Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Thursday, July 27, 2017

 Zach Granite's gaffe helps take Twins from 5-0 lead to 6-5 loss to Dodgers. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1  Byron Buxton improves but Miguel Sano doesn't. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 2  Twins schedule is about to get easier, should keep them in playoff race. Star Tribune (Rand) p. 3  Sano and Buxton both out of lineup as Twins try to salvage L.A. finale. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 4  Twins blow five-run lead to Dodgers, lose fourth straight. Pioneer Press (D’Hippolito) p. 5  Twins can't hold early lead in loss to Dodgers. MLB (Bollinger & Gurnick) p. 6  Defense, bullpen let Twins down in loss. MLB (Bollinger) p. 7  Buxton still sidelined with migraines. MLB (Bollinger) p. 8  Garcia set for Twins debut in opener vs. A's. MLB (Bollinger) p. 9  Report: Twins would still consider trading Ervin Santana or Jaime Garcia if ‘struggles continue’. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 9  Santana strong, but Twins swept after big Dodgers comeback. Associated Press p. 10  Rumor Central: Twins will consider moving Ervin Santana, Jaime Garcia? ESPN (Tekip) p. 11  Twins Could Listen On Santana, Garcia If Struggles Continue. MLB Trade Rumors (Adams) p. 11  Rick Ross, sexist creep, should stop wearing Twins gear [VIDEO]. City Pages (Mullen) p. 11  Someone You Should Know: Brookings to the Big Leagues. KDLT News (Eble) p. 12

Zach Granite's gaffe helps take Twins from 5-0 lead to 6-5 loss to Dodgers Phil Miller | Star Tribune | July 27, 2017

LOS ANGELES – Zack Granite saw a way out of the mess the Twins were in. He saw his opportunity to capitalize on a Dodger mistake, to end a dangerous inning, to preserve the Twins’ precarious lead.

He was wrong.

The Twins’ rookie center fielder, as he made a running catch to corral Logan Forsythe’s shallow fly ball during an L.A. eighth-inning rally on Wednesday, spotted Dodgers baserunner Enrique Hernandez, who had broken for second on the pitch, scrambling to get back to first base. Granite fired the ball ahead of Hernandez — to a vacant base.

Joe Mauer was lined up near the pitcher’s mound to cut off a possible throw to the plate, and Granite’s instinctive throw to first rolled untouched into a camera well next to the Twins’ dugout, scoring Justin Turner from third base with the tying run of an eventual 6-5 Dodgers victory in the most shocking, painful way possible.

“It’s tough. Tough to lose a game like that,” Granite said after the Twins blew a 5-0 lead and were swept out of Dodger Stadium by the league’s hottest team. “Being one of the young guys, I want to do everything I can to help the team win, and I feel like I let the team down.”

Granite’s mistake only tied the game, but the Dodgers wasted no time finishing off the Twins for the third straight night just an inning later. Austin Barnes hit a one-out single off Kintzler to right field, and Chris Taylor followed with a hit that glanced off Jorge Polanco’s glove as he dove. With two outs, Justin Turner smacked a 3-2 pitch into left field, setting off a euphoric celebration by the Dodgers and their packed house of 50,941, the biggest crowd to watch the Twins since the Metrodome’s final game in the 2009 ALDS.

“They have the best record in the game. They’ve got a really good thing going on,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said of the Dodgers, who own the best record in baseball thanks to their streak of 18 wins in the last 21 games, and 20 of their last 23 at home. “They’re playing hungry, they’re playing loose. It kind of frees you up to let it fly.”

But it was when Granite let it fly that stood out. The Dodgers had rallied to within 5-4 and had Turner on third base and Hernandez at first with one out as Forsythe faced Twins closer Brandon Kintzler, in for a potential five-out save. Forsythe fought off a 96-mph fastball on 3-2 and lofted a pop fly that Granite came speeding in to catch. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hernandez realize tardily that the ball would be caught.

Granite made the calculation that Turner would likely bluff toward the plate on such a shallow fly, but stop and return to third. But Hernandez, he saw, was too far toward second to get back in time.

“Instincts took over, and I went for it at first. Clearly wasn’t the right choice. That’s my fault, 100 percent,” Granite said.

When did he realize that Mauer was in cutoff position, as the situation called for, and not on first base?

“As I was letting it go,” Granite said. “I saw Joe over where he was supposed to be, but I just couldn’t hold on to it.”

Said Molitor: "The throw beat [Hernandez] back to the base, which means the judgement wasn’t poor. It was a potential double play. But the fact that it was vacated … “

It was a sour ending — Kintzler’s fourth blown save in 31 opportunities, breaking a streak of 12 in a row — to a night that seemed to be going the Twins way. Ervin Santana allowed a pair of long and loud home runs to Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig, but was otherwise unscathed until his final pitch of the night — a pinch-hit, two-out, two-run double by veteran Chase Utley.

Dodger errors contributed to the Twins’ three-run third, highlighted by Granite’s RBI double, giving him a seven-game hit streak, and Mauer’s two-run single. And another error in the fourth allowed Brian Dozier to double home two more, giving the Twins their biggest lead ever at Dodger Stadium.

