Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Friday, May 5, 2017

Kyle Gibson demoted to Class AAA after Twins clipped by Oakland 8-5. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1 Souhan: Gibson's latest failure again highlights Berrios' importance. Star Tribune (Souhan) p. 2 Miguel Sano's rough day for Twins ends with dramatic poof. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 3 Twins pull Byron Buxton from game following multiple collisions with wall. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 4 Twins-Boston series preview. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 5 What in the world has happened to Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson? Star Tribune (Rand) p. 6 If MLB's Rob Manfred wants to shorten games, Twins are his nemesis. Star Tribune (Rand) p. 6 Brian Murphy: Gibson was on the clock before latest meltdown cost him job in Twins rotation. Pioneer Press (Murphy) p. 7 Twins’ blockbuster ending never materializes in 8-5 loss to A’s. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 8 Twins’ Byron Buxton ‘banged up’ after three outfield collisions Thursday. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 9 Buxton exits game for precautionary reasons. MLB (Bollinger) p. 10 Gibson optioned to Triple-A Rochester. MLB (Bollinger) p. 11 Twins show resiliency, but late rally falls short. MLB (Bollinger & Lee) p. 11 Hughes set to take on Red Sox in opener. MLB (Bollinger) p. 12 Twins turning to Tepesch as fifth starter. MLB (Bollinger) p. 13 Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Green light, last straw for Gibson, Buxton’s misplay and crashes. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 13 Kyle Gibson being sent down is part of Twins’ ongoing rotation shake-up. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 15 Kyle Gibson optioned to the minors, tasked with throwing more strikes. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 17 Radio: Twins CBO Derek Falvey on how he thinks about finding the best pitching. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 18 Byron Buxton leaves Thursday’s game after a hard crash into the wall. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 18 Twins’ Buxton passes initial concussion test after being pulled from game. Associated Press p. 19 A center-field fix for the Nats? It's time to make these trades. ESPN (Shoenfield) p. 19 How the 1st-place Minnesota Twins can stay there. Yahoo! Sports (Brisbee) p. 19 Twins Option Kyle Gibson. MLB Trade Rumors (Adams) p. 21

Kyle Gibson demoted to Class AAA after Twins clipped by Oakland 8-5

Phil Miller | Star Tribune | May 5, 2017

The Twins are utilizing Rochester’s staff on Saturday for a new fifth starter. While they’re at it, they will need a fourth starter, too. Kyle Gibson, a fixture in the Twins rotation since his 2013 debut, pitched four more chaotic innings in a substandard season Thursday and provoked the team into taking action. His next start will be for the Class AAA Red Wings, he learned after an 8-5 loss to Oakland, and a current minor leaguer will take his spot. “It’s not working. [He’s] putting us in a bad spot more times than not,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said after breaking the news to the 29-year-old that he was being optioned out. “I still have faith in him, but we need to give him an opportunity to work things out.” The Twins did that, of course, for the first month of the season, but the righthander’s frequent flops, summed up by his 8.20 ERA, became too much for them to endure. Fired up about a breakthrough year after adopting a new workout program and altering his throwing angle, Gibson was a disappointment from the start, never lasting six innings in any of his six starts, and never giving up fewer than three runs. Thursday, as the Twins tried to solidify their surprising-but-temporary hold on first place in the AL Central, Gibson gave up eight hits and three walks in only four innings, all fraught with A’s threats. While Gibson didn’t give up a home run for the first time all season, three balls ricocheted off outfield walls.

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“It was just too much turmoil,” Molitor said. “Those things aren’t easy to do, to tell a guy you have a lot of respect for, but I think it’s going to be best for him in the long run.” In the short term, though, the Twins will likely call up a reliever Friday for this weekend, especially with Nick Tepesch, who gave up only three runs in three starts for Rochester last month, making his Twins debut on Saturday against Boston. If Tepesch were given another start next week, the Twins wouldn’t need to fill Gibson’s spot in the rotation until May 14. Gibson, meanwhile, will head to upstate New York to work on getting ahead in counts, trusting his sinker and setting up hitters. “I completely understand where they’re coming from. I understand they’ve got to make a change and I’ve got things that I need to work on,” he said. “It’s a whole lot easier to work on those in Triple-A than it is here when you’re trying to win games.” Gibson wasn’t the only Twins pitcher having trouble Thursday, a fact that ultimately cost them their first three-game sweep of the A’s in five years. Tyler Duffey gave up a run on an infield hit, two walks and a sacrifice fly; Craig Breslow gave up a solo home run to Ryon Healy; and Ryan Pressly gave up two runs on Vogt’s bases-loaded double. The Twins countered by continuing their homestand homer habit, blasting three more to give them a total of 10 in the series. Eddie Rosario and Danny Santana cracked solo homers in the second inning, and Eduardo Escobar added a two-run shot in the eigh­­th. The Twins even loaded the bases without a hit in the ninth inning against A’s closer Santiago Casilla, bringing Miguel Sano up with fantasies of his first career walk-off homer animating the announced crowd of 19,247. But Sano took a big cut at a 3-0 pitch and fouled it off, took a weaker one at an inside fastball and fouled it again, then got fooled on a curveball, his check swing enough to ring up his fourth whiff of the game. All the Twins could do was move on, or in Gibson’s case, move out. “I’m not going down for a confidence boost,” Gibson said stoically. “I’ve got things to work on.” Souhan: Gibson's latest failure again highlights Berrios' importance

Jim Souhan | Star Tribune | May 5, 2017

On Opening Day, what you heard at Target Field was that for the Twins to have a chance this season Kyle Gibson would have to produce. On May 4, the Twins decided that for them to have a chance this season Kyle Gibson would have to leave. The same Twins who lost 103 games in 2016 started a game in May 2017 in first place in the American League Central, then watched Gibson deflate a ballpark filled with a nervous form of optimism. Almost eight years after the Twins chose him with a first-round draft pick, Gibson pitched his way back to the minors. He lasted four innings against a bad-hitting team, giving up four earned runs in the Twins’ 8-5 loss to Oakland at Target Field, then was demoted to Class AAA Rochester. In 2016, Gibson greased the Twins’ slide into oblivion. In 2017, he coated their ladder to relevance with WD-40. Since the start of the 2016 season, the Twins’ someday would-be ace has an ERA of 5.55. His ERA this season is 8.20. The confluence of Gibson’s failure and the team’s tentative success is a reminder of the hard work that remains for the new front office. The Twins are taking better at-bats, Miguel Sano looks like a star, Byron Buxton was displaying a pulse before smashing into the center-field fence Thursday and the position players look capable of supporting a winning team. But the pitching staff remains without a young star. Or a young standout. Or a young representative. Gibson is 29, long past such comforting words as “prospect” or “promising.” He has never won more than 13 games. In 104 career starts, he has a 32-42 record with a 4.76 ERA.

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He isn’t going to Rochester to find what he lost. He is going to Rochester to find what he has rarely had. The Twins rotation has improved dramatically this season but remains fragile. Ervin Santana’s dominance might only set him up to be traded. Hector Santiago is 29 and more of a mid-rotation contributor than ace. Phil Hughes is trying to reinvent himself but might not have the stuff to survive repeat matchups with opponents. And Gibson has been one of baseball’s worst starting pitchers for more than a year. More telling than the Twins’ place in the standings is their choice of starters Saturday. They will hand the ball to Nick Tepesch, a 28-year-old with a 4.68 ERA in 223 big-league innings. Twins manager Paul Molitor said the Twins might call up a reliever to temporarily replace Gibson on the roster because the team has a day off Monday, but that doesn’t obscure what Gibson’s demotion means for the organization: Jose Berrios is more important than ever. Molitor also spoke highly of Adalberto Mejia, who impressed this spring and began the season as the Twins’ fifth starter, but Berrios will be the next young pitcher asked to rise to the top of the rotation, and Gibson’s collapse heightens the pressure on him to fulfill his promise. Berrios has a 1.09 ERA at Class AAA Rochester but has failed before to translate minor league success into major league competence. If the Twins are to make this season interesting, Berrios will have to learn to calm his nerves in big-league parks. Gibson was a first-round draft pick. The Twins traded Denard Span to Washington for Alex Meyer, another tall first-round pick with quality stuff unable to get out big-league hitters. Berrios was a first-round pick in 2012. Since then, the Twins have spent first-round picks on two other pitchers, Kohl Stewart and Tyler Jay. Stewart is 0-4 with a 6.05 ERA at Class AA Chattanooga. Jay is in the Chattanooga bullpen and injured. So it came to be that on May the 4th, a day that has become an unofficial Star Wars holiday, the Twins had little choice but to start thinking, “Help us, Jose Berrios. You’re our only hope.” Miguel Sano's rough day for Twins ends with dramatic poof

