Minnesota Twins Daily Clips
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Five-run seventh sends Twins to wild victory over Red Sox. Star Tribune (Neal lll) p. 1 Twins interim GM Antony working the phones. Star Tribune (Neal III) p. 2 Reusse: Carew bringing lots of heart to Hall of Fame this weekend. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 3 Souhan: Being a hometown guy not an asset for interim GM Antony. Star Tribune (Souhan) p. 4 Minnesota Twins: Miguel Sano promises to fix pop-up problem. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 5 Twins’ Brandon Kintzler, right where he wants to be, saves win over Red Sox. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 7 Brandon Kintzler, Minnesota Twins hold off Boston Red Sox 2-1. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 8 Five-run 7th sparks Twins past Sox in wild one. MLB.com (Browne & Bollinger) p. 9 Suzuki has chin stitched up after foul tip. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 11 This time, Twins' offense picks up pitchers. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 11 Kintzler suddenly garnering plenty of interest. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 12
Five-run seventh sends Twins to wild victory over Red Sox La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | July 24, 2016
BOSTON – As Twins manager Paul Molitor spoke in his office Saturday night, his players continued to yell excitedly in the clubhouse.
The Twins’ 11-9 victory over the Red Sox took a little bit of everything. They blew a lead and botched some plays, but they had short memories. They got some breaks and made some breaks. They used clutching hitting, added on runs and outlasted a Boston team playing in one of the most intimidating venues in sports.
So, yeah, they were fired up.
“We stayed in there and fought until we were able to win the game,” said third baseman Miguel Sano, who gave up on a pop-up in the fourth that fell for a hit and committed a throwing error in the sixth but also crushed a homer in the eighth for the final run of the evening.
It took a while, but sometimes good things take time. The Twins led 4-1, fell behind 6-4 and were down 8-5 when they hit Boston with a five-run seventh that put them in the lead for good. It took 4 hours, 11 minutes for this one to play out, a club record for a nine-inning game.
“It felt like a record,” Molitor said. “One of those games where there’s a lot of trading punches and you just try to find a way to sustain. It’s easy to preach about trying to play nine innings, but sometimes you’re challenged to dig a little bit deeper.”
For a while, Ricky Nolasco’s inability to pitch in Fenway Park — he was removed after two innings and has given up 15 earned runs in his last 5⅓ innings there — and Sano’s inability to play third base seemed destined to send the Twins crashing to their latest defeat.
That changed in the seventh with the Twins down three.
Max Kepler tripled in Sano when his drive was misplayed by Boston right fielder Michael Martinez. Vargas followed with a run-scoring double that left fielder Brock Holt missed while trying to make a sliding catch.
The Twins took off from there.
Eddie Rosario singled to center off reliever Tommy Layne. Vargas was waved home and appeared to be tagged out by catcher Sandy Leon for the final out. The Twins challenged, and replays showed Vargas twisted his body around the tag attempt and touched the plate safely with his right hand. The score was tied 8-8, and the inning continued.
“I was thinking that [Leon] was going to look for the inside corner of the plate,” Vargas said. “And I just try to fake him and hit the top of the plate with my right hand.”
Juan Centeno singled, and Byron Buxton walked to load the bases. Then Eduardo Nunez, facing Heath Hembree, stroked a 3-2 pitch to center for a two-run single and a 10-8 Twins lead. All five Twins runs in the inning came with two outs.
David Ortiz’s RBI double in the bottom of the inning got Boston within 10-9, but Sano’s homer in the eighth restored the two-run lead. The Twins’ 19 hits were a season high, led by Rosario’s 4-for-4 performance. Sano finished 3-for-5.
One night after wiggling out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam, Brandon Kintzler pitched a perfect ninth to earn his eighth save, capping a game that Molitor called “A Fenway Special.”
“One of those crazy nights in Boston,” Molitor said. “You see a lot of games [like it] throughout the year. I don’t know how they do it 81 times a year
Twins interim GM Antony working the phones La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | July 24, 2016
BOSTON – Rob Antony has worked the phones all week as he attempts to make his first trade as Twins interim general manager.
He has already made one as an assistant GM.
When Terry Ryan was away from the team in 2014 while being treated for cancer, the Twins realized they needed a shortstop right when the Yankees designated Eduardo Nunez for assignment. Antony handled the negotiations and dealt minor league pitcher Miguel Sulbaran for Nunez, who earlier this month played in his first All-Star Game.
“He was designated for assignment, so we had a time frame we were working under,” Antony said. “It took three to four days.
“It’s kind of like the trade deadline. When we get down to the middle of next week, you’ll start having a time frame to work with and people will have to make decisions.”
Antony is looking to make his mark before the Aug. 1 nonwaiver trade deadline hits. This time, it’s more urgent, as the Twins want to set themselves up to rebound from this clunker of a season.
“We have had some good dialogue with teams,” Antony said. “I hope it comes to fruition.”
