Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Trevor May tries to continue the trend as Twins face Cubs. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 1

Postgame: Thoughts on the shift, Boyer and Buxton. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 2

Saturday's Twins-Chicago game recap. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 2

Twins expect to contend for the services of Latin prospect Wander Javier. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 3

North Minneapolis turns to past to preserve youth baseball's future. Star Tribune (Kaszuba) p. 4

Ervin Santana shows promise in his first tune-up start with Rochester. Star Tribune (Oklobzija) p. 6

Twins run into trouble on the bases vs. the Cubs. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 6

Charley Walters: Ex-manager Sam Mele still keeping an eye on Twins. Pioneer Press (Walters) p. 7

Twins report: Danny Santana getting high marks in Triple-A stint. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 8

Twinsights: Byron Buxton reached out to David Dahl. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 9

Twinsights: Eduardo Nunez remains loyal to ‘mentor’ Alex Rodriguez. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 10

Postgame Twinsights: Trevor May keeps the quality starts rolling. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 10

Gibson, Twins take on Cubs in finale at home. MLB.com (Helfand) p. 11

Pitch, Hit & Run runs in family for Iowa's Farleys. MLB.com (Helfand) p. 12

Nunez gets breather a day after hit-by-pitch. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 13

Strong outing, solo homer not enough for Twins. MLB.com (Bollinger & Muskat ) p. 13

Aggressive baserunning sinks Twins late. MLB.com (Helfand) p. 15

Once hesitant, Molitor says he’s OK with short bench, extra reliever. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 15

Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Boyer’s bad outing, Buxton’s overthrow, 2-out hits. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 16

Zulgad: With Mike Pelfrey’s value climbing, GM Ryan should trade him. 1500espn.com (Zulgad) p. 17

Glen Perkins stranding runners, saving games with the best of ‘em. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 18

Castro’s big hit in extra innings elevates Cubs past Twins. Associated Press p. 19

Twins' Boyer frustrated after giving up three runs in extra-inning loss. Fox Sports North (Hall) p. 20

Twins by the numbers: Run support lacking for May in recent starts. ESPN Stats & Information p. 21

Santana strong in rehab start. Rochester Democrat & Chronicle (Oklobzija) p. 21

Twins Host Inaugural ‘Catch On The Field.’ WCCO-Minneapolis p. 22

Trevor May tries to continue the trend as Twins face Cubs La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | June 20, 2015

Twins starters have heated up right when the offense needed them.

The last three Twins to take the ball - Phil Hughes, Mike Pelfrey and Tommy Milone - have posted a 1.17 ERA. That kept the Twins within striking distance in games they ended up winning. And many in the clubhouse feel that Thursday's 2-1 win over St. Louis could be the game that gets them on a roll.

It started last night with a 7-2 win over the Cubs as the Twins banged out seven extra base hits.

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We'll see today, as the Twins face Jon Lester, who threw a complete-game shutout at the Twins last August right after he was traded from Boston. Trevor May is on the mound for the Twins, coming off an outing at Texas during which he gave up three runs over five innings.

A couple minor league notes. Alex Wimmers struck out 11 over eight innings as Class AA Chattanooga beat Jacksonville 3-2. Wimmers currently has a 21.1-inning shutout streak.

Max Kepler had just one hit in the game, a RBI triple. But he's still batting .684 - not a typo - over his last five games with four triples and a homer. Lookouts manager Doug Mientkiewicz has told people that Kepler has made more progress over the last year than anyone.

Eduardo Nunez hands are sore after a Kyle Hendricks two-seamer rode in on him and caught him on both hands. He's not in the lineup but maanger Paul Molitor said he is available.

Joe Mauer is under the weather but is in the lineup as the desginated hitter.

Postgame: Thoughts on the shift, Boyer and Buxton La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | June 20, 2015

Here are three thoughts following the Twins' 4-1 loss to the Cubs in 10 innings:

SHIFT WORKOUT: The Twins have taken shifting to another level. They normally wait to shift until after a pitch is thrown, because 0-0 is when a hitter is most likely to bunt or slap at a ball to beat the shift. On Saturday, the Twins shifted when the count was 1-1 and 0-2. So they clearly are looking at data to determine what a hitter's tendencies are in various counts. In the 10th inning, with Dexter Fowler on first, Molitor was going to out the shift on for Anthony Rizzo as soon as Blaine Boyer got a strike on him. But with a 1-0 count, Rizzo shot a single right where the Twins would have shifted to.

ROUGH FOR BOYER: Blaine Boyer went back and looked as every pitch he threw in the tenth inning and was frustrated. ``If anything (the pitches) were up,'' Boyer said. ``I didn't leave anything over the plate. That one to (Chris) Denorfia was the closest thing I did but even he was out in front. It didn't go my way whatsoever. It's frustrating.'' Fowler led off with a ball off the end of his bat that Brian Dozier booted for an error. The two-run single by Starlin Castro came off a sinker down and in that Castro somehow lifted into left field. Some tough luck, but an inch here or there and Boyer is out of the inning,.

BUXTON'S TAG UP: Molitor made it clear that he had no problem with Byron Buxton's attempt to tag and move to second on Dozier's fly ball in the eighth. He did beat the throw but Castro - he was a pest today - had his foot at the right place. Buxton went back to the dugout and was patted on the backside by more than one teammate for attempting the play. I just believe that what Buxton did is within the context of the aggressive stance Molitor wants his team to take. He had no problem earlier in the season when Torii Hunter tried to steal home. He had no problem with Trevor Plouffe thinking about swiping third base on Friday - even if it took his focus away from reading balls hit back to the pitcher. I think Molitor is willing to accept some outs on the bases and learn by trial and error because it gets them closer to the team he wants them to be.

Saturday’s Twins-Chicago game recap La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | June 20, 2015

GAME RECAP

IMPACT PLAYER

Starlin Castro, Cubs

The shortstop went 2-for-5, and his two-run single in the 10th was the game-winning hit.

BY THE NUMBERS

30 Pitches thrown by Jon Lester in the fifth inning and Trevor May in the sixth.

3-2 Record for the Twins in extra innings.

175 Plate appearances between home runs by Kurt Suzuki.

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.306 Batting average for Castro in close and late situations.

ON DECK

Righthander Jake Arrieta, who will face the Twins on Sunday, tied a career high with six walks in his last outing.

Twins expect to contend for the services of Latin prospect Wander Javier La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | June 20, 2015

The first-year player draft has come and gone, but there’s another big date coming up on the calendar — and the Twins hope to land another potential impact player.

The international signing period begins on July 2, and the Twins remain in a good spot to land power-hitting shortstop prospect Wander Javier, according to a source with knowledge of the Twins’ interest. Javier, from the Dominican Republic, has plus power potential, and many scouts believe he is a true shortstop — although there are a few who think he will fill out and have to move to third base. For now, he’s a power-hitting prospect at a premium position, which makes him popular.

Reports have Javier’s price tag at $4 million, which would surpass the $3.15 million the Twins signed Miguel Sano for in 2009 as the largest bonus they have given an international prospect.

If Javier does cost the Twins $4 million, that’s more than the Twins’ assigned international bonus pool of $3,948,500. They would have to pay a 100 percent tax on the amount they are over, which is $51,500.

Indications are that the Twins aren’t afraid to pay the tax because it’s so small.

This year’s Latin American class is considered a strong one. If the Twins wanted to sign more players than Javier, then they would have to trade for more bonus money, which is allowed.

May follows the leaders

The starting rotation has led the way during the Twins’ recent turnaround. The past three starters, Phil Hughes, Mike Pelfrey and Tommy Milone, combined to post a 1.17 ERA during the three-game streak.

Trevor May was up on Saturday. While he couldn’t match his predecessors in dominance, he made up for it with clutch pitching.

May established his fastball early, used his curveball to get ahead in the count and fired sliders late to finish off hitters. He threw first-pitch strikes to 19 of the 26 batters he faced. The only run off him came on a squibbed RBI double by Anthony Rizzo in the second.

He needed double plays to help in the fourth and fifth. He allowed the first two batters of the sixth to reach, struck out two and walked Chris Denorfiato load the bases before striking out David Ross to end the inning. He gave up one run over six innings on seven hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.

“He made the big pitch when he needed to,” catcher Kurt Suzuki said. “He got out of some jams. And that’s the difference between him this year and last year.”

Etc.

• The Twins will hold their annual open tryouts at 8 a.m. Sunday at Siebert Field. Anyone interested must be at least 18 years old.

• Catcher Josmil Pinto, out with a concussion since June 11, is doing better. Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said the hope is he can begin some baseball-related activities soon.

• Eduardo Nunez, who was hit on both hands while swinging at a pitch on Friday, was sore on Saturday but available off the bench.

• Joe Mauer was under the weather on Saturday but was able to be the DH. He was 0-for-1 with three walks.

• Ricky Nolasco (impingement in right ankle) won’t receive his orthotics until Monday, but the Twins hope they work well enough for him to throw in the bullpen on Wednesday.

•Ryan said Aaron Hicks’ progress with his right forearm strain has been a little slow. Hicks is only doing light throwing for now but hopes to add to his workload early next week.

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North Minneapolis turns to past to preserve youth baseball’s future La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | June 20, 2015

The team lined up against the fence in a north Minneapolis park to get their uniforms, not knowing much about the Kansas City Monarchs, the old Negro Leagues or that legendary pitcher Satchel Paige had once worn No. 25.

The bright red uniforms were highlighted by the name M-O-N-A-R-C-H-S in silver stitching, and 7-year-old Zytavius Williams got No. 17. Chauntell Schleif, his mother, said the family had a book at home about the Negro Leagues, but no one had yet read it. Another young mother, Keosha Morris, said when she was growing up baseball was considered “a white sport” but added that her generation might have “more of an open mind.”