Phil Miller | Star Tribune | May 5, 2017

Set up for Sano, but ... Miguel Sano has 51 career home runs, but never a walk-off homer. He got his chance on Thursday, with the bases loaded and two outs, and manager Paul Molitor admits the thought occurred to him, too. “In the back of your mind, you’re hoping for the big one,” Molitor said, “but in reality, Im just trying to keep the line moving, give [Kennys] Vargas a shot at a base hit to tie the game.” A’s closer Santiago Casilla didn’t seem to like the matchup, throwing three balls to fall behind in the count. Sano liked his chances of delivering a clutch hit. “If they throw me a fastball down the middle,” Sano said of A’s closer Santiago Casilla. “But they throw me a cutter high, and they never make a mistake in the middle.” Sano swung at a fastball off the plate, fouling it off. “He might have expanded [the strike zone] just a little bit on 3-0, but that’s fine,” Molitor said. “You want him to take a swing.” He swung again on 3-1 at an inside pitch, and fouled it off again. And Casilla’s 3-2 curveball fooled Sano. He checked his swing too late, and struck out for the fourth time on the day. “I had an opportunity to bring some runs to the plate. Obviously I wasn’t able to do that,” Sano said. “But what can you do? He did a good job of throwing pitches.” Sano's suspension hearing today

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Sano’s appeal of his one-game suspension for his actions during a game against the Tigers on April 22 is scheuled for today. Sano was suspended and fined an undisclosed amount when he appeared to throw a punch at Detroit catcher James McCann. Sano has claimed it was a shove. The incident began when Detroit lefthander Matt Boyd threw a pitch behind Sano’s back, and Sano pointed and yelled at Boyd. McCann stepped in to keep Sano from approaching Boyd and his glove hit Sano in the face, leading to Sano’s response. Boyd’s behind-the-back toss came after teammate JaCoby Jones was hit in the mouth by an errant Justin Haley pitch earlier in the game. Molitor expects a quick decision, which could result in Sano missing tonight's opener against Boston if the suspension is upheld.. No need to sprint Danny Santana says he has never hit a home run so far, at any level, in any ballpark. And yet, he knows he’s not really a power hitter, so when he crushed the Jharel Cotton fastball into the upper deck in right center, he ran full speed until nearly reaching second base after the 435-foot blast. “I always run. Always run. I don’t hit them that far,” Santana said after connecting on his 10th career home run, and first in Target Field since Aug. 22, 2014. “But that one, I was waiting for a fastball. I got it.” Speaking of homers The Twins clubbed 10 home runs against the A’s this week, tying the franchise record for a three-game series. The only other time they’ve ever reached double digits was on July 12-14, 2001, at Milwaukee. (The franchise record for homers in a series, by the way, is a whopping 17, in a four-game series Aug. 26-28, 1963 at Washington.) It was a remarkable series, considering that the 10 homers constitute one-third of the Twins’ season total of 30. Byron Buxton, Joe Mauer and Santana all hit their first homers of the year, Brian Dozier had a pair, and Eddie Rosario, Jason Castro, Max Kepler, Kennys Vargas and Sano all connected, too. Next up The Red Sox are here for a three-game series. Byron Buxton will be examined again after leaving Thursday's game following a series of wall collisions. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred will be in town and has a press conference this afternoon before the game. Twins pull Byron Buxton from game following multiple collisions with wall

Phil Miller | Star Tribune | May 5, 2017

How bad did things go for Byron Buxton in center field on Thursday? The uncharacteristic defensive mistake he made in the first inning was only his third-most-painful moment. The other two came on collisions with the padded-but-hardly-painless outfield wall, plays that eventually prompted Twins manager Paul Molitor to pull Buxton from the game for his own good. “He wanted to keep playing,” Molitor said after the Twins saw their four-game winning streak end with an 8-5 loss to the Oakland Athletics. “I just didn’t feel he was quite right.” The Twins, in fact, had Buxton undergo a concussion test, which he passed. He will be evaluated again Friday, but he probably won’t want to remember his adventuresome day. Buxton turned the wrong way at the warning track as he tried to track down Khris Davis’ first-inning fly ball, eventually spinning completely around, lunging for the ball and falling to the ground as it dropped for a run-scoring double. An inning later, Buxton ran headlong into the bullpen door, which gave way from the impact. As Buxton lay on the ground, A’s catcher Stephen

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Vogt raced around the bases for a triple. Buxton saved a couple of runs in the fifth inning, but again at a high price: He slammed into a padded post as he caught Matt Joyce’s warning-track fly ball, and cramped to the ground. He finally shook off the blow, but Molitor had seen enough. “The second one got him a little bit. It dazed him for a minute,” Molitor said. “You start measuring your risk by continuing to have him play.” Why Tepesch? In the past week, Jose Berrios pitched eight shutout innings to lower his ERA at Class AAA Rochester to 1.09, and Adalberto Mejia gave up two hits and no runs over seven innings. Yet Nick Tepesch, who hasn’t pitched in two weeks, will start Saturday’s game for the Twins against the Boston Red Sox. “We’re going with the guy with experience for now,” Molitor said. “It’s going to be a little awkward, having not pitched for a while, but for now, he’s going to get an opportunity.” In fact, the 28-year-old Tepesch is likely to get more than one. “I don’t want to put too much on his performance on that given day,” Molitor said. “I imagine there’s a good chance he’ll get more than one shot, but I’m not going to say that’s an absolute.” Still, there is a strong chance Berrios or Mejia could be in a Twins uniform soon, following Kyle Gibson’s demotion to Class AAA Rochester on Thursday. Molitor is advising caution, though. “We all think [Berrios] can impact this team at some point. It’s just a matter of [deciding] on timing,” he said. And Mejia, sent down after three starts with the Twins? “I really like Mejia. He’s got a pretty good feel for for what he’s doing. He just got a little over-amped up here,” the manager said. Tyler Duffey would like to start again, too, but Molitor admitted the righthander’s success in the bullpen makes that unlikely this year. “I didn’t really envision him settling in the way he has [as a reliever],” Molitor said. “You want to consider the player’s future, too, but for now, it would take some fairly major [change] to get him back to a starter’s job.” Etc. • Ryan Healy bunted for a base hit and blasted a home run Thursday, but he wasn’t around for the end. The A’s third baseman was ejected by umpire Mike Muchlinski for objecting to a called third strike in the eighth. • Eddie Rosario, batting higher than seventh for the first time this year, extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a second-inning home run. Danny Santana also crushed a home run in the inning, a 435-foot blast to right-center that he said was the longest of his career at any level. Twins-Boston series preview

Phil Miller | Star Tribune | May 4, 2017

TWINS VS. BOSTON SERIES PREVIEW THREE-GAME SERIES AT TARGET FIELD Friday, 7:10 p.m. • FSN, 96.3-FM: RHP Phil Hughes (4-1, 5.06 ERA) vs. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-1, 2.70) Saturday, 1:10 p.m. • FSN, 96.3-FM: RHP Nick Tepesch (2017 MLB debut) vs. RHP Rick Porcello (1-4, 4.46) Sunday, 1:10 p.m. • FSN, 96.3-FM: RHP Ervin Santana (5-0, 0.66) vs. LHP Chris Sale (2-2, 1.38) TWINS UPDATE They are 306-304 all-time vs. the Red Sox but have lost the season series in nine of the past 10 seasons. They were 3-4 against Boston last year but were outscored 58-34. … Santana’s 0.66 ERA leads the majors. Sunday’s game will mark the third time in team history, and first since June 2, 1972 (Jim Kaat 1.11 vs. Mickey Lolich 1.85), that two starters with ERAs below 2.00 (minimum five starts) have faced each other in a Twins game. … The Twins bullpen’s 4.04 ERA is a run better than last season’s league-worst mark but nearly twice the Red Sox’s 2.12 ERA. … Closer

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Brandon Kintzler is 7-for-7 in save opportunities and has converted 10 in a row. RED SOX UPDATE Porcello has 18 quality starts (six innings or more, three runs or fewer) in his past 19 games, but Boston has not scored a run while he has been on the mound in his past four starts, all losses. … RF Mookie Betts has struck out only seven times in 103 plate appearances. … Sale leads the majors in strikeouts with 63; no other pitcher has reached 50 yet. Sale has struck out at least 10 in five consecutive starts. … Craig Kimbrel has 10 saves in 11 opportunities and has retired 30 of the past 32 batters he has faced, 19 by strikeout. … 1B Mitch Moreland has 15 extra-base hits, including a major league-best 13 doubles, among his 27 hits this season. … LHP David Price, 3B Pedro Sandoval and OF Brock Holt are on the disabled list, and the Red Sox announced Thursday that RHP Steven Wright needs season-ending knee surgery. The Twins were 5-1 when they came home to play the new Senators at Met Stadium, and they were 9-3 and in first place in the 10-team AL after the games of April 27. What in the world has happened to Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson?

