Final Score: 6-2 Marlins (5 innings)

From the outside, Hammond Stadium could be a swanky hotel. Windows line the front of the structure, and an elaborate fountain froths at the entrance. On the inside, concessions booths stocked with delectable food lie a floor below relatively nondescript seating.  Midwestern accents were more the rule than the exception for the game against Miami, while almost no Marlins apparel was evident among the ubiquitous Twins logos. The home crowd stood firm through an offensive onslaught by Miami, but broke at the first sign of rain. The tarp came on, was removed, and finally put over the field for good, justifying the departure of the fans, but leaving the Twins with a loss.

For the Twins, the most disappointing element of the game was their starter, Kevin Correia. Correia let up 5 earned runs in 4 innings, with 2 strikeouts and 2 walks. Historically a pitch-to-contact starter, he was an All-Star as a Pirate in 2011 with a first half ERA of 4.07 and held a 4.21 ERA in 2012. On the basis of those stats, the Twins (who had the second worst starting pitching in baseball last year) signed Correia to a two-year, $10 million deal in the off-season. This spring, however, Correia has suffered from a .327 BABIP and has a miserable 0.83 walk to strikeout ratio in his five starts so far. These numbers, from a very small sample, are similar to or worse than Correia’s stats in the second half of 2011, where he posted a 7.23 ERA before going on the DL. Carreira will probably be in the Twins’ starting rotation, but needs good defense from his fielders and a much-improved SO/BB to be worth his cost.

3/19: I’m going to JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, to see the Red Sox play at home against the Orioles.