Coach Jackson Hurst’s team is an experiment, an attempt by Minneapolis park officials and the Minnesota Twins to get more young black children — mostly boys, but also a few girls — interested in a sport that many blacks have fallen away from. And so is trying to build a connection to the Negro Leagues, which faded away more than a half-century ago but included some of the game’s greatest players before Major League Baseball was desegregated in 1947.

At Farview Park, where the Monarchs began practicing last month, there are plenty of distractions — some comical and others much more serious involving gunshots and broken homes. Eight fidgety players lined up for practice on a humid Wednesday, including Malachi Vice, age 7. At another practice, Hurst sent a player to play second base — only to watch as the player, bored, sat down on the field.

“Anybody ever watch baseball?” Hurst asked the team as it took the field for its first game.

“Ye-e-e-s-s-s,” the team shot back.

“It’s a long game, isn’t it?” he said, preparing them for what lay ahead. One player sped out to center field without taking a glove. When the team gathered for its second game in late May, an ice cream truck floated by, inexplicably playing “White Christmas” on a loudspeaker.

Standing and watching the Monarchs, Sara Lavelle said tying in the Negro Leagues all makes sense. “Definitely here, especially in [the] inner city,” said Lavelle, whose 8-year-old daughter, Amara, was playing baseball for the first time. It helps “knowing [that] black people before you” played the game at a high level.

To those counting small victories, the number of youth baseball teams in north Minneapolis this year has inched into the double digits.

And even as far away as Kansas City, Mo., where the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum sits, the Farview Monarchs have a fan in Bob Kendrick. Kendrick, the museum’s president, said the “disconnect with the sport” among blacks has been alarming and that a whole series of socioeconomic reasons have led to it no longer being seen as a “blue-collar sport.” Blacks, he added, not only do not play baseball but “we’re not going to games, either.”

The scarcity of blacks playing baseball in north Minneapolis is hardly the game’s only problem.

The National Sporting Goods Association reports that overall participation in baseball among America’s youth, ages 7 to 17, dropped 27 percent in the past decade, from 8.2 million in 2005 to 6 million last year.

In addition, the number of children playing Little League baseball has been slipping since hitting 1 million for the first time in 1964, 2 million in 1985 and peaking at roughly 3 million in 1997. The league said there are now 2.4 million participants, though the figure also includes those playing softball and now counts participants in more than 80 countries.

Reality sets in

Farview Park lies barely 2 miles from the Twins’ $555 million Target Field, but the distance in many ways seems much farther.

In the week before the Monarchs’ first game, the neighborhood had three shootings and three more reports of shots being fired. In the first four months of the year, police reports documented a frightening tally for the neighborhood: three rapes, 30 robberies and 28 aggravated assaults.

The season’s most disturbing incident came during the early afternoon on Memorial Day, three days before the Monarchs’ second game and just one block from home plate. One man was killed and two others were wounded in what police said was a neighborhood dispute that erupted into gunfire. “Maybe they should have been playing baseball,” 16-year-old Brianna Lavelle said of the ongoing violence as she watched the Monarchs practice.

As the Monarchs held practice on a Wednesday evening, one mom had her daughter demonstrate what would happen should the coach hear shots being fired and yell “F-I-R-E-D-R-I-L-L” when the team is on the field. “You do this,” said the girl, who quickly dropped to the ground near the dugout.

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Steve Zimmer, the parks coordinator at Farview, said that during the winter thieves dismantled the bleachers at the baseball field, likely selling them for scrap. New bleachers, he said, were on the way. “They’re going to weld the next one,” he said, hoping that makes them harder to steal.

Farview’s wading pool opened during the last week of May, and Sarah Rossman, the youth program specialist at the park, stood by the crowded pool on a weekday evening. One 3-year-old girl wanted help going to the bathroom. After the girl scooted away, Zimmer said, “We don’t know when she got here [today] — that’s the honest truth.”

Zimmer estimated that half the children come to the park without adult chaperones. If baseball helps involve children and their parents, Rossman said, she is all in favor of it. “If they’re here, then we know that they’re doing something positive,” she said.

Police Inspector Michael Friestleben commands Minneapolis’ fourth police precinct, which includes Farview. Friestleben grew up in north Minneapolis and, because he is a baseball fan and memorabilia collector, has a bobblehead of Buck O’Neil, the Negro Leagues star who played mostly for the Kansas City Monarchs.

Friestleben said playing baseball in north Minneapolis is part of a menu of things adults and the police can do, from reading books to handing out free bicycles. None of them, by themselves, will turn around a broken neighborhood, the police inspector said. “It’s baby steps,” he added.

Reminders of the past

The Negro League leaflets that were given to the parents at Farview explained why the team would be known as the Monarchs. “These ‘pioneers’ played a very important part in shaping professional baseball,” the leaflet stated. Alongside a black-and-white picture of Paige in a Monarchs uniform, the leaflet added that the Monarchs won the first Negro World Series in 1924 and won seven pennants between 1937 and 1946.

The Black Yankees, another of the four north Minneapolis teams named after a Negro League franchise, got their name from a team that played in Yankee Stadium in the 1930s and 1940s. Their leaflets featured a grainy photo of Black Yankees slugger George “Mule” Suttles. The Webber-Camden neighborhood team, meanwhile, was named after the Newark Eagles, which featured Monte Irvin and four other players who eventually made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

But there was also confusion. Russ Barclay wondered whether the team he was coaching — the Stars — was named after the Negro League team from Detroit, or the one with the same name from St. Louis. “Which Stars [we] talking about?” he asked. But Barclay added: “I love that we’re linking the baseball of today here in north Minneapolis with the history of the Negro Leagues.”

There are strides being made. While there were just four tee-ball and coach-pitch teams last year in north Minneapolis, there are 11 this year, said Kent Brevik, a recreation supervisor for the city’s parks. The Negro League theme, he said, is being expanded this year to teams in northeast Minneapolis.

“We really did a pretty heavy marketing on KMOJ [radio],” said Brevik. The FM radio station, located not far from Farview Park, has long championed Minneapolis’ black community.

But on Saturday nights at Farview, baseball’s problem is easy to see. Basketball is still king here and, inside the park’s 1970s-era community center, dozens of black teenagers stood in line for “Night Owls,” a park program that offers basketball and a chance to stay off the streets and out of trouble. The doors open at 7 p.m. and close at 7:30, and those leaving after that time are not allowed back in.

Baseball “is just not interesting to young kids these days,” said Justyn Hardwick, a 53-year-old supervisor who operates the scoreboard at “Night Owls” and during the week also coaches baseball at Farview. “They don’t even play baseball on a video game.”

The disconnect might not apply only to blacks. Scores of Hispanics — including families who clogged the neighborhood with cars and then spread out blankets on a hill overlooking the field — regularly watch evening soccer games at Farview and produce far larger crowds than show up for any baseball game. Similarly, a daylong flag football tournament for the Hmong community, held in May at Farview, was deemed a big success.

Lacing up his shoes for “Night Owls,” 18-year-old Nate Lomax said he once played baseball but “I don’t play like I used to” since moving from Chicago to Minneapolis. Lomax plays basketball nearly every day now, in part, he said, because his friends do. “It’s more fast-paced and, in my opinion, it’s more exciting to watch,” he said.

And baseball? “If it’s on, I’ll watch it — occasionally,” he added.

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Ervin Santana shows promise in his first tune-up start with Rochester Kevin Oklobzija | Star Tribune | June 20, 2015

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Ervin Santana isn’t quite ready to #smellbaseball at Target Field quite yet, but he’s definitely on his way.

Santana began a 16-day rehabilitation assignment with the Class AAA Rochester Red Wings on Saturday night with a strong, 88-pitch performance in a 10-1 thumping of the Louisville Bats.

While his fastball hovered mostly around 90 or 91 mph, Santana used his slider with great effectiveness over his 5⅔ innings. He allowed five hits, surrendered a second-inning run, struck out three and walked two.

Afterward, he proclaimed Start 1 of the PED-suspension comeback a success.

“Everything was very good,” said Santana, whose trademark hashtag on Twitter is #smellbaseball. “Location was good. Every pitch I throw was good.

“The good thing is that we won, first, and the second thing is that I did my job.”

Santana hadn’t pitched in an official game since Sept. 26, 2014, when he was with the Atlanta Braves. He signed the richest free-agent contract in Twins history in the offseason ($55 million over four years) and was expected to be the staff ace.

But three days before the season opener, Major League Baseball announced he had tested positive for the synthetic anabolic steroid Stanzolol and gave him an 80-game suspension. He has been allowed to work out at the spring training complex in Fort Myers, Fla. Under MLB rules regarding suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs, players are also allowed a 16-day window of rehabilitation with a minor league team.

Santana was added to the Red Wings roster on Saturday.

“He’s not locked in yet, but he’s on his way to being there,” Red Wings manager Mike Quade said. “It’s one thing to throw in Florida against kids but another to do it against better hitters.”

“As a pitcher you have to go up there and minimize damage and that’s it,” Santana said.

His suspension from MLB is without pay, so he hasn’t received a check yet from the Twins. He did, however, pay for the postgame clubhouse spread for his teammates Saturday.

Santana is scheduled to start again at Pawtucket on Thursday and then make a final start for the Wings against the PawSox at Frontier Field on June 30. If all goes well, he’ll make his first start for the Twins on July 5 at Kansas City.

He left to loud applause Saturday from the Frontier Field crowd of 10,545.

