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Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Tigers’ Sanchez one-hits the Twins, who lost 10th

straight. StarTribune.com (Neal) pg. 1 Twins notes: Arcia sent down; Walters to start Saturday. StarTribune.com (Neal) pg. 2 Three Twins postgame thoughts from LEN3: No-hit bids, Baseball Gods, Arcia. StarTribune.com (Neal) pg. 4 Twins minor league report. StarTribune.com (Neal) pg. 4 A flashback to when every pitch wasn’t available. StarTribune.com (Reusse) pg. 5 Section 219: Watching the Twins (and their fans) melt down. StarTribune.com (Sinker) pg. 6 Minnesota Twins call up pitcher Sam Deduno. PioneerPress.com pg. 7 Minnesota Twins: Trevor Plouffe ‘feeling better’ after head injury. PioneerPress.com (Berardino) pg. 7 Minnesota Twins promote P.J. Walters, delay Kevin Correia’s next start. PioneerPress.com (Berardino) pg. 8 Minnesota Twins: Pedro Florimon sits but is available. PioneerPress.com (Berardino) pg. 9 Tigers 6, Twins 0: Anibal Sanchez’s no-hit bid hands Minnesota 10

th straight loss. PioneerPress.com (Berardino) pg. 9

Joe Mauer’s hit is it for Twins in 10th

straight loss. PioneerPress.com (Berardino) pg. 10 Mauer ruins Sanchez’s lights-out Friday night. PioneerPress.com (Lowe) pg. 11 Anibal’s bid for second no-no denied by Mauer. MLB.com (Beck) pg. 12 Joe Mauer only Twin with hit, in 9

th, off Tiger’s Anibal Sanchez. ESPN.com (AP) pg. 13

Plouffe passes concussion test Thursday. Twinsbaseball.com (Bollinger) pg. 15 Twins recall right-hander Deduno for start vs. Tigers. Twinsbaseball.com (Bollinger) pg. 15 Precaution keeps Florimon out of lineup. Twinsbaseball.com (Bollinger) pg. 16 Walters to get called up and start Saturday. Twinsbaseball.com (Bollinger) pg. 16 Walters aims to get Twins back on track vs. Tigers. MLB.com (Petrella) pg. 17 Mauer squashes no-hitter in ninth for third time. Twinsbaseball.com (Bollinger) pg. 17 Mauer’s ninth-inning knock breaks up no-hit bid. Twinsbaseball.com (Bollinger) pg. 18 Mackey: Hicks remains in CF mostly because Twins have nobody else. 1500ESPN.com (Mackey) pg. 19 Twins option slumping rookie Oswaldo Arcia to Triple-A Rochester. 1500ESPN.com pg. 20 Twins Friday: Walters to get Saturday start. FSN (Mason) pg. 20 Tigers put together complete game, shut out Twins. FSN (AP) pg. 21 No-hitter killer Mauer spoils Sanchez’s bid with 1 out in 9

th. FSN (Mason) pg. 22

Twins hope fresh starter will end freefall. FSN (AP) pg. 23

Tigers’ Sanchez one-hits the Twins, who lose 10th straight La Velle E. Neal III / StarTribune.com – 5/25/13 DETROIT – After striking out Justin Morneau to end the game, Anibal Sanchez slammed his fist in his glove, then swung his arm in front of him as if to signal ‘‘close but not quite.’’

Sanchez was on his way to the second no-hitter of his career but couldn’t get past Joe Mauer, the unofficial no-hitter breakup artist.

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Mauer’s one-out single in the ninth ended Sanchez’s no-hit bid, saved the Twins from being no-hit for the second consecutive season and crushed an announced crowd of 39,789 at Comerica Park, fans who were on their feet and ready to celebrate history.

Detroit eased to a 6-0 victory, however, handing the Twins their 10th consecutive loss, their longest losing streak since losing 11 in a row in September 2011.

Afterward, Sanchez praised Mauer, the three-time batting champion who, at .324, is the leading hitter among active players.

‘‘He’s one of the best,’’ Sanchez said. ‘‘It’s really hard to face this guy four times or five times and dominate. He’s so smart. Everybody knows who’s Mauer.’’

What Sanchez didn’t know is that Mauer now has broken up three no-hit bids in the ninth inning. He singled off the Rangers’ Neftali Feliz on Aug. 23, 2010, at Texas as he tried to finish off a combined no-hitter started by Rich Harden. And Mauer doubled off Gavin Floyd on May 6, 2008, in Chicago to crush his no-hit dreams.

‘‘Any time I go up there I try to get a hit, get on base, do something on the offensive side,’’ Mauer said. ‘‘Got one hit, it doesn’t take away from what he did out there tonight. Sanchez was great, and we still lost.’’

Mauer reached on a fielder’s choice and struck out twice before batting in the ninth as Tigers fans leaned on him with their voices. Sanchez threw an 80-miles-per-hour curveball that Mauer laced into center for the Tiger-deflating hit.

Sanchez finished with the one hit, three walks and 12 strikeouts and still was surrounded by teammates after the final out.

Sanchez’s one no-hitter of his career came on Sept. 6, 2006, when he was a rookie.

‘‘Congratulations to him,’’ Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. ‘‘That was a hell of a ballgame. Fortunately, Joe came up and got us a hit. Unfortunately for [Sanchez].’’

Sanchez’s 92-mph fastball, curveball and slider overwhelmed Twins hitters most of the night. Jamey Carroll, Chris Parmelee and Eduardo Escobar drew walks, but that was it until Mauer saved the team from being on the wrong side of history.

Sanchez retired 18 consecutive Twins at one point. The hardest-hit ball was Morneau’s rope in the seventh inning that shortstop Jhonny Peralta caught after taking one step to his left. Sanchez improved to 5-4 with a 2.38 ERA.

‘‘Carroll, first batter, led off the game with a walk and had a good at-bat,’’ Parmelee said. ‘‘I kind of said to myself, ‘[Sanchez] might not have it tonight.’ He definitely proved me wrong. He had his stuff tonight.’’

Offensively, the Tigers scored three runs in the second, taking advantage of a couple of defensive miscues by Twins righthander Samuel Deduno. Don Kelly added a two-run homer in the third and Omar Infante added an RBI single in the sixth. Deduno, making his season debut, took the loss, giving up six earned runs over 5⅓ innings.

The Twins left Comerica Park relieved that they weren’t no-hit — but Mauer’s single couldn’t wipe out a losing streak.

‘‘That’s just kind of how it’s been going,’’ Mauer said. ‘‘The ball hasn’t been bouncing our way very well. And when they are throwing the ball like he did [Friday], it’s tough. You have to try to stay positive and come back tomorrow and tomorrow is a new day.’’

Twins notes: Arcia sent down; Walters to start Saturday La Velle E. Neal III / StarTribune.com – 5/25/13 DETROIT – The Twins announced after Friday’s game that outfielder Oswaldo Arcia will be sent down to Class AAA Rochester in order to make room for righthander P.J. Walters, who will start Saturday.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire made it clear that if it weren’t for injuries to Pedro Florimon (sprained right index finger) and Trevor Plouffe (concussion), there might have been a way to keep Arcia on the roster. Arcia was 0-for-3 on Friday, extending his skid to 1-for-15.

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‘‘I like his fire, I like the way he goes about it,’’ Gardenhire said. ‘‘I like him in the clubhouse. Unfortunately he’s in a little bit of a [bad] stretch here. He’s been chasing a little bit.”

Arcia batted .255 with four homers and 14 RBI in 30 games. He showed a willingness to make adjustments, such as cutting down on his swing with two strikes. The Twins have plenty of people who can play the outfield. That includes recent call-up Chris Colabello, who will play right field at times in order to get some at-bats.

‘‘I feel bad,’’ said Arcia, who is working on his English.

Gardenhire expects to see Arcia back soon.

‘‘This can help him,’’ Gardenhire said. ‘‘He can go down there and get some swings. For me, I kind of enjoy having him around here. I enjoy putting him in there. He’ll be back. He needs to go down. I know he’s very frustrated, which he should be. It’s not what I wanted to happen, but because of our situation we just had to do it.’’

The Twins will announce Saturday the move on their 40-man roster to clear space for Walters. They have until game time to do so.

Miggy the Magnificent

Miguel Cabrera is on a roll, batting .388 with 14 home runs and 56 RBI. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s only the fourth time in major league history a player has batted at least .390 with 14 homers and 55 RBI in his team’s first 45 games. Chuck Klein, Jimmie Foxx and Manny Ramirez are the others.

Cabrera drove in three runs, including a two-run homer, against the Twins on Thursday. He was 1-for-4 with two RBI on Friday. He’s batting .326 against the Twins with 27 homers and 97 RBI.

‘‘He’s a really smart baseball player, and he probably doesn’t get enough credit for that,’’ Gardenhire said. ‘‘He’s a real intelligent baseball player when it comes to watching the game and paying attention. He’s looking in the dugout trying to see if I’m giving signs. He’s staring at me and I’m like, ‘You’re not supposed to be doing that.’ So he pays attention to the game.’’

