With six weeks remaining in the regular season, anyone who tells you they have a strong sense of the Twins' playoff chances is either delusional or lying.
On one hand, their sub-.500 record and season-long inability to build off success would indicate the Twins simply aren't a playoff-caliber team. On the other hand, their season-long ability to bounce back from struggles and the dilapidated state of the American League's crowded middle class would indicate why the hell not?
Someone from that group of seven sub-.500 teams is going to make the playoffs, whether they like it or not, and I can assure you fans of those other six teams are viewing them every bit as skeptically as you're looking at the Twins. With just 34 games left, the Twins hold the final wild-card spot and 40 percent playoff odds.
Consider that the Twins have started August with a 7-10 record, and in doing so they've gained ground in the wild-card race and increased their playoff odds by five percentage points. This could be a race someone will win by walking across the finish line, or perhaps merely by not falling down and staying down.
Here are six big keys for the Twins during the final six weeks of the season.