Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Friday, July 20, 2018

Transcription

1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Friday, July 20, 2018 Twins-Kansas City series preview. Star Tribune (Miller) p.1 What to look for from the Twins in the second half of the season. Star Tribune (Miller) p.1 Paul Molitor, Twins have experienced month-long rolls before. Star Tribune (Hartman) p.3 False starts to careers of Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton leave Twins with hope, concerns. Star Tribune (Christensen) p.5 With shrewd trade, Indians leave Twins in AL Central dust. Star Tribune (Souhan) p.7 Five things that must happen for Twins to climb back into contention. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p.8 John Shipley: Tip your cap to Twins Brian Dozier while you still have the chance. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p.9 Preview: Twins at Royals. Fox Sports North (AP) p.10 Olney: Keep an eye on these starting pitchers as deadline nears. ESPN (Olney) p.11 Cleveland gets much-needed bullpen help in deal with Padres. ESPN 1500 (Staff) p.12 REVISITING SI'S PRESEASON PREDICTIONS. Sports Illustrated (Baumgaertner) p.13 Twins-Kansas City series preview Phil Miller Star Tribune July 19, 2018 Friday, 7:15 p.m. FSN, 830-AM: RHP Kyle Gibson (4-6, 3.42 ERA) vs. LHP Danny Duffy (5-8, 4.59) Saturday, 6:15 p.m. FSN, 830-AM: RHP Lance Lynn (7-7, 5.22) vs. RHP Jakob Junis (5-10, 5.13) Sunday, 1:15 p.m. FSN, 830-AM: RHP Jake Odorizzi (4-6, 4.54) vs. RHP Brad Keller (2-4, 3.13) Twins update They went 9-2 on a homestand entering the All-Star break, but they are only on the road and have lost nine of their past 10 away from Target Field. They have not won their first post-all-star series since They are only 3-3 against the Royals this season, and have lost two of three games in KC. They have not posted a winning record at Kauffman Stadium since LF Eddie Rosario has a hit in seven consecutive games, his fourth streak at least that long in 2018, and is batting.419 (13-for-31) in that span. He also has scored a run in five in a row, his third such streak this year. 1B Joe Mauer has 240 career hits against the Royals, more than any other opponent. ROYALS UPDATE They have won fewer games in the past seven weeks than the Twins won on their last homestand, going 2-11 in July and 7-32 since June 1, and now own the worst record in the major leagues. They are at home, and have lost six in a row and 15 of their past 16 at Kauffman Stadium. They have scored 337 runs, fewest in MLB, and allowed 530, the most in MLB, a rare combination. Danny Duffy has a 2.73 ERA in his past 10 starts. He pitched six shutout innings vs. the Twins on July 9. What to look for from the Twins in the second half of the season Phil Miller Star Tribune July 20, 2018 Injuries and suspensions, failure and frustration. For the Twins, it s been a disappointing 2018 season, which resumes Friday at Kansas City, with only employees and idealists believing they can recover from their start and make the final 10 weeks meaningful. So why pay attention to the Twins after Vikings training camp opens? Here s a checklist: The challenge

2 The biggest reason for watching the Twins, according to Brian Dozier, is that they can still win the AL Central and get to the playoffs. We play 162 for a reason, Dozier said. You can t play the game of baseball in three weeks, or three months. You go through times that are really [bad], and you go through times that are good. This team is capable of doing something special. They have done it before, of course. The Twins return to the field with 7½ games to make up in the standings, a far smaller task than the 2006 Twins had when they faced an 11-game deficit at the break. They were seven games out of first on Labor Day 2009, too, and both times, won a division championship. Nobody has given up. I ve seen [a turnaround] happen, said Joe Mauer, a central figure on both of those comeback teams. We ve been playing good baseball, and we ll keep fighting. The schedule The Indians have built their lead principally by feasting upon their AL Central brethren, going an amazing 25-7 against the fading Tigers, the tumbling White Sox and the last-place Royals. The Twins, by contrast, have played only 24 such games, going a mere But they get a chance to turn that around in the second half, with 33 meetings 13 each against Detroit and Kansas City, and seven vs. Chicago against the bottom-feeders, while Cleveland gets only 25 more. There are also 10 head-to-head showdowns with the Indians, six in Cleveland, and all completed before September. That s where the return of starter Ervin Santana, perhaps as soon as next week, might be critical: Santana gave up one earned run in four starts against the Indians last season. The trades Derek Falvey Derek Falvey proved at last season s trade deadline that he s not afraid to be aggressive, whether to acquire talent or to redeem expiring contracts (or both, in the case of Jaime Garcia and his one-week Twins career). And with none of the team s four highest-paid players under contract for 2019, and at least four other players also likely headed for free agency, the Twins chief baseball officer has plenty to offer contenders. Fernando Rodney has established his value once again and could interest a team looking for bullpen depth. Lance Lynn has plenty of postseason experience, which could entice a playoff team. Kyle Gibson, who has a year remaining before free agency, might bring back a quality prospect from a team impressed with his recent development. Eduardo Escobar could interest the teams who need offensive-minded infielders but lost out on Manny Machado. The biggest news, though, would be the trade-deadline departure of Dozier, a former All-Star who has led the Twins in home runs in each of the past five years. The 31-year-old second baseman, who has hit 49 homers after the break the past two seasons, has said he wants to remain a Twin, but is resigned to testing free agency. It s probably a little more real this year, he said of rumors he might be traded, but I ve gone through it before. Worrying about it won t do you any good. The rookies Nick Gordon While most of the Twins most impressive prospects are in the lower minors, there could still be some exciting arrivals later this season. Firstround pick Nick Gordon, for instance, an everyday player at Class AAA Rochester despite being one of the youngest players (22) in the International League, could get a head start on making the Twins next season by spending the season s final month in Minnesota. The most intriguing newcomers, though, could be on the pitching staff. Stephen Gonsalves, the polished lefthander who has amassed a record, a 2.48 ERA and 607 strikeouts in 568⅔ minor league innings, might join fellow rookie Fernando Romero in a September rotation. And a wave of strong bullpen arms is on its way, too, with Jake Reed and Luke Bard likely leading the way. We all know what s on the horizon, especially when it comes to young pitching, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. There s a lot of velocity working its way up the ladder. The cornerstones 2

