Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Thursday, May 24, 2018

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1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Thursday, May 24, 2018 Gibson sharp but Twins' offense quiet in loss. MLB.com (Denney) p.1 Brian Dozier hit a ball that got stuck at the very top of the outfield wall... inches from a homer. MLB.com (Chesterton & Bollinger) p. 2 Pineda throws off mound for first time post-tj. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 2 Twins expecting offensive help after failing to sweep Tigers. Star Tribune (Neal) p.3 Heading into June, Twins hanging in there without key players. Star Tribune (Hartman) p. 4 Twins' Kyle Gibson lasts through long but costly inning. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 5 Brian Dozier's special skill: Getting balls stuck in the wall. Star Tribune (Sinker) p. 6 Wednesday's Twins-Detroit game recap. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 6 Twins postgame: Goodrum does in his former team. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 7 Twins can t complete three-game sweep, fall 4-1 to Tigers. Pioneer Press (Greder) p. 7 Byron Buxton s speed turns routine single into double in a flash. Pioneer Press (Greder) p. 8 Bizarre moment Twins player misses out on a home run after the ball somehow gets wedged in the wall. Daily Mail (White) p. 9 Michael Pineda throws off mound for first time since Tommy John surgery. NBC Sports (Silva) p.10 Brian Dozier just misses HR as ball sticks in top of wall. ESPN (Staff) p.10 How Logan Morrison is working his way through his early-season slump. The Athletic (Kelly) p.10 Niko Goodrum has a moment in Minnesota, but a tougher test awaits. The Athletic (Bultman) p. 12 Twins get stuck on quest for first three-game sweep of season. The Athletic (Kelly) p.13 Gibson sharp but Twins' offense quiet in loss Jarrid Denney MLB.com May 23, 2018 MINNEAPOLIS -- Kyle Gibson delivered a bounce-back start on Wednesday afternoon, but it wasn't enough to help the Twins to a series sweep. The Tigers topped the Twins, 4-1, at Target Field to take the finale of a three-game set. Gibson tossed six innings and allowed three runs on six hits. He avoided trouble for much of the game, but was stung by Niko Goodrum's two-run homer in the fourth. In that same fourth inning, Gibson faced six batters and threw 34 pitches. The Twins readied their bullpen in case help was needed, but Gibson navigated his way through trouble and then helped himself out with a quick fifth inning. "We got someone up, just because you don't want to go past that [pitches] in any particular inning," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "A lot of three-ball counts. A lot of foul balls with two strikes, just as far as finishing it, just wasn't happening as far as having an opportunity to have a bit more quicker at-bats. Instead, they got elongated." Gibson struck out three and walked one. Wednesday marked the seventh consecutive outing in which he has thrown at least five innings. Brian Dozier got the Twins going early on when he led off the bottom of the first with a ground-rule double to dead center. In bizarre fashion, Dozier's line drive wedged between two panels of padding at the top of the wall and got stuck, causing Detroit's Leonys Martin to throw up his arms to signal that he couldn't retrieve the ball. "Well, we were talking about it," Dozier said. "Jeff Kellogg, the second-base umpire, he's been doing this for years. We've seen it in the padding like halfway up, but never at the top. I need to get [with] our strength coach a little bit. So you just wonder. Maybe a couple more biscuits in the morning would do the trick." Dozier went on to score on a single to right by Eddie Rosario, but Minnesota's offense fell stagnant after that. Detroit starter Michael Fulmer kept the Twins handcuffed, striking out five while allowing four hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings. Minnesota

2 saw a chance to cut its deficit in the fifth when Byron Buxton stretched a single up the middle into extra bases for a one-out double with the top of the order due up. But Buxton was left stranded when Fulmer got Dozier to pop out and then struck out Max Kepler to end the inning. In the eighth, the Twins saw another chance for the top of their order to spark a rally when Dozier drew a leadoff walk. But Kepler followed by dribbling a grounder up the middle that Jose Iglesias gathered for a 6-3 double play. Rosario followed with his third single of the day, but was left stranded when Eduardo Escobar struck out to end the inning. "As we knew, it was going to be a tough opponent and a tall order," Molitor said. "We made [Fulmer] work. We got his pitch count up there. We just couldn't break through with any big numbers." The Tigers had a chance to blow the game open in the bottom of the eighth when they loaded the bases and scored another run on a JaCoby Jones RBI single. But Zach Duke came on to retire Detroit's hitters to end the threat. YOU GOTTA SEE THIS Buxton reached a top speed of 30 feet per second on his double in the fifth, according to Statcast. He went from home to second in 7.88 seconds, which was his second-fastest time on a double this year. His personal best is 7.21 seconds, on a double against the Rays on Sept. 12, "Anytime he splits defenders, he's thinking double," Molitor said. "Not too many guys I can think of would be able to get there safely. He just puts pressure on defense. That time of the game, we're trailing by a couple, but it's still the right play to try to get into scoring position." UP NEXT The Twins will get Thursday off before heading to Seattle for a three-game set with the Mariners that begins at 9:10 p.m. CST on Friday. Fernando Romero will get the nod for Minnesota in search of his third win of the season. The 23-year-old righty has a 1.66 ERA during his rookie campaign. Brian Dozier hit a ball that got stuck at the very top of the outfield wall... inches from a homer Eric Chesterton and Rhett Bollinger MLB.com May 23, 2018 It's always disappointing when we come up short of our goals, but it's somehow even more disappointing when we miss them by narrow margins. Leading off for the Twins in the bottom of the first inning during Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Brian Dozier sent a pitch from Michael Fulmer to deep center field that he thought was a home run. Instead, it got stuck in the top