Minnesota Twins Daily Clips. Thursday, August 4, 2016

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1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Thursday, August 4, 2016 Twins smash Cleveland pitching for third straight night in 13-5 victory. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1 Santiago excited to be with Twins. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 2 Twins pound Central-leading Indians for third straight night. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 3 New Twins starter Hector Santiago keeps throwing date with couch. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 4 Rosario, Mauer lead red-hot Twins to victory. MLB.com (Jackson and Bollinger) p. 5 Santiago excited to join Twins after unexpected trade. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 7 No ordinary Joe, Mauer falls homer shy of cycle. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 8 Twins hitting coach says Sano must match that talent with the work ethic ESPN (Wetmore) p. 9 Twins' mastery over Indians continues with 13-5 victory. Associated Press p. 9 Twins smash Cleveland pitching for third straight night in 13-5 victory Phil Miller Star Tribune August 4, 2016 CLEVELAND When Joe Mauer doubled in the first inning Wednesday, you knew what was coming. Three straight times the previous two days, Mauer doubled and Max Kepler followed with a home run, so there Mauer stood, waiting to trot home. Weird: It didn t happen. Kepler walked hey, the Indians recognize the pattern, too and the Twins well, denied that particular bit of magic, they simply found a variety of new ways to pummel the first-place-for-now Indians. The final score was 13-5, marking the first time in franchise history the Twins have scored in double digits three consecutive times in a series. It s a lot of fun. Up and down the lineup [it s] unbelievable, said Mauer, who might be the hottest Twins hitter of all and considering that both the guy batting in front of him [Brian Dozier] and the guy batting behind him [Kepler] each have homered four times since Sunday, that s saying something. Mauer has 10 hits in three games here, seven of them for extra bases. In fact, his five doubles in the first three days of August match the five he hit in May, June and July combined. I know he s been watching film and looking back some times where he was barreling up balls a little more consistently, Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Mauer, who doubled twice, singled and tripled Wednesday. He s hitting a lot of balls on the nose. He seems to be locked in. That s a big club at the moment, of course; the Twins have outscored Cleveland in the series, and own an 8-4 season series advantage against the team that owned the AL s best record until Minnesota came to town. Eddie Rosario had three hits and three RBI; Dozier tripled and homered; and Kepler singled twice, driving home a pair of (controversial) runs. With seven extra-base hits, the Twins have piled up 26 in three nights. You ve got to enjoy these things when they come along, because we know it can be the converse, Molitor said. Guys are just going with the flow. That includes the pitchers, too. If Tyler Duffey was pitching for his job Wednesday, everybody on the field seemed to be trying to help. The offense remained on its baseball-crushing roll, Indians baserunning chipped in with a couple of extra outs and even the umpires came through with a couple of razor-thin calls that they might or might not have gotten right, even with replay, that went the Twins way. With that much aid and comfort, how could Duffey lose?

