The Minnesota Twins are heading to the end of a difficult season, and they have red-hot Cleveland in town for the last home series of 2025.
The Guardians and in a hot chase of Detroit at the top of the AL Central and winners of 12 of their last 13 games, and seven straight. Left for dead at one point, the Guardians now sit just 3 1/2 games behind Detroit (85-68) for first place in the division. They are just 1 1/2 games behind Boston (83-70) for the final AL Wild Card spot.
It's a spot the Twins hoped to find themselves in when the season began, but it wasn't to be. A cold stretch heading into the All-Star break pushed the team out of the playoff picture, and pushed ownership to slash payroll.
The Twins bullpen was gutted, with the likes of Jhoan Duran, Louis Varland, and Griffin Jax no longer there to anchor the late innings. It has shown, too. The Twins have lost numerous late leads in games, and struggled to the finish line.
The Twins bullpen ERA of 4.68 ranks in the bottom five across MLB. Their 27 saves ranks second to last - only the White Sox are worse. The pen has given up 600 hits, also second to last in MLB - Colorado's 652 are worse). And if you're being compared to the White Sox and Rockies, you're in the wrong place. They have played some of the worst baseball, historically, the last two seasons.
Despite the struggles of the pen, the team has seen some bright spots along the way. Young players like Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee have shown they are ready to take the next step.
Twins Assistant General Manager Jeremy Zoll, speaking to WCCO's Jason DeRusha this week, says Austin Martin is another young player who has pleasantly surprised them.
"He's been awesome these last few weeks, really settling in in left field, big strides compared to last year with his outfield defense, and he's always controlled the strike zone extremely well," Zoll explained. "Works really long at-bats, but starting to see all of that zone control turning into to hits and doubles and it's just been a really nice stretch for Austin. So, start with him for sure."
It's been a resurgence and most importantly healthy season for Byron Buxton, who is having perhaps his career-best year. He joined Kirby Puckett as the only players in Twins history to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in a season, and has an outside shot at the team's first 30-30 season. He would need to swipe six more bases over the team's final 10 games to do it.
Royce Lewis, after a rookie season where he showed flashes of superstardom, has also made it through the season healthy. While he struggled considerably at the plate, he's shown some power and come around enough at the end of this year to wonder if he's ready to finally breakout with a big season in '26.
Starting pitching has also flashed some promise. The Twins veteran ace Pablo Lopez, hurt most of 2025, is back and healthy. Joe Ryan was an All-Star and even if he slowed down a bit in the second half, is a clear number one or two starter for the team.
Simeon Woods Richardson has also shown some upside, and the Twins have seem glimpses from Taj Bradley, who was acquired in the trade that sent Jax to Tampa. Zoll thinks the upside for Bradley is huge.
"Even though some of the outings haven't gone perfectly the way he's hoping, to see him holding 97, even a 98 late in the game against Anaheim last week, you see how nasty the breaking balls can be," Zoll explained. "There's a lot of really encouraging elements there and the splitter is making some progress."
Those starters are THE big questions the team needs to answer ahead of 2026, says WCCO's Henry Lake.
"Can Woods Richardson harness it? Can (Zebby) Matthews harness it? Can Bradley harness it? Because if those guys are able to fine-tune what they have right now, this team might have some deep pitchers going into next year," says Lake. "But they have to tweak, they have to continue to improve, they have to, as an organization, develop. Because that is the evolution and the growth."
At the end of the day, it's wins and losses thought. And the Twins are again limping to the finish line. They are 4-12 in September after losing two of three to the Yankees this week. Soon enough, their attention will turn to 2026 and what happens with the club this offseason.
"Obviously a lot has been made about where the Pohlad family's at in the sale process and that's all still, you know, in the stages of getting finalized and well above my pay grade," Zoll told DeRusha. "Our plan as of now is to get through the end of the season and then use the following weeks to make sure we're in lockstep with ownership and all of the respective parties. To set that that plan and direction and when we have that clarity, then we'll go from there."
