As many Twins fans of long-standing get ready to celebrate a weekend they felt might never come, that being the induction of team greats Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat into the Hall of Fame, the current brain trust is left to contemplate what to do with a fading ball club.
This sullen view of the Twins is not restricted to the abomination that was the four-game, pre-All Star series vs. the White Sox. The Twins were outscored 32-10 in losing three of four at Target Field. The sub-mediocrity for the Twins actually goes back two months. They are 23-28 dating to May 25, and that's a much more accurate reflection of the roster at hand than was a 23-8 run for five weeks beginning in later April.
The Twins remain in first place in the AL Central, although now that two better teams — Cleveland with its pitching, Chicago with its overall talent — are within three games, that standing is unlikely to be maintained through baseball's next major summer holiday (National Bratwurst Day, Aug. 16).
