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Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Friday, June 20, 2014

➢ Mauer’s breakthrough lifts Twins past White Sox. MLB.com (Smith) pg. 1 ➢ Pino’s long wait brings solid Major League debut. MLB.com (Bollinger) pg. 3 ➢ Perkins returns to close out win over White Sox. MLB.com (Bollinger) pg. 3 ➢ Nunez goes on DL to make room for Pino. MLB.com (Bollinger) pg. 4 ➢ Nolasco, Twins look for bounce-back start against White Sox. MLB.com (Bollinger) pg. 4 ➢ Twins’ first-round pick Gordon debuts with three hits. MLB.com (Cahill) pg. 5 ➢ Umpire Muchlinski exits game in fifth inning. MLB.com (Merkin) pg. 6 ➢ Pino’s debut worth the wait as Twins top White Sox. Star Tribune (Neal) pg. 6 ➢ Postgame: Thoughts on Pino, Mauer and umpires. Star Tribune (Neal) pg. 7 ➢ Twins end up putting Nunez on disabled list after all. Star Tribune (Neal) pg. 8 ➢ Predicting a hot streak. Star Tribune (Rand) pg. 9 ➢ Twins have avoided precarious slides—so far. Star Tribune (Rand) pg. 9 ➢ Thursday’s Twins-White Sox game recap. Star Tribune (Neal) pg. 10 ➢ Twins 4, White Sox 2: Yohan Pino makes strong makes league debut. Pioneer Press (Murphy) pg. 10 ➢ 5 thoughts on Pino’s debut, Perkins, multiple Mauer RBIs. 1500 ESPN (Wetmore) pg. 11 ➢ Pino impresses in big league debut to help Twins halt losing streak. Associated Press. pg. 13 ➢ Twins announce star-studded list of All-Star fanfest participants. 1500 ESPN (Wetmore) pg. 14 ➢ Oswaldo Arcia, mired in a slump, gets benched second day in a row. 1500 ESPN (Wetmore) pg. 15 ➢ Twins select Pino, place Nunez on 15-day DL, Pelfrey to 60-day DL. 1500 ESPN (Wetmore) pg. 16 ➢ Despite rain, Twins’ Pino shines in major-league debut. FOX Sports North (Mason) pg. 16 ➢ Tight AL Central keeping Twins in the mix. FOX Sports North (Mason) pg. 17 ➢ FOX Sports North’s new slo-mo camera debuts during Friday’s Twins game. FOX Sports North (Ervin) pg. 18

Mauer’s breakthrough lifts Twins past White Sox

Alex Smith / MLB.com – 6/19/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- Joe Mauer finally broke through in Thursday night's 4-2 victory over the White Sox at .

The slumping tied the game in the third inning, and then doubled in the eighth to score the go-ahead for his first multi-RBI game since May 3, and third total this season.

"I've been hitting the ball pretty good the last few weeks, and not having a lot to show for it," Mauer said. "But I was happy to come through. Had a couple chances to drive guys in, and I was happy to do it."

The Twins were glad to halt a five-game losing streak, a feat made possible by an excellent performance from 30-year-old Yohan Pino, who started his first career Major League game after spending 10 years in the Minors. When a rain delay stalled his debut by an extra 126 minutes, Pino remained composed. He struck out the first two batters he faced -- Adam Eaton and Gordon Beckham -- and then coaxed a groundout from to get his Twins career off to a perfect start.

"We didn't know too much about him," Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. "He's got a little unusual delivery, but it's deceptive. It makes his offspeed stuff a little better."

The Minnesota offense helped out early with a towering shot to left field by Josh Willingham, his sixth of the year. The left fielder turned on a 2-2 two-seam from Jose Quintana and crushed it 419 feet between the second and third decks.

But the 1-0 lead didn't last long. Pino gave up a pair of singles to Alejandro De Aza and Eaton, and then walked Beckham to load the bases with one out. After a long meeting on the mound, Pino allowed a line-drive single to Gillaspie that scored De Aza and Eaton. Beckham was tagged out after overrunning second, and then Pino struck out Jose Abreu to end the threat.

That's when Pino began to catch fire.

He retired 12 of the next 13 batters he faced, including a two- seventh inning. By the timeCasey Fien took over the eighth, Pino had left a trail of flummoxed Sox hitters who couldn't seem to solve the rookie's array of pitches as the game wore on.

"It was fun," he said through a translator. "I waited 10 years. I feel happy. I didn't feel nervous. I just wanted to do my job today."

Catcher Kurt Suzuki noted Pino's impressive demeanor on the rubber.

"His presence on the mound was like he'd been up here doing this for a long time," Suzuki said. "Just to see his face after his outing, I went over and talked to him on the bench and he was so happy. That's the kind of stuff you like to see as a catcher."

Twins put in three excellent performances in Boston earlier this week without a peep from the Twins bats.

That changed Thursday night.

Danny Santana got the Minnesota offense going in the bottom of the third with a double, and then Mauer collected his 17th RBI of the season with a line single to left field. Willingham nearly untied the game with another monster shot to left, but it sailed just wide of the foul pole and off the third deck of the party porch. He then made a loud out to the center-field warning track for the third out.

After several quiet innings, the offense revved up again the eighth. Santana was the catalyst once more, singling off Jake Petricka to open the frame. Brian Dozier followed that with another single to right, which pushed Santana to third.

With the game tied and no outs on the board, Mauer -- who entered the game with a career-low .254 batting average -- stepped up to the plate.

"That guy that was throwing last, that was the first time I'd seen him, so I was just trying to stay short and hit the ball hard," Mauer said.

The six-time All-Star dribbled a double past Sox third baseman Gillaspie and down the left-field line to score Santana and put the Twins up 3-2. Suzuki quickly followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Dozier.

"It's been a frustrating month, I guess," Mauer said. "I've been hitting the ball pretty good, trying to be consistent, but not having the results. Tonight, I had the results. So hopefully, that continues."

In the ninth, gave up a single to Abreu, but didn't run into any other trouble and picked up his 18th of the year. 2

Pino’s long wait brings solid Major League debut

Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com – 6/20/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- Yohan Pino is used to waiting.

After all, he waited 30 years and 175 days before making his Major League debut against the White Sox on Thursday after pitching in the Minors for 10 years.

So it came as no surprise he wasn't bothered by a two-hour, six-minute rain delay at Target Field, and went on to turn in an impressive outing in his first big league start.