of the Target Field wall for a ground-rule double: That's about as close to a home run as you can get without, you know, actually hitting one. But, the disappointment of just missing a home run didn't last for long. The wall could only delay Dozier from scoring, as Eddie Rosario brought him in from second on an RBI single two batters later. MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger talked to Dozier about the weird play postgame: "Well, we were talking about it. Jeff Kellogg, the second-base umpire, he's been doing it for years. We've seen it in the padding like halfway up but never at the top. I need to get our strength coach a little bit. So you just wonder. Maybe a couple more biscuits in the morning would do the trick." Yes, always more biscuits. Pineda throws off mound for first time post-tj Rhett Bollinger MLB.com May 23, 2018 MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins right-hander Michael Pineda took a big step in his recovery from Tommy John surgery last July, as he threw off a mound for the first time on Wednesday at Target Field. Pineda had been throwing long toss in recent weeks leading up to his first bullpen session of roughly 15 pitches. He'll continue to throw two bullpen sessions a week before he progresses to live batting practice and a rehab assignment. He's aiming for a return late in the season. "It went pretty good," Pineda said. "I was feeling good and I threw strikes. So that was pretty good. I'm excited. It's one thing at a time. Now, I'll continue the process. The plan is to stay here and continue my rehab." 2

3 Pineda, 29, signed to a two-year, $10 million deal this offseason, with the Twins betting on his upside in 2019 and hoping to get contributions from him down the stretch this year. Minnesota still hasn't decided if he'll return as a starter or a reliever this year, but he's expected to get stretched out to start just in case. Pineda had a 4.39 ERA with 92 strikeouts and 21 walks in 96 1/3 innings with the Yankees in 2017 before suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament. He has a career 4.05 ERA with 687 strikeouts and 157 walks in 680 innings with the Mariners and Yankees. Injury updates Third baseman Miguel Sano, on the 10-day disabled list since May 1 with a left hamstring strain, went 3-for-4 with a homer in his fourth rehab game with Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday night while playing seven innings at third base. He's slated to play first base on Wednesday and is on track to rejoin the Twins on Friday in Seattle. "He did good," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "His leg was great. He did well at the plate. He didn't get a lot of opportunities defensively." Right-hander Trevor May, coming off Tommy John surgery in March 2017, made his third rehab start and his second with Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks over four innings. He was hurt by a homer from former Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe, but the Twins were encouraged by his velocity. He's eligible to return from the 60-day disabled list on Monday. "Didn't get through five innings just because of long innings," Molitor said. "But his pitch count was fairly close to where we wanted to get it. Pitched rather effectively. Velocity was sustained a little bit better than his previous outing. Trevor Plouffe got him for a homer. But I think that we're all pleased. It was a good step for him as far as extending himself, velocity returning, usage of all his pitches and he threw strikes for the most part." First baseman Joe Mauer, who is on the DL with a cervical neck strain and concussion-like symptoms, has gotten through light workouts at Target Field without any issues. He spent Saturday and Sunday away from the ballpark, but has been working out at Target Field since Monday. "He did a little light workout on the bike and some other things in the weight room," Molitor said. "Minimal but increasing, and he's handling everything he's done so far." Twins expecting offensive help after failing to sweep Tigers La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune May 24, 2018 Maybe another road trip is just what the Twins need. Perhaps the weather this time of year in Seattle will cure their scoring ills. Later on, there will be rib-scoring opportunities in Kansas City that could lead to run-scoring success against the Royals. And, maybe, Miguel Sano will appear sometime over the next week or so, healthy and ready to feast on some meatballs the ones over the plate, not on them. Because just when the pitching staff is starting to find a groove, the Twins offense can t find ways to score. And their 4-1 loss to Detroit on Wednesday at Target Field completed a homestand during which a lineup low on power could not bunch enough hits together to sustain the offense. So they failed in their attempt to sweep the Tigers. Instead, they took two of three and went 4-5 on the home-stand. After going 7-3 on their last road trip, the Twins could use similar success when they open a three-game series in Seattle on Friday before playing three games in Kansas City. You know, it s a little disappointing to be honest, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. You have a chance to come out here and sweep a series, something that we ve been looking to try to get one here. When you get the opportunities, you want to get greedy. We ve talked about that a lot. They were held to one run on five hits by righthander Michael Fulmer and the Tigers bullpen. So the final homestand numbers are as follows: A team batting average of.225. Four home runs in nine games. An average of 3.33 runs scored per game. This coincides with the pitching staff posting a tidy 3.11 ERA over those same nine games. Kyle Gibson went six innings Wednesday, giving up three earned runs including a two-run homer to former Twin Niko Goodrum that broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth. Detroit added a run in the ninth on an RBI single by JaCoby Jones. But it was the fourth consecutive game in which a Twins starter has pitched at least six innings. The staff is grinding away without a true ace and without proper offensive support. 3