Nunez, righthander Ervin Santana and relievers Fernando Abad, Brandon Kintzler and Ryan Pressly are among Twins players who could be coveted by contending teams.
But because the Twins don’t have any top-tier trade targets, they aren’t viewed as a first-choice destination for deals. So they might have to wait for clubs to get back with them.
Since Ryan was fired Monday, Antony heard from many teams the Twins might match up with. But he joked that many calls started out as congratulatory before moving on to the main reason for the •conversation.
“They say, ‘Hey, I wish you good luck,’ ” Antony said. “Then they go, ‘While I have you on the phone, what are you looking to do?’ That’s a good thing, and I have made a lot of calls myself.”
Outlook not good
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There was a chance that the Twins would be able to unveil hard-throwing righthander Nick Burdi sometime in 2016, but it looks doubtful they will be able to get him back on any mound the rest of the season.
Burdi has battled a bone bruise near his elbow since the end of spring training. He recovered and tried to pitch at Class AA Chattanooga, but managed only three innings before having more problems. After a period of rest, a magnetic resonance imaging exam and rehab, Burdi is not close to being able to pitch in a game.
Burdi is currently doing rehabilitation work in Fort Myers, Fla., and the Twins hope he can begin a throwing program soon. But with just over a month left in the minor league season, the 2014 second-round draft pick might not be ready to pitch in games.
“I think we will probably run out of time,” said Brad Steil, the Twins director of minor league operations.
Etc.
• Catcher Kurt Suzuki was knocked out of Saturday night’s game in the second inning when a foul ball by Dustin Pedroia hit Suzuki right on the chin area of his mask, drawing blood. Suzuki needed stitched to close the wound.
• Byung Ho Park homered for the third consecutive game for Class AAA Rochester on Saturday in an 11-0 victory at Syracuse. Over his past nine games, Park has hit .375 with five homers and 10 RBI.
Reusse: Carew bringing lots of heart to Hall of Fame this weekend Patrick Reusse | Star Tribune | July 24, 2016
The Twins and White Sox were playing on a night in the 1970s, and from a broadcast booth at Comiskey Park, Harry Caray noted an opponent’s arrival in the lefthanded batter’s box by bellowing:
“With a name like Rod Carew, you have to be able to hit.”
Thanks to action taken by Major League Baseball earlier this month, generations of baseball fans not yet born will be hearing a reference to the American League’s Rod Carew Batting Champion, and asking their home information robot what it knows about this man.
“Rodney Cline Carew, born on a train in the Panama Canal Zone on October 1, 1945,” the robot will respond. “And he could hit.”
The Silver Bat that goes to a major league batting champion offers a cleanness of grandeur that might make it the most impressive trophy in sport. It is a 34-inch bat that is sterling plated and weighs 56 ounces. It is embossed with the player’s autograph and his winning average for the year.
Rod Carew has seven of these, all from his 12 seasons (1967-78) with the Twins. Tony Gwynn collected eight in the National League. That league’s top average hitter now will be the Tony Gwynn Batting Champion.
“Tony and I had a photo taken together as a fundraiser for a friend,” Carew said. “It was impressive to see those 15 silver bats.”
The announcement of the new titles for the batting champions was made at the All-Star Game on July 12 in San Diego, where the late Mr. Gwynn was the ultimate sports hero.
An appearance there was the start of what has become a hectic couple of weeks for Carew, when you consider he is walking around with a battery pack for the left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that has served as his heart since last September.
Rodney was lost to a heart attack twice on Sept. 20, after collapsing at the start of a solo round at Cresta Verde Golf Course in Corona, Calif. He was saved by paramedics on the clubhouse floor, and then in an emergency room.
Once stabilized to the point he could tolerate surgery, the LAVD was installed in a six-hour, open-heart procedure at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. Carew and his wife, Rhonda, did not go public with all of this until late November. The word at the time was he was on the list to receive a donor heart. 3
Rodney was merely in the process of getting on such a list. He will spend much of July 29 receiving a checkup that could be the final step for getting on the donor-heart list at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
“Once Rodney is on the list, we have to be within four hours of the hospital at all times,” Rhonda Carew said. “And that’s four hours from our door to the operating table. We’re about 75 miles away.”
L.A. traffic? “We should be good, but we’re also thinking about having a helicopter on call,” she said.
The Carews were at the All-Star events in San Diego. They got home for one day, then flew to the Twin Cities to participate in the Twins’ Hall of Fame ceremonies for Torii Hunter and John Gordon last weekend at Target Field.
They stayed in the Twin Cities for a couple of days and then went to Boston for Thursday’s Heart of 29 event in Fenway Park. The Red Sox became the latest team to participate in Heart of 29 — Carew’s campaign to raise awareness and funds for the American Heart Association.
“The No. 1 thing we’re doing is telling people, ‘get checked’ — don’t let a heart attack sneak up on you like it did me,” Carew said.
Is the baseball-filled July wearing him out? “I’m doing OK,” Carew said. “People seem happy to see me, so it’s been enjoyable.”