Michael Rand | Star Tribune | May 4, 2017

Kyle Gibson went 13-12 with a 4.47 ERA as a 26-year-old pitcher for the Twins in 2014, then followed that up with an 11-11, 3.84 ERA season at age 27 in 2015. He struck out batters at a higher rate (6.7 compared to 5.4) in 2015 and appeared to be on his way toward settling in as a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher for years to come. In 31 starts since — including an ugly four inning, four run effort Thursday — Gibson has regressed (and that might not be a strong enough word for it). If he was pitching to keep his spot in the rotation after a particularly ugly beginning of the 2017 season, the result says he no longer belongs. So what happened? That’s the hard part. FanGraphs data shows his fastball velocity has been fine this year, right in the 91-92 mph range it was when he was having more success. He’s throwing a few more sliders and curveballs while offering up fewer change-ups this season than in past years, but he’s still throwing 56 percent fastballs. In 2015, that number was 58 percent. So maybe he’s changed his approach some, but not much. The Twins have harped on him to get ahead in the count and to throw quality strikes. Before Thursday’s game, manager Paul Molitor talked about fastball command as an issue for Gibson. He tried a new training regimen this offseason and had a strong spring — giving up just five runs in 28.1 innings. But once the regular season started, the 2016 struggles resumed and then got even worse. It’s puzzling. Maybe the Twins overvalued him a little, but it seemed like the worst-case scenario was that he would become more of a back-end rotation pitcher. Instead, a pitcher who figured to be ascending through these years — he turns 30 in October — has gone from rotation mainstay to giant question mark. If MLB's Rob Manfred wants to shorten games, Twins are his nemesis

Michael Rand | Star Tribune | May 4, 2017

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred will visit Target Field on Friday before the Twins begin a three-game series with the Red Sox. One might imagine he will make some opening comments about the beauty of the ballpark and the Twins’ strong start in 2017. The conversation at some point will almost certainly also turn to one of his chief objectives as commissioner: improving the pace of play in baseball, with one of the results being the shortening of games. What Manfred will encounter with the Twins, though, is a paradox — and maybe even a nemesis. MLB made a concerted effort to tackle length of games in 2015, bringing the average time down to 2 hours, 56 minutes. That number crept back up to 3 hours last season, leading Manfred to seek more changes designed to improve pace of play for 2017. And yes, pace of play and length of games are two different things. But they are also tied together — particularly when talking about initiatives like the automatic intentional walk (instituted for 2017) and discussions of a timed clock between pitches (talked about for the future).

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The average nine-inning Twins game this season has lasted almost 3 hours, 8 minutes. Their 25 games this season have featured exactly six intentional walks (four by Twins pitchers, two for Twins hitters), shaving a handful of seconds off their total. But let’s be clear: intentional walks are about 0.01 percent of baseball’s speed problem. There won’t be any meaningful progress on pace of play and length of games as long as unintentional walks are valued and strikeouts are accepted. Going back to 1988 — the first year data is available — the average plate appearance lasted 3.58 pitches. In 2017 so far, that average is up to 3.88 in 2017. Looked at another way, in 1988 there were an average of 268 pitches thrown per game. Last year, there were 294 per game. Increases in strikeouts have grown dramatically since then as well. The Twins this season are tied for second in MLB in walks at the plate (112). They are seeing 3.96 pitches per plate appearance — above that MLB average of 3.88. Walks have been a key to the Twins’ offense, fueling several big innings. We saw it again Wednesday, when three of the four walks Minnesota took off of A’s starter Kendall Graveman ended up scoring in a 7-4 victory. Graveman threw 94 pitches despite getting knocked out with one out in the fourth inning. It’s a good strategy. But it’s no wonder Twins games are lasting so long and that MLB game times have crept up. Deep counts aren’t the only factor — long commercial breaks and frequent pitching changes/meetings are also culprits — but all those extra pitches add up fast. When it comes to pace of play, Manfred has sought more dramatic changes and sounds frustrated by resistance from players. One of those possible changes involves an alteration of the strike zone. Just know that if on Friday the commissioner lauds the Twins while also wishing for faster games, those things don’t seem compatible in 2017. Brian Murphy: Gibson was on the clock before latest meltdown cost him job in Twins rotation

Brian Murphy | Pioneer Press | May 4, 2017

News of Kyle Gibson’s demotion spread faster Thursday than his 2017 nosedive after the Twins jettisoned the demoralized right-hander in an urgent move the front office had to make. Winless starters with an 8.20 earned-run average following a month’s worth of futility do not get the benefit of the doubt, not with Minnesota relevant after last year’s early checkout and a new regime recalibrating expectations. Gibson was pitching to save his job in the rotation against Oakland on a sun-soaked afternoon at Target Field. That was crystal clear hours before the Twins failed in their quest to sweep the A’s when manager Paul Molitor spoke ominously about the doomsday clock ticking on his spiraling starter. Four labored innings later, Gibson was finished for the day and in the majors for now, having allowed four runs and eight hits after 11 A’s batters reached safely en route to an 8-5 victory. He fell to 0-4 among six straight overall losses and has failed to record a quality start in 22 of his last 30 outings since the start of the 2016 season. Gibson’s bags were packed for Triple-A Rochester before the clubhouse emptied after he learned his fate in a meeting with Molitor, chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine. “It’s not working,” Molitor said. “It’s putting us in a bad spot more times than not. I still have faith in him but we need to give him an opportunity to go work things out. “I think it’s going to be best for him in the long run. We’re kind of re-investing in his future by getting him down there and hopefully he can figure some things out.” With journeyman Nick Tepesch starting Saturday against Boston and another off-day Monday, the Twins do not have to fill Gibson’s spot in the rotation until May 13. Perhaps minor-league phenom Jose Berrios receives his fourth audition after decidedly mixed results during three stints last year on the big-

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league stage. Maybe this humbling is the catalyst Gibson needs to reboot his career. Absorbing the verdict he was irritated, circumspect and determined to get himself right. “I don’t know if I’ve had a more frustrating stretch that I can remember,” he said. “I completely understand where they’re coming from and I’ve got things I’ve got to work on. It’s a whole lot easier to work on things in Triple-A than here where you’re trying to win games.” There was convincing evidence Gibson had the repertoire and makeup to be a reliable mid-rotation starter after he posted a 3.84 ERA in a career-high 194 2/3 innings in 2015. Instead, he has devolved into a latter-day Nick Blackburn, a nibbling right-hander always one productive day on the mound from figuring everything out until the Twins could no longer afford to wait. Whatever his mechanical flaws or waning confidence, the real sin would have been running Gibson out there every fifth day expecting him to flip the script. The Twins were banking on a bounce-back season from Gibson, whose back slide has only accelerated since avoiding arbitration last winter and re-signing for $2.9 million — a 397-percent raise from his $587,500 salary. He came to spring training stronger than ever. An exotic throwing regimen in which he used a heavier 7-ounce ball to pantomime his delivery was designed to keep his shoulder and lower-back healthy after being hampered by injuries to both areas the previous two years. Gibson only allowed five runs in 28 Grapefruit League innings. He insists his arm feels great. But nothing has gone right since he broke camp. Falling behind in the count continues to plague Gibson, whose velocity is fine. His fastball command is a mess. It was telling before Thursday’s game that Molitor referenced how much Falvey values the analytical effectiveness of first-pitch strikes. “Derek has placed a lot of value on 0-0 and 1-1 counts,” the manager said. “I’ve tried to follow up on some of his ideas on that, seeing how it changes results and how dramatically they’re related to a pitcher’s outing. Commanding his fastball has really been a big thing for (Gibson).” Gibson was Minnesota’s first-round draft choice in 2009 out of the University of Missouri and matured into the team’s top pitching prospect despite two operations on his right elbow, including Tommy John surgery in 2011 that stalled his career. He is the only home-grown starter in a rotation of mercenaries. Patient as Falvey and Levine have been with this mostly static roster they are not beholden to the scouting legacy of their successor, Terry Ryan, who championed Gibson’s development and 2014 integration into the rotation. “You’ve got to understand that you’ve got to perform and you’ve got to throw better,” Gibson said. “I’m not just going down there for a confidence boost. I’ve got things to work on and I’m going to get to work.” Twins’ blockbuster ending never materializes in 8-5 loss to A’s

