roster

Lineup:

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Name B P AVG HR SB R RBI OBA D. Span L CF .302 12 30 122 58 .377 J. Weeks S 2B .315 8 21 83 49 .383 D. Cooper L 1B .290 21 0 78 70 .385 T. Neal R LF .313 27 1 97 99 .447 C. Parmelee L DH .342 2 0 2 6 .432 C. Headley S 3B .278 11 3 45 45 .368 H. Pence R RF .268 19 6 61 76 .324 J. Hardy R SS .250 23 1 78 70 .315 K. Suzuki R C .306 10 5 63 56 .366

I think we've easily got one of the best line-ups 1-9 in the game. Everyone but Suzuki and Hardy are rated at least 86 (Suzuki is a 79 and Hardy is an 83). We've definitely got one of the best defensive teams in the business. No one in the starting line-up that plays the field has a fielding ratings below 80, and any one of them besides maybe Headley could realistically win a Gold Glove.

Bench:

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Name B P AVG HR SB R RBI OBA A. Casilla S IF .000 0 0 0 0 .000 J. Morales S C .232 2 1 18 11 .293 B. Dinkelman R 2B 1.000 1 0 1 3 1.000 T. Plouffe R IF .000 0 0 0 0 .000 N. Punto S IF .296 0 3 5 4 .406

Depth is an issue. We literally have no back-up outfielders, and if anyone goes down for an extended period of time, we're probably screwed.

Starting Rotation:

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Name T ERA IP K W L SV T. Lincecum R 2.38 227.0 271 22 5 0 Z. Greinke R 2.03 230.1 231 19 6 0 T. Hanson R 3.47 202.1 207 12 9 0 S. Baker R 4.00 201.1 150 16 7 0 N. Blackburn R 3.63 161.0 69 11 8 0

Definitely one of the best starting rotations in baseball. We have two of the top 3-5 pitchers in the game to start things off (both of whom won a Cy Young last year), and it doesn't fall off after that. Hanson could be a #1 on many teams, but instead he's the third starter for us, and Baker is a very capable #2 or #3 starter on most teams, but we've got him at #4. Even Blackburn has shown himself to be a reliable ML-starter, and the strength of the defense behind him should help him greatly.

Bullpen:

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Name T ERA IP K W L SV J. Mijares L 3.17 65.1 39 4 3 26 S. Romo R 4.65 81.1 87 8 5 3 M. Guerrier R 0.00 0.0 0 0 0 0 A. Burnett R 0.00 0.0 0 0 0 0 D. Farquhar R 2.61 10.1 12 0 0 0 F. Nieve R 5.05 87.1 64 2 2 2

The bullpen is definitely our greatest weakness. Mijares and Romo should be some-what reliable in the 8th and 9th innings, but after that it's gloomy. Burnett and Farquhar have the potential to be solid bullpen arms, but it's always a crapshoot with relievers. As long as the bullpen can be half-way decent we should be able to overcome it with the strength of the rest of the team.

Without looking at any of the others teams in the AL, I think we have the best team in the American League. The starting rotation is as good as it gets, and the offense packs a heavy punch, as well as being a sure-handed defensive club all-around. It's World Series or bust, in my opinion.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Wait...nonono.

You traded Mauer to the Blue Jays? Then this dynasty is over. It very clearly states: "Minnesota - The Mauer Years"

Now if you want to have "Toronto - The Mauer Years" or "Minnesota - The Lincenum Years" go right ahead, but this can't stand. ;)

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatKnight

Wait...nonono.

You traded Mauer to the Blue Jays? Then this dynasty is over. It very clearly states: "Minnesota - The Mauer Years"

Now if you want to have "Toronto - The Mauer Years" or "Minnesota - The Lincenum Years" go right ahead, but this can't stand. ;)

Haha. I actually would have Clay change it if I didn't think he had more important things to do with his time :p.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Aprl 5, 2012

Twins 8 - Rangers 7
WP - T. Lincecum (1-0), LP - T. Scheppers (0-1), SV - J. Mijares (1)
HR - TEX Max Ramirez (1), TEX Chris Davis (1)

The new off-season additions played a big role in our opening day win. Lincecum gave up three runs in six innings of work while striking out four, Farquhar gave up two homers and four runs and nearly gave the Rangers the game, and Headley, Cooper, and Suzuki combined for four runs driven in.

POTG - MIN C. Headley 2-5, 2 RBI

April 6, 2012

Twins 9 - Rangers 4
WP - A. Burnett (1-0), LP - J. Petterson (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (1), MIN T. Neal (1)

Greinke didn't have his finest start, allowing four runs in 5.1 innings on ten hits. The offense was there to pick it up, though, with Cooper and Neal both hitting homers, and the bullpen pitching 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball.

POTG - MIN D. Cooper 3-5, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI

April 7, 2012

Twins 3 - Rangers 1
WP - T. Hanson (1-0), LP - D. Holland (0-1), SV - J. Mijares (2)
HR - MIN T. Neal (2)

Hanson pitched us to victory. He went seven innings of one-run, three-hit baseball, with 7 K's.