It also made Santana the first Twins pitcher to score twice in a game in 45 years, dating back to Bert Blyleven on May 25, 1972. But the Dodgers don’t have 71 wins already by accident, and they finished with a flourish, scoring twice in the seventh, once in the eighth, and the knockout punch in the ninth.

Byron Buxton improves but Miguel Sano doesn't Phil Miller | Star Tribune | July 27, 2017

LOS ANGELES – Byron Buxton took batting practice Wednesday, and that was progress. Miguel Sano took batting practice Wednesday, too, and that was a setback.

Yet neither player was in the Twins’ lineup for a second consecutive game Wednesday.

Buxton said he felt much better after two miserable days of battling migraine headaches, which cause his vision to blur and sometimes makes him see double.

“It definitely isn’t fun,” Buxton said. “I’ve had them since I was growing up but not usually this bad.”

He still suffers the headaches about once a month or so, Buxton said, but they don’t last long and usually don’t hamper his play.

The migraine isn’t completely gone, so the Twins didn't activate him from the 10-day disabled list, and after the game decided to to send Buxton on a rehab assignment to Toledo with Class AAA Rochester for the weekend.

“By the time we get to Friday, we’re pushing two weeks as far as not getting any playing time,” manager Paul Molitor said earlier Wednesday, before the decision was made.

Meanwhile, Molitor was in the batting cage Wednesday afternoon when Sano stepped in and took a few swings.

“You could tell it wasn’t comfortable for him yet,” Molitor said of his third baseman, who was hit on the hand by a Josh Fields pitch Monday. “We feel it’s more of some type of bone bruise than ligament or bone damage. But the vibration of the swing is making it tough for him right now.”

Sano said his pinch-hit appearance Tuesday night, when he struck out on three pitches in the eighth inning, was painful. He feared something worse than a bruise, and was relieved that X-rays were negative. He believes a day off Thursday will be enough time for him to heal. 2

Learning experience

Molitor said he wants to put Tuesday’s lineup snafu, in which umpire Lance Barnett wrote down different substitutions than the Twins intended to make, behind him.

“It’s been a hot discussion around here as we try to sort through some things that transpired. I’d like to turn the page on it,” he said. “I’d like to think I learned from it, and the umpires as well.”

He said he told the team to blame him for the mix-up, which caused an 18-minute delay and forced Eddie Rosario out of the game with three innings to play. “It was somewhat important for me to let them know my responsibility and accountability so we can move on,” he said.

And if he decides to tell an umpire he’s making another double switch? “I’ll probably go real slow,” he said.

Progress for Perkins

Glen Perkins allowed a hit and a walk in one inning of a Gulf Coast League game Wednesday, and also stuck out a batter. It was Perkins’ second successful outing in a week as he tries to return from shoulder surgery more than a year ago.

Molitor said he was encouraged by Perkins’ progress, but said after such a long layoff, the All-Star closer will need plenty more work before he can return to the Twins. “He’s got to go through the process of accumulating some time against hitters, and at improved levels along the way, before we would consider him ready to come back and help us,” the manager said.

Santiago outing ‘spotty’

Hector Santiago was in uniform with the Twins on Wednesday, one day after making a shaky rehab start for Class AAA Rochester in Indianapolis. Santiago threw 36 pitches in his one-inning stint, and “it was a little spotty. A lack of command,” Molitor said. “It seemed like he misfired quite a bit with his fastball and breaking stuff. Not really surprising given that he hasn’t pitched a lot in the last month.”

Santiago had committed to a charity fundraiser in Southern California for Bass Pro Shops, “and I didn’t have any issue with him coming out here after his start yesterday, taking care of that responsibility and then heading back,” Molitor said. Santiago’s next start is Saturday in Toledo.

Twins schedule is about to get easier, should keep them in playoff race Michael Rand | Star Tribune | July 26, 2017

It seems like just the Twins’ luck, right? They make a couple of moves to bolster their starting rotation after a surprisingly good first half of the season — first a flyer on Bartolo Colon and then a more significant pickup of Jaime Garcia — only to hit a rough patch and drift further out of contention.

Even as modestly committed buyers instead of sellers, the Twins have to be disappointed to suddenly be below .500, trailing the AL Central race now by 4.5 games and the Wild Card by three.

That said, the push to add those pitchers was made with the duration of 2017 in mind, not just this recent stretch. The Twins are 4-7 since the All-Star break against a schedule that looked daunting from the get-go: the Astros, Yankees, Tigers and Dodgers.

But after one more game in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the schedule eases up considerably and could — should? — enable the Twins to at least stay on the fringes of contention for the foreseeable future.

Their next two series are against way-below-.500 teams Oakland and San Diego before coming home against the mediocre Rangers. In the back half of August, the Twins have 11 consecutive games against either the White Sox or Blue Jays, two last-place teams. Bad teams who have nothing left to play for often wilt even more in the dog days of summer and/or give playing time to prospects in the name of development.

The Twins are done for the season with the Astros, Red Sox and Dodgers — three elite teams against whom the Twins have gone a combined 3- 12 this season — after tonight. Bottom line: the Twins will have the type of schedule conducive to winning streaks or clusters of, say, seven wins in nine games. Whether they take advantage is another matter, but they are at least in a better position to do so after adding Colon and Garcia — both of whom are scheduled to start this weekend in Oakland. 3

Sano and Buxton both out of lineup as Twins try to salvage L.A. finale Phil Miller | Star Tribune | July 26, 2017

LOS ANGELES — Byron Buxton took batting practice on Wednesday, and that was progress. Miguel Sano took batting practice on Wednesday, too, and that was a setback.

