Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Thursday, June 21, 2018

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1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Thursday, June 21, 2018 Kepler's HR off Price the difference in Twins' win. MLB.com (Denney) p. 1 Buxton's toe feeling good in rehab games. MLB.com (Bollinger) p.2 Max Kepler's two-run homer sparks Twins over Red Sox. Star Tribune (Neal) p.3 Twins' Eduardo Escobar helps usher in new era of players with pint-sized pop. Star Tribune (Reusse) p.4 Twins' Eddie Rosario, Eduardo Escobar should be All-Stars. Star Tribune (Hartman) p.5 Twins give reliever Addison Reed time to regroup. Star Tribune (Neal) p.6 Two down, one to go for Twins to sweep Red Sox. Star Tribune (Neal) p.7 Wednesday's Twins-Boston game recap. Star Tribune (Neal) p.8 Mauer gets day off against Price. Buxton healthier. Lineups posted. Star Tribune (Neal) p.8 Max Kepler homer leads Twins to 4-1 win over Red Sox. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 9 No hard feelings for Joe Mauer after first multi-plunking of his career. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p.11 Lynn, Twins bullpen combine to stifle Sox. Fox Sports North (AP) p.12 Kepler, Grossman homer to help Twins beat Red Sox 4-1. ESPN (AP) p.13 Which Twins player would you most want to see sign a contract extension? ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p.14 Zulgad: Twins decision not to extend Brian Dozier looks like a wise one. ESPN 1500 (Zulgad) p.16 Go figure: Twins offense is showing signs of life against the top teams. The Athletic (Hayes) p.17 Kepler's HR off Price the difference in Twins' win Jarrid Denney MLB.com June 20, 2018 MINNEAPOLIS -- Throughout the course of his career, David Price's changeup has been one of the more effective weapons in the five-time All- Star's arsenal. On Wednesday, Max Kepler jumped all over the pitch for a go-ahead two-run homer and helped push the Twins to a 4-1 win over Price and the Red Sox at Target Field. Kepler turned on Price's 1-2 changeup in the bottom of the fourth and sent it a projected 384 feet, per Statcast, into the right-field bleachers to give Minnesota a 3-1 lead it would not surrender. It was Kepler's first long ball since May 25 and his eighth of the season With his starting right fielder hitting just.137 and slugging.157 in June entering Tuesday, Twins manager Paul Molitor gave Kepler a day off. The 25-year-old responded in a big way 24 hours later. "[Kepler] has been getting after it pretty aggressively in his batting practice just trying to make some adjustments," Molitor said. "We all saw him pushing the ball out to left field a little too frequently when we know he can turn on balls. I think he's been trying to get that aggressive mindset back. You get a little passive at times, and next thing you know you're hitting behind in the count all the time. I think he's good when he's aggressive. I think he's got a good eye, but you want to see that mentality of ready to hit." That homer marked the rare instance that Price's changeup has been hit hard this year. Entering Wednesday, opposing batters were hitting just.246 with a.263 slugging percentage and just one extra-base hit off the pitch this season. The last homer off Price's changeup came from Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez on June 8, "[Price] loves going inside with the two-seam on lefties," Kepler said. "I just had a feeling. I rolled over on the first two and he was going to come back in there. So I kept my hands in, did some damage." Robbie Grossman, who was in the leadoff spot while Joe Mauer received a scheduled rest day, got the Twins' offense going early when he homered to left-center in the first inning. It was Grossman's first homer of his career while batting out of the leadoff spot.

2 The pair of homers gave Minnesota starter Lance Lynn all the offensive support he needed. Boston put runners in scoring position against Lynn in all five of his innings, but the righty worked out of numerous jams. The Red Sox tallied their lone run of the game off Lynn when Mitch Moreland led off the second inning with a walk and later scored on a Logan Morrison throwing error. In the fourth, the Red Sox threatened again when Moreland knocked a leadoff single and Rafael Devers followed with a walk. But Lynn got Brock Holt to roll into a double play and then struck out Christian Vazquez to diffuse the threat. "Command was really not there," Lynn said. "But I was able to make pitches with runners in scoring position and not give up a bunch of runs. With this offense we have, you keep them to one run, we're going to win the games more times than not. I was able to make pitches even though I got myself in some jams with some walks. Big pitches, and when I needed to, getting ground balls and getting out of it." Taylor Rogers, Addison Reed and Trevor Hildenberger each tossed a scoreless inning in relief of Lynn before Fernando Rodney worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save. Reed's appearance was his first since June 13. With its victory, Minnesota clinched a series win over the Red Sox. That marks the second straight series that it has won against a top team in the American League, as the Twins took two of three against the Indians over the weekend. YOU GOTTA SEE THIS In the top of the eighth, Kepler made a full-extension diving catch to rob J.D. Martinez of a hit for the second out of the inning. Kepler needed to go 57 feet in 3.4 seconds in order to make the play, making it a five-star catch, per Statcast. With a 4 percent catch probability, it was the lowest-probability catch by a Twins player in Second-base umpire Scott Barry initially ruled that Kepler trapped the ball, but the Minnesota right fielder immediately jumped up and contested the call. The Twins challenged, and after a brief replay review, the call was overturned and ruled a catch. UP NEXT The Twins will close out their three-game set with the Red Sox at 12:10 p.m. CT on Thursday aiming to complete the sweep. Kyle Gibson will get the start for the Twins looking to notch his second consecutive win and third of the season. He will face off with Boston righty Rick Porcello, who is 6-3 with a 3.24 ERA in 12 career starts at Target Field. Buxton's toe feeling good in rehab games Rhett Bollinger MLB.com June 20, 2018 MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins center fielder Byron Buxton has been making good progress with his fractured left toe while