The Minnesota Twins faced a disheartening setback at Progressive Field, where the Cleveland Guardians rallied to secure a 4-3 victory. A game-winning two-run homer by Kyle Manzardo off Griffin Jax in the bottom of the eighth inning sealed the Twins' fate, continuing a worrisome trend for the team.
Struggles Continue
This latest defeat marks the Twins' 18th loss in their last 27 games, a stretch that has seen their postseason hopes diminish. Once comfortably positioned with a 95.4% chance of making the playoffs as of September 5, according to FanGraphs, their odds have now dwindled to 76.4%. The Twins cling to the third AL wild-card spot, their lead reduced to a mere 1 1/2 games.
Manager Rocco Baldelli highlighted the urgency of the situation, stating, "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."
Offensive Woes
The Twins' offensive struggles have been pronounced, with the team failing to score more than three runs in 12 of their last 27 games. During this stretch, they have managed a .236 batting average, a .296 on-base percentage, and a .381 slugging percentage. When the bases are empty, they are hitting .272, ranking them the fourth worst in the league in this scenario.
Baldelli emphasized the need for consistency, saying, "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."
Despite the return of Max Kepler and contributions from players like Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa—who are a combined 5 for 15 with two doubles and a homer this month—the Twins have struggled to find their rhythm. "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," Baldelli added.
Pitching Challenges
The pitching staff has also been under immense pressure. The bullpen, which maintained a respectable 3.84 ERA and was ranked tenth in the league in win probability added (plus-3.41) over the first 123 games, has faltered significantly in the past 27 games. The bullpen's ERA has ballooned to 5.47, and their win probability added has plummeted to a league-worst minus-2.75.
Griffin Jax expressed the toll this has taken, noting, "It's pretty heartbreaking. We're kind of running on fumes as a staff."
To bolster their pitching resources, the Twins recently claimed lefty Cole Irvin off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. Irvin, who has a 4.86 ERA in 16 starts and nine relief appearances, is expected to provide some much-needed depth. Derek Falvey, the Twins' Chief Baseball Officer, commented on the acquisition, saying, "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."
Looking Ahead
The Twins have endured a grueling schedule, playing 17 games in the last 18 days. During this period, the rest of the rotation has posted a 6.07 ERA and averaged just 4.38 innings per start. The team's inability to hold leads has been particularly costly; they held 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.
With the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners both just two games behind, the Twins' hold on their postseason spot is precarious. However, they do have crucial tiebreakers over both teams. The Tigers, in particular, have been surging, going 23-10 in their last 33 games.
As the Twins navigate this challenging stretch, the focus remains on putting together complete performances. "We have to put nine innings together," Baldelli reiterated, summing up the task ahead for his struggling squad.