John Shipley | Pioneer Press | May 4, 2017

Miguel Sano had a chance to write a blockbuster ending on May the Fourth Be With You Day. But for the Twins, Thursday’s matinee against the Oakland A’s at Target Field was more “The Empire Strikes Back” than “Star Wars.” Instead of the mighty blow that would bring the Twins back for an unlikely victory, Sano struck out with the bases loaded and the credits rolled on an 8-5 loss for the good guys. “I tried to get a fastball in the middle … but they never made a mistake,” Sano said. With a team-high eight home runs and 27 RBIs, Sano has been Minnesota’s hero during a fine start that had the Twins leading the American League Central at first pitch. But as the designated hitter Thursday, he went 0 for 4 with a walk and four strikeouts. Trailing by three in the ninth, the Twins loaded the bases on walks by pinch-hitter Joe Mauer and leadoff man Brian Dozier and hit batsman Max

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Kepler. Jorge Polanco popped up to center field, leaving Sano to play Luke Skywalker. The casting was perfect. “In the back of my mind,” manager Paul Molitor said, “I was hoping for the big one.” Sano drew a 3-0 count on Oakland A’s before fouling off two fastballs from A’s closer Santiago Casilla. He then tried to check his swing on a changeup but was called out by plate umpire Mike Muchlinski. “It was close,” Sano said. If it wasn’t the perfect ending 19,247 paid were hoping for, it was better than anyone probably expected after the A’s touched up started Kyle Gibson and four relievers for eight runs on 13 hit and seven walks. Only Michael Tonkin, called on with an 8-3 deficit in the eighth, left unscathed. The loss ended a four-game winning streak for Minnesota, which has won its past three series. Gibson (0-4) gave up four earned runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings and was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after the game. The Twins will call up another pitcher before Friday night’s game against the Red Sox at Target Field. Gibson, the Twins’ first-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft, has an 8.20 earned-run average and has given up 39 hits and 13 walks in 26.1 innings pitched. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth by getting two groundouts but didn’t come back out for the fifth. “It was just too much turmoil, if you will,” Molitor said. “I felt like we had to go out to the bullpen.” Jherel Cotton (3-3) escaped early trouble for the victory. He gave up three runs, two earned, on three hits and three walks in six innings. Eddie Rosario and Danny Santana hit solo home runs off Cotton in the second inning, and the Twins pulled within 4-3 in the fourth when center fielder Jaff Decker misplayed Chris Gimenez’s single, allowing Rosario to score from first. But Tyler Duffey gave up a run in a long fifth inning, Craig Breslow surrendered a solo home run to Ryon Healy to start the seventh and Ryan Pressly surrendered a bases-loaded double to Stephen Vogt in the eighth inning. Eduardo Escobar added a two-run homer in the eighth inning to set the stage for the ninth-inning drama. “I had the opportunity to bring some runs to the plate but obviously was unable to do that,” Sano said. “What are you going to do? (Casilla) threw some good pitches.” Twins’ Byron Buxton ‘banged up’ after three outfield collisions Thursday

John Shipley | Pioneer Press | May 4, 2017

Byron Buxton had a rough day in the field Thursday, literally. The Twins center fielder absorbed three collisions and was pulled after the fifth inning in an 8-5 loss to the Oakland A’s at Target Field. “He’s banged up,” manager Paul Molitor said. Buxton was tested for a concussion — initial results were negative — and will be re-evaluated Friday before the Twins start a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox. He was removed after banging his head on a padded pole while catching a long fly in deep center field in the fifth inning. “Three times today he got banged pretty good,” Molitor said. “He was OK to continue; he wanted to play. I just didn’t feel he was quite right. So, we’ll have to see what tomorrow brings with him.” In the first inning, Buxton got turned around on a line drive double by Khris Davis, diving awkwardly into the warning track. In the second, he crashed through the bullpen gate trying to chase down a triple by Stephen Vogt.

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“It’s just one of those things where you start measuring your risk by having him continue to play,” Molitor said. Buxton entered Thursday’s game hitting .296 with a homer, triple and seven runs scored in his previous nine games but was 0 for 2 with a strikeout against A’s starter Jharel Cotton. GAP RELIEVER? The Twins have an opening in their pitching department but aren’t sure yet how they’ll fill it. Kyle Gibson was optioned to Triple-A Rochester immediately Thursday’s game, so the Twins will need another starter for next week’s road trip through Chicago and Cleveland. But with an off day Monday, they might first choose to bring a reliever up Friday to bridge the gap. “That’s probably more likely,” Molitor said. With the off day Monday, and Nick Tepesch set to make his first major league start in nearly a year Saturday against the Red Sox, the Twins could wait until May 13 at the Indians’ Progressive Field before throwing a new starter. Gibson (0-4) was charged with four earned runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings Thursday. His earned-run average rose to 8.20. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning by getting two groundouts but didn’t come back out for the fifth. “It tends to wear on you a little bit,” Gibson, 29, said. “I can think of a few at-bats today where I executed a good pitch and the guy gets a base hit. It’s frustrating and wears on you a little bit.” Adalberto Mejia, who opened the season as the Twins’ fifth starter before being optioned to Rochester, pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up only two hits and a walk, in his first start in Rochester on April 28, and top pitching prospect Jose Berrios is 2-0 with a 1.09 ERA in five starts for the Red Wings. LONG TIME GONE Tepesch hasn’t pitched since giving up one earned run on seven hits and a walk in a Red Wings loss at Gwinnet on April 20. Four days later, he was called up to the parent club and has been idle since. “I feel good and where I need to be, and we’ll see how I pitch in the game,” Tepesch said Thursday. Tepesch, 28, signed a minor league deal with the Twins after being sidelined for most of 2016 by thoracic outlet syndrome in his throwing arm. In three starts at Rochester, he was 1-1 with a 2.00 earned-run average. “We’re playing the game to play at the highest level and compete at the highest level,” he said. “That’s why you keep playing. This is where you want to be and you want to help this team win ballgames and it’s a lot of fun along the way.” BRIEFLY A North St. Paul baseball field renovated by the Twins Community Fund will be dedicated as Jerry Bell Field on Saturday. The field is located near the longtime North St. Paul home of the former Twins president and his wife. Buxton exits game for precautionary reasons

Rhett Bollinger | MLB | May 4, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins center fielder Byron Buxton left Thursday's 8-5 loss to the A's after slamming into the left-center field wall to make a catch to rob Matt Joyce of extra bases in the fifth inning. The Twins announced that Buxton was removed for precautionary reasons. He passed initial concussion protocol and will be re-evaluated on Friday. He also ran hard into the wall trying to make a catch in the second inning on a deep drive from Stephen Vogt as well as getting turned around and making an awkward dive attempt on a double from Khris Davis in the first. "He's banged up," manager Paul Molitor said. "The concussion protocol tests came back relatively clean, but we'll have to probably check again tomorrow. Three times today, he got banged pretty good. He was OK to continue and wanted to keep playing, but I just didn't think he was

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right." With two runners on and two out in the fifth, Joyce hit a deep fly ball to left-center field that Buxton tracked down to make the play before colliding with the wall. "I think the second one got him a little bit," Molitor said of the play. "It dazed him for a minute, but he was able to shake it off. But it's one of those things where you have to measure the risk of letting him continue to play." With Buxton out, Eddie Rosario moved from left field to center to take his place, while Max Kepler entered the game in right with Danny Santana moving over from right to left field. Gibson optioned to Triple-A Rochester

Rhett Bollinger | MLB | May 4, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- After his sixth straight sub-par outing to open the season, the Twins optioned veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson to Triple-A Rochester after Thursday's 8-5 loss to the A's. Gibson lasted four innings, surrendering four runs on eight hits and three walks to fall to 0-4 with an 8.20 ERA. The five-year veteran will head to Triple-A for the first time since 2013. The Twins will make a corresponding roster move before Friday's game, and it's expected to be a reliever in the short-term until they need a fifth starter, which could be as late as May 13 because of Monday's off-day. "It was another relatively rough start," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He had to battle through every inning. It's not working. It's putting us in a bad spot more times than not early in the season. To be honest with you, I still have faith in him but he needs an opportunity to work things out." Gibson took the news in stride, meeting with chief baseball officer Derek Falvey, general manager Thad Levine and Molitor after the game. He was given information on what they want to see from him in Triple-A, and much of it is about commanding his pitches to get into better counts. As a sinkerballer who doesn't strike out many batters, falling behind hitters has been a major reason for his struggles this year. "I don't know that I've had a more frustrating stretch that I can even remember," Gibson said. "I completely understand where they're coming from. I understand they need to make a change and I have things to work on. It's a whole lot easier to work on those at Triple-A than here when you're trying to win games and get big league hitters out." Gibson's struggles come after an impressive Spring Training that saw him post a 1.59 ERA in seven starts, and he also worked to improve his mechanics with a new offseason throwing program. But Gibson said the changes were more related to staying healthy with his back and arm troubles in recent years. "The changes I made in the offseason weren't necessarily trying to make my stuff better, it was about trying to stay healthy," Gibson said. "My arm feels great. As frustrated as I've been with my starts, I don't know in the last two years if I had a stretch of six starts where I felt this good [physically]." Gibson said he plans to look at data, video and pitch sequencing to see why he's been so ineffective to try to get back to his ways in '15, when he had a career-best 3.84 ERA in 32 starts. "I'll go back and look at a lot of it," Gibson said. "It's more than one area when you throw this poorly for six starts. Getting ahead of guys, attacking with two strikes, throwing my pitches in the zone, there are a lot of things." Twins show resiliency, but late rally falls short

