Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Sunday, July 16, 2017

Twins pick up first victory of the season vs. Astros, 4-2 in Houston. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 1 Hartman: Mauer having renaissance season at the plate, in the field. Star Tribune (Hartman) p. 2 Colon to start, Buxton to DL, Vargas avoids DL, Mauer activated. Star Tribune (Neal) p. 3 Twins place Byron Buxton on disabled list, plan to start Bartolo Colon vs. Yankees. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 4 Charley Walters: Molitor will miss bonding at Hall of Fame inductions. Pioneer Press (Walters) p. 5 Another Brian Dozier leadoff homer sends Twins to 4-2 win over Astros. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 7 Bartolo tabbed to face Yanks on Tuesday. MLB (Dean) p. 8 Mauer activated; Buxton placed on DL. MLB (Dean) p. 8 Ervin the escape artist denies Astros. MLB (Dean) p. 9

Twins snap 7-game losing streak to Astros. MLB (Boutwell and Dean) p. 9

Zulgad: Colon signing sparks memories of (11) Twins retread pitchers from years past. 1500 ESPN (Zulgad) p. 11

Could Bartolo Colon actually bounce back with the Twins?. 1500 ESPN (Wetmore) p. 12

Bartolo Colon, despite struggles, to start for Twins on Tuesday. ESPN p. 13

Twins pick up first victory of the season vs. Astros, 4-2 in Houston La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | July 15, 2017

HOUSTON — Eddie Rosario's clutch hit in the sixth inning Saturday night was recorded as a two-run double to right. But its path to freedom included twists and turns and a fortuitous deflection. Somehow, Rosario's bouncer up the middle eluded a lunging pitcher and a sprawling Gold Glove-winning second baseman before making its way to the outfield. It became the biggest hit of the series for the Twins, who pulled off a 4-2 victory over Houston at Minute Maid Park — one that ended a seven-game losing streak to the Astros going back to last season. Rosario's hit broke a 2-2 tie and breathed life into a Twins offense that had spent the first two games after the All-Star break repeatedly leaving runners on base against the American League's best team. "It's how it goes, I guess," said Rosario, was who was 2-for-4 to lift his average to .289. "You want to hit the ball hard and get a nice hit. But sometimes you do things like that." It also made Ervin Santana's effort stand up. The All-Star walked five and twice pitched his way out of bases-loaded jams, improving to 11-6. Tyler Duffey loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, but Taylor Rogers escaped that inning, then pitched a 1-2-3 eighth before Brandon Kintzler threw a scoreless ninth for his 25th save. "We got a chance, after a really nice win tonight," Twins manager Paul Molitor said, "to come back and try to get two out of three." The series could be different if the Twins weren't wasting so many opportunities. The Astros looked unstoppable Friday when they raced to a 10-1 lead. But the Twins got within 10-5 before leaving two on in the fifth, three in the sixth and two more in the eighth. That trend continued Saturday. Brian Dozier hit his second leadoff homer in as many nights, but Houston scored in the second and third for a 2-1 lead. Then the stranded baserunners piled up.

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Robbie Grossman and Rosario both struck out with two on in the fourth. The Twins loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth, but they managed only to score the tying run as Zack Granite hit into a double play. Then came the sixth, when Miguel Sano walked before Max Kepler and Grossman singled — the fifth time in the series the Twins had loaded the bases. At that point, they were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position in the game, and neither hit had scored a run. They were 3-for-22 in the series. Here's where baseball became pinball. Houston starter Joe Musgrove was replaced by lefthander Tony Sipp. Rosario tapped an 0-2 slider to the first-base side of the pitcher's mound. Sipp reached for the ball, but it deflected off his glove. All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve took off to his right at the crack of the bat but had to reverse course as the ball deflected to where he vacated. Altuve sprawled on the dirt as he reached for the ball, only to have it squirt by him and into right field. Rosario pulled into second with an unconventional two-run double for a 4-2 lead. It was the break on offense the Twins needed while their pitchers kept them in the game — the Astros, the majors' top-scoring team, stranded 11 runners. "The ball has got to bounce your way once in a while," Molitor said. "It's a part of the game that's overlooked. The breaks that you get." Hartman: Mauer having renaissance season at the plate, in the field Sid Hartman | Star Tribune | July 15, 2017

Halfway through his 14th major league season, Twins first baseman Joe Mauer’s .286 batting average is his best since 2013, when he hit .324 and posted a .404 on-base percentage. Mauer missed six games because of his first trip to the disabled list since 2014, but he was activated for Saturday night’s game at Houston, and the Twins hope he will help spark a playoff push. Mauer had a slow start to the season, hitting just .225 in 21 games in March and April before really turning it on over the next 53 games before last week’s All-Star break. Mauer hit .346 with a .442 OPB in 22 games in May with three homers, 11 RBI and 15 runs scored. He hit .287 in 26 games in June and .286 in five games in July before going on the DL. Mauer said his play between those first 21 games and the next 53 wasn’t that different in terms of how he felt in his approach to the game. “I don’t know [the difference], to be honest with you,” Mauer said. “It’s just baseball, really. I’m having some good at-bats and been getting the results. For me this year, I came out and felt really good and felt like I was making good contact and not really having much to show for it. “All of a sudden May hit, and the results started to show. Hopefully those results can continue.” Heading into the season, Mauer said that he felt that his body was in a really good place healthwise for him to have a great season. “I’ve always kind of said over the years if you stay healthy and give yourself a chance, I think things will take care of themselves,” he said. “I feel I’ve done a pretty good job of that so far. Our schedule has been pretty challenging early on here, especially with all the doubleheaders and the weather and stuff like that, but I feel like I’m doing pretty good.” From catcher to first There has been a lot of talk that Mauer could earn his fourth Gold Glove this season — and his first at first base — after earning three of the awards at catcher from 2008 to 2010. Mauer said he realizes now that he can no longer play catcher. “I do [miss catching],” he said. “I definitely do. I miss calling every pitch, working with that pitcher to get the best out of them every day. But it has also been a fun challenge for me over at first base, as well. But I definitely do miss catching. “I would love to [go back], but I’ve taken too many foul tips off the head over the years. That was kind of the decision that I had back in 2013, heading into ’14, was either go play first or go home. I’m glad I’m able to play.” When asked what he misses most about catching, he went back to the relationships he built with starting pitchers over the years.

