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(AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Games 2/3: Twins 7, Indians 1 & Twins 2, Indians 4

Season Record: 9-10

Next Up: Devil Rays (7:10, 4/27)

1. Pitching Wins Games

If Kevin Slowey had Glen Perkins' run support last season, he could have won as many as 18 games. That fact is one reason why so many people felt Slowey would be a breakout player this season and be a key to success. After a slow start through the first two games of the season, Slowey has now turned in two solid performances in the past two outings and provided his team with two victories along the way.

Slowey is 3-0 on the season, and while his 4.44 ERA doesn't look the best, in his past two outings, Slowey has went 15 innings and allowed only three runs (he had allowed 10 runs in 11.1 innings the two previous starts). With his record and recent performances, there is no question that Slowey could win the number of games that he could have won last season with a little support from the offense.

While Slowey has been pretty good through the month of April, lefty Glen Perkins has been the best starter for the Twins. In three starts entering the weekend, Perkins had pitched eight innings each time out with little allowed for a total of 24 innings and a 1.50 ERA.

Perkins proved to be human, taking a loss to drop to 1-2 on the season (the guy should be 3-1 at worst) with a five inning, four run outing against the Indians. The starting pitching seems to be coming along in recent games, and now the ball is in the hands of Liriano and Baker; whether or not they can get things to click will determine quite a bit about where the path is headed.

2. Missed Opportunities 

A night after scoring seven runs and doing basically everything right, the Twins missed two key opportunities in game three of the series. A sweep would have been in store with a timely hit or two in the series finale, but things apparently weren't meant to be.

In game two, the offense collected fifteen hits in their victory including two homeruns by Jason Kubel and another by Joe Crede. Every starter collected a hit with the exception of Denard Span; but even he contributed with an RBI. It was a game that really showed how good the offense could be in 2009, and the team didn't even have All-Star catcher, Joe Mauer.

The finale was much of the opposite for the lineup as they collected only seven hits and two runs. The two runs came on a pinch hit, two RBI single by Denard Span in the seventh, and while the team got back into things in that inning, they could have done much more. 

Following the two-run hit, Brendan Harris drew a walk to load the bases with only one out. Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel both struck out to end the inning however and the Twins went from a bases loaded threat with an out to a huge missed opportunity. Again in the ninth, the Twins put two runners aboard to lead off the inning; a double play later and the possible comeback was over.

Losing a game when there weren't many chances or when the other team simply played better is one thing, but one with multiple missed chances is hard to swallow.

3. Here Comes Joe!

While it looked at one point this weekend like Joe Mauer would return Tuesday, soreness after a recent game in the minors dashed those hopes. Mauer is recovering well and wanted to return sooner than Friday, but normal catching pains have made him rethink his plan. 

The plan is now to have Mauer catch on Monday and Tuesday and then enter the lineup on Wednesday as the designated hitter before taking a day off on Thursday and playing in his first game of the season, at the Metrodome, on Friday. Thus far the Twins are 9-10 on the season playing a fairly tough schedule (Blue Jays, Red Sox, etc.) and without one of the best players in the league.

Mauer's return should not only help the lineup and make it more dangerous, it should also help just having his presence in the clubhouse.