Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Monday, May 8, 2017

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1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Monday, May 8, 2017 Red Sox's 10-run ninth inning demolishes Twins Star Tribune (Neal) p. 1 Souhan: Best use of Santana for Twins is to keep him. Star Tribune (Souhan) p. 2 Twins first baseman Joe Mauer steamed after bad call, plus a Berrios update. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 3 Ervin Santana's altered plan goes awry against Sandy Leon. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 3 Confusing doesn't define current makeup of Twins pitching staff. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 5 Tepesch could get another start on Thursday; Berrios a possibility for Saturday. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 5 Twins: I say it's time for Berrios. Star Tribune (Souhan) p. 6 Ten-run ninth sends Twins to 17-6 loss to Boston Red Sox. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 7 Jose Berrios moving closer to rejoining Minnesota Twins rotation. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 8 Ervin has 1st shaky outing in duel gone wrong. MLB (Bollinger) p. 9 Finale unravels despite 4-run 5th, late rally. MLB (Bollinger & Donnelly) p. 10 Twins activate reliever Haley from 10-day DL. MLB (Bollinger) p. 11 Santiago to face former club in opener vs. Sox. MLB (Bollinger) p. 12 Zulgad: Don t get comfortable: Twins roster shakeup likely only getting started. ESPN 1500 (Zulgad) p. 12 Wetmore s 5 thoughts: Dueling aces, Buxton back, Mauer fired up, slopfest. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 13 Report: Twins looking at 7 players as potential top draft picks. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 15 Rule 5 pick Justin Haley back with the Twins after latest roster carousel spin. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 16 A bad day for pitchers in Twins loss to Red Sox. Associated Press p. 16 Twins, Doug Fister Had Talks. MLB Trade Rumors (Byrne) p. 17 Twins Talk: A Few Minutes With A Wise Young Man. CBS Minnesota (Jones) p. 18 Red Sox's 10-run ninth inning demolishes Twins 17-6 La Velle E. Neal lll Star Tribune May 8, 2017 Normally mild-mannered Joe Mauer was far from that in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday, when he had a spirited conversation with plate umpire Dan Iassonga about a borderline strike call. I m still a little fired up about it now, Mauer said. I like Dan. He s a good umpire. I just thought he missed it right there. It was a big situation to miss on. How big? The Twins failed to complete their second game-tying rally and the Red Sox then turned a one-run game into a 17-6 laugher at Target Field by scoring 10 runs in the ninth inning. The game hardly turned into the anticipated pitchers duel betwen the Twins Ervin Santana and Boston s Chris Sale, who entered with the best and third-best ERA in the majors. Both starters had their troubles, and the outcome remained up in the air in the eighth inning, when the Twins scored twice to make it 7-6. With Chris Gimenez on third base and one out, Boston brought in closer Craig Kimbrel, and Mauer pinch hit for Byron Buxton to face the fivetime All-Star for the first time. Mauer fell behind 1-2 but worked the count full. Kimbrel s eighth pitch to Mauer was a breaking ball. I saw it right out of his hand, Mauer said. It wasn t even close. I went back and looked at it. I thought it was a pretty bad pitch.

2 Iassonga signaled strike three. As many among the announced crowd of 31,763 booed, Mauer complained at length. Replays showed the pitch being off the plate. Kimbrel added fuel to Mauer s fire, saying: I thought I got a favorable call there. The impact of Iassonga s call was substantial. If Mauer walks, the lead run is on base and Kimbrel is in a real jam with one out. Instead, there were two outs and Max Kepler, who pinch hit for Ehire Adrianza, was overpowered by Kimbrel on three pitches to end the inning with Gimenez stranded on third. Twins manager Paul Molitor would have had Brandon Kintzler pitch the ninth with the score tied. That would have kept Matt Belisle in the bullpen and probably would have kept Boston from sending 16 batters to the plate in the inning. The Red Sox scored 10 runs off Belisle and Justin Haley in the ninth the most runs the Twins have given up in an inning since Oakland scored 10 fourth-inning runs Sept. 11, That sealed the Twins second loss of the three-game series and ended their homestand 3-3. The marquee matchup between Santana and Sale was not as spectacular as hoped. Santana (5-1) gave up two home runs in the first inning to put the Twins in a 3-0 hole, and he tied a career high by giving up four homers in the game. Sale (3-2) struck out seven of his first nine hitters, but the Twins scored four fifth-inning runs on three singles, two walks, a hit batter and two sacrifice flies to tie the score 4-4. Santana took the mound for the sixth and but gave up a two-run homer for Sandy Leon he hit another in the ninth as Boston look the lead for good. The Mauer-Kimbrel matchup ended up being the Twins last stand. Joe had a heck of an at-bat, Molitor said. One of those borderline pitches that looks high from the side. [Iassonga] had it on the plate and he [rang] him. So there is not much you can do about that. Souhan: Best use of Santana for Twins is to keep him Jim Souhan Star Tribune May 8, 2017 Ervin Santana crashed to earth on Sunday, giving up six runs in his first poor outing of His bad day doesn t change his future. For the next few months he ll be the subject of trade rumors. It s May 8, yet you ve probably heard the argument 100 times: The Twins must trade Santana to acquire good young pitching. This sounds perfectly logical if you ignore, you know, the facts. Santana is 34. He is signed for The Twins have an option to keep him for It seems the people who most want to see Santana traded are the same ones who will complain if the Twins continue to fail, and if Santana is traded for less-expensive players, and if the team tries to sell another rebuild with another wave of young players. The perfect summer scenario for the Twins would be Santana keeping them relevant until July 31, then being traded for a top pitching prospect who will transform the franchise. In reality, both of those eventualities are far-fetched. Trades sound great before they re made, but we tend to glorify the good ones and forget about the bad ones. There is no guarantee and there may not even be a likelihood that trading Santana will bring back a pitcher who can perform like Santana. The winter after he hit 42 home runs as a second baseman, Brian Dozier would have brought only one good pitching prospect in return. The Twins were right not to trade him for that, and they would be right not to trade Santana merely for whatever the market will offer. The success of the Twins rebuild depends on amassing pitching depth, and finding some excellence along the way. Kyle Gibson s collapse and Adalberto Mejia s disappointing start to this season, in the majors and at Class AAA, have the Twins giving Nick Tepesch a second start on Thursday and probably calling up Jose Berrios for Saturday. Let s repeat that, with emphasis: The Twins are above.500, and they are giving Nick Tepesch a second start. These facts cannot coexist for long. The Twins traded Denard Span and Ben Revere to add starting pitching. They wound up with Alex Meyer, Trevor May and Vance Worley. 2