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“I just miss that relationship with that pitcher, being able to figure out how to get the best out of them each and every day,” he said. Still, first base hasn’t been bad for Mauer. He leads the league in fielding percentage, and is the only qualifying first baseman who hasn’t committed a fielding error. “Yeah, I feel pretty good,” Mauer said about his work at first. “I still try to go out there and get better each and every day — that hasn’t changed.” And, as with Justin Morneau before him, Mauer gave a lot of credit to former Twins manager Tom Kelly and his advice in fielding at first. “He has been huge in my development over there and as a ballplayer in general,” Mauer said. “I have been around him for a long time, and every time I see him I’m always trying to get more information out of him. He’s probably one of the smartest baseball guys I’ve been around, and I’m always trying to pick up new things and new ideas from him every chance I get.” Legacy and memories This season, Mauer tied the record for most Opening Days in a Twins jersey, joining the ranks of Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett, and Mauer talked about what that accomplishment feels like. “I have been very fortunate to keep putting on this uniform every day, and to be mentioned with guys like Harmon Killebrew that’s pretty special for me,” Mauer said. “I’m definitely happy and proud to put on this uniform every day.” This season, Mauer also had another player join a club in which he is one of few members: Royce Lewis became the third No. 1 overall draft pick in Twins history, joining Mauer and Tim Belcher. Mauer talked about some of the expectations that come with being the No. 1 overall pick. “The first couple of days are crazy. I got a chance to meet Royce, and he’s an impressive young man,” Mauer said. “I’m excited for him and excited to get to know him. I’ve heard a lot of great things about him, and that first impression was about right on. “I’m excited for him and hope I can be a resource for him to help him through some of the challenges he might face. But getting to know him and hearing all of these things about him, I think he’ll be great.” Yes, it has been a long and fascinating journey for Mauer in a Twins uniform. He has played some of the best baseball Minnesota has ever seen while also dealing with some of the toughest injuries. And you have to hope that Mauer stays healthy and gets a chance at his fourth postseason. JOTTINGS • Two disappointments at Rochester are ByungHo Park, who entered Saturday hitting .241 after hitting .353 with seven homers in spring training, and John Ryan Murphy, traded from the Yankees for Aaron Hicks, who was hitting .227. Colon to start, Buxton to DL, Vargas avoids DL, Mauer activated La Velle E. Neal III | Star Tribune | July 15, 2017

HOUSTON – Next up: Bartolo Colon. The Twins announced on Saturday that Colon will make his Twins debut Tuesday when they play host to Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees. It comes as the Twins have exhausted their pitching inventory in recent weeks while attempting to combat injuries and ineffectiveness. The Twins have tried out Adam Wilk, Chris Heston, Nick Turley, Nick Tepesch and Felix Jorge as starters, hoping to get lucky with one of them. None of them have worked out. Their search head led them to the 44-year-old Colon, who broke into the majors in 1997 as teammates with Orel Hershiser and Julio Franco in Cleveland.

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Colon was designated for assignment by Atlanta after going 2-8 with an 8.14 ERA in 13 starts this season. The Braves are on the hook for Colon’s $12.5 million contract for 2017. The Twins owe him the league minimum for as long as he’s with them. And that is the mystery. Does Colon have anything left? He made one start for Class AAA Rochester, giving up four runs over 3â…” innings Thursday in a loss at Lehigh Valley. Despite accounts that he wasn’t sharp, the Twins are bringing him up ahead of the 23-year-old Jorge, who has a 10.57 ERA in two major league starts after getting called up from Class AA Chattanooga, and veteran Dillion Gee, who started for Rochester on Saturday night. “Some of it had to do with some of the conversations that were made in bringing him over here and the potential timing of getting him into the rotation,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. Molitor said Colon will arrive in the Twin Cities on Sunday. Once Colon steps on the mound, the Twins will be the 10th major league team he has pitched for. And the Twins will use their 28th pitcher this season, one less than last year’s club record.He also will be the 11th starter used by the Twins this season. Buxton, not Vargas, put on disabled list The Twins were going to place someone on the disabled list Saturday. It ended up being center fielder Byron Buxton, who has a sore left groin muscle. Buxton was in the process of scoring from first base in the fourth inning Friday when he took a misstep around second and was initially injured. He then felt it as he slid into second with a double in the sixth. He was removed from the game at that point. Kennys Vargas left in the seventh because of a left foot contusion. He has twice fouled balls off the foot since spring training, and it began to bother him during Friday’s game. X-rays were negative, and Vargas said he was able to play through it. Things were different, however, with Buxton. “It’s a hard one in that we’re not sure if he will be healthy in four, five, six days,” Molitor said. “The timing is right. And his legs are such a huge part of his game in that you don’t want him to be battling that at less than 100 percent going into the last few months of the season. So we are going to take the 10 days and try to get it right.” Zack Granite, called up on July 7, will replace Buxton in center. Both Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler can play there was well. Granite, hitting .360 in 59 games at Rochester this season, got his first major league hit Friday, a bloop double to center. “I like what I see,” Molitor said of Granite. “It’s a little bit up to him to see how far he can take his ability.” Buxton’s move to the DL enabled the Twins to activate first baseman Joe Mauer from the disabled list. Mauer, out since July 4 because of a sore lower back, was going to be held out of the lineup one more day before Buxton went down Friday. Vargas ran sprints in the outfield before Saturday’s game. Twins place Byron Buxton on disabled list, plan to start Bartolo Colon vs. Yankees Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | July 15, 2017

