Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Thursday, July 20, 2017

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1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Thursday, July 20, 2017 Miguel Sano homer backs strong Jose Berrios outing as Twins trip Yankees 6-1. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 1 New Twin Bartolo Colon ponders retirement after rough Star Tribune (Neal) p. 2 Reusse: Granite puts boyhood love of Yankees on hold. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 3 Hartman: Sano put himself in position to succeed with Twins. Star Tribune (Hartman) p. 4 Berrios' trainer spots a flaw, other postgame notes. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 6 Twins to unveil Tom Kelly statue on Friday at Target Field. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 7 The Twins have been remarkably consistently average this year. Star Tribune (Rand) p. 7 Bartolo Colon is the Twins' best option, and it's no laughing matter. Star Tribune (Rand) p.7 Just a click off, Twins rookie Zack Granite finds RBI stroke in 6-1 victory over Yankees. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 8 Jose Berrios breaks out of slump in Twins 6-1 win over Yankees. Pioneer Press (Graff) p. 9 Twins Kennys Vargas still struggling to find foothold in majors. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 10 Report: Twins Bartolo Colon considering retirement. Pioneer Press (Graff) p. 11 Twins ride 6-run 2nd, Berrios to win vs. Yanks. MLB.com (Hoch and Bollinger) p. 11 Rock solid: Granite sparks rally with 1st RBIs. MLB.com (Jackson) p. 12 Bartolo mulling future, focused on contributing. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 13 Buxton, Santiago making progress after injuries. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 13 Twins tab Santana for opener vs. Tigers. MLB.com (Jackson) p. 14 Wetmore s 5 thoughts: Escobar s setup, Sano s shot, Granite s first RBI. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 14 Conflicting reports: Is Twins pitcher Bartolo Colon considering retirement? ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 16 Twins top Yankees, score 6 runs in one inning. Associated Press p. 16 Bartolo Colon Has Considered Retirement. MLB Trade Rumors (Adams) p. 18 All-Stars honored during Minnesota Twins pre-game festivities. SouthernMinn (Phipps) p. 18 Miguel Sano homer backs strong Jose Berrios outing as Twins trip Yankees 6-1 La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune July 20, 2017 Twins catcher Chris Gimenez went to the mound for a chat after Jose Berrios fell behind 2-0 to Jacoby Ellsbury the second batter of the game Wednesday. Gimenez visited again after the Yankees put two men on base with one out in the second inning. Two batters later, Berrios walked Austin Romine to load the bases, and that brought pitching coach Neil Allen out of the dugout. I told him to quit aiming the ball, Allen said. A little more forceful than that. The Twins tried to find the right things to say to Berrios, who was coming off four shaky outings and was threatening to extend the run to five. The turning point came when they scored six runs in the second inning, capped by Miguel Sano s three-run homer. Berrios (9-3) then took care of the lead as the Twins handled the Yankees 6-1 before an announced crowd of 33,380 and won two of three games in the series. The Twins never had won a series at Target Field from the Yankees, who are 21-8 there in the regular season and also have two playoff game victories. The last time the Twins had won a home series against the Yankees was in 2008 at the Metrodome. The Yankees were the only American League team to have not lost a series at Target Field. When you can go out there and win against a team like the Yankees, it s awesome, Berrios said. I know they have been struggling for the past

2 few weeks but with that lineup they have, it s a good victory. After Allen s mound visit, Berrios got Ronald Torreyes to ground out to end the second and was immediately rewarded by the Twins offense in the bottom of the inning. Zack Granite hit a two-run single for his first major league RBI, and Eduardo Escobar added a run-scoring single. But the big blow came when Yankees lefthander Jordan Montgomery hung an 0-2 curveball to Sano that was demolished for a three-run homer and 6-0 Twins lead the 10th time this season the Twins have scored at least six runs in an inning. He threw me two strikes early, said Sano, who has 23 home runs and 66 RBI this season. I have to be ready for any pitch, and he threw me a breaking ball. Berrios remembered games this season where he gave up runs right after his team scored. When I went out there, I didn t want to give up the lead, he said. Lately, I have been doing that. Berrios regained his command and retired 10 of the next 11 batters. He threw only 10 pitches in the third inning and only five in the fourth as he carried a shutout into the seventh inning before the Yankees scored a run on Brett Gardner s RBI single. In 6⅔ innings, he allowed one earned run on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts. It was the sixth time this season he has pitched at least six innings and given up two or fewer runs. Jose had a much better day, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. It didn t really start that way. I think you could see some of the frustration at some of the pitches he was making the first inning-plus. The Twins, a half-game behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central, saw their postseason chances increase this week after the White Sox traded third baseman Todd Frazier and relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees and the Tigers dealt outfielder J.D. Martinez to Arizona. The Twins have 21 games left against Chicago and Detroit starting Friday, when the Tigers arrive for a three-game series at Target Field. New Twin Bartolo Colon ponders retirement after rough 2017 La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune July 20, 2017 Bartolo Colon has joined the Twins, but that hasn t stopped him from thinking about not being a Twin. Colon, 44, has been pondering retirement, according to an ESPN report. He said his next scheduled start, on Monday in Los Angeles, could affect his decision. His thoughts about retiring apparently stem from his time with Atlanta this season, where he went 2-8 with a 8.14 ERA before being designated for assignment on July 4. He debuted with the Twins on Tuesday, giving up one run through four innings before getting knocked out in the fifth in a 6-3 loss to the Yankees. He was charged with four earned runs in four innings, raising his ERA to The Twins, who aren t exactly busting at the seams with starting pitching options, are willing to give Colon another start. And manager Paul Molitor who played until he was 41 said it s a subject all older baseball players must face. To think about retirement when you re 44 in Major League Baseball is a normal thing, Molitor said. TK statue ready The Twins will unveil a statue of former manager Tom Kelly before Friday s game against the Tigers. The unveiling is set for 4:30 p.m. at Target Plaza, outside Gate 34. Kelly managed the Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991, and is the team s leader in games managed (2,384), victories (1,140) and losses (1,244). His No. 10 was retired by the team in The statue will be the eighth at Target Field, joining Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, Calvin Griffith, Carl and Eloise Pohlad, Tony Oliva and Kent Hrbek. All the statues were sculpted by Minnesota artist Bill Mack. 2

