Paul Molitor satisfied with Joe Mauer despite dip in average

Joe Mauer's batting average these days is a paradox: so mundane, it's remarkable.

As the Twins' season reaches its 60th game on Friday night, the three-time batting champion is shuffling along at .260, the lowest it has ever been so late in the season (aside from his injury-riddled 2011). He has two home runs, and only six over the past two seasons, and he hasn't hit a double in almost two weeks.

So what is Mauer doing in the heart of the Twins' lineup, batting third in all but one of the games he's started?

"He drives in runs," manager Paul Molitor said. "I've trusted him in an important spot in the lineup. Runs in today's game are tough to come by, [and] I think his production has been more than good enough for the role we've asked him to serve."

Mauer is second on the Twins in RBI with 34, only two behind Torii Hunter's 36. That total is partly built on opportunity, of course — Mauer has the benefit on most days of hitting behind Brian Dozier and Hunter, the two Twins who get on base more than anyone else — but he's also riding the best streak of clutch hitting in his life. Mauer is batting a career-high .397 with runners in scoring position, and his .517 slugging percentage in those situations is his best since his MVP season of 2009.

"The biggest thing I look at with Joe is, he's on a pace to drive in close to 100 runs," Molitor said. "Joe is holding up his end, as far as making sure he gets the guys in he's supposed to."

Maybe that pace can be sustained, and maybe it can't. But it's clear Molitor has a model in mind for Mauer's late-career production: Paul Molitor.

In the past 65 major league seasons, only two players have driven in 100 runs without also hitting at least 10 home runs: The Cardinals' Tommy Herr did it in 1985. And Molitor, near the end of a Hall of Fame career, managed the feat with the Twins in 1996, collecting 113 RBI while homering only nine times.

He sees that same skill in his first baseman.

"With his swing, he could do that. … The fact is, he's been a run producer despite only hitting a couple of homers, despite a little bit lower average," Molitor said. "I'm not concerned with the batting average or the power. If we can find a way to get production out of the three hole and Joe's in it, that's a good thing for us."

With 34 RBI at the moment, Mauer has slipped in the past week below a 100-RBI pace, but he's still on pace to finish with around 94. His career high is 96 during his MVP season, the only time he's topped 90.

"Driving in runs when you have the opportunity, it's the name of the game," Mauer said of his latter-day run production. "I'm trying to do damage whenever I'm up there, but the guys have given me some good chances and I'm having good luck making solid contact in those spots."

That's remarkable, because his luck at the plate hasn't been good, for the most part, this season. Mauer's average on balls put in play is only .302, the lowest it's ever been in a healthy season since he was a rookie in 2004. His career average when he makes contact is .346.

"There have been times when he's gone through a couple of rough patches. … I don't like it when players are like, 'Well, I've been hitting the ball hard and I'm just not getting the luck.' I mean, that's baseball," Molitor said. "But sometimes you have to acknowledge that the guy has been having good at-bats, relatively consistently for the whole season."

And that's why Molitor has stuck with him. The most important numbers are runs, and he believes his fellow St. Paul native can provide them.

"Joe knows how to hit with men in scoring position. Some of his best at-bats are when we need a base hit," Molitor said. He singled out a sixth-inning at-bat against Milwaukee last Saturday, when the Twins trailed by a run against Matt Garza and Mauer came to the plate with Dozier on third base. He took three consecutive balls, and "I didn't think Garza was going to throw him a strike," Molitor said. "But he threw him three in a row, and Joe was ready. He got the one he wanted and turned on it," lacing a game-tying single.

Molitor said he understands the concern over Mauer's declining numbers and hears the boos when Mauer hits into a double play. He leads the American League with 11.

"The double plays are going to come. Joe hits a lot of balls on the ground, he hits a lot of balls sharply. That's just part of his game," Molitor said. "But overall, the fact that he knows how to put together an at-bat to try to drive in runs without hitting over the fence too often, it's impressive."