It's tough to be real enthusiastic about Tuesday's 2-1 win over the hapless Washington Nationals of the National League.
Sure, the Twins won, 2-1, and Livan Hernandez had a decent outing after being horrible recently. But they should win all their interleague games. The Nats are terrible.
How well did the American League do against their NL opponents? The AL teams won 10 of 12 games against NL teams Tuesday. The League is better. Period.
So I don't think the win has much meaning. Still, let's savor it a moment.
Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer each had good games, with Morneau hitting a two-run homer and Mauer getting two hits.
Hernandez had his best outing in some time. That's not saying much -- he was horrible the past few starts.
Matt Guerrier and Joe Nathan were strong coming out of the pen.
But since their division rival Chicago also won, they're only in the same place they were before. And they should be worried.
The Tigers are on a hot streak. They've won eight of 10 and are tied with Cleveland (which lost), just six and a half games behind the White Sox.
It would be great if the Twins could put together a long winning skein. But I don't know how likely that is.
The Twins are still maddeningly inconsistent. They play well one game, then look horrible the next. The have a great series against the Red Sox at home, and then are blown out in Chicago.
They're a pretty good team at home but have had trouble on the road. You can't be swept by a division rival.
And now it's not just the White Sox. The Tigers are nipping at their heels.
Let's look at the schedules for the teams. What chance do the Twins have of winning several games in a row?
We'll know a lot more about this team in the next month.
After the home series against the Nats, the Twins play Arizona at home. Then it's at San Diego, at home against Milwaukee -- and then the toughest stretch of the season. Minnesota plays Detroit and Cleveland, then at Boston and at Detroit.
Following the all-star break, the team then plays Texas at home; at the Yankees; at Cleveland; and then at home against the White Sox and Cleveland.
Whew! Will be the Twins be up to the challenge -- or will it be time for the yearly fire sale?
I'm a longtime cynic. I don't think they can hold up against the White Sox, Tigers, Indians, Red Sox and Yankees. But I'd love to see the team prove me wrong.
Keywords: Minnesota Twins