4 Maybe that s why the Twins sound more and more willing to activate Sano from the disabled list in time for Friday s game. Sano, on a rehabilitation assignment at Class AAA Rochester after a left hamstring strain, went 2-for-4 with a home run while playing first base Wednesday night in what appeared to be a final tuneup. They missed Sano s presence Wednesday, as Fulmer held the Twins to one run over 5⅔ innings. Eddie Rosario s RBI single in the bottom of the first tied the score at 1-1, but Fulmer allowed only one baserunner past first base on the rest of his watch. I m not a big tip-my-hat guy, Molitor said, But you acknowledge guys who know what they are doing out on the mound. I thought our approach was decent, but [Fulmer] made pitches when he had to. Second baseman Brian Dozier, who was awarded a ground-rule double in the first when his drive stuck between seams in the padding on the center field wall, feels the quality of their at-bats will be rewarded soon. Everyone wishes everyone was healthy, but that s never the case by any means, he said. But I think for the most part, it s been good and guys have been stepping up, especially the past few games. Let s not forget we won two out of three. It s hard to sweep at this level. Heading into June, Twins hanging in there without key players Sid Hartman Star Tribune May 24, 2018 Twins manager Paul Molitor won the 2017 American League Manager of the Year vote over Cleveland s Terry Francona. You have to wonder if the way the Twins are playing minus stars such as third baseman Miguel Sano, starter Ervin Santana, shortstop Jorge Polanco, and with players such as first baseman Joe Mauer and center fielder Byron Buxton spending time on the disabled list and catcher Jason Castro out for the rest of season maybe he ll be even more deserving this season. While the Twins lost 4-1 to Detroit on Wednesday, their 12 victories since May 2 were tied for the most in the majors coming into the game. The Twins have gotten support from quite a few players during this run. Logan Morrison extended his on-base streak to 28 games (when he starts) Wednesday when he drew a walk in the sixth inning. Eddie Rosario continues to be the best offensive player on the roster, collecting three of the Twins five hits Wednesday. He is hitting.337 with 18 RBI in his past 25 games. His great game-ending catch on the warning track Monday night was rated a four-star catch by MLB.com, his first of the season. Kyle Gibson took a tough loss, his third in as many decisions, even though he had a quality start by allowing only three runs over six innings. Max Kepler continues to put together a historic turnaround against lefthanded pitching. He s hitting.333 against lefties, compared to.152 last season. That would qualify as the largest jump in batting average against lefties in one season since 1974, according to STATS. Kepler already has 11 RBI against lefties this year compared to 12 all of last season, and he has three homers in 42 at-bats compared to two in 125 in Another positive sign for the Twins (21-24) is that they ve played only 10 of the 62 games they ll have against American League Central opponents. So far they have a division-best 7-3 record against Central teams and trail Cleveland by only 1½ games. Still, it was disappointing to see the Twins once again stymied by Tigers righthander Michael Fulmer, who is 4-0 with a 3.04 ERA in his career against Minnesota. The Twins are overall at Target Field, which is a worrisome sign. Last season, one of the Twins biggest issues was they couldn t win at home. They finished at Target Field after starting at home in Reinforcements soon Molitor said even though the Twins have yet to field a completely healthy lineup, that doesn t necessarily put them at a big disadvantage. It s not particularly tough, he said. I ve seen enough baseball to know that playing with a full deck is kind of a luxury. You re going to go through times where you have to reach down and use the depth that you have either up here or in the minor leagues. But it s just part of the game where you have to have people who can fill in adequately when you have people go down. Obviously with so many of our regulars out, it s made it a little more challenging and we re just trying to hold our own until we get a little more healthy. Molitor said the reason the pitching staff has been so solid lately posting a 2.99 ERA and 12-8 record over the past 20 games is that the 4

5 starters are pitching deeper into games. We were taxing our bullpen too much as far as innings and work, and the last couple of times through the rotation, these last three games we ve got eight [innings from Jose] Berrios, seven last night from [Lance] Lynn and Gibson gives us six, Molitor said. The more innings we get out of the rotation, I think that will stabilize our whole staff. Molitor said reinforcements might be coming soon. Santana (finger surgery) pitched two innings in a rehab start for Class AA Chattanooga on Wednesday, giving up two runs on four hits with no walks and one strikeout. He will have another start at Class AAA Rochester next week. And there is hope that if Sano continues to prove he s healthy at Rochester, he could be back for the three-game weekend series in Seattle. Mauer (cervical strain, concussion symptoms) and righthander Trevor May (Tommy John surgery) could be available soon. Joe seems to be doing better each day, Molitor said. Castro [knee] is obviously gone for the year. Trevor May is doing well. He pitched [Tuesday] and did decent and he ll get another start for Rochester next week as well. Praise for Pohlads You have to give Twins owner Jim Pohlad credit for being willing to write off pitcher Phil Hughes big contract, because it gives the team a chance to add another player to the 40-man roster. Hughes was due $13.2 million this year and in It s always difficult when you have to make a tough decision like that with a player who is under contract, but I think we felt this was the best thing for our team moving forward, said Derek Falvey, the Twins chief baseball officer. It s a credit to our ownership to say that we are afforded the opportunity to make the best baseball decisions, independent of contract. Twins' Kyle Gibson lasts through long but costly inning La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune May 24, 2018 Twins righthander Kyle Gibson was locked in a 1-1 duel with Tigers righthander Michael Fulmer on Wednesday. Gibson wove his way in and out of danger for most of the afternoon until the strange fourth inning. All of a sudden, Tigers hitters began to battle and at-bats took longer. Niko Goodrum finally belted a two-run homer to put the Tigers ahead for good. Goodrum s homer