MLB Playoffs: Twins Are the First to Clinch

As we come down the stretch of the Major League Baseball season, the pennant races are really beginning to heat up. The first team to clinch a position in this year's postseason is the AL Central champion Minnesota Twins. Let's take a look at the Twins season, and how they may fair in the postseason.

Hitting
The hitting for the Twins has been pretty good, despite the loss of Justin Morneau. Denard Span leads the team with 24 stolen bases. Orlando Hudson has been decent in the 2-spot, hitting .271. Joe Mauer has hit well despite a power outage (just 9 HRs this year), but he has a .331 batting average. Jason Kubel has hit out the cleanup spot much of the year, hitting 19 HRs this year. Michael Cuddyer has 14 HR and 78 RBI for Minnesota, and Jim Thome has been spectacular hitting 25 HR to lead Minnesota. Delmon Young has had a breakout year, with 18 HR and 105 RBI. Danny Valencia has been playing 3rd Base for the Twins, hitting .328 in 76 games. J.J. Hardy has been decent at SS for the Twins, hitting .274 in 97 games. While Justin Morneau may not return for post season play, IF Nick Punto (.249 in 84 games), IF Alexi Casilla (.277 in 63 games) and OF Jason Repko (3 HR in 50 games) round out the bench for Minnesota.

Starting Pitching
The ace of this Minnesota pitching staff has clearly been 26-year-old Francisco Liriano. Liriano has a 14-9 record, a 3.48 ERA, and a 1.26 WHIP. Carl Pavano has won 17 games this year, and has thrown 2 shutouts this year. He has a 1.16 WHIP and has thrown the most inning of anyone on the staff this year at 210 innings. Scott Baker has been injured been hurt, and has a record of 12-9 with an WHIP of 1.33. Kevin Slowey has an impressive 1.27, with a record of 13-6. Nick Blackburn has started 24 games, and thrown 149.2 inning. He has been one of the weaker pitchers for the Twins, with an ERA 5.23.

Bullpen
The bullpen was hurt at the beginning of the year with the loss of all-star closer Joe Nathan, but the bullpen has been good enough for Minnesota this year. Brian Duensing has been great for them, starting 11 games, and coming in for relief in 40 games. He has a WHIP of 1.13 and a 2.19 ERA. Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain have combined for 131 innings. Jose Mijares has also contributed 29 innings. The closer this year is Jon Rauch has 21 saves, which isn't exactly spectacular, but he has been serviceable.

Overall, the Twins have a decent team, but I don't think they are favored over the Yankees or Rays, whom they will probably face in the playoffs.