“I wanted to go more, but we have a schedule so I just follow the rules,” Santana said. “I don’t want to do too much.”

He escaped a first-and-third threat in the first inning with a pop-up and strikeout.

“When you have a man on third and one out, you need a strikeout, that’s the way you do it,” Santana said.

“A good night at the park,” said Quade, whose Red Wings scored three times in the first inning and led 7-1 after five.

Twins run into trouble on the bases vs. the Cubs La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | June 21, 2015

Twins manager Paul Molitor, a baserunning savant in his time, has his team stealing third base, attempting to steal home, advancing a base on wild pitches just a few feet from the plate and scampering home when opponents aren’t paying attention.

The Twins have improved on the bases, largely because Molitor’s attention to detail has them ready to expose any weakness they find.

For one day, baserunning let them down as the Twins ran into three outs late during their 4-1 loss to the Cubs in 10 innings. Chicago’s three-run 10th, including a two-run single by Starlin Castro, was the difference.

With the score 1-1 in the eighth, Byron Buxton led off with a walk against Cubs reliever Pedro Strop. Brian Dozier followed with a fly ball to the edge of the warning track in right-center field. Buxton tagged up and took off for second, an opportunity for the fans at Target Field to see his supernatural speed.

Dexter Fowler caught the ball and fired to second base in time for Castro to drop a tag on Buxton for the out. Replays suggested the play was

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very close and that Castro’s right foot blocked Buxton’s left hand from hitting the base.

“The guy threw it from the edge of the track,” Molitor said, “and he beat the play. He just could not get his hand on the base.”

Replay coordinator Sean Harlin gave Molitor the “thumbs down,” meaning it wasn’t worth challenging.

And Molitor’s view of Buxton’s play was clear: “I didn’t have any problem with Buxton’s play,” he said.

Eddie Rosario followed with a single to right, bringing Joe Mauer to the plate. But Rosario strayed too far off the bag on one pitch, and Cubs catcher David Ross threw a strike to first baseman Anthony Rizzo in time for him to tag Rosario out.

“Rosario, who has been doing a lot of good things on the bases, got caught a little out of balance on his secondary [lead], and the guy made him pay,” Molitor said.

Mauer led off the ninth with his third walk of the game, With Jason Motte, and his slow delivery, on the mound, Mauer took off for second and was called safe. The Cubs challenged the call, and they were right. Mauer did not keep his backside on the bag as he slid through. Castro kept the tag on him for the out. The game went into extra innings.

Fowler led off with a ground ball that Dozier booted for an error. Rizzo singled to center, putting runners on first and third. Kris Bryant flew out to medium-deep center. Rizzo advanced to second when Buxton’s throw was so high that reliever Blaine Boyer, who was backing up home, could only catch it.

The Twins then intentionally walked Chris Coughlin to load the bases and set up a force play.

Boyer’s sinker to Castro was down and in, but Castro fought it off into left for a two-run single and a 3-1 Cubs lead. Chris Denorfia added an RBI single to make it 4-1.

“We’re battling,” Boyer said, “and I hate I was the cause of the loss right there.”

It was a battle. Kurt Suzuki homered for the Twins. Trevor May gave up one run over six innings in his duel with Cubs ace Jon Lester.

The Twins needed a big hit late to drive in a run — but the Cubs threw out baserunners before that could happen.

“Buxton did a good job of trying to tag on that ball,” Molitor said. “The guy blocked him with his foot, it appeared. We had a base stolen and we could not hold on to the base. Little things like that make a big difference in those close games.’’

Charley Walters: Ex-manager Sam Mele still keeping an eye on Twins Charley Walters | Pioneer Press | June 21, 2015

If Paul Molitor were to ask Sam Mele for advice on how to manage the Minnesota Twins, Mele said he would tell him to "manage the game the way you played it. He was a great ballplayer."

It was 50 years ago that Mele, now 93, managed the Twins to a still-franchise-record 102 victories en route to their first American League championship. That was in 1965, when the Twins lost the World Series in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Twins plan to bring more than 20 players from the 1965 team to Target Field in August to celebrate their 50th anniversary season. Mele's health -- he lives in Quincy, Mass. -- will keep him from making the trip to Minnesota, he said. But he'll be there in spirit.

"I'll be thinking about you people out there," Mele said by phone from his home in Quincy. "I'm doing pretty good, but I've had two knees replaced and two hips replaced, and I can't get around too well."

Instead, plans are for Mele to address his former players and Target Field fans via the video board at the Aug. 1 event. Players on the 1965 Twins included Harmon Killebrew (deceased), Mudcat Grant, Jim Kaat, Camilo Pascual, Jim Perry, Dick Stigman, Earl Battey (deceased), Jerry Kindall, Frank Quilici, Rich Reese, Rich Rollins, Cesar Tovar (deceased), Zoilo Versalles (deceased), Bob Allison(deceased), Tony Oliva and Ted Uhlaender(deceased).

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Twins report: Danny Santana getting high marks in Triple-A stint Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | June 21, 2015

Ten games into his refresher course at Triple-A Rochester, Danny Santana seems to be pleasing his bosses.

A three-hit game in Friday's 7-3 win over Louisville included his fourth double and his fourth walk since being demoted. The switch-hitting shortstop was hitting .366 in 41 at-bats with a .413 on- base percentage.

"His at-bats have been good," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He's taken a couple walks, striking out a little bit. I read the comments. His demeanor has been a real positive attribute from what I've heard. Just how he's going about his job, he seems to be pretty relaxed about how he's playing."

Santana has made just one error in 10 games after making 12 in 48 games with the Twins this year.

"He's still trying to become a more consistent defensive player," Molitor said. "There was some shakiness to his play on that side of the ball early in the year, but it seemed to steadily improve. He's just doing some things mechanically to improve the consistency of his throwing. He's been playing well down there at shortstop."

FEELING HIS PAIN

The irony was not lost on Twins center fielder Byron Buxton.

A little over three weeks ago, Colorado Rockies prospect David Dahl was involved in a harrowing collision in right center field at Double-A New Britain. Dahl, who collided with the second baseman, was rushed to the hospital and ultimately elected to have his spleen removed in emergency surgery.

Nine months earlier in that same ballpark, Buxton suffered a season-ending concussion after a collision that looked even worse with right fielder Mike Kvasnicka.

That Aug. 13 collision happened in Buxton's first game after being promoted to the Rock Cats, then finishing out a long run as a Twins affiliate.

"Oh, it made me think," Buxton said. "You feel bad. You don't want to see that for anybody. I really hope he just gets through that and comes back stronger than ever."

In the days after Dahl's surgery, Buxton reached out to a fellow 2012 draftee (10th overall) who also is considered one of the brightest prospects in the minor leagues.

"I just told him that I'll be praying for him and I hope he has a speedy recovery," Buxton said.

He shook his head at the parallel and at what might have been.

"It's crazy," Buxton said. "Same place. In less than a year. That's real crazy. I'm really lucky."

NUNEZ SITS

Twins shortstop Eduardo Nunez was out of the lineup Saturday after taking a Kyle Hendricks sinker off his knuckles the night before.

"He took a pretty good shot there," Molitor said. "He's a little sore, but he's available."

Eduardo Escobar took the place of Nunez, who had made four straight starts at shortstop after going until last Saturday without playing there for a single inning this season.

Once considered the heir apparent to Derek Jeter with the New York Yankees, Nunez has handled 28 chances without an error since returning to his natural position.

"He's played really well," Molitor said. "He's been throwing really accurately. I can't think of anything that's been detrimental to our team defense with him out there. He primarily came up as a shortstop. I think he likes to play shortstop. He's made all the plays."

MAY HANGS IN

Twins starter Trevor May repeatedly worked out of jams Saturday, allowing only a single run on Anthony Rizzo's two-out slap single to beat the shift in the third.

May struck out the side in his final inning, a 30-pitch sixth. He finished with seven strikeouts and two walks while lowering his season earned run average to 4.03.

"Trevor hung in there," Molitor said after May held the Cubs to one hit in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position.

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Starting with his 34th pitch of the day, May threw 20 consecutive strikes. The 25-year-old right-hander said he was pretty sure that was a career professional best for him -- at any level.

It was May's third quality start in four June starts and his fifth in his past seven outings.

It also was the 12th quality start in 19 June games for the Twins and their fifth straight. That's one shy of their season high, set from May 20-26.

INTERLEAGUE ACES

In 11 interleague games, Twins starters have gone 4-2 with a 2.55 earned-run average. They have averaged 6.42 innings per start against National League competition, including seven quality starts (three by Mike Pelfrey).

For the year, the Twins' rotation has produced 32 quality starts, all but three of which have been high quality (game ERA below 4.00) as well.

After producing just four quality starts on their first three spins through the rotation (14 games), Twins starters have given Molitor at least six innings with no more than three earned runs 28 times in their last 54 outings (51.9 percent).

All that good work has moved the Twins rotation in the majors' top 10 in ERA (3.85). That placed them ninth, just ahead of the New York Mets (3.86) and just behind the Seattle Mariners (3.84), entering those teams' Saturday games.

MORE BUXTON FIRSTS

Buxton drew his first two big-league walks, including one of three issued by Cubs ace left-hander Jon Lester.

Buxton also struck out on a full count in the third and popped to second in the 10th. He saw 21 pitches in his four trips, by far the most patience he's shown to date since being called up from Double-A last weekend.

Buxton is 2 for 22 (.091) with eight strikeouts, but that's still quite a ways from the 2-for-49 start Aaron Hicks endured as the Twins' Opening Day center fielder in 2013.