Plouffe moves forward

Third baseman Trevor Plouffe started on his path back to the Twins lineup with a workout at Comerica Park on Friday.

‘‘The most cardio work I’ve ever done,’’ he said.

Plouffe, who suffered a concussion Tuesday when he was kneed in the head by Dan Uggla as Plouffe slid into second base, feels good. He took an ImPACT test Thursday — Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing — which came back similar to the one he took in spring training.

So Plouffe slowly will work his way into baseball activities, take batting practice early next week when the club is in Milwaukee and hopefully be activated when the Twins return to Target Field on Wednesday.

‘‘We will increase activities and hopefully there will be no side effects,’’ Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said.

Etc.

Righthander Liam Hendriks (elbow) is making progress and could return to action next week at Class AAA Rochester.

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Three Twins postgame thoughts from LEN3: No-hit bids, Baseball Gods, Arcia La Velle E. Neal III / StarTribune.com – 5/24/13 Here are three thoughts following the Twins' 6-0 loss to Detroit

1. I THOUGHT A NO-HITTER COULD HAPPEN: I've seen three no-hitters in my lifetime, and there was a point during each one where I thought, `here it comes.' When I watched Bret Saberhagen no-hit the White Sox in Kansas City, the feeling came around the fifth inning. When I covered David Wells' perfect game against the Twins, I sensed history in the second inning (the Twins had Jon Shave in the lineup that day, after all). Eric Milton's no-hit feeling came around the sixth or seventh - many of us were grumbling about the 11 a.m. start so the Gophers could play football that night. When Anibal Sanchez struck out the side in the fourth inning, I thought the Twins were in trouble. Sanchez was nasty for most of the game. He got a little sloppy late but still had momentum. Mauer has broken up three no-hit bids now. Only Cesar Tovar (four) has done it more times in Twins history.

2. DEDUNO: He said he had trouble getting the feel for his breaking ball, and anyone who watched the World Baseball Classic knows how much he throws that pitch. The breaking ball improved as his outing went. And he still had that fastball. ``Nobody really squared him up,'' Mauer said. Deduno, however, made a mess of the second inning. He was late covering first on a grounder to first and missed a chance at an inning-ending double play. Instead, Don Kelly was safe. Avisail Garcia hit a bouncer toward the mound, and Deduno missed it - another chance to end the inning. Andy Dirks hit a grounder up the middle. The ball started rolling out of Eduardo Escobar's glove as he fielded it, so I don't think he got a good handle on it to get his best flip throw off. Still, Garcia looked out but was called safe. You know what, though? The Baseball Gods were punishing Deduno at this point for poor fielding. And Miggy ends up getting an RBI single. Deduno ended up throwing 28 more pitches after failing to cover first. And another Twins starter fails to pitch six innings.

3. ARCIA SENT DOWN: Too bad to see Oswaldo Arcia get sent down. I like watching him hit. But he will be back. What will be interesting is seeing who is taken off the 40-man roster to make room for P.J. Walters so he can start tomorrow.

Twins minor league report La Velle E. Neal III / StarTribune.com – 5/25/13 It’s been a long road that included detours — and stop signs — along the way, but Deibinson Romero is finally at Class AAA Rochester.

Romero spent most of this season in the Dominican Republic, waiting to receive a visa to travel to the United States. His complicated case, in which his birth certificate was destroyed in a fire, forced him to miss all of major league spring training. The third baseman reported to extended spring training last month and then hit .355 in eight games at Class AA New Britain. He debuted at Rochester on Thursday, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout.

“He kind of played his way into shape at New Britain,” said Brad Steil, Twins director of minor leagues.

Romero, 26, always has looked the part and has shown flashes of being a very good player. He first opened eyes at rookie league Elizabethton in 2007, when he went 4-for-5 with a grand slam, two three-run homers and 10 RBI in one game.

But he’s failed to display the desired consistency. At times, he hasn’t seemed confident. He also suffered a broken leg in 2008 at Class A Beloit that affected him the next season.

“It’s just being more consistent at the plate, taking better at-bats,” Steil said, “and consistency on defense as well.”

Steil said repeating at New Britain last season allowed Romero to get comfortable and show his talent. They hope he can get comfortable quickly at Rochester.

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Rosario benched

Second baseman Eddie Rosario, one of the Twins’ top hitting prospects, was benched for a couple of games at Class A Fort Myers this week but was expected to return to the starting lineup Friday.

Steil would not specify what Rosario did to earn the discipline but hinted it had to do with his approach to the game.

“We have a certain way we want to play, and that requires attention to detail,” Steil said. “It doesn’t matter who it is. A player has to play the game the right way.”

Williams raises game

Byron Buxton, Adam Brett Walker II, Jorge Polanco, Jose Berrios and Tyler Duffey have drawn a lot of attention at Class A Cedar Rapids, but the Twins also have been impressed with outfielder JD Williams.

The 10th-round pick in 2010 entered the organization as an athlete who also played baseball but has worked hard to become a baseball player. He’s batting .262 but is sixth in the Midwest League with a .416 on-base percentage and eighth with a .914 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

Etc.

Rochester righthander Anthony Slama (back) has been activated from the disabled list. … Righthander D.J. Baxendale’s scoreless-inning streak is at 28 for Class A Fort Myers. … Outfielder Clete Thomas (quad) also has returned to the Rochester lineup.

A flashback to when every pitch wasn’t available Patrick Reusse / StarTribune.com – 5/24/13 We have such access to information on all issues, including our sports teams, that it's kind of strange being removed from the Twins' meltdown the past couple of days. I'm in Florida, visiting the grandkids, and haven't been able to monitor this disaster on an objective, pitch-by-pitch through the prism of FSN.

You could do that through the computer, but that's not for me. Basically, I've been relying on the beat writers and pundits who I follow on Twitter, and on the ESPN crawl on the limited channel selections of a hotel TV system.

On Friday, this old boy was a bit worn out from 10 hours with the 4-year-old and 32-month-old, and was stretched out reading John Sandford's "Mad River'' and taking an occasional glace at the crawl. There was a score update withe the information Detroit was leading the Twins 5-0 after 5 innings, and a stat line including the information that Anibal Sanchez had allowed no hits through five innings.

It wasn't until the no-hitter was six innings complete that the crawl started reading directly that Sanchez had a no-hitter. The bulletins continued through the seventh and eighth, and then ESPN cut into its coverage of collegiate softball to show the top of the ninth.

Jamey Carroll was called out on a questionable strike three, and then Joe Mauer singled up the middle, and that was it -- my TV exposure to live Twins' action as the losing streak reached 10 games.

Not having every inning of every game available -- or every quarter or every period -- available is always a reminder of how great this generation of sports fans has things.

When Calvin Griffith brought the Twins to Minnesota, there were 20 games per season on local television. Sixteen road games and four Friday night home games during the summer. That was it.

If I'm not mistaken, when the Dodgers and the Giants moved their rivalry from New York to California in 1958, for several years the only TV games shown specifically for the local markets were those played against one another. The Game of the Week on Saturday truly was a game that a baseball fan of the '60s coveted.

As I said, the Twins showed us 20 games, meaning that often you had to wait from one Saturday to the next to see a big-league ballgame.

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Today, we have NFL Red Zone, goodness almighty ... NFL Red Zone, where you can see every important series of plays for seven hours on Sunday afternoons. My generation thought it was ground-breaking when Howard Cosell was giving us three minutes of highlights from Sunday's games at halftime of Monday Night Football.

A sports fan feels lost without constant exposure to the home teams today, even if it's access to the poor, miserable, "Hey, we did get a hit'' Twins. Titanic or triumph, it's all there for us now, unless you're in Florida and the ship has decided to do its sinking in the Detroit River.

One sidelight: I did get to go down to the hotel bar for the last few minutes of the NBA game and observe the misery of a few Heat fans as Indiana evened the series at 1-1.

"LBJ, what the ...'' a fellow shouted, as LeBron James committed the game-deciding turnover.

That was fun.

Section 219: Watching the Twins (and their fans) melt down Howard Sinker / StarTribune.com – 5/24/13 Watching the Twins broadcasters after Thursday night's frustrating-for-all loss to Detroit was a little bit like listening to me talk about the basketball teams I used to coach -- the elementary school team in the Golden Valley/Crystal Park and Rec League and the sixth-grade B team I coached in Hopkins. After a loss, we'd chatter about the effort and look for the bright spots -- winning the fourth quarter against the tough kids from Eden Prairie or how we'd run some good offense and "did everything but make the shot."

That's how it should be when you're coaching preteens.

The Twitterverse was a bit cranky after the Twins blew that lead in Detroit.

One of my friends tweeted: "After 9 straight losses, this is where we'll find out what kind of Twins fans we are. Does that represent the kind of person we are too."

To which someone responded: "I don't think that expressing frustration and expecting those who run the Twins to do better constitutes being a bad fan."

When Bert Blyleven tweeted this afterward:

“Now that was a tough loss 4 the Twins. Good thing about baseball: tomorrow is another day to play the beautiful game of baseball. Go Twins”

Someone responded: "Oh c'mon, Bert, the team sucks! When Molitor takes over, I hope you are the pitching coach."

