Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Tuesday, July 01, 2014 Astros' Leak Offers Cautionary Tale. Star Tribune

Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Tuesday, July 01, 2014

➢ Astros’ leak offers cautionary tale. Star Tribune (Miller) pg. 1 ➢ Postgame: The losses look alike. Star Tribune (Miller) pg. 2 ➢ Former Twins pitcher Bobby Castillo dies at age 59. Associated Press pg. 3 ➢ Recap: Kansas City 6, Twins 1. Star Tribune (Miller) pg. 3 ➢ Twins restore Plouffe, Nunez to roster. Star Tribune (Miller) pg. 4 ➢ Final All-Star starting spot in AL outfield down to wire. Star Tribune pg. 5 ➢ Twins’ bats still in silent mode as Royals take series opener. Pioneer Press (Greder) pg. 8 ➢ Twins: Plouffe, Nunez back and in the lineup. Pioneer Press (Greder) pg. 8 ➢ Twins; Gardenhire expects Parmelee back in center. Pioneer Press (Greder) pg. 9 ➢ Honoring Minnesota’s long-gone Negro League players. Pioneer Press (Rosario) pg. 9 ➢ Twins’ offensive struggles continue vs. Royals. MLB.com (Bollinger) pg. 11 ➢ Last chance for All-Star Game home cooking. MLB.com (Bollinger) pg. 12 ➢ Twins activate Plouffe, Nunez; Florimon down. MLB.com (Bollinger) pg. 13 ➢ Santana reports good progress with knee. MLB.com (Bollinger) pg. 14 ➢ Shields, Nolasco seek redemption in division matchup. MLB.com (Popely) pg. 14 ➢ Dodgers mourn loss of ’81 club’s Castillo at 59. MLB.com (Gurnick) pg. 16 ➢ Twins activate PLouffe, Nunez from DL, option Polanco and Florimon. 1500 ESPN (Wetmore) pg. 16 ➢ Ryan says Astros’ leaked trade talks won’t change the way he operates. 1500 EPSN (Wetmore) pg. 17 ➢ Twins collect 9 hits but have little to show for it in loss to Royals. Associated Press pg. 18 ➢ 5 thoughts on Astros leak, linebackers in outfield, Dozier. 1500 ESPN (Wetmore) pg. 19

Astros’ leak offers cautionary tale

Phil Miller / Star Tribune – 7/1/14

Terry Ryan received word Monday that the Houston Astros’ internal communications regarding possible trades had been leaked, or their database hacked, and published on the Internet. And he was thankful, he said, to learn no contact with the Twins had been included.

“There are some people whose feelings are going to be hurt today after they read their names,” Ryan said. “I’ve certainly talked to the Houston Astros about various things, but I guess I went unscathed in this one.”

Still, Ryan said, it was a reminder that some information needs to be kept confidential. “There’s nothing worse than having somebody out there telling people what you’re doing,” he said. “It’s certainly not advantageous for what I’m trying to accomplish.”

General managers are in relatively frequent contact, Ryan said, by e-mail, phone calls, or text messages — the latter more so than ever these days. “A lot of us are traveling, and it’s easy just to reach for your phone and text somebody,” he said. “It’s handy, but it’s also a little dangerous, if people get ahold of your passwords. It’s dangerous when you get too many people involved who don’t really have a vested interest.” The Twins have discussed communications security internally, he said, but Ryan doubted that the team’s systems or procedures will change because of the Astros’ situation.

Remembering Castillo

Bobby Castillo specialized in throwing the screwball during his three seasons with the Twins, and that was appropriate.

“I’m not going to say that pitch described his personality, but maybe a portion of it,” Tim Laudner, who caught 39 of Castillo’s 77 games with the Twins from 1982 to ’84, said of his former teammate. “He always had this look on his face like, ‘I’ve got something that nobody else has, and you know I’m going to get you out with it.’ So he kind of carried that smirk with him.”

Castillo, who went 38-40 during a nine-year major league career, died of cancer Monday in Los Angeles. He was 59.

“That’s so sad. It makes me sad to hear that, because he was always such a happy guy,” Laudner said of the righthander known as “Bobo.” He was 13-11 for the Twins in 1982, a career high in victories, after being acquired that January in a trade.

Castillo, who appeared in the 1981 World Series with the Dodgers, was credited with teaching Fernando Valenzuela his favorite pitch. “He was a really good competitor. He always had a smile on his face,” Laudner said. “I know I enjoyed catching him.”

Etc.

• Trevor Plouffe (rib) was in the starting lineup Monday along with Eduardo Nunez (hamstring) after both were activated from the disabled list. The two infielders replaced Pedro Florimon, sent back to Class AAA Rochester, and Jorge Polanco, who was returned to Class A Fort Myers after going 2-for-5 in his first four major league games.

• Shortstop Danny Santana’s bruised knee isn’t serious, Ryan said, and he should return once his 15-day DL stint expires July 11. In the meantime, manager Ron Gardenhire said, Chris Parmelee might get a few more starts in center field, where he has two appearances as a professional.

• Trevor May’s calf injury, which has him on the seven-day disabled list at Class AAA Rochester, might actually be “a blessing,” Ryan said, because it gives the righthanded starter a break from the midseason grind. Ryan said he expects May to recover in plenty of time to pitch in the Futures Game at Target Field on July 13.

Postgame: The losses look alike

Phil Miller / Star Tribune – 7/1/14

Three more thoughts after a desultory night at the ballpark:

DEJA VU, IN A BAD WAY: I know that beat writers tend to think that all games start to look alike after awhile, but tonight's game was simply a carbon copy of the six that came before it. The Twins' Anaehim-Texas road trip was like the movie Groundhog Day -- every day, the Twins would give up a couple of runs in the first inning or two to fall behind, then just go silent as though the game was over. Sunday was an exception, when the Twins actually did put together a game-winning rally, but even it was of the same pattern. Seven straight games now, the Twins have fallen behind early. And in all seven, the Twins have scored in no more than two innings themselves.

(I thought coming home might shake the Twins out of it, as it did last week after a dreadful, shutout-filled stay in Boston. But maybe that had more to do with their opponent last week, the White Sox, than hitting in Target Field again.)