The right-hander went seven innings, giving up two runs and five hits and one walk while striking out seven, but was stuck with the no-decision with the Twins scoring twice in the eighth in a 4-2 win. His seven were the second most in franchise history in a debut, tying him with Darrell Jackson and , and trailing only Boof Bonser's eight strikeouts set in 2006.

"It was fun," said Pino, who had a 1.89 ERA in 14 appearances at Triple-A Rochester. "I waited 10 years. I feel happy. I didn't feel nervous. I just wanted to do my job today."

Pino also became the oldest starting pitcher to make a big league debut in franchise history, passing Jugg Thesenga, who was 30 years and 127 days old when he made his debut with the Washington Senators in 1944.

Pino started off his outing with two strikeouts and a 1-2-3 inning and cruised from there. The two runs he allowed came in the third, when he loaded the bases with one out and surrendered a two-run single to Conor Gillaspie. But Pino settled down from there and retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced.

"His presence on the mound was like he'd been up here doing this for a long time," Twins catcherKurt Suzuki said. "Just to see his face after his outing, I went over and talked to him on the bench and he was so happy. That's the kind of stuff you like to see as a catcher."

Twins manager came away impressed by the way Pino handled himself, especially after having to deal with the rain delay.

"He's been around baseball a long time and handled it really well and was ready to go," Gardenhire said. "He handled everything that was thrown at him and that's not easy to do in your first start in the big leagues with a big rain delay like that. The kid did a really nice job."

Perkins returns to close out win over White Sox

Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com – 6/20/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins closer Glen Perkins, who was held out of Wednesday's game with stiffness in his lower back, came in feeling better and returned to action in Thursday's 4-2 win over the White Sox.

Perkins began to feel stiffness in his back on Tuesday, and tried to throw before Wednesday's game but still felt stiffness and was ruled out for the game. Reliever Casey Fienclosed in Perkins' absence and gave up back-to-back homers to and Mike Napoli to hand the Twins a 2-1 loss to the Red Sox in 10 innings at Fenway Park. 3

But Perkins felt better on Thursday, and ended up picking up his 18th save of the year with a scoreless ninth to help the Twins snap a five-game losing streak.

"Having Perk back out there was nice to see," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "His first couple pitches we thought, 'Oh my,' and thought we might need to get the 'pen up. But he did fine."

Nunez goes on DL to make room for Pino

MINNEAPOLIS -- In somewhat of a surprise, the Twins placed infielderEduardo Nunez on the 15-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain, retroactive to Sunday, to make room for right-hander Yohan Pino on the roster. Right-handerMike Pelfrey was also transferred to the 60-day disabled list to open a 40-man spot for Pino.

Nunez, who suffered the hamstring strain on Saturday, ran the bases before Wednesday's game in Boston, and the initial reports were that everything went positive and he'd be available to play on Thursday.

But Nunez admitted to Twins manager Ron Gardenhire that his hamstring was still bothering him, and he was placed on the DL as a result. The Twins played a man short in Nunez's absence, which wasn't Gardenhire's preference, but he was glad Nunez was honest about his condition.

"He came in my office afterward and said, 'My leg's not good. I probably need to go on the DL,'" Gardenhire said. "That's what we needed to hear. I just wish we would've heard it a little bit earlier

Nolasco, Twins look for bounce-back start against White Sox

Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com – 6/19/14

After a grueling 10-day road trip through Toronto, Detroit and Boston that came to an end on Wednesday, the Twins are simply happy to be back at Target Field after going 3-6 with five straight losses away from home.

But it's the opposite for the White Sox, who started an 11-game road trip to Minnesota, Baltimore and Toronto on Thursday.

The Twins and White Sox continue their four-game set on Friday in a big series for both teams, but Chicago manager Robin Ventura has tried to downplay the importance of his club's lengthy road trip.

"I don't look at it necessarily that way because any time you start going down that road I think every guy looks at every game like it's the end of the world," Ventura said. "We want to win games and do those things and that's the most important thing right now but I don't want them focused on the wrong stuff."

Right-hander takes the mound for the Twins on Friday, and is looking for a deeper outing than last time out, as he gave up three runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Tigers on Sunday. He also wasn't helped by his defense that outing, as Oswaldo Arcia lost track of a fly ball in right field that led to a run.

"Kind of tough when you give them a couple extra outs but that's going to happen," said Nolasco, who took Arcia's misplay in stride. "We're professionals. You've got to keep going and move on to the next guy. Everybody's out there trying as hard as they can."

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White Sox right-hander Hector Noesi will also look to get back on track after lasting just 3 2/3 innings against the Royals on Saturday. The defense also didn't help his cause, as he gave up five runs but only two of them were earned.

"We didn't play defense behind Hector, and that's a recipe to lose a game in a hurry," Ventura said. "It has to get better if you're going to plan on winning games, that's for sure. Hector, he's been good for us. He's always given us a chance but you have to help him out on occasion."

White Sox: Abreu already filling a leadership role Jose Abreu will play his 60th Major League game Friday night at Target Field. But in that short time frame, Ventura already sees his rookie first baseman playing a leadership role.

"He's already there being able to do the things he does, that becomes natural that guys count on him," Ventura said. "And as a team you count on him to do a lot of different things and the other stuff besides just the playing and the numbers and things like that come later. For right now he is a leader as far as how impactful he is in our lineup. The other stuff comes with it. Probably him speaking English and guys learning Spanish it'll eventually get there."

Abreu leads the AL with an 11.35 at-bat/homer ratio and ranks second in slugging percentage and is tied for second in homers.

Twins: Nunez heads to 15-day disabled list In somewhat of a surprise, the Twins placed infielder Eduardo Nunez on the 15-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain, retroactive to Sunday, to make room for right-hander Yohan Pino on the roster.

Nunez, who suffered the hamstring strain on Saturday, ran the bases before Wednesday's game in Boston, and the initial reports were that everything went positive and he'd be available to play on Thursday. But he admitted to Twins manager Ron Gardenhire that his hamstring was still bothering him and was placed on the DL as a result.

"He came in my office afterward and said, 'My leg's not good. I probably need to go on the DL,'" Gardenhire said. "That's what we needed to hear. I just wish we would've heard it a little bit earlier, but the kid wanted to try to play, and we gave him some time."

