Clutch Hitting & The Twins: Part II

Continuing from my Doumit post last week: 

So, this leads us to the next question; who DO we want (as Twins fans) at bat in a late & close or 2 out, RISP situation? Using 2012’s numbers, I broke down our current lineup:

Brain Dozier:

2 Out, RISP (2012): .238/.333/.357 14 RBI, 6 BB and 6 SO (48 PA)
Late & Close (2012): .111/.149/.111 1 RBI, 2 BB and 9 SO (51 PA)
2 Out, RISP (2013): .500/.667/1.000 4 RBI, 2 BB and 1 SO (6 PA)
L&C (2013): .083/.083/.083 0 RBI, 0 BB and 6 SO (13 PA)

Joe Mauer:

2 Out, RISP (2012): .327/.521/.569 26 RBI, 15 BB and 7 SO (73 PA)
L&C (2012): .279/.374/.465 14 RBI, 12 BB and 12 SO (99 PA)
2 Out, RISP (2013): .375/.444/.374 4 RBI, 1 BB and 2 SO (9 PA)
L&C (2013): .231/.333/.231 0 RBI, 2 BB and 4 SO (15 PA)

Justin Morneau:

2 Out, RISP (2012): .211/.325/.296 18 RBI, 11 BB and 16 SO (83 PA)
L&C (2012): .205/.298/.411 9 RBI, 8 BB and 9 SO (84 PA)
2 Out, RISP (2013): .182/.308/.273 4 RBI, 2 BB and 0 SO (13 PA)
L&C (2013): .077/.200/.077 1 RBI, 2 BB and 3 SO (15 PA)

Josh Willingham:

2 Out, RISP (2012): .241/.412/.494 30 RBI, 17 BB and 23 SO (102 PA)
L&C (2012): .308/.419/.564 20 RBI, 13 BB and 18 SO (93 PA)
2 Out, RISP (2013): .200/.429/.400 3 RBI, 1 BB and 3 SO (7 PA)
L&C (2013): .333/.467/.583 4 RBI, 4 BB and 4 SO (15 PA)

Ryan Doumit:

See aboce

Trevor Plouffe:

2 Out, RISP (2012): .152/.278/.217 12 RBI, 7 BB and 12 SO (54 PA)
L&C (2012): .227/.311/.348 2 RBI, 7 BB and 13 SO (74 PA)
2 Out, RISP (2013): .500/.500/.500 1 RBI, 0 BB and 0 SO (4 PA)
L&C (2013): .143/.500/.143 0 RBI, 3 BB and 2 SO (13 PA)

Chris Parmelee:

2 Out, RISP (2012): .238/.360/.619 11 RBI, 3 BB and 3 SO (25 PA)
L&C (2012): .300/.378/.450 4 RBI, 4 BB and 12 SO (45 PA)
2 Out, RISP (2013): .222/.300/.222 2 RBI, 1 BB and 6 SO (10 PA)
L&C (2013): .222/.385/.222 2 RBI, 2 BB and 3 SO (13 PA)

Aaron Hicks:

2 Out, RISP (2013): .333/.429/.333 3 RBI, 1 BB and 2 SO (7 PA)
L&C (2013): .222/.333/.222 3 RBI, 2 BB and 3 SO (12 PA)

Pedro Florimon:

2 Out, RISP (2012): .095/.208/.095 2 RBI, 3 BB and 6 SO (24 PA)
L&C (2012): .240/.240/.280 3 RBI, 0 BB and 11 SO (26 PA)
2 Out, RISP (2013): .250/.500/.500 2 RBI, 2 BB and 0 SO (6 PA)
L&C (2013): .000/.500/.000 0 RBI, 1 BB and 1 SO (2 PA)

Eduardo Escobar:

2 Out, RISP (2013): .667/.667/.667 2 RBI, 0 BB and 1 SO (3 PA)
L&C (2013): .375/.375/.500 2 RBI, 0 BB and 1 SO (8 PA)

Jamey Carroll:

2 Out, RISP (2012): .222/.310/.254 13 RBI, 7 BB and 10 SO (71 PA)
L&C (2012): .324/.360/.361 13 RBI, 5 BB and 21 SO (83 PA)
2 Out, RISP (2013): .333/.500/.333 0 RBI, 1 BB and 0 SO (4 PA)
L&C (2013): .333/.333/.333 0 RBI, 0 BB and 1 SO (3 PA)

I’m omitting Darin Mastroianni and Wilkin Ramirez as they’re essentially bench or platoon players and Oswaldo Arcia doesn’t have enough at bats for any statistical relevance at this point.

Judging by the data above (using mainly 2012’s numbers due to the small sample of 2013 data so far) the players the Twins want at bat in 2 out, RISP situations are:

1. Joe Mauer
2. Eduardo Escobar
3. Aaron Hicks
4. Josh Willingham
5. Chris Parmelee

Hicks, oddly enough, seems to ONLY hit when there are 2 out and RISP. Escobar’s sample size is small, but his numbers are so strong, he’s hard to leave off this list. Willingham’s average is lower than Doumit’s in the same situation, but Willingham has struck out less and walked more, meaning his at bats have had better results. Parmelee has shown to be well rounded – you’re getting his same average numbers in 2 out situations as 0 & 1 out situations.

Interestingly enough, this little research showed something interesting – the guys who hit well with 2 outs and RISP aren’t necessarily the guys you want up to bat in a late and close game. The top 5 for that scenario are:

1. Chris Parmelee
2. Josh Willingham
3. Joe Mauer
4. Eduardo Escobar
5. Jamey Carroll

Carroll falls to 5^th, despite having the highest BA, due to his 25% strike out rate. Parmelee is well rounded, and has a solid OBP with low strike out numbers. Willingham is better at getting on base than you might think, Mauer is Mauer and Escobar’s small sample but high numbers warrant him a spot on the list as well.

You can also see that certain players fall off late in games: Pedro Florimon and Brian Dozier see their slashes fall significantly late in games. Players like Morneau, Plouffe and Willingham seemingly put up the same numbers across the board, regardless of inning.