3 No surgery for Jay The Twins still hope that Tyler Jay, the sixth overall draft pick in 2015, will pitch before the season is over. Jay has thrown only two innings for Class AA Chattanooga this season because of arm and shoulder problems. He recently went through a battery of tests to see if he had thoracic outlet syndrome, which would require season-ending surgery. Jay returned to Fort Myers, Fla., to begin another rehabilitation program with an eye to getting back on the mound. We are going to give it another try, said Brad Steil, the Twins director of minor league operations. We also had his shoulder checked out, and it is fine. Jay has pitched only 104 innings since being drafted because of injuries. The Twins initially wanted to build him into a starter, but the club has decided to make the 23-year old a reliever. Solid day for Granite Zack Granite was in the No. 2 spot for several days, but was.091 while going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Molitor offered strong support before Wednesday s 6-1 victory over the Yankees for the rookie center fielder, who was batting.360 at Class AAA Rochester when he was called up shortly before the All-Star break. The numbers don t back it up, but his at-bats have been decent to me, Molitor said. It s like he s a click off. It s not like he s chasing too many pitches or trying to do things he s not capable of. He s close. On Wednesday, Molitor moved Granite down to the No. 9 spot in the batting order. He singled to center in the second inning to drive in two runs his first in the major leagues and it took a nice play by third baseman Ronald Torreyes in the fourth to stop a second hit. Santiago s progress Lefthander Hector Santiago, on the disabled list because of upper thoracic back pain, threw in the bullpen Tuesday and is scheduled for another bullpen session Friday. If that goes well, Santiago will face hitters early next week. Santiago (4-8, 5.63 ERA) never had been on the disabled list in his career until this season, during which he s landed on the 10-day DL twice. Reusse: Granite puts boyhood love of Yankees on hold Patrick Reusse Star Tribune July 20, 2017 The Granites of Staten Island always have been Yankees fans. How serious? My dog is named Jeter, Zack Granite said. That s how serious. Zack was born in September 1992, the second of two sons for Joe and Marie. That meant he was 4 when the Yankees won the 1996 World Series their first Series victory in 18 years and three more followed from 1998 through The Yankees dynasty that was my childhood, Zack said. My brother, Matt, he s another huge Yankees fan. Our family went to a lot of Yankees games. It wasn t a straight line to the Bronx getting there. The Granites would take the train to the ferry, take the Staten Island ferry to Manhattan, take another train to the famous 4, that would land them a couple of blocks from the previous version of Yankee Stadium. It was always worth it, Granite said. Those were great players. A childhood of playing baseball as well as following the Yankees led to a standout role with the Pirates of Tottenville High School. Zack was All- City in New York, and the Pirates were city champions in his senior year of Jason Marquis is another former Tottenville Pirate. He pitched 15 seasons in the big leagues, including an unsuccessful seven starts with the 2012 Twins. 3

4 We re family friends, the Marquis and the Granites, Zack said. My mom and Jason s mom work together at the high school. Among the notes found in Granite s baseball bio is that he batted.360 for Tottenville in It appears.360 is Granite s lucky number. He again was batting.360 for the Rochester Red Wings and leading the International League in average by a huge margin when he was called to the Twins on July 7. The Twins had a chance to add a position player in lieu of a fifth starter because of the annual rotation shuffle that takes place after the All-Star break. The idea was that Granite would be with the Twins through last Friday s series opener in Houston, then head back to Rochester when Joe Mauer came off the disabled list the next day. You re never sure in baseball, and especially in this new age of the 10-day disabled list, where trips to the DL and other roster moves are coming at a ferocious pace. Center fielder Byron Buxton was running the bases Friday in Houston, messed up his steps speeding around the bases and wound up on the 10- day DL because of a mild groin injury. Granite was in left field that night and got his first big-league hit. And with Buxton out, Granite stayed to play center field. He d already made a big impression there in his first start July 9, getting his glove above the fence to take a home run from Baltimore s Manny Machado. Granite went home to Staten Island for the All-Star break. He then went to Houston, wound up staying on the roster and was back in Minnesota and in the lineup vs. the Yankees. There would be family and a few friends in the stands, for certain. Zack described the itinerary since being called up from Rochester and said: It s been the craziest, greatest week of my life. This was followed by a pause and then: Hopefully, I can start to hit a little. Oh, that. On Wednesday, he was making his sixth start in the eight games since being recalled by the Twins. He was 2-for-22, and way too many at-bats ended up as bouncers to second base. That s my slump, Granite said. I get out a little early and hit the ball to second base. That was also a.091 average, a number that could get you benched with the Tottenville Pirates, or his college team, the Seton Hall Pirates. The Twins and Yankees were scoreless in the bottom of the