Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Postgame: Rallying from defeat, Miguel Sano on the bases, Terry Ryan at the deadline. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 1

Reusse: Minnesota was a good fit for Bernie Allen of the '65 Twins. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 2

Ballhawks know secrets to snagging fouls, homers and freebies. Star Tribune (Hyber) p. 3

Twins pitchers get ahead in count but struggle to close deal. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 5

Twins swept by the Pirates, leaving behind a big mess. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 6

Twins: Byron Buxton might not return to roster until September. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 7

Struggling Twins know they need to make a deal, and soon. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 7

Twins’ ugly stretch gets uglier in loss to Pirates. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 9

Mariners, Twins to begin four-game set in Minnesota. MLB.com (Helfand) p. 10

Twins recall Polanco with Plouffe on paternity list. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 10

Molitor: Big move not 'necessity' before Deadline. MLB.com (Helfand) p. 11

Miscues aplenty sting Twins in finale vs. Bucs. MLB.com (Helfand) p. 11

Petition started to put Killebrew on US stamp. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 12

Early lead fizzles as Twins drop fourth straight. MLB.com (Bollinger & Singer) p. 12

MLB trade deadline: Twins would trade from active roster in right deal. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 13

Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Messy baseball, Hicks up, Plouffe gone. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 14

Twins hurt themselves in 10-4 loss to wrap up Pirates sweep. Associated Press p. 15

Minnesota Timberwolves' Tyus Jones will throw (another) first pitch at Minnesota Twins game. Fox Sports p. 17

Postgame: Rallying from defeat, Miguel Sano on the bases, Terry Ryan at the deadline

La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | July 29, 2015

Here are three quick thoughts following the Twins loss to Pittsburgh:

NO SIGNS OF PANIC: These Twins have been good about shaking off losses. Now they have lost four straight - at home. They are 3-8 since the All-Star break. Their pitchers are struggling to put hitters away when ahead in the count. Eddie Rosario was awful in the field today, and Miguel Sano was awful on the bases. They have a lot to bounce back from. "I'm not seeing a lot of pressing,'' Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Each day we have been able to come out. The games have gotten off to a decent start for the most part and have been deteriorating late. So we're going to talk about that individually or maybe as a group about how we're handling the situations we're in.''

SANO ON THE BASEPATHS: The Twins' slugger had two RBI hits on Wednesday - and was thrown out each time trying to be greedy. Those were outs the Twins could have used. I found one other time he was thrown out in a similar situation earlier this month. Molitor admitted it is time for a talk. "When the run is insignificant you have to downshift your game and understand that you're not that significant to the outcome unless we put something else together,'' Molitor said.

RYAN WATCH: Twins General Manager Terry Ryan has his top scouts in town so they can discuss trade proposals prior to Friday's non-waiver trade deadline. The Twins definitely are looking for bullpen help and could also look for help at other positions. While he talked about the depth

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he has on the major league roster - compared to recent seasons - he also expressed how he would like to provide Molitor with more talent. "As you go through it. Are you going to be able to get there with what you got?'' Ryan said. "I could say we could, but I also would say that it would be nice if we could supplement this thing.'' I know the Twins have showed interest in Braves reliever Jim Johnson, and I'm pretty sure they have asked about the Padres relievers, starting with Joaquin Benoit. If they really want a reliever, they should be able to make a deal. But I'm not expecting any blockbusters.

Reusse: Minnesota was a good fit for Bernie Allen of the ’65 Twins

Patrick Reusse | Star Tribune | July 30, 2015

The Gophers won a battle of unbeatens with Iowa, 27-10, on Nov. 5, 1960, at Memorial Stadium and moved to No. 1 in the national wire service polls. One week later, a Purdue team with a 2-4-1 record came to Minneapolis and upset the Gophers 23-14.

Bernie Allen was the quarterback on that Purdue team. He also kicked a crucial field goal, punted and played in the secondary.

The visitors had arrived for the game in three DC-3s that were part of the Purdue fleet. On the way home, there was a mechanical fire in the plane on which Allen was traveling and the plane made an emergency landing in Madison, Wis.

Was there any thought that sabotage had taken place by unhappy Gophers followers?

Allen laughed and said: “Actually, when I was walking to a team bus after the game, a group of Minnesota fans came up to me and said, ‘We’re disappointed that the Gophers lost, but you and your teammates played better than we did today. You deserved to win. Congratulations.’

“I thought, ‘I’ve never seen fans like this.’

“That was one reason I signed with the Twins. I remembered the Gophers fans and felt Minnesota was a place that I could be comfortable.”

Allen was an outstanding shortstop for Purdue as well as the football quarterback. There was not yet a baseball draft and teams bid for players with signing bonuses. The “bonus baby” rule causing high bonus players to spend their first two seasons in the major leagues was no longer in effect in 1961.

“I could have been the first bonus baby for the New York Mets,” Allen said. “They offered me $100,000 — twice as much as the Twins — but I was a quiet kid then and New York scared the hell out of me.”

Allen took owner Calvin Griffith’s $50,000 bonus and played 80 games that summer for Charlotte, a farm club in the Class A Sally League.

It was the Twins’ first season in Minnesota and second base was a trouble spot. The Twins started with Billy Gardner, tried Ted Lepcio and on June 1, they sent utility infielder Billy Consolo to the Milwaukee Braves for Billy Martin.

A half-dozen years later, Griffith famously ordered manager Sam Mele to start the season with Rod Carew, a player with little minor league experience, to open the 1967 season at second base.

The situation with Allen in 1962 can be looked at as a precursor to the Carew situation. Allen came to spring training in Orlando and displayed the young man’s skills that Martin had long ago lost. Martin was released and Allen was named as the starter right before the opener.

A lefthanded hitter, Allen played in 159 games, batted .269 with 12 home runs and 64 RBI, and received one of the 20 votes (there were only first-place votes) for Rookie of the Year in the American League.

Allen, now 76 and living in Carmel, Ind., will be among the 20 players expected to participate in this weekend’s 50th anniversary celebration at Target Field for the Twins’ 1965 World Series team.

Allen was part of that team as it developed into an American League champion, but one play changed him from Zoilo Versalles’ regular double-play partner and put him on the fringe of the ’65 club.

On June 13, 1964, the Twins were playing the Senators in Washington. “I was covering second and stretching out for a throw from Zoilo, like a first baseman, to get a forceout,’’ Allen said. “My left knee was exposed and Don Zimmer came into me with a rolling block.”

Dirty play?

“I might be looked at that way today,” Allen said. “Back then, it’s the way you played.”

Every ligament in Allen’s left knee was torn. He actually came back on Aug. 4 and hobbled around trying to play for a month.

“I went to Dr. [Donald] Lannin from the Vikings and he wouldn’t operate,” Allen said. “He said there was no way I would play again.

“I heard about a doctor in Oklahoma, Don O’Donoghue, and he used me for an experiment.

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“He took my hamstring, moved it down by my knee, wound it through my knee and said, ‘There’s a 50-50 chance you’ll be able to play some sports again. But there’s a zero chance you’ll play baseball.’

