MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins could only watch and wince when their All-Star closer and newly acquired veteran starting pitcher were both traded in the last two days before the non-waiver deadline.

Three weeks later, their best player was sidelined by an injury he still hasn’t returned from.

“But here we are with a week to go, and we have a chance to extend our season,” manager Paul Molitor said.

They have more than just a chance.

After finishing 59-103 in 2016, the worst record in the major leagues, the Twins (82-74) completed a four-game weekend sweep in Detroit to push their lead for the second AL wild card spot to 4½ games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels. The Twins had Monday off, while the Angels were in Chicago to play the White Sox at night. They could clinch their first postseason berth since 2010 in just a couple of days.

The Twins are the 13th team in major league history, and the first since the 2009 Seattle Mariners, to go from 100-plus losses to a winning record.

“We tried to put last year behind us as best we could,” Molitor said. “I think guys tried to learn from it. I think some guys might have used that as a motivation. But more than anything, it was tremendous learning experience, even though it was tough to endure at the time.”

The front office brought about shorter-term discomfort for the players in late July, when a 1-6 finish to the month served as the trigger for separate deals that sold off ninth-inning man Brandon Kintzler and Jaime Garcia for minor-leaguers. Surges by the division rival Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals factored in, too.

Kintzler had logged 45 saves over a season-plus as the closer. Garcia had just arrived in a trade with the Atlanta Braves, winning his only start, as a signal the Twins were targeting the playoffs. The reaction from the clubhouse was predictably disapproving, with second baseman Brian Dozier voicing the most displeasure.