The Twins did their job by beating the Marlins 8-3 Wednesday night in Minneapolis, but they didn't get any help as the two teams they're chasing — the Royals and Tigers — both won to remain two games ahead with four days left in the regular season.

Fifteen years ago on Sunday, the Twins won a one-game playoff against the Tigers to decide the 2009 AL Central championship. The game was 12 innings of nail-biting agony followed by pure joy when Alexi Casilla's game-winning single bounced onto the outfield turf.

It’s hard to believe that it was less than a year ago that the Twins were playing October baseball and exorcising their organizational demons with the long-awaited postseason success that certainly looked like it could serve as the building block for even greater heights to come.

Minnesota’s Manuel Margot scored from second in a five-run seventh inning on one of four Miami errors and the Twins rallied to beat the Marlins 8-3 on Wednesday night.

The Minnesota Twins broke a dubious streak on Tuesday, winning their first MLB playoff game in 19 years. The Twins scored a 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at home, and after the game, the team's long-suffering fans were deliriously happy.

Wouldn't you know it, the owners of the Minnesota Twins are actually cheaper today, than back in the Metrodome days.