Kuzul

For the past two seasons, 162 games were not enough to crown the AL Central Division Champion.

In 2008, the Chicago White Sox hosted game 163 at U.S. Cellular Field, defeating the Minnesota Twins 1-0 on a Jim Thome home run. 

In 2009, the Detroit Tigers were leading the division by three games with a mere 10 games remaining, including a four game against the second place Twins.

After splitting the series with the Twins, Detroit only needed win two of three from the Chicago White Sox ensuring them the AL Central title. Even if they only won one of the three, Minnesota would have to sweep the Kansas City Royals to tie the Tigers.

The Tigers failed. Game 163 was played at The Metrodome, where nine innings were not enough to decide the division.

The Twins ended up winning in the bottom of the 12th.

What are the chances that the Minnesota Twins are heading for a third straight game 163 to decide the AL Central?

The Twins currently hold a three-and-a-half game lead over Chicago, and a nine-game lead over Detroit.

At this point in the season in 2009 the Tigers had a larger lead at four-and-a-half games over the Twins, and a five-game lead over the White Sox.

Detroit finished the 2009 season 18-17.

The Twins went 22-12.

Both teams ended up at 86-76.

Here’s a look at the remaining schedules for the Twins, White Sox, and Tigers. All three teams have 11 series remaining in the season.

Minnesota Twins

On the road (15 games): Seattle, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, and Kansas City.

Current road record: 32-33

At Target Field (19 games): Detroit, Texas, Kansas City, Oakland, Cleveland, and Toronto.

Current home record: 40-22

For the Twins, only four of their remaining series are against teams with a winning record, and only Chicago and Texas are in the hunt for the playoffs.

The Twins will continue to play well at home, while playing .500 baseball on the road.

Prediction: 20-14 down the stretch finishing at 92-70 overall.

Chicago White Sox

On the road (16 games): Cleveland, Boston, Detroit, Oakland, and Los Angeles.

Current road record: 32-33

At U.S. Cellular Field (19 games): New York, Kansas City, Minnesota, Detroit, Boston, and Cleveland.

Current home record: 36-25

The White Sox have 10 games remaining against the Yankees and Red Sox, both with better records than any team in the AL Central currently.

They have the advantage of hosting the Twins in their final three meetings of the season, although Minnesota has already won the season series, and would host the tie-breaking game, if necessary. 

Like the Twins the White Sox struggle on the road, and with trips to Boston, Oakland, and Los Angeles, even a .500 record will be difficult. 

Prediction: 18-15 to finish the season at 87-73 overall, four games behind the Twins.

Detroit Tigers

On the road (22 games): Toronto, Minnesota, Kansas City, Texas, Chicago, Cleveland, and Baltimore.

Current road record: 20-39

At Comerica Park (13 games): Chicago, Baltimore, Kansas City, and Minnesota

Current home record: 43-25

The Tigers have the best home record in the AL Central, and the worst road record of the three teams competing for the division.

There are just not enough home games for the Tigers, and with the toughest remaining schedule, there is no way they climb back into the race.

Prediction: 15-20 to end the season at 78-84, 14 games behind the Twins.

There’s no need for an extra game, as the Twins give manager Ron Gardenhire his sixth division title in nine years.

Although, anything can happen, just ask a Detroit Tiger fan.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

For the Minnesota Twins, 2010 has been a roller coaster ride for the starting pitching staff.

It’s been almost a different pitcher stepping up to lead the club every month. 

Of late, Carl Pavano appears to be ready to settle into the ace of the staff. 

The Twins just completed a crucial 12 game stretch, going 9-3. Half of these games were against the second place Chicago White Sox—where they won four of six games, building a five game lead in the AL Central.

Now they start another crucial stretch where they will face the first place Texas Rangers seven times over the next 13 games. 

Nick Blackburn has been recalled from AAA Rochester, replacing Kevin Slowey who has been placed on the DL, opening the four game series in Arlington for the Twins.

Here’s a month-by-month look at how the starters have taken turns, not only on the mound, but as the staff ace.

April Pitcher of the Month: Francisco Liriano

Liriano: 4 GS, 3-0 record, 0.93 ERA, 0.965 WHIP.

