Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Friday, April 14, 2017

 Twins off to 6-3 start after barrage sinks Detroit. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1  Phil Hughes points to 'unseen' double play as key in Twins' rout in Detroit. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 2  Justin Haley's also eats innings for Twins. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 3  Twins minor league report: Jose Berrios, Nick Gordon, Byung Ho Park off to strong starts. Star Tribune (Gonzalez) p. 4  Minnesota Ballpark Authority limits use of publicly owned Target Field suite to charities. Star Tribune (Olson) p. 5  Twins-White Sox series preview. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 5  Twins-Detroit game recap. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 5  With fly-ball Hughes on mound, Buxton back in Twins lineup. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 6  Justin Haley helps three-homer day hold up for Twins in 11-5 win. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 7  Bunt single eases burden for slow-starting . Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 8  Twins slug trio of homers to tame Tigers. MLB (Beck & Berry) p. 9  Sano, Kepler form powerful duo for Twins. MLB (Berry) p. 10  Mejia looks to rebound as Twins host Sox. MLB (Berry) p. 11  Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: If Twins need to bench Byron Buxton, who plays centerfield? ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 12  Mining the Minors: Daniel Palka Swinging Well; Nick Burdi Back. ESPN 1500 (Depue) p. 13  Young throw for White Sox, Twins (Apr 14, 2017). FOX Sports p. 14  Sano, Twins overpower Tigers 11-5. FOX Sports p. 15  Twins, Reds have most to spend on draft signing bonuses. ESPN p. 16  ' offense explodes in win over . Yahoo! Sports (Gauruder) p. 17  Minnesota Twins' bats get hot on cold day, rip Detroit Tigers 11-5. USA Today (French) p. 17

Twins off to 6-3 start after home run barrage sinks Detroit Phil Miller | Star Tribune | April 14, 2017

DETROIT – Each homer traveled a little farther on Thursday, until Robbie Grossman’s clout just inside the foul pole was beginning to look a little puny by comparison.

“Hey, every one counts,” Grossman pointed out, and he’s right. All three Twins home runs had the identical effect: They helped move the Twins’ two-game losing streak — and any lingering memories of their 0-9 start to 2016 — a little further away.

Grossman, and Miguel Sano all hammered pitches into the Comerica Park seats, and Minnesota salvaged a split of its six-game road trip with an 11-5 rout of the Tigers. After nine games last year, the Twins were still winless; this year, they are back in first place in the Central and coming home for a 10-game homestand with a 6-3 record.

“It’s a nice bounce-back,” manager Paul Molitor said of the Twins’ response to close losses Tuesday and Wednesday. “Last year, I don’t know how many sweeps we had to endure” — there were 16 — “but to avoid one here early against a team we’ve struggled with, it’s a good sign.”

Good signs abounded in this one, from the way the Twins were able to be patient against Jordan Zimmermann, to Kepler and Grossman flashing a little power, to Phil Hughes’ second straight heartening start. And don’t forget the bottom of the order, where Byron Buxton ended his 0-for- 11 skid by beating out a bunt and moving up two more bases, all with his speed.

But an offensive explosion, after scoring four or fewer runs in five consecutive games, was particularly welcome, as was the end to a three- losses-in-four-games rut. There was cheering and loud music in the clubhouse afterward, a decibel level that had been lacking this week after the can-you-believe-it 4-0 start.

“We’ll certainly take the win, especially after the way we lost the first couple of games. Coming to this city and getting swept after our good start, maybe guys start doubting things,” said Hughes, who came within an out of a quality start. “So coming back with a big win here was nice for the club.”

With the Twins trailing 2-0 after two innings, Grossman smacked a two-run shot just inside the foul pole in the third inning to tie the score. Kepler greeted reliever Anibal Sanchez by rocketing a three-run shot 15 runs deep into the right field stands in the fifth, and Sano absolutely obliterated a Sanchez into the center field shrubbery in the sixth, a three-run, 440-foot blast that completed the Twins’ first 10-run eruption since last Sept. 4.

“With this lineup, we have a chance to compete very well offensively. Miguel’s been good from Day 1 [while] Max has been hot and cold, but you’d like to think a day like today might springboard him,” Molitor said. “We’re going to have to grow through [some slumps], but they showed you what they can do when they swing the bats well.”

Twins team statistics

And when Hughes is locating his pitches. The veteran righthander allowed four runs over 5 ⅔ innings, and helped earn Justin Haley, who handled the remaining 3 ⅓ innings, his first career save. After allowing single runs in the first and second, Hughes shut down the Tigers for three innings. He had a runner on base and two outs in the sixth with only Justin Upton standing between him and his first quality start since last May 22. But Upton crushed a into the seats, cutting the Twins’ lead to 11-4 and scuffing up Hughes’ pitching line.

“Kind of a bummer. One out away from my line looking really good, to not that great,” Hughes said of the start that inflated his ERA to 3.86. “That’s the way it goes.”

If it goes that way, the Twins will certainly take it.

Phil Hughes points to 'unseen' double play as key in Twins' rout in Detroit Phil Miller | Star Tribune | April 14, 2017

The Twins are back home to start (weather permitting) a three-game series against Chicago tonight at Target Field.

Adalberto Mejia of the Twins (6-3) gets another shot at the White Sox (4-4) after they knocked him around in his first big-league start last weekend. Chicago righty Dylan Covey will make his major league debut on the mound.

A couple of extras from the Twins’ road finale, an 11-5 victory in Detroit on Thursday:

The game wasn't televised, but it’s not likely that the play that Phil Hughes described as the “turning point” would have made much of an impression. In a game with 16 runs and 20 hits, a /caught stealing double play can get lost in all the offense.

But “that was massive,” Hughes said of the fifth inning play. The Twins led 6-2 at the time, but “you’re looking at an inning where I walked the leadoff guy, then fell behind 3-1 to [Jose] Iglesias — that couldn’t snowballed into a big inning, with the lineup turning over there. Put a couple guys on base and who knows what could happen?”

Iglesias, though, tried bunting the next pitch, and it rolled foul. After another foul ball, Hughes said, “I was able to execute a pretty good down- and-away cutter. Fortunately he swung through it.” At the same time, JaCoby Jones took off for second base, and Chris Gimenez threw him out, the first baserunner thrown out by the backup catcher this season.

“That was a big turning point in the game,” Hughes said. “It might not have appeared it because it was kind of an innocent situation in a 6-2 game, but it could have gone downhill in a hurry.”

Also of note ...

Gimenez had a memorable moment in the ninth inning, too, when he led off against Joe Jimenez, the first Gimenez-Jimenez confrontation of his career. It was also the Tiger pitcher’s major-league debut. 2

“I’ve never faced Ubaldo, so this was my first at-bat against a Jimenez,” the Twins’ catcher said. “I was pretty excited, especially against a new kid, until they told me he threw 98 [mph] with a nasty slider.”

Gimenez fouled off two of those before flying out to right.

Justin Haley picked up his first major league save in interesting fashion with a 10-out performance.

Justin Haley's save also eats innings for Twins Phil Miller | Star Tribune | April 13, 2017

DETROIT – Joe Nathan memorably collected the from the final out of each of his 260 Twins saves. Now another Twin is doing the same.

It's a lot smaller collection, though. Justin Haley was presented the ball after Thursday's game to commemorate career save No. 1.

He hadn't expected the souvenir. Or the save.

