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Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Thursday, September 22, 2016

 Twins coaching staff in limbo as final games approach. Star Tribune (Neal lll) p. 1  Heavy rains postpone Twins-Tigers game; split set for Thursday. Star Tribune (Neal lll) p. 2  : Front-office interviews could stop at five candidates. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 3  Minnesota Twins: diagnosed with stress fracture in his back. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 4  Tigers-Twins rained out; split twin bill Thursday. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 5  Anibal, Tigers face Dean, Twins in Game 1. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 6  Sano hopes to rejoin Twins' lineup Thursday. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 6  Molitor likes challenge of managing. MLB.com (Bloom) p. 7  Preview: Twins vs. Tigers. The Sports Xchange p. 8  Three Needs: Minnesota Twins. MLBTradeRumors (Adams) p. 9

Twins coaching staff in limbo as final games approach

La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | September 22, 2016

When a team is having a season like the Twins are, someone has to be held accountable.

The Twins are closing in on 100 losses for only the second time in franchise history and have a chance to tie or pass the 102-loss 1982 team. Attendance is not expected to top 2 million for the first time in Target Field history.

While the club announced that manager will return for 2017, the same has not been said for any of the coaches. With all the coaches’ contracts set to expire Oct. 31, the expectation is that changes are coming.

What’s not clear is who will make the changes.

The Twins are approaching the end of their initial phase of their search for a president of operations. A source confirmed Wednesday that Cubs executive Jason McLeod recently interviewed, and that the Twins are near the end of their list of candidates.

Whoever is hired will have say-so in which coaches stay or go. Interim general manager Rob Antony, himself a candidate, will not make those decisions unless he’s hired.

“That’s not fair to the person that has that job, and it is not fair or right for the coaches,” Antony said. “So they are kind of in limbo right now, as are a lot of people.”

Twins President Dave St. Peter said he and owner Jim Pohlad are sensitive to the situation.

“There’s a number of people who are dealing with uncertainty and perceive themselves as in limbo,” St. Peter said. “Clearly, it is our intent to move our search process as quickly along as possible.”

The staff consists of pitching Neil Allen, hitting coach Tom Brunansky, bench coach Joe Vavra, bullpen coach Eddie Guardado, first base coach Butch Davis, third base coach Gene Glynn and assistant hitting coach Rudy Hernandez

Allen has expressed a desire to return. But the Twins’ staff ERA of 5.11 entering Wednesday was the worst in the AL and second worst in baseball. A club-record 28 have been used. Of the 12 Opening Day pitchers, seven have either been injured, traded or waived.

In addition to the staff underperforming, Allen was arrested May 26 and charged with drunken driving. He was away from the team until July 7 while getting treatment. He knows that is something he can’t get away from.

“They could have thrown me to the wolves or under the curb then,” Allen said. “Instead, they chose to help me get my life back on track again. And I’ll always be indebted to them and thankful to them for that. [But] there’s got to be a little something in the background of that situation that has scarred some thoughts. At the same time, if they are willing to go forward with me and give me the opportunity again, I would love that.”

Brunansky has seen his offense sail at times, fail at others. The Twins averaged 4.06 runs a game over the first three months but 5.2 in July and August.

It was the first month of the season — remember that 0-9 start? — when the offense was particularly anemic, and Brunansky already is plotting a strategy to avoid a repeat in 2017.

Provided he returns.

“My mind-set is when I come into a year, regardless if you win or lose, you always say, hey, there is always a chance you can be let go,” Brunansky said. “It’s not one where you feel very secure and strong, but you have to be able to deal with reality.”

It was business as usual at Target Field on Wednesday, as the coaches met with Antony to go over the 40-man roster. Perhaps the next time they meet with him will be to get an update on their job status.

“What I have told the coaching staff is that they should plan on flying back to Minnesota after our last game and be available to me that Monday or Tuesday,” Antony said, “whether it is with me or somebody else. If things are not resolved, I will give them as much direction as possible. And if it is resolved, we can move forward and do a lot more.’’

