Impending free agent Odorizzi makes good last impression on Twins

Published Oct. 9, 2019 1:03 p.m. ET

Twins playoff curse (⬆️ UP)

It happened. Again. Minnesota broke an MLB record with 307 homers during the regular season and won 101 games -- the second-most in franchise history -- but it didn’t matter. The Twins still were swept in three deflating ALDS games to, yes, the New York Yankees. Minnesota has now lost 16 straight playoff games, tying the 1975-79 Chicago Blackhawks for the longest postseason losing streak in the history of North American sports. At this point, it’s gotta be a curse, right?

Eddie Rosario (⬆️ UP)

We know this about Rosario: the kid doesn’t shy away from the bright lights. That didn’t change in the postseason. Besides rookie Luis Arraez, Rosario was the only Twins player to get things going offensively in Game 3, as he collected three hits and provided Minnesota with its lone run -- a solo shot in the eighth inning.

Max Kepler (⬇️ DOWN)

October wasn’t much of a fest for Kepler. You could make a case that the outfielder was the Twins’ MVP during the regular season, but he flopped in the playoffs. Starting all three ALDS games, Kepler went 0-for-10 and fanned three times while also walking three times. A shoulder injury kept Kepler out for much of September. In fact, Game 1 of the ALDS was the first game Kepler started since Sept. 14. That shoulder might have had a bigger influence in Kepler’s postseason shortcomings than anything.

Jake Odorizzi (⬆️ UP)

If Minnesota was going to have a chance to win Game 3, it needed its starting pitcher to show up. Well, he did. It wasn’t Odorizzi who let down the Twins in their season-ending 5-1 loss, as the 29-year-old allowed just five hits and two runs over five innings of work in his first career postseason appearance. The solid outing was a good look for Odorizzi, who is now an unrestricted free agent and is certainly a candidate to return to the Twins next season.

Kirk Cousins (⬆️ UP)

In classic Cousins fashion, the Vikings quarterback rebounded from a horrendous performance with a solid stat line against a bad defense the following week. Cousins threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-27 passing against the New York Giants, a defense that ranks 28th against the pass. Up next for Minnesota is Philadelphia, which isn’t much better, so Cousins should be able to produce another juicy box score Sunday afternoon.

Devan Dubnyk, Wild goaltender (⬇️ DOWN)

Sure, it’s only two games, but the season hasn’t gotten off to a great start for Dubnyk. The Wild lost their season opener 5-2 when Nashville scored four third-period goals, and fell again Saturday in a 4-2 loss to rival Colorado. Again, it’s very early, but the Wild are already five points out of first place in the loaded Central division. In other Dubnyk news, he became just the second Wild goaltender to appear in 300 games for the team. You can read more about that here.