The Minnesota Twins are in a battle in the AL Central. This team has a strong chance to make the postseason and it could potentially come down to the final game of the regular season.
Right now, the team is without All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton.
Buxton, an important piece to this team, has not played since August 22 as he suffered a strained right hip which put him on the injured list.
This was the first time this season that the centerfielder landed on the IL and it could not have come at a worse time. Despite his absence on the field, Buxton continues to show his leadership qualities while he’s away from the game. It’s not easy being unable to play and help your team succeed, especially in a situation like this, with the postseason on the line.
But Buxton continues to keep his composure and have a positive presence, because he knows his teammates are looking at him and he’s a leader on the team. He knows his energy is contagious throughout the clubhouse and he’s going to keep a positive mindset while he’s on the IL.
“It was something that just kind of stuck with me the last couple days, watching us play, and it didn’t look like we were smiling, being positive, having fun like we normally would,” Buxton said in an article from mlb.com. “So that’s something I feel like I can bring back, turn it around, even if I’m not playing.”
It’s important that Buxton gets back to full strength because the Twins can’t afford to lose him again at any point this season. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli believes that Buxton will be in a better position when he returns from the IL.
“He’s probably, hopefully, going to be in a better spot when he comes off the IL than where he’s been for about four and a half months,” he said. “He’s probably going to be feeling better. Do I know that? I don’t know that with certainty, but I’m hopeful of that, and I think it’s realistic.”
There’s no exact date on his return, but Buxton could potentially return to the lineup sometime this weekend or maybe before.
On the season, Buxton is hitting .224 with 28 home runs and 51 RBI. Buxton will need to return to the Twins lineup and help bring that spark that he’s provided throughout the season if they hope to slide into the playoffs.
Before the break, we broke down the American League division leaders and the MLBbros who helped to make that happen. We even saw two of the bros we mentioned, Yankees Slugger Giancarlo Stanton and Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, win the All-Star game for the American League Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
Stanton was the MVP.
Now that the second half of the season is underway, let’s take an MLBbro.com look at the three National League division leaders. There are two pretty tight races brewing in the NL East and NL Central, while Mookie and the Dodgers are running away with the West. Let’s take a look at who’s holding it down up top.
NL East
New York Mets – 58-35, 2.5 games up
For a while it looked like the Mets were going to run away with the NL East. Armed with a gang of new talent acquired this offseason, New York shot out of the gates and took a commanding lead in their division. Injuries to starters Jacob DeGrom and Max Scherzer slowed them a bit, but the Mets closed out the first half winning six of ten.
Taijuan Walker has once again been a steady hand the Mets pitching staff needs as they await the return of their Ace. Walker is currently 7-2 with a 2.55 ERA with a 20.1% K rate to go with his 6.9% walk rate. The Mets will need to remain consistent throughout the second half, or they may see Michael Harris II and the Atlanta Braves leapfrog them in the standings.
NL Central
Milwaukee Brewers – 50-43, 0.5 games up
The All-Star break couldn’t have come at a better time for the Brewers, who went into the break losing seven of their last 10. The bullpen is still dominant but unfortunately for Devin and the pen, the Brewers offense has proven to come up short as the competition rises.
When called upon, Williams has been lights out. Over his last seven games, Devin has thrown 7 innings and only given up three hits while striking out 13 batters. He has filled in perfectly at closer when needed, saving six games over the Brewers last 30.
Hitters simply can’t touch Devin, and honestly that might be putting it lightly. On the year, hitters are batting .187 against his all-world changeup and .085 against his 4-seamer. The man is ELITE, hopefully the Brew Crew can score enough runs to really take advantage of his elite ability.
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers – 60-30, 10.0 games up
Everything is going exactly how it should be in Hollywood. The Dodgers signed Silver Slugger Freddie Freeman in the offseason and added him to a lineup that was already one of the most dangerous in all of baseball. Freeman has fit right in, and the Dodgers look poised to make another trip to the NLCS.
Mookie Betts hit 20 bombs with 47 RBI enroute to another All-Star appearance and made an emphatic statement with his pregame wardrobe while he was there. Mookie has been very selective at the plate this season, and according to Baseball Savant he ranks in the 91% percentile in both whiff% and chase rate.
Dave Roberts has his guys firing on all cylinders, and it will be tough for anyone in the West to catch LA.
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