Heavy rains postpone Twins-Tigers game; split doubleheader set for Thursday

La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | September 22, 2016

The Twins played nearly three innings Wednesday night at Target Field before heavy rains led to a 90-minute delay, then a postponement. It washed out three successful innings by Jose Berrios.

The rookie righthander needed 29 pitches to get through the first inning against the Tigers, but he struck out Tyler Collins with a 96 miles-per- hour at the knees to end the inning. Berrios pumped his fist as he came off the field.

“It was good for me to get that last out,’’ Berrios said. “It was damage control for me.’’

He then gave up a leadoff double to James McCann in the second but stranded him at third. That made it two consecutive starts in which he didn’t give up a in the first two innings. In his eight starts before that, Berrios had given up a run in the first or second inning.

Then Berrios pitched a 1-2-3 third inning. He was on a roll — although Miguel Cabrera hammered a 0-2 that would have landed in the seats if not for a strong breeze.

The Twins have tinkered with Berrios’ windup to help his control, and there’s nothing like scoreless innings for positive reinforcement. And Berrios, who began the night with an 8.88 ERA, needs all the reinforcement he can get as he tries to end a rocky first season on a positive note.

Unfortunately for Berrios, the outing officially never happened, because the teams will play two games at 1:10 and 7:10 p.m. Thursday. Lefthander Pat Dean will face righthander Anibal Sanchez in the first game, with righthander going against Justin Verlander in the second game.

“It’s like it never happened, because it’s going to get washed away,’’ Twins manager Paul Molitor said, “but at least in his mind he went out there and competed well for three innings.’’

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The game was scoreless in the third, but the Twins had two men on, two out and Max Kepler at the plate when the heavy rain began. Lightning and thunder weren’t far behind. And the forecast called for rain well into the night.

May had small fracture

Righthander Trevor May was examined by California specialist Dr. Robert Watkins on Monday, when the source of his back problems was found.

May has a small fracture in one of the vertebrae, which he said likely occurred late in the 2015 season. It was hard to detect, so May ended up pitching this season without knowing what the problem was. He thinks it would heal, then break again as he resumed pitching.

There are conditioning and mechanical adjustments that can be made to help get through the issue, and May will be ready to pitch next year.

“It’s just one of those years,’’ said May, who was 2-2 with a 5.27 ERA this season.

Etc.

Miguel Sano could return to the lineup Thursday after recovering from a sore back.

Minnesota Twins: Front-office interviews could stop at five candidates

Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | September 21, 2016

Interim general manager Rob Antony will be the only in-house candidate to receive a formal interview for the Twins’ baseball-operations leadership role, a person with direct knowledge said Wednesday.

Antony, who has already interviewed, has handled the day-to-day responsibilities since longtime GM Terry Ryan was fired on July 18. Antony completed three trades by the Aug. 1 deadline that brought in left-handers Hector Santiago and Adalberto Mejia and relievers Pat Light and Alan Busenitz.

At least three of Ryan’s top lieutenants received consideration but will not be granted interviews, the person said. Mike Radcliff, vice president of player personnel; special assistant Wayne Krivsky and scouting director Deron Johnson had been considered potential in-house candidates along with Antony, who also stepped in when Ryan was undergoing cancer treatment during the first half of 2014.

Krivsky was the ’ GM a decade ago.

Four outside candidates have interviewed: Jason McLeod (), J.J. Picollo (), Chaim Bloom () and Derek Falvey (). It’s still possible that list of outside interviews will grow.

McLeod, whose mother is Samoan, is the only minority candidate to interview so far.

RAINED OUT

The Twins and Tigers will conclude their season series with a split doubleheader on Thursday after being rained out Wednesday with the game scoreless in the bottom of the third inning.

Ervin Santana and Justin Verlander remain scheduled to pitch the 7:10 p.m. game. Twins left-hander Pat Dean will oppose Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez in the makeup game at 1:10 p.m.