On Ryan Doumit & Clutch Hitting

Most fans, no matter how much they cheer for the ‘home 9’ or how objective they believe they are, carry some bias regarding certain players. It’s one of the curious oddities that makes baseball so great. Fans that watch 100+ games per year start to see things on the field and from those observations, they reach conclusions about players. Sometimes, those conclusions are accurate

Example: “Joe Mauer is the best two strike hitter I’ve ever seen!” For his career, Mauer is .258/.312/.359 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 234 RBI and 26 home runs in 993 chances. Those numbers support that assessment. Is Mauer the best two strike hitter ever? Probably not, but you’d get no argument saying he’s one of the best two strike hitters the Twins have ever had.

Alternatively, some conclusions can be inaccurate. For example: “Joe Mauer is horrible when runners are in scoring position!” For his career, Mauer is .343/.461/.497 with RISP – which, I hopefully don’t have to tell you is INSANELY good.

I’ll admit, even I fall prey to drawing conclusions about players; my personal vendetta is against one Mr. Ryan Doumit. From my observations, Ryan Doumit only seems to generate positive results in games that are out of hand (one way or the other) and I feel like I’ve rarely seen Doumit get a hit in a clutch spot since he’s been with the Twins. I’ve even gone as far as to coin my own Twitter hashtag for the inevitable Doumit strikeout, groundout or otherwise failure to generate a key hit - #DammitDoumit. I’ve used it so much over the past season and an 8^th (20 games is 1/8^th of the season, after all) that my Twitter pops that to the front when I start typing a hashtag. Doumit and I go way back.

This lead me to wonder, am I being fair in my assessment of Doumit? Or, am I acting like those asinine Mauer haters who are too blinded by their own misconceptions to see reality? I sat down to take a look at Doumit’s numbers to find an answer once and for all, is Ryan Doumit really lousy in the clutch?

To start, I pulled Doumit’s numbers for just 2013. I realize the sample size here will be too small to draw a firm conclusion, but it would be a great place to start.

2 Out (2013): .083/.154/.083 2 RBI, 1 BB and 6 SO 
2 Out, RISP (2013): .182/.308/.182 2 RBI, 1 BB and 4 SO
Late & Close (2013): .250/.308/.417 1 RBI, 1 BB and 2 SO

Late & Close is defined as any at bat in the 7^th inning or later with the team tied, ahead by one run or with the tying run on base.

For a batter who is the designated hitter 70% of the time (meaning his value is ONLY in his bat) those numbers are not good. The most telling is the 2 out, RISP stat. Judging by those numbers, my conclusion so far seems valid.  The other half of my observation is that Doumit is a great hitter when the game is out of hand (either up or down by 4+ runs) during this time Doumit is hitting:

Margin >4 Runs (2013) .333/.500/.333 2 RBI, 1BB and 1 SO

So far in 2013, Doumit’s numbers are solid when the game is already out of hand. Point number two for my assumptions on Doumit.

To be fair, 20 games can have a slanted appearance in the stat column. So, let’s widen the scope to include 2012 as well.

2 Out (2012): 174PA .282/.328/.460 30 RBI, 8 BB, 34 SO
2 Out, RISP (2012): 78PA .282/.346/.479 28 RBI, 6 BB and 19 SO
Late & Close (2012): 81PA .225/.437/.708 11 RBI, 6 BB and 18 SO

Those numbers are better than his 2013 slash so far, but still not great. Look at that late & close .225 BA with 18 strikeouts? Yuck! Theory confirmed, right? Well…not so fast.

With two outs, Doumit struck out 19.5% of the time in 2012. In late & close scenarios, he struck out 22% of the time. Doumit’s strikeout rate in 2012 was 18.5%. The 19.5% and 22% are close enough to his standard rate to rule out any true decline in hitting when the game is on the line, and his triple slash from 2012:

.275/.320/.461 with 27RBI, 29 BB and 98 SO

Shows that Doumit is nearly the exact same hitter in two out, two out RISP and late & close scenarios as he is in any other part of the game. Does that make him a quality clutch hitter because he’s consistent, or does that make him less desirable because he doesn’t adapt to the situation? More on that in a minute.

What about the other half of my conclusion on Doumit – that he really only produces when the game is effectively over? In 2012, Doumit’s numbers when the margin was > 4:

.313/.330/.566 with 20 RBI, 2 BB and 8 SO (88 PA)

Confirmed! Right? Yes and no – it’s true that Doumit’s numbers ARE better when the game is out of hand, but consider the quality of pitching a batter is usually facing in these situations. Blowouts are great times for young guys to get work in or for veterans to just “bridge the gap” to the end of the game, so the caliber of pitcher is typically not quite up to snuff with the original starter. Doumit’s numbers are improved when the game is out of hand, but I believe you’d find most batters hit pretty well when a game turns into a blowout.

So, I’ll table the “Doumit only hits in blowouts” as a bias. But let’s delve into this “Doumit is the same batter, pro or con?” issue a little more.

All data below is taken from FanGraphs’ PitchFX tables for the 2012 season.

First, let’s find a way to gauge Doumit’s aggressiveness. I opted to use two stats, O-Zone % and O-Zone Contact %.

Ryan Doumit’s O-Zone Percent is 32.4%, that means Doumit swings at 32.4% of the pitches thrown to him that are OUT of the strikezone.  By comparison, Josh Willingham’s O-Zone Percent is a scant 18.7% and Joe Mauer’s O-Zone Percent sits at 21.7%. Free swinging Justin Morneau’s O-Zone% is 36.3%.

Doumit’s O-Zone Percent is high enough to place him 35^th out of all Major League batters in swinging at balls outside the strikezone. That, obviously, is not an accomplishment you want to boast about. (Just so Doumit doesn’t think I’m picking on only him, Morneau ranks 18^th with his percentage…yikes Justin…yikes).

Doumit’s O-Zone Contact Percent is 59.1%. Meaning of the 32.4% of balls outside the strikezone that Doumit is swinging, he’s making contact with just over half of them. For comparison, Joe Mauer’s O-Zone Contact Percent is 79.7%.

In short, when Mauer swings at pitches outside the zone, he is nearly 80% likely to make some form of contact. Doumit is just a hair under 60%. Predictably, Mauer’s high percentage ranks towards the top of all hitters while Doumit’s lower percentage puts him in the bottom tiers.

Now, let’s compare Doumit’s numbers with the players who reside 34^th and 36^th on the O-Zone Percent list; Robinson Cano and Michael Young, respectively. Maybe by grouping similarly aggressive players, we can see some correlation in clutch hitting?

