Brian Duensing makes his first start of the season tonight in the revamped Twins rotation. Duensing, if you'll recall, was very good as a starter down the stretch last season (the Twins wouldn't have made the playoffs without him) and he ended up starting Game 1 of the ALDS because of all the Game 163 wackiness and such. That said: If Brian Duensing is your No. 3 starter, which he probably is by default right now even though he hasn't started a game this season (a benefit rather than a liability when compared to 60 percent of the crew), you have a problem. The Twins are two games back right now. It's kind of obvious that if they are going to make any kind of playoff push -- and do anything in the postseason -- they probably need to make a move for a rotation stabilizer (even a reasonably priced one like Carl Pavano was last year).
Over at Twinkie Town, RandBallsstu (aka "Stu") makes an impassioned plea for Airwolf, the 1980s TV helicopter, to join the rotation. He backs it up with facts, figures and indisputable statements like this: Here's how my preferred rotation stacks up: Liriano, Pavano, AIRWOLF, Duensing, Baker, giving you lefty, righty, helicopter, lefty, righty. If this looks familiar, it's because this is the same set-up that worked so well for the mid-'70s Oakland Athletics. (The helicopter was Vida Blue.)
But what Stu might not remember is the Twins tried this already in 1985. A fresh Airwolf was brought in to stabilize the rotation. Things were going great until one game in August. Airwolf took a two-hit shutout into the ninth before tiring. The chopper left with runners on first and second with one out while still leading 6-1. Ron Davis came in, the Twins lost 7-6, and Airwolf's confidence was completely shattered.
Maybe things are different a quarter-century later, but let's assume they aren't. The questions at hand are these:
*Do you trust Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey and/or Nick Blackburn to turn things around at some point this season?
*If the Twins did NOT make a move, what would be your post-season rotation right now?
*If the postseason rotation had to include one of Baker, Slowey or Blackburn, who would you pick?
*If the Twins DO make a move, do you prefer a Dan Haren type (big contract but not outrageous, decent numbers but not great), the low-priced but less dependable type like Fausto Carmona ... or somewhere in between?