Team: 23 GS, 12-7 record, 4.08 ERA, 1.35 WHIP

Liriano opened the season as the Twins’ fifth starter. After Joe Nathan suffered a season-ending injury, there was talk about moving Liriano into the closer role.

Thankfully, Liriano turned down the offer and dominated in April. He started the season with a no decision before rattling off three straight wins. He allowed three or less earned runs in each of his four starts.

He was awarded the American League Pitcher of the Month for April.

Unfortunately, he would only go 3-6 over the months of June and July.

Currently with a 3-1 record in August it appears he back on the right track.

May Pitcher of the Month: Nick Blackburn

Blackburn: 5 GS, 5-0 record, 2.65 ERA, 1.20 WHIP

Team: 28 GS, 15-9 record, 3.95 ERA, 1.31 WHIP

After going 1-1 in four starts in April, Blackburn dominated in May.

Blackburn won all five of his starts, pitching at least seven innings in each of them. Included were two victories over the Yankees—a feat that had not occurred since August 13, 2008, when Kevin Slowey won at the Metrodome.

At 6-1 through the first two months of the season, Blackburn was leading the team. Unfortunately, with the turn of the calendar to June he lost something. After finishing first half at 7-7, going 1-6 in June and July, Blackburn was sent to the Rochester Redwings.

The team would not mind at all if he were to return to his winning ways of May, while Slowey is on the disabled list.

June Pitcher of the Month: Carl Pavano

Pavano: 5 GS, 4-1 record, 2.25 ERA, 0.80 WHIP

Team: 27 GS, 9-13 record, 5.10 ERA, 1.26 WHIP

After starting the season 5-5, Pavano was the only good thing for the Twins in June. As the team struggled with a 12-15 record, his four wins would account for a third of the team’s. For the month, no other starter would have a winning record. Besides Slowey going 2-2, no other starter would win more than one game in the month.

Pavano would pitch back-to-back complete games, dominating Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies, and Johan Santana and the New York Mets, incredibly, allowing only one earned run over the 18 innings.

July Pitcher of the Month: Carl Pavano

Pavano: 6 GS, 4-0 record, 2.91 ERA, 0.95 WHIP

Team: 26 GS, 13-5 record, 4,19 ERA, 1.22 WHIP

Pavano would back up his dominate June with a strong July.

Falling to third place in the AL Central at the All-Star break, the Twins’ turn around would begin with a four game series at Chicago, where Pavano would have another complete game.

At the end of the month he would emerge as the staff ace, with a team leading 13-6 record, and as a Cy Young candidate.

August Pitcher of the Month: Brian Duensing

Duensing: 4 GS, 3-0 record, 2.08 ERA, 0.96 WHIP

Team: 20 GS, 10-4 record, 3.71 ERA, 1.29 WHIP

With eight games remaining in August, each of the starters will get at least one more turn on the hill. Since his promotion to the starting lineup, Duensing has been almost unbeatable. In six starts in July and August he has four wins and two no-decisions.

He currently has a combined 7-1 record with a 1.92 ERA.  

This has turned out to be the best acquisition the Twins made at the trade deadline.

After going 8-1 in June and July, Pavano has come back to earth with a 2-2 record in August.

If Duensing can continue pitch this effectively, the Twins will have a formidable trio, along with Pavano and Liriano going into the postseason.  

With the playoffs still more than six weeks away, I like the thought of the Twins opening with Pavano, followed by Duensing and Liriano.  After that, it really doesn’t matter.

Scott Baker is currently 11-9, but has won four of his last starts with two no-decisions. He has not won, nor lost, three consecutive starts all season. With a strong finish in September, I see Baker as the fourth pitcher to take a turn in the playoffs.

As for Slowey and Blackburn, the only way I see either of these two pitching in October would be due to an injury.  

Of course anything could happen, a look back to 2009 on this date—the Twins were in third place, 4.5 games behind the White Sox and Tigers. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Yeah, yeah, I know—Brett Favre has returned to the Vikings.

Big deal!

Can someone, ANYONE, tell me they are surprised?

