I've been saying for weeks that I like the position-player portion of the Twins' roster, and organization. I see depth, health and promise. I think this lineup could score a lot of runs and at last be professional in the field. The pitching, though, is already a problem. Scott Baker, who had a chance to become the staff ace this year, is babying his elbow again, now looking for a second opinion. Jason Marquis, because of his daughter's injury, is behind schedule. And during our pregame session with Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on Saturday afternoon, he asked, ``You guys know about Hendricks, right?" No, we didn't. Hendricks is in a Baltimore hospital with food poisoning. So Anthony Swarzak will start on Sunday. I asked Swarzak how many pitches he could see throwing on Sunday. ``In my mind," he said with a smile, ``about 200." Swarzak starting isn't such a bad thing in and of itself. He's an admirable competitor. What's alarming is that the Twins didn't make it through the first weekend unscathed. The Twins' early schedule is brutal, and their pitching staff is short-handed. That is not a good combination. A couple of Twins employees I spoke with said they're going to need to score a lot of runs early in the season while the pitching sorts itself out. And all of the pitching problems highlight the need for Francisco Liriano to act like an ace in deed and attitude today. Liriano pitched well this spring after a rough first outing. If he's ever going to put it together, it would probably happen this season. Contract years tend to make superheroes out of ballplayers. ------------------------------------------------ A decade or two ago, sports columnists as major newspapers covered a variety of national events: World Series, Super Bowl, golf majors, Final Four. These days, not so much. I covered a handful of Masters, and that is the event I miss covering the most. Strangely, it's also the event I felt guiltiest about covering. Augusta National Golf Club has zero female members. I can't condone that. I can't even quite fathom it. But the same members who discriminate against women put on the best sporting event I've ever covered. I love the tournament and don't think much of the people who run it. That being said, I wish I were there. There is nothing quite like covering enough Masters that you can tell what each roar means. -------------------------------------------------------------- Tomororw, I'll be co-hosting Sunday Sports Talk from Baltimore from 10-11:30. We'll also run the Ron Gardenhire Show from 9:30-10. Monday morning I'll head home to cover the Twins' home opener. Please follow me on Twitter at @Souhanstrib.