Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Sunday, May 7, 2017

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1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Sunday, May 7, 2017 Red Sox tee off on Twins for 11-1 victory at Target Field. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1 Michael Tonkin is latest long-time Twins player to be sent packing. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 2 Change in wind was a prelude to Joe Mauer's walk-off. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 3 Jose Berrios could get nod to replace Kyle Gibson in Twins rotation. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 4 Charley Walters: Pohlad wants Twins to fly first-place flag. Pioneer Press (Walters) p. 5 Twins Nick Tepesch chased early in 11-1 loss to Boston Red Sox. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 6 Minnesota Twins Brian Dozier could miss several days with sprained left ankle. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 7 Ervin to face Sale, looks to stay unbeaten. MLB (Donnelly) p. 8 Polanco error costly as Tepesch can't recover. MLB (Bollinger) p. 9 Twins, Tepesch stung in 2nd, fall to Red Sox. MLB (Bollinger & Donnelly) p. 9 Twins designate Tonkin for assignment. MLB (Bollinger) p. 10 Dozier, Buxton held out, should return soon. MLB (Bollinger) p. 11 Pitching-needy Twins designate Michael Tonkin for assignment or release. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 11 Twins playing shorthanded while they wait for Dozier and Buxton to recover. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 12 Red Sox use 8-run inning to top Tepesch, Twins. Associated Press p. 12 Which players are off to the worst starts of 2017? ESPN (Schoenfield) p. 14 Twins Designate Michael Tonkin For Assignment. MLB Trade Rumors (Polishuk) p. 14 Red Sox tee off on Twins for 11-1 victory at Target Field Phil Miller Star Tribune May 6, 2017 Sunday was always going to be the main event of the Red Sox's visit to Minnesota this year, a Santana-vs.-Sale pitching matchup that looks on paper like the best in Target Field history. When heavyweights meet to duke it out, though, does anybody ever remember the undercard? Certainly not the Twins, who will quickly try to forget the details of Saturday's sudden and brutal ugliness, an eight-run second inning that turned into an 11-1 loss to Boston. Pitting the reigning American League Cy Young winner against a pitcher with one game of major league experience in three years turned out to be exactly the mismatch it appeared. The weird thing is, the hurricane that consumed Nick Tepesch, making his Twins debut after a 16-day layoff, seemed to arrive out of nowhere. His first six batters were a breeze, with only a walk to Dustin Pedroia briefly breaking his rhythm. And with two outs and nobody on in the second inning, two sharp sliders to Chris Young put Tepesch one strike away from getting his team off the field. But like a fighter who never saw the uppercut coming, Tepesch was floored by a sudden and devastating Red Sox flurry. "It was an 0-2 pitch," he said. "You can't have that happen." He means you can't leave a third consecutive 85-mile-per-hour slider hanging over the outside corner, where Young walloped it into the seats. That was only the beginning of Tepesch's troubles, though. Nine consecutive batters reached, and the fact that one of them was because shortstop Jorge Polanco dropped a routine inning-ending grounder didn't make anybody feel better. "We'll never know how it might have changed the game," Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Polanco's error, which rendered six of Tepesch's seven runs unearned. "I don't know if I've ever seen that two outs, two strikes, 0-2 count, nobody on base and then eight runs. It hurts a lot because you think about what might have been."

2 Here's what was: a bases-loaded double by Dustin Ped-roia; a two-run double by Andrew Benintendi that knocked Tepesch out of the game; and a less-than-warm welcome for another new Twins pitcher, Drew Rucinski, who gave up RBI hits to Hanley Ramirez and Mitch Moreland with his first three pitches. Eight runs in all, more than enough to anesthetize the announced crowd of 30,859 and, Molitor feared, his own lineup. "They put us in a bad spot," Molitor said. "You try to remind the guys you've got a lot of baseball left, but that's a big hill to climb." Especially with Rick Porcello on the mound. The Red Sox had not scored a single for Porcello in his previous four games, so Mr. Cy Young wasn't going to squander this rare bounty. The righthander let only one Twins batter reach third base in his seven innings Robbie Grossman, who lined a home run into the right field seats and whetted the appetite for Sunday's showdown. Ervin Santana's 0.66 ERA and Chris Sale's 1.38 are the best and third-best performances in the major leagues this season, and both have been dominant. Not since June 2, 1972, when Jim Kaat faced Detroit's Mickey Lolich, has a Twins game featured two starting pitchers with ERAs below 2.00, and all of MLB has seen only two matchups of sub-1.40 ERAs in the past 35 seasons (minimum six starts). "It's a nice matchup. Ervin's a little more finesse, Sale's got the big arm," Molitor said. "Sale is pitching high-caliber baseball right now. And Ervin's been as good as anybody around the game, so that'll be fun." After getting battered in the undercard, the Twins could use some. Michael Tonkin is latest long-time Twins player to be sent packing Phil Miller Star Tribune May 6, 2017 Derek Falvey said as the 2017 season opened that he and Thad Levine wanted to carefully evaluate Twins players before making changes. It appears they are ready now. In three days, the new chief baseball officer and general manager have demoted Kyle Gibson to the minors, jettisoned Danny Santana and, on Saturday, designated Michael Tonkin for assignment. All three players have worn Twins uniforms for the past four or five seasons, but none could survive subpar starts to in 2017, especially with the Twins hanging around the top of the AL Central standings. "I wasn't surprised. It's frustrating, but it happens," said Tonkin, whose ERA climbed to 6.55 Saturday after he gave up two hits, three walks and a solo home run in an 11-1 loss to Boston. "I'm obviously not throwing great." His