Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Sunday, September 25, 2016 Tyler Duffey's strong outing, Miguel Sano's home run end Twins losing streak. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1 How's Joe Mauer as Twins season winds down? 'I feel terrible.' Star Tribune (Miller) p. 2 Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer calls strained quad root of the problem. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 3 Miguel Sano homer, glove lift Minnesota Twins to 3-2 win over Seattle. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 4 Homers hold up to back Duffey's strong outing. MLB.com (Bollinger and Johns) p. 5 Defensive whiz Buxton also impresses with bat. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 7 Polanco and Sano homer, Twins snap streak with win over Mariners. Associated Press p. 7 Pohlad: Payroll, success aren t correlated. Biz Journal (Halter) p. 8 Tyler Duffey's strong outing, Miguel Sano's home run end Twins losing streak Phil Miller Star Tribune September 25, 2016 Paul Molitor must feel like MacGyver these days, trying to win games with hairpins and paper clips. He lacks many of his most useful tools, and those he has often don t work like they should. Saturday night, the Twins were limited to three hits, none after the fourth inning; went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position; and extended their streak to 81 consecutive innings without scoring more than one run in any of them. Yet somehow, even with their most unpredictable starting pitcher on the mound, they pieced together a 3-2 victory over Seattle and effectively sabotaged the Mariners playoff chances. It feels good to win a game, Molitor said, and it s been a while: The victory ended their seven-game losing streak and staved off their 100th loss for at least one more day. Heck, they hadn t even held a lead in a week. Which is why the loss must have particularly galled the Mariners, who fell 2½ games behind Baltimore for the final AL playoff spot. Ariel Miranda gave up three runs over four innings, two of them on solo home runs by Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano, but the Seattle bullpen retired all 12 hitters it faced. The Twins even gift-wrapped the Mariners a threat in the ninth inning, when Sano booted a double-play grounder to third, putting runners on first and second with no outs. At that moment, when I missed the ball tried to catch and throw early I told Polanco I want another ball, Sano said of his error. To his relief, he got another one right away: Kyle Seager hit a high chopper that Sano jumped for, then turned a third-to-first DP, with first baseman Kennys Vargas digging his relay throw out of the dirt. Give [closer Brandon] Kintzler credit, Molitor said. He pounded the zone with that sinker, came back and got another ground ball, which was huge. Almost as big as the relief job by lefty Taylor Rogers, who struck out the side in the eighth inning despite facing a couple of righthanded pinch hitters. And as huge as the performance by Tyler Duffey, who earned his team-high ninth victory by limiting the Mariners to four hits over seven innings. Pitching it s amazing how it can change the complexion of the game, Molitor said. Duffey hung in there. He didn t have a changeup; he had to get by with two or three pitches.
It was enough. Duffey stranded Nelson Cruz after a leadoff double in the second, and stranded Mike Zunino on second after he reached base on a Polanco error. His only mistake came in the fourth inning on a 3-2 fastball to Cruz, with Robinson Cano aboard, that landed in the third deck in left-center. It was Cruz s 39th home run and an especially impressive one, measured by MLB s Statcast at 493 feet. But it didn t rattle the oftrattled Duffey. No, never, Duffey said. I was 3-2, I was going to throw a sinker, and he hit it. That s why he is who he is. I just tried to throw a fastball by him, but it didn t work out. Somehow it all worked out for the Twins, though, and especially Sano, who hit the go-ahead home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth inning and turned the rally-snuffing double play, all in front of Cano, his longtime friend and mentor. Only one thing left to fix about this night, for a change. I see [Sano] making eye contact [with Cano] over in that dugout quite a bit, Molitor joked. We re going to try to clean that up just a little. How's Joe Mauer as Twins season winds down? 'I feel terrible' Phil Miller Star Tribune September 24, 2016 Joe Mauer was signing autographs Saturday afternoon when he was asked how he feels. Great, he said reflexively. Just great. Hmm. There is considerable evidence to the contrary. OK, Joe, all informal pleasantries aside, how do you really feel? Well, I feel terrible, the Twins first baseman said bluntly. I ve been feeling terrible for a while. But the season s not over. No, it s not, and Mauer hopes to acknowledge that fact Sunday, in the Twins final home game of 2016. He has been hobbled for nearly six weeks by lingering pain in his right leg, but Mauer wants to be in the lineup for the Twins Target Field finale. It s important to me to finish this off. It hasn t been a very good year, but this is our job, Mauer said. You go