Josh Willingham's chase for 35 homers will be one of many highlights of the last third of the Twins' season. Photo by Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

The Twins are not going to make the playoffs this year.

I hope I’m not crushing your hopes by stating that; unless you’re the most optimistic baseball fan ever, that fact has probably been obvious for about three months now. The 2012 Twins, like the 2011 Twins, are playing a lost season that will end right after Game 162.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of reasons to keep watching. In fact, the Twins have a lot to play for this August and September. These could be two of the most crucial months in determining the future of the team, and they could also be very fun to watch.

Here’s what we should be paying attention to over the next seven weeks:

Josh Willingham‘s Home Runs

After hitting number 28 on Sunday, Willingham finds himself just seven home runs away from breaking the 35 barrier, something no Twins has done since Harmon Killebrew in 1970. Several Twins have hit 34 in a season, but 35 seems to be an of elusive, unattainable figure. Willingham is on pace to reach 42 homers, and even 40 would be a nice, round figure. But Puckett’s Pond will be plenty happy if he just makes it to 35.

Scott Diamond‘s Pitching

He’s either the poor man’s Mark Buehrle or the second-coming of Allan Anderson, a dependable, groundball inducing lefty who can be successful for years or a flash in the pan who has a good year then is forgotten. We won’t know which one he really is for several years, but that won’t stop us from analyzing his last 10 starts of 2012 for clues. Diamond is now sixth in the American League with a 2.93 ERA, and he has a chance to be Minnesota’s first 15 game winner since Carl Pavano way back in 2010.

More Trades

Speaking of Pavano, he will probably find a new home this month. The trade deadline is ancient history, but that didn’t stop the Twins from dealing Danny Valencia for an intriguing (if a little long in the tooth) prospect. Expect Pavano and Matt Capps to follow. Due to the restrictions on trading players after the deadline, Minnesota probably won’t get a huge return, but they could land a couple sleeper prospects. For comparison, when Pavano came to the Twins in a similar deadline deal back in 2009, the Indians received once-promising pitcher Yohan Pino in return.

A Revere/Mauer Batting Race

Joe Mauer had a rough week at the plate last week, but his batting average still ranks in the top five in the AL. And leader Mike Trout is finally showing signs of slipping from his loft perch at the top. Meanwhile, Ben Revere is hitting like nobody’s business (up to .331 as of the end of Monday night’s game), and as soon as he accumulates enough plate appearances to qualify, which should happen this week or early next week, he’ll be high on the leaderboard as well. We could witness a spirited competition for the title.

September Call-Ups

Chris Parmelee was a pleasant surprise last September, and this year the Twins may have some even more exciting prospects available to join the Big League squad for the season’s final month. Oswaldo Arcia is hitting even better at AA New Britain than he did at Class A Fort Myers earlier in the year, and he definitely deserves to sip the proverbial cup of coffee this fall. His teammate Aaron Hicks, a former first round draft pick, is also putting together a fine season for New Britain. Arcia and Hicks could give Twins fans a nice preview of Minnesota’s 2014 starting outfield.

The Quest for 75 Wins

Most of all, we should keep watching and cheering for the Twins, because we want them to win. Minnesota probably will not be one of the very worst teams in MLB, and the 2013 draft class is fairly weak at the top, so there’s not much point in hoping for a high draft pick. Instead, it would be far better if the Twins could put up a respectable showing down the stretch to prove that this is not a doormat team. That way free agents won’t scoff at signing up to play at Target Field this offseason. 75 wins would be a nice, attainable target. It requires the Twins to play just over .500 ball the rest of the way.

June 12, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA: Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer (7) and Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jared Burton (61) talk during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Target Field. The Twins won 11-7. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

While his cameo appearance in the mid-summer classic was a brief one, Joe Mauer represented the Twins well by singling up the middle off LHP Wade Miley, then dutifully manning first for the AL squad’s final two innings. The optimism in me hopes that his perfect All-Star performance serves as a good omen for Minnesota’s second half of the season. I’m not about to predict nor pray for a division title, but there are certain things I hope to see from the team over the next 77 games, which I’ll list here categorically.

