As the Mets and Braves duke it out for the final wild-card spot in the National League, the AL postseason race has taken a different form. There might not seem to be quite as much drama in the Junior Circuit as September draws to a close, but Minnesota’s struggles in recent weeks, including being swept by Kansas City this past weekend, have put the Twins in a somewhat delicate position. In turn, they’ve cracked open the door for three teams — the Tigers, Red Sox and Mariners — to dream of a surprise, late entry into the postseason field.
According to FanGraphs, the teams with the five best records in the American League — the Yankees, Guardians, Orioles, Astros and Royals — all have a better than 95% chance of playing in October. The Twins, meanwhile, sit at a comfortable but not certain 85%. Barring a stunning, late collapse from the aforementioned five, it will be on the Twins to fend off the competition over the final few weeks and secure the last AL postseason spot.
With 17 games remaining for each team, here’s a look at what’s ahead for these four squads — and what’s at stake for each club in a broader sense.
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Minnesota Twins
Where things stand:
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Playoff odds: 85.3%
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Record in past 30 games: 12-18
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Record in past 10 games: 4-6
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Remaining schedule:
Path to the postseason:
You knew things were getting dire when the Twins felt the need to reintroduce the rally sausage into their dugout home run celebrations after a months-long absence. The unusual prop returned Tuesday during a much-needed victory over the Angels, which stopped a four-game skid that had Twins fans starting to sweat.
This is still a solid, well-rounded roster, just not one with the kind of star-level talent that can carry a team for extended periods, a la Bobby Witt Jr. in Kansas City or Jose Ramirez in Cleveland — or at least not that is currently healthy. Ace Pablo Lopez and reliever Griffin Jax have been marvelous but also just about the only two pitchers the Twins can count on lately, while injuries to Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton and an unfamiliar cold stretch from Royce Lewis have left this lineup in an uninspiring state.
A road trip to Cleveland and Boston looms large next week, as all seven of those games will have the opportunity to shake up the…