SEATTLE — One two-out hit from an unexpected source could do wonders for the Twins right now.

Just think if Alexi Casilla had delivered in the second inning of Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the Mariners. Or if Carlos Gomez had delivered in the sixth. The top of the order — Denard Span, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau — can’t be expected to produce every game.

Morneau went 1-for-11 in Seattle, and drove in two of the team’s five runs. Of course, his strikeout against Jarrod Washburn with one out and the bases loaded in the third inning of Saturday’s 2-1 loss was one of the more glaring moments of the weekend.

Casilla had two hits in each of the first two games but finished the weekend 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.

Gomez had a hit in each of his two starts, but finished the weekend 0-for-2 with RISP. You can see these two tensing up at these moments. Gomez has had better at-bats overall, but with runners at first and second in the sixth inning Friday, he went after the first pitch and flied out meekly to right field.

Despite the improvements Casilla has made, his second-inning strikeout against Erik Bedard on Sunday was upsetting. Bedard had just issued two walks and fell behind Casilla 3-0. Casilla took a called third strike, fouled off the 3-1 offering and then swung through Ball 4.

Jason Kubel had an at-bat Sunday when he swung at Ball 4 and Ball 5. Those are signs this team is pressing. Aware of the team’s struggles on the road, individuals are trying too hard for that turnaround moment.

Sometimes all it takes is a lucky break — a blooper that falls for a two-out, run-scoring hit, a ball lost in the sun. But the Twins need something to turn this around, and it’s not going to be easy this week, considering how well Oakland’s young starters have been pitching.

I believe it will change eventually. This team is too good to be 7-18 on the road. But if this funk lasts much longer, it’ll throw a serious crimp into the Twins’ playoff hopes.

Note: My flight has been delayed here in Seattle, but I’ll have the lineups from the Coliseum later this afternoon.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 8th, 2009 at 10:18 am and is filed under Twins thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.