Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Jorge Polanco homers once from each side as Twins stop White Sox. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 1 Souhan: Twins become the little team that should (make the playoffs). Star Tribune (Souhan) p. 3 Sano's recovery from stress reaction going slowly. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 3 Ex-Twins All-Star Joe Nathan officially retires. Star Tribune (C. Miller) p. 4 Talented Twins outfield trio has finally come together. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 4 Joe Mauer is pushing .300, a mark he hasn't reached this late in a season since his catching days. Star Tribune (Christensen) p. 6 Twins continue streaking with a fifth straight home win. Pioneer Press (Graff) p. 6 Twins: Miguel Sano’s recovery from shin injury ‘moving rather slowly’. Pioneer Press (Graff) p. 7 Polanco (2 HRs), Santana lead Twins past Sox. MLB.com (Bollinger & Jackson) p. 8 Polanco stays red hot, just when Twins need it. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 9 Sano making slow progress from shin injury. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 10 Nathan to retire, be honored by Twins. MLB.com (Kelly) p. 10 Wade, Jay lead Twins going to Fall League. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 11 Field smoothly and carry a big stick: Jorge Polanco is feeling it at the plate right now. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 11 Zulgad: Favorable schedule could make Twins impossible to ignore. ESPN 1500 (Zulgad) p. 12 Twins honoring Joe Nathan a reminder of one of Terry Ryan’s greatest heists. ESPN 1500 (Zulgad) p. 13 Santana, young Twins core combine to top White Sox. Associated Press p. 14 Twins plan retirement news conference for Joe Nathan. Associated Press p. 15

Jorge Polanco homers once from each side as Twins stop White Sox

La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | August 30, 2017

Jorge Polanco is stepping up to become the latest power-hitting sensation, right up there with Miguel Sano and Brian Dozier. Right? “No,” Polanco said with a straight face. “I just think I’m hitting the ball very good.” The White Sox feel differently after watching Polanco pulverize more of their pitches, then take casual jogs around the bases. Polanco is on a power spree, and it’s helping the Twins tighten their grip on the second wild-card spot. The shortstop hit two more taters Tuesday night — a solo shot from each side of the plate — as the Twins held off Chicago 6-4 at Target Field to take the opener of a three-game series. The Twins have a one-game lead on the Angels for the second wild card, after the Angels beat the A’s 8-2 in Anaheim late Tuesday. Polanco is the fifth Twin to homer from both sides of the plate in a game, joining Roy Smalley (1986), Chili Davis (1992), Ryan Doumit (2012) and Kennys Vargas (2016). Chicago, of course, could care less if Polanco is doing it lefthanded or righthanded. Their problem is that Polanco continues to sock Sox pitching. Polanco has six homers over his past nine games — all against Chicago. Seven of Polanco’s nine home runs this season — and eight of his 13 career home runs — are against the White Sox. “[Polanco] is swinging the bat really, really well,” Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. “He’s hit some homers against us, obviously. He’s got

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some juice from both sides of the plate. Tip your hat to him.” Polanco struck out against James Shields in the first inning, but got a 3-1 fastball over the heart of the plate in the third inning and belted it into the seats in right. In the seventh, Polanco dug in against Aaron Bummer and hit a pitch out to left. There appears to be more dangerous intent recently behind Polanco’s swings, and it looks as if he’s trying to get more loft with his swing. But Twins manager Paul Molitor said he believes Polanco’s eye at the plate is allowing him to get better pitches to hit, not because of some mechanical overhaul. “When he was struggling he was expanding on offspeed [pitches], chasing pitches up in the zone and popping it up. Hitting a lot of fly balls,” Molitor said. “You watch him take [batting practice] every day and he’s focused on trying to minimize the balls that are traveling high in the air. “He’s trying to drive the ball from both sides of the plate. Some of them are turning into homers right now, which is good for us.” The homers were the difference in a game in which the Twins scored twice in the first inning against Shields then got Polanco’s homer in the third and an Eduardo Escobar RBI single in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead. The Twins seemed to be in control, as Ervin Santana had given up only one earned run heading into the seventh inning. But Chicago scored twice to get within 5-3. Polanco’s second homer of the night made it 6-3 in the seventh. Matt Belisle gave up a run in the ninth, but struck out Avisail Garcia to end the game. The Twins have two more games against Chicago this week. More chances for Polanco to hit more homers then claim he’s not a power hitter. “I’m just trying to get my pitch,” Polanco said, “and eliminate swinging at bad pitches. It’s going well.” Since the 2000 World Series, baseball has produced 17 champions. Eleven different teams have won titles, and no one has repeated. The Royals, Cubs, Phillies, Diamondbacks, Angels and Marlins have won as many titles as the Yankees in the past 17 years. That list includes two expansion teams and three that hadn’t won one since the ’80s ... or the oughts. In that time, the NFL has produced 10 different champions, and one team, the Patriots, has repeated. The beauty of baseball — young talent and unpredictability, which are often one and the same — is on display at Target Field this summer, as the Twins’ young talent has survived problematic pitching. So all of us who love baseball should do each other a favor, and stop guessing about theoretical trades and start celebrating a worthwhile reality. The 2017 Twins are winning because Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario and Polanco are playing with joy and skill, Joe Mauer is having his best season since 2013, random Hildenbergers and Busenitzes have come out of nowhere or Rochester, and the trades the front office didn’t make. For the past year, you couldn’t walk by a Twins fan in a restaurant without hearing, “They need to trade …” First, it was Brian Dozier. When he hit 42 home runs last year, the populist thinking called for him to be traded while he was at peak value. The front office found out that his peak value on the trade market didn’t equal his value to the Twins and rightly didn’t trade h im. Then it was Santana. He pitched so well early this season that the fan base demanded he be traded while at peak value. The front office decided to keep him because he would be the team’s ace next year and perhaps the year after that. Why would you trade Santana for a prospect who may never be as good? Then the Twins faltered in July and the populist thinking was that the Twins should trade everyone of value ... until they surged and fans complained that the front office had dared trade away the great Jaime Garcia. His ERA with the Yankees is 5.95. There is a chance that the trade of Garcia to the Yankees might prove to be the reason the Twins catch the Yankees. Forget the trade rumors. Dozier and Santana are still here, and Buxton, Polanco and Rosario are turning this into a meaningful summer at Target Field.

