minnesota twins daily clips wednesday, september 6,...

Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Twins' ninth-inning comeback comes up short in 2-1 loss to Rays. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 1 Colon done in by former teammate Duda in loss to Rays. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 2 Hurricane Irma's path worries some Twins players from Carribbean. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 2 Twins activate Robbie Grossman, call up pitcher Michael Tonkin. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 4 Miguel Sano's latest step in recovery is hitting off a tee. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 4 Jason Castro finally behind the plate again for Twins. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 5 Slegers, Twins set to take on Rays in finale. MLB (Mount) p. 7 Twins come up short despite Grossman's HR. MLB.com (Butherus & Mount) p. 7 Odorizzi cruises until Mauer spoils no-hitter. MLB.com (Mount) p. 8 30 Clemente Award nominees revealed. MLB.com (Newman) p. 9 Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: 8 unsung heroes that have helped Twins get to where they are. 1500 ESPN (Wetmore) p. 11 Notes from The Trop: Brian Dozier on playoff push; Jason Castro, Glen Perkins on rehab. 1500 ESPN (Depue) p. 13 Robbie Grossman activated, series of Twins roster moves bring back Michael Tonkin. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 15 Zulgad: Vilified no more: Joe Mauer takes a swing at critics with bounce back season. ESPN 1500 (Zulgad) p. 15 Twins’ Mauer extends hit streak to 14, breaks up Odorizzi’s no-hit bid. Associated Press p. 16 Injured stars who could rock October. ESPN (Staff) p. 17 Twins Select Tonkin's Contract, Place Chargois On 60-Day DL. MLB Trade Rumors (Adams) p. 17 MLB: Naples High grad Jeff Smith soaking up first season with Minnesota Twins. Naples Daily News (Johnson) p. 18

Twins' ninth-inning comeback comes up short in 2-1 loss to Rays

La Velle E. Neal | Star Tribune | September 6, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. - After being knocked down Monday then shut down Tuesday, the Twins know they need to respond as they are allowing the pack to creep closer in the fight for a AL wild card. And they need to respond quickly. “I don’t want to say it’s a must-win,” second baseman Brian Dozier said. “It’s a game we really need to win [Wednesday] to get going into Kansas City.” The Twins were no-hit by Rays righthander Jake Odorizzi for 6⅓ innings Tuesday on the way to a 2-1 loss. Their challenge is to leave Tampa Bay with at least one victory before their four-game series against the Royals. After losing 11-4 on Monday and shut down Tuesday, the Twins have dropped three consecutive games and four of their past five. The Rays pulled within two games of the Twins for the second AL wild card. The Angels, after defeating Oakland in 10 innings late Tuesday night, are a half-game ahead of the Twins. “The effort has been good, just the results haven’t been,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “The last few days in particular.” Odorizzi made only his fifth career start against the Twins, but the visitors were familiar with him after facing him several times in spring training. They knew his pitches and how he uses them. But it was as if Odorizzi was another person Tuesday.

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He threw a lively fastball that Twins hitters either missed or were unable to square up. They chased his breaking ball and split-fingered fastball or watched them cut the plate for strikes. They were baffled, and the outs rapidly accumulated. He used all four sides of the strike zone. He retired the first 12 batters he faced before Eddie Rosario drew a walk to lead off the fifth. “Oh yeah,” said pitching coach Neil Allen, who worked with Odorizzi in the Rays’ minor-league system. “Up, then down. Up, then down. Then a wrinkle. Up, down. Up, down. Then in, in and in. When he’s on, he’s really good.” Twins righthander Bartolo Colon (6-11) wasn’t too shabby either, giving up two runs over six innings on a solo homer to Lucas Duda in the fourth, then an RBI double to Duda in the sixth. The no-hitter ended with one out in the seventh, when Joe Mauer’s grounder up the middle deflected off second base for an infield hit. Odorizzi (8-7) held the Twins to no runs over 6⅔ innings on one hit, one walk and six strikeouts. “Just wasn’t meant to be,” Odorizzi said. “The bases have been there since they created the game, so it’s just how it happens. [Mauer] is a good guy. I have heard awesome things about him.” The shutout ended in the ninth when Robbie Grossman homered off closer Alex Colome. The Twins then put runners on first and third with one out, but Rosario went after Colome’s first pitch and grounded into a game-ending double play. The Twins finished with four hits and two walks. The Rays won for the sixth time while scoring two or fewer runs. And now the Twins have to regroup and avoid getting swept in the three-game series. “I know everyone here believes in themselves and believes in the team,” Colon said. “We have done it a lot these past few weeks, coming from behind and winning games. It feels fine in here.” Colon done in by former teammate Duda in loss to Rays


Here are three thoughts from LEN 3 following the Twins loss to Tampa Bay: DONE IN BY FORMER TEAMMATE: If the Rays hadn't traded for Lucas Duda, maybe the Twins win tonight. But Duda, who played with Colon while with the Mets from 2014-16, is a Ray. He homered and drove in a run with a double to account for all of Tampa Bay's offense on Tuesday. "He took some good swins and is a good hitter,'' Colon said. "As a former teammate, he knows me well. " He was batting .181 over his first 33 games with the Rays before his bit night. CASTRO FINE: Catcher Jason Castro started on Tuesday but was lifted for pinch hitter Zack Granite in the eighth inning. He recently came off of the concussion DL, so there was concerns about his health. Nothing is wrong, Twins manager Paul Molitior said. He just felt that Castro's timing at the plate was a little off because of his time away. So he decided to give Granite a shot. PREPARATION: It may just be me, but is seems like the Ryas have scouted the Twins well. Their shifts have been effective. They have pitched the Twins tough, getting them to chase high fastballs. The advance scouts have done their jobs well. Hurricane Irma's path worries some Twins players from Carribbean


ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. – Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful storms ever to develop in the Atlantic Ocean, is headed toward Florida, forcing cancellation or postponement of many sporting events. But before it reaches the U.S. mainland, the Category 5 hurricane is howling through the Caribbean. That has some Twins players concerned. Kennys Vargas, Jose Berrios and Eddie Rosario all sat next to each other in the visitor’s clubhouse before the game, monitoring the storm and checking with friends and relatives in Puerto Rico. Irma could hit the island Wednesday, and Vargas said people he knows there have been stocking up on supplies. “It’s already raining there,” said Vargas, who said he was nervous about the approaching storm.

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Their immediate worry is that the storm will disrupt communication, making it hard for them to check on loved ones. The Dominican Republic — home of Bartolo Colon, Miguel Sano, Ervin Santana, Adalberto Mejia, Jorge Polanco and Ehire Adrianza — also is in the storm’s path. The Florida Keys already are under a mandatory evacuation order. The Florida State League has canceled its championship series, scheduled for this weekend. The winners of the two semifinal series that started Tuesday will be declared co-champions. The Twins’ Class A Fort Myers team is in one of the best-of-three semifinals. Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey is making sure prospects in Fort Myers are getting out of town safely. Falvey also was checking on Twins prospects in the Dominican Republic, making sure they are as safe as possible. “That’s something we’re paying a lot of attention to,” Falvey said. “We are actively working to get our players out and get them on flights over the next couple of days.” The Twins’ annual instructional league in Fort Myers begins in just over a week, which could be affected by the storm. Tonkin bides his time Michael Tonkin was designated for assignment May 6. He cleared waivers, joined Class AAA Rochester and made his first appearance May 17. The first batter he faced took him deep. “It was Rhys Hoskins,” Tonkin said, “the greatest hitter in Triple-A history.” Hoskins is now with the Phillies, with 12 homers in 26 games. But Hoskins ended up being the only player to hit a home run off Tonkin during his stint at Rochester. He posted a 1.73 ERA in 31 games, giving up only 6.7 hits per nine innings while striking 13.2 batters per nine. “I just executed well and attacked the zone,” he said. “It felt good out there.” Despite the number of roster moves this season — the Twins have used 19 different relievers — Tonkin didn’t get a recall until Tuesday. “I tried not to think about it too much,” he said. “If it happens, it happens.” Santiago checked again Lefthander Hector Santiago is back in the Twin Cities to be examined by doctors as he continues to have problems with his back and shoulder. Santiago was placed on the disabled list July 5 because of upper thoracic back pain and has been unable to recover. He recently made two rehab starts at Rochester in which his fastball was measured in the mid-80s — well below his normal velocity. “He is still feeling that tightness in his upper back,” Falvey said. “So we’re going to have a follow-up evaluation and announce the details of that one once we find out.” Santiago would only rejoin the Twins as a reliever, Falvey said. Etc. • Sano is scheduled to hit off a tee and do some light jogging Wednesday as he recovers from a stress reaction in his left shin.

