(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Kenta Maeda starts, Nelson Cruz still out of the lineup as Twins scramble for playoff seeding
With four games remaining in the regular season, the Twins are vying for a home playoff berth.
September 23, 2020 at 8:56PM
The battle for playoff seedings has gotten interesting for the Twins, who rallied for a 5-4 victory over Detroit on Tuesday night.
Kenta Maeda (5-1, 2.52) gets his final tuneup before starting the playoff opener on Tuesday. He'll face 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick Casey Mize, who is 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA as he seeks his first MLB victory. First pitch is at the schoolkid friendly time of 6:40 p.m. (FSN) at Target Field.
Nelson Cruz (knee) is still out of the Twins lineup; he'll miss his fourth consecutive start. Manager Rocco Baldelli said Cruz is available to pinch hit as the Twins exercise caution with their 40-year-old DH.
The Twins are a half-game behind the first place White Sox in the American League Central race. If the teams tie for the title (Chicago has five games left), the White Sox win the tiebreaker because of a better record in the division. Cleveland is making a spirited bid; it clinched a playoff spot and is three behind Chicago as the teams meet tonight. Should Cleveland the Twins tie for the AL Central title, the Twins have the tiebreaker. If all three teams tie, the Twins win.
Cleveland's Shane Bieber is looking for his ninth victory of the season over the visiting White Sox, who have Lucas Giolito on the bump. A victory by the Sox would pretty much ensure Cleveland won't win the Central. Wins by Cleveland and the Twins and the Twins are back in first, all alone.
The Yankees are 1½ games behind the Twins for the No. 4 seed and home field advantage in the best-of-3 opening round series, which begins Tuesday. The Yankees are 23-15 in their division and the Twins are 22-17 in theirs; the tiebreaker if they tie for the No. 4 seed is record in the division, so right now the Yankees have that edge.
The Twins have set their postseason roster and have robes worth cheering for? Also, Luis Arraez is still sidelined.
TIGERS
Victor Reyes, CF
Willi Castro, SS
Miguel Cabrera, DH
Jeimer Candelario, 1B
Niko Goodrum, 2B
Harold Castro, LF
Eric Haase, C
Daz Cameron, RF
Isaac Paredes, 3B
TWINS
Byron Buxton, CF
Max Kepler, RF
Josh Donaldson, 3B
Eddie Rosario, DH
Miguel Sano, 1B
Jake Cave, LF
Jorge Polanco, SS
Marwin Gonzalez, 2B
Ryan Jeffers, C
Star Tribune photo by Jerry Holt
A former second-round pick of the Rangers, Alex Speas has pitched in four major league games.