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Souhan: Twins become the little team that should (make the playoffs)

Jim Souhan | Star Tribune | August 30, 2017

The little team that could is becoming the little team that should. Last year, the Twins played as if they craved contraction. This summer, they’re good enough to make the playoffs. Even for a franchise accustomed to worst-to-first transformations, this is a hot-air balloon of a season. Tuesday night, Jorge Polanco homered from both sides of the plate and the Twins won their fifth straight home game, 6-4 over the White Sox. They played loud music in the clubhouse after the game, but there was no dance party reprise of Torii Hunter’s 2015 exhortations. Instead, manager Paul Molitor quietly praised his players’ energy and intensity, and winning pitcher Ervin Santana spoke as if unsurprised by the winning, placing him in the minority. There will be meaningful games in Target Field in September and perhaps October. It is time to celebrate this team and the nature of this unpredictable game; time to celebrate the players who are here rather than yearn for those who could have been. The NFL receives much credit for parity, while baseball is derided for lacking a salary cap and allowing big-money teams to dominate. That sounds logical unless you resort to looking up facts. In the late 1990s, the Yankees won four World Series in five years and almost won the next season, too. That mini-dynasty fooled people into thinking that money was all-powerful in baseball, but the late-’90s franchise that bought a title was the ’97 Marlins. The Yankees were built on young, inexpensive talent — Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada. Sano's recovery from stress reaction going slowly

La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | August 29, 2017

Miguel Sano is eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list Wednesday, but that won’t happen. His recovery from a stress reaction in his left tibia is progressing slower than anticipated. Sano is still dealing with some soreness in the area and has not been able to resume baseball activities. Sano is likely staring at several more days in the trainer’s room. For now, all Sano can do is ride a bike and use the underwater treadmill for cardiovascular benefits. “It’s unfortunate that it is moving rather slowly,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. Sano injured the bone Aug. 18 when he fouled a pitch off it. He tried playing the next game but could not run. A stress reaction can be a precursor to a stress fracture, so it can’t be taken lightly. But history shows that the bone can heal in a couple weeks. A bone stimulator has been used in the past on stress reactions such as the one Sano has. “They are considering some other things that might help expedite the healing of the bone,” Molitor said. It’s a setback for the Twins as they attempt to reach the postseason for the first time since 2010. The club has made up for his absence, and then some, by scoring 161 runs in August, the second most in baseball. And they are averaging 6.4 runs per game since Sano left the lineup. But they will need Sano, who has a team-high 28 home runs and 77 RBI, to continue their unexpected run. “You can’t rush or force those things without risking something significant happening if you try to get back there too soon,” Molitor said. “I think he is improving. I just think it’s a slow process right now.” Nathan’s day coming Former Twins closer Joe Nathan will sign a one-day contract with the club Friday — then retire. The Twins will honor Nathan with a video tribute, and he will throw out the first pitch before their game against the Royals.

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“Pretty cool,” said Glen Perkins. He and Joe Mauer are the only active Twins who played with Nathan. Nathan, 42, saved 260 games for the Twins during seven seasons, and 377 games during an 16-year career. “It will be great to see him,” Perkins said. “Haven’t seen him in a while.” Jay to AFL Lefthander Tyler Jay has missed most of the season because of arm and shoulder problems, but recently returned to the mound for Class A Fort Myers and is now scheduled to pitch in the Arizona Fall League during the offseason. The AFL is an offseason league for some of the game’s best prospects, and the experience will help Jay — the sixth overall pick in 2015 — make up some for what has been a lost season. Rosters were announced Tuesday. The Twins were concerned Jay might need season-ending thoracic outlet surgery, but gave rehab another try. After three tuneup games for the Twins’ rookie team in the Gulf Coast League, Jay has now joined the Miracle, throwing two scoreless innings Friday. Righthander Tom Hackimer, infielder Chris Paul and outfielder Lamonte Wade have been named to the team with Jay. The Twins have to send two more pitchers and an infielder, but haven’t yet decided on those players. Etc. • Catcher Jason Castro remains on the concussion DL after taking a couple foul balls off his mask last Wednesday in Chicago. He’s still experiencing symptoms. • Robbie Grossman said his broken left thumb is doing much better and has been working to regain the range of motion. • Dietrich Enns threw a 45-pitch bullpen session Tuesday as he works his way back from a sore shoulder. He’s waiting to hear from the Twins about what the next move will be. Ex-Twins All-Star Joe Nathan officially retires

Chris Miller | Star Tribune | August 29, 2017

Former Twins closer Joe Nathan, who will be 43 in November, is officially retiring. The Twins will hold a press conference for Nathan on Friday at Target Field, and will also honor him with a video tribute that night. He will throw out the first pitch before the game against Kansas City. Nathan, a six-time All-Star, has battled injuries over the past several seasons. He pitched in 10 games last season for the Giants and Cubs, and was released by the Nationals early this season. Nathan pitched in 460 games in seven seasons with the Twins (2004-09 and 2011, missing 2010 because of Tommy John surgery on his right elbow). He had 260 of his 376 career saves (eighth in MLB history) with Minnesota. He was a four-time All-Star with the Twins and a two-time All-Star for the Texas Rangers, with whom he signed as a free agent in 2012. Nathan became a closer in 2004 after the Twins -- making Joe Mauer the team's full-time catcher -- traded catcher A.J. Pierzynski to the Giants for pitchers Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano and Nathan. He started his career in the Giants organization as a shortstop before being converted to a pitcher. Talented Twins outfield trio has finally come togetherlanco homers once from each side as Twins stop White Sox