Rhett Bollinger & Jane Lee | MLB | May 4, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Right-hander Jharel Cotton struck out a career-high nine batters over six solid innings to help the A's snap a three-game losing streak with an 8-5 win over the Twins on Thursday afternoon at Target Field. Cotton surrendered three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks to improve to 3-3 with a 4.64 ERA. He was hurt by solo homers from Eddie Rosario and Danny Santana in the second, but the run he gave up in the fourth was unearned after an error by Jaff Decker in center. Cotton out-pitched Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson, who continued his early-season struggles and saw Minnesota's win streak snapped at four

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games. Gibson went four innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and three walks. He fell to 0-4 with an 8.20 ERA, and was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after the game. "I don't know that I've had a more frustrating stretch that I can even remember," Gibson said. "I completely understand where they're coming from. I understand they need to make a change and I have things to work on. It's a whole lot easier to work on those at Triple-A than here when you're trying to win games and get big-league hitters out." The A's got out to a lead in the first on an RBI double from Khris Davis, before breaking out for three runs in the second. They tacked on a run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Adam Rosales before Ryon Healy connected on a solo blast in the seventh. Stephen Vogt put the game away with a two-run double in the eighth. "They came back and scored a couple runs, and we kept adding on," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "So all of the things offensively that you want to see, get off to an early lead, keep adding on, grinding your at-bats, we did all of that today." The Twins made it interesting late in the game, as Eduardo Escobar hit a two-run homer in the eighth before they loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against closer Santiago Casilla. But he got Jorge Polanco to fly out to center before striking out Miguel Sano to end the game. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED A's strike first: The A's were helped by a rare misplay from center fielder Byron Buxton, who was turned around twice on a hard-hit liner from Davis. Buxton couldn't make the play, allowing Matt Joyce to score from first. It was Oakland's first lead of the series and their first since Sunday. "We missed a play in the first inning -- we all get that," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "It's not working [for Gibson]. It's putting us in a bad spot more times than not early in the season." Cotton escapes jam: Cotton wasn't helped by his defense in the fourth, when Chris Gimenez ripped a single into center, but it bounced off Decker's knee, allowing Rosario to score from first and Gimenez to reach second. But Cotton escaped any further trouble, striking out Santana and Buxton to end the inning. BUXTON LEAVES WITH INJURY Buxton was removed from the game after making a running catch into the wall in left-center to rob Joyce of extra bases to end the fifth. Buxton exited due to precautionary reasons and passed the initial concussion protocol, but will be re-evaluated on Friday. "He's banged up," Molitor said. "The concussion protocol tests came back relatively clean, but we'll have to probably check again tomorrow. Three times today, he got banged pretty good. He was OK to continue and wanted to keep playing, but I just didn't think he was right." HEALY EJECTED Healy was ejected in the eighth inning by home-plate umpire Mike Muchlinski for arguing balls and strikes, after striking out for the third time on the day -- and the second time looking. WHAT'S NEXT Athletics: The A's return to Oakland on Friday for a six-game homestand, beginning with three against the Tigers. Right-hander Andrew Triggs will be on the mound in Friday's 7:05 p.m. PT opener at the Coliseum, seeking his fifth win. Triggs has yet to allow a run in three starts at night this season, spanning 19 innings. Twins: The Twins begin a three-game series against the Red Sox on Friday night at Target Field. Right-hander Phil Hughes (4-1, 5.06 ERA) is set to start and is plenty familiar with Boston, having pitched with the Yankees from 2007-13. Hughes set to take on Red Sox in opener

Rhett Bollinger | MLB | May 4, 2017

The Twins are off to a surprisingly strong start this season, but will get a test with the Red Sox coming to town for a three-game series that begins Friday night at Target Field. Veteran right-hander Phil Hughes gets the nod for Minnesota and will start opposite Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. Rodriguez could be on the verge of a breakout season, judging by his last two starts, in which he's allowed one earned run over 12 innings. The Red Sox went 4-3 against the Twins last year, including winning two out of three at Target Field.

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Three things to know • Hughes, who pitched with the Yankees from 2007-13, is plenty familiar with Boston, and is 6-9 with a career 5.36 ERA against the Red Sox. He's had trouble against second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who is a career .390/.419/.829 hitter against him, going 16-for-41 with five homers and 15 RBIs. • Lifetime against the Twins, Rodriguez is 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA. But second baseman Brian Dozier has hit him hard, going 4-for-6 with two homers. • Batters have put 21.7 percent of Hughes' pitches in play this season, tied for the 11th-highest rate in the Majors (minimum 300 pitches). They have averaged an exit velocity of 90.5 mph against him, third highest with a minimum of 50 batted balls. Those factors help explain why he has the fourth-highest rate of barrels allowed per plate appearance (10.3 percent). Twins turning to Tepesch as fifth starter

Rhett Bollinger | MLB | May 4, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- After going with four starters since lefty Adalberto Mejia was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on April 22, the Twins will turn to right-hander Nick Tepesch to be their fifth starter against the Red Sox on Saturday. Tepesch pitched well at Triple-A Rochester, posting a 2.00 ERA in three starts, before getting his contract selected by the Twins on April 24. But he hasn't appeared in a game since starting with Rochester on April 20. He threw a simulated game of roughly 30 pitches on Tuesday, and he's expected to be available to throw 75 on Saturday. "We're just kinda going with the guy with experience for now," manager Paul Molitor said. "It's going to be a little awkward just because he hasn't pitched with the drought as long as it's been. For now, he's going to get an opportunity." Tepesch, 28, has a career 4.68 ERA in parts of three seasons with the Rangers and Dodgers, and was signed to a Minor League deal before the season. He beat out Jose Berrios, Tyler Duffey and Mejia to join the rotation, but it could be a short stay. "I don't have anything locked in very far as far as the rotation," Molitor said. "I don't want to put too much on his performance on that given day because we all know the circumstances. I'd imagine there's a good chance he'll get more than one chance, but I can't say that as an absolute." Berrios has been dominant at Triple-A Rochester, posting a 1.09 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 33 innings, but had an 8.02 ERA as a rookie last year, so the Twins want him to continue working on his command. "He understands there's a difference between what he's doing at Rochester and what he needs to do up here," Molitor said. "He's really working hard on those things. I think we all think he can impact this team at some point, but it's just a matter of deciding on timing." Mejia was impressive in his lone start with Rochester on Friday, throwing seven scoreless innings with six strikeouts, but Molitor believes he needs more time at Triple-A. "I think common sense more than anything is that you want him to do that more than once," Molitor said. "I'd just like to see him string a few starts down there. But I really like Mejia, to be honest with you. He's got a pretty good feel for what he's doing, but he got a little over-amped up here." Duffey has posted a 1.35 ERA in 13 1/3 innings in relief, and the fact he hasn't thrown more than 35 pitches in an outing this year worked against him. "I think for now, it would take some fairly major attention to detail to get him back to starting," Molitor said. "Just because he doesn't have the outings that have been very long in terms of number of pitches. But it's not something we've crossed off." Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Green light, last straw for Gibson, Buxton’s misplay and crashes

Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | May 4, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS – The Twins got another short start from Kyle Gibson, and after the game, they decided they’d seen enough from the 29-year-old former first-round draft pick. The Twins optioned Gibson to Triple-A Rochester and will try to re-tool their starting rotation on the fly. Minnesota lost to the A’s, 8-5, and missed a chance at a sweep. This column presents 5 thoughts from Thursday’s game.