“I played nine more years. When I tell other doctors that Dr. O’Donoghue did my knee, they will say, ‘The Guru. He was the guru of knee surgery.’ “

Griffith thought the radical knee surgery was hocus-pocus and didn’t want to pay the $2,000 for the surgery.

“He had to pay, though, so he just cut my salary by $2,000 for the 1965 season,’’ Allen said. “I liked everything about Minnesota except Calvin. In fact, he’s the reason I was a player representative later in my career. I was there for Marvin Miller’s first union meeting.”

Sweet revenge on Calvin, being one of Marvin’s guys.

Allen’s balky knee allowed him to play only 15 games for the Twins (and 41 for Class AAA Denver) in 1965. He was traded after the 1966 season along with Camilo Pascual to Washington for reliever Ron Kline.

“Those were my friends — the guys I played with — and it was great to see them in the World Series,” Allen said. “It will be a good weekend.”

Footnote: The 1960 Gophers closed with a drubbing of Wisconsin, No. 1 Missouri was upset by Kansas and, in the final wire service polls released then at the end of the regular season, Minnesota was declared the national champion.

Ballhawks know secrets to snagging fouls, homers and freebies

Josh Hyber | Star Tribune | July 30, 2015

About an hour before the gates at Target Field open to season-ticket holders, a 31-year-old man wearing a Kirby Puckett throwback jersey peers through the bars of Gate 34.

Tony Voda stands on a ledge and gazes into the empty stadium. Is the cage set up for batting practice?

About 30 minutes later, another fan rushes over. Wearing a Joe Nathan T-shirt and beige Rawlings glove, Mateo Fischer gathers with Voda and other early-arriving fans.

Voda and Fischer are part of a niche group of baseball fans known as ballhawks, fans who attend games not only to enjoy the action, but to accumulate as many baseballs as possible. Critics argue — especially in the wake of accomplished ballhawk Zack Hample snagging Alex Rodriguez’s 3,000th hit and then holding onto it until the Yankees agreed to contribute $150,000 to a children’s baseball charity — that ballhawks are too old to wear gloves to games and risk knocking down children while chasing balls.

Ballhawks respond that they’re the game’s most loyal fans, spending the most time at the ballpark and actually paying attention to the field.

“It’s really a way to make baseball come alive,” Fischer says. “For me, it went from a love of baseball to a love of collecting baseballs. It’s about finding a new and unique way to touch the game.”

Fischer sits on a total of 844 baseballs, a collection that includes mostly batting practice toss-ups and home runs, but also a Trevor Plouffe game-tying ninth-inning home run in 2012 and another Plouffe ninth-inning home run on Jackie Robinson Day in 2014. Voda, whose résumé includes 468 snagged baseballs, caught Kennys Vargas’ first career home run.

On this warm Monday evening in June, a handful of ballhawks gather outside Target Field, an “at best, average” park for ball hawking, according to regulars. The friendly banter turns to the topic of tracking homers in right field, and words like parabola and circumference are thrown around like high school geometry class.

Secrets to snagging

For Voda, a yearning for snagging a baseball unofficially started when he was 5 or 6 and attended games with his father at the Metrodome.

“That kind of just brewed in the back of my mind until I was 25,” said Voda, who works in health insurance and has a degree in finance. “There’s not really another sport where you can go home with a piece of the game, especially on a consistent basis.”

Though snagging between the six or seven regulars — and youth teams and children in their parents’ arms — is competitive, it’s friendly competition. When the gates open for season-ticket holders, Voda lets Fischer use a perk Twins season-ticket holders have that allows them to bring another fan in with them.

Immediately, Fischer and Voda race to right field seats. Voda takes the corner spot, a ballhawk term for a seat in the front row at the end of a section where there’s nothing to one side. Within seconds, he out reaches another fan for a toss-up from Twins catcher Chris Herrmann.

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That other fan is 12-year-old Nate Duppler, an up-and-coming ballhawk who started the hobby because of jealousy he felt when his brother got a foul ball given to him by an usher. Duppler has 70 lifetime baseballs, with his personal-best 10 coming on July 7.

“Every ballhawk who is just beginning dreams of getting double digits in a game,” Duppler said. “I’m the perfect age for ball hawking. I’m still young enough to get players to throw me a lot of baseballs, and I am athletic enough to run after balls.”

At 5:30 p.m., when all other fans are allowed to enter, three teenage ballhawks enter Gate 3 with gloves on their hands, flinging drawstring backpacks over their shoulders. By then, Fischer is in the second deck in right field — “Less crowded, less competition,” he says — and gets his eighth ball of the day handed to him by an usher.

Haters gonna hate

Fischer eventually heads to left field, where he says the bleachers are too steep — “Like a hike in the Himalayas” — but manages to catch several home runs on the fly. On the run to left, Fischer throws on a black shirt and White Sox hat. Players are more likely to toss baseballs to their so-called “fans,” he says.

It’s one of the many tricks Fischer learned from Hample, and one “haters” say proves ballhawks aren’t true fans.

Voda groups “haters” into three categories: outsiders who don’t attend games and just have a perception of ballhawks pushing people over; the average fan who may have a negative perception but also sees ballhawks as people doing something they enjoy; and players who don’t care either way.

“There’s obviously a negative perception of ballhawks, and the unfortunate truth is that there are ballhawks that perpetuate the stereotype of the kid pushers or being unfriendly,” Fischer said. “But there are a ton of great ballhawks that try and do their part in remedying this image of the ballhawk.”

Around 5:50 p.m., Fischer heads back to left field and in a 16-minute span gets four more toss-ups.

With Spanish-speaking players, Fischer calls out, “Dame la pelota, por favor,” and explains that asking for a ball in a player’s native language makes requests more personal.

At one point, Fischer asks a little girl standing with her family if she’s gotten a ball. When she says no, he reaches out and puts a ball in her glove. It’s the first of a few baseballs Fischer gives out that night.

Getting an edge

In his most-involved season, Fischer attended 64 games and spent an average of six hours in ballparks on game day. Paul Kom, an occasional Target Field ballhawk who attended the White Sox game, travels an hour and a half from Rochester.

“We are intense consumers of the product,” says Fischer, a sports management student at the University of Minnesota.

Fischer knows the game. He preaches sabermetrics. He knows, on average, a home run is hit every 10-15 at-bats. He also mentions Anthony Swarzak, a former Twins player who was a reliable source for getting toss-ups.

“Younger players, they are really good for toss-ups if you know their names,” Fischer said. “And that’s a general rule of ball hawking. If a player is unknown, and you know their name, that is a sure ticket to getting a baseball.”

And don’t tell a ballhawk that catching a home run or foul ball is pure luck. Ballhawks sit on aisle seats, maximizing their vertical space to move for a hit ball.

There are multiple websites with spray charts detailing where home runs land. Many ballhawks have blogs that give tips on how to snag at every stadium. There’s also an iPhone app called IdealSeat that lets fans buy the best-available seats for catching foul balls.

Two weeks after the White Sox game, Fischer was back in left field sitting on an aisle in the fourth row of section 129 with the intent of catching Miguel Sano’s first-career home run. In the first inning, Sano roped a shot almost directly at him, but it was caught by another fan five feet to Fischer’s left.

