Last year the Minnesota Twins won the American League Central for the fifth time in eight years, but it was how they did it that was so significant.
Trailing the Tigers by seven games on Sept. 6, the Twins closed out the season with a 17-4 run to force a one-game playoff.
The one-game playoff ended up going 12 innings, and Minnesota clinched a playoff berth with a 6-5 win.
Can the Twins repeat? Let's take a look at their chances, along with their season win total projection.
Pitching
The Twins' staff doesn't have a real ace, but it doesn't have a glaring weakness either. Scott Baker went 15-9 with a 4.37 ERA last year while pitching over 200 innings. Kevin Slowey was 10-3 with a 4.86 ERA and does a good job of throwing strikes and not allowing walks.
Nick Blackburn posted a 4.03 ERA with an 11-11 record. Carl Pavano combined to go 14-12 with a 5.10 ERA in his stints with both Cleveland and Minnesota.
Francisco Liriano needs to return to form to fill out the rotation, but with the Joe Nathan injury, there is also some talk of him moving to the closer role. More likely, Jon Rauch and Matt Guerrier will be vying for that spot unless the Twins make a trade.
Either way, when you lose one of the most reliable closers in the game, it's going to hurt.
Lineup
Joe Mauer missed the first month of the season yet still put up big numbers. He set career highs with 28 home runs, 96 RBI, and a .365 batting average to help him earn the AL MVP. Justin Morneau has also been a consistent producer for the Twins, hitting at least 23 home runs with 100 RBI for three straight years.
The middle infield has been revamped with Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy being the new faces. Brendan Harris is probably the weakest hitter in the lineup and will play 3B.
Denard Span has hit .294 or higher the last two seasons while stealing at least 18 bases. Michael Cuddyer hit 32 home runs and drove in 94 runs last year. Jason Kubel hit over .300 with 28 home runs and 103 RBI in 2009.
Delmon Young needs to pick it up after struggling his first two seasons as a Twin.
Prediction
The baseball lines makers have posted the Twins at 83.5 wins this year. I think this team is more talented than that, and in my 2010 Minnesota Twins predictions article I took the over.
If you want game-by-game breakdowns, then take a look at the baseball picks offered by the experts on our site.
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