on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester, manager Paul Molitor said Wednesday. Buxton, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list for a second time with the injury on May 30, has played in two games with the Red Wings, going 1-for-7 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base. "The good news is that we know the foot seems to be in a good place and we haven't said that for about seven weeks or so," Molitor said. "Last night, he played and went hitless. Today, they had an afternoon game. He went 1-for-3 with a walk. I didn't get a chance to look at the video yet from his at-bats. But he's playing and he is going to keep going out there. And the good news is that, physically, he's able to do some of the things he needs to do to get back on track." The Twins would like to see Buxton get going offensively before he's activated from the DL. Buxton is hitting.156/.183/.200 with no homers and four doubles in 28 games with the Twins this season. He worked on improving his mechanics at the plate last week while joining the Twins on their road trip through Detroit and Cleveland. Buxton can be on a rehab assignment for a maximum of 20 days. Worth noting Twins right-hander Ervin Santana, who is recovering from surgery on his right middle finger in February, threw a 35-pitch bullpen session without any issues on Tuesday. He'll progress to throwing live batting practice on Friday before starting a second rehab assignment. He suffered a setback in late May, but his finger has been responding better and he remains a few weeks away from returning. "The side went well yesterday, for the most part," Molitor said. "You know, there are still some things we're trying to figure out how to do a little better. He was comfortable yesterday with his grips and all his pitches. Sometimes getting to the grip and making it as natural as you can and do 2

3 all the things you're comfortable with, they're kind of the smaller details. As long as he can throw the pitches the way he wants to." Third baseman Miguel Sano played in his second game with Class A Advanced Fort Myers on Wednesday, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk in his first game on Monday. Sano will continue to see action with the Miracle while also working on his conditioning at the club's Spring Training complex. Max Kepler's two-run homer sparks Twins over Red Sox La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune June 21, 2018 Max Kepler s play was up for debate Wednesday night. Which was more important in the Twins 4-1 victory over Boston the home run he hit to put the Twins ahead for good, or his diving catch in the eighth that kept Boston s offense from igniting? Man, manager Paul Molitor said. I ll take defense. I hate to say it. For Kepler, it was his sweet swing that lifted a David Price pitch into the right field stands for a two-homer and a 3-1 lead the Twins never relinquished. Whatever wins the ballgame, Kepler said. So I guess, yeah... runs. At least Kepler provided options on Wednesday. His work at the plate and in the field gives the Twins a chance to sweep the three-game series with one more win on Thursday. The Twins have held the Red Sox to three runs over the two games. And Boston is 2-for-22 with runners in scoring position in the series. In the last week, the Twins have won games started by Cy Young winners in Price and Corey Kluber and another against front-line starter Chris Sale. That seems to belie their record. But they have won four of their past five games. The strides Kepler made at the plate earlier in the season have been hard to see lately. The hits to the opposite field dried up. The plucky at-bats against lefthanded pitchers had dwindled. Kepler was skidding, going 4-for-32 over his previous 10 games and homerless since May 25. Molitor said he kept Kepler out of the lineup on Tuesday to let him clear his mind. Kepler then busted both slumps on Wednesday. The score was tied 1-1 in the fourth the Twins run coming on Robbie Grossman s leadoff home run when Kepler got a fastball from Price and pounced for his first home run in 88 plate appearances. He loves going inside with the two-seam on lefties, Kepler said. I just had a feeling. I rolled over on the first two and he was going to come back in there. So I kept my hands in. Did some damage. Twins righthander Lance Lynn left after five innings, holding Boston to an unearned run. But he also went to three-ball counts eight times, walking five. That put the game in the hands of the bullpen, and it responded by retiring 12 of the final 13 Red Sox batters it faced. Taylor Rogers, Addison Reed and Trevor Hildenberger each pitched scoreless innings before Fernando Rodney threw a perfect ninth inning for his 16th save of the season. So Lynn was able to even his record at 5-5 while lowering his ERA to Kepler helped the cause in the eight inning when he closed on J.D. Martinez s sinking liner to make a diving catch although it wasn t ruled a catch initially. Martinez slid into second base as Kepler motioned that he made the grab. Well, I looked to the umpire and immediately he was like, I didn t see it. I didn t see it. My bad, Kepler said. The replay review took just 38 seconds to rule that it was a catch, and the announced crowd of 33,153 the largest crowd at Target Field since Opening Day roared its approval. Brian Dozier added an RBI double in the bottom of the eighth his second double of the game to add on to Kepler s work. 3

4 Overall, a good game for him, Molitor said of Kepler. You take the homer and you take the catch. Escobar comes up clutch, lifts Twins over Sox Patrick Reusse Star Tribune June 21, 2018 Jimmy Wynn was 25 and in the midst of a 1967 season when he would hit 37 home runs and drive in 107 runs. This was extra impressive, with Wynn playing his home games in the spacious Astrodome with the Houston Astros. John Wilson, writing for the Houston Chronicle, started referring to Wynn as the Toy Cannon that summer. Legend has it, Wynn initially thought the moniker was a belittlement of his stature (5-9, 160 pounds), but soon was convinced it was praise for amazing power in a small frame. The legend of Wynn has been chronicled often in Houston in recent seasons, as Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has become the ultimate weapon in a baseball machine. He s listed at 5-6 and 168, although the height is liberal and the weight is conservative. A half-century after Toy Cannon became a nickname of lore, there are undersized hitters doing amazing