We’ve reached the final stretch of the regular season, and despite how bumpy the journey has been the Minnesota Twins are right in the thick of the playoff race. Not only is Minnesota controlling a Wild Card spot, but a division title is well within reach with just a month of games left.
It’s not going to be easy landing the plane, though. Minnesota is without Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa, who are both on the IL with no timeline for a return, and Joe Ryan has been lost for the season. Despite this the Twins are just 3.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead and could still end up with the best record in the American League.
They’re going to need a lot of help, both in the standings but also internally after all the bad injury luck. Losing Ryan is a brutal blow, but thanks to the way Pablo Lopez has started pitching it’s unlikely to be a fatal one.
Pablo Lopez is returning to his All-Star form right when the Twins need it most
Much like the team as a whole, it’s been a bumpy season for Lopez. He’s looked like a shell of the pitcher he was last year when he was earning Cy Young votes and leading the Twins to their first postseason victory in almost two decades.
It’s been a tale of two halves, though, as Lopez is returning to being the ace Minnesota needs him to be at the exact right time.
Since the All-Star Break, Lopez is 5-1 with a 1.92 ERA and has dominated opposing hitters in their own parks. He’s 7-4 on the road with a 1.099 WHIP which is likely going to come in handy of things remain the way they are in the playoff picture. Ideally the Twins clinch the division and avoid playing in the Wild Card, but if that happens it’ll mean going on the road — likely to Houston.
That’s good news for the Twins, as not only has Lopez been great away from Target Field but one of his first signature moments was beating the Astros in Game 2 of the ALDS. That was a year ago, and the first half that Lopez had is proof that things change, but so too is how well he’s bounced back since the middle of July.
It’s still unclear how a Twins roster held together by duct tape can go in October, but having ace-level Lopez back suggests that they’ll go down swinging rather than rolling out in the first round. Ryan was pitching lights out when he was placed on the IL with a Grade 2 teres strain, but his loss has opened the door for rookies David Festa and Zebby Matthews to step up and begin to prove themselves.
Simeon Woods Richardson has also used his third time in the majors as a charm, pitching so well that he seems like an easy choice for the No. 3 starter in a playoff series.
Everything starts with Lopez, though. Without Ryan the Twins need him even more than before, especially in October, and he’s turning back into the guy he was last year at the exact right time.
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