Twins claim former Orioles starter to help them get across the playoff finish line

There's just a week and change left in the regular season, and the Minnesota Twins can use all the help they can get to punch a playoff ticket.

Minnesota is clinging to a 2.5 game lead over the Detroit Tigers for the final Wild Card spot, but can surge up the standings with a solid showing against the Cleveland Guardians this week. That, coupled with the fact that the Tigers play the Royals this week, could help the Twins make a run at first place in the AL Central.

There will be more help needed than just that. The Twins are entering the atompshere of the season's home stretch in serious danger of breaking apart. Injuries have ravaged the roster, with Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa returning to the lineup this past weekend after lengthy absences.

Joe Ryan and Chris Paddack have been out of the starting rotation for over a month and the team is starting to feel the effect in the 11th hour. David Festa and Zebby Matthews have been relied upon as rookies to help fill the void, and the Twins made another move to try and get across the finish line of the playoff race.

Twins claim Cole Irvin to add much-needed pitching depth in the final games of the season

On Monday the Twins made a roster move to add former Baltimore Orioles starter Cole Irvin. He had played both starter and reliever roles for the Orioles, but will likely be coming out of the bullpen in Minnesota.

Randy Dobnak was DFA'd to make room on the roster.

Irvin has shown the type of flashes this year that usually attract the Twins to low-cost external options. He's posted a 4.86 ERA alongside 76 strikeouts in 107 innings of work, and had three scoreles starts over the first two months of the season.

He's been in the O's bullpen since July, though, and there's a reason a top AL team is cutting bait. Still, the Twins need all the help they can get to try and punch a playoff ticket. Louie Varland was blown up against the Reds, and that sentiment held true for most of the Twins bullpen over the first two games of that series.

Varland specifically seems like the guy Irvin will be replacing as an option for Rocco Baldelli. He's been all over the map this season but his latest outing, which saw him allow five runs on six hits in just an inning of work, seems to have cost him.

He's not being fully replaced, though, as this purely a move to help the Twins now and not in October. Irvin is a mid-September acquisition, which means he's not eligible for the postseason roster and will only be able to pitch for Minnesota over its last 14 regular season games.

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