HOUSTON — Just when Byron Buxton was finding his rhythm at the plate, the Twins’ speedy center fielder landed Saturday on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right groin. Buxton, who said he suffered the injury scoring from first on Brian Dozier’s bases-clearing double in Friday’s third inning, stayed in the game until after legging out a sixth-inning double. This is the second career trip to the DL for Buxton, who also missed more than five weeks as a rookie in 2015 with a sprained left thumb. “The timing is right,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “His legs are such a huge part of his game. You don’t want him to be battling that at less than 100 percent going into the last few months of the season, so we’re going to take the 10 days and try to get it right.” Rookie Zack Granite took Buxton’s place in center field Saturday, and Joe Mauer, activated off the DL after a 10-day stay with back spasms, started at first base and batted third.

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“I understand the situation, understand what goes on with it,” Buxton said. “I just have to get better and focus on getting back out there. I’ll go back home and get right, sit in on bullpens and just try to keep my timing and see pitches.” Since adopting a no-stride approach at the plate last month, Buxton was hitting .387 with a .457 on-base percentage and .516 slugging mark in 10 July games. His six-game hitting streak was one shy of his career best from last season, but that stretched across three different months after an April 24 demotion to Triple-A Rochester and a May 31 recall. “He was trying to find a way to prove he’d be ready here in three, four, five days,” Molitor said. “I think there’s just too much of a risk, knowing Buck, that he would try to push it. If he got out there, he wouldn’t ease up to try to make a play. He’s still learning how to protect himself if his body’s not quite right.” COLON ON THE WAY Ageless right-hander Bartolo Colon never touched 90 mph on Thursday in his Twins organization debut for Triple-A Rochester, but he still showed enough to earn a return ticket to the majors. Colon, baseball’s oldest active player at 44, will start July 18 at home against the New York Yankees, one of his nine former clubs. Colon threw 76 pitches in 3 2/3 innings against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, giving up four earned runs on two walks and four hits, including a solo homer by shortstop prospect J.P. Crawford. Colon, released by the Atlanta Braves after his earned-run average reached 8.14 on June 28, should have 90-plus pitches at his disposal should he recapture his missing groove. He worked mostly at 88 mph on Thursday, using his breaking ball and changeup as well. “I’m not worried about (total) pitches,” Molitor said. “One of the things he’s always been is durable.” Colon, set to fly to the Twin Cities on Sunday, would become the 11th different starter used by the Twins this year and their 28th pitcher overall, one shy of the team record set last year en route to 103 losses. Just three teams had used more than 11 starters through Friday. The Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds led with 13 starters each, while the Oakland A’s had used 12. The New York Mets, Kansas City Royals and Miami Marlins had used 11 starters each. BRIEFLY First baseman Kennys Vargas (bruised left foot) was able to stay off the DL for now after passing a pregame test on the field, where he ran and showed he was able to handle baseball activities. “I can play with pain,” Vargas said after exiting Friday’s loss as a precaution. “It’s not a big deal.” He has been taping up his foot since fouling a ball of it two weeks ago at Rochester. Triple-A righty Dillon Gee ran his scoreless streak to 15 innings across three outings with seven shutout frames on four hits and a walk Saturday. Armed with a July 15 opt-out clause, Gee could force the Twins to release him or add him to the 25-man roster within 72 hours. Lefty Craig Breslow (ribs) was scheduled to make a third rehab appearance on Sunday for the Red Wings. He threw a scoreless inning on Friday and won’t need to work back-to-back games, Molitor said, before returning. Rule 5 pick Justin Haley worked five scoreless innings for Rochester on Friday. His 30-day rehab assignment expires July 25. Lefty Hector Santiago, on the DL since July 5 with upper thoracic back pain and discomfort, will ramp up his throwing program once the Twins return home Monday. Molitor suggested a minor league rehab assignment would be required. “I think we’ve got a little ways to go there,” he said.

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Charley Walters: Molitor will miss bonding at Hall of Fame inductions Charley Walters | Pioneer Press | July 15, 2017

