The hometown Twins (38-47) are heading to Chicago to take on the Mighty Whities (43-45) in the final series before the All-Star break. There hasn't been a season in which Twins fans have scoreboard watched this much before the break in recent memory. In one of the weakest divisions in baseball, Twins fans have been teased into thinking the team is still in the division race.
If that were the case, this is a huge series for both clubs. Minnesota has one six of its last eight games, but the starting lineup is still riddled with injuries.
Denard Span, Jason Kubel and Justin Morneau -- three huge contributors -- are sidelined indefinitely with injuries that vary in severity.
Scott Baker, the team's first-half ace, has a mild forearm and elbow strain and though not believed to be serious, will cause him to miss a start Sunday before the break against the Pale Hose.
The Twins have been one of the best team's in baseball since June 1 and manager Ron Gardenhire deserves a lot of credit for continually winning with what most people consider a Triple-A lineup. That streak has gone largely unnoticed by national pundits and constant injury battles have dampened optimism within the state. Do they have enough healthy bodies to make a run at the Central?
This weekend could be an indication of which way the team is heading in the second half.
No comments:
Post a Comment