VENUE: Target Field
A road trip against two struggling opponents helped the Minnesota Twins break out for their most successful offensive stretch of the season. A visit from the Seattle Mariners could help them stay hot.
The Twins look for a season-high sixth consecutive victory when they face the Mariners on Friday night.
Without injured starters Justin Morneau (concussion) and Orlando Hudson (oblique), Minnesota (56-46) totaled 53 runs and 86 hits in winning its last five games against Baltimore and Kansas City.
Coming off a 6-1 road trip in those cities, Minnesota has outscored its opponents 97-50 while going 10-4 since the All-Star break. The Twins were 4 1/2 games behind AL Central-leading Chicago at the break but have cut that deficit to 1 1/2.
"It's good to see a lot of things coming together," general manager Bill Smith said. "It's been very encouraging."
All-Star Joe Mauer is batting .404 with nine doubles, two homers and 17 RBIs in his last 12 games. Rookie Danny Valencia is 14 for 22 in his last five despite going 0 for 3 in a 6-4 win over the Royals on Wednesday.
Delmon Young had three hits, including a three-run homer, and he's batting .439 with six home runs and 28 RBIs this month.
Young, however, is 4 for 16 this season against Seattle (39-64), which won three of four at home over Minnesota from May 31-June 3.
The Twins were held to eight runs in that series but now face a Seattle club that was outscored 32-11 while being swept in a four-game set by the White Sox this week. Seattle, 6-20 in July, has lost seven of 10 at Minnesota.
Aside from the Twins' blistering offense, their starters are 7-0 with a 1.21 ERA in the last eight games.
Scott Baker (8-9, 5.00 ERA) looks for a second straight victory after allowing two runs and striking out eight in seven innings of a 7-2 win at Baltimore on Saturday. The right-hander had given up 11 runs in 10 2-3 innings while losing his previous two outings.
"I feel like I did much better," Baker told the Twins' official website. "It just comes down to making better pitches."
Baker is 1-3 with a 4.60 ERA in seven starts against the Mariners.
Minnesota's bullpen should get a boost after the club acquired All-Star closer Matt Capps from Washington on Thursday for two minor leaguers. Even without injured closer Joe Nathan, the Twins' 3.19 bullpen ERA is the best in the AL.
Capps recorded his 26th save in 30 opportunities earlier Thursday for the Nationals. Jon Rauch, who had 21 saves in 25 opportunities in Nathan's place, will return to a setup role.
"Capps is an established, veteran closer who is going to give us a better chance to win our division and advance to the World Series," Smith said.
Seattle's scheduled starter, Doug Fister (3-6, 3.56), lost his only start against the Twins after giving up five runs in 7 2-3 innings of a 5-4 defeat May 31.
Fister is 0-5 with a 5.17 ERA in nine starts since winning at Tampa Bay on May 14. The right-hander allowed two runs in five innings of a 4-2 victory over Boston on Sunday.
Ichiro Suzuki, 6 for 17 with three RBIs against the Twins this season, tied a club record with three doubles in the Mariners' 9-5 loss at Chicago on Thursday. Suzuki is 5 for 10 in his last two games after going 2 for 16 in his previous four.
