Twins bring record skid
Minnesota lastwon playoff game in ’04, having lost 16 straight in the postseason
The Minnesota Twins reached the postseason in 2019, 2017, 2010, 2009 and 2006. Their last win in a playoff game? Try 2004.
Since Johan Santana outdueled Mike Mussina in a 2-0Twins win inGame1of a 2004 ALDS matchup with the Yankees, Minnesota has lost a major league-record 16 consecutive postseason games, including a one-game Wild Card matchup three years ago.
The Twins (36-24) are back as repeat AL Central champions. And the good news for them is they’re not playing the Yankees, who dealt them 13 of those 16 losses, including the last 10.
“Our group doesn’t feel likewe’re done in anyway,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, whose team dodged its fifth consecutive playoff assignment against New York. “We feel like we’re just getting going.”
In the Yankees’ stead are the Astros (29-31), the second-place team in the AL West. The Twins get them at Target Field in one of MLB’s eight best-of-three Wild Card series in this expanded postseason. The series begins at 1p.m. Tuesday.
The Twinswere a 101-win club a year ago, setting a major league record with 307 home runs, or 1.9 per game. They didn’t thump at quite that pace in 2020, but their 91 homers did rank sixth in the majors.
Leading the offense is seemingly ageless designated hitter Nelson Cruz, who at age 40 posted a .303/ .397/.595 slash line with 16 home runs in 53 games. Left fielder Eddie Rosario (.257/. 316/.476), center fielder Byron Buxton (.254/ .267/.577) and first baseman Miguel Sano (.204/ .278/.478) hit 13 home runs apiece, although Sano led the majors with 90 strikeouts, fanning in almost half of his at-bats (90 of 186).
Minnesotamanager Rocco Baldelli does have a couple of injury concerns. Buxton, who offers phenomenal range in center, missed the last two games of the regular season with mild concussion symptoms after he was hit by a pitch on his batting helmet Friday. Third baseman Josh Donaldson, whose history of calf ailments saw him miss 30 games this year, was sidelined Saturday and Sunday with a right calf cramp. Baldelli said he was hopeful Buxton would be ready for Tuesday’s ALDS opener.
The Twins will turn to Kenta Maeda, who was dealt to Minnesota by the Dodgers in February and turned into their ace, in Game 1 against the Astros and Zack Greinke. Maeda (6-1) led the majors with a 0.75 WHIP over 66 2⁄ in
3 nings, and his 2.70 ERAwas fifth in the American League.
Jose Berrios, whose presumed ascension to ace was delayed by a sporadic season, will start Game 2 against either Framber Valdez or Jose Urquidy. After a 1-3 start, Berrios (4.00 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) had won four consecutive decisions before giving up four runs in five innings in a 7-2 loss to the Reds on Saturday.
Michael Pineda (2-0, 3.38), limited to five starts this year, will start Game 3, if necessary, against Lance McCullers Jr. Pineda had to complete a 60-day suspension for using a PED masking agent and wasn’t activated until Sept. 1.
It’s presumed Baldelli will employ Sergio Romoas his closer. Romo, 37, converted five of six save chances and took over the role from Taylor Rogers, who, after emerging as one of MLB’s top ninth-inning options in 2019, had a 5.23 ERA in August and posted a 1.50 WHIP for the season. But Romo and Rogers both had 4.05 ERAs for the year, with Romo’s ballooning Sunday after he allowed two runs and four baserunners without registering an out in a 10-inning loss to the Reds.