This statistic sums up what's been going on: The Twins rank third in the AL in left on base, with 606. That's usually a good news/bad news sort of statistic, because you've got to put runners on base to leave them there. But the Twins rank ninth -- ninth! (after being in the top three during April) -- in on-base percentage, meaning they're wasting a far greater fraction of chances than most teams. I guess a .193 average with runners in scoring position over the past seven games is a pretty good indicator of that.

WALK DON'T RUN? HOW TRUE: Speaking of on-base percentage, there's not much of a mystery about what happened to the Twins' offense. After showing incredible (and in some cases, uncharacteristic) patience early in the season, the Twins are walking far less. They drew five or more walks in 14 different games in April, but did it just six times in May and six in June. They coaxed 123 walks in April all together, but just two-thirds that many in May (81) and June (88). And as a result, look at the runs they scored: 131 in April, 92 in May (despite playing five more games) and 113 in June. I know pitchers tend to throw more strikes when the weather gets warm, but the Twins sorely miss all those extra baserunners.

5 O'CLOCK POWER: OK, on to something a little lighter. Ron Gardenhire was asked before the game who he would like to see invited to the Home Run Derby next month. Giancarlo Stanton? Yasiel Puig? Justin Morneau? Nope, the Twins manager had a darkhorse candidate. "One guy I would put in there with anybody is [Oswaldo] Arcia," Gardenhire said. "He's absolutely murdered baseballs in this ballpark during [batting practice]. 'd love to see him go to this contest -- I know where he hits the ball."

Former Twins pitcher Bobby Castillo dies at age 59

Associated Press – 6/30/14

LOS ANGELES — Bobby Castillo, a former Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher credited with teaching Fernando Valenzuela how to throw a screwball, died Monday in a Los Angeles hospital after a battle with cancer, the team announced. He was 59.

Castillo, also affectionately known as "Babo," pitched for the Dodgers from 1977-81, including in the 1981 National League Championship Series and the 1981 World Series, and in 1985, his last season in the majors. The righthander was with the Twins from 1982 to 1984, compiling a 23-24 record with a 3.98 ERA.

Valenzuela called Castillo a great teammate and friend in a statement released through the Dodgers, adding: "I'll always be grateful for his influence on my pitching."

Castillo made his major league debut for the Dodgers on Sept. 19, 1977, retiring Hall of Famer Johnny Bench for his first big league out.

Funeral services are pending.

Recap: Kansas City 6, Twins 1

Phil Miller / Star Tribune – 6/30/14

Alcides Escobar, Royals

The shortstop hit a pair of two-run doubles, both with two outs, to carry the Kansas City offense.

BY THE NUMBERS

606 Runners left on base by the Twins, third-most in the AL despite an OBP that ranks ninth.

10 Consecutive games with a hit by Chris Parmelee, who is batting .460 during the streak.

UP NEXT 3

The Twins face Kansas City’s leading winner, righthander James Shields, with Ricky Nolasco going against him.

Twins restore Plouffe, Nunez to roster

Phil Miller / Star Tribune – 6/30/14

Infielders Trevor Plouffe and Eduardo Nunez have both checked out healthy and been restored to the Twins' active roster, the team announced Monday. Both are in the starting lineup for tonight's game with the Kansas City Royals, the first game of a seven-game homestand. Plouffe and Nunez were both injured in a game in Detroit on June 14, Plouffe suffering a bruised rib and Nunez a strained hamstring. Nunez played four games at Class AA New Britain to rehab his injury, going 4-for-10, while Plouffe did not require a rehab stint. The two veterans replace shortstop Pedro Florimon, optioned back to Class AAA Rochester after going 0-for-11 in four games since being called up, and infielder Jorge Polanco, who was returned to Class A Fort Myers. Polanco, the first Twins player to make his major-league debut before his 21st birthday since Joe Mauer in 2004, was 2-for-5 in four games with the Twins. "It's good to have them back," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Hopefully they'll be able to help us get it going again at the plate." Here are the lineups for tonight's game, with the Twins facing tough K.C. lefty Danny Duffy, who has lost his last two starts despite allowing only three runs over 13 innings:

ROYALS

Cain RF Hosmer 1B Butler DH Gordon LF Perez C Infante 2B Moustakas 3B Escobar SS Dyson CF

Duffy LHP

TWINS

Dozier 2B Suzuki C Mauer 1B Willingham LF Morales DH Plouffe 3B Parmelee RF Nunez SS Fuld CF

Pino RHP

Plouffe and Nunez were both injured in a game in Detroit on June 14, Plouffe suffering a bruised rib and Nunez a strained hamstring. Nunez played four games at Class AA New Britain to rehab his injury, going 4-for-10, while Plouffe did not require a rehab stint.

The two veterans replace shortstop Pedro Florimon, optioned back to Class AAA Rochester after going 0-for-11 in four games since being called up, and infielder Jorge Polanco, who was returned to Class A Fort Myers. Polanco, the first Twins player to make his major-league debut before his 21st birthday since Joe Mauer in 2004, was 2-for-5 in four games with the Twins.

"It's good to have them back," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Hopefully they'll be able to help us get it going again at the plate."

Here are the lineups for tonight's game, with the Twins facing tough K.C. lefty Danny Duffy, who has lost his last two starts despite allowing only three runs over 13 innings:

ROYALS

Cain RF Hosmer 1B Butler DH Gordon LF Perez C Infante 2B Moustakas 3B Escobar SS Dyson CF

Duffy LHP

TWINS

Dozier 2B Suzuki C Mauer 1B Willingham LF Morales DH Plouffe 3B Parmelee RF Nunez SS Fuld CF

Pino RHP

Final All-Star starting spot in AL outfield down to wire

Star Tribune – 7/1/14

With only days remaining in All-Star Game voting, Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes will try to hang on to his narrow grasp on a starting spot in the American League lineup.

Last year’s Home Run Derby champion was in third place among outfielders when the final update of AL fan votes was provided by Major League Baseball on Monday. But with 1,941,553 votes, Cespedes was barely 12,000 votes ahead of Toronto’s Melky Cabrera.

Voting closes Thursday night, and the rosters, both starters and reserves, for the July 15 game at Target Field will be revealed at 6 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.

