The Twins are peaking in a wide-open American League pennant race

Friday began on a sad note for the Minnesota Twins. Joe Ryan’s injury was worse than they feared with his shoulder keeping him out for “weeks to months.” Brock Stewart was undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Brooks Lee was placed on the injured list and top prospect Luke Keaschall was undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The vibes were not good ahead of a pivotal doubleheader with the Cleveland Guardians, but after sweeping both games , the Twins may be peaking in a wide-open American League pennant race.

The Twins entered Friday 3.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the lead in the American League Central. After winning the first game 4-2 , Matt Wallner’s three-run bomb in the bottom of the fifth inning gave Minnesota a 6-3 win and brought the Twins within 1.5 games of the divisional lead.

But it’s not just the divisional race where the Twins are gaining ground. The Twins are 2.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the fourth seed in the American League postseason picture and expanded their lead over the Kansas City Royals to two games after the St. Louis Cardinals came from behind to defeat the Royals 8-5 on Friday night.

Even crazier? The Twins are three games behind the Baltimore Orioles for the best record in the American League, which would mean a bye in the wild-card round and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

That comes with a few caveats. The Twins have played two fewer games than the Orioles, but they also have four fewer victories, making them further behind than the three games suggest. The rest of the American League has also tightened up with the Boston Red Sox sitting 1.5 games behind the Twins and the Seattle Mariners at three games back.

It creates a scenario where one good series could put the Twins at the top of the American League and one bad series could have them fighting for a postseason spot. With all of the injury news that dropped on Friday, it’s easy to be pessimistic about Minnesota’s long-term view, but they’ve also been dealing with injuries all year.

Royce Lewis missed the first two months of the season with a severe quad strain and another three weeks with a groin injury. But the 25-year-old is producing at an elite level, hitting .275/.358/.656 with 14 home runs and 32 RBI in 37 games.

Byron Buxton is dealing with a balky back and missed time with knee soreness earlier this year, but he’s having one of the healthiest seasons of his career, hitting .276/.336/.517 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI.

The Twins have also survived injuries to Jhoan Duran, Chris Paddack and Anthony DeSclafani while navigating a slow start by Pablo López.

How have they done it? It’s been a slew of players stepping up.

Jose Miranda saw his second big-league season derailed by a shoulder injury but is hitting .316/.357/.500 with nine home runs and 44 RBI. While his back also forced him to the injured list, he’s played well enough at third base to spell Lewis and give Minnesota another reliable bat in the lineup.

Willi Castro is considered the team MVP as a utilityman, filling in at multiple spots and hitting .260/.345/.404 with eight homers, 41 RBI and 12 stolen bases en route to his first All-Star appearance.

Simeon Woods Richardson (3-2, 3.87 ERA) has stepped up to earn a spot in the rotation while David Festa has appeared more confident since his return from Triple-A with a 1-1 record and 1.88 ERA and 22 strikeouts to five walks in his last three appearances (14.1 innings).

Some of this may be unsustainable – Woods Richardson has an ERA over 6 in his last three starts – but the Twins have also received bounce-back performances that have carried them to this point, including from Wallner, who is hitting.356/.465/.831 with six homers and 14 RBI in 20 games since he was recalled on July 7.

You could lament the lack of moves at the trade deadline and ownership’s concern over adding payroll but this feels like a team that should be in the mix. The recent injuries do not help, but with two more against the Guardians and a three-game series against the Royals beginning on Monday, the Twins are in the middle of a crowded AL playoff picture.

This article is courtesy of Athlon Sports writer Chris Schad.