ESPN insults the Twins in their latest playoff predictions
Minnesota is literally not mentioned once, which tells everything.
Just like the Rally Sausage, the Minnesota Twins are back -- maybe.
After losing 16 of their last 21 games, the Twins managed to finally snap a four game losing streak on Tuesday night against the Angels. Part of it was the return of the infamous Rally Sausage but most of it was the offense finally waking up and looking like it did over the summer.
The Twins will need more of that down the home stretch of the season. Minnesota has a slim three game lead over the Detroit Tigers for the final AL Wild Card spot, with the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners right behind them.
More of what the Twins did on Tuesday would be nice, but it's hardly promised. The team is still without Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa, neither of whom have an exact timeline to return but both seem to be nearing that point. Max Kepler is also on the IL and both Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis are spiritually there as they struggle to contribute at the plate.
Still, Minnesota's magic number to clinch a playoff berth is 15 with just 17 games left. That includes a huge series against Cleveland and another one with Boston in which the Twins can put the Red Sox away for good. Fans in Minnesota are starting to believe, but that's not a sentiment that extends much further than Twins Territory.
Twins are a complete afterthought in ESPN's latest MLB Playoffs prediction
ESPN's Jesse Rogers broke down who the biggest threats to the Phillies and Dodgers might be, and unsurprisingly the Twins didn't even get a whisper of a mention.
None of this is particularly surprising, but that doesn't make it sting any less. The Twins have been a disaster lately, but there's a level of respect that should be given to any team that makes the playoffs and right now, regardless of the drama, Minnesota is in that group.
We've also seen that anything can happen in October. Top seeds don't always reach the World Series, with some not even making it out of their first series, and deep runs by unexpected teams are always a threat.
Just look at the Diamondbacks last season. Arizona was on the outside looking in this time last year, but managed to finish strong and sneak into the postseason. Once there, they knocked off the Brewers, Dodgers, and Phillies to reach the World Series.
Royce Lewis invoked that D-Backs team when talking about what he thought the Twins were capable of, which is insanely bold but also not completely misguided. If Minnesota can get healthy, steady its bullpen, and have top starters fall into a groove, anything is possible.
It's only the middle of September and there's a ton of real estate that can shift in the playoff landscape. The Twins have a lot of work to do, but not getting any respect right now might be exactly the spark the team needs to start proving everyone wrong.
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