MINNEAPOLIS _ Their focus has been on the Twins holding onto the second wild-card spot. But the events of Wednesday might call for a recalibration.
Wednesday began with the Yankees and Indians playing a doubleheader in the Bronx after their game Tuesday was rained out. Cleveland pitchers held New York five runs over two games to secure the sweep.
Then the Twins took on the White Sox at Target Field. For the second straight night, they scored a run in the first and added on in the middle innings. Eddie Rosario blasted two home runs. Ehire Adrianza hit two-run scoring triples. Jose Berrios was erratic early and unstoppable late.
It all added up to a victory, 11-1 over the White Sox. Coupled with the Yankees rough double dip, the Twins are one game behind New York for the top wild-card spot in the American League.
At the beginning of the month, the Twins had just returned from a rough West Coast road trip where they had Jaime Garcia make one start for them before dealing him to the Yankees _ he lost the first game of that doubleheader Wednesday _ and then trading Brandon Kintzler to Washington.
Twins manager Paul Molitor was asked about getting back in the postseason race and replied: "Let's just focus on getting back to .500 first."
The Twins were 52-55 at the time. They have gone 17-8 since then. Once anemic at home, they have won 10 of their past 14 at Target Field.
They are 18-10 this month, with a chance at winning 20 games in a calendar month for just the second time since 1991.
On Wednesday, they dominated a White Sox team they should roll over to remain wild-card worthy. Now, as August nears, the Twins find themselves still running in a race no one believed they would be in when they left Fort Myers, Fla., following spring training.
The Twins got off to a fast start Wednesday, when Joe Mauer beat the Chicago shift with a double to straightaway right field that scored Brian Dozier. Rosario then hit a two-run homer to left in the third as the Twins moved out to a 3-0 lead.
Adrianza hit a two-run triple in the fifth. Rosario hit a solo shot to center in the seventh, with Adrianza following with an RBI triple to put the Twins ahead 7-0. Adrianza scored on Dozier's infield hit that made it 8-0. All the runs in the seventh inning came off former Twin Mike Pelfrey. Rosario's blasts made it 10 times this season a Twin has hit two home runs in a game, and it followed Jorge Polanco's two-homer night Tuesday.
Both benches were warned in the fourth inning when White Sox left-hander Derek Holland hit Mauer. It came after Berrios' first pitch of the fourth hit Jose Abreu. That was enough for home plate umpire Scott Barry to issue the warning.
But it came after Mauer was hit with a 3-1 pitch that loaded the bases with one out.
Berrios' intent appeared to be to dominate Chicago hitters. After a slow start, Berrios began getting ahead of hitters and watching them chase his offspeed pitches all night. He had 11 strikeouts through seven shutout innings, tying a career high. He gave up just four hits and one walk in that span.
Despite having thrown just 88 pitches, Berrios, 11-6 with a 3.80 ERA, was replaced by Ryan Pressly for the eighth.
