Twins gain ground on Royals, lose ground on Tigers following rainout

Minnesota remains in the final American League wild-card spot.

Sep 20, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Twins have a half-game lead over the Detroit Tigers for the final American League wild-card spot, and they're a half game back of the Kansas City Royals for the second AL wild-card spot following a rainout of Saturday's scheduled game with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston.

The Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Saturday to move a half game closer to the Twins in the standings, while the Royals lost 9-0 to the San Francisco Giants, allowing the Twins to gain a half game of ground. The Twins hold tiebreakers over both teams, which could prove pivotal.

Either way, Sunday's split doubleheader will prove pivotal for the Twins. The Twins have just eight games left on the regular-season schedule, including the two on Sunday.

Minnesota will at least need to stay even with the Royals and Tigers to clinch a postseason berth, which should be doable, though it's been a difficult stretch for the Twins of late, having lost five of seven games in their two most recent series against the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians.

The Twins did break out of their skid with a 12-inning win over the Red Sox on Friday, plating three runs in the 12th for a 4-2 victory, and they'll need to build on that momentum on Sunday. It'll be all hands on deck as the Twins look to hang on to their playoff spot in the waning days of the season.