Cliff Lee was cruising, and the Cleveland Indians were on the verge of a much-needed victory. Then came the seventh inning, and a sign of just how fragile the defending AL Central champions currently are. The Twins took full advantage, using a handful of walks and well-placed singles to send the Indians to their eighth straight loss Sunday.

Kevin Slowey walked off the mound and went straight for the computers set up in a cranny behind the dugout. Video of a five-run second inning provided visual evidence of what his brain, his pitching coach and his catcher were telling him about a rushed delivery. Problem solved, and the Minnesota Twins came back.

Delmon Young and Nick Punto are starting to get comfortable in their roles. Young hit a three-run home run and had a season-high four RBIs, Punto homered and also had four RBIs, and the surging Minnesota Twins beat the free-falling Cleveland Indians 12-3 on Friday night. Young got off to a slow start after coming over in a trade from Tampa Bay, and Punto has battled injuries and hasn't been able to...

Over the last 18 games, Minnesota Twins starters are 12-2 with a 2.82 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 118 innings while the team has won 15 times. So where exactly is Francisco Liriano going to fit? Because, for now, there's clearly no room in the rotation. "I don't think too many clubs would mind being in that situation," manager Ron Gardenhire said.

This is what it often looks like when the Minnesota Twins are winning: bunts, two-out singles and a whole lot of speed. Nick Blackburn combined with two relievers on a five-hitter, and Joe Mauer's two-run single with two outs sparked a five-run third inning that led the surging Twins over the Detroit Tigers, 7-0 Wednesday.

Craig Monroe is growing into his new role as a reserve. Monroe hit a three-run homer and just missed a second, and Justin Morneau added three hits to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 6-4. Mike Redmond had two RBIs for Minnesota, which has won eight of 10 and 12 of its last 14. The Twins remain 2 1/2 games behind Chicago in the AL Central; Detroit is six back.

There was no way Joel Zumaya was going to disappoint Todd Jones and the rest of his teammates. Zumaya got five outs for his first save in more than a year, and Curtis Granderson's go-ahead RBI single capped Detroit's two-run eighth inning as the Tigers rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 5-4 on Monday night.

No more National League foes remain on the schedule for Kevin Slowey and the Minnesota Twins to master, unless they're able to reach the World Series. Half the season still remains, so Minnesota must prove for three more months its place as a legitimate playoff contender. If the Twins can capture the successful spirit of these last two weeks, though, they'll be right there at the end.

The maturation of Manny Parra is happening faster than expected. Parra allowed two hits in seven innings to win his sixth straight start and the Milwaukee Brewers beat Minnesota 5-1 on Saturday night to end the Twins' 10-game winning streak. Bill Hall had a two-run double and Ryan Braun and Corey Hart also had RBIs for the Brewers, who have won nine of 12.

After two close calls, Joe Mauer finally lifted one over the fence. Mauer hit a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth inning to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 Friday night for their 10th straight win, all against NL teams. The catcher is known for hitting line drives, not home runs.

Minnesota was down 3-0 against the lowly San Diego Padres for the second time in less than 24 hours when Justin Morneau hit an impressive two-run homer. An inning later, the game was tied. One more and the Twins had gone ahead. That's how it's been going for the streaking Twins, who beat the Padres 4-3 on Thursday for their ninth straight win, all against NL teams.

When Greg Maddux beat the Colorado Rockies on May 10, he became the ninth big league pitcher to reach 350 victories. Getting to 351 is proving to be a struggle. Maddux's winless streak reached nine starts, the second-longest drought of his brilliant career, when the Minnesota Twins beat the San Diego Padres 9-3 Wednesday night for their eighth straight victory.

Not even the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner or baseball's career saves leader could stop the streaking Minnesota Twins. Brendan Harris and Brian Buscher hit solo home runs on consecutive pitches against Trevor Hoffman in the ninth inning, and Minnesota beat the slumping San Diego Padres 3-1 Tuesday night for its seventh straight victory.

The only reason the Minnesota Twins recalled Alexi Casilla back in early May was because they really had no other choice. Ron Gardenhire has long been intrigued by Casilla's physical skills, but the Dominican's lapses in judgment or focus and penchant for turning even the most routine play into a gasp-inducing adventure aggravated the manager to no end.