3 When they traded Johan Santana, they wound up with outfielder Carlos Gomez. The pitchers they received in that deal were Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra. For all of their activity in the trade market over the years, the Twins haven t traded for a young pitcher who would rise to the top of their rotation since they traded for Francisco Liriano and Carlos Silva in More recently, they traded the Mickey Mantle impersonator Aaron Hicks for John Ryan Murphy, who apparently was immediately placed in the witness protection program and is working at the Giggle Springs Convenience Store in Tonopah, Nev. Santana is a professional who doesn t depend on velocity or a violent motion to get outs. The only major flaw on his résumé was his suspension for using a performance-enhancing substance in That was egregious, but it is not likely to be repeated. This should become the fifth consecutive season in which Santana s ERA is at 4.00 or better. Most of the things he does in terms of being a veteran are quiet, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. But I know there s influence there. You hear people talk about it. Jose [Berrios] shouldered up to him throughout the spring. I think his consistent demeanor is something that the guys pick up on. He showed a little emotion today on the mound. That s a little uncharacteristic. But he s in a little different spot. He s a top-of-rotation guy on a team where he s come out and had an outstanding start. When he pitches, we seem to be a different team. That reflects on who he is. Unless another team offers a young ace, the Twins should be happy to keep Santana, and other teams are very unlikely to offer a young ace. The Twins should love the one they re with. Twins first baseman Joe Mauer steamed after bad call, plus a Berrios update La Velle E. Neal lll Star Tribune May 7, 2017 A couple quick thoughts following the Twins loss to Boston: MAUER MAD ABOUT CALL: It was a tough at bat for Joe Mauer in the eighth inning. He worked the count full and, by everyone's account, Craig Kimbrel threw ball four to him. The Twins would have had two men on with one out. But home plate umpire Dan Iassonga called it a strike. Mauer was as upset as I've ever seen him. He walked over to Iassonga as he questioned the call. "It's not my opinion that matters," Mauer said. "Which is unfortunate." I do believe that Iassonga botched the call and ruined a potentially bigger inning for the Twins. But I will also suggest this: A 3-2 count with a runner on third an the infield pulled in, take a swing Joe. A slapshot to left scores a run, ties the game and keeps Matt Belisle from entering the game. The breaking ball was up in the zone, a pitch he can handle. Take a rip. IT'S TIME FOR BERRIOS: I get what the Twins are trying to do with Jose Berrios. They want to make sure that his outings at Rochester are from quality pitching and not from Class AAA hitters chasing pitches that MLB hitters won't. They want to make sure that Berrios has good fastball command and is throwing his other pitches for strikes before they call him up again. But the Twins are running out of options and might have no choice but to call him up to start Saturday in Cleveland. He's 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA with the Red Wings. You want Berrios to learn how to get major league hitters out. He can't do that in Rochester. Berrios gave up one earned run over 6.2 innings on Sunday, on 96 pitches. He gave up six hits, including four doubles, with no walks and four strikeouts. Ervin Santana's altered plan goes awry against Sandy Leon La Velle E. Neal lll Star Tribune May 7, 2017 Boston jumped on Twins righthander Ervin Santana for two first-inning home runs Sun-day to put the Twins in a 3-0 hole. Santana then gave up a solo homer to Mookie Betts in the fifth inning. But Santana changed his pitch sequences to keep the Red Sox from doing more damage and appeared to be rewarded in the bottom of the fifth, when the Twins scored four runs off lefthander Chris Sale. All Santana had to do was to keep the score tied there. But then he faced Sandy Leon with a man on in the sixth. I was just trying to put zeros on the board, and me and [Chris] Gimenez were on the same page until that at-bat, Santana said. I changed my mind and threw the wrong pitch. He hit it good. Gimenez asked for a slider. Santana shook him off to a changeup. Leon didn t miss it. 3

4 It was my fault, Santana said. The initial plan, Gimenez said, was to work around Leon for a more favorable matchup against Deven Marrero, the No. 9 hitter. But Santana s first pitch was called a strike, and Gimenez sensed that Santana then decided to go after Leon. If [the changeup] is down a little bit more, we re in business, Gimenez said. Santana ended up giving up four home runs, tying a career high set two other times, the last on May 23, Rotation construction The Twins need starters for Thursday against the White Sox and Saturday against the Indians. Indications are that righthander Nick Tepsech will get the ball Thursday for the series finale against the White Sox in Chicago. Tepesch was knocked out in the second inning Saturday against Boston, but it was his first game in over two weeks and the Twins want to see what he does when he s on a regular five-day schedule. That still leaves the Twins with a need for Saturday at Cleveland. The two candidates are lefthander Adalberto Mejia and righthander Jose Berrios. Mejia is coming off a poor outing for Class AAA Rochester, raising the possibility that Berrios, their top starting pitching prospect, gets the nod. Sunday, Berrios improved to 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA for the Red Wings, giving up one run over 6⅔ innings on six hits and no walks with four strikeouts in a 3-1 victory over Pawtucket. The Twins would prefer that Berrios remains at Rochester to fine-tune his pitching, but they are running out of options for