He is among the Hall of Famers gathered in Cooperstown, N.Y., for induction weekend. The Hall of Fame lined up a car in Boston that drove Rodney and Rhonda to Cooperstown on Friday.
“The ride will be more relaxing for Rod than going through the whole airport thing,” Rhonda said from Boston. “It’s a long way from Southern California to Cooperstown, but it’s also our favorite trip every year. The Hall of Fame treats its members, treats everyone, spectacularly.”
The players being inducted Sunday are Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza. Griffey is known far and wide as “Junior,” but he’s not the first Hall of Famer with that nickname.
Harmon Killebrew started referring to Carew as “Junior” as a young teammate, and it was a term of affection that he used through his lifetime.
And it isn’t it great that 10 months after he seemed lost to a heart attack, Junior Carew will be on the Cooperstown stage to offer a handshake to Junior Griffey.
Souhan: Being a hometown guy not an asset for interim GM Antony Jim Souhan | Star Tribune | July 24, 2016
Had the Twins approached their internal goals this season, Terry Ryan would still be the godfather of Twin Cities sports bosses and Rob Antony would still be his promising aide-de-camp.
With the team headed toward the shoals of a possible 100-loss season, Ryan is adrift and Antony’s job is widely perceived to be lowering lifeboats.
This is further proof that Minnesotans don’t actually want Minnesotans involved with their sports teams.
They want Minnesotans involved with their sports teams who make them feel good.
Antony should be a celebrated Minnesota success story. He played high school baseball, attended the University of Minnesota and jammed his foot in the Twins’ door during the 1987 season, which produced the Twin Cities’ first major professional championship in a mature sport.
He has worked in media relations, the farm system, scouting and the front office, rising from a giddy intern to the point where he is now Twins interim general manager. However tainted it is by the loss column, this remains a remarkable story. It’s just not one that Twins fans seem interested in celebrating.
The notion that Minnesotans embrace all things Minnesota is not evidenced by our sports teams. 4
Gophers hockey fans were quite happy to have a guy from Austria’s mountain ranges win a title for them instead of a nice boy from the Iron Range.
The Timberwolves’ loyalty to local figures became a punchline when they couldn’t win, and Kevin McHale went from being the most popular figure in Minnesota basketball history to a guy locals didn’t mind seeing in Houston.
In the ’90s the Twins brought back every available Minnesota connection. Jack Morris won a title, then immediately left, briefly angering fans. Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Terry Steinbach, even Brent Gates returned to varying degrees of success for a series of bad teams.
Here’s what that hometown parade proved: In baseball, and perhaps in all sports, local ties don’t help if you don’t win. Molitor grew up in St. Paul, attended Minnesota and returned to the Twins to hit .341 at the age of 40 and collect his 3,000th hit, and he played for mostly echoes in the Metrodome.
Now Molitor is the Twins manager. Baseball managers are held far too responsible for results, but Molitor seemed to get the most out of his team last season, and he is the smartest baseball player I ever covered. He is a Hall of Famer and, yes, One Of Us, and the other day someone stopped me in the skyway to accuse Molitor of crimes against the game and humanity.
Conversely, if you are from Chicago, supposedly a rival city, and you win, you are celebrated. Kirby Puckett and Kevin Garnett might have been the two most popular athletes in Minnesota over the past 30 years. And Brett Favre, rumored to be a person of note in Green Bay, became Minnesota’s favorite rent-a-hero for a season.
In December 2013, Ryan called Antony into his office and promoted him to vice president.
He played baseball at Henry High in Minneapolis. Now he was a key figure on the masthead of the Twins as they rebuilt their farm system and appeared headed for better times.
Of his first gig with the Twins, Antony told me three years ago: “I’m not sure I aspired to a lot, right then and there. I was just hoping to graduate, and hoping there would be a full-time job.
“I still can’t say I aspire to anything, or that I aspired to this. I really didn’t envision being in this role 25 years ago. I just hope Terry stays in his role a long time, and I get to stay in this role for a long time and we get better as a team, so they want to keep us around.”
Antony’s would be viewed a classic Minnesota success story, if only the Twins could pitch.
Minnesota Twins: Miguel Sano promises to fix pop-up problem Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | July 24, 2016
BOSTON — As the Twins lined up on the field to celebrate Friday night’s win with the traditional high-five line, Joe Mauer took Miguel Sano off to one side for a quick word of encouragement.
A second dropped pop up in a span of six days had Sano drooping a bit.
“He told me this can happen for anybody here in the game,” Sano said. “This is part of the game. I missed a couple times. He told me to keep going and keep working and keep making adjustments.”
Last Saturday at home, Sano dropped Francisco Lindor’s foul pop in the seventh inning of a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians that took 11 innings. Friday at Fenway Park, Sano gave the Red Sox an extra out in the eighth inning when he dropped Sandy Leon’s two-out pop up in fair territory.