3 Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton It has already been five weeks since Miguel Sano wore a Twins uniform, and seven since Byron Buxton was sidelined for a second time. Their absence is the No. 1 factor in the Twins disappointing showing in 2018, a crippling blow to the team s current plight and, the team surely must fear, its projected future. These are important players for us, obviously, but we have to remember that they are also young players, and development doesn t always happen in a smooth, upward trajectory, Falvey said. The important thing is, we want to take the time to make whatever adjustments they need and restore them to the players we ve seen they can be. The Twins have been careful not to set any target dates for their returns, but given their importance to the team Buxton won a Gold Glove last year, and Sano has hit 78 home runs in only 347 career games their revival will be the team s most important undertaking over the final two months. The milestones Joe Mauer Joe Mauer s next double will make him the Twins career leader. He is 23 hits away from Rod Carew for second place in franchise history. When he scores 14 more runs, he will be the third Twins player ever to cross home plate 1,000 times. And hitting into six more double plays would make him No. 1 in that category, too. The Twins will hold on-field ceremonies to honor retired heroes Jack Morris, Jim Thome and Johan Santana in August. It s hard to know whether the games also will serve as a tribute, perhaps a farewell, for one of the greatest Twins ever. Mauer and Falvey long ago agreed to put off the question of the six-time All-Star s future until his eight-year, $184 million contract expires in November. It might make the final 10 weeks of the 2018 season a little poignant. I don t know what will happen, Mauer said. I know what I d like to have happen, but it s not only up to me. Paul Molitor, Twins have experienced month-long rolls before Sid Hartman Star Tribune July 19, 2018 Manager Paul Molitor knows the Twins recent 9-2 homestand probably saved the season, coming after a 1-8 road trip that could have sunk the team in the American League Central standings. We were at a point where we had to do something to just keep our heads above water and give us some optimism coming out of the break, Molitor said. We could have potentially, if things were reversed, buried ourselves somewhat. It just kind of keeps our hopes alive of what we re trying to accomplish here. We still have an uphill battle. But it was a nice way to respond after that trip to Chicago and Milwaukee, where we just couldn t find ways to win. This home-stand hopefully bodes well as we start the second half on Friday. Over his first three seasons as manager, Molitor has posted a.457 winning percentage after the All-Star break compared to.475 in the first half, but what is more telling is that in the Twins two above-.500 seasons under Molitor, they had a dominant month at some point in the season. In 2015 they went 20-7 (.741) in May while posting only one other winning month on the season, which came in September when they went (.536). Last season they turned it around in August, going (.667) and taking control of the second AL wild-card playoff spot. They also had marginally winning months in April (12-11,.522) and May (14-12,.538). Molitor said several players contributed offensively to the Twins recent winning stretch. That was a big part of our success, he said. As much as [Eduardo] Escobar and [Eddie] Rosario had good first halves, we saw [Brian] Dozier 3

4 have a good homestand, Joe [Mauer], [Jorge] Polanco, I think, has helped coming back. [Jake] Cave has done a nice job and gotten hits for us. We re spreading it out a little bit more. That makes it a lot easier to score runs consistently. Mauer ready to go After going at home last season, the Twins are at home this season. Mauer said that while every team welcomes the All-Star break, he also wants to keep the positive momentum going. The boys are playing hard. We re just trying to win each day and we have been doing that here at home, which is good, he said. Get some rest, get healthy and you know just keep playing the game. I know it sounds very cliché, but you try to win the game ahead of you and when you do that, good things usually happen. Mauer said he hasn t seen any indications the players were ever close to giving up on the season. No, we still feel pretty good about ourselves, he said. We re going to keep coming out and playing hard because that s what we do. Guys are fighting hard, and we believe in ourselves. We try to shut out what everybody else thinks, but we know what we have in this room and if we keep playing the way we re capable, we ll be OK. While a lot of discussion has surrounded the potential return of injured and/or struggling players such as Ervin Santana, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, Mauer said it s important to recognize how well their replacements have done in their place. The guys in here are fighting for each other, and that s all we can do, he said. We re going to keep battling and hopefully those guys can help us later down the road. While Mauer has only 29 RBI this season, eight of those came over the final nine games before the break when Mauer hit.378. I ve been