Baltimore Orioles Finish Off Minnesota Twins' Epic Collapse

The Baltimore Orioles eliminated the Minnesota Twins from playoff contention.

Sep 27, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Orioles left fielder Colton Cowser runs after hitting a home run. / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have had a rough second half, but nothing can compare to what the Minnesota Twins and their fans just went through.

The Orioles thumped the Twins 7-2 in Friday's series opener at Target Field, handing them their fifth loss in their last six games. The defeat was the final nail in the coffin for Minnesota, which was officially eliminated from playoff contention after the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals both won.

Baltimore, which had already clinched a playoff spot earlier in the week despite losing the AL East to the New York Yankees, secured the No. 4 seed with Friday's victory. The Orioles will have home-field advantage during next week's AL Wild Card Round (which starts on Tuesday against either the Tigers or Royals) and can essentially take the rest of the weekend off.

Baltimore got 5 2/3 scoreless innings from rookie Cade Povich in one of the best starts of his young career. He outdueled former All-Star Pablo Lopez, who held the Orioles to just two runs over 5 2/3 innings.

Unfortunately for the Twins, their bullpen was running on fumes after being over-extended in Thursday's 13-inning loss to the Miami Marlins. Baltimore erupted for five runs after Lopez left the game, while Minnesota's lifeless offense didn't score until garbage time in the bottom of the ninth.

Land of 10,000 Rakes pic.twitter.com/XHQpswS92p

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 28, 2024

The loss dropped the Twins to 82-78, completing their historic second-half collapse. Minnesota went 12-25 over its last 37 games, going from 17 games over .500 and two games out of first place in mid-August to out of a playoff spot by late September.

Even worse, the Twins allowed two division rivals to pass them in the standings and take their postseason spot. Detroit surged right past them thanks to one of the most impressive hot streaks in recent memory, while Kansas City somehow won enough to survive two separate seven-game losing streaks down the stretch.

Minnesota just couldn't stop the bleeding. The Twins have lost four straight series and are 4-10 over their last 14 games despite facing three teams that aren't postseason-bound.

The Orioles have lost more games than they've won over the last three months, but at least they still won often enough to make the playoffs. A few more wins would have kept Minnesota alive, but Rocco Baldelli's squad kept finding ways to lose.

In six weeks, the Twins went from virtual postseason locks to out of the playoffs, erasing four and a half months of good baseball. They beat themselves with dumb mistakes more often than not, but in the end it was Baltimore that delivered the knockout punch.