Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Sunday, May 14, 2017

Twins starter Jose Berrios shines in first start of the season, 4-1 victory over Indians. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 1 After three consecutive saves, Brandon Kintzler eager to go again for Twins. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 2 Twins starter Jose Berrios shines in first start of the season, 4-1 victory over Indians. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 3 More days off mean MLB schedule tweaks in 2018. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 4 'Brockmire' offers play-by-play a little risqué. Star Tribune (Reusse) p. 7 Jose Berrios makes his season debut as the Twins face Cleveland. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 7 Jose Berrios allows just two hits -- and waits out a squirrel -- to lead Minnesota Twins to fourth straight win. Pioneer Press (Berardino)

p. 9 Minnesota Twins closer Brandon Kintzler brandishing two new weapons. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 10 Santiago out to lead Twins to 5th straight win. MLB (Kosileski) p. 11 Kepler HR aids Berrios' gem in win vs. Tribe. MLB (Kosileski & Bastian) p. 12 Berrios shows glimpse of the future. MLB (Kosileski) p. 13 A lovable squirrel scampered around the field in Cleveland and avoided capture. MLB (Garro) p. 14 Sano's power expanding to all fields. MLB (Kosileski) p. 15 Santiago looks to corral Cleveland. MLB (Kosileski) p. 16 Zulgad: Calm, cool and collected Berrios lives up to the hype this time around. ESPN 1500 (Zulgad) p. 16 If the Twins draft Brendan McKay first overall, would he be a pitcher or a hitter?. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 17 Preview: Twins at Indians. FOX Sports (Sports Xchanage) p. 18 Twins-Indians game put on hold after rogue squirrel scampers on field. FOX Sports (Lee) p. 19 Jose Berrios leads Twins to 4-1 win in first start of season. FOX Sports p. 20 Twins aim for sweep of sputtering Indians. Yahoo! Sports p. 21 Twins Outright Michael Tonkin. MLB Trade Rumors (Wilmoth) p. 22

Twins starter Jose Berrios shines in first start of the season, 4-1 victory over Indians La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | May 14, 2017 CLEVELAND – This time, Jose Berrios attacked. Hitters were challenged. Strikes were thrown with conviction. Rally squirrels were ignored. Berrios pitched like someone who didn't want to throw another pitch in the minor leagues. Berrios delivered the best major league performance of his young career in his 2017 Twins debut, going 7⅔ innings and propelling the Twins to a 4-1 victory over Cleveland on Saturday at Progressive Field. The outing enabled the AL Central-leading Twins, winners of four in a row and a season-best five games over .500, to imagine what every fifth day could look like with their top pitching prospect on the mound. "You have to be excited about the performance we received from him," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "The kid got a lot of attention. One, about his potential and, two, the difficulty he's had making the transition up here." Berrios held the Indians to one run on two hits and a walk with four strikeouts thanks to a come-and-get-me fastball around 93-95 miles per hour that hitters could not handle. He mixed in a breaking balls and changeups when he needed to. He threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 27 batters he faced.

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"That was the plan," Berrios said. "Attack the hitters with my fastball every time, then use my secondary pitches." Cleveland had one runner reach scoring position over the first seven innings, when Carlos Santana hit a two-out triple in the third on a ball that Byron Buxton nearly caught while ramming into the center-field wall. Santana scored on Berrios' wild pitch for the game's first run. Berrios walked Francisco Lindor but struck out Michael Brantley to end the inning. That was the first of 13 consecutive batters retired by Berrios, who averaged 17.3 pitches over the first three innings but used only 12 in the fourth, 12 in the fifth, eight in the sixth and nine in the seventh. "That was my best fastball command," Berrios said. "I learned from the bad outings last year, and the good outings I got confidence from." The Twins had no hits against Cleveland righthander Mike Clevinger until the fourth, when they scored three runs to take the lead. Max Kepler made it 4-1 in the sixth with a home run. The Twins have homered in 14 consecutive games, their longest streak since 1988 and two shy of the club record. The bottom of the sixth was delayed about five minutes when a squirrel entered from right field with two outs, ran across the diamond, moved behind home plate, then sat just inside the third base line as fans roared. "I still can't figure out how long they were going to let that thing roam around out there before someone tried to do something," said Molitor, who asked umpire CB Bucknor to get someone on the case. Finally, grounds crew members chased the squirrel into the stands. Berrios got Brantley to pop out to end the inning. He followed with a 1-2-3 seventh and came out for the eighth, hitting a batter before getting two outs and giving way to Taylor Rogers for the final out. Brandon Kintzler pitched the ninth for his 10th save and third in as many days. It was the Berrios that many Twins have seen in the minors, not the one who was 3-7 with a 8.02 ERA in 14 starts last season in the major leagues. "It was just a matter of time," Kepler said. "He's got some of the best stuff. I have faced him and he is electric. It's all about the mentality and how confident you are." After three consecutive saves, Brandon Kintzler eager to go again for Twins La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | May 13, 2017 CLEVELAND – Brandon Kintzler just wants a chance to play catch Sunday. Kintzler's routine is to play catch a few hours before games to gauge how his arm feels. "I can never tell until I play catch," he said. "Sometimes you wake up and feel like absolute crap and then all of a sudden you play catch and it is not that bad." After collecting saves Thursday and Friday, Kintzler tested his arm Saturday and told the Twins coaching staff he was available again. He then went out and picked up his third save in as many days as his team beat Cleveland 4-1. Kintzler's 10 saves are second in the American League to Boston's Craig Kimbrel, who recorded his 11th Saturday. "He's always been a guy who can come back quickly and throw consecutive days," Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Kintzler. "You are more careful in today's game than 20 years ago. He went out this morning and did his routine and said he felt fine. And he made good pitches. "I don't think he will pitch [Sunday]." Kintzler wants a shot, however. "They are trying to tell me I'm down," he said, "but I said, 'Can I at least play catch?' I don't know if they are going to give me the opportunity." Pressly back in form

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Ryan Pressly has given up runs in five of his 16 outings this season. While he made some adjustments to help his control, the real adjustment is regaining his confidence. He might have had the outing that turned things around for him Thursday against the White Sox when he struck out the side in the seventh inning. That including blowing a 98 miles-per-hour fastball by Jose Abreu for strike three then using his curveball to finish off Avisail Garcia. Pressly pumped his fist after the Garcia strikeout. Pressly still has a 8.03 ERA, which shows how much he struggled early this season and how far he has to go to get the number down to something respectable. "The results haven't been there," Pressly said. "That's when you start thinking and trying to do too much. That's when you kind of get out of whack." But it appears that he got a confidence boost at Chicago, because Pressly believes the results are coming. "That was the biggest thing, trying to establish confidence," he said. "That's really hard to do in this game. It will humble you real quick." Who gets the start? Now that Jose Berrios is up, the Twins don't have any rotation decisions to make … for a few days, at least. Assuming no more rainouts, they will need a fifth starter Saturday against Kansas City. So the monitoring or arms at Rochester will begin. Righthander Kyle Gibson is the top candidate, with Gibson scheduled to pitch Sunday at Pawtucket opposite of Red Sox star David Price, who is making a rehabilitation start. That would put Gibson in line to start Saturday. Adalberto Mejia is scheduled to start for Rochester on Tuesday. If he does, he would have to come back on day less rest to start Saturday, though the lefthander could emerge as an option if he has a short outing Tuesday. Lefthander Adam Wilk, claimed off waivers from the Mets on Wednesday, could be a factor, but the Twins prefer to use him out of the bullpen. He hasn't pitched since Sunday, and Molitor said he would like to use Wilk in a game just to see what he's got. Etc. • CB Bucknor was the plate umpire Saturday. The last time he was behind the plate for a Twins game was April 28 at Kansas City, when Bucknor took a foul ball by Miguel Sano off the mask and had to leave the game. He missed the rest of the series because of a concussion. • Eddie Rosario did not start Saturday because Molitor preferred Robbie Grossman and Kennys Vargas in the lineup against Cleveland righthander Mike Clevinger. Twins starter Jose Berrios shines in first start of the season, 4-1 victory over Indians La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | May 13, 2017 CLEVELAND – The pitcher did not look like a prospect Saturday. Nope, Jose Berrios was on the attack. Hitters were challenged. Strikes were thrown with conviction. Rally squirrels were ignored. Berrios pitched like someone who doesn’t want to throw another inning in the minor leagues. And the Twins, after a slow start, sprinted past the Indians to a 4-1 victory at Progressive Field in Berrios’ 2017 debut. The Twins’ fourth consecutive victory secures another day in first place, but it was a day to think beyond that. Berrios enabled the Twins imagine what every fifth day could look like with him on the mound. Berrios held Cleveland to one run on two hits and a walk over 7⅔ innings with four strikeouts thanks to a come-and-get-me fastball around 93-95 miles per hour that the Indians could not handle. Berrios reached three-ball counts just three times against Cleveland hitters, a reflection of how he was in the zone all afternoon. He mixed in a breaking balls and change ups when he needed to.