But it’s OK. There are more baseballs to be snagged.

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Twins pitchers get ahead in count but struggle to close deal

La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | July 30, 2015

It happened during both games of the series with the Pirates. A Twins pitcher would get two strikes on a hitter but fail to put him away.

On Wednesday, Ervin Santana was ahead 0-2 on Starling Marte with two outs in the fifth, but Marte hit a single to right. Santana got ahead 1-2 on Andrew McCutchen, couldn’t put him away and gave up a two-run homer.

They were among many plays that hurt the Twins in their 10-4 loss Wednesday.

Twins manager Paul Molitor said Pittsburgh hitters were able to lay off Santana’s sliders just off the plate. But it’s reminding the Twins of a trend of failing to put away hitters who are down 0-2 or 1-2 in the count.

Opponents were batting .161 against Twins pitchers on an 0-2 count entering play Wednesday, which was 14th in baseball. But their 58 hits allowed on 0-2 pitches were eighth-highest and their seven home runs were second-most.

The Twins don’t have a staff of power arms; they have to execute their pitches. While some of the numbers might not look that bad, the Twins have seen enough hitters get off the hook against pitchers for Molitor and pitching coach Neil Allen to address it.

“It’s a concern,” Molitor said. “Neil had a talk with the staff about doing a better job when we are ahead, particularly 0-2. We saw a couple 0-2 hits [Tuesday] that preceded a big inning.”

For the most part, the Twins staff, particularly the rotation, has been effective this season. But it could be more productive.

“You’re not going to execute every pitch perfectly,” Molitor said. “Obviously, when you are ahead and have a little bit of an advantage you try to use it, but it is an imperfect thing.

“We’ve shown over the course of 100 games that we’re OK with how we pitch. When you start to lose, those things start to jump out at you a little.”

Paternity replacement

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe left the team after Tuesday’s game to be with his wife, Olivia, for the birth of the couple’s first child. Players who leave on paternity leave can be away from the team for up to three days. The Twins weren’t sure how much time Plouffe will need.

To replace Plouffe on the roster, infielder Jorge Polanco was recalled from Class AAA Rochester, where he was batting .284 through 22 games. He began the season at Class AA Chattanooga, where he hit .301 in 67 games, but it was during that time he was called up to the Twins for a day, on June 10, when they were shorthanded.

Polanco is still trying to prove to the organization that he can stick as a shortstop. “His offense is ahead of his defense,” Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said. “But I think he’s getting better.”

This is why it’s important to keep searching for shortstop prospects. Plouffe, Michael Cuddyer and Brian Dozier all were shortstops who thrived at other positions. But if Polanco can prove he can handle shortstop, the Twins could have offense at a premium position.

“The bat plays up here,” Ryan said. “If you’re going to hit, we are going to find a spot for you.”

Etc.

• Byron Buxton will take batting practice with the team before Thursday’s game, his first such involvement since he sprained his left thumb on June 24 against the White Sox. The Twins hope to send him to Fort Myers, Fla., for rehab work.

• Wolves rookie guard and Apple Valley product Tyus Jones will throw out the first pitch before Thursday’s game.

• Fox Sports North will now televise the Twins-Rangers game on Aug. 13 and the Twins-White Sox game on Sept. 3. Both are noon games that originally weren’t on the TV schedule.

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Twins swept by the Pirates, leaving behind a big mess

La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | July 30, 2015

Major League Baseball is willing to look into pushing back the trade deadline so teams can have more time to evaluate their rosters.

If this year’s deadline was later in the summer, the Twins might suddenly be sellers instead of buyers.

They currently hold one of the two wild-card spots in the American League, but that hold has become tenuous. Wednesday afternoon’s 10-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Target Field was a doozy, featuring poor defense and baserunning.

“Things just aren’t going our way,” outfielder Aaron Hicks said. “One big hit after another. We’re trying to stop it and it hasn’t been happening. And errors aren’t helping, either.”

They sizzled into the All-Star break with a deep starting rotation, functional bullpen and enough offense to string together victories. Since the break they are 3-8. They have been outscored 63-41, a minus-22 run differential.

Seven times since the break, the Twins have given up at least four runs in an inning.

These are not traits of a playoff team. They are representative of the previous four seasons of 90-loss baseball.

“You can look at a lot of areas that need improvement with the way we have been playing,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “Starting probably with managing and coaching. When you look around and we’re making mistakes defensively and on the bases, little things you’d like to clean up, I don’t think we have played a clean game for a while.”

Their three errors Wednesday tied a season high.

Twins righthander Ervin Santana, whose scoreless streak of 16 ⅔ innings ended, failed to catch a throw from Joe Mauer while covering first base.

That was only a warmup for the sixth inning.

With two on, two outs and the Pirates ahead, Andrew McCutchen lined a single to right field that Eddie Rosario allowed to skip by him and roll to the wall.

“Rosario got caught in between on McCutchen’s ball and the ball scooted by him. Maybe partially concert-related, but I’m not sure,” said Molitor, alluding to parts of the field that had to be replaced because of a concert held before the homestand.

Two runs scored, and McCutchen headed for third. Rosario’s throw got by Eduardo Nunez and rolled into foul territory behind third base. Nunez turned and went for the ball, only to crash into McCutchen, who had rounded third.

Both men fell. McCutchen jogged home as the ball rolled into the Pirates dugout because the Twins didn’t back up the play.

Rosario and Nunez were charged with errors.

Santana (2-1) gave up six earned runs, eight hits and four walks over 5 ⅔ innings. His five Twins starts have consisted of three outstanding outings and two wrecks.

The Twins could not hit their way back into the game against former teammate Francisco Liriano and the Pirates bullpen. Liriano (7-6) gave up two earned and 10 hits over 5 ⅔ innings, with no walks and four strikeouts.

Hicks was the best thing going for the Twins on Wednesday, going 3-for-5 and driving in a run.

Miguel Sano was 2-for-5 with two RBI but was thrown out at first base in the third inning when he overran the bag following an RBI single. He made the final out of the game the same way, when he hit an RBI double, then was thrown out while thinking about third.

It was a fitting end.

The Twins have a chance to reach the postseason for the first time since 2010. General Manager Terry Ryan and his staff are working the phones, trying to find, at least, bullpen help. Five teams are within 3 ½ games of the Twins in the wild-card standings — with the Twins falling back to the pack.

They are turning back the clock to 2014.

“The games have gotten off to a decent start, for the most part, and have been deteriorating late,” Molitor said. “So we’re going to talk about that individually or maybe as a group about how we’re handling the situations we’re in.”

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Twins: Byron Buxton might not return to roster until September

John Shipley | Pioneer Press | July 29, 2015

Byron Buxton will take batting practice on the field before Thursday night's game against the Seattle Mariners at Target Field, but baseball's top prospect isn't close to returning to the Twins' lineup. In fact, it's looking more as if the center fielder is on pace to be a call-up when the rosters are expanded on Sept. 1.

If he's healthy.