Phil Miller | Star Tribune | August 29, 2017

It was Eduardo Escobar, as is so often the case in the boisterous Twins clubhouse, who inspired this particular bit of goofiness. The superstitious shortstop had begun working a mini-basketball into his pregame appease-the-baseball-gods routine, and it gave Eddie Rosario — who claims he played, perhaps preferred, basketball over baseball as a child in Puerto Rico — an idea. “I just say, let’s not be the same as everybody,” Rosario said. “We want to make it different than everybody else.” The “it” he’s referring to is the deadly serious business of how outfielders gather behind second base to briefly celebrate a victory before joining the traditional handshake line. For several seasons, but particularly once Torii Hunter rejoined the team in 2015, Twins outfielders had done a three-way, back-turned jump into each other as a postgame way-to-go, following the lead of several other teams. But Rosario wanted

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something distinctive, and basketball was it. Which is how Rosario, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler began shooting imaginary step-back three-pointers, holding their pose in the air, whenever the Twins claim another win. “Mine never goes,” Kepler joked. “I’m a terrible shooter.” Maybe he can change that, because the Twins are hoping he will get hundreds more chances. Those three outfielders, projected for half a decade as the cornerstones of the next generation of Twins, have jelled as a unit like never before in the summer sunshine of 2017. “I kind of think that we feed off each other out there,” Buxton said. “We’ve got a lot of chemistry. We know each other really well in the outfield, know what we can do together.” The rest of baseball is finding out, too, because August has been revelation for the young trio. Buxton, 23, was named AL player of the week Monday, only two weeks after Rosario took home the same award. Kepler, 24, has lagged a bit, batting only .205 in August, but he has hit seven home runs and saved his best for the biggest moments, with a .318 average and 1.044 on-base-plus-slugging percentage when runners are in scoring position. Rosario, 25, has a .300 average and .906 OPS for the month, also with seven homers. And Buxton has emerged as the force the Twins reckoned the overall No. 2 pick would someday be, with his three-homer game Sunday — a feat that Rosario accomplished in May, and Kepler last August — a real attention-getter. Buxton has batted .330 this month with a 1.011 OPS, to go with eight home runs and eight stolen bases. Plus the best outfield defense in baseball. “He’s got a lot of ways he can help you win games. Legs, bunting, home runs, defense, arm. It’s fun to watch some of that talent start to flourish,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “He’s shown ability to put a lot of pressure on the pitcher.” They all do at the moment. Twins outfielders have combined to hit 23 home runs this month (including one from the injured Robbie Grossman), the seventh time in their history that the Twins have gotten more than 20 homers at those position over a calendar month. The amazing part: All six of the previous months came from 1962 to ’64, when Hall of Fame slugger Harmon Killebrew patrolled the outfield. “Hitting is contagious, we’ve all heard that, and that’s true for the three of us,” Kepler said. “When someone is hitting, on a really good streak, it gives you confidence — hey, he’s hittable, I can do that, too.” They all still have their weaknesses — Rosario is working on plate discipline, Kepler on hitting lefthanders, Buxton on just hitting consistently — but they complement each other, too. Even in their basketball ritual, come to think of it: Rosario describes himself as their point guard, Kepler said he is the defensive specialist, and Buxton? “I like to go down in the paint,” he said. It’s not the individual success that matters, though. Every Twins minor league affiliate that has had at least two of the three in the outfield, from Elizabethton to Beloit, Fort Myers to Chattanooga, has won a championship or finished with one of the two best records in the league. “What people should know about these guys is how used to winning they are, and how important it is to them. They won a lot in the minor leagues,” said Jeff Pickler, who coaches outfield defense for the Twins. “I was having a conversation with Kep, and I said, ‘Are you having fun?’ He said, “Winning is fun.’ That’s their intrinsic motivation.” The trio first came together on the Glendale Desert Dogs, but Rosario was playing second base and Kepler first for the Arizona Fall League team. A year later, though, they formed the outfield for the AFL’s Salt River Rafters, and knew that a German, a Georgian and a Puerto Rican could excel together. “It’s cool, it’s fun, We’ve always won a lot so we want to do that here,” Rosario said. “We like each other a lot. We want to be around each other all the time. We know each other so well, we talk about the same things.” Could those conversations go on for, say, a decade? “It would be awesome if that happened,” Kepler said. “I don’t want to jinx anything. We just have to stay in the present, keep working on stuff. But we’ve been close for a long time.” Molitor agreed. “Those three guys potentially are your everyday outfield for a long time,” he said. “That’s a really nice part of your defense and offense to build around.”

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Joe Mauer is pushing .300, a mark he hasn't reached this late in a season since his catching days

Joe Christensen | Star Tribune | August 29, 2017

A red-hot August has pushed Joe Mauer's batting average to .296, putting him within striking distance of .300 -- a mark he hasn't reached at season's end since 2013. Mauer, 34, was still a catcher the last time it happened. He started the 2013 All-Star Game at age 30 and was batting .324 (with a .880 OPS) when a mid-August concussion ended his season, along with his catching career. He moved to first base the following spring and batted .277, .265 and .261 the next three seasons, with a .733 OPS over that span that was below average for his position. This season appeared to be more of the same. He was batting .268 with a .733 OPS on Aug. 9. But then he caught fire, along with the rest of the team's younger lineup. Over his past 17 games, Mauer is batting .435 with 30 hits in 69 at-bats. Interesting side note: He's walked just three times in that span, well below his usual walk rate. His OPS is up to .783, which ranks 18th among MLB first basemen. As Phil Miller wrote today, the Twins' outfield maturation of Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler has been a big story. Mauer's recent surge has been significant, too. With the Twins clinging to the second wild-card spot, they open a three-game series against the White Sox on Tuesday night at Target Field. Chicago will send veteran James Shields to the mound. Mauer knows the righthander well. For his career against Shields, Mauer is batting .296 (16-for-54). Mauer just went 8-for-15 in Toronto. With another series like that, he'd be back above .300. Twins continue streaking with a fifth straight home win

