Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Twins need to get their bats going against Reds. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 1

Lack of taking walks is haunting Twins. Star Tribune (Rand) p. 2

Twins-Cincinnati game recap. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 3

Postgame: Thoughts on Meyer, Rosario, Santana and Hunter. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 3

With Santana's return near, Molitor holds off on rotation decision. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 4

Twins' one big inning not enough in 11-7 loss to Reds. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 5

Twins: Brian Dozier's numbers better than his all-star campaign. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 5

Minnesota Twins burned by Billy Hamilton's speed. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 6

Twinsights: Wander Javier gets more Baseball America love. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 7

Twinsights: Ricky Nolasco headed to Charlotte for another ankle exam. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 8

Postgame Twinsights: What did Joe Mauer say to Bob Davidson? Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 8

Walker hits Minor League best 23rd home run. MLB.com (Smith) p. 9

Rodriguez flirts with no-hitter for Elizabethton. MLB.com (Smith) p. 10

Hughes gets first look at Reds in middle game. MLB.com (Bondy) p. 10

Torii, Dozier seek All-Star votes in final week. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 11

Nolasco to get third opinion on ankle. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 11

Twins stage huge rally, but can't catch Reds. MLB.com (Bollinger & Sheldon) p. 12

Location issues lead to Pelfrey's rough outing. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 13

Twins don't quit, make valiant comeback bid. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 14

Report: Twins among teams ‘looking at’ Buchholz, Samardzija. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 14

Wetmore: Torii Hunter has a good chance to climb Twins’ home run list. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 15

Former Twins exec MacPhail to Phillies, will be president after season. Associated Press p. 16

Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Flash Hamilton, another awful start, clawing back. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 17

Split the difference: Mike Pelfrey's revival due to revamped splitter grip. Fox Sports North (Mason) p. 18

Reds get up by 8 runs, hold on for 11-7 win over Twins. Associated Press p. 19

Twins' pitching woes return in loss to Reds. Fox Sports North (Mason) p. 19

This Week in (Dumb) Baseball: Some prospects require patience. CBS Sports (Snyder) p. 20

Twins need to get their bats going against Reds La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | June 29, 2015

It rained when I landed this morning but it has since stopped, the sun is out and it's getting a little muggy.

The problem is that more rain is expected this evening, which could affect tonight's game. I'm starting to become more optimistic that we'll get this one in because the new forecast isn't as troubling as it was this morning.

Joe Mauer is batting second in the order for just the fourth time this season, as manager Paul Molitor tries to figure out how to free the offense.

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Torii Hunter, who is 4-for-12 with three homers on the road trip, is in the No. 3 hole tonight. Strange stat: Hunter is batting .350 in wins and .159 in losses.

``We're putting pressure on our pitching staff by not having many days where we give them much to work with early and kind of have to grind out games.'' Molitor said. ``If that's the way your team turns out, then you have to deal with what you have. ``Right now we are having trouble scoring runs. We have had a couple games where we have done some damage but, overall, it's been a little bit of a scuffle.''

Twins pitchers have walked the fewest batters in the American League. Twins starters have a 2.53 ERA over their last 11 outings - and that includes the blowup Trevor May had on Saturday.

If the offense pulls its weight, this team could take off. And the front office should be on the lookout for a bat. Heck, they might have one in Chattanooga.

There is one bad matchup category for the Twins in this series. The Reds lead the majors with 75 stolen bases.

Lack of taking walks is haunting Twins Michael Rand | Star Tribune | June 29, 2015

There are multiple reasons to explain the Twins’ recent offensive woes, and the most notable among them might be an expected one: they have cooled off considerably in the clutch. As of late May, the Twins were hitting .299 with runners in scoring position and .286 with two outs and RISP, and both marks were among the best in MLB. Just a month later, those overall numbers have dipped to .288 with RISP and .256 with two outs and RISP, meaning June has been pretty brutal for the Twins in the clutch.

(Sweet “Walks will haunt” Dome photo via @KirbysLeftEye).

Clutch hitting, however, was something most of us figured wasn’t sustainable. That’s an ebb and flow thing. For a bigger picture look at why the Twins aren’t scoring runs — at 4.17 per game they rank 10th in the American League after scoring 4.41 per game to rank 5th in the AL a season ago — a simple stat stands out: walks, or lack thereof.

The 2014 Twins walked 544 times — 3.36 times per game, ranking 2nd in the American League. It was a big part of the reason they had a team on-base percentage of .324, also good for second in the AL. And when you have more guys on base, you score runs.

The 2015 Twins have walked 181 times — 2.41 times per game, almost a full walk less than last year, to rank 13th among the 15 AL clubs this season. As a result, their team OBP has dipped to .302, also 13th in the AL, even though the team batting average from year to year (.254 last year, .249 this year) is not much different.

It’s hard to say if it’s a shift in approach by Twins hitters, a reflection of some patient hitters no longer being part of the team, a shift in approach from opposing pitchers to throw more strikes and force the Twins to hit, a little bit of sample size/luck … or some combination of some/all of these things.

If we take a little bit of a deeper dive into the numbers, we do find that the Twins are not going as far into at bats this season as they did last season.

Last year, Twins hitters saw 3.99 pitches per at bat, which was higher than the league average of 3.86.

This year, Twins hitters are seeing 3.77 pitches per at bat, lower than the league average of 3.82.

Being aggressive and going after pitches earlier in the count aren’t necessarily bad things, since it can lead batters to get more favorable pitches to hit. But if Twins hitters are swinging early and making outs — or even swinging early and having about as much success when putting the ball in play as they did when they were taking more walks — the results aren’t pretty.

And in the case of the Twins this season vs. last year, I’d say the correlation between 1 fewer walk taken per game and about 1/4 of a run scored fewer per game is pretty strong.

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Twins-Cincinnati game recap La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | June 29, 2015

IMPACT PLAYER

Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati

He was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and four of the Reds’ six stolen bases.

BY THE NUMBERS

38: Pitches thrown by the Twins in the third inning.

4:16: Minutes and seconds replay officials needed to award Eddie Rosario a stolen base in the fifth.

ON DECK

Twins starter Phil Hughes will face Cincinnati for the first time in his career in Tuesday's second game oft the series.

Postgame: Thoughts on Meyer, Rosario, Santana and Hunter La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | June 29, 2015

Here are three thoughts following the Twins' 11-7 loss to Cincinnati on Monday:

MEYER'S SECOND OUTING: I'm intrigued by Alex Meyer's arrival because it's going to dictate the Twins' approach to shopping at the trade deadline. If he can thrive as a reliever, that's one less player they will need to stay in this race. If he doesn't, then they might need to find TWO relievers (because they probably will look for lefthanded relief help). Meyer officially gave up one earned run in an inning of work. But he gave up a hit, walked two and allowed inherited runners to score. After initial struggles, he began to throw more fastballs, which is dangerous. I'm sure the Twins are asking him remain calm so he can stay mechanically sound, but sometimes that takes a few outings for a rookie. "I think he's learning,'' Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He's probably trying to overthrow just a little bit. Command, we know he's going to walk some people [and] he is going to strike some people out. The breaking ball, he was kind of getting his body out in front and not getting it down where he needed to. Made him go to the fastball a little more. He's learning.''

ROSARIO IS A HITTER: Eddie Rosario had two money at-bats on Monday. He singled to center after about eight pitches during the Twins' six-run fourth. In the fifth, he finished off a 10-pitch at-bat by drawing a walk. He was locked in and fouled off some tough pitches to stay alive. The kid is a hitter. "He had a couple of knocks,'' Brian Dozier said, "but the most impressive one was the walk that he drew. He was spitting on some really good pitches. People don't realize the guy [Reds reliever Nate Adcock] has a really good slider and a lot of sink at 94-95. He's spitting on pitches right off the plate. I was telling Mollie that's a big-league at-bat.''

BUNTING DECISIONS: The Twins tried a couple of bunts in an attempt to get runners on base later in the game. Molitor praised Danny Santana in the sixth when he tried to bunt for a hit but ended up sacrificing Shane Robinson to second. "We haven't bunted for hits very well,'' Molitor said. "We've talked bout it. We would like to take advantage of it when we can. Santana, the timing of that bunt was good. [Had] the leadoff man on, they have real good bunting grass here. The ball just dies out there; you just have to have a little bit better direction. "We're just trying to get these guys to understand that getting a good bunt down is better than trying to get out there too fast. I think he does that sometimes.'' Torii Hunter tried to get something started in the seventh, but bunted in front of the mound and was thrown out. Molitor understood what Hunter was trying to do. I disagreed with the bunt. There's a lefty on the mound. Hunter is swinging the bat well. Swing the bat.

