Minnesota Twins Daily Clips. Thursday, June 30, 2016

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1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Thursday, June 30, 2016 Twins get ahead of themselves in ugly loss to White Sox. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1 In Chicago, Justin Morneau catches up with the Twins. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 2 Reusse: Perkins, Hughes were right to be wary about their health. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 3 Twins fall to White Sox, drop to 6-20 against AL Central foes. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 4 Minnesota Twins: Tommy Milone battling to keep rotation spot. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 6 Twins score 5 in 9th but fall to White Sox. MLB.com (Scott Merkin and Brian Hedger) p. 7 Nolasco has trouble shaking Chicago blues. MLB.com (Hedger) p. 8 Dozier sets mark with XBH in 10th straight game. MLB.com (Hedger) p. 9 Twins willing to be patient with Buxton. MLB.com (Hedger) p. 10 Two familiar names for Twins fans picked for All-Star Futures Game ESPN (Wetmore) p. 11 Twins score five runs in 9th but fall 9-6 to White Sox. Associated Press p. 11 Preview: Twins at White Sox. Sports Xchange p. 12 Twins get ahead of themselves in ugly loss to White Sox Phil Miller Star Tribune June 30, 2016 Leave it to the Twins. These days, they can hit a triple and turn it into a bad play. Technically, Eduardo Nunez s three-bagger was scored a double, and even Nunez admitted he wished he had stayed on second. Because with Wednesday night s game still in doubt, with the Twins setting up a scoring opportunity to try to take the lead, Nunez s overaggressiveness turned into a costly mistake, one of several that led to an ugly 9-6 loss to the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Ricky Nolasco kept the game close for five innings despite giving up the most home runs he s ever surrendered as a Twin, and Brian Dozier extended his franchise-record streak of games with an extra-base hit to 10 in a row with a double. Even Nunez led off the game with a home run, and finished a triple yeah, there s irony there short of a cycle. But The Twins left runners stranded in scoring position in seven of the nine innings, and squandered an opportunity to run their winning streak to three. And Nunez accepted the blame for the most obvious mistake. I see the play, Nunez said of his fifth-inning near homer, but I don t see [Kurt] Suzuki. With the White Sox holding a 2-1 lead in the fifth, Suzuki led off with a single, then held tight on a Byron Buxton flyout. Then Nunez smacked a 1-2 fastball from James Shields and the ball appeared headed for the right field party porch. Instead, right fielder Adam Eaton made a leaping, albeit unsuccessful, effort to catch the ball, and it ricocheted toward the infield. Big break? Scoring opportunity? Nope. Trouble for the Twins.

2 Nunez sped up, rounded second and headed for third. Suzuki, who waited halfway to second to make sure the ball wasn t caught, could barely stay in front of his teammate. Kurt has to be somewhat protective of the catch. Nunie s focus was more on where the ball was rolling than the runner in front of him, and we got into a tough spot there, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. So we ended up losing an opportunity. They did because, as both players approached third base about 20 feet apart, third base coach Gene Glynn had no choice but to wave Suzuki home. He s going to end up with two guys on third base if he holds Kurt, Molitor said. So Suzuki kept going, even as Eaton tracked down the ball and threw it to the plate. The ball beat him by several steps, and Suzuki surrendered as he was tagged out. Nunez actually thought Glynn s windmill motion was for him, and rounded third by about 20 feet before noticing the play in front of him. He scrambled back to third the play was ruled a double on a rules technicality but a second-and-third-with-one-out scoring opportunity had deflated into a two-out chance, and the inning ended on a Robbie Grossman fly ball. Those can be momentum changers, Molitor said of the mistake. It went from being a good, close game to all of a sudden trailing by eight runs. That s because, denied any run support, Nolasco finally gave up four runs in the sixth inning, and the bullpen gave up a couple more. The Twins rallied for five runs in the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate, but the chance was gone, leaving Molitor clearly disappointed. It s not like you re expecting to go out and reel off a long winning streak, he shrugged. It d be great if you did that, but you just want to see more consistency. In Chicago, Justin Morneau catches up with the Twins Phil Miller Star Tribune June 30, 2016 Justin Morneau was playing catch in front of the Twins dugout Wednesday, the better to facilitate greeting former teammates and friends he hadn t caught up with a day earlier. Out wandered manager Paul Molitor, who couldn t help but be thrown off by Morneau s black-and-white uniform. It was awkward even seeing him in a Colorado uniform for a few years, Molitor said. But the White Sox? Strange times, Molitor said, but I have a lot of respect for him. Good to see him out there working. I m glad he s giving it another shot. It s a little strange for Morneau himself, come to think of it. But the longtime Twins star and 2006 AL MVP chose Chicago for a reason: At the time the White Sox approached him about a contract in late May, they were in first place in the AL Central, and appeared a reasonable bet to reach the postseason. No Central Division rivalry could top that. I ve played on some teams the last few years that haven t won many games. In Pittsburgh [in 2013], I got a taste of