Twins' Next 12 Games Could Decide Their Entire Season

On Monday, the Twins will begin a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers. Then they will head to Chicago to take on the division-leading White Sox.

It’s back to Detroit again for three more after that. Then the team will get to head home to face Cleveland.

Six against Tigers, three against White Sox and three against Guardians in the span of about two weeks.

Given where this team sits in the season, the Twins couldn’t ask for a better schedule to control their destiny.

Detroit is coming into Monday with a 63-73 record and just 1.5 games behind Minnesota. That makes an opponent just as hungry as the Twins fighting for a playoff spot. But, the Tigers are now 2-8 over the last 10 games. They are not hot.

Chicago represents a much different challenge.

In all reality, there is no catching them. The White Sox have padded themselves with a 7.5-game advantage over the Twins in the AL Central.

The Guardians are 69-68 and are holding the final Wild Card position. Minnesota will get three games against them at Target Field.

Those could be the biggest games this team faces all year.

Surviving the Stretch Won’t Be Enough

These next 12 games are important to the postseason conversation. If the Twins finish .500 at them, it won’t be enough.

Time is running out.

There are just 25 games left this season, and there are too many other teams who have kept themselves in the race. The Twins need to win, period.

Now, a record of 8-4 could completely change the conversation.

Eight victories would push Minnesota much closer to .500 on the year. The key to this would be that should they get that many wins, that also means that teams who were close to them in the race will be getting that many losses.

That’s why the next several games matter so much.

The Twins don’t have to sit back and hope somebody else in the division loses, they can hand the loss to them.

Situation Changes After September 13

Minnesota will close the season against the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, and Texas Rangers.

If the Twins can get out of the divisional stretch and still have a chance, there is enough opportunity in the last two weeks for Minnesota to make the race interesting.

If the Twins stumble in the divisional stretch, then the final two weeks will be more of an interview period for the next season.

The next two weeks should feel different for this team. The time is right now to prove where they are headed.