With the Twins riding a more-than-modest six-game winning streak, I thought it'd be a good time to glance back at those we lost over the winter to see exactly how they're doing in their new homes.

Johan Santana, LHP, NY Mets
Contract:  Six years, $137.5 million
2008 Age:  29    Expiration Age:  34

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Of Johan's 15 starts this season, 11 have been quality starts, and another two might as well have been.  His two not-as-good starts:  a six-inning, five-run performance (four earned) on June 17, and a 6 2/3 innings performance with five runs (again, four earned) on April 12.  He's gone at least seven innings nine times.  Johan's had an exceptionally good start to the season, and if he heats up in July and August, Mets fans will start pissing themselves because they'll see exactly who they paid for.  Already his home runs allowed rate is down, he's still pretty stingy with the walks, and even though his WHIP is up he's still been very effective.

Would the Twins be better with Johan Santana?  Absolutely.  Well...I take that back.  The starting rotation would be better.  But would the team be better?  Maybe, but maybe not.  It'd mean no Carlos Gomez, which means we'd probably have Denard Span in center field right now.  And while we can never pick up Johan's stats (or Denard's or Carlos's) in '08 and lay them snugly into the Twins' (or Mets') season, we can reasonably guess how the players could have done.  The more difficult part of the guessing game is how their performances, or lack thereof, would have affected game results.  With both Johan and Carlos roughly meeting expectations with their new teams, I'd give this one a push.  The rotation would be better, but I'm not sure about the team.

The one thing I will say:  the Twins are better without that massive contract on their backs.  That much is certain.  Also, he's pitching tonight for the Mets.

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Just a few Did You Knows from Monday's game (all research from Baseball-Reference.com)...

• Bobby Korecky's 11th-inning single was the first hit by a pitcher in Metrodome history.
• It was also the first hit in an American League game by a Twins pitcher in the DH era; the last Twins pitcher to get a hit in an AL game was Bert Blyleven, on October 4, 1972. 
• Only one other Twins pitcher has ever had a plate appearance at home in the DH era. On August 24, 1986, reliever Ray Fontenot struck out to end the game against Toronto, in a game much like Monday's (the Twins ran out of bench players).
• The last Twins pitcher to bat in an American League game was Matt Garza, who hit twice on July 6 in Chicago last year after Mike Redmond was injured in the first inning.
  
• Only two other Twins pitchers have batted and pitched in an American League game in the DH era - and they both did it in the same game.  On July 12, 1975, the Twins lost 8-7 to the Yankees in 16 innings, and both Vic Albury and Bill Campbell hit.  Albury struck out in the 11th, Campbell in the 14th.
  
• Per Joe Christensen at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Allan Anderson also pinch-hit (but didn't pitch, which is why I missed it in the first version of this post) in a game on June 13, 1989, against Seattle.
  
• Two Twins outfielders had hits in games that they also pitched in; John Moses did it in both 1989 and 1990, and Dan Gladden did it in 1988.
• According to his stats at The Baseball Cube , Korecky's last plate appearance - and last hit - came in 2002, at the University of Michigan.
• The last time a pitcher had a hit in an American League game was 11 years ago; on August 16, 1997, Yankees reliever John Wetteland whacked an RBI double in the top of the 10th in an 8-5 win over Texas.  Wetteland was the winning pitcher that day, making him the last AL pitcher to get a hit and get the win on the same day. 
  
• Korecky is the 10th pitcher to get a hit in an American League game in the DH era.

All in all - a big day for Korecky. First major league win, first major league hit - and all in the same day!