came right after a leadoff single by Victor Martinez, so Gibson was trying to get out of the inning with no further damage. He ended up throwing a whopping 34 pitches that inning 11 of which were fouled off. Six of those foul balls came from Jose Iglesias before he flew out to end the inning. Trevor Hildenberger began warming up because the inning would not end, but didn t enter the game until the seventh. We got someone up just because you don t want to go past that [pitch count] in any particular inning, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. A lot of three-ball counts. A lot of foul balls with two strikes. Gibson (1-3) continued to pound the strike zone and his pitches were lively, but he s now winless in his past nine starts. There s only a couple of pitches he would like back. It s frustrating when we get beat by one swing, Gibson said, but you kind of got to debrief 15 to 20 minutes after the games and then start looking at the positives. Pineda throws A sweaty Michael Pineda smiled while giving the thumbs-up sign. Everything is good, Pineda said. Pineda threw off the mound, albeit for only 15 pitches, for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last July. The Twins signed him for a two-year, $10 million deal during the offseason, hoping to help him through his rehabilitation and reap the benefits next season. Pineda has made enough progress that the club is optimistic he could pitch sometime in September. I will continue with the process, Pineda said. Two bullpens every week. And then we will see. Pineda will remain in the Twin Cities during this phase of his recovery. 5

6 Carter coincidence? After Joe Mauer was placed on the disabled list because of a cervical strain and concussion symptoms, former NL home run champ Chris Carter was signed to a minor league deal and assigned to Class AAA Rochester. Some would wonder if the moves are related, but several Twins officials indicated that Carter came to them for very little (cash considerations) and the Red Wings could use some pop. Molitor expressed the same sentiments following Tuesday s game. We were able to add a little more protection, Molitor said. We really didn t get into it, extensively. He wasn t costly. [He s] a guy with experience. Just see if it goes anywhere. Mauer was able to ride a bike and get through other light exercises Tuesday. He s still out indefinitely because the concussion symptoms remain. Carter s arrival looks to be an indictment on the hitters at Rochester than at Target Field. Kennys Vargas is batting.204 with three home runs and 42 strikeouts in 38 games. Brock Stassi is batting.198. Leonardo Reginatto is batting.194 and Taylor Featherston is at.172. All have played at least 30 games. May update The Twins received favorable reports from Trevor May s outing for Rochester on Tuesday. He could be one start away from being activated from the 60-day disabled list. In four innings, May gave up three runs on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts. His big mistake was a two-run home run given up to former teammate Trevor Plouffe. Didn t get through five innings just because of long innings, Molitor said, But his pitch count was fairly close to where we wanted to get it. Pitched rather effectively. Velocity was sustained a little bit better than his previous outing. May has one more start scheduled for Sunday, then the Twins will decide if he s ready to join the club. Brian Dozier's special skill: Getting balls stuck in the wall Howard Sinker Star Tribune May 24, 2018 This is the play that made you wonder if Wednesday wasn't going to be filled with good fortune for the Twins. Brian Dozier led off in the bottom of the first with a long fly ball to center field... that got stuck in the padding inches from clearing the wall. He went on to score, but it was the only run in the Twins' 4-1 loss to Detroit, which kept them from sweeping the three-game series and ended another homestand with a losing record. It wasn't the only time Dozier has hit a ball that got stuck in a wall. Just before the start of the 2016 season, the Twins played a preseason game in Washington, D.C., against the Nationals. Here's what happened. Two near home runs turned into two ground-rule doubles. Lest you think Dozier always gets less than he deserves, however, remember what happened when Dozier led off a game against the Tigers last September. It's your classic "Little League home run." Wednesday's Twins-Detroit game recap La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune May 23, 2018 GAME RECAP IMPACT PLAYER Niko Goodrum, Detroit The Tigers third baseman s two-run homer in the fourth inning put the Tigers ahead for good. 6

7 BY THE NUMBERS 11 foul balls hit off Kyle Gibson in the fourth inning. 34 pitches thrown by Gibson in the fourth inning. 4-5 record for the Twins during the nine-game homestand.346 batting average for Eddie Rosario over his past 25 games 3.11 ERA for the Twins pitching staff during the homestand Twins postgame: Goodrum does in his former team La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune May 23, 2018 This is a rare opportunity to write about someone with the other team. Niko Goodrum was a skinny kid when the Twins selected him in the second round in 2010 as a shortstop. They were betting on the future, as they looked as his burly father and hoped that Niko would fill out into a fine athlete. And that has pretty much happened - expect that Goodrum's offense has been a work in progress ever since he became a professional. And the Twins nearly released him during his Class AA season. But they decided to hold onto him. Goodrum as learned to play several positions along the way. And he has filled out into a solid specimen. He hit a career high 13 home runs last season at Class AAA Rochester. He also made his major league debut with the Twins, going 1-for-17 late in the season. He left the organization after the season and hooked on with the Tigers. And, because of injuries, he's getting a chance to play. Heck, on Tuesday, he batted fifth in the lineup. On Wednesday, he was the cleanup hitter. And on Wednesday, he hit his fifth home run of the season to help the Tigers beat the Twins. He looks more confident at the plate and swings with evil intentions. You end up rooting for someone like Goodrum because it looked like he would never get a chance to play in the majors. But he's taking advantage of the opportunity at age 26. "Obviously over