1/2 game out, 5 1/2 up

Briefly, while the Tigers-White Sox game was still going last night, the Twins were tied for first. They caught the Tigers.
Detroit ended up winning, though, to pull back up by a half-game.
The Sox, now 5 1/2 back, are all but finished. The Twins only need win a few more to clinch the wild-card, and they look like they're going to fight Detroit till the bitter end.
*One thing I realized during last night's satisfying 8-2 win over Boston is that Jason Bartlett (pictured) is becoming more than just a good shortstop. He's becoming one of the best. He turned two more terrific plays, and if he hadn't stupidly spent the first two months of the season in Triple-A, he'd be a contender for both the AL batting title and the Gold Glove. The first couple times Bartlett came up he looked raw and ragged, like everything he did was difficult for him.
Now, he looks very smooth and easy, just like Juan Castro did. Only Bartlett has more range, a better arm and a more reliable glove than Castro.
Calling Bartlett the next Greg Gagne may be selling him short.
*Torii Hunter is on the best streak of his career. His homer last night (#28) was an absolute bomb, and it came in a big, big spot. Even after spending two weeks on the DL, Hunter has a great chance to finally - finally - reach 30 homers for the first time in his career.
*How 'bout Boof? He now has a 3.74 ERA since being re-called, and is a more than respectable 6-5 with a 4.36 ERA overall. If Silva continues his re-emergence, the Twins might have three solid starters for the playoffs after all. Four if you count Matt Garza, who appears to be figuring things out, too.
*Rondell White is hitting .313 since the All-Star break. Just thought you'd like to know.
*Joe Mauer is hitting .280 since July 1. I've been getting a lot of shit from people for being too negative, especially when it comes to Mauer, but .280 out of the 3-hole is just plain inexcusable when the three guys behind you (four if you want to count Rondell White) are all mashing.
*These are the batting averages of the Twins starting lineup:
.296
.292
.344
.282
.325
.275
.236
.323
.315
All nine are more than solid except for White's .236, which, as mentioned above, has been steadily rising for two months. Six of the others are over .292, and the two who aren't - Cuddyer and Hunter, have combined for 50 homers and 191 RBIs. Not bad.
I'm not sure how much he's had to do with it, but Joe Vavra is hitting coach of the year.
*Wednesday's win was the Twins' 90th, the fourth time in five years they've reached 90 wins under Ron Gardenhire. At 90-61, their current winning percentage is .596, which would be their best in any of those years. When you consider they were 25-33 at one point, that is amazing.
*Johan goes today, looking for win #19. Getting it would mean a season sweep (6-0) over the BoSox, and put another nail in Ozzie Guillen's coffin.