Build Me Up: The Twins Continue Their Teasing Ways

Three factors were in play: it was my last week at work, the Twins would play exactly two more home games before I left the country, and this was my only chance to see Francisco Liriano pitch.

Skipping work was not a hard choice.

Too bad the Twins had skipped work too.

Liriano looked good in his eight innings of work, but the offense was stagnant at best and the kansas City Royals managed to eek out a 3-2 victory, despite playing very poorly themselves.

The Twins were in a position to be tied for the division, now they could find themselves two games out. As the disappointed fans streamed out of the stadium, perfection blared from the loudspeaker:

Why do you build me up, Buttercup, baby
Just to let me down and mess me around
And then worst of all you never call, baby
When you say you will, but I love you still
I need you more than anyone darling
You know that I have from the start
So build me up, Buttercup, don't break my heart

This whole season has been one tease after another. From Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young to Liriano's false start, the Twins have raised hopes and dashed them.

Walking out of the Twins last easy home game of the year, I had a sinking feeling I'd be humming The Foundations' hit all offseason.

Bad momentum got worse when Friday's game was rained out. Now the Twins would have an extra day to wonder about what got away; coming out flat in game one was a definite risk.

The Twins didn't come out flat on Saturday; they came out swinging!

The Twins once again raised the hopes of their fans by taking the doubleheader by a combined score of 24-8. Back-to-back 12 run outburst eased any worries that the bats wouldn't show up on this roadtrip, at least for now.

The Twins began their last roadtrip with two convincing wins before running out of gas and crashing hard in Seattle and Toronto.

Nick Blackburn will take the hill in much the same position Francisco Liriano did last Thursday: a chance to sweep a weaker opponent and put pressure on the White Sox, who must now play a doubleheader of their own.

The Twins have built up expectations once again, hopefully this time they won't mess around and let the Sox keep their lead in the division.