Robinson Cano:

2012 Batting Splits: .313/.379/.550
2012 2 Outs, RISP: .207/.333/.379 (69 PA)
2012 L&C: .286/.362/.476 (94 PA)

Michael Young:

2012 Batting Splits: .277/.312/.370
2012 2 Outs, RISP: .293/.361/.347 (83 PA)
2012 L&C: .296/.337/.370 (89 PA)

Well, that didn’t help much. Cano’s numbers drop slightly in clutch situations, while Michael Young’s numbers actually IMPROVE in clutch spots. The issue here is that Cano and Young are two completely different players with vastly different skillsets. Cano has a better eye, more discerning eye while Young is more likely to “hack away”. In 2012, it looks like Cano’s eye left him with nearly identical stats, where as Young’s aggression generated more hits. The issue here is that neither Young OR Cano are players similar to Doumit.

Instead, let’s look at batters who share Doumit’s O-Zone Contact Percent. My theory here is that will group players of equal talent with the bat, not necessarily just on how often they swing. So, we should be getting more aggressive players that tend to miss half the time they swing.

Doumit ranks 50^th in contact percentage. 49^th is Ian Desmond and 51^st is Mike Moustakas – two VERY different style players who share one common trait, they’re aggressive and they miss.

Ian Desmond:

2012 Batting Splits: .292/.335/.511
2012 2 Out, RISP: .292/.333/.446
2012 L&C: .299/.347/.471

Mike Moustakas

2012 Batting Splits: .242/.296/.412
2012 2 Out, RISP: .333/.395/.565
2012 L&C: .274/.352/.326

Finally! Relevant results. Ian Desmond is sort of an outlier in comparison to Doumit, so we’ll respectfully throw him out (although it’s worth noting, Nationals fans, that Desmond is exactly the same player in the clutch as he is during the rest of the game).

Mike Moustakas is a beautiful comparison to Doumit for many reasons, the biggest of which are they both are large, power hitters who posted VERY similar splits in 2012 (recall, Doumit: .275/.320/.461) However, where Doumit declined slightly in the clutch, Moustakas improved SIGNIFICANTLY, by nearly 100 points in OBP and 150 points in slugging. Similar splits, same discipline, vastly different results – so the theory that aggressive batters remain aggressive in all situations may stand, but the assumption these hitters achieve similar results throughout is debunked.

So, in the end what can we gain from all of this data? I’ll break it down into bullet points until we reach our conclusion:

• Ryan Doumit is an aggressive batter who swings at 32.4% of pitches outside the zone
• This O-Zone % ranked Doumit as the 35^th most aggressive batter in MLB during 2012
• Doumit made contact on 59.6% of those outside the zone swings
• This contact percentage ranked Doumit 50^th of all batters in 2012
• Batters with similar O-Zone contact rates posted improved or stable numbers in clutch situations
• Ryan Doumit’s clutch numbers do not differ significantly from his normal 2012 splits

Is Ryan Doumit a poor hitter in the clutch? Yes, he is. But it doesn’t have anything to do with my original assumption that he is unable to hit in key spots. Instead, Doumit’s data supports the fact that he is simply an aggressive hitter who takes too many bad swings. That doesn’t change in any situation (like many MLB batters) but it’s easier to notice in those key spots because, as fans, we’re expecting a positive outcome. Doumit strikes out on a 0-2 slider in the dirt in the third inning with no one on in a scoreless game – doesn’t really register with fans. Same scenario moved to the 8^th inning with runners on second and third – fans notice.

The good news is that Ryan Doumit, like his contemporaries listed above, doesn’t change his approach in key at bats. He is exactly who he is. Unfortunately, the person he IS isn’t a desirable batter late in games.

All of this number crunching leads me to the next logical question, who IS the guy the Twins want at the plate in a clutch spot? I’ve run the numbers and I’ll name names in tomorrow’s post.

Making A Case For Eduardo Escobar

There is a grassroots movement amongst some Twins fans pushing for Eduardo Escobar to take over the starting short stop duties from Pedro Florimon. Based on the early season sample size, it’s easy to see why fans may feel that way.

So far, Florimon has proven to be a serviceable bat but has seemingly been underwhelming at short, committing 3 errors in 68 fielding opportunities. His ultimate zone rating (UZR) is 0.2. The UZR of an average defender is 0, above average 5, great 10 and gold glove caliber player 15. Conversely, below average is -5, poor is -10 and horrible is -15+. Right now, Florimon ranks as an average big league short stop.

Offensively, Florimon’s .308/.441/.345 (AVG/OBP/SLG) in 35 at bats has been a pleasant surprise so far this season. Florimon has been expected to hit in the .220’s and Ron Gardenhire still treats him accordingly, frequently pinch hitting Wilkin Ramirez or Chris Parmelee for Florimon in key situations late in games.

Those pinch hits have allowed for Eduardo Escobar to creep up on Florimon’s starting job. After the inning ends, Escobar has been the player to assume short stop for the remainder of the game. Defensively, Escobar hasn’t tallied enough opportunities to earn a UZR rating yet, which is part of the problem of trying to compare the two players so early in the season. The sample size is just too small for a fair comparison.

It’s what Escobar has been doing with the bat late in games that has fans so interested. In the scant 15 games the Twins have played in 2013, Eduardo Escobar has been up to bat in several key situations late in games and he has delivered.

Offensively, Escobar is the better player (to the surprise of no one) posting a .409/.409/.591 triple slash in 22 at bats. His 182 WRC+ screams small sample size (Florimon boasts a 142 WRC+ right now too) and his .444 BABIP is nice, but not likely to stay that high all season.

From what we’ve seen on the field so far, Escobar looks to have just as much range as Florimon with an equal, if not slightly stronger arm. Escobar’s bat is obviously better as he makes more contact and scouts cite his longer swing as a source of his surprising power. What it comes down to is Pedro Florimon has been perfectly capable of being a big league starter at short stop. He’s average on defense and has been hitting surprisingly well so far. Escobar’s early season numbers are great, but are tainted by the small sample size of a 15 game season. If Florimon regresses to his expected norm, look for Escobar to take over the starting job, but until that regressing occurs, look for the Twins to keep utilizing their lineup exactly as they have been.

MLB Progress Report

We’re nearly one month into the new season, most teams have tallied close to 20 games and both leagues and every division are still tumultuous enough to say that nearly every team has a shot at contending. That being said, we finally are getting enough results to start seeing trends develop across Major League Baseball.