Worth noting • Pino became the oldest Twins starting pitcher to make a debut when he took the mound Thursday night. Pino was 30 years and 175 days old. The previous oldest in franchise history was Jug Thesenga, who made his debut for the Washington Senators on Sept. 1, 1944, at 30 years and 127 days old.

• Twins closer Glen Perkins was cleared to return to action after missing Wednesday's game against the Red Sox with stiffness in his lower back.

• Reliever Nate Jones joined the White Sox to continue his rehab work. He underwent a microdiscectomy in May to correct ongoing back issues leading to hip pain and could return in late July or early August.

• White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia, who is out for the season due to surgery repairing a torn labrum and avulsion fracture in his left shoulder, also joined the White Sox on their road trip.

Twins’ first-round pick Gordon debuts with three hits

Teddy Cahill / MLB.com – 6/19/14

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Shortstop Nick Gordon, the fifth overall pick of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, collected three hits Thursday in his professional debut and Rookie-level Elizabethton defeated Greeneville, 11-3, on in the Appalachian League.

Gordon went 3-for-5 with a double and a walk and scored two runs. Center fielder Austin Diemer, another member of the Twins' 2014 Draft class, homered and scored two runs in the victory.

Making his professional debut two weeks to the night after the Twins drafted him, Gordon reached on an error in his first plate appearance. He led off the third inning with a single, his first professional hit, and came around to score to give the Twins an early lead they would not relinquish.

Gordon is is the son of former All-Star closer , who was reportedly in the stands in Greeneville on Thursday night, and the younger brother of Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon.

While Gordon led the offense, Twins' No. 16 prospect Stephen Gonsalves made his season debut on the mound. The left-hander allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in four innings. He struck out four batters and induced six groundouts.

Umpire Muchlinski exits game in fifth inning

Scott Merkin / MLB.com – 6/20/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- There was a slight delay in the fifth inning of Thursday's White Sox-Twins game at Target Field when home-plate umpire Mike Muchlinski left the contest.

Muchlinski took an Alexei Ramirez foul ball directly off the center of his mask with one out in the fourth and was staggered by the impact. After Minnesota trainer Dave Pruemer checked on him, Muchlinski stayed in the game. He was examined again before the start of the bottom of the fourth and eventually left after the inning was completed.

Crew chief Mark Wegner replaced Muchlinski, with Andy Fletcher and Chris Segal covering the bases one umpire short.

Pino’s debut worth the wait as Twins top White Sox

La Velle Neal / Star Tribune – 6/20/14

Yohan Pino didn’t look overwhelmed in his major league debut Thursday night, but he was anxious before it.

Pino’s 10-season wait to reach the majors was nearly over, but heavy rains that socked the Twin Cities forced his debut to be delayed 2 hours, 6 minutes. The righthander had to wait a little longer.

“For 10 years,” Pino said, “I just wanted to go out and throw that first pitch.”

That first pitch was a strike, thrown at 9:16 p.m. A lot of his other pitches were strikes too. And Pino kept the Twins in the game long enough for them to come up with two runs in the eighth inning, leading to a 4-2 victory over the at Target Field that ended their five-game losing streak.

“I’m just happy,” said Pino, who at age 30 became the oldest Twins player to make a major league debut.

Danny Santana led off the eighth with a single off White Sox reliever Rob Petricka and went to third on Brian Dozier’s single to right. Petricka, a Faribault High School product, got ahead of Joe Mauer 0-2, but he worked the count full before slapping a pitch down the left-field line to drive in Santana. Dozier later scored on Kurt Suzuki’s sacrifice fly.

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Pino didn’t get a decision, being pulled after 94 pitches for Casey Fien (4-4), who earned the victory a day after taking the loss at Boston. Glen Perkins earned the save, pitching around a one-out single in the ninth inning to retire Adam Dunn and Alexei Ramirez.

But Pino was the story, holding Chicago to two runs over seven innings on five hits, one walk and seven strikeouts.

“That was wonderful to watch,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of Pino. “He changed speeds just as advertised. His fastball looks a lot harder when he’s using the fastball, the slider and the changeup.”

Having pitched 10 seasons in the minors, Pino has developed a feel for reading hitters that he can use in the majors. At least that’s what Twins assistant GM Ron Antony implied before the game. Pino was 9-1 with a 1.92 ERA in 14 games, seven starts, at Class AAA Rochester this year, forcing the Red Wings to remove Scott Diamond from the rotation to make room for him.

“He pitches like a veteran, and he is a veteran,” Antony said. “Just not major league.”

Pino has some in him in that he loves to get ahead early in the count and pound the strike zone. He failed to throw a first-pitch strike only four times during the first five innings. He kept hitters guessing starting off mashers Jose Abreu and Adam Dunn with his big breaking ball in the second inning.

The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the second when Josh Willingham pounded a high fastball from Chicago starter Jose Quintana down the left field line for a long . But Chicago got to Pino in the third when they loaded the bases before Conor Gillaspie lined a two-run single to center. Pino got a big second out on the single when Dozier took Sam Fuld’s throw and tagged out Gordon Beckham, who had gone too far past the bag.

Mauer tied the score in the third with an RBI single to left, only his second RBI this month. Mauer went 2-for-4 with two RBI, his first multi-RBI game since May 3.

Were the runs off Pino in the third signs of trouble? Nope. Pino retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced, stranding Alejandro De Aza in the fifth following his leadoff single. There were a few deep fly balls hit off him, but a pitcher can get away with that at Target Field.

“His presence on the mound was like he’s been up here actually doing this,” said Suzuki, the Twins catcher. “Just to see his face after, he was just so happy. That’s the kind of stuff you like to see.”

Pino was asked if he ever worried that he would never realize his major league dreams.

“At times I found it difficult,” he said, “but I had to just keep working and. by God, I was able to do it.”

Postgame: Thoughts on Pino, Mauer and umpires

La Velle Neal / Star Tribune – 6/20/14

Here are three Twins thoughts following their 4-2 win over the White Sox:

YOHAN PINO: The way he was described to me, Pino didn't throw hard. And he doesn't. But he hit 91 a few times on Friday. And when he's mixing in his curveball and other pitches, his fastball can be more effective. I knew he was crafty when he opened up with curveballs to Jose Abreu and the Adam Dunn in their first at-bats. And Pino kept throwing that hook. ``It looks like he can throw that curveball for a strike any time he wants to.''

