The Minnesota Twins' slow start has hidden the fact the team is playing much better as of late -- winning five of their last six games and seven of nine -- and have pounded the ball in July.
The Twins have played .459 ball in June and July, a +.165 difference from their April-May percentage. This is the second-best differential in the American League with only Houston (+.214) better. This weekend's opponent, Cleveland, is third at +.164.
Minnesota hasn't been just winning more games recently. The Twins have been flexing their muscles, too.
Only one team in Major League Baseball -- Boston -- has a higher slugging percentage than the Twins' .537 in July. The Red Sox are at .541, the Mets also at .537 (but the Twins is a fraction higher) and the Mariners .509.
Here is the July slugging percentages for every Twins player who is at .500 or better:
| Player | G | 2B | 3B | HR | SLG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Plouffe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.500 |
| Kennys Vargas | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1.294 |
| Eddie Rosario | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .645 |
| Kurt Suzuki | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .640 |
| Byron Buxton | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .625 |
| Eduardo Escobar | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .625 |
| Max Kepler | 10 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .622 |
| Miguel Sano | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .538 |
| Eduardo Nunez | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | .500 |
-- The Twins are 9-4 vs. Cleveland and Texas -- the two top teams in the American League -- this season. Over the last two years, the Indians are 4-8 at Target Field.
| Player | Year | Hits | SB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eduardo Nunez | 2016 | 101 | 22 |
| Chuck Knoblauch | 1994 | 108 | 27 |
| Rod Carew | 1976 | 105 | 35 |
| Rod Carew | 1974 | 143 | 23 |
| Rod Carew | 1973 | 122 | 20 |
| Cesar Tovar | 1970 | 105 | 20 |
-- In the last 12 meetings in Minnesota between these two teams, they have combined for just 85 runs, or 3.54 runs per team per game.
-- Minnesota's Ervin Santana (1.63) and Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco (1.35) have the two lowest ERAs in the AL since June 19. Cleveland's Corey Kluber (2.54) is fifth.