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With Santana’s decision near, Molitor holds off on rotation decision La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | June 30, 2015

CINCINNATI – Twins manager Paul Molitor knows he’s running out of time on making an important decision regarding his rotation.

“It’s getting closer,” he said. “I think about it a lot. I talk to [pitching coach] Neil Allen and [bullpen coach] Eddie Guardado about it. I’m not going to make it before I have to.”

Ervin Santana is expected to make his Twins debut Sunday at Kansas City after serving an 80-game suspension for testing positive for the banned substance Stanozolol. That means someone will have to be removed from the rotation to make way for him; the Twins don’t appear willing to try a six-man rotation.

If recent outings are the separator, righthander Trevor May would appear to be on the hot seat. May on Friday got one out while giving up six runs to Milwaukee, while the other members of the rotation have ranged from being functional to Tommy Milone posting a 2.03 ERA in June.

Then again, May is scheduled to start Wednesday against Cincinnati and could make the Twins’ decision ever tougher with a strong outing.

The starting rotation entered Tuesday with a 3.96 ERA that is sixth-best in the American League. Now Santana is coming, and someone has to go. It’s a decision that could touch some nerves.

“I think it is going to be important that whoever is involved with that, that we really take our time to communicate why and what our plans are and why it is going to make us better overall,” Molitor said. “We’ve got guys penciled in up until the day Ervin is supposed to return. We’ll see where we are at. Hopefully these guys will continue to make it tough on us by giving us good starts.”

General Manager Terry Ryan said if the team remembers that the objective is to win, then whoever must leave the rotation for Santana should understand the reason for the move.

“Things happen, we all know that,” Ryan said. “Paul is very adept with connecting with players, I can tell you that. Most players will be very receptive. If I went to them, it might be a different story. It will be a tough decision for whoever winds up getting squeezed.”

Santana on Tuesday will make his final tuneup start for Class AAA Rochester before he’s eligible to be activated.

Nolasco to specialist

It’s opinion No. 3 for righthander Ricky Nolasco, who has been out since June 1 because of an impingement in his right ankle.

This time, Nolasco is headed to Charlotte, N.C., to see specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, who has treated Derek Jeter and several NFL players. The Twins have tried rest, rehabilitation and orthotics with Nolasco, but he still feels discomfort when he tries to pitch. It would appear that surgery is an increasing option, but the Twins haven’t indicated that yet.

Close to home

Kyle Gibson and Alex Meyer could have bumped into each other in the hot dog line at old Riverfront Stadium without knowing they would one day be teammates.

Gibson was born in Greenfield, Ind., and Meyer about 40 miles away in Greensburg, Ind. Cincinnati was the nearest major league city, and both attended many Reds games while growing up.

“I remember my first one,” Meyer said. “Tony Gwynn was playing [for the Padres]. I was 5 or 6 but still remember. My dad was telling me, ‘He’s going to be one of the best hitters ever.’ ”

Gibson said he and his father, Harold, would park across the Ohio River in Covington, Ky., and walk to the ballpark.

“He dropped me off [Monday] and we were talking about that big blue bridge [near the park],” Gibson said. “We would park on the other side and walk across that bridge and get tickets. It was pretty fun.”

Etc.

• With balloting set to end at 10:59 p.m. Thursday, the Twins won’t have anyone pushing to be selected an All-Star Game starter. Brian Dozier has the statistics but has not even cracked the top five among second basemen. The only Twins player to appear in Monday’s update was Torii Hunter, and he’s 14th among outfielders.

• Outfielder Aaron Hicks threw out a runner attempting to score during a doubleheader Sunday, so his right forearm appears to be fine. But he’s 1-for-11 at the plate through three games of his rehabilitation assignment. “After not playing for a while we all agree he probably needs to be there a little longer,” Molitor said. “How long? We haven’t determined that yet.”

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Twins’ one big inning not enough in 11-7 loss to Reds La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | June 30, 2015

CINCINNATI – Twins manager Paul Molitor was looking for more offense on Monday night, when he juggled his lineup to bat Torii Hunter third for the first time all season.

He got the desired effect, but the Twins could not outhit Mike Pelfrey’s poor pitching.

Pelfrey was torched early, and it looked like it would be blowout city at Great American Ball Park. The Twins fought back to make things interesting before losing 11-7 to the Reds. It was only the fifth time this month the Twins had reached seven runs, and it came in a loss.

“At the end of day we ended up scoring seven, and we need to win with that,” said Pelfrey (5-5), whose two-plus innings Monday were his shortest outing since May 21, 2013. “That’s frustrating to be down 9-1 after three. I put these guys — not only the bullpen but the offense — in a hole.”

Cincinnati scored three runs in the first, one in the second and five in the third to knock Pelfrey out and get some licks in on recently promoted righthander Alex Meyer.

The Twins were coming off a three-game weekend series in which they hit .219 at Milwaukee, including .143 with runners in scoring position. But Molitor’s lineup, which also had Joe Mauer batting second and Eddie Rosario fifth, started clicking against Reds righthander Mike Leake, albeit when Cincinnati held an eight-run lead.

Hunter led off the fourth with a double then scored on Trevor Plouffe’s single. Rosario ended a lengthy at-bat with a single to center, putting two runners on.

Kurt Suzuki struck out, but Eduardo Escobar cracked an RBI double to score Plouffe and make it 9-3. Pinch hitter Kennys Vargas popped out, but Danny Santana singled to right to make it 9-4 and bring Brian Dozier to the plate with two men on.

Dozier promptly fell behind 0-2. Catcher Travis Barnhart set up for a pitch down and away. Leake instead threw a belt-high fastball over the middle, about as bad a miss as a pitcher can make on an 0-2 count. Dozier didn’t miss it, blasting a three-run homer to left to bring the Twins within 9-7. Dozier — hoping to return to Cincinnati in two weeks as an American League All-Star — leads the Twins, and all major league second basemen, with 16 home runs.

“We felt like we were always in the game, especially playing here,” Dozier said. “Anything can happen with a couple swings of the bat. It’s a Cracker Jack box. You put that [with] our fight and we never felt like we were out of the game until the last pitch.”

The Reds bullpen pitched 9⅓ innings over two games vs. the Mets on Sunday and were vulnerable, but the Twins could not come up with another run, stranding runners at third in the fifth and sixth innings while going hitless over the final five innings against relievers Nate Adcock (1-1), Manny Parra and Aroldis Chapman. Meanwhile, the Reds added single runs in the sixth and seventh, and Chapman used a fastball that reached 103 miles per hour to strike out Santana, Dozier and Mauer in the ninth.

Cincinnati’s 17-hit attack included four extra-base hits and six stolen bases. Four of those steals were by Billy Hamilton, who has done it three times in his young career.

It was just too much for the Twins to overcome despite that six-run fourth inning.

“You think you have life,” Molitor said, “especially when you are looking at [innings] five, six, seven and before you have to get to the big boy at the end. Their guys that came in, they put zeroes up.’’

Twins: Brian Dozier's numbers better than his all-star campaign Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | June 29, 2015

CINCINNATI -- Brian Dozier may or may not return to Great American Ball Park when the All-Star Game lands here in two weeks.

Twins manager Paul Molitor, however, has no doubt his second baseman would be a worthy selection.

"I see him every day; I know what he's meant to this team and I know the kind of year he's having," Molitor said. "He's been an all-star for us, no doubt about that."

Dozier, who participated in last year's Home Run Derby at Target Field but has yet to receive all-star designation, trails only Cleveland's Jason Kipnis in combined on-base/slugging percentage (.867) among American League second basemen.

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Dozier entered Monday's play first among AL second basemen in home runs (15) and isolated power (.257). He trailed only Kipnis in Wins Above Replacement (2.8) as measured by FanGraphs.com.

Yet Dozier was not among the top five vote-getters at his position in Monday's final breakdown of fan balloting as conducted by Major League Baseball. Kansas City's Omar Infante, one of five Royals leading in the fan voting, continues to lead all second basemen despite a poor first half.

Dozier, who may have had a better overall first half in 2014, figures to receive solid support in voting by opposing players, coaches and managers.

"I also know that (for) people that have to make those decisions as far as shaping that roster, it's challenging," Molitor said. "The fact (is) there are other people at second base, possibly in bigger markets, that are having good years.

A lot of components are involved. It's not always fair. Every year somebody gets left off that should be on and maybe somebody makes it that shouldn't have."

