Twins in 1st: How?

National analysts keep trying to figure out how the Twins are winning.

Now that the Twins are tied for first place, having won 27 of their last 39, the questions will continue.

To me, there are six answers:

1) Fielding. It's always been the most difficult aspect of the game to quantify. I think it's safe to say that the Twins' fielding is dramatically improved. Trevor Plouffe has gone from a minus at third base to as good a third baseman as there is in the game. Torii Hunter makes plenty of plays in rightfield. Aaron Hicks, Jordan Schafer, Shane Robinson and Eddie Rosario have all put in good work in the outfield. And Kurt Suzuki and Brian Dozier have continued their strong defensive play.

``So many balls that went for hits the last four years are now outs," Glen Perkins said. ``That's what jumps out at me."

2) Starting pitching has varied between good enough and very good. The Twins are 19-6 when their starter goes six or more innings, and their improved fielding has allowed pitchers to pitch deeper into games, which also protects the bullpen.

3) Perkins: He's 18-for-18 in saves even while embracing the occasional four-out save.

5) Baserunning. This team is incredibly aggressive on the bases. If the lineup was filled with great power hitters, that might not be the right approach. But when your lineup is shallow enough that Eduardo Escobar is batting fifth, you might as well be aggressive.

6) Personality. I'm not sure that a more high-strung manager would have helped this team survive a 1-6 start, and the return of Hunter and bullpen coach Eddie Guardado have had an immediate impact on performance.

I'm amazed at how often I'll be talking to a player and they'll bring up Molitor, Hunter or Guardado without being asked.

On paper, this is an average team at best. On the field, situations and gamesmanship matter, and the Twins are winning those games-within-a-game.