To Trade or Not to Trade

After walloping the Nationals last night, the Twins brought their record back to five hundred. The two wins against the Nationals begin a stretch of fourteen home games in their next seventeen. This is a critical period for the Twins season. The Twins perform far better at home than on the road, particularly the starting pitching. While watching Livan Hernandez and the bullpen wrap up the game on Tuesday night in less than two hours, FSN put up a graphic comparing the starting rotation's home ERA and its road ERA. I was disgusted with the numbers I saw. The road ERA is two whole runs higher than the home ERA. While it's good news that the rotation is exceptional at home, it is more worrying that the rotation has pitched so pitifully on the road. This makes it imperative that the Twins continue to win at the Dome. They have already won the series against the Nationals and must take two of three this weekend against the D'Backs. It will be tough as the Twins face the Big Unit on Friday and Brandon Webb on Sunday. The good news is Randy Johnson can't kill any birds on Friday cause he'll be inside.

Looking ahead to next week, the Twins take a long trip out west to San Diego for three games and return home to face the Brewers. San Diego is a pitchers park so hopefully the rotation won't get pounded and they can take two of three. I have full faith in them owning the Brewers as Minnesota is far superior than Wisconsin in all areas. Except maybe food. I have to give Wisconsin the nod in the food department strictly because of the Queen Bee and Joe Rouer's. Expect me to wax poetic on these amazing dining establishments sometime on this blog. If the Twins continue this winning form at home, when the All-Star break comes, they should be a few games above five hundred. This brings up a big question for the GM: Are you a seller or a buyer?

To be honest, I did not expect the Twins to be hovering around five hundred for the season and within shouting distance of first place. They have been a pleasant surprise and a joy to watch. Realistically, they have little shot at making the playoffs. Even though Detroit and Cleveland have underperformed, I still see one of them turning it around and jumping us in the standings. Detroit is starting to look like the world beaters everyone thought they would be and that lineup frightens me against Twins pitching. I believe the Twins have to listen to offers if other teams come calling. It seems inevitable that Livan Hernandez will get traded, and I think it is the right move for the Twins. With Liriano pitching well in triple A and Boof available for spot starts, getting something for Livan is the best option. We're building for 2010 when the new ballpark opens. Being competitive now is great, but worrying about the present and mortgaging our future is foolish. Bill Smith knows this and he will make smart decisions. Although signing Nathan for around eleven million a year wasn't the brightest idea. I'm excited for the rest of the season and the continued improvement of the team. In a couple years, in a new ballpark, a cool October night under the lights might be in the cards.