Red Sox try to hold on to fading playoff hopes vs. Twins

In the heat of the American League wild-card race, the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins meet for the first time since May when they begin a three-game weekend series on Friday in Boston.

The Twins (80-73) have lost six of their last 10 games and 20 of 30 after finishing a four-game set at Cleveland with consecutive setbacks, including a 3-2, 10-inning contest on Thursday in which they were held to three hits.

As a result, Minnesota is in a dead-even tie for the final AL playoff spot with Detroit with nine games to play.

“It can be hard. It can be excruciating at times,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You could make a pretty reasonable statement that we were in a spot to win all four games here. (Winning just one is) not going to be satisfying, there’s no way around that.”

Though their playoff hopes have slipped during the 10-20 run, the Twins can only look forward. Having the likes of shortstop Carlos Correa and center fielder Byron Buxton, who both have an OPS above .850, back from injuries certainly offers a reason for optimism.

A strong finish can bring Minnesota more playoff baseball after winning the AL Central last season, but results will be needed to outpace a Tigers club that is 21-9 over the same span.

“If you’re looking at it from the outside, the odds probably aren’t in our favor just with how they’ve been going and how we’ve been going,” outfielder Matt Wallner said. “So, something’s got to change.”

Wallner went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts on Thursday after a 5-for-7 effort across the two prior games.

Continuing his rookie season, Minnesota righty David Festa (2-6, 5.07 ERA) is slated to make his 12th career start and first against Boston on Friday.

Festa remains in search of his first win since Aug. 5, though he broke a four-start losing streak in his Sunday no-decision against Cincinnati. He allowed two runs on three hits while striking out four over the first 3 2/3 innings of a 9-2 Twins win.

The Red Sox (76-77) are on the wrong end of the playoff cut line, entering their penultimate home series with a sub-.500 record and out of the third wild-card spot by four games.

A 2-0 Thursday loss at Tampa Bay caused that fact, whereas a Red Sox victory would have given them an opportunity to at least tie Minnesota in the standings with a head-to-head sweep this weekend.

In a crucial game with an opportunity to gain ground, Boston batters were held to one hit and struck out 11 times en route to being shut out for the seventh time this season.

“It’s the same thing that’s been happening for a month-and-a-half. We’re not executing,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “At one point, we were the best offense in baseball against righties, but now we’re not producing.”

Like the opposition, the Red Sox will start a rookie of their own in Richard Fitts (0-0, 0.00), who has allowed only two unearned runs through his first 10 2/3 major league innings.

Filling in for Tanner Houck on short notice, Fitts pitched five shutout, two-hit frames against the Yankees last Friday in New York.

“It was a quick turnaround to find out when I was starting, but I welcomed the challenge,” Fitts said. “I’m just super blessed and super thankful to have the opportunity to wear a Red Sox uniform now and hopefully for a long time to come.”

–Field Level Media