Fifty-six of the 73 living baseball hall of famers are scheduled to attend this year’s inductions in two weeks in Cooperstown, N.Y. Paul Molitor has attended 10 of the ceremonies since he was inducted in 2004. But Molitor will miss his third straight induction at baseball’s shrine because he’s been managing the Twins. “The experiences I’ve had in returning there is one of the highlights of the year for me, to be part of that group, to welcome in the new inductees,” Molitor said. “It’s a fraternity that’s bonded by the great game. It’s not by accident that the people who are members are not only the greatest players of all time, but they’re some of the game’s greatest ambassadors because they’re such high-character. “To me, to rub shoulders each and every summer with my boyhood heroes, whether it’s Sandy Koufax, Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron — you just go down the list. And then you have your contemporaries — Robin (Yount) and George Brett and Dave (Winfield), Eddie Murray and Ozzie (Smith) — it’s just an incredible weekend that’s hosted in the highest fashion by (chairperson) Jane (Forbes Clark). “I miss it — I don’t know how many more I’ll miss.” Molitor, 60, laughed. He’s in the final season of a three-year Twins contract, a team he has kept in playoff contention. The Twins say they’ll determine Molitor’s future in Minnesota at season’s end. “We’ll see,” he said. There is a reason that Molitor, who is among elite hall of famers in performance, will especially miss this year’s inductions. “Mr. Selig is going in,” he said of Bud Selig, the former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, for whom Molitor played his first 14 seasons. Selig went on to become commissioner of baseball. Molitor has deep respect for Selig. “I’ve been around Mr. Selig for over 40 years,” he said. “As an owner, he took care of me like a son.” Since baseball’s amateur draft began in 1965, 34 draftees have gone on to election in Cooperstown. Tim Raines, who will be inducted this month, was a fifth-round pick by Montreal in 1977. Jeff Bagwell, who’ll also be inducted, was a fifth-round draft pick by Houston in 1989. Also to be inducted this year, Ivan Rodriguez, signed internationally by Texas as a 16-year-old out of Puerto Rico. Some other hall of famers and their draft positions: Molitor, first round; Winfield, first round; Kirby Puckett, first round; Bert Blyleven, third round; Mike Piazza, 62nd round; John Smoltz, 22nd round; Ryne Sandberg, 20th round; Nolan Ryan, 12th round; Goose Gossage, ninth round; Andre Dawson, 11th round; Rickey Henderson, fourth round, and Wade Boggs, seventh round. The Twins will host Home Run Derby champion Aaron Judge and the Yankees for three games beginning Monday. The 6-foot-7, 282-pound Judge leads the major leagues in home runs with 30. I asked hall of famer Bert Blyleven, who returns to the Twins broadcast booth on Monday, how he would pitch against Judge. “Fastballs away, then a hard breaking ball,” Blyleven said. “He’s such a big monster up there, he reminds me of (6-7, 252-pound former major leaguer) Frank Howard. He’s also a guy you have to lock up inside (fastball), just show him you’ll come inside and repeat inside.” Twins fans can get a look at Judge and the Yankees on Sunday at noon against the Red Sox on Turner’s broadcast from Fenway Park. Recently signed No. 1 draft pick shortstop Royce Lewis might be the second-fastest player in the Twins organization. Twins scouts have a scale (maximum rating is eight) to measure speed — home plate to first base, first base to third base. Byron Buxton surpasses even the maximum No. 8, but Lewis grades out at a seven. “He’s a top-shelf runner, just below a Buxton-type runner,” player personnel VP Mike Radcliff said.

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Lewis, 18, is hitting .316 with two home runs and eight runs batted in after 14 games for rookie league Fort Myers, Fla. Buxton, by the way, has an ankle-high tattoo on his left leg, but it has nothing to do with speed. “It’s Polynesian,” Buxton said. “My (older) brother Felton and I are pretty close, and we like Polynesian designs.” On Byron’s upper left arm is a tattoo of a clock with the hands set at five minutes to 12. Meaning? “Cherish every moment,” he said. Former Twins pitcher Johan Santana, 38, still has $5 million coming in each of the next three years as a result of the $137.5 million deal he signed with the Mets four years ago. Santana, whose career ended with shoulder surgeries, resides in Fort Myers, Fla. That was former Twins GM Terry Ryan, now with the Phillies, scouting the recent Minnesota All-Star high school series in Chaska. Outfielder Brent Rooker, who received a $1.9 million signing bonus from the Twins as the 35th overall pick in last month’s draft out of Mississippi State, hit six home runs and had 12 RBIs in his first 65 at-bats for rookie league Elizabethton. Erik Bremer, 22, son of Twins longtime TV play-by-play voice Dick Bremer, 61, is play-by-play voice of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Class AA Biloxi (Miss.) Shuckers. Erik is a recent Northwestern University grad in radio, TV and film. “He’s been at enough banquets with me where I’ve said I’ve never had to work a day in my life, and now he’s at a point in his life where that sounds pretty good,” his father said. Overheard Twins third baseman Miguel Sano, asked if he still intends to be as productive as Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera, the two-time American League MVP: “I want to be better than him.” Another Brian Dozier leadoff homer sends Twins to 4-2 win over Astros Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | July 15, 2017

HOUSTON — Back in his Class A days, Brian Dozier made the most of his limited spring-training exposure to Jim Thome. In particular, the Twins’ second baseman recalls the Bunyanesque slugger lecturing on the importance of pulverizing fastballs. “He stressed that to me very early in my career, back in 2010-11,” Dozier said before the Twins’ 4-2 win over the high-flying Houston Astros, who had beaten them seven straight times. “He was really good at it.” Dozier is too, as he showed again Saturday with his second leadoff homer in as many nights. This time he pounded a 93-mph fastball, the first pitch of the game from Houston Astros right-hander Joe Musgrove, into the Crawford Boxes for his 22nd career leadoff homer. Having passed Jacque Jones for the Twins franchise lead on Friday, when it took him two pitches to connect off righty Charlie Morton, Dozier is far more interested in the way he attacks fastballs than any quirky statistical marks. That’s why the signed Thome jersey he has framed and displayed in his Mississippi “man cave” bears the inscription: “Keep hunting those heaters.” Thome, with his 612 career homers and likely first-ballot ticket to Cooperstown in 2018, taught his pupil well. Dozier, who now has 15 homers on the year, has staked out a reputation as one of the game’s foremost punishers of fastballs, even those delivered at high velocity. “You can play a long time in this game if you can hit a fastball,” he said. “Over and over, Thome would say, ‘The best way to hit a slider is don’t miss the heater.’ That holds true, I think. The straight one’s always a good one to hit.”