Neither player is in the Twins’ lineup tonight, and they’re just hoping their absence is a short one.

Buxton said he feels much better after two pretty miserable days of battling migraine headaches, which cause his vision to blur and sometimes makes him see double — not ideal for a ballplayer. The migraine isn’t completely gone, so the Twins aren’t ready to activate him from the 10-day disabled list, but he is hopeful that an offf day tomorrow will have him ready to play again on Friday.

It’s the the point now, manager Paul Molitor said, where the Twins have to consider a few games of rehab in order to make sure he’s ready to play. But the Twins haven’t made that determination yet.

Meanwhile, Molitor was in the batting cage this afternoon when Sano stepped in and started swinging at pitches.’You could tell it wasn’t comfortable for him yet,” Molitor said of his third baseman, who was hit on the hand by a Josh Fields pitch on Monday. “We feel it’s more of some type of bone bruise than ligament or bone damage. But the vibration of the swing is making it tough for him right now.”

Sano, too, believes a day off Thursday will be enough time for him to heal, and so far, no disabled list stint is contemplated.

With those two out, the Twins will try to snap their three-game losing streak and salvage the final game of this series against the Dodgers. It helps that Ervin Santana is on the mound, since he has a 5-4 record and 3.24 ERA in nine career starts against Los Angeles.

Here are the lineups for Clayton Kershaw Bobblehead Night at Dodger Stadium:

TWINS

Dozier 2B Granite CF Mauer 1B Escobar 3B Rosario LF Kepler RF Adrianza SS Castro C Santana RHP

DODGERS Taylor LF Seager SS Turner 3B Bellinger 1B Pederson CF Forsythe 2B Grandal C Puig RF Stewart RHP

4

Twins blow five-run lead to Dodgers, lose fourth straight Joseph D’Hippolito | Pioneer Press | July 27, 2017

LOS ANGELES — A five-run lead proved insufficient for the Twins against the major leagues’ best team Wednesday night.

The Los Angeles Dodgers scored four runs in the final three innings and used Justin Turner’s run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth inning to earn a 6-5 victory in front of 50,941 at Dodger Stadium.

That crowd is the largest to see the Twins play since 2009, when the club drew 54,088 to the Metrodome for a tie-breaking game against the Detroit Tigers that determined the American League’s Central Division champion.

Definitely, when you lose games late, those are the ones that hurt,” said Twins closer Brandon Kintzler, who took the loss. “But we’ll bounce back. These games will make us tougher. we’ve been winning them all most of the year. Sometimes, you get a few hiccups to reset you.”

With the loss, the Twins matched their longest losing streak of the season, four games. Not only did the Twins fall 5 1/2 games behind the first- place Cleveland Indians in the American League’s Central Division. The defeat also damaged their position in the race for the second wild-card berth.

The Twins now trail the Kansas City Royals by four games. Only losses by the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers kept the Twins tied with Seattle and half a game ahead of Texas.

Yet manager Paul Molitor believes his team has not yet reached the critical point of the season.

“With 62 games to go? No,” Molitor said.

After tying the score in the bottom of the eighth, the Dodgers pooled three singles against Kintzler into the winning run.

Pinch-hitter Austin Barnes began the rally with one out by hitting a single up the middle. Chris Taylor followed with another single, and both runners moved into scoring position when Corey Seager grounded out.

After Kinztler got two strikes against Turner, the Dodgers’ third baseman worked the count full, then hit a hard ground ball into left field to bring Barnes home with the winning run.

“I faced him before and beat him a lot on inside pitches,” Kintzler said. “He wasn’t getting in very well the whole series. I think that last one just didn’t move as much as the other ones did. I just basically did him a favor and straightened it. If it moves like the other ones did, it’s probably at the third baseman and not through the hole.”

Los Angeles — which trailed 5-0 after 3 1/2 innings — forced a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning. Turner began the inning by walking against Taylor Rogers, and moved to third base one out later on pinch-hitter Kike Hernandez’s single off Kintzler.

Then came the game’s turning point.

With Hernandez running on a full count, Logan Forsythe hit a sinking fly ball that center fielder Nick Granite caught. As Hernandez scampered back to first base, Granite quickly threw there to try to get an inning-ending double play.

“I thought it was so shallow that he wouldn’t go,” Granite said about Hernandez. “He got a pretty good jump. I saw that in the corner of my eye. I thought we could get him at first and end the inning.”

“It was the wrong decision, clearly. But my instincts took over and I went to first.”

The throw arrived before Hernandez did but first baseman Joe Mauer was nowhere near the bag. Mauer stationed himself on the infield grass near the pitcher’s mound, the typical place for a cutoff man on a fly ball to the outfield.

Instead, Granite’s throw sailed into a photographer’s well. Turner scored on Forsythe’s sacrifice fly, with Hernandez taking third on Granite’s error.