second. The Twins had runners on second and third, and Jorge Polanco left them there with a shallow fly for the second out. All that was required for Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery to escape was to retire Granite, lefty against lefty. This time, Granite stayed back, bounced a 0-1 pitch past the mound and into center for the first two RBI of his major league career. It was a 2-0 Twins lead that became 6-0 before the inning was over. The final was 6-1 and the Twins took two of three from the Yankees. Winning hit: Zack Granite. Happiest longtime Yankees fans on Wednesday s 4:40 p.m. flight back to New York: the Granites of Staten Island. Hartman: Sano put himself in position to succeed with Twins Sid Hartman Star Tribune July 20, 2017 Talk to people around the Twins and they ll say a big reason for Miguel Sano s tremendous All-Star season has been an improved attitude from the 24-year-old third baseman. He showed up to spring training several pounds lighter than last season and put in a lot of hard work to become a better defensive player, which has really shown this season at third base and at first, where he played Wednesday. Sano hit a three-run homer that broke the game open in the second inning, helping the Twins thump the Yankees 6-1 at Target Field. 4

5 After the game, the young slugger from the Dominican Republic said he worked hard during the offseason to have success this year, but added that he strives to do that every year. It s about the offseason, Sano said through his translator. The work I put in in the Dominican Republic has been translated here in the big leagues. I work hard every year. No matter what happens, my job is to work hard and try to do the best I can. Did he find any added meaning in homering against the Yankees? It doesn t matter if it s the Yankees, Boston, any team, he said. I m happy because I help the team. Sano has homered in consecutive games, giving him 23 this season after hitting 25 last year. He ranks 10th in the American League in slugging percentage at. 539, is tied for fourth in RBI with 66 (matching a career high) and is seventh in home runs. He has upped his batting average from.236 last season to.272 this year, while raising his on-base percentage from.319 to.370. When asked how he breaks out of slumps, like hitting.235 in 26 games in June and then hitting.283 through 16 games in July, Sano said there s no secret. Working hard, he said. Sano also said he is improving at outthinking opposing pitchers. It s not that they pitch different, he said. You try to learn something about that [part of] the game and that s what I have been doing. I try to learn the most that I can every day during the game. And he said that while he leads the team in almost every major offensive category, he doesn t feel a burden to perform. He just wants to help the team win in any way. I don t have any pressure, he said. It s like the same with Ervin [Santana] pitching, [Jose] Berrios pitching sometimes it s a complete game, sometimes it s not. Not every time am I going to hit a homer. But if I play and do what I can, bring some RBI to the plate and win a game, I m happy. I never think about myself, I think about my team. All-Star reality Sano has talked several times this season about what it would mean to him to play in the All-Star Game. After playing in his first in Miami on Tuesday, he talked about his performance the night before in the Home Run Derby, in which he finished runner-up to Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, and delivering an RBI single during the actual game. Did he have any worries about his swing being affected by participating in the derby? I went because I worked my whole life for that, for the All-Star Game and the Home Run Derby, and God gave me the opportunity, he said. I don t believe when people say that [participating in the derby could] hurt my swing. Was the event all he believed it would be? For me it was really big, he said. I do my job every day and like I ve told you, I ve been working hard my whole life. Everybody wants to be in the All-Star Game, the Home Run Derby, and not too many people can go there. So God gave me the chance to go this year and hopefully next year I can go again and [throughout] my whole career. He ll play anywhere When asked if he minds playing first base when Joe Mauer has days off, Sano said it s all the same to him. It s not difficult, he said. It s the same game. The same ball. Different position but ground ball, pop-up, I only need to catch the ball and make an out. Does he like both positions? 5

6 I like everything, he said. I just like to play the game of baseball. Wilfs contribute Among the honorees at the Starkey Hearing Foundation Gala held Sunday in St. Paul were Vikings owners Zygi, Mark and Leonard Wilf. They were among the big contributors to the Starkey Foundation, which raises millions of dollars each year at the banquet so owner Bill Austin can deliver hearing aids to poor people all over the world. Marilyn Carlson, one of the great local civic leaders who introduced Leonard to speak for the family, said the Wilfs have contributed more than $200 million to various charities through the Wilf Family Foundation, which was founded in 1964 by Joseph and Elizabeth Wilf. The event was attended by many celebrities from all over the country, including actor/director Ben Affleck and Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler. On another Wilf subject, the New York Yankees media guide lists four members of the Wilf family as owners of club stock: Leonard, Beth, Halle and Orin Wilf. Jottings Signs of renewed interest in the Twins and major league baseball here: The Minneapolis-St. Paul television market ranked fourth in the nation in viewership of the All-Star Game. The local market posted a 9.6 rating, trailing only Kansas City, St. Louis and Cleveland. Twins viewership on Fox Sports North is up 11 percent through 84 games. The Twins average rating of 4.0 ranks ninth in MLB. As part of the Twins 30th anniversary 1987 world championship reunion weekend at Target Field, the team will honor former manager Tom Kelly by unveiling a larger-than-life bronze statue of him at 4:30 p.m. Friday on Target Plaza. Kelly led the Twins to a second World Series victory in The statue is the work of Minnesota artist Bill Mack, who created the other Twins legend statues at Target Field. Twins broadcaster and Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association in New York City on Nov. 14. Blyleven has served as a color commentator on Twins television broadcasts since 1995 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Running