When we started this “Final Countdown” series, the Twins had 100 games remaining in their regular season schedule.
Our premise is simple… The Cleveland Indians will not win the AL Central Division Championship. That honor, from the outset of the season, has been predestined to go to the Tigers, the White Sox, or the Twins. Based on that reality, we created the REAL AL Central Standings, measuring how the Twins were doing against the BitchSox and Tigers only.
With 100 games left, the Twins trailed the Tigers by 10 games, meaning they would need to gain an average of 1 game on the leader in the REAL AL Central Standings every 10 games in order to catch up by game 162.
So here we are with 70 games left… let’s check in and see how our guys are doing.
TWINS GAMES REMAINING: 70
| TEAM | RECORD | GB |
| Tigers | 49-45 | – |
| BitchSox | 46-48 | 3 |
| TWINS | 43-49 | 5 |
Not bad. They would need to be no more than 7 games behind the leader to be on track and after Saturday evening’s games, they trail the Tigers by 5 games and the BitchSox by 3.
The next 10 games will certainly be interesting, as they lead us up to the non-waiver trade deadline. Keep up the good work, guys!
– JC
I’m still on board with your premise. There’s only one thing I can’t figure out…the ‘Toons are supposed to be plowed under already, battling it out for last with the Royals as usual, but they’re not. What do we do about that? Who do we call? Where do we file paperwork for an expedited review of their current standing in the division?
We’ll know a lot more about the Indians by Wednesday. (And quite frankly, if the Twins can’t pull off a come-back win in the division, I’m rooting for the Indians over the Tiggies and the Sox).
Yes, we’ll know a bit more by midweek, but we’ll know even more by the end of August. I still don’t think we need to place too much emphasis on one series in July.
The truth is, the Toons HAVE been folding, lisa. Since June 1, they’ve gone 16-23 for a .410 clip. That’s pretty much what I would expect. The Twins are 26-12 (.684) in the same stretch and have gained 10 and a half games on Cleveland in the standings! (Detroit and Chicago have also gained 4 and 4.5 games on the Tribe, respectively, in that time.)
The fact that the Tribe is still clinging to the top does not mean they’ve continued to play well, it simply is reflective of how deep the hole was that the Twins dug for themselves during April and May and how hot the Toons’ start was to start the season.