The Twins nonetheless have a maintain on the third AL Wild Card spot — for the second. After blowing a 3-0 lead towards the Guardians in Monday’s collection opener in Cleveland, they’ve misplaced 18 of their previous 27 video games. They haven’t gained a collection towards a group with a successful proportion of .500 or higher in over a month, and now lead the surging Tigers by only a recreation and a half within the Wild Card standings. This previous weekend, Minnesota activated each Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa from the injured record following prolonged absences, however the two stars by all accounts are enjoying at lower than One hundred pc, and sadly for supervisor Rocco Baldelli, they aren’t probably to offer innings out of the bullpen once they’re not within the lineup.
As of August 17, the Twins had been 70-53, a season-high 17 video games above .500. On the time, they had been working second within the AL Central, two video games behind the Guardians, and second within the Wild Card race, a recreation and a half behind the Orioles however two video games forward of the Royals, from whom they’d simply taken two out of three (that aforementioned final collection victory towards a successful group). Since then, the Twins have gone simply 9-18 (.333), outdoing solely the White Sox (5-21, .192) and Angels (7-19, .269) amongst all main league groups; even the worst NL group in that span, the Marlins, has gone 10-17 (.370). The stoop has just about closed the door on Minnesota’s possibilities of claiming the AL Central, and in the meantime, the Tigers have gone 17-9, tied for the majors’ finest document in that span, to poke their noses into the Wild Card image.
Twins Change in Playoff Odds
| Date | W | L | W% | Div GB | WC GB | Div | Bye | WC | Playoffs | Win WS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 17 | 70 | 53 | .569 | 2 | +5* | 36.8% | 33.9% | 55.6% | 92.4% | 6.4% |
| September 17 | 79 | 71 | .527 | 7.5 | +1.5* | 0.2% | 0.1% | 76.6% | 76.7% | 3.2% |
* = lead over prime non-Wild Card group.
Throughout this slide, the Twins have misplaced collection to the Padres, Cardinals, Braves, Royals, and Reds, splitting one with the Rays, and beating solely the Blue Jays and Angels — not precisely a efficiency befitting a playoff-bound group. In that span, the offense has scored simply 3.81 runs per recreation whereas the pitching workers has allowed 5.22 per recreation. It’s not what you need.
The returns of Buxton and Correa would look like simply what the physician ordered… besides that neither is at full power. The group’s struggles created some urgency, and each gamers had been wholesome sufficient to come back again, although to not play each single day. “I can’t let you know we actually had been tremendous deliberate right here and had been capable of take our time in each approach,” Baldelli stated on Friday.
“We would have an thought, however we wish to test on them and see what they’re doing,” the supervisor stated earlier than Sunday’s recreation, which each gamers sat out whereas the group gained 9-2 to stop a sweep by the Reds. “Imagine me, this isn’t like a One hundred pc-type dialog. In the event that they had been One hundred pc, they’d play.”
The 30-year-old Buxton missed a month because of irritation in his proper hip, whereas the 29-year-old Correa missed two months due to plantar fasciitis in his proper heel. It was the second IL stint of the season for each, as Correa missed 16 days in April because of an intercostal pressure, and Buxton 16 days in Might with proper knee irritation. Regardless of their absences, they’re the group’s two most precious gamers by WAR, with Correa (3.8 in 77 video games) enjoying at a blistering 8-WAR tempo and Buxton (3.3 in 93 video games) enjoying at almost a 6-WAR tempo.
Buxton started a rehab project on September 2 with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints, however performed simply two video games earlier than renewed soreness pressured the Twins to tug him again. Previous to rejoining Minnesota’s lineup on Friday, he hadn’t performed in a recreation since September 4; he spent his time rehabbing at Goal Subject, going by way of agility drills and stay batting observe towards minor league pitchers. Again within the lineup, he shortly made his presence felt, hitting a game-tying solo residence run off the Reds’ Julian Aguiar within the sixth inning, however Cincinnati answered with a six-run seventh, and gained 8-4.
Buxton has gone 3-for-10 with two strikeouts and 4 RBI since returning. Towards the Reds he drove within the first run in Saturday’s recreation on an infield single off Nick Martinez, however Cincinnati scored 9 runs within the fourth, prompting the exits of each Buxton and Correa in what ended up an 11-1 route and included a mop-up pitching look by infielder Kyle Farmer. The pair returned on Monday towards the Guardians, with Buxton driving in two runs with a single that deflected off the glove of pitcher Matthew Boyd.
“I do know it’s not One hundred pc, but it surely’s adequate for me to go on the market and compete and battle,” Buxton stated on Saturday. “I do know I can go on the market and assist the group and contribute in any doable approach. It’s simply a kind of issues the place you take a look at the place you’re at and also you push by way of issues typically.”
The Twins will take what they’ll get from Buxton, as a result of when he’s been accessible, he’s been excellent. In 93 video games — his highest whole since 2017, imagine it or not — he’s hit .276/.333/.530 with 17 homers and a 141 wRC+; these final two figures each rank third on the group. Coming off his worst season on the plate since 2017, he’s taken a very aggressive method this yr, swinging at 54.3% of pitches, his highest full-season price, and chasing 33.9% out of the zone, his highest full-season mark since ’18. (He did have greater charges in 2020, albeit in simply 39 video games.) Buxton’s 5.2% stroll price is simply over half of what it was final yr, however on the similar time, he’s trimmed his strikeout price from 31.4% to 26.4% whereas mashing the ball when he does make contact. On the defensive facet, after taking a season off from enjoying heart area in an try to preserve him wholesome, he’s performed fairly properly in keeping with the metrics, with 4 FRV, 2 DRS, and -1.3 UZR.