their major league rotation. Dozier gets more rest Ehire Adrianza made his first start with the Twins on Sunday at second base, filling in for Brian Dozier, who missed a second game because of a left ankle sprain. But manager Paul Molitor expressed optimism that Dozier would be ready to play by Tuesday against the White Sox. Dozier turned his ankle on Friday while fielding a ground ball in the sixth inning against Boston, and he was lifted for a pinch hitter in the ninth. Dozier came in walking significantly better than yesterday, which was encouraging, Molitor said. The amount of swelling and discoloration and discomfort yesterday got our attention. With the off day, we decided to be patient with the decision. Adrianza went 0-for-3, but he hit a sacrifice fly off Sale in the Twins four-run fifth, after falling behind 0-2 in the count. Haley returns quickly Righthander Justin Haley was activated from the 10-day disabled list and rejoined the team Sunday. He pitched only an inning for Class AAA Rochester during his rehabilitation assignment, but the Twins needed an arm after designating Michael Tonkin for assignment Saturday. We were happy with what Haley has done so far before he went on the DL, Molitor said. Molitor said this before Sunday s game before Haley gave up four ninth-inning runs, two on Leon s second home run. 4

5 Confusing doesn't define current makeup of Twins pitching staff Patrick Reusse Star Tribune May 7, 2017 The Twins stayed with the original 13-pitcher staff until April 23, and then the new brain trust started maneuvering. On that day, the Falveyians acceded to manager Paul Molitor s desire to increase his bench to four players, adding DH/first baseman Kennys Vargas and also made three pitching transactions. Over the past two weeks, the Twins made nine pitching moves, including two apiece for Buddy Boshers and Rule 5 draftee Justin Haley. They have sent two starters, Kyle Gibson and rookie Adalberto Mejia, to Class AAA Rochester. They also have brought journeyman Nick Tepesch and Drew Rucinski to the big leagues, and designated Michael Tonkin for assignment. Temporarily, this has left baseball boss Derek Falvey with a very strange looking pitching staff. There are three starters: Ervin Santana, Hector Santiago and Phil Hughes. There s a fourth if the Twins actually have the audacity to send out Tepesch again, after his brutal effort on Saturday vs. Boston. OK, Jorge Polanco committed an error to extend an inning, but nowhere does it say that after a boot the starting pitcher should turn a game into batting practice even if it s for a team with the hitting strength of the Boston Red Sox. The departure of Tonkin left the Twins with this bullpen: closer Brandon Kintzler and setup man Matt Belisle, along with Tyler Duffey, Ryan Pressly, Taylor Rogers, Craig Breslow and Rucinski. There were several guesses made after Saturday s game as to what pitcher would replace Tonkin in time for Sunday s homestand finale. There wasn t anybody guessing Haley, who was early in a rehab stint at Rochester and had made one appearance. The original decision to put Haley on the new 10-day disabled list with tendinitis looked like the kind of stash of a player that the overly ethical previous GM, Terry Ryan, would not engage in. Haley could serve the DL time, then go to Rochester for a 30-day rehab assignment -- perfect for maintaining a hold on a Rule 5 guy while he gets more work in the minors. But then there was Haley in the home clubhouse on Sunday morning, quickly back from the rehab assignment on the active roster. Which means he has to stay when a starter presumably Jose Berrios gets called up this week. What a collection: Tepesch and Rucinski, both 28-year-old right-handers with mediocre stuff; Breslow, a 36-year-old who has redefined soft-tossing lefty, plus the Rule 5er who could ve been stashed for another three weeks. This should look like less of a mess once Berrios and perhaps another starter not named Tepesch are figured in this week, but for now, the Twins staff is definitely exceeding the legal limit for innings eaters and retreads hanging out with bullpen coach Eddie Guardado. Tepesch could get another start on Thursday; Berrios a possibility for Saturday La Velle E. Neal lll Star Tribune May 7, 2017 While the Twins can send staff ace Ervin Santana out to the mound today, they still are trying to figure out what their rotation will look like by the end of the week. We're just six weeks into the season, and the Twins have demoted Adalberto Mejia and Kyle Gibson to the minors because of their struggles. Righthander Nick Tepesch started yesterday but did not look very good. He was foiled by Jorge Polanco's error that fueled a eight-run second inning for the Red Sox, but Tepesch could have made a pitch or two to get out of the inning. But indications are that Tepesch will get the ball on Thursday against the White Sox in Chicago. In addition to the Polanco error, it was Tepesch's first game in over two weeks. So the Twins want to see what he does when he's back on a five-day preparation plan instead of sitting around waiting for a blowout to pitch in. That leaves the Twins with a dilemma on Saturday, when they need another starter. The two candidates are Adelberto Mejia and Jose Berrios. 5

6 Mejia is coming off of a poor outing for Class AAA Rochester, raising the possibility that Berrios gets the nod. He is scheduled to start today for the Red Wings in chilly conditions at Frontier Field. As of this writing, the stadium temperature is 36 degrees there. So if the Twins decide to call up Berrios, he would pitch Saturday with an extra day of rest. The Twins would prefer to leave Berrios in the minors to fine tune his pitching, but he has a 1.09 ERA after five starts and the Twins really don't have any better options right now. Stay tuned this week for rotation news. When was the last time the Twins have played such an interesting game in early May? Twins righthander Ervin Santana is 5-0 with an 0.66 ERA. Red Sox lefthander Chris Sale is 2-2 with a 1.38 ERA. You can't get a better matchup this early in the season. Interestingly enough, the two pitchers faced each other exactly one year ago today. Sale and the White Sox won that game 7-2. But that is the only win Sale has over the Twins since April of The Twins have beaten Sale six out of seven times since then, knocking him out before the sixth inning three times. Sale has a 7.62 ERA against the Twins over the last seven meetings. Brian Dozier (left ankle) is not limping as bad as he was on Saturday, but it's unlikely he will play today.. The Twins would prefer to give Byron Buxton another day off as a precaution after he banged his head Thursday while making a catch, but they