back Rodney Smith, linebacker Jonathan Celestin and defensive lineman Steven Richardson will represent the Gophers at Big Ten media days in Chicago on Monday and Tuesday. Berrios' trainer spots a flaw, other postgame notes La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune July 19, 2017 Here are three things from LEN3 following the Twins' win over the Yankees: BERRIOS ADJUSTMENTS: Jose Berrios said some help from his personal trainer has helped with his delivery. Berrios went 6 2/3 innings on Wednesday, holding the Yankees to just one run. This comes after a run of four sup-par outings, after which his trainer spotted a flaw while watching him. The trainer currently is in town and has given Berrios some exercises to help. "My trainer saw from afar that my right side was a little stiff," Berrios said, "and we were able to work that out, with some exercise and stretches." Berrios took off after the Twins gave him a 6-0 lead in the second inning. He said he was determined to not hand back the lead. But every little bit can help, including help from a trainer. TYLER JAY UPDATE: Tyler Jay, the sixth overall pick in 2015, has returned to Fort Myers Fla., to continue a rehab and throwing program. The Twins were concerned that Jay had thoracic outlet syndrome and needed season-ending surgery. After undergoing a few tests, the Twins don't believe Jay has TOS and hope he can pitch before the end of the season. "We are going to give it another try," said Brad Steil, the Twins director of minor league operations. "We also had his shoulder checked out, and it is fine." Jay has pitched just 104 innings since being drafted because of injuries. The Twins initially wanted to build him into a starter but the club has decided to make the 23-year old Jay a reliever. ANOTHER MINOR LEAGUE SIGNING: The Twins have signed righthanded reliever Michael Kohn to a minor league contract. Kohn, 31, has made 132 appearances with the Angels and Braves but underwent surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff in October of 2015 and hasn't pitched since. He's been placed on the DL to rehab for awhile before being assigned to Rochester. 6

7 Twins to unveil Tom Kelly statue on Friday at Target Field Chris Miller Star Tribune July 19, 2017 The Twins will unveil a statue of former manager Tom Kelly before Friday s game against the Tigers. The unveiling is set for 4:30 p.m. at Target Plaza, outside Gate 34. Kelly managed the Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991, and is the team s all-time leader in games managed (2,384), victories (1,140) and losses (1,244). His No. 10 was retired by the team in The statue will be the eighth at Target Field, joining those of Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, Calvin Griffith, Carl and Eloise Pohlad, Tony Oliva and Kent Hrbek. All the statues were sculpted by Minnesotan Bill Mack. The Twins have been remarkably consistently average this year Michael Rand Star Tribune July 19, 2017 While there have certainly been the sky is falling moments of panic on the parts of Twins fans this season when the team had a lousy handful of games, this Twins season at least measured one way has been remarkably consistently average from start to finish. That was the takeaway from an interesting graphic flashed on the screen during Tuesday night s game. In every 10 game stretch this season starting with Games 1-10, then 11-20, etc. the Twins have never been worse than 4-6 or better than 6-4. For the nine completed 10-game chunks (as shown on FSN s graphic and double-checked), the Twins have gone: Games 1-10: 6-4 Games 11-20: 4-6 Games 21-30: 6-4 Games 31-40: 6-4 Games 41-50: 5-5 Games 51-60: 5-5 Games 61-70: 4-6 Games 71-80: 5-5 Games 81-90: 5-5 If the Twins can hold off the Yankees this afternoon, they ll be 2-2 in the first four games of the next set of 10. The Twins have also never had more than a four-game winning streak (four times, including the first four games of the season) or a four-game losing streak (three times, most recently in mid-june). Bartolo Colon is the Twins' best option, and it's no laughing matter Michael Rand Star Tribune July 19, 2017 In an era where racism, sexism and other -isms are rightfully denounced, there are still two insults that society somehow deems acceptable (and perhaps even fashionable): degrading someone for their weight or their age. Even if the insults come in the form of jokes, they can be damaging not the haymaker of a knockout punch but a constant stream of body blows. Those in the public spotlight particularly athletes, who depend on both physical gifts and the duration of their abilities are acutely judged in these ways. And it is fair to say in the Venn diagram of weight and age questions, new Twins pitcher Bartolo Colon is in the overlapping area of the two circles. If Colon seems to be in on the jokes, one can guess that part of it is sincere self-deprecation but perhaps a greater part of it is rooted in the resigned knowledge of how exhausting and impossible it would be to not play along. Colon is 44 years old, is listed at 280 pounds, and is still pitching. When the Twins signed him recently, the move was largely regarded as nothing more than desperation a why not? Hail Mary after so many other starting candidates had failed for a team hanging on the edges of 7

8 surprising contention. When he started Tuesday against the Yankees and pitched four effective innings, the general fan consensus seemed to be that we were witnessing some sort of miracle. When he was hit hard in the fifth something that can happen to anyone against the Yankees, who have one of the best offenses in the majors and ultimately took the loss, nobody was surprised. The consensus: Colon is over the hill and overweight. What did the Twins expect? I don t know. It just seems strange to me to judge a pitcher for one (really) bad half a season instead of four (quite) good ones that preceded it, all of which came when Colon was already deemed too old to be any good any more. He turned 40 early in the 2013 season. From , Colon won 62 games (15.5 per season) with a 3.59 ERA and made two All-Star teams. He got people out the same way he tries to get them out now: pinpoint location, late movement and solid defense behind him. If the Twins had signed a pitcher a decade younger and 60 pounds lighter than Colon with those credentials, people would be gushing about the move as one that could put them over the top. And yes, I get it: At some point, time catches up to all of us. Athletes can go from good to terrible with only subtle changes. For pitchers like Colon, that can mean your command