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Twins activate Robbie Grossman, call up pitcher Michael Tonkin


Robbie Grossman has been activated by the Twins, who also added pitcher Michael Tonkin to the team. Grossman was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list and Tonkin’s contract was selected from Class AAA Rochester. In other moves, the team put reliever J.T. Chargois on the 60-day disabled list, and removed pitcher Deitrich Enns from the 10-day DL and assigned him to Class AA Chattanooga. Lefthanded starter Adalberto Mejia had his rehab assignment transferred from Rochester to Chattanooga. He has missed 25 games because of a left arm strain, and pitched in two games for Rochester, which did not make the International League playoffs. Grossman, who had a fractured thumb, played two games in Rochester and was 1-for-7 with two walks. He is hitting .243 with seven home runs and a .363 on-base percentage for the Twins. Tonkin pitched in nine games for the Twins earlier this season, then made 31 appearances in Rochester, where he had a 1.73 ERA in 41.2 innings. Chargois suffered an elbow injury early in the season, and his transfer to the 60-day DL creates room for Tonkin on the 40-man roster. Enns (left shoulder) and Mejia join the Lookouts for the Southern League playoffs. Mauer nominated for Clemente Award Joe Mauer is the Twins’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, given to a player from each team “who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.” Other American League nominees are Chris Davis of Baltimore, Rick Porcello of Boston, Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox, Carlos Carrasco of Cleveland, Miguel Cabrera of Detroit, Jose Altuve of Houston, Drew Butera of Kansas City, Cameron Maybin of the Los Angeles Angels (since acquired by Houston), Brett Gardner of the New York Yankees, Liam Hendriks of Oakland, Robinson Cano of Seattle, Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay, Cole Hamels of Texas, and Marcus Stroman of Toronto. National League nominees are Paul Goldschmidt of Arizona, Jason Motte of Atlanta, Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs, Scooter Gennett of Cincinnati, Ian Desmond of Colorado, Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dee Gordon of Miami, Matt Garza of Milwaukee, T.J. Rivera of the New York Mets, Cameron Rupp of Philadelphia, Josh Harrison of Pittsburgh, Adam Wainwright of St. Louis, Hunter Renfroe of San Diego, Buster Posey of San Francisco and Ryan Zimmerman of Washington. Miguel Sano's latest step in recovery is hitting off a tee


t. PETERSBURG, FLA. – Miguel Sano hit off a tee Monday, his first baseball activity since Aug. 19, when the third baseman went down because of a stress reaction in his left shin. Recovery has been a lengthy process, longer than the Twins hoped for, but the All-Star has shown enough progress in recent days for him to pick up a bat and take some swings in the batting cages at Target Field. That’s the first step. Now he has to continue to see improvement in his shin while slowly increasing his baseball activities. “We’re hoping he handles that well, and we will try to increase his baseball activities the rest of the week if the leg allows him to do that,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “Possibly, if we don’t have any setbacks, try to get some batting practice in over the next couple of days.” Sano fouled a ball off his shin Aug. 18 against Arizona, and the discomfort increased as he finished that game — he ended up hitting home runs in his final two at-bats — and attempted to play a day later. But now the shin has improved to the point to where the Twins can start building him up for a return.

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“It is just a matter of when we can get him out there, try to jog a little bit and build up to where he can get around the bases,” Molitor said. “Then we’ll start thinking about when he can contribute. “It’s getting closer to a day-to-day situation, but we’re not there yet. We still have a ways to go.” Jorge Polanco, Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario has surged at the plate in recent weeks, softening the blow of Sano’s absence. But the Twins remain eager to get Sano, his 28 home runs and 77 RBI back in the lineup. “We don’t really have a another Miggy-type player out there,” Molitor said, “a player who can do what he does, the threat that he brings every time he takes a swing.” Rochester’s season ends The Twins almost had every one of their minor league teams reach the postseason. Class AAA Rochester is the exception, as the Red Wings beat Pawtucket 10-1 on Monday but were eliminated from the postseason when Lehigh Valley beat Scranton 4-3 to claim the International League’s wild-card spot because of a tiebreaker. Rochester appeared to be in the driver’s seat but lost five of its final eight games. “I’m disappointed for them because they had a good opportunity the last few days,” Molitor said. But that means the Twins will bring up a few more players from Rochester to add depth to a club that’s trying to hold on to a wild-card spot. Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey is traveling with the Twins during this week’s seven-game road trip to Tampa Bay and Kansas City and met with Molitor to discuss possible reinforcements. It’s unlikely that any new faces will be among the group that will be called up. In fact, the most important additions will come from the disabled list. For instance, Robbie Grossman, out because of a broken left thumb, went 1-for-7 in two games with Red Wings during a rehabilitation assignment and is now headed back to the Twins. Molitor and Falvey’s discussions about call-ups are ongoing. “We’re talking about if there are any fits,” Molitor said. Etc. • Sam Perlozzo, the Twins minor league infield and baserunning coordinator, is with the major league club for this road trip. Afterward, he will return to Fort Myers, Fla., to prepare for the organization’s annual instructional league. Molitor said that a couple more minor league coaches are scheduled to serve stints with the major league club before the season ends. • Righthander Aaron Slegers was added to the roster Monday, on his 25th birthday. He will start Wednesday’s series finale. Jason Castro finally behind the plate again for Twins

John Shipley | Pioneer Press | September 5, 2017

Jason Castro was set to start his first game at catcher since suffering a concussion after taking two foul balls off his face mask Aug. 23 in a 4-3 loss at Chicago. Chris Gimenez and Bartolo Colon, Tuesday night’s starter, had a nice rapport in Castro’s absence — in two starts, Colon was 1-0 with a 2.84 earned-run average on 19 hits and one walk in 12.2 innings — but manager Paul Molitor was just happy to have Castro back for Tuesday night’s game against the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla. “I haven’t bought into the fact that the marriage of the battery team needs to be consistent,” Molitor said. “Obviously, some guys seem to have better results with different people, but Jason’s our No. 1 catcher and I think Colon’s probably one of the easiest guys on our staff to catch.” Castro was activated from the seven-day disabled list in time for Monday’s game but was limited to a pinch-hit appearance in an 11-4 loss at

