Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Sunday, July 2, 2017

Twins lose after coughing up four-run lead in Game 1 of doubleheader at Kansas City. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1 Twins see flaws in MLB's video review system. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 2 Brandon Kintzler among Twins worthy of All-Star Game consideration. Star Tribune p. 3 Twins split doubleheader with Royals after 10-5 win in nightcap. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 3 20th homer from Miguel Sano helps Twins salvage doubleheader split. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 4 Twins prospect Tyler Jay appears headed for season-ending thoracic outlet surgery. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 6 Twins surge early, but can't hang on in loss. MLB (Flanagan and Bollinger) p. 7 Miguel Sano muscled up to blast a monster homer to the Fountain Bar at Kauffman Stadium. MLB (Andrew Mearns and Rhett Bollinger) p. 8

Sano continues 2017 dominance vs. Royals. MLB (Alexander) p. 8 Sano's HR, Rosario's 5 hits lead Jorge to win. MLB (Flanagan and Bollinger) p. 9 Felix Jorge wins in MLB debut as Twins split twin billing with Royals. 1500 ESPN p. 11 Felix Jorge dethrones Royals in MLB debut, Twins win 10-5. FOX Sports North p. 11

Twins lose after coughing up four-run lead in Game 1 of doubleheader at Kansas City Phil Miller | Star Tribune | July 1, 2017

KANSAS CITY - The Twins took advantage of an pitcher with no major league experience on Saturday, scoring five runs in just three innings. Then the Royals did the same to the Twins’ far more veteran staff, and ran away with an 11-6 victory over Minnesota in Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City pulled into a tie with the Twins for second place in the AL Central by knocking around Jose Berrios, who allowed three home runs, Tyler Duffey, who have up hits to four of the seven batters he faced, and Ryan Pressly, who surrendered a three-run homer in his return to the major leagues. Miguel Sano crushed a 461-foot home run into the center field fountains off of Royals rookie Luke Farrell, the son of Red Sox manager John Farrell, and the Twins knocked the righthander out after recording only eight outs. But while the Twins’ offense gradually wilted in the summer sunshine — only seventh-inning doubles by Kennys Vargas and Jorge Polanco, which briefly put the Twins back in the lead, added to their total after the third inning — the Royals kept pouring it on. Berrios allowed at least one hit in all five innings he pitched, and three of them were 400-foot-plus blasts that easily cleared the fences, only the second time in the 23-year-old’s two-season career he’s given up three homers in a game. Mike Moustakas smashed his 22nd homer of the season in the fourth inning, light-hitting shortstop Alcides Escobar added a two-run shot moments later, and Brandon Moss hit one toward the Twins’ bullpen in right field in the fifth inning, tying the game. It was the most runs and the most hits surrendered by Berrios this season, and represented the second poor start of this road trip for the second-year starter. Berrios allowed four runs in 6 1/3 innings last Monday in Boston. The Twins, who have lost five of six games since sweeping the Indians last weekend in Cleveland, will turn to their own rookie, righthander Felix Jorge, in the night game, a makeup of their April 29 rainout. Jorge will face righthander Jason Hammel. John Farrell, having turned over the job of managing the Red Sox to bench coach Gary DiSarcina for a day, was in the Kauffman Stadium stands to see his son make his debut, and it started out with a promising first inning. He whiffed Robbie Grossman for his first big-league strikeout, though Joe Mauer collected a single.

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In the second inning, though, he loaded the bases on a walk and two singles, then issued back-to-back run scoring walks to Brian Dozier and Grossman. Twins see flaws in MLB's video review system Phil Miller | Star Tribune | July 1, 2017

KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Twins have evidence, they insist, that umpires — including those monitoring replays in New York — ruled incorrectly on two home runs in Friday’s game, awarding Eric Hosmer a three-run homer on a ball they said was foul and denying Brian Dozier a two-run shot on a ball that seems to nick the foul pole. “I’m 100 percent that they missed those calls. Even 110 percent, if that was possible,” said Dozier, who pored over replays with Twins video coordinator Sean Harlin. “It’s kind of crazy — they went 0-for-2 last night.” Twins manager Paul Molitor said he’s convinced by the video, too, and said he hopes Major League Baseball examines what happened, not to change the calls but to change how they are made. “When you send a steak back, you’re mad that they [cooked] it wrong, but you’re trying to help them get it right in the kitchen,” Molitor said. “I talked to [bench coach] Joe Vavra about letting someone know about what we found on [Hosmer’s homer]. It’s not a protest — it’s just an imperfect system.” Both manager and player said they didn’t understand why, in front of a video system that can measure how fast a pitch is spinning, there isn’t a better way to rule definitively on foul-pole calls. Dozier said he and first base coach Jeff Smith saw his homer glance off the pole in right, an impact seemingly confirmed when a college student who said he caught the ball tweeted a photo of it, with a yellow smudge on it from hitting the pole. “It shows what I saw, what Smitty saw, what all the fans saw. Even the beer vendor out there [signaled] it was a home run,” Dozier said with a laugh. “I’d bet that we’ll have cameras on the poles next year. [MLB] has spent a lot of money to improve the system.” One move seems obvious to Molitor, who noted how difficult it is, even with high definition, to see an off-white baseball as it passes the light-colored pole. “It makes me ask,” Molitor said, “why are the foul poles yellow?” Flight delays The Twins will fly to Minneapolis after Sunday’s game, and they could be home as early as 7 p.m. — unless drug tests interfere. Twice in the past month, the team’s departure to the airport after a game has been delayed by an hour or more because MLB’s random drug testing program has selected players who couldn’t immediately produce a urine sample. Some players have suggested switching the tests to pregame on travel days, or limiting them to blood tests, or eliminating tests on “getaway” days altogether. But that would require changes to the drug-testing program negotiated between the players and MLB, and that could conceivably create loopholes that potential drug-using players could exploit. Exception granted The Twins, like the rest of MLB, are wearing special Independence Day uniforms for four straight days. Their caps are red, white and blue with a flag pattern in the logo, the jerseys have a U.S. flag patch on the shoulder and small stars in the logos and numbers, and no stripes on the pants. But there’s one problem: Teams were provided with only one set of the special uniforms (or in the Twins’ case, home and road versions, since they open a homestand Monday). Because they played a doubleheader on Saturday, the Twins and Royals were given permission to wear their normal uniforms for the second game. Signing period begins Major league teams can begin signing international players on Sunday, and the Twins expect to use the majority of their $5.25 million bonus pool to sign six to eight players on the first day. Their chief target is 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Jelfry Marte, a switch-hitter rated by Baseball America among the top five infield prospects available.

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Brandon Kintzler among Twins worthy of All-Star Game consideration Star Tribune | July 1, 2017

Twins fans have been debating how many of their favorite players will be named to the American League All-Star team, and they will find out Sunday who makes the squad. Third baseman Miguel Sano, righthander Ervin Santana and even righthander Jose Berrios have been mentioned as possibilities. But there’s one more Twin who should receive serious consideration. Brandon Kintzler, thrust into the closing role last year when Glen Perkins went down with an injury, has a chance of being in Miami for the Midsummer Classic. It would be quite an accomplishment for Kintzler, a former St. Paul Saint who was signed as a free agent before the 2016 season at the suggestion of special assistant Wayne Krivsky. Kintzler entered Saturday tied for second in the AL — and third in baseball — with 21 saves. His 2.62 ERA was solid for a closer, as was his 1.08 walks plus hits per innings pitched (WHIP). He is not blessed with a blazing fastball like Boston’s Craig Kimbrel and doesn’t present an imposing figure on the mound like Cleveland’s Andrew Miller. Kintzler is a sinkerballer. Since he’s not a big strikeout guy (23 in 34⅓ innings) he can’t afford the occasional walk like the flamethrowers can. And he’s done that, with just seven walks. “Hard worker,” pitching coach Neil Allen said of Kintzler. “Where would we be without him? Very deserving.” What works in Kintzler’s favor is the specialization of All-Star bullpens. The 2016 AL team included nine relievers, and the 2015 team had seven. Setup men can be All-Stars, as Miller was on last year’s team and Houston’s Chris Devenski could be on this year’s team. Having more relievers helps Kintzler’s case. Here are some thoughts on the Twins’ other All-Star candidates: Sano: Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez made a late charge as voting concluded on Thursday evening, making the position up for grabs as the election results will be read on Sunday. Sano will be in Miami as a participant in the Home Run Derby, though. Santana: He was the best starting pitcher in baseball for about two months but posted a 6.03 ERA in June. He still leads with 6.7 hits per nine innings and has three complete games, all shutouts. Should get the appointment. Berrios: The Twins should be rewarded with more than one All-Star to reflect the half-season they have had. But is there enough room for Berrios, who has been a revelation this season? Not sure. One thing that hurts him is the number of relievers likely to be selected. Don’t think there is room for both Santana and Berrios. “He’s pitched well enough to go,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “Obviously, not being here from Day 1, and some other guys having good years, will make it tough.” Twins split doubleheader with Royals after 10-5 win in nightcap Phil Miller | Star Tribune | July 1, 2017

KANSAS CITY, MO. – Officially, the Twins and Royals split their day-night doubleheader on Saturday. But really, the Twins won this round of Debut Derby. Felix Jorge, the first Twins starting pitcher to go straight from Class AA to the majors in 16 years, shrugged off a first-inning homer, pitched five solid innings and earned his first big-league victory, 10-5 in Kauffman Stadium. "It was a nice performance," said a relieved Twins manager Paul Molitor, whose team had lost five of its past six games. "He didn't seem overly fazed by anything — his first game, the home run, the celebration afterward." Jorge's success, which included two strikeouts and two double-play grounders, was significantly better than the welcome-to-the-majors scruff-up of Royals rookie Luke Farrell in the first game. The righthander, son of Red Sox manager John Farrell, who was in the crowd to watch, forced in a pair of runs with bases-loaded walks, surrendered a tape-measure blast to Miguel Sano and departed after giving up five runs while retiring only eight hitters. But the Royals erased the loss from Farrell's record by pounding Jose Berrios and two Twins relievers to win the day's first