need him in the linuep. So he's playing. Twins: I say it's time for Berrios Jim Souhan Star Tribune May 7, 2017 Sunday morning, Twins manager Paul Molitor said the Twins will need to make decisions on who will start on Thursday and Saturday. I say the Twins should do a lot of due diligence and research and then choose Jose Berrios for one of those spots. Hector Santiago will start Tuesday. Phil Hughes will start Wednesday. Nick Tepesch is most likely to get the start on Thursday. Not because he is viewed optimistically but because the Twins have few other attractive options and want to give him the benefit of the doubt after a fielding mistake opened the floodgates on Saturday. I don't think Tepesch should get another start, but I agree that the Twins don't have great options. If Tepesch starts on Thursday, the Twins' big decision will involve choosing a starter for Saturday. I don't know how it can be anyone other than Berrios. Adalberto Mejia impressed this spring but has been terrible since, in both the big leagues and at Triple A. Berrios is by far the best pitcher and option at Triple A. He has a 1.09 ERA entering today and would be well-rested if his next start is Saturday. The Twins are right to worry that Berrios has failed to make his stuff translate in the big leagues before. But he's going to have to learn to adapt to the big leagues at some point, and there is no guarantee that a long run of success at Triple A will help him do so. I'm not predicting great success for Berrios. I'm just saying he's the only logical, palatable option at this point. 6

7 Ten-run ninth sends Twins to 17-6 loss to Boston Red Sox Mike Berardino Pioneer Press May 7, 2017 Considering he had to squat for 184 pitches from seven different hurlers in a 17-6 loss that dragged on for nearly four hours, Twins catcher Chris Gimenez was remarkably upbeat late Sunday afternoon. This team can do that to you, Gimenez said of the Boston Red Sox. They ve got some big boppers in their lineup. They re not exactly a team you want to let get hot. Hopefully they can be hot and get the heck out of here. Gimenez, who reached base three times in four trips at the plate but saw his catcher s earned run average soar from 4.94 to 6.08, couldn t help but laugh after suffering through a 10-run ninth inning and a three-game series that saw the Twins outscored and outhomered 9-3. He thought back to the 3-2 fastball Dustin Pedroia, the second batter of the game, somehow tomahawked for the first of four homers off Twins ace Ervin Santana. When Pedroia s hitting homers like that on pitches like that, we probably should have realized it was not going to be a good day for us, Gimenez said. Let them go beat up on the AL East now. We ll come back and face them in a couple months and whip their (butt). Things got out of hand after Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel struck out pinch hitters Joe Mauer and Max Kepler with the potential tying run on third in the eighth. The Red Sox tacked on 10 more runs in the ninth six of them charged to Matt Belisle (9.00 earned run average) to drop the Twins season run differential to minus-8. It stood at plus-13 after Mauer s first career walk-off homer on Friday night. It got a little bit ugly at the end, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. The series overall, I think there were a lot of good things about it. I think the final run differential was not indicative of the competitiveness of the series. Especially not after the biggest inning against the Twins since Sept. 11, 2013 at Oakland (also 10 runs). There was a general feistiness in the home clubhouse, even after a 15-hit beatdown that included 11 extra-base hits, the most against the Twins in 19 years. A few steps from Gimenez s locker, Mauer stood before the TV cameras and continued to express his disappointment with the called third strike plate umpire Dan Iassogna granted Kimbrel on a full-count curve. I m still a little fired up about it right now, Mauer said. Asked if he d seen the pitch on video, the Twins first baseman nodded grimly. About what I thought, he said. Dan back there great guy, good umpire. I thought he just missed it. It happens in this game. It s unfortunate it happened in that moment but not much you can do about it now. Big situation to miss one but it happens. Molitor wasn t too keen either on the call, which ended an eight-pitch battle in the first-ever meeting between combatants with 11 combined all-star selections. Joe had a heck of an at-bat, Molitor said. One of those borderline pitches. It looks high from the side. (Iassogna) had it on the plate and he banged him. There s not much you can do about that. As they have done so many times over the past three seasons, the Twins eventually got to Red Sox starter Chris Sale (3-2). This time their gametying, four-run rally in the fifth was immediately followed by the fourth homer off Santana (5-1), a two-run shot by Sandy Leon with a base open and No. 9 hitter Deven Marrero on deck. That was my fault, Santana said of a 1-1 changeup that came after he shook off Gimenez for one of the few times all day. I wasn t happy because we were on the same page, and I changed my mind. Rookie Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run shot in the first and Mookie Betts added a leadoff homer in the fifth. It was the first multi-homer game off Santana since last June 14, and the four homers also tied a career high set two other times. The last was May 23, 2013 against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Chris Iannetta and Mark Trumbo. 7

8 Pulled after six innings and 93 pitches, Santana (5-1) saw his ERA spike from a majors-leading 0.66 to He had posted a majors-best 1.95 ERA over his past 24 starts, dating to June 15, scattering 11 homers over 157 innings. Sale, despite fanning 10 and pushing his majors-leading strikeout total to 73, gave back the lead in a scrappy Twins fifth. Gimenez was hit by pitch, and soft singles by Eddie Rosario (bloop) and Byron Buxton (bunt) to loaded bases. Jorge Polanco s two-run single was the big blow, but Ehire Adrianza and Kennys Vargas added sacrifice flies. Vargas also homered in the eighth. Jose Berrios moving closer to rejoining Minnesota Twins rotation Mike Berardino Pioneer Press May 7, 2017 Prized right-hander Jose Berrios appeared to be in line to start Saturday at Cleveland, but the Twins were still considering all options for their suddenly unsettled starting rotation. After having his latest start at Triple-A Rochester pushed back a day by rain, Berrios lowered his season earned run average to 1.13 with 6 2/3 strong innings on Sunday against Pawtucket. In 230 Triple-A innings (36 starts) over the past four seasons, Berrios has