"This isn't a week down the road," general manager Terry Ryan said Wednesday. "This is some time down the road."

Out since spraining his left thumb on a head-first slide on June 23, Buxton played in only 11 major league games after being called up from Class AA Chattanooga on June 14. He hit .189 with a .231 on-base percentage but was good in the outfield and wowed many with his speed. He will see live pitching Thursday for the first time in more than a month.

"That's the first piece," Ryan said.

But before Buxton goes on a rehab assignment, the Twins plan to send him to the team's training facility in Fort Myers, Fla., for simulated games.

"That's the second piece," Ryan said. "The third would be a rehab (assignment). So we're talking about some time here before he's ready to come back here and compete at the major league level."

Also in Buxton's path: Aaron Hicks, the Twins' previous center fielder of the future who is hitting .323 with seven extra-base hits and 14 RBIs since returning from a forearm injury on July 3.

"Hicks is doing a good job here; that's encouraging," Ryan said. "So we may have a good problem on our hands.”

With Hicks, Eddie Rosario and Torii Hunter starting in the outfield, and Shane Robinson on the bench, finding room for Buxton would be difficult, especially with Miguel Sano producing as the designated hitter. He's hitting .286 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 18 games.

"We've got a DH for now," Molitor said. "It would be kind of tough to rotate those five."

BRIEFLY

Timberwolves first-round draft pick Tyus Jones of Apple Valley will throw out the first pitch before Thursday's game against the Mariners. ... FSN has picked up and will televise two Thursday noon starts: Aug. 13 against the Rangers and Sept. 3 against the White Sox.

Struggling Twins know they need to make a deal, and soon

John Shipley | Pioneer Press | July 29, 2015

The Twins signed veteran outfielder Torii Hunter over the winter to mentor a talented but young team as a clubhouse leader. It was a smart -- if expensive -- move that has helped push Minnesota into playoff contention with August on the doorstep.

With baseball's non-waiver trade deadline set to expire at 3 p.m. Friday, Hunter wasn't shy about a little advice for the front office. Asked if he's hoping for a deal to improve Minnesota's postseason chances, the $10 million right fielder said, "Yeah, I am. I'm hoping something happens this week."

"It has to," he quickly added, "because if nothing happens, it's kind of like, 'What are we doing? Is there any faith in us?' "

General manager Terry Ryan is on the same page. The Twins started Wednesday two games ahead of Baltimore for the American League's second wild card spot, worth a one-game playoff for the right to advance to the division series.

But after an ugly 10-4 loss to the National League wild-card-leading Pittsburgh Pirates, the Twins have lost four straight and 8 of 10.

"We're struggling. We've had a difficult 10 days here," Ryan said. "We've had about three of these games that looked like they could have gone our way; unfortunately, they didn't. That's why we're talking about it.

"So, are you going to be able to get there with what we've got? I would say we could. But I also would say it would be nice if we could supplement this thing."

A paid crowd of 37,273 was on hand for Wednesday's noon start, a good indication that Twins fans are on the bandwagon for a team that hasn't

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been to the playoffs -- and has lost at least 92 games each season -- since winning the AL Central in 2010. Last season, the Royals and Giants advanced to the World Series after winning one-game playoffs.

"Do we have enough to get to the World Series and all that kind of stuff after we qualify?" Ryan said. "Man, I'd like to have the opportunity to answer that. Getting there is the most important thing."

The Twins started Wednesday eight games behind first-place Kansas City.

"Catching the Royals is going to be a difficult chore; they're off and running," he said. But, he added, that won't influence how hard he works for a deal that can help Minnesota.

Teams can acquire postseason-eligible players through Aug. 31, but after Friday, they'll all have to pass through waivers, meaning any team behind them in the standings could kill the trade with a waiver claim.

Hunter said the tension has been palpable during a four-game skid, the team's first at Target Field this season.

"The last couple of games, we've been playing like we've been on our toes," he said.

With major league depth provided by rookies, such as Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano, and a well-stocked minor league system, Ryan has options. He said he's not averse to trading a major league regular but added he's uncomfortable breaking in rookies in the heat of a pennant race.

"That's dangerous," he said.

But the Twins might not need much to fortify what has been a surprising lineup. The starting rotation is solid top to bottom, and even though starting pitcher Ervin Santana will be ineligible for the postseason because of his steroids suspension, there are options at Triple-A Rochester. Aaron Hicks' resurgence in center field has filled a crucial hole, as has Sano's early success as designated hitter.

The Twins' biggest deficits are at shortstop, where they have the majors' third-worst fielding percentage (.956), and in the bullpen, where they have struggled to find a setup man since departed right-hander Jared Burton pitched 135 innings with a 3.02 earned-run average in 2012-13.

Catcher Kurt Suzuki has taken a step back, as well, since making the all-star team in 2014 and signing a two-year extension. Twins catchers are hitting a combined .217, sixth-worst in the majors, and their .299 slugging percentage ranks 28th of 30 teams.

"We got this far with the group of guys we have in here, so there's no reason to think we can't keep going in the direction we've gone," all-star closer Glen Perkins said. "But you gain strengths and weaknesses throughout the season; guys underperform, guys overperform. So when a team puts themselves into position to be in it at the end, you'd like to see them address weaknesses."

That's easier said than done, of course. Starting shortstops, for instance, don't grow on trees, and Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki already has been dealt to Toronto. The Twins would like a power arm to set up Perkins, but will a franchise that has consistently declined to trade prospects for short-term help let one go here? Outfielder Oswaldo Arcia seems to be the only expendable top-shelf chip.

The Twins find themselves in a difficult spot; they have some assets and a postseason shot, but will sellers think enough of what Ryan is willing to sell for a short-term goal?

"I guess I'll let you know in about two days," Ryan said. "I'm not sure I can answer that for a couple days. There are things we would certainly like to accomplish here in the next couple days. So I'll let you know how they go. You're going to be able to tell me."

TWINS' TRADE TALK

SHORTSTOP

The problem: The Twins have used four players at short, primarily second-year man Danny Santana, whose hitting has been poor (.219) with fielding to match (.946) in 64 games there. Combined, they have only 19 errors, third-best in the majors, but their fielding percentage is .956 and they have a combined 82 strikeouts against 12 walks.

The solution: With Troy Tulowitzki (Toronto) and Ben Zobrist (Kansas City) already dealt, a trade seems unlikely, and the next in-house candidate is Jorge Polanco, who is 22 and still learning the position. Eduardo Escobar (.970 in 20 games) is the best fielder.

CATCHER

The problem: Kurt Suzuki was expected to be solid, offensively and defensively, after signing a one-year extension last July. But after making the all-star team with a career year, he has regressed. Backups Eric Fryer and Chris Herrmann have shown they're capable of starting. Combined, the crew is a rally-killer, batting .217, .285 and .299, respectively, with a combined 33 RBIs in 100 games.

The solution: The Twins were close to signing A.J. Pierzynski last winter; he's hitting .283 with six homers and 30 RBIs in 69 games with a bad Atlanta team.