Chad Graff | Pioneer Press | August 29, 2017

As last month came to a close, Ervin Santana retreated from the mound at Dodger Stadium saddled with a fourth loss in his past five starts. The Twins team he had lifted to a surprising start was fading fast. Santana’s slump at that point had endured two months, and a 5.46 earned-run average in June and July were ominous signs as the Twins began to sell off parts and cede that they may not be playoff contenders. Four weeks later, both Santana and the Twins have surged since the calendar flipped. They continued their playoff push Tuesday night with another win, a 6-4 decision over the lowly Chicago White Sox. An uneven midsummer is now firmly behind Santana, the team’s top starter who would be needed if the Twins do capture the second American League wild-card spot and appear in a one-game playoff. Their win Tuesday maintained their slim lead in that race. “You win a game this time of the year to open a homestand and you’ve got to take it and be happy with that,” manager Paul Molitor said. Behind nearly seven full innings from Santana, the Twins won their season-best fifth straight home game, now with eight victories in their past 10 tries at Target Field. Their 16 wins in the past 23 games since Aug. 6 are tied for the most in the majors. The Twins offered Santana three runs of support the first three innings, and he was in control until the seventh before being chased after two earned runs in the frame. Still, it offered a stark contrast for Santana, who allowed four or more earned runs in six of his 10 starts in June and July. Santana closed August with the Twins winning in five of his six outings, the right-hander not allowing more than three earned runs in any of those. “It’s not simple,” Santana said of moving on from June and July struggles. “But I don’t try to think about the past and just move forward.”

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Help came early for Santana. Jorge Polanco continued his tear against the White Sox, smacking two more home runs against the team he hit four against in five games last week. He gave the Twins a 3-0 lead in the third inning with a left-handed shot over the right-field fence, then followed it four innings later with a solo shot as a righty, becoming the fifth Twin to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game. It was the first multi-homer game in Polanco’s 181-game career. Six of his nine home runs this season have come in the past nine days, and seven of those have come against the White Sox. “Those surges are a little bit unpredictable for a guy you don’t expect to hit a ton of home runs,” Molitor said. “Sometimes you just get that feel. … He’s feeling good about his game. He made some really nice defensive plays, too. As of late, he’s been an important part of our overall team with the way he’s swinging the bat and the way he’s playing defense.” Byron Buxton remained hot at the plate, smacking an RBI single in the first that followed Eddie Rosario’s RBI. Max Kepler crossed the plate twice after that, first scoring in the fourth after he walked, stole second and went home thanks to an Eduardo Escobar single. Two innings later, his leadoff double produced a run off an Escobar sacrifice fly. They were overshadowed, though, by Polanco, who maintained he’s still far from a power hitter despite the recent surge. “I’m trying to get my pitch and eliminate swinging at bad pitches,” he said. “I think it’s going well.” Twins: Miguel Sano’s recovery from shin injury ‘moving rather slowly’

Chad Graff | Pioneer Press | August 29, 2017

Although Miguel Sano is eligible to be activated from the disabled list Wednesday, the Twins third baseman isn’t close to returning from a shin injury, still unable to perform baseball activities, manager Paul Molitor said Tuesday. The slugger hit the disabled list Aug. 20 with a stress reaction on his left leg. While the Twins were on an eight-game road trip last week, Sano remained in Minnesota doing cardiovascular exercises in a pool and on a bike, but he isn’t close yet to returning to the lineup. “It’s unfortunate that it’s moving rather slowly,” Molitor said. “You can’t rush or force those things without risking someth ing significant happening if you get back too soon. I think he is improving. I just think it’s a slow process right now.” Sano, 24, leads the Twins with 28 home runs and is hitting .267 in 416 at-bats. Sano said this month that he was injured when a foul ball deflected off his shin in an at bat on Aug. 18. The Twins are using a stimulator to try to help the healing. “All I’ve heard is that they’re considering some other things that might help expedite the healing of the bone,” Molitor said. FALL LEAGUE Former first-round pick Tyler Jay and three other Twins prospects were picked to play in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, a gathering of at least six of the best young players from each MLB organization. Tom Hackimer, LaMonte Wade, and Chris Paul will join Jay in the league, as will three other Twins prospects to be named later. Jay, the No. 6 overall pick in 2015, recently returned from injury and has a 3.52 earned-run average in 7 2/3 innings this season between three minor league levels. Hackimer was a fourth-round pick in 2016. The righty has a 1.85 ERA in 58 1/3 minor league innings this season. Wade was a ninth-round pick in 2015. The center fielder is hitting .282 with six home runs in 110 games at Double-A Chattanooga.

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Paul was a sixth-round pick in 2015. The third baseman is hitting .332 at Class A Fort Myers. NATHAN’S RETIREMENT The Twins will hold a retirement ceremony Friday for former closer Joe Nathan, who spent seven of his 16 MLB seasons with the team. Nathan pitched 6 1/3 innings for two teams last season before deciding to retire this year. His most productive years were with the Twins from 2004-11. The righty was named an all-star four times in that period, recording a career-high 47 saves in 2009. In total, he posted a 2.16 ERA in 460 games with the Twins. Nathan will throw out a ceremonial first pitch before Friday’s game. BRIEFLY Catcher Jason Castro continues to deal with sporadic headaches stemming from his concussion and hasn’t yet resumed baseball activities. He remains on the disabled list. Polanco (2 HRs), Santana lead Twins past Sox