The Twins have dropped all seven games this year at home against the Tigers and are 4-13 against them overall, but they received an encouraging three innings of work from rookie right-hander Jose Berrios.

Berrios, who entered with an 8.88 in 12 starts, worked out of a bases-loaded jam in a 29-pitch first inning and retired his last six batters before the skies opened.

“It happens,” Berrios said. “It’s rain. It’s one of God’s gifts. It’s kind of like a blessing is the way I look at it.”

Berrios struck out four but all statistics were washed away. 3

“I know the numbers aren’t going to count, but it’s good for me to be able to do that,” Berrios said. “I felt better out there. It’s a confidence booster for me.”

SANO UPDATE

Twins slugger Miguel Sano, out since Sept. 12 with pain in his lower back, was hopeful of returning to the lineup as soon as Thursday’s doubleheader.

“I can decide if I want to throw him back in there against (Justin) Verlander,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said with a chuckle. “Righties him better. That’s what they say.”

After going through a full battery of baseball activity on Tuesday, Sano came in “bodily aware” on Wednesday that he had pushed the envelope.

“There’s probably a little stiffness,” Molitor said. “I don’t think it’s related to him trying to recover from that back thing. He tried to do a lot (Tuesday), I think, to try to make a statement that he wants to get back in there.”

Sano said he spent a lot of time in the training room on Wednesday and Molitor said he later took a few swings in the cage. Sano is 1 for 9 with four against Verlander; against Sanchez he is 1 for 6 with two strikeouts.

The Seattle series this weekend starts with a pair of left-handers for the Mariners, including James Paxton on Friday.

BRIEFLY

Antony sat for a lengthy meeting with Molitor and the coaching staff to discuss every player on the 40-man roster and a few that might need to be added in November to avoid being exposed to the Rule 5 draft. Among the latter group are right-handers Ryan Eades and Aaron Sleger, outfielder Zach Granite and Stuart Turner and Mitch Garver. All were college draftees from the 2013 class.

Minnesota Twins: Trevor May diagnosed with stress fracture in his back

Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | September 21, 2016

After three trips to the disabled list and a battery of tests over the past 13 months, Twins right-hander Trevor May finally received a definitive answer on his lingering back issue this week in Los Angeles.

Dr. Robert Watkins, a renowned back specialist, examined May on Monday and determined he had suffered a stress fracture in his L-4 vertebra. The condition is known as a pars defect.

“I think it’s just been there for awhile, kind of undetected,” May said Wednesday. “He said it’s been healing and it didn’t look new. I probably had just gone through cycles of healing without addressing the causes of it. I just kept pitching on it and probably shouldn’t have. It was an injury that was a little more serious than I thought it was.”

May enjoyed initial success after a midseason move to the bullpen in 2015, but by late August of last season he was struggling with intermittent pain in his lower back. Offseason visits to the chiropractor and regular rounds of yoga and pilates seemed to remedy the problem, but two months into this season the troubles started anew.

May admittedly rushed back from a four-week DL stint in June but still managed to post 12 scoreless outings in his next 13 appearances. That run ended Aug. 6 with a shaky outing on the field turf at Tampa Bay, the same place that exacerbated his condition nearly a year earlier.

Placed on the DL for a second time, May visited the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and the Twins’ medical diagnosis of a bone bruise in his back was confirmed. Unable to go on a minor-league rehab stint due to scheduling, he was able to return to the mound for one outing on Sept. 11 but threw just 17 pitches and retired one of four batters he faced.

Dr. Watkins diagnosed Mets first baseman Lucas Duda with a similar condition earlier this season. May was encouraged to hear the problem is “very common” and just requires time off.

“It’s like any other bone; it needs to just heal,” May said. “I anticipate coming back stronger than ever next year.” 4

May, who turns 27 on Friday, posted a 5.27 earned run average in 44 outings this year. Interim general manager Rob Antony has already told him he should head home to Seattle with the idea of preparing as a starter this offseason.

A return to the rotation should lessen the strain on May’s back, which ramped up with the increased velocity, shortened recovery time and other elements that accompany bullpen life.

