MINNEAPOLIS - As Joe Mauer walked back to the dugout, the bat in his hand and a sour look on his face, there were boos from the Minnesota crowd. Old Skool Shoes From China . Mauer struck out to end the inning, with a runner on third base in the seventh on Wednesday and the Twins trailing 1-0. Everybody does this, of course, in a sport with a 30 per cent success rate at the plate long proven to be a benchmark of excellence. Failures this year have piled up for Mauer faster than usual for the six-time All-Star, three-time American League batting champion and one-time AL MVP. "Im a heck of a lot more frustrated than they are," Mauer said that night, when asked about those jeering fans. The sound of those boos has been jarring, considering hes the hometown guy from St. Paul with the handsome looks and the hitting skills to build a .321 career batting average, the best among all active players in baseball with at least 3,000 plate appearances. Minnesotans are fiercely proud of and protective of their natives, so Mauer figured to have a lifetime pass in the popularity department here. After signing that $184 million, eight-year contract extension in 2010, though, he has become a more-frequent target of criticism from fans frustrated by the teams struggles the past several years. The 28 home runs he hit in 138 games in 2009 were a one-year wonder. Lingering lower-body injuries limited him to 82 games in 2011. This season, his on-base-plus-slugging percentage was at a career-low .704 entering the weekend series in New York. Mauer is also on pace to blow by his career-high strikeout total of 89 set last year. "I feel pretty good actually, which is even more frustrating," he said. "Im hitting a lot of balls hard and just not having much to show for it. So hopefully that turns here soon." Mauer isnt the only one sputtering with the Twins. The teams batting average with runners in scoring position fell to .214, the second-worst in the league, after losing three of four games to Texas this week. "Were putting together a lot of good at-bats but still not driving people in with runners in scoring position. Thats the main focus, getting guys on, but we cant get them in," second baseman Brian Dozier said. Mauer reluctantly gave up his job as the catcher to better protect himself from another concussion, after missing the final six weeks of last season following a foul tip that hit him in the head. The loss to the Twins of Mauers intelligence and defence behind the plate was supposed to be trumped by an increase in his availability and production at a less-taxing position. He missed five games with back spasms earlier this month, but since then he said he feels fine. The problem has been these paltry totals: nine extra-base hits and 15 RBIs through Thursday. "The expectations are very high for him. People get frustrated. I just dont want Joe to get frustrated. I know he is a little bit right now, because he doesnt have the results he wants. But I dont want to put any more pressure on the guy," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I just want him to just keep being himself, keep swinging, and hell be fine." ___ Dave Campbell on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DaveCampbellAP Wholesale Old Skool . They find themselves trying to knock each other out in the Western Conference finals for the second straight year. The Blackhawks prevailed last year on their way to the Stanley Cup, and they have the early lead this time after taking the opener, 3-1. Cheap Old Skool Sale . The 26-year-old Sobotka injured his left leg playing for the St. Louis Blues in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. The Blues said he would not recover from the injury in time for the Olympic tournament.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants linebacker Jon Beason has broken a bone in his right foot and is expected to miss most of training camp. The team announced Friday that he also tore a ligament during Thursdays off-season training activity workout. Beason went down defending a pass play. He walked off the field, but was later carted off for evaluation. He had X-rays, an MRI and a CT scan to determine the extent of the injury. His status for the season opener Sept. 8 against Detroit remains in question. Beason said in a statement released by the team that he hopes to be back for the opener. "Its not season-ending, so Im happy about that," said Beason, who had at least eight tackles in eight games last season after arriving in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. Hell be evaluated by a specialist in Charlotte on Monday before starting a rehabilitation program. Hes had his share of injuries during his career, including a ruptured Achilles tendon and microfracture reconstructive knee surgery. The Giants signed him to a three-year, $16.8 million contract in the off-season.. Discount Old Skool. He made 93 tackles and had 12 interceptions in 12 games for the Giants. "Its just one of those things. You have freak injuries," Beason said in the statement. "I was just changing directions. I would say that the movement was a little unorthodox, I was flexing with the big toe in the ground and then I pivoted on it all the way around. "Its a movement that I often do that allows me to come in and out of my breaks faster. I literally felt like I stepped in like a sprinkler head hole. I just felt it give right away, so the next step I knew I couldnt put the foot down." After Beason went down Thursday, Giants coach Tom Coughlin expressed how vital hes been to his defence. "Hes very important, because of the nature of the man, the player, his attitude, his leadership skills, what he brings to the table, hes very important," Coughlin said. In the meantime, the Giants will use fourth-year veteran Mark Herzlich, free-agent signee Jameel McClain and fifth-round draft pick Devon Kennard out of USC as replacements for Beason. ' ' '