things in this age of super-velocity for pitchers. There were dramatic examples of this at Target Field on Wednesday night, with Eduardo Escobar batting third for the Twins and Mookie Betts leading off for Boston. Escobar is listed at 5-10 and Betts at 5-9. It s a better guess that both are 5-8. Escobar has joined Eddie Rosario in attempting to carry an otherwise impotent Twins lineup. Betts served a 10-day stay on the disabled list and yet is Mike Trout s main rival as the American League s MVP to this point. Eduardo has an astounding 32 doubles, and a total of 46 extra-base hits and 48 RBI. Mookie is batting.340 with 55 runs scored, 18 home runs and 38 RBI. Terry Ryan was watching as a scout for Philadelphia. He was the Twins general manager and made the trade on July 28, 2012, that sent lefthander Francisco Liriano to the White Sox for pitcher Pedro Hernandez and Escobar, then 23 and serving as a lightly used utility infielder in Chicago. A reporter offered this smart-aleck aside to Ryan on Wednesday: This is what everyone expected Escobar would become when the trade was made, right? Ryan smiled and said: Call your guy in Chicago. He said Escobar would be more than a utility infielder that he would become an everyday player. The Chicago guy was Billy Milos, a Twins scout then and today. Milos was home Wednesday after watching a game in Chicago. That s awesome that he said that, but Terry made that trade, Milos said. All I said was that Escobar was a good-looking player; that he was a utility player then but could develop into more than that. No one I mean no one could see Eduardo as the hitter he is today. He swung hard even as a backup infielder. I m sure he was told by some people to cut down on his swing, but he kept swinging hard and now we re seeing the results. Eduardo s always been driven. You could see that back in Chicago, how much he wanted to play and to get better. Roy Smalley is very informative on hitting in his role as an FSN analyst for Twins games. In a conversation Wednesday, Smalley said: Escobar s leg drive into the ball is as good as there is. He s been perfect mechanically, getting all that torque to his left side. And all these guys Eskie, Mookie, Altuve might be small in height, but they are rocks in strength. Dustin Pedroia was the first of this generation s mighty mites, winning the MVP in his second full season as Boston s second baseman in He is 5-8 tops, and has been running into injury problems lately in what was looking like a Hall of Fame career. There have been suggestions that in this age of constant, 97-mile-per-hour fastballs that players of smaller stature can benefit from a naturally quicker stroke. Smalley was a 6-2 switch hitter, and buys the theory to a degree. If I m taller and have to extend my arms farther to get to the ball, it might be more difficult to be on time, Smalley said. That hitting display Escobar put on Tuesday: going down to his shoes to hit a breaking ball from Chris Sale for a double, and then turning around 98 [mph] from Joe 4

5 Kelly for another double. He s getting there awful quick and with great drive. Hitting with power is all about extension. And if there s less movement required with your arms to get the big end of the bat to the ball efficiently, that can be an advantage, I d guess. Whatever the reason, baseball in 2018 has become a Land of Well-Fit Toys. Twins' Eddie Rosario, Eduardo Escobar should be All-Stars Sid Hartman Star Tribune June 21, 2018 The Twins might have the 11th-best record in the American League, but there is no doubt the team should have two representatives at the All-Star Game in Washington on July 17th. Eddie Rosario and Eduardo Escobar have not only kept this team alive in the American League Central, but have been one of the best duos in all of baseball. Tuesday night was no different. Rosario scored the go-ahead run against Red Sox starter Chris Sale on a Escobar double in the sixth inning that also drove in Ryan LaMarre. Escobar came to the plate against in a key moment in the eighth and doubled to center to score LaMarre and Joe Mauer as the Twins retook a 4-2 lead and held on for a 6-2 victory against one of the best pitchers in baseball. Coming into this season, Rosario had hit.277 and averaged 17 home runs, 23 doubles, 53 RBI and 64 runs scored per season. Escobar had hit.253 for his career while averaging seven home runs, 15 doubles, 32 RBI and 34 runs scored per game. Heading into Wednesday night s against Boston at Target Field, Rosario was hitting.316 with 16 homers, 20 doubles, 46 RBI and 51 runs scored. Escobar was hitting.305 with 12 homers, 32 doubles, 48 RBI and 35 runs scored. They have been on a tear as the Twins have won three of their past four games. Rosario was hitting.412 in that stretch with two doubles, two homers, three RBI and seven runs scored, while Escobar was hitting.533 with six doubles, six RBI and three runs scored. The fact that Rosario and Escobar have become the leaders of this team shows how hard it can be to project which players will become stars in baseball and how general managers have to get a little lucky. Minor expectations Rosario came to the Twins in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB draft out of Rafael Lopez Landron High School in Puerto Rico, when the Twins had Bill Smith as their general manager. Escobar came to the Twins in July 2012 in a trade with the White Sox that sent lefthander Francisco Liriano to an AL Central rival in a deal crafted by Terry Ryan, who had returned to the GM spot after Smith left. Yeah, [Rosario] was a draft choice, said Smith, because players from Puerto Rico are American citizens and thus draft eligible. Liriano was, I think, going to be a free agent and so we were looking to get some young players. Escobar was one of those guys. Terry was that guy [who made the trade]. Smith is now assistant to the president of Minor League Baseball, Pat O Conner, after serving 31 years in the Twins organization including his final six years as an assistant to Ryan and team President Dave St. Peter. Ryan, after being fired in July of 2016, has refused to comment on the current club, which he and Smith helped build. The Escobar trade was mostly built around receiving lefthander Pedro Hernandez, who pitched in 14 games for the Twins in Escobar had played 45 games in the major leagues at the time of the trade, hitting.213. Ryan said this about him at the time: He s a switch hitter who can run. He s got tremendous energy. He s strong enough. He can play shortstop. He can play second. He doesn t really profile at third offensively, but he can play there. Defensively you wouldn t have any problem with any of the three. When the Twins selected Rosario, the pre-draft profile on him read like this: He also comes with good upside and while he s not a high-ceiling power hitter, he has enough of a ceiling to think he s going to be dangerous with the bat, which gives him value. 5