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Cleveland had one runner reach scoring position during the first six innings, when Carlos Santana sent a drive to the wall in the third. Byron Buxton froze as the ball came off the bat, then tried to make a leaping catch while slamming into the wall. The ball popped out, and Santana was on with a two-out triple. Santana scored on a wild pitch with Francisco Lindor at the plate to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead. Berrios ended up walking Lindor but struck out Michael Brantley on three pitches — the third one looking — to end the inning. The Twins had no hits against Cleveland righthander Mike Clevinger at the time. In fact, their three-run rally in the fourth started with two walks. Their first hit was a Joe Mauer bunt hit, and a run scored when Clevinger’s throw to first was wild. A second run scored on Kennys Vargas’ ground out. And the Twins made 3-1 when Jorge Polanco singled to left to score Mauer. Max Kepler added a home run in the sixth as the Twins took a 4-1 lead. Kepler has six home runs at Progressive Field since the beginning of 2016. The Twins have hit home runs in 14 straight games, their longest streak since 1988 and two shy of the club record. Brantley’s strikeout was the first of 10 straight Indians retired by Berrios as he was more efficient later in the game than the beginning. He averaged 17.3 pitches an inning over the first three innings but he used just 12 in the fourth, 12 in the fifth just eight in the sixth and nine in the seventh. The sixth was delayed about five minutes when a squirrel entered the field, ran across the diamond, went behind the plate then back inside the third base line as fans roared. Berrios looked at the critter and spread his arms out at one point as if to say, “what do you want, rally squirrel?” Twins manager Paul Molitor came out to talk with home plate umpire CB Bucknor. Eventually, the grounds crew emerged and chased the squirrel up into the stands. The inning was over two pitches later. Berrios fired strike one then got Brantley to pop out to short. Berrios followed with another 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. His 93rd pitch of the game landed in Buxton’s glove to end the inning. The same formula worked the entire afternoon. Berrios attacked the upper portion of the strike zone, and Indians hitters could not handle him. If he fell behind 1-0, the count was evened. Taylor Rogers replaced Berrios with two outs in the eighth and got Carlos Santana to fly out on the first pitch. Brandon Kintzler came on for the ninth and picked up his 10th save. The Twins have held the defending American League champion Indians to one run over two games. More days off mean MLB schedule tweaks in 2018 Phil Miller | Star Tribune | May 13, 2017 It will be Beatles Night in Chicago when the Twins and White Sox make up Wednesday’s rainout as part of an Aug. 21 doubleheader, and that’s appropriate. Both teams have a lot of hard day’s nights ahead of them. For Minnesota, it means a stretch of 41 days, from Aug. 1 to Sept. 10, will be packed with 40 scheduled games. And Chicago has it even worse; adding a makeup game gives them 34 games in a stretch of 34 days, and a grueling 57 in 59. No wonder that, while negotiating new rules about luxury taxes and draft-pick compensation, the players union also fought for one notable concession in the collective bargaining agreement that was ratified last winter. Beginning in 2018, the major league season will be 187 days long, not 183, giving players an extra four days off scattered throughout the season. It might not seem like much over the course of six months, but those off days are treasured by players, a group of workers who don’t have a weekend off from February through September or October. It might help prevent injuries, too, with players less prone to wear down during those long stretches without a day off. Just one problem: Finding four more days on the calendar. With a postseason schedule three rounds long, and the addition of a wild-card game at the start, baseball’s playoffs now routinely extend into the first few days of November, and MLB is reluctant to go much further. No team is willing to schedule doubleheaders, so the apparent solution is to open the season four days earlier, making it a weekend event. Opening Day 2018 is tentatively set for Thursday, March 29. Get your parka ready, Twins fans. “We certainly have some concerns about that. We talked to Commissioner [Rob] Manfred about it last week,” Twins President Dave St. Peter

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said. “But it’s only four days. And MLB has been very sensitive about allowing us to open on the road in most seasons. We feel the impact won’t be too significant.” He also likes the notion, if adopted, of a weekend opening, especially since the second and third games of a season are normally the least-attended; moving them to Saturday and Sunday might attract a few more fans willing to brave the weather. The change will impact spring training as well, forcing games to begin almost as soon as players arrive. Players also won a two-day reduction in the length of spring training, 43 days instead of 45 for pitchers and catchers, 38 days instead of 40 for position players. The Twins played games on 34 days last spring, and spring-host cities that invested millions in providing fancy new facilities don’t figure to allow the number of games to be reduced. Tentatively, the Twins are planning a Grapefruit League opener Feb. 23, or about four days after the full squad reports. Once the season begins, fans might notice another change, though probably not as much at Target Field as in other cities. Teams will be required to start the final game of a series earlier than 7 p.m. if one of the teams has a long flight ahead that night. The Twins already schedule most midweek “getaway” games during the day — 10 of them this season, most beginning at 12:10 p.m. — but some teams, notably the Red Sox and Angels, do not. “We’ve earned a reputation for being fair on midweek day games,” St. Peter said. “Some teams have taken a similar approach, some have not. But ultimately, anything that helps alleviate some of those more difficult schedule stretches will be a positive for us and the game.” CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE Closers have made plenty of headlines in the AL Central recently. Here’s a team-by-team look: Indians: Cody Allen’s streak of 11 scoreless innings was broken Wednesday by Toronto, when he gave up a ninth-inning run to lose 8-7. Allen’s 1.32 ERA and nine saves in as many opportunities attests to his fast start. But he’s still not Cleveland’s best in the pen: Lefty Andrew Miller, who draws the most difficult assignments, has yet to give up a run in 16⅔ innings. • • • Royals: Kelvin Herrera didn’t give up a home run until June last year, and had only six all year. The righthander gave up four in his first 13 innings this season, his first as Kansas City’s full-time closer. Herrera attributes the slip-ups to trying to mix in more sliders, and manager Ned Yost said he is not worried. “He’ll get sharper with more work,” Yost said. • • • Tigers: Another year, another closer controversy in Detroit. This time, it’s Francisco Rodriguez, 35, the major leagues’ active saves leader with 437. After blowing back-to-back games last weekend at Oakland, K-Rod lost his job, which went to lefthander Justin Wilson instead. “It may not be permanent,” manager Brad Ausmus hedged. • • • White Sox: David Robertson was 5-for-6 in save chances, but he hadn’t been handed a lead in the first 12 days of May. That’s why WSCR-AM 670 in Chicago reported that Nationals scouts were evaluating the righthander, in hopes of reigniting trade talks that weren’t consummated last January. It will be Beatles Night in Chicago when the Twins and White Sox make up Wednesday’s rainout as part of an Aug. 21 doubleheader, and that’s appropriate. Both teams have a lot of hard day’s nights ahead of them. For Minnesota, it means a stretch of 41 days, from Aug. 1 to Sept. 10, will be packed with 40 scheduled games. And Chicago has it even worse; adding a makeup game gives them 34 games in a stretch of 34 days, and a grueling 57 in 59. No wonder that, while negotiating new rules about luxury taxes and draft-pick compensation, the players union also fought for one notable concession in the collective bargaining agreement that was ratified last winter. Beginning in 2018, the major league season will be 187 days long, not 183, giving players an extra four days off scattered throughout the season. It might not seem like much over the course of six months, but those off days are treasured by players, a group of workers who don’t have a

