Staying Alive: How The Twins Refused to Quit and Challenged The Tigers

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

For months it has looked like the early part of this week would give baseball fans a series to remember, only for most of that time it appeared that the series would take place in Anaheim rather than Detroit.

The Rangers faded, the Twins surged, the Angels dominated, and the Tigers got sloppy. Put it all together and what do you have? The reality that baseball’s prime race moved east, from the oceanfront to the lakefront.

Credit the Twins for even getting this far.

Irrespective of the outcome, that this series is relevant beyond playoff seeding for the Tigers is remarkable. The Twins lost their second best hitter and major run producer, Justin Morneau, on 13 September, all they’ve done since is go 11-2 and scored an average of 6.2 runs per game, well above their season average of 4.94 R/G.

So, just how did the Twins not only withstand the loss of Morneau, but also overwhelm opponents with their bats, something they had rarely done when they had the entire lineup healthy?

Some of the answers are obvious; others, less so.

Joe Mauer has been so good all year, it’s easy to overlook him when talking about the September surge, but to forget his contribution would be criminal. All he’s done is hit .386/.485/.542 with an OPS of 1.027 this month. His power numbers are down from August, but he’s getting on base at an even better clip, which, given the emergence of some of the run producers lower in the order, has made him that much more valuable.

What more can you say about Mauer? Since missing all of April, the Twins have only played in three games that Mauer didn’t appear in. He’s had just three games this month in which he didn’t get a hit–one was a pinch hitting appearance and he drew five walks in the other two.

That he is the Twins’ MVP is set in stone. I’ve staked my claim that he is also the league MVP, but to repeat what I said about Zack Greinke, whether or not he is the actual AL MVP this season, he is the league’s best player.

The emergence of Michael Cuddyer has garnered him irrational amounts of praise. Yes, he has been integral to the Twins’ September rise, but he is not a serious MVP candidate as some may have suggested. Setting aside the irrational exuberance for a moment, Cuddyer really has been at his best this season.

His 2006 season is the only other season in his career that Cuddyer has been anywhere near this productive. It’s also the only year in which he played more than 150 games, which he ought to do this year (he’s at 145 currently and will almost certainly play in the seven remaining games). When Cuddyer is healthy, he’s been good. And while he’ll never be mentioned with Rich Harden in terms of players who are outstanding when healthy, but made of glass, he deserves at least a footnote.

As consistent as he’s been all year, he’s been even better in September, putting up a .290/.313/.602 line this month, good for an OPS of .915, while slugging eight of his career high 30 home runs this month.

Then come the guys that prove it’s not who you are, it’s how you play. Few, if any serious observers would be excited about a bottom of the order that features Nick Punto, Matt Tolbert, Jose Morales, and Delmon Young, yet all have batting averages above .300, and OPS above .770.

Punto has long been maligned as an offensive black hole and frequently it’s true, but this month he’s been a solid force at the bottom of the order. Think that’s an exaggeration? Punto’s line this month, .306/.427/.387 gives him the team’s fifth best batting average and second best OBP. If you were expecting Punto to slug like Mauer or Cuddyer, well, that one’s on you, captain irrational.

The point is, for much of the season the Twins fielded a lineup that was about four or five hitters deep: Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Cuddyer, and Denard Span. They got occasional contributions from people like Joe Crede and Brendan Harris, but on any given day, the offense could be almost completely reliant on those five.

Now, the Twins are seeing production from nearly everyone.

Mauer, Cuddyer, Punto, Tolbert, Morales, and Young have been discussed already; Span has dropped off after an incredible August, but is still posting a .380 OBP from the lead-off spot; Orlando Cabrera hasn’t been the offensive panacea that the front office may have hoped he’d be, but his presence has kept Alexi Casilla firmly ensconced on the bench, and he has walloped three home runs this month, so there’s something to be said for that.

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