Stop the presses. After yet another bleak beginning, the Twins rallied behind the bats of Delmon Young and Joe Mauer (and scary Yankee relief pitching!) to move to 2-3 on the year. I know it is early, but 2-3 just looks and feels an awful lot better than 1-4.
Some notes:
Denard Span is off to a good start offensively. His re-emergence as an above average leadoff man is vital for the Twins season, especially since his spot in the lineup is so irreplaceable (even Mauer has Young as a replacement in the 3-spot).
The offense is still fairly anemic. Granted the "A" lineup has rarely been used, but the production from the 2-8 spots is a bit scary right now. If Cuddyer and Kubel really do repeat (or regress further) last year's performance, the Twins may be in some trouble. Thome's OPS is unlikely to top .900 this year. Morneau's productivity is in doubt and .900+ is also very uncertain for him. He was a beast for the first half of last year and carried the team at times.
Matt Capps looks good. That two inning outing should restore some confidence in the back end of the bullpen, especially given . . .
Joe Nathan had a Nathan-like close last night. He still is hitting even 92 mph, but he hit his spots last night. Perhaps the confidence boost is all he will need.
Tonight the Twins face Freddy Garcia. Mauer, Kubel, and Young have murdered Garcia in their careers. Thome draws a lot of walks off of him. Cuddyer has really struggled against him. Let us hope that Gardenhire will choose wisely here. Cuddyer's bat on the bench for a proper pinch-hitting opportunity late in the game is simply just a better idea than trotting him out there to face a RH pitcher who he has had a bad history with.
Tomorrow, minor league baseball starts!
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