The Twins are on the brink of elimination, and the O’s want to fend off Detroit for the top wild card slot.
The Orioles couldn’t stave off the Yankees capturing the AL East, but there’s still plenty to play for as they head into their last series of the season, on the road in Minnesota to face the Twins. The Twins are in must-win mode, but it’s not looking good. They’ve slid down the stretch and after last night’s 8-6 loss to Miami in extra innings, they’re now tied with the Mariners, three games back of Kansas City and Detroit, for the AL’s final Wild Card spot with three games to go. Everything would have to go right for them and everything wrong for the Orioles for the Twins to make the postseason now. No ill will to Minnesota, but let’s make sure that doesn’t happen, yes?
The O’s and Twins have played just one series this season, back in April, which Baltimore swept while outscoring Minnesota 24-11.
Game 1: Friday, 7:10 p.m., MASN
LHP Cade Povich (2-9, 5.59 ERA) vs. RHP Pablo López (15-9, 4.11)
Pablo López has been the Twins’ best starter but last week he couldn’t get them over the line in a tough 4-3 loss to the Guardians. It’s the Twins offense that’s been letting them down, though, not the pitching, as López allowed two earned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four. The decrease in strikeouts is cause for slight concern for the righty, who’s maintained a high K/9 average all season.
Rookie Cade Povich is still figuring it out, but he’s shown enough to be interesting next year. His last time out, the lefty delivered a decent outing in a 6-4 loss last Saturday to the Tigers, allowing two earned runs on just two hits and three walks while striking out seven over five innings. Despite showing continued control issues, Povich is managing to limit the damage and rack up strikeouts.
Game 2, Saturday, 6:15 p.m., FOX
TBD (probably Albert Suárez, 8-7, 3.74) vs. RHP Zebby Matthews (1-3, 5.71)
The 24-year-old Zebby (for Daniel Zebulon) Matthews joined the Twins’ MLB roster on August 13 as a callup from Triple-A St. Paul. In eight starts he’s striking out batters at a healthy clip (9.6 K/9), but his ERA is inflated and he’s not giving this exhausted team much length. His last time out he allowed two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five over 3.1 innings against the Angels.
Albert Suárez has been up and down this year, but overall a godsend for a rotation that has lost five, count ‘em, five starters to injury at one point or another this year. His last time out, he looked shaky in a 4-3 loss to Detroit, all the Tigers runs coming on a trio of homers against Suárez. The Twins offense has not been as hot as Detroit’s, so if the veteran righty can stop leaving cutters over the plate he should be fine.
Game 3, Sunday, 2:10 p.m., MASN2
TBD (probably RHP Dean Kremer, 8-10, 4.10) vs. RHP Bailey Ober (12-8, 3.94)
Bailey Ober has been a horse for the Twins this year, delivering no fewer than eighteen quality starts (six innings pitched with three runs or less). But he, too, seems to be succumbing to fatigue down the stretch, with a 5.45 ERA in his last seven games. His last time out, the righty allowed four earned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings in 4-1 loss to the Marlins, one of those tough losses down the stretch that has crushed Minnesota’s playoff hopes.
Dean Kremer is rounding into form as the season wraps up, with a clutch one-run performance in the Orioles’ 5-3 victory over the Yankees on Tuesday that sewed up a playoff spot for them. The righty has battled inconsistency this season, but over his last seven starts he’s 3-1 with a 3.20 ERA, and is making a strong case for himself to be the Orioles’ No. 3 starter, should they need him. (And we hope they do.)