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MINNEAPOLIS -- After spending much of the first half of the season in the cellar, the Minnesota Twins became an afterthought in the American League.Minnesota is giving the rest of the AL something to think about now as a playoff spoiler with some minor league call-ups getting more of a chance in the lineup.Tyler Duffey pitched six effective innings and Minnesota took advantage of two misplays by center fielder Carlos Gomez in a three-run fifth that sent the Twins past the Houston Astros 3-1 on Monday night.Eddie Rosario had three hits for Minnesota, which won for the seventh time in nine games.With 50 games, weve got to keep playing. Kind of enjoying what were doing right now, for the most part, manager Paul Molitor said. I think theres a lot of energy, guys are having fun, a lot of joking going around, which is good as long as the focus is where it needs to be.Since July 2, Minnesota has gone 21-12 and leads the majors in runs, hits, doubles and triples. The victory Monday pulled the Twins ahead of Tampa Bay and out of last place in the overall AL standings.Minnesota is still last in the AL Central.Gomez, the former Twins outfielder, let Jorge Polancos single skip by him for a two-base error that allowed one run to score. Then he lost a fly ball off Juan Centenos bat, turning it into an RBI triple.Danny Santana followed with a run-scoring single.The first one was hit really hard and I missed (it) in my glove, and the second one, I (didnt) know where the ball was, Gomez said. We lost the game because of that. I feel worse than anyone in this clubhouse.Duffey (7-8) permitted one run on four hits and struck out eight to win his second straight start. Three relievers combined for three hitless innings, and Brandon Kintzler finished for his 10th save in 11 chances.I feel like Ive been a lot more consistent, Duffey said. Thats the biggest thing -- my arm slot, release point, everything like that feels really good. Felt strong, and stuff was going where I wanted it to.Polanco, called up from the minors when the Twins traded All-Star infielder Eduardo Nunez to San Francisco, has hit .378 with six RBI in nine games since being recalled.Meanwhile, Molitor said Rosario will get a look in center field after the team sent Byron Buxton to Triple-A on Sunday. Rosario has hit .461 with four RBI in six games as the starting center fielder.Those guys are picking us up, Molitor said of Polanco, Rosario and Santana. Cant say enough about Polanco so far, just the quality of at-bats and what hes doing for us.Collin McHugh (7-9) gave up three runs and 10 hits in seven innings, losing his third straight start. The Astros have dropped 10 of their past 13 games and are averaging 2.28 runs during that stretch.FINDING A SPOTPolancos offense hasnt been much of a question mark for the Twins, but the organization has tried to find the right position for the 23-year-old Dominican infielder. Hes spent time at second base, third and shortstop.After five straight games at third, Polanco moved to shortstop on Monday with third baseman Trevor Plouffe returning to the lineup. Minnesota is unsettled at shortstop after trading Nunez. Eduardo Escobar has received most of the playing time at the position since the trade.Maybe one of the better games Ive ever seen him play at short, Molitor said of Polanco. He was clean, finished, threw with confidence. It was a good night for him all-around.TRAINERS ROOMPlouffe started at third base after missing 32 games with a broken rib. He went 1 for 4.UP NEXTHector Santiago (10-5, 4.37 ERA) makes his first home start for the Twins on Tuesday night. The left-hander was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline and gave up four runs on five hits over five innings in his Minnesota debut at Cleveland. 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Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria.NEW YORK -- Angelique Kerber probably doesnt consider herself a late bloomer, but the meaty metrics of tennis suggest otherwise.The No. 2-seeded German could depart the National Tennis Center in two weeks as the WTAs No. 1-ranked player -- making her, at 28, the oldest woman ever to claim the top spot for the first time.Kerber sprinted into the second round Monday when Polona Hercog retired with a combination of illness and heat stroke after losing the first seven games in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Hercog is now 1-18 versus top-10 opponents.Serena Williams, who is defending 460 more points here than Kerber, essentially needs to last longer than Kerber in the draw to retain that No. 1 ranking. Jennifer Capriati was 25 years and 6 months old when she ascended to the No. 1 ranking for the first time, in 2001. Kerber, incredibly, would be more than three years older.A few more takeaways from the match:Startlingly swift beginning: Kerber came into New York following a pair of difficult losses -- to Monica Puig in the gold-medal match in Rio and to Karolina Pliskova in the Cincinnati final -- but there was no hangover here. Kerber won 30 of the abbreviated matchs 39 points, in a tidy total of 33 minutes.ddddddddddddIf theres pressure, shes not feeling it: Kerber could have lifted that No. 1 ranking with a title in Cincinnati but looked tired in losing to Pliskova. In her pre-tournament news conference, Kerber said she embraced questions about taking Williams ranking. On court after her win Monday, she reinforced that idea. Lets see if the day will come someday, she said. I will be really happy. Im really trying to focus here, win all the matches, and then well see.Recent history means nothing: Believe it or not, the unseeded Hercog had won two of the previous three matches against Kerber. The Slovenian, ranked No. 120 among WTA players, scored victories in Warsaw in 2010 and Monterrey a year later -- both in straight sets. Kerber now holds a 4-2 head-to-head edge.No service issues: Kerber was all over Hercogs serve, breaking her in each of three opportunities. The German won 10 of 17 points on Hercogs first serve and was 4-for-4 in the second. On her own serve, Kerber won 16 of 18 points. ' ' '