disappointment likely matches the Twins', considering the lanky 27-year-old righthander has long been projected as a potential closer. Tonkin had 38 saves at Class AAA Rochester, and last year he struck out 80 batters in 71⅔ innings with the Twins. But he never developed the consistency the Twins hoped for, owning a career 4.49 ERA in five major league seasons. "He's a guy who takes the ball," manager Paul Molitor said. "He hasn't had a chance [to pitch] significant innings very often, but he's provided value along the way. I just encouraged him to look at this as an opportunity. There's a lot of frustration, I'm sure, in the moment." As with Santana, the Twins have a week to trade, release or place Tonkin on waivers. The Twins will announce Tonkin's replacement Sunday. Rucinski steps up Nick Tepesch's short start meant the Twins bullpen and, for the second time this season, catcher Chris Gimenez had to absorb a heavy load of innings. Righthander Drew Rucinski handled more than his share. Rucinski, who last appeared in the majors in 2015 with the Angels, gave up two run-scoring hits with his first three pitches, but then settled down and pitched the Twins through the third, fourth and fifth innings, giving up only one more run. "They kind of ambushed me there," Rucinski, 28, said of his Twins debut. "But then I started mixing it up a little bit more and started to get outs." His manager was grateful. "He was able to milk some innings for us," Molitor said, "which was important for us to find a way to get through the game." 2

3 After Tonkin issued two walks, Gimenez made his fifth career appearance as a pitcher in the ninth and retired Xander Bogaerts and Andrew Benintendi with his "fastball," clocked at 65 miles per hour. Injury update Brian Dozier had his sprained left ankle examined again, with an X-ray and ultrasound test just to make sure. They found no structural damage, a big relief to the Twins second baseman. The ankle, which buckled as he fielded a ground ball in the sixth inning Friday, is swollen considerably, though, and Dozier won't play Sunday. With an off day Monday, he is hopeful of returning to action by Tuesday against the White Sox. Center fielder Byron Buxton might play Sunday, after saying he felt "10 times better" than a day earlier. He passed another concussion test, his third in three days after colliding with the outfield wall while making a catch, and his headaches are gone. Etc. Rochester's game with Pawtucket was rained out Saturday, pushing Jose Berrios' start to Sunday. The 22-year-old righthander is considered a strong candidate to join the Twins rotation this week. Falvey was in Nashville on Saturday to watch Vanderbilt righthander Kyle Wright strike out 13 in a 2-1 extra-inning loss to Missouri. Wright, a potential candidate for the Twins' overall No. 1 pick in the June 12 draft, gave up one run over nine innings. Change in wind was a prelude to Joe Mauer's walk-off Patrick Reusse Star Tribune May 6, 2017 Sudden and unexplained gusts of wind have been used as story changers forever in Hollywood movies, often reversing time or transforming the personality of a lead character. In the middle of Friday night s game at Target Field, there was such a burst of wind. Without warning, there were hot dog wrappers swirling through the stands, and everything not weighted down blowing through the press box, and players looking skyward in obvious confusion. There was stuff flying around the dugout, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. We weren t sure what was going on. The wind settled somewhat, but it had served its purpose. There was a big change in the story line in the offing. Brandon Kintzler came in with a 3-1 lead in the ninth, two ground balls went for hits and a chopper for an out, and then Chris Young hit a rocket past third for a two-run, game-tying single. Boston s Matt Barnes retired hot-hitting Eddie Rosario and pinch hitter Kennys Vargas to open the bottom of the ninth, and then came Joe Mauer, batting second rather than what had been his unconventional presence at fourth in recent games. It was noted in the press box that Mauer was batting.233 at that moment. His previous at-bat had been a six-hopper that didn t make it to first base. Somewhere in the script, as the hardcore fans chewed cigars (it s Hollywood) and shouted, Hey Mauer, you bum, swing the bat, a bigeyed 8-year-old in his Twins hat closed his eyes and offered a prayerful, You can do it, Joe. Hit a homer. On a 2-2 count, Boston reliever Matt Barnes decided to blow a high fastball past Mauer, and here came that whip of Joe s bat from 2009, and the fastball was launched toward deep left-center, and the baseball stayed in a mighty, slow-motion fight with the swirling wind as voices rose in hope, and then it was sailing into the bullpen, and there was joy and that dewy-eyed kid shouting to his father, I knew Joe was going to do it. Thank you, Preston Sturges. I know you wrote this. The mystery wind was the tipoff. PLUS THREE FROM PATRICK Surprises of the good kind for the Twins: Eddie Rosario, LF: He s now 25 and it s time: Fully use that immense hitting talent or become a career journeyman. Right now, it looks like 3

4 Option A. Matt Belisle, RHP: He s been pounded a couple of times, but the veteran free agent has been excellent in holding leads in an eighth-inning role. Phil Hughes, RHP: He s mixing pitches as never before to survive without his fastball of yore. What he s doing is battling his tail off. Jose Berrios could get nod to replace Kyle Gibson in Twins rotation Phil Miller Star Tribune May 6, 2017 Jose Berrios might be pitching for a promotion Saturday night. The Twins top pitching prospect, frequently flawless at Class AAA Rochester but mostly disappointing in 14 career major league starts, is one of two candidates to replace Kyle Gibson in the Twins rotation next week, manager Paul Molitor said Friday. I don t know what other options we really have right now, Molitor said about promoting Berrios or lefthander Adalberto Mejia, who posted a 6.75 ERA in three April starts for the Twins. We re just going to see if we can gather more information before we have to make that decision. Mejia, however, gave up six runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings Friday for Rochester against Pawtucket. Berrios, who owns a 1.09 ERA