Twins bullpen finally steps up in a huge 4-2 win over Red Sox
Minnesota gained both some confidence on the field and ground in the Wild Card standings.
After a brutal series in Cleveland that pushed the Minnesota Twins to the edge of the playoff picture, things finally bounced back on Friday.
The Twins were in Boston to start a crucial weekend series with the Red Sox, and it’s impossible to overstate how much they needed a win. Losing three of the last four games against the Guardians sent Minnesota spiraling to the lowest point its been since August 18th, which was on the brink of being on the outside of th playoff picture.
A surging Detroit Tigers team had finally caught up with the Twins, as a tiebreaker was the only thing separating the two teams. That’s not the case after Friday, as Minnesota gained a game of breathing room in the standings thanks to a gritty performance by its much maligned bullpen.
Minnesota’s relief pitching has been a total disaster over the course of the last month, posting a 5.64 ERA and a league-worst -2.99 WPA which was twice as bad as the next closest bullpen. We saw the worst of it in Cleveland, as the Twins blew late leads in three games including losses in the tenth inning of back-to-back games.
That wasn’t the case in Boston, as the bullpen pitched seven scoreless innings while allowing just five hits and striking out 14 Red Sox hitters. It was a masterful bounce back performance, one that has the Twins trending back in the right direction in the playoff race.
Twins pick up huge win over Red Sox to pull ahead in AL Wild Card standings
Minnesota’s win was coupled with a 7-1 loss by the Tigers, which means the Twins are back to having a one-game lead for the last Wild Card spot. It’s not much, but it’s better than how things were trending this week when Detroit used a sweep in Kansas City to finally catch up to Minnesota in the standings.
Even better was the Royals losing yet again, which means the Twins gained ground on the No. 5 seed and sit just a game behind Kansas City in the AL Central.
A lot of work still needs to be done before anyone can celebrate, but the Twins bounced back in a big way in Boston. It’s the type of win that doesn’t just help them in the standings, it’s one the team desperately needed to start regaining some confidence ahead of what still could be a season that sends them to the playoffs.
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