With a 6-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night, the Twins clinched the AL Central title for the sixth time since 2002.
That kind of regular-season success is almost unfathomable for a team that, until a huge jump in 2010, annually ranked toward the bottom of the major leagues in payroll.
But Minnesota has not been able to put it together in the postseason this decade. The Twins have lost their last nine playoff games and are just 6-18 in the playoffs since 2002. Ron Gardenhire’s club has made it to the American League Championship Series just one time during that span.
This year will be different, however.
The Twins have it all — quality starting pitching, a great bullpen, tremendous defense and a potent offense led by all-world catcher Joe Mauer.
But it might be what Minnesota doesn’t have that will push them into the World Series.
Unlike the other three likely AL playoff teams — the Yankees, Rays and Rangers — the Twins have no glaring holes on their team.
Sure, MVP first baseman Justin Morneau went down for the season on July 7, but Minnesota hasn’t felt the pain at all, as the team has gone an AL-best 47-21 since that time.
The Twins’ top three starters – Francisco Liriano (14-8, 3.44), Carl Pavano (17-11, 3.60) and Kevin Slowey (13-6, 4.23) – have combined to go 44-25 this year, and as a team, Minnesota has a 3.74 ERA.
The Twins are brimming with confidence heading into the postseason, whereas the other playoff clubs are hoping to make do in October.
The Yankees, other than likely Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia (20-6, 3.06), have no depth in their starting rotation. Combine that with Mark Teixeira’s sore thumb and broken toe and Derek Jeter’s awful second half (.257 average since the All-Star break), and New York doesn’t look like it’s ready to defend its title.
Tampa Bay, once thought to have the best young starting rotation in recent memory, is now looking for anyone to give the team a chance to win on the mound. B (17-6, 2.79) has been great, but usual pitching headliners Matt Garza (14-9, 4.01) and James Shields (13-13, 4.96) have been inconsistent all year.
The Texas Rangers have solid pitching led by Cliff Lee (12-8, 3.18), but their offense suffered a major blow when Josh Hamilton, who’s leading the league with a .361 average, injured his ribs on Sept. 4. The Rangers have gone 9-7 in Hamilton’s absence, but their offense clearly misses a step without him.
The stars are aligned for the Twins to head back to the World Series for the first time since 1991, when they played in the Metrodome and beat the Braves in seven games.
This time around, get ready for some Minnesota snow at Target Field.
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