“As I was throwing it, I saw Joe over where he’s supposed to be,” Granite said. “I’ve got to go home with that (throw). That’s my fault, 100 5 percent.”

The Twins had a chance to regain their lead in the top of the ninth against closer Kenley Jansen. Max Kepler lined a double down the right-field line and moved to third base when Ehire Adrianza grounded out. But Jansen kept Kepler at third by striking out Jason Castro and Jorge Polanco.

For the third time in this series, the Twins scored first. This time, they took a 3-0 lead in the third inning against right-hander Brock Stewart, making his first start of the season after six relief appearances.

Castro began the rally with one out by lining a single off second baseman Forsythe’s glove. Ervin Santana followed with a bunt in front of the plate. Catcher Yasmani Grandal fielded the bunt and tried to throw Castro out at second base but threw the ball into right-center field.

After Brian Dozier flied out, Granite dumped a double down the right-field line to bring Castro home. Mauer then singled up the middle to score Santana and Granite.

With that single, Mauer has hit in all 13 games he has played against the Dodgers.

Then in the top of the fourth, the Twins exploited untimely mistakes to extend their advantage.

After Castro walked with two out, Santana hit a ground ball that Forsythe bobbled for an error. Both runners moved into scoring position on a passed ball, and both scored on Dozier’s double into the right-field corner.

Santana lived dangerously. The Dominican right-hander allowed two home runs and four other long fly balls to the warning track in his 6 1/3 innings. Yet Santana amassed seven strikeouts and issued no walks while allowing seven hits and four runs.

In the bottom of the fourth, Joc Pederson ended Santana’s quest for his league-leading fourth shutout by hitting his second home run in three games and his 11th of the season. On a 2-2 count, Pederson pounded Santana’s high 93 mph fastball into the right-field bleachers.

Los Angeles’ Yasiel Puig added his 19th homer in the fifth when he sent another 93 mph fastball into the second row of the left-field bleachers.

The Dodgers then narrowed their deficit to one run and put the potential tying run in scoring position in the seventh. Forsythe hit a single with one out, then took third on Grandal’s single. Santana struck out Puig but pinch-hitter Chase Utley hit a two-run double onto the warning track in center field.

Twins can't hold early lead in loss to Dodgers Rhett Bollinger and Ken Gurnick | MLB | July 27, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- After falling behind by five runs, Justin Turner capped another thrilling Dodgers comeback by singling home Austin Barnes with two out in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 walk-off win over the Twins Wednesday night, completing a sweep of their Interleague Series and adding to their five-game win streak.

"J.T. hasn't had a lot of hits lately, but he's feeling good at the plate and any time the game's on the line, I'll take my chances with J.T.," said manager Dave Roberts, whose club has 29 comeback wins and a Major League-best eight walk-off wins.

The Dodgers, who lead Arizona by 12 1/2 games in the National League West, have an MLB record 48 consecutive wins in games which they led at some point and improved to 40 games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 1974 season.

"It's every single guy, it's every single night," said Turner, 4-for-20 on the homestand without an RBI until he lined a 3-2 pitch from Brandon Kintzler into left field after battling back from an 0-2 count, scoring Barnes, who singled with one out as a pinch-hitter.

"It's one of those things where, this is who we are," said Roberts. "People talk about riding the wave and when the wins are going to stop. I think the process is in place and this is the club that plays all 27 outs, it plays to the end."

Twins starter Ervin Santana pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed solo home runs to Joc Pederson (second in three games) and Yasiel Puig, whose 19th blast (18 off right-handed pitchers) matched a career high. Pinch-hitter Chase Utley drove Santana from the game with a two-run double off the center-field fence in the seventh inning.

"That big hit from Chase really got us right back in there," Roberts said. "The at-bats in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings were consistent 6 with what we've done the last two months."

The Dodgers tied the game in the eighth inning on Logan Forsythe's sacrifice fly after a crucial hit-and-run single by pinch-hitter Enrique Hernandez. Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (5-0) pitched around a leadoff double by Max Kepler in the top of the ninth with a pair of strikeouts and was credited with the win.

"When you lose games late, those are the ones that hurt," Kintzler said. "But we'll bounce back. These games will make us tougher. We've been winning them all year, but sometimes you get some hiccups that reset you."

Tough-luck Dodgers starter Brock Stewart, making a spot start in the wake of Clayton Kershaw's injury, was charged with five runs, all unearned, in 3 2/3 innings. The top three hitters in the Twins' lineup -- Brian Dozier, Zack Granite and Joe Mauer -- drove in all five runs.

The Dodgers bullpen of Jansen, Pedro Baez, Brandon Morrow and Ross Stripling allowed two hits and no runs over the final 5 1/3 innings.

"I can't say enough about the bullpen," said Roberts. "We're putting them in tough spots, really with no margin, down five and we couldn't give up any more runs, and to a man they were lights out."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Rough night behind the plate: Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal had a hand in making all five Minnesota runs unearned. In the third inning, his errant throw to second base after fielding Santana's sacrifice bunt set up three unearned two-out runs charged to Stewart. And in the fourth inning, his two-out passed ball made the two runs that scored on Dozier's double unearned.

"When things didn't go my way I made some bad two-strike pitches and I've got to do a better job bearing down in those situations," said Stewart. "It's part of the game, it's going to happen and I'm out there to be the stopper when that happens."

