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Remember the 2002 Angels … or the 2003 Marlins? When a team gets scorching hot after a sluggish start to the season, it is the most dangerous squad come postseason. That's what could happen with the Twins, who clinched a playoff spot with their win over the Royals and the White Sox's loss to the Indians.

Minnesota has been playing unbelievable baseball since early June. If it had maintained that pace for a full season, we would be discussing this team among the great regular-season squads of all time.

Part of the reason for the Twins' remarkable turnaround has been the performances of Johan Santana, Torii Hunter, Joe Nathan, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. But manager Ron Gardenhire also deserves credit for getting the most out of unheralded contributors like Nick Punto, Jason Tyner and Dennys Reyes. They're as responsible for the team's long-term success as anyone on the roster, and their postseason performance will go a long way in determining whether Minnesota's magic can continue.

TWINNING WAYS

Home Sweet Dome: The Twins lead the majors with a 51-24 home record in 2006. They're hitting better than .300 at the Metrodome this season, and the bullpen has blown only one save at home all season.

Turning point of the season: May 19, otherwise known as the date of Francisco Liriano's first start. The Twins were 17-24 at that point. They've gone 76-39 since. Also noteworthy: Jason Kubel's walk-off grand slam to beat the Red Sox on June 13, the second win in a stretch in which the Twins won 19 of 20.

Mauer Power: Most people knew that Mauer was going to be great. They didn't realize he'd be great enough to follow up hitting .386 in May by pounding the ball for a .452 batting average in June. Mauer, in his second full season in the big leagues, is a few days away from becoming the first catcher to win a batting title since Ernie Lombardi in 1942.

Justin Time: Hunter has had his share of big hits late this season for the Twins (.330 BA, 9 HR, 26 RBI in September), but no one has had more timely knocks this season than Morneau, who should be among the contenders for AL MVP. After a beaning last season left some to wonder if he'd ever mentally recover, Morneau has been fabulous. He started the season just 7-for-34, but then went 6-for-13, including a walk-off against Mariano Rivera as the Twins took two of three from the Yankees in April. A nasty slump set him back again, but by the end of May, Morneau was on track again. Since June 9, Morneau has been among baseball's very best -- hitting .371 with 23 home runs and 91 RBI in 97 games.

The Unheralded: Nathan doesn't get the publicity that Rivera does, but he's put up one of the best seasons by a closer in recent history (1.68 ERA, 35 saves, 12.4 K/9, 36 hits allowed in 65 1/3 innings). Offensively, the surprise star has been Michael Cuddyer, who had four RBI in April but 97 since.

Best chance in the playoffs: If Santana gets to pitch as much as possible. Santana should not only win pitching's triple crown (leading the AL in wins, ERA and strikeouts), he could also be best in opponents' batting average (.215) and innings pitched (225 2/3). The Twins are 26-7 when Santana, baseball's closest version of a sure thing, pitches.

• With a victory at home over the Royals on Monday, and the White Sox's loss in Cleveland, the Twins clinched a spot in the 2006 postseason. It's Ron Gardenhire's fourth trip to the playoffs in five seasons. The only other managers to reach the playoffs four times in their first five seasons were Cito Gaston (1989-1993 Blue Jays) and Larry Dierker (1997-2001 Astros).

• The Reds' win against the Cubs was their eighth this season at Great American Ballpark in which they trailed by at least two runs in the eighth inning or later. That ties the NL record for most wins at home in a season in which the team trailed by at least two runs in the eighth inning or later. The 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers also had eight such wins. Two American League teams have had as many: the 1996 Orioles (9) and 2003 Devil Rays (8). No other team has more than five such wins at home this year.

• The Diamondbacks defeated the Giants, but the real story was that they beat the Giants with Jason Schmidt starting for the first time since Sept. 5, 2002. The Giants' 16 straight wins over the Diamondbacks with Schmidt starting was the longest winning streak with a particular starting pitcher against the same division opponent (since 1969, the first year of divisional play).

More from Elias Says

• Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds was cleared to play Monday after being sidelined since mid-August due to post-concussion syndrome. Edmonds was not in the starting lineup for the first game of a three-game series against the NL West-leading Padres, but he connected for a three-run, pinch-hit homer off right-hander Mike Thompson in his first at-bat since Aug. 26.

• Yankees manager Joe Torre announced after a 16-1 victory over the Devil Rays that Randy Johnson will miss his final regular-season start because of back spasms. Johnson (17-11) had been scheduled to pitch Thursday night against Baltimore. Mike Mussina will move up one day to make that start.

• The Indians have slammed their way to tying a major league record. Casey Blake's grand slam in the sixth inning on Monday night against the White Sox gave Cleveland 14 slams, tying them with the 2000 A's for the most in a single season.

• Twins right-hander Brad Radke, who has a torn labrum and a stress fracture in his throwing shoulder, might be able to make a start for Minnesota this week. Radke did some light bullpen work on Monday and felt better than he did in his last session, manager Ron Gardenhire said. If the 33-year-old, who plans to retire after the season, isn't hurting when he reports to the Metrodome for Tuesday's game, the Twins will likely start him in the next couple of days. If that goes well, there's a chance Radke could have a spot in the rotation for a possible first-round playoff series.

• The Astros would host the Cardinals Oct. 3 in a one-game playoff if both teams finish tied for the NL Central title. Major League Baseball held a coin toss Monday to determine the site of a potential game between the Astros and Cardinals. For such a tie-breaker to be necessary, a makeup of the Sept. 17 game between the Cards and the Giants at Busch Stadium would have to be played Monday.