Author: David Shama

Someone wrote a book explaining that all you need to know you learn in kindergarten.  I bring this up as a way of introducing a mid-term evaluation of the Minnesota Twins.  In the spirit of early childhood education, we’ll do our grading with either an “H” (happy face), “S” (sad face), or “H/S” (combo platter).

On Sunday, the Twins played their last game before the all-star game break.  On their way to finishing a 162-game schedule, they’ve already played 95 games, winning 53 and losing 42.  That record has placed them in second place in the American League Central, 1.5 games behind Chicago.  Overall, they have the fourth best record in the American League, while a year ago at this time the Twins were 48 and 43, six games out of first place.

Around the start of the 2008 season, Sports Headliners was part of a chorus that predicted a .500 season.  So far the chorus has been off key.  Give the Twins a hallelujah and happy face for their record.

It’s a little early in his career, and construction costs are increasing, but with a small amount of hyperbole we suggest building a monument to Ron Gardenhire at the new ballpark.  Building a monument for a manager is unusual; constructing one for a pitching coach might stretch the imagination of a kindergartner.

But go ahead.  Build monuments to both Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson.  The two are reincarnated country doctors who saved lives and patched up cowboys in the old west with nothing more than clean bandages and bad whiskey.  They’ve taken a team with five or six new positional players and a rebuilt starting pitching staff, and patched those pieces with other odds and ends, and maneuvered the group into contention (so far) for a division title. H+ for Gardy and Andy.

Since last year management has been busy sending players in and out of town with trades, recalling players from the minor leagues, plus free agent acquisitions, and signing Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and Joe Nathan to contract extensions.  For its collective work, we’ll give management a combo rating, “H/S.”

Happy to watch Nathan close out games in the ninth, almost making the Twins unbeatable in the last inning.  Happy to have Morneau for several more years, an all-star first baseman with 14 home runs (best on the team), 68 RBI (third in the American League) and a .323 batting average (second best in the league).

Happy to have baseball’s best catcher in Joe Mauer (third in the league with a .322 average) and see the farm system develop new starting pitchers Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Glen Perkins and Kevin Slowey, and also second baseman Alexi Casilla who has been a catalyst for hitting, fielding, and running the bases since being recalled from Rochester.  Our smile isn’t so big but we can still give a lower case “h” to newcomers Delmon Young, Denard Span, and Brendan Harris, and veterans Nick Punto (the play-anywhere infielder who found his bat after a dismal 2007) and Jason Kubel (second in home runs with 13).

Inexperienced players are erratic and that description fits Casilla, Gomez and Young.  Particularly aggravating has been Gomez’s lunging at bad pitches and Young’s miniscule total of three home runs.

We’re handing out “S’s” to infielder Mike Lamb (.220 average in 65 games) and Adam Everett (.189 average in 25 games), and outfielder Michael Cuddyer (.252 average, three home runs in 62 games).  Everett and Cuddyer have missed a lot of the season because of injuries, and even when healthy were disappointing.   At 29-years-old, with a big contract, and Span excelling in right field, Cuddyer might be trade material in the months ahead.

Another “s” word comes to mind when sometimes describing the team’s relief pitching in the mid to late innings.  Shaky.  If the Twins are going to beat baseball’s best teams, they need better results than Mike Bass and Matt Guerrier delivered in a Red Sox sweep of the Twins last week.  Boston scored 25 runs, and won two of the three games because Twins relief pitchers didn’t deliver.

The Twins score lots of runs (fourth in the American League with 464) but they’re way short on long balls that can decide games quickly.  They don’t matchup in power to the American League’s top playoff contenders.  The Twins are tied with Toronto for fewest home runs in the league, 65 each.  For run scoring the Twins receive an “H,” but the power outage draws an obvious “S.”

When it comes to winning, a team’s performance is influenced by who the opposition is and where the game is played.  The Twins wore a happy face as they built baseball’s best interleague record this season, winning 14 of 18 versus National League teams.  In the Central Division, the Twins are 27-17.  But against East Division teams they are 7-12 and 5-9 versus the West Division clubs.

The Twins have played 50 of their 95 games at home.  They’re 32-18 at home and 21-24 on the road.

Give the Twins an “H” for cleaning up on the inferior National League, defeating their Central Division rivals, winning at home and being on a roll in recent weeks winning 19 of their last 25 games.  But after the all-star break and through August the Twins play seven series on the road and six at home, with the competition including two series with the Yankees, and one each with division leaders Chicago and Los Angeles.

That period will determine whether the Twins stay in contention.  If not, pull on a cap with a big “S” on it.

We thought before the season the Twins were a second or third tier club because of the unsettled number of everyday players and the inexperienced starting pitching.  We have that big “S” cap in the closet and hope it stays there.  Right now we’re wearing one with an “H” on it.