2 Mauer and Kepler, I wouldn t want to pitch to them right now, Duffey said after a decent, but not spectacular, bounce-back outing. He gave up five runs over six innings and earned his sixth win in a game that felt and the Indians fervently believed was a lot closer. Cleveland manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway were even ejected for expressing that conviction to umpire Jim Reynolds. At issue was Lonnie Chisenhall s diving attempt at catching Max Kepler s sinking line drive in the third inning, a play that scored two runs and ended Indians starter Trevor Bauer s night when Reynolds ruled the ball bounced on the grass an instant before landing in Chisenhall s glove. Replays seemed to indicate that Chisenhall may have made the catch. But when Francona challenged the call, umpires in New York found ambiguity in the blurry replays. The call stood, the runs scored, the fans booed, and Callaway and Francona charged Reynolds. Automatic ejections followed and so, eventually, did the Twins fourth consecutive victory, tying their longest winning streak of the season. Santiago excited to be with Twins Phil Miller Star Tribune August 3, 2016 CLEVELAND When Hector Santiago takes the mound Thursday, he will become the 24th pitcher to wear a Twins uniform, tying the franchise record for most in a season. Not that he minds. In fact, he sounds delighted to join the third team of his five-year career. It was a little bit shocking, but I like to keep moving. I like new things, Santiago said shortly after meeting his new teammates in the visitors clubhouse. I like the thrill of seeing something else happening in my career, so it s pretty exciting. The 28-year-old lefthander was enjoying the Angels off day Monday, never expecting to be traded because the Los Angeles rotation has been so battered by injuries. I didn t think they would risk the chance of moving an arm, but obviously they got a couple of starters back, so it s good for them. It was unexpected for sure, Santiago said. They called me All right, cool, thanks for everything, and let s move on to the next thing. For Santiago, that means trying to build upon the best month of his career. After a difficult May and June, he suddenly turned things around in July. In six starts, all of them victories, he gave up a total of eight runs all month, striking out 34 in 35 ⅓ innings and posting a 1.78 ERA. He was runner-up to Justin Verlander for American League pitcher of the month, in fact. And yes, he walked 21 batters, too, which can be frustrating. Santiago leads the AL with 57 walks but says he has limited the damage by pitching effectively with runners on base. Opponents are batting.203 with runners on base this season, and.165 with runners in scoring position. I still try to attack the zone. I m throwing balls that are running and moving, so walks are something that come with my game, said Santiago, who will wear No. 66. I don t know why I ve always been better at it, but mentally, when guys are on base, I try to grind down and don t let them score. The Twins were intrigued by his track record, so when Angels General Manager Billy Eppler called to inquire about Ricky Nolasco, Twins interim GM Rob Antony saw it as an opportunity, Antony said. He would fit into our rotation this year and next we d have control again next year, because Santiago cannot become a free agent until after the 2017 season. The Angels wouldn t do 1-for-1, though; they wanted a pitcher they had long coveted, Antony said, in Alex Meyer. When he was healthy at the beginning of the year and pitching, he pitched very well at Rochester, Antony said. He s always had the velocity, the breaking ball and the potential. I don t think it s hard to envision [his success]. The Twins agreed to include Meyer, who is regaining his health after suffering shoulder weakness in May and could pitch again within a week or two, but they would make the trade only if the Angels sent back a prospect, too. That s how they wound up with reliever Alan Busenitz. Etc. Trevor Plouffe played third base Wednesday for the first time since suffering a cracked rib in early June, manning the position for seven innings at Class AAA Rochester. Plouffe went 0-for-3 with a walk in his second rehab start. Antony said the Twins will evaluate his progress after 2

