They came home after a west-coast swing trip, and they managed a sweep of the division rival Sox. Even more remarkable was that the lineup was able to solve Mark Buehrle after he set a record for no-hitter innings. Our classy fans gave him a standing O as he left the game; he gave a tip of the cap. If roles were reversed, I have trouble seeing the Sox fans giving an opposing pitcher a standing ovation.
Momentum was at a high for the Twin Cities ball players, until the Angels came into town. The red-hot visitors nearly set team records for runs and hits during their batting practice... er... I mean three-game sweep, against the Twinks. And all this without their stars Vlad and our beloved Torii Hunter.
The one-sided series holds too many bad stats, memories and pitching performances to relive all the numbers.
Talkin' Trades
The other big talk of the weekend was the July 31 trade deadline. I was surprised, as I'm sure a lot of people were, that GM Bill Smith got a deal done. I had heard from many that the Twins were working, but nothing was going to become official.
A deal did get done. Smith picked up 34-year-old Oakland shortstop Orlando Cabrera and some cash in exchange for a minor league infielder. Cabrera played in his first game as a Twin Saturday night.
So despite all the criticism and even comments from his All-Star players, Smith made a move to help improve the club. He gets a bit of credit for that. That's good...
BUT...
What about a pitcher? After the deadline passed, the Twins wasted no time showing the fans and front office that they are in need of a hurler.
Cabrera was signed just a couple hours short of the deadline. As if that wasn't close enough to the wire, then word was out that Smith was still working to try and land some bullpen help. Why didn't he get it done? Well, I'm sure time was a problem, but it sounds like the main reason was because he didn't want to give up too much, ie. prospects.
As a Twins fan, hearing about minor league prospects and developing your system from within can get a little old. There's some good to that, but sometimes you need to take a chance and give up something to get something.
I understand holding out for your players that are farm phenoms, but apparently the Twins have no one ready to make the jump to the majors. In other words, we have no backup, no help "from within." That leaves the Twins in a tough spot should a pile of injuries arise.
It's already happened some, with Kevin Slowey out for the year, and Francisco Liriano missing his last start due to an injury. You can't afford to just rely on what you have, unless you're not planning on contending down the stretch.
Many are saying the Twins are not a contending team this year. I agree to some extent, but you also have to look at these key factors: The Twins are in the worst division in baseball right now. Despite their .500 caliber and up-and-down play, they are only a few games out of first place. And during the last two months of the season, the team plays 40 out of 59 games against divisional opponents.
I don't think you can rule out the Twins yet, but a few more abismal series like they played against the Angels will have me throwing in the towel. And even if they manage to make the playoffs, they will have a nearly impossible feat in trying to win a series against the leagues top teams, like the Red Sox, Angels or the all-mighty, unbeatable-for-the-Twinks, New York Yankees.
After all, who wants to see a repeat of the one-sided series from this past weekend?
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