gone 19-8 with a 2.51 earned run average and 250 strikeouts (9.8 per nine innings). His nine-inning walk rate at the highest minor-league level was just 2.5, but it skyrocketed to 5.4 in 14 big-league starts last season as he struggled mightily with fastball command. Asked how that part of Berrios game was coming along, Twins manager Paul Molitor was lukewarm on Sunday. I think we re seeing slight improvement, he said. Obviously it s potentially an issue up here more so than down there. Saddled with an 8.02 ERA in the majors. Berrios had a disjointed spring that included some encouraging high-profile moments at the World Baseball Classic with his native Puerto Rico. Because strike zones tend to be more lenient in the minors and hitters are far less disciplined, knowing when Triple-A success will translate to the majors can be difficult. I don t know if I want to start looking at all the numbers you have a tendency to use in today s game, Molitor said. I think you could even look at quality pitches thrown in a game over your 100 pitches. Those have been trending in the right direction, too. OTHER OPTIONS Lefty Adalberto Mejia opened the year in the Twins rotation, but he has struggled since being demoted to the Red Wings. It took Mejia 83 pitches to get through four innings (six earned runs) on Friday. Similar to the three starts we saw here, Molitor said. He didn t put guys away when he got ahead. Command was an issue: ball-strike ratio, overthrew when he got in trouble. Right-hander Nick Tepesch, who recorded just five outs Saturday in just his second big-league outing in 33-plus months, could be given another start on Thursday in Chicago. Molitor noted Tepesch s performance was a difficult one to judge given how it unfolded. Double-A Chattanooga right-hander Paul Clemens, 29, is another consideration after signing a minor-league deal late this spring. With a 3.46 ERA through five starts for the Lookouts, Clemens is coming off a six-inning stint on May 3 in which he allowed four earned runs on eight hits (seven singles) and a walk while fanning seven. One scout on hand said Clemens topped out at 95 mph and sat at mph but showed spotty command and struggled against a lightly regarded Pensacola club. Clemens is 8-13 with a 4.89 ERA in parts of three big-league seasons with the Houston Astros, Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres. He made 14 starts last season, posting an overall 4.04 ERA while walking 3.9 per nine innings. With Tonkin s DFA, the Twins have an open spot on their 40-man roster but no longer have top waiver priority now that the calendar has flipped to May. 8

9 BUXTON S BACK Center fielder Byron Buxton returned to the lineup Sunday, three days after crashing into the center-field wall and being tested for concussion. He s doing a lot better, Molitor said. You could argue 48 hours might be a good thing for him to wait until Tuesday, but in my mind, given how well he felt (Saturday), he s going to play. The last time Buxton faced lefty Chris Sale, he opened the 2016 season finale in Chicago with an inside-the-park homer. Sunday his bunt single helped spark a four-run uprising in the fifth. Second baseman Brian Dozier, meanwhile, came in walking significantly better than Saturday, Molitor said. The amount of swelling, discoloration and discomfort (Saturday) got our attention, Molitor said. I think in his case, with the 10-day (disabled list), you want to be as patient as you can. If you can get him in five or six days, even less, you don t want to lose the whole 10 days. With the off day we decided to be patient with his decision. HALEY RETURNS Rather than stash Rule 5 pick Justin Haley at Triple-A Rochester until early June, as his rehab assignment would have allowed them to do, the Twins opted to summon him on Sunday in place of reliever Michael Tonkin, who was designated for assignment or release. Haley, who landed on the disabled list April 22 with biceps soreness, tossed a scoreless inning on Friday for the Red Wings, fanning two and needing just 14 pitches (10 strikes) against his former teammates from Pawtucket. He threw 22 pitches on Sunday against his former team, give up four runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk in one-third of an inning. I think ideally we would like to have seen him get stretched out a little more, Molitor said. He was scheduled to pitch a couple innings (Sunday). Given some of our issues with pitching here in the short term, it expedited what we had to do. Ervin has 1st shaky outing in duel gone wrong Rhett Bollinger MLB May 7, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- Through Ervin Santana's first six starts of the year, he never allowed more than one run or more than four hits in any of his outings, helping him post a Major League-best 0.66 ERA. But that changed against the Red Sox on Sunday, as the veteran right-hander turned in his first subpar outing of the year and was uncharacteristically hurt by a career-high four home runs in a 17-6 loss at Target Field. It was billed as a pitchers' duel between him and Chris Sale -- who entered the game as No. 1 and No. 2 in ERA in the American League -- but it was anything but, as Santana allowed homers to Dustin Pedroia and Andrew Benintendi in the first that set the tone for the rest of the game. "It was supposed to be a classic pitching matchup, but Ervin made a couple mistakes early," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "The first home run to Pedroia, he was trying to go up and in and there, and 0-2 on Benintendi, he was trying to go more in but it ended up inner third." Santana also gave up a solo shot to Mookie Betts in the fifth, but it was a go-ahead two-run homer from Sandy Leon in the sixth that had a frustrated Santana crouch down in anger after watching a 1-1 changeup reach the overhang in right field. It came after a meeting with Molitor and catcher Chris Gimenez, who told the righty they could pitch around Leon to get Deven Marrero, but once he got a called strike on Leon on a slider, he tried to go after him. "I wasn't [happy] because me and Gimmy were on the same page, but I changed my mind," Santana said. "I tried to throw something else. It was my fault." "The two-run homer as we responded to their four-run inning, that might be the swing of the game," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "It swings the momentum back to us and gives us the lead once again." Gimenez said Santana's stuff was as good as it usually is, but he had trouble harnessing it, which led to his mistakes. Pedroia's homer came on a 3-2 fastball, and Betts' came on a 2-1 fastball. "I just don't think [he was] where he wanted to be location-wise," Gimenez said. "Stuff-wise was great, and he made some good pitches, but he 9