I plan on writing a ‘MLB Progress Report’ sporadically throughout the 2013 season in which I look at each division, team by team and give a general breakdown on how their season has gone so far. Now, on April 22^nd, it’s very easy to decry “Small sample size!” and simply write off many oddities as statistical noise, so take the early season standings with a grain of salt. However, I believe that with almost every team tallying 15 to 19 games, we have enough of a start to analyze some of the early season trends.

Let’s get started with the one team that really matters – the Minnesota Twins.

Minnesota Twins 8-7 2^nd Place – AL Central

It’s been a tale of two teams for the Twins in 2013. They started the year hot, winning 4 of their first 6 games on the strength of solid starting pitching, a shutdown bullpen and just enough offense to win close games.

The offense went cold in Kansas City, as the Twins were swept by the Royals. Against the Mets, it was the starting pitching that fell apart as Vance Worley and Scott Diamond struggled to keep their games close. A 5 game losing streak put the Twins at the back of the Central and brought back bitter memories of 2012 & 2011.

The Twins followed this 5 game losing streak with a 4 game win streak in which the offense came alive against the Angels (16 runs in 2 games) and then the starting pitching stepped up against the White Sox (4 runs allowed over 2 games – one of which was yielded by the bullpen).

At 8-7, the Twins are playing out their ‘best case scenario’ (the best timeline theory for those who watch NBC’s Community) by hanging around .500 and keeping things interesting in the Central. Without a truly standout team (more on them in a minute) in the division, simply hanging around .500 for most of the year will be enough to keep the Twins in the race for the season.

The Rest of the AL Central:

Kansas City 10-7 1^st Place

• The Royals have quietly overachieved this season, finally living up to the ‘sleeper’ expectations that had been cast towards them each of the past three years. James Shields has proven to be exactly the ace the Royals where looking for while Ervin Santana and Wade Davis has been surprisingly reliable. Armed with one of the best bullpens in baseball and a young, dangerous offense, the Royals are poised to make things interesting for the favorite Tigers in the central.

Minnesota 8-7 2^nd Place

Detroit 9-9 3^rd Place

• The Tigers are repeating 2012 – which can be viewed as both a good and bad thing. After all, that team did go on to win the Central division and the AL pennant, but that team also struggled to beat their rivals and didn’t take the division lead until the end of the season. The Tigers can go from unbelievably hot to ice cold in no time, as evidenced by their streaky play over the last 10 games (5-5, currently on a 4 game losing streak). This team is built to run away with the division, but unless they can put together a more consistent and cohesive style of play, they’re doomed to repeat the tight race of 2012.

Cleveland Indians 7-10 4^th Place

• Cleveland spent big in the 2012/2013 offseason, acquiring Michael Bourne, Nick Swisher and trading for potential ace Trevor Bauer. This big push for talent acquisition caused many to label the Indians as sleeper picks to win the Central. While there is still ample time for that prediction to come to fruition, it will only happen if the Indians can come across some consistent starting pitching. Cleveland’s pitchers currently allow the third most runs per game in the AL (ahead of only the Astros and Blue Jays) at 5.12. The offense has been solid, scoring 4.70 runs per game, but it hasn’t been consistent enough. They’ve scored 3 or fewer runs 10 times this season, and are 2-8 in games in which they’ve done so.

Chicago White Sox 7-11 5^th Place

• Many fans and experts alike found it odd when the White Sox, who very nearly stole the AL Central from the heavyweight Tigers in 2012, largely stood pat in the offseason. They allowed key offensive contributors like AJ Pierzynski and Kevin Youkillis to walk away and free agency and chose to fill their spots with internal candidates and Jeff Keppinger. The starting pitching for Chicago has been dominate this season, and they sit in the top 4 for runs allowed per game at 3.72. The offense, however, is missing the big bats as Keppinger, Tyler Flowers and others have not stepped up to fill in for lost production. The Sox are 3-7 in their last 10, and outside of an 7-0 win on April 17^th against the Blue Jays, have not looked that impressive in any of their games this season.

AL East

Boston Red Sox 12-6 1^st Place

• Boston has the top 4 offense and top 3 pitching staffs of the AL. They’ve put together timely hitting with a solid defense (the fewest errors in the AL) to ride to a strong 12-6 start. With their pitching staff, it’s hard to see the Red Sox sliding back too far this year. Look for them to hang around at or near the top of the East all season long.

New York Yankees 10-7 2^nd Place

• The Yankees were largely written off before the season began due to the plethora of injuries plaguing the team. Yet, without a large portion of their starters, the Yankees have the second highest scoring offense in the AL. I would caution to look at sample size here as the odds of Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay and Travis Hafner carrying an offense for half of a season are slim. That being said, with much of their core set to return before or around the All-Star break, the Yankees may just be good enough to hang around the East.

Baltimore 10-8 3^rd Place

• Baltimore was the surprise team of 2012, rising from the ashes of many failed seasons to steal a wild card spot and make a run into the second round of the AL playoffs. Many thought last season was an aberration that couldn’t be repeated due to the number of one run and extra innings games the O’s won (19). With their run differential, the O’s should have been about a .500 team in 2012. So far, 2013 is showing the O’s to be exactly that. They have a solid offense (top 3 in the AL at 5 runs per game) but their pitching is simply average (4.44 runs per game, middle of the pack in the AL) and they play in a very tough division. Baltimore is good, but I think this is the team we’re going to see – at or around .500 all year long.

Tampa Bay 8-10 4^th Place

• If you subscribe to the ‘luck’ theory (I.E. luck plays a large part of a team’s season) you may want to write off the Rays right now. At 8-10, the Rays have already lost some games in amazing fashion. Each week, it seems like they’re on the wrong end of a bad call, one that typically costs them one run in a tight game. Luck or no luck, you can’t argue with the horrible numbers the Rays offense is putting up, they’re 3^rd worst in the AL at 3.73 runs per game. If their offense comes alive, the Rays will be a tough team to contend with. If it stays in stasis, look for the Rays to be bottom dwellers of the East.

Toronto Blue Jays 8-11 5^th Place

• Much to the shock of many experts and fans, the Blue Jays are currently sitting at the bottom of the AL East and looking every bit like the worst team in a loaded division. If you step back and look at things objectively, it’s not that big of a surprise. The Blue Jays are built largely from the framework of the 2012 Marlins team, which was built with great talent but failed to win due to below average pitching and an offense that simply could not score. So far in 2013 the Blue Jays are the second worst pitching staff in the AL (5.76 runs per game) and the 4th worst offense in the AL at 3.79 runs per game. Call it a surprise if you want, but I don’t see it that way. The 2013 Blue Jays, which are essentially the 2012 Marlins, are playing EXACTLY like the 2012 Marlins.

