This bullpen is fantastic

I don't really know that this needs to be said, but I love the Twins bullpen. Sure, sometimes they'll screw up and Juan Rincon will have a stretch like he had recently, but then they do something like they did tonight, and I'm right back in.

5 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 W

That's beautiful. And excellent managing of the bullpen as well. They used Reyes for one out, then went with the best guys. Neshek pitched 1.2 innings of good work (even though he did allow a sac fly), Joe Nathan was then brought in for 2 shutout innings, and then Juan Rincon pitched a scoreless inning. Great management of the pen, great pitching by the pen, and a nice win.

And a round of applause for Scott Baker. In my last post way back when, I wondered if it could be Baker's last chance. Well, he has come back and had 2 straight solid starts, including a really good win on Tuesday. 7+ innings, 4 H, 1 ER, 9 K. I'll take that.

Also, another brilliant managing move bringing in Jeff Cirillo in the 12th to pinch hit. This isn't even hindsight bias, as I thought it was an excellent move at the time. Cirillo is a very solid hitter against lefties, and it just made perfect sense to bring him in there. Sometimes managers don't do what seems to make perfect sense, but the Twins did here and it worked out, with Cirillo delivering the game-winning single.

Twins now stand at 39-36, 5.5 games back of the Indians and Tigers... but for some reason, I just have a really good feeling about these guys.

Position Preview: First Base

With 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau still here, the Twins seem to be in pretty good shape at 1B.

But while the power of Morneau is evident with his 34 HR and 130 RBI, that's just a piece of what makes him such a dangerous hitter. Last year he finally learned how to go with the ball and take it to the opposite field, and the results were staggering. His average finished at .321, over 80 points higher than his average the year before. He also became a more patient hitter, which led to OBP to finish at .375.

But even just looking at the offense is forgetting that he has developed into a very solid defensive first basemen. His height allows him to reach balls that get away from people up high, and he has become very adept at the scoop.

So put it all together, and Morneau looks like he will be in for another great year, and he has finally become a complete offensive and defensive player, and become the player the Twins have hoped he can be.

If he gets hurt (knock on wood), the majority of the playing time would probably go to Jeff Cirillo or Mike Cuddyer. I'll be writing more about them as we get into their normal positions, but just so you're aware, those are the backup options.