trying to have good at-bats and get on base and drive people in when [I] can, he said. I feel good. I m excited to get back after it in Kansas City. Does the rest help Mauer, now in his 15th season? I think so, he said. We just finished up 20 in a row and played in some pretty extreme conditions with the heat. Mauer is one of the few Twins who has never had his name surface in trade discussions. With the July 31 trade deadline approaching, he was asked if he wants to see this team stick together. I like this group, he said. Hopefully we can keep playing baseball [together]. I try not to worry about things I can t control. I m going to come here every day and try to win the ballgame that day. Jottings Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is making a big impact in apparel sales, according to the NFL Players Association. Cousins ranked 16th in the league in officially licensed merchandise sales from March 1 to May 31. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles ranked first. Vikings wideout Adam Thielen ranked 31st and teammate Stefon Diggs ranked 37th. Wolves owner Glen Taylor on what he s hearing about Minnesota United FC, in which he has an ownership stake. I really appreciate [Loons CEO and longtime Wolves executive] Chris Wright and his information and knowledge of the sport, said Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune. When I talk to him, so much of it is based on the new stadium. Once we get into the new stadium, he s said it will be sold out. The fans will love the atmosphere that they will have, being close to the players. I look forward to getting over there and watching it from the new stadium. According to Soccer Stadium Digest, which is run by Populous (the architect of the Loons new home, Allianz Field in St. Paul, scheduled to open in March 2019), United ranks 10th in the MLS in average attendance at 21,315 fans per game at TCF Bank Stadium. The Gophers 2019 football class currently ranks 24th in the country according to the 247Sports website, which also shows how competitive recruiting is in the Big Ten. Ahead of the Gophers in the rankings are Michigan (No. 5), Ohio State (6), Penn State (19), Michigan State (21) and Purdue (22). Anibal Sanchez, who was briefly with the Twins in spring training, is 4-2 with a 2.60 ERA in 11 starts for the Atlanta Braves. Sanchez, who is 34, was released by the Twins on March 11 and signed by the Braves five days later. 4

5 Rochester John Marshall standout Matthew Hurt had a tremendous weekend at the high-profile Adidas Gauntlet Finale in New York, according to the Gophers Illustrated website. In a matchup with Isaiah Todd, the 10th-ranked player in Hurt s class, Hurt scored 29 points on 10-for-14 shooting while Todd went 2-for-14 and scored seven points. College coaches in attendance included Kentucky s John Calipari, Kansas Bill Self and the Gophers Richard Pitino. Hurt, a 6-9 power forward, is ranked No. 6 in the Class of 2019 according to 247Sports. False starts to careers of Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton leave Twins with hope, concerns Joe Christensen Star Tribune July 20, 2018 The stakes could not be higher. Twins officials openly say so themselves: Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano will overcome their recent woes and become consistent standouts or the whole organization is back to square one. Against that backdrop, the Twins have spent long stretches this season looking like a car missing two wheels, even as they gained speed before the All-Star break. Buxton and Sano, the organization s prized cornerstones, both were healthy enough to play for the Twins during the team s recent surge, but Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey kept them in the minors to heal their swings and their psyches. In some ways, those projects have become just as important as the 2018 season itself. We certainly aren t going to be playoff-bound and have any chance to really win if Buxton and Sano aren t pillars of our lineup, said Mike Radcliff, the Twins vice president of player personnel. What are we going to do, trade them? They have no value right now. We have to get them right. Where are they now? Buxton, 24, is on the disabled list at Class AAA Rochester, recovering from left wrist inflammation. Sano, 25, is at Class A Fort Myers, where he just returned after tending to a family matter this week in the Dominican Republic. With each passing week that these two aren t thriving in the majors, more people wonder if they re ever going to live up to their ballyhooed potential. I would be much more concerned about Sano than Buxton if I were in Derek Falvey s shoes, said Keith Law, an ESPN baseball analyst who ranks the game s top prospects. Because of [Sano s] size, the bat always has to be there. Buxton can have a bad year with the bat and still provide value because he s Usain Bolt and plays the heck out of center. As it stands, the Twins will return from the All-Star break Friday without either player, and with no spoken timetable for their big-league returns. Our goal has never been to get them right back, so they can survive or keep their heads above water, Falvey said. Our goal has been to make them impact players. Major revisions in minors Before injuring his wrist, Buxton had begun showing tangible signs of progress for Rochester. With his fractured left big toe finally healed, he opened July by batting.281 with an.830 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in eight games in Class AAA, albeit with nine strikeouts. [Buxton] was on his way to being back in the big leagues here quickly, in the short term, probably this month, or soon, Radcliff said. There s no timetable per se, but well ahead of when Miguel was going to show up. The Twins called Buxton s latest injury minor, and he s eligible to come off the seven-day disabled list Friday. But Radcliff noted how important hands and wrists are for hitting. Especially to drive the ball, Radcliff said. Maybe he won t hit those 15 home runs. Maybe they ll just be singles and doubles. We ll have to accept that this year. Buxton s minor league mission has been to rediscover his swing and confidence. Sano s situation is more complex. Listed on the roster at 6-4 and 272 pounds, he reported to spring training weighing 293 this year after recovering from offseason surgery to insert a rod into his broken left leg. He missed a month because of a hamstring injury and looked like a shell of himself, batting.203 and striking out in two of every five plate appearances. 5