POTG - MIN T. Hanson 7 IP, 3 H, BB, ER, 7 K

April 8, 2012

Twins 3 - Rangers 2
WP - S. Baker (1-0), LP - D. O'Day (0-1), SV - J. Mijares (3)
HR - J. Hardy (1), D. Span (1)

There's no better way to open the season than with a 4-game sweep, and on the road no-less! Kasey Kiker and Scott Baker both went seven innings while allowing only one earned run, but our bullpen was just barely able to outlast theirs.

POTG - MIN bullpen (S. Romo + J. Mijares) 2 IP, H, BB, 0 ER, 2 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 4-0
1.5 GA of Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

I can't think of a better way to open the season than with four-wins in a row. The top two of Lincecum and Greinke actually didn't pitch that well, and we were still able to win their starts. Hopefully that says something about the team going forward and isn't merely an anomaly.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Just use a 3 man rotation :P

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Quote:

Originally Posted by ewing6

Just use a 3 man rotation :P

I was actually considering going with a 4-man rotation.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

April 9, 2012

Twins 10 - White Sox 6 (in extras)
WP - S. Romo (1-0), LP - C. Santeliz (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (2), C. Headley (1), C. Parmelee (1), CHW G. Beckham (2), J. Danks (2)

Blackburn gave up five runs in just 1.1 innings, but our bullpen really stepped up and locked the White Sox down, allowing just one run over the remainder of the game. The game-winning hit came in the top of the 10th, when David Cooper homered with the bases-loaded off Clevelan Santeliz.

POTG - MIN D. Cooper 2-5, BB, game-winning grand-slam in 10th inning

April 10, 2012

Twins 2 - White Sox 3
WP - T. Pena (1-0), LP - J. Mijares (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN H. Pence (1), CHW R. Howard (3)

Now this is the Lincecum I was expecting when I gave him that enormous contract. Lincecum pitched seven innings, gave up just one run on four hits, and struck out nine. Hunter Pence hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to tie the game, but Brent Lillibridge hit an RBI-double to end it in the bottom of the 9th.

POTG - CHW J. Peavy 8.2 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 6 K

April 11, 2012

Twins 5 - White Sox 13
WP - K. Heckathorn (1-0), LP - Z. Greinke (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN H. Pence (2), CHW J. Phegley (2), R. Howard (4), A. Rios (2)

Greinke is not having a good start to the season. This time out he lasted only 3.2 innings before giving up six runs and getting pulled from the game. Greinke's ERA is currently an even 10.00, and his BAA is hovering near the .400 mark.

POTG - CHW A. Rios 2-5, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 5-2
0.5 GA of Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 12, 2012

Yankees 4 - Twins 5
WP - S. Romo (2-0), LP - Z. McAllister (0-2), SV - J. Mijares (4)
HR - NYY C. Granderson (1)

The Yankees struggles continue, as this loss drops them to 1-6 on the season.

POTG - MIN T. Plouffe 2-3, BB, 2B, 2 RBI

April 14, 2012

Yankees 14 - Tigers 4
WP - A. Brackman (2-0), LP - S. Baker (1-1), SV - N/A
HR - NYY R. Pena (1), C. Granderson (2)

Melky Mesa beat us almost single-handedly. Mesa hit a double, two triples, got five RBI's on his way to a 4-5 day.

POTG - NYY M. Mesa 4-5, 2B, 2 3B, 5 RBI

April 15, 2012

Yankees 1 - Twins 3
WP - T. Lincecum (2-0), LP - B. Lyon (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN T. Neal (3), H. Pence (3)

Hunter Pence sent us home the winner with a walk-off two run jack in the bottom of the 9th inning.

POTG - MIN T. Lincecum CG, ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 10 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 7-3
0.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
0.5 GA of Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 16, 2012

Tigers 7 - Twins 10
WP - Z. Greinke (1-1), LP - M. Scherzer (2-1), SV - J. Mijares (5)
HR - MIN H. Pence (4), J. Morales (1), DET R. Doumit (3)

Greinke still didn't have a great start, but at least we got a win this time. Pence hit his 4th homer of the season in this game. Pence is off to a white-hot start this season. His line currently rests at .405/.489/.865, and he's got 4 homers 10 RBI's in only 11 games.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 2-3, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

April 17, 2012

Tigers 7 - Twins 3
WP - J. Valverde (1-0), LP - F. Nieve (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN J. Weeks (1), DET A. Jackson (1), R. Streiby (4)

Fernando Nieve let up a grand-slam homer to Ryan Streiby in the top of the ninth for the killing blow of the game.

POTG - DET R. Streiby 2-4, GW grand-slam in 9th inning

April 18, 2012

Tigers 2 - Twins 5
WP - S. Romo (3-0), LP - P. Coke (0-1), SV - J. Mijares (6)
HR - DET R. Streiby (5)

Despite a solid outing by Scott Baker (7 IP, 2 ER, 5 K), it came down to the bullpens. Phil Coke's lack of control cost the Tigers the game, when we were able to score two runs on back-to-back-to-back wild pitches.

