Ascending Twins seek greater heights vs. struggling Mariners

For much of the season, it looked like the Minnesota Twins would be sellers at the MLB trade deadline.

Victories in seven of their past nine games has changed all that, however. They will look to continue their ascension on Saturday when they play the second contest of a three-game series against the host Seattle Mariners.

The Twins rallied for a 5-3 victory on Friday behind homers from Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis and Ryan Jeffers to move into a tie with Cleveland for the American League's third and final wild-card spot.

The Guardians and Twins also are tied for second in the AL Central, three games behind the Chicago White Sox.

After his team acquired reliever A.J. Minter from the New York Mets on Thursday night, Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll swung a deal for veteran starter Dean Kremer from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.

"It's something we were able to do without taking anybody that's close to the major leagues and that's important," Twins manager Derek Shelton said of the three lower-level prospects surrendered in the two deals. "When you're able to add starting pitching depth and you're not doing it with someone that's going to affect your major league team this year or next year, that's important for us."

While the Twins are surging, the Mariners are headed in the opposite direction.

The defending AL West champions have lost three in a row and eight of their past 10 to drop three games back in both the division and wild-card races.

While it has been assumed they'd be buyers at the deadline, there a slim chance that might no longer be the case.

Cal Raleigh hit a two-run double in the first inning Friday and Cole Young added a solo shot in the second, but the Mariners managed just one hit the remainder of the night.

"A lot of momentum swings," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. "They were able to grab that momentum back there toward the end of the ballgame and offensively we just weren't able to get that momentum back in our favor."

Wilson, who usually brings in relievers at the start of innings, instead tried to get both Jose Ferrer and Eduard Bazardo to bridge two frames Friday. The move backfired, as both allowed homers.

"I just thought (Ferrer) was throwing the ball as well as he could and we just continued with him and that's the plan we wanted," Wilson said.

On Saturday afternoon, Twins rookie left-hander Connor Prielipp (3-5, 4.73 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound against Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert (8-6, 3.44).

Prielipp snapped a five-start winless drought Sunday in an 11-8 victory against the visiting Athletics as he allowed one run on two hits over five innings, with one walk and five strikeouts. He beat the Mariners 11-4 on April 27 in Minneapolis as he gave up two runs on one hit in five frames.

Gilbert didn't get a decision in Seattle's 6-4 victory Sunday at Texas when he allowed three runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. He's 2-1 with a 4.06 ERA in six career starts against the Twins, although he didn't get a decision in a 7-1 win April 28 at Minnesota despite allowing one run on six hits in five innings.