Sano laid out moments later with a diving attempt at Brock Holt’s grounder to his left, but shortstop Eduardo Escobar corralled it and threw him out to preserve a 2-1 lead
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“In that situation when I missed the pop up, there’s nothing I can say about that,” Sano said. “I need to keep on working and try to not miss a pop up and play the game. It’s tough for me when I make errors like that on an easy out and drop the ball. I need to keep going.”
Friday’s miscue gave Sano eight errors in his past 13 games at third since the Twins ended their experimentation with using him in right field. He also had infamously lost a pop up in the sun at Triple-A Rochester on June 30 that glanced off his glove and bounced off his head into the waiting glove of Red Wings second baseman James Beresford.
“I have nothing to say about why I missed it,” Sano said about Friday’s flub. “I missed it. It’s my responsibility, and I’m going to keep working.”
Twins manager Paul Molitor said he talked a bit about the pop-up problem with Sano on Saturday.
“Usually fielding slumps are more about ground balls if you’re an infielder,” Molitor said. “But I think the fact they’ve become so viral, especially the one we saw in Rochester, and then he dropped another one and now another one.
“That ball goes up, and I think that there’s a little anxiousness right now, even though it’s something he’s done a million times. I didn’t really see casualness as much as I saw — I wouldn’t say panic — but I think he’s trying to get in the right position, the glove is not open as it should be and his eyes aren’t following the ball into glove.”
Dropped pop ups under a high sun are one thing, but the Twins don’t want to belabor Sano’s recent blips under the lights.
“It seems a little silly, but we’ll probably have to just work on getting confidence back by repetition,” Molitor said. “We all know he can catch the ball. He’s played the game a long time. … We can talk about technique a little bit. You don’t want to beat it into the ground and all of a sudden it becomes more mental than just something that is hopefully an easy fix.”
BAT RACE
Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki is still waiting for that shipment of Axe bats he requested back on July 10, just before the all-star break.
After originally hearing the ax-handled bats he started using exclusively on May 31 would be replenished by the first game of this four-game series with the Red Sox, Suzuki now is being promised he will have the bats by Tuesday and the start of a six-game homestand.
What’s the holdup?
“Production,” Suzuki said. “They take a long time to produce. It’s fine. It’s not a big deal.”
Suzuki was removed from Saturday’s game in the second inning after taking a Dustin Pedroia foul tip off his chin. The catcher received eight stitches but passed a concussion protocol.
There was a rumor going around that his shipment reached Detroit during this week’s three-game series but the Tigers conveniently forgot to deliver the bats while the Twins were in town.
“That’s not true,” Suzuki said with a laugh.
Red Sox hitters Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia are two of the highest-profile converts to the Axe bat. Betts, out of Saturday’s lineup with a sore right knee, went 4 for 7 the past two nights against the Twins with leadoff homers each game.
Pedroia, borrowing Betts’ Axe bat because his own supply has been depleted, went 5 for 5 on Thursday against the Twins. Suzuki said his contact at Victus Sports told him that “Pedroia’s been hounding him, too: ‘Where’s his bats?’ ”
Betts and Pedroia use a slightly different model than Suzuki, who closed the first half on a .382 tear (over 102 at-bats) with the help of the Axe bat. Since going back to his Rawlings bat, Suzuki has opened the second half 4 for 21 (.190) with no extra-base hits.
Suzuki still takes batting practice with a slightly heavier Axe bat, but he must wait a little longer for a new supply of gamers.
CATCHING WOES
Backup catcher Juan Centeno also had to receive trainer attention later in the game when a foul tip, also from Pedroia, got him on the mask. 6
“Centeno took a pretty good shot too,” Molitor said. “He was a little bit dazed. I was concerned there but he tested fine and was able to finish the game.”
At this point the Twins don’t think Suzuki will need to be placed on the 15-day disabled list. They would like to use Monday’s scheduled off day as a way to give him a break until Tuesday at least.
“Juan is going to have to catch and that’s fine,” Molitor said. “Hopefully some of that soreness will be out of there by Tuesday.”
Eduardo Escobar, the Twins’ emergency catcher despite never having caught in a game, recently caught a bullpen and was the between-inning warmup option once Suzuki left Saturday.
“You can see he gets a little nervous when our second catcher goes in the game,” Molitor said. “It would be not a perfect scenario but that would be our choice.”
BRIEFLY
The Twins are 10-6 this season when Brian Dozier homers. That includes a 9-3 mark since he turned his season around following a brief benching in late May. Said Molitor: “He can set a tone for your team. We do tend to roll as Brian rolls. When he gets going, we seem to get going.”
Molitor had the Under Armour All-America high school baseball game on his office TV before Saturday’s game. The Twins entered the day slated to pick second overall next June. The Atlanta Braves, who visit Target Field for two games July 26-27, would pick first if the current standings hold.
