The Twins Have Changed the Narrative

With their 4-1 win over Chicago on June 15th the Minnesota Twins skewed the course of their season enough to alter the conversation among the baseball punditry. The 1-0 win vs. Chicago the next day confirmed the theory that there exists an alternate 2011, a season where the Twins come back from a 16 ½ game deficit to win the AL Central, the ALDS, the ALCS and the World Series. Hey, now that’s one timeline I’ll be hanging around in for a while!

Over the course of their recent and moderately-sustained winning streak, the Twins have caused the baseball world to pull the 2010 AL Central Champs from the waste bin of the 2011 season. The Twins have been dusted off, a red sticker reading "Terminated" has been removed. There came consensus among fans, a silent and almost unnoticed agreement that ordered a halt to all conversations containing the phrase "What are we going to do next year?"

Suddenly the Twins are not the worst team in baseball; they’re not even the second worst. They are on their way up and though everyone knows it, no one wants to say it. Instead they’re saying things like, "Don’t count the Twins out" and "This team has made some amazing comebacks before." With Mauer coming back for the first game against the Padres at Target Field, and Glen Perkins and Joe Nathan following close behind, Nishioka already here, we started thinking we had a team. And a chance.

In his first game at Target Field vs. Chicago, Nishioka was the willing recipient of a spray gun’s firing of ground balls. He displayed range, he turned double plays, he flipped the ball confidently to the mound after making a solo put out at second to end an inning. He also made an error but unlike those of 2011 short stops past, it was not a costly error, and it did not help us lose. He saw a ton of action and the Twins won. They not only won, they shut ‘em out.

No longer are people saying, "The season was over before it started."

Today it’s, "They’ve won 10 of their last 12."

You don’t hear, "This is pathetic. This is embarrassing. Minnesota sports suck." (well, okay you still hear that Minnesota sports suck)

But today the Twins don’t suck. Today they are fun to watch again. Though they are 9 games back in the Central, they like where they are. The starting pitching has been nearly unstoppable, the bullpen (when used) has been shutting it down. A revamped offense of AAA players and starters-hoping-they-don’t-get-injured has started running the bases like crazy, stealing and bunting and playing a Twins version of smallball that we’re not sure we’ve ever seen. The Twins don’t really rely on their sluggers, they’ve been counting on the little guys. And Casila, Revere along with Cuddyer and a finally-stirring Delmon Young have been pounding out hits while Mauer, Kubel, Span, Thome and Span stand ready to return.

People are not saying, "I can’t believe how many Twins regulars have been injured."

They’re saying, "Think of how many injured Twins susperstars are about to come back to a lineup that’s won 10 of the last 12!"

The refrain of "Bill Smith made some awful off season moves!" has been replaced with "I

wonder if Smith will buy or sell at the deadline?"

They’re saying this year might not warrant a fire sale but they want to be cautious about 2012. They’re not ready to commit either way – and they like that. It’s a big improvement over where they were.

People are saying, "Finally we’re getting rid of this bullpen and getting some proven pitchers back." But will Perkins remain lights-out? Can Nathan return to his old form? How long will the starting pitching give us 7, 8 and 9 innings a night with just 0, 1 or 2 runs allowed? What will Joe Mauer do when he comes back? Certainly something - he's the best catcher in baseball! What happens when the Twins have a complete lineup – something that is now just days away?

They won’t be in last place for much longer (they’re just a game behind the Royals for 4th). They could be breathing down the spine of 3rd place by the end of the weekend, closing in on #2 by the end of the month. Yes, the Twins have a shot to be in 2nd place by the All Star Break. Do the math, it works in the alternate 2011 – the one that we hope we’re living in, where the Twins win the Central, the ALDS, and beyond….Because to come down from the deficit they have created, this version of destiny doesn’t end with an ALDS 3-game sweep. After being knocked from the playoffs by the Yankees in 2010, optimistic Twins fans said, "Just wait until next year!"

Now those hopeful Twins fans are grinning: this is next year!