Twins closer Glen Perkins, who entered Monday having converted all 24 save chances, would seem to be in line for a third straight all-star selection. However, reliever is often where spots are juggled to comply with the all-teams-represented rule.

Perkins also has seen his nine-inning strikeout rate dip to 8.04, 46th among the 70 qualifying AL relievers.

Twins right fielder Torii Hunter was again the team's only player to hit the board in fan voting. Hunter ranked 14th among all outfielders with 1,568,877 votes.

All-star starters will be announced Sunday night, with a selection show announcing reserves and pitchers to follow the next night.

BRIEFLY

-- Former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was among six inductees announced Monday for the National Baseball Congress Hall of Fame. Gardenhire, who played in the NBC World Series in 1977 and 1978 for Wichita Coors, will be inducted during the 81st staging of the event, which runs from July 24-Aug. 8.

-- Twins outfielder Aaron Hicks, on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester, singled and delivered a sacrifice fly in the completion of a suspended game Monday. Hicks, who did not start the second game of the doubleheader, is 2 for 13 (.154) with five strikeouts since rejoining the Red Wings. "I think we all agree he needs to be there a little bit longer," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "How long? We haven't determined that yet."

Minnesota Twins burned by Billy Hamilton’s speed Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | June 29, 2015

CINCINNATI -- In addition to being the fastest player in baseball, Billy Hamilton just might be the most annoying.

The Twins got a firsthand exhibition of the speedy center fielder's game-altering skill in Monday's 11-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.

Despite entering with a meager .264 on-base percentage, Hamilton reached base in his first four plate appearances without hitting the ball out of the infield. He also scored three runs and went 4 for 4 in stolen-base attempts, pushing his majors-leading total to 40.

"Obviously his speed is a game changer," said Twins starter Mike Pelfrey, who failed to record an out in the third inning.

"When he was on first, it was a lot of quick pitches and I tried to make pitches, but I still need to be able to execute pitches doing that. I obviously wasn't able to. He's pretty fast."

Falling for the third time in four games to start this three-city road trip, the Twins dropped to 10-17 in June. They are now 0-11 this season when allowing eight runs or more and 2-65 under those circumstances since the start of 2013.

The Reds held a 17-9 edge in hits and raced to a 9-1 lead after three innings before holding off a midgame surge.

Hamilton, who opened the first inning with a drag-bunt single, stole three or more bases for the fourth time this year. It was his third career four-steal game.

"He's just got great feet -- his acceleration and breaks," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We threw it over plenty. It's always that fine line between a pitcher getting out of his rhythm and trying to slow that guy down. I don't think he worries too much about throw-overs, especially the guys that don't get it over there particularly quickly."

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Rookie right-hander J.R. Graham made eight pickoff throws after Hamilton reached on an infield chopper in the fifth, only to see him steal his fourth base of the night. Bert Campaneris, the old Oakland A's shortstop, holds the opponents' record with five stolen bases against the Twins in May 1976.

Fellow rookie Alex Meyer, who relieved Pelfrey in the third, was kicking himself afterward for the four-pitch walk that Hamilton quickly turned into a de facto double.

"If you had to pick one guy in baseball not to walk, it would probably be him," Meyer said. "I've seen him coming up. I've heard all about him. I played with him in the Futures Game. I got to see what he can do then."

Meyer got to experience it firsthand Monday as he followed the walk to Hamilton with another to light-hitting Ivan De Jesus Jr. Slugging first baseman Joey Votto followed with a two-run double over the head of Eduardo Escobar in left to make it 9-1.

A six-run fourth, highlighted by Brian Dozier's three-run homer, allowed the Twins to climb back into the game off Reds starter Mike Leake. The homer was Dozier's team-high 16th and helped chase Leake after just four innings.

However, the Twins wasted scoring chances in each of the next two innings after putting runners on third against reliever Nate Adcock.

Before the game, Molitor had talked extensively about the need to at least contain Hamilton without letting him affect the quality of pitches made with him on base. Perhaps, Molitor suggested, the Twins would even concede a bag to Hamilton in order to keep their defense in the desired alignment.

"A guy who is as masterful as he is," Molitor said, "he's going to figure things out."

Caught just six times on the bases all season, Hamilton appeared to have been nabbed for the seventh time when Kurt Suzuki fired down to third in the second inning. The ball beat Hamilton to the bag, but Trevor Plouffe was unable to hold onto the ball as he applied the tag.

"I actually thought that was more of an error than a stolen base, but that's the official scorer's judgment," Molitor said. "I'm not sure if Trevor ever got a really good grip on that ball. I don't know if he got too quick with the tag."

Molitor shook his head.

"That's on my list of plays to check," he said. "I've got a big list."

Twinsights: Wander Javier gets more Baseball America love Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | June 29, 2015 Thursday marks the start of the 2015-16 international signing period.

So where does Dominican shortstop Wander Javier, expected to sign with the Twins for a rumored $4 million bonus, rate in Baseball America’s newly released Best International Tools exercise?

Javier, 16, is tied with countryman Ronny Brito for best infield arm and draws honorable mention of sorts for most exciting player.

“For pure tools across the board, Wander Javier grades out higher than anyone in the class,” Baseball America’s Ben Badler writes. “In a showcase, he’s one of the most exciting players to watch, but in the games that excitement dissipates because his bat lags behind.”

Javier fell short of Brito — expected to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $2 million, or half the Twins’ investment in Javier — when it came to best defensive infielder.

“Javier doesn’t have their baseball IQ,” Badler writes of Brito, Jeison Guzman and Aramis Ademan, “but he has plus speed, good range and a plus arm.”

Badler also quotes a scout who says of Brito and Javier: “(Y)ou hit a fungo to them, they have that kind of physicality that sticks out like a big leaguer.”

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Twinsights: Ricky Nolasco headed to Charlotte for another ankle exam Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | June 29, 2015

CINCINNATI –Twins right-hander Ricky Nolasco will travel to Charlotte, N.C., to have his ailing right ankle examined on Thursday by Dr. Robert Anderson, co-chair of the NFL’s foot and ankle committee.

Nolasco, who last pitched on May 31, has had to cut short multiple bullpen sessions despite taking a cortisone shot and being fitted for orthotic inserts.

Anderson, the team orthopedist for the NFL’s Charlotte Panthers, is considered a leading expert in the field. He is best known for operating on a number of NFL players diagnosed with a midfoot or Lisfranc injury.

Recovery period can range from six to eight weeks if surgery isn’t required to as long as five to six months if surgery is performed.

“(I)t’s not a career-ending injury,” Anderson said in a 2013 interview with NFL.com, “but it certainly can be a season-ending injury if they have to have surgery.”

This will be at least the second outside specialist Nolasco has seen for his ankle, which had initially been diagnosed with an impingement. He has had persistent pain when pushing off the pitching rubber, which requires his foot and ankle to bend at an angle as he strides toward home plate.

The most recent setback for Nolasco came last week after he was fitted for orthotics.

In the second year of a four-year, $49 million contract, Nolasco is 5-1 with a 5.51 earned run average in seven starts this season.

Postgame Twinsights: What did Joe Mauer say to Bob Davidson? Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | June 30, 2015

CINCINNATI –After swinging through a 101-mph fastball from Reds closer Aroldis Chapman to end Monday’s 11-7 loss, Joe Mauer shared a few quick thoughts with plate umpire Bob Davidson.

Mauer was still ticked about a pair of called strikes against him on pitches at 100 mph after he took ball one to start the all-triple-digits confrontation.

“I told (Davidson) they were balls, pretty much,” Mauer said. “The first two pitches, pretty clear as day they were off. I kind of had to swing at that last one because he was calling them strikes.”

Mauer fouled off a 1-2 pitch at 102 mph before Chapman went up and in on the Twins first baseman with a pair of fastballs at 103 and 102.

Mauer didn’t take offense.

“He hasn’t pitched in a while. I think it was just getting away from him,” he said of Chapman, who last worked Thursday in Pittsburgh. “I don’t know: 102 at the face. Yeah, he was bringing it.”

It was a non-save situation for Chapman, but Mauer had doubled in his only previous crack at the Cuban flamethrower.

“I like those situations,” he said. “You want to face guys like that. He’s one of the best closers in the game. That’s what you play the game for.”

That’s what makes it all the more maddening when the a pitcher who needs no assistance gets an expanded strike zone. The Twins felt Davidson’s strike zone was inconsistent all night.

“It’s frustrating when you try to have good at-bats and grind it out,” Mauer said. “It happens, but you can’t do anything about it except keep trying to have good at-bats.”

