In 2008, it took 163 games to eliminate the Minnesota Twins from playoff contention. The surprising AL Central contender thrived calling on a young rotation that is a cornerstone of the 2009 club.

Scott Baker, who turned 27 last September, is the grizzled veteran. Nick Blackburn and Glen Perkins are 26. Francisco Liriano, who missed half of 2008 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, is 25, and Kevin Slowey is 24. Only Liriano failed to win at least 10 games, and in 128 starts between the five of them, they posted a 3.96 ERA that was a half-run better than the league-wide mark of 4.48 for AL starters.

Keep in mind that the Twins play 81 games at the Metrodome, which has a reputation for being a friendly stop for hitters. The truth is, though, the Twins’ pitching staff enjoyed working there in 2008.

2008 Minnesota Twins Pitching, Home vs. Road

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Away. . . . . . . . . . . .Home
Overall. . . . . . . . . . .5.10. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.27
Starters. . . . . . . . . .5.03. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.65
Relievers. . . . . . . . . 5.22. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.48

All five of the young starters followed the home-road split. None of them had an ERA as high as 4.00 at home, and only Baker had an ERA lower than 4.00 away from the Dome.

Twins’ 2009 Starters in 2008, Home vs. Road

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Away. . . . . . . . . . . .Home
Scott Baker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-3 (3.95). . . . . . . . . 5-1 (2.78)
Nick Blackburn. . . . . . . . . . . . .3-8 (4.97). . . . . . . . . 8-3 (2.95)
Francisco Liriano. . . . . . . . . . . 2-2 (5.35). . . . . . . . . 4-2 (2.76)
Glen Perkins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1 (5.13). . . . . . . . . 7-3 (3.84)
Kevin Slowey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7 (4.52). . . . . . . . . 7-3 (3.38)

As much as these guys thrived before the hometown fans, the bullpen especially felt at home pitching under the dome. Closer Joe Nathan posted a 0.66 ERA there and converted all 24 of his save chances in the home whites. His 2.33 road ERA wasn’t bad either, though all six of his blown saves were recorded away from home. The results were similar for other key relievers, including Jesse Crain (5.22 vs. 2.16), who didn’t allow a home run in 33.1 innings at the Dome, and the now-departed Juan Rincon (8.86 vs. 3.97).

It was an impressive year at a facility that had yielded a 3.98 ERA to all pitchers over the two previous seasons combined. It might be hard for the young Twins staff to repeat that home performance. On the other hand, though, more major league experience may mean an adjustment in the right direction to the road results.