And so it went. In the best of times, some true fans hold animosity against those who jump on the bandwagon, which is silly. In bad times, they sometimes talk smack at each other, which deflects from the real problem of how incredibly poorly the Twins have been playing since the start of their last homestand.

That 2-7 stretch followed by a clean sheet of defeat on the first half of the current 10-game road trip has landed the Twins solidly at the bottom of the AL Central, with the only worse record in the league belonging to pathetic Houston. In the name of looking at the present and future, I called a personal halt at the start of the season to writing about how the mistakes of the last few years had created a team for which there was little hope.

"Kansas City North" was the term I used a few times, and Twins fans are getting a first-hand look at what that means. We used to watch the Royals talk about how better stuff was ahead and then they'd get off a respectable start -- followed by a tumble to the bottom. That's exactly what's been happening to the 2013 Twins, who worked so hard to be respectable for the first five weeks that little appears to be left for the next five months.

(Quick aside: I know I'm not the only one a bit skeptical about all of the optimism being directed toward the Twins of the future who are currently playing their way through the lower minors. Hopeful, yes. Convinced, no.)

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The awful starting pitching has begotten tired relief pitching. The poor pitching has created an overall sense of hopelessness, leading some fans to bicker about who should be called up from Rochester among the collection of players currently in last place in the International League.

The biggest frustration there is the perceived "Anthony Slama treatment" of pitcher Kyle Gibson by Twins management, which has called up Samuel Deduno and P.J. Walters as current stopgaps. We've heard buckets about how Gibson has thrown shutouts in two of his last four starts, one against a team with a record almost as bad as Houston's (and the other also against a sub-.500 team), and little about the other two.

In the other two, Gibson gave up nine runs and 18 hits in 7 2/3 innings against two of the league's better teams.

For the Twins to seek more consistency from Gibson is understandable.

For fans to expect (and have expected) more competence from the Twins is, too.

Minnesota Twins call up pitcher Sam Deduno PioneerPress.com – 5/24/13 The Twins called up pitcher Sam Deduno from their Triple-A team in Rochester, and they aren't giving the 29-year-old right-hander much time to get acclimated to his new surroundings.

He's scheduled to start Friday night's game against the Tigers in Detroit.

Deduno, 29, made three starts for the Red Wings, posting a 2.70 earned-run average in 16 2/3 innings with 17 strikeouts and 10 walks. He was a star for the Dominican Republic team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic this spring, going 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA and 17 strikeouts in three starts, earning the win in the championship game against Puerto Rico.

To make room for Deduno on the 40-man roster, the Twins put right-handed pitcher Tim Wood on the 60-day disabled list.

Minnesota Twins: Trevor Plouffe ‘feeling better’ after head injury Mike Berardino / PioneerPress.com – 5/24/13 DETROIT -- While all indications were encouraging for Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe, he said he had yet to be informed whether he suffered concussion Tuesday night.

"I mean, was it not a concussion? Has that been stated?" Plouffe said Friday afternoon. "I don't even know. They haven't told me anything, trust me. I just do all the stuff they tell me to do. I never got told that I had one or didn't have one."

Injured in Atlanta, when he took a knee in the back of the head from Braves second baseman Dan Uggla while trying to break up a double play, Plouffe said he wasn't that concerned about receiving all the details.

"As long as I'm feeling better, that's all that matters," he said.

Plouffe was able to take ground balls and do some light running before Friday's game.

He passed a lengthy impact test Thursday, which showed little variation from a baseline test each player takes in the spring, and he was able to sit on the bench with the rest of the Twins during Thursday's game at Comerica Park. The bright lights and stadium noise apparently didn't bother him.

"He took a pretty good knock to the head," Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said. "The fact he was out on the bench last night ... and able to come out and do all that today is a big relief."

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Plouffe hopes to take some swings in the batting cage Saturday, then move outside for batting practice by Monday at Milwaukee.

He would be eligible to come off the seven-day concussion disabled list Wednesday when the Twins return to Target Field. If he keeps progressing that way, Plouffe should return to action then.

First, however, the commissioner's office and players' union must sign off on documentation submitted by the Twins, under baseball's upgraded protocol for head injuries.

Having gone through serious concussion-related issues with first baseman Justin Morneau and former center fielder Denard Span, the Twins just are relieved Plouffe's injury doesn't appear serious.

"We've seen what can happen with that stuff," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We saw the same thing happen at second base with a collision like that (Morneau and John McDonald), and it wasn't very good for us. We're happy this one is working its way back to being something less dynamic."

Or catastrophic, perhaps?

"That would be a better word," Gardenhire said, "but I don't like that word."

Minnesota Twins promote P.J. Walters, delay Kevin Correia’s next start Mike Berardino / PioneerPress.com – 5/24/13 DETROIT -- Armed with strong numbers at Comerica Park, journeyman right-hander P.J. Walters is being promoted from Triple-A Rochester to start Saturday afternoon's game for the Twins against the Detroit Tigers.

Walters, 28, has gone 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA in two career starts in Detroit. Overall against the high-powered Tigers lineup, Walters is 1-1 with a 3.20 ERA in five outings (four starts).

For Triple-A Rochester, Walters has gone 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in nine starts. He has consistently lasted six or more innings, something the Twins' big-league rotation has struggled to achieve.

Kevin Correia, who had been Saturday's scheduled starter, will move back to Monday's Memorial Day game at Milwaukee. Correia is coming off his shortest outing of the season, lasting just four innings Monday in Atlanta.

Fellow right-hander Mike Pelfrey will make Sunday's start as planned despite admittedly feeling "pretty sore" on the day after his rain-shortened, multi-warmup start Tuesday.

To make room for Walters on the 40-man roster, the Twins sent rookie outfielder Oswaldo Arcia down to Rochester after Friday night's game against the Tigers. Already this week, they have moved outfielder Darin Mastroianni (ankle surgery) and reliever Tim Wood (shoulder) to the 60-day disabled list.

The latter two moves created roster spots for Chris Colabello and Friday's starter, Samuel Deduno.

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Minnesota Twins: Pedro Florimon sits but is available Mike Berardino / PioneerPress.com – 5/24/13 DETROIT -- X-rays were negative on the sprained right index finger of Twins shortstop Pedro Florimon, who was not in Friday's starting lineup as a precaution.

Florimon jammed the finger on a headfirst slide into third base Thursday and had to leave the game in the third inning.

He said the middle joint on the finger was a "little sore" but he was able to throw and planned to test it during batting practice from both sides of the plate.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Florimon was willing to start, but Eduardo Escobar got the call at shortstop. Escobar batted seventh, with Florimon expected to be available off the bench.

Briefly

-- Right-hander Liam Hendriks, on the Rochester disabled list with a sore throwing elbow, has resumed throwing bullpen sessions and could be activated within a week.

-- After going through a 3-for-41 (.073) slide, Josh Willingham entered Friday batting .333 (5 for 15) with three homers and two walks in his past four games. Since July 29, 2011, his ratio of one homer every 14.53 at-bats is the fourth-best in the majors.

Tigers 6, Twins 0: Anibal Sanchez’s no-hit bid hands Minnesota 10th straight loss Mike Berardino / PioneerPress.com – 5/24/13 RECAP: Detroit right-hander Anibal Sanchez threatened to throw the sixth no-hitter against the Twins and the second of his career Friday night at Comerica Park. Joe Mauer broke up the bid with a one-out single to center in the ninth inning, disappointing a crowd of 39,789. Sanchez, who threw a no-hitter in September 2006 as a rookie with the Florida Marlins, finished with a 12-strikeout, 130-pitch one-hitter.

The Twins managed just three base runners over the first eight innings, all on walks: Jamey Carroll (first), Chris Parmelee (second) and Eduardo Escobar (eighth).

Twins right-hander Samuel Deduno fell into a 5-0 hole after three innings, thanks to some fielding gaffes of his own and a two-run Don Kelly homer. Deduno allowed six runs on nine hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.

MEANING: Falling for the 10th straight game, the last-place Twins are now one loss shy of matching their 11-game losing streak in September 2011.

ETC.: Jered Weaver's no-hitter on May 2, 2012 in Anaheim remains the only no-hitter against the Twins since David Wells' perfect game on May 17, 1998.

UP NEXT: vs. Tigers, 3:08 p.m. Saturday, FSN, KTWN-FM 96.3

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Joe Mauer’s hit is it for Twins in 10th straight loss Mike Berardino / PioneerPress.com – 5/25/13 DETROIT -- For the third time in his career, Joe Mauer saved the Twins from no-hit infamy.

Mauer's one-out single up the middle in the ninth inning Friday night kept Detroit Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez from recording the second no-hitter of his career and the sixth against the Twins in franchise history.

Mauer's clean hit came on a 1-1 pitch near the end of a 6-0 loss, the 10th straight for the reeling Twins.

"He threw me a good cutter," Mauer said. "I think that one just got a little more of the plate. I was able to square it up. That was about the only thing I could do tonight. He was pretty tough."

Sanchez, who actually termed the 80-mph pitch a curveball afterward, struck out 12 and walked three in a 130-pitch complete game.