6 Still, neither Ryan s projection of Escobar nor Rosario s profile hinted at the type of careers they are building, especially the seasons they are having in Smith also mentioned another Twins staffer who was instrumental in assembling the current roster. You know the guy who was important with [Miguel] Sano and [Jorge] Polanco and [Max] Kepler was Mike Radcliff. He oversaw all of the international players at that time. Radcliff is now the Twins vice president of player personnel. All-Star numbers Manager Paul Molitor was asked if he thought he would see this kind of production from Escobar and Rosario coming out of spring training. Escobar, we ve seen him get hot at times, but it was hard to envision exactly how he was going to fit, Molitor said. With some of the injuries, he has gotten a chance to play, and [because of] Polanco s suspension. He just hasn t missed a beat. Rosario, we saw him put together a pretty nice offensive season last year, and we were all looking for a little more consistency. He has developed into one of the American League s better offensive players. Molitor also talked about the influence batting coach James Rowson has had with Escobar and Rosario since joining the team in I think the big thing James did coming in last year was build trust with these guys, Molitor said. He gave them all plans on what they needed to do in terms of daily maintenance and preparation. I think he instills a lot of confidence. Jottings J.B. Bickerstaff, the former Gophers player and Timberwolves assistant coach, was retained as coach of the Memphis Grizzlies in May after serving as interim coach last season following the firing of David Fizdale, who is now head coach of the Knicks. Bickerstaff recently announced that former Gophers teammate Kevin Burleson has been named an assistant coach involved with player development. Burleson had been an assistant last season with the Iowa Wolves, the Timberwolves G-League affiliate. Eden Prairie football coach Mike Grant continues to produce great players. The latest mentioned as a potential prep standout is athlete Justice Sullivan of the Class of The 6-2, 205-pound Sullivan already has impressed coaches at Gophers camps and has interest from Iowa State, along with several other Division I programs. It will be fun to compare Minnesota and Wisconsin 2019 quarterback recruits. The Gophers signed Jacob Clark of Rockwell, Texas, the No. 24- ranked pro-style quarterback in the country. The Badgers got a commitment from Graham Mertz, the No. 7-ranked pro-style quarterback in the country from Mission (Kan.) Blue Valley North. According to 247Sports, the Gophers currently have the No. 19-ranked Class of 2019 in the country with 18 recruits and a score, while the Badgers are ranked No. 20 with 12 recruits and a score of Twins give reliever Addison Reed time to regroup La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune June 21, 2018 Addison Reed was nearly unhittable the first few weeks of his Twins career, but recent outings have been vastly different. After landing in a seven-game rut during which he gave up seven earned runs over 6⅔ innings and three of the six homers he has given up this season Twins manager Paul Molitor decided to pump the breaks with his key setup man. I think he s getting a little antsy to pitch, Molitor said, and I m looking for a chance to get him in there. Reed got his chance with a scoreless seventh inning Wednesday night, giving up a two-out single to Mookie Betts in only his second appearance since June 10. The reduced workload gave him a chance to catch his breath and regroup. Reed has lamented pitches that he s left over the plate after rough outings. We re kind of trying to reset him a little bit, Molitor said. He has gone through a tough stretch of games. Sometimes, I think, you have to make a little adjustment on how you are using a guy and get him back on track. 6

7 Ryan Pressly and Trevor Hildenberger have been used in late-inning situations while Reed, with a 3.67 ERA, will be eased back into those spots. Molitor had Reed warming up for the eighth inning Tuesday in case Boston sent a pinch hitter to the plate, but stuck with lefthander Zach Duke. Mauer on the bench Molitor planned to alternate Joe Mauer and Logan Morrison against Boston s double bubble of lefthanded trouble in Chris Sale and David Price. Mauer, batting.216 in his career against Price, was on the bench Wednesday while Morrison started at first base. The move had nothing to do with the two times Mauer was hit by pitches Wednesday, including once on the hand by Sale. He s good to go, Molitor said. He s available. With the hand, it hit him in the meaty back of the hand, which is good. It deflected off the face but he s doing well. Sano, Buxton both play Miguel Sano went 0-for-4 with a strikeout Wednesday for Class A Fort Myers in a 5-1 loss to Tampa. Sano has played in two of three games since arriving at Fort Myers to work on his swing and fitness. Byron Buxton was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base on Wednesday for Class AAA Rochester in a 2-0 victory against Syracuse. Molitor is encouraged that Buxton is no longer having problems with a left toe that was fractured on April 22. Buxton can focus on the offensive side of the game with no limitations. He s playing and he is going to keep going out there, Molitor said. And the good news is that, physically, he s able to do some of the things he needs to do to get back on track. Lefthander Adalberto Mejia threw seven shutout innings in the game, walking one and striking out eight on his 25th birthday. Esky pesky One thing that is getting overlooked amid Eduardo Escobar s doubles spree is that he entered Wednesday second in the AL with a.422 batting average with runners in scoring position. That is significant for a team that has had trouble scoring consistently. You look, there s a lot of analytics in the game and I monitor those guys who are doing well in those situations, Molitor said. He s been up there and Mauer [.333] has too. Rosie [Eddie Rosario] has been better this year. So yeah, you need