“Changes in mechanics, high-intensity situations, coupled with adrenaline every time I pitched,” May said. “It was caused by all the mechanical stuff and all the inflammation we saw. All that stuff was there. It was real stuff. It was just caused by something a little deeper than we could see.”

In 2015, May was a revelation in the bullpen after stepping aside once Ervin Santana returned from an 80-game steroid suspension. He went 4-8 with a 4.43 ERA in 16 starts, but in 32 relief outings he posted a 2.87 ERA and saw his nine-inning rate jump from 7.9 to 10.6.

Now that Dr. Watkins has given him a program to follow this offseason, May is no longer discouraged and wondering. He was told he could resume treatments with a chiropractor along with pilates and yoga classes.

“Once it heals you go on a rehab program that strengthens your core and your muscles and gets everything working correctly,” May said, “so you don’t put so much stress on the area when you throw. It usually just goes away like nothing happened.”

May won’t resume throwing until the start of 2017 or perhaps shortly before New Year’s Day. May typically likes to come into with six weeks of throwing under his belt.

“In our search for starting pitching, one of the answers might be right here,” Antony said last week. “He’s big, he’s strong and he’s been durable as a starter.”

Tigers-Twins rained out; split twin bill Thursday

Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | September 21, 2016

After a rain delay of nearly two hours Wednesday at Target Field, the Twins' game against the Tigers was postponed due to rain. It'll be made up as part of a split doubleheader Thursday, with the first game at 1 p.m. CT and the second game at 7 p.m. CT.

Left-hander Pat Dean will start Game 1 opposite Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez, while right-hander Ervin Santana will start as scheduled against Detroit ace Justin Verlander in Game 2. Twins manager Paul Molitor said Dean, who hasn't started since Aug. 21, will be limited to roughly 75 pitches.

Fans holding tickets to Wednesday's postponed game have two options. They can use their tickets for admission into Thursday's rescheduled game or exchange their ticket for any future Twins regular-season game in 2016, subject to availability.

The split doubleheader is the result of the third postponed game this year at Target Field, which has seen 13 weather delays. The Twins and Tigers were tied in the bottom of the third inning when the game was delayed at 8:15 p.m. CT. It's also the second time this season the Twins started a game, only to see it postponed due to rain.

Twins rookie right-hander Jose Berrios threw three scoreless innings before the rain delay, and came away pleased with his outing despite the fact the statistics don't count because of the postponement.

"I felt good out there," Berrios said. "I know the numbers won't count tomorrow, but it's good for me to get through that. I felt better out there and it was a confidence booster."

Molitor also liked what he saw from Berrios, who entered his outing with an 8.88 ERA in 12 career starts.

"We're just looking for things to make him feel a bit better about how he's been doing," Molitor said. "We talked about how when he comes out of those innings unscathed, even though he's been having a rough time, how he can build on those things. It's kind of like it never happened because it got washed away, but at least in his mind he knows he went out there and competed and threw the ball well for three innings."

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Anibal, Tigers face Dean, Twins in Game 1

Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | September 21, 2016

After Wednesday's game was postponed due to rain, the Tigers have the chance to make up some serious ground in the chase for an Wild Card spot with a split doubleheader against the Twins on Thursday at Target Field. Detroit is tied with Houston and trails Baltimore by one game for the second Wild Card spot.

The Tigers will start right-hander Anibal Sanchez in the first game, while the Twins will counter with lefty Pat Dean. Both clubs will stick with their originally scheduled starters for Game 2, with Detroit ace Justin Verlander starting opposite Minnesota right-hander Ervin Santana.

Sanchez has struggled with a 5.90 ERA, and gave up six runs in four innings last time out against Minnesota on Sept. 14, but Verlander has regained his form. Verlander is 14-8 with a 3.22 ERA and an American League-leading 223 strikeouts in 207 innings. He's coming off a no- decision against the Indians despite throwing seven scoreless frames Saturday.