"I was not" aware that he was eligible for a save in an 11-5 victory, Haley said. "I came in and everybody said, 'First save!' and I said, 'Ah, I don't think so.' "

Sure enough, though, if you pitch the final three innings of a victory — no matter how big the inherited lead — you qualify. The Twins hadn't had a reliever record 10 outs and earn a save since Brian Bass pitched four innings of a 12-5 win over Chicago on April 9, 2008.

"I'm just trying to be aggressive, throw strikes, and really, just eat innings," said the Twins' Rule 5 pick from last December. "The more innings I can eat up, it saves the other guys."

That's no small matter on a team so worried about limiting usage that it's carrying eight relievers.

"Haley did a great job. Only having to use two guys today, in a series where we didn't get a lot of depth from our starters" is a big help, starter Phil Hughes said. "To not have to burn anybody else is not something that will necessarily be written down in the paper, but it's something that really saves those guys."

He was more than effective, too. Haley struck out six of the 14 batters he faced, and his only mistake was a ninth-inning triple by JaCoby Jones that turned into a run. "His delivery and crossfire, I think he hides the ball really well," manager Paul Molitor said. "He had a couple of guys trying to wait him out, but he kept pumping strikes."

Bunting Buxton

Byron Buxton decided before Thursday's game that if he got the chance he would lay down a bunt. That opportunity came in the sixth inning, and helped spark the Twins' five-run outburst.

"It was good to see," Molitor said of his slumping outfielder's infield single. "It's a little bit of a Catch-22 — if you've got to figure out your swing, you can't do it bunting. But you've got to take advantage of your tools and skill set."

Buxton, hitless in his previous 11 at-bats and 2-for-31 on the season at the time, spotted first baseman playing well off the base, leading off the sixth. "I just picked a spot to the right of his foot," he said. "I just had to make sure I got it hard enough that I had a chance."

He did. Cabrera had to move to his right to field the ball, meaning pitcher Anibal Sanchez had to cover the base. And "not many pitchers can beat him to the base," Molitor said. Buxton easily beat Sanchez for his third hit of the season, and immediately stole second. A couple of pitches later, a ball rolled about 10 feet from catcher James McCann, and Buxton reached third base without a throw. He scored moments later on a single.

"Any way I can get on to cause havoc on the bases, that will allow me to prove myself even more, to be more confident," Buxton said hopefully. "I'm making progress."

Freezing Fulmer?

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Molitor admitted that there was "a very, very small chance" that 's foul ball had curled around the foul pole on Wednesday, but he asked umpires to review it anyway. "I was fairly sure it was foul, but every once in a while you can get fooled," Molitor said. "The ball was hit high, had a lot of slice, the wind was doing different things." Still, he said, "I was fairly sure it was foul."

So why the review? Molitor was coy about it, but the two-minute wait seemed to affect Tigers starter , who had trouble throwing strikes afterward. "There's a little delay when they look," the manager said with a smile.

Twins minor league report: Jose Berrios, Nick Gordon, Byung Ho Park off to strong starts Jason Gonzalez | Star Tribune | April 13, 2017

The have followed the example of their parent club and kicked off 2017 with success.

The Twins Triple-A affiliate’s 4-2 start has been result of impressive early efforts from some familiar names fans could see at Target Field later this season.

Righthanded starting pitcher Jose Berrios earned the Pitcher of the Week honors after throwing six shutout innings with seven , one walk and allowing just three hits in his first outing.

Byung Ho Park opened the season in Triple-A with a hot bat. He had six hits with three doubles in six games for a .375 average. He also had three RBI, two walks and four strikeouts. However, he was put on the seven-day disabled list Tuesday with a right hamstring strain.

The Twins designated Park for assignment in February and reassigned him to Rochester after .

Berrios played for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and saw limited action. If he continues to pitch well in Triple-A, it may not be long until he earns a spot in the Twins’ rotation.

Here is a round-up of other notable starts from the talent in the Twins minor leagues:

Daniel Palka: The highly rated outfielder prospect has two home runs and five RBI in six games with Rochester.

Nick Gordon: The organization’s No.1/No. 2 overall rated prospect has eight hits, one home run, six RBI, two walks, one stolen base and scored three runs in his first six games with Double-A Chattanooga. He is hitting .320.

Kennys Vargas: The former Twin is hitting .250 with one home run and three RBI after five games in Triple-A.

Ben Paulsen: The offseason acquisition leads Rochester with a .471 average and eight RBI through five games. He has eight hits, two doubles and three home runs, one walk, four strikeouts and scored three times.

Tyler Jay: One of the organization’s top pitching prospects was put on Double-A Chattanooga’s seven-day disabled list Sunday with an undisclosed injury.

Kohl Stewart: The righthanded pitcher is 0-2 in two starts with a 7.56 ERA in 8.1 for Double-A Chatanooga.

Fernando Romero: The righthanded pitcher lasted just 3.1 innings and gave up three runs in his first start this season in Double-A.

John Ryan Murphy: The catcher has appeared in only two games and has six at-bats in Triple-A. He is hitless with two walks and two strikeouts since being cut from the big league roster in the final week of spring training. The Twins acquired Murphy as part of the trade that sent to the .

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Minnesota Ballpark Authority limits use of publicly owned Target Field suite to charities Rochelle Olson | Star Tribune | April 13, 2017

The Minnesota Ballpark Authority (MBA) voted to restrict use of its Target Field suite primarily to 501(c)(3) charities and occasionally commissioners themselves.

The MBA’s office is in Target Field, tucked among the suites down the third-base line. Attached to the offices is a suite that can seat up to 24 people. No one has used the suite for the first three of 81 home games this season as the authority discussed changes following the uproar over suite use at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Under the new policy, commissioners and staff can use the suite only with prior approval. No friends or family will be allowed into the space.

Since Target Field opened in 2010, the commissioners had been able to attend games and bring friends and family to a handful of games per season. The MBA didn’t keep track of who used the suite.

The adoption of a Target Field suite policy comes months after the Star Tribune revealed that a similar public body at U.S. Bank Stadium was using two 18-person luxury suites to entertain friends, family and political allies. The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) used the top- of-the-line, main concourse suites for Minnesota Vikings games as well as concerts and soccer matches, and taxpayers picked up the tab for at least $32,000 in food during the first few months.

At Target Field, food in the suite was never paid for by taxpayers, and commissioners didn’t have access during non-baseball events.

MBA Chairwoman Margaret Anderson Kelliher said the Target Field policy is a work in progress that will likely be adjusted. For now, charities that use the suite must provide proof of their 501(c)(3) status and the name of the main contact for the organization. They do not have to provide the names of all attendees.

The MBA oversees the operation of the baseball park on behalf of the county taxpayers who own the building. In addition to four paid staff members, the MBA has a five-member volunteer board.

Voting for the policy were Paul Williams, Joan Campbell, Jim Campbell and Anderson Kelliher. Commissioner Peter Ybarra spoke in favor of the policy but couldn’t vote because he was participating via conference call.