BRIEFLY

Ervin Santana had a solid first rehab start for Rochester on Saturday. Nearing the end of an 80-game steroids suspension, Santana worked 5 2/3 innings on 88 pitches (53 strikes) allowing one run on five hits and two walks. He struck out three. ... Hicks (injured right forearm) played catch before Saturday's game. He has not been sent for an MRI, general manager Terry Ryan said, adding there are no plans to do so. ... The Twins will hold their annual tryout for all players 18 and up on Sunday morning at Siebert Field on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Registration begins at 8 a.m. ... Triple-A Rochester catcher Josmil Pinto, out since June 9 with a concussion setback, has made "a lot of progress" in recent days but still not yet ready to come off the disabled list, Ryan said. ... Twins closer Glen Perkins worked a scoreless ninth on just 14 pitches, but Perkins was not sent back out to work the 10th. He was coming off a season-high 29-pitch outing in securing a four-out save on Wednesday against St. Louis. ... Joe Mauer hadn't been caught stealing since July 30, 2013 against Kansas City. It took a replay review to call him out this time. One batter later, Torii Hunter singled to center, which might have scored Mauer with the winning run in the ninth.

Twinsights: Byron Buxton reached out to David Dahl Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | June 20, 2015

The irony was not lost on Twins center fielder Byron Buxton.

A little over three weeks ago, Colorado Rockies prospect David Dahl was involved in a harrowing collision in right center field at Double-A New Britain. Dahl, who collided with the second baseman, was rushed to the hospital and ultimately elected to have his spleen removed in emergency surgery.

Nine months earlier in that same ballpark, Buxton suffered a season-ending concussion after a collision that looked even worse with right fielder Mike Kvasnicka. That Aug. 13 collision happened in Buxton’s first game after being promoted to the Rock Cats, then finishing out a long run as a Twins affiliate.

“Oh, it made me think,” Buxton said. “You feel bad. You don’t want to see that for anybody. I really hope he just gets through that and comes back stronger than ever.”

In the days after Dahl’s surgery, Buxton reached out to a fellow 2012 draftee (10th overall) who also is considered one of the brightest prospects in the minor leagues.

“I just told him that I’ll be praying for him and I hope he has a speedy recovery,” Buxton said.

He shook his head at the parallel and at what might have been.

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“It’s crazy,” Buxton said. “Same place. In less than a year. That’s real crazy. I’m really lucky.”

Twinsights: Eduardo Nunez remains loyal to ‘mentor’ Alex Rodriguez Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | June 20, 2015

Twins shortstop Eduardo Nunez was out of the lineup Saturday after taking a Kyle Hendricks sinker off his knuckles the night before.

“He took a pretty good shot there,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “He’s a little sore, but he’s available.”

Eduardo Escobar took the place of Nunez, who had made four straight starts at shortstop after going until last Saturday without playing there for a single inning this season.

Once considered the heir apparent to Derek Jeter with the New York Yankees, Nunez has handled 28 chances without an error since returning to his natural position.

“He’s played really well,” Molitor said. “He’s been throwing really accurately. I can’t think of anything that’s been detrimental to our team defense with him out there. He primarily came up as a shortstop. I think he likes to play shortstop. He’s made all the plays.”

Like fellow ex-Yankee Phil Hughes, Nunez was happy to see Alex Rodriguez join the exclusive 3,000-hit club on Friday night.

“I don’t think any teammates are going to say anything bad about A-Rod,” Nunez said. “He was a great teammate, a great mentor to me, just like Jeter and Mariano (Rivera) and (Jorge) Posada. I wish the best for him.”

Even during his suspension for the entire 2014 season, Rodriguez stayed in touch with Nunez.

“Yeah, sure, we’re still friends,” Nunez said. “We’re still close. He still blames me for things. It’s funny.”

Rodriguez also encourages Nunez, who turned 28 on Monday, as he continues to strive to be an everyday big-leaguer.

“He tells me to keep my head down, keep working hard and my opportunity will come one day,” Nunez said. “He tells me, ‘You have to work for that.’ He texts me to see how I’m doing and make sure I’m OK.”

How hard was it for Nunez to see Rodriguez vilified for his role in the Biogenesis scandal?

“I felt bad,” Nunez said. “You feel bad for your teammate, your mentor that saw you grow up. That’s sad. You don’t wish for any player to go through that situation. He’s a human. He made a mistake.”

Hughes, who played with Rodriguez from 2007-13, also stood by the controversial third baseman.

“I’ve always liked him,” Hughes said. “Besides what everybody says or thinks or whatever, he was always good to me.”

Postgame Twinsights: Trevor May keeps the quality starts rolling Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | June 20, 2015 Twins starter Trevor May repeatedly worked out of jams Saturday, allowing only a single run on Anthony Rizzo’s two-out slap single to beat the shift in the third.

May struck out the side in his final inning, a 30-pitch sixth. He finished with seven strikeouts and two walks while lowering his season earned run average to 4.03.

“Trevor hung in there,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said after May held the Chicago Cubs to one hit in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Starting with his 34th pitch of the day, May threw 20 consecutive strikes. The 25-year-old right-hander said he was pretty sure that was a career professional best for him — at any level.

It was May’s third quality start in four June starts and his fifth in his past seven outings.

It also was the 12th quality start in 19 June games for the Twins and their fifth straight. That’s one shy of their season high, set from May 20-26.

–In 11 interleague games, Twins starters have gone 4-2 with a 2.55 earned run average. They have averaged 6.42 innings per start against National League competition, including seven quality starts (three by Mike Pelfrey).

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For the year, the Twins rotation has produced 32 quality starts, all but three of which have been high quality (game ERA below 4.00) as well.

After producing just four quality starts on their first three spins through the rotation (14 games), Twins starters have given Molitor at least six innings with no more than three earned runs 28 times in their last 54 outings (51.9 percent).

All that good work has moved the Twins rotation in the majors’ top 10 in earned run average (3.85). That placed them ninth, just ahead of the New York Mets (3.86) and just behind the Seattle Mariners (3.84), entering those teams’ Saturday games.

–Ervin Santana had a solid first rehab start for Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.

Nearing the end of an 80-game steroids suspension, Santana worked 5 2/3 innings on 88 pitches (53 strikes) allowing one run on five hits and two walks. He struck out three.

Santana showed a sharp slider but his fastball sat at 90-91 mph, a tick or two lower than usual.

–Until a postgame scoring change, it appeared the Twins had extended their error-free streak to nine games.

That would have been their longest stretch since last July, when they avoided errors for the same length of time, but official scorer Stew Thornley gave second baseman Brian Dozier an error for his miscue on Dexter Fowler’s infield squibber in the 10th.

That also took away two earned runs from reliever Blaine Boyer, whose ERA dropped from 3.03 to 2.48 with the reversal.

–Rookie center fielder Byron Buxton drew his first two big-league walks, including one of three issued by Chicago Cubs ace left-hander Jon Lester.

Buxton also struck out on a full count in the third and popped to second in the 10th. He saw 21 pitches in his four trips, by far the patience he’s shown to date since being called up from Double-A last weekend.

Buxton is 2 for 22 (.091) with eight strikeouts, but that’s still quite a ways from the 2-for-49 start Aaron Hicks endured as the Twins’ Opening Day center fielder in 2013.

Briefly

–Injured outfielder Aaron Hicks (right forearm) played catch before Saturday’s game. He has not been sent for an MRI, general manager Terry Ryan said, adding there are no plans to do so.

–The Twins will hold their annual tryout for all players 18 and up on Sunday morning at Siebert Field on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Registration begins at 8 a.m.

–Triple-A Rochester catcher Josmil Pinto, out since June 9 with a concussion setback, has made “a lot of progress” in recent days but still not yet ready to come off the disabled list, Ryan said.

–Twins closer Glen Perkins worked a scoreless ninth on just 14 pitches, but Perkins was not sent back out to work the 10th. He was coming off a season-high 29-pitch outing in securing a four-out save on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

–Lester worked into the seventh and gave up just two other hits besides Kurt Suzuki’s second-inning homer, the 10th off Lester this year.

–Joe Mauer hadn’t been caught stealing since July 30, 2013 against Kansas City. It took a replay review to call him out this time. One batter later, Torii Hunter singled to center, which might have scored Mauer with the game-winning run in the ninth.

Gibson, Twins take on Cubs in finale at home Betsy Helfand | MLB.com | June 20, 2015

Aside from a seven-run outburst Friday, the Twins' offense has been having its problems offensively. But general manager Terry Ryan has a potential fix.

"The guy yesterday [Kyle Hendricks], he throws a ton of strikes and he knows what he's doing. This guy pitching today [Jon Lester], he knows what he's doing. One of these days, we're going to run into a guy that doesn't know what he's doing," Ryan joked Saturday.

But Sunday won't be that day. Right-hander Jake Arrieta will get the start for the Cubs. Arrieta, who is 6-5 with a 3.40 ERA on the season, has nine quality starts in 13 games. In his career, he's 2-1 against the Twins.

Kyle Gibson will get the start for Minnesota. Gibson has been solid for the Twins all season, recording a 3.33 ERA in 13 games. Sunday will mark

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his third start against National League Central opponents this month after facing the Brewers and the Cardinals previously.

Three things to know about this game

• Sunday will mark Kyle Schwarber's last game with the Cubs for now. Schwarber, who was brought up to be the Cubs' designated hitter for two series in American League parks, will head to Triple-A Iowa. Though he has hit well, Cubs manager Joe Maddon wants him to continue to get work behind the plate and in the outfield, too.

"It's wonderful what he's doing, and it will make him better next time. But this is the National League, where you've got to play your position, and he's getting better, but we want him to continue to get better," Maddon said Friday.

