The Minnesota Twins may have come up a run short of winning the AL Central this year, but it was still a pretty successful season for the team. After all, nobody expected them to be competitive this season after losing both Torii Hunter and Johan Santana, yet there they were challenging for another division title.

Another reason that the Twins were a surprise this year is that they played the majority of the season without right fielder Michael Cuddyer, and though Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau get most of the attention in the Twins lineup, Cuddyer has always been a dangerous presence. His absence turned out to be a bit of a blessing though as it allowed Denard Span to get playing time, and Span took advantage of it to emerge as the team's lead-off hitter of the future. Which is why it's entirely possible that Delmon Young will be traded this winter after only one season in Minnesota.

The Twins won't talk about it, but it's expected that Delmon Young, the left fielder they obtained from Tampa Bay before this past season, will be made available on the trade market.

Seeing as how Cuddyer signed a three-year $23 million extension before the season, it's unlikely the Twins will want to move him, so Young seems to be the most logical choice, Delmon didn't really produce as much as the Twins would have liked when they sent Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza to the Rays for him, yet he still has enough value to bring back a third baseman or shortstop for next season.

While there were plenty of big plays to go around in last night's AL Central playoff game, the one most people want to talk about today is the play at the plate in the 5th inning. After Michael Cuddyer doubled to start the inning -- it was Minnesota's first hit of the evening -- he moved to third on a fly ball to centerfield.

Apparently this was enough to convince Cuddyer that he could beat Ken Griffey Jr, so a few pitches later on a pop up to shallow center, Cuddyer decided to test Griff again. Griffey's throw home beat Cuddyer, and despite Michael's best efforts to take A.J. Pierzynski out, the lovable Sox catcher held on to the ball and Cuddyer was out. Considering the final score was 1-0, it turned out to be a pivotal play, but not one that Cuddyer regrets.

"Obviously once (Griffey) caught that ball it was a play we had to make," Cuddyer said. "We had to take a chance right there. We weren't getting much done offensively, we were at the bottom of the order. We had to take a shot. ... Unfortunately A.J. made a hell of a play. I don't know how he held onto the ball. I thought I knocked his arm off, not just the ball, but he made a great play."

I understood the Twins logic in sending Cuddyer then, but I still don't agree with the decision. Griffey's arm may not be what it once was, but most MLB outfielders will throw you out from that depth, so I thought it was a mistake. Not one I minded of course.

Now, about A.J. showing Cuddyer the ball afterwards...

Apparently 162 games weren't enough for the Twins and White Sox, they're going to play one more tonight with the AL Central and a date with the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS on the line. The Twins took three from the White Sox last week, but that was in Minnesota. Tonight, the White Sox ride their stomping of the Tigers in yesterday's make-up game into a home game tonight at US Cellular as they try and clinch the division they've lead for most of this year.

John Danks and Nick Blackburn are taking the mound at 7:30 tonight and I'll be liveblogging and chatting below with a host of my FanHouse compadres. Follow along after the jump to help us celebrate an early start to the baseball postseason.

The Minnesota Twins are preparing to play the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field tonight, and it's a pretty big game for both teams. The winner takes the AL Central crown and moves on to Tampa to face the Rays in the playoffs, and the loser goes home to an entire list of chores the wife wants him to do around the house.

Of course, if that player has over $100 million in his bank account, he can just hire somebody to do all those chores for him. Though it should be pointed out that nobody on either the Twins or White Sox have a $100 million contract, at least, not yet. There are rumors coming out of Minnesota that Joe Mauer could have one soon.

Twins catcher Joe Mauer's $33 million, four-year contract provides no bonus for winning a batting title. It will be interesting whether the Twins try to lock up Mauer this winter with a five-year extension, which would be expected to exceed $100 million.

Now I have no idea whether Charley Walters is just saying he thinks it could happen, or if he's heard from sources that it is going to happen, but either way that's a lot of money. Still, you'd have to think Mauer is worth it. Justin Morneau is getting all the MVP talk for the Twins, but I'm not so sure Mauer isn't the Twins MVP. He's only just won his second batting title this season, plays good defense, and has handled a young pitching staff all year.

He is the face of the franchise now, so it would only make sense that he was the first Twin to cash in on the expected revenue boost Target Field will provide in 2010.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

Little did these furry creatures know back when this friendly picture was taken that they would be fighting to the death just two and a half short months later on the last day of the season ... albeit in different cities. But with the White Sox and Twins both refusing to the chokeslam down on their respective weekend opponents (the Indians and the Royals), this divisional fight to the death is looking like what you would expect a fight between furry mascots to look like: sloppy, clumsy, and downright hilarious.

With the playoff chase coming down to the wire, our MLB editor rounds up the five biggest pennant race stories in Eye Toward October.

- One Final Gamble: For the better part of two months, the Brewers have been rolling the dice. They went out and got reigning AL Cy Young winner CC Sabathia in July. Once they got Sabathia and once it became clear the bullpen couldn't be trusted in tight spots, they rode Sabathia and Ben Sheets hard -- pushing them past the 110-pitch and even 120-pitch mark with regularity.

