Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Sunday, July 9, 2017 Miguel Sano blasts 21st home run but Twins miss other chances in 5-1 loss to Orioles. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 1 Twins notes: Zack Granite debuts with extended battle at-bat. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 2 Hartman: Molitor tells Twins All-Stars to enjoy the experience. Star Tribune (Hartman) p. 3 Mariano Rivera among All-Star Game memories Twins players won't forget. Star Tribune (Staff) p. 5 Twins' Kent Hrbek never got over all those All-Star snubs. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 6 Zack Granite beats manager to the office on first day as a Twin. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 7 Walters: I wouldn’t trade me, says Twins’ Brian Dozier. Pioneer Press (Walters) p. 8 Sano’s 21st HR not nearly enough in Twins’ 5-1 loss to Orioles. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 9 Twins rookie Zack Granite gets jitters out, might start Sunday. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 11 Gibson tries to keep momentum going vs. O's. MLB (Jackson) p. 12 Sano joins Twins' illustrious group with 21st HR. MLB (Bollinger) p. 12 Twins unable to back Mejia after Sano homers. MLB (Bollinger & Jackson) p. 13 Prospect Granite called up; Jorge optioned. MLB (Bollinger) p. 14 Mining the Minors: How will the Twins use new guy Zack Granite? ESPN 1500 (Depue) p. 15 Paul Molitor said he’s hopeful Joe Mauer can return from DL next weekend. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 16 Zulgad: Colon signing sparks memories of (11) Twins retread pitchers from years past. 1500 ESPN (Zulgad) p. 17 When will Bartolo Colon make his Twins debut? 1500 ESPN (Wetmore) p. 18 Twins fall to Schoop, Orioles 5-1. Associated Press p. 19 Las Vegas’ Brandon Kintzler secures All-Star bid as Twins closer. Las Vegas Review Journal (Kantowski) p. 20 Miguel Sano blasts 21st home run but Twins miss other chances in 5-1 loss to Orioles La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | July 9, 2017 The Twins had their chances Saturday, but they could not pull off back-to-back rallies. They failed to generate any momentum against Orioles lefthander Wade Miley or the Baltimore bullpen in a 5-1 loss at Target Field. After coming back from six runs down to win 9-6 Friday night, the Twins were out of answers Saturday. The Orioles, behind two hits from Manny Machado and a long home run by Jonathan Schoop, beat the Twins for the first time in six meetings this season. "We left a lot of people on base," Twins manager Paul Molitor said, "which can hurt you." The Twins were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners. Miley, torched for seven runs in 1⅔ innings Monday in Milwaukee, tied a season high Saturday by giving up eight hits. One was Miguel Sano's 21st home run. The rest failed to hurt him. Consequently, Twins fans had little to cheer for. The loudest ovation of the day came on an out: In his major league debut, pinch hitter Zack Granite grinded through an 11-pitch at-bat in the eighth inning before flying out to left, and fans stood and applauded as he returned to the dugout. The Twins stranded two in the first, left the bases loaded in the sixth and wasted a leadoff double in the eighth. They floundered with men on base against Miley (4-7), who entered the game 1-3 with a 11.69 ERA over his previous six starts. "I think he had us in between a lot," Molitor said. "His command was fairly good. He had us guessing a little bit on the first pitch. Dropped a first- pitch curveball in there, and maybe a couple guys started looking for it and he came back with the fastball." Starter Adalberto Mejia was still on the mound for the Twins in the seventh inning, which normally is a good thing. His pitch count was manageable because he either got Baltimore to hit the ball within range of his defense or he was able to finish off hitters for strikeouts. Sano put the Twins ahead 1-0 in the third. His 21st home run was the most by a Twin before the All-Star break since 2009, when Justin Morneau also hit 21. Mejia (4-4) faced the minimum nine batters over the first three innings, but the rookie lefthander gave up a one-out single to Manny Machado before laying a changeup over the middle of the plate to Schoop. The ball exploded off Schoop's bat and landed in the third deck in left field, an estimated 455 feet away. "That changeup was supposed to be away," said Mejia, who screamed