The Minnesota Twins have gotten off to pretty a rocky start this season, going 6-16 in April, but the season is actually starting to shape up, with the Twins managing 12-16 for May. We’re hoping to see an even better record for June, and of course throughout the rest of the 2012 season.
Although we just so happen to be the worst team in our division right now, teams have come back from worse in the past. Our record could possibly improve enough over the next few months to actually give us playoff potential. At the very least, we have that hope to hold onto in order to see us through the rest of this season.
Minor League call-ups have also made this season more interesting for the fans to follow. Chris Parmelee used his demotion as a learning opportunity, and returned to the Twins last Friday, after his recall to the minors in mid-May. Comebacks like Parmelee’s give fans hope for a team-wide comeback for the season. Let’s hope he continues to play as impressively as he has in Rochester, and we should definitely be on our way to some more wins.
Perhaps THE key player in the Twins’ recent victories is starting pitcher Scott Diamond, who leads the Twins with a 5-1 record and a 1.61 ERA. Before Diamond joined the bullpen, the Twins were only 7-21. Now, the Twins are just 8.5 games away from the division-leading Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, which, in my opinion, is still an obtainable goal at this point. I think the Twins owe a lot of that success to Scott Diamond. He could be the ticket to a major comeback this season.
Liam Hendriks, right-handed pitcher who has a 152/3-inning shutout streak going in Triple-A Rochester, is expected to start for the Twins on Saturday as they face the Milwaukee Brewers. He is yet another example of some great talent that could be pulled from the minors to give the team a boost. With more starting pitchers to add to the rotation, it looks like the Twins bullpen could actually have a chance at reviving this season after all.
The Twins have now won seven of their last ten games, and are looking good to win more. If there is one thing fans love, it’s a comeback story. This is the perfect opportunity for the Twins to have just that. Rookie players are bringing in excitement about the team, and even seem to be sparking better performance from other players on the team, such as Nick Blackburn, who even seems to be stepping up at the mound after returning from the disabled list, as in his last start against the Phillies, which ended in an 11-7 victory. “The team doing well helps a lot,” third baseman Trevor Plouffe said after the game, “It’s contagious. I say it all the time and it’s true.” That certainly seems to be the case.
All in all, what started out as a gloomy season for the Minnesota Twins could truly turn out to be a promising one after all. It is definitely good to see the players out there giving it their all, and giving us fans something to root for. I know I speak for myself and countless others when I say I am now more eager than ever to see what is to come, but we will just have to watch and see what the Twins produce for the rest of the 2012 season.
Follow Jessie Booth on Twitter @jessie_booth
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