CHICAGO – Before the Twins reeled off 10 straight wins, transforming into the hottest team in the major leagues, they viewed this part of their schedule as a chance to dig themselves out of a hole they created.
The Twins weren’t playing well through the first three weeks of the season, but they had three straight series against the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels, teams with two of the three worst records in the American League.
“We knew we had an opportunity coming into this stretch to turn the page a little bit and have a fresh start,” Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers said after a 10-5 victory Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. “I don’t think anyone in here expected to go 10-0.”
The Twins, who matched their longest winning streak in the past 18 seasons, went undefeated on a road trip of at least six games for the first time in franchise history, and they finished it the same way they started.
The offense roared to life during their winning streak, averaging more than seven runs per game. They didn’t take their first lead until the seventh inning Wednesday against the White Sox (6-25), when Max Kepler powered an RBI single through the right side of the infield against lefty reliever Tim Hill. It was the third straight game Kepler drove in the go-ahead run.
The Twins compiled five hits and four runs in the ninth inning, which included back-to-back run-scoring doubles from Jose Miranda and Jeffers.
“We put in a lot of work from the start of spring training to do special stuff like this,” said Alex Kirilloff, who hit a solo homer in the fifth inning. “It definitely feels really good when something like this comes along.”