"I like pitching in big games," Verlander said. "I always have. Hopefully I have the opportunity to pitch in some really big games this year. But you can't put the cart before the horse, so we'll continue to grind and hopefully win as many games as we can and find a way to get in."

Three things to know about the game

While Verlander has been Detroit's best starter, Santana has been Minnesota's this year, as he's posted a 3.38 ERA in 28 starts. And like Verlander, Santana is coming off a start in which he threw seven scoreless innings, only to get saddled with a no-decision. Santana has been on a roll since late June, with a 2.31 ERA over his past 16 starts. Dean, meanwhile, will be limited to roughly 75 pitches in his first start since Aug. 31. He's posted a 7.51 ERA in eight starts this season.

Tigers Ian Kinsler still needs to be cleared by 's concussion protocol before returning to action. Kinsler hoped to participate in baseball activities Wednesday, but neither team worked out on the field because of the weather.

Twins third baseman Miguel Sano, who has been out since Sept. 13 with lower back soreness, experienced some stiffness Wednesday after returning to baseball activities Tuesday. But Twins manager Paul Molitor said he's hopeful Sano will be able to play in one of the two games.

Sano hopes to rejoin Twins' lineup Thursday

Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | September 21, 2016

Twins third baseman Miguel Sano, who has been out since Sept. 13 with lower back soreness, reported some stiffness Wednesday after participating in baseball activities for the first time Tuesday.

Sano was held out of the lineup Wednesday for an eighth straight game as a result, but manager Paul Molitor said he's hopeful Sano could return as early as Thursday in the day-night doubleheader. Eduardo Escobar started at third in Sano's absence.

"He came in a little bit bodily aware that he went through more work [Tuesday] than he had in a while," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "There's some stiffness today, but I don't think it's related to him trying to recover from that back thing. He tried to do a lot [Tuesday] to try to make a statement he wants to get back in there."

Sano was able to participate in a full workout Tuesday, throwing from third base and taking batting practice on the field. But with the weather conditions leading up to Wednesday's rainout, Sano was limited to swinging in the cage. He said everything felt fine during workouts and that he hopes to return Thursday.

"Hopefully [Thursday]," Sano said. "I still feel a little bit of pain. But after working on it, I've been feeling better."

Worth noting

Twins interim general manager Rob Antony met with Molitor before the game to go over every player on the 40-man roster. The two also discussed players who could be added to it this offseason. Minnesota's 40-man roster is full with , and Danny Santana on the 60-day disabled list.

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The Twins have yet to decide how their rotation will shake out the last week of the season, as it's only set through this weekend's series against the Mariners. Molitor said it could depend on if Kansas City is still in the postseason chase next week. But he also expected rookie Jose Berrios to make at least one more start after Wednesday.

Molitor likes challenge of managing

Barry M. Bloom | MLB.com | September 21, 2016

Paul Molitor is a member of an elite group, one of just 217 players who have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. And he's still a member of a much smaller subset of that group: Hall of Famers who have managed a Major League team. There have been 63 of them, but most achieved this feat in the era before World War II.

Of late, aside from Molitor, only Ryne Sandberg has made an attempt. But Sandberg lasted less than two calendar years with the Phillies and resigned midway through the 2015 season when upper management changed.

Molitor, who recorded 3,319 hits in 21 seasons, is still standing, managing a Twins team that has a Major League-high 96 losses heading into Thursday's day-night doubleheader.

"I think it's easy to compartmentalize Hall of Famers who coach or manage," Molitor told MLB.com this past Sunday at Citi Field, as his Twins were swept by the Mets in a three-game series. "I think it's really individualistic. To compare Frank Robinson or Ryne Sandberg or Yogi [Berra] to me, doesn't really matter. It's how that person is wired."

Since 1964, the brief list of Hall of Fame players to manage also includes Eddie Mathews, Ted Williams, Bob Lemon, Tony Perez, Berra and Robinson. The latter two, it should be noted, became managers for the first time before they were elected to the Hall, Robinson as a player- manager with the Indians in 1975 near the end of his on-field career, and the first African-American to take over the position.