the playoffs. That s really the only motivation to play right now, he said. Hopefully, we ll play meaningful games in September. He intends to be a part of them. Morneau had offseason surgery to repair a tendon in his left elbow, an injury that occurred during spring training in 2015 but that he played with all season. I didn t feel right all year. I just didn t really have any top hand in my swing, and it sort of cut into the power, said Morneau, who hit only three homers in 49 games. Some balls I hit, I thought should have been homers. So I didn t want to go through that again. Morneau will accompany the White Sox to Houston this weekend, then report to Class AAA Charlotte to begin a rehab stint that he hopes has him back in the lineup after the All-Star break. And that s when the real weirdness would begin: Chicago visits Target Field on July and Sept Except for the Home Run Derby in 2014, Morneau has not played in his old home since being traded away. I think I ll be nervous. It s going to be really odd, being in the other dugout, walking up to the plate, all that stuff, he said. It will be exciting. Our kids will be there. I m looking forward to it. Sano update Twins players delighted before Wednesday s game watching a video of Miguel Sano taking a pop-up off his head during Class AAA Rochester s 2

3 loss to Pawtucket. They will have to wait at least another day before they get a chance to needle him in person. Sano went 0-for-3, bringing his rehab-stint total to 3-for-19 (.158) with two home runs. Sano, recovering from a strained left hamstring he suffered May 31, will play in both halves of Rochester s doubleheader Thursday, one game at third base and one game as designated hitter. It s not so much the numbers that have the Twins hesitating to call up their best slugger, it s how he s looked at the plate. He s hit a couple of homers. That s been about the extent of his offensive output, which isn t bad, Molitor said. I just think you look for signs that his at-bats are normal. It s not always results or a hot streak [you re looking for] you can just tell if he s recognizing pitchers or doing what you re accustomed to him doing. Trevor May, meanwhile, will pitch in back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday before the Twins evaluate whether the righthander is ready to return from the disabled list, too. He has been out for three weeks because of back spasms. Kirilloff debuts Alex Kirilloff, the Twins first-round pick in this month s amateur draft, singled in his first professional at-bat with rookie-level Elizabethton on Wednesday. He went 1-for-3 while serving as DH. Reusse: Perkins, Hughes were right to be wary about their health Patrick Reusse Star Tribune June 30, 2016 Tom Johnson was a pitcher from St. Paul. He offered the combination of being a terrific person and highly competitive. Those two factors would put a premature end to his major league career. Johnson was called up by the Twins in July 1976 and became an important reliever in front of Bill Campbell. When Campbell left as a free agent after that season, manager Gene Mauch told Johnson over the winter, Bill is gone; you re my guy. I was a Twins beat writer during Mauch s time with the Twins and appreciated him greatly. Yet, there was a major flaw in the way he managed a team: Mauch would give relievers he trusted an incredible workload. Campbell pitched in 78 games, finished 68, worked 167⅔ innings and had a 17-5 record in The Twins were a hitting machine in 1977, and Mauch tried to put the same burden on Johnson: 71 games, 146⅔ innings and a 16-7 record. There was tenderness in Johnson s right shoulder over the final weeks of the season. Mauch said it was caused by his delivery. Johnson said it was from overwork. Johnson spent a large hunk of the 1978 season on the disabled list. He made his 18th and last appearance of the season on Sept. 27. He was taking injections of Butazolidin, a now-banned anti-inflammatory medication. Finally, in the offseason, Johnson went to see Dr. Frank Jobe and was told that he had a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. The Twins response was to release him in February, before Johnson underwent surgery. Johnson never pitched again in the major leagues. He had sacrificed his career while pitching with shoulder pain that was mostly ignored by the Twins in No relief pitcher would be used in modern times as Johnson was by Mauch and the Twins four decades ago. Yet, there s a lesson here: Pitchers are athletes like none other, in that they are required to make their arms work in an unusual way thousands of times per year. As a vital part of the throwing mechanism, the elbow gets the most attention because of Tommy John surgery. It s the shoulder that remains more complicated because of the moving parts. Two of the pitchers identified among the culprits in the Twins Great Collapse of 2016 were closer Glen Perkins and starter Phil Hughes. 3