He retired 18 straight during one stretch before Eduardo Escobar's four-pitch walk with one out in the eighth. Sanchez struck out Jamey Carroll to open the ninth before Mauer came through.

After rounding first, Mauer lightly slapped his hands together and calmly touched fists with first-base coach Scott Ullger, who patted the franchise catcher on the back.

Mauer also broke up Gavin Floyd's no-hit bid on May 6, 2008 with a one-out double to center in the ninth inning in Chicago as well as a shared bid by four Texas Rangers on Aug. 23, 2010. The latter hit was a one-out single to center in the ninth off right-hander Neftali Feliz.

"Every time I go up there I try to get a hit, get on base, try to do something positive on the offensive side," Mauer said. "You got one hit. That doesn't take away what he did out there. Sanchez was great. Obviously it was nice to get a hit there at the end, but we still lost."

Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau followed with strikeouts as the crowd of 39,789 rejoiced at Comerica Park, but at least the Twins didn't have to deal with the embarrassment of being no-hit for the second straight May.

Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels no-hit the Twins on May 2, 2012, allowing just one base runner. Four Twins who started against Weaver that day were in Friday's starting lineup against Sanchez.

Another of Weaver's victims, Ryan Doumit, came off the bench Friday to ground out as a pinch hitter in the eighth.

"You don't want to get no-hit, so I was really happy to see Joe get the hit," said Twins designated hitter Josh Willingham, who was on deck when Mauer reached safely.

Willingham was teammates with Sanchez when the Venezuelan righty threw the first no-hitter of his career as a Florida Marlins rookie in 2006. Asked if this was shades of that night against Arizona, Willingham said, "For sure."

"He was throwing the ball great," he added. "It was moving all over the place -- like a wiffleball."

Mauer was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts against Sanchez before his line drive in the ninth. That hit left him 5 for 12 against Sanchez in his career.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said there could be no regrets for Sanchez, especially "when you pitch a one-hitter and the one hit you give up is to a guy who has three batting titles and is a great hitter -- one of the best in baseball -- and has been for a long time."

~ 11 ~

Even Twins starting pitcher Samuel Deduno, charged with all six earned runs in a 5 1/3-inning season debut, couldn't help but express admiration for Sanchez's effort.

"It was unbelievable," Deduno said. "He was great. Everything was working for him."

After the game, the Twins demoted rookie outfielder Oswaldo Arcia to Triple-A Rochester to make room for right-hander P.J. Walters, Saturday's scheduled starting pitcher.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire called the decision "really hard" but said injuries to infielder Trevor Plouffe and Pedro Florimon left the team with few roster options.

"We just don't have enough room," Gardenhire said. "This can help him; he can go down and get some swings. I'm sure he's very frustrated, which he should be. This is not what I wanted to happen. He'll be back."

Arcia, starting for the first time in five days, went 0 for 3 with a strikeout Friday. He was in a 3-for-32 slump (.094) with 12 strikeouts dating to a May 10 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

That night, the Twins blew a six-run lead by allowing nine unanswered runs, in part because of Arcia's misplay of a fly ball at the wall.

Mauer ruins Sanchez’s lights-out Friday night John Lowe / PioneerPress.com – 5/25/13 DETROIT -- Last Saturday night in Texas, Anibal Sanchez gave up a hit to the first batter he faced, Elvis Andrus. He gave up eight more hits while getting only eight outs. Tigers manager Jim Leyland lifted him with two outs in the third inning.

"Sanchy just didn't have it tonight," Leyland said.

On Friday night, Sanchy had it.

The right-hander had a no-hitter until Joe Mauer, who has the highest lifetime batting average of any active player, lined a single with one out in the ninth. Sanchez finished with a complete-game one-hitter. He beat the Minnesota Twins 6-0 in front of 39,789 roaring fans at Comerica Park.

It is Sanchez's fourth complete-game one-hitter. That is the most among active pitchers, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Sanchez's no-hit bid was ended cleanly by the strongest candidate in the Minnesota lineup -- maybe any lineup -- to end a no-hitter. On a 1-1 pitch, Mauer lined a single to center.

"You know what?" Leyland said. "When you pitch a one-hitter, and the one hit you give up is to a guy who has three batting titles and is a great hitter -- one of the best in baseball and has been for a long time -- that's a hell of a performance. He was terrific."

Mauer's single, on an 80-mph pitch that was dropping through the strike zone, carried well over the head of Sanchez, who seemed to briefly wave his arms in frustration before he otherwise methodically got back to work. He struck out the final two hitters to end the game.

Sanchez struck out 12 and walked three, performing the increasingly difficult feat of upstaging Miguel Cabrera.

In the third inning, Cabrera drilled a two-run single to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead. It marked Cabrera's fifth straight game with at least two runs. He has 57 runs batted in, a staggering total for Memorial Day weekend.

Sanchez nearly threw the eighth no-hitter in Tigers history. It would have been the first by someone besides Justin Verlander (who has two) since Jack Morris in 1984.

And Sanchez nearly matched Verlander with two career no-hitters. He threw one as a rookie for the Florida Marlins against Arizona in September 2006. (On a Friday night at Comerica in May last season, Verlander lost a no-hitter against Pittsburgh with one out in the ninth.)

~ 12 ~

Sanchez on Friday night at Comerica has become historical entertainment. The last time he pitched at home on a Friday night, he struck out 17 against Atlanta to break Mickey Lolich's club record of 16.

Talk about Friday night fireworks.

Anibal’s bid for second no-no denied by Mauer Jason Beck / MLB.com – 5/25/13 DETROIT -- Justin Verlander almost had to make room for another Tigers pitcher with two no-hitters on his resume. As it was, Anibal Sanchez provided yet another reminder why he has a place alongside him in that category of elite starters.

Seven years and a league change after Sanchez tossed a no-hitter for the Marlins on Sept. 6, 2006, here he was again, just the top of the ninth inning away from another on a chilly Friday night at Comerica Park, where he struck out 17 hitters four weeks earlier.

He claims he didn't know he had the no-hitter going back in 2006, but he certainly knew it as he began the ninth inning, having seen the scoreboard and heard the reactions. All that stood between him and history was the top of the Twins lineup and Joe Mauer, who makes a living breaking up no-hitters.

Mauer ended two other bids in the ninth inning in his career, and when Sanchez left a breaking ball over the plate with one out in the final frame, he ended this one, too. But his one-out liner through the middle could do nothing about the result, as Sanchez finished the one-hit shutout for a 6-0 win.

He would've been the 28th pitcher in Major League history with multiple no-hitters. Instead, he's the 18th big league pitcher since 1916 to throw five complete games with one hit or less. He's also the pitcher who put the Tigers back atop the American League Central following Cleveland's loss in Boston.

That's good enough for him.

"In the end, he got the hit," Sanchez said of Mauer. "But I feel good. I'll take my nine innings."

There were no regrets from Sanchez, whose mix of fastballs and off-speed pitches in different counts left Twins hitters guessing for most of the night. Nor were there superstitions. As someone who has done this before, he was talking with teammates in the dugout between innings when he wasn't down in the tunnel.

"I talked to him a little bit throughout the game," Prince Fielder said. "He was just locked in."

It was a no-hit bid that was so laid-back, even the crowd of 39,789 didn't really get charged up until he needed just nine pitches to send down the middle of Minnesota's order in the seventh.

After an eighth-inning walk to Eduardo Escobar ended Sanchez's roll of 18 consecutive batters retired, Sanchez regrouped to retire pinch-hitter Ryan Doumit. Four outs from history, with the crowd roaring and another pinch-hitter awaiting, he called catcher Alex Avila to the mound.

He couldn't remember the signs.

"I mean, he called me out to the mound in the middle of a no-hitter," Avila said. "I've been in the middle of a no-hitter a few times in the sixth, seventh inning, and I don't think any pitcher has called me to the mound."

That's Sanchez's style. After back-to-back summers of Verlander no-hit watches, it was an oddly different vibe.

A walk to Jamey Carroll leading off the game gave the Twins a baserunner, but Minnesota didn't come close to a hit until the seventh. Sanchez allowed a second-inning walk to Chris Parmelee, then got rolling, striking out four in a row.

~ 13 ~

The formula worked over and over -- put the Twins hitters in a two-strike count, start mixing pitches, then let them guess.

"I think you saw a perfect example of a guy that in a fastball count was throwing something else, and in a something-else count was throwing fastballs," manager Jim Leyland said. "I thought you saw a masterpiece between him and Alex."

Sanchez struck out everybody in the Twins starting lineup at least once except for Parmelee, who didn't hit the ball out of the infield. Mauer, 4-for-8 lifetime against Sanchez entering the evening, struck out twice in a game against the Tigers for just the sixth time in the last five years.

It had to look familiar to Josh Willingham. He was playing left field behind Sanchez in Florida when he threw his no-hitter in 2006.

"He was throwing the ball great. It was moving all over the place like a Wiffle ball," said Willingham, who went down swinging at a 93-mph fastball.

