AL Central Second-Half Preview
MINNESOTA TWINS
(39-53)
Jul 14, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Glen Perkins (15) and catcher Joe Mauer (7) celebrate the win against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Twins won 10-4. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Sadly for baseball, but a positive for the Minnesota Twins, is the second half of the season is beginning and having 39 wins doesn’t put them as the worst team in the division or the worst team in the AL.
Their season thus far has been pretty forgettable, right? Are they getting any better? I haven’t seen much of an improvement, but I haven’t watched every game of the Twins this season, either.
Having a .424 winning percentage puts the Twins fourth in the Central, two games better than the last-place White Sox. The Twins are below average at home (21-23) and even worse away when traveling away from Target Field at 18-30.
Minnesota’s run differential would be described as horrendous, but that’s too strong compared to some other teams in baseball, at -48 (379-427). On a positive, they’ve won their past two games played, but on a negative, they are 3-7 in their past 10 games as they trail the Tigers by 12 games.
Their numbers are underwhelming as a team, as they are 16th in runs (379), 20th in BA (.245), 15th in on-base percentage (.316) and 22nd in slugging (.386).
A very big plus for Minnesota is Joe Mauer, with the catcher hitting .320 for a team-high with 113 hits and a .402 OBP, both also leading the team. Justin Morneau has a team-high 52 RBIs, and Josh Willingham has the team home run lead at 10.
I know wins for a pitcher will be high or low depending on how well the team is playing as a whole … but the team lead in pitching wins for the Twins is Kevin Correia at six. He stands at 6-6 overall with a team-best 4.23 ERA and 62 strikeouts.
Glen Perkins at closer is a nice standout from this team with 21 saves.
I see Minnesota staying where they are in the division in fourth. They could fall down to fifth place, but that would take the White Sox winning more than once or twice a week. Minnesota has a two-game lead.