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game 11-6. The split kept the AL Central standings frozen, since first-place Cleveland and fourth-place Detroit also split a pair. Minnesota, which avoided dropping to .500 with the second-game win, trails the Indians by two games, while Kansas City, winner of 14 of its past 20, is three games back. Sano's home run in the first game was a moon shot, estimated at 461 feet. His blast in support of fellow Dominican Jorge in the second game rocketed even farther, landing among the patrons in a bar above the seats in left-center, somewhere close to 500 feet away. The twin starbursts made Sano the seventh Twin, and first since Justin Morneau in 2009, to rack up 20 home runs before the All-Star break. Sano is assured of traveling to Miami next week to join the midseason festivities. Jorge is all but assured of traveling to Minneapolis later this season or next to join the Twins' rotation. "He looks different than he did in spring training. We didn't see the velocity that we did tonight," Molitor said of Jorge, the first Twins starter since Brad Thomas in 2001 to jump straight from Class AA, and the first since Andrew Albers in this ballpark in 2013 to win his big-league debut. "I think he gained a lot of confidence. He'll go back and get ready, and wait for that next call when we need him." Jorge threw 85 pitches, 54 of them strikes, and after his shaky first inning he routinely worked out of trouble. The second batter Jorge faced, Jorge Bonifacio, doubled to deep center field, and he then left a 95-mph fastball high in the strike zone, where Eric Hosmer drove it five rows deep into the left-field seats. "Mainly that I missed the pitch. The catcher called inside, and I missed the pitch," the 23-year-old said through an interpreter. "I was a little nervous, I won't lie. I just concentrated on just me and the catcher. I tried not to look around — there were a lot of people. I tried to concentrate on him." Must have worked, because Jorge overcame his mistakes after that. Jorge's night ended with a leadoff single to Lorenzo Cain in the sixth, and Cain eventually scored when Buddy Boshers surrendered a home run to Jorge Soler. But Minnesota's bullpen closed out the Royals, and its offense, led by Sano's long homer, two RBI doubles from Jason Castro, and a career-high five-hit night from Eddie Rosario, provided plenty of support. That offense couldn't score enough to make a winner of Berrios in the first game, though, despite taking leads of 5-1 and 6-5. Once Farrell departed, the Royals bullpen held the Twins to one run, allowing Kansas City to rally. Berrios allowed at least one hit in all five innings he pitched, and three of them were 400-foot-plus blasts. Mike Moustakas smashed his 22nd homer of the season in the fourth, light-hitting shortstop Alcides Escobar added a two-run shot moments later, and Brandon Moss clubbed one 474 feet to right field in the fifth. 20th homer from Miguel Sano helps Twins salvage doubleheader split Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | July 1, 2017 KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A poised Felix Jorge and a rejuvenated Miguel Sano proved quite a Dominican duo for the Twins on Saturday night. Jorge, the 23-year-old rookie right-hander called up from Double-A Chattanooga, shook off Eric Hosmer’s two-run homer in the first to work into the sixth inning and win his big-league debut. Sano launched his 20th homer to key a 10-5 win over the Kansas City Royals and a doubleheader split. “I was a little nervous. I won’t lie,” Jorge said in English. How did he handle those nerves and calm down enough to issue just one walk on an 85-pitch night? “I concentrated on just me and the catcher,” he said through a translator. “I didn’t try to look around. There were a lot of people (32,448). I just tried to concentrate on the catcher and made sure I threw what he wanted. Me and him.” Jorge, as planned, was sent back to Double-A after the game but with the quality of his secondary pitches and the life on his fastball (touching 95 mph and sitting at 92-94 mph) the Twins’ No. 8 prospect showed he belongs on the shortlist for future opportunities. Sano’s massive three-run blast into the Fountain Bar gave him 23 runs batted in against the Royals this year. That’s 39.7 percent of his RBI total