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SETUP MAN

The problem: The Twins haven't had a consistent set-up man since Jared Burton came out of nowhere in 2012 and pitched two solid seasons. Casey Fien had his moments last season but has struggled this year, 2-4 with a 4.60 ERA. Blaine Boyer started hot, but since mid-June has surrendered 12 hits in 9.3 innings pitched.

The solution: There are arms available, including Cincinnati flame-thrower Aroldis Chapman. But the Twins already have a hard-throwing closer. Could they get sidewinder Brad Ziegler (1.22 ERA, 25 hits in 44.1 innings) from Arizona? If not, hard-throwing but enigmatic Alex Meyer, recently converted to a reliever at Rochester, might be an option.

Twins’ ugly stretch gets uglier in loss to Pirates

John Shipley | Pioneer Press | July 29, 2015

It's been a bad couple of weeks since the all-star break for the Minnesota Twins, but perhaps they bottomed out in the sixth inning of a 10-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday at Target Field.

The loss was the Twins' fourth in a row and eighth in 11 games since the July 13-16 break.

"You can look at a lot of areas where we need to improve the way we've been playing," manager Paul Molitor said. "I don't think we've played a clean game for a while."

The Twins committed three errors Wednesday as the Pirates completed a two-game sweep that ended interleague play for Minnesota; the Twins were 8-12 against National League clubs. Starter Ervin Santana (2-1) gave up eight runs, six earned, on eight hits and four walks in six innings.

"I had a couple of good innings," Santana said, "but I made a couple of bad pitches at the wrong time."

Most notably to Pirates all-star outfielder Andrew McCutchen, who hit a 1-2 slider more than 400 feet into the left-field bleachers for a two-run home run that tied the game 3-3 in the fifth inning.

Even more problematic was his sixth-inning single, a solid-but-playable liner into left field with two on. Eddie Rosario over-ran the play, and the ball bounced all the way to the wall for a two-base error that allowed two runs to break open the game. McCutchen streaked to third, where Eduardo Nunez let Brian Dozier's relay through his legs.

That sent McCutchen home, but he was bulldozed by Nunez, who was chasing the errant ball to the wall. McCutchen was awarded home on an obstruction call -- scoring on his own single to end a five-run inning.

"Sucks they gave it a single," McCutchen said. "I wish I would've got a triple and an error, but oh well, I'll take it."

It was the cold, ugly heart of an ugly game for the Twins, who watched a 3-1 lead slip away to former teammate Francisco Liriano (7-6), who gave up 10 hits but walked none and fanned four in 5 2/3 innings.

Santana was charged with an error when he failed to catch an easy force throw from Joe Mauer in the third, and Nunez was charged with an error for missing Dozier's relay. In addition, Miguel Sano was caught twice on the base paths after hits, and Shane Robinson was nearly caught after rounding third base too hot.

"Errors are going to happen throughout the year, and you just hope it doesn't go into anything else," said center fielder Aaron Hicks, who was 3 for 5 to lift his batting average to .288. "Nobody's trying to have base-running errors, and make errors, and it all just happened in one game. All you can do is try your best not to do it."

The Twins have lost four straight at Target Field, where they're 34-20, for the first time this season with Seattle coming Thursday for a four-game series.

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Mariners, Twins to begin four-game set in Minnesota

Betsy Helfand | MLB.com | July 29, 2015

J.A. Happ and Phil Hughes will square off as the Mariners and Twins begin a four-game series on Thursday at Target Field. Happ lasted just 1 2/3 innings in his last start on Saturday before getting the early hook, which enabled manager Lloyd McClendon to use him in relief just two days later. The left-hander threw 15 pitches during a scoreless inning on Tuesday.

Hughes, meanwhile, is unbeaten over his past eight starts, but he has allowed 21 home runs this season. He didn't allow one in his last outing for the first time since June 3. In late April, Hughes threw eight innings of two-run ball against Seattle but took the loss. In his career, he is 6-4 with a 3.08 ERA in 10 starts against the Mariners.

Three things to know about this game

• Seattle entered Wednesday with four players sporting hitting streaks of at least seven games: Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager and Mike Zunino.

• Minnesota called up prospect Jorge Polanco prior to Wednesday's game after sending third baseman Trevor Plouffe to the paternity list. Polanco, who could see playing time Thursday or Friday, was up earlier this year when Eddie Rosario went on the paternity list.

• The Mariners are no stranger to Hughes. Both Seager and Dustin Ackley are hitting .313 off him in 16 at-bats, and Seth Smith is batting .357 in 14 at-bats against the righty.

Twins recall Polanco with Plouffe on paternity list

Rhett Bollinger | Pioneer Press | July 29, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Shortstop Jorge Polanco officially joined the Twins on Wednesday, as third baseman Trevor Plouffe was placed on the paternity list. Plouffe and his wife, Olivia, were expecting their first child on Wednesday.

Polanco, ranked as the No. 89 overall prospect by MLBPipeline.com, was called up from Triple-A Rochester and went 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter in the Twins' 10-4 loss to the Pirates. Twins manager Paul Molitor said it's still too early to say when Plouffe will return -- he can be away from the team for a minimum of one day and a maximum of three days -- and that it's not set in stone that Polanco will be the one optioned once Plouffe returns.

"It's hard to say how's it going to play out," Molitor said. "If Trevor misses three games, [Polanco] could get a chance to play a couple. But I'm not sure if that'll give us enough information to decide how we want to go forward heading into Saturday. But it's something that needs to be discussed how we go forward. Instead of three guys [who can play shortstop], we're working with four. So something will happen. Whether it's Polanco going back or we make another move, I can't really tell you right now."

With Polanco recalled, the Twins have four shortstops on the roster, along with Danny Santana, Escobar and Nunez. But Santana has been struggling and hasn't started at shortstop since Saturday.

Polanco, 22, hit .284/.309/.352 with six doubles, six RBIs and a stolen base in 22 games for Triple-A Rochester. The switch-hitter also batted .301/.347/.409 with four homers, 14 doubles and 14 stolen bases in 67 games with Double-A Chattanooga. But his defense is still a work in progress, as he's committed 24 errors in 83 games this season.

Polanco, though, has fared well in two short stints with the Twins over the last two years, hitting .333 with a double, a triple and three walks in six career games, which has impressed Molitor.

"I think it kind of affirmed everything we know about him," Molitor said. "He takes very competitive at-bats from both sides of the plate. He's an exciting player. He's developing power. Defensively, he's gotten a little bit better at slowing it down. It can be a little fast for him at times."

Molitor also added that fellow top prospect Miguel Sano is healthy enough that he could see action at third base in Plouffe's absence. Sano has been dealing with a sprained right ankle.

"He's OK, I think, to play third," Molitor said. "I was concerned a little last night on his infield single, when he passed the base and kind of limped back. But he gave me the OK when I yelled out to him and then he ran fine on the stolen-base attempt where he ended up scoring. So I think defensively he'd be OK, so I'm going to try to get him in the field in the next couple days."

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Molitor: Big move not ‘necessity’ before Deadline

Betsy Helfand | MLB.com | July 29, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Written off before the season by many, the Twins have played themselves into a position to be buyers as Friday's 3 p.m. CT non-waiver Trade Deadline approaches.

