AL Wild Card standings: Twins' playoff hopes take a major hit after blowing lead to Guardians

Just a few weeks ago the Minnesota Twins were in a position to potentially use this stretch of games to surge to the top of the AL Central. Not only does that feel like ancient history, but the Twins now face a must-win situation as they risk falling completely out of the playoff picture.

Monday night was a perfect encapsulation of how this season has gone for Minnesota. The Twins blew a late 3-2 lead to the Cleveland Guardians, while at the same time the Detroit Tigers mounted a comeback win over the Kansas City Royals

The result is a narrowing of the race for the final AL Wild Card spot, as Detroit is just 1.5 games behind Minnesota and in prime position to take over within a few days time. While the Twins control their own destiny and own a tiebreaker over the Tigers, it feels like that scene in The Dark Knight Rises where Bane calmly lets a man who thinks he's in charge know that he really isn't.

AL Wild Card standings after the Twins blow a golden opportunity in Cleveland

That tiebreaker over Detroit might come into play based on how things are going right now. Minnesota's lead over the Tigers has slimmed to just 1.5 games, but ithe Twins winning the season series means that Detroit must finish ahead of them in the standings.

It's a pretty realistic situation given how poorly the Twins have played while the Tigers ride one of the hottest hands in baseball. Minnesota blowing a lead to Cleveland does more than just hurt them in the standings, it doubles as a confidence crusher. Griffin Jax was on the mound when Kyle Manzardo launched a towering go-ahead home run in the eighth inning; when the team's best pitcher crashes and burns, all hope is lost.

There are still 12 games left in the season, though, and even though it doesn't feel like it now the Twins have a very real chance to come out of this alright. The Wild Card lead is in dire straits, but a fatal blow has yet to be delivered.

Here's how things stand with a dozen games left:

Minnesota still has three games left against Cleveland, while the Tigers have two more against the Royals. The good news for the Twins is that Kansas City has incentive to win in order to try and catch Cleveland for the AL Central lead, which means two rivals can help each other out.

There's a mutual benefit to the Twins winning their next three games while the Royals take two from Detroit. Minnesota's chances of winning the division are slim-to-none, but helping Kansas City means getting some breathing room from the Tigers.

Minnesota's best, and likely only, path into the postseason is as a Wild Card team. Nothing is assured, as we've seen the team prove time and time again, but the season isn't over yet and there's still a glimmer of hope that things will turn out alright.

More Minnesota Twins news and rumors