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weekend off from February through September or October. It might help prevent injuries, too, with players less prone to wear down during those long stretches without a day off. Just one problem: Finding four more days on the calendar. With a postseason schedule three rounds long, and the addition of a wild-card game at the start, baseball’s playoffs now routinely extend into the first few days of November, and MLB is reluctant to go much further. No team is willing to schedule doubleheaders, so the apparent solution is to open the season four days earlier, making it a weekend event. Opening Day 2018 is tentatively set for Thursday, March 29. Get your parka ready, Twins fans. “We certainly have some concerns about that. We talked to Commissioner [Rob] Manfred about it last week,” Twins President Dave St. Peter said. “But it’s only four days. And MLB has been very sensitive about allowing us to open on the road in most seasons. We feel the impact won’t be too significant.” He also likes the notion, if adopted, of a weekend opening, especially since the second and third games of a season are normally the least-attended; moving them to Saturday and Sunday might attract a few more fans willing to brave the weather. The change will impact spring training as well, forcing games to begin almost as soon as players arrive. Players also won a two-day reduction in the length of spring training, 43 days instead of 45 for pitchers and catchers, 38 days instead of 40 for position players. The Twins played games on 34 days last spring, and spring-host cities that invested millions in providing fancy new facilities don’t figure to allow the number of games to be reduced. Tentatively, the Twins are planning a Grapefruit League opener Feb. 23, or about four days after the full squad reports. Once the season begins, fans might notice another change, though probably not as much at Target Field as in other cities. Teams will be required to start the final game of a series earlier than 7 p.m. if one of the teams has a long flight ahead that night. The Twins already schedule most midweek “getaway” games during the day — 10 of them this season, most beginning at 12:10 p.m. — but some teams, notably the Red Sox and Angels, do not. “We’ve earned a reputation for being fair on midweek day games,” St. Peter said. “Some teams have taken a similar approach, some have not. But ultimately, anything that helps alleviate some of those more difficult schedule stretches will be a positive for us and the game.” CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE Closers have made plenty of headlines in the AL Central recently. Here’s a team-by-team look: Indians: Cody Allen’s streak of 11 scoreless innings was broken Wednesday by Toronto, when he gave up a ninth-inning run to lose 8-7. Allen’s 1.32 ERA and nine saves in as many opportunities attests to his fast start. But he’s still not Cleveland’s best in the pen: Lefty Andrew Miller, who draws the most difficult assignments, has yet to give up a run in 16⅔ innings. Royals: Kelvin Herrera didn’t give up a home run until June last year, and had only six all year. The righthander gave up four in his first 13 innings this season, his first as Kansas City’s full-time closer. Herrera attributes the slip-ups to trying to mix in more sliders, and manager Ned Yost said he is not worried. “He’ll get sharper with more work,” Yost said. Tigers: Another year, another closer controversy in Detroit. This time, it’s Francisco Rodriguez, 35, the major leagues’ active saves leader with 437. After blowing back-to-back games last weekend at Oakland, K-Rod lost his job, which went to lefthander Justin Wilson instead. “It may not be permanent,” manager Brad Ausmus hedged. White Sox: David Robertson was 5-for-6 in save chances, but he hadn’t been handed a lead in the first 12 days of May. That’s why WSCR-AM 670 in Chicago reported that Nationals scouts were evaluating the righthander, in hopes of reigniting trade talks that weren’t consummated last January. The White Sox might be willing to listen this time. STATISTICALLY SPEAKING Boston’s 10-run inning last Sunday was the ninth double-digit inning surrendered by the Twins in franchise history, and the first since Oakland scored 10 in the fourth inning of an 18-3 victory at Target Field on Sept. 11, 2013. Five of the nine 10-run innings have occurred since 2003; in

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their first 21 seasons in Minnesota, the Twins allowed a double-digit inning only once, in 1967. According to Baseball Reference, the worst inning in Twins history came on June 17, 2003, in Kansas City, where the Royals scored 12 runs in the sixth inning en route to a 14-7 victory. - Miguel Sano hit his 10th home run of 2017 on Friday, in the Twins’ 32nd game of the season. He’s only the sixth player in franchise history to reach double digits that quickly, and the first in 31 years. All-time leaders after 32 games: 12 Kirby Puckett, 1986 11 Harmon Killebrew, 1970 11 Killebrew, 1964 10 Miguel Sano, 2017 10 Jimmie Hall, 1964 10 Bob Allison, 1964 'Brockmire' offers play-by-play a little risqué Patrick Reusse | Star Tribune | May 13, 2017 The surprise success stories of the early portion of this baseball season have been Eric Thames, a slugger for the Milwaukee Brewers, and Jim Brockmire, an in-stadium play-by-play announcer for the Morristown (Pa.) Frackers. Thames last played in the major leagues in 2012. He was in the minors in 2013, and then spent three seasons smashing home runs in Korea. Brockmire was a play-by-play legend in Kansas City until 2007, when he came home unexpectedly and found his beloved wife, Lucy, in a comprising situation with neighbor Bob Greenwald and other individuals. Brockmire’s rant about Lucy’s unfaithfulness on the ensuing broadcast led to his firing. He spent much of the next decade in the Philippines, where he gained fame starring in a bootleg version of the TV series “Hart vs. Hart.” Major League Baseball seemed suspicious about what exotic potion Thames might have discovered in Korea and, according to the player, administered extra drug tests early in the season. There is no such mystery with Brockmire: He loves his drugs, washed down with alcohol. Brockmire is a character that comes from the imagination of Hank Azaria. The actor worked on a story line for several years with Joel Church-Cooper, a writer and improv comedian. Church-Cooper wrote a “Brockmire” movie script that almost found backing, then it was developed and sold to IFC as a TV series. The first season winds up with Episode 8 on Wednesday night. Azaria and his co-star, the wonderful Amanda Peet, and the rest of the cast are hilarious, as long as you’re not one to be offended by extra-bawdy material. It was recently announced “Brockmire” will be back for Season 2, although Church-Cooper said IFC wanted the series back after seeing the pilot months ago. That first episode opened with the graphic Azaria tirade about Lucy (who does appear later). I said to Church-Cooper last week: “You let the audience know quickly this was adult entertainment.” The series creator said: “We wanted to let people decide right away — are you in or out?” I’m in. As for you, find the first episode on demand, and you soon either will be laughing or clicking elsewhere.

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PATRICK'S PLUS THREE Recent Vikings happenings: • Receiver Michael Floyd signs cheap. Good idea, if he’s taking sobriety seriously • Vikings to bid for NFL draft in 2022 (or 2023). Good idea, if the Purple tightwads pay for the NFL freebies themselves rather than wringing many millions from a “host committee." • Vikings hire Tina Holmes as strategic adviser. Good idea, because every outfit needs someone to act as “an executive liaison surfacing issues and facilitating solutions.” Jose Berrios makes his season debut as the Twins face Cleveland La Velle E. Neal lll | Star Tribune | May 13, 2017 One thing to watch when Jose Berrios pitches today is what the velocity reads on the radar gun. If there are plenty of pitches in the 91-93 mph range, it means that Berrios is throwing his sinking fastball and mixing his other pitches in. And that's a good thing. If Berrios starts throwing 94-96 mph, then that's a problem. Yes, the Twins have worked with him to adjust his delivery to help him throw more strikes. But the big hurdle Berrios has to clear is mental. He has to resist the urge to try to power by major league hitters instead of believing that the way he pitched at Rochester can work against major league hitters. I talked to Ervin Santana about this before the game, and he nodded his head. "This is what we have tried to talk to him about," Santana said. "He tries to do to much and tries to be somebody else." Berrios, who made 14 starts last season, has a chance today to show that he's a different pitcher than in 2016 - and can be the same guy he is in Rochester. Eddie Rosario is not in the lineup today, as manager Paul Molitor tinkers with matchups against Mike Clevinger, who apparently has sharpened his curveball. Brian Dozier and Miguel Sano (big surprise) hit homers off of Clevinger last season. CB Bucknor is the home plate umpire today. Its his first time calling a Twins game since taking a Miguel Sano foul ball off his face mask and missing a few games with a concussion. By the way, the Twins 1-0 win on Friday was the first time in Senators/Twins history in which the only run was a first inning home run. Twins 1. Brian Dozier, 2B 2. Robbie Grossman, LF 3. Miguel Sano, 3B 4. Joe Mauer, 1B 5. Kennys Vargas, DH 6. Max Kepler, RF 7. Jorge Polanco, SS 8. Jason Castro, C 9. Byron Buxton, CF Jose Berrios, RHP