10 made some mislocated pitches, and that's what it comes down to. That's a tough lineup over there." Santana fell to 5-1 with a 1.72 ERA after being charged with six runs in six innings, and he said his command needs to be better after walking three batters in each of his past two starts. Only 27 of his 45 fastballs went for strikes against the Red Sox, leading him to throw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 27 batters he faced. "They're very aggressive," Santana said. "Every time you fall behind in the count, they make good swings, and you saw that happen today. Next time, I have to throw more strikes." Finale unravels despite 4-run 5th, late rally Rhett Bollinger & Patrick Donnelly MLB May 7, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- It was billed as a pitchers' duel between two aces with sub-1.40 ERAs, but it ended up being a slugfest at Target Field on Sunday. Chris Sale outpitched Ervin Santana, who tied a career high by serving up four homers, before the Red Sox broke out with a 10-run ninth inning in a 17-6 win over the Twins. Santana entered with a 0.66 ERA in six starts, but after allowing six runs in six innings, it went up to It was the first time Santana allowed more than one run in a start this year, and he fell to 5-1. Sale also scuffled, surrendering a season-high four runs on four hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts. It was Sale's sixth straight start reaching double-digits in strikeouts, but his recent struggles against the Twins continued, as he has a 6.63 ERA over his past 10 starts vs. Minnesota. But he still picked up the win, improving to 3-2 with a 1.92 ERA. "I felt good," Sale said. "I just had a good rhythm going. This is a team I've seen quite a bit before and not been very good on my end, so I wanted to come in here and buck that trend." Sale was helped by homers from Dustin Pedroia and Andrew Benintendi in the first, a solo blast from Mookie Betts in the fifth and a go-ahead two-run shot from Sandy Leon in the sixth. All four came off Santana, who gave up four homers for the third time in his career and for the first time since May 23, "They're very aggressive," Santana said. "Every time you fall behind in the count, they make good swings, and you saw that happen today. Next time, I have to throw more strikes." The Twins made it close with two runs in the eighth against reliever Matt Barnes, with Kennys Vargas connecting on a solo homer and Eddie Rosario bringing home a run on a sacrifice fly after a wild pitch. With the game-tying run at third with one out, the Red Sox brought in closer Craig Kimbrel, who struck out pinch-hitters Joe Mauer and Max Kepler to get out of the jam. But the Red Sox broke it open in the ninth, with Hanley Ramirez providing an RBI single and Mitch Moreland and Chris Young lacing two-run doubles. Leon also added his second two-run homer of the game, while Xander Bogaerts had a two-run triple. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Super Sandy: After the Twins tied it with a four-run fifth, Santana promptly walked Ramirez on four pitches to open the sixth. It came back to haunt him three batters later, as Leon connected on a two-run homer to right with two outs. It was Leon's second homer in as many days, and his third of the year before he added his fourth later. "The two-run homer as we responded to their four-run inning, that might be the swing of the game," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "It swings the momentum back to us and gives us the lead once again." HBP takes wind out of Sale: Sale cruised through the first four innings, but he hit Chris Gimenez on the back foot with a slider that opened the floodgates in the fifth. Rosario reached on a bloop single before a bunt hit from Byron Buxton loaded the bases. Ehire Adrianza plated a run with a sacrifice fly before Jorge Polanco slapped a two-run single. Vargas tied it with a sacrifice fly to right, but Eduardo Escobar struck out with two runners on to end the inning. "We found a way to scratch and claw," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We put together an inning where we didn't hit it all over the field, but we were able to get it back to even." 10

11 QUOTABLE "I thought he just missed it. It happens in this game, but it's unfortunate it happened in that moment. I'm still a little fired up about it now." - Mauer, on a called third strike against Kimbrel with the tying run at third in the eighth SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The meeting between Santana and Sale was only the third time since 1982 that two pitchers with ERAs under 1.40 started against each other, according to the Elias Sports Bureau (minimum of six starts). BUXTON MAKES FOUR-STAR CATCH Twins center fielder Buxton made an impressive running catch in the left-center-field gap to rob Bogaerts of extra bases to end the seventh. Buxton had 4.9 seconds to go 92 feet, giving it a catch probability of only 35 percent, which is a four-star play, according to Statcast. WHAT'S NEXT Red Sox: Boston has a day off before traveling to Milwaukee to start a three-game series with the Brewers at Miller Park. On Tuesday at 7:40 p.m. ET, left-hander Drew Pomeranz (3-1, 4.00) will look for his third victory in as many starts. Twins: After an off-day on Monday, the Twins head to Chicago for a three-game series against the White Sox that begins on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. CT. Left-hander Hector Santiago (3-1, 2.78 ERA) is set to face his former team, and he limited the A's to three runs over six innings last time out. Twins activate reliever Haley from 10-day DL Rhett Bollinger MLB May 7, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- A day after designating reliever Michael Tonkin for assignment, the Twins activated Rule 5 Draft pick Justin Haley from the 10- day disabled list on Sunday. Haley, who had been on the DL since April 22 with a strained right biceps, was recalled from a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester earlier than scheduled, as he had made just one appearance. But it was a solid one, as the right-hander threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts on Friday. "Ideally, we would've liked to see him get stretched out a little bit more," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He was scheduled to pitch a couple innings today. We were going to talk about the possibility about when the best time for him was to return, but given our issues with pitching recently, it expedited what we had to do." The Twins didn't have many options for relief help, as Double-A Chattanooga lefty Mason Melotakis was the only reliever on the 40-man