Minnesota Twins: A Look at the Wild Card Competition
New York Yankees
The Vitals (AL Ranks)
2nd in Runs scored
5th in Hits
2nd in OPS
3rd in Team ERA
Twins record against 2-1, 3 games remaining
The New York Yankees, like any good New York team, has been able to grab all the headlines this season. Those headlines have been dominated by Aaron Judge and his mammoth swing as well as stature. While Gary Sanchez has done his best to not be overshadowed and has turned in a solid season of his own.
While the Yankees have continued to prove they can score runs with all the bats in their lineup, that may have never been the real question surrounding this team. The question is can they prevent enough runs to make it deep into the playoffs. To address those concerns the team made a flurry of moves to acquire starters Sonny Gray and Jaime Garcia as well as relievers Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson.
This Yankees team seems ready to make a run. With that said, the season is not over yet. The Twins will have three more games to gain ground in the wild card race against this impressive lineup of young sluggers and revamped pitching staff. Outside of those three games, the Twins will have to hope the Yankees and the rest of the AL East continue to beat up on each other down the stretch.
Seattle Mariners
The Vitals (AL Ranks)
4th in Runs scored
4th in Hits
9th in OPS
8th in Team ERA
Twins record against 3-4, 0 games remaining
The Seattle Mariners are headlined by veteran bats Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz. Both veterans are putting together very nice season but are not alone in putting the Mariners in the middle of the wild card race. Guys like Jean Segura and Kyle Seager have also had solid years at the plate to help this team be at the top of the AL in offensive performance.
Recently the Mariners tried to bolster their offensive abilities by acquiring breakout player Yonder Alonso from the Oakland Athletics. The team also acquired David Phelps from the Miami Marlins to strengthen the back end of their bullpen. Unfortunately for the Mariners, Phelps has joined staff ace Felix Hernandez on the 10-day DL. Those DL stints will no doubt affect the Mariners hopes for a wild card spot.
The Twins have finished their series with the Mariners for the season. They will have to hope at this point that the Houston Astros continue their dominance over the division. The Twins will hope as well that the wins and losses break just right as the Mariners battle other wild card contenders so the Twins can gain ground on this current Wild Card team.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Vitals (AL Ranks)
10th in Runs scored
9th in Hits
6th in OPS
4th in Team ERA
Twins record against 1-2, 3 games remaining
The Tampa Bay Rays are a team who offensively strives because of guys who have a good OPS. That is clearly reflected in their AL ranks. Evan Longoria is still the name and leader most baseball fans know, while Corey Dickerson is the name more fans are learning with the All-Star season he has put together.
At the end of the day, this Rays team will win based on its pitching. Chris Archer headlines the staff while Alex Cobb (Currently on 10 Day-DL with a toe injury) has also turned in an excellent season. Before the trade deadline, the Rays were able to bolster their bullpen by acquiring Dan Jennings from the Chicago White Sox.
The Rays have question marks, but with Archer going out every five days to start it seems anything can happen. When the Twins meet the Rays again for a 3 game series, there will be a lot on the line if both teams are still in contention. Thankfully, right now it seems the Twins would miss Archer’s turn in the rotation.
Los Angeles Angels
The Vitals (AL Rank)
13th in Runs scored
12th in Hits
15th in OPS
5th in Team ERA
Twins record against 5-2 record, 0 games remaining
What stands out about this Los Angeles Angels team has to hurt for many Twins’ fans. This Angels pitching staff has featured Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer and is 5th in the AL in team ERA. Of course, they are not the only pitchers contributing to that ERA, but it still feels strange after what those two players did or didn’t do with the Twins.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Angels have two guys at premium defensive positions performing well. There is always Mike Trout playing center field and doing Trout like things. Then there is Andrelton Simmons who has always been a defensive wizard at shortstop. This season we have learned that apparently, Simmons can hit too.
The Twins are finished playing the Angels for this season and missed out on seeing Trout helping them to the series win. For the rest of the season, the Twins hope for the Angels will be the same as theirs for the Mariners. That is that the Astros continue to dominate the AL West and there is an appropriate Win-Loss split with the Mariners to make room for the Twins in one of those Wild-Card spots.
Kansas City Royals
The Vitals (AL Rank)
12th in Runs scored
7th in Hits
13th in OPS
7th in Team ERA
Twins record against 8-4 record, 7 games remaining
It seemed earlier this season that the Kansas City Royals would not even be part of the conversation in the AL Central. The team then took off and went on an incredible run. Of course, guys like Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas have been a big part of that. The emergence of Whit Merrifield at second base has been welcomed as well.
The rotation may lack a true shutdown ace but plenty of solid options. Many teams would love to have Danny Duffy pitching every five days for them. Jason Vargas has also turned in a surprising season and will be very helpful down the stretch if he can regain his early season form.
With seven games remaining against the Royals, this is a team the Twins will want to continue to have success against. The Twins will have to play differently than they did in the last series against the Royals. A series where the Royals took 3 out of 4 just shortly before the All-Star break.
Baltimore Orioles
The Vitals (AL Rank)
7th in Runs scored
3rd in Hits
5th in OPS
14th in Team ERA
Twins record against 5-2 record, 0 games remaining
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The Baltimore Orioles are the third AL East team to find themselves on this list. It would seem hard for them to compete for a playoff spot with the other three teams they are looking up at in their own division. Although when you have bats like Jonathan Schoop, Chris Davis, Manny Machado, Adam Jones, and Mark Trumbo it wouldn’t take much to get hot and go on a run.
The only problem is the Orioles pitching hasn’t been any help to them this season. They did acquire starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson to try and help in that area, but the problem is likely much deeper than one starter can solve. As the Orioles sit 14th in team ERA.
The Twins did the work they needed to do against the Orioles earlier this season. Even though the Twins are not that far ahead in the standings from the Orioles, they are ahead of them. That may cause them to root for the Orioles to steal a game from either the Yankees or Rays at some point.
Next: Forgotten Seasons by Former Minnesota Twins Players
Twins fans hope that the team will leave all these others listed in the dust. Do you think the Twins get make the playoffs yet? Who is it that will get in there way for one of the Wild Card spots? Let us know what you think!