and 35 strikeouts in five starts for the Red Wings, faces the PawSox on Saturday. With an off day Monday, the Twins don t have to select a replacement for another week; they could put off that starter s slot until Saturday, though Molitor suggested he might move up the date. In the meantime, they added righthanded reliever Drew Rucinski, who has seven games of MLB experience with the Angels, to their bullpen. Rucinski, 28, signed as a minor league free agent in December, and has a 3.48 ERA at Rochester. He s not overpowering, Molitor said. He s got a nice cut fastball, and can throw that curveball for a strike early in the count. You hope he pitches from ahead and gets a chance to use it. Danny Santana DFAed Danny Santana was elated Thursday, enjoying the afterglow of belting a 465-foot home run, longest of his career, and also beating out a bunt single. It was one of those Danny Days, Molitor said. The Twins probably won t have another one, though, after designating Santana for assignment Friday. They must trade, release or place the utility player on waivers during the next week. I m sure it s a little bit tough news to take, Molitor said. Santana, 26, played parts of four seasons with the Twins, and opened 2015 as the starting shortstop. But he never repeated the strong offensive showing of his 2014 rookie season, when he batted.319 with seven home runs and a.353 on-base percentage in 101 games. He became a bench player able to play both infield and outfield but was batting only.200 this season. But the Twins needed Santana s spot on the 40-man roster to add Rucinski, and they had a ready replacement for his all-around role. Ehire Adrianza, an infielder with four seasons of big-league experience with San Francisco, was activated off the disabled list. Adrianza, 27, suffered a strained right oblique during the final week of spring training and had been rehabbing with Rochester for two weeks. The Venezuelan is a.220 hitter in 154 career games but is better known for his superior defense. He even played left field in a handful of games with the Red Wings, in case the Twins need an outfielder. I can play all four positions in the infield, even first base, Adrianza said. I think I can handle left field pretty good, and why not center and right field? It s kind of boring because you don t have many balls over there, but if I got to do that, I ll do it. Etc. Miguel Sano will learn Monday or Tuesday whether he must serve MLB s one-game suspension for shoving Tigers catcher James McCann April 22, but he can play this weekend. Sano took part via a video call in his 90-minute appeal of the suspension Friday. General Manager Thad 4

5 Levine outlined the Twins position, and Sano, represented by an MLB Players Association attorney, and Molitor also told their sides of the incident. Byron Buxton was banged up a day after colliding with the outfield wall twice Thursday, Molitor said, dealing with headaches and overall soreness. He sat out Friday, but Molitor said the Twins believe he won t need to be placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list. Charley Walters: Pohlad wants Twins to fly first-place flag Charley Walters Pioneer Press May 6, 2017 The Minnesota Twins were baseball s worst team last season. On Saturday, they were alone in first place in their division before Saturday s 11-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Last Tuesday, during batting practice before the Oakland game, the Twins owner, Jim Pohlad, stood near his team s dugout at Target Field. He pointed to the five flags flying high above the right field bleachers. Each flag represents the Central Division teams and their place in the standings. The Twins were lined up in third place behind the Indians and White Sox. But Pohlad wasn t pointing at the third-place flag. I want to be in first place, that flag up there, Pohlad said, pointing to the leading flag. The Twins, who lost 103 games last season, finished this April one victory over.500 (12-11). It s April, so that s one out of six months, cautioned Pohlad. The record is better for sure. That s great, certainly on a relative basis. Relatively speaking, nobody s unhappy. But I want to be the first flag on that list. The Twins strategy and hope going into this season was that the younger prospects, with another year of experience, would mature into winners. When you have players who are anywhere from 21 to 24 years old, those are players coming right into their prime, and they re going to improve, Pohlad said. That s when they should improve. Miguel Sano is 23. So are Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco. Max Kepler is 24. Sano? He looks like a total pro out there, a veteran, Pohlad said. To me, what s most notable is his play at third base. He looks like he belongs there in the major leagues. Clearly, offensively, there s no question. I m talking about his defense and just his presence out there. He looks like a major leaguer. Joe Mauer, 34, who hit the game-winning homer on Friday against Boston, has this season and 2018 remaining at $23 million each. He said he ll always give his best, and I believe he does, Pohlad said. The Twins new baseball leadership, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine? We see a lot of what s going on with them the public probably doesn t see as much, Pohlad said. It s a huge change from the way things were. I m not going to say it s better or worse, but it s a change. Change is not a reflection on the past but you have to do it for the future. Evidence of change under Falvey and Levine is the recent minor league demotions because of lack of production for Kyle Gibson and Danny Santana. The pair probably still would be in Minnesota by way of loyalty under the previous administration. Sunday afternoon s Twins-Red Sox pitching duel at Target Field could include the eventual starting pitcher for the American League All-Star Game in Miami on July 11. Minnesota s Ervin Santana (5-0, 0.66 ERA) goes against Boston s Chris Sale (2-2, 1.38). Santana said he looks forward to the matchup. 5

