Unfortunately, the Minnesota Twins players will most likely watch the entire postseason from their couches. After losing to the Chicago White Sox on Friday, the Twins fell to 4 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final American League Wild Card spot. Minnesota entered Saturday with a 3.8% chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs.
That said, it wouldn't be completely crazy if the Twins made the postseason. The Twins' remaining opponents currently have a collective winning percentage of .499, giving them the easiest remaining schedule of the four teams (Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles) behind the Guardians in the Wild Card standings. Granted, the Guardians have an easier schedule than those four teams, with an opponent winning percentage of .496. Still, the Twins' easy schedule shows there's a reason to believe the team could make a surprise playoff run.
Twins have a relatively easy schedule for the rest of the season
Here's the Twins remaining schedule:
- (Sept. 5-6) 2 Games @ Chicago White Sox
- (Sept. 7-9) 3 Games @ Detroit Tigers
- (Sept. 11-13) 3 Games vs. Cleveland Guardians
- (Sept. 14-16) 3 Games vs. New York Yankees
- (Sept. 17-20) 4 Games @ Los Angeles Angels
- (Sept. 21-23) 3 Games @ San Francisco Giants
- (Sept. 25-27) 3 Games vs. Texas Rangers
Will the Twins make the playoffs? Probably not. But with their easy remaining schedule, plus the fact that they have a three-game series against the Guardians next weekend, it wouldn't be an absolute shock to see the team reclaim the final Wild Card spot.
Still, keep your expectations in check, Twins fans. Gaining 4 1/2 games in the standings over just 21 games is no easy task, regardless of the strength of schedule. Even so, it's more fun to hold onto hope, and it's worth watching to see how young players like Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper progress.
The Twins are set to take on the White Sox for Game 2 of a three-game series at Rate Field in Chicago at 6:10 p.m. CDT on Saturday. Right-hander Taj Bradley (10-6, 3.85 ERA, 178 SO) is slated to start for the Twins. Left-hander Anthony Kay (9-7, 4.28 ERA, 113 SO) is scheduled to start for the White Sox. Twins fans can watch the game on Twins.TV. The series finale is slated to begin at 5:20 p.m. CDT on Sunday. Fans can watch Sunday's game on Peacock.
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