• Twins shortstop Eduardo Nunez didn't start Saturday's game as a precaution after being hit on his right hand in Friday's game. He should be available Sunday.

• Two of the league's young phenoms -- the Cubs' Kris Bryant and the Twins' Byron Buxton -- enter Sunday's game hitting a combined 0-for-14 in this weekend's series.

Pitch, Hit and Run runs in family for Iowa’s Farleys Betsy Helfand | MLB.com | June 20, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Brock Farley and his family left their home in Denver, Iowa, at 3:30 a.m. Saturday to make it to Minneapolis in time to compete in the Twins team championship of Major League Baseball's Pitch, Hit & Run Presented by Scotts.

Farley, an eighth grader on his varsity baseball team, pitched a two-hit shutout the night before, meaning he couldn't make the trip to Minnesota until the morning.

But if he was tired, it sure didn't show in his performance. Farley took first place in the 13-14 boys competition, and he hit a ball around 250 feet, the farthest of any participant. Last year, he made it to Target Field and finished third. He said that performance gave him a bit of motivation this year -- his last year of eligibility.

Farley was one of 24 competitors at Target Field early Saturday morning. All of them had competed at local and sectional events before heading to Minneapolis. The event drew participants from Minnesota, Iowa and North Dakota.

Competitors threw six pitches at a target, hit three balls off a tee in right field and did a timed sprint around bases set up along the warning track.

Farley said his experience was similar to last year -- after all, he was performing the same tasks. But, there was one big difference.

Stormy weather in the morning forced the kids to pitch inside the Twins' batting cages and they were initially told that the hitting and running portions would be moved to a different field nearby as a tarp laid over the Target Field infield.

But frowns turned to smiles and the disappointment faded when the rain let up and event moved back outside.

"You'd like to hit on the field. It's a nice field," Farley said.

For the eight first-place winners -- girls Alyssa Richman (7-8), Claire Girkin (9-10), Mackenzie Boone (11-12), Amy Worm (13-14) and boys Jake DeDominces (7-8), Ethan Manock (9-10), Luke Morrisette (11-12) and Farley (13-14) -- the competition doesn't end Saturday. They will now wait until June 28 to see if they qualify for the Pitch, Hit & Run national finals during All-Star Week in Cincinnati. Their scores will be compared and ranked against competitors from around the country and the top three in each age group will advance.

If Farley makes it to the finals, he won't be the first in his family to do so. His older brother, Luke, was a national champion in 2009 in the 11-12 age group. Luke Farley also competed in the finals in 2011.

"[Luke's] been to a lot of big league parks and Brock's been with him," father Larry Farley said. "They've been in the dugouts. He wanted to do it because his brother did it."

The Farleys make the drive up to Target Field to catch a few Twins games each season, but Brock's more of a Dodgers fan, picking up the team after a family trip out to California. At the end of the day, though, that didn't stop Brock Farley from enjoying his time at Target Field.

"There ain't nothing like playing on a big league field," Larry Farley said. "It doesn't get any better than this."

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Nunez gets breather a day after hit-by-pitch Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | June 20, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Eduardo Nunez was held out of the Twins' lineup for precautionary reasons on Saturday after being hit by a pitch on his right hand in Friday's 7-2 win over the Cubs. Eduardo Escobar was in his place at shortstop.

Nunez was hit on his hand while batting in the first inning against Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks, but it was ruled a strike, as he was swinging at the pitch. He ended up remaining in the game, going 1-for-4 with a double.

Twins manager Paul Molitor said Nunez was able to play Saturday, but it made sense to give him a day to rest his hand, especially after the utility infielder made four straight starts at shortstop because he's been swinging a hot bat. Nunez is hitting .306/.338/.514 in 25 games, and 12 of his 22 hits have gone for extra bases this year.

"He's available, but he's a little sore today," Molitor said. "He took a pretty good shot there. I'm not sure how many days in a row he played out there, but I'd like to get him back in. But I also know he's not a guy who is accustomed to playing every day. So to get him on the bench, it just seemed like a good day to get Escobar back in there at short."

• Right-hander Ervin Santana is scheduled to make his first rehab start with Triple-A Rochester on Saturday night. Santana, who is eligible to return from his 80-game suspension on July 4, previously started in extended spring training games. He's expected to throw about 90 pitches for the Red Wings.

• Right-hander Ricky Nolasco was fitted for orthotics to help alleviate the discomfort in his right ankle, and he is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday to test it out. Nolasco, on the DL since June 4 with a right ankle impingement, tried to throw a bullpen session on Sunday, but he was forced to cut it short. The Twins are hopeful the orthotics will help and that Nolasco will be able to avoid surgery.

• Shortstop Danny Santana has been hitting well since being optioned to Triple-A Rochester on June 7. He went 3-for-4 with a walk on Friday, and he is hitting .363/.413/.512 with four walks, seven strikeouts and two stolen bases in 10 games.

"He's hitting .360 or something, so the at-bats have been good and he's been taking some walks," Molitor said. "His demeanor has been a real positive attribute from what I've heard about how he's going about his job. He seems to be pretty relaxed about how he's playing."

• The Twins are hosting their annual open tryout on Sunday morning at Siebert Field on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The event starts at 8:30 a.m. CT, with registration at 8 a.m. Players must be at least 18 years old to try out. Four players have made the Majors after an open tryout with the Twins -- pitchers Charley Walters (1966), Gary Serum ('75) and Mark Hamburger (2011), and shortstop Jerry Terrell ('68).

Strong outing, solo homer not enough for Twins Rhett Bollinger and Carrie Muskat | MLB.com | June 20, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Starlin Castro delivered a go-ahead two-run single off reliever Blaine Boyer in the 10th inning to lift the Cubs to a 4-1 win over the Twins on Saturday afternoon at Target Field.

Dexter Fowler started the rally by reaching on an error from second baseman Brian Dozier on a play that was originally ruled as a hit. Anthony Rizzo followed with a single to center with Fowler going to third base. After a flyout to center from Kris Bryant that advanced Rizzo, the Twins intentionally walked Chris Coghlan to get to Castro. Castro hit the first pitch from Boyer to center field to score both Fowler and Rizzo. Chris Denorfia added a bloop RBI single to right with two outs to give Chicago an insurance run.

Twins right-hander Trevor May and Cubs left-hander Jon Lester both pitched well, but neither factored into the decision. May gave up one run on seven hits over six frames, while Lester allowed one run on just three hits over 6 1/3 innings.

"Both starters did well," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Trevor hung in there. He got out of a big bases-loaded jam and found a way to minimize through six innings. And from there, it just became a three-inning game for both teams with a lot of chances on both sides, but they finally capitalized there."

Lester's lone mistake came in the third inning on a solo shot from Kurt Suzuki. The Cubs scored their one run against May in the third on an RBI double down the left-field line from Rizzo. The Twins had several scoring chances late, but recorded three outs on the basepaths over the eighth and ninth innings.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Consistent Lester: For the second straight outing, Lester gave up one run but did not get a decision. The lefty was pulled after throwing 102

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pitches over 6 1/3 innings, and he tried to convince manager Joe Maddon to leave him in. Lester struck out seven and scattered three hits, including Suzuki's homer. He is winless in his last six starts.

"I never [want to come out]," Lester said. "That's the way I've always been. I don't want to leave games. That's why you have managers and pitching coaches to make those decisions for you. I may not be happy at the time, but I'll never second-guess the manager on what he's trying to do."

Maddon didn't want Lester to face Suzuki again, which is why he pulled the lefty when he did. And the manager explained that to Lester in the dugout.

"The explanation was nice, and it always eases your mind when you get an explanation," Lester said.

Baserunning costs Twins: Top prospect Byron Buxton drew his second walk of the game to lead off the eighth inning, but he was thrown out by Fowler trying to tag up on a ball hit to the warning track in center field. Eddie Rosario followed with a single, but he was picked off at first by catcher David Ross to end the inning. The Twins made another out in the ninth, when Joe Mauer led off with a walk but was thrown out at second on a stolen-base attempt on a play that was reversed after a review.

"We had some chances," Molitor said. "Buxton did a good job trying to tag up on that ball, but he got locked in with his foot it appeared. And we had a base stolen, but just couldn't hold onto the base. So little things like that make a difference in a ballgame."

Rizzo delivers: With two outs in the Cubs third, Addison Russell and Fowler both singled to set up Rizzo, who fell behind, 0-2, to May before lining an RBI double to left. Rizzo ranks among the top five in the NL in batting with an 0-2 count, as he now is 7-for-20.

Suzuki goes deep: Suzuki hadn't homered since April 18, but he jumped on a first-pitch fastball from Lester in the second inning to give the Twins an early 1-0 lead. It was the third homer of the year for Suzuki to match his total from last year.

May gets out of jam: With runners at the corners and nobody out in the sixth, May struck out Castro and Kyle Schwarber before walking Denorfia to load the bases with two outs. But May picked up his third strikeout of the inning to escape unscathed, as he was able to punch out David Ross on an 0-2 changeup to leave the bases loaded.

"I tried to stay mentally focused pitch to pitch," May said. "I was acutely aware of trying to make my pitches move a certain way or to try to hit my spots." QUOTABLE "The pitch was where it needed to be. It stinks. I hate that we're battling and I was the cause of the loss." -- Boyer, on giving up the go-ahead two-run single to Castro

"It just goes back to forgetting about what happened last night. You worry about today today. It's nice to see that from the young guys. Guys continue to grind, guys continue to battle. You'd never know what happened yesterday." -- Lester, on Castro and the Cubs rebounding from Friday's loss

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Cubs rookie Bryant went 0-for-4 on Saturday, and it's the first time he's gone hitless in back to back games since April 29-May 3.