The usual history-preserving defensive gem wasn't to be found. The closest came when Justin Morneau smacked a seventh-inning line drive up the middle that Jhonny Peralta ranged a few steps to his left to snare as a fan behind the home plate yelled out, "Oh no!"

Sanchez's toughest obstacle at that point looked like his pitch count, 90 pitches through six innings. Once he finished the seventh on nine pitches, it was on.

"His stuff was really good in the seventh," Fielder said. "You figured he had a great chance, assuming nothing crazy would happen. He was outstanding."

Mauer, Morneau and Carroll all entered the night batting over .300, but nobody else in Minnesota's lineup was hitting better than .263. Doumit and Chris Colabello, whose various stops included three weeks in the Tigers organization in 2006, came off the bench in the eighth to try to wreck it, but Sanchez followed Doumit's groundout by striking out Colabello.

Sanchez was keenly aware by then.

"It's not like the first time when I threw my no-hitter, I didn't know," Sanchez said. "I knew I had a no-hitter and I knew I had a tough ninth inning with Carroll and Mauer, one of the best hitters in the league, and also Willingham."

Sanchez froze Carroll with a 92-mph fastball on the inside corner for his 10th strikeout. He had a 1-1 count on Mauer when he tried mixing him up with a curveball and missed.

"He wanted to get a second strike on him," Avila said. "It was over the plate. I've seen Mauer do that a bunch of times."

Mauer thought it was a different pitch.

"He threw me a good cutter," Mauer said, "but I think it caught a little too much of the plate so I was able to square it up. But that was about the only thing I could tonight."

Joe Mauer only Twins with hit, in 9th, off Tigers’ Anibal Sanchez AP / ESPN.com – 5/24/13 DETROIT -- Add another near miss in this 2013 baseball season -- this time it was Detroit's Anibal Sanchez falling just short of a no-hitter.

Sanchez's bid was broken up with one out in the ninth inning Friday night when Minnesota's Joe Mauer hit a clean single up the middle. That was the only hit the right-hander allowed in the Tigers' 6-0 victory against the Twins. It was the fourth one-hitter of Sanchez's career, to go along with a no-hitter he threw as a rookie back in 2006.

"It's not that I go to the mound and want to do something special; it's just that I want to go nine innings, go deeper, get a good command, get a good game," Sanchez said. "When I come to the eighth inning, I think about it. But when I come to the ninth inning, it's really tough with those guys."

~ 14 ~

After a few years of solid, albeit unspectacular, pitching, we're finally getting a glimpse of Anibal Sanchez as an ace, writes Matt Meyers. SweetSpot

After seven no-hitters in 2012, baseball is without one so far this season. There have been plenty of close calls. Before Sanchez, four other pitchers already had thrown one-hitters in 2013, according to STATS. And that doesn't include Yu Darvish of Texas, Clay Buchholz of Boston and Adam Wainwright of St. Louis, all of whom had no-hitters in the eighth inning or later but couldn't finish the job and the game.

Darvish came within an out of a perfect game at Houston on April 2. He allowed a hit and didn't finish the game.

Mauer, meanwhile, is making a habit of playing spoiler. It's the third time in his career he's broken up a no-hitter in the ninth inning, according to STATS.

"He's nasty, and he had everything working tonight," Mauer said. "Obviously, you know exactly what is happening, and you don't want to get no-hit. I'm just up there trying to put the bat on the ball. He threw me a really good cutter and I was just able to square it up."

It was Sanchez's second gem in about a month -- he set a franchise record with 17 strikeouts in eight marvelous innings against Atlanta on April 26.

Sanchez (5-4) struck out 12 on Friday and allowed three walks -- staying remarkably calm on the mound all the while.

"He called me out to the mound. In the middle of a no-hitter," Tigers catcher Alex Avila said. "I've been in the middle of a no-hitter a few times, in the sixth, seventh inning, I don't think a pitcher's ever called me out to the mound. ... He just forgot what signs we were using when there's a guy on second base."

The home crowd gave Sanchez a standing ovation when he came out to start the ninth, and he immediately struck out Jamey Carroll. Mauer followed with a line drive up the middle -- to almost the same spot where Pittsburgh's Josh Harrison's hit landed last year when he broke up a no-hit bid by Detroit's Justin Verlander, also with two outs to go.

Sanchez instinctively reached up for Mauer's hit, but there was no chance for anyone -- least of all the pitcher -- to catch it. Sanchez then jerked his head back and spun in frustration, but with a bit of a smile on his face.

"We got the hit, but that doesn't change anything," Mauer said. "He still blew us away."

After Sanchez struck out the next two hitters to end the game, he shared a hug with Avila. Sanchez threw 130 pitches.

"In the end, it's the result of my work. I try to figure out, to put my ball in the strike zone," Sanchez said. "It's a nice result, and I take it."

Jordan Zimmermann of Washington, Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox, Shelby Miller of St. Louis and Jon Lester of Boston have also thrown one-hitters this season. Matt Harvey of the New York Mets allowed one hit in nine innings against the White Sox on May 7, but that game went 10 innings and he didn't finish it.

The last-place Twins have lost 10 straight, and their starting lineup against Sanchez included four players hitting .212 or worse. Carroll drew a walk to lead off the game, and Sanchez issued another to Chris Parmelee in the second. Then the 29-year-old Sanchez, acquired by the Tigers from the Miami Marlins at midseason last year, settled into quite a groove.

He fanned Mauer for the third out of the third, then struck out the side the fourth.

Parmelee led off the fifth with a hard grounder up the middle that Sanchez was able to field himself. The following inning, Brian Dozier nearly broke up the no-hit bid when he hit a slow roller to shortstop Jhonny Peralta and almost beat the throw the first.

Sanchez then struck out Carroll and Mauer to end the Minnesota sixth.

With one out in the eighth, the Twins finally got another runner on base when Eduardo Escobar walked. That snapped a streak of 18 straight hitters retired by Sanchez, but he bounced back to retire pinch-hitter Ryan Doumit on a grounder to first. Pinch-hitter Chris Colabello followed, and with the crowd on its feet, he was called out on strikes.

Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run single in the second, upping his RBI total to 57. Don Kelly added a two-run homer the following inning.

Minnesota's Samuel Deduno (0-1) allowed six runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.

~ 15 ~

The most recent no-hitter thrown by a Tiger was in 2011, when Verlander tossed the second of his career. The Twins were no-hit last year by Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels.

Game notes Sanchez's no-hitter as a rookie came Sept. 6, 2006, against Arizona. He was pitching for the Marlins then. ... Sanchez threw 121 pitches before being taken out of his 17-strikeout game against the Braves, but there was no way manager Jim Leyland was pulling him Friday while the no-hit bid was in progress.

Plouffe passes concussion test Thursday Rhett Bollinger / Twinsbaseball.com – 5/24/13 DETROIT -- Third baseman Trevor Plouffe, who was placed on the 7-day disabled list with concussion-like symptoms on Wednesday, passed his ImPACT concussion test on Thursday.

Plouffe sustained the injury when he was kneed in the back of his head by Dan Uggla while sliding into second base in Tuesday night's game in Atlanta. He showed signs of a concussion with sensitivity to light and wooziness after the blow to the head, and he was placed on the 7-day DL for precautionary reasons the next day.

But he was able to pass his ImPACT test on Thursday and received clearance to participate in baseball activities before Friday's game. He was able to run around and took ground balls without any issues.

"I feel good," Plouffe said. "I did more cardio today than I'll probably do for the rest of the year. Now it's just working my back and making sure I don't have any setbacks."

It was a major relief for the Twins, as Justin Morneau was injured on a similar play in July 2010, and missed the rest of the season with a concussion that continued to plague him in '11. Former Twins center fielder Denard Span also suffered a concussion in a home-plate collision during the '11 season and was out for two months.

"It's huge," Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said. "He took a pretty good hit to the head. But yesterday, he was on the bench with all the noise and lights and didn't have any problems, which was a good sign. And for him to get through everything today is a good sign, especially after what we've gone through with a couple of our players the last few years."

Plouffe, who is eligible to return on Wednesday once the Twins return home from their nine-game road trip, still needs to be cleared by Major League Baseball before he returns, according to Antony.

Twins recall right-hander Deduno for start vs. Tigers Rhett Bollinger / Twinsbaseball.com – 5/24/13

DETROIT -- The Twins officially recalled right-hander Samuel Deduno from Triple-A Rochester before his start against the Tigers on Friday night.

The Twins already had a 25-man roster spot open after optioning right-hander Vance Worley following his outing against the Braves on Wednesday. To make room for Deduno on the 40-man roster, the Twins transferred reliever Tim Wood to the 60-day disabled list.

Deduno, who was slated to start for Rochester on Tuesday, threw a bullpen session instead to get ready for his first start of the year with the Twins.

Deduno, 29, made 15 starts for the Twins last year, posting a 4.44 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 53 walks in 79 innings. He faced the Tigers twice, giving up three runs over seven innings at Target Field on Aug. 13, and surrendering seven runs on seven hits over 2 1/3 innings at Comerica Park on Sept. 22.