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Indians 1. Carlos Santana, 1B 2. Fransisco Lindor, SS 3. Michael Brantley, LF 4. Edwin Encarnacion, DH 5. Jason Kipnis, 2B 6. Jose Ramirez, 3B 7. Lonnie Chisenhall, CF 8. Yan Gomes, C 9. Abraham Almonte, RF Mike Clevinger, RHP Jose Berrios allows just two hits -- and waits out a squirrel -- to lead Minnesota Twins to fourth straight win Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press| May 13, 2017 CLEVELAND — Nothing could stop Jose Berrios in his much-anticipated return to the major leagues, not even a runaway squirrel. That sixth-inning distraction might have been the biggest hurdle the young Twins right-hander encountered all Saturday afternoon in a 4-1 win over the Cleveland Indians. Berrios worked 7 2/3 innings, allowing just two hits and walking one as the first-place Twins (19-14) won their fourth straight. “I’ve seen him pitch throughout my whole career, starting in the minors,” said Twins right fielder Max Kepler, who homered in the sixth. “It’s good to see him have success at this level. He’s one of the hardest-working players I know, and he’s got some of the best stuff I’ve seen. It’s electric.” After uncorking a two-out, run-scoring wild pitch to boyhood friend and Team Puerto Rico World Baseball Classic teammate Francisco Lindor in the third, Berrios settled in to retire 13 straight at one point. That included a nearly four-minute delay as Michael Brantley stepped in with two down in the sixth. As a lone squirrel hopped the wall in right and slowly made his way across the infield, pausing near the pitcher’s mound and eventually heading into foul ground and behind home plate, Berrios calmly watched the odd scene unfold with a bemused look on his face. As the crowd of 28,379 roared and the potential rabidity of the creature kept both the umpiring and grounds crews at bay, Berrios threw a few warmup pitches and never appeared fazed in the least. “You don’t want to get bit by one of those things,” Twins left fielder Robbie Grossman said. “I’m sure PETA will have something to say about that.” At long last the ardilla — Spanish for squirrel — was coaxed off the field far down the left-field line, leaving Berrios to return to business. Two pitches later Brantley popped to shortstop. “It was fun because it was my first time,” Berrios said. “I saw that before on the TV when I was a young guy and I watched the game as a fan, but today I was pitching. For a moment I had fun with the animal. After that, I kept my focus and just concentrated.” There had been plenty of concern about how Berrios, saddled with an 8.02 earned run average in 14 big-league starts last year, might react upon being recalled for the third time in his young career. He fell behind with ball one to half of the first 16 batters he faced, but he also let the count run to 2-0 just once all day. “It’s all about mentality and how confident you are up there, how comfortable,” Kepler said. “You can see it’s paying off, and he’s coming after guys now.” Berrios, set to turn 23 in two weeks, started nine of his last 11 batters with strikes, three of those coming on a sharp-breaking curveball that served him well. His fastball touched 96 mph, sat at 93-95 mph and generated all but one of his nine swing-and-miss strikes as he stayed in sync with veteran catcher Jason Castro.

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“That is the plan,” Berrios said. “Attack the hitter with the fastball in every time, then use my secondary pitches. My confidence was going up through six starts down there (at Rochester, where he went 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA). Now the first one here went well, so I’ll keep doing my thing and help the team do well this year.” It also helped that the Twins quickly answered with a three-run fourth to give Berrios some room to maneuver. Over their previous 19 innings, they had scored just two runs on seven hits and eight walks. Two more walks, by Grossman and Miguel Sano, got the fourth started right against Indians right-hander Mike Clevinger (1-1). Joe Mauer followed with a bunt single up the third-base line that Clevinger threw into right field, allowing Grossman to score. “In some ways the biggest play of the game is a well-placed bunt,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “That kind of changed the momentum.” Kennys Vargas followed with a run-scoring groundout, and Jorge Polanco poked a two-out changeup over Lindor’s head at shortstop for another run. That left Polanco 10 for 27 (.370) with runners in scoring position, best on the team. Kepler’s homer was his third of the year and extended the team power surge to 14 straight games with a homer. That’s the longest such streak since 1988 for the Twins, who homered in a club-record 16 straight in 1979. Minnesota Twins closer Brandon Kintzler brandishing two new weapons Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | May 13, 2017 CLEVELAND — Twins closer Brandon Kintzler broke out a couple of new toys in his past two outings. In Thursday night’s five-out save in Chicago, he threw five diving split-changeups that came in at anywhere from 87-89 mph. Four of those pitches went for strikes, including a key 3-2 swinging strikeout of Omar Narvaez with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position in the eighth inning. “I had tried to slow it down but I couldn’t,” Kintzler said of the split-change grip he learned from bullpen coach Eddie Guardado last season. “So I moved my thumb more to the side of the ball, and that helped. (Taylor) Rogers liked it when we were playing catch the other day, so I took it into the game.” The key, Kintzler said, is to get the ball to roll off the fourth or even pinky fingers on his right hand. Friday night, Kintzler set the Indians down in order in the ninth for his ninth save in 10 chances. This time he mixed in four-seam fastballs four times during a nine-pitch outing, including three to lefty-swinging Lonnie Chisenhall, who flied to center. A notorious low-ball hitting team, the Indians struggled to track the riding fastball at 93 mph as opposed to the darting two-seam sinker Kintzler typically features. Kintzler used to be a four-seam fastball guy in the minors but gradually shelved the pitch over the years. “I had to teach myself how to throw a sinker at independent ball,” he said. “I’d always thrown the four-seamer.” Twins catcher Jason Castro didn’t even have a sign for the four-seamer. He just told Kintzler to throw that version of his fastball if he asked for a fastball up in the zone. Kintzler, working for the third straight day, handled the ninth on Saturday for his 10th save in 11 chances. He is 27 for 31 since taking over the role from Kevin Jepsen early last June. After posting a 61.9 percent groundball rate last season, 10th-best among 328 pitchers with at least 50 innings, Kintzler has seen that figure drop to 53.1 (70th) this year. His career groundball rate is 58.2 percent. “Who knows,” Kintzler said with a smile. “Maybe I’ll be a strikeout pitcher.” His nine-inning strikeout rate of 5.06 is 335th among 361 pitchers with at least 10 innings. That’s last on the Twins, just behind veteran lefty Craig Breslow, and easily the lowest among 35 pitchers to record at least two saves this year. Korean right-hander Seung Hwan Oh, who has nine saves for the St. Louis Cardinals, is next at 6.62 K/9.

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SMOOTH AS WILK Lefty Adam Wilk was claimed off waivers with an eye toward long relief, but Twins manager Paul Molitor said Saturday the 29-year-old journeyman is on a short list of potential starters the next time the Twins need a fifth starter, May 20 against the Kansas City Royals. “I’m not really there yet,” Molitor said. “Obviously it’s in your mind about how it’s going to shake out this week. It would be nice to see him get in a game, just to see how it looks face to face instead of on video. We all know our options are somewhat limited.” Wilk has made a combined seven starts between Triple-A Las Vegas and the majors (New York Mets). He lasted 3 2/3 innings in his last outing, an emergency start on Sunday against the Miami Marlins. Nick Tepesch, optioned after Friday’s game to make room for Jose Berrios, won’t be eligible to return until May 23 at Baltimore. Righty Kyle Gibson worked six innings of three-run ball in his first Rochester start after being demoted and is due to work again Sunday. “I think it was a tick better,” Molitor said. “You look at the overall — first-pitch strikes, percentage of strikes of total pitches thrown. He hasn’t pitched a game down there for awhile. I’m sure it was a little awkward for him. We’ll see how he responds next time.” BRIEFLY Reliever Michael Tonkin cleared waivers on Saturday and was outrighted to Triple-A Rochester. Tonkin, 27, has been a member of the Twins organization since they drafted him in the 30th round in 2008. He was designated for assignment last weekend after posting a 6.55 earned run average in nine outings (11 innings). He has appeared in 134 games for the Twins since the start of 2013. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Friday night marked the first 1-0 win with a first-inning homer in Twins/Senators combined history, dating to 1901. Elias’ famed night crew researched the statistical curiosity until 4 a.m. before forwarding the answer to Twins PR czar Dustin Morse after his postgame request. Albert Pujols had been the last to homer in the first inning of a 1-0 win, that coming with the 2015 Los Angeles Angels. ByungHo Park snapped an 0-for-16 skid with his first homer of the season Saturday for Rochester. Park, who missed a month with a strained hamstring, connected in the eighth inning of a 3-1 win against Pawtucket Red Sox right-hander Noe Ramirez. It was Park’s first regular-season homer at any level since early last August. Miguel Sano drew two more walks Saturday, pushing his season total to 28. That’s tied with Tampa Bay’s Brad Miller for most in the majors. Sano is on pace for 137 walks, which would trail only Harmon Killebrew’s 145 in 1969 in Twins annals. Killebrew remains the last Twin to walk 100 times in a season, doing so for the seventh and last time for Minnesota in 1971. Santiago out to lead Twins to 5th straight win William Kosileski | MLB | May 14, 2017 In the final game of a three-game set between two of the top teams in the American League Central division, Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer will face off against Twins left-hander Hector Santiago in a Mother's Day showdown. Minnesota is eyeing a series sweep and a fifth straight win overall. Santiago has gotten off to a solid start, as the left-hander has gone 4-1 with a 2.76 ERA in seven starts, striking out 31 in just over 42 innings of work. He is coming off his fourth win, as he went 6 2/3 innings and held the White Sox to two runs on three hits. Santiago has not allowed more than three runs in any of his starts this season. He will face an Indians team that has struggled against left-handed starters this season, going 6-9 with a team slash line of .215/.299/.326 and an OPS of .625 with 128 strikeouts. In his career against the Indians, Santiago has gone 2-3 with a 4.77 ERA in 54 2/3 innings pitched. "I'm not worried about who is up there, I'm just worried about throwing strikes and location," Santiago said. "I'm not really worried about who is coming up and what they can do. I think if I can hit my location and put the ball where I want, I will have a good chance." Bauer will pitch opposite of Santiago, and will make his seventh start of the season. His rough start to the season continued in his last start, as the right-hander allowed four runs on six hits in six innings against the Blue Jays, suffering his fourth loss of the season. In his career against the Twins, Bauer is 2-5 with 5.09 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings. Three things to know about this game