4 Perkins was lucky to reach 90 miles per hour with his fastball in spring training. He was 95-plus when needed during three consecutive All-Star seasons. His fastball still was missing in two ineffective April appearances. He said that his left shoulder didn t feel right and went on the disabled list. There was leftover resentment toward Perkins for his miserable final weeks in And then with the Twins 0-9 start, the party line in public forums became: Whenever Perkins has a bad stretch, he complains about a physical problem. Go for it, folks, but what puzzled me was this: Why was Perkins throwing 89, rather than 6 miles per hour faster, if there wasn t something wrong? It turns out there was. The labrum in his left shoulder, which contributes to shoulder stability, was torn. It was repaired by being tacked to the bone in surgery last week. Perkins might be able to pitch again in eight months. Or not. There was another case of the missing fastball with Hughes. He was a No. 1 starter in 2014, throwing constant strikes in the mid-90s. The Twins tore up his contract for a lucrative five-year deal. Hughes fastball wasn t the same in 2015 and he had a bad season. The Twins saw a pitcher who was out of shape. They asked Hughes to lose weight in the offseason, and he did so dramatically. The velocity still was missing. A fastball pitcher without his good fastball is in trouble. The public vilification of Hughes reached its zenith on May 17 in Detroit. He took a 2-0 lead into the seventh, but had warned the Twins earlier that he felt as if his right shoulder was fatigued. Two long fly balls a triple and sacrifice fly and Hughes departed after 75 pitches. Even Bert Blyleven, from the usually supportive Twins TV booth, aimed derision at Hughes. It became a fact on Twitter and elsewhere: Phil Hughes was soft. He was hooked from the rotation after a bad start vs. Tampa Bay on June 2. Seven days later, pitching in relief, Hughes was drilled with a line drive and suffered a fracture in his left knee. It was announced Tuesday that Hughes had another problem that could explain shoulder fatigue and a still-missing fastball: Something called thoracic outlet syndrome that will cause him to have part of a rib removed under his right shoulder blade. When Hughes raised his right arm above his head, he was losing feeling in his hand not exactly optimum for a big-league pitcher. The ability and willingness to fully diagnose shoulder problems with pitchers has increased mightily with modern sports medicine. Too bad Tom Johnson didn t have that going for him in He was a great young man who deserved a much longer career. Twins fall to White Sox, drop to 6-20 against AL Central foes Mike Berardino Pioneer Press June 29, 2016 In his unofficial role as team psychologist, Twins manager Paul Molitor entered this series with the reeling Chicago White Sox offering up some manufactured motivation in the form of divisional pride. I m also thinking about some of these Central Division teams and how they ve dominated us, Molitor said. We have to find a way to make these games more competitive against some of the teams in our division. Cleveland, we held our own, but these other guys have taken it to us pretty good. I hope the guys take it a little bit personal. Oh, well. It was worth a shot. 4

5 Ricky Nolasco (3-6) allowed a season-high three home runs on a breezy Wednesday night at U.S. Cellular Field, sending the Twins to a 9-6 loss to the White Sox. Unable to build on Kyle Gibson s excellence in a series-opening shutout victory, the Twins fell to the South Siders for the seventh time in eight tries this season. They have been outscored in those matchups, and it took a five-run rally in the ninth to even make it that close. The Twins showed some life in the ninth, when Juan Centeno pinch hit for Joe Mauer with the bases loaded and delivered a run-scoring groundout that made it 9-3. Max Kepler s two-run double brought the tying run to the plate, but Nate Jones came on to get Eduardo Escobar on a game-ending fly to left. Overall against the American League Central, the Twins have dropped to 6-20 with a collective run differential of minus-50. They are 0-6 against the Detroit Tigers and 1-5 against the reigning World Series champions from Kansas City. Oddly, however, they are 4-2 against the Cleveland Indians, who had won 12 straight to build a 6 1/2-game lead over the Royals. With the Indians 3-0 win over the Atlanta Braves earlier Wednesday, the Twins had a chance to shed baseball s worst record by half a game. Instead, that modest milestone will have to wait. It s not like you re expecting to go out and reel off a long winning streak, Molitor said. It would be great if you did that. You just want to see more consistency. Brian Dozier doubled in the sixth, giving him extra-base hits in 10 straight games. That added to the Twins franchise mark he quietly set on Tuesday, when he moved past Harmon Killebrew (1970) and Tony Oliva (1969), who each had steaks of eight games with an extra-base hit. The last extra-base hit streak longer than Dozier s was 11 games by Alex Rodriguez in To be honest, I could really care less, Dozier said. We didn t win the game. I don t care how many extra-base hits I get. I didn t do enough. We didn t do enough. Eduardo Nunez started the game with his second leadoff homer of the year and the fourth for the Twins this season. The Twins, however, left two runners on in the first against struggling right-hander James Shields (3-9) and went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position until the ninth. Nunez had three hits and a walk but made a base-running error in the fifth that caused Kurt Suzuki to be thrown out at home on a ball off the wall in right. I saw the play, but I didn t see Suzuki, Nunez said. Soon I saw him right in front of myself. On that play, I needed to stop at second. Shields, acquired recently from the San Diego Padres along with $31 million in salary aid, entered with a 6.22 earned-run average and 14 homers allowed. Yet he was able to work into the seventh for the first time in six weeks. Nolasco had surrendered just four homers over his past eight starts. Four of his past six outings had been quality starts. That changed against a White Sox team that was playing without first baseman Jose Abreu and center fielder Austin Jackson and had gone since finishing off its second three-game sweep of the Twins in Chicago on May 8. Brett Lawrie homered to the opposite field in the second, Tyler Saladino crushed a sinker in the fifth and Todd Frazier led off the sixth with his 22nd homer. Nolasco hadn t allowed more than two homers in a game since Aug. 1, 2013, at Wrigley Field as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. I thought I was going to be able to salvage the game there, Nolasco said, keep us close for the last few innings, but it just didn t work out. 5