6 I think they did the right thing with Sano, said former Twins shortstop and current broadcaster Roy Smalley. It was a shot across the bow, sending him all the way to A-ball to lose weight, get in shape, figure out how to be the kind of player he can be. As of early this week, Sano had lost nearly 20 pounds since his demotion, according to people familiar with his conditioning. In 19 games for Fort Myers, Sano has hit.328 with an.895 OPS, though he still has 21 strikeouts in 64 at-bats. Twins manager Paul Molitor said Sano s next step likely will be Rochester. Will they flourish or fizzle? The Twins farm system was the envy of the industry in 2014, when Baseball America magazine had Buxton ranked as the sports No. 1 prospect; Sano was No. 6. It s easy to forget, but both players were flashing their full potential at this time last year. Sano was an All-Star, and Buxton found a summertime groove that led to an 18th-place finish in the American League MVP voting. What if last year proves to be the high point for Buxton and Sano? What if each settles into a middling career? You had Buxton, the No. 2 overall pick in the [2012] draft, and then with Sano, you got one of the most talented [international] free agents of the last 15 years, Law said. I think [if they fizzle], it probably sets you back three years as an organization, somewhere in that 2-4 range. Other late-blooming Twins For encouragement, the Twins can lean on their own history with prospects in their mid-20s. Kirby Puckett and Brian Dozier didn t even make their major league debuts until they were 24. Torii Hunter got sent back to Class AAA for a stretch over his 24th birthday before his career took flight. Buxton won t turn 25 until December. In the meantime, he ll keep searching for consistency. He has produced two notable surges in his career September/October 2016 (when he hit nine homers) and from July 4 onward last season (when he batted.314 in 62 games). Aside from those stretches, Buxton has been a.192 hitter over the rest of his 215 major league games. The one thing that hits me right in the face is that we didn t have the patience that we should have to get him the necessary [minor league] at-bats before we brought him to the big leagues [in 2015], Radcliff said. He was behind the curve. In my mind, he s been digging out of a hole ever since. While Buxton was climbing through the minors, Twins officials threw out comparisons to Rickey Henderson, Andrew McCutchen and Mike Trout. Is [Buxton] going to be a [sure-fire] Hall of Fame guy? I don t know, maybe not, Radcliff said. But is he going to be a good player, who makes a lot of money, who is well thought of and probably playing in All-Star Games the next 10 years? Yeah, that s what he s going to be in my opinion. Solving the Sano riddle Radcliff saw how the prospect hype affected Sano, too, saying, he s been touted as a $12 trillion guy over time. So the highs have been expected, and the lows have cut the third baseman deep. Falvey said part of Sano s instructions when he was demoted was to work on becoming a better teammate. Beyond the numbers, the Twins have been encouraged with Sano s enthusiasm. Even on nights when he s not in the Fort Myers lineup, he has been seen warming up pitchers between innings and congratulating teammates on the dugout s top step. He s maturing right before our eyes, Radcliff said. We re still in the early stages of his refinement Miguel 2.0, or whatever somebody wants to call it. You don t go down for two days and lose 25 pounds and have your [optimal] cardio that takes time. But along that journey, you can also repair a lot of other stuff. It s not just weight room and batting cages and stuff. There s lots of things going on here, and his [agency] is part of it, too. It s a giant makeover. 6

7 If it works out for Sano and Buxton, especially by later this season, imagine the story. The Twins could use their help. I think everybody knows that the [July 31] trade deadline s coming up, first baseman Joe Mauer said. Those would be two great acquisitions. With shrewd trade, Indians leave Twins in AL Central dust Jim Souhan Star Tribune July 20, 2018 Cleveland on Thursday made the kind of high-cost, precision trade that can decide a division and lead to a World Series. The move became the latest concerning development of the week for the tea-leaves-reading Twins. By trading for All-Star closer and Minnesota native Brad Hand, along with rookie reliever Adam Cimber, Cleveland sacrificed an excellent catching prospect and provided a reminder that timing can be as important as talent. The Twins won with a walkoff grand slam Sunday to finish a 9-2 homestand and raise hopes in the clubhouse that the front office would stand pat or look to add a key player or two via trade, but in the past six days, the team s hopes have taken these kidney punches: Center fielder Byron Buxton was placed on the disabled list at Class AAA Rochester because of a sore wrist. For a player whose iffy hitting mechanics were in the midst of an overhaul, the setback could prove costly. Third baseman Miguel Sano left his Florida boot camp to visit an ailing relative in the Dominican Republic just as he was to begin playing in games every day. Maybe a few days off won t hurt him, but it will slow his progress toward returning to the big leagues. He is now three steps away playing every day at Class A Fort Myers, cutting down on his strikeouts and then succeeding against Class AAA pitching. The delay won t help with a timetable that could prove crucial to the Twins ability to chase Cleveland. Cleveland traded for Hand and Cimber, fortifying a poor bullpen that was the team s only obvious flaw. Cleveland ranks second in the American League in starter ERA and next-to-last in reliever ERA. Two-time All-Star reliever Andrew Miller, out since late May because of an inflamed right knee, is on a minor league rehab assignment and could return to the Indians