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• Twins first baseman Joe Mauer and designated hitter Kennys Vargas have both found success against Bauer in their careers. Mauer has gone 11-for-31 with seven doubles, one home run, six RBIs and an OPS of 1.071 against Bauer, while Vargas has gone 7-for-13 with two doubles, one homer and four RBIs. • Although he has gotten off to a slow start this season, Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis will welcome the opportunity to step into the batter's box against Santiago. In 26 career at-bats against the left-hander, Kipnis has hit .346 with a double, a homer and four RBIs. • Despite the Indians' struggles against left-handed starters this season, things could be trending in the right direction. In their last matchup against a left-handed starter on Wednesday, the Tribe scored seven runs on five hits and ran Toronto's Francisco Liriano out of the game after two innings. Kepler HR aids Berrios' gem in win vs. Tribe William Kosileski & Jordan Bastian | MLB | May 13, 2017 CLEVELAND -- There has been a lot of hype around Twins right-handed starter Jose Berrios, and the 22-year-old showed why he was one of the club's most coveted prospects in his season debut on Saturday at Progressive Field. Berrios pitched a career-high 7 2/3 stellar innings and retired 13 batters in a row between the third and the seventh to lead the Twins to a 4-1 win over the Indians. It was the fourth win in a row for the Twins. Berrios was called up from Triple-A Rochester after the Twins defeated the Indians, 1-0, on Friday behind a strong outing from Ervin Santana. Berrios followed up Santana's start with a strong performance of his own, allowing only one run on two hits with four strikeouts to pick up the win. "[It was impressive] for him to come up and just kind of blend right in and give us the outing he did," Twins manager Paul Moitor said. "He attacked. I thought he used his offspeed pitches efficiently, although he threw a lot of fastballs. He had a good fastball today. He limited the damage, and we were able to capitalize on the few opportunities we had to score enough runs to win." The only run the right-hander allowed came in the third, when Indians first baseman Carlos Santana crossed home on a wild pitch. Relievers Taylor Rogers and Brandon Kintzler recorded the final four outs of the game, and Kintzler picked up his 10th save. "We're certainly not doing what we want to do," said Indians manager Terry Francona, referring to his offense. "But, pretty consistently all day, [Berrios] got past our barrel. Not necessarily striking out, but just a lot of balls in the air, pop-ups. A couple balls we did hit good. We better not hit it to center field. That kid [center fielder Byron Buxton] is impressive." The Twins provided Berrios with plenty of run support, as they scored three in the fourth inning off Indians starter Mike Clevinger, capped off by an RBI single from Jorge Polanco. Max Kepler added a solo homer in the sixth off Indians reliever Dan Otero. In his second start of the season, Clevinger lasted only 4 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on three hits with five strikeouts. The right-hander issued five walks and threw two wild pitches. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Twins score three in fourth: After Clevinger walked Robbie Grossman and Miguel Sano to start the fourth inning, Joe Mauer laid down a bunt. Clevinger was the first to the ball, but he made a wild throw to first which allowed Grossman to score and Sano to advance to third. Kennys Vargas drove in Sano with an RBI ground out to give the Twins the lead, and Polanco drove in Mauer with an RBI single to left to make it 3-1. "[Mauer] got it in a really good spot, and in some ways the biggest play of the game is a well-placed bunt," Molitor said. "That kind of changed the momentum and allowed us to get a couple runs. In Polanco's at-bat, dumping that changeup out there to left field was a big insurance run." "It was a really good bunt," Clevinger said. "I knew I wasn't going to have too much time no matter who was running. I was trying to get rid of it fast, pulled it." Kepler provides insurance: Otero replaced Clevinger in the fifth inning and sat down the first four batters he faced. But with two outs in the sixth, the right-hander left a 1-2 four-seam fastball middle-in to Kepler. The Twins right fielder drove it 351 feet down the right-field line and into the stands for his third homer of the season. Per Statcast™, the home run had an exit velocity of 98 mph combined with a launch angle of 21 degrees. QUOTABLE "He's always been a guy that can come back quickly and throw consecutive days. You're always a little more careful in today's game than 20

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years ago or whatever. He went out this morning, did his routine, and said he felt fine for an inning. He made good pitches. I don't think he'll pitch tomorrow." -- Molitor, on Kintzler pitching in his third straight game SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS With Kepler's sixth-inning home run, the Twins have homered in 14 straight games for the first time since the club achieved the same feat in August 1988. During that stretch, the Twins have combined to hit 24 total homers, directly leading to 36 runs. In addition, Kepler now has seven career home runs against the Indians, all of which have come since the beginning of last season. Six of those seven home runs have come at Progressive Field. "Yeah, I guess it is a coincidence," Kepler said of his six home runs at Progressive Field. "A good one." UPON FURTHER REVIEW With two outs in the third inning, Brian Dozier sprinted for second on an 0-1 pitch to Grossman. Indians catcher Yan Gomes fired a quick throw from his knees for what looked like a clear caught-stealing. Dozier was initially ruled safe, but the Indians challenged and the call was overturned after a replay review lasting 51 seconds. Replays showed shortstop Francisco Lindor applying the tag on Dozier's arm before he reached the base. On the year, Gomes has cut down 50 percent (9-of-18) of would-be basestealers. In the home half of the third, Santana drilled a pitch from Berrios to deep center, where Buxton made a leaping catch attempt. The ball struck his glove near the top of the wall, but fell back into play, giving Santana a triple. A crew-chief review was used to confirm that the hit was not a home run. One batter later, a wild pitch from Berrios allowed Santana to score. WHAT'S NEXT Twins: Hector Santiago (4-1, 2.76 ERA) will take the mound for the Twins in the series finale with the Indians on Sunday at 12:10 p.m. CT. The left-hander is coming off his fourth win of the season, where he allowed two runs on three hits in 6 2/3 innings against the White Sox. Indians: Right-hander Trevor Bauer (2-4, 7.36 ERA) is scheduled to take the ball for the Indians in the finale of this three-game set with the Twins. Bauer has allowed 10 earned runs in 11 innings at home this year. He held Minnesota to two runs in 6 1/3 innings on April 20. Berrios shows glimpse of the future William Kosileski | MLB | May 13, 2017 CLEVELAND -- After a poor showing with the Twins last season -- going 3-7 with an 8.02 ERA in 14 starts -- right-hander Jose Berrios pitched well enough with Triple-A Rochester this season to earn a start against the Indians on Saturday. "I have a second chance this year here," Berrios said after being recalled on Friday. "I have to go out there tomorrow and pitch my best and try to help the team win." The 22-year-old took advantage of his opportunity, leading the Twins to a 4-1 victory on Saturday after going a career-high 7 2/3 innings and only allowing one run on two hits with four strikeouts. "[It was impressive] for him to come up and just kind of blend right in and give us the outing he did," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He attacked. I thought he used his offspeed pitches efficiently, although he threw a lot of fastballs. He had a good fastball today. He limited the damage, and we were able to capitalize on the few opportunities we had to score enough runs to win." The only real trouble that Berrios found himself in came in the third inning. With two down, Carlos Santana drove the ball to deep center, where Twins outfielder Byron Buxton was unable to make the catch, resulting in a triple for the Indians first baseman. Berrios then walked Francisco Lindor and struck out Michael Brantley, but not before he threw a wild pitch to Lindor that allowed Santana to score. "I tried to be perfect," Berrios said. "I threw a wild pitch. That happens in the game, but I competed after that to help the team win." Overall, Berrios stymied the Indians hitters, recording five 1-2-3 innings. At one point, the right-hander retired 13 in a row from the third inning into the eighth. Berrios credited his success to the game plan that he and catcher Jason Castro followed. "[Attacking their hitters] was the plan," Berrios said. "[We] attacked every hitter with the fastball in, and then I used my secondary pitches." Berrios' streak of setting down 13 straight Indians came to an end when he hit Lonnie Chisenhall to start the eighth inning. After he set down