No other race is nearly as close as Cespedes-Cabrera. Next closest is catcher, but leader Matt Wieters is out for the season because of injury. Oakland’s Derek Norris trailed the Baltimore catcher by less than 200,000 votes.

Retiring Yankees captain Derek Jeter was about 600,000 votes ahead of Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox to start at shortstop.

The top two outfielders in the AL, Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista and the Angels’ Mike Trout, are the only two players in the league with at least 4 million votes.

AL ALL-STAR VOTE LEADERS

CATCHER

1. Matt Wieters, Orioles: 2,103,385

2. Derek Norris, Athletics: 1,924,049

3. Brian McCann, Yankees: 1,624,214

4. Kurt Suzuki, Twins: 1,025,717

5. A.J. Pierzynski, Red Sox: 925,996

FIRST BASE

1. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 3,323,380

2. Jose Abreu, White Sox: 1,801,592

3. Chris Davis, Orioles: 1,292,412

4. Albert Pujols, Angels: 1,190,751

5. Mark Teixeira, Yankees: 877,468

SECOND BASE

1. Robinson Cano, Mariners: 2,474,924

2. Ian Kinsler, Tigers: 1,603,185

3. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 1,477,800

4. Jose Altuve, Astros: 1,312,805

5. Brian Dozier, Twins: 994,447

THIRD BASE

1. Josh Donaldson, Athletics: 2,943,332

2. Adrian Beltre, Rangers: 1,730,748

3. Evan Longoria, Rays: 1,457,752

4. Manny Machado, Orioles: 1,409,804

5. Brett Lawrie, Blue Jays: 865,684

SHORTSTOP

1. Derek Jeter, Yankees: 2,924,686

2. Alexei Ramirez, White Sox: 2,325,527

3. J.J. Hardy, Orioles: 1,534,547

4. Jose Reyes, Blue Jays: 1,008,063

5. Jed Lowrie, Athletics: 732,766

OUTFIELD

1. Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: 4,460,245

2. Mike Trout, Angels: 4,085,647

3. Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics: 1,941,553

4. Melky Cabrera, Blue Jays: 1,929,506

5. Adam Jones, Orioles: 1,853,268

6. Michael Brantley, Indians: 1,630,452

7. Jacoby Ellsbury, Yankees: 1,501,306

8. Nick Markakis, Orioles: 1,382,329

9. Carlos Beltran, Yankees: 1,292,920

10. Torii Hunter, Tigers: 1,167,642

11. Coco Crisp, Athletics: 911,522

12. Brett Gardner, Yankees: 908,921

13. Josh Hamilton, Angels: 860,919

14. Alex Rios, Rangers: 838,404

15. Shin-Soo Choo, Rangers: 764,340

DESIGNATED HITTER

1. Nelson Cruz, Orioles: 2,944,267

2. David Ortiz, Red Sox: 1,948,211

3. Victor Martinez, Tigers: 1,822,927

4. Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays: 1,590,498

5. Brandon Moss, Athletics: 949,009

Twins’ bats still in silent mode as Royals take series opener

Andy Greder / Pioneer Press – 6/30/14

Searching for some home cooking after a 1-5 road trip, the Twins returned to Target Field and found more meekness on the menu Monday night. The Twins went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position and were done in by Alcides Escobar, Kansas City's No. 8 hitter. Escobar drove in four runs to lead the Royals past the Twins 6-1 in the opener of a three-game series. The Twins (37-44) were trying to build on the one bright spot in a bad road trip, Sunday's 3-2 win over Texas. Instead, a Minnesota team that averaged 3.2 runs in six games against the Rangers and Los Angeles Angels got just one RBI, from No. 8 hitter Eduardo Nunez. "I don't know if it's pressing," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I just know we aren't getting enough big hits right now. We aren't putting any runs on the board and that's putting a lot of pressure on our pitchers to be really good." Twins starter Yohan Pino got in an early hole by giving up a two-run double to Escobar off the wall in right field in the second inning. It scored Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas. "It didn't look like he was going to have much," Gardenhire said of Pino. "He hung in there pretty good and made better pitches as it went along." In the fourth, Omar Infante delivered an RBI single to score Alex Gordon and extend the lead to 3-0. The Twins got one back in the fifth when Nunez, who returned to the lineup after a rehab assignment, hit an RBI single to left. Scoring was Chris Parmelee, whose one-out double extended his hitting streak to 10 games in which he starts. The shrunken margin immediately grew again as Pino gave a run back in the sixth. Perez deposited Pino's 2-1 pitch near the potted plants in left center for a solo home run. Pino didn't make it out of the sixth and finished his outing with four earned runs and seven hits allowed in 5 2/3 innings, with three strikeouts and one walk. It was an improvement on his three-inning outing June 25 against the Angels, but a far cry from his two-run, seven-inning major league debut June 19 against the Chicago White Sox. The Twins started the sixth inning with a Kurt Suzuki single and a Joe Mauer walk, but Josh Willingham, Kendrys Morales and Trevor Plouffe failed to drive either of them home. The Twins gave themselves a nearly identical chance with two on and none out in the seventh after singles by Parmelee and Nunez. Oswaldo Arcia, coming off a 4-for-18 road trip, pinch hit and flied out to second baseman Infante. Brian Dozier followed with a flyout and Suzuki grounded out to kill the threat. In the eighth inning, Dozier was charged with two throwing errors. His first came on a running toss to Mauer in the dirt at first. Dozier's second error came when he threw over Mauer's head. Dozier had five errors in 79-plus games before that eighth inning. Escobar made the errors costly with a two-run double to left-center field to extend the lead to 6-1.