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of 58, which ranks third in the American League. The powerful third baseman became the seventh Twins hitter with 20 homers before the all-star break and the first since Justin Morneau in 2009. Sano, recently recovered from a sinus infection that caused him to lose seven pounds, also homered in the matinee after going deep just three times in his previous 20 games. That wasn’t enough to hold off the Royals, who used a four-homer barrage to wipe out an early four-run deficit in an 11-6 win and temporarily catch the Twins in the standings. “They just kept coming,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “We didn’t have a real good day executing either the plans or pitches we tried to throw.” The Twins are 15-5 when Sano homers. Right-hander Jose Berrios left with a 6-5 lead after five innings and 102 pitches, despite tying a season high with three homers allowed. Mike Moustakas, who also homered on Friday night against Ervin Santana, got things started with a leadoff homer (his 22nd) in the fourth off a hanging changeup. Alicides Escobar added a two-run shot that same inning on another changeup as Berrios, who came in 5-0 with a 2.70 earned run average in day games, began to labor. When Brandon Moss, who hadn’t homered since May 26, took Berrios deep on a full-count fastball with two down in the fifth, the Twins had blown their first of two leads on the day. In 31 innings with Chris Gimenez catching this season, Berrios has allowed all eight of his homers. Berrios, who saw his earned run average spike to 3.44 with a season-high five earned runs, has kept the ball in the park for all 34 1/3 innings he has worked with starting catcher Jason Castro. While Berrios has a 2.36 ERA in five starts with Castro, that mark jumps to 4.65 with Gimenez handling him. “I trust both guys,” Berrios said. “They’re obviously different players, but we’re human. So if our plan doesn’t go some way, we try to find a way where we both can adjust. We’re always on the same page.” Berrios did question himself for not throwing more curveballs on a day when he gave up five of his nine hits with two strikes. “We definitely went more fastball and change,” Berrios said. “I thought I could have thrown my curveball more often. Maybe that’s my fault. But we followed a plan and we just threw those changeups and they went away.” Molitor, who wanted to start Berrios in the early game but needed to rest Castro after playing Friday night, downplayed the catcher disparity for Berrios. “There hasn’t been a huge differential,” Molitor said. “Today was a day where it didn’t go particularly well. We’ve got guys we’re confident they can go back there and give us a good job behind the plate. Some days our pitchers aren’t going to pitch as well as they do other days.” Doubles by Kennys Vargas and Jorge Polanco put the Twins back in front in the sixth, but Salvador Perez’s two-run single keyed a three-run sixth against reliever Tyler Duffey (0-2). Alex Gordon, who entered hitting .193 with three homers, added a three-run blast off newly recalled reliever Ryan Pressly in the seventh. By salvaging the nightcap, the Twins still lead the season series 8-3 and pulled even at 5-5 with one game left on a three-city road trip that had seen them lose five of their last six. Eddie Rosario banged out a career-high five hits and scored three runs as the Twins made the Royals pay for a three-error night. “It’s been a tough little stretch,” Molitor said. “Cleveland seems like a long time ago.”

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Twins prospect Tyler Jay appears headed for season-ending thoracic outlet surgery Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | July 1, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Double-A Chattanooga lefty Tyler Jay, taken sixth overall in the 2015 draft out of Illinois, is being evaluated for thoracic outlet syndrome and is likely headed for season-ending surgery. Jay, 23, is rated the Twins’ No. 5 prospect by both Baseball America and MLB.com despite throwing a total of 16 innings the past two seasons. Signed to a bonus of $3.89 million, Jay made 13 starts with a 2.84 earned-run average at Class A Fort Myers in the first half of 2016, but shoulder weakness after a midseason promotion to Double-A landed him on the disabled list. Tests last summer had ruled out a shoulder injury or TOS. Instead, the diagnosis last August was neuropraxia, which is considered a mild nerve injury, and the decision was made to move Jay to the bullpen full-time this spring. Jay joins the list of TOS cases in the Twins organization. Phil Hughes recently returned in a relief role after a month-long stay on the DL with a recurrence of TOS symptoms. Recently signed right-hander Dillon Gee is pitching at Triple-A Rochester, while journeyman Nick Tepesch, who spent time in May with the Twins, failed to get out of the first inning in a Gulf Coast League outing this week. TWITTER EVIDENCE After replay review failed to restore what he saw as a legitimate home run Friday night, Brian Dozier was heartened a bit by a Twitter message from a Royals fan. Luke Thomas, a student at Missouri State in Springfield, Mo., tagged Dozier in a late-night tweet that read: “Hey, @BrianDozier, you actually did hit a home run tonight. Sry bud.” A yellow smudge can clearly be seen on one side of the ball that Thomas said he caught after it scraped the foul pole. “You always wonder who caught it, who was right there and saw it,” Dozier said. “It was pretty cool. He’s a huge Royals fan but he did say, yeah, it did hit the bottom of the pole and ricochet right to his feet.” The Twins planned to submit video evidence to Major League Baseball of both Dozier’s rare blast down the right-field line (waved foul by first-base umpire Jordan Baker) and Eric Hosmer’s three-run homer to left an inning later. The Twins felt even more confident their video director Sean Harlin had an angle that clearly showed Hosmer’s fly ball wrapped around the left-field foul pole. Twins manager Paul Molitor wondered why foul poles are painted yellow rather than a darker hue that better shows the contrast with a white baseball. “We’ve got to do something about it,” Dozier said. “(MLB) spent all that money last year on enhancing replay and they still can’t get calls right.” STEWART RETURNS Right-hander Kohl Stewart, taken fourth overall by the Twins in the 2013 draft, returned to the mound Thursday at Double-A Chattanooga after missing more than seven weeks with a knee injury. Stewart, 22, gave up an earned run on four hits and a walk in six innings, but he struck out just two. Stewart took the place of fellow righty Felix Jorge, promoted to start Saturday’s doubleheader nightcap as the Twins’ 26th man. JAX PLAN Right-hander Griffin Jax, the Twins’ third-round pick in 2016 out of the Air Force Academy, has been promoted to Class A Cedar Rapids after one start for rookie-level Elizabethton. Jax, 22, has thrown just 13 1/3 pro innings due to his Air Force obligations. The athletic-exemption guidelines for service academy graduates are being altered, which means Jax will have to put baseball aside once again later this summer. Signed to a bonus of $645,600, Jax put in a request to be stationed at an Air Force base in Florida so he could be closer to Fort Myers, but the Twins were still waiting to hear if that would be approved.

