"There is only one American League team that has two former Most Valuable Players on its roster. It's the Twins, with catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau.

They are the team's No. 3 and No. 4 hitters and one of the most devastating one-two punches in baseball --when they are on the field together.

And the uncertainty of how often the two will be in the lineup in the second half is one of the biggest questions facing the Twins as they try to overcome a 6 1/2-game deficit in the AL Central.

"Those two are a dynamic duo when they are back-to-back," Detroit Tigers righthander Justin Verlander said. "It is never going to be easy to get through those two guys, especially when there are men on base."

The former MVPs are the foundation of the franchise, with Mauer earning $23 million a year through 2018 and Morneau earning $14 million a year through 2013.

But they have had to watch their teammates make do without them for lengthy stretches in recent seasons because of injuries such as fractured vertebrae, inflamed sacroiliac joints, concussions and knee ailments. Since the beginning of the 2005 season, they have failed to start together 371 times.

Since the beginning of 2009, the M&M boys have been on the field together just 46 percent of the time (190 of 414 games).

"We're here to win," said Morneau, who is recovering from surgery to remove a herniated disk fragment in his neck that alleviated discomfort in his left shoulder, arm and hand. "We know our chances of winning are better with us in the lineup.""