there, he s getting a chance to play a lot of positions, play more regularly because of some injures," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He was always a pretty good fastball hitter. Today we tried to elevate on him a couple times with two strikes and we didn t quite get it where we needed to and he did some damage." Twins second baseman Brian Dozier had similar sentiments. "He looks good out there and hopefully he keeps it going," Dozier said, "just not against us." Twins can t complete three-game sweep, fall 4-1 to Tigers Andy Greder Pioneer Press May 23, 2018 The Twins couldn t complete their first three-game series sweep of the season on Wednesday, and while their play has improved overall, the team has yet to fully emerge from the hole it dug during a dismal 12-game stretch last month. Niko Goodrum hit a two-run home run against his former team, and Detroit starter Michael Fulmer gave up one run in 5 2/3 innings as the Tigers beat the Twins 4-1 before an announced crowd of 23,891 at Target Field. Trying to regain traction after losing 11 of 12 games from April 17-May 1, the Twins (21-24) finished the 10-day homestead 4-5, and new Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire got his first win against his former club. The Twins one run Wednesday further sank an offense that ranked 14th in the 15-team American League in runs scored going into Wednesday. The Twins had a mild threat in the eighth inning snuffed out when Tigers reliever Joe Jimenez got Max Kepler to ground into a double play and Eduardo Escobar to strike out. After allowing Minnesota one run in the first, Fulmer shut down the Twins over the next 4 2/3 innings. He gave up four hits three walks and struck out five but needed 112 pitches. 7

8 I m not a big tip-my-hat guy, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. but you acknowledge guys who know what they are doing out on the mound. I thought our approach was decent, but he made pitches when he had to. Twins starter Kyle Gibson s gave up three earned runs over six innings, with Goodrum s line-drive, two-run shot to right-center field breaking a 1-1 tie in the fourth. Goodrum, a Twins second-round pick in the 2010 draft, played 11 games for Minnesota last season without homering. In the ninth, Goodrum, cut by Minnesota last November, led off with a double and came around to score an insurance run. Niko came back to haunt us a little bit, Molitor said. Gibson took the loss but bounced back after allowing a season highs of eight hits and two home runs in an 8-3 loss to Milwaukee last Friday. As his pitch count crept into the 90s on Wednesday, he escaped a two-on, no-out threat in the sixth. Victor Martinez hit a ground ball against a infield shift for a single and Goodrum walked. But John Hicks grounded into a double play and JaCoby Jones grounded out to first to end the inning. Gibson immediately ran into trouble in the first inning before settling down. Leonys Martin laced a single that first baseman Logan Morrison couldn t handle, then Nicholas Castellanos followed with a double down the left field line. Victor Martinez s sacrifice fly scored Martin. I felt like my stuff was back to where it had been before the Brewers, and unfortunately I threw one pitch in the wrong spot at the wrong time, Gibson said of the offering to Goodrum. It s frustrating when we get beat by one swing, but you ve kind of got to debrief 15 to 20 minutes after the games and then start looking at the positives. In the bottom of the first, Brian Dozier s drive to straight-away center field lodged between the wall s pads for a ground-rule double. He scored on Eddie Rosario s single to right to tie the game 1-1. That was the extent of Minnesota s offense. Let s not forget we won two out of three, Dozier said. It s hard to sweep at this level. Byron Buxton s speed turns routine single into double in a flash Andy Greder Pioneer Press May 23, 2018 Byron Buxton s answer was as fast as his first few steps out of the batter s box when he hit a ground ball past Tigers shortstop Jose Inglesias in the fifth inning of the Twins 4-1 loss Wednesday at Target Field. When did the blazing-fast baserunner decide he was going to try to stretch the hit into a double? Out of the box, he quickly responded. Once you see somebody (Detroit centerfielder Leonys Martin) jogging towards the ball, immediately my mindset is, You think I m not running. So, why not rush you? Twins manager Paul Molitor said Buxton s approach can be broader than that. Anytime he splits defenders, he s thinking double, Molitor said. Not too many guys I can think of would be able to get there safely. He just puts pressure on a defense. That time of the game, we re trailing by a couple (3-1), but it s still the right play to try to get into scoring position. Buxton reached third on Brian Dozier s flyout to center but was stranded when Max Kepler struck out to end the threat. SANO TO FIRST Miguel Sano was scheduled to play first base for the Rochester Red Wings on Wednesday night as the Twins look to increase their options with regular first baseman Joe Mauer on the 10-day disabled list. During the fourth game of his rehab assignment with the Triple-A club Tuesday, Sano tested his left hamstring strain with seven innings at third base and went 3 for 4 with a two-run homer at the plate. He did good, leg was great, had a good day at the plate, didn t get a lot of opportunities defensively, Twins manager Paul Molitor said before the final game of three-game series with Detroit at Target Field. Sano has dabbled at first base with the Twins since In 12 total games there, he has two errors in 72 chances across 75 innings. Molitor said Mauer (strained neck and concussion symptoms) did some minimal but increasing exercises on the stationary bike and in the 8