Barry Larkin has been trying his hand at it in the last two World Baseball Classics as manager of Team Brazil, which is competing this weekend in the Brooklyn qualifier along with Pakistan, Israel and Great Britain, for the final spot in next year's tournament. Larkin recently said that he had no designs right now of managing in the Major Leagues.

That leaves Molitor as the only Cooperstown representative actively managing in the game. It's a seemingly tough transition from superstar player to successful manager.

"If I have a good year or a bad year or it winds up not going well, I don't think you can attribute that to the fact that a Hall of Fame player isn't a good, patient person because he's used to a level of success," Molitor said. "Thus, he doesn't deal well with people who can't attain that bar. I don't really connect the two, is what I'm trying to say. I think it's easy on the outside to wonder about that."

These recent Hall of Fame players have managed with varied levels of success.

Berra coached both the Yankees and Mets into the World Series, where they lost. Lemon took over a fractured Yankees team from Billy Martin in 1978 and drove it back from the depths of the American League East into a World Series win over the Dodgers. Robinson managed for four organizations during 16 seasons and never went to the postseason. Perez spent 158 combined games as manager of the Reds in 1993 before his induction and the Marlins in 2001 after it. Williams, Mathews and Sandberg had no success.

Molitor is right on the cusp. He took over the Twins in 2015 and managed them to a surprising 83-79 record. But this year's team couldn't capitalize on what it did last season, opening 0-9. One thing is for certain, Molitor never gets over losing.

"It's never easy," Molitor said. "It was never easy as a player or a coach. And this year, we had a little bit of expectation after last year, and it's gone south. It went south early, and we haven't recovered. Part of it is experience. I'm going to have a little reflective time at the end of the season.

"Think about things we did right, things we did wrong, things we could've done better. That's the self-examination everybody has to do when you finish up a season."

Molitor's club is also in the midst of change. The Twins on July 18 dismissed Terry Ryan from his second stint as general manager and have been in search mode ever since. They've determined they will hire a president of baseball operations, who will then find a general manager.

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Molitor has been told he'll be back under any circumstances. He's going into the final year of a three-year contract that ends after the 2017 season. Molitor said on Sunday he knows that's a double-edged sword. He's not going the way of Sandberg, but he's certainly wary.

"We're in limbo here. We're not sure what's going to unfold," Molitor said. "I'm in a little bit of an awkward spot. I'm very grateful for the affirmation, but they're going to get new people to run baseball operations and they're going to be potentially stuck with somebody who's not their guy.

"But I'm OK with that. This fall will be a little different. Whoever they hire, I'm sure there's going to be some time I'll have to spend to build a relationship. Find out what this person wants and what he's about and what he expects."

Molitor had no Minor League managerial experience when he took his current job, but he spent three years after he retired as the Twins' bench coach and another as hitting coach for the Mariners. He worked in player development for a decade before being hired to manage the Twins. New management should be comfortable with whom Molitor is and what he represents.

"I don't feel I have to prove myself," Molitor said. "People can judge me by 100 losses if they want to. I'm fairly peaceful about what I think I've done and what I've tried to do and what I've put into it.

"This has been challenging, but I do like it. Trying to draw things out of people that they might not know they have. That's fun for me. I mean, I'd love to win, too. I'd love to have a chance to manage in the postseason. But I don't know if I'm going to get that."

Preview: Twins vs. Tigers

The Sports Xchange | September 22, 2016

If there is any silver lining to the rainout Wednesday, it is an extra day for both the and Minnesota Twins to get healthy.

The Wednesday game at Target Field was postponed due to heavy rain in the bottom of the third inning before either team scored a run. The Twins and Tigers will play a split day-night doubleheader Thursday to close out the three-game series.

The first game of the doubleheader begins at 1:10 p.m. CDT, with the night game starting at its originally scheduled time of 7:10.

