The Cleveland Guardians have been getting all the attention in the American League Central as they are off to one of the best starts in franchise history and currently sit atop the AL with a 19-10 record.
However, a familiar division rival is white hot and closing ground quickly over the past few weeks.
The Minnesota Twins got off to a rough 7-13 start but have now won nine in a row for the first time in 16 years to close to within three games of the Guardians in the Central.
The offense has been leading the charge by averaging 7.3 runs per game over the win streak after the team scored more than seven runs just one time over the first 20 games of the season.
The team has received a nice boost by adding a pair of injured stars back to its lineup during the streak in Max Kepler and Carlos Correa.
Kepler’s return coincided with the start of the streak, as he has 10 hits and nine RBI during the streak after batting .050 prior to his return.
Minnesota has gotten hot at the right time to take advantage of a soft spot in their schedule, as six of the wins during this streak have been against the Chicago White Sox, who have the worst record in the league, while the other three came against the 11-19 Los Angeles Angels.
The schedule toughens up after concluding the series with the White Sox, as over the next three weeks, the Twins will see the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, and the Guardians once again.