The struggling Minnesota Twins took another hit in the American League wild-card race as Jonah Bride homered to kick off a four-run second inning, leading the 99-loss Miami Marlins to a 4-1 win on Tuesday night.
Bride had three hits, while Nick Fortes and Xavier Edwards each added two, helping to power the key rally against Bailey Ober (12-8). Ober, who has been strong lately, could not complete six innings for just the second time in his last 17 starts.
The main issue for Minnesota, which suffered its 23rd loss in 34 games, was a lineup that has scored two runs or fewer in 14 of the last 30 games.
“I’m not thinking about that on the mound. I’m more frustrated that I’m giving up runs,” Ober said. “Just with where we’re at in the season, every run counts and matters.”
The Twins (81-76) have lost 14 of their last 20 games and now sit two games behind both Detroit and Kansas City for the last two wild-card spots.
The Tigers and Royals are tied at 83-74. While the Twins won the season series against both teams, time is running out with only five games left.
“We always go one game at a time, but we’ve got to win a bunch of games right now,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “This is well past just us needing to play good baseball. We need to win, and we know that.”
With Minnesota’s loss, Baltimore secured at least a wild-card spot. The rising Tigers recorded their 28th win in their last 39 games, even before the Twins took batting practice, as their game against Tampa Bay was moved up to avoid rain.
The defending AL Central champion Twins were just two games behind division-leading Cleveland and tied for second with Kansas City as late as August 24. Despite earlier bullpen issues, their offense—once one of the most productive in baseball—has struggled in the final month of the season.
The Marlins, who have the second-worst record in the majors behind only the Chicago White Sox, managed to defeat the Twins despite Ober’s presence on the mound.
