5 Weeks To Go: Breaking Down the Twins' Remaining Schedule

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of David Frerker-Imagn Images

We're closing in on the end of August and while the Minnesota Twins haven't clinched anything, they have pretty firmly secured one of their most openly stated priorities for the season: playing meaningful baseball in September. The Twins entered this weekend in a tie for the final Wild Card spot in the American League, and they'll spend the home stretch of the schedule battling to stay in that mix.

With one game left to go against the Padres followed by five more weeks of regular-season action, here's a quick overview of what's left for the Twins.

Remaining Twins Schedule, at a Glance

• Games Remaining: 32
• Home / Road: 15 / 17
• Games vs. .500+ Teams: 10
• Remaining Strength of Schedule: 5th-easiest in MLB

Key Storylines in the Final 5 Weeks

 

Soft September Schedule
One of the Twins' biggest advantages relative to the field is their weak strength of schedule, which really presents itself in the month of September. As things currently stand, 18 of their 24 games in September will come against sub-.500 teams. That includes a road trip out west from the 17th through the 23rd where Minnesota will face the Angels and Giants, who are both on track for nearly 100 losses. 

The Twins haven't always fared as well as you hope in these softer matchups — see the Kansas City Royals — but they'll have a chance to make hay on bottom-dwellers in September, and that's not including their upcoming series against the Athletics who have a worse record than either. 

The Toughest Remaining Matchup
While there are a number of unintimidating opponents on the schedule, one heavy-hitter does stand out. From the 14th through the 16th, just ahead of the soft pocket mentioned above, the Twins will go toe to toe with the New York Yankees at Target Field. It's possible they'll have Aaron Judge, who's been out since May, back by then. 

The Twins didn't demonstrate their usual submissiveness against the Yanks earlier this year, taking two of three in New York, but this is always a tough test and it comes in the midst of a 13-day stretch with no break, the biggest remaining gauntlet on the schedule.

A Final Push for the AL Central Title?
With Cleveland and Detroit failing to make strides, the Twins have risen to second place in the AL Central. They're still 4 ½ games behind the White Sox, which is a somewhat sizable gap to make up in five weeks, but the Twins control their destiny to some extent. They face Chicago six times in the final 32 contests. Going, say, 5-1 in those matchups would potential give Minnesota a chance to make a charge for one of the more unlikely division titles in franchise history. 

A Photo Finish in the Wild Card Race? 
The final weekend of the season could be a doozy if things stay the way they are now. The Twins are one game behind the last Wild Card spot, which is currently held by the Texas Rangers. Those two teams will face off at Target Field in the final series of the season, September 25th through 27th, in what could be an epic high-stakes showdown.

What strikes you most about the Twins' remaining schedule? What are the biggest keys to coming out on top of this crowded postseason race?

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[mikelink45]

Since you wrote this (I presume before last night's loss) the Twins have been passed by the Guardians (how do they do that?) in division standings and in Wild Card both Blue Jays and Guardians have a lead on us and Blue Jays are tied with us. 

This is not a good time for Buxton, Larnach, Lewis to stop hitting.  Nor is it time for MN pitching arms to get tired.  Time for the team to get fired up.  Tight race, but only because they keep expanding the wild card number.  

[Peter]

Every twins game is must must must watch and win especially against central division!!!! No more blown leads or 1 run losses!!!

[GNess]

Nice breakdown, but it always concerns me when. a team's chances to succeed are linked in any meaningful way to SOS as opposed to a team ascending by is performance.

[Patzky]

We are no longer forecast to lose 100 games! Truly how far we have gone to squander an opportunity.