POTG - MIN S. Baker 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 9-4
0.5 GA of Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

9-4 to start the season beats the hell outta any start I've had since starting this dynasty. Lincecum is pitching like he's making 24.16 million dollars a year (2-0, 2.05 ERA, 23 K, 9 BB, 22 IP), but Greinke is not pitching like he's making 26 million a year (9.00 ERA in 15 IP). That needs to change, and I do expect it will sooner than later. If we can get him going, there's no telling where this team could end up.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

April 20, 2012

Indians 10 - Twins 2
WP - A. White (2-0), LP - T. Lincecum (2-1), SV - T. Sipp (1)
HR - MIN D. Cooper (3), CLE M. LaPorta (3), N. Weglarz (1)

To say that a late-inning meltdown cost us this game would be grossly understating the magnitude of what occured in the final 2 innings of the game. Lincecum allowed only two runs in 7.1 inning, but left trailing the game anyways, and after that the sh!t just hit the fan. Sergio Romo, Matt Guerrier, and Alex Burnett pitched the final 1.2 innings and allowed eight runs on six hits.

POTG - CLE A. White 7 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, ER, 5 K

April 21, 2012

WP - F. Nieve (1-1), LP - J. Smith (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (4), J. Weeks (2), C. Headley (2), T. Neal (4)

I still have yet to see the Cy Young Greinke this season after this start, only the Greinke that makes me want to cut off my own toes with bolt cutters. He allowed seven runs in only 3.1 innings this time before my manager had to pull the plug. However, due to some timely hitting we were still able to come out on top.

POTG - MIN T. Neal 2-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, go-ahead RBI double in 8th inning

April 22, 2012

Indians 2 - Twins 12
WP - T. Hanson (2-0), LP - A. Harang (1-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN J. Weeks (3), T. Neal (5)

David Cooper continues the ridiculously hot start to his Twins career with another multi-RBI game. In the 16 games Cooper has played in since the start of the season he has hit .343/.365/.600 with 4 homers and 19 RBI.

POTG - MIN J. Weeks 2-4, BB, 3 R, HR, 5 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 11-5
0.5 GA of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 23, 2012

Twins 3 - Tigers 8
WP - R. Porcello (2-1), LP - S. Baker (1-2), SV - S. Marshall (1)
HR - MIN D. Cooper (5), CLE W. Ramirez (3)

Our pitching is not performing nearly as well as I expected it to at the start of the season. Our team ERA is 5.71, and only two starters have ERA's that aren't completely atrocious (Lincecum's ERA is 2.15 and Hanson's is 2.42). That didn't change the slightest bit in this game, as Baker lasted only 3.2 innings before giving up six runs.

POTG - DET S. Marshall 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, K

April 24, 2012

Twins 6 -Tigers 10
WP - J. Verlander (2-0), LP - N. Blackburn (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Parmelee (2), DET J. Bautista (4), G. Nunez (2), W. Ramirez (4), R. Raburn (5)

We mounted a 4-run rally in the top of the ninth to give Tigers fans, players, and management some minor indigestion, but ultimately we were in way too deep of a hole to have a realistic shot at coming all the way back.

POTG - DET J. Verlander 7 IP, 6 H, BB, 2 ER, 6 K

April 25, 2012

Twins 2 - Tigers 4
WP - J. Weaver (2-1), LP - T. Lincecum (2-2), SV - J. Valverde (4)
HR - MIN J. Weeks (4)

We started the game off on the right foot, with Jemile Weeks homering for two runs in top of the first. Lincecum was electric, registering 10 K's in the first 4 innings of the game, finishing with 12 in six innings of work. Despite that, we still couldn't avoid the sweep. We limp our way into KC for our last series of the month.

POTG - T. Lincecum 6 IP, 8 H, BB, 3 ER, 12 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 11-8
2.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
0.5 GB of Tampa Bay Rays for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

April 27, 2012

Twins 4 - Royals 2
WP - Z. Greinke (2-1), LP - A. Crow (1-2), SV - J. Mijares (7)
HR - MIN C. Headley (3), D. Span (2)

Greinke squared off against his former team and got the better of them in rather impressive fashion. He went seven innings, allowed just one earned run, and struck out four. The game also marks his first really good outing of the season. I'll admit that there were a couple instances where he had me covering my eyes, but all-in-all, a good start.

POTG - KCR A. Crow 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 8 K

April 28, 2012

Twins 11 - Royals 5
WP - A. Burnett (2-0), LP - V. Marte (1-3), SV - J. Mijares (8)
HR - MIN H. Pence 3 (7), KCR J. Gerut (3)

Jody Gerut provided the first big hit of the game, a three-run homer off Hanson in the second inning. Fortunately, though, it wasn't the last. Hunter Pence homered three times, including one in the seventh to cap a six-run rally. The other two came in the 6th and 9th, and all of them were of the two-run variety.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 3-5, 3 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI

April 29, 2012

Twins 2 - Royals 8
WP - D. Duffy (1-3), LP - S. Baker (1-3), SV - N/A
HR - D. Cooper (6)

We leave the bases loaded in the 9th and fall just short of a three game sweep.

POTG - KCR D. Duffy 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 4 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 13-9
4.0 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
0.5 GA of Tampa Bay Rays for first place in AL Wild Card (tied with Baltimore Orioles)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

With Detroit off to another one of their ridiculously hot start at 17-5 we're further back in the division than we should be. We're still off to a good start, however, and if the team continues it's trend of playing lights-out in the second half we'll be ending the season with a playoff berth.

