The Minnesota Twins will conclude the 2026 season with a Sunday afternoon game against the Texas Rangers at Target Field. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:10 p.m. CDT. Right-hander Dean Kremer (4-5, 4.97 ERA, 82 SO) will start for the Twins. Left-hander MacKenzie Gore (8-11, 4.59 ERA, 174 SO) is scheduled to start for the Rangers.
The Twins were eliminated from postseason contention last weekend. Meanwhile, the Rangers are tied with the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West with an 80-81 record. The Astros hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rangers, so Texas must finish with a better record than Houston to make the playoffs. Therefore, to make the postseason, Texas must defeat Minnesota today, and Houston must lose to the Athletics at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, Calif., today.
Twins fans might want to root for a loss today
Many Twins fans might want Minnesota to lose today. A loss today would give the team a better chance to earn a top-6 2027 Draft pick. All of the teams that miss the postseason are entered into a lottery to earn a top-6 draft pick, with the worst teams having better odds. The San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates are ineligible to earn a top-6 pick due to anti-tanking measures. Before Sunday's game, the Twins held a 19.9% chance to earn a top-6 pick and a 2.08% chance to earn the No. 1 overall pick, according to Tankathon.
Also, many MLB fans still hold a grudge against the Astros for the 2017 cheating scandal. Plenty of Twins fans probably want the Astros to miss the playoffs, meaning they want the Twins to lose today's game against the Rangers.
While losing today would be best for the Twins' future, it's obviously difficult for Twins fans to root against their favorite team. No one should be faulted for rooting for a Minnesota win today. And it'd be great to see Twins players, specifically the younger ones like Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Kaelen Culpepper, end the season on a strong note.
Unfortunately, today's game might be the Twins' last game for a long time. Obviously, the offseason is always several months long, but this one might be different. With the looming lockout, the start of the MLB season could be delayed.
Twins fans can watch the season finale on Twins.TV.
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