roster eligible to be recalled, but they want him to see action at Triple-A before he reaches the Majors. They could've added a reliever to the 40-man roster in the spot vacated by Tonkin, but Molitor said Haley made the most sense. Haley had a 4.15 ERA with 11 strikeouts and three walks in 13 innings before the injury, but he allowed four runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk in one-third of an inning in the Twins' 17-6 loss to the Red Sox on Sunday. "His outing and how good he feels without much of a layoff allowed us to make the decision," Molitor said before Sunday's game. "I think we're all happy with what Haley has done so far. The fact he was ready and was coming off a good outing and is 100 percent, we went that direction." While Haley fills a need as a bullpen arm, the Twins still need to recall a starter for either Thursday or Saturday. One option would be to stick with right-hander Nick Tepesch on Thursday and recall Jose Berrios to start Saturday. Adalberto Mejia is in the mix as well, but he is coming off a rough outing with Rochester. "We're looking at timing and how it'll line up," Molitor said. "We've obviously got Berrios and Mejia down there. And we have Tep, and yesterday was a difficult one to judge based on how it unfolded." 11

12 Worth noting Second baseman Brian Dozier remained out of the lineup on Sunday with a mild left ankle sprain, but he said he expects to return to the lineup on Tuesday after Monday's off-day. An X-ray and an ultrasound revealed no structural damage. "There's peace of mind," Dozier said. "We just have to get the swelling out, and we're good." Center fielder Byron Buxton, who had missed the previous two games after colliding into the outfield wall twice on Thursday, returned to the lineup on Sunday. Santiago to face former club in opener vs. Sox Rhett Bollinger MLB May 7, 2017 Twins left-hander Hector Santiago and White Sox right-hander Mike Pelfrey will both be facing their former teams when the two clubs begin a three-game series on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. Santiago (3-1, 2.78 ERA) pitched for Chicago from , while Pelfrey (0-2, 5.02 ERA) pitched for Minnesota from ' It's the third series between the two clubs this season, as the Twins took two out of three in Chicago from April 7-9 before the White Sox returned the favor and won two out of three in Minnesota from April Things to know about the game Santiago is off to a strong start this season, and he has worked to cut down on his walks after leading the American League in that category last year. The lefty, who has struck out 25 and walked 11 in 35 2/3 innings, held the A's to three runs in six innings last time out. Santiago has had success against his former organization, going 4-1 with a 1.40 ERA in six starts. Pelfrey, who was released by the Tigers before signing a Minor League deal with the White Sox, has struggled to pitch deep into games, and he hasn't pitched more than 5 1/3 innings in any of his three starts. He has rough numbers against the Twins, posting a 6.88 ERA against them in four starts. The Twins are hopeful second baseman Brian Dozier will return to action after missing two games with a mild left ankle sprain. Minnesota could also be without third baseman Miguel Sano, as he is expected to find out the result of his appeal of his one-game suspension by Tuesday. If he wins, he'll be eligible to play, but if not, he'll be suspended for the opener. Zulgad: Don t get comfortable: Twins roster shakeup likely only getting started Judd Zulgad ESPN 1500 May 7, 2017 The Twins were one of two major league teams that hadn t made a roster move since the beginning of the season when they put righthanded reliever Justin Haley on the 10-day disabled list and optioned lefthanded starter Adalberto Mejia to Triple-A Rochester on April 22. Those transactions which included promoting lefthander Buddy Boshers and first baseman Kennys Vargas came 18 games into the season. This might have created the impression that Twins new chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine weren t going to move quickly when it came to the decision-making process. A few weeks later, that feeling has been erased by a flurry of roster activity. It started with the somewhat overdue decision to send struggling starter Kyle Gibson to Rochester last Thursday after he gave up eight hits, four runs and three walks in an 8-5 loss to Oakland. That left Gibson with an 0-4 record and an 8.20 earned-run average. The promise that Gibson had shown in spring training had been nothing more than a mirage. If the Gibson move was expected, the next decision by Falvey and Levine was not. Utilityman Danny Santana, who had belted a home run against the A s on Thursday but was hitting only.200, was designated for assignment on Friday so room could be created for what the Twins considered to be a utility upgrade in Ehire Adrianza. The Twins also called up righthanded reliever Drew Rucinski to fill Gibson s spot. On Saturday, following the latest subpar outing from Michael Tonkin in which the reliever gave up a ninth-inning home run to Sandy Leon and also walked three, the Twins designated him for assignment. Falvey and Levine s newfound penchant for shaking up the roster could be viewed in a few different ways. One would be to think that some of 12

13 the demoted players are getting a wake-up call in hopes that they will get their act together. Another would be that the Twins brain trust is looking for the proper mix of players who can keep the team competitive into the summer months. I m not sure either of these is the case. Part of the reason that the Santana move was surprising is because it s something that wouldn t have been expected under former GM Terry Ryan. Thus, this was a reminder that we don t know what to expect from Falvey and Levine. The contention from this corner remains simple and is something that isn t going to be confirmed by the chief decision makers at Target Field. The 2017 season isn t about trying to win games so much as it is trying to determine what type of shape this organization is in at every level. The Twins will begin a six-game road trip on Tuesday against the White Sox with a record. They went 3-3 on their just-completed home stand against the Athletics and Red Sox, but they also gave up a combined 28 runs on Saturday and Sunday in the final two games to Boston. Ervin Santana had been brilliant before surrendering six runs and five hits, including four home runs, with three walks and four strikeouts in six innings of a 17-6 setback on Sunday. But this starting staff, and bullpen, are filled with far too many question marks and Falvey and Levine know this. It s why at some point in July