Rhett Bollinger and Shane Jackson | MLB.com | August 30, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Ervin Santana threw 6 2/3 strong innings and Jorge Polanco registered his first career multi-homer game to lead the Twins to a 6-4 win over the White Sox in the series opener Tuesday night at Target Field. The win helped Minnesota retain its lead as the second AL Wild Card team. "Overall, it was a good win at this time of year to open up the homestand," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "You have to take it and be happy with that." Veteran righty James Shields started for the White Sox and allowed four runs on five hits and five walks over five innings, extending his losing streak to four straight games. The five walks by Shields matched a season high, which he hadn't done since the first start of the season. Minnesota scored two runs in the first inning and never trailed. "I thought he kept us in the ballgame. Most people didn't know he was a little under the weather, actually," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. "He ground through it. He ended up, I think, trying to do what he needed to do to keep us in striking distance." Polanco helped the Twins extend their lead with a solo homer off Shields in the third. He later added a solo shot off left-hander Aaron Bummer in the seventh, giving him homers from both sides of the plate. Polanco has nine homers this year, seven of which have come against the White Sox. "I'm hitting the ball pretty good," Polanco said. "I'm trying to hit my pitch and eliminate swinging at bad pitches. I think it's going well." The powerful performance helped back Santana, who surrendered three runs on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. He gave up a run on an RBI double to Avisail Garcia in the sixth before surrendering two more in the seventh. Santana was lifted after a sacrifice fly from Yolmer Sanchez. Reliever Trevor Hildenberger then allowed an inherited run to score on a bloop RBI double from Jose Abreu, who went 4-for-4 with a walk. Abreu drove in another run in the ninth against Matt Belisle, but the Twins' closer got out of a jam to get his fifth save. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Shields' wildness costs him: Shields nearly got out of the first inning unscathed, getting a potential double-play grounder from Eddie Rosario with runners the corners with one out. But Shields' throw to second sailed high, allowing Brian Dozier to come home from third. Shields then threw a wild pitch to Byron Buxton, the reigning American League Player of the Week, which allowed Rosario to reach second and eventually score on Buxton's two-out RBI single. "If I make a throw in the first inning, we get out of there with no runs and it's a whole different ballgame," Shields said. "I have to do a better job of throwing the ball to second base and getting the double play."

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Santana's K's end threats: The White Sox had runners at second and third with two outs in the third, but Santana struck out Garcia on a 3-2 fastball to get out of the inning. Chicago had another scoring chance with two runners on and two outs in the sixth after Santana walked Kevan Smith, but he again got a key strikeout, fanning Tyler Saladino on a 1-2 fastball. "I felt pretty good," Santana said. "It was a lot of in and out, up and down, and then sliders away." SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Polanco became the fifth Twins player to homer from both sides of the plate, joining Roy Smalley, Chili Davis, Ryan Doumit and Kennys Vargas. UPON FURTHER REVIEW It took less than a minute to overturn a pickoff play in the fourth inning, which granted the White Sox their second out of the frame. Chicago challenged the call that second baseman Sanchez had placed the tag in time on Vargas, who was originally ruled safe, on a pickoff attempt by Shields. After a replay review that lasted 50 seconds, Vargas was ultimately ruled out. The Twins also successfully challenged a play in the fifth, when Polanco was ruled out at second on a stolen base attempt. After a review, the call was overturned and Polanco was awarded his 10th stolen base of the year. The only unsuccessful challenge took place in the ninth. Chicago challenged the call that Alen Hanson was ruled out on a groundout to first. However, the call stood after a review that lasted one minute, 16 seconds. WHAT'S NEXT White Sox: Left-hander Derek Holland (7-13, 6.05 ERA) is slated to take the mound for Chicago at 7:10 p.m. CT. In his last start, Holland spun six innings of one-run ball against the Twins to earn the win. Holland has gone 0-4 with a 7.77 ERA in five career starts at Target Field. Twins: Right-hander Jose Berrios (11-6, 4.04 ERA) is set to start for the Twins in the second game of the series on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. CT. Berrios was hurt by his defense last time out, allowing five runs (three earned) over 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the White Sox. Polanco stays red hot, just when Twins need it

Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | August 30, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Heading into the doubleheader against the White Sox on Aug. 21, Jorge Polanco had been hot in August, but had only three homers on the year in 94 games. But the switch-hitting shortstop went on to homer in four straight games in Chicago, and Polanco continued to torment the White Sox in the series opener on Tuesday, recording his first career multihomer game by homering from both sides of the plate to lead the Twins to a 6-4 win at Target Field. Polanco became just the fifth Twins player to accomplish the feat, joining Roy Smalley, Chili Davis, Ryan Doumit and Kennys Vargas. "Not many guys in this franchise have homered from both sides, so that was impressive," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "As of late, he's been an important part of our team with the way he's swinging the bat and playing defense." Polanco now has five homers over his last nine games -- all against Chicago -- and seven of his nine homers this year are against the White Sox. Polanco said he's not sure why he's had so much success against the South Siders, but he feels like his improved plate discipline has helped him more than anything. "I'm hitting the ball pretty good," Polanco said. "I'm trying to hit my pitch and eliminate swinging at bad pitches. I think it's going well. I don't think it's my swing. I think it's my mentality." With his improved approach, Polanco is hitting .387/.424/.720 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 25 games in August. His power has helped fill the void left by Miguel Sano's shin injury, and Molitor said sometimes it's tough to explain where it comes from. "Those surges are a little bit unpredictable from a guy you don't expect to hit a lot of home runs," Molitor said. "But sometimes, you just get that feel and you get a pitch and you can drive it." Molitor also noticed that Polanco has been making better in-game adjustments. On Tuesday, he struck out in his first at-bat against James Shields and was frustrated by his approach. But he learned from it, hitting a homer off Shields his next time up, in the third, on a 3-1 fastball that caught too much of the plate. Polanco's homer in the eighth came on a 2-1 changeup from left-hander Aaron Bummer.

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"He was frustrated [that] he expanded the zone a little bit, but the next at-bat he took those same-type pitches and got the count to 3-1 and homered," Molitor said. "They brought the lefty in there [later] and he did his thing. He got an offspeed pitch and hammered that one, too. He's feeling good about his game and made a few nice defensive plays, too." As Molitor noted, Polanco's defense has also been improving, and he made a great diving stop and throw to second to help Ervin Santana get out of a jam in the second. Polanco said he's feeling confident on both offense and defense, which has been huge for the Twins as they continue to hold onto the second American League Wild Card spot. "He's doing his job -- defense, offense, you name it," Santana said. "It's good for our team, especially this time of year." Sano making slow progress from shin injury

Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | August 29, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins third baseman Miguel Sano, out since Aug. 19 with a stress reaction in his left shin, has yet to begin baseball activities and is making slow progress with the injury, manager Paul Molitor said Tuesday. Sano, who suffered the injury after fouling a ball off his shin on Aug. 18, didn't join the Twins on their eight-game road trip, staying back to rehab at Target Field. But he hasn't progressed to running or fielding, which means he's still not close to returning. He's eligible to be activated from the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday. "I saw him and talked to him a little bit and it's unfortunate it's moving rather slowly," Molitor said. "You can't rush or force those kinds of things without risking something significant happening if you come back too soon. I think he is improving, but it's just a slow process right now." Sano has been using a bone stimulator as part of his rehab, and Molitor said the team should know more about how long Sano will be out after he meets with team doctors Tuesday night. Sano declined comment before the game. "All I've heard is they might consider some other things that might help to expedite the healing of the bone," Molitor said. "I'll get more details once the doctors come. He's been doing cardio work in the water and on the bike. Things of that nature." Worth noting • Catcher Jason Castro, on the 7-day concussion disabled list, is eligible to return on Thursday, but Molitor said he might miss a little more time beyond then. Castro has yet to resume baseball activities and has dealt with headaches since the concussion, which was caused by a foul ball to his facemask. "Yesterday was his best day, but I don't believe he's ready yet for baseball activities," Molitor said. "The symptoms are mostly limited to headaches that pop up, which isn't a great sign. We want to make sure those are clear before we put him out there and try to do too much." • Left-handers Hector Santiago (back strain) and Adalberto Mejia (biceps strain) are both beginning their rehab assignments with Triple-A Rochester. Santiago starts Tuesday, while Mejia starts Wednesday. Nathan to retire, be honored by Twins

Matt Kelly | MLB.com | August 29, 2017 The Twins announced on Tuesday that their all-time franchise saves leader will hold a retirement news conference at 4 p.m. ET on Friday at Target Field. Nathan will be joined by Twins senior vice president and general manager Thad Levine, and Nathan will receive a special pregame video tribute and throw a ceremonial first pitch before Minnesota's series opener against the Royals that evening. Nathan, 42, was a four-time All-Star closer with the Twins from 2004-11 while serving as a cornerstone of four American League Central title-winning clubs. In 2009, Nathan won the AL's Rolaids Relief Man Award after saving 47 games and posting a 2.10 ERA and 4.05 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The crafty right-hander recorded a 2.16 ERA and 0.956 WHIP while converting 260 of 288 save opportunities over his seven seasons with Minnesota. Nathan, who played the first four seasons of his Major League career with the Giants, went on to pitch five more seasons with the Rangers, Tigers, Cubs and the Giants again through the end of the 2016 campaign. He earned two more All-Star nods while with Texas from 2012-13, and helped the Rangers and Tigers reach the 2012 and 2014 postseasons, respectively. Nathan currently ranks eighth on baseball's all-time saves list with 377. Before his retirement, Nathan ranked fourth among active pitchers with 787 total appearances.

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Wade, Jay lead Twins going to Fall League

Rhett Bollinger | MLB.com | August 29, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins prospects Tyler Jay, Tom Hackimer, LaMonte Wade and Chris Paul will represent the organization in the Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Saguaros, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday. Jay, a left-handed pitcher, and Wade, an outfielder, rank among the club's Top 30 prospects, as Jay is ranked No. 8 and Wade is ranked No. 17, per MLBPipeline.com. The Twins will also send two more pitchers and an outfielder to Arizona. The Arizona Fall League is a "finishing school" for prospects who are close the Majors. Generally speaking, if a team sends a player to the Fall League, it's an indication that the club thinks he has the chance to contribute in the big leagues in the near future. In other words, it's generally a short leap from the AFL to MLB. The league has a total of six teams, with five organizations represented on each. Every MLB team is required to send at least six players from its organization. Jay, 23, recently returned to action after missing more than two months with left shoulder impingement. He made three relief appearances with the Gulf Coast League Twins before tossing two scoreless innings with Class A Advanced Fort Myers on Friday. The left-hander has impressive stuff, including a plus-slider, and has been moved to the bullpen full-time. He opened the year at Double-A Chattanooga, and health has been his biggest issue since being selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2015 Draft. Hackimer, a right-handed reliever, has been impressive between Class A Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers, posting a 2.31 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings. The 23-year-old sidearmer could open next year at Double-A Chattanooga. Wade, 23, has strong on-base skills, as he's hit .282/.393/.390 with six homers, eight stolen bases and 62 RBIs in 110 games with Double-A Chattanooga. He has a career .402 on-base percentage since being taken in the ninth round of the 2015 Draft, but his power is still a work in progress, which could be an issue because he profiles more as a left fielder than a center fielder. But the Twins are high on his makeup and work ethic. Paul, 24, has crushed the ball at Fort Myers, hitting .324/.378/.456 with three homers and 19 doubles in 59 games this year. But he missed more than two months with a left wrist sprain, and is older than most of the competition he's faced this year. He can play third base, first base and outfield, but the Twins are looking for more power from him. Field smoothly and carry a big stick: Jorge Polanco is feeling it at the plate right now

Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | August 29, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS – Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco made a dazzling play to his backhand in the 2nd inning of Tuesday’s series opener against the White Sox. With a runner on first base and two outs, the speedy Tim Anderson hit a ball between Polanco and third baseman Eduardo Escobar, which Polanco ranged far to his right to glove, and with no chance of a play at first base, Polanco smoothly turned and fired a strike to Brian Dozier at second base to force out the runner and end the inning. It caught starting pitcher Ervin Santana’s attention and it set the stage for the rest of Polanco’s evening. Polanco kept up his power surge Tuesday, with two home runs against the White Sox in a 6-4 Twins win. He’s now hit 6 home runs in his past 9 games. Tuesday’s two homers “were first-row-type jobs,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said with a smirk, “but they’re still homers so we’ll take ‘em.” The young shortstop is busy getting his season back on track, after a dreadful stretch that earned him a spot on Paul Molitor’s bench in late July. In August, though, he’s not only reclaimed his job. He’s helped carry the Twins back into postseason contention. Polanco, a switch-hitter, homered from the left side of the plate in the 3rd inning off James Shields. Then he went deep again in the 7th inning off lefty reliever Aaron Bummer. Polanco now joins a fairly exclusive club. He’s the fifth switch hitter in Twins history to hit a home run from both sides of the plate, according to the Twins. He joined a group that includes Kennys Vargas, Ryan Doumit, Chili Davis and Roy Smalley. If you’re not a fan of the Chicago White Sox, you might find this bit of trivia interesting. Polanco now has 9 home runs on the season, and 7 of them have come against the White Sox. Here are the other South Siders that Polanco has taken deep this year: Shields, Lucas Giolito, Carson Fulmer, Derek Holland and Jose Quintana (before he was traded to the Cubs). Molitor said before the game that his shortstop’s hot month of August has a lot to do with the fact that he’s being more selective at the plate. It’s not a new swing, Molitor said after the game, but rather an enhanced ability to stop chasing off-speed pitches outside the strike zone – and