JOE MAUER: Mauer was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI to help the Twins' cause on Thursday - his first multi-RBI game since May 3 and just his third game all season with multiple RBI's. And he hit the ball hard in three of his four trips to the plate on Thursday. I'm not ready to call a Mauer surge here, but his bat looked a little quicker on Thursday, like he's been working on shortening his swing.

MIKE MUCHLINSKI: The home plate umpire was hit in the facemask by a foul ball off of Alexei Ramirez's bat in the fourth. He finished the inning, but came out of the game and was replaced by Mark Wegner, the Cretin-Derham Hall grad. Wegner is not well- liked by the White Sox. Wegner ejected Jose Quintana - who, ironically - was pitching Thursday - for throwing behind Ben Zobrist in a 2012 game. Hawk Harrelson melted down on air about Wegner. No incidents on Thursday, though.

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Twins end up putting Nunez on disabled list after all

La Velle Neal / Star Tribune – 6/20/14

The Twins on Thursday needed to make room to add righthanderYohan Pino to the active roster for his major league debut, so they placed infielder Eduardo Nunez on the 15-day disabled list because of a right hamstring strain.

As it turned out, the Twins wished they could have made the Nunez move earlier. He pulled his hamstring on Saturday at Detroit but wanted to avoid the disabled list. He spent the next few days getting treatment and testing out the leg.

“I can play,” Nunez said. “It’s just not 100 percent.”

Meanwhile, manager Ron Gardenhire was in a situation he didn’t want to be in — shorthanded in Boston.

“We took him out [before Sunday’s game] and ran the bases which is normally the last thing you do,” Gardenhire said. “He ran the bases and kept telling me he’s not 100 percent but feels like he can still go run around a little bit. I talked to him a little about the things he’s going to be able to do.”

Nunez eventually told Gardenhire that his leg wasn’t good enough to play on.

“I don’t want to pull the hamstring and make it worse,” Nunez said.

The Twins could have made a move over the weekend and had another position player available for a series in Boston in which all three games were lost by one run. Still, Nunez won’t need the full 15 days to get healthy, but the Twins don’t want to play short another day.

“That’s what we wanted to hear,” Gardenhire said of Nunez admitting he couldn’t get to 100 percent health. “Wish we would have heard it a little earlier, but the kid wanted to try to play and we gave him some time.”

The Twins still needed to make room on the 40-man roster for Pino, which they did by moving righthander Mike Pelfrey from the 15- day to the 60-day DL.

Arcia sits

Gardenhire decided to sit outfielder Oswaldo Arcia a second day in a row Thursday night. Part of it was because had three hits and a home run Wednesday against Boston.

Arcia, in a 2-for-32 skid, took early batting practice. “He shortened up his swing and was hitting the ball a country mile,” Gardenhire said.

The manager hopes Arcia will return a little hungry. “Normally when you do that to a player, he gets tired of sitting on the bench,” Gardenhire said.

Draft pick update

The Twins are finalizing a deal with their second-round pick, Louisville closer Nick Burdi, who this week was voted closer of the year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The deal is expected to include a signing bonus near the league- recommended value of $1,218,800 for the 46th overall pick of the draft.

The Twins have signed 24 of their 40 picks from this month’s draft. After Burdi signs, they will have signed eight of their top 10.

First-round pick Nick Gordon, a shortstop from Orlando, made his professional debut Thursday for rookie Elizabethton of the Appalachian League. He singled to center in his second at-bat for his first hit.

Etc.

• Closer Glen Perkins, who missed Wednesday’s game because of a sore back, went out on the field before Thursday’s game and played catch with no problems. Perkins then pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 18th save in 20 attempts.

• Home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski left Thursday’s game after taking a foul ball hit by Alexei Ramirez directly in his facemask in the fourth inning. Muchlinski finished the inning before leaving, replaced by crew chief Mark Wegner. 8

Predicting a Joe Mauer hot streak

Michael Rand / Star Tribune – 6/20/14

Here's our 10 cent analysis of Joe Mauer this season:

*He started out the year with a slightly different approach after his move to first base, feeling as though he needed to hit for more pop. His swing got a little longer, he struck out more, and it threw him all out of whack.

*After about three weeks, he started to find a groove. From April 24-May 3, a span of 32 at bats, he hit .406 with a 1.005 OPS. That included a double and a home run to right field. After that May 3 game, he was hitting .298 and had an OBP of .396. He still wasn't hitting for a ton of power overall, but he was squaring up the ball.

*On May 4, he left a game with back problems. He didn't play again until May 10. Whether he came back too early or had his timing thrown off, he hasn't been the same since -- not even decent, which he at least had been before the back injury. From May 10 through Wednesday, he hit just .220 with just a .291 slugging percentage and a .570 OPS. Those are weak-hitting middle infielder numbers. The more you fail, the more failure gets in your head. He looked tense at the plate, and every game that went by without an RBI seemed to fester. Combine that with increasingly shifting defenses taking hits away and a notion that at age 31 with a concussion history Mauer might be losing even a fraction of his hand-eye coordination, and you have cause for alarm.

*But last night we saw something different: two trademark Mauer hits. The first was a looping single to left, a classic Tony Gwynn-like stroke off a left-handed pitcher that drove in a run and tied the Twins 2-2. The second was a well-struck double down the left field line -- a clutch hit to break that 2-2 tie in the eighth and propel the Twins to a 4-2 victory. His swing looked short and compact, but still authoritative. He wasn't trying to do anything other than hit like he always has.

In FSN's postgame interview, we saw an honest smile on Joe's face a few times. A smile will not help you go 2-for-4, but going 2-for- 4 and contributing to a win will help you smile. When you feel good, you gain confidence.

It was the kind of game that could propel him into the kind of hot streak he had started shortly before being injured, and we're guessing it will.

Twins have avoided precarious slides—so far

Michael Rand / Star Tribune – 6/19/14

The Twins find themselves in a familiar spot right now, albeit with some key differences from other similar situations this season.

On multiple occasions, as we are doing right now, it has been fair to wonder whether a team playing primarily .500 ball was heading on a nosedive south from which they would never recover.

Early this year, when they fell to 3-6 after a three-game sweep in their first three home games ... they rallied to win their next three against Kansas City to even their record.

They dropped four in a row after starting 12-11, but then they won three in a row to get back to 15-15.

Four more consecutive losses in late May pushed them to 23-25, but they leveled themselves by going 9-8 over the next 17.

