Curiouser and Curiouser...

"This losing streak is bad for the fans...but look at it this way. We're making a lot of people happy in other cities."
--Ted Turner

What an odd week it's been in Twinsland. It felt like a bad week, but it was a .500 week. The numbers were (by and large) very good, the results were (by and large) mediocre. Strange reversals occurred--Ponson looked like an honest-to-gosh major league pitcher out there, while Nathan blew a save. Punto hit like a madman, while the formerly red-hot Cuddyer started to slump before somersaulting down the basepath and into a back injury.

The Twins lead the league in hitting over the last seven days but stranded 60 baserunners. That is not a typo--sixty. They were second in pitching (behind the Royals; truly the Apocalypse is nigh), but lost half their games. Joe Nathan and Jesse Crain each picked up a loss in relief, while Carlos Silva and Sidney Ponson reeled in wins. The team committed three errors (all of them last night), but allowed only one unearned run.

They won in blowouts and lost in close games, and while blowouts are fun, those close games are what get you to the postseason...or not. There's no reason to worry (yet), but a little consistency will go a long way against the Red Sox this weekend. The Twins need to turn their rather dismal home record around and remember that what they do on the field is the only thing that can make up for suffering through Dome food and the Dome itself.

TBL will be there on Saturday to personally witness the en fuego-ness of Johan Santana. Woo-hoo!

Probables

5/4:
BOS - Tim Wakefield, RHP (2-3, 2.59)
MIN - Carlos Silva, RHP (2-1, 3.10)

5/5:
BOS - Julian Tavarez, RHP (1-2, 7.58)
MIN - Johan Santana, LHP (3-2, 3.60)

5/6:
BOS - Curt Schilling, RHP (3-1, 3.15)
MIN - Sidney Ponson, RHP (2-3, 6.67)