The Twins’ 11-9 win over the Red Sox on Saturday took four hours, 11 minutes to complete. That was 26 minutes longer than their previous longest nine-inning game this season, a 15-4 home loss to the Red Sox on June 11.
The Red Sox hadn’t dropped two straight games to the same opponent since June 24-25 at Texas. At home they hadn’t dropped two straight to the same team since June 20-22 against the Chicago White Sox.
With 19 hits the Twins set a new season high. Eddie Rosario (4 for 4) was on base five times, including a hit by pitch, and scored three runs.
Twins’ Brandon Kintzler, right where he wants to be, saves win over Red Sox Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | July 24, 2016
BOSTON — Brandon Kintzler couldn’t help but chuckle when asked if he’s been following trade speculation involving him.
“My name has never been out there in my career,” the Twins’ closer said before saving Saturday’s 11-9 slugfest with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. “I’ve never paid attention before. I’m not going to pay attention now. If I start looking at rumors and then go out there trying to face David Ortiz, it’s not going to work out so well.”
So far it’s worked out remarkably well for the pint-sized journeyman. Following up Friday’s magic act with a tidy ninth, he stayed perfect in eight save chances since moving into the role six weeks ago.
He also overtook Kevin Jepsen, released three weeks ago, for the team saves lead. Yet the question now is whether Kintzler will be dealt before he has a chance to put down roots in the Twin Cities.
His 32nd birthday is Aug. 1, the same day as the newly tweaked non-waiver trade deadline, so it could be candles and bro-hugs for Kintzler on his way out the door.
Most contenders who have scouted the Twins in recent weeks have at least some level of interest in both Kintzler and lefty Fernando Abad as veteran, low-cost bullpen upgrades.
“It’s nice they’re intrigued, but they could have had me for nothing before,” Kintzler said. “That’s always what I like to do is prove people wrong. I like it here. I like it here a lot. They gave me the opportunity.”
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Before he was fired, Twins general manager Terry Ryan credited special assistant Wayne Krivsky with pounding the table in favor of signing Kintzler to a minor league deal last winter. Kintzler was aware of Krivsky’s advocacy and remains appreciative.
“He about killed himself trying to get me here,” Kintzler said. “He probably would have got fired just to do it. Thank God I can make him look good, hopefully.”
Krivsky was general manager of the Cincinnati Reds a decade ago and through mutual friends he kept close tabs on Kintzler’s work in the National League Central.
“He scouted me and he liked me in 2013 when I was with the (Milwaukee) Brewers,” Kintzler said. “He let me know about it a long time ago. You always keep that in mind. I was hoping I’d get to come here.”
Despite two straight injury-marred seasons for Kintzler, the Twins had competition. The Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians both made early offers last winter, but he was wary of their deep bullpens.
“I was close with Cleveland,” he said. “I talked to (Indians manager) Terry Francona on the phone. It just wasn’t a good roster situation. The Twins tried harder than anybody. After things ended pretty badly with me in Milwaukee, I thought I’d go where I was wanted.”
Signing a minor league deal for $1.075 million with a May 15 opt-out clause, Kintzler was called up with eight days to spare after the Chicago roster shakeup. His fastball velocity stayed in the low 90s during a foul-weather April for Triple-A Rochester, but it spiked up just before the Twins decided to promote him.
Kintzler doesn’t miss many bats, but he regularly hits 94-95 mph with his darting sinker. He is nearly impossible to lift, getting three more groundouts on Saturday, and has to lead the league in harmless dribblers back to the mound.
Among 98 relievers with at least 170 innings since the start of 2013, Kintzler’s nine-inning strikeout rate of just 6.07 ranks 10th-worst. However, his 58.4 ground-ball percentage rates 11th-best.
This year it has spiked to 62.4 percent, which places him ninth among all relievers with at least 20 innings. For a man listed generously at 6 feet, that’s quite a feat when league average is 45 percent.
How tall is he anyway?
“Five-10 and three quarters,” he said with a grin. “When I was in independent ball, they had me at 5-10 and I wasn’t getting signed, so I asked (the St. Paul Saints) to switch it to 6-1 and I got signed that year.”
When the Brewers called him up in 2010, Kintzler remembers then-GM Doug Melvin telling the media, “It says he’s 6-1, but I don’t think he is.”
He got a taste of pitching in meaningful games in 2014 with the surprising Brewers and could do so again if the Twins opt to deal him.
“If I get the chance, I’ll embrace it,” he said. “Obviously they’ve got to make decisions, but I like this team and I like to win. This team has a good vibe. I’m right where I want to be.”
Brandon Kintzler, Minnesota Twins hold off Boston Red Sox 2-1 Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | July 23, 2016
BOSTON — Brandon Kintzler had just issued an 11-pitch walk to Xander Bogaerts, loading the bases for David Ortiz with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
“It was exhausting,” Kintzler said. “It’s not the best feeling, but that’s why you’ve got to walk around and catch your breath.”
Out of the visiting dugout popped Twins pitching coach Neil Allen with a quick message for his closer as he desperately clung to a 2-1 lead Friday night at rollicking Fenway Park.