Twins-White Sox series preview Phil Miller| Star Tribune | April 13, 2017

TWINS VS. WHITE SOX SERIES PREVIEW

All Central, all the time on homestand

THREE-GAME SERIES AT TARGET FIELD

Friday, 7:10 p.m. • FSN, 96.3-FM: LHP Adalberto Mejia (0-1, 10.80) vs. RHP Dylan Covey (MLB debut)

Saturday, 1:10 p.m. • FSN, 96.3-FM: RHP Ervin Santana (2-0, 0.69) vs. LHP Jose Quintana (0-2, 6.17)

Sunday, 3:10 p.m. • FSN, 96.3-FM: LHP Hector Santiago (1-1, 2.38) vs. RHP James Shields (1-0, 1.69)

TWINS UPDATE

This is the start of a 10-game home-stand, all against AL Central teams, at Target Field. … They won two of three in Chicago last week but were 7-12 against the White Sox last year, and 4-5 at home. … Their above-.500 start is mostly due to pitching, an amazing turnaround from last year’s MLB-worst staff. Entering Thursday, they had allowed only 20 runs through eight games, tied with the White Sox for fewest in the AL. … 3B Miguel Sano has six homers against the White Sox, more than against any other team.

WHITE SOX UPDATE

This is the middle stop on a three-city road trip. … Covey, Chicago’s Rule 5 pick from Oakland last December, makes his major league debut on 5

Friday. A college roommate of Cubs 3B Kris Bryant for three years at the University of San Diego, Covey posted a 1.84 ERA in six starts last season at Class AA Midland. He’s never pitched above the AA level. … RF Avisail Garcia entered Thursday with a .407 batting average, second- best in the AL. … Shields had a 6.77 ERA for the White Sox last year but has allowed only two runs in 10 ⅔ innings to start 2017.

Twins-Detroit game recap Phil Miller |Star Tribune | April 13, 2017

GAME RECAP

IMPACT PLAYER

Max Kepler, Twins

Turned the Twins’ one-run lead into a four-run cushion by blasting a three-run home run 15 rows deep in right field.

BY THE NUMBERS

5 Walks allowed by Tigers starter Jordan Zimmermann, a career high.

3 Walks taken by Miguel Sano, tying his career high.

33 Games since the Twins scored more than 10 runs, dating back to Sept. 4.

ON DECK

Adalberto Mejia has never pitched in Target Field; Dylan Covey has never pitched in the majors. If the rain stays away, they’ll face each other Friday.

With fly-ball pitcher Hughes on mound, Buxton back in Twins lineup Phil Miller | Star Tribune | April 13, 2017

DETROIT — Byron Buxton is back in the Twins’ lineup today, and the pitcher had something to do with it.

No, not Jordan Zimmermann, the Tigers’ pitcher on the mound today whom Buxton has never faced. If anything, Molitor considered waiting another day to return the slumping outfielder to the field, since the Twins will be facing a youngster making his major league debut in Chicago righthander Dylan Covey.

But the Twins’ starter this afternoon is Phil Hughes, and that means fly balls figure to be skying toward the outfield. In a spacious outfield like Comerica Park’s, the ability to cover ground might be decisive today. And nobody covers ground like Buxton — he had a career-high eight putouts in Hughes’ last start.

“The ball’s going to go in the air today,” Molitor said, “so hopefully we catch the ones we’re supposed to.”

He wouldn’t mind Buxton hitting a few, too, anything to snap out of the 2-for-29 grind he’s stuck in. Buxton’s speed gives him a good chance to reach base if he puts the ball in play, but he has struck out 17 times already, a total that leads the majors.

Hughes’ presence means playing time for another Twin, too: catcher Chris Gimenez. Molitor said again that it’s mostly coincidental that the backup catcher has worked nearly all of the righthander’s starts, including spring training. But it made sense today, at the tail end of the road trip, with a 10-day homestand coming up, to break up Castro’s workload.

It’s not easy, though, Molitor noted. Castro is batting .316, is tied for the major-league lead with nine walks, and has been a surprisingly big presence in the middle of the Twins’ batting order.

“You want to try to find ways to keep him as fresh and strong as you can, [but] you’re tempted to play him a lot when he’s swinging well,” Molitor said. “I probably didn’t think about him being somewhere close to the middle for us when we signed him, but the way it’s shaped up so far, he’s getting a chance to get some important at-bats in the five- or six-hole.”

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The Twins can salvage a split of their six-game trip with a win today, which would also break their nine-game losing streak in April games in Detroit. The game won’t be televised in the Twin Cities.

Here are the lineups for the finale of the road trip:

TWINS

Dozier 2B Grossman DH Mauer 1B Sano 3B Kepler RF Polanco SS Gimenez C Rosario LF Buxton CF

Hughes RHP

TIGERS

Romine 2B Castellanos 3B Cabrera 1B V. Martinez DH Upton LF Collins RF McCann C Jones CF Iglesias SS

Zimmermann RHP

Justin Haley helps three-homer day hold up for Twins in 11-5 win Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | April 13, 2017

DETROIT — Twins rookie Justin Haley was momentarily confused after recording the final 10 outs of Thursday afternoon’s 11-5 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Upon walking into the visiting clubhouse at Comerica Park, Haley was surprised to find himself receiving congratulations for a statistical feat rarely seen in the modern game.

“Everybody was like, ‘First save,’ “ the pick said. “I was like, ‘I don’t think so.’ “

Turned out his teammates were right. Not since Brian Bass on April 9, 2008, at the had a Twins pitcher secured the final 10 outs to convert a save.

These days, even a four-out save is considered an achievement of great import.

“Haley did a great job,” Twins starter Phil Hughes said after improving to 2-0. “For him to come in and not have to burn anybody else is probably something that won’t necessarily be written down on paper, but it’s something that really saves those guys down there. Hat’s off to him for that.”

Rich Haley headed back home to after watching his son make his second career outing over the weekend, but he should soon receive a care package including the ball Haley used to fan Nick Castellanos for his sixth and final strikeout as well as a couple of unused game tickets, 7 courtesy of Twins director of team travel Mike Herman.

“Typical baseball stuff,” Haley said of those mementos. “Really, my job is to eat up innings. Whether we’re up or we’re down, those innings are getting used up and it keeps us moving in the right direction.”

The same could be said of Thursday’s three-homer, eight-walk outburst by the Twins offense. Avoiding a sweep and breaking even on the six- game road trip against a pair of division rivals, the Twins (6-3) moved back into a tie for first place in the .

For the second time in as many chances, they whacked multiple homers to grab a runaway win in a series finale on the road.

This time it was Robbie Grossman who tied the score with a two-run homer off Jordan Zimmermann in the third, while Max Kepler and Miguel Sano added mammoth three-run blasts off the sad carcass of Anibal Sanchez in the middle innings.

“One of the things we have to be patient with is we’ve got a lot of young guys in key spots in our lineup,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “We’re going to have to grow through that, but they showed you what they can do when they’re swinging the bats well.”

Sano, who also homered Sunday in Chicago, also matched a career high with three walks in pushing his team-leading totals to three homers and 11 runs batted in. Thursday’s bomb, estimated at 440 feet, cleared the 420-foot sign in center field with ease.

Sano’s longest clout at Target Field remains the 453-foot homer he hit on Sept. 19, 2015, against the . Kepler’s shot off the facing of the second deck in right was estimated at 422 feet.

Eddie Rosario made up for a costly misplay in the second, when he failed to glove Jose Iglesias’ sinking liner that went for an RBI double. His two-out single in the fourth put the Twins ahead to stay.

Hughes, meanwhile, bobbed and weaved through 5 2/3 solid innings. Pitching to the scoreboard with an 11-2 lead, the veteran right-hander gave up a two-run homer to Justin Upton in the sixth and left with a 3.86 earned-run average through two starts.