Davidson is in his 26th season as a big-league umpire.

“Bob’s been around a long time,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “We thought we had a couple times where some pitches might have been borderline or whatever and went in their favor. You don’t want to go down that road when you give up 17 hits and 11 runs. In the end that’s not going to be the difference.”

But it was still part of Monday’s frustration.

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–-Twins rookie right-hander Alex Meyer, pitching a hour’s drive east of his Greensburg, Ind., hometown, struggled again in his second big-league outing.

Meyer walked two and threw just half of his 30 pitches for strikes in a single inning of work. Topping out at 98 mph, he started justy one of his six hitters with strikes, went to three-ball counts four times and failed to produce a single swing and miss.

“The other night (in Milwaukee) I had a really good breaking ball,” Meyer said. “Tonight I didn’t. I’m not really sure why. It felt like I was wrapping around it a little bit and not getting on top of it.”

Meyer got just one strike with an offspeed pitch; Todd Frazier fouled off an 0-1 curve before Meyer froze him for strike three at 98.

“I’ve got to come out and do a better job,” Meyer said. “You can’t come in out of the bullpen and walk two guys out of your first three. Obviously it’s a learning process but up here you can’t really afford to have something like that happen.”

Joey Votto’s two-run double was the big blow off Meyer, who actually cut his earned run average to 16.88.

Meyer didn’t have to leave many tickets for his buddies as many of his supporters bought tickets on their own.

“My pass list really wasn’t that big,” he said. “I saw some people during BP and I saw people kind of just scattered throughout the night. It was neat. It was exciting for me just because this is where I grew up coming to watch games and I grew up a Reds fan. I remember before the season, when I saw the Twins were playing the Reds, I said, ‘I hope I get to pitch there.’ ”

Even though Meyer has yet to work on consecutive days since making the move to the bullpen about a month ago, he said he would be available if needed on Tuesday.

“I should be fine,” he said. “I’ll be ready to go.”

–Triple-A Rochester catcher Eric Fryer will represent the Twins at the Pan American Games next month in Toronto.

Workouts begin July 4 in Cary, N.C. Fryer and Tommy Murphy (Colorado Rockies) are only catchers on the Team USA roster.

Walker hits Minor League best 23rd home run Alex M. Smith | MLB.com | June 29, 2015

The hottest bat in the Minor Leagues right now is also one of its most powerful. Twins No. 12 prospect Adam Brett Walker continued his torrid stretch on Monday night, homering for the third straight game and extending his Minor League season home run lead with his 23rd dinger of the year. Walker's most recent blast was the only run that Rays No. 9 prospect Blake Snell allowed in six innings for the Biscuits.

The outfielder has homered in five of his past six contests, a run that includes the Southern League Home Run Derby crown he won last week. Walker simply cannot cease hammering the baseball out of the park. While the Lookouts dropped Monday's contest to Montgomery, 5-3, Walker's steady power has helped the team to a 44-29 record.

Walker has had plenty of help as several of Minnesota's Top 30 prospects – including baseball's No. 1 prospect Byron Buxton -- have passed through Chattanooga at various points. Walker has remained a constant on the team with the best record in the North Division thus far this year.

Selected in the third round of the 2012 Draft, Walker has always had a powerful bat as he recorded at least 25 homers and 94 RBIs in 2013 and 2014. This year the Milwaukee native is hitting .272/.328/.612 (.940 OPS) with 23 home runs, 18 doubles and 67 RBIs.

"I think the main thing is I've been a little better with my approach, making sure I'm getting good pitches to hit," Walker told MiLB.com recently. "I'm trying to be a little more patient and making sure when I get those pitches that I'm not missing them. I think that's been a big key for me so far this year, just making sure I'm getting the barrel on the ball up in the zone. So far, I've been able to get to them."

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Rodriguez flirts with no-hitter for Elizabethton Alex M. Smith | MLB.com | June 29, 2015

The stars nearly aligned for Dereck Rodriguez -- son of the former 14-time All-Star catcher, Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez -- on Monday night.

With his dad in the crowd, the Rookie League Elizabethton hurler did not allow a hit for nearly seven innings before giving up a single to Bristol's Carlos Munoz with one out in the seventh. The seven strikeout, one-hit performance was particularly impressive given that Rodriguez didn't become a starter until June 5. Monday night marked his fourth career start.

After earning valuable relief experience at Class A Fort Myers, the Twins sent Rodriguez down to Class A Cedar Rapids for a pair of starts. He struggled, giving up seven earned runs in two starts, but quickly regained his footing in Tennessee with a 5 1/3 inning, two-run start on June 23.

Monday's gem proved that Minnesota knew what it was doing when it switched Rodriguez to a starter's workload.

"I like it, you get to go out there not as much as a reliever, but you're out there longer," Rodriguez told MiLB.com of the transition. "I like the routine. I like the process to get your body ready for the next start, I think it's fun. It's awesome."

And Rodriguez can always turn to his father for quality advice.

"We talk sometimes after my starts," he told MiLB.com. "He'll ask me, 'How did it go?' He tells me I should have done this different or whatever -- typical father stuff."

The Twins selected Rodriguez in the sixth round of the 2011 Draft. He began his pro career in 2014 with Elizabethton and has a 2.30 ERA in 47 total innings.

Hughes gets first look at Reds in middle game Robert Bondy | MLB.com | June 30, 2015

Interleague Play will continue for the Reds and Twins today in the second tilt of a three-game series from Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati righty Anthony DeSclafani will make his 16th start, looking for his first win since June 9 against the Phillies. DeSclafani picked up wins in his first two June starts, but since is 0-1 despite a 2.63 ERA in his past three starts this month.

On the season, DeSclafani is 5-5 with a 3.35 ERA and 61 strikeouts. He has the second-lowest ERA in the Reds' rotation, behind ace Johnny Cueto (2.98).

Minnesota righty Phil Hughes will look to continue a recent hot streak. He has four straight quality starts with a 2.45 ERA during the stretch. On Wednesday, Hughes outperformed White Sox ace Chris Sale with eight innings of one-run ball.

Hughes is 6-6 with a 4.20 ERA and 60 strikeouts. He leads the Twins in wins and innings (98 2/3).

Both starting pitchers will face mostly fresh faces. DeSclafani has never faced anyone on the Twins, while Hughes has matched up against Skip Schumaker (2-for-4), Marlon Byrd (0-for-3) and Ivan De Jesus Jr. (0-for-2).

Three things to know about this game

• While Hughes has never faced the Reds, he has 20 appearances, including 15 starts, against Interleague opponents. The nine-year veteran is 9-4 with a 3.82 ERA and 93 strikeouts in Interleague Play.

• Second baseman Brandon Phillips could return to the Reds' starting lineup Tuesday after missing the series opener with injuries to both of his hands. He is on a six-game hitting streak, batting .310 (9-for-29) with two home runs and four RBIs.

• On Monday, Twins right fielder Torii Hunter played his first game at Great American Ball Park. He has now played in every current stadium in the Majors.

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Torii, Dozier seek All-Star votes in final week Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | June 29, 2015

CINCINNATI -- The final 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot update was released on Monday, and right fielder Torii Hunter remained the lone Twins player among the leading vote-getters at his position, but remains millions of votes behind his competitors.

Hunter is 14th among AL outfielders with 1,568,877 votes, but trails Mike Trout (11,461,212 votes), Lorenzo Cain (10,418,343) and Alex Gordon (8,934,052) by sizable margins. Second baseman Brian Dozier doesn't rank among the top five at his position despite his impressive season both offensively and defensively. Dozier was hitting .267/.343/.524 with 15 homers, 57 runs and 37 RBIs in 74 games entering Monday's action.

Twins manager Paul Molitor said he's surprised Dozier hasn't received more votes and believes he's worthy of being an All-Star.

"I've seen him play every day and I know what he means to this team," Molitor said. "But I also know people who have to make decisions to shape that roster and it's challenging. Some of the rules they have to follow about every time being represented and some other people at second base who are possibly in bigger markets having good years. So there are a lot of components involved. It's not always fair. But he's been an All-Star for us. There's no doubt about that."

Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on their computers, tablets and smartphones -- using the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday at 10:59 p.m. CT. For the first time, voting is exclusively online, where fans may submit up to 35 ballots.

Fans may also receive the ballot by texting VOTE to 89269 (USA) or 101010 (Canada). Or text VOTA for a ballot in Spanish. Message and data rates may apply. Up to five messages. No purchase required. Reply STOP to cancel. Reply HELP for info.

