Cooper Carlson

The offseason can be complicated sometimes. Why not clear up a bit of confusion by looking at who the Twins AREN'T trying to acquire? It'll be a fun experiment.Every offseason we like to focus on the players who will be moving around either by trade or free agency, but why not switch it up? Let's look at the players on the Twins roster who have about a 95% chance to start the season where they're currently projected. This will also give us an update to where the team still has to improve! Let's see how many players on the 25 man roster the Twins could still be having conversations about and who is locked into their spot. Infield/catcher locks (3/5): Mitch Garver, CMiguel Sano, 1B??, 2B??, SSJosh Donaldson, 3BMiguel Sano could be argued as a trade candidate, but the Twins just extended him one offseason ago and he wouldn't have much trade value. Both Garver and Donaldson are about 99% locked into their spots, although Garver may be a backup very quickly. The positions not listed here, shortstop and second base, will hopefully be cleared soon. If the Twins acquire a player like Trevor Story or Andrelton Simmons, who will play second base? That is yet to be seen, but the rumors are flying high. Outfield locks (2/3): ??, LFByron Buxton, CFMax Kepler, RFBoth Buxton and Kepler are looking to bounce back a bit in 2021, and both will definitely have their chance to do that. The left field position that was formerly held by Eddie Rosario is now wide open. Will Alex Kirilloff steal it? Will the Twins bring in a free agent for just one season? That is a question we have no idea about still. Rotation locks (3/5): Kenta MaedaJose BerriosMichael Pineda????It wouldn't be an offseason if the Twins weren't looking for starting pitching help. They seem to want to bring in a big name, or someone comparable to Berrios and Maeda to fill one of those spots. Perhaps a trade for Sonny Gray or Joe Musgrove could be in the Twins future. The other spot will likely be filled internally or on a player like Chris Archer who can be had for very cheap. Bullpen locks (6/8): Taylor RogersTyler DuffeyJorge AlcalaHansel RoblesCaleb ThielbarCody Stashak????This is what I think a fair list of bullpen locks would be. The remaining two spots can either be filled internally with guys like Derek Law or Glenn Sparkman or via free agency. I would expect one free agent and then one spot filled with internal options. Bench locks (2/4): Ryan Jeffers, CJake Cave, OF????These four bench spots ultimately round out the 25 man roster. I think Cave will stick around and once again be the fourth outfielder. Jeffers showed enough last season to become the other half of a catching duo with Mitch Garver. The other couple spots could be filled with a large variety of players internally and externally. According to my finished list, the Twins have 16 of their 25 roster spots basically ready to go. The other 9 will be confirmed or adjusted by the time Spring Training comes to a close. Will the Twins make a big trade or two? What about getting that big name free agent? Only time will tell. A chunk of this will also depend on the Nelson Cruz decision. SEE ALSO Top 20 Minnesota Twins Assets of 2021: Part 4 (1-5)What Does the Francisco Lindor Trade Mean for the Twins?AL Central Offseason Update: Twins Wait While Others ActiveThe 5 Biggest Trades Minnesota Could Make This OffseasonWolfson: Despite Lack of Action, Nelson Cruz Wants to Remain a Twin Click here to view the article

The Twins recently signed right handed reliever Hansel Robles, who will slide into the opening day bullpen. I think it makes sense for him to take on the closer role to start the season.The role of the closing pitcher in MLB bullpens has evolved a bit in recent years, especially with the Twins. It used to be that your best reliever was always your closer, like with Mariano Rivera or Joe Nathan. Now, as we saw with the Twins last season, the closer role could simply be whoever is available. Hansel Robles is not at all the Twins best reliever. That, to me, is a large part of why he would be the best option to be the Twins closer. Let Taylor Rogers and Tyler Duffey pitch the seventh and eighth innings while allowing the Twins to extend their lead. Then, when the Twins hopefully have a multi-run lead, let Robles finish it off. Robles has a bit of experience as the closer from his 2019 season with the Angels. In the 71 games he pitched in, he got the save 23 times. He wasn't the full time closer, but he certainly had his opportunities. When pitching in the ninth inning in 2019, Robles had a 2.52 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9. He