Working around a diminished fastball that reached 90 mph just once after the third, Hughes still managed to mix his pitches well enough to record five strikeouts and 10 swing-and-miss strikes. The biggest of those was a full-count strikeout of Iglesias with a four-run lead and trouble looming in the fifth.

Catcher Chris Gimenez grabbed the darting cutter Iglesias swung through and made a strong throw to nab Jacoby Jones on an attempted steal of second.

“That was massive,” Hughes said. “That was a big turning point in the game. It may not have appeared it just because it was kind of an innocent situation, but that could have gone pretty bad, pretty quick.”

It was just the fifth win for the Twins in their past 22 meetings with the Tigers. All nine batters in the Twins’ lineup had at least one hit.

Bunt single eases burden for slow-starting Byron Buxton Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | April 13, 2017

DETROIT — Even before Thursday’s game started, Byron Buxton had made up his mind.

“I said, ‘I’m going to get me a bunt today,’ ” he said after ending a 2-for-31 start with a bunt single. “I told myself that. I told a couple teammates that, and they said, ‘Go ahead.’ ”

Not only did Buxton’s hard push bunt toward Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera result in a leadoff single, it kick-started a five-run sixth that broke open an 11-5 victory at Comerica Park. Buxton quickly followed with his first stolen base, took third on a wild pitch and scored his first run of the season on Joe Mauer’s single to left.

“It was a lot of fun, especially when you contribute to such a big inning and put hits together and score runs, you definitely want to be a part of that,” Buxton said. “Struggling the way I have, I haven’t been a part of much of those things. That definitely lifted a lot off of me.”

Said Twins manager Paul Molitor: “It was really good to see. It’s one of those Catch-22s, where you know you have to figure out your swing and you can’t do it bunting. Conversely, you have to take advantage of your tools.” 8

Buxton later grounded to third and struck out for the 19th time this season, leaving him 3 for 34 (.088). However, with the Twins tied again for first place in the American League Central, and Thursday’s reminder that the bunt is a textbook slump buster, Buxton was in better spirits.

Given a one-day rest on Wednesday, Buxton was reinserted in the lineup in large part because of his defensive value to fly ball pitcher Phil Hughes. Back home on Friday night, the Twins will face Chicago White Sox rookie right-hander Dylan Covey, a 25-year-old Rule 5 draft pick yet to pitch above Double-A.

Buxton’s left hand was covered in calluses after Wednesday’s marathon session in the batting cage with Twins hitting James Rowson. More work was done Thursday morning.

“I feel pretty good,” Buxton said. “Any way I can get on to cause havoc on the bases, that allows me to free myself up even more to be more comfortable. I just want to keep trying to get better and make that progress, and things will start working out.”

MEJIA’S FOLLOWUP

Left-hander Adalberto Mejia was busy on the phone Thursday making preparations for his wife Alejandrina, 8 months pregnant with the couple’s first child, to fly into the Twin Cities in time for his home debut on Friday night.

These are exciting times for Mejia, who plans to name his daughter Aleisha, but the Twins are hoping he can keep his emotions in check better in this rematch against the Chicago White Sox than he did in the first go-round last Saturday on the South Side.

“If you look at the numbers and the shortness of the appearance, it might appear he had a really rough day, and I didn’t think that was the case,” Molitor said of that five-out performance. “He got into a situation where we didn’t make a couple plays.”

Mejia also struggled with the tight strike zone of fellow Dominican Carlos Torres, once even staring at the rookie umpire as he left the field.

“I think as a young guy out there, he started trying to throw it harder instead of trying to throw a little smarter,” Molitor said. “He’s got really good off-speed stuff, but we didn’t see a lot of it. … I’ve got a lot of confidence he’s going to bounce back with a good game for us.”

BRIEFLY

Triple-A Rochester right-hander Jose Berrios extended his season-opening streak without an earned run to 14 innings with eight frames of four- hit ball on Thursday at Buffalo. Berrios walked none, struck out six and needed just 84 pitches (64 strikes). … In his first big-league at-bat against a pitcher named Jimenez, Twins catcher Chris Gimenez flied to left off Tigers right-hander Joe Jimenez. “I was looking forward to it until I found out he throws 98 (mph) with a nasty slider,” Gimenez said. Jimenez was sent back to Triple-A after the game. … Double-A right-hander , the fourth overall pick in 2013, had a rocky outing on Wednesday in Jacksonville. He was chased in the third and charged with seven earned runs on four hits and five walks. Stewart struck out three as his ERA climbed to 7.56.

Twins slug trio of homers to tame Tigers Jason Beck and Kyle Berry | MLB | April 13, 2017

DETROIT -- Robbie Grossman, Max Kepler and Miguel Sano awakened a slumbering Twins offense with home runs, rendering Miguel Cabrera's first homer of the season meaningless in an 11-5 win over the Tigers, avoiding a three-game series sweep Thursday at Comerica Park.

The Twins and Tigers left town tied atop the AL Central Divsion at 6-3. Detroit begins a three-game series against reigning AL champion Cleveland Friday night at Progressive Field while the Twins return home to open a weekend series against the White Sox.

Tigers starter Jordan Zimmermann (1-1) retired eight of his first nine batters before falling to his own command woes, setting a career high with five walks to go with five runs on four hits. Minnesota added six more against Anibal Sanchez, including Sano's third homer of the year. Phil Hughes (2-0) allowed four runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings, including homers to Cabrera and Justin Upton, but took advantage of the support for the win.

"I know it's a sour note to end the homestand on a loss," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said, "but if we're going to win series, we'll be in great shape. I'll take series wins the rest of the way. If that happens, we'll be in the playoffs."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED 9

Zimmermann loses to walks: Zimmermann walked just three batters after 0-2 counts last year, and has walked more than four out of such situations in a season only once in his career. But he did it to consecutive batters in the fourth inning with Sano and Kepler, the first time Zimmermann has walked consecutive batters in any situation since 2012. Sano was thrown out at second, but Kepler's ensuing walk lengthened the three-walk inning for Eddie Rosario's two-out RBI single.

"Third inning came around and I had zero feel for the ball," Zimmermann said. "I wasn't sweating, so I was doing everything I could, blowing on my hand. I'd get a little moisture that way, and as soon as I'd put the ball behind my back and take the sign, everything dried up. It should've been a lot worse than what it was today, to be honest with you. I had no clue where the ball was going."

Kepler crushes Sanchez: Zimmermann's fifth walk in 10 batters brought an end to his afternoon, as Ausmus turned to Sanchez to try to contain the damage. Kepler thwarted that, sending Sanchez's second pitch two-thirds of the way up the right-field seats for a three-run homer and a 6-2 lead. Statcast™ estimated the drive at 422 feet with an exit velocity of 108 mph.

"Max has been a little bit hot and cold so far," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "You would like think a day like today might springboard him a little bit." More > QUOTABLE "I've never faced Ubaldo, so this was my first at-bat against a Jimenez. I was pretty excited, especially against a new kid, until they told me he threw 98 with a nasty slider. That wasn't as exciting." -- Chris Gimenez on facing Tigers reliever Joe Jimenez in his Major League debut

"I think we have a chance to compete very well offensively, and those two guys [are] young players that still might be a little bit susceptible to the streakiness that young players have to fight through. One of the things that we have to be patient with is that we have a lot of young guys in key spots in the lineup, and we're going to have to go through that. But they showed you what they can do when they're swinging the bats well." -- Molitor on Sano and Kepler

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Tigers are the first American League team to homer in each of its first nine games to begin a season since the 2012 , who also homered in nine straight.