The 2015 All-Star starters will be unveiled on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on the Esurance All-Star Starters Selection Show on ESPN. Then on Monday at 6 p.m., the All-Star reserves, pitchers and Final Vote candidates will be announced on the Esurance All-Star Selection Show on ESPN, immediately after which fans can return to MLB.com to begin casting their 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Votes for the final player for each league's All-Star roster. Final Vote ends Friday, July 10, at 3 p.m. On Tuesday, July 14, watch the 2015 All-Star Game live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2015 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.

MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage of All-Star Week festivities.

The 86th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

Nolasco to get third opinion on ankle Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | June 29, 2015

CINCINNATI -- Twins right-hander Ricky Nolasco is set to get another opinion on his right ankle after suffering another setback Friday, when he still felt discomfort and had to end his bullpen session early.

Nolasco, on the 15-day disabled list since June 4 with a right ankle impingement, is scheduled to see Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C. Anderson is a noted ankle and foot specialist who serves as the co-chair of the National Football League's foot and ankle committee.

It'll be a third opinion for Nolasco, who already met with Twins team doctors and a foot specialist in Minnesota. Nolasco initially received a cortisone shot in his ankle and was fitted for orthotics, but neither option worked.

The Twins initially believed Nolasco would be able to avoid surgery, but Nolasco will meet with Dr. Anderson and see what he recommends. There's no timetable for his return.

Nolasco, 32, is 5-1 with a 5.51 ERA in seven starts this season. He went 5-0 with a 4.25 ERA in six starts in May, but last started for Minnesota on May 1. He also missed time early in the season with a right shoulder strain.

• The Twins are continuing to monitor outfielder Aaron Hicks, who remains on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester. Hicks, out with a right forearm strain since June 14, became eligible to be activated from the 15-day disabled list Monday and began his rehab assignment on Friday. Hicks is 1-for-11 in three games, but did test his arm Sunday, when he threw out a runner at home plate.

"After not playing for a while, I think we all agree he needs to be down there a little bit longer," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "But how long,

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we haven't determined that yet. We'll just see how he does in the short term."

Twins stage huge rally, but can’t catch Reds Rhett Bollinger and Mark Sheldon | MLB.com | June 30, 2015

CINCINNATI -- In a game where a cornucopia of runs were scored in the early innings, the Reds held off the Twins to claim a series-opening 11-7 victory on Monday night at Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati, which was coming off being swept by the Mets while scoring only four runs in three games, built a 9-1 run lead through three innings. As 10 men batted in a five-run Reds third, Eugenio Suarez hit a two-run double to center field as Twins starter Mike Pelfrey's final batter. Later in the inning with the bases loaded against Alex Meyer, Joey Votto hit a two-run single. Every Reds position player had at least one hit in the game, including Tucker Barnhart with a 4-for-5 night.

Pelfrey finished with eight earned runs and nine hits allowed over two-plus innings. But a smooth night it wasn't for Reds starter Mike Leake, who gave up seven earned runs as 10 men batted for Minnesota in a six-run fourth. With two outs, Danny Santana hit a RBI single before Brian Dozier's three-run homer to left-center field made it a 9-7 game. Leake was out after four innings with nine hits on his line.

"We had a nice little rally there against Leake and made it interesting but we kind of sputtered from there," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Our bullpen gave up a couple. So it was just a long game and we gave up a lot of hits. It wasn't very fun to watch."

The Reds, who set a season high for a nine-inning game with 17 hits, made it a three-run game in the sixth when Suarez laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt and reached on a single as Marlon Byrd scored. The bullpen kept the Twins quiet, and hitless, over the final five innings. Reliever Nate Adcock's two scoreless innings earned him the victory, and he was followed by Manny Parra's two perfect innings and Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth.

"The key was we didn't let this one get away," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Adcock and Parra came up so big in that game. It really saved it. Those last couple of add-on runs gave us the separation we needed to make sure we didn't get them too excited about coming back and winning that game."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Blazin' Billy: It's been a tough season at the plate for Billy Hamilton, who entered batting .220 with a .264 on-base percentage. But back in the leadoff spot for an injured Brandon Phillips, Hamilton was a big nuisance for Minnesota. He reached base in each of his first four plate appearances -- on a bunt single, two walks and a chopped infield hit -- and scored three runs. He also stole four bases to extend his Major League leading total to 40.

"I'm trying to be as aggressive as I was in the ninth hole and took it then to the leadoff spot," Hamilton said. "I was talking to Jay Bruce about it. I said, 'Can I take my same thought process in the ninth hole to the one hole?' and he was like, 'From the first pitch on, I'm ready to hit from the first pitch on.' He says, 'If it's right there in the spot that you want it, hit it,' and that gave me confidence to just get on base and do what I did if I was in the ninth hole."

Dozier's blast gets Twins back in it: Leake had Dozier down 0-2 and was one strike away from getting out of the fourth inning, but served up a three-run shot to make it a two-run game. It was the team-leading 16th homer for Dozier and also helped him reach 40 RBIs. But it wasn't enough for the Twins, who were held scoreless the rest of the way by Cincinnati's bullpen.

"You try to look at the positives and we didn't quit," Dozier said. "We felt like we're always in the game. Especially here, anything can happen with a few swings of the bat. It's such a cracker-jack box. So you put that together with our fight, we never thought we were out of the game."

Leaked lead: Through three innings, Leake had an eight-run lead, but didn't do a good job of protecting his advantage or saving a bullpen that threw 10 innings over two games Sunday. Minnesota sent 10 up in the fourth and made it a 9-7 game. Entering the night, Leake was 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA in five June starts, including two earned runs allowed over his previous 14 innings.

"You do your best to forget about it," Leake said. "There's nothing you can do about it. It happens so all you can do is move on. If you're going to think about the past you're going to keep killing your head."

Pelfrey turns in clunker: Pelfrey has arguably been Minnesota's most consistent starter, but turned in a rough outing for the second time in his past four starts. He lasted just two-plus innings, giving up eight runs on nine hits and three walks to see his ERA jump from 3.06 to 3.81. He has a 6.84 ERA over his past four starts.

"At the end of the day we scored seven and we need to win with that," Pelfrey said. "It's frustrating to be down, 9-1, after three. It not only puts our bullpen in a hole but the offense in a hole. It's a rough spot. The hole I created was too tough."

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QUOTABLE "We cooled the fire right after that and they didn't score after that. It was a pretty interesting game but we held our own. I just kept telling the guys 'we've got the lead. Don't get too fired up. We've got the lead. Let's keep building off our lead. Don't worry about what happens.'" --Reds third baseman Todd Frazier, who drove in the game's first run with a first-inning RBI single to left field

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS When Votto hit his two-run single to left field with the bases loaded in the third, it snapped a 13-game streak without an RBI. Votto last drove in a run on June 13 vs. the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

REPLAY REVIEW Eddie Rosario attempted a steal of second base with one out in the fifth, but was ruled out by second-base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. The Twins challenged the play, however, and after a review of more than four minutes, the call was overturned and Rosario was ruled safe.

WHAT'S NEXT Twins: Right-hander Phil Hughes starts the second game of the series on Tuesday at 6:10 p.m. CT. Hughes has been solid recently with four straight quality starts, going 2-1 with a 2.43 ERA over that span. He's never faced the Reds in his nine-year career.

Reds: Rookie righty Anthony DeSclafani will take the ball for the Reds at 7:10 p.m. ET in the second game of the series. DeSclafani is winless over his past three starts, but was solid last time out at Pittsburgh when only one of his four runs allowed were earned over six innings with six hits.

Location issues lead to Pelfrey’s rough outing Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | June 30, 2015

CINCINNATI -- Considering Twins manager Paul Molitor mentioned him as a potential All-Star before Monday night's game, Mike Pelfrey's spot in the rotation should be safe once right-hander Ervin Santana returns from his 80-game suspension Sunday.

Pelfrey, though, turned in his second rough outing over his past four starts, as he lasted two-plus innings, giving up eight runs on nine hits and three walks in an 11-7 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park. It marked the second time in his past four outings he gave up eight runs, and he has a 6.84 ERA over that span.

But Pelfrey pointed to the fact that he limited the Cardinals to one run over eight innings just two starts ago, on June 18, right after giving up eight runs to the Rangers on June 13 as evidence that he can bounce back.

"I think if I were younger, it would drag on with me a little longer," said Pelfrey, who saw his ERA rise from 3.06 to 3.81. "But I think now, I look at it different. I understand that falling behind into bad counts and leaving balls over the middle isn't a good recipe. I just need to eliminate that and be better next time out. I think it's easier to turn the page than maybe four to six years ago."