Twins: Plouffe, Nunez back and in the lineup

Andy Greder / Pioneer Press – 6/30/14

The Twins brought back two regulars Monday afternoon and plugged them into the starting lineup for the evening's opener of a three-game series against Kansas City. Back from the disabled list are third baseman Trevor Plouffe (ribs) and utility player Eduardo Nunez (hamstring). 8

"Hopefully they will bring some enthusiasm to our offense," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, whose team went 4 for 21 with runners in scoring position while losing two of three at Texas over the weekend. To make room on the active roster, the Twins optioned infielders Pedro Florimon to Class AAA Rochester and Jorge Polanco to Class A Fort Myers. Plouffe missed the past 14 games after straining his midsection June 14 in Detroit. He was batting .241 with five home runs and 38 RBIs in 64 games before the injury. Asked whether Plouffe can help immediately, Gardenhire said, "It's a timing thing. He hasn't seen live pitching in two weeks." Nunez went 4 for 10 with three walks and a triple in four rehab games with the Class AA New Britain. Nunez, acquired from the Yankees April 7, has played third base, shortstop and both corner outfield spots, batting .290, with 11 RBIs in 25 games. Florimon went 0 for 11 in eight games during his recent run with the Twins. Polanco, 20, went 2 for 5 in his major league debut Thursday at Anaheim and added an RBI double in the third inning of Sunday's victory over the Rangers. "He was exciting -- eyes wide open, ears wide open," Gardenhire said. "We were talking to him about a lot of different things and he definitely has things to work on. We saw some base-running stuff and some of his technique at shortstop, but once the game started, he played fantastic out there."

Twins’ Gardenhire expects Parmelee back in center

Andy Greder / Pioneer Press – 6/30/14

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire used a football analogy to describe Chris Parmelee's spot start in centerfield Sunday at Texas. "It's like prevent defense, with linebackers in the defensive backfield," he said. Parmelee made his 18th start in right field on Monday, but Gardenhire said he was generally pleased with how the lifetime corner outfielder acquitted himself in center during a 3-2 victory over the Rangers -- and that it's likely to happen again because Danny Santana (knee) is unavailable to back up Sam Fuld. "He reads balls good and gets good jumps on them," Gardenhire said. "You will probably see it again right now with Santana out. I can't kill Fuld, and I know he is better served if we use him the right way."

POWER RANGER Although outfielder Oswaldo Arcia has only five home runs this season, Gardenhire said he knows the 22-year-old would put on a show if selected to participate in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby at Target Field on July 14. "I know one guy from our team that I would put up there with anybody would be Arcia," the manager said. "I've watched him just absolutely murder baseballs in this ballpark during (batting practice)."

Honoring Minnesota’s long-gone Negro League players

Ruben Rosario / Pioneer Press – 6/30/14

William Henry Binga was buried without a marker, fittingly symbolic for black trailblazers like him who wowed baseball-loving crowds in Minnesota and elsewhere, only to be summarily forgotten after baseball's color line was broken in 1947. But that will change Saturday, nearly 64 years after his death. Binga, a standout Negro League third baseman who played for the St. Paul Colored Gophers and the Minneapolis Keystones during the early 20th century, will officially get his own stone of recognition and remembrance. Binga, a Detroit native, settled in Willmar, Minn., after his playing days were over and died in Minneapolis in 1950. He is the first player in Minnesota to receive a grave marker as part of the Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project. The project, which began 10 years ago, has compiled a list of roughly 3,600 players as well as their birth and death dates, where they are buried and whether their graves are marked. So far, 23 have received grave markers. 9

"Nobody should lie in an unmarked grave," said Todd Peterson, historian of black baseball, artist and author. "Binga and the Minnesota teams he played for ... helped pave the way for Jackie Robinson (and by extension, the civil rights movement), by effectively demonstrating their excellence to the predominantly white crowds they played before. "These players were cheated out of the opportunity to ply their craft on an equal playing field," Peterson added in an email. "Finding their graves and providing them with headstones is perhaps the most direct way we can honor them and ensure that their accomplishments will not be forgotten." Said Miguel Ramos, director of diversity marketing for the Minnesota Twins: "The importance of remembering someone like William Binga goes beyond baseball. It's the kind of recognition that makes us a better nation."

HONORING HOMETOWN HERO Peterson -- who, along with Ramos, will be among scheduled speakers at Saturday's grave marker memorial ceremony -- credits the project's founder, Dr. Jeremy Krock. The Peoria, Ill.-based anesthesiologist labored to get a marker in 2004 for Jimmie Crutchfield, a player who grew up in Krock's childhood town of Ardmore, Mo. He also praised Negro League enthusiast and project researcher Pete Gorton, an internal communications specialist with a Minneapolis firm, for a similar effort on behalf of Binga. Years ago, Gorton became passionate about placing a marker on the Alsip, Ill., grave (outside Chicago) of John Donaldson, a standout Negro League player on barnstorming teams that performed throughout Minnesota, including the small town of Bertha, where Gorton grew up. Donaldson was a strapping southpaw who reportedly won more than 400 games and struck out 5,000 batters (records are spotty) throughout his career during the 1920s and '30s that included a stint with the legendary Kansas City Monarchs. He later became the first black scout in Major League Baseball history, with the Chicago White Sox. "I assumed everybody around Bertha knew who he was," Gorton said. "I was shocked to learn they did not." He dug up what he could about Donaldson from small-town historical societies and old newspaper clippings throughout Minnesota. Binga was a tougher challenge after Gorton learned in 2008 that the late ball player was buried in an unmarked grave at Crystal Lake cemetery in North Minneapolis. Binga's career began much earlier than Donaldson's, in the 1890s, right about the time the color line was drawn after Chicago White Stockings manager Cap Anson, an avowed bigot, refused to play a team from Newark, N.J., that had two black ballplayers. Before that, there were black ballplayers on predominantly white teams, though not many. The Newark team caved in, sat the black players, and in 1897 the three major leagues at the time banned black players from their team rosters. "He (Binga) was 18 or 20 at the time when the color line was drawn," Gorton noted. "He was ready to play in the major leagues and instead was relegated to barnstorming." Conducting his own research and with help from Peterson and others, Gorton found what he could on Binga. A standout at the "hot corner," Binga played for 20 years on teams in Michigan, Chicago and Philadelphia before he headed west to Minnesota and joined the St. Paul team in 1907. He later played for the Minneapolis team as well as a ball club called the "Hennepin County Clothing Co." The limited box-scores dug up on him show an effective fielder and a mostly contact hitter whose average hovered just below .300. The Indianapolis Freeman newspaper once described Binga as the "only third sacker and surest hitter in the country." A Jackson, Mich., paper declared him the "colored phenomenon of baseball" in 1896, the year before the color line was established. Frank White, a local historian working on a book about black players in Minnesota, said players like Binga faced institutional racism up North. Blacks were kept from certain restaurants and hotels. White also knows about Twin Cities deeds that specifically barred renting or selling to "niggers and Jews," he said.