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It certainly is for Dozier, who has driven in five runs already in the second half. Twins manager Paul Molitor surmised a “very high percentage” of Dozier’s 42 homers last season came on fastballs. “There aren’t too many people that can throw hard enough to get it by him,” Molitor said. Dozier added another sharp single in the fifth, giving him both hits with runners in scoring position in the Twins’ first 21 chances in this series. Eddie Rosario added a two-run hustle double off the glove of lefty Tony Sipp in the sixth, sending Ervin Santana (11-6) to his first win in four starts as he came off his second career all-star appearance. Taylor Rogers picked his up majors-leading 22nd hold, getting Yuli Gurriel on a grounder to leave the bases loaded in the seventh, and all-star closer Brandon Kintzler earned his 25th save in 28 chances. “That’s your teammates’ runs out there,” Rogers said. “I try to do the same as somebody would want to do for me. It’s more fulfilling to strand runners than to have somebody else strand them for you. I have a job to do and some runners to strand.” Santana turned in his 13th quality start despite tying a season high with five walks and giving up a third-inning homer to Jose Altuve, the 19th he’s allowed this year. Altuve took advantage of an elevated fastball, as Dozier has so many times in his career. “That’s where I gauge my whole offensive approach of how I feel — getting beat on the fastball and not getting beat,” Dozier said. “I get out on fastballs a lot. I roll over, I pop up. I just don’t feel like I get beat. When I do, then something might be off.” While Dozier has opened games with homers on offspeed pitches, his success in the quick-strike category would seem to owe much to his ability to turn around quality fastballs. “Timing is everything in hitting — everything,” Dozier said. “If you’re always ready to hit the heater, it enables you to hit offspeed better. But don’t ever lose sight of the fact the heater is coming sooner or later. Don’t think that’s the only thing I’m swinging at, but you don’t ever want to lose your timing on the heater.” Bartolo tabbed to face Yanks on Tuesday Richard Dean| MLB | July 15, 2017

HOUSTON -- Minnesota will see soon what it has in 44-year-old Bartolo Colon, who on Saturday was assigned his first start for the Twins, on Tuesday at home against the Yankees. The Twins signed Colon to a Minor League deal on July 7 after he was designated for assignment by Atlanta on June 29. As for why Colon will be starting on Tuesday, manager Paul Molitor said, "Some of it had to do with conversations that were made in bringing him over here and the timing of trying to get him in the rotation." Colon gave up four runs on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 3 2/3 innings on Thursday in a Triple-A start for Rochester against Lehigh Valley. With 235 Major League wins, Colon is nine shy of passing Juan Marichal as the winningest pitcher from the Dominican Republic. Mauer activated; Buxton placed on DL Richard Dean | MLB | July 15, 2017

HOUSTON -- As expected, first baseman Joe Mauer was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list on Saturday, and outfielder Byron Buxton, who left Friday's game with a groin injury, was placed on the 10-day DL. Mauer had missed six games because of a strained lower back. Since June 20, he is batting .345 with a .429 OBP. Manager Paul Molitor welcomes Mauer's bat as well as his defensive ability. "It's an experienced bat that knows how to slow the game down and gives you a good chance," Molitor said. "I always feel good when Joe's up there, trying to get something started, get a big hit, extend an inning. He takes the best and most consistent at-bat of anybody on our squad." Buxton and Kennys Vargas both exited Friday's 10-5 loss to Houston early. Buxton tweaked his right groin scoring from first base on Brian

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Dozier's bases-clearing double in the fourth, slipping a bit rounding second base. He remained in the game, but the injury worsened as the game went on, and he was taken out in the bottom of the sixth. We're not sure if he'll be healthy in four or five days or six days," Molitor said. "But the timing is right, and his leg is such a huge part of his game that you don't want him to be battling that, at less than 100 percent going into the last few months of the season. "So we'll take the 10 days and try to get it right. It's too much of a risk. His best asset right now is speed, and we want to get that back and not worry about it continuing to be aggravated." Vargas, who was recalled when Mauer went on the DL, left Friday's game with a foot injury in the seventh inning. X-rays where negative, and the foot responded to treatment on Saturday. Ervin the escape artist denies Astros Richard Dean | MLB | July 15, 2017 HOUSTON -- All-Star right-hander Ervin Santana acknowledged that he didn't have his best stuff on Saturday against the Astros, by far the best hitting team in the American League. But where Santana excelled, in the middle of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park, was in limiting the damage in a 4-2 Minnesota win. Twice he pitched out of bases-loaded jams, and reliever Taylor Rogers came out unscathed after inheriting a bases-juiced jam in the seventh, with the Twins preserving the two-run lead. "That was tough," said Santana in describing the bases-loaded situations in the second and fourth innings. "They've been scoring, like, 10 runs per game. "When you don't have your best stuff and only give up two runs against that team ... I just tried to make a good pitch every time." Santana (11-6), who allowed only two runs and five hits over six innings, gave up one run in bases-loaded situations. He made the pitches when he needed to, keeping the Astros from striking for a big inning. In the second, Santana loaded the bases and faced George Springer after allowing an RBI double to Yuli Gurriel. Santana walked Marwin Gonzalez and Alex Bregman, bringing up Springer, who has 27 home runs and 62 RBIs. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Springer took a mighty whack at Santana's 87.5-mph pitch at a 59-degree launch angle, according to Statcast™. Springer popped out to short right field to end the inning. Two innings later, Santana faced another threat, with the Astros again loading the bases. This time, with two outs, Santana faced another All-Star in Jose Altuve, who had homered in his previous at-bat, leading off the third inning. Santana induced Altuve to ground out to third. "He found a way," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He stranded some runners, made some big pitches to some really good hitters with two outs. [He held] the damage to two runs and got through six innings when his pitch count got up there pretty quickly in the first couple of innings." Getting out of bases-loaded jams wasn't limited to Santana. Rogers inherited a messy situation in the seventh when he entered in relief of Tyler Duffey with the bases loaded and the Twins trying to protect the 4-2 lead. Up came Gurriel, who had two hits off Santana and was robbed of a third on an outstanding running grab by center fielder Zack Granite leading off the sixth, but Rogers got him to ground out to second base. Twins snap 7-game losing streak to Astros Christian Boutwell and Richard Dean| MLB | July 15, 2017

HOUSTON -- After a soft comebacker ricocheted off the glove of Astros reliever Tony Sipp, Eddie Rosario stretched what would have been a routine double play into a double and secured the Twins' 4-2 win on Saturday at Minute Maid Park. Much earlier in the evening, Twins second baseman Brian Dozier clubbed his second leadoff home run in as many days, helping the Twins end their three-game losing streak while at the same time earning their first win against the 61-win Astros this season. Prior to Saturday, Minnesota had lost seven in a row to the Astros, dating back to Aug. 9, 2016.

