After three consecutive 90+ win seasons, these Twins dropped to 83-79. A lot of that had to do with tougher competition from their division. The White Sox were the World Series champions and the Cleveland Indians made a valiant push for the American League wild card. They were a combined 16-21 against these two teams.

The Twins knew they had stiff competition from the upper echelon of their division so they whooped on the babies in the division. Against the rest of their division, they were 24-14. It will be very common for baseball teams to play motivated in games they should win or against weak competition when they find themselves struggling and in need of some wins.

As a favorite at home against division rivals, these Twins are 108-49 (+25 units) over the past 5 seasons. +12 units in the past two seasons. We expect these Twins to remain competitive within their division when they are playing the games they are expected to win.

The Twins can surprise many people in 2006 because of their cohesiveness and ability to play small ball. Nobody guessed the Whitesox were going to win in 2005. So these Twins will be a mighty treat at home as favorites all year.