The Minnesota Twins are likely glad that the All-Star Break is here. The Twins are now 46-42 on the season which has them in 3rd place in the A.L. Central, 3.5 games behind the White Sox. Still the Twins have had a lot of surprises but only a couple of disappointments in the first half and here’s a closer look at them:

Pleasant Surprises: 24-year old outfielder Delmon Young was a huge disappointment in his first two years with the Twins. That has not been the case this year though. Young has played in 81 games for the Twins this year and he is 85 of 279 (.305 avg, .842 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 10 homers, 58 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. 34-year old righty starter Carl Pavano was re-signed over the winter and he’s pitching the best ball of his career this year for the Twins. Pavano has started 18 games for the Twins this season and he is 10-6 with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. 26-year old lefty starting pitcher Francisco Liriano has bounced all the way back for the Twins this season after missing a lot of time the last couple of years due to injury. Liriano has started 17 games for the Twins this year and he is 6-7 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. The Twins didn’t panic when Joe Nathan got injured this spring as they knew they still had Jon Rauch. Rauch has pitched in 32 games (0 starts) for the Twins this year and he is 2-1 with 20 saves, a 2.38 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. 27-year old Brian Duensing was a starter in the playoffs last season for the Twins but he was moved to the pen for 2010 and he has been awesome in that role. Duensing pitched in 38 games (0 starts) for the Twins this year and he is 2-1 with a 1.62 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. He has only allowed 26 hits in 39 innings so far this year for the Twins.

Disappointments: 28-year old righty starting pitcher Nick Blackburn has without a doubt been the biggest disappointment for the Twins this year. He has started 17 games for the Twins this season and he is 7-7 with a 6.40 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. Blackburn has been pitching B.P. all season long as he has allowed 134 hits (19 homers) in only 97 innings this year. 29-year old infielder Brendan Harris has been so awful in 2010 for the Twins that he’s in AAA now. Harris has played in 43 games for the Twins this year and he is 17 of 108 (.157 avg, .446 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs. It’s up to Harris to excel in AAA if he wants another chance with the Twins. Lastly, 27-year old lefty swinging catcher Joe Mauer has lost his power stroke. He has played in 77 games for the Twins this season and he is 85 of 290 (.293 avg, .792 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 4 homers and 35 RBIs.

The Twins are sitting atop the A.L. Central with a 9-4 record which has them 1.5 games ahead of the Tigers. The Twins have outscored the opposition 69-47 this season as they are hitting the ball well and pitching great as a team. That should not change at all this week with the Indians coming to Minnesota for three games and then they travel to K.C. this coming weekend for three games against the Royals. It should be another good week for the Twins.

The Twins got out of the first week of the year with a 5-2 record outscoring their opponents 32-21. The Twins are getting good hitting and solid pitching which is a pretty good recipe for success. They open Target Field this week with a 3-game series against the Red Sox starting today and then the Royals come in for a 3 gamer this coming up weekend. Despite getting off to such a good start, the Twins are still 1/2 a game behind the Tigers in the A.L. Central.

The Twins took 3 out of 4 games from the Angels in Anaheim to start the 2010 season. They did it with the bats cranking 9 homers against a solid Angels’ pitching staff. The bullpen was also pretty solid which was a pleasant surprise for the Twins. The Twins are clicking on all cylinders right now as they travel to Chicago to play the White Sox this weekend. I think the White Sox are the top threat to the Twins repeating as A.L. Central Champions so this weekend is important to both teams.

Scott Baker has really stepped up in the 2nd half for the Twins.  He has started 13 games since the All-Star Break and he is 6-5 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.  In 86.2 innings he has allowed 95 hits, walked 16 batters and whiffed 57.  Baker has now started 22 games this season for the Twins and he is 9-8 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.  Baker has probably locked up a starting job in 2008 for the Twins.  The Twins are now 74-77 for the season which has them in 3rd place in the American League Central, 15.5 games behind the Indians.