“This is our double-play dream right here,” Allen said in his upbeat rasp. “This is the guy we’re going to roll up.”
Kintzler’s reaction? 8
“You’re like, ‘Sure,’ but it worked out great,” he said, relying once more on his ability to get ground balls on demand. “He’s going to have to try to lift me. Obviously he’s going to try to be the hero right there.”
Right on cue, Big Papi rolled a 94-mph sinker right at second baseman Brian Dozier, playing on the grass. Twins manager Paul Molitor could have played the infield back and tried to take the game to extra innings, but on the road you play for the win.
Dozier came home to get the lead runner, and backup catcher Juan Centeno quickly fired to Joe Mauer at first to complete the 14th double-play Ortiz has grounded into. Two of those came Friday.
When Hanley Ramirez lined out to right to end the game, Kintzler had recorded his seventh save in as many chances.
“Big moments right there,” said Kintzler, a 31-year-old journeyman thrust into the ninth-inning role a month ago after Kevin Jepsen ran aground. “It’s fun. It’s why we play the game. Either he’s going to beat me or I’m going to get him. I’m going to give everything I got.”
Kintzler entered the night with a season ground-ball rate of 61.8 percent, ranking him ninth among 205 big-league relievers with at least 20 innings. That played heavily not just into Molitor’s decision to play the infield in but to lift starter Kyle Gibson (3-6) at 96 pitches after he allowed just two hits in eight sterling innings.
“I definitely wanted to go back out, but I respect that guy a lot,” Gibson said of his manager. “He sometimes just goes with his gut and makes the decision he thinks is best for the team. I don’t know that I’ve got quite enough years under my belt to demand the ninth inning.”
Evoking memories of a dominant outing at Fenway in June 2014, Gibson came up big one night after a 13-2 blowout loss for the Twins. He outdueled ballyhooed Boston Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, who was gone by the sixth.
Miguel Sano’s laser double off the wall in center had put the Twins in front in the sixth. They also got a solo homer from Dozier (his 17th) in the second.
Gibson entered with a 5.12 earned-run average and gave up a home run to Mookie Betts two pitches into his night. That marked the third straight leadoff homer against the Twins after Ian Kinsler (Wednesday at Detroit) and Betts (Thursday) put them in an early hole.
“We’re improving,” Molitor cracked.
Gibson retired 14 straight before a leadoff walk to No. 9 hitter Brock Holt in the sixth, but he pitched out of that jam by getting Dustin Pedroia to ground into a double play. Gibson also worked around Sano’s dropped pop up with two down in the eighth.
It was Sano’s eighth error in his past 15 games at third base but his first in five games.
In his only previous start in Boston in 2014, Gibson retired the first 14 Red Sox batters before Daniel Nava ended his perfect game bid with a ground-rule double. Gibson tossed seven shutout innings in an eventual 2-1 loss in 10 innings.
Through his first 15 career innings at this hitter’s paradise, Gibson has a 0.60 ERA with four hits and one walk allowed. He has struck out 14, including six on Friday.
The Twins won for just the second time in 40 games when scoring three runs or fewer. Their only other low-scoring win was a 3-2 win at home over the Los Angeles Angels on April 17, meaning they had dropped 29 straight under those circumstances after going 22-55 last season.
Five-run 7th sparks Twins past Sox in wild one Ian Browne & Rhett Bollinger|MLB.com | July 24, 2016
BOSTON -- Undeterred by squandering an early lead, the Twins came storming back for an impressive 11-9 victory over the Red Sox on a gusty Saturday night at Fenway Park.
Down 8-5 after six innings, the Twins came up with a five-spot in the seventh. Eduardo Nunez's two-out, two-run single up the middle snapped an 8-8 tie.
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"It's one of those games where you're trading punches so you're just trying to find a way to sustain," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We're really happy for the guys for their energy and the offense staying with it. It was just one of those crazy nights in Boston. You see those types of games here and I don't know how they do it for 81 games."
After Boston's David Ortiz slimmed the deficit to a run, Miguel Sano provided an insurance solo shot over the Green Monster in the top of the eighth. The Twins took an early 4-1 edge against David Price, but Boston moved in front with a five-spot in the bottom of the second.
The wind seemed to wreak havoc for both teams.
"Yeah, it was crazy out there," said Red Sox right fielder Michael Martinez. "Up in the sky, I don't know what was going on. There was like some sort of a twister up there. And it was really crazy. I've never seen anything like that before."
Ricky Nolasco was pounded for six hits and six runs over two innings, but Minnesota's bullpen picked him up and bought the offense time to get back into the game.