HTML Code:

ERA T. Lincecum 2.55 Wins S. Romo 3 Saves J. Mijares 8 AVG T. Neal .341 HR H. Pence 7 SB D. Span 3

Stats

Batting

Pitching

HTML Code:

Player Name Team Starts W L ERA IP K SV CG OBA Lincecum, Tim MIN 5 2 2 2.55 35.1 40 0 1 .229 Greinke, Zack MIN 5 2 1 8.17 25.1 21 0 0 .308 Hanson, Tommy MIN 5 2 0 3.81 26.0 24 0 0 .248 Baker, Scott MIN 5 1 3 6.41 26.2 22 0 0 .252 Blackburn, Nick MIN 2 0 1 17.36 4.2 0 0 0 .385 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 1 2.00 9.0 6 8 0 .265 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 3 0 3.46 13.0 19 0 0 .220 Guerrier, Matt MIN 0 0 0 8.68 9.1 6 0 0 .325 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 2 0 2.93 15.1 6 0 0 .224 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 0 0 8.16 14.1 14 0 0 .295 Nieve, Fernando MIN 0 1 1 9.42 14.1 14 0 0 .300 Player Name Team AB H HR RBI Avg OBP SLG SB CS Cooper, David MIN 96 28 6 23 .292 .317 .542 0 0 Span, Denard MIN 91 25 2 9 .275 .365 .363 3 0 Weeks, Jemile MIN 90 20 4 15 .222 .297 .378 2 0 Neal, Thomas MIN 88 30 5 13 .341 .420 .636 0 0 Hardy, J.J. MIN 86 26 1 7 .302 .315 .453 0 0 Parmelee, Chris MIN 82 26 2 10 .317 .411 .476 0 1 Headley, Chase MIN 80 23 3 13 .288 .313 .438 0 0 Pence, Hunter MIN 77 24 7 18 .312 .380 .662 0 0 Suzuki, Kurt MIN 57 15 0 4 .263 .344 .333 0 0 Morales, Jose MIN 19 6 1 6 .316 .350 .474 0 0 Plouffe, Trevor MIN 6 2 0 2 .333 .429 .500 0 0 Punto, Nick MIN 4 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Casilla, Alexi MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Dinkelman, Brian MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Lincecum, Tim MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Greinke, Zack MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Hanson, Tommy MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Baker, Scott MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Blackburn, Nick MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Guerrier, Matt MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Nieve, Fernando MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

April 30, 2012

Twins 0 - Indians 1
WP - K. De la Cruz (3-2), LP - N. Blackburn (0-2), SV - (2)
HR - N/A

Kelvin De la Cruz had us off-balance all night. Cruz pitched eight shutout innings with six K's. Blackburn had an impressive start of his own, allowing just one run over seven innings.

POTG - CLE K. De la Cruz 8 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 6 K

May 1, 2012

Twins 8 - Indians 5
WP - S. Romo (4-0), LP - C. Perez (0-2), SV - J. Mijares (9)
HR - MIN D. Cooper (7), C. Headley (4), T. Neal (6), CLE A. Cabrera (2), S. Choo (2)

We were able to score five runs in the final two innings of the game to score a come-back win. Pence put the exclamation mark on the come-back with a bases-loaded RBI in the ninth to score three runs.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 3-4, BB, 2 2B, 3 RBI

May 2, 2012

Twins 5 - Indians 0
WP - Z. Greinke (3-1), LP - H. Rondon (1-3), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Greinke may officially be back. He threw his first complete game and shutout of the season, allowing five hits and walking four over the nine innings with 11 punch-outs.

POTG - Z. Greinke CG, SHO, 5 H, 4 BB, 0 ER, 11 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 15-10
3.0 GB of Detriot Tigers for first place in AL Central
1.0 GA of Baltimore Orioles for first place in AL Wild Card (tied with Boston Red Sox)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 3, 2012

Royals 4 - Twins 5
WP - T. Hanson (3-0), LP - B. Bannister (0-1), SV - J. Mijares (10)
HR - MIN C. Headley (5), KCR B. Butler (2), S. Costa (1)

Hanson continues to pitch like he's in a contract year (which he is, by the way). After this 6.2 inning, 2 ER performance, his numbers for the year settle at 3-0, 3.58 ERA, 26 K, 14 BB, .240 BAA in 32.2 innings.

POTG - T. Hanson 6.2 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 2 ER, 2 K

May 4, 2012

Royals 10 - Twins 7
WP - D. Duffy (2-3), LP - A. Burnett (2-1), SV - L. Coleman (4)
HR - MIN J. Weeks (5), T. Neal (7), KCR S. Costa (2)

We were able to get to Duffy for three early runs, but he was able to settle in from there, and pitched a total of seven innings giving up three runs on seven hits. We put four runs on the board in the bottom of the ninth, but we were already in too deep of a hole to do anything but make the game look closer than it really was.

POTG - KCR S. Costa 2-5, HR, 4 RBI

May 5, 2012

Royals 0 - Twins 12
WP - N. Blackburn (1-2), LP - K. Davies (0-3), SV - N/A
HR - MIN C. Headley (6), H. Pence (8), C. Parmelee (3)

A great game for every one who stepped on the fielding wearing a Minnesota Twins uniform. Blackburn pitched a complete game shutout (somehow doing so without registering a single strikeout), meanwhile Span and Parmelee each drove in three runs. Everyone but Weeks and Neal got a hit, and Neal still reached base three times on walks.