those guys, whether it is two outs or less than two outs, you get enough opportunities, the guys with numbers at the top end, that s why their run production is where it is at. Two down, one to go for Twins to sweep Red Sox La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune June 20, 2018 This weird Twins team will face the Red Sox on Thursday afternoon with a chance to sweep them in a three game series. They also swept Boston at Target Field in 2006 and It's a weird team because it can battle a Corey Kluber, Chris Sale and David Price and win but are four games under.500 and 5.5 games in back of Cleveland in the AL Central. They can be tough to play at times and perplexing to watch at others. But what games like Thursday's do is keep the Twins believing they can get hot and make things interesting. Especially after the run of starters they have faced. Yeah, after the game when you acknowledge who s on the mound," outfielder Max Kepler said. "I feel like we go into games and we re kind of blind to who s on the mound and we grind together, which is awesome about this team. You can t be hitting. You can be hot, cold. You can be throwing gems or blowing gems, it doesn't t change the aspect on each other s perspective on the teammates in this room. We just go out there and give it our all. Twins manager Paul Molitor joked that it's the Blaine Hardys and the Shane Biebers of baseball that are giving them the most trouble. They have 7

8 won games started by some accomplished pitchers, but now they have to - as Molitor says - get greedy. They will be taken more seriously if they can put their throat on the Red Sox on Thursday, score some runs of another good pitcher in Rick Porcello, and take the series. Robbie Grossman (.308), Logan Morrison (.294) and Bobby Wilson (.364) are among Twins players who have had success against Porcello. "We ve got another (big game) tomorrow to finish out the series, and we need to start finishing out series," Twins righthander Lance Lynn said. "So far we ve won two in a row and it would be nice to have a sweep tomorrow. It s a good team over there and we ve just got to come in ready to play tomorrow." Wednesday's Twins-Boston game recap La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune June 20, 2018 IMPACT PLAYER Max Kepler, Twins His two-run homer in the fourth inning gave the Twins the lead for good, and he also made a diving catch of a sinking J.D. Martinez liner in the eighth. BY THE NUMBERS 8 Times Lance Lynn pitched his way into three-ball counts. 38 Seconds it took replay officials to overturn the ruling that Kepler did not catch Martinez s eighth-inning liner. 89 Plate appearances between home runs by Kepler. ON DECK Kyle Gibson is 1-2 with a 3.08 ERA in four career starts vs. the Red Sox. He will try to beat a Cy Young Award winner for the second start in a row, this time Rick Porcello. Mauer gets day off against Price. Buxton healthier. Lineups posted La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune June 20, 2018 Joe Mauer (manager's decision) is out of the lineup tonight. Molitor said he planned to alternate him and Logan Morrison through the Sale-Price portion of the series. With tomorrow a day game against a righthander, Mauer will be ready to rock. And Morrison will likely join him in the lineup. Mauer was hit by pitches twice yesterday, including on that struck the back of his right hand. But Molitor said it caught the meaty part of the hand and is not a concern. Buxton toe much better Byron Buxton grounded out, walked (then stole second), got an RBI on an infield single and struck out in four plate appearances Wednesday afternoon for Class AAA Rochester during a rehabilitation assigment. Molitor sounded relieved that the hairline fracture Buxton suffered on April 22 is no longer causting him pain, so he can work on fixing his swing. "The good news is that we know the foot seems to be in a good place and we haven't said that for about seven weeks or so," Molitor said. "Last night he played and went hitless. Today, they had an afternoon game. He went 1-for-3 with a walk. I didn't get a chance to look at the video yet from his at bats. But he's playing and he is going to keep going out there. And the good news is that, physically, he's able to do some of the things he needs to do to get back on track." Esky pesky with RISP One thing that is getting overlooked admist Eduardo Escobar's doubles spree is that he entered Wednesday second in the American League with a 8

9 .422 batting average with runners in scoring position. That is significant for a team that has had trouble consistently scoring runs. "You look, there s a lot of analytics in the game and I monitor those guys who are doing well in those situations," Molitor said. "He s been up there and Mauer (.333) has too. Rosie s (.324) been better this year. So year, you need those guys, whether it is two outs or less than two outs, you get enough opportunites, the guys with numbers at the top end, that's why their run production is where it is at." Helloooo, Nunie Red Sox infielder Eduardo Nunez is back in familiar surroundings. He's returned to a place where he came into his own as a player, earning a spot on the 2016 All-Star team. A place where his helmet flew off so much as he ran the bases that the joke was that he purposely wore a oversized one to make it look like he was running fast. His lid popped off again on Tuesday as he grounded out in the eighth inning, his first game at Target Field since the Twins dealt him to San Francisco during the 2016 season. Same old Nunie. "I enjoyed my time here, every game I played here," Nunez said. "The fans were unbelievable. I always say it was one of my best times, in Minnesota." Nunez was dealt to the Twins before the 2014 season from the Yankees in exchange for righthander Miguel Sulbaran. He hit.280 in 235 games with the Twins before he was sent to the Giants for lefthander Aldaberto Mejia. The Giants sent him to the Red Sox at the trade deadline last year, and he hit.321 for Boston before suffering a sprained right knee late in the second half and re-aggravating it twice. So far he has not found his hitting stroke, batting just 247 in 64 games while posting a minus-10 defensive runs saved. And his WAR is minus- 1.1, which is below replacement player level. But he feels the more he distances himself from his knee troubles, he'll regain the form that made him a spark plug for Boston late last season. His legs are an important part of his game - he stole 40 bases in