With the loss, the Red Sox fell 1 1/2 games behind the Orioles in the American League East. The Twins have won 12 of their past 18 games.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Five-run seventh propels Minnesota: With two outs in the seventh, Max Kepler sparked a big inning for the Twins with an RBI triple just out of the reach of Martinez in right field. Kennys Vargas then blooped one to left and Brock Holt tried to make a sliding catch, but couldn't come up with it. It extended the inning and allowed Eddie Rosario (4-for-4, three runs, RBI) to bring home Vargas on a single on a call that was overturned at the plate, as Vargas was initially ruled out. Nunez later came up with a two-run single with the bases loaded to give the Twins their first lead since the second.
"There were some crazy plays and some good at-bats," Molitor said. "Nunez comes to mind with that single he hit back up the middle." More >
Price falters again: Price (4.51 ERA) continues to lack consistency in his first season with the Red Sox. For the second straight start, he gave up 11 hits over 5 2/3 innings. This time, Price was touched up for five runs, a tick up from the three he allowed in his previous start at Yankee Stadium. The lefty departed with a 7-5 lead, but the bullpen couldn't hold it.
"It's been terrible. No fun. It's awful," Price said when asked about his season. More >
Sano's interesting night: Third baseman Sano was charged with an error when he dropped a pop fly in Friday's game, and had trouble with another pop fly from Ortiz in the fourth. He thought it was hit to shallow left field, and was confused by the windy conditions at Fenway, and never attempted to get to it, while shortstop Nunez raced over to try to make the play to no avail. Sano promptly turned a nice double play, showcasing his strong arm on the throw to first, and later caught a popup while leaning into the dugout to end the fifth. He was also charged with a throwing error in the sixth, when he tried to throw out Jackie Bradley Jr. at first base on a slow roller to third. But he went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and a walk.
"When I saw the ball, I thought it was in left field," Sano said of the popup. "Nunez, too. It was a miscommunication. With no wind, that ball is supposed to be in left field. There was a lot of wind the first few innings."
Ramirez flashes more power: After hitting just four home runs in his first 230 at-bats, Boston's Hanley Ramirez has hit eight in his past 107. Ramirez's three-run shot second gave the Red Sox a 6-4 lead. Earlier this week against the Giants, Ramirez had a three-homer game.
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Ortiz's double in the seventh gave him 320 at Fenway, moving the slugger past Ted Williams for second in the history of the ballpark. Carl Yastrzemski holds the record with 382. It was Ortiz's 35th double of the season, which tied Sam Rice (1930) for most in MLB history for a player 40 or older.
The four-hour, 11-minute game was the longest nine-inning game in Twins history by one minute, surpassing their previous long from Aug. 14, 2014, against the Tigers.
SUZUKI LEAVES WITH INJURY Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki left the game in the second after being hit in the facemask by a foul tip from Dustin Pedroia. Suzuki left to get stitches 10 on his chin, but didn't suffer a concussion, the Twins announced. More >
Red Sox TV analyst Jerry Remy was also injured early in the game when gusty winds led to one of the NESN monitors hitting him in the head. Steve Lyons replaced Remy in the second. A Red Sox doctor examined Remy and gave him a clean bill of health. The Red Sox expect Remy to return for Sunday's game. More >
FURTHER REVIEW In the seventh with the Red Sox leading, 8-7, and Vargas on second, Rosario singled on a ground ball to center fielder Bradley. He hurled a throw home, on the opposite side of a sliding Vargas. Catcher Sandy Leon tagged him for what would've been the final out of the inning. After an official replay review, the call was overturned to safe and the Twins tied the ballgame.
WHAT'S NEXT Twins: Left-hander Tommy Milone (3-2, 4.71 ERA) is set to start in the series finale on Sunday at 12:35 p.m. CT. Milone has pitched well recently, posting a 2.33 ERA over his past three starts.
Red Sox: Sinkerballer Rick Porcello will try to run his Fenway record to 10-0 when he makes his 11th home start of the season for the finale of this four-game series against the Twins, which starts at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Suzuki has chin stitched up after foul tip Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | July 24, 2016
BOSTON -- Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki, a top candidate to be dealt before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline, left Saturday's 11-9 win over the Red Sox in the second inning after being hit in the facemask by a foul tip from Dustin Pedroia. Suzuki left to get eight stitches on his chin, but didn't suffer a concussion, the Twins announced.
Suzuki, who missed Friday's game because he's been banged up from several foul tips behind the plate since the All-Star break, was helped off the field by trainer Dave Pruemer. He left with a towel covering his face, as he suffered the cut from the impact of the foul tip. Juan Centeno replaced Suzuki behind the plate.
"Kurt got gashed," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "It's not too often you get a compression cut just from the pressure of the pitch. Somehow it split his chin up pretty good. He's going to be sore. Hopefully, he won't need to wear a mask [Sunday], but knowing him, he'll want to catch in emergency."
Molitor said he doesn't think Suzuki will need a trip to the 15-day disabled list, but Centeno will start behind the plate Sunday. Centeno also took a foul tip off his mask in the seventh, but remained in the game. Eduardo Escobar remains the club's emergency catcher.
"I was a little concerned there," Molitor said. "But they checked on him and he was able to stay in the game."