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fastballs at the top end of the strike zone. “Yeah, that’s true,” Polanco said of their constructive criticism. “I’m trying to get my pitch and eliminate swinging at bad pitches, and I think it’s going well.” He credited both Twins hitting coaches – James Rowson and Rudy Hernandez – as well as Molitor with helping him shake the bad habit of expanding his strike zone. “They [saw that] and they tell me I was swinging at bad pitches, so I got to go back and try to swing at my pitch.” Since Aug. 1, Polanco has really turned it on at the plate. He’s hitting .378/.411/.656 with 20 RBIs in 98 plate appearances. And those numbers don’t include Tuesday’s big night at the plate for Polanco. His offensive explosion has come at a good time for the Twins, who looked ready to bow out of the race for the postseason after trading away a starter and closer at the non-waiver trade deadline at the end of July. Since those trades, they’ve done the opposite. The Twins have stood tall in August and currently hold a Wild Card spot in the American League. It’s also come at a good time – in a prove-it year – for the 24-year old Polanco. At the trade deadline, he was hitting just .213/.265/.305 with shaky defense at shortstop. That kind of performance would almost certainly qualify him for a demotion to the minor leagues, if he had any minor league options left on his contract. “He’s feeling good about his game,” Molitor said. “He made some really nice defensive plays, too. As of late, he’s been an important part of our overall team the way he’s swinging the bat and the way he’s playing defense.”

Zulgad: Favorable schedule could make Twins impossible to ignore

Judd Zulgad | ESPN 1500 | August 29, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS – The crowd at Target Field on Tuesday night for the opening of the Twins’ three-game series against the White Sox served as a reminder that there remains a healthy amount of skepticism when it comes to this team. A year after losing a franchise-record 103 games, and a month after the front office appeared to wave the white flag by trading closer Brandon Kintzler and Jaime Garcia after only one start, the Twins’ returned home from an eight-game, seven-day road trip with a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Angels for the second wild card spot in the American League. Yet, there were large pockets of empty dark green seats as the announced attendance was put at 20,530 for what turned into a 6-4 victory for the Twins. Jorge Polanco hit two home runs as he continued his second-half turnaround, and Ervin Santana earned his 14th victory of the season. The fact there were not more patrons on hand is not a criticism of those who might have had little interest in fighting the traffic headaches created by MNDOT’s absurd insistence on closing as many roads as possible this summer, didn’t want to spend the type of money it costs to attend a game or had to work in the morning and did not want to go out on Tuesday night. There also is the fact that the Twins were only four games above .500 entering Tuesday and are fighting for a spot in a one-game playoff that wasn’t added by Major League Baseball until 2012. That was two years after the Twins had gone from annual playoff contender to running punch line, save for a surprise 83-79 finish in 2015. But even with the Vikings opening the regular season in two weeks, ignoring or dismissing the Twins is going to become more and more difficult and could become downright impossible in the coming weeks. Two days from Sept. 1, the Twins not only find themselves in a playoff position but Tuesday also marked the beginning of a stretch in which the Twins will play 19 consecutive games against teams that have sub-.500 records. Yes, the White Sox (52-78) took three of five from the Twins last week in Chicago, but this is a rebuilding franchise that has the lowest winning percentage in the American League. Minnesota will follow this series by playing host to the reeling Kansas City Royals (65-66), who hadn’t scored a run in 43 innings before finally breaking through in the bottom of the third inning on Tuesday night en route to a 6-2 win over Tampa Bay. Following the K.C. series, the Twins will face the Rays (66-68) and Royals (four games) on the road before playing host to San Diego (57-74) and Toronto (four games).

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That will lead into a three-game series against the Yankees (70-60) in New York, but that won’t begin until Sept. 18. The Twins then close the regular season with four games in Detroit (57-73), three games in Cleveland (74-56) and three games at home against the Tigers. That means the Twins began Tuesday with 32 games remaining and only six of them will be against teams that are comfortably north of .500. The White Sox, Padres, Tigers can’t wait for the season to be finished. The Twins’ season has been goofy enough that making any assumptions about success would be misguided, but the next 20 days will provide manager Paul Molitor’s club with an opportunity to create significant space between themselves and the six teams that started Tuesday within three games of them for that second wild card. If the Twins are successful in doing this, the skeptics might have no choice but to begin paying closer attention and those large pockets of empty seats could be occupied by mid-September. Twins honoring Joe Nathan a reminder of one of Terry Ryan’s greatest heists

