Here are three thoughts following the Twins's eighth straight loss.


STREAKING THE WRONG WAY: The losing streak is bad enough, but the Twins have created a new one. Their toothless offense has gone 14 straight innings - and 20 of their past 21 - without scoring a run. They were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position tonight and are 5-for-61 on the season. I bet I could go out to home plate right now and find sawdust in the dirt from how tightly the Twins are squeezing their bat handles these days. They can't string hits together. They can't deposit a ball over the fence. That's probably why manager Paul Molitor met with his coaching staff after the game, to come up with answers. "The main thing you have to try is to keep the unit cohesive and not get any division, the pitchers getting frustrated with the hitters, because these things turn around at some point, when the hitters pick up the pitchers." This COULD get worse. There are a lot of young players on this team who are having enough of a problem trying to prove they belong in the majors right now. And now they have a club-record losing streak hanging over them too.

YOU KNOW IT'S BAD, PART I: I don't like bunting early in games. I covered the Royals when Bob Boone would bunt runners over in the first inning. Ugh. I don't like giving up outs until the last couple of innings if you really need one. But the Twins bunted TWICE in the middle innings. When Kurt Suzuki led off the fifth with a walk, Byron Buxton followed with a bunt. I don't mind if it's Buxton as much because a bunt can become a hit with his speed. But, the next inning, Eddie Rosario bunted Miguel Sano and Trevor Plouffe over. I would have like to have seen him try to connect for a hit there. Molitor said he gave Rosario the bunt as an option only, mostly because the corners were playing in. Rosario had the option to swing away, but elected to bunt there.

YOU KNOW IT'S BAD, PART II: Molitor wants his team to stay positive and look for ways to make their breaks. During slumps it seems like everything goes the wrong way. Look at the sixth inning. Adam Eaton led off with a single to center, and Jimmy Rollins came to the plate. Molitor decided to move second baseman Brian Dozier three steps over toward his left, concerned with Rollins hitting a ball into the hole between first and second. What happens? "He hits a ball three feet to his right," Molitor said. That allowed Eaton to advance to third, then score on the double play ball. The Twins can do little right these days.

BONUS. MORE STREAK STUFF: The Twins became the 29th team to start a season 0-8. Of the other 28, only one finished the season with a winning record - the 1983 Astros. Thirteen teams lost at least 90 games. And nine lost at least 100 games. Good night. ...