is off just a little or you re not quite getting the movement you used to get. Suddenly what used to be outs become loud doubles. But Colon deserves an extended chance to see if he still has some magic left. He s not only better than every in-house alternative, he s proven that his age and weight are not related to his effectiveness. That s no joke. Just a click off, Twins rookie Zack Granite finds RBI stroke in 6-1 victory over Yankees John Shipley Pioneer Press July 19, 2017 Zack Granite entered Wednesday s matinee against the Yankees hitting.091 in his first seven major league games. But Granite insisted he wasn t off by much, and manager Paul Molitor agreed. The numbers don t back it up, but I think his at-bats have been decent, Molitor said. To me, it s like he s a click off. In his first at-bat, Granite drove in his first two big-league RBIs with a single up the middle to start the scoring in a 6-1 victory over the New York Yankees, one of the Twins many rivals for an American League wild-card spot and the team Granite grew up watching. Idol Brett Gardner was on the other side at Target Field, leading off and manning left field for the Yankees at age 33. Like Granite, he made his major league debut at age 24, in A year later, he helped the Yankees win a World Series while Granite watched from his home in Staten Island, N.Y. He was a big role model for me, he said. I wanted to be just like him. I hope I play as long as he has. A 14th-round pick in the 2013 draft out of Seton Hall, Granite was hitting.360 at Triple-A Rochester when he was called up for his major league debut on July 7, two games before the all-star break. With Byron Buxton on the disabled list (groin), Granite has been playing in center field. Buxton ran sprints on Wednesday and said he s scheduled for a full workout Friday, when the Twins open a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. Then I ll go out and get some at-bats, he said. Whether that s during next week s west coast road trip or a rehab assignment remains to be determined. In the meantime, expect Granite to get a decent look. On Wednesday, he might have had the hit of the game. With two out and runners at second and third, he sliced a single from starter Jordan Montgomery into center to start a six-run inning. Granite s hit was kind of an ice-breaker, Molitor said. It was a curveball. 8

9 (Montgomery) threw the first one and I kind of buckled a little bit, so I figured it was coming again, so I was ready for it, Granite said. He finished 1 for 3 with a strikeout and will move into this weekend s series against the Tigers hitting.120 (8 for 25) with a double and three walks. In the field, he s been as advertised, if not a little better, stealing a home run with a catch near the bullpen fence in his first major league start on July 8. I told him this morning that I know the hits have been hard to come by but it s just a tick (off), Molitor said. He s not really trying to panic or force the action. He s getting some good swings and putting it into play for the most part. He s had an opportunity to play here. He s probably a little bit frustrated that it hasn t been more positive in terms of outcome, Molitor said, but I think he s handled it well so far. Jose Berrios breaks out of slump in Twins 6-1 win over Yankees Chad Graff Pioneer Press July 19, 2017 With memories of four straight poor starts still fresh, Jose Berrios examined his second-inning predicament: a New York Yankees baserunner occupying each base. Pitching coach Neil Allen visited Berrios on the mound. Forget all the mechanic tweaks you ve worked on during a month-long slump, Allen told his 23-year-old budding ace. Just pitch. Berrios responded by escaping the jam and limiting the Yankees to one run and four hits over 6.2 innings, allowing an opportunistic Twins team to capture a 6-1 victory in a Wednesday matinee that gave them their first series win over the Yankees since He had been working on his mechanics in between starts and then you overthink it when you get on the mound and forget that you re a major league pitcher, manager Paul Molitor said of Berrios. Berrios outing, which improved his record to 9-3 this season, eased him out of a slump that lasted four starts and tempered expectations after a such a strong start. It had been a month since Berrios allowed fewer than three runs in a start, and even though Wednesday didn t yield his best offerings, he allowed only a single run for the first time since his second start of the season, on May 18. One-hundred and eight pitches into his outing, Berrios handed the ball to Molitor and strolled to a dugout of teammates eager to congratulate him for settling into a start that seemed poised to prolong his slump. Once we came into the dugout (after the second inning) and talked about it, it helped me get back to what I was supposed to be doing, Berrios said. It definitely give me a second wind. A lack of control that plagued him the past month wasn t extinguished he hit two batters and walked two more but Berrios did enough to work around that and deliver rare success for the Twins against the Bronx bombers. The victory moves the Twins (48-46) to within a half game of the Yankees (48-45) for the second wild-card spot with the July 31 trade deadline approaching, though Molitor said, We re still in that hold mode. Still, the victory helped Minnesota avoid dipping to.500 for the first time since April. Runs came in bunches for the Twins, who delivered five of their seven hits in a six-run second inning that offered Berrios plenty of support. All six runs crossed the plate with two outs via four consecutive hits. We bunched them together, Molitor said. We d had a little trouble getting some clutch hits since the (all-star) break. Miguel Sano deposited an 0-2 curveball into the bullpen in left-centerfield to cap the festivities with a three-run homer. The inning started with a two-run single from rookie Zack Granite. After that, the Twins bats rested, producing only one hit the rest of the game. But with Berrios back to form and six runs already past the plate, a slow offensive finish didn t matter. 9