3 Thursday s game. About a dozen Southern Mississippi officials and fans are in Cleveland to see Golden Eagles product Brian Dozier play Wednesday and Thursday, before heading to nearby Canton this weekend for the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction of another Southern Miss alum: Dozier s Hattiesburg pal Brett Favre. Lefthander Tyler Jay, the Twins No. 1 pick in 2015, was placed on the disabled list at Class AA Chattanooga after experiencing muscle weakness in his neck and shoulder, Antony said. Twins pound Central-leading Indians for third straight night Mike Berardino Pioneer Press August 3, 2016 CLEVELAND After chugging all the way to his fourth triple of the year in Wednesday s eighth inning, Joe Mauer was informed he had forged a three-way tie with teammates Byron Buxton and Brian Dozier. All right, Mauer said after the Twins 13-5 win over the Cleveland Indians. It s on. The same could be said for the previously flickering pilot light on Mauer s bat and, well, pretty much everybody else in a Twins lineup that has gone wild in the first three games of a four-game series with the American League Central leaders. After watching rookie Max Kepler bang out four homers over the first two games, the Twins eschewed the long ball until their 15th and final hit, when Brian Dozier crushed a three-run homer 402 feet for his 21st jack (and 13th in the past six weeks). How outlandish has the Twins offensive output been in this series so far? Consider: They have banged out 48 hits (26 for extra bases) and scored 35 runs. It took them 13 games at the start of the season to score that many times. In Twins franchise history, they had never put up 10 runs or more in three straight games in one series against the same opponent. They have been retired in order just four times, three of those coming Wednesday. Kepler was unable to match Harmon Killebrew s 1963 feat of five homers in three games, but there were plenty of other mind-numbing stats to ponder. Mauer went 4 for 5 with a walk, two doubles, a triple and four runs batted in. That left him 10 for 14 with five doubles, a triple and a homer off Andrew Miller s death slider on Monday. Yes, Mauer was aware he needed a homer for the cycle as he hit in the ninth. A groundball to first was the result, but that was a tiny disappointment amid all the fireworks. It s a lot of fun, Mauer said. You can pick guys the last three nights. Max has been unbelievable, Dozier, (Jorge) Polanco really up and down the lineup. The Twins continued their series-long aggressiveness on 0-2 pitches. They banged out three more hits on that count in a five-run third against Trevor Bauer (7-5), including back-to-back hits from Eddie Rosario (single) and Eduardo Escobar (double off the wall) to start the inning. Mauer, who has lifted his average 16 points to.277 in three games, later added a two-run double on a 0-2 count. That gave the Twins eight 0-2 hits for the series, including three on Monday and two more on Tuesday. Two strikes, you put the ball in play, see what happens, Escobar said. That s all we try to do. While the AL hits.153 as a whole on 0-2 counts, the Twins entered the night hitting.171 with nine extra-base hits when putting that pitch in play. I think pitching coaches pay attention to that, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. It can come back to hurt you when you get ahead of a hitter like that and you can t put them away or use the count in your favor. I think our guys seem to be doing a better job with two strikes in terms of slowing the game down and giving themselves a chance. 3

4 For the third straight night, the Twins pounded a big-name Indians starter into early submission. After pinning eight runs (seven earned) on Bauer, the Twins had piled up 22 runs (21 earned) on 23 hits and nine walks in 8 1/3 innings against Indians starters. Monday s starter, Danny Salazar, lasted two-plus innings and ended up on the disabled list with elbow pain a day later. Carlos Carrasco, who started Tuesday, was pulled in the fourth after giving up eight earned runs. With one more game left Thursday afternoon, Indians starters have a earned-run average in this series. No wonder they had slipped behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL s best rotation ERA. Now at 3.89, the Indians entered the series with a 3.64 mark. Yes, the Twins, 8-4 against the Indians this year, have tacked a quarter of a run onto that figure this week. Handed leads of 3-0 and 8-2, Twins starter Tyler Duffey (6-8) rolled with the punches to pick up his first win in nearly a month. The Twins have scored in double figures nine times, all but one of those since July 2, when they put 17 runs on the Texas Rangers in support of Duffey. I don t know what we ve been doing, but we need to keep that going, Duffey said. It doesn t really matter how well you pitch when you put up runs like that. New Twins starter Hector Santiago keeps throwing date with couch Mike Berardino Pioneer Press August 3, 2016 CLEVELAND Hector Santiago was packing frantically Tuesday morning, preparing to ship some of his belongings from Orange County, Calif., to the Twin Cities after being traded a day earlier, when the veteran left-hander suddenly realized he was forgetting