Did this announcement shock anyone in the world?

The Twins Cities is all a buzz—about the wrong sport!

The Minnesota Twins, no let me restate that—your first place Minnesota Twins are back in action tonight with a big three games series against those hated, brawling Chicago White Sox! It’s going to be a heated battle, one that could shape the entire playoff landscape of the American League!

Okay, so you can’t blame me for trying to hype up the Twins, just a little bit.

This team right now has the third-best record in the American League.

If the playoffs were start this very day, they would host the Wildcard New York Yankees! I kid you not!

You better look quick though, for right now New York is tied with Tampa Bay, and the Rays currently hold a 6-5 edge over the Yankees. That could change very quickly.

This team, the first-place Minnesota Twins, has gone 22-8 since the All-Star break. That’s better than the Yankees (16-14), the Rays (18-12), and the Rangers (17-12).

The Twins lead the the American league in hits, triples, batting average, and on-base percentage. They’re second in doubles and seventh in home runs. Their home wining percentage of .643, is better than any of the three other playoff bound teams. They have the best fielding percentage at .989, and have committed the fewest errors with only 47.

This is a very good, and exciting baseball team.

Only a week ago they went into a stretch of nine games, six of them against the White Sox, with a one game lead. Going into tonight’s three-game series with those same hated White Sox, they are up three games.

At worst, they will be tied for first place when Chicago tucks tail and bolts out of town.

Can I get just a little love for these boys of summer?

The days will turn colder soon enough, and we will all get a chance to watch…

…playoff baseball at Target Field! 

Hold on, there’s some breaking news on ESPN…

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

There are fewer than 50 games remaining in the 2010 season.

The New York Yankees looks poised for a return to the World Series.

If the Division Playoffs were to begin today Minnesota would go to New York and Texas would host Tampa Bay.

So who has the best chance of defeating the Yankees and representing the American League in the World Series?

Comparing starting pitching, playoff experience, team defense and a couple other statistics I ranked the Twins, Rangers and Rays (sorry Boston and Chicago fans) based on their ability to defeat the Yankees.

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The American League Central division is a dead heat.

With their loss to Baltimore on Monday, the White Sox dropped into a tie with the Minnesota Twins.

The Detroit Tigers, 6-19 since the All-Star break, have gracefully bowed out of the race for the division, making it a two-team contest—two teams that competed in just such a race back in 2008.

After finishing tied at 88-74 in 2008, the White Sox and Twins needed a one-game playoff. Due to the bad luck of a coin toss, the game was played at US Cellular Field.

The game was decided in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Jim Thome led off the inning with a home run off of Nick Blackburn. It was one of only four hits that Blackburn would allow in seven and a third innings pitched.

Final score: White Sox 1, Twins 0.

Oh, how the worm has turned.

Thome is now hitting home runs for the Twins, and Blackburn has been dispatched to the Rochester Red Wings, the Twins’ triple-A affiliate.

Over the next 10 days, the Twins and White Sox will face each other six times. In the remaining 40 games of the 2010 campaign, they will meet only three more times.

It’s said that games within the division count as two—so that makes now the time for the Twins to put some distance between them and the White Sox.  

If the pitching rotations hold, the Twins will get their first look at the newest White Sox player, Edwin Jackson, who was acquired from Arizona at the trading deadline.

In return, Twins’ fans hope the White Sox get plenty of looks at Minnesota’s own trade deadline acquisition—All-Star closer Matt Capps, acquired from the Washington Nationals.   

The Twins hold the edge so far in 2010, having defeated the White Sox six times in nine games, including opening the second half of the season winning three of four at Target Field.

Since the break, the Twins have been the hottest team in the American League, going 17-6. They’ve won five of seven series, losing only one, while tying a four-game series against the Rays in Tampa Bay.

And they have done all this without MVP candidate Justin Morneau.

The Twins’ slump that dogged them a month ago seems to have ended with the break, and they looked primed for another strong second-half finish.  

Since Ron Gardenhire took over as manager, the Twins are 85-73 against Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox.

If the Twins can continue their hot streak as they head into Chicago, they could find themselves well on their way to Gardenhire’s sixth division championship in nine years.