soon. The Twins have gone from being 7½ games behind a flawed team to being 7½ games behind a team that might be on par with the other powerhouse teams. This is a reminder of the importance of timing in sports, especially for middle-market franchises that rely on the development of young players. In 1987, the Twins that broke Minnesota s championship drought won only 85 games, taking advantage of a weak division, and might not have won the World Series if the American League wasn t in line to enjoy home-field advantage. In 1991, the Twins, similarly, won only home games in the World Series, which was all they needed to do because of home-field advantage. The endearing Twins teams of the 2000s capitalized on Cleveland s decline at the beginning of the decade to dominate a weak division. This year the division again looks weak, with the exception of Cleveland, which sees a two-year window to win a championship with its current strong rotation and lineup. Friday, the Twins begin the post-break portion of their schedule at Kansas City. The Royals have won one division title since In 2015, they won the Central, then the World Series, proving to the Twins of the 2000s that peaking at the right time for one season can be more rewarding than sustaining success. This year s race between Cleveland and Minnesota can now be summarized by these transactions: Cleveland cut Matt Belisle from Class AAA Columbus. The Twins signed Belisle and added him to the major league roster. Cleveland then traded for an All-Star closer. The Twins could trade Lance Lynn and still make the case that they re trying to win the division, because of their organizational pitching depth. 7

8 But if they trade Brian Dozier or Fernando Rodney, they have signaled the premature beginning of spring training, Five things that must happen for Twins to climb back into contention Mike Berardino Pioneer Press July 19, 2018 Before heading out with his wife, Renee, for a few days chasing redfish and trout at a fishing camp south of New Orleans, Brian Dozier delivered an impassioned public plea to keep these Twins together. We play 162 (games) for a reason, said the second baseman and de facto club spokesman. I ve learned throughout my seven-year career, you can t play the game of baseball in three weeks or three months or the first half/second half That s not the way it s built. For Dozier, a prospective free agent and July 31 non-waiver deadline trade candidate, memories remain strong of a 20-win May that pushed the 2015 Twins into contention or the 20-win August that brought the 2017 Twins back from the dead. Despite uneven play across the first 94 games, he sees no reason it can t happen again, even facing a 7½ game deficit against the two-time defending division champions from Cleveland. You ride the wave when it s good, Dozier said. It s just a beautiful thing if we just assemble teams and see what s at the end after 162 games and see where we re at. This team is capable of doing something special. You saw that last year. Here are five things that must happen for these Twins to reach the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since : 1. RUN SMARTER Eddie Rosario had an all-star-worthy first half, but he also got picked off base three times as part of the Twins stunning total of 13 such gaffes. That put them on pace for 22 pickoffs, which would tie the miserable 1995 Twins, who finished 44 games out of first, for most in franchise history since Journeyman outfielder Ryan LaMarre (two pickoffs) already has bounced via waivers to the Chicago White Sox, but those who remain must curb such mistakes while not sacrificing intelligent aggression on the base paths. They have made a whopping 35 additional outs on the bases, which do not include pickoffs, caught stealing or force plays. We re really tried to make our message clear about some of the things that have cost us along the way, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. I don t know if you want to call them mental lapses on the base paths but I think those things have cost us at least a handful of games along the way. 2. STRAND MORE As reliable as Trevor Hildenberger has been out of the Twins bullpen, he still has allowed a team-worst 57.9 percent (11 of 19) of inherited runners to score. Veteran lefty Zach Duke (54.5 percent) is right behind him. As a group, Twins relievers have allowed 50 of 136 inherited runners to score. That rate of 36.8 percent isn t just well behind the 28-percent they allowed to score in 2017, it s second-worst in the pen-challenged American League Central. Only the Kansas City Royals, at 41 percent, have been worse. Ron Gardenhire s Detroit Tigers actually lead the division at 29 percent, followed by a Cleveland Indians group (30.9 percent) that boldly acquired all-star closer Brad Hand (the ex-chaska High Hawk) on Thursday from the San Diego Padres. Much-maligned veteran Matt Belisle leads the Twins in this category; over the past season and a half, he has allowed just 13.5 percent (5 of 37) inherited runners to score. 3. IGNITE DOZIER Dozier sent the Twins into the all-star break in style, clubbing a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of Sunday s 11-7 victory over Tampa Bay. Could that be a portent of another huge second half for the 31-year-old spark plug? This is the time of year he seems to go off, said a rival scout from a club that is closely monitoring Dozier. 8

