When the Twins extended Byron Buxton’s contract, it struck me as a very team-friendly deal. Although laden with incentives, it seemed that Buxton wouldn’t meet any of them because of his past struggles with injuries. For example, if he wins MVP, the Twins owe him an additional $8 million, according to MLB Trade Rumors. After... Continue Reading »

Now that’s more like it. The Byron Buxton show was on full display Saturday as the outfielder returned to his spot at the top of the order. And he didn’t miss a beat, cranking out four hits, including a double and home run, in four trips to the plate to pace the Twins to a... Continue Reading »

Pitcher Francisco Liriano, who spent seven of his 14 seasons with the Twins and who at one time appeared to be the second coming of ace Johan Santana, announced his retirement this month. He exits the game at 38 with a career mark of 112-114 with a 4.15 ERA. In one of the best trades... Continue Reading »

Nineteen years ago the Oakland A’s were the talk of baseball, a franchise that had seemingly found a magic elixir that allowed them to win and win often with the tiniest of payrolls. A year later author Michael Lewis explained it all in a best-seller called “Moneyball.” Baseball would never be the same. Surprisingly, Lewis... Continue Reading »

I don’t have the numbers at my fingertips to know whether the Twins are better with or without third baseman Josh Donaldson, but I do know they have certainly looked like a better team the past two days. Pitching and hitting were in sync to win 6-2 over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, and... Continue Reading »

A week ago there was optimism. The Twins had taken two of three games from the Cleveland Indians, improved to 10 games under .500, moved as high as third place in the division, and facing a new month of games against division rivals, it appeared that maybe, just maybe, the Twins were ready to turn... Continue Reading »

Finally. After falling to 0-8 in extra-innings, the Twins once again found themselves in the 10th inning, tied at 5-5 against the Cleveland Indians on Sunday. But this time they were unbowed. Luis Arraez took his place at second base, Josh Donaldson earned a free pass to first base, then Kyle Garlick worked a full... Continue Reading »

Social media and the talking heads of ESPN were abuzz on Tuesday, loudly pontificating on the unwritten rules of baseball after the Chicago White Sox’s Yermin Mercedes hit a ninth inning home run off Willians Astudillo to extend Chicago’s lead to 16-4 from 15-4 on Monday. The unwritten rule is that you take a 3-0... Continue Reading »

What in the world has happened? I hate to declare the season over with 129 games still to play, but it effectively is in my book after the Twins took a 3-0 lead over the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Tuesday, then watched as the South Siders reeled off nine unanswered runs... Continue Reading »