The Minnesota Twins are looking to keep in step with the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central standings to the best of their ability, and center fielder Byron Buxton is certainly doing his part. On Wednesday, Buxton entered flow state; during the Twins' 6-2 win over the Texas Rangers, Buxton had a tour de force of a performance, doing it all on all sides of the ball.

Not only did he go 3-3 on the night with a monster three-run shot in the third inning, he also saved a run with an epic diving catch near the warning track to keep the Twins' deficit to two runs early on in the game. The Twins were powered by such an impressive performance from Buxton, who, when he manages to stay off the injury report, is one of the best and most dynamic outfielders in MLB.

Buxton's masterclass of a night drew rave reviews from Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, who had no shortage of words to describe just how valuable the 31-year-old outfielder is to Minnesota.

“We saw some things from our center fielder that you probably won't forget. Pat on the back to everyone who was at the ballpark tonight to be able to watch what he did out there. One of the more mesmerizing performances that you'll ever see on a field,” Baldelli said, per Patrick Donnelly of MLB.com.

Keeping Buxton healthy is going to be imperative for the Twins' contending hopes. He's played in over 100 games in just two of the nine seasons (this excludes the COVID-shortened season) he's played, and he's dealt with a myriad of injury woes that has prevented him from being as impactful of a player for the Twins as he could be.

However, there is no question that Buxton is an All-Star-level talent when healthy, and he showed as much on Wednesday in a Twins victory.

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Twins look to separate themselves from the AL Central logjam

Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (4) and second base Brooks Lee (2) celebrate after the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Target Field.
Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The AL Central has emerged as one of the most competitive divisions in all of baseball, with four of five teams having a record of .500 or better. The Chicago White Sox aren't even as bad as they were last year, which is major progress.

Nonetheless, the Twins will want to gain some separation from the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals, inching closer instead to the Tigers. Winning the rubber match later tonight against the Rangers will go a long way towards that goal of theirs.