POTG - MIN N. Blackburn CG, SHO, 6 H, 3 BB

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 17-11
2.0 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
0.5 GA of Tampa Bay Rays for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

We're on a pretty solid run right now. The pitching still isn't where I'd like to see it (5.12 team ERA), but we're winning in spite of that, and when that number inevitably comes down we should be able to keep winning. Our offense, however, is clicking even better than I had anticipated. We're third in the AL in runs scored with 162, 4th in homers with 40, and 3rd in batting average at .294.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

May 6, 2012

Orioles 1 - Twins 6
WP - T. Lincecum (3-2), LP - B. Bergensen (2-2), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (8), H. Pence (9), BAL N. Reimold (7)

Through the first several innings the game remained very close, but we were finally able to stretch the lead and five ourselves some breating room in the fifth inning when David Cooper hit a two-run homer. I'd also like to mention that Hunter Pence has hit more homers (9) in 29 games this season than he did in his stint with the Red Sox last season in 62 (8), and almost as many as he hit in 74 games with us to finish the season (11).

POTG - MIN D. Cooper 3-4, BB, R, HR, 4 RBI

May 7, 2012

Orioles 5 - Twins 3
WP - B. Matusz (5-2), LP - F. Nieve (1-2), SV - K. Mickolio (11)
HR - BAL J. Bell (9)

Greinke missed his scheduled start due to a fractured wrist, and will likely miss his next two starts as well. Nieve made the start in his place and lasted only 3 innings before giving up 4 runs and getting removed from the game. We had a chance to win it in the ninth, with two men on and David Cooper at the plate as the winning run, but we were unable to convert it into anything.

POTG - BAL Bullpen (A. Slama + B. Jacobson + K. Mickolio) 4 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 6 K

May 8, 2012

Orioles 6 - Twins 5
WP - B. Erbe (3-1), LP - S. Romo (4-1), SV - K. Mickolio (12)
HR - MIN C. Headley (7), H. Pence (10), BAL B. Roberts (3)

Kurt Suzuki hit a rope into center-field in the ninth inning that would have tied the game had it fallen in, but defensive whiz kid Adam Jones managed to track it down for the 27th out and give his team the win.

POTG - BAL B. Erbe 7 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 8 K

May 9, 2012

Orioles 1 - Twins 4
WP - S. Baker (2-3), LP - C. Tillman (0-5), SV - J. Mijares (11)
HR - N/A

We were able to bat around for 3 runs in the first inning, and it was pretty smooth sailing after that. Scott Baker pitched seven innings, gave up just one run on five hits, and struck out four for his second win of the season.

POTG - MIN S. Baker 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, ER, 4 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 19-13
2.0 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
0.5 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

The pitching seems to be picking it up lately, and although the offense is falling off it's torrid pace a bit it's still operating at a very high level. We're finishing up our homestand with a two-game series against the White Sox, which will be sandwiched in by off-days. After that we head on the road to play the Rays, Jays, and Yank's.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

May 11, 2012

White Sox 5 - Twins 6
WP - A. Burnett (3-1), LP - M. Thornton (0-1), SV - N/A
HR - MIN H. Pence (11), CHW J. Phegly (6)

Hunter Pence bailed Chase Headley out big-time. Headley made two errors in the game, which led to all five of the White Sox runs. But lucky for Headley, Pence made his 11th home-run of the year a walk-off two-run bomb.

POTG - MIN H. Pence 1-3, walk-off 2-R HR

May 12, 2012

White Sox 2 - Twins 13
WP - F. Nieve (2-2), LP - J. Peavy (3-4), SV - N/A
HR - MIN K. Suzuki (1), D. Cooper (9), CHW R. Howard (12), G. Beckham (7)

Nieve's second start in place of Greinke was much better than his first. Nieve went seven innings and allowed just one run on six hits and four walks while striking out three. #9 hitter Kurt Suzuki hit his first homer of the year and drove in 5 runs. Meanwhile, Pence continued his MVP-esque start to the season, going 4-5 with three runs and an RBI.

POTG - MIN F. Nieve 7 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, ER, 3 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 21-13
2.0 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
1.0 GA of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 14, 2012

Twins 5 - Rays 2
WP - A. Burnett (4-1), LP - D. Price (1-3), SV - J. Mijares (12)
HR - TBR B. Upton (6)

Our bullpen performed admirably. They worked themselves into some jams, but were able to work themselves back out. In total, they (Burnett, Farquhar, Mijares) pitched 4.2 innings, gave up one hit, walked three, and struck out four, while getting a win and a save.

POTG - MIN bullpen (A. Burnett + D. Farquhar + J. Mijares) 4.2 IP, H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 4 K, W, SV

May 15, 2012

Twins 9 - Rays 5
WP - M. Guerrier (1-0), LP - D. Wheeler (1-1), SV - S. Romo (1)
HR - MIN J. Hardy (2), TBR S. Rodriguez 2 (9), M. Joyce (4)

J.J. Hardy hit only his second homer of the season. Where 2 homers at this point in May might normally mean Hardy was having a dismal offensive season, it actually doesn't this time. So far this season he's sacrificed home-runs (2) for batting average .290. It Hardy stays even remotely on his current batting average pace, he'll set a career-high in batting average.

