New faces showing hunger

Even though the Twins have the worst record in baseball, it’s hard to blame General Manager, Terry Ryan, who’s moves have improved a club searching to find its identity.

Scott Diamond, who the team fought to snag from Atlanta, has thrown 14 shutout innings since taking over for Liam Hendricks in the starting rotation. P.J. Walters, a minor league free agent pickup, has also given the team a chance to win in his first two starts in replacing Francisco Liriano. Neither pitcher has outstanding stuff, but bring new energy to the starting rotation and know how to pitch with what they have.

There seems to be a bit of life creeping into the team, particularly with young, exciting players such as new shortstop, Brian Dozier, who has ignited the offense. After doing well in AAA, it seems Ben Revere may be back to stay, as the team toiled to find anyone better in right field. In the perfect world, it may be best to move Dernard Span to right, as Span's stronger arm could perhaps handle the position better than Revere.

With so many new faces and the departure of team leader, Michael Cuddyer, the team has struggled to get the right mix together. It seems that DH/catcher, Ryan Doumit, has emerged as a fiery leader who wants to win, recently talking his way out of the disabled list, while showing grit and emotion on the field. The hope is that with Morneau back, the offense can settle in and do what was expected to start the season, with Morneau/Willingham/Doumit providing a hearty middle of the lineup.

The core Twins team was built for the Metrodome, where left-handed hitters could expect inflated home run numbers, and ground-ball hitters would see more hits skip through the holes. Target Field has proven to be a sinkerballer pitcher’s dream, with an infield that seems to slow the ball and induce frequent double-plays. This obviously has not treated Joe Mauer kindly, and lead to a shutout by Cleveland's Derek Lowe, while throwing over 90% sinkers.

The success of newcomer, Josh Willingham, may prove that pull-hitting, right-handed hitters are the secret to offensive success in Target Field, along with a speedy outfield that can cut balls off in the gaps. Singles hitters without blazing speed appear to have trouble here when they keep the ball on the ground. 

The Oakland Colosseum is a similar playing field, and the Twins can look to the A’s past history of winning when they have fly-ball hitters and ground-ball pitching. Terry Ryan is working to change the dynamic of the team to fit Target Field, but it will certainly not be an easy task, and may take years to build the team back up as perfectly as it was designed for the Metrodome.