5 Thoughts: Cruz walk-off winner; then the record scratched

Plus a look into the curious case of how the Twins are using relievers

I suppose it’s my fault. Last week in the preamble to the newsletter I wrote that “This column presents 5 thoughts on one of the early World Series favorites.” Nelson Cruz (and the Pirates) made for some early-week fun. But it turns out that losing four games in a row and getting swept by the once-lowly Royals makes for a pretty lousy way to keep the party going.

A typical question I received over the weekend was whether it is time to pull the e-brakes on the good times parade float and redirect to full-on panic mode. The answer is no, of course, but the fact that the question came up is illustrative of the collective psyche of Twins fans, at least on social media.

This column presents 5 thoughts on one of the best teams in the A.L. Central.

1. Why would you pitch to Nelson Cruz if you didn’t have to?

Let’s start with the fun stuff. Former Twins bench coach and one-time managerial candidate Derek Shelton was charged with an interesting decision Monday, sparking good debates on social me…