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1. Miguel Sano had a chance to win the game in heroic fashion in the bottom of the 9th inning. He didn’t get it done, but Twins GM Thad Levine has said that he views game through the prism of whether or not the team had a chance to win at the end. Through that lens, the Twins passed the test in this loss. After trailing all day, the Twins loaded the bases in the 9th inning, down by 3 runs and facing Santiago Casilla. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases. A blast from Sano — not exactly a far-fetched proposition these days – would have given the Twins a walk-off win. Manager Paul Molitor said he was just hopeful that the chain would keep moving. It looked like Sano smelled blood in the water. He got a 3-0 count as Casilla pitched very carefully to the Twins’ hottest hitter. Sano was given the go-ahead to swing on 3-0 and fouled back a pair of fastballs, before trying in vain to check his swing on a surprise curveball for the third strike to end the game. Sano might have expanded his strike zone on the 3-0 pitch, but if he did, Molitor said he didn’t have a problem with that. It’s clear Sano likes to be at the plate in those situations and he wants to be a hero. It didn’t work out for him Thursday, but you can hardly blaming for wanting to take that gamble. 2. Kyle Gibson’s short start was his last in a Twins uniform for a while. Gibson was optioned to the minors after a game in which he pitched 4 innings and gave up 4 earned runs on 8 hits. They weren’t all his fault Thursday, but his 8.20 ERA, an unexplained inability to connect with the strike zone and a propensity for loud contact got Gibson sent out after 6 starts. “It sucks every time,” Gibson said after getting optioned. “It’s not fun, whether you’re a non-roster invite getting send down in spring training or whether you’re in the middle of the season getting optioned down. Everybody wants to be here and winning big league games, and it stinks every time.” Entering Gibson’s latest rocky start Thursday, the right-hander had walked 9.4% of hitters he’s faced this year. That’s the highest mark of his career, and a sympton of the real underlying problem for Gibson. According to Pitchf/x data, Gibson has thrown a career-low 37.2% of pitches in the strike zone. And his first-strike pitch percentage is by far the lowest of his career, too, at 50.5%. Gibson pointed out that he’s much better when he gets ahead of hitters than when he’s behind. So getting ahead more often – and finding the zone more frequently overall – will be important keys for Gibson to pitch his way back to Minnesota. “We haven’t really gone over the plan yet,” Gibson said. “For me, one thing I want to do is just get ahead of more guys. Even as bad as the numbers have been, I just looked at it and guys are only hitting .250 when I’m ahead in the count. To me, that just says I’ve got to be ahead more. “That means getting strike one, getting strike two as soon as possible, and putting guys away and not letting them work 6-, 7-pitch at-bats and find a way on base,” Gibson said. His demotion is part of an ongoing shake-up, in which the Twins are turning over 40% of their starting rotation, with more roster moves on the horizon. 3. Brian Dozier lined a ball down the third-base line in the 1st inning and tossed his bat to the ground as he sprinted out of the right-handed batter’s box. Except third-base umpire Mark Wegner, who contorted his body to get out of the way of the hot shot, threw his arms up and called the ball foul. It’s a tough angle to see from where I sit in the press box, but Dozier looked furious with the call. It took what looked like a sure double and turned it into a strike. Dozier eventually struck out and the inning fizzled on the Twins. I’m not sure if it was fair or foul, but it looked to me like it could have kicked over the bag. And I’m not saying it would have changed the outcome for the Twins. There’s a big difference between having one out and a nobody on base, though, and having a man standing on second base for Jorge Polanco, Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas to try to drive home.

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The Twins didn’t get a call that looked like it could have gone either way, and it stung them Thursday. 4. Sometimes Byron Buxton robs extra-base hits, and on Thursday, he gave an extra-base hit. Oakland’s slugger Khris Davis launched a ball to the outfield in the 1st inning, and Buxton turned over the wrong shoulder not once but twice on the way to misjudging a ball he should have caught. It landed for a double and Matt Joyce scored from first base to give the A’s a lead they’d never relinquish. Maybe that was just justice being served, since Buxton swiped two would-be hits from Davis in the series already, including a spectacular diving grab Wednesday, which, from the press box, I would have guessed he had about a 5% chance of catching. And if it was anybody else playing center field I would have guessed it was more like 0.5%. His closing speed is something to marvel at. I don’t know exactly what happened in Thursday’s round-about route. But it’s true that all the closing speed in the world can’t always make up for a poorly judged fly ball or a route that includes a spin move. Later, Buxton failed to haul in a catch that landed for a triple. Although on some of the misplays he was contending with the wall, which is no small feat when you get moving as fast as Buxton. 5. Molitor took Buxton out of the game and the Twins say he passed a concussion protocol and will be re-evaluated Friday to ensure nothing’s wrong. Molitor said Buxton took three blows during the game. At least two were with the wall – including the Vogt triple in the 2nd inning that appeared to shake Buxton quite a bit. It was a 5th-inning catch-and-crash that seemed to be the last blow before Buxton was lifted between innings. After some more excellent grabs Wednesday, Molitor described his centerfielder as “fearless, reckless and athletic.” Unfortunately for the Twins, it turns out that “reckless” was fairly prescient on that day. Buxton has had some injury issues dating to his minor league days. Not all of them are because he plays the game full-throttle. I don’t know that I’d want to discourage that all-out mentality on defense if I was the Twins, but I do know that it makes you nervous when you see a guy crashing into walls at those speeds. It’s too early to know if he’ll have to miss any time. If he does, it’s too bad for the Twins. Since a brutal start to the season with a bat in his hands, Buxton had started to come around at the plate. He was making more contact, seemed to do a better job identifying pitches and wasn’t offering at as many bad pitches outside the strike zone. In 7 games leading into Thursday’s contest, Buxton had 6 hits including a triple and a home run in 21 at-bats, to go with 7 walks and only 4 strikeouts. That’s a small sample of plate appearances, of course, but the progress compared with his early-season numbers has been unmistakable. Bonus thought. I felt like this needed to be in the column but couldn’t fit it anywhere else: Danny Santana destroyed a baseball with a left-handed swing. He smoked a ball to center-right-center field and it hit of the facing of the second deck. It was a rocket. And if it hadn’t been for Miguel Sano’s veritable moonshot the night before, I think it might have garnered more attention. I try to make a point of watching a lot of batting practice when the Twins are at Target Field, and I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Santana launch a ball that far. The Twins estimated it traveled 435 feet from home plate. Kyle Gibson being sent down is part of Twins’ ongoing rotation shake-up

Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | May 4, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS – Kyle Gibson struggled his way through 4 innings Thursday, after which the Twins decided they’d seen enough. They optioned Gibson to Triple-A Rochester in hopes he starts throwing more strikes and cuts down on loud contact. That’s just one end of a rotation shakeup that technically was underway even before Gibson was told to pack his bags. The Twins have been rolling with four total starts for a couple weeks because of conveniently timed off days, which allowed them to skip the fifth spot in the rotation for a few turns. Nick Tepesch will start Saturday’s game, the first time since April 22 that the Twins have needed a fifth

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starter in their rotation. Tepesch will likely get more than one start, but no assurances have been made on that front. In the short term, it’s possible the Twins will simply pick a reliever to replace Gibson’s roster spot, seeing as their off days will allow them to get by with four starters for a little while longer. As they decide how to fill out the final two-fifths of their starting rotation, there are a few candidates worth considering: Tepesch, J.O. Berrios, Tyler Duffey, Adalberto Mejia. Tepesch He was signed to a minor league contract this winter, after pitching with Thad Levine’s Texas Rangers. He didn’t make the club out of spring training, but had a few good starts in Triple-A before he got called up. “We can look at off days that are upcoming and things like that,” Molitor said, when asked how long this turn might last for Tepesch. “But I don’t want to put too much on his performance on a given day, because we all know it’s going to be a little different circumstances.” Those circumstances the manager is referring to start with the fact that Tepesch was called up to the big leagues April 24 and has yet to appear in a game. Two weeks off and then asked to start a game, that’s an unusual task for anybody. Tepesch will probably be limited in the number of pitches he’s allowed to throw Saturday, and it could be somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 pitches. If you’re the Twins, you hope that gets you through 5 innings and then hand things over to the bullpen. If it goes well, you’ll probably see Tepesch toe the rubber again, although the Twins are off each of the next two Mondays, which could again allow them to return to a 4-man rotation, if they want to. Berrios The sense I get from around the ballpark is that the Twins want to be patient with Berrios. They want to ensure that his minor league dominance will translate to success in the big leagues. Here’s what assistant GM Rob Antony told Darren Wolfson on ‘The Scoop’ podcast two weeks ago: “Berrios is off to a very good start but I think that’s what we want,” Antony said. “We want him to gain some confidence, be comfortable and really believe in himself the next time he comes up. Hopefully it’s the last time he’s up and down. So we’re going to be patient with him.” “It’s a development thing for him, and we want to make sure more so than in the past when we’ve needed to [call him up] … we didn’t have any better options. And that might not have even been fair to him. But now we have some depth and we have some guys that are doing well, so we can leave him there until we believe he’s ready to be one of our five [starters] and go from there.” Manager Paul Molitor has alluded to the fact that the Twins are keeping their eye on Berrios – and of course they are, given some of his excellent starts early this year – but it’s not clear that a call-up is imminent for the most promising pitcher of this bunch. “To try to discern the perfect time [to call up] a young, talented kid like that. … And he understands that there’s a different between what he needs to do down there to have success in Rochester and here. I think we all think he can impact this team at some point, it’s just a matter of finding the right time,” Molitor said Thursday. Duffey Tyler Duffey has pitched well out of the Twins’ bullpen so far this season, where is fastball-curveball combination can play up, and he doesn’t have to worry about facing most hitters a second time. Where I think that helps Duffey, is he can use his curveball as a knockout punch early and often. As a starter, on the other hand, he might not use it as freely, and would need a more consistent changeup to get by against lefties and righties three times through a lineup. The Twins haven’t eliminated the thought that Duffey could earn his way back into the rotation. But it’s not in the cards right now, at least in part because it would take some time to stretch Duffey back out to a starter’s workload. “I didn’t really envision him settling in to where he has…to a role that’s been valuable [in the bullpen],” Moiltor said. “How you measure that in the short-term picture or long-term picture? We kind of went through that with Trevor May for a couple years, a guy that definitely has the ability to start, but has proven to be an asset out there [in the bullpen]. “You want to consider the player’s future, but I think for now, it would take some fairly major attention to detail to try to get him back into that starting spot because he just hasn’t had outings that have been very long in terms of the number of pitches.”