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Yan Gomes and Abraham Almonte, Molitor replaced the right-hander with reliever Taylor Rogers, who retired Santana on one pitch to officially close the book on Berrios. "He's got good command in the strike zone," Indians designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion said of Berrios. "He's got a good two-seamer. It was working today. He pitched good." The only other base unner that Berrios allowed on the day was a first-inning single to Brantley. "[His performance] was awesome," Twins outfielder Max Kepler said. "I have seen him pitch throughout my whole career coming up in the Minors. It is good to see him have success at this level. He is one of the hardest working players I know. …He's got some of the best stuff I've seen." After the game, Molitor said that Berrios's performance earned him the right to start on Thursday against the Rockies. "The message [for Berrios] was simple: go out and have some fun," Molitor said. "Do what you can do in this game. I'm sure he knows that he's had to fight to get back up here. There was a little bit of a light being shined on him today. The response was very affirming in that he gave us the outing that he did." A lovable squirrel scampered around the field in Cleveland and avoided capture Adrian Garro | MLB | May 13, 2017 All of us are just looking for purpose in life. This extends to the animal kingdom, as creatures of all shapes and sizes are out there, day after day, doing their thing. One adventurous (or perhaps just lost) squirrel's life plan led him to Progressive Field on Saturday afternoon, where he zipped around the infield as various members of the Twins and Indians stood and watched the saga unfold. This critter emerged somewhere along the right-field line, ran through the infield and headed toward home plate -- attracting a lot of attention from Indians fans, not to mention Miguel Sano at third base. Those at the game weren’t the only ones captivated by the squirrel’s journey, though. Far from it. After a few minutes of this, the squirrel took off down the left-field line, with members of Cleveland's grounds crew in pursuit (as seen in the clip atop this post). Squirrels are fast, though, so that didn't happen. Instead, the lightning-quick rodent leapt up into the stands and disappeared somewhere ... but where? The TV cameras didn't catch it, and nobody seemed to really know. Since the Indians didn't mount an epic comeback in their 4-1 defeat to Minnesota, it's unclear whether this squirrel is, in fact, a bona fide #RallySquirrel. But those narratives tend to reveal themselves over time, so this could just be the origin story. For what it's worth, Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor had fun with the on-field guest, as he told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian after the game: "I thought it was kind of funny. I saw it coming and I was like, 'Here we go. Rally squirrel.' The guys behind home plate got scared. They didn't want to open the door for the squirrel. It's cool. It's part of the game. It's family. Everybody here enjoyed it. We enjoyed it. It's too bad we weren't winning. If we were winning, probably someone would've jumped out of the dugout and try to chase it down. We're having fun. We're having a blast. We'll see what happens." On the other side, MLB.com's William Kosileski asked members of the Twins for their take on the situation. First up, manager Paul Molitor: "I still can't figure out how long they were going to let that thing roam around out there before someone was going to try to do something." Twins right-hander Jose Berrios, who was on the mound when it all went down, had to adjust his mindset slightly: "I saw that before on the TV when I was a young guy and watched the game as a fan. When I saw it, I lost concentration a little bit. But I went forward with the game and had fun with it." Minnesota outfielder Max Kepler, meanwhile, seemed to be the first to spot the squirrel when it entered the field of play: "I saw it crawl down the wall. No one really reacted to it until it was on the field. When he went up in the left-field bleachers, everyone panicked."

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Of course, Saturday was definitely not the first instance of a squirrel invading the field of play at an Indians game. Here's hoping, though, that another reprisal of the midges isn't on the way, too. Sano's power expanding to all fields William Kosileski | MLB | May 13, 2017 CLEVELAND -- In a pitchers' duel between Twins right-hander Ervin Santana and Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin on Friday, Miguel Sano proved to be the difference in the game, as the Twins third baseman hit an opposite-field, 381-foot home run to right field in the top of the first inning to lead the Twins to a 1-0 win. Sano's homer was his 10th of the season, and his fourth to the opposite field. Sano's four big flies to right field this season equals the amount of home runs that he hit to right field in his first two seasons in the Majors, showing that the third baseman's power is developing to all fields. "Last season I didn't hit too much to right field, so this year I look to hit more to right field and center field," Sano said. "When I see a pitch that I feel comfortable to hit to right field, I'm swinging." Sano has homered in his last two games, and both have been driven the other way. Twins manager Paul Molitor is pleased with Sano's improved approach at the plate. "When he came up, there was a little bit of a fear that he had to pull the ball to pad his home run numbers and being a contributor, and just the confidence he has because of the work he's put in to understand that no part of the park is too big for him," Molitor said. "We've seen the ball go out to the other field, to center field. It's just so much better of an approach, and he's got the ability to do that, and he's starting to trust that more." Per Statcast™, 30.6 percent of Sano's fly balls and line drives have been to right field and he has posted a 1.409 slugging percentage on balls hit to right, both of which are by far career bests. "I'm trying to hit the ball more to right field, and trying to let the ball come more to me and try to hit it both sides," he said. "I never try to do too much." Sano's approach this season has also had a positive impact on his overall numbers, as he is hitting .419 with six home runs and 16 RBIs in his last 12 games. In 13 road games this season, Sano is hitting .391 with seven home runs, 19 RBIs and an OPS of 1.426. Before Saturday's game against the Indians, Molitor said that the No. 1 thing he is impressed by with Sano's start to the season has been his consistency and how far he's come since his rookie campaign. "I think everyone is going to speak very glowingly in those terms given his first six weeks of the season," Molitor said. "I would be one of those people. I think that last year was a learning experience for him and maybe the first time in a long time that he's had to fight for results in this game. Maybe a little too much was made of the issues surrounding what he was bringing to the park every day. "He certainly is putting the team above himself, and those are the things you look for in development, in terms of a maturing young player." Worth noting After the Twins designated him for assignment following an 11-1 loss at home to the Red Sox on May 6, right-handed pitcher Michael Tonkin has cleared waivers. The Twins announced on Saturday that the reliever will remain in the Twins organization and was assigned to Triple-A Rochester. In nine appearances this season, the right-hander went 0-1 with a 6.55 ERA. He allowed eight earned runs and 14 hits while striking out 13 and walking 10.

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Santiago looks to corral Cleveland William Kosileski | MLB | May 13, 2017 In the final game of a three-game set between two of the top teams in the American League Central division, Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer will face off against Twins left-hander Hector Santiago in a Mother's Day showdown. Santiago has gotten off to a solid start, as the left-hander has gone 4-1 with a 2.76 ERA in seven starts, striking out 31 in just over 42 innings of work. He is coming off his fourth win, as he went 6 2/3 innings and held the White Sox to two runs on three hits. Santiago has not allowed more than three runs in any of his starts this season. He will face an Indians team that has struggled against left-handed starters this season, going 6-9 with a team slash line of .215/.299/.326 and an OPS of .625 with 128 strikeouts. In his career against the Indians, Santiago has gone 2-3 with a 4.77 ERA in 54 2/3 innings pitched. "I'm not worried about who is up there, I'm just worried about throwing strikes and location," Santiago said. "I'm not really worried about who is coming up and what they can do. I think if I can hit my location and put the ball where I want, I will have a good chance." Bauer will pitch opposite of Santiago, and will make his seventh start of the season. His rough start to the season continued in his last start, as the right-hander allowed four runs on six hits in six innings against the Blue Jays, suffering his fourth loss of the season. In his career against the Twins, Bauer is 2-5 with 5.09 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings. Three things to know about this game • Twins first baseman Joe Mauer and designated hitter Kennys Vargas have both found success against Bauer in their careers. Mauer has gone 11-for-31 with seven doubles, one home run, six RBIs and an OPS of 1.071 against Bauer, while Vargas has gone 7-for-13 with two doubles, one homer and four RBIs. • Although he has gotten off to a slow start this season, Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis will welcome the opportunity to step into the batter's box against Santiago. In 26 career at-bats against the left-hander, Kipnis has hit .346 with a double, a homer and four RBIs. • Despite the Indians' struggles against left-handed starters this season, things could be trending in the right direction. In their last matchup against a left-handed starter on Wednesday, the Tribe scored seven runs on five hits and ran Toronto's Francisco Liriano out of the game after two innings. Zulgad: Calm, cool and collected Berrios lives up to the hype this time around Judd Zulgad | ESPN 1500 | May 13, 2017 How would Jose Berrios deal with adversity? That was the most important question the Twins’ top pitching prospect faced as he prepared to make his first start of the season on Saturday afternoon. The answer came early in Minnesota’s game at Cleveland. Berrios had gotten the first two hitters in the bottom of the third inning when Carlos Santana belted a high changeup deep to center field. Byron Buxton attempted to making a leaping catch at the wall, but was unable to hold onto the ball as he crashed into the fence. Santana pulled into third base with a triple and then, with Francisco Lindor at the plate, Berrios crossed up Jason Castro with a wild pitch that enabled Santana to score to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead. A year ago, this likely would have been the beginning of the end for Berrios. The righthander had made his big-league debut on April 27, 2016, against these same Indians at Target Field. In that game, Berrios threw two shutout innings before Lindor hit a two-run double in the third. Jason Kipnis’ RBI double in the fifth spelled the end of Berrios’ start. Berrios made 14 starts for the Twins in 2016, going 3-7 with an 8.02 earned-run average, with his longest outing being a six-inning performance on Aug. 1 in a victory over the Indians at Progressive Field. So would Berrios begin to melt as the pressure mounted? It didn’t look good when Lindor was able to draw a walk, but Berrios then got Michael Brantley on a called third strike. The Twins responded with three runs in the top of the fourth inning, and Berrios shut down the Indians thereafter in a 4-1 victory.

