Keaschall says the clubhouse stayed upbeat despite a rough finish on the road.
Luke Keaschall wanted to be clear about one thing after Wednesday night's loss.
Nobody in the Minnesota Twins clubhouse was bummed out, even though the road trip out west had gone about as poorly as possible.
The Twins dropped the finale in West Sacramento 7-4, a game that slipped away in a four run sixth inning that turned a two run lead into a two run deficit.
It capped a 1-5 stretch against the Padres and the Athletics, and a week like that can sink a team without much room left in the playoff race.
A Big Lead Slips Away
Brooks Lee opened the scoring with a first inning home run, and Trevor Larnach and Kaelen Culpepper went back to back in the second to make it 3-0.
The A's scratched across two runs in the fourth, then Royce Lewis added a sacrifice fly in the sixth that pushed the margin back to two.
Connor Prielipp allowed a single, reliever Andrew Morris took over, and the Athletics strung together some hits, including a two run triple from Alika Williams that put them ahead for good.
Lawrence Butler added a solo home run in the seventh, and Elvis Alvarado closed it out.
The Twins' bullpen collapses have hurt the team in recent games too.
Fifteen Games That Could Define the Season
None of that changes what comes next.
Minnesota sits four games back of the final American League wild card spot, held by Cleveland, and the next fifteen games come only against AL Central teams, six against the White Sox, six against the Tigers, and three against the Guardians.
Win most of those and the Twins control their own path back into the race.
Lose them and September gets short in a hurry.
Keaschall's answer said plenty.
"I think everybody is going to show up to the yard next game ready to go and not thinking, 'We just lost and have to make up all these games.' I don't think anybody is coming in here bummed out because we got swept and then lost a series. The vibes in the clubhouse before the game aren't bad," Keaschall, who is hitting .269, told reporters in West Sacramento.
The bullpen needs to hold up its end too.
Morris has cooled off in his first season working out of relief, and Minnesota has leaned on him plenty.
The Kendry Rojas update is a reminder the depth behind that group is thinner than the front office would like.
Injuries and Reinforcements
Center fielder Byron Buxton left Tuesday's game with hip discomfort and sat out Wednesday, and his status for the White Sox series was undecided.
Culpepper, the rookie called up earlier this month, has been a bright spot, and Derek Shelton's comments on Kaelen Culpepper's success capture how much the staff has liked his approach at the plate.
If Buxton needs more time, Triple-A standout Walker Jenkins gives the club another option in center field.
Minnesota's record fell to 64-70, and the club opens this stretch Friday night at Target Field against the White Sox, with Dean Kremer on the mound opposite Chicago's Luis Castillo.
