(Best E Casino) - The
Minnesota Twins have emerged as
baseball's hottest team as of late, and the scorching club is quickly closing the gap in the American League Central race.
The Twins go in search of a ninth consecutive victory and a sweep of the host San Diego Padres in today's finale of a three-game interleague series from Petco Park.
Minnesota's torrid play and a recent rough stretch by the Chicago White Sox have enabled the Twins to move within one half-game of the Pale Hose for first place in the AL Central. Chicago held a 6 1/2-game advantage over Minnesota as recently as June 10.
The streak, the Twins' longest since an 11-game surge between June 22-July 3, 2006, was extended with Wednesday's 9-3 victory over the hapless Padres. Brendan Harris and Craig Monroe each clubbed two-run homers to lead the way, while Carlos Gomez had a two-RBI single among his three hits.
Harris, who finished 1-for-4, has now hit safely in seven straight contests and is batting .417 (10-for-24) during his tear.
Glen Perkins (4-2) allowed three early runs to the Padres but was sharp over the remainder of his five-inning stint to win his second consecutive start.
San Diego starter Greg Maddux (3-6) wasn't as effective, as the future Hall of Famer was lit up for seven runs (6 earned) and seven hits through 5 2//3 innings.
Maddux has not recorded a win in any of his last nine starts, the second- longest drought of his brilliant 23-year career.
The Padres have dropped four in a row and eight of their last nine, while falling to a major league-worst 3-11 in interleague games.
In contrast, the Twins are a superb 11-3 against the National League so far this season.
Minnesota will get its first look at Josh Banks, who's been a pleasant surprise for San Diego since being brought up from the minors, in this afternoon's finale.
Banks has yielded only seven runs (6 earned) in a combined 33 1/3 innings over four starts and a pair of relief appearances following a late-May callup. The young right-hander has been especially tough at Petco Park, where Banks has given up just one run in 14 innings.
The 25-year-old, who was claimed off waivers from the Toronto organization in April, suffered his first loss of the year in a June 19 matchup at Yankee Stadium but pitched well in that game. Banks held New York to two runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Scott Baker takes the mound for Minnesota this afternoon and has also been pitching well as of late. In four starts since returning from a month-long stint on the disabled list, the Oklahoma State product has posted a strong 2.63 earned run average despite having only a 1-2 record during that time.
Baker ended a long winless stretch by limiting Arizona to one run and striking out seven over six innings in the Twins' 7-2 triumph over the Diamondbacks on Friday. He had lost his two previous starts but allowed just four runs in those games.
The 26-year-old has never faced San Diego during his career. Baker is 1-2 with a 4.60 ERA in five road starts in 2008.
Minnesota has recorded victories in four of its five lifetime games at San Diego and is 5-3 lifetime against the Padres.