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Tropicana Field. “We talked yesterday about the best way to get him integrated back into the club,” Molitor said. “To catch a lot of innings is not as easy as a lot of people might think when you haven’t done it for a couple of weeks. We tried to come up with a plan to spread out the first couple of outings and thought today and Thursday would be a good start.” GROSSMAN’S BACK Outfielder Robbie Grossman was activated from a short rehab stint at Triple-A Rochester and inserted into the lineup as designated hitter. He’s been out since fracturing his thumb in a collision with center fielder Byron Buxton on Aug. 17. The switch-hitter was 1 for 7 with a walk, run scored and RBI in two games with the Red Wings, whose season came to and end Monday in a 10-1 loss to Pawtucket. “Robbie had a couple of good days in Rochester,” Molitor said. “I’m glad to hear that his right-handed swing has come along faster than anticipated. I’m going to watch him today to see how much confidence I have from the right side, but I know he can swing left-handed.” The Rays started right-hander Jake Odorizzi (7-7, 4.85 ERA). Grossman was batting .243 with seven home runs, 35 RBIs and 60 walks in 98 games, 89 as designated hitter. “He was out for a bit, but he was in there tracking pitches and doing some things in the cage as far as one-handed drills and keeping himself sharp,” Molitor said. “You get a couple days of at-bats, we feel pretty good about it.” PROTECTION PROMOTION The Twins selected the contract of right-hander Michael Tonkin on Tuesday and made him available in the bullpen, although he might not pitch much down the stretch. “It’s more of a protection here,” Molitor said. “I told him, ‘I’m not sure how much you’ll get to pitch, but you deserve to be back here.’ I’m happy about that.” Tonkin appeared in nine games for the Twins this season, allowing 11 runs, eight earned in 11 innings of relief, but was lights out in 31 relief appearances for the Red Wings, 4-2 with a 1.78 ERA. He gave up 31 hits and 13 walks in 41.2 innings pitched and only one home run. The difference, Molitor said, was Tonkin’s command of his slider. “When I enquired with the Triple-A manager (Mike Quade), he said (Tonkin) was his most reliable guy coming down the stretch as far as getting big outs in big games, and that means something,” Molitor said. BRIEFLY Left-hander Adalberto Mejía (elbow) will had his rehab assignment transferred from Rochester to Double-A Chattanooga, where the Lookouts have made the postseason. “We’re going to take the opportunity to get him stretched out so that when he comes back he’ll probably be ready to throw close to a hundred pitches,” Molitor said. … Leftt-hander Dietrich Enns (shoulder) was activated from the disabled list and optioned to Chattanooga. The Twins have 32 players on their active roster: 17 pitchers, three catchers, seven infielders and five outfielders.

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Slegers, Twins set to take on Rays in finale

Connor Mount| MLB | September 6, 2017

The Twins and Rays finish off an important three-game clash with an afternoon game Wednesday as Tampa Bay will try for a sweep at Tropicana Field. Minnesota will send 6-foot-10 righty Aaron Slegers (0-0, 2.84) to the mound for his second career start as the Twins try to maintain their hold on the second American League Wild Card spot. Slegers has a 3.40 ERA in Triple-A this season, the seventh-best mark in the International League. He walked 1.8 batters per nine innings, helping to give him a 4.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio that was sixth-best among starters with 100 innings in that league. Trailing the Twins and Angels by two games for the second Wild Card pending the Halos' late-Tuesday game against the A's, Tampa Bay counters with Blake Snell (3-6, 4.02). Snell has recently turned a corner following a move to Triple-A and an Alex Cobb injury that prompted his return to the big leagues. Following his Aug. 9 promotion, Snell produced a 2.97 ERA in August over 30 1/3 innings, his best month of the year. Three things to know about this game • Joe Mauer is moving up Minnesota's all-time leaderboards. One more RBI places him fifth in franchise history and six more runs will tie him with Rod Carew for third place on the Twins' list. He reached eight seasons of 30 doubles with a two-bagger Monday, and one more season with that many doubles will tie him with Kirby Puckett for the most such seasons in Twins history. • Snell induced three double-play balls in his last start against the White Sox, the most by a Rays starter this season. • Slegers averaged 7.4 feet of extension with his four-seam fastball and 7.3 feet of extension with his two-seamer in his Major League debut, according to Statcast. Both rank among the highest averages in MLB this season. Pitchers with a lot of extension -- the distance between the rubber and where the pitcher releases the ball -- can make their pitches appear faster than their raw velocity indicates because hitters have less time to react. Twins come up short despite Grossman's HR

J. Scott Butherus and Connor Mount | MLB.com | September 6, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG -- Rays starter Jake Odorizzi carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Lucas Duda provided the offense to lead Tampa Bay to a 2-1 win over the visiting Twins at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night. The win brings the Rays to within 2 1/2 games of the Angels, who sit a half-game ahead of the Twins for the second American League Wild Card. Minnesota has now lost four of its last five games. Odorizzi retired the first 12 batters he faced thanks to a cut fastball that kept Twins hitters off balance for much of the night. The Twins' first baserunner came on an Eddie Rosario walk to lead off the fifth, but he was quickly eliminated with a 6-4-3 double play. "Pitch-mix-wise, I thought tonight, maybe his best curveball that I've seen him have and his best fastball," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "He threw some good cutters mixed in there, but the curveball I think was a weapon for him. Normally, it's kind of just a get-me-over pitch. He utilized that more than I had seen recently, and his fastball was ticked up." The Twins wouldn't break through until one out in the seventh when Joe Mauer slapped a sharp grounder up the middle that ricocheted off of the second-base bag and out of reach of Rays shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. Odorizzi fanned the next hitter, Jorge Polanco, but was relieved afterward. He struck out seven. Twins starter Bartolo Colon ended up as the hard-luck loser opposite Odorizzi. Colon allowed just two earned runs while scattering five hits in his 6 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked one. "We fought out there really hard until the end but we just couldn't do it," Colon said The 44-year-old veteran righty needed just 30 pitches to get through the first three frames before Duda broke a scoreless tie with a solo home run -- his 27th of the season -- in the fourth.

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"I've played with Bartolo for a couple of years and I kind of know what he does, but he's a veteran and mixes it up," Duda said. "You don't really know what to expect. Just try to elevate a pitch and put a good swing on it." Duda struck again in the bottom of the sixth, driving in Evan Longoria with a double off the right-field wall to make it 2-0. "It was a well-pitched game on both sides," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "[Colon] had a really good night. … It was one guy. Duda stepped up and got a couple of big hits. That turned out to be the difference." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Cishek the fireman: With two men on in the sixth, the Twins had their best shot at getting on the board but Rays reliever Steve Cishek was able to get Byron Buxton to fly out to center field for the third out. Cishek has not allowed a run in 17 appearances since joining the Rays. Cardiac Colome: Twins designated hitter Robbie Grossman, in his first game since being reinstated from the disabled list, made things interesting by delivering a solo shot to right field to lead off the ninth inning against Rays closer Alex Colome and pull the Twins within a run. Colome walked Mauer and allowed a single to Polanco before getting Rosario to ground into a game-ending double play that found Hechavarria's glove. "Honestly, I didn't even see the ball," Hechavarria said. "I saw it get hit up the middle and the umpire was there so I didn't see it, but I read the bounce last minute. It was incredible." QUOTABLE "Odorizzi was outstanding. That's probably the highlight of the night as far as seeing him do well. I know he's had a tough stretch here. For the life of me I can't figure out why our fans were booing him when he came off the field, but I thought he threw the ball really well." -- Cash, joking about the fans, who booed Cash's decision to pull Odorizzi before giving the right-hander an ovation "That's the third time in the last five days that we've come up a little bit short. The effort is good, the results just haven't been over the last few days," – Molitor SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Following his fourth-inning at-bat, Duda was in the midst of a 6-for-50 slump in which all six hits were home runs. He doubled his next time up to end the streak of homers. WHAT'S NEXT Twins: Minnesota will promote 6-foot-10 Aaron Slegers and send him to the mound in search of his first career victory to conclude the series against Tampa Bay at 12:10 p.m. CT. Slegers (0-0, 2.84 ERA) was impressive in his Major League debut, allowing two runs on two hits over 6 1/3 innings, but did not factor in the decision. Rays: Blake Snell (3-6, 4.02 ERA) will counter for the Rays as Tampa Bay tries for a sweep in the 1:10 p.m. ET series finale. The lefty is coming off his best month, with a 2.97 ERA in 30 1/3 innings in August. Odorizzi cruises until Mauer spoils no-hitter