Upcoming pitching probables:

Tuesday: Scott Baker (9-9, 4.70 ERA) vs. Freddy Garcia (10-4, 4.54 ERA)

Wednesday: TBD vs. Edwin Jackson (7-10, 4.97 ERA)

Thursday: Francisco Liriano (10-7, 3.33 ERA) vs. John Danks (11-8, 3.30 ERA)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

When the Twins struggled their way into the All-Star break, going 8-13 and falling to third place in the American League Central division, things were looking pretty bleak.

All-Star first baseman Justin Morneau hasn’t played a game since July 8 after suffering a concussion. 

Currently infielder Nick Punto and Gold-Glove second baseman Orlando Hudson are on the disabled list.

Compound that with Joe Mauer sitting out a couple of games, and then limited to the DH role the next two with a sore throwing shoulder, and you might think things could not get any worse. 

The Minnesota Twins have been a different team since the All-Star Break.

Patching together makeshift lineup after makeshift lineup, Manager Ron Gardenhire has the Twins playing the best baseball since the All-Star break.

After splitting a four game series with the Tampa Bay Rays, the Twins are 15-6, the best record in the American League among playoff contending teams.

Currently one and a half games behind the Chicago White Sox, it appears the division is the Twins for the taking.

Here are five reasons the Twins will overtake the White Sox:

No. 1—Strong Starting Pitching:

Once maligned, the starters have gotten their act together and are once again pitching with purpose.

Nick Blackburn has been jettisoned from the majors, and the rest of the rotation has picked up their performance.

Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey have been told to quicken their pace and to trust their catcher calling the game.

In the just concluded four game series with Tampa Bay the starters had a combined 2.93 ERA with 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.01 WHIP; all better than the staff averages.  

No. 2—Solid Team Defense:

The Twins continue to lead the Majors in defense with a .991 fielding percentage.

They have committed the fewest errors with only 38 this season—almost 38 percent fewer than the White Sox’ 61 errors.

No. 3—Strong Offense:

Along with the best defense in baseball, currently hitting .282, the Twins also have the best batting average.

They are near the top in the American League in strike outs (currently third), walks (fourth), and runs scored (fifth).

The White Sox are seventh in the league in average (.264) and runs scored.

Chicago does hold the edge in home runs over Minnesota at 125 to 96.  

No. 4—Hot start to the second half:

Everyone knows the Twins tend to be a second half team.

While the Twins have the best record in the American League since the All-Star break at 15-6, the White Sox have gone 12-8, and the Twins have been as close as a half game behind the White Sox.

Comparing the last 21 games before the break to the first 21 after, the Twins’ bats have come alive, increasing their scoring from 4.57 runs per game to 6.00.

At the same time, their strong pitching and solid defense has decreased the runs allowed by almost two per game, from 5.24 to 3.33.

Along with the strong start to the second half, add the fact the Twins have a better divisional record than the White Sox.

Since Gardenhire took over in Twins 2002, their winning percentage in the division is .570, while over the same time frame Chicago’s has been slightly lower at .551.  

No. 5—Healthy Roster:

As stated above, the Twins have been winning with the likes of Drew Butera, Alexi Casilla, Danny Valencia, and Jason Repko.

Butera, backing up Mauer, has caught five straight games. He went two for two with a game-tying home run in the first game of the Tampa Bay series, and had an RBI double in the series final. As Gardenhire has indicated, any offense from Butera is a bonus.

Repko has been getting time in center and right field. In 15 games he’s batting .310 with two home runs, just one less than that of Denard Span. 

Valencia has been red hot, batting .362 in 36 games with 13 RBI—only seven less than Punto has in 80 games. 

Mauer appears to be coming out of his slump and has his average up to .317, after slumping to the break at .299.

With Mauer healthy, and hitting again, the return of Morneau and his .345 batting average and 18 home runs will surely be a boost to the best offense in the league. 

With Detroit in free-fall mode, going 5-17 since the All-Star break, what once looked to be a three-team race, is now a race between Minnesota and Chicago.