Detroit right-hander Anibal Sanchez (7-13, 5.90 ERA) will start the first game against Minnesota left-hander Pat Dean (1-6, 6.71 ERA). The Tigers' Justin Verlander (14-8, 3.22 ERA) and the Twins' Ervin Santana (7-10, 3.38 ERA), both originally scheduled to pitch Thursday, will remain the starters for the night game.

When Detroit and Minnesota take the field again Thursday, both clubs hope they will do so with a bit healthier roster.

Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler was not in the lineup Wednesday due to concussion-like symptoms three days after he was hit in the head by a pitch.

"It doesn't matter if he's symptomatic or not," manager Brad Ausmus said. "He has to have one extra day after he's done being symptomatic. So he was symptomatic yesterday, so he couldn't play today. He has to be asymptomatic, then he has to do baseball activities, and then I think he's OK."

Detroit Victor Martinez, who was also hit by a pitch Sunday, was held out again Wednesday due to a knee injury.

Minnesota's Miguel Sano hasn't played a game since Sept. 12 due to a back injury. Twins manager Paul Molitor was optimistic before Wednesday's game that Sano would have been available to pinch-hit if needed, and Molitor reiterated after the rainout that Sano might be in the lineup Thursday as the designated hitter.

Twins first baseman Joe Mauer was back Wednesday after missing two games with a sore quad but returned only as the designated hitter. Molitor said Mauer most likely would return to first base Thursday in at least one of the games. Kennys Vargas was the Twins' first baseman in Wednesday's postponed game.

"We don't have a ton of players considering where we're at," Molitor said. "So it'd be nice if we could spread the workload out tomorrow."

Wednesday's rainout marked the 13th weather-related incident at Target Field this year. It was the third postponement of the season at the 8

Twins' home ballpark. Minnesota also has had 10 rain delays in 2016.

Neither team managed much in three innings Wednesday before the skies opened up. Twins rookie Jose Berrios got into jams in both the first and second innings, allowing runners to reach third base both times. However, he wriggled out of both situations and pitched a 1-2-3 third inning -- only to have his start cut short minutes later by the rain.

"It happens. It's rain. It's one of God's gifts," Berrios said through a translator. "I felt good out there. I know the numbers aren't going to count tomorrow, but for me to be able to do that, I feel better out there. It's a confidence-booster for me."

These games down the stretch ultimately won't mean much for the Twins, who are a major-league-worst 55-96 with 11 games to play. The Tigers, however, are still in pursuit of a playoff berth. Detroit (80-70) sits only one game out of the second American League wild-card spot after the lost Wednesday.

Three Needs: Minnesota Twins

Steve Adams | MLBTradeRumors | September 21, 2016

The Twins are up next in MLBTR’s Three Needs series, and while isolating three individual needs for a team with the worst record in Major League Baseball is a tall order, here are three aspects that the organization needs to shore up in order to facilitate a return to relevance in the AL Central…

1. Improve the player development process. There’s been plenty written about the Twins’ lack of embracing analytics, and while hiring a president of baseball operations that will embrace data and statistical analysis more than the preceding regime is indeed important, owner Jim Pohlad and president Dave St. Peter should also be looking to bring in an executive with a strong background in player development. The Twins have long had one of the game’s top-rated farm systems, yet time and time again the fruits of their vaunted minor league ranks struggle tremendously upon reaching the Major Leagues. Aaron Hicks and were rushed, thereby explaining some of their struggles. Buxton is finally showing some promise, but Hicks has already been traded and has yet to develop into a regular player.

No one would make the case that Jose Berrios was rushed, but has been shelled in virtually every start he has made in the Majors this season. The list of Twins prospects that ranked comfortably within the top 100 from outlets such as , MLB.com, ESPN and Baseball Prospectus but failed to deliver on that hype at the big league level is long. Kyle Gibson has shown little consistency in the Majors, Oswaldo Arcia has been designated for assignment by three organizations this year and Eddie Rosario hasn’t given any indication that his OBP is ever going to top .300. has only made four big league starts — three of which have come with the Angels (though shoulder injuries have played a large role in his lack of contribution). Organizational top prospects like Danny Santana, Trevor May and Kennys Vargas have shown glimpses of usefulness but to this point have lacked consistency (Santana, in particular, seems to be at a crossroads).

