After being swept by the Philadelphia Phillies, the Minnesota Twins quickly bounced back by sweeping the Atlanta Braves, the NL East's first-place team, in three games at Target Field.
With a tough three-game series against the red-hot San Diego Padres on the horizon, winning three straight against one of the best teams in the National League is a huge boost to the Twins' playoff hopes.
Updated AL Playoff standings after Twins sweep Braves
Minnesota has a losing record at 63-65, but the club is still in the thick of the playoff race. In fact, the Twins are now in sole possession of a playoff spot.
Here are the American League teams that would be in the playoffs if the regular season ended today:
Seed | Team | Record | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tampa Bay Rays | 76-50 (.603) | AL East winner |
2 | Chicago White Sox | 66-60 (.524) | AL Central winner |
3 | Houston Astros | 63-63 (.500) | AL West winner |
4 | New York Yankees | 71-55 (.563) | AL Wild Card 1 |
5 | Boston Red Sox | 68-59 (.535) | AL Wild Card 2 |
6 | Minnesota Twins | 63-65 (.492) | AL Wild Card 3 |
Obviously, plenty can change. The Twins' lead in the Wild Card standings is anything but safe.
Latest AL Wild Card Standings
Team | Record | Games Back |
|---|---|---|
New York Yankees | 71-55 (.563) | +9.0 |
Boston Red Sox | 68-59 (.535) | +5.5 |
Minnesota Twins | 63-65 (.492) | |
Texas Rangers | 62-65 (.488) | 0.5 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 62-66 (.484) | 1.0 |
Cleveland Guardians | 61-66 (.480) | 1.5 |
Baltimore Orioles | 61-66 (.480) | 1.5 |
Detroit Tigers | 61-66 (.480) | 1.5 |
Seattle Mariners | 60-67 (.472). | 2.5 |
The Rays and White Sox would have a first-round bye if the season were to end today. Meanwhile, the Twins would play the Astros in a best-of-three series at Daikin Park in Houston in the Wild Card round. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox would also play in the Wild Card round.
Interestingly, the Twins have a more favorable hypothetical matchup as the last seed in the Wild Card standings than the Red Sox and Yankees do as the first and second Wild Card clubs, as Houston is a much weaker opponent than both Boston and New York.
We may be getting too far ahead of ourselves by looking at the postseason standings already, but it's a fun exercise nonetheless.
The Twins have a relatively easy schedule for the rest of the season after the Padres series. Besides two series against the White Sox and one against the Yankees, the rest of the Twins' opponents currently have sub-.500 records. However, that includes the Tigers and Rangers, both teams that are right behind the Twins in the standings.
Meanwhile, here's a look at the NL Playoff Picture:
Seed | Team | Record | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Milwaukee Brewers | 78-49 (.614) | NL Central winner |
2 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 77-51 (.602) | NL West winner |
3 | Atlanta Braves | 74-53 (.583) | NL East Winner |
4 | Chicago Cubs | 74-54 (.578) | NL Wild Card 1 |
5 | Philadelphia Phillies | 70-58 (.531) | NL Wild Card 2 |
6 | San Diego Padres | 69-60 (.531) | NL Wild Card 3 |
The Arizona Diamondbacks are just one game behind the Padres in the standings. The St. Louis Cardinals are three games back, and the Miami Marlins are four games back.
As you can tell, the Twins are pretty lucky to be in the American League. Granted, there's much more competition in the AL, but the NL is still clearly much better overall. If the Twins were in the National League with their current record, they would be five games behind the Padres for the final Wild Card spot.
Add us as a preferred source on Google