and I think his knee has limited him defensively. Nunez, a free agent last season, wouldn't even work out for Boston until mid-january to give his knee as much time as possible to recover. "My knee feels better. My knee is getting stronger," Nunez said. "My swing is getting better. Everything is going to be fine." When asked if he's been compensating for his knee, he said. "For sure, for sure." Solving Price Another day, another tough lefty. Boston's David Price has lost just once to the Twins in seven games since late in the 2014 season. He's 6-0, 2.64 over his last seven starts this season. So he will offer the Twins another tough test. Or, the Twins can follow last night's script and have Lance Lynn keep the game close until Eduardo Escobar hit a couple of doubles and saves the day. Twins hitters haven't fared well against Price. Escobar?.200. Brian Dozier has hit two home runs off of him but is a.222 career hitter against him. Joe Mauer?.216. LoMo?.133. Eddie Rosario is batting but 3-for-6 is a small sample size. Robbie Grossman will lead off for the Twins, with Dozier batting cleanup and Morrison hitting fifth. Mauer isn't in the starting lineup. Max Kepler homer leads Twins to 4-1 win over Red Sox Mike Berardino Pioneer Press June 20, 2018 Max Kepler knows how to pick his prey. The same goes for the Twins, who have defeated Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Chris Sale and David Price over their past five games. 9

10 It s those Hardys and Biebers Twins manager Paul Molitor said with a chuckle after Wednesday s 4-1 win over the powerhouse Boston Red Sox. Homering for the first time since May 25 in Seattle, where he connected off Mariners ace left-hander James Paxton, Kepler drove an 87-mph offering from David Price out to right field for a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the fourth inning. He loves going inside with the two-seam on lefties, Kepler said. I just had a feeling. I rolled over on the first two, and he was going to come back in there. So I kept my hands in and did some damage. Thanks to a strong showing by the Twins bullpen, which handled the final 12 outs on one hit, the Red Sox have lost back-to-back games to the same opponent for the seventh time this year. Among the other clubs to do that to the 49-win outfit so far: the Mariners, Astros, Yankees, Rays and A s (twice). Fernando Rodney finished up for his 14th straight save conversion. It s after the game when you acknowledge who s on the mound, Kepler said. I feel like we go into games and we re kind of blind to who s on the mound and we grind together, which is awesome about this team. Kepler s past five homers have come against lefties, including Boone Logan (May 18), Jose Alvarez (May 10) and Ryan Yarbrough (April 20). Kepler had gone 78 at-bats without a homer, and he came in hitting.158 and slugging.224 over his previous 21 games (87 plate appearances). Since May 1, Kepler had seen his average plummet by 75 points as he hit.181 in a span of 174 plate appearances. A.209 batting average on balls in play was evidence of Kepler s poor luck during that swoon. He s been getting after it pretty aggressively in his batting practice, just trying to make some adjustments, Molitor said. We all saw him pushing the ball out to left field a little too frequently when we know he can turn on balls. I think he s been trying to get that aggressive mindset back. I think he s good when he s aggressive. Kepler added a diving catch in the gap to rob J.D. Martinez of extra bases in the eighth. That one required a replay review to overturn the initial call of a trapped ball and prompted Molitor to rate it as perhaps Kepler s finest catch since his arrival in Price (8-5) hadn t lost in seven weeks before running into the enigmatic Twins. He hadn t lost to them since September 2014, when he was with the Detroit Tigers, and had gone 9-1 over his past 12 starts against them, dating to August 2012 as a member of the Rays. He proved a tough-luck loser this time as he allowed a maximum of three earned runs for the 11th time in his past 13 tries against the Twins. Kepler lined out in his other two looks at Price, including a mph laser to shortstop in the second. His homer on a 1-2 count actually carried a slightly lower exit velocity (100.3 mph). Robbie Grossman crushed a Price cutter 400 feet into the bullpen to open the first. Brian Dozier tacked on an insurance run in the eighth with his second double of the night; he hadn t doubled since June 2 and was hitting.068 over his past 13 games. Despite issuing five or more walks for the fifth time in 14 starts, Twins right-hander Lance Lynn (5-5) managed to handle five innings while lowering his earned-run average for the sixth straight start. It s now down to 4.64 after sitting at 7.47 on May 16. Lynn has posted a 1.73 ERA with 32 strikeouts and just one homer allowed in his past 36 1/3 innings. His 46 walks, however, again lead the American League. The only run off Lynn was unearned in the second, when Logan Morrison made a diving stop of Jackie Bradley Jr. s smash only to make a headhigh flip that ticked off Lynn s glove at first. That marked the first unearned run off Lynn this year as the Twins entered tied for the third-fewest (15) in the AL. Lynn gave up just three hits, got nine outs on the ground and held the Red Sox hitless in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position. They are 2 for 22 (.091) in the clutch so far this series after entering third-best in the majors (.278). 10

11 No hard feelings for Joe Mauer after first multi-plunking of his career Mike Berardino Pioneer Press June 20, 2018 Twins first baseman Joe Mauer was not in Wednesday s lineup against Boston Red Sox left-hander David Price, but that had nothing to do with getting hit by pitch twice the night before. Little sore today, but it s all good, Mauer said. It means you get on base twice. That s a good thing, but you don t want to take it on the jaw unless you have to. With the Twins trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning Tuesday, Mauer squared to bunt with a man on and nobody out against Boston Red Sox lefty Chris Sale. Unable to elude a 95-mph fastball that deflected off his right wrist/hand area and bounced off his jaw, Mauer tossed his bat away in apparent disgust. That wasn t because he was annoyed with Sale. Nobody likes to get hit, Mauer said. It just got a little away from him. Their game plan is to throw me inside, and I think that one just got away, just like it did later, too (in the eighth against lefty Robby Scott). They re trying to pound me in to get me out away. Scott brushed Mauer s torso with an 88-mph sinker That one felt a little better, Mauer said to mark the first time in 1,773 big-league games that Mauer had been plunked twice. Among active players with 7,000 or more plate appearances, only Jose Reyes (11) has been hit by pitch less often than Mauer (25 times). Mauer bunted for three hits last season but is still looking for his first bunt hit of With young third baseman Rafael Devers playing well off the line in the sixth, Mauer liked his chances. All I had to do was put barrel on it, and we ve got first and second, nobody out, he said. That type of situation, at that point in the game, it seemed like a good play. Mauer, who was available off the bench, has 26 career bunt hits but just seven since the start of CORA CONNECTION When Jose Berrios tipped his cap to the appreciative home crowd at Target Field as he walked off Tuesday, it was actually his second such gesture on the evening. The first came as he took the mound in the first, when he acknowledged first-year Red Sox manager Alex Cora and Red Sox coach Ramon Vazquez. At the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Cora served as general manager of Team Puerto Rico, for which Berrios pitched so effectively in a runner-up tournament finish. We are Puerto Rican, Berrios said after tossing 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball. He s a good guy, a good friend, a good coach. He always wants to help us, but (Tuesday) night we were competing. It s different, but it s fun for me to play against a Puerto Rican. I tried to beat them. Berrios, who also pitched for Puerto Rico at age 18 in the 2013 WBC, credits Cora with helping him handle his emotions on the international stage. He s a smart guy and he knows the major leagues, Berrios said of Cora, who spent 14 seasons ( ) as a utility infielder. During the WBC in 2017, he talked to us a lot and gave us a lot of advice, especially a lot of mental advice. That helped me a lot. REED PLAN Deposed setup man Addison Reed, who made three postseason appearances for the Red Sox last October, was warming up for a possible pinchhitter in the eighth inning Tuesday but sat down after the Twins took the lead with a four-run rally. In the meantime, setup chances will rotate through a group that includes right-handers Trevor Hildenberger and Ryan Pressly as well as lefties Zach Duke and Taylor Rogers. There s no question that while we get Reed back to where we want Reed to be, I think he s getting a little antsy to pitch, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. I m looking for a chance to get him in there. 11

12 Entering Wednesday, Reed had made a single two-out appearance since June 10. BRIEFLY Byron Buxton (fractured toe) served as the DH at Triple-A Rochester for a second straight day. After going 0 for 4 on Tuesday, he singled in three at-bats on Wednesday with a walk and just his second stolen base since fouling a ball off his foot on April 22. Lynn, Twins bullpen combine to stifle Sox Associated Press Fox Sports North June 20, 2018 MINNEAPOLIS Facing a run of starting pitching that included two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Chris Sale and David Price, the Minnesota Twins could have seen their fledgling playoff hopes fade toward another long summer. Instead, Minnesota s been rejuvenated by beating some of the best pitching in the American League. Robbie Grossman and Max Kepler homered to back an effective start by Lance Lynn as the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 on Wednesday night. Grossman led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run and Kepler added a two-run shot off Boston starter David Price (8-5). Brian Dozier added a pair of doubles to help Minnesota win for the fourth time in five games. The Twins beat Kluber and Carrasco in taking two of three games at Cleveland before returning home and winning the first two games against the Red Sox with Sale and Price starting. Yeah, after the game when you acknowledge who s on the mound, Kepler said when asked if Minnesota can take something away from beating the recent competition. I feel like we go into games and we re kind of blind to who s on the mound and we grind together, which is awesome about this team. Lynn (5-5) again struggled with command, issuing five walks, but he surrendered just one unearned run and three hits in five innings. Four relievers combined for four scoreless innings, retiring 12 of the final 13 batters, with Fernando Rodney securing his 16th save in 19 chances. If you can find a way to battle every at-bat, wait for something to break, try to build pitch-count when you can, and if you re holding them down as our starting pitching has been doing, you know you ve got a chance late, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. The Red Sox were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and are 2 for 22 in the first two games of the series. They ve stranded 18 baserunners in the two games and lost for the fourth time in five games. Pitching-wise, we ve been great, Boston manager Alex Cora said. I ll take that. If we keep throwing the ball the way we ve been throwing we re going to win a lot of ballgames. We know the offense, you know how it is. Lynn has had an uncharacteristic wild season in his first year with the Twins. He walked at least five batters for the fifth time in 14 starts. But the veteran right-hander has limited the damage and allowed less than three runs in five of his last six starts. Command was really not there, Lynn said. But I was able to make pitches with runners in scoring position and not give up a bunch of runs. With this offense we have, you keep them to one run, we re going to win the games more times than not. Boston s lone run scored in the second as Lynn couldn t catch first baseman Logan Morrison s high throw to first for the final out of the inning, allowing Mitch Moreland to score from second base on an error charged to Morrison. We ve been through stuff like this in the past, even this year early on, Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts said of the offense. The pitching has been doing great. It s up to us now to come through. 12