Connor Mount| MLB.com | September 6, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG -- A zero hung in the Minnesota hit column 19 outs into Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Rays. If anyone on the Twins was going to put a damper on Rays starter Jake Odorizzi's bid for a no-hitter, it was likely to be Minnesota's Joe Mauer. With Odorizzi having faced the minimum number of hitters through 6 1/3 innings, Mauer broke up the no-hit bid with a single up the middle that clipped the second-base bag and popped straight into the air. "That was tough. That was kind of a weird one," Rays first baseman Lucas Duda said. "Hitting the bag, that's pretty lucky. But the guy hitting, he's a good hitter, he probably deserves a good bounce or two every now and then. It's just how it goes." "Just wasn't meant to be," Odorizzi said. "The bases have been there since they created the game, so it's just how it happens."

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The hit extended Mauer's consecutive hit streak to 14 games. Mauer has reached safely in his last 25 games against the Rays and is a career .386 hitter at Tropicana Field. Given that sure-handed shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria was tracking the grounder, the Rays thought they had a chance to make an out of what became a hit. "We were confident from our angle that he was going to make the play," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "I mean my gosh, he's anywhere in the vicinity we're pretty confident he's going to make the play." Instead, the play went into the books as yet another no-hitter spoiled by Mauer. The Twins' first baseman is one of just two players in baseball history to break up three no-hitters in the ninth inning. The only other player to accomplish that was Yankees infielder Horace Clarke, who did it all in one month in 1970. Mauer laced one-out singles against Detroit's Anibal Sanchez in 2013 and Texas' Neftali Feliz, who was trying to finish off a team effort, in 2010. His one-out double broke up Gavin Floyd's no-hitter bid for the White Sox in 2008. "I just try to keep it simple and have a good at-bat," Mauer said. "It's tough. As a hitter you try to eliminate pitches, but when a guy is throwing four of them for strikes it makes for a tough night. I just try to have good at-bats and try to wear them out if you can." Mauer has pieced together plenty of quality at-bats in the past couple of weeks, batting .418 during a hitting streak that is two games shy of a career high. He will surely be leaned on in the coming weeks as well, as the 34-year-old is one of just five regular hitters over the age of 28 for the Twins. Minnesota's youth comes with a lack of playoff experience, and the three-time playoff participant Mauer will likely be the face the Twins turn to for guidance in the season's biggest moments. As Tampa Bay prepares for a playoff push of its own, the effectiveness from all the options in Odorizzi's toolbox Tuesday was a welcome sign. Odorizzi's pitches had an extra oomph, his fastball topping out at 94.5 mph and his curveball having extra bite. That caught the eye of his skipper. "Pitch-mix-wise, I thought tonight may be his best curveball that I've seen him have and his best fastball," Cash said. "He threw some good cutters mixed in there, but the curveball I think was a weapon for him. Normally, it's kind of just a get-me-over pitch. He utilized that more than I had seen recently, and his fastball was ticked up." Odorizzi has struggled for much of the year. He allowed a home run in a franchise-record 15 consecutive games and decided to pitch exclusively from the stretch to simplify his mechanics. He busted the home run streak, but still weathered a difficult August during which he posted a 6.45 ERA. "Jake and I have had some very good, honest conversations and I think he'd be the first to tell you that this past month of August did not go the way he envisioned, and what we need out of him," Cash said. "Today was a huge step: Turn the page from August, we're into September now, and get on a roll." Cash wants to see the consistency Odorizzi provides when things are clicking, when he is able to pitch deep enough into games to set the Rays up to compete. With the American League Wild Card race tightening and the clock ticking down to the end of the season, Odorizzi needs to find a way to come close to duplicating Tuesday's effort. For now, he's satisfied with the win over the Twins, which clinched a series victory. "It's nice to see some adjustments are reaping some benefits," Odorizzi said. "I just need to replicate my mentality, everything. In the next start, hopefully it just keeps snowballing and that's the start that kind of gets me going. It would be a good time to get going the rest of the month when we are trying to compete for a playoff spot." 30 Clemente Award nominees revealed

Mark Newman| MLB.com | September 5, 2017

It was 45 years ago this month when Roberto Clemente doubled to the wall for his 3,000th and final career hit -- three months before the plane crash that took his life as he tried to deliver relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. "I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give," Clemente once said. Today the legend of Puerto Rico's favorite son is stronger than ever, and the annual Roberto Clemente Award has become "baseball's most

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prestigious award," according to Commissioner Rob Manfred. On Tuesday, Major League Baseball revealed the 30 club nominees for the 2017 honor, which goes to a player from each club who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field. American League nominees are Chris Davis of Baltimore, Rick Porcello of Boston, Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox, Carlos Carrasco of Cleveland, Miguel Cabrera of Detroit, Jose Altuve of Houston, Drew Butera of Kansas City, Cameron Maybin of the Los Angeles Angels (since acquired by Houston), Joe Mauer of Minnesota, Brett Gardner of the New York Yankees, Liam Hendriks of Oakland, Robinson Cano of Seattle, Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay, Cole Hamels of Texas, and Marcus Stroman of Toronto. National League nominees are Paul Goldschmidt of Arizona, Jason Motte of Atlanta, Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs, Scooter Gennett of Cincinnati, Ian Desmond of Colorado, Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dee Gordon of Miami, Matt Garza of Milwaukee, T.J. Rivera of the New York Mets, Cameron Rupp of Philadelphia, Josh Harrison of Pittsburgh, Adam Wainwright of St. Louis, Hunter Renfroe of San Diego, Buster Posey of San Francisco and Ryan Zimmerman of Washington. The list of nominees features Major Leaguers whose work in the community focuses on important issues ranging from awareness and fundraising of childhood cancer and other illnesses, education, outreach to underserved children and communities in the U.S. and abroad, care for veterans and more. "This award represents everything Roberto stood for as a 'good Samaritan,'" said MLB goodwill ambassador Vera Clemente, Roberto's wife. "Through the Roberto Clemente Award, today's players are recognized for these same qualities." Each club nominates one current player to be considered for the Roberto Clemente Award in tribute to Clemente's achievements and character. Wednesday marks the 16th annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by MLB to honor Clemente's legacy and to officially acknowledge local club nominees of the award in his honor. Clubs playing at home on Wednesday will recognize their local nominees as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies. Visiting clubs will honor their nominees on a subsequent homestand. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards and a special tribute video will be played in ballparks. There are seven 2017 All-Stars among the nominees: Goldschmidt, Altuve, Turner, Harrison, Posey, Cano and Zimmerman. The Roberto Clemente Award winner will be selected among the group of nominees via a blue-ribbon panel that includes individuals connected to the game, including Manfred, representatives from MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS) and MLB Advanced Media, as well as Vera Clemente. Fans will be able to vote from Oct. 2-6 for the overall Roberto Clemente Award winner. The voting page will feature bios of each of the nominees and will allow fans to easily vote by clicking on the respective nominee's name. The winner of the fan balloting will count as one vote among those cast by the blue-ribbon panel. Additional information about fan voting will be shared via MLB.com and MLB social media channels. Maybin remains the Angels' nominee despite changing teams via waivers on Aug. 31. The Angels notified MLB after the transaction that they wanted him to retain the honor. In fact, Maybin will be returning as an Astro to Anaheim in mid-September, when the Angels were already planning to honor him. Last year's recipient was Dodgers outfielder Curtis Granderson. He was like other recipients who say at each presentation that it is the most important honor of their careers, on or off the field. "This is all part of just trying to do the legacy, like Ms. Clemente said, trying to do better each day, making it better for the next group to come up behind you," Granderson said. Willie Mays won the first of these honors in 1971 when it was known as the Commissioner's Award, to recognize players for their philanthropic work, and he is among 16 Hall of Famers who have been recipients of the honor. After 1972, the award was dedicated in Clemente's name.