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Triple-A outfielder Daniel Palka, out since being hit with a pitch on the right wrist on May 27, still hasn’t been cleared for full baseball activity. Palka was slugging .452 with eight homers in 157 at-bats at the time of his injury. Reliever J.T. Chargois remains on the DL with a stress reaction in his throwing elbow and isn’t close to a return. STILL TALKING The Twins were still trying to sign 11th-round pick Gabriel Rodriguez, a speedy high school outfielder from Puerto Rico, and 16th-round right-hander Cade Smith, a University of Hawaii signee. The deadline for signing this year’s picks is 4 p.m. Central on July 7. Anything over $125,000 counts against the Twins’ total bonus pool of $14.16 million, but they believe they have just enough left to get both players signed. According to MLB.com, the Twins went to $125,000 for just two of their signings after Round 10 so far: 12th-round right-hander Bailey Ober (College of Charleston) and 18th-round center fielder Colton Burns (Cal-Santa Barbara). They had signed 28 draftees in all. Twins surge early, but can't hang on in loss Jeffrey Flanagan and Rhett Bollinger | MLB | July 1, 2017

KANSAS CITY -- Catcher Salvador Perez hit a go-ahead two-run single, Alex Gordon put the game out of reach with a three-run home run and the Royals came back for an 11-6 win over the Twins in a wild, three-hour, 39-minute first game of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals pulled into a second-place tie in the American League Central with the Twins, who have lost five of six on their 11-game road trip. Both teams trail the Indians by two games. Brandon Moss, Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar also homered for the Royals, who at one point trailed 5-1. The Royals' bullpen delivered 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball, with left-hander Mike Minor getting the win. "There were a lot of great at-bats in that game for us," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "The bottom of the order was very productive." Royals starter Luke Farrell, with his father -- Red Sox manager John Farrell -- in the stands watching, made his Major League debut but didn't make it out of the third inning. Farrell lasted 2 2/3 innings and gave up seven hits and five runs. "I'm trying to keep [everything] in perspective right now," Farrell said. "It's a huge day, and it didn't turn out exactly how I wanted to, but in the end we got a win." It wasn't a pleasant afternoon for Twins starter Jose Berrios, either. Berrios labored through five innings and gave up nine hits and five runs. "As a competitor, I feel bad because I don't want to go out there and pitch the way I did," said Berrios, whose ERA jumped from 2.96 to 3.44. "We executed our plan and threw the pitches we wanted, but they're locked in right now." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED A Perez pick-up: Perez's two-run single came in the sixth after back-to-back doubles by Whit Merrifield and Ramon Torres tied the score at 6. But Torres misread a single through the middle by Lorenzo Cain and only advanced to third, which seemed costly when the next hitter, Eric Hosmer, was robbed on a terrific diving stop by second baseman Brian Dozier. Perez then roped a two-run single to left (Cain had stolen second), and the Royals went up for good, 8-6. "In that situation, you're just trying to do whatever you can to help you win," Perez said. "I got a curveball up and was able to get a hit." Chance to break it wide open: The Twins were sitting on a 5-1 lead in the fourth but really had a chance to punch a hole in the game when they loaded the bases with two outs on a hit batter and two walks. But left-hander Scott Alexander came on and induced a ground-ball forceout from Jorge Polanco to end the threat. "A couple more big hits might've made a difference in terms of increasing our cushion," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Jorge later got a big hit that put us out front, but they just kept coming." SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Moss' 474-foot home run in the fifth inning was the longest hit by a Royal since Statcast™ was introduced in 2015. It was also his longest home run since then, the sixth-longest home run in the Majors this season and the longest hit at Kauffman Stadium this year, per Statcast™.

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Twins third baseman Miguel Sano broke the club record for RBIs in a season against the Royals with his third-inning solo home run. It was his 20th RBI vs. Kansas City. Moustakas' home run, his 22nd of the season, tied Jermaine Dye for the most home runs hit by a Royal prior to the All-Star break. It also tied Moustakas' career-high. REPLAY REVIEW The Twins challenged a play in the ninth, when it was ruled that Polanco wasn't hit by a pitch from reliever Neftali Feliz. Polanco went to first, thinking it hit his foot, but after a review, the call on the field stood and the Twins lost the challenge. STRAHM INJURES KNEE Royals left-hander Matt Strahm exited the game in the fourth inning with left knee inflammation, the team announced. He was put on the 10-day disabled list, and right-hander Miguel Almonte was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. "He has got some patellar tendinitis," Yost said. "He has been playing through it a little bit, and it got a little worse out there. It just got sore. He was having trouble pushing off." Miguel Sano muscled up to blast a monster homer to the Fountain Bar at Kauffman Stadium Andrew Mearns and Rhett Bollinger | MLB | July 1, 2017