Judd Zulgad | ESPN 1500 | August 29, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS – It has become easy to point out the missteps from Terry Ryan’s second stint as the Twins’ general manager, but Ryan’s first go-around had plenty of moves that shouldn’t be overlooked. This was especially true from 2002 through 2007, when the Twins won four American League Central titles in six seasons before Ryan decided to step away. One of Ryan’s best moves came on Nov. 14, 2003. The Twins had top prospect Joe Mauer ready to take over at catcher, enabling Ryan to send A.J. Pierzynski and cash to the San Francisco Giants for pitchers Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser. Liriano and Bonser contributed to the Twins as starters — Liriano was dominant in going 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA in 2006 — but it was Nathan who was brought in to put out the fires. Nathan had been a shortstop at then-Division III Stony Brook, but was converted into a pitcher when he struggled at the plate after being drafted by the Giants. Nathan had been both a starter and reliever in the minors, but settled into the role as the Giants’ set-up man in 2003. Ryan saw enough to believe Nathan could be a closer, despite the fact he had only one save in six opportunities in San Francisco. Nathan thrived in the role, saving 44 games in his first season. Nathan did not have fewer than 36 saves in a season over the next four years before notching a career-high 47 saves in 2009. That still stands as the Twins’ single-season mark. The righthander underwent Tommy John surgery during spring training in 2010 and missed that entire year. He returned to pitch in 48 games in 2011, closing 14 of them, but was replaced as the closer by Matt Capps in April of that season after blowing two saves in five chances. Nathan became Twins’ all-time saves leader on Aug. 10, 2011, passing Rick Aguilera when he closed out his 255th game. Nathan finished with 260 saves as a Twin. After leaving Minnesota, he spent two years in Texas, two years in Detroit (although another Tommy John procedure cut short his 2015) and attempted to catch on with the Cubs and Giants last year. Nathan gave it one more shot this season with the Washington Nationals but was released on May 31. He will return to Target Field on Friday, but this time the 42-year-old will only be present to throw one pitch. Nathan will announce his retirement at an afternoon press conference that will include current general manager Thad Levine and there will be a special video pregame tribute and ceremonial first pitch before the Twins open a three-game series against Kansas City. It isn’t the last time Nathan is likely to be honored at Target Field. He is almost certain to be inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame at some point. That day also will serve as a reminder that Ryan deserves credit for doing plenty of good during his long tenure with the Twins.

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Santana, young Twins core combine to top White Sox

Associated Press | August 30, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS — After a rough summer, Jorge Polanco has ramped up his production at the right time for the Minnesota Twins. From both sides of the plate and with both sides of his game. Polanco homered twice, Ervin Santana struck out seven while pitching into the seventh inning and the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 6-4 on Tuesday. “He’s doing everything right now,” Santana said in praise of Polanco, who made a diving stop of Tim Anderson’s groundball to start an inning-ending fielder’s choice in the second. Eduardo Escobar also drove in two runs for the Twins, who took a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Angels into the night in the crowded race for the second AL wild card. Santana (14-7) matched his highest victory total since he was a 17-game winner 2010 with the Angels. Only six games are left on Minnesota’s schedule against teams on pace for the playoffs. Including the White Sox this week, the Twins are facing six opponents in the other 26 games with losing records and a combined 70 games under .500 entering play on Tuesday. Boosted by a surge of production from their promising young hitters and buoyed by the steadiness of veteran starters Santana and Bartolo Colon, the Twins are 18-10 this month. Polanco, who hit just .148 with five extra-base hits over 115 at-bats in June and July, has been the latest to contribute. “He’s been a real important part of our team the way he’s swinging the bat and playing defense,” manager Paul Molitor said. Polanco is hardly a power hitter, but try telling that to the White Sox. They’ve surrendered eight of his 13 career home runs. “He’s got some juice from both sides of the plate, obviously,” manager Rick Renteria said. Jose Abreu went 4 for 4 with a walk and two RBIs for the White Sox, who fell to 4-17 in their last 21 road games. Abreu’s single in the ninth put the tying run at the plate, but Matt Belisle escaped for his fifth save. James Shields (2-5) has not won for the White Sox in 10 starts. He’s been better this month, thanks in part to an alteration of his arm angle, but this was a mediocre output with five hits and five walks allowed in five innings. He left with a 4-0 deficit. In the first inning, Shields cost himself defensively. Eddie Rosario’s comebacker could’ve been a double play, but Shields threw high to the shortstop Anderson covering second base to disrupt his rhythm and only get one out as a run scored. Rosario moved up on a wild pitch and scored on Byron Buxton’s single. “Sometimes when you’re in the middle of the action, you go a little bit too quick,” Shields said. STUFFING THE SOX Not only was this Polanco’s first career multihomer game , the 24-year-old shortstop became the fifth player in Twins hitter to go deep from both sides of the plate in the same contest. The others were Roy Smalley (1986), Chili Davis (1992), Ryan Doumit (2012) and Kennys Vargas (2016). In Polanco’s last six games against the White Sox, going back to the beginning of last week, he’s 7 for 21 with 11 RBIs and six home runs. Having hit safely in 22 of 25 games in August, Polanco is batting .387 (36 for 93) with 17 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs. Polanco hasn’t adjusted his swing, merely made better decisions about when to do it. “I’m trying to get my pitch and eliminate swinging at bad pitches, and I think it’s going well,” he said through a translator. BE CAREFUL An overslide by Anderson of second base cost him a double in the fifth inning. When he hit a ball in the seventh to almost the same spot, off the

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tall wall in right field, Anderson exaggerated his final step and stood with perfect posture directly on the base. He clapped and pointed to the White Sox dugout, where some mock praise was being directed his way. TRAINER’S ROOM White Sox: RHP Reynaldo Lopez (back strain) threw a trouble-free bullpen session. When he’s fully healthy and his spot comes up, he’ll rejoin the rotation. Twins: 3B Miguel Sano’s recovery from a stress reaction in his left shin has not been as smooth as hoped. He’s been limited to cardiovascular work in the pool and on the bike. “I think it’s improving. I just think that it’s a slow process, unfortunately,” Molitor said. UP NEXT White Sox: LHP Derek Holland (7-13, 6.05 ERA) takes the mound Wednesday. He beat Minnesota in Chicago last week with six innings and one run allowed. Twins: RHP Jose Berrios (11-6, 4.04 ERA) pitches the middle game of the series. He’s won each of his last six home starts, with a 2.88 ERA over 40 1/3 innings. Twins plan retirement news conference for Joe Nathan

Associated Press | August 29, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Six-time All-Star Joe Nathan, who is eighth on the all-time list with 377 saves, has decided at age 42 to retire. The Minnesota Twins, where Nathan spent eight years, announced their plan to host a retirement news conference Friday for Nathan. He will throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game against Kansas City, following a video tribute. For the Twins, Nathan had a 2.16 ERA, a franchise-leading 260 saves and 561 strikeouts in 463 1/3 innings. Acquired from San Francisco before the 2004 season, Nathan was Minnesota’s closer until an elbow injury in 2010 required Tommy John surgery. He had a second ligament replacement procedure with Detroit in 2015 and has pitched in only 10 major league games since then. Nathan was released in spring training by Washington.