9 Dozier has hit 54 percent of his 167 career homers before the break, but he has a.480 slugging percentage that is 61 points higher when it matters most. Over the past two full seasons, Dozier has hit 64.5 percent of his home runs (49 of 76) after the break. His hard-hit percentage was just 28.6 before the break, well down from his career average of 33.0 percent, and his strikeout rate on fastballs had spiked from 15.5 percent last season to 18.2 percent this year. Catch up with a few more heaters, and Dozier could do what he s done in the past: Carry the Twins down the stretch. 4. SUMMON THE CAVALRY Two of the Twins 2017 all-stars, Ervin Santana and Miguel Sano, remain stuck in the minor leagues, working on things. While the velocity on Santana s fastball has diminished, he did touch 92 mph in his last outing for Triple-A Rochester on Sunday. The 35-yearold right-hander figures to reclaim his spot in the Twins rotation on this three-city road trip to open the second half, but his effectiveness remains an open question. Sano, meanwhile, is said to have made significant strides in the areas of conditioning and mechanics, both in the field and at the plate. He was hitting.328 but with little power at Class A Fort Myers before being placed on the temporarily inactive list on Monday. According to Twins farm director Jeremy Zoll, Sano was granted permission to return home to the Dominican Republic to deal with a family situation and was expected to miss no more than a few days. Returning a healthy Santana and a productive Sano to the Twins second-half mix could rival any deadline additions for most other clubs. 5. IGNORE THE SCHEDULE Analyzing what lies ahead can only serve to depress a Twins group that already has enough to worry about. While the Indians will play just 13 of their final 67 games (19.4 percent) against teams that currently have a winning record including six combined against the Los Angeles Angels (one game over.500) and the Tampa Bay Rays (two games over) the Twins are looking at 27 such opponents over their final 68 games (39.7 percent). Granted, 10 of those games will be against the Indians, against whom the Twins have gone 6-3 thus far, but the teetering Twins also must play four games against the best-in-baseball Boston Red Sox, three apiece against the New York Yankees (29 games over) and Houston Astros (29 over) and seven against the surprising Oakland A s (13 over). I don t try to get too far ahead of myself in the math or what we ve got to do to win 90 games it s just counterproductive, Molitor said. I think Cleveland s got some better ball in store for them, too. We can t worry about them until we re on the other side of the field. John Shipley: Tip your cap to Twins Brian Dozier while you still have the chance John Shipley Pioneer Press July 19, 2018 There has been much hand-wringing the past several years over whether Minnesota Twins fans truly appreciate Joe Mauer, who over the past few years stopped being a great player and settled into being a good one. The rock in the shoe, of course, is that since winning the 2009 American League MVP Award, Mauer has been playing on a contract paying him $23 million a year while he has played in a park not suited to his hitting skills, suffered a series of debilitating concussions and just plain grown older. Whatever your feelings on our local hero, you might want to turn your attention to Brian Dozier. He has been the Twins best overall player the past few years, and he may be playing his final games in Minnesota when the Twins return from the all-star break with a 7:15 p.m. first pitch Friday in Kansas City. ADVERTISING With the Twins 7.5 games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central, and the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline fast approaching, it seems inevitable Dozier, a free agent at season s end, will soon be dealt for pieces the team brass believes will help it win next season and beyond. 9

10 Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton are in the minors trying to reclaim once-promising careers, Ervin Santana has yet to throw a major league inning. Logan Morrison has been a bust, and rotation additions Jake Odorizzi and Lance Lynn haven t been much better. The Twins might have won 9 of 11 headed into the break, but it was against mostly lousy competition in spite of the pitching. This team is going nowhere. Dozier, 31, hit.295 with four homers and 14 RBIs during the late surge, including a walk-off grand slam to beat Tampa Bay last Sunday. But rather than inspire chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine to keep the team together, he likely has convinced them that now is the time to trade him. The Los Angeles Dodgers nabbed Manny Machado from Baltimore on Wednesday, but there are other suitors, notably the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, each in a tight race to win their division. Dozier has rare power for a second baseman he has hit 120 home runs since 2015 and a 2017 Gold Glove. He also has experience hitting leadoff. He is having a comparatively down year, hitting.230, with 16 home runs and 48 RBIs, but since July 1, his numbers are.298 with five homers, 17 RBIs and 14 runs scored. Dozier is just one of the Twins eight pending free agents and maybe not the most likely to go. That would be closer Fernando Rodney, of little use the rest of the season and with a $4.2 million team option in Infielder Eduardo Escobar would help a contender, as well, but at 29 and having his best season, he seems more likely a candidate for a contract extension. Since becoming the fulltime starter in 2013, Dozier has a combined WAR of 23.7, eight points higher than Mauer over the same span. He has scored at least 100 runs the past four seasons, played 860 of a possible 903 games since becoming a starter and accepted the opening for clubhouse spokesman when Torii Hunter wasn t around. Dozier might not play as long, or hit as many homers, as, say, Robinson Cano, but he belongs firmly among a coterie of slugging second basemen that flourished in the 1980s and 1990s Jeff Kent, Robby Thompson, Ryne Sandberg, Craig Biggio. Sandburg and Biggio are in the Hall of Fame, and neither hit 42 home runs in a season, which Dozier did in That would tie him for the major league record with hall of famer Rogers Hornsby had Dozier not been the DH when he hit two of them. As July winds to a close, make sure you tip your hat to Brian Dozier. This might be your last chance. Preview: Twins at Royals Associated Press Fox Sports North July 20, 2018 KANSAS CITY, Mo. Danny Duffy has been pitching outstanding recently for the Kansas City Royals. He threw seven scoreless innings, struck out eight and gave up four hits in a 5-0 victory at the Chicago White Sox last Saturday in his final start before the All-Star break. Duffy has not allowed a run in 13 innings, the second longest active streak in the American League. Duffy will start Friday night against the Minnesota Twins in the first game back after the four-day break. Kyle Gibson will start for Minnesota. The