Thanks to the Twins' day-night doubleheader against the Royals on Saturday, Miguel Sano had already hit one long homer at Kauffman Stadium on the day. Although the Royals won the first game, 11-6, Sano launched a dinger 461 feet off rookie Luke Farrell: That would have been enough for most players, but there was a reason Sano got invited to the 2017 Home Run Derby. During the Twins' 10-5 triumph in the nightcap, it looked like Sano hit one even further than his afternoon blast, reaching elusive territory at Kauffman Stadium -- the Fountain Bar, high up over the distant fountains in left-center field: Royals starter Jason Hammel had fanned Sano earlier in the game, so in the fifth inning, he had a strategy. "The first at-bat, he struck me out and threw a couple breaking balls and struck out me out on a fastball," he said to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. "So I tried to look for a pitch at my knee and hit it hard." Boy, did he. But how far did it go? "I don't know, but far," said Sano about reaching the Fountain Bar. "I saw the ball and I couldn't believe that I could hit the ball that way." Unfortunately, Statcast did not get a measurement on this colossal shot. However, we do know that the homer below by Ryon Healy that landed to the side of the Fountain Bar l ast September traveled 480 feet: Based on the estimate of Healy's homer, Sano's clout certainly topped at least 485 feet. Regardless of the precise distance, it was something to behold. That's Home Run Derby power, plain and simple. Sano continues 2017 dominance vs. Royals Wilson Alexander | MLB | July 1, 2017 The Twins third baseman continued his success against Kansas City in both games of a doubleheader on Saturday, hitting a Statcast-projected 461-foot home run in a Game 1 loss and adding a three-run blast that sparked a Game 2 win. Sano is hitting .395 (17-for-43) against the Royals this season with five home runs and has set a single-season club record for most RBIs in a season vs. Kansas City with 23. Sano started the season by hitting a home run off Royals left-hander Danny Duffy on Opening Day, and he followed that with three RBIs vs. Kansas City in the season's second game. Sano's Game 2 shot on Saturday was his 20th homer of the season. He's the seventh player in Twins history to hit 20 dingers before the All-Star break. "He's big and he's strong, and he has great hand-eye coordination," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "You have to hit your spots [against him]." As Sano stood in the on-deck circle with two outs in the fifth inning of Game 2 with a runner on and the Twins trailing 2-1, Royals right-hander Jason Hammel walked Joe Mauer on four pitches. Before the Sano's at-bat started, Hammel was visited on the mound by Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland and catcher Drew Butera. On the first pitch of Sano's at-bat, Hammel threw a 93-mph fastball down the middle of the plate that he wanted to go down and away. It didn't, and Sano hit the ball deep into the bleachers in left-center field.

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"I saw the ball and I couldn't believe it that I could hit the ball that way," Sano said. After Sunday's series finale, Sano and the Royals won't meet again until Sept. 1, and the Twins and Royals meet seven times in the first 10 days of September. "A lot of players have a team that they hit well against," Sano said. "And I've been hitting good against the Royals. But what I do here, I try to do everywhere." Hip hip, Jorge! Right-hander wins MLB debut Rhett Bollinger | MLB | July 1, 2017

KANSAS CITY -- With the Twins reeling, having lost five of six, including the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, it didn't look good when right-hander Felix Jorge served up a two-run homer to Eric Hosmer in the first inning of his Major League debut. But Jorge, brought up from Double-A Chattanooga in part because the Twins believed the 23-year-old was mentally mature enough to handle the outing, settled down from there, picking up his first Major League win with five-plus innings in a 10-5 victory over the Royals to split the doubleheader. Jorge, the Twins' No. 8 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, was sent back to Double-A after allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk with two strikeouts, but his start and demeanor impressed Twins manager Paul Molitor. "I was proud of how he came back after giving up the home run," Molitor said. "It seemed like the poise factor was good. He threw strikes for the most part and got us in position to win the ballgame." Jorge said he simply shook off the homer from Hosmer, and stuck to his gameplan with catcher Jason Castro. It was a big jump to go from the crowds in the Southern League to 32,448 fans at Kauffman Stadium, but he kept his focus on Castro to stay locked in. "I tried to be normal and not do too much," Jorge said through a translator. "I didn't try to do anything different after the home run. I concentrated on just me and the catcher. I didn't look around." Jorge, who has a 3.26 ERA at Double-A this season, said getting the win helps his confidence moving forward, because he knows his stuff plays in the big leagues. Jorge relied on his four-seam fastball, throwing it 41 times and maxing out at 92.4 mph while mixing in 19 changeups, 13 sliders and six curveballs. "While you're down [in the Minors], you think it's different up here and you don't know how it'll be," Jorge said. "So it helps a lot. It's almost the same thing, but better talent." Jorge was lifted in the sixth after giving up a leadoff single to Lorenzo Cain, who later came around to score on a two-run homer from Jorge Soler. Molitor took him out after 85 pitches, as he felt he had enough in the bullpen to get the final 12 outs. The Twins celebrated Jorge's first win with a special ceremony in the clubhouse after the game, and Molitor said even that didn't seem to affect the stoic Jorge. "He didn't seem overly fazed by getting the first win, getting the first strikeout," Molitor said. "I told him he has to go to Double-A until he hears the phone ring, but he was just calm about the whole thing." Sano's HR, Rosario's 5 hits lead Jorge to win Jeffrey Flanagan and Rhett Bollinger | MLB | July 1, 2017

