The Minnesota Twins (78-68) did not play on Thursday, but they had been in a position to choose up 4 essential wins by the use of different groups dropping.
The Twins start a three-game collection at dwelling in opposition to the Cincinnati Reds (71-77) on Friday. Then, they’re going to begin a vital seven-game street journey on Monday, which will probably be their last slate of away contests in the course of the common season.
Minnesota performs the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians (84-63) in a four-game street collection from Monday to Thursday in what could also be their last likelihood to push for a division title. The Twins then journey to Fenway Park to face the Boston Purple Sox (74-73) from Sept. 20-22 earlier than three dwelling tilts in opposition to the Miami Marlins (55-92) and Baltimore Orioles (83-64).
Regardless of not taking part in on Thursday, Minnesota now finds itself comfortably within the driver’s seat for the third and last AL wild-card berth.
If the Twins get to the playoffs, success within the match could also be a special story for supervisor Rocco Baldelli’s membership.
The Twins have not gained a World Collection (or pennant) since their 1991 championship marketing campaign and have not been to the ALCS since 2002, regardless of 10 postseason appearances.
The New York Yankees have been a continuing playoff tormentor of Minnesota, eliminating the Twins within the 2003 and 2004 ALDS in 5 video games apiece, whereas additionally sweeping them in 2009 and 2010 throughout the identical spherical. The Oakland Athletics used Minnesota as their punching bag in 2006, sweeping them in that 12 months’s ALDS.
The Twins then missed the postseason six straight occasions from 2011-2016 earlier than the Yankees eradicated them once more in 2017 within the AL wild-card sport. After lacking the playoffs in 2018, Minnesota was swept by New York but once more within the 2019 ALDS and the Houston Astros beat it in each tilts of the 2020 AL wild-card collection.
Baldelli’s group did not qualify for the playoffs in 2021 or 2022 earlier than dropping to the Astros in 4 video games throughout final 12 months’s ALDS.
Given how the previous couple of a long time have gone, Twins followers probably do not have a lot confidence of their workforce making noise within the postseason. Not less than with Thursday’s unusually profitable off day, the workforce is in a great place to present it one other attempt in October.