The best pitcher the Twins have drafted in the past 15 years was , who was traded before ever pitching a full season in Minnesota. Following that, Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey and Gibson are the only starters drafted and developed by the Twins in that stretch that have made any real degree of impact at the MLB level. The Twins took Kohl Stewart with the fourth overall pick in 2013, but his raw stuff has yet to generate strikeouts and his stock has already dipped to the point where he’s fallen off of most prospect lists. For an organization that can rarely spend at high levels on the open market, the complete dearth of homegrown pitching talent is glaring — and it’s probably the chief reason that the Twins have been in the division cellar in five of the past six seasons.

That ties in nicely with the next need on this list…

2. Add to the pitching staff. No, I’m not suggesting that the Twins should dive further down the rabbit hole of mid-rotation arms on the free agent market. From Kevin Correia to Mike Pelfrey to Phil Hughes to to Ervin Santana, the Twins have consistently thrown money at mid- or back-of-the-rotation arms with varying levels of success. Santana has been the best investment of the bunch so far and could be a rather appealing trade chip this winter, while most of the others have flamed out or failed to make an impact whatsoever. (There’s hope remaining for Hughes, who was brilliant in 2014 but struggled in each of the past two seasons before undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.)

The Twins tried to accumulate some future rotation cogs by acquiring Meyer, Trevor May and in a span of a few weeks following the 2012 season, but only May remains with the club, and he looks ticketed for a relief role in the long run (though I’d personally posit that he deserves a long-term look in the rotation). Interim GM Rob Antony deserves credit for plucking Adalberto Mejia from the Giants when he sold Eduardo Nunez at an all-time high, but Minnesota is still in need of some rotation prospects to join Berrios, Mejia, Tyler Jay and Stephen Gonsalves. As an alternative they could look to package some of their own minor league talent in order to land a controllable arm with limited 9 big league service this winter.

In the ’pen, the Twins have strongly emphasized drafting power arms in recent years, but names like Nick Burdi, J.T. Chargois, Jake Reed, Michael Cederoth, Mason Melotakis and other hard-throwing bullpen arms haven’t developed as quickly as hoped. They have plenty of young arms to insert into the mix next season if they wish, but adding some veterans on short-term deals to complement an inexperienced and ineffective 2016 mix of relief pitchers makes sense.

3. Find a long-term . Sending Wilson Ramos to the Nationals in exchange for Matt Capps looms as one of the worst trades in franchise history — Capps was never that much of an upgrade and proved superfluous on a Twins team that won its division by six games, and they doubled down on the mistake by tendering him a $7.15MM contract based almost entirely upon his saves total — and the Twins have been in need of a long-term answer behind the plate since concussions and back injuries forced Joe Mauer from behind the dish. With Ramos gone, the Twins have instead relied primarily on Kurt Suzuki after Josmil Pinto failed to pan out (Chris Herrmann, Ryan Doumit, Juan Centeno and Eric Fryer have also seen time behind the plate). Adding John Ryan Murphy in last offseason’s Aaron Hicks deal hasn’t provided the answer. Former ninth-rounder Mitch Garver could rise to the occasion and give the team a home-grown option after a strong 2016 season, but he’s set to turn 26 this winter and has just 22 -A games under his belt.

I won’t advocate shelling out a five-year deal to reunite with Ramos, but the Twins should be receptive to once again trading for a catcher this offseason — ideally one that, unlike Suzuki, draws above-average marks in pitch framing. Suzuki has hit well in two of his three seasons with the Twins, but a pitching staff that is already lacking in talent doesn’t need a catcher working against them by failing to convert on borderline strike calls. Suzuki has made improvements since his 2014 Twins debut, but he’s nonetheless been below average each season, per both Baseball Prospectus and StatCorner.com.

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