The Minnesota Twins, after finishing 2021 with the worst record in the AL Central division, are legitimate contenders.
That doesn’t make them a top team in the American League, though.
At 62-57, they should consider themselves lucky to be in the rather mediocre AL Central, because they have a true shot at winning it with such an inconsistent offense.
As of Monday afternoon, the Twins are just 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the lead.
Their offense, however, continues to betray them.
“#MNTwins shut out for the 12th time, fourth-most in MLB. Only the Tigers, Marlins, and Royals have been shut out more often. They rank 30th, 27th, and 25th in OPS. Twins rank 9th. Twins have averaged just 3.4 runs in their last 12 games, including 4 runs or fewer in 10 of them,” The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman tweeted.
#MNTwins shut out for the 12th time, fourth-most in MLB.
Only the Tigers, Marlins, and Royals have been shut out more often. They rank 30th, 27th, and 25th in OPS. Twins rank 9th.
Twins have averaged just 3.4 runs in their last 12 games, including 4 runs or fewer in 10 of them.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) August 21, 2022
An Untimely Collective Slump
The Twins’ hitters are not bad: they are just inconsistent, and are going through a slump.
With 527 runs scored, they are 15th in MLB: the unit is not exactly a weakness.
It can be considered as such in the last 12 games, though.
If they want to leapfrog the Guards and make sure they play in October, they will need to make sure they can score runs consistently.
A lineup, of course, has nine men, and each and every one of them is responsible for producing enough to remain on the roster and in the manager’s consideration.
However, the Twins need their two most talented regulars, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa, to excel at the plate.
They have been far from liabilities, but neither one is particularly hot at the moment and Minnesota could really use a hot streak from one of them or both.
NEXT: Twins Insider Shares A New Tyler Mahle Update