at himself as Schoop began his trot around the bases. Mejia settled down until the sixth, when he gave up back-to-back doubles to Joey Rickard and Machado that produced a run. Machado eventually scored on a fielder's choice as Baltimore took a 4-1 lead. Mark Trumbo homered off Buddy Boshers in the eighth. The Twins still can win the four-game series if they beat Orioles righthander Ubaldo Jimenez on Sunday. They already have assured themselves of a winning homestand, their first since they swept Kansas City in three games to open the season. But a victory Sunday would give them a 5-2 home-stand, something to feel good about entering the break. "We did not hit today," Sano said. "Hopefully everybody comes back [Sunday] with our heads in the game and thinking about winning." Twins notes: Zack Granite debuts with extended battle at-bat La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | July 9, 2017 The joke told to Zack Granite on Saturday was that he spent so much time in the batter’s box that he had to feel like a veteran. “I got to swing a couple times, so that was kinda cool,” Granite said. “Especially after not seeing the first couple of pitches. I felt like he was throwing 112.” Granite, called up after Friday’s game, made his major league debut in the eighth inning Saturday when he battled Baltimore righthander Michael Givens in an 11-pitch encounter that ended with Granite flying out to left. Givens throws fastballs in the middle- to upper-90s velocity range, but the lefthanded-hitting Granite was able to foul off a few pitches to keep the at bat alive, and the crowd into it until he flied out. Fans gave him a standing ovation as he left the field. “You battle against a guy throwing 98 miles an hour, it was a really good at-bat,” said Twins manager Paul Molitor, who might have Granite in the starting lineup Sunday. Granite comes from Class AAA Rochester, where he was batting .360 and is one of the surprise stories in the minors this season. Not considered a top Twins prospect, Granite hit .470 in June and opened eyes. He was supposed to play in the Class AAA All-Star Game, but was upgraded. And what an upgrade it was. Granite was in the batting cages at Rochester before a game against Syracuse on Friday when Red Wings manager Mike Quade walked in. “Lineup change!” he said. Then he pointed at Granite and said, “Adios.” And his teammates erupted in cheers. “Honestly, I don’t even remember it,” Granite said. “I just kinda blacked out.” Granite landed in the Twin Cities at around 12:30 a.m. Saturday and was one of the first ones in the clubhouse later in the day. He wanted to report to Molitor, but No. 4 wasn’t even at the park yet. That left Granite in a mostly empty room to savor his first moments as a major leaguer. “So I was just standing here, admiring the clubhouse,” he said. “It was cool.” 2 Courting Colon When the Twins inquired about free agent Bartolo Colon, they asked Ervin Santana to help with the inquiry. So Santana called up his former Angels teammate. “I asked him if he wanted to come to the American League because the Minnesota Twins are interested in him,” Santana said. “He had to talk to his agent. I said talk to him and let me know. He called me [Friday] morning and told me he is going to join us.” Colon, 44, was released by the Braves on July 4 after going 2-8 with a 8.14 ERA. But the Twins feel he can help stabilize the back of their rotation. He would be the 28th pitcher used — and the 11th starter — once he takes the ball for the Twins. And Santana believes young pitchers can learn a lot from Colon. Colon’s success is simple. He rarely throws anything other than a four-seam (straight) or two-seam (sinking) fastball. “I remember one day his elbow was sore and swollen but he had to pitch against Seattle,” Santana said. “He threw 90-something pitches, a complete game, just fastballs.” That game was on July 5, 2006, at Seattle. Colon had shoulder issues later that month and missed the last two months of that season. Colon signed a minor league contract Friday and is expected to make a start for Class AAA Rochester before joining the Twins on July 18 for a game against the Yankees. Post-break rotation Santana will get an extra day off after appearing in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. Jose Berrios will start Friday at Houston, followed by Santana and Kyle Gibson. Adalberto Mejia will start on July 17 when the Twins face the Yankees at Target Field, with Colon expected to follow.