something. I was like, Man, I ve got to throw, Santiago said after joining the Twins on Wednesday. After completing a 6-0 July on Saturday, Santiago wasn t due to pitch again until Friday because the Los Angeles Angels had Monday off. He planned to throw his bullpen session at Angel Stadium on Tuesday, but that went out the window when he was informed of the four-player trade with him and Ricky Nolasco as the principals while out in the middle of the (Pacific) ocean. It was time to improvise. I had grabbed some balls the other day when I went in to the stadium, said Santiago, 28. So, I just slammed them up against the couch. Seriously? Oh, yeah, he said. The couch is good. It s durable, for sure. I just put an extra pad in front of it. With no one around to catch him and space limited, he used a drill he has done before, throwing pitches into his couch from a distance of feet. Far enough to get the arm extension, he said. Kind of a simulated pen. Santiago s improvisational abilities should come in handy as he starts the next phase of his career with a Thursday afternoon start against the Indians. Back in the American League Central, where he pitched for the Chicago White Sox from , Santiago has consistently shown the ability to work out of self-made jams. With a nine-inning walk rate of 4.25 this season, worst in the American League among all starters with at least 90 innings and more than double that of Nolasco s 2.09 Santiago prides himself on never panicking. Hence, his 3.68 career earned-run average, including a 1.78 mark in July. I just try to keep those guys from scoring, Santiago said. I bear down and try to make some better pitches with guys on base and try to keep those guys from touching home plate. When guys get on base, I really try to grind. His 77-percent stranded rate ranks 10th among the 103 starters with at least 500 innings since The group ahead of him includes Clayton 4

5 Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Johnny Cueto, Chris Sale, Max Scherzer, Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish. While others get credit for damage control, Santiago s more modest repertoire, which includes baseball s only active screwball, leads to a different description. They call it luck for me, he said with a smile. I ve heard that a bunch. JAY OUT Left-hander Tyler Jay, the sixth overall pick in 2015, has been placed on the disabled list at Double-A Chattanooga with a neck strain that seems to be affecting his throwing shoulder. According to Twins farm director Brad Steil, Jay s issue is more neck than shoulder at this point, but interim general manager Rob Antony on Wednesday cited some fear among those awaiting test results on the prized pitching prospect. It s not Tommy John or anything like that, Antony said. It s more shoulder weakness. I don t even want to speculate. We re waiting to hear. After going 5-5 with a 2.84 ERA in 13 starts at Class A Fort Myers, the former University of Illinois closer struggled in his move to Double-A. Actually, his rough patch started in June, when he made just three starts. Over his final five starts before being moved to the bullpen, Jay posted a 6.55 ERA with five home runs allowed in 22 innings. Two of his three relief outings for the Lookouts were scoreless, the last on Saturday. The Twins paid Jay a $3.89 million bonus after taking him just ahead of Arkansas outfielder Andrew Benintendi and Vanderbilt right-hander Carson Fulmer, both of whom reached the majors in recent days with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox, respectively. MINOR LEAGUE POLLING Twins center fielder Byron Buxton was voted best defensive outfielder by International League managers in the annual Baseball America best tools survey. Right-hander Jose Berrios changeup was voted the best in the IL as well, but Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner outpolled Buxton for both faster and most exciting player in the Triple-A loop. Buxton only spent about five weeks in the minors during the first half. In the Double-A Southern League, Twins outfield prospects Daniel Palka (best power) and Zach Granite (best baserunner) were cited in the survey along with Stuart Turner (best defensive catcher) and lefty David Hurlbut (best control). Right-hander Felix Jorge, since promoted to Double-A, was cited for best control in the Class A Florida State League. BRIEFLY Buxton, cleared Monday despite a bone bruise in his right knee, was available off the bench Wednesday. Twins manager Paul Molitor considered using him as a pinch runner in Tuesday s ninth inning if Miguel Sano reached base, but he struck out. Third baseman Trevor Plouffe (fractured rib) went 2 for 4 Tuesday with a run and a strikeout for Triple-A Rochester in his first game in over a month. He served as the DH Tuesday and then played seven innings at third base on Wednesday, going 0 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout. Rosario, Mauer lead red-hot Twins to victory Shane Jackson and Rhett Bollinger MLB.com August 4, 2016 CLEVELAND -- Minnesota's bats stayed scorching hot, scoring double-digit runs for the third straight game in a 13-5 win over Cleveland on Wednesday night at Progressive Field. For the Indians, it matches their season-worst slump of three games. The Twins struck first for a third consecutive night, jumping out to a 3-0 lead by the second inning. But it was the five-spot in the third that 5

