3 reasons the Twins have turned around their season

Just a few weeks ago, the Minnesota Twins were 7-13 and sitting toward the bottom of the American League Central Division. Now, after winning a sixth consecutive series – the first time the Twins have done that since 2008 – the Twins have won 17 of 20 games to move within a half-game of Cleveland for first place in the division.

Twins fans are probably getting over their whiplash in the opening months of the season but are also probably wondering how we got here. While a lucky sausage has something to do with it, there are several reasons why the Twins went from lost season to AL contenders in a few short weeks.

1. The Twins' offense started cashing in with runners in scoring position

The most frustrating aspect of the Twins through the first 20 games was their lack of offense. Minnesota hit just .195/.281/.329 to open the season and their struggles with runners in scoring position were well documented as they were slashing .135/.226/.235 through Apr. 21.

Maybe it had something to do with Ryan Jeffers' decision to bring Kyle Farmer's summer sausage into the dugout but the Twins have cashed in with runners in scoring position ever since, leading the majors with a .330 batting average with RISP over the last 20 games.

The Twins lead the majors with a .284 batting average since April 22 and they rank third in on-base percentage (.345) and first in slugging percentage (.489).

2. The Twins have dramatically cut down on strikeouts

Strikeouts were a significant issue for the Twins in the 20 games to start the season. In fact, they were striking out in 26.5% of at-bats during their 7-13 start, which ranked fourth worst in Major League Baseball.

Their strikeout rate has reduced to 20.9% during their last 20 games, which ranks 10th best in the majors.

3. Ryan Jeffers, Max Kepler and Willi Castro

The Twins' depth is shining bright in the absence of Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis as Jeffers, Kepler and Castro have been three of baseball's hottest hitters since April 22. Coincidentally, April 22 is the date that Kepler returned from the injured list (bruised knee).

Since then, Kepler ranks first in WAR (wins above replacement) and right behind him are Jeffers in third and Castro in fourth. Yes, the Twins have three of the four best WAR players in the majors since April 22. Not only that, but Eddy Julien ranks 15th and Carlos Santana is 20th in WAR since that date.

Stats	Kepler	Jeffers	Castro
AVG	.413	.333	.354
OBP	.465	.405	.378
SLG	.698	.746	.608
OPS	1.163	1.151	.986

Kepler leads the majors in batting average, is second in on-base percentage and third in slugging percentage since April 22. That's unreal, and even more amazing is that Kepler and Jeffers rank 1-2 in OPS since April 22.

Minnesota has the best offense in the majors over the past three weeks and those three guys are the main reasons why.