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Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: 8 unsung heroes that have helped Twins get to where they are

Derek Wetmore | 1500 ESPN | September 5, 2017

The Twins are right in the middle of a race to the postseason. They’ve spent the majority of the season forcing analysts to revise their opinion on the Twins. They apparently were not just a team playing well over its head after losing 103 games last year. If the season ended on Labor Day, the Twins would have won the right to play in the postseason as the second Wild Card team in the American League, and they’d have a one-game playoff with – who else? – the New York Yankees. There’s been plenty written about some of the guys that have helped the Twins surge to where they are in the standings right now. After an incredible 20-win month of August, the Twins went from sellers at the non-waiver trade deadline to holding a playoff spot, and guys like Byron Buxton, Brian Dozier, Eddie Rosario, Jorge Polanco, Ervin Santana and J.O Berrios absolutely deserve the credit they’ve gotten for that run. This column, though, presents a handful of guys that I don’t think have received ample credit for their respective role in keeping the Twins in the hunt. It’s an inexact science and I can’t claim that it’s an exhaustive list. I’ve broken it down into a few categories here. Bullpen saviors Matt Belisle For a couple months, Belisle looked like he was pitching his way out of town. In the middle of June, he held an 8.59 ERA in a bullpen that was struggling badly. Since that time, he’s emerged as the guy Paul Molitor trusts to close out most games now that Brandon Kintzler is wearing a different uniform. The turnaround for Belisle has been dramatic and surprising. Over his past 28 2/3 innings, Belisle owsn a 1.57 ERA, with a 31:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and opponents are hitting just .206 against him. Dave Cameron at FanGraphs wrote about Belisle’s run of success recently, and he basically concluded that the 37-year-old reliever isn’t doing a whole lot different, except that some base hits are turning into foul balls, and then Belisle is finishing the job with strikeouts when he gets two strikes on a hitter. Trevor Hildenberger Maybe Hildenberger’s gotten the proper credit in some circles, but I think it’s important to point out his contributions. He’s more or less replaced the production Brandon Kintzler offered the Twins, albeit in slightly lower leverage roles. In a bullpen that lost its most dependable reliever – and saw the second-most reliable guy, Taylor Rogers, trend in the wrong direction – Hildenberger has been a terrific stabilizing force. In the second half, the side-arming reliever has a 2.74 ERA in 23 innings, including a fantastic 25:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. And the one walk after the all-star break was intentional. Oh, and his 60% groundball rate is tops among current Twins relievers, and would rank 10th in all of baseball if he had enough innings to qualify for the reliever leaderboards on FanGraphs.com. His fastball is nice, whether he’s throwing it from the funky angle or from over the top. His real devastating weapon, in my opinion, is his changeup. Other guys who’ve really helped the bullpen this past month would include Dillon Gee (long relief), Ryan Pressly and Alan Busenitz. Starting rotation stabilizers Kyle Gibson In his past 7 starts, Kyle Gibson has a 3.29 ERA after struggling to go deep in games or find consistency for most of the season for the Twins. He’s been a big reason why the Twins’ starting staff went from just hoping that Ervin Santana or J.O. Berrios could start every game, to a top-5 A.L. staff since the All-Star break. Gibson’s changed a few things recently, and I wrote about those changes the other day. The short version of the story is that he’s throwing more 4-seamers, changing the speed, and Byron Buxton pointed out some type of mechanical flaw that may have been making it easier for hitters to pick up Gibson’s slider. Buxton was standing in the batter’s box against Gibson in mid-to-late July, and he told the starter that he noticed a difference between some of his best sliders of the bullpen session and other, less effective breaking balls. The upshot of all those

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changes is that Gibson’s strung together 7 starts in which he hasn’t allowed more than 3 runs, he’s getting more swings and misses, and he’s shaved nearly a full run off his ERA. Bartolo Colon When the Twins signed ‘Bix Sexy’ in mid-July, some baseball fans around the country hoped. Others laughed. Hoped, because they wanted there to still be juice left for a guy seems quirky, is a successful overweight professional athlete, is older than most players – and some coaches — and who’s apparently been popular at basically every stop of his baseball career spanning two decades. But others laughed because, ‘Wow, typical cheap-skate Twins dumpster diving to find any washed-up arm to fill out their starting rotation.’ I won’t claim allegiance with either camp, but perceptions are perceptions. Twins CBO Derek Falvey said the Twins spotted some evidence that Colon hadn’t exactly pitched as poorly as his 8.14 ERA in Atlanta had indicated, and I wrote a column about how, yeah, there might be something to a Bartolo Colon bounceback in Minnesota. But who saw this type of performance coming? A 44-year-old who mostly throws one pitch and doesn’t throw it hard anymore has somehow used command, late movement and veteran savvy to post a 3.94 ERA in 10 starts for the Twins, including a complete game, for crying out loud. He’s finished at least 5 innings in all but his first start in a Twins uniform, and he’s never surrendered more than 4 runs. I’m not a fan of the made-up “Quality Start” stat, but it’s safe to say that Colon has kept the Twins in most of the games that he’s started, and the team has won 5 of the past 7 games he’s started. His impact on the clubhouse is immeasurable, but the indications I’ve gotten are that he’s been a real net positive for the Twins in that area, too. Coaching staff credit Paul Molitor A lot of people will nitpick some in-game tactical decisions. I get that; it’s the nature of baseball in the information age in which everyone can create a publishing platform. Personally, I think Molitor’s done a good job this year on the aggregate. I’ll first point out that of course it’s possible that the Twins are succeeding despite the presence of Molitor. I just think that it’s more likely that the Hall of Famer with a steady hand has had a net positive impact on the club from the manager’s office. As Travis Sawchik pointed out recently, the Twins are one of the best teams in the American League at leveraging the platoon advantage. (Sure, they’ve got a lot of switch hitters, so maybe we’ll give a half point of credit here.) But one area that I think Molitor gets overlooked when he shouldn’t is what I’ll call big-picture vision. He’s working to get the Twins to the postseason amid the backdrop of uncertainty about his own future in the organization, as his job status seems to be a frequent topic of conversation among people who follow the team closely. He’s working with an imperfect roster that got worse at the non-waiver trade deadline, and somehow he guided the Twins to 20 wins in August. If you’re going to assign blame to Molitor for the 103-loss disaster of a season in 2016, then he should be getting credit for the turn-around in 2017. During a July media session, Molitor was asked if he had tried to plead his case with his front-office bosses about why this year’s Twins team deserved to be buyers at the trade deadline. I was surprised to hear him respond by saying, and I’m paraphrasing, that he didn’t want to be too outspoken about that, since he saw a big-picture vision of the multi-year trajectory of a young Twins team learning how to win with a lot of relatively inexperienced players. The bosses had to appreciate that, considering Molitor’s own contractual status. Then, when the team indeed sold off two pitchers, Molitor did not throw in the towel. I think human nature would dictate that every person in the clubhouse experienced some amount of disappointment on that Monday of the trade deadline. Molitor didn’t allow any feelings of self-pity or anger swallow the season down the tubes. “No retreat, no surrender,” he reportedly wrote on a white board inside his team’s clubhouse the next afternoon. The Twins lost 3 of their next 5 games, but recovered to win 20 games in an August jam-packed with meaningful games. I asked Molitor about conveying a positive vibe despite what seemed at the time like long odds of success for the season. “I think it’s more experiential,” Molitor said. “You go through it as a player and coach, and you see how these seasons can go. And even with a

