Kelly Thesier

Now, I'm not completely sure why, but when Kelly Thesier took over the job at the Twins beat writer for MLB.com, I find it really hard to enjoy reading articles on the Twins website. Maybe its the way everything is sugar-coated, no matter how bad the situation is. The Twins could be in the middle of a 3-33 slump, and the headline would read "Twins Persevering Through Troubled Times". Which I guess is true, they are still alive, they get their paycheck...but yeah, beyond that its the Great Depression out there. OK, so maybe its not that bad, and I realize you can't write negatively about the team on its own website, and I'm not asking her to write negatively or to criticize...just don't write straight up lies.

In her latest article on the Twins midterm report, I literally laughed out loud. Let's take a look...

1) Club MVP Joe Mauer...no argument here, best player on the team has been nothing short of dependable and durable the entire season.

2) Call him "Ace" Livan Hernandez (insert my laughing out loud). She notes that the Twins were looking for an innings-eater and a veteran to stabilize the rotation. Oh, but he has done more than that..."proving himself to be a mentor to the starting staff" (isn't that how to stabilize the starting rotation?) "and delivering better numbers on the mound than expected" (true, I honestly thought he would have an ERA in the mid-upper fives, a whip of 1.70, and a BAA of over.320...

...oh wait, he does...

I guess the number I didn't expect was the Twins scoring almost 6 1/2 runs/game when Livan starts.

3) Greatest strength..speed. Kelly, you should've stopped right there. She goes on to discuss the bullpen, which although good, I don't consider a strength to the team. Between losing Neshek and having Bonser and Bass piling up runs, you're down to less than a handful of guys you feel comfortable pitching with a lead.

4) Problem...injuries. Honestly, I dont' know if this is such a big one...Adam Everett going down is probably the only reason he's still on the team. Losing Neshek hurt badly, but the play of Castilla, Buscher, Macri, and Span is more than what was expected of the guys they replaced.

5) Suprise...Castilla. I will agree to some point on this one, but to me, the biggest has been the younger starting pitching (Perkins, Baker, Blackburn, and Slowey) They have a combined 25-15 record with a 3.90 ERA and a 4.7/1 K/BB ratio. What more could you have asked for without Santana, Silva, Liriano, and Bonser in the rotation?

6) Team needs...power hitter. Who doesn't need a power hitter at the deadline, honestly? I am worried about the condition of the pitchers arms though. The bullpen has thrown the 5th most innings in the AL, and may increase as the 2nd half of the season takes a toll on the arms of the younger starters who are typically not ready to throw 175-200 innings a season. Many people make the case for Liriano to come back in the 2nd half, but he has already logged 110+ innings this season, a year removed from Tommy John surgery. If he does come up soon after the break, don't expect the Twins to use him for more than 5 or 6 starts. In my opinion, the team could try and deal one of their excess OF's for either starting pitching or bullpen help to get them through a tough 2nd half schedule.

But that's just my fantasy two cents...