6 Why not that s what we re here for, to play baseball and to face a guy like Chris Sale, who s a star and good pitcher, he said. Santana, 34, in the third season of a $54 million, four-year contract, said he chose the Twins over Kansas City as a free agent partly on a recommendation from former Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano. The only thing that s difficult with Minnesota is that it s too cold, Santana said with a laugh. The Twins can credit their former GM, Terry Ryan, for signing Santana. Ryan, now a Philadelphia Phillies special assignment scout, was in Los Angeles last week scouting. Twins Nick Tepesch chased early in 11-1 loss to Boston Red Sox Mike Berardino Pioneer Press May 6, 2017 Before Nick Tepesch took the mound Saturday afternoon, he had pitched a total of four big-league innings over the past 33-plus months. His brief outing hardly proved worth the wait. Shelling the soft-tossing right-hander for six runs in an eight-run second, the Boston Red Sox raced to a 11-1 win over the Twins at Target Field. Chris Young hit his first two homers of the season, and Jorge Polanco s two-out fielding error in the second ultimately allowed seven unearned runs to score. We ll never know how it might have changed the game, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. We didn t make a play and then we couldn t get off the field. Tepesch, who last faced enemy hitters 16 days earlier at Triple-A Rochester, retired five of his first six batters even while reaching three-ball counts four times. Then the troubles hit for the survivor of thoracic outlet syndrome who underwent rib-removal surgery in the summer of 2015 and spent all but one outing since then in the minors. Young, author of Friday night s two-run single that tied the game in the ninth, jumped all over an 0-2 slider that became a 424-foot missile. Tepesch would face six more batters without recording an out before giving way to fellow call-up Drew Rucinski. Polanco had Josh Rutledge s grounder in his glove but was unable to make the short flip to second baseman Eduardo Escobar for the inningending force play. I don t know if I ve ever seen two outs, 0-2 count, nobody on base and then eight runs, Molitor said. It s just one of those oddities of the game that when it goes against you it hurts a lot because you do think about what might have been. It put us in a bad spot. After the game the Twins designated reliever Michael Tonkin for assignment or release. Tonkin, 27, walked three, gave up a homer to Sandy Leon to start the ninth and left with a 6.55 earned run average. Drafted by the Twins out of high school in the 30th round in 2008, Tonkin made 134 big-league outings over the past five seasons and struck out better than a batter inning. However, he typically struggled with command I wasn t surprised, he said. It s frustrating but it happens, I guess. Obviously I m not throwing great. I m just trying to figure things out, but I know I can do this. After shipping Kyle Gibson back to Triple-A on Thursday and cutting ties with Danny Santana and Tonkin the past two days, Molitor spoke of another good soldier that could be lost to waivers. He called Tonkin a guy who takes the ball and hasn t had a chance in terms of pitching maybe in significant innings very often, but he s provided value along the way. A corresponding move will be made before Sunday s series finale. Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello (2-4) worked seven innings with six strikeouts and no walks for the visitors. Robbie Grossman s leadoff homer in the third kept the Twins among three AL teams yet to be shut out this season, joining the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians. 6

7 Backup catcher Chris Gimenez needed just four pitches to secure the final two outs in relief of Tonkin in the the ninth. It was Gimenez s fifth career pitching outing in the majors and second with the Twins through just 28 games. He topped out at 72 mph in retiring Xander Bogaerts and Andrew Benintendi, who had combined to go 9 for 19 in the series to that point. Eddie Rosario went 0 for 3 and saw his career-best hitting streak end at 15 games. Twins ace Ervin Santana, who leads the majors with a 0.66 earned run average, faces off with lefty Chris Sale on Sunday with a chance to give the Twins their third home series win over the Red Sox in the past four years. Sale, the former White Sox star who struggled against the Twins in recent seasons, ranks second in AL with a 1.38 ERA. It s a nice matchup, Molitor said. Hopefully we can respond a little better than we did today. Minnesota Twins Brian Dozier could miss several days with sprained left ankle Mike Berardino Pioneer Press May 6, 2017 Twins second baseman Brian Dozier was out of Saturday s lineup after rolling his left ankle in the field during Friday s 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. An X-ray and ultrasound test showed no structural damage in Dozier s badly swollen ankle as he deals with what has been classified as a mild sprain. Today was a big day, knowing there s no real damage, Dozier said. There s peace of mind. We just have to get this swelling out of there and we re good. Twins manager Paul Molitor said he would be a little surprised if Dozier were able to return by Sunday s series finale. The plan is to aggressively treat the swelling in Dozier s ankle through Monday s off day in hopes of a possible return by Tuesday at the Chicago White Sox. He s hobbling a little bit, Molitor said. We ll see how the next couple days unfold and see if he can be ready after the off day. Dozier required an on-field visit from the training staff after his ankle gave out while trying to plant on Xander Bogaerts potential double-play ball in Friday s sixth inning. Dozier stayed in the game, but may have aggravated his ankle making a long run and backhand flip to get Jackie Bradley Jr. on a ninth-inning grounder in the hole. At that point that s adrenaline taking over, Dozier said. I tried to fight thought it. I think the last three innings, the swelling started coming up pretty quick. That s when you can t really fight it anymore. Dozier, who had an MRI on his right knee last month, was admittedly scared this latest injury might be more severe. I know my body, he said. Kennys Vargas pinch hit for Dozier in the bottom of the ninth, grounding to first. Joe Mauer followed with the first walk-off homer of his 14-year big-league career. I checked with him the first couple innings after it happened, and he said he was fine, Molitor said. I thought it was one of those things where you get a little stinger and it bounces back, but obviously, for whatever reason, it progressively got to a point where he came and said, You might want to hit somebody else. Dozier went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and three more hitless at-bats with runners in position on Friday night. That left him 2 for 21 (.095) in such spots with 10 strikeouts; overall, Dozier is hitting.229 with four homers through 105 at-bats. BUXTON UPDATE Byron Buxton was feeling better Saturday after taking some swings and doing some running before the game. Buxton, who passed an initial concussion evaluation after crashing into the outfield wall on Thursday, said he was available off the bench after passing concussion tests for a third straight day. He did not perform any on-field activities Friday, sitting in the dugout during the game after 7