Cleveland Guardians (81-71, second in the AL Central) vs. Minnesota Twins (66-86, fourth in the AL Central)
Minneapolis; Friday, 7:10 p.m. Pregame at 6:30 p.m. on 830 WCCO and the Audacy app
PITCHING PROBABLES: Guardians: Parker Messick (3-0, 1.84 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 22 strikeouts); Twins: Pablo Lopez (5-4, 2.64 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 71 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Twins -118, Guardians -101; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Cleveland Guardians will attempt to keep their seven-game win streak going when they visit the Minnesota Twins.
Minnesota has a 37-40 record at home and a 66-86 record overall. The Twins have gone 33-19 in games when they hit at least two home runs.
Cleveland has a 40-37 record on the road and an 81-71 record overall. The Guardians have a 27-15 record in games when they hit at least two home runs.
The matchup Friday is the 10th time these teams match up this season. The Guardians have a 6-3 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brooks Lee has 15 doubles, a triple, 15 home runs and 62 RBIs for the Twins. Kody Clemens is 10 for 38 with a double and five home runs over the past 10 games.
Kyle Manzardo has 17 doubles, two triples and 26 home runs for the Guardians. Jose Ramirez is 10 for 38 with three doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 4-6, .264 batting average, 5.66 ERA, outscored by one run
Guardians: 9-1, .252 batting average, 1.48 ERA, outscored opponents by 25 runs
INJURIES: Twins: Matt Wallner: day-to-day (back), Justin Topa: 15-Day IL (oblique), Ryan Jeffers: 7-Day IL (head), Alan Roden: 60-Day IL (thumb), Christian Vazquez: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Anthony Misiewicz: 15-Day IL (shoulder), David Festa: 15-Day IL (shoulder)
Guardians: Nic Enright: 15-Day IL (elbow), Lane Thomas: 10-Day IL (foot), Will Brennan: 60-Day IL (forearm), Andrew Walters: 60-Day IL (lat), Ben Lively: 60-Day IL (forearm), John Means: 60-Day IL (elbow), Sam Hentges: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
FAN APPRECIATION WEEKEND
Join the Twins from September 19-21 vs. Cleveland for Fan Appreciation Weekend presented by Target, featuring a special pregame happy hour, gate giveaways and lots of fun surprises! All weekend long fans have the opportunity to win a variety of prizes by scanning a Digital Prize Wheel QR code in the ballpark, while all four games will feature in-game “lucky seat” winners and other prize opportunities. Additionally, the Twins New Era Team Store will feature various fan appreciation specials on your favorite Twins apparel.
Friday, September 19 vs. Cleveland (7:10 p.m. first pitch): Come when Target Field gates open at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 19 vs. Cleveland for a special Fan Appreciation Happy Hour! From when gates open through first pitch, it’s a party on the Gate 34 lawn with $6 drinks (draft beer and Carbliss drinks), $1 snacks (popcorn, chips and more) and $2 food specials (hot dogs, peanuts and candy).. Also, the first 10,000 fans through the Target Field gates that night will receive a Fan Appreciation Baseball Hat.
Saturday, September 20 (1:10 p.m. first pitch / 6:10 p.m. first pitch): Double the baseball means double the fan fun! Join the Twins for a split doubleheader on Saturday, September 20. The first 10,000 fans through the Target Field gates for the 6:10 p.m. night game will receive a Fan Appreciation Baseball Hat. The Twins are also running a special “Dog for a Dog” promotion for both games of the doubleheader; fans dressed up as hot dogs will receive a voucher for a free hot dog, redeemable at the Value Menu concession stands. Additionally, Bullseye’s Backyard on the Gate 34 lawn will receive an adult makeover for the doubleheader, featuring lounge chairs, a claw machine and more!
Sunday, September 21 (1:10 p.m. first pitch): The final Sunday Kids Day of the year will once again feature special activities and discounts for our youngest fans! The first 5,000 kids ages 12-and-under through the gates will receive a Kids Appreciation Baseball Hat presented by Target. The Gate 34 lawn area turns back into the kid-focused “Bullseye’s Backyard” with interactive games and activities. Additionally, hot dogs will be just $1 at the Hennepin Grille and Taste of Twins Territory concession stands throughout the game. Also, every Sunday, kids meals are just $4 thanks to U.S. Bank. Lastly, all kids 12-and-under can run the bases.