POTG - MIN J. Hardy 3-5, R, HR, 3 RBI

May 16, 2012

WP - A. Torres (1-0), LP - T. Lincecum (3-3), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Both starters went the distance in the game. Torres pitched ever-so-slightly better than Linc' and earned the complete game, shutout win.

POTG - TBR A. Torres CG, SHO, 6 H, 2 BB, K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 23-14
1.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
1.0 GA of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 17, 2012

Twins 1 - Blue Jays 5
WP - A. Cashner (2-3), LP - F. Nieve (2-3), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

In Mauer's first game against us he delivered a bases-loaded, two RBI double for his only hit of the game. Andrew Cashner shut us down thoroughly, pitching seven innings of one-run ball while striking out nine. Greinke missed his third start in a row, but this should be the last start he misses.

POTG - TOR A. Cashner 7 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, ER, 9 K

May 18, 2012

Twins 5 - Blue Jays 6 (in extras)
WP - M. Belisle (3-0), LP - A. Burnett (4-2), SV - N/A
HR - TOR H. Blalock (3)

Trevor Plouffe's clutch pinch-hit RBI single in the 9th was for naught. Mijares blew the lead in the ninth, and then Burnett gave up the game-winning run on a sac fly in the 10th.

POTG - MIN T. Hanson 7 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 5 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 23-16
2.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
0.5 GA of Oakland A's for first place in AL Wild Card (tied with Boston Red Sox)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 19, 2012

Twins 1 - Yankees 0
WP - S. Romo (5-1), LP - C. Sabathia (2-5), SV - J. Mijares (13)
HR - MIN T. Neal (8)

An amazing pitching duel. Zack Greinke came back in a big way from his fractured wrist, pitching 7.1 innings of shutout baseball with 11 K's. He worked himself into a jam in the 8th inning, loading the bases with one out, but Romo was able to come out and get a 3-6-3 double play ball. Then the very next inning Thomas Neal came up and ended the 0-0 tie with a solo homer.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 7.1 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 11 K + T. Neal 3-4, game-winning solo homer

May 20, 2012

Twins 1 - Yankees 4
WP - A. Brackman (5-1), LP - N. Blackburn (1-3), SV - B. Lyon (9)
HR - MIN C. Headley (8), NYY M. Teixeira 2 (12)

Brackman is building an early case for the American League Cy Young. After this start, in which he pitched seven one-run innings with 10 K's, he's 5-1 with a 2.85 ERA.

POTG - NYY A. Brackman 7 IP, 6 H, BB, ER, 10 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 24-17
2.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
2.5 GA of Baltimore Orioles for first place in AL Wild Card (tied with Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

The line-up has definitely cooled off significantly, at least in terms of run production and driving in runs. Fortunately, though, it's not keeping us from staying close to the Tigers, and even making up a couple games over the past couple weeks.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

May 21, 2012

Astros 6 - Twins 2
WP - J. Lyles (2-0), LP - T. Lincecum (3-4), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Span (3)

Lincecum did not have his best stuff against the 'Stros. He gave up six runs in only four innings and saw his ERA balloon to 3.51. Denard Span provided our only runs with a two-run bomb in the fifth.

POTG - HOU J. Lyles 7 IP, 6 H, BB, 2 ER, 7 K

May 22, 2012

Astros 2 - Twins 9
WP - Z. Greinke (4-1), LP - R. Dempster (0-7), SV - N/A
HR - MIN J. Hardy (3), T. Neal 2 (10), C. Parmelee (4)

Thomas Neal had his best game at the plate in quite some time. He helped power us to the win by going 4-5 with three runs, two homers, and four RBI. Greinke also continued his string of impressive starts, pitching seven innings, allowing just one earned run, and striking out three, while allowing four hits and walking zero.

POTG - MIN T. Neal 4-5, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI

May 23, 2012

Astros 2 - Twins 1
WP - F. Abad (1-2), LP - T. Hanson (3-1), SV - L. Nunez (5)
HR - J. Towles (3)

A very well pitched game by all parties. Fernando Abad dominated all night, and after he came out we were unable to even get on-base against the Astros bullpen.

POTG - HOU F. Abad 7 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, ER, 6 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 25-19
3.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
2.5 GA of Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland for first place in AL Wild Card (tied with Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 25, 2012

Rays 6 - Twins 5
WP - D. Price (3-3), LP - S. Baker (2-4), SV - R. Soriano (15)
HR - MIN C. Headley (9), TBR E. Longoria (7), C. Crawford (10)

An error by Headley early in the game led to two unearned, which was ultimately the difference between a win and a loss on our side. Headley's defense, or lack thereof, is driving me completely crazy this season. He already has 7 errors this season, comparatively Beltre had 12 all of last season. Luckily for Headley and myself, he's hitting pretty well (.875 OPS, 9 HR, 28 RBI), otherwise he'd be riding the pine.

POTG - TBR E. Longoria 4-5, HR, RBI

May 26, 2012

Rays 3 - Twins 2
WP - A. Colome (6-1), LP - T. Lincecum (3-5), SV - R. Soriano (16)
HR - B. Upton (8)

Lincecum loses his second start in a row, failing to make it through the fifth inning once again. The bullpen was able to shutdown the opposing offense, but we couldn't break through and get any runs.