10 Berrios said he spent time in the last week stretching on his right side, which was a little stiff. Early in Wednesday s packed afternoon tilt in front of 33,380 at Target Field, Berrios still seemed stiff. His first inning ended via a runner caught stealing. His second threatened to be worse with the bases filled. But he escaped and finished with his best start in more than a month, finally ending a slump that yielded 14 earned runs in his past 19 innings. Jose had a much better day, Molitor said. It didn t really start out that way and you could see some of the frustration with some of the pitches he was making in the first inning (or two). Neil had a good meeting when the bases were loaded and he was able to get an out and get of the field. Then he started to settle in. Twins Kennys Vargas still struggling to find foothold in majors John Shipley Pioneer Press July 19, 2017 Kennys Vargas was a victim of circumstance again this week, or at least a victim of the Twins struggling bullpen. The designated hitter/first baseman was sent back to Triple-A Rochester when reliever Craig Breslow returned from a rehab assignment with the Red Wings. Vargas, 26, has eight home runs and 30 RBIs in 50 games but has now been sent down three times this season. In nine games in July, he is hitting.281 with a.395 OBP, a home run, three doubles and three RBIs. Asked Wednesday what the Twins want to see from Vargas, manager Paul Molitor cut to the chase. Let me ask you, he said, who would you have sent down if you wanted to keep eight relievers? So, in some sense, it s a numbers game for Vargas. On the other hand, there are moments that the big man (6-foot-5, 290 pounds) doesn t seem quite ready to be an everyday player. Like many power hitters, he has holes in his swing, and the team would like to see him be more aggressive in certain situations. For instance, in Monday s 4-2 victory over the Yankees, Vargas struck out looking at a pitch down the middle with runners on second and third and two out. I can t single him out because we have other guys, Molitor said, but when you have runners in scoring position with two outs, taking third strikes stating the obvious you don t have a chance. Next season, Vargas will be out of minor-league options. Overall this season, he s batting.244 with 54 strikeouts and a.723 OPS, and by all accounts working diligently to improve. There are some times where people are involved in circumstances that don t allow them to stay here, Molitor said. That goes beyond what they ve done or how they re contributing or what you think they might do. I still think he needs to improve as an offensive player, like a lot of our guys. WORKING BACK Left-hander Hector Santiago is scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Friday before facing hitters. After that, the Twins will decide if he s ready for a rehab assignment. Everything s going good, he said Wednesday. On the disabled list with an upper-back strain since June 7, Santiago threw a bullpen session without pain on Tuesday. Santiago was a big piece of the Twins hot start, going 4-1 with a 2.26 earned-run average in his first seven starts. But in his past eight appearances, seven of them starts, he is 0-7 with a 9.96 ERA. If Friday s session goes well, Molitor said, we ll probably get him against some hitters and decide when to get him out. BRIEFLY 10

11 Miguel Sano matched his career-high of 66 RBIs with his three-run homer Wednesday. He is two shy of his career high in home runs, 25 last season. Wednesday s victory of the rubber match of a three-game series gave the Twins their first home series victory over New York since Aug , 2008, at the Metrodome. The Twins will unveil a statue of former manager Tom Kelly, manager of the Twins World Series titles in 1987 and 1991, before Friday s game against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. The team is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Twins first World Series championship on Friday. Report: Twins Bartolo Colon considering retirement Chad Graff Pioneer Press July 19, 2017 No one knows just how long Bartolo Colon s career will last. A day after making his Twins debut, an ESPN report indicated Colon, 44, may retire if his Monday start on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers doesn t go well. Another report, by MLB.com, said Colon isn t yet thinking about retirement. It all yields a perplexing time for the Twins, who are trying to fill out the back end of their starting rotation and have taken a chance on Colon, a veteran of 12 MLB teams and 20 seasons. He pitched four innings of one-run ball in his Twins debut Tuesday before allowing three earned runs in the fifth inning without recording an out. His earned-run average for the season ballooned to He made 13 starts with the Atlanta Braves this season before Tuesday s Twins debut. Attempts to interview Colon before Wednesday afternoon s game against the Yankees at Target Field were unsuccessful. Colon signed a minor league deal with the Twins after being released by the Braves, who are on the hook for most of his $12 million contract. In a two-decade career, Colon has a record with a 4.02 ERA. Twins ride 6-run 2nd, Berrios to win vs. Yanks Bryan Hoch and Rhett Bollinger MLB.com July 19, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- Jose Berrios threw 6 2/3 strong innings and Miguel Sano crushed a three-run homer as part of a six-run second inning to lift the Twins to a 6-1 win over the Yankees on Wednesday, marking their first series victory over New York in Minnesota since It was also the first series win for the Twins over the Yankees since '14. Unable to find his curveball or changeup early, Yankees lefty Jordan Montgomery was hit hard, allowing six runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings. All six runs came with two outs in the second, keyed by a two-run single from Zack Granite, an RBI single from Eduardo Escobar and Sano's team-leading 23rd blast of the year. Berrios, who had a 6.63 ERA over his past four starts, bounced back with a solid outing. He gave up one run on six and two walks while striking out five. He improved to 9-3 with a 3.50 ERA. "A win is a win, but when you can go out there and beat a team like the Yankees, it's awesome," Berrios said through a translator. "I know they've struggled for a few weeks and have gone down in the standings, but with that lineup they have, it's a good victory." The Yankees scored their lone run against Berrios in the seventh on a two-out RBI single from Brett Gardner after Todd Frazier struck out as a pinch-hitter in his Yankees debut following Tuesday's trade with the White Sox. Reliever Tyler Duffey replaced Berrios and got out of a jam with two runners in scoring position, striking out Jacoby Ellsbury looking. The Yankees have not won a series since they swept the Orioles from June 9-11, going in their last 10 series. It marks their longest such drought since 1991, when Stump Merrill was filling out the Yankees' lineup cards. "I feel like we've played better in the second half than we did in the first half, but we have not hit like we did," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I just feel like we're poised to make a good little run here. I like what our pitchers are doing and the way they're competing, and offensively, we'll get going and we'll put things together." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Rock solid: Granite picked up the first two RBIs of his career with his two-run single to open the scoring with two outs in the second. Granite was moved down to ninth in the order after opening his career 2-for-22, but he came through in a big way to help spark the six-run rally. Granite got 11