out there and play the game, and when you get late in the season, you try to grind through it. Mauer s past few months have been ruined by the strained quads he suffered in Atlanta on Aug. 16, while scoring from first base on a double. He has been in and out of the lineup since then, has missed 16 games, and is enduring a terrible skid at the plate. He is hitless in his past 12 atbats his most recent hit, in fact, was his walk-off single against Cleveland on Sept. 10 and 2-for-29 (.069) in his past eight games. So it s no wonder he s looking forward to finishing the season next weekend. I m going to get some rest, for sure. My body needs the rest. Baseball doesn t give you much time to recover, Mauer said. He doesn t believe he needs surgery, but I m going to try to clean up the nicks that you acquire over the year and get right for next year. But first, he would like to play as many games as he can of the remaining seven. You just keep grinding, good or bad day, but you keep working at it, because that s how you make things better, he said. That s how you be a professional. Keep working hard, regardless of the standings or what anybody else thinks. We ve got some younger guys, and it s important that they learn that. Santana won t sit Mauer isn t the only veteran who wants to keep playing despite the Twins sorry record. Ervin Santana was given the option of shutting down for the season, but manager Paul Molitor said the 34-year-old righthander wants to make his final start, Wednesday at Kansas City. He wanted to pitch. My opinion is that it would be a little bit crazy to try to push him too far, so his pitch count may be reduced, Molitor said. But when adrenalin gets flowing, and you ve got a chance to do something we ll see how the game goes. Santana s season has been sabotaged by the team around him, at least according to the numbers. The righthander, who has two years remaining on his four-year contract that pays him $13.5 million per year, has been credited with only seven victories this year, tying his career low. He is the victim of some terrible luck, however; in his past seven starts, Santana has posted a 3.16 ERA but the Twins have lost six of the seven games. Santana s 17 quality starts are more than twice as many as any other current Twins starter this season. I told him, he s given us a chance to win many, many games, Molitor said. I m sure it s been a little bit frustrating. He s as good a pro as we 2
have around here. I don t see him complaining or whining. He deserved better. Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer calls strained quad root of the problem Mike Berardino Pioneer Press September 24, 2016 Sunday marks the Twins final home game of the year. Joe Mauer is still hopeful of playing in it. Because of a strained right quadriceps muscle, the Twins first baseman hasn t appeared in an official game at home since Sept. 10, when his 12th-inning single gave him just the second walk-off hit of his career. Mauer struck out in his only two trips Wednesday before the rains came. We ll see how today goes, Mauer said before Saturday s game against the Seattle Mariners. I come in here every day and try to get ready to get out there. I m just trying to prepare to get ready for a game. I m trying to be available from here on out. Hitting just.119 through 42 September at-bats, Mauer has seen his batting average sag to.263. That would be two points worse than his previous career low for a full season, set last year. I think he s game to try (playing Sunday), Twins manager Paul Molitor said. I ve kind of been the one that pulled back the reins over the past week in particular. Hopefully he has a good day, and maybe that could help. Why not shut things down and call it a year after 572 plate appearances and 133 games? There s always something to play for, Mauer said. I enjoy playing. That s the thing. It s been a little tough go for me here, but that s part of this job. You go out there and you play and you finish the year out. Obviously we re not where we d like to be, but you still got to go out there and play the games. That s just how I was taught. Mauer called his right quad the root of the problem, tracing it to a play in Atlanta in mid-august in which he had to race around the bases. I strained it pretty good, he said. It s just kind of been a battle with that ever since then. Obviously you start running differently and compensating for that, and that creates problems with other things. Everything is connected. Mauer, 33, was named co-american League player of the week on Aug. 8 along with rookie teammate Max Kepler, but even then his quads were starting to bark at him. Mauer s 11 homers are tied for third-most of his career, and his on-base percentage (.364) and slugging percentage (.391), while modest, are the best he s produced since a career-altering concussion in August 2013. I was feeling pretty good and doing pretty well, Mauer said. That night in Atlanta kind of got it pretty good. Asked how long his right quad will need to heal at season s end, Mauer laughed. That s a good question, he said. I think rest is what it needs. I ll get that here in another 10 days or whatever after we re done. Mauer did not indicate he had undergone additional