Souhan: Error ends terrible Twins week, but hope remains for postseason

In the past eight days, the Twins have experienced three of the worst losses of the season, while receiving enough bad injury news to fill an orthopedist’s day planner.

On Aug. 18, reliever Jorge Alcala gave up five runs while getting just two outs to keep the Twins from a four-game sweep in Texas.

On Tuesday night, reliever Stephen Okert gave up four runs while getting one out, which prevented the Twins from winning a series at San Diego, one of the hottest teams in baseball over the last month.

And Sunday, second baseman Edouard Julien tried to start a ninth-inning double play and threw the ball into left field, leading to two unearned runs and a 3-2 loss to St. Louis at Target Field.

Also this weekend, the Twins learned that star center fielder Byron Buxton, who was expected to return to action this weekend, could not, and that star shortstop Carlos Correa, who is trying to find a way to manage his plantar fasciitis and hasn’t played since July 12, has made little progress.

With 32 games left in the season and Cleveland holding a three-game lead in the AL Central, these losses and injuries feel like a worthy source of devastation and despair.

But playoff races are about math, not emotion.

These were random events, not predictors.

Alcala had not given up five runs in any month in the big leagues this year before he gave up five in one inning. It was a spectacular failure but not an indication of his ability, value or future.

Okert had failed to establish himself as a go-to reliever, and at the end of the week in which he had his worst outing, the Twins designated him for assignment.

Julien’s misfire looked bizarre on Sunday, and he might have been rushing himself to execute what would have been a difficult double play. But it’s the kind of play you would have expected from him last season, when he was a hitter who happened to play second base. Not this season, in which he has shown improvement in the field.

With all of the Twins’ injuries, Julien will be needed, especially while Brooks Lee works through shoulder soreness at Class AAA St. Paul and Correa’s short-term future is in doubt.

Each of those three losses was brutal to watch, and had the Twins won all three, they would be tied for first in the division and fighting for the best record in baseball.

Here are a few numbers to calm the nerves:

• Entering Sunday, the Twins had the best record in baseball since April 22.

• Even after Sunday, the Twins were within three games of first place with 32 remaining, including four games at Cleveland in mid-September. There isn’t much time, but there is enough if the Twins stop blowing leads.

• The Twins’ chances of making the playoffs are currently at 91.6%.

• Making the playoffs as a wild card worked out well last season. The fifth-seeded Texas Rangers defeated the sixth-seeded Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series, while the lower-seeded team won three of the four best-of-five Division Series.

That’s why the Twins’ injuries are more concerning than their ugliest losses.

Royce Lewis, Correa and Buxton — this team’s undeniable stars — have played only 17 games together this season. Correa still can’t run without discomfort, and Buxton wasn’t able to return, as had been hinted, this weekend from a hip injury.

Sunday, Julien’s error erased a number of promising story lines.

Rookie starting pitcher Zebby Matthews struck out seven and walked none while giving up only one run in five innings. His control and composure are real, and his stuff is more than good enough for him to have a long and prosperous big-league career.

Cole Sands continued to become one of the Twins’ key arms, pitching two shutout innings behind Matthews to lower his ERA to 3.07.

Griffin Jax continued his dominance, pitching a perfect eighth inning to lower his ERA to 1.73.

Julien’s error was a terrible way to end a terrible stretch. Will it decide the Twins’ fate? We remain weeks away from finding out.