6 chased Tribe starter Trevor Bauer out of the game. The right-hander allowed eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits across 2 2/3 innings. Cleveland starters have now allowed 21 earned runs over 8 1/3 frames this series. "We've got it going offensively, so you have to enjoy these things when they come around because you know they can go the reverse way as well," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "A lot of good at-bats. You go up and down the lineup the last few days, and certainly some guys jump out at you, but they're all swinging well." Paving the way offensively for the Twins was first baseman Joe Mauer, who went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and a walk. Mauer is 10-for-15 with a homer, a triple and five doubles against the Indians in this series. Minnesota starter Tyler Duffey was able to labor through six innings in the win. The right-hander allowed five runs on eight hits while recording six strikeouts. Duffey surrendered a pair of home runs to Tyler Naquin and Mike Napoli in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, before his night was finished. "They've done that now three days in a row and done it well," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "They've really had their way with us. It's not a fluke. They've just beat us around." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Mauer doubles up: The Indians have had a tough time getting Mauer out this series. He was it again, going 4-for-5 with four RBIs, two doubles, a triple and a walk, giving him five doubles over the last three games. Mauer helped spark a two-run first with a one-out double and added an RBI single in the second. He also connected on a two-run double with two outs in the third and an RBI triple in the eighth but fell short in his bid for the cycle, grounding out to end the ninth. "It's been good," Mauer said. "I've been really staying on that back leg, driving the ball. I've been a little bit more sore, but it's been feeling good getting results. It's been great." Rook rakes: Prior to the game, Naquin was named the American League Rookie of the Month for July. It marked the second straight month he has held that honor, the first Indians rookie to do so. It appears he has no plans of relinquishing that title, either. In the fifth, Naquin went deep off Duffey with a two-run blast to right to halve the deficit. Per Statcast, the ball traveled an estimated 390 feet from home plate at 100 mph. His 13 home runs this season is tied for second most amongst AL rookies. Everything's coming up Rosie: The Twins got out to another early lead, keyed by a two-run single from Eddie Rosario with the bases loaded in the first. Rosario also led off the third with a single to help start a five-run rally. He added an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI double with two outs. "The first hit, he missed a couple early in the count, but then fought one off and squeezed it up the middle," Molitor said. " It wasn't scalded, but he put it in play, which you want to do in that situation. He got a hit with the bases loaded, and we don't have a lot of those over the course of the year." Party at Napoli's: Napoli went the distance with a solo shot to left in the sixth. Per Statcast, his team-high 27th homer went 390 feet from home plate with an exit velocity of 100 mph. It marked the fifth straight game Napoli has homered, which ties the longest home run streak in the Majors this year, joining the O's Chris Davis and the Mets' Jay Bruce. It is the first such streak by an Indians batter since Travis Hafner did so in September Napoli last homered in five straight games in April QUOTABLE "I can't tell you exactly why he's been better, but I know he's looked back on some film from when he was swinging better and barreling up some balls better. I think it's just been a small thing he's been trying, and he's obviously been very comfortable. He's a hitting a lot of balls on the nose." -- Molitor, on Mauer "We've still got two months to go. We went through a really hot stretch, too. They're playing good baseball. But we've got to take care of ourselves and get out there and try to win tomorrow. We're not looking behind us. We've just got to go out there and play the game the right way." -- Napoli, on the division lead over Detroit down to just two games SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Twins opened a series with at least 10 runs scored in three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. 6

