Liriano's No-No Provides Hope

Last night, in Chicago, Francisco Liriano pitched the fifth no-hitter in Twins history.

In a season that has been disappointing to say the least, last night was a light from a crack of the tunnel. With all but a handful of the Twins roster batting in the .100’s, injuries and illnesses striking starters (Mauer, Nishioka, Morneau, Young) and AAA rosters being presented on a nightly bases due to these misfortunes, it is no surprise to me why we are currently cellar dwellers.

As the 9th inning approached I found myself on the edge of my seat and my heart pounding. It felt like a game 7 of the World Series. But why? The Twins hold the worst record in baseball and we only have a 1 run lead in the toilet bowl.



It wasn’t a perfect game, that’s for sure. Liriano threw 123 pitches, 66 of which were strikes. These numbers are a bit deceiving considering he is a breaking ball pitcher, but on the contrary he only recorded only 2 strike outs. Francisco walked 6 batters in the game, one of which was a 4 pitch walk to Juan Pierre in the bottom of the 9th. On the bright side it looked as though the Sisco kid is finally grasping the idea that pitching to contact isn’t necessarily a bad trait.

Liriano has struggled medially throughout this young season (ERA 6.61). Unable to locate his slider and pushing his fastball, he continually finds himself getting into deep holes in the count which ultimately leads to walks and crooked number innings. All of these variables have led to the demolition of his confidence and swagger as a pitcher. With the return of Kevin Slowey later this week, it was considered that he would replace Liriano in the rotation. Due to the no-hit performance yesterday I think it’s safe to say that Liriano has saved a spot in the rotation for at least one more week.

Hopefully this win can catapult the Twins in the winning direction.

Jordan T.

Liriano Tosses No-No

Minnesota Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano has thrown the first no-hitter of 2011. Liriano walked six batters and threw 123 pitches but a no-hitter is a no-hitter.

The 27 year old southpaw came into the game with an ERA over 9.00 but was able to keep Chicago White Sox hitters off balance throughout the game. This is the first Twins no-hitter since the fellow left-hander Eric Milton did it against the Angels back in 1999.

The losing pitcher was Edwin Jackson, who through a no-hitter of his own last season. Jackson went eight innings and allowed six hits, one of which was a solo HR by Twins' DH Jason Kubel. You could argue that Jackson pitched better than Liriano aside from that one pitch.

The White Sox have become the first team in 2011 to be no-hit. They have all kinds of problems. They can't pitch or hit yet this year.

-Mitch

Twinkie Town

In a state that has become "loserville" U.S.A. the Twins seem to be the only team with a light at the end of the tunnel.

Last season ended like the previous, an American League Central Divisional title followed by a 3 game sweep of the hated New York Yankees. But, with the healing of injuries and experience knocked on our belt the 2011 season is one that contains promise. With such promise come high expectations.

The Minnesota sports mindset has turned to a "what next" approach. We're like that abused dog that keeps crawling back because it's all we know. Between the collapse of the Vikings, cellar dwelling Wolves, playoffless wild and continued meritocracy from University of Minnesota athletics it can't get any worse! Or can it?

The Minnesota Twins surged to a 94 win season in 2010 despite the loss of closer Joe Nathan in spring training (Tommy John) and star first basemen Justin Morneau (concussion) mid-season. Most cities would be satisfied with back-to-back division titles. Those days in Minnie are gone (for the Twins anyway).

The expectation and goal is, as it should be, to win the World Series. When Carl Pavano was interviewed this spring and asked about his and the teams success last season he responded with a "we need to take the next step and not be satisfied" response (in a handful of words). Thess are words you want to hear from your "Ace". This brings me to my next topic.

In an organization that has been built around pitching and defense, the one Achilles heel in this team is our rotation. While Francisco Liriano has the "Ace" caliber stuff and Carl Pavano has the grit, there is no true number one starter. A rotation that consists of Pavano, Liriano, Blackburn, Duensing and Baker is structured to absorb a 162 game schedule; unfortunately the playoffs aren't built in such format. This could very well be the demise of this ball club.

On the flip side if you can't score runs, you can't win games. The Twins look like they will be doing plenty of that this season. Span, Nishioka, Mauer, Morneau, Young, Kubel/Thome, Cuddyer, Valencia and Casilla has pitcher insomnia-type potential. Assuming Delmon Young, Danny Valencia and Jason Kubel take steps forward and not back; this lineup appears to be troublesome. Look for the Delmon to continue to thrive in the middle of murders row as well as the continued development of young Danny Valencia.

