It seems as if the division leading Minnesota Twins are starting to get some recognition with their latest move in the MLB Power Rankings.
The Minnesota Twins came into the week knowing it wouldn’t be an easy one. With Baltimore on the road and a hot Tampa Bay team at home, the Twins had their work cut out for them. All in all, they stood their ground pretty darn well.
First of all, Minnesota looked dominant in their road series against the Orioles. Honestly, it should come as no surprise since this year’s Twins have been much stronger on the road than at home. Behind brilliant performances by Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios (plus some nice support from the offense), the Twins swept the Baltimore Orioles.
Up next was the Tampa Bay Rays. While most saw this as a series that favored Minnesota, it’s fair to say they’ve struggled at Target Field. They split the first two games, then saw a 15 inning duel go in the favor of the away team as the Twins lost the series 1-2.
The Minnesota Twins now sit at 26-21, just a game ahead of the Cleveland Indians for 1st place in the AL Central. The Twins are looking more consistent as they have hung around the top of the division for a good portion of the month now. With that, they have been rewarded by the MLB Power Rankings by cracking the top 10, coming in at #10.
The thing that’s surprising and also scary about this Twins’ team is their run differential. Even though they sit in 1st place, they have a -7 run differential on the year. To put that in perspective, the Indians differential is +18 and White Sox is +28.
While Twins’ fans have every reason to be excited, it won’t be easy to keep it rolling this week. The Minnesota Twins will see the MLB-best Houston Astros come to town. Afterwards, they will head to Los Angeles for a 4-game series with the Angels.
Next: Santana Dominates; Twins Lose 16-8
In Conclusion
Last week was a great week for the Minnesota Twins. It’s hard to see the Twins having that type of success this week against some very solid teams. With more solid pitching and powerful offense, though, the Twins could continue to build off that solid week.