Last Monday, the Twins played horribly in their home opener to drop to 1-6. They had lost Ervin Santana to a suspension and Ricky Nolasco to an injury. They were playing poorly in the field.
Then they won four of five to win two series on the homestand.
What changed? Often, fortunes change in baseball for no reason other than randomness or pitching matchups. A couple of players told me last night, though, that this change of direction may have been aided by manager Paul Molitor's talk with the team after the home-opening loss.
According to the players, Molitor spoke of the inevitable ``storms'' every team will have to weather, and that how a team handles such storms will determine its fate. He was calm, the players said, at a time when the team was frazzled.
That talk may have led to a winning homestand. Remember, the 2006 Twins turned their season around after Ron Gardenhire pulled Justin Morneau into his office for a meeting in Seattle. Morneau had been partying with his Vancouver buddies. Gardenhire merely asked him if he was dedicated to becoming a great player. Morneau went on to win the MVP award and the Twins were the best team in baseball for four months after that.
The right words at the right time can mean a lot in a clubhouse.
Two slumping Twins were rested on Sunday – shortstop Danny Santana and centerfielder Jordan Schafer. These are two very different cases.
The organization remains high on Santana and doesn't want to move him from shortstop or keep him out of the lineup. Schafer, though, has compounded his erratic play with an erratic approach. Shane Robinson has impressed the Twins with his gamesmanship and has a chance to at least temporarily win the job.
