Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Tuesday, July 01, 2014 ➢ Astros’ leak offers cautionary tale. Star Tribune (Miller) pg. 1 ➢ Postgame: The losses look alike. Star Tribune (Miller) pg. 2 ➢ Former Twins pitcher Bobby Castillo dies at age 59. Associated Press pg. 3 ➢ Recap: Kansas City 6, Twins 1. Star Tribune (Miller) pg. 3 ➢ Twins restore Plouffe, Nunez to roster. Star Tribune (Miller) pg. 4 ➢ Final All-Star starting spot in AL outfield down to wire. Star Tribune pg. 5 ➢ Twins’ bats still in silent mode as Royals take series opener. Pioneer Press (Greder) pg. 8 ➢ Twins: Plouffe, Nunez back and in the lineup. Pioneer Press (Greder) pg. 8 ➢ Twins; Gardenhire expects Parmelee back in center. Pioneer Press (Greder) pg. 9 ➢ Honoring Minnesota’s long-gone Negro League players. Pioneer Press (Rosario) pg. 9 ➢ Twins’ offensive struggles continue vs. Royals. MLB.com (Bollinger) pg. 11 ➢ Last chance for All-Star Game home cooking. MLB.com (Bollinger) pg. 12 ➢ Twins activate Plouffe, Nunez; Florimon down. MLB.com (Bollinger) pg. 13 ➢ Santana reports good progress with knee. MLB.com (Bollinger) pg. 14 ➢ Shields, Nolasco seek redemption in division matchup. MLB.com (Popely) pg. 14 ➢ Dodgers mourn loss of ’81 club’s Castillo at 59. MLB.com (Gurnick) pg. 16 ➢ Twins activate PLouffe, Nunez from DL, option Polanco and Florimon. 1500 ESPN (Wetmore) pg. 16 ➢ Ryan says Astros’ leaked trade talks won’t change the way he operates. 1500 EPSN (Wetmore) pg. 17 ➢ Twins collect 9 hits but have little to show for it in loss to Royals. Associated Press pg. 18 ➢ 5 thoughts on Astros leak, linebackers in outfield, Dozier. 1500 ESPN (Wetmore) pg. 19 Astros’ leak offers cautionary tale Phil Miller / Star Tribune – 7/1/14 Terry Ryan received word Monday that the Houston Astros’ internal communications regarding possible trades had been leaked, or their database hacked, and published on the Internet. And he was thankful, he said, to learn no contact with the Twins had been included. “There are some people whose feelings are going to be hurt today after they read their names,” Ryan said. “I’ve certainly talked to the Houston Astros about various things, but I guess I went unscathed in this one.” Still, Ryan said, it was a reminder that some information needs to be kept confidential. “There’s nothing worse than having somebody out there telling people what you’re doing,” he said. “It’s certainly not advantageous for what I’m trying to accomplish.” General managers are in relatively frequent contact, Ryan said, by e-mail, phone calls, or text messages — the latter more so than ever these days. “A lot of us are traveling, and it’s easy just to reach for your phone and text somebody,” he said. “It’s handy, but it’s also a little dangerous, if people get ahold of your passwords. It’s dangerous when you get too many people involved who don’t really have a vested interest.” The Twins have discussed communications security internally, he said, but Ryan doubted that the team’s systems or procedures will change because of the Astros’ situation. Remembering Castillo Bobby Castillo specialized in throwing the screwball during his three seasons with the Twins, and that was appropriate. “I’m not going to say that pitch described his personality, but maybe a portion of it,” Tim Laudner, who caught 39 of Castillo’s 77 games with the Twins from 1982 to ’84, said of his former teammate. “He always had this look on his face like, ‘I’ve got something that nobody else has, and you know I’m going to get you out with it.’ So he kind of carried that smirk with him.” Castillo, who went 38-40 during a nine-year major league career, died of cancer Monday in Los Angeles. He was 59. “That’s so sad. It makes me sad to hear that, because he was always such a happy guy,” Laudner said of the righthander known as “Bobo.” He was 13-11 for the Twins in 1982, a career high in victories, after being acquired that January in a trade. Castillo, who appeared in the 1981 World Series with the Dodgers, was credited with teaching Fernando Valenzuela his favorite pitch. “He was a really good competitor. He always had a smile on his face,” Laudner said. “I know I enjoyed catching him.” Etc. • Trevor Plouffe (rib) was in the starting lineup Monday along with Eduardo Nunez (hamstring) after both were activated from the disabled list. The two infielders replaced Pedro Florimon, sent back to Class AAA Rochester, and Jorge Polanco, who was returned to Class A Fort Myers after going 2-for-5 in his first four major league games. • Shortstop