has experience and the statistics to back up the decision to have him close. I would expect Robles to have a similar role with the Twins that he had with the Angels in 2019. Not the full time closer, because I don't think the Twins want a full time closer, but the guy who will get a majority of the save opportunities. We'll see how it plays out, and if the Twins bring in a big reliever to change everyone's role. SEE ALSO Twins Sign RHP Hansel Robles | Seth StohsTwins Offseason Status Update: Slow Going | Nick NelsonPotential Twins Free Agent Targets: 8 Flying Under the Radar | Tom FroemmingBrad Hand Would Love to Play for the Twins | Cooper Carlson Click here to view the article

Star relief pitcher Brad Hand was recently let go by the Cleveland Indians. In a recent interview with Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, Hand revealed he would love to play for Minnesota."You know, I've thought about it before but you know, at this point I don't know, know where I'm going to end up but you know would love to play for the Twins for sure." That is what Brad Hand said when asked about the possibility of coming to Minnesota via free agency. Hand said this in an interview with Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. Brad Hand grew up in Minnesota and talked about how much he liked it and how his family still lives here. Hand likes the fit and so should Twins fans. Since 2016, Hand has had an ERA above 3.00 just one time and has a total of 105 saves during that time. He has been an elite reliever for the Padres and Indians, and one the Twins have seen a ton of in Cleveland. We all know the Twins love their sliders, and Hand has a great one. He threw it 50% of the time last season and had a 38.6 whiff% on it. For a team in need of a couple relievers and with money to spend, Brad Hand would be an excellent fit. Should the Twins pick up the phone and get Brad Hand to Minnesota? Comment what you think below! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

This article will look at three starters who at one point were very good but have now fallen off a bit. If you know anything about the Twins, you probably know they like players like this.1. Chris Archer: Missed all of 2020 due to injury This one probably won't be too popular, but maybe there is something there. It also will cost next to nothing to bring Archer on for a cheap one-year deal and see if there's anything there. He was a good pitcher for years in the Rays organization until he was traded to Pittsburgh. Why does that make a ton of sense? Unfortunately, Archer missed all of 2020 to to surgery to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome. A lot of the time when a pitcher undergoes this surgery it doesn't go well for him afterward, most notably Matt Harvey. In 2018, Jay Jaffe found that "the average total of post-surgery innings for the group is just 218, compared to an average of 657 innings prior." Is it worth it to take a flyer on Archer? Probably not. 2. Corey Kluber: Pitched one inning in 2020 Kluber, like Archer, is another pitcher who missed all of the weird 2020 season and will now be looking for a bounce back one year deal it seems. I like this option better than Archer but not by much. Kluber pitched one inning in 2020 and just started seven games in 2019. Injuries have been a huge issue and he is nearly 35 years old. Despite that, Kluber is a former Cy Young winner so perhaps there is still something there. If you don't desperately need someone to fill in the rotation but it would be nice, Kluber would be a good pickup. I expect the Twins to be involved. 3. James Paxton: Started 5 games in 2020, but yikes! Paxton fell apart like almost no one else in 2020, seeing his ERA drop from 3.82 to 6.64 in one year. He also dealt with injuries that led to him making just five starts so it's a small sample for sure. The FIP for Paxton was 4.37 so a lot of his season was bad luck. Paxton is a left handed 32 year old starter who has spent his career in Seattle and New York with the Yankees. He will be 32 years old when the season starts so he is the one player out of the three on this list that will have the most competition in my opinion. He is a solid starting pitcher that makes the Twins rotation better. Click here to view the article

