We are 21 games into this Twins season, and your local club has six victories. That is obviously not good. Will the team be this bad the rest of the year? What are the roots of their early-season flubs? We aim to answer some of that with a Q&A. We ask the questions and we supply the answers. Question: Are the Twins as bad as they were last year, when they lost 99 games?

Answer: No. Many parts about this team seem decidedly average right now. They score four runs per game (more lately after a slow start). Their fielding, which couldn't be much worse than a season ago, is solid up the middle, which is a good start. Even their bullpen has been decent so far. The thing standing between respectability and the worst record in baseball is, of course, starting pitching. Jason Marquis had the team's fourth quality start in 21 games on Sunday. They haven't given up fewer than three runs in any game this season. The Twins -- outside of the wildly unpredictable and so far terrible Francisco Liriano -- have an entire staff of righthanders geared to give exactly what Marquis gave against the Royals: 6 innings, 3 runs allowed. They have either the track records or the potential to do this more often than not. For that reason, the Twins will crack 70 wins. Not good by any means, but better than last year.

Question: What's the most concerning thing about this year's team?

Answer: Unlike last year, when everything seemed to wrong with some of the team's best players, this year's squad has a healthy and productive Joe Mauer, a better-than-2011 version of Justin Morneau, a great start from Josh Willingham and a return-to-form from Denard Span. Yet that has been negated primarily by pitching.

Question: Should I complain about Joe Mauer's contract for the better part of the rest of this decade?

Answer: No. Mauer was awful last year -- at the forefront of all that went wrong. The Twins were counting on him returning to form this season and fans following suit with adoration. The first part has happened; the second part certainly has not. Mauer might never return to the exalted place he held prior to 2011, but he is exactly as advertised this season. He might never live up to the entire value of his $184 million contract, but the thing is signed, he has a no-trade clause and he's again playing like an All-Star. It's time to accept Mauer's limitations, understand the box the Twins were in when the contract was signed and move on.

Question: Why can't the Twins get any hits with runners in scoring position?

Answer: A combination of some poor at-bats, the cyclical nature of "clutch situations" and a small sample size. Also: Their .242 average with runners in scoring position is 16th in MLB, decidedly average.

Question: Why do all these questions seem set up for specifically tailored answers?

Answer: Why don't you be quiet? NOW WHO'S ASKING THE QUESTIONS?