It's hard to imagine how Sunday could've gone better than it did for the Twins.
With a win over the Indians, 6-2, and a White Sox loss, the Twins are in first place for the first time in what seems like forever.
That's not all. Francisco Liriano had a terrific return to the major leagues, allowing three hits and no runs in six innings. (One could ask why the Twins waited so long -- Livan Hernandez, who was designated for assignment, has had some awful starts lately. He lost the only game vs. the White Sox recentlly, and had a bad outing against the Indians that resulted in a loss.)
The Twins have not been a great power team, but Denard Span and Brendan Harris went deep Sunday. Span is hitting .315 and has been great in the field.
If you look at team batting averages, you see one great asset: There's no real weak spot in the lineup. Span's done so well he's now leading off. Nick Punto, .284. Mike Redmond, replacing Joe Mauer for a day, is hitting .270. Justin Morneau, at DH on Sunday. didn't have a hit or an RBI but is still hitting .313. Jason Kubel, in left Sunday, .260. (Delmon Young, the usual left fielder, is hitting .293.)
OK, Mike Lamb is not great -- playing first Sunday, he's hitting .229. Third baseman Brian Buscher is hitting .314. Harris is hitting .259, which is good enough for a shortstop. Carlos Gomez has seen his average dip to .255, which is why he's hitting ninth, but he figures to learn and improve.
Most people thought the Twins would have strong pitching. What's been surprising is how many runs the team has scored.
What a great boost Liriano should provide. Remember that he's replacing Hernandez's 5.50 ERA, which had dropped recently. He's a big upgrade, and the move means the Twins have five good pitchers in their rotation.
It also means the entire rotation is young and relatively inexperienced. That might hurt at the end of the year or in the playoffs. Before the season I wondered if the Twins might be a year away. Maybe that was too pessimistic a view, maybe it's not. We'll see.
The Twins play at Seattle, at Kansas City, and then the Yankees at home. That third series will be crucial. That will be a good test for the Twinkies.
Glen Perkins pitches Monday against Miguel Batista.
