Twins playing well, but still trail division leader Detroit by many games

Minnesota won 19 of its last 20 games, but still didn't gain much on Tigers.
By LA VELLE E. NEAL III
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins have the leading hitter in the major leagues in catcher Joe Mauer, someone who is one hot streak away from generating talk of hitting .400.
They have a burly slugger in Justin Morneau, who is on pace for at least 40 homers and 130 RBI.
They have not one, but two hard-throwing lefthanders in their starting rotation, Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano, who routinely have hitters swinging at a vapor trail.
They have a proven closer in Joe Nathan, supported by capable setup men.
They won 19 of 20 games from June 11 to July 3 when they looked as if they could have whipped the 1927 Yankees.
But . . .
"We're 11 games back," Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said.
While the Twins were winning, so were the Tigers and the White Sox.
Getting no help
As the Twins have stared at a double-digit deficit in the AL Central, the clubhouse view has crystallized: Because no one else will help them out, they must take out their division foes themselves.
They'll have plenty of chances to do just that. Starting with tonight's game against Cleveland, 20 of the Twins' next 27 games and 32 of their next 46 will come against division foes. That includes nine against the White Sox and six against Detroit.
The comeback would be improbable, but there's precedent. The 1993 Braves trailed the Giants by 10 games on July 22 and rallied to win the division. The 1995 Mariners trailed the Angels by 13 games on Aug. 2 and rallied to force a one-game playoff.