STYLISH GRAVESTONE Binga played into his 40s and had one known child, a son, "Big" Bill Freeman, who also played on semi-pro teams in the 1930s. Binga lived in Willmar for more than two decades and reportedly worked in a place called Jim's Barber Shop. He relocated to Minneapolis shortly before his death at 81. C. Rae White, a Detroit-based fashion blogger, has traced her ancestry to Binga, whose ancestors were slaves who escaped from Kentucky and settled in Detroit and Ontario after the mid-1830s. The 12-by-24-inch granite marker, mostly funded by the Dave Winfield Foundation, is a home run. Beside his name and an engraved image of him wearing his St. Paul uniform, it describes him as a professional baseball player and "an elite third baseman of the early Negro Leagues." An old-style glove replaces the dash normally found between the birth and death dates. "Society took away their ability to have a legacy," said Gorton, who will be at the ceremony and has teamed up with Peterson to write a graphic novel about Donaldson. "This is my way of giving back to the sport I love. We cannot continue to rob these men of their legacies."

Twins’ offensive struggles continue vs. Royals

Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com – 7/1/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- June wasn't exactly kind to the Twins.

The Twins were seemingly on the road all month, playing just 10 games at home, and saw their offense sputter late.

Those offensive struggles continued on the final day of June, as the Twins went just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, and rookie Yohan Pino couldn't get through six innings in a 6-1 loss to the Royals on Monday night at Target Field.

It marked the sixth loss over the last seven games for the Twins, who have averaged just 2.9 runs per game over that span. It also snapped their four-game home winning streak and saw them finish June with a 12-16 record to drop to seven games under .500.

"We had chances," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I don't know if we're pressing. I think these guys want to win. They're taking some big swings. We've been facing some good pitchers. I don't know if it's pressing, but we're just not putting any runs on the board. It's putting a lot of pressure on the pitchers to be really good."

Pino, making his third Major League start, was only so-so, but it was an improvement from his previous start, in which he lasted just three innings against the Angels. This time he went 5 2/3 frames, giving up four runs on seven hits -- including a homer to Salvador Perez in the sixth -- and a walk with three strikeouts to fall to 0-2 with a 6.32 ERA on the season.

"Pino was OK," Gardenhire said. "He labored through the first three or four innings, then he had a couple of decent innings, but the home run to Perez was a big one."

The Royals opened the scoring in the second on a two-run double from Alcides Escobar with two outs. Kansas City added a run in the fourth on a one-out single from Omar Infante after Alex Gordon led off the inning with a double.

Perez gave the Royals another run in the sixth on his solo homer, which landed just out of the reach of a leaping Josh Willingham in left field. Pino got Infante to fly out after the homer for the second out of the inning but was removed for reliever Caleb Thielbar.

"I wanted to finish that inning," Pino said, "but I left the ball over the plate against Perez and I got hit."

The Twins were held in check offensively by left-hander Danny Duffy, who gave up just one run on four hits and a walk over 5 2/3 innings to pick up his fifth win of the season.

"Everything was working early on," Duffy said. "I got into a little trouble. I started throwing the ball uphill in the fifth and sixth innings."

Minnesota scored its only run in the fifth, when Chris Parmelee extended his hit streak to 10 games with a double and scored on a one-out single from Eduardo Nunez, who reached second on the throw home.

But Nunez was stranded, and it was more of the same for the Twins in the sixth and seventh innings. The Twins had two runners on with nobody out in both innings and could not score. They also had two runners on in the eighth and ninth innings and couldn't cash in.

The Royals put away the game with two runs in the eighth, keyed by a pair of throwing errors from second baseman Brian Dozier. Escobar laced a two-out double off reliever Jared Burton to send home both runs.

"A couple of errors made it out of hand there at the end," Gardenhire said. "It gave them a little more cushion."

But it was the lack of offense that was once again the real issue for the Twins, who have scored more than five runs in a game just twice over their last 15 games.

"You don't want to lose ballgames," Parmelee said. "Nobody out here wants to lose. So we have to figure out how to get those runs in. That's the most important thing. But that's the thing. You have to try not to press and try not to get out of your comfort zone and try to get those runs in. But we're not doing it."

Last chance for All-Star Game home cooking

Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com – 6/30/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- It remains highly unlikely that the Twins will send a starting position player to the All-Star Game at Target Field on July 15, as evidenced by the final American League ballot update, released on Monday. Second baseman Brian Dozier remains ranked fifth at his position, with 994,447 votes, and Kurt Suzuki remains stuck in fourth place among catchers, with 1,025,717 votes. Both trail the leaders by more than a million votes, as Seattle's Robinson Cano leads second basemen, with 2,474,924 votes, and Baltimore's Matt Wieters leads backstops, with 2,103,385. Wieters, however, is out for the season, and Oakland's Derek Norris is in second, with 1,924,049 votes. Dozier, who leads all Major League second basemen in home runs and runs scored, remains hopeful he'll be a first-time All-Star but said it's something he's trying not to think about. "It is still early, but it would be cool," Dozier said. "But I don't play this game for individual goals or accomplishments. I play to win. I feel like each and every day, you play that kind of stuff like the All-Star appearances take care of themselves. But at the same time, if it does happen, it would be a cool accomplishment, especially this year at Target Field. It would mean a lot." Dozier is more comfortable campaigning for Suzuki, who is also aiming to be an All-Star for the first time. "I think a lot of guys are deserving, and I think Suzuki is a guy I'd like behind the plate more than anyone in baseball," Dozier said. "The way he calls games and the picking he's been doing behind the plate, that stuff gets overlooked over the stuff he's been doing with the bat. He's one of the best catchers in baseball." Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- online or on a mobile device -- using the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot Sponsored by Experian until Thursday, July 3, at 10:59 p.m. CT. The 2014 All-Star Game will be played at Target Field on Tuesday, July 15.

