Tigers' season shines light on Twins flaws

This is a story about two baseball teams.

One of these teams was expected to see its season end last Sunday. It had virtually thrown in the towel because there were too many losses, and too many teams blocking its path to the playoffs.

The other was on the verge of securing a playoff berth a month or so ago, sitting comfortably near the top of its division. Only an epic collapse would deny this squad its second consecutive playoff appearance and the franchise’s fourth postseason appearance in the last six seasons.

If you follow Major League Baseball, you probably recognize the two teams I am talking about.

That first team is my childhood favorite, the Detroit Tigers. At the MLB trade deadline the Tigers traded four players in an attempt to acquire prospects — in effect, surrendering the current season.

And who could blame them? After losing to the Giants on Saturday, Aug. 10, the Tigers woke up the next morning with a 55-63 record and were fourth in the American League Central, 13.5 games behind first-place Cleveland. Worse, Detroit was sixth in the Wild Card standings, with 9.5 games — and six teams — standing between it and a potential wild card berth.

How dim were this team’s playoff chances? The playoff predictor that day said the Tigers had a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs. LESS than one percent.

By now you probably know the rest of the story: Detroit beat the Giants that Sunday afternoon and just kept on winning. The Tigers won 14 of their final 19 games in August, then went 17-7 in September. Detroit got hottest when the spotlight shone brightest, posting a 10-2 record since Sept. 15.

As a result, the Tigers vaulted into the playoffs, clinching a wild card berth.

One of those teams Detroit vaulted was, as I am sure you realize, the Minnesota Twins. On that same Sunday morning, Aug. 11, the Twins were 65-52 and just 3.5 games behind the first-place Guardians in the AL Central.

Even if the Twins were unable to catch Cleveland, they were firmly inside the safety net of the wild card chase with a double-digit advantage over the teams chasing them.

Again, you know what happened: the Twins cratered as a 12-26 free fall crashed and burned the season. On Friday, Sept. 27, a 7-2 loss to the Orioles — the Twins’ fifth loss in the last six games and 16th September setback — eliminated them from playoff contention.

By that point, the sharp knives already had been unsheathed as everyone looked to assess blame for a season gone wrong. How did the Twins miss the playoffs when they were a virtual lock a month ago?

I think a look at the Tigers could be instructive.

First, Detroit’s management tried to improve the team in the offseason. Last year the Tigers finished second to the Twins in the AL Central, and over the winter the team signed veteran starter Jack Flaherty, who immediately improved the rotation before he was sent to the Dodgers, and traded for veteran outfielder Mark Canha, who taught the team’s younger players how to grind out at-bats before he was traded to the Giants.

What did the Twins do this past off season? After making the playoffs, management pared payroll. Gone were important veterans such as Jorge Polanco, Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda; all three took a step backward this season, but no one on Minnesota’s current roster stepped up to replace them.

Second, the Tigers had a deep core of talented younger players the Twins just could not match. Detroit’s batting order features only one player above the age of 29, and 31-year-old Andy Ibanez splits time at several positions.

Meanwhile 23-year-old Riley Greene has hit 24 home runs, 24-year-old Parker Meadows has caught fire since returning from the minors after the All-Star break, 22-year-old Colt Keith has … well, you get the picture.

Minnesota’s young players are clearly talented, but the group also has not broken out in the way Detroit’s youngsters have. Young pitchers such as David Festa and Zebby Matthews, who are 24 years old, have endured the inconsistencies of youth, while young hitters such as Austin Martin (25) and Brooks Lee (23) have not done enough to buoy a stagnant offense.

Third, Detroit got healthy at the right time. Over the last month the team got injured regulars such as Kerry Carpenter and Greene back on the field, which jump-started the offense.

The Twins injuries late in the season were crippling. Losing Carlos Correa weakened the batting order and ruined the infield defense; the loss of Joe Ryan from the rotation forced Minnesota to rely on rookies to start games and piled the pressure onto an already weak bullpen.

But finally, there also has been a spirit that is obvious with the Tigers and obviously missing with the Twins. For Detroit, no deficit seems too great to overcome, no situation seems too perplexing to escape, and no game seems lost until it is won.

The Twins are at the other end of the spectrum. And unfortunately, it has been a team-wide failure, whether it is not getting the big hit to spark a rally, getting the important out that slams the door on an opponent, or making a play in the field that might spark the squad. In short, there have been games where defeat seems inevitable.

Who is responsible for that spark in Detroit? Manager A.J. Hinch and his coaching staff deserve much of the credit, but so do the players who constantly perform so well that Hinch’s moves routinely turn into strokes of genius.

Who is responsible for that lack of a spark in Minnesota? Manager Rocco Baldelli deserves some blame, and he understands the chants of “Fire Rocco” that serenaded him during the final homestand of the season.

But are the Twins players without blame? The bullpen Baldelli has been given resembles a dumpster fire more than a fire brigade. And Correa failing to run hard on the final out of the extra-innings loss to the Marlins on Sept. 26 — just days after he had called out teammates for their lack of urgency — was not a good look, to say the least.

There is plenty of credit to spread around for the Tigers’ September playoff surge. There is plenty of blame to be shared for the Twins’ September collapse.

For Twins fans, that is a problem. When everyone must share some of the responsibility, simple fixes such as firing the manager probably will not be enough to cure what currently ails the franchise.

John Wagner is the community editor of the County News Review.