Twins unrattled by Diamondbacks' visit

The Twins extended their winning streak to four today with a 7-2 win over Arizona and drew closer to the White Sox, who were beaten by the Cubs.

Minnesota scored six runs in the third inning and rode a good performance by Scott Baker, whose ERA improved to 3.47. The young Twins pitchers have done well at home -- now they need to show they can do the same on the road.

The Twins got runs on a two-run single from Matt Macri, a sacrifice fly from Joe Mauer and an RBI single from Justin Morneau. Monroe capped the outburst with a line drive homer to left-center against Randy Johnson. 

It's the Twins' first four-game winning streak since August of last year. It came at a great time, right before the all-star break, when you want to gain on your top rival, the White Sox.

Here's a great stat, and one that might portend success: The Twins had four two-RBIs, with Morneau getting one,  Monroe two and Carlos Gomez one.

Having multihit games were Carlos Gomez, with two hits and and RBI; Alexi Casilla, two hits and a run; and Delmon Young, two hits and a run. Monroe and Macri had two RBIs each.

Baseball's a funny game. You think you know something -- and then it turns out you don't.

Arizona looked like the best team in the major leagues early in the season. Now they're only 39-35, just a game better than the Twins.

The Diamondbacks are only four games up on the Dodgers in what appeared to be a strong division before the season started. San Diego and Colorado would be tough, everyone agreed, along with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks.

Well, the Padres and Rockies got off the horrible starts and the Dodgers have been inconsistent. Arizona went into a slump, which it had come out of.

Meanwhile, the Twins are just three and a half behind the White Sox, who might lose more ground. They're playing the Cubs, who beat them Friday, 4-3.

And what about Mauer? He's hitting .335, tied with A-Rod for the AL batting lead. Morneau's 11th, hitting .306. Still, his 11 homers are not up to par. He should be at around 15 now. His 57 RBIs are pretty solid.

Several Twins need to step it up for the team to beat Chicago and Detroit for the division title:

1) Young needs to start hitting homers and getting more RBIs. His average, .276, is decent.

2) Mauer should show more power. Only two homers? Come on.

3) The young Twins pitchers need to pitch better on the road.

4) Michael Cuddyer, who missed Friday's game to be at wife's side while she gave birth, needs to start hitting. His average is below .250.

5) The bullpen needs to be as dominant as in past years. Nathan's been great, but Pat Neshek's injury has hurt. Other guys have been inconsistent.