tests on his legs or his back when asked directly about his lingering physical issues. ONE MORE FOR ERVIN After consulting with Ervin Santana, Molitor decided to give his staff ace one more start on Wednesday at Kansas City. He wanted to pitch, Molitor said. My opinion is it would be a little bit crazy to try to push him too far. How the game s going and how he s feeling might dictate that a little bit but it might be a little shorter outing than normal. With seven scoreless innings, Santana would lower his earned-run average to 3.24, matching the best mark of his 12-year career in the majors. That came in 2013, his only season with the Royals, when he went 9-10 in 32 starts. This would get Santana to 30 starts for the eighth time and likely would push him past 180 innings for the seventh time. Currently at 176 1/3 innings, Santana needs four more strikeouts for his sixth season of at least 150. 3
The adrenaline gets flowing, you got a chance to do something we ll see how the game goes, Molitor said. Stuck on seven wins for the second straight season with the Twins, Santana has received support of just 3.73 runs per nine innings. That is the second-worst support among 56 American League pitchers to work at least 120 innings. Only Toronto right-hander Marco Estrada (3.68) has received less run support. I told him that he s given us a chance to win many, many games, Molitor said. I m sure it s been a little frustrating. He s as good a pro as we have around here. He understands. He gets it. I don t see him complaining or whining. He deserved better. BRIEFLY Former Twins general manager Terry Ryan, who was fired on July 18, made an appearance at Twins instructional league in Fort Myers, Fla., on Saturday. He remains on the team s payroll through October and could remain on board as a consultant or special assistant, depending on who the Twins hire as their new president of baseball operations. Miguel Sano homer, glove lift Minnesota Twins to 3-2 win over Seattle Mike Berardino Pioneer Press September 24, 2016 As soon as he botched a potential double-play ball in Saturday s ninth inning, Miguel Sano looked to his left and told his boyhood friend, Jorge Polanco, he wanted another chance. That was a bad moment when I missed the ball, Sano said after a 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners at Target Field. It was my fault. I was so mad at myself that I made that error, I was just trying to get all three outs by myself. There would be no unassisted triple play for the Twins third baseman after his 18th error, but he did get his redemption. Rather than drop his first sacrifice bunt of the year, No. 5 hitter Kyle Seager hit a chopper to Sano. After racing over to tag third for the forceout, Sano threw a one-hop laser across the diamond that first baseman Kenny Vargas coolly picked off the dirt. When Adam Lind flied to left, Brandon Kintzler had his 15th save in 18 chances and the Twins (56-99) had postponed their 100th loss by at least another day. Only the 1982 Twins, losers of 102 games, have reached triple-digit defeats in Minnesota big-league history. It was just the sixth win in 64 tries this year when the Twins have scored three runs or fewer. Their last such win came exactly a fortnight earlier, when they clipped the Cleveland Indians 2-1 in 12 innings. Snapping a seven-game losing streak in which they scored a total of 10 runs, seven of them on solo homers, the Twins also played their quickest game of the season (2:06) by nine minutes. Rookie left-hander Taylor Rogers struck out the side in the eighth. Pitching, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. It s amazing how it can change the complexion of the game. Polanco hit a solo homer in the first, and Logan Schafer s run-scoring groundout plated Vargas after a leadoff walk in the second. Sano s leadoff homer in the fourth offered a quick reply to Nelson Cruz s game-tying, two-run blast off Tyler Duffey (9-11) in the top half of the inning. Statcast.com estimated Cruz s third-deck homer (his 39th) at 493 feet, second-longest in the majors this season. More important than answering Cruz, however, was Sano s chance to once again impress friend and mentor Robinson Cano. This was the ninth big-league game Sano has played against Cano s Mariners, dating to July 2015; the Twins are now 6-3 in those games. Sano has gone 11 for 31 (.355) with five homers, seven runs batted in, six walks and eight runs. He homered in all three games of a Twins road sweep in late May at Safeco Field. Friday he even whacked only the second triple of his career. 4