9 weight room on Tuesday but he had yet to see Mauer at the ballpark on Wednesday morning. Mauer is eligible to rejoin the team Tuesday in Kansas City. Molitor said he would wait until after Wednesday s game to consider calling Sano up for the weekend series at Seattle. CAVE S GOODS Twins newcomer Jake Cave collected a few mementos after his major-league debut in a 5-4 loss to Milwaukee last Saturday night, including his home-run ball, the lineup card and second base after he recorded a steal. It s just cool to have something from the field for that night, said Cave, 25. Acquiring the home-run ball didn t require a transaction with a fan wanting gear. The ball ended up back on the field, so I don t know if it was a Brewers fan that was mad or they knew it was my first hit, Cave said. Cave, who came up in the Yankees farm system, also has a broken bat signed by Mariano Rivera after the legendary closer snapped it with a pitch during a live batting practice. BRIEFLY Michael Pineda, rehabbing from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, was set to throw off the mound for the first time on Wednesday morning. Molitor, who said Pineda would throw between 10 and 15 pitches, planned to watch it. The Twins acquired Pineda as a free agent in December and he s under contract through 2019 after signing a two-year deal worth a guaranteed $10 million. Bizarre moment Twins player misses out on a home run after the ball somehow gets wedged in the wall Debbie White Daily Mail May 24, 2018 It should have been a homer, but a ball in play got stalled by a wall when, bizarrely, it got wedged firmly in the seam. Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier was playing against the Detroit Tigers when he struck what should have been a home run at Target Field, Minneapolis. Instead, the ball missed its intended trajectory by inches, as it got stuck in the top of the Target Field wall on Wednesday. Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier about to work his magic during the game against the Detroit Tigers, who were trying to end a five-game losing streak Looking forward to hitting a home run for his team, Dozier gazes skywards after striking the ball hard into the air Going in for an unlikely catch as the ball heads for the Target Field wall despite being a potential homer, as the ball starts dropping The ball became firmly stuck in the seam at the top of the eight-foot wall in center field at Target Field, Minneapolis Dozier later joked about the near-miss that 'maybe eating a couple more biscuits in the morning would do the trick' Lamenting the near-miss, the team said: That s about as close to a home run as you can get without, you know, actually hitting one. Twins reporter Rhett Bollinger said that when he spoke to Dozier about the weird play postgame, the player joked that he might require extra strength-building exercises and more sugar: maybe eating a couple more biscuits in the morning would do the trick. Dozier said that it was not unusual to see the ball trapped in the padding like halfway up, but never at the top. I need to [spend time with] our strength coach a little bit. As the ball was wedged in the wall, this resulted in a ground-rule double, where all offensive players are awarded two bases after a ball, after being hit fair, goes out of play something that normally occurs when it bounces from the field into the stands. Bollinger pointed out: The wall could only delay Dozier from scoring, as Eddie Rosario brought him in from second on an RBI [run batted in] single two batters later. Despite that, the Tigers beat the Twins

10 Michael Pineda throws off mound for first time since Tommy John surgery Drew Silva NBC Sports May 23, 2018 According to MLB.com associate reporter Jarrid Denney, right-hander Michael Pineda threw off a mound Wednesday morning at Target Field for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery. Pineda was signed to a two-year, $10 million free agent contract this winter by the Twins, who are probably more focused on what he might be able to do in 2019 rather than He had the reconstructive elbow surgery last July 18, so he won t be an option for the Minnesota rotation until probably late August or September of this year. Still, that deal seems like a nice gamble given the price point and the possibility that he will regain his form as a No. 2 or No. 3 starter. That he s making steady progress in his rehab makes the situation all the more encouraging. Pineda, 29, holds a 4.05 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 687 strikeouts in 680 career major league innings. Brian Dozier just misses HR as ball sticks in top of wall Staff Writer ESPN May 23, 2018 Talk about wall ball. Minnesota Twins slugger Brian Dozier just missed a home run on Wednesday, hitting a ball that stuck in the seam at the top of the eight-foot wall in center field at Target Field. The blast came in the bottom of the first inning. After a conference, umpires awarded Dozier a ground-rule double. He came around to score on a Eddie Rosario single. This isn't the first time that Dozier has had a run-in with the outfield wall. In a 2016 game at Nationals Park, a ball that he hit stuck in the left-field wall, but it lodged in between fencing and the bottom padding and wasn't as dramatic as Wednesday's play. "I need to get our strength coach a little bit," Dozier said after the game, a 4-1 loss to the Tigers. "So you just wonder: Maybe a couple more biscuits in the morning would do the trick." Dozier has seven homers this season after hitting 34 last year and 42 the season before that. How Logan Morrison is working his way through his early-season slump Nick Kelly The Athletic May 24, 2018 Logan Morrison almost always wore a cloth headband to hold back the hair underneath his helmet whenever he stepped to the plate last season. Wearing the headband for the first time in 2017, Morrison set career-highs in OPS (.868), RBIs (85) and home runs (38). So Morrison, who admits he is superstitious, decided he would continue wearing headbands in after signing with the Twins on Feb. 28. The headbands followed him from Tampa to Minneapolis, but early on, the hitting hasn t come along for the ride. While adjusting to his new role as a designated hitter, Morrison hit just.145/.253/.250 in March/April, his first month-plus as a Twin. Minnesota has seen a much-improved Morrison in May, though. He has nearly doubled his slugging percentage and batting average, bringing his season line up to.204/.319/.359 after going 0-for-3 with a walk in Wednesday s loss to the Tigers. It s a much-welcomed change for a Minnesota team that has struggled to muster offensive firepower without Miguel Sanó. Morrison has filled in at first base with Joe Mauer on the 10-day DL this past week, but he has primarily worked as a designated hitter for the Twins, something of which he has seldom done in his nine-year career. Just 70 of his 906 career games and 285 of his 3,520 career plate appearances about eight percent have come from the DH spot. This season, he s played 21 of 42 games as the DH, accounting for 89 of his 166 plate appearances 53.6 percent. For me, it s been tough, Morrison said. It took a while for me to get comfortable in that routine. When Morrison works as a designated hitter, he might see the field for total minutes of the game. It allows plenty of time to think about the previous at-bat while waiting in the dugout, the last thing a player wants while experiencing a slump. 10

