In general, it takes a lot for the NBA and NHL playoffs to pry my eyes from the Twins. This year, it's getting harder and harder to resist the urge to favor them over my injury-riddled, assbatting Twins.

The good news is that our starter today, Anthony Slapshanks, has as many Wins as Rays starter Jeff Niemann.

Stripsearch hasn't pitched in the majors since he did so rather poorly in 2009, and his 2010 in AAA was nearly as bad. He was 5-12 last year with a 6.21 ERA and a 4.75 FIP. This year he's off to a better start, but the Rays are a far tougher test than he's had in a couple of years, even without Longoria.

Niemann is off to an awful start, with a 7.08 ERA and a 5.30 FIP in 20 innings, but his .348 BABIP is so much higher than his career .287 mark that he's bound to regress soon. Still, if the Twins can't beat up on a right-hander at home after a couple of beatings in a row, it's going to be a tough pill to swallow. Well, the playoffs are only a click away. I suppose the draft is, too, but I only watch that when a friend is around to tell me who the hell all the players are, and the friend who was going to do that is sick.

Go, Twins. Let's get a split out of today, at least. Win one for the Smokestack.