KANSAS CITY -- Felix Jorge picked up the win in his Major League debut, Miguel Sano continued to torment the Royals with a three-run homer and Eddie Rosario had a career-high five hits to lift the Twins to a 10-5 win over the Royals in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader at Kauffman Stadium. It helped the Twins earn a split after dropping the first game, 11-6. Jorge, called up from Double-A Chattanooga as the Twins' 26th man for the twin bill, gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk with two strikeouts over five-plus innings. He shook off a two-run homer from Eric Hosmer in the first inning and settled down before being removed after allowing a leadoff single to Lorenzo Cain in the sixth. Cain later scored on a two-run homer by Jorge Soler off reliever Buddy Boshers.

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"I was proud of how he came back after giving up the home run [in the first inning]," Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Jorge's outing. "It seemed like the poise factor was good. He threw strikes, for the most part, and got us in position to win the ballgame. It was a good night for a lot of guys offensively. We bounced back to salvage a split and have a chance at a winning road trip tomorrow." But it was Sano who provided the pivotal blast, crushing a three-run shot off Royals starter Jason Hammel in the fourth to give the Twins a 4-2 lead. It was Sano's fifth homer and his 23rd RBI this season against the Royals in 11 games. The 23 RBIs are a club record against Kansas City in a season. "A lot of players have a team that they hit good against, and I've been hitting good against the Royals," Sano said. "But what I do here, I try to do everywhere." Rosario went 5-for-5 with three runs scored and added an RBI single in the ninth, while Twins catcher Jason Castro also had a big night offensively with a pair of RBI doubles. Castro's second double saw two runs score, but he was only credited with one RBI because of an error by Royals right fielder Jorge Bonifacio, who also couldn't come up with two other line drives in the game that landed near his feet. "They were hit hard and you try to hold them to a single instead of a double," Bonifacio said. "It was just kind of inbetween." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Sa-no-doubter: After a visit from Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland, Hammel promptly served up the three-run homer to Sano on a first-pitch fastball over the heart of the plate. The mammoth blast to left-center field reached the Fountain Bar. It was the second homer of the day for Sano, who also crushed a homer in Game 1 that traveled a projected 461 feet, per Statcast™. "I was trying to go down and away with a heater and left it over the middle," Hammel said. "It would have been a good pitch [if I located it] because he was committed to swinging." Costly errors: The Twins might have scored zero runs instead of three in the sixth had the Royals not committed back-to-back errors. With one out and a runner on second, shortstop Alcides Escobar couldn't field a grounder up the middle. The next batter, Castro, doubled on a grounder down the right-field line just past Hosmer at first. Bonifacio struggled to field the ball and two runs scored. Without Escobar's error, the inning could have easily ended with no runs crossing the plate. Escobar would have recorded the second out, and Hosmer would have been playing back at first base instead of holding the runner, putting him in position to field Castro's grounder for the third out. Royals manager Ned Yost did not blame the long day at the park for his defense's miscues. Second baseman Whit Merrifield also booted a grounder in the ninth to let a run in. "We don't play that game," Yost said. "We didn't make the plays. … Just rare hiccups." QUOTABLE "I don't know, but far. I saw the ball and I couldn't believe it that I could hit the ball that way. It was very far." -- Sano, on the distance of his homer, which didn't have Statcast™ data available SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Sano became the seventh Twins player to reach 20 homers before the All-Star break, joining Harmon Killebrew (five times), Bob Allison, Larry Hisle, Kent Hrbek (twice), Torii Hunter and Justin Morneau (three times). REPLAY REVIEW The Twins successfully challenged a play in the second, when Escobar was ruled safe at first on a potential 5-4-3 double play. But after a 37-second review, Escobar was ruled out, and it resulted in an inning-ending double play. WHAT'S NEXT Twins: Left-hander Hector Santiago (4-7, 5.37 ERA) is set to start in the series finale against the Royals on Sunday at 1:15 p.m. CT. Santiago's last start was cut short due to rain, as he gave up two runs in two innings against the Red Sox on Tuesday. Royals: Royals left-hander Travis Wood (1-2, 6.28 ERA) will take the mound for the Royals in the series finale against the Twins on Sunday at 1:15 p.m. Wood will be making his first start as a Royal and his first Major League start since 2015 when he was with the Cubs.