REPLAY REVIEW Mauer walked to open the Twins' ninth and was credited with a stolen base, but the Cubs challenged the call and after a review, it was overturned. Catcher Miguel Montero threw to rookie second baseman Russell, who made a nice tag on the play.

"You're not expecting Mauer to run," Maddon said. "He had the base stolen. We talked about it all camp about keeping the tag on the runner, and Addison did, thus, he's out. [The review] is part of technology, part of the new rules, but then you have to technique-wise incorporate it, which we did."

WHAT'S NEXT Cubs: Jake Arrieta will close the Cubs' Interleague series against the Twins on Sunday. The right-hander is coming off a loss to the Indians in which he walked six batters.This also will be Schwarber's last game before he heads back to the Minor Leagues. Schwarber was called up from Double-A Tennessee to be the designated hitter in five games, and he will join Triple-A Iowa on Monday. First pitch Sunday will be 1:10 p.m. CT.

Twins: Right-hander Kyle Gibson takes the mound for the Twins in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. CT. Gibson had a 1.36 ERA in six starts in May, but he has a 5.68 ERA in three starts in June.

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Aggressive baserunning sinks Twins late Betsy Helfand | MLB.com | June 20, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- After Trevor Plouffe made a baserunning blunder in Friday's victory, Twins manager Paul Molitor joked that he had been teaching the third baseman baserunning for eight or nine years.

"You can joke a little bit when it ends up 7-2, but we've played enough games as of late that the little things matter," Molitor said Friday.

Saturday was one of those games. Between the eighth and ninth innings in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Cubs, three Twins made outs on the basepaths. And though they may not have been as bad as Plouffe's, they had a huge impact on a close game.

After drawing a leadoff walk in the eighth inning, center fielder and No. 1 prospect Byron Buxton was thrown out by Dexter Fowler trying to reach second on a flyout. After the double play, left fielder Eddie Rosario singled before he was picked off by catcher David Ross to end the inning.

"He's been doing a lot of good things on the bases," Molitor said of Rosario. "He got caught a little out of balance … and [Ross] made him pay."

In the ninth, first baseman Joe Mauer was caught stealing. He seemed to beat the throw, and he was ruled safe before Cubs manager Joe Maddon challenged the call. After a review, it was clear that Mauer overslid second base, and the call was overturned.

"We had some chances. Buxton did a good job of trying to tag up on that ball," Molitor said. "He got blocked in on with his foot, and then we had a base stolen and just couldn't hold on to the base. Little things like that, they make a big difference in close ballgames."

Molitor said he didn't have any problem with Buxton's play. After Buxton walked, he wanted to see if Cubs reliever Pedro Strop would regain command.

"[Strop] was a little errant in getting Buxton out in the first place, so I didn't want to go right into a bunt situation there," Molitor said. "I wanted to see if he could respond, throw some strikes. The tag up on that ball got through from the edge of the track, and [Buxton] beat the play and just couldn't get his hand to the base."

Molitor stood on the top step of the dugout before getting "an absolute thumbs down," and deciding not to challenge.

Though Minnesota's baserunning mistakes may have looked worse Friday, the three outs on the basepaths late in Saturday's game loomed larger because the Twins weren't able to do much against Cubs starter Jon Lester. But unlike the Twins two innings prior, the Cubs were able to cash in on their late opportunity after a Brian Dozier error opened the 10th inning.

"It just became kind of a three-inning game there at the end. Chances on both sides," Molitor said. "They had a lot of baserunners today it seemed like, and they finally capitalized there. We didn't execute a play to start the inning."

Once hesitant, Molitor says he’s Ok with short bench, extra reliever Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | June 20, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- When the Twins originally went to a 13-man pitching staff, manager Paul Molitor said it might be a short-term arrangement. After all, having eight relievers can get redundant - especially if the starting staff is strong - and it only allows for three bench players.

That was a month ago.

The Twins have carried eight relievers in their bullpen ever since they sent out utility infielder Doug Bernier on May 21. The next day, Tim Stauffer was activated from the disabled list and the Twins have played with a short bench ever since.

There's a chance that used to make the manager uncomfortable. Theoretically it cuts down on the 'managing' he gets to do in a game. There's one fewer body with which to make defensive substitutions, pinch hit, or pinch run.

And even though the Twins hit a team slump in the beginning of June, there haven't been many in-game examples where they're being punished for only having three players on the bench.

"I think in terms of personnel we're OK right now," Molitor said this week, which is a change from his view at the time the Twins went to an extra reliever.

"In the past here we've tried to find ways to upgrade our pitching a lot during the course of the season. And so far this year it's been trying to figure out how to get more offense, at least as of late. With the people that we have out there, the 3-man bench has been fine," Molitor said.

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Part of the reason is because the Twins have utility players that can play multiple positions, and Molitor has been able to play late-game matchups where it's appropriate, despite not having a big bat to pull off the bench. Shane Robinson, Eddie Rosario, Eduardo Escobar and Eduardo Nunez all can play multiple positions, and those four have been shuffled in and out of the lineup the past month.

"The depth of the bench with only three people really hasn't hurt us. I don't know when that could change. When we first went to eight [relievers] I thought it was going to be a shorter term thing than it's turned out to be, but now I couldn't tell you exactly how long that's going to play out," Molitor said.

Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Boyer’s bad outing, Buxton’s overthrow, 2-out hits Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | June 20, 2015

The Twins and Trevor May hung with Jon Lester and the Cubs on Saturday, but it was Minnesota's bullpen that gave up the game in extra innings in front of a sold-out Target Field crowd.

This column presents 5 thoughts from Saturday's game.

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1. Blaine Boyer gave up three runs in the 10th inning of a game that had been tied. Boyer's been surprisingly great for the Twins this season, but his outing cost the Twins the game Saturday.

After Glen Perkins pitched a scoreless 9th inning of a 1-1 tied game, Boyer came in for the 10th to face the top of the order. He allowed the first two batters to reach base to lead off the inning, one a difficult play for Brian Dozier and the other on a hit to the outfield, on which leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler took third base.

Then, when Kris Bryant flew out to center field, Byron Buxton's throw went through to the plate, which allowed the trail runner to move up to second base. With first base open, the Twins decided to intentionally walk Chris Coghlan to face Starlin Castro. Castro made them pay with a 2-RBI single to the outfield, and before the inning was over, Chris Denorfia added run-scoring single on a flare just out of Dozier's reach.

"I went back and watched every pitch," Boyer said. "I was thinking that I left some pitches over the plate, but every pitch - at least the ones that they did damage on - they were on the corners."

"It just didn't go my way. Frustrating," Boyer said.

"The fault is all mine - nobody else's. And I should have just shut it down," Boyer said. "It stinks. We're at the point where we're battling and I hate that I was the cause of the loss right there."

That 3-run inning was all the offense the Cubs needed, as the Twins' only run in 10 innings Saturday came on Kurt Suzuki's solo home run in the second inning.

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2. Byron Buxton overthrew the catcher on a play in that 10th inning, which allowed another runner to get into scoring position.

The Twins faced first and third base with nobody out in the 10th inning. Kris Bryant lifted a fly ball to the outfield, which Buxton caught and set up to make a throw to the plate to prevent what would have been the go-ahead run to score on a sacrifice fly. Buxton's throw overshot catcher Kurt Suzuki, and the runner from first base advanced to second to put two runners in scoring position.

Both runs ended up scoring, but manager Paul Molitor said he had no problem with Buxton's decision to throw to the plate. The play is designed to have a cut-off man in the middle of the infield, but Buxton was attempting to cut down the go-ahead run.

"I don't mind a throw from that distance if it's going to carry to the plate," Molitor said. "[Buxton was] obviously a little amped. You can't miss high."

"It's the winning run. There's a time to try to throw in on the fly...but obviously you can't throw it over the catcher's head," Molitor said.

So fault the execution and not the decision-making by Buxton. With first base open, the Twins intentionally walked Chris Coghlan, but then with the bases loaded, all three runners would come around to score before the inning ended.

At the plate, Buxton drew a pair of walks, grounded out, and struck out on a fastball outside the strike zone in his four plate appearances Saturday. He was thrown out at second base attempting to advance on a potential sacrifice fly to center field in the eighth inning. Replays appeared to show that it was a close play, but the Twins didn't challenge the ruling that Buxton was out at second base.

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3. Trevor May was impressive in escaping a sixth-inning jam by striking out the side. May faced a no-out situation with runners on first and third base.

He struck out Starlin Castro on three pitches (fastball, changeup, curve ball) for the first out and then got Kyle Schwarber to swing and miss at a high fastball way out of the strike zone.

He walked Chris Denorfia to load the bases with two outs. But then in a tight jam and with the game potentially on the line he got David Ross to swing and miss at a changeup, and even though Kurt Suzuki didn't catch it, all he had to do was pick it up and step on the plate for the force out. So May and the Twins escaped the half-inning with the game tied at 1-1.

"I just knew that the best way to kind of get out of the situations was to not let them put the ball in play," May said.

"He really didn't give up many hard-hit balls," catcher Kurt Suzuki said. "That sixth inning was huge for us, keeping us in that ball game. ... You just try to limit the damage there and fortunately for us we got out of there with no runs scored."

Suzuki also hit an upper-deck home run to left field, the Twins' only run of the afternoon.

May pitched 6 innings and gave up just one run on seven hits while striking out seven batters and walking two.

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4. The Cubs strung together three consecutive two-out hits in the third inning to plate their first run of the game.