Rationing the bullets: Needing a nine-man bullpen because of short recent starts, Roberts had only three position bench players to use but each delivered a productive pinch-hit -- Utley's two-run double in the seventh, Hernandez's hit-and-run single in the eighth and Barnes' single to trigger the winning rally.

QUOTABLE "He got a pretty good jump on the steal and I saw it out of the corner of my eye. I made the wrong decision clearly. Instincts took over and I went to first and it clearly wasn't the right choice. I have to go with that home. It's my fault 100 percent. It was a terrible situation to do that in." -- Granite on his decision to throw to first instead of home with nobody covering first in the eighth, allowing Turner to score the tying run

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS At 12-3, the Dodgers have the best Interleague record in MLB. Santana scored two runs, becoming the first Twins pitcher to score two runs in a game since Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven on May 5, 1972 against the Rangers. .

WHAT'S NEXT Twins: The Twins have an off-day on Thursday before heading to Oakland for a three-game series against the A's that begins on Friday at 9:05 p.m. CT. Left-hander Jaime Garcia is set to make his Twins debut after being acquired from the Braves in a trade on Monday. Garcia gave up three runs over seven innings in a win against the Dodgers last time out. Dodgers: After a day off on Thursday, Alex Wood resumes the homestand by starting Friday's 7:10 p.m. PT Giants opener. After beginning the season 11-0, he is coming off his first loss, allowing seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings to the Braves.

Defense, bullpen let Twins down in loss Rhett Bollinger | MLB | July 27, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- With the Twins desperate for a win to avoid a sweep at the hands of the red-hot Dodgers, manager Paul Molitor turned to All- Star closer Brandon Kintzler on Wednesday night for his second career five-out save attempt.

But it didn't work out, as Kintzler was hurt by a poor decision on a throw to a vacant first base by center fielder Zack Granite to tie the game in the eighth before he allowed three singles in the ninth in a 6-5 loss to the surging Dodgers.

The Twins couldn't hold a five-run lead in the game, falling to 49-51, leaving them 5 1/2 games back of the Indians in the AL Central and four games back of the second AL Wild Card spot. 7

"It's tough," Molitor said. "We had a chance to win the game. Same with Monday night, and we had problems closing it out. There are little things that make a difference and they made better plays and came up with bigger hits late."

The biggest play came in the eighth when Kintzler faced Logan Forsythe with one out and runners at first and third.

Forsythe hit a shallow line drive into center with Enrique Hernandez running from first base on the pitch. Granite opted to throw to first base instead of home with Justin Turner tagging up on the play. Granite's throw to first beat Hernandez, but no one was there, allowing Turner to score easily. Granite believed a throw home would've caused Turner to go back to third because it was so shallow.

"He got a pretty good jump on the steal and I saw it out of the corner of my eye," Granite said. "I made the wrong decision, clearly. Instincts took over and I went to first and it clearly wasn't the right choice. I have to go with that home. It's my fault 100 percent. It was a terrible situation to do that in."

After the Twins failed to score in the ninth despite a leadoff double from Max Kepler, Kintzler went back out for the ninth, but he gave up back- to-back singles with one out before getting Corey Seager to ground out weakly to second. With first base open, the Twins opted to go after Turner. Despite getting him down 0-2, Turner battled back to 3-2 before delivering the game-winning hit into left.

"There was some missed location," Kintzler said. "There were a couple seeing-eye singles. I thought the 1-2 pitch [to Turner ] was close to being a strike. I asked if it was in or down and didn't get an explanation on that. On 3-2, he cheated in a little and hit a seeing-eye single."

It was another rough loss for the Twins, who saw top setup reliever Taylor Rogers serve up a go-ahead three-run homer to Cody Bellinger in Monday's loss. Bellinger was on deck in the ninth, but Molitor liked the matchup against Turner better for Kintzler and it didn't work out.

"I tried to play it out the best I could," Molitor said. "You gotta pick your poison. It's one of those things where it's either a guy who is hitting .360 or a guy who has 28 homers. Which way do you want to go?"

Buxton still sidelined with migraines Rhett Bollinger | MLB | July 27, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- Twins center fielder Byron Buxton has yet to be activated from the 10-day disabled list because he's been suffering through migraine headaches since Monday.

Buxton was sent back to the team hotel on Monday and Tuesday and didn't participate in pregame activities. But he felt better on Wednesday, and ran on the field and performed drills before the game against the Dodgers without any issues.

Buxton said he'll go out on a Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester this weekend before rejoining the Twins on Tuesday in San Diego. Buxton has been out since July 14 with a strained groin, but that injury is completely healed.

"It's better," Buxton said. "Knowing I have the off-day tomorrow helps, and hopefully I can be back out there Friday. It happens regularly, but just not as bad as this one."

Buxton said he's been dealing with migraines ever since he was a child, and that they occur roughly once a month. But he said they're usually minor and not an issue, but this was different. Twins manager Paul Molitor was unaware of Buxton's history with migraines.

"We'll have to see how he does today," Molitor said. "A lot of it will depend on how he feels. We have the off-day to play with. But I was not familiar with his history. I had to do some digging."