The veteran righty pointed to his location as his biggest issue, as he said he's not dealing with anything physical right now. He said his rough start in Texas was due to a lack of command of his split-finger, but Monday's start was more about falling behind in counts and serving up hits on fastballs that caught too much of the zone.

"I felt fine," Pelfrey said. "The ball just didn't go where I wanted it to. I put myself in bad situations and that's what happens. Tough starts happen."'

His struggles happened in a hurry, as the first four Reds batters reached, including Billy Hamilton, who led off the first with a bunt single. The Twins quickly fell into a 3-0 hole after the first, and Molitor said Pelfrey never recovered.

"I don't think he was able to recover very well from a rough start," Molitor said. "He had trouble locating. His offspeed wasn't too good. They were aggressive and got after him pretty good."

The Twins rallied with a six-run fourth to make it a two-run game, but the Twins were held scoreless the rest of the way by Cincinnati's bullpen. It handed Minnesota its sixth loss in its past nine games.

"At the end of the day we scored seven and we need to win with that," Pelfrey said. "It's frustrating to be down, 9-1, after three. It not only puts our bullpen in a hole, but the offense in a hole. It's a rough spot. The hole I created was too tough."

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Twins don't quit, make valiant comeback bid Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | June 30, 2015

CINCINNATI -- After falling behind by eight runs after just three innings, it would've been easy for the Twins to roll over against the Reds on Monday night at Great American Ball Park.

But the Twins rallied for six runs in the fourth, keyed by a three-run homer from Brian Dozier off right-hander Mike Leake with two outs. It made it just a two-run game, but the Twins weren't able to add on in an eventual 11-7 loss.

"It could've been a mail-it-in kind of game, but we don't have that mentality," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We know it's a big hurdle, but you have to keep playing. Your at-bats are precious. You're only going to get so many no matter how long play. So just try to take advantage every time up there. Dozier gave us life with that homer [on an] 0-2 [pitch], but it kind of stymied after that point."

Dozier said the Twins never lost confidence even after falling behind by such a big margin with right-hander Mike Pelfrey struggling and lasting just two-plus innings.

"You try to look at the positives and we didn't quit," Dozier said. "We felt like we're always in the game. Especially here, anything can happen with a few swings of the bat. It's such a cracker-jack box. So you put that together with our fight, we never thought we were out of the game."

The Reds, though, were able to add to their lead with runs against reliever Ryan Pressly in the sixth and seventh innings. Cincinnati's bullpen had been worked hard as they were needed for 10 innings Sunday. But the Twins couldn't score over the final five frames against a combination of Nate Adcock, Manny Parra and closer Aroldis Chapman.

"We know their bullpen was fatigued after what they went through [Sunday] and their innings as of late, you think you have life, especially in the fifth, sixth, seventh before you get to the big boy at the end," Molitor said. "You're hoping you can get it to even or get ahead. But those guys were able to put zeros up. We weren't able to get anything against those guys."

Report: Twins among teams ‘looking at’ Buchholz, Samardzija Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | June 29, 2015

If all goes according to plan, the Twins are about to have a starting rotation logjam.

With five starters pitching well, Minnesota is expecting Ervin Santana to make his Twins debut Sunday in Kansas City, after he's served the requisite 80 games of his drug suspension. (Also, Ricky Nolasco could rejoin the fold at some point, which might force another decision.)

But that doesn't mean the Twins won't look for further upgrades.

The Twins are "looking at" top-end starters Clay Buchholz and Jeff Samardzija, according to a report by the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo.

Interesting.

Performance

Samardzija is 5-4 with a 4.56 ERA on a bad White Sox team. His peripheral numbers (such as his 3.66 FIP and .329 BABIP) suggest he's been better than that, and he'd certainly be a boost to Minnesota's rotation. In 108 2/3 innings this year, Samardzija has 88 strikeouts and 20 walks.

Buchholz is 5-6 with a 3.68 ERA on the Red Sox and should give Boston a decent return if he were dangled on the trade block. He too has peripheral numbers that suggest a surge in the second half of the season (2.71 FIP and a .339 BABIP).

If each pitcher stays healthy and gets a little regression in luck-based metrics, they should be near the top of many starting rotations, and would be helpful in the postseason.

The question, as always, is the asking price. The Twins have plenty of prospects and I wouldn't be surprised if they consider themselves buyers this year. (These days it seems like every team in July thinks itself a buyer.)

Contracts

Buchholz is in the final guaranteed year of his contract, although he has two team option years after this, with an inexpensive buyout in each season, according to Baseball Prospectus. Basically there's no big commitment beyond the rest of this year's salary.

Samardzija would be a classic rental pitcher. He's on a one-year contract in Chicago worth $9.8 million. He will be a free agent this winter.

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What do you think?

I would guess that the Red Sox and the White Sox would have a high asking price for these pitchers. Nearly every team can use starting pitching, and with the invention of the second wild card, more teams seem to hang around in contention and drive up the demand for rental pitchers.

This is simply a quick look at the report and their numbers. I'll dive deeper if I start hearing more steam on the Twins looking to buy. In the meantime, what do you think, Twins fans? Would Buchholz or Samardzija look good in a Twins uniform?

Wetmore: Torii Hunter has a good chance to climb Twins’ home run list Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | June 29, 2015

With four more home runs, Torii Hunter will pull even with his predecessor.

Hunter needs just four more deep drives to tie Kirby Puckett on Minnesota's all-time list for home runs hit in a Twins uniform.

Hunter passed Gary Gaetti over the weekend when the Twins' right fielder hit Nos. 201 and 202 in the same game Saturday. With that, he took sole possession of sixth place on the all-time list. And it's not unreasonable to think he'll keep climbing.

Here's the Twins leaderboard, per BaseballReference.com:

Rank Player Home runs

1 Harmon Killebrew 475

2 Kent Hrbek 293

3 Justin Morneau 221

4 Tony Oliva 220

5 Bob Allison 211

6 Kirby Puckett 207

7 Torii Hunter 203

8 Gary Gaetti 201

9 Tom Brunansky 163

10 Michael Cuddyer 141

11 Jacque Jones 132

12 Joe Mauer 113

*Note: I sorted the data to begin in 1961, when the Senators moved from Washington to become the Minnesota Twins. That endpoint cost Killebrew 84 home runs. He also hit 14 as a member of the Kansas Royals and those don't count for this exercise. He's still very comfortably the franchise's best home run hitter.

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Is it possible Hunter could catch and surpass Justin Morneau?

Torii Hunter is having a great season at age 39. He's been respectable in right field and his offensive numbers are respectable, even when compared with heightened expectations for corner outfielders.

He's hit 11 home runs this season, and the way he's doing it could well be sustainable.

This is nothing more than an educated guess, but with a full complement of games the rest of the way Hunter could be the kind of hitter who will slug 8-10 more balls over the fence.

Eight more would tie him with the great Bob Allison for fifth on the list in Twins history. It's fairly unlikely Hunter would have a whiff of a chance to catch Tony Oliva this season. But then again - who said Hunter's done after this season?

Hunter said in spring training that if he's performing to his ability and posts good numbers, he's not ready to call it quits.

"You know, that's something that I cannot announce," Hunter said when MLB Network Radio asked him if signing a one-year contract in

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Minnesota means he's done after this season. "I just can't announce before a season, say, 'Hey, I'm going to retire.' But if I hit .300, I'm playing again!"

"If I come back and hit .280-plus, and put up 17 home runs like I've been doing the last couple years, and do 80 RBIs or more -- I'm coming back," Hunter said in the interview. "I gotta get this out of my system. Who wouldn't want that? Who wouldn't want those numbers to have on their team. If I can come back and the Twins allow me to come back, I'll come back again, as long as I retire in the Twins uniform."

And it seems unlikely he'd test the free agent market this winter. Maybe that's naïve, I don't know, but that's the way it seems to me.

So without knowing for sure if he'll be back, I'd say it's not that unrealistic to think he'll finish as low as fifth. If he returns, he could get 19 more and overtake Morneau for third on the Twins' list. Quite a career.

Former Twins exec MacPhail to Phillies, will be president after season Associated Press | June 29, 2015

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Veteran baseball executive Andy MacPhail joined the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday with plans to take over as team president after this season.

Philadelphia announced the move to eventually replace Pat Gillick, who helped choose his successor. MacPhail will serve as a special assistant to Gillick for the rest of this season, then take over all business and baseball operations.

The 62-year-old MacPhail won two World Series as general manager of the Minnesota Twins in 1987 and 1991 and later served as president of the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles.