I think Miggy likes some of those things from playing against really good players that he s befriended, Molitor said. He likes big stages like New York. He looks forward to some of those things that a major league opportunity brings you. Molitor smiled, perhaps recalling the way Sano pointed toward the Mariners dugout as he rounded the bases on his 24th homer of the year and just his fourth over the past six weeks. I see him making eye contact over in their dugout quite a bit (on defense), which we re going to maybe try to clean up just a little, Molitor said. But he had a big home run and he made a big play after a misplay, which is good to see. I m sure he felt pretty good about that. Asked what it meant to play against his mentor, who helped recruit him to Jay-Z s Roc Nation Sports last offseason, Sano smiled. It s really fun to play with Cano, he said of the seven-time all-star who, at 33, is 10 years his senior. I ve known him for a long time and I ve been working with him in the Dominican. It s really fun to see Cano play defense and hit the ball and for me too. It s a big experience to be with Cano. How big? My mom and my father love Cano, he said. Me, too. When I was young, I saw Cano a lot of times playing baseball. Now I m here with him. Sano was making just his 10th start at third base since Aug. 4. This was his third error in that span, which include bouts of elbow and back soreness. Twins second baseman Brian Dozier went 0 for 4 and has now gone hitless in 15 straight at-bats since his 42nd homer in Game 1 of Thursday s doubleheader. Homers hold up to back Duffey's strong outing Rhett Bollinger and Greg Johns MLB.com September 24, 2016 MINNEAPOLIS -- Other than a prodigious blast by Nelson Cruz, right-hander Tyler Duffey shut down the Mariners for seven innings Saturday as the Twins snapped a seven-game losing streak and dented Seattle's Wild Card pursuits with a 3-2 victory at Target Field. Duffey held the Mariners to four hits and two runs, both coming on a Cruz blast projected at 493 feet by Statcast, the second-longest in the Majors this year. Duffey (9-11, 6.18 ERA) had been 0-3 with an 11.15 ERA his previous four starts, but he shut down the Mariners and helped stave off the Twins' 100th loss of the season as they improved to 56-99. "When you get ticked off enough, eventually you make an adjustment," said Duffey, who was pitching on nine days' rest. "I had some time in between starts to do so and I felt better. I just slowed down and found a good rhythm and kept from pulling off the ball to locate better." Seattle saw its seven-game road win streak end and fell to 81-73, 2 1/2 games back of Baltimore for the second American League Wild Card spot with eight games remaining. The Orioles beat Arizona, 6-1, while the Tigers lost 7-4 to the Royals as those two teams flip-flopped positions in front of the Mariners. The Mariners had runners on first and second with no outs in the top of the ninth after a single by Robinson Cano and an error on Twins third baseman Miguel Sano. But Sano made a leaping stop of a high chopper by Kyle Seager and turned that into a double play before Brandon Kintzler got Adam Lind to pop out for the final out in a game that lasted just two hours, six minutes. "I told [shortstop Jorge] Polanco I wanted another chance there to turn a double play to win the game," Sano said. "It was my fault when I missed the ball." The Mariners went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on a night they totaled just five hits. "We certainly need to score more than two runs," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "It just wasn't a real sharp night all around. Just not a lot going offensively. We obviously had some chances late, but just didn't get the big hit." Mariners lefty Ariel Miranda was pulled after just four innings and 52 pitches after giving up three runs on three hits, including solo blasts by 5
Polanco and Sano. Miranda came into the game with a chance to become just the 14th rookie since 1913 to go 5-0 in September, but he departed with a 3-2 deficit. The 27-year-old is now 5-2 with a 4.10 ERA since being acquired from the Orioles on July 31. "I felt fine. It just wasn't my night," said Miranda. "My secondary pitches were not very good. The breaking ball wasn't working, so I had to throw the fastball and that's when I got hit. My fastball command was a little up." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Polanco, Sano go deep: When the Twins swept the Mariners in late May, they hit eight homers in their three-game series and it was the long ball that again propelled them on Saturday. Polanco was the first to go deep, giving the Twins a 1-0 lead with a solo shot in the first for his third homer of the year. Sano broke a 2-2 tie with a go-ahead solo blast that stayed just fair down the left-field line. It was the 23rd homer of the year for Sano. "Offensively, not a huge night but we got a couple of homers," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "It was just enough. But it feels good to win a game." Monster mash: Cruz unloaded his second tape-measure shot in the past two days and this one truly was something to behold, a third-deck launch off a 92-mph full-count fastball from Duffey in the fourth inning. At 493 feet, it was second only to Giancarlo Stanton's 504-foot blast for the Marlins on Aug. 6 at Coors Field on Statcast 's longest-measured home runs this season. Cruz ripped a 454-footer the night before over the batter's eye in center. The 36-year-old slugger needs one more home run to reach 40 for three straight years. "I squared it up pretty good," Cruz said. "I wasn't expecting to go that measure. You never know with Statcast." Duffey's adjustments pay off: The Twins skipped Duffey's turn in the rotation to have him work on his mechanics and the plan worked, as he turned in one of his better outings, registering his first quality start since