The Minnesota Twins may have thrown the American League West into chaos with a blowout at Target Field on Friday night.
Luke Keaschall led the way from the right side, going 4-for-5 with three RBI, while Kody Clemens added a 3-for-4 night that included a home run and three RBI as the Twins rolled past the Texas Rangers 10-2. Joe Ryan turned in a strong start that could wind up being his last in a Twins uniform, working six innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out eight. Minnesota also did damage against Rangers ace Jacob deGrom, scoring eight runs off him.
That result matters far beyond one game. If the Twins had come up short Friday, Texas would have grabbed sole possession of first place in the division. Instead, the Houston Astros remain in first place at 79-81 even after losing to the Athletics.
The Rangers are also 79-81, but Houston holds the head-to-head tiebreaker. That means Texas has to finish with a better record than Houston to reach the postseason. Neither club can sneak in as a Wild Card team, so the AL West winner gets the playoff spot and the runner-up goes home.
With two games left for each team, Houston still controls its fate. Win the next two, and the Astros are in.
If not, the door opens for Texas. The Rangers can still win the division if they go 2-0 and the Astros go 1-1, or if Texas finishes 1-1 while Houston loses both of its remaining games.
Minnesota gets another chance to stir things up this weekend. The Twins are set to face the Rangers again at Target Field on Saturday at 3:10 p.m.
CDT, though the weather forecast could cause a delay. The season finale is scheduled for Sunday at 2:10 p.m.
CDT, which will also be Minnesota’s final game of the year.
Bailey Ober is lined up to start Saturday for the Twins, with Nathan Eovaldi on the mound for Texas. Dean Kremer will get the ball for Minnesota in Sunday’s finale, and the Rangers have not announced their starter for that game. Twins fans can watch the final two games on Twins.TV.
In Other News...
Twins Just Turned Their Final Two Games Into A Bigger Debate
With two games left in the regular season, the Twins made a late shuffle that says as much about their present as their future. Minnesota activated shortstop Kaelen Culpepper from the injured list after a left hamstring strain sidelined him since September 16, bringing back one of the organizations most closely watched young players as the calendar runs out. Culpepper, the clubs No. 3 overall prospect, gives the roster another inflection point at a time when every move feels layered with both immediate and longer-term meaning.
Jeff Hoffmans trip to the injured list, this time because of right forearm inflammation, only adds to the uncertainty around the closing stretch. Even with the postseason picture and the final games still to sort through, the Twins are now weighing health, depth and the very real question of how much they want to see from Culpepper before the year is done. [Read more 🡒]
Former Twins Catcher Is Suddenly At Center Of A Tough Red Sox Decision
Mickey Gaspers rise has become one of the more interesting side stories for a former Twins catcher, but the Red Sox are now facing a difficult postseason call because of it. Gasper has been a meaningful part of Bostons season, batting .251 with 10 home runs in 67 games and carving out a real role after arriving as a depth option. For a player who once belonged to Minnesotas catcher mix, the leap into that kind of value has been a notable development.
Now, though, a right biceps injury suffered against the Cubs is expected to keep Gasper out of the American League Wild Card Series against the Yankees, leaving Boston to sort through a hole at exactly the wrong time. The Red Sox finish their regular season against Chicago at Tropicana Field, but the bigger focus is what comes next and whether they can account for losing one of their more productive surprise contributors when the games start to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Fans Got The Jacob deGrom Start They Never Expected
Jacob deGroms latest trip to the mound in Minneapolis turned into the kind of matchup Twins fans could hardly have imagined, even with one of baseballs biggest names on the other side. Texas came in expecting a normal night from its ace, but Minnesota jumped on him early and kept building from there, turning a marquee start into a lopsided 10-2 win.
The damage was mostly done by the second inning, when the Twins broke through for six runs, then added two more in the fourth to chase deGrom through four rough innings. Luke Keaschall kept the pressure on with four hits and three RBIs, while Joe Ryan gave Minnesota exactly the sort of steady outing that made the rest of the night feel even more surprising, working six innings and allowing two runs. [Read more 🡒]