That, though, brought them to this recent stretch: five consecutive losses, four by one run, many in heartbreaking fashion and none more so than Wednesday's game in Boston. The mental difference between winning a 1-0 game in extra innings and losing it 2-1 -- not to mention snapping a losing streak and salvaging a once-promising road trip with a 4-5 mark instead of 3-6 -- is hard to calculate, but it is significant.

The Twins are now 32-38, six games under .500 for the first time all year. So once again we find ourselves asking: is this the point where the Twins break? Do five losses in a row become 11 of 13, 14 of 17? Our guess this season is no based on the starting pitching being better than in past seasons; then again, we just watched three starting pitchers throw about as well as possible at Fenway, only to have the bats go silent in a sweep.

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Still, though, our guess is no. This is a cycle with this year's Twins, not a trend like it was from 2011-13. But we could be wrong, and it's precarious regardless heading into this four-game series vs. the White Sox.

Thursday’s Twins-White Sox game recap

La Velle Neal / Star Tribune – 6/20/14

GAME RECAP

Impact player

Yohan Pino, Twins

The righthander held the White Sox to two runs over seven innings in his major league debut. by the NUMBERS

18 First-pitch strikes thrown by Pino among 26 batters faced.

2.41 Twins starters’ ERA over the past nine games.

5 Pitches in a 1-2-3 eighth inning for Casey Fien, who won a day after giving up back-to-back homers in the loss at Boston.

ON DECK

Ricky Nolasco will face the White Sox for the first time since Opening Day, when he gave up five earned runs over six innings. Hector Noesi is scheduled to start for Chicago.

Twins 4, White Sox 2: Yohan Pino makes strong major league debut

Brian Murphy / Pioneer Press – 6/20/14

It took a decade of professional toiling for Yohan Pino to make his major-league debut. He was not going to let a two-hour rain delay Thursday dampen his big night.

The right-handed starter pitched seven strong innings against the White Sox at Target Field, earning a place in Twins history.

Minnesota broke a 2-2 logjam with a two-run rally in the eighth inning to pull out a 4-2 victory and end a season-long five-game losing streak.

Joe Mauer smacked an RBI double, his second run-scoring hit of the game, to score Danny Santana with the winning run, and Kurt Suzuki added a sacrifice fly off Chicago reliever Jake Petricka.

Josh Willingham clubbed his sixth home run of the season, a solo shot in the first off Chicago starter Jose Quintana.

Closer Glen Perkins returned after missing Wednesday's loss at Boston because of a sore back, working a scoreless ninth for his 18th save.

It was also a night of redemption for set-up man Casey Fien, who allowed consecutive solo home runs to David Ortiz and Mike Napoli in the 10th inning of the Red Sox's walk-off win at Fenway Park on Wednesday.

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In relief of Pino, Fien needed only five pitches to retire the White Sox in order in the eighth inning and earn the win.

At 30 years, 175 days, Pino was the oldest starting pitcher to debut for the Twins/Washington Senators franchise in 70 years.

"I waited for 10 years. I was happy," a smiling Pino said in the clubhouse.

Pino kept White Sox hitters off balance with a deceptive delivery and repertoire of slow breaking balls and sneaky that never crested 90 mph on the stadium radar.

He struck out seven while scattering five hits, retiring the last nine batters he faced in a game that did not start until 9:16 p.m.

"That was wonderful to watch," said manager Ron Gardenhire. "He handled everything that was thrown at him and that's not easy to do your first start in the big leagues."

Pino's only blemish occurred in the third inning, when he allowed three singles and a walk, yielding Conor Gillaspie's two-run single.

Still, he managed to work out of trouble following a reassuring visit from pitching coach Rick Anderson. He struck out dangerous rookie slugger Jose Abreu, who has 20 home runs and 53 RBI, to snuff the Chicago threat.

"Andy said he was pretty calm about what he needed to do," Gardenhire said.

The Venezuelan was called up from Triple-A Rochester this week to replace Sam Deduno in Minnesota's rotation.

Pino, whom the Twins dealt to in 2009 for pitcher , had almost 1,200 career innings in the minor leagues before finally breaking through in his second tour with Minnesota.

He was 9-1 with a 1.92 earned-run average in 14 outings (seven starts) for the Red Wings.

Meanwhile, after Boston held them to just two runs in a three-game sweep, the Twins put together some clutch at-bats to climb back within five games of .500.

It was Mauer's third multi-RBI game of the season but first since May 3.

"Joe came up with a couple of big ones tonight," Gardenhire said. "We need some of those guys to get going. That's huge for us. You start putting them in the right place and they start falling for us. That's a big thing for this lineup."

5 thoughts on Pino’s debut, Perkins, multiple Mauer RBIs

Derek Wetmore / 1500 ESPN – 6/20/14

MINNEAPOLIS - Yohan Pino waited a long time for his Major League debut. Once he got his chance, he made the most of it. Pino pitched 7 strong innings Thursday and allowed just two runs on five hits. He struck out seven and walked just one batter. That's one strikeout shy of a Twins record for a Major League debut, just short of Boof Bonser. The Twins plated a pair in the eighth to win, 4-2, which had to please whatever remained of the crowd that waited out a rain delay of two hours and six minutes.

This column presents 5 thoughts from Thursday's game. If you're interested, I'm scheduled to appear Friday on 1500 ESPN's Talkin' Twins segment at 11:35 a.m. You can listen online here.

