Are Joe Mauer, Jim Thome, and Minnesota Twins Limping to the Finish?

The Minnesota Twins clinched Ron Gardenhire's sixth division title in nine years last Tuesday.

Since then the Twins have gone into cruise control, and the wheels appear to have fallen off the bandwagon.

Going into Tuesday night's game with the last place Kansas City Royals, the Twins have matched their longest losing streak of the season at four games, having gone 1-4 since clinching against the Cleveland Indians on September 21st.

For a minute the Twins had the best record in baseball. The hottest team since the All-Star break had the opportunity to build on that lead. 

Today, fortunately they find themselves only a half game behind the Yankees and a full game behind the Rays.

The starting pitching, which boasts six starters with 10 or more wins, has been terrible the last four games.

Including Nick Blackburn's win against the Indians the day after clinching, the starters have lasted less than five innings on average (4.47). 

Their ERA over those five games has been a dismal 8.46 with a WHIP of 1.79. The starters' ERA on the season has gone up from 4.05 to 4.15 in five games.

Three of the four starters penciled into the playoff rotation—Carl Pavano, Brian Duensing, and Francisco Liriano—averaged only 4.5 innings pitched and gave up six home runs over three starts. Compare that to 10 home runs the starting staff gave up over the previous 25 games!

I can imagine that the Yankees would be salivating if they didn't have their own problems with their own four-game losing streak last week as they try to catch the Tampa Bay Rays.

I suppose it might difficult for the Twins' starters to compose themselves and really focus, knowing that for the most part they have a heavy contingent of Rochester Red Wings backing them up.

Joe Mauer has been out of the lineup resting a sore knee the past seven games.

Jim Thome is suffering from a stiff back and has missed the past five games. He has been sent back to the Twin Cities for therapy.

J.J. Hardy is also in the Twin Cities with inflammation in his knee from an unknown cause and has only played once over the past six games. 

Even iron man Michael Cuddyer, who has played in more games than any other regular this year, was held out of the lineup the day after the Twins clinched. This was the first game he's missed since the All-Star break.

Regardless, the team should be playing better against the likes of the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals. 

The Twins need to be putting their playoff roster on the field, keeping them sharp for the start of the postseason.

Gardenhire has had plenty of time to set the team's pitching rotation. Put it in place and let's go. There's no need to evaluate what Kevin Slowey and Scott Baker can do; after 156 games it's pretty much what you see is what you get.

On Monday, Slowey was supposedly pitching for a possible spot in the bullpen for the playoffs. He lasted only 1.2 innings. If that's how he handles the pressure, it's better to find out now instead of with runners on first and second in a crucial game in New York.

With six games remaining, there's still time to get this team prepared for the playoffs, but it needs to start now.