While the Twins, who hold the second American League Wild Card spot, hope to improve before the Deadline, manager Paul Molitor said he doesn't feel a big move is a "necessity."

"You kind of continue to do what you've been doing with that all going on in the periphery. You kind of have gotten to this point of the season juggling the people that you have," Molitor said. "There's been some people coming up and down. You've changed the roster at times. It's a little bit different looking at the team than we saw coming out of Spring Training, obviously, so if pieces get added or they don't, it's just kind of that same process, just involving a different way to get it done."

All around them, teams have made splashy moves. The division-leading Royals have filled needs, adding Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist. The Astros, who currently hold the first Wild Card spot, have added Scott Kazmir, and the Blue Jays, who trailed the Twins by three games entering Wednesday's play, added shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

Twins general manager Terry Ryan has said he doesn't react too much to what other teams are doing, though it catches the eye. But the Twins had lost seven of their last 10 entering Wednesday. Additions, including bullpen reinforcements, could certainly help.

"We're struggling. We've had a difficult 10 days here. We've had about three of these games that looked like could have gone our way. They didn't, unfortunately," Ryan said. "So as you go through it, are you going to be able to get there with what you've got? I would say we could [get to the postseason], but I also would say it would be nice if we could supplement this thing."

Ryan said he wouldn't be against trading somebody on the active roster, though there haven't been rumors about any one player in particular. And even if the Twins don't make a big move akin to their competitors, they still think they're in decent shape.

"We've been holding it down for these last three months," right fielder Torii Hunter said. "So if nothing happens, I think we can kind of hold it down from here, but it's always good to get a nice push."

Miscues aplenty sting Twins in finale vs. Bucs

Betsy Helfand | MLB.com | July 29, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- After smacking a hit to right field, Miguel Sano rounded second, overrunning the base by just a couple of steps. He was tagged out, ending a mistake-filled game in a fitting way as the Twins fell to the Pirates, 10-4, on Wednesday afternoon at Target Field.

Perhaps starter Ervin Santana summed it up best after the game.

"Today was tough. Tough outing for me, tough defense," Santana said. "Everything was tough today."

Santana made an error of his own, missing a catch in the third inning for the first of three Twins errors.

"There's no way to coach it," center fielder Aaron Hicks said. "Errors are going to happen throughout the year. You just hope it doesn't add into anything else."

But the Twins weren't so lucky with their subsequent errors. The dagger came in the sixth inning, when the Bucs scored five runs, three of which came on a two-error play.

Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen, who had sent his 14th home run of the season into the stands to tie the game an inning before, followed that up with a Little League home run on a play where pretty much nothing went right for Minnesota.

With two on and two out, McCutchen lined a single into right field that skipped past Twins right fielder Eddie Rosario. Rosario then threw it to second baseman Brian Dozier, whose relay went through third baseman Eduardo Nunez's legs. Nunez, in an attempt to corral the ball, collided with McCutchen, who was then awarded home. Both Rosario and Nunez were given errors.

On top of that, Sano got caught in a rundown between first and second, and left fielder Shane Robinson found himself in a rundown of his own, though he eventually got back to third base safely.

"Nobody's trying to have baserunning errors or make errors. It just happened today," Hicks said. "It just happened all in one game. All you can

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do is try your best not to do it."

With the loss, Minnesota fell to 2-8 in its past 10 games, and the club has dropped four straight. Though the Twins are still clinging to the second American League Wild Card spot, they will need to be better moving forward to maintain their positioning.

"You look around and we're making mistakes defensively and on the bases and little things that you'd like to clean up. I don't think we've played a clean game for a while," manager Paul Molitor said. "You're going to make some mistakes, and we learn from that. We just try to address those things the best we can when they happen. And when we practice, we try to address them, but it hasn't been showing up in the game very much as of late."

Petition started to put Killebrew on US stamp

Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | July 29, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Harmon Killebrew has been honored with numerous accolades after his illustrious playing career -- including being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Minnesota Twins' Hall of Fame in 2000 -- but he could see his likeness on a U.S. postage stamp.

Killebrew, who died in 2011 after a battle with esophageal cancer, has been nominated to be featured on a commemorative postage stamp. Fans can sign the petition urging the United States Postal Service's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to select Killebrew. A Twitter account (@HarmonUSStamp) has also been created. The goal is to try to get 1,000 signatures on the petition.

Killebrew is widely regarded as one of the most beloved Twins players in franchise history, as his nickname on the field was "Killer," but he was known for his warm and gentle demeanor off the field. The slugger hit a franchise-record 559 homers in 21 years with the organization, including seven years with the Washington Senators before they moved to Minnesota in 1961.

The petition states: "Harmon was revered on and off the field as a true gentleman and ambassador of the game. His sportsmanship and athletic prowess embodied the greatest elements of baseball and the American story, rising from humble roots to inspire generations of fans and ball players alike.

"Harmon passed away in 2011, leaving behind a legacy of power hitting, civic engagement and humility that continues to serve as the gold standard for athlete role models today. His fans stretch far beyond Minnesota, his native Idaho, his adopted Arizona and Washington, DC, where his baseball career began. As an inspiring icon of our country's most iconic sport, I believe that Harmon Killebrew deserves to be commemorated with an U.S. Postal stamp."

Early lead fizzles as Twins drop fourth straight

Rhett Bollinger and Tom Singer | MLB.com | July 29, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- Andrew McCutchen had three RBIs, including a two-run homer, to back left-hander Francisco Liriano against his former team in a 10-4 win for the Pirates over the Twins on Wednesday afternoon at Target Field.

McCutchen came up big for Pittsburgh, crushing a game-tying two-run blast in the fifth before coming through with another big hit as part of a five-run sixth. With two runners on, McCutchen smacked a liner to right that Eddie Rosario couldn't handle, and he ended up scoring on the play due to interference from third baseman Eduardo Nunez.

"We had opportunities before then," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of earlier threats the Bucs could not convert. "It's always good when you're down on the road and you see McCutchen fire one up. We felt good after that."

It helped Liriano pick up the win despite not having his best stuff, as he lasted 5 2/3 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on 10 hits. The left-hander outpitched Twins right-hander Ervin Santana, who entered with a scoreless streak of 15 2/3 innings but surrendered eight runs (six earned) on eight hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Defensive miscues, walks haunt Twins: With the game tied in the sixth inning, Santana ran into trouble, allowing the go-ahead run to score on a wild pitch. A pair of walks led to a sacrifice fly from Starling Marte before McCutchen put the game away with the help of Minnesota's defense. McCutchen hit a liner to Rosario, who couldn't handle it, which allowed two runs to score. But it got worse from there, as McCutchen was awarded home after Nunez ran into him while trying to retrieve a throw back into the infield that got past him.

"You can look at a lot of areas that need improvement with the way we've been playing, starting probably with managing and coaching," Twins

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manager Paul Molitor said. "You look around and we're making mistakes defensively and on the bases, and [there are] little things we need to clean up. We haven't played a clean game in a while."

