Twins tough to beat with Santana, Mauer, Morneau

Starting pitching

	Joe Mauer, the first catcher to win an AL batting title, leads the hottest team in baseball into the playoffs. AP
	Tale of the Tape AL rank in parenthesis Category Athletics Twins Head-to-Head Wins 4 6 Runs Scored 771 (9) 801 (8) Runs Allowed 727 (3) 683 (2) Home Runs 175 (9) 143 (13) Stolen Bases 61 (10) 101 (6) K/9.0 Innings 6.22 (10) 7.28 (1) Saves 54 (1) 40 (10) Defensive Efficiency* .694 (7) .692 (8) * Percentage of balls in play turned into outs, as calculated by Baseball Prospectus COMPLETE FIRST-ROUND SCHEDULE
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OAKLAND: A deep, talented rotation, with lefty Barry Zito (16-10, 3.83 ERA) as the No. 1, the A's also have Esteban Loaiza (he'll go in Game 2), Dan Haren and Joe Blanton to choose from. The secret weapon, though, is righty Rich Harden (4-0, 4.24 ERA), a hard-throwing righty who missed much of the season with injuries. Harden was banged around in his last start Sunday against the Angels, but he remains capable of shutting down a lineup at any time

MINNESOTA: Your Cy Young winner will be lefty Johan Santana (19-6, 2.77 ERA, almost 9.5 Ks per nine), who is set up to throw twice in this ALDS. Things drop off big-time from Santana, though. Boof Bonser (7-6, 4.22) will pitch Game 2; he was much better in September (4-1, 2.63, .221 batting average against), but he's still a rookie. After that it's Brad Radke with his raw-meat shoulder and, probably, righty Carlos Silva.

EDGE: Santana

Relief pitching

OAKLAND: A versatile pen with Huston Street (37 saves) as closer, the A's have wonderful setup men in slider specialist Kiko Calero (better than 10 K/9), Justin Duchscherer, Chad Gaudin and lefty Brad Halsey. Joe Kennedy and Kirk Saarloos can throw a couple of innings at a time, if need be, as can righty Jay Witasick, a veteran of two World Series.

MINNESOTA: Closer Joe Nathan (1.58 ERA, 12.5 K/9, 36 saves) is money in the bank, and the guys in front of him are no chump change, either. Sidearmer Pat Neshek (12.8 K/9) has been a find, lefty Dennys Reyes has an 0.89 ERA, and guys such as Juan Rincon and Jesse Crain give manager Ron Gardenhire an abundance of options. Maybe the best pen in the AL.

EDGE: Twins

Lineup

OAKLAND: Maligned for much of the year as a popgun offense, the A's had a very good run in the second half (a .799 OPS, second to the Yankees). Only the Yanks scored more runs, and only the Yanks got on base more, too, after the All-Star break. The A's problem remains a general lack of power; they rely mostly on Frank Thomas (39 homers), Nick Swisher (35 homers) and Eric Chavez (22 homers). Milton Bradley is dangerous, too. Catcher Jason Kendall leads off and has a better OBP than Ichiro Suzuki or Johnny Damon.

MINNESOTA: Speed at the top of the lineup (Nick Punto, Luis Castillo) and at the bottom (Jason Tyner, Jason Bartlett) sets up the strength in the middle of the order, mainly MVP candidate Justin Morneau (.321, 34 homers, 130 RBIs), batting champ Joe Mauer (.347), center fielder Torii Hunter (31 homers, 98 RBIs) and right fielder Michael Cuddyer (24, 109). Castillo, Punto and Hunter all will steal a base, and the Twins are notorious for taking extra bases, moving runners over, challenging outfield arms and making opposing defenses work.

EDGE: Twins

Defense

OAKLAND: This is a solid, smart bunch, probably the finest Oakland defense in years. Chavez is a Gold Glover at third, Mark Ellis should be at second (he has made only two errors and has the highest fielding percentage for a second baseman in history) and Mark Kotsay is very close to that caliber in center. Speedy Jay Payton covers a lot of ground in left.

MINNESOTA: Hunter can still go get 'em in center field, and Castillo and shortstop Bartlett make a fine double-play combination. Mauer is regarded as improving behind the plate; he's third in caught-stealing percentage. The Twins improved tremendously when they revamped the left side of their infield, putting Bartlett and third baseman Punto in.

EDGE: A's

Bottom line

This is a showdown between, not too arguably, the two best pitching staffs in the league. The Oakland starters, overall, are better than Minnesota's, but Santana is the difference, especially in a five-game series. And when he's not pitching (and maybe when he is), the Minnesota bullpen can rescue anybody who gets in trouble. Couple that staff with a good defense and a lineup that has speed and power, and the A's are in trouble. This might be the first round's best series -- the A's have good pitching and defense, too, so they'll make it close -- but it's uphill for Oakland.

PREDICTION: Twins in five