Suzuki has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball since June, and had an RBI double off the Green Monster in his lone at-bat Saturday. Suzuki is hitting .288/.325/.429 with five homers, 14 doubles and 33 RBIs in 67 games.
This time, Twins' offense picks up pitchers Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | July 24, 2016
BOSTON -- A night after the Twins won by outpitching the Red Sox at Fenway Park, this time they simply outhit them in a wild game Saturday that was the longest nine-inning game in team history at four hours, 11 minutes.
It was the kind of the win the early-season Twins likely wouldn't have pulled off, as Ricky Nolasco lasted two innings and they trailed by three runs with two outs in the seventh. But with the help of a five-run rally in the seventh, Minnesota was able to come through with an 11-9 victory while collecting a season-high 19 hits.
"You get blown out, you win 2-1 and then you get a Fenway special like today," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We just tried to find a way to keep it within striking distance. [David] Price settled in there for a few innings, but we got his pitch count up there and were able to find a way to come back. There were some crazy plays and some good at-bats."
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The Twins actually got to Price early, tagging him for four runs in the first two innings, but the Red Sox had a five-run second to take the lead until the seventh-inning rally. The unlikely comeback was sparked by a two-out RBI triple from Max Kepler that was just out of reach of right fielder Michael Martinez, and things only got crazier from there.
Kennys Vargas followed with a bloop hit to left that Brock Holt couldn't handle, allowing Kepler to score and Vargas to reach second base. Molitor contemplated pinch-running for Vargas in a one-run game, but opted against it. It turned out to be the right move, as Eddie Rosario singled to center for his fourth hit of the night and Vargas was able to barely beat the throw home with a great slide. It was so close he was initially ruled out before the call was overturned to tie the game.
"I thought he was going to look for the inside corner of the plate, so I tried to avoid him and touch home plate with my right hand," Vargas said.
Minnesota later loaded the bases, and Eduardo Nunez came through with the big hit with a two-run single into center to give the Twins a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Red Sox made it a one-run game in the seventh, but Miguel Sano added an insurance run with a solo shot.
"We played the game hard and did what we needed to do," Sano said. "We hit the ball well, we ran the bases well. We fought hard and did what we had to do to win the game."
It helped the Twins improve to 12-7 in July, and they're also second in the Majors in runs scored this month. So Molitor wasn't surprised to see the offense come alive Saturday, but said the key will be pitching better going forward.
"We preach that there's always something to play for," Molitor said. "I'm not sure where it's going to go. A lot of it has to do with our starting pitching. I think that's the main reason for why we've been able to put more wins in the win column."
Kintzler suddenly garnering plenty of interest Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | July 24, 2016
BOSTON -- When Brandon Kintzler signed a Minor League deal with the Twins in December, he never imagined he'd be the closer at any point this season.
Kintzler was just looking for a team to give him a shot to prove he was healthy after undergoing knee surgery after the 2014 season and spending time last season rehabbing the injury. Kintzler, who pitched with the Brewers from 2010-15, has proved he's healthy and much more, as he's been a pleasant surprise with a 2.05 ERA and converting all eight of his save opportunities, including a 1-2-3 ninth in Saturday's 11-9 victory over the Red Sox.
"I never thought it would happen," Kintzler said of being the closer. "I was just trying to revive my career, really. The opportunity presented itself and I took advantage of it. I tried to tell teams that if I were healthy, I'd be good, but no one believed me besides the Twins."
Kintzler's success is largely tied to his sinker, as he had a 62.4 percent ground-ball rate that ranked as the eighth-highest rate in the Majors entering Saturday. His average fastball velocity of 92.8 mph is also 2 mph faster than last year, and his highest average velocity since 2011. Kintzler, who doesn't fit the profile of a ground-ball machine considering he's 6 feet tall, said he's able to get the downward plane on his two- seamer because of the way he delivers the ball.
"With my legs, when I land, I really drive that pitch," Kintzler said. "A lot of other guys kind of just throw the two-seamer, but I try to drive it down to increase that late movement. Some guys, their two-seamers kind of just run, but I try to get mine down."
Twins manager Paul Molitor has been impressed by Kintzler, who has been serving as closer since early June with Glen Perkins on the disabled list and Kevin Jepsen struggling at the time.
"He's a guy who can pretty much rely on being a one-pitch pitcher to get out of jams," Molitor said. "He throws it over and he can get ground balls. He can escape situations because of his ability to get the ball on the ground."
So while Kintzler didn't receive much interest from other teams in the offseason, his name has come up as a trade candidate leading up to the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline. Kintzler said his preference is not to be traded, and admitted it's strange hearing his name mentioned as a trade possibility.
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"It obviously crosses your mind, and my name has never been out there in a trade," Kintzler said. "Teams could've had me for nothing in the offseason. So if it happens, it happens. But if I think about it every day, you're going to lose focus, especially with the job I'm in. But I like it here. They gave me an opportunity."
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