I realize the Twins had a really tough start to the schedule... 3 games at Toronto and then 3 at Cleveland, two teams that seem like they will be factors in the AL Playoff races this year, but still, 1-5 and last in the AL Central? That's a little disappointing.In contrast, the Indians (5-1) and Tigers (5-2) are off to very good starts, and the White Sox sit at 3-4, which puts the Twins 4 games back already, and the season's only a week old. It's way, way, way too early to panic, but this has not been very encouraging.
Last year, they combined a really good pitching staff with a really bad lineup. This year? Neither is producing. They're averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is passable, but that number is inflated because they put a 13 spot on Toronto in the second game of the year. Look at this line: .225 AVG/.270 OBP/.370 SLG. That's brutal. Pitching wise, they have a 5.88 ERA, which is partly effected by a couple of subpar starts by Johan and a terrible outing from Lohse.
The bright spots? Shannon Stewart and Fransisco Liriano. Stewart has an OPS over 1.000 and Liriano has pitched 4.2 shutout innings and looked fantastic during them. Let's just say that Kyle Lohse is feeling the pressure.
Other than that, not much to cheer about. And they need to start playing better, because their next two series' are vs. Oakland and vs. New York, meaning that if they continue on this slide, they could find themselves in a very big hole.
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