Pineda, Dyson make progress in injury recovery

MINNEAPOLIS -- Michael Pineda threw a bullpen session Saturday and Sam Dyson played catch on the field for the second straight day as both Twins pitchers made continued steps toward their eventual returns from the 10-day injured list.

Pineda has missed eight games with a right triceps strain that originally bothered him following his Aug. 1 start at Marlins Park but has not suffered any setbacks in his recovery. Twins decision-makers were expected to discuss whether Pineda would require a rehab assignment following the completion of his bullpen session.

Dyson has been sidelined for seven games with right biceps tendinitis that originally started bothering him in mid-July, when he was still with the Giants. When he finally went on the 10-day IL on Aug. 4, he hoped to start work on his shoulder by Wednesday or Thursday and begin playing catch Friday, meaning that he's in line with his projected timeline. The next step for Dyson would be to progress to a bullpen session.

"We're going to get him out there and continue throwing and probably ramp him up as time goes on," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "But nothing specific as far as dates. We don't really commit to dates with any of our guys, anyway, because there's no reason to do it. But he's definitely feeling a lot better than he was when he went on the IL."

Dyson, Pineda and Nelson Cruz, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday with a ruptured tendon in his left wrist, will all travel with the Twins on the upcoming six-game road trip through Milwaukee and Texas.

Both Dyson and Pineda are eligible to come off the injured list in time for the Twins' Tuesday night series opener at Miller Park.

Twins have easiest remaining schedule among playoff contenders

Regardless of how the Twins' remaining two contests against the Indians play out this weekend, there will be no more than two games separating Minnesota and Cleveland in the American League Central standings with 44 games remaining to play.

The division rivals will still have six head-to-head contests before the end of the season, but if you think the abundance of remaining games against the White Sox, Tigers and Royals on the Twins' schedule could bode well for Minnesota's playoff chances, you're not alone.

As MLB.com reporter Matt Kelly recently wrote, the Twins entered this four-game series against the Indians with the easiest remaining strength of schedule among the 18 teams with at least a 1% chance of reaching the postseason. The strength of schedule metric, as computed by FanGraphs, is determined through a combination of opponents' win percentage and an adjustment for home and road games.

In comparison, the Indians have the eighth-ranked strength of schedule among the 18 teams still in contention and embark on a 10-game stretch against the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets once they leave Minneapolis.

Twenty-six of the Twins' remaining 44 games following this series are against Detroit, Chicago and Kansas City, though the players understand that none of those games will simply be handed to them.

"I don't want to underestimate any other team," Eddie Rosario said. "This is the big leagues, and no team is going to just give us any games. Everybody's going to play hard, and at the end of the day, we're just going to keep playing day by day."

So, yes, the Twins have had what was once an 11 1/2-game lead in the division erased by the red-hot Indians, and they entered Saturday mired in their first four-game skid of the season. But with the schedule and the bigger picture in mind, the Minnesota clubhouse still isn't losing perspective.

"The perspective that I had is that this is our first four-game losing streak, and we're in August," Taylor Rogers said. "So I'm like, 'That's pretty cool.' And then also, we could win this homestand and that's what you want to do -- win a homestand, then a road trip. So I'm just keeping that kind of perspective."

Hildenberger, Gonsalves begin rehab assignments

Trevor Hildenberger (right forearm strain) and Stephen Gonsalves (stress reaction in left elbow) were both sent on rehab assignments to the Rookie-level GCL Twins on Saturday.

Baldelli did not have any specific timetable for the recovery of Hildenberger, who posted an 8.36 ERA as he began the season in the Major League bullpen before he was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on May 16 and placed on the Minor League IL on June 17.

"We're probably going to try and take a wait-and-see approach," Baldelli said. "See how, one, he's feeling physically and continuing to progress, and then also watch him throw the ball. I think we're looking forward to seeing him get back out there and get going but also don't want to put any expectations or pressure on him."

Gonsalves had been sidelined with a left forearm strain at the start of the Minor League season and made one start for Triple-A Rochester before he went back on the IL with the elbow injury.