The season for the Twins is now on the brink of being over. Otto Lopez doubled home the go-ahead run in the 13th inning as the Miami Marlins beat the reeling Minnesota Twins 8-6 on Thursday night all but eliminating them from the postseason.
Carlos Correa homered for the Twins, who were a crushing 2 for 19 with runners in scoring position during the game. The Twins stranded 15 on the night.
“We had every opportunity put in front of us to win that baseball game,” said Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. “Our season is on the line and we weren’t able to execute to get that run across.”
The Twins (82-77) have lost six of their last eight and now trail the Tigers and Royals by three games in the race for the last two AL wild card spots with just three games left to play. They would be eliminated with one more loss or one victory by Detroit and Kansas City. The only good news for Minnesota is that they own tiebreakers over those two teams.
It may not matter though.
The Tigers play the lowly White Sox, one of the worst teams in MLB history. Kansas City is supposed to play at Atlanta but that area is being hammered by the remains of Hurricane Helene. Atlanta is in chase for a wild card spot as well. Atlanta is already staring at a doubleheader Monday against the Mets thanks to the weather in the southeast.
The Twins are not ready to throw in the towel yet, at least according to their skipper.
“I know how we’ve played. I’ve been here and been a part of it and watched it all,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We are not eliminated right now, at this point. And I don’t have the mindset that we are out of this. I don’t care who’s available in the pen tomorrow. I don’t care how we played today. My intention is to win out ... and see what happens.”
For the Twins, it was another in a long list of lost opportunities. The Twins are 12-24 since mid-August when they were still in the hunt for the AL Central. Now they're out of wild card position.
“It’s one of those that hurts,” said Twins outfielder Byron Buxton. “We know what’s at stake and we’ve got to keep pushing.”
SERIES PREVIEW
Baltimore Orioles (88-71, second in the AL East) vs. Minnesota Twins (82-77, fourth in the AL Central)
Target Field, Minneapolis:
Friday, 7:10 p.m.
Saturday, 6:15 p.m.
Sunday, 2:10 p.m.
PITCHING PROBABLES:
Friday -Orioles: Cade Povich (2-9, 5.59 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 67 strikeouts); Twins: Pablo Lopez (15-9, 4.11 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 190 strikeouts)
Saturday- Orioles: TBD, Twins: Matthews
Sunday- Orioles: TBD, Twins: Ober
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Twins -171, Orioles +144; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Twins open a three-game series at home against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.
Minnesota has an 82-77 record overall and a 43-35 record at home. The Twins are 33-15 in games when they hit two or more home runs.
Baltimore has gone 44-34 in road games and 88-71 overall. Orioles hitters have a collective .314 on-base percentage, the fifth-ranked percentage in the AL.
The teams meet Friday for the fourth time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Carlos Santana leads the Twins with 22 home runs while slugging .414. Carlos Correa is 13-for-37 with four doubles, a home run and seven RBI over the last 10 games.
Gunnar Henderson has 37 home runs, 77 walks and 91 RBI while hitting .284 for the Orioles. Colton Cowser is 11-for-35 with three doubles, three home runs and six RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 3-7, .219 batting average, 3.92 ERA, outscored by 11 runs
Orioles: 4-6, .247 batting average, 5.06 ERA, outscored by 14 runs
INJURIES: Twins: Matt Wallner: 10-Day IL (oblique), Max Kepler: 10-Day IL (knee), Kody Funderburk: 60-Day IL (oblique), Chris Paddack: 60-Day IL (forearm), Joe Ryan: 60-Day IL (tricep), Brock Stewart: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alex Kirilloff: 60-Day IL (back), Carlos Correa: 10-Day IL (foot), Daniel Duarte: 60-Day IL (tricep), Anthony DeSclafani: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Orioles: Burch Smith: 15-Day IL (groin), Grayson Rodriguez: 15-Day IL (lat), Jorge Mateo: 60-Day IL (elbow), Kyle Bradish: 60-Day IL (ucl sprain), Tyler Wells: 60-Day IL (elbow), John Means: 60-Day IL (elbow), Felix Bautista: 60-Day IL (elbow)
The Associated Press contributed to this story.