MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins' road through October will begin with a three-game matchup against their neighbors to the north.

When the dust settled on the remainder of the AL playoff field on Sunday, the Twins had earned a Wild Card Series draw against the No. 6 seed Toronto Blue Jays -- and, frankly, they felt they would have been in a good place regardless of opponent.

• ALDS Game 1, presented by Booking.com: Sat., 4:45 p.m. ET/3:45 p.m. CT on FS1

The Twins have essentially been in a holding pattern for a week, setting up and resting all of their pitchers and key players to prepare for that first round -- but they still finished strong, winning eight of nine series to close the season despite being more focused on setting themselves up for October.

“I liked the way we played in the second half,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Our offense really came alive. We showed a lot of life, vibrancy, and we were fun to watch for a long stretch this season leading into these games we’re about to play. That’s the kind of thing you want to see from your team.”

What should the Twins -- and their fans -- be thinking about ahead of the start of the playoffs on Tuesday? Let’s take a di​​ve.

Who will the Twins face in the first round of the playoffs? 
The Twins’ first-round opponent will be the Blue Jays, who finished third in the AL East behind the Orioles and Rays but snagged the third and final AL Wild Card berth when the Astros claimed the AL West crown in the season’s final game.

The Twins tied the season series against the Blue Jays, 3-3, and because they clinched their playoff berth on Saturday, ace Kevin Gausman will start Game 1, with the Toronto rotation lined up favorably, similarly to that of the Twins.

What will the game times be? 
For the Wild Card Series vs. the Blue Jays, each game will be broadcast on ESPN:

• Game 1, Tuesday: 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT
• Game 2, Wednesday: 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT
• Game 3 (Thursday, if needed): 4:30 p.m./3:30 p.m. CT

If the Twins advance past the Wild Card Series, they will play the Astros in the AL Division Series, starting Saturday.

The time of a potential Game 3 (if needed) is subject to change, with a decent chance that the Twins could get bumped up to an earlier 2 p.m. slot and a small chance of the 6 p.m. night slot if they’re the only series still playing.

Are tickets still available? 
A limited selection of tickets remained available to the public for all three games of the Wild Card Series.

What does the postseason roster look like?
The Twins released the following roster on Tuesday morning, with both Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis returning from injury and Byron Buxton (right knee discomfort) still not ready for action.

C (2): Ryan Jeffers, Christian Vázquez
1B (2): Alex Kirilloff, Donovan Solano
2B (1): Edouard Julien
SS (1): Carlos Correa
3B (1): Jorge Polanco
UTIL (2): Kyle Farmer, Willi Castro
OF (4): Matt Wallner, Michael A. Taylor, Max Kepler, Andrew Stevenson
DH (1): Royce Lewis
SP (3): Pablo López, Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan
RP (9): Kenta Maeda, Chris Paddack, Louie Varland, Caleb Thielbar, Kody Funderburk, Emilio Pagán, Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, Jhoan Duran

How could the starting rotation line up? 
The No. 1 and No. 2 starters will be Pablo López and Sonny Gray -- in that order. The No. 3 slot, if needed, appears likely to go to Joe Ryan, who is currently lined up in that position -- especially now that Kenta Maeda has been transitioned to the bullpen.

It likely came into play that Maeda has bullpen experience that Ryan does not possess -- and though Maeda was lights-out as the Twins’ Game 1 starter in the 2020 Wild Card Series against the Astros, he has also been a very effective reliever in the postseason with the Dodgers in the past, with a 1.64 ERA out of the bullpen in 22 playoff innings.

Will Royce Lewis be ready for the postseason?
Yes. Though he did not sound outwardly optimistic during Monday's workout day, the Twins ultimately placed Lewis on their postseason roster -- though it remains to be seen how much he'll be able to do on the basepaths and in the field.

If he's held to a DH-only role to take stress off and prevent aggravation of the injury, the Twins will likely have to play Edouard Julien at second base and Jorge Polanco at third base defensively.

“If he can swing the bat without compromising his hamstring in any way, then we can have a discussion about what he’s capable of,” Baldelli said in late September. “If he can’t swing the bat, then he can’t swing the bat, and that kind of answers that question for us. But we won’t know that until next week yet.”

But in the meantime, the Twins will simply have to wait and see how Lewis responds to treatment. There’s not much more they can do -- and then by Tuesday morning, they’ll have to make a call.

Will Carlos Correa be ready for the postseason?
Correa missed the final 11 games of the season with a rupture of the plantar fasciitis in his left heel, but yes, he returned to the roster for the playoffs.

Where will Byron Buxton go from here?
That’s even less certain.

After three weeks of inaction following the halting of his rehab assignment on Sept. 1, Buxton made two rehab appearances at the end of the Minor League season with Triple-A St. Paul. He continued activity in simulated games and live batting practice sessions back at Target Field to close out the regular season, but he did not show enough progress to make the roster.

If the Twins advance, could Buxton be in play for future rounds? Perhaps, but the Twins will need more pitching depth in subsequent rounds, and their position-player group appears largely ironclad with platoon and substitution possibilities lined up how manager Rocco Baldelli would want -- so we'll have to wait and see if any opportunity presents itself.