Twins third baseman Miguel Sano was also held out of the lineup for a second straight day after being hit on his left wrist by a pitch from reliever Josh Fields on Monday. He served as a pinch-hitter on Tuesday and struck out and said after the game that his his wrist bothered him during the at-bat.

Sano is hopeful he'll return Friday.

"It's sore," Sano said. "It's bruised. I'm not playing today, but hopefully in Oakland I'll play."

Sano tried to test out his wrist in the cage before Wednesday's game, but it was too sore for him to start in the game. 8

"I went in the cage with him and you can tell he's not comfortable yet," Molitor said. "It's more of a bone bruise. It's more of a comfortability thing when he makes contact with the vibration and all that."

Worth noting • Left-handed reliever Glen Perkins made his second rehab appearance in the Gulf Coast League on Tuesday and threw a scoreless inning. The three-time All-Star expected to move up to Class A Advanced Fort Myers next, and there's growing optimism he could return to the big leagues at some point in August.

• Left-hander Hector Santiago, on the 10-day DL since July 3 with an upper back strain, made his first rehab start with Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday. Santiago allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits in one inning while throwing 36 pitches. He joined the Twins at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday for a charity event in the Los Angeles area. But he'll return to Rochester where he's expected to make at least two more starts before being activated.

Garcia set for Twins debut in opener vs. A's Rhett Bollinger | MLB | July 27, 2017

The Twins became buyers with their acquisition of left-hander Jaime Garcia, and he's set to make his Twins debut when they head to Oakland for a three-game series that begins Friday night. The A's will counter with right-hander Daniel Gossett.

Garcia, who was traded for prospect Huascar Ynoa on Monday, will have an extra two days of rest after an impressive showing in his last start, which came Friday against the Dodgers. He gave up three runs over seven innings, while also hitting a grand slam off All-Star Alex Wood.

"It means a lot that they believe in me," Garcia said. "It gets me fired up. Just the fact they traded one of their prospects to get me, it just motivates me even more."

Things to know about the game: • Gossett, a rookie, will be making his ninth-career start. He's been better his last two starts, allowing five runs over 13 innings against the Rays and Mets. He's never faced the Twins.

• A's reliever Ryan Dull will be active for the series after being out since May 20 with a strained right knee. The Twins are also expected to activate outfielder Byron Buxton from the disabled list on Friday after he missed time with a groin strain and migraine headaches. Minnesota third baseman Miguel Sano was also held out of the starting lineup on Tuesday and Wednesday with a sore left wrist after being hit by a pitch, but is expected to return on Friday.

• Heading into his Twins debut, Garcia has notched 74.1 percent of his strikeouts this season on pitches at the bottom edge of the strike zone or below it, according to Statcast's detailed zone. That's the third-highest rate among all pitchers with at least 75 strikeouts.

Report: Twins would still consider trading Ervin Santana or Jaime Garcia if ‘struggles continue’ Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | July 27, 2017

If you’re playing for the Twins, you probably feel like things looked a whole lot rosier a week ago.

Just last Thursday, in fact, the Twins had just finished taking 2 of 3 games from the mighty Yankees, and reports Thursday night suggested that the Twins were close to a deal for Braves starter Jaime Garcia. While that kind of trade is no blockbuster, I think a lot of Twins fans — and players — must have been happy with what it represented. The Twins, with a good record and a bad habit of getting outscored badly by their opponents in the aggregate, were buyers. That’s what the Garcia trade represented. A team with that could go either way was staking its claim as contenders by trading a prospect for a rent-a-starter. Whatever you thought of their shortcomings, the Twins were buyers.

Ah, but not so fast.

The Twins found a way to lose twice in 3 games against a Tigers team that just trade its best hitter, J.D. Martinez. (The Garcia trade stalled out briefly, the name of an injured prospect that tripped up the deal was leaked to the media, and then eventually the deal got done with another prospect involved.) Then the same Twins lost three times in Los Angeles despite holding a lead at one point in all three games during the series. The Dodgers might be the best team in baseball right now, but that doesn’t change the math of the standings.

The Twins are 49-51, and things just got out of hand in the American League Central in a hurry. While the Twins were busy acquiring Garcia and hitting their tailspin, the Indians and Royals have blasted off. Cleveland has won six games in a row and leads the division; the Royals, likely 9 giving it one more go before the World Series core breaks up, have won 8 in a row and made a win-now trade for pitching.

Add it all up and the Twins are 5.5 games out of first place in the division and have two teams to jump. They’re 4 games out of a wild card spot, but they’d have three teams to jump to win that race.

That led to an interestig report from Jon Morosi.

Santana is among the team’s most interesting trade chips. Despite his numbers coming back down to Earth a little bit in recent months, it’s not crazy to suggest a contender could use him as a starter in the postseason. Santana pitched Wednesday for the Twins. He pitched 6 2/3 innings with 4 earned runs, no walks and 7 strikeouts against the potent Dodgers. Brandon Kintzler also pitched in that game, and took the loss. He’d be another interesting trade chip if the Twins decided to sell.

And how strange would it be if the Twins got a deal done for Garcia, let him make one start in their uniform, and then turned around and traded at the non-waiver trade deadline on Monday? It’s strange, but it’s not unthinkable.