• Rotation – Here is how I’d like to see the rotation shakeout over the next 3 months. July’s starts will be taken by Francisco Liriano, Scott Diamond, Cole DeVries, Samuel Deduno, and P.J. Walters, who should return from the DL soon barring any further setbacks. If Liriano continues to pitch well, he should be dealt by July 31, netting some young talent for the system. By then, let’s hope that Carl Pavano can slide into his rotation spot for the month of August. If he shows some value in a few starts when he returns from the DL, he could be dealt by August 31 for either salary relief, middling prospects, or both. While Liam Hendricks could take that spot for September and aim for his first victory of the season, I’d prefer the team to give 5 or 6 more starts to Nick Blackburn. He’s owed nearly $5 million this year and more than that next. If he can straighten things out at Rochester, these few starts could give management an idea of whether he is worth keeping around for 2013, or if they should just cut ties. Hendricks should get the chance to pitch out of the bullpen in September to restore his confidence in getting major league hitters out.
• Bullpen – This bucket list is quite simple: Trade Matt Capps, make Jared Burton closer, keep Glen Perkins in the setup role he excels in, return Brian Duensing to his relief role (he’s always shown he’s better there), and call up Anthony Slama as soon as he’s healthy again. Alex Burnett, Jeff Gray, and Anthony Swarzak can round out the rest of the pen.
• Offense – The upcoming trade deadline will set the rumor mills afire as baseball fans look for the Twins to sell. There is no doubt they should be sellers, but the question is will it be a fire sale or will we see just a few sparks? Let’s hope that the only key offensive contributor dealt is Denard Span. I love Span and what he brings to the table, but so do most of the other 29 MLB clubs. He appears over past concussion issues and now able to contribute as a table-setter. Trading him would bring a return of prospects who could positively impact the major league squad for years to come. Other than that, let’s just hope Justin Morneau solves his allergy of left-handed pitching; Trevor Plouffe power never fades; Chris Parmelee, Joe Benson, and Brian Dozier show they have futures as solid regulars; and Danny Valencia and Tsuyoshi Nishioka get September call-ups, giving them a chance to show they can contribute in Minnesota, in Valencia’s case, or, in Nishioka’s, any other place in the world that will pay his remaining contract.
• Defense – The Twins need to play Ben Revere exclusively in center field following the trade deadline. Mauer has hit excellently this year, so I would hate to do anything that throws off his groove, but I still suggest this semi-radical idea: use September to test out his defensive versatility and prowess. Try Mauer at third, right, and left for a few games. Such experiments could speak volumes to Twins management as they plan for the future. My only hope is that none of this hypothetical toying and tinkering would affect Mauer’s quest for his fourth batting title.

The second halves of seasons have typically brought excitement and reasons to cheer to Twins fans over the past decade. While we may not be cheering over a playoff berth come October, hopefully fans will be cheering for a team that’s returned to respectability and contention. Too optimistic? Time will tell, but if Mauer performance turned out perfect last night, why can’t my plan turn out that way as well?

The Twins celebrated after last night's win, but maybe we shouldn't be so excited. Photo byJohn Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Suddenly, the Twins are on a roll. After last night’s 4-2 victory over the hapless Royals, Minnesota has won seven of its last nine games and three consecutive series. What’s more, the upcoming schedule is easy enough to imagine the Twins taking off on a big winning streak this month. It might be the worst thing that could possibly happen to them.

Sound crazy? It isn’t. A midseason hot streak has hurt the Twins in the past. The very recent past.

On June 1, 2011, the Twins fell to 17-37, a laughable 16.5 games back in the AL Central. A tough early schedule helped expose the Twins as one of the worst teams in the Majors. But then a near miracle happened. The schedule eased up and the Twins doubled down to cruise their way through June and early July. Despite a roster held together by duct tape and prayers, the team overachieved long enough to pull within six games of the division leading Tigers on July 30, the day before the trading deadline. With first place not out of sight, General Manager Bill Smith decided not to trade Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, or Joe Nathan, despite the fact that all would be free agents after the season. It turned out to be a bad move. The Twins were quickly exposed as frauds, and they sank back to the bottom of the AL standings. They made two deals after the deadline, trading away Jim Thome and Delmon Young for two marginal prospects and a little cash.

On May 27, 2012, the Twins fell to 15-32, worst in the Major Leagues and 11 games out of the division lead. Like the 2011 team, the Twins had a vicious schedule in April and May. But as with 2011, June brings a slate of easy games against creampuff teams. Before the end of this month, Minnesota plays Pittsburgh, the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee, and Kansas City. It probably is not enough to get the Twins near .500, but if the rest of the teams in the AL Central do not pick up the pace, it’s possible the Twins could go on just a big enough winning streak to give them a little hope in the division race to prevent them from dealing away veterans.

Any such hope would be a mirage, because the Twins are not a playoff team in 2012. Baseball Prospectus gives the Twins a 0.0% chance of a postseason berth. And if they fail to make some trades this summer, the loss could be even greater than it was last year, because the Twins have better trading chips in 2012. Cuddyer would not have netted any top-tier prospects in return because he was only months from free agency. But Josh Willingham is hitting better than Cuddyer, has a cheaper contract, and is signed through 2014. He could be in great demand. Matt Capps was in the middle of a terrible season last year, but this year he’s perfect as a closer, and other teams could be taking note. Justin Morneau, Ryan Doumit, and Carl Pavano might also make good trade bait.

This is clearly a team that needs to focus on rebuilding. The starting rotation is laughable, and the minor leagues are bankrupt of pitching talent. Aside from Joe Mauer, there are no players on the Major League roster young and talented enough to build a lineup around. The 2012 draft may have netted some talented players, but those players are all at least 4-5 years from contributing. The only way the Twins will acquire talented players who are nearly ready for MLB is by trading veterans.

To be clear, I am not blaming the Twins for not making trades last season. It’s easy to criticize in hindsight, but at the time it was possible to imagine the Twins’ early losses were a mirage. The fanbase would have been upset to see them wave a white flag with only a six game deficit. Holding steady was not a bad decision, it was just an unfortunate circumstance.

If that unfortunate circumstance repeated itself this year, it might set the Twins’ rebuilding efforts back several years.