With nine games remaining between the White Sox and Twins, this race could go down to the wire, just like in 2008 and 2009, when the division was decided by game 163. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The non-waiver trading deadline has passed.

The Texas Rangers made arguably the biggest move in the AL with the acquisition of ace Cliff Lee.

They also added some depth with shortstop Cristian Guzman, infielder Jorge Cantu, and catcher Bengie Molina.

In typical New York fashion, the Yankees have put themselves in a position to repeat as World Series champions with the additions of first baseman Lance Berkman, outfielder Austin Kearns, and pitcher Kerry Wood.

Berkman was rumored to be a target for both the Tigers and White Sox, and some reports are he vetoed a deal that would have sent him to Chicago.

So here’s a look at how the three teams contending for the AL Central fared in attempts to make improvements before the trade deadline at 3:00 pm CDT on Saturday.

Chicago White Sox

Key additions: Edwin Jackson—Right-hand pitcher, 6-10, 5.16 ERA.

Key subtractions: Pitcher Jake Peavy—out for the season with right shoulder surgery.

Going 25-5 before the All-Star break, the White Sox went from nine and a half games back and in third place to leading the division by half a game.

With the loss of Jake Peavy for the season, Jackson will help to add some depth to their rotation. With a slightly higher ERA and lower strikeout to walk ratio will have to pitch better in Chicago than he did in Arizona. 

This was the only deal General Manager Ken Williams was able to pull off before the deadline. Will it be enough to keep the Sox out front?

Having gone 9-7 since the All-Star break, their lead remains a half game, but Minnesota has taken over second place from the struggling Tigers. 

The White Sox will still need to add some depth in order to win the division. The task just became a lot more difficult. Any player will have to clear waivers before the deal is completed.

Detroit Tigers

Key Addition: Third baseman Jhonny Peralta—.251 batting average, nine HR, 46 RBI, .315 OBP.

Key Subtractions: Brandon Inge—Out four to six weeks with a broken hand.

The Tigers picked up Peralta from Cleveland for a 19-year-old class-A pitcher Giovanni Soto.

The Tigers were in desperate need of a replacement for Inge and Peralta will fit the bill.

He brings a little more power than what Inge was demonstrating this year, with a slight drop in average and on-base percentage.

The Tigers have been struggling since the break going 4-13, falling to 52-51 and six games behind the White Sox.

Without adding some pitching depth to the lineup is President and General Manager Dave Dombrowski throwing in the towel?

Minnesota Twins

Key Addition: Closer Matt Capps—27 saves, 2.68 ERA

Key Subtractions: Justin Morneau—Currently on the 15-day DL for a concussion.

The Twins needed to add another quality starter to the rotation, and should have been looking for some insurance to back-up Morneau at first.

Michael Cuddyer has been doing a good job filling in, but the addition of either Berkman or Adam Dunn would have gone a long way to plug any potential long-term absence of Morneau.

The only deal GM Bill Smith was able to pull off was the addition of Washington closer Matt Capps. In return, the Twins gave up Double-A left-handed pitcher Joe Testa, and Triple-A catcher Wilson Ramos.

The addition of Capps bolsters the Twins bullpen, allowing interim closer Jon Rauch to move back into the set-up role. This helps fill the gap made with the promotion of Brian Duensing to the starting rotation.

Having gone 12-4 since the All-Star break, the Twins have moved past the Tigers for second place, only a half game behind the White Sox.

Based more on the lack of moves made by the White Sox or Tigers than the move made by the Twins, they can claim victory in deadline deals for the AL Central division. 

At this point the division appears to be the a two-team race between the White Sox and Twins.

The winner will earn the probable right to face either the Rangers or Yankees in the divisional round—and an early exit in the playoffs.     

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As the MLB trade deadline approaches, Twins’ fans are asking themselves, “What else you got up your sleeve, Bill?”

Minnesota GM Bill Smith acquired Nationals’ closer Matt Capps on Thursday for Wilson Ramos.

This shores up the bullpen and allows Jon Rauch to move back into the setup role. However, the Twins still need some help in the starting rotation.

With Justin Morneau’s slow recovery from a concussion, the team could use an insurance policy at first base.

