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Minnesota Twins Tickets – Nathan Injury A Tough Blow
After saving 47 games a year ago, the upcoming 2010 season seemed to be an auspicious one for closer Joe Nathan and the Minnesota Twins. This all changed recently in a meaningless preseason game in Fort Myers, when Nathan was determined to have a substantial tear in his ulner collateral ligament, which will place him out of commission indefinitely. Though the Twins have aspirations of contending in the up-for-grabs AL Central, Nathan’s injury places them in a precarious position as they move forward into the 2010 season.
Along with stars Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer, Joe Nathan had helped the Twins build a reputation as a division competitor each year, even with one of the smallest payrolls in baseball. Backed by Nathan, who is one of the best and most consistent closers in the game, the Twins won 87 games and took down the AL Central in 2009, narrowly edging out the Detroit Tigers in a one-game playoff. Heading into the 2010 campaign, the Tigers and Twins were expected to battle all season long for the division title.
Just one pitch in spring training may have changed all that. Though it’s unclear whether or not Nathan will be out the entire season, he will certainly miss most of it, leaving the Twins scrambling for a replacement. The Twins are also hoping to sign reigning MVP Joe Mauer to a long-term deal some time before the start of the season, with the three-time batting champion heading into the final year of his contract. With Mauer still without a contract, however, and Nathan’s season potentially ended before it began, the Twins are in a difficult position moving forward.
But it isn’t all gloomy news for the Minnesota Twins heading into their 2010 campaign. With Morneau and Mauer, the Twins already have two recent MVPs in their lineup and have high expectations for the return of starting pitcher Francesco Liriano. Liriano took the league by storm in 2006, going 12-3 with an ERA only a shade above 2.00. His success did not last long, however, and a major elbow injury has hampered him over the last few seasons, preventing him from returning to dominant form. The news surrounding Liriano heading into 2010 has been much more promising, though, as scouts and coaches have stated that Liriano’s slider is back to its 2006 form. Liriano should bolster a mediocre starting rotation in need of a spark.
The Twins also went out and signed Jim Thome in the offseason. Though Thome’s best baseball is clearly behind him, he still hit 23 homeruns a year ago and will bring some protection to the lineup for Morneau, Mauer, Michael Cuddyer and Kubel. Cuddyer had a breakout year in 2009, belting a career-high 32 homeruns to go along with 94 RBIs, and Kubel drove in more than 100 for the first time in his five seasons in the league. With plenty of big bats in the heart of the Twins lineup this year, not to mention young players like Denard Span, they still have a very exciting core group of talent that should be able to carry the Twins offensively, making it a good year to buy Minnesota Twins tickets.
But the Twins also now have a big hole at the end of their bullpen, which could pose a significant problem for the Twins’ playoff hopes. While there still seems to be the semblance of hope that Nathan could return toward the end of the season to help a playoff push, there is no way of predicting how effective he will be coming off of a major elbow injury. Moving forward, the Twins’ season has a giant question mark at the back end of their bullpen, though dealing with adversity is something Coach Ron Gardenhire and the resilient Twins have dealt with many times in the past.
About the Author
David James wrote this article, which was sponsored by StubHub, one of the finest places in the entire world wide web to get Minnesota Twins tickets, concert tickets, theatre tickets, special events tickets, or almost any kind of sports ticket out there.