The Tigers take on Minnesota this weekend in a three game set and will look to exact some revenge for all the beatings they've taking from the Twinkies the past few years.

The Twins are off to a pretty mediocre start at 9-12 and are maybe starting to feel the effects of all the cheap plug-ins they've thrown at their offense the last few years. While pitching remains their strength, there are many very average bats scattered throughout their lineup. They're led by Catcher Joe Mauer who, while still very young and growing, is starting to fulfill the potential that made him the Twins top pick just a few years ago. He's hitting .317 so far and has shown excellent patience, with a .400 OBP. Left fielder Shannon Stewart has also been off to a hot start, hitting .348 from the leadoff spot and second baseman Luis Castillo is showing the form that continuously put him in the race for the batting title while a member of the Florida Marlins, hitting .373. That, for Twins fans, is the good news.

The bad news is that the rest of the Twins lineup, almost to a man, hasn't shown that they could hit beer league softball pitching, let alone Major League Baseball's this year. Supposed young stud first baseman Justin Morneau has been flirting with the Mendoza line all year, currently sitting at .208. Center Fielder Torii Hunter, while still flashing the Gold Glove caliber defense that gets him on Sportscenter every night, has been even worse, hitting a "robust" .195.

Perhaps the biggest drain, however, has been their big free agent acquisition, right fielder and DH Rondell White. While White was a member of the Tigers, fans continuously lamented at what could of been if only he were able to stay healthy. He hit .313 for the Detroit last year, with good power but only managed to see the field for 374 at-bats. If he keeps up his performance from this early season, however, Twins fans may find themselves begging for him to get hurt, as he's managed to hit only .150 in 80 atbats this year, with only one extra base hit and 19 strikeouts. It's gotten so bad that the Twins have been forced to bring up the immortal Ruben Sierra from their farm system to try and help stop the bleeding.

All of this adds up to good news for the Tigers pitching staff and their excellent 3.62 era which stands at second best in the league through Thursday. It won't be easy, as the Twins still boast one of the best 1-5 rotations in the league and a great back end to the bullpen in setup man Francisco Liriano and closer Joe Nathan, but I see no reason that the Tigers can't take 2 of 3 this weekend. If they start to exhibit some of that newfound swagger they've been showing on the road at home, a sweep could even be in order. It should be a good series, let's go Tigers!!!

Who's pitching tonight?

Man, I'm so ready to get back to loving baseball again, but it's completely dependant upon how the Tigers are doing. If they suck, then I lose interest.

This year, I've been eating 'em up. I love watching them again.

Twins = Radke
Tigers = Robertson

Friday's game features the Twins' Brad Radke vs the Tigers' Nate Robertson.

It seems like the right handed Radke has been shutting down the Tigers since the early 80s but really it's just since 1995. He has a career 19-6 record against us and was 3-0 last year. Carlos Guillen (9-24, 4 2b, 1 HR), Maggs(24-60, 5 2b, 2HR), Craig Monroe (12-24, 1HR) and Pudge Rodriguez (25-62, 2 2b, EIGHT HRs!) have all been able to pound him in their careers, though, so let's look for the Tigers to put it all together today and put some runs on the board. Radke's been off to a slow start this year as well, with a 7.5 era after 4 starts.

Nate Robertson finally put it all together with a beauty in his last start, allowing only 2 hits in 7 innings. None of the Twins have historically hit him all that hard and this, coupled with the anemic start for their offense this year, could mean good things for Nate tonight.

I think the Tigers get things off to a good start tonight, really showing the Twins who's boss. I'm going with 9-4 Tigers.

Vinny those are some great posts.

If everyone could take the time to vote in the poll, I'd like to get a gauge of how many people have been checking into these threads. Even if you don't want to post, please just vote, it's completely anonymous.

Missing Santana give us a shot at the series. Need the kids to pick it up here.

If everyone could take the time to vote in the poll, I'd like to get a gauge of how many people have been checking into these threads. Even if you don't want to post, please just vote, it's completely anonymous.

Done. I say 2 out 3, although I want to predict the sweep. The Twins are always a tough opponent for the Tigers, despite records.

We need the bats to heat up. The pitching has been great, but relying solely on pitching will bite us in the ass in the long run.

