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Twins-Angels Preview

Apr 7, 2010 - 7:07 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Minnesota (1-1) at Los Angeles (1-1), 10:05 p.m. EDT

Minnesota's lineup boasts one of the best one-two punches in baseball. The Twins didn't have to wait long to get some power and production from Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau in 2010.

The MVP tandem will try to provide more heroics as the Twins attempt to take a three-game series from the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night in Anaheim.

Reigning Central Division champion Minnesota (1-1) opened the season with a 6-3 loss at Los Angeles (1-1) on Monday as Mauer and Morneau mustered two singles in seven at-bats.

The All-Star sluggers made their presence felt in a bigger way Tuesday, when each homered along with new shortstop J.J. Hardy in the Twins' 5-3 win.

The first player to lead the league in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587) since George Brett in 1980 - despite missing all of last April with an injury - Mauer signed an eight-year, $184 million contract extension with the Twins last month. It doesn't appear to be going to the catcher's head.

"Humble pie Joe, man. He's as good as they get, and you'd never know it because he's so humble," Minnesota shortstop Nick Punto said of the reigning league MVP. "But there's a lot of things in this game that he wants to achieve that he hasn't - not that he'd ever tell you those things because he's so quiet about it."

Batting behind Mauer is the 2006 AL MVP - Morneau. The first baseman hit .274 with a team-leading 30 homers and 100 RBIs in 2009, reaching the century mark for a fourth consecutive season.

Both players feast on Angels' pitching. Mauer is hitting .362 with four homers and 15 RBIs in his last 14 games against Los Angeles, while Morneau is batting .327 with six homers and 11 RBIs in his last 13 versus the Angels.

Mauer is 10 for 14 with a homer against Angels scheduled starter Ervin Santana.

Carl Pavano will take the mound trying to build on his first injury-free season since 2004. The right-hander went 14-12 with a 5.10 ERA in 2009, including 5-4 with a 4.64 in 12 starts after Minnesota acquired him from Cleveland in an August trade.

He wasn't particularly sharp in his only meeting with the Angels last season, surrendering six runs and 10 hits - four homers - in six innings of the Indians' 8-6 road defeat July 27.

The Angels hope Santana can emulate Pavano and overcome his injuries. The right-hander landed on the disabled list twice last season, when he went 8-8 with a 5.03 ERA in 24 appearances, 23 of them starts. It was a far cry from Santana's superb 2008, when he ranked fourth in the majors with 214 strikeouts while going 16-7 with a career-best 3.49 ERA.

Santana was impressive in his final spring training start Friday, striking out nine in 4 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He returned after missing a start due to an inflamed bursa sac in his right elbow.

Santana is 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA in his last three starts against Minnesota.

Angels center fielder Torii Hunter, a member of the Twins from 1998-2007, accounted for all of Los Angeles' scoring Tuesday, collecting three hits - including a two-run homer - and three RBIs.