The Minnesota Twins' postseason hopes hinge on a series win this week with them only having a 2.4% chance at clinching a spot per FanGraphs.
Following a very solid trade deadline in which the Minnesota Twins bolstered their pitching staff with the acquisitions of right-handed starter Dean Kremer and relievers A.J. Minter and Jeff Hoffman, they've unfortunately gone 13-22 since then and 69-77 overall this season.
As a result, their playoff chances have fallen to just 2.4% per FanGraphs ahead of their three-game series starting tonight at 8:10 p.m. EDT against the AL Central rival Cleveland Guardians who currently occupy the final AL Wild Card spot.
Given the high stakes involved for both clubs who are each coming off series losses, expect them to give it their all during this upcoming stretch.
The Twins last faced off against Cleveland on the road in late July, splitting a four-game series on the heels of a 3-1 extra-innings victory in the July 23 finale that prevented a potential series loss.
However, the Guardians showed a knack for getting to Minnesota ace Joe Ryan on July 20, recording 10 hits and eight runs off the 30-year-old right-hander to force him out of the game after just four innings.
With Ryan likely to take the mound this weekend, he might be in for another rough outing unless he and catcher Ryan Jeffers have worked out an effective pitch mix against standout rookie Chase DeLauter who knocked in three RBI that night.
Still, Ryan showed a ton of promise in his first start back on Monday against Detroit, striking out seven batters and only allowing two earned runs through four innings of work.
The Twins' offense has also shown flashes of coming through in high-leverage moments. For example, veteran Josh Bell went 4-for-5 on Aug. 7 to propel the team to an 8-6 win over the best team in MLB--the Milwaukee Brewers.
Another key contributor in big spots for Minnesota this season has been Kody Clemens who surged them past the division rival Kansas City Royals on July 30 with a walk-off grand slam.
Kaelen Culpepper is worth keeping an eye as well with him hitting .284 while recording a .755 OPS and knocking in 10 RBI since making his major-league debut last month.
Tonight though, the Twins will be put to the test against Guardians left-hander Parker Messick who fanned 12 batters in his most recent start last Saturday against the Tigers.
Even then, Minnesota has a relatively decent shot with right-hander Taj Bradley toeing the rubber.