Well… the season is abruptly over once again. We all know this feeling. Now let’s take a look back at the moves that were made last offseason. Which ones were the most impactful and which ones fell flat?Just to recap, here are the notable offseason acquisitions that played this year. Alex AvilaJosh DonaldsonKenta MaedaRich HillHomer BaileyTyler ClippardMatt WislerCaleb Thielbar8. Homer Bailey: Two games started, 8.0 innings all season. I’ll be quick here. The Twins signed Bailey on a super cheap one year deal and it didn’t work. Oh well, they didn’t particularly need him. Good luck wherever you end up next, Homer. 7. Alex Avila: 23 G, 62 PA, .184/.355/.286 (.641), 1 HR, 2 RBIs Avila was acquired to be a backup catcher and that’s pretty much what he was. He did spend a good chunk of the season on the injured list, like everyone else, but it gave Ryan Jeffers a chance to prove himself. Avila was fine and likely won’t be back next season. 6. Caleb Thielbar: 20.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 2.34 FIP, 9.90 K/9, 4.05 BB/9 Thielbar came out of nowhere and did much more than was expected of him. After being out of the major leagues for the last four years, the Twins took a chance and it paid off. He would be ranked higher if he had a bigger role, but most of his innings were just garbage time. Still a very productive season. 5. Rich Hill: 8 GS, 3.03 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 7.22 K/9, 3.96 BB/9 Hill was fine, but age absolutely caught up to him in 2020. That isn’t at all a surprise, because he is 40 years old with career injuries, but he certainly fell off a bit this season. This was his first season with a K/9 under 10.00 since 2010 and it was well below that. If he doesn’t retire he is someone I would consider for a bullpen role, but nothing more. 4. Josh Donaldson: 28 G, 102 PA, .222/.373/.469 (.842), 6 HR, 11 RBIs Donaldson was certainly productive, but he played less than half the games in a 60 game season and then missed both playoff games. He was signed to be the guy in this lineup but instead he just wasn’t there enough. It’s certainly not his fault that his calf keeps him out, but it certainly isn’t helping. Hopefully he can rest up and be completely ready for another run next season. 3. Tyler Clippard: 26.0 IP, 2.77 ERA, 2.65 FIP, 9.00 K/9, 1.38 BB/9 This front office has been great at finding relievers available for cheap and it working out perfectly. Clippard was already solid before coming to Minnesota but this was one of the best seasons of his career. I expect the Twins will bring him back next year and maybe even let him pitch in the playoffs next time! 2. Matt Wisler: 25.1 IP, 1.07 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 12.43 K/9, 4.97 BB/9 If I would have made this list before the season I would never have even considered Wisler for a top five spot. Instead he comes in at number two after arguably being the Twins best reliever with Tyler Duffey. The front office saw something in this guy and they brought him in. It went as well as they could have hoped. 1. Kenta Maeda: 11 GS, 2.70 ERA, 3.00 FIP, 10.80 K/9, 1.35 BB/9 This was a pretty obvious choice for number one. If it weren’t for Shane Bieber in Cleveland, Maeda would have a legit shot to win the AL Cy Young Award. He was acquired before the season for Brusdar Graterol and he has made that trade look completely worth it. Without him leading the rotation, this season could have gone much differently. He is under contract for a few years here so it is safe to say the Twins likely won this trade. That concludes these rankings. Would you change them in any way? Did I rank Donaldson too high or too low? Leave a comment below! Click here to view the article

The end of the regular season is finally already here and the Twins have a ton to play for. The unlikely comeback to win the division can be capped off today and the Twins would be able to hang a new banner. Or they will fall to second place and likely play the Yankees.TODAY Reds @ Twins: 2:10 CT Twins Starter: Rich Hill, RHP 3.27 ERA Rich Hill will potentially make his final start in a Twins uniform today. He has been pretty much exactly what the Twins were hoping, and they will be asking for one more solid start to close out the season. In seven starts this year, Hill has pitched 33.0 innings with a 3.27 ERA and 27 strikeouts. The 40 year old has certainly seen age catch up to him but the Twins need just one more good start. His last outing was the best one of his season as he went seven outstanding innings and gave up just one run. It was his first time this season going past five innings and he didn’t seem to struggle. He still took the loss, but that doesn’t matter. Hill has made three inter-league starts this season against the Cardinals, Cubs, and Brewers. Reds Starter: Sonny Gray, RHP 3.73 ERA If you haven’t seen Gray pitch for the Reds yet, you’re in for a treat. This isn’t the