12 an 0-1 curveball that caught too much of the zone and hit it back up the middle. "Sometimes I just stand back and look up and go, 'I'm the luckiest guy in the world right now,'" Granite said. "Growing up from New York, huge Yankee fan, but it was good to go out and beat them today. It's exactly what we needed to do." Berrios escapes jam: The Yankees threatened in the second, loading the bases with two outs after Austin Romine walked. But Berrios got Ronald Torreyes to ground out to second to end the inning and the scoring threat. Berrios went on to retire nine of the next 10 batters he faced. "Jose had a much better day, but it didn't really start out that way," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "[Pitching coach] Neil [Allen] had a good meeting with the bases loaded, and he was able to get off the field. He seemed to settle in." SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Twins had never won a series against the Yankees at Target Field before Wednesday. REPLAY REVIEW The Twins won a challenge in the first inning, as Gardner was initially ruled safe on a stolen-base attempt at second. But after a review, the call was overturned, and Gardner was out to end the inning. WHAT'S NEXT Yankees: The Yanks will head farther west on Thursday, opening a four-game series with the Mariners at Safeco Field. Right-hander Luis Severino (5-4, 3.40 ERA) worked seven innings of one-run ball his last time out against the Red Sox, and he will face off against Felix Hernandez in the 10:10 p.m. ET contest. Twins: After an off-day on Thursday, the Twins turn to right-hander Ervin Santana (11-6, 2.99 ERA) to start the series opener against the Tigers on Friday at 7:10 p.m. CT. It's Santana's second start since allowing one run in one inning in the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard. Rock solid: Granite sparks rally with 1st RBIs Shane Jackson MLB.com July 19, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- Zack Granite admitted the time since being called up to the Twins has been one of the craziest periods of his life. On Wednesday, Granite culminated the chaos with a second-inning single to collect the first two RBIs of his Major League career. His two-out single sparked a six-run outburst, and the Twins never looked back in the eventual 6-1 victory over the Yankees at Target Field. "It's been probably the craziest week of my life," Granite said. "But it's been awesome. This is every kid's dream, and I get to live it right now." Granite was initially called up to the Twins a couple of days before the All-Star break for a then-injured Joe Mauer. He then spent the break back at home before rejoining the team in Houston, and he has been with the Twins for the six games since, now for Byron Buxton, who is on the disabled list. But it hasn't been all smooth sailing for Granite as he enjoys his first taste of the big leagues. Entering Wednesday's finale, Granite was 2-for-22 with one double and a pair of strikeouts. After leading the International League in batting average (.360), Granite was desperate to start hitting at the highest level. "I told him this morning that I know the hits have been hard to come by, but it's just by a tick," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "He's had an opportunity to play here, and I'm sure he's a little frustrated it hasn't gone well in terms of outcomes, but he's been handling it well so far." Granite responded from Molitor's advice in his first at-bat. He watched the first curveball from New York lefty Jordan Montgomery go by for a strike and then prepared for another bender. Montgomery went back to the curveball, this time catching too much of the zone, and Granite ripped it through the middle to drive in the game's first runs. To do it against the very team he grew up rooting for made it that much sweeter. "Sometimes I just stand back and look up and go, 'I'm the luckiest guy in the world right now,'" Granite said. "Growing up from New York, huge 12

13 Yankee fan, but it was good to go out and beat them today. It's exactly what we needed to do." The two-out outburst by the Twins came one day after the team went 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position. Naturally, it took the team's No. 9 hitter, who had been hitting as high as second recently, to break the slump -- even if it warranted some angry texts from his friends and family, who are Yankee fans. "They are probably cursing at me," Granite said. "But it's good, everyone is rooting for me. I have a lot of fans back home. This has been a dream come true so far." Bartolo mulling future, focused on contributing Rhett Bollinger MLB.com July 19, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- Despite an ESPN report that Twins right-hander Bartolo Colon is mulling retirement, sources close to the 20-year veteran told MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez that Colon is focused on contributing to the Twins. Colon, Major League Baseball's longest-tenured pitcher, told ESPN that his ensuing start vs. the Dodgers on Monday could be a "determining factor in making a decision" about retiring. Twins manager Paul Molitor, however, met with Colon on Wednesday, and he downplayed the report. Colon also indicated to the Twins before he signed that he wants to pitch next year. He's long had the goal to pass Hall of Famer Juan Marichal's 243 wins, which are the most by a Dominican-born player. Colon has 235 career victories. "I don't know the context of those conversations, but to think about retiring when you're 44 years old and in baseball, it's a pretty normal thing," said Molitor, a Hall of Famer who retired at 42. "We had a little conversation this morning. He's fine physically. He's scheduled to pitch on Monday, so he'll prepare for that." Colon allowed four earned runs in four-plus innings Tuesday evening vs. the Yankees in his first start with the Twins after Minnesota signed him to a Minor League contract on July 7. He threw three scoreless frames before giving up a run in the fourth and three in the fifth. "I