the pair likely will look to move Santana for younger pitching prospects that can make a difference down the road. This strategy also is why the Twins appear to be in no hurry to promote Jose Berrios from Rochester, despite the fact he is dominating at Triple- A. Berrios improved to 3-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.13 on Sunday by giving up only one run, six hits, with no walks and four strikeouts in 6.2 innings in a 3-1 win over Pawtucket. Berrios has made appearances in a Twins uniform before and he has failed. Those running the organization want to make sure the next time he sets foot on the mound at Target Field he can remain there for the long term. The present simply isn t the focus. Under Ryan, the expectation would have been that Gibson would be back sooner rather than later. Under Falvey and Levine, it s not going to be surprise if he never pitches another game for the Twins. In the case of Santana and Tonkin, both are out of minor league options and were DFA d. The Twins have 10 days to trade them, release them or send them through waivers. Only after clearing waivers could they be outrighted to the minor leagues. In all three cases, Falvey and Levine came to the conclusion they had seen enough to make a decision. Just as players are getting extended opportunities to show what they can do, they also aren t assured of returning to Minnesota once it s determined they aren t a fit. There are more of these decisions to come. Falvey and Levine have the luxury of spending this season in a mad scientist type of role when it comes to roster construction, knowing they have the luxury of seeing what works and not having to worry all that much about the team s record. This might lead to transactions that cause confusion, at least from a timing perspective, but it also will make for an interesting summer at Target Field in which comfort level won t be a luxury that many will enjoy. Wetmore s 5 thoughts: Dueling aces, Buxton back, Mauer fired up, slopfest Derek Wetmore ESPN 1500 May 7, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS Sunday s baseball game had the promise of being a beautiful affair, the kind of low-scoring, tense-from-start-to-finish pitcher s duel that makes matchups between aces worth the wait. It was not that. This column presents 5 thoughts from Sunday. 1. Ervin Santana and Chris Sale locking horns turned out to be the pitcher s duel that never was. Santana entered Sunday as the ERA leader in the American League, and Sale was close behind in third place (0.66 ERA and 1.38 ERA respectively). Santana s ERA went way up Sunday. And naturally, after being billed as a must-see pitching matchup, the game eventually 13

14 devolved into a 23-run slopfest that closely resembled the game of baseball. Boston scored 10 runs in the 9th inning to make the game an all-out laugher. And the Twins limped to the finish line, just hoping to have a reliever any reliever end the misery. 2. At least three of Santana s four home runs appeared to be the result of missing his intended location. Santana allowed 6 earned runs in his 6 innings pitched to balloon his ERA to He didn t seem to have his best fastball command, especially early, and he gave up 4 home runs to the mighty Red Sox. In the 1st inning with one out, he ran a full-count fastball up and in to Pedroia, and the perennial all-star second baseman smacked it out the park to left field to stake Boston to a 1-0 lead on the second hitter of the game. Then Santana hit Xander Bogaerts. He got ahead of Andrew Benintendi 0-2, but then left a fastball right in the wheelhouse, and the rookie deposited that pitch on the other side of the fence, too, and it was 3-0 Red Sox before the Twins had their first crack at Sale. Molitor was asked afterward if Ervin had instances Sunday in which he was un-ervin-like. Maybe a little bit, Molitor said. I think obviously the first home run to Pedroia, [Santana] wasn t trying to go up and in there. And then 0-2 on Benintendi, trying to go way in there and leaves it on the inner-third [of the plate]. In the 6th inning, Santana had two outs, a runner on second base, and the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters due up for Boston. Veteran catcher Chris Gimenez went to have a word with Santana. Unfortunately for the Twins and Santana s sparkling ERA, the Red Sox backup catcher got a gift of a 1-1 changeup smack dab in the middle of the plate, and he smoked it out of the yard for his first of two home runs on the day. We sent Gimenez out there before the 2-run homer, just to remind him, Hey, this is an opportunity here to make pitches here and if you don t, we ll go after the next guy, Molitor said. Kind of trust your veteran pitcher there. And obviously he didn t want to throw a changeup where he threw it. 3. If you just glanced at the final score, would you believe me if I told you there was a tense moment in 8th inning? A 10-run 9th inning for the Red Sox threw the balance of the game out of whack, but the Twins actually had a legitimate chance after a rally and a chess match in their half of the 8th inning. Trailing 7-4, the Twins strung together some clutch plate appearances to cut Boston s lead to one run. That forced Sox manager John Farrell to call on his closer, Craig Kimbrel, to put out the fire with a runner on third base and one out a five-out save if he finished the deal. In response, Twins manager Paul Molitor pinch hit for Byron Buxton, tapping Joe Mauer on the shoulder and asking for him to get on base. Mauer tried to do just that, after he was the hero Friday night with his first career walk-off home run. Sunday it was a different story, as a called third strike ended Mauer s bid to tie the game. A hit through a drawn-in infield might have changed the outcome, and Mauer was seething by his standards at home plate umpire Dan Iassogna after the call. Didn t agree with the last pitch there went back and looked at it [on video] and I still don t agree with it, Mauer said after the game. Can t do much about it. Dan back there, great guy, good umpire, I thought he just missed it, Mauer said. It happens in this game Big situation to miss one but it happens. It could have been a different story if the Twins tied things up and turned to their closer in the 9th inning. Instead, Mauer got rung up and Kimbrel overpowered Max Kepler for the final out, and 10 Red Sox runs the next half-inning means no complaining about a borderline called third strike. 4. J.O. Berrios turned in another fine outing for Triple-A Rochester, and his next start should be in a Twins uniform. The Twins currently have 4 starters in their rotation, following the demotion of Kyle Gibson. And Nick Tepesch had a brutal outing in his first 14