same guy from Oakland or the one who couldn't pitch for the Yankees. Since going to Cincinnati, Gray has become one of the best starters in the game. His K/9 is over 12.0 and his FIP is sitting at 2.95 this season. He will allow his fair share of walks, so expect the Twins to be patient. Gray has made two inter-league starts this season, but they were two of his first three outings this year. He has not faced an American League team since, but with the universal DH there is no longer a big difference. Still, traveling into a completely new area to play a game can be challenging so hopefully the Twins can score early and often. Twins Lineup News & Notes: -The final game of the season is also the most important one so that’s fun. If the Twins win, they win the division. If the White Sox lose, the Twins win. If both win or lose, the Twins win. The only way to lose the division is if the Twins lose and Sox win. -The Twins could still play five different opponents in the postseason depending on how today’s game shakes out. It’s extremely complicated but the Yankees, Astros, Blue Jays, Indians, and White Sox are all possible. Here's a handy flow chart from MLB.com's Do-Hyoung Park: -With the win last night, Minnesota clinched home field advantage for the first round. This means all of the necessary wild card games will be played at Target Field before everyone moves into a bubble. AROUND THE AL CENTRAL 1. MIN 36-23 (-) 2. CWS 35-24 (1.0 GB) 3. CLE 34-25 (2.0 GB 4. KCR 25-34 (11.0 GB) 5. KCR 23-34 (12.0 GB) Tigers 4, Royals 3 Pirates 8, Indians 0 White Sox 9, Cubs 5 See Also: Forecasting Sano in October Records the Twins Can Set This Weekend If These Three Excel, the Twins Will Go Far This October MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The Twins have four games remaining this season and there are still a few questions we need answered. Who will start game one of the playoffs? Who can be trusted in the bullpen? Who will be the main catcher? Let’s try to find an answer.1. Who is the game one playoff starter? The Twins will (likely) be facing off against the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs. Who do you want facing off against their lineup and against Gerrit Cole in game one? It will undoubtedly be either Kenta Maeda or Jose Berrios, but who gets the nod? It appears right now like Jose Berrios is lined up with how the rotation currently shakes out so perhaps that is the way it will go. I like Berrios in game one because I would rather have him go against Cole and then have Maeda in game two with a clear advantage. I think the Twins will go with Berrios in game one and then Kenta Maeda. 2. Who do you trust in the late innings of a playoff game? What if I told you the two pitchers with the worst ERA in the Twins bullpen are Taylor Rogers (4.34) and Trevor May (4.22)? That is not ideal. The two with the best ERA are somehow Matt Wisler (1.62) and Caleb Thielbar (169). Baseball is weird and it’s even weirder with 60 games. When the playoffs roll around and you have a one run lead in the 8th inning do you give the ball to Taylor Rogers or Caleb Thielbar? The answer is obvious, you give it to your best guys and ignore the regular season statistics. Basically when the playoffs arrive you give the ball to your best players and ignore regular season stats. 3. Who will be the starting catcher throughout the playoffs? “But Cooper, how can you say throughout the playoffs if they will only play two games?” Hey, shut it Mr. Negative! The Twins have to decide between Ryan Jeffers, Mitch Garver, and Alex Avila to be the main catcher throughout the playoffs. They all have strengths and could all get playing time, but who is going to be “the guy” behind the plate? Mitch Garver is going to end up being the guy. His offense has slowly picked up and his defense is certainly there. You can’t ignore what happened in 2019 and by the end of the season I think Garver will have gained the trust back. I like Jeffers a ton for the future but this is still Garver’s catching position. 4. Can the Twins steal the division? With four games remaining, the Twins have a 30% chance to win the division but just a few days ago it was less than 15% so things are going well. If Cleveland and the Cubs can shut down the White Sox then the Twins will sneak in to win the division and avoid playing the Yankees. Can you imagine that? Playoffs without playing the Yankees! It would be so great to hang a division banner for 2020 and play a team like Cleveland or Toronto in the playoffs. I get the whole idea of proving the Twins can beat the Yankees but I mean why not just go beat Toronto or something. That would be much more fun. The Twins need this division. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The Twins and Cubs will face off for Sunday Night Baseball and both teams are bringing out their ace. The game will have a playoff feel as Darvish and Berrios battle for the win. Who will come out on top?Saturday Night’s Game Recap: Big Inning Sparks Twins Win TODAY Twins @ Cubs: 6:08 CT Twins Starter: Jose Berrios, RHP 4.15 ERA Jose Berrios will get a taste of the spotlight before the playoffs even begin. He will be the starter for the Twins first game on Sunday Night Baseball since 2010. There is no one the Twins would rather have represent them than their homegrown starter Berrios. This could potentially have the feel of a playoff game so it’ll be interesting to watch Berrios. Berrios didn’t look great in his last outing but he still managed to go five innings and give up just one run. He only struck out two batters so hopefully today he is back on his game. He certainly hasn’t faced any easy opponents this month, facing the White Sox twice as well as the Cardinals. Today he faces another division leader. Cubs Starter: Yu Darvish, RHP 1.86 ERA Darvish will face the Twins for the first time since becoming a Cub in 2018. Before he signed a 6 year, $126 million with Chicago he nearly signed with Minnesota which would be the largest contract with the Twins. He is now in the midst of his best season of his career and could come home with the NL Cy Young Award in 2020. He also throws at least six pitches including the slowest curve you will see this season. In ten starts this season, Darvish has allowed three or more runs just two times. He has not faced an offense as good as the Twins offense should be in about a month so maybe they can get the jump on Darvish. This game has the making of a game one playoff feeling with Berrios and Darvish going at it. Twins Lineup News & Notes: -The Twins clinched the playoffs for the second season in a row last night. It is extremely likely they will travel to Yankee Stadium for the playoffs. Bring it on. -Tonight’s game will be the Twins first time on Sunday Night Baseball since 2010. They replaced the Red Sox and Yankees. Weird. -With six games remaining this season, the Twins are 3.0 games behind Chicago for the AL Central title. It is looking like the Twins will be a second place team in the playoffs which really doesn’t matter. AROUND THE AL CENTRAL 1. CWS 34-18 (-) 2. MIN 32-22 (3.0 GB) 3. CLE 28-24 (6.0 GB 4. DET 22-29 (11.5 GB) 5. KCR 21-31 (13.0 GB) Tigers 5, Indians 2 White Sox 5, Reds 0 Brewers 5, Royals 0 See Also: Beneath the Dugout: Twins Ball Boy Tark Ericksen Jose Berrios and the Human Element in Baseball Max Disappointment MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

After a very frustrating night on offense, the Twins will send out Randy Dobnak to face Dane Dunning to try and get a game two win. It's a big game for both sides, who will come out on top?Monday's Game One Recap: Twins Leave 15 Runners On Base TODAY Indians @ Twins, 7:10 pm CDT Twins Starter: Randy Dobnak, HP 3.61 ERA Dobnak has hit some expected regression over his last three starts. He has allowed at least five earned runs in two of them and he is still struggling to strike guys out. The regression was shown in the numbers all season so this was pretty expected, but the Twins will need him now more than ever against the surging White Sox Dobnak has faced the Sox one time this year, going all the way back to the first series between the two teams. Dobnak went four shutout innings and the Twins could use five or six like that tonight. The White Sox have perhaps the best offense in baseball so this will be a good test for Dobnak. White Sox Starter: Dane Dunning, RHP 2.70 ERA Dunning is a rookie this season and he is the 5th ranked prospect for the White Sox. He has gotten off to an excellent start through four games, striking out 21 hitters in 20 innings. Along with strikeouts, he has also done an excellent job of limiting hard contact. He is in the top 5% for opponent exit velocity. While Dunning has been very good, his opponents have not been tough. He has faced the Tigers, Pirates and the Royals twice. Not exactly the toughest opponents so hopefully the Twins can come out swinging and put some runs on the board. If it’s anything like last night, well it’ll be frustrating. Twins Lineup 1. Max Kepler RF 2. Josh Donaldson 3B 3. Jorge Polanco SS 4. Nelson Cruz, DH 5. Eddie Rosario, LF 6. Miguel Sano, 1B 7. Travis Blankenhorn 2B 8. Byron Buxton CF 9. Ryan Jeffers, C News & Notes: -The plan for the 2020 playoff bubble was finalized today. There will be neutral site bubbles for each of the playoff series. -Travis Blankenhorn had his contract purchased and will be with the Minnesota Twins today. The young infielder will get a chance to prove himself. -The Twins offense was awful last night, leaving fifteen runners on base with 10 walks, four extra base hits, and an OBP over .400. The average runs scored with that criteria is 9.33 runs. The Twins got one. AROUND THE AL CENTRAL 1. CWS 31-16 (-) 2. MIN 30-19 (2.0 GB) 3. CLE 26-21 (5.0 GB 4. DET 20-26 (10.5 GB) 5. KCR 20-28 (11.5 GB) See Also: Can the Twins Trust Taylor Rogers? 