13 PAYING THE PRICE Price was hurt by the home run but allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk. He had given up just one home run in his previous five starts and seven total in 14 starts this season coming into Wednesday. Not so much that he could hit it like he did, but to keep it fair, that s pretty impressive, Price said of Kepler s home run. SHOWING SIGNS Dozier had just one extra-base hit in his previous 13 games while hitting.068. His double off the left-field wall in the eighth plated Eddie Rosario. Kepler hit his first home run in 22 games and the fifth of his eight this season against left-handed pitching. Kepler was hitting.158 over his previous 21 games with just four RBIs. TRAINER S ROOM Red Sox: LHP Drew Pomeranz is getting closer to having his first throwing session since he went on the 10-day disabled list on June 5 for left biceps tendonitis. Cora said Pomeranz was dealing with soreness in his neck but has recovered. Twins: Molitor said OF Byron Buxton s first rehab game in Triple-A on Tuesday went well and that his left foot with the broken toe is in a good place and we haven t said that for about seven weeks or so. There is no timetable for Buxton s return. UP NEXT Red Sox: RHP Rick Porcello (8-3, 3.70 ERA) will start the series and road trip finale on Thursday afternoon. Porcello pitched six innings and gave up four runs in a no-decision at Seattle in his last start. Twins: RHP Kyle Gibson (2-4, 3.27) counters for Minnesota. Gibson has allowed five total runs over his last four starts, spanning 26 2/3 innings. Kepler, Grossman homer to help Twins beat Red Sox 4-1 Associated Press ESPN June 20, 2018 MINNEAPOLIS -- Facing a run of starting pitching that included two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Chris Sale and David Price, the Minnesota Twins could have seen their fledgling playoff hopes fade toward another long summer. Instead, Minnesota's been rejuvenated by beating some of the best pitching in the American League. Robbie Grossman and Max Kepler homered to back an effective start by Lance Lynn as the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 on Wednesday night. Grossman led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run and Kepler added a two-run shot off Boston starter David Price (8-5). Brian Dozier added a pair of doubles to help Minnesota win for the fourth time in five games. The Twins beat Kluber and Carrasco in taking two of three games at Cleveland before returning home and winning the first two games against the Red Sox with Sale and Price starting. "Yeah, after the game when you acknowledge who's on the mound," Kepler said when asked if Minnesota can take something away from beating the recent competition. "I feel like we go into games and we're kind of blind to who's on the mound and we grind together, which is awesome about this team." Lynn (5-5) again struggled with command, issuing five walks, but he surrendered just one unearned run and three hits in five innings. Four relievers combined for four scoreless innings, retiring 12 of the final 13 batters, with Fernando Rodney securing his 16th save in 19 chances. "If you can find a way to battle every at-bat, wait for something to break, try to build pitch-count when you can, and if you're holding them down 13

14 as our starting pitching has been doing, you know you've got a chance late," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. The Red Sox were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and are 2 for 22 in the first two games of the series. They've stranded 18 baserunners in the two games and lost for the fourth time in five games. "Pitching-wise, we've been great," Boston manager Alex Cora said. "I'll take that. If we keep throwing the ball the way we've been throwing we're going to win a lot of ballgames. We know the offense, you know how it is." Lynn has had an uncharacteristic wild season in his first year with the Twins. He walked at least five batters for the fifth time in 14 starts. But the veteran right-hander has limited the damage and allowed less than three runs in five of his last six starts. "Command was really not there," Lynn said. "But I was able to make pitches with runners in scoring position and not give up a bunch of runs. With this offense we have, you keep them to one run, we're going to win the games more times than not." Boston's lone run scored in the second as Lynn couldn't catch first baseman Logan Morrison's high throw to first for the final out of the inning, allowing Mitch Moreland to score from second base on an error charged to Morrison. "We've been through stuff like this in the past, even this year early on," Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts said of the offense. "The pitching has been doing great. It's up to us now to come through." PAYING THE PRICE Price was hurt by the home run but allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk. He had given up just one home run in his previous five starts and seven total in 14 starts this season coming into Wednesday. "Not so much that he could hit it like he did, but to keep it fair, that's pretty impressive," Price said of Kepler's home run. SHOWING SIGNS Dozier had just one extra-base hit in his previous 13 games while hitting.068. His double off the left-field wall in the eighth plated Eddie Rosario. Kepler hit his first home run in 22 games and the fifth of his eight this season against left-handed pitching. Kepler was hitting.158 over his previous 21 games with just four RBI. TRAINER'S ROOM Red Sox: LHP Drew Pomeranz is getting closer to having his first throwing session since he went on the 10-day disabled list on June 5 for left biceps tendonitis. Cora said Pomeranz was dealing with soreness in his neck but has recovered. Twins: Molitor said OF Byron Buxton's first rehab game in Triple-A on Tuesday went well and that his left foot with the broken toe is "in a good place and we haven't said that for about seven weeks or so." There is no timetable for Buxton's return. UP NEXT Red Sox: RHP Rick Porcello (8-3, 3.70 ERA) will start the series and road trip finale on Thursday afternoon. Porcello pitched six innings and gave up four runs in a no-decision at Seattle in his last start. Twins: RHP Kyle Gibson (2-4, 3.27) counters for Minnesota. Gibson has allowed five total runs over his last four starts, spanning 26 2/3 innings Which Twins player would you most want to see sign a contract extension? Derek Wetmore ESPN 1500 June 20, 2018 The Twins have a couple players performing at the height of their powers right now. The two guys once billed as their top prospects are playing in the minor leagues, including Miguel Sano s extended detour to Single-A Fort Myers. It s been a weird year in Minnesota. 14