Minnesota Twins: What Just Happened?

It isn't enough to say that the Twins have been hot and cold this season; every team goes through hot or cold streaks.

No, this season has been more akin to the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, with the fiercest transformation taking place during the second episode of interleague play.

Heading into the first of five consecutive, interleague series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Twins were 2-8 in their last 10 games and had fallen five-and-a-half games out of first place. They had lost series to the Baltimore, Cleveland, and took a humiliating sweep on Chicago's south side.

Since they arrived at Miller Park on the inauspicious Friday, June 13, The Twins are 8-2, and they have yet to allow more than four runs, with the offense averaging over six runs per game.

The question is: What sparked this turn around?

Good Starting Pitching

The Twins' starters have won their last six starts, beginning and ending with Livan Hernandez, who defeated Brandon Webb in his last outing. With the bullpen far from its normal reliability, the Twins' starters needed to pick up the slack. Over the last 10 games, they have done just that.

The starters have been going deep into games and keeping the Twins within striking distance, allowing the offense a chance to overcome any deficits that might pop up.

Big Innings

Big innings aren't the Twins' normal MO, but lately, they have been the difference between winning and losing. They have scored in just four innings in their three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks, and they have scored four or more runs in one inning in five-straight games.

Being able to keep momentum going at the plate and take advantage of a shaken pitcher is a good sign. If the Twins can continue to capitalize on these opportunities, the offense should be able to offer better run-support than the pitching staff had been receiving earlier in the season.

Poor Competition

Sadly, a big part of the Twins' success has come from feasting on the down teams. The Nationals are one of the worst teams in baseball, and the D-backs and Brewers were both struggling when they played the Twins. This isn't as big a drawback as it may seem, though, since the Twins haven't always been able to put away the opponents they should.

The Twins have two more interleague series, one in San Diego and the end of the home-and-home with the Brewers. The pitcher-friendly field of PetCo Park should allow the Twins to keep the Padres' scores low, while allowing the Twins to do what they do best: play station-to-station and use the speed on the bases.

Carlos Gomez and Alexi Casilla are key in these next two series, as they will be called upon to run early and often as the Twins try to manufacture runs.

The Twins are just 1.5 games out of first place, and they won't play another American League team until the end of the month, when they face the Tigers at home.

In order to keep up this winning streak, the Twins will need another run of great starts from their starters. The bullpen's issues have not yet been addressed, but if the starter can go six or seven innings, it isn't as big of an issue.

If the starters can stay consistent, and the bats, especially the bottom of the order, can continue to take advantage of mistakes by opposing pitchers, the Twins have a real chance at ending the month hot on Chicago's heels.

The real test will come in early July, when the Twins take a seven-game road trip to Boston and Detroit, just before the All-Star break.

In order to not see a repeat of the Twins' last long road trip, June 6-15, when they went 2-7, the Twins should look to build as much momentum as they can, no matter who the opponent is.