For the Twins, things just keep getting worse

Oh dear. If I thought the 2-4 start for the Twins was bad, it certainly hasn't gotten any better until this point either. From team-wide hitting slumps to injuries to blown saves, the Twins have provided their fans with a major slump to start off the first half of April.

The Twins haven't won a series yet, hold a 4-10 record, have lost four in a row and are in the American League Central Division basement. They have managed to win just one game in each series, and that's assuming they'll be able to salvage the final game of the four-game series in Tampa on Sunday.

I thought maybe the home opener last week would set a spark in motion for this ball club. While it did win its first game against Oakland, the hits and runs didn't get going until the eighth inning when they knocked in a couple for a 2-1 win on April 8.

Maybe the one bright spot in the homestand was a 4-3 walk-off win Tuesday over Kansas City when Danny Valencia came up with the bases juiced and knocked in the game-winning RBI single. But that game was followed up by a 10-5 loss.

Then the Twins went down to Tampa Bay to play in front of the huge crowds there. (Seriously, what's with the lack of interest in the Rays?) Tampa had also been struggling to score runs, so it was a battle between two teams looking to get the bats going. With three games in, Tampa has that battle won.

April 14, 2011: A day Twins fans would like to forget

Before the game even started, fans had reason to scratch their heads. Joe Mauer wouldn't be playing for the second game in a row because he needed to rest. That means Drew Butera was in, and therefore the Twins basically send eight guys to the plate.

Runs were hard to come by again, but Carl Pavano pitched a gem of a game, leaving after eight innings with a 2-0 lead. All they had to do was finish off the Rays in the ninth. Enter "closer" Joe Nathan.

With a couple guys on and a hard-hit double, the game was tied 2-2 through nine innings. That was blown save No. 1 of the night. Valencia again tried to be the hero with an RBI single in the 10th inning, but then Matt Capps (closer No. 2) allowed a walk-off two-run homer by Johnny Damon to give the Twins a tough 4-3 loss. Blown save No. 2 of the night.

Following the game, it was announced that Mauer would be going on the 15-day disable list with "bilateral leg weakness," whatever that means. So, not the greatest day for the Minnesota ball club.

More of the same on Saturday

After a 5-2 loss Friday night, the Twins fell again to the Rays as they did Thursday. Another blown save by Nathan, another starting pitcher with a no-decision (Scott Baker), another 4-3 loss, another walk-off hit from Damon. Capps gave up a run in the eighth for a 3-2 Twins lead when Nathan got the ball again in the ninth. The second pitch of the inning landed in the outfield seats to tie the score.

Nathan had trouble finding the plate, giving up two walks. He was yanked for Jose Mijares, who also had trouble finding the zone. With two runners on, both Nathan's responsibility, Damon struck again with an RBI single to right field. Blown save No. 2 on the season and the game's loss went to Nathan, who also has an 8.44 ERA.

What do I think?

I think the Twins are in a huge funk. We're now halfway through April and these guys aren't showing me anything. Batting averages are pathetic, especially so early in the year. And I know "the book" says you go to your closer in the ninth, but what if you don't have a closer? Nathan and Capps need to figure things out, and fast.

I also think it was a mistake to have Nathan step right back into the closer role after being off for a year due to surgery. He wasn't exactly lights-out pre-2010 either, always making his outings interesting.

Tommy John surgery isn't like flipping a switch. Have the Twins forgotten about Francisco Liriano's first year after TJ surgery? It wasn't too pretty. Give Nathan chances to pitch, just not as the closer.

Bottom line for this team is that the bats need to get going. Somebody needs to step up and start carrying these guys. Right now, I don't care about the "big picture" argument that it's early in the season and they'll come around. It's pretty tough to watch your team perform this way on a consistent basis right at the start of the season.

Not the best start to 2011 for the Twins

The Minnesota Twins have yet to play a game at Target Field this season, and it's already been a rocky road for them. They will kick off their first homestand with a 2-4 record following trips to Toronto and the dreadful New York.

I can hardly imagine a worse way to start the season than how the Twins started 2011 last Friday night against the Jays. What went wrong in that 13-3 loss? Well, let's see: A misplayed rundown, an error, a hit batter, walks, walking in a run following a double steal, a balk and giving up four runs. And that was just in the bottom of the first.

Yes, it was just the first inning of the first game of a 162-game season. But that first inning, and the whole game, was brutal. Baseball fans waited six months for this? With a 13-3 score, I won't go into the rest of the details.

Things didn't get better

Saturday's game really wasn't much different for the Twins. Sure, they didn't have all the first-inning "jitters," and the score was a bit lower. But the equation was the same: Poor pitching with little hit/run support.

They finally managed a win with a salvaged game on Sunday, as they barely hung on to win 4-3. Joe Nathan came in for his first appearence since his surgery last year, and he had to make it interesting. He loaded the bases and gave up a run before getting the save. Too close for comfort, yet again. Thanks to Denard Span for his homer in the eighth inning.

That's why they call it an insurance run.

New York, and why is Mauer being rested?

Then, it was off to the Bronx to play four games against the Yankees. It turned out to be three with a rain-out on Wednesday, but the game that the Twins won was a good one. They finally got a clutch hit when Delmon Young hit a bloop, bases-clearing double to tie the score late at 4 apiece. Joe Mauer knocked in the run in the 10th to give the Twins the 5-4 victory.