"Andy brings an uncommon blend of old-school experience and new-age thinking," said John Middleton, one of the Phillies' owners. "Old school because he has been building winning teams for over three decades. ... During his tenure in Baltimore, he greatly expanded the use of statistical analysis in player evaluations. That's the new-age thinking."

The Phillies have the worst record in the majors and front-office changes have been expected. Ryne Sandberg resigned as manager last week and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is in the final season of his contract.

"This organization has a terrific reputation doing things first class," MacPhail said. "I'm confident we're going to be able to get back. It's just a question of when and how efficient we can be to make it happen sooner rather than later."

MacPhail is tasked with rebuilding a team that dominated the NL East from 2007-11, winning five straight division titles, two pennants and the 2008 World Series. The Phillies are coming off consecutive 73-win seasons and are on pace to lose 105 games.

Gillick stepped down as general manager after the 2008 season and served as an adviser before replacing David Montgomery as president in August 2014. The 77-year-old Hall of Fame executive is likely to remain in the front office in some role.

MacPhail was Minnesota's GM from 1985-94. He was the Cubs president from 1994-2006 and helped them to two postseason appearances. He was Baltimore's president of baseball operations from 2007-11 and helped pave the way for the Orioles to return to the postseason in 2012.

MacPhail inherits an organization that's in disarray. He has to decide whether he wants to retain Amaro or hire a new GM and has to select a new manager to replace interim skipper Pete Mackanin.

"I have three months to learn what I need to learn," MacPhail said. "It's way premature to talk about personnel decisions."

MacPhail also has a big challenge in moving high-priced former stars Ryan Howard and Chase Utley and finding the right deal in potential trades for ace Cole Hamels and closer Jonathan Papelbon.

"He's an information-gatherer and that's very important because any information is critical to making the right decisions," Gillick said of MacPhail.

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Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Flash Hamilton, another awful start, clawing back Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | June 29, 2015

The Twins got another short and ineffective outing from a starting pitcher on Monday, as Mike Pelfrey recorded only six outs in the Twins' loss to the Reds. Minnesota fought back to make the game competitive after falling in a big early hole, but Cincinnati went on to win, 11-7.

This column presents 5 thoughts from Monday's game.

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1. Billy Hamilton stole four bases Monday, and his speed should give an idea of what Byron Buxton will be able to do if he puts together the base running component. Hamilton has 40 steals on the season including a ridiculous 17 in June.

Take, for example, the second inning. Mike Pelfrey walked Hamilton with one out. On the next two pitches, Hamilton stole second base and third base. (The throw to third base from catcher Kurt Suzuki appeared to be in time, but Trevor Plouffe's glove was caught in between Hamilton's spikes and the third base bag and the ball came loose.)

With a runner on third and less than two outs, the Twins pulled their middle infielders in. The batter, Ivan De Jesus Jr., chopped the 1-1 pitch just over the shortstop's head and Hamilton scored easily from third. I'm not convinced that there's another player in Major League Baseball that would have created that run in the same way as Hamilton did. And Buxton has comparable speed.

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2. In addition to being walked twice, Hamilton had a pair of infield singles, including a bunt single to lead off the home half of the first inning.

Paul Molitor said during the team's last home stand that he wants to see bunt base hits become a weapon for Buxton, although the manager noted that opposing teams, wary of his blazing speed, frequently will crash the corner infielders and try to take away that threat.

Just for comparison, Hamilton has turned bunts into hits on roughly 30 percent of his attempts for his career. He had 17 hits on bunts last season. Despite not hitting very well or being much of an on-base threat, Hamilton stole 56 bases. And those 17 extra hits helped him boost his batting average and his on-base percentage. Bunts represented about 12 percent of Hamilton's hits last year, which is a significant amount.

The league leader last year was Dee Gordon, who had 20 bunt hits for the Dodgers, and was safe on more than 40 percent of his bunt attempts. I haven't yet seen Buxton lay down a great bunt, but it's not crazy to think he could add an extra 15-20 hits a year by using bunting as a weapon. That's without even addressing the likelihood of double-digit infield hits.

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3. Credit the Twins for batting around and scoring six runs in the fourth inning when it appeared the game already was out of reach. But you're not going to win many games in which your opponent scores 11 runs in 8 innings.

Trailing 9-1 through three innings, Minnesota got to Reds starter Mike Leake in the fourth. Every spot in the batting order reached base that inning except for Kurt Suzuki and the pitcher's spot (pinch hitter Kennys Vargas). Torii Hunter and Eduardo Escobar doubled, and Trevor Plouffe, Escobar, Danny Santana and Brian Dozier each drove in at least one run.

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4. Brian Dozier hit a 3-run home run in the fourth inning -- his 16th home run of the season -- to make the game interesting. The Twins had trailed, 9-1, at one point, but Dozier's homer capped a six-run inning for the Twins and cut the deficit to 9-7.

Dozier is leading all MLB second baseman in home runs, runs, RBIs, and Isolated Power. He's having a great season and deserves to be in the All- Star Game.

After appearing mad after a called third strike to end Sunday's game, Dozier didn't leave much to interpretation Monday. Dozier took a called third strike in the third inning, and the broadcast cameras showed him getting back to the dugout with his bat in hand and taking a few swings at the bat rack in apparent frustration. Later, he clobbered a fastball out to left field to get the Twins back in a game that had previously been a blowout.

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5. Mike Pelfrey couldn't get an out in the third inning before he was removed. He gave up eight earned runs on nine hits. He walked three batters and struck out one.

Pelfrey has been great for the Twins this season, but Monday was a rotten start. He had a clunker of a start two weeks ago in Texas, too. Personally, I don't expect him to continue to be as good as he's been for the Twins so far this season, because that was setting an awfully high

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bar. I believe there's something to be said for the effectiveness of his sinker/split-finger combination that's helped him get more ground balls.

He put the Twins behind the 8 ball Monday. It's strange timing, because Ervin Santana is expected to make his Twins debut Sunday. That's spawned plenty of discussion about what the Twins will do with their rotation. And as they audition to keep their starting spot, both Pelfrey and Trevor May (on Friday in Milwaukee) had disastrous starts.

Split the difference: Mike Pelfrey's revival due to revamped splitter grip Tyler Mason | Fox Sports North | June 29, 2015

There have been a few surprises on this year's Minnesota Twins team. Right-hander Mike Pelfrey has been among the biggest.

One pitch is largely responsible for Pelfrey's revival, too.

It was during spring training this year when Pelfrey -- who missed most of last season with an injury -- talked with new bullpen coach Eddie Guardado about a particular pitch. Pelfrey knew that Guardado threw a split-finger fastball during his playing career and was hoping Guardado could help him revitalize his splitter. It was a pitch that Pelfrey had thrown since 2010, but it has lost its effectiveness over the years.

"I asked him, I said, 'Hey, what's the difference here, man? Do you have any advice or tips?'" Pelfrey recalls of the conversation. "He kind of tweaked the grip a little bit. I think it's made all the difference in the world."

Entering his start Monday against Cincinnati, Pelfrey has the lowest ERA in the rotation (3.06) and has logged the third-most innings among the starting staff. Of course, his health is a big reason for the resurgence as he's on pace to top the 152 2/3 innings he threw for the Twins in 2013, the year after having Tommy John surgery.

But the effectiveness of his revamped splitter, and the frequency with which he's thrown it, is the other piece of the puzzle. Pelfrey estimated he used to throw the splitter just three or four times in any given game before Guardado helped him change the grip. Now, it's used 20 or so times a start.

"It's made a pretty big difference," Pelfrey said. "It's kind of given me that changeup or secondary pitch that I've kind of been lacking."

The data backs that up. In 2013 -- Pelfrey's first year with Minnesota -- he threw the splitter just 8.5 percent of the time, according to FanGraphs. That was down from previous years, too; in 2010, he used it for 15.9 percent of his pitches and threw it 12.3 percent of the time in 2011.

So far in 2015, the usage of Pelfrey's splitter has jumped back up to 16.5 percent, the highest it's been in the six years he's had the pitch in his repertoire. Pelfrey still uses his sinker more than 50 percent of the time, but the split-finger fastball prevents opposing hitters from being as effective against his other pitches as they now have to worry about the splitter.

"It gives it something else to put in their head to kind of keep them off that fastball," Pelfrey said. "The results have been really good."

Pelfrey's splitter is several miles an hour slower than his normal fastball, giving it the appearance of a changeup with movement. The ensuing usage of it has been mostly positive. Batters are hitting just .210 against Pelfrey's splitter, and only one of the five home runs he's allowed this year has been off of that pitch.

