Checking in on Minnesota Twins Plummeting Playoff Odds…

Rocco Baldelli
Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins have not played good baseball for nearly a month now. They have won just six of their last 21 games, and their postseason odds have taken a hit. Only a couple weeks remain in the regular season. It’s time to right the ship.

Where do the Minnesota Twins postseason odds stand?

The bad news is that Rocco Baldelli’s team has not been playing good baseball. The roster has been decimated by injuries and the lineup has failed to do much of anything. The good news is that baseball isn’t often impacted by small sample sizes and the teams around the Twins have largely left them alone. Despite the skid, Minnesota still has a 79.7% chance of making the postseason.

Courtesy: Fangraphs

By playing poorly, the Twins have almost no chance to repeat as American League Central Division champions (2.9%). Short of a road sweep against the Cleveland Guardians next week, the most likely outcome is to take the final wild card spot.

Minnesota gave up an opportunity to put the Royals behind them for good when they were swept in Kansas City over the weekend. They still hold the tiebreaker against the AL Central foe, but currently find themselves 2.5 games behind Matt Quartraro’s club.

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The Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds being in town this week for Minnesota represents the softest part of their remaining schedule. Rocco Baldelli needs better results from his club, and he needs them now.

Minnesota Twins likely postseason scenarios

As much as it was difficult to think that the Minnesota Twins could chase down the Cleveland Guardians, the same could be said about the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, or Seattle Mariners catching Minnesota. The possibility is there, but remote. Should that happen, an otherwise frustrating season will end in disaster. If the Twins can hold on, their possible opponents are relatively clear.

The most likely destinations for Minnesota in the Wild Card round are Houston, New York, and Baltimore. The Astros appear headed for the worst division winning record, while the runner up in the AL East could still be either the Yankees or Orioles. Minnesota is 0-9 against the two AL East teams, and finish their regular season with Baltimore. The Twins went 4-2 against Houston.

It is possible that the Twins control their opponent with the Orioles being the final series of the regular season. For that to hold weight, they will need to stack wins over the next two weeks prior to that set of games.

Related: 5 Minnesota Twins Hitters We Trust Most in the Clutch

The Twins are still in the driver’s seat when it comes to their postseason chances. They need to stop taking detours along the way, however.

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