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Minnesota's All-Star starting pitcher, Ervin Santana, picked up his 11th win of the season, which is tied for the second most in the American League with Boston's Chris Sale. Santana was charged with both Astros runs in six innings of work, all the while keeping Houston from recording its sixth double-digit scoring night in eight games. "The pitcher is trying to [get] us out," said Astros utility man Marwin Gonzalez. "We're not facing a pitching machine, you know? He did good today. He threw a good game. And he's one of the best pitchers in the league. "It was just one of those games. We're not going to score 10 runs every game." However, the Astros have outscored the Twins, 52-25, in five games this season, including runs scored on second baseman Jose Altuve's solo home run in the third inning and Yuli Gurriel's RBI double in the second. The Astros held a 2-1 lead until the Twins tied it in the fifth and scored that pair off the miscue in the sixth. "The first four chapters of the Houston book weren't particularly good reading, but it got a little better today, and hopefully we can solve the puzzle offensively," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We have a chance to get two out of three." Houston, though, had its own chances. The Astros finished 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base for the second consecutive game. Houston left the bases loaded in three innings. "We worked really hard to get into those situations, just didn't come through with the hit," said Astros manager A.J. Hinch. "Credit to them, we obviously had our opportunities. We had every chance to break things open a little, or at least make things a little bit closer, but they won the big at-bats." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Ricochet renders two runs: In the sixth, for the second inning in a row, Astros starter Joe Musgrove loaded the bases with two singles and a walk with no outs, and he was replaced by Sipp. On Sipp's third pitch, Rosario bounced a two-run double -- which had a 19 percent hit probability, according to Statcast™ -- off Sipp's glove; the ricocheting ball scooted past Altuve at second and rolled into right field to put the Twins ahead, 4-2. Sipp would strike out Jorge Polanco and Jason Castro before Houston intentionally walked Dozier to load the bases once again. Six pitches later, Sipp ended the inning with Zack Granite's groundout to second base. "The ball has to bounce your way once in a while," Molitor said. "[Rosario] tried to stay on that slider from Sipp. If he doesn't deflect it, it's probably a double-play ball." Santana finds, escapes trouble: Santana did what many pitchers fear 90 games into this season: load the bases for power hitter George Springer (26 HRs in 2017). On the first pitch of the at-bat, Springer swung for a grand slam, but whacked Santana's 87.5-mph pitch at a 59-degree launch angle, according to Statcast™, and popped out to short right field to end the second-inning threat. "It's a tough game," Hinch said. "When things don't go your way, there are a lot of what-ifs, a lot of could-[haves], there's a lot of nonsense. You have to try to win the at-bats, and we did, just came up short." SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS With Gurriel's double in the second inning, the Astros notched their franchise-record 48th straight game with a double. The streak is the third longest in MLB history, trailing the 1996 Indians' 75-game streak and a 51-game stretch by the 1999 Braves. DOZIER DOES IT AGAIN On Friday night, Dozier planted Charlie Morton's second pitch in Minute Maid Park's Crawford Boxes for his 21st career leadoff homer, setting a Twins franchise record. Dozier needed only Musgrove's first pitch to knock No. 22, also to left field. It's the second time in his career Dozier has hit leadoff homers in consecutive games. "They come in bunches," Molitor said. "We all know that he can get hot. It will be great to see him where he gets in a better groove offensively that provides a spark." WHAT'S NEXT Twins: Right-hander Kyle Gibson gets the start in the finale of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. CT. In his only start at the venue, on Aug. 13, 2014, Gibson earned a win, allowing one run over 7 2/3 innings. Astros: Right-hander Mike Fiers will make his 18th start of the season on Sunday and ninth at home. He allowed a home run in his previous