Speaking of Mauer, he was rested Sunday and manager Ron Gardenhire also wanted to rest him on Wednesday. I understand his injury-filled past, but it's early in the season. And, oh yeah, he's on a $184 million contract. Let him play.

I'd also be curious to know how much other catchers around the league are rested, since they are playing the same physically-demanding position.

Nishi heads to the DL

Bad news for the newbie Tsuyoshi Nishioka. He's going on the disabled list after getting taken out in the field by Nick Swisher sliding into second. The result was a broken fibula. I hadn't been too impressed with Nishi so far, but a few games is not enough to decide his worth. Plus, I think he definitely had some butterflies out there.

All the experts are pointing to a clean slide from the Yankee Swisher, and if the rule is that he needs to be able to touch the bag, then I agree that it was clean. But I still don't have to like it. He's a Yankee and as a baseball fan of any other major league team, I reserve the right to dislike anything relating to the Yankees.

That's just one of those unwritten rules of baseball, right?

It's been awhile, but at least I have a good reason

Wow, I can't believe I haven't updated my blog since Valentine's Day. I don't think I've ever let it go that long, but at least I have a good excuse... I landed a full-time job! I am now a news reporter with the Post-Bulletin in Austin, Minn. I moved down about a month ago and have been keeping busy with my new job and getting my apartment in order. Things are going well so far.

As far as sports go, that's what I have this blog for. So much has happened in the sports world that I don't know where to begin. I won't try to recap everything, so maybe I'll just make a list of some of the notable highlights and things on my mind sports-wise.

Tourney withdrawal

With the television set up I have at my new place, I don't get the Twin Cities local channels, which includes missing all the televised high school state tournament games. I was going through major high school boys' hockey withdrawal. Like many, the boys' state tournament is one of the greatest sporting events of the year.

I was able to catch a couple of games, including the instant-classic Class 2A final between Eden Prairie and Duluth East in multiple overtimes. From everything I read, it seemed as though the section playoffs and then the state tourney were just filled with great games.

Wild find a tailspin

Oh, the Wild. They were on the verge of making a push for the playoffs about a month ago. They were playing well. Then the blades came off. They started losing, and bad. These weren't close games. Two 4-0 games where they didn't show up at all, then an 8-1 beating at home.

I have gone back and forth all season with their up-and-down play and have said "they're done." Well, after their streak, I think it was a pretty safe bet that they were absolutely done. It was just bad. As in, Richards-might-get-fired bad.

Throwbacks

Awhile ago, I wanted to write an entry about throwback jerseys in professional sports. I don't know whose idea it was to start digging up all these jerseys from decades ago, but whoever it was started a huge fad.

Initially, I think the idea was kind of neat. Fans get to see some old-school jerseys for a nice change of scenery. But now I just think the concept is overdone and has lost all meaning. Teams are wearing throwbacks so much that it's really more annoying to try and figure out which teams are which in some cases. Of course, money makes the world go round.

With throwbacks, plus teams coming out with third jerseys or new jerseys altogether, organizations can market those to fans and make some more money. Whatever. They just don't mean much to me.

St. Thomas basketball: National champs

The St. Thomas men's basketball team won its first-ever NCAA DIII National Championship. I was keeping up with their run mostly through articles and social media. They had made deep runs the past few years, having a strong program, but they ultimately fell short. It was nice to see them bring some good sports news to Minnesota since the rest of the teams weren't doing anything.

IndyCar season has arrived

Last Sunday marked the start of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar season. The opener was on the streets of glorious St. Petersburg, Fla. It was 85 degrees and sunny (unlike the thunder and rain of last year that delayed the race until Monday). Yes, I was definitely jealous that I wasn't there in person.

I did get to watch the race in beautiful HD since I was visiting my parents for the weekend though. (But trust me, TV does not do those racing machines justice.) The start was a little rocky, with the new restart format. And just like last year, Marco Andretti was on his head in the first corner of the first lap of the season.

It was a pretty good race though, with the main highlight coming off the drive of Simona de Silvestro. She finished a career-best fourth and gave Tony Kanaan a run for third near the end. Last year's champion Dario Franchitti drove to victory lane.

Baseball season is here

Opening day has arrived for Major League Baseball. For some reason, baseball season snuck up on me this year. Maybe it was because I didn't pay attention to spring training, which doesn't mean much anyway. Or maybe it was for the same reason that I ignored this blog for so long, I was going a mile a minute with my new job and moving.

As for the Twins, we were all left with a bitter taste in our mouths after last season, which I will not get into. Their bullpen got a bit of a shakeup, they picked up a player from Japan, their starting rotation (though average) is intact from 2010.

Can they make a deep playoff run? I'll believe it when I see it. Last year was pretty crushing. I flipped through my Sports Illustrated and saw they have the Twins winning the division, but I think we all take that for granted.

A couple schedule notes: There seems to be a lot more four-game series than I remember, which I'm not initially a fan of. Also, since they are starting right at the beginning of April, they are also done playing regular-season ball before my birthday at the end of September. I don't remember that before either.

So, once again I write a lengthy post when I meant for it to be a bit shorter. That's just how I do things, I guess. I'll try to fuel my sports cravings with posts more often. Thanks for reading!