What on earth is Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano's problem? Coming off a 2010 season that saw career highs in wins (14), strikeouts (201), innings pitched (191.2) and ERA (3.62), Liriano has been simply atrocious in his first 5 starts this year. He's 1-4, has a 9.13 ERA, with as many walks as strikeouts. Keep in mind, this is all in 23.2 innings. During those innings, he's given up 24 runs, 4 of them being homers. This would all be fine and dandy if two things were true: the Twins were doing well otherwise, or if Liriano was playing on the Pirates or Astros. However, he's on a team that is considered a perennial contender, so his performance this season is simply a poor showing of what's likely to come this year. It seems he's lost his control, throwing too many fastballs right down the middle (one of the easiest pitches for hitters in the major leagues to drive) and allowing too many men to get on base on balls. This is very reminiscent of his 2009 season, where he garnered a 5-13 record and a 5.80 ERA. He managed to get everything back to normal and turned it around for his 2010 season, but he's facing an uphill battle this year. He's also notorious for his frequent injuries, so he needs to stay healthy if he hopes to make a comeback.
Ryan Braun, one of 3 good Jewish ballplayers today (so you know how I feel about him), recently signed a 5 year/$105 million extension with the Brewers, making him one of two players (the other being Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki) contracted through the 2020 season and ensuring that Milwaukee has him through the prime of his career, if not the entirety of it. This was a very good move, as Braun is one of the most consistent power hitters on their team: he's only hit less than .300 once, and has only his less than 30 homers once. His slugging percentage has never been below .500, and he had a 1.004 OPS in his first year. He's stolen between 14 and 20 bases every season, meaning he won't ever be known for his speed, but that he can be fast when the need arises. He's been a Silver Slugger every year except his rookie season, and has only committed 31 errors in 4 seasons (his first season, which he spent at 3rd base, he committed 26 of those errors, so he's only committed 5 since the move to left field). He beat out fellow 2020-er Tulowitzki for Rookie of the Year in their 2007 season, and has been steadily producing ever since then. The only question about this extension is, do the Brewers have enough money now to retain Prince Fielder? As good as Braun is, having Fielder in that lineup makes a dominating 1-2 punch in the 3-4 spots.
Bilateral leg weakness. What is that, you may ask? Basically, it's an after-effect of knee surgery, when your legs tend to give out easily when you spend an extended amount of time in an uncomfortable position for your legs, such as, say, crouching behind home plate. This is the reason star Twins catcher Joe Mauer is on the DL. This is also part of the reason why the Twins are 4th in the Central (another reason, of course, is Liriano). Mauer, contracted through the 2018 season, is one of the best players/hitters in the game, if not the best catchers today. But if he's going to be injured as much as he has been in the past few seasons, will that title hold true? More importantly, will it matter? Is a move to the infield or outfield a better idea for Mauer? We already know he's got pop at the plate, and his defensive abilities are highly competent. With a little work, he could easily be a star shortstop or outfielder. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire seems very turned off to the idea of converting Mauer, but if it's something that will prolong Mauer's power and give him the fantastic career he has the potential to attain, then why not do it? It's not like they a) don't have other options at catcher, and b) couldn't use a stronger defensive player in the infield (11 errors this season). While it might not be the worst idea, only time will tell if Mauer will spend his entire career as a backstop.
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