JULY 22, 2009 -- OAKLAND 16, MINNESOTA 1

The Oakland Athletics came into the series with the lowest batting average in the American League. They were twelfth in the league in runs scored. If it weren't for their pitching, which has actually been pretty decent this season (middle of the pack in ERA), the A's might be challenging the Nationals for the worst record in baseball. The Twins, on the other hand, are "competing" for a division title, and had just taken two out of three from the "competing" Texas Rangers. What happens in the three game series? The Twins lose two out of three, give up an incredible thirty-two runs in three games to the offensively-challenged Athletics, and leave the Bay Area on the losing end of a 16-1 ass-whoopin' at the hands of the last-place A's. Twice in the series -- twice -- the Twins gave up seven runs in an inning against Oakland; prior to the series the A's had scored seven runs in a game only six times in their previous thirty-six games. On Wednesday, it was Glen Perkins that gave his best impression of pitching, giving up eight runs and getting three outs, raising his ERA nearly a full run to 5.55. The key at-bat for Perkins was a bases-loaded, two-out walk to back-up catcher Landon Powell, who at nearly 300 pounds is surprisingly a light-hitting Puntoesque hitter. Perkins had Powell 0 and 2 and then dicked around with him, walked Powell to make it 2-1 in the first, and the next batter, the weak-hitting Rajai Davis, cleared the bases with a triple to make it 5-1.

Now, at 5-1, the Twins were out of the game. Never mind the fact that the Oakland A's came back from a ten-run deficit just two nights before. The Minnesota Twins are just not the kind of team that likes to come back from any deficit over three runs. After one inning of play, the Twins basically gave up, and it was reflected in Perkins' demeanor in the second inning, when the first two batters reached on a single and a walk, and Scott Hairston brought them home with a three-run home run that sent Perkins to the showers. Kevin Mulvey came in and did almost worse than Perkins, surrendering four more runs to score in the second to make it 12-1 before the Twins could catch their breath. Now remember -- that's about the score that the Twins were up on the A's at about the same spot in the ballgame on Monday. But did the Twins want to come back? Did it appear that they even wanted to be on the field at that particular point in time? Absolutely not. Only three times in the game did the Twins mount a rally with two runners on base, and their only run came on a solo home run by Justin Morneau in the first inning. The game was an absolute embarrassment. I wonder, though, which is more embarrassing -- losing a ten-run lead or losing 16-1. What do you guys think?

Now the Twins have to actually face a talented team in the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who are streaking with a six-game winning streak after sweeping the lowly Royals in Kansas City. The Twins swept the Angels early in the season, but that was when Los Angeles' pitching staff was heavily depleted by injuries. The three starters that the Twins saw in that series were Dustin Moseley, Darren Oliver, and Shane Loux. It was Oliver's first start in four years and the only start he made for the Angels this year; he's back in the bullpen. Moseley's been on the disabled list for most of the season and Loux was just recalled by the Angels after spending two months in Triple-A. This time around, the Angels are hurting from the other side of the diamond, as both Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter (in the midst of a career year, by the way) are on the mend. But their pitching is back, and the Twins will be facing some tough hurlers this weekend in Anaheim. Jared Weaver pitches tonight for the Halos, and he faces Scott Baker, whose first start after the break was a phenomenal success. Baker's start Thursday will be as important, as he looks to get the Twins off the mat following a disastrous series against Oakland.