Minnesota loses game, but wins AL Central title
Updated: 8:28 p.m.
Tucker Barnhart and Eugenio Suárez had RBI singles a three-run 10th inning, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Minnesota Twins 5-3 Sunday in a regular-season finale that determined postseason matchups.
Despite the loss, Minnesota (36-24) clinched its second straight American League Central title when the Chicago White Sox lost to the Cubs. The third-seeded Twins host No. 6 seed Houston in the first round starting Tuesday.
“We were not focused on who we might be playing,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said. “There was a lot going on in that game today. It’s impossible to deny. ... Normally you just worry about winning the game. Normally you just go out and say, ‘We’re going to focus on winning. That’s the only thing that matters.’ And that’s the way it is probably 99 percent of the time you take the field.”
Cincinnati (31-29) became the National League's seventh seed and will play No. 2 Atlanta starting Wednesday.
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Raisel Iglesias (4-3) pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing Marwin Gonzalez’s RBI single in the bottom of the 10th.
Caleb Thielbar (2-1) started the 10th and got one out, then was replaced by Sergio Romo, who allowed the run-scoring hits and a bases-loaded walk to Joey Votto while failing to get any outs.
Hosting Houston could be important for the Twins, a major league-best 24-7 at home this season. Minnesota went 101-61 last year and won the AL Central by eight games, then was swept by the New York Yankees in the Division Series.
As of the 10th inning, Minnesota still could have finished second, third or fourth in the seeding.
“With all the new rules, we can’t really watch the game any more on the TVs out there, so pretty much all we had to do was watch the scoreboard,” reliever Tyler Duffey said. “We knew who we needed to win and who needed to do what. … Obviously, we would have loved to have won and taken it in our own hands, but a win’s a win ultimately. You’ve got a day to get ready for our next series.”