Weekend Twins-Guardians series will have big impact on AL Central picture

Just four games separate the two teams ahead of their four-game series this weekend.

Minnesota Twins players celebrate after defeating the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Aug. 5, 2024. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Twins have been inching closer and closer to the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central standings, currently just four games back following Tuesday’s loss to the Chicago Cubs. 

If that margin holds through Wednesday, it's a gap the Twins could erase entirely with a sweep of their four-game home series against the Guardians this weekend that begins with a doubleheader Friday. A strong showing will be crucial for the Twins, who are 0-5 against Cleveland so far this season.

While the Twins haven't had much success against the Guardians this season, the two teams haven't met since mid-May, and a lot has changed in that time. Most notably, star third baseman Royce Lewis was still sidelined with the quad strain he suffered on Opening Day.

It will be a different looking Twins lineup that takes the field this weekend in a series that could go a long way in deciding the eventual division champion. The Twins have a chance to narrow the gap, or erase it entirely, as they've inched the closest they've been to the Guardians since mid-May.

It would, however, be a tough ask for the Twins to win the season series. They'd need to win at least three games this weekend, and then they'd need to sweep the Guardians in a potentially critical four-game series in Cleveland from Sept. 16-19. Those series are the last the teams will see of each other.

Both will certainly come with pressure, particularly the latter series with the season winding down.

But this weekend's series will be just as important in the big picture as the Twins look to close the gap. Lewis will get to see the Guardians for the first time this season, and he has a knack for showing up in big games. Minnesota will, however, be without a star player who was on the field the last time the two teams met, Carlos Correa, who is currently on the injured list due to plantar fasciitis.

While it's easy to look ahead, the Twins will first need to take care of business in their series finale against the Cubs. Cleveland, meanwhile, has a doubleheader against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. That will officially determine the gap between the two teams ahead of the crucial series.