Aug. 13. Duffey was efficient, needing only 85 pitches to get through seven innings. "Duffey hung in there," Molitor said. "He didn't really have a changeup. He only threw two or three. But he got by with the two pitches. He had trouble with the curveball early, but it came around late. There were a couple moments of concern but he gathered himself and was able to get through seven." Nothing wrong with the 'pen: After Miranda was pulled, Mariners relievers Drew Storen, Evan Scribner and Tom Wilhelmsen combined for four perfect innings with six strikeouts. Storen shut down the Twins in order in the fifth and sixth with three whiffs, Scribner struck out two in the seventh and Wilhelmsen had one K in the eighth. Seattle's bullpen has a 1.80 ERA over 50 innings in its last 16 games. "MIranda was fine physically," Servais said. "We're kind of at the point in the season where you're getting a read on his stuff and at that point, we got the game tied, the first pitch it was untied [by Sano]. We got through that inning, we just felt we weren't in position to give up a whole lot more. Our bullpen did a nice job. They kept us right there and gave us a chance." QUOTABLE "They're all important. Tonight was important, tomorrow is important. The next day is important. That's just where we're at in the season. It's disappointing. We had a chance with Detroit losing to make up a little ground, but we'll show up tomorrow." Servais AFTER FURTHER REVIEW The Mariners successfully challenged a safe call on an infield single by Byron Buxton in the eighth. After a review, the call was overturned as replay showed third baseman Kyle Seager's throw just beat the speedy Buxton to the bag. WHAT'S NEXT Mariners: Taijuan Walker (6-11, 4.32 ERA) starts Sunday's 11:10 a.m. PT series finale and would love to replicate his lone previous outing in Target Field, when he threw a complete-game one-hitter -- the one hit being a home run -- with 11 strikeouts in a 6-1 victory last season. Twins: Left-hander Hector Santiago (12-9, 4.82 ERA) will take the mound for the Twins against the Mariners in the final game of the year at Target Field at 1:10 p.m. CT. After posting a 10.89 ERA in his first four starts with the Twins, Santiago has been much better his last five outings with a 3.26 ERA. 6
Defensive whiz Buxton also impresses with bat Rhett Bollinger MLB.com September 24, 2016 MINNEAPOLIS -- While Byron Buxton has continued to prove himself to be an elite defender in center field, as evidenced by his leaping catch to rob Nelson Cruz of a potential three-run homer on Friday, it's Buxton's offense this month that has the Twins excited about his future. Since being called up Sept. 1, Buxton is hitting.301/.354/.601 with seven homers, four doubles, a triple and 16 RBIs in 21 games entering Saturday. He's incorporated more of a leg kick to help with his timing, but said it's a renewed confidence in the batter's box that has helped him the most. "I think most of it is just the work I've put in the cages with the hitting coaches and going out there and just playing the game," Buxton said. "I'm not going up there thinking too much or pressing. I'm up there trying to be aggressive. I feel more confident and prepared in the box. I feel like that allows me to take that pressure off. I can just be myself." Buxton said getting sent down to the Minors on Aug. 8 allowed him to take a step back and stop putting so much pressure on himself to succeed. Buxton has had to deal with the hype of being a top prospect for years now, and said he's learned how to cope with that. "I was definitely pressing before I went down, thinking too much," Buxton said. "Going back down told me to stop worrying about stuff. Stop worrying about striking out, stop worrying about walks. Just go up there and be aggressive and be ready to hit." Twins manager Paul Molitor has liked what he's seen from Buxton, but said there's still room to improve, even on the defensive end. "Despite all the highlights, we're looking for little things he can do better like reads and jumps," Molitor said. "He has a tendency to go back on balls he needs to come up with. But he has the speed to recover. Wall comfortability isn't really an issue because he plays fearless. But last night, no question, to turn his back on the ball and get into position to make the catch is a huge part of his game." Worth noting Right-hander Ervin Santana told Molitor he wants to make one more start this season so he'll take the mound on Wednesday against the Royals. The Twins allowed the veteran to decide whether he wanted to make one more start or shut it down this year. He's easily been Minnesota's best starter this season, posting a 3.37 ERA in 29 outings. With left-hander Ariel Miranda on the mound for the Mariners, first baseman Joe Mauer was held out of the lineup yet again. But Molitor said Mauer is likely to play in the Target Field finale on Sunday against right-hander Taijuan Walker. Polanco and Sano homer, Twins snap streak with win over Mariners Associated Press September 24, 2016 MINNEAPOLIS -- Nelson Cruz's towering two-run home run seemed to give the Seattle Mariners the jolt they needed Saturday night, tying the score with the second-longest homer in the majors this