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| Molitor has guided surprising Twins to verge of postseason |
With the victory, Minnesota lowered it's 'Magic Number' to just 1 in order to clinch the final American League Wildcard playoff berth.
It appears to be a forgone conclusion at this point. A year after finishing 59-103, the worst record in all of MLB, the Twins are going to the playoffs.
There are many reasons that one can point to when looking for reasons as to how this happened. They have developed a versatile lineup. There is a chance that they finish with five hitters who each slam 20+ home runs, and 4-5 players who could steal bases in double digits.
On the mound, rookie Jose Berrios has been everything that the organization hoped as he climbed through their system to become a top prospect.
Berrios has gone 13-8 with a 3.93 ERA. The 23-year old righty has allowed just 129 hits over 144.1 innings in his 25 starts. His emergence has given the Twins a legit 1-2 rotation punch with veteran Ervin Santana.
They are receiving strong leadership and somewhat of a turn-back-the clock season of production from veteran Joe Mauer.
The popular St. Paul native is enjoying his best season since 2013, when he was honored with the last of his six career AL All-Star appearances and his fifth career Silver Slugger.
But possibly the biggest reason for Minnesota's success has been the performance of yet another homegrown product, manager Paul Molitor.