As always, feel free to ask any questions or make any observations in the comments. If you have a unique baseball observation during a game, feel free to share it with me on Twitter (@DerekWetmore). -- 11

1. Based on his minor league numbers, Yohan Pino deserved a call-up. Pino had made seven starts and also pitched out of the bullpen for the Red Wings. Several other starters - especially Trevor May - have pitched well for Rochester lately, too. Often in a situation like that, the decision of whom to promote involves minor league performance and the luck of timing. "He was the guy who was pitching the best there and has earned the opportunity," assistant GM Rob Antony said before Thursday's game. "Our pitching staff [in Rochester] has done very well, but he's probably the guy that time in and time out, he's done it. He's done it in different roles. ... Let's find out what he can do [in the Majors]." "Trevor May pitched [Monday]; he wouldn't have been available to pitch tonight. So sometimes it's about timing. This time it was about the right guy and there was no adverse timing." -- 1b). Pino's debut was impressive. He struck out seven batters and walked just one in 7 innings. He allowed two earned runs on five hits and did not factor in the decision. Catcher Kurt Suzuki said after the game that Pino is able to throw his 88- or 89-mph fastball by hitters because he's deceptive in his delivery and he can control his breaking pitches and throw them in any count. He used his fastball and slider primarily, with the occasional curve ball and changeup mixed in. He recorded at least one strikeout with each of those four pitches and had 12 swinging strikes in 94 pitches. -- 2. Joe Mauer had a pair of RBIs, including one on a double through a drawn-in infield in the eighth inning that broke a 2-2 tie. Danny Santana singled and Brian Dozier singled behind him to set up first and third with nobody out for Mauer. Mauer fell behind 0-2 but worked the count full. Reliever Jake Petricka (righthander) gave Mauer a slider on the outer half of the plate that didn't appear to break that much. Mauer laced it past the third baseman and took second without a throw from the left fielder. Santana scored easily on the play. That's Mauer's third game this season in which he drove home multiple runs. He collected three RBIs in a game on April 12, and 4 RBIs on May 13. "It's been a frustrating month," Mauer said. "I've been hitting the ball pretty good and trying to be consistent but not having the result. Tonight I had the results so hopefully that continues." At times I've wondered if Mauer would try to tweak his swing if balls that used to fall for hits are turning into outs as a result of opponents' shifts. Apparently, that's been the case. "I'm human. You know, it's a game of adjustments. Sometimes you're making adjustments where you necessarily don't have to. I kind of ran into that a little bit this year where my swing was good and things were going good and you try to make and adjustment to get that result and it kind of backfires." -- 3. Josh Willingham's power was on display Thursday. He led off the second inning with a 419-foot home run to left field. The next inning, he crushed a pitch about 20 feet to the left of the left field foul pole. It looked as if it would have landed in the third deck in left if it had stayed fair. He flew out on the next pitch. When the ball left his bat, it didn't sound from the press box like he squared up the pitch, but he still drove it to the warning track, just short of the bullpen in left center field. The sign in the deepest part of the park reads 411 feet. -- 4. Glen Perkins pitched one day after he was unavailable with back stiffness for a save opportunity in Boston. Of course, if you follow the Twins closer on Twitter, you already knew he'd be available if it came down to it. Perkins gave up a weak one-out single to Jose Abreu, but otherwise pitched a clean inning for his 18th save. -- 5. That's about how you'd draw up a game for the Twins if you could: seven innings from the starter, Casey Fien for the eighth and Perkins to close it. Fien gave up back-to-back home runs in the 10th inning Wednesday, but has been the Twins' second-best reliever this season. Ron Gardenhire was clear after the game that Fien is the setup man and he didn't consider passing over him Thursday because of a bad result Wednesday. Fien said he looked at film and saw what he did wrong in Boston and tried to fix it Thursday. 12

"As a reliever that's all you can do: forget about yesterday and bring on today," Fien said. "It gets put into question; you start questioning yourself when it comes down to it," Fien said of being confident in the face of failure. "When I came in today I forgot all about it." "I think I still need to work. Once you think that you've got it all figure out, that's when stuff starts hitting the fan."

Pino impresses in big league debut to help Twins halt losing streak

Associated Press – 6/20/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- Joe Mauer drove in two runs, including the go-ahead double in the eighth inning, to push the past the Chicago White Sox 4-2 Thursday night.

After rain delayed the first pitch by 2 hours and 6 minutes, the Twins stopped their season-high, five-game losing streak. Mauer, in the middle of the worst year of his six-time All-Star career, also hit a tying single in the third. After 18 games without an RBI, Mauer has three in three days. With Jake Petricka (0-2) pitching with runners at the corners with no outs, Mauer hooked a drive down the left-field line. Kurt Suzuki tacked on a sacrifice fly. Glen Perkins tossed a scoreless ninth for his 18th save in 20 tries, after a bad back kept him from pitching Wednesday in Boston.

Casey Fien (4-4), who subbed as the closer Wednesday and gave up two homers in the 10th inning in a 2-1 loss to the Red Sox, returned to the eighth-inning role and earned the victory that really belonged to Yohan Pino. Pino at age 30 became the oldest Twins player to make his major league debut, holding the White Sox to two runs in seven innings. Josh Willingham's home run in the second, the first time in 10 starts that Jose Quintana surrendered a long ball, gave Pino a brief lead. But after a walk by Gordon Beckham loaded the bases in the third, Connor Gillaspie smacked a two-run single into center field. Over the last nine games, Twins starters have a 2.41 ERA. Pino struck out seven and allowed five hits and one walk. He signed with the Twins more than 10 years ago, but after reaching Double-A in July 2007 he bounced up and down between the top two levels of the minors over the following six seasons. He pitched for four teams each in Double-A and Triple-A. Traded to Cleveland in August 2009 for Carl Pavano, Pino played for three organizations until rejoining the Twins this year. When the Twins sent Sam Deduno to the bullpen, Pino was the pick after posting a 9-1 record and 1.92 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 61 innings for Triple-A Rochester. Two of his seven starts were shutouts.

Having gained valuable experience in the Venezuelan Winter League, Pino has become good enough at changing speeds and throwing breaking balls for strikes to make up for an average-at-best fastball. Given the length of his journey and the positive impression he has made on the team, the Twins were extra excited to see him take the mound. Pino struck out Jose Abreu the first two times he faced the rookie slugger. Abreu became the third-fastest to reach 20 home runs when he went deep Wednesday against San Francisco in his 58th career game. Quintana has had another solid season for the White Sox, his third, but a lack of assistance has persisted. His average run support, 4.11 per nine innings, is the second-lowest in the since his debut in 2012. Winless in four starts this month, Quintana struck out six in seven innings while allowing six hits and a walk. Home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski took a hard foul tip off the bottom of his mask in the fourth. He finished the inning after being checked on by Twins trainer Dave Pruemer but was replaced for the fifth inning by crew chief Mark Wegner. A three-man group was used for the rest of the game. Game notes --Willingham has six homers in 24 games since returning from his rehab assignment for a broken wrist, but he entered the night in a 1-for-19 slide. --The Twins will send Ricky Nolasco (4-5, 5.66 ERA) to the mound on Friday, and Hector Noesi (2-5, 5.37 ERA) will pitch for the White Sox.