8 reporting lingering headaches earlier in the day. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the disabled list runs for a minimum of 10 days instead of the traditional 15. Even with that shorter term, Molitor said it wasn t that appealing to stash important regulars such as Dozier and Buxton on the shelf. It changes your thinking somewhat, Molitor said. I think still when you have players like that who potentially are going to be available sooner than later you re going to be patient, even with the 10-day (DL) as a little more appealing alternative. TWINS SCOUT WRIGHT Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey was in Nashville on Saturday to scout Vanderbilt right-hander Kyle Wright as a potential selection with the top overall draft pick next month. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Wright struggled early this spring despite a mph fastball, plus slider and clean delivery. Through 11 starts he was 2-5 with a 3.66 earned run average and just over one strikeout per inning. The Commodores, who have another projected top-10 pick in outfielder Jeren Kendall, were facing Missouri this weekend. Kendall, from Holmen, Wis., had 13 homers, 15 stolen bases and a.953 combined on-base/slugging percentage. In addition, Twins GM Thad Levine quietly slipped away during the last road trip to scout California high school shortstop/center fielder Royce Lewis. Projected as a top-three pick, Lewis must overcome questions about his hitting. BRIEFLY Lefty Adalberto Mejia, a leading candidate to return to the Twins big-league rotation next week, struggled through four innings on 83 pitches Friday for Triple-A Rochester. Mejia gave up six earned runs on eight hits, including four doubles, and three walks. He struck out five. Righthander Jose Berrios, due to start Saturday, was pushed back to Sunday due to a rainout. Ervin to face Sale, looks to stay unbeaten Patrick Donnelly MLB May 7, 2017 Two of the hottest pitchers in the Major Leagues will square of in Sunday afternoon's series finale between the Red Sox and the Twins at Target Field. Boston left-hander Chris Sale (2-2, 1.38 ERA) has pitched at least seven innings in each of his six starts this season, and he has struck out at least 10 batters in his past five. Meanwhile, Minnesota right-hander Ervin Santana (5-0, 0.66 ERA) leads the Majors in ERA. Sale allowed seven earned runs in 12 innings against the Twins last season when he pitched for the White Sox. "We've seen Sale a ton with the White Sox," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We've done OK off him. He can be tough. He's pitching highcaliber baseball right now. Ervin has been as good as anybody in the game. So it'll be fun.'" Things to know about this game According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this will be the third game since 1982 in which both starting pitchers have an ERA below Twins second baseman Brian Dozier is expected to miss Sunday's game with a left ankle injury. He has three home runs and a.973 OPS in his career against Sale. Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi batted cleanup on Saturday for the first time in 63 career games. 8

9 Polanco error costly as Tepesch can't recover Rhett Bollinger MLB May 6, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- Jorge Polanco has graded as an above-average defender at shortstop this season by both traditional and advanced metrics. But he made a costly error -- just his second of season -- in Saturday's 11-1 loss to the Red Sox, booting a routine play that would've ended the second inning but instead prolonged what ended up being an eight-run frame. "We'll never know how it might've changed the game," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We couldn't make a play and then couldn't get off the field. I don't know I've ever seen a game where it's 0-2, two outs, nobody on base and then eight runs. It's just one of those oddities of the game, and when it does happen to you, it hurts you a lot because you think about what might've been." As Molitor noted, right-hander Nick Tepesch, pitching for the first time since April 20, had Chris Young down, 0-2, before serving up a solo homer on a hanging breaking ball. After Sandy Leon singled, Tepesch was hurt by the error and couldn't recover. Tepesch walked Mookie Betts to load the bases for Dustin Pedroia, who cleared them with a double. Xander Bogaerts followed with a single before Andrew Benintendi ended his afternoon with a two-run double. "I just need to do a better job of getting ahead of hitters and putting them away," Tepesch said. "The biggest thing is getting ahead of hitters more. I fell behind a little bit." Right-hander Drew Rucinski, recalled Friday, also made his debut in relief of Tepesch, but he couldn't stop the damage, allowing an RBI single to Hanley Ramirez and an RBI double to Mitch Moreland. Tepesch ended with an unusual line as a result, allowing seven runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks in his season debut. "I don't know that he was rattled," Molitor said of Tepesch. "But he was facing a really good lineup and hadn't had a chance in a while. I thought he was making some good pitches. Obviously, once we made the miscue, he started leaving pitches over the middle." Despite his struggles, Tepesch could get another start on Thursday, unless the Twins decide to recall left-hander Adalberto Mejia, who started for Triple-A Rochester on Friday. Right-hander Jose Berrios was scheduled to pitch on Saturday