A Few Good Notes

• Today, the Twins salvaged their four game series with Tampa Bay by winning 4-2. The Twins carry a 5-10 record in their first 15 games and are 6 games behind the first place Indians. Many people have voiced concern with the team's slow start, mainly due to the lack of offense. But before you jump off the bandwagon please note this: The Twins have played 10 games against the AL East, a division they do not fare well against (15-18 last year). They have just played two games against the AL Central, a division the generally do much better against (47-25 last year). Their offense has yet to come to life, but we all know it will (Do you expect them to hit like this all year?). And finally, if the team can hang around in the race, Bill Smith has a good track record of bringing in some quality help.
  
• It was announced today that Joe Nathan will not be closing for a good while. Matt Capps, who picked up a save today, will be the closer. Nathan has the will and intensity to close, but his stuff is far below where it used to be. His fastball velocity, typically 94-95 MPH, is now sitting in the 92-93 area. And he has relied on his slider far too much. Nathan will be used in less stressful situations to help get his game back on track. But if Capps has a 2010 like season, he could be the closer all year.
  
• Joe Mauer was placed on the DL Thursday with what was believed to be bilateral leg weakness. But Friday, it was discovered it was just a viral infection. Mauer is traveling with the team, but has reportedly lost 12 pounds since Thursday. He should return relatively quick after his time on the DL is up, but with him, it could be a while. Maybe look for him to rehab and play in some games down in Florida when he feels better. Because honestly, he hadn't looked all that great at the plate so I would rather see the Twins take their time and get him right before putting him back on the big league roster.
• The Twins released a new TV ad after today's game featuring Jim Thome, Joe Mauer, and Michael Cuddyer. Check it out here: http://twitvid.com/UWKNY
• The Twins head out to Baltimore for a four game set before returning home for the weekend. The birds have lost 6 in a row heading into the series. So maybe the Twins can jump on them early tomorrow night and set the table for a good series.
  

Later on this week, I'm going to start a Minor league update which I will be trying to do on a weekly basis. Also I will start keeping my MLB power rankings on the right side of the blog now that we are a few weeks into the regular season.