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Twins announce star-studded list of All-Star fanfest participants

Derek Wetmore / 1500 ESPN – 6/19/14

MINNEAPOLIS - The All-Star Game festivities just keep rolling in. The Twins on Thursday announced that a group of more than 40 Hall of Famers, Twins legends and fan favorites will sign autographs, offer clinics and hold question and answer sessions during All- Star fanfest from July 11-15. Here is the list of participants. Friday, July 11: Bert Blyleven (HOF) Corey Koskie (HOF) Frank Quilici Jim Robinson Pedro Sierra -- Saturday, July 12: Tony Oliva Bert Blyleven (HOF) Fred Lynn Jim Robinson Pedro Sierra Orlando Cepeda (HOF) Juan Marichal (HOF) -- Sunday, July 13: Fergie Jenkins (HOF)

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Doug Mientkiewicz (HOF) Juan Marichal (HOF) -- Monday, July 14: Joe Mauer Andre Dawson (HOF) Dave Winfield (HOF) Bert Blyleven (HOF) Paul Molitor (HOF) Tim Raines -- Tuesday, July 15: Joe Mauer Jacque Jones Paul Molitor (HOF) Rollie Fingers (HOF) Jim "Mudcat" Grant Rich Rollins

Oswaldo Arcia, mired in a slump, gets benched second day in a row

Derek Wetmore / 1500 ESPN – 6/19/14

MINNEAPOLIS - Oswaldo Arcia hit home runs and line drives when he returned from his wrist injury in late May. Recently, the only thing he's hit is the skids. In 11 games following his return to the Twins lineup on May 26, Atrcia hit .378/.378/.733, with four home runs and 12 RBIs. Since then, he's hit .063/.231/.094 with no home runs and 14 strikeouts in 39 plate appearances. Granted, his hot streak and his cold streak are small sample sizes, but it's striking how out of sorts Arcia appears at the plate lately. "He's just getting out of whack right now. He's swinging a little crazy and he's just got to get back within himself," manager Ron Gardenhiresaid. "It looks like he's guessing," assistant general manager Rob Antony said. "He just hasn't been swinging the bat very well."

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Arcia was benched Wednesday in Boston and his fill-in, Chris Parmelee, had a good day at the plate. Parmelee went 3-for-4, including a 10th-inning home run that would have made him the hero had the Twins not blown the game in the bottom of the inning. Parmelee was in the lineup Thursday in right field instead Arcia once more, and it's a direct results of Arcia's slump. "[Arcia] took early [batting practice] today and shortened his swing up a little bit. He was hitting the ball a country mile and that's what he's got to carry over into the games. "We're just giving him a couple breather days, let him sit and watch, let him get irritated by sitting on the bench. Normally when you do that with a player then he gets tired of sitting on the bench, then he starts focusing a little bit better and hopefully that's what we're going to get with him," Gardenhire said. Arcia said Thursday afternoon that he feels fine physically and he feels good at the plate. Gardenhire said he wouldn't be opposed to using Arcia as a weapon off the bench Thursday. "He may come in today [as a pinch-hitter] and get a big hit for us and win a ballgame," Gardenhire said. "That's what we expect out of him. I may use him late in a game--he hits a home run we'll all be fine. Peaches and cream."

Twins select Pino, place Nunez on 15-day DL, Pelfrey to 60-day DL

Derek Wetmore / 1500 ESPN – 6/19/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins officially have selected Yohan Pino's contract, the team announced Thursday. If Thursday's game is not washed out by the rain, Pino is scheduled to make his Major League debut. To make room on the active roster, the Twins placed Eduardo Nunez (right hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list. Mike Pelfrey was transfered from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL to make room for Pino on the 40-man roster. Pino will wear No. 63, according to the Twins. Pino struck out 61 batters and walked 16 in 61 innings for Triple-A Rochester. The 30-year old from Venezuela may not be considered a top prospect, but his minor league numbers are impressive. He is known more for his breaking pitches than his fastball, which sits in the upper-80s. Pino has two shutouts this season.

Despite rain, Twins’ Pino shines in major-league debut

Tyler Mason / FOX Sports North – 6/20/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- Yohan Pino waited a decade to make his major-league debut. After all that, waiting two more hours for a rain delay was nothing.

Pino, at 30 years, 175 days old, became the oldest player in Twins history to make his major-league debut. Thursday's start for Minnesota came after 10 seasons, 292 games and 1,093 2/3 innings in the minor leagues.

When he took the mound Thursday against Chicago, Pino achieved his dream of being a big-league ballplayer -- and he helped his team earn a win in the process. Though he didn't get the victory, Pino allowed just two runs in seven innings while striking out seven as Minnesota topped the White Sox 4-2 in the series opener.

The journey to the majors was a long one for the Venezuela native, but the payoff was worth it in the end.

"I waited 10 years," Pino said after the game. "I was happy. I don't feel nervous. I just want to do my job. I feel great today."

Pino's debut got off to a strong start -- but not until both teams had to sit through a two-hour, six-minute rain delay. When Pino's first pitch was finally thrown at 9:16 p.m. CT, he was officially a big-league pitcher.

Although he lacks overpowering stuff, Pino was able to strike out Adam Eaton andGordon Beckham for the first two outs of the game. His fastball rarely topped 90 mph the entire night, but the longtime minor-league veteran was crafty, using his curveball effectively against a powerful Chicago lineup. 16

"He had a good breaking ball. He pitched his fastball to both sides of the plate," said Kurt Suzuki, who caught Pino for the first time ever in Thursday's game. "He moved the ball around, threw some changeups. He really didn't fall into a pattern and he attacked guys. He really didn't nibble around the plate. He just went after them."

Pino struck out White Sox slugger Jose Abreu to lead off the second and then worked around a two-out double by inducing a fly out off the bat of Dayan Viciedo to end the inning. Pino ran into trouble in the third, walking Gordon Beckham to load the bases with one out. Conor Gillaspie then singled to center to drive in a pair, Pino's first runs allowed in the majors.

But Pino once again struck Abreu out, this time to end the inning. From there on out, the Twins right-hander was on cruise control, allowing just one more hit over the next four innings before exiting with the game tied 2-2. His seven strikeouts were the second- most by a Twins pitcher in his MLB debut; only Boof Bonser (eight strikeouts) had more.

