The Twins have had a full Friday off to wash their nationally-televised Field of Dreams performance out of their mouths, and recenter focus onto the reality that they’ve still got two home games left against a strong opponent with playoff hopes. As Connor Prielipp takes the mound this evening, he does so for a team tied for the final Wild Card; with the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers both losing already today, it’s a three-way, 60-63 tie for one playoff position.
If you’d asked me months ago, or truly even a few weeks ago, I’d have sure bet a lot of money that the Wild Card race would have separated itself by now. Sub-.500 playoff hopefuls are only really in the race for as long as it takes until a random team finally has a dominant two weeks. And yet, it’s mid-August, and that still hasn’t happened. The Twins, Tigers, Rangers, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Guardians all have nearly identical records, but none of the above have been able to take the reins, climb over .500, and create actual separation. In three weeks’ time, the playoff picture might look obvious. For now, it’s the same muddled mess it’s been all year, and while the vibes haven’t been spectacular in Minnesota lately, the Twins could end the evening alone in a playoff position.
Since we last saw the Twins, third catcher Alex Jackson has seen his roster spot finally dry up. Byron Buxton technically takes his spot, remaining on the roster after being activated as the neutral site’s 27th man on Thursday evening.
The talented lefty Jesus Luzardo will give the Twins another chance to solve their southpaw woes, although there are easier pitchers to try that against. Luzardo is a reigning All-Star, has put up 4.3 bWAR, an ERA+ of 135, and is probably the third-best starter in Philadelphia’s monstrous rotation that includes standout veteran Zack Wheeler and the dominant Cristopher Sanchez, last year’s Cy Young runner-up. Thankfully, the Twins will miss both Wheeler and Sanchez, but that means the big challenge of the series will lie in besting Luzardo tonight.
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