The Eve of Expansion

Playing .667 ball isn't a bad thing, but when it's in a must win three game set with the Royals' slush, it's far less inspiring. The series probably has a few implications, the first of which being an end to the Twins' playoff appearance run. On the eve of roster expansion, nothing could do more to persuade Terry Ryan to start preparing for next year than being shut out by Mike Wood. Not that playing Liriano, Baker, et al is a bad idea, but it will probably mean a diminished role for several important players. First, look for shorter outings at least for Radke and Silva. Santana may continue to pitch deep into games if Ryan and Gardy have any interest in bringing home the Cy Young, but he may be better off putting less stress on his golden arm for when it matters. I know that flags fly forever, but what of trophies? Do they shine forever? As for the bullpen, expect high leverage relief innings being doled out to lesser men than Joe Nathan and Juan Rincon, which will probably cost a few runs, even if the replacements are as good as advertised. Most importantly, there will probably be more frequent rest and recovery for a tired and banged up lineup. Any discussion of Torii Hunter's return will stay on the backburner of the Twins remain 5+ games out of the playoffs, and Shannon Stewart won't be rushed back either. Joe Mauer will probably see his C/DH split shift toward the latter, and having Mike Redmond in the lineup isn't particularly desirable regardless of the alternative.

But I'm really not all that upset. As a baseball fan, I have yet another Yankees-Red Sox pennant race to choke down, a historically resilient A's squad battling in the AL West, two great Wild Card stretches and a wide-open postseason on the horizon. Even the individual awards are worth watching. I can cheer for voters to pick value over exposure and choose Nick Swisher or Dan Johnson of the A's over Robinson Cano in the AL ROY race. And the NL is remarkably thrilling, with Jones, Lee and Pujols making us forget about Barry Bonds, and another great Cy Young chase where wins once again take on the combination of ERA and K's in a BBWAA blue steel cage match.

Not to say that I don't want the Twins to win, but I can still enjoy baseball without it. There is a lot to be excited about in the future, and I would rather not jeopardize it for a long shot at a playoff berth. I can have fun watching the rookie pitchers for the next month as long as they don't throw Livan innings, and be somewhat relieved that they team can come out fresh next year and hopefully avoid the injury instability that has marred 2005.

Plus, there are so many other storylines worth watching. Here are my four favorites, in ascending order or favoritism:

4. Jason Bartlett making Juan Castro look like Wally Pipp. Although it may seem like an insult to Pipp, Bartlett has finally starting hitting some XBHs, up to 9 doubles after contributing a double and a single in the Twins anemic 1-0 KC game. He's up to .306/.358/.371 since his recall, far and away better than Castro. Even though Castro has been absolutely exceptional with the glove (a 124 rate2), Bartlett has been fantastic enough himself (114) to make the offensive difference a pummelling.

3. Kyle Lohse setting his own market value. After surviving the trade block, Lohse probably sealed his fate after complaining about the offense vociferously after a loss to Texas. While he was justified in his complaints, it seems that Lohse has more or less come to a point of mutual dissatisfaction with Minnesota, and neither side would be angry to see the union end. So what happens? He finally starts succeeding, exemplified by the seven shutout innings he threw in the depressing loss to KC. If he's complaining about run support after giving up three homeruns, he probably isn't too keen on losing games 1-0. I expect him to be traded for 75 cents on the dollar this offseason (which will likely turn out better, as Ryan's trades often do), but see marked improvement in a new atmosphere.

2. Scott Baker carrying both the Twins remaining hopes and my fantasy team. After Zack Duke and Ben Sheets went down on back to back nights, I turned to the Twins rookie to patch together my rotation for the fantasy playoffs. I have my doubts, but so far so good.

1. Juan Rincon's ballooning wasteline. Has anyone else noticed how much weight this guy has gained since returning from his steroid suspension? Anabolic Androgenic Steroids help metabolize fat, which makes me think that his excuse about dietary supplements was a lie. To paraphrase a terrible song: The steroids helped keep Juan slim/ but red beans and rice didn't miss him.