He's also picked up three more strikeouts with the splitter (19) than with his fastball, which he's thrown 505 more times than the split-finger.

"I can only think of maybe a couple times that I've been beat on it this year," Pelfrey said. "I think for the most part it's been pretty good. It's been real successful."

That pitch is a big reason why Pelfrey should be receiving strong consideration to stay in the rotation when right-hander Erin Santana returns this weekend from his 80-game suspension. The Twins' starting staff as a whole has pitched well this year, so Minnesota will have a tough choice to make as to which pitcher will be the odd man out.

Thanks to the splitter, Pelfrey's spot appears safe. But he and the rest of the staff aren't taking anything for granted given what's coming at the end of the week.

"We understand he's coming back and he's going to be a part of the rotation when he gets back," Pelfrey said. "The guys in here, I don't think we try to worry about that. I don't think we try to play GM. One through five, I think all these guys, we're all throwing the ball great, throwing the ball well. Every night out, we're giving the team a chance to win. That's all you can ask."

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Reds get up by 8 runs, hold on for 11-7 win over Twins

Associated Press | June 29, 2015

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Billy Hamilton scored three times in the first three innings to help Cincinnati open a huge lead, and the Reds held on for an 11-7 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.

The Reds sent 10 batters to the plate for five runs and a 9-1 lead in the third inning, when Mike Pelfrey (5-5) failed to retire any of the four batters he faced. Pelfrey gave up eight runs -- matching his season high -- and nine hits, retiring only six of 17 batters.

Cincinnati's Mike Leake let most of the lead slip away. Ten Twins batted during a six-run rally in the top of the fourth inning. Brian Dozier's three-run homer off Leake cut it to 9-7.

Nate Adcock (1-1) got the victory with two scoreless innings in relief of Leake. Cincinnati's bullpen did not allow a hit in five innings of relief.

The Twins haven't overcome an eight-run deficit to win a game since 1929, when they were the Washington Senators, according to STATS. They couldn't pull it off on Monday as the Reds matched their season high with 17 hits.

Every Cincinnati position player had at least one hit, and seven different players scored. The Reds had at least one hit in each inning.

Hamilton reached in each of his first four plate appearances on a pair of infield singles and two walks. He stole four bases -- giving him a major league-leading 40 for the season -- and scored three times.

Tucker Barnhart had four hits and drove in a pair of runs. Eugenio Suarez, who is filling in at shortstop with Zack Cozart out for the season, had three hits and drove in three runs.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Twins: RHP Ricky Nolasco will see another specialist about his sore right ankle, which has sidelined him since the start of June.

Reds: C Devin Mesoraco had surgery on his left hip Monday as planned. He's been on the disabled list since June 25. ... 2B Brandon Phillips was out of the lineup with two sore hands. ... RHP Raisel Iglesias, sidelined since June 5 by a strained oblique, will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Twins: Phil Hughes (6-6) makes his first career appearance against the Reds. He's 9-4 in interleague play with a 3.82 ERA.

Reds: Anthony DeSclafani (5-5) makes his first appearance against the Twins. He has given up seven runs in 11 innings during his last two starts.

Twins' pitching woes return in loss to Reds Tyler Mason | Fox Sports North | June 29, 2015

Using relievers becomes tricky enough in interleague play when the potential need for a pinch hitter arises. A short outing by the starting pitcher doesn't make things any easier.

For the second time in four games, the Minnesota Twins' bullpen was forced into action plenty early in a National League park. Twins starter Mike Pelfrey lasted two-plus innings Monday -- his shortest start of the year -- and was taken out of Minnesota's 11-7 loss before recording an out in the third inning.

Pelfrey's short outing came just three days after right-hander Trevor May didn't make it through the first inning in Milwaukee. The Twins needed four relievers in that game, a 10-4 loss to the Brewers in which Minnesota trailed 10-1 after two innings.

"We just couldn't stick with him much longer than we did," Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Pelfrey. "I was hoping to get more. We already had the short start this week."

Minnesota needed four relievers to get through the final seven innings of Monday's loss, and it wasn't always pretty for the Twins' bullpen. Right-hander Alex Meyer, who made his major-league debut Friday when he replaced May in the first inning, suffered his second rough outing in as many appearances. Meyer allowed two inherited runners to score and surrendered another run of his own thanks to a pair of walks in one inning of work.

Meyer's spot in the lineup came up in the Twins' six-run fourth inning, so Minnesota pinch-hit Kennys Vargas for Meyer. Vargas popped out in his only at-bat, but it meant a new arm had to pitch the bottom of the fourth. Right-hander J.R. Graham came in to toss two scoreless innings in

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relief of Meyer. It was Graham's second two-inning outing in the last four days, as he also worked a multi-inning stint in that Friday debacle.

Graham kept the game close after Minnesota got to within two runs. His outing was followed by two innings from right-hander Ryan Pressly, who gave up two runs to turn a 9-7 deficit into an 11-7 Reds lead.

With the game still at 11-7 in the eighth inning, the Twins turned to left-hander Aaron Thompson to face the bottom of the Reds' lineup. Thompson gave up a leadoff single to Cincinnati catcher Tucker Barnhart but escaped a scoreless eighth inning.

Minnesota wasn't the only team with a taxed bullpen. The Reds came into Monday's game after having to complete a game Sunday that was postponed Saturday, as well as Sunday's regularly scheduled game against the Mets. Cincinnati used a total of eight relievers in those two games, and starter Mike Leake was chased after just four innings Monday against the Twins. Yet three Reds relievers combined to hold Minnesota without a hit through the final five innings.

"We kind of sputtered from there offensively, and the bullpen gave up a couple," Molitor said. "Just kind of a long game. Gave up a lot of hits. It wasn't very fun to watch."

When the dust settled on the Twins' four-run loss, Minnesota's four relievers allowed three runs on eight hits in six innings. Now, the Twins have to hope Tuesday's starter, Phil Hughes, gets deeper into the game than May and Pelfrey did the last few days. Minnesota's rotation as a whole had done a much better job this season of preserving the bullpen, and Hughes has gone eight innings in each of his last two starts.

The Twins and their relievers would certainly take another eight-inning effort from Hughes on Tuesday.

This Week in (Dumb) Baseball: Some prospects require patience Matt Snyder | CBS Sports | June 29, 2015

It's Monday, which means our regularly scheduled programming of This Week in (Dumb) Baseball is ready for consumption. Last week was a special edition, so this time around we might be hitting on things we saw in the last two weeks.

As regular readers already know, this feature has the title, sure, but it's mostly for fun-- a fact that eludes the masses but remains the case. For example, if you tell me to "quit whining," you are missing the point. I'm mostly chuckling to myself as I write these things (with some exceptions, of course).

1. Please don't write off prospects

We've seen tons of heavily hyped prospects hit the majors this season. Some have been OK but not real good overall (Addison Russell -- at least where offense is concerned).Francisco Lindor isn't hitting well at all while Byron Buxton is hitting just .189/.231/.270. Joey Gallo is in the midst of a pretty bad slump, too.

We have to keep perspective here as to how hard it is to grow into a big-league baseball career, even for the most talented players in the world. It is folly to think that what we've seen from guys at a young age means that's what we'll continue to see. There are still many who believe Javier Baez is already a bust, thanks to last season's lackluster stint in the bigs. Nevermind that he's still only 22 years old and was hitting .314/.386/.536 with a revamped swing and reduced strikeout totals in Triple-A before breaking his finger this year. No, go ask a large group of casual baseball fans about Baez and the overwhelming response will be laughter.

This is wrong for so many reasons, but let's have some fun with still-active players who ended up becoming All-Stars.

Mike Trout was a top-three prospect in baseball when getting the call to The Show in 2011. In 40 games, he hit .220/.281/.390.

Anthony Rizzo arrived in San Diego with much fanfare in 2011, only to hit .141/.281/.242 with just one homer and 46 strikeouts in 49 games.

Chase Utley didn't even get to the majors until he was 24, and he hit just .239 that season. He wasn't very good next season, either, not breaking through until age 26. Alex Gordonwas labeled a bust for four years before finally having his breakthrough at age 27.

Carlos Gonzalez was a top-35 prospect when he arrived in Oakland in 2008. He'd hit .242/.273/.361 with 81 strikeouts in 85 games that season. He'd be traded and two years later finished third in MVP voting.

On and on we could go, but the point has been made. It's dumb to write youngsters off after they fail in their first big-league stint. Don't be that person who does it.