6 Minnesota Twins: Tommy Milone battling to keep rotation spot Mike Berardino Pioneer Press June 29, 2016 In the Twins version of Rotation Survivor, Tyler Duffey earned himself at least another episode with Sunday s performance at Yankee Stadium. Thursday afternoon it will be left-hander Tommy Milone s turn to try to solidify his spot and keep a surging Jose Berrios down at Triple-A Rochester. I don t think putting any added pressure on myself to do well will help, Milone said. I feel like I did what I needed to do in Triple-A. I just need to be the pitcher I know I am and that (Twins officials) know I am. Then I just go out there and do my thing and not try to worry about going deep in the game. Milone has completed five innings just once in five big-league starts this season. Last time out he was pulled in the fourth after giving up six hits and two walks along with four runs (one earned) at Yankee Stadium. He has no particular tweaks planned for the Chicago White Sox, a team he beat three times last season, including 7 2/3 shutout innings in April at U.S. Cellular Field. Just go out there and do it, he said. Just let everything kind of happen. It was in Chicago in early May that Milone went through 36 difficult hours after news leaked out that he and reliever Casey Fien had landed on waivers. Both pitchers had to suit up for the game on May 6 while Twins officials were unable to explain the situation to them until the following day. That s when Fien was claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers and sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City while Milone cleared waivers and was outrighted to Rochester. It was weird, especially that (first) day coming in and knowing something was going to happen soon probably, Milone said. Technically no one was supposed to know. It s always rougher on the wives than it is for us, to be honest. With his wife, Tina, due July 15 with the couple s first child, a daughter they plan to name Mia Jean, Milone s situation was doubly difficult. His $4.25 million salary guaranteed, Milone kept his mouth shut and dominated the International League for the second straight year. In 12 combined starts in , Milone has gone 8-0 with a 1.24 earned-run average. In 87 1/3 innings, he has struck out 88 and walked seven. What I need to do is just trust myself, trust my stuff that when I let it go, I m not going to leave it over the middle of the plate, Milone said. I m just going to go where I need to and not try to be too fine. SANO UPDATE Miguel Sano (hamstring) went 0 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout Wednesday in his sixth rehab game for Triple-A Rochester. Playing third base, he also had a pop up bounce off his head and into the glove of diving second baseman James Beresford behind the mound. I know that will get a lot of attention, Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. That s not the kind of attention I was hoping to see. He ll get over it. With a doubleheader scheduled Thursday, the plan is for Sano to play one game at third and the other at designated hitter. He is hitting just.158 with two homers and seven strikeouts in 19 at-bats. HUGHES REACTION This week s news that Phil Hughes will undergo season-ending surgery next week to repair thoracic outlet syndrome in his throwing shoulder came as somewhat of a relief, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. 6

7 I think there s probably a peace of mind for him about that going forward, Molitor said. Hopefully he can head into the offseason ready for a normal offseason. Molitor suggested prior tests on Hughes, even before he suffered a fractured femur on June 9, may have pointed to a circulation issue that wasn t fully diagnosed until recently. There was potential of considering there was some level of blockage that was taking place, Molitor said, and spoke to the fact he had trouble sustaining himself and stiffening and the shoulder just not really hurting but not quite feeling right. There was always a bit of concern that maybe there was something going on there. Indeed, early in the 2011 season with the New York Yankees, Hughes experienced some symptoms typically associated with TOS and visited specialist Robert Thompson in St. Louis. Tests were negative. Hughes signed a three-year deal with the Twins in December BRIEFLY Reliever Trevor May (back) will take two days off before pitching both Friday and Saturday for Rochester. If that goes well, he could be recalled from his rehab assignment during the upcoming homestand. Rochester left-hander Jason Wheeler and second baseman Jorge Polanco were named to the International League all-star team. Also representing the Red Wings will be pitching coach Stu Cliburn. First-round pick Alex Kirilloff lined a single to center in his first professional at-bat for rookie-level Elizabethton on Wednesday night. Kirilloff, who hadn t played since losing in the Pennsylvania high school state final on June 16, batted sixth and served as the designated hitter. Twins score 5 in 9th but fall to White Sox Scott Merkin and Brian Hedger MLB.com June 30, 2016 James Shields picked up his first win as a member of the White Sox in what was easily his most effective start since being traded from the Padres, and Chicago survived a five-run Minnesota ninth to claim a 9-6 victory on Wednesday night at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox returned to.500, at 39-39, and improved to 7-1 against the Twins this season. "This is the best that he looked as far as