Al West

Texas Rangers 12-6 1^st Place

• The Rangers lost Josh Hamilton, Ryan Dempster and Mike Napoli. They failed to sign any of the impact free agents during the offseason and are sending out a largely unproven outfield each night. None of it matters. The Rangers pitching has been the best in the AL while their offense, built around aging stars in AJ Pierzynski and Lance Berkman is just above league average. With Yu Darvish, Derek Holland, Alexi Ogando and Nick Tepesch all posting sub 3.20 ERA the offense only has to be average for the Rangers to be a threat to win. If the pitching falters, the Rangers are a .500 team, but with the staff playing at the level they are currently, they’re going to be a tough team to beat.

Oakland Athletics 12-7 2^nd Place

• The 2013 A’s are the antithesis of many of the A’s teams of the past. They’re winning largely on offense, instead of defense and pitching. In fact, through 19 games, the A’s are the best offense in the AL, scoring 5.26 runs per game. HOWEVER, there is one large caveat to this hot start. 6 of these 17 games have come against the Astros, who possess the worst pitching staff in the AL. Their last 3 games against the Tampa Bay Rays elite pitching staff saw their red hot bats go cool, as the A’s scored 4 runs total. With a slightly above average pitching staff and a league average defense, look for the A’s to slide back to the pack in the talented AL West.

Los Angeles Angels 7-10 3^rd Place

• For the second straight offseason, the Angels made the biggest splashes in free agency, signing Josh Hamilton to hit alongside Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and Mike Trumbo. For the second straight season, these big signings have not led to big wins. No one on the Angels’ starting staff has an ERA below 4.00 and their defense has currently committed 12 errors, tied for second most in the AL. Poor pitching and a porous defense can only be bailed out by a strong offense, which the Angels should have – but save for their most recent 3 game sweep against Detroit – they have not displayed. At 4.35 runs per game, the Angels are slightly above league average on offense, but given their talent level, we can expect that ranking to rise as their bats heat up. If their pitching ever puts things together, the Angels will jump into contention in West.

Seattle Mariners 7-13 4^th Place

• The Mariners desperately tried to improve offensively this offseason. They were attached to Michael Bourne, Josh Hamilton, BJ Upton and even had a trade in place to acquire Justin Upton, before the slugger rejected the deal. That left the Mariners with little more than Jason Bay and a few other minor signings to build their team around. Predictably, it’s Seattle woeful offense that is weighing them down in 2012. At 3.05 runs per game, the Mariners have the worst offense in the AL. They’re starting pitching currently sits in the bottom five of the AL, despite having Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma anchoring their staff. It has to be tough for Mariners fans, because their team did honestly try to fix their largest areas of concern – only to be rejected. As a result, the offense is woeful and doesn’t show any true promise of improving this season. Thankfully for the Mariners, the Astros now reside in the AL West – meaning they won’t have to worry too much about finishing last in the division.

Houston Astros 5-13 5^th Place

• Despite their opening night win, the Astros have been exactly the team we expected them to be. Their young offense is overly aggressive and underperforming (they lead the AL in strikeouts – 173 and are below average in OBP). Their pitching staff is the worst in the AL (6 runs per game) and has given up the 2^nd most hits, 2^nd most home runs and most walks. They’re a team that is simply overmatched in every facet of the game.

NL East

Atlanta Braves 13-5 1^st Place

• Despite getting swept by the Pirates in their last 3 games, the Braves have been the best team in baseball for much of 2013. They lead the NL in home runs scored while their pitching boast the fewest runs allowed per game (2.44) with the third fewest hits allowed. Their speedy outfield of the Upton brothers and Jason Heyward has contributed to their ranking as the second most efficient team on defense so far this season as well. With their pitching staff and defense, the Braves are going to be a very tough team to beat in 2013.

Washington Nationals 10-8 2^nd Place

• The Nationals are exhibit A of why World Series trophies are not handed out on paper. Despite being the best, most balanced team in 2012 and only getting better (according to writers and experts) this offseason, the Nationals are floating around .500 in 2013. This is largely due to their starting pitching, long considered the strength of the team, underperforming in 2013. At 4.78 runs per game, their staff yields the second highest run total in the NL. They’ve yielded the third most hits in the NL and have committed the most errors of any NL team. Even the offense has been underachieving. Their 4 runs per game is slightly below average in the NL and ranks them at the middle of the pack. They’ve managed to hang around the East due to playing the Marlins 6 times in 18 games (they’re 5-1 in those games). They’ve also beat up on the offensively inept White Sox (3-0) but have struggled against the Braves (0-3), Reds (1-2) and Mets (1-2). There still is a lot of season left and the Nationals can certainly get their offense rolling in time to contend, but the early season numbers point to the Nationals not being the team many thought they would be.

New York Mets 9-8 3^rd Place

• The Mets have been a pleasant surprise at 9-8 this season, hanging around the NL East despite losing ace RA Dickey in a trade last season and Johan Santana to injury before the season began. Their staff has been bolstered by Matt Harvey, who has been near unhittable this year but the rest of the staff hasn’t reached the same level of success – ranking the Mets in the bottom third of the NL in runs per game. Their offense currently leads the NL in runs scored per game (5.82) and their defense has largely been league average, meaning the Mets will likely hang around the .500 mark all season if these trends continue.

Philadelphia Phillies 8-11 4^th Place

• The Phillies have a below average pitching staff (4.63 runs per game) and a bottom five offense (3.68 runs per game). They have one of the more efficient defenses in the NL (.701 efficiency) that has committed the second fewest errors. That pretty much sums up the Phililes so far in 2012 – below average pitching, lackluster offense and fundamentally sound defense. In a division with an elite team (Atlanta) a complete team (Washington) and a offensive team (New York) that will be good enough to finish 3^rd to 4^th. They’re not bad, they’re not great – you’re 2013 Phillies.

