After sweeping the Atlanta Braves in three games last week, the Minnesota Twins held the third American League Wild Card spot with a 63-65 record. Unfortunately, the Twins didn't hold onto that playoff position for long. After being swept by the San Diego Padres and losing two of three games to the Athletics, respectively, the Twins fell to four games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final Wild Card spot.
Latest AL Wild Card standings
Team | Record | Games Back |
|---|---|---|
New York Yankees | 75-57 (.568) | +8.0 |
Boston Red Sox | 73-60 (.549) | +5.5 |
Cleveland Guardians | 68-66 (.507) | |
Texas Rangers | 66-68 (.493) | 2.0 |
Baltimore Orioles | 65-68 (.489) | 2.5 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 65-69 (.485) | 3.0 |
Seattle Mariners | 64-70 (.478) | 4.0 |
Minnesota Twins | 64-70 (.478) | 4.0 |
Detroit Tigers | 62-71 (.466) | 5.5 |
To add insult to injury, the Twins held a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Padres and a 4-2 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Athletics, the worst team in the American League. If Minnesota had won those two games, the club would be just two games back of the Guardians, who won their last seven games.
After sweeping the Braves, the Twins had 39.4% playoff odds, according to FanGraphs. After dropping five of their last six games, Minnesota's playoff odds dropped to a season-low 10.6%.
As of this morning, the Twins' playoff odds have dropped to a season-low 10.5 percent.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) August 27, 2026
They were at 39.4 percent eight days ago.https://t.co/Z2j2Kf8pOJ
Latest AL postseason odds for teams in Wild Card race
Team | Postseason Odds |
|---|---|
New York Yankees | 100.0% |
Boston Red Sox | 98.4% |
Cleveland Guardians | 61.8% |
Texas Rangers | 32.8% |
Baltimore Orioles | 16.6% |
Toronto Blue Jays | 13.4% |
Seattle Mariners | 41.3% |
Minnesota Twins | 10.6% |
Detroit Tigers | 2.4% |
Here are the postseason odds for the division leaders:
Team | Record | Division | Postseason Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
Chicago White Sox | 70-63 | AL Central | 77.8% |
Houston Astros | 66-67 | AL West | 45.4% |
Tampa Bay Rays | 79-54 | AL East | 100.0% |
The Twins have a relatively easy schedule for the rest of the season, so fans still have a reason to have hope. Additionally, the Twins will face the Guardians in about two weeks. However, Minnesota will have to play at a 98-win pace for the rest of the season to finish above .500.
Twins lost two out of three to the last-place A's, who came into the series with an MLB-worst 10-25 record since the All-Star break.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) August 27, 2026
Twins are now 8-15 in August. And with a 64-70 record overall, they need to play at a 98-win pace for the rest of the season just to finish .500.
To make matters worse for Minnesota, Byron Buxton is still dealing with his hip issue, and Joe Ryan is on the injured list. It's unclear whether Buxton, who was removed from Tuesday's loss to the Athletics due to hip tightness, will be placed on the IL before this weekend's series against the White Sox. It's also unknown when Ryan will return.
The Twins' brass made it clear they are serious about making a postseason run this year by acquiring right-handers Jeff Hoffman and Tommy Nance from the Toronto Blue Jays, left-hander A.J. Minter from the New York Mets and right-hander Dean Kremer from the Baltimore Orioles ahead of the trade deadline. Calling up top shortstop prospect Kaelen Culpepper was another way Minnesota demonstrated its seriousness about making the playoffs.
Despite those moves, the Twins' playoff odds are currently at a season low. Minnesota could consider calling up top prospect Walker Jenkins, especially if Buxton needs another IL stint, to give the team the best possible chance to reach the postseason. Jenkins is hitting over .400 at Triple-A St. Paul in August.
Add us as a preferred source on Google