for Rochester, but it was rained out, meaning he'll start Sunday and then won't be available until Friday. Minnesota also needs a starter for Saturday after Kyle Gibson was optioned, so they could stick with Tepesch in the short term and start Berrios on Saturday. "We'll figure out the rotation here," Molitor said. "Hopefully sooner rather than later." Twins, Tepesch stung in 2nd, fall to Red Sox Rhett Bollinger & Patrick Donnelly MLB May 6, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- Rick Porcello tossed seven strong innings and received plenty of run support, including a three-run double from Dustin Pedroia and two homers from Chris Young, in an 11-1 win over the Twins on Saturday afternoon at Target Field. Porcello, who had received a combined eight runs of support in his past four starts, was helped by an eight-run second and cruised through his outing. He scattered seven hits, allowing one run on a solo shot from Robbie Grossman in the third. He improved to 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA, getting his first win since Opening Day to snap a streak of five winless starts. "I just try to keep the same mindset regardless of what the score is," Porcello said. "I'm looking to get the same results either way. I try and be conscious of pounding the strike zone and keeping the tempo of the game going on our side and maintaining that momentum." The Red Sox beat up on right-hander Nick Tepesch, who was making his first Twins start of the season and his first since April 20 with Triple-A Rochester. Tepesch was charged with seven runs in 1 2/3 innings, but only one was earned because of an error by shortstop Jorge Polanco with two outs. "I think any time the door's left open for you and you're able to capitalize on it, it's a big boost," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. After Polanco's error, Pedroia's three-run double broke the game open, and four consecutive hits after that all but sealed the Twins' fate. "I just need to do a better job of getting ahead of hitters and putting them away," Tepesch said. "The biggest thing is getting ahead of hitters more. I fell behind a little bit." 9

10 After Sandy Leon homered and the Red Sox put two runners on in the ninth, Twins catcher Chris Gimenez made his second relief appearance of the season. Gimenez retired Xander Bogaerts and Andrew Benintendi, needing only four pitches to record the two outs. Gimenez became the first Twins position player to record two scoreless outings in a season since the team moved to Minnesota. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Polanco's costly error: Tepesch induced a routine ground ball to short with two outs in the second, but Polanco couldn't handle it as he looked to toss it to second for a forceout. After Tepesch loaded the bases, Pedroia cleared them with a double. Benintendi followed with a two-run double that knocked Tepesch from the game. Reliever Drew Rucinski made his season debut, but he surrendered an RBI single to Hanley Ramirez and an RBI double to Mitch Moreland. "We'll never know how it might've changed the game," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We couldn't make a play and then couldn't get off the field. I don't know if I've ever seen a game where it's 0-2, two outs, nobody on base and then eight runs." Young again: Young's first homer came off Tepesch to open the scoring in the second, and he came through with another solo shot in the fifth off Rucinski. His first homer was crushed, going a projected 430 feet, which was his second-longest of the Statcast era going back to His second homer wasn't hit quite as hard, but it still went a projected 404 feet. It was his 14th-career multihomer game and his first since June 1, SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Eddie Rosario went 0-for-3, ending his career-best 15-game hit streak. It was the second-longest active streak in the Majors behind Mike Trout's 17-game streak. WHAT'S NEXT Red Sox: Left-hander Chris Sale (2-2, 1.38 ERA) has struck out 10 or more batters in each of his past five starts. He'll put that streak on the line on Sunday at 2:10 p.m. ET against the Twins, a team he knows well from his seven years with the White Sox, Minnesota's American League Central rivals. Twins: Right-hander Ervin Santana (5-0, 0.66 ERA) has the best ERA in the Majors among starters, and will look to keep it rolling against the Red Sox in the series finale on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. CT. Santana didn't have his best command last time out, but he tossed six scoreless innings against the A's. Twins designate Tonkin for assignment Rhett Bollinger MLB May 6, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins reliever Michael Tonkin turned in another rough outing in Saturday's 11-1 loss to the Red Sox, and he was designated for assignment after the game. A corresponding roster move will come before Sunday's game. Tonkin threw 1 1/3 innings, allowing a run on a solo homer to Sandy Leon and walking three. He was lifted with one out in the ninth after issuing a walk in a 10-run game, leading to the Twins on calling on catcher Chris Gimenez to record the final two outs of the inning. Tonkin, who has pitched with the Twins since 2013, has a 6.55 ERA with 13 strikeouts and 10 walks in 11 innings this year. He's posted a career 4.47 ERA with 138 strikeouts and 52 walks in 136 1/3 innings with Minnesota over the past five seasons. "He hasn't had a chance to pitch in significant innings very often, but he's provided value along the way," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Just encouraged him to look at this as an opportunity, even though there's a lot of frustration here in the moment. We'll see how it plays out." Tonkin, 27, took the news hard, and he will have to pass through waivers to remain in the organization. "I wasn't surprised," Tonkin said. "It's frustrating, but it happens, I guess." 10