Fans may submit up to 25 online ballots, but they can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, you must be logged into your MLB.com account when you submit any online ballot. If you do not have an MLB.com account, register on the site in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account. Fans this year once again can participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league who they would most like to see participate in the Gillette Home Run Derby. The 2014 Home Run Derby will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 7 p.m. CT on Monday, July 14. The 2014 American League and National League All-Star teams will be unveiled on the Taco Bell All-Star Selection Show on Sunday, July 6, beginning at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN, with further details to follow on MLB.com. Immediately following the announcement of the AL and NL All-Star rosters, fans can begin voting to select the final player for each league's 34-man roster via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Experian. Fans will cast their votes from a list of five players from each league over the balloting period. And the voting doesn't end there. The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote Sponsored by Pepsi, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the overall vote that determines the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy. MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities. The 85th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

Twins activate Plouffe, Nunez; Florimon down

Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com – 7/1/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins on Monday reinstated infielders Trevor Plouffe and Eduardo Nunez from the disabled list after both missed the last 14 games because of injuries sustained in a game at Detroit on June 14. Plouffe (rib injury) was on the 15-day DL, whereas Nunez (strained right hamstring) returns from a four-game rehab assignment with Double-A New Britain. In those games, Nunez hit 4-for-10, with three walks and a triple. Both returned to the lineup against the Royals; Plouffe started at third and batted sixth, going 1-for-4 with a single. Nunez started at shortstop, batted eighth and went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the 6-1 loss. "Trevor was with us the last few days swinging and taking ground balls and all that and said he's good to go," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Nunez went down and rehabbed and played [four] games and swung the bat well. He tripled and scored and announced he was ready to go." To make room on the 25-man roster, the Twins optioned infielder Pedro Florimon to Triple-A Rochester and infielder Jorge Polanco to Class A Advanced Fort Myers. Florimon played in eight games for the Twins during this most recent stint, going 0-for-11, and is hitting just .092 for the season in 33 games. Polanco made his Major League debut against the Angels on Thursday night and went 2-for-5 in four games.

Polanco, 20, the club's No. 8 overall prospect, became the first Twins player to make the jump from Class A to the Majors since Jim Eisenreich did it in 1982. "He was exciting," Gardenhire said. "He had his eyes and ears wide open. He definitely has some things to work on, like his baserunning and his technique at shortstop, but once the games started, he played fantastic."

Santana reports good progress with knee

Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com – 7/1/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- Rookie shortstop Danny Santana, who on Friday was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a bone bruise in his left knee, said he's making good progress but that there's still no official timetable for his return. Santana, who sustained the injury while running the bases on Wednesday, has started to jog on the underwater treadmill at Target Field and has also been taking swings off a tee. "It's feeling better," Santana said. "I'm happy." The Twins remain hopeful that Santana can make a quick comeback, as he has provided a spark offensively. Santana, 23, is hitting .328/.366/.448 with two homers, 10 doubles, 16 RBIs and six stolen bases in 37 games. He's also showed off his versatility with 16 starts at shortstop and 15 starts in center field. General manager Terry Ryan believes there's a chance Santana will be ready to return once his 15 days on the DL are up. "He'll be all right," Ryan said. "I think by the 15 days, he should be fine."

Shields, Nolasco seek redemption in division matchup

Joe Popely / MLB.com – 7/1/14

A pair of opposing starters will look to get back on track when division rivals square off in Minneapolis on Tuesday for the second game of a three-game set.

The host Twins will send Ricky Nolasco to the mound. Minnesota signed the veteran righty to a four-year free-agent contract in the offseason with the hope that he could stabilize what was a shaky starting rotation in 2013. Instead it's been quite the opposite.

In his most recent start, on Thursday against the Angels, Nolasco surrendered six earned runs on 11 hits in six innings, bringing his ERA to 5.74.

"It all gets back to him locating his fastball," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "When we see his fastball and he uses that a little bit more, everything seems to work out a little bit better. When we see him get in trouble is when he is not locating his fastball. The breaking balls, he can spin [those] as well as anybody, but it is all about that fastball.''

The Royals' James Shields will be looking to put a sub-par June behind him. He posted a 4.88 ERA in five June starts and allowed nine earned runs in 14 innings over his last two outings.

The Royals' rotation has been solid, and its collective 3.75 ERA ranks fifth in the American League.

The offense, meanwhile, has been a different story.

Since tearing through a 10-game winning streak to take over first place in the AL Central, Kansas City has gone 4-7 while averaging just 3.5 runs per game, scoring two runs or fewer six times in that span.

Epitomizing the club's offensive woes -- Monday's six-run outburst not withstanding -- is first baseman Eric Hosmer, who is 5-for-36 with no extra-base hits or RBIs in his last nine games.

"He's got to continue to work to get through it, because once he gets through it, he's going go on a tear," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Twins: Plouffe, Nunez back The Twins on Monday got back two key pieces, as Trevor Plouffe and Eduardo Nunez were activated from the disabled list.

Hitting sixth, Plouffe went 1-for-4 in Minnesota's 6-1 loss to the Royals. He's hitting .241 with five home runs and 38 RBIs in 65 games.

Nunez, meanwhile, has made significant contributions to the offense in limited time. Batting eighth on Monday, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and is hitting .301 in 73 at-bats.

To make room on the 25-man roster, the Twins optioned infielder Pedro Florimon to Triple-A Rochester and infielder Jorge Polanco to Class A Advanced Fort Myers.

Royals: Ibanez back in Royal blue After rejoining the team for which he played from 2001 to 2003, Raul Ibanez didn't make his 2014 Royals debut on Monday night, but expect the 19-year veteran to see ample playing time.

Looking for an offensive spark, the Royals on Monday signed Ibanez, who was released by the Angels on June 21. He posted a .157/.258/.265 line in 57 games for the Halos.

"We're just looking to score some runs. We're not looking for him to complement anybody," Yost said. "We think that he's got plenty left in his game, and we think he's going to help us score more runs."

Ibanez hit for a combined .291 during his last stint with the Royals. In 2002 he hit .294 with 24 homers and 103 RBIs. The club plans to rotate him between the outfield, first base and designated hitter.

Worth noting • In addition to signing Ibanez, the Royals on Monday recalled infielder Christian Colon from Triple-A Omaha. To make room for the pair, the club designated outfielder Justin Maxwell and infielder Pedro Ciriaco for assignment.

