John Shipley, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn. –
Here is our Twins midseason report card, with statistics through Wednesday, July 4, the midpoint (81 games) of the season:
OFFENSE: B-
The Twins’ batting average of .257 ranks 16th among 30 major league teams, and they’re 16th in runs batted in (331). That’s all pretty average, and their 71 homers rank 24th. The reality, though, is they hit well enough to be a better team than this.
DEFENSE: B
The Twins were among the three worst defensive teams in baseball last season; this season, they’re tied for 12th in fewest errors (48), and they rank 11th in fielding percentage (.985) and No. 1 in double plays (98).
STARTING PITCHING: F
Lousy by any standard, the rotation ranks dead last in strikeouts (258) and in the bottom three in earned-run average (5.90), batting average (.305), hits (524) and innings pitched (4271/3). The Twins have used 10 starters, and almost all of them have been inadequate. Only Scott Diamond (7-3, 2.62 ERA) has been consistently good.
BULLPEN: B
The relievers rank among the leaders in only one category, innings pitched (2892/3), where they’re third, but that’s the most relevant number. Despite that workload, the bullpen has been remarkably stout, 14-7 with a 3.57 ERA and 20 for 24 in save opportunities.
MANAGER: B
The 2011 team spun out of control and was playing out the string by mid-July. This team has a work ethic, grinding out respectability after an insurmountably bad April.
From May 16 until July 4, they were 25-20 despite one of the worst starting rotations in baseball. Ron Gardenhire deserves credit not only for boosting morale but piecing together some wins.
MANAGEMENT: C+
It’s hard to argue with most of the offseason acquisitions; from Josh Willingham and Jamey Carroll to Jared Burton and Ryan Doumit, they have been generally productive. Still, someone needs to take the blame for that rotation. Injuries weren’t Terry Ryan’s fault. Releasing Jason Marquis too soon was.
OVERALL: C-
The Twins are playing winning baseball since mid-May, rallying from a 6-16 April. But it’s a Sisyphean task. No matter how high they push that rock, with this rotation — or lack thereof — they seem destined to stay at the bottom of the American League Central.
