The Minnesota Twins have remained relevant in the conversations surrounding the postseason. It is a bit surprising given that, for much of the season, the Twins have been below .500.

Regardless, there is a path for them to play October baseball. The stretch has arrived when it will be determined whether they belong there.

Minnesota is entering play on Saturday with a 60-63 record after falling 7-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies in the nationally recognized Field of Dreams game on Thursday.

There is plenty of baseball left to play, but the upcoming schedule for Minnesota is going to provide a significant challenge and an opportunity to change direction.

The next few weeks will be telling and will determine whether the turn of the calendar to September will bring opportunity to surge forward or cause urgency to play catch-up.

Twins Have to Survive Difficult Stretch

The immediate schedule isn’t going to be very forgiving.

Minnesota has to take on the Phillies in two more games before hosting the Atlanta Braves for a three-game series starting on Monday. Then the Twins will take off on a road trip to San Diego for a three-game series.

That is a total of eight games against formidable opponents who can make the Twins pay if they make mistakes.

Now, it is important to note that Minnesota doesn’t have their back against the wall. They don’t have to dominate this stretch, but what they can’t do is have an extended losing streak that could create significant distance between teams in the American League's playoff picture.

Even if they can just stay right around .500 for the series, it will keep them in the hunt.

The Twins will have a chance to make up some ground when they continue the road trip to the Athletics for a three-game series starting on August 24. They will need to take advantage of this regardless of where they are standing.

AL Central Stretch Could Determine Season

Beginning on August 28, Minnesota will have a long stretch of matchups against teams inside their division.

The Twins host the Chicago White Sox for three games before beginning yet another three-game series against the Detroit Tigers on August 31. Then they will have one rest day before traveling to Chicago for three games against the White Sox and then three more games with Detroit.

They will finish that stretch with a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at Target Field from Sept 11-13.

Whew! That’s 15 consecutive games against AL Central opponents and there is no doubt this will be a defining time.

This timeframe will offer the Twins the chance to directly impact teams they are trying to compete against in their own division and take charge of their own destiny.

A strong run could completely reshape the future, so could a poor one.

Twins Can’t Wait Much Longer

So far, the Twins have done enough to be relevant and stay in the conversation. But simply hanging around isn’t going to be enough. It’s time to start taking control and stacking up some wins to get above .500 and stay there.

The next few weeks are a chance to make the best of some opportunities and establish themselves as contenders.