7 UPON FURTHER REVIEW Lonnie Chisenhall came charging and made a diving snag for what appeared to be the third and final out of the third inning. Instead, first-base umpire Jim Reynolds said the ball was trapped, which gave Max Kepler a two-run single to increase the Twins' lead to 8-2. Francona elected to challenge the call, and after one minute and 45 seconds, it stood. Both Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway came out to argue the call and were ejected. "I knew I was going to get thrown out because you can't go out there and argue those," Francona said. "And I also know what he told me. I already knew, too. Once they make the call, it goes to New York, and then they just listen. And I knew that. I just needed to express my frustration." GUYER DEBUTS Newly acquired outfielder Brandon Guyer made his Indians debut on Wednesday night as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning. He came on for catcher Chris Gimenez and drew a one-out walk to put runners on first and second in the lopsided affair. Guyer came from Tampa Bay via a trade on Monday and officially joined the roster on Tuesday afternoon. WHAT'S NEXT Twins: Left-hander Hector Santiago (10-4, 4.25 ERA) makes his Twins debut in the series finale at 11:10 a.m. CT on Thursday. Santiago, who was acquired in the four-player trade that sent Ricky Nolasco to the Angels, has been hot recently. The lefty went 6-0 with a 1.78 ERA in July. Indians: Right-hander Mike Clevinger (0-1, 7.71 ERA) is slated to start in the series finale at 12:10 p.m. ET. The rookie is back in the Indians' rotation after an injury to Danny Salazar. Clevinger last pitched for the Tribe on July 5, when he spun two scoreless frames in relief against the Tigers. Clevinger was 11-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 17 starts for Triple-A Columbus this year. Santiago excited to join Twins after unexpected trade Rhett Bollinger MLB.com August 3, 2016 CLEVELAND -- Left-hander Hector Santiago, who was acquired as part of a four-player trade that sent Ricky Nolasco to the Angels on Monday, officially joined the Twins on Wednesday ahead of his debut with his new team on Thursday against the Indians. Santiago, 28, said he was relaxing on an off-day when he found out he was traded to Minnesota, admitting he was a bit surprised by the move. But Santiago also said he's ready to embrace it and excited to be back in the American League Central after pitching with the White Sox from before joining the Angels in '14. "It was unexpected for sure," Santiago said. "We've got a lot of injuries over there, so I didn't think they'd be moving starting pitching. So it's a little shock, but I like to keep moving, and I like new things. I like the thrill of seeing something else happening in my career, so it's pretty exciting." Santiago is 10-4 with a 4.25 ERA with 107 strikeouts and an AL-leading 57 walks in 120 2/3 innings. But he has been on a tear recently, going 6-0 with a 1.78 ERA in six starts in July, causing Twins pitching coach Neil Allen to joke he's going to let Santiago do his thing and not meddle too much early on. "He's had a heck of a month and has been throwing the ball well, so the best thing Neil Allen can do is keep his mouth shut and leave him alone," Allen said with a laugh. "So that's exactly what I'll do. But I do need to know if anything needs to be addressed like mechanics." Santiago's primary pitch remains his fastball, which he throws 60.6 percent of the time. But he also uses two variations of a changeup to his advantage, including a screwball he said he throws about eight to 10 times a game. "I throw a lot of fastballs, mix in some changeups and some breaking balls here and there," Santiago said. "I try to attack as much as I can, but the walks are sometimes just part of my game. As long as they don't score, I'm OK with it." Santiago spent most of Wednesday meeting with his new teammates and manager Paul Molitor. Molitor said he briefly met with Santiago 7

