The years may be different, but the genetics are the same. The matching uniforms are not the only resemblance. The Minnesota Twins season is beginning to look identical to 2022. Last year, the Twins took over first place and cruised along, keeping a three or four game lead in the AL Central. They also held a wild card spot, so even if they lost the division they would still make the playoffs. Then August happened. The Twins could not keep up with the rest of the league. More importantly, they could not keep up with the Cleveland Guardians.
2022 Twins Déjà vu
The Guardians tied the Twins for first place in the AL Central on August 10th last year, overtook them the next day, and never looked back. A few days earlier, they fell out of contention in the wild card spot, as well. Minnesota struggled to keep pace with the rest of the league as the race to the playoffs heated up. On September 10th they fell to .500 and lingered there until dropping six games under .500 to finish the season.
The 2023 Twins came roaring out of the gate, winning their first four of the season. They have been on top of the AL Central for almost the whole season, so far. Unfortunately for them, the Guardians are stalking them yet again. The Twins have just fallen under .500 for the first time this season. Cleveland is closing the gap and finds itself just two games behind Minnesota.
The Dirty Dozen
The upcoming schedule is not favorable for the Twins. Nine out of the next 12 games are against teams above .500 including the Red Sox, Braves, and Orioles. The Guardians have it just the opposite. Nine out of the next 12 games are against teams under .500, with the Brewers being the only winning team they face out of the next dozen. Cleveland should continue to thrive and cross above .500, overtaking the Twins for first. It will be a little earlier than last year, but it is still looking the same.
It looks as if the Twins will have an identical year as last. Minnesota baseball is as predictable as it gets. They have not won a playoff game in almost 20 years. Even when they won 100 games in 2019, they got swept in three games by the New York Yankees and were eliminated from the playoffs. They do have one glimmer of hope. If they can somehow stay near contention going into the last week of the season, the last six games will be against the Oakland A’s and the Colorado Rockies. Those two teams are at the bottom and will be jockeying for draft place positions.
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