11 It s really tough when you don t have a good first couple at-bats, or first three at-bats, to really lock it in and stick with it and to be able to have a productive at-bat in your third, fourth and fifth at-bats, Morrison said. It s really hard to flush those first ones because that s all you are doing in there thinking about it. Instead of wallowing in his struggles, Morrison looked for ways to stay busy that also helped him improve. He put in extra work in batting practice. He has also taken extra ground balls almost every day, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. Not long after that extra work, Morrison began hitting more balls into the left-field bleachers. And Molitor noticed. I think the consistency is starting to show, the quality of at-bats, and he s getting rewarded, Molitor said. Morrison has also provided timely hitting as of late. He hit a two-run single off the wall to put the Twins ahead in the eighth in a 3-1 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday. Some kind of adjustment period was expected. Pitcher Jake Odorizzi, who also played for Tampa last season, said he and others who have joined new teams can be guilty of pushing it too much early on in the season. When you are with a new team, you want to pick up right where you left off the year before, Odorizzi said. Morrison certainly would have liked to do just that. He finished tied for fifth in the American League in home runs, 15th in slugging percentage and tied for 25th in RBIs in It was all but a distant memory during his early-season slump. It s easier in the middle of the season because you have had success that year, so it s easy to look back on, Morrison said. The feel is recent. When you don t have that feel for three months and you are still trying to find it, it becomes tougher. He got a taste of that feeling when he hit his first home run of the season, and against his former team, on April 20. As they sat and watched the ball sail through the air, Odorizzi turned to fellow pitcher Kyle Gibson and told him that he should expect more of that. Once Morrison starts, he goes on a hot streak, Odorizzi told Gibson. You watch, Odorizzi told Gibson. Last year, I saw it first-hand. Morrison said his approach at the plate has not changed, but his decision making has. That has translated to swinging at more strikes and letting balls go, he said. And his plate discipline numbers are a step up from his 2017 numbers. He has swung at 77.3 percent of pitches in the zone this season a career high and just 26.7 percent of pitches outside the zone, which is about one percent better than 2017, according to FanGraphs.com. My rhythm has been a little less violent in the box, I guess, Morrison said. I don t know how to explain it. It s a little more smooth and calmer. It is just allowing my body to be loose and relaxed. Because of this calmness in addition to improved decision-making at the plate, Gibson is glad he gets to watch Morrison face other pitchers. He s putting pitchers in tough spots and making them throw a lot of pitches, Gibson said. The Twins have also welcomed the timing of Morrison fighting his way out of an early slump. They rank in the bottom half of the MLB in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Minnesota also sits at No. 26 in runs and No. 28 in hits. Not only does Morrison s hitting directly help the Twins offensively, but it also provides a necessary example for younger players who have struggled. I think what these guys can just see is he s persevering in a time when he wasn t seeing the ball well, Gibson said. We have got a few guys who have worked through slumps already this year, and I am sure they have either watched what he is doing or talked to him. Talking has never been an issue for Morrison. Odorizzi said Morrison will let you know anything you want to know. Gibson added that Morrison doesn t have much of a filter. Neither view that as a bad thing. 11

12 You kind of need that louder voice to kind of loosen guys up to sometimes relax people and give people a little bit of a laugh, Odorizzi said. As long as you are yourself, and he s like that normally outside the clubhouse, everybody knows its genuine and isn t an act. There s not much to wonder about Morrison he tells you what he thinks, and he will have hot and cold streaks at the plate. And he will have that headband through it all. Niko Goodrum has a moment in Minnesota, but a tougher test awaits Max Bultman The Athletic May 24, 2018 MINNEAPOLIS Byron Buxton pulled into third base and had some words for an old friend. That s all you got? Buxton heckled. That s as fast as you can run? Niko Goodrum retorted. Just more so what we do in the offseason talk a lot of crap to each other, Buxton explained after the game. Keeps it fun and games. For as much as this week s Tigers-Twins series was (justly) hyped as Ron Gardenhire s managerial return to Minneapolis, Goodrum a Twins second-round pick back in 2010 was also making a return of sorts. Goodrum only got to play 11 games with the Twins, all of them after Sept. 1 last season, but he still had plenty of history with the guys on the other side of the field. Buxton is one of his best friends, and they hang out all the time in the offseason. He also came through the pipeline with Minnesota outfielder Max Kepler, starting pitcher Jose Berrios and relievers Taylor Rogers and Mitch Garver, among others. So while the fans and media in Minneapolis were understandably more excited for Gardenhire, this was Goodrum s reunion, too. And by the end of the three-game series, he made his impact with a 2-for-3 day, including a walk, a double and the go-ahead two-run home run in the fourth inning of Wednesday s 4-1 win. He helped prevent a sweep by the Twins and, in the process, pulled into a tie for first place on the team with five homers. Goodrum never got much time in Minnesota and even early this season, his playing circumstances were sporadic at best, a function of his super-utility role. But lately, with the Tigers nursing some injuries, Goodrum has gotten more consistent time in