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Mejia The lefty seems to have the stuff to compete in the big leagues. After three short starts, he was optioned to the minors and told to go work on the things that have made him successful at the lower levels in the past. Count Molitor as one person in Mejia’s corner. He only has 9 1/ 3innings in the big leagues this year, with a 5.79 ERA and 10:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. But in one start in Triple-A Rochester, the big lefty went 7 shutout innings with only 2 hits allowed, six strikeouts and no walks. And yet… “I think common sense, almost more than anything, would be that you’d want him to do that more than once,” Molitor said. “Just to kind of get to where he goes out a few times and starts to understand that the game up here, it’s harder, there’s better players…. It’s just kind of a matter of wanting to see him string multiple starts together.” “I really like Mejia, to be honest with you, he’s got a pretty good feel for what he’s doing, and just got a little over-amped up here,” Molitor said. Gibson And don’t forget about Gibson. He’s clearly not the Twins’ best option right now. But if he goes to Rochester, pounds the strike zone, gets weak contact and ground balls, it’s possible he could work his way back into the mix in a couple of weeks. He hasn’t done much to inspire confidence this season, and I don’t know that he was fully healthy last year when he posted an ERA higher than 5.00. Still, he’s got some experience in the big leagues and could return to the Twins rotation before the summer’s out. Kyle Gibson optioned to the minors, tasked with throwing more strikes

Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | May 4, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — Kyle Gibson has been optioned to Triple-A Rochester, a sign that the Twins patience has run out with a starter who didn’t throw enough strikes or give his team a good enough chance to win the games he started. His replacement on the 25-man roster is not immediately known, but it’s a good bet that in the short term that player will be a reliever. The Twins will start Nick Tepesch on Saturday, and the Twins won’t need to replace Gibson, technically, until the end of next week. So the Twins could call up some bullpen help and then in a week flip another move for an extra starting pitcher. Gibson will go to Triple-A tasked with working out a few problems that led to his rough start to the season. One thing the Twins will ask him to do: Get ahead of more hitters. “We haven’t really gone over the plan yet,” Gibson said, minutes after being informed he would be sent out. “For me, one thing I want to do is just get ahead of more guys. Even as bad as the numbers have been, I just looked at it and guys are only hitting .250 when I’m ahead in the count. To me, that just says I’ve got to be ahead more. “That means getting strike one, getting strike two as soon as possible, and putting guys away and not letting them work 6-, 7-pitch at-bats and find a way on base,” Gibson said. Entering Gibson’s latest rocky start Thursday, the right-hander had walked 9.4% of hitters he’s faced this year. That’s the highest mark of his career, and a sympton of the real underlying problem for Gibson. According to Pitchf/x data, Gibson has thrown a career-low 37.2% of pitches in the strike zone. And his first-strike pitch percentage is by far the lowest of his career, too, at 50.5%. Gibson pointed out that he’s much better when he gets ahead of hitters than when he’s behind, and while that seems fairly intuitive, there’s clearly a difference between knowing and doing. That issue, along with being bitten by the home run bug, have Gibson headed to the minors. Gibson pitched 4 innings Thursday against the A’s, and he allowed 4 earned runs on 8 hits in an 8-5 Twins loss. The Twins have won two of Gibson’s six starts, but that’s only a little consolation considering his 8.20 ERA.

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“It’s not working, it’s putting us in a bad spot more times than not here early in the season,” manager Paul Molitor said Thursday. “To be honest with you, I still have faith in him, but we need to go give him an opportunity to go work things out.” “You can’t continually count on your bullpen to pick you up, and then it leaves you a little bit depleted. Those things aren’t easy to do, to tell a guy you have a lot of respect for [that he’s been sent down], but we’re re-investing into his future, getting back down there and hopefully he can figure some things out.” Radio: Twins CBO Derek Falvey on how he thinks about finding the best pitching

Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | May 4, 2017

Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey came to Minnesota from an organization that did well developing pitchers: the Cleveland Indians. How can he bring those same transformative abilities to a Minnesota organization that needs to improve its pitching from top to bottom? He joined the Mackey & Judd show on Thursday to talk about that process. “We’ve talked before abou the blend of the art and science of this,” Falvey said. “And we have systems — whether it’s using TrackMan information, Pitchf/x information — to identify some of those unique characteristics. But then layering in the art part of this, which is our scouts getting to know the player. “In that minor league affiliate, talking to the strength coaches, finding out from the broadcasters in that A-ball affiliate, ‘How does this guy go about his work?’ We’re trying to unearth every bit bit and piece of information that will help us make a decision about that player.” And he also touched on how Miguel Sano has been a pleasant surprise defensively at third base. Byron Buxton leaves Thursday’s game after a hard crash into the wall

Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | May 4, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — Byron Buxton made a diving catch in Wednesday night’s Twins game and Paul Molitor characterized the speedy center fielder as “fearless, reckless and athletic.” It turns out that “reckless” might have been a prescient description. Buxton had to be removed from Thursday’s game after twice crashing into the outfield wall. He passed an initial concussion test, according to the Twins, and will be re-evaluated Friday. He hit the wall hard twice while trying to make highlight-reel catches, and it may have cost him. Buxton was lifted from Thursday’s game in the 6th inning after he appeared to be shaken by a catch to end the 5th inning. In the 2nd inning, Stephen Vogt smacked a ball to left-center field and Buxton tried to haul it in, but he missed and crashed into the padded swinging door that leads to the Twins bullpen, knocking the door open and Buxton to the ground. He needed a moment to collect himself. He stayed in the game, but appeared to be a little shaken up. Later, Buxton ranged back to make a leaping catch against Matt Joyce, and while he caught it to end the 5th inning, he smacked the wall so hard that his hat pop off after the catch. When the Twins trotted out for the 6th inning, Eddie Rosario slid from left field to center field to replace Buxton. And Max Kepler, who started the day on the bench, took over the extra spot in the outfield.

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Twins’ Buxton passes initial concussion test after being pulled from game

Associated Press | FOX Sports | May 4, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton was pulled from the game on Thursday against Oakland after running into the wall while tracking down a flyball in the fifth inning. The Twins say he was pulled for precautionary reasons and passed all the initial concussion tests. He will be evaluated again on Friday before the Twins start a series against Boston. With two outs in the fifth, Matt Joyce sent a drive to deep left-center field. Buxton raced to make the catch, but slammed into the wall so hard that his hat fell off. He bent over for a few moments before trotting back to the dugout, and did not return to the game. A center-field fix for the Nats? It's time to make these trades

David Shoenfield| ESPN | May 4, 2017

The following is taken from the article… Minnesota Twins trade Ervin Santana to the Colorado Rockies Look, I don't like to advocate a trade when a team is over .500, but I'm not sure the Twins are this good. Maybe they are. I hope they are. But there are times when you should sell high and now is that time. Santana is 5-0 with a 0.66 ERA and a .120 average allowed. Not to rain on his parade, but he didn't suddenly turn into the most unhittable pitcher of all time. So the rebuilding Twins should cash in and obtain younger parts that fit their long-term plans. So, the Rockies? Yes, time for the Rockies to make a splash. You know they're going to need rotation depth at some point, especially with Tyler Anderson struggling and German Marquez perhaps not quite ready for the majors, and Santana comes with the bonus of being signed through 2019 at reasonable rates ($13.5 million, $13.5 million, $14 million team option). The Rockies have what the Twins need: pitching prospects with strikeout potential. There's Riley Pint, last year's No. 1 pick, but he's a million miles from the majors at this point, so you'd be looking at Marquez, Jeff Hoffman or Ryan Castellani as the centerpiece of a deal. How the 1st-place Minnesota Twins can stay there