POTG - TBR A. Colome 7 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, 4 K

May 27, 2012

Rays 14 - Twins 6
WP - J. McGee (6-1), LP - Z. Greinke (4-2), SV - N/A
HR - MIN D. Cooper (10), J. Hardy (4), H. Pence (12), TBR S. Rodriguez (11), B. Zobrist (9), C. Crawford (11)

Greinke got torched, allowing seven earned runs in 2.2 innings. The rest of the bullpen, aside from Sergio Romo who pitched three scoreless innings, didn't do much better. We're really reeling, having lost 6 of our last 7 games.

POTG - TBR C. Crawford 1-4, BB, 2 R, 4 RBI

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 25-22
4.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
2.0 GB of Texas Rangers for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 28, 2012

A's 3 - Twins 4
WP - A. Burnett (5-2), LP - C. Hamels (4-6), SV - J. Mijares (14)
HR - MIN C. Headley (10), T. Neal 2 (12), C. Parmelee (5)

We win our first game against the A's since our Game 5 loss in the ALDS last season. Neal rips two more homers, and Hanson pitches six innings, allowing three runs, and striking out eight.

POTG - MIN T. Hanson 6 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 ER, 8 K

May 29, 2012

A's 2 - Twins 10
WP - N. Blackburn (2-3), LP - D. Braden (5-3), SV - M. Guerrier (1)
HR - MIN K. Suzuki (2), C. Headley (11), T. Neal (13)

We roughed up ex-Twin reliever Jesse Crain for five runs when he came into the game in the 8th inning. Thomas Neal also continued his recent hot streak, hitting his team-best 13th home-run of the season. In his last ten games Neal is hitting .395/.452/.868 with six homers.

POTG - C. Headley 2-2, BB, R, HR, 4 RBI

May 30, 2012

A's 4 - Twins 2 (in extras)
WP - E. Ramirez (1-1), LP - M. Guerrier (1-1), SV - N/A
HR - OAK T. Buck (6)

Travis Buck and his propensity for clutch homers continue to plague me. Last season he got walk-off hits in games 1 and 5 of the ALDS, and tonight he hit the game-winning homer in the top of the 15th inning.

POTG - OAK T. Buck 1-6, game-winning 2-R HR in 15th inning

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 27-23
3.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
1.5 GB of Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

This season figures to be an exciting one, at this rate. At 25-26 Baltimore is still only 4 games out of the Wild Card, and Oakland, Texas, and Seattle are all within 1 games of each other out west. One thing that is surprising me, however, is the performance of the Blue Jays. They finished only a couple games out of a playoff spot last season, and I figured the addition of Joe Mauer would push them over the top. Instead, they're 19-33 and in last place in the American League East.

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ERA T. Lincecum 3.66 Wins S. Romo 5 Saves J. Mijares 14 AVG H. Pence .346 HR T. Neal 13 SB D. Span 8

Stats

Batting

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Player Name Team AB H HR RBI Avg OBP SLG SB CS Weeks, Jemile MIN 208 49 5 22 .236 .304 .346 2 1 Cooper, David MIN 207 55 10 41 .266 .335 .444 0 1 Span, Denard MIN 204 53 3 16 .260 .355 .343 8 1 Neal, Thomas MIN 195 61 13 31 .313 .403 .579 1 0 Hardy, J.J. MIN 190 50 4 20 .263 .302 .411 0 0 Headley, Chase MIN 185 59 11 35 .319 .366 .546 0 0 Parmelee, Chris MIN 181 47 5 21 .260 .350 .403 0 1 Pence, Hunter MIN 179 62 12 35 .346 .416 .626 4 3 Suzuki, Kurt MIN 145 34 2 20 .234 .302 .338 1 1 Morales, Jose MIN 31 9 1 7 .290 .324 .387 0 1 Casilla, Alexi MIN 10 3 0 0 .300 .364 .500 0 0 Plouffe, Trevor MIN 7 3 0 4 .429 .500 .571 0 0 Punto, Nick MIN 4 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Dinkelman, Brian MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Lincecum, Tim MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Greinke, Zack MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Hanson, Tommy MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Baker, Scott MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Blackburn, Nick MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Guerrier, Matt MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Nieve, Fernando MIN 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0

Pitching

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Player Name Team Starts W L ERA IP K SV CG OBA Lincecum, Tim MIN 11 3 5 3.66 71.1 77 0 2 .261 Greinke, Zack MIN 9 4 2 5.44 51.1 49 0 1 .250 Hanson, Tommy MIN 11 3 1 3.66 64.0 57 0 0 .234 Baker, Scott MIN 9 2 4 5.29 47.2 40 0 0 .255 Blackburn, Nick MIN 7 2 3 4.03 38.0 10 0 1 .293 Mijares, Jose MIN 0 0 1 1.74 20.2 15 14 0 .237 Romo, Sergio MIN 0 5 1 2.65 34.0 41 1 0 .213 Guerrier, Matt MIN 0 1 1 5.13 26.1 17 1 0 .290 Burnett, Alex MIN 0 5 2 2.86 28.1 17 0 0 .236 Farquhar, Daniel MIN 0 0 0 6.39 31.0 26 0 0 .254 Nieve, Fernando MIN 3 2 3 7.20 35.0 32 0 0 .324

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

Minnesota Twins 2012 Draft Review

Round #1 - CF Armando Reyna (67/84), 19 years old - Got some holes in his game. But he's got huge power potential, great speed, and good defensive potential. Also very advanced developmentally for his age.