8 before the game and said it was evident he was happy about joining the Twins. "He's very likeable and personable, and he seemed excited about coming over here," Molitor said. "I know he went out and did a little bit of work to touch up to prepare for tomorrow. We had a chance to look up more about his career and his recent past. I know Neil watched a lot of film today." As Molitor noted, Allen spent about an hour before the game watching film on Santiago and couldn't help but be pumped about the prospect of working with the lefty this year and next season. Santiago has a career 3.68 ERA and was an AL All-Star last year. "Are you kidding me? I'm thrilled to death," Allen said. "I've got Ervin [Santana] and him now with some experience and some consistency. They've pitched in big games, All-Star Games, things like that. So it's a positive to have someone like that to work with. It's going to be great." No ordinary Joe, Mauer falls homer shy of cycle Rhett Bollinger MLB.com August 4, 2016 CLEVELAND -- When the Twins' series against the Indians began on Monday, Joe Mauer was hitting.261/.364/.373, while batting.188 with three extra-base hits over his last 10 games. But Mauer has been on an absolute tear since the calendar turned to August, and it continued in Wednesday's 13-5 win over Cleveland at Progressive Field, as he went 4-for-5 with four RBIs, a homer shy of the cycle. Mauer is 10-for-15 with five doubles, a homer, a triple, six RBIs and eight runs over his last three games to improve his slash line on the year to.277/.377/.411. "It's been good," Mauer said. "I've been really staying on that back leg, driving the ball. I've been a little bit more sore, but it's been feeling good getting results. It's been great." Mauer made the mechanical adjustment with his back leg after watching video of his swing from earlier this year, when he got off to a hot start offensively. And it has certainly paid off, as he helped the team make history, scoring at least 10 runs in three straight games against the same opponent in a series for the first time ever. "I know he's looked back on some film from when he was swinging better and barreling up some balls better," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I think it's just been a small thing he's been trying, and he's obviously been very comfortable. He's hitting a lot of balls on the nose." Mauer helped Minnesota get out to yet another early lead, doubling to spark a two-run first against right-hander Trevor Bauer. He added an RBI single in the second to score Danny Santana before breaking the game open with a two-run double in the third to give the Twins a six-run lead they wouldn't relinquish. "It's a lot of fun," Mauer said. "Up and down the lineup. Max [Kepler] has been unbelievable and [Brian] Dozier. Really, you can pick anybody in that lineup the last three nights." Mauer wasn't done, drawing a leadoff walk in the sixth before connecting on an RBI triple in the eighth for his fourth hit. Mauer, though, failed in his bid for the cycle, grounding out in the ninth inning after a three-run homer from Dozier. "We were waiting for the homer the last at-bat," Molitor said. "But it didn't look like he got a real good pitch to drive." Even without hitting for the cycle, it was another impressive night for Mauer, who has reached base safely 12 times over the last three games. "He's on a tear right now, but everybody is for that matter," said right-hander Tyler Duffey, who gave up five runs in six innings to pick up the win. "It's good to see because when he gets it going at the top of the order, it gets the ball rolling. Him and Kep, I wouldn't want to throw to them." 8

9 Twins hitting coach says Sano must match that talent with the work ethic Derek Wetmore 1500 ESPN August 3, 2016 The Twins have sent the message to young slugger Miguel Sano. Now, the question is whether he ll choose to receive it. Manager Paul Molitor benched Sano three times in a six-game stretch, including in consecutive games. Sano has shown an awful lot of promise at the plate, with power and patience, but also strikeouts by the fistful. Perhaps more glaringly, he s been really bad in the field, both in right field and lately at third base. That s raised a few eyebrows because the Twins spent all winter talking about how he has the ability to be an asset in the field. Twins hitting coach Tom Brunansky said Wednesday in a radio interview on 1500 ESPN that Sano, 23, still has some things to work on. I would just say that a good term, for me, would be commitment to his craft, Brunansky said on Wednesday s Mackey & Judd show. We all understand that there s a huge upside there. The league has shown and taken and exposed weaknesses in his game that he needs to commit to to be better. And I m not just talking offensively or defensively, like you said, overall, when you get to be that talented, you ve got to match that talent with the work ethic. And it s a wake-up call, as it is to all young players that come up to the big leagues. This game s going to bite you and it s going to humble you and it s going to let you know what the league thinks of you. And you need to adjust. Hopefully that ll be a good wake-up call to get