And then with the team scuffling through September, they made a move that was just as dramatic as the Sabathia trade -- they fired manager Ned Yost, an almost unprecedented move for a contender. Some of the gambles have worked and some of them haven't.

The effect of four 120-plus pitch starts probably took their toll on the fragile Sheets. But on the flip side, the Brewers would probably be out of contention if the Sabathia deal wasn't made.

Milwaukee will roll the dice one last time Sunday, hoping that one last roll will result in a spot in the postseason after 25 long years. Fittingly, they'll have their biggest gamble -- Sabathia -- on the mound for that last roll. And he'll be starting on short rest for the second consecutive turn. Things might not go the Brewers' way in their last stand of 2008, but at least they'll be in familiar territory with their season on the line.

With the playoff chase coming down to the wire, our MLB editor rounds up the five biggest pennant race stories in Eye Toward October.

- Not Ready for Primetime: Someone has to win the AL Central. Next Thursday either the Twins or White Sox will take the field at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay with a shot at winning the World Series. But after a bullpen meltdown in Chicago and terrible Francisco Liriano start in Minneapolis, it doesn't seem like either team wants it very much.

Roughly a week ago, I wrote about how the Central race was the only one with any real drama, about how the NL wild-card race had lost its appeal because the Mets and Brewers seemed so fragile. Now, the opposite seems true. While the Mets and Brewers run their aces out on three days of rest and scrape and claw for every run, the Twins and White Sox seem determined to back into the playoff picture.

Of course anything can happen once a team gets into the postseason, but the Rays would be an exceptionally tough opponent even if the Twins or White Sox were playing well right now. With both teams playing poorly, it doesn't seem like the winner of the division will matter too much. Either way, it could be a quick first-round exit.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

Florida Marlins (83-76) at New York Mets (88-72) - 1:10 PM ET

They couldn't possibly do this again, could they?

Of course they could. You know they could. And your New York Mets know gosh darn well they could choke away another season ... especially after another lifeless late season loss to the Florida Marlins (who are now basing the success of their season on knocking the Mets out of the playoffs ... mature) and a Brewers victory which puts the Mets one game behind the wild card lead, and one game closer to another disastrous ending. So in response, the Mets are bringing back Johan Santana on three days rest to try to extend the season to Sunday. Of course, if they get to Sunday still alive, who will pitch then? Jon Niese? Brandon Knight? Frank Viola? Jesus?

That's silly. Everyone knows that Jesus would be in the bullpen because the Mets pen is so horrible. (And, you know ... Jesus saves.)

For a while there, it was looking like we weren't going to have any exciting pennant races this September. About a week ago, all of the races were threatening to wrap themselves up neatly and leave us with a final weekend free of drama. Earlier tonight, we had a lot of NL drama. While all of the NL shenanigans were going on, the Twins were making sure at least one race in the AL is going down to the wire.

It didn't always look like that. The White Sox breezed into Minneapolis this week with a 2 1/2 game lead in the AL Central. Even after they lost the first two games of the series, they were sitting pretty with a 6-1 lead tonight after a six run explosion in the top of the fourth. Things fell apart from there as the Twins were spurred on by a triple by Carlos Gomez in the fourth that scored a run and allowed him to score, then a two-run game-tying triple by Denard Span in the seventh, and finally a walk-off single by Alexi Cassilla in the eleventh.

After dropping three straight to the Twins, the White Sox head home to close out the season with three games against the Indians and a makeup against the Tigers, if necessary. The newly minted division leaders will stay at home in Minnesota to play the Royals. Yeah, the White Sox are in trouble.

With the playoff chase coming down to the wire, our MLB editor rounds up the five biggest pennant race stories in Eye Toward October.

- Second City Collapse: With every loss in September, the Mets are painted as chokers -- victims of another September swoon. That depiction was fair in 2007. They had a seven-game lead in the standings on Sept. 12 and wound up out of contention. It is not fair this year. The largest lead they have had this September was 3 1/2 games.

No, the Mets are just a flawed team that loses very ugly and carries the stigma from a year ago. Shift your focus from Queens to the South Side of Chicago if you want to see a team on the verge of a "collapse." The White Sox have dropped the first two games of a three-game series with the Twins this week.

If Minnesota finishes the sweep tomorrow, Chicago will find itself in unfamiliar territory -- second place in the AL Central. It will also be staring down a harrowing final weekend, needing to pick up a game in the win column against the Indians while the Twins play host to the Royals.

Oh, if the White Sox collapse it won't be in the same realm as the Mets' historic freefall in 2007. But it will be nearly as frustrating. Since May 17, Chicago has occupied first place for all but a dozen days. For the vast majority of the season, Ozzie Guillen's bunch has been demonstrably better than the Twins. They have a more polished and experienced starting rotation, a slightly better bullpen and a superior collection of offensive talent.

All Minnesota has is a good defense to prop up a very pedestrian starting rotation and a surreal .310 batting average with runners in scoring position. The Twins have had one other thing, a decided edge in a vital year-end head-to-head matchup. With it, they've pushed the White Sox to the edge of a cliff. Mark it down: Chicago needs a win Thursday much more than Minnesota.