Starting Lineups:

Minnesota
S. Stewart (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5509) LF
L. Castillo (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5676) 2B
M. Redmond (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6008) C
R. White (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5126) DH
T. Hunter (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5884) CF
L. Ford (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7061) RF
T. Batista (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5621) 3B
M. Cuddyer (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6637) 1B
J. Castro (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5508) SS

Detroit
C. Granderson (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7455) CF
P. Polanco (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6049) 2B
I. Rodriguez (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/4680) C
M. Ordonez (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5889) RF
C. Guillen (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6105) SS
C. Shelton (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7259) 1B
C. Monroe (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6773) LF
M. Thames (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6943) DH
B. Inge (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6681) 3B

Looks like Joe Mauer's out with a bad hammy. Good news for the D.

Shelton goes deep again. Tigers lookin great so far.

Nice to see Nate go out there and do the thing.

I love how FSN always zooms in on Rogers/Bonderman/Maroth and the booth guys keep saying they're talking about pitching. I bet they're talking about different shit.

Mike: So yeah, I had to choke a bitch last night.
Bonderman: LMFAO
Rogers: Like I did that cameraman last year?
Mike: Hell yeah.
Rogers: I'm Kenny Rogers, bitch.
Bonderman: SSSHHHHHHH! Here comes Leyland!
Rogers: *looks around* So yeah, just pitch him outside on 3-2.....he'll swing.

(I really need to lay off that crack.)

Great offensive performance last night. We hit the ball really well and were able to draw walks all night. Hell, even Pudge and Thames drew walks.

My homeboy Monroe was robbed of a homer early in the game. He hit the ball dead center and it smacked the wall. :(

Too late to change my vote to a sweep?? Our bats have looked real real good.11-0 Tigers in the 4th right now.

That was an ugly game. Holy cow.

We've outscored them 27-1 the first two games. Don't be surprised if there's some hitbatsmen tommorrow. Just wow. Total domination so far. Great pitching, great hitting, great d.

3 Stars for Saturday's game:

1. Carlos Guillen: Led the barrage going 3-4 with 5 RBIs, 3 Rs, 2 HRs and a double. Got to sit down early in the blowout.

2. Justin Verlander: That's 2 good starts in a row for Justin, who looks like he's starting to settle into a groove. Given the lead early, he didn't disappoint, going 7 innings allowing only 1 run on 6 hits. He struck out 4.

3. Curtis Granderson: Kid's not getting much credit but he's been having a solid if not spectacular season so far. Definitely looks like a keeper. Hitting leadoff, today he went 3-6 with a homer and 2 doubles. He knocked in 3 and scored twice.

I loves me some Craig Monroe.

I love this batting lineup. Ordonez/Pudge/Guillen/Shelton is absolutely sick. That's one of the best hearts in the ML right there.

That was an absolute rapejob.

That's what you get for being cheap and getting rid of all your good offensive players, then paying for over-the-hill offensive players.

I never thought Guillen would reach the level that he did 2 years ago after his latest injury...but it looks like he is back...for now. When he is healthy (which isn't often) he's good. Remember, he was A-Rod's replacement in Seattle.

There hasn't been much talk about Granderson with all the buzz around Verlander and Zumaya, but like Vinny said, he is definatley going to be a solid MLB player.

And tomorrow, we have Kenny Rogers goin' for us who has been very solid. With us going up against Kyle Lohse, who I think we knocked around one or two times last year...should be a good game and a sweep. Lohse is 1-1 witha 8.55 ERA!

Twins used to own us...it is time to own them.

I have no idea why this picture exists, but it's what you find when you image search "tigers sweep":

http://timmygunz.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/20050527tigersweep.jpg

This just doesn't happen very often in baseball. The Tigers outscored the Twins 33-1 over the weekend. Great series, great pitching, great hitting, great stuff!

That Polanco back-flip was the web gem of the year.

That Polanco back-flip was the web gem of the year.

That was definitely the illest play so far. Placido is a sweet name.

That picture is sweet. Placido is a sweet name. And the Tigers destroyed the Twins.

Unbelievable. That's gotta be one of the most severe beatdowns in Tiger history. 33-1??? Are you fucking kidding me?

And props to the national media for covering one of the biggest surprises in MLB this year. The Tigers possess the 2nd best record in the AL, but everything's still Yankees, Red Sox, and a smattering of White Sox. I can't wait until late May/early June when the Tigers play the Yankees/Red Sox/White Sox back-to-back-to-back.

What a weekend. Who whould have thought that the tigers would do that. I sure as hell hope they can keep it up. Its nice to see Monroes bat come around too.

btw, pretty good ass on that white girl.

Ha! I thought the same thing.

I had assumed she was a dyed blonde hispanic.

I hope to the heavens she's not 12.