Predicting the Twins' Final 28 Games

The Twins need their third baseman back. Josh Donaldson played and didn’t hit much in seven games, but he brings more than you think to the table. Donaldson is playing in live intrasquad games in St.Paul (and hitting homers).

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The Twins need Byron Buxton back, too. They just aren’t as good without him.

Despite his struggles, Mitch Garver is an asset. His absence takes another dynamic from the team.

Cody Stashak, who struck out the side in Milwaukee in his last outing before hitting the IL with lower back inflammation, is on the mend.

Donaldson, Buxton, Michael Pineda, and Stashak could all return August 31 when the Twins come home from the 10-game roadtrip. Garver’s intercostal strain is still healing, so he won’t be back when eligible.

The Twins should be near full strength for the home stretch. Here’s what I think of the remaining schedule:

The Tigers have played decent baseball in 2020. The Tigers are still a very bad baseball team. The Twins went 14-5 against Detroit last year with a +43 run differential. Predicting an 8-2 record this year is admittedly my most ambitious prediction, but would you be surprised? I wouldn’t.

The White Sox look legit through 31 games. The offense is firing on all cylinders and their pitching staff has been a surprise plus. The Twins will battle the South Siders and I ultimately predict a 6-4 season series, with the Twins going 4-3 in the remaining games.

Cleveland struck back at home this week to nudge their record to 3-4 against Minnesota. The Twins have been excellent at Target Field, playing to a 12-3 record, the best in baseball. Their last three games against Cleveland will be there. I predict a series win.

The Twins embarrassed the Cardinals in a two-game sweep in late July. They’ll play the Cards in a double header at Busch Stadium September 8th. A split is the most likely scenario.

The Cubs surprised out of the gate but have since faltered. This will be a fun series and I see Chicago just edging out the Twins for a series win.

The Reds were supposed to be electric this summer. They haven’t been. They are 11-17. The Twins could still see Luis Castillo, Trevor Bauer and Sonny Gray. I think they’ll take two of three, but going 3-3 against Cincy and Chicago combined should be the goal.

Record prediction of remaining games: 18-10

Final record: 38-22

Place: 1st

What do you think? What will be the Twins’ final record?

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