May got the first two batters and then allowed back-to-back singled to Addison Russell and Dexter Fowler. He had No. 2 hitter Anthony Rizzo in an 0-2 hole, and then Rizzo fouled off a fastball and drove the next one to the outfield for an RBI double.

"We had the mindset to make them hit your pitch, and to be honest that was my pitch there [to Rizzo]," May said. "He's a good hitter, he's a clutch guy and he's proven that all year."

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5. Trevor Plouffe hit into two inning-ending double plays Saturday. On the first, there might have been something the base runners could have done to help avoid the twin killing.

Here's a situation presented to me by a follower on Twitter. Not everyone will agree with it but I wanted to bring it up in this column to at least start a conversation.

Eddie Rosario had singled in the first inning and Joe Mauer walked behind him, setting up first and second base with one out. Plouffe grounded a ball just in front of Rosario to shortstop Starlin Castro. Rosario jumped over the ball on his way to third base, but Castro, unfazed, collected the grounder and started a 6-4-3 double play.

The suggestion from the follower: Should Rosario just let that ball hit him? It's an automatic out for Rosario, but it avoids the possibility of a double play.

There are a number of holes to poke. For example, the Cubs could have booted the double play, and Rosario then would have run into an out unnecessarily. Or Plouffe could beat the relay throw. Here's one more to consider: if the umpire deems that Rosario intentionally ran into the out, he can award a double play, according to Saturday's official scorer.

I'm not advocating for that play from Rosario, and I also concede it would be nearly impossible to consider the consequences in the moment. I just thought it was interesting food for thought worthy of sharing.

Zulgad: With Mike Pelfrey’s value climbing, GM Ryan should trade him Judd Zulgad | 1500espn.com | June 20, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS - There was plenty of head scratching that went on when Twins general manager Terry Ryan signed righthander Mike Pelfrey to a two-year, $11 million contract extension in December 2013.

Pelfrey had joined the Twins on a one-year, $4 million deal a year earlier after missing most of 2012 following Tommy John surgery. As is the case with many pitchers coming off that procedure, Pelfrey was far from effective.

He went 5-13 with a 5.19 earned-run average in 29 starts. Ryan expected a bounce back from Pelfrey in 2014, but he didn't get it.

The veteran went 0-3 with a 7.99 ERA in five starts before going on the disabled list because of a groin injury. Pelfrey was awful, walking eight more hitters than he struck out (18-10) in 23 2/3 innings.

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He went to the minors on a rehab assignment, but was shut down in late May because of a shoulder injury and nerve irritation in his elbow. At that point, it appeared those who questioned Ryan's decision to retain Pelfrey had every right to say, "told you so."

Pelfrey arrived at spring training last February competing for a spot in the rotation. He pitched well in Florida but the Twins decided to go with Tommy Milone as their fifth starter to begin the regular season.

Pelfrey was informed he was going to the bullpen and initially expressed his frustration. The 31-year-old eventually calmed down and accepted a role that appeared to be suited for him. Come in for an inning or two at a time, throw as hard as possible and establish value as a reliever.

It turned out Pelfrey's stint as a reliever was short-lived. Ervin Santana was suspended for the first 80 games of the season after he tested positive for steroids and Pelfrey was back in the rotation by Opening Day.

Pelfrey has made the most of that opportunity and then some. Incorporating a new split-finger fastball into the mix and using his sinker more, Pelfrey leads Twins starters with a 2.97 ERA. He has gone 5-3 in 13 starts and has thrown at least seven innings in seven of those appearances.

Pelfrey has had one clunker of a start this month and three excellent ones, including a one-run, four-hit, eight-inning gem in the Twins' 2-1 victory over St. Louis on Thursday.

You could make a solid argument that Pelfrey has been the ace of this staff.

You also could make an argument that Ryan should be looking to deal Pelfrey before the July 31 trade deadline.

Now that you have spit out your coffee or pop or beer (hopefully not a quality beer) all over your computer screen, let me explain why dealing Pelfrey is worth discussing.

Santana, whom the Twins signed to a rich free-agent contract last winter, will return from his suspension early next month meaning the Twins' list of starters will include Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson, Trevor May, Milone, Pelfrey and Santana. There also is the possibility that righthanded prospect Jose Berrios (7-3, 3.09 ERA in 13 starts this season at Double-A Chattanooga) could work his way into the mix at some point.

The fact these resilient Twins seem to be capable of sticking in the playoff race makes it more difficult to consider dealing Pelfrey but let's be honest: This team is a year early in its rise. The roster is filled with young players who are learning on the job and the lineup continues to have plenty of question marks, especially from the Nos. 5-9 positions.

So while dealing Pelfrey might be a tough sell in the clubhouse and to the fan base, Ryan also needs to be considering the Twins' future. Assuming Pelfrey continues to pitch well, his value never will be higher. This, of course, all depends on what the Twins could get back from a contender that could plug Pelfrey into its rotation.

Still think the idea sounds crazy?

Then consider this: Would you rather shop Pelfrey and potentially get a young nice piece for the future in return or gamble that what you're seeing is real and sign him to the long-term extension he's likely to get from someone because of his 2015 success?

I'm not willing to assume what we're seeing can be sustained and if the bubble bursts any type of extension for Pelfrey becomes a bad deal.

Another scenario is for the Twins to keep Pelfrey, extend him a qualifying offer after the season and get a compensatory draft pick if he leaves. This would be a solid route to go if Ryan finds he can't get a decent prospect back in return for Pelfrey.

But if Ryan finds he can improve the Twins for 2016 and beyond by cashing in on Pelfrey's surprising 2015 success, it will be hard to blame him if he deals his "ace."

Glen Perkins stranding runners, saving games with the best of ‘em Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | June 20, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins closer Glen Perkins has made the American League All-Star team each of the past two years, and this season he leads the league in saves. He's been nearly flawless in save situations this season - including a perfect 23-for-23 of his save chances converted - and is having one of the best years of his already impressive career.

The only other closer in the A.L. with more than 10 save chances and a perfect conversion rate is Andrew Miller of the Yankees, who is 17-of-17 in save chances.

The only trouble Perkins has had has come in games the Twins weren't leading, but when he's entrusted with a lead this season he's locked it down without exception. At this juncture Perkins seems ticketed to represent the Twins in his third consecutive All-Star game.

"He's been good. He's been real good," general manager Terry Ryan said of his stud closer.

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"When you're 23-for-23 -- let's hope we don't jinx that," Ryan said, as he knocked on the wooden table at which he was seated, "--but there's a certain comfort, not just for the people viewing the game, it's the other pitchers on this ball club. When they get into that area, they know they've got him back there. 'Let's get to him and we're in pretty good shape.'"

Perkins is throwing the same pitches this year, he's striking out fewer batters and walking just slightly fewer batters. He's getting a few more ground balls, but his real secret this year has been an ability to strand base runners.

For the most part, once a batter reaches base against Perkins, the runner gets stuck there. Fewer than 1 out of every 10 batters to reach base come around to score on Perkins this season. He entered Saturday's game having stranded more than 91 percent of runners this season, and that rate went up when he left a two-out single on the bases to end a scoreless 9th inning.

Perhaps the best example recently was a four-out save against the Cardinals on Wednesday. Perkins got the final out in the eighth inning and then came in the 9th looking to lock down a 3-1 victory for Tommy Milone and the Twins.

St. Louis led off the inning with consecutive singles, which put runners on first and second base with nobody out. Perkins struck out Mark Reynolds and Randal Grichuk before Yadier Molina grounded out to end the game.

"That's a spot where you need a strikeout or a double play," Perkins said of the Reynolds at-bat with the game on the line. "I don't want to try to get a double play because that's kind of hard to do, so I wanted to get a strikeout.

"The next guy, Grichuk, whatever happens there I need to get him out and thankfully it was a strikeout," he said.

Perkins had tried to sneak mid-90s fastballs by Reynolds and he couldn't get one by him, so he went to the nasty slider, down and out of the strike zone to get Reynolds to swing and miss.

That's been a potent recipe for Perkins as a closer: mid-90s heat and a slider that finds its way beneath the swing plane of most hitters.

"That was a little touchy," Ryan said of that save against the Cardinals, in which Perkins walked a tight rope in the 9th inning. "He has had the ability to bend like that and get out of it frequently."

Ryan said that stranding runners has been a big part of what's made Perkins successful this season, and Wednesday's outing was a good example of that.

"He has had the ability with men on base to get out of it. Well, that's the mark of a guy that you can get out there and have a lot of faith in, he's going to somehow close a game," Ryan said.

And when Perkins is commanding his fastball and getting swings and misses on the slider, he can be a difficult matchup for just about any hitter. The punchouts have been a big reason he's been able to riggle out of the occasional jam and leave runners on the bases.

"I want a guy that's going to save the game, obviously. I don't care how it's done," Ryan said. "But it never hurts to have a guy on third with one or less outs and have a guy out there you think could strike somebody out."

"It's nice to have those guys that can go get a strikeout. It's more important to get outs, but it's probably a nice little security blanket when you can go get a strikeout. And Perkins can do it."

Castro’s big hit in extra innings elevates Cubs past Twins Associated Press | June 20, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Starlin Castro walked out of Target Field on Friday night with his head hanging following another rough day at shortstop.

Less than 24 hours later, he was feeling a lot better.

Castro atoned for a costly error the previous night with a two-run single in the in the 10th inning on Saturday, helping the Chicago Cubs to a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Castro's error and subsequent pouting at shortstop in the first inning on Friday night got the Twins rolling to a 7-2 victory. But he ripped a one-out pitch from Blaine Boyer (2-3) into center field to break a 1-1 tie, and then made a leaping grab of a liner from Brian Dozier for the final out of the game.

