MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The final afternoon of the regular season for the Minnesota Twins was filled with cheers Authentic Todd Gurley Jersey , chills and even a few tears as a lively crowd at Target Field was treated to a meaningful and memorable game .Too bad for the Twins and their fans the playoffs weren’t at stake.They had to settle for a Joe Mauer tribute , the probable end to a 15-year major league career for the smooth-swinging, six-time All-Star and one of the best athletes the state has ever produced.The first big news of what will be a busy fall and winter in Minnesota will likely be the announcement from Mauer about whether he will continue his career at age 35. The sentimental scene on Sunday as the Twins beat Chicago to finish with a season-best sixth straight win left little doubt he’s done.“Either way, it’s a good decision, you know? I can either play, or go home and be with my girls,” Mauer said before hitting a double and donning the catcher’s gear one last time for a ninth-inning curtain call.The end of this year was already going to be pivotal for the Twins. Not only does Mauer’s $184 million contract expire, but a bunch of other important players are also coming off the books. Several of them, with Brian Dozier and Eduardo Escobar leading the list, were traded away this summer once the front office concluded the 2018 roster was not strong enough to contend.After owner Jim Pohlad approved a club-record opening day payroll of more than $130 million, the Twins have less than $25 million committed for 2019 salaries to catcher Jason Castro, relief pitcher Addison Reed and starting pitcher Michael Pineda. Starting pitcher Ervin Santana ($14 million) and designated hitter Logan Morrison ($8 million) can each be bought out for $1 million each and, considering their injuries this season, almost certainly will be.That leaves a large portion of the roster unsettled for next year, but it also creates extra flexibility for chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine for their third season in charge. The 78-84 finish after their appearance in the American League wild card game the year before was disappointing, but the timing of the downturn could prove to be convenient.“We see teams that have closed the gap very hurriedly this year. Oakland jumps out,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “So Todd Gurley Jersey Elite , yes, you go into it knowing it might be different but still optimistic about what you can do to get it done.”CLOSING TIMEFernando Rodney proved to be a valuable addition at age 41 with 25 saves and a 3.09 ERA, faring far better than the other acquisitions — Morrison, Reed and starting pitchers Lance Lynn and Jake Odorizzi. Rodney wasn’t spared in the roster purge, leaving the Twins without a closer. Trevor Hildenberger was handed most of the opportunities, but he stumbled badly down the stretch with a 9.00 ERA and seven home runs allowed in 27 innings after the All-Star break.FOR STARTERSJose Berrios and Kyle Gibson give the Twins two established starting pitchers for 2019, with the 24-year-old Berrios carrying clear potential for further growth into one of the game’s best. Odorizzi will probably get another opportunity, with the durability of 32 starts he made this season his best debut contribution. There’s plenty of space for a newcomer in free agency or by trade, with Kohl Stewart, Stephen Gonsalves, Fernando Romero, Zack Littell and Chase DeJong among the prospects under consideration for the rotation when spring training starts.“The jury’s out on in terms of who of these guys are going to emerge,” Molitor said.STEPPING UPThe knee injury that ended Castro’s season early gave Mitch Garver an extended audition as the regular catcher, and he made significant strides both with the bat and behind the plate. Byron Buxton’s injuries, inconsistency and eventual banishment to Triple-A created an unexpected role for rookie Jake Cave, whose on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.797) trailed only Escobar and Eddie Rosario among regulars.TAYLOR MADEOne bright spot in the bullpen after Rodney, Zach Duke and Ryan Pressly were dealt away was left-hander Taylor Rogers Authentic Cooper Kupp Jersey , who finished the season with a 26-inning scoreless streak that was the longest active run in MLB and the fifth-best in Twins history. Rogers had a 2.63 ERA and just 65 hits and walks allowed in 68 1/3 innings. Rogers, along with righty Trevor May, who came back strong after Tommy John elbow surgery, gives the Twins a foundation for the back of the 2019 bullpen.“He’s a pretty cool customer,” Molitor said. “I think the change of roles early in the year and getting back to later in the games, it just doesn’t seem to faze him whenever I use him.” BALTIMORE — The Toronto Blue Jays, like many teams, have feasted on the pitching of the Baltimore Orioles this season. Toronto banged out three homers in Monday’s 5-0 victory and now has hit 37 against the Orioles this year. When the two teams meet for the second game of the series on Tuesday at 7:05 ET at Camden Yards, the Blue Jays hope to do more of the same. Toronto (68-82) will start Aaron Sanchez (4-6, 4.90) against Baltimore right-hander Dylan Bundy (8-14, 5.48).Home runs have been a huge problem for Bundy also this year as he’s given up 38 homers already — the most in the major leagues.Article continues below ...The Jays got homers from Danny Jansen, Kevin Pillar and Aledmys Diaz in Monday’s victory. It was humid at Camden Yards, and when that happens, for some reason, the ball tends to fly out of the yard more often.But the ball didn’t go very far for the Orioles (43-107) in Monday’s game as Toronto starter Ryan Borucki threw eight shutout innings en route to the victory. He impressed manager John Gibbons with his work.“He’s going to get occasional strikeouts, but he needs to get ground balls, so he needs to keep those guys off-balance Cooper Kupp Jersey Elite ,” Gibbons told the media Monday. “I’ll tell you what, I’m proud of him.”Up next for Toronto will be Sanchez. He has found success versus Baltimore in his career, posting a 6-3 record with a 3.87 ERA.Bundy pitched better in his last start and has a 3-2 career record plus a 3.63 ERA versus the Jays. However, the right-hander has faded after a strong start to the season.The loss in Monday’s game was the 15th time the Orioles have been shut out this season but more importantly, it tied a club record for losses in a season (107).The 1988 Orioles set that record, a season that began with 21 consecutive losses and manager Cal Ripken, Sr. being let go after just six games. This season did not have anything like that but there are a number of losing streaks and numerous other issues that the Orioles just could not fix.“It’s frustrating to say the least,” Chris Davis told MASNsports.com. “Once we hit 100, it was kind of like … I don’t know. I honestly didn’t have any words for it. It was embarrassing. It was frustrating. It’s one of those things you never want to be associated with, but at the same time, you’ve got to learn how to turn the page and start somewhere. Why not start now?”Davis now is mired in a 1-for-25 slide and has been having one of the worst offensive seasons in baseball history. He’s probably as frustrated as anyone, if not more so.The only positive to come out of this season is that since Baltimore has just 12 games left, it looks like the team will finish with the worst record in the majors — meaning the Orioles would get the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft.Sometimes good things come out of bad situations.