Deduno was expected to make the club's rotation to start the season after starring for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, but he suffered a groin strain in the championship game and began the season injured. He returned to action on May 5 and posted a 2.70 ERA in three starts with Rochester, with 17 strikeouts and 10 walks over 16 2/3 innings.

"He's faced them before," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He's come back from a long road after getting hurt in the World [Baseball Classic]. He's excited. So he just has to go out there and show off his stuff. He's got the pitches."

~ 16 ~

Precaution keeps Florimon out of lineup Rhett Bollinger / Twinsbaseball.com – 5/24/13 DETROIT -- Shortstop Pedro Florimon, who left Thursday's game with a sprained right index finger, was held out of the lineup for precautionary reasons against the Tigers on Friday.

Florimon, who injured his finger while sliding into third base in the second inning of the Twins' 7-6 loss, came in feeling better on Friday, but Eduardo Escobar made the start at shortstop in his place.

"He had a little bit of swelling but he was throwing last night," Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said. "He basically just jammed it, which caused a little bit of swelling. We did X-rays and they were negative. So he should be fine."

Florimon told Twins manager Ron Gardenhire he was healthy enough to play, but Gardenhire wanted to play it safe with Florimon, who was able to take batting practice without any issues before the game.

"He'll be available off the bench," Gardenhire said said. "I'm just happy he came in here saying he feels good and is ready to go."

Walters to get called up and start Saturday Rhett Bollinger / Twinsbaseball.com – 5/24/13 DETROIT -- Right-hander P.J. Walters will be recalled from Triple-A Rochester before Saturday's game to make his first start of the season against the Tigers.

The Twins will wait until Saturday to make the move official, but they did clear room for him on the 25-man roster by optioning outfielder Oswaldo Arcia to Rochester after Friday's 6-0 loss. But they still need to make a 40-man roster move to make room for Walters on Saturday.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said it was a difficult decision to send down Arcia, who is ranked as the Twins' No. 5 prospect and No. 93 overall, according to MLB.com. Arcia hit .255 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 30 games with the Twins but ended in a 3-for-32 slide before his demotion.

"It was really hard, but we had very little options with our infield situation," Gardenhire said. "But I like his fire, the way he goes about it and I like him around the clubhouse. But unfortunately he's in a little bit of stretch here where he's chasing. So this can help him."

Kevin Correia, who was slated to start on Saturday, will now be pushed back to Monday against the Brewers with Mike Pelfrey remaining on normal rest to start on Sunday against the Tigers.

"We haven't made any official announcements, but we have a TBA tomorrow, so it's safe to say he'll be our starter," Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said before Friday's game. "But we'll make a corresponding move and announce that tomorrow before the game."

Walters, 28, fared well in nine starts with Rochester, posting a 3.31 ERA with 46 strikeouts and 16 walks in 54 1/3 innings. Walters, who had a 5.69 ERA in 12 starts with the Twins last year, also turned in six straight quality starts to earn the promotion.

He was picked over Twins prospect Kyle Gibson, who also pitched well in nine starts with Rochester with a 3.25 ERA and 46 strikeouts and 14 walks in 52 2/3 innings. But Gibson, who has thrown shutouts in two of his last three outings, has yet to record back-to-back quality starts this season.

Antony said he understands the frustration from fans about the Twins keeping Gibson in the Minors, but he said the club needs to see more consistency from him before they declare him ready to make his big league debut. Gibson is ranked as the Twin's No. 4 prospect and No. 49 overall.

"It's understandable because we want to see him, too," Antony said. "We're talking about a guy we're hoping will be part of our rotation for years to come. So we want to do it right and bring him up when the time is right when he's going good, so that it gives him the best chance to succeed."

~ 17 ~

Walters aims to get Twins back on track vs. Tigers Steven Petrella / MLB.com – 5/24/13 The Twins didn't fare well on offense or from the mound in the season debut of starter Samuel Deduno on Friday night.

Anibal Sanchez lost his no-hit bid to a Joe Mauer single in the ninth, and the Tigers racked up 11 hits and six runs.

But Minnesota will be hoping Saturday's starter, also taking the hill for them for the first time this year, won't fall victim to that same fate.

P.J. Walters will get the ball for the Twins against the Tigers on Saturday at Comerica Park, taking on the Tigers' Doug Fister as Detroit aims to secure the series win.

Walters started nine games with Triple-A Rochester, posting a 3.31 ERA with 46 strikeouts and 16 walks in 54 1/3 innings. He'll try to best a red-hot Tigers offense, which leads the American League in batting average and runs scored.

Miguel Cabrera had homered in four straight games before Friday night, and went 1-for-4 with two RBIs off Deduno and company.

"[Cabrera] doesn't throw any at-bats away anymore, and I'm proud of him for that," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Tuesday. "Because we talked about that a couple years ago. He's a hard guy to get out. No matter when he's up there, no matter what the situation is, he's a tough guy to get out. When he grinds that at-bat out, it's something to see."

Twins: Minnesota keeps slumping • The Twins have lost 10 games in a row, their longest losing streak since September 2011. They've gone 0-5 to open a nine-game road trip.

"It just seems like we played really well and just had a lot of bad breaks," pitcher Scott Diamond said Thursday. "But good teams have to come back and fight. And we're still showing fight, so as deflating as it is right now, I guarantee you we'll keep fighting tomorrow."

• The Twins bullpen allowed four runs on Thursday, the first runs it surrendered to the Tigers in 15 2/3 innings. Minnesota's relievers were solid Friday, however, throwing 2 2/3 innings and being charged with two hits and no earned runs while striking out four.

Tigers: Detroit bats stay hot • Miguel Cabrera has at least two RBIs in each of his last five games. If he has a multi-RBI game Saturday, he will tie a Tigers record that dates back to 1940.

"The numbers are unbelievable. The hardest part about that lineup is they have so many great hitters," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Fielder is an MVP guy himself. So it's kind of like flip a coin. You tell yourself not to let Miggy beat you, but then the next guy will."

• The Tigers are 48-18 at Comerica Park since July 4, 2012, the best mark in the baseball in that stretch.

Worth noting • Fister is 3-6 in his career against the Twins, but owns a 3.13 ERA. He has struck out 49 and walked 10 in 60 1/3 innings.

• Cabrera has 27 career home runs against Minnesota, his second most against a single team. He's hitting .324 lifetime against the Twins.

• Justin Morneau has reached base safely in 14 of his last 16 games at Comerica Park.

Mauer squashes no-hitter in ninth for third time Rhett Bollinger / Twinsbaseball.com – 5/24/13 DETROIT -- It's a situation Joe Mauer would rather not be in.

After all, who wants to be on the wrong side of a no-hitter?

~ 18 ~

But after Mauer came through with a one-out single up the middle to break up Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez's no-hit bid with one out in the ninth on Friday night, it marked the third time in his career he'd broken up a no-no in the ninth.

Mauer also did it in on May 6, 2008, against the White Sox when he ended Gavin Floyd's no-hitter with two outs in the ninth, and did it again in on Aug. 23, 2010 against Rangers reliever Neftali Feliz with a one-out single in the final inning.

"Every time I go up there, I try to get a hit or get on base or do something positive on the offensive side," Mauer said of his propensity to break up no-hitters late in the game. "I think everybody is aware of it. You just try to go up there and have a good at-bat and put a good swing on it."

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he isn't surprised Mauer has been able to break up potential no-hitters late in games simply because of Mauer's natural hitting ability. The catcher is the leader among active players with a .324 career average in more than 1,100 games.

"He's just a great hitter," Gardenhire said. "I'm sure on their side, he was the one guy they didn't want to come up in the ninth inning."

Gardenhire was right, as Tigers manager Jim Leyland echoed that sentiment that they'd rather be facing just about anyone else than Mauer in that situation.

"He's one of the best in baseball," Leyland said. "There's no question about that. He's a great hitter. It's certainly no disgrace to give up a hit to a guy like that, particularly that late in the game when you're getting a little tired and your pitch count's getting up a little more than it normally would be."

Sanchez, who was still able to throw a one-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts, simply tipped his cap to the former American League MVP and three-time batting champ for his hit on a 1-1 curveball.

"It's really hard to face that guy four times or five times in one game and dominate," Sanchez said. "This guy, he's so smart. I tried to make my best pitch. I strike him out with off-speed. I tried to throw early. I didn't want to get in the count and throw it again. But in the end, he got the hit. But I feel good. I'll take my nine innings."

Mauer’s ninth-inning knock breaks up no-hit bid Rhett Bollinger / Twinsbaseball.com – 5/24/13 DETROIT -- It was only fitting that on the night the Twins just about hit rock bottom, they nearly couldn't get a hit at all.

The Twins saw their losing streak reach double digits and were almost no-hit by Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez in a 6-0 loss Friday night in front of a crowd of 39,789 at Comerica Park.

Sanchez, making his 10th start of the year, didn't give up a hit until there was one out in the ninth, when Joe Mauer singled up the middle to break up the bid. Sanchez's one-hit effort handed the Twins their 10th straight loss, which is their longest streak since losing 11 games in a row from Sept. 9 to 21, 2011.