Additional listening: We talked about the possibility of Twins as sellers on the latest episode of the Touch ‘Em All podcast. Give it a listen, and let us know what you think.

Santana strong, but Twins swept after big Dodgers comeback Associated Press | July 27, 2017

LOS ANGELES — Justin Turner had a game-winning single with two outs in the ninth off All-Star closer Brandon Kintzler to propel the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-5 comeback victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.

The Dodgers rallied from a 5-0 deficit for their fifth consecutive victory and 28th comeback win of the season. They increased their baseball-best record to 71-31.

Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor singled in the ninth prior to Turner’s hit to left off Kintzler (2-2).

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to raise his record to 5-0 and complete the Dodgers’ three-game sweep of the Twins.

Minnesota staked Ervin Santana to a 5-0 lead, with Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier each driving in two runs.

The Dodgers chipped away with solo home runs from Joc Pederson in the fourth and Yasiel Puig in the fifth, before chasing Santana on pinch- hitter Chase Utley’s two-run double off the center-field wall in the seventh.

Los Angeles tied the game at 5-5 in the eighth off Kintzler on Logan Forsythe’s sacrifice fly.

Santana went 6 2/3 innings for Minnesota, allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter.

Filling in ailing Clayton Kershaw’s spot in the rotation, Brock Stewart made his first start of the season. The Twins scored five times against Stewart, but two errors made all five runs unearned.

After Zack Granite singled in the game’s first run in the third, Mauer followed with a two-run hit. Dozier’s two-run double in the fourth gave Minnesota its 5-0 lead.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: Outfielder Byron Buxton (groin strain) was not activated for a second consecutive day because of a lingering migraine. . . . Third baseman Miguel Sano remained out of the lineup for a second night with a bruised hand.

Dodgers: Kershaw (strained lower back) said there was no timetable for his return. He said the discomfort was not nearly as severe as last season when he suffered a herniated disk: “It’s definitely not as painful this year. Everyday life isn’t really affected right now which is good. Last year, I couldn’t sit, couldn’t really bend in anyway.”

Kershaw appeared confident that, like last season, he would be able to return in time to get enough starts to build himself up for the postseason: “That’s how it worked out last year. I didn’t really have a choice. Ultimately, I’d just like to pitch every fifth day until the postseason 10 and then pitch. That’s not what’s going to happen so I’m going to make this work.”

UP NEXT

Twins: After an off-day, left-hander Jamie Garcia (4-7, 4.30 ERA) will make his debut for Minnesota on Friday in Oakland. Lost his only start against the A’s last season, allowing five runs in seven innings.

Dodgers: Will also be off Thursday. Alex Wood (11-1, 2.17) will try to rebound from his first loss of the season when he starts Friday against the Giants. In eight games against the Giants (four starts), he is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA.

Rumor Central: Twins will consider moving Ervin Santana, Jaime Garcia? Alex Tekip |ESPN | July 26, 2017

The Minnesota Twins could deal away ace Ervin Santana and new acquisition Jaime Garcia if they continue to struggle, sources tell MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

The Twins, surprise contenders in the American League Central during the first half, were 2.5 games back of the Cleveland Indians in the division at the All-Star break. Minnesota started the second half 4-7 and entering play Wednesday had fallen to third place, surpassed by the red-hot Kansas City Royals.

In 20 starts this season, Santana is 11-7 with a 3.26 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. The 34-year-old leads the majors with four complete games and three shutouts, and earned the second All-Star nod of his career this year.

Garcia, acquired on Monday, is 4-7 with a 4.30 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 18 starts with the Atlanta Braves.

Santana has one more year of guaranteed club control remaining on his contract and a $14 million option, or $1 million buyout, for 2019. Garcia, 31, will be a free agent at the end of this season.

Twins Could Listen On Santana, Garcia If Struggles Continue Steve Adams | MLB Trade Rumors | July 26, 2017

MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweets that the Twins are at least open to the idea of moving Ervin Santana and Jaime Garcia if their recent struggles don’t turn around before the non-waiver deadline. Minnesota dropped below .500 for the first time since April after a pair of losses to the Dodgers, and the Royals are surging toward the top of the division as well. Santana has struggled over the past month and a half but would still figure to draw interest as a fairly reasonably priced rotation stabilizer, even if his ERA has never been supported by peripheral metrics. And while some may raise an eyebrow at the notion of moving Garcia, I’d point out that since the Twins took on all of the money owed to Garcia, they could offer to flip him, still pay his contract, and potentially receive a better prospect than the Huascar Ynoa, whom they traded to Atlanta to get Garcia in the first place.

Rick Ross, sexist creep, should stop wearing Twins gear [VIDEO] Mike Mullen | City Pages | July 27, 2017

He's rightfully getting raked over the coals for it. That's good. What's bad: Every time someone makes reference to Ross' disgraceful words, or posts the video... dude's sitting there looking like he's about to take first base for the Minnesota Twins.

Ross was born in Mississippi and is from Florida. Not Minnesota, though he does come through: A few months ago when Lil' Wayne no-showed his Target Center concert, Ross became the de facto headliner.

Perhaps that experience was enough to make a Twins fan out of Ross. We hope not.

