AL Wild Card standings after Twins let Guardians clinch a playoff berth

Just over a month ago the Minnesota Twins were cruising to not only a playoff berth but potentially another division title. The Twins were 3.5 games shy of having the best record in baseball, but 37 days later they're on the verge of falling out of the playoff picture entirely.

It's been an epic and sudden collapse for the Twins, who have gone 10-19 since August 18th and own one of the absolute worst bullpens in baseball. That's something that reared its ugly head this week, as Minnesota failed to hold onto multiple leads against the Cleveland Guardians, eventually dropping yet another series to their rivals.

Thursday's loss marked the end of the worst season series the Twins have had against Cleveland since 2007. It also allowed the Guardians to punch a ticket to the postseason, likely as division champions, and puts serious strain on Minnesota's own chances of making the playoffs.

Updated AL Wild Card standings after Twins drop another series to Cleveland

Fans in Detroit were watching Thursday's game closely, as the Tigers were just a half-game back of the Twins for the final Wild Card spot. They're still technically behind Minnesota by way of a tiebreaker, but the writing feels like it's on the wall.

It should have never come to this, as the tiebreaker was glass the Twins needed to break in case of an emergency. That's what's happening, though, as the season has turned into a five alarm fire that nobody seems to know how to extinguish

Instead, it's the fire in Minnesota's belly that has seemingly gone out, as the Twins have been the third-worst team in baseball over the last month and look like they have zero business being in the playoffs. Even with all that said, the Twins will control their own destiny and can regain some breathing room with a strong showing this weekend in Boston.

Each one of those games is a must-win, as Minnesota's season is officially on the brink.

Boston looked to be on its way out of the playoff race but can climb right back in at the last minute with a sweep of the Twins this weekend. That would essentially eliminate Minnesota from the playoffs, at which point serious questions about the future -- and who is a part of it -- will need to be asked.

We're not to that point yet, as the Twins are still alive and still techically in the playoffs. If the season ended today they'd punch a postseason ticket at the No. 6 seed and head to Houston for the Wild Card. There are still nine games for that to get spoiled, but the flip-side to that is that there are nine games left for the Twins to prove they deserve a playoff spot they've done everything in their power to argue against having.

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