bad news for Duffy is the game is at Kauffman Stadium. In his last five road starts, he has yielded just one run over 32 innings, a 0.29 ERA. Since May 24, Duffy has a 1.21 road ERA, which is the best in the majors, giving up six earned runs in 44 2/3 innings. He has struck out 46 in that span. He began the season 1-4 with a 6.82 ERA in away games, but he has won his last four road decisions. Duffy, however, has struggled at home. He is winless in his last eight home starts dating to Aug. 22 last year. He is 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA in seven Kauffman Stadium starts this year, allowing 28 earned runs in 37 1/3 innings. Duffy is 5-8 with a 4.59 ERA in 20 starts this season. He is 4-2 with a 2.73 ERA in his past 10 starts, but all the wins have come on the road. He has pitched well against the Twins, going 5-1 with a 2.27 ERA in 19 career outings, 15 of them starts. That is the lowest ERA by an opposing pitcher against the Twins since

11 Gibson, a 30-year-old right-hander, was a 2009 first round pick of the Twins out of the University of Missouri. He is 4-6 with a 3.42 ERA in 19 starts this year. Gibson is 2-2 with a 2.68 ERA at Kauffman Stadium, limiting the Royals to a.222 batting average and a.294 on-base percentage. He has given up 17 runs on 43 hits in 194 at-bats over 53 2/3 innings against the Royals in KC. Overall, Gibson is 6-4 with a 3.22 ERA against the Royals, giving up 39 runs, 36 earned, on 98 hits over 100 2/3 innings, while walking 30 and striking out 70. The Royals have a.258 batting average with a.677 OPS versus Gibson. The Royals possess the worst record in the majors at They have lost one more game at the All-Star break than the 2015 World Series champion Royals lost during the entire regular season. The Royals are 2-10 in July. They are 7-31 since July 1 and have dropped 12 of their past 14. They have lost 35 of 46 home games. The Royals are entertaining offers for veterans, including Mike Moustakas, Lucas Duda, Whit Merrifield and Duffy, seeking prospects in return. The Twins are after winning eight of 10 going into the All-Star break. Minnesota made the postseason last year as the second wildcard but will need a strong second half surge to harbor any playoff aspirations this season. They trail AL Central leading Cleveland Indians by 7 1/2 games. They trail the Seattle Mariners by 12 1/2 games for the second wild-card berth. Olney: Keep an eye on these starting pitchers as deadline nears Buster Olney ESPN July 20, 2018 Small sample size carries weight in July in a way it does not the rest of the baseball season, as teams get inspired -- or spooked -- by a couple of really good or really bad games leading up to the trade deadline. An evaluator told a story recently about how one of his players in the midst of a good season struggled one day, and the phone calls from other teams with expressions of trade interest stopped. As if someone had turned off a light switch. Everybody is looking to land the right player at the exact right time, and there could be no better example of this than in the market for starting pitching, which is generally regarded by executives as thin, lacking in high-end options. Six weeks ago, Toronto s J.A. Happ might have been the ranked near the top of this crop, but he has a 9.75 ERA in his past three starts, allowing 19 hits, eight walks and four homers in 12 innings, and scouts enthusiasm for him has waned -- particularly as they try to project how he might do against playoff teams down the stretch or in October. On the other hand, the power stuff of the Rays Nathan Eovaldi and his three great performances from June 26 to July 8 -- in which he allowed two earned runs and punched out 23 hitters in 19 innings -- probably guarantees a small army of scouts will follow him for the rest of this month, in case he turns out to be the best option available. Matt Harvey was awful in 2017 and at the outset of 2018, and in 12 starts with the Reds, he has thrown much better, with only 15 walks in 64⅓ innings and a 3.64 ERA. The Red Sox, Brewers, Yankees, Cubs, Mariners, Braves and Phillies are among the contenders who could be sifting through the high volume of rotation trade options, and unless the Mets decide to earnestly dangle Jacob degrom, there may not be an elite starting pitcher available. They are all sifting through the same alternatives. J.A. Happ, Blue Jays: He ll get two more opportunities against bad teams to boost his trade value -- on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, and five days later against the White Sox. Marco Estrada, Blue Jays: Because of hip trouble, he has pitched one-third of an inning this month, but he ll return to the mound against the Twins on Monday and have a couple of starts before the trade deadline. Estrada, 35, has a 4.72 ERA. He s making $13 million this season. Nathan Eovaldi, Rays: His average fastball velocity is 97.3 mph this season, and he s getting a ton of missed swings percent for the year is a career high for the right-hander. He has the kind of raw stuff that might enable him to beat a good lineup on a good day. But Eovaldi is in his first summer after Tommy John surgery, and rival evaluators know acquiring him might carry risk because of the health unknowns -- how he ll hold up through the summer. The Minnesota Twins whacked him around for nine hits and eight runs in 2⅔ innings in his last start July 13, and he is lined up to make two more starts before the deadline -- Friday against the Marlins, and Wednesday versus the Yankees. Solid outings could really boost interest in him. 11

