The serenity to accept that which cannot be changed

 It's important to accept those things that we cannot change. The things that are beyond our control. This season, the Twins are 4 games better than they were last year, which is a pretty big shock when you also consider that at the same point last year, they were a game ahead of the AL Central, and this year, they are 8 games behind the Cleveland Guardians. The Twins have at last caught the Royals for second, but sheesh, that is a foreboding hill to climb, catching Cleveland. 

Last year, the Twins were also able to kick it into a higher gear as the season wore on This season, the Twins are successful despite Pablo Lopez's anemic performance. Last year, his worth evidenced itself in the latter half of the season, including pitching to a 2.00 ERA in August. If there is that kind of improvement this year, then that is especially fantastic. 

Part of the worry in 2024 versus 2023, though, even as the team is improved a bit is that one player that hasn't is Lopez himself. Even compared to his sluggish start in 2023, Lopez was dominant last year against right handed hitters, and is merely average against same handed hitters in 2024. There is something to be said for expecting Lopez to be better in the second half, but it's unlikely that he will be nearly as good as he was in the second half last season. 

The season has been a series of ups and downs for the Twins, but one thing in particular has gone very wrong for the Twins. The Cleveland Guardians are playing very well. As much as the Twins can hope for Lopez to return to his 2023 form, it is much more reasonable to start to hope the Guardians slow down, or the suddenly resurgent Twins offense keeps it up. 

As I noted at the beginning, hoping for the Guardians to start to fall apart is all that the Twins can do. There are a few games left on the calendar between the two teams that the Twins will need to win, but beyond that, it's just hope. Hope that the seemingly more challenging schedule proves to indeed be more challenging for Cleveland. Cleveland is thought to have the most difficult schedule the rest of the way. Twins fans can also hope that the the Guardians anemic offense of 2023 was their true self, and not the blistering offensive performers that they have been this year. Come on, regression!

One thing the Twins can do is keep hitting. Their offense was their bugaboo in the beginning of the season, but then it started to gel. The return of Royce Lewis was an obvious kick in the pants, but so too was the arrival o Jose Miranda. Max Kepler and Carlos Correa were next, followed by Carlos Santana and Willi Castro. Now, Byron Buxton is one of the hottest hitters in the game, and games just seem a lot easier to win now. 

If they can keep hitting, they can keep winning. And that might not be enough to take the Central.