I figured maybe the Twins were due for a bad game after such a great game Friday shutting out the Rangers. Boy, was I wrong -- but then just about everyone's been wrong about the team this wrong.
The Twins won, 14-2, smashing 16 hits. Small ball? Forget it. The Twins hit four homers, one a titanic shot by Delmon Young.
In 35 games since June 1, Young is batting .350 with 10 doubles, four homers and 24 RBIs. Said Gardenhire of his homer to center field: "That just tells you how much he has inside of him."
Also going deep were Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Brian Buscher.
Mauer went two for three with three runs and three RBIs. Morneau was two for four with two runs and five RBIs. Young, who boosted his average to .299, was two for four with two runs and two RBIs after going four for four Friday.
Carlos Gomez broke out of his slump, going two for four with two runs and an RBI, and Denard Span was two for four with two runs.
Lost in the offensive shuffle was a good outing by Livan Hernandez, who must hear the creeping footsteps of Francisco Liriano in the minor leagues. He allowed only five hits and two runs, both earned, in seven innings. (Still, his ERA is the highest among the starters at 5.29, though his record is a healthy 10-6.
Finally the White Sox lost, so the Twinkies are only a half-game behind. The Twins, 23-7 since mid-June are only a game back of the Red Sox for the Wild Card -- and are tied in the loss column.
The Twins have considered making some roster moves, and have some tough decisions.
One guy they've shown interest in is the Mariners' Adrian Beltre. But Buscher's played well at third and is hitting .330. How do you bench the guy?
Then there's the Francisco Liriano issue. He's been great in the minors --- 7-0 in his past nine starts, with a 2.93 ERA. But who do you take out of the rotation?
The logical guy would be Hernandez. But his record is good, and he's provided veteran leadership for a young Twins rotation. And how can you do anything when the team is on such a roll?
On Sunday, Vicente Padilla faces off against the Twins' Scott Baker, arguably the ace on the team. Baker has a 3.47 ERA and is 6-2, good numbers.