The Twins Bullpen is the team’s biggest question mark by far. With the return of closer Joe Nathan it is going to be interesting to see how much slack Gardy gives him in the early going. It was said that Nathan would be the closer with Capps getting opportunities along the way. However, I foresee a Matt Capps May. Outside of Capps and Nathan, you have Manship, Hughes, Mijares, Perkins and Slowey. Because of Slowey's ability to throw strikes I am one of the few that feels he will thrive in the pen. However middle relief help is scarce. Look for the Twins to make a move in June/July to improve in this area.

My dark horse pick is Kyle Gibson. The 23 year old, Missouri product is one of the top 35 prospects in baseball and is the future of the twins pitching staff. He is compared by many to Brad Radke. He throws a mid 90's fastball, a plus-plus slider and an above-average changeup. Although Gibson doesn't hone electric stuff, look for Kyle (much like Liriano and Santana before him) to make a bullpen appearance in late July.

At the end of the day baseball is a marathon that presents many pot holes and cups of coffee (Seinfeld reference: Jean-Paul Jean-Paul!) along the way. I believe the twins will complete the trifecta and bring home the American League Central Division title, but will need to make adjustments and tweaks to bring them to the next level.

Hopefully the Twins can bring a title to loserville!

Play Ball!

Jordan T.

Half Assed Preview: AL Central

I know that I put a certain number of wins on each team. I personally feel that's the lowest win total they will get by the end of September. For example, I predicted the Boston Red Sox would win 90 games, I think it could be 90-95 because if you add all the teams up it might not equal correct amounts. I might be doing my best Ted Mosby by over-thinking this, but like a lot of things I do on here, I don't care what you think. So let's get to the AL Central.

1.) Chicago White Sox:
Player I Love: Alex Rios (OF)- He hasn't put together a full season yet, but I think this is his year. Rios sprayed the ball throughout Comiskey in the beginning of the year, then fell off in the second half. I don't see that happening this year. Player I Hate: Jake Peavy (SP)- A softball response, but Peavy has to be considered a bust for the Sox. He has had injury trouble during his time on the Southside, and the White Sox gave up four players plus I believe they signed him to a big contract. Prediction: 92 wins, the Sox have a great middle of the order and even without Peavy, they have a strong pitching staff.

2.) Minnesota Twins: Player I Love: Brian Duensing (SP)- The young Twins' pitcher came on strong at the end of the year getting 11 wins. I know by advanced stats terms he got a bit lucky, but he does a great job keeping the ball inside the park. Player I Hate: Justin Morneau (1B)- I am starting to worry about him, it's hard to put your chips in severe concussed basket. He could have a good year, but I don't think he will ever be the player he once was in years past.  Prediction: 88 wins, this is your Wild Card team. They need the Two Joes (Mauer/Nathan) to stay healthy because if Mauer does, everything works offense. If Nathan does, they have a great bullpen.

3.) Detroit Tigers: Player I Love: Rick Porcello (SP)- He struggled a bit last season, but do people realize he is only 22 years old?  I think he can have a huge year for 8 Mile this summer.  Look for a bounce back year as he started to figure things out in August/September. Player I Hate: Miguel Cabrera (1B)- My fantasy baseball team is named Drunk at Miggy's but I worry he might have more personal issues that you or I know about. I said when he got the DUI, if he is the star of my team I would be worried sick.  Prediction: 84 wins, they have a stacked lineup and a pretty good pitching staff if a couple things work out. One, Brad Penny plays at a high level and Jose Valverde stays healthy.

4.) Kansas City Royals: Player I Love: Alex Gordon (LF)- Everyone rode this guys jock a couple years ago, and now he has moved positions. This could be a breakout year for him, or just another bust for the Royals. Gordon had an encouraging Spring Training though.  Player I Hate: Kyle Davies (SP)- There some funny names on the Royals roster like Jason Kendall and Melky Cabrera that I could make fun of, and I know Davies is a young pitcher but I see no upside. Prediction: 71 wins, the Royals are a year away from being the Tampa Bay Rays. Ned Yost is good for the job with all their farm talent coming up in the near future.

5.) Cleveland Indians: Player I Love: Carlos Santana (C)- No, not the one that plays guitar .When Santana came up last year, he lived up to the high expectations and then got his knee wrecked in Fenway. He will be the AL Rookie of the Year, no question about it. He is the next great catcher. Player I Hate: Chad Durbin (SP)- I don't know many guys on Cleveland so that might be a bad sign in the first place. But this joker is listed as a starter, and barely has any experience in this role, not good. Prediction: 67 wins, I believe this team will have a fire sale to try to get more young talent. Trade Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore if they are healthy by July.

-Charlie.