.Anibal Sanchez (3-7) gave up three runs and seven hits and struck out six in five innings for the Tigers, who missed the postseason for the third straight year and will go into the offseason looking for a manager to replace Brad Ausmus. Alex Presley hit a solo homer in the third inning.The Twins finished 85-77, their highest victory total since they won 94 in 2010. That is also the last time they were in the playoffs, and now they gear up for a familiar nemesis. The Twins are 1-9 against the Yankees in their last three playoff series, including 3-0 sweeps in 2009 and 2010.Colon pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up three hits and a walk while striking out four.Chris Gimenez also homered for Minnesota and Joe Mauer went 1 for 3 with an RBI-double to finish the regular season with a .305 batting average, the first time he has topped .300 since 2013.Bryan Holaday and JaCoby Jones had two hits for the Tigers.The game was delayed 40 minutes by rain.TRAINER'S ROOMTwins: DH Miguel Sano went 0 for 3 as he works to get his timing back for the postseason. The slugger returned to active duty Friday after missing 38 games with a stress reaction in his left shin.COLON'S STARTThe 44-year-old Colon's steady hand helped stabilize a rickety Twins rotation after he was picked up in the middle of July. But he had staggered of late, giving up 20 runs in 18 2/3 innings in September. The Twins don't have a lot behind Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios, so the strong outing could be enough to win him a spot in October.MOLITOR'S STATUSDespite the Twins' surprising surge to the playoffs, manager Paul Molitor has yet to have discussions with executives Derek Falvey and Thad Levine about a new contract. Molitor's deal is up after this season, and Falvey and Levine said they would address the situation after the season ends.''If circumstances were different and we weren't playing Tuesday, I might have spent more time thinking about it, to be honest with you,'' Molitor said. ''Whenever we're done, and hopefully it's not for a while, I'm sure that will be pushed to the forefront.'' DRAFT DAYThe game held some meaning for the Tigers. There was draft positioning on the line.The loss, coupled with a win by the San Francisco Giants over the San Diego Padres, means the Tigers will get the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft. Had Detroit won and the Phillies lost on Sunday, the Tigers could have dropped to No. 3.UP NEXTTigers: The offseason. They finish with a 64-98 record, their most losses since they went 43-119 in 2003.Twins: Ervin Santana (16-8, 3.28) will start for the Twins against the Yankees on Tuesday.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Twins make final tuneup versus Tigers 22m ago• 3 min read MINNEAPOLIS -- The intrigue of Detroit Tigers utility man Andrew Romine playing all nine positions in a game was extinguished Saturday. The Minnesota Twins are left with keeping players fresh with their playoff spot -- and opponent -- now secured.Detroit and Minnesota finish the regular season Sunday as two American League Central teams facing much different futures.The Tigers are headed to the offseason and a search for a new manager as Brad Ausmus has already been told he will not return. The Twins are preparing to face the Yankees in the American League wild-card game Tuesday in New York.The two teams split the first two games of the season-ending series, with Detroit taking Saturday's matchup 3-2 as Romine became the fifth player in major league history to play all nine positions in a game. Minnesota wasn't sharp as it had six hits and two errors."Offensively, we didn't have a lot of opportunities," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Some of the at-bats were, I thought, pretty good along the way. ... But got the guys work that we felt like we needed to today. Like I told you yesterday, I try to win but it didn't work out in that regard." Second baseman Brian Dozier and center fielder Byron Buxton sat out Saturday's game. Others will likely see time in the dugout on Sunday as Minnesota starts right-hander Bartolo Colon (6-14, 6.72 ERA) against Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez (3-6, 6.46 ERA).Colon only pitched an inning in his last outing as he left the game early because of an illness. Colon's spot on the postseason roster is unknown, but Molitor felt the 44-year-old Colon needed to start the finale in case he's needed later."I think he needs to pitch," Molitor said. "Hopefully he has a good outing and we can keep him out there for a while. Coming off a one-inning outing and uncertainty of what's down the road, depending on what goes on Tuesday, and I think he needs to pitch, so hopefully he has a good day." The Twins have Ervin Santana lined up to start Tuesday, and have already altered their rotation in case Jose Berrios is needed in relief. Should both pitch and Minnesota wins, the rotation for the division series is uncertain.Colon found success after joining the Twins at midseason but has run into recent trouble. He's 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA over his last four starts. Overall, he's 4-6 with a 5.50 ERA in 14 starts for Minnesota.His long career has included 27 games (26 starts) against Detroit, in which he is 8-10 with a 5.40 ERA.Like Colon, Sanchez is another veteran righty whose future was in doubt earlier this season. The longtime starter began the season in the bullpen but was finally given another chance at starting. Sanchez's ERA was 7.43 on Sept. 10, but he's turned in three consecutive quality starts.He's allowed four earned runs in 18 innings over his past three starts, pitching six innings in each contest."I feel really good," Sanchez said. "I think right now I found out a way to finish the hitter. Before the last two outings I wasn't able to finish the hitter and I just leave the ball right in the middle and, you know, a lot of homers. But, I found out the way to strike out guys, get a ground ball and finish the inning, you know, to cut off the rally, to be able to throw the last three outings for six innings." Sanchez is 6-5 with a 3.92 ERA in 22 appearances (18 starts) against the Twins, including 1-1, 9.82 in five games (two starts) this season.
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Detroit Tigers
Minnesota Twins
Pick Center
MLB
FINAL (10/1/2017)
BettingLeverage