threw a lot of two-seamers, and I felt like I had a good feel for it today," Colon said through a translator following his start Tuesday night. "I didn't have that kind of feel for it in Atlanta." The 2005 American League Cy Young Award winner with the Angels, Colon has had an illustrious career that includes four All-Star selections. The most recent came last season at age 43, when he went 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 33 starts for the Mets. The 2017 season has not been as kind to Colon, as the veteran hurler is 2-9 with an 8.19 ERA in 14 starts, 13 of which came with the Braves earlier this season. Colon is one win shy of tying Hall of Famer Whitey Ford (236) on the all-time career wins list, and he has 3,239 1/3 innings pitched in his career. Buxton, Santiago making progress after injuries Rhett Bollinger MLB.com July 19, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins manager Paul Molitor said center fielder Byron Buxton and left-hander Hector Santiago are making progress with their injuries, with Buxton on track to potentially be activated as soon as next Tuesday, while Santiago threw a bullpen session with no issues on Tuesday. Buxton, on the 10-day disabled list since Saturday with a left groin strain, has been rehabbing at Target Field, and he is eligible to be activated on Tuesday, when the Twins are in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. They're still working out if he'll need a rehab assignment before rejoining the team. "He's doing pretty well," Molitor said. "We're just trying to figure out the best plan here for the rest of the week and potentially next Tuesday and how we're going to best use the time to get him ready." Santiago, on the 10-day DL since July 3 with upper thoracic back pain, threw his first bullpen session since sustaining the injury. He'll throw another one on Friday, and then he'll pitch in a simulated game before heading out on a rehab assignment. "He felt good," Molitor said. "His command wasn't great, but he was really trying to concentrate on getting extension without feeling any physical problems. But it went well, and he'll throw another one on Friday before he faces some hitters and we get him out." 13

14 Twins tab Santana for opener vs. Tigers Shane Jackson MLB.com July 19, 2017 A pair of right-handers will square off in a divisional clash between the Tigers and Twins at Target Field on Friday. Detroit's Anibal Sanchez will go opposite Minnesota's Ervin Santana. Sanchez will be making his sixth start after a move to the rotation in mid-june. As a starter, he has posted a 3.99 ERA 29 1/3 innings with 25 strikeouts and four walks. Last time out, Sanchez surrendered five runs on nine hits over six frames against Toronto. Santana will make his second start of the second half of the season. The All-Star hurler spun six innings of two-run ball in the victory over Houston in his last start. Santana has thrown at least 100 pitches in each of his past five outings, logging 31 1/3 innings over that span. Things to know about this game Sanchez has faced Minnesota 20 times (16 starts) in his career, pitching to a 5-4 record with a 3.65 ERA in 98 2/3 innings. In 19 career starts against the Tigers, Santana has a 9-4 record with a 3.08 ERA, 110 strikeouts and 38 walks across 122 2/3 frames. When Santana has thrown a pitch in the bottom two-thirds of the strike zone this season, according to Statcast, batters have hit just.213 against him, tied for third lowest among pitchers who have had at least 150 at-bats end in those locations. Yet when he has strayed into the upper third of the zone, his.377 average allowed is the fourth highest (min. 50 at-bats). Wetmore s 5 thoughts: Escobar s setup, Sano s shot, Granite s first RBI Derek Wetmore ESPN 1500 July 19, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS The Twins are hanging on in contention for the postseason, and on Wednesday they put a feather in their cap with two simultaneous achievements. They beat a good team, the Yankees and they beat them at home, no less. This column presents 5 thoughts from Wednesday s 6-1 Twins win. 1. The Yankees got to use two of their new toys immediately following a blockbuster trade. The Twins and Yankees are very close to each other in the win-loss record, but miles apart when it comes to run differential. That is, New York has outscored its opponents by a huge margin (+96), whereas the Twins have managed a winning record despite being outscored(-61). That s one reason why the Yankees loaded up on a significant trade to add two great relievers for the late innings (David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle), and a third baseman from the White Sox that was rumored to be in the Red Sox s short-term plans (Todd Frazier). Frazier pinch hit in the 7th inning and struck out against Twins reliever Tyler Duffey. Later, Trevor Hildenberger hit him in his second plate appearance with the Yankees. Kahnle also got into the game, and was pumping fastballs at 99 mph to Twins hitters. He pitched a clean 9th inning with the Yankees already trailing 6-1. The implications of having a super-dominant bullpen in the regular season are interesting. The implications of having that goodnight bullpen in the postseason are fascinating. The Yankees (48-45) are betting on the present version of their team, and were willing to send at least one good prospect the other way to get the deal done. The Twins (48-46) have made it sound in their public comments like they re not willing to make a similar bet. 2. Miguel Sano changed the game in the 2nd inning with a home run, his second in as many games. Sano s three-run blast put the Twins up 6-0, and that kind of margin has got to inspire confidence in a young starting pitcher like J.O. Berrios. Sano fell into an 0-2 count, but then he refused to lose his balance and got a bit of a hanging breaking ball. He crushed it. That s the 23rd homer this season for Sano, and that doesn t include all the long balls he hit on his way to a runner-up finish in this year s home run derby. People probably came to the park to see derby winner Aaron Judge this week. But it was Sano that put on a show against the Yankees. 3. Sano s homer wouldn t have happened if it wasn t for Eduardo Escobar s RBI single that preceded the big blast. Escobar has had a nice offensive season for an extra player he s hitting.273/.322/.435 in somewhat limited action (233 plate appearances). With Jorge Polanco struggling, you wonder if Escobar will get more of a chance to crack the lineup, although it s the surer-handed Ehire Adrianza who s getting the extra looks at shortstop right now. 14