Grant Brisbee | Yahoo! Sports| May 4, 2017

The original headline was going to read “I’m writing about the Twins to check them off my list and feel better when I’m not writing about them in August.” It would have been a cheeky, disrespectful headline. But honest. If the Twins are within three games of first place at the end of August, I will write fan fiction about Joe Mauer’s twins being rivals with Buster Posey’s twins at summer basketball camp, only to realize they have lots in common, which helps them band together against a common enemy, Mr. McGarnle, the mean-spirited counselor from across the lake. Which is to say, I probably won’t be writing about the Twins much in August. Or twins. But what if, though? What if? The Twins have a share of first place right now, and it’s rude not to pay attention to them. As such, it’s helpful to look at how the Twins could stay in first place. Dream big, it’s May. We’re all friends, here, and there are no wrong answers. What would a first-place Twins team look like? Something like this ... Miguel Sano would be a young Miguel Cabrera This one is happening. It’s not that Sano is crushing the ball, which he is. It’s not that he’s hitting for a high average, which he is. It’s that he’s terrifying the rest of the league so much that he’s walking every fifth plate appearance, while showing the discipline to crush whatever does float through the zone. He’s leveled up, and he’s just 24. Not only is he raking, though, but the anecdotal and empirical evidence is suggesting that he might stick at third base after all. The success of the Twins’ season doesn’t have to measured by a postseason berth. If Sano can turn into the kind of franchise player the Twins can plop down at third base for the next decade, it will be one of their best seasons out of the last five, regardless of how many they win. Byron Buxton would be a young Kevin Pillar

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That’s not an idle comparison. The only difference is that when Pillar was 24, he hit .206 with a million strikeouts, and no one was breathlessly complaining about him being a flop, which is what people like to do with the 23-year-old Buxton. Yes, it’s been a rough start to the season, but let me just put on my cherry-picking gloves and ... ... oh, heck yeah, .296/.441/.481 in his last nine games, with a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Looks like he’s leveled up, too ... Sure, that’s optimism that’s based in sample-size dust, and it’s probably a little premature, maybe by a year or two or three, and it’s possible that he’ll eventually befriend Joe Borchard on the Island of Misfit Tools. But if the Twins are still in the hunt after the trade deadline, it’s probably because Buxton is hitting just enough to let him transcend the glove-only label. He had a 91 OPS+ last year, so he’s almost there already. He’ll still strike out more than a third of the time, but there’s a way for Buxton to be better than last year, when he was still valuable. If the Twins want to stick around, they’ll need him. Someone, anyone, will have to pitch better behind Ervin Santana and Hector Santiago You don’t need 500 words on why Ervin Santana won’t finish 25-0 with a 0.66 ERA. You know there’s regression coming and that it won’t bring orange slices and Capri Suns. At the same time, it’s probably time to admit that Santana is really good at his job and has been for years. I laughed at the contract, which means he gets to laugh at me now. Behind Santana is Hector Santiago, who was acquired when the Angels asked themselves, “Is there any way to turn this starting pitcher into someone less reliable, older and more expensive?” which is a classic thought exercise throughout baseball history. He’s been fine this year, just like he’s been for most of his career. In reality, both pitchers should be traded at the deadline, with Santana bringing back some sweet prospects. But if the Twins are contending in July, these two pitchers will be continuing their strong start. They’ll need help. Because every other pitcher behind them has been dreadful. Phil Hughes hasn’t been good for over two years now, and Kyle Gibson is looking as lost as he was last season. Adalberto Mejia, the rookie acquired for Eduardo Nuñez, scuffled early and was optioned back to Triple-A. So if not those pitchers, then who? Jose Berrios is dominating Triple-A, and it’s something of a stunner that he’s not up already. That’s one. Tyler Duffey is thriving in a relief role, and the Twins might not want to mess with him. Nick Turley was such a good prospect that I didn’t even realize he was in the Giants’ organization in 2015, but he’s doing something weird in Double-A, with 36 strikeouts in 20⅓ innings, so he might have been bitten by Rich Hill under a full moon. Or maybe Mejia figures it out and contributes when he comes back up. The particular names don’t matter. But if the Twins are going to contend, they’ll need Santana and Santiago to keep on keepin’ on, and they’ll need at least two more reasonable pitchers behind them. Berrios looks like he could be one of them. Finding the other complements in the rotation hasn’t been the Twins’ specialty over the last couple years. No time like the present. Et cetera In which the players you’re less familiar with become players you’re more familiar with. Max Kepler wasn’t one of the 1,521 players drafted in 2009, but he came out of nowhere to become a top-100 prospect before the 2016 season, and then he held his head above water in the majors. He’s looking like a modern-day David DeJesus right now, and Only 2000s Kids Will Understand How Exciting That Is. If he keeps it up, and a dozen other things go right, the Twins have a shot. Robbie Grossman is doing what he did last year, and he’s doing it just a little more convincingly, with more walks than strikeouts. Eduardo Escobar is floating around, taking over the Nuñez role and doing even better than he did in 2014 and 2015. He’ll need to keep doing that. I’m not as worried about Brian Dozier, who will at the very least be quietly excellent. At the very most, he’ll be obnoxiously excellent. Hrm, it seems as if the bullpen is currently scary as all hell, but we’re out of time! And the more and more I look at the Twins, the more I think about Santana and Santiago being quality pitchers with one of the best pitching prospects in baseball behind them, with Sano breaking out and Kepler continuing to progress, with Buxton still having the world’s greatest building blocks for continued baseball success, with players like

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Dozier, who can be a star, and players Grossman and Escobar, who have each contributed something over the last couple seasons. We don’t even have to engage in fanboy speculation, like my secret hopes that Mauer will undergo a zimmermanectomy during the season and become an MVP candidate a gain. So while I won’t start the summer camp YA novel yet, I’ll at least jot down some notes. I think Mr. McGarnle should be a very tall, slender man, don’t you? I originally envisioned him as a short, squat fellow with more hair on his face than the top of his head, but ... Twins Option Kyle Gibson

Steve Adams | MLB Trade Rumors | May 4, 2017

The Twins announced after Thursday’s game that right-hander Kyle Gibson has been optioned to Triple-A Rochester. A corresponding 25-man move will be announced tomorrow. On the one hand, it’s not much of a surprise that the 29-year-old Gibson has lost his rotation spot after a dismal start to the season. However, it’s also not all that common to see a player with three-plus years of service time and a $2.9MM salary optioned to Triple-A. (In that sense, the situation is similar to the demotion of Wily Peralta in Milwaukee last season.) While Minnesota could’ve experimented with Gibson in the bullpen, they’ll instead allow him to try to sort out whatever is plaguing him in the minors. Shoulder issues torpedoed Gibson’s 2016 season with the Twins (5.07 ERA, 6.4 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 in 147 1/3 innings), but despite the fact that he’s now seemingly healthy, the former first-round pick has turned in an even worse performance in 2017. After being tagged for four runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings today, Gibson’s ERA sits at 8.20. He’s averaged just 5.5 K/9 against 4.4 BB/9, and his once-excellent ground-ball rate has dipped from roughly 54 percent to 47.4 percent. It’s not yet clear how Minnesota will fill Gibson’s spot in the rotation. The Twins have already optioned fifth starter Adalberto Mejia to Triple-A and selected the contract of righty Nick Tepesch to assume that spot in the rotation. Candidates to fill Gibson’s spot would presumably include Tyler Duffey (though he’s thrived in a multi-inning relief role thus far), top prospect Jose Berrios (who is dominating in Triple-A but was shelled in the Majors last year) and the aforementioned Mejia. From a service time vantage point, Gibson’s demotion will only cost him in the long run if it proves to be a lengthy stay in Triple-A. He’s projected to reach free agency upon completion of the 2019 season as things stand at present, and that would only be delayed by a year in the event that he spends 67 or more days in the minors. For the Twins, getting Gibson back on track would be a critical boost to what has been a surprisingly strong season thus far. Minnesota currently has a 14-12 record and a +12 run differential that ranks eighth among Major League teams. If Gibson were to return to the form he showed in 2015, when he tossed 194 2/3 innings of 3.84 ERA ball (with 6.7 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 53.4 percent ground-ball rate), it’d go a long way toward solidifying the rotation. And even if the team were to begin trending in the other direction, a healthy and effective Gibson could certainly draw some interest at the non-waiver trade deadline for teams looking to round out the back of their rotations.