After the Twins were swept at Baltimore, I took a look at troubling signs that had emerged at the start of the season. Many of those trends held true through an unsightly nine-game losing streak that had the confidence of Twins players and fans shaken. Now that the Twins have started to emerge from that funk with a three-game sweep of the Angels over the weekend, it's instructive to look back at those factors and note how an uptick in each area played a role in the beginning of a turnaround:
One big one: The Twins were dismal with runners in scoring position to start the year in Baltimore, going 2-for-21. That clutch slump reached a nadir at 5-for-66 when the Twins fell to 0-9.
Over the weekend, though, Minnesota was a much more respectable 8-for-28 (.286) with runners in scoring position, with many of the hits coming in the late innings — including Oswaldo Arcia's game-winner in the 12th inning Sunday.
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.