11 Dozier, Buxton held out, should return soon Rhett Bollinger MLB May 6, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- Second baseman Brian Dozier and center fielder Byron Buxton were both held out of the Twins' lineup against the Red Sox on Saturday, as Dozier suffered a mild left ankle sprain on Friday and Buxton is still feeling the effects of running into the wall twice on Thursday. Dozier sustained the injury while fielding a grounder hit by Xander Bogaerts in the sixth inning of Friday's 4-3 win. He initially remained in the game, but his ankle worsened, and he was removed in the ninth for pinch-hitter Kennys Vargas. Dozier is also likely to miss Sunday's game, but he could return on Tuesday after Monday's off-day. "He's hobbling a little bit today," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He's got some swelling. It graded out as a mild sprain so he's still day-to-day, but I'd be surprised if he's back in there tomorrow, to be honest with you. We'll see how the next couple days unfold and see if he can be ready after the off-day." Buxton, who passed his concussion protocol, felt better Saturday than he did on Friday. He took batting practice and ran in the outfield before the game. Molitor said both Dozier and Buxton are expected to avoid the 10-day disabled list. "We talked about the difference in the 10-day and the 15-day and how it changes your thinking a little bit," Molitor said. "But they're potentially going to be ready sooner than later, so we're going to be patient." Worth Noting Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey scouted Vanderbilt right-hander Kyle Wright on Saturday. The Twins have the No. 1 pick in the Draft, and they have been linked to players such as Southern California high schooler Hunter Greene and Louisville's Brendan McKay. Wright is ranked as the No. 3 overall Draft prospect by MLBPipeline.com. Rule 5 right-hander Justin Haley, on the 10-day disabled list with right biceps tendinitis, threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Rochester on Friday. Pitching-needy Twins designate Michael Tonkin for assignment or release Derek Wetmore ESPN 1500 May 6, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS After a short start Sunday, the Twins need extra arms in the bullpen. And so it s a bad time to be having a bad year. Michael Tonkin is having a bad year, and on Saturday he was designated for assignment or release by the Twins, who will add another pitcher before Sunday s game. Tonkin has pitched 12 innings this year and allowed 11 runs (8 earned) with 13 strikeouts, 10 walks and 4 home runs. He s out of minor league options, so he was DFA d. Just like Danny Santana, the Twins will have 10 days to trade him, release him, or send him through waivers. Only after he clears waivers could he be outrighted to the minor leagues. Here are the relievers currently on the 40-man roster and not in the big leagues or hurt: Mason Melotakis and Randy Rosario. The only other option would be Buddy Boshers, but since he was optioned fewer than 10 days ago, he could only be recalled if a player went on the disabled list. Byron Buxton and Brian Dozier were hurt this weekend, but indications are the Twins want to wait a couple days before deciding if Dozier will need to go on the disabled list. They added Drew Rucinski to the 40-man roster with the spot cleared by getting rid of Danny Santana. Now Tonkin s DFA clears the Twins to potentially add another reliever. Rochester s D.J. Baxendale has allowed 5 runs (4 earned) in 11 2/3 innings with a 9:2 stirkeout-to-walk ratio, so he could be a candidate to add to the roster at a time the Twins need arms, although he pitched 3 innings Friday. Rule 5 pick Justin Haley is currently rehabbing in Triple-A Rochester, so maybe he s the safer play, despite just one outing since he went on the disabled list. The Twins also have starters J.O. Berrios, Adalberto Mejia and Kyle Gibson in Rochester, but that doesn t solve the short-term problem of a depleted bullpen. 11

12 In short, the Twins are in a tough spot with their current pitching depth. The saving grace is that Ervin Santana pitches on Sunday and then the Twins have an off day Monday, which should allow them to get their bullpen back on track a little bit. Twins playing shorthanded while they wait for Dozier and Buxton to recover Derek Wetmore ESPN 1500 May 6, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS Brian Dozier and Byron Buxton were not in the Twins lineup for Saturday s drubbing at the hands of the Red Sox. And Dozier is unlikely to be back Sunday, either. But for now, as each player nurses what s expected to be a short-term injury, the Twins will simply play short-handed rather than make a move to the disabled list. Dozier has a mild ankle sprain after rolling his left ankle in Friday s game. He stayed in the game immediately after the injury happened, but eventually had to be pinch-hit in the 9th inning of a close ballgame. That was a sign something was up with Dozier. He s hobbled a little bit today, manager Paul Molitor said Saturday. He s got some swelling and graded out as a mild [ankle] sprain. Still kind of day-to-day; I d be surprised if we see him [Sunday] tomorrow, to be honest with you. We ll see how the next couple days unfold and see if he can be ready after the off day. The Twins are off Monday before starting a 3-game series in Chicago against the White Sox. Buxton said he was feeling much better one day after he had some residual symptoms from being shaken up in Thursday s game. Buxton twice crashed into the wall and was removed from the game for precautionary reasons. He cleared an initial concussion protocol, but was unavailable on the bench Friday. He also wasn t in the lineup Saturday, although Molitor was hopeful he could use the speedy center fielder if necessary. Max Kepler played center field in Buxton s absence Saturday, and Robbie Grossman replaced Kepler in right field. With a shorter required stay on the disabled list this season, did the Twins toy with the idea of getting another position player to Target Field by putting Buxton or Dozier on the DL? We talked about the difference in the 10-day [disabled list] and the 15-day, and how it changes your thinking somewhat, Molitor said. But I think still when you have players like that, that potentially are going to be available sooner than later, you re going to be patient. Even with the 10-day as a little bit more appealing alternative. Red Sox use 8-run inning to top Tepesch, Twins Associated Press May 6, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS Rick Porcello found himself in an unfamiliar situation Saturday: pitching with a lead. At last, the Red Sox scored a run 10 of them, in fact with Porcello