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month to go – and we’ve put ourselves in a decent position – you know that even over [the rest of the season] there’s potential for volatility there. I think being resilient in June and July and even August has been good, but true resiliency will get tested from here on out. “I think the message is to try to stay as steady as you can, regardless of a particular game. And I think these guys, especially some of the players that have been through it, will provide some of that leadership for us,” Molitor said. James Rowson This kind of credit is tough to dole out quantitatively, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Rowson took over this year and suddenly guys like Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco have become dangerous at the plate after flailing for stretches in the past. There are counter-examples, of course, but based on what I’ve seen so far this year I think the Twins have found a good hitting coach. Veteran position players Joe Mauer Do people realize how good of a season Joe Mauer is having? He’s hitting .302/.382/.416 in exactly 500 plate appearances, and he’s playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base. I think people generally are aware of the year Mauer’s putting together at 34 years old, but in a weird way I do think his performance has been undervalued. Because of the way he’s paid and the way he’s underperformed for a couple of season – and, I’ll contend, because his soft-spoken personality makes him an easy target for people who day-trade sports opinions – I think Mauer will always have a contingent of people against him no matter what. But here are three facts to consider and then I’ll leave it alone. 1) Mauer is hitting .355/.413/.484 since the non-waiver trade deadline, as big a reason as just about anybody why the Twins offense has suddenly become one of the best units in baseball; 2) If he stays healthy and productive through next season, Mauer could be on pace to track down Harmon Killebrew as the all-time Twins leader in getting on base; and 3) After racking up 4 hits in his first 4 plate appearance in a 17-0 blowout Saturday, Mauer committed a selfless act that will probably go underappreciated. Paul Molitor approached him in the dugout and asked if he’d like to stay in the lopsided game to go for a fifth hit. Mauer asked the manager what he’d do if Mauer was 3-for-4, and Molitor told him he’d pull him from the game to get ready for tomorrow’s matchup. Mauer, in short, said that winning the next game was more important to him than chasing a rare 5-hit game, so he sat down, and was back in the lineup the next day at first base in a day game after a night game. Brian Dozier I think Dozier has earned attention for the way he’s played since the trade deadline – he’s hitting .315/.422/.623 with 11 homers in 154, plus almost as many walks (21) as strikeouts (24). He’s also played good defense at second and stolen 4 bases in 5 tries. What I think needs to be stated about Dozier’s contribution is that he’s one of the few players in the clubhouse with enough tenure, track record and history to challenge the front office on its decision to be sellers. Dozier was a vocal advocate for adding pieces before the deadline, and when the sell-off of Brandon Kintzler and Jaime Garcia occurred, Dozier was the first in line to say that it didn’t mean the players in the clubhouse were about to lay down and quit on the season. Notes from The Trop: Brian Dozier on playoff push; Jason Castro, Glen Perkins on rehab

Jake Depue | ESPN 1500 | September 5, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG–The Twins’ position in the playoff race may be a surprise to many fans and media members, but the players are a confident bunch. The feeling in the clubhouse seems to be that this team belongs in the playoffs, and even with a few setbacks recently, they’ve clearly played like a group that believes they’re a playoff caliber team, despite the club selling at the deadline. It’s easy to forget, after last season’s 103-loss debacle, that the team was in a similar position in 2015, sitting one game out of the second wild card with three games to play. Brian Dozier, though, said this year feels very different than 2015. “It seems like it would compare, but it really doesn’t,” Dozier said. “[In] ‘15, the energy was always good. But it didn’t have the same feeling as what we have in here right now. It was always an uphill battle. This year I feel like after we got over the hump in spring training of ironing some things out that we needed to, and once we gained some confidence in the first month of the season, it’s kind of like we’ve owned the fact that we feel like we’re pretty good. The feeling in here with these guys is totally different. We expect to be in the playoffs.” A big reason for the Twins being where they are is how hot Dozier’s been at the plate since the all-star break. Although he hasn’t quite hit at the Ruthian level he was at in the second half last year, he’s slashing a robust .301/.394/.597 with 15 home runs since the break. Prior to the break,

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he was hitting .242/.328/.417. Dozier bristled a bit when I suggested that he was a streaky hitter. The numbers certainly suggest that’s been the case over the past three seasons, but he noted there are a lot of factors that go into a slump or a streak that get overlooked. “I think that’s kind of every hitter,” he said of being a streaky hitter. “There’s a lot of different elements that play into all that stuff rather than just looking at numbers. Injuries. There’s a lot of different intangibles in this game that we don’t tell the media.” Dozier, like most players, doesn’t like using injuries as an excuse. “You got to cowboy up,” he said, referencing the 2004 Red Sox’ motto. My personal opinion is that he was pretty banged up leading into the all-star break, and he seemed to acknowledge that. “I’m not going to go into detail about anything, but it was the most needed break I’ve ever had in my career. I had a lot of things that needed to heal,” he said. Like most players this time of year, he’s still probably playing through pain. It hasn’t impacted his bat, though, and h is play is a big reason the Twins are where they are. Jason Castro credits Joe Mauer with helping in his recovery from a concussion Jason Castro pinch hit late in the game Monday and was behind the plate Tuesday. Monday was his first appearance since going on the DL for a concussion he suffered August 23. Castro said there was some talk about making a couple of rehab appearances, but he ultimately felt like it wasn’t needed. “We talked about it,” he said. “I caught some bullpen work. In the grand scheme of things, seven, eight days really wasn’t too much. I think I’ll be fine. There were probably 3 or 4 days when I wasn’t doing a whole lot and just letting symptoms calm down. But then doing some light stuff and just building up to where I’m at now has kind of helped with that portion of it.” Castro, who said this was probably his first concussion, consulted with Joe Mauer on how to deal with symptoms and what he should focus on in the rehab process. “We talked about some things that kind of helped speed along the recovery from it,” he said of his conversations with Mauer. “Really focusing on some neck stuff, and just trying to be loose. When you take a shot to the head sometimes you don’t realize the impact on your neck that it has. So, I was trying to get some work done on that, and that kind of helped with some of the symptoms.” Glen Perkins on his progress Glen Perkins now has five big league appearances under his belt since coming back from his shoulder injury. He’s struggled in a small sample size since his return, giving up 6 earned runs in 3.1 IP. Now that he’s in the big leagues, the next step in his rehab process is building up innings in the majors as he continues to work his way back. “I am [still in the rehab process] in a way in just that I need appearances,” he said. “I’m sure there’s probably more in the tank as far as stuff and those things that will come with throwing more. I feel good. I haven’t thrown a ton, which is understandable. When I have thrown I haven’t thrown very well. But it doesn’t keep me from continuing to work and improve and get better.” Perkins said that while his velocity hasn’t increased recently, he’s no longer having outings where he’s unable to get above the high 80s. “I haven’t climbed any higher, but I feel like the bottom’s come up,” he said of his velocity. “I’m not throwing 87, 88. I think the last time out every time I was over 90. I’m not too concerned with how high I get as long as there’s life on the ball.” Given the impact a torn labrum has on pitchers (it’s considered a much more serious injury than a torn UCL, which requires Tommy John surgery), it’s not surprising Perkins has struggled in his first few appearances after a 16-month layoff. Whether he’ll be able to contribute meaningful innings down the stretch remains to be seen. For now, though, Perkins is glad he’s back in the big leagues, after suffering a number of setbacks while rehabbing. “My goal as this year dragged along was to just get back,” he said. “I want to help out, but I also understand that there’s guys here that have done a good job all year. I’ll take my opportunities when I get them, and that’s completely okay with me. I just hope to improve each time out.”