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start, at Toronto, snapping a seven-game homerless streak after serving up a MLB-high 18 in his first nine starts. Zulgad: Colon signing sparks memories of (11) Twins retread pitchers from years past Judd Zulgad | 1500 ESPN | July 15, 2017 The Twins’ move to sign 44-year-old starter Bartolo Colon on Friday carried on a long tradition of this franchise signing once prominent names turned journeyman in hopes of getting one last batch of competent outings. Shortly after the Colon news broke on Friday, I put a question on Twitter for Twins fans to chime in with some of their favorite moves when it came to the organization bringing in a player near the end of his career. The replies brought back a flood of memories. My initial plan was to do a top 10 list of these players. However, it soon became clear that pitchers could make up their own top 10 list. I ended up with 11. Here is the list: (If there are any oversights, and I’m sure there are, feel free to add them in the comments section.) John Candelaria, LHP, joined Twins in age 36 season: Signed as a free agent in February 1990, “The Candy Man” went 7-3 with a 3.39 ERA in 34 games and one start before being traded to Toronto for infielder Nelson Liriano and outfielder Pedro Munoz in July 1990. Candelaria spent 1991 and 1992 with the Dodgers before finishing his 19-year career (at age 39) where it began, with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1993. Steve Carlton, LHP, joined Twins in age 42 season: The Twins acquired “Lefty” for a player to be named on July 31, 1987. He went 1-5 with a 6.70 ERA in nine games and seven starts. The Twins retained Carlton as a free agent in 1988 and he went 0-1 with a 16.76 ERA in four games (one start) before being let go in late April. That put an end to his 24-year Hall of Fame career. Livan Hernandez, RHP, joined Twins in age 33 season: We give you Hernandez’s age knowing full well that many have questioned if we actually ever knew his real year of birth. He was signed as a free agent by the Twins in February 2008 and went 10-8 with a 5.48 ERA in 23 starts before being selected off waivers by Colorado in August of that season. He would go on to pitch for four more teams before retiring after his age 37 season in 2012. He spent 17 years in the big leagues. Charlie Lea, RHP, joined Twins in age 31 season: Signed as a free agent in February 1988 after being in Montreal for his first six years, Lea went 7-7 with a 4.85 ERA in 24 games (23 starts) in the final season of his big-league career. Jason Marquis, RHP, joined Twins in age 33 season: Signed as a free agent in December 2011, Marquis went 2-4 with an 8.47 ERA in seven starts before being let go by the Twins in late May of 2012 and signing with the San Diego Padres. He ended his 15-year career with the Cincinnati Reds at age 36 in 2015. Terry Mulholland, LHP, joined Twins in age 41 season: Purchased on April 2, 2004, Mulholland went 5-8 with a 5.18 ERA in 39 games and 15 starts that season and then went 0-2 with a 4.27 ERA in 49 games in 2005 before signing with Arizona as a free agent. He retired after 20 years in the big leagues (at age 43) after only five games with the Diamondbacks in 2006. Joe Niekro, RHP, joined Twins in age 42 season: Acquired on June 7, 1987 from the New York Yankees for catcher Mark Salas, the knuckleballer went 4-9 with a 6.26 ERA in 19 games and 18 starts in the Twins’ World Championship season. He pitched two innings in relief in the 1987 World Series. Niekro finished his 22-year career by going 1-1 with a 10.03 ERA in five games and two starts with the Twins before being released on May 4, 1988. Niekro’s most famous moment as a Twin came on Aug. 3, 1987 in Anaheim, Calif., when Niekro came under suspicion from the umpires and, as he emptied out his pockets, an emery board and a piece of sandpaper flew out of his pocket. That earned Niekro a 10-game suspension. Jesse Orosco LHP, joined Twins in age 46 season: Originally traded to the New York Mets by the Twins in 1979 as part of the Jerry Koosman deal, the Twins re-acquired Orosco from the Yankees for a player to be named on Aug. 31, 2003. Orosco went 1-1 with a 5.79ERA in eight games for the Twins during a season in which he also pitched for San Diego. Minnesota was the last stop for Orosco in his 24-year career. Ramon Ortiz, RHP, joined Twins in age 34 season: Signed as a free agent in January 2007, Ortiz went 4-4 with a 5.14 ERA in 28 games and 10 starts before being traded to the Colorado Rockies for infielder Matt Macri in August 2007. Ortiz did not pitch in 2008 or 2009 but returned in 2010 with the Dodgers. He pitched for the Cubs in 2011 and Blue Jays in 2013 before calling it quits at age 40 after 12 big-league seasons.

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Sidney Ponson, RHP, joined Twins in age 30 season: Signed as a free agent in January 2007 and went 2-5 with a 6.93 ERA in seven starts before being released in May. He split 2008 between the Rangers and Yankees before concluding his big-league career in 2009 with the Royals at age 32. Shane Rawley, LHP, joined Twins in age 33 season: Acquired on Oct. 24, 1988 from the Phillies, with cash, for outfielder Eric Bullock, second baseman Tom Herr and catcher Tom Nieto. Rawley went 5-12 with a 5.21 ERA in 27 games and 25 starts for the Twins in 1989. That was the last season of his 12-year career that began in 1978 with Seattle. Could Bartolo Colon actually bounce back with the Twins? Derek Wetmore | 1500 ESPN | July 15, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS – The Twins announced a surprising acquisition during Friday night’s game: 20-year MLB veteran Bartolo Colon is now one phone call away from pitching in the Majors for Minnesota. The Twins agreed to minor league contract on Friday with the veteran right-hander. Twins CBO Derek Falvey said that the team wants him to get a start with Triple-A Rochester to “make sure he’s in a good place… before we make the decision for him to come here.” In some ways, it’s a surprising move because Colon posted an 8.14 ERA before the Braves kicked him off their roster. On the other hand, Colon had a 3.43 ERA last year with the Mets, and the Twins have basically had a constant need for more pitching this year. The 44-year-old signed a $12.5 million contract in Atlanta this winter and it didn’t work out. And sure, a lot of baseball fans seem to enjoy the spectacle of the portly Colon, especially when the big-bellied hurler swings a bat. Let’s dig beneath the surface of that initial buzz of enthusiasm. Can Colon still get outs in the big leagues? “When you think about the entirety of his career, he was a big-velocity, swing-and-miss guy for a long time,” Falvey said Friday. “To reinvent yourself and be the command guy that he was, and be able to get swing-and-miss and the deception that he has — a lot of guys can’t do that, so that’s a credit to him. I know he wants to pitch more than the rest of this year; he loves baseball and that’s been relayed to us, for sure.” Colon has a 4.02 career ERA – a career that began with the Indians in 1997 and includes a few matchups with current Twins manager, 60-year-old Paul Molitor. First, some bad news. Colon’s strikeout rate has gone down each year since 2014. His swinging strike rate has declined each of the past three seasons to just 4.9% this year; if Colon had enough innings to qualify for the leaderboard, it’d be the second-worst rate for a starting pitcher this year. And his walk rate has climbed each of the past three years. Still, his walk rate this season is right in line with his career 6.6% rate, although in his most successful recent years, he’s limited walks even more than that. His career strikeout rate is 17.6%, but that’s down a bit to 14.1% this year. Colon’s fastball is in the 90-91 mph range these days, according to Brooks Baseball. He throws that more than 80% of the time, according to FanGraphs.com, and he’ll also mix in a slider and changeup. Twins manager Paul Molitor said that when Colon first broke into the league — while Molitor still was an active Major Leaguer — the righty threw 97 mph with a 2-seamer that registered at 95 mph. That big velocity is a thing of the past for Colon. Now, for some reasons to be optimistic on whether Colon’s next stop could be better than his previous one. “He’s a guy who has reinvented himself a number of times over the course of his career. This was a guy who relied almost exclusively on velocity at a much younger age,” Falvey said. “And now has learned how to pitch more effectively at a lower velocity rate. “We felt like there were some signals that maybe the stuff was similar to what it had been in years past but maybe he was a little bit unlucky. Strand rates or otherwise – ball-in-play rates. We felt like the stuff was similar to where it had been, so this was a good opportunity for us to add a guy who’s been really successful over the last couple seasons, who has had a little bit of a tough start to this year.” Over the past 3 seasons – excluding this year – Colon has a 3.90 ERA and a 415:86 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 588 2/3 innings. This year, that earned-run rate ballooned to 8.14. So, has he lost it at age 44? Or, as Falvey, suggests, has he been unlucky? My answer to that is that while I don’t think Colon will run up 200 innings of sub-4.00 ERAs any longer, it does look to me like there has been some bad luck this year.

