Minnesota Twins Starting Pitching: Who Will Emerge As the Ace?

For the Minnesota Twins, 2010 has been a roller coaster ride for the starting pitching staff.

It's been almost a different pitcher stepping up to lead the club every month. 

Of late, Carl Pavano appears to be ready to settle into the ace of the staff. 

The Twins just completed a crucial 12 game stretch, going 9-3. Half of these games were against the second place Chicago White Sox—where they won four of six games, building a five game lead in the AL Central.

Now they start another crucial stretch where they will face the first place Texas Rangers seven times over the next 13 games. 

Nick Blackburn has been recalled from AAA Rochester, replacing Kevin Slowey who has been placed on the DL, opening the four game series in Arlington for the Twins.

Here's a month-by-month look at how the starters have taken turns, not only on the mound, but as the staff ace.

April Pitcher of the Month: Francisco Liriano

Liriano: 4 GS, 3-0 record, 0.93 ERA, 0.965 WHIP.

Team: 23 GS, 12-7 record, 4.08 ERA, 1.35 WHIP

Liriano opened the season as the Twins' fifth starter. After Joe Nathan suffered a season-ending injury, there was talk about moving Liriano into the closer role.

Thankfully, Liriano turned down the offer and dominated in April. He started the season with a no decision before rattling off three straight wins. He allowed three or less earned runs in each of his four starts.

He was awarded the American League Pitcher of the Month for April.

Unfortunately, he would only go 3-6 over the months of June and July.

Currently with a 3-1 record in August it appears he back on the right track.

May Pitcher of the Month: Nick Blackburn

Blackburn: 5 GS, 5-0 record, 2.65 ERA, 1.20 WHIP

Team: 28 GS, 15-9 record, 3.95 ERA, 1.31 WHIP

After going 1-1 in four starts in April, Blackburn dominated in May.

Blackburn won all five of his starts, pitching at least seven innings in each of them. Included were two victories over the Yankees—a feat that had not occurred since August 13, 2008, when Kevin Slowey won at the Metrodome.

At 6-1 through the first two months of the season, Blackburn was leading the team. Unfortunately, with the turn of the calendar to June he lost something. After finishing first half at 7-7, going 1-6 in June and July, Blackburn was sent to the Rochester Redwings.

The team would not mind at all if he were to return to his winning ways of May, while Slowey is on the disabled list.

June Pitcher of the Month: Carl Pavano

Pavano: 5 GS, 4-1 record, 2.25 ERA, 0.80 WHIP

Team: 27 GS, 9-13 record, 5.10 ERA, 1.26 WHIP

After starting the season 5-5, Pavano was the only good thing for the Twins in June. As the team struggled with a 12-15 record, his four wins would account for a third of the team's. For the month, no other starter would have a winning record. Besides Slowey going 2-2, no other starter would win more than one game in the month.

Pavano would pitch back-to-back complete games, dominating Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies, and Johan Santana and the New York Mets, incredibly, allowing only one earned run over the 18 innings.

July Pitcher of the Month: Carl Pavano

Pavano: 6 GS, 4-0 record, 2.91 ERA, 0.95 WHIP

Team: 26 GS, 13-5 record, 4,19 ERA, 1.22 WHIP

Pavano would back up his dominate June with a strong July.

Falling to third place in the AL Central at the All-Star break, the Twins' turn around would begin with a four game series at Chicago, where Pavano would have another complete game.

At the end of the month he would emerge as the staff ace, with a team leading 13-6 record, and as a Cy Young candidate.

August Pitcher of the Month: Brian Duensing

Duensing: 4 GS, 3-0 record, 2.08 ERA, 0.96 WHIP

Team: 20 GS, 10-4 record, 3.71 ERA, 1.29 WHIP

With eight games remaining in August, each of the starters will get at least one more turn on the hill. Since his promotion to the starting lineup, Duensing has been almost unbeatable. In six starts in July and August he has four wins and two no-decisions.

He currently has a combined 7-1 record with a 1.92 ERA.  

This has turned out to be the best acquisition the Twins made at the trade deadline.

After going 8-1 in June and July, Pavano has come back to earth with a 2-2 record in August.

If Duensing can continue pitch this effectively, the Twins will have a formidable trio, along with Pavano and Liriano going into the postseason.  

With the playoffs still more than six weeks away, I like the thought of the Twins opening with Pavano, followed by Duensing and Liriano.  After that, it really doesn't matter.

Scott Baker is currently 11-9, but has won four of his last starts with two no-decisions. He has not won, nor lost, three consecutive starts all season. With a strong finish in September, I see Baker as the fourth pitcher to take a turn in the playoffs.

As for Slowey and Blackburn, the only way I see either of these two pitching in October would be due to an injury.  

Of course anything could happen, a look back to 2009 on this date—the Twins were in third place, 4.5 games behind the White Sox and Tigers.