10/6/09

Five Reasons the Twins will be AL Central Champions


  1. Momentum. The last 2 weeks the team is batting .313/.391/.466, and the bullpen in September has a collective 2.85 ERA, 1.257 WHIP, and has allowed opponents to hit for a .678 OPS. For comparison, the last 2 weeks Detroit is batting .275/.349/.402 and for September its pen has a 4.84 ERA, 1.495 WHIP and has allowed opponents to hit for a .784 OPS. The difference in the numbers get magnified if one looks at just the last week

  2. Head to Head Performance. The Twins have taken 11 of 18 from Detroit and 7 out of 9 in the Dome. As a team, the Twins against Detroit are batting .307/.372/.452 (the best against any AL team this season) and pitching to the rate of 4.21 ERA and 1.331 WHIP. Detroit, on the other hand, as a team against the Twins is hitting .266/.325/.418 and pitching with a 5.48 ERA and 1.628 WHIP (the worse against any AL team this season

  3. Starting Pitchers. This season Scott Baker at home is pitching at a 1.071 WHIP rate with 7.7 K/9 and 5.67 K/BB. At the same time Rich Porcello away is pitching at a 1.365 WHIP rate with 4.3 K/9 and 1.95 K/BB. Rich Porcello on artificial turf this season is 0-3 with a 6.60 ERA, 1.867 WHIP and .991 opponents OPS.

  4. The Dome. It is fair to say that the metrodome has seen the best (and loudest) crowds for 25 years all in the last 2 days: Sell outs for the last 2 weekend baseball games following by a MNF Packers visit. All 3 games victorious for the home team. This game will be in a madhouse and the fans are riding a home town victory high

  5. The 1987 Karma. This team has a lot of similarities with the 1987 team including:
    • Home run hitters
    • A very low winning percentage, esp. away
    • One good young starter pitcher and a good veteran starter pitcher and several questionmarks
    • A re-engineered bullpen that started performing down the stretch
    • A reliable, but often high blood pressure -inducing closer
    It is not a coincidence that a. The last time the Twins played Detroit in a loser goes home for the winter game was in 1987 and b. that most of the 1987 team is actually in the dome the last few days. I strongly believe that the Metrodome magic will work today and this post-season as well


GO TWINS!!!!

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