CHICAGO – Paul Molitor didn't really expect a championship team to drop out of the sky. But he thought his actual team would catch whatever does.
Instead, the Twins let three catchable balls drop to the ground Sunday, perfectly illustrating on the field what's happening to them in the standings. After Sunday's 6-2 loss to the White Sox, Molitor brings home to Target Field a 1-5 team that resembles nothing like the well-prepared, do-the-little-things-right squad he had envisioned.
The Twins pitching staff has given up the most runs in the American League. Their offense has scored the fewest runs in the majors. And Sunday's display of defense cast a lingering sheen of ineptitude over an already unfortunate start to the season.
"You try to prepare your team. You don't envision going home 1-5 to start, but it's that reality thing — it is what it is," Molitor said after his first week on the job. "I can't say it's affected me greatly. Or any more just because it's been a rough week for us."
Molitor might be suffering through the Twins' worst start since 2006 — when a 1-5 start was part of a poor two opening months before they rebounded to win a division title — but he swears he hasn't veered off course because of all the bad baseball. Though watching Eduardo Nunez let an easy fly ball glance off his glove, or Eduardo Escobar having a pop fly plop out of his glove, or Kurt Suzuki bobbling a popup onto the ground, well, it has to be testing his poise.
"I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing — try to affirm people and be positive," Molitor said. "And figure out ways to put the best players out there to give us a chance to win."
Those chances were always slim Sunday, considering Chris Sale was on the mound. The lanky White Sox lefthander has only lost once to the Twins in nine career starts, and he looked like his usual Cy Young Award-contending self in his 2015 debut. Sale, who missed much of the spring because of a fractured foot, struck out eight batters in six innings, and only an RBI double by Danny Santana spoiled his smooth day.
Phil Hughes, meanwhile, lost his second game in the season's first week; last year, his second loss came on June 6. It's not easy being the ace, and matching up with the likes of David Price and Chris Sale to start the year.