Miami Marlins 4-14 5^th Place

• The Marlins were scorned, rightfully so, after their massive fire sale this offseason. They were accused of rolling out an AAA team to take the field (and their fans’ money) at the beginning of the year and were routinely picked to be the worst team in baseball by the end of 2013. The Marlins countered that they’d be better than anticipated. So far, Marlins 0 – everyone else 1. The Marlins are easily the worst team in baseball, and it’s actually not that close. They’re bottom 5 in pitching, absolute worst in batting, worst in defensive efficiency and 3^rd in errors committed. They’re bad – REALLY bad – and don’t expect them to magically improve this season to rise out of the cellar of the NL East.

NL Central

Cincinnati Reds 11-8 1^st Place

• The Reds have a top 3 offense, top 5 pitching staff and top 3 defense; yet they’re only 11-8, why are they struggling despite their statistical success? They’re 5-4 in 2 run games or less so far this season, a trend that is unlikely to continue for the entire season. Their expected win loss total for the year so far is 13-6 based on the above factors, so it’s simply a matter of a few bad breaks and underperforming in key situations. That being said, numbers like the Reds are putting up tend to average out over the length of a season, which means the Reds are likely to take a firm grasp of the NL Central by the All Star break, a lead that, if these numbers continue, will be hard to get back.

St. Louis Cardinals 10-8 2^nd Place

• It never seems to fail, no matter who the Cardinals lose or how little buzz they have before going into a season, they’re always hanging around the division and contending for a playoff spot. A slightly above pitching staff and a top five offense mean the Cardinals will likely hang around a relatively weak NL Central all season, although I don’t know if they have the roster to keep up with the Reds or hold off the Pirates. That being said, it’s foolish to doubt the Cardinals, they’re always contenders.

Pittsburgh Pirates 10-8 2^nd Place

• Is this the year the Pirates FINALLY finish above .500? Maybe. I know that’s not the emphatic answer you were probably looking for, but the signs point to the Pirates being contenders at least for the NL wild card this year. Their offense has been slightly below average and is the largest concern for this team going forward, but the pitching staff currently ranks 2^nd in the NL in runs allowed per game and will likely be getting better by midseason with Gerrit Cole set to join the club. It’s a tough division, but the Pirates are good enough to hang around all year.

Milwaukee Breweres 9-8 4^th Place

• The Brewers surprised many by going after Kyle Loshe right before the regular season. The Brew Crew’s offense had always been solid, but their pitching staff had been the bane of the team for the past few seasons. Loshe has added great value to the team, posting a 2.70 ERA over 3 games so far this year, but the rest of the staff hasn’t achieved nearly as well. The other starters all hold ERAs above 4.50 and the bullpen has been anything but reliable so far this year. This lackluster group has put the Brewers at the bottom of the NL in runs allowed per game. Their offense, always a strong point, continues to be solid, currently sitting at league average in runs scored. With no real pitching staff to speak of, it’s hard to see the Brewers contending for a wild card, let alone the division this season.

Chicago Cubs 5-12 5^th Place

• The Cubs looked like they were kicking their “rebuilding” phase into high gear this offseason, going after a plethora of starters in Edwin Jackson, Scott Baker and Carlos Villanueva. Surrounding this pitching with a young offense with Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro and veterans like Alfonso Soriano, many felt the Cubs had the potential to be a vastly improved club in 2013.  Instead, it’s been more of the same for the Cubbies. Their 3^rd worst in runs scored per game, slightly below average in runs allowed and have committed the second most errors in the NL.  Pending a sudden offensive resurgence, the Cubs look to finish at the bottom of the Central yet again this season.

NL West

Colorado Rockies 13-5 1^st Place

• Raise your hand if you saw this coming. Put your hand down, you did not. NO ONE saw the Rockies, one of the worst teams in baseball last season, putting together such a hot start in 2013. Their Rockies have been winning thanks to a very hot offense, scoring the second highest runs and runs per game in the NL. The offense can get hot in Colorado, especially playing in Coors field, so that’s not terribly surprising, but don’t overlook the pitching, which is the real surprise of the Rockies so far. At 4.22 runs allowed per game, the Rockies have just an average pitching staff by NL standards, but this is largely the same staff that finished with a league worst 5.49 runs per game in 2012. The staff is overachieving and this output is likely unsustainable, but it has made the Rockies fun to watch so far.

San Francisco Giants 12-7 2^nd Place

• The Giants have an average offense, average starting pitching and a slightly above average defense. This is exactly the same consistent style of play that the Giants used to reach (and win) the World Series in two of the past three seasons. It’s not exciting, but it seems to work. Their stats say they shouldn’t be as good as they are, in fact their projected W/L is set at 10-9 currently, reflecting what the numbers say – they’re a .500 team. Yet…

Arizona Diamondbacks 10-8 3^rd Place

• The D-Backs traded away Justin Upton and Trevor Bauer while signing a plethora of ‘gritty’ (scrappy, insert nice adjectives for “good but not great” player here) outfielders and Brandon McCarthy in the offseason. Many experts questioned their plan, but it’s clear GM Kevin Towers had one – and as far as we know its working. The D-Backs are one of the higher scoring teams in the NL and their staff is in the top 3 of the NL in runs allowed. Their offense is slightly more potent than San Francisco’s and their starting pitching has been more reliable so far this season. With the Rockies likely outplaying their actual level of talent and the Giants seemingly overplaying their talent level, the West is still up for grabs. The D-Backs are built to win the division, and if their early season play continues, they might just do that.

Los Angeles Dodgers 8-10 4^th Place

• The Dodgers are the new big spenders of the MLB, seemingly constantly attached to or signing the biggest name free agents each offseason. So far, this spending has not translated to wins. Despite having an average starting staff, the Dodgers have been slowed by a very poor offensive start to the season. Their 3 runs per game are better than only the lowly Marlins in the NL. Without an improvement from their bats, it’s hard to see the Dodgers contending.

San Diego Padres 5-13

• The Padres are bottom 4 in runs scored, bottom 4 in runs allowed and below average in defensive efficiency. Thank heavens for the Marlins and Astros, who have been so spectacularly terrible that few are noticing just how bad the Padres are this season. With no pitching staff and no offense to speak of, the Padres don’t look to rise above the rest of a talented NL West anytime soon.

As I mentioned in the open, we’re barely 20 game into the season and much of the early season output should be taken with a grain of salt. That being said, we can pick up some interesting trends from this early season data. Are the Rockies going to keep this up? Odds are against them. The Reds are better than the record says, the A’s probably aren’t the best offense in baseball and the Astros are just as bad as everyone believes. The D-Backs and Pirates shouldn’t be overlooked despite their .500 starts, while the Twins and Mets are probably exactly what they appear to be in their .500 starts to the young season.