the lineup. With Jeimer Candelario sidelined by a wrist injury, Goodrum has filled in at third and is making the most of it. He has four home runs in the last 10 days, and, for now, his batting average is up to.245. It s not a world-beating average, but it s a start for a player who, until this season, hadn t had much of a sustained shot in the big leagues. It s awesome, Rogers told The Athletic. Obviously it means more than just to the outside eye, because we know how much he s worked and persevered and everything. For him to get that call up last year was a good chance for him, and I m glad he s making the most of his opportunity (in Detroit). That sentiment was shared in the Minnesota clubhouse. Once I found out he was going to make the team I immediately called him and told him congratulations, Buxton recalled to The Athletic. I think I was happier than he was. Just at that time, I knew what he could do and I know what he does. I was just waiting on him to get up here and do his thing. How much longer Goodrum will have this sustained opportunity is another matter that s a big reason his performance Wednesday is important. The feel-good side is great for him and his former teammates, but for Goodrum, opportunity is a currency. And it s going to get more scarce when Candelario and Miguel Cabrera get healthy. Those are two of the team s best three hitters players who will be in the lineup nearly every day when they re healthy. Gardenhire has espoused a desire to play everyone on his team, so it s not as though Goodrum will be confined to the bench for days on end, but there s certainly something to be said for the advantage he currently enjoys while playing every day. I think that s with anyone, Goodrum said Monday. The more they do something, the more comfortable it gets. It s just doing something if it s playing the guitar, or anything you do, the more you do it, the better and more comfortable you get with it. It s no different for me than anyone else here. It s the same thing for everyone else that goes through that. 12

13 Compare that with this Gardenhire quote from Pittsburgh last month, when Goodrum was hovering around the Mendoza line: He s been misfiring, maybe over swinging a little bit you know we went through a stretch where we didn t get him enough games, too. And that s what happens in the game sometimes when you re a role player and you re coming off the bench. You might sit for four or five days in a row. We had the weather stuff, and it makes it tough trying to keep your regular guys in there and then mix those guys in too. With more at-bats, Gardenhire s explanation that day has looked more and more accurate. Goodrum went on an eight-game hit streak from May 8-19, including three consecutive multihit days. His power has shone through, evidenced by the home runs but also his two 100+ mph exit velocities Wednesday. But all of this does raise the question of how sustainable that production will be when he is starting games less frequently. Goodrum, for his part, is working on finding a routine in this role, after playing every day coming through the minors. It s something you learn as you go, he figures. I ve talked to all the coaches (former Tigers utilityman Ramon) Santiago, what he did to stay ready to play every position, what helped him as far as hitting when he (prepared) for it, Goodrum said Monday. He s not so much a defense-first plug-in player. He s versatile, of course, but his bat is where the most promise lies. Soon, then, the amount of opportunities he receives may come down to how much he can hit when he returns to a utility role. Goodrum talked that day about staying in the moment not looking to far ahead and controlling what he could control. Two days later, he made good on those words, and the result was a fun moment for some of his former teammates. Soon, we ll see how much he, and the Tigers, can take from it. Twins get stuck on quest for first three-game sweep of season Nick Kelly The Athletic May 23, 2018 The farther the ball soared into center field, the louder the crowd filled with field-tripping students became. It looked all but destined for home run territory. Then, the noise immediately died and so, too, did the ball. It came to a complete halt, stuck between two green pads in deep center field. No lead-off home run for Brian Dozier. Just a ground-rule double. Dozier said postgame that he s never seen a ball still in the top of the padding in his seven years as a Twin. It came about as close as a hit can come to being a home run. I need to get on our strength coach a little bit, Dozier said. So you just wonder. Maybe a couple more biscuits in the morning would do the trick. Whatever it was that kept the ball from reaching the grass for a home run did not end up playing a major impact on the outcome of the game Dozier ended up scoring that run when Eddie Rosario hit an RBI single later in the first. But that hit in a 4-1 loss to Detroit became a microcosm of Minnesota s quest for season first. The Twins defeated Ron Gardenhire s team in each of the first two games of the series, and that s as close as the Twins have come to a sweep of three games or longer this season. Minnesota had lost the first game in every series spanning more than two games in all but the Seattle series in the first week of the season. (They lost the second game of that one, then lost the postponed third game last Monday.) Despite falling short of that goal, the Twins have found a groove as they head into a six-game road trip against Seattle and Kansas City sitting in a much different position than the last time they left Minnesota. Back in early May, the Twins had lost 11 of their past 13 games when they left for 10 games in Chicago, St. Louis and Anaheim. Regardless of a win today, we still like the position we re in, pitcher Jake Odorizzi said before the loss. Kind of all lucked out for us, to be honest. It s not often you can (lose 11 out of 13) and still be close to first place at the end of May. Minnesota (21-24) trails only Cleveland (23-23) in the American League Central. The Indians played later against the Cubs in Chicago. Dozier doesn t want to hear about that, though. Not a quarter of the way through the season. He knows better than to get comfortable being right in the race for the division in May. You can t get too high or too low, Dozier said. When you start looking at standings too early and try to evaluate what kind of team this is and 13