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For one thing, Falvey mentioned Colon’s strand rate. Colon has stranded just 48.2% of base runners who’ve reached safely this season, and that’s an incredibly low rate. Anecdotally, there’s a skill set involved in keeping base runners from scoring. But the data say there’s only so much a pitcher can do in that regard. For comparison, Colon has stranded 72.5% of base runners in his career, including 76.5% last year, 71.9% the year before, and 70.2% the year before that. Last year, the worst strand rate in the big leagues among qualified pitchers was Mike Leake’s 65.6% and the best rate was Jon Lester’s 84.9%. This year, Clayton Kershaw leads the world by stranding 89.3% of runners, while Tanner Roark is the worst among qualified starters at stranding runners: 64.2%. Clearly there’s a wide range between the best and the worst each season. But to see more than half the base runners come around to score against Colon is a little surprising, and could be an indication that the ball wasn’t bouncing his way in Atlanta. The other underlying stat Falvey mentioned was ball-in-play rate, or BABIP. When opposing batters put the ball in play this year against Colon, they’ve reached safely 36% of the time. Put another way, opponents are hitting .360 when they put the ball in play. That’s higher than any other starting pitcher with enough innings to qualify for the ERA title. Colon’s career BABIP is .296, including .291, .307 and .307 the past three seasons. The league-average BABIP this year is .297, and in general, every pitcher’s rate gravitates around that average. Sure, guys who give up screaming line drives and gap-shot fly balls and likely to sustain higher BABIPs than pitchers who get weak ground balls and infield popups more regularly. But Colon’s .360 BABIP is higher than any qualified pitcher posted last year or the year before that or the year before that. So either Colon was getting pulverized by hitters this year, or a few extra batted balls found the soft spot in the defense. Based on the batted-ball data publicly available on FanGraphs, it seems to me like the unlucky explanation might hold some water. Like I said, I don’t expect Colon to post a 4.00 ERA over a full season again. But his Fielding Independent numbers – his FIP and his xFIP – both suggest he deserves a better ERA he has, closer to a 5.00 ERA than an 8.00. If you’re hoping for a rejuvenated Colon in a Twins uniform, just keep that number in mind. Then again, the Twins have used 10 starters now this year, and only three of them can boast about having an ERA better than 5.00. Bartolo Colon, despite struggles, to start for Twins on Tuesday ESPN | July 15, 2017 Bartolo Colon, who was picked up by the Minnesota Twins after he was released by the Atlanta Braves, will make his debut for the team against the New York Yankees on Tuesday. Colon, 44, made one start with Triple-A Rochester and was hit hard, lasting just 76 pitches over 3 2/3 innings while allowing four earned runs on four hits, including a home run on Thursday against Lehigh Valley. He struck out five. "I'm not worried about (total) pitches," Twins manager Paul Molitor told reporters Saturday. "One of the things he's always been is durable." Colon, who had gone to Atlanta on a one-year, $12.5 million deal in the offseason, was designated for assignment after going 2-8 with an 8.14 ERA in 13 starts for the Braves. Last season with the Mets, Colon earned his fourth All-Star selection, going 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 33 starts. The Twins will be the 10th different team in 20 major league seasons for the 2005 Cy Young Award winner. He has a career record of 235-170 with a 4.02 ERA and 2,407 strikeouts. His win total ranks third among Latin American-born pitchers, trailing only Nicaraguan Dennis Martinez (245) and fellow Dominican Juan Marichal (243). In other moves, the Twins reinstated first baseman Joe Mauer from the disabled list Saturday and placed outfielder Byron Buxton on the 10-day DL. Mauer, who was batting third against the Astros on Saturday night, last played on July 4 and was placed on the DL on July 7 with a strained lower back. Buxton left the Twins' 10-5 loss against the Houston Astros in the sixth inning on Friday with left groin soreness. "His legs are such a huge part of his game," Molitor said of Buxton. "You don't want him to be battling that at less than 100 percent going into the last few months of the season, so we're going to take the 10 days and try to get it right."

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Kennys Vargas has started at first base in Mauer's absence. He was forced out of Friday night's game in the seventh inning with a left foot contusion. Mauer worked out before Friday's game and took part in batting practice. The 34-year-old veteran is hitting .286 with five home runs and 34 RBIs this season. The Twins enter Saturday's action in second place in the AL Central, 2.5 games behind the first-place Cleveland Indians.