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Robbie Grossman activated, series of Twins roster moves bring back Michael Tonkin

Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | September 5, 2017

The Twins made a flurry of roster moves Tuesday, one day after Triple-A Rochester’s season concluded with the Red Wings being eliminated from the postseason. The most meaningful roster move in the short term is Robbie Grossman being acivated from the 10-day disabled list. Grossman broke his thumb crashing into Byron Buxton last month, but he’s already back and apparently ready to swing a bat from at least one side of the plate. The switch-hitting outfielder/DH has batted .243..367/.363 this season for the Twins. And his best skill — his selective eye at the plate — would be more affected by the time away than by the injury itself. The Twins also called up Michael Tonkin. The hard-throwing righty pitched poorly out of the bullpen this year, and was taken off the 40-man roster. He cleared waivers, and the Twins have stashed him all year at Triple-A Rochester, where Tonkin posted a 1.73 ERA in 41 2/3 innings, with an impressive 61:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio. To make room on the 40-man roster for Tonkin, the Twins put J.T. Chargois on the Major League 60-day disabled list. Also, since the Red Wings are now done, lefty Adalberto Mejia’s rehab assignment was transferred to Double-A Chattanooga, and he could find his way back to the Twins pitching staff soon. Dietrich Enns was optioned to Double-A Chattanooga. Zulgad: Vilified no more: Joe Mauer takes a swing at critics with bounce back season

Judd Zulgad | ESPN 1500 | September 5, 2017

The vitriol directed at Joe Mauer by Minnesota sports fans for many years seemed to have turned to apathy by last winter. A countdown had begun on the mammoth eight-year, $184 million contract the St. Paul native signed in March 2010. Mauer, coming off a 2016 season in which the three-time American League batting champion had hit a career-low .261, would collect $23 million in each of the next two seasons and then disappear. That was if the Twins’ new baseball bosses, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine, didn’t decide to pay Mauer to go away. It had gotten that bad. That’s what makes Mauer’s re-emergence one of the better story lines for a franchise that has had plenty of good ones to pick from in 2017. The Twins have rebounded from being 103-loss disaster a year ago and the 34-year-old Mauer has gone from being a near non-factor to an important contributor. Mauer went 1-for-4 in the Twins’ 11-4 loss at Tampa Bay on Monday, extending his hitting streak to 13 games and leaving him with a team-leading average of .302/.382/.416 with six home runs and 56 runs batted in. He went 4-for-4 on Saturday against Kansas City to raise his batting average to .303, the first time Mauer had been above .300 this late in a season since 2013. There was a time when it was a given that Mauer would be above .300 hitter, but that hasn’t been true since his average dipped to .277 in 2014. Mauer would go weeks, and occasionally a month, in recent seasons when he would hit the ball with authority and it appeared as if the old Joe might be back, but that would be followed by lengthy periods of grounders to second and weak fly outs to left. The mantra of “What’s wrong with Joe?” eventually turned to “Same old Joe,” as frustration turned to resignation. Mauer hit only .146 over his final 20 starts of 2016 after suffering a strained right quadriceps while running the bases against Atlanta in mid-August. While the rise of Mauer’s average is encouraging, it’s only part of the story and it might not be the most impressive one. Mauer also has turned himself into a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman. Mauer won the award three times (2008-2010) as a catcher, but he was forced to give up that position after the 2013 season because of concussion issues. Because Mauer had been so good behind the plate, an incorrect assumption was made that he would be a standout at first base. While Mauer certainly wasn’t a train wreck, he also didn’t do anything that stood out and it did not appear as if he had worked particularly hard

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to make himself into a success. That has changed this season as Mauer has made a variety of highlight-reel worthy plays at first base. On Sunday, he dug out a throw from third baseman Eduardo Escobar for the second out of the third inning against Kansas City – Mauer has made that play look routine this year — and made an outstanding catch to end the sixth inning, racing toward the first base seats with his back to the infield before reaching into the stands and grabbing Mike Moustakas’ pop foul. Mauer’s Ultimate Zone Rating of 5.9 is the best among American League first baseman – only San Francisco’s Brandon Belt has a better UZR rating (7.7) – and his defensive runs saved above average of seven is second in the AL to Boston’s Mitch Moreland. Moreland, then with Texas, was the Gold Glove winner at first base in the AL last season in part because he led the league in UZR at the position. Moreland beat out the Royals’ Eric Hosmer, who won the award in 2015. Although errors are no longer considered to be the important barometer they once were when it comes to measuring fielding success, Mauer has been charged with only one this season. That came on Aug. 4, when he dropped a foul pop up against Texas at Target Field. Mauer’s last error before that came on July 6 … of 2016. That meant he went 119 games and 1,037 chances between miscues. The Twins played their 137 game of the season on Monday and Mauer appeared in his 118th game. Mauer’s durability has been questioned on many occasions but he has remained mostly healthy this season. He missed six games in July because of a lower-back strain that landed him on the 10-day disabled list but that was his first time on the DL since August 2014. Twins manager Paul Molitor has done a good job of picking and choosing places to rest Mauer, at times holding him out against a lefthander pitcher, but Mauer has been far better against lefties than he was a year ago. Last season, Mauer had a .224 average against southpaws in 116 at-bats and 68 games. This season, he has hit .299 in 97 at-bats and 58 games against lefties. Mauer’s success this summer doesn’t mean he will play in a seventh All-Star Game or come close to replicating his 2009 AL MVP performance. It also doesn’t mean he will return to the Twins after his contract expires following the 2018 season. It does mean Mauer has a good chance of ending his tenure with the Twins on his own terms and as a productive player. A year ago, that seemed like a long shot. Twins’ Mauer extends hit streak to 14, breaks up Odorizzi’s no-hit bid

Associated Press | September 5, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jake Odorizzi had his best start of the season Tuesday night, and the tiny crowd at Tropicana Field showed its appreciation after the Tampa Bay Rays right-hander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins. Lucas Duda homered and drove in both runs for the Rays, who improved to .500 on the season and got within two games of Minnesota in the AL wild-card race. The Twins, who have lost three straight, were tied with Los Angeles for the second wild-card spot pending the result of the Angels’ game at Oakland. Joe Mauer got the Twins’ first hit — and extended his hitting streak to 14 games — with a grounder that caromed off second base with one out in the seventh. Odorizzi (8-7) was lifted for reliever Dan Jennings after striking out the next batter, Jorge Polanco. “I know he’s hit a tough stretch here, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why the fans booed him coming off the field,” joked manager Kevin Cash. The only other batter to reach base against Odorizzi was Eddie Rosario, who walked leading off the fifth. The game was played before a crowd of 6,509, the smallest-ever announced attendance for a Rays home game. Nearly 400 fewer fans attended last Wednesday’s relocated game between the Astros and Rangers at Tropicana Field. Odorizzi won consecutive starts for the first time this season. The 27-year-old right-hander had been 1-3 with a 6.45 ERA in five starts since returning from the disabled list because of a lower back strain.

