Willi Castro, Griffin Jax keep Twins playoff hopes alive with huge win over Guardians
Perhaps the season is turning around at the exact right time!
The last month of baseball hasn't been fun for the Minnesota Twins, but fans are hoping that rock bottom has already been hit.
Monday's blown lead against the Cleveland Guardians felt like a back-breaker, as the Twins fumbled away a golden opportunity to start turning their season around. Perhaps that was just delayed by a day, as Minnesota had the type of game on Tuesday everyone has been waiting for.
It was a gutsy 4-1 win over the Guardians, one that featured the offense waking up and the bullpen finally doing its job. Ronny Henriquez pitched out of a small jam in the seventh inning, preserving a 2-1 lead that Willi Castro extended by two runs a half inning later. Jhoan Duran pitched 1.1 innings without giving up a run and Griffin Jax cleaned up a ninth inning mess needing just eight pitches.
We even had a great performance by a rookie pitcher, as Zebby Matthews made just one mistake in his 4.2 innings of work. Everything went Minnesota's way, which is hopefully a sign of things to come.
Twins playoff hopes stay alive with huge win over Cleveland
Minnesota needed a win on Tuesday, not just to stay alive in the playoff race but for its own confidence. It's been an asbolutely brutal month of baseball, with the Twins going 8-19 since August 18th while the bullpen has imploded with a 5.47 ERA over that span.
Nothing has gone right, which is why the way Monday's game slipped out of Minnesota's hands was so devestating. Tuesday was a different story, and a bit closer to the type of team we've seen the Twins be earlier this year.
The work is hardly done, though. Minnesota still has two more games against the Guardians before heading to Fenway for a weekend series against Boston. While the Red Sox are fading from the playoff picture, the Twins remain on thin ice as the margin for error as narrowed thanks to Detroit.
Getting a win on Tuesday helps, though, and the way Minnesota did it adds a little bonus flavor. Jax redeeming himself and washing off the stink of a blown lead is important for his confidence, and the way the Twins offense woke up is huge.
If Minnesota can pull out another victory on Wednesday, it will go a long way in confirming not just that the season is turning around but that the team deserves the playoff spot its desperately clinging to.
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