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Berrios, who will turn 23 on May 27, exited with two outs in the eighth inning, having given up one run, two hits, with four strikeouts and a walk. Seventy-one of his 104 pitches were thrown for strikes and he fanned Abraham Almonte on a 95 mile-per-hour fastball for his final out before departing. This was just the latest thing to go right for the Twins a year after everything went so terribly wrong in a 103-loss season. “You’ve got to be excited about the performance we received from him,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “The kid’s got a lot of attention. One, about his potential and two, the difficulty he’s had making the transition up here. So for him to come up and just kind of blend right in and give us the outing that he did. … “Couldn’t help but notice just the fact that the strikes he was throwing, working ahead, ratio was good the whole game, strikes to balls. He attacked. I thought he used his offspeed pitches efficiently, although he threw a lot of fastballs. He had a good fastball today. He limited the damage and we were able to capitalize the few opportunities that we had to score enough runs to win.” The Twins (19-14) have won two of their first three games in Cleveland and are sitting atop the AL Central, two games ahead of the defending AL champion Indians. Twins starter Ervin Santana gave up two hits, but walked five, in seven innings on Friday, but Miguel Sano’s first-inning home run held up in a 1-0 victory. Santana, the Twins’ top starter, is now 6-1 with a 1.50 ERA. But behind Santana and Sunday’s starter, Hector Santiago (4-1, 2.76 ERA), there are plenty of questions about the Twins’ starting staff. Kyle Gibson’s rough start earned him a demotion to Triple-A Rochester and there’s no guarantee he will return. Phil Hughes is 4-1 but has a 4.74 ERA and has been doing it with smoke and mirrors at times. Nick Tepesch got an emergency start last Saturday and flopped, and prospect Adalberto Mejia had a 5.79 ERA in three starts before being demoted. There were plenty calling for Berrios to be brought up earlier this season, but the Twins’ new brain trust of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine resisted the temptation. Berrios was 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in six starts at Rochester when he was summoned on Friday. Berrios’ success at Rochester wasn’t the important thing to the Twins. The key was whether he could continue that success in the big leagues, something that did not happen a year ago. The Twins were well aware of the fact that Berrios’ stuff is dominant at Triple-A. But if he again tried to be too perfect against smarter and more patient big-league hitters, Berrios would be destined to repeat what happened to him in 2016. The Twins’ feeling was that if Berrios was going to be promoted, they wanted it to be permanent this time. During a postgame interview on Fox Sports North, Berrios talked about the confidence he felt Saturday. His pitching line backed that up. So did the fact that, by inning, his pitch count went: 17, 15, 20, 12, 12, 8, 9 and 11. The eight-pitch inning came in the sixth when a squirrel got on the field and ran around long enough to cause a four-minute delay before it was finally chased into the stands. Molitor appeared unhappy by the fact that his young pitcher had to bring his outing to a halt to wait for the umpires and grounds crew to decide the best course of action with the squirrel. Berrios, though, simply threw a few warmup tosses and then got Brantley to pop up to short to end the inning. “I think that you’re watching maybe a little more closely than a normal start for someone else to see how he responds in those situations,” Molitor said when asked about keeping an eye on Berrios. “Whether it’s give up a hit, or walk, or any kind of thing that might get him out of his rhythm, including long half-innings on our side or the squirrel delay. … All of them were met with a positive reaction by him.” If the Twins draft Brendan McKay first overall, would he be a pitcher or a hitter? Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | May 13, 2017 It’s far from a certainty which player the Twins will select with their No. 1 overall selection in next month’s draft – the group of Twins decision probably won’t have a consensus until they gather in Minneapolis for final draft preparations. And even after the player is decided, the Twins will have another decision to make. With a couple two-way players expected to go in the first three selections, the Twins may have to ask themselves: OK, we got him, now will he pitch or will he hit and play the field? If they pick Hunter Greene, the prep shortstop/pitcher who reportedly hits 102 mph on the radar gun, analysts believe he’d likely start is pro

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career as a pitcher. That decision could be more difficult if the Twins pick Brendan McKay, the power-hitting first baseman who also stars on Friday nights for the Louisville Cardinals as their ace on the mound. If you had to pick, which way would you go? The truth is: even the Twins might not have the answer yet. Twins VP of Player Personnel Mike Radcliff said the Twins are still tracking “multiple guys,” when he recently joined Darren Wolfson on The Scoop podcast. “We don’t have it down to one guy,” Radcliff said. “There’s a lot of guys out there that are viable for this selection and we’re going to take it to the end and hopefully do the right thing.” Recent mock drafts from publications like MLB.com, Baseball America and ESPN are split on which player will be the top pick. It seems like recently more places are pegging McKay for the top spot, since he might be the top college pitcher and top college hitter in this year’s draft. Radcliff was asked specifically about McKay. And without making any definitive statements, he clearly was impressed with the Cardinals lefty. “That is a very unique situation, for a two-way talent to be considered at the level we’re talking about here, either or both ways,” he said. “So that makes it even more important for us to take it to the end and do our due diligence. He’s a very talented player, and we are watching him both ways. … He has the talent to be successful at either spot. So we’re pretty much regular customers at the University of Louisville, have been for a while.” They wouldn’t be the only team with boots constantly on the ground of that campus. McKay has hit an impressive .379/.498/.733 with a team-leading 15 home runs and 46 RBIs for the Cardinals this season. He’s also their ace on the mound, with a 7-3 record, 1.92 ERA and 103:20 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 75 innings. So, what happens if the Twins wind up with McKay and some scouts think he’d be better on the mound while others want to give that bat a chance to thrive in pro ball? How would Minnesota break that tie? “You don’t have to break the tie. He’s talented both ways and we’re watching him both ways,” Radcliff said. “We don’t just show up on Friday when he pitches and that’s it. We watch him hit as well all through the week. So that process might continue all the way into his career, whatever team is lucky enough to get him, you know, we’ll see.” “Unique situation. He’s a talented player both ways and we’ll see how that plays out come June and beyond,” Radcliff said. Preview: Twins at Indians The Sports XChange | FOX Sports | May 14, 2017 CLEVELAND — The Minnesota Twins attempt to complete a sweep of the reeling Cleveland Indians on Sunday in the final contest of their three-game series. The Twins, who have won four in a row, couldn’t be much hotter and the Indians couldn’t be much colder. In winning the first two games of the series, Minnesota held Cleveland to a total of one run and six hits. The best news for the Twins, however, is the return of right-hander Jose Berrios, who was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to start Saturday’s game. Berrios completely shut down the Indians’ lineup, allowing just one run and two hits in 7 2/3 innings. The Twins have tried multiple candidates in the fifth spot in their rotation, but manager Paul Molitor said that Berrios will now stay with the big-league club and assume that spot. “He’ll start the third game against Colorado (on Thursday),” Molitor said. The Indians have lost three in a row and seven of their last 11 games, and the explanation for the majority of that is the team’s sputtering offense. The Indians have scored one run in their last 24 innings. That run scored on a wild pitch in the third inning Saturday, which snapped Cleveland’s streak of 17 consecutive innings without scoring a run.