I’ll come back to this feature periodically throughout the season (I plan on breaking the season into 20 game “pieces”) so we can track who has been rising, falling and what the numbers really say about a team each step of the way.

20/20 Hindsight

The Minnesota Twins front office was scornfully discussed following the conclusion of the 2012 offseason as many saw the team simply standing pat and failing to address the biggest needs of the club – starting pitching.

The Twins opted to trade Denard Span and fan favorite Ben Revere to the Nationals and Phillies respectively, returning two promising future prospects and Vance Worley. They also signed a pitcher fresh off of Tommy John surgery (Mike Pelfrey) and overpaid for middle of the road starter in Kevin Correia. Then, they did the thing that infuriated fans the most. They stood pat. Despite what many thought to be a decently deep market, the Twins didn’t add any more arms to their rotation; stating instead that they liked what they had lined up.

Fans were understandably furious and frustrated and so far this reaction has proven to be justified. Through 12 games of the 2013 season, the Twins’ starting pitchers have been just has inconsistent and hittable as the 2012 rotation. Fans are left grumbling about what “could have been” if the team had only signed player X instead.

So, I thought we’d take a look at the list of guys that fans and media pundits thought the Twins should have signed and see if they are fairing any better. This concept popped into my head last night after watching Joe Blanton, a one time favorite of many Twins bloggers, get shelled by the Twins at Target Field. Just how much better would the staff have been had the Twins chased Edwin Jackson, Ryan Dempster or Shaun Marcum? Let’s see:

The Candidates:

Prior to the free agency period of 2012, these were the players that were attached to the Twins as possible targets.

1.       Edwin Jackson – (Signed 4 year $52 Million with Chi. Cubs) Jackson was probably the longest shot on the Twins’ target list as he was expected to command a high price tag. Those estimates were correct and Jackson’s $13 MM / year deal likely priced him out of the Twins range before any serious talks began. So far this season, Jackson is 0-2 with a 6.06 ERA and a 1.592 WHIP. He’s pitched slightly ‘better’ than Vance Worley, but at that price, the Twins benefited from missing out on Jackson.

2.       Scott Baker – (Signed 1 year $5.5 Million with Chi. Cubs) Baker, the long time Twins workhorse, was expected to return to the team one year after Tommy John surgery caused him to miss all of 2012. Reports were the Twins wanted Baker on a 2 year, $5 MM deal with a potential team option. Baker wanted a 1 year deal. The Cubs offered it and Baker left Minnesota behind. Baker’s elbow began giving him issues in spring training, however, and he hasn’t pitched this season due to re-injury. He’s unlikely to begin pitching until around July. The Twins lucked out by not signing Baker fresh off his injury year.

3.       Brett Myers – (Signed 1 year $7 Million with Cleveland) Almost immediately into the free agency period of 2012 / 2013 Brett Myers name kept popping up alongside the Twins. Reports had both sides very interested, and some stories even made it sound like Myers to the Twins was but a mere formality at one point. Instead, Myers went to Cleveland and the Twins front office said they never really had any serious talks with Myers. So far, Myers has posted an 0-2 record with an ERA of 8.82 and a WHIP of 1.653. Once again, the Twins aren’t missing much by not having Myers in their rotation.

4.       Shaun Marcum – (Signed 1 year, $4 Million with NY Mets) Marcum could arguably top this list as many, myself included, thought he fit the Twins’ needs the most. He was the very ‘buy low, potential high ceiling’ pitcher the Twins needed to be looking at if they wanted to build their rotation without dealing out Edwin Jackson or Anibal Sanchez money. Instead the Twins reportedly never even spoke to Marcum’s camp and the righty signed a cheap deal with the Mets. A spring training set back has kept Marcum from pitching so far this season, but he’s set to debut later this week or early next week. We’ll have to see how he pitches, but Marcum could be a player the Twins will be kicking themselves over come June or July.

5.       Joe Saunders – (Signed 1 year, $6.5 Million with Seattle) Saunders was less a case of the Twins not pushing hard enough and more of a case where the player really didn’t want to play for them. Saunders holds a 1-1 record with a 2.08 ERA, so he’d be a great addition to the rotation this season, but as was mentioned, he didn’t want to come to Minnesota, so little blame falls on the Twins here.

6.       Joe Blanton – (Signed 2 years $15 Million with Anaheim) Blanton was the favorite dark horse for many beat writers and fans alike. He fit the innings eater, work horse type pitcher that the team so desperately needed, and to many, he had better stuff than Kevin Correia. The Twins reportedly never really pushed to acquire Blanton, a move that is proving wise so far into the young season. Blanton is 0-3 with an 8.59 ERA and has looked absolutely terrible on the mound this year.

7.       Carlos Villanueva – (Signed 2 years $10 Million with Chi. Cubs) Villanueva was my favorite potential target for the Twins entering the offseason. He was an under the radar talent for the Blue Jays who had posted some average numbers over the past few years, but looked to be trending in the right direction. It’s not known if the Twins even pursued Villanueva, but they probably should have. He’s currently winless, but his .64 ERA and .852 WHIP tell you the quality of starts he’s been giving the Cubs. At the same price as Kevin Correia, the Twins could have had a very solid mid rotation starter.

8.       Brandon McCarthy – (Signed 2 years $18 Million with Arizona) McCarthy was a popular pick for the Twins to throw decent money at coming into the signing period. He would assume the role of staff ace and anchor the rotation for years to come – so we thought. Instead, McCarthy took a nice deal from the Diamondbacks to act as their #2 or #3 starter. So far, McCarthy is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA and a 1.800 WHIP, so maybe the Twins lucked out by not offering him $10-$12 MM per year.

When you list out all of the candidates the Twins COULD have signed, you start to see a trend – outside of Carlos Villanueva and possibly Shaun Marcum – they really aren’t missing much. Jackson signed for too much money and has under performed. Baker is injured for at least half of the year. Brett Myers has struggled in his starting role. Marcum has been injured. Saunders wasn’t coming to Minnesota regardless of the Twins’ offers. Blanton has been consistently bad and McCarthy hasn’t been that impressive this year either. The only player the Twins seem to have missed out on was Villanueva. Otherwise, Pelfrey and Correia have given the Twins exactly the same level of pitching that their “other” targets have done.