Danny Valencia is on a hot streak, so the hole at third appears to have been plugged, at least for now.

Here are five players Smith should be making some inquiries about.

The closer we get to the deadline, the stiffer the competition for these players will become.

Lance Berkman: .296, 13 HR, 49 RBI

The Yankees, White Sox, and Rays are all interested in Berkman. Reports are the Yankees are close to a deal.

Although the 34-year-old, switch-hitting first baseman has not played outfield since 2007, he could add some flexibility to the Twins’ lineup, allowing Michael Cuddyer to move back to right field.

His salary at $14.5 million may be a little steep for the Twins, but with a club option for 2011, he could be a half-year rent-a-player.

Adam Dunn: .277, 24 HR, 64 RBI

According to trade rumors, the same teams are looking at Adam Dunn.  Perhaps Smith can put together another deal with Washington GM Mike Rizzo.

The 30-year-old left-hander would immediately provide another power punch to the lineup for skipper Ron Gardenhire.

Having played outfield as recently as last year, this move would provide the same flexibility as Berkman. With his power in the lineup as the DH, Jim Thome could be on the bench as a capable pinch-hitter.

With a slightly lower salary at $12 million, and the fact he is a free agent at the end of the year, he would certainly only be a Twin for a little more than two months.

Scott Downs: 2.34 ERA, 42.1 IP, 35 Strikeouts, 10 Walks

The Twins have been talking to Toronto for the 34-year-old left-hander. With the trade for Capps, this talk may be slowing down.

With the promotion of Brian Duensing to the starting rotation, the Twins could use another left-hander from the bullpen. Downs currently leads the Toronto bullpen with a 2.34 ERA and a 1.016 WHIP. Only Duensing had better numbers for the Twins’ bullpen.

Paul Maholm: 4.52 ERA, 6-9 Record

As I wrote last week, the 28-year-old left-hander had been under most teams’ radar.

Not anymore.

The Padres and Dodgers are interesting in acquiring the starter from the last place Pittsburgh Pirates.

He averages less than one home run per nine innings pitched, and a $5 million salary is not out of reach for the Twins.

Brett Myers: 3.10 ERA, 8-6 Record

The Twins were never serious contenders for Roy Oswalt. Perhaps Smith can find a way to get Houston GM Ed Wade to move another starter from the Astros’ rotation.

With his $3.1 million salary, Brett Myers may be the best starter this year for the Astros.

At 29, Myers is only three years Oswalt’s junior.

A free agent at the end of the season, Myers could be a decent rental player, with an opportunity to sign to a long-term contract.

He compares favorably with the Twins staff, with a 8-6 record for the fifth-place Astros.

The Chicago White Sox have been rumored to be interested in Myers.

The acquisition of Capps was a decent move for Smith, but if this team wants to get past the divisional round of the playoffs, they will need to step up and pull off a deal.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Alex Rodriguez is on the threshold of joining an elite club.

Currently sitting at 599 homers, A-Rod will become one of only seven major league players to ever reach the 600 mark.

At only 34 years old, Rodriguez has a chance to surpass Barry Bonds for the all-time home run lead.

Six of the top 10 sluggers of all-time played for an average of 22 seasons.

In order for Rodriguez, currently in his 17th season, to eclipse Bonds, he will have to average nearly 30 home runs per season over the next five and a half years.

I ranked the top 10 home run hitters based on home runs per season, home runs per at bat, RBI per home run, and strikeout to home run ratio.

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As the trade deadline approaches, Minnesota Twins fans are hoping the team adds another arm to the rotation to help push the Twins to an AL Central division title and beyond.

It was about this time last year when the Twins added Carl Pavano to the rotation. Pavano has emerged as the ace of the rotation with a 12-6 record and 3.26 ERA.

The Twins, typically bargain shoppers, don’t appear to be in the sweepstakes for Roy Oswalt, Ted Lilly, or Dan Haren, the most mentioned pitchers in current trade rumors.

Looking to the rosters of potential sellers, here’s a list of the top candidates that the Twins should consider.

The criteria used to rank these pitchers included salary, contract situation, and 2010 performance.

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