Correa spent 13 days on the injured record final September because of plantar fasciitis in his left heel, although the issue first surfaced in Might. He was capable of play by way of it, however had by far his worst full season on the plate (.230/.312/.399, 96 wRC+) and a subpar one within the area, totaling simply 1.8 WAR. This season, he performed properly sufficient within the first half to be named to the AL All-Star group for the primary time since 2021, his final yr as an Astro, however after gathering hits in 13 of 14 video games from June 26 to July 12, he was once more identified with plantar fasciitis, this time in his proper heel. Regardless of preliminary optimism that he wouldn’t miss a lot time, he handled setbacks as he rehabbed, and it was solely after beginning some unspecified new remedy in early September that his foot felt adequate for him to play.
Correa didn’t get pleasure from a rehab project earlier than returning, as a substitute testing his foot by working in entrance of the group’s coaching workers and taking stay batting observe towards minor league pitchers.
“We ran out of days. We simply didn’t have sufficient days,” stated Baldelli on Saturday. “We’re working out of days for the common season, and he didn’t wish to waste any extra days. He simply needed to come back again.”
Since returning, Correa has gone 2-for-7, doubling in each of his video games and taking two walks on Monday night time. He additionally struck out twice on Monday, together with as soon as with two on and one out within the sixth, shedding an eight-pitch encounter with Erik Sabrowski, a rookie lefty making simply his fifth main league look.
Stars like Buxton and Correa aren’t simple to switch, and the struggles of the gamers tasked with doing so have contributed to the group’s offensive woes. Throughout Buxton’s absence, Twins heart fielders hit a mixed .229/.283/.314 (71 wRC+), with 25-year-old rookie utilityman Austin Martin doing an affordable job offensively in about half of the enjoying time however exhibiting that he has no enterprise within the outfield (he has -13 DRS and -8 FRV in simply 487 innings cut up between heart and left), and Willi Castro, Manuel Margot, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., and Michael Helman failing to differentiate themselves. Whereas Correa was out, Twins shortstops hit simply .218/.284/.340 (77 wRC+), with switch-hitters Castro and Brooks Lee manning the publish. The versatile 27-year-old Castro, who’s hit for a 108 wRC+ total, held his personal offensively however scuffled defensively on the place, whereas it was the opposite approach round for Lee, a 23-year-old 50-FV prospect who’s hit for only a 68 wRC+ in 155 plate appearances this yr. Lee did have an enormous five-RBI recreation on Sunday as Correa sat, however has hit simply .178/.178/.333 in 45 PA since being recalled in September.
The Twins have had loads of different issues these days as properly. Royce Lewis has spent 90 days on the IL this season because of quad and adductor strains; when Correa was activated, it marked simply the 18th time this season that he, Buxton, and Lewis had been all in the identical lineup. Lewis has nonetheless hit simply .226/.287/.403 (91 wRC+) in 178 PA since getting back from the adductor pressure in late July and has produced only a 45 wRC+ in 95 PA in the course of the group’s month-long skid. Jose Miranda has a 57 wRC+ in 82 PA inside the similar span. Max Kepler has been out since September 2 because of patellar tendinitis, although he’s stated to be nearing a return.
On the pitching facet, the lack of Joe Ryan, who’s been out since August 7 because of a Grade 2 teres main pressure, looms massive, notably as a result of he’s on the 60-day IL and gained’t be eligible to return till October 9; realistically, the Twins must attain the ALCS as a way to roster him. Other than Pablo López, whose 6 1/2-inning, two-run efficiency on Monday night time was squandered by the bullpen, the opposite 4 members of the present rotation — David Festa, Zebby Matthews, Bailey Ober, and Simeon Woods Richardson — have every been lit for ERAs of 5.24 or greater over their final 5 turns courting again to August 18. On Monday, the group claimed Cole Irvin off waivers from the Orioles, however he hit the wire for a purpose, having put up a 6.67 ERA and 5.69 FIP in 56 2/3 innings for the reason that begin of June. He’ll match proper in.
The bullpen hasn’t offered a lot aid, notably given its main league-high 43% price of permitting inherited runners to attain. Over the previous month, it’s been torched for a 5.47 ERA (4.09 FIP), a few of which is distorted by a few unhealthy Louie Varland outings (together with one on Saturday), however setup man Jorge Alcala and nearer Jhoan Duran have each been hammered as properly. Duran has an odd 7.88 ERA/1.05 FIP pairing in eight innings in the course of the aforementioned slide because of a .538 BABIP, and he’s been charged with 4 losses in that span.
With Buxton and Correa again within the lineup, our Playoff Odds nonetheless give the Twins higher than a 75% likelihood of holding onto a Wild Card spot, however the Tigers (78-73) aren’t their solely downside; the Mariners (77-73) are simply two video games again. If neither of Minnesota’s returning stars is ready to play typically sufficient or properly sufficient, the Twins may make this race a bit too attention-grabbing for his or her tastes.