It’s easy to bemoan Mike Pelfrey or Vance Worley as they get blown up and it’s easy to cringe while Kevin Correia is pitching, just waiting for the game to fall apart – but don’t sit there and call out “If only they’d signed Edwin Jackson!” because the rest of the market hasn’t faired much better this year.

They Are Who We Thought They Were

The motto for the 2013 Minnesota Twins seems to be “All or Nothing”.  Just last week, fans and news outlets alike were lauding the Twins for putting together the ‘best case scenario’ for their young season. The offense was finding the right time to get a big hit, the starting pitching was keeping the team in games without burning up the bullpen – which was doing a great job on their own.

What a difference a week makes.

Just as the Twins hit every best case scenario in their 4-2 start, they’ve now regressed to every worst case scenario in their recent 5 game losing streak. Now, at 4-7, the team is looking every bit the disaster that the experts and fans thought they’d be. Their starting pitching has been poor, with Vance Worley the supposed staff ‘ace’ holding a 10.50 ERA with an astounding 2.417 WHIP. Meanwhile, Mike Pelfrey’s 7.36 ERA and Scott Diamond’s (admittedly limited sample size) 8.31 ERA have done little to assure fans that 2013 won’t bear a striking resemblance to 2012.

The Twins begin a 3 game set with the struggling, but always dangerous Angels with Correia, Pelfrey and Worley taking the mound. Top prospect Oswaldo Arcia was called up Sunday to fill in for Wilkin Ramirez, who will be out for 3 days on paternity leave. It will be interesting to see where the Twins play the powerful Arcia, as his natural position of corner outfield is occupied by Josh Willingham and Chris Parmelee. Youngster Aaron Hicks has been struggling mightily in the big leagues so far this year, and while Arcia is not a natural CF, he does have the ability to play that position as well.

Arcia’s call up is likely to be limited to 3 games, but it will be interesting to see how he performs during that short span. Does a breakout performance force the team to reconsider their current roster layout? Will a hot start from Arcia force the Twins’ hand in moving Willingham or Monreau? At this point, these are the story lines we’re most likely going to be interested in this season as the team on the field looks to be of little improvement from the squads of 2011 & 2012.

Twins...Win?

The 2012 Minnesota Twins lost their first four games before tabbing their first win of the season. They waited until the calendar read May before they picked up their second series win of the year.

What a difference a year makes.

Yesterday, the Twins finished off the Orioles 4-3 to pick up their fourth win of the young season. They also won their second consecutive series. At 4-2, the Twins are exceeding expectations early into the 2013 season.

Prior to the season, most Twins writers and bloggers (myself included) said this team could win IF:

·         The starting pitching is simply average

·         The offense can put together some timely hitting

·         The bullpen excels at keeping games close

So far, the Twins are hitting every bullet point on that “if list”.

Starting Pitching

Vance Worley has two starts under his belt, and while his 0-1 record, 5.73 ERA and 1.818 WHIP are not numbers that would befit an ace, Worley has largely been a solid pitcher for the Twins at the top of the rotation. As the season progresses, Worley is expected to settle into his groove and bring those numbers down.

Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey have each turned in impressive starts so far this season as well. Correia’s 7.0 IP, 2 ER outing against Detroit was solid enough to allow the Twins to hang around until Eduardo Escobar could win the game on a walk-off double on Wednesday while Pelfrey held the talented Tigers offense to 0 earned runs in route to helping the team notch their first series win against the Tigers since 2010.

Liam Hendriks, unfortunately, has been the outcast of the staff so far this season. He was roughed up by the Orioles on Friday, yielding 4 earned runs over 4.2 innings of work. Hendriks will have a chance to start against the Royals on Wednesday, which will likely be a big start for the young righty. With Scott Diamond set to return to the team at the end of the week, the pitcher with the weakest performance so far will likely be sent back to Rochester. As of now, that’s likely Hendriks.

Pedro Hernandez made a spot start for the injured Cole De Vries on Sunday, and largely did what the team needed him to do. Through 5 innings of work, Hernandez held the O’s to 3 earned runs. His control was spotty and he walked too many batters to be considered effective, he kept the Twins in the game so the offense could rebound. When De Vries returns from the DL, Hernandez will likely return to AAA, but his outing was good enough to keep him on the short list for spot starts in the future.

Bullpen

The bullpen has proven to be rock solid the season. Outside of Tyler Robertson’s hanging fastball that was crushed for a grand slam on Friday, each player has stepped in and kept the other team off base and off the scoreboard.

The biggest bright spot so far this season has to be Josh Roenicke, a waiver wire pickup from the Rockies last winter who has become Gardy’s go to guy to hold games in the 6^th and 7^th inning. Through three games this season, Roenicke has not conceded a run, only allowed two hits and has bridged the gap between the starters and the back of the bullpen effortlessly.

Youngster Ryan Pressly, the Twins Rule 5 pickup this season, has also been a surprise in the bullpen. Through two appearances this young season, Pressly has only allowed 1 hit and has struck out 2.

Anthony Swarzak, fresh off the DL, picked up the win yesterday, looking solid in 1.2 innings of work. Brian Duensing has picked up where he left off last season, acting as a solid lefty reliever in tight spots. Jared Burton and Glen Perkins, the two brightest spots of 2012’s team, have continued their success into 2013. Burton has left batters looking foolish in the 8^th inning of tight games while Perkins has shut down the opposition in each of his three appearances this season.

Offense

2012 saw the Twins’ offense start off very slowly. By the time they began to heat up and play consistently, the team was already buried in last place in the Central and all hope for the season had essentially been extinguished.

Despite the struggles of Aaron Hicks (which were to be expected) and a slow start by Chris Parmelee, the offense has largely been very productive.

Josh Willingham, Trevor Plouffe and Justin Morneau have been great sluggers while Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit and Brian Dozier have been consistently been reaching base. Even Pedro Florimon and Eduardo Escobar, two guys who were not expected to contribute too greatly on offense this season, have proven to be solid with the bat.

It’s far too early to get excited about this team, and it’s foolish to adjust your expectations for the club based off of six games. It is, however, nice to see the Twins playing the quality of baseball we’ve known their capable of. With solid defense, average pitching and a relentless “piranha” style offense, this team can hang around in any game. That makes for a much more enjoyable team to watch.

Here’s hoping the momentum carries into the series with Kansas City and beyond.