"It's just kind of how it's been going," Mauer said. "The ball isn't bouncing our way very well. When you've got a guy out there throwing the ball like he did tonight, it's tough. You just have to stay positive."

Mauer was able to deposit a 1-1 curveball from Sanchez up the middle for a clean base hit to break up the no-no. It marked the third time in his career he'd broken up a no-hitter in the ninth, as he did against the White Sox on May 6, 2008, and against the Rangers on May 6, 2008.

"It's really hard to face that guy four times or five times in one game and dominate," Sanchez said. "This guy, he's so smart. I tried to make my best pitch."

Mauer's single cost Sanchez a second career no-no, as he threw a no-hitter Sept. 6, 2006, against the D-backs while pitching for the Marlins.

Minnesota managed three walks against Sanchez, with Jamey Carroll leading off the game with a walk and Chris Parmelee walking with one out in the second. Sanchez retired 18 in a row before issuing a free pass to Eduardo Escobar with one out in the eighth.

But Sanchez was simply dominant, as he struck out 12 batters, including pinch-hitter Chris Colabello to end the eighth, stranding Escobar at second after pinch-hitter Ryan Doumit hit into a fielder's choice.

~ 19 ~

"Their guy shut us down totally," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He had great stuff. Our guys were saying his ball was diving and his breaking ball was sharp. So congratulations to him. He pitched a heck of a ballgame. Fortunately for us, Joe got a hit."

Sanchez outpitched right-hander Samuel Deduno, who was recalled from Triple-A Rochester before the game and struggled in his season debut, giving up six runs on nine hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings.

"I couldn't get my grip on the breaking ball," Deduno said. "That was my problem. I couldn't throw my breaking ball for a strike."

The Tigers scored three runs in the second after loading the bases with two outs. Deduno didn't help his cause with two defensive misplays, as he failed to cover first base on a potential double-play ball hit to first base by Don Kelly and couldn't field a soft grounder from Avisail Garcia.

"I thought it was going to be a base hit so once I saw [Justin] Morneau got it, I was late to first base," Deduno said. "So if I would've went early, I would've been able to make it."

Deduno walked Omar Infante to bring home the first run before Miguel Cabrera laced a two-run single past a diving Carroll at third base.

Detroit added two more runs in the third on a two-run blast from Kelly after Jhonny Peralta singled. The homer landed just out of the reach of Chris Parmelee, who made a leaping effort at the wall in right field.

Deduno exited in the sixth after giving up back-to-back singles to Garcia and Andy Dirks with one out. Rookie reliever Ryan Pressly gave up an RBI single to Infante, but was able to strike out Cabrera and get Prince Fielder to ground out to first to end the inning.

But the story of the night was Sanchez's performance, and it reminded Josh Willingham of Sanchez's no-hitter in '06, as he was his teammate with the Marlins at the time. But Willingham was also relieved not to be on the wrong part of history after Mauer's clean single.

"It may have been the only mistake he made all game," Willingham said. "It was a hanging breaking ball and he just drove it up the middle. You never want to be no-hit so I was happy to not be no-hit. He was throwing the ball great. It was moving all over the place like a Wiffle ball."

Mackey: Hicks remains in CF mostly because Twins have nobody else Phil Mackey / 1500ESPN.com – 5/24/13 Aaron Hicks remains the Minnesota Twins' starting center fielder in large part because there are, quite literally, no other options to take his place.

It is harsh, but true.

Despite showing more of a pulse at the plate in recent weeks, Hicks entered Friday still hitting just .159/.245/.283 on the season -- the fifth lowest OPS in the majors among qualified hitters.

But due to the current roster climate, Hicks is winning the battle of attrition.

The other outfielders on the Twins' major league roster are plodders such as Josh Willingham, Oswaldo Arcia, Chris Parmelee and Wilkin Ramirez. In Triple-A, center fielder Clete Thomas was tearing the cover off the ball, but he's been sidelined since May 7 with a leg injury. Brandon Boggs was released three weeks ago, and Joe Benson is struggling mightily. The Twins may soon reach a point -- if that point hasn't arrived already -- where they must decide whether Hicks' development will be damaged as he continues to take lumps against major league pitching.

"In reality, even though the Twins are saying that they want (Hicks) to keep working with (hitting coach Tom) Brunansky and get him on track, if we would have some different situations and scenarios as far as our center field protection, I'd have to say that there was a good chance at some point Aaron would have been back down there to get some at-bats at Triple-A to try to get on track," Twins minor league instructor

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Paul Molitor said in an interview with 1500 ESPN's Judd & Dubay Show earlier this week. "But we just haven't had anybody to fill that defensive position to allow that to happen ...

"He's done a little bit better as of late. My philosophy as a young player would be don't try to get to .200, don't try to get to .230, don't try to get to .250. What am I going to hit from this day forward to the end of the season? And then tomorrow, what am I going to hit this day until the end of the season? You can't try to catch up and get your average up to where you would want it if you were to have started the season a little bit better."

The man who seems to be letting his golden opportunity pass by is former Baseball America top-100 prospect Joe Benson, who, as Molitor put it, "has not figured it out." "And I was on Joe's bandwagon a couple years ago," Molitor added. "I was just really impressed about the things he could do, and he hasn't been able to translate some of the natural abilities he has into performance. And some of the ups and downs and injuries, it's just been a tough battle for him." Benson, coming off significant knee surgery last fall, is hitting just .192/.256/.285 with one home run in 42 games this season -- this just three years after he was named Twins' minor league hitter of the year in 2010. "Joe, I would say, has been a disappointment," Molitor said. "I know he's been working hard. ... It's not that he's not trying. It's almost like he's trying too hard. But he's having a tough time getting it going down there."

To find a possible replacement for Hicks, the Twins have to look at 29-year-old journeyman Antoan Richardson, who was recently promoted to Rochester from New Britain. Richardson is hitting .336/.457/.421 with 16 stolen bases between Double-A and Triple-A.

Richardson does have a track record of getting on base, but he has virtually zero power and has played only a handful of games in the major leagues.

But at some point, the Twins might not have a choice but to give him a look.

Twins option slumping rookie Oswaldo Arcia to Triple-A Rochester 1500ESPN.com – 5/24/13 In a somewhat surprising move, the Minnesota Twins chose to option rookie outfielder Oswaldo Arcia to Triple-A Rochester on Friday night, shortly after the Twins were nearly no-hit by Detroit's Anibal Sanchez. A corresponding roster move will be made later.

Arcia has been stuck in slump, with batting average dropping to .255 after recording only three hits in his last 32 at-bats. But despite his recent struggles, Arcia didn't appear to be an immediate candidate for demotion.

Arcia is the third player the Twins have sent down this week, following Pedro Hernandez and Vance Worley to Rochester. Tim Wood was moved to the 60-day disabled list earlier on Friday to make room on the 40-man roster for Samuel Deduno, who was tagged for six runs in his first start against Detroit.

Twins Friday: Walters to get Saturday start Tyler Mason / FSN – 5/24/13 P.J. Walters is the next in line for the Minnesota Twins' starting rotation. According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Walters will be recalled from Triple-A Rochester to join the Twins and will start this weekend in Detroit. The 28-year-old right-hander is 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in nine starts for the Red Wings this year. Walters originally joined the Twins as a free agent prior to the 2012 season. He made 12 starts for Minnesota last year and was 2-5 with a 5.69 ERA. The Twins had an opening in the starting rotation after Vance Worley was optioned to Rochester on Wednesday. Walters and right-hander Kyle Gibson appeared to be the two logical options to replace Worley. In the end, Walters got the nod while Gibson continues to wait for his chance to make his major league debut.

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Gibson even confirmed the news of Walter's promotion on Twitter, tweeting: "Happy for @PJwalters39 on his call up! Go get em Saturday bud!!" Walters replied to Gibson by saying, "@kgib44 thanks bud I'm sure ill see you up there. Keep doin your thing." The Twins have yet to officially announce the move, but the announcement could likely come after Friday's game. With Walters sliding into the Twins' rotation on Saturday, that means right-hander Kevin Correia's start will be pushed back. He was originally scheduled to start Saturday in Detroit but will now pitch Monday in Milwaukee. Mike Pelfrey will pitch in Sunday's series finale against the Tigers. Wood to 60-day DL: To make room for Friday's starter, Samuel Deduno, on the 25-man roster, the Twins placed reliever Tim Wood (shoulder) on the 60-day disabled list. Wood has yet to pitch for the Twins this season, as he began the year on the disabled list. He has made 57 career relief appearances in the majors with Florida and Pittsburgh from 2009-11. Wood owns a career 4.50 ERA with 28 strikeouts and 33 walks in 58 innings. In nine minor league games this season during his rehab assignment, Wood is 2-1 with an 8.68 ERA in 9-1/3 innings. Wood suffered a setback with his shoulder, making him eligible to be put on the 60-day DL.

