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Three reasons for Twins fans to be optimistic - part two
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AP Photo/Jim Mone
Yesterday, in first installment of a three-part series, we looked at the middle of the Twins' order as a reason to be optimistic heading into summer. In the part two, we'll examine another aspect of the Twins' roster which provides some hope for the team this season.
2. Slowey and Blackburn. It was assumed going into the season that the starting rotation was going to be a strength of the Twins. With Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano, Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey, and Glen Perkins all returning from the 2008 squad which lost to the Chicago White Sox in game #163, it was easy to see the optimism. With Baker being the oldest at age 27, this starting staff had to be considered one of the best young staffs in the AL.
Unfortunately, baseball is played between the lines, and the starting rotation has taken its lumps in the first nine weeks of the season. Baker and Liriano have disappointed, going a combined 4-11 with a 6.40 ERA in 18 starts. Perkins is on the disabled list with left elbow inflammation, and was 0-2 with a 9.78 ERA over his last five starts before the DL. During that time, he gave up 34 hits and 25 runs in just 23 innings of work. The five-game skid completely erased a fine first three starts of his season, where he went 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA, going 8 innings in each start and allowing just 16 hits and 4 runs over those 24 innings of work.
The performances of Blackburn and Slowey have stabilized the rotation of late. Blackburn has arguably been the Twins' most consistent starter all season. His 3-2 mark with a 3.83 ERA in nine starts has provided the consistency he showed all last season. Throw out the clunker he had against Detroit on May 5 and the righty has not allowed more than 4 earned runs in any start this season. His strikeout to walk ratio is a little high at 25:17 (it was 96:39 last year), but he has seriously curtailed his home runs allowed. After surrendering 23 homers in 193.1 innings as a rookie in 2008, Blackburn has served up only 4 gopher balls in his 56.1 innings thus far in 2009. Blackburn's the kind of pitcher who will give up his share of hits (59 in 56.1 innings this season), won't miss a lot of bats (only 25 strikeouts in his 9 starts), but will eat innings and give his team a chance to win. He has consistently done that thus far in 2009.
Slowey has rebounded from a rocky start to provide the Twins with a solid performance in the middle of the rotation. Despite starting the season with a 4-0 mark over his first five starts, Slowey's ERA was 5.17 and he had allowed 44 hits and 5 homers in 31.1 innings of work. Since then, Slowey has gone 2-1 over four starts with an ERA of 3.00, scattering 29 hits but allowing just 8 runs over 24 innings. More impressively, he has walked just 2 batters and struck out 16 over the same span. Like Blackburn, Slowey will allow a lot of hits (73 in 55.1 innings in 2009), but will miss a few more bats (39 strikeouts) than Blackburn and does not walk anybody (only 4 walks all season). He has stabilized his season and the Twins absolutely need him to continue his form.
Blackburn and Slowey have provided the Twins will consistency in the middle of the rotation. If the Twins can get the top of the rotation going - read as Baker and Liriano - they'll settle down and be in the hunt in the AL Central this summer.
Monday's Game Recap: Francisco Liriano was shaky again and the Twins lost to the Red Sox - for the third time in 2009 - 6-5. Liriano allowed a staggering 11 hits and 5 runs in just 4 innings of work. He worked himself into trouble in innings 2-4 and never recovered. R.A. Dickey kept it close for 4 innings, allowing only a Jeff Bailey home run in the 8th inning. Luis Ayala's latest putrid outing (1 out, 2 hits) was saved by Sean Henn getting the final two outs of the 9th inning to keep the game 6-3.
Joe Mauer was given the day off after 19 consecutive starts and hit a pinch-hit two-run shot off Jonathan Papelbon in the 9th to cut the deficit to just one run. With two outs, Delmon Young flew out to right to end the game, but Mauer's incredible streak continued.
Mauer is now hitting .444/.530/.914 through 23 games. With homers in his last three games, Mauer now has 11 on the season, surpassing his career totals for all but 2006, when he hit 13. He also has 31 RBI on the season. One has to wonder how his numbers would look if he hadn't missed all of April, but we're clearly watching one of the greatest offensive performances in Twins' history. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Blackburn takes the hill tonight against Boston's Jon Lester, as the Twins look to get back on track.
In the Meantime......:Aaron Gleeman has analysis of a bunch of timely Twins topics; LaVelle has updates on the hand injuries to Mauer and Crede; Injury of the year, thus far; Over the Baggy examines whether the team has a true leadoff hitter; Nick Nelson laments on the disappointing batting order on Monday; Josh's Thoughts sings the praises of Joe Crede; Fanatic Jack thinks the Twins were "punished" by sitting Mauer and Crede Monday; Twinkie Town wonders if signing Crede was Bill Smith's best move to date; Seth Stohs has minor league updates.
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