season. Instead, Minnesota's own big slugger, Miguel Sano, responded with his own big swing and a big defensive play after an error in the ninth inning to keep Seattle's struggling offense down and deal a blow to the Mariners' wild-card hopes. Sano hit a tiebreaking homer in the fourth inning and Tyler Duffey pitched seven strong innings for his best start in more than a month as the Twins beat Seattle 3-2 on Saturday night. "They hit a big homer there," Sano said. "But I want the team win every day, and not a loss." Sano's 24th homer followed Cruz's tying shot in the top of the fourth. Cruz's homer reached the third deck in left field for what was estimated by MLB's Statcast as 493 feet, the second-longest home run in the majors this season behind a 504-foot strike by Miami's Giancarlo Stanton in Colorado's Coors Field. "I've hit a few over there but they haven't measured that far," Cruz said. "You never know with Statcast, you never know how far it's going to go 7
until they say." Duffey (9-11) gave up the two runs and four hits while striking out four Seattle hitters. It's just the third win by a Minnesota starter since Sept. 3. "Pitching, it's amazing how it can change the complexion of the game," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. Jorge Polanco also had a solo home run for the Twins, who snapped a seven-game losing streak. The Mariners threatened in the ninth against Brandon Kintzler when Robinson Cano singled and Cruz reached on an error by Sano. But Kyle Seager's hard grounder was snared by Sano, who stepped on third and threw to first for a double play. Adam Lind flied out to end the game and give Kintzler his 15th save in 18 chances. "Bad moment that I miss the ball, try to catch and throw early," Sano said. "I told Polanco, 'I want another ball.' Caught and make double play, finish the game there. This is the situation. My fault when I miss the ball, need to keep going." Ariel Miranda (5-2) lost for the first time in five starts this month, lasting four innings and giving up three runs and three hits. Seattle fell 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild card. "They're all important," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "Tonight was important, tomorrow's important, the next one's important. It's just where we are in the season." The Mariners have struggled offensively even while winning 11 of their previous 15 games. They've scored two runs or fewer in six of their past eight games. The Twins have been in a similar stretch. Polanco's third home run of the season in the first gave the team its first lead since last Saturday at the New York Mets. DUFFEY'S ADJUSTMENT Duffey had allowed at least five earned runs in three of his past five starts, and the right-hander had his most recent start skipped due to an off day. He said he made an adjustment between starts. "Like I told (Molitor) when I came out, 'You get pissed off enough, you eventually make an adjustment,'" Duffey said, later adding: "Just slowing down. I finally found a good rhythm to keep me composed, to keep from pulling off the ball. I located a lot better today." TRAINER'S ROOM Twins: 1B Joe Mauer was out of the lineup for the fourth straight game as he deals with sore quadriceps. Manager Paul Molitor said he would see how Mauer felt on Sunday to see if he could be in the lineup for the final home game of the season. UP NEXT Mariners RHP Taijuan Walker (6-11, 4.32 ERA) starts against Santiago (12-9, 4.82). Walker gave up five runs in 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the Twins earlier this season. Santiago was 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts against the Mariners this season with the Los Angeles Angels. But Santiago has a 6.20 ERA in nine starts for Minnesota after being acquired in a trade. Pohlad: Payroll, success aren t correlated Nick Halter Biz Journal September 24, 2016 Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlad defended his team against criticism that it doesn t spend enough money on payroll. There is definitely a group of fans that correlate payroll to success. I don t believe that s the case, Pohlad said at the Sport Business Journal s AXS Sports Facilities & Franchises Conference, which was held in Minneapolis this week. The Twins opening day payroll was $104.6 million in 2016, ranking 18th of 30 MLB teams. 8
Payroll is going to vary based on the team you have and how old they are, Pohlad said, according to the Sports Business Daily. We won t necessarily be at $200 million, and I don t think we d fall below $70 million. But it does shift based on the talent you have. Despite Pohlad's skepticism, this year certainly makes it look like there's something to the payroll-breeds-success idea. If the MLB season ended today, six of the eight teams with the highest payrolls would make the playoffs. A seventh, the New York Yankees, are just three games out of the wild card. Meanwhile, the seven teams with the lowest payrolls will likely miss the post-season this year. Of course, the Twins made the playoffs several times in the 2000s with some of the lowest payrolls in baseball. That won t be the case this year, as the Twins are 55-98 and on pace to break the franchise record for most losses in a season. 9