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Felix Jorge wins in MLB debut as Twins split twin billing with Royals 1500 ESPN| July 1, 2017

Making his major league debut, right-handed pitcher Felix Jorge picked up a ‘W’ in Game 2 of the Minnesota Twins’ double-header against the Kansas City Royals at Kaufman Stadium, putting the Twins officially over .500 and two games out of first place at the midway point of the season. Jorge, who was called up from Double-A Chattanooga, pitched five innings, gave up three runs and walked just one en route to his first major league victory, a 10-5 Twins win over the Royals at Kaufman Stadium. The 23-year-old got off to a rough start as the third batter of the game Eric Hosmer hit a two-run home run. Jorge settled down after that, pitching clean innings through five. Manager Paul Molitor elected to put Jorge back on the mound for the sixth, but removed him after giving up a bloop single to Lorenzo Cain. The youngster threw just 88 total pitches. Reliever Buddy Boshers allowed a home run to Jorge Soler, which also scored Cain, the third run charged to Jorge. The Twins’ bats took care of business, putting up four runs in the fifth inning – highlighted by Miguel Sano’s 20th home run of the year – and three more runs in the sixth inning and ninth innings. Catcher Jason Castro and outfielder Max Kepler both finished two doubles. Eddie Rosario went 5-for-5. Brandon Kintzler closed things out, earning the Twins a Saturday split. In Game 1, Jose Berrios had a rare rough outing. He gave up five runs, including three home runs, in five innings while walking two and striking out five batters in Minnesota’s 11-6 loss. The rough outing boosts his ERA this season up to 3.44. Berrios was not tagged with the loss. When the young righty left the game, the score was knotted at five aside, but the bullpen couldn’t hold. Tyler Duffey and Ryan Pressly combined to allow six more runs with the biggest blow coming on a three-run home run by Alex Gordon off Pressly in the seventh. The Twins wrap up their four-game series with the Royals on Sunday with first pitch from Kansas City at 1:05 CT. Felix Jorge dethrones Royals in MLB debut, Twins win 10-5 FOX Sports North| July 1, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Miguel Sano belted a three-run homer, Felix Jorge pitched five-plus solid innings to win his major league debut and the Minnesota Twins held off the Kansas City Royals 10-5 on Saturday night for a split of a doubleheader. Brandon Moss, Alcides Escobar and Alex Gordon, the Royals’ 7-8-9 hitters, went a combined 6-for-12 with three home runs, seven RBIs and scored six runs as the Royals rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Twins 11-6 in the opener. Sano continues to torment the Royals, hitting safely in all 11 games against them this season with five home runs and 24 RBIs. He homered in both games. Eddie Rosario went 5-for-5 and scored three runs in the second game. Rosario’s single scored Kennys Vargas in a three-run ninth. Sano hit a three-run homer in a four-run fifth off Jason Hammel (4-7) to put the Twins up 4-2. Hammel retired 12 of the first 15 batters he faced, but only four of the last 13. He gave up seven runs on nine hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. Minnesota took advantage of two Kansas City errors in the sixth to tack on three more runs. Jason Castro doubled in two runs and scored on a Joe Mauer single. Eddie Rosario went 5-for-5, equaling his career high in hits. The Royals answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Buddy Boshers replaced Jorge, who yielded a single to Lorenzo Cain to begin the inning. Jorge Soler homered with two out with Cain aboard. Brandon Moss and Alcides Escobar hit back-to-back doubles for the other run. Jorge (1-0) was charged with three runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out two. He gave up a two-run Eric Hosmer homer in the first inning.

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In the opener, Mike Moustakas hit his 22nd home run, tying his season high for home runs and matching Jermaine Dye in 2000 for the club record for homers before the All-Star game. Moustakas bats sixth and for the first time in the Royals’ history the 6-7-8-9 batters homered in the same game. TRAINER’S ROOM Royals: LHP Matt Strahm, who was removed in the fourth inning of the first game with a left knee injury, was placed on the disabled list before the second game. “He’s got some patella tendinitis,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s been playing through it a little bit and got a little worse out there, just got sore. He was having trouble pushing off.” FAIR OR FOUL Twins manager Paul Molitor insists Hosmer’s three-run homer Friday for Kansas City was foul. After a 111-second delay for a crew chief review, the call on the field was confirmed. “I would imagine that MLB’s going to look at that, considering the fact that we feel we have video that at least backs up that Hosmer’s being foul,” Molitor said Saturday. “They can use it. When you send a steak back, you’re mad that they did it wrong, but you’re trying to help them get it right in the kitchen. You know what I’m saying? So, they’ll figure it out. It’s not a protest thing. It’s not a rules violation. It’s just an imperfect system.” ROSTER MOVES Twins: RHP Ryan Pressly was recalled from Triple-A Rochester. Rookie RHP Alan Busenitz, who had a 2.08 ERA in six appearances, was sent to the Red Wings. Royals: RHP Seth Maness was designated for assignment to make roster space for Farrell. Maness was 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA in eight relief appearances with Kansas City, but allowed 16 hits, including three homers, in 9 2/3 innings. He had a 9.77 ERA in 15 2/3 innings over 10 games with Triple-A Omaha. The Royals recalled RHP Miguel Almonte from Triple-A Omaha after placing Strahm on the DL. UP NEXT Hector Santiago will be making his second start since coming off the disabled list from a shoulder strain. Royals: LHP Travis Wood makes his first start since Sept. 19, 2015, with the Cubs.