WHAT'S NEXT Twins: The Twins head back to Minnesota for a 10-game homestand, starting with the White Sox on Friday night at 7:10 CT. After lasting just 1 2/3 innings his first Major League start against the Sox last weekend, Adalberto Mejia (0-1, 10.80) will get a shot at redemption on Friday as he gets the start, facing off with Dylan Covey, who is making his Major League debut.

Tigers: Detroit begins a three-city, nine-game road trip with a visit to its demons from last year, opening a three-game series against the Indians, who won 14 of 18 against them on their way to the American League Central title and AL pennant. , who beat the Indians last September, starts Friday's series opener in a 7:10 p.m. ET game at Progressive Field.

Sano, Kepler form powerful duo for Twins Kyle Berry | MLB | April 13, 2017

DETROIT -- As the Twins bats came alive during Thursday's 11-5 win in Detroit, third baseman Miguel Sano and outfielder Max Kepler sent friendly reminders that they can combine to form a duo with a lot of potential power in the middle of the Twins' lineup.

They each hit a three-run home run on Thursday to bolster their early season numbers. While neither player was necessarily slumping, both seemed to get off to a bit of a shaky start this season. Their bombs on Thursday provided a little jolt to their stats, and manager Paul Molitor is encouraged by what the duo could mean to the club.

While Sano and Kepler are both young -- 23 and 24 years old, respectively -- both figure to play big roles in the middle of the Twins lineup, hitting back-to-back in the order.

"I think we have a chance to compete very well offensively, and those two guys [are] young players that still might be a little bit susceptible to the streakiness that young players have to fight through," Molitor said. "One of the things that we have to be patient with is that we have a lot of young guys in key spots in the lineup, and we're going to have to go through that. But they show you what they can do when they're swinging the bats well."

Sano has three home runs through the first nine games of the season and appears to be on track to be the same type of power hitter he was in his first two seasons in the Majors, when he hit 43 homers, 25 of which came in 2016. His strength was on full display in Detroit as his homer 10 went 440 feet into the shrubbery in dead center field, according to Statcast™.

Kepler had 17 homers last year and now has two on the young season. He said it felt great to hit his second of the year on Thursday in Detroit, which went 422 feet with an exit velocity of 107.9 MPH, according to Statcast™.

Aside from keeping their power numbers up, the youngsters will need to learn to go with the ebbs and flows of a Major League season, as they displayed Thursday after losing three of their previous four games.

"Nothing changes," Kepler said. "If we win seven, lose seven, nothing changes."

The Twins showed a lot of patience at the plate throughout the three-game series in Detroit, and have done so for much of the season. That could be key for Minnesota, especially with young guys like Sano and Kepler playing big roles.

"You look across the board, we've really had some good at-bats by everyone, even the young guys, and that's important moving forward," designated hitter Robbie Grossman said.

Mejia looks to rebound as Twins host Sox Kyle Berry | MLB | April 13, 2017

A pair of young pitchers are set to square off at Target Field Friday night in an American League Central Division matchup. Adalberto Mejia (0-1, 10.80) makes his second career start for the Twins, while Dylan Covey is making his Major League debut for the White Sox.

Mejia will look to bounce back from a shaky first outing in which he lasted just 1 2/3 innings at Chicago. Manager Paul Molitor said just looking at the box score, it may appear that Mejia had a very rough start -- perhaps due to nerves -- but he doesn't think that was the case.

"He got into a situation where we didn't make a couple of plays, and I think, as a young guy out there, he started to try and throw it harder, maybe instead of trying to throw it smarter," Molitor said. "He's got really good offspeed stuff, and we didn't see a lot of it. He just had to endure a really long inning and he couldn't get off the field."

Mejia earned a spot on the Twins' roster after a strong spring. Molitor said he thinks Mejia has a strong mound presence, which showed in his first start, though the numbers may not reflect it. Molitor remains optimistic that Mejia will fare better with a second chance to face the White Sox.

Covey, a Rule 5 Draft pickup from the Athletics over the offseason, went 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA in six starts at Double-A Midland last season. He has stayed sharp during this early-season down time by throwing twice in Arizona during extended spring training.

Things to know about this game

• Miguel Sano has hit some blasts in his time with the Twins, and he really got into his third home run of the season against the Tigers on Thursday. Sano launched one 111.1 mph, a projected 440 feet. That's his longest home run of the season, his longest since May of 2016 and his fourth-longest tracked by Statcast, with his longest overall being 464 feet.

• Joe Mauer is off to a bit of a sluggish start for the Twins this season, but he has enjoyed a .302 career batting average and 18 home runs against the White Sox. Mauer went 2-for-7 against Chicago last weekend.

• Robbie Grossman went 4-for-9 against the White Sox last week with two doubles, the best showing by a Twins hitter in the series.

• Melky Cabrera will be placed on paternity leave for the birth of his daughter and fourth child. Willy Garcia is expected to be called up from Triple-A Charlotte, although nothing will be official until Friday morning.

• Look for Kevan Smith to get the start behind the plate for the White Sox on Friday. His contract was purchased from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday when Geovany Soto was placed on the 10-day disabled list.

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Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: If Twins need to bench Byron Buxton, who plays centerfield? Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | April 13, 2017

The Twins are in a tight spot in center field. Byron Buxton, expected to be a significant part of the future of the team, has instead been maddeningly consistent this year – consistently unable to make contact at the plate.

I wrote about Buxton this winter, and used the word ‘superstar’ in the headline. That’s not looking good for me right now. Buxton has been great in center field, but on Wednesday he was benched by manager Paul Molitor, probably in large part because the speedy outfielder had struck out 17 times in 30 plate appearances, including swinging and missing at about 1 out of every 4 pitches. Two of his three hits didn’t leave the infield, and one was a bunt in Thursday’s game.

That’s a bad stretch, and while it doesn’t mean his career is over by any means, it’s not exactly what the Twins likely were hoping for: a sign that he’s ready to hit in the big leagues at age 23.

I should be clear. I wouldn’t bench Buxton and I certainly wouldn’t send the subtle hint he’s not good enough by sending him to the minor leagues after a rotten week and a half. I’ve received the question a number of times, though, and so it’s a thought I’ve entertained. Who would play center field for the Twins if Buxton can’t?

There are five names I considered, and I’m not sure which would be the most appealing. Based on how they played things Wednesday, though, I’m pretty sure the Twins’ preference right now would be to…

Play Eddie Rosario in center field, and fill the left field vacancy with somebody on the roster.

Depending on the matchup, that could be current DH Robbie Grossman. If Buxton is on the bench in this scenario, the Twins have the best defensive replacement/pinch runner outfielder in the Majors, and maybe they accept the step back in the field to earn a step forward at the plate for the rest of the game.

Or, on the other hand, if you envision Buxton in the minor leagues, perhaps that means Kennys Vargas gets recalled to take over the DH role, while Grossman becomes the regular left fielder for the time being. For that to work, he’d need to improve in the field from last year, and I believe he’s capable of doing that.

