The Twins come into Friday night with a chance to make the standings look a little cleaner, even if only for a moment. After a full day off to put the nationally televised Field of Dreams game behind them, they’re back home and staring at a Phillies club that still has playoff ambitions of its own.
Connor Prielipp gets the start for Minnesota, and the timing matters. The Twins are tied for the final Wild Card spot, and with the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers both losing earlier today, the race has turned into a three-way, 60-63 knot for one postseason position.
That kind of logjam has hung around longer than most people would have expected. A few weeks ago, or even months ago, it would have seemed safe to assume someone would have broken away by now.
Instead, the Wild Card picture remains crowded, with the Twins, Tigers, Rangers, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Guardians all sitting on nearly identical records.
That lack of separation has kept the door open, even as Minnesota’s recent vibe has been shaky. A win tonight would leave the Twins alone in a playoff spot by the end of the evening.
The roster looks a little different from the last time the Twins took the field. Third catcher Alex Jackson is no longer occupying a spot, and Byron Buxton has taken his place on the roster after being activated as the neutral site’s 27th man on Thursday evening.
The matchup on the mound is no soft landing. Philadelphia sends left-hander Jesus Luzardo, and the Twins get another crack at their problems against southpaws.
Luzardo is a reigning All-Star, has posted 4.3 bWAR, owns an ERA+ of 135, and sits as the third-best starter in a rotation that also features Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez. Minnesota won’t see Wheeler or Sanchez in this series, but Luzardo is a major obstacle all the same.
In Other News...
Derek Shelton Is Testing What Really Held The Twins Back
The Twins entered the offseason with a clean break at manager, moving on from Rocco Baldelli after the 2025 season and turning the clubhouse over to Derek Shelton. Early in Sheltons first year, the most noticeable shift has been less about lineup cards and more about tone, with a new emphasis on edge, accountability and a different kind of day-to-day energy around the team.
Josh Donaldson recently added an outside voice to the discussion of what had been holding Minnesota back, pointing to a broader issue with the organizations identity under Baldelli. Sheltons challenge is to prove the change is more than cosmetic, and the early signs suggest he is trying to build something that asks more of players while also trusting them more, which is exactly the kind of test this roster and front office will be watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Be Overlooking A Right-Handed Bat They Could Use
Ben Ross has spent the season turning a difficult Double-A showing into something far more encouraging in the Twins organization. The right-handed hitter earned a promotion to Triple-A in 2026 and has carried that momentum to St. Paul, where his improved offensive approach has started to match the power and versatility that once made him an interesting name in the system.
For a Minnesota club that can always use more depth on the right side of the plate, Ross is beginning to look like the sort of internal option worth keeping an eye on. His recent surge suggests the bat is no longer just flashing in stretches, and if the Twins are looking for a player who can help at the major league level, he may be making his case a little louder with every week. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Still Have One Big Polanco Trade Question Left
When the Twins acquired Justin Topa as part of the trade that sent Jorge Polanco away, the hope was that the right-handed reliever would be one of the useful pieces that made the deal feel more balanced over time. Instead, Topas stint in Minnesota ended with a designation for assignment and release after he struggled to an 8.05 ERA over 19 innings in 2026, a reminder that the return in a trade is often judged as much by the development curve as the original headline.
Topa has since moved on, signing minor-league deals with the Blue Jays, Royals and Yankees, with New York sending him to Triple-A. For the Twins, the bigger question now is how the rest of the Polanco return settles in, because these kinds of trades are rarely decided by the first impression alone and the final verdict often depends on whether the other pieces eventually help Minnesota in a more meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]