Minny & Oaktown (5-2)
OK, it's early.
But it is nice to remember how if feels to have a winning road trip :-)
- 4 game split w/Minny ~ outscored the Twins 18-13
- 3 game sweep in OakTown ~ outscored the A's 14-9
- and one shut-out in each series
Winning is better than losing, right?
So, I will enjoy it while it lasts. Funny thing is, I see no reason why it can't last. Provided everyone stays relatively healthy ~ it's not too hard to envision a fun summer of baseball....
- the defensive improvement was nearly a given ~ so far, it has not disappointed
- we were told the offense would lean toward the fundamentals and be aggressive ~ CHECK ~ (plus, the M's lead the league in BA w/RISP .381, something they struggled mightly w/last season)
- some were a bit (OK, aLOT) unsure about the bullpen. 't was worry for naught ~ the M's lead the AL in saves (4) and are 2nd in both ERA (2.45) and BAA (.154). Brandon, as mentioned previously, is still building up his strength, but Roy, Shawn, David, Mark, Miggy and Chris are getting it done!
- as for the starters ~ it has been my contention all along that if the starters were solid, the M's could contend. Erik took a HUGE step today toward that end. We KNOW Felix is cabable, Wash had one awesome start to build upon, so that leaves Carlos and RRS ~ remains to be seen if they will be able to step up (or at least give enough innings with a strong defense behind them and an offense that can keep pace)