just feeling comfortable," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura of Shields, who exited after 93 pitches. "I think locating, he was getting ahead. He started really using his fastball, and he located it. I think after that there was some offspeed stuff, and he got guys swinging through it. This was a nice little thing to see. I'm sure it's a breath of fresh air for him." Shields had allowed 24 earned runs over 13 2/3 innings in four starts since joining the club but yielded just one run over 6 2/3 innings, striking out five and walking one. That one run came on the second pitch of the game, which Eduardo Nunez sent over the fence in left for a homer. "It feels good," Shields said. "It's something to build off of. I don't really put too much emphasis on my starts. I just go start-to-start and go from there. But right now we've just got to win ballgames, and that's what it's all about." After a 12-pitch hitless first inning, the White Sox easily took care of Minnesota starter Ricky Nolasco, who allowed seven runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings. Brett Lawrie, Todd Frazier and Tyler Saladino all homered, and rookie Tim Anderson produced his ninth multihit game in 18 games played. "A good game got out of hand," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I think that's frustrating. [Nolasco] did OK. He gave up the home run to Saladino there, but [we] got to a situation in the sixth inning where we're trying to get off the field, and I thought he had enough left to get the last out. Got the ball to third base that we couldn't make a play on, and from there the floodgates kind of opened." Ventura needed three relievers, including Nate Jones, to escape the ninth. Eduardo Escobar stepped to the plate as the potential tying run and, after taking a good cut at a 1-1 fastball, flied out to left fielder Avisail Garcia. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Eaton lends a hand... and an arm: With the White Sox holding a one-run lead in the fifth, Adam Eaton prevented the Twins from tying the score 7

8 with his 11th outfield assist of the season. Kurt Suzuki opened the frame with a single and Nunez drove a ball toward the right-field stands two batters later that Eaton barely missed catching as he crashed into the wall. Eaton recovered quickly and threw a strike to the plate, easily nailing Suzuki, who basically was forced to keep running with Nunez approximately one step behind him. Dozier does it: Brian Dozier's double to right with one out in the sixth set a Twins franchise record for consecutive games with an extra-base hit. Dozier now has extra-base hits in 10 straight games during an 11-game hitting streak. The hitting streak is a season high for Minnesota and matches the longest of Dozier's career. "To be honest, I could really care less," Dozier said of his record-setting double. "It came in a good situation, where we could try to score another run with two outs, but we didn't win the game. I don't care how many extra-base hits we get." Frazier doubles his pleasure: Frazier had two extra-base hits, the solo homer and a double -- his first double since May 23, after he hit 43 last season with the Reds. Frazier has two multihit games for the entire month of June. "Overall, team hitting-wise, it was very nice today," Frazier said. "Everybody came around. It seemed like that one inning was a big inning for us. We batted through the lineup. It was nice, real nice to see." Late rally: The Twins refused to go down quietly, scoring five runs in the ninth off the White Sox bullpen to bring the potential tying run to the plate before the final out was recorded. Max Kepler's two-run double with two outs highlighted the rally, pulling the Twins within three and driving left-hander Dan Jennings from the mound in favor of Jones. "We kept playing," Molitor said. "Shields did a nice job overall after giving up the leadoff home run, and somehow we got the tying run to the plate there in the ninth inning. It was too big of a deficit." QUOTABLE "We've got to throw strikes. That's pretty much it." -- Ventura, on a five-run Minnesota ninth that included two walks and an error on Lawrie "No frustration. We just have to worry about ourselves, worry about winning, and eventually, the tides will turn." -- Frazier, on the rival Indians' winning streak ONE IS THE LONELIEST LONG BALL NUMBER The three solo home runs hit by the White Sox gives them 13 straight without a runner on base dating back to Jose Abreu's three-run homer last Thursday in the seventh inning of a loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. ROOKIE SENSATION Anderson became the third White Sox player since 1913 to record nine multihit efforts over his first 18 games, joining Gus Zernial (1949) and Greg Mulleavy (1930). He also extended his hitting streak to six games. WHAT'S NEXT Twins: On Thursday, left-hander Tommy Milone will make his second Major League appearance since his contract was selected from Triple-A Rochester on June 18. Milone took the loss against the Yankees in his most recent start, on June 24 at Yankee Stadium, allowing four runs (one earned) in 3 2/3 innings. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT. White Sox: Carlos Rodon is scheduled to make his 15th start of the season, eighth at home and second vs. Minnesota, on Thursday at 1:10 p.m. CT. He has gone 1-2 with a 3.16 ERA and 39 strikeouts over his last six starts at home (five quality). Nolasco has trouble shaking Chicago blues Brian Hedger MLB.com June 30, 2016 The Twins needed right-hander Ricky Nolasco to buck a career trend on Wednesday night at U.S. Cellular Field, but one rough inning led to more of the same in a 9-6 loss. Nolasco went into the game against the White Sox with an 0-3 record and 7.13 ERA in four career starts at U.S. Cellular Field. He left after 5 2/3 innings with those numbers even worse; though he lasted at least five innings for the 15th time in 16 starts, he allowed seven runs on nine hits, including three solo home runs. Four of the runs charged against him scored in the sixth after the Twins trailed just 3-1 going into the inning. 8

