The Twins have been in front of the AL Central, and after taking 2/3 from the Cleveland Guardians, in Cleveland and after they made a bold move to claim three players on waivers, have essentially ended the race, in their favor. They lost this afternoon, but with a resurgent offense and a weak slate of upcoming opponents, the door is wide open for the home town 9.
The consternation over the bullpen is important over the final stretch of the season. With the pacing of playoff series, starters can go longer, and back of the rotation starters, like Kenta Maeda, a very good starter in his own right, will also move to the bullpen. Bailey Ober may come back and pitch out of the 'pen. With starters like Pablo Lopez, Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan, the concern over the relief corps should be diminished in the post season.
Through the first half of the season, the bats were completely dormant. As the season progressed, three things have happened. First, players that were slumping are coming around. I'm looking at you, Max Kepler. 2nd half Carlos Correia, Ryan Jeffers and even Christian Vasquez have been appreciably better since the break.
Then, there has been the contribution of young players, all added in season. It started with Edouard Julien, followed by Matt Wallner and most recently, emphatically, Royce Lewis. Somehow, Lewis is getting better and better as he goes. Also, importantly, he's coming through in important spots, an important trait with the playoffs looming.
Of course, the steady performance of veterans like Donovan Solano and Michael A. Taylor have been valuable, the improvement at designated hitter has been remarkable. Byron Buxton just hasn't had it this season, and while some of his other teammates were given the chance to sort things out, the DH role was improved by replacement, as it has rotated through Julien, Jeffers and Jorge Polanco.
The Twins, despite only emerging lately, are built like a playoff team. Many fans worry that their team isn't built to reach the playoffs, but not whether or not they are built to succeed in the playoffs. This version of the Twins is built for the playoffs. They have a strong set of starting pitchers, fixable bullpen issues with anchors at the back end, and an offense littered with veteran, clutch performers.
If Minnesota wasn't in the clutches of an unbreakable curse, I'd feel really good about their postseason chances.
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