on the mound, and the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner got to cruise all afternoon as Boston beat the Minnesota Twins Finally, we scored for him, manager John Farrell said. I think the first time in almost a month since he s been on the mound, which, that s pretty remarkable in its own right. After equaling his 2016 loss total in less than a month, Porcello pitched seven sharp innings and won his first start since opening day. Chris Young homered twice, Dustin Pedroia had a three-run double and Sandy Leon added a late solo shot for Boston, which began the day with the third-fewest RBIs in the American League. It was awesome, Porcello said. We exploded. The bats came alive there, obviously. C.Y. starting off with the home run and the offense just rolled from there. The Red Sox hadn t scored for Porcello (2-4) in his last four starts, negating an impressive stretch in which he posted a 1.83 ERA over three outings and tossed quality starts in five of six. This time, the right-hander gave up seven hits, struck out six and walked none. 12

13 Just try to keep the same mindset, regardless of what the score is, Porcello said. I m looking to get the same results either way. Robbie Grossman s homer off Porcello in the third accounted for Minnesota s only run. Boston took advantage of a costly Twins error and scored eight two-out runs in the second. Nick Tepesch (0-1) gave up seven runs six unearned in his first major league appearance since last June, and his second since the 2014 season. After Young s solo shot in the second, Tepesch was one out from escaping with a runner on when shortstop Jorge Polanco bobbled Josh Rutledge s routine grounder. Mookie Betts walked to load the bases for Pedroia, who followed with his double to left-center, and the Red Sox were well on their way to their most lopsided win of the season. I don t know if I ve ever seen two outs, two strikes, 0-2 count, nobody on base and then get eight runs, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. It s just one of those oddities of the game that when it goes against you it hurts a lot because you do think about what might have been. TONKIN CUT Twins reliever Michael Tonkin was designated for assignment after the game. He gave up Leon s homer in the ninth, and walked three batters. He s provided value along the way, and just encourage him to look at this as an opportunity even though there s a lot of frustration, I m sure, Molitor said. Catcher Chris Gimenez came on to get the final two outs of the inning for Minnesota. It was Gimenez s second pitching appearance this season. TWINS DEBUT Tepesch wasn t the only Minnesota pitcher making his debut. Drew Rucinski, who appeared in seven major league games with the Los Angeles Angels and joined the Twins as a minor league free agent, relieved Tepesch in the second and yielded an RBI single to Hanley Ramirez and a runscoring double to Mitch Moreland. Young added another solo shot in the fifth off Rucinski, but he otherwise did OK, lasting 3 1/3 innings while striking out five and walking one. TRAINER S ROOM Red Sox: LHP David Price could rejoin the rotation by the end of May provided he continues to feel good in his recovery from a strained left elbow. Farrell said Price s next simulated session scheduled for Tuesday could be his last. At that point, provided he continues to feel as he s doing, we look at a game after that, Farrell said. Farrell said OF Brock Holt (vertigo) was scheduled to be the DH for Triple-A Pawtucket, weather permitting. Twins: 2B Brian Dozier sat out after spraining his left ankle Friday night and said X-rays were negative. Molitor said Dozier was day to day and didn t expect him to play in Sunday s series finale. We ll see how the next couple days unfold and see if he can be ready after the off day, Molitor said. Molitor also said CF Byron Buxton was doing better and would take some swings after running into the outfield wall on Thursday. Buxton sat out Friday and didn t participate in any baseball activities but watched the game from the dugout. UP NEXT Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale (2-2) takes the mound for the first time since learning he won t be suspended for throwing behind Baltimore s Manny Machado on Tuesday night. Sale has pitched seven-plus innings with two or fewer earned runs allowed in six consecutive starts. Twins: RHP Ervin Santana (5-0) carries a 0.66 ERA into his seventh start of the season. He ll face Boston for the first time since May 26, 2014, when he allowed six runs in five innings. 13

14 Which players are off to the worst starts of 2017? David Schoenfield ESPN May 7, 2017 The following is an excerpt from the full article: Kyle Gibson, Minnesota Twins Gibson had a good year in 2015, but he's ultimately a bad combination of a guy who doesn't strike out enough batters and a guy who doesn't have elite command. Among pitchers with at least 100 innings in , he ranked 146 of 157 in strikeout percentage minus walk percentage. That has led to an unsightly 0-4, 8.20 start in six outings that includes six home runs in 26.1 innings. And two of his first five starts came against the hapless Royals offense. A loss to the A's in his sixth earned a demotion to Triple-A Rochester. Twins Designate Michael Tonkin For Assignment Matt Polishuk MLB Trade Rumors May 6, 2017 The Twins designated right-hander Michael Tonkin for assignment, Phil Miller of the Star Tribune reports (Twitter link). A corresponding move will be made before the Twins game with the Red Sox on Sunday. Tonkin has a 6.52 ERA, 11.2 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9 over 9 2/3 relief innings for Minnesota this season. While the lack of control is a new problem for Tonkin, he continued to struggle at keeping the ball in the park. Over the last three seasons, Tonkin has posted an ungainly 1.7 HR/9, or 20 homers allowed in just 104 2/3 innings of work. The 6 7 righty is able to miss bats with a fastball that averages 93.9mph, though his increased strikeout totals over the last two seasons have come at the cost of the home run ball and (especially this year) more walks. Originally a 30th-round pick for the Twins in the 2008, Tonkin has spent his entire career in Minnesota s organization, with a 4.47 ERA over 135 IP in the bigs and a 3.04 ERA over 444 2/3 IP in the minors. 14