• Minnesota has gone 16-13 against the AL Central, joining Detroit as the only teams in the division with a winning record against division foes.

• Chris Parmelee extended his career-high hitting streak to 10 games with a double on Monday.

Dodgers mourn loss of ’81 club’s Castillo at 59

Ken Gurnick / MLB.com – 6/30/14

LOS ANGELES -- Former Dodgers pitcher Bobby Castillo, a member of the 1981 World Series championship team and the teammate credited with teaching Fernando Valenzuela a screwball, died on Monday after a battle with cancer. He was 59. "I was very saddened to hear about Bobby's passing this morning," said Valenzuela. "He was a great teammate and friend. I'll always be grateful for his influence on my pitching. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends." Castillo, a Los Angeles native, pitched parts of nine seasons in the Major Leagues for the Dodgers and Twins. He was 38-40 with a 3.94 ERA, and in 1982 with Minnesota, he went 13-11 with a 3.66 ERA, pitching 218 2/3 innings and recording six complete games, including one shutout. In recent years, Castillo was part of the Dodgers Alumni League community service team. Castillo's death comes three weeks after the death of Bob Welch, Castillo's teammate on the 1981 club. Castillo is survived by his mother, Nellie; his daughters, Mellanie and Sara; Sara's husband, Andrew Sanchez; his son, Robert III; his sister, Lorraine, and her husband, Peter Gonzalez. Castillo had three nieces and nephews, nine grandnieces and grandnephews and two grandchildren, Jackson and Lila.

Twins activate PLouffe, Nunez from DL, option Polanco and Florimon

Derek Wetmore / 1500 ESPN – 6/30/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins on Monday activated Trevor Plouffe and Eduardo Nunez from the 15-day disabled list. Nunez was on a rehab assignment in Double-A New Britain. Both are in the lineup for Monday night's game against the Kansas City Royals.

Plouffe was on the 15-day DL with a rib injury, and Nunez dealt with a strained right hamstring.

Plouffe is scheduled to start at third base and Nunez is scheduled to start at shortstop. Eduardo Escobar will serve as a backup and Danny Santana remains on the disabled list with a bone bruise in his left knee.

To make room on the active roster, the Twins optioned Pedro Florimon to Triple-A Rochester and also optioned 20-year-old Jorge Polanco back to Class A Advanced Fort Myers.

Florimon was 0-for-11 during this stint and is hitting .092/.179/.132 in 86 plate appearances this season. Polanco held his own after his surprising promotion. The 20-year-old switch hitter went 2-for-5 with a double and a triple, and made his first Major League start Sunday at shortstop. He also lined a ball to right-center that was caught for an out Sunday.

Polanco has a ways to go defensively if he figures to be an everyday shortstop in the Majors some day, but he got his first taste of the big leagues at an early age. He was the youngest player to make his Twins debut since Joe Mauer did in 2004.

Florimon, while a strong fielder, has not shown that he can hit in the Majors.

Ryan says Astros’ leaked trade talks won’t change the way he operates

Derek Wetmore / 1500 ESPN – 6/30/14

MINNEAPOLIS - On Monday it came to light that about 10 months' worth of trade dialogue between the Houston Astros and other teams was posted anonymously on the website, Anonbin, after somebody apparently hacked Houston's internal database, "Ground Control."

No, it's not Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks, and it probably is not a matter of national security for the United States (although the FBI reportedly is on the case). It is real, however, and it's a pity for the Astros front office and their contemporaries involved in trade discussion last season.

Twins GM Terry Ryan said he doesn't foresee this breach changing the way he does business. He said he's already conservative.

"That's out of my area as far as passwords, but it makes you wonder," Ryan said Monday during his pregame media access. "You know, there's some people's feelings that are going to be hurt a little bit today after they read their name. That's not good."

At the time of this writing, Ryan's name was not included in the leaked information.

"I've certainly talked to the Houston Astros about certain things but I guess I went unscathed in this one," Ryan said. "We weren't in the mode--this time last year--of buying. In fact, we were in the Houston Astros' mode if I'm not mistaken."

The Astros had fallen out of contention and were heavily shopping pitcher Bud Norris, who had a year and a half left on his contract at the time the Astros traded him to the Baltimore Orioles.

Ryan said texting has become much more prevalent in trade talks. That's not entirely surprising, given the ubiquity of cell phones and the busy travel schedule some general managers maintain.

Deadspin recounted the leak with a chronological list of certain trade talks involving Norris, prospects, and various players in the Majors and minors around the league. That kind of a database can help keep people within the same organization abreast of the latest talks and on the same page about ongoing discussions with other clubs.

Ryan said that he tries to keep the pertinent people in the Twins organization informed, "especially if you get serious because you want as much information as you can possibly gather."

"Yeah, I do that. Sure," Ryan said. "It's dangerous when you get too many people involved that really don't have any vested interest exactly in the outcomes. But there are people that should be that are involved."

"There's nothing worse than having people out there telling others what you're doing. That doesn't do any good for anybody--except for you guys," playfully motioning at the gathered media. "That certainly isn't advantageous for what I'm trying to do.

"I've got a handful of guys that I would have to consult with for sure: the Major League staff here; the minor league people; the number of scouts that have recently seen the players that we're talking about."

The guess here is that it will not have extended consequences across Major League baseball.

The Astros released a statement, which is posted on Deadspin, acknowledging the proprietary information had been "illegally obtained" and called it "unfortunate and extremely disappointing." The release also questioned the veracity of some of the information.

There is nothing seedy about the information; it's just that it appears to outline a process that previously was kept secret, in part, because it treats players like nothing more than commodities. Of course, that's a reality of modern sports. But it may be disconcerting to a player to know his name is so casually discussed in routine trade discourse.

So while the nation's security is not threatened and it may not lead to policy change across Major League Baseball, it's kind of a bummer for Houston and any teams outlined in the leaked documents.

Twins collect 9 hits but have little to show for it in loss to Royals

Associated Press – 6/30/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- Alcides Escobar tied a career high with four RBIs on two doubles and Salvador Perez homered to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.

Danny Duffy (5-7) gave up one run and four hits while striking out three in 5 2/3 innings and Mike Moustakas had two hits for the Royals. Kansas City (43-39) has won three of four and is off to its best start since 2003.