"Every day is a new day," Castro said. "Try to keep it going, keep the head up and try to help the team win."

Jon Lester allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings for the Cubs, and Anthony Rizzo had two hits and an RBI. Jason Motte (4-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win and Hector Rondon picked up his 12th save in 15 chances.

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Chicago improved to 7-3 in extra-inning games this season.

Trevor May gave up one run in six innings for Minnesota, which had won three in a row. Kurt Suzuki connected for this third homer.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon said before the game he was not considering a position change for Castro, who has 14 errors this season. He compounded his latest one on Friday when he was sulking after the ball went right through his legs. He retrieved the ball and stared at it in frustration while Eddie Rosario hustled home, prompting an incredulous look from starter Kyle Hendricks.

Castro apologized after the game and took the blame for the loss, then looked to be pressing early on Saturday. He singled off May in the fourth, but slammed his bat in frustration after striking out in the sixth.

"I know I'm better than that," Castro said. "Keep my focus all game and try to make every play."

He got another chance in the 10th and delivered, pumping his fist and shouting at first base. Chris Denorfia followed two batters later with an RBI single for a little more breathing room.

"I was really happy and pleased for him and for us," Maddon said. "There was no residue from yesterday. He fielded his position really well today. ... He's done pretty well over the last week or so."

The clutch hitting came after the Cubs squandered two chances for big innings earlier in the game and ensured that a strong start from Lester would not go to waste.

Suzuki put Minnesota in front in the second inning, driving a 93-mph fastball 410 feet into the seats in left. It was the 10th homer of the year allowed by Lester, which is tied with Travis Wood for the most on the team.

"They had a lot of bases runners today, it seemed like," manager Paul Molitor said of the Cubs. "And they finally capitalized there."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cubs: OF Jorge Soler was still favoring his sprained left ankle during batting practice on Saturday, Maddon said. But Soler did some light running and could start a rehab assignment early next week.

Twins: INF Eduardo Nunez was given the day off after he was hit in the hands by a pitch on Friday night. Molitor said Nunez was available but still sore.

UP NEXT

RHP Kyle Gibson (4-5, 3.33 ERA) starts the series finale for the Twins against RHP Jake Arrieta (6-5, 3.40 ERA). In eight home starts this season, Gibson is 3-2 with a 2.84 ERA. Arrieta is coming off of a rough start in which he walked a career-high six while giving up five runs in four innings.

LESTER'S ANGST

After giving up the homer to Suzuki, Lester retired 10 in a row. He was cruising so well that he admitted to being surprised when Maddon came to get him in the seventh.

"That's just kind of the way I've always been," Lester said. "I don't want to leave games. You feel like you always have more. But that's why you have managers and pitching coaches, to make those decisions for you. I may not be happy at the time, but I'll never second-guess a manager and what they're trying to do."

Twins’ Boyer frustrated after giving up three runs in extra-inning loss Brian Hall | Fox Sports North | June 20, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Frustrated about his role in the Minnesota Twins' 4-1 extra-inning loss to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, reliever Blaine Boyer had to go back and see what happened all over again.

In the aftermath of the loss, snapping Minnesota's modest three-game winning streak, Boyer watched the video of his 10th-inning performance when he entered a tied game and allowed three runs. His first assumption was he was leaving pitches in the middle of the plate as he allowed three hits, the most he's given up in a game since his fourth game of the year in early April.

"In my mind I was thinking that I was just missing over the plate," Boyer said. "I went back and watched every pitch and at least the ones that they did damage on, they were on the corners. You tip your hat at that point. There's nothing I can do about that."

Boyer (2-3) allowed three runs -- one earned -- on three hits and an intentional walk. Dexter Fowler reached on an error by second baseman Brian Dozier to lead off the inning before Anthony Rizzo singled through middle to put runners on first and third with no outs. Boyer got

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talented rookie Kris Bryant to fly out but intentionally walked Chris Coghlan. Starlin Castro flared an inside pitch past a drawn-in infield to score two runs.

Twins manager Paul Molitor thought about shifting with Rizzo at the plate, as he's done much of the series, but decided against it.

"We've been doing (that) a lot but I also didn't want to give him the whole side of the field to shoot the ball," Molitor said. "Kind of wanted at least one strike before I went over there and sure enough he whacked it right through the space there. The shift helps and sometimes you pay the price if you do it or don't do it.

"He got Bryant, a big out. Castro got a ball in on his hands and muscled it out there. It's easy to second-guess throwing a different pitch or whatever. I think he thought his best chance at a ground ball there was throwing a sinker down and in, and guy stayed inside it enough to get it through."

There was second-guessing on Boyer's part, but he believed it might have been more location than pitch selection. After taking a closer look, he felt he made the right pitches.

"It just didn't go my way," Boyer said. "It stinks. We're playing, we're battling and I hate that I was the cause of the loss right there."

Boyer has been a reason for wins instead of losses this season in his first year with Minnesota and first in the American League. The three runs allowed were the most he's given up since that fourth outing of the year on April 12 when he allowed three earned runs and four hits.

At the time, Boyer had been scored on in three of his first four outings and had a 15.00 ERA. The right-hander had allowed just three earned runs in 29 innings since then, sporting a 0.93 ERA as he became an integral piece to the back of the Twins' bullpen.

Boyer was upset with Saturday's performance but didn't want to let the outing change his outlook on the season.

"I think in our situation as a pitcher and what we do day-in and day-out, yeah, I'm not going to let that gain any ground on anything I've done this season," Boyer said. "Just put it behind me and get back out there tomorrow and hopefully the same situation and shut them down."

For an evening, with video replay showing he wasn't too far off, Boyer's frustration was apparent.

"The fault is all mine, nobody else's," Boyer said. "I should have just shut them down and I could have just shut them down. I was in that situation the other day and had to get the outs, and got the outs. It's square on my shoulders and I'm fine with that."

Twins by the numbers: Run support lacking for May in recent starts ESPN Stats & Information | June 20, 2015

Trevor May (4-5, 4.26 ERA), a hard-luck loser his last two outings, faces the Chicago Cubs and Jon Lester (4-5, 3.99) when the Minnesota Twins play host to the Cubs on Saturday afternoon at Target Field.

May has lost his last two starts, a 3-2 loss to the Cardinals and a 2-0 loss to the Royals.

In his last three starts, the Twins have scored a total of four runs. May is 1-2 with a 2.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in that stretch.

Brian Dozier enters Saturday leading major league second basemen in home runs (13), RBIs (32) and doubles (22) and tied for second in walks (29). He leads the American League in extra-base hits with 38.

Santana strong in rehab start Kevin Oklobzija | Rochester Democrat & Chronicle | June 20, 2015

Can you smell baseball? Can you smell Minnesota?

Ervin Santana is starting to do so.

Back on the mound in a real game for the first time since September, Santana pitched 5 2/3 strong innings while his temporary teammates with the Rochester Red Wings banged out 16 hits in a 10-1 victory over the Louisville Bats on Saturday night.

"Everything was very good," said Santana, whose trademark hashtag on Twitter is #smellbaseball. "Location was good. Every pitch I throw was good.

"The good thing is that we won, first, and the second thing is that I did my job."

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A major league All-Star in 2008 with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Santana allowed five hits and one run. He walked two and struck out three. Those strikeouts came in the first two innings.

Santana, a veteran of 10 major league seasons, is with the Red Wings for a three-start rehabilitation assignment. He was supposed to be the ace for the Minnesota Twins this season after signing the richest free-agent contract in club history (four years, $55 million).

But just as spring training was ending, Major League Baseball slapped Santana with an 80-game suspension after he tested positive for a banned substance (the synthetic steroid stanozolol).

He was officially allowed to join the Wings Saturday (he arrived from Florida on Tuesday) to begin a 16-day rehab, the maximum allowed under PED suspension rules.

He's scheduled to start again at Pawtucket on Thursday and then make a final start for the Wings against the PawSox at Frontier Field on June 30. If all goes well, he'll make his first start for the Twins on July 5 at Kansas City.

He threw 88 pitches on Saturday and left to loud applause from the Frontier Field crowd of 10,545.

"I wanted to go more but we have a schedule so I just follow the rules," Santana said. "I don't want to do too much, just be on the same page as them."

He escaped a first-and-third threat in the first inning by retiring Brennan Boesch on a pop to short before striking out Ramon Cabrera.

"When you have a man on third an one out, you need a strikeout, that's the way you do it," Santana said.

The Wings scored three times in the first — Danny Ortiz, Reynaldo Rodriguez and Jose Martinez drove home the runs — and made it 4-1 with an RBI double by Eric Farris in the fourth before an Ortiz RBI double and Rodriguez two-run homer made it 7-1 after five.

"A good night at the park," manager Mike Quade said.

Twins Host Inaugural ‘Catch On The Field’ WCCO-Minneapolis | June 20, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – On this Father’s Day weekend, the Minnesota Twins helped create some special memories on the field.

The Twins hosted the inaugural “Catch on the Field” event after Saturday afternoon’s game.

Families were invited to come out on the field and see Target Field from the players’ perspective.

They played catch, hung out in the dugouts and took photos.

“My sister and I got season tickets a couple years ago and this has become a Father’s Day tradition. Me and my dad go the game, hit the Metro

Club beforehand. This is just the icing on the cake,” Alex Schwarzhoff said.

“This is absolutely awesome,” Jerome Gerber said. “This is so much fun. We just love it. What a great Father’s Day present.”

Tickets were $30 for adults and $15 for kids with all proceeds benefitting the Twins Community Fund.