HITTING The Twins scored the third fewest runs in the AL last year (614) and didn’t do much to address the situation in the offseason. Sure, they signed reliable catcher Kurt Suzuki, but he’s a bottom-of-the-lineup guy. The biggest offensive positive from picking up Suzuki is Joe Mauer gets to move from catcher to first full time. That should save his legs a little and boost his already solid offensive numbers. The Twins are also hoping outfielder Josh Willingham has a bounce back season after hitting 21 fewer homers in 2013 than 2012 (35-14). But that’s no given. Oswaldo Arcia, 22, has shown flashes of offensive promise, but he’s young and still largely untested. Brian Dozier hit 18 homers last year, but there’s a lack of depth to the lineup behind Mauer, Willingham and Arcia. Even if those four perform well, the Twins will likely finish in the bottom third of the AL in runs, again. FIELDING The Twins are usually a reliable defensive team, and that shouldn’t change. Mauer has to make the adjustment from catcher to first; stretching for tight outs and digging bouncers out of the dirt. But he already started making the transition last year and was a Gold Glover behind the plate, so it shouldn’t take long. Dozier is one of the best defensive second basemen in the AL, and shortstop Pedro Florimon and third baseman Trevor Plouffe are pretty reliable. As for the outfield, they don’t make many mistakes (three errors last year). STARTING PITCHING This is where the Twins spent most of their money in the offseason, and their success largely hinges on how well the starting unit performs. Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes were both brought in to bolster a starting unit that produced the worst ERA (5.26) in all of baseball. Both Nolasco and Hughes have been successful in the majors before (Nolasco won 15 games with the Marlins, Hughes won 18 games with the Yankees), and the Twins are banking on their ability to return to form. Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey have also shown promise in the past but both are coming off down years. RELIEF PITCHING The Twins return the core of a bullpen that was one of the few bright spots in 2013. Former starter Glen Perkins, a lefty, is coming off an All-Star season where he saved 36 games and had a 2.30 ERA. Jared Burton and Casey Fien also proved reliable in the late innings, throwing career-highs of 66 and 62 innings respectively. Samuel Deduno could provide another strong arm to the pen and can be used in the starting rotation, and Caleb Thielbar is a solid situational lefty who doesn’t give up many hits. MANAGING Despite losing 90-plus games for a third straight season, the Twins gave manager Ron Gardenhire a two-year extension through 2015 in the off season. It was a surprising move considering the wide-spread speculation that Gardenhire was finished after last year. But he has earned leeway, having led Minnesota since 2002, AKA the glory years. General manager Terry Ryan hasn’t done much to make Gardenhire’s job any easier. But for a small-market team, developing and maximizing talent is paramount, so if Gardenhire can’t get that done soon, changes will be coming in Minnesota. DATE OPPONENT TIME Mon, 6/30 Royals 7:10p Tue, 7/1 Royals 7:10p Wed, 7/2 Royals 12:10p Thu, 7/3 Yankees 7:10p Fri, 7/4 Yankees 2:10p Sat, 7/5 Yankees 1:10p Sun, 7/6 Yankees 1:10p Mon, 7/7 at Mariners 9:10p Tue, 7/8 at Mariners 9:10p Wed, 7/9 at Mariners 9:10p Thu, 7/10 at Mariners 9:10p Fri, 7/11 at Rockies 7:40p Sat, 7/12 at Rockies 3:10p Sun, 7/13 at Rockies 3:10p Fri, 7/18 Rays 7:10p Sat, 7/19 Rays 6:10p Sun, 7/20 Rays 1:10p Mon, 7/21 Indians 7:10p Tue, 7/22 Indians 7:10p Wed, 7/23 Indians 12:10p Thu, 7/24 White Sox 7:10p Fri, 7/25 White Sox 7:10p Sat, 7/26 White Sox 6:10p Sun, 7/27 White Sox 1:10p Tue, 7/29 at Royals 7:10p Wed, 7/30 at Royals 7:10p Thu, 7/31 at Royals 7:10p DATE OPPONENT TIME Fri, 8/1 at White Sox 7:10p Sat, 8/2 at White Sox 6:10p Sun, 8/3 at White Sox 1:10p Tue, 8/5 Padres 7:10p Wed, 8/6 Padres 12:10p Thu, 8/7 at Athletics 9:05p Fri, 8/8 at Athletics 9:05p Sat, 8/9 at Athletics 8:05p Sun, 8/10 at Athletics 3:05p Mon, 8/11 at Astros 7:10p Tue, 8/12 at Astros 7:10p Wed, 8/13 at Astros 1:10p Fri, 8/15 Royals 7:10p Sat, 8/16 Royals 6:10p Sun, 8/17 Royals 1:10p Mon, 8/18 Royals 7:10p Tue, 8/19 Indians 7:10p Wed, 8/20 Indians 7:10p Thu, 8/21 Indians 12:10p Fri, 8/22 Tigers 7:10p Sat, 8/23 Tigers 6:10p Sun, 8/24 Tigers 1:10p Tue, 8/26 at Royals 7:10p Wed, 8/27 at Royals 7:10p Thu, 8/28 at Royals 7:10p Fri, 8/29 at Orioles 6:05p Sat, 8/30 at Orioles 6:05p DATE OPPONENT TIME Sun, 8/31 at Orioles 12:35p Mon, 9/1 at Orioles 12:35p Tue, 9/2 White Sox 7:10p Wed, 9/3 White Sox 7:10p Thu, 9/4 Angels 7:10p Fri, 9/5 Angels 7:10p Sat, 9/6 Angels 6:10p Sun, 9/7 Angels 1:10p Tue, 9/9 at Indians 6:05p Wed, 9/10 at Indians 6:05p Thu, 9/11 at Indians 11:05a Fri, 9/12 at White Sox 7:10p Sat, 9/13 at White Sox 6:10p Sun, 9/14 at White Sox 1:10p Mon, 9/15 Tigers 7:10p Tue, 9/16 Tigers 7:10p Wed, 9/17 Tigers 7:10p Fri, 9/19 Indians 7:10p Sat, 9/20 Indians 6:10p Sun, 9/21 Indians 1:10p Mon, 9/22 D-backs 7:10p Tue, 9/23 D-backs 7:10p Wed, 9/24 D-backs 12:10p Thu, 9/25 at Tigers 6:08p Fri, 9/26 at Tigers 6:08p Sat, 9/27 at Tigers 6:08p Sun, 9/28 at Tigers 12:08p
2014 Minnesota Gameday HQ Round 2
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