Offense For a playoff team, the offense was not strong. This was partly due to injuries and starters absent from the lineup.
Lew Ford surprised many by batting .299 in his first full year in the major leagues. Free agent acquisition
José Offerman saw a majority of time in the
designated hitter spot, but hit only .256 with two home runs.
Shannon Stewart did hit .304, but injuries limited him to 378 at bats. In 107 at bats, Mauer was able to hit .307. In his absence, catcher
Henry Blanco hit only .206. First baseman
Doug Mientkiewicz's hitting continued to decline, as he hit .246 with five home runs before being dealt to the
Boston Red Sox. Nine players hit ten or more home runs. When the Twins hit their record 225 homers in 1963, only eight players reached double figures.
Pitching Brad Radke was the opening day starter, but he was soon overshadowed by
Johan Santana's Cy Young year. Radke, Santana, and
Carlos Silva anchored the starting rotation. Unfortunately,
Kyle Lohse had a bad year that saw his ERA balloon to 5.34, while the fifth spot in the rotation was nebulous. (41-year-old
Terry Mulholland made 15 starts, while
Seth Greisinger made nine.) The Twins set their club record of 32 consecutive scoreless innings in June, which included back-to-back-to-back shutouts by Radke, Santana and Lohse. In the bullpen,
Joe Nathan blew everyone away during his first year as a closer at any level, earning 44 saves with a 1.62 ERA.
Juan Rincón and
J. C. Romero continued playing as excellent set-up men, while the rest of the bullpen was weaker. Romero set a Twins record by going 36 innings over 32 appearances without allowing a run to score. Santana finished the year with 13 straight wins without a loss, then went 1–0 with a no-decision in the
American League Division Series. He set the Twins record with 265
strikeouts this season.
Defense Blanco and Mauer (when he played) were solid catchers, both with .991 fielding percentages. Mientkiewicz was a one-time
Gold Glove winner, but his successor
Justin Morneau surprised people with his .995 fielding percentage.
Luis Rivas was dependable at second base, while
Cristian Guzmán could turn exceptional plays at shortstop. (It was the routine ones that fooled him.)
Corey Koskie was defensively average, while the outfield quartet of Hunter,
Jacque Jones,
Shannon Stewart and Ford were solid – especially Hunter, who won a Gold Glove.
Season standings Record vs. opponents Notable transactions • April 9: The
Toronto Blue Jays selected
Mike Nakamura off waivers. • April 11: Signed
Joe Beimel as a free agent. • April 13: Signed
Terry Mulholland as a free agent. • July 31, 2004: As part of a 4-team trade, traded
Doug Mientkiewicz to the
Boston Red Sox. Received Justin Jones (minors) from the
Chicago Cubs. In addition, the
Boston Red Sox sent
Nomar Garciaparra and
Matt Murton to the
Chicago Cubs; the
Montreal Expos sent
Orlando Cabrera to the
Boston Red Sox; and the
Chicago Cubs sent
Brendan Harris,
Alex Gonzalez, and
Francis Beltrán to the
Montreal Expos. • November 23, 2004: Signed
Juan Castro as a free agent. • November 24, 2004: Signed
Mike Redmond as a free agent.
Roster ==Postseason==