The Twins Can Make a Run in the Playoffs. Here's How.

You left out - if Max Kepler keeps up his current offensive output.  Add that to your string of “ifs” and  ——

The clear flaws ... 

Make contact or strikeout , I'm not buying it  ....

I've watched other teams collect consecutive hits and walks,  HBP , passed balls to score runs against our pitching  , we've seen how our offense was in 2019 - 20 playoffs  , swinging for the fences against elite pitching and we were eliminate ( skunked )  ...

The Twins don't just need homeruns , they just need to make contact and hit and hit to the opposite field to move runners  along and score ...

We got till October to work on it as I have seen some improvements from some of the batters  ....

But that's how WS winners work these days: good players play well, some unexpected guy pulls a Lemke and hits .400 (or a Soler and hits a bunch of HR) and the pen steps up huge.  The Twins have pieces that have under-performed this season, but no one would be shocked if vets like Correa, Buxton, Polanco played well in the bright lights.  It's mostly a health thing for many of the guys playing poorly to date. You can see how they could get healthy if Rocco can rest some guys as the rest of the division falls away.

EDIT: Just want to step back and point out that this is plausible without addressing the probability of it. There is a gap there, to say the least.

I worry more about the feast or famine, strike-out prone lineup than the bullpen. If the starting rotation can give us 6-7 innings every time they take the mound I think the BP will hold its own. But if the starters only go 4 or 5 innings, for whatever reason, we're all going to be saying "I told you we should've picked up another reliever before the deadline!"

This team to me has the feel of the 1987 team. I'm not sure why, but it does. Maybe bc both of them had/have given plenty of reasons why they would lose.

If one has ever watched the playoffs we all know it’s about momentum. Seattle last year is a prime example. When Yordan hit that HR they were done and one could say it helped propel the Astros to the WS.  Or when Harper hit the HR against San Diego. Lots of other plays happen but momentum is a huge factor. The Twins have the starters to stay in games and the star power for a big hit. It’s the bullpen that worries me. But, there’s always a chance once you’re in!

9 hours ago, TNtwins85 said:

If one has ever watched the playoffs we all know it’s about momentum. Seattle last year is a prime example. When Yordan hit that HR they were done and one could say it helped propel the Astros to the WS.  Or when Harper hit the HR against San Diego. Lots of other plays happen but momentum is a huge factor. The Twins have the starters to stay in games and the star power for a big hit. It’s the bullpen that worries me. But, there’s always a chance once you’re in!

Let's hope momentum isn't as important as you say, because the Twins have all the negative momentum in the world with their 18 straight playoff losses haha.

12 hours ago, WinTwins2023 said:

There is always a chance, Just ask Detroit about the last 2 games

If things break the right way they have a chance. Which also goes for every other playoff team, On top of that the other teams will be better. I understand the hype to instill hope in this Twins team but when they have under-performed for most of the season anyone in their right mind isn't going to expect them to right the ship as soon as they start playing against all of the best teams in the playoffs. Gray, Ryan, Lopez and Ober have looked very average the last few starts and while the offense has seemed to jump up a gear lately they are now having trouble beating teams like KC and Detroit. Keep drinking the kool-aid. My guess... it'll be another quick exit in the first round.

18 hours ago, Cris E said:

But that's how WS winners work these days: good players play well, some unexpected guy pulls a Lemke and hits .400 (or a Soler and hits a bunch of HR) and the pen steps up huge.  The Twins have pieces that have under-performed this season, but no one would be shocked if vets like Correa, Buxton, Polanco played well in the bright lights.  It's mostly a health thing for many of the guys playing poorly to date. You can see how they could get healthy if Rocco can rest some guys as the rest of the division falls away.

 

EDIT: Just want to step back and point out that this is plausible without addressing the probability of it. There is a gap there, to say the least.

Great to see that someone still remembers Mark Lemke!

Don’t sleep on twins in playoffs!!! They not only end losing streak but will win series and are sleeper to win it all!!! Let’s go Twins!! 

I'd add one more.....have one middle reliever get hot.  Seems like the teams that make a run always  have one bullpen arm that goes from 'fine' to 'clutch' during a deep run, getting those leveraged outs needed to get to the back of the bullpen (and/or keep the back of the bullpen from being overworked).  First name that comes to mind in that mold is Marc Scrabble Rzepcynski for the Cards a decade plus ago.  Ok reliever who suddenly seemed to come up huge in the CS and WS multiple times.....

Do the Twins have a chance?  Of course they do.  So do all the other playoff teams.  I'm sure the multitude of Twins what ifs, could be, and you never know is the same for the team waiting to play us in the first round.  If we had this record in any other division in baseball we would already be talking about next year.  Of course we win the division.  We are the only team in it with the talent.  No one else wants it.  We may as well take it.  Go Twins.

7 hours ago, Rik19753 said:

Let's hope momentum isn't as important as you say, because the Twins have all the negative momentum in the world with their 18 straight playoff losses haha.

That's nomentum.

The Twins, for the first time in years, have the pieces to win, hence everyone's optimism. The poor hitting approach, injuries (again) and lack of bullpen depth have caused them to flounder at 500 all year. One of the best group of utility players in the league (Solano, Castro & Farmer) are the only reason they aren't well below 500 right now. They need the starting 9 healthy and producing to make a run. Losing Brock Stewart has been a Hugh blow to the bullpen & Alcala, Moran and no one else have stepped up.

I have hope for the starting lineup to get healthy, but Buxton appears to be done as does Stewart. Without Buxton in CF and someone stepping up in the bullpen (Ryan maybe) I don't see a WS run.

I will not waver we have the core to win a post season game, then series & beyond. Our greatest hurdle is the hurdle as always, that is over using our best RPs & squeezing out every inning out our SPs which burns out our BP & rotation well before the post season arrive. I tend to disagree with you Nick on this one, that SO hitters do not do better against better pitchers in more critical clutch situations they tend to SO more frequently. And that stringing together hits is the more reliable avenue of winning the big game. That's not to say that a hitter can not make good contact & hit it out.