Tigers put together complete game, shut out Twins AP / FSN – 5/24/13 DETROIT (AP) — Anibal Sanchez took a no-hitter into the ninth inning before Minnesota's Joe Mauer broke it up with a one-out single, and that was the only hit the Detroit right-hander allowed in the Tigers' 6-0 victory over the Twins on Friday night. Sanchez fell two outs shy of his second career no-hitter, but thanks to Mauer it was just another near miss this season. There have already been five one-hitters this year, according to STATS. It was Sanchez's second gem in about a month — he set a franchise record with 17 strikeouts in eight marvelous innings against Atlanta on April 26. Sanchez (5-4) struck out 12 on Friday and allowed three walks. The home crowd gave him a standing ovation when he came out to start the ninth, and he immediately struck out Jamey Carroll. Mauer, followed with a clean line drive up the middle — to almost the same spot where Pittsburgh's Josh Harrison's hit landed last year when he broke up a no-hit bid by Detroit's Justin Verlander, also with two outs to go. Sanchez instinctively reached up for Mauer's hit, but there was no chance for anyone — least of all the pitcher — to catch it. Sanchez then jerked his head back and spun in frustration, but with a bit of a smile on his face. After he struck out the next two hitters to end the game, he shared a hug with catcher Alex Avila. Sanchez threw 130 pitches. Jordan Zimmermann, Chris Sale, Shelby Miller and Jon Lester have also thrown one-hitters this season. That list doesn't even include Yu Darvish. The Texas star came within an out of a perfect game at Houston on April 2, but he allowed a hit and didn't finish the game. The last-place Twins have lost 10 straight, and their starting lineup against Sanchez included four players hitting .212 or worse. Carroll drew a walk to lead off the game, and Sanchez issued another to Chris Parmelee in the second. Then the 29-year-old Sanchez, acquired by the Tigers from the Marlins at midseason last year, settled into quite a groove. He fanned Mauer for the third out of the third, then struck out the side the fourth. Parmelee led off the fifth with a hard grounder up the middle that Sanchez was able to field himself. The following inning, Brian Dozier nearly broke up the no-hit bid when he hit a slow roller to shortstop Jhonny Peralta and almost beat the throw the first. Sanchez then struck out Carroll and Mauer to end the Minnesota sixth.

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With one out in the eighth, the Twins finally got another runner on base when Eduardo Escobar walked. That snapped a streak of 18 straight hitters retired by Sanchez, but he bounced back to retire pinch-hitter Ryan Doumit on a grounder to first. Pinch-hitter Chris Colabello followed, and with the crowd on its feet, he was called out on strikes. Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run single in the second, upping his RBI total to 57. Don Kelly added a two-run homer the following inning. Minnesota's Samuel Deduno (0-1) allowed six runs and nine hits in 5-1/3 innings. The most recent no-hitter thrown by a Tiger was in 2011, when Verlander tossed the second of his career. The Twins were no-hit last year by Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels. Notes: Sanchez's no-hitter as a rookie came Sept. 6, 2006, against Arizona. . . . Sanchez threw 121 pitches before being taken out of his 17-strikeout game against the Braves, but there was no way manager Jim Leyland was pulling him Friday while the no-hit bid was in progress.

No-hitter killer Mauer spoils Sanchez’s bid with 1 out in 9th Tyler Mason / FSN – 5/24/13 When Anibal Sanchez needed just two more outs against the Minnesota Twins to record his second career no-hitter — and baseball's first of the season — the Detroit right-hander didn't really have a chance on Friday night.

Why?

Three-time batting champ Joe Mauer was stepping to the plate for Minnesota. Sanchez should have intentionally walked the Twins catcher. After all, the hometown Tigers were up 6-0.

See, Mauer is a ninth-inning, no-hitter killer. Before Friday night, Mauer had broken up no-hitters in the ninth twice before in his career. On Friday in Detroit, Mauer did it again. On a 1-1 count with one out, Mauer recorded the Twins' first — and only — hit with one out in the top of the ninth inning at Comerica Park. Mauer, now batting .337, lined a single up the middle, preventing the Tigers right-hander from making history. Sanchez struck out the next two batters to seal the 6-0 Tigers' victory. It would have been Sanchez's second career no-hitter. In just his 13th career start, Sanchez no-hit the Arizona Diamondbacks as a rookie with the Florida Marlins in 2006. But Mauer knows a thing or two about hitting, having won batting titles in 2006, '08 and '09. He also knows how to spoil a no-hit bid in the ninth inning. On May 6, 2008, Mauer doubled off Gavin Floyd of the Chicago White Sox with two outs to go, and on Aug. 23, 2010, Mauer singled off Neftali Perez of the Texas Rangers with two outs.

Sanchez struck Mauer out twice Friday and induced him to ground into a fielder's choice in the first inning. The fourth time up, though, Mauer finally notched the Twins' elusive hit. "I knew I was coming into a tough ninth inning," Sanchez said. "Mauer, (Josh) Willingham and (Justin) Morneau, it's really hard to go there and feel comfortable. I made my best pitch, but Mauer is one of the best hitters in the league." Sanchez finished Friday's game with 12 strikeouts and three walks. He needed 130 pitches to finish the shutout and his fourth career one-hitter. For the Florida Marlins, he tossed two one-hitters in 2011 — vs. the Rockies on April 22, and the Pirates on Sept. 10 — and one in 2010 — at the Giants on July 29. "He gave up the hit to a great hitter," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "(Mauer is) one of the best in all of baseball for several years now. It's not a fluke. It wasn't a blooper. It was to a great hitter.

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"(Sanchez) had a shot at it, but when a guy like Mauer sees a guy that long during a course of a game, he's got a chance, obviously, to get a hit. He's a great hitter. It was just an unbelievable pitching performance by Sanchez." Thanks to Mauer's single up the middle, the Twins avoided being no-hit for the second time in just over 12 months. Los Angeles Angels starter Jered Weaver no-hit Minnesota on May 2, 2012. Still, the 6-0 loss was the Twins' 10th consecutive loss, dropping them to 18-27 on the season. Minnesota starter Samuel Deduno made his season debut and lasted 5 1/3 innings, yielding six runs on nine hits and three walks. He also surrendered a home run to Don Kelly, a two-run shot in the third inning. It really didn't matter who the Twins had on the mound, though. There was nothing any Minnesota batter could do against Sanchez. That is, except for Mauer. "He's just a great hitter," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of Mauer. "I'm sure that on their side (he's) probably the one guy they didn't want to have coming up in the ninth inning because he's a good hitter. He can do some things."

Twins hope fresh starter will end freefall AP / FSN – 5/25/13 After Joe Mauer's single saved them from being no-hit, the Minnesota Twins aren't likely to have it much easier against Doug Fister at Comerica Park. The free-falling Twins will try to avoid their 11th straight defeat Saturday when Fister looks to continue his outstanding pitching at home for the Detroit Tigers. Anibal Sanchez took a no-hitter into the ninth inning Friday before Mauer broke it up with a one-out single. That was the only hit the right-hander allowed in the Tigers' 6-0 victory. "In the end, it's the result of my work. I try to figure out, to put my ball in the strike zone," Sanchez said. "It's a nice result, and I take it." Behind Sanchez and a red-hot offense, Detroit (27-19) won its fourth in a row and leapfrogged Cleveland to reclaim first place in the AL Central. The Tigers now look to take the first three in this four-game series with Fister (5-1, 3.62 ERA) on the mound. While Fister has given up 10 runs and 17 hits over 7-2/3 innings in his last two road starts, he's 9-1 with a 2.94 ERA at home dating back to July, and has a 3.00 ERA while winning each of his four starts there this season. The right-hander is 3-6 with a 3.13 ERA lifetime against Minnesota, though he hasn't given up an earned run over 17 innings in consecutive victories. He struck out seven and scattered seven hits in a complete-game 8-0 victory over the Twins at Comerica Park on Sept. 22. This time, Fister faces a Minnesota team that has totaled 28 runs while hitting .219 during its longest skid since an 11-game slide Sept. 9-21, 2011. "The ball isn't bouncing our way very well," Mauer said. "You just have to stay positive." Mauer has been a bright spot, hitting .418 over his last 16 games, though he's 4 for 23 (.174) against Fister. The All-Star catcher hasn't been able to get the most out of the Twins' starters, who have an 8.16 ERA while allowing 80 hits — including 12 homers — in 46-1/3 innings during the losing streak.

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Scheduled starter P.J. Walters hopes to end that troubling trend as he makes his first major league appearance since September. The right-hander went 2-5 with a 5.69 ERA in 12 starts last season, and he's 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA in four career outings against the Tigers. Walters, who had a 3.31 ERA over 54-1/3 innings in nine starts at Triple-A Rochester this season, allowed two runs and four hits over five innings in a 6-4 loss to the Tigers in his last big league start Sept. 29. Prince Fielder took Walters deep in that meeting and has five hits, including a pair of homers, in eight career at-bats in this matchup. Andy Dirks is 7 for 17 with a homer in his last four games and may be able to stay hot since he's 3 for 7 with a home run off Walters. Miguel Cabrera extended his hitting streak to 10 games with two-run single in the second inning Friday. The reigning AL MVP is 10 for 19 with six homers and 15 RBI over his last five games. He leads the majors with a .388 average and 57 RBIs. The Tigers are hitting .345 with 29 runs during their four-game winning streak, one shy of a season high.