Round #2 - RHSP John Bradford (56/85), 21 years old - Posted a 2.58 ERA in his last season of college ball. Good strikeout potential, along with good control, and two pitches that project to be very solid.

Round #3 - RHSP Gabe Thorington (54/82), 21 years old - Slightly less developed version of Bradford, also slightly lower peak. If pitching doesn't work out, potential exists for him to convert to a hitter.

Round #4 - RHSP Wade Klotz (51/81), 18 years old - Very healthy. Posted an ERA under 3.00 every year of high school after his freshman year. Similar vitals to Thorington and Bradford.

Round #5 - 3B Reggie Chakaryan (54/73), 17 years old - Could become a solid back-up third baseman at the major league level. At the very least, has good health so injuries shouldn't hinder development process.

Round #6 - LHSP Todd Pankey (50/72), 18 years old - Up and down high school career. Posted ERA of 6.79 freshman year, 2.26 sophomore, 3.94 junior, and 3.25 as a senior. Currently not much potential, but with four good pitches and solid vitals, that could change.

This draft was big for me. I needed to restock the farm system after trading so much of it to build the team I have now. The first round lacked prospects with massive potential at my pick, but I think I came out pretty well anyways. Got several good prospects into the system and started the process of rebuilding the farm from the ground up.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

May 31, 2012

Twins 2 - Mariners 3
WP - E. Bedard (6-1), LP - T. Lincecum (3-6), SV - D. Aardsma (16)
HR - SEA J. Guillen (5)

Lincecum pitched 6.2 innings, striking out 11, and allowing only three runs, but still gets his sixth loss of the season. He's pitched well almost everytime out this season, but we just can't get any runs for him. If we could get any runs for him, he could just as easily be 8-4 or 9-3 as he is 3-6.

POTG - MIN T. Lincecum 6.2 IP, 9 H, 0 BB, 3 ER, 11 K

June 1, 2012

Twins 4 - Mariners 1
WP - Z. Greinke (5-2), LP - F. Hernandez (2-5), SV - J. Mijares (15)
HR - MIN D. Cooper (11)

Three errors by the Mariners cost them the game. We got only one earned run off King Felix, but errors led to two more unearned runs, and negated his otherwise spectacular performance. Greinke was dynamite, himself, going seven innings, allowing one run, and striking out eight.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, ER, 8 K

June 2, 2012

Twins 1 - Mariners 7
WP - C. Lee (6-4), LP - T. Hanson (3-2), SV - N/A
HR - SEA J. Wilson (3), G. Halman (21)

What a sloppy game. Five errors combined between the two teams in the game, and errors led to five unearned runs scored by the Mariners against us.

POTG - SEA C. Lee 7 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, ER, 3 K

June 3, 2012

Twins 1 - Mariners 3
WP - M. Pineda (7-1), LP - S. Baker (2-5), SV - D. Aardsma (17)
HR - N/A

Errors, errors, errors! We committed two more errors in this game, leading to two unearned runs, which (wouldn't ya know it) was the difference in the game!

POTG - SEA M. Pineda 7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, ER, 3 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 28-26
4.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
4.0 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

June 4, 2012

Twins 0 - Angels 6
WP - T. Bell (1-3), LP - N. Blackburn (2-4), SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Bell went 8.2 innings of shutout ball with 7 K's. Meanwhile, Blackburn couldn't even make it through 4 innings before being pulled from the game.

POTG - LAA T. Bell 8.2 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 7 K

June 5, 2012

Twins 2 - Angels 3
WP - F. Wright (1-3), LP - T. Lincecum (3-7), SV - K. Jepsen (9)
HR - MIN C. Headley (12)

Lincecum loses yet another game despite a very good start. This time out he goes 6.2 innings and allowing three runs on nine hits. We're playing like complete crap right now.

POTG - LAA F. Martinez 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

June 6, 2012

Twins 9 - Angels 0
WP - Z. Greinke (6-2), LP - W. Smith (3-6), SV - N/A
HR - MIN J. Weeks (6), C. Headley 2 (14), T. Neal (14), J. Morales (2)

Greinke helps us get off our losing streak with a fantastic performance. He throws the complete game shutout, dropping his ERA to 4.28, giving up just five hits, walking one, and striking out ten. This win prevented us from dipping under .500 on the season.

POTG - MIN Z. Greinke CG, SHO, 5 H, BB, 10 K

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Minnesota Twins 29-28
6.5 GB of Detroit Tigers for first place in AL Central
5.0 GB of Boston Red Sox for first place in AL Wild Card
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thoughts

We're on an epic cold streak. We're 6-14 in our last 20 games. I can't really point to one thing and say that it's the reason we're losing. We're just being terribly inconsistent right now. If we pitch we don't hit, if we hit we don't pitch, and we never play the field well. The team has proven itself to be a second-half team since I've taken over, and hopefully that holds true again this season. Luckily we haven't fallen too far back yet.

Re: Minnesota - The Mauer Years

we'll call it the curse of mauer