"I told him that was fun to watch," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "I told him, 'You've waited a long time for that moment. That's a really, really nice job. That was fun to watch. Congratulations. Now hopefully we'll get a win here and we can all be smiling with you at the end of the game,' which was fantastic."

Pino ultimately earned a no-decision in his MLB debut. Twins first baseman Joe Mauer drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth, one inning after Pino's exit. Suzuki added another run with a sacrifice fly against White Sox reliever Jake Petricka, ensuring that Pino's debut would come in a victory.

Before Pino was called up by the Twins prior to Thursday's game, he was 9-1 with an impressive 1.92 ERA in 14 games (seven starts) for Rochester. Two of those seven starts were complete-game shutouts, although one was of the seven-inning variety. He had also struck out 61 batters and walked just 16 in 61 innings.

Simply put, it was too hard for the Twins to ignore the numbers Pino was putting up in Triple-A. Minnesota has a pair of big-time prospects in Alex Meyer and Trevor May pitching in Rochester, but Pino was the one who got the call. "He was the guy who was pitching the best there and has earned the opportunity," said Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony. "Our pitching staff down there has done very well, but he's probably the guy that time in and time out, he's done it. He's done it in different roles, and he's earned the opportunity. Let's find out what he can do."

As it turned out Thursday, Pino can indeed pitch effectively in the major leagues. He just had to wait a decade to prove he could.

"I just wanted to go out and throw the first pitch," Pino said. "I'm just happy today."

Tight AL Central keeping Twins in the mix

Tyler Mason / FOX Sports North – 6/19/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins are finally home after a long, 10-day, nine-game road trip that saw them drop two of three series. They've lost a season-high five straight games, including a three-game sweep at the hands of the -- all of which were one-run losses.

Yet despite all that, last-place Minnesota finds itself just six games out of first place in what has turned into a very crowded .

"We've got a lot of games left within the division," said Twins first baseman Joe Mauer. "Whether they're April or September, it's always meaningful games because everybody's so close."

Whether you want to call it parity or mediocrity, the AL Central remains the closest division in baseball from top to bottom. The red- hot , who recently reeled off 10 straight wins, overtook Detroit this week to claim first place in the Central. TheTigers have endured their struggles, particularly by the pitchers, and are just five games above .500.

Cleveland is 37-36 and 2 1/2 games behind the Royals, while the White Sox -- in Minneapolis Thursday for a four-game series -- sit four games back from Kansas City and two games ahead of the Twins. Nobody's running away with this division, and that means the Twins are still in the mix, even though they're at a season-worst six games under .500 entering Thursday's game against Chicago.

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"I think baseball fans of all teams in the Central division should be excited about what's going to come up," said Twins reliever Brian Duensing. "The Central is wide open. That's exciting. All we've got to do is get on a hot run, kind of like Kansas City did, and who knows what could happen. We could be at the top there before you know it."

In order to climb back in the division, Minnesota will have to start hitting. As the Twins' starting pitching has come into form -- especially on the last road trip -- Minnesota's bats have gone quiet. The stark contrast between the success of the pitchers and the struggles of the hitters was evident in Boston this week. Minnesota allowed a total of five runs in three games, but scored just twice during that stretch and lost all three games of the series.

Minnesota has scored 297 runs in 70 games, which ranks last in the AL Central. Several key players, including Mauer, have endured slumps as of late. Somehow, the Twins have to flip the switch on offense and start putting runs on the board to back up the solid pitching performances.

"We went through some tough pitchers. Boston has the big boys that we had to face there, and we went through Detroit with some pretty good pitching, and Toronto," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "I think a lot of it's due to the other pitchers. They threw the ball very well against us. You start fighting it a little bit, trying to do too much. We've just got to settle in and do our thing and not try to get too goosey up there, put the barrel on it and hopefully they'll start falling in for us."

More often than not, it seems as if the AL Central has remained a tight division from start to finish in recent years. Last season, Detroit beat Cleveland by one game to win the division. In 2013, the Tigers won by three games. The 2011 season was a bit of an outlier when Detroit ran away with it by a whopping 15-game margin.

Many expected the Tigers to once again run away with the division, but that hasn't happened. Yet if the Twins don't put together some sort of winning streak soon, they'll risk falling even further behind the rest of the pack in the AL Central.

"Everything's going to have to come together," Duensing said. "We're going to have some luck here and there. Everyone needs that. I feel like if we just keep doing what we're doing, a run is not that far from our grasp."

There's plenty of baseball left to be played, and the Twins have closed bigger deficits in much shorter periods of time in years past. They'll have a chance this weekend with four games against a division foe before heading back on the road for six games. It's not just the AL Central that remains close as July approaches. Minnesota is just 5 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot, although there are plenty of teams ahead of them. But in a year when Minnesota was expected to finish at the bottom once again, the rest of baseball is allowing the Twins to hang around.

"I was looking at the wild card last night; somebody said there's not really two or three dominant teams this year. I think everybody's kind of pretty good," said Minnesota second baseman Brian Dozier said. "That's a good sign for us. If we can put two and two together, I think it's going to be exciting."

FOX Sports North’s new slo-mo camera debuts during Friday’s Twins game

Phil Ervin / FOX Sports North – 6/19/14

MINNEAPOLIS -- With yet another device coming to its arsenal, FOX Sports North continues to be on the forefront of cutting-edge visual technology.

The network's new Grass Valley Group LDX 6X Xtreme Speed Camera will make its FSN debut during Friday's 7:10 p.m. Twins game against the Chicago White Sox. While FOX's ballyhooed Phantom Cam offers fans crystal clarity during replays, the Xtreme Speed Camera's specialty is seamlessly transitioning between real time and slow motion, enhancing the viewing experience by isolating the most integral moment(s) in any replay.

And FOX Sports North/FOX Sports Wisconsin executive producer Tony Tortorici's new toy will be used at all Twins home games -- not just select contests like the Phantom Cam, which rotates from region to region.

"There's a learning curve with it," Tortorici said, "but at the end of the day our viewers are going to be able to see more super slo- mo."

The addition of new broadcast trucks has allowed FSN to install two of the 6X cameras and prepare them for operation. Used in conjunction with a controller developed by Grass Valley Group, the units are capable of displaying up to 360 frames per second. 18

They'll be used during Twins, Timberwolves and Wild games from here on out.

"They're going to have a presence year-round," Tortorici said. "We're mandated to upgrade our production the best we can and make good decisions, and this is another one."

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