ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Minnesota Twins needed a spark offensively after a slow start to the season, and the Rally Sausage was born.

When the Twins were scoreless for their first five innings Thursday against the Chicago White Sox, hitting coach David Popkins brought a Cloverdale Farms tangy summer sausage into the dugout and told everyone to tap it before they hit.

The Twins reeled off five straight hits, including back-to-back homers, and a new tradition — something to link the hitters together — was born. The Twins brought the summer sausage on their road trip, and it was tossed to Carlos Santana and Max Kepler after they homered Saturday.

"Everybody touches it before we go to the plate," infielder Kyle Farmer said. "Every at-bat, they just kind of tap it. It just organically happened. ... I hope it lasts the whole year and it doesn't get moldy or anything."

All nine Twins starters recorded a hit and scored a run during the Twins' 16-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night, their best offensive performance of the season.

"When you're scoring runs and winning some games, you can probably have a little more fun with stuff like that," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "Maybe it's because of the sausage that it's all happening in the first place."

The Twins celebrated home runs last year with a "Land of 10,000 Rakes" fishing vest, which is now encased outside of the Twins' clubhouse, and a toy fishing pole. Pablo López bought the items when he saw other teams using props for their home run celebrations.

The summer sausage, as one would expect, was a little more spontaneous.

"I don't know how the sausage ended up in the dugout, but it was there," catcher Ryan Jeffers said.

Farmer received a summer sausage in his locker after he did a commercial with Cloverdale Farms last year. Farmer didn't want to eat the summer sausage himself, so he put it on the table in the clubhouse.

Popkins saw an opportunity and brought the Minnesota-based wurst into the dugout. The hits followed, and the Twins extended their winning streak to six games.

"It worked," Santana said. "Everything in baseball, when it works, we do it."

There are concerns about how long the Twins can continue to tap into the sausage for rallies.

"The thing hasn't been refrigerated in many days," Baldelli said. "There is no doubt when that thing opens up, whoever is touching it is in deep trouble. There is no doubt in my mind that we are carrying around something that is very, very unhealthy to the human body."

The Twins will accept the risk of a moldy sausage — Popkins threw it into Jeffers' traveling bag after their last home game — if it means more wins.

"Baseball players are messed up," Farmer said.

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