The other palatable option would be to…

Play Max Kepler in center field, understanding there’d be an inevitable step down in range, and then find a player or combination of players fit to play right field. Again, maybe that’s Grossman or Danny Santana or a minor league masher like Daniel Palka. I actually think you might see Chris Gimenez play outfield at some point this season, even though he hasn’t played there in a game since 2012. (There’s a nonzero chance, anyway.)

I wrote this spring about how it’s possible we’ve under-rated Kepler as an outfielder. That’s not to say he’s Buxton. And the Twins tipped their hand on Wednesday, when they sat Buxton and slid Rosario to center instead of Kepler.

It’s hard to pick apart that decision from my chair, but it’s worth introducing Kepler as a possibility.

Of course, the Twins might prefer to…

Play Danny Santana in centerfield and bat him way down in the order, just as a way to keep the number of moving parts to a minimum.

Personally, I don’t think Santana is that good in the field. I think he’s at best an extra player in the Majors. The value in having him start would be that 1) It would give Buxton a chance to step back from things; and 2) It would allow Kepler and Rosario to stay put. The value in those two things isn’t zero, but I feel that the sum of the value often gets overstated. It reminds me of when Joe Mauer, at the height of his powers, batted third and during Mauer’s days off, backup catcher would take over that spot in the batting order to keep things in place. It just doesn’t seem to me like the optimal strategy.

If you don’t think the Twins’ backup plan at center field is currently on the roster, you’d have to go to Triple-A Rochester and pluck a guy like…

Zack Granite

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Granite is a prospect and he’s on the 40-man roster, so he could be an option in the future. The only problem is that right now he’s on the 7-day disabled list in Triple-A, nursing an oblique strain. He is back to throwing, but he hasn’t hit yet, and indications are that he’s at least a week away from returning. It’d be surprising if he moved quickly to Target Field, but then again, we’ll have to wait and see how Derek Falvey and Thad Levine handle promotion schedules for position players and pitchers.

Granite was in Major League camp this spring, and is coming off a strong season at the plate for Double-A Chattanooga. The speedy outfielder batted .295/.347/.382 with 56 stolen bases. It would be unfair to compare him to Buxton, but he is fast, he can steal bases, and he got on base at a good clip in the Southern League as a 23-year-old. I’m guessing you’ll see him in a Twins uniform at some point.

J.B. Shuck

Shuck was signed to a minor league deal this winter and got invited to spring training to compete for a spot on the roster. He didn’t make the team, and now he’s playing for the Red Wings, where he’s got just 3 hits and 3 walks in 26 plate appearances (.130/.231/.217 batting line). Further clouding Shuck’s path back to the big leagues: he’s not on the 40-man roster. The Twins would need to clear a space to make room on the roster if they intended to promote Shuck. I can’t say that I expect to see that.

Over the past three seasons in the big leagues, Shuck has batted just .210/.259/.294, although he hit well last year in Triple-A for the White Sox.

Mining the Minors: Daniel Palka Swinging Well; Nick Burdi Back Jake Depue | ESPN 1500 | April 13, 2017

As the Twins were finishing up their season-opening sweep of Kansas City last Thursday, the minor league season got underway for most of the Twins’ affiliates. As with all things baseball this time of year, small sample size prevents us from drawing anything resembling definitive conclusions about the progress of players and teams. The Twins, for example, are at about the same point in their season as the Vikings are going into the fourth quarter of their first game.

Nevertheless, if we’re allowing Byron Buxton’s horrific offensive start to give us significant angst about his approach at the plate, then we should also allow ourselves the freedom to make some initial observations about Twins prospects after a week of play. So, let’s take a look at how the prospects that I’m following here have done so far.

Nick Gordon, SS: Gordon is off to a fast start in his first taste of Double-A baseball. In six games, the No. 1 overall prospect is hitting .320/.357/.440 with a home run. He’s drawn two walks while striking out five times, and added a stolen base. If things go really well, it’s not unreasonable to think Gordon’s totals at the end of the season could come fairly close to his current numbers. Gordon’s a career .287/.337/.374 hitter, but as the talented 21-year-old continues to mature, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see his offensive numbers continue to rise. I wrote previously that stealing more bases would be a nice tool for Gordon to add, and while one stolen base obviously tells us little, it’s something to continue to monitor.

To me, the most interesting development so far is Gordon starting regularly at shortstop. This isn’t surprising, of course, but whether he can stick at short is an open question, and when Paul Molitor played him at second base this spring, I wondered whether the Twins were at least contemplating a shift to second.

“He’s getting a chance to see the field defensively from both spots [shortstop and second base], which is probably good for him,” Molitor said at the time. “I think probably [his] offense is a little ahead of his defense right now.”

So far, the Twins appear committed to seeing him play almost every day at shortstop, starting him there in five of the first six games. That’s the right move, in my opinion, and a departure from last year’s debacle with . In 2016, Polanco played zero games at shortstop, before being called up and asked to play the position in the major leagues. For what it’s worth, Gordon’s committed one error so far this season. Playing him at shortstop does have implications for another Twins prospect, however…

Engelb Vielma, 2B/SS: In last week’s column, I questioned the Twins’ decision to assign Vielma and Gordon to the same Chattanooga team. Vielma is a top-notch defensive shortstop with questionable hitting ability. Given that he needs to prove he can hit, not field, before he’s given a chance in the show, I thought the Twins would give Vielma the everyday shortstop job at Rochester to see if he can hit Triple-A pitching. Instead, they’re having Vielma start mostly at second base in Chattanooga, while non-prospect Bengie Gonzalez starts in Rochester. This may suggest that the Twins are grooming Vielma to be a utility infielder rather than an everyday shortstop. It’s possible they’ve concluded that he’s unlikely to ever hit enough to be a big league regular, and that he’d provide the highest value to the organization as a slick-fielding defensive replacement who can play multiple positions. If this is indeed how the Twins view him, then having him learn a new position in Chattanooga is a logical move. Vielma’s had a nice start at the plate and in the field, hitting .333/.368/.444 with a couple of doubles, while converting all of his 13 chances in the field.

Daniel Palka, RF: So far, Palka has done exactly what he needs to do this year—rake. In six games, he already has two home runs, while slashing a robust .261/.370/.522. In my view, the most encouraging thing about that stat line is the OBP. Palka’s already drawn four walks (plus one intentional) in 27 plate appearances. A big key for him, I think, is to cut down on his strikeouts and increase his walk rate. Early on, he’s showing progress in that area. If he can continue to get on base at around a .370 clip and hit for power, he’ll be in a Twins uniform sooner rather than later.

Nick Burdi, RHP: Burdi continues to progress nicely in his comeback from arm injuries. He’s pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless ball, striking out six. Some reports out of Fort Myers had Burdi pitching 97-99, and his fastball sat around 95-97 in his appearance on Wednesday, according to the minor league broadcast. Burdi’s been a bit of a forgotten man among Twins’ prospects due to an up-and-down 2015 and lost 2016 (injury), but that could change in a hurry if he continues to pitch well. Remember that he was a Top 100 prospect just two years ago.

Stephen Gonsalves, LHP: Gonsalves has started the year on the DL, which is a bit concerning for the Twins’ No. 2 prospect. In March, he suffered a shoulder injury similar to the one that cost him most of the , and hasn’t pitched in a competitive game since. The Twins are saying the injury isn’t serious, but there’s always some concern when a pitcher misses a significant amount of time due to an injury to his pitching shoulder.