going and put in the time and the effort and let s go, Brunansky said. The Twins pulled Sano from his natural position in the infield this winter and plugged him in as the starting right fielder in an effort to keep his bat in the lineup alongside Trevor Plouffe, Joe Mauer and DH Byung Ho Park. Park struggled and was demoted to the minor leagues and Plouffe has been injured multiple times this season, the latest of which opened up third base for Sano s audition. That hasn t gone well in terms of Sano s fielding. He made some flashy plays at third, but he s also made plenty of mistakes, from booting ground balls to dropping popups. The thing about it is that he s young, and we kind of forget that because the label s been there from the minor leagues all the way up into today, Brunansky said. He s a talent, which he is, but you have the youth, you have the inexperience you have the decisions that we you and I we made when we were young, we look back now and we go, Ah, that probably wasn t really a good one we really needed to make. Hopefully it ll help develop the character for the future, he said. Twins' mastery over Indians continues with 13-5 victory Associated Press August 3, 2016 CLEVELAND -- The frustration boiled over for the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night. The AL Central leaders dropped another game to last-place Minnesota and lost another game in the standings after a 13-5 defeat. The Indians, who fell to 4-8 against the Twins, have been outscored in losing the first three games of this series. Manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway were ejected in the third while pitcher Corey Kluber -- who wasn't in the game -- was thrown out in the fifth. Joe Mauer had four hits and four RBI, Brian Dozier hit a three-run homer and the Twins had another big night against Cleveland's pitching staff. Francona knows the Indians are going through a difficult stretch. "You have to play through tough times," he said. "It's inevitable. It happens to everybody." 9

10 The Indians' lead over Detroit in the AL Central lead has shrunk to two games. Cleveland, which is 26-8 against the rest of the division, held a 7 1/2 game lead on July 20. Mike Napoli homered for the fifth straight game -- matching Chris Davis and Jay Bruce for the longest streak in the majors this season. "We're going to snap out of it," Napoli said. "Through 162 games you're going to have stretches like this. It's about minimizing them." Tyler Duffey (6-8) allowed five runs in six innings. Eddie Rosario had three hits and three RBI while rookie Max Kepler had two hits and drove in two runs. Trevor Bauer (7-5) gave up eight runs in 2 2/3 innings. Tyler Naquin also went deep for Cleveland. Mauer had an RBI single in the second, a two-run double in the third and an RBI triple in the eighth. He also doubled in the first and walked in the sixth. Dozier homered in the ninth. Kepler is 7 for 12 with four homers and 10 RBI in the series. His two-run single in the third led to the ejections of Francona and Callaway. Minnesota scored five times in the inning. The ejections came after a replay review upheld a ruling on the field that right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall didn't catch a fly ball hit by Kepler. Chisenhall attempted to make a diving catch, and Francona immediately challenged the call. Although replays shown on the Progressive Field scoreboard indicated Chisenhall made the catch, the call on the field stood. Francona and Callaway were tossed by plate umpire Manny Gonzalez. "I knew I was going to get thrown out because you can't go out and argue those," Francona said. "I just needed to express my frustration." Twins manager Paul Molitor thought the decision would go Minnesota's way, but knew it would be close. "You can understand the reaction because that's a big play in the game," he said. Kluber was ejected by first-base umpire Jim Reynolds for arguing from the top step of the dugout after Abraham Almonte was called out on a close play. NEED SOME RELIEF Cleveland's starting pitchers have allowed 22 runs earned -- in 8 1/3 innings in the series. The short starts have taxed the bullpen. Righthanders Austin Adams, Shawn Armstrong and Cody Anderson, who have all been used in relief, were sent to Triple-A Columbus. TRAINER'S ROOM Twins: OF Byron Buxton (right knee) wasn't in the lineup for the third straight game Indians: OF Michael Brantley (sore right shoulder) hit in the batting cage Wednesday. He's played in only 11 games this season after surgery in November. UP NEXT Twins: LHP Hector Santiago, acquired from the Angels before the trade deadline, makes his debut with Minnesota in the series finale. Indians: RHP Mike Clevinger will be called up from Triple-A Columbus to start against the Twins. 10