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The Minnesota Twins are in a spot that almost every other MLB team wants to be. With less than three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Twins own a three-game lead for the final Wild Card spot in the American League. Despite being dealt a tough injury hand, Minnesota is a contending team on the verge of a playoff berth.
The Twins still have an outside chance to win the division but will likely have to settle for a Wild Card berth. Minnesota must win its first-round series to have postseason baseball at Target Field. They swept their Wild Card series last year after winning the AL Central.
Although the Twins have fallen down the standings a bit, they remain a contender no team wants to face. When fully healthy the Twins have one of the best rosters in the league. That health has been hard to come by for many years, 2024 especially.
Minnesota would like to gain some momentum before October. The Twins snapped a four-game skid with a win over the Los Angeles Angels Tuesday night and will go for the series win Wednesday.
A big reason for their inconsistencies is the offense's struggles. While fixable, it's a problem for Minnesota at the moment. If there's a cause for the Twins missing the MLB playoffs, it might be their inability to hit.
Twins' offense faltering at the wrong time
Let's preface this by saying that the Twins are without arguably their two best bats/players Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton. Thursday will mark two months since the last time Correa played and a month since Buxton hit the diamond. It's difficult for any team to keep winning without its stars. Minnesota is clearly struggling without its top hitters.
Over the last 30 days – about the time Byron Buxton has been out with a hip issue – the Twins are bottom 10 in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging, as well as runs scored. Minnesota averaged 3.9 runs in 27 games in that span, down from the 4.7 mark they've carried throughout the season.
The Twins for the season are eighth in OPS and seventh in slugging. Their numbers over the past month are way down, especially in September. Minnesota is averaging 3.2 runs this month. They're 4-6 in September and 11-17 since Buxton went down. They were shut out twice and scored four total runs in a recent four-game losing streak.
There remains no set return dates for either Correa or Buxton, unwelcome news for the Twins. A 10-run outburst in Tuesday's win might be the spark that Minnesota's lineup needed. The Twins of course hope to put their offensive woes behind them for the most crucial part of the season.
The Twins don’t want to think of a scenario where they play October baseball without Carlos Correa or Byron Buxton. It's not the worst thing for the rest of the lineup to get acclimated to life without them on the chance that becomes a reality.
Both stars will do what they can to get back in playing shape. Minnesota will undoubtedly look different without them should they reach the postseason. That might not be a guarantee in their absence the way the Twins are swinging the bat right now.
Finding a way to October
The Twins, like any team pushing for a place in the MLB playoffs, want to play well leading to the dance. Thinking and doing are two separate things, especially in an unpredictable sport like baseball. The bottom line though is that Minnesota has to find a way to make the playoffs by any means necessary.
Their remaining schedule includes series with the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Guardians, but overall the Twins' outlook the rest of the way isn’t too bleak. Winning against teams they should beat, including the Angels and Cincinnati Reds whom they meet this week, enhances Minnesota's playoff odds and gives them slightly more cushion.
It appears Correa will return before Buxton, but having both of them back in the lineup will be beneficial. Getting them back into the swing of things before the playoffs would be ideal but penciling them into the order regardless will be a welcome sight.
When everything is clicking, the Twins should be able to score in bunches and make a game out of anything. It's rarely clicked in recent weeks but could come back to form before the playoffs begin.
Pitching is a different story with the Twins reeling on that side of the ball. Minnesota's pitching staff has a 4.74 ERA across the last 15 days, 24th in baseball and the second-worst mark in the American League.
It's hard to say if the Twins will be feared should they make the playoffs. In their current form, probably not. Things can certainly change over the next three weeks as Minnesota and other playoff hopefuls jockey for position.
