With just over a week left in the regular season, the only thing certain for the Minnesota Twins is that they're in for a white knuckle ride to the finish line.
The Twins were once in a position to potentially steal away the AL Central lead from the Cleveland Guardians, but then the bottom fell out on a roster that ownership failed to properly invest in. There were other factors that stifled Minnesota down the stretch, but not having proper resources is certainly one of them.
Minnesota enters the the final stretch of the season with a roster being held together by duct tape. Byron Buxton just returned from the IL and Carlos Correa admitted that he rushed himself back to ensure he'd be available -- not neccessarily healthy -- to help with a playoff push.
Despite the injuries and various setbacks, like losing two out of three to the Cincinnati Reds this weekend, the Twins are still have a chance to completely flip the AL Playoff picture this week.
Latest AL Wild Card standings ahead of Twins-Guardians series this week
We've known if for awhile, but the Twins' four-game series against the Guardians this week is a make-or-break stretch. Minnesota can't catch the Guardians and take over first place, but can throw the stnadings into chaos.
Sitting 6.5 games back, a sweep would move the Twins within 2.5 games of Cleveland with nine games left. It would also mean the Royals likely move into first place, and would significantly narrow the gap Minnesota needs to close to earn the No. 5 seed.
Winning the division is a long shot, even with four games to fully make up against Cleveland; a Wild Card berth is looking like the only ticket into the postseason for the Twins.
Team | Record | GB |
|---|---|---|
Baltimore Orioles | 84-66 | +4.5 |
Kansas City Royals | 82-68 | +2.5 |
Minnesota Twins | 79-70 | -- |
Detroit Tigers | 77-73 | 2.5 |
Seattle Mariners | 77-73 | 2.5 |
Boston Red Sox | 75-75 | 4.5 |
Adding pressure to how well the Twins need to play against Cleveland is how close the Tigers are to pushing Minnesota out of the picture. Detroit has surged over the last month and is just 2.5 games back of the final wild card spot.
The Tigers are very much looking forward to taking full advantage of a potential Twins flameout against the Guardians, which would likely end Minnesota's playoff hopes given the way things have gone.
That's the flip side to the upside present this upcoming week. The margins don't get any tighter than they are right now and we're about to learn exactly what kind of team the Twins are.
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