9 "I felt fine," Nolasco said. "I felt a lot better than [my] last start. I thought I was good enough to kind of salvage the game there, keep us close for the last few innings, but it just didn't work out." This is the second time Nolasco struggled against the White Sox in Chicago this season, after also losing here on May 6. He allowed seven runs (five earned) in five innings in that outing, which Chicago won, This was Nolasco's second straight defeat after a loss on June 23 against the Phillies at Target Field. In that game he allowed four runs on 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings. After walking four against the Phillies, Nolasco only issued one to the White Sox. Home runs and a slew of hits were the biggest stumbling blocks this time. Nolasco has yielded eight, 10 and nine hits in his past three starts, respectively. "I would say his last start was one where he was challenged by not having a good fastball, and he kind of had to invent as he went along," manager Paul Molitor said. "Today I thought he had better stuff. His fastball was pretty good, but they made adjustments." Nolasco's biggest struggles came in the sixth, when the White Sox broke open the game with five runs on five hits. Three of those hits were off Nolasco, including a solo home by Todd Frazier to start the inning. Nolasco also allowed a double by Dioner Navarro and a two-out RBI single by Tyler Saladino. Molitor made a trip to the mound prior to Saladino's at-bat and decided to leave his starter in for one more hitter. Saladino sent a shot past Eduardo Nunez into left field after Nunez appeared to get his glove on the ball. "[Nolasco] did OK," Molitor said. "He gave up the home run to Saladino [in the fifth], but you got to a situation there in the sixth inning where we're trying to get off the field and I thought he had enough left to get the last out. Got the ball to third base that we couldn't make a play on, and from there the floodgates kind of opened." Dozier sets mark with XBH in 10th straight game Brian Hedger MLB.com June 30, 2016 Brian Dozier extended his hitting streak to 11 games, matching a career high, and set a Twins record with a double in the sixth inning of Wednesday's 9-6 loss to the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Dozier, who's having a great month of June, now has an extra-base hit in 10 straight games to set the franchise mark. He was stranded at second after hitting the one-out double off White Sox right-hander James Shields, but his bat continues to sizzle. "To be honest, I could really care less," Dozier said of the record. "It came in a good situation, where we could try to score another run with two outs, but we didn't win the game. I don't care how many extra-base hits we get." Hitting cleanup with Miguel Sano on a Minor League rehab assignment, Dozier is hammering the ball. During his hitting streak, he's batting.442 with four doubles, two triples, five home runs and 11 RBIs. He's also reached base safely in 21 straight games, hitting.397 during that span. "He went through a fairly long period where he was trying to pry himself into getting back on track and play the way we've seen him during previous periods of his career up here," manager Paul Molitor said on Tuesday, after Dozier homered twice in a 4-0 win. "He put in a lot of time. We talked a lot about trying to use the whole field a little bit more, but I just think that he's slowing himself down and getting a better look at the baseball. He's executing plans a little bit better, and when he gets mistakes, he's taking advantage." That has especially been the case in June, when he's hit.363 with nine doubles, seven home runs and 19 RBIs. "We always have this weird cliche saying, 'Remember how you did it,'" Dozier said. "For me, you try to remember when you're going well, remember how you feel and how comfortable you are in the box, the mental part of it, that kind of thing. That's kind of how I'm feeling right now." 9

10 Twins willing to be patient with Buxton Brian Hedger MLB.com June 29, 2016 The learning process continues for Byron Buxton, but that's not why he remains in the Major Leagues despite his ongoing struggles at the plate. "I don't believe in that," general manager Terry Ryan said on Wednesday at U.S. Cellular Field, where Buxton started in center field and hit ninth against the White Sox. "I don't believe in a guy just being here [and saying], 'Let's let him learn up here.' I don't like that at all. There are 24 other players on this team that want to win baseball games." So why is Buxton getting the majority of starts in center, in his second stint with the Twins this season, despite a.188 batting average entering Wednesday? The answer involves all the other ways Buxton's athleticism helps the Twins on a daily basis. Hitting is just one part of it, and the club hopes he'll turn that part around over time. "You're going to probably equate his progress with the bat only, because he can field, he can run, he can throw [and] he has range," Ryan said. "He does a nice job in center, and that helps us." What's been troublesome is his strikeout totals, both this season and when he made his Major League debut in Minnesota last season. Buxton struck out 44 times in 46 games in 2015 and had fanned 56 times in 41 games going into Wednesday's game. "We're willing to live with some of the things that go on with that bat, and as long as he gets in that