The Minnesota Twins have brought themselves back into contention. As I write this, they are five games back of Cleveland and Detroit in the American League Central Division. They have come from close to despair, into a respectable position in the division race.
It is not yet time to order playoff tickets, but fan anxiety has lessened. It was a tough three and half months testing the will of all true believers and casual fans alike. But the Twins have now reached a point where they can lose a game, accept it and move onto the next game. One thing about baseball, unlike football, another game is immediately on the horizon and you don’t get to spend a lot of time brooding about the previous day’s loss.
The first-place Cleveland Indians are coming to town and there is some anxiety on both teams for if the Indians lose all four that would cut their lead to one game. That’s hard to believe after Cleveland’s great start and the Twins’ terrible April and May. Conversely, if the Twins lose four games to the Tribe, the Twins will be nine games back and their sterling play of the past month and a half will be largely undone. I don’t think this catastrophe is going to occur. The pressure is not on the Twins, it is on the Indians. As Michael Cuddyer stated recently, "It is easier to come from behind than it is to be the leader." Why? I’m not sure and I guess I would have to ask a sports psychologist to really know, but it seems to me that it is more difficult to defend than to attack. That aggressiveness is on the side of the attacker, not the defender. Another factor that may play into the next Cleveland and Detroit series is momentum. The Twins have it and once you start the ball rolling, it is easier to keep it rolling that to stop it. Teams start to believe in themselves and right now the Twins are full of positives.
Cuddyer has shown the way with clutch hitting. He has come through on numerous occasions and others have followed suit. Another positive for the team is their little weak-armed rookie Ben Revere. He has brought to the Twins what shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka was expected to provide: waking up the team with spark and dazzle and proving that you didn’t need three-run homers from the absent Jason Kubel and Justin Morneau to score runs and win. Revere has proven to be a catalyst, causing good things to happen at the top of the lineup. He has become what we all hoped from one-time Twin Carlos Gomez. If I was an opposing pitcher, I would rather have Joe Mauer or even Jim Thome batting. He is a disturbance at the plate and on the base paths.
Given Revere, Mauer’s play of late, Delmon Young’s hot streak, Cuddyer’s leadership, Alexi Casilla’s summer play, what’s not to like? And don’t forget we have Span, Kuble and Morneau waiting in the wings. Morneau is not due back for another month, but there will be more than a month and a half left in the season when he does come back. I hope Manager Ron Gardenhire is able to find room for Revere when the team is at full strength.
Things are beginning to come together for our Twins and they are looking more and more like a team that will be able to handle some losses in exchange for many more wins.