Yohan Pino (0-2) gave up four runs and seven hits while also striking out three in 5 2/3 innings for the Twins. Eduardo Nunez had two hits and an RBI in his return from the disabled list for Minnesota, which has lost six of its last seven games to drop into last place in the AL Central.

The Royals entered the night 3 1/2 games behind Detroit in the division and 1 1/2 games out of the AL wild card. For a team that has been endlessly rebuilding and hasn't made the playoffs since 1985, those are encouraging numbers as the season reaches its midpoint.

They grabbed everyone's attention with a 10-game winning streak that vaulted them into first place in June, but had lost seven of 10 games as the bats cooled off.

The Royals signed 42-year-old Raul Ibanez on Monday, hoping he can help boost the team's scuffling offense and give a little extra support to a solid starting rotation. Ibanez broke into the big leagues with the Royals a decade ago, but hit just .157 in 57 games for the Angels this season.

They had plenty of offense with him on the bench on Monday night.

Pino was shaky early, getting tagged for a two-run double by Escobar in the second inning and an RBI-single from Alex Gordon in the fourth to fall behind 3-0. Perez's solo homer in the sixth ended Pino's day and the Royals took advantage of two throwing errors by second baseman Brian Dozier in the eighth, padding their lead with Escobar's second two-run double of the game.

Kurt Suzuki had two hits for the Twins.

Game notes

--Twins GM Terry Ryan said prized prospect Byron Buxton is getting close to returning from a wrist injury that has kept him out for most of the season. Ryan said there still is no timetable for a return, but he'd be surprised if Buxton wasn't back on the field sometime in July.

--Twins RF Chris Parmelee extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a double in the fifth inning.

--Mauer extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the eighth inning.

--Moustakas made two stellar plays at 3B, a lunging catch on a liner by Kendrys Morales in the second and a scoop and force out at 3B to end a threat in the seventh.

--Twins RHP Ricky Nolasco (4-6, 5.74) will start the second game of the series against RHP James Shields (8-3, 3.79).

5 thoughts on Astros leak, linebackers in outfield, Dozier

Derek Wetmore / 1500 ESPN – 6/30/14

MINNEAPOLIS - The Twins ended a five game losing streak Sunday. They couldn't stay in the left hand column Monday, though, at the start of a seven-game homestand, when they lost to the Royals, 6-1.

This column presents 5 thoughts from Monday's game.

As always, feel free to ask questions or make observations in the comments. If you have a unique baseball observation during a game, feel free to share it with me on Twitter (@DerekWetmore).

1. Trevor Plouffe and Eduardo Nunez were activated from the disabled list before Monday's game, and each player found his name written in the starting lineup. Plouffe played third base and batted sixth; Nunez played shortstop and batted eighth.

Nunez turned two inning-ending 4-6-3 double plays with Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer, and went 2-for-4 at the plate. He singled to left field to drive in a run in the 5th inning to put the Twins on the board and he took second base on the throw to the plate.

Plouffe was 1-for-4 with a single in his final plate appearance of the night. He said he's been anxious to get back into the lineup for about five days now. He got his first ground ball in the fourth inning and caught a line drive to end the sixth inning.

For more on the roster moves, which included optioning Pedro Florimon and Jorge Polanco, here's my story from when the news first broke.

2. Jarrod Dyson hit a triple on a ball over Sam Fuld's head in right-center field in the seventh inning. It probably required a near- perfect relay to keep the speedy Dyson from getting third base, and the Twins didn't do that.

Sam Fuld overthrew the first cutoff man, Brian Dozier, and the secondary cutoff man, Eduardo Nunez, had to field the throw on a hop, which slowed down a potential relay throw to third base. Dyson rounded second as the ball was about to get to the cutoff, so he was being aggressive with his speed to take third. Perhaps more than anything it looked like he was daring the Twins to execute a perfect relay to throw him out.

3. Brian Dozier uncharacteristically committed two errors in the eighth inning. One was a throw in the dirt that it seemed like Mauer should have scooped. He threw the second clean over Mauer's head--not easy to do considering Mauer is 6-foot-5 without his spikes.

With the inning extended, Alcides Escobar hit a ball in the left-center field gap that scored two runs. That double put the Royals up 6- 1.

"He made a nice play [to field] the one up the middle," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "That was on the other side. He probably had a little more time than he thought. He just kind of flipped it over there. It was in the dirt, it's one Joe can pick, we know that, but it's in the dirt. He had plenty of time to throw it.

"The other one sailed on him. He was playing deep out in the outfield and he threw that one, that ball just kept sailing. It looked like a Frisbee and caught some air and went over Joe's head. That's not like him and I'm sure he's frustrated."

4. Twins GM Terry Ryan said he won't change the way he conducts his business in the wake of leaked internal documents from the Houston Astros front office. I'm fascinated by the thought that the Astros recorded dialogue with other teams during tentative trade talks, and then that those records were made public after they allegedly were illegally obtained.

Ryan shared his thoughts on the matter, and the whole thing is pretty interesting if you've ever wondered how front offices communicate with other clubs to make trades.

5. Chris Parmelee moved to center field after Oswaldo Arcia pinch hit for Sam Fuld in the seventh inning. Parmelee started in center field Sunday in Texas, flanked by Josh Willingham and Oswaldo Arcia, for what had to be one of the least rangy outfields in the Majors this season.

"It's like prevent defense with linebackers in the defensive backfield," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire cracked before Monday's game. He acknowledged before the game that it's not an ideal scenario. But he said Sunday likely wouldn't be the last time fans would see the outfield alignment.

Sure enough, Fuld, who had started in center, was lifted for Arcia in the seventh with runners on first and second and no outs. Arcia was called out on the infield fly rule. In the top of the eighth, Arcia took over for Parmelee in right field and pushed Parmelee to center.

"Everything went fine [Sunday]," Gardenhire said before Monday's game. "I don't think you can live that way. But Parm reads balls good, he gets good jumps and you'll probably see it again, now with [Danny] Santana out. I can't kill [Sam] Fuld. I know that he's better served if we use him the right way. If I have to go to another center fielder, put somebody else out there, Parm will be the guy."