strike zone, he has a chance to be a figure in that lineup," Ryan said. "We've got him down in the nine-hole, and all he has to do is keep the chains moving, and he'll be fine. But it's been a battle. Recently, it's been pretty evident they're working him over pretty good." Breaking pitches out of the zone, moving down and away, have proven to be the biggest issue of late. Buxton's been chasing those pitches, not making contact and negating his plus speed in the process. His numbers have plummeted, as well. "I'm just pushing my numbers to the side," said Buxton, who was taken second overall by the Twins in the 2012 Draft, behind Astros shortstop Carlos Correa. "I've struggled early on at every level, so numbers don't really bother me. It just took time for me to adjust and figure it out. Here it's just taking me a little bit longer than I want it to, and it's more frustrating to me because it's taking longer, but at the same time, I'm starting to understand it's a process and I've just got to keep grinding and keep going up there and battling." Letting that process unfold takes patience, but manager Paul Molitor thinks Buxton will be worth it. He sees all the tools of a top player and is willing to wait it out. "I think that you have to be careful to not fall into the trap, whether you're a part of this organization or a fan of the team, that you just assume a guy with that type of talent and expectation and the hype is just going to meander in here and become a star," Molitor said. "It's not that easy. It's still very, very early in this guy's baseball journey. So we look for positives. We continue to try to teach. He absorbs really well, and I think over time we're going to see all the predictions [about him] come to fruition. But you've just got to let it happen. You can't force it before it's time. You keep putting him out there and giving him an opportunity to get better." Worth noting Right-hander Trevor May, who's on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester, is scheduled to make back-to-back relief appearances on Friday and Saturday. May has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 10 with spasms in his lower back. He is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA and one save in two appearances (1 2/3 innings) for the Red Wings. Miguel Sano, who was placed on the DL on June 1 with a strained left hamstring, is hitting.158 through six games with Rochester. Two of his three hits have been home runs, but Molitor said the results are not what the Twins are assessing. "I just think you're looking for signs that the lack of game appearances over the past three and a half weeks, [that it] kind of looks like his at-bats are normal," Molitor said. "It's not always results or a hot streak." Sano will play both games of Rochester's doubleheader on Thursday. He'll play the first game at third base and serve as designated hitter in the nightcap. 10

11 Two familiar names for Twins fans picked for All-Star Futures Game Derek Wetmore 1500 ESPN June 29, 2016 J.T. Chargois will represent the Twins organization in San Diego at this year s All-Star Futures Game. Chargois, the hard-throwing right-handed reliever who made his MLB debut earlier this season, is having a great year in the minors. So good, in fact, that you can expect to see him again this year before the season is finished. Don t let his ugly MLB ERA fool you; Chargois has been dominant this season. He made his MLB debut at Target Field earlier this year, and allowed 5 earned runs in just 2/3 of an inning, which computes to a ERA. In the minors, however, he has sparkling numbers. He pitched so well for Double-A Chattanooga that he s been promoted to Triple-A Rochester. Between the two levels, Chargois has combined for a 1.13 ERA with a 40:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 32 innings. He ll pitch for the U.S. Team. There s another player headed to the Futures Game whose name should be familiar if you follow Twins prospects closely. Chih-Wei Hu, the former Twins minor leaguer traded in the package for Kevin Jepsen last July, has also been selected to the game. Hu, of Taiwanese descent, will pitch for the World Team. Between Double-A and Triple-A this year in the Rays system, Hu has a 2.67 ERA and a 72:23 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 77 2/3 innings. He likely doesn t profile as an ace, but based on his minor league numbers the 22-year-old could be a useful starter for an MLB team in the near future. Twins score five runs in 9th but fall 9-6 to White Sox Associated Press June 30, 2016 By the time Minnesota put together a big inning, it was too late. Max Kepler hit a two-run double in Minnesota's five-run ninth inning, but the Twins lost 9-6 to James Shields and the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night. The Twins, who rank near the bottom of the majors in several offensive categories, went 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Kepler's big hit got Minnesota within three with two out. Nate Jones then came in with runners on second and third and retired Eduardo Escobar on a fly ball to left for his second save. "Somehow we got the tying run to the plate there in the ninth inning," manager Paul Molitor said. "But it was too big of a deficit." Shields (3-9) allowed one run and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings in his first win since he tossed seven scoreless innings for San Diego at Milwaukee on May 12. The right-hander got hit hard after he was acquired by Chicago in a trade June 4, going 0-2 with a ERA in his first four starts. "It was a tough stretch," he said. "It's nice to get off the schneid there and get a win, but I don't really focus on that kind of stuff. I've been around this game for a long time, but my main