Plus Two

[stringer bell]

The Twins have played 72 games. They are doing a bit better than (4 more wins) than at this point last year. I am looking for reasons why they are better (how is that for positive?) and noticed that despite the second least homers in the American League, they have outhomered their opponents by two (68-66). Willingham leads the team with 10 homers which projects to only 25 for the full season, but the Twins have eight guys with more than five homers, which would project to double digits over an entire season.

 

The pitchers have done a pretty good job limiting the long ball, which seems to be the least sustainable component of the positive home run differential going forward. Particularly, the bullpen has yielded only 16 homers in 254 innings.

 

I would guess that the number of runs from homers is higher for opponents than for the Twins, but it is promising that they are reaching the seats marginally more than their opponents. The lineup does have more power sprinkled from top to bottom than they have in past years.

[Nick Nelson]

This is a great observation. The Twins are on pace to allow 149 homers this year after last year allowing 198. And that's with Correia coughing them up at a crazy-high rate.

[Badsmerf]

Adding Gibson to the rotation will help this win total too.

[IdahoPilgrim]

Think what it would be if Morneau was in his old form.