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“My fastball had a little more life on it today, so I was able to get some swings and misses, as opposed to foul-offs,” he said. “And I was able to locate down in the zone early. I put them in a swing mode, and I had some good stuff so it all played really well.” Rays shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria said he would have reached Mauer’s ground ball had it not hit the bag, extending the no-hit bid at least for a while. “It just wasn’t meant to be,” Odorizzi said. “The base has been there since they created the game, so that’s just how it happened.” Duda hit his 27th homer in the fourth off Bartolo Colon (6-11). It was his 10th for the Rays, who acquired him from the New York Mets on July 28. Duda made it 2-0 with a RBI double in the sixth. Making his 25th career start against Tampa Bay, Colon allowed two runs on five hits and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings. “Obviously we had a tough time figuring (Odorizzi) out. It was a well-pitched game on both sides,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “It was a tough loss. It was one of those nights where we didn’t hit many balls hard.” Robbie Grossman homered in the ninth off Alex Colome, who finished the game for his AL-leading 42nd save in 47 opportunities. DELAYED DEPARTURE With Hurricane Irma expected to hit Florida over the weekend, the Rays have moved back their flight for the weekend series in Boston from late Wednesday to Thursday afternoon. “It’s just to allow an extra night and an extra morning for guys to help their families and to get situated for whatever events occur,” manager Kevin Cash said. TRAINER’S ROOM Twins: OF Robbie Grossman, who missed 18 games with a fractured left thumb, returned to the active roster after a rehab assignment. Rays: RHP Chris Archer, who left Saturday’s start with a stiff arm in the first inning, expects to throw a bullpen session Wednesday and hopes to return to the rotation over the weekend in Boston. . . . 1B Logan Morrison was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup because of illness. UP NEXT RHP Aaron Slegers gets his second major league start for the Twins in the series finale Wednesday against LHP Blake Snell, who is unbeaten (3-0) over his last seven starts. Injured stars who could rock October

Staff | ESPN | September 5, 2017

8. Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins Sano has missed a couple weeks since fouling a ball off his shin, and at this point, it's unclear when he'll return. It's also unclear whether the Twins will make the playoffs. Given Cleveland's recently-developed allergy to losing, it's wild card or bust for Minnesota. If the Twins are able to sneak in, they'll need all hands on deck to make it to the ALDS. Even though manager Paul Molitor has the luxury of plugging in super-utility guy Eduardo Escobar at the hot corner while Sano is out, he'd obviously rather have the big fella -- who, despite missing time, entered September leading the Twins with 28 homers and 77 RBIs -- back when October rolls around. Twins Select Tonkin's Contract, Place Chargois On 60-Day DL

Steve Adams | MLB Trade Rumors | September 5, 2017

The Twins announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Michael Tonkin and created space by recalling righty J.T. Chargois from Triple-A and placing him on the Major League 60-day disabled list. The 27-year-old Tonkin was once one of the more promising bullpen prospects in the Twins’ system, but he’s underwhelmed in numerous auditions over the past few years. Minnesota outrighted him earlier this year, but he’s back after pitching to a brilliant 1.73 ERA with 13.2 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 45.5 percent ground-ball rate in 41 2/3 innings with Triple-A Rochester. Chargois posted video game numbers between Double-A and Triple-A last year and was viewed as a potential option in 2017, but he’s missed most of the year with a right elbow impingement.

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MLB: Naples High grad Jeff Smith soaking up first season with Minnesota Twins

Joey Johnson | Naples Daily News | September 5, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG — Former Naples High School baseball standout Jeff Smith will always remember April 3, 2017. He waited a lifetime for the moment. As he stood on the baseline at Target Field, as he heard his name announced on Opening Day, as he surveyed the sellout crowd, Smith took a deep breath and concentrated on a solitary thought. “I made it.’’ Indeed, he did. Smith, after more than 2,000 games in the minor leagues as a player and manager, took his spot as first-base coach for the Minnesota Twins. At long last, he was in the big leagues. “I couldn’t imagine anything better,’’ Smith said. “That was quite a day. It’s hard to get better than that.’’ But it has gotten better. Smith, who also serves as Minnesota’s coach of catchers and base-running, has loved this season. The Twins are a prime contender for an American League wild-card playoff berth. Living the big-league life has meant the world to Smith. Could it actually end in the World Series? “The intensity, playing meaningful games, the energy, having it go right down to the wire … it’s what you dream about,’’ said Smith, who Wednesday afternoon faces the finale of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, where his Naples-based family and friends have been watching. “I’m loving it. I couldn’t ask to be with a better group of players and coaches. The culture here is outstanding and it’s an honor to be part of it.’’ There were times when Smith wondered if it would ever happen. As a player, he went to spring training nine times with the big-league squad. Nine times, he failed to make the team. In eight of his last nine seasons, he was at Double-A or Triple-A, always on the cusp, sometimes a phone call away in the system of the Twins, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers. In 2000, he batted .386 in Double-A, then suffered a broken ankle during a home-plate collision after being called up to Triple-A Salt Lake City. In 2004, another promising season when he batted .313 in the Rangers’ organization, it ended with his third knee surgery. “And that’s when it was done,’’ said Smith, 43. “I retired as a player. But I knew I would be a coach. Baseball was what I knew and what I loved.’’ He spent 11 seasons as a minor-league manager — from Beloit to the Fort Myers Miracle to New Britain, then back to Fort Myers, closer to family — before he got the call. “Would you like to be our first-base coach?’’ Twins president of baseball operations Derrick Falvey said in a telephone call last winter. It followed 10 days of interviews with Falvey, general manager Thad Levine and manager Paul Molitor. Smith, who had been in the running for the head-coaching position at his alma mater of Stetson University, quickly agreed. Smith’s wife, Ronna, broke into tears. They met at Naples High. He was a baseball star and she played tennis. This December, they will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. “He deserves it,’’ said Ronna, now an elementary school principal. “He has worked so hard.’’ There was the minor-league grind. There were the countless offseason baseball lessons for Naples-area kids (Smith figures about 250 of them have played some level of college baseball). He wouldn’t trade any of it. It makes the latest chapter even sweeter.

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“Jeff is very invested into this game,’’ Molitor said. “I think he’s really, really grateful he has a chance to experience this.’’ Nearly two dozen of the current Twins played for Smith in the minors. “This is so well-deserved because Smitty was one of those guys who put in so much extra work,’’ said Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, who played for Smith at New Britain in 2011. “He never went through the motions. He was never one of those, ‘I’m the manager, here’s the lineup’ kind of guys. “He’d say, ‘Meet me at noon so we can work on your backhand,’ and we had a 7 o’clock game. I remember thinking, ‘My gosh, I’m overworking myself.’ But he was so sincere. He wanted to help. He’s blue collar and a great person. We love having him here.’’ And Smith loves the opportunity. Monday, his kids, Cooper (15) and Cutter (10) ran around Tropicana Field before batting practice and hung out in the Twins’ clubhouse. Some of the journey has been difficult, specifically being separated from his family, but Smith said everyone has been cheering him on. “Family is everything,’’ Smith said. “I never let a couple of weeks go by without seeing my wife and kids. However we can work it, whether they come up (to Minnesota) or whatever, we have made it work. You absolutely need that balance. “The only way I can achieve this is by having the family I have. They are so supportive all the time. Each offseason, I ask all of them, ‘Are we going to do it (baseball) again? Are you still having fun?’ You’ve got to have that support and I’ve had it from the very beginning.’’ In the beginning, after becoming a 20th-round pick of the Twins in 1994, Smith envisioned a big-league future. Maybe it didn’t happen in the same manner he once imagined. But he’s finally here. “The whole season has been a blast, just seeing how this team has progressed,’’ Smith said. “This is a special team. Now every game in September means something. I feel so blessed to be part of something like this.’’

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