Twins flexing their muscles

The Twins have been one of baseball’s biggest surprises this season, entering their game Saturday against the White Sox with a 63-40 record and a two-game lead over the Indians in the American League Central.

And the biggest reason behind their dramatic improvement from last season’s 78-84 finish is no secret: power.

Max Kepler’s three-run home run off Sox rookie Dylan Cease in the second inning Friday was the Twins’ 200th of the season. They reached that milestone in their 103rd game, the fastest in majorleague history, breaking the 2005 Rangers’ record of 122 games.

“I just it flash across the screen. It’s pretty cool,” Kepler said Friday after the Twins’ 6-2 victory at Guaranteed Rate Field. “It’s special. I looked at the lineup before spring training and was like, ‘This team can do damage. It’s just a matter if we stay healthy and in the right mindset.’ And we have done that so far. It’s been pretty fun to watch.”

Nelson Cruz added a solo blast in the seventh inning Friday to bring the Twins’ home-run total to 201 — 26 more than the Dodgers, who ranked second in the category. On Thursday, Cruz hit three of his team’s five home runs in a 10-3 victory. It was the ninth time the Twins hit at least five home runs in a game, a major-league singleseason record.

“It never gets old, but our guys take it in stride and generally don’t change their approach to their at-bats,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Thursday.

Eight Twins had 15 or more home runs entering Saturday, with Kepler’s 27 leading the way. Cruz had 26 — including seven in five games against the Sox — Eddie Rosario 22, Mitch Garver 19, C.J. Cron 18, Miguel Sano 17 and Jonathan Schoop and Jorge Polanco 15 apiece.