This hurts deep down as a Twins fan.  Get better soon Baker and Mauer.  Bonser, I hope you never pitch again.

Scott Baker is the ace of the Twins young pitching staff this season and he was placed on the 15-day DL on Thursday with a stiff shoulder.  This season the Twins are the favorites to win the AL Central with a healthy Liriano for a full year and the other starters returning as well.  Before Liriano’s return from Tommy John last year, Baker was by far the best Twins starter and was slated to have a big year.  After 13 no-decisions last year I had Baker winning 15-17 games this year with an improved lineup and bullpen.  He will miss his first two starts now.  His spring ERA was up over 6 which wasn’t a good sign either.  R.A. Dickey may be the guy to fill in with his knuckleball until Baker is back.

Mauer was also placed on the DL and will miss at least the first two weeks of the season when the Twins play nine straight.  This hurts the Twins even more than Baker being out.  Mauer won the batting title last year with a .328 average and throws out 40% of all baserunners.  He is the #3 hitter on the team and the Twins will miss that type of hitter in their lineup BIG TIME.  I expect Mauer back by May and the Twins will rally behind him and win the division after a slow start.

Huston Street of the Rockies is officially named the closer for opening day over Manny Corpas.  This came as a surprise to me because Street was just awful last year and didn’t look comfortable pitching at all.  But then again, Corpas lost his closers role last year as well.  I expect these two to switch on and off as closer every other month, that’s how inconsistent they are.

Photo Courtesy of Drunk Athlete.com

Troy Glaus had a set back in a spring training game, after getting shoulder surgery in January and is in danger of missing the first few months leading up to the All-Star break. Last year Glaus his 27 HRs and drove in 99 runs. Also he was another protector in the lineup that allowed Ludwick to hit 37 HRs. Teams now have one less guy to worry about in the Cardinals lineup this year.