When do the Twins start the playoffs?
The AL Central champion Twins are locked into the No. 3 seed in the American League and will host a best-of-three wild-card series at Target Field next week against the No. 6-seeded Toronto Blue Jays. The games will be Tuesday, Wednesday and, if necessary, Thursday, all scheduled for 3:38 p.m. and televised on ESPN.
Will teams be reseeded?
They will not. The top two seeds get a bye into the American League Division Series. In the ALDS, No. 1 seed Baltimore would face the winner of No. 4 Tampa Bay vs. No. 5 Texas and No. 2 seed Houston — which won its third consecutive AL West title on the final day of the season — would face the winner of the No. 3 Twins vs. No. 6 Toronto.
Are tickets available?
Yes, single-game tickets are available on the Twins' website.
The Homer Hanky is back?
You betcha. Buy some at the Star Tribune Shop online or at the ballpark. Fans attending playoff games will receive one when entering Target Field.
Home games in October? Weather trouble?
Maybe. Next week's forecast features a wide variety (big surprise, right?), with Tuesday's highs in the 80s, Thursday's low in the 40s and rain possible on Wednesday and Thursday.
Is the Twins roster finalized?
No, and it might not be until the Tuesday morning deadline. There are several decisions to be made for the 26-man wild-card round roster. Beat reporter Bobby Nightengale offered a roster projection recently, and La Velle E. Neal III focused on five key decisions for a recent column.
Is Rocco ready?
The Twins manager hasn't gotten much sleep lately but, yes, Rocco Baldelli is preparing for his third postseason in this job and looking for his first victory to improve his 0-5 postseason managerial mark.
What about Byron Buxton?
Whether or not to put Byron Buxton on the 26-player wild-card round roster is one of the biggest questions, and perhaps the toughest decision, in the days ahead. Columnist La Velle E. Neal III had an exclusive column on this topic on Thursday.