12 If he doesn t pitch well and fuels the perception he might simply need more time to rebuild, the Rays could consider the option of extending a one-year qualifying offer this fall, for about $18 million, to set themselves up either for draft pick compensation or holding Eovaldi on a low-risk deal. James Shields, White Sox: The right-hander is 4-10 with a 4.43 ERA, with unusual home/road splits -- a 3.51 ERA in 13 home starts, and a 6.14 ERA on the road. In two starts against the Astros, he allowed 18 hits and 15 runs in 11 innings. Lance Lynn, Twins: Minnesota opens the second half 7 ½ games behind the Indians in the AL Central, and with one bad week, they could become sellers. Lynn has had an inconsistent season, as his ERA month-to-month demonstrates: April: 8.37 May: 3.76 June: 2.83 July: 7.82 The 31-year-old Lynn is owed $4 million over the last two months of the season, and he could be an option for some team looking for an experienced starter for depth. Matt Harvey, Reds: He has pitched effectively against contenders since joining Cincinnati, beating the Cubs, Braves, Brewers and Cardinals, and in his past five starts, he has a 1.86 ERA, while generating more ground balls. Kyle Gibson, Twins: He has a 3.42 ERA in 19 starts, and while other clubs say he s not being pushed in the trade market by Minnesota, rival executives are watching him as a possible option if the Twins become sellers. Gibson will be eligible for free agency after Jake Odorizzi, Twins: He s making $6.3 million this season, and has a 4.54 ERA. Francisco Liriano, Tigers: The 34-year-old lefty has a 4.67 ERA, and it may be that some teams will have more interest in him as bullpen depth, because he has held left-handed hitters to five hits in 57 at-bats (.088). Liriano is making $4 million this season. Zack Wheeler, Mets: He s eligible for free agency after the 2019 season, and this year has a 4.44 ERA in 107⅓ innings. Mike Fiers, Tigers: Over his past nine starts, he has pitched well, with a 2.75 ERA, including 5⅔ good innings against the Yankees and decent outings against the Astros and Indians. With a salary of $6 million, and under team control in 2019, he is likely one of the most attractive trade alternatives right now. Tyson Ross, Padres: The right-hander has a daunting injury history, and has had two rough starts this month, surrendering 15 runs in seven innings against the Pirates and Diamondbacks. However, he pitched well against the Dodgers on July 12, allowing two runs in 6⅓ innings, and there s another reason he might be really attractive to contenders -- he s making a base salary of only $1.75 million. Chris Archer, Rays: His velocity has been down, and his overall numbers have been down. But his contract is so team friendly -- $6.4 million this year, $7.7 million for next year, with team options for 2020 ($9 million) and 2021 ($11 million) -- a contender might be inspired to make a bid for the former All-Star. But it still seems unlikely another team would meet Tampa Bay s high asking price. Ivan Nova, Pirates: He has a 4.38 ERA in 18 starts and 102⅔ innings. He s making $9.167 million this year, and will make $9.167 million next year, which might make him less attractive than some of the other names on this list. Cleveland gets much-needed bullpen help in deal with Padres Staff Writer ESPN 1500 July 19, 2018 The Twins already slim chances of catching Cleveland in the American League Central race, were dealt a significant blow on Thursday when the Indians acquired lefthanded closer Brad Hand and righthanded reliever Adam Cimber from San Diego. The Padres received highly touted 22-year-old catching prospect Francisco Mejia in the deal. Mejia has been playing at Triple-A. 12

13 Cleveland has a 7.5 game lead on the second-place Twins, but their bullpen has stopped the Indians from pulling away in the division. A season after having the best bullpen ERA in the big leagues, Cleveland s relievers have a 5.28 earned-run average, second-to-last in the American League. Part of the issue has been Indians ace reliever Andrew Miller has dealt with injuries this season. The 28-year-old Hand, a two-time All-Star, is 2-4 with a career-high 24 saves and a 3.05 ERA. Cimber, 27, has a 3.17 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 48.1 innings in his first season in the major leagues. Hand does not arrive in Cleveland as a rental. He signed a three-year, $19.75 million extension in 2018 that contains a club option for REVISITING SI'S PRESEASON PREDICTIONS Gabriel Baumgaertner Sports Illustrated July 20, 2018 Like we're obligated to do as a sports newsgathering organization, we made preseason predictions before this baseball season got underway. Many of them will be lucky guesses, and even more of them will just be wrong. Let's revisit our work from March. None of us are in any position to reach perfection as several of us predicted the Mets and Twins as playoff teams, others predicted Yu Darvish earning a significant award while some insisted a NL Central team which fired its manager would appear in the NLCS. The beauty or horror of preseason predictions is that so-called experts become foolish as injuries, firings and unpredictability hijack our visions of the upcoming season. The biggest disappointment? I d argue the Twins while other would say the Mets. The Twins Byron Buxton, one of the supposed breakout stars of 2018, maintains a slash line of.156./183/.200 over 28 games while the star power hitter, Miguel Sanó, currently resides in Class-A Fort Myers trying to rehab his swing. The Mets, meanwhile, have the best starting pitcher in baseball in Jacob degrom, but have granted him five total wins despite his dominant first half. Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani MLB Shohei Ohtani Cleared to Begin Throwing Progression The Cardinals, my pick for the NLCS, have fired their manager and are struggling to find capable hitters despite their usual ability to find star starting pitchers (Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty). Predictions are faulty ideas bound to fail, but the decline of Middle America s promising franchises have further entrenched Major League Baseball of haves and have-nots that may resemble the future of a game struggling for increased exposure. In that game of haves and have-nots, the first half is disappointing to those who yearn for smaller-market teams to upset the usual order of Major League Baseball. Yet, the success of Los Angeles, New York (AL) and Boston may ultimately benefit a game needing a better and sexier look, even if our experts our wrong. And we can all take this time to applaud Michael Beller, bold enough to predict the A s as a Wild Card team, while chuckling at Jack Dickey, who selected the hapless Rangers as one of his Wild Card teams. We know something about baseball, but this is a passage to remind you that we don t really know that much after all. 13