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The Minnesota Twins will not make the 2012 MLB playoffs, but that doesn't mean they won't be a factor in the race. With the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox battling for playoff position down the stretch, the Twins will be one of a few teams with a real shot of altering how the playoffs look.
The Twins, though, don't feel all that great about the position. The franchise, of course, would rather be the ones fighting off spoilers instead of being the team doing the spoiling.
"It's not a good position to be in," [general manager Terry] Ryan said. "That's not what we wanted to do in September. No one wants to be in a predicament like we're in, playing a spoiler. We've got some things to accomplish, and taking some looks at these guys."
(via Minnesota Star-Tribune)
Ryan also said that the Twins will play their veterans when they face teams like the Tigers, White Sox and New York Yankees, as they want to ensure that there is "credibility" in the playoff race.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Minnesota. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit Twins blog Twinkie Town and White Sox blog South Side Sox. And for more news, notes and analysis from around Major League Baseball, check out Baseball Nation.