ANAHEIM, Calif. -- There's nothing wrong with the Twins that can't be fixed by ... oh, say, allowing them to make their No. 2 overall pick in the draft tomorrow instead of June 4.

Then, they draft a college pitcher. Then, they sign him by the weekend. Then, they shove him into the rotation for, say, Sunday's start in Seattle.

Saddled with baseball's worst record, the Twins are taking on water quickly because their starting pitching has been abysmal.

Worse, there are no answers in sight right now.

They tweaked their rotation this week to give veteran right-hander Carl Pavano an extra day between starts because his velocity is down. Lefty Francisco Liriano laid another egg Tuesday in Anaheim. The list goes on.

The Twins' 5.59 ERA is the worst in the majors. And it all starts with the starters: Minnesota's rotation has combined so far this year to go 3-13 with a 6.75 ERA.

That's more than one full run above the game's next-worst rotation, Colorado, which checked in at 5.34 into Wednesday's games.

The domino effect of that isn't good, either: Because the starters have been so ineffective, Twins relievers have logged the seventh-highest innings pitched total of any bullpen in the majors at 75 1/3. That continues, the bullpen will explode next.

Pavano is leaving the Twins scratching their heads as much as anyone. His fastball has inexplicably dipped from averaging around 89 m.p.h. to 86. From out of nowhere, he's lost three miles an hour -- and at 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA, his numbers are the best of the lot.

Veteran right-hander Jason Marquis, due to pitch Saturday in Seattle, the day after Pavano, is dragging a 6.23 ERA. Nick Blackburn is at 6.64. Liam Hendriks, starting later tonight in Anaheim, is at 6.89.

Liriano was the loser Tuesday in Anaheim, surrendering home runs to ex-teammate Torii Hunter and Howie Kendrick.

Since throwing a no-hitter last May 3 against the White Sox, Liriano is 7-9 with a 5.28 ERA in 23 starts. He's yet to pitch six innings this year after going 9-0 with a 2.32 ERA last season in 13 starts in which he made it through the sixth.

"When I was with the Twins, he was throwing 96, 97 with a slider that was biting," Hunter told reporters in Anaheim on Tuesday night. "He had a couple of injuries, but he's still bringing it -- sometimes to 94 or 95.

"But sometimes I think he leaves the ball up."

Manager Ron Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson are hoping the extra rest this week will bring the sizzle back to Pavano's fastball. He originally was due to pitch Wednesday's series finale in Anaheim. By pushing him to Friday and mixing in Thursday's off day, the Twins were able to give Pavano two extra days between starts.

Maybe it will work. At this point, the way these guys are going, anything's worth a try.

Likes: Justin Morneau flying from Southern California back to Minnesota on Tuesday to have his sore wrist checked by the surgeon who did the surgery last September ... and then busting it back to Anaheim on Wednesday, attempting to return in time for that night's game, because he wanted to be there for his teammates and maybe even be able to help by pinch-running. I know a lot of people are questioning whether Morneau is soft in the wake of all of these injuries, but the truth is he is a team-first guy and remains determined. Good for him. ... New owners taking over the Dodgers on Tuesday and immediately lowering the price of parking to $10, from $15. ... Going to be fun watching the development of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout. ... While bunting for a hit Tuesday night, Angels third-base coach Dino Ebel clocked Trout from home to first in 3.53 seconds. That's from the right-handed batter's box, folks. Amazing. ... May 2, and Tampa Bay and Baltimore atop the AL East. ... The Nationals atop the NL East. ... I cannot recommend highly enough the new Alabama Shakes disc, Boys & Girls. ... Also, Bonnie Raitt's new disc, Slipstream. Great cover of Gerry Rafferty's Right Down the Line, among other cuts. ... Gio Gonzalez blasting Motown and soul music in the Nationals clubhouse before his starts. The Four Tops, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson ... I may go do a book on Gio simply so I can hang around him for his DJ skills.

Dislikes: Sad, sad story with Junior Seau. I covered him back in high school and can very vividly remember him both on the football field and on the basketball court. It was apparent back then that this was a man playing with boys. Who knows what demons reside in some people, and what they feed on. I may be off base here, but it sure seems to me that the NFL could do a better better job helping its retired players step back into regular society when their playing days are finished. Between the mangled bodies and concussions that cause brain damage, the litany of retired players' sad stories is an ongoing tragedy.

Rock 'n' Roll Lyric of the Day:

"I've seen shadow, I've seen shine
"I know what and what is not mine
"I've seen glitter and I've seen gold
"And I've heard everything I've been told
"And I don't want to spend my life time walking
"A trail of tears"

-- Nick Lowe, Trail of Tears

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