The Twins Desperately Need...Alexi Casilla?

Alexi Casilla last saw the field on July 27th when he pulled up legging out a double.  Since that day, the Twins have gone 2-8 and quickly lost 4 crucial games in the standings to the Tigers.  We have been without many key players this season losing guys like Mauer, Morneau, Span, and Kubel to significant injuries; but out of all of those injuries, the spark has been gone without Alexi Casilla the lineup.  It feels a little weird even saying that, but for the first time in my life I sit here today counting down the days until Alexi Casilla gets off the DL!

With Casilla in the lineup in the month of July, the Twins went 15-10.  This isn't anything to get too excited about, but remember we are 2-8 since losing Alexi.  During this 15-10 stretch, Casilla hit .326 hitting in the #2 spot every game.  Even more impressive was the fact that 11 of his 28 hits were extra base hits (10 doubles, 1 triple).  He was running around the bases like the "piranhas" of old.  Casilla touched home plate 20 times in July, with the Twins winning 10 out of the 15 games he scored in.  He was the offensive spark plug we've been missing desperately the last week and a half.

These last 10 games, hitting in the #2 spot we have seen Nishioka, Plouffe, Mauer, Revere, and Tolbert all give it a try to be that spark at the top.  So far together they have hit .232 in 43 at bats, scoring only 5 times (all of those runs coming in 2 games) during that span.  In fact, 5 of those 10 games, the #2 hitter produced a hitless game.  With Casilla in the lineup in July, as a team the Twins scored 4.9 runs per game.  With Casilla on the shelf, we have scored 3.3 runs per game.  Even these numbers are a little skewed by the 11-spot we put up on the Angels last week.

We need Alexi back in the lineup like we have never needed him before.  He's a spark, he gets on base, and he's no Cuddyer/Plouffe/Tolbert at 2B either.  I'm sure our Japanese shortstop would love to have him back in the middle of the infield right now too.  Casilla can come off the DL on Friday, just in time for 6 straight divisional battles with Cleveland and Detroit - all on the road.  We have 9 games left with the Tigers - 3 at home and 6 on the road, sitting 10 games back.  It's not impossible, so if we can steal 6 or 7 of those games with Detroit and win one series at a time, we'll have a chance to make a run in September with Morneau coming back.  We can't expect anything worse from Span as he gets back to full health, and the Twins are always good for a late season run.  We need Alexi back.  It will be quite a struggle these next 3 nights against a really strong Boston team.  The Twins desperately need 2 out of 3 to stay above water.