Wild Card: Travis Blankenhorn, 3B: Parker Hageman of Twins Daily had an interesting tweet about Blankenhorn’s new approach at the plate. Hageman noted that Blankenhorn added a leg kick in mid-2016 and has changed the position of the bat barrel prior to contact this season. We don’t know for sure that those changes are responsible for his monster start to the year, of course, but either way, he’s been impressive. Blankenhorn’s hitting .385/.429/.808 with five extra base hits for Single-A Cedar Rapids through seven games. Don’t be surprised if the Twins’ No. 7 prospect is in Fort Myers by mid-summer.

Young pitchers throw for White Sox, Twins (Apr 14, 2017) Associated Press | FOX Sports | April 14, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — Two young pitchers will try to establish themselves as they take the mound Friday at Target Field.

Right-hander Dylan Covey will make his major league debut for the Chicago White Sox, while Minnesota Twins left-hander Adalberto Mejia will make his third career appearance and second start.

Mejia’s first career start was last week against the White Sox in Chicago, where he gave up three runs (two earned) in 1 2/3 innings. Mejia (0-1) allowed two hits, walked two and hit a batter.

“If you look at the numbers and the shortness of the (first) appearance, it might appear he had a rough day,” Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. “I didn’t think that was the case. He got in a situation where we didn’t make a couple of plays. As a young guy out there, he started to try to throw it harder instead of maybe trying to throw it a little smarter.

“He’s got really good off-speed stuff, and we didn’t see a lot of it. He just had to endure a really long inning and couldn’t get off the field. I didn’t want to push it too far, being the first start of the season. I’ve got a lot of confidence he’s going to bounce back and throw a good game (Friday) for us.”

The early hole led to a 6-2 loss for the Twins. It was the first loss of the season for Minnesota, which won two of three in last week’s series against the White Sox, limiting Chicago to eight runs in the three games.

Minnesota heads home after beating the Detroit Tigers 11-5 on Thursday and splitting its six-game trip. Max Kepler and Robbie Grossman homered Thursday, and Miguel Sano hit his third of the season. The Twins, as in their season-opening series sweep against the last week, were patient in taking eight bases on balls.

“You look across the board, we’ve really had some great at-bats by everyone, even the young guys,” Grossman said. “That’s important moving forward.”

Covey will need his command against Minnesota. A Rule 5 pick of Chicago in the offseason after four seasons in the ’ minor league system, Covey had a 4.20 ERA in the minor leagues and averaged 6.4 strikeouts and 2.9 walks per nine innings.

The 6-foot-2 right-hander will be making the jump from Double-A, where he went 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA in six starts last season. He had 26 14 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings but also walked 17 batters. His season ended in May because of an oblique injury.

Covey made the White Sox’s roster, but he stayed in Arizona when camp broke, throwing twice during extended spring training.

“I’ve been able to really focus on (the split-change) my last couple (simulated) games,” Covey told Comcast SportsNet Chicago. “It’s a lot better than it was in spring training. … I feel like my stuff is refined now in where I want it. I feel like I’m ready to go.”

Mejia won a rotation spot with the Twins after being picked up at the trade deadline last year from the . Mejia was given the roster spot after was lost for the season to an elbow injury, Jose Berrios was sent to the minors and was moved to the bullpen.

“We all know he had a history of being a strike-thrower, and he just competed well from Day 1,” Molitor said. “We had a lot of guys that we were trying to stretch out and take a good look at. With each and every outing he had, he just developed a lot more confidence that he knew what he was doing. He’s got a pretty good mound presence.”

The White Sox (4-4) won back-to-back games to end their series in Cleveland. Chicago got homers from Tim Anderson and Matt Davidson, and Avisail Garcia had three hits and three RBIs on Thursday in a 10-4 win over the Indians.

“That’s an extremely talented club over there, but we had a lot of good at-bats, got some good pitching, had some things go our way, and we came away with a series win,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said.

Chicago third baseman Todd Frazier missed his second consecutive game with the flu. Outfielder Melky Cabrera is expected to be placed on paternity leave and miss the series in Minnesota, with Willy Garcia being called up from Triple-A Charlotte.

Sano, Twins overpower Tigers 11-5 Associated Press | FOX Sports | April 13, 2017

DETROIT — When Jordan Zimmermann started walking people in a rare display of wildness, the Minnesota Twins were ready to capitalize.

Max Kepler, Miguel Sano and Robbie Grossman all homered for Minnesota, and the Twins routed the Detroit Tigers 11-5 on Thursday. Zimmermann allowed a career-high five walks, all in the fourth and fifth innings, and that was when Minnesota’s offense began to break the game open.

“He’s not a guy that you typically think you can take advantage of in that way, which made it even better,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said.

“He wasn’t missing by much, but we were able to stay patient with a lot of tough pitches. That’s something we’ve been good at all season.”

Zimmermann (1-1) allowed five runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings. Anibal Sanchez was even worse for the Tigers in relief, allowing six runs in 1 1/3 innings and letting two of Zimmermann’s runners score on Kepler’s three-run homer in the fifth.

Grossman hit a two-run shot in the third, and Sano connected for a three-run homer in the sixth.

Phil Hughes (2-0) allowed four runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. Rookie Justin Haley worked the final 3 1/3 innings to earn his first career save, striking out six.

The Twins avoided a three-game sweep at Detroit and pulled even with the Tigers atop the AL Central.

Miguel Cabrera and Justin Upton each hit his first home run of the season for the Tigers.

Zimmermann hadn’t walked two consecutive batters since May 6, 2012, but he walked three of the first four in the fourth. Eddie Rosario’s RBI single put the Twins up 3-2.

Zimmermann said he had a hard time gripping the ball. The temperature at game time was 47 degrees, and the right-hander said the wind made conditions tough.

“I had no clue where the ball was going,” he said.

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Zimmermann walked two more batters in the fifth and was replaced by Sanchez with two out. The first batter Sanchez faced was Kepler, whose drive to right gave Minnesota a 6-2 advantage.

The Twins added five more runs in the sixth. Sano’s home run cleared the wall in center and made it 10-2.

Cabrera opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first for his first extra-base hit of the season. Upton hit a two-run shot in the sixth.

Zimmermann allowed only one hit through the first two innings and was an out away from getting through the third when Brian Dozier singled and Grossman followed with a homer to right that tied the game at 2.

DEBUT

Detroit reliever Joe Jimenez, a standout in the minors, made his big league debut and pitched a perfect ninth. The Tigers then optioned Jimenez to Triple-A Toledo and purchased the contract of right-hander William Cuevas from Toledo. Manager Brad Ausmus said the Tigers made that move because they need someone else who can pitch multiple innings at a time.

The first hitter Jimenez faced was Minnesota catcher Chris Gimenez. The Jimenez-vs.-Gimenez matchup ended in a flyout to left.

“I’ve never faced Ubaldo, so this was my first at-bat against a Jimenez,” Gimenez said. “I was pretty excited, especially against a new kid, until they told me he threw 98 with a nasty slider. That wasn’t as exciting.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: Detroit is without RF J.D. Martinez, who is out with a sprained right foot. In his absence, Tyler Collins has gone 7 for 20. He singled, walked and scored Thursday.

UP NEXT

Twins: LHP Adalberto Mejia (0-1) starts Friday night against Dylan Covey of the Chicago White Sox in the opener of a three-game series at Minnesota.

Tigers: Detroit begins a three-game set at Cleveland with LHP Daniel Norris on the mound against RHP Trevor Bauer (0-1). The Tigers were 4-14 against the Indians last year.