Polanco exits early: Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco left the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with "left knee discomfort." He was 0-for-2 at that point, thus ending his streak of reaching base at 18 games. Polanco has been icing the knee after games for a couple of weeks, and he was removed for precautionary reasons.

"I actually think he might have aggravated it late [Tuesday] night, on a play near the wall," Hurdle said. "And he just couldn't get loose today. We didn't feel it made any sense for him to push it."

Hicks keeps it rolling: After going 2-for-3 with three RBIs against the Pirates in Tuesday's 8-7 loss, Hicks went 3-for-5 with an RBI to collect his fourth straight multihit game. Hicks is hitting .343 over his last 21 games to raise his average from .247 to .288.

"I'm just trying to get a good pitch and drive it," Hicks said. "I'm trying to get into good counts and take advantage. I've been trying to be aggressive early in the count, but also laying off bad pitches and trying to stay in the middle of the field."

QUOTABLE "We've prepared well. We've played well." -- Hurdle, summing up the Pirates' Interleague slate, which they concluded with a 13-7 record against American League clubs

"Things just aren't going our way. It's one big hit after another. We're trying to stop it. And the errors aren't helping as well. So we're just trying to compete." -- Hicks, on the Twins, who are 3-8 since the All-Star break

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The 10 hits surrendered by Liriano matched the most he has allowed since mid-2014; the lefty also gave up 10 hits to the Braves on Aug. 19, 2014.

WHAT'S NEXT Pirates: A.J. Burnett seeks his ninth win -- which would top his 2014 total with the Phillies -- in Thursday night's 7:10 p.m. ET opener of a four-game series against the Reds at Great American Ball Park, where the Bucs have dropped five straight since last September.

Twins: The Twins host the Mariners for a four-game set that begins on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. CT. Right-hander Phil Hughes is set to start the series opener for Minnesota. He's been on a roll recently, posting a 2.77 ERA over his past nine starts.

MLB trade deadline: Twins would trade from active roster in right deal

Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | July 29, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Kansas City Royals appear primed to win the American League Central, after a pair of aggressive moves to improve a team that already appeared to be the class of the division.

With that, some Twins observers are left wondering how much of the future Minnesota would be willing to give up to take a shot at a wild card game. But it doesn't always have to be a future-for-present trade. The Twins would be amenable to trading present-for-present this year, if the deal is right.

Twins general manager Terry Ryan did that last year during a sell-off, when he flipped outfielder Sam Fuld for starting pitcher Tommy Milone. Despite being in a position this season, Ryan wouldn't be against moving someone from the active roster again, the GM confirmed Wednesday.

"I think you've got to be prepared to do something like that," Ryan said, when asked if he'd be opposed to trading anybody currently on the active roster. "We have a little bit more depth this year than we've had in recent years. So I think you ought to be prepared if you've something that makes a lot of sense then you ought to be prepared to do it."

As an example, the Twins have four players capable of playing shortstop on the Major League roster: Danny Santana, Eduardo Escobar, Eduardo Nunez and now Jorge Polanco. Shortstops are valuable commodities in baseball currency. At the same time, one team can only field so many shortstops. Would the Twins be willing to part with any of those players to upgrade another area?

Paul Molitor, who is made aware of trade discussions if they get to a certain level, said Wednesday morning that he hasn't heard that anyone on the roster is close to being traded. That could change in a hurry, but that was the status before Wednesday's game.

Molitor said that in the past four seasons, when the Twins might have known early that they would be sellers, they'd make an effort to inform veteran players they were considering trading, as a sign of respect.

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"But being on this side of it, I haven't heard anything about players we might be willing to let go of that are on this team to try to supplement us somewhere else," Molitor said.

"I don't feel like a big move is a necessity. It's not like I'm sitting here clamoring, 'I can't wait to see how we're going to improve ourselves, what we need to do.' ... You just kind of continue to do what you've been doing with that all going on in the periphery," Molitor said.

Ryan was non-committal about adding pieces when asked Wednesday morning, but he stuck to what he has said all along - that the Twins would look to add rather than subtract, with the idea of getting to the postseason for the first time since 2010.

"Are you going to be able to get there with what you got? I would say we could," Ryan said, "but I also would say that it would be nice if we could supplement this thing."

Wetmore’s 5 thoughts: Messy baseball, Hicks up, Plouffe gone

Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | July 29, 2015 MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins played one of their sloppiest games of the year on Wednesday in a 10-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This column presents 5 thoughts from Wednesday's Twins game.

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1. Trevor Plouffe was placed on the paternity list before the game with his wife, Olivia, expected to give birth to the couple's first child Wednesday. He can be on that list a maximum of three days, so the latest the Twins would get back their third baseman would be Saturday against the Mariners.

Plouffe has hit .257/.316/.456 this season for the Twins and has been Minnesota's second best position player after Brian Dozier this season.

"It's a void," manager Paul Molitor said of Plouffe's absence. "Trevor has become one of our reliable guys who plays on a regular basis and finds ways to contribute offensively and defensively more days than not."

The Twins recalled shortstop Jorge Polanco from Triple-A Rochester to take Plouffe's roster spot for the time being.

Eduardo Nunez started at third base for Plouffe and had a hit and an RBI, although he was part of a disastrous play that turned into three Pirates runs.

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2. At least two Twins fielders messed up to turn a single into a little-league home run for Andrew McCutchen in the 6th inning.

With runners on first and second base and two outs in the inning, McCutchen singled to right field, where Eddie Rosario was waiting for the ball to scoop it up and throw it back into the infield. Only Rosario never got the ball. The ball bounced and somehow found its way past the Twins outfielder -- playing right field with Torii Hunter getting a day off -- and rolled to the wall. The Pirates were off to the races.

Both runners circled the bases to score and McCutchen would have checked in at third base. But as the relay throw went from Rosario to Brian Dozier and on to third baseman Eduardo Nunez, the ball inexplicably got past Nunez, standing near third base.

As Nunez ran to retrieve it in foul territory, he collided with McCtuchen, who was awarded home plate as a result. That's scored a single and three bases worth of errors. But neither team looked great in the field Wednesday and in little leagues they just call those home runs.

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3. As part of an all-around messy game the Twins had some misadventures on the base paths, including Miguel Sano getting caught twice overrunning bases.

In the 3rd inning, Sano drove home Aaron Hicks but then the big slugger ran around first base and had the relay throw from the right fielder cut off and he was nailed between first and second base to end the inning.

In the 9th inning, Joe Mauer had singled and taken second base on a defensive indifference and advanced to third on a wild pitch in the same sequence. Then Sano doubled to the right-field corner to plate Mauer. But Sano got overzealous and was caught too far beyond second base, because when the right fielder's throw came to the bag, Sano didn't have enough time to get back to second base.

Typically these problems are ironed out in the minor leagues, and Sano has a lot of professional experience. His base running has been a concern in his first month in the big leagues.

In addition, Shane Robinson and Eduardo Nunez got caught a little too far off the bases, but the Pirates were unable to capitalize on their loose

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base running. Both players were safe.

