Are the Twins actually good? Woes against winners raise doubt

How legit are the Minnesota Twins? The Twins own baseball's third-best record (47-31) since April 22, but is it a hollow stat?

Jul 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Willi Castro (50) slides, trying for a triple and is tagged out by Milwaukee Brewers third base Joey Ortiz (3) in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

How legit are the Minnesota Twins? The Twins own baseball's third-best record (47-31) since April 22, which is the date that saw them catch a bit of fire after losing 13 of 20 games to begin the season. But are they really in the same league as baseball powers like the Phillies, Yankees, Dodgers and Orioles?

The overall record says the Twins are legit, but their performances against the best of the best says otherwise. In fact, the Twins are 0-3 against Baltimore, 0-5 against Cleveland, 1-2 against the Dodgers, 1-3 versus Milwaukee, and 0-6 against the Yankees.

Fun fact: the Phillies, who the Twins begin a three-game series against on Monday night in Minneapolis, own the best record in baseball and the teams in positions two through six are the Orioles, Guardians, Dodgers, Yankees and Brewers.

Is a team really a serious contender if they are 2-19 against five of the six best teams in baseball?

Against teams who enter play Monday with winning percentage of .500 or better, the Twins are 22-31. And the bulk of those wins are against the Mariners (5-2), Royals (5-2) and Astros (4-2). Take away those three teams and the Twins are a combined 8-25 against the rest of the .500 or better clubs they've faced.

That means the Twins are 32-13 against teams who enter play Monday at .500 or worse. In other words, they're beating the teams they're supposed to beat but losing to the teams they need to beat to prove they are a real-deal contender.

With the fourth-hardest remaining schedule in the American League, per Tankathon, the Twins have a lot of work to do against the Phillies, Braves, Orioles, Guardians and Red Sox to show they can compete at the highest level.