I recently wrote about the Twins decision to stand pat at the trade deadline, thanks to the improving hearlth right around the corner. Well, it sure seems prescient now.
The Twins seem to have shrugged off whatever was ailing them, organizationally and in many individuals’ cases, physically. So far, the Twins are 10-2 in August, striking together their wins initially against foes from the NL Central, but their recent revitalization has come at the expense of their own division.
The Twins split a double header with the Cardinals, but otherwise put forth a 9-1 record against the top 3 teams in the AL Central, aside from the Twins themselves. What was once a 4 team race has reduced to two after the Tigers and Indians have slinked off the pace after their shellacking, while the White Sox have been nearly as good as Minnesota, and maintain a divisional lead of a game.
As predicted, the Twins have been buoyed by players returning to action, with Michael Pineda anchoring the rotation, while on offense, the health of Josh Donaldson and Byron Buxton have been a welcome boone on both sides of the ball. Mitch Garver remains on the shelf, but Ryan Jeffers’ debut has left the Twins without much concern in his absence.
The Twins were punching below their weight as the doldrums of late August set in, but it seems as though they are rounding back into form, and are figuring out who they are in September: A team that will be had to beat in the playoffs.
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