Series Wrapup

Twins 4, Jays 3
Twins 8, Jays 9 (13 innings)
Twins 4, Morneau 3, Jays 2

Now THAT, friends and neighbors, is what TBL likes to see. A series win--the third in a row!--and the lone loss a close one indeed. Highlights of the series included Justin Morneau, Carlos Silva's 7-inning, 2-run start, two sizzling saves by Joe Nathan, Michael Cuddyer's career high 5-RBI game, and the major league debut of lefty relief pitcher Jason Miller, who tossed a perfect inning.

The only real blot on a lovely series was Ramon Ortiz's start. For those of you who weren't paying attention, he started the game in which the Jays scored a lot. He made a fabulous beginning with the Twins, but even TBL's irrational goodwill has worn down to tattered shreds in the last month. Observe:

Month	Starts	W	L	ERA	IP	ER	H	BB	HR	WHIP
April	5	3	1	2.57	35.0	10	28	6	3	0.97
May	5	0	3	10.97	21.1	26	40	5	6	2.11

Looks like the lines for two different pitchers, doesn't it? One disturbing note, given the current condition of the Twins' bullpen, is that he averaged 4 1/3 innings per start in May. The mind boggles.

That wouldn't have been acceptable with a healthy bullpen, but when we've got three relievers on the DL? Something must be done. I would suggest that Ortiz come down with a strained quad or somesuch, go on the DL, and use those 15 days to pull himself together while the Twins avail themselves of the red-hot arm of Kevin Slowey.

The coaching and managerial staff have been, as one would expect, evasive on the subject of why Ortiz has taken such a nosedive. After this last start, however, Gardenhire was making noises about "seeing where we're at" with Ortiz, which one can only assume means re-evaluating his presence in the rotation. His next scheduled start is on Friday; TBL intends to keep a close eye on the whereabouts of Slowey in the meantime.

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Up next: the despicable Whine Sox

5/28, 1:10
Jose Contreras, RHP (4-4, 3.71) vs. Johan Santana, LHP (5-4, 3.05)

5/29, 7:10
John Danks, LHP (3-4, 3.78) vs. Boof Bonser, RHP (3-1, 3.88)

5/30, 12:10
Jon Garland, RHP (3-3, 3.43) vs. Scott Baker, RHP (1-0, 3.29)