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Indians pitchers held the Twins to five runs in the first two games of the series. Cleveland has scored three or fewer runs in nine of its last 11 games. The Indians have a veteran lineup that has been productive in the past. But even with the addition of free agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion, who signed a three-year $60 million contract, Cleveland has struggled to score. In his five previous seasons, Encarnacion averaged 39 home runs and 110 RBIs. This year, Encarnacion is hitting just .213 with five home runs and 11 RBIs. Manager Terry Francona said he isn’t concerned about Encarnacion’s slow start. “I don’t think he’s feeling any pressure. He’s still taking his walks, which is good,” Francona said. “When you have a tough first month of the season, you’re not going to get it back in a week. We’re going to keep running him out there, because when it happens for him, it’s going to happen quick.” Francona said he isn’t contemplating making any changes to his lineup, which ranked second in the American League in runs scored in 2016, but is 11th this year. “I’ve never been a big fan of changing your lineup much, because I think that sends the wrong message,” he said. Slumping teams tend to be short on luck, and the Indians haven’t been lucky in the Minnesota series. They are scheduled to face the Twins’ top two pitchers in this series, with Ervin Santana (6-1, 1.50 ERA) getting the nod on Friday before Hector Santiago (4-1, 2.76) takes the mound on Sunday. Santiago has not faced Cleveland this year. He owns a 2-3 mark with a 4.77 ERA in 15 career appearances, 10 starts, versus the Indians. Francona will send Trevor Bauer to the mound on Sunday. Bauer (2-4, 7.36) has gotten off to a dreadful start this season. In his last two outings, he is 0-1 with a 9.90 ERA, having given up 11 runs on 13 hits and eight walks in 10 innings. One of Bauer’s two wins this year came against the Twins, a 6-2 victory on April 20. Bauer pitched 6 1/3 innings in that contest, allowing two runs on three hits. In 12 career starts against Minnesota, he is 2-5 with a 5.09 ERA. Twins-Indians game put on hold after rogue squirrel scampers on field Allyssa Lee | FOX Sports | May 13, 2017 Saturday’s Minnesota Twins-Cleveland Indians game was put on hold for several minutes when a squirrel decided it wanted to get in on the action. The squirrel first popped up in right field in the bottom of the sixth inning, and then ran across the infield and around the home plate area trying desperately to find an escape route, to the delight of the Progressive Field crowd. The grounds crew then joined in on the fun, trying to chase ol’ Squirrelly out a doorway on the left field line. But the squirrel, perhaps realizing that this was its 15 minutes of fame, went bold and jumped into the stands instead — not content to throw away its shot. All in all, great major-league showing by our bushy-tailed friend. The Twins made the best of the distraction … … and ultimately beat the Indians 4-1.

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Jose Berrios leads Twins to 4-1 win in first start of season Associated Press| FOX Sports | May 13, 2017 CLEVELAND — Jose Berrios had no problem handling the Cleveland hitters. Waiting for a squirrel to scram, now that took patience. Berrios pitched neatly into the eighth inning in his first start of the season and the Minnesota Twins beat the Indians 4-1 Saturday in a game delayed several minutes when a squirrel ran around the field. “It was fun because I’ve seen that before on TV, but never right in front of me,” Berrios said. The squirrel appeared from right field with Michael Brantley batting in the Cleveland sixth. Play was halted as the critter cut across the infield, angled past the mound and ran around the home plate area, drawing a loud cheer from the crowd at Progressive Field. Twins manager Paul Molitor left the dugout to speak with plate umpire CB Bucknor, and Berrios threw up his arms in frustration. “I still can’t figure that out, how long they were going to let that guy run around out there before someone got him,” Molitor said. Eventually chased toward right field by members of the grounds crew, the squirrel hopped into the stands and play continued, with Berrios retiring Brantley on a flyball. “I felt sorry for Berrios because he was throwing a great game and had to wait, but it was fun to watch,” said Twins right fielder Max Kepler, who homered. “That guy crawled down the wall right past me.” The home fans had little else to holler about as Cleveland was held to three hits for the second straight game by Minnesota. “Those type of things are funnier when you’re ahead,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. Kepler connected earlier in the sixth. The Twins have hit a home run in 14 straight games, their longest streak since 1988. Berrios and the AL Central leaders handed Cleveland its third straight loss. Called up from Triple-A Rochester on Friday, Berrios (1-0) gave up one run and two hits in 7 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one. The right-hander was 3-0 and led the International League with a 1.13 ERA in six starts at Rochester. He 3-7 with an 8.02 ERA in 14 starts for Minnesota last season. Brandon Kintzler pitched the ninth for his 10th save and third in three games. Cleveland broke a 17-inning scoreless stretch on Berrios’ wild pitch in the third. Minnesota won the series opener 1-0 Friday night. The Twins’ output in the fourth consisted of two walks, two wild pitches, a bunt hit, a throwing error by pitcher Mike Clevinger (1-1), a run-scoring groundout and Jorge Polanco’s RBI single. Minnesota has won 11 of 15 overall and is 11-4 on the road. Clevinger allowed three runs and three hits while walking five in 4 1/3 innings. Carlos Santana tripled in the third with two out on a drive to the center field wall. Byron Buxton leaped and got a glove on the ball, which bounced toward the field as Santana reached third. “You’ve got to be excited about what we saw out of Jose,” Molitor said. “He knows he had to fight to get back up here, and he attacked their hitters and limited the damage.” KEEP WORKING Cleveland newcomer Edwin Encarnacion was 0 for 4 with a strikeout in the ninth inning, dropping his average to .213.

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“I’m never going to feel frustration because I know what I can do,” the slugger said. “It’s a long season. I’m going to keep my head up and keep working hard.” Encarnacion, who signed a three-year, $60 million contract, has five homers and 11 RBIs. TRAINER’S ROOM Indians: OF Lonnie Chisenhall remained in the game after being hit on the right hand by a pitch in the eighth. UP NEXT Twins: LHP Hector Santiago seeks his first win over the Indians since Oct. 1, 2012. He has pitched against Cleveland 15 times in his career, posting a 2-3 record with a 4.77 ERA. Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer allowed four runs in six innings in his last outing, taking a 4-2 loss at Toronto on May 8. He is 1-1 with an 8.18 ERA in two home starts this season. Twins aim for sweep of sputtering Indians Stats| Yahoo! Sports | May 13, 2017 CLEVELAND -- The Minnesota Twins attempt to complete a sweep of the reeling Cleveland Indians on Sunday in the final contest of their three-game series. The Twins, who have won four in a row, couldn't be much hotter and the Indians couldn't be much colder. In winning the first two games of the series, Minnesota held Cleveland to a total of one run and six hits. The best news for the Twins, however, is the return of right-hander Jose Berrios, who was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to start Saturday's game. Berrios completely shut down the Indians' lineup, allowing just one run and two hits in 7 2/3 innings. The Twins have tried multiple candidates in the fifth spot in their rotation, but manager Paul Molitor said that Berrios will now stay with the big-league club and assume that spot. "He'll start the third game against Colorado (on Thursday)," Molitor said. The Indians have lost three in a row and seven of their last 11 games, and the explanation for the majority of that is the team's sputtering offense. The Indians have scored one run in their last 24 innings. That run scored on a wild pitch in the third inning Saturday, which snapped Cleveland's streak of 17 consecutive innings without scoring a run. Indians pitchers held the Twins to five runs in the first two games of the series. Cleveland has scored three or fewer runs in nine of its last 11 games. The Indians have a veteran lineup that has been productive in the past. But even with the addition of free agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion, who signed a three-year $60 million contract, Cleveland has struggled to score. In his five previous seasons, Encarnacion averaged 39 home runs and 110 RBIs. This year, Encarnacion is hitting just .213 with five home runs and 11 RBIs. Manager Terry Francona said he isn't concerned about Encarnacion's slow start. "I don't think he's feeling any pressure. He's still taking his walks, which is good," Francona said. "When you have a tough first month of the season, you're not going to get it back in a week. We're going to keep running him out there, because when it happens for him, it's going to happen quick." Francona said he isn't contemplating making any changes to his lineup, which ranked second in the American League in runs scored in 2016, but is 11th this year.

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"I've never been a big fan of changing your lineup much, because I think that sends the wrong message," he said. Slumping teams tend to be short on luck, and the Indians haven't been lucky in the Minnesota series. They are scheduled to face the Twins' top two pitchers in this series, with Ervin Santana (6-1, 1.50 ERA) getting the nod on Friday before Hector Santiago (4-1, 2.76) takes the mound on Sunday. Santiago has not faced Cleveland this year. He owns a 2-3 mark with a 4.77 ERA in 15 career appearances, 10 starts, versus the Indians. Francona will send Trevor Bauer to the mound on Sunday. Bauer (2-4, 7.36) has gotten off to a dreadful start this season. In his last two outings, he is 0-1 with a 9.90 ERA, having given up 11 runs on 13 hits and eight walks in 10 innings. One of Bauer's two wins this year came against the Twins, a 6-2 victory on April 20. Bauer pitched 6 1/3 innings in that contest, allowing two runs on three hits. In 12 career starts against Minnesota, he is 2-5 with a 5.09 ERA. Twins Outright Michael Tonkin Charlie Wilmoth| MLB Trade Rumors | May 13, 2017 A week after the Twins designated him for assignment, reliever Michael Tonkin has cleared waivers and will report to Triple-A Rochester, tweets LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune. As such, the right-hander will remain with the only major league organization he has known since going in the 30th round of the 2008 draft. Prior to his designation, Tonkin threw 11 early season innings in Minnesota and offset a 10.64 K/9 with an 8.18 BB/9, the latter of which helped lead to a 6.55 ERA.