focus is to win games for this team right now." Todd Frazier, Brett Lawrie and Tyler Saladino homered for the White Sox, who improved to 7-1 against the Twins after losing 4-0 in the series opener on Tuesday. Saladino and Tim Anderson each had two hits and two RBIs. Eduardo Nunez had three hits for Minnesota, including a homer on Shields' second pitch of the night, and Brian Dozier extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a double in the sixth. Dozier also has at least one extra-base hit in a franchise-record 10 straight games. The Twins had a chance to tie it at 2 in the fifth, but Kurt Suzuki was cut down by Adam Eaton's major league-best 11th assist when he tried to score on Nunez's double to the wall in right. Suzuki was basically forced to head home when Nunez nearly ran him over near third. "Kurt has to be somewhat protective of the catch," Molitor said. "Nunie's focus was more on where the ball was rolling than the runner in front of him and we got into a tough spot there. We ended up losing an opportunity." 11

12 Saladino belted a solo shot against Ricky Nolasco in the bottom half, and the White Sox broke it open with five runs in the sixth. Frazier led off with his 22nd homer and Anderson contributed a two-run single. Nolasco (3-6) was charged with seven runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings in his second straight loss. "I felt fine, a lot better than the last start," Nolasco said. "Good enough that I thought we could salvage the game there for the last few innings, but it just didn't work out." D'OH There were laughs in Minnesota's clubhouse as players watched video of third baseman Miguel Sano losing a popup in the sun and having it bounce off his head before first baseman James Beresford made a diving catch in Sano's rehab game for Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday afternoon. Sano, recovering from a strained left hamstring, was uninjured. "The other guy caught it, too, somehow," Molitor said in disbelief. TRAINER'S ROOM Twins: Molitor said RHP Phil Hughes has "peace of mind" after learning he needs season-ending shoulder surgery, explaining his fatigue and loss of velocity. "It spoke to the fact that he had trouble sustaining himself and stiffening," Molitor said. Hughes, already sidelined with a knee injury, is scheduled for surgery next Wednesday. White Sox: OF Melky Cabrera had an MRI on his ailing right wrist and will miss a couple of days with a mild sprain. UP NEXT Left-handers Tommy Milone of the Twins and Carlos Rodon of the White Sox face off in the series finale on Thursday. Milone (0-2, 5.33 ERA) is 4-1 with a 2.02 ERA in his career against the White Sox. Rodon (2-6, 4.09 ERA) is winless in his last five starts despite a 3.41 ERA for that stretch. Preview: Twins at White Sox Sports Xchange June 30, 2016 Finding ways to win in the American League's Central Division has been an issue for both the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins this season. But as the White Sox look to return to their winning ways and the Twins hope to build on what's been their most successful month to date, reversing course against divisional opponents moving forward will be key. The White Sox and Twins wrap up their three game series at U.S. Cellular Field Thursday before both teams venture outside the Central this weekend. For the White Sox, in-division competition of late has been especially painful even after the White Sox won for only the fourth time in their last 20 divisional games with Wednesday's 9-6 victory. Although the White Sox will clinch their third consecutive series with a win on Thursday, they haven't been nearly as successful against their Central Division neighbors -- and the teams they face the most each season. "You have to pick it up a little bit in your division," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said this week. Thursday's game will mark the ninth time the Twins and White Sox have faced one another this season. The White Sox won the first six games and outscored Minnesota 30-9 before being shut out 4-0 in Tuesday's series opener. Chicago regained some of their form Wednesday behind James Shields' first win for Chicago since coming over in a trade with San Diego. But the Twins are about the only division opponent the White Sox have had success against during their recent troubling stretch. Chicago is 1-6 against Cleveland, 2-7 against Kansas City and 2-4 against Detroit. And even after improving to 7-1 against Minnesota, Ventura knows things have to improve against other divisional opponents. White Sox third 12

13 baseman said familiarity with one another may play a factor in Chicago's troubles. Maybe they know us a little bit," Frazier said. "They may know our tendencies a little more. There is no real rhyme or reason." Twins manager Paul Molitor is hoping his players have taken their struggles against divisional opponents personally. Teams like the White Sox had their way with the Twins earlier this season. And yet after coming within a win of earning their first series victory over the White Sox since last September, Molitor said his team has to find ways to build off wins like Tuesday's 4-0 shutout. Wednesday's loss -- which included a five-run, ninth-inning Twins' rally that saw the tying run come to the plate -- was the latest example of the Twins being unable to string together multiple wins. "It's not like you're expecting to go out and reel off a long winning streak -- it would be great if you were able to do that," Molitor said. "You just want to see more consistency. We don't make a tough play (Wednesday), we have a base-running mistake that I thought it was costly -- those can be momentum-changers -- and you go from being in a pretty close game to trailing by eight runs." 13