"You can look at a lot of areas that need improvement with the way we've been playing, starting probably with managing and coaching," Molitor said after the game. "When you look around and we're making mistakes defensively and on the bases. Little things that you'd like to clean up, I don't think we've played a clean game for a while.

"You're going to make some mistakes and you learn from that," Molitor said. "It hasn't been showing up in the game as of late so we've just got to keep grinding."

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4. Aaron Hicks had a nice day from the No. 2 spot in the order behind Brian Dozier against left-handed pitcher Francisco Liriano. Hicks had three hits, including an RBI single in the 3rd inning.

In his first two seasons in the big leagues, Hicks hit .201/.293/.313. But that was the old Hicks.

The new Hicks has been great since he's returned from a strained right forearm, and for the time being is holding down center field quite nicely. He returned from his rehab assignment on July 3, and since that time Hicks is hitting a robust .323/.410/.554 with a good glove in center field.

It's my opinion that his right-handed swing is still more formidable than his left-handed swing, although he's no longer hopeless from the left side. Still, it seems to make sense that the Twins would treat right-handed Hicks and left-handed Hicks as two different hitters. It's fine to have the good defensive center fielder hit near the bottom of the lineup against right-handed pitchers. But right now Hicks belongs near the top of the order against lefties, and the Twins used that approach Wednesday with good results.

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5. Ervin Santana took the loss after that 6th inning came apart for him and the Twins. He's now made five starts for Minnesota since returning from his performance-enhancing drug suspension, three were great and two were bad.

Wednesday he got through 4 innings with only a Jung Ho Kang solo home run on the board for the Pirates. But his final line - 5 2/3 innings pitched, 6 earned runs on 8 hits, 4 walks and 3 strikeouts - doesn't look pretty.

"I thought he was pretty good early, he definitely had his velocity," Molitor said. "A lot of sliders that were just missing and they did a good job of laying off that pitch for the most part."

Santana was asked if anything changed after the 4th inning, since he gave up a two-run homer to Andrew McCutchen in the in the 5th inning and the ugly inning in the 6th.

"Nothing changed, just hung an 0-2 slider to McCutchen," Santana said. "It was tough. It was a tough outing today.... Tough outing for me, tough [for the] defense, everything was tough today."

If Santana can anchor the Twins' rotation it will give them a better chance of hanging around in the American League wild card race. He's pitched like a rotation anchor in three of his five starts for the Twins, but he didn't do it Wednesday.

Twins hurt themselves in 10-4 loss to wrap up Pirates sweep

Associated Press | July 29, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have the best record in the majors since mid-May.

Maybe they'll get a little late July boost at the trade deadline.

Andrew McCutchen hit a home run and turned an RBI single into race around the bases while Minnesota made two errors in a five-run sixth inning, helping Francisco Liriano and the Pirates beat the Twins 10-4 Wednesday for a two-game sweep.

After losing five of their first six games out of the All-Star break, the Pirates have won five of their last six games to tighten their grip on the NL's first wild-card spot.

"You play well, these games continue to bring attention to areas that you might want to think about improving," manager Clint Hurdle said, adding: "Playing well, though, lets you know you can get some things done with what you've got."

Jung Ho Kang homered for the second straight day for the Pirates, after going deep for the go-ahead run in the ninth the night before. McCutchen's two-run, two-strike, two-out drive off Ervin Santana (2-1) in the fifth inning tied the game at 3, and the Twins unraveled in the sixth.

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One run scored on a wild pitch. Then Santana walked two straight batters. Starling Marte hit a sacrifice fly, and McCutchen hit a sharp single that bounced in front of right fielder Eddie Rosario. The ball skipped past him to the warning track, allowing another run to score and McCutchen to reach third.

The slow-rolling relay throw scooted underneath Eduardo Nunez's glove for another error that allowed McCutchen to score, but not before he collided with Nunez. The contact was hard enough to knock them both to the ground and cue the blooper-tape soundtrack.

"Definitely a foul, 15-yard penalty, roughing the passer, automatic first down," McCutchen said, alluding to his high school football days in Fort Meade, Florida.

Liriano (7-6) improved to 3-0 in his last six starts despite allowing 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. He was charged with three runs, two earned, and struck out four in his fourth career appearance against the Twins, his team from 2005-12.

"Frankie was in a fistfight all day," Hurdle said.

Said Liriano: "Just one of those days. It was tough. You have to go out there and battle and at least give a chance to win to your team. That's what I tried to do."

The Twins, who started the day with a two-game lead for the second AL wild card, lost their fourth straight game and fell to 3-8 after the All-Star break.

"I don't think we've played a clean game for a while," manager Paul Molitor said.

Santana, who was charged with eight runs, six of them earned, committed an error, too. He struck out three with eight hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings.

"It's just that time of the year, I guess, where teams start to go into slumps and things just aren't going our way," Twins center fielder Aaron Hicks said.

THE FOE WAS FAMILIAR

Liriano and Santana, lifelong friends from the Dominican Republic, were set up for quite the matchup. Liriano was 5-2 with a 2.10 ERA and 84 strikeouts over 73 innings in his previous 11 turns. Santana pitched 15 2/3 scoreless innings in winning his last two starts. The duel never materialized, though, and Liriano naturally downplayed the significance of pitching against his pal.

"Whether it's my friend or not, when I cross the line, it's just getting outs," he said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Pittsburgh: RF Gregory Polanco was removed in the fourth inning due to discomfort in his left knee, with Jaff Decker replacing him. Hurdle said he thought Polanco might have aggravated the injury the night before tracking a fly ball. "Rather than push it, we got him out right away," Hurdle said.

Minnesota: CF Byron Buxton will take batting practice Thursday for the first time since he was placed on the DL with a sprained left thumb, but he is still several weeks away from returning.

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Pittsburgh starts a four-game series Thursday in Cincinnati, with A.J. Burnett (8-4, 2.68 ERA) pitching for the Pirates. He's 6-1 in his last seven turns on the road. David Holmberg will make his major league debut on the mound for the Reds.

Minnesota stays home for a four-game series against Seattle, with Phil Hughes (9-6, 3.93 ERA) pitching Thursday for the Twins opposite J.A. Happ of the Mariners. The Twins have won five straight starts by Hughes at home, with the right-hander posting a 2.11 ERA in 34 innings with 32 hits and just one walk allowed.

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Minnesota Timberwolves’ Tyus Jones will throw (another) first pitch at Minnesota Twins game

Fox Sports | July 29, 2015

For the second time this season, Tyus Jones will throw out the first pitch at a Minnesota Twins game, according to the Star Tribune.

"Two ceremonial first pitches at Target Field in one season. Tyus Jones has become quite the Minnesota celebrity. The Timberwolves rookie point guard will take the honor on the mound again Thursday night before the Twins host the Seattle Mariners. The news was announced Wednesday."

Coming off a Las Vegas Summer League in which he only averaged 7.8 points and 2.0 assists per game, Jones might be the worst backup point guard in the league next season.

But expectations aren't in the clouds right out the gate. And Jones has serious support from his home state's fanbase. The Minnesota native also threw out the first pitch at the Twins' home opener.