Danny Santana’s bruised knee isn’t serious, Ryan said, and he should return once his 15-day DL stint expires July 11. In the meantime, manager Ron Gardenhire said, Chris Parmelee might get a few more starts in center field, where he has two appearances as a professional. • Trevor May’s calf injury, which has him on the seven-day disabled list at Class AAA Rochester, might actually be “a blessing,” Ryan said, because it gives the righthanded starter a break from the midseason grind. Ryan said he expects May to recover in plenty of time to pitch in the Futures Game at Target Field on July 13. Postgame: The losses look alike Phil Miller / Star Tribune – 7/1/14 Three more thoughts after a desultory night at the ballpark: DEJA VU, IN A BAD WAY: I know that beat writers tend to think that all games start to look alike after awhile, but tonight's game was simply a carbon copy of the six that came before it. The Twins' Anaehim-Texas road trip was like the movie Groundhog Day -- every day, the Twins would give up a couple of runs in the first inning or two to fall behind, then just go silent as though the game was over. Sunday was an exception, when the Twins actually did put together a game-winning rally, but even it was of the same pattern. Seven straight games now, the Twins have fallen behind early. And in all seven, the Twins have scored in no more than two innings themselves. (I thought coming home might shake the Twins out of it, as it did last week after a dreadful, shutout-filled stay in Boston. But maybe that had more to do with their opponent last week, the White Sox, than hitting in Target Field again.) This statistic sums up what's been going on: The Twins rank third in the AL in left on base, with 606. That's usually a good news/bad news sort of statistic, because you've got to put runners on base to leave them there. But the Twins rank ninth -- ninth! (after being in the top three during April) -- in on-base percentage, meaning they're wasting a far greater fraction of chances than most teams. I guess a .193 average with runners in scoring position over the past seven games is a pretty good indicator of that. 2 WALK DON'T RUN? HOW TRUE: Speaking of on-base percentage, there's not much of a mystery about what happened to the Twins' offense. After showing incredible (and in some cases, uncharacteristic) patience early in the season, the Twins are walking far less. They drew five or more walks in 14 different games in April, but did it just six times in May and six in June. They coaxed 123 walks in April all together, but just two-thirds that many in May (81) and June (88). And as a result, look at the runs they scored: 131 in April, 92 in May (despite playing five more games) and 113 in June. I know pitchers tend to throw more strikes when the weather gets warm, but the Twins sorely miss all those extra baserunners. 5 O'CLOCK POWER: OK, on to something a little lighter. Ron Gardenhire was asked before the game who he would like to see invited to the Home Run Derby next month. Giancarlo Stanton? Yasiel Puig? Justin Morneau? Nope, the Twins manager had a darkhorse candidate. "One guy I would put in there with anybody is [Oswaldo] Arcia," Gardenhire said. "He's absolutely murdered baseballs in this ballpark during [batting practice]. 'd love to see him go to this contest -- I know where he hits the ball." Former Twins pitcher Bobby Castillo dies at age 59 Associated Press – 6/30/14 LOS ANGELES — Bobby Castillo, a former Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher credited with teaching Fernando Valenzuela how to throw a screwball, died Monday in a Los Angeles hospital after a battle with cancer, the team announced. He was 59. Castillo, also affectionately known as "Babo," pitched for the Dodgers from 1977-81, including in the 1981 National League Championship Series and the 1981 World Series, and in 1985, his last season in the majors. The righthander was with the Twins from 1982 to 1984, compiling a 23-24 record with a 3.98 ERA. Valenzuela called Castillo a great teammate and friend in a statement released through the Dodgers, adding: "I'll always be grateful for his influence on my pitching." Castillo made his major league debut for the Dodgers on Sept. 19, 1977, retiring Hall of Famer Johnny Bench for his first big league out. Funeral services are pending. Recap: Kansas City 6, Twins 1 Phil Miller / Star Tribune – 6/30/14 Alcides Escobar, Royals The shortstop hit a pair of two-run doubles, both with two outs, to carry the Kansas City offense.