Rocco Baldelli has a very easy explanation why the Twins haven't been very productive at the plate during spring training.
"What I'm looking for is for them to save all of the hits and runs for the season," the Twins manager said from Bradenton, Fla., after Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Pirates. "That's what I am pulling for."
He was joking — kind of — but it was a way to bring some levity to the Twins' dire hitting so far in Florida. The team's batting average is .213, the worst among Grapefruit League teams. Through 21 games, they've scored just 75 runs.
Shut out three times, the Twins have scored two runs or fewer 12 times. It's been an abnormally dry run for the Bomba Squad.
"If you look up and down, there's not a lot of guys that are really killing it," said outfielder Jake Cave, who is batting .143. "There's [veteran] guys like that that aren't hitting the way they usually do in spring training, and I think they're going to be just fine.
"Obviously you would like to get a little momentum rolling going into the season, but it's spring training, and there's a lot of guys on the team out there that know that their spots are solidified, and they want to go out, and they just want to make sure their bodies are healthy, and Day 1 turn into a new guy."
Baldelli added he isn't really concerned about how well the team is or isn't hitting right now. He's more focused on improvement.
"What we're looking for is guys going up there, seeing the ball better and better, taking better at-bats and swings, making life difficult for the opposing pitcher and hitting balls hard," Baldelli said. "Our guys are all over the spectrum at different points in the spring, but as we get closer to Opening Day, it's about really locking in and taking advantage of the at-bats that you get and getting guys as ready to go as we possibly can."
