At Progressive Field, the Minnesota Twins faced a crushing defeat, squandering a three-run lead to ultimately fall 4-3 to the Cleveland Guardians. The pivotal moment came when Griffin Jax surrendered a game-winning two-run homer to Kyle Manzardo in the bottom of the eighth inning.
This defeat marks the Twins' 18th loss in their last 27 games, a stretch that has seen their hold on the third AL wild-card spot dwindle to a tenuous 1 1/2 game lead. FanGraphs initially pegged the Twins' postseason odds at 95.4% on September 5, but recent performances have caused those odds to plummet to 76.4%.
Offensive Woes
The Twins' offensive struggles have been evident, failing to score more than three runs in 12 of their last 27 games. Over this period, the team is batting .236 with a .296 on-base percentage and a .381 slugging percentage. Notably, when the bases are empty, the Twins are hitting just .272, ranking them as the fourth worst in the league in this scenario.
Max Kepler's expected return could provide a much-needed boost to the lineup, but as manager Rocco Baldelli emphasized, the team needs to find consistency. "If we're able to do what we need to do on the offensive end, we win, but we did not. We have to do better and we have to put nine innings together," he stated. Baldelli's sentiment was echoed in another remark: "We have to find ourselves as a team. We've been looking over the last month as far as who we are and how we're going to do this."
Bullpen and Rotation Concerns
The bullpen has struggled significantly in recent games. Though they maintained a 3.84 ERA and ranked tenth in the league in win probability added (plus-3.41) in their first 123 games, the recent 27-game stretch has seen the bullpen's ERA balloon to 5.47, with a league-worst minus-2.75 win probability added.
Griffin Jax encapsulated the bullpen's struggles, saying, "It's pretty heartbreaking. We're kind of running on fumes as a staff."
The starting rotation has also faltered. In the last 27 games, they’ve posted a 6.07 ERA and averaged just 4.38 innings per start, leaving the bullpen overtaxed. The Twins have had the lead in the seventh inning or later in five of their last 18 losses and were tied in the seventh inning or later on two other occasions, illustrating the painful late-game collapses they've endured.
Recent Additions and Player Performance
In a bid to stabilize their pitching, the Twins recently claimed lefty Cole Irvin off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. Irvin, who had a 4.86 ERA in 16 starts and nine relief appearances, is hoped to bolster the team’s depth. Derek Falvey commented on this acquisition, noting, “We were thinking, how do we lengthen out what we already have? He could be your prototypical swingman who can pitch out of the bullpen. We don't have a left-handed starter in the mix right now either. He just adds another guy that we think can help."
Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa have shown some promise this month, combining for 5 hits in 15 at-bats, including two doubles and a homer. However, these individual highlights haven't been enough to reverse the team's overall fortunes.
Upcoming Challenges
The Twins are racing against time to turn their season around, especially with the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners just two games behind in the standings. Both teams present formidable competition, and the Twins' recent fatigue might become a factor, given they have played 17 games in the last 18 days.
Still, the Twins retain crucial tiebreakers over both the Tigers and Mariners, a potentially decisive factor as the regular season winds down. The Tigers have been on a tear, going 23-10 in their last 33 games, adding more pressure on the Twins to perform.
Pablo López perhaps summed up the sense of urgency best: “Our margin of error keeps shrinking and shrinking. Now it's to the point where you've got to take it one day at a time, one pitch at a time, one at-bat at a time. Today will be a tough pill to swallow.”
With their postseason hopes hanging in the balance, the Twins must dig deep to find consistency and resilience, ensuring they can take each game as it comes and strive for the full nine innings of performance that Baldelli repeatedly underscores as critical.