Things were weird from the get-go for Ross, particularly his on-air interactions with Angela Yee, co-host of the 105.1 Breakfast Club show. First, a slurry-sounding Ross encouraged Yee to ditch a jacket she was using to cover up in an apparently cold studio, saying, "I need to see your legs, though."

Then, when a pool party at Ross' place was mentioned, he told Yee, "I need you twerkin' at the next one."

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So, yeah. The TODAY Show the Breakfast Club is not.

Ross had joined the crew to promote an upcoming show starring him on VH1, called Signed. From the looks of it, VH1 filmed a promo for that show later this same day, as it features an even-sleepier sounding Ross still wearing all the same Twins stuff.

Unfortunately for VH1, no one's talking about their new show, and Rick Ross' interest in helping young artists.

They're too busy talking about what Ross said when Yee asked him about working with female rappers.

His answer?

"You know I never did it, because I always thought, like, I would end up fuckin' the female rapper, fuckin' the business up."

This is apparently the funniest thing co-host Charlamagne tha God has ever heard.

"I'm so focused on my business," Ross continues, laughing. "I gotta' be honest with you. Y'know, she lookin' good, I'm spending so much money on the photo shoots. I gotta' fuck her a couple times."

Correction: That is the funniest thing Charlamagne tha God's ever heard; he's now falling out of his chair. Needless to say, no one checks Rick for his stupid answer.

Not everyone's so amused by Ross' answer. One person who certainly wouldn't care for it: Twins vice president Laura Day, one of the highest- ranking female executives in American sports. As business development leader, it's Day who helps the franchise make money off the sale of tickets, TV contracts... and yes, that same jersey and hat Rick Ross was wearing on Monday.

We'd ask Day what she thinks of Ross donning Minnesota gear, but she's probably too smart to answer, and definitely too busy. Unlike Ross, she actually is "so focused on [her] business."

Day told City Pages the pool of female sports executives is "growing exponentially," and all you need is "hard work and passion." That, and not getting roadblocked by a creep like Rick Ross who thinks you can't hire a woman unless you fuck her (hahahahaha) ... and then still doesn't hire any, anyway.

We wish you the worst luck with your VH1 show, Rick. If it falls through and you're looking for an endorsement deal, don't waste your time calling the Twins. Now you know who'd answer.

Someone You Should Know: Brookings to the Big Leagues Jack Eble | KDLT News | July 26, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – It’s 162 games in 181 days. That’s how a regular season stacks up for the Minnesota Twins.

And now, it’s the same for Brookings native Kelli Quist.

“It’s crazy. It’s the first real full-time job I’ve had in a long time,” said Quist, the organization’s first full-time massage therapist. “This has been a lot of years in the making, as a matter of fact.”

The road to the big leagues started thanks to work on a big leaguer – former Twins third baseman Corey Koskie.

“He wanted someone to actually come to his house,” recalled Quist. “He asked me where I was from, and I said South Dakota. He goes, ‘Okay great, you’re in.’ Apparently being from South Dakota was a good in.”

Quist’s work with Koskie left an impression. That then led to her teaming up with a six-time All-Star – 2009 American League MVP Joe Mauer – and her career took off from there.

“When they built (Target Field), Joe gave me a call one day and said, ‘You need to get a resume in. We’re going to actually bring in a massage therapist,’” said Quist. “I said, ‘I don’t have a resume,’ so I called a bunch of girlfriends from high school and had them come up with a resume for me. Next thing I know, I’m up here working.”

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Quist started out as a part-time, home game-only therapist. Now she travels around the country with the team.

“You get home, unpack a suitcase, turn around and do laundry,” Quist said. “You throw it back in and you’re on the road again. It goes pretty quick.”

Quist’s presence with the team is becoming a mainstay for Twins players. And her help takes weight off their shoulders quicker.

“When you have her 24-7, on the road especially,” said Twins All-Star second baseman Brian Dozier. “When it can become very tiring and things start to ache a little more, plane rides that kind of stuff. It’s night and day. That’s the least I can say, it really is.”

But her duty isn’t to provide comfort.

“People think massage, you’re going to sit there, you’re going to light the candles and the hot stones and a relaxing massage. ‘She’s about to torture me for the next ten minutes on some of the stuff that needs worked on,’” Dozier joked.

Players see Quist no differently than any Twin in the clubhouse.

“She’s part of the team. Even going back to spring training, you see her almost every single day,” said Twins outfielder Robbie Grossman. “I’ve gotten to know her pretty well and she’s gotten to know me and I’m sure everyone in this room could say that. I’m just thankful she’s around.”

“They really pushed to have me here and that actually meant a lot,” said Quist. “They kind of collectively went to the team and said, ‘We really, really want to have Kelli here.’”

Quist’s job description brings her to Target field and other stadiums around the country, but one moment sticks with her the most.

“The coolest thing I had happen in this whole thing is the day, my first day here, and Joe Mauer actually came and gave me a little tour of the stadium,” said Quist. “Walking up that dugout and walking out was the most incredible thing I think I’ve ever seen.”

Her job puts her where any Twins fan would want to go. But on some days, even Target Field can’t beat the viewing experience a couch can provide.

“Sometimes I just go home and put my feet up,” Quist laughed, “and put it on the radio instead.”

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