Twins, Reds have most to spend on draft signing bonuses Associated Press | ESPN | April 14, 2017

NEW YORK -- The Minnesota Twins will have the largest signing bonus pool in June's amateur draft at $14,156,800.

Cincinnati is next at $13,658,400, the commissioner's office told clubs this week. San Diego is third at $11,839,000, followed by Oakland ($11,407,500), Milwaukee ($10,447,700) and Pittsburgh ($10,135,900).

The smallest pools are St. Louis ($2,176,000), Cleveland ($3,829,000), Colorado ($4,615,700) and Washington ($5,503,500). The Cardinals lost their top draft pick, No. 30 overall, as compensation for signing free-agent outfielder Dexter Fowler. Their next two picks, No. 56 and No. 75, were given to Houston by baseball commissioner Rob Manfred for the Cardinals' role in hacking the Astros' baseball operations database.

Teams generally draft in reverse order of last year's standings.

As part of baseball's labor contract, the top slot is valued at $7,770,700, down from $9,015,000 last year as part of baseball's new labor contract. No. 2 is worth $7,193,200 and No. 3 $6,668,100.

Baseball's labor contract assigns a slot value to all picks in the first 10 rounds, and if a team fails to sign a player the amount of that slot is deducted from its pool. For the 11th through 40th rounds, the amounts of bonuses exceeding $100,000 per pick are added to a team's total for calculating a penalty tax.

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Minnesota Twins' offense explodes in win over Detroit Tigers Dana Gauruder |Yahoo! Sports | April 13, 2017

DETROIT -- A patient approach and a few long balls energized the Minnesota Twins' offense.

Max Kepler and Miguel Sano blasted three-run homers to power the Twins to an 11-5 win over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park.

Robbie Grossman added a two-run shot as the Twins (6-3) salvaged the finale of a three-game series.

The Twins scored just 10 runs while dropping three of their previous four games. They set up the long balls by drawing eight walks.

"We haven't probably swung the bats in any of our previous games as well as we did today, collectively," said manager Paul Molitor, whose team got off to an 0-9 start a year ago. "A lot of guys contributed good at-bats and walks were a big part of it. Taking pitches, being patient and then Miggy (Sano) with the big homer and Kepler had a good day, too. We spread it out pretty good."

The Twins took command with Kepler's three-run, fifth-inning homer, his first of the season, and put it away with five runs in the sixth.

"You look across the board, we've really had some great at-bats by everyone, even the young guys," Grossman said. "That's important moving forward."

Phil Hughes (2-0) recorded the win while giving up four runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. Justin Haley pitched the last 3 1/3 innings to collect his first career save.

Miguel Cabrera and Justin Upton each hit their first home run of the season and Jose Iglesias drove in two runs for Detroit (6-3). Losing pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (1-1) allowed five runs on four hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings.

Zimmermann's command problems on the chilly afternoon led to the Tigers' demise.

"He had trouble getting a good grip on the ball," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "I'm sure the wind drying it out didn't help as well. It's just one outing. I'm certainly not concerned."

Detroit still finished 5-2 on its first homestand of the season.

"You win two series -- three out of four against the Red Sox and two out of three from the Twins," Ausmus said. "I know it's a sour note to end the homestand on a loss the way we did but if we win series, we'll be in great shape. I'll take series wins the rest of the way."

Cabrera's first-inning solo blast was his seventh career homer off Hughes, the most long balls he has against any active pitcher. The Tigers extended their franchise record by hitting at least one homer in each of their first nine games.

The Tigers made it 2-0 in the second on Iglesias' run-scoring single to left.

Grossman tied the game at 2-all in the third following a two-out single by Brian Dozier. He lofted a 1-0 Zimmermann pitch just inside the right- field foul pole.

A sudden bout of wildness cost Zimmermann in the fourth, and it could have been worse if Sano hadn't overslid second base after a pitch squirted away from catcher James McCann. Zimmermann walked three in the inning and Eddie Rosario made him pay with a two-out single to knock in Jorge Polanco.

Zimmermann was removed in favor of Anibal Sanchez after issuing two more walks in the fifth. With two out, Kepler crushed Sanchez's second offering into the right-field stands to give the Twins a 6-2 lead.

Minnesota tacked on five runs in the sixth. Joe Mauer had an RBI single just prior to Sano's three-year shot over the center field wall off Sanchez. Chris Giminez's two-out RBI single made it 11-2.

Upton drilled a two-run shot in the bottom of the inning.

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NOTES: Twins CF Byron Buxton returned to the lineup after getting benched on Wednesday, save for a pinch-running appearance. His bunt single in the sixth was just his third hit this season. Manager Paul Molitor thought about sitting Buxton another game but ultimately nixed the idea. "I'm not sure one more day would have made a huge difference," he said. ... The Tigers embark on a nine-game road trip, beginning with three games against the reigning American League champions, Cleveland. The Indians had a 14-4 record against Detroit last season. "They manhandled us last year but it's a new year," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. ... Tigers 2B Ian Kinsler was not in the lineup as Ausmus opted to give him an early-season rest. Kinsler owns a .194 average in 36 career at-bats against Minnesota starter Phil Hughes. ... Minnesota begins a 10-game homestand on Friday night with a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. The Twins are 2-1 against the White Sox this season.

Minnesota Twins' bats get hot on cold day, rip Detroit Tigers 11-5 Anthony French | USA Today | April 13, 2017

It was cold Thursday at Comerica Park. Cold and gray, and the Tigers played accordingly.

They didn’t pitch, they rarely hit, and the result was an 11-5 thrashing by the Minnesota Twins.

Jordan Zimmermann was plagued by a 31-pitch third inning, reverting to spring training form, and was knocked out after failing to pitch five innings. He walked a career-high five and put the Tigers behind the eight ball early.

“I couldn’t get a grip on the ball,” he said. “I had zero feel for the ball.”

It showed. In the third inning, he coughed up an early lead. In the fourth inning, he walked back-to-back batters for the first time in five seasons. Zimmermann would blow into his right hand, try to get some moisture on it, and the wind would wick it away. Shortly thereafter, not knowing where any of his pitches were going, he exited after four-plus innings.

“It should have been a lot worse than it was today, to be honest with you,” Zimmermann said.

The loss put a sour note to a strong home stand, in which the Tigers went 5-2 against the Red Sox and Twins. They are 6-3 on the season and tied for first place in the American League Central.

They staked Zimmermann a two-run lead early, on Miguel Cabrera’s first home run of the season in the first inning and a Jose Iglesias RBI double in the second. But that lead was short-lived. Robbie Grossman tied the game in the third with a two-run home run to rightfield. The Tigers didn’t lead again.

As part of a 31-pitch fourth inning, Eddie Rosario hit a RBI single. He couldn’t escape the fifth and when he exited, leaving two men on base, righty Anibal Sanchez promptly allowed a three-run home run to Max Kepler to put the game all but out of reach.

Sanchez allowed five runs on five hits. Justin Upton hit a two-run homer in the sixth, his first of the season for the Tigers.

“It wasn’t so much the cold weather, it was more the wind,” Zimmermann said. “It’s a horrible feeling. It was just a rough day to be out there for me.”

His final line was 4 2/3 innings, four hits, five runs, three walks and five strikeouts.

Said Zimmermann: “I’ll definitely be better the next time out.”

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