7 Games to Decide the Division Have we Already Seen the Best of Max Kepler? 3 Questions Before the Playoffs? MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The Twins came away with a victory over Shane Bieber in game one but it doesn't get any easier today. Rich Hill will take on Zach Plesac in a game both teams need to win to hang with the Chicago White Sox.Friday's Game One Recap: Buxton, Jeffers Sting Bieber, Maeda sails through 7 TODAY Indians @ Twins, 7:07 pm CDT Twins Starter: Rich Hill, LHP 3.86 ERA The 40 year old lefty will hope to build off last week's performance against Detroit where he went five innings, giving up just two runs. That is exactly what the Twins hope to get out of Hill every time he takes the mound. His days of going six or seven great innings are likely over, but if the Twins can get five solid from him every time out then they will take it. It is unlikely we will see Hill as a starter come playoff time, but rather a solid arm out of the bullpen. It will be interesting to see if Hill remains in the rotation once Odorizzi returns. Hill has faced Cleveland once this season and he went five innings allowing just one run. Let’s hope we see that pitcher today. Indians Starter: Zach Plesac, RHP 1.32 ERA Plesac is the guy who violated MLB COVID-19 rules and was sent to the minor leagues for a month. He was called back up at the start of September and has faced the mighty Royals twice since then. He pitched a total of 13.0 innings, allowing just two runs. He only struck out 10 while allowing 11 hits so maybe the Twins can capitalize a bit more than the Royals did. Plesac would be right in the mix for Cy Young with Bieber if he hadn’t violated the rules. The Twins have actually not faced Plesac yet this season so it will be interesting to see how they approach each other. He also never faced the Twins in 2019 so the Twins will be facing a new pitcher in Cleveland. TWINS LINEUP: NEWS & NOTES: -- Sergio Romo and Francisco Lindor got into a heated exchange last night. Romo got Lindor to fly out and Lindor smiled at him as if to say he just missed that pitch. Romo didn’t like it and the benches cleared. Things calmed down quickly. -- Ryan Jeffers has looked great both offensively and defensively. His framing has been noticeable and yesterday he hit a home run off Shane Bieber with an exit velocity of 113 MPH. His wRC+ sits at 127 now. -- With 14 games left in the season, the Twins magic number for a postseason spot is at nine so keep your eyes on that. AROUND THE AL CENTRAL Royals 4, Pirates 3 White Sox 4, Tigers 3 1. CWS 28-16 (-) 2. MIN 28-18 (1.0 GB) 3. CLE 26-19 (2.5 GB 4. DET 20-24 (8.0 GB) 5. KCR 18-28 (11.0 GB) See Also: Today’s Game could influence the MVP vote 7 Games to Decide the Division Sergio Romo Lets Francisco Lindor Get the Best of Him Replacing Luis Arraez at Second Base MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Here we go! The Twins start a very important series against Cleveland that will go a long way towards deciding who wins the division.Tuesday’s Doubleheader Recap: Doubleheader Recap: Twins Split With Cardinals TODAY Indians @ Twins, 7:10 pm CDT Twins Starter: Kenta Maeda, RHP 2.77 ERA The Twins ace takes the mound for game one of the most important series so far for both teams. Both teams are just a game out of first behind the White Sox and the Twins have the guy they want on the mound. Maeda has been a Cy Young contender and hopefully his elite season will continue today. Maeda has faced Cleveland twice this season and has combined for eleven total innings. In those innings he has allowed only one run and six hits while striking out thirteen batters. He has been just as good against Cleveland as any other team. Cleveland hitters have just a .452 OPS against Maeda this season. Indians Starter: Shane Bieber, RHP 1.25 ERA I just typed a lot of words on how good Maeda has been, but even he can’t compete with how excellent Bieber has been this season. Cleveland just keeps producing Cy Young candidates and I am not a fan of it. Bieber is leading all of MLB in ERA (1.25), FIP (1.60), K/9 (14.7), and total strikeouts (94). He has been unstoppable every time out and to beat him you just have to hope he doesn’t go nine innings. The Twins have faced him twice this season and scored just two runs in 14.0 innings. He also has 23 strikeouts in those innings. Minnesota will have to find a way to get Bieber out before the sixth or seventh innings. Be patient, raise his pitch count. Easier said than done. Twins Lineup: 1. Jorge Polanco SS 2. Josh Donaldson 3B 3. Eddie Rosario LF 4. Nelson Cruz DH 5. Miguel Sano 1B 6. Jake Cave RF 7. Byron Buxton CF 8. Marwin Gonzalez 2B 9. Ryan Jeffers C News & Notes: -Before coming to Minnesota, Cleveland played four games against Kansas City. They lost three of four and the offense was pretty much nonexistent. If that is the team coming to Minnesota then the Twins are in for some fun. -The Twins have had two straight days off to get rested and get ready for this huge series. Hopefully they play like they are well rested.. -Seven of the eight teams in the AL playoff spots are basically guaranteed to make it. Keep an eye of the Yankees/Orioles series to determine who will have a shot to make it. AROUND THE AL CENTRAL -Tigers 2, Cardinals 12 (game 1) -Tigers 6, Cardinals 3 (game 2) -Royals 11, Indians 1 1. CWS 27-16 (-) 2. MIN 27-18 (1.0 GB) 3. CLE 26-18 (1.5 GB 4. DET 20-23 (7.0 GB) 5. KCR 17-28 (11.0 GB) See Also: Today’s Game could influence the MVP vote 7 Games to Decide the Division Eddie Rosario Has Changed, but is it for the Better? MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

As we all know, the Twins have fallen out of first place this season and are struggling to get back up there. This isn’t only happening to the Twins, as two other American League powerhouse teams have fallen off a bit.2020 has been a wild year and it has been no different in baseball. For example, the Orioles and the Marlins seem likely to sneak into the playoffs at this point. Who saw that coming? We have seen the Twins, a team thought to be the favorite for first place, fall to third in their division. We have also seen two other elite teams, the Yankees and Astros, fall much further than the Twins. What happened? New York Yankees: 21-21, third in ALE, lost 5 in a row The Yankees missing the playoffs could be the best thing to ever happen to the Minnesota Twins franchise. After losing 5 in a row and not looking very competitive lately they find themselves with a .500 record and just a 0.5 game lead over Baltimore for the final playoff spot. Their offense has the 17th highest WAR and 14th highest OPS. The pitching has the 20th highest WAR and the 13th worst ERA. Just like last season, this is largely due to an insane amount of injuries. Out of the 42 games played, Judge has missed 24, Stanton has missed 28, Torres has missed 12, LeMahieu has been hurt, and it just doesn’t get better. On the pitching side they have been without Luis Severino, Cole has a FIP of 4.64 and Paxton has an ERA of 6.64 so things aren’t going great there either. The Twins have certainly had their share of injuries, but what the Yankees are going through is unbelievable. Judge and Stanton are always hurt and the rest of the team just hasn’t performed and yet I do not feel bad at all. I really hope they miss the playoffs to the Baltimore Orioles. Houston Astros: 22-21, 2nd in ALW, lost 7 of their last 10 I think everyone in America is happy to see the Astros struggle this season. After coming off an offseason where the organization was exposed for cheating and very little punishment was given out, no one is an Astros fan outside of Houston. Like the Yankees, Houston has had a couple of their star players hit the IL with Alex Bregman on the 10 day and Yordan Alvarez out for the season. Besides that, the offense hasn’t performed well with only three players having an OPS over .800 and Altuve not doing well at all. He has fallen to a .606 OPS and a 69 wRC+ this season. George Springer and Carlos Correa haven’t been as bad, but they are definitely below expectations. They lost both Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander so their starting pitching was doomed from the